Ammonius, Hermit, c. 403

The Collect:

Rite I:
Drive far from thy church, O God, every vain spirit of clerical ambition, that, like thy servant Ammonius, we may refuse to conflate ordination and leadership, and may never confuse rank with holiness; in the name of thy son Jesus Christ our Lord, who alone is our great High Priest. Amen.

Rite II:
Drive far from your church, O God, every vain spirit of clerical ambition, that, like your servant Ammonius, we may refuse to conflate ordination and leadership, and may never confuse rank with holiness; in the name of your son Jesus Christ our Lord, who alone is our great High Priest. Amen.

First Lesson: 1 Samuel 10:20–27

²⁰Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. ²¹He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot. Finally he brought the family of the Matrites near man by man, and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. ²²So they inquired again of the Lord, ‘Did the man come here?’ and the Lord said, ‘See, he has hidden himself among the baggage.’ ²³Then they ran and brought him from there. When he took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them. ²⁴Samuel said to all the people, ‘Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.’ And all the people shouted, ‘Long live the king!’

²⁵Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship; and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people back to their homes. ²⁶Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went warriors whose hearts God had touched. ²⁷But some worthless fellows said, ‘How can this man save us?’ They despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace.

Now Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the Gadites and the Reubenites. He would gouge out the right eye of each of them and would not grant Israel a deliverer. No one was left of the Israelites across the Jordan whose right eye Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had not gouged out. But there were seven thousand men who had escaped from the Ammonites and had entered Jabesh-gilead.

Psalm: Psalm 24

¹ The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, *
       the world and all who dwell therein.
² For it is he who founded it upon the seas *
       and made it firm upon the rivers of the deep.
³ “Who can ascend the hill of the Lord? *
       and who can stand in his holy place?”
⁴ “Those who have clean hands and a pure heart, *
       who have not pledged themselves to falsehood,
       nor sworn by what is a fraud.
⁵ They shall receive a blessing from the Lord *
       and a just reward from the God of their salvation.”
⁶ Such is the generation of those who seek him, *
       of those who seek your face, O God of Jacob.
⁷ Lift up your heads, O gates;
   lift them high, O everlasting doors; *
       and the King of glory shall come in.
⁸ “Who is this King of glory?” *
       “The Lord, strong and mighty,
       the Lord, mighty in battle.”
⁹ Lift up your heads, O gates;
   lift them high, O everlasting doors; *
       and the King of glory shall come in.
¹⁰ “Who is he, this King of glory?”
       “The Lord of hosts,
       he is the King of glory.”

Gospel: Matthew 23:1–12

¹Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; ³therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. ⁴They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. ⁵They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. ⁶They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. ⁸But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. ⁹And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. ¹⁰Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. ¹¹The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

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