September 9, 2026 - Daily

Midnight Introductory Prayer from Pampakuda Namaskarakramam
Awaken us, Lord, from our sleep in the sloth of sin that we may praise Your watchfulness, You who watch and do not sleep ; Give life to our death in the sleep of death and corruption, that we may adore Your compassion, You who live and do not die ; Grant us in the glorious company of the angels who praise You in heaven, to praise and bless You in holiness, because You are praised and blessed in heaven and on earth, Father , Son and Holy Spirit , now and always, forever and ever. Amen. 

Morning Introductory Prayer from Pampakuda Namaskarakramam

Creator of the morning, who drives out darkness and brings light and joy to creation, create in us habits of virtue and drive from us all darkness of sin; give us light and joy by the glorious rays of Your grace, our Lord and our God, forever . Amin 

Reflection from Prologue -The Ochrid (Extract)

One should not give alms with pride but rather with humility, considering the one to whom the alms are given to be better than oneself. Did not the Lord Himself say: Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me (Matthew 25:40)

Often, when we give alms, either in someone else’s name or in our own name, we cannot avoid pride which, as soon as it appears in the heart, destroys all the good deeds performed. When we give to the beggar as to a beggar and not as to Christ, we cannot avoid pride or disdain. What value is there in performing an act of mercy, while taking pride in ourselves and disdaining the man? Virtue is not a virtue when it is mixed with sin, just as milk is not milk when it is mixed with gasoline or vinegar.

Prayer for the day from Prologue -The Ochrid (Extract)

O Lord Jesus, the Living Truth, the Eternal Truth—do not withdraw from us, but enlighten us and save us. 

“If I bear witness of Myself, My witness is not true” (John 5:31)The same works that I do, bear witness of Me (John 5:36); the witness of His Heavenly Father, Who bore witness to Him as His Son at the Jordan and on Mount Tabor: And the Father himself, which hath sent Me, hath borne witness of Me (John 5:37); and finally, the witness of the Holy Scriptures: Search the scriptures … they are they which testify of Me (John 5:39)

O my brethren, let us not be stony-hearted as were those blind elders, and let us not reject our only salvation. We do not seek any other witnesses, but rather believe that which the Lord Jesus alone says of Himself. He said of Himself, I am … the Truth (John 14:6), and it is by this Truth that we are nourished and saved  

St John 14:5-6 Thoma said to him, “Our Lord, we do not know where you are going and how can we know the way?” Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, The Way and The Truth and The Life; no man comes to my Father but by me alone.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8 -The Tent That God Moved Into

• God chose cloth and skins and acacia wood. He chose a girl in a village nobody respected. He chooses bread and wine every week in a building in whatever town we happen to live in. He has never once required the finest available material, and He has never once waited until the conditions were right. Whatever we think is disqualifying about us, He has worked with less. ( Note- Am I trusting in Christ appropriately or keeping Him in the periphery 
• Saint Paul asks the Corinthians whether they know that their body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. He is not paying them a compliment. He is telling a chaotic and rather badly behaved congregation that God has moved in anyway, and that this should change how they live. We are doing something to our bodies for the sake of our souls. It is worth asking, quietly, what sort of dwelling we are keeping. not with self-hatred. That is not what the fast is for, and God is not standing outside our tent taking notes. He has already come in. 
• Blessed is He who grew small to make us great, and who has pitched His tent among us, and does not diminish.

Day 9 The Dead Stick That Flowered in the Dark

• The whole meaning of the sign lies in the One who comes forth. The Church never stops with any Marian image as though the image were complete in itself. Every title given to the Blessed Virgin opens toward her Son. The dry staff flowers because it bears fruit. The Virgin is blessed because she bears Christ. And that Fruit is not kept hidden away. He is given to the world.
• Long stretches happen when all we experience is dryness. The temptation during those times is to leave too early. We abandon prayer because it feels empty. We loosen the fast because we cannot see what it is doing. We interpret silence as absence. But the staff reminds us that there are things God does in us that we do not see while they are happening. The first bud may be forming in the dark .So let us do the only thing dry wood can do. Stay in the tent. Stay where He put us. Do not walk out because nothing seems to be happening. Stay with the prayer even when it feels dry. Stay with the fast after the enthusiasm of  few days has gone. Stay with the silence even when nothing seems to be happening. Stay before God. Aaron’s staff remained before the Lord through the night. There is no need to force ourselves to feel spiritual, and there is no need to pretend that dry wood is already green. We can simply offer God what is actually there: our tiredness, our distraction, our dryness and our unfinished selves. And then trust that life belongs to Him. Morning comes. The curtain opens. And sometimes only then do we discover that God had been at work while we thought nothing was happening.
• Blessed is He who brings life from what is dry, who brings fruit from what seems barren, and who rose from the darkness of the grave.

Day 10 The Tree that was not there before 

• The Mother who gave flesh to the Lamb also had to watch that flesh offered. The mystery she welcomed at Nazareth leads eventually to Calvary. The yes of the Annunciation was not a promise that nothing would hurt. It was trust in God without knowing where that trust would finally lead.
• God does not always give us back exactly what we fear losing. Genesis 22 should not become a promise that every painful situation will reverse itself at the last possible moment. The God who asks for trust is also the God who provides, and Christian faith sees the fullest proof of that provision not in the ram at Moriah, but in Christ Himself. Whatever our fasting costs us, and whatever this year may be asking us to surrender, we are not praying to a God who observes sacrifice from a safe distance. He has entered suffering. He has known the mountain. He has carried the wood. And in Christ, He has given Himself for us. The Cross is not finally the story of what humanity gave to God. It is the story of what God gave to humanity. The ram saved Isaac for that day. The Lamb saves creation.
• Blessed is He who came forth from the Virgin, who carried the wood, who was offered upon it for our sake, and who turned the place of death into the place of life.

Day 11 The Palace, and the Girl Who Said She Had No Palace

• A palace matters because the king is there . St Mary is a royal palace because the Royal Son dwells in her. She is a sanctuary because the High Priest makes His dwelling there. The image of the palace speaks of a life given over to God, a life in which Christ has found a dwelling.
• Mary said it first, and she was wrong, and she was wrong in the most glorious way anyone has ever been wrong. The Magi’s answer to her is the answer to us. He is small because He willed it. He is of low estate until He is revealed. He chose the address. Nobody talked Him into it, and He was not misinformed about what He would find there. The house is poor and the dwelling is bare, and He came down and resided anyway, and that is not a story about the house. We do not first make ourselves worthy and then invite Christ in. He comes first. His presence begins the transformation. The question is whether we recognise the King who has already come near.
• Christ still chooses unlikely places .So when we look at ourselves and think, “There is nothing regal here,” perhaps we should remember that Mary said something very similar. And she was standing in the presence of the King.
• Blessed is He who builds the house He intends to inhabit, who comes down to dwell among the lowly, and whose presence turns an ordinary dwelling into a palace.

Day 12: The Chariot That Would Have Been Envious

• Ezekiel was permitted to see the likeness of divine glory, and even that was enough to bring him to the ground. Mary was given something altogether different. She did not see a vision of the Incarnation or behold Christ through layers of heavenly imagery. She carried Christ Himself. The chariot carried the likeness of His glory. She carried the reality of His majesty. Ezekiel got the likeness. He got the appearance of the likeness of the glory. She got the reality. 
• The very chariot stops, amazed that I carry its Master; the cherubim cry out with trembling, “Blessed is Your splendour in Your place”; that place is with me, my bosom is Your home! Your radiance rests on my knees, the throne of Your majesty is held in my arms. (Hymns on Mary 7) The Lord has not become less glorious. The One whom the cherubim carry with trembling is still the Lord of glory. What has changed is the way He has chosen to approach us The glory that made Ezekiel fall upon his face has allowed itself to be held.
• Grace moves toward us before we know how to move toward it .Our fasting, then, is not an attempt to persuade a distant God to come nearer. It is a way of becoming attentive to the God who has already come near. Are we, each day?

A Prayer to DaivaMathavu (Theotokos)

Our Lord Jesus Christ , Hear our prayers ! Receive our petitions.

O God, the Heavenly Father , Have mercy on us. 

O Son of God, the Savior of the world, Have mercy on us 

O Holy Spirit ,Have mercy on us.

O Holy Trinity, Have mercy on us.

O Holy Mary, Mother of God , Pray for us

On Holy Virgin among the virgins, Pray for us.

O Holy Mother, who gave birth to the Son of God , Pray for us. 

O Holy Mother , who is encompassed with the grace of God, Pray for us.

O Holy Mother, who is purer than all others, Pray for us. 

O Holy Mother, who is more chaste than all others, Pray for us.

O Holy Mother, who is more than innocent than all others, Pray for us. 

O Unblemished Holy Mother, Pray for us. 

O Compassionate Holy Mother, Pray for us. 

O Wonderful Holy Mother, Pray for us.

O Holy Mother of the Creator , Pray for us.

O Holy Mother of the Savior, Pray for us.

O Prudent Holy Mother, Pray for us.

O Honourable Holy Virgin Mother, Pray for us.

O Adorable Holy Virgin Mother, Pray for us. 

O Mighty and Holy Virgin Mother, Pray for us. 

O Kind Holy Virgin Mother, Pray for us.

O Faithful Holy Virgin Mother, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin who is the Mirror of Righteousness, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Throne of Wisdom Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother , the Source of our Joy, Pray for us. 

O Holy Virgin Mary , the Spiritual Vessel , Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Precious Vessel, Pray for us. 

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Vessel of Nobility, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Vessel of Love, Pray for us. 

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Tower of David, Pray for us. 

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Spotless Tower, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Golden House, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother ,the Tent of Meeting, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Door of Heaven, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Morning Star, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Medicine of the sick, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Good Haven of sinners, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Comforter of those who are in distress, 

Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Companion of Christians, Pray for us. 

O Holy Virgin Mother , the Queen of Angels, Pray for us. 

O Holy Virgin Mother , the Queen of our Forefathers, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Queen of the Prophets, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Queen of the Apostles, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Queen of the Martyrs, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Queen of the Confessors, Pray for us,

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Queen of Virgins, Pray for us.

O Holy Virgin Mother, the Queen of all Saints , Pray for us.

O Lord, the lamb who holds the sins of world , Absolve our sins. 

O Lord, the lamb who holds the sins of world , Hear our Petition. 

O Lord, the lamb who holds the sins of world , Have mercy on us.

 

(From Pampakuda Namaskarakramam)

Scripture Readings - First Sunday after Feast of Holy Transfiguration

August-9: First Sunday after the Feast of Holy Transfiguration
Evening :St. Mark 4: 21-34

Morning :St. Matthew 13: 44-52

Before Holy Qurbana

Deuteronomy 25: 13-16

Psalms 27 , I Samuel 2:31-36 

Ezekiel 7: 1-4

Holy Qurbana

St. James 4: 7-5: 6 ,Philippians 4: 8-20

St. Matthew 21: 28-32

Psalm 27 A Psalm of David.

The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, My enemies and foes, They stumbled and fell.

Though an army may encamp against me, My heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, In this I will be confident. One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice! Have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.” Do not hide Your face from me; Do not turn Your servant away in anger; You have been my help; Do not leave me nor forsake me,O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, Then the Lord will take care of me.

Teach me Your way, O Lord, And lead me in a smooth path, because of my enemies. Do not deliver me to the will of my adversaries; For false witnesses have risen against me, And such as breathe out violence. I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord In the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart;

Wait, I say, on the Lord!

James 4:7-5:6

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another?

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.

Philippians 4:8-20

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.  I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all and abound. I am full, having received from Epaphroditus the things sent from you, a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

St. Matthew 21:28-32

 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”

They said to Him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

Special Prayer to Mother Mary ( Pampakuda Namaskaram)

O beloved daughter of God the Father, peace be to you. O Mother of the Son of God, peace be to you.

O Holy Mother, the bride of the Holy Spirit, peace be to you.

O Holy Mother, the temple of divinity, peace be to you. 

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer), the beautiful Lily of the Holy Trinity, peace be to you. 

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer), the Virgin of virgins, peace be to you.

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer),the mighty virgin, peace be to you.

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer), who is full of humility, peace be to you. 

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer),from whom the heavenly King willingly was born and nursed milk, peace be to you. 

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer),the princess of the martyrs, peace be to you.

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer),who was pierced by the knife of sufferings, peace be to you. 

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer),who is the lady and teacher of creation, peace be to you.

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer),who is able to pray for the heavenly and the earthly, peace be to you.

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer), the lady of my heart and my refuge, peace be to you.

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer), who is full of mercy, peace be to you.

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer), who is wonderful, peace be to you. 

O Merciful Mother of God, peace be to you. 

The Lord is with you and you are blessed among women. 

The fruit of your womb is blessed.

Blessed is Joseph who betrothed you.

Blessed is your father Joachim

Blessed is your mother Hannah.

Blessed is your nephew John.

Blessed is the Angel Gabriel who announced to you the good news.

Blessed is the eternal Father who has chosen you.

Blessed is your Son Jesus Christ who loved you.

Blessed is the Holy Spirit who appointed you.

O Blessed Mother, all bless you.

O Yoldath Aloho (Theotokos /God-Bearer), the Ever Virgin, bless us with Your Only- Begotten Son.

O Mother Mary, merciful and blessed mother among women, do not forget us who are praying to you.

By your prayer, may we, those who belong to us, and all our departed ones, be worthy of mercy and the absolution of sins. Amen

August 3, 2026

Shunoyo ( Dormition) Fast 

 

Scripture Readings

August-2: Tenth Sunday after Holy Pentecost
Evening :St. Luke 9: 12-17
Morning: St. Matthew 16: 13-20
Before Holy Qurbana
Exodus 15: 23-27,Job 42: 7 -17
Psalms 112: 1-10
Holy Qurbana
Acts 28: 23-31,Romans 10: 5-21
St. Matthew 18: 1-11

August-6: The Festival of Transfiguration/Koodaara Perunnal

Evening :St. Matthew 16: 27-17: 13

Morning: St. Mark 8: 38-9: 13

Before Holy Qurbana

Deuteronomy 16: 13-17,Exodus 19:24- 20:6

Joshua 3:1-17 , Zechariah 14: 16-19 

Isaiah 60: 12-15, 61: 1-3

Holy Qurbana

I John 2: 23-3: 1,Romans 11: 25-36

St. Luke 9: 27-36

Scripture Readings - 9th Sunday after Feast of Holy Pentecost

July 26:  Ninth Sunday after Holy Pentecost

Evening :St. Matthew 13: 24-35 ,Morning: St. Matthew 13: 36-43 , Before Holy Qurbana Psalms 22 : 1 - 21 , Deuteronomy 4: 1-6, Proverbs 13: 1-7 , Isaiah 24: 1-5 Holy Qurbana Acts 28: 11-22 , I Corinthians 6: 1-11,St. Luke 14: 7-11

Psalm 22:1-21  My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?    Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish? .  My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer, by night, but I find no rest. Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the one Israel praises. In you our ancestors put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. To you they cried out and were saved; in you they trusted and were not put to shame. But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him,    since he delights in him.” Yet you brought me out of the womb;  you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me. Roaring lions that tear their prey open their mouths wide against me. I am poured out like water,  and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted within me. My mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;   you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs surround me, a pack of villains encircles me; they pierce my hands and my feet. All my bones are on display; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment. But you, Lord, do not be far from me. You are my strength; come quickly to help me. Deliver me from the sword, my precious life from the power of the dogs. Rescue me from the mouth of the lions; save me from the horns of the wild oxen

Deuteronomy 4: 1-6 “Now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the judgments which I teach you to observe, that you may live, and go in and [a]possess the land which the Lord God of your fathers is giving you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have seen what the Lord did at Baal Peor; for the Lord your God has destroyed from among you all the men who followed Baal of Peor. But you who held fast to the Lord your God are alive today, every one of you. “Surely, I have taught you statutes and judgments, just as the Lord my God commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you go to possess. Therefore, be careful to observe them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes, and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

Acts 28:11-22 After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the [a]Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. And landing at Syracuse, we stayed three days. From there we circled round and reached Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew; and the next day we came to Puteoli, where we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them seven days. And so, we went toward Rome. And from there, when the brethren heard about us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum and Three Inns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. Now when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to dwell by himself with the soldier who guarded him. And it came to pass after three days that Paul called the leaders of the Jews together. So when they had come together, he said to them: “Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death. But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation. For this reason, therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.” Then they said to him, “We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you. But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere.”

I Corinthians 6: 1-11 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have [a]judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?  But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers! Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

 Luke 14:7-11  So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. For whoever exalts himself will be [a]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”