The Book of Common Prayer Table of
contents
The Second Sunday in Lent
The Collect
Almighty God, who
seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us
both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we
may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body,
and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Epistle
1 Thessalonians 4.1-8
We beseech you,
brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have
received of us how ye ought to walk, and to please God, so ye would
abound more and more. For ye know what commandments we gave you by
the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your
sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication; that every
one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification
and honour; not in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gentiles
which know not God; that no man go beyond and defraud his brother
in any matter; because that the Lord is the avenger of all such, as
we also have forewarned you and testified. For God hath not called
us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. He therefore that despiseth
despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy
Spirit.
The Gospel
St. Matthew 15.21-88
Jesus went thence,
and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a woman
of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying,
Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is
grievously vexed with a devil. But he answered her not a word. And
his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she
crieth after us. But he answered and said, I am not sent, but unto
the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Then came she and worshipped
him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not
meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she
said, Truth, Lord; yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from
their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O
woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And
her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
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.