Thomas à Kempis, Priest and Mystic, 1471

The Collect:

Rite I:
Holy Father, who hast nourished and strengthened thy church by the writings of thy servant Thomas à Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what is necessary to be known, to love what is to be loved, to praise what highly pleases thee, and always to seek to know and to follow thy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Rite II:
Holy Father, you have nourished and strengthened your church by the writings of your servant Thomas à Kempis: Grant that we may learn from him to know what is necessary to be known, to love what is to be loved, to praise what highly pleases you, and always to seek to know and to follow your will; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

First Lesson: Ecclesiastes 1:1–11

¹ The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 
² Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher,
   vanity of vanities! All is vanity. 
³ What do people gain from all the toil
   at which they toil under the sun? 
⁴ A generation goes, and a generation comes,
   but the earth remains for ever. 
⁵ The sun rises and the sun goes down,
   and hurries to the place where it rises. 
⁶ The wind blows to the south,
   and goes round to the north;
round and round goes the wind,
   and on its circuits the wind returns. 
⁷ All streams run to the sea,
   but the sea is not full;
to the place where the streams flow,
   there they continue to flow. 
⁸ All things are wearisome;
   more than one can express;
the eye is not satisfied with seeing,
   or the ear filled with hearing. 
⁹ What has been is what will be,
   and what has been done is what will be done;
   there is nothing new under the sun. 
¹⁰ Is there a thing of which it is said,
   ‘See, this is new’?
It has already been,
   in the ages before us. 
¹¹ The people of long ago are not remembered,
   nor will there be any remembrance
of people yet to come
   by those who come after them.

Psalm: Psalm 34:1-8

¹ I will bless the Lord at all times; *
       his praise shall ever be in my mouth.
² I will glory in the Lord; *
       let the humble hear and rejoice.
³ Proclaim with me the greatness of the Lord;
       let us exalt his Name together.
⁴ I sought the Lord, and he answered me *
       and delivered me out of all my terror.
⁵ Look upon him and be radiant, *
       and let not your faces be ashamed.
⁶ I called in my affliction and the Lord heard me *
       and saved me from all my troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encompasses those who fear him, *
       and he will deliver them.
⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good; *
       happy are they who trust in him!

Gospel: Luke 5:1–11

¹Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, ²he saw two boats there at the shore of the lake; the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. ³He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little way from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. ⁴When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch.’ ⁵Simon answered, ‘Master, we have worked all night long but have caught nothing. Yet if you say so, I will let down the nets.’ ⁶When they had done this, they caught so many fish that their nets were beginning to break. ⁷So they signalled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, ‘Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!’ ⁹For he and all who were with him were amazed at the catch of fish that they had taken; ¹⁰and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Then Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.’ ¹¹When they had brought their boats to shore, they left everything and followed him.

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