Morning Prayer

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A Reading from the Wisdom of Ben Sira.

1 All wisdom is from the Lord,    and with him it remains for ever. 2 The sand of the sea, the drops of rain,    and the days of eternity—who can count them? 3 The height of heaven, the breadth of the earth,    the abyss, and wisdom—who can search them out? 4 Wisdom was created before all other things,    and prudent understanding from eternity. 6 The root of wisdom—to whom has it been revealed?    Her subtleties—who knows them? 8 There is but one who is wise, greatly to be feared,    seated upon his throne—the Lord. 9 It is he who created her;    he saw her and took her measure;    he poured her out upon all his works, 10 upon all the living according to his gift; he lavished her upon those who love him. 18 The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom,    making peace and perfect health to flourish. 19 She rained down knowledge and discerning comprehension,    and she heightened the glory of those who held her fast. 20 To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom, and her branches are long life. 22 Unjust anger cannot be justified,    for anger tips the scale to one’s ruin. 23 Those who are patient stay calm until the right moment,    and then cheerfulness comes back to them. 24 They hold back their words until the right moment; then the lips of many tell of their good sense. 25 In the treasuries of wisdom are wise sayings,    but godliness is an abomination to a sinner. 26 If you desire wisdom, keep the commandments,    and the Lord will lavish her upon you. 27 For the fear of the Lord is wisdom and discipline, fidelity and humility are his delight.

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

1 After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it. 3 Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god. 7 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. 8 It so happened that the father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him. 9 After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. 10 They bestowed many honors on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed. 11 Three months later we set sail on a ship that had wintered at the island, an Alexandrian ship with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead. 12 We put in at Syracuse and stayed there for three days; 13 then we weighed anchor and came to Rhegium. After one day there a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli. 14 There we found believers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome. 15 The believers from there, when they heard of us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage. 16 When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.