The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day. The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day. Please see Lectionary number 668 for the full selection of approved options. Reading I Wisdom 3:1-9 The souls of the just are in the hand of God,     and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;     and their passing away was thought an affliction     and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. For if before men, indeed, they be punished,     yet is their hope full of immortality; chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,     because God tried them     and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them,     and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine

Reading 1 Philippians 1:18b-26 Brothers and sisters:As long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth,Christ is being proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,for I know that this will result in deliverance for methrough your prayers and support from the Spirit of Jesus Christ.My eager expectation and hopeis that I shall not be put to shame in any way,but that with all boldness, now as always,Christ will be magnified in my body,whether by life or by death.For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me.And I do not know which I shall choose.I am caught between the two.I long to depart this life and be with Christ,for that is far better.Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.And this I know with confidence,that I shall remain and continue in the service of all of youfor your progress and joy in the faith,so that your boasting in Christ Jesus may

Reading 1 Ephesians 6:10-20 Brothers and sisters:Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firmagainst the tactics of the Devil.For our struggle is not with flesh and bloodbut with the principalities, with the powers,with the world rulers of this present darkness,with the evil spirits in the heavens.Therefore, put on the armor of God,that you may be able to resist on the evil dayand, having done everything, to hold your ground.So stand fast with your loins girded in truth,clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,and your feet shod in readiness for the Gospel of peace.In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield,to quench all the flaming arrows of the Evil One.And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,which is the word of God.With all prayer and supplication,pray at every opportunity in the Spirit.To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplicationfor all the

Reading 1 Ephesians 5:21-33 Brothers and sisters:Be subordinate to one another out of reverence for Christ.Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to the Lord.For the husband is head of his wifejust as Christ is head of the Church,he himself the savior of the Body.As the Church is subordinate to Christ,so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.Husbands, love your wives,even as Christ loved the Churchand handed himself over for her to sanctify her,cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,that he might present to himself the Church in splendor,without spot or wrinkle or any such thing,that she might be holy and without blemish.So also husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.He who loves his wife loves himself.For no one hates his own fleshbut rather nourishes and cherishes it,even as Christ does the Church,because we are members of his Body.For this reason a man shall leave his father and his motherand be joined to h