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Today is the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost. To review and reflect on what I have heard and read during the English-language service at St. James, I would like to share the Collect of the Day, Psalm 90:1–6, 13–17, and today’s Gospel reading, Matthew 22:34–46, as follows:
The Collect of the Day
Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17 Domine, refugium
- Lord, you have been our refuge *
from one generation to another. - Before the mountains were brought forth,
or the land and the earth were born, *
from age to age you are God. - You turn us back to the dust and say, *
"Go back, O child of earth." - For a thousand years in your sight are like yesterday when it is past *
and like a watch in the night. - You sweep us away like a dream; *
we fade away suddenly like the grass. - In the morning it is green and flourishes; *
in the evening it is dried up and withered.
13. Return, O Lord; how long will you tarry? *
be gracious to your servants.
be gracious to your servants.
14. Satisfy us by your loving-kindness in the morning; *
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15. Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *
and the years in which we suffered adversity.
16. Show your servants your works *
and your splendor to their children.
17. May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; *
prosper the work of our hands;
prosper our handiwork.
so shall we rejoice and be glad all the days of our life.
15. Make us glad by the measure of the days that you afflicted us *
and the years in which we suffered adversity.
16. Show your servants your works *
and your splendor to their children.
17. May the graciousness of the Lord our God be upon us; *
prosper the work of our hands;
prosper our handiwork.
The Gospel of Matthew 22:34-46
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them this question: “What do you think of the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David by the Spirit calls him Lord, saying,
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
If David thus calls him Lord, how can he be his son?” No one was able to give him an answer, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.
Living in God's Love: Reflections on the Three Readings
The central theme connecting these three readings is living a life of love in response to God’s everlasting love. The Collect asks God to strengthen our faith, hope, and love so that we may not only obey His commandments but also learn to love what He asks of us.
Psalm 90 reminds us that our lives are brief, but God remains our eternal refuge. Aware that our days are limited, we should seek His loving-kindness and ask Him to bless the work of our hands, making our lives meaningful and fruitful.
In the Gospel, Jesus identifies loving God wholeheartedly and loving our neighbors as ourselves as the two greatest commandments. These teachings show us how to live out the faith and love expressed in the Collect and the Psalm. Jesus also invites us to recognize more deeply who He is as the Messiah and Lord.
Together, the three readings remind us that, although our time on earth is short, we can make it meaningful by trusting in God's enduring love, growing in our relationship with Jesus, and expressing our love for God through the way we care for others.
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相關文章 (See also)：
1) "The Cross in the Heart" (2025)
2) Our Final Sunday Worship at St. Luke's (2026)
3) A Full Sunday at St. James' (2026)
4) The Sunday Right After Our Father's Day (2026)
5) The 16th Sunday after Pentecost (2026)
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