The Collect
O ALMIGHTY God, look mercifully upon the world which thou hast redeemed by the blood of thy dear Son, and incline the hearts of many to dedicate themselves to the sacred Ministry of thy Church, through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Readings: (Ephesians iv. 11; St. John xv. 1)
The history of the Ember Days can be traced very far back in the
life of the Church. There is little doubt, indeed, that we have in
them an instance of a heathen custom taken over by the Church and
Christianized, with that practical wisdom for which she is justly
admired, and which knows how to take the elements of good that are to
be found in man’s natural religious instincts, and to purify them
and elevate them to that supernatural order with which she is the
medium of communication for men. (The Rev. H. G. Hughes)
