them the water of wisdom to drink, alleluia. He shall be made strong in them, and shall not be moved, alleluia. And He shall exalt them forever, alleluia, alleluia (Ecclus. xv. 3). Give glory to the Lord, and call upon His name, declare His deeds among the Gentiles" (Ps. civ. 1). Glory be to the Father, etc.
Prayer.
O God, Who dost ever multiply thy Church by a new progeny, grant to Thy servants that they may retain in their lives the mystery which they have received by faith. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, etc.
EPISTLE. Acts xiii. 26-33.
In those days, Paul rising up, and with his hand bespeaking silence, said: Men, brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fear God, to you the word of this salvation is sent. For they that inhabited Jerusalem, and the rulers thereof, not knowing Jesus, nor the voices of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, judging Him have fulfilled them. And finding no cause of death in Him, they desired of Pilate that they might kill Him. And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of Him, taking Him down from the tree they laid Him in a sepulchre. But God raised Him up from the dead the third day: Who was seen for many days by them, who came up with Him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who to this present are His witnesses to the people. And we declare unto you that the promise which was made to our fathers, this same God hath fulfilled to our children, raising up Jesus Christ our Lord.
Explanation.
Like St. Peter, so St. Paul founds the truth of his doctrine upon the resurrection of Jesus, because Christ had given this as the special proof of the truth of His doctrine. Had He not risen from the dead He would not have been the Son of God, and could not have redeemed mankind. The resurrection is, therefore, the foundation of our belief. On that account He allowed His disciples for a while to doubt, and only to believe after He had given them irrefragable proofs of His resurrection by repeatedly appearing to them; that by their doubts and cautious unbelief the wounds of unbelief in our hearts
