Office Of Readings | Week 1, Monday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Letter Of Pope Saint Clement I To The Corinthians | The Word Of God Is The Found Of Wisdom On High

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Office Of Readings | Week 1, Monday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Letter Of Pope Saint Clement I To The Corinthians | The Word Of God Is The Found Of Wisdom On High

‘The Word of God is the Fount of Wisdom on high.’

This prayerful reading of Pope Saint Clement I, one of the earliest bishops of Rome, shows how firmly the first Christian communities understood their life to be grounded in God’s initiative rather than human achievement. Clement addresses God as Creator and Sustainer of all things, and places the Church entirely within God’s ordering of the world.

A central theme is election and preservation. Clement prays that God will preserve the number of the elect and not allow any to fall away. This reflects an early Christian confidence that salvation is God’s work, yet one that requires continual dependence, prayer, and humility. Faith is not self-secured but entrusted to God’s care.

The passage repeatedly emphasises that all knowledge, wisdom, holiness, and honour come through Jesus Christ, described as God’s beloved Son. Christ is not presented primarily as a moral teacher but as the one through whom God calls humanity from darkness into light and makes himself known. Knowledge of God is therefore relational and revealed, not discovered by human reasoning alone.

Clement also stresses God’s sovereign justice and mercy. God humbles the proud, raises the lowly, gives both life and death, wealth and poverty. These opposites are not presented as random but as belonging to God’s wise governance. This is not a detached providence: God is said to help the weak, rescue the desperate, and care for every living thing.

The Church is described using biblical images: people, flock, sheep. This emphasises dependence and belonging rather than status or power. The prayer for peace and harmony extends beyond the Church to ‘all the inhabitants of the Earth’, showing an early and clear sense of the Church’s universal concern.

Finally, Clement’s prayer unites repentance and confidence. Sin is acknowledged plainly, without despair. Forgiveness, purification, and right direction are sought not as achievements but as gifts. Leadership within the community is also included in prayer, reflecting Clement’s concern for order, unity, and obedience grounded in God rather than coercion.

This reading expresses an early Christian faith that is deeply biblical, communal, and God-centred, shaped by worship more than argument.

A Reading From The Letter Of Pope Saint Clement I To The Corinthians | The Word Of God Is The Found Of Wisdom On High

We shall pray without ceasing to the Creator of all things, and beg him to preserve the number of his elect throughout the whole world, through his beloved son Jesus Christ, and not let a single one of them fall away.

Through him you called us from darkness into light and gave us the knowledge of the glory of your name. He taught us to hope in you, from whom all creation has its being. He opened our eyes so that we would recognise you, most high among the highest, holy and surrounded by holiness. You put an end to the pride of the arrogant, you frustrate the plans of the gentiles, you raise up the lowly and bring down those who are exalted. You give riches and give poverty, you dispense both death and life. You succour every spirit, you are the God of all flesh. You behold what is hidden in the depths, you see all that men do. You give help to those in peril and rescue to those without hope. You create all that has breath and watch over it; you multiply the peoples of the earth, and from among them you choose those who love you through Jesus Christ your beloved Son, through whom you give us wisdom, holiness, and honour.

We beg you, Lord, to be our help and our support. Free us from our troubles; take pity on the lowly; raise up those who have fallen; give help to the poor, health to the sick, and bring home those who have wandered away. Feed the hungry, ransom captives, give strength to the weak and courage to the faint-hearted. Let all peoples come to know that you alone are God, that Jesus Christ is your son, and that we are your people and the sheep of your flock.

For by your acts you made visible the everlasting structure of the Universe and set the Earth on its foundations. For all generations you have been faithful and just in your judgements, and wonderful in your power and majesty. Wisely you have created, and wisely you have kept things in being. All that we see shows your goodness; to all who trust in you, you are faithful, kind, and merciful. Forgive us our wickednesses and injustices, our sins and our transgressions.

Do not weigh down your servants with the burden of their sins, but purify us and direct the paths we take so that we go forward in purity and innocence of heart, so that all that we do is good and acceptable to you and to those who lead us.

Come, Lord, let your face shine upon us so that we may peacefully enjoy all good things. May your powerful hand be a roof over our heads and may your strength preserve us from all wrongdoing. Free us, Lord, from those who hate us without cause. Give peace and harmony to us and to all the inhabitants of the Earth, as you gave them to our fathers who called on you with trust and faith.

You alone can give us these gifts and confer these favours on us. We put our trust in you through Jesus Christ, our high priest, the guardian of our souls. Through him be glory and majesty to you now and through all generations until the end of time. Amen.

Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ

God and Father of all,
Creator and sustainer of the world,
You have called us from darkness into light
through your Son Jesus Christ.

Preserve your people throughout the world,
strengthen those who are weak,
raise up those who have fallen,
and bring back those who have wandered.

Forgive our sins,
purify our hearts,
and direct our paths
so that we may live in peace, humility, and trust.

Grant harmony to your Church
and peace to all peoples,
that your name may be known
and your mercy praised.

We place our confidence in you
through Jesus Christ,
the guardian of our souls.
Amen

Glossary Of Christian Terms

The Word of God | God’s self-expression through whom all things were made and through whom God is known.

Jesus Christ | The Son of God, through whom humanity is called from darkness into light.

Creator | God as the source and sustainer of all that exists.

The elect | Those whom God has called and gathered into his people through Christ.

Providence | God’s wise and faithful governance of creation and human history.

Light | The life, truth, and knowledge of God revealed through Christ.

Darkness | Life apart from the knowledge of God, marked by sin and ignorance.

Wisdom | God-given understanding that orders life according to his will.

Holiness | Life set apart for God, shaped by obedience and purification.

The flock | A biblical image for God’s people, dependent on his care and guidance.

Repentance | Turning away from sin and returning to God in trust.

Mercy | God’s compassionate response to human weakness and sin.

Peace | Harmony restored by God between himself, humanity, and creation.

Unity | The ordered and reconciled life of the Church under God’s will.

High priest | Christ’s role as mediator between God and humanity.

Faith | Trustful reliance on God’s promises rather than human strength.

Creation | The ordered universe brought into being and sustained by God.

Glory | The recognition and honour due to God for who he is and what he does.

Purification | God’s work of cleansing hearts and directing lives toward good.

Hope | Confidence in God’s faithfulness and future fulfilment of his promises.