Readings

October 1: Remigius of Rheims, Bishop, c. 530

The Collect of the Day

Remigius of Rheims

Almighty God, who by your servant Remigius spread the truth of the gospel and the fullness of the catholic faith: Grant that we who glory in the name of Christian may show forth our faith in worthy deeds; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Remigius of Rheims

Almighty God, who by thy servant Remigius spread the truth of the gospel and the fullness of the catholic faith: Grant that we who glory in the name of Christian may show forth our faith in worthy deeds; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Remigius, also known as Remi, one of the patron saints of France, was born around 438, the son of the Count of Laon. At the age of twenty- two he became Bishop of Rheims.

Noted for his learning and holiness of life, Remigius is chiefly remembered because he converted and baptized King Clovis of the Franks on Christmas Day, 496. This event changed the religious history of Europe. By becoming Catholic instead of Arian, as most of the Germanic people were at the time, Clovis was able to unite the Gallo-Roman population and their Christian leaders behind his expanding hegemony over the Germanic rulers of the West and to liberate Gaul from Roman domination. His conversion also made possible the cooperation the Franks gave later to Pope Gregory the Great in his evangelistic efforts for the English.

Certainly, Clovis’ motives in accepting Catholic Christianity were mixed, but there is no doubt of the sincerity of his decision, nor of the important role of Remigius in bringing it to pass. When Clovis was baptized, together with 3,000 of his followers, Remigius gave him the well-known charge: “Worship what you have burned, and burn what you have worshiped.”

The feast of Remigius is observed at Rheims on January 13th, possibly the date of his death. The later date of October 1st is derived from the translation of his relics to a new abbey church by Pope Leo IX in 1049.

Lessons and Psalm

First Lesson

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Psalm

13O Lord, your Name is everlasting; *your renown, O Lord, endures from age to age.

14For the Lord gives his people justice *and shows compassion to his servants.

15The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, *the work of human hands.

16They have mouths, but they cannot speak; *eyes have they, but they cannot see.

17They have ears, but they cannot hear; *neither is there any breath in their mouth.

18Those who make them are like them, *and so are all who put their trust in them.

19Bless the Lord, O house of Israel; *O house of Aaron, bless the Lord.

20Bless the Lord, O house of Levi; *you who fear the Lord, bless the Lord.

21Blessed be the Lord out of Zion, *who dwells in Jerusalem. Hallelujah!

Gospel

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John 14:3–7

3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

1 John 4:1–6

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. 4 Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.