The Book of Common Prayer Table
of contents
The Innocents' Day
December 28.
The Collect
O Almighty God, who
out of the mouths of babes and sucklings hast ordained strength,
and madest infants to glorify thee by their deaths: Mortify and
kill all vices in us, and so strengthen us by thy grace, that by
the innocency of our lives, and constancy of our faith, even unto
death, we may glorify thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
For the Epistle
Revelation 14.1-5
I looked, and
lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty
and four thousand, having his Father's Name written in their
foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many
waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice
of harpers harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new
song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders;
and no man could learn that song, but the hundred and forty and
four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they
which were not defiled with women, for they are virgins: these are
they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth: these were
redeemed from among men, being the first-fruits unto God, and to
the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile; for they are
without fault before the throne of God.
The Gospel
St. Matthew 2.13-18
The Angel of the
Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the
young child, and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there
until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to
destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother
by night, and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of
Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by
the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my Son. Then Herod,
when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding
wroth; and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in
Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and
under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of
the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy
the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation,
and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children,
and would not be comforted, because they are not.
Text from The Book of Common Prayer, the
rights in which are vested in the Crown,
is reproduced by permission of the Crown's Patentee, Cambridge
University Press.