† December 31, 2021
Color: Black
THE COLLECT
Remember her, O Lord, in Thy kingdom, Thy faithful servant Rosamonde, our bishop and beloved friend whom we see no longer; grant her Thy peace; let the Light above the aeons shine upon her; and in Thy loving Wisdom and almighty Power work in her the good purpose of Thy perfect Will: that she whom Thou hast appointed here on earth to be the shepherd of souls and the ministering agent of Thy Holy Power may continue to serve Thee in all worlds and aeons to come. Amen.
THE LESSON
The Lesson is taken from the book Pistis Sophia:
Every man who is to receive the mysteries, if they knew the time wherein they would leave the body, they would be mindful and commit no acts of darkness, so that they might ever inherit the Kingdom of the Light. Now then, let him who shall do what is worthy of the mysteries receive the mysteries and go to the Light. He who is to receive the mysteries becomes a great fire, very mighty and wise, and it burns up evils, and the flames secretly enter the soul and consume all the veils which the spirit of imitation has fastened on it, and the soul surrenders their destiny, saying to the rulers of destiny: ‘Take to yourselves your destiny; henceforth I come no more to your region; I have forever become alien to you, being about to go to the region of my inheritance.’ Thus the knower, the receiver of the mysteries is free in his body and out of it, whether born on earth or reborn in heaven.
THE GOSPEL
The Gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Thomas:
Jesus said: I took my stand in the midst of the world and in flesh I appeared to them; I found them all drunk, I found none among them athirst. And my soul was afflicted for the souls of men, because they are blind in their heart and do not see that empty they have come into the world and that empty they seek to go out of the world again. But now they are drunk. When they have shaken off their wine, then will they repent.
Jesus said: If the flesh has come into existence because of the spirit it is a marvel; but if the spirit has come into existence because of the body it is a marvel of marvels. But I marvel at how this great wealth has made its home in this poverty.
The disciples said to Jesus: Tell us how our end will be. Jesus said: Have you then discovered the beginning so that you inquire about the end? For where the beginning is, there shall be the end. Blessed is he who shall stand at the beginning, and he shall know the end and he shall not taste death.