THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS OF THE ORDER OF SERVITES – 17th FEBRUARY
February 17, 2023
FEAST OF SAINT SIMEON OF JERUSALEM – 18th FEBRUARY
February 18, 2023
17 February, 2023
For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty. Only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. – Galatians 5:13
God our Father, we exult in jubilation that we are children of the Living God, Who is not only Infinite in Power and Glory, but is also Omnipresent and Omnipotent. You, Lord, look upon your lowly people, not as a King surveying his subjects, but as a tender, loving Father, looking with joyful love at the children of his kingdom. You have liberated us from the shackles of slavery to sin and granted us freedom and salvation.
Lord, you have made us your chosen ranks, Christians, because of our affiliation to Jesus Christ, by faith and by belief, and have formed a new covenant of love, that liberates us from the curse of the law, from servile fear, and from sin, holding us together with bonds of love and fellowship in Christ Jesus our Savior and Messiah. Jesus has made us members of his church, of which he is the Head, and we, his Body of members.
We are cautioned to use our liberty, not in disobeying the law, thus weakening our souls to fall prey to sins of lust, but to grow greatly in strength of the spirit, discarding the temptations of the flesh. Lord, we beseech you to help us use this gospel of liberty by Christ’s sacrifice, not in disobedience of the law which still exists as a standard measure of our dedication, fervor and discipline. As Christians, we have to fulfill the duty of love, to God and our fellowmen. May we, in true fellowship, serve and benefit one another in love, in Jesus’ Name. Amen
