Today’s readings speak of Almighty God, creator of everything and capable of everything.

Solomon’s parables begin with the power of God in the human body, in his health, in what he possesses, and in the length of his days on earth.

” Fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, And strength to your bones.

Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. Length of days is in her right hand, ” (Proverbs 3)

 

And in Isaiah the prophet is the power of the Lord in front of the enemies and resisters of His children and in front of the power of the Kings and princes of the Earth.

“Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the king of Assyria: ‘He shall not come into this city, Nor shoot an

arrow there, Nor come before it with shield, Nor build a siege mound against it.

Then the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses–all dead.” (Isaiah 37)

 

He also proclaims the Lord’s ability to increase the life span of man and his days on earth, as he did with Hezekiah the King.

“I have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will add to your days fifteen years.” (Isaiah 38)

 

In the book of Job we see his ability to save man, his salvation, His riches and his satiety.

” They said to God, ‘Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?’ Yet He filled their houses with good things.If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents.

Yes, the Almighty will be your gold And your precious silver;

For then you will have your delight in the Almighty, And lift up your face to God.” (Job 22)

 

In the Vespers psalm, the power of the Lord in man’s repentance and his deliverance from the dominion of sin and hell is revealed.

” Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry.

For my soul is full of troubles, And my life draws near to the grave.” (Psalms 88)

And in the Matins gospel we see the falsity of the ability of man in the vanity of his wealth and the false sense that he created his wealth himself.

” And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then

whose will those things be which you have provided?” (Luke 12)

 

In Pauline Epistle, although the son of God renounces Himself in His incarnation, in His divine power all heavenly forces are subject to him.

” And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,” (Philippians 2)

 

He is the one who gives strength and good will to His children.

“for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2)

 

And in the Catholic Epistle,we see the ability of the Lord to protect from evil people.

“But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?” (1 Peter 3)

 

His power in the work of redemption saves us from sin and gives us life.

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,” (1 Peter 3)

 

In Praxis, it proclaims God’s ability to heal, save, accept nations and reveal the depths of mankind

“Then he said to them, “You know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation. But God has shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean.

Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality. (Acts 10)

 

And in the psalm of the liturgy the Lord is able to pour joy into our crushed and weak souls.

“Be merciful to me, O Lord, For I cry to You all day long. Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, I lift up my soul.” (Psalms 86)

 

The Gospel of the liturgy concludes with the Lord’s ability to satisfy all crowds and all our human needs with the simplest possibilities.

“And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.”

For there were about five thousand men, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.

So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.” (Luke 9)

 

The summary of the readings

 

The power of God in the body of man, in his possessions, in his joy and peace. The Proverbs of Solomon and The book of Job

The falsity of the untrue power of man without the power of God. The Matins gospel

The power of the son of God is above all heavenly and earthly and in the will of man to delight. Pauline Epistle

The ability of the son of God to protect the church from the rulers of the world and to protect and save His children. The book of Isaiah and Catholic Epistle

The ability of the son of God in the salvation of nations and the examination of the depths of mankind. Praxis

His divine power in the salvation of souls from hell and in the joy of His children. The Matins and the liturgy psalms

The ability of the son of God to satisfy His children and meet their needs in the wilderness of the world. The Gospel of the liturgy