The Holy Prophet Amos (8th c. BC); Venerable Jerome, Presbyter of Stridonium (420)
Romans 4:13-25; Matthew 7:21-23
Apostles’ Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
Read Romans 4:13-25
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
When praying at the Divine Liturgy, have you ever asked yourself: “What happened to the second antiphon?” Unfortunately, in most parishes of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the second antiphon is skipped during the Divine Liturgy. One of the options for the second antiphon is the singing of Psalm 145/146, and in that psalm, there is a line we should constantly remind ourselves of: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.”
How often do we place our trust primarily in humans and human institutions? Do we place our trust in God first, before anyone or anything else, or is He our last resort once all human options have been exhausted?
St. John Chrysostom, commenting on this passage, reminds us of the example of Abraham that is presented to us thus: “Abraham trusted God even though God gave him no proof, nor even a sign. Rather, there were only mere words promising things which by nature were impossible.”