Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

Monday, February 23, 2026

Lectionary Cycle: A

Feast / Saints

Collect for Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

O God, the maker of heaven and earth, you gave your venerable servant, the holy and gentle Polycarp, boldness to confess Jesus Christ as King and Savior, and steadfastness to die for his faith; Give us grace, following his example, to share the cup of Christ and rise to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Psalm 121

1 I will lift up my eyes to the hills -- From whence comes my help? 2 My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth. 3 He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4 Behold, He who keeps Israel Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD is your keeper; The LORD is your shade at your right hand. 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night. 7 The LORD shall preserve you from all evil; He shall preserve your soul. 8 The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in From this time forth, and even forevermore.

*At the end of the Psalms this is sung or said

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

Old TestamentNumbers 23:5-12

5 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, 'Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.' 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he took up his oracle and said: 'Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, From the mountains of the east. 'Come, curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!' 8 How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, And let my end be like his!' 11 Then Balak said to Balaam, 'What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!' 12 So he answered and said, 'Must I not take heed to speak what the LORD has put in my mouth?'

Officiant: The Word of the Lord.
The People: Thanks be to God.

New Testament1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 20-23

1 And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.

4 And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. 21 The salutation with my own hand -- Paul's. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! 23 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Officiant: The Word of the Lord.
The People: Thanks be to God.

After the Gospel reading, the deacon can elevate the book and says:

Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ.