Matt 22:35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Jonah 1:1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2 “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord. 4 Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. 5 All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the 

sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. 6 The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.” 7 Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?” 9 He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the  Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 This terrified them and they asked, “What have you

done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.) 11 The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?” 12 “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.” 13 Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. 14 Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” 15 Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. 16 At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.

Ps 91:1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,

6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;

12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Ps 32:1 Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered. 2 Blessed is the one whose sin the

Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit. 3 When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. 5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin. 6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you while you may be found; surely the rising of the mighty waters will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you. 9 Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you. 10 Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love

surrounds the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!

Ps 104:1 Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3 and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
and rides on the wings of the wind.

4 He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

5 He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.

6 You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
the waters stood above the mountains.

7 But at your rebuke the waters fled,
at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 they flowed over the mountains, they went down into the valleys, to the place you assigned for them.

9 You set a boundary they cannot cross;
never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs pour water into the ravines;
it flows between the mountains.

11 They give water to all the beasts of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.

12 The birds of the sky nest by the waters;
they sing among the branches.

13 He waters the mountains from his upper chambers;
the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.

14 He makes grass grow for the cattle, and plants for people to cultivate—bringing forth food from the earth:

15 wine that gladdens human hearts,
oil to make their faces shine,

27 All creatures look to you

to give them their food at the proper time.

28 When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things.

29 When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.

30 When you send your Spirit, they are created,

and you renew the face of the ground.

The grass withers, and the flowers fall,

A reading from Psalm 145.

 

Ps 145:13 The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises 

and faithful in all He does. 

14 The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up 

all who are bowed down. 

15 The eyes of all look to You, 

and You give them their food at the proper time. 

16 You open your hand 

and satisfy the desires of every living thing. 

17 The Lord is righteous in all His ways 

and faithful in all He does. 

18 The Lord is near to all who call on Him, 

to all who call on Him in truth. 

19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; 

He hears their cry and saves them. 

20 The Lord watches over all who love Him, 

but all the wicked He will destroy. 

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. 

Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and eve

Ps 145:1 I will exalt You, my God the King;
I will praise Your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise You
and extol Your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;
His greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation commends Your works to another;
they tell of Your mighty acts.

5 They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty—
and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.

6 They tell of the power of Your awesome works—
and I will proclaim Your great deeds.

7 They celebrate Your abundant goodness
and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.

8 The Lord is gracious and compassionate,
slow to anger and rich in love.

9 The Lord is good to all;
He has compassion on all He has made.

10 All Your works praise You, Lord;
Your faithful people extol You.

11 They tell of the glory of Your kingdom
and speak of Your might,

12 so that all people may know of Your mighty acts
and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and Your dominion endures through all generations.

Ps 99:1 The Lord reigns, let the nations tremble;
he sits enthroned between the cherubim,
let the earth shake.

2 Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted over all the nations.

3 Let them praise your great and awesome name—he is holy.

4 The King is mighty, he loves justice—
you have established equity;
in Jacob you have done what is just and right.

5 Exalt the Lord our God
and worship at his footstool; he is holy.

6 Moses and Aaron were among his priests,
Samuel was among those who called on his name;
they called on the Lord and he answered them.

7 He spoke to them from the pillar of cloud;
they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.

8 Lord our God, you answered them;
you were to Israel a forgiving God,
though you punished their misdeeds.

9 Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.

Ps 68:1May God arise,may his enemies be scattered;may his foes fleebefore him. 2May you blow them away like smoke—as wax meltsbefore the fire,may the wicked perishbefore God. 3But may the righteous be glad and rejoicebefore God;may they be happy and joyful. 4Sing to God, sing in praise of his name,extol him who rides on the clouds;rejoice before him—his name is theLord. 5A father to the fatherless,a defender of widows,is God in his holy dwelling. 6God sets the lonelyin families,he leads out the prisonerswith singing;but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. 7When you, God, went outbefore your people,when you marched through the wilderness, 8the earth shook,the heavens poured down rain,before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. 9You gave abundant showers,O God;you refreshed your weary inheritance. 10Your people settled in it,and from your bounty,God, you providedfor the poor.

A reading from Psalm 1.

 

Ps 1:1 Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

4 Not so the wicked!

They are like chaff

that the wind blows away.

5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,

nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

The grass withers, and the flowers fall,

Gospel Lesson

A reading from the book of Matthew.

 

6:5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 “This, then, is how you should pray:”

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’