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The Fourth Sunday After Easter
Intent: Divine Aid toward Liberation
THE COLLECT
O Thou single source of truth and wisdom, who hast taught us that we shall be lamps unto ourselves and islands of refuge unto ourselves, let us ascend up to the supreme light as if on the chariot of truth, bring us over all gulfs and abysses, bear us upward out of gorges and valleys; become to us a harbor of liberation so that we may repose in the arms of life everlasting.
Amen.
THE LESSON
The lesson is taken from the Great Book of the Mandaeans:
From the place of light have I gone forth, from thee, bright habitation. An angel from the house of life accompanied me, who held a staff of living water in his hand which was full of leaves of an excellent kind. He offered me of its leaves, and prayers and sacraments sprang from it. Again he offered me of them, and he turned upwards mine eyes so that I beheld my Father and knew him. As I beheld and knew my Father, I addressed three requests to him. I asked him for mildness in which there is no rebellion. I asked him for a strong heart to bear both great and small. I asked him for smooth paths to ascend and behold the place of light.
THE GOSPEL
The gospel is taken from the Gospel according to St. Philip:
There are two trees in paradise. The one produces beasts; the other produces man. Adam ate from the tree which produced beasts, and becoming a beast he begat beasts. God created man and man created god. So it is in the world. Men make gods and they worship their creations. It would be fitting for the gods to worship men.
A Homily for the Fourth Sunday After Easter
presented by the Most Reverend Stephan A. Hoeller, bishop of the Ecclesia Gnostic
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