Today’s epistle reading is from St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians 1:1-2, 7-11.

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, for all patience and long-suffering with joy.

About today’s reading, St. John Chrysostom writes:

Don’t doubt, Paul says, the hope which is to come. You see that the world is being converted, and why do we need to refer to the cases of others? What happened in your own case is independently a sufficient ground for belief, for you knew the grace of God in truth, that is, in works, so that these two things, the belief of all and your own, too, confirm the things that are to come. Nor was the fact one thing and what Epaphras said another. If this man be the minister of Christ, how do you say that you approach God by angels? He has made known to us your love in the Spirit. For this love is wonderful and steadfast; all other love has but the name. For nothing, nothing is so strong as the bond of the Spirit.

Today’s gospel reading is from St. Luke 11:1-10.

Now it came to pass, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, that one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” So he said to them, “When you pray, say:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us day by day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.”

And he said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

About today’s reading, St. Cyril of Alexandria writes:

The saints ask that the time of the Savior’s perfect reign may come, because they have labored dutifully, have a pure conscience, and look for the reward of what they have already done. Just as those who, expecting a festival and merriment about ready to come and shortly to appear, thirst for its arrival, so also do they. They trust that they will stand glorious in the presence of the Judge and hear him say, “Come, you blessed of my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” They fully believed what he said about the consummation of the world. When he will appear to them again from heaven, they will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. They correctly say in their prayers, “Your kingdom come,” for they feel confident that they will receive a reward for their bravery and attain to the consummation of the hope set before them.

As we come to understand the will of God, let us know that we are also held accountable so that we may do his will. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.