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ARTES SCIENTIA VERITAS




i
.:

Catholic church. Liturgy and ritual. Breviary. English.
The Roman Breviary:
REFORMED
BY ORDER OF THE HOLY CECUMENICAL COUNCIL
OF TRENT;
PUBLISHED
BY ORDER OF POPE ST. PIUS V.;
AND REVISED BY
CLEMENT VIII. AND URBAN VIII.;
TOGETHER WITH
The Offices since granted.
TRANSLATED
Out of Latin into English by
JOHN, MARQUESS OF BUTE,
K. T.
VOL. I.
WINTER.
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS,
EDINBURGH AND LONDON.
MDCCCLXXIX.
BX
2000
A 4
1379
V₁ I
8-17-50 CON
Dir.
Halliday
7-6-50;
71187.
gu,
Translator's Preface
The Pye.
THE PSALTER.
Mattins:
CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
PAGE
Vespers :
xi
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Compline
PAGE
160
•
164
168
. 171
Sunday
•
Monday
1
PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
21
Advent
•
179
Tuesday
32
Christmas
•
224
Wednesday
42
·
Epiphany
264
Thursday
Friday
Saturday.
Lauds :
52
Septuagesima
. 328
64
Lent
351
73
·
Passion Week
409
Holy Week
430
Sunday
Monday
86
Easter
459
96
Rogation.
511
Tuesday
100
Ascension
•
. 517
Wednesday
102
Whitsuntide
543
Thursday
104
Friday
107
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
•
Saturday
Prime:
Sunday
Week-days.
Terce.
110
•
For Apostles' Eves.
791
For Apostles, Evangelists, and
114
•
Martyrs, in Eastertide
.792
123
For Apostles and Evangelists out
129
Sext
134
None
•
Vespers :
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
140
•
of Eastertide
For one Martyr out of Eastertide 817
For many Martyrs out of Easter-
805
·
tide.
829
146
For one Bishop and Confessor
842
153
•
For a Confessor not a Bishop
. 855
•
156
For Doctors
869
158
•
For Virgins
.873
ir
CONTENTS OF VOL. I.
1
For Holy Women
For the Blessed Virgin Mary
For Dedication of a Church
·
PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
PAGE
PAGE
886
ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
894
•
Little Office of the Blessed Vir-
909
gin Mary
1375
·
Office for the Dead
1381
Feast Days in November
927
Gradual Psalms
•
1387
•
December
932
Seven Penitential Psalms and
""
January
962
Litany
1389
""
February
993
Grace before and after Meat
1392
March
1015
Prayers for a Journey
1395
""
April
1033
GENERAL APPENDIX
1397
May
1051
·
June
1091
Office for Corpus Christi.
DIFF
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
IFFERENT parts of the Roman Breviary have long been trans-
lated for the use of the faithful in English-speaking countries.
Nearly all the common books of devotion contain the ordinary form of
Vespers and Compline, and there are Vesper books, containing the
whole of that office, for every day in the year. There are also transla-
tions of Prime, Terce, Sext, and None. Of Mattins and Lauds, how-
ever, there have only been published those for a few days, such as
Christmas and the last three days of the Holy Week, and the copious
extracts which are contained in the English version of Guéranger's
Liturgical Year.
The object of the Translator in the present work has been to supply
this deficiency by laying open to the English reader the whole of the
Prayer of the Church. He thinks that this may be grateful to a con-
siderable number of English-speaking Catholics, who would wish, at
any rate at times, to read the Service of the Church, but are debarred
from doing so by ignorance of the Latin language; and more especially
so to converts who have been accustomed to the daily office while
Anglicans. Even to some of the clergy, he is not without hope that
this version may be of interest, since he has taken great pains to
elucidate difficult passages, to explain the historical and other allu-
sions, and, above all, to verify the references to the Holy Scriptures.
If the book should fall into the hands of persons who are not Catho-
lics, he ventures to hope that it may at any rate be the means of
softening some prejudices.
It is now nearly nine years ago since the Translator began his work,
and he cannot conceal from himself that when he did so, he did not
fully realize either how vast a work it has proved to be, or how little
he was himself fitted to execute it satisfactorily. He has bestowed a
great deal of reading and investigation upon it, and he has enjoyed
the advantage of a learned friend's revision; but at the moment of
giving it to the public he feels anything but well content with it, and
can only protest that it is his best, and that it is, in his judgment,
better that the work should be done thus imperfectly than not at all.
b
(
vi
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
In considering the work, the reader will please to understand that
the following are the principles which have been followed. The book
is a translation from the Latin, and where the original texts are
Hebrew, Chaldee, or Greek, it is not these texts, but the Breviary
Latin rendering of them which is translated into English, the aim of
the translator having been merely to give a rendering, in as good,
plain, manly, and idiomatic English as he could command, of the
Latin Service-book of the Church. Accordingly, whenever the Latin
has a distinct sense of its own-as, for instance, in Ps. lxxv. 5—that
sense is given simply without any remark, and the divergence from
the original is only pointed out in footnotes in a few cases where it
appeared desirable to know both renderings in order to understand
the context. Moreover, in the Psalter, and in a few other places, the
Rev. James McSwiney, S.J., to whom the translator has to acknow-
ledge so many obligations, has been kind enough to bracket the
words which are not, now, to be found in the Hebrew at all. In the
case of a single word in Lam. iv. 7, Dr. Gesenius' rendering of the
Hebrew is put in the text, and the literal translation of the Latin in a
footnote.
In cases where the Latin is obscure, either in its rendering of the
Scripture, or elsewhere, the original has been referred to when pos-
sible, in order to find what the Latin is probably intended to mean,
and here the translator has again to acknowledge his indebtedness to
the learned Jesuit already named, for his assistance in a work for
which the translator's own knowledge only most imperfectly quali-
fies him.
It will be gathered from the above that the translator has not fol-
lowed any existing version exactly in the rendering of the Holy
Scripture. The version, or rather series of versions for there are
many different recensions of the text,-generally called the Doway
Bible, does not much commend itself to the English ear, and is indeed,
especially in the earlier recensions, difficult to understand for anyone
who does not know Latin, and indeed other languages also; and
moreover, none of the recensions possess that ecclesiastical authority
which is enjoyed, for instance, in Italy, by the Italian version of
Archbishop Martini. Under these circumstances, it has been the
custom for English-speaking Catholics, in compiling books of devotion,
to make renderings of the Latin at their own convenience, and indeed
in the recently published Hortus Anime, which bears the imprimatur
of the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, the Psalms in the Little
Office of the Blessed Virgin were translated from the Hebrew without
-
¡
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
vii
any regard to the Latin at all. The present translator has therefore
felt himself abundantly justified in using any good English at his
command, while adhering to the sense of the Latin, of which he trusts
that his text will be found a faithful rendering.
As regards the proper names in the Old Testament, it has seemed to
him most convenient to use the transliteration from the Hebrew which
is most commonly used by the Jews, as well as by the general world,
in this country, instead of reproducing the Vulgate's imperfect trans-
literation of the imperfect transliteration of the LXX. from the
Hebrew. But where the names, even of the same persons, occur in
quotations from the New Testament, the transliteration is equally
made from the original, and therefore the Greek form preserved.
In those parts of the office which are not taken from the Scriptures,
such as the readings from the Fathers, the translator has not been
careful to give the same word-for-word rendering as in the passages
from Scripture. The genius of the Latin language, its long and in-
volved sentences, and such forms as the Ablative Absolute, would
make a translation like a school-boy's exercise a piece of very inele-
gant English composition, and almost intolerable as a devotional
formula. His aim, therefore, has been to reflect the ideas of the Latin
in the best English mirror he can command, and he must deprecate
criticism upon the mere ground of freedom of translation. Besides
this, he has only to call attention to the treatment of the quotations
from Scripture found in the extracts from the Fathers and in the bio-
graphical notices. Where (a) the quotations are very fragmentary, he
has usually given them in full, but wherever this has been done to a
very considerable extent, as by the insertion of whole clauses or sen-
tences, it is indicated either by a footnote, or by the inserted words
being put in brackets, and where (8) the quotations are from some
version of the Scriptures different to the present Vulgate, such as the
so-called Itala, or literally translated from the LXX., or seem to be
inaccurate quotations from memory, or various readings created by
copyists' blunders, he has harmonised them with the rest of his text,
as it seemed to him that to embalm these eccentricities in an English
rendering, would be, even were it always possible, a mere useless piece
of Antiquarianism. An exception is made in the case of a few pas-
sages where the sense is clearly and curiously affected, and these have
been invariably pointed out in footnotes.
In the biographical sketches of the lives of the Saints, a few pas-
sages will be found inserted in brackets. These are almost always
proper names, dates, or geographical identifications. They have been
}
L
1
↑
viii
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
I
+
1
•
1
inserted with the idea of making these biographies more interesting
and valuable, and are almost always taken either from Alban Butler's
Lives of the Saints, or from the very valuable French work in seven-
teen volumes, intituled, Les Petits Bollandistes. The constant changes
in the translator's place of abode, and his frequent journeys, rendered
it naturally impossible for him to have always at hand a copy of the
Acta Sanctorum themselves, even had it been needful for his purpose.
The poetical portions of the Breviary have given the translator
peculiar trouble. Only a few, and those of the more obscure, of the
Hymns, are presented in his own paraphrase. For the rest, he has
sought to obtain the use of the versions which, as far as he could
judge, combined the largest amount of poetical merit with accuracy
in rendering the sense of the originals, and he has not felt it neces-
sary to take into consideration the religious opinions of those by whom
such translations have been executed. In all his applications, he has
been met with uniform courtesy and compliance with his wishes, and
he here begs to ask pardon for any breach of copyright which he may
have unknowingly committed by reprinting hymns of which he did
not know the translator. The source whence each is taken has always
been indicated.
A great number of the hymns are by the late Rev. E. Caswall, of
the Birmingham Oratory, who died during the printing of the work.
(R.I.P.) The translator expresses his thanks for his constant obliging
kindness.
H. E. Cardinal Newman has permitted the translator the use of all
his published hymns. The hymn for Prime has never been published
before, except in a little book printed by the present translator a few
years ago, and for which he obtained it from the illustrious writer.
H. E. has also had the goodness to prepare the doxologies, altering
with the Office, belonging to his own hymns.
The Rev. Dr. Littledale contributes a considerable number of
hymns, some of which are original, and written expressly for this
work.
The elegant hymns for Midsummer Day, one of which is written
expressly for this book, are by a noble friend, who desires to remain
anonymous.
The translator begs finally to express his sincere thanks to the Rev.
Dr. Wallace, the Rev. W. J. Blew, Rev. W. J. Copeland, Mr. J. D.
Chambers, the Messrs. Novello, and all others to whom he is indebted
for the use of copyright hymns. The translator tenders to all his
thankful acknowledgment. In regard to the hymns, the alteration in
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
ix
the last verse, caused by certain Festivals and Seasons, depends in the
original upon the scansion. This distinction, viz. why one hymn
should alter and another not, could not be rationally adopted in the
English, where the metres are not always the same as in the Latin.
The translator, therefore, has provided for the alteration of all the
unchanging hymns, viz. those of the Small Hours, while the hymns
of Mattins, Lauds, and Vespers, which change with the Office, do not
here undergo the alteration of the last verse.
Besides the hymns proper, there are a good many passages, such as
the Blessings at Mattins, and some of the Antiphons and Respon-
sories, which are either in actual verse or else written with some pecu-
liar rhyme or rhythm. There are also a certain number of puns.
Great care has been taken, as far as possible, to re-produce these
quaint features. They will jar upon the ear of the English reader,
but he may rest assured that they cannot offend him more than the
originals would have offended a Roman of the classical age, and to
suppress them would have been to give a false idea of the book. They
are usually printed as prose, as they are in the original.
The feature in which this translation is, so far, more convenient
than the original, is the fact that all the references to Holy Scripture,
(except such as are very commonly known, or have been given shortly
before,) are given, either in footnotes, or, where they occur in the
text, (not itself Scripture,) in brackets inserted in it. The mere work
with a Concordance which this has entailed has been very great, but
the translator ventures to think the object was well worth it.
The other footnotes are exclusively aimed at the elucidation of the
text. The historical ones are chiefly from Alban Butler or Les Petits
Bollandistes. Those on Scripture are mostly from the annotated
English Bible published by the late Dr. Kenrick, Archbishop of New
York, a most valuable work, unhappily but little known in this
country. Those on Isaiah are mainly from Lowth; those on Daniel
from Dr. Pusey; those from the Targums on the Holy Torah, from
Etheridge's translation; those from the other Targums, from the
Latin version in Walton's Biblia Polyglotta. The source has always
been indicated, except where one note closely follows another.
Most part of this work has been submitted in MS., the whole of it
in proof, and part even in revise, to the friendly criticism of the Rev.
James McSwiney, S.J., whom the translator has already mentioned,
and to whom he desires here to express his sincerest thanks for the
long pains and unwearied patience and kindness which year after year
he has expended upon this matter. He begs also to thank the Supe-
!
X
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE.
riors of the Society of JESUS for allowing him the assistance of so
valuable a member of their body. It must, however, be distinctly
understood that the work of Father McSwiney. has been almost
entirely confined to excision and pointing out blunders, and that he
is objectively responsible for nothing except the bracketing the pas-
sages in the Psalter, as before mentioned, and a very few of the foot-
notes.
However, notwithstanding the amount of pains and repeated revi-
sion, and the extraordinary excellence with which the printers have
done their work, and for which the translator desires to make to them
his sincerely felt and thankful acknowledgments, it must needs be
that so very large a work, printed for the first time, contains a con-
siderable number of oversights. Some of these are already visible to
the translator. He prefers, however, to leave them to the indulgence
of the reader, rather than revise every word again, in order to en-
cumber the book with a page or pages of errata and corrigenda.
The translator desires in conclusion to protest that if, (which he
hopes and believes is not the case,) either the translation itself, or the
footnotes, should contain anything which a faithful Catholic ought
not to have written, he has written such passage inadvertently.
RICHMOND,
June 27, 1879.
The Pye.'
THEME
HERE is an Office for every day, and this Office is either (1) Double, (2) Semi-
double, or (3) Simple.
CHAPTER I. OF DOUBLE OFFICES.
The Office is Double from Maundy Thursday to Easter Tuesday, both inclusive,
on Low Sunday, on Ascension Day, on Whitsun Day, and the Monday and Tuesday
following, on Trinity Sunday, on Corpus Christi, and on the Dedication Feast of
the Church where the service is held, or to which the person praying is attached;
on every Feast-day in the Kalendar marked Double, and on the Octave-day of
every Feast which has an Octave; moreover, upon the Feast of the Patron or
Patrons, or Titular or Titulars, of the place or Church, and upon the Feast or
Feasts of any Saint or Saints which any particular Church, Order, or Congregation
may have been used and have obtained, or shall obtain, the Sanction of the Apos-
tolic See to observe solemnly, either with a special Office, or with the Common Office,
even although such Feast be not to be found in the Roman Kalendar. Moreover,
the Office for the Dead is said as a Double upon All Souls' Day, and upon the day
of the death or burial of the Deceased for whom it is said, even as is directed in the
Office itself.
2. A Double Feast is kept upon its own day, unless it should be transferred
according to Chapter X. of this Pye.
3. A Double Feast has the whole of both First and Second Vespers, unless it
clash with another like Office, as treated of in Chapter XI. of this Pye, and the
whole Office is then of the Double from the Vespers on the first evening till Com-
pline on the second, both inclusive-unless something special be ordered in its own
place. The Office of the Dead, however, has only one Vesper Service, Mattins, and
Lauds, as given in its own place.
4. On a Double, the Antiphons at both Vespers, at Mattins, and at Lauds, (but
not at Prime, Terce, Sext, None, or Compline,) are doubled, that is to say, are re-
peated entire both before and after the Psalm or Canticle to which they respectively
belong.
5. At Mattins on a Double are always said three Nocturns, being nine Psalms
and nine Lessons, that is to say, three Psalms and three Lessons in each Nocturn.
The only exceptions are Easter and Pentecost, when there is only one Nocturn, with
three Psalms and three Lessons, as there given.
6. On a Double, the Prayers called Preces are omitted at Compline and Prime,
as also the Common Commemorations of the Blessed Virgin, &c., at Vespers and
Lauds.
7. As for anything else, see the Chapters of this Pye treating specially of each
detail.
CHAPTER II. OF SEMI-DOUBLE OFFICES.
The Office is Semi-double upon all Sundays, (except Low Sunday, which is
1 I.e. parti-coloured. This quaint name is owing to the General Rubrics being usually
printed in black and red.
xii
THE PYE.
Double); upon all days within Octaves; upon all Feasts which are marked Semi-
double in the Kalendar, and also upon any Feasts peculiar to particular places or
Congregations, which, in the said places or Congregations it has been usual to keep
more solemnly than if they were Simples.
2. A Semi-double Feast is kept upon its own day, unless it should be transferred
according to Chapter X. of this Pye.
3. A Semi-double Feast has the whole of the Office, from Vespers on the first
evening till Compline on the second, both inclusive, like a Double; but the Anti-
phons are not doubled-that is to say, before the Psalm or Canticle only the first
few words of the Antiphon are said, namely, those as far as the asterisk (*),
although at the end of the Psalm or Canticle the whole Antiphon is said entire.
4. At Mattins are said three Nocturns, with three Psalms and three Lessons in
each, except within the Octaves of Easter and Pentecost, when there is only one
Nocturn, with three Psalms and three Lessons. Also on Sundays, when the Office
is of the Sunday, there are twelve Psalms in the first Nocturn, instead of three.
5. As to anything else, see the Chapters of this Pye treating specially of each
detail.
CHAPTER III. OF SIMPLE OFFICES.
The Office is Simple on all Week-days when the Service is of such; upon all days
in the Kalendar which are not marked Double, or Semi-double, or of an Octave;
and in the Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin on Saturdays, as appointed in
Chapter VIII.
2. The Office of a Simple Feast is said only upon its own day, and cannot be
transferred, but is liable to be overborne by any Office having Nine Lessons, or by
that of the Blessed Virgin on Saturday, or by that of a Week-day having the pre-
cedence over it according to Chapter V. and Chapter IX.
3. The Simple Feast has only one Vesper Office, namely, the first, when the Ser-
vice is of the Week-day till the Chapter, exclusive, and then of the Feast from the
Chapter, inclusive, till the end, what is of the Feast being as if of a Semi-double.
However, should this evening be occupied by the Vespers of an Office of Nine Les-
sons, the Simple is only commemorated, as regulated in Chapter XI. A Simple
Office always ends with None, inclusive, and has nothing afterwards, not even a
Commemoration.
4. At Mattins, the Office is of the Feast till the Hymn, inclusive; after which
are said the Psalms and Antiphons of the Week-day. Then the Office continues of
the Feast, according to what is said in Chapter XXVI.
5. As to anything else, see the Chapters of this Pye treating specially of each
detail.
CHAPTER IV. OF SUNDAYS.
The Office of the Sunday is always said on the Sundays in Advent, and on those
from Septuagesima to Low Sunday, both inclusive, any Double or Semi-double
Feast whatsoever being transferred to make room for them, (as prescribed in
Chapter X.,) unless it be the Feast of the chief Titular or Patron of some particular
Church or place,' or, the Dedication of the particular Church. Such Feast is then
observed, with a Commemoration of the Sunday, except on the first Sundays of
Advent and Lent, and Passion, Palm, Easter, Low, Pentecost, and Trinity Sundays,
which yield to nothing. See, as to this, Chapter IX. On other Sundays in the
year, the Office is of the Sunday unless the day be occupied by a Double Office, in
which case the Service is of the Double, with a Commemoration of the Sunday at
both Vespers and at Lauds, and for the Ninth Lesson, the seventh of the Sunday,
or the seventh, eighth, and ninth read as one; as prescribed in Chapter IX.
Semi-double clashing with a Sunday is transferred, according to Chapter X.
2. On the Sundays within the Octaves of Christmas, Twelfth-Day, Ascension
Day, and Corpus Christi, the Service is of the Octave with such variations as are
1 And that of St. Joseph (March 19) is always and everywhere such.
A
THE PYE.
xiii
given in their own place, with Commemoration of the Octave and without either
Preces or the Common Commemorations. On Sundays within other Octaves, the
Service is of the Sunday as given in the Psalter and in the Proper Office of the
Season, with Commemoration of the Octave, but without Preces or the Common
Commemorations. If a Sunday and an Octave-day clash, the Office is of the
Octave-day, being Double, with Commemoration and Ninth Lesson of the Sunday.
The only exception is with the Octave-day of Twelfth-Day, when, the Service of
the Sunday having been said on Saturday, no notice of it is taken on the Octave-
day: Offices are given for six Sundays after the Epiphany and for twenty-four after
Pentecost, so that there shall be no blank upon any of the thirty Sundays which
may occur between Twelfth-Day and Septuagesima, and between Pentecost and
Advent, albeit they may perhaps only be commemorated. Those which are over
and not wanted after Twelfth-Day before Septuagesima are inserted and used up
between the 23rd after Pentecost, and the next before Advent, in the following
order-
4. If there are 25 Sundays after Pentecost, the 24th is the 6th after the Epiphany:
if 26-the 24th, the 5th; and the 25th, the 6th: if 27-the 24th, the 4th; the
25th, the 5th; and the 26th, the 6th: if 28-the 24th, the 3rd; the 25th, the 4th;
the 26th, the 5th; and the 27th, the 6th. It sometimes happens that there
are only 23 Sundays after Pentecost; in which case, that next before Advent
still keeps its place, and the Office of the 23rd Sunday is said upon the pre-
ceding Saturday, if that day be not occupied by an Office of Nine Lessons, or,
if so occupied, upon the nearest day in that week not so occupied, a Simple Feast
being in such case only commemorated. On this occasion the Office will be of the
Week-day, substituting only the three Lessons, the Antiphon at the Song of
Zacharias, and the Prayer of the Sunday for those of the Week-day (which are
omitted.) However, if the whole of that week be occupied by Offices of Nine Les-
sons, even if transferred thither or belonging to an Octave, then on the Saturday
the Ninth Lesson is the seventh of the Sunday, or the seventh, eighth, and ninth,
read as one, and at Lauds (only) there is made Commemoration of the Sunday, by
its own Antiphon for the Song of Zacharias and its own Prayer, with the Verse and
Answer of the Saturday.
5. It will sometimes occur that the 3rd, 4th, 5th, or 6th Sunday after the
Epiphany is left over and there is no room for it after Pentecost. In that case it
is placed on the Saturday or other day in the week preceding Septuagesima, in the
same manner as described in the foregoing section.
6. What to do when the 2nd Sunday after Twelfth-Day is Septuagesima, is
prescribed in a special Rubric on the subject at p. 286. Note 2.
7. When, in the Breviary, mention is made of the First Sunday in such-and-
such a month, the Sunday meant is that which is on or nearest to the 1st day of such
month: thus, if the 1st day of the month be a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday,
the first Sunday of that month is the Sunday before, albeit actually in the pre-
ceding month, but if the 1st day of the month be a Thursday, Friday, or Saturday,
the first Sunday of the month is the Sunday after. However, the first Sunday of
Advent is not taken to be the first Sunday of December, but that which is either on
or nearest to the Feast of St. Andrew, viz., November 30.
8. The Sunday Office is Semi-double and begins with Vespers on Saturday,
lasting till Compline on Sunday, inclusive. See, however, the case of its clashing
with other Offices, Chapter XI.
9. Át Mattins there are Three Nocturns, as in the Psalter, and Nine Lessons, as
in the Office of the Season.
10. As to anything else, see the Chapters of this Pye, treating specially of such
detail.
CHAPTER V. OF WEEK-DAYS.
The Week-day Office, that is to say, the Simple Office of the Season, as contained
in the Psalter and the Proper Office of the Season, is always said in Advent and
xiv
THE PYE.
Lent, and on Ember Days, Eves, and Rogation Monday, except when there is a
Double or Semi-double Office, or that belonging to some Octave, on which occasions
the Week-day is only commemorated, as given in Chapter IX. If a Simple Feast
occur upon one of these Week-days, it is only commemorated. Moreover, the Office
of the Week-day is said upon any day in the Kalendar to which no Feast is assigned,
which is not within any Octave, and which is not occupied by the Simple Saturday
Office of the Blessed Virgin, or by any Feast peculiar to the Church or place where
the Service takes place or to which the person praying belongs.
2. On Advent and Lent, and on Ember Days, Eves, and Rogation Monday, the
Office of the Week-day begins with Mattins; on other days in the year it begins
where the Office of the preceding day ends: thus-if the day before have been
Double or Semi-double, it begins with Mattins; if a Simple, with Vespers. More-
over, if upon Ember Wednesday and Friday in September, upon Ash Wednesday,
or upon any Eve, there fall a Simple Feast, which is to be commemorated, this
Simple Feast is deprived of its First Vespers, which are then of the Week-day
(unless they be the Second Vespers of some Office of Nine Lessons) as in the Psalter,
without Preces, but with the Prayer of the preceding Sunday, and a Commemora-
tion of the Simple Feast. See Chapter XI. The Office of the Week-day ends with
None, if there follow a Double or Semi-double, but if there follow a Simple, the
Office of which is to be said, then Vespers are of the Week-day till the Chapter
exclusive, and with the Chapter begins the Office of the said Simple, without any
further notice of the Week-day.
3. At Mattins is said one Nocturn, with twelve Psalms and three Lessons, as in
the Psalter, and the Proper Office of the Season.
4. From the above_rules are entirely excepted the Offices of Maundy Thursday,
Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Week, and Whitsun Week, which are per-
fectly special, as regulated in their own places.
5. As for anything else, see the Chapters of this Pye treating specially of each

detail.
CHAPTER VI. OF EVES.
The Office of the Eve is said upon all Eves which are Fasts,¹ (and which are
marked in the Kalendar with the word "Eve,") unless there occur on such a day
an Office with Nine Lessons, or the Office of some Octave. In such a case the
Ninth Lesson of the said Office is omitted or read as one with the Eighth, and for
the Ninth Lesson is read the whole or the first part of the Homily for the Eve; and
the Eve is commemorated at Lauds (only) by the Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias and the Verse and Answer belonging to the Week-day, with the Prayer of the
Eve. However, there are some exceptions, which here follow.
2. If the Eve should be a Sunday, the Office of the Eve is said on Saturday, or, if
Saturday be occupied as mentioned above, it is commemorated, as there directed.
The two exceptions are the Eves of Christmas and Twelfth-Day, the Offices of which
are said even on Sunday, as is noted in their own place. However, if on the day of
the Eve should be some Feast of great local importance in a particular place, or one
of those generally more important which are enumerated hereafter in Chapter IX.,
-as for instance, if Corpus Christi fell upon Midsummer Eve,-no notice whatever
is taken of the Eve in the Office. The solitary exception is the Eve of Twelfth-
Day. Moreover, in Advent, Lent, and on the days of Quarter-Tense, no notice
whatever is taken of an Eve.
3. The Office of the Eve begins with Mattins and ends with None.
4. The Office of an Eve is entirely that of the Week-day, (Responsories included,)
except the Three Lessons and the Prayer. Long Preces are said as in Advent or
1 There are a good many Eves which are not Fasts, at least in certain countries, but
they appear to have been so formerly, and it is the custom still to recite the Office, includ-
ing the Long Preces, as if they had remained so.
2 For the Blessings on them, see the Summary of Blessings and Absolutions here-
after.
THE PYE.
XV
Lent, and also the Common Commemorations. For anything else there are special
Rubrics hereafter.
5. There are four exceptional cases, a. Whitsun Eve, which is a Semi-double
with Three Nocturns. B. Christmas Eve, which is a Double, from Lauds to None,
both inclusive. y, d. The Eves of Twelfth-Day and of the Ascension. See all
these in their own places.
CHAPTER VII. OF OCTAVES.
An Octave is the repetition of an Office, or at the least the Commemoration of it,
if some Sunday or Festival intervene, for eight days, one after the other, being the
Feast itself and seven days following. This honour is paid to the Passover, when
our Lord rose again, to Ascension Day, to Whitsun Day, to the Dedication of the
particular Church, to the Patronal or Titular Feast of the place or Church, and to
Feasts of other Saints which may have been customarily so treated in any particular
Church, Congregation, or Order. No Octaves are kept between Ash Wednesday
and Easter, nor during the Octave of Pentecost, nor between December 17 and
Christmas; and even if one of these days, namely, Ash Wednesday, Whitsun Day,
or December 17, should come in the middle of an Octave which has already been
kept for some days, their arrival breaks it off at once.
2. Also, in the cases of Easter and Pentecost, the Office of the Octave is not said
after None on the next Saturday.
3. Any Double or Semi-double Feast which falls on any day¹ within an Octave,
is observed, and so also is observed any Feast which may be thither transferred, as
may be done,-see Chapter X. section 5 of this Pye,-but there is then made a Com-
memoration of the Octave, at both the Vespers and at Lauds, unless the Feast
observed be one of those more important, hereafter enumerated in Chapter IX.,
and whereon no Octave is commemorated; however, an exception is made in favour
of the Octaves of Christmas, Twelfth-Day, and Corpus Christi, which are always at
least commemorated, whatsoever be the Feast which may occur during their Octaves.
However, within the Octaves of Easter and Pentecost no Feast whatsoever is kept,
even should it be that of the principal Patron or Titular or of the Dedication of the
particular Church. All are transferred out of the Octave. Within the Octave of
Twelfth-Day (except the Octave-day itself) may be observed only the Feasts of the
Patron or Titular and of the Dedication, and that with Commemoration of the
Octave. Within the Octave of Corpus Christi, only Doubles are observed, and they
only those which naturally occur there; others are not to be transferred thither,
unless they be Feasts of the First or Second Class; and Commemoration is always
made of the Octave. Semi-doubles occurring within this Octave are transferred out
of it. See Chapter X. Simples which occur within any Octave are merely com-
memorated, except upon Easter Monday and Tuesday, and Whitsun Monday and
Tuesday, when all notice of Simples is omitted. See Chapter IX. The Service
upon Sundays within Octaves is as prescribed above, in the Chapter upon Sun-
days (IV.) If two Octaves clash (as, for instance, that of Midsummer Day with
that of Corpus Christi, or that of a local Patron or Titular with some other) when
the Office is not of some Festival or of the Sunday, it is of that Octave whose Feast
is of the higher rank, with Commemoration of the other; but either of them has
the Service of its own Octave-day, as a Double, with Commemoration of the other.
As for the case of Feasts falling on the actual Octave-days, see Chapter X.
4. The Office of a day within an Octave has three Nocturns, that is to say, at
Mattins nine Psalms and nine Lessons. The only exceptions are the Octaves of
Easter and Pentecost, when there is only one Nocturn. Everything is as on the
Festival, except the Lessons. Of these, the first three are always from Scripture
according to the Season, except within the Octave of the Assumption, when those
days on which the Office is of the Octave have Scripture Lessons of their own, taken
from the Song of Songs. The Lessons of the Second and Third Nocturns are always
given in their own places. It may happen that an Octave is kept somewhere for
1 Except, of course, the Feast itself, the Octave-day, and the Sunday.
xvi
THE PYE.
some local Patron or Titular Feast, where there are no special authorised Lessons
for the Second and Third Nocturn: in this case Lessons are to be taken out of the
Common Office, if the subject be some Saint or Saints, or, if otherwise, the Lessons
of the Feast-day repeated.
5. On the days within the Octave the Office is Semi-double, and on the Octave-
day itself Double. The Vespers every day are the same as the Second Vespers of
the Feast, except the First Vespers of the Octave-day, which are the same as the
First Vespers of the Feast, unless some special direction be given to the contrary.
6. Within Octaves the Common Commemorations of the Saints are not said at
Vespers and Lauds, nor Preces at Prime and Compline, even if the Office be of a
Sunday or Semi-double. For anything else, see the Chapters of this Pye treating
specially of each detail.
CHAPTER VIII. OF THE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN AS A SIMPLE ON
SATURDAY.
On every Saturday in the year, with the exceptions hereafter immediately noted,
the Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin as placed at the end of the Common Office
for her Festivals, is said in preference to the Office of the Week-day or the Office of
any other Simple Festival, such simple Festival, if it occur, being merely com-
memorated. The exceptions are the Saturdays in Advent and Lent, the Ember
Saturdays, Eves, Saturdays to which the Sunday Office may be transferred accord-
ing to this Pye, IV. 4, 5, Saturdays on which Nine Lessons may be read, and the
Saturdays within the Octaves of Easter and Whitsun Day.
2. When this Office is not said, neither is it commemorated. On Semi-doubles,
the Blessed Virgin (if her Little Office is not going to be said) has her Common
Commemoration at Vespers and Lauds, along with the others, but that is all.
3. This Office begins with the Chapter at Vespers on Friday, like other Simple
Offices, and similarly, has a Commemoration at the Friday Vespers, should those
belong to some Office of Nine Lessons, unless said Office be of the Blessed Virgin,
when the Commemoration of the Simple Office is omitted. If such Commemoration
be made it consists of the Antiphon at her Song, the Verse and Answer, and the
Prayer of the Little Office Vespers; and no other Commemoration of her is made.
4. At Mattins, the Invitatory and Hymn are of her; then follows the one Nocturn
of the Week-day, with its own Psalms and Antiphons; Verse and Answer, Absolu-
tion, two Responsories, Blessings, and Third Lesson of the Blessed Virgin, with two
Lessons from Scripture and the Hymn "We praise Thee, O God, &c.," all as at the
end of the Common, as are also Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, and None.
5. Preces are said at Prime and Compline, and the Common Commemorations
(except her's) at Lauds. After None, nothing is said of her, unless she is com-
memorated, among the other Common Commemorations, in the First Vespers of
Sunday.
IX. OF COMMEMORATIONS.
If there come upon the day of a Simple Feast (a) an Office of Nine Lessons,
either always, or transferred thither, (b) a Sunday, (c) some day belonging to an
Octave, (d) a Saturday, or (e) the Office of some Sunday transferred to a Week-day,
then there is made a Commemoration of the Simple Feast, at First Vespers and at
Lauds.
2. Week-days in Advent and Lent, Ember Days, Eves, and Rogation Monday,
are commemorated only, if a Feast of Nine Lessons comes upon them, but their
Office takes precedence of a simple Feast, which, in them, is only commemorated.
3. If a Double Feast fall upon a Sunday between Pentecost and Advent, between
Twelfth-Day and Septuagesima, or between Low Sunday and Pentecost, the Sun-
day is commemorated at both Vespers and at Lauds. A Double Feast falling upon
any of the other Sundays is transferred, unless it should be the principal Patron,
or Titular, or the Feast of the Dedication of the Church, (and this applies only to
the Church itself, not to every Side-Chapel or Altar,) in which case such Patronal,
THE PYE.
xvii
Titular, or Dedication Festival is in that particular place or Church only, kept in-
stead of the Sunday, but with a Commemoration of the Sunday at both Vespers and
at Lauds. However, from this liability are excepted the first Sundays in Advent
and Lent, Passion, Palm, Easter, Low, Pentecost, and Trinity Sundays, which can-
not be displaced, any Festival whatsoever which may fall on them being transferred.
4. An Octave is always commemorated, if its office be displaced by a Feast of
Nine Lessons or a Sunday, unless such Feast be that of the Patron, the Titular, or
the Dedication of the particular place, which kind of Feasts admit of no Comme-
moration at First Vespers or at Lauds, whether of a Simple, or of an Eve, (unless it
be Twelfth-Day Eve,) or of the Second Vespers of another Festival going before it,
unless such Festival be one of those in this chapter hereafter specially enumerated,
or of an Octave-day, or of the Second Vespers of a Sunday, unless that Sunday be
one of those of Advent, or one of those between Septuagesima and Low Sunday,
both inclusive, which Sundays, as also the Week-days of Advent and Lent, the
Ember Days and Rogation Monday, are always commemorated in whatsoever Office
it be. If such Festival fall on any Sunday, or upon the Octave-day of some Feast
which has an Octave, the Sunday or Octave-day is commemorated at both Vespers
and at Lauds. As regards, however, the Second Vespers of such Festival, a Comme-
moration is made of the First Vespers of any Double, Semi-double, or Sunday occu-
pying the next day, but not of anything else.
5. The same rule is applied everywhere to certain great Festivals in the year, viz.,
Christmas Day, (on which day there is no Commemoration of St. Anastasia in the
Office, but only in the Dawn Mass,) Twelfth-Day, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday,
Holy Saturday, Easter Day, Easter Monday, Easter Tuesday, Ascension Day, Whit-
sun Day, Whitsun Monday, Whitsun Tuesday, Corpus Christi, Midsummer Day,
the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the Assumption of Blessed Mary, All Saints,
and the Feast of the Dedication of the particular Church. The rules as to Com-
memorations on all these are everywhere the same as if they were the local Patron.
6. There is a second and lower class of Festivals, viz., New Year's Day, Trinity
Sunday, Candlemas, Lady Day, and the Nativity of Blessed Mary, the Feasts of
the Apostles and Evangelists, of the Finding of the Holy Cross, of St. Lawrence,
and Michaelmas. At the First Vespers of these (unless there be a special direc-
tion to the contrary) a Commemoration is made of the Second Vespers of a Double,
should there have been one that day-but not of a Sunday, of a day within an
Octave, nor of a Semi-double, any more than on Festivals of the highest class.
If Simple Festivals or Eves fall on the same days as these Festivals, they have
the Ninth Lesson at Mattins and a Commemoration at Lauds only. At Second Ves-
pers a Commemoration is made of any Festival whatever-even a Simple, and
of a day within an Octave, if the Office of that is to occupy the next day. The
Octaves of Christmas, Twelfth-Day, and Corpus Christi are special cases; they are
always commemorated at Vespers and Lauds, whatever be the Office of the day.
7. If Sundays and Week-days of Advent and Lent are to be commemorated, it
is done at both Vespers and at Lauds; if Ember Days, Eves, and Rogation Mon-
day, at Lauds only; if Simple Feasts (unless in the cases mentioned above) at
[First] Vespers and Lauds; if other Sundays or Octaves, at both Vespers and at
Lauds.
8. A Commemoration is made thus. After the Prayer of the Office for the day
are recited (1) the Antiphons for the Song of the Blessed Virgin or of Zacharias,
according as the occasion be Vespers or Lauds, then (2) the Verse and Answer after
the Hymn from the same, and then (3) the Prayer, preceded by "Let us pray,'
which would have been used in the superseded Office which is to be commemorated.
It sometimes happens, where both the Office of the day and the Office to be com-
memorated have their Antiphons and Verse and Answer from the Common Office
for Saints of the class, that the Antiphon and Verse and Answer in the Commemo-
ration would naturally be the same as those in the Office for the day, and, to avoid
this, those of the Commemoration are taken from Lauds at First Vespers, and from
First Vespers at Lauds-unless a special direction be given to the contrary. For
instance, if the Festival of St. Agatha fell on a Friday, and the Simple Office of
the Blessed Virgin were to be said on the Saturday, the Verse and Answer in the
xviii
THE PYE.
Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin at the Second Vespers of St. Agatha would
naturally be "Grace is poured into thy lips-Therefore God hath blessed thee for
ever," but these are the same Verse and Answer as would already have been said
after the Hymn of St. Agatha, therefore, in the Commemoration of the Blessed
Virgin, the Verse and Answer are taken from the ensuing Lauds, viz., "Blessed art
thou among women-And blessed is the Fruit of thy womb.' And the same
system is adopted in the case of the Prayer; if the Office for the day and the
Office to be commemorated have both the same Prayer out of one of the Common
Offices, then for the Commemoration a different Prayer is taken from the same
Common Office.
1
9. Whenever in an Office of Nine Lessons, Commemoration is made of any Sun-
day or Week-day which has an Homily of its own, then such Homily is the Ninth
Lesson at Mattins, being either the first part only, or the whole three used con-
tinuously together as one.
10. So too if Commemoration be made of a Simple Feast, in an Office with
Nine Lessons, the Ninth Lesson is of the Simple Feast; and if the Simple Feast
have two Lessons, then both are read together as one. But this Lesson of the Feast
is omitted, if the Office of the day be that of a Sunday which has a Ninth Respon-
sory instead of the Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God, &c.," and also when the
Ninth Lesson is occupied by an Homily, as prescribed above; neither is it read in
any Office in which there are only three Lessons (as, for instance, within the
Octaves of Easter and Pentecost.) Moreover, when Commemoration is made of a
day within an Octave, the Ninth Lesson is not of the Octave, albeit it have a proper
Gospel and Homily.
11. If several Commemorations are to be made, their order of precedence is as
follows. First, a Double; second, a Sunday; third, a Semi-double; fourth, a day
within an Octave; fifth, a Week-day in Advent or Lent, an Ember Day, Eve, or
Rogation Day; sixth, for a Friday evening, the Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin,
if it is to be said next day; seventh, a Simple Feast; and not till after a Simple
(if there be one) are made the Common Commemorations of the Blessed Virgin, St.
Joseph, &c., or of the Cross only, as the Season may be. The place of the local
Patron in these Common Commemorations is determined according to his rank.²
As to these Common Commemorations, see Chapter XXXV.
X. OF TRANSFERENCES.
If any Double Feast fall upon a Sunday in Advent, or upon any Sunday between
Septuagesima and Low Sunday, both inclusive, upon Christmas Eve, upon New
Year's Day, from Jan. 6 to 13, both inclusive, on Ash Wednesday, in Holy Week,
or Easter Week, on Ascension Day, or any day from Whitsun Eve to Trinity Sun-
day, both inclusive, on Corpus Christi or its Octave, on Aug. 15, or on Nov. 1, then
such Feast is transferred to the nearest day which is not occupied by a Double or
Semi-double. The only exception is that Midsummer Day and the Feast of SS.
Peter and Paul may be kept upon the Octave of Corpus Christi. Moreover, the
special Feast of a particular Church or place may, but only in that particular
Church or place, be kept upon the Second, Third, and Fourth Sundays of Lent and
Advent, upon Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima, and upon a day with-
in the Octave of Twelfth-Day.3 Candlemas Day possesses this special privilege,
viz., that if it fall on a Sunday of the Second Class, it is transferred only to Mon-
day, however occupied; and so also Lady Day. Moreover, if Midsummer Day be
1 A better, and a standing instance, is the First Vespers of St. Angela on May 30, at
which there is always a Commemoration of the First Vespers of St. Petronilla. Both the
Office and the Commemoration are from the Common Office for a Virgin not a Martyr,
but the Antiphon and Verse and Answer for St. Petronilla are taken from Lauds, viz.,
"The kingdom of heaven, &c.," and "Grace is poured, &c.," because "Come, Bride of
Christ, &c.," and "In thy comeliness, &c.," have already been used for St. Angela. And
at Lauds the case is reversed.
2 I.e., an Angel or St. John the Baptist is commemorated before S. Joseph.
3 St. Joseph, as Patron everywhere, possesses this privilege everywhere.
THE PYE.
xix
Corpus Christi, the Feast of St. John_is transferred only to the next day, and has
Commemoration of the Octave. St. John is only commemorated in the Second
Vespers of Corpus Christi, and on the following days the Office is of the Octave of
Corpus Christi, with Commemoration of the Octave of St. John. In this case
July 1 is reckoned to be the Octave-day of both, and the Service is of the Octave-
day of Corpus Christi, with a Commemoration of the Octave-day of St. John at
both Vespers and at Lauds.
The above rule is invariable. If a Feast which has an Octave is transferred, its
Octave is not transferred with it; all is done as if the Feast had occupied its usual
place. And if the Feast be transferred beyond what would ordinarily be its own
Octave-day, it is that year kept without any Octave at all; unless, indeed, it be a
Feast which has some local privilege to the contrary.
2. If one of the greater Festivals enumerated in Chap. IX. par. 5 fall upon an
Octave-day, the Service is of the Festival with Commemoration of the Octave,
unless the day be New Year's Day or Jan. 13. But if it be either of these, or the
Feast a lesser one, it is transferred to the next day capable.
3. If some Double Feast falling within an Octave is superseded by some higher
Feast, it is transferred to the next day not similarly occupied, and is kept with
Commemoration of the Octave.¹
4. Sundays within the year other than those above mentioned do not cause a
Double Feast to be transferred. See Chap. IX.
5. If a Semi-double Feast fall upon any of the days above enumerated, or within
the Octave of Corpus Christi, or upon any Sunday, it is transferred to the first day
not occupied by a like Office: if it fall upon a Sunday within one of those Octaves
in which Feasts are kept (see Chap. VII.) it is transferred to the following day,
and has Commemoration of the Octave, but if this day be already occupied by a
Double or Semi-double Festival, the Semi-double which fell on Sunday is trans-
ferred out of the Octave. Thus a Semi-double is never transferred within an
Octave farther than to the next day.
6. If two or more Feasts of Nine Lessons all fall on the same day, the higher in
rank (viz. Double) is observed, and the others transferred. If they are all of the
same rank, the more worthy or solemn is observed, and the others transferred.
7. If several are to be transferred, the order of precedence is observed as above,
and, lastly, if none is more worthy or solemn than another, they are taken by
priority of date.
8. A Simple Feast is never transferred. If it comes on a day when it cannot
be kept, it is commemorated, and if it cannot be commemorated, it is omitted
altogether.
9. If a Feast of Nine Lessons which has the Commemoration of a Simple be
transferred, the Commemoration is not transferred with it, but is made, if it can be
made, upon its own day, with the Ninth Lesson, if it have one, and the Office of the
day admits of it. The Feast to which it was originally joined is utterly divorced
from it. And the same rule applies to a Commemoration made on an Eve, if the
Feast to which the Eve belongs fall on Monday, and so the Eve be kept on Satur-
day; the Commemoration of the Simple stands unchanged for the Sunday.
CHAPTER XI. OF CONCURRENCE.
By Concurrence (as opposed to Occurrence, which is two Offices falling on the
same day,) is meant the case of the Second Vespers of one Office falling on the
same evening as the First Vespers of another.
2. If they are two Doubles of the same rank, the Vespers are divided; the former
is observed up to the Chapter, and the latter from the Chapter, inclusive²-unless
there be some special direction to the contrary. If they are not of the same rank,
they are treated according to Chapters IX. and X. Hence the highest class have
1 That is, if it is not transferred beyond it.
2 The Frontal and Vestments are, from the beginning, of the colour which will be
proper at the Song of the Blessed Virgin.
XX
THE PYE.
the whole of both First and Second Vespers, with a Commemoration, if proper, of
lesser Feasts. But if the Second Vespers of a Feast of the Second Class fall on the
same evening as the First Vespers of a Feast of the First Class, then the whole is of
the Feast of the First Class, with a Commemoration of the Feast of the Second
Class. As regards precedence, among Feasts of the same Class, the Feasts of our
Lord go before all others, so as to have the whole of both Vespers; so those of the
Blessed Virgin go before those of other Saints; so also those of Angels, of St. Joseph,
and of the Apostles [and Evangelists] before others; and those of Saints particularly
venerated in the place before the rest.
3. If the Second Vespers of a Double fall on the same evening with the First
Vespers of a Semi-double, a Sunday, a day within an Octave, a Simple Feast, or the
Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin on Saturday, the Service is all of the Double,
with a Commemoration of the other, unless indeed it be one of those Doubles which,
according to Chapter IX., exclude certain Commemorations. When the day after
any Office of Nine Lessons is a Week-day kept as such, no notice of the Week-day
so ensuing is taken in the Second Vespers of the Feast; but if it be in Advent or
Lent, the Week-day is commemorated as usual. Also a Commemoration is made of
a Simple which is to be commemorated in the First Vespers of an Office of Nine
Lessons occupying the next day, although this Commemoration cannot be said to
proceed from the Second Vespers of the former Office of Nine Lessons concurring
with the First Vespers of the Simple, seeing that the Simple has no Office, but is
because the Simple occurs on the same day with the latter Office of Nine Lessons.
4. If the Second Vespers of a Semi-double, of a Sunday, or of a day within an
Octave fall on the same evening with the First Vespers of a Double, the Service is
all of the Double, with a Commemoration of the other, unless the Double be one of
those which, according to Chapter IX., exclude such Commemoration. If the
Second Vespers of a Semi-double fall on the same evening with the First Vespers of
another Semi-double, of a Sunday, or of a day within an Octave, the Service is of
the former up to the Chapter, and of the latter, from the Chapter, inclusive. But
if the Second Vespers of a Semi-double fall on the same evening with the First
Vespers of a Simple, or of the Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin on Saturday, the
Service is all of the former, with a Commemoration of the latter.
5. If the First Vespers of a Semi-double, a day within an Octave, or a Simple, fall
on Sunday evening, the Service is all of Sunday, with a Commémoration of the
other.
6. If the Second Vespers of a day within an Octave fall upon the same evening
with the First Vespers of a Sunday or of a Semi-double, the Service is of the former
up
to the Chapter, and of the latter, from the Chapter, inclusive, with a Commemo-
ration of the Octave. Second Vespers of a day within an Octave can never properly
be said to fall on the same evening with the First Vespers of a Simple, because a
Simple in such a position is always deprived of its Office by that of the next day,
but there is a Commemoration, just as there is at the next Lauds.
7. If the Second Vespers of one Octave-day fall on the same evening with the
First Vespers of another Octave-day, the Service is all of the latter, with a Com-
memoration of the former, except when the Second Vespers of the Octave of Corpus
Christi fall on the same evening with the First Vespers of the Octave of St. John
the Baptist, when the Service is all of Corpus Christi, with a Commemoration of
St. John, and except also when special directions are given. If the Second Vespers
of an Octave-day fall on the same evening with the First Vespers of a Common
Double, (even one which has got there by transference,) the Service is of the
Octave-day up to the Chapter, and of the ensuing Double, from the Chapter, inclu-
sive-except the Octave-days of the Blessed Virgin, which have the whole Service,
the Double being only commemorated. But if the ensuing Feast be a Greater Double,
(even one there by transference,) such Double has the whole Service, with a Comme-
moration of the Octave-except in the case of the Octave-days of Twelfth-Day, of
Easter Day, of the Ascension, and of Corpus Christi, when the ensuing Feast is
only commemorated. However, if the ensuing Feast be one of the Doubles enu-
merated in Chapter IX., par. 6, it has the whole Service, the Octave being only
commemorated, [and if one of the highest class, there is no Commemoration.]
THE PYE.
xxi
8. A Simple never has any Second Vespers; its Office ends absolutely with None.
9. A Week-day kept as such cannot be said to have either First or Second Ves-
pers, the Week-day Office being merely a means of filling up space between other
Offices. The Commemorations made of them in Advent or Lent or at other times
are by occurrence, not concurrence, and to fulfil the rule of the Church. They
cannot extend before midnight; for instance, if Vespers on Shrove Tuesday were
of the Week-day, the Prayer would be that of Quinquagesima Sunday, and the
Long Preces would not be said.
10. However, if a Simple Feast fall on a Week-day to be kept as such (for
instance, on Ash Wednesday) it is deprived of its First Vespers, and has only a
Commemoration, whatever be the Office on the preceding evening, or, if it fall on
Maundy Thursday, all observance of it is omitted. This is not because the Week-
day has First Vespers, which is not the case, but because it would be unseemly for
the Simple, which has only a Commemoration at Lauds, to have First Vespers.
CHAPTER XII. How TO FIND THE OFFICE FOR THE DAY.
If any one wishes to find the Office for the ensuing day,¹ let him look in the
Kalendar and in the Table of Moveable Feasts,2 and do as he finds there.
2. If the Office be of the Season, that is to say, of some Sunday or Week-day
kept as such, the places to look in are the Psalter and the Proper Office of the
Season; the former contains the general outline of the Service, with the Psalms,
and some other things, and the latter, the Lessons and Responsories, with some
Antiphons, the Prayers, &c., which are not in the Psalter. The Invitatories,
Hymns, Chapters, Verses and Answers, Short Responsories and Antiphons, given
in the Proper Office of the Season for certain times, are said instead of those in the
Psalter; when there are no others, those in the Psalter are used.
3. If the Office be of a Saint, the place to look is the Common Office of Saints
and the Proper Office of Saints; what is not in the Proper is taken from the
Common. And the Lessons (not the Responsories) from Scripture are usually
those from the Proper Office of the Season.³
CHAPTER XIII. MATTINS.
""
Mattins are always said in the following manner according to the Office of the
day, except on certain days, when special directions are given. The "Our Father,
the "Hail, Mary," and the "I believe in God" are first said inaudibly. Then the
Officiant makes the sign of the Cross upon his mouth with the thumb of his right
hand, saying aloud at the same time, "O LORD, open Thou my lips. To which is
answered, "And my mouth shall show forth Thy praise." Then he opens his hand
and signs himself again, with the extended fingers, from the forehead to the breast,
and from the left shoulder to the right, saying, "Make haste, O God, to deliver
me.”
And so on, as is to be found at the beginning of the Psalter. The same
rite is to be observed at the beginning of every Čanonical Hour. Then is said the
Invitatory proper to the Office of the day, either of the Season or of a Feast, with
the Psalm, "O come, let us sing unto the LORD,"-all as is to be found at the
beginning of the Psalter. When the Psalm is done, and the Invitatory repeated
for the last time, the Hymn proper to the Office of the day is recited.
1 Which is reckoned to begin with Vespers.
2 But this process is now always superseded by the simple plan of consulting the Ordo
Recitandi Divini Officii, or Ecclesiastical Kalendar, published yearly in all dioceses of the
Latin Church. In this translation of the Breviary the Table of Moveable Feasts is
omitted, as it is entirely useless, owing to the multiplicity of yearly almanacks.
3 Here follow six more paragraphs, describing the contents of the book, which it appears
unnecessary to translate.
• These Invitatories vary with the Office, but are invariably divided into two portions by
an asterisk (*). The entire Invitatory is repeated twice before the Psalm, and once after
the first, third, and fifth of the five sections (each consisting of two verses) into which the
с
1
xxii
THE PYE.
2. After this, upon all Doubles and Semi-doubles follow nine Psalms, (upon Sun-
days there are more, as will be found in the Psalter,) with the Antiphons and
Verses proper to the Office of the day, either of the Season or Feast, together with
nine Lessons, and either eight or nine Responsories, as marked in the proper place.
The whole is divided into Three Nocturns, as follows-
3. In the First Nocturn are said three Psalms with three Antiphons, after every
Psalm an Antiphon: but in the Easter-time, that is, from Low Sunday to Whitsun
Day, (except in the Office of the Ascension,) the three Psalms of each Nocturn are
said with only one Antiphon, which is repeated after the third Psalm. At the end
of the Antiphon after the third Psalm in each Nocturn, is said a Verse and Response,
then the "Our Father,"—"
"And lead us not into temptation," to which is answered,
"But deliver us from evil," then the Absolution, that is, the Prayer "Graciously
hear," then the Blessing is asked and pronounced, "May the Eternal Father,"
and the other forms which are marked for the first and every other Lesson. After
this are read three Lessons from Scripture, which are those proper to the Season,
unless special Lessons are assigned. After each Lesson follows a Responsory taken
from the Office of the day, which is always the case, whatever the Lessons be; as,
for instance, on a Saint's Day when no special Lessons are assigned and the three
Lessons from Scripture are accordingly taken from the Proper Office of the Season,
the Responsories are nevertheless taken from the Office of the Saint.
4. In the last Responsory of each Nocturn is said "Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost," (without "As it was in the beginning, &c.")
And then part of the Responsory is repeated again, unless a direction be given to
the contrary.
5. In the Second Nocturn are said three more Psalms, with Antiphons, a Verse
and Response, the "Our Father-And lead us not into temptation." Answer,
"But deliver us from evil," the Absolution, "May His grace and mercy," the
Blessings, and the rest, with three more Lessons, taken from some discourse, or
from the Life of the Saint whose Office is being said, if it be a Saint's Day, and after
each Lesson a Responsory.
6. In the Third Nocturn are said three more Psalms, with Antiphons, a Verse
and Response, the "Our Father-And lead us not into temptation," Answer, "But
deliver us from evil," the Absolution, "May the Almighty," the Blessings, and the
rest, as before, with three more Lessons taken from some Commentary on the Gospel
for the day or Feast. After the two first Lessons (that is, the seventh and eighth
of the whole) is said a Responsory, one after each. Sometimes there is also a Res-
ponsory said after the third (ninth) Lesson, which will be found marked in its
proper place. In the last Responsory, whether it be the eighth or ninth, is said the
"Glory be to the Father" as in the third and sixth, unless the contrary is specially
directed. If there is no ninth Responsory, the last lesson is immediately followed
by the Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God."
7. On plain Week-days and Simple Feasts only three Lessons are read. In that
case the Office is the same as above, except that instead of three Nocturns only one
is said. This Nocturn is always that of the Week-day, whether the Office be said
of the Week-day or of a Saint, and consists of twelve Psalms, and six Antiphons
arranged as in the Psalter. In the Easter-time there is only one Antiphon, that is
"Alleluia."
8. After the Psalms and Antiphons follows a Verse and Response. This is to be
found in the Psalter, if the Office be of a Week-day. If the Office is of a Saint, it
is taken from the Common of Saints of that Class, which is to be found in the same
place. Then is said the "Our Father-And lead us not into temptation," An-
swer, "But deliver us from evil," an Absolution and Blessing, &c., as will be laid
down more at length in the Chapter on Absolutions and Blessings. Then are read
three Lessons. If the Office is of a Week-day, these are all from the Scripture, as
Psalm is divided. After the second and fourth sections, is repeated only that part of the
Invitatory which follows the asterisk, and which usually, though not always, consists of
the words, "O come, let us worship Him." The Psalm finished and the entire Invitatory
repeated, the doxology of two verses is said as another section, and then is repeated first
the second portion of the Invitatory, and then the whole of it once more.
THE PYE.
xxiii
appointed for the Season. If the Office is of a Saint, if there is one special Lesson
appointed, the two first only are of Scripture, in which case the third may be read
along with the second, as one, at option; if two special Lessons be appointed, then
only the first Lesson is from Scripture, in which case the whole three may be read
together as one.
9. After each Lesson is said a Responsory; if the Office be of the Week-day, they
will be found marked after the Lessons; if the Office be of a Feast they are taken
from the Common of Saints of the Class according to the rule given in Chapter
XXVII., as will be laid down more at length in the chapter on Verses and Respon-
sories. In the case of a Saint's Day, it will be observed that only two Responsories
are said, the third Lesson being followed by the Hymn "We praise Thee, O God.”
The same is the case in Easter-time. In both these cases therefore the second Res-
ponsory, being the last, is said with the "Glory be to the Father, &c.," and the
partial repetition of the Responsory itself.
CHAPTER XIV. LAUDS.
When the Hymn "We praise Thee, O God," or the ninth Responsory, as the
case may be, has been said, the Officiant makes the sign of the Cross, saying,
"Make haste, O God, to deliver me," to which is answered, "Make haste to help
me, O LORD," and so on, as at Mattins. But instead of the Invitatory there follow
at once the Psalms, with the Canticle, (which is on Sundays the Song of the Three
Children in the burning fiery furnace, "O all ye works of the Lord,") all as con-
tained in the Psalter, with the Antiphons proper to the Office of the day. The
same Psalms and Canticle are said upon every Sunday in the year, on every day
in Easter-time, and upon every Feast whatsoever, even Simples, except only the
Sundays from Septuagesima to Palm Sunday inclusively. Upon the Sundays from
Septuagesima to Palm Sunday inclusively the Office is said as marked in its
proper place. The Office on Week-days not in Easter-time is said as given in the
Psalter.
2. If no proper Antiphons are assigned, if the Office be of the Sunday, those are
said which are given in the Psalter; if the Office be of a Feast, Double or Simple,
they are taken from the Common of Saints of that Class. After the Psalms follow
the Chapter, the Hymn, the Verse and Response, the Antiphon for the Hymn
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," the said Hymn itself, and the Prayer; all
taken from the Office of the day.
3. When the short Responsory prayers called the "Preces" are to be said, they are
said before the Prayer; and when the Antiphons, Verses, Responses and Prayers in
memory of the Cross, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Joseph, of the Apostles, of
the Patron of the Church, Country, Diocese or Place, and for Peace are to be said,
they are said after the Prayer of the day. If a Prayer is likewise to be said in
memory of some Saint with a Simple Feast, such Prayer is to be said, with its
proper Antiphon, Verse and Response, before the Commemoration of the Cross; for
which fuller directions are given in the special chapter on the subject.
4. Before the Prayer the Officiant always says, "Hear my prayer, O LORD," to
which is answered, "And let my cry come unto Thee." Then he says, "Let us
pray," and proceeds. After the last Prayer is again said, "Hear my prayer, O
LORD," Answer, "And let my cry come unto Thee." Then, "Bless we the Lord,”
Answer, "Thanks be to God." "May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy
of God, rest in peace," Answer, "Amen." If the Office is not to be at once con-
tinued, the "Our Father" is then recited inaudibly; after which the Officiant says,
"The Lord give us His peace," Answer, "And life eternal. Amen." After this,
one of the Antiphons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the end of Compline, is
said, unless Mass, the Office of the Dead, the Penitential Psalms, or the Litany are
1 Instead of this a person in or above Deacon's orders says, "The Lord be with you,"
and is answered, "And with thy spirit."
xxiv
THE PYE.
to follow at once. If the Office is to be continued, the Antiphon of the Blessed
Virgin is said when it is over. Respecting the Office of the Dead, the Penitential
Psalms and the Litany, directions are given in their proper place.
CHAPTER XV.
PRIME.
At the beginning of Prime the "Our Father," the "Hail, Mary," and the "I
believe in God" are said inaudibly. Then follows, "Make haste, O God, to deliver
me," and the rest precisely as at Lauds. But after the "Alleluia," or, "Ceaseless
praise, &c.," is said the Hymn, "The Star of morn, &c." Then follow the Psalms,
as appointed in the Psalter, according to the day of the week, except on Feasts and
in Easter-time, when the Psalms said are the three (1) Ps. liii. "Save me, O God,
by Thy Name," (2) Ps. cxviii. 1-16, "Blessed are the undefiled-I will not forget
Thy word," and (3) Ps. cxviii. 17-32, “Deal bountifully with Thy servant-Thou
hast enlarged my heart." Only one Antiphon is said after all the Psalms, which
Antiphon is the same as the first Antiphon at Lauds.
Here it is to be observed that only one Antiphon is said at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None, one to each, which Antiphon on Feasts is the same as the first, second,
third, and fifth at Lauds, respectively; but this matter is treated of more fully
further on in the chapter on Antiphons.
2. Immediately after the Antiphon on every Sunday in the year, on every day in
Easter-time, and on every Feast whatsoever, even Simples, is read the Chapter from
1 Tim. i. 17, "Unto the King Eternal." When the Office is said of a Week-day
not in Easter-time, the Chapter is the one from Zacharias viii. 19, "Love peace.
Then follows the short Responsory: "Christ, Thou Son of the Living God, have
mercy on us."
After the short Responsory, if the Office be not of a Double or
within an Octave, follow the short Responsory prayers called the "Preces," which
begin, "Lord, have mercy upon us," as given in the Psalter. When the Officiant
says the words, "Our help is in the Name of the LORD," he makes the sign of the
Cross from his forehead to his breast. Then follows the "I confess to God Al-
mighty," Almighty God, have mercy on us," "May the Almighty and Mer-
ciful Lord."1
When the Office is of a Week-day and Preces have been said at
Lauds, other Preces are added, as may be found in the Psalter in the Office of Prime
on Week-days. But if the Office of the day be Double or within an Octave, the
Preces are entirely omitted, with the Confession, and the Officiant, immediately
after the short Responsory, says, "Hear my prayer, O LORD," Answer, " And let my
cry come unto Thee," "Let us pray," and he says the Prayer, O Lord God
Almighty."
3. Then, if the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin is said, it is done at once;
otherwise after the Prayer "O Lord God Almighty," is repeated "Hear my prayer,
O LORD," Answer, "And let my cry come unto Thee," then "Bless we the Lord,
Answer, "Thanks be to God," and in choir the Martyrology for the day is read at
once. All that follows, beginning with "Precious in the sight of the LORD," is to
be said by all in or out of choir, whether they have read the Martyrology or not.
At the end is read one of the short Lessons, varying with the Season, which are to
be found in the Psalter at the end of Prime. But on Feasts and some other days,
instead of one of these short Lessons is read the Chapter appointed for None; which
days are marked in their place.
CHAPTER XVI. TERCE, SEXt, and None.
Terce, Sext, and None are all similar to one another. At the beginning the
"Our Father" and the "Hail, Mary" are said inaudibly. Then follows, "Make
haste, O God, to deliver me," and the rest as at Mattins, Lauds, and Prime. After
the "Alleluia" or "" Ceaseless praise, &c.," follow the Hymn and the Psalms, as
1 Here follow in the original some directions for the saying of the Confession by clergy-
men, before others, and alone.
THE PYE.
XXV
given in the Psalter. One Antiphon is said at each Hour, taken on Feasts and
some other occasions from Lauds, viz., at Terce the second, at Sext the third,
and at None the fifth, as described above. After the Psalms and Antiphons are
said the Chapter and the short Responsory, according to the Office of the day; on
Sundays and Week-days they are either specially assigned in the Proper Office of
the Season, or are read as in the Psalter; on Feasts they are either special, or taken
from the Common of Saints of that Class. After the short Responsory the Officiant
says,
"Hear my prayer, O LORD," Answer, "And let my cry come unto Thee,"
"Let us pray," and he says the proper Prayer of the day.
2. After the Prayer is repeated "Hear my prayer, O LORD," Answer, "And let
my cry come unto Thee." Then, "Bless we the Lord," Answer, "Thanks be to
God," "May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy of God, rest in peace,"
Answer, "Amen." The "Our Father" is then recited inaudibly; as will be more
fully explained hereafter in the chapter on the Lord's Prayer and the Angelic
Salutation.
CHAPTER XVII. VESPERS.
Vespers begin the same as Terce, Sext, and None; but immediately after the
"Alleluia" or "Ceaseless praise, &c.," there are said five Psalms, with the same
number of Antiphons, taken from the Office of the day; but it is to be observed
that the Antiphons on Sundays and Week-days observed as such, are almost in-
variably those in the Psalter.
2. After the Psalms and Antiphons follow the Chapter, the Hymn, the Verse and
Response, the Antiphon for the Canticle "My soul doth magnify the Lord," the
said Canticle itself, and the Prayer; all taken from the Office of the day.
3. When the Preces are to be said, they are said before the Prayer; and when
the Commemorations of the Cross, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Joseph, the
Apostles, and of the Patron of the Church, Country, Diocese, or place, and the Prayer
for Peace, are to be said, they are said after the Prayer of the day. Vespers conclude
in the same way as Terce, Sext, and None.
on us,
CHAPTER XVIII.
COMPLINE.
The Blessing having been asked and pronounced, Compline begins at once with
the short Lesson, as given in the Psalter. Then follow, "Our help is in the Name
of the LORD," Answer, "Who hath made heaven and earth." Then the "Our
Father" inaudibly, the "I confess to God Almighty," "Almighty God, have mercy
May the Almighty and merciful Lord," then "Turn us, O God of our
salvation," Answer, "And cause Thine anger toward us to cease,'
"Make haste,
O God, to deliver me," and so on, followed by the Psalms, (which are always the
same) under one Antiphon, the Hymn, the Chapter, the short Responsory, and the
Canticle, "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant," with its own Antiphon, all as is
to be found at the end of the Psalter. After the Antiphon "Save us," if the Office
is not Double or within an Octave are said the Preces, which begin "Lord, have
mercy upon us;" but if the Office be Double or within an Octave, the Officiant
says at once, "Hear my prayer, O LORD," Answer, "And let my cry come unto
Thee," "Let us pray," and he proceeds with the Prayer, "Visit, O Lord, we be-
seech Thee," and the rest, exactly as in the Psalter.
2. After the Verse, "May Almighty God," follows one of the Antiphons of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, with its Verse and Response, and Prayer, according to the
Season, as is to be found at the end of the Psalter, after Compline. And after the
Verse, "God's most mighty," the "Our Father," the "Hail, Mary,” and the “I be-
lieve in God" are said inaudibly.
CHAPTER XIX. THE INVITATORY.
In every Office an Invitatory is said at Mattins, with the Psalm, "O come, let us
sing unto the LORD," in the manner in which it will be found given for ordinary
}
xxvi
THE PYE.
¿
Sundays, at the beginning of the Psalter. The Invitatory varies with the Office,
with which it will be found either in the Psalter or the Office proper to the par-
ticular Season, or in the Proper, or Common Office of Saints.
2. The only exception is on Twelfth-Day, and on Maundy Thursday, Good Friday,
and Holy Saturday, when Mattins begin immediately after the "I believe in God"
with the Antiphon for the first Psalm of the Nocturns. Likewise no Invitatory is
said at the beginning of a Dirge, except on All Souls' Day, the day of death or
burial, and when the whole three Nocturns of the Dirge are to be said.
CHAPTER XX. THE HYMNS.
A Hymn is said at each of the Canonical Hours, except in the Office of the
Dead, and from Maundy Thursday inclusively to the Vespers of Saturday before
Low Sunday exclusively.
2. At Mattins the Hymn is said immediately after the last repetition of the In-
vitatory, except on Twelfth-Day, when the Office begins as mentioned in the last
chapter; at Lauds and Vespers it is said after the Chapter; at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None it is said before the Psalms; and at Compline after the Psalms.
3. The Hymns in the Psalter are said if the Office is of a Sunday or a Week-
day, when no special Hymns are appointed in the Proper Office of the Season, that
is, from the Octave of Whitsun Day to Advent (excepting only the Sunday within
the Octave of Corpus Christi) and from the Octave of Twelfth-Day to the first Sun-
day in Lent, exclusively. If the Office is of a Feast, the Hymns are either special,
or taken from the Office common to all Saints of the particular Class.
4. From Christmas to Twelfth-Day, on Corpus Christi and throughout the
Octave, and whenever the Office is said of the Blessed Virgin Mary, even in Easter-
time, and whether with nine or three Lessons, the last verse of the Hymns [at
Prime, Terce, Sext, None, and Compline] is altered in honour of the Incarnation.¹
5. Likewise on Twelfth-Day and throughout the Octave the last verse of these
Hymns is altered in honour of the Revelation of our Lord to the Gentiles.
6. From Low Sunday to Ascension Day, on Whitsun Day and throughout the
Octave, the last verse of these Hymns is altered in honour of the Resurrection
of our Lord from the dead.
7. On Ascension Day and until Whitsun Day the last verse of these Hymns is
altered in honour of the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven.
8. On the Feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord the last verse of these
Hymns is altered in honour of that Mystery. These are the only changes which
the Hymns ever undergo.
CHAPTER XXI. THE ANTIPHONS.
Throughout the whole of the Divine Office the Psalms are never said without
Antiphons, either for each Psalm or each group of Psalms; which Antiphons vary
with the Office of the day.
2. Except in Advent and Easter-time, if the Office be of a Sunday or Week-day,
at Mattins, Vespers, and Compline, those Antiphons are said which are to be found
in the Psalter, even when the day is a Simple Feast. In Advent special Antiphons
are given in the Office proper to that Season, and in Easter-time only one Antiphon
is said, that is, "Alleluia.” At Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext, and None those Anti-
phons are said which are appointed in the Proper Office of the Season, and if none
are so appointed, those are said which are given in the Psalter.
3. When the first Sunday of any particular month is mentioned, that Sunday is
meant which is on or nearest to, either before or after, the first day of the month
named. And at Vespers on the Saturday the Antiphon for the Canticle, "My soul
doth magnify the Lord," is to be taken from the Sunday, and will be found with
1 The divergence of this translation from the original in the matter of these alterations
is explained in the Translator's Preface.
THE PYE.
xxvii
the Sunday in its proper place. This Saturday Antiphon is always taken from that
book of Scripture which is to be read at Mattins on the Sunday.
4. On all days when nine Lessons are read the Antiphons at Vespers are the same
as those at Lauds, unless special ones are appointed. And likewise at Prime, Terce,
Sext, and None, if special Antiphons are not appointed, when Lauds has had proper
Antiphons, these are taken in turn, one to each Hour, omitting the fourth; so that
the first Antiphon is said at Prime, the second at Terce, the third at Sext, and
the fifth at None. All which has been explained before in Chapter XVI.
5. On Week-days in Advent, if there are no proper Antiphons at Lauds, the
Antiphons for the four short Hours are taken from the Lauds of the Sunday
before.
6. In Easter-time, whether the Office for the day has nine Lessons or three, there
is only one Antiphon to each Nocturn, which Antiphon is to be found in the
Psalter, or in its proper place. Likewise in Easter-time the word "Alleluia" is
added to every Antiphon said, if it be not there already. On the contrary, from
Septuagesima to Easter, if the word "Alleluia" occur it is omitted, and nothing is
said in its place.
7. Upon Double Feasts at Mattins, Lauds, and Vespers (but not at Prime, Terce,
Sext, None, and Compline,) the Antiphons are said from beginning to end before,
as well as after, the Psalms and Canticles. And this is one of the reasons why
these Feasts get the name of Doubles. At the short Hours on these days and
throughout the whole Office on Semi-doubles, Simples, and Week-days, the first
words only of the Antiphon are said before the Psalm, but it is said entire at the
end. Should the Antiphon happen to consist of the opening words of the Psalm or
Canticle to which it belongs, the beginning of such Psalm or Canticle is not re-
peated. Such Psalm or Canticle in that case begins with the next words after those
which form the Antiphon. This does not cause any difference in the rule as to
whether the Antiphon is to be said before the Psalm entire or not. As, for instance,
the first Psalm at Vespers on Sunday is Psalm cix., which begins, "The LORD
said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies Thy
footstool," to which the Antiphon is, "The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit Thou at
My right hand." As it is a Semi-double, the first words only of the Antiphon are
said before the Psalm, "The LORD said." Then the Psalm begins with the words,
"Unto my Lord, Sit Thou at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies Thy foot-
stool." But if "Alleluia" occur at the end of the Antiphon or of the portion said
the Psalm begins as usual.
8. Whenever proper Antiphons are given in the Office of the day, these Antiphons
are invariably to be substituted for those in the Psalter, or the Common Office of
each Class of Saints.
9. When a Commemoration is to be made at Lauds or Vespers, it is done by recit-
ing once the Antiphon which would be said at Lauds at the Canticle "Blessed be
the Lord God of Israel," and at Vespers at the Canticle "My soul doth magnify
the Lord," with the Verse and Response which would follow the Hymn, and the
Prayer which would be said, were the Office of that of which the Commemoration
is made.
10. The Antiphons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with their Verses and Responses
and Prayers, which are to be found after Compline, are said as directed further on
in Chapter XXXVI.
CHAPTER XXII. THE PSALMS.
Upon Sundays and Week-days the Psalms are said as they are arranged in the
Psalter, unless some special direction to the contrary is given in the Office for the
Season. On Feasts the Psalms are said as directed in the Proper Office, or in the
Common of the Saints of each Class.
2. The Psalms appointed for Lauds on Sunday, with the Canticle "O all ye
Works of the Lord, are said also on every Feast in the year, and on every day
whatsoever in Easter-time.
3. At Prime the Psalm "O give thanks unto the LORD," and the others there
xxviii
THE PYE.
given are said on every Sunday when the Office is of the Sunday, even if it be
within an Octave, from the third Sunday after Whitsun Day inclusively till
Christmas exclusively, and likewise from the second Sunday after Twelfth-Day in-
clusively till Septuagesima exclusively. From Septuagesima till Easter is said in-
stead Psalm xcii., "The LORD reigneth," because the Psalm "O give thanks unto
the LORD" is at that time said at Lauds after Psalm 1., "Have mercy upon me, 0
God," as will be found directed in the proper place. Upon the Sundays from Low
Sunday inclusively to Ascension Day exclusively are said the three Psalms, "Save
me, O God, by Thy Name," "Blessed are the undefiled," and "Deal bountifully
with Thy servant," as on Feasts, but with the addition of the Creed of S. Athana-
sius. Outside Easter-time when the Office is of a Week-day, there is substituted
for the Psalm "O give thanks unto the LORD" one of those which are given in the
Psalter for that purpose, under the heading of the Office for Prime on Week-days.
But on every day in Easter-time, upon every Feast-day in the year, and on every
Saturday, whether the Office be of the Blessed Virgin or of the Saturday, even if a
Double Feast is to be kept on the Sunday, the Psalms said are the three, "Save
me, O God, by Thy Name," "Blessed are the undefiled," and "Deal bountifully
with Thy servant.
4. On every Sunday in the year if the Office is of the Sunday, the Creed of St.
Athanasius, "Whosoever will be saved," is added to the Psalms at Prime, as is
directed in Chapter XXXIII.
5. At Terce, Sext, None, and Compline the Psalms are the same on every day in
the year.
6. It is to be remarked that the first four Psalms at Vespers on Sundays are
likewise said on nearly every Feast in the year. The fifth changes much oftener.
But these changes, whether of the fifth or of any of the first four, are all marked
in their proper place. If a Feast has an Octave, the same Psalms are said every
day at Vespers during the Octave as have been said at the Second Vespers of the
Feast, except on the evening of the seventh day, being the First Vespers of the
Octave-day, when the Vespers are the same as the First Vespers of the Feast.
7. At the end of every Psalm is said this Hymn :
6
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
પ
"As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”
Except at the end of Psalms lxii., “O God, Thou art my God: early will I seek
Thee," and cxlviii., “Praise ye the LORD from the heavens," which are severally
united in groups with others, in which case the "Glory be to the Father" and the
Antiphon are said after the group, as if that were only one Psalm. Moreover, the
"Glory be to the Father" is not said at the end of the Psalms on Maundy Thurs-
day, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, nor in the Office for the Dead. In the
latter case there is said instead :
“O Lord, give them eternal rest,
"And let the everlasting light shine upon them.”
Which words are said in the plural even though the Office is being recited for one
dead person.
8. For the sake of uniformity an asterisk (*) is put in the middle of every verse
where the pause is to be made in saying or singing.
CHAPTER XXIII. THE CANTICLES.
Canticles are said every day at Lauds, Vespers, and Compline. When the Office
is of a Sunday or Week-day these are as given in the Psalter.
2. On all Feasts whatsoever, and every day in Easter-time, the first Canticle at
Lauds is the same as on Sundays, that is, "O all ye Works of the Lord," at the
end of which the "Glory be to the Father" is not said as it is at the end of the
other Canticles, nor is "Amen" answered. The other Canticles which are appointed
in the Psalter for Lauds on Week-days are said only when the Office is of the
Week-day out of Easter-time.
THE PYE.
xxix
3. The three Canticles, "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel," "My soul doth
magnify the Lord," and "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant," are always said
every day at Lauds, Vespers, and Compline respectively.
CHAPTER XXIV. THE VERSES AND RESPONSES.
A Verse and Response are always said at Mattins after the last Psalm and Anti-
phon of each Nocturn, whether there be one or three. At Lauds and Vespers they
are said immediately after the Hymn. At Prime, Terce, Sext, None, and Compline
they are said together with the short Responsory, at the end, after the "Glory be
to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost," and the repetition.
2. On Easter Sunday and till the Vespers of the Saturday before Low Sunday,
the Verse and Response are said only at Mattins.
3. In Commemorations a Verse and Response are said as prescribed in Chapter
XXI. 9, "On Antiphons."
4. In Easter-time the word "Alleluia" is added to every Verse and every Res-
ponse, except those which form part of Preces, those at Prime, "V. Precious in the
sight of the LORD. R. Is the death of His Saints," and those which form part of
the Responsories at Mattins.
5. In the Office of a Simple Feast, when there is only one Nocturn, the Verse
and Response which follow it are taken from the Office Common to Saints of that
Class. On Mondays and Thursdays they are taken from the First Nocturn of the
Common Office; on Tuesdays and Fridays from the Second; on Wednesdays from
the Third.
6. If special Verses and Responses are not assigned for Lauds and Vespers, those
are said which are given in the Psalter.
CHAPTER XXV. THE ABSOLUTIONS AND BLESSINGS BEFORE THE LESSONS.
At Mattins when nine Lessons are read they are preceded by Absolutions and
Blessings as given in the Psalter; the only exception being the Dirge, and the
Mattins of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday, called the Office of
the Darkness, in which cases they are altogether omitted.
2. When only three Lessons are read, if they are all from Scripture, the Absolu-
tion and Blessings will be, on Monday and Thursday, "Graciously hear," "May
the Eternal Father," "May the Son," and "May the grace;" on Tuesday and
Friday, "May His loving-kindness and mercy," "God the Father," "May Christ
to all His people give," and "May the Spirit's fire;" and on Wednesday and Satur-
day, "May the Almighty and merciful Lord," "May the Gospel's," "God's most
mighty," and "May He That is the Angels' King."
3. But if only three Lessons are read, and they are all from a Homily upon the
Gospel for the day, the Absolution is taken as above, according to the day of the
week, but the Blessings are, "May the Gospel's holy Lection," "God's most
mighty,” and “May He That is the Angels' King." If the Office be of a Saint, the
Absolution is likewise taken according to the day of the week, but the Blessings
are "May His blessing," "He whose birth-day we are keeping," and "May He
That is the Angels' King."
4. When the Office on Saturday is said of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Absolu-
tion and Blessings are those which belong to her Little Office, which will be found
near the end of the Breviary, namely, "By the Prayers," "Bless us, Mary,"
"With the Lord," and "He to Whom.'
CHAPTER XXVI. THE LESSONS.
Three Lessons are read at the end of each Nocturn of Mattins, after the Psalms
and Antiphons, with a Verse and Response, Absolution, and Blessings, all as above.
On Doubles and Semi-doubles there are three Nocturns, and consequently nine
Lessons; on Week-days and Simples one Nocturn and three Lessons.
XXX
THE PYE.
2. When nine Lessons are read, the first three are always out of Holy Scripture,
and if no special ones are assigned, those are read which are given for that day in
the Proper Office of the Season. If the Office be of a Saint, the fourth, fifth, and
sixth Lesson, viz., those of the Second Nocturn, are either taken from his Life, or
from some appropriate Sermon or Treatise; if no special ones are assigned, they are
taken from the Office common to all Saints of that Class. If only one or two special
Lessons are given, then the three are made up out of the Common, in which case it
is optional to read the whole, namely, if two Lessons are to be read from the Com-
mon, to read the second and third as one, or if one, to read all three as one. If the
Office be of a Sunday, or of any other day in the year having nine Lessons, or within
an Octave, three proper Lessons are always assigned from some appropriate Sermon
or Treatise. In the Third Nocturn are always read three Lessons from some Homily
in Exposition of the Gospel for the day, which Lessons are, like the Gospel itself,
either special, or, if the Office be of a Saint, most frequently from the Common of
Saints. Before the first of these is always read the beginning of the Gospel which
forms the subject of the Homily, even within Octaves. The only exceptions to these
rules are the Dirge and the Office of the Darkness on the three nights before Easter.
3. If the Office be one of Nine Lessons, in which the Hymn "We praise Thee, O
God" is to be said instead of a ninth Responsory, and some Saint who has a proper
Lesson is to be commemorated, then the ninth Lesson is the Lesson of the Saint.
If the Saint have two Lessons, they are read together as one in the ninth place.
In either case the ninth Lesson belonging to the Office of the day is either alto-
gether omitted, or read as one Lesson joined on to the eighth. If in addition to the
Saint to be commemorated the day happen to be a Sunday, or a Week-day which
has three Lessons on a special Gospel, (as, for instance, in Lent,) then no Lesson of
the Saint is read at all, but the ninth Lesson will be that of the Homily on the
Gospel; in which case it is optional to read the whole three joined together as one,
or the first only.
4. On a day when there are only three Lessons, if the Office be of the Week-day,
they are all from the Scripture, unless special Lessons are appointed from an
Homily on the Gospel, in which case these latter are read, and the Lessons from
Scripture altogether omitted. If, however, the Office be of a Saint, if he has two
proper Lessons they are read in the second and third places, and in the first is read
the first Lesson from Scripture, or the whole three together as one. If the Saint
have only one proper Lesson, that is read in the third place; the first Lesson is the
first from Scripture, and the second either the second, or the second and third
together. Which rule is likewise to be observed in the Office of the Blessed Virgin
Mary on Saturdays.
5. Lessons from Scripture are given for nearly every day in the year, and they
are always read in order, whatever the Office is, unless other Lessons be specially
appointed on certain days.
6. The different books of Scripture are nearly always appointed to be begun on a
Sunday. Should it happen that that day is occupied by a Feast with special
Lessons, the book so prevented from being begun must be begun on the next day
which is free. In this case, that the whole book may not get behind-hand, the
Lessons proper to the day to which the commencement of the new book is trans-
ferred are to be read joined to them in the form of three Lessons, or else entirely
omitted. If it possibly happened that even more was to be read, the total number
of Lessons would simply be divided into groups in the above manner.
7. Should it happen in Easter-time that one of the Catholic Epistles, or in No-
vember, one of the Minor Prophets is prevented from being begun upon the proper
day by some Feast occurring with special Lessons, it is to be begun upon the next
free day, in the manner described above. Should however another book be to be
begun upon the next free day, the displaced book may be begun on some day pre-
vious to its normal one. But if this is impossible, it must at any rate be read,
even if another book be begun immediately. It may be remarked that in either of
the latter cases the whole book may be read through at once. If two books be be-
gun on the same day, the beginning must be the beginning of a Lesson-as, for
instance, if Book A., divided into three Lessons, be transferred to the day when
THE PYE.
xxxi
Book B. is begun, the Lessons will be, First, A. 1., Second, A. 2 and 3, Third,
B. 1, 2, and 3.
8. Lessons from Scripture are given for as many weeks as there can be under
any circumstances between Twelfth-Day and Septuagesima, and between Whitsun
Day and Advent. If owing to Septuagesima falling earlier there are fewer weeks
between Twelfth-Day and Septuagesima, the Lessons appointed for the superfluous
weeks are simply never read at all, even though by this arrangement à certain
amount of St. Paul's Epistles is not read in that year at all. The same is to be
done with the Lessons from the Books of Kings appointed for weeks which may not
occur between the Octave of Whitsun Day and the first week in August. If, more-
over, the Office for one of the Sundays after Twelfth-Day be read not on the proper
Sunday but by anticipation on some other day, the Lessons read will be those of the
Sunday so anticipated, and those on the following days be those for the days which
follow the anticipated Sunday, the Lessons belonging to the actual days on which
the anticipated Office is read being altogether omitted. And in the same manner
if Lessons are appointed for five weeks in a particular month and that month hap-
pen that year to have only four, the fifth week is omitted altogether.
9. If a Feast have special Lessons from Scripture, these are always read in
place of the ordinary Lessons for the day, which are not read at all, unless they are
the commencement of a new book, when they are transferred, as given in sections 6
and 7. Likewise if a Feast with Nine Lessons is kept in Lent, on the Ember Days,
on Rogation Monday, or on Ascension Eve, the Lessons from Scripture, that is, the
first, second, and third Lessons, are taken from the Office common to Saints of the
Class, because, although the Feast have not proper Lessons, there are no Lessons
from Scripture belonging to the day. However if one of these days is an Octave-
day, the three first Lessons will be the same as those read on the Feast of which it is
the Octave. If it be a day within an Octave, the three first Lessons are those
in the Common Office. And the same rule is to be observed regarding the Lessons
in the other Nocturns, when they are specially arranged for the Feast, or when a
Feast of Nine Lessons is being kept which has not got approved proper Lessons.
10. Unless special directions are given to the contrary, before the Lessons of the
First Nocturn is given out the place from which they are taken; likewise in the
Second Nocturn if the Lessons are from a Sermon or Treatise, the name of the
author is announced, but not otherwise; and likewise also before the Lessons in
the Third Nocturn the title of the Homily is given.
11. At the end of every Lesson he who has read it says, "But Thou, O Lord,
have mercy upon us," to which is answered, "Thanks be to God." And the same
is done after the short Lessons at the beginning of Compline, and the end of Prime
(after the Verse "Precious.") The only exceptions are the Dirge, and the three
nights before Easter, where special directions are given.
CHAPTER XXVII. THE RESPONSORIES AFTER THE LESSONS.
At Mattins a Responsory is said after every Lesson.
2. But on every Feast of Nine Lessons, (except that of the Holy Innocents if it
falls on a Week-day,) and on every Sunday from Low Sunday inclusively to
Advent Sunday exclusively, and from the Sunday after Christmas inclusively to
Septuagesima exclusively, only eight regular Responsories are said, and, instead,
after the ninth Lesson is said the Hymn "We praise Thee, O God." At the end of
the third, sixth, and last Responsory, whether it be eighth or ninth, is said "Glory
be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost," (but not "As it was in
the beginning, &c.,") followed by the repetition of part of the Responsory. The
only exceptions are the Dirge, and Passion-tide, which are given in their place.
The words "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost" will
sometimes be found given in the first Responsory also.
3. Nine Responsories are said on the Sundays in Advent, and between Septua-
gesima and Palm Sunday inclusively, and likewise on the three nights before Easter,
for then the Hymn "We praise Thee, O God" is not said.

xxxii
THE PYE.
4. When three Lessons only are read, if the Office is of a Feast, and also every
day in Easter-tide, namely, between Low Sunday and Ascension Day, except
Rogation Monday, which has three Responsories, only two Responsories are said,
because after the third Lesson is said the Hymn "We praise Thee, O God." These
Responsories on Feasts are taken from the Common Office of Saints of the Class,
and in Easter-time from the preceding Sunday, thus, unless proper ones be ap-
pointed-On Monday and Thursday the first and second Responsories of the First
Nocturn, on Tuesday and Friday of the Second, and on Wednesday of the Third.
5. On plain Week-days out of Easter-time three Responsories are said, (because
the Hymn "We praise Thee, O God" is not then said,) which are taken from the
Sunday before, on Monday and Thursday from the First Nocturn, on Tuesday and
Friday from the Second, and on Wednesday and Saturday (if the Office is of the
Saturday) from the Third. In the Third Nocturn of the Sundays between the
Third Sunday after Whitsun Day inclusively and Advent Sunday exclusively,
there is only one Responsory, namely, the seventh, which can be said on a Week-
day, because there is no ninth, and the Responsory "One Seraph cried unto
another," which is the eighth, is only said on Sundays. In this case therefore on
Wednesday and Saturday the first Responsory is the seventh of the Sunday, and
the second and third are those which are to be said as the second and third of the
Thursday, or the First Nocturn of the Sunday respectively. From the Octave of
Twelfth-Day to Septuagesima, proper Responsories are given for every day, except
the Saturdays, in which are said the Responsories of the Wednesday preceding.
6. When no special Responsories are given, they are taken from the first Sunday
of the month, or the beginning of the Book of Scripture which is then being read.
When proper Responsories are given for every day in the first week of the month,
they are to be repeated on the same days of each succeeding week until further
notice. Where proper Responsories are not given for the Week-days, they are
taken from the Sunday in the order explained above.
7. If a Double Feast falls on a Sunday, and so prevents the Responsories of the
First Nocturn of the Sunday being said, they are transferred to the first free day in
the week, to the total omission of any proper Responsories which that Week-day
may happen to have. If there is no Week-day free, they are carried on to the next
Sunday, if it has none of its own; if it has, to a free day in that week. If there is
no free day, they are entirely omitted. If a Week-day have proper Responsories,
and they are not said by reason of a Feast, they are not carried on at all, but simply
omitted.
8. In Easter-time, in the Responsory, the word "Alleluia" is inserted before the
Verse.
CHAPTER XXVIII. THE SHORT RESPONSORIES IN THE HOURS.
A short Responsory is said after the Chapter at Prime, Terce, Sext, None,_and
Compline, except from Maundy Thursday till None on Saturday before Low Sun-
day inclusively, during which time it is omitted. At Prime and Compline it is
always as given in the Psalter. In the other Hours it varies with the Office, and is
to be found either in the Psalter or the Proper Office of the Season or Feast, or the
Common of Saints.
2. At the end of the short Responsory is said "Glory be to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Ghost," (but not "As it was in the beginning, &c.,") fol-
lowed by the repetition of part of the Responsory. In Passion-tide this is not done,
but instead the whole Responsory is repeated.
3. In the short Responsory at Prime the following changes are made-Instead of
the words "Thou That sittest at the right hand of the Father," in Advent, except
only the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and its
Octave, is said "Thou That art to come into the world," from Christmas to Twelfth-
Day, at Corpus Christi and throughout its Octave, and in all Offices whatsoever of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, and within their Octaves, if they have any, even though
the Office be not of the Octave, "Thou That wast born of the Virgin Mary." On
Twelfth-Day and throughout its Octave, and on the Feast of the Transfiguration,
THE PYE.
xxxiii
"Thou That art manifested unto us this day." From Low Sunday inclusively to
Ascension Day exclusively, except in Offices of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Thou
That hast arisen from the dead." From Ascension Day inclusively to Whitsun
Day exclusively, "Thou That art gone up above the stars." At Whitsun-tide and
all the rest of the year, "Thou That sittest at the right hand of the Father."
4. The short Responsories for the other Hours which are given for Advent Sun-
day are used throughout Advent, whenever the Office is of the Season. Likewise
those given on the first Sunday in Lent are used till Passion Sunday exclusively.
Those given on Passion Sunday are used till Maundy Thursday exclusively. Those
given on Low Sunday are used till Ascension Day exclusively. Those given on
any Feast having an Octave are used every day during the Octave, when the Office
is of the Octave. In all Offices whatsoever of the Blessed Virgin Mary, except only
the Assumption, the short Responsories are taken from the Common Office of
Virgins.
5. In Easter-time, from Low Sunday to the Saturday after Whitsun Day inclu-
sively, whatsoever the Office be, the word "Alleluia" is repeated twice after the
short Responsory, and twice again after the Verse, as the repetition of the latter
part of the Responsory, and once also after the Verse and the Answer. Thus it is
said ten times, twice after the Responsory both times it is said, twice after the
Verse, twice after the Responsory again, once after the Verse, and once after the
Answer. Out of Easter-time, although the word "Alleluia" is sometimes intro-
duced into the short Responsories at Terce, Sext, and None, it does not thereby
affect Prime and Compline.
CHAPTER XXIX. THE CHAPTERS.
A Chapter is always said at Vespers, Lauds, and the other Hours, after the
Psalms and Antiphons, and at Compline after the Hymn, except from Maundy
Thursday to the Saturday before Low Sunday, and in the Office of the Dead.
2. The Chapters at Prime and Compline are always the same, being those given
in the Psalter. The Chapters given in the Psalter for First and Second Vespers,
Lauds, and the Hours on Sundays, are said from the third Sunday after Whitsun
Day till Advent Sunday, and from the second after Twelfth-Day till Septuagesima.
The Chapters for the Week-days are said after the Octave of Twelfth-Day till the
first Sunday in Lent, and after the Octave of Whitsun Day till Advent Sunday.
The Chapters for the other Seasons and for Feasts are given in the Offices to which
they belong.
3. On all the Sundays from Advent till the Octave of Twelfth-Day, and from
Septuagesima till the third Sunday after Whitsun Day, and on every day in
Easter-time, and upon all Feasts, the Chapter given at the First Vespers is also
said at Lauds, at Terce, and at the Second Vespers. There are a few exceptions,
which are marked in their place.
4. On Week-days in Easter-time the Chapter at Prime is that from 1 Tim. i. 17,
"Unto the King eternal," as on Sundays and Feasts. After the Chapter is always
answered, "Thanks be to God."
((
CHAPTER XXX. THE PRAYER OR COLLECT.
The Prayer is said at Vespers and Lauds immediately after the Antiphon at the
Canticles My soul doth magnify the Lord" and "Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel" respectively, unless the short Responsory prayers called the "Preces" are
to be said, in which case it is said after the Preces. At Compline the Prayer is
said after the Antiphon "O Lord, save us waking," unless Preces are to be said,
when it is said after them.
2. The Prayers for Prime and Compline, given in the Psalter, are said every day
in the year, except the three days before Easter, when the Service is as it is given
in its proper place. The same Prayer which is said at First Vespers is likewise said
at every other Hour, except Prime and Compline. But in Lent, and on the Ember
xxxiv
THE PYE.
Days, Eves, and Rogation Monday, the Prayer which has been said at Lauds is said
only at Terce, Sext, and None. In the Vespers, if they are of the Week-day, the
Collect said is either a special one, as in Lent, or that of the preceding Sunday, as on
ordinary Week-days. When the Office is of a Week-day and no special Prayer is
given, that of the preceding Sunday is used. In the same way in Octaves the Prayer
of the Feast is used up to the Octave-day, inclusively, unless a special one be assigned.
3. Before the Prayer the Officiant always says, "Hear my prayer, O LORD," to
which is answered, "And let my cry come unto Thee;" then he says,
"Let us
pray," and proceeds with the Prayer. After the Prayers is answered " Amen,'
then, if it is the last or only Prayer, the Officiant says again, "Hear my prayer, O
LORD," Answer, "And let my cry come unto Thee. Then "Bless we the Lord,
Answer, "Thanks be to God," "May the souls of the faithful, through the mercy
of God, rest in peace," Answer, "Amen." Then if the Antiphon of the Blessed
Virgin Mary is to be said, there follows the "Our Father" inaudibly, "The Lord
give us His peace," Answer, "And life eternal, Amen," and the Antiphon. But
the Office stops short after "Thanks be to God" before the "Precious" at Prime,
and the Blessing at Compline, or when the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
or the Office of the Dead, or the Penitential Psalms, or the Litany is immediately
to follow. If there are more prayers than one, they are said after the Prayer for
the day, each preceded by its own Antiphon, Verse and Response, and the words
"Let us pray.
4. If the Prayer is addressed to God the Father, it ends "through our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen." If the Prayer is addressed to
God the Son, it ends, "Who livest and reignest with God the Father, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God, world without end. Amen.” If the Prayer be ad-
dressed to God the Father, and God the Son be mentioned in it, it ends "through
the Same our Lord, &c.," and if God the Holy Ghost be mentioned, instead of “in
the unity of the Holy Ghost" there is said "in the unity of the Same Holy
Spirit, &c."
5. If more than one Prayer be said, the ending "through our Lord, &c.," is only
said with the first and last. The others are said without any ending, but "Let us
pray" is said before each. The only exceptions are the Office of the Dead, where
will be found in its proper place what is to be done, and the Litany, where the
Prayers are all joined on one to the other.
CHAPTER XXXI. THE HYMN, "WE PRAISE THEE, O GOD."
The Hymn "We praise Thee, O God," is said on every Feast whatsoever, and
throughout all Octaves, except only the Feast of the Holy Innocents if it falls on a
Week-day, though it is said on the Octave. It is said likewise on all Sundays from
Easter inclusively to Advent exclusively, and from Christmas inclusively to Septua-
gesima exclusively, and every day from Low Sunday to Ascension Day, except
Rogation Monday.
2. It is not said on the Sundays in Advent and from Septuagesima to Palm Sun-
day, both inclusively, nor on plain Week-days out of Easter-time.
3. Whenever it is said, the ninth or third Responsory is omitted.
4. Whenever it is not said, there is said a ninth or third Responsory, and as soon
as the Hymn or the Responsory is over, Lauds begin, except on Christmas night,
when particular directions are given.
CHAPTER XXXII. THE LORD'S PRAYER AND THE ANGELIC SALUTATION.
The Lord's Prayer, which begins "Our Father," and the Angelic Salutation,
which begins "Hail, Mary," are said inaudibly before every Hour, except Com-
pline. At Compline, after the Blessing has been asked and given, comes the
¹ Here in the original are directions for clergymen.
THE PYE.
XXXV
Lesson from 1 Peter v. 8, "Brethren, be sober," then "Our help is in the Name of
the LORD," Answer, "Who hath made heaven and earth," and then the "Our
Father" alone is said inaudibly. Moreover at the very end of Compline the "Our
Father," the "Hail, Mary," and the "I believe in God" are said inaudibly. At
the end of every Hour the "Our Father" is said inaudibly, unless the Little Office
of the Blessed Virgin Mary follow at once, or another of the Canonical Hours, in
which case the "Our Father" is said after that. If Compline immediately follows
Vespers, as soon as "Amen" has been answered to "May the souls, &c.," is said
"Command Thy Blessing, O Lord."
2. Whenever the words " And lead us not into temptation" are said aloud at the
end of the Lord's Prayer, the two first words "Our Father" are also said aloud. In
any other case it is all said inaudibly, except when Preces are said at Lauds and
Vespers on Week-days, in which case the Officiant says the whole of the Lord's
Prayer aloud.
3. The Angelic Salutation is said before each of the Hours in the Little Office of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, unless they be added on to the Canonical Office, in which
case it is omitted, as having been already said, at the beginning of the whole.
CHAPTER XXXIII. THE APOSTLES' CREED AND THE CREED OF ST.
ATHANASIUS.
The Apostles' Creed is always said before Mattins and Prime, and at the end of
Compline altogether inaudibly. If it is to be said in the Preces at Prime and
Compline the words "I believe in God" are said aloud, and likewise those at the
end," the Resurrection of the body," to which is answered" and the life everlast-
ing. Amen.”
2. The Creed of St. Athanasius is said at Prime, after the Psalm "Deal bounti-
fully with Thy servant," on all Sundays, when the Office is of the Sunday, except
the Sundays after Christmas, Twelfth-Day, Ascension Day, and Corpus Christi
Day, and Easter and Whitsun Day, when only the three usual Psalms are said, as
on Feasts. It is said on the Sundays within other Octaves, and on Trinity Sunday,
but otherwise never. The Hymn "Glory be to the Father, &c.," is added to it, as
to the Psalms.
CHAPTER XXXIV. THE PRECES.
The Preces are certain Verses and Responses which are sometimes said before the
Prayer. They begin either with "Lord, have mercy upon us" or the Lord's
Prayer.
2. The Preces for Prime and Compline on Sundays, given in the Psalter, are
not said on Doubles, nor within Octaves, nor on the Eve of Twelfth-Day, nor on
the Friday and Saturday after the Octave of the Ascension.
3. The Preces for Lauds and the other Hours on Week-days, given in the
Psalter, are said only on Week-days in Advent, Lent, the Ember Days, and Eves
which are fasts, but not on Christmas Eve, nor the Ember Days at Whitsun-tide.
They are said kneeling. In the rest of the year only the Sunday Preces are said,
and that standing.
4. On the Week-days in Advent, and Lent, and the Ember Days, Preces are
said at Vespers, if they are of the day. And at Compline the same as on Sundays,
but kneeling. The Preces are said kneeling till the words "Bless we the Lord"
after the Prayer.
5. On Eves the Week-day Preces are not said at Vespers or Compline, because
the Vespers are part of the Feast. But if the Eve of S. Matthias fall on Shrove
Tuesday, the Week-day Preces are said at Vespers, though the Prayer is not that
of the Eve, but of the preceding Sunday. The same is the case when the Week-
day Office is said on Ember Friday or Ember Saturday in September, when no
Feast of Nine Lessons falls on them; Preces are said on the Friday, although the
Prayer to be said is not that of the Ember Day but of the preceding Sunday.
·
xxxvi
THE PYE.
6. The Psalm "Have mercy upon me, O God," is said with the Preces at Vespers
only, and "Out of the depths" at Lauds. In the Office of the Dead those Psalms
are said which are there appointed.
CHAPTER XXXV. THE COMMON COMMEMORATIONS, OR SUFFRAGES OF THE
SAINTS.
The Common Commemorations, or Suffrages of the Saints, which are given in the
Psalter, are said at the end of Vespers and Lauds from the Octave of Twelfth-Day
till Passion Sunday exclusively, and from the Octave of Whitsun Day till Advent
exclusively, on Sundays, Week-days, and Feasts, whenever the Office is not Double
nor the day within an Octave. There is added to them a Commemoration of the
Patron or Titular of the Church, which is inserted either before or after the Com-
memoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Joseph, or of the Apostles, according
to his rank. The last is always the Suffrage for Peace. On Week-days there is
prefixed that Commemoration of the Cross which is given in the Psalter after Lauds
for Monday.
2. In Easter-time the only Suffrage said is the Commemoration of the Cross.
It is not said on Doubles nor within Octaves.
3. If a Commemoration of a Feast is made, it is always put before the Suffrages,
even that of the Cross.
4. The Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is omitted if her Little Office
is said, or the Office of the Day is of her.
CHAPTER XXXVI. THE ANTIPHONS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY AT THE
END OF THE OFFICE.
The Antiphons of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are given in the Psalter at the
end of Compline are said according to the season of the year, as there prescribed,
except on the three days before Easter.
2. They are said only at the end of Compline, and at the end of Lauds, or that
aggregation of Offices into which Lauds enters. (However in Choir they are said
every time the Choir is to be left.) They are said kneeling, except from Saturday
evening to Sunday evening both inclusive, and throughout the whole of Easter-time.
They are not said in the morning if the Office is to be immediately followed by the
Dirge, the Penitential Psalms, or the Litany, or Mass.
CHAPTER XXXVII. THE LITTLE OFFICE, &C.
There are proper Rubrics at the end of the Breviary with directions about the
Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Office of the Dead, the Penitential
Psalms, the Litany, and the Gradual Psalms.
2. In Easter time if the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary be joined to the
Church Office, the word "Alleluia" is added neither to the Antiphons, Verses and
Answers, nor Responsories.
THE PYE.
xxxvii
THE KALENDAR.
JANUARY.
1. Circumcision of our Lord. Double of the Second Class.
2. Octave of St. Stephen. Double.
3. Octave of St. John the Apostle. Double.
4. Octave of the Holy Innocents. Double.
5. Eve of the Epiphany. Semi-double. Commemoration of St. Telesphorus,
Pope and Martyr.
6. EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD. Double of the First Class.
7. Within the Octave of the Epiphany.
8. Within the Octave.
9. Within the Octave.
10. Within the Octave.
11. Within the Octave.
12. Within the Octave.
Commemoration of St. Hyginus, Pope and Martyr.
13. Octave of the Epiphany. Double.
*Second Sunday after the Epiphany. Feast of the Most Holy Name of JESUS.
Double of the Second Class.
14. Hilary, Bishop [of Poitiers,] Confessor, and Doctor. Double. Commemoration
of St. Felix, Priest and Martyr.
15. Paul the First Hermit.
Double. Commemoration of St. Maurus, Abbat.
16. Marcellus, Pope and Martyr. Semi-double.
17. Antony, Abbat. Double.
18. The Chair of St. Peter at Rome. Greater Double. Commemoration of St.
Prisca, Virgin and Martyr.
19. Cnut, King [of Denmark,] Martyr. Semi-double at will. Commemoration of
SS. Maris, Audifax, Abachum, and Martha, Martyrs.
20. Fabian and Sebastian, Martyrs. Double.
21. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr. Double.
22. Vincent and Anastasius, Martyrs. Semi-double.
23. Raymond of Peñafuerte, Confessor.
Emerentiana, Virgin and Martyr.
Semi-double.
24. Timothy, Bishop [of Ephesus,] Martyr. Semi-double.
25. Conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. Greater Double.
26. Polycarp, Bishop [of Smyrna,] Martyr. Double.
Commemoration of St.
27. John Chrysostom, Patriarch [of Constantinople,] Confessor, and Doctor. Double.
28. Agnes again.
29. Francis de Sales, Bishop [of Geneva,] Confessor. Double.
30. Martina, Virgin and Martyr. Semi-double.
31. Peter Nolasco, Confessor. Double.
FEBRUARY.
1. Ignatius, Bishop [of Antioch,] Martyr. Double.
2. Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Double of the Second Class.
3. Blase, Bishop [of Sebaste-in-Armenia,] Martyr.
4. Andrew Corsini, Bishop [of Fiesole,] Confessor. Double.
5. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr. Double.
6. Titus, Archbishop [of Gortyna-in-Crete,] Confessor. Double. Commemora-
tion of St. Dorothy, Virgin and Martyr.
d
xxxviii
THE PYE.
7. Romuald, Abbat. Double.
8. John de la Mata, Confessor. Double.
9. Apollonia, Virgin and Martyr.
10. Scholastica, Virgin. Double.
11.
12.
13.
14. Valentine, Priest and Martyr.
15. Faustinus and Jovita, Martyrs.
16.
17.
18. Simeon, Bishop [of Jerusalem,] Martyr.
19.
20.
22. The Chair of St. Peter at Antioch. Greater Double.
23. Peter Damian, [Cardinal] Bishop [of Ostia,] Confessor, and Doctor of the
Church. Double. Commemoration of the Eve.
21.
220 FON
25.
26.
27.
28.
24. Matthias, Apostle. Double of the Second Class.
In Leap-Year February has 29 days, and then St. Matthias' Day is the 25th.
MARCH.
4. Casimir, Confessor. Semi-double. Commemoration of St. Lucius, Pope and
Martyr.
H2B+ DÖN BE
7.
Thomas of Aquino, Confessor and Doctor of the Church. Double. Commemo-
ration of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas, Martyrs.
8. John of God, Confessor. Double.
9. Frances, Widow. Double.
10. The Forty Martyrs. Semi-double.
11.
12. Gregory, Pope, Confessor and Doctor of the Church. Double.
*Friday in Passion Week, Office of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Greater Double.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17. Patrick, Archbishop [of Armagh,] Confessor. Semi-double.
18.
19. JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. Double of the First Class.
20.
21. Benedict, Abbat. Double.
22.
23.
THE PYE.
xxxix
24.
25. Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Double of the Second Class.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
1.
APRIL.
*Third Sunday after Easter, Feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph. Double of
the Second Class.
2. Francis of Paola, Confessor.
3.
Double.
4. Isidore, Archbishop [of Seville,] Confessor. Double.
5. Vincent Ferrer, Confessor. Double.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11. Leo, Pope, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church. Double.
12.
13. Hermenegild, Martyr. Semi-double.
14. Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus, Martyrs.
15.
16.
17. Anicete, Pope and Martyr.
18.
19.
20.
21. Anselm, Archbishop [of Canterbury,] Confessor, and Doctor of the Church. Double.
22. Soter and Caius, Popes and Martyrs. Semi-double.
23. George, Martyr. Semi-double.
24. Faithful of Sigmaringen, Martyr. Double.
25. Mark, Evangelist. Double of the Second Class.
26. Cletus and Marcellinus, Popes and Martyrs. Semi-double.
27.
28. Vitalis, Martyr.
29. Peter, Martyr. Double.
30. Katharine of Sienna, Virgin. Double.
MAY.
1. Philip and James, Apostles. Double of the Second Class.
2. Athanasius, Pope [of Alexandria,] Confessor, and Doctor.
3. Finding of the Holy Cross. Double of the Second Class.
SS. Alexander, Eventius, and Theodulus, Martyrs, and
Narni,] Confessor.
4. Monica, Widow. Double.
5. Pius V., Pope and Confessor. Double.
6. John before the Latin Gate.
Greater Double.
Double.
Commemoration of
Juvenal, Bishop [of
xl
THE PYE.
7. Stanislaw, Bishop [of Crakow,] Martyr. Double.
8. Manifestation of St. Michael the Archangel. Greater Double.
9. Gregory of Nazianzus, Patriarch [of Constantinople,] Confessor, and Doctor.
Double.
10. Antonine, Archbishop [of Florence,] Confessor. Double. Commemoration of
SS. Gordian and Epimachus, Martyrs.
11.
12. Nereus, Achilles, Virgin Domitilla, and Pancras, Martyrs. Semi-double.
13.
14. Boniface, Martyr.
15.
16. Ubald, Bishop [of Gubbio,] Confessor. Semi-double.
17. Paschal Baylon, Confessor. Double.
18. Venantius, Martyr. Double.
19. Peter Cælestine, Pope and Confessor. Double. Commemoration of St. Pu-
dentiana, Virgin.
20. Bernardine of Sienna, Confessor. Semi-double.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25. Gregory VII., Pope and Confessor. Double. Commemoration of St. Urban,

Pope and Martyr.
26. Philip Neri, Confessor.
and Martyr.
Double.
Commemoration of St. Eleutherius, Pope
Semi-double. Commemoration of St. John,
27. Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi, Virgin.
28.
29.
Pope and Martyr.
30. Felix, Pope and Martyr.
31. Angela Merici, Virgin. Double. Commemoration of St. Petronilla, Virgin.
micic
JUNE.
*Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi. Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of
JESUS. Greater Double.
2. Marcellinus, Peter, and Elmo, Martyrs.
3.
4. Francis Caracciolo, Confessor. Double.
5. Boniface, Archbishop [of Maintz,] Martyr. Double.
6. Norbert, Archbishop [of Magdeburg,] Confessor. Double.
7.
8.
9. Primus and Felician, Martyrs.
10. Margaret, Queen of Scotland. Semi-double.
11. Barnabas, Apostle. Greater Double.
12. John of San Fagondez, Confessor. Double. Commemoration of SS. Basilides,
Cyrinus, Nabor, and Nazarius, Martyrs.
13. Antony of Padua, Confessor. Double.
14. Basil the Great, Archbishop [of Cæsarea-in-Pontus,] Confessor, and Doctor of
the Church. Double.
15. Vitus, Modestus, and Crescentia. Martyrs.
16.
18. Mark and Marcellian, Martyrs.
17.
THE PYE.
xli
19. Juliana de' Falconieri, Virgin. Double. Commemoration of SS. Gervase and

Protase, Martyrs.
20. Silverius, Pope and Martyr.
21. Aloysius Gonzaga, Confessor. Double.
22. Paulinus, Bishop [of Nola,] Confessor.
23. Midsummer Eve:
24. BIRTH OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST. Double of the First Class.
25. William, Abbat. Double. Commemoration of the Octave of St. John.
26. John and Paul, Martyrs. Double. Commemoration of the Octave.
27. Within the Octave.
28. Leo II., Pope and Confessor. Semi-double. Commemoration of the Octave
and of the Eve.
29. PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES. Double of the First Class.
30. Commemoration of St. Paul, Apostle. Double. Commemoration of the Octave
of St. John.
JULY.
*First Sunday in July, Feast of the Most Precious Blood of our Lord JESUS
Christ. Double of the Second Class.
1. Octave of St. John the Baptist. Double. Commemoration of the Octave of
SS. Peter and Paul.
2. Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Double of the Second Class. Comme-
moration of SS. Processus and Martinian, Martyrs.
3. Within the Octave of the Apostles.
4. Within the Octave.
5. Within the Octave.
6. Octave of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Double.
7.
8. Isabel, Queen of Portugal. Semi-double.
9.
10. Seven Brethren and SS. Rufina and Secunda, Martyrs. Semi-double.
11. Pius I., Pope and Martyr.
12. John Gualberto, Abbat. Double. Commemoration of SS. Nabor and Felix,
Martyrs.
13. Anaclete, Pope and Martyr. Semi-double.
14. "Buona-Ventura," [Cardinal] Bishop [of Albano,] Confessor, and Doctor of the
Church. Double.
15. Henry II., Emperor [of the Romans,] Confessor. Semi-double.
16. The Blessed Virgin Mary styled "of Mount Carmel." Greater Double.
17. Alexis, Confessor. Semi-double.
18. Camillus de' Lelli, Confessor. Double. Commemoration of St. Symphorosa and
her seven sons, Martyrs.
19. Vincent de Paul, Confessor. Double.
20. Jerome Miani, Confessor.
and Martyr.
21. Praxedes, Virgin.
22. Mary Magdalen. Double.
Double. Commemoration of St. Margaret, Virgin
23. Apollinaris, Bishop [of Ravenna,] Martyr. Double. Commemoration of St.
Liborius, Bishop [of Mans,] Confessor.
24. Eve, and Commemoration of St. Christina, Virgin and Martyr.
25. James, Apostle. Double of the Second Class. Commemoration of St. Chris-
topher, Martyr.
26. Anne, Mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Greater Double.
27. Pantaleon, Martyr.
28. Nazarius, Celsus, and Victor, Martyrs, and Innocent, Pope and Confessor.
Semi-double.
xlii
THE PYE.
29. Martha, Virgin. Semi-double. Commemoration of SS. Felix, Simplicius,
Faustinus and Beatrix, Martyrs.
30. Abdon and Sennen, Martyrs.
31. Ignatius, Confessor. Double.
AUGUST.
1. The Chains of St. Peter. Greater Double. Commemoration of the Holy
Machabees, Martyrs.
2. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori, Bishop [of Santa-Agata-de'-Goti,] Confessor and
Doctor. Double. Commemoration of St. Stephen, Pope and Martyr.
3. Finding of the body of St. Stephen the First Martyr. Semi-double.
4. Dominick, Confessor. Double.
5. Dedication of the Church of St. Mary in the Snow. Greater Double.
6. Transfiguration of our Lord JESUS Christ. Greater Double. Commemoration
of St. Sixtus, Pope and Martyr.
7. Gaëtan of Tiené, Confessor. Double. Commemoration of St. Donatus, Bishop
[of Arezzo,] Martyr.
8. Cyriacus, Largus, and Smaragdus, Martyrs. Semi-double.
9. Eve. Commemoration of St. Romanus, Martyr.
10. Lawrence, Martyr. Double of the Second Class.
11. Within the Octave. Commemoration of SS. Tiburtius and Susanna, Martyrs.
12. Clare, Virgin. Double. Commemoration of the Octave.
13. Within the Octave. Commemoration of SS. Hippolytus and Cassian, Martyrs.
14. Within the Octave. Commemoration of the Eve, and of St. Eusebius, Čon-
fessor.
15. ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. Double of the First Class.
*Sunday within the Octave of the Assumption, Feast of St. Joachim, Confessor.
Greater Double.
16. Hyacinth, Confessor. Double. Commemoration of the Octave.
17. Octave of St. Lawrence. Double. Commemoration of the other Octave.
18. Within the Octave. Commemoration of St. Agapitus, Martyr.
19. Within the Octave.
20. Bernard, Abbat and Doctor. Double. Commemoration of the Octave.
21. Jeanne Frances Fremiot de Chantal. Double. Commemoration of the Octave.
22. Octave of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Double. Commemora-
tion of SS. Timothy, Hippolytus, and Symphorian, Martyrs.
23. Philip Benizzi, Confessor. Double. Commemoration of the Eve.
24. Bartholomew, Apostle. Double of the Second Class.
25. Louis IX., King of France, Confessor. Semi-double.
26. Zephyrinus, Pope and Martyr.
27. Joseph Casalanz, Confessor. Double.
28. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo,] Confessor, and Doctor of the Church. Double.
Commemoration of St. Hermes, Martyr.
29. Beheading of St. John the Baptist. Greater Double. Commemoration of St.
Sabina, Martyr.
30. Rose of Lima, Virgin. Double. Commemoration of St. Felix and him that
joined him, Martyrs.
31. Raymond the Unborn, Confessor. Double.
SEPTEMBER.
1. Giles, Abbat. Commemoration of the Twelve Holy Brethren, Martyrs.
2. Stephen, King of Hungary, Confessor. Semi-double.
3.
4.
THE PYE.
xliii
5. Lawrence de' Giustiniani, Patriarch [of Venice,] Confessor. Semi-double.
6.
7.
Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Double of the Second Class. Commemo-
ration of St. Adrian, Martyr.
*Sunday within the Octave, Feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin
Mary. Greater Double.
9. Within the Octave. Commemoration of St. Gregory, Martyr.
10. Nicolas of Tolentino, Confessor. Double. Commemoration of the Octave.
11. Within the Octave. Commemoration of SS. Protus and Hyacinth, Martyrs.
12. Within the Octave.
13. Within the Octave.
14. Uplifting of the Holy Cross. Greater Double. Commemoration of the Octave.
15. Octave of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Double. Commemoration of
St. Nicomede, Martyr.
16. Cornelius, Pope, and Cyprian, Bishop [of Carthage,] Martyrs. Semi-double.
Commemoration of SS. Euphemia, Lucy, and Geminian, Martyrs.
17. Marking of the Body of St. Francis with the Marks of the Lord Jesus.
Double.
18. Joseph of Cupertino, Confessor. Double.
19. Januarius, Bishop [of Benevento,] and his Companions, Martyrs. Double.
20. Eustace, Agapitus, Theopistus, and Theopista, Martyrs. Double. Commemora-
tion of the Eve.
21. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist. Double of the Second Class.
22. Thomas of Villanueva, Archbishop [of Valencia,] Confessor. Double. Com-
memoration of St. Maurice and his Companions, Martyrs.
23. Linus, Pope and Martyr. Semi-double. Commemoration of St. Thecla, Virgin
and Martyr.
24. The Blessed Virgin Mary styled "of Ransom." Greater Double.
25.
26. Cyprian and Justina, Martyrs.
27. Cosmas and Damian, Martyrs. Semi-double.
28. Wenceslaus, Duke [of Bohemia,] Martyr. Semi-double.
29. Dedication of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel. Double of the Second
Class.
30. Jerome, Priest, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church. Double.
*Third Sunday of this month, Feast of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Vir-
gin Mary. Greater Double.
OCTOBER.
*First Sunday of this month, Solemnity of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. Greater Double.
1. Remy, Bishop [of Rheims,] Confessor. Semi-double at will. Simple of obliga-
tion.
2. The Guardian Angels. Double.
3.
4. Francis, Confessor. Double.
5. Placidus and his Companions, Martyrs.
6. Bruno, Confessor. Double.
7. Mark, Pope and Confessor. Commemoration of SS. Sergius, Bacchus, Mar-
cellus, and Apuleius, Martyrs.
8. Bridget, Widow. Double.
9. Denys, [Bishop of Paris,] Rusticus, and Eleutherius, Martyrs. Semi-double.
10. Francis Borgia, Confessor. Semi-double.
11.
13. Edward, King of England, Confessor. Semi-double.
C
12.
xliv
THE PYE.
14. Kallistus, Pope and Martyr. Double.
15. Theresa, Virgin. Double.
16.
17. Ladwiga, Widow. Semi-double.
18. Luke, Evangelist. Double of the Second Class.
19. Peter of Alcantara, Confessor. Double.
20. John of Kenty, Confessor. Double.
21. Hilarion, Abbat. Commemoration of St. Ursula and her Companions, Virgins
and Martyrs.
22.
23.
24.
25. Chrysanthus and Daria, Martyrs.
26. Evaristus, Pope and Martyr.
27. Eve.
28. Simon and Jude, Apostles. Double of the Second Class.
29.
30.
31. Eve.
NOVEMBER.
1. FEAST OF ALL SAINTS. Double of the First Class.
2. Commemoration of all the Faithful Departed. Double. Within the Octave of
All Saints.
3. Within the Octave.
4. Charles, [Cardinal] Archbishop [of Milan,] Confessor. Double. Commemora-
tion of the Octave, and of SS. Vitalis and Agricola, Martyrs.
5. Within the Octave.
6. Within the Octave.
7. Within the Octave.
8. Octave of All Saints. Double. Commemoration of the Four Crowned Martyrs.
9. Dedication of the Cathedral of our Saviour. Double. Commemoration of St.
Theodore, Martyr.
10. Andrew Avellino, Confessor. Semi-double. Commemoration of SS. Tryphon,
Respicius, and Virgin Nympha, Martyrs.
11. Martin, Bishop [of Tours,] Confessor. Double. Commemoration of St. Mennas,
Martyr.
12. Martin, Pope and Martyr. Semi-double.
13. Diego, Confessor. Semi-double.
14.
15. Gertrude, Virgin. Double.
16.
17. Gregory, the Wonder-worker, Bishop [of Neo-Cæsarea-in-Pontus,] Confessor.
Semi-double.
18. Dedication of the Churches of SS. Peter and Paul.
Double.
19. Elizabeth, Widow. Double. Commemoration of St. Pontian, Pope and Martyr.
20. Felix de Valois, Confessor. Double.
21. Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Greater Double.
22. Cecily, Virgin and Martyr. Double.
23. Clement, Pope and Martyr. Double. Commemoration of St. Felicity, Martyr.
24. John of the Cross, Confessor. Double. Commemoration of St. Chrysogonus,
Martyr.
25. Katharine, Virgin and Martyr. Double.
26. Peter, Pope [of Alexandria,] Martyr.
27.
28.
29. Eve. Commemoration of St. Saturninus, Martyr.
30. Andrew, Apostle. Double of the Second Class.
THE PYE.
xlv
1.
DECEMBER.
2. Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr. Semi-double.
3. Francis Xavier, Confessor.
Double.
4. Peter Chrysologus, Archbishop [of Ravenna,] Confessor, and Doctor. Double.
Commemoration of St. Barbara, Virgin and Martyr.
5. Commemoration of St. Saba, Abbat.
6. Nicolas, Archbishop [of Myra,] Confessor.
Double.
7. Ambrose, Bishop [of Milan,] Confessor, and Doctor.
Double.
8. Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Double of the Second
Class.
9. Within the Octave of the Conception.
10. Within the Octave. Commemoration of St. Melchides, Pope and Martyr.
11. Damasus, Pope and Confessor. Semi-double. Commemoration of the Octave.
12. Within the Octave.
13. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr. Double. Commemoration of the Octave.
14. Within the Octave.
15. Octave of the Immaculate Conception. Double.
16. Eusebius, Bishop [of Vercelli,] Martyr. Semi-double.
17.
18.
19.
20. Eve.
21. Thomas, Apostle. Double of the Second Class.
22.
23.
24. Eve.
25. BIRTHDAY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Double of the First Class.
26. Stephen, the First Martyr. Double of the Second Class. Commemoration of
the Octave.
27. John, Apostle and Evangelist. Double of the Second Class. Commemoration
of the Octaves.
28. The Holy Innocents. Double of the Second Class. Commemoration of the
Octaves.
29. Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbury, Martyr. Semi-double. Commemoration
of the Octaves.
30. Office of the Sunday after Christmas, or of the Octave of Christmas with Com-
memorations of the other Octaves.
31. Silvester, Pope and Confessor. Double. Commemoration of the Octaves.
TWO EASY TABLES,
COMPILED FROM THE PYE,
And in which it can be seen at a glance what is to be done
(1) When the Second Vespers of one Office fall on the same evening with the
First Vespers of another Office.
(2) When two Offices fall on the same day.
To use these Tables, find the little square in which lines drawn from the designa-
tions of the two Offices meet at right angles, and then look what direction is given
underneath the Table, with the number inscribed in the square.
For instance, in Table A a Double of the Second Class meets a Semi-double in a
square containing the numeral 4. And 4 gives the Rule "all of the former, with a
Commemoration of the latter," but if the case be reversed they meet in 1, and the
xlvi
THE PYE.
Service is "all of the latter, nothing of the former." And so in Table B, a Double
of the Second Class and Semi-double falling on the same day is provided for in
1 and 2, and it is ordered that the Semi-double be transferred and the Double of
the Second Class observed. O indicates a case which either cannot occur, or which
is the subject of special directions in its own place. However, it is first needful to
know the rank of the different Offices.
Christmas Day.
Twelfth-Day.
St. Joseph.
Maundy Thursday.
Good Friday.
Holy Saturday.
Easter Day.
Easter Monday.
Easter Tuesday.
Ascension Day.
Whitsun Day.
New Year's Day.
The Holy Name of JESUS.
The Most Holy Trinity.
Doubles of the First Class.
Whitsun Monday.
Whitsun Tuesday.
Corpus Christi.
Midsummer Day.
SS. Peter and Paul.
The Assumption.
All Saints' Day.
The Dedication of the particular
Church.
The Feast of the Patron or Titular of
the particular Church.
Doubles of the Second Class.
The Most Precious Blood.
Candlemas.
Lady Day.
The Visitation.
The Birth of the Blessed Virgin.
The Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin.
The Transfiguration.
The Exaltation of the Cross.
The Feasts of all the Apostles, ex-
cept St. Barnabas, and of the Evange-
lists.
St. Stephen the First Martyr.
The Holy Innocents.
The Patronage of St. Joseph.
The Finding of the Cross.
St. Lawrence.
Michaelmas Day.
Greater
Doubles.
Dedication of the Church of our Lady
of the Snows.
The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin.
The Name of Mary.
Our Lady of Ransom.
The Rosary.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
Our Lady of Sorrow (twice).
The Conversion of St. Paul.
The Chair of St. Peter at Rome.
The Chair of St. Peter at Antioch.
St. John before the Latin Gate.
St. Michael on Monte Gargano.
St. Barnabas.
St. Anne.
Lammas Day.
St. Joachim.
The Beheading of St. John the Baptist.
Feasts of minor local Patrons.
Sundays of the First Class.
The First of Advent.
The First of Lent.
Passion.
Palm.
Easter.
Low.
Pentecost.
Trinity.
Sundays of the Second Class.
The Second, Third, and Fourth in
Advent.
Septuagesima.
Those of Advent.
Those of Lent.
Sexagesima.
Quinquagesima.
The Second, Third, and Fourth of Lent.
Greater Week-days.
The Ember Days.
Rogation Monday.
THE PYE.
xlvii
0
4 3 4 4 3 3 3 3 30
0 4 3 4 4 3 3 1110
2 2 4 2 4 4 40464
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 6 34
2
. 2
24
2 4 2 4 440 40 4
4 4 4 4 4 4 6 13 14
4
4 5 4 4 5 313 14
4 5 3 4 5 3 31 11 5
445
4 5 4 4 5 3 13 14
00345331115
If the Second Vespers of
An Higher Sunday
An Ordinary Sunday.
•
A Double of the First Class.
A Double of the Second Class
A Patron or Titular
A Greater Double
A Double.
A Semi-double
•
An Octave-Day.
•
·
•
•
A Day within an Octave.
•
•
TABLE A.

་
1. All of the latter, nothing of the former.
2. All of the former, nothing of the latter.
•
•
•
•
•
3. All of the latter, but with a Commemo-
ration of the former.
4. All of the former, but with a Comme-
moration of the latter.
5. Of the former till the Chapter, exclu-
sive; then of the latter, from the
Chapter, inclusive, but with a Com-
memoration of the former.
6. All of the more important, but with a
Commemoration of the less important.
fall on the same evening with the
A Simple.
An Octave-Day.
A Double.
A Semi-double.
A Greater Double.
A Patron or Titular.
A Double of the Second Class.
A Double of the First Class.
An Ordinary Sunday.
First Vespers of
A Day within an Octave.
The Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin
Mary
on a Saturday.
Note.
At the First Vespers of the Octave-days of the Ascension and of Corpus Christi,
the whole service is of the Octave. If a Double Feast have occupied the day, it is
only commemorated, unless it be of the First or Second Class, in which case the
service is of it, with a Commemoration of the First Vespers of the Octave.
If the Second Vespers of the Octave-days of Twelfth-Day, Easter, the Ascension,
and Corpus Christi clash with the First Vespers of a Double (including the Octave-
day of St. John the Baptist), the Double is only commemorated, unless it be of the
First or Second Class, the Patron, Titular, or Dedication Feast of the particular
Church, in which cases the Service is of the Double, with a Commemoration of the
Second Vespers of the Octave.
The Commemoration of a day within an Octave at the Second Vespers of a Double
of the Second Class is only made when the next day's Office is going to be of the
day within the Octave.
xlviii
THE PYE.
When several Commemorations are to be made, they are arranged in the Order of
Double, Sunday, Semi-double, Day within an Octave, greater Week-day or Eve,
Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin on Saturdays, Simple.
If
TABLE B.

A Double of the First Class
64062 4 6 22│84│4│1
A Double of the Second Class.
440 42 4│6281411
A Double
440 421 4811411
•
A Day within an Octave
An Octave-Day
A Semi-double.
·
A Simple
•
440 43 37 3 5 5 3 3 3
440 427 42 334 33
440 481 4111111
33 303 3 3 3 3 5 3 33
The Simple Office of the B.V. on a Saturday 5 5 0 4000000000
A Greater Week-day.
An Eve
•
•
6064333333000
05 64 3 3 3 3 350 00
An Ordinary Sunday.
A Double of the Second Class.
A Double of the First Class.
A Sunday of the Second Class.
A Sunday of the First Class.
fall on the same day with
A Double.
A Simple.
A Semi-double.
An Octave-Day.
A Day within an Octave.
The Simple Office of the B. V. on a Saturday.
A Greater Week-day.
An Eve.
1. The former is transferred, and the latter
observed.
2. The former is observed, and the latter
transferred.
3. The latter is observed, and the former
commemorated.
4. The former is observed, and the latter
commemorated.
5. The former is altogether omitted, and
the latter observed.
6. The former is observed, and the latter
altogether omitted.
7. The more important is observed, and the
less important commemorated.
8. The more important is observed, and the
less important transferred.
Note.
A Double of any sort, even the Patron, Titular, or Dedication Feast of the
particular Church, is transferred if it fall on Dec. 24, Whitsun Eve, Jan. 1 or 13,
Ash Wednesday, Holy, Easter, or Whitsun Weeks, Ascension Day, Corpus Christi
Day, Aug. 15, or Nov. 1.
Within the Octave of the Epiphany no Feast can be kept except the Patronal,
THE PYE.
xlix
Titular, or Dedication Feast of the particular Church, and that with Commemora-
tion of the Octave. Any others are transferred. Within the Octave of Corpus
Christi, Semi-doubles are transferred, and Doubles cannot be transferred thither,
and a Commemoration is always made of the Octave.
Within those Octaves when the observance of Feasts is allowed, a Semi-double
falling on the Sunday is transferred to Monday, and, if that is occupied, outside the
Octave.
The Octaves of Christmas, Twelfth-Day, and Corpus Christi, are commemorated
at every Vespers and Lauds, whatever be the Office.
Other Octaves, which are not in the Kalendar, are not observed from Ash Wed-
nesday to Low Sunday, or Whitsun Eve to Trinity Sunday, both inclusive, or from
Dec. 17 to Jan. 6.
An Octave Day can never be transferred. Therefore, if Corpus Christi fall on
Midsummer Day, and the Feast of St. John were consequently kept on June 25,
July 1 would be kept as the Octave of Corpus Christi, with a Commemoration of
the Octave of St. John at both Vespers and at Lauds.
If some other Saints be mentioned in the Kalendar on the same day with the
Patron or Titular, if only Simples, all notice of them is omitted; if Double or
Semi-double, they are transferred to the next vacant day, and kept as a Semi-
double; if they are of the higher class, they are transferred and kept as a Double,
as though on their own day.'
The Week-days of Advent and Lent, if not kept as such, are always commemo-
rated at both Vespers and Lauds, whatever be the Office; Ember Days, Eves, and
Rogation Monday, at Lauds only. But if an Eve fall in Advent or Lent, on an
Ember Day, a Double of the First Class, or the Pational, Titular, or Dedication
Feast of the particular Church, no notice is taken of it, even in Lauds.
A Prayer before a Service.
O Lord, open Thou my mouth that I may bless Thy Holy Name. Cleanse my
heart from all vain, evil, and wandering thoughts; enlighten my understanding;
kindle my affections, that I may pray to, and praise Thee with attention and devo-
tion; and may worthily be heard before the presence of Thy Divine Majesty.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Lord, in union with that Divine Intention wherewith Thou didst Thyself praise
God, while as Thou wast on earth, I offer these Hours unto Thee.
A Prayer after a Service.
In respect of which Pope Leo X. has granted to all persons who after saying the
Divine Office shall devoutly recite it on their knees, condonation of the short-
comings and faults committed by them from human frailty in saying the Office.
To the Most Holy and undivided Trinity, to the Manhood of our Lord JESUS
Christ Crucified, to the fruitful Virginity of the most blessed and most glorious
Mary, always a Virgin, and to the holiness of all the Saints be ascribed everlasting
praise, honour, and glory, by all creatures, and to us be granted the forgiveness of
all our sins, world without end. Amen.
Verse. Blessed be the womb of the Virgin Mary which bore the Son of the Eternal
Father.
Answer. And blessed be the paps which gave suck to Christ our Lord.
Then are said the Lord's Prayer and the Angelic Salutation.
1 I.e. in that particular Church, they have a day fixed other than elsewhere.
1
THE PYE.
SUMMARY OF THE ABSOLUTIONS AND BLESSINGS PRONOUNCED AT MATTINS.
In the First Nocturn, and on Monday
and Thursday.
Absolution.
Graciously hear, O Lord JESUS Christ,
the prayers of Thy servants, and have
mercy upon us: Who livest and reignest
with the Father, and the Holy Ghost,
world without end. Amen.
First Blessing.
May the Eternal Father bless us
With an everlasting blessing. Amen.
Second Blessing.
May the Son the Sole-begotten
Mercifully bless and keep us. Amen.
Third Blessing.
May the grace of God the Spirit
All our heart and mind enlighten. Amen.
In the Second Nocturn, and on Tuesday
and Friday.
Absolution.
May His loving-kindness and mercy
help us, Who liveth and reigneth with
the Father, and the Holy Ghost, world
without end. Amen.
Fourth Blessing.
God the Father Omnipotent,
Be to us merciful and clement. Amen.
Fifth Blessing.
May Christ to all His people give,
For ever in His sight to live. Amen.
Sixth Blessing.
May the Spirit's fire Divine
In our hearts enkindled shine. Amen.
In the Third Nocturn, and on Wednes-
day and Saturday.
Absolution.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord
loose us from the bonds of our sins.
Amen.
Seventh Blessing.
May the Gospel's holy lection
Be our safety and protection. Amen.
Eighth Blessing.
God's most mighty strength alway
Be His people's staff and stay. Amen.
For Feasts of Saints.
He (or she or they) whose feast-day we
are keeping,
Be our Advocate (or Advocates) with
God.
For Feasts of the Blessed Virgin.
She whose feast-day we are keeping-
Mary, blessed Maid of Maidens,
Be our Advocate with God.
Ninth Blessing.
May He that is the Angels' King
To that high realm His people bring.
Amen.
Or, if another Gospel and Homily are
to be begun,
May the Gospel's glorious word
Cleansing to our souls afford.
On days of three Lessons the Absolu-
tion and Blessings are as above, accord-
ing to the Week-day, with the following
exceptions: First Blessing on Wednes-
day or Saturday, (not the Simple Office
of the Blessed Virgin,) if the First Les-
son be not Gospel with Homily,
May His blessing be upon us
Who doth live and reign for ever.
Whenever the First Lesson is Gospel
with Homily, the Blessings are from
the Third Nocturn.
If the Office be of a Saint or Saints,
the Blessings are:

First Blessing.
May His blessing be upon us
Who doth live and reign for ever.
Second Blessing.
He (or she or they) whose feast-day we
are keeping,
Be our Advocate (or Advocates) with
God.
Third Blessing.
May He that is the Angels' King
To that high realm His people bring.
Amen.
The Absolution and Blessings in the
Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin for
Saturdays are peculiar to that Office,
and are given in their own place.
The Psalter,
OR,
BOOK OF PSALMS,
DIVIDED ACCORDING TO THE DAYS OF THE WEEK, TOGETHER WITH THE
ORDINARY OFFICE FOR THE DIFFERENT SEASONS.
MATTINS,¹ OR MORNING PRAYER.
Sunday.
THE LORD'S DAY.
Before Mattins, and every other Hour,
except Lauds and Compline, there is said
inaudibly,2
UR Father, Who art in hea-
OUR
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass
against us.
And lead us not into
temptation; But deliver us from
evil. Amen.
HAI
AIL, Mary, full of grace; The
Lord is with thee: bless-
ed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
JESUS.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and at
the hour of our death. Amen.
At the beginning of Mattins and
Prime, and at the end of Compline, is then
said inaudibly the Apostles' Creed.
BELIEVE in God the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven
and earth. And in JESUS Christ,
His Only Son, our Lord: Who
was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was cruci-
fied, dead, and buried: He des-
cended into hell: the third day
He rose again from the dead: He
ascended into heaven, and sitteth
1 The proper hour for Mattins is midnight, at which time it is said in many Convents.
In others it is said at 2 or 5 A.M. In the Cathedral of Rome (St. John Lateran's) and
other churches of the same country, the hour is about 7 A.M. It is allowable to say it at
any hour after the sun has begun to decline, and an ordinary practice is to do so late in
the afternoon.
2 The reason why the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed are recited inaudibly during
the Office seems to be, that in the early Church these formulæ were concealed from the
unbaptized until very shortly before their baptism. Now, all were allowed to be present
at the Office, of which these formulæ are a part, and therefore they were then so said that
the unbaptized could not hear them. The "Hail, Mary," having been added as a sort of
appendix to the Lord's Prayer, follows the same rule with it. The Lord's Prayer is said
aloud during the Canon of the Mass, because only the faithful were then present.
B
2
THE PSALTER.
on the right hand of God the Fa-
ther Almighty: from thence He
shall come to judge the quick and
the dead. I believe in the Holy
Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church,
the Communion of Saints, the
Forgiveness of sins, the Resur-
rection of the body, and the Life
everlasting. Amen.
Then is said aloud:
Verse.¹ O LORD, open Thou
my lips.
Answer. And my mouth shall
show forth Thy praise.
Verse.2 Make haste, O God,
to deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
³As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen, Alleluia.4
From Septuagesima Sunday to Maun-
dy Thursday instead of Alleluia is said:
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of heaven.
Then is said Psalm xciv. with the In-
vitatory. The Invitatory here given is
said from the Octave of the Epiphany to
Septuagesima Sunday, and from the Oc-
tave of Pentecost to Advent Sunday.
Invitatory. Let us worship the
Lord, for *He is our Maker.
1 Ps. 1. 17.
Repetition. Let us worship the
Lord, for * He is our Maker.
Psalm XCIV.5
COME, let us sing unto the
noise to the God of our Salvation :
let us come before His presence
with thanksgiving, and make a joy-
ful noise unto Him with psalms.
Let us worship the Lord, for
He is our Maker.
For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods:
in His hand are the inmost depths
of the earth; and the heights of
the hills are His also.
He is our Maker.
For the sea is His, and He
made it: and His hands formed
the dry land: 60 come, let us
worship and fall down; let us
kneel before the LORD our Ma-
ker. * For He is the Lord our
God; and we are the people of
His pasture, and the sheep of His
hand.
Let us worship the Lord, for
He is our Maker.
To-day if ye will hear His
voice, harden not your heart; as
in "the Provocation,” and as in
the day of "Temptation" in the
wilderness when your fathers
tempted Me, and proved Me, al-
though they had seen My works."

2 Ps. lxix. 1.
3 The Greek original of this Doxology does not contain the words, "As it was in the be-
ginning," (inserted against the Arians,) but runs thus :-" Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, both now, and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.”
• Or rather," Hal'lu-YAH," "Praise-ye-the-Eternal," a Hebrew phrase which occurs
repeatedly in the Bible. The sound of these words causes the Church such joy that she
denies herself their use during her penitential season. But in order not to remit the
praise of God, she substitutes for the Hebrew phrase a short rhyming Latin one, of similar
meaning.
5 This Psalm is not given in the original from the Vulgate, but from some other Latin
translation. The differences are very slight; and for the sake of uniformity it is here
given in accordance with the Vulgate.
6 Here it is usual to kneel till the *.
7 The occasion here referred to is that described in Exodus xvii. 1–7. The children of
Israël while travelling through the desert, became rebellious from want of water. It was
given them from the smitten rock. Then is added: "And he (Moses) called the name of
the place Massah” (i.e. “Temptation,") "and Meribah," (i.e. "Provocation,”) “because
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
3
He is our Maker.
Forty years long was I grieved
with that generation' and said, It
is a people that do err in their
heart, and they have not known
My ways: unto whom I sware in
My wrath that they should not
enter into My rest.
Let us worship the Lord, for
He is our Maker.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without
end. Amen.
He is our Maker.
Let us worship the Lord, for
He is our Maker.
The following Hymn is then said,
from the Octave of the Epiphany to the
First Sunday in Lent, and from the first
Sunday of October to Advent.
TO-DAY
HYMN.2
O-DAY the Blessed Three in One
Began the earth and skies;
To-day a Conqueror, God the Son,
Did from the grave arise;
We too will wake, and, in despite
Of sloth and languor, all unite,
As Psalmists bid, through the dim night
Waiting with wistful eyes.
So may He hear, and heed each vow,
And prayer to Him addrest;
And grant an instant cleansing now,
A future glorious rest.
So may He plentifully shower,
On all who hymn His love and power,
In this most still and sacred hour,
His sweetest gifts and best.
Father of purity and light!
Thy presence if we win,
"Twill shield us from the deeds of night,
The burning darts of sin;
Last aught defiled or dissolute
Relax our bodies or imbrute,
And fires eternal be the fruit
Of fire now lit within.
Fix in our hearts, Redeemer dear,
The ever-gushing spring
Of grace to cleanse, of life to cheer
Souls sick and sorrowing.
Thee, bounteous Father, we entreat,
And only Son, awful and sweet,
And life-creating Paraclete,
The Everlasting King.
Amen.
Instead of the foregoing the follow-
ing Hymn is said from the Octave of
Pentecost to the first Sunday of Oc-
tober.
HYMN.3
LET us arise and watch by night,
And meditate always;
And chant as in our Maker's sight,
United hymns of praise.
So singing with the saints in bliss,
With them we may attain
Life everlasting after this,
And heaven for earthly pain.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Spirit, God of grace,
To whom all worship shall be done
In every time and place.
Amen.
When the Invitatories, Hymns, &c.,
are different from the above they are
given in the Office to which they be-
long.
of the chiding of the children of Israël, and because they tempted the LORD, saying: Is
the LORD among us, or not?" The words "and Meribah" are not in the present Latin
version of Exodus.
1 Namely, that particular generation which had come out of Egypt. The next clauses
relate to that which is written in Numbers xiv. 22: "Because all these men which have
seen My glory, and My miracles, which I did in Egypt, and in the wilderness, have tempted
Me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice, surely they shall not see
the land which I sware unto their fathers, neither shall any of them that provoked Me
see it." And this is confirmed with an oath, in verse 28: "As truly as I live, saith the
LORD, as ye have spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you: your carcases shall fall in this
wilderness.'
""
2 Translation by Dr. Newman.
3 Also translated by Dr. Newman.
B 2
4
THE PSALTER.
FIRST NOCTURn, or Watch OF
THE NIGHT.
Psalm II.2
Antiphon for Advent. Behold, WHY do the heathen rage, *

there cometh the King.
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. Serve the LORD.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia.
Psalm I.
BLESSED is the man that walk-
eth not in the counsel of the
ungodly, nor standeth in the way
of sinners, * nor sitteth in the seat
of the scornful :
But his delight is in the law
of the LORD; * and in His Law
doth he meditate day and night.
And he shall be like a tree
planted by the rivers of water, *
that bringeth forth his fruit in
his season:
His leaf also shall not wither:
* and whatsoever he doeth shall
prosper.
Not so are the ungodly [not
so]¹: * but are like the chaff which
the wind driveth away [from the
face of the earth.]¹
Therefore the ungodly shall not
stand in the judgment: * nor sin-
ners in the congregation of the
righteous.
For the LORD knoweth the way
of the righteous: * but the way
of the ungodly shall perish.
Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, * world
without end. Amen.
This Doxology is said at the end of
every Psalm unless special directions are
given to the contrary.
1 Not in the Hebrew.
and the people imagine a
vain thing?

The kings of the earth set them-
selves, and the rulers take counsel
together against the LORD, and
against His Anointed.
*
Let us break their bands asun-
der: * and cast away their yoke
from us.
He That sitteth in the heavens
shall laugh them to scorn :
* and
the Lord shall have them in de-
rision.
Then shall He speak unto them
in His wrath: * and vex them in
His sore displeasure.
Yet me hath He anointed King
upon His holy hill of Zion * to
declare His decree.
The LORD hath said unto me :
* Thou art My Son, this day have
I begotten thee.
Ask of Me, and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine in-
heritance, and the uttermost
parts of the earth for thy posses-
sion.
Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron, * and dash them in
pieces like a potter's vessel.
*
Be wise now, therefore, O ye
kings; be instructed, ye judges
of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear : *
and rejoice with trembling before
Him.
Lay hold of instruction, lest
the Lord be angry,
* and ye
perish from the way [of the righ-
teous.]¹
When His wrath is kindled
in but a little, * blessed are all
they that put their trust in
Him.
2 In Acts iv. 25, 26, the authorship of this Psalm is attributed to David.
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
5
Psalm III.¹
LORD, how are they increased
that trouble me ? *
many are
they that rise up against me.
Many there be that say of my
soul: * There is no help for him
in his God.2
But Thou, O LORD, art a shield
for me, * my glory, and the Lifter
up of mine head.
I cried unto the LORD with my
voice: * and He heard me out of
His holy hill.3
I laid me down and slept; * I
awaked, for the LORD sustained
me.
I will not be afraid of thou-
sands of people that have set
themselves against me round a-
bout: * arise, O LORD, save me,
O my God.
For Thou hast smitten all them
that fought against me without
a cause¹* Thou hast broken the
teeth of the ungodly.
Salvation belongeth unto the
LORD: * and Thy blessing is upon
Thy people.3
O
Psalm VI.5
LORD, rebuke me not in
Thine anger: * neither chas-
ten me in Thy hot displeasure.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD,
for I am weak : * O LORD, heal
me, for my bones are shaken.
My soul also is sore vexed: *
but Thou, O LORD, how long?
Return, O LORD, deliver my
soul :
* O save
(
mercy's sake.
me for Thy
For in death there is no one
that remembereth Thee : * and in
the grave who shall give Thee
thanks ?
I am weary with my groaning,
every night I wash my bed
I water my couch with my
tears.
*
Mine eye is grown dim because
of grief I am waxen old be-
cause of all mine enemies.
Depart from me, all ye work-
ers of iniquity: * for the LORD
hath heard the voice of my weep-
ing.
The LORD hath heard my sup-
* the LORD hath re-
plication :
ceived my prayer.
Let all mine enemies be ashamed
and sore vexed: * let them return
and be ashamed suddenly.
Antiphon for Advent. Behold,
there cometh the King, even the
Most High, with great power, to
save the nations. Alleluia.
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling before
Him.
In Paschal time there is only one
Antiphon to the whole Nocturn.
Second Antiphon for Advent.
Strengthen ye.
Second Antiphon for the rest
of the year. God is a righteous
judge.
1 Intituled " A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.’ See the history in
2 Kings (Sam.) xv., xvi., xviii.
2 Here occur in the Hebrew the letters SLH, or "Selah." The meaning of this is un-
certain. Gesenius thinks "it seems to have been used to mark a short pause in singing
the words of the Psalm, so that the singer would be silent, while the instrumental music
continued.”
3 SLH, again.
4 But the Hebrew reads, not, "without a cause," but, "on the jaw-bone."
5 Intituled "A Psalm of David." The title also contains directions, probably musical,
the meaning of which is now uncertain.
6 Ps. ii. 11.
6
THE PSALTER.
1
Psalm VII.¹
LORD my God, in Thee do I
take refuge : *
save me from
all them that persecute me, and
deliver me.
*
Lest he tear my soul like a
lion, while there is none to de-
liver, or to save.
O LORD my God, if I have done
this, * if there be iniquity in my
hands
;
If I have rewarded evil unto
them that dealt friendly with me,
I fall and be stripped by
*
may
mine enemies.
Let the enemy persecute my soul,
and take it, yea, let him tread
down my life upon the earth, *
and lay mine honour in the dust.2
Arise, O LORD, in Thine anger :
* and lift up Thyself against the
borders of mine enemies.
And awake for me, [O Lord my
God,]³ to the judgment that Thou
hast commanded : * so shall the
congregation of the people com-
pass Thee about.
For their sakes, therefore, re-
turn Thou on high : * the LORD
judgeth the peoples.
Judge me, O LORD, according to
my righteousness, and accord-
ing to mine integrity that is in me.
O let the wickedness of the
wicked come to an end, and es-
tablish the just; * God trieth the
hearts and reins.
My defence is of the Lord, *
Who saveth the upright in heart.
God is a righteous judge, strong
[and patient]³: *wherefore is He
provoked every day?
If ye turn not, He will whet
His sword: * He hath bent His
bow and made it ready.
He hath also prepared for Him
the instruments of death, * He
hath ordained His arrows to burn
up His enemies.
Behold, he travaileth with in-
iquity: * he hath conceived mis-
chief, and brought forth false-
hood.
He made a pit and digged it : *
and is fallen into the ditch which
he made.
His mischief shall return upon
his own head: * and his iniquity
shall come down upon his own
pate.
I will praise the LORD accord-
ing to His righteousness: * and
will sing praise to the name of
the LORD Most High.
0
Psalm VIII.ª 4
LORD, our Ruler, * how ex-
cellent is Thy Name in all
the earth!
Who hast set Thy glory * above
the heavens.
"Out of the mouths of babes
and sucklings hast Thou ordained
praise because of Thine enemies, *
that Thou mightest destroy the
enemy and the avenger.
When I consider Thy heavens,
the work of Thy fingers
* the
moon and the stars which Thou
hast ordained:
What is man, that Thou art
mindful of him ? * or the son of
man, that Thou visitest him?
Thou hast made him a little
1 Intituled "An Hymn of David, which he sang unto the LORD concerning the words of
Cush the Benjamite." This Cush is supposed to be the same as Shimei, whose cursing of
David is narrated in 2 Kings (Sam.) xvi. 7, 8, or else a nickname for Saul.
2 SLH.
3 Not in the Hebrew.
♦ Intituled "A Psalm of David." It has also a title which seems to show that it was a
song for the vintage.
5 This verse was quoted by our Lord, concerning those who cried Hosannah on Palm
Sunday, Matthew xxi. 16.
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
7
lower than the angels, Thou hast
crowned him with glory and ho-
nour, * and madest him to have
dominion over the works of Thy
hands.
Thou hast put all things under
his feet, * all sheep and oxen, yea,
and the beasts of the field.
The fowl of the air, and the
fish of the sea, * that pass through
the paths of the sea.
O`LORD, our Ruler, * how excel-
lent is Thy Name in all the earth!
I
Psalm IX.¹
WILL praise Thee, O LORd,
with my whole heart : * I will
show forth all Thy marvellous
works.
I will be glad and rejoice in
Thee : * I will sing praise to Thy
Name, O Thou Most High.
*
When mine enemies are turned
back, they shall fall and perish
at Thy presence.
For Thou hast maintained my
right and my cause:
* Thou satest
in the throne judging right.
Thou hast rebuked the heathen,
and the wicked are perished: *
Thou hast put out their name for
ever and ever.
*
The destructions of the enemy
are come to a perpetual end:
and their cities hast Thou de-
stroyed.
Their memorial is perished with
a crash: * and the LORD endur-
eth for ever.
He hath prepared His throne
for judgment and He shall
judge the world in righteousness,
He shall minister judgment to
the people in uprightness.
The LORD also is a refuge for
the poor: * a refuge in times of
trouble.
And let them that know Thy
name put their trust in Thee : *
for Thou, LORD, hast not forsaken
them that seek Thee.
Sing praises to the LORD, Which
dwelleth in Zion: * declare among
the people His doings.
For when He maketh inquisi-
tion for blood He remembereth
them: * He forgetteth not the
cry of the afflicted.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD:
* consider my trouble [which I
suffer] of them that hate me.
Thou That liftest me up from
the gates of death : * that I
may show forth all Thy praises
in the gates of the daughter of
Zion!
I will rejoice in Thy salvation :
*the heathen are sunk down in
the pit that they made.
In the net which they hid, * is
their own foot taken.
The LORD is known when He
executeth judgment: * the wicked
is snared in the work of his own
hands.2
The wicked shall be turned in-
to hell: * all the nations that for-
get God.
For the needy shall not alway
be forgotten: * the expectation
of the poor shall not perish for
ever.
Arise, O LORD, let not man
prevail : * let the heathen be
judged in Thy sight.
Put Thou a master over them,
O LORD: * let the nations know
themselves to be but men.³
1 Intituled "A Psalm of David." It has also a superscription the meaning of which is
not now certain.
2 Here occurs :-" Instrumental music-SLH." This is a strong argument in favour of
Gesenius' opinion, see p. 5, note 2.
3 SLH. Here, according to the present Hebrew text, ends Ps. ix.
8
THE PSALTER.
Why standest Thou afar off, O
LORD,* why hidest Thou Thyself
in times of trouble?
The wicked in his pride doth
persecute the poor: * they are
taken in the devices that they
have imagined.
*
For the wicked is praised ac-
cording to his soul's desire
and the unrighteous is deemed
blessed.
The wicked provoketh the
LORD: * in the greatness of his
scornful indignation he doth not
care.
God is not before his eyes :
his ways are always grievous.
*
Thy judgments are far out of
his sight he hath dominion
over his enemies.
He hath said in his heart : *
I shall not be moved unto gene-
ration and generation, yea, I shall
never be in adversity.
His mouth is full of cursing,
and bitterness, and fraud: *
der his tongue is mischief and
sorrow.
un-
* to
He sitteth plotting with the
rich in the secret places,
murder the innocent.
His eyes are privily set against
the poor:
* he lieth in wait se-
cretly, as a lion in his den.
He lieth in wait to catch the
* he doth catch the poor
poor :
when he draweth him
Into his net. He will fell
him; * he will crouch and throw
himself upon him, when he hath
gotten the mastery over
poor.
the
He hath said in his heart: God
hath forgotten: * He turneth
away His face that He shall
never see it.
Arise, O LORD, O God, lift up
Thine hand : * forget not the
afflicted.
Wherefore doth the wicked
contemn God? * for he hath said
in his heart: He will not re-
quire it.
Thou seest it, for Thou behold-
est mischief and spite : * to re-
quite it with Thy hand.
The poor leaveth himself unto
Thee:* Thou wilt be the helper
of the fatherless.
Break Thou the arm of the
wicked and the evil man :
* his
wickedness shall be sought after
and shall not be found.
The LORD shall be King for
ever and ever : * the heathen
shall perish out of His land.
The LORD hath heard the peti-
tion of the poor: *Thine ear hath
heard the desire of his heart.
To judge the fatherless and the
oppressed,* that man may mag-
nify himself no more upon earth.
Psalm X.1
N the LORD put I my trust;
how say ye to my soul, *
Flee as a bird to the mountain ?
For lo, the wicked bend their
bow, they make ready their arrows
in the quiver, * that they may
privily shoot at the upright in
heart.
For they have destroyed that
which Thou hast established : *
and what hath the righteous
done ?
The LORD is in His holy tem-
ple :
* the LORD's throne is in
heaven.
*
His eyes behold the poor :
His eyelids try the children of
men.
The LORD trieth the righteous
1 Intituled "Of David." There is also a superscription perhaps musical but now un-
certain.
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
9
and the wicked: * but him that
loveth iniquity His soul hateth.
Upon the wicked He shall rain
snares: * fire, and brimstone, and
an horrible tempest, this shall be
the portion of their cup.
For the righteous LORD loveth
righteousness: * His countenance
doth behold uprightness.
Antiphon for Advent. 'Strength-
en ye the weak hands: be strong;
say: Behold, our God will come,
and save us, Alleluia.
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. God is a righteous judge,
strong, and patient: wherefore is
He provoked every day?
Third Antiphon for Advent.
Rejoice, all ye.
Third Antiphon for the rest of
the year. Thou.
Psalm XI.3
pure words: * silver tried in a
furnace, purged of dross, purified
seven times.
Thou shalt keep us, O LORD,
and preserve us
* from this gene-
ration for ever.
The wicked walk on every side :
* the increase of men is according
to Thy secret counsel.
Psalm XII.4
How long wilt
OW long wilt Thou forget
me, O LORD? for ever? *
How long hidest Thou Thy face
from me?
How long shall I take counsel
in my soul, having sorrow in
my heart daily?
How long shall mine enemy be
exalted over me? * Consider, and
hear me, O LORD my God.
Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep
the sleep of death :* lest mine
HELP, LORD, for the godly enemy say: I have prevailed a-
man ceaseth: * for the truth
faileth from among the children
of men.
They speak vanity every one
with his neighbour: * with flat-
tering lips, with a double heart,
do they speak.
*
The LORD shall cut off all flat-
tering lips, and the tongue that
speaketh proud things.
Who have said: With our
tongue will we prevail, our lips
are our own: * who is Lord over
* who is Lord over
us ?
*
For the oppression of the poor,
and the sighing of the needy,
now will I arise, saith the LORD.
I will set him in safety:* I
will deal faithfully with him.
The words of the LORD are
1 Isa. XXXV. 3, 4.
gainst him.
Those that trouble me will re-
joice when I am moved: * but I
have trusted in Thy mercy.
My heart shall rejoice in Thy
salvation; I will sing unto the
LORD because He hath dealt
bountifully with me:
* [and I
will sing praise to the name of
the Lord Most High.]

THE
Psalm XIII.6
THE fool hath said in his heart:
* There is no God.
They are corrupt, and have be-
come abominable in their works:
* there is none that doeth good,
[no, not one.]5
The LORD looked down from
heaven upon the children of men:
2 Ps. vii. 11.
3 Intituled "Á Psalm of David," with some other words, now uncertain, as before.
• This Psalm has the same title as the last.
5 Not in the Hebrew.
6 Same title as Psalm x.
10
THE PSALTER.
*to see if there were any that did
understand, or seek God.
They are all gone aside, they
are altogether become unprofit-
able:* there is none that doeth
good, no not one.
"Their throat is an open sepul-
chre they have flattered with
their tongue : * the poison of asps
is under their lips.
Their mouth is full of cursing
and bitterness: * their feet are
swift to shed blood.
Destruction and unhappiness
are in their ways, and the way of
peace they have not known: *
there is no fear of God before
their eyes.
Have all the workers of ini-
quity no knowledge, * who eat
up my people as they would eat
bread ?
They call not upon the LORD:
* there were they in great fear,
[where no fear was ;]²
For the Lord is in the genera-
tion of the righteous: ye have
shamed the counsel of the poor :
* because the LORD is his hope.
Oh that the salvation of Israël
were come out of Zion! * when
the LORD bringeth back the cap-
tivity of His people, Jacob shall
rejoice and Israël shall be glad.
Psalm XIV.3
He that hath not done evil to
his neighbour, * nor taken up a
reproach against his neighbour.
In whose eyes a vile person is
contemned : * but he honoureth
them that fear the LORD.
He that sweareth to his neigh-
bour, and deceiveth him not, * he
that putteth not out his money to
usury, nor taketh reward against
the innocent.
He that doeth these things, *
shall never be moved.
Antiphon for Advent. 4Rejoice,
all ye, and be glad : for, behold,
the Lord will come with ven-
geance, he will bring a recom-
pense: He will come and save
us.
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. Thou shalt keep us, O
LORD, and preserve us.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia. The stone was rolled
away, Alleluia, from the door of
the sepulchre. Alleluia, alleluia.
Then is said a Verse and Answer :
In Advent.
Verse. "Out of Zion, the Per-
fection of beauty.
Answer. Our God shall come
manifestly.
During the rest of the year.
Verse. I have remembered Thy
LORD, who shall abide in Thy name, O LORD, in the night.
in Thy holy hill ?
He that walketh uprightly, *
and worketh righteousness.
He that speaketh the truth in
his heart, * he that back biteth
not with his tongue.
Answer. And have kept Thy
law.
In Lent.
Verse. He hath delivered me
from the snare of the fowler.
Answer. And from the noisome
pestilence.
1 The next three verses are not in the Hebrew. They seem to have been introduced
from Rom. iii. 13-18.
2 These last words are not in the Hebrew.
3 Intituled "A Psalm of David."
4 Isa. xxxv. 4.
7 Ps. xlix. 2.
5 Ps. xi. 8.
6 Mark xvi. 3.
8 Ps. cxviii. 55.
9 Ps. xc. 3.
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
11
In Passion time.
Verse. ¹O God, deliver my soul
from the sword.
Answer. And my darling from
the power of the dog.
In Paschal time.
Verse. The Lord is risen from
the grave, Alleluia.
Answer. Who hung for us upon
the tree, Alleluia.
OUR
Then is said the Lord's Prayer.
UR Father, (inaudibly,) Who
art in heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread, and forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them
that trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Then this Absolution.
GRACIOUSLY hear, O Lord
Jesus Christ, the prayers of
Thy servants and have mercy
upon us: Who livest and reignest
with the Father and the Holy
Ghost, world without end.
Answer. Amen.
Then the reader says:
Then is said the First Responsory,
after which the reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
Second Blessing.
May the Son the Sole-begotten
Mercifully bless and help us.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Second Lesson, and
at the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said the Second Responsory,
after which the reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
Third Blessing.
May the grace of God the Spirit
All our heart and mind en-
lighten.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Third Lesson, and
at the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said the Third Responsory.
SECOND NOCTURN, OR WATCH
OF THE NIGHT.
Antiphon for Advent. Rejoice
2Sir, be pleased to give the greatly.
blessing.
First Blessing.
May the Eternal Father bless us
With an everlasting blessing.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the First Lesson, and at
the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
¹ Ps. xxi. 20.
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. Thou hast no need.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia.
Psalm XV.3
PRESERVE me, O Lord, for
in Thee do I put my trust:
* I have said unto the LORD:
Thou art my God, for Thou hast
no need of my goods.
2 Some persons bound to say the Office, when reciting alone, are accustomed to sub-
stitute for this-without any authority-the words, "Command Thy blessing, O Lord!"
3 Intituled a work" of David," but the specifically descriptive word is not now of cer-
tain meaning.
L
12*
THE PSALTER.
To the Saints that are in the
earth, * Thou hast made all my
counsels admirable.
Their sorrows are multiplied,
* that hasten after [a strange
god.]
*
In their assemblies for blood-
shedding will I have no part :
nor mention their names with my
lips.
The LORD is the portion of
mine inheritance, and of my cup :
*Thou art He That shalt restore
mine inheritance unto me.
The lines are fallen unto me in
pleasant places : *
yea, I have a
goodly heritage.
I will bless the LORD, Who
hath given me counsel : * my reins
also instruct me in the night sea-
sons.
I have set the LORD always be-
fore my face: * because He is at
my right hand, I shall never be
moved.
*
Therefore my heart is glad, and
my tongue rejoiceth :
my flesh
also shall rest in hope,
For Thou wilt not leave my
soul in hell: * neither wilt Thou
suffer Thine Holy One to see
corruption.
Thou hast shown me the path
of life, Thou shalt fill me with
joy in Thy presence: * at Thy
right hand there are pleasures for
evermore.
Antiphon for Advent. Re-
joice greatly, O daughter of
Jerusalem: behold, thy King
cometh into thee, O Zion; fear
not, for thy salvation cometh
quickly.
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. Thou hast no need of my
goods, in Thee do I put my trust,
preserve me, O Lord.
1 Zech. ix. 9.
2 Ps. XV. 1.
In Paschal time there is only one
Antiphon to the whole Nocturn.
Second Antiphon for Advent.
Christ our King.
Second Antiphon for the rest of
the year. By the words.
Psalm XVI.³
HEAR my right, O LORD, * at-
tend unto my cry.
Give ear unto my prayer, * that
goeth not out of feigned lips.
Let my sentence come forth
from Thy presence: * let Thine
eyes behold the things that are
equal.
Thou hast proved mine heart,
and visited it by night : * Thou
hast tried me with fire, and found
no wickedness in me.
*
That my mouth may not speak
concerning the works of men :
by the words of Thy lips I have
kept me to strait paths.
Hold up my goings in Thy
paths, that my footsteps slip
not.
I have called upon Thee, for
Thou hast heard me, O God: *
incline Thine ear unto me, and
hear my speech.
Show Thy marvellous loving-
kindness, * O Thou That savest
them which put their trust in
Thee!
From those that rise up against
Thy right hand keep me, * as the
apple of the eye.
Hide me under the shadow of
Thy wings, * from the face of the
wicked that oppress me.
Mine enemies compass my soul
round about, they are inclosed in
their own fat: * with their mouth
they speak proudly.
They that drave me out have
now compassed me : * they have
3 Intituled "A Prayer of David."
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
13
set their eyes bowing down to the
earth.
They have marked me for their
own, as a lion that is greedy of
his prey:
* and as it were a young
lion lurking in secret places.
Arise, O LORD, disappoint him,
and cast him down : * deliver my
soul from the wicked, Thy sword
from them that hate Thy hand.
O LORD, give them their
por-
tion in this life of the precious
things of the earth : *
yea, their
belly is filled with Thy hid trea-
sure.
They have children to the full:
* and leave the rest of their sub-
stance to their babes.
As for me, I will behold Thy
face in righteousness: * I shall
be satisfied when Thy glory shall
appear.
Antiphon for Advent. Christ
our King cometh, 'Whom John
preached, saying; Behold the
Lamb That should come !
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. 2By the words of Thy lips
I have kept me to strait paths.
Third Antiphon for Advent.
Behold, I come.
Third Antiphon for the rest of
the year. I love Thee.
When this Antiphon is used the Psalm
begins with the words, "O LORD my
strength."
I
Psalm XVII.³ 3
LOVE Thee, O LORD, my
strength : *the LORD is my
rock, and my fortress, and my
Deliverer.
1 John i. 36.
My God, my Helper, * in
Whom I trust.
•
My buckler, and the horn of
my salvation, * and my refuge.
I called upon the LORD with
praises, * and am saved from
mine enemies.
The sorrows of death compassed
me : * and the floods of wicked-
ness made me afraid.
The sorrows of hell compassed
me about: * the snares of death
prevented me.
In my distress I called upon
the LORD,* and cried unto my
God.
And He heard my voice out of
His holy temple: * and my cry
came before Him, even unto His
ears.
The earth shook and trembled:
* the foundations of the hills
moved and were shaken, because
He was wroth.
There went up a smoke in His
wrath, and fire devoured before
His presence : * coals were kin-

dled by it.
He bowed the heavens also, and
came down : * and darkness was
under His feet.
bim and did fly:
And He rode upon the Cheru-
* yea, He did
fly upon the wings of the wind.
And He made darkness His
secret place, His pavilion round
about Him: * dark waters, thick
clouds of the skies.
At the brightness that was be-
fore Him, the thick clouds passed,
* hailstones and coals of fire.
The LORD also thundered in the
heavens, and the Highest gave
2 Ps. xvi. 5.
3 After a superscription now uncertain, the title of this Psalm proceeds, "Of David, the
servant of the LORD, who spake unto the LORD the words of this song, in the day that
the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul: and
he said:" It is found also, with a few slight differences, in 2 Kings (Sam.) xxii.
4 of these creatures, frequently mentioned in connection with the Divine manifesta-
tion, an elaborate account will be found in Ezekiel i., (First Sunday of November,) and
more shortly in Apoc. iv., (Tuesday in Third Week after Easter.)
14
THE PSALTER.
His voice: * hail-stones and coals
of fire.
Yea, He sent out His arrows
and scattered them: * He shot
out many lightnings and discom-
fited them.
And the torrents of water were
seen,* and the foundations of the
world were discovered.
At Thy rebuke, O LORD, * at
the blast of the breath of Thy
wrath!
He sent from above, and took
* and drew me out of many
me;
waters.
He delivered me from the
strongest of mine enemies, and
from them which hated me:
* for
they were too strong for me.
They prevented me in the day
of my calamity, * but the LORD
was my stay.
He brought me forth also into
a large place: * He delivered me
because He delighted in me.
And the LORD shall reward me
according to my righteousness, *
and according to the cleanness of
my hands shall He recompense me.
For I have kept the ways of
the LORD,* and have not wickedly
departed from my God.
For all His judgments were be-
fore me : * and I did not put
away His statutes from me.
I shall also be upright with
Him, and keep myself from
mine iniquity.
*
And the LORD shall reward me
according to my righteousness,
and according to the cleanness of
my hands in His eye-sight.
With the holy Thou shalt be
holy,* and with the innocent Thou
shalt be innocent.
And with the pure Thou shalt
be pure,* and with the contentious
Thou shalt be contentious.
For Thou wilt save the afflicted
people,* and bring down high
looks.
For Thou lightest my candle,
O LORD : * my God, enlighten
my darkness!
For by Thee shall I be deli-
vered from temptation, and by
my God shall I leap over the
wall.
As for my God, His way is
perfect; the word of the LORD is
tried in the fire: * He is a buck-
ler to all those that trust in Him.
For who is God save the LORD?
or who is God save our God?
It is God That girdeth me with
strength, * and maketh my way
perfect.
*
He maketh my feet like hinds'
feet,* and setteth me upon my
high places.
He teacheth my hands to war,
* and maketh mine arms like a
bow of brass.
Thou hast also given me the
shield of Thy salvation: * and
Thy right hand hath holden me up.
Thy gentleness also hath made
me great : * [and Thy chastening
it is that shall teach me.]¹
Thou hast enlarged my steps
under me,
* that my feet did not

slip.
I will pursue mine enemies and
overtake them : * neither will I
turn again till they be consumed.
I will wound them that they
shall not be able to rise: * they
shall fall under my feet.
Thou hast girded me also with
strength unto the battle, * and
hast subdued under me those that
rose up against me.
Thou hast also given me the
backs of mine enemies, * and hast
destroyed them that hate me.
They cried, but there was none
1 Not in the Hebrew.
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
15
to save them, even unto the LORD,
* but He answered them not.
And I will beat them small, as
the dust before the wind: * I will
cast them out as the dirt in the
streets.
Thou shalt deliver me from the
strivings of the people : * Thou
shalt make me the head of the
heathen.
A people whom I knew not have
served me : * as soon as they heard
of me they obeyed me.
The strangers feigned obedi-
ence unto me:
* the strangers
faded away and stumbled in their
paths.
The LORD liveth, and blessed
be my God: * and let the God of
my salvation be exalted!
It is Thou, O God, That aveng-
est me, and subduest the people
under me. * Thou art my deliverer
from my wrathful adversaries.
*
And Thou shalt lift me up above
those that rise up against me :
Thou shalt deliver me from the
wicked man.
Therefore will I give thanks
unto Thee, O LORD, among the
heathen, * and sing praises unto
Thy name.
Great deliverance giveth He to
His king, and showeth mercy to
His Anointed, to David, * and to
his seed for evermore.
thou? Alleluia. The Living among
the dead? Alleluia. Alleluia.
Then is said a Verse and Answer.
In Advent.
Verse. 4Send forth the Lamb,
O Lord, the ruler of the land.
Answer. From the "Rock" of
the wilderness unto the mount of
the daughter of Zion.
During the rest of the year.
Verse. 5For Thou lightest my
candle, O LORD.
Answer. My God, enlighten my
darkness.
In Lent.
Verse. He shall cover thee
with His wings.
Answer. And under His fea-
thers shalt thou trust.
In Passion time.
Verse. 70 Lord, save me from
the lion's mouth.
Answer. And mine affliction
from the horns of the unicorns.
In Paschal time.
Verse. The Lord is risen in-
deed, Alleluia.
Answer. And hath appeared un-
to Simon, Alleluia.
Then is said the Lord's Prayer.
Antiphon for Advent. 'Behold, OUR Father, (inaudibly,) Who
I come quickly, saith the Lord,
and My reward is with Me, to
give every man according as his
work shall be.
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. I love Thee, O LORD, my
strength.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia. ³Woman, whom seekest
1 Apoc. xxii. 12.
art in heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread, and forgive us our
trespasses, As we forgive them
that trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
2 Ps. xvii. 1.
4 Isa, xvi. 1. The "Rock” is the town of Petra in the wilderness.
6 Ps. XC. 3.
7 Ps. xxi. 22.
3 John xx. 15.
5 Ps. xvii. 29.
8 Luke xxiv. 34.
16
THE PSALTER.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Then this Absolution.
MAY His loving-kindness and
mercy help us, Who liveth
and reigneth with the Father, and
the Holy Ghost, world without
end.
Answer. Amen.
Then the reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
Fourth Blessing.
God the Father Omnipotent,
Be to us merciful and clement.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Fourth Lesson, and
at the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said the Fourth Responsory,
after which the reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
Fifth Blessing.
May Christ to all His people
give,
For ever in His sight to live.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Fifth Lesson, and at
the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said the Fifth Responsory,
after which the reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
Sixth Blessing.
May the Spirit's fire Divine
In our hearts enkindled shine.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Sixth Lesson, and at
the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said the Sixth Responsory.
THIRD NOCTURN, OR WATCH OF
THE NIGHT.
Antiphon for Advent. The Angel
Gabriel.
Antiphon for the rest of the year.
There is no speech.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia.
THE
Psalm XVIII.'
HE heavens declare the glory
of God, * and the firmament
showeth His handy-work.
Day unto day uttereth speech,
* and night unto night showeth
knowledge.
There is no speech nor language,
* where their voice is not heard.
Their sound is gone out through
all the earth: * and their words
to the ends of the world.
In them hath He set a taber-
nacle for the sun which * is as
a bridegroom coming out of his
chamber.
He rejoiceth as a strong man to
run a race: *his going forth is
from the end of the heaven.
And his circuit unto the ends
of it: * and there is nothing hid
from the heat thereof.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
converting the soul: * the testi-
mony of the LORD is sure, making
wise the simple.
*
The statutes of the LORD are
right, rejoicing the heart: the
commandment of the LORD is pure,
giving light unto the eyes.
1 Intituled "A Psalm of David," with the same farther obscure superscription, as in
Pss. xii. and xiii.
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
17
The fear of the LORD is holy,
* the
enduring for ever and ever :
judgments of the LORD are true,
righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than
gold and store of precious stones,
* sweeter also than honey and the
honeycomb.
Verily, Thy servant keepeth
them: * in keeping of them there
is great reward.
Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse Thou me from secret
faults: * keep back Thy servant
also from the sins of others.
If they get not dominion over
me, then shall I be undefiled: *
and I shall be cleansed from the
great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and
the meditation of my heart, * be
acceptable in Thy sight [for ever,]¹
O`LORD my Helper, * and my
Redeemer!
Antiphon for Advent. The An-
gel Gabriel spake unto Mary,
saying: Hail, thou that art full
of grace, the Lord is with thee:
blessed art thou among women.
Antiphon for the rest of the year.
3There is no speech nor language
where their voice is not heard.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said to the whole Nocturn.
Second Antiphon for Advent.
Mary said.
the
Second Antiphon for the rest of
year. The LORD.
When this Antiphon is used the Psalm
begins with the words "Hear thee."
Psalm XIX.4
HE LORD hear thee in the day
THE
of trouble: * the Name of the
God of Jacob defend thee.
1 These last words are not in the Hebrew.
3 Ps. xviii. 3.
5 SLH.
*
Send thee help from the sanc-
tuary, and strengthen thee out
of Zion.
Remember all thine offerings, *
and accept thy burnt sacrifice.
Grant thee according to thine
own heart, * and fulfil all thy
counsel.
We will rejoice in Thy salva-
tion:* and in the name of our
God will we exult.
The LORD fulfil all thy peti-
tions : * now know I that the
LORD saveth His Anointed.
He will hear him from His holy
heaven,* with the saving strength
of His right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some
in horses: * but we will call upon
the name of the LORD our God.
They are brought down and
fallen but we are risen, and
stand upright.
:
O LORD, save the king: * and
hear us in the day when we call
[upon Thee.]¹
Antiphon for Advent. "Mary
said: What manner of salutation
is this? My soul is troubled.
Shall I bear the King? And will
He not break the seal of my vir-
ginity?
Antiphon for the rest of the year.
"The LORD hear thee in the day of
trouble.
Third Antiphon for Advent. The
King.
Third Antiphon for the rest of
the year. The king.
When this Antiphon is used the Psalm
begins with the words "Shall joy."
Psalm XX.8
THE king shall
'HE king shall joy in Thy
strength, O LORD: * and in
2 Luke i. 28.
4 This Psalm has the same title as the last.
6 Luke i. 29.
7 Ps. xix. 1.
8 This Psalm also bears the same title as the xviiith.
C
18
THE PSALTER.
Thy salvation how greatly shall
he rejoice!
Thou hast given him his heart's
desire,* and hast not withholden
the request of his lips.¹
For Thou hast prevented him
with the blessings of sweetness:
* Thou hast set a crown of pre-
cious stones upon his head.
He asked life of Thee :
* and
Thou gavest him length of days
for ever and ever.
His glory is great in Thy sal-
vation: * honour and great ma-
jesty shalt Thou lay upon him.
For Thou wilt set him to be a
blessing for ever: * Thou shalt
make him exceeding glad with
Thy countenance.
For the king trusteth in the
LORD,* and, through the mercy
of the Most High, he shall not
be moved.
Thine hand shall find out all
thine enemies: * thy right hand
shall find out all those that hate
thee.
Thou shalt make them as a
fiery oven in the time of thine
anger: * the LORD shall cut them
off in His wrath, and the fire shall
devour them.
Their fruit shalt thou destroy
from the earth, * and their seed
from among the children of men.
For they intended evil against
thee* they imagined a device,
which they were not able to per-
form.
Therefore shalt thou cast them
behind thee: * thou shalt leave
them lying behind thee in thy
foot-prints.2
Be Thou exalted, O LORD, in
1 SLH.
Thine own strength : * we will
sing and praise Thy power.
Antiphon for Advent. The King,
even the Most High, cometh
;
therefore let the hearts of men
be purified to go forth to meet
Him, for, behold, "He will come
and will not tarry.
Antiphon for the rest of the
year. The king shall joy in Thy
strength, O Lord.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Weep not, Mary, Alleluia :
the Lord is risen, Alleluia, Alle-
luia.

Then is said a Verse and Answer.
In Advent.
Verse. 5The Lord cometh out
of His holy place.
Answer. He will come and save
His people.
During the rest of the year.
Verse. Be Thou exalted, O
LORD, in Thine own strength.
Answer. We will sing and
praise Thy power.
In Lent.
Verse. His truth shall be thy
shield.
Answer. Thou shalt not be a-
fraid for the terror by night.
In Passion time.
Verse. Take not away my soul
with sinners, O God!
Answer. Nor my life with
bloody men.
In Paschal time.
Verse. The disciples were glad,
Alleluia.
2 But the Hebrew is :-Therefore shalt thou make them turn their back : * thou shalt
make ready thine arrows upon thy strings against the face of them.
8 Heb. x. 37.
6 Ps. XX. 13.
4 Ps. xx. 1.
7 Ps. xc. 5.
5 Isa. xxxv. 4; Micah i. 3.
8 Ps. xxv. 9.
9 John xx. 20.
SUNDAY AT MATTINS.
19
Answer. When they saw the
Lord, Alleluia.
Then is said the Lord's Prayer.
OUR
R Father, (inaudibly,) Who
art in heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, As we forgive them
that trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Then the Absolution.
MAY the Almighty and merci-
ful Lord loose us from the
bonds of our sins.
Answer. Amen.
Then the reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
Seventh Blessing.
May the Gospel's holy lection
Be our safety and protection.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Seventh Lesson, and
at the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said the Seventh Responsory,
after which the reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
Eighth Blessing.
God's most mighty strength
alway.
Be His people's staff and stay.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Eighth Lesson, and
at the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said the Eighth Responsory,
after which the reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
Ninth Blessing.
May He That is the Angels'
King
To that high realm His people
bring.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Ninth Lesson, and at
the end the reader says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said a Ninth Responsory, un-
less this Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God,” be substituted for it. The Hymn
"We praise Thee, O God," is said in
this place on every Sunday and Feast-
day in the year (except the Feast of the
Holy Innocents if it fall on a Week-
day) from Easter to Advent and from
Christmas to Septuagesima. In Advent
and from Septuagesima to Easter it is
not said on Sunday, but only on Feast-
days. From Easter to Pentecost it is
said on every day whatsoever, except
only Rogation Monday.
WE praise. Thee, O God: we
acknowledge Thee to be
the Lord.
All the earth doth worship
Thee, the Father everlasting.
To Thee all Angels cry aloud,
the heavens, and all the Powers
therein.
To Thee Cherubim² and Sera-
phim³ continually do cry :
1 The authorship of this Hymn, which is prescribed in the Rule of St. Benedict, (born
A.D. 480, died 543,) is uncertain.
2 See Ezek. i.
3 See Isaiah vi. 2.
c 2
20
THE PSALTER.
Holy, Holy, Holy LORD God of
Sabaoth.¹
Heaven and earth are full of
the majesty of Thy glory.
The glorious company of the
Apostles praise Thee:
The goodly fellowship of the
Prophets praise Thee:
The white-robed army of Mar-
tyrs praise Thee:
The holy Church throughout
all the world doth acknowledge
Thee:
The Father of an infinite Ma-
jesty:
Thine honourable, true, and
Only Son.
Also the Holy Ghost, the Com-
forter.
Thou art the King of glory, O
Christ!
Thou art the everlasting Son of
the Father.
When Thou tookest upon Thee
to deliver man, Thou didst not
abhor the Virgin's womb:
When Thou hadst overcome
the sharpness of death, Thou didst
open the kingdom of heaven to all
believers :
Thou sittest at the right hand
of God, in the glory of the Fa-
ther:
We believe that Thou shalt
come to be our Judge:
"We therefore pray Thee, help
Thy servants, whom Thou hast
redeemed with Thy precious
Blood.
Make them to be numbered
with Thy Saints in glory ever-
lasting.3
40 Lord, save Thy people, and
bless Thine inheritance.
Govern them, and lift them up
for ever.
Day by day we magnify Thee;
And we worship Thy name,
ever world without end.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, this day,
to keep us without sin.
"Have mercy upon us, O LORD,
have mercy upon us.
60 LORD, let Thy mercy light-
en upon us, as our trust is in
Thee.
70 LORD, in Thee have I trust-
ed: let me never be confounded.8
1 Hebrew feminine Plural, meaning "hosts," "
2 During this verse it is usual to kneel.
4 Ps. xxvii. 9.
6 Ps. xxxii. 22.
armies."
3 Here ends the original Hymn.
5 Ps. cxxii. 3.
7 Ps. xxx. 1.
8 Mattins and Lauds are usually, though not necessarily, said together. When Mattins
are said alone, the reciter need only say the Lord's Prayer after the Hymu, "We praise
Thee, O God," or the Ninth Responsory. However, many persons conclude thus:-
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
Then the Prayer for the day; then
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. May the souls of the
faithful, through the mercy of
God, rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Then the Lord's Prayer.
The above is founded upon the prece-
dent of Christmas.
MONDAY AT MATTINS.
21
Monday.
THE SECOND DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sundays, except as otherwise
given here.
Invitatory. O come,
sing unto the Lord.
* let us
When this Invitatory is used the
Psalm begins with the words, “Let us
make a joyful noise."
The following Hymn is said from the
Octave of the Epiphany till Passion
Sunday, and from the Octave of Pente-
cost to Advent. The Hymns for the
other seasons are given in the proper
office of the Seasons.
HYMN.¹
SLEEP has refreshed our limbs, we
spring
From off our bed, and rise;
Lord, on Thy suppliants while they sing,
Look with a Father's eyes.
Be Thou the first on every tongue,
The first in every heart;
That all our doings all day long,
Holiest! from Thee may start.
Cleanse Thou the gloom, and bid the
light
Its healing beams renew;
The sins, which have crept in with
night,
With night shall vanish too.
Our bosoms, Lord, unburthen Thou,
Let nothing there offend;
That those who hymn Thy praises now
May hymn them to the end.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Spirit, God of grace,
To whom all worship shall be done
In every time and place.
Amen.
Only one Nocturn is said.
Antiphon. The LORD is the de-
fence.
In Paschal time there is only one An-
tiphon to the whole Nocturn, Alleluia.
Psalm XXVI.2
THE
HE LORD is my light and my
salvation; * whom shall I
fear?
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
The LORD is the defence of my
life: * of whom shall I be afraid?
When the evil-doers come upon
me, * to eat up my flesh,
Mine enemies that trouble me,
* they stumble and fall.
Though an host should encamp
against me, my heart shall not
fear.
*
Though war should rise against
me, *in this will I be confident.
One thing have I desired of the
LORD, that will I seek after, *
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 visit His temple.
For He hideth me in His pa-
vilion: * in the secret of His
tabernacle hath He hidden me in
the day of trouble.
He hath set me up upon a rock :
* and now hath He lifted up mine
head above mine enemies.
I offered in His tabernacle the
sacrifice of joy : * I will sing,
yea, I will sing praises unto the
LORD.
Hear, O LORD, when I cry with
my voice: * have mercy on me
and answer me.
My heart said unto Thee, My
face hath sought Thee: * Thy
face, LORD, will I seek.
*
Hide not Thy face far from
me : turn not away in anger
from Thy servant.
Be Thou my Helper, * neither
leave me, nor forsake me, O God
of my salvation.
When my father and my mother
forsake me,
* then the LORD tak-
eth me up.
Teach me Thy way, O LORD :
* and lead me in a plain path, be-
cause of mine enemies.
Deliver me not over unto the
will of mine enemies: * for false
2 Intituled "Of David."
22
THE PSALTER.
witnesses are risen up against me,
and iniquity hath belied itself.
*
I believe that I shall yet see
the goodness of the LORD in the
land of the living.
Wait on the LORD, be of good
courage: * and thine heart shall
be strengthened, wait, I say, on
the LORD.
Psalm XXVII.¹
UNTO Thee will I cry, O LORD;
my God, be not silent to me :
* lest, if Thou be silent to me, I
become like them that go down
into the pit.
Hear the voice of my supplica-
tion, [O Lord,]2 when I cry unto
Thee: *when I lift up my hands
toward Thy holy temple.
Draw me not away with the
wicked: * and [destroy me not]2
with the workers of iniquity.
Which speak peace with their
neighbour: * but mischief is in
their hearts.
Give them according to their
deeds, and according to the
wickedness of their inventions.
Give them after the works of
their hands: * render to them
their desert.
Because they regard not the
works of the LORD, or the opera-
tion of His hands, * Thou shalt
destroy them, and not build them
up.
Blessed be the LORD: * because
He hath heard the voice of my
supplication.
The LORD is my strength and
my shield: * my heart trusted in
Him and I am helped.
And my flesh greatly rejoiceth:
1 Also intituled "Of David."
3 Ps. xxvi. 1.
* and with my whole heart I will
praise Him.
The LORD is the strength of
His people : * and He is the_sav-
ing strength of His Anointed.
[O Lord,]² save Thy people, and
bless Thine inheritance :
* and
govern them, and lift them up for
ever.
Antiphon. The LORD is the de-
fence of my life.
Second Antiphon. Worship.
GIVE
Psalm XXVIII.4
VE unto the LORD, O ye
sons of God: * [give unto the
Lord young rams.]5
Give unto the LORD glory and
honour, give unto the LORD the
glory due unto His Name : *
worship the LORD in His holy
courts.
The voice of the LORD is upon
the waters, the God of glory thun-
dereth: the LORD is upon many
waters.
*
The voice of the LORD is power-
ful the voice of the LORD is
full of majesty.
:
The voice of the LORD breaketh
the cedars: * yea, the LORD break-
eth the cedars of Lebanon.
He smiteth them down as though
it were a calf in Lebanon, * and
the beloved [forest is felled] like
a young unicorn.6
The voice of the LORD divideth
the flames of fire: * the voice of
the LORD shaketh the wilderness,
yea, the LORD also shaketh the
7wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD maketh
the hinds to calve, and discover-
eth the thickets: * and in His
2 Not in the Hebrew.
♦ Intituled "A Psalm of David."
5 An alternative translation of the first part of the verse.
6 The Hebrew is, "He also maketh them to skip like a calf, Lebanon and Shiryon”
(oftener called Hermon) "like a young unicorn."
7 That is, the deserts to the south of Palestine, amid which is found the town of Kadesh-
Barnea.
MONDAY AT MATTINS.
23
temple, every whit of it uttereth
His glory.
The LORD sitteth upon the
flood: *
the LORD sitteth
yea,
King for ever.
The LORD will give strength
unto His people: * the LORD will
bless His people with peace.
I
Psalm XXIX.¹
WILL extol Thee, O LORD,
for Thou hast lifted me up,
* and hast not made my foes to
rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried unto
Thee,* and Thou hast healed me.
O LORD, Thou hast brought up
my soul from the grave:
* Thou
hast saved me from being one of
them that go down into the pit.
Sing unto the LORD, O ye
Saints of His! * and give thanks
to the memorial of His holiness.
For there is terror in His anger:
* and in His favour is life.
Weeping may endure for a
night:* but joy cometh in the
morning.
And I, in my prosperity I said:
I shall never be moved.
LORD, in Thy favour, * Thou
hast made my glory to stand so
fast.
Thou didst hide Thy face from
* and I was troubled.
me,
I cried to Thee, O LORD: * and
unto my GoD² I made supplication :
What profit is there in my
blood,* when I go down to cor-
ruption?
Shall the dust praise Thee, *
or shall it declare Thy truth ?
The LORD heard me, and had
mercy upon me : * the LORD be-
came mine Helper.
Thou hast turned for me my
mourning into rejoicing: * Thou
hast put off my sackcloth, and
girded me with gladness.
To the end that my glory may
sing praise to Thee, and not be
silent: * O LORD my God, I will
give thanks unto Thee for ever.
Antiphon. Worship the LORD
in His holy courts.
Third Antiphon. Deliver me.
IN
Psalm XXX.ª
N Thee, O LORD, do I put my
trust, let me never be ashamed:
* deliver me in Thy righteous-
ness.
Bow down Thine ear to me : *
deliver me speedily.
Be Thou to me a God, a Pre-
server, and an house of defence, *
to save me.
For Thou art my strength and
my refuge : * and for Thy name's
sake Thou wilt lead me and nou-
rish me.
Thou wilt pull me out of the net,
that they have laid privily for me :
* for Thou art my Preserver.
"Into Thy hands I commend my
spirit: * Thou hast redeemed me,
O LORD God of truth!
*
I have hated them that regard
lying vanities.
But I trust in the LORD: * I
will be glad and rejoice in Thy
mercy.
For Thou hast considered my
1 Intituled "A song of rejoicing at the opening of the house of David." The palace,
for the inauguration of which this song was written, is thus mentioned in 2 Kings (Sam.) v.
9-11. "So David dwelt in the fort" (on Sion) "and called it the city of David. And
David built round about from Millo and inward. And David went on, and grew great;
and the LORD God of Hosts was with him. And Hiram King of Tyre sent messengers to
David, and cedar-trees, and carpenters, and masons; and they built David an house."
2 In the Hebrew the Divine Name occurs here.
3 Ps. xxviii. 2.
* Intituled " A Psalm of David" with the same farther superscription as Pss. xii. xiii.
5 This verse was quoted by our Lord on the Cross, Luke xxiii. 46.
24
THE PSALTER.
trouble:* Thou hast saved my
soul in adversity.
And hast not shut me up into
the hand of the enemy: * Thou
hast set my feet in a large
room.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD,
for I am in trouble:
* mine eye
is consumed with grief, my soul,
and my belly.
For my life is spent with grief,
* and my years with sighing.
My strength faileth because of
mine affliction, and my bones
are consumed.
I was a reproach among all
mine enemies, and among my
neighbours specially, * and a fear
to mine acquaintance.
They that did see me without
fled from me : * I am forgotten
as a dead man out of mind.
I am like a broken vessel : *
for I have heard the slander of
many on every side :
*
When they took counsel toge-
ther against me, they devised to
take away my life.
But I trusted in Thee, O LORD:
* I said: Thou art my God, my
times are in Thy hand.
Deliver me from the hand of
mine enemies, * and from them
that persecute me.
Make Thy face to shine upon
Thy servant, save me for Thy
mercies' sake: * let me not be
ashamed, O LORD, for I have
called upon Thee.
Let the wicked be ashamed and
let them go down into the grave:
* let the lying lips be put to si-
lence;
*
Which speak grievous things
proudly and contemptuously
against the righteous.
O how great is Thy goodness,
1 Not expressed in the Hebrew.
[O Lord,]¹* which Thou hast laid
up for them that fear Thee!
Which Thou hast wrought for
them that trust in Thee, * before
the sons of men !
Thou shalt hide them in the
secret of Thy presence * from the
troubling of men.
*
Thou shalt keep them secretly
in Thy pavilion from the strife
of tongues.
2 Intituled "A didactic (?) poem of David.”
Blessed be the LORD: * for He
hath showed me His marvellous
kindness in a strong city.
For I said in my haste: * I am
cut off from before Thine eyes.
Nevertheless Thou heardest the
voice of my supplication, * when
I cried unto Thee.
:
O love the LORD, all ye His
saints for the LORD careth for
the faithful, and will plentifully
reward the proud doers.
Be of good courage and let
your heart be strengthened,* all
ye that hope in the LORD.
F
Psalm XXXI.2
LESSED are they whose trans-
gressions are forgiven, * and
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man unto whom
the LORD imputeth no iniquity, *
and in whose spirit there is no
guile.
Because I kept silence, my bones
waxed old, * while I roared all the
day long.
For day and night Thy hand
was heavy upon me :
* I was
turned in my anguish while the
thorn was fastened.3
I acknowledged my sin unto
Thee: * and mine iniquity have I
not hid.
I said: I will confess against
myself my transgression, unto the
3 SLH.
MONDAY AT MATTINS.
25
LORD: * and Thou forgavest the
iniquity of my sin.¹
For this shall every one that is
godly pray unto Thee,* in the time
when Thou visitest his transgres-
sion.
*
Surely in the floods of great
waters, they shall not come nigh
unto him.
Thou art my hiding-place from
the trouble that compasseth me :
* O Thou That art my joy! de-
liver me from them that compass
me round about.¹
I will give thee understanding,
and teach thee in the way which
thou shalt go: * I will keep Mine
eyes upon thee.
Be ye not as the horse and as
the mule, which have no un-
derstanding.
Whose mouths thou holdest
fast with bit and bridle, * else
they will not come unto thee.
Many sorrows shall be to the
wicked: * but he that trusteth in
the LORD, mercy shall compass
him about.
Be glad in the LORD, and re-
joice, ye righteous, * and shout
for joy, all ye that are upright in
heart.
Antiphon. 2Deliver me in Thy
righteousness.
Fourth Antiphon. Praise is
comely.
Psalm XXXII.
REJOICE in the LORD, O ye
righteous: praise is comely
for the upright.
Praise the LORD with harp : *
sing unto Him with the psaltery
of ten strings.
*
Sing unto Him a new song:
play skilfully unto Him with a
loud noise.
1 SLH.
For the word of the LORD is
right: * and all His works are
done in truth.
He loveth mercy and judg-
ment: * the earth is full of the
goodness of the LORD.
By the word of the LORD were
the heavens made, * and all the
host of them by the breath of His
mouth.
He gathereth the waters of the
sea together as an heap: * He lay-
eth up the depths in storehouses.
Let all the earth fear the LORD:
* let all the inhabitants of the
world stand in awe of Him.
For He spake, and it was done :
* He commanded, and it was made.
The LORD bringeth the counsel
of the heathen to nought: * He
maketh the devices of the people
of none effect, [and setteth aside
the counsel of princes.]3
But the counsel of the LORD
standeth for ever, * the thoughts
of His heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose
God is the LORD, the people
He hath chosen for His own in-
heritance.
The LORD looketh from heaven:
* He beholdeth all the sons of
men.
From the set place of His habi-
tation * He looketh upon all the
inhabitants of the earth.
He fashioneth the heart of every
one of them: * He considereth all
their works.
There is no king saved by the
multitude of an host: * a mighty
man is not delivered by much
strength.
An horse is a vain thing for
safety : * by his great strength
he shall not be delivered.
Behold the eyes of the LORD
2 Ps. xxx. 1.
3 This last clause is not in the present Hebrew text.
1%
26
THE PSALTER.
are upon them that fear Him, *
and upon them that hope in His
mercy.
To deliver their soul from death,
* and to feed them in time of fa-
mine.
Our soul waiteth for the LORD:
* for He is our help and our
shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in
Him: * because we have trusted
in His holy name.
Let Thy mercy, O LORD, be
upon us, * according as we hope in
Thee.
I
Psalm XXXIII.¹
WILL bless the LORD at all
times : * His praise shall con-
tinually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast
in the LORD: * the humble shall
hear thereof, and be glad.
O magnify the LORD with me :
* and let us exalt His name to-
gether.
I sought the LORD, and He
heard me,
* and delivered me
from all my distress.
Draw near unto Him, and be
lightened, * and your faces shall
not be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the
LORD heard him, * and saved him
out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamp-
eth round about them that fear
Him, * and delivereth them,
O taste and see that the LORD
is good: * blessed is the man that
trusteth in Him.
O fear the LORD, all ye His
saints:* for there is no want to
them that fear Him.
Princes do lack and suffer hun-
ger: * but they that seek the
LORD shall not want any good
thing.
Come, ye children, hearken unto
me: *I will teach you the fear of
the LORD.
What man is he that desireth
life, that loveth to see good
*
days?
Keep thy tongue from evil, *
and thy lips from speaking guile.
Depart from evil and do good:
* seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are upon
the righteous: * and His ears are
open unto their cry.
But the face of the LORD is
against them that do evil, * to
cut off the remembrance of them
from the earth.
The righteous cry and the LORD
heareth,* and delivereth them
out of all their troubles.
The LORD is nigh unto them that
are of a broken heart, * and saveth
such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the
righteous but the LORD will
deliver them out of all.
[The Lord] keepeth all their
bones: * not one of them shall be
broken.
1 Intituled "Of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech, who drove him
away and he departed." The incident is thus described in 1 Kings (Sam.) xxi. 10.
"And
David arose and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went to Achish” (otherwise called
Abimelech) “the King of Gath. And the servants of Achish said unto him: Is not this
David the King of the land? Did they not sing one to another of him in dances saying,
'Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands?' And David laid up these
words in his heart, and was sore afraid of Achish the King of Gath. And he changed his
behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the
doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. Then said Achish to his
servants: Lo, ye see the man is mad; wherefore have ye brought him to me? Have I
need of madmen, that ye have brought this fellow to play the madman in my presence?
Shall this fellow come into my house? xxii. David therefore departed thence, and es-
caped to the cave of Adullam." This Psalm is A B C Darian, but Vav is omitted and Pe
repeated in the last verse, as in Psalm xxiv.
2 Not in the Hebrew. Vav.
MONDAY AT MATTINS.
27
The death of sinners is grievous:
* and they that hate the righteous
shall be guilty.
The LORD redeemeth the souls
of His servants: * and none of
them that trust in Him shall be
guilty.
Antiphon. 'Praise is comely for
the upright.
Fifth Antiphon. Fight against
them.
Psalm XXXIV.2
Dº me right, O LORD, against
them that strive with me: *
fight against them that fight a-
gainst me.
Take hold of arms and buckler:
* and stand up for mine help.
Draw out also the spear, and
stop the way against them that
persecute me : say unto my soul:
I am thy salvation.
*
Let them be confounded and
put to shame, * that seek after my
soul.
Let them be turned backward
and brought to confusion, * that
devise my hurt.
Let them be as dust before the
wind : * and let the Angel of the
LORD chase them.
Let their way be dark and slip-
pery: * and let the Angel of the
LORD persecute them.
For without cause have they
hid for me the deadly trap of
their net : * without cause have
they digged a pit for my soul.
Let the snare come upon him at
unawares, and let his net, that he
hath hid, catch himself: * and
into that very snare let him fall.
And my soul shall be joyful in
the LORD:* it shall rejoice in
His salvation.
All my bones shall say: * LORD,
who is like unto Thee?
1 Ps. xxxii. 1.
3 (Literally,) "mine only one."
Which deliverest the poor from
them that are too strong for him,
* the poor and the needy from
them that spoil him?
False witnesses did rise up, *
they laid to my charge things that
I knew not.
They rewarded me evil for good,
* to put all men far off from me.
But as for me, when they were
sick, * my clothing was sackcloth.
I humbled my soul with fast-
ing: * and my prayer shall return
into my own bosom.
I behaved myself as though he
had been my friend or brother : *
I bowed down as one that mourn-
eth and is heavy.
But against me they rejoiced
and gathered themselves toge-
ther slanders were collected
against me, and I knew it not.
:
They disappeared, yet they
ceased not; they assailed me,
they laughed me bitterly to scorn:
* they gnashed upon me with
their teeth.
Lord, how long wilt Thou look
on? * Rescue my soul from their
destruction, my darling³ from the
lions.
I will give Thee thanks in the
great congregation :
great congregation:* I will praise
Thee among much people.
Let not them rejoice over me,
that are mine enemies wrongfully,
* that hate me without a cause and
wink with the eye.
For they spoke to me peace-
ably : * but by their leasing they
stirred up the land to anger against
me, yea, they plotted against me.
Yea, they opened their mouth
wide against me: * they said,
Aha, Aha, our eyes have seen it.
This Thou hast seen, O Lord,
keep not silence: * O Lord, be
not far from me.
2 Intituled "Of David."
28
THE PSALTER.
Stir up Thyself, and awake to
my judgment, * unto my cause,
my God and my Lord.
Judge me, O LORD my God,
according to Thy righteousness,
* and let them not rejoice over
me.
*
Let them not say in their hearts:
Aha, Aha, so would we have it ;
neither let them say: We have
swallowed him up.
*
Let them be ashamed and
brought to confusion together,
that rejoice at my hurt.
Let them be clothed with shame
and dishonour, * that magnify
themselves against me.
Let them shout for joy and be
glad, that favour my righteous
cause: * and let them that have
pleasure in the prosperity of His
servant say continually, Let the
LORD be magnified.
And my tongue shall speak of
Thy righteousness; * of Thy
praise, all the day long.
THE
Psalm XXXV.¹
HE wicked saith plainly in his
own heart, that he will go on
still in sin: * there is no fear of
God before his eyes.
Thy righteousness is like the
mountains of God: * Thy judg-
ments are a great deep.
O LORD, Thou preservest man
and beast: * How excellent is Thy
loving-kindness, O God!
And the children of men * shall
put their trust under the shadow
of Thy wings.
They shall be abundantly satis-
fied with the fatness of Thy house,
* and Thou shalt make them drink
of the river of Thy pleasures.
For with Thee is the fountain
of life : * and in Thy light shall
we see light.
O continue Thy loving-kindness
unto them that know Thee, * and
Thy righteousness to the upright
in heart.
Let not the foot of pride come
against me : * and let not the hand
of the wicked remove me.
There are the workers of ini-
quity fallen: * they are cast out,
neither are they able to stand.
Antiphon. 2Fight against them
that fight against me.
Sixth Antiphon. Show.
Psalm XXXVI.³
For he flattereth himself in his FRET not thyself because of
own eyes,* until his iniquity be
found hateful.
The words of his mouth are ini-
quity and deceit : * he willeth not
to understand, that he may do
good.
He deviseth mischief upon his
bed: * he setteth himself in every
way that is not good, but he ab-
horreth not evil.
Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the
heavens and Thy faithfulness
reacheth unto the clouds.
*
:
the evil-doers: * neither be
thou envious against the workers
of iniquity.
For they shall soon dry up like
the_grass, * and wither quickly
as the green herb.
Trust in the LORD, and do
good : * and dwell in the land, and
thou shalt be fed with the riches
thereof.
Delight thyself in the LORD: *
and He shall give thee the desires
of thine heart.
Show thy way unto the LORD,
1 Intituled "Of David, the servant of the LORD," and a farther superscription not now
understood.
2 Ps. xxxiv. 1.
3 Intituled "Of David." It is ABC Darian; the first, third, and fifth verses, and so on,
begin with the corresponding letters of the alphabet.
MONDAY AT MATTINS.
29
trust also in Him: * and He shall
bring it to pass.
And He shall bring forth thy
righteousness as the light, and thy
judgment as the noon-day: * rest
in the LORD, and make thy prayer
unto Him.
Fret not thyself because of him
who prospereth in his way, * be-
cause of the man who bringeth
wicked devices to pass.
Cease from anger and forsake
wrath fret not thyself to do
evil.
:
For evil-doers shall be cut off :
* but those that wait upon the
LORD, they shall inherit the earth.
For yet a little while, and the
wicked shall not be : * yea, thou
shalt diligently consider his place,
and thou shalt not find it.
¹But the meek shall inherit the
earth: * and shall delight them-
selves in the abundance of peace.
The wicked plotteth against the
just, and gnasheth upon him
with his teeth.
But the Lord shall laugh at
him: * for He seeth that his day
is coming.
The wicked have drawn out the
sword, * they have bent their bow,
To cast down the poor and the
needy, to slay such as be of
upright conversation.
Their sword shall enter into
their own heart: * and their bow
shall be broken.
A little that a righteous man
hath, * is better than great riches
of the wicked.
For the arms of the wicked
shall be broken; * but the LORD
upholdeth the righteous.
The LORD knoweth the days of
the undefiled: * and their in-
heritance shall be for ever.
They shall not be ashamed in
the evil time, and in the days of
famine they shall be satisfied : *
for the wicked shall perish.
Yea, the enemies of the Lord,
though they be honourable and
exalted, * when they pass away,
shall pass away like smoke.
The wicked borroweth and pay-
eth not again : * but the righteous
showeth mercy and giveth.
For such as bless him shall in-
herit the earth: * but they that
curse him shall be cut off.
The steps of a [good] man are
ordered by the LORD: * and He
delighteth in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be
utterly cast down: * for the LORD
upholdeth him with His hand.
I have been young, and now
am old: * yet have I not seen
the righteous forsaken, nor his
seed begging bread.
He is ever merciful and lend-
eth: * and his seed shall be
blessed.
Depart from evil and do good :
* and dwell for evermore.
For the LORD loveth judgment,
and forsaketh not His saints: *
they shall be preserved for ever.
[The unrighteous shall be pun-
ished]2: * and the seed of the
wicked shall be cut off.
But the righteous shall inherit
the land: * and dwell therein for
ever.
The mouth of the righteous
speaketh wisdom, * and his tongue
talketh judgment.
The law of his God is in his
heart, * none of his steps shall
slide.
The wicked watcheth the righ-
teous, * and seeketh to slay him.
But the LORD will not leave
him in his hands, * nor condemn
him when he is judged.
1 Matth. v. 3 seems to be quoted from this.
2 Not in the Hebrew, perhaps fallen out of the present text.
30
THE PSALTER.
Wait on the LORD and keep
His way, and He shall exalt thee,
to inherit the land: * when the
wicked are cut off thou shalt see it.
I have seen the wicked in great
power, * and exalted like a cedar
in Lebanon.
And I passed by, and, lo, he
was not: * and I sought him, and
his place was not found.
Keep innocency, and look to
the thing that is right: * for the
peace-maker shall have a reward
hereafter.
But the transgressors shall be
cut off together: * the end of the
wicked is destruction.
But the salvation of the righ-
teous is of the LORD: * and He
is their strength in the time of
trouble.
And the LORD shall help them,
and deliver them: * He shall de-
liver them from the wicked, and
save them, because they trust in
Him.
Psalm XXXVII.¹
LORD, rebuke me not in Thy
wrath, * neither chasten me
in Thy hot displeasure.
For Thine arrows stick fast in
* and Thy hand presseth me
me:
sore.
*
There is no soundness in my
flesh, because of Thine anger :
neither is there any rest in my
bones because of my sins.
For mine iniquities are gone
over mine head: * and as an
heavy burthen they are too heavy
for me.
My wounds stink and are cor-
rupt, * because of my foolishness.
rupt,
I am troubled and bowed down
exceedingly: * I go mourning all
the day long.
For my loins are filled with a
loathsome disease: * and there
is no soundness in my flesh.
I am feeble and sore broken : *
I have roared by reason of the
disquietness of my heart.
Lord, all my desire is before
Thee* and my groaning is not
hid from Thee.
My heart panteth, my strength
faileth me: * as for the light of
mine eyes, it also is gone from me.
My friends and my neighbours
* draw near, and stand over a-
gainst me.
And they that are nearest to me
stand afar off: * they also that
sought after my life have used
violence against me.
And they that seek my hurt
have spoken mischievous things,
* and imagined falsehoods all the
day long.
But I, as a deaf man, hear not,
* and as a dumb man that open-
eth not his mouth.
Thus I was as a man that hear-
eth not, * and in whose mouth
are no reproofs.
For in Thee, O LORD, do I
hope: Thou wilt hear me, O
Lord my God.
For I said: Let not mine ene-
mies rejoice over me: * when
my feet slip they magnify them-
selves against me.
For I am ready for the scourges:
* and my sorrow is continually
before me.
For I will declare mine ini-
quity, and think upon my sin.
**
But mine enemies are lively,
and they are strengthened [against
me]²: * and they that hate me
wrongfully are multiplied.
They that render evil for good
' Intituled "A Psalm of David." It has a farther superscription of (now) unknown
meaning.
2 Not in the Hebrew.
MONDAY AT MATTINS.
31
speak against me, * because I
have followed goodness.
* O
Forsake me not, O LORD my
God: * be not far from me.
Make haste to help me,
Lord [God] of my salvation.
Antiphon. 'Show thy way unto
the LORD.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Then is said a Verse and Answer.
In Advent.
Verse. Out of Zion, the Perfec-
tion of beauty.
Answer. Our God shall come
manifestly.
During the rest of the year.
Verse. "Thy mercy, O LORD, is
in the heavens.
Answer. And Thy faithfulness
reacheth unto the clouds.
In Lent.
Verse. He hath delivered me
from the snare of the fowler.
Answer. And from the noisome
pestilence.
In Passion time.
Verse. 40 God, deliver my soul
from the sword.
Answer. And my darling from
the power of the dog.
In Paschal time.
Verse. The Lord is risen from
the grave, Alleluia.
Answer. Who hung for us upon
the tree, Alleluia.
The rest is the same as the First Noc-
turn of the preceding Sunday, only the
Lessons and sometimes the Responsories
are those of the day.
Simple Feasts. It is to be remembered
that when a Simple Feast is kept on
Monday, the Invitatory and Hymn are
1 Ps. xxxvi. 5.
Ps. xxi. 20.
7 Ps. xxxi. 11.
of the Feast, being taken from the Com-
mon of Saints of the class, unless speci-
ally given. Then the Psalms and An-
tiphons of the week-day, as given above.
Then is said a Verse and Answer as
follow:
For one or many Martyrs in Paschal
time.
Verse. O ye saints and righ-
teous, rejoice in the Lord, AÏle-
luia.
Answer. God hath chosen you
for His own inheritance. Alleluia.
For one Martyr, (out of Paschal time.)
Verse. "Thou hast crowned him
with glory and honour, O Lord.
Answer. And madest him to
have dominion over the works of
Thy hands.
For many Martyrs, (out of Paschal
time.)
Verse. Be glad in the LORD,
and rejoice, ye righteous.
Answer. And shout for joy, all
ye that are upright in heart.
For Confessors, (whether Bishops or
not.)
Verse. The Lord loved him and
beautified him.
Answer. And clothed him with
a robe of glory.
For one Holy Woman, of any class.
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty.
Answer. Go forward, fare pros.
perously and reign.
The others, as well as what follows,
to the end of the service, are taken from
the First Nocturn of the Office Common
to Saints of the class, unless something
special be appointed. The Lessons are
arranged according to the rules in Chap-
ver xxvi. 4, of the general Rubrics.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,”
2 Ps. xxxv. 6.
5 Ps. xxxii. 12.
8 Ecclus. xlv. 7.
3 Ps. xc. 3.
6 Ps. viii. 5, 6.
9 Ps. xliv. 4.
32
THE PSALTER.
is said at the end, instead of a third
Responsory. The Responsories are ar-
ranged according to the rules in Chapter
xxvii. 4, of the general Rubrics.
On this and all other days, when three
Lessons are read, the Blessings are said
as ordered in the general Summary of
Blessings at the beginning of the book.
Tuesday.
THE THIRD DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
Invitatory. Let us make a joy-
ful noise to * the God of our sal-
vation.
0
HYMN.¹
GOD from God, and Light from
Light,
Who art Thyself the day,
Our chants shall break the clouds of
night;
Be with us while we pray.
Chase Thou the gloom that haunts the
mind,
The thronging shades of hell,
The sloth and drowsiness that bind
The senses with a spell.
Lord, to their sins indulgent be,
Who, in this hour forlorn,
By faith in what they do not see,
With songs prevent the morn.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Spirit, God of grace,
To Whom all worship shall be done
In every time and place.
Only one Nocturn is said.
Antiphon. That I sin not.
Amen.
In Paschal time there is only one An-
tiphon to the whole Nocturn, Alleluia.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
Psalm XXXVIII.2
SAID: I will take heed to my
ways, * that I sin not with
my tongue.
I kept my mouth with a bridle,
* while the wicked stood up a-
gainst me.
I was dumb, and humbled my-
self, I held my peace even from
good: * and my sorrow was stir-
red up afresh.
My heart was hot within me :
* and while I was musing the fire
kindled.
*
I spake with my tongue :
LORD, make me to know mine
end;
*
And the measure of my days
what it is; that I may know
how frail I am.
Behold, Thou hast made my
days as a span:
* and mine age is
as nothing before Thee.
Verily every man living * is
altogether vanity.3
Surely every man walketh in a
vain show: * he is disquieted also
in vain.
He heapeth up riches, * and
knoweth not who shall gather
them.
And now what wait I for? Is
it not for the Lord? * and mine
hope is with Thee.
Deliver me from all my trans-
gressions: * Thou hast given me
for a reproach unto the foolish.
I was dumb and opened not my
mouth, because Thou didst it : *
remove Thy strokes away from
me.
I am consumed by the blow of
2 Intituled "A Psalm of David," with a further notice of meaning now uncertain. It is
addressed to Jeduthun, concerning whom it is said, in 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi. 42, that David
appointed, along with the priests who officiated before the Ark,
66 Heman and Jeduthun,
and the rest that were chosen, who are expressed by name, to give thanks to the LORD,
because His mercy endureth for ever. And with them Heman and Jeduthun, with trumpets
and cymbals, for those that should make a sound, and with musical instruments of God."
3 SLH.
TUESDAY AT MATTINS.
33
Thine hand: * Thou, with rebukes
dost correct man for iniquity.
And Thou makest his beauty to
consume away like a moth: *
surely every man [is disquieted]'
in vain.2
Hear my prayer, O LORD, and
my cry:* give ear unto my tears.
Hold not Thy peace : for I am
a stranger with Thee, and a so-
journer, as all my fathers were.
*
O spare me, that I may recover
strength, before I go hence, * and
be no more.
I
me,
Psalm XXXIX.³
WAITED patiently for the
LORD,* and He inclined unto
And heard my cry:
* He
brought me up also out of an hor-
rible pit, and out of the miry clay.
And set my feet upon a rock;
* and ordered my goings.
*
And He hath put a new song
my mouth, even praise unto
our God.
in
Many shall see it, and fear,
and shall trust in the Lord.
*
Blessed is that man whose trust
is the name of the LORD: * and
who respecteth not pride and ly-
ing vanities.
Many, O LORD my God, are
Thy wonderful works which Thou
hast done: * and in Thy thoughts
there is none like unto Thee.
*
If I would declare and speak
of them, they are more than can
be numbered.
Sacrifice and offering Thou
hast not desired; * but mine ears
hast Thou opened.
Burnt-offering and sin-offering
hast Thou not required: * then
said I: Lo, I come.
1 Not in the Hebrew.
In the beginning of the book
it is written of me that I should
fulfil Thy will: * O my God, I
delight [to do it,]¹ yea, Thy law
is within my heart.
I have preached [Thy]' righte
ousness in the great congregation:
* lo, I have not refrained my lips :
O LORD, Thou knowest.
I have not hid Thy righteous-
ness within my heart: * I have
declared Thy faithfulness and
Thy salvation.
I have not concealed Thy lov-
ing-kindness, and Thy truth *
from the great congregation.
Withhold not Thou Thy tender
mercies from me, O LORD : * let
Thy loving-kindness and Thy
truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have
compassed me about : * mine ini-
quities have taken hold upon me,
and I am not able to look up.
They are more than the hairs
of mine head: * and my heart
faileth me.
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver
me: * O LORD, look upon me to
help me.
Let them be ashamed and con-
founded together that seek after
my soul, * to destroy it.
Let them be driven backward,
and put to shame, * that wish me
evil.
Let them quickly bear their
shame,* that say unto me: Aha,
Aha.
Let all those that seek Thee re-
joice and be glad in Thee: * and
let such as love Thy salvation say
continually The LORD be mag-
nified.
But I am poor and needy:
the Lord thinketh upon me.
2 SLH.
*
3 Intituled "A Psalm of David" and with the same (now) uncertain superscription as
Ps. xii.
D
34
THE PSALTER.
Thou art my help and my de-
liverer * make no tarrying, O
my God.
Antiphon. That I sin not with
my tongue.
Second Antiphon. Heal.
Psalm XL.2
BLESSED is he that consider-
eth the poor [and needy]3: *
the LORD will deliver him in time
of trouble.
The LORD preserve him, and
quicken him, and make him to be
blessed upon the earth: * and de-
liver him not unto the will of his
enemies!
The LORD strengthen him upon
his bed of suffering! * Thou hast
made all his bed in his sickness.
As for me, I said: LORD, be
merciful unto me: * heal my soul,
for I have sinned against Thee.
Mine enemies speak evil of me:
* When shall he die, and his name
perish ?
If he came to see me, he spake
vanity: * his heart gathereth ini-
quity to itself.
He went out, * and told it.
All they that hate me whispered
together against me: * against me
did they devise my hurt.
"They plotted together to do
me evil:* Now that he lieth,
surely he will rise up no more.
Yea, mine own familiar friend
in whom I trusted, * which did
eat of my bread, hath lifted up his
heel against me.5
But Thou, O LORD, be merciful
¹ Ps. xxxviii. 1.
2 The same title as Ps. xii.
3 Not in the Hebrew.
unto me, and raise me up:
I will requite them.
* and
By this I know that Thou fa-
vourest me : * because mine ene-
my cannot triumph over me.
But as for me, Thou upholdest
me, because of mine innocence : *
and settest me before Thy face
for ever.
Blessed be the LORD God of
Israël from everlasting, and to
everlasting. * Amen, Amen.
Psalm XLI.6
AS the hart panteth after the
water-brooks : * so panteth
my soul after Thee, O God!
My soul thirsteth for God, [for
the mighty God,] for the living
God: * when shall I come and
appear before God?
My tears have been my meat
day and night, * while they daily
say unto me: Where is thy God?
When I remember these things,
I pour out my soul in me :
* for I
will go unto [the place of]³ the ex-
cellent Tabernacle, even unto the
house of God.
With the voice of joy and
praise, * the noise of a multitude
that keep holiday.
Why art thou cast down, O my
soul, and why art thou dis-
quieted in me?
Hope thou in God, for I shall
yet praise Him, * the health of
my countenance and my God.
My soul is cast down within
me : *therefore will I remember
Thee from the land of Jordan, and
4 This verse is rather, (according to the Hebrew) :-"An evil disease cleaveth fast unto
him, and, now that he lieth,” &c.
5 Quoted by our Lord. John xiii. 18.
6 This Psalm has a superscription, the meaning of which is not now certain, but which
seems in part to imply that it was a didactic poem written to be sung by the choir of the
Korahites, a family of Levites and singers in the time of David.
7 Alternative translation from the Hebrew.
TUESDAY AT MATTINS.
35
from the mountains of Hermon,¹
from the Little Hill.2
Deep calleth unto deep, * at the
noise of Thy waterspouts.
*
All Thy waves and Thy billows
are gone over me.
The LORD hath commanded His
loving-kindness in the day-time, *
and in the night His song.
Mine shall it be to pray unto
the God of my life. * I will say
unto God: Thou art my refuge.
Why hast Thou forgotten me?
* and why go I mourning, while
the enemy oppresseth me?
*
While my bones are broken,
[they that trouble me,]³ even mine
enemies, reproach me;
While they say daily unto me:
Where is thy God? Why art
thou cast down, O my soul, and
why art thou disquieted within
me ?
Hope thou in God, for I shall
yet praise Him : * the health of
my countenance and my God.
Antiphon. 4Heal my soul, O
Lord, for I have sinned against
Thee.
Third Antiphon. My heart.
WE
Psalm XLIII.5
E have heard with our ears,
O God: * our fathers have
told us,
What work Thou didst in their
days, and in the times of old.
Thy hand scattered the hea-
then, and planted them: * Thou
didst afflict the people and cast
them out.
For they got not the land in
possession by their own sword: *
neither did their own arm save
them.
But Thy right hand, and Thine
arm, and the light of Thy coun-
tenance : * because Thou hadst a
favour unto them.
Thou art my King and my God:
* Who commandest deliverances
for Jacob!
Through Thee shall our horn
toss our enemies : * through Thy
name will we tread them under
that rise up against us.
For I will not trust in my bow:
* neither shall my sword save me.
For Thou hast saved us from
them that afflicted us, * and hast
put them to shame that hated us.
In God will we boast all the
day long, * and praise Thy name
for ever.6
But now Thou hast cast off and
put us to shame : * and Thou, [O
God,]³ wilt not go forth with our
armies.
Thou hast turned us back be-
hind our enemies: * and they
which hate us take spoil for them-
selves.
Thou hast given us like sheep
appointed for meat, * and hast
scattered us among the heathen.
*
Thou hast sold Thy people for
nought, and hast not increased
Thy wealth by their price.
*
Thou makest us a reproach to
our neighbours, a scorn and a
derision to them that are round
about us.
Thou makest us a by-word a-
1 A chain of mountains in the north-east of Palestine, stretching down on the eastern
side of Jordan.
2 Or rather, the hill Mizar (viz. the Little) proper name of a mountain on the eastern
ridge of Lebanon. May it not be that the Korahites were among the Levitical families
which had cities in the north and north-east districts ?
3 Not in the Hebrew.
4 Ps. xl. 4.
5 This Psalm has the same superscription as Ps. xli.
6 SLH.
D 2
36
THE PSALTER,
mong the heathen, * a shaking of
the head among the peoples.
My confusion is all day long
before me, * and the shame of my
face hath covered me,
For the voice of him that re-
proacheth and blasphemeth, * by
reason of the enemy and avenger.
*
All this is come upon us, yet
have we not forgotten Thee:
neither have we dealt falsely in
Thy covenant.
Our heart also is not turned
back: * neither have our steps
declined from Thy way;
Though Thou hast sore broken
us in the place of affliction, * and
the shadow of death hath covered
us.
If we have forgotten the name
of our God, * or stretched out our
hands to a strange god;
Shall not God search this out?
* for He knoweth the secrets of
the heart.
Yea, for Thy sake are we killed
all the day long: * we are counted
as sheep for the slaughter.
Awake, why sleepest Thou, O
Lord ? * arise, and cast us not off
for ever.
Wherefore hidest Thou. Thy
face, * and forgettest our afflic-
tion and our oppression?
For our soul is bowed down to
the dust: * our belly cleaveth
unto the earth.
* and
Arise, [O Lord,]' help us :
redeem us for Thy name's sake.
Y
Psalm XLIV.2
My heart is overflowing with a
* I speak of
good matter:
my works unto the king.
1 Not in the Hebrew.
My tongue is the pen
ready writer.
* of a
Thou art fairer than the chil-
dren of men, grace is poured into
thy lips therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever.
:
*
Gird thy sword upon thy thigh,
* O most mighty!
*
In thy comeliness, and thy
beauty, go forward, fare pros-
perously, [and reign,]¹
Because of truth, and meekness,
and righteousness : * and thy
right hand shall lead thee won-
derfully.
Thine arrows are sharp (the
people shall fall under thee)—*
into the heart of the King's ene-
mies.
3Thy throne, O God, is for ever
and ever: * the sceptre of Thy
kingdom is a right sceptre.
Thou hast loved righteousness,
and hated iniquity:* therefore,
God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee
with the oil of gladness above Thy
fellows.
Thy garments smell of myrrh,
and aloes, and cassia, out of the
ivory palaces, whereby kings'
daughters among thy honourable
women have made thee glad.
*
Upon thy right hand did stand
the queen in a vesture of gold,
[wrought about with divers co-
lours.]¹
*
Hearken, O daughter, and con-
sider, and incline thine ear:
forget also thine own people, and
thy father's house:
And the King shall greatly de-
sire thy beauty: * for He is the
Lord thy God, and Him shall
they worship.
4
2 This Psalm has a long superscription the exact meaning of which is not now certain.
It seems to have been a marriage-song written to be sung by the Korahites.
3 So are these words translated in Heb. i. 8, 9.
* The word "God" is not in the Hebrew, and the original meaning, addressed to the
bride, is, "He is thy Lord, and bow thou to him." So also St. Jerome.
TUESDAY AT MATTINS.
37
And the daughters of Tyre
shall entreat thy favour with
gifts, even all the rich among the
people.
The King's daughter is all glo-
rious within, * in a vesture of
gold, wrought about with divers
colours.
After her shall virgins be
brought unto the king: * her fel-
lows shall be brought unto thee.
*
With gladness and rejoicing
shall they be brought they
shall enter into the King's pa-
lace.
Instead of thy fathers shall be
thy children: * thou shalt make
them princes over all the earth.
They shall be mindful of thy
name, *unto all generations.
Therefore shall the people
praise thee for ever, * yea, for
ever and ever.
Antiphon. 'My heart is over-
flowing with a good matter.
Fourth Antiphon. Our help.
Psalm XLV.2
GOD our
Ꮐ
OD is our refuge and strength,
* our help in trouble, which
is come upon us exceedingly.
Therefore will we not fear,
though the earth be removed, *
and though the mountains be car-
ried into the midst of the sea;
Though the waters thereof roar
and be troubled; * though the
mountains shake with the swell-
ing thereof.3
[It is] a river, the streams
whereof make glad the city of
God: * the Most High hath hal-
lowed His Tabernacle.
God is in the midst of her, she
1 Ps. xliv. 1.
shall not be moved
help her right early.
shall not be moved: * God shall
The heathen raged, and the
kingdoms were moved
* He
uttered His voice, the earth
melted.
The LORD of hosts is with us:
* the God of Jacob is our refuge.3
Come and behold the works of
the LORD, what wonders He hath
made in the earth; * He maketh
wars to cease unto the end of the
earth.
He breaketh the bow and cut-
teth the weapons in sunder : *
and burneth the shields in the
fire.
Be still, and know that I am
God: * I will be exalted among
the heathen, and I will be exalted
in the earth.
The LORD of hosts is with us :
* the God of Jacob is our refuge.³
Psalm XLVI.ª
3
CLAP your hands, all ye
people: * shout unto God
with the voice of triumph.
For the LORD Most High is ter-
rible: * He is a great King over
all the earth.
He hath subdued the people
under us,
* and the nations under
our feet.
He hath chosen His own in-
heritance for us, the excellency
of Jacob, whom He loved.³
God is gone up with a shout, *
and the LORD with the sound of
a trumpet.
Sing praises to our God, sing
praises: * sing praises unto our
King, sing praises.
For God is the King of all the
1
2 This Psalm has a superscription of uncertain meaning, but of which part seems to
imply that it was to be sung by treble voices, from the choir of the Korahite family.
4 Intituled "A Psalm of the sons of Korah," with another (now uncertain) direction.
3 SLH.
38
THE PSALTER.
earth: *sing ye praises with un-
derstanding.
God shall reign over the hea-
then: * God sitteth upon the
throne of His holiness.
The princes of the people are
gathered together with the God
of Abraham: * for the mighty
ones of the earth are greatly ex-
alted.
Antiphon. ¹Our help in trouble.
Fifth Antiphon. Great is the
LORD.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "And greatly to
be praised."
Psalm XLVII.²
GREAT is the LORD, and greatly
to be praised * in the city
of our God, in the mountain of
His holiness.
Beautiful for situation, the joy
of the whole earth, is mount Zion,
* on the sides of the north, the
city of the great King.
God is known in her palaces
for a refuge.
*
For, lo, the kings were assem-
bled:* they passed by together.
They saw, and so they marvel-
led; they were troubled, they
hasted away : * fear took hold
upon them
There, pain, as of a woman in
travail. * Thou shalt break the
ships of Tarshish³ with a mighty
wind.
As we have heard, so have we
seen in the city of the LORD of
hosts, in the city of our God: *
God hath established her for
ever. 4
We have drunk in Thy loving-
1 Ps. xlv. 1.
kindness, O God, * in the midst
of Thy temple.
According to Thy name, O God,
so is Thy praise unto the ends of
the earth: * Thy right hand is
full of righteousness.
Let mount Zion rejoice, and let
the daughters of Judah be glad,
* because of Thy judgments, [O
Lord.15
Walk about Zion, and go round
about her: * tell the towers
thereof.
Mark ye well her bulwarks: *
and consider her palaces; that
ye may tell it to the generation
following.
For this God is our God for
ever and ever: * He shall be our
guide for ever.
Psalm XLVIII.6
*
HEAR this, all ye people:
give ear, all ye inhabitants
of the world;
Both low and high: * rich and
poor together.
My mouth_shall speak of wis-
dom: * and the meditation of my
heart shall be of understanding.
I will incline mine ear to a pa-
rable: * I will open my saying
upon the harp.
Wherefore should I fear in the
day of evil? * The iniquity of
my
heels shall compass me about.
They that trust in their own
strength, * boast themselves also
in the multitude of their riches.
Can a man redeem, redeem his
brother? * he cannot give to God
a ransom for him.
Nor yet a redemption for his
own soul, * if he should work
2 Intituled " A Song. A Psalm of the sons of Korah.'
3 A very flourishing colony and emporium of the Phoenicians in Spain. However, “ships
of Tarshish" seems sometimes to be used for any large merchant vessels.
4 SLH.
5 Not in the Hebrew.
6 This Psalm has the same title as Ps. xlvi.
TUESDAY AT MATTINS.
39
for ever, and live even unto the
end.
Nay, though he should not see
destruction, when he beholdeth
wise men die-* likewise the
fool and the brutish person pe-
rish.
They leave also their wealth
to others: * and their grave shall
be their house for ever.
Even their dwelling-place to all
generations * they called their
lands after their own names.
For man, having been created
in honour, hath had no understand-
ing: * he hath made himself like
unto the beasts that understand
not, and is become like unto them.
This their way is a stumbling-
block for themselves: * yet their
posterity will approve their say-
ings.¹
Like sheep they are laid in the
grave: * death shall feed on
them.
And the upright shall have do-
minion over them in the morning :
* and the beauty of their strength
shall consume away in the grave.
*
But God will redeem my soul
from the power of the grave,
when He shall receive me.¹
Be not thou afraid when one is
made rich, * and when the glory
of his house is increased.
For when he dieth he shall
carry nothing away, * his glory
shall not descend with him.
of his fathers: * and shall never
see light.
Man, having been created in
honour, hath had no understand-
ing: * he hath made himself like
unto the beasts that understand
not, and is become like unto them.
Antiphon. Great is the LORD,
and greatly to be praised.
Sixth Antiphon. The God of
gods.
If this Antiphon be used, the Psalm
begins with the words, "Even the
LORD."
Psalm XLIX.³ 3
THE God of gods, even the
LORD, hath spoken, * and
called the earth,
From the rising of the sun un-
to the going down thereof. * Out
of Zion, the Perfection of beauty,
God shall come manifestly, *
even our God, and shall not keep
silence.
A fire shall devour before Him:
* and it shall be very tempestuous
round about Him.
He shall call to the heavens
from above, * and to the earth,
that He may judge His people.
Gather His saints together un-
to Him, * those that have made
a covenant with Him by sacrifice.
And the heavens shall declare
His righteousness: * for God is
Judge Himself.¹

Though while he lived he
blessed his soul; * and praised
thee when thou didst well to
him.
He shall go to the generation thy God.
1 SLH.
Hear, O My people, and I will
speak; O Israël, and I will testi-
fy against thee; * I am God, even
2 Ps. xlvii. 1.
3 Intituled "A Psalm of Asaph." This Asaph was a Levite, chief of the singers ap-
pointed by David. 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi. 4. "And he (David) appointed certain of the
Levites to minister before the Ark of the LORD, and to record, and to thank and praise the
LORD God of Israël. Asaph the chief, and next to him Zachariah, Jeiel, Shemiramoth,
and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom; and Jeiel with psal-
teries and with harps; but Asaph made a sound with cymbals.”
40
THE PSALTER.
}
I will not reprove thee for thy
sacrifices : * for thy burnt-offer-
ings are continually before Me.
I will take no bullock out of
thine house, * nor he-goats out
of thy folds.
For every beast of the forest is
Mine, the cattle and the bulls
upon the mountains.
I know all the fowls of heaven :
* and the beauty of the field is
Mine.
If I were hungry, I would not
tell thee: * for the earth is Mine
and the fulness thereof.
Will I eat the flesh of bulls, *
or drink the blood of goats?
Offer unto the Lord the sacri-
fice of praise: * and pay thy vows
unto the Most High:
And call upon Me in the day
of trouble: I will deliver thee,
and thou shalt glorify Me.
But unto the wicked God saith:
* What hast thou to do to declare
My statutes, that thou shouldest
take My covenant in thy mouth ?
Seeing thou hatest instruction,
* and castest My words behind
thee.
When thou sawest a thief then
thou consentedst with him : * and
hast been partaker with adulte-
rers.
Thy mouth aboundeth with
evil and thy tongue frameth
deceit.
:
Thou satest and spakest against
thy brother, and slanderedst thine
own mother's son: * these things
hast thou done, and I kept si-
lence.
Thou thoughtest wickedly that
I was such an one as thyself: *
I will reprove thee, and set them
in order before thine eyes.
Consider ye this, ye that for-
get God: * lest He tear you in
pieces and there be none to de-
liver.
The sacrifice of praise shall
honour Me: * and there is the
path wherein I will show unto
him the salvation of God.
Psalm LI.¹
WHY boastest
HY boastest thou thyself in
mischief, * O thou that art
mighty [in iniquity ?]2
Thy tongue deviseth unright-
eousness all the day long : * like
a sharp razor hast thou wrought
treachery.
Thou lovest evil more than
good; * iniquity rather than to
speak of uprightness.³
Thou lovest all deadly words,
* O thou deceitful tongue!
Therefore God shall destroy
thee for ever : * He shall take
thee away, and pluck thee out of
thy dwelling-place, and root thee
out of the land of the living.³
The righteous shall see it, and
fear, and shall laugh at him, [and
say]2: * Lo, this is the man that
made not God his strength;
But trusted in the abundance
of his riches: * and hardened
himself in his wickedness.
. After another uncertain superscription, the title of this Psalm proceeds :-["A Psalm]
of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him: David is come
to the house of Ahimelech." The circumstances may be read in 1 Kings (Sam.) xxii.
(Saturday, fourth week after Pentecost.) After Doeg told Saul, the latter sent for
Ahimelech and the other Priests, and ordered them to execution. "But the servants of
the king would not put forth their hand to fall upon the Priests of the LORD. And the
king said to Doeg: Turn thou, and fall upon the Priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned
and fell upon the Priests, and slew on that day four-score and five persons that did wear
a linen ephod." The inhabitants of the Priestly city of Nob were also brutally massacred.
One of the sons of Ahimelech escaped and told David.
2 Not in the Hebrew.
3 SLH.
TUESDAY AT MATTINS.
41
But I am like a fruitful olive-
tree in the house of God, * I trust
in the mercy of God for ever and
ever.
I will praise Thee for ever, be-
cause Thou hast done it: * and I
will wait on Thy name, for it is
good before Thy saints.
Antiphon. The God of gods,
even the LORD, hath spoken.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Then is said a Verse and Answer.
In Advent.
Verse. Send forth the Lamb, O
Lord, the ruler of the land.
Answer. From the "Rock" of
the wilderness unto the mount of
the daughter of Zion.
During the rest of the year.
Verse. 2Offer unto God the sac-
rifice of praise.
Answer. And pay thy vows un-
to the Most High.
In Lent.
Verse. He shall cover thee with
His wings.
Answer. And under His fea-
thers shalt thou trust.
In Passion time.
Verse. O Lord, save me from
the lion's mouth.
Answer. And mine affliction
from the horns of the unicorns.
In Paschal time.
Verse. The Lord is risen in-
deed, Alleluia.
Answer. And hath appeared un-
to Simon, Alleluia.
The rest is the same as the Second
Nocturn on the preceding Sunday, only
the Lessons, and sometimes the Respon-
sories, are those of the day.
1 Ps. xlix. 1.
5 Ecclus. xlv. 16.
2 Ps. xlix. 14.
6 Ps. xxxvi. 30.
Simple Feasts. It is to be remembered
that when a Simple Feast is kept on
Tuesday, the Invitatory and Hymn are
of the Feast, being taken from the Com-
mon of Saints of the class, unless speci-
ally given.
Then the Psalms and Antiphons of
the Week-day, as given above. Then is
said a Verse and Answer as follows:
For one or many Martyrs in Paschal
time.
Verse. The everlasting light
shall shine upon Thy Saints, O
Lord. Alleluia.
Answer. Even unto everlasting.
Alleluia.
For one Martyr, (out of Paschal time.)
Verse. Thou hast set a crown,
O Lord, of precious stones.
Answer. Upon his head.
For many Martyrs, (out of Paschal
time.)
Verse. Let the righteous re-
joice before God.
Answer. Yea, let them exceed-
ingly rejoice.
For a Bishop and Confessor.
Verse. The Lord chose him for
a priest unto Himself.
Answer. To offer up unto Him
the sacrifice of praise.
For a Confessor not a Bishop.
Verse. "The mouth of the righ-
teous shall speak wisdom.
Answer. And his tongue talk of
judgment.
For one Holy Woman, of whatever kind.
Verse. "God shall give her the
help of His countenance.
Answer. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
The others, as well as what follows,
to the end of the Service, are taken from

3 Ps. xx. 3.
4 Ps. lxvii. 3.
7 Ps. xlv. 5, (Alexandrian version.)
42
THE PSALTER.
the Second Nocturn of the Office common
to Saints of the class, unless something
special be appointed. The Lessons are
arranged according to the rules in Chap-
ter xxvi. 4, of the general Rubrics.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,"
is said at the end, instead of a Third
Responsory. The Responsories are ar-
ranged according to the rules in Chapter
xxvii. 4, of the general Rubrics.
On this and all other days when Three
Lessons are read the Blessings are said
as ordered in the General Summary of
Blessings at the beginning of the book.
Wednesday.
THE FOURTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday except as otherwise
given here.
Invitatory. In Thy hand, O
Lord, * are the inmost depths of
the earth.
HYMN.¹
WHO madest all and dost control,
Lord, with Thy touch divine,
Cast out the slumbers of the soul,
The rest that is not Thine.
Look down, Eternal Holiness,
And wash the sins away,
Of those, who, rising to confess,
Outstrip the lingering day.
Our hearts and hands by night, O Lord,
We lift them in our need;
As holy Psalmists give the word,
And holy Paul the deed.
Each sin to Thee of years gone by,
Each hidden stain lies bare;
We shrink not from Thine awful eye,
But pray that Thou wouldst spare.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Spirit, God of grace,
To Whom all worship shall be done
In every time and place.
Amen.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
Only one Nocturn is said.
Antiphon. God bringeth back.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said to the whole Nocturn. Alleluia.
Psalm LII.2
THE fool hath said in his heart:
* There is no God.
Corrupt are they and have done
abominable iniquity: * there is
none that doeth good.
* to
God looked down from heaven
upon the children of men,
see if there be any that will under-
stand, or that will seek God.
Every one of them is gone back,
they are altogether become un-
profitable: * there is none that
doeth good, no, not one.
Have the workers of iniquity
no knowledge, * who eat up my
people as they eat bread?
They have not called upon God :
* there were they in great fear,
where no fear was.
For God hath scattered the
bones of them that work that
which is pleasing in the sight of
men: * they are put to shame, be-
cause God hath despised them.
O that the salvation of Israël
were come out of Zion! * when
God bringeth back the captivity
of His people, Jacob shall rejoice,
and Israël shall be glad.
Psalm LIV.³
GIVE ear to my prayer, O God,
and despise not my suppli-
cation:* attend unto me and hear
me.
I mourn in my exercise; * and
am troubled, because of the voice
2 Intituled "of David," with a further superscription, perhaps musical, but of a (now)
uncertain meaning. It is a repetition of Ps. xiii.
3 This Psalm has a superscription of which nothing can now be certainly interpreted,
except the ascription of authorship "To David.”
WEDNESDAY AT MATTINS.
43
of the enemy, and because of the
oppression of the wicked.
For they cast iniquity upon
me: * and in wrath they hate
me.
My heart is sore pained within
me: * and the terrors of death are
fallen upon me.
Fearfulness and trembling are
come upon me:
* and darkness
hath overwhelmed me.
And I said: O that I had wings
like a dove,* for then would I fly
away and be at rest!
Lo, then would I wander far
off, * and remain in the wilder-
ness.¹
I waited for Him Who hath
delivered me * from carefulness
of spirit and from tempest.
Destroy, O Lord! divide their
tongues: for I have seen ini-
quity and strife in the city.
Day and night her iniquity go-
eth round about upon her walls :
trouble also and unrighteousness
are in the midst of her.
Usury and guile * depart not
from her streets.
For if mine enemy had re-
proached me, * then I could have
borne it.
*
If he also that hated me had
magnified himself against me,
then haply I would have hidden
myself from him.
But it was thou, a man mine
equal, * my guide and mine ac-
quaintance:
We took sweet counsel together:
* we walked unto the house of
God in company.
Let death come upon them: *
and let them go down quick into
hell;
1 SLH.
For wickedness is in their dwell-
ings, * among them.
But as for me I have called
upon God: * and the LORD shall
save me.
Evening, and morning, and at
noon will I complain and cry
aloud, and He shall hear my
voice.
He shall deliver my soul in
peace from them that draw nigh
unto me: * for there were many
with me.
*
God shall hear and afflict them,
even He That abideth of old.¹
Because they have no changes,
therefore they fear not God. *
He hath stretched forth His hand
to reward them.
They have broken His coven-
ant: the anger of His countenance
hath put them to flight, * and His
wrath pursueth them.
*
His words were softer than oil,
yet were they drawn swords.
Cast thy burden upon the LORD,
and He shall sustain thee: * He
shall never suffer the righteous
to be moved.
*
But Thou, O God, shalt bring
them down into the pit of de-
struction.
Bloody and deceitful men shall
not live out half their days:
* but
I will trust in Thee, [O Lord.]2
Antiphon. God bringeth back
the captivity of His people.
Second Antiphon. For my soul.
Psalm LV.4
BE madeth
E merciful unto me, O God,
for man treadeth me down:
* he fighteth all the day long,
and oppresseth me.
2 Not in the Hebrew.
Mine enemies tread me down
3 Ps. lii. 6.
* This Psalm has a long and very obscure superscription. From part of this it seems
that it was written to be sung to a tune called "The dumb dove among foreigners." The
authorship is ascribed "To David, when the Philistines took him in Gath." This may
44
THE PSALTER.
all the day long: for they be
many that fight against me.
When I am afraid because of
their boasting, * I will trust in
Thee.
In God I will praise His word,
in God I have put my trust: * I
will not fear what flesh can do
unto me.
All the day long they wrest my
words: * all their thoughts are
against me for evil.
They gather themselves together
and hide themselves: * they mark
my steps.
When they wait for my soul,
for nothing shalt Thou deliver
them: * in Thine
anger Thou
shalt cast down the people.
O God, I have declared my life
unto Thee, * Thou hast put my
tears in Thy sight,
Even as Thou hast promised.
*Then shall mine enemies turn
back,
In whatsoever day I cry unto
Thee: * behold, I know that Thou
art my God.
In God will I praise His word,
in the LORD will I praise His
word: * in God have I put my
trust, I will not be afraid what
man can do unto me.
Thy vows are upon me, O God,
*I will pay them, even praises
unto Thee.
For Thou hast delivered my
soul from death, and my feet
from falling; * that I may walk
before God in the light of the
living.
BE
Psalm LVI.¹
E merciful unto me, O God,
be merciful unto me: * for
my soul trusteth in Thee.
*
Yea, in the shadow of Thy
wings will I make my refuge,
until this iniquity be overpast.
I will cry unto God Most High :
* unto God, That performeth all
things for me.
He hath sent from heaven, and
saved me: * He hath given for a
reproach them that trod me down.²
God hath sent forth His mercy
and His truth; * [and delivered]³
my soul from among the lions'
whelps; I was troubled in my
sleep.
*
As for the sons of men, their
teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongue a sharp sword.
Be Thou exalted, O God, above
the heavens: * and let Thy glory
be over all the earth.
They prepared a net for my
steps;
* and bowed down my
soul.
*
They digged a pit before me :
into the midst whereof they are
fallen themselves.2
My heart is ready, O God, my
heart is ready: * I will sing, and
give praise.
Awake up, my glory; awake,
psaltery and harp: * I will awake
early.
•
either be the occasion described in note 1 on Ps. xxxiii., (p. 26,) or that narrated thus in
1 Kings (Sam.) xxvii. “And David said in his heart: I shall now perish one day by the hand
of Saul; there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of
the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israël;
so shall I escape out of his hand. And David arose, and he passed over, with the six hun-
dred men that were with him, unto Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
And it
was told Saul that David was fled to Gath, and he sought no more again for him."
1 Another long title of uncertain meaning. The Psalm seems to have been written for
a tune called "Destroy not," "by David, when he fled from Saul in the cave"-1 Kings
(Sam.) xxii. 1-" David therefore departed thence" (viz. from Gath) "and escaped to the
cave Adullam." See note 1 on Ps. xxxiii., p. 26.
3 Not in the Hebrew.
2 SLH.
WEDNESDAY AT MATTINS.
45
I will praise Thee, O Lord,
among the people; * and sing
unto Thee among the nations.
For Thy mercy is great unto
the heavens,* and Thy truth unto
the clouds.
Be Thou exalted, O God, above
the heavens: * and let Thy glory
be above all the earth.
Antiphon. For my soul trust-
eth in Thee.
Third Antiphon. Judge up-
rightly.
Psalm LVII.2
ing wax :
* fire taketh hold upon
them and they see not the sun.
As thorns that are plucked up
before ever they be grown into a
bush : * so even in their green-
ness, shall He root them up in
His anger.
The righteous shall rejoice when
he seeth the vengeance: * he shall
wash his hands in the blood of the
wicked.
And man shall say: Verily,
there is a reward for the righ-
teous, * verily there is a God
That judgeth the earth.
IF ye indeed speak righteous-
ness, * judge uprightly, O ye DEL
sons of men.
*
Yea, in heart ye work wicked-
ness: your hands weigh out vio-
lence in the earth.
The wicked are estranged from
the womb, they go astray from
the belly,* speaking lies.
Their poison is like the poison
of a serpent: * they are like the
deaf adder, that stoppeth her ears,
Which will not hearken to
the voice of charmers, * nor of
the sorcerer charming never so
wisely.
God shall break their teeth in
their mouth : * the LORD shall
break off the great teeth of the
lions.
They shall melt away as waters
which run continually : * He
bendeth His bow until they be
shattered.
They shall melt away like melt-
1 Ps. lvi. 1.
Psalm LVIII.³
ELIVER me from mine ene-
mies, O my God : * and de-
fend me from them that rise up
against me.
Deliver me from the workers
of iniquity: * and save me from
bloody men.
For, lo, they lie in wait for my
life: * the mighty have fallen
upon me.
Not for my transgression, not
for my sin, O LORD;* I ran and
ordered myself without fault.
Awake to meet me, and behold:
* O Thou, the LORD God of hosts,
the God of Israël !
Awake to visit all the heathen:
* be not merciful to any wicked
transgressors.4
They come at evening and hun-
ger like dogs; and go round
about the city.
**
Behold they yelp with their
mouth, and a sword is in their
2 This Psalm has the same title as the last, except the historical reference.
3 This Psalm has the same title as the two last, with the addition :—“when_Saul sent,
and they watched the house, to kill him." The occasion is thus described in 1 Kings (Sam.)
xix. 11. "Saul also sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, to slay him in
the morning; and Michal, David's wife, told him, saying: If thou save not thy life to-
night, to-morrow thou shalt be slain. So Michal let David down through a window, and
he went, and fled, and escaped."
4 SLH.
46
THE PSALTER.
lips :
hear?
* for who, say they, doth
But Thou, O LORD, shalt laugh
at them: * Thou shalt bring all
the heathen to nought.
O my strength, I will wait upon
Thee, for Thou, O God, art my
defence:* the
* the mercy of my God
shall prevent me.
God shall let me see all my
desire upon mine enemies: slay
them not; * lest my people for-
get.
*
Scatter them by Thy power:
and bring them down, O Lord our
shield!
For the sin of their mouth, and
the words of their lips : * let them
even be taken in their pride.
And at the end they shall be
spoken of for cursing and lying:
**and in the wrath at the end they
shall perish.
And they shall know that God
ruleth in Jacob, * and unto the
ends of the earth.¹
They shall return at evening,
and hunger like dogs :
* and go
round about the city.
They shall wander up and down
for meat; * and grudge if they be
not satisfied.
But I will sing of Thy power:
* yea, I will sing aloud of Thy
mercy in the morning.
For Thou hast been my defence,
* and refuge in the day of my
trouble.
1 SLH.
Unto Thee, O my strength, will
I sing, for God is my defence, *
the God of my mercy.
Antiphon. Judge uprightly, O
ye sons of men.
Fourth Antiphon. Give us.
Psalm LIX.3
GOD, Thou hast cast us off,
and scattered us : * Thou
hast been displeased, and hast had
mercy upon us.
Thou hast made the earth to
tremble, and hast broken it: *
heal the breaches thereof, for it
shaketh.
*
Thou hast showed Thy people
hard things: Thou hast made us
to drink the wine of astonishment.
Thou hast given a warning to
them that fear Thee, * that they
may fly from before the bow.¹
That Thy beloved may be deli-
vered : * save with Thy right
hand, and hear me.
ness:
God hath spoken in His holi-
* I will rejoice and divide
Shechem, and mete out the valley
of booths.4
*
Gilead is mine, and Manasseh
is mine Ephraim also is the
strength of mine head.5
Judah is my Law-giver: * Moab
is my wash-pot.
6
Over Edom will I cast out my
shoe : * over the "6 strangers"
have I triumphed.
2 Ps. lvii. 1.
3 This Psalm has a superscription, probably musical, but the meaning of which is now
uncertain. It then proceeds :-" Of David, when he strove with Mesopotamia, and with
Western Syria, when Joab returned and smote of Edom in the valley of Salt” (viz. the
Jordan valley near the Dead Sea) "twelve thousand." The occasion was some very suc-
cessful wars which David carried on against several neighbouring kings, and which are
described in 2 Kings (Sam.) viii. and 1 Par. (Chron.) xviii. The Psalm seems to have been
written under some temporary reverses during the campaign.
4 Shechem, now Nablus, in the valley between Mounts Ebal and Gerizim, called the
"valley of booths" from those which Jacob erected there for his cattle. Gen. xxxiii. 17.
5 These three form the central district of the Land of Promise.
6 That is, a base receptacle for off-scourings, the meanest utensil, as compared to the
Divinely appointed sovereignty of Judah, respecting whom see Gen. xlix. 10.
7 That is, the Philistines.
WEDNESDAY AT MATTINS.
47
Who will bring me into the
strong city? *who will lead me
into Edom?
Wilt not Thou, O God, Which
hast cast us off? * and wilt not
Thou go out with our armies, O
God?
Give us help from trouble :
for vain is the help of man.
*
Through God we shall do va-
liantly for He it is That shall
*
:
tread down our enemies.
HE
Psalm LX.¹
EAR my cry, O God: * attend
unto my prayer.
From the ends of the earth I
cried unto Thee: * when my heart
was overwhelmed, Thou didst lift
me up upon a rock.
Thou didst lead me, for Thou
hast been a shelter for me, *
a strong tower from the ene-
my.
I will abide in Thy taberna-
cle for ever *I will make my
refuge in the covert of Thy
wings.2
For Thou, O God, hast heard
my vows: * Thou hast given the
heritage to those that fear Thy
name.
Thou wilt prolong the King's
life: * and his years to many ge-
nerations.
He shall abide before God for
ever : * who will seek for His
mercy and truth ?
So will I sing praise unto Thy
name for ever: *that I may daily
perform my vows.
Antiphon. ³Give us help from
trouble, O Lord.
Fifth Antiphon. Doth not my
soul.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
commences with the words "Wait upon
God."
DOTH
4
Psalm LXI.ª
OTH not my soul wait upon
God?* for from Him com-
eth my salvation.
He only is my God and my
salvation: * He is my defence, I
shall not be greatly moved.
How long will ye imagine mis-
chief against a man?* Do ye slay,
all of you [one that is] as a
bowing wall and as a tottering
fence ?
Truly they imagined to cast me
down from mine honour, when I
ran in my thirst: * they blessed
with their mouth and cursed in
their heart.2
But wait thou on God, O my
soul for mine expectation is
from Him.
For He only is my God and
my salvation: * He is my helper,
I shall not be moved.
In God is my salvation and my
glory: * He is the God of my
strength, and my refuge is in
God.
Trust in Him, ye congregation
of the people, pour out your heart
before Him: * God is our help
for ever.2
Surely the sons of men are
vanity, the sons of men are a lie
in the balance : they are alto-
gether lighter than vanity.
*
Trust not in iniquity, and desire
not robbery: * if riches increase,
set not your heart upon them.
God hath spoken once, twice
1 Intituled "Of David." It has also a musical (?) superscription now of uncertain
meaning.
2 SLH.
3 Ps. lix. 11.
♦ This Psalm has exactly the same superscription as Ps. xxxviii.
48
THE PSALTER.
have I heard this, that power be-
longeth unto God: also unto Thee,
O Lord, belongeth mercy :
* for
Thou shalt render to every man
according to his works.
Psalm LXIII.¹
EAR my voice, O God, in my
HE
*
prayer: preserve my life
from fear of the enemy.
Thou hast hidden me from the
secret counsel of the wicked, *
from the insurrection of the work-
ers of iniquity.
For they whet their tongue like
a sword: * they bend their bow,
even bitter words, that they may
shoot in secret at the perfect.
Suddenly do they shoot at him
and fear not: * they encourage
themselves in evil purpose.
They commune of laying snares
privily: * they say: Who shall
see them ?
*
They search out iniquities:
they accomplish a diligent search.
Man shall attain to thoughts
that are very deep: * but God
shall [still] be exalted.
The arrows of babes have pierced
them: * and their tongues are
weakened against them.
All that saw them were moved :
* and all men feared.
And declared the work of God,
* and understood His doings.
The righteous shall be glad in
the LORD, and shall trust in Him:
* and all the upright in heart shall
glory.
Antiphon. Doth not my soul
wait upon God?
Sixth Antiphon. O bless our
God.
Psalm LXV.³
MAKE a joyful noise unto
God, all ye lands, sing forth
the honour of His name: * make
His praise glorious.
*
Say unto God: How terrible art
Thou in Thy works, [O Lord!]4
through the greatness of Thy
power shall Thine enemies feign
to submit themselves unto Thee.
Let all the earth worship Thee,
and sing unto Thee: * let them
sing praises to Thy Name.5
Come and see the works of
God; * He is terrible in His
counsels towards the children of
men.
He turned the sea into dry
land, they went through the flood
on foot: * there did we rejoice in
Him.
He ruleth by His power for
ever, His eyes behold the nations:
* let not the rebellious exalt them-
selves.5
*
O bless our God, ye people:
and make the voice of His praise
to be heard.
Which holdeth my soul in life :
* and suffereth not my feet to be
moved.
For Thou, O God, hast proved
us: * Thou hast tried us with
fire, as silver is tried.
Thou broughtest us into the
net, Thou laidst affliction upon
our back: * Thou hast caused
men to ride over our heads.
We went through fire and
through water : and Thou
*
1 Intituled "A Psalm of David," with a farther superscription of meaning now un-
certain.
2 Ps. lxi. 1.
8 Except the words “Psalm or Song" the title of this Psalm is not now certainly under-
stood.
4 Not in the Hebrew.
5 SLH.
WEDNESDAY AT MATTINS.
49
broughtest us out into a place of
refreshment.
I will go into Thy house with
burnt-offerings: * I will pay
Thee my vows, which my lips
have uttered,
And my mouth hath spoken,
when I was in trouble.
*
I will offer unto Thee burnt-
sacrifices of fatlings, with the in-
cense of rams: I will offer unto
Thee bullocks with goats.¹
Come, hear, all ye that fear
God, and I will declare * what
He hath done for my soul.
I cried unto Him with my
mouth, and extolled Him with
my tongue.
If I regard iniquity in my
heart, the Lord will not hear
me.
Therefore God hath heard me,
* and attended to the voice of my
prayer.
Blessed be God, * Who hath
not turned away my prayer, nor
His mercy from me.
Psalm LXVII.2
IET God arise, and let His
enemies be scattered : * let
them also that hate Him flee be-
fore Him.
as
As smoke is driven away, so
let them be driven away : *
wax melteth before the fire, so
let the wicked perish at the pre-
sence of God.
But let the righteous be glad,
1 SLH.
$
and rejoice before God: *
them exceedingly rejoice.
yea, let
Sing unto God, sing praises to
His name: * spread a path be-
fore Him That rideth upon the
heavens: The LORD is His
name.
Rejoice before Him:
* [fear
shall go before the face of Him,]ª
That is the Father of the father-
less, and the Judge of the wi-
dows:
Even God in His holy habita-
tion: * God, That maketh men to
be of one mind in an house.
He bringeth out those which
are bound with chains, * but they
that provoke Him dwell among
the graves.
O God, when Thou wentest
forth before Thy people, * when
Thou didst march through the
wilderness-1
The earth shook; the heavens
also dropped at the presence of
the God of Sinai, * at the presence
of the God of Israël.
5
Thou, O God, didst send a plen-
tiful rain upon Thine inheritance:
*Thou didst refresh Thine inhe-
ritance when it was weary.
Thy flock dwelt therein : *
Thou, O God, didst provide in
Thy goodness for the poor.
The Lord gave the word* to
the great company that published
it.
"The kings of the hosts are
[fallen into the hands] of the
Well-beloved: * and the fair ones
2 The meaning of the title of this Psalm, except the ascription of authorship "To David,”
is now uncertain.
3 "The LORD" is here, as elsewhere, substituted out of profound reverence for the
real name of God, the Unspeakable Word, called the "Tetragrammaton," from its four
letters.
4 Not in the Hebrew.
5 Perhaps the manna is meant.
6 It need not be remarked that the sense of this verse is very obscure. In the view of
the Greek translators there seems to be a play upon the name of David, which signifies
"Beloved."
E
50
THE PSALTER.
that tarried at home have divided
the spoils.
1
Though ye have lien among the
sheep-folds, yet shall ye be as
the wings of a dove, covered with
silver, and her tail-feathers with
yellow gold.
*
When the [God] of heaven had
scattered kings in it, then white
as with snow was Salmon,2 * that
hill of God, that fruitful hill.
An hill of many peaks, a fruit-
ful hill: * why look ye enviously
upon the high hills?
This is the hill which God de-
sireth to dwell in: * yea, the
LORD will dwell in it unto the
end.
The chariots of God are many
times ten thousand, even thou-
sands of the blessed: * the Lord
is among them; [as] in Sinai, [so]
in the Holy place.
*
Thou hast ascended on high,
Thou hast led captivity captive:
Thou hast received gifts among
men.
Even them that believe not *
that the LORD God dwelleth
among them.
*
Blessed be the Lord daily :
the God of our salvation maketh
our way prosperous.*
He That is our God is the God
of salvation: * and unto the LORD,
even the Lord, belong the issues
from death.
But God shall wound the head
of His enemies: * the hairy scalp
of such an one as goeth on still
in his trespasses.
5
I
The Lord said: I will bring
them again from Bashan : * Ï
will bring them back from the
depths of the sea.
That thy foot may be dipped in
the blood of thine enemies, * the
tongue of thy dogs in the same.
They have seen Thy goings, O
God, * even the goings of my
God, my King, Which dwelleth
in the sanctuary.
The singers went before, the
players on instruments followed
after, * among the damsels play-
ing with timbrels.
Bless ye God in the congrega-
tions, even the Lord, * ye that
are of the fountains of Israël !
There is little Benjamin, * in
the joy of his heart.
The princes of Judah, their
leaders, the princes of Zabu-
lon, the princes of Nephthali.
Command it, O God, in Thy
strength: * strengthen, O God,
that which Thou hast wrought
for us.
Because of Thy temple at Jeru-
salem,* shall kings bring presents
unto Thee.
Rebuke the beasts of the reeds,"
the multitude of the bulls with
the cows of the people, * [who
watch] that they may cut off them
that are tried like silver.7
1 Perhaps an allusion to an army camping out in the fields.
2 A mountain in Samaria, near Shechem, where David won great victories over some
neighbouring kings. See Ps. lix., p. 46. Gesenius thinks that “white as with snow” is
to be understood "white with the bleached bones of the slain."
3 Namely, perhaps, the group of hills on which Jerusalem stands, as opposed to the
higher and more picturesque mountains at Shechem.
4 SLH.
5 The campaign of David related in 2 Kings (Sam.) viii. and 1 Par. (Chron.) xviii. ex-
tended to this neighbourhood. Can the sea be the Dead Sea? See title of Ps. lix.
6 Perhaps meaning wild buffaloes. As to the comparison of the enemy to wild cattle,
compare Ps. xxi. 13, "Many bulls have compassed me, strong bulls have beset me round."
7 if the words are to be taken thus, the reference is perhaps to David's veterans, but
the meaning seems more likely to be "those that submissively offer in tribute pieces of
silver."
WEDNESDAY AT MATTINS.
51
Scatter Thou the people that
delight in war: ambassadors shall
come out of Egypt: * Ethiopia
shall soon stretch out her hands
unto God.
Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of
the earth: * O sing praises unto
the Lord.¹
O sing praises unto God, even
unto Him that rideth upon the
heaven of heavens * from the day-
spring.
*
Lo, He shall send out His voice,
and that a mighty voice. Ascribe
ye strength unto God;
over Is-
raël is His excellency, and His
strength is in the clouds.
God is wonderful in His holy
places the God of Israël is He
That shall give strength and power
unto His people: blessed be
God.
Antiphon. O bless our God, ye
people.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Then is said a Verse and Answer.
In Advent.
Verse. The LORD cometh out
of His holy place.
Answer. He will come and save
His people.
During the rest of the year.
Verse. 30 God, I have declared
my life unto Thee.
Answer. Thou hast put my tears
in Thy sight.
In Lent.
Verse. His truth shall be thy
shield.
Answer. Thou shalt not be a-
fraid for the terror by night.
1 SLH.
✦ Isa. XXXV. 10.
In Passion time.
Verse. Take not away my soul
with sinners, O God.
Answer. Nor my life with
bloody men.
In Paschal time.
Verse. The disciples were glad,
Alleluia.
Answer. When they saw the
Lord, Alleluia.
The rest is the same as the Third
Nocturn of the preceding Sunday, ex-
cept necessary differences. The Lessons
are those of the day. The Responsories
are arranged according to the rules in
Chapter xxvii. 4, 5, of the general
Rubrics.
Simple Feasts. It is to be remem-
bered that when a Simple Feast is kept
on Wednesday, the Invitatory and Hymn
are of the Feast, being taken from the
Common of Saints of the class, unless
specially given. Then the Psalms and
Antiphons of the week-day, as given
above. Then is said a Verse and An-
swer as follows:
For one or many Martyrs in Paschal
time.
Verse. 4Everlasting joy upon
their heads, Alleluia.
Answer. They shall obtain joy
and gladness, Alleluia.
For one Martyr, (out of Paschal time.)
Verse. "His glory is great in
Thy salvation.
Answer. Honour and great
majesty shalt Thou lay upon
him.
For many Martyrs, (out of Paschal
time.)
Verse. "The righteous shall live
for evermore.
Answer. Their reward also is
with the Lord.
2 Ps. lxv. 8.
5 Ps. xx. 6.
3 Ps. lv. 9.
6 Wisd. v. 16.
E 2
52
THE PSALTER.
For a Bishop and Confessor.
HYMN.
Verse. 'Thou art a Priest for ALL tender lights, all hues divine,
ever.
Answer. After the order of Mel-
chisedek.
For a Confessor not a Bishop.
Verse. The law of his God is
in his heart.
Answer. And his steps shall not
slide.
For one Holy Woman of any kind.
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
The others, as well as what follows,
to the end of the Service, are taken from
the Third Nocturn of the Office Common
to Saints of the class, unless something
special be appointed, except necessary
differences. The Lessons are arranged
according to the rules in Chapter xxvi.
4, of the general Rubrics. The Hymn,
"We praise Thee, O God," is said at the
end, instead of a Third Responsory.
The Responsories are arranged accord-
ing to the rules in Chapter xxvii. 4, 5,
of the general Rubrics.
The night has swept away;
Shine on us, Lord, and we shall shine
Bright in an inward day.
The spots of guilt, sin's wages base,
Searcher of hearts, we own;
Wash us and robe us in Thy grace,
Who didst for sins atone.
The sluggard soul, that bears their mark,
Shrinks in its silent lair,
Or gropes amid its chambers dark
For Thee, Who art not there.
Redeemer! send Thy piercing rays,
That we may bear to be
Set in the light of Thy pure gaze
And yet rejoice in Thee.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Spirit, God of grace,
To whom all worship shall be done
In every time and place.
Amen.
Only one Nocturn is said.
Antiphon. Make haste.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said to the whole Nocturn,
Alleluia.
Psalm LXVIII.5
SAVE me, O God
On this and all other days when Three SAVE
Lessons are read the Blessings are said
as ordered in the General Summary of
Blessings at the beginning of the book.
Thursday.s
THE FIFTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
Invitatory. It is the Lord That
hath made us : * O come, let us
worship Him.
1 Ps. cix. 4.
soul.
;
* for the
waters are come in unto my
I sink in deep mire, * where
there is no standing.
I am come into the depth of
the sea,
* and the flood overflow-
eth me.
I am weary of my crying, my
throat is dried: * mine eyes fail,
while I wait for my God.
*
They that hate me without a
cause, are more than the hairs
of mine head.
They that would destroy me,
2 Ps. xxxvi. 31.
3 This Office is practically hardly ever said, unless the reciter so chooses, as, except in
Advent and Lent, and on Eves, it is allowed to supplant it by the Votive Office of the Most
Holy Sacrament, which is to be found at the end of the Breviary.
• Translation by Dr. Newman.
5 Intituled "Of David," with a (now uncertain) musical (?) direction.
THURSDAY AT MATTINS.
53
1
being mine enemies wrongfully,
are mighty: * then I restored
that which I took not away.
O God, Thou knowest my fool-
ishness: * and my faults are not
hid from Thee.
Let not them that wait on Thee,
O Lord, be ashamed for my sake,
* Thou LORD of hosts.
Let not those that seek Thee *
be confounded for my sake, O
God of Israël.
Because for Thy sake I have
borne reproach: * shame hath
covered my face.
I am become a stranger unto
my brethren, * and an alien unto
my mother's children.
For the zeal of Thine house
hath eaten me up: * and the re-
proaches of them that reproached
Thee are fallen upon me.
And I chastened my soul with
fasting : * and that was to my re-
proach.
I made sackcloth also my gar-
ment, * and I became a proverb
to them.
They that sat in the gate spake
against me, * and I was the song
of the drunkards.
*
But as for me, my prayer is
unto Thee, O LORD: in an ac-
ceptable time, O God!
In the multitude of Thy mercy
hear me,
* in the truth of Thy
salvation!
Deliver me out of the mire,
that I sink not: deliver me from
them that hate me, and out of the
deep waters.
Let not the waterflood overflow
me, neither let the deep swallow
me up, * and let not the pit shut
her mouth upon me.
Hear me, O LORD, for Thy
loving-kindness is good: * turn
unto me according to the multi-
tude of Thy tender mercies.
And hide not Thy face from
Thy servant, * for I am in trou-
ble; hear me speedily.
Draw nigh unto my soul, and
redeem it: * deliver me because
of mine enemies.
Thou knowest my reproach,
and my shame, and my dis-
honour.
Mine adversaries are all before
Thee: * my heart hath looked for
reproach and bitterness.
And I looked for some to take
pity on me, and there was none:
* and for comforters, and I found
none.
They gave me also gall for meat:
* and in my thirst they gave me
vinegar to drink.
Let their table be made a snare
before them, * and a recompense,
and a stumbling-block.
Let their eyes be darkened, that
they see not: * and ever bow
Thou down their back.
Pour out Thine indignation up-
on them, * and let Thy wrathful
anger take hold of them.
Let their habitation be deso-
late:* and let none dwell in their
tents.
For they persecute him whom
Thou hast smitten: * and they
embitter the pain of my wounds.
Add iniquity unto their iniqui-
ty: * and let them not come into
Thy righteousness.
Let them be blotted out of the
book of the living: * and not be
written with the righteous.
*
But I am poor and sorrowful:
Thy salvation, O God, hath set
me up on high.
I will praise the name of God
with a psalm, * and will magnify
Him with thanksgiving.
And it shall please GOD better
than a young bullock, * that hath
horns and hoofs.
54
THE PSALTER.
Let the humble see this and be
glad, * seek God, and your soul
shall live.
For the LORD heareth the poor:
* and despiseth not His prison-
ers.
Let the heaven and earth praise
Him, the sea, and everything
that moveth therein.
For God will save Zion, * and
the cities of Judah shall be built
up.
And they shall dwell there, *
and have it in possession.
The seed also of His servants
shall inherit it, and they that
love His name shall dwell therein.
Psalm LXIX.'
MAKE haste,] O God, to de-
liver me: * make haste to
help me, O Lord.
Let them be ashamed and con-
founded, that seek after my
soul.
Let them be turned backward
and put to confusion, * that de-
sire my hurt.
Let them be turned back with
IN
Psalm LXX.
N Thee, O LORD, have I put
my trust, let me never be put
to confusion: * deliver me in Thy
righteousness, and cause me to
escape.
Incline Thine ear unto me,
and save me.
*
Be Thou my God, my Protector,
and my strong habitation, * to
save me.
For Thou art my rock, * and
my fortress.
Deliver me, O my God, out of
the hand of the wicked, * and out
of the hand of the unrighteous
and cruel man.
For Thou art my hope, O Lord:
* O LORD, Thou art my trust from
my youth.
By Thee have I been holden up
from the womb: * Thou art my
defence from my mother's bowels.
My praise shall be continually
of Thee: * I am a wonder unto
many: but Thou art my strong
refuge.
Let my mouth be filled with
Thy praise, [that I may sing of
Thy glory,]2* all the day long of
shame, * that say unto me, Aha, Thy greatness.
Aha.
Let all those that seek Thee be
joyful and glad in Thee, * and
let such as love Thy salvation say
continually: Let the Lord be mag-
nified.
But I am poor and needy: *
help me, O God.
Thou art my help and my de-
liverer: * O LORD, make no tar-
rying.
Antiphon. Make haste, O Lord
God, to deliver me.
Second Antiphon. Be Thou my
God.
Čast me not off in the time of
old age: *forsake me not when
my strength faileth.
me,
For mine enemies speak against
* and they that lay wait for
my soul take counsel together,
Saying: God hath forsaken
him: * persecute and take him, *
for there is none to deliver him.
O God, be not far from me :
O my God, make haste for my
help.
*
Let them be confounded and
consumed that are adversaries to
my soul: * let them be covered
'Intituled "Of David, to bring to remembrance" with another (now uncertain) mu-
sical (?) superscription. This Psalm is a repetition of the last four verses of Ps. xxxix.
2 Not in the Hebrew.
3 Ps. lxix. 1.
THURSDAY AT MATTINS.
55
with reproach and dishonour, that
seek my hurt.
*
But I will hope continually,
and will yet praise Thee more
and more.
My mouth shall show forth
Thy righteousness,* Thy salva-
tion all the day.
And because I know not the
tale thereof, I will go in the
strength of the Lord: * O Lord,
I will make mention of Thy righ-
teousness, even of Thine only.
O God, Thou hast taught me
from my youth: * and hitherto
have I declared Thy wondrous
works.
Now also when I am old and
grey-headed, * O God, forsake
me not,
Until I have showed Thy strength
* unto all generations, that are to
come.
Thy power and Thy righteous-
ness, O God, are very high, Who
hast done great things: * O God,
who is like unto Thee?
Thou Which hast showed me
great and sore troubles, shalt
quicken me again: * and bring
me up again from the depths of
the earth.
ness:
Thou hast increased Thy great-
* and again comforted me.
I will also praise Thee on the
psaltery, even Thy truth: * 0
God, unto Thee will I sing with
the harp, O Thou Holy One of
Israël !
My lips shall be fain when I
sing unto Thee, and my soul
which Thou hast redeemed.
*
My tongue also shall talk of
Thy righteousness all the day
long: * for they are confounded
and brought unto shame that seek
my hurt.
GIVE
Psalm LXXI.¹
IVE the king Thy judgment,
O God, * and Thy righteous-
ness unto the king's son.
To judge Thy people with righ-
teousness,* and Thy poor with
judgment.
The mountains shall receive
peace with the people, * and the
little hills righteousness.
He shall judge the poor of the
people, and save the children of
the needy, and shall break in
pieces the oppressor.
*
And he shall endure with the
sun, and before the moon,*through-
out all generations.
He shall come down like rain
upon a fleece, * and as showers
that water the earth.
In his days shall righteousness
flourish, and abundance of peace,
so long as the moon endureth.
*
He shall have dominion also
from sea to sea: * and from the
river unto the ends of the earth.
The Ethiopians shall fall before
him: * and his enemies shall lick
the dust.
The kings of Tarshish, and of
the isles shall bring presents: *
the kings of Arabia and Saba²
shall offer gifts.
Yea, all the kings of the earth
shall fall down before him: * all
nations shall serve him.
For he shall deliver the needy
from the strong, * the poor also
that hath no helper.
He shall spare the poor and
needy,* and shall save the souls
of the needy.
He shall redeem their soul from
deceit and violence:* and precious
shall their name be in his sight.
And he shall live, and to him
shall be given of the gold of Ara-
1 Intituled "Of Solomon," that is, either written by, or concerning him.
2 This seems to be Meroë, a province of Ethiopia.
1
56
THE PSALTER.
bia; prayer also shall be made
through him continually: * all
the day long shall he be blessed.
And there shall be a staff of
bread in the land, upon the top of
the mountains; the fruit thereof
shall be higher than Lebanon: *
and they of the city shall flourish
like grass of the earth.
[Blessed]¹ be his name for ever:
*his name endureth as long as
the sun.
And in him shall all the kin-
dreds of the earth be blessed: *
all nations shall call him blessed.
Blessed be the LORD God of
Israël, * Who only doeth won-
drous things.
And blessed be His glorious
Name for ever: * and let the
whole earth be filled with His
glory: Amen, Amen.²
Antiphon. Be Thou my God,
my Protector.
Third Antiphon. Thou hast re-
deemed the rod.
Psalm LXXII.4
TRULY God is good to Israël,
*
to such as are of a clean heart.
But as for me, my feet were
almost gone:
* my steps had well
nigh slipped.
For I was envious at the un-
righteous, * when I saw the pros-
perity of the wicked.
For there are no pangs in their
death: * and they are calm in
affliction.
They are not in trouble as other
men, * neither are they plagued
like other men.
Therefore pride compasseth them
about as a chain, * violence [and
1 Not in the Hebrew.
ungodliness]' cover them as a gar-
ment.
Their iniquity ariseth as it were
from fatness: * they have more
than heart could wish.
They think and speak wicked-
ness: *they speak loftily con-
cerning oppression.
They set their mouth against
the heavens, * and their tongue
walketh through the earth.
Therefore my people turn aside
after them: * and the men of
their day run after them.
*
And they say: How doth God
know, and is there knowledge
in the Most High?
*
Behold, these are the ungodly,
who prosper in the world, they
increase in riches.
[And I said]¹: Then I have
cleansed my heart in vain, * and
washed my hands in innocency.
For all the day long have I
been plagued, * and chastened
every morning.
If I say: I will speak thus: *
behold, I should offend against
the generation of Thy children.
And I thought to know this, *
it was too hard for me;
Until I went into the Sanctuary
of God, and understood their
hereafter.
Surely Thou dost set them in
slippery places: * Thou castest
them down even in their pros-
perity.
How are they brought into de-
solation? In a moment are they
perished, they are utterly con-
sumed because of their wickedness.
As a dream when one awaketh,
O Lord, * Thou shalt bring their
image to nought in Thy city.
2 After this, there is found in the Hebrew the following notification, "The prayers of
David, the son of Jesse, are ended."
3 Ps. lxx. 3.
4 Intituled "A Psalm of Asaph."
THURSDAY AT MATTINS.
57
For my heart was grieved, and
I was pricked in my reins : * and
I was brought to nothing and
knew not:
I became as a beast before Thee:
* nevertheless I am continually
with Thee:
Thou hast holden me by my
right hand, and guided me ac-
cording to Thy will, * and re-
ceived me to glory.
For what have I in heaven, *
and what is there upon earth that
I desire beside Thee?
My flesh and my heart faileth:
*Thou art the God of my heart,
and God is my portion for ever.
For, lo, they that go far from
Thee shall perish : * Thou hast
destroyed all them that go a
whoring from Thee.
But it is good for me to draw
near to God: * to put my trust in
the Lord GOD,
*
That I may declare all Thy
praises, [in the gates of the
daughter of Zion.]¹
O
Psalm LXXIII.²
GOD, why hast Thou cast us
off for ever : * why doth
Thine anger smoke against the
sheep of Thy pasture?
*
Remember Thy congregation,
which Thou hast purchased of old.
Thou hast redeemed the rod of
Thine inheritance: * Mount Zion
wherein Thou hast dwelt.
*
Lift up Thy hands against their
perpetual pride : even all that
the enemy hath done wickedly in
the sanctuary!
They also that hate Thee roar,
* in the midst of Thy solemn con-
gregation.
*
They set up their ensigns for
trophies on the pinnacles [of
Thy temple] as though it had
been the gate [of their own city];
and considered not!
As the fellers in a wood of thick
trees, so did they hew down the
gates thereof: * they have broken
it down with axes and hammers.
*
They have set on fire Thy Sanc-
tuary: they have defiled the
dwelling-place of Thy name by
casting it down to the ground.
The sort of them said in their
hearts with one consent: * Let us
put away the feast-days of God
out of the land.
We see not our signs, there is
no more any prophet: * and none
knoweth us any more.
O God, how long shall the ad-
versary reproach? Shall the
enemy blaspheme Thy name for
ever ?
Why withdrawest Thou Thy
hand, even Thy right hand, * from
Thy bosom for ever?
But God is our King of old,
working salvation in the midst of
the earth.
Thou by Thy strength didst
make the sea to stand on an heap:
* Thou brakest the heads of the
dragons in the waters.
Thou brakest the heads of le-
viathan in pieces: * Thou gavest
him to be meat to the people³ of
Ethiopia.
Thou didst cleave the fountains
and the floods: * Thou driedst
up the rivers of Ethan.¹

1 The latter half of this verse is not in the Hebrew.
2 Intituled "A didactic (?) Psalm of Asaph."
3 People-probably referring to the wild beasts, (as in Proverbs xxx. 25, 26, "The ants
are a people not strong-the conies are but a feeble folk") who ate the dead bodies of the
Egyptians (whose power seems meant by the leviathan) washed upon the shores of the
Red Sea.
• Ethan =
continuity-" The continuously flowing streams."
58
THE PSALTER.
The day is Thine, the night also
is Thine: * Thou hast created the
light and the sun.
Thou hast set all the borders
of the earth: * Thou hast made
summer and spring.
Remember this, that the enemy
hath reproached the LORD: * and
that a foolish people have blas-
phemed Thy name.
O deliver not unto beasts the
souls of them that praise Thee: *
and forget not the souls of Thy
poor for ever.
Have respect unto Thy cove-
nant: *for the dark places of the
earth are full of the habitations
of cruelty.
O let not the oppressed return
ashamed: * let the poor and needy
praise Thy name.
cause:
Arise, O God, judge Thine own
* remember how the fool-
ish man reproacheth Thee daily.
Forget not the voice of Thine
enemies: * the pride of them that
hate Thee ascendeth continually.
Antiphon. 'Thou hast redeemed
the rod of Thine inheritance.
Fourth Antiphon. And we will
call.
Psalm LXXIV.²
UNTO Thee, O God, will we
give_thanks: * we will give
thanks and call upon Thy name.
We will declare Thy wondrous
works: * when I shall take a set
time, I will judge uprightly.
The earth and all the inhabit-
ants thereof are dissolved: * I
bear up the pillars of it.³
1 Ps. lxxiii. 2.
I said unto the wicked: Deal
not wickedly: * and to the evil-
doers: Lift not up your horn on
high.
Lift not up your horn on high:
* speak not wickedness against
God.
For neither from the east, nor
from the west, nor from the de-
sert mountains: * for God is the
judge:
He putteth down one, and set-
teth up another: * for in the hand
of the LORD there is a cup of strong
wine full of mixture.¹
And He turneth it this way and
that: surely the dregs thereof
are not wrung out: * all the
wicked of the earth shall drink
them.
But I will declare for ever: *
I will sing praises to the God of
Jacob.
All the horns of the wicked
also will I break: * and the horns
of the righteous shall be exalted.
IN
Psalm LXXV.5
116
N Judah is God known: * His
name is great in Israël.
And His place is in " Peace,"
* and His dwelling-place in Zion.
There brake He the arrows of
the bow, * the shield, the sword,
and the battle.3
When Thou didst make Thy
light to shine forth right won-
drously from the everlasting hills:
* all they that were foolish of
heart were troubled :
They have slept their sleep: *

2 Intituled "A Psalm-A Song of Asaph," with a superscription of meaning now uncer-
tain, but, in part, indicating the tune "Destroy not."
3 SLH.
• Aromatic herbs, &c., were mixed with wine to make it more intoxicating. See Smith's
Dict. of the Bible,—Wine.
5 Intituled "A Psalm-A Song of Asaph," with a farther superscription similar to the
preceding.
6 Peace-a translation of "Salem."
THURSDAY AT MATTINS.
59
1
and all the men of riches have
found nothing in their hands.
At Thy rebuke, O God of
Jacob, they that rode upon
horses are cast into a dead sleep.
Thou art to be feared; and who
shall withstand Thee, * when
once Thou art angry?
Thou didst cause judgment to
be heard from heaven: * the earth
trembled and was still,
When God arose to judgment,
* to save all the meek of the
earth.¹
For the thoughts of man shall
praise Thee: * the remainder of
his thoughts shall keep holy his
days before Thee.
Vow, and pay unto the LORD
your God: * all ye that are round
about Him bring presents,
Even unto Him That ought to
be feared, and that cutteth off the
spirit of princes, * to Him That is
terrible among the kings of the
earth.
2
Antiphon. And we will call
upon Thy name, O Lord.
Fifth Antiphon. Thou art the
God.
I
Psalm LXXVI.³
*
CRIED unto the Lord with
my voice;
even unto God
with my voice, and He gave ear
unto me.
In the day of my trouble I
sought the Lord; in the night with
my hands I sought Him * and
failed not.
My soul refused to be com-
forted: * I remembered God, and
rejoiced, and pondered, and my
spirit was overwhelmed.¹
Mine eyes prevented the night
1 SLH.
watches: * I was troubled, and
spake not.
I have considered the days of
old, * and had in mind the ever-
lasting years.
In the night also I commune
with my own heart: * and I
mused, and searched out mine
own spirit.
Will God cast off for ever? *
or will He be favourable no
more ?
Or will He put away His mercy
for ever,* to generation and gen-
eration ?
Or hath God forgotten to be
gracious? * or will He in His
anger shut up His tender mer-
cies p¹
And I said: Now have I be-
gun: * the change cometh of the
right hand of the Most High.
I remembered the works of the
LORD: * surely I will remember
Thy wonders of old.
I will meditate also of all Thy
work : * and talk of Thy doings.
Thy way, O God, is in the
sanctuary: Who is so great a
god as our God? * Thou art the
God That doest wonders.
Thou hast declared Thy strength
among the people : * Thou hast
with Thine arm redeemed Thy
people, the sons of Jacob and
Joseph.¹
The waters saw Thee, O God,
the waters saw Thee: * and they
were afraid, the depths also were
troubled.
There was a noise as of many
waters, the clouds sent out a
sound.
Thine arrows also went abroad:
* the voice of Thy thunder rolled.
Thy lightnings lightened the
2 Ps. lxxiv. 1.
3 Intituled "A Psalm of Asaph," with a musical (?) direction, addressed to Jeduthun.
60
THE PSALTER.
world: * the earth trembled and
shook.
Thy way is in the sea, and Thy
paths in the great waters: * and
Thy footsteps are not known.
Thou leddest Thy people like a
flock, * by the hand of Moses and
Aaron.
Psalm LXXVII.¹
GIVE ear, O my people, to my
law: * incline your ears to
the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in para-
bles: * I will utter dark sayings
of old,
Which we have heard and
known, and our fathers have
told us.
They are not hidden from their
children, * in the generation to
come :
Showing the praises of the LORD,
and His strength, and His
wonderful works that He hath
done.
He established also a testimony
in Jacob,* and appointed a law
in Israël.
Which He commanded our
fathers that they should make
known to their children: * that
the generation to come may know
them,
Even the children which shall
be born and arise, * and declare
them to their children;
That they may set their hope
in God, and not forget the works
of God, * but keep His com-
mandments.
*
And may not be as their fathers,
a stubborn and rebellious gen-
eration,
1 Intituled "A didactic (?) poem of Asaph.”
*
A generation that set not their
heart aright, and whose spirit
was not steadfast with God.
2The children of Ephraim being
armed and carrying bows,* turned
back in the day of battle.
They kept not the covenant of
God, and refused to walk in
His law.
And forgot His works, and
His wonders that He had showed
them.
Marvellous things did He in
the sight of their fathers, in the
land of Egypt, * in the field of
Tanis.
He divided the sea, and caused
them to pass through, * and He
made the waters to stand as an
heap.
In the day-time also He led
them with a cloud, * and all the
night with a light of fire.
He clave the rock in the wil-
derness, and gave them drink
as out of the great depth.
He brought water also out of
the rock, * and caused waters to
run down like rivers.

*
And they sinned yet more a-
gainst Him, and provoked the
Most High in the wilderness.
*
And they tempted God in their
hearts, to ask meat for their
lust.
Yea, they spake against God: *
they said: Can God furnish a
table in the wilderness ?
Behold, He smote the rock, and
the waters gushed out, * and the
streams overflowed.
*
Can He give bread also, or
furnish a table for His people?
Therefore the LORD heard this,
and was wroth: * so a fire was
2 The next few verses perhaps relate to the refusal of the children of Israël to in-
vade the Land of Promise when they first reached it, owing to fear of the inhabitants.
Numb. xiv.
THURSDAY AT MATTINS.
61
kindled against Jacob, and anger
came up against Israël.
Because they believed not in
God, * and trusted not in His
salvation.
And He commanded the clouds
from above, * and opened the
doors of heaven.
And rained down manna upon
them to eat, * and gave them of
the bread of heaven.
Man did eat Angels' bread : *
He sent them meat to the full.
He caused an east wind to go
in the heaven: * and by His
power He brought in the south
wind.
He rained flesh also upon them
as dust, * and feathered fowls
like as the sand of the sea.
And it fell in the midst of their
camp, * round about their habita-
tions.
So they did eat, and were well
filled, and He gave them their
own desire : * they were not dis-
appointed of their lust.
But while their meat was yet
in their mouths: * the wrath of
God came upon them,
And slew the fattest of them, *
and smote down the chosen men
of Israël.
For all this they sinned still, *
and believed not for His wondrous
works.
Therefore their days were con-
sumed in vanity, * and their years
in trouble.
When He slew them, they
sought Him: * and they returned,
and enquired early after God.
And they remembered that
God was their strength, * and the
High God their redeemer.
Yet they flattered Him with
their mouth,* and lied unto Him
with their tongue.
For their heart was not right
with Him, * neither were they
steadfast in His covenant.
But He being full of compas-
sion, forgave their iniquity, * and
destroyed them not.
Yea, many a time did He turn
His anger away, * and did not
stir up all His wrath.
He remembered also that they
were but flesh; * a wind that
passeth away and cometh not
again.
How often did they provoke
Him in the wilderness ? * grieve
Him to anger in the desert ?
Yea, they turned back, and
tempted God,* and provoked the
Holy One of Israël.
They remembered not His
hand, * in the day when He de-
livered them from the hand of
the oppressor.
How He set His signs in
Egypt, * and His wonders in the
field of Tanis.
And turned their rivers into
blood: * and their floods, that
they could not drink.
He sent divers sorts of flies
among them, which devoured
them: * and frogs, which de-
stroyed them.
He gave also their increase
unto the caterpillar, * and their
labour unto the locust.
And He destroyed their vines
with hail, * and their sycamore
trees with frost.
He gave up their cattle also to
the hail, * and their flocks to hot
thunderbolts.
He cast upon them the fierce-
ness of His anger, * indignation,
and wrath, and trouble, by send-
ing evil Angels among them.
He made a way to His anger;
He spared not their soul from
death, and cut off their cattle
in death with them.
62
THE PSALTER.
He smote also every first-born
in the land of Egypt: * the first-
fruits of all their labour in the
tabernacles of Ham.
And made His own people to
go forth like sheep: * and guided
them in the wilderness like a flock.
And He led them on in hope,
and they feared not: * and He
overwhelmed their enemies in the
sea.
And He brought them to the
mountain of His Sanctuary, *
over the mountain, which His
right hand hath purchased.
He cast out the heathen also
before them, * and allotted the
land among them by line,
And made the tribes of Israël
to dwell in their tents.
*
Yet they tempted and provoked
the Most High God, * and kept
not His testimonies.
And turned back, and observed
not His covenant, * like their fa-
thers; they were turned aside like
a deceitful bow.
*
They provoked Him to anger
with their high places, and
moved Him to jealousy with their
graven images.
God heard it and cast them
out: * and brought Israël utterly
to nought.
He forsook also the tabernacle
of Shiloh, * even His tabernacle,
where He dwelt among men.
*
And He delivered their strength
into captivity, and their beauty
into the enemy's hand.
He gave His people over also
unto the sword: * and cast off
His inheritance.
The fire consumed their young
men : * and their maidens made
no funeral song.
Their priests fell by the sword:
1 Ps. lxxvi. 15.
and their widows made no la-
mentation.
Then the Lord awaked as one
out of sleep, * like a mighty man
heated with wine.
And He smote His enemies in
the hinder part: * He put them
to a perpetual shame.
Moreover, He refused the ta-
bernacle of Joseph, * and chose
not the tribe of Ephraim.
But chose the tribe of Judah, *
Mount Zion, which He loved.
And He built His sanctuary
like the horn of an unicorn upon
the earth, * which He hath estab-
lished for ever.
He chose David also His ser-
vant, and took him from the
sheepfolds: * from following the
ewes great with young He brought
him,
To feed Jacob His servant, *
and Israël His inheritance.
So he fed them according to
the integrity of his heart: * and
guided them by the skilfulness of
his hands.
Antiphon. Thou art the God
that doest wonders.
Sixth Antiphon. Be merciful.
Psalm LXXVIII.²
GOD, the heathen are come
*
into Thine inheritance, Thy
holy temple have they defiled:
they have made Jerusalem like a
heap of stones in an orchard.
The dead bodies of Thy ser-
vants have they given to be meat
unto the fowls of the heaven, *
the flesh of Thy saints unto the
beasts of the earth.
Their blood have they shed like
water round about Jerusalem : *
and there was none to bury them.
2 Intituled " A Psalm of Asaph.”
THURSDAY AT MATTINS.
63
*
We are become a reproach to
our neighbours, a scorn and
derision to them that are round
about us.
How long, LORD? wilt Thou
be angry for ever? * shall Thy
jealousy burn like fire ?
Pour out Thy wrath upon the
heathen, that have not known
Thee, * and upon the kingdoms
that have not called upon Thy
name!
For they have devoured Jacob,
* and laid waste His dwelling-
place.
O remember not against us our
former iniquities, let Thy tender
mercies speedily prevent us :
for we are brought very low.
*
*
Help us, O God of our salva-
tion, and for the glory of Thy
name deliver us, [O Lord]¹ :
and forgive our sins, for Thy
name's sake.
Lest haply they should say
among the heathen: Where is
their God? * and make known
among the nations in our sight
*
The vengeance of the blood of
Thy servants, which is shed:
let the sighing of the prisoners
come before Thee.
According to the greatness of
Thine arm, * preserve Thou the
children of the slain.
And render unto our neigh-
bours sevenfold into their bosom:
* their reproach wherewith they
have reproached Thee, O Lord!
But we Thy people, and sheep
of Thy pasture, * will give Thee
thanks for ever:
We will show forth Thy praise
* to all generations.
1 Not in the Hebrew.
GIV
Psalm LXXIX.²
IVE ear, O Shepherd of Israël,
* Thou That leadest Joseph
like a flock.
Thou That sittest upon the
Cherubim, * shine forth before
Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manas-
seh.
Stir up Thy strength, and come
* and save us.
Turn us again, O God, * and
cause Thy face to shine, and we
shall be saved.
O LORD God of hosts, * how
long wilt Thou be angry against
the prayer of Thy servant?
Wilt Thou feed us with the
bread of tears, * and give us tears
to drink in great measure?
Thou makest us a strife unto
our neighbours: * and our ene-
mies jest upon us.
Turn us again, O God of hosts :
* and cause Thy face to shine,
and we shall be saved.
Thou hast brought a vine out
of Egypt: * Thou hast cast out
the heathen and planted it.
Thou preparedst room before
it: * Thou didst cause it to take
deep root, and it filled the land.
The hills were covered with the
shadow of it, * and the cedars of
God with the boughs thereof.
She sent out her boughs unto
the sea,
* and her branches unto
the river.3
Why hast Thou broken down
her hedge? * so that all they
which pass by the way do pluck
her?
The boar out of the wood doth
root it up,
* and the wild beast of
the field doth devour it.

2 Intituled "A Psalm of Asaph," with a direction, perhaps musical, the meaning of
which is not now certain.
3 That is, the dominion of the Israëlites stretched from the Mediterranean to the
Euphrates.
64
THE PSALTER.
Return, O God of hosts: * look
down from heaven, and behold,
and visit this vine;
And protect that Thy right hand
hath_planted, * and the son [of
man] whom Thou madest strong
for Thyself.
It is burnt with fire, and cut
down they shall perish at the
rebuke of Thy countenance.
:
Let Thy hand be upon the man
of Thy right hand, and upon
the son of man whom Thou madest
strong for Thyself.
So will we not go back from
Thee; * quicken us, and we will
call upon Thy name.
Turn us again, O LORD God of
hosts and cause Thy face to
shine, and we shall be saved.
:
Antiphon. Be merciful unto
our sins, O Lord.
For all the rest, the same rule as on
Monday, only that the ordinary Verse
and Answer during the year is :
Verse. ³My lips shall be fain
when I sing unto Thee.
Answer. And my soul, which
Thou hast redeemed.
Simple Feasts. The same rule as on
Monday.
Friday.
THE SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
Invitatory. Let us worship the
Lord, for He is our Maker.
*
1 Wanting in most Hebrew MSS.
2 Ps. lxxviii. 9.
4 Translation by Dr. Newman.
HYMN.¹
MAY the dread Three in One, Who
sways
All with His sovereign might,
Accept from us this hymn of praise,
His watchers in the night.
For in the night, when all is still,
We spurn our bed and rise,
To find the balm for ghostly ill,
His bounteous hand supplies.
If e'er by night our envious foe
With guilt our souls would stain,
May the deep streams of mercy flow,
And make us white again;
That so with bodies braced and bright,
And hearts awake within,
All fresh and keen may burn our light,
Undimmed, unsoiled by sin.
Shine on Thine own, Redeemer sweet!
Thy radiance increate
Through the long day shall keep our feet,
In their pure morning state.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Spirit, God of grace,
To Whom all worship shall be done
In every time and place.
Amen.
Only one Nocturn is said.
Antiphon. Sing aloud.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "Unto God our
strength."
In Paschal time only one Antiphon
is said for the whole Nocturn. Alléluia.
Psalm LXXX.5
ING aloud unto God our
SING
strength: * make a joyful
noise unto the God of Jacob.
Take a psalm, and bring hither
the timbrel: * the pleasant harp
with the psaltery.
3 Ps. lxx. 23.
5 Intituled "Of Asaph." It has a superscription of meaning now uncertain, but part
of which perhaps means that it was a Hymn for the vintage.
FRIDAY AT MATTINS.
65
Blow up the trumpet in the
new moon,¹ * in the time appoint-
ed, on our solemn feast-day.
For this is a statute for Israël :
* and a law of the God of Jacob.
This He ordained in Joseph for
a testimony, when he went out of
the land of Egypt: * he heard a
language that he understood not.
have feigned submission unto Him:
* but their time should have en-
dured for ever.
:
He would have fed them also
with the finest of the wheat *
and with honey out of the rock
would He have satisfied them.
Psalm LXXXI.3
He removed his shoulder from GOD standeth in the congrega.
the burden, * his hands were done
with slaving over the baskets.
Thou calledst in trouble, and I
delivered thee: * I answered thee
in the secret place of thunder : I
proved thee at the waters of
strife.2
Hear, O My people, and I will
testify unto thee: * O Israël, if
thou wilt hearken unto Me, there
shall no strange god be in thee,
neither shalt thou worship any
strange god.
For I am the LORD thy God,
Which brought thee out of the
land of Egypt : * open thy mouth
wide and I will fill it.
But My people would not
hearken unto My voice: * and
Israël would not obey Me:
So I gave them up unto their
own hearts' lust: * they walked
in their own counsels.
*
O that My people had heark-
ened unto Me, that Israël had
walked in My ways!
I should quickly have brought
their enemies to nought, * and
turned My hand against their ad-
versaries.
The haters of the LORD would
tion of the mighty: * He
judgeth among the judges.
How long do ye judge unjustly,
* and accept the person of the
wicked ?4
Defend the poor and fatherless :
* do justice to the afflicted and
needy.
Deliver the poor, * and rid the
needy out of the hand of the
wicked.
They know not, neither do they
understand, they walk on in dark-
ness: * all the foundations of the
earth are out of course.
"I have said: Ye are gods, *
and all of you are children of the
Most High;
But ye shall die like men:
and fall like one of the princes.
Arise, O God, judge the earth:
* for Thou shalt inherit all na-
tions.
Antiphon. Sing aloud unto
God our strength.
Second Antiphon. Thou alone.
Psalm LXXXII.7
GOD, who shall be likened
unto Thee? * hold not Thy
peace, and be not still, O God.
! The ordinance referred to in this and the next verses is found in Numb. x.
•
"And
the LORD spake unto Moses, saying: Make thee two trumpets of silver, of a whole piece
shalt thou make them. And in the day of your gladness, and in your solemn days,
and in the beginnings of your months, ye shall blow with the trumpets over your burnt-
offerings, and over the sacrifices of your peace-offerings; that they may be to you for a
memorial before God. I am the LORD your God.”
? SLH. For "the waters of Meribah” or “strife," see note on Ps. xciv., p. 2.
3 Intituled "A Psalm of Asaph."
5 This verse was quoted by our Lord. John x. 34.
7 Intituled "A Song. A Psalm of Asaph."
4 SLH.
6 Ps. lxxx.1.
F
66
THE PSALTER.
For, lo, Thine enemies make a
tumult: * and they that hate
Thee have lifted up the head.
They have taken crafty counsel
against Thy people, and con-
sulted against Thy holy ones.
They have said: Come and let
us cut them off from being a na-
tion: * that the name of Israël
may be no more in remembrance.
For they have consulted toge-
ther with one consent: * they are
confederate against Thee: the ta-
bernacles of Edom,¹ and the Ish-
maelites.
*
Of Moab, and the Hagarenes;
Gebal, and Ammon, Amalek,
the "Strangers" with the inhabi-
tants of Tyre.
Assur also is joined with them:
* they have holpen the children
of Lot.2
Do unto them as unto Midian,3
and Sisera: * as unto Jabin, at
the brook of Kishon.
They perished at Endor: * they
became as dung for the earth.
Make their nobles like Oreb
and like Zeeb; * as Zebah and
Zalmunna
All their princes: * who said :
Let us take to ourselves the Sanc-
tuary of God in possession.
*
O my God, make them like a
wheel; and as the stubble be-
fore the wind!
As the fire that burneth a wood,
* and as the flame that setteth the
mountains on fire,
So persecute them with Thy
tempest, and trouble them in
Thine anger.
Fill their faces with shame : *
and they will seek Thy Name, O
LORD!
Let them be confounded and
troubled for ever: * yea, let them
be put to shame and perish.
And let men know that Thy
name is the LORD: * Thou alone
art the Most High over all the
earth.
How lovely
Psalm LXXXIII.4
OW lovely are Thy taberna-
cles, O LORD of hosts! *
my
soul longeth and fainteth for the
courts of the LORD:
My heart and my flesh * rejoice
for the living God.
Yea, the sparrow hath found an
house, and the dove a nest for
herself, where she may lay her
young,
Even Thine altars, O LORD of
hosts, * my King and my God!
Blessed are they that dwell in
Thy house, [O Lord;15* they will
be still praising Thee.2
Blessed is the
is the man whose
strength is from Thee;
* who
hath settled in his heart to go up
1 of the list of tribes in the next few verses, the Ishmaelites are the inhabitants of
Edom; Moab, and the Hagarenes, Gebal, Ammon, Amalek, tribes to the south and south-
east of Canaan; the "Strangers" are the Philistines; Assur is Assyria; the children of
Lot are the Moabites and Ammonites.
2 SLH.
3 The Midianites invaded Israël during the Judgeship of Gideon, who defeated them.
Barak had previously, by a great victory between the Kishon and Endor, delivered his
people from the tyranny of Jabin king of the Canaanites, whose general, Sisera, lost his life
on the occasion. Oreb and Zeeb were two princes, and Zebah and Zalmunna two kings
of the Midianites, whom the Israëlites took prisoners and put to death on the second oc-
casion. See Judges iv.-viii.
* Intituled “A Psalm of the sons of Korah." It has the same superscription as Ps. lxx.,
referring possibly to the vintage. It reads as if it were a pilgrim-song referring to the
going up of all the males of Israël to Jerusalem to observe the Feast of Tabernacles, when
harvest and vintage were over. Num. xvi. 13, 16.
5 Not in the Hebrew.
1
67
BE
F
FRIDAY AT MATTINS.
[to Thy Sanctuary,] through the
vale of tears,' to the place which
he hath appointed.
He That hath given the Law
will give His blessing; they shall
go from strength to strength : *
they appear before the God of
gods in Zion.
O LORD God of hosts, hear my
prayer: * give ear, O God of Ja-
cob !2
Behold, O God, our shield: *
and look upon the face of Thine
Anointed.
For a day in Thy courts is
better than a thousand.
I had rather be a menial in the
house of my God, * than to dwell
in the tents of wickedness.
For God loveth mercy and
truth: * the LORD will give grace
and glory.
No good thing will He with-
hold from them that walk up-
rightly. * O LORD of hosts, bless-
ed is the man that trusteth in
Thee!
Antiphon. Thou alone art the
Most High over all the earth.
Third Antiphon. LORD.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words "Thou hast been
favourable."
Psalm LXXXIV.4
LORD, Thou hast been favour-
able unto Thy land : * Thou
hast brought back the captivity
of Jacob.
Thou hast forgiven the iniquity
of Thy people: * Thou hast co-
vered all their sins.2
Thou hast taken away all Thy
wrath : * Thou hast turned Thy-
self from the fierceness of Thine
anger.
Turn us, O God of our salva-
tion, * and cause Thine anger
towards us to cease.
Wilt Thou be angry with us
for ever? * wilt Thou draw out
Thine anger to all generations ?
O God, Thou shalt again quicken
* and Thy people shall rejoice
in Thee.
us:
Show us Thy mercy, O LORD! *
and grant us Thy salvation.
I will hear what the LORD
God will speak [in me]5* for He
will speak peace unto His people,
And to His saints, * and unto
them that are changed in heart.
Surely His salvation is nigh
them that fear Him, * that glory
may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met to-
gether: * righteousness and peace
have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the
earth: * and righteousness look
down from heaven.
*
Yea, the LORD shall give that
which is good and our land
shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before
Him: * and shall set His foot-
steps in the way.
Psalm LXXXV.6
Bow down Thine ear, O LORD,
and hear me : * for I am
poor and needy.
Preserve my soul, for I am
holy: * O Thou my God, save Thy
servant that trusteth in Thee.
Be merciful unto me, O Lord,
for I cry unto Thee all the day
long: * rejoice the soul of Thy
1 Hebrew, "of Baca," probably the proper name of a place, but, literally, "weeping."
2 SLH.
3 Ps. lxxxii. 18.
* Intituled "A Psalm of the sons of Korah," with the usual (now uncertain) super-
scription.
5 Not in the Hebrew.
6 Intituled "A Prayer of David."
I
F 2
68
THE PSALTER.
servant, for unto Thee, O Lord,
do I lift up my soul.
For Thou, Lord, art good and
ready to forgive, * and plenteous
in mercy to all them that call
upon Thee.
Give ear, O LORD, unto my
prayer: * and attend to the voice
of my supplication.
In the day of my trouble I
called upon Thee, * for Thou hast
heard me.
Among the gods there is none
like unto Thee, O Lord: * neither
are there any works like unto Thy
works.
All nations whom Thou hast
made shall come and worship be-
fore Thee, O Lord: * and shall
glorify Thy name.
For Thou art great and doest
wondrous things: * Thou art God
alone.
Teach me Thy way, O LORD, and
I will walk in Thy truth: * let my
heart be glad, that it may fear
Thy name.
I will praise Thee, O Lord my
God, with all my heart, * and I will
glorify Thy name for evermore.
For great is Thy mercy toward
me: * and Thou hast delivered
my soul from the lowest hell.
O God, the wicked are risen
against me, and the assemblies of
violent men have sought after my
soul, and have not set Thee
before them.
But Thou, O Lord, art a God
full of compassion and gracious, *
long-suffering, and plenteous in
mercy and truth.
O look upon me, and have mercy
1 Ps. lxxxiv. 1.
3 SLH.
5 L.e. the Philistines.
upon me: * give Thy strength
unto Thy servant, and save the
son of Thine handmaid!
Show me a token for good, that
they which hate me may see it
and be ashamed: * because Thou,
O LORD, hast holpen me, and com-
forted me.
been favourable unto Thy land.
Antiphon. 'LORD, Thou hast
Fourth Antiphon. Her founda-
tion.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "Is in the holy
mountains."
Psalm LXXXVI.2
HER foundation is in the holy
mountains: * the LORD lov-
eth the gates of Zion more than
all the dwellings of Jacob!
Glorious things are spoken of
thee, O city of God !3
"5
I will make mention of Rahab¹
and Babylon * that know me.
Behold the "
Strangers," and
Tyre, and the people of Ethiopia,
*these were there-
And of Zion shall it not be
said: This and that man was born
in her, * and the Highest Himself
hath established her P6
The LORD shall make count,
when He writeth up the people
[and the princes,] of all that
are in her 3
All they that dwell in thee *
are in gladness.
Psalm LXXXVII.8
LORD God of my salvation,
* I have cried day and night
before Thee.
2 Intituled "A Psalm. A Song of the sons of Korah."
• That is "the Insolent One," namely, Egypt.
• Is the meaning that Jerusalem shall be illustrious as the birth-place of all kinds of
distinguished persons?
7 Displaced from the beginning of the next verse.
8 This Psalm has a long superscription, in which its authorship is attributed to Heman
FRIDAY AT MATTINS.
69
Let my prayer come before
Thee; * incline Thine ear unto
my cry.
For my soul is full of troubles:
* and my life draweth nigh unto
the grave.
I am counted with them that
go down into the pit: * I am as
a man that hath no strength, lying
nerveless among the dead,
Like the pierced that lie in the
grave, whom Thou rememberest
no more : * and they are cast off
from Thy hand.
They have laid me in the lowest
pit, * in darkness and in the
shadow of death.
Thy wrath lieth hard upon me,
* and Thou hast afflicted me with
all Thy waves.¹
Thou hast put away mine ac-
quaintance far from me:
* they
have made me an abomination
unto them.
I am shut up, and cannot come
forth: *mine eyes fail by reason
of affliction.
LORD, I have called daily upon
Thee I have stretched out my
hands unto Thee!
Wilt Thou show wonders to the
dead ? *
or can physicians quicken
them, so that they may praise
Thee ?¹
Shall Thy loving-kindness be
declared in the grave, * and Thy
faithfulness in destruction ?
Shall Thy wonders be known
in the dark,* and Thy righteous-
ness in the land of forgetfulness?
But unto Thee have I cried, O
LORD: * and in the morning shall
my prayer prevent Thee.
LORD, why castest Thou off my
prayer, * why hidest Thou Thy
face from me?
I am afflicted, and in toil from
my youth up: * and when I was
lifted up, then was I brought
down and troubled :
Thy fierce wrath goeth over
me, * and Thy terrors have trou-
bled me.
They came round about me all
the day like a flood: * they com-
passed me about together.
Friend and neighbour hast Thou
put far from me,* mine acquaint-
ance also, because of my misery.
Antiphon. Her foundation is
in the holy mountains.
Fifth Antiphon. Blessed.
3
Psalm LXXXVIII.³
WILL sing of the mercies * of
With my mouth will I make
known Thy faithfulness to all
generations.
For Thou hast said: Mercy
shall be built up for ever in the
heavens:* Thy faithfulness shall
be established in them.
I have made a covenant with
My chosen, I have sworn unto
David My servant :
* thy seed
will I establish for ever.
And build up thy throne* to
all generations.1
And the heavens shall praise
Thy wonders, O LORD;
* Thy
faithfulness also in the congrega-
tion of the Saints-
For who in heaven can be com-
pared unto the LORD? * who a-
the Ezrahite, one of five brothers, descendants of Zarah the son of Judah. Four of
them were celebrated for wisdom. 3 (1) Kings iv. 31. This Psalm was written for the sons
of Korah, and intended to be sung with an accompaniment of pipes and flutes.
1 SLH.
2 Ps. lxxxvi. 1.
3 Intituled "A didactic (?) Poem of Ethan the Ezrahite." This Ethan was a brother of
the author of the last Psalm.
70
THE PSALTER.
mong the sons of God can be
likened unto GOD?
God, Which is glorious in the
assembly of the saints, * great
and terrible to all them that are
about Him.
O LORD God of hosts, who is
like unto Thee ? * Thou art strong,
O LORD, and Thy faithfulness is
round about Thee!
Thou rulest the raging of the
* when the waves thereof
arise Thou stillest them.
sea:
Thou hast broken the "Inso-
lent" one,' as one that is slain : *
Thou hast scattered Thine ene-
mies with Thy strong arm.
The heavens are Thine, the
earth also is Thine, as for the
world and the fulness thereof
Thou hast founded them: * the
North and the South Thou hast
created them:
2Tabor and Hermon shall re-
joice in Thy name. * Thou hast
a mighty arm :
Strong is Thy hand, and high
Thy right hand: * justice and
judgment are the foundations of
Thy throne.
Mercy and truth shall go before
Thy face. Blessed is the people
that know the joyful sound!
They shall walk, O LORD, in
the light of Thy countenance, and
in Thy name shall they rejoice all
the day* in Thy righteousness
also shall they be exalted.
For Thou art the glory of their
strength : * and in Thy favour
our horn shall be exalted.
For of the LORD is our defence,
* and of the Holy One of Israël
is our King.
1 Rahab-i.e. Egypt.
Then Thou spakest in vision
to Thy holy ones, and saidst : *
I have laid help upon one that
is mighty, and have exalted one
chosen out of My people.
I have found David My ser-
vant: * with My holy oil have I
anointed him.
For My hand shall help him :
* Mine arm also shall strengthen
him.
*
The enemy shall prevail no-
thing against him: nor the son
of wickedness afflict him.
And I will beat down his foes
before his face, * and put them
that hate him to flight.
And My truth and My mercy
shall be with him: * and in My
Name shall his horn be exalted.
I will set his hand also in the
sea, * and his right hand in the
rivers.3
He shall cry unto me: Thou
art my Father, * my God, and
the rock of my salvation.
*Also I will make him My first-
born,* higher than the kings of
the earth.
My mercy will I keep for him
for evermore, * and My covenant
shall stand fast with him.
His seed also will I make to
endure for ever, * and his throne
as the days of heaven.
But if his children forsake My
law, * and walk not in My judg-
ments,-
If they break My statutes, *
and keep not My commandments,
Then I will visit their trans-
gressions with the rod, * and their
iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless My loving-kind-
2 Two prominent mountains in the North of Syria.
3 That is;-"I will make his power to be bounded on the West by the Mediterranean,
and on the East by the Tigris and Euphrates."
4 The next verses are a sort of quotation of the Divine message given by Nathan to
David. 2 Kings (Sam.) vii. 14—16.
FRIDAY AT MATTINS.
71
ness will I not utterly take from
him, * nor fail in My truth.
My covenant also will I not
break, * nor make void the thing
that is gone out of My lips.
Once have I sworn by My ho-
liness, that I will not lie unto
David: * his seed shall endure
for ever,
And his throne, as the sun be-
fore Me: * and as the full moon
for ever, and as the faithful wit-
ness in heaven.¹
But Thou hast cast off and ab-
horred, * Thou hast put away
Thine Anointed.
Thou hast made void the cove-
nant of Thy servant : * Thou hast
profaned his Sanctuary [by cast-
ing] it to the ground.
Thou hast broken down all his
hedges: * Thou hast brought his
strongholds to ruin.
All that pass by the way spoil
him: he is a reproach to his
neighbours.
Thou hast set up the right hand
of his adversaries: * Thou hast
made all his enemies to rejoice.
Thou hast turned the edge of
his sword, and hast not up-
holden him in battle.
Thou hast made his brightness
to cease,
* and cast his throne
down to the ground.
The days of his youth hast
Thou shortened: * Thou hast co-
vered him with shame.2
How long, LORD, wilt Thou
hide Thyself, for ever? * shall
Thy wrath burn like fire ?
Remember how short my time
is: * wherefore hast Thou made
all the sons of men in vain ?
What man is he that liveth,
and shall not see death? * shall
he deliver his soul from the hand
of the grave ?²
Lord, where are Thy former
loving-kindnesses, * which Thou
swarest unto David in Thy truth ?
Remember, Lord, the reproach
of Thy servants, * (that I bear in
my bosom) even the reproach of
many people—
Wherewith Thine enemies have
reproached, O LORD-* where-
with they have reproached the
woes of Thine Anointed.
Blessed be the LORD for ever-
more!* Amen, Amen.
Psalm XCIII.
THE LORD God to Whom ven-
geance belongeth, * the God
to Whom vengeance belongeth
hath shown Himself.
Lift up Thyself, Thou judge of
the earth : * render a reward to
the proud.
LORD, how long shall the wick-
ed, * how long shall the wicked
triumph?
How long shall they utter and
speak iniquity? * all the workers
of wickedness boast themselves?
They crush Thy people, O
LORD!* and afflict Thine herit-
age.
*
They slay the widow and the
stranger, and murder the fa-
therless.
Yet they say: The LORD shall
not see,
* neither shall the God
of Jacob understand.
Understand, ye brutish among
the people! * and 'ye fools, some
time be wise!
He That planted the ear, shall
He not hear? * or HeThat formed
the eye, can He not see?
He That chastiseth the heathen,

1 SLH. Is the "faithful witness" the rainbow? See Gen. ix. (Thursday after Sexa-
gesima Sunday.)
2 SLH.
72
THE PSALTER.
shall not He correct? * He That
teacheth man knowledge?
of men,
The LORD knoweth the thoughts
* that they are vanity.
Blessed is the man whom Thou
chastenest, O LORD,* and teach-
est out of Thy law.
*
That Thou mayest give him
rest from the days of adversity,
until the pit be digged for the
wicked.
For the LORD will not cast off
His people,* neither will He for-
sake His inheritance.
*
Until righteousness return unto
judgment, and all the upright
in heart follow it.
Who will rise up for me against
the evil-doers ? * or who will
stand up with me against the
workers of iniquity?
Unless the LORD had been my
help, * my soul had almost dwelt
in the grave.
When I said: My foot slip-
peth- *
Thy mercy, O LORD, held
me up.
In the multitude of the sorrows
within my heart, * Thy comforts
delight my soul.
'Hath the throne of iniquity
fellowship with Thee ?-* which
frameth mischief by a law ?
They that gather themselves
together against the soul of the
righteous, and condemn the in-
nocent blood— ?
*
*
But the LORD is my refuge,
and my God is the stay of my
trust.
And He shall bring upon them
their own iniquity, and shall cut
them off in their own wickedness:
* the LORD our God shall cut
them off.
Antiphon. 2Blessed be the Lord
for evermore.
0
Sixth Antiphon. Sing.
Psalm XCV.3
*
SING unto the LORD a new
song : sing unto the LORD,
all the earth.
Sing unto the LORD, and bless
His Name: * show forth His sal-
vation from day to day.
*
Declare His glory among the
heathen, His wonders among
all people.
For the LORD is great, and
greatly to be praised: * He is to
be feared above all gods.
For all the gods of the heathen
are devils: * but the LORD made
the heavens.
Praise and beauty are before
Him: * holiness and majesty are
in His sanctuary.
Give unto the LORD, O ye kin-
dreds of the people, give unto the
LORD glory and honour: * give
unto the LORD the glory due unto
His name.
Bring sacrifices, and come into
His courts: *O worship the LORD
in His holy temple!
Let all the earth fear before
Him. Say among the heathen,
The LORD reigneth!
He hath established the world
also, that it shall not be moved:
* He shall judge the people righ- ~
teously.
This verse is translated according to the sense of the Hebrew, the LXX., Aquila, Sym-
machus, Theodotion, and St. Jerome, but the Latin has the second, instead of the third,
person singular in the last clause.
2 Ps. lxxxviii. 53.
3 In 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi. it is stated that David gave this Psalm to Asaph and his bre-
thren upon the day that the ark was brought to Jerusalem. The text is there given
somewhat differently, and the whole forms the second part of one Psalm, of which the
first part consists of the first fifteen verses of Ps. civ.
SATURDAY AT MATTINS.
73
Let the heavens rejoice, and let
the earth be glad, let the sea roar,
and the fulness thereof: * let the
field be joyful and all that is
therein.
Then shall all the trees of the
wood rejoice before the LORD, for
He cometh, for He cometh to
judge the earth.
*
He shall judge the world with
righteousness and the people
with His truth.¹
Psalm XCVI.
THE
HE LORD reigneth; let the
earth rejoice: * let the mul-
titude of isles be glad thereof.
Clouds and darkness are round
about Him: * righteousness and
judgment are the foundation of
His throne.
A fire shall go before Him,* and
burn up His enemies round about.
His lightnings enlightened the
world: * the earth
saw and
trembled.
The hills melted like wax at
the presence of the LORD, * at
the presence of the Lord of the
whole earth.
The heavens declared His righ-
teousness, * and all the people
saw His glory.
Confounded be all they that
worship graven images, * and that
boast themselves of idols.
Worship Him, all ye His An-
* Zion heard, and was
gels!
glad.
And the daughters of Judah
*
rejoiced, because of Thy judg-
ments, O LORD!
For Thou, LORD, art high above
all the earth: * Thou art exalted
far above all gods.
Ye that love the LORD, hate
evil: * [the Lord]2 preserveth the
souls of His saints; He delivereth
them out of the hand of the
wicked.
*
Light is sprung up for the
righteous, and gladness for the
upright in heart.
Rejoice in the LORD, ye righ-
teous, and give thanks at the
remembrance of His holiness!
Antiphon. Sing unto the LORD,
and bless His name.
For all the rest the same rule as on
Tuesday, only that the ordinary Verse
and Answer during the year is:
Verse.
Let my prayer come
before Thee, O Lord.
Answer. Incline Thine ear unto
my cry.
Simple Feasts. The same rule as on
Tuesday.
Saturday.5
THE SABBATH.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
Invitatory. O come, let us wor-
ship* the Lord our God.
FA
HYMN.6
ATHER of mercies infinite,
Ruling all things that be,
Who, shrouded in the depth and height,
Art One, and yet art Three;
1 In 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi. the Psalm continues:-"O give thanks unto the LORD, for He
is good for His mercy endureth for ever. And say ye: Save us, O God of our salvation,
and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to Thy
holy Name, and glory in Thy praise. Blessed be the LORD God of Israël for ever and
ever. And all the people said: 'Amen' and praised the LORD"-possibly in Ps. cxxxv.
2 Not in the Hebrew.
4 Ps. lxxxvii. 3.
3 Ps. xcv. 2.
5 This Office is practically hardly ever said, unless the reciter so chooses, as, except in
Advent and Lent, and on Eves, it is allowed to supplant it by the Votive Office of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is to be found at the end of
the Breviary.
6 Translation by Dr. Newman.
*
74
THE PSALTER.
Accept our chants, accept our tears,
A mingled stream we pour;
Such stream the laden bosom cheers,
To taste Thy sweetness more.
Purge Thou with fire the o'ercharged
mind,
Its sores and wounds profound;
And with the watcher's girdle bind
The limbs which sloth has bound.
That they who with their chants by
night
Before Thy presence come,
All may be filled with strength and light
From their eternal home.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Spirit, God of grace,
To Whom all worship shall be done
In every time and place.
Amen.
Only one Nocturn is said.
Antiphon. For the Lord.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said to the whole Nocturn. Alleluia.
0
Psalm XCVII.¹
SING unto the LORD a new
song: * for He hath done
marvellous things.
His right hand, and His holy
arm, * have gotten Him the vic-
tory.
The LORD hath made known
His salvation: * His righteous-
ness hath He openly showed in
the sight of the heathen.
He hath remembered His mercy,
* and His truth toward the house
of Israël.
seen
All the ends of the earth have
* the salvation of our God.
Make a joyful noise unto the
LORD, all the earth, * make a
loud noise and rejoice, and sing
praise.
Sing unto the LORD with the
harp, with the harp and the voice
of a psalm. * With trumpets and
sound of cornet,
1 Intituled "A Psalm."
Make a joyful noise before the
LORD, the King. * Let the sea
roar, and the fulness thereof, the
world and they that dwell therein.
Let the floods clap their hands,
let the hills be joyful together
before the LORD. * For He com-
eth to judge the earth:
With righteousness shall He
judge the world, * and the people
with equity.
THE
Psalm XCVIII.
LORD
HE LORD reigneth, be the
people never so impatient: *
He sitteth upon the Cherubim, be
the earth never so unquiet.
The LORD is great in Zion:
and He is high above all people.
*
Let them praise Thy great and
terrible Name, for it is holy: *
and the King's majesty loveth
judgment.
Thou dost establish equity: *
Thou executest judgment and righ-
teousness in Jacob.
Exalt ye the LORD our God, and
worship at His footstool: * for it
is holy.
*
Moses and Aaron among His
priests, and Samuel among them
that call upon His name.
They called upon the LORD, and
He answered them. He spake
unto them in the cloudy pillar:
They kept His testimonies, *
and the ordinance that He gave
them.
Thou answeredst them, O LORD
our God! * O God, Thou forgav-
est them, though Thou tookest
vengeance of their inventions.
Exalt the LORD our God, and
worship at His holy hill: * for
the LORD our God is Holy.
Antiphon. For the Lord hath
done marvellous things.
2 Ps. xcvii. 1.
SATURDAY AT MATTINS.
75
When the following Psalm, "Make a
joyful noise unto God, all ye lands," is
to be said at Lauds (as would be the case,
for instance, if Christmas Eve fell on a
Saturday) it is not said here, nor its
Antiphon. But instead is said Psalm
xci., "It is a good thing to give thanks
unto the LORD," from the Saturday
Lauds which are to be displaced, with
the Antiphon, "It is a good thing* to
give thanks unto the LORD," in which
case the Psalm begins with the words “To
give thanks unto the LORD.”
Second Antiphon. Make a joy-
ful noise.
If this Antiphon be used, the Psalm
begins with the words, "Unto GOD, all
ye lands."
MAKE
Psalm XCIX.¹
AKE a joyful noise unto God,
lands: * serve the
all ye
LORD with gladness.
Come before His presence,
with singing.
*
Know ye that the LORD, He is
God: it is He That hath made
*
us, and not we ourselves:
We are His people, and the
sheep of His pasture. * Enter into
His gates with thanksgiving, and
into His courts with praise: give
thanks unto Him,
For the
Praise His Name.
LORD is good, His mercy is ever-
lasting : * and His truth endureth
to all generations.
Psalm C.2
I WILL sing of mercy and judg-
ment, * unto Thee, O LORD!
I will sing and behave myself
wisely in a perfect way. * O when
wilt Thou come unto me?
I walked within my house, * in
the innocence of my heart.
1 Intituled "A Psalm of thanksgiving."
2 Intituled "A Psalm of David."
4
I set no wicked thing before
mine eyes:
* I hate the work of
them that turn aside.
A froward heart cleaveth not
unto me: * the wicked person that
turned aside from me, I would
not know.
Whoso privily slandered his
neighbour,* him did I cut off.
Him that had a high look and
a proud heart: * with him I will
not eat.
Mine eyes are upon the faith-
ful of the land, that they may
dwell with me: * he that walked
in a perfect way, he served me.
He that doeth proud things
shall not dwell within my house :
* he that speaketh wickedness was
not upright in my sight.
I will early destroy all the
wicked of the land: * that I may
cut off all wicked doers from the
city of the Lord.
Antiphon. Make a joyful noise
unto God, all lands.
ye
Third Antiphon. O God.
HE
Psalm CI.4
[EAR my prayer, O LORD,
and let my cry come unto
Thee.
*
Hide not Thy face from me:
in the day when I am in trouble
incline Thine ear unto me.
In the day when I call upon
Thee, * answer me speedily.
For my days are wasted away
like smoke: * and my bones are
consumed as a firebrand.
I am smitten like grass,
and my
heart is withered: * for I have
forgotten to eat my bread.
By reason of the voice of my
3 Ps. xcix. 1.
* Intituled " A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his
complaint before the LORD."
76
THE PSALTER.
groaning * my bones cleave to my
flesh.
I am like a pelican of the wil-
derness: * I am like an owl in
his hole.
I watch,* and am as a sparrow
alone upon the house-top.
Mine enemies reproached me all
the day: * and they that praised
me are sworn together against me.
For I have eaten ashes like
bread, and mingled my drink
with weeping:
Because of Thine indignation
and wrath: * for Thou hast lifted
me up and cast me down.
My days are like a shadow that
declineth: * and I am withered
like grass.
But Thou, O LORD, endurest
for ever,* and Thy remembrance
unto all generations.
Thou shalt arise and have mercy
upon Zion: * for the time to favour
her, yea, the set time, is come.
For Thy servants take pleasure
in her stones: * and have pity on
her dust.
So the heathen shall fear Thy
name, O LORD, * and all the kings
of the earth Thy glory.
When the LORD shall build up
Zion,* He shall appear in His
glory.
He hath had regard unto the
prayer of the destitute, * and hath
not despised their supplication.
Let this be written for the gene-
ration to come: * and the people
which shall be created shall praise
the LORD.
For He hath looked down from
the height of His sanctuary: *
from heaven did the LORD behold
the earth:
To hear the groaning of the
prisoners, * to loose the children
of the slain.
To declare the name of the
LORD in Zion, * and His praise in
Jerusalem.
When the people are gathered
together, * and the kings, to serve
the LORD.
'He answered [him]2 in the way
of his strength:* Show me the
shortness of my days.
Call me not away in the midst
of my days: * Thy years are unto
all generations.
Thou, [Lord, in the beginning,
hast laid the foundation of the
earth: * and the heavens are the
works of Thine hands.
They shall perish, but Thou re-
mainest: * and they all shall wax
old as doth a garment:
And as a vesture shalt Thou
change them, and they shall be
changed:* but Thou art the Same,
and Thy years shall not fail.
The children of Thy servants
shall continue: * and their seed
shall be established for ever.
Psalm CII.3
BLESS the LORD, O my soul:
* and all that is within me,
bless His holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, *
and forget not all His benefits.
Who forgiveth all thine ini-
quities: * Who healeth all thy
diseases.
Who redeemeth thy life from
destruction : * Who crowneth
1 "He" may be taken for the "afflicted man” who has just given utterance to his hopes
of a brighter future. The Hebrew, (as now pointed,) reads: "He afflicted in the way
his (my) strength, he cut short my days. I will say: My God, take me not away," &c.
The Alexandrian translators using an unpointed text, took the opening word of the clause
to mean, "he answered" instead of "he afflicted" as they might easily do, the letters
being the same for either word. The Hebrew text itself is not quite settled.
3 Intituled “of David.”
2 Not in the Hebrew.
SATURDAY AT MATTINS.
77
thee with loving-kindness and
tender mercies.
Who satisfieth thy desire with
good things: * thy youth is re-
newed like the eagle's.
*
The LORD executeth mercy,
and judgment for all that are op-
pressed.
He made known His ways unto
Moses,* His will unto the chil-
dren of Israël.
The LORD is merciful and gra-
cious: * slow to anger, and plen-
teous in mercy.
He will not always chide : *
neither will He keep His anger
for ever.
He hath not dealt with us after
our sins: * nor rewarded us ac-
eording to our iniquities.
Bless the LORD, all ye His
Angels,* that excel in strength,
that do His commandments, to
hearken unto the voice of His
word.
Bless ye the LORD, all ye His
hosts: * ye ministers of His that
do His pleasure.
Bless the LORD, all His works :
* in all places of His dominion;
bless the LORD, O my soul!
Antiphon. O God, let my cry
come unto Thee.
Fourth Antiphon. Bless the
LORD.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "O my soul."
For as the heaven is high above
the earth, * so great is His mercy
toward them that fear Him.
As far as the east is from the
west,
* so far hath He removed
our transgressions from us.
His mercy BLE
Like as a father pitieth his chil-
dren, so the LORD pitieth them
that fear Him. * For He knoweth
our frame;
He remembereth that we are
dust: * as for man, his days are as
grass, as a flower of the field so
shall he flourish.
For the wind passeth over it,
and it is gone,
and the place
thereof shall know it no more.
But the mercy of the LORD is
from everlasting * to everlasting
upon them that fear Him,
And His righteousness unto
children's children; * to such as
keep His covenant,
And to those that remember His
commandments, * to do them.
The LORD hath prepared His
throne in heaven, * and His king-
dom shall rule over all.
1 Ps. ci. 1.
Psalm CIII.
LESS the LORD, O my soul :
* O LORD my God, Thou art
very great!
Thou art clothed with honour
and majesty, * covering Thyself
with light as with a garment!
Who stretchest out the heavens
like a curtain, * Who coverest
their upper chambers with the
waters!
Who makest the clouds Thy
chariot, * Who walkest upon the
wings of the wind!
Who makest Thine Angels spi-
rits: * and Thy ministers a flame
of fire !2
Who layest the foundations of
the earth; it shall not be re-
moved for ever!
Thou coveredst it with the deep
as with a garment, the waters
stood above the mountains.
At Thy rebuke they fled: * at
the voice of Thy thunder they
hasted fearfully away.
The mountains go up, and the
valleys go down, * into the place
2 So is this passage translated, Heb. i. 7.
78
THE PSALTER.
which Thou hast founded for
them.
Thou hast set a bound, that
they may not pass over: * that
they turn not again to cover the
earth.
Who sendeth springs into the
valleys: * the waters run among
the hills.
All the beasts of the field drink
thereof: * the wild asses seek
them in their thirst.
By them build the fowls of the
heaven their habitation;
sing among the rocks.
*
* they
He watereth the hills from His
upper chambers: the earth is
satisfied with the fruit of Thy
works.
He causeth the grass to grow
for the cattle, * and herb for the
service of men:
That Thou mayest bring forth
food out of the earth, * and wine
that maketh glad the heart of
man;
Oil to make his face to shine, *
and bread to strengthen man's
heart.
The trees of the field are filled
[with sap], the cedars of Leba-
non also, which He hath plant-
ed: * there the birds make their
nests.
The stork's nest is the highest
among them: * the high hills are
a refuge for the wild goats, and
the rocks for the conies.
He hath appointed the moon
for seasons: the sun knoweth
his going down.
*
Thou makest darkness, and it
is night: wherein all the beasts
of the forest do creep forth.
The young lions roar after their
* and seek their meat from
prey,
God.
The sun ariseth, and they ga-
ther themselves together: * and
lay them down in their dens.
Man goeth forth unto his work,
* and to his labour, until the
evening.
O LORD, how manifold are Thy
works! * in wisdom hast Thou
made them all: the earth is full
of Thy riches.
So is this great and wide sea :
* wherein are things creeping in-
numerable.
Both small and great beasts : *
there go the ships;
There is that Leviathan whom
Thou hast made to play with him :
* these all wait upon Thee, that
Thou mayest give them their meat
in due season.
That Thou givest them, they
gather: * when Thou openest
Thine hand, they are all filled
with good.
Thou hidest Thy face, they are
troubled: * Thou takest away
their breath, they die, and return
to their dust.
Thou sendest forth Thy spirit,
and they are created: * and Thou
renewest the face of the earth.
Let the glory of the LORD en-
dure for ever! * the LORD shall
rejoice in His works.
He looketh on the earth and
maketh it to tremble: * He touch-
eth the hills and they smoke.
I will sing unto the LORD as
long as I live: * I will sing praise
to my God while I have my being.
My meditation of Him shall be
sweet: * I will be glad in the
LORD.
Let the sinners be consumed
out of the earth, and let the
wicked be no more :
* bless thou
the LORD, O my soul !!
1 "Alleluia" is here appended in the Hebrew.
SATURDAY AT MATTINS.
79
Psalm CIV.
GIVE thanks unto the Lord,
*
and call upon His name:
make known His deeds among
the heathen.
Sing unto Him, and sing psalms
unto Him: * talk ye of all His
wondrous works.
*
Glory ye in His holy name:
let the heart of them rejoice that
seek the Lord.
Seek the LORD, and be strong :
* seek His face evermore.
Remember His marvellous
works that He hath done: * His
wonders and the judgments of
His mouth.
O ye seed of Abraham, His ser-
vant, * ye children of Jacob His
chosen !
He is the LORD our God: * His
judgments are in all the earth.
He hath remembered His cove-
nant for ever, * the word which
the word which
He commanded to a thousand ge-
nerations-
[The covenant] that He made
with Abraham * and His oath
unto Isaac.
:
And He confirmed the same
unto Jacob for a law, * and to Is-
raël for an everlasting covenant.
Saying: Unto thee will I give
the land of Canaan, * the lot of
your inheritance.
When they were but a few men in
number, * very few, and strangers
in it.
And they went from one nation
to another, * and from one king-
dom to another people.
*
He suffered no man to do them
wrong:
He reproved kings
yea,
for their sakes.
Touch not Mine anointed,* and
do My prophets no harm.2
Moreover He called for a fa-
mine upon the land: * and brake
the whole staff of bread.
He sent a man before them : *
Joseph was sold for a servant :
Whose feet they hurt with fet-
ters, the iron entered into his
soul. Until his word came,
The word of the LORD tried
him: the king sent and loosed
him; even the ruler of the people,
and let him go free.
He made him lord of his house,
* and ruler of all his substance.
To instruct his princes as him-
self, * and teach his elders wis-
dom.
Israël also came into Egypt, *
and Jacob sojourned in the land
of Ham.
And He increased His people
greatly: * and made them stronger
than their enemies.
He turned their heart to hate
His people, * and to deal subtilly
with His servants.
He sent Moses His servant, *
and Aaron whom He had chosen.
He showed signs among them, *
and wonders in the land of Ham.
He sent darkness and made it
dark: * He made not His words
of none effect.
He turned their waters into
blood, * and slew their fish.
Their land brought forth frogs,
in the chambers of their kings.
*
He spake, and there came divers
sorts of flies, * and lice in all
their coasts.
He gave them hail for rain,
flaming fire in their land.
*
1 The first fifteen verses of this Psalm are found in a slightly different edition in 1 Par.
(Chron.) xvi. as the first part of a Psalm given by David to Asaph and his brethren, on the
day that the ark was brought to Jerusalem. The rest is our present Psalm xcv., which
see with the notes, pp. 72, 73.
2 Here ends the portion found in 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi. 22.
80
THE PSALTER.
2
He smote their vines also and
their fig-trees, * and brake the
trees of their coasts.
*
He spake, and the locust came,
and the caterpillar, without
number,
And ate up all the herb in their
land, * and devoured all the fruit
of their ground.
He smote also all the first-born
in their land, the chief of all
their travail.
He brought them forth also
with silver and gold: * and there
was not one feeble person among
their tribes.
Egypt was glad when they de-
parted:* for the fear of them fell
upon them.
He spread a cloud for a cover-
ing, * and fire to give light in
the night.
They asked, and the quail came,
* and He satisfied them with the
bread of heaven.
He opened the rock and the
waters gushed out, * the rivers
ran through the dry places.
For He remembered His holy
promise, * that He made unto
Abraham His servant.
And He brought forth His peo-
ple with joy, * and His chosen
with gladness.
And gave them the lands of the
heathen, * and they inherited the
labour of the peoples.
That they might observe His
statutes, * and keep His laws.¹
Antiphon. Bless the LORD, O
my soul!
0
Fifth Antiphon. Visit us.
Psalm CV.³
GIVE thanks unto the LORD,
for He is good: * for His
mercy endureth for ever.
1 Here the Hebrew adds " Alleluia.'
3 Superscribed "Alleluia."
Who can utter the mighty acts
of the LORD? who can show
forth all His praise?
Blessed are they that keep judg-
ment, * and they that do righte-
ousness at all times.
Remember us, O LORD, with
the favour that Thou showest
unto Thy people :
* O visit us
with Thy salvation :
That I may see the good of Thy
chosen, that I may rejoice in the
gladness of Thy people, that
*
Thou mayest be praised in Thine
inheritance.
We have sinned with our fa-
thers: * we have done wickedly,
we have committed iniquity.
Our fathers understood not Thy
wonders in Egypt: * they remem-
bered not the multitude of Thy
mercies,
*
But provoked Him when they
went up unto the sea, even the
Red Sea.
Nevertheless He saved them
for His name's sake, that He
might make His mighty power to
be known.
He rebuked the Red Sea also,
and it was dried up: * and He
led them through the depths as
through the wilderness.
And He saved them from the
hand of them that hated them, *
and redeemed them from the hand
of the enemy.
And the waters covered their
enemies:* there was not one of
them left.
And they believed His words :
* and sang His praise.
They soon forgot His works: *
and waited not for His counsel.
And lusted exceedingly in the
wilderness: * and tempted God
in the desert.
2 Ps. cii. 1.
SATURDAY AT MATTINS.
81
*
And He gave them their re-
quest, and sent fulness into
their soul.
They provoked Moses also in
* and Aaron, the saint
the camp,
of the LORD.
The earth opened and swallowed
up Dathan, * and covered the
company of Abiram.¹
And a fire was kindled in their
assembly, the flame burned up
the wicked.
2They made a calf also in
Horeb, * and worshipped the
graven image.
Thus they changed their glory*
into the similitude of a calf that
eateth grass.
They forgat God their Saviour,
* Which had done great things
in Egypt, wondrous works in the
land of Ham, terrible things by
the Red Sea.
Therefore He said that He
would cut them off, * had not
Moses His chosen stood before
Him in the breach,
To turn away His wrath, lest
He should destroy them : *
yea, they despised the pleasant
land;
They believed not His words:
but murmured in their tents: *
they hearkened not unto the voice
of the LORD.
He also lifted up His hand
against them, * to overthrow
them in the wilderness.
To overthrow their seed also
among the nations, * and to scat-
ter them in the lands.
They joined themselves also
unto Baal-peor,³ * and ate the
sacrifices of the dead.
And they provoked Him to
anger with their inventions: *
and the carcasses lay thick among
them.
Then stood up Phinehas and
made a propitiation : * and the
plague was stayed.
And that was counted unto him
for righteousness, * unto all ge-
nerations for evermore.
They angered Him also at the
waters of Provocation," * SO
that it went ill with Moses for
their sakes; because they pro-
voked his spirit;
So that he spake unadvisedly
with his lips.5 They did not
destroy the nations concerning
whom the LORD commanded them:6
And they were mingled among
the heathen, and learned their
works, and served their idols: *
and it became a snare to them.
Yea, they sacrificed their sons
* and their daughters unto devils.
And shed innocent blood, *
even the blood of their sons and
of their daughters, whom they
1 Numbers xvi. They tried to stir up a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, upon level-
ling principles, “and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up," while some
of their partizans were consumed by a fire which issued from the sanctuary.
2 For the well-known history of the golden calf, see Exod. xxxii.
3 I.e."the Lord of Mount Peor," a filthy idol of the Moabites. The whole history of
this lapse of the Israëlites, and how Phinehas stopped the plague by killing one pair of the
transgressors, is in Numbers xxv. "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying: Phinehas,
the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the Priest, hath turned My wrath away from the
children of Israël. . . Behold, I give unto him My covenant of peace; and he shall have
it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting Priesthood."
•
4 Meribah. See note on Ps. xciv., p. 2.
• •
5 Numbers xx. 10. "And Moses. said unto them: Hear now, ye rebels, must
we fetch you water out of this rock?" v. 12. "And the LORD spake unto Moses and
Aaron Because ye believed Me not, to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israël,
therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them."
6 In Judges i. 21 to the end, is a long list of the districts of idolaters whom they left in
Canaan and among whom they lived.
G
82
THE PSALTER.
sacrificed unto the idols of Cha-
naan:
And the land was polluted with
blood. They were defiled also
with their own works, * and went
a whoring with their own inven-
tions.
Therefore was the wrath of the
LORD kindled against His people,
* and He abhorred His own in-
heritance.
And He gave them into the
hand of the heathen: * and they
that hated them ruled over them.
Their enemies also oppressed
them, and they were brought into
subjection under their hand. *
Many times did He deliver them,
But they provoked Him with
their counsel, * and they were
brought low for their iniquity.
But He regarded their afflic-
tion, * and heard their cry.
And He remembered His cove-
nant, * and repented according to
the multitude of His mercies.
He made them also to be pitied
* of all those that carried them
captives.
Save us, O LORD our God, *
and gather us from among the
nations!
To give thanks unto Thy holy
Name,* and to triumph in Thy
praise.
Blessed be the LORD God of
Israël from everlasting to ever-
lasting: * and let all the people
say: Amen, Amen.¹
Psalm CVI.
GIVE thanks unto the LORD,
for He is good : * for His
mercy endureth for ever.
Let the redeemed of the LORD
say so, whom He hath redeemed
from the hand of the enemy: *
and gathered them out of the
lands,
From the rising of the sun and
from the setting thereof, * from
the north and from the south.
They wandered in the wilder-
ness in a dry land: * they found
no pathway to a city to dwell in :
Hungry and thirsty, * their
soul fainted in them.
Then they cried unto the LORD
in their trouble; * and He de-
livered them out of their dis-
tresses.
*
And He led them forth by the
right way, that they might go
to a city to dwell in.
O that men would praise the
LORD for His goodness: * and
for His wonderful works to the
children of men!
For He satisfieth the longing
soul: * and filleth the hungry
soul with goodness.
Such as sit in darkness and in
the shadow. of death, * being
bound in affliction and iron.
Because they rebelled against
the words of God, * and con-
temned the counsel of the Most
High.
Therefore their heart was
brought down with labour :
they fell down, and there was
none to help.
Then they cried unto the LORD
in their trouble:* and He de-
livered them out of their dis-
tresses.
And He brought them out of
darkness and the shadow of
death: * and brake their bands
in sunder.
O that men would praise the
LORD for His goodness: * and
for His wonderful works to the
children of men!
For He hath broken the gates
1 The Hebrew adds " Alleluia.”
SATURDAY AT MATTINS.
83
of brass, * and cut the bars of
iron in sunder.
He saved them from the way
of
their transgression: * for they
were afflicted because of their
iniquities.
Their soul abhorred all manner
of meat: * and they drew near
even unto the gates of death.
Then they cried unto the LORD
in their trouble:* and He de-
livered them out of their dis-
tresses.
He sent His word and healed
them, * and delivered them from
their destruction.
O that men would praise the
LORD for His goodness: * and
for His wonderful works to the
children of men!
Yea, let them sacrifice the sa-
crifice of thanksgiving, * and de-
clare His works with rejoicing.
They that go down to the sea
in ships, and do business in
great waters;
These see the works of the LORD,
* and His wonders in the deep.
He commandeth, and the stormy
wind riseth, and the waves
thereof are lifted up.
They mount up to the heaven,
and go down again to the depths:
* their soul is melted because of
trouble.
They reel to and fro, and stag-
ger like a drunken man,
* and
are at their wits' end.
Then they cry unto the LORD
in their trouble, * and He de-
livereth them out of their dis-
tresses.
And He maketh the storm a
calm, * and the waves thereof
are still.
And they are glad because they
be quiet:
* so He bringeth them
unto their desired haven.
O that men would praise the
LORD for His goodness: * and
for His wonderful works to the
children of men!
Let them exalt Him also in the
congregation of the people, * and
praise Him in the assembly of
the elders.
He turneth the rivers into a
wilderness,* and the water-springs
into dry ground;
A fruitful land into a salt de-
sert, * for the wickedness of them
that dwell therein.
He turneth the wilderness into
a standing-water,* and dry ground
into water-springs.
And there He maketh the hun-
gry to abide,* and they prepare a
city to dwell in :
And sow the fields, and plant
vineyards, and bring forth
fruits of increase.
He blesseth them also, and they
are multiplied greatly : * and He
suffereth not their cattle to de-
crease.
Again they are minished, * and
brought low, through oppres-
sion, affliction, and sorrow.
*
He poureth contempt upon
princes, and He causeth them
to wander in the wilderness, and
in the land where there is no
way.
Yet helpeth He the poor from
affliction, ´* and maketh him
families like a flock.
The righteous shall see it and
rejoice: * and all iniquity shall
stop her mouth.
Who is wise, and will observe
these things? * even he shall un-
derstand the loving-kindness of
the LORD.
Antiphon. Visit us with Thy
salvation, O Lord.
1 Ps. cv. 4.
G 2
84
THE PSALTER.
1
Sixth Antiphon. I will greatly
praise.
Psalm CVII.¹
My heart is ready, O God, [my
MY heart is ready:12 * I will
sing and give praise, even with
my glory.
[Awake up, my glory,]2 awake,
psaltery and harp!* I will awake
early.
I will praise Thee, O LORD,
among the people: * and sing
unto Thee among the nations.
For Thy mercy is great above
the heavens and Thy truth
unto the clouds.
:
Be Thou exalted, O God, above
the heavens, and let Thy glory
be above all the earth: * 3that
Thy beloved may be delivered:
Save with Thy right hand and
hear me. * God hath spoken in
His holiness:
I will rejoice, and divide She-
chem,* and mete out the valley
of booths.
Gilead is mine; and Manasseh
is mine: * Ephraim also is the
strength of mine head :
Judah is my Law-giver: * Moab
is my wash-pot:
Over Edom will I cast out my
shoe : * over the "6 Strangers"
have I triumphed.
Who will bring me into the
strong city? * who will lead me
into Edom?
Wilt not Thou, O God, Which
hast cast us off? * and wilt not
Thou go forth with our armies,
O God?
Give us help from trouble:
for vain is the help of man.
Through God we shall do val-
iantly: * and He it is That shall
tread down our enemies.
Psalm CVIII.4
OLD not Thy peace, O God
HOLD not
of my praise: * for the
mouth of the wicked, and the
mouth of the deceitful are opened
against me:
They have spoken against me
with a lying tongue: they com-
passed me about also with words
of hatred: * and fought against
me without a cause.
In return for my love they were
my adversaries: * but I gave my-
self unto prayer.
And they have rewarded me
evil for good,* and hatred for my
love.
Set Thou a wicked man over
him: and let the devil stand at
his right hand.
When he is judged, let him go
forth condemned: * and let his
prayer become sin.
Let his days be few; * and let
another take his office.
Let his children be fatherless,
and his wife a widow.
*
Let his children be continually
vagabonds, and beg: * and let
them be driven out of their dwell-
ings.
Let the extortioner catch all
that he hath : * and let the
stranger spoil his labour.
Let there be none to extend
mercy unto him: * and let there
1 Intituled "A Song. A Psalm of David." It is a compilation of Ps. lvi. 7—11, and
Ps. lix. 5-12.
2 Not in most Hebrew MSS. of this Psalm, but taken from Ps. lvi.
* Here begins the extract from Ps. lix. See that Psalm and notes on it, p. 46.
+ Intituled "A Psalm of David," with a superscription, probably musical, but now un-
certain.
SATURDAY AT MATTINS.
85
be none to have pity on his little
ones.
Let his posterity be cut off: *
in one generation let their name
be blotted out.
Let the iniquity of his fathers
be remembered before the LORD:
* and let not the sin of his mother
be blotted out.
Let them be before the LORD
continually, and let their memory
be cut off from the earth. * Be-
cause that he remembered not to
show mercy,
But persecuted the poor and
needy man, * and the broken in
heart, that he might slay him.
As he loved cursing, so let it
come unto him: * as he delighted
not in blessing, so let it be far
from him:
*
As he clothed himself with
cursing, like as with a garment,
so let it come into his bowels
like water, and like oil into his
bones.
Let it be unto him as the gar-
ment which covereth him, * and
for a girdle wherewith he may be
girded continually.
Let this be the reward of mine
adversaries from the LORD: * and
of them that speak evil against
my soul.
And do Thou for me, O Lord,
for Thy name's sake, O Lord: *
because Thy mercy is good.
Deliver Thou me, for I am
poor and needy: * and my heart
is wounded within me.
I am gone like the shadow when
it declineth: * and tossed up and
down as the locust.
My knees are weak through
1 Ps. cviii. 30.
fasting: * and my flesh faileth of
fatness.
I became also a reproach unto
them: * they looked upon me,
and shaked their heads.
Help me, O LORD my God!
* O save me according to Thy
mercy.
That they also may know that
this is Thy hand: * and Thou,
LORD, hast done it!
Let them curse, but bless Thou:
* when they arise against me let
them be ashamed: but let Thy
servant rejoice.
Let mine adversaries be clothed
with shame: * and let them be
covered with their own confusion
as with a mantle.
I will greatly praise the LORD
with my mouth: * yea, I will
praise Him among the multitude.
For He standeth at the right
hand of the poor, * to save my
soul from them that persecute
me.
Antiphon. 'I will greatly praise
the LORD with my mouth.
For all the rest, the same rule as on
Wednesday, only that the ordinary
Verse and Answer during the year are:
Verse. 2Hear my prayer,
·
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
No Simple Festal Office can occur,
except that of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
with the following:
Verse. Grace is poured into
thy lips.
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever.
2 Ps. ci. 1.
3 Ps. xliv. 2.
86
THE PSALTER.
LAUDS, OR THE MORNING PRAISES OF GOD.¹
Sunday.
THE LORD'S DAY.
Verse. Make haste, O God,
to deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen, Alleluia.
From Septuagesima Sunday to Maun-
dy Thursday instead of "Alleluia,” is
said:
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of Heaven.
Then follow at once the Psalms and
Antiphons. From the First Sunday in
Advent till the Sunday after the Octave
of the Epiphany and from Septuage-
sima Sunday till the Octave of Pente-
cost, (and also on all Feasts,) Five Anti-
phons are given, which are then said in
the places here marked. During the
rest of the year only Three Antiphons
are said, which are given here.
Antiphon. Alleluia.
THE
Psalm XCII.
THE LORD reigneth, He is
clothed with majesty: * the
LORD is clothed with strength,
wherewith He hath girded Him-
self.
He hath established the world
also, that it cannot be moved.
*
Thy throne is established of
old: * Thou art from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O
LORD,* the floods have lifted up
their voice-
The floods lift up their waves. *
But Mightier than the noise of
many waters-
Than the mighty breakers of
the sea-* is the LORD on high!
Thy testimonies are very sure :
* holiness becometh Thine house,
O LORD, for ever!
When there are Five Antiphons the
First is repeated, and the Second begun
or said through the first time here.

Psalm XCIX.
Make a joyful noise unto God,
&c., (p. 75.)
When there are Five Antiphons the
Second is repeated, and the Third begun
or said through the first time here.
0
Psalm LXII.2
GOD, Thou art my God, *
early will I seek Thee:
My soul thirsteth for Thee, *
my flesh longeth for Thee,
1 The proper hour for Lauds is the dawn of day. This is reckoned to be about 3 A.M.,
at which time this Office is said in many Convents. For this purpose it is, in choirs,
invariably (except where it forms part of the same service with the midnight Mass at
Christmas) said immediately after and as one service with Mattins. Hence it follows
1st, that it is said late in the afternoon, when Mattins are said at that time, and 2ndly, that
the Lord's Prayer and Angelic Salutation are not said at the beginning. This service is
constructed on the same general principle as Vespers, and answers to that Office as Prime
does to Compline.
This was
2 Intituled "A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.'
one of the most perilous periods of David's life, when he was flying from the pursuit of
Saul, and hiding in different forests and wildernesses in the south of Palestine. He was
betrayed again and again, and had the most hairbreadth escapes. The history will be
found in 1 Kings (Sam.) xxii. and xxiii.
SUNDAY AT LAUDS.
87
In a dry and desert land, with-
out water. * So have I appeared
before Thee in the Sanctuary, to
see Thy power and Thy glory.
Because Thy loving-kindness is
better than life, * my lips shall
praise Thee.
Thus will I bless Thee while I
live: * and will lift up my hands
in Thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as
with marrow and fatness; * and
my mouth shall praise Thee with
joyful lips.
When I remember Thee upon
my bed, I meditate upon Thee
in the night watches: because
Thou hast been my help :
And in the shadow of Thy
wings will I rejoice. My soul
followeth hard after Thee: * Thy
right hand upholdeth me.
But those that seek my soul to
destroy it, shall go into the lower
parts of the earth: * they shall
fall by the sword, they shall be a
portion for foxes.
But the King shall rejoice in
God: every one that sweareth by
him shall glory: * for the mouth
of them that speak lies shall be
stopped.
Here the Doxology, "Glory be to the
Father, &c.," is not said.
Psalm LXVI.¹
GOD be merciful
OD be merciful unto us, and
bless us : * cause His face
to shine upon us,2 [and be merci-
ful unto us.]³
That Thy way may be known
upon earth: * Thy saving health
among all nations.
Let the people praise Thee, O
God: * let all the people praise
Thee.
O let the nations be glad and
sing for joy:* for Thou judgest
the people righteously, and go-
vernest the nations upon earth.2
Let the people praise Thee, O
God, let all the people praise
Thee. * The earth hath yielded
her increase;
Let God, even our own God,
bless us; let God bless us :
* and
let all the ends of the earth fear
Him.
When there are Five Antiphons, the
Third is repeated, and the Fourth begun
or said through the first time here.
Ordinary Antiphon throughout
the year. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Ordinary Antiphon. The
king commanded.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia; Alle-
luia, Alleluia, Alleluia; Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Antiphon for Paschal
time. He That delivered.
THE SONG OF THE THREE HOLY
CHILDREN. (Daniel iii. 57.)
ALL ye works of the Lord,
bless ye the Lord: * praise
0
1 Besides a musical superscription, this Psalm has no title but "A Psalm. A Song."
2 SLH.
8 Not in the Hebrew.
4 It is well known how the three young comrades of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishaël, and
Azariah, called by the heathens, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, were thrown into a
furnace for refusing to worship an idol, and remained unhurt amid the flames. In this
strange position Azariah offered a long prayer. "And the king's servants, that put them
in, ceased not to make the oven hot with resin, pitch, tow, and small wood, so that the
flame streamed forth above the furnace forty and nine cubits. But the Angel of the Lord
came down into the oven together with Azariah and his fellows, and smote the flame of
the fire out of the oven, and made the midst of the furnace as it had been a moist whistling
wind, so that the fire touched them not at all, neither hurt nor troubled them. Then the
three, as out of one mouth, praised, glorified, and blessed God in the furnace, saying " the
Hymn, of which that in the text is a cento. Dan. iii.
88
THE PSALTER.
Him, and exalt Him above all for
ever.
ye Angels of the Lord, bless
ye the Lord: * O ye heavens,
bless ye the Lord.
O all ye waters that be above
the heavens, bless ye the Lord: *
O all ye powers of the Lord, bless
ye the Lord.
O ye Sun and Moon, bless ye
the Lord: * O ye stars of heaven,
bless ye the Lord.
O ye showers and dew, bless
ye the Lord: * O ye winds of
God, bless ye the Lord.
O ye fire and heat, bless ye the
Lord: * O ye winter and summer,
bless ye the Lord.
O ye dews and rime, bless ye
the Lord: * O ye frost and cold,
bless ye the Lord.
O ye ice and snow, bless ye the
Lord: * O ye nights and days,
bless ye the Lord.
O ye light and darkness,
bless ye the Lord : * O ye light-
nings and clouds, bless ye the
Lord.
O let the earth bless the Lord:
* let her praise and exalt Him
above all for ever!
O ye mountains and hills, bless
ye the Lord: * O all ye green
things upon the earth, bless ye
the Lord.
O ye wells, bless ye the Lord:
*O ye seas and floods, bless ye
the Lord.
O ye whales, and all that move
in the waters, bless ye the Lord:
* O all ye fowls of the air, bless
ye the Lord.
O all ye beasts and cattle, bless
let him praise and exalt Him above
all for ever!
O ye Priests of the Lord, bless
ye the Lord: * O ye servant of
the Lord, bless ye the Lord.
O ye spirits and souls of the
righteous, bless ye the Lord: * 0
ye holy and humble men of heart,
bless ye the Lord.
O Ananias, Azarias, and Misaël,
bless ye the Lord: * praise and
exalt Him above all for ever.
'Bless we the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Ghost: * let
us praise and exalt Him above all
for ever.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, in
the firmament of heaven: * and
to be praised, and glorified, and
exalted above all for ever.
Here the Doxology, "Glory be to the
Father, &c.," is not said, nor “Amen”
answered. But the other Canticles are
treated like ordinary Psalms.
When there are Five Antiphons, the
Fourth is repeated, and the Fifth begun
or said through the first time here.
Ordinary Antiphon throughout
the year. The king commanded,
and the Three Children were cast
into the furnace, fearing not the
flame of the fire, but saying:
Blessed be God!
Antiphon for Paschal time. He
That delivered the Three Chil-
dren from the burning fiery fur-
nace, even Christ, is risen from
the grave. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. Alleluia.
Psalm CXLVIII.2
ye the Lord: * O ye children of PRAISE ye the LORD from the
men, bless ye the Lord.
O let Israël bless the Lord: *
heavens: * praise Him in the
heights.
¹ This verse is, of course, a later addition, and the next is taken from an earlier part of
the Hymn than any of the rest given here.
2 To this Psalm is prefixed “Alleluia.”
SUNDAY AT LAUDS.
89
Praise ye Him, all His Angels:
* praise ye Him, all His hosts.
Praise ye Him, sun and moon :
* praise Him, all ye stars and
light.
Praise Him, ye heavens of hea-
vens : * and all the waters that
be above the heavens. Let them
praise the Name of the LORD!
[For He spake, and they were
made]¹: * He commanded and
they were created.
He hath established them for
ever and ever: * He hath made a
decree which shall not pass.
*
Praise the LORD from the earth,
ye dragons, and all deeps:
Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy
wind, * fulfilling His word:-
Mountains, and all hills, * fruit-
ful trees, and all cedars :-
Beasts, and all cattle, * creep-
ing things, and flying fowl:
Kings of the earth, and all peo-
ple; * princes, and all judges of
the earth :-
Young men, and maidens, old
men, and children : let them praise
the Name of the LORD-*for His
Name alone is exalted!
His glory is above heaven and
earth. He also exalteth the horn
of His people,
The praise of all His Saints, *
even of the children of Israël, a
people near unto Him.2
Here the Doxology, "Glory be to the
Father, &c.," is not said.
Psalm CXLIX.2
SING unto the LORD a new
* His praise in the
song :
congregation of Saints.
Let Israël rejoice in Him That
made him : * and let the children
of Zion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise His Name in
the dance: * Ïet them sing praises
unto Him with the timbrel and
harp.
For the LORD taketh pleasure
in His people: * He also will
beautify the meek with salvation.
Let the Saints be joyful in
glory: * let them sing aloud upon
their beds:
Let the high praises of God be
in their mouth: * and a two-edged
sword in their hands;
To execute vengeance upon the
heathen,* and punishments upon
the people;
To bind their kings with chains,
* and their nobles with fetters of
iron;
To execute upon them the judg-
ment written : * this honour have
all His Saints.2
Here the Doxology, "Glory be to the
Father, &c.," is not said.
Psalm CL.2
PRAISE the Lord in His sanc-
tuary! * praise Him in the
firmament of His power!
Praise Him in His mighty acts!
* praise Him according to His ex-
cellent greatness!
Praise Him with the sound of
the trumpet! * praise Him with
the psaltery and harp!
Praise Him with the timbrel
and dance! * praise Him with
stringed instruments and organs!
Praise Him upon the loud cym-
bals, praise Him upon the high-
sounding cymbals !* Let every-
thing that hath breath praise the
LORD!
Antiphon. Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia.
'Not in the Hebrew-taken from Ps. xxxii. 9.
2 Here "Alleluia."
90
THE PSALTER.
(The last of Five Antiphons is, of
course, repeated here.)
Then follows the Chapter. From the
First Sunday in Advent to the Second
Sunday after the Epiphany, and from
Septuagesima Sunday to the Third Sun-
day after Pentecost, as also on all Feasts,
a special Chapter is given. On the re-
maining Sundays the Chapter is that
given here.
CHAPTER. (Apoc. vii. 12.)
BLESSING, and glory, and wis-
dom, and thanksgiving, and
honour, and power, and might be
unto our God for ever and ever.
Amen.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
This answer is always made after the
Chapter.
Then follows the Hymn. From the
First Sunday in Advent till the Octave
of the Epiphany and from the_First
Sunday in Lent till the Octave of Pen-
tecost, as also on all Feasts, a special
Hymn is given. On the remaining Sun-
days the Hymn given here is said, ex-
cept between the Octave of Pentecost and
the First Sunday of October.
FRA
HYMN.¹
RAMER of the earth and sky,
Ruler of the day and night,
With a glad variety,
Tempering all, and making light;
Gleams upon our dark path flinging,
Cutting short each night begun,
Hark! for chanticleer is singing,
Hark! he chides the lingering sun.
And the morning star replies,
And lets loose the imprison'd day;
And the godless bandit flies
From his haunt, and from his prey.
Shrill it sounds, the storm relenting
Soothes the weary seamen's ears;
Once it wrought a great repenting,
In that flood of Peter's tears.
Rouse we; let the blithesome cry
Of that bird our hearts awaken;
Chide the slumberers as they lie,
And arrest the sin-o'ertaken.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
Hope and health are in his strain,
To the fearful and the ailing;
Murder sheathes his blade profane,
Faith revives when faith was failing.
JESU, Master! when we sin,
Turn on us Thy healing Face;
It will melt the offence within
Into penitential grace :
Beam on our bewildered mind,
Till its dreamy shadows flee;
Stones cry out where Thou hast shined,
JESU! musical with Thee.

To the Father and the Son,
And the Spirit, Who in heaven
Ever witness, Three and One,
Praise on earth be ever given.
Amen.
The following Hymn is said from the
Octave of Pentecost till the First Sunday
of October.
HYMN.¹
PALER have grown the shades of night,
And nearer draws the day,
Checkering the sky with streaks of light,
Since we began to pray :
To
pray for mercy when we sin,
For cleansing and release,
For ghostly safety, and within
For everlasting peace.
Praise to the Father, as is meet,
Praise to the Only Son,
Praise to the Holy Paraclete,
While endless ages run.
Amen.
Then is said a Verse and Answer.
In Advent and from Septuagesima Sun-
day till the end of Paschal time, as also
on all Feasts, a special Verse and Answer
are given.
Verse. "The LORD reigneth, He
is clothed with majesty.
Answer. The LORD is clothed
with strength, and hath girded
Himself with power.
Then is said the following Song from
the Gospel. It has an Antiphon, which
is always special, and which is either
2 Ps. xcii. 1.
SUNDAY AT LAUDS.
91
begun or said through the first time be-
fore it, according as the Office is Double
or not.
THE SONG OF ZACHARIAS. (Luke i.
68-79.)
BLESSED be the Lord God of
Israël, * for He hath visited
and redeemed His people.
And hath raised up an horn of
salvation for us, * in the house of
His servant David:
As He spake by the mouth of
His holy Prophets, * which have
been since the world began:
That we should be saved from
our enemies, * and from the hand
of all that hate us :
To perform the mercy promised
to our fathers, * and to remember
His holy covenant :
The oath which He sware to our
father Abraham, * that He would
grant unto us,
That we, being delivered out of
the hand of our enemies, * might
serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness
before Him * all the days of our
life.
And thou, child, shalt be called
the Prophet of the Highest: * for
thou shalt go before the face of
the Lord to prepare His ways:
To give knowledge of salvation
unto His people, * by the remis-
sion of their sins;
Through the tender mercy of
our God, whereby the day-
spring from on high hath visited
us,
To give light to them that sit
in darkness, and in the shadow of
Then is said :
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
Then follows the Prayer for the day.
Afterwards are made any Comme-
morations necessary, by the Antiphon
for the Song of Zacharias, the Verse
and Answer after the Hymn, and the
Prayer, (preceded by "Let us pray,")
from the superseded Office which is to
be__commemorated. After which the
following Common Commemorations are
made, if required, according to Chapter
XXXV. of the general Rubrics.

""
When more than two Prayers are to
be said, the last clause of each (beginning
"Through our Lord, &c.,' or "Who
livest, &c.,") is omitted in all except the
first and the last, nor is "Amen” an-
swered except after these two.
I. Commemoration of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
This Commemoration is omitted if the
Office of the day be of the Blessed Virgin,
or if her Little Office is to be said.
Antiphon. O Holy Mary, be
thou an help to the helpless, a
strength to the fearful, a comfort
to the sorrowful; pray for the
people, plead for the clergy, make
intercession for all women vowed
to God; may all that keep thine
holy remembrance, feel the might
of thine assistance.
Verse. Pray for us, O holy
Mother of God.
Answer. That we may be made
worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
death, * to guide our feet into GRANT, we beseech Thee, O
the way of peace.
The Doxology, "Glory be to the Fa-
ther, &c.," is said, and then the Anti-
phon repeated.
God, unto all Thy ser-
vants, that they may remain con-
tinually in the enjoyment of
soundness both of mind and body,
¹ On the occasion of the circumcision of St. John the Baptist.
92
THE PSALTER.
and by the glorious intercession
of the Blessed Mary, always a
Virgin, may be delivered from
present sadness, and enter into
the joy of Thine Eternal gladness.
From the Octave of the Epiphany to
Candlemas, the Antiphon is the same,
but the rest is as follows:
Verse. After thy delivery thou
still remainest a Virgin undefiled.
Answer. Mother of God, pray
for us.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Who, by the fruitful
virginity of the Blessed Mary,
hast given unto mankind the re-
wards of everlasting life; grant,
we beseech Thee, that we may
continually feel the might of her
intercession, through whom we
have worthily received the Author
of our life, our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son.
If the Titular of the Church or the
local Patron be an Angel or St. John
the Baptist, his Commemoration is in-
serted here instead of in the IVth place.
II. Commemoration of St. Joseph,
Patron of the Universal Church.
Antiphon. 'JESUS Himself began
to be about thirty years of age,
being (as was supposed) the son
of Joseph.
Verse. "The mouth of the righ-
teous speaketh wisdom.
Answer. And his tongue talk-
eth judgment.
¹ Luke iii. 23.
4 Ps. xviii. 4.
Let us pray.
GOD, Who, in Thine unspeak-
able fore-knowledge, didst
choose Thy blessed servant Jo-
seph to be the husband of Thine
Own most holy Mother; mercifully
grant that now that he is in hea-
ven with Thee, we who on earth
do reverence him for our defen-
der, may worthily be holpen by
the succour of his prayers to Thee
on our behalf.
III. Commemoration of the Holy
Apostles, Peter and Paul.
Antiphon. These are glorious
princes over all the earth, they
loved one another in their lives,
and in their death they were not
divided.
Verse. 4Their sound is gone out
through all the earth.
Answer. And their words to the
ends of the world.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Whose Right Hand
caught the Blessed Peter
when he walked upon the water,
and began to sink,5 and thrice de-
livered his fellow-Apostle Paul
from the deep of the sea, when
he suffered shipwreck; gracious-
ly hear us, and grant, for the sake
of them both, that we also may
attain unto everlasting glory.
IV. Here, except in the cases before
mentioned, is made the Commemoration
of the Titular of the Church, and of the
local Patron."
2 Ps. xxxvi. 30.
5 Matth. xiv. 31.
32 Kings (Sam.) i. 23.
6 2 Cor. xi. 25.
7 If the Church where the Service takes place, or to which the reciter is attached, is
consecrated, or blessed, then the first Patron commemorated is the Titular of that Church.
Failing such Church, then, the local Patron, only.
In Scotland, the following is the Commemoration of St. Andrew:
Antiphon. Spare unto us this
ly one! Slay not the friend of God,
just man! Release unto us this ho-
who is just, courteous, and godly!
SUNDAY AT LAUDS.
93
V. For Peace.
Antiphon. Give peace in our
time, Ô Lord, because there is
none other that fighteth for us,
but only Thou, O our God.
Verse. Peace be within thy
walls.
Answer. And prosperity within
thy palaces.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, from Whom all holy
desires, all good counsels,
and all just works do proceed;
give unto Thy servants that peace
which the world cannot give, that
both our hearts may be set to
obey Thy commandments, and
also that by Thee we being de-
fended from the fear of our ene-
mies, may pass our time in rest
and quietness. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liv-
eth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. They declared the work
of God.
Answer. And wisely considered
His doing.
O
Let us pray.
LORD, we humbly beseech
Thy majesty, that, even as
From the Monday after Low Sunday
till the Eve of the Ascension, instead of
the five preceding Commemorations, is
said the following:
Paschal Commemoration of the
Cross.
Antiphon. He That was cruci-
fied is risen from the dead, and
hath redeemed us. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. 'Say among the heathen
-Alleluia.
Answer. That the LORD reign-
eth from the tree-Alleluia.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Who didst send Thy
Son to suffer death for us
upon the Cross, that Thou might-
est deliver us from the power of
the enemy; grant unto us Thy
servants to be made partakers of
His Resurrection. Through the
Same our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Thou didst give Thy blessed Apos-
tle Andrew to Thy Church, to be
a Teacher and a Ruler on earth,
so, now that he is with Thee, he
may continually make interces-
sion for us.
In England, the following is the Commemoration of St. George:
Antiphon. The Saints through
faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises.
Verse. 50 LORD, Thou hast com-
passed him.
Answer. With Thy favour as
with a shield.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Who dost gladden us
through the worthy deeds
and prayers of Thy blessed Mar-
tyr George; mercifully grant that
all they which seek Thy favour
through him, may effectually ob-
tain the gift of Thy grace.

Throughout Ireland there seem to be special local Patrons.
1 Ps. cxxi. 7.
4 Heb. xi. 33.
2 Ps. xcv. 10, old version.
5 Ps. v. 12.
3 Ps. Ixiii. 10.
94
THE PSALTER.
Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end.
Answer. Amen.
After the last Prayer is said:
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
If the Office of the Dead or the Litany
(with or without the Penitential Psalms)
is to follow immediately, it is begun
here. Otherwise
There is said in rather a low voice:
May the souls of the Faithful
through the mercy of God rest in
peace.
Answer. Amen.
If Prime is to follow immediately, it
is begun here, and what follows is not
said till the end of the whole service.
The Lord's Prayer is said inaudibly:
OUR Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive them that trespass against
us. And lead us not into temp-
tation; But deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Then aloud :
Verse. The Lord give us His
peace.
Answer. And life everlasting.
Amen.
I. From the First Sunday in Ad-
vent to Candlemas, both inclusive.
Antiphon. 'Maiden, Mother of
Him Who redeemed us, thou that
remainest
Heaven's open gate, and the
Star of the Sea, come, succour
the fallen!
Fallen indeed we are, but fain
would rise by thy succour.
Thou that beyond nature's
course, hast borne in time the
Eternal;
Thou that a Virgin before, in,
and after that childbirth abidest,
From the Archangel's lips the
quickening message receiving,
Mother of JESUS and us, turn
thine eyes of mercy on sinners.
Verse. The Angel of the Lord
announced unto Mary.
Answer. And she conceived of
the Holy Ghost.
Let us pray.
WE beseech Thee, O Lord,
pour Thy grace into our
hearts; that, as we have known
the Incarnation of Thy Son JESUS
Christ by the message of an Angel,
so by His Passion and Cross we
may be brought unto the glory
of the Resurrection. Through
the same Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
In and after the First Vespers of
Christmas Day the Verse and Answer
and Prayer are as follows:
Verse. After thy delivery thou
still remainest a Virgin undefiled.
Answer. Mother of God, pray
for us.
Let us pray.
Then follows one of these Four Anti-GOD, Who, by the fruitful
phons of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ac-
cording to the season of the year.
virginity of the Blessed Mary,
hast given unto mankind the re-
1 This translation is in the same rhymeless measure as the original.
SUNDAY AT LAUDS.
95
wards of everlasting life; grant,
we beseech Thee, that we may
continually feel the might of her
intercession; through whom we
have worthily received the Author
of our life, our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son.
Answer. Amen.
II. From Candlemas to Maundy
Thursday, both exclusive.
As He promised is arisen, Alle-
luia.
Mother, pray to Him for us,
Alleluia.
Verse. O Virgin Mary, be glad
and rejoice, Alleluia.
Answer. For the Lord is risen
indeed, Alleluia.
Let us pray.
Antiphon. Hail, O Mary, Queen GOD, Who dost vouchsafe to
of heaven,
Queen of Angel worlds on high,
Hail, O Rod to Jesse given,
Blessed Portal of the sky,
Hail, O Lady, bright and glo-
rious,
Clothed in beauty, pure and
true,
Virgin! o'er sin's stain victo-
rious,
Sinners for thy succour sue.
Verse. Holy Virgin, my praise
by thee accepted be.
Answer. Give me strength a-
gainst thine enemies.
Let us pray.
MOST merciful God, grant, we
beseech Thee, a succour
unto the frailty of our nature,
that as we keep ever alive the
memory of the holy Mother of
God, so by the help of her inter-
cession we may be raised up from
the bondage of our sins. Through
the same Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
III. From Easter Sunday till
the Saturday after Pentecost,
both inclusive.
Antiphon. Rejoice! rejoice!
thou Queen of Heaven, Alleluia.
For He That thee for Son was
given, Alleluia.
gladden the whole world by
the resurrection of Thy Son our
Lord JESUS Christ; grant, we
beseech Thee, that by the help of
His Mother the Virgin Mary, we
may finally attain unto the glad-
ness of life everlasting. Through
the same Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
IV. From Trinity Sunday till the
Saturday before Advent Sunday,
both inclusive.
Antiphon. Hail, O Queen, Mo-
ther of mercy! hail, our life, our
sweetness, and our hope! To thee
we cry, the banished sons of Eve.
Toward thee we sigh, weeping
and groaning in this vale of tears.
Ah, then, thou our Advocate, turn
on us those merciful eyes of thine!
And, after this our exile, show to
us JESUS, the blessed Fruit of thy
womb. O merciful, O gracious,
O sweet Virgin Mary!
Verse. Pray for us, O holy Mo-
ther of God.
Answer. That we may be made
worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting
God, Who, by the co-opera-
tion of the Holy Ghost, didst
make ready both the body and
soul of the glorious Virgin and
96
THE PSALTER.
Mother Mary worthily to become
a meet dwelling for Thy Son;
grant that as we rejoice in her
memory, so by her pitiful inter-
cession we may be delivered from
the evils that continually hang
over us, and finally from everlast-
ing death. Through the same
Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
After each of these Antiphons is said
this Blessing:
God's most mighty strength
alway
Be His people's staff and stay.
Answer. Amen.
Feasts. The above Office, appointed
for Sunday, is also said on all Feasts
whatsoever, even Simples, and every day
in Paschal time.
Monday.
THE SECOND DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows :
Antiphon. Have mercy.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "Upon me, O
God."
Psalm L.¹
HAVE mercy
AVE mercy upon me, O God,
O God,
* after Thy great mercy :
And according to the multitude
of Thy tender mercies * blot out
my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from mine
iniquity: * and cleanse me from
my sin.
For I acknowledge my trans-
gression:
gression: * and my sin is ever
before me.
Against Thee, Thee only, have
I sinned, and done evil in Thy
sight:
sight that Thou mightest be
justified when Thou speakest, and
be clear when Thou art judged.
For behold, I was shapen in
iniquity: * and in sin did my mo-
ther conceive me.
For behold Thou desirest truth:
* the hidden secrets of Thy wisdom
Thou hast made manifest unto me.
Sprinkle me with hyssop, and I
shall be clean: * wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and glad-
ness: * that the bones which
Thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide Thy face from my sins: *
and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O
God: * and renew a right spirit
within me.
Cast me not away from Thy
* and take not Thy
presence:
holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy
salvation : * and uphold me with
Thy free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors
Thy ways: * and sinners shall be
converted unto Thee.
Deliver me from blood-guilti-
ness, O God, Thou God of my
salvation: * and my tongue shall
sing aloud of Thy righteousness.
O Lord, open Thou my lips, *
and my mouth shall show forth
Thy praise.
For Thou desirest not sacrifice,
else would I give it: * Thou de-
lightest not in burnt-offering.
The sacrifice of God is a broken
spirit: a broken and a contrite
*
1 This Psalm has a musical (?) superscription, and the title then proceeds, "A Psalm of
David, when Nathan the Prophet came unto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.”
The whole history is in 2 Kings (Sam.) xi. xii. (Saturday, 5th week after Pentecost, and
6th Sunday.)
MONDAY AT LAUDS.
heart, O God, Thou wilt not des-
pise.
Do good in Thy good pleasure
unto Zion: * to build the walls
of Jerusalem.
Then shalt Thou be pleased with
the sacrifices of righteousness,
with burnt-offering and whole
burnt-offering: * then shall they
offer bullocks upon Thine altar.
Antiphon. Have mercy upon
me, O God.
Second Antiphon. Consider.
Psalm V.¹
IVE ear to my words, O LORD,
GIV
* consider my supplication.
Hearken unto the voice of my
cry, * my King and my God!
*
For unto Thee will I pray.
O LORD, in the morning Thou
shalt hear my voice:
In the morning will I stand be-
fore Thee and look up.
* For
Thou art not a God That hath
pleasure in wickedness:
Neither shall the evil dwell
with Thee, * nor the unrighteous
stand in Thy sight:
Thou hatest all workers of in-
iquity. * Thou shalt destroy all
them that speak leasing:
The LORD abhorreth the bloody
and deceitful man. * But as for me,
in the multitude of Thy mercy
I will come into Thy house : *
I will worship toward Thy holy
temple in Thy fear.
Lead me, O LORD, in Thy righ-
teousness, * because of mine
enemies; make my way straight
before Thy face.
For there is no faithfulness in
97
their mouth : * their inward part
very wickedness.
is
Their throat is an open se-
pulchre; they flatter with their
tongue. Judge Thou them, O
God!
Let them fall by their own
counsels; cast them out in the
multitude of their transgressions,
* for they have rebelled against
Thee, [O Lord!]²
And let all those that put their
trust in Thee, rejoice: * let them
ever shout for joy, because Thou
dwellest in them:
Let them also that love Thy
name be joyful in Thee. * For
Thou wilt bless the righteous.
O LORD, Thou hast compassed
us * with Thy favour as with a
shield.
Antiphon. Consider my suppli-
cation, O Lord.
Third Antiphon. O God, Thou
art my God.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "Early will I
seek Thee."
Psalms LXII., LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c.,
(p. 86.)
Antiphon. O God, Thou art my
God, early will I seek Thee.
Fourth Antiphon. Thine anger
is turned away.
THE SONG OF ISAIAS THE PROPHET.
(Isa. xii. 1.)³

0
LORD, I will praise Thee,
though Thou wast angry
with me,
* Thine anger is turned
away, and Thou comfortedst me.
Behold, God is my salvation : *
I will trust and not be afraid :
1 Intituled "A Psalm of David," with a musical (?) superscription.
2 Not in the Hebrew.
3 The description of the restoration of Israël in Isa. xi., (Second Sunday in Advent,)
is continued to the end of that Chapter, and this Song is then introduced by the words,
"And in that day thou shalt say :-"
H
98
THE PSALTER.
For the LORD' is my strength
* He also is become
and my song:
my salvation.
Therefore with joy shall ye
draw water out of the wells of the
Saviour: * and in that day shall
ye say: Praise the LORD and call
upon His Name!
Declare His doings among the
people, * make mention that His
Name is exalted.
Sing unto the LORD, for He
hath done excellent things: *
make ye this known in all the
earth.
Cry out and shout, thou inhabi-
tant of Zion: * for great is the
Holy One of Israël in the midst
of thee!
Antiphon. Thine anger is turned
away, and Thou comfortedst me.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise ye.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins at "The LORD from the heavens."
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD from the
heavens, &c., (p. 88.)
Antiphon. Praise ye the LORD
from the heavens.
From Advent Sunday till the Octave of
the Epiphany and from the First
Sunday in Lent till the Octave of
Pentecost special Chapters are given.
At other times the following is said
on all week-days observed as such.
CHAPTER. (Rom. xiii. 12.)
THE
:
HE night is far spent, the day
is at hand let us therefore
cast off the works of darkness,
and let us put on the armour of
light let us walk honestly as in
the day.
OF
HYMN.2
the Father Effluence bright,
Out of Light evolving light,
Light from Light, unfailing Ray,
Day creative of the day.
Truest Sun, upon us stream
With Thy calm perpetual beam,
In the Spirit's still sunshine
Making sense and thought divine.
Seek we too the Father's face,
Father of almighty grace,
And of majesty excelling,
Who can purge our tainted dwelling;
Who can aid us, who can break
Teeth of envious foes, and make
Hours of loss and pain succeed,
Guiding safe each duteous deed,
And, infusing self-control,
Fragrant chastity of soul,
Faith's keen flame to soar on high,
Incorrupt simplicity.
Christ Himself for food be given,
Faith becomes the cup of heaven,
Out of which the joy is quaff'd
Of the Spirit's sobering draught.
With that joy replenished
Morn shall glow with modest red,
Noon with beaming face be bright,
Eve be soft without twilight.
It has dawned-upon our way,
Father, in Thy Word, this day,
In Thy Father, Word Divine,
From Thy cloudy pillar shine.
To the Father and the Son,
And the Spirit, Three and One,
Now and here be glory given.
As of old, and as in heaven,
Amen.
Verse. Thou hast satisfied us
early with Thy mercy.
Answer. We rejoice and are
glad.
Antiphon for the Song of Za-
charias. Blessed * be the Lord
God of Israël.
After the repetition of the Antiphon
after the Song of Zacharias, on the
week-days of Advent and Lent, the
Ember Days, and all Vigils which are
1 In the Hebrew the Divine Name is doubled, “Jah, Jehovah.”
2 Translation by Dr. Newman.
3 Ps. lxxxix. 14.
MONDAY AT LAUDS.
99
fasts, except Christmas Eve and the
Eve and Ember days of Pentecost, all
kneel down, and the following prayers
called the Preces are said,
Kyrie eléison.¹
Answer. Christe eléison.
Kyrie eléison.
Then the Lord's Prayer is said aloud.
UR Father, Who art in hea-
OUR
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass
against us.
And lead us not into
temptation;
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Verse. I said: LORD, be mer-
ciful unto me.
Answer. Heal my soul, for I
have sinned against Thee.
Verse. Return, O LORD, how
long?
Answer. And let it repent Thee
concerning Thy servants.
Verse. Let Thy mercy, O LORD,
be upon us.
Answer. According as we hope
in Thee.
Verse. Let Thy Priests be
clothed with righteousness.
Answer. And let Thy saints
shout for joy.
Answer. And govern them, and
lift them up for ever.
Verse. Remember Thy congre-
gation.
Answer. Which Thou hast
purchased of old.
Verse. 'Peace be within thy
walls.
Answer. And prosperity with-
in thy palaces.
Verse. Let us pray for the faith-
ful departed.
Answer. O Lord, grant them
eternal rest, and let the everlast-
ing light shine upon them!
Verse. May they rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Let us pray for our ab-
sent brethren.
Answer. 100 Thou my God, save
Thy servants that trust in Thee.
Verse. Let us pray for the sor-
rowful and the captives.
Answer. "Redeem them, O God
of Israël, out of all their troubles.
Verse. 120 Lord, send them help
from the sanctuary.
Answer. And strengthen them
out of Zion.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Psalm CXXIX.13
Verse. O LORD, save the King. OUT of the depths have I cried
Answer. And hear us in the
day when we call upon Thee.
Verse. 70 LORD, save Thy peo-
ple, and bless Thine inheritance.
unto Thee, O LORD! * Lord,
hear my voice.
Let Thine ears be attentive* to
the voice of my supplication.
If Thou, LORD, shouldest mark
¹ A Greek Litany, meaning, Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy.
2 Ps. xl. 5.
5 Ps. cxxxi. 9.
3 Ps. lxxxix. 13.
4 Ps. xxxii. 22.
6 Ps. xix. 9. This verse never varies, whatever the form of government.
7 Ps. xxvii. 9.
10 Ps. lxxxv. 2.
8 Ps. lxxxiii. 2.
11 Ps. xxiv. 22.
9 Ps. cxxi. 7.
12 Ps. xix. 3.
13 Intituled, "A Song of Degrees." The meaning of this title is not certain. The
Psalms so called may perhaps, like the "Graduals" of the Roman Liturgy, be "step-
songs," intended to be sung during processions, Liturgical or of pilgrims.
H 2
100
THE PSALTER.
iniquities, * O LORD, who shall
stand?
But there is forgiveness with
Thee: * because of Thy law, I
wait for Thee, O LORD!
My soul doth wait on His
word: * my soul hopeth in the
Lord.
From the morning watch even
until night let Israël hope in
the LORD:
For with the LORD there is
* and with Him is plen-
teous redemption.
mercy,
And He shall redeem Israël, *
from all his iniquities.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.
Verse. 'Turn us again, O LORD
God of hosts!
Answer. And cause Thy face to
shine, and we shall be saved.
Verse. 2Arise, O Christ, and
help us.
Answer. And deliver us for Thy
name's sake.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
Lord.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
Then follows the Prayer of the Day.
All proceeds to the end of the service
as on Sunday, except that when Suffrages
are said, the following is said before the
Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Commemoration of the Cross.
Antiphon. Through Thy Cross's
holy sign, JESU, guard this soul
of mine, from my ghostly enemy.
¹ Ps. lxxix. 19.
Verse. ³Let all the earth worship
Thee, and sing unto Thee.
Answer. Let them sing praises
to Thy name, O Lord!
Let us pray.
LORD, we beseech Thee,
keep us in continual peace,
whom Thou hast vouchsafed to
redeem by the tree of the Holy
Cross.
Tuesday.
THE THIRD DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. O Lord.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p.
96.)
Antiphon. O Lord, blot out my
transgressions.
Second Antiphon. The health.
Psalm XLII.
JUDGE me, O God, and plead
my cause against an ungodly
nation: * O deliver me from the
unjust and deceitful man.
For Thou, O God, art my
strength: * why dost Thou cast
me off? and why go I mourning,
because of the oppression of the
enemy?
O send out Thy light and Thy
truth: * let them lead me and
bring me unto Thy holy hill, and
unto Thy tabernacles!
Then will I go unto the Altar
* Ps. xliii. 26.
3 Ps. Lxv. 4.
TUESDAY AT LAUDS.
101
of God, * unto God, the Glad-
dener of my youth!
why
Upon the harp will I praise
Thee, O God, my God!
art thou cast down, O my soul?
and why dost thou disquiet me?
Hope in God: for I will still
praise Him, * Who is the health
of my countenance, and my God.
Antiphon. The health of my
countenance, and my God.
Third Antiphon. Early.
Psalms LXII., LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c.,
(p. 86.)
Antiphon. Early will I seek
Thee, O God.
Fourth Antiphon. Save us.
THE SONG OF HEZEKIAH, KIng of
JUDAH.¹ (Isa. xxxviii. 10.)
I
SAID: In the midst of my
days, * I shall go to the gates
of the grave:
I looked for the residue of my
* I said: I shall not see
years.
the LORD [my God]² in the land
of the living:
* Like
Thou make an end of me.
a swallow's fledgling, so did I
twitter, I did coo as a dove:
Mine eyes fail, * with looking
upward.
O LORD, I am seized, under-
take for me. *What shall I say,
or what will He answer me, see-
ing Himself hath done it?
I will call to remembrance be-
fore Thee all my years * in the
bitterness of my soul.
O Lord, if by these things men
live, and in such things is the life
of my spirit, so wilt Thou chasten
me, and make me to live. * Be-
hold, mine anguish is [turned]
into peace:
But Thou hast delivered my
soul from destruction: * Thou
hast cast all my sins behind Thy
back.
For the grave cannot praise
Thee, death cannot celebrate Thee:
* they that go down into the pit
cannot hope for Thy truth.
The living, the living, he shall
praise Thee, as I do this day: *
the father to the children shall
make known Thy truth.
* and we will
O LORD, save me :
*
sing our songs all the days of our
life in the house of the LORD.
I shall behold man no more,
with the dwellers in the land of
rest.
Mine age is departed, and is
rolled up from me, * as a shep-
herd's tent:
My life is cut off as by a
weaver: my web was scarce be-
gun when He cut me off: * from
day even to night wilt Thou make
an end of me.
*
I thought I might live till
morning: as a lion, so doth He
break all my bones:
From day even to night wilt
Antiphon. Save us all the days
of our life, O Lord.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise ye the
LORD.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise lye the LORD from the
heavens, &c., (p. 88.)
Antiphon. Praise ye the LORD
from the heavens, all His An-
gels.
'Intituled "The writing of Hezekiah, King of Judah, when he had been sick, and was
recovered of his sickness." The history will be found in 4 (2) Kings xx., (11th Sunday
after Pentecost.)
2 "My God" is not in the Hebrew, but the Divine Name is repeated.
102
THE PSALTER.
CHAPTER. (Rom. xiii. 12.)
The night is far spent, &c., (as
on Monday, p. 98.)
HYMN.¹
Y'S herald bird
DAY'S
At length is heard,
Telling its morning torch is lit,
And small and still
Christ's accents thrill
Within the heart, rekindling it.
Away, He cries,
With languid eyes,
And sickly slumbers profitless!
I am at hand,
As watchers stand,
In awe, and truth, and holiness.
He will appear,
The hearts to cheer
Of suppliants pale and abstinent;
Who cannot sleep
Because they weep
With holy grief and violent.
Keep us awake,
The fetters break,
Wednesday.
THE FOURTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sundays, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. Wash me.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p.
96.)
Antiphon. Wash me throughly
from mine iniquity, O Lord.
Second Antiphon. Praise be-
cometh Thee.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm be-
gins with the words, "O God, in Zion."
Psalm LXIV.3
JESU! which night has forged for us; PRAISE becometh Thee, O God,
Yea, melt the night
To sinless light,
Till all is bright and glorious.
To Father, Son,
And Spirit, One,
To the Most Holy Trinity,
All praise be given
In earth and heaven,
Now, as of old, and endlessly.
Amen.
Verse. Thou hast satisfied us
early with Thy mercy.
Answer. We rejoice and are
glad.
Antiphon for the Song of Zach-
arias. The Lord hath raised up
* an horn of salvation for us,
in the house of His servant
David.
Commemoration of the Cross before the
other general Commemorations, and Long
Preces in Advent and Lent, and on
Fast-days, as on Monday.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
in Zion: * and unto Thee
shall the vow be performed [in
Jerusalem.]4
Hear my prayer :
* unto Thee
shall all flesh come.
*
Iniquities prevail against us :
but as for our transgressions,
Thou shalt purge them away.
Blessed is the man whom Thou
choosest, and causest to approach
unto Thee: * he shall dwell in
Thy courts:
We shall be satisfied with the
goodness of Thine house: * Thy
temple is holy, terrible in righ-
teousness.
Answer us, O God of our sal-
vation: * Who art the confidence
of all the ends of the earth, and
of the uttermost parts of the sea!
Who by Thy strength settest
fast the mountains, being girded
with power: * Who stirrest up
2 Ps. lxxxix. 14.
3 Intituled "A Psalm. A Song of David," with a musical (?) superscription.
4 Not in the present Hebrew text.
WEDNESDAY AT Lauds.
103
the depth of the sea, and the
noise of his waves!
The heathen shall be troubled.
They that dwell in the utter-
most parts shall be afraid at Thy
tokens: * Thou makest the out-
goings of the morning and even-
ing to rejoice.
Thou visitest the earth and
waterest it: * Thou greatly en-
richest it:
*
The river of God is full of wa-
ter: Thou preparest their corn,
for Thou hast so prepared it.
Drench her furrows, increase
the fruits thereof: * the spring-
ing thereof shall rejoice at her
showers.
Thou crownest the year with
Thy goodness: * and Thy fields
teem with fatness.
The green places of the wilder-
ness wax fat: * and the little hills
are girded with joy.
The pastures are clothed with
flocks; the valleys also overflow
with corn: * they shout for joy,
yea, they sing.
Antiphon. Praise becometh
Thee, O God, in Zion.
Third Antiphon. O my God.
Psalms LXII., LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c.,
(p. 86.)
Antiphon. O my God, my lips
shall praise Thee while I live.
Fourth Antiphon. The LORD
shall judge.
THE SONG OF HANNAH, (1 Kings
(Sam.) ii.)¹
MY
Y heart rejoiceth in the LORD,
* and mine horn is exalted
in my GoD:2
My mouth is enlarged over
mine enemies: * because I rejoice
in Thy salvation.
There is none holy as the LORD;
for there is none beside Thee: *
neither is there any mighty like
our God.
* so exceeding
Talk no more
proudly.
Let your old arrogancy depart
out of your mouth: for the LORD
is a God of knowledge, and by
Him thoughts are judged.
*
The bows' of the mighty men
are broken, and they that stum-
bled are girded with strength.
They that were full have hired
out themselves for bread: * and
they that were hungry are filled.
So that the barren hath borne
fruitfully: * and she that had
many children is waxed feeble.
The LORD killeth, and maketh
alive: * He bringeth down to the
grave, and bringeth up.
The LORD maketh poor, and
maketh rich : * He bringeth low,
and lifteth up.
He raiseth up the poor out of
the dust, * and lifteth up the
beggar from the dunghill,
*
To set them among princes,
and to make them inherit the
throne of glory :
For the pillars of the earth are
the LORD'S, * and He hath set
the world upon them.
He will keep the feet of His
saints, and the wicked shall be
silent in darkness: * for by his
strength shall no man prevail.
The adversaries of the LORD
shall be made to fear Him: * out
of heaven also shall He thunder
upon them:
The LORD shall judge the ends
of the earth: and He shall give
¹ Composed by her when she brought her son Samuel and presented him to the LORD.
See 1 Kings (Sam.) i. ii., (Monday and Tuesday after Trinity Sunday.)
2 The Divine Name.
104
THE PSAlter.
strength unto His King, * and
exalt the horn of His Anointed.
shall
Antiphon. The LORD
judge the ends of the earth.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise God.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD from the
heavens, &c., (p. 88.)
Antiphon. Praise God, ye hea-
vens of heavens.
CHAPTER. (Rom. xiii. 12.)
The night is far spent, &c., (as
on Monday, p. 98.)
HYMN.¹
HAUNTING gloom and flitting shades,
Ghastly shapes, away!
Christ is rising, and pervades
Highest Heaven with day.
He with His bright spear the night
Dazzles and pursues;
Earth wakes up, and glows with light
Of a thousand hues.
Thee, O Christ, and Thee alone,
With a single mind,
We with chant and plaint would own;
To Thy flock be kind.
Much it needs Thy light divine,
Spot and stain to clean;
Light of Angels, on us shine
With Thy face serene.
To the Father, and the Son,
And the Holy Ghost,
Here be glory, as is done
By the angelic host.
Amen.
Verse. Thou hast satisfied us
early with Thy mercy.
Answer. We rejoice and are
glad.
*
rias. O Lord, save us from the
hand of all that hate us.
Commemoration of the Cross before
the other Commemorations, and Long
Preces in Advent and Lent, on the Em-
ber Wednesdays (except that of Pente-
cost) and on Fast-Days, as on Monday.
Thursday.
THE FIFTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. Against Thee, Thee
only.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p.
96.)
Antiphon. Against Thee, Thee
only, have I sinned, have mercy
upon me, O Lord!
Second Antiphon. Lord.
If this Antiphon be used, the Psalm
begins with the words, "Thou hast
been.'
Psalm LXXXIX.2
were
LORD, Thou hast been our re-
fuge* in all generations.
Before the mountains
mountains
brought forth, or ever the earth
and the world were formed, *
even from everlasting to everlast-
ing, Thou art God.
Turn not man to destruction; *
for Thou sayest, Return, ye chil-
dren of men.
For a thousand years in Thy
sight * are but as yesterday when
Antiphon for the Song of Zacha- it is past,
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
2 Intituled “A Prayer of Moses the man of God.”
THURSDAY AT LAUDS.
105
And their years shall be reck-
oned as nothing, * even as a watch
in the night.
In the morning they are like
grass which soon fadeth away: in
the morning it flourisheth, and
then it fadeth away: * in the
evening it is cut down, drieth up,
and withereth.
For we are consumed by Thine
anger: * and by Thy wrath are
we troubled.
Thou hast set our iniquities
before Thee, * our life in the
light of Thy countenance.
For all our days are passed
away, * and we are consumed by
Thine anger.
The works whereon we toil all
our years are but frail structures
like a spider's web: * the days of
our years are threescore years
and ten :
And if by reason of strength
they be fourscore years, * yet is
their increase but labour and sor-
row:
For weakness cometh, * and we
are cut off.
Who knoweth the power of
Thine anger,* or can measure Thy
wrath, that he may fear Thee as
Thou oughtest to be feared?
Show Thou the might of Thy
right hand; * and apply our hearts
to wisdom.
Return, O LORD, how long? *
and let it repent Thee concerning
Thy servants.
Thou hast satisfied us early
with Thy mercy, * and we rejoice
and are glad all our days.
We are gladdened for the days
wherein Thou hast afflicted us; *
for the years wherein we have
seen evil.
Look upon Thy servants, and
upon Thy works, * and establish
their children.
And let the beauty of the LORD
our God be upon us; and esta-
blish Thou the work of our hands
upon us : yea, the work of our
hands establish Thou it.
*
Antiphon. Lord, Thou hast been
our refuge.
Third Antiphon. I meditate.
Psalms LXII., LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c.,
(p. 86.)
Antiphon. Imeditate upon Thee
in the night watches.
Fourth Antiphon. Let us sing.
If this Antiphon be used the Canticle
begins with the words, "Unto the LORD."
THE SONG OF MOSES. (Exod. xv.)¹
IET us sing unto the LORD,
for He hath triumphed glo-
riously: the horse and his rider
hath He thrown into the sea.
The LORD is my strength and
song, * and He is become my sal-
vation:
He is my God, and I will glorify
Him: * my father's God, and I
will exalt Him.
2
The LORD is like a man of war :
"THE ALMIGHTY" is His name.
* Pharaoh's chariots and his host
hath He cast into the sea.
*
His chosen captains are drowned
in the Red Sea. The depths have
covered them: they sank into the
bottom as a stone.
Thy right hand, O LORD, is be-
come glorious in power: Thy right
hand, O LORD, hath shattered
the enemy.
* And in the great-
ness of Thine excellency Thou
¹ On the occasion of the successful escape of the Israëlites through the Red Sea.
2 But in the present Hebrew text, here stands again the Divine name.
106
THE PSALTER.
hast overthrown them that rose
up against Thee.
Thou sentest forth Thy wrath,
which consumed them as stubble.
* And with the blast of Thy fury
the waters were gathered to-
gether,
The floods stood upright, * and
the depths were congealed in the
heart of the sea.
The enemy said: I will pursue
and overtake, * I will divide the
spoil; my soul shall be sated upon
them :
I will draw my sword, * my
hand shall destroy them.
Thy wind blew, and the sea
covered them; * they sank as lead
in the mighty waters.
Who is like unto Thee, O Lord,
among the mighty ? * who is like
unto Thee, glorious in holiness,
fearful, and worthy to be praised,
doing wonders ?
Thou stretchedst out Thy right
hand, and the earth swallowed
them. * Thou in Thy mercy hast
led forth the people which Thou
hast redeemed:
And hast guided them in Thy
strength, * unto Thy holy habita-
tion.
The people came up and were
angry: sorrow took hold on the
inhabitants of Philistia.
Then the dukes of Edom were
amazed, the mighty men of Moab,
trembling took hold upon them:
* all the inhabitants of Chanaan
swooned.
Let fear and dread fall upon
them: * by the greatness of Thine
arm
Let them be as still as a stone :
till Thy people pass over, O LORD,
* till Thy people pass over which
Thou hast purchased.
Thou shalt bring them in and
plant them in the mountain of
Thine inheritance, * in Thy most
sure dwelling, which Thou hast
made, O LORD:
In the Sanctuary, O Lord,
which Thy hands have established.
* The LORD shall reign for ever
and ever.
For the horse of Pharaoh went
in with his chariots and with his
horsemen into the sea, * and the
LORD brought again the waters
of the sea upon them:
But the children of Israël went
on dry land * in the midst of the
sea.
Antiphon. Letus sing gloriously
unto the Lord.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise God.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
Antiphon. Praise God in His
Sanctuary.
CHAPTER. (Rom. xiii. 12.)
The night is far spent, &c., (as
on Monday, p. 98.)
HYMN.¹
SEE, the golden dawn is glowing,
While the paly shades are going,
Which have led us far and long,
In a labyrinth of wrong.
May it bring us peace serene;
May it cleanse, as it is clean;
Plain and clear our words be spoke,
And our thoughts without a cloak;
So the day's account shall stand,
Guileless tongue and holy hand,
Steadfast eyes and unbeguiled,
"Flesh as of a little child."

There is One Who from above
Watches how the still hours move
Of our day of service done,
From the dawn to setting sun.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
FRIDAY AT LAUDS.
107
To the Father, and the Son,
And the Spirit, Three and One,
As of old, and as in Heaven,
Now and here be glory given.
Amen.
Verse. Thou hast satisfied us
carly with Thy mercy.
Answer. We rejoice and are
glad.
Antiphon for the Song of Zacha-
rias. Let us serve the Lord * in
holiness, and He will deliver us
from our enemies.
Commemoration of the Cross before the
other Commemorations, and Long Preces
in Advent and Lent, and on Fast-days,
as on Monday.
Friday.
THE SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. Uphold my heart.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p.
96.)
Antiphon. Uphold my heart
with Thy free spirit, O God.
Second Antiphon. In Thy faith-
fulness.
Psalm CXLII.¹ 1
HEAR my prayer, O LORD,
give ear to my supplication
in Thy faithfulness: answer me,
in Thy righteousness.
*
And enter not into judgment
with Thy servant : * for in Thy
sight shall no man living be jus-
tified.
For the enemy hath persecuted
1 Intituled "A Psalm of David."
my soul:
he hath smitten my
life down to the ground:
He hath made me to dwell in
darkness, as those that have been
long dead. * Therefore is my spirit
overwhelmed within me: my heart
within me is troubled.
I remember the days of old :
I meditate on all thy works :
* I muse on the work of Thy
hands.
I stretch forth my hands unto
Thee: * my soul [thirsteth] after
Thee, as a thirsty land.2
Hear me speedily, O LORD: *
my spirit faileth :
Hide not Thy face from me, *
lest I be like unto them that go
down into the pit.
Cause me to hear Thy loving-
kindness in the morning : * for in
Thee do I trust:
Cause me to know the way
wherein I should walk: * for I
lift up my soul unto Thee.
Deliver me, O LORD, from mine
enemies: I flee unto Thee to hide
me. * Teach me to do Thy will:
for Thou art my God.
Let Thy good Spirit lead me
into the land of uprightness.
For Thy name's sake, O LORD,
Thou shalt quicken me in Thy
righteousness.
Thou shalt bring my soul out
of trouble: * and of Thy mercy
cut off mine enemies,
And destroy all them that af-
flict my soul : * for I am Thy ser-
vant.
Antiphon. In Thy faithfulness,
answer me, O Lord.
Third Antiphon. O Lord.
Psalms LXII., LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c.,
(p. 86.)
2 SLH.
}
108
THE PSALTER.
Antiphon. O Lord, cause Thy
face to shine upon us.
Fourth Antiphon. O LORD, I
have heard.
If this Antiphon be used the Canticle
begins with the words, "Thy speech."
0
THE SONG OF HABAKKUK THE
PROPHET. (Hab. iii.)¹
LORD, I have heard Thy
speech: * and was afraid :
O LORD, revive Thy work * in
the midst of the years;
In the midst of the years shalt
Thou make it known: * in wrath,
Thou wilt remember mercy.
God shall come from "the
"the
South," and the Holy One from
Mount Paran.2
His glory covered the heavens,
* and the earth was full of His
praise.
His brightness was as the light:
* He had horns³ coming out of
His hand:
There was the hiding of His
power. * Before Him went death.
And the destroyer went forth
at His feet. * He stood and mea-
sured the earth :
He beheld, and drove asunder
the nations: * and the everlast-
ing mountains were burst open:
The perpetual hills did bow:
* because the Eternal passed by.*
I saw the tents of Ethiopia in
affliction: * the curtains of the
land of Midian did tremble.5
Wast Thou displeased against
the rivers, O LORD? * was Thine
anger against the rivers? Thy
wrath against the sea?
That Thou didst ride upon
Thine horses, * and Thy chariots
were salvation ?
Thou didst seize and draw Thy
bow, according to the oaths
*
that Thou utteredst unto the
tribes.6
Thou didst cleave the rivers of
the earth: the mountains saw
Thee and they trembled: * the
overflowing of the water passed
by:
The deep uttered his voice: *
he lifted up his hands on high.
The sun and moon stood still
in their habitation: * at the light
of Thine arrows they went forth,
at the shining of Thy glittering
spear.
Thou didst tread down the
land in indignation: * Thou didst
thresh the heathen in anger.
Thou wentest forth for the sal-
vation of Thy people, * even for
salvation with Thine Anointed.7
Thou didst smite the head of
the house of the wicked :8 * Thou
didst lay bare the foundation unto
the neck.⁹
Thou didst curse his sceptre,
even the head of his fighting men,
1 Intituled "A Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet" with a direction, perhaps musical.
2 SLH. "The South" is, in the original, "Teman," the name of a country and nation
eastward of Idumea, but used for the south generally. Paran, or Pharan, is an uncul-
tured and mountainous region, lying between Arabia Petræa, Palestine and Idumea. The
passage is an imitation of the words of Moses when blessing the tribes. Deut. xxxiii. 2.
"The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; He stirred forth from
Mount Paran, and He came with ten thousands of Saints: from His right hand went a
fiery law for them."
3 Gesenius says "Horns' is here used of flashes of lightning, just as the Arabian poets
compare the first beams of the rising sun to horns, and call the sun itself a gazelle.”
• The present Hebrew simply is “The ways are everlasting to Him.”
5 Proper name of an Arabian nation whose territory lay from the eastern shore of the
Ælanitic Gulf as far as the land of Moab.
Moses?
6 SLH.
8 Pharaoh?
9 SLH. Some critics read “of the rock" instead of "unto the neck."
FRIDAY AT LAUDS.
109
* when they came out as a whirl-
wind to scatter me:
Their rejoicing was as the re-
joicing of him * that devoureth
the poor secretly.
Thou didst make a way in the
sea for Thine horses, * through
the mud of great waters.
I heard, and my belly trembled:
* my lips quivered at the voice:
Let rottenness enter into my
bones, and corruption swarm
under me:
That I may rest in the day of
trouble: * that I may go up unto
our people that are girded.¹
Although the fig-tree shall not
blossom, * neither shall fruit be
in the vines :
The labour of the olive shall
fail, and the fields shall yield
no meat:
The flock shall be cut off from
the fold, * and there shall be no
herd in the stalls:
Yet will I rejoice in the LORD:
* I will joy in the God of my sal-
vation.2
The LORD God is my strength :
* and He will make my feet like
hinds' feet:
And He will lead me forth, to
make me to walk upon mine high
places, * as a conqueror, to sing
praises unto Him.³
Antiphon. O LORD, I have heard
Thy speech, and was afraid.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise God.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD, from the
heavens, &c., (p. 88.)
Antiphon. Praise God with the
timbrel and dance.
CHAPTER. (Rom. xiii. 12.)
The night is far spent, &c., (as
on Monday, p. 98.)
HYMN.¹
GLORY of the eternal Heaven,
Blessed Hope to mortals given,
Of the Almighty Only Son,
And the Virgin's Holy One;
Raise us, Lord, and we shall rise
In a sober mood,
And a zeal which glorifies
Thee from gratitude.
Now the day-star keenly glancing,
Tells us of the sun's advancing;
While the unhealthy shades decline,
Rise within us, Light Divine!
Rise, and, risen, go not hence,
Stay and make us bright,
Streaming through each cleansed sense,
On the outward night.
Then the root of faith shall spread
In the heart new fashionèd;
Gladsome hope shall spring above,
And shall bear the fruit of love.
To the Father, and the Son,
And the Holy Ghost,
Here be glory, as is done,
By the Angelic host.
Amen.
Verse. Thou hast satisfied us
early with Thy mercy.
Answer. We rejoice and are
glad.
Antiphon for the Song of Za-
charias. Through the tender mer-
cy of our God the day-spring
from on high hath visited us.
Commemoration of the Cross before
the other Commemorations, and Long
Preces in Advent and Lent, and on
Fast-days, as on Monday.
1 Accinctum. What the Latin translator supposed to be the meaning is not quite plain,
but the Hebrew seems to be :-"when he shall invade us.”
2 Jesu meo.
* This last clause seems to be only a musical direction, which has got confounded with
the text. Some translate it :-" Given to the leader of the string band."
• Translation by Dr. Newman.
110
THE PSALTER.
Saturday.
THE SABBATH.¹
1
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. Do good.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p.
96.)
Antiphon. Do good, O Lord, in
Thy good pleasure.
Second Antiphon. It is a good
thing.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "To give thanks.”
Psalm XCI.2
T is a good thing to give thanks
unto the LORD, * and to sing
praises unto Thy name, O Most
High!
To show forth Thy loving-kind-
ness in the morning, * and Thy
faithfulness in the night;
*
Upon an instrument of ten
strings: upon the harp with a
solemn sound.
For Thou, LORD, hast made me
glad through Thy work: * and I
will triumph in the works of Thy
hands.
O LORD, how great are Thy
works! * Thy thoughts are very
deep.
A brutish man knoweth not : *
neither doth a fool understand this.
When the wicked spring up
like grass:
* and when all the
workers of iniquity are seen,
It is that they may be destroyed
for ever: * but Thou, LORD, art
Most High for evermore.
For, lo, Thine enemies, O LORD,
for, lo, Thine enemies shall perish:
* and all the workers of iniquity
shall be scattered.
But my horn shall be exalted
like the horn of an unicorn : *
and mine old age shall be crowned
with Thy mercy.3
Mine eye also shall look upon
mine enemies: * and mine ear
shall hear of the wicked that rise
up against me.
The righteous shall flourish like
the palm tree: * he shall grow
like a cedar in Lebanon.
Those that are planted in the
house of the LORD,* in the courts
of the house of our God shall
flourish.
They shall still bring forth fruit
in old age:
* they shall flourish
to declare:-
That the LORD our God is up-
right: * and that there is no un-
righteousness in Him.
Antiphon. It is a good thing to
give thanks unto the LORD.
Third Antiphon. Let all the
ends.
Psalms LXII., LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c.,
(p. 86.)
Antiphon. Let all the ends of
the earth fear the Lord.
Fourth Antiphon. Ascribe ye
greatness.
THE SONG OF MOSES. (Deut. xxxii.)
GIVE ear, O ye heavens, and I
will speak; * and hear, O
earth, the words of my mouth.
My teaching shall drop as the
1 This Office is never used except in Advent and Lent, on Eves, and Ember Saturday in
September.
2 Intituled "A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath Day."
3 Hebrew: "I am anointed with fresh oil.”
♦ Deut. xxxi. 28: "Gather unto me,” (said Moses) "all the elders of your tribes, and
your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to
SATURDAY AT LAUDS.
111
*
rain, my speech shall distil as
the dew;
As the small rain upon the
tender herb, and as the showers
upon the grass :
* because I will
publish the name of the LORD.
Ascribe ye greatness unto our
God. * The works of God are per-
fect and all His ways are judg-
ment:
A God of truth, and without
iniquity, just and right is He. *
They have sinned against Him,
and by their defilement they are
not His children :
They are a perverse and crooked
generation. * Do ye thus requite
the LORD, O foolish people and
unwise ?
Is not He thy Father? * That
hath bought thee, and made thee,
and created thee?
Remember the days of old, *
consider generation after gene-
ration :
Ask thy father, and he will
show thee-* thine elders, and
they will tell thee.
When the Most High divided
the nations, * when He separated
the sons of Adam,
*
He set the bounds of the people
according to the number of the
children of Israël.
For the LORD's portion is His
people:* Jacob is the lot of his
inheritance.
He found him in a desert land,
* in the waste and howling wil-
derness :
He led him about and instructed
him, and kept him as the apple
of His eye.
As the eagle that stirreth up
her young to fly, * and fluttereth
over them,
So spread He abroad His wings,
and took him, * and bore him on
His pinions;
The LORD alone did lead him,
* and there was no strange god
with him.
He made him ride upon the
high places of the earth, * that
he might eat the increase of the
fields:
And He made him to suck
honey out of the rock, * and oil
out of the flinty rock:
Butter of kine, and milk of
sheep, * with fat of lambs and
rams of the breed of Bashan :
And goats, with the fat of wheat,
* and to drink the pure blood of
the grape.
The "Beloved" waxed fat, and
kicked: * he was waxen fat, he
was grown plump, he was co-
vered with fatness:
He forsook God Which made
him, * and departed from the
God of his salvation.
They provoked Him to jealousy
with strange gods, * and with
abominations provoked they Him
to anger.
They sacrificed unto devils, and
to things that were no gods, * to
gods whom they knew not,
New gods that came newly up,
* whom their fathers feared not.
The God That begat thee hast
thou forsaken, * and hast for-
gotten God That formed thee.
When the LORD saw it, He was
roused to anger, * because of the
record against them. For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves
and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in
the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger
through the work of your hands. And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of
Israël the words of this song, until they were ended :-"
1 Jeshurun-but that this pet-name of the Israëlite people means "Beloved” is not now
reckoned certain.
112
THE PSALTER.
1
provoking of His sons and of His
daughters.
And He said: I will hide My
face from them, * and see what
their end shall be :
For they are a very froward
generation, * children in whom is
no faith.
They have moved Me to jea-
lousy with that which is not God,
* and provoked Me to anger with
their vanities:
And I will move them to jea-
lousy with those which are not a
people, and provoke them to
anger with a foolish nation.
A fire is kindled in Mine anger,
* and shall burn unto the lowest
hell,
And shall consume the earth
with her increase, * and set on
fire the foundations of the moun-
tains.
I will heap mischiefs upon
them, and will spend Mine ar-
rows upon them.
They shall be burnt with hun-
ger, * and the birds of the air
shall prey on them with a very
grievous devouring:
I will send the teeth of beasts
upon them, * with the poison of
serpents creeping in the dust.
The sword without and terror
within shall destroy both the
young man and the virgin, the
suckling with the man of grey
hairs.
I said: Where are they? * I
will make the remembrance of
them to cease among men :
But I forbore because of the
wrath of the enemy, * lest their
adversaries should triumph,
And lest they should say: Our
high hand, and not the LORD, *
hath done all this.
They are a nation void of coun-
sel, neither is there any under-
standing in them. * O that they
were wise and that they under-
stood this, and would consider
their latter end!
How should one chase a thou-
sand, * and two put ten thousand
to flight?
Except their God had sold them,
* and the LORD had shut them
up?
For their gods are not as our
God, * even our enemies them-
selves being judges.
Their vine is of the vine of
Sodom, * and of the fields of Go-
morrah :
Their grapes are grapes of gall,
* and their clusters are bitter :
Their wine is the poison of
dragons, and the cruel venom
of asps.
Is not this laid up in store with
Me, * and sealed up among My
treasures ?
To Me belongeth vengeance,
and I will repay in due time, *
to make their foot to slide.
The day of their calamity is at
hand, * and the things that shall
come upon them make haste.
The LORD shall judge His peo-
ple, * and repent Himself for His
servants,
When He seeth that their hand
is weakened, and there is none
shut up and left, and that they
that remained are consumed.
And He shall say: Where are
their gods, * in whom they trust-
ed?
Of whose sacrifices they did eat
the fat, and drank the wine of
their drink-offerings?
Let them rise up, and help you,
* and be your protection [in the
time of need.]¹
See now that I, even I, am
1 Not in the Hebrew.
SATURDAY AT LAUDS.
113
He, * and there is no god with
Me:
I kill, and I make alive: I wound
and I heal: * neither is there
any that can deliver out of My
hand.
I will lift up My hand to
heaven, and say: *I live for
ever.
If I whet My glittering sword,
* and Mine hand take hold on
judgment;
I will render vengeance to Mine
enemies, * and will reward them
that hate Me.
I will make Mine arrows drunk
with blood, * and My sword shall
devour flesh;
With the blood of the slain *
and of the captives, and of the
despoiled chief of the enemy.
Praise His people, ye nations:
* for He will avenge the blood of
His servants,
And will render vengeance to
their adversaries, * and will be
merciful unto the land of His
people.
Antiphon. Ascribe ye greatness
unto our God.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise God.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD from the
heavens, &c., (p. 88.)
Antiphon. Praise God upon the
loud cymbals.
CHAPTER. (Rom. xiii. 12.)
The night is far spent, &c., (as
on Monday, p. 98.)
THE
HYMN.¹
HE dawn is sprinkled o'er the sky,
The day steals softly on;
Its darts are scattered far and nigh,
And all that fraudful is, shall fly
Before the brightening sun;
Spectres of ill, that stalk at will,
And forms of guilt that fright,
And hideous sin, that ventures in
Under the cloak of night.
And of our crimes the tale complete,
Which bows us in Thy sight,
Up to the latest, they shall fleet,
Out-told by our full numbers sweet,
And melted by the light.
To Father, Son, and Spirit, One,
Whom we adore and love,
Be given all praise, now and always,
Here as in Heaven above.

Amen.
Verse. Thou hast satisfied us
early with Thy mercy.
Answer. We rejoice and are
glad.
Antiphon for the Song of Za-
charias. Give light, O Lord, *
unto them that sit in darkness,
and guide our feet into the way
of peace, O Thou God of Israël !
Commemoration of the Cross before
the others, and Long Preces in Advent
and Lent, and on Fast-days, except the
Eves of Christmas and Pentecost.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
I
114
THE PSALTER.
PRIME, OR THE FIRST HOUR.'
Sunday.
THE LORD's Day.
Before Prime is said inaudibly the
Lord's Prayer, the Angelic Salutation,
and the Apostles' Creed.
UR Father, Who art in hea-
OUR
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into
temptation; but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
HAIL, Mary, full of grace; The
Lord is with thee: bless-
ed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
JESUS.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and at
the hour of our death. Amen.
BELIEVE in God the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven
and earth. And in JESUS Christ,
His Only Son, our Lord; Who
was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
Born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was cruci-
fied, dead, and buried: He de-
scended into hell: the third day
He rose again from the dead: He
ascended into heaven, and sitteth
on the right hand of God the Fa-
ther Almighty: from thence He
shall come to judge the quick and
the dead. I believe in the Holy
Ghost, the holy Catholic Church,
the Communion of Saints, the
Forgiveness of sins, the Resur-
rection of the body, and the Life
everlasting. Amen.
Then is said aloud :
Verse. Make haste, O God,
to deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima Sunday to Maun-
dy Thursday instead of "Alleluia" is
said:
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of heaven.
Then is said the following:
HYMN.2
THE star of morn to night succeeds,
We therefore meekly pray,
May God, in all our words and deeds,
Keep us from harm this day.
May He in love restrain us still
From tones of strife and words of ill,
And wrap around and close our eyes
To earth's absorbing vanities.
May wrath and thoughts that gender
shame
Ne'er in our breasts abide,
And painful abstinences tame
Of wanton flesh the pride;
1 Prime is the first service of the Church for the day-time, Mattins and Lauds being for
the middle and close of night. Its proper hour is when the sun has fairly risen, and day
begun, which is reckoned to be about 6 a.m., about which time it is generally said in
choirs. Sometimes Mattins, Lauds, and Prime are said together early in the morning,
forming the complete morning service of the Church. It is from this aggregation that the
"Morning Prayer" of the Anglican Prayer Book is derived.
2 Translation by Dr. Newman.
SUNDAY AT PRIME.
115
So when the weary day is o'er
And night and stillness come once more,
Blameless and clean from spot of earth
We may repeat with reverent mirth-
To God the Father glory be,
And to His Only Son,
And to the Spirit, One and Three,
While endless ages run.
Amen.
The last verse is sometimes said thus,
altered in honour of the Incarnation :
JESU, the Virgin-born, to Thee,
Eternal praise be given,
With Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Here as it is in heaven.
Amen.
In Paschal time it is said thus, altered
in honour of the Resurrection:
To Father, Son, and Paraclete,
The slain and risen Son,
Be praise and glory, as is meet,
While endless ages run.
Amen.
It is also occasionally otherwise al-
tered, which occasions are marked in
their places.
They are
Then follow the Psalms.
all said under one Antiphon, and on
Feasts, when Five Antiphons have been
said at Lauds, the First of these Five is
the Antiphon at Prime, otherwise that
given here is used.
Antiphon. Alleluia.
Psalm LIII.¹
SAV
AVE me, O God, by Thy Name,
* and judge me by Thy
strength.
Hear my prayer, O God: *
give ear to the words of my
mouth.
For strangers are risen up a-
gainst me, and oppressors seek
after my soul: * and have not set
God before them.2
Behold, God is my Helper: *
and the Lord upholdeth my soul.
Reward Thou evil unto mine
enemies: * and cut them off in
Thy truth.
I will freely sacrifice unto Thee:
*and praise Thy Name, O LORDd,
for it is good.
For Thou hast delivered me out
of all trouble: * and mine eye
hath seen [his desire upon] mine
enemies.
The following Psalm, "O give thanks
unto the LORD," is said only on Sun-
days, when the Office is of the Sunday,
nor is it said from Easter to Pentecost,
both inclusive. Moreover it is not said on
or after Septuagesima Sunday till Eas-
ter, but then is substituted for it Psalm
xcii., "The LORD reigneth," (p. 86.)
Psalm CXVII.3
GIVE thanks unto the LORD,
for He is good: * for His
mercy endureth for ever.
Let Israël now say that [He is
good: * for]* His mercy endureth
for ever.
Let the house of Aaron now
say,
* that His mercy endureth
for ever.
Let them now that fear the
LORD say,
* that His mercy en-
dureth for ever.
I called upon the LORD in dis-
tress: * and the LORD heard me
and set me at large.
The LORD is on my side: * I
will not fear: what can man do
unto me?
1 The superscription of this Psalm, after some words which are probably a musical
direction, proceeds "[A Psalm] of David, when the Ziphim came and said to Saul, Doth
not David hide himself with us?" This was during the same period of his life in the
South in which he composed Ps. lxii. The Ziphim, or peasantry of the neighbourhood of
Ziph, betrayed him twice to Saul, and both times, especially the first, he was in imminent
peril. 1 Kings (Sam.) xxiii. 19—29, xxvi.
2 SLH.
3 From some verses it seems that this Psalm was written for the Feast of Tabernacles,
and perhaps as a processional at the entry of the King (David ?) into the place of worship.
• Not in the Hebrew.
I 2
116
THE PSALTER.
The LORD is on my side¹:
* and
I shall see [my desire upon] them
that hate me.
It is better to put confidence in
the LORD, * than to put confidence
in man.
It is better to trust in the Lord,
* than to trust in princes.
All nations compassed me about:
*but in the Name of the LORD !2
for I will destroy them.
They compassed me about, yea,
they compassed me about: * but
in the Name of the LORD! for I
will destroy them.
They compassed me about like
bees; they burnt out as the fire
of thorns: * in the Name of the
LORD! for I will destroy them.
They thrust sore at me, that I
might fall: * but the LORD helped
me.
The LORD is my strength and
* and is become my sal-
my song,
vation.
The voice of rejoicing and sal-
vation * is in the tabernacles of
the righteous.
The right hand of the LORD
hath done valiantly. The right
hand of the LORD hath exalted
me: * the right hand of the LORD
hath done valiantly.
I shall not die, but live, * and
declare the works of the LORD.
The LORD hath chastened me
* but He hath not given me
over unto death.
sore:
ye
Open to me the gates of righ-
teousness; I will go into them
and praise the LORD. * This is
the gate of the LORD, into which
the righteous shall enter.
I will praise Thee, for Thou
hast heard me, * and art become
my salvation.
4The stone which the builders
refused* is become the head-
stone of the corner.
This is the LORD's doing: *
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
This is the day which the LORD
hath made: * let us rejoice and
be glad in it.
Save me now, O Lord! O LORD,
send Thou prosperity. * Blessed
be he that cometh in the Name of
the LORD!
We have blessed you out of the
house of the LORD. * God is the
LORD Which hath showed us light:
Keep the solemn feast-day with
leafy boughs,
* even unto the
horns of the Altar.3
Thou art my God, and I will
praise Thee: *Thou art my God,
and I will exalt Thee.
[I will give thanks unto Thee,
for Thou hast heard me,
* and
art become my salvation.]5
O give thanks unto the Lord,
for He is good: * for His mercy
endureth for ever.
Psalm CXVIII.6
BLESSED are the undefiled in
the way,
* who walk in the
law of the LORD.
1 Supply from the Hebrew: "with my helpers."
2 Probably a war cry.
"And
3 The allusion is to the ceremonial of the Feast of Tabernacles. Lev. xxiii. 40.
shall take you on the first day the boughs of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and
the boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before the LORD
your God seven days." V. 42, "Ye shall dwell in booths seven days."
4 These two verses were quoted by our Lord. Matth. xxi. 42; Mark xii. 10.
5 Not in the Hebrew.
6 This long poem in praise of the Divine Law, which the Church recites every day and
all day, is A B C Darian. Its 176 verses are divided into twenty-two sections, of eight
verses each, in each of which sections all the verses begin with the same letter of the
Hebrew alphabet. The first eight, therefore, begin with Aleph, which somewhat corres-
ponds to A.
SUNDAY AT PRIME.
117
Blessed are they that keep His
testimonies: * that seek Him with
the whole heart.
They also that do no iniquity,
they walk in His ways.
*
Thou hast commanded us * to
keep Thy precepts diligently.
O that my ways were directed *
to keep Thy statutes.
Then shall I not be ashamed, *
when I have respect unto all Thy
commandments.
I will praise Thee with up-
rightness of heart, * when I shall
have learned Thy righteous judg-
ments.
I will keep Thy statutes: * O
forsake me not utterly.
WHEREWITHAL shall a
young man cleanse his way?
* by taking heed unto Thy word.
With my whole heart have I
sought Thee: * O let me not wan-
der from Thy commandments!
Thy word have I hid in mine
heart, * that I might not sin
against Thee.
Blessed art Thou, O LORD: *
teach me Thy statutes!
With my lips * have I de-
clared all the judgments of Thy
mouth.
*
I have rejoiced in the way of
Thy testimonies, as much as in
all riches.
I will meditate in Thy precepts,
* and have respect unto Thy ways.
I will delight myself in Thy
statutes: * I will not forget Thy
word.
Continuation of the same Psalm.
may behold wondrous things out
of Thy law.
I am a stranger in the earth: *
hide not Thy commandments from
me.
My soul breaketh for the long-
ing that it hath unto Thy judg-
ments* at all times.
Thou hast rebuked the proud:
*they are cursed which do err
from Thy commandments.
Remove from me reproach and
contempt: * for I have kept Thy
testimonies.
Princes also did sit and speak
against me: * but Thy servant
did meditate in Thy statutes.
Thy testimonies also are my
delight, and Thy precepts my
counsellors.
3
MY soul cleaveth unto the
dust: * quicken Thou me
according to Thy word.
I have declared my ways and
Thou heardest me:
*teach me
Thy statutes.

*
Make me to understand the
way of Thy precepts: so shall
I talk of Thy wondrous works.
My soul melteth for heaviness :
* strengthen Thou me according
unto Thy word.
Remove from me the way of
lying: * and grant me Thy law
graciously.
*
I have chosen the way of truth:
Thy judgments have I not for-
gotten.
I have stuck unto Thy testi-
monies, O LORD: * put me not to
shame!
I have run the way of Thy
2DEAL bountifully with Thy commandments, * since Thou hast
servant, quicken me,
* and
I will keep Thy word.
Open Thou mine eyes, * that I
enlarged my heart.
The following Creed is only said on
1 Here begins the letter Beth, somewhat represented by B.
2 Here begins the letter Ghimel, answering partly to our G.
3 Here begins the letter Daleth, answering partly to our D.
118
THE PSALTER.
+
Sundays when the Office is of the Sun-
day, and on Trinity Sunday. The ex-
ceptions are Easter and Pentecost Sun-
days, when it is not said, because they
are treated as Festivals.
THE CREED OF ST. ATHANASIUS.
HOSOEVER will be saved,
* before all things it is ne-
cessary that he hold the Catholic
Faith.
WHOSOEVER
Which faith except every one
do keep whole and undefiled, *
without doubt he shall perish
everlastingly.
And the Catholic Faith is this,
* that we worship One God in
Trinity, and Trinity in Unity.
Neither confounding the Per-
sons, nor dividing the Sub-
stance.
*
For there is one Person of the
Father, another of the Son, * and
another of the Holy Ghost.
But the Godhead of the Father,
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost
is all one,
* the Glory Equal, the
Majesty Co-Eternal.
Such as the Father is, such is
the Son,* and such is the Holy
Ghost.
*
The Father Uncreate, the Son
Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost
Uncreate.
The Father Incomprehensible,
the Son Incomprehensible, * and
the Holy Ghost Incomprehen-
sible.
The Father Eternal, the Son
Eternal, * and the Holy Ghost
Eternal.
And yet They are not Three
Eternals, * but Ŏne Eternal.
As also there are not Three
Uncreated, nor Three Incompre-
hensibles, * but One Uncreated,
and One Incomprehensible.
So likewise the Father is Al-
mighty, the Son Almighty, * and
the Holy Ghost Almighty.
*
And yet They are not Three
Almighties, but One Almighty.
So the Father is God, the Son
is God, * and the Holy Ghost is
God.
And yet They are not Three
Gods, but One God.
*
So likewise the Father is Lord,
the Son Lord, * and the Holy
Ghost Lord.
And yet not Three Lords, * but
One Lord.
For, like as we are compelled
by the Christian verity to acknow-
ledge every Person by Himself to
be God and Lord, * so are we for-
bidden by the Catholic Religion
to say, there be Three Gods or
Three Lords.
The Father is made of none, *
neither created, nor begotten.
The Son is of the Father alone:
* not made, nor created, but Be-
gotten.
The Holy Ghost is of the Fa-
ther, and of the Son: * neither
made, nor created, nor begotten,
but Proceeding.
So there is One Father, not
Three Fathers; One Son, not
Three Sons; * One Holy Ghost,
not Three Holy Ghosts.
*
And in this Trinity None is
afore or after Other, None is
greater or less than Another;
but the whole Three Persons are
Co-eternal together, and Co-equal.
*
So that in all things, as is afore-
said, the Unity in Trinity, and
the Trinity in Unity is to be wor-
shipped.
He therefore that will be saved,
must thus think of the Trinity.
Furthermore, it is necessary to
everlasting salvation, * that he
also believe rightly the Incarna-
tion of our Lord JESUS Christ.
For the right Faith is, that we
believe and confess, * that our

SUNDAY AT PRIME.
119
Lord JESUS Christ, the Son of
God, is God and Man.
God, of the Substance of the Fa-
ther, Begotten before the worlds:
* and Man, of the substance of
His mother, born into the world.
Perfect God, and Perfect Man,
* of a reasonable Soul and human
Flesh subsisting.
Equal to the Father as touch-
ing His Godhead, * and inferior
to the Father as touching His
Manhood.
*
Who, although He be God and
Man, yet He is not Two, but
One Christ.
One, not by conversion of the
Godhead into flesh, * but by tak-
ing of the Manhood into God.
One altogether, not by confu-
sion of Substance, * but by Unity
of Person.
For as the reasonable soul and
flesh is one man, * so God and
Man is One Christ.
*
Who suffered for our salvation,
descended into hell, rose again
the third day from the dead.
He ascended into heaven, He
sitteth on the right hand of the
Father, God Almighty, * from
whence He shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
At Whose coming all men shall
rise again with their bodies, * and
shall give account for their own
works.
*
And they that have done good
shall go into life everlasting,
and they that have done evil into
everlasting fire.
This is the Catholic Faith, *
which except a man believe faith-
fully and firmly, he cannot be
saved.
Here is said the Hymn, "Glory be to
the Father, &c."
Antiphon. Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia.
In Paschal time a fourth time, Alle-
luia.
Then is said the Chapter.
CHAPTER. (1 Tim. i. 17.)
JNTO the King Eternal, Im-
mortal and Invisible, the
only God, be honour and glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then follows the Short Responsory.
Christ, Thou Son of the Living
God, have mercy on us.
Answer. Christ, Thou Son of
the Living God, have mercy on
us.
Verse. Thou That sittest at the
right hand of the Father.
Answer. Have mercy on us.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Christ, Thou Son of
the Living God, have mercy on
us.
Verse. ¹Arise, O Christ, and
help us.
Answer. And deliver us for Thy
name's sake.
This Responsory is occasionally al-
tered, which alterations are given in their
proper places. From Low Sunday in-
clusive till Ascension Day exclusive it is
said thus :
Christ, Thou Son of the Living
God, have mercy on us. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Answer. Christ, Thou Son of
the Living God, have mercy on
us. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Thou That hast arisen
from the dead.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
1 Ps. xliii. 26.
120
THE PSALTER.
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Christ, Thou Son of
the Living God, have mercy on
us. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Verse. Arise, O Christ, and
help us. Alleluia.
Answer. And deliver us for Thy
name's sake. Alleluia.
From Ascension Day inclusive till
sus Christ, His only Son, our
Lord; Who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pi-
late, was crucified, dead, and bu-
ried: He descended into hell:
the third day He rose again from
the dead: He ascended into hea-
ven, and sitteth on the right hand
of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He shall come to
Pentecost exclusive it is the same, except judge the quick and the dead. I
that instead of "Thou That hast arisen
from the dead" is said:
Verse. Thou That hast gone up
above the stars.
During the Octave of Pentecost it is
still the same except that this Verse is
said thus:
Verse. Thou That sittest at the
right hand of the Father.
After the Short Responsory follow
these prayers called the Preces, except
on Doubles and within Octaves, when
they are omitted down to the mark *.
Kyrie eléison.
Answer. Christe eléison.
Kyrie eléison.
OUR
JR Father (inaudibly) Who
art in Heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them that
trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
I BELIEVE (inaudibly) in God
the Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth. And in JE-
1 Ps. lxxxvii. 14.
3 Ps. 1. 9-12.
believe in the Holy Ghost, the
Holy Catholic Church, the Com-
munion of Saints, the forgiveness
of sins. (Aloud.)
Verse. The Resurrection of the
body.
Answer. And the Life everlast-
ing.
Verse. ¹And unto Thee have I
cried, O LORD.
Answer. And in the morning
shall my prayer prevent Thee.
Verse. Let my mouth be filled
with Thy praise.
Answer. That I may sing of
Thy glory, all the day long of
Thy greatness.
Verse. 30 Lord, hide Thy face
from my sins.
Answer. And blot out all mine
iniquities.
Verse. Create in me a clean
heart, O God.
Answer. And renew a right
spirit within me.
Verse. Cast me not away from
Thy presence.
Answer. And take not Thy holy
Spirit from me.
Verse. Restore unto me the joy
of Thy salvation.
Answer. And uphold me with
Thy free spirit.
Verse. Our help is in the
name of the LORD.
2 Ps. lxx. 8.
4 Ps. cxxiii. 8.
SUNDAY AT PRIME.
121
Answer. Who made heaven and
earth.
The General Confession.
CONFESS to God Almighty,
to the Blessed Mary, always
a Virgin, to the Blessed Michael
the Archangel, to the Blessed
John the Baptist, to the Holy
Apostles Peter and Paul, and to
all the Saints, that I have sinned
exceedingly in thought, word, and
deed, by my fault, by my fault,
by my most grievous fault. There-
fore I beseech the Blessed Mary,
always a Virgin, the Blessed Mi-
chael the Archangel, the Blessed
John the Baptist, the Holy Apos-
tles Peter and Paul, and all the
Saints, to pray to the Lord our
God for me.
The Absolution.
ALMIGHTY God have mercy
on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to life everlasting.
Answer. Amen.
MAY the Almighty and mer-
ciful Lord grant us par-
don, absolution, and remission of
all our sins.
Answer. Amen.
Then the Office continues as follows:
Verse. Vouchsafe, O Lord, this
day.
Answer. To keep us without
sin.
Verse. Have mercy upon us, O
LORD.
Answer. Have mercy upon us.
Answer. As our trust is in
Thee.
Here the Office is resumed when the
Preces have been omitted.
* Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.

Let us pray.
hast safely brought us to the
LORD God Almighty, Who
beginning of this day, defend us
in the same with Thy mighty
power and grant that this day
we fall into no sin, but that all
our thoughts, words, and works
may be ordered by Thy govern-
ance to do always that is righteous
in Thy sight. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liv-
eth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
If the Prime of the Little Office of the
Blessed Virgin Mary is to be said, it is
said now. Then is read the Martyr-
ology, if it be to be read. After which
the Office proceeds thus :1
Verse. 2Precious in the sight
of the LORD.
Answer. Is the death of His
Saints.
Verse. O LORD, let Thy mercy MAY Holy Mary and all the
Saints plead for us with the
lighten upon us.
1 Whether the Martyrology has been read or not. The Martyrology is a list of Saints,
the Anniversary of whose death begins at the next sunset. With each name there are
generally a few words by way of description. The use of it is never binding out of Choir,
though strongly recommended, and it is indeed a most stirring record, and fills with life
the continuation of the service. An English version of it has been published.
2 Ps. cxv. 6.
122
THE PSALTER.
Lord, that we may worthily be
holpen and delivered by Him
Who liveth and reigneth for ever
and ever.
Answer. Amen.
Terse. Make haste, O God, to
deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Verse. Make haste, O God, to
deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Verse. Make haste, O God, to
deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.
OUR
UR Father, (inaudibly,) Who
art in heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them
that trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Verse. Look upon Thy ser-
vants, O Lord, and upon the
works of Thine hands, and order
the goings of their children.
Answer. And let the beauty of
the LORD our God be upon us,
and establish Thou the work of
our hands upon us, yea, the work
of our hands, establish Thou it.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. As it was in the be-
ginning, is now, and ever shall
be, world without end. Amen.
Let us pray.
LORD God, King of heaven
and earth, may it please
Thee this day to order and to
hallow, to rule and to govern
our hearts and our bodies, our
thoughts, our words, and our
works, according to Thy law and
in the doing of Thy command-
ments, that we, being holpen of
Thee, may here, and for ever and
ever, worthily be saved and de-
livered by Thee, O Saviour of the
world, Who livest and reignest
for ever and ever.
Answer. Amen.
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
The Blessing.
The Lord Almighty order our
days and deeds in His peace.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read the Short Lesson. On
all Feasts, even Simples, and some other
days, this is the same as the Chapter
which is to be read at None, which will
be found in its proper place. On other
days one of the following is read, ac-
cording to the Season of the year.
1. From the Octave of the Epiphany till
the First Sunday in Lent, and from
the Octave of Pentecost till Advent
Sunday, all exclusive.
2 Thess. iii. 5.
And the Lord direct your hearts
into the love of God, and into the
patience of Christ.
2. From Advent Sunday inclusive till
Christmas Eve exclusive.
Isa. xxxiii. 2.
O LORD, be gracious unto us:
for we have waited for Thee: be
1 Ps. lxxxix. 16, 17.
PRIME ON WEEK-DAYS.
123
Thou our arm every morning,
our salvation also in the time of
trouble.
3. From the First Sunday in Lent in-
clusive till Passion Sunday exclusive.
Isa. lv. 6.
Seek ye the LORD, while He
may be found: call ye upon Him
while He is near.
4. From Passion Sunday inclusive till
Maundy Thursday exclusive.
Isa. 1. 6.
I hid not my face from shame
and spitting. The Lord GoD¹ will
help me, therefore also shall I
not be confounded.
5. From Easter Sunday inclusive till
Ascension Day exclusive.
Col. iii. 1.
If ye be risen with Christ, seek
those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth at the right
hand of God: set your affections
on things above, not on things on
the earth.
When the Reader has finished the
Short Lesson, he says:
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. Our help is in the name
of the LORD.
Answer. Who made heaven and
earth.
Verse. Bless ye.
Answer. May God [bless us.]
The Blessing.
The Lord bless us, and keep
us from all evil, and bring us to
life everlasting; and may the
souls of the Faithful, through
the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Lastly, unless some other Hour is to
follow immediately, the Lord's Prayer
is said inaudibly,
OUR Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive them that trespass against
us.
And lead us not into tempta-
tion; but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Note. When Office is said in Choir
the Service is ended with the Antiphon
of the Blessed Virgin Mary every time
the Choir is left. Otherwise it is only
said as given in this book at the end of
Lauds, (or the aggregation of which
Lauds forms a part,) and Compline.
Feasts. The above Office appointed
for Sundays, is also said on all Feasts
whatsoever, even Simples, and every day
in Paschal time.

PRIME
On Week-Days.
All the same as on Sunday, except as
otherwise given here.
Ordinary Antiphon during the
year. Blessed are they that walk.
In Advent the Antiphon is the First
Antiphon which has been said at Lauds
on Sunday, unless the day have a set of
its own.
Antiphon in Lent. As I live.
Antiphon for Passiontide. De-
liver me, O Lord.
1 The Divine Name.
124
THE PSALTER.
Psalm cxvii., "O give thanks unto
the LORD," is not said. On Saturday it
is simply omitted, and only the three
Feast-Day Psalms (viz. liii. and the two
first sections of cxviii.) are said, but
on the other days of the week one of the
Psalms following is put in its place.
THE
Monday.
Psalm XXIII.¹
HE earth is the LORD's and
the fulness thereof; * the
world, and they that dwell there-
in.
For He hath founded it upon
the seas,
* and established it
upon the floods.
Who shall ascend into the hill
of the LORD? * or who shall
stand in His holy place ?
He that hath clean hands and
a pure heart, * who hath not
lifted up his soul unto vanity,
nor sworn deceitfully [unto his
neighbour.]2
He shall receive a blessing from
the LORD, * and mercy from the
God of his salvation.
This is the generation of them
that seek Him, * that seek the
face [of the God]2 of Jacob.3
Lift up your gates, O ye princes,
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
doors!* and the King of glory
shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? *
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
Lift up your gates, O ye princes,
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting
doors!* and the King of glory
shall come in.
Who is this King of glory? *
The LORD of hosts, He is the
King of glory.3
Intituled "A Psalm of David."
Tuesday.

4
Psalm XXIV.ª
UNTO Thee, O LORD, do I lift
up my soul: * O my God,
I trust in Thee, let me not be
ashamed.
Neither let mine enemies tri-
umph over me: * for none that
wait on Thee shall be ashamed:
Let them be ashamed which
transgress * without cause.
Show me Thy ways, O LORD, *
and teach me Thy paths.
me;
Lead me in Thy truth and teach
*for Thou art the God of
my salvation: and on Thee do I
wait all the day.
Remember, O LORD, Thy ten-
der mercies, * and Thy loving-
kindnesses, which have been ever
of old.
Remember not the sins of my
youth,* nor my transgressions:
According to Thy mercy re-
member Thou me, * for Thy
goodness' sake, O LORD.
Good and upright is the LORD;
* therefore will He teach sinners
in the way.
The meek will He guide in
judgment: * the meek will He
teach His way.
All the paths of the LORD are
mercy and truth, * unto such as
keep His covenant and His testi-
monies.
For Thy name's sake, O LORD,
pardon mine iniquity; * for it is
great.
What man is he that feareth
the LORD? * him shall He teach
in the way that He shall choose.
His soul shall dwell at ease: *
2 Not in the present Hebrew.
• Intituled "Of David." This Psalm is A B C Darian.
3 SLH.
PRIME ON WEEK-DAYS.
125
and his seed shall inherit the
earth.
The LORD is a strong rock unto
them that fear Him; * and His
covenant shall be made known to
them.
Mine eyes are ever toward the
LORD: * for He shall pluck my
feet out of the net.
Turn Thee unto me, and have
mercy upon me, * for I am deso-
late and afflicted.
The troubles of my heart are
enlarged: * O bring me out of
my distresses.
Look upon mine affliction and
my pain: * and forgive all my
sins.
Consider mine enemies, for they
are many:
* and they hate me
with cruel hatred.
O keep my soul, and deliver
me: * let me not be ashamed, for
I put my trust in Thee.
The undefiled and the upright
cleave to me: * for I wait on
Thee.
Redeem Israël, O God, * out
of all his troubles!
Wednesday.
Psalm XXV.¹
*
JUDGE me, O LORD, for I have
walked in mine integrity:
I have trusted also in the LORD;
I shall not slide.
*
Examine me, O LORD, and
O LORD, and prove
me: try my reins and my heart.
For Thy loving-kindness is be-
fore mine eyes: * and I have
walked in Thy truth.
I have not sat with vain per-
sons, * neither will I go in with
wrong-doers.
I have hated the congregation
1 Intituled " Of David.”
3 Intituled " A Psalm of David."
of evil doers: * and will not sit
with the wicked.
I will wash my hands in inno-
cency,
* and I will compass Thine
Altar, O LORd.
That I may hear the voice of
thanksgiving,* and tell of all Thy
wondrous works.
LORD, I have loved the beauty
of Thine house, * and the place
where Thine honour dwelleth.
Make not my soul to perish
with sinners, [O God,]² * nor my
life with bloody men:
In whose hands is mischief, *
and their right hand is full of
bribes.
But as for me, I will walk in
mine integrity: * redeem me, and
be merciful unto me.
My foot standeth in upright-
* in the congregations will
I bless Thee, O LORD.
ness:
Thursday.
Psalm XXII.³
THE LORD is my Shepherd, I
shall not want. * He maketh
me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still
waters. He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness, * for His Name's
sake.
Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: * for Thou art
with me:
Thy rod and Thy staff * they
comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before
me,
* in the presence of mine ene-
mies :
Thou anointest mine head with
oil: * and mine overflowing cup,
O how goodly is it!
2 Not in the Hebrew.
126
THE PSALTER.
Surely Thy mercy shall follow
me * all the days of my life:
And I will dwell in the house
of the LORD * for ever.
Friday.
Psalm XXI.¹
My God, my God, [look upon
me]2: why hast Thou for-
saken me? * the voice of mine
offences keepeth Thy deliverance
far from me.
O my God, I cry in the day-
time, and Thou hearest not: *
and in the night season-and still
it is not foolishness in me.
But Thou dwellest in holiness,
* O Thou Praise of Israël!
Our fathers trusted in Thee : *
they trusted, and Thou didst de-
liver them.
They cried unto Thee, and were
delivered:* they trusted in Thee,
and were not confounded.
But I am a worm and no man :
* a reproach of men, and despised
of the people.
All they that see me laugh me
to scorn: * they shoot out the lip,
and shake their head:
He trusted in the LORD, let
Him rescue him: * let Him de-
liver him, seeing He delighteth in
him.
But Thou art He That took me
out of the womb: * Thou art my
hope from my mother's breasts.
I was cast upon Thee from the
womb :
Thou art my God from my
mother's belly. * Be not far from
me:
For trouble is near: * for there
is none to help.
Many bulls have compassed
* strong bulls have beset me
round.
me:
They gaped upon me with their
mouths,
* as a ravening and a
roaring lion.
I am poured out like water, *
and all my bones are out of joint;
My heart is like melting wax
* in the midst of my bowels.
My strength is dried up like a
potsherd, and my tongue cleaveth
to my jaws: * and Thou hast
brought me into the dust of death.
For [many]2 dogs have com-
passed me : * the assembly of the
wicked have inclosed me.
They pierced my hands and my
feet: they have told all my
bones:
They look and stare upon me.
* They part my garments among
them, and cast lots upon my ves-
ture.
But be not Thy strength far
from me; O LORD,* haste Thee to
help me.
help
O God, deliver my soul from
the sword: * mine only one from
the power of the dog!
Save me from the lion's mouth;*
and mine affliction from the horns
of the unicorns.
I will declare Thy name unto
my brethren: * in the midst of
the congregation will I praise
Thee.
Ye that fear the LORD, praise
Him: * all ye seed of Jacob, glo-
rify Him;
Let all the seed of Israël fear
Him. * For He hath not despised
1 Intituled "A Psalm of David." It has a musical (?) superscription, from part of
which it appears that it was written for a tune called "The hind of the morning.'
2 Not in the Hebrew. The words "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
were quoted by our Lord upon the Cross (Matth. xxvii. 46; Mark xv. 34.)
3 Read Matth. xxvii. 39-44.
PRIME ON WEEK-DAYS.
127
nor abhorred the prayer of the
poor;
Neither hath He hid His face
from me :
* but when I cried unto
Him, He heard [me.]¹
My praise shall be of Thee in
the great congregation: * I will
pay my vows before them that
fear Him.
The poor shall eat and be satis-
fied, and they shall praise the
LORD that seek Him: * their
heart shall live for ever.
All the ends of the earth * shall
remember and turn unto the
LORD:
And all the kindreds of the na-
tions * shall worship before Him.
For the kingdom is the LORD's:
* and He hath dominion among
the nations.
All they that be fat upon earth
have eaten and worshipped: * all
they that go down to the dust
shall bow before Him:
My soul also shall live upon
Him; and my seed shall serve
Him:
The generation to come shall
tell it unto the Lord: * and [the
heavens]¹ shall declare His righ-
teousness unto a people that shall
be born, whom [the Lord]¹ hath
made.
Saturday.
Psalm cxvii. is simply omitted and no
other is substituted for it.
Ordinary Antiphon during the
year. Blessed are they that walk
in Thy law, O Lord.
In Advent the Antiphon is the First
Antiphon which has been said at Lauds
on Sunday, unless the day have a set of
its own.
Antiphon in Lent. As I live,
saith the LORD, I have no plea-
1 Not in the Hebrew.
sure in the death of the wicked,
but rather that he turn from his
way and live.
Antiphon for Passiontide. ³De-
liver me, O Lord, and set me be-
side Thee and any man's hand
may fight against me.
I
CHAPTER. (Zech. viii. 19.)
LOVE peace and truth, saith
the Lord Almighty.
If the Preces have not been said at
Lauds, then the Preces are now said, as
on Sunday; but if the Lauds Preces have
been said, the following longer form is
used, all kneeling :
Kyrie eléison.
Answer. Christe eléison.
Kyrie eléison.
OUR Father, (inaudibly,) Who
art in heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them
that trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
I BELIEVE (inaudibly,) in God
the Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth. And in JE-
sus Christ, His Only Son, our
Lord;
Who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
Mary, suffered under Pontius Pi-
late, was crucified, dead and bu-
ried He descended into hell:
the third day He rose again from
the dead: He ascended into hea-
ven, and sitteth on the right hand
of God the Father Almighty:
from thence He shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I
:
2 Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
3 Job xvii. 3.
128
THE PSALTER.
believe in the Holy Ghost, the
Holy Catholic Church, the Com-
munion of Saints, the forgiveness
of sins, (aloud).
Verse. The Resurrection of the
body.
Answer. And the Life everlast-
ing.
Verse. And unto Thee have I
cried, O LORD.
Answer. And in the morning
shall my prayer prevent Thee.
Verse. Let my mouth be filled
with Thy praise.
Answer. That I may sing of
Thy glory, all the day long of Thy
greatness.
Verse. O Lord, hide Thy face
from my sins.
Answer. And blot out all mine
iniquities.
Verse. Create in me a clean
heart, O God.
Answer. And renew a right
spirit within me.
Verse. Cast me not away from
Thy presence.
Answer. And take not Thy holy
Spirit from me.
Verse. Restore unto me the joy
of Thy salvation.
Answer. And uphold me with
Thy free spirit.
Verse. 'Deliver me, O LORD,
from the evil man.
Answer. And preserve me from
the wicked man.
Verse. 2Deliver me from mine
enemies, O my God.
Answer. And defend me from
them that rise up against me.
Verse. 2Deliver me from the
workers of iniquity.
Answer. And save me from
bloody men.
1 Ps. cxxxix. 1.
3 Ps. lx. 8.
Verse. 3So will I sing unto Thy
name for ever.
Answer. That I may daily per-
form my vows.
Verse. Answer us, O God of
our salvation.
Answer. Who art the confidence
of all the ends of the earth, and
of them that are afar off upon the
sea.
Verse. Make haste, O God, to
deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help me,
O Lord.
Verse. "Holy God, Holy Mighty,
Holy Immortal.
Answer. Have mercy on us.
Verse. "Bless the LORD, O my
soul.
Answer. And all that is within
me, bless His holy Name.
Verse. Bless the LORD, O my
soul.
Answer. And forget not all His
benefits.
Verse. Who forgiveth all thine
iniquities.
Answer. Who healeth all thy
diseases.
Verse. Who redeemeth thy life
from destruction.
Answer. Who crowneth thee
with loving-kindness and tender
mercies.
Verse. Who satisfieth thy de-
sire with good things.
Answer. Thy youth is renewed
like the eagle's.
Verse. Our help is in the
name of the LORD.
Answer. Who made heaven and
earth.
Then is made the General Confession
and all proceeds as on Sunday.
5 Called the "Trisagion” in the Eastern Church.
6 Ps. cii. 1—5.
2 Ps. lviii. 1, 2.
4 Ps. lxiv. 5.
129
TERCE, OR THE THIRD HOUR.¹
Office for every day in the
Week.
At the beginning of Terce the Lord's
Prayer and the Angelic Salutation are
said inaudibly.
JR Father, Who art in hea-
OUR
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into
temptation; but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
HAD
AIL, Mary, full of grace; The
Lord is with thee: blessed
art thou among women, and blessed
is the fruit of thy womb, JESUS.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now, and at
the hour of our death. Amen.
Then is said aloud:
Verse. Make haste, O God,
to deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help me,
O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima Sunday to Maun-
dy Thursday instead of "Alleluia" is
said:
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of heaven.
Then is said the following:
HYMN.2
COME, Holy Ghost, Who ever One,
Reignest with Father and with Son,
3It is the hour, our souls possess
With Thy full flood of holiness.
Let flesh, and heart, and lips, and mind,
Sound forth our witness to mankind;
And love light up our mortal frame
Till others catch the living flame.
Now to the Father, to the Son,
And to the Spirit, Three in One,
Be praise, and thanks, and glory given,
By men on earth, by Saints in heaven.
Amen.
The last verse is sometimes said thus,
altered in honour of the Incarnation :
JESU, the Virgin-born, to Thee,
To Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Be praise, and thanks, and glory given,
By men on earth, by Saints in heaven.
Amen.
In Paschal time it is said thus, al-
tered in honour of the Resurrection:
JESU, our Risen Lord, to Thee,
To Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Be praise, and thanks, and glory given,
By men on earth, by Saints in heaven.
Amen.
It is also occasionally otherwise al-
tered, which occasions are marked in
their places.
Then follow the Psalms. They are
all said under one Antiphon, and on
Feasts, when Five Antiphons have been
said at Lauds, the Second of these Five
is the Antiphon at Terce." Otherwise
those given here are used.
1 The proper hour of Terce is 9 A.M. about which time it is generally said in communi-
ties before the Community Mass.
2 Translation by Dr. Newman.
3 It was at this the third hour that the Holy Ghost descended, on the day of Pentecost.
-Acts ii. 15.
K
#
130
THE PSALTER.
Ordinary Antiphon for Sun-
days; and for every day in Pas-
chal time. Alleluia.
Ordinary Antiphon for Week-
days. Make me to go.
In Advent the Antiphon is the Second
Antiphon which has been said at Lauds
on Sunday, unless the day have a set of
its own.
Antiphon in Lent. Behold now
is the day.
Antiphon in Passiontide. O
Lord, Thou hast judged.
Continuation of Psalm CXVIII.
TEAC The statutes. * and I
EACH me, O LORD, the way
of :
shall keep it unto the end.
*
Give me understanding,
shall keep Thy law : yea, I shall
observe it with my whole heart.
So shall I keep Thy law con-
tinually, * for ever and ever.
And I will walk at liberty: *
for I seek Thy precepts.
I will speak of Thy testimonies
also before kings: * and will not
be ashamed.
And I will delight myself in
Thy commandments, * which I
have loved.
My hands also will I lift up
unto Thy commandments, which
I have loved: * and I will medi-
tate in Thy statutes.
3
Continuation of the same Psalm.
*
and I REMEMBER Thy word unto
Thy servant, upon which
Thou hast caused me to hope.
This is my comfort in my afflic-
tion: *for Thy word hath quick-
ened me.
Make me to go in the path of
Thy commandments: * for there-
in do I delight.
Incline my heart unto Thy testi-
monies, * and not to covetousness.
Turn away mine eyes from be-
holding vanity: * quicken Thou
me in Thy way.
Stablish Thy word unto Thy
servant, who feareth Thee.
*
Turn away my reproach, which
I fear for Thy judgments are
good.
:
Behold, I have longed after
Thy precepts: * quicken me in
Thy righteousness.
2 ET Thy mercy come also un-
L
to me, O LORD: * even Thy
salvation, according to Thy word.
So shall I have wherewith to
answer him that reproacheth me:
* for I trust in Thy word.
And take not the word of truth
utterly out of my mouth: * for I
have hoped in Thy judgments.
The proud have behaved them-
selves very wickedly : * yet have
I not declined from Thy law.
I remembered Thy judgments
of old, O LORD: * and have com-
forted myself.
Horror hath taken hold upon
* because of the wicked that
forsake Thy law.
me,
Thy statutes have been my
songs * in the house of my pil-
grimage.
I have remembered Thy name,
O LORD, in the night, * and have
kept Thy law.
4
This I had, * because I kept
Thy precepts.
*MY
Y portion, O LORD, * have I
said, is that I should keep
Thy words.
I entreated Thy favour with my
whole heart: * be merciful unto
me according to Thy word.
1 Here begins the letter He, an aspirate, nearly represented by our H.
2 Here begins the letter Vau, variously attempted to be represented by V, W, U, O, Oo.
3 Here begins the letter Zain, answering to Z.
4 Here begins the letter Kheth, a strong guttural, variously represented by Kh and Hh.
TERCE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
131
I thought on my ways,
* and
turned my feet unto Thy testi-
monies.
I made haste, and delayed not
* to keep Thy commandments.
The bands of the wicked have
compassed me about: * yet have
I not forgotten Thy law.
At midnight I will rise to give
thanks unto Thee, * because of
Thy righteous judgments.
I am the companion of all them
that fear Thee, * and of them
that keep Thy precepts.
The earth, O LORD, is full of
Thy mercy: * teach me Thy
statutes.
"THOU
Continuation of the same Psalm.
HOU hast dealt well with Thy
servant, O LORD, * accord-
ing to Thy word.
Teach me goodness, and judg-
ment, and knowledge: * for I have
believed Thy commandments.
Before I was afflicted, I went
astray therefore now I have
kept Thy word.
:
Thou art good, * and in Thy
goodness teach me Thy statutes.
The proud have dealt very
wickedly with me: * but I will
keep Thy precepts with my whole
heart.
Their heart is curdled as milk:
* but I delight in Thy law.
It is good for me that Thou
hast afflicted me: * that I might
learn Thy statutes.
The law of Thy mouth is better
*than thousands of gold
unto me,
and silver.
2THY hands have made me and
2THY
fashioned me: * give me
understanding, that I may learn
Thy commandments.
They that fear Thee will be
glad when they see me: * because
I have hoped in Thy word.
I know, O LORD, that Thy
judgments are right, * and that
Thou in faithfulness hast afflicted
me.
Let Thy merciful kindness be
for my comfort, * according to
Thy word unto Thy servant.
Let Thy tender mercies come
unto me, that I may live: * for
Thy law is my delight.
Let the proud be ashamed, for
they dealt perversely with me
without a cause: * but I will
meditate in Thy precepts.
Let those that fear Thee turn
unto me,
* and those that know
Thy testimonies.
Let my heart be undefiled in
Thy statutes, that I be not
ashamed.
Ordinary Antiphon for Sun-
days. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Antiphon for every day in Pas-
chal time. Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Ordinary Antiphon for Week-
days. Make me to go in the path
of Thy commandments, O Lord.
In Advent the Antiphon is the Second
Antiphon which has been said at Lauds
on Sunday, unless the day have a set of
its own.
40
Antiphon in Lent. Behold now
is the day of repentance, to re-
deem sin, and save the soul.
Lord, Thou hast pleaded the cause
Antiphon in Passiontide.
of my soul. Thou hast redeemed
my life, [O Lord my God.]5
Then follows the Chapter and the
Short Responsory. When they are not
1 Here begins the letter Teth, represented by T.
2 Here begins the letter Jod, variously represented by J, Y, I, Ee.
3 Ps. cxviii. 35.
4 Lam. iii. 58.
5 Not in the Hebrew.
K 2
132
THE PSALTER.
given specially, one of the following is
used. After the Chapter is always an-
swered, "Thanks be to God."
On Sundays, from the Second Sunday
after the Epiphany, inclusive, until
Septuagesima Sunday exclusive, and
from the Third Sunday after Pentecost
inclusive until Advent Sunday exclusive
are said the following, and the Respon-
sory is used moreover till the First Sun-
day in Lent, exclusive.
CHAPTER. (1 John iv. 16.)
GOD is love:
OD is love: and he that dwell-
eth in love dwelleth in God,
and God in him.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
'Incline my heart unto Thy tes-
timonies, O God.
Answer. Incline my heart un-
to Thy testimonies, O God.
Verse. Turn away mine eyes
from beholding vanity: quicken
Thou me in Thy way.
Answer. Unto Thy testimonies,
O God.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Incline my heart unto
Thy testimonies, O God.
Verse. I said, LORD, be merci-
ful unto me.
Answer. Heal my soul, for I
have sinned against Thee.
On ordinary Week-days throughout
the year are said the following:
CHAPTER. (Jerem. xvii. 14.)
Η HEAT me, od and, Isha I
be healed: : save me, and I
shall be saved: for Thou art my
praise.
EAL me, O LORD, and I shall
Answer. Thanks be to God.
1 Ps. cxviii. 36, 37.
• Ps. lxxix. 4.
Short Responsory.
Heal my soul, for I have sin-
ned against Thee.
Answer. Heal my soul, for I
have sinned against Thee.
Verse. I said, LORD, be merciful
unto me.
Answer. For I have sinned
against Thee.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Heal my soul, for I
have sinned against Thee.
Verse. Be Thou my helper,
neither leave me,
Answer. Nor forsake me, O
God of my salvation.
In Advent are said the following (but
the Chapter on Week-days only) :

BEH
CHAPTER. (Jer. xxiii. 5.)
EHOLD, the days come, saith
the LORD, that I will raise
unto David a righteous branch:
and a King shall reign in wisdom,
and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
Come and save us, O Lord God
of hosts.
Answer. Come and save us, O
Lord God of hosts.
Verse. 4Cause Thy face to shine,
and we shall be saved.
Answer. O Lord God of hosts.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Come and save us, O
Lord God of hosts.
Verse. The heathen shall fear
Thy name, O Lord,
Answer. And all the kings of
the earth Thy glory.
2 Ps. xl. 5.
5 Ps. ci. 16.
3 Ps. xxvi. 9.
TERCE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
133
In Lent are said the following (but the
Chapter on Week-days only):
CHAPTER. (Joel ii. 12, 13.)
TURN ye to
ye to Me with all your
heart, with fasting, and with
weeping, and with mourning. And
rend your heart and not your gar-
ments, [saith the Lord Almighty.]¹
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
"He hath delivered me from the
snare of the fowler.
Answer. He hath delivered me
from the snare of the fowler.
Verse. And from the noisome
pestilence.
Answer. From the snare of the
fowler.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. He hath delivered me
from the snare of the fowler.
Verse. He shall cover thee with
His wings.
Answer. And under His fea-
thers shalt thou trust.
In Passiontide are said the following
(but the Chapter on Week-days only) :
0
CHAPTER. (Jer. xvii. 13.)
LORD, all that forsake Thee
shall be ashamed: they that
depart from Thee shall be written
in the earth because they have
forsaken the LORD, the fountain
of living waters.
:
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
30 God, deliver my soul from
the sword.
Answer. O God, deliver my
soul from the sword.
Verse. And mine only one from
the power of the dog.
Answer. My soul from the
1 Not in the Hebrew.
3 Ps. xxi. 21.
sword. O God, deliver my soul
from the sword.
Verse. O Lord, save me from
the lion's mouth.
Answer. And mine affliction
from the horns of the unicorns.
In Paschal time are said the following
(but the Chapter on Week-days only):
CHAPTER. (Rom. vi. 9.)
CHRIST, being raised from the
dieth no more, death
hath no more dominion over Him.
For in that He died, He died unto
sin once; but in that He liveth,
He liveth unto God.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
The Lord is risen from the
grave, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The Lord is risen from
the grave, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Who hung for us upon
the tree.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The Lord is risen from
the grave, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. 4The Lord is risen in-
deed, Alleluia.
Answer. And hath appeared to
Simon, Alleluia.
After the Short Responsory, if the
Preces have been said at Lauds all kneel
down and the following are said, but
if the Preces have been omitted at Lauds
then these are also omitted down to the
mark *.
Kyrie eléison.
Answer. Christe eléison.
Kyrie eléison.
OUR
JR Father, (inaudibly,) Who
art in heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it
2 Ps. xc. 3.
4 Luke xxiv. 34.
134
THE PSALTER.
is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily bread, and forgive us
our trespasses, as we forgive them
that trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Verse. Turn us again, O Lord
God of hosts.
Answer. And cause Thy face
to shine, and we shall be saved.
us.
If the Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin Mary is to follow immediately,
it is begun here, and what follows is not
said. Otherwise the Office ends thus :
Verse (said in a somewhat lower
voice.) May the souls of the Faith-
ful, through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Lastly, unless Sext follow, the Lord's
Prayer is said inaudibly.
Verse. Arise, O Christ, and help OUR Father, Who art in hea-
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Answer. And deliver us for Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
Thy name's sake.
Here the Office is continued when the
above has been omitted.
* Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
Here is said the Prayer for the day,
after which:
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
against us, and lead us not into
as we forgive them that trespass
temptation; but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
Note. When Office is said in Choir
the service is ended with the Antiphon
of the Blessed Virgin Mary every time
the Choir is left. Otherwise it is only
said as given in this book, at the end of
Lauds (or the aggregation of which
Lauds forms a part) and Compline.
Feasts. The above Office, appointed
for all Sundays and Week-days through-
out the year, is likewise said on all
Feasts.

SEXT, OR THE SIXTH HOUR.2
Office for every day in the
Week.
At the beginning of Sext the Lord's
Prayer and the Angelic Salutation are
said inaudibly.
OUR Father, Who art in hea-
Father, Who art in hea-
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
¹ Ps. lxxix. 4.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into
temptation; but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
2 The proper hour for Sext is 12 noon. In Choirs it is generally said after the Com-
munity Mass.
SEXT THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
135
HA
AIL, Mary, full of grace; The
Lord is with thee: blessed
art thou among women, and bless-
ed is the fruit of thy womb, JEsus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now, and at
the hour of our death. Amen.
Then is said aloud :
Verse. Make haste, O God,
to deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen, Alleluia.
From Septuagesima Sunday to Maun-
dy Thursday, instead of "Alleluia” is
said:
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of Heaven.
Then is said the following:
1
HYMN.¹
GOD, Who canst not change nor
fail,
Guiding the hours, as they roll by,
Brightening with beams the morning
pale,
And burning in the mid-day sky;
Quench Thou the fires of hate and strife,
The wasting fever of the heart;
From perils guard our feeble life,
And to our souls Thy peace impart.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Holy Spirit, God of grace,
To Whom all glory, Three in One,
Be given in every time and place.
Amen.
The last verse is sometimes said thus,
altered in honour of the Incarnation:
Hear, JESU, Virgin-born, our cry,
With Father and with Holy Ghost,
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
To Whom be praise, here as on high,
On earth as 'mid the Angelic Host.
Amen.
In Paschal time it is said thus, al-
tered in honour of the Resurrection';
To Thee, our Risen Lord, we cry,
With Father and with Holy Ghost,
To Whom be praise, here as on high,
On earth as 'mid the Angelic Host.
Amen.
It is also occasionally otherwise al-
tered, which occasions are marked in
their places.
Then follow the Psalms. They are
all said under one Antiphon, and on
Feasts when Five Antiphons have been
said at Lauds the Third of these Five is
the Antiphon at Sext. Otherwise those
given here are used.
Ordinary Antiphon for Sundays
and for every day in Paschal time.
Alleluia.
Ordinary Antiphon for Week-
days. Hold Thou me up.
In Advent the Antiphon is the Third
Antiphon which has been said at Lauds
on Sunday, unless the day have a set of
its own.
Antiphon in Lent. Let us ap-
prove ourselves.
Antiphon in Passiontide. O my
people.
Continuation of Psalm CXVIII.
2MY soul fainteth for Thy sal-
vation: * but I hope in Thy
word.
Mine eyes fail for Thy word, *
saying: When wilt Thou comfort
me?
For I am become like a wine-
skin in time of frost: * yet do I
not forget Thy statutes.
How many are the days of Thy
servant? * when wilt Thou exe-
cute judgment on them that per-
secute me P
The wicked have spoken lies
2 Here begins the letter Caph, a guttural variously represented by C, Q, Ch, &c.
136
THE PSALTER.
unto me,
Thy law.
* which are not after
All Thy commandments are
faithful: * they persecute me
wrongfully, help Thou me.
They had almost consumed me
upon earth: * but I forsook not
Thy precepts.
Quicken me after Thy loving-
kindness: * so shall I keep the
testimony of Thy mouth.
1
OR ever, O LORD, * Thy word
FOR
is settled in heaven.
Thy faithfulness is unto all
generations: * Thou hast esta-
blished the earth, and it abideth.
The day continueth by Thine
ordinance: *for all things serve
Thee.
*
Unless Thy law had been my
delight, then perchance I should
have perished in mine affliction.
I will never forget Thy pre-
cepts: * for with them Thou hast
quickened me.
I am Thine, save me :
* for I
have sought Thy precepts.
The wicked have waited for
me, to destroy me: *but I con-
sidered Thy testimonies.
I have seen an end of all per-
fection: * but Thy commandment
is exceeding broad.
20
Continuation of the same Psalm.
HOW I love Thy law, [O
Lord!]3* it is my meditation
all the day.
Thou, through Thy command-
ments, hast made me wiser than
mine enemies: * for they are ever
with me.
I have more understanding than
all my teachers: * for Thy testi-
monies are my meditation.
I understand more than the
ancients, * because I keep Thy
precepts.
I have refrained my feet from
every evil way;
* that I might
keep Thy word.
I have not departed from Thy
judgments: * for Thou hast
taught me.
*
How sweet are Thy words unto
my taste! yea, sweeter than
honey to my mouth.
Through Thy precepts I get
understanding: * therefore I hate
every false way.
"THY word is a lamp unto my
feet, and a light unto my
path.
*
*
I have sworn, and am stedfastly
purposed to keep Thy righteous
judgments.
I am afflicted very much, O
LORD: * quicken me according to
Thy word.
5
Accept, I beseech Thee, the
free-will offerings of my mouth,
O LORD: * and teach me Thy
judgments.
My soul is continually in my
hand : * yet do I not forget Thy
law.
The wicked have laid a snare
for me: * yet I erred not from
Thy precepts.
Thy testimonies have I taken
as an heritage for ever:
* for they
are the rejoicing of my heart.
I have inclined mine heart to
perform Thy statutes alway, * be-
cause of the reward.
Continuation of the same Psalm.
HATE the unrighteous: * but
Thy law do love.
Thou art my Helper and my
1 Here begins the letter Lamed, answering to L.
2 Here begins the letter Mem, answering to M.
3 Not in the Hebrew.
• Here begins the letter Nun, answering to N.
5 Here begins the letter Samech, somewhat represented by S.
SEXT THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
137
Protector: * and in Thy word do
I hope.
Depart from me, ye evil-doers:
* for I will keep the command-
ments of my God.
Uphold me according to Thy
word, and I shall live:* and let
me not be ashamed of my hope.
Hold Thou me up and I shall
be safe: * and I will have respect
unto Thy statutes continually.
Thou hast trodden down all
them that err from Thy statutes:
* for their deceit is falsehood.
I hold all the wicked of the
earth as liars : * therefore I love
Thy testimonies.
Make Thou my flesh to tremble
for fear of Thee: * for I am afraid
of Thy judgments.
¹I
HAVE done judgment and
justice: * leave me not to
mine oppressors.
Be surety for Thy servant for
good: * let not the proud oppress
me.
Mine eyes fail for Thy salva-
tion, * and for the word of Thy
righteousness.
Deal with Thy servant accord-
ing unto Thy mercy: * and teach
me Thy statutes.
I am Thy servant: * give me
understanding, that I may know
Thy testimonies.
It is time for Thee, LORD, to
work: * they have made void
Thy law.
Therefore I love Thy com-
mandments * above gold and the
topaz stone.
Therefore did I turn to all Thy
commandments:* I hate every
false way.
Ordinary Antiphon for Sun-
day. Alleluia, Alléluia, Alleluia.
Antiphon for every day in Pas-
chal time. Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Ordinary Antiphon for Week-
days. Hold Thou me up, O Lord,
and I shall be safe.
In Advent the Antiphon is the Third
Antiphon which has been said at Lauds
on Sunday, unless the day have a set of
its own.
Antiphon in Lent. Let us ap-
prove ourselves in much patience,
in much fasting, by the armour of
righteousness.
Antiphon in Passiontide. O My
people, what have I done unto
thee, and wherein have I wearied
thee? Testify against Me.
Then follows the Chapter and the
Short Responsory. When they are not
given specially, one of the following is
used. After the Chapter is always
answered, "Thanks be to God."
On Sundays, from the Second Sunday
after the Epiphany inclusive until Sep-
tuagesima Sunday exclusive, and from
the Third Sunday after Pentecost in-
clusive until Advent Sunday are said
the following, and the Responsory is
used moreover until the First Sunday in
Lent, exclusive.
CHAPTER. (Gal. vi. 2.)
BEAR ye one another's bur-
dens, and so shall ye fulfil
the law of Christ.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
4For ever, O LORD, Thy word
is settled.
Answer. For ever, O LORD, Thy
word is settled.
Verse. Thy faithfulness is unto
all generations.
Answer. Thy word is settled.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
1 Here begins the letter Ayin, or Ghain, as to the sound of which the learned are not
agreed.
2 Ps. cxviii. 117.
3 Micah vi. 3.
• Ps. cxviii. 89.
138
THE PSALTER.
Answer. For ever, O LORD, Thy
word is settled.
Verse. 'The LORD is my Shep-
herd, I shall not want.
Answer. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures.
On ordinary Week-days throughout
the year are said the following:
CHAPTER. (Gal. vi. 2.)
BEAR ye one another's bur-
dens, and so shall ye fulfil
the law of Christ.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
Answer. Thy mercy, O LORD.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Show us Thy mercy,
O LORD.
Verse. Remember us, O LORD,
with the favour that Thou bearest
unto Thy people.
Answer. O visit us with Thy
salvation.
In Lent are said the following (but
the Chapter on Week-days only) :
CHAPTER. (Isa. lv. 7.)
2I will bless the LORD at all ET the wicked forsake his
times.
LET way,
and the unrighteous man his
thoughts, and let him return unto
the LORD, and He will have mercy
upon him; and to our God, for
He will abundantly pardon.
Answer. I will bless the LORD
at all times.
Verse. His praise shall continu-
ally be in my mouth.
Answer. At all times.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. I will bless the LORD
at all times.
Verse. The LORD is my Shep-
herd, I shall not want.
Answer. He maketh me to lie
down in green pastures.
In Advent are said the following (but
the Chapter on Week-days only) :
IN
CHAPTER. (Jerem. xxxiii. 16.)
those days shall Judah be
saved, and Israël shall dwell
safely and this is the name
wherewith he shall be called, The
LORD our Righteousness.
:
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
3Show us Thy mercy, O LORD.
Answer. Show us Thy mercy,
O LORD.
Verse. And grant us Thy sal-
vation.
1 Ps. xxii. 1, 2.
4 Ps. cv. 4.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
"He shall cover thee with His
wings.
Answer. He shall cover thee
with His wings.
Verse. And under His feathers
shalt thou trust.
Answer. With His wings.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. He shall cover thee
with His wings.
Verse. His truth shall be thy
shield.
Answer. Thou shalt not be
afraid for the terror by night.
In Passiontide are said the following
(but the Chapter on Week-days only):
CHAPTER. (Jerem. xvii. 18.)
ET them be confounded that
persecute me, but let not me
be confounded; let them be dis-
mayed, but let not me be dismayed;
2 Ps. xxxiii. 1.
5 Ps. XC. 4.
3 Ps. lxxxiv. 8.
SEXT THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
139
bring upon them the day of evil,
and destroy them with double de-
struction, [O Lord our God.]¹
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
20 Lord, save me from the lion's
mouth.
Answer. O Lord, save me from
the lion's mouth.
Verse. And mine affliction from
the horns of the unicorns.
Answer. From the lion's mouth,
O Lord, save me from the lion's
mouth.
Verse. Make not my 'soul to
perish with sinners, O God.
Answer. Nor my life with
bloody men.
In Paschal time are said the following
(but the Chapter on Week-days only):
CHAPTER. (1 Cor. xv. 20.)
Now
NOW is Christ risen from the
dead, the first-fruits of them
that sleep; for since by man came
death, by man came also the re-
surrection of the dead. For as
in Adam all die, even so in Christ
shall all be made alive.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
The Lord is risen indeed, Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The Lord is risen in-
deed, Alleluia.
Verse. And hath appeared to
Simon.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The Lord is risen in-
deed, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The disciples were glad,
Alleluia.
1 Not in the Hebrew.
3 Ps. xxv. 9.
Answer. When they saw the
Lord, Alleluia.
After the Short Responsory, if the
Preces have been said at Lauds all kneel
down and the following are said, but
if the Preces have been omitted at Lauds
then these are also omitted, down to the
mark *
Kyrie eléison.
Answer. Christe eléison.
Kyrie eléison.
OUR
UR Father, (inaudibly,) Who
art in Heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them that
trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Verse. Turn us again, O Lord
God of hosts !
Answer. And cause Thy face to
shine, and we shall be saved.
Verse. Arise, O Christ, and
help us.
Answer. And deliver us for Thy
name's sake.
Here the Office is continued when the
above has been omitted.
* Verse. Hear my prayer, O
Lord.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
Here is said the Prayer for the day,
after which:
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
Lord.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
2 Ps. xxi. 22.
4 John xx. 20.
140
THE PSALTER.
If the Little Office of the Blessed
Virgin Mary is to follow immediately,
it is begun here, and what follows is not
said. Otherwise the Office ends thus:
Verse (said in a somewhat lower
tone.) May the souls of the Faith-
ful, through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Lastly, unless None follow, the
Lord's Prayer is said inaudibly.
OUR
UR Father, Who art in hea-
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into
temptation; but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
Note. When Office is said in Choir
the service is ended with the Antiphon
of the Blessed Virgin Mary every time
the Choir is left. Otherwise it is only
said as given in this book, at the end of
Lauds (or the aggregation of which
Lauds forms a part) and Compline.
Feasts. The above Office, appointed for
all Sundays and Week-days, throughout
the year, is likewise said on all Feasts.

NONE, OR THE NINTH HOUR.¹
Office for every day in the
Week.
At the beginning of None the Lord's
Prayer and the Angelic Salutation are
said inaudibly.
UR Father, Who art in hea-
OUR
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into
temptation: but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
HAI
AIL, Mary, full of grace : The
Lord is with thee: blessed
art thou among women, and bless-
ed is the fruit of thy womb, JESUS.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now, and at
the hour of our death. Amen.
Verse.
Then is said aloud:
Make haste, O God,
to deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima Sunday to Maun-
dy Thursday instead of "Alleluia” is
said:
0
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of heaven.
HYMN.2
GOD, Unchangeable and True,
Of all the Light and Power,
Dispensing light in silence through
Every successive hour;
The proper hour for None is 3 p.m., but in Choirs it varies.
2 Translation by Dr. Newman.
NONE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
141
Lord, brighten our declining day,
That it may never wane,
Till death, when all things round decay,
Brings back the morn again.
This grace on Thy redeemed confer,
Father, Co-equal Son,
And Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
Eternal Three in One.
Amen.
The last verse is sometimes said thus,
altered in honour of the Incarnation :
JESU, the Virgin-born, to Thee,
Eternal praise be given,
With Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Here as it is in heaven.
Amen.
In Paschal time it is said thus, altered
in honour of the Resurrection:
To Father, Son, and Paraclete,
The slain and Risen Son,
Be praise and glory, as is meet,
While endless ages run.
Amen.
It is also occasionally otherwise al-
tered, which occasions are marked in
their places. Then follow the Psalms.
They are all said under one Antiphon,
and on Feasts, when Five Antiphons
have been said at Lauds, the Fifth of
these Five is the Antiphon at None.
Otherwise those given here are used.
Ordinary Antiphon for Sundays
and for every day in Paschal time.
Alleluia.
Ordinary Antiphon for week-
days. Look Thou upon me.
In Advent the Antiphon is the First
Antiphon which has been said at Lauds
on Sunday, unless the day have a set of
its own.
Antiphon for Week-days in Lent.
Let us approve ourselves.
Antiphon for Week-days in Pas-
siontide. Did not they reward
me.
Continuation of Psalm CXVIII.
'THY
HY testimonies are wonder-
ful: * therefore doth my
soul keep them.
The unfolding of Thy words.
giveth light : * yea, it giveth un-
derstanding unto the simple.
I opened my mouth and panted:
* for I longed for Thy command-
ments.
Look Thou upon me, and be
merciful unto me,
* as Thou
usest to do unto those that love
Thy name.
Order my steps in Thy word: *
and let not any iniquity have do-
minion over me.
Redeem me from the oppression
of man: * and I will keep Thy
precepts.
Make Thy face to shine upon
Thy servant: * and teach me Thy
statutes.
Rivers of waters run down mine
eyes: * because they keep not
Thy law.
"RIGHTEOUS art Thou, O
LORD: * and upright are
Thy judgments.
Thy testimonies that Thou hast
commanded are righteous, * and
very faithful.
My zeal hath consumed me, *
because mine enemies have for-
gotten Thy words.
Thy word is tried to the utter-
most:* and Thy servant loveth it.
I am small and despised: *
yet
do I not forget Thy precepts.
Thy righteousness is an ever-
lasting righteousness: * and Thy
law is the truth.
Trouble and anguish have taken
hold on me : * Thy command-
ments are my delight.
1 Here begins the letter Pe, represented by P, Ph, F.
2 Here begins the letter Tzade, represented by Tz or Ts.
142
THE PSALTER.
The righteousness of Thy testi-
monies is everlasting: * give me
understanding and I shall live.
'I
Continuation of the same Psalm.
I beheld the transgressors, and
was grieved: * because they kept
not Thy word.
Consider how I love Thy pre-
cepts, O LORD: * quicken me
according to Thy loving-kind-
according to
whole heart,
CRIED with my whole heart,
hear me, O LORD: * I will
keep Thy statutes.
*
I cried unto Thee, save me :
and I shall keep Thy command-
ments.
I prevented the dawning of the
morning, and cried: * for I hoped
in Thy word.
Mine eyes prevent Thee early: *
that I may meditate in Thy word.
Hear my voice according unto
Thy loving-kindness, O LORD: *
and quicken me according to Thy
judgment.
The wicked draw nigh to perse-
cute me: * but they are far from
Thy law.
Thou art near, O LORD: * and
all Thy ways are truth.
Concerning Thy testimonies I
have known of old: * that from
everlasting Thou hast founded
them.
CONSIDER mine affliction,
deliver me: * for I do
not forget Thy law.
Give judgment concerning me,
and deliver me: * quicken me on
account of Thy word.
Salvation is far from the wick-
ed: * for they seek not Thy sta-
Great are Thy tender mercies,
O LORD:* quicken me according
to Thy judgments.
Many are my persecutors, and
mine enemies : * yet do I not de-
cline from Thy testimonies.
ness.
Thy word is true from the be-
ginning : * and every one of Thy
righteous judgments endureth for
ever.
Continuation of the same Psalm.
3 PRINCES have persecuted me
* but my
without a cause:
heart standeth in awe of Thy
word.
I will rejoice at Thy word,
one that findeth great spoil.
*
as
I hate and abhor wickedness:
* but Thy law do I love.
*
Seven times a day do I praise
Thee, because of Thy righteous
judgments.
Great peace have they which
love Thy law: * and nothing shall
offend them.
LORD, I hope for Thy salva-
tion: * and I love Thy command-
ments.
My soul hath kept Thy testi-
monies, * and loved them exceed-
ingly.
I have kept Thy precepts and
Thy testimonies; *for all my
ways are before Thee.
4
ET my cry come near before
Thee, O LORD: * give me
understanding according to Thy
word.
Let my supplication come be-
fore Thee: * deliver me accord-
ing to Thy word.
My lips shall utter praise, *
1 Here begins the letter Koph, generally represented by Ch or Q.
2 Here begins the letter Resh, analogous to R, but concerning the precise sound of
which the learned are not agreed.
3 Here begins the letter Shin, somewhat represented by S and Sh.
• Here begins the letter Tau, corresponding somewhat to T or Th.
NONE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
143
when Thou hast taught me Thy
statutes.
My tongue shall speak of Thy
word: * for all Thy command-
ments are righteousness.
Let Thine hand help me : * for
I have chosen Thy precepts.
I have longed for Thy salva-
tion, O LORD: * and Thy law is
my delight.
My soul shall live, and it shall
praise Thee: * and Thy judg-
ments shall help me.
I have gone astray like a lost
sheep: * seek Thy servant: for I
do not forget Thy commandments.
Ordinary Antiphon for Sun-
days. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Antiphon for every day in Pas-
chal time. Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Ordinary Antiphon for Week-
days. 'Look Thou upon me, O
Lord, and be merciful unto me.
In Advent the Antiphon is the First
Antiphon which has been said at Lauds
on Sunday, unless the day have a set of
its own.
Antiphon for Week-days in Lent.
2Let us approve ourselves in much
patience, by the armour of righ-
teousness, by the power of God.
Antiphon for Week-days in Pas-
siontide. Did not they reward me
evil for good? for they digged a
pit for my soul.
Then follows the Chapter and the
Short Responsory. When they are not
given specially, one of the following is
used. After the Chapter is always an-
swered: "Thanks be to God."
On Sundays, from the Second Sunday
after the Epiphany inclusive until Sep-
tuagesima Sunday exclusive, and from
the Third Sunday after Pentecost in-
clusive till Advent Sunday exclusive, are
1 Ps. cxviii. 132.
4 Ps. cxviii. 145.
said the following, and the Responsory
is used moreover till the First Sunday
in Lent exclusive.
CHAPTER. (1 Cor. vi. 20.)
FOR ye are bought with a great
price. Glorify God, and bear
Him in your body.
Answer. Thanks be to God.

Short Responsory.
4I cried with my whole heart,
hear me, O LORD.
Answer. I cried with my whole
heart, hear me, O LORD.
Verse. I will keep Thy sta-
tutes.
Answer. Hear me, O LORD.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. I cried with my whole
heart, hear me, O LORD.
Verse. 5Cleanse Thou me from
secret faults, O Lord.
Answer. Keep back Thy ser-
vant also from the sins of others.
On ordinary Week-days throughout
the year are said the following:
CHAPTER. (1 Cor. vi. 20.)
FOR ye are bought with a great
price. Glorify God, and bear
Him in your body.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
"Redeem me, O Lord, and be
merciful unto me.
Answer. Redeem me, O Lord,
and be merciful unto me.
Verse. For my foot standeth
in uprightness.
Answer. And be merciful unto
me.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
2 2 Cor. vi. 4, 7.
5 Ps. xviii. 13, 14.
3 Jer. xviii. 20.
6 Ps. xxv. 11, 12.
144
THE PSALTER.
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Redeem me, O Lord,
and be merciful unto me.
Verse. Cleanse Thou me from
secret faults, O Lord.
Answer. Keep back Thy ser-
vant also from the sins of others.
In Advent are said the following (but
the Chapter on Week-days only) :
CHAPTER. (Isa. xiv. 1.)
ER time is near to come, and
HER
her days shall not be pro-
longed. For the LORD will have
mercy on Jacob, and Israël shall
be saved.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
'The LORD shall arise upon thee,
O Jerusalem.
Short Responsory.
His truth shall be thy shield.
Answer. His truth shall be thy
shield.
Verse. Thou shalt not be afraid
for the terror by night.
Answer. Thy shield.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. His truth shall be thy
shield.
Verse. God hath given His an-
gels charge over thee.
Answer. To keep thee in all
thy ways.
In Passiontide are said the following
(but the Chapter on Week-days only):
CHAPTER. (Jer. xviii. 20.)
Answer. The LORD shall arise REMEMBER that I stood be-
upon thee, O Jerusalem.
Verse. And His glory shall be
seen upon thee.
Answer. Upon thee, O Jeru-
salem.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The LORD shall arise
upon thee, O Jerusalem.
Verse. Come, O Lord, and make
no tarrying.
Answer. Pardon the sins of Thy
people.
In Lent are said the following (but
the Chapter on Week-days only) :
CHAPTER. (Isa. lviii. 7.)
DE EAL thy bread to the hungry,
and bring the poor that are
cast out to thy house: when thou
seest the naked, cover him, and
hide not thyself from thine own
flesh.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
1 Isa. lx. 2.
3 Ps. xxv. 9.
fore Thee, to speak good for
them, and to turn away Thy
wrath from them.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
Make not my soul to perish
with sinners, O God.
Answer. Make not my soul to
perish with sinners, O God.
Verse. Nor my life with bloody
men.
Answer. With sinners, O God.
Make not my soul to perish with
sinners, O God.
Verse. Deliver me, O LORD,
from the evil man.
Answer. Preserve me from the
wicked man.
In Paschal time are said the following
(but the Chapter on Week-days only) :
CHAPTER. (1 Pet. iii. 18.)
CHRIST hath once suffered for
our sins, the Just for the un-
just, that He might bring us to
2 Ps. xc. 11.
4 Ps. cxxxix. 2.
NONE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
145
God, being put to death in the
flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Short Responsory.
'The disciples were glad. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Answer. The disciples were glad,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. When they saw the Lord.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The disciples were glad,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. 2Abide with us, Lord.
Alleluia.
Answer. For it is toward even-
ing. Alleluia.
After the Short Responsory, if the
Preces have been said at Lauds, all kneel
down, and the following are said. But if
the Preces have been omitted at Lauds,
then these are also omitted down to the
mark *.
Kyrie eléison.
Answer. Christe eléison.
Kyrie eléison.
OUR Father, (inaudibly) Who
art in heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them
that trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Verse. Turn us again, O LORD
God of hosts.
Answer. And cause Thy face to
shine, and we shall be saved.
Verse. Arise, O Christ, and help
us.
1 John xv. 20.
L
Answer. And deliver us for Thy
Name's sake.
Here the Office is continued when the
above has been omitted.
* Verse. Hear my prayer, O
Lord.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
Here is said the Prayer for the day,
after which is answered:
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
If the Little Office of the Blessed Vir-
gin Mary is to follow immediately, it is
begun here, and what follows is not said.
Otherwise the Office ends thus:
Verse (said in a somewhat lower
voice). May the souls of the Faith-
ful, through the mercy of God,
rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Lastly, unless Vespers follow, the
Lord's Prayer is said inaudibly.
UR Father, Who art in hea-
OUR
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into
temptation; but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
Note. When Office is said in Choir, the
service is ended with the Antiphon of the
Blessed Virgin Mary every time the Choir
is left. Otherwise it is only said as given
in this book, after Lauds (or the aggre-
gation of which Lauds forms a part) and
Compline.
Feasts. The above Office, appointed
for all Sundays and Week-days through-
out the year is likewise said on all Feasts.
2 Luke xxiv. 29.
146
THE PSALTER.
VESPERS, OR EVENSONG.¹
Sunday.
THE LORD'S Day.
At the beginning of Vespers the Lord's
Prayer and the Angelic Salutation are
said inaudibly.
UR Father, Who art in hea-
OUR
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into
temptation: but deliver us from
evil. Amen.
HAIL, Mary, full of grace; The
Lord is with thee: blessed
art thou among women, and blessed
is the fruit of thy womb, JEsus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now, and at
the hour of our death. Amen.
Then is said aloud:
Verse. Make haste, O God,
to deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world with-
out end. Amen. Alleluia.
From Septuagesima Sunday to Maun-
dy Thursday instead of "Alleluia" is
said:
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of heaven.
Then follow the Psalms. They are
said under Five Antiphons, except in
Paschal time when there is only one, and
when these are not specially given, those
given here are used.
Antiphon. The LORD said.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words "Unto my Lord."
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia.
THE
Psalm CIX.2
HE LORD said unto my Lord:
* Sit Thou at My right hand,
Until I make Thine enemies *
Thy footstool.
The LORD shall send the rod of
Thy strength out of Zion: * rule
Thou in the midst of Thine ene-
mies.
Thine shall be the dominion in
the day of Thy power, amid the
brightness of the saints: * from
the womb, before the day-star have
I begotten Thee.
The LORD hath sworn, and will
not repent: * Thou art a Priest
for ever after the order of Mel-
chisedek.
The Lord at Thy right hand *
shall strike through kings in the
day of His wrath.
He shall judge among the hea-
then, He shall fill the places with
dead bodies: * He shall wound
the heads over many countries.
He shall drink of the brook in
the way:
* therefore shall he lift


up his head.
The proper hour for Vespers is sunset, reckoned to be about 6 P.M. In private recita-
tion, they ought not usually to be begun before noon.
* Intituled "A Psalm of David." The first verse was quoted by our Lord.—Matth. xxi.
44; Mark xii, 36; Luke xx. 42.
SUNDAY AT VESPERS.
147
Antiphon. The LORD said unto
my Lord: * Sit Thou at My right
hand.
Second Antiphon. All His com-
mandments.
I
Psalm CX.¹
WILL praise [Thee, O] LORD,
with my whole heart: * in
the assembly of the upright, and
in the congregation.
The works of the LORD are
great, * meet to serve for the
doing of His will.
His work is honourable and glo-
rious, and His righteousness
endureth for ever.
He hath made a memorial of
His wonderful works: the LORD
is gracious and full of compas-
sion. He hath given meat unto
them that fear Him :
He will ever be mindful of His
covenant. * He will show His
people the power of His works,
That He may give them the
heritage of the heathen. * The
works of His hands are verity and
judgment:
All His commandments are
sure; they stand fast for ever and
ever, being done in truth and
uprightness.
*
He sent redemption unto His
people He hath commanded
His covenant for ever:
Holy and terrible is His Name.
* The fear of the LORD is the be-
ginning of wisdom:
A good understanding have all
they that do [His command-
ments]²: * His praise endureth
for ever.
Antiphon. All His command-
ments are sure; they stand fast
for ever and ever.
Third Antiphon. In His com-
mandments.
Psalm CXI.4
BLESSED is the man that fear-
eth the LORD: * that de-
lighteth greatly in His command-
ments.
His seed shall be mighty upon
earth; * the generation of the up-
right shall be blessed.
Glory and riches shall be in his
house:* and his righteousness en-
dureth for ever.
Unto the upright there ariseth
light in the darkness: * he is gra-
cious, and full of compassion, and
righteous.
Happy is the man that show-
eth favour and lendeth; he will
guide his words with discretion :
surely he shall not be moved
for ever:
The righteous shall be in ever-
lasting remembrance. * He shall
not be afraid of evil tidings:
His heart is ready, trusting in
the LORD. His heart is estab-
lished, he shall not be afraid
until he see his desire upon his
enemies.
He hath dispersed, he hath given
to the poor: his righteousness en-
dureth for ever : *his horn shall
be exalted with honour.
The wicked shall see it, and be
grieved; he shall gnash his teeth,
and melt away:
* the desire of
the wicked shall perish.
Antiphon. In His command-
ments he delighteth greatly.
Fourth Antiphon. Blessed be
the Name.
1 The Hebrew prefixes "Alleluia,” and begins, "I will praise the LORD." The Psalm
is A B C Darian.
2 In the Hebrew, "that do them."
3 Ps. cx. 8.
4 The Hebrew prefixes "Alleluia." The Psalm is A B C Darian.
L 2
148
THE PSALTER.
Psalm CXII.¹
PRAISE the LORD, O ye His
servants, * praise the Name
of the LORD.
Blessed be the Name of the
LORD,* from this time forth, and
for evermore !
From the rising of the sun unto
the going down of the same, * the
LORD's Name is to be praised.
The LORD is high above all na-
tions, * and His glory above the
heavens.
Who is like unto the LORD our
God, Who dwelleth on high, *
and beholdeth what is lowly in
heaven, and in the earth?
He raiseth up the poor out of
the dust, * and lifteth the needy
out of the dung-hill;
That He may set him with
princes,
* even with the princes
of His people.
He maketh the barren woman
to keep house, * and to be a joy-
ful mother of children.2
Antiphon. Blessed be the Name
of the LORD for evermore.
Fifth Antiphon. We that live.
Psalm CXIII.
WHEN Israël went out of
*
Egypt, the house of Jacob
from a people of strange language,
Judah was His sanctuary, *
and Israël His dominion.
The sea saw it and fled : * Jor-
dan was driven back.
The mountains skipped like rams,
* and the little hills like lambs.
What ailed thee, O thou sea,
that thou fleddest? * and thou Jor-
dan, that thou wast driven back?
Ye mountains, that ye skipped
like rams? * and ye little hills,
like lambs ?
The earth trembled at the pre-
sence of the Lord,* at the pre-
sence of the God of Jacob:
Which turned the rock into a
standing water, and the flint
into a fountain of waters.3
Not unto us, O LORD, not unto
us : * but unto Thy Name give
glory,
For Thy mercy, and for Thy
truth's sake. * Wherefore should
the heathen say: Where is now
their God?
But our God is in the heavens :
* He hath done whatsoever He
hath pleased.
The idols [of the heathen]* are
silver and gold, the work of
men's hands.
They have mouths, but they
speak not: *
eyes have they, but
they see not.
They have ears, but they hear
not: * noses have they, but they
smell not:
They have hands, but they han-
dle not: feet have they, but they
walk not: * neither speak they
through their throat.
They that make them are like
unto them: * even every one that
trusteth in them.
[The house of]5 Israël trusteth
in the LORD: * He is their help
and their shield.
The house of Aaron trusteth in
the LORD: * He is their help and
their shield.
They that fear the LORD trust
in the LORD: * He is their help
and their shield.
1 The Hebrew prefixes "Alleluia." The "Great Hallel," or Song of Praise, after the
fifth wine-cup, at the close of the celebration of the Passover, begins here, and includes
the following Psalms to cxviii. (cxix.) exclusive. An allusion is made to it, Matth. xxvi. 30.
2 The Hebrew adds "Alleluia.”
3 In the Hebrew here ends Ps. cxiv. and the next words begin cxv.
Hebrew, "Their idols."
5 Hebrew," O Israël, trust,” &c.
SUNDAY AT VESPERS.
149
us,
The LORD hath been mindful of
* and blessed us :
He hath blessed the house of
Israël: * He hath blessed the
house of Aaron.
He hath blessed them that fear
the LORD, * both small and great.
The LORD increase you more and
more, you and your children.
*
Ye are blessed of the LORD,
Which made heaven and earth.
*
The heaven of heavens is the
LORD'S:* but the earth hath He
given to the children of men.
The dead shall not praise [Thee,
O]¹ LORD,* neither all they that
go down into the grave.
But we [that live] bless the
LORD,* from this time forth for
evermore.2
Antiphon. We [that live]' bless
the LORD.
Antiphon for Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Here follows the Chapter. When a
special one is not given, the following is
used:
CHAPTER. (2 Cor. i. 3.)
BLESSED be God, even the
Father of our Lord JESUS
Christ, the Father of mercies, and
the God of all comfort, Who com-
forteth us in all our tribulation.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
This Answer is always made after the
Chapter.
Then follows the Hymn. When a
special one is not given, the following is
used:
HYMN.3
ATHER of Lights, by Whom each
FA day
Is kindled out of night,
Who, when the heavens were made,
didst lay
Their rudiments in light;
1 Not in the Hebrew.
8 Translation by Dr. Newman.
Thou, Who didst bind and blend in one
The glistening morn and evening pale,
Hear Thou our plaint, when light is
gone,
And lawlessness and strife prevail.
Hear, lest the whelming weight of crime
Wreck us with life in view;
Lest thoughts and schemes of sense and
time
Earn us a sinner's due.
So may we knock at Heaven's door,
And strive the immortal prize to win,
Continually and evermore
Guarded without and pure within.
Grant this, O Father, Only Son,
And Spirit, God of grace,
To Whom all worship shall be done
In every time and place.
Amen.
Then is said a Verse and Answer.
If a special one is not given the following
is used:
Verse. Let my prayer, O Lord,
be set forth.
Answer. As incense before Thee.
Then is said the following Canticle
from the Gospel. It has an Antiphon
which is always special; and which is
either begun or said through the first
time before it, according as the Office is
Double or not.
THE SONG OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN
MARY. (Luke i. 46.)
Y soul* doth magnify the
MY
My Lord:
And my spirit hath rejoiced *
in God my Saviour.
For He hath regarded the low-
liness of His handmaiden: * for,
behold, from henceforth all gene-
rations shall call me blessed.
For He That is Mighty hath
done to me great things: * and
holy is His name.
And His mercy is on them that
fear Him, * from generation to
generation.
2 The Hebrew adds "Alleluia.”
4 Ps. cxl. 2.
150
THE PSALTER.
He hath showed strength with
His arm: * He hath scattered
the proud in the imagination of
their heart.
He hath put down the mighty
from their seat, * and exalted them
of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with
good things, and the rich He
hath sent empty away.
He hath holpen His servant
Israël, * in remembrance of His
mercy:
As He spake to our fathers, *
to Abraham, and to his seed for
ever.
The Hymn, "Glory be to the Fa-
Office of the day be of the Blessed Virgin,
or if her Little Office is to be said.
Antiphon. O Holy Mary, be
thou an help to the helpless, a
strength to the fearful, a comfort
to the sorrowful; pray for the
people, plead for the clergy, make
intercession for all women vowed
to God; may all that keep thine
holy remembrance, feel the might
of thine assistance.
Verse. Pray for us, O holy
Mother of God.
Answer. That we may be made
worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
ther, &c.," is said, and then the Anti- GRANT, we beseech Thee, O
phon repeated.
Then is said:
Lord God, unto all Thy ser-
vants, that they may remain con-
tinually in the enjoyment of

Verse. Hear my prayer, O soundness both of mind and body,
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
Then follows the Prayer for the day,
at the end of which is answered:
Answer. Amen.
Afterwards are made any Commemo-
rations necessary, by the Antiphon for
the Song of the Blessed Virgin, the Verse
and Answer after the Hymn, and the
Prayer, (preceded by "Let us pray,")
from the superseded Office which is to
be commemorated. After which the
following Common Commemorations are
made, if required, according to Chapter
XXXV. of the general Rubrics.
When more than two Prayers are to
be said, the last clause of each (beginning
"Through our Lord, &c.," or "Who
livest, &c.,") is omitted in all except the
first and the last, nor is "Amen” an-
swered except after these two.
I. Commemoration of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
This Commemoration is omitted if the
and by the glorious intercession
of the Blessed Mary, always a
Virgin, may be delivered from
present sadness, and enter into
the joy of Thine Eternal gladness.
From the Octave of the Epiphany to
Candlemas, the Antiphon is the same,
but the rest is as follows:
Verse. After thy delivery thou
still remainest a Virgin unde-
filed.
Answer. Mother of God, pray
for us.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Who, by the fruitful
virginity of the Blessed Mary,
hast given unto mankind the re-
wards of everlasting life; grant,
we beseech Thee, that we may
continually feel the might of her
intercession, through whom we
have worthily received the Author
of our life, our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son.
SUNDAY AT VESPERS.
151
If the Titular of the Church or the
local Patron be an Angel or St. John
the Baptist, his Commemoration is in-
serted here instead of in the IVth place.
II. Commemoration of St. Joseph,
Patron of the Universal Church.
Verse. Thou shalt make them
princes over all the earth.
Answer. They shall be mindful
of Thy Name, [O Lord.]4
Let us pray.
Antiphon. 'Behold a faithful GOD, Whose Right Hand
and wise servant whom his Lord
hath made ruler over His house-
hold.
Verse. Glory and riches shall
be in his house.
Answer. And his righteousness
endureth for ever.
Let us pray.
GOD, Who, in Thine unspeak-
able foreknowledge, didst
choose Thy blessed servant Jo-
seph to be the husband of Thine
Own most holy Mother; mercifully
grant that now that he is in hea-
ven with Thee, we who on earth
do reverence him for our defen-
der, may worthily be holpen by
the succour of his prayers to Thee
on our behalf.
III. Commemoration of the Holy
Apostles, Peter and Paul.
Antiphon. Peter the Apostle
and Paul the Teacher of the
Gentiles have taught us Thy law,
O Lord.
1 Matth. xxiv. 45.
3 Ps. xliv. 17, 18.
0
caught the Blessed Peter
when he walked upon the water,
and began to sink, and thrice de-
livered his fellow-Apostle Paul
from the deep of the sea, when
he suffered shipwreck; graciously
hear us, and grant, for the sake
of them both, that we also may
attain unto everlasting glory.
IV. Here, except in the cases before
mentioned, is made the Commemoration
of the Titular of the Church, and of the
local Patron.5
V. For Peace.
Antiphon. Give peace in our
time, O Lord, because there is
none other that fighteth for us,
but only Thou, O our God.
Verse. Peace be within thy
walls.
Answer. And prosperity within
thy palaces.
Let us pray.
GOD, from Whom all holy
desires, all good counsels,
2 Ps. cxi. 3.
4 Not in the Hebrew.
5 In Scotland, the following is the Commemoration of St. Andrew :
Antiphon. When the Blessed
Andrew came to the place where
the cross was made ready, he cried
and said :-O Precious Cross! of
a long time have I desired thee,
and now that thou art made ready
for me, my soul is drawn to thee,
and I come to thee in peace and
gladness; thou also oughtest to
welcome me with joy, for I am
the disciple of Him Who hung
on thee.
Verse. They declared the work
of God.
Answer. And wisely considered
His doing.
O
Let us pray.
LORD, we humbly beseech
Thy majesty, that, even as
152
THE PSALTER.
and all just works do proceed;
Let us pray.
GOD, Who didst send Thy
give the world cannot give, that, suffer death for us
unto Thy servants that
both our hearts may be set to
obey Thy commandments, and
also that by Thee we being de-
fended from the fear of our ene-
mies, may pass our time in rest
and quietness. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liv-
eth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end.
Answer. Amen.
From the Monday after Low Sunday
till Rogation Tuesday, instead of the
five preceding Commemorations, is said
the following:
Paschal Commemoration of the
Cross.
Antiphon. JESUS, our trium-
phant Head,
On the Cross's transom dread
The Hands of power and mercy
spread
That brake the prison of the
dead. Alleluia.
Verse. Say among the heathen
Alleluia.
upon the Cross, that Thou might-
est deliver us from the power of
the enemy; grant unto us Thy
servants to be made partakers of
His Resurrection. Through the
Same our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end.

Answer. Amen.
After the last Prayer is said :
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then is said in rather a low voice:
May the souls of the Faithful,
through the mercy of God, rest in
peace.
Answer. Amen.
Then, unless Compline follow, the
Lord's Prayer inaudibly :
Answer. That the LORD reign- OUR Father, Who art in heaven,
eth from the tree-Alleluia.
Thou didst give Thy blessed Apos-
tle Andrew to Thy Church, to be
a Teacher and a Ruler on earth,
Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy
so, now that he is with Thee, he
may continually make interces-
sion for us.
Let us pray.
In England, the following is the Commemoration of St. George:
Antiphon. The Saints through
faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises.
Verse. O LORD, Thou hast com-
passed him.
Answer. With Thy favour as
with a shield.
GOD, Who dost gladden us
through the worthy deeds
and prayers of Thy blessed Mar-
tyr George; mercifully grant that
all they which seek Thy favour
through him, may effectually ob-
tain the gift of Thy grace.

MONDAY AT VESPERS.
153
kingdom come. Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive them that trespass against
us. And lead us not into temp-
tation; but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
Note. When Office is said in Choir,
the service is ended with the Antiphon
of the Blessed Virgin Mary every time
the Choir is left. Otherwise it is only
said as given in this book, after Lauds,
(or the aggregation of which Lauds
forms a part) and Compline. When-
ever it is said, except after Compline, it
is preceded by:
Verse. The Lord give us His
peace.
Answer. And life everlasting.
Amen.
If the Office of the Dead follow im-
mediately, the above prayer for the
Faithful departed, and the "Our Fa-
ther," are omitted.
Feasts. The above Office, appointed
for Sunday, is also, speaking in a ge-
neral sense, used on all Feasts above the
rank of Simples.
Monday.
THE SECOND DAY OF THE WEEK.
Because He hath inclined His
ear unto me, * therefore will I
call upon Him all my days.
The sorrows of death compassed
me: * and the straits of hell
found me:
Sorrow and trouble did I find.
* Then called I upon the name of
the LORD:
O LORD, deliver my soul. *
Gracious is the LORD, and righ-
teous: yea, our God is merciful.
The LORD preserveth the sim-
ple: * I was brought low and He
helped me.
Return unto thy rest, O my
soul:* for the LORD hath dealt
bountifully with thee.
For He hath delivered my soul
from death, *mine eyes from
tears, and my feet from falling.
I will walk before the LORD *
in the land of the living.
Antiphon. The Lord hath in-
clined His ear unto me.
Second Antiphon. I believed.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "Therefore have
I spoken."
Psalm CXV.2
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise BELIEVED, therefore have I
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. The Lord hath in-
clined.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said, Alleluia.
Psalm CXIV.
I AM well pleased, because the
LORD hath heard * the voice
of my supplication :
1 Ps. cxiv. 2.
spoken: * but I was greatly
afflicted.
I said in my haste: * All men
are liars.
What shall I render unto the
LORD * for all His benefits to-
ward me?
I will take the cup of salvation,
* and call upon the name of the
LORD.
I will pay my vows unto the
LORD in the presence of all His
people. * Precious in the sight of
2 In the Hebrew this Psalm is a continuation of the last.
154
THE PSALTER.
the LORD is the death of His
Saints.
O LORD, truly I am Thy ser-
vant: * I am Thy servant, and
the son of Thine handmaid :
:
Thou hast loosed my bonds. *
I will offer to Thee the sacrifice
of thanksgiving, and will call upon
the name of the LORD.
I will pay my vows unto the
LORD, in the presence of all His
people in the courts of the
LORD's house, in the midst of
thee, O Jerusalem!¹
Antiphon. I believed, therefore
have I spoken.
Third Antiphon. O praise.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "The LORD."
O
Psalm CXVI.
PRAISE the LORD, all ye
nations: * praise Him, all
ye people.
For His merciful kindness is
great toward us : * and the truth
of the LORD endureth for ever.¹
1
Antiphon. O praise the LORD,
all ye nations.
Fourth Antiphon. I cried.
Psalm CXIX.2
IN my distress I cried unto the
LORD,* and He heard me.
Deliver my soul, O LORD, from
lying lips, * and from a deceitful
tongue.
What shall be given unto thee,
or what shall be done unto thee,
* thou false tongue?
Sharp arrows of the mighty,
with hot burning coals.
1 Here the Hebrew appends "Alleluia."
*
Woe is me! that my sojourn is
long: I dwell with the dwellers
of Kedar.3* My soul hath long
dwelt as an exile
With them that hate peace. I
was peaceable: * when I spoke
unto them, they fought against
me without a cause.
Antiphon. I cried, and He
heard me.
Fifth Antiphon. From whence
cometh.
Psalm CXX.5
I WILL lift up mine eyes unto
the hills, * from whence
cometh my help.
My help cometh from the LORD,
* Which made heaven and earth.
He will not suffer thy feet to be
moved: * He That keepeth thee
will not slumber.
Behold, He That keepeth Is-
raël * shall neither slumber nor
sleep.
The LORD is thy keeper: the
LORD is thy shade * upon thy
right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee
by day, *
nor the moon by
night.
The LORD shall keep thee from
all evil: * [the Lord] shall keep
thy soul.
The LORD shall keep thy com-
ing in and thy going out, * from
this time forth and for ever-
more.
Antiphon. From whence com-
eth my help.
Antiphon in Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
2 This is the first of the "Songs of Degrees," or "Gradual Psalms." See note, p. 99.
$ Properly "Black-skin." This was the name of a son of Ishmaël, and of an Arabian
tribe sprung from him.
• Ps. cxix. 1.
5 Also a Song of Degrees.
6 Not in the Hebrew.
7 Ps. cxx. 1.
MONDAY AT VESPERS.
155
HYMN.¹
ORD of unbounded space,
LOI
Who, lest the sky and main
Should mix, and heaven should lose its
place,
Didst the rude waters chain;
Parting the moist and rare,
That rills on earth might flow
To soothe the angry flame, whene'er
It ravens from below;
Pour on us of Thy grace
The everlasting spring;
Lest our frail steps renew the trace
Of the ancient wandering.;
May faith in lustre grow,
And rear her star in heaven,
Paling all sparks of earth below
Unquenched by damps of even.
Grant it, O Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit of grace,
To Whom be glory, Three in One,
In every time and place.
Amen.
Antiphon for the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. My soul doth
magnify the Lord, * for God hath
regarded my lowliness.
After the repetition of the Antiphon
after the Song of the Blessed Virgin, on
the Week-days of Advent and Lent, the
Ember Days, and all Vigils which are
Fasts, except Christmas Eve and the
Eve and Ember Days of Pentecost, all
kneel down, and the following prayers,
called the Preces, are said :
Kyrie eléison.
Answer. Christe eléison.
Kyrie eléison.
Then the Lord's Prayer is said aloud.
UR Father, Who art in hea-
OUR
ven, Hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be
done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive them that trespass
against us. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
Verse. I said: LORD, be merci-
ful unto me.
Answer. Heal my soul, for I
have sinned against Thee.
Verse. Return, O LORD, how
long?
Answer. And let it repent Thee
concerning Thy servants.
Verse. Let Thy mercy, O LORD,
be upon us.
Answer. According as we hope
in Thee.
Verse. Let Thy priests be clothed
with righteousness.
Answer. And let Thy Saints
shout for joy.
Verse. O LORD, save the King.
Answer. And hear us in the day
when we call upon Thee.
Verse. O Lord, save Thy peo-
ple, and bless Thine inheritance.
Answer. And govern them, and
lift them up for ever.
Verse. Remember Thy congre-
gation.
Answer. Which Thou hast pur-
chased of old.
Verse. Peace be within thy
walls.
Answer. And prosperity within
thy palaces.
Verse. Let us pray for the Faith-
ful departed.
Answer. O Lord, grant them
eternal rest, and let the everlast-
ing light shine upon them.
Verse. May they rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Let us pray for our ab-
sent brethren.
Answer. O Thou, my God, save
Thy servants that trust in Thee.
Verse. Let us pray for the sor-
rowful and the captive.
Answer. Redeem them, O God
of Israël, out of all their troubles.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
156
THE PSALTER.
Verse. O Lord, send them help
from the sanctuary.
Answer. And strengthen them
out of Zion.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, O God,
&c., (p. 96.)
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen.
Verse. Turn us again, O LORD
God of hosts.
Answer. And cause Thy face to
shine, and we shall be saved.
Verse. Arise, O Christ, and
help us.
Answer. And deliver us for Thy
Name's sake.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
Here follows the Prayer of the Day.
All proceeds to the end of the service
as on Sunday, except that when Suffrages
are said, the following is said before the
Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Commemoration of the Cross.
Antiphon. Through Thy Cross's
holy sign, JESUs, guard this soul
of mine, from my ghostly enemy.
Verse. Let all the earth worship
Thee, and sing unto Thee.
Answer. Let them sing praises
to Thy name, O Lord.
Let us pray.
LORD, we beseech Thee,
keep us in continual peace,
whom Thou hast vouchsafed to
redeem by the tree of the Holy
Cross.
Simple Feasts. If the Vespers of a
Simple Feast be kept on a Monday, the
Office is of the Feast, from the Chapter
inclusive.
Tuesday.
THE THIRD DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. Let us go.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said, Alleluia.
I
Psalm CXXI.¹
WAS glad when they said
unto me: * Let us go into the
house of the LORD.
Our feet have been wont to
stand within thy gates, O Je-
rusalem!
Jerusalem is builded as a city
* that is compact together:
Whither the tribes go up, the
tribes of the LORD, * the testi-
mony of Israël, to give thanks
unto the name of the LORD.
For there are set thrones for
judgment, *the thrones for the
house of David.
Pray for the peace of Jerusa-
lem: they shall prosper that
love thee.
Peace be within thy walls, *
and prosperity within thy pa-
laces.
For my brethren and compa-
nions' sakes, * I will now say-
Peace be within thee!
Because of the house of the
¹ Intituled "A Song of Degrees, of David."
TUESDAY AT VESPERS.
157
LORD our God, * I will seek thy
good.
Antiphon. Let us go with
gladness into the house of the
LORD.
Second Antiphon. O Thou That
dwellest.
Psalm CXXII.¹
UNTO Thee lift I
up
mine eyes,
* O Thou That dwellest in
the heavens !
Behold, as the eyes of servants
* look unto the hand of their
masters,
SO
As the eyes of a maiden unto
the hand of her mistress: *
our eyes look unto the LORD our
God, until that He have mercy
on us.
The stream had gone over our
soul: * then the proud waters had
gone over our soul.
Blessed be the LORD, * Who
hath not given us as a prey to
their teeth.
Our soul is escaped as a bird *
out of the snare of the fowlers:
The snare is broken, * and we
are escaped.
Our help is in the name of the
LORD,* Who made heaven and
earth.
Antiphon. Our help is in the
name of the LORD.
Fourth Antiphon. Do good, O
LORD.
Psalm CXXIV.¹
Have mercy upon us, O LORD, THEY that trust in the LORD
have mercy upon us:
are exceedingly filled with con-
tempt.
Our soul is exceedingly filled
* with the scorning of those that
are at ease, and with the con-
tempt of the proud.
Antiphon. O Thou That dwell-
est in the heavens, have mercy
upon us.
Third Antiphon. Our help.
IF
Psalm CXXIII.2
F it had not been the LORD
Who was on our side-now
may Israël say— * if it had not
been the LORD Who was on our
side,
When men rose up against us :
* then they had swallowed us up
quick,
When their wrath was kindled
against us : * then the waters had
overwhelmed us,
1 Intituled "A Song of Degrees."
he that dwelleth in Jerusalem
shall never be moved.
The mountains are round about
Jerusalem: * and the LORD is
round about His people, from
henceforth, and for ever.
For the [Lord] will not suffer
the rod of the wicked to rest upon
the lot of the righteous: * Test
the righteous put forth their
hands unto iniquity.
Do good, O LORD, to the good,
* and to them that are upright in
their hearts.
As for such as turn aside unto
their crooked ways, the Lord
shall lead them forth with the
workers of iniquity: *
peace be
upon Israël !
Antiphon. Do good, O LORD,
to the good, and to them that are
upright in their hearts.
Fifth Antiphon. We were like.
2 Intituled “A Song of Degrees, of David."
4 Not in the Hebrew.
3 Ps. cxxiii. 8.
158
THE PSALTER.
WHE
Psalm CXXV.¹
*
we
HEN the LORD turned again
the captivity of Zion,
were like them that come again
from sickness.
*
Then was our mouth filled with
laughter, and our tongue with
singing.
Then said they among the hea-
then: * The LORD hath done great
things for them.
The LORD hath done great
things for us: * whereof we are
glad.
Turn again our captivity, O
LORD, * as the streams in the
south.
They that sow in tears* shall
reap in joy.
*
They go forth weeping, SOW-
ing their seed;
They shall doubtless come again
with rejoicing, * bringing their
sheaves with them.
Antiphon. We were like them
that come again from sickness.
Antiphon in Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
HYMN.?
ALL-BOUNTIFUL Creator, Who,
When Thou didst mould the world,
didst drain
The waters from the mass, that so
Earth might immovable remain;
That its dull clods it might transmute
To golden flowers in vale or wood,
To juice of thirst-allaying fruit,
And grateful herbage spread for food;
Wash Thou our smarting wounds and
hot,
In the cool freshness of Thy grace;
Till tears start forth the past to blot,
And cleanse and calm Thy holy place,
Till we obey Thy full behest,
Shun the world's tainted touch and
breath,
Joy in what highest is and best,
And gain a spell to baffle death.
Grant it, O Father, Only Son,
And Holy Spirit, God of grace,
To Whom all glory, Three in One,
Be given in every time and place.
Amen.
Antiphon for the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. Let my spirit re-
joice in God my Saviour.
*
Commemoration of the Cross before
the other general Commemorations, and
Long Preces at certain times as on Mon-
day.
Simple Feasts. If the Vespers of a
Simple Feast be kept on a Tuesday, the
Office is of the Feast from the Chapter
inclusive.
Wednesday.
THE FOURTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. He shall not be a-
shamed.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said, Alleluia.
EX
Psalm CXXVI.3
*
XCEPT the LORD build the
house, they labour in vain
that build it :
Except the LORD keep the city,
* the watchman waketh but in
vain.
It is vain for you to rise up
early,
* rise up when ye are
1 Intituled "A Song of Degrees."
2 Translation by Dr. Newman.
3 Intituled "A Song of Degrees, of Solomon."
WEDNESDAY AT VESPERS.
159
rested, ye that eat the bread of
sorrow:
For He giveth His beloved
sleep. Lo, children are an herit-
age of the LORD, the fruit of
the womb is His reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a
mighty man, * so are the children
of the out-cast.
Antiphon. Blessed is every one
that feareth the LORD.
Third Antiphon. Many a time.
If this Antiphon be used, the Psalm
begins with the words, "Have they
afflicted me.
Psalm CXXVIII.¹
Happy is the man that hath MANY a time have they afflict-
*
his desire satisfied with them:
he shall not be ashamed when he
speaketh with his enemies in the
gate.
Antiphon. He shall not be a-
shamed when he speaketh with
his enemies in the gate.
Second Antiphon. Blessed.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
commences with the words, "Is every
one.
BLES
Psalm CXXVII.¹
LESSED is every one that
feareth the LORD, * that
walketh in His ways.
For thou shalt eat the labour
of thine hands: * happy shalt
thou be and it shall be well with
thee.
Thy wife shall be as a fruitful
vine *
on the sides of thine house:
Thy children like olive plants
* round about thy table.
Behold, that thus shall the man
be blessed that feareth the
LORD.
The LORD bless thee out of
Zion: * and mayest thou see the
good of Jerusalem all the days of
thy life.
Yea, mayest thou see thy chil-
dren's children, * and peace upon
Israël.
1 Intituled "A Song of Degrees."
ed me from my youth-*
may Israël now say :-
Many a time have they afflicted
me from my youth: * yet they
have not prevailed against me.
"The ploughers ploughed upon
my back: * they made long their
furrows.
The LORD is righteous: He hath
broken the necks of the wicked.
*Let them all be confounded and
turned back that hate Zion.
Let them be as the grass upon
the house-tops, *which withereth
before it is plucked up:
Wherewith the mower filleth
not his hand, * nor he that bindeth
sheaves his bosom.
Neither do they that go by say:
The blessing of the LORD be upon
you! we bless you in the name
of the LORD!

*
Antiphon. Many a time have
they afflicted me from my youth
up.
Fourth Antiphon. Out of the
depths.
If this Antiphon be used, the Psalm
begins with the words, "Have I cried
unto Thee.”
Psalm CXXIX.
Out of the depths have I cried
unto Thee, &c., (p. 99.)
2 I.e. "They furrowed my back with stripes as the ground is furrowed with the
plough." Ges.
160
THE PSALTER.
Antiphon. Out of the depths
have I cried unto Thee, O LORD.
Fifth Antiphon. Let Israël
hope.
Psalm CXXX.¹
LORD, my heart is not haughty,
nor mine eyes lofty:
Neither do I exercise myself in
* or in wonderful
great matters,
things that are above me.
If I have not thought lowly of
myself (but lifted up my
soul)—
Even as a child that is weaned
from his mother: * so be my soul
rewarded.
Let Israël hope in the LORD, *
from henceforth and for ever.
Antiphon. Let Israël hope in
the LORD.
Antiphon in Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
0
HYMN.2
LORD, Who throned in the holy
height,
Through plains of ether didst diffuse
The dazzling beams of light,
In soft transparent hues;
Who didst, on the fourth day, in heaven,
Light the fierce cresset of the sun,
And the meek moon at even,
And stars that wildly run;
That they might mark and arbitrate
'Twixt alternating night and day,
And tend the train sedate
Of months upon their way;
Clear, Lord, the brooding night within,
And clean these hearts for Thy abode,
Unlock the spell of sin,
Crumble its giant load.
1 Intituled "A Song of Degrees, of David.
2 Translation by Dr. Newman.
Grant it, O Father, Only Son,
And Holy Spirit, God of grace,
To Whom all praise be done
In every time and place.
*
Amen.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. The Lord hath
regarded my lowliness, and He
That is mighty hath done in me
great things.
Commemoration of the Cross before
the other general Commemorations, and
Long Preces in Advent and Lent, and
on Fast-Days, as on Monday.
Simple Feasts. If the Vespers of a
Simple Feast be kept on a Wednesday,
the Office is of the Feast from the Chap-
ter inclusive.
Thursday.
THE FIFTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. And all.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said, Alleluia.
Psalm CXXXI.³
LORD, remember David, * and
all his meekness:
How he sware unto the LORD :
* he vowed a vow unto the God
of Jacob;
Surely I will not come into the
tabernacle of my house, * nor go
into my bed;
;
up
*
I will not give sleep to mine
eyes, or slumber to mine eye-
lids;
3 Intituled "A Song of Degrees." It reads like a Processional for some translation of
the Sacred Ark, perhaps that described in 3 (1) Kings vii. (Saturday before 8th Sunday
after Pentecost.)
THURSDAY AT VESPERS.
161
[I will not give the temples of
my head any rest,]' until I find
out a place for the LORD, an
habitation for the God of Jacob.
*
'Lo, we heard of it at Ephra-
tah: * we found it in the fields
of "the Wood."
We will go into His tabernacle:
* we will worship in His foot-
prints.
Arise, O LORD, into Thy rest,
* Thou and the ark of Thine ho-
liness.
Let Thy priests be clothed with
righteousness, and let Thy
Saints shout for joy.
David to bud: * I have ordained
a lamp for Mine Anointed.
His enemies will I clothe with
shame: * but upon him shall My
sanctification flourish.
Antiphon. And all his meek-
ness.
Second Antiphon. Behold.
If this Antiphon be used, the Psalm
begins with the words, "How good and
how pleasant."
Psalm CXXXII.³
* and let Thy BEHOLD, how good and how
For Thy servant David's sake,
* turn not away the face of Thine
Anointed.
The LORD hath sworn in truth
unto David, and He will not turn
from it: * Of the fruit of thy body
will I set upon thy throne.
If thy children will keep My
covenant, * and My testimony
that I shall teach them,
Then their children for ever *
shall sit upon thy throne.
For the LORD hath chosen
Zion: * He hath chosen it for
His habitation.
This is My rest for ever: *
here will I dwell, for I have
chosen it.
I will abundantly bless her
it is * for brethren
to dwell together in unity.
4It is like the precious oint-
ment upon the head,* that ran
down upon the beard, even Aaron's
beard,
That went down to the skirts
of his garments. * As the dew of
Hermon, that descendeth upon
the mountains of Sion;5
For there the LORD commanded
the blessing, * even life for ever-
more.
Antiphon. Behold, how good
and how pleasant it is for breth-
ren to dwell together in unity.
Third Antiphon. Whatsoever.
Psalm CXXXIV.6
widows: * I will satisfy her poor PRAISE ye the Name of the
with bread.
I will clothe her Priests with
salvation: * and her Saints shall
shout aloud. for joy.
There will I make the horn of
1 Not in the Hebrew.
LORD,* praise Him, O ye
servants of the LORD!
Ye that stand in the house of
the LORD, * in the courts of the
house of our God:
2 This verse relates to the fetching of the ark from Kirjath-jearim, (literally "The town-
of-the-woods.") which stood at the borders of the territory of Ephraim, here called Ephra-
tah. See 2 Kings (Sam.) vi. (Thursday, 5th week after Pentecost.)
3 Intituled "A Song of Degrees, of David."
4 The reference is to the unction of Aaron with holy chrism at his consecration, de-
scribed in Lev. viii. 12.
5 Probably not the mountain at Jerusalem, but one of the chain of Hermon, which is
once mentioned elsewhere. Deut. iv. 48.
6 To this Psalm the Hebrew prefixes" Alleluia."
M
162
THE PSALTER.
Praise the LORD, for the LORD
is good: * sing praises unto His
Name, for it is pleasant.
For the LORD hath chosen Jacob
unto Himself, * and Israël for
His peculiar treasure.
For I know that the LORD is
great, * and that our Lord is
above all gods.
Whatsoever the LORD pleased,
that did He in heaven and in
earth,* in the seas, and all deep
places:
*
Causing the vapours to ascend
from the ends of the earth:
He maketh lightnings for the
rain;
He bringeth the wind out of
His treasures. * He smote the
first-born of Egypt, from man
even unto beast.
He sent tokens and wonders
into the midst of thee, O Egypt,
* upon Pharaoh and upon all his
servants.
He smote great nations, * and
slew mighty kings.
Sihon, king of the Amorites,
and Og, king of Bashan,
* and
all the kingdoms of Canaan.
And gave their land for an
heritage, * an heritage unto Israël
His people.
Thy Name, O LORD, endureth for
ever!* Thy memorial, O Lord,
throughout all generations!
For the LORD will judge His
people,* and will repent Him-
self concerning His servants.
The idols of the heathen are
silver and gold, * the work of
men's hands.
A mouth have they, but they
speak not:
* eyes have they, but
they see not.
Ears have they, but they hear
not: * neither is there any breath
in their mouths.
Let them that make them be
made like unto them, * and every
one that trusteth in them.
Bless the LORD, O house of Is-
raël!* bless the LORD, O house
of Aaron!
Bless the LORD, O house of
Levi! * ye that fear the LORD,
bless the LORD!
Blessed be the LORD out of
Zion,* Which dwelleth at Jeru-
salem !2
Antiphon. Whatsoever the LORD
pleased, that did He.
Fourth Antiphon. For His
mercy.

Psalm CXXXV.3
GIVE thanks unto the LORD,
for He is good! * for His
mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of
gods! * for His mercy endureth
for ever.
O give thanks to the Lord of
lords!* for His mercy endureth
for ever.
To Him Who Alone doeth great
wonders-* for His mercy endur-
eth for ever.
1 Sihon, a king of the Amorites, reigning in Heshbon; Og, a giant, king of Bashan.
They were both defeated and slain by the Israëlites. Num. xxi.
2 The Hebrew adds “Alleluia,” which the Vulgate places at the beginning of the next
Psalm.
3 It is not improbable that this Psalm was sung at the Dedication of the Temple, for, in
2 Par (Chron.) vii. 3, it is said that when the congregation on that occasion saw the fire
miraculously descending upon the sacrifice, "they bowed themselves with their faces to
the ground upon the pavement, and worshipped, and praised 'the LORD, for He is good,
for His mercy endureth for ever."" It looks very like a continuation of the song given
by David to certain singers, 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi. 7, especially as it is afterwards said that
some of them were chosen "to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy endureth for
ever." Some consider that the latter verses refer to the return from the captivity, but
these may be an addition.
THURSDAY AT VESPERS.
163
To Him That by wisdom made
the heavens-* for His mercy en-
dureth for ever.
To Him That stretched out the
earth above the waters-* for His
mercy endureth for ever.
To Him That made great lights
*for His mercy endureth for
ever.
The sun to rule by day-* for
His mercy endureth for ever.
The moon and stars to rule by
night * for His mercy endureth
for ever.
To Him That smote Egypt in
their first-born-* for His mercy
endureth for ever.
To Him That brought out Is-
raël from among them-* for His
mercy endureth for ever.
With a strong hand and with a
stretched out arm-* for His
mercy endureth for ever.
To Him Which divided the Red
Sea into parts-* for His mercy
endureth for ever.
And made Israël to pass through
the midst of it-* for His mercy
endureth for ever.
But overthrew Pharaoh and his
host in the Red Sea-* for His
mercy endureth for ever.
To Him Which led His people
through the wilderness-* for His
mercy endureth for ever.
To Him Which smote great
kings-* for His mercy endureth
for ever.
*
And slew mighty kings-* for
His mercy endureth for ever.
Sihon, king of the Amorites
for His mercy endureth for ever.
And Og, the king of Bashan—*
for His mercy endureth for ever.
And gave their land for an
heritage * for His mercy endur-
eth for ever.
1 Not in the Hebrew.
Even an heritage unto Israël
His servant * for His mercy en-
dureth for ever.
Who remembered us in our low
* for His mercy endureth
estate-
for ever.
And hath redeemed us from our
enemies-* for His mercy endur-
eth for ever.
Who giveth food to all flesh-
*for His mercy endureth for ever.
O give thanks unto the God of
heaven! * for His mercy endur-
eth for ever.
[O give thanks unto the Lord
of lords! * for His mercy endur-
eth for ever.]¹
Antiphon. For His mercy en-
dureth for ever.
Fifth Antiphon. Sing us one o
the songs.
Psalm CXXXVI.²
BY the rivers of Babylon, there
we sat down, yea, we wept,
* when we remembered Zion.
We hanged our harps upon the
willows in the midst thereof.
*
*
For there they that carried us
away captive required of us
song;
a
And they that had taken us
said: * Sing us one of the songs
of Zion.
How shall we sing the LORD'S
song * in a strange land ?
If I forget thee, O Jerusalem,
* let my right hand forget her
cunning-
Let my tongue cleave to the
roof of my mouth, * if I do not
remember thee,-
If I prefer not Jerusalem *
above my chief joy.
Remember, O LORD, the chil-
dren of Edom, * in the day of Je-
rusalem:
2 The Alexandrian translators connect this Psalm with the name of Jeremiah.
M 2
164
THE PSALTER.
Who said: Rase it, rase it *
even to the foundation thereof.
O daughter of Babylon, doomed
to destruction, * happy shall he
be that rewardeth thee, as thou
hast served us!
Happy shall he be that taketh,
* and dasheth thy little ones
against the rock.
Antiphon. Sing us one of the
songs of Zion.
Antiphon in Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
0
HYMN.¹
GOD, Who hast given
The sea and the sky,
To fish and to bird
For a dwelling to keep,
Both sons of the waters,
One low and one high,
Ambitious of heaven,
Or sunk in the deep;
Save, Lord, Thy servants,
Whom Thou hast new made
In a laver of blood
Lest they trespass and die;
Lest pride should elate,
Or sin should degrade,
And they stumble on earth,
Or be dizzied on high.
To the Father, and Son,
And the Spirit be done,
Now and always,
Glory and praise.
Amen.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. O God, * show
strength with Thine arm: put
down the mighty, and exalt them
of low degree.
Commemoration of the Cross before the
other general Commemorations and Long
Preces in Advent and Lent, and on Fast
Days, as on Monday.
Simple Feasts. If the Vespers of a
Simple Feast be kept on a Thursday,
the Office is of the Feast from the Chap-
ter inclusive.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
3 Not in the Hebrew.
Friday.
THE SIXTH DAY OF THE WEEK.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. Behold the Angels.
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said, Alleluia.
Psalm CXXXVII.²
*
WILL praise Thee, [O Lord,]³
with my whole heart: [be-
cause Thou hast heard the words
of my mouth.]³
Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee. I will wor-
ship toward Thy holy temple, and
praise Thy Name.
For Thy loving-kindness, and
for Thy truth: * for Thou hast
magnified Thy [holy] Name
above every name.
In whatsoever day I call upon
Thee, answer me: *Thou wilt
strengthen my soul exceedingly.
Let all the kings of the earth
praise Thee, O LORD,* for they
have heard [all]³ the words of
Thy mouth.
Yea, let them sing in the ways
of the LORD: * that great is the
glory of the LORD.
For the LORD is High, yet hath
He respect unto the lowly : * but
the proud He knoweth from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of
trouble Thou wilt revive me: *
Thou shalt stretch forth Thy hand
against the wrath of mine ene-
mies, and Thy right hand shall

save me.
The LORD will give recompense
on my behalf: * Thy mercy, O
2 Intituled "Of David.”
FRIDAY AT VESPERS.
165
LORD, endureth for ever: forsake
not the works of Thine own hands.
Antiphon. Before the Angels
will I´sing praise unto Thee, O
my God.
Second Antiphon. O LORD.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
commences with the words, "Thou hast
searched me.
Psalm CXXXVIII.¹
LORD, Thou hast searched
me, and known me: * Thou
knowest my down-sitting and mine
up-rising:
Thou understandest my thoughts
afar off. * Thou searchest my
path, and my line,
And art acquainted with all my
* before there is a word on
ways:
my tongue.
Lo, O LORD, Thou knowest all
things both new and old: * Thou
hast made me, and laid Thine
hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonder-
ful for me: * it is high, and I
cannot attain unto it.
Whither shall I go from Thy
Spirit ? * or whither shall I flee
from Thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven,
Thou art there: if I go down
into hell, Thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morn-
ing, * and dwell in the uttermost
parts of the sea ;—
Even there shall Thy hand lead
* and Thy right hand shall
me,
hold me.
If I say: Surely the darkness
shall cover me:
* even the night
shall be light about me in my
pleasures.
For the darkness is not darkness
to Thee: and the night shineth as
the day: * the darkness and the
light to Thee are both alike.
For Thou hast possessed my
reins: * Thou hast upholden me
from my mother's womb.
I will praise Thee, for Thy
greatness is terrible : * marvellous
are Thy works: and that my soul
knoweth right well.
My bones were not hid from
Thee, when Thou madest me in
secret: * nor my substance in the
lower parts of the earth.
Thine eyes beheld my sub-
stance yet being imperfect: and in
Thy book all were written: * day
by day were they to be fashioned,
when as yet there was none of
them.
But to me, O God, Thy friends
are exceeding honourable: * their
power is waxen right strong.
If I should count them, they are
more in number than the sand:
I arose, and am still with Thee.
Surely Thou wilt slay the wick-
ed, O God: * depart from me, ye
bloody men.
For ye say in thought: * In
vain shall Thy people take Thy
cities.
Do not I hate them, O LORD,
that hate Thee ? * and am not I
grieved at those that rise up
against Thee?
*
I hate them with perfect hatred:
they are to me as enemies.
Search me, O God, and know
my heart: * try me and know my
thoughts.
And see if there be any wicked
* and lead me in the
way in me:
way everlasting.
Antiphon. O LORD, Thou hast
searched me and known me.
Third Antiphon. Preserve me.
1 Intituled "A Psalm of David," with a musical (?) direction, the meaning of which is
not now certain.
166
THE PSALTER.
Psalm CXXXIX.¹
DELIVER
ELIVER me, O LORD, from
the evil man : *
from the wicked man:
preserve me
Which imagine mischiefs in
their heart: * continually are they
gathered together for war.
They have sharpened their
tongues like a serpent: * adders'
poison is under their lips.²
2
Keep me, O LORD, from the
hands of the wicked: * and pre-
serve me from the evil man :
Who purpose to overthrow my
goings. The proud have hid a
snare for me:
And spread a net with cords: *
by the way-side have they set a
trap for me.2
I said unto the LORD: Thou art
my God: * hear the voice of my
supplications, O LORD!
O LORD, my Lord, Thou
Strength of my salvation, *
Thou hast covered my head in
the day of battle!
Give me not up, O LORD, to the
desires of the wicked: * they
take counsel together against me;
forsake me not, lest they exalt
themselves.2
As for the head of those that
compass me about, * the mischief
of their own lips shall cover them.
Let burning coals fall upon
them; let them be cast into the
fire: * when they are in trouble
let them not rise up again.
An evil-speaker shall not be
established in the earth: * evil
shall hunt the wicked man, to
overthrow him.
I know that the LORD will main-
tain the cause of the afflicted, *
and will revenge the poor.
Surely the righteous shall give
thanks unto Thy Name; * and
the upright shall dwell in Thy
presence.
Antiphon. Preserve me, O Lord,
from the wicked man.
Fourth Antiphon. LORD.
If this Antiphon be used, the Psalm
begins with the words, "I cry unto
Thee."
Psalm CXL.3
LORD, I cry unto Thee: hear
me! * give ear unto my voice
when I cry unto Thee.
Let my prayer be set forth as
incense before Thee: * the lift-
ing-up of my hands as the even-
ing sacrifice.
Set a watch, O LORD, before
my mouth: * keep the door of
my lips.
Incline not my heart to any
evil word, * to excuse myself in
my sins,
With men that work wicked-
ness; * and let me not eat of their
dainties.
Let the righteous smite me in
kindness: and let him reprove
me: but the oil of the wicked
shall not anoint my head:
For yet my prayer shall be
against their lusts. **Their judges
shall be left in the hands of the
rock :
They shall hear my words, for
they are mighty. * Like clods of
earth broken by the ploughman,
So are our bones scattered at
the grave's mouth. * But mine
eyes are unto Thee, O LORD, my
Lord in Thee is my trust, leave
not my soul to destruction.
:
Keep me from the snare which
¹ Intituled “A Psalm of David,” with the same musical (?) direction as before.
2 SLH.
3 Intituled "A Psalm of David,”
4 The translation of the next few words seems to be hopeless.
FRIDAY AT VESPERS.
167
they have laid for me, * and the
gins of the workers of iniquity.
*
The wicked shall fall into their
own net; as for me, I dwell
alone, until I depart.
Antiphon. LORD, I cry unto
Thee, hear me.
Fifth Antiphon. O Lord, let
my portion.
I
Psalm CXLI.'
CRIED unto the LORD with
my voice: * with my voice
unto the LORD did I make sup-
plication.
I pour out my complaint before
Him: before Him also I show
my trouble.
When my spirit faileth from
me, * then Thou knewest my
path.
In the way wherein I walked
* have they privily laid a snare
for me.
I looked on the right hand, and
beheld: * but there was no man
that would know me :
Refuge failed me: * and no man
cared for my soul.
I cried unto Thee, O LORD! *
I said: Thou art my refuge, and
my portion in the land of the
living.
Attend unto my cry, * for I am
brought very low:
Deliver me from my perse-
cutors: * for they are stronger
than I.
Bring my soul out of prison,
that I may praise Thy Name: *
the righteous wait for me, till
Thou deal bountifully with me.
Antiphon. O Lord, let my por-
.
tion be in the land of the liv-
ing.
Antiphon in Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
HYMN.2
HOM all obey,
WHO
Maker of man! Who from Thy
height
Badest the dull earth bring to light
All creeping things, and the fierce might
Of beasts of prey ;—
And the huge make
Of wild or gentler animal,
Springing from nothing at Thy call,
To serve in their due time, and all
For sinners' sake;
Shield us from ill!
Come it by passion's sudden stress,
Lurk in our mind's habitual dress,
Or through our actions seek to press
Upon our will.
Vouchsafe the prize
Of sacred joy's perpetual mood,
And service-seeking gratitude,
And love to quell each strife or feud,
If it arise.
Grant it, O Lord!
To Whom, the Father, Only Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One,
In heaven and earth all praise be done
With one accord.
•
Amen.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. He hath put
down the mighty, * that perse-
cute His Saints: and hath ex-
alted them of low degree, that
confess His Christ.
Commemoration of the Cross before
the other general Commemorations, and
Long Preces in Advent and Lent, and on
Fast-days, as on Monday.
Simple Feasts. If the Vespers of a
Simple Feast be kept on a Friday, the
service is of the Feast from the Chapter
inclusive.
1 Intituled "A didactic (?) Psalm of David. A Prayer when he was in the cave,"
namely, on the same occasion as that on which he wrote Psalm lvi. See note on that
Psalm, p. 44.
2 Translation by Dr. Newman.
168
THE PSALTER.
Saturday.
THE SABBATH.
All as on Sunday, except as otherwise
given here.
The Psalms are as follows:
Antiphon. Blessed.
If this Antiphon be used, the Psalm
begins with the words, "Be the LORD
my God."
In Paschal time only one Antiphon is
said, Alleluia.
Psalm CXLIII.¹
LESSED be the LORD my
BLE
God, Which teacheth my
hands to war, * and my fingers
to fight.
My goodness, and my fortress:
* my strength, and my Deliverer:
My shield, and He in Whom I
trust: * Who subdueth my people
under me.
LORD, what is man, that Thou
takest knowledge of him? * or
the son of man, that Thou makest
account of him?
Man is like to vanity: * his
days are as a shadow that passeth
away.
Bow Thy heavens, O LORD, and
come down: * touch the moun-
tains, and they shall smoke.
Cast forth the bright light-
ning, and scatter them: * send
out Thine arrows, and make them
to quake.
Send Thine hand from above:
rid me, and deliver me out of great
waters,* from the hand of strange
children :
Whose mouth speaketh vanity:
* and their right hand is a right
hand of falsehood.
1 Intituled “Of David."
I will sing a new song unto
Thee, O God; * upon a psaltery
of ten strings will I sing praises
unto Thee:
Who hast given salvation unto
kings: * Who deliveredst David
Thy servant from the hurtful
sword. Rid me,
And deliver me from the hand
of strange children, whose mouth
speaketh vanity: * and their right
hand is a right hand of false-
hood:
Whose sons may be as saplings
grown up in their youth;
*
*
Their daughters decked out,
adorned after the similitude of
the temple:
*
Their garners full, affording
stores upon store:
Their sheep fruitful in young,
countless in their pastures: * their
oxen fat:
There is no breach in their
walls, nor inroad: * nor wailing
in their streets.
Happy is that people, that is in
such a case: * happy is that peo-
ple whose God is the Lord.
Antiphon. Blessed be the LORD
my God.
I
Second Antiphon. Every day.
Psalm CXLIV.²
WILL extol Thee, my God, O
King! * and I will bless Thy
name for ever and ever.
Every day will I bless Thee; *
and I will praise Thy name for
ever and ever.
Great is the LORD, and greatly
to be praised: * and His great-
ness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise Thy
works to another, * and shall de-
clare Thy mighty acts.
2 Intituled "David's song of praise." It is A B C Darian.
SATURDAY AT VESPERS.
169
They shall speak of the glorious
honour of Thy Majesty, and
tell of Thy wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the
might of Thy terrible acts, * and
declare Thy greatness.
They shall abundantly utter the
record of Thy great goodness, *
and shall sing of Thy righteous-
ness.
The LORD is gracious and full
of compassion: * slow to anger
and of great mercy.
The LORD is good to all,* and
His tender mercies are over all
His works.
May all Thy works praise Thee,
O LORD!* and let Thy saints bless
Thee!
They shall speak of the glory
of Thy kingdom, * and talk of
Thy power;
*
To make known to the sons of
men Thy mighty acts, and the
glorious majesty of Thy king-
dom.
*
Thy kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and Thy dominion
endureth throughout all genera-
tions !
[The Lord is faithful in all His
words, and holy in all His
works.]¹
The LORD upholdeth all that
fall, * and raiseth up all those
that be bowed down.
The eyes of all wait upon Thee,
[O Lord!]² * and Thou givest
them their meat in due season.
*
Thou openest Thine hand,
and fillest all things living with
plenteousness.
The LORD is righteous in all
His ways, * and holy in all His
works.
The LORD is nigh unto all them
that call upon Him, * to all that
call upon Him in truth.
He will fulfil the desire of them
that fear Him: * He also will
hear their cry and will save them.
The LORD preserveth all them
that love Him, * but all the wicked
will He destroy.
My mouth shall speak the
praise of the LORD; * and let all
flesh bless His holy Name for
ever and ever.
Antiphon. Every day will I
bless Thee, O Lord.
Third Antiphon. While I live.
3
Psalm CXLV.³
PRAISE the LORD, O my soul;
while I live will I praise the
LORD: * I will sing praises unto
my God while I have being.
Put not your trust in princes,
* in the son of man, in whom is
no help.
His breath goeth forth, and he
returneth to his earth: * in that
very day their thoughts perish.
Happy is he that hath the God
of Jacob for his help, his hope is
in the LORD his God: * Which
made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that therein is :
Which keepeth truth for ever.
Which executeth judgment for
the oppressed: * Which giveth
food to the hungry.
The LORD looseth the prison-
ers : * the LORD openeth the eyes
of the blind :
The LORD raiseth them that are
bowed down: * the LORD loveth
the righteous:
The LORD preserveth the stran-
¹ This verse is not in the present Hebrew text, but the arguments in its favour are very
strong.
2 Not in the Hebrew.
3 To this Psalm the Hebrew prefixes " Alleluia.”
170
THE PSALTER.
gers; He defendeth the father-
less and widow: * but the way of
the wicked He will turn upside
down.
The LORD shall reign for ever!
even thy God, O Zion, * unto all
generations!¹
Antiphon. While I live will I
praise the LORD.
Fourth Antiphon. Let the praise
of our God.
Psalm CXLVI.
PRAISE ye the LORD, for it is
good to sing praises: * the
praise of our God is pleasant and
comely.
The LORD doth build up Jeru-
salem : * He will gather together
the outcasts of Israël.
He healeth the broken in heart,
* and bindeth up their wounds.
He telleth the number of the
stars;
* and calleth them all by
their names.
Great is our Lord, and of great
* and His understanding
power:
is infinite.
The LORD lifteth up the meek;
* but He casteth the wicked down
to the ground.
*
Sing unto the LORD with thanks-
giving : sing praise upon the
harp unto our God.
Who covereth the heaven with
clouds: * and prepareth rain for
the earth,
Who maketh grass to grow
upon the mountains, * [and herbs
for the service of men:]2
He giveth to the beast his food,
* and to the young ravens which
cry [unto Him.]³
Hedelighteth not in the strength
of an horse; * neither taketh He
pleasure in the legs of a man.
1 The Hebrew adds “Alleluia.”
The LORD taketh pleasure in
them that fear Him, * and in
those that hope in His mercy.
Antiphon. Let the praise of our
God be pleasant.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise the
LORD.
If this Antiphon be used the Psalm
begins with the words, "O Jerusalem."
Psalm CXLVII.ª
PRAISE the LORD, O Jerusa-
lem! * praise thy God, O
Zion!
For He hath strengthened the
bars of thy gates: * He hath
blessed thy children within thee :
He maketh peace in thy bor-
ders and filleth thee with the
finest of the wheat.
He sendeth forth His com-
mandments upon earth:
* His
word runneth very swiftly.
He giveth snow like wool: *
He scattereth the hoar-frost like
ashes.
He casteth forth His ice like
morsels: * who can stand before
His cold ?
He sendeth out His word, and
melteth them: * He causeth His
wind to blow, and the waters
flow.
He showeth His word unto Ja-
cob,* His statutes and His judg-
ments unto Israël.
He hath not dealt so with any
nation: * neither hath He made
known to them His judgments.¹
Antiphon. Praise the LORD, O
Jerusalem.
Antiphon in Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
From Advent Sunday till the Octave
2 Not in the Hebrew, inserted from Ps. ciii. 14.
3 Not in the Hebrew.
• In the Hebrew this is the continuation of the preceding Psalm.
COMPLINE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
171
of the Epiphany, and from Septuagesima
Sunday till the Octave of Pentecost spe-
cial Chapters are given.
At other times the following is said:
CHAPTER. (Rom. xi. 33.)
THE depth of the riches and
wisdom and knowledge of
God: how unsearchable are His
judgments and His ways past
finding out!
The following Hymn and Verse and
Answer is used during the same seasons
as the above Chapter, and likewise from
Septuagesima to Lent.
HYMN.¹
THE red sun is gone?
Thou Light of the heart,
Blessed Three, Holy One,
To Thy servants a sun
Everlasting impart.
There were Lauds in the morn,
Here are Vespers at even :
Oh, may we adorn
Thy Temple new born
With our voices in Heaven.
To the Father be praise,
And praise to the Son,
And the Spirit always,
While the infinite days
Of eternity run.
Amen.
Verse. Let the evening prayer
ascend unto Thee, O Lord.
Answer. And let there descend
upon us Thy mercy.
The following Antiphon is said only
from the Octave of the Epiphany till
Septuagesima.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. God hath holpen
His servant Israël : * as He spake
to Abraham and to his seed, to
exalt them of low degree for ever
and ever.
Prayer of the succeeding Sunday.

COMPLINE.2
Office for every day in the
Week.
At the beginning of Compline the
Reader says:
Sir, be pleased to give the bless-
ing.
The Blessing.
May the Almighty Lord grant
us a quiet night and a perfect
end.
Answer. Amen.
Then is read this Short Lesson.
Translation by Dr. Newman.
BRE
SHORT LESSON (1 Pet. v. 8.)
RETHREN, be sober, be vi-
gilant because your adver-
sary the devil as a roaring lion
walketh about, seeking whom he
may devour: whom resist, sted-
fast in the faith.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy
upon us.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. Our help is in the
name of the Lord.
Answer. Who made heaven and
earth.
2 Compline (Completorium) is the last office of the Church, and is proper to the end of
the evening before going to bed, reckoned to be about 9 p.m., but it may be said any time
before midnight. It is very frequently recited along with Vespers, thus forming the com-
plete Evening Service of the Church, and it is from this aggregation that the "Evening
Prayer" of the Anglican Prayer Book is derived.
172
THE PSALTER.
Then the Lord's Prayer is said in-
audibly.
OUR Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread. And
forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive them that trespass against
us. And lead us not into tempta-
tion; but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
After this is said the General Confes-
sion and Absolution.
I
CONFESS to God Almighty,
to the Blessed Mary, always
a Virgin, to the Blessed Michael
the Archangel, to the Blessed
John the Baptist, to the Holy
Apostles Peter and Paul, and to
all the Saints, that I have sinned
exceedingly in thought, word, and
deed, by my fault, by my fault,
by my most grievous fault. There-
fore I beseech the Blessed Mary,
always a Virgin, the Blessed Mi-
chael the Archangel, the Blessed
John the Baptist, the Holy Apos-
tles Peter and Paul, and all the
Saints, to pray to the Lord our
God for me.
The Absolution.
ALMIGHTY God have mercy
on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to life everlasting.
Answer. Amen.
MAY the Almighty and mer-
ciful Lord grant us par-
don, absolution, and remission of
all our sins.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. ¹Turn us, O God of our
salvation.
¹ Ps. lxxxiv. 5.
Answer. And cause Thine anger
toward us to cease.
Verse. Make haste, O God,
to deliver me.
Answer. Make haste to help
me, O LORD.
Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen. Alleluia.
From the Saturday before Septua-
gesima Sunday to Maundy Thursday
instead of " Alleluia” is said:
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of heaven.
Then follow the Psalms. They are
all said under one Antiphon.
Antiphon. Have mercy.
Antiphon in Paschal time. Al-
leluia.
WH
Psalm IV.2
HEN I called, the God of
my righteousness heard me :
* Thou hast enlarged me when I
was in distress:
* and
Have mercy upon me,
hear my prayer.
O ye sons of men, how long
will ye be dull of heart? * Why
will
ye love vanity, and seek after
leasing pa
But know that the LORD hath
set apart for Himself him that is
holy: * the LORD will hear when
I call unto Him.
*
Be ye angry and sin not:
what ye speak in your heart, re-
pent upon your bed.³
Offer the sacrifices of righteous-
ness, and put your trust in the
LORD. * There be many that say:
Who will show us any good?
LORD, Thou hast set upon us
the light of Thy countenance. *
* Intituled "A Psalm of David," with a musical (?) direction of (now) uncertain
meaning.
3 SLH.
COMPLINE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
173
Thou hast put gladness in my
heart,
More than in the time that
their corn, and wine, [and oil]¹ *
increased.
I will both lay me down in
peace, * and sleep,
For Thou, LORD, only * makest
me to dwell in safety.
Psalm XXX.2
IN Thee, O LORD, do I put my
trust, let me never be asham-
ed; * deliver me in Thy righ-
teousness.
Bow down Thine ear to me,
deliver me speedily.
*
Be Thou to me a God, a Pre-
server, and an house of defence,
* to save me.
For Thou art my strength and
my refuge, * and for Thy Name's
sake Thou wilt lead me and nou-
rish me.
Thou wilt pull me out of the
net, that they have laid privily for
me, * for Thou art my Preserver.
Into Thy hands I commend
my spirit: * Thou hast redeemed
me, O LORD God of truth!
Psalm XC.
HE
E that dwelleth in the help
of the Most High, * shall
abide under the shadow of the
God of heaven.
He will say to the LORD: Thou
art my refuge, and my fortress,
* my God, in Him will I trust.
For He shall deliver me from
the snare of the fowler, * and
from the noisome pestilence.
He shall cover thee with His
wings,
Thou shalt not be afraid for the
terror by night;
For the arrow that flieth by
day, for the pestilence that walk-
eth in darkness, * for the evil
spirit that wasteth at noon-day.
A thousand shall fall at thy
side, and ten thousand at thy
right hand: * but it shall not
come nigh thee.
Yea, with thine eyes shalt thou
behold: * and see the reward of
the wicked.
Because Thou, O LORD, art my
trust:* thou hast made the Most
High thy refuge.
There shall no evil befall thee,
* neither shall any plague come
nigh thy dwelling.
For He hath given His Angels
charge over thee,* to keep thee
in all thy ways:
*
They shall bear thee up in their
hands, lest haply thou dash thy
foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the adder
and the cockatrice: * the lion also
and the dragon shalt thou trample
under feet.
Because he hath set his trust
upon Me, therefore will I deliver
him: * I will defend him because
he hath known My Name.
He shall call upon Me, and I
will answer him: * I am with
him in trouble: I will deliver
him and glorify him.
With long life will I satisfy
him: * and show him My salva-
tion.
Psalm CXXXIII.4
EHOLD [now,]' bless ye the
LORD, * all ye servants of
BE
* and under His feathers E
shalt thou trust:
His truth shall be thy shield. *
1 Not in the Hebrew.
the LORD.
2 Intituled " A Psalm of David,” with a musical (?) superscription of uncertain meaning.
3 Notice that this passage was quoted by our Lord upon the Cross. Luke xxiii. 46.
• Intituled "A Song of Degrees."
174
THE PSALTER.
Which stand in the house of
the LORD, * [even in the courts of
the house of our God,]¹
By night. Lift up your hands
toward the sanctuary, * and bless
the LORD.
The LORD That made heaven
and earth, * bless thee out of
Zion !
Antiphon. Have mercy upon
me, O Lord, and hear my prayer.
Antiphon in Paschal time. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Now
Then is said the following:
HYMN.3
OW that the day-light dies away,
By all Thy grace and love,
Thee, Maker of the world, we pray
To watch our bed above.
Let dreams depart and phantoms fly,
The offspring of the night,
Keep us, like shrines, beneath Thine
eye,
Pure in our foes' despite.
This grace on Thy redeemed confer,
Father, Co-equal Son,
And Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
Eternal Three in One.
Amen.
The last verse is sometimes said thus,
altered in honour of the Incarnation :
JESU, the Virgin-born, to Thee
Eternal praise be given,
With Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Here as it is in heaven.
Amen.
In Paschal time it is said thus, al-
tered in honour of the Resurrection :
To Father, Son, and Paraclete,
The slain and Risen Son,
Be praise and glory, as is meet,
While endless ages run.
1 Not in the Hebrew.
3 Translation by Dr. Newman.
Amen.
It is also occasionally otherwise al-
tered, which occasions are marked in
their places.
J
Then follows the
CHAPTER. (Jer. xiv. 9.)
ET Thou, O LORD, art in the
midst of us, and Thy [holy]'
name is called upon us :4 leave us
not, [O Lord our God.]¹
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Then the Short Responsory.
"Into Thy hands, O Lord, I
commend my spirit.
Answer. Into Thy hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
Verse. Thou hast redeemed us,
O LORD God of truth.
Answer. I commend my spirit.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Into Thy hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit.
Verse. "Keep us, O Lord, as
the apple of the eye.
Answer. Hide us under the
shadow of Thy wings.
From the Saturday after Easter in-
clusive to the Saturday after Pentecost
exclusive, the above is said thus:
Into Thy hands, O Lord, I
commend my spirit. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Answer. Into Thy hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Thou hast redeemed us,
O LORD God of truth.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
2 Ps. iv. 2.
4 The allusion seems to be to the invocation of the Eternal Name upon Israël by the
Priests, Numb. vi. 22. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying: Speak unto Aaron,
and unto his sons, saying, On this wise shall ye bless the children of Israël, saying unto
them-The LORD bless thee and keep thee; the LORD make His face shine upon thee, and
be gracious unto thee; the LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace
-and they shall put My Name upon the children of Israël; and I will bless them.”
6 Ps. xvi. 8.
5 Ps. xxx. 6.
COMPLINE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
175
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Into Thy hands, O
Lord, I commend my spirit. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Keep us, O Lord, as the
apple of the eye. Alleluia.
Answer. Hide us under the sha-
dow of Thy wings. Alleluia.
Then is said the following Canticle
from the Gospel,¹ with its Antiphon.
Antiphon. O Lord, keep us.
THE SONG OF SIMEON. (Luke ii. 29.)
in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our
trespasses, as we forgive them
that trespass against us. (Aloud.)
Verse. And lead us not into
temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from
evil.
BELIEVE (inaudibly) in God
the Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth. And in JE-
sus Christ, His only Son, our
Lord; Who was conceived by the
Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin
LORD, now lettest Thou Thy Mary, suffered under Pontius Pi-
servant depart in peace,
according to Thy word:
For mine eyes have seen * Thy
Salvation,
Which Thou hast prepared *
before the face of all people ;
A Light to lighten the Gentiles,
* and the glory of Thy people
Israël.
The Doxology, "Glory be to the Fa-
ther, &c.," is said.
Antiphon. O Lord, keep us
waking, guard us sleeping: that
we may wake with Christ and
rest in peace.
In Paschal time, "Alleluia."
Then follow these short prayers, called
the Preces. They are omitted on Doubles
and within Octaves. In Advent, Lent,
and the Ember Days they are said
kneeling.
Kyrie eléison.
Answer. Christe eléison.
Kyrie eléison.
OUR
UR Father, (inaudibly,) Who
art in heaven, Hallowed be
Thy Name. Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done on earth, as it is
:
late, was crucified, dead, and bu-
ried He descended into hell:
the third day He rose again from
the dead: He ascended into hea-
ven, and sitteth on the right hand
of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I
believe in the Holy Ghost, the
Holy Catholic Church, the Com-
munion of Saints, the Forgiveness
of sins, (aloud)
Verse. The Resurrection of the
body.
Answer. And the Life everlast-
ing.
Verse. 2Blessed art Thou, O
Lord God of our fathers.
Answer. And to be praised and
glorified above all for ever.
Verse. Bless we the Father, and
the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Let us praise and exalt
Him above all for ever.
Verse. 2Blessed art Thou, O
Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Answer. And to be praised, and
glorified, and exalted above all
for ever.
Verse. May the Lord, the Al-
1 Uttered by Simeon at the presentation of our LORD in the Temple. "Then took he
Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said :—”
2 Dan. iii. 52, 56.
176
THE PSALTER.
mighty and merciful, bless and
keep us.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Vouchsafe, O Lord, this
night.
Answer. To keep us without
sin.
Verse. Have mercy upon us, O
LORD.
Answer. Have mercy upon us.
Verse. O LORD, let Thy mercy
lighten upon us.
Answer. As our trust is in
Thee.
Here the service is resumed, when the
above has been omitted.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Let us pray.
VISIT, we beseech Thee, O
Lord, this habitation,¹ and
drive far from it all snares of the
enemy: let Thine holy Angels
dwell herein, to keep us in peace,
and may Thy blessing be always
upon us. Through our Lord JE-
sus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O
LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come
unto Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
The Blessing.
May the Almighty and Merci-
ful Lord, the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost, bless and
keep us.
Answer. Amen.
Then follows immediately one of these
Four Antiphons of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, according to the season of the
year.
I. From the Vespers of the Satur-
day before Advent Sunday till
those of Candlemas, both in-
clusive.
Antiphon. Maiden! Mother of
Him Who redeemed us, thou that
remainest
Heaven's open gate, and the
Star of the Sea, come, succour
the fallen!
Fallen indeed we are, but fain
would rise by thy succour.
Thou that beyond nature's
course hast borne in time the
Eternal;
Thou that a Virgin before, in,
and after that childbirth abidest,
From the Archangel's lips the
quickening message receiving,
Mother of JESUS and us, turn
thine eyes of mercy on sin-

ners.
Verse. The Angel of the Lord
announced unto Mary.
Answer. And she conceived of
the Holy Ghost.
WE
Let us pray.
E beseech Thee, O Lord,
pour Thy grace into our
hearts; that, as we have known
the Incarnation of Thy Son JESUS
Christ by the message of an An-
gel, so by His Passion and Cross
we may be brought unto the glory
of His Resurrection. Through
the same Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
From the First Vespers of Christmas
¹ This Office was originally the last Prayer before going to rest for the monks of the
Order of St. Benedict.
COMPLINE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
177
inclusive, the Verse and Answer and
Prayer are as follows:
Verse. After thy delivery thou
still remainest a Virgin undefiled.
Answer. Mother of God, pray
for us.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Who, by the fruitful
virginity of the Blessed Mary,
hast given unto mankind the re-
wards of everlasting life; grant,
we beseech Thee, that we may
continually feel the might of her
intercession; through whom we
have worthily received the Author
of our life, our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son.
Answer. Amen.
II. From the Compline of the 2nd
day of February inclusive to
Maundy Thursday exclusive.
Antiphon. Hail, O Mary, Queen
of heaven,
Queen of Angel worlds on high,
Hail, O Rod to Jesse given,
Blessed Portal of the sky,
Hail, O Lady, bright and glo-
rious,
Clothed in beauty, pure and
true,
Virgin! o'er sin's stain victo-
rious,
Sinners for thy succour sue.
Verse. Holy Virgin, my praise
by thee accepted be.
Answer. Give me strength a-
gainst thine enemies.
Let us pray.
MOST merciful God, grant, we
beseech Thee, a succour
unto the frailty of our nature,
that as we keep ever alive the
memory of the holy Mother of
God, so by the help of her inter-
N
cession we may be raised up from
the bondage of our sins. Through
the same Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
III. From the First Compline of
Easter inclusive till the First
Vespers of Trinity Sunday ex-
clusive.
Antiphon. Rejoice! rejoice!
thou Queen of Heaven, Alleluia.
For He That thee for Son was
given, Alleluia.
As He promised is arisen, Alle-
luia.
Mother, pray to Him for us,
Alleluia.
Verse. O Virgin Mary, be glad
and rejoice, Alleluia.
Answer. For the Lord is risen
indeed, Alleluia.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Who dost vouchsafe to
gladden the whole world by
the resurrection of Thy Son our
Lord JESUS Christ; grant, we
beseech Thee, that by the help of
His Mother the Virgin Mary, we
may finally attain unto the glad-
ness of life everlasting. Through
the same Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
IV. From the First Vespers of
Trinity Sunday inclusive till
the Vespers of Saturday before
Advent Sunday exclusive.
Antiphon. Hail, O Queen, Mo-
ther of mercy! hail, our life, our
sweetness, and our hope! To thee
we cry, the banished sons of Eve. '
Toward thee we sigh, weeping
and groaning in this vale of tears.
Ah, then, thou our Advocate, turn
on us those merciful eyes of thine!
And, after this our exile, show to
us JESUS, the blessed Fruit of thy
178
THE PSALTER.
womb. O most merciful, O most
gracious, O most sweet Virgin
Mary!
Verse. Pray for us, holy Mo-
ther of God.
Answer. That we may be made
worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting
God, Who, by the co-opera-
tion of the Holy Ghost, didst
make ready both the body and
soul of the glorious Virgin and
Mother Mary worthily to become
a meet dwelling for Thy Son;
grant that as we rejoice in her
memory, so by her pitiful inter-
cession we may be delivered from
the evils that continually hang
over us, and finally from everlast-
ing death. Through the same
Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
After each of these Antiphons is said
this Blessing:
God's most mighty strength
alway
Be His people's staff and stay.
Answer. Amen.
Lastly, whether Mattins be to follow
immediately, or not, the Lord's Prayer,
the Angelic Salutation, and the Apos-
tles' Creed are said inaudibly.
OUR Father, Who art in heaven,
Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done
on earth, as it is in heaven. Give
us this day our daily bread, And
forgive us our trespasses, as we
forgive them that trespass against
us. And lead us not into tempta-
tion;
but deliver us from evil.
Amen.
HALL, Mary, full of grace; the
Lord is with thee: blessed
art thou among women, and bless-
ed is the fruit of thy womb, JESUS.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now, and at
the hour of our death. Amen.
BELIEVE in God, the Father
Almighty, Maker of heaven
and earth. And in JESUS Christ,
His Only Son, our Lord, Who
was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary, suffered
under Pontius Pilate, was cruci-
fied, dead, and buried: He de-
scended into hell: the third day
He rose again from the dead: He
ascended into heaven, and sitteth
at the right hand of God the Fa-
ther Almighty: from thence He
shall come to judge both the quick
and the dead. I believe in the
Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic
Church, the Communion of Saints,
the Forgiveness of sins, the Re-
surrection of the body, and the
life everlasting. Amen.
Thus ends the Office of Compline
throughout the year, in which Office
the words, "May the souls, &c.," "are
omitted, and the Verse and Answer,
"The Lord give us, &c.," are not said
before the Antiphon of the Blessed
Virgin.
The Proper Office of the Season.
Advent, or Coming-Time.
In Advent the Common Commemora-
tions are never said at Lauds and Ves-
pers. During Advent Simple Feasts
are not observed, but merely commemo-
rated. If a Feast of a higher rank
falls on a Sunday it is transferred to
the next day not so impeded.
Saturday before Advent Sunday.
VESPERS.
All of the Saturday except the fol-
lowing.
The Chapter is taken from Lauds.
1
Hymn.¹
REATOR of the starry pole,
Saviour of all who live,
And light of every faithful soul,
JESU, these prayers receive.
Who sooner than our foe malign
Should triumph, from above
Didst come, to be the medicine
Of a sick world, in love;
And the deep wounds to cleanse and cure
Of a whole race, didst go,
Pure Victim, from a Virgin pure,
The bitter Cross unto.
Who hast a Name, and hast a Power,
The height and depth to sway,
And Angels bow, and devils cower,
In transport or dismay;
Thou too shalt be our Judge at length;
Lord, in Thy grace bestow
Thy weapons of celestial strengtli,
And snatch us from the foe.
1 Translation by Dr. Newman.
3 Isa. xxx. 27.
Honour and glory, power and praise,
To Father, and to Son,
And Holy Ghost, be paid always,
The Eternal Three in One. Amen.
2
Verse. Drop down, ye heavens, from
above, and let the skies pour down the
Righteous One.
Answer. Let the earth open, and let
her bring forth the Saviour.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Behold, the name of the LORD
* cometh from far, and the whole earth
is full of His glory.
Prayer from Lauds.
Advent Sunday.
The First Lord's Day in Coming-Time.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord, He is our King
that is to come. * O come, let us wor-
ship Him.
SUPE
Hymn.*
UPERNAL Word, proceeding from
The Eternal Father's breast;
And in the end of ages come,
To aid a world distrest;
Enlighten, Lord, and set on fire,
Our spirits with Thy love,
That, dead to earth, they may aspire
And live to joys above.
That, when the judgment-seat on high
Shall fix the sinner's doom,
And to the just a glad voice cry,
Come to your destined home;
2 Isa. xlv. 8.
4 Translation by Dr. Newman.
护
​N 2
180
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Safe from the black and yawning lake
Of restless, endless pain,
We may the face of God partake,
The bliss of heaven attain.
To God the Father, God the Son,
And Holy Ghost, to Thee,
As heretofore, when time is done,
Unending glory be. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
•
First Lesson. (Isa. i. 1.)
THE vision of Isaiah, the son of Amoz,
which he saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jo-
tham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of
Judah. Hear, O heavens, and give ear,
O earth, for the LORD hath spoken: I
have nourished and brought up chil-
dren and they have rebelled against
Me. The ox knoweth his owner, and
the ass his master's crib : but Israël doth
not know Me, and My people doth not
consider.
First Responsory.
3
I look from afar, and, behold, I see
the Power of God coming, and a cloud
covering all the land. Go ye out to
meet Him, and say: Tell us if Thou art
He, 5 That shall reign over God's people
Israël.
4
Verse. Both low and high, rich and
poor together.
Answer. Go ye out to meet Him, and
say.
Verse. Give ear, O Shepherd of Israël,
Thou That leadest Joseph like a flock.
Answer. Tell us if Thou art He.
Verse. Lift up your gates, O ye princes;
and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors,
and the King of glory shall come in.
Answer. That shall reign over God's
people Israël.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. I look from afar, and, behold,
I see the Power of God coming, and a
cloud covering all the land. Go ye out
to meet Him, and say: Tell us if Thou
art He, That shall reign over God's
people İsraël.
Second Lesson.
Wo to the sinful nation, a people laden
with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers,
children that are corrupters: they have
forsaken the LORD, they have provoked
the Holy One of Israël unto anger: they
are gone away backward. Upon what
part shall I smite you any more, ye that
revolt more and more? The whole head
is sick, and the whole heart faint: From
the sole of the foot even unto the head
there is no soundness in it, but wounds
and bruises and putrifying sores: they
have not been closed, neither bound up,
neither mollified with ointment.
Second Responsory.
"I saw in the night visions, and, be-
hold, the Son of man came with the
clouds of heaven, and there was given
Him a Kingdom, and glory and all
people, nations, and languages shall
serve Him.
Verse. His dominion is an everlasting
dominion which shall not pass away,
and His Kingdom that which shall not
be destroyed.
Answer. And all people, nations, and
languages shall serve Him.
YOUR
Third Lesson.
OUR country is desolate, your cities
are burned with fire; your land,
strangers devour it in your presence,
and it is desolate, as overthrown by
strangers. And the daughter of Zion is
left as a cottage in a vineyard, and as a
lodge in a garden of cucumbers, and as
a besieged city. Except the LORD of
hosts had left unto us a seed, we should
have been as Sodom, and we should have
been like unto Gomorrah.
¹ Uzziah, Jotham, and Ahaz were the great-grandfather, grandfather, and father of
their successor on the throne of Judah, Hezekiah, concerning whom see the eleventh week
after Pentecost. According to the common tradition, Isaiah survived Hezekiah and was
martyred under his son Manasseh. Lowth thinks that the prophecy which forms the first
chapter was uttered towards the end of the reign of Jotham when "the LORD began to
send, against Judah, Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah, the son of Remaliah,” king of
Israël. 4 (2) Kings xv. 37.
2 Ezek. xxxviii. 9.
5 1 Kings (Sam.) ix. 17.
8 Ps. xxiii. 7.
3 Matth. xxv. 6.
6 Ps. xlviii. 2.
9 Dan. vii. 13, 14.
4 Matth. xi. 3; Luke vii. 19.
7 Ps. lxxix. 1.
}
FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT.
181
Third Responsory.
'The angel Gabriel was sent to Mary,
a Virgin espoused to Joseph, to bring
unto her the word of the Lord: and
2 when the Virgin saw the light she was
afraid. Fear not, Mary, for thou hast
found grace from the Lord. Behold,
thou shalt conceive and bring forth a
son, and He shall be called the Son of
the Highest.
know not a man? And the Angel an-
swered and said unto her,—
Answer. The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee; therefore also
that Holy Thing Which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Fifth Lesson.
Verse. The Lord God shall give unto LET every man then make himself
Him the throne of His father David, and
He shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever.
Answer. Behold, thou shalt conceive,
and bring forth a son, and He shall be
called the Son of the Highest.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Behold, thou shalt conceive
and bring forth a son, and He shall be
called the Son of the Highest.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of 3 Pope St. Leo [the Great,] (8th on
the December Fast, and almsgiving.)
UR Saviour Himself instructed His
OUR
disciples concerning the times and
seasons of the coming of the Kingdom
of God and the end of the world, and
He hath given the same teaching to the
Church by the mouth of His Apostles.
In connection with this subject then,
Our Lord biddeth us beware lest we let
our hearts grow heavy through excess
of meat and drink, and worldly thoughts.
Dearly beloved brethren, we know how
that this warning applieth particularly
to us. We know that that day is coming,
and though for a season we know not
the very hour, yet this we know, that it
is near.
Fourth Responsory.
*Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord
is with thee: the Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee: therefore also
that Holy Thing Which shall be born
of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Verse. How shall this be, seeing I
1 Luke i. 26, 30-33.
ready against the coming of the
Lord, so that He may not find him
making his belly his god, or the world
his chief care. Dearly beloved brethren,
it is a matter of every day experience
that fulness of drink dulleth the keen-
ness of the mind, and that excess of
eating unnerveth the strength of the
will. The very stomach protesteth that
gluttony doth harm to the bodily health,
unless temperance get the better of de-
sire, and the thought of the indigestion
afterward check the indulgence of the
moment.
Fifth Responsory.
5 We look for the Saviour, the Lord
JESUS Christ; Who shall change our
vile body, that it may be fashioned like
unto His glorious Body.
Verse. We should live soberly, and
righteously, and godly in this present
world, looking for that blessed hope,
and the glorious appearing of the great
God.
Answer. Who shall change our vile
body, that it may be fashioned like unte
His glorious Body.
Sixth Lesson.
THE body without the soul hath no
desires; its sensibility cometh from
the same source as its movements. And
it is the duty of a man with a reasonable
soul to deny something to his lower na-
ture and to keep back the outer man from
things unseemly. Then will his soul
free from fleshly cravings, sit often at
leisure in the palace of the mind, dwell-
ing on the wisdom of God. There, when
the roar and rattle of earthly cares are
stilled, will she feed on holy thoughts
and entertain herself with the expecta-
tion of the everlasting joy.

2 Compare the Apocryphal "Gospel of the Nativity of Mary," ch. ix.
3 April 11.
4 Luke i. 28, 34, 35.
5 Phil. iii. 20.
6 Tit. ii. 12.
182
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Sixth Responsory.
10 my Lord, send I pray Thee, Him
Whom Thou wilt send; see the affliction
of Thy people. As Thou hast promised,
come and deliver us.
Verse. Give ear, O Shepherd of Is-
raël, Thou That leadest Joseph like a
flock, Thou That sittest upon the Che-
rubim !
Answer. As Thou hast promised,
come.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And deliver us.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xxi. 25.)
Α1
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples; There shall be signs in
the sun, and in the moon, and in the
stars, and upon the earth distress of na-
tions. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great,] (1st on the Gospels.)
Our Lord and Saviour wisheth to find
us ready at His second coming. There-
fore He telleth us what will be the evils
of the world as it groweth old, that He
may wean our hearts from worldly affec-
tions. Here we read what great con-
vulsions will go before the end, that, if
we will not fear God in our prosperity,
we may at least be scourged into fearing
His judgment when it is at hand.
Seventh Responsory.
* Behold, the Virgin shall conceive,
and bear a son, saith the Lord, and His
name shall be called Wonderful, the
Mighty God.
Verse. He shall sit upon the throne
of David, and upon his kingdom for
ever.
Answer. And His name shall be called
Wonderful, the Mighty God.
Eighth Lesson.
IMMEDIATELY before the passage
which hath just been read from the
Gospel, are found the following words
1 Exod. iv. 13.
5 Isa. ix. 6, 7.
2 Ps. lxxix. 1.
6 Jer. xxxi. 10.
of our Lord,-"Nation shall rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom,
and great earthquakes shall be in divers
places, and pestilences and famines."
Then, after a few more verses, cometh
to-day's Gospel. "There shall be signs
in the sun, and in the moon, and in the
stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations with perplexity, the sea and the
waves roaring.' Now some of these
things are come to pass already, and we
fear the others are not far off.
Eighth Responsory.
"Hear the word of the LORD, O ye
nations, and declare it in the ends of
the earth, and in the isles afar off, and
say: Our Saviour shall come.
Verse. Declare it and make it known,
lift up your voice and cry aloud.
Answer. And in the isles afar off, and
say: Our Saviour shall come.
IN
Ninth Lesson.
these our days we see nation rise
against nation, and their distress
over all the earth, more than we read
in books hath ever come to pass of old
time. Ye know also how often we hear
of earthquakes overwhelming countless
cities in other parts of the world. As
for pestilences, we suffer from them our-
selves, with hardly any intermission.
As yet we do not see signs in the sun,
and in the moon, and in the stars; but
the changes of seasons and climates warn
us that we may look for these also before
long.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,"
is not said in the Office of the Season till
Christmas. A Ninth Responsory is said
instead.
Ninth Responsory.
"Behold, the days come, saith the
LORD, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch; and a King shall
reign in wisdom and shall execute judg-
ment and justice in the earth: and this
is His name whereby He shall be called ;
The LORD our Righteousness.
Verse. In His days Judah shall be
saved, and Israël shall dwell safely.
• March 12.
♦ Isa. vii. 14.
7 Jer. xxiii. 5; 1 Cor. i. 30.
FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT.
183
Answer. And this is His name where-
by He shall be called.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The LORD our Righteous-
ness.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. In that day* the
mountains shall drop down sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk and
honey. Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. Sing, O daughter
of Zion, * and rejoice with all the heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. Behold, the LORD
shall come,
* and all His saints with
Him; and it shall come to pass in that
day that the light shall be great. Al-
leluia.
4
Fourth Antiphon. Ho, every one
that thirsteth *come ye to the waters :
seek ye the LORD while He may be
found. Alleluia.
*
Fifth Antiphon. Behold, a great Pro-
phet shall arise, and He shall build up
anew Jerusalem. Alleluia.
MY
Chapter. (Rom. xiii. 11.)
Y brethren, it is now high time to
awake out of sleep. For now is
our salvation nearer than when we be-
lieved.
Hymn.5
`ARK, a joyful voice is thrilling,
HA
And each dim and winding way
Of the Ancient Temple filling ;
Dreams, depart! for it is day.
Christ is coming! from thy bed,
Earth-bound soul, awake and spring,—
With the sun new-risen to shed
Health on human suffering.
Lo! to grant a pardon free,
Comes a willing Lamb from Heaven;
Sad and tearful, hasten we,
One and all, to be forgiven.
Once again He comes in light,
Girding earth with fear and woe;
Lord, be Thou our loving might,
From our guilt and ghostly foe.
To the Father and the Son,
And the Spirit, Who in heaven
Ever witness, Three and One,
Praise on earth be ever given. Amen.
1 Joel iii. 18.
4 Isa. lv. 1, 6.
7 Luke i. 35.
Verse. The voice of one crying in
the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of
the Lord.
Answer. Make His paths straight.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,
* O Mary; fear not, thou shalt bear in
thy womb the Son of God. Alleluia.
Prayer.
*STIR up, O Lord, we pray Thee, Thy
strength, and come among us, that
whereas through our sins and wicked-
ness we do justly apprehend Thy wrath-
ful judgments hanging over us, Thy
bountiful grace and mercy may speedily
help and deliver us; Who livest and
reignest with God the Father, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Åmen.
The same Prayer is used throughout
the day and week, except at Prime and
Compline.
PRIME.
Antiphon. In that day, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the short Responsory instead of the
Verse "Thou That sittest," &c., is said:
Verse. Thou That art to come into the
world.
And the change is made every day in
Advent till Christmas, except on the
Feast and within the Octave of the Im-
maculate Conception.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Sing, O daughter of Zion,
&c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Behold the LORD, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Rom. xiii. 12.)
THE night is far spent, the day is at
hand: let us therefore cast off the
works of darkness, and let us put on the
armour of light.
2 Zeph. (Soph.) iii. 14.
5 Translation by Dr. Newman.
8 Ps. lxxix. 3.
3 Zech. xiv. 5,
6.
6 Matth. iii. 3; (Isa. xl. 3.)
184
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
NONE.
Antiphon. Behold, a great Prophet,
&c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Rom. xiii. 13.)
ET us walk honestly as in the day,
not in rioting and drunkenness, not
in chambering and wantonness, not in
strife and envying, but put ye on the
Lord JESUS Christ.
VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter and Prayer as at
Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday Evening.
*
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Fear not, Mary, for thou
hast found grace with the Lord; be-
hold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb,
and bring forth a son. Alleluia.
After "Bless we the Lord," are said
the Vespers of the Dead.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the last
Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (i. 16.)
shalt bring forth God and Man together.
And thou shalt be called blessed among
all women.
Verse. Thou shalt bring forth a son,
and remain a maiden undefiled: thou
shalt conceive and be a Mother, still
Virgin unspotted.
Answer. And thou shalt be called
blessed among all women.
Second Lesson.
IF ye be willing and obedient, ye shall
eat the good of the land. But if ye
refuse and provoke Me to anger, ye shall
be devoured with the sword, for the
mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
How is the faithful city become an
harlot! It was full of judgment; righ-
teousness lodged in it; but now mur-
derers. Thy silver is become dross; thy
wine mixed with water. Thy princes
are rebellious and companions of thieves;
every one loveth gifts and followeth af-
ter rewards. They judge not the father-
less, neither doth the cause of the widow
come unto them.
Second Responsory.
3 Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O
earth; and break forth into singing, O
mountains, for our Lord will come, and
will have mercy on His afflicted.
Verse. In His days shall righteous-
ness flourish and abundance of peace.
Answer. And will have mercy upon
His afflicted.
Third Lesson.
"WASH you, make you clean, put THEREFORE saith the LORD God of
away the evil of your imagina-
tions from before Mine eyes; cease to
do evil, learn to do well: seek judgment,
relieve the oppressed, judge the father-
less, plead for the widow. Come now,
and let us reason together, saith the
LORD. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow; and
though they be red like crimson, they
shall be as wool.
First Responsory.
Receive, O Virgin Mary, receive the
word of the Lord, which is sent thee by
His Angel: thou shalt conceive, and
1 Luke i. 31.
hosts, the Mighty One of Israël:
Ah! I will ease Me of Mine adversaries,
and avenge Me of Mine enemies. And
I will turn My hand upon thee, and
purely purge away thy dross, and take
away all thy tin; and I will restore thy
judges as at the first, and thy coun-
sellors as at the beginning: afterward
thou shalt be called, The City of righ-
teousness, The faithful City. Zion shall
be redeemed with judgment, and they
shall restore her with righteousness:
and the destruction of the transgressors
and of the sinners shall be together;
and they that forsake the LORD shall
be consumed.
2 This refers to the words immediately preceding :-"Your hands are full of blood.”
3 Isa. xlix. 13.
4 Ps. lxxi. 7.
FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT.
185
Third Responsory.
'There shall no strangers pass through
Jerusalem any more, for in that day the
mountains shall drop down sweet wine,
and the hills shall flow with milk and
honey, saith the Lord.
Verse. God shall come from Leba-
non, and the Holy One from the thick
and shady mountain.
Answer. For in that day the moun-
tains shall drop down sweet wine, and
the hills shall flow with milk and honey,
saith the Lord.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
COME ye, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, and to the
house of the God of Jacob and He will
teach us of His ways, and we will walk
in His paths, for out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the LORD
from Jerusalem.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as at
Vespers on Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The angel of the Lord announced
unto Mary, and she conceived of the
Holy Ghost. Alleluia.
Prayer as on Sunday.
Note. This rule is invariable that
when a special Prayer is not assigned
and the Office is of the Season, the
Prayer of the preceding Sunday is used.
After "Bless we the Lord" is said
the Dirge.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Responsory at
Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
THE
HE sceptre shall not depart from
Judah, nor the law-giver from his
loins, until He That shall be sent cometh;
and unto Him shall the desire of the
Gentiles be.
***
This Chapter is to be said every week-
day evening till Christmas Eve exclusive.
1 Joel iii. 17, 18.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Lift up thine eyes,* O Jeru-
salem, and see that thy King is mighty :
behold thy Saviour shall come and loose
thee from thy chain.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (ii. 1.)
THE word that Isaiah the son of
Amoz saw concerning Judah and
Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass
in the last days that the mountain of
the LORD's house shall be established
in the top of the mountains and shall be
exalted above the hills: and all nations
shall flow unto it. And many people
shall go and say: Come ye, and let us
go up to the mountain of the LORD, and
to the house of the God of Jacob; and
He will teach us of His ways, and we
will walk in His paths, for out of Zion
shall go forth the law, and the word of
the LORD from Jerusalem.
First Responsory.
¹O ye mountains of Israël, shoot forth
your branches and blossom and bring
forth fruit. The day of the LORD is at
hand to come.
Verse. Drop down, ye heavens, from
above, and let the skies pour down the
Righteous One: let the earth open, and
let her bring forth the Saviour.
Answer. The day of the LORD is at
hand to come.
Second Lesson.
AND He shall judge among the na-
tions, and shall rebuke many peo-
ple: and they shall beat their swords
into ploughshares, and their spears into
pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they
learn war any more. O house of Jacob,
2 Hab. iii. 3, substituting Lebanon for Teman, and translating Paran.
3 Here begins the second prophecy, comprising chapters ii., iii., and iv., and "probably
delivered in the time of Jotham, or perhaps in that of Uzziah.'
4 Ezek. xxxvi. 8.
5 Joel ii. 1.
+
186
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
come ye, and let us walk in the light of
the LORD. For Thou hast forsaken
Thy people, the house of Jacob; be-
cause they be replenished as aforetime,
and have soothsayers like the Philis-
tines, and cleave unto the children of
strangers.
Second Responsory.
Let the mountains break forth into
singing, and the hills bring forth righ-
teousness: for the Lord, the Light of
the world, cometh with power.
1
Verse. Out of Zion shall go forth the
law, and the word of the LORD from Je-
rusalem.
Answer. For the Lord, the Light of
the world, cometh with power.
Third Lesson.
THEIR land is full of silver and gold,
neither is there any end of their
treasures: their land also is full of
horses, neither is there any end of their
chariots. Their land also is full of idols:
they worship the work of their own
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as yesterday.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday.
3
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Seek ye the LORD * while He
may be found; call ye upon Him while
He is near.
Alleluia.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (iii. 1.)
hands, that which their own fingers FOR behold, the Lord, the LORD of
have made. And the mean man
down, and the great man humbleth
himself; therefore forgive them not.
Third Responsory.
Behold, I, the Lord your God, come
from the South, to visit you in peace.
Verse. I will look again upon you
and make you to increase: ye shall be
multiplied, and I will establish My co-
venant with you.
Answer. To visit you in peace.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. To visit you in peace.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as yesterday.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as at
Lauds on Sunday.
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"Before they came together, Mary was
found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Alleluia.
Prayer as on Sunday.
1 Isa. ii. 3.
4 Effeminati.
Hosts, doth take away from Jeru-
salem and from Judah the strength and
the might, the whole stay of bread and
the whole stay of water: the mighty
man and the man of war: the judge,
and the Prophet, and the soothsayer,
and the ancient: the captain of fifty,
and the honourable man, and the coun-
sellor, and the cunning artificer, and the
eloquent orator. And I will give chil-
dren to be their princes; and babes shall
rule over them.
First Responsory.
5
Christ our King cometh. And John
hath testified of Him, that He is the
Lamb that should come !
Verse. The kings shall shut their
mouths at Him, all nations shall serve
Him.
Answer. And John hath testified of
Him, that He is the Lamb that should
come!
AN
Second Lesson.
ND the people shall oppress every
one another, and every one his
neighbour: the child shall behave him-
self proudly against the ancient, and
2 Matth. i. 18.
5 John i. 29.
3 Isa. lv. 6.
• Isa. lii. 5.
FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT.
187
the base against the honourable. For
a man shall take hold of his brother of
the house of his father, saying: Thou
hast clothing, be thou our ruler: and
let this ruin be under thy hand. And
in that day shall he swear, saying: I
am not an healer, and in my house is
neither bread, nor clothing: make me
not a ruler of the people.
Second Responsory.
Of a long time said Ezekiel the Pro-
phet: 'I saw the gate shut: behold, God
went forth from it before the ages for
the salvation of the world. And it was
shut again, for it is a figure of the Vir-
gin, in that after child-birth she re-
mained a Virgin still.
Verse. The Lord alone shall enter by
the gate that thou sawest.
Answer. And it was shut again, for
it is a figure of the Virgin, in that after
child-birth she remained a Virgin still.
Third Lesson.
OR Jerusalem is ruined, and Judah
FOR
is fallen : because their tongue and
their imaginations are against the LORD,
to provoke the eyes of His glory. The
show of their countenance doth witness
against them; and they declare their sin
as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto
their soul, for their evil is repaid unto
them. Say unto the righteous that it
shall be well with him, for he shall eat
the fruit of his doings. Woe unto the
wicked, it shall be ill with him; for the
reward of his hands shall be given him.
Third Responsory.
Behold the days come, &c., (Ninth
Responsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Out of Zion* shall go forth the law, and
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Prayer as on Sunday.
1 Ezek. xliv. 2.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Respon-
sory at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. There cometh One mightier *
than I after me, the latchet of Whose
shoes I am not worthy to unloose.
Thursday.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (iv. 1.)
3
ND in that day seven women shall
AN
take hold of one man, saying: We
will eat our own bread and wear our
own apparel; only let us be called by
thy name; take thou away our reproach.
In that day shall the Branch of the
LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the
fruit of the earth shall be excellent, and
a rejoicing for them that are escaped of
Israël. And it shall come to pass that
he that is left in Zion and he that re-
maineth in Jerusalem, shall be called
holy, even every one that is written
among the living in Jerusalem.
First Responsory.
Receive, O Virgin Mary, &c., (First
Responsory on Monday.)
I
Second Lesson. (v. 1.)
WILL sing to my well-beloved a
song of my beloved touching his
vineyard. My well-beloved hath a
vineyard in a very fruitful hill. And
he fenced it, and gathered out the stones
thereof, and planted it with the choicest
vine, and built a tower in the midst of
2 Mark i. 7.
3 This follows the last verses of the third chapter, wherein it is said that the number of
men killed in battle will make them so scarce that (iv.) seven women, &c.
↑ "This chapter stands single and alone, unconnected with the preceding or following."
188
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
it, and also made a wine-press therein :
and he looked that it should bring forth
grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and men of Judah, judge betwixt me
and my vineyard. What could have
been done more to my vineyard, that I
have not done in it? wherefore, when
I looked that it should bring forth
grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?
Second Responsory.
I saw in the night visions, &c., (Se-
cond Responsory on Sunday.)
A¹
Third Lesson.
ND now I will tell you what I will
do to my vineyard: I will take
away the hedge thereof, and it shall be
eaten up: I will break down the wall
thereof, and it shall be trodden down.
And I will lay it waste; it shall not be
pruned nor digged: and there shall
come up briars and thorns: I will also
command the clouds that they rain no
rain upon it. For the vineyard of the
LORD of hosts is the house of Israël;
and the men of Judah His pleasant
plant and I looked for judgment, but
behold oppression; for righteousness, but
behold a cry.
Third Responsory.
The angel Gabriel, &c., (Third Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Blessed art thou* among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphon as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I will wait upon the Lord
my Saviour, and prevent Him when He
is near.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (vi. 1.)
N the year that King Uzziah died, I
saw the Lord sitting upon a throne,
high and lifted up, and His train filled
the temple. Above it stood the 'Sera-
phim; each one had six wings; with
twain he covered his face, and with
twain he covered his feet, and with
twain he did fly. And one cried unto
another, and said: Holy, Holy, Holy,
is the LORD God of hosts; the whole
earth is full of His glory.
First Responsory.
Hail, Mary, &c., (Fourth Responsory
on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
AND the posts of the door moved at
the voice of him that cried, and the
house was filled with smoke. Then said
I: Woe is me, for I am silent, because
I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell
in the midst of a people of unclean lips,
and mine eyes have seen the King, the
LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the
Seraphim unto me, having a live coal
in his hand, which he had taken with
the tongs from off the altar. And he
laid it upon my mouth and said: Lo,
this hath touched thy lips, and thine
iniquity is taken away, and thy sin
purged.
Second Responsory,
We look for the Saviour, &c. (Fifth
Responsory on Sunday.)
Third Lesson.
ALSO I heard the voice of the LORD
saying: Whom shall I send? and
who will go for us? Then said I: Here
¹ Or, “burning-ones."
FIRST WEEK IN ADVENT.
189
am I; send me. And He said: Go,
and tell this people: Hear ye indeed,
but understand not; and see ye indeed,
but perceive not. Make the heart of
this people dull, and make their ears
heavy, and shut their eyes; lest haply
they see with their eyes, and hear with
their ears, and understand with their
heart, and be converted, and I should
heal them.
Third Responsory.
O my Lord, &c., (Sixth Responsory on
Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
He that is both God and man* shall
come of the house of David and sit in
David's seat. Alleluia.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday.
*
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Out of Egypt have I called
My Son He shall come to save His
people.
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (vii. 1.)
AND it came to pass in the days of
Ahaz, the son of Jotham, the son
of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin
¹ Matth. ii. 15.
the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of
Remaliah, king of Israël, went up to-
ward Jerusalem, to war against it: but
could not prevail against it. And it
was told the house of David, saying:
Syria is confederate with Ephraim.
And his heart was moved, and the heart
of his people, as the trees of the wood
are moved with the wind. Then said
the LORD unto Isaiah: Go forth to
meet Ahaz, thou, and he that is left,
even Jashub thy son, at the end of the
conduit of the upper pool, in the high-
way of the fuller's field.
First Responsory.
Behold, the Virgin, &c., (Seventh Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
AND say unto him: Take heed and be
quiet fear not; neither be faint-
hearted for the two tails of these smok-
ing firebrands, for the fierce anger of
Rezin, king of Syria, and of the son of
Remaliah; because Syria, Ephraim, and
the son of Remaliah, have taken evil
counsel against thee, saying: Let us go
up against Judah, and vex it, and take
it for ourselves, and set a king in the
midst of it, even the son of Tabeal.
Second Responsory.
Hear the word of the LORD, &c.,
(Eighth Responsory on Sunday.)
MORE
Third Lesson. (10.)
OREOVER the LORD spake again
unto Ahaz, saying: Ask thee a
sign of the LORD thy God either in the
depth beneath or in the height above.
But Ahaz said: I will not ask, neither
will I tempt the LORD. And he said:
Hear ye now, ye house of David: Is it
a small thing for you to weary men, but
will ye weary my God also? Therefore
the LORD Himself shall give you a sign.
Behold the Virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and shall call his name Em-
manuel. Butter and honey shall he eat,
until he may know to refuse the evil,
and choose the good.
Third Responsory.
Behold, the days come, &c., (Ninth
Responsory on Sunday.)
(Hos. xi. 1.)
190
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., as on Monday.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Fear not, * Zion, behold, thy God
cometh, Alleluia.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
The Chapter is taken from the Lauds
of the succeeding Sunday.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
last Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Come, O Lord, visit us in
*
peace, that we may rejoice before Thee
with all our heart.
The Prayer is taken from the Lauds
of the succeeding Sunday.
Second Sunday in Advent.
The Second Lord's Day in Coming-
Time.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the last
Sunday.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xi. 1.)
1
'A¹
ND there shall come forth a rod out
of the stem of Jesse, and a flower
shall grow out of his roots. And the
Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him;
the Spirit of wisdom, and understand-
ing, the Spirit of counsel and might, the
Spirit of knowledge [and of godliness:]2
and he shall be filled with the Spirit of
the fear of the LORD. He shall not
judge after the sight of his eyes, neither
reprove after the hearing of his ears;
but with righteousness shall he judge
the poor,
and reprove with equity for
the meek of the earth.
First Responsory.
3Thy salvation cometh quickly, O
Jerusalem; why art thou wasted with
sorrow? Is there no counsellor in thee,
that pangs have taken thee? Fear not,
for I will save thee and deliver thee.
4
Verse. For I am the LORD, thy God,
the Holy One of Israël, thy Saviour.
Answer. Fear not, for I will save
thee, and deliver thee.
Second Lesson.
AND he shall smite the earth with the
rod of his mouth, and with the
breath of his lips shall he slay the
wicked. And righteousness shall be the
girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the
girdle of his reins. The wolf shall dwell
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie
down with the kid; the calf and the
young lion and the fatling together, and
a little child shall lead them. The heifer
and the she-bear shall feed: their young
ones shall lie down together, and the
lion shall eat straw like the ox.
Second Responsory.
5 Behold, the LORD shall come, and
all His saints with Him, and it shall
come to pass in that day that the light
shall be great; and they shall go out
from Jerusalem like clean water; and
the LORD shall be King for ever, over
all the earth.
Verse. Behold the Lord cometh with
an host, and in His band are the king-
dom, and power and dominion.
Answer. Over all the earth.
Third Lesson.
AND the sucking child shall play on
the hole of the asp; and the weaned
child shall put his hand on the cocka-
1 Ch. viii. commences with the birth of Maher-shalal-hash-baz the son of Isaiah and
"the Prophetess," giving occasion to a prophecy stretching to the end of ch. xii., fore-
telling the deliverance of Israel not only from Rezin and Pekah, but from her other ene-
mies, and an ultimate time of blessedness and prosperity. The passage in the text is to
be understood of the Messiah. (Rom. xv. 12.)
2 Not in the Hebrew.
4 Isa. xliii. 3.
3 A paraphrase of Micah iv. 8-10.
5 Zech. xiv. 5-9.
I
SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT.
191
trice' den. They shall not hurt, nor
destroy in all My holy mountain, for
the earth shall be full of the knowledge
of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
In that day there shall be a root of Jesse,
which shall stand as an ensign of the
people, to it shall the Gentiles seek;
and the place of his rest shall be glo-
rious.
Third Responsory.
O, thou city of Jerusalem, weep not,
for the Lord hath repented Him con-
cerning thee. And He will take away
from thee all distress.
1
Verse. Behold, the LORD shall come
with might, and His arm shall rule.
Answer. And He will take away from
thee all distress.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And He will take away from
thee all distress.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Commen-
tary on the Prophecies of Isaiah made
by St. Jerome, Priest [at Bethlehem,]
(Book iv. c. xi.)
66
»
AND there shall come forth a rod out
of the stem of Jesse." From the
beginning of the Book of this Prophet
till the xiiith chapter, where commenc-
eth the vision, or burden of Babylon,
the whole of the vision of Isaiah the
son of Amoz is one continual prophecy
of Christ. We must explain it part
by part, for if we were to take it all at
once, the memory of the reader would
be confused. According to the Jewish
commentators, the rod and the flower
would both relate to the Lord Himself.
They take the rod to mean the sceptre
of His Royal dominion, and the flower
the loveliness of His beauty.
Fourth Responsory.
Behold, there cometh the Lord, our
defender, the Holy One of Israël, wear-
ing a royal crown upon His head.
Verse. 3 And His dominion shall be
from sea even to sea, and from the river
even to the ends of the earth.
1 Isa. xl. 10.
4 Isa. lxvi. 13, 14.
2 Sept. 30.
Answer. Wearing a royal crown upon
His head.
WE, h
Fifth Lesson.
however, understand that the rod
out of the root of Jesse, signifieth
the holy Virgin Mary. She was a clean
stem that had as yet put forth no shoot;
as we have read above: “Behold, the
Virgin shall conceive and bear a son."
(Isa. vii. 14.) And the flower we be-
lieve to mean the Lord our Redeemer,
Who hath elsewhere compared Himself
to a flower; "I am a flower of the
plain, and a lily of the valleys." (Cant.
ii. 1.)
Plain,
Fifth Responsory.
*As a mother comforteth her children,
so will I comfort you, saith the Lord
My help also cometh unto you out of
Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen.
And when ye see this, your heart shall
rejoice.
Verse. "I will place salvation in Zion
and in Jerusalem My glory.
Answer. And when ye shall see this,
your heart shall rejoice.
(6
Sixth Lesson.
THE Spirit of the Lord then shall rest
upon this flower; this flower which
shall come forth from the stem and roots
of Jesse by means of the Virgin Mary.
And truly the Spirit of the Lord did
rest upon our Redeemer. It is written
that In Him dwelleth all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily." (Col. ii. 9.)
The Spirit was not shed on Him by
measure, as it is upon the Saints. To
Him we may apply the words of the
Hebrew Gospel used by the Nazarenes;
"The whole fountain of the Holy Ghost
shall be poured forth upon Him :" "The
Lord is a spirit, and where the Spirit of
the Lord is, there is liberty." (2 Cor. iii.
17.)
Sixth Responsory.
"Thou shalt yet plant vines upon thy
mountains, O Jerusalem: thou shalt
sing for joy, for the day of the Lord
cometh; arise, O Zion, and turn unto
the Lord thy God; rejoice and be glad,
O Jacob. For thy Saviour cometh from
the midst of the nations.
5 Isa. xlvi. 13.
3 Zech. ix. 10.
6 Jer. xxxi. 5.
192
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Verse. Sing aloud for joy, O daughter
of Zion; shout with gladness, O daugh-
ter of Jerusalem.
Answer. For thy Saviour cometh
from the midst of the nations.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For thy Saviour cometh
from the midst of the nations.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xi. 2.)
A
T that time: When John had heard
in the prison the works of Christ,
he sent two of his disciples, and said
unto Him: Art Thou He That should
come, or do we look for another? And
so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great,] (10th Homily on the Gospels.)
The sight of so many signs and so
many mighty works should have been
a source of wonder, and not a stumbling-
block. And yet the unfaithful found
these very works a rock of offence, when
they afterwards saw Him Who had
worked so many miracles dying on the
Cross. Hence Paul saith: "We preach
Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stum-
bling-block and unto the Gentiles fool-
ishness." (1 Cor. i. 23.) It is indeed
folly in the eyes of men to say that the
Author of life died for men: and thus
men put as a stumbling-block to hinder
them from coming to JESUS, the very
thing that doth oblige them the most
unto Him. For the more humbling
God hath undergone for man's sake, the
more worthy is He that man should
worship Him.
Seventh Responsory.
The Lord shall go forth out of Sama-
ria unto the gate that looketh toward
the East; and He shall come into Beth-
lehem, walking upon the waters of the
redemption of Judah. Then shall every
one be saved: for, behold, He cometh.
Verse. 'And in mercy shall His throne
be established, and He shall sit upon it
in truth.
Answer. Then shall every one be
saved: for, behold, He cometh.
AN
Eighth Lesson.
ND blessed is he, whosoever shall
not be offended in Me." Now
what is this, but a plain mention of that
time, when He afterwards humbled
Himself, becoming obedient unto death,
even the death of the Cross? It is as if
He said: "I indeed do wonderful works,
but the day will come when I shall not
refuse to suffer shame and evil treat-
ment. Take heed then, ye who now
worship Me for the works' sake, that
when I come to die ye despise Me not
for My death's sake."
Eighth Responsory.
Make haste, O LORD, make no tarry-
ing. And deliver Thy people.
Verse. O Lord, come and make no
tarrying: loose the bonds of Thy people.
Answer. And deliver Thy people.
Ninth Lesson.
AND, as the disciples of John departed,
what did Jesus say unto the multi-
tudes concerning this same John? Let
us hear.
"What went ye out into the
wilderness to see? A reed shaken with
the wind?” Here our Lord teacheth
not by assertion, but by negation. Now
a reed is a thing so made that as soon as
the wind bloweth upon it, it bendeth it
over toward the opposite quarter. And
the fleshly-minded man is like a human
reed. As he is praised or blamed so he
bendeth himself in the one direction or
the other.
Ninth Responsory.
Behold, the Lord cometh down with
glory, and His host is with Him. To
visit His people in peace, and to esta-
blish them in life everlasting.
Verse. Behold, our Lord cometh with
an host.
Answer. To visit His people in peace,
and to establish them in life everlasting.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. To visit His people in peace,
and to establish them in life everlasting.
1 Isa. xvi. 5.
SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT.
193
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Behold, the Lord *
cometh in the clouds of heaven with
great power. Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. Our Zion is a
strong city, the Saviour will God ap-
point in her for walls and bulwarks;
open ye the gates, for God is with us.
Alleluia.
2
Third Antiphon. Behold, the Lord *
shall appear and not lie: though He
tarry, wait for Him, because He will
come and will not tarry. Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. The mountains
and the hills * shall break forth before
In the Short Responsory the same
alteration as last week.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Our Zion is a strong city,
* &c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
The Chapter is taken from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Behold,_the_Lord, * &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Rom. xv. 5.)
God into singing, and all the trees of NOW the God of patience and con-
the wood shall clap their hands: for the
Lord the Ruler cometh, and He shall
reign for ever and ever. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Fifth Antiphon. Behold, our Lord *
cometh with power, and He shall lighten
the eyes of His servants. Alleluia.
Chapter. (Rom. xv. 4.)
BRETHREN, whatsoever things were
written were written for our learn-
ing, that we through patience and
comfort of the Scriptures might have
hope.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Now when John * had heard in the
prison the works of Christ, he sent two
of his disciples and said unto Him: Art
Thou He That should come, or do we
look for another?
Prayer.
STIR up our hearts, O Lord, to make
ready the ways of Thine Only-
begotten Son, that by His coming our
minds being purified, we may the more
worthily give up ourselves to Thy ser-
vice: through the same Our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, One God, world without end.
Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Behold, the Lord, * &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
1 Isa, xxvi. 1.
solation grant you to be like-
minded one toward another, according
to Christ JESUS: that ye may with one
mind and one mouth glorify God, even
the Father of our Lord JESUS Christ.
NONE.
Antiphon. Behold, our Lord, * &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Rom. xv. 13.)
NOW the God of hope fill you with
all joy and peace in believing;
that ye may abound in hope, and in the
power of the Holy Ghost.
VESPERS.
Antiphons and Chapter as at Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the first evening.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Art Thou He* That should
come, or do we look for another? Tell
John what things ye have seen: The
blind receive their sight, the dead are
raised up, the poor have the Gospel
preached to them. Alleluia.
After "Bless we the Lord" are said
the Vespers of the Dead.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the First
Sunday.
2 Hab. ii. 3.
3 Isa. lv. 12.
194
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xiii. 1.)
THE burden of Babylon, which Isaiah
the son of Amoz did see.
Lift ye
up a banner upon the cloudy mountain,
exalt the voice, beckon with the hand,
and let the nobles enter in at the gates.
I have commanded My sanctified ones,
I have also called My mighty ones for
Mine anger, even them that rejoice in
My highness. The noise of a multitude
in the mountains, like as of a great
people a tumultuous noise of kings;
even of nations gathered together.
First Responsory.
Receive, O Virgin Mary, &c., (First
Responsory on the Monday in the First
Week.)
Second Lesson.
THE LORD of hosts mustereth the host
of the battle, they come from a far
country, from the end of heaven; even
the LORD and the weapons of His indig-
nation, to destroy the whole land. Howl
ye, for the day of the LORD is at hand;
it shall come as a destruction from the
2 Lord. Therefore shall all hands be
faint, and every man's heart shall melt,
and they shall be afraid. Pangs and
sorrows shall take hold of them, they
shall be in pain as a woman that tra-
vaileth; they shall be amazed one at an-
other, their faces shall be as scorched
faces.
Second Responsory.
Sing, O heavens, &c., (Second Respon-
sory on Monday in the First Week.)
Third Lesson.
BEHOLD, the day of the LORD cometh,
cruel, and full of wrath and fierce
anger, to lay the land desolate, and He
shall destroy the sinners thereof out of
it. For the stars of heaven, and the
constellations thereof shall not give their
light: the sun shall be darkened in his
going forth, and the moon shall not
cause her light to shine. And I will
punish the world for their evil, and the
wicked for their iniquity; and I will
cause the arrogancy of the unfaithful
to cease, and will lay low the haughti-
ness of the terrible.
Third Responsory.
There shall no strangers pass, &c.,
(Third Responsory on Monday in the
First Week.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The Lord the Ruler * cometh from hea-
ven, and in His hand are honour and
dominion.
Prayer as on Sunday.
After "Bless we the Lord" is said
the Dirge.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Behold, the Lord cometh * the
King of all the earth, to take off from
us the yoke of our captivity.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the First
Sunday.
1 Chap. xiii. 1 to xiv. 27 "contain one entire prophecy, foretelling the destruction of
Babylon by the Medes and Persians; delivered probably in the reign of Ahaz.”
2 Hebrew, "the Almighty."
SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT.
195
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xiv. 1.)
HER time is near to come, and her
days shall not be prolonged. For
the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and
will yet choose Israël, and set them in
their own land; the strangers shall be
joined with them, and they shall cleave
to the house of Jacob. And the people
shall take them and bring them to their
place; and the house of Israël shall pos-
sess them in the land of the LORD, for
servants and handmaids; and they shall
take them captive whose captives they
and they shall rule over their op-
were,
pressors.
First Responsory.
O ye mountains, &c., (First Respon-
sory on Tuesday in the First Week.)
Second Lesson.
AND it shall come to pass in the day
that the LORD shall give thee rest
from thy sorrow, and from thy fear,
and from the hard bondage, wherein
thou wast made to serve that thou
shalt take up this proverb against the
King of Babylon, and say: How hath the
oppressor ceased, the exaction ceased?
The LORD hath broken the staff of the
wicked, the sceptre of the rulers, the
staff of him who smote the people in
wrath, with a continual stroke, of him
that ruled the nations in anger, of the
cruel persecutor.
Second Responsory.
Let the mountains, &c., (Second Re-
sponsory on Tuesday in the First Week.)
Third Lesson. (12.)²
O
HOW art thou fallen from heaven, o
Lucifer, son of the morning? How
art thou cut down to the ground, which
didst weaken the nations? For thou
hast said in thine heart: I will ascend
into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God, I will sit upon
the mount of the covenant, in the sides
of the north; I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds, I will be like the
Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought
down to hell, to the depth of the pit.
Third Responsory.
Behold I, &c., (Third Responsory on
Tuesday in the First Week.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
3 The LORD shall arise upon thee, O
Jerusalem, and His glory shall be seen
upon thee.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The voice * of one crying in
the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of
the Lord, make His paths straight.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the First
Sunday.
1 I.e. Babylon's. The hour of her destruction is no longer to be postponed.
2 In the intervening verses the ghost of the king of Babylon is described entering the
netherworld, and greeted with vindictive joy by the ghosts of his wronged victims, who
find him at last reduced to their own level. They address him as Lucifer, i.e. the morn-
ing-star, now dropped out of that (political) firmament of which he had used to be the
brightest luminary.
3 Isa. lx. 2.
o 2
196
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xvi. 1.)¹
2SEND forth the Lamb, O Lord, the
Ruler of the land, from the rock in
the wilderness unto the mount of the
daughter of Zion. For it shall be: that
as a wandering bird, and as fledglings
that fly from the nest, so the daughters
of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.
Take counsel, call together a council;
make thy shadow as the night, in the
midst of the noon-day: hide the out-
casts, and bewray not him that wan-
dereth. Mine outcasts shall dwell with
thee: Moab, be thou a cover to them
from the face of the spoiler.
First Responsory.
Christ our King, &c., (First Respon-
sory on Wednesday in the First Week.)
Second Lesson.
4 For the grinding down is at an end,
the beggar ceaseth, they that trod down
the land are consumed. And in mercy
shall the throne be established, and He
shall sit upon it in truth in the taber-
nacle of David, judging and seeking
judgment, and executing justice speed-
ily. We have heard of the pride of
Moab, he is very proud: his haughti-
ness, and his pride, and his wrath are
greater than his strength.
Second Responsory.
Of a long time, &c., (Second Respon-
sory on Wednesday in the First Week.)
THE
Third Lesson.
HEREFORE shall Moab howl unto
Moab, every one shall howl: tell
her strokes, ye that rejoice in the "Walls
of brick." For the fields of Heshbon
languish, the lords of the nations have
broken down the vine of Sibmah: their
scourge is come even unto Jazer, they
wandered through the wilderness, her
branches are left desolate, they are gone
over the sea.
Third Responsory.
Behold, the LORD, &c., (Second Re-
sponsory on Sunday,) with this addi-
tion,
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Over all the earth.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"Behold, I send My angel* which shall
prepare My way before Thy face.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
*
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thou shalt yet be built anew,
O Zion, and thou shalt see thy Righ-
teous One, Who shall come in thee.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the First
Sunday.
1 This is an extract from the prophecy against Moab, comprised in chaps. xv. and xvi.
2 The opening words are of extreme difficulty, and translators are much divided.
Lowth, on divers grounds, renders it, "I (God) will send forth the son of the ruler of the
land from Selah (Petra) in the desert unto the Mount of the daughter of Zion”—i.e. in
the misfortunes of Moab, the son of their king will escape from the country and seek an
asylum at Jerusalem.
3 According to Lowth:-"Let the outcasts of Moab sojourn with thee”—(viz. with
Judah)-" be thou a cover to them," &c.
• Lowth suggests that the reference is to the misfortunes inflicted upon Judah by Israël
in the time of Ahaz, the cessation of which left them at liberty to show hospitality.
5 Kir.hareseth-a fortified city on the borders of Moab.
6 Mark i. 2.
SECOND WEEK IN ADVENT.
197
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xix. 1.)
THE burden of Egypt. Behold the
LORD shall ride upon a swift cloud,
and shall come into Egypt; and the
idols of Egypt shall be moved at His
presence, and the heart of Egypt shall
melt in the midst of it. And I will set
the Egyptians against the Egyptians :
and they shall fight, every one against
his brother, and every one against his
neighbour, city against city, and king-
dom against kingdom.
First Responsory.
Thy salvation, &c., (First Responsory
on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
AND the spirit of Egypt shall fail in
the midst thereof, and I will de-
stroy the counsel thereof: and they shall
seek to their idols, and to their charmers,
and to them that have familiar spirits,
and to the wizards. And the Egyptians
will I give over into the hand of cruel
lords; and a fierce king shall rule over
them, saith the Lord ¹GOD of hosts.
And the waters shall fail from the sea:
and the river shall be wasted, and dried
up, and the brook shall fail and the
streams in the furrows shall be emptied
and dried up.
1
Second Responsory.
Behold, the LORD, &c., (Second Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
Third Lesson.
THE princes of Tanis are fools, the
:
Third Responsory.
O thou city of Jerusalem, &c., (Third™
Responsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
O Lord, Thou art He that should come,
* for Whom we look, that Thou shouldest
save Thy people.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
2
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. He it is * Who, coming after
me, is preferred before me, Whose shoe's
latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the First
Sunday.
First Lesson.
wise counsellors of Pharaoh have
given brutish counsel, How say ye unto
Pharaoh I am the son of the wise, the
son of ancient kings? Where are now
thy wise men? Let them tell thee and
show thee what the LORD of hosts hath
purposed upon Egypt. The princes of
Tanis are become fools, the princes of
Memphis are deceived; they have se-
duced Egypt, even they that are the
corner-stone of the tribes thereof.
The Lesson taken from the Book of the
Prophet Isaiah (xxiv. 1.)
Let them tell thee and BEHOLD, the LORD shall make the
1 The Divine Name.
earth empty, and make it waste,
and afflict the surface thereof; and scat-
ter abroad the inhabitants thereof. And
it shall be, as with the people, so with
the priest; as with the servant, so with
his master; as with the maid, so with
her mistress; as with the buyer, so with
2 John i. 27.
3 Delivered probably in the beginning of Hezekiah's reign; but concerning the par-
ticular subject of the chapter, interpreters are not at all agreed.
198
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the seller; as with the lender, so with
the borrower as with the creditor, so
with the debtor. The land shall be
utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled.
For the LORD hath spoken this word.
First Responsory.
Behold, there cometh, &c., (Fourth
Responsory on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
THE earth mourneth and fadeth away,
and languisheth; the world fadeth
away, the haughty people of the earth
do languish. The earth also is defiled
under the inhabitants thereof; because
they have transgressed the laws, changed
the ordinance, broken the everlasting
covenant. Therefore shall the curse de-
vour the earth, and they that dwell
therein are guilty, therefore they that
till it shall become mad, and few men
shall be left.
Second Responsory.
As a mother, &c., (Fifth Responsory
on Sunday.)
Third Lesson.
THE
HE new wine mourneth, the vine
languisheth, all the merry-hearted
do sigh. The mirth of tabrets ceaseth,
the noise of them that rejoice endeth,
the joy of the harp ceaseth. They shall
not drink wine with a song; strong
drink shall be bitter to them that drink
it. The city of confusion is broken
down, every house is shut up that no
man may come in. There is a cry for
wine in the streets; all joy is darkened,
the mirth of the land is gone. In the
city is left desolation, and the gate is
smitten with destruction. For thus it
shall be in the midst of the land, among
the people; as a few olives that remain
after the olive-tree is shaken, and as the
gleaning grapes when the vintage is
done. Those shall lift up their voice
and sing praises; when the LORD is
magnified they shall cry aloud from the
sea. Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in
your teaching, even the name of the
LORD God of Israel in the isles of the
sea.
From the uttermost part of the
earth, have we heard the voice of praise,
even glory to the Righteous One.
1 Isa. xxxv. 4.
Third Responsory.
Thou shalt yet plant vines, &c.,
(Sixth Responsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹Say: * Ye that are of a fearful heart, be
strong; behold, the Lord our God will
come.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
2
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Sing unto the LORD * a new
song: from the end of the earth let the
voice of praise be heard.
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the First
Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Isaiah (xxv. 1.)
0
LORD, Thou art my God, I will
exalt Thee, I will also praise Thy
name; for Thou hast done wonderful
things, Thy counsels of old are faithful.
Amen. For Thou hast made of a city
an heap, of a defenced city a ruin, a
house of strangers, so that it is no more
a city, neither shall it ever be built any
more. Therefore shall the strong peo-
2 Isa. xlii. 10.
THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT.
199
ple glorify Thee, the city of the terrible
nations shall fear Thee. For Thou hast
been a strength to the needy in his dis-
tress; a refuge from the storm, a shadow
from the heat.
First Responsory.
The Lord shall go forth, &c., (Seventh
Responsory on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
FOR the blast of the terrible ones is as
a storm against the wall. Thou
shalt bring down the noise of strangers,
as the heat in a dry place; and Thou
shalt bring low the blast of the terrible
ones even as the heat with the shadow
of a cloud. And in this mountain shall
the LORD of hosts make unto all people
a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on
the lees, of fat things full of marrow,
of wines on the lees well refined.
He will destroy in this mountain the
face of the band tied upon all people,
and the veil that is spread over all
nations.
Second Responsory.
And
Make haste, &c., (Eighth Responsory
on Sunday.)
HE
Third Lesson.
E will utterly destroy death for
ever; and the Lord GOD will
wipe away tears from all faces, and the
rebuke of His people shall He take
away from off all the earth; for the
LORD hath spoken it. And it shall be
said in that day: Lo, this is our God,
we have waited for Him, and He will
save us; this is the LORD, we have
waited for Him, we will be glad and
rejoice in His salvation. For on this
mountain shall the hand of the LORD
rest; and Moab shall be trodden down
under Him, even as straw is trodden
down on the threshing-floor. And He
shall spread forth His hands in the
midst of them, as he that swimmeth
spreadeth forth his hands to swim; and
He shall bring down their pride together
with the spoils of their hands. And
the bulwark of thy high walls shall He
1 The Name.
2 Isa. xi. 12.
bring down, lay low, and bring to the
ground, even to the dust.
Third Responsory.
Behold, the Lord, &c., (Ninth Respon-
sory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2The Lord shall lift up a standard *
unto the nations, and shall gather to-
gether the outcasts of Israël.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, None.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
The Chapter is taken from the Lauds
of the succeeding Sunday.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
3
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Before Me* there was no
god formed, neither shall there be after
Me for unto Me every knee shall bow,
and every tongue shall swear.
The Prayer is taken from the Lauds
of the succeeding Sunday.
4Rose Sunday in Advent.
The Third Lord's Day in Coming-
Time.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord is now at hand:
* O come, let us worship Him.
This Invitatory is said every day till
Christmas Eve exclusive.
Hymn as on First Sunday.
3 Isa. xliii. 10; xlv. 24.
4 The penitential character of the season is relaxed as on the Fourth Sunday in Lent,-
Rose-coloured (i.e. reddish brown) vestments are worn instead of purple, and it is al-
lowed to put flowers on the altar and to play the organ.
5 Phil. iv. 5.
200
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xxvi. 1.)
IN that land of Judah.
that day shall this song be sung in
the land of Judah. Zion is our
strong city, the Saviour will God ap-
point in her for walls and bulwarks.
Open ye the gates, that the righteous
nation which keepeth the truth may
enter in. The former wandering is
past: Thou shalt keep lasting peace,
because our trust is stayed on Thee.
Ye trust in the LORD for ever, in the
LORD GOD mighty for ever. For He
bringeth down them that dwell on
high, the lofty city, He shall lay it low,
He shall lay it low, even to the ground,
He shall bring it even to the dust. The
foot shall tread it down, even the feet
of the poor, and the steps of the needy.
First Responsory.
2 Behold, the Lord shall appear upon
a white cloud, and ten thousand of His
saints with Him; and He shall have on
His vesture, and on His thigh a name
written, King of kings and Lord of
lords.
Verse. He shall appear and not lie;
though He tarry, wait for Him, because
He will surely come.
Answer. And ten thousand of His
saints with Him; and He shall have on
His vesture, and on His thigh a name
written; King of kings, and Lord of
lords.
Second Lesson.
THE way of the just is upright, the
path wherein the just walketh is
upright. Yea, in the way of Thy judg-
ments, O LORD, have we waited for
Thee; the desire of our soul is to Thy
name, and to the remembrance of Thee.
With my soul have I desired Thee in
the night; yea, with mine inmost spirit
will I seek Thee early. When Thy
judgments are in the earth, the inhabi-
tants of the world will learn righteous-
ness. Though mercy be shown to the
wicked, yet will he not learn righteous-
1 Zion not in the Hebrew.
ness; in the land of uprightness will he
deal unjustly, and will not behold the
majesty of the LORD.
Second Responsory.
3 Thou, Bethlehem, art the city of
the Most High God, out of thee shall
He come forth That is to be Ruler in
Israel; Whose goings forth have been
from of old, from everlasting, and now
shall He be great unto the ends of the
earth. And this Man shall be the peace
in our land, when He shall come.
Verse. He shall speak peace unto the
Gentiles, and shall have dominion from
sea to sea.
Answer. And this Man shall be the
peace in our land, when He shall come.
LOR
Third Lesson.
ORD, ¹let Thy hand be lifted up,
and let them not see; let them see
and be ashamed for their envy at the
people; yea, let the fire devour Thine
enemies. LORD, Thou wilt ordain peace
for us, for Thou hast also wrought all
our works for us. O LORD, our God,
other lords beside Thee have had domi-
nion over us; but by Thee only will we
make mention of Thy name. They are
dead, they shall not live, the giants
shall not rise. Therefore hast Thou
visited and destroyed them, and made
all their memory to perish.
Third Responsory.
5 He That shall come, will come, and
will not tarry; and there shall no more
be fear in our borders. For He is our
Saviour.
Verse. He shall tread down all our
iniquities, and cast all our sins into the
depths of the sea.
Answer. For He is our Saviour.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For He is our Saviour.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great,] (Second
2 Jude 14; Apoc. xix. 16.
3 Micah v. 2, 4, 5.
4 Lowth-"Thy hand is lifted up, yet will they not see: but they shall see, with confu-
sion, Thy zeal," &c.
5 Heb. x. 37.
6 Micah vii. 19.
THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT.
201
on the December Fast, and Alms-
giving.)
DEA
EARLY beloved brethren, with the
care which becometh us as the
shepherd of your souls, we urge upon
you the rigid observance of this Decem-
ber Fast. The month of December hath
come round again, and with it this de-
vout custom of the Church. The fruits
of the year, which is drawing to a
close, are now all gathered in, and we
most meetly offer our abstinence to God
as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. And
what can be more useful than fasting,
that exercise by which we draw nigh to
God, make a stand against the devil,
and overcome the softer enticements of
sin?
Fourth Responsory.
Weep not, O Egypt, for the Ruler
cometh unto thee, and the depths shall
be moved at His presence. To deliver
His people out of the hand of the
mighty.
Verse. Behold, the Lord of hosts, thy
God, cometh with great power.
Answer. To deliver His people out of
the hand of the mighty.
Fifth Lesson.
ASTING hath ever been the bread
FASTING
of strength. From abstinence pro-
ceed pure thoughts, reasonable desires,
and healthy counsels. By voluntary
mortifications the flesh dieth to lust,
and the soul is renewed in might. But
since fasting is not the only mean
whereby we get health for our souls,
let us add to our fasting works of mercy.
Let us spend in good deeds what we take
from indulgence. Let our fast become
the banquet of the poor.
Fifth Responsory.
'Her time is near to come, and her
days shall not be prolonged. For the
LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and
Israël shall be saved.
Verse. Turn again, O Virgin of Is-
raël, turn again to thy cities.
Answer. For the LORD shall have
mercy on Judah, and Israël shall be
saved.
Sixth Lesson.
flicted and reconcile the estranged; let
us take in the wanderer and succour the
oppressed; let us clothe the naked and
cherish the sick. And may every one
of us that shall offer to the God of all
goodness this Advent sacrifice of fasting
and alms be by Him fitted to receive an
eternal reward in His heavenly king-
dom! We fast on Wednesday and Fri-
day; and there is likewise a Vigil on
Saturday at the Church of St. Peter,
that by his good prayers we may the
more effectually obtain what we ask for,
through our Lord JESUS Christ, Who
with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
liveth and reigneth, one God, world
without end. Amen.
Sixth Responsory.
3 The Lord shall come down like rain
upon a fleece. In His days shall righ-
teousness flourish, and abundance of
peace.
Verse. All the kings of the earth
shall fall down before Him, all nations
shall serve Him.
Answer. In His days shall righteous-
ness flourish, and abundance of peace.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. In His days shall righteous-
ness flourish, and abundance of peace.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (i. 19.)
AT that time: The Jews sent Priests
and Levites from Jerusalem to John
to ask him: Who art thou? And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great,] (7th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, the first
thing which striketh us in to-day's Gos-
pel is the lowly-mindedness of John.
He was so great that it was thought he
might be the Christ; yet he soberly
chose rather to seem only what he really
was, than to let the belief of men invest
him with a dignity which did not belong
to him; for "he confessed, and denied
not, but confessed, I am not the Christ,"
at the same time he would not deny
what he was in reality; and thus his
3 Ps. lxxi. 6, 7, 11.
LET us defend the widow and serve
the orphan; let us comfort the af-
2 Jer. xxxi. 21.
1 Isa. xiv. 1.
202
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
very truth-speaking made him a mem-
ber of Him Whose title he would not by
falsehood take. In that he arrogated
not to himself the name of Christ, he
became a member of Christ. While he
humbly strove to confess his own weak-
ness, he earned by his simplicity a part
in the grandeur of his Master.
Seventh Responsory.
O Lord, come and make no tarrying;
loosen the bonds of Thy people. And
gather again into their own land them
that are scattered abroad.
Verse. 10 Lord, stir up Thy strength,
and come and save us.
Answer. And gather again into their
own land them that are scattered a-
broad.
Eighth Lesson.
IN considering this subject we find an
apparent contradiction between one
of John's statements, and the saying of
our Redeemer recorded in another part
of the Gospel. (Matth. xvii. 10-12.)
When His disciples asked our Lord re-
garding the coming of Elias, He an-
swered: "Elias is come already, and
they knew him not, but have done unto
him whatsoever they listed.”
"And if
ye will receive it, this" (that is, John)
"is Elias." (Matth. xi. 14.) But when
John was asked if he was Elias, he an-
swered, "I am not." How comes it
then, dearly beloved brethren, that we
find the Truth Itself asserting what the
prophet of the Truth denied? It must
evidently be that our Lord meant one
thing and John another, when the Lord
said, "This is," and John, "I am not."
For how can he be the prophet of truth,
if he speak not according to the word of
Him Who is the Eternal Truth?
Eighth Responsory.
2 Behold, there shall be a root of
Jesse, which shall come for salvation
unto the people, to it shall the Gentiles
seek, and His name shall be glorious.
Verse. 3 The Lord God shall give unto
Him the throne of His father David,
and He shall reign over the house of
Jacob for ever.
Answer. And His name shall be glo-
rious.
1 Ps. lxxix. 2.
4 Isa. ii. 3.
7 Isa. xl. 4.
Ninth Lesson.
ET us then more minutely examine
these words, and we shall find that
there is no real contradiction. When
the angel announced to Zacharias the
coming birth of John he said: "He
shall go before Him in the spirit and
power of Elias," (Luke i. 17.)` As the
old Elias will come again before the
Second Advent of the Lord, so did John,
as the new Elias, go before the First
Advent, in the spirit and power of Elias.
As the old Elias will be the Fore-runner
of the Judge, so the new Elias was the
Fore-runner of the Saviour. John then
was Elias in spirit, but not in person;
and our Lord asserteth of the spirit
what John denieth of the person.
Ninth Responsory.
4 The Lord will teach us of His ways,
and we will walk in His paths. For
out of Zion shall go forth the law, and
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
Verse. Come ye, and let us go up to
the mountain of the LORD, and to the
house of the God of Jacob.
Answer. For out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the LORD
from Jerusalem.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the LORD
from Jerusalem.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. The Lord will come,
* and will not tarry; He both will bring
to light the hidden things of darkness,
and will make Himself manifest to all
people. Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. Rejoice greatly, O
Jerusalem, * for thy Saviour cometh
unto thee. Alleluia.
*
Third Antiphon. "I will place salva-
tion in Zion, and My glory in Jerusa-
lem. Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. Every mountain
and hill * shall be made low, and the
crooked shall be made straight, and the
rough places plain: O Lord, come and
make no tarrying. Alleluia.
8
Fifth Antiphon. We should live *
righteously and godly, looking for that
3 Luke i. 32.
6 Isa. xlvi. 13.
2 Isa. xi. 10.
5 1 Cor. iv. 5.
8 Tit. ii. 13.
THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT.
203
blessed hope and the coming of the
Lord.
BRE
Chapter. (Phil. iv. 4.)
RETHREN, Rejoice in the Lord al-
way again I say, rejoice. Let
your moderation be known unto all
men for the Lord is at hand.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
He shall sit *
upon the throne of David,
and upon his kingdom for ever.
luia.
Prayer.
Alle-
LORD, we beseech Thee, mercifully
incline Thine ears unto our prayers,
and lighten the darkness of our minds
by the grace of Thy heavenly visitation;
Who livest and reignest with God the
Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. The Lord will come, * &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory the same
alteration as before.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Rejoice greatly, &c., (Se-
cond Antiphon at Lauds.)
The Chapter is taken from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. I will place salvation, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
BE
Chapter. (Phil. iv. 6.)
E careful for nothing, but in every
thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving, let your requests be
made known unto God.
NONE.
Antiphon. We should live, * &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
AND
Chapter. (Phil. iv. 7.)
ND the peace of God which passeth
all understanding, keep your
1 Luke i. 45.
hearts
and minds, through Christ JESUS our
Lord.
VESPERS.
Antiphons and Chapter as at Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin (unless supplanted by the great
Antiphon, O Wisdom.) ¹Blessed art
thou,* O Mary, that hast believed the
Lord: for there shall be a performance
of those things which were told thee
from the Lord. Alleluia.
After "Bless we the Lord" are said
the Vespers of the Dead.
The Seven Days preceding Christmas
Eve are marked by the Church with two
observances; 1st, The series of Anti-
phons called the Great O's, and 2nd, by
a special series of Antiphons at Laúds.
The rules which apply to them are dif-
ferent.
1. The Great O's.
The Great O's are a series of Anti-
phons at the Song of the Blessed Virgin,
one for every evening from Dec. 17 to
23 inclusive. They supplant any other
Antiphon of the Office of the Season,
(as, for instance, if the 17th Dec. should
be the Third Sunday of Advent, the
Antiphon, "Blessed art thou" is dis-
placed for "O Wisdom.") The Great
"O's however are sometimes supplanted
by Feasts, (as, for instance, "O Day-
Spring," by the Feast of St. Thomas,)
and then they are treated as the Anti-
phon for the Week-day, forming part
of the Commemoration. They are always
said entire both before and after the
Canticle, like the Antiphon on Double
Feasts.
0
Dec. 17.
WISDOM, That comest out of the
mouth of the Most High, 3That
reachest from one end to another, and
dost mightily and sweetly order all
things: come, to teach us the way of
prudence!
0
2 Ecclus. xxiv. 5.
Dec. 18.
*ADONAI, and Ruler of the house
of Israël, Who didst appear unto
3 Wisd. viii. 1.
4 I.e. Lord. This is the Hebrew word which the Jews substitute for any endeavour to
pronounce the Eternal Name.
204
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Moses in the burning bush, and gavest
him the law in Sinai: come, to redeem
us with an outstretched arm!
Ό
Dec. 19.
'O ROOT of Jesse, Which standest
for an ensign of the people, 2at
Whom the kings shall shut their mouths,
¹unto Whom the Gentiles shall seek:
come, to deliver us, make no tarrying.
0
Dec. 20.
KEY of David, and Sceptre of the
house of Israël; That openest,
and no man shutteth; and shuttest and
no man openeth: come, to bring out
the prisoners from the prison, and them
that sit in darkness, and in the shadow
of death.
Dec. 21.
"ODAY-SPRING, "Brightness of the
everlasting Light, Sun of Righ-
teousness, come, to give light to them
that sit in darkness, and in the shadow
of death!
0
Dec. 22.
KING of the Gentiles, yea, and
* Desire thereof, 90 Corner-stone
that makest of two one: come, to save
man, whom Thou hast made of the dust
of the earth!
0
Dec. 23.
EMMANUEL, our King and our
Law-giver, 10 Longing of the Gen-
tiles, yea, and Salvation thereof: come
to save us, O Lord our God!
2. Special series of Antiphons at Lauds.
The following series of Antiphons are
used on Week-days at Lauds, and, con-
sequently, the First, Second, Third, and
Fifth at Prime, Terce, Sext, and None,
on the seven days preceding Christmas
Eve, beginning like the Great O's on the
17th Dec. They differ from the Great
O's in that they can be wholly sup-
planted. This is always the case on two
days, which are necessarily, one a Sun-
day, and the other the Feast of St. Tho-
mas. Therefore five sets only are given.
1 Isa. xi. 10.
↑ Isa. xlii. 7.
If the 17th be the Sunday, the series is
begun on Monday.
are
The set which fall upon the day when
the Feast of St. Thomas occurs
transferred to the next Saturday, and
said then, except the Fourth, which is
omitted, and the Antiphon, "My teach-
ing shall drop, &c." said in its place.
If, however, the Sunday to follow be
Christmas Eve, then on Saturday are
said the Antiphons of the Lauds of the
Fourth Sunday in Advent, except the
Fourth, which is omitted, and the Anti-
phon "My teaching shall drop, &c." said
in its place. The Antiphon at the Song
of Zacharias and the Prayer will then
be those proper to the Day, as Ember
Saturday. In this case the set of An-
tiphons which fell upon the day occupied
by the Feast of St. Thomas will be alto-
gether omitted; and the Antiphon "My
teaching shall drop, &c." will likewise
be altogether omitted should the Feast of
St. Thomas come on the Saturday.
Here follow the five sets of Antiphons.
First set.
First Antiphon. Behold, the Lord
cometh, 11the Prince of the Kings of
the earth: blessed are they that are
ready to go forth to meet Him.
Second Antiphon. 12 When the Son of
man cometh, *shall He find faith on
the earth?
Third Antiphon. 13 Behold, the fulness
* of the time is come, when God sent
forth His Son into the world.
*
Fourth Antiphon. 14 With joy shall
ye draw water out of the wells of the
Saviour.
Fifth Antiphon. The Lord goeth forth
* from His holy place; He cometh to
save His people.
Second set.
First Antiphon. 15 Drop down, ye hea-
vens, from above, * and let the skies
pour down the Righteous One: let the
earth open and let her bring forth the
Saviour.
2 Isa. lii. 15.
Second Antiphon. 16 Send forth the
5 Luke i. 78, 79.
8 Hag. ii. 8.
7 Mal. iv. 2.
10 Gen. xlix. 10.
11 Apoc. i. 5.
13 Gal. iv. 4.
14 Isa. xii. 3.
3
Apoc. iii. 7.
6 Wisd. vii. 26.
9 Eph. ii. 14, 20.
12 Luke xviii. 8.
15 Isa. xlv. 8.
16 Isa. xvi. 1.
THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT.
205
Lamb, O Lord, * the Ruler of the land,
from the rock of the wilderness unto
the mount of the daughter of Zion.
Third Antiphon. That Thy way, O
Lord,* may be known upon earth, Thy
saving health among all nations.
Fourth Antiphon. 20 Lord, * reward
them that wait for Thee, and let Thy
Prophets be found faithful.
3
Fifth Antiphon. The law was given
by Moses, but grace and truth came
by JESUS Christ.
Third set.
First Antiphon. The Prophets fore-
told that the Saviour should be born
of the Virgin Mary.
4
Second Antiphon. The Spirit of the
Lord is upon Me, because He hath
anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the
poor.
Third Antiphon. For Zion's sake *
will I not hold my peace, until her
Righteous one go forth as brightness.
Fourth Antiphon. Behold, the Lord
cometh, *"to sit among princes, and to
inherit the throne of glory.
Fifth Antiphon. Tell it out among
the people, * and say: Behold, God our
Saviour cometh.
*
Fourth set.
First Antiphon. The Lord, the Al-
mighty, cometh out of Zion, to save
His people.
Second Antiphon. Turn Thee, O Lord,
at the last, and tarry not to come unto
Thy servants.
Third Antiphon. The Lord That
shall rule * shall come forth from Zion,
Emmanuel is His name, and His name
is great.
*
Fourth Antiphon. "Behold, He is my
God, and I will glorify Him; my fa-
ther's God, and I will exalt Him.
Fifth Antiphon. The Lord our Law-
giver, * the Lord our King, cometh to
save us.
Fifth set.
First Antiphon. Stand still * and
see the salvation of the LORD.
1 Ps. lxvi. 2.
4 Luke iv. 18.
Second Antiphon. Unto Thee, O
LORD,* lift I up my soul: come and de-
liver me, O Lord, in Thee do I put my
trust.
Third Antiphon. Come, O Lord, *
and make no tarrying: loosen the bonds
of Thy people Israel.
Fourth Antiphon. 10 God shall come
from Lebanon, * and His brightness
shall be as the light.
11
Fifth Antiphon. Therefore I will
look unto the LORD, * I will wait for
the God of my salvation.
The Saturday.
If the Saturday be not Christmas
Eve, the Antiphons will be one of the
above sets, as directed by the Rubric
above, with the exception of the Fourth
(i.e. that for the Song of Moses) which
will be as follows :
*
Fourth Antiphon. 12 My teaching shall
drop as the rain, and our God shall
come down upon us as the dew.
On the Feast of St. Thomas, at the
Commemoration of the Week-day at
Lauds, the Antiphon is as follows:
Antiphon. Fear not: * yet five days
and the Lord shall come unto you.
If the Feast of St. Thomas should
happen to be transferred to the Monday,
this last Antiphon is said at the Song
of Zacharias on the Fourth Sunday of
Advent, instead of the Antiphon, “Hail
Mary, &c."
23rd Dec.
On this day the Antiphon at the Song
of Zacharias is :
Behold, all things are fulfilled, * which
were spoken by the angel concerning the
Virgin Mary.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
2 Ecclus. xxxvi. 18.
5 Isa. lxii. 1.
8 Exod. xiv. 13.
7 Exod. xv. 2.
10 Hab. iii. 3, 4.
11 Micah vii. 7.
3 John i. 17.
6 1 Kings (Sam.) ii. 8.
9 Ps. xxiv.
12 Deut. xxxii. 2.
206
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xxviii. 1.)
WOE
to the 'crown of pride, to the
drunkards of Ephraim, to the
fading flower of their glorious beauty;
which are upon the head of the fat
valley, overcome with wine. Behold
the Lord is mighty and strong, as a
tempest of hail, and as a destroying
storm, as a flood of mighty waters over-
flowing, sent forth over the breadth of
the land. The crown of pride, the
drunkards of Ephraim, shall be trodden
under feet.
First Responsory.
Behold, the Lord shall appear, &c.,
(First Responsory on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
AND the fading flower of their glo-
rious beauty, which is upon the
head of the fat valley, shall be as the
hasty fruit before the ripening of Au-
tumn; which when he that looketh
upon it seeth, while it is yet in his
hand, he eateth it up. In that day
shall the LORD of hosts be for a crown
of glory, and for a diadem of beauty
unto the residue of His people; and for
a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth
in judgment, and for strength to them
that turn from the battle to the gate.
But they also have erred through wine,
and through strong drink are out of the
way the priest and the prophet have
erred through strong drink, they are
swallowed up of wine.
Second Responsory.
Thou, Bethlehem, &c., (Second Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
THE
Third Lesson. (16.)
'HEREFORE thus saith the Lord
*GOD: Behold I lay in Zion for a
foundation a stone, a tried stone, a pre-
cious corner-stone, a sure foundation.
Let not him that believeth be impa-
tient. Justice also will I lay to the
plummet and righteousness to the line:
and the hail shall sweep away the refuge
of lies, and the waters shall overflow the
hiding-place. And your covenant with
death shall be disannulled, and your
agreement with hell shall not stand.
Third Responsory.
He That shall come, &c., (Third Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
There shall come forth a rod * out of
the stem of Jesse, and the whole earth
shall be filled with the glory of the
Lord and all flesh shall see the salva-
tion of God.
Prayer as on Sunday.
After "Bless we the Lord" is said the
Dirge.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, None.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. All generations shall call me
blessed, for God hath regarded the
lowliness of His hand-maiden.
1 I.e. the city of Samaria, the capital of the apostate kingdom of Israël. "The city,"
says Lowth, "beautifully situated upon the top of a round hill, and surrounded imme-
diately with a rich valley, and a circle of other hills beyond it, suggested the idea of a
chaplet, or wreath of flowers, worn upon their heads on occasions of festivity." And he
cites Wisd. ii. 7, 8.
2 The Divine Name.
3 The allusion is to v. 15, where the inhabitants of Jerusalem are represented as saying,
""We have entered into a covenant with death'-a kind of proverbial expression to denote
perfect security from evil.”
4 Luke i. 48.
THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT.
207
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xxx. 18.)
THE LORD waiteth that He may be
gracious unto you; and therefore
will He be exalted, that He may have
mercy upon you, for the LORD is a God
of judgment; blessed are all they that
wait for Him. For the people of Zion
shall dwell in Jerusalem; thou shalt
weep no more, He will be very gracious
unto thee; at the voice of thy cry when
He shall hear it, He will answer thee.
Though the LORD give you bread in
scarcity and water in short measure:
yet will He not make thy teacher to fly
from thee any more; and thine eyes
shall see thy teacher.
First Responsory.
Weep not, O Egypt, &c., (Fourth Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
THOU shalt say unto it, Get thee
hence, and the rain shall fall upon
thy seed, that thou shalt sow the ground
withal; and the bread of the increase of
the earth shall be fat and plenteous.
In that day shall thy lambs feed in
large pastures; thine oxen likewise,
and the young asses that ear the ground
shall eat mixed provender, as that which
hath been winnowed on the threshing-
floor. And there shall be upon every
high mountain, and upon every high
hill rivers of running waters, in the day
of the great slaughter, when the ¹ towers
fall.
Second Responsory.
1
Her time is near to come, &c., (Fifth
Responsory on Sunday.)
MORET
Third Lesson.
OREOVER, the light of the moon
shall be as the light of the sun,
and the light of the sun shall be seven-
fold, as the light of seven days, in the
1 I.e. the mighty men.
day that the LORD bindeth up the
breach of His people, and healeth the
stroke of their wound. Behold, the
name of the LORD cometh from far,
burning with His anger, and the burden
thereof is heavy: His lips are full of
indignation, and His tongue as a de-
vouring fire. His breath, as an over-
flowing stream, shall reach to the
midst of the neck, to destroy the na-
tions to the uttermost, and as a bridle
causing them to err shall it be in the
jaws of the peoples.
Third Responsory.
The Lord shall come down, &c., (Sixth
Responsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2 Thou, Bethlehem, * in the land of
Judah, shalt not be the least [among
the princes of Judah]: for out of thee
shall come a Governor, That shall rule
my people Israel.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Respon-
sory at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Awake, awake, * arise, O Je-
rusalem loose thyself from the bands
of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.
:
Ember Wednesday.
The Fourth Day in Quarter-Week.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
2 Matth. ii. 6; Micah v. 2.
3 Isa. lii. 1, 2.
208
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
AT
T that time: The Angel Gabriel was
sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Jo-
seph, of the house of David: and the
virgin's name was Mary. And so on.
Homily by 'St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan,] (Bk. ii. on Luke.)
The mysteries of God are unsearch-
able, and it is especially declared by a
Prophet, that a man can hardly know
His counsels. (Wisd. ix. 13.) Never-
theless, some things have been revealed
to us, and we may gather from some of
the words and works of the Lord our
Saviour, that there was a special pur-
pose of God, in the fact that she who
was chosen to be the mother of the
Lord was espoused to a man. Why did
not the power of the Highest oversha-
dow her before she was so espoused?
Perhaps it was lest any might blas-
phemously say that she had conceived
in fornication the Holy One.
First Responsory.
20 thou that bringest good tidings of
peace to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice
with strength! Say unto the cities of
Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jeru-
salem: Behold, our God will come, for
Whom we waited.
Verse. O thou that tellest good tidings
to Zion: get thee up into the high moun-
tain, lift up thy voice with strength.
Answer. Say unto the cities of Judah,
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem:
Behold, our God will come, for Whom
we waited.
Second Lesson.
"AND the angel came in unto her."
Let us learn from this Virgin how
to bear ourselves, let us learn her mo-
desty, let us learn by her devout utter-
ance, above all let us learn by the holy
mystery enacted. It is the part of a
maiden to be timid, to avoid the ad-
vances of men, and to shrink from men's
addresses. Would that our women would
learn from the example of modesty here
1 Dec. 7.
4 Ps. lxxi. 11.
set before us. She upon whom the stare
of men had never been fixed was alone
in her chamber, and she found herself
alone with angels. There was neither
companion nor witness there, that what
passed might not be debased in gossip:
and the angel saluted her.
Second Responsory.
3There shall come a Star out of Jacob,
and a Man shall rise out of Israel, and
shall smite through all the princes of
the aliens. And all the earth shall be
His possession.
Verse. All kings shall fall down
before Him, all nations shall serve Him.
Answer. And all the earth shall be
His possession.
Third Lesson.
THE message of God to the Virgin
was a mystery, which it was not
lawful for the mouth of men, but only
of angels, to utter. For the first time
on earth the words are spoken: "The
Holy Ghost shall come upon thee.'
The holy maiden heareth, and believeth.
At length she saith: "Behold the hand-
maid of the Lord: be it unto me ac-
cording to thy word." Here is an ex-
ample of lowliness, here is a pattern of
true devotion. At the very moment that
she is told she is chosen to be the mother
of the Lord she at once declareth her-
self His handmaid. The knowledge that
she was mother of God caused in the
heart of Mary only an act of humility.
2 Isa. xl. 9, 10.
Third Responsory.
The Lord, the Ruler, cometh quickly.
5 And His name shall be called Em-
manuel.
Verse. "In His days shall righteous-
ness flourish, and abundance of peace.
Answer. And His name shall be called
Emmanuel.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And His name shall be called
Emmanuel.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
5 Matth. i. 23; Isa. vii. 14.
3 Numb. xxiv. 17.
6 Ps. lxxi. 7.
THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT.
209
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The angel Gabriel * was sent to Mary,
a virgin espoused to Joseph.
Prayer.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, Almighty
that the solemn Feast of our
redemption, which is now at hand, may
both help us in the life which now is,
and further us toward the attaining of
Thine eternal joy in that which is to
come. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
One God world without end. Amen.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Respon-
sory at Prime.
Prayer as at Lauds.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Behold the handmaid * of the
Lord; be it unto me according to thy
word.
Prayer as on Sunday.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xxxiii. 1.)
WOE to thee that spoilest, shalt not
thou also be spoiled? and dealest
scornfully, shall not they also deal
scornfully with thee? When thou shalt
cease to spoil, thou shalt be spoiled;
when thou shalt be weary and make an
end to deal scornfully, they shall deal
scornfully with thee. O LORD, be gra-
cious unto us; for we have waited for
Thee be Thou our arm every morning,
our salvation also in the time of trouble.
First Responsory.
3 The LORD shall go forth and fight
against the nations. And His feet shall
stand upon the mount of Olives on the
east.
Verse. And it shall be exalted above
the hills, and all nations shall flow
unto it.
Answer. And His feet shall stand
upon the mount of Olives on the east.
5
Second Lesson.
ΑΤ
T the voice of thy messenger the
people fled, and at the lifting up
of thyself the nations were scattered.
And your spoil shall be gathered like
the gathering of the locust, when the
trenches are filled therewith. The LORD
is exalted, for He dwelleth on high:
He hath filled Zion with judgment and
righteousness and 'thy times shall be
faithful; wisdom and knowledge shall
be the riches of thy salvation; the fear
of the LORD is his treasure.
Second Responsory.
8 The Fore-runner is for us entered,
even the Lamb without spot: made an
High Priest for ever after the order of
Melchisedec.
Verse. This is that King of Righ-
1 "The prophet addresses himself to Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians, who was
threatening the destruction of the Jewish kingdom.
""
2 "The Jews are here introduced imploring the protection of God."
3 Zech. xiv. 3, 4.
4 Isa. ii. 2.
5 "The Prophet, in the name of God, or, rather, God Himself, is introduced, addressing
Himself to Sennacherib."
6 “A chorus of Jews is introduced acknowledging the mercy and power of God.”
7 Viz. those of Hezekiah.
8 Heb. vi. 20; vii. 2, 3.
P
210
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
teousness without descent, nor end of
life.
Answer. Made an High Priest for
ever after the order of Melchisedec.
Third Lesson. (14.)
"THE sinners in Zion are afraid, fear-
fulness hath surprised the hypo-
crites. Who among you can dwell with
the devouring fire? who among you
shall dwell with everlasting burnings?
He that walketh righteously, and speak-
eth uprightly, he that refuseth the gain
of leasing, and shaketh his hands from
holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears
from hearing of blood, and shutteth his
eyes from seeing evil. He shall dwell
on high, his place of defence shall be
the munitions of rocks: bread shall be
given him, his waters shall be sure.
His eyes shall see the King in His
beauty: they shall behold the land that
is very far off.
Third Responsory.
2 The Gentiles shall see thy Righteous
One, and all kings thy Glorious one.
And thou shalt be called by a new name,
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, *
and be glad with her, all ye that love
her for ever.
Ember Friday.
The Sixth Day in Quarter- Week.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 39.)
T that time: Mary arose, and went
which the mouth of the LORD hath A into the hill country with haste,
named.
Verse. Thou shalt also be a crown of
glory in the hand of the LORD, and a
royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
Answer. And thou shalt be called by
a new name, which the mouth of the
LORD hath named.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And thou shalt be called by
a new name, which the mouth of the
LORD hath named.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on the First Mon-
day.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Let your soul watch, the Lord our
God is nigh at hand. (See the Rubric
on the Feast of St. Thomas, p. 205.)
Prayer as on Sunday.
into a city of Judah, and entered into
the house of Zacharias, and saluted
Elizabeth. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan,] (Commentary on Luke, Bk. ii.
c. i.)
When any one asketh another for cre-
dence, he is bound to give some reason-
able ground. And so the angel, when
he announced to Mary the counsel of
God, gave, as a proof, the conception of
Elizabeth, then aged and barren, that
Mary might perceive, by this example,
that with God nothing is impossible.
When the holy Virgin had heard it, she
arose and went to visit her cousin. She
did not go to see if what she had heard
was true, because she did not believe
God, or because she knew not who the
messenger had been, or yet because
she doubted the fact adduced in proof.
She went joyfully as one who hath
received a mercy in answer to his vow
goeth to pay the same. She went with
devotion, as a godly person goeth to exe-
1 The Prophet is speaking in the name of God.
2 Isa. lxii. 2, 3.
3 Isa. lxvi. 10.
THIRD WEEK IN ADVENT.
211
cute a religious duty. She went into
the hill country in joyful haste. And
is it not something that she went up
into the hills? God was already in her
womb, and her feeling bore her con-
tinually upward. The grace of the Holy
Spirit knoweth no slow working.
First Responsory.
Send forth the Lamb, O Lord, the
Ruler of the land; from the rock in
the wilderness unto the mount of the
daughter of Zion.
Verse. Show us Thy mercy, O Lord,
and grant us Thy salvation.
Answer. From the rock in the wil-
derness unto the mount of the daughter
of Zion.
GOD
Second Lesson.
ODLY women will learn from the
example of the Mother of God to
take a tender care of their kinswomen
who are with child. In pursuance of
this charity, Mary, who had hitherto
remained alone at home, was not de-
terred by her maidenly shyness from
entering on a public journey; she faced
for this end the hardships of mountain
travelling; and encountered with a sense
of duty the weary length of the way.
The Virgin left her home, and went into
the hill country with haste, unmindful
of the trouble, and remembering only
the office to which her cousinly love
prompted her, in spite of the delicacy
of her sex. Maidens will learn from
her not to idle about from house to
house, to loiter in the streets, nor to
take part in conversations in public.
Mary, as she was hasteful to pass through
the public roads, so was she slow again
to enter on them: she abode with her
cousin about three months.
Second Responsory.
Drop down, ye heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down the Righ-
teous One. Let the earth open, and
let her bring forth the Saviour.
Verse. Send forth the Lamb, O Lord,
the Ruler of the land, from the rock in
the wilderness unto the mount of the
daughter of Zion.
Answer. Let the earth open, and let
her bring forth the Saviour.
1 Ps. xlix. 2.
S
Third Lesson.
As the modesty of Mary is a pattern
for the imitation of all maidens, so
also is her humility. She went to see
Elizabeth, like one cousin going to visit
another, and as the younger to the elder.
Not only did she first go, but she first
saluted Elizabeth. Now the purer a vir-
gin is, the humbler ought she to be.
She will know how to submit herself
to her elders. She that professeth chas-
tity ought to be a very mistress of hu-
mility. Lowly-mindedness is at once
the very ground in which devotion grow-
eth, and the first and principal rule of
its teaching. In this act of the Virgin
then we see the greater going to visit
and to succour the lesser-Mary to Eliza-
beth, Christ to John.
Third Responsory.
The waste places have brought forth
sweet-smelling buds for Israël; for, be-
hold, our God will come with power.
And His brightness is with Him.
Verse. ¹Out of Zion the perfection
of beauty, our God shall come mani-
festly.
Answer. And His brightness is with
Him.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And His brightness is with
Him.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2 As soon as the voice of thy salutation *
sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in
my womb for joy. Alleluia.
Prayer.
STIR up, O Lord, we pray Thee, Thy
might, and come among us; that
we, trusting only in Thy mercy, may
by Thee be speedily delivered from all
adversity: Who livest and reignest with
God the Father, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
2 Luke i. 44.
P 2
212
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Respon-
sory at Prime.
Prayer as at Lauds.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. John bare witness of Him,
saying: He That cometh after me is
preferred before me.
Prayer as on Sunday.
Ember Saturday.
The Sabbath in Quarter- Week.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (iii. 1.)
IN
N the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being
governor of Judæa. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great,] (20th on the Gospels.)
The date, at which the Fore-runner
of our Redeemer entered on his public
office of preaching, is indicated to us by
the name of the ruler of the Roman Com-
monwealth, and by those of the princes
of Palestine. The time of his preaching
is indicated by these names, because he
came as the Fore-runner of Him Who
was to be the Redeemer of some Jews
and many Gentiles. Moreover in the
enumeration of these worldly monarchs
there is a fore-shadowing of the fact,
that the Gentiles were about to be ga-
thered into one, and the Jews to be
scattered abroad in punishment of their
unbelief; in the whole heathen Com-
monwealth we find the title of one
Emperor, but in the small kingdom of
Judæa are mentioned four masters.
1 John i. 15.
First Responsory.
There shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a flower shall
grow out of his roots. And righteous-
ness shall be the girdle of his loins,
and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
Verse. And the Spirit of the Lord
shall rest upon him the spirit of wis-
dom and understanding: the spirit of
counsel and might.
Answer. And righteousness shall be
the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reins.
Second Lesson.
THE blessed voice of the Saviour itself
hath said, "Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation"
(Luke xi. 17.) And we may well look
for the ruin of the Jewish state when
we see it divided among so many rulers.
We observe likewise that the names of
the reigning priests as well as kings are
given. The Evangelist Luke hath left
on record the chiefs both of the mon-
archy and of the priesthood who held
office when John the Baptist began to
preach, because John preached Him
Who is at once our Priest and our King.
Second Responsory.
2 Behold the Root of Jesse That shall
arise to bring forth judgment to the
Gentiles, in Him shall the Gentiles
trust. And His name shall be blessed
for ever.
Verse. The Kings shall shut their
mouths at Him, to Him shall the Gen-
tiles seek.
Answer. And His name shall be
blessed for ever.
"A
Third Lesson.
ND he came into all the country
about Jordan, preaching the bap-
tism of repentance¹ for the remission of
sins." It is evident from these words
that John the Baptist not only preached,
but also administered the baptism of re-
pentance, and yet that baptism of re-
pentance which he gave, was not really
a baptism for the remission of sins. For
there is only one baptism for the remis-
sion of sins, and that is our Christian
baptism. It is worthy of note here that
2 Isa. xi. 10; xlii. 1.
3 Isa. lii. 15.
The translator holds himself justified in adopting this rendering of "metanoia," (lit.
change of mind,") by the authority of Archbishop Kenrick in his version of the New
Testament. (Matth. iii. 2.)
FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT.
213
the words used are, "preaching the
baptism of repentance for the remission
of sins," for he himself owned that his
baptism was not the true baptism that
washes away sin. Even as the Eternal
Word of God made Flesh was greater
than the preacher that went before Him,
so was His Holy Baptism, by which our
sins are washed away, far greater than
that baptism of repentance which the
Fore-runner preached, and which could
never wash away sin.
Third Responsory.
O Lord, come, and make no tarrying:
loosen the bonds of Thy people. And
gather together into their own land
them that are scattered abroad.
Verse. Stir up, O Lord, Thy power,
and come among us, to save us.
Answer. And gather together into
their own land them that are scattered
abroad.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And gather together into
their own land them that are scattered
abroad.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
O thou Angel of God, * how shall this
be, seeing I know not a man? Hear, O
Virgin Mary!-the Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the
Highest shall overshadow thee!
See, however, the Rubrics concerning
Dec. 21 and 23, (pp. 204, 205,) both as
to this and the following days.
Prayer.
GOD, Who seest that by reason of
our sins we are sorely afflicted,
mercifully grant unto us by Thy visita-
tion effectually to be comforted: Who
livest and reignest with God the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, None.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
Prayer as at Lauds.
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from next morn-
ing's Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Fourth Sunday in Advent.
The Fourth Lord's Day in Coming-
Time.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on the Third Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xxxv. 1.)
HE wilderness and the solitary place
THE
shall be glad, and the desert shall
rejoice and blossom as the lily. It shall
blossom abundantly, and rejoice even
with joy and singing. The glory of
Lebanon is given unto it, the excellency
of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see
the glory of the LORD and the excel-
lency of our God. Strengthen ye the
weak hands and confirm the feeble
knees. Say to them that are of a fear-
ful heart: Be strong, and fear not, be-
hold your God will come with recom-
pence of vengeance; God Himself will
come and save you. Then the eyes of
the blind shall be opened, and the ears
of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then
shall the lame man leap as an hart, and
the tongue of the dumb shall sing: for
in the wilderness are waters broken out,
and streams in the desert. And the
parched ground shall become a pool,
and the thirsty land springs of water.
First Responsory.
Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, call to-
gether the nations, tell it out among
the people, and say: Behold, God our
Saviour cometh.
Verse. Tell it out and make it to be
heard; speak aloud and cry—
214
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Answer. Behold, God our Saviour
cometh.
IN
Second Lesson.
the habitations where dragons lay
shall rise the green freshness of the
reed and the bulrush. And an highway
shall be there and a way, and it shall
be called, The way of holiness: the un-
clean shall not pass over it, and it shall
be unto you a straight way, that fools
shall not err therein. No lion shall be
there, nor any ravenous beast shall go
up thereon, it shall not be found there :
but the redeemed shall walk there, and
the ransomed of the LORD shall return
and come to Zion with songs; and ever-
lasting joy upon their heads, they shall
obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and
sighing shall flee away.
Second Responsory.
The sceptre shall not depart from
Judah, nor the law-giver from his loins,
until He That shall be sent cometh.
And unto Him shall the longing of the
Gentiles be.
Verse. His eyes shall be bright with
wine, and his teeth white with milk.
Answer. And unto Him shall the de-
sire of the Gentiles be.
Third Lesson (xli. 1.)
*KEEP silence before Me, O islands,
and let the people renew their
strength; let them come near and then
let them speak; let us come near toge-
ther to judgment. Who raised up the
3righteous man from the East, and
called him to follow Him? Who gave
the nations before him, and made him
to rule over kings? Who gave them
as the dust to his sword, as driven
stubble to his bow? He pursueth them,
he passeth safely, his feet see not the
way! Who hath wrought and done it,
calling the generations from the begin-
ning? I, the LORD, the First and the
Last, I am He.
Third Responsory.
is preferred before me: Whose shoe's
latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
;
Verse. I baptize you with water
but He shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Whose shoe's latchet I am
not worthy to unloose.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Whose shoe's latchet I am
not worthy to unloose.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great,] (1st on
the December Fast, and almsgiving.)
EARLY beloved brethren, if we study
DEA
attentively the history of the crea-
tion of our race, we shall find that man
was made in the image of God, that his
ways also might be an imitation of the
ways of his Maker. This is the natural,
real, and highest dignity to which we
are capable of attaining, that the good-
ness of the Divine nature should have a
reflection in us, as in a glass. As a
mean of reaching this dignity, we are
daily offered the grace of our Saviour,
for as in the first Adam all men are
fallen, so in the Second Adam can all
men be raised up again.
Fourth Responsory.
Unto us shall a Child be born, and
His name shall be called the Mighty
God. He shall sit upon the throne of
His father David, and shall reign, and
the government shall be upon His
shoulder.
Verse. "In Him shall all the kindreds
of the earth be blessed; all nations shall
serve Him.
Answer. He shall sit upon the throne
of His father David, and shall reign,
and the government shall be upon His
shoulder.
Fifth Lesson.
"I must decrease, but He must in- OUR restoration from the consequences
crease He it is Who, coming after me
1 Gen. xlix. 12.
of Adam's fall is sheer mercy of
2 From a prophecy of Isaiah distinct from any of the foregoing, and beginning with
ch. xl.
3 "The righteous man" is perhaps Abraham.
4 John iii. 30; i. 27.
7 Ps. lxxi. 17, 11.
5 Matth. iii. 11.
6 Isa. ix. 6.
FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT.
215
God, and nothing else; we should not
have loved Him unless He had first
loved us, (1 John iv. 19,) and scattered
the darkness of our ignorance by the
light of His truth. This the Lord pro-
mised by the mouth of Isaiah, where He
saith, (Isa. xlii. 16,) "I will bring the
blind by a way that they knew not, and
I will lead them in paths that they have
not known: I will make darkness light
before them, and crooked things straight.
These things will I do unto them and
not forsake them." And again, (Isa.
lxv. 1, 2; Rom. x. 20,) "I was found
of them that sought Me not; I was made
manifest unto them that asked not after
Me."
Fifth Responsory.
¹Behold, the fulness of the time is
come, wherein God hath sent forth His
Son into the world, born of a Virgin,
made under the law: to redeem them
that were under the law.
3
Verse. 2 God, for His great love where-
with He loved us, hath sent His own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.
Answer. To redeem them that were
under the law.
Sixth Lesson.
AND we know from the Apostle John
how God fulfilled His promise,
(1 John v. 20.) "We know that the
Son of God is come, and hath given us
an understanding, that we may know
Him That is True, and be in Him That
is True, even in His Son." And again,
(iv. 19,) "Let us therefore love God,
because He first loved us."
For His
great love then wherewith He hath
loved us, (Eph. ii. 4,) God reneweth
His likeness in us. And, moreover, in
order that He may find in us the reflec-
tion of His goodness, He giveth us that
whereby to work along with Himself,
(Who worketh all in all,) lighting, as it
were, candles in our dark minds, and
kindling in us the fire of His love, to
make us love not Himself only, but like-
wise, in Him, whatsoever He loveth.
Sixth Responsory.
40 virgin of Israël, turn again to thy
cities. How long wilt thou go about
sorrowing? Thou shalt bring forth the
Lord thy Saviour, a new offering in the
1 Gal. iv. 4, 5.
4 Jer. xxxi. 21, 3.
earth; men shall walk in paths of sal-
vation.
Verse. I have loved thee with an
everlasting love: therefore with loving-
kindness have I drawn thee.
Answer. How long wilt thou go about
sorrowing? Thou shalt bring forth the
Lord thy Saviour, a new offering in the
earth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Men shall walk in paths of
salvation.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (iii. 1.)
IN
the fifteenth year of the reign of
Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being
governor of Judæa. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great,] (20th on the Gospels.)
"John said unto the multitude, that
came forth to be baptized of him: 0
generation of vipers, who hath warned
you to flee from the wrath to come?”
The wrath to come" in one sense sig-
nifieth the great vengeance of the Latter
Day the sinner that repenteth not of
his sin now, will have no mean whereby
to flee from punishment then. Let us
remark that addressing evil children
copying the example of evil parents, the
Baptist calleth them a generation of
vipers in that they were envious at
the righteous, and persecuted them;
that they repaid evil for evil; that
they hunted out their neighbours' faults,
-in all these things following the pat-
tern of carnal parents, the prophet liken-
eth them to a venomous brood hatched
from a venomous stock.
Seventh Responsory.
I have sworn, saith the Lord, that I
will not be wroth any more with the
earth;
for the mountains and the hills
shall receive My righteousness. And
the covenant of My peace shall be in
Jerusalem.
Verse. My salvation is near to come,
and My righteousness to be revealed.
Answer. And the covenant of My
peace shall be in Jerusalem.
2 Eph. ii. 4.
5 Isa. liv. 9.
3 Rom. viii. 3.
6 Isa. lvi. 1.
216
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Eighth Lesson.
WE also have sinned, we have fallen
In
into wicked habits. What must
we do, if we would flee from the wrath
to come? Let us hear John. "Bring
forth fruits worthy of repentance."
which words let us remark that the
Friend of the Bridegroom demandeth
not only fruits of repentance, but fruits
worthy of repentance. The former are
one thing, and the latter another. In
considering then what are fruits worthy
of repentance, we may remark that if
we had done nothing unlawful we might
have had free use of things which are
lawful, and been able to sanctify our-
selves without abstaining from indul-
gence in the things of the world.
Eighth Responsory.
'We will not go back from Thee.
Thou, O Lord, shalt quicken us, and we
will call upon Thy name. Cause Thy
face to shine upon us, and we shall be
saved.
2
Verse. Remember us, O LORD, with
the favour that Thou showest unto Thy
people; O visit us with Thy salvation.
Answer. Cause Thy face to shine upon
us, and we shall be saved.
Ninth Lesson.
BUT if any one, for example, hath
fallen into fornication, or perhaps,
into what is much worse, adultery, he
ought to make up for his lawless plea-
sure by abstaining in some degree from
lawful enjoyments. He that hath sinned
less is not bound to mortify himself as
much as he that hath sinned more,
nor he that is innocent like him that is
guilty. Let every one hearing these
words "bring forth fruits worthy of
repentance," proceed to judge himself
by his own conscience, and the more he
perceiveth that he hath sinned, the
greater penance let him do.
Ninth Responsory.
"Consider how great this Man is, Who
is entered in for the salvation of the
nations; He is King of Righteous-
ness; without descent, nor end of life.
Verse. The Fore-runner is for us en-
tered, made an High Priest for ever after
the order of Melchisedec.
1 Ps. lxxix. 18.
5 Hag. ii. 7.
2 Ps. cv. 4.
6 Isa. xl. 4.
Answer. Without descent, nor end of
life.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Without descent, nor end of
life.
LAUDS.
+
First Antiphon. Blow ye the trum-
pet* in Zion, for the day of the Lord is
nigh at hand: behold, He cometh to
save us! Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. 5 Behold, the desire
* of all nations shall come; and the
house of the Lord shall be filled with
glory. Alleluia.
6
Third Antiphon. The crooked* shall
be made straight, and the rough places
plain; O Lord, come, and make no tar-
rying. Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. The Lord cometh!
*Go ye out to meet Him, and say:
How great is His dominion, and of His
kingdom there shall be no end! He is
the mighty God, the Ruler, the Prince
of Peace! Alleluia, Alleluia.
Fifth Antiphon. Thine Almighty
Word, * O Lord, shall leap down out of
Thy royal throne. Alleluia.
BRET
Chapter. (1 Cor. iv. 1.)
RETHREN, let a man so account of
us as of the ministers of Christ,
and stewards of the mysteries of God.
Moreover it is required in stewards that
a man be found faithful.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
8 Hail, Mary, full of grace, * the Lord
is with thee: blessed art thou among
women. Alleluia.
See however the Rubrics concerning
Dec. 21 and 23, (p. 205.)
Prayer.
STIR up, O Lord, we pray Thee, Thy
power, and come among us, and with
great might succour us, that whereas
through our sins and wickedness we are
sore let and hindered, Thy bountiful
grace and mercy may speedily help and
deliver us; Who livest and reignest with
God the Father, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
3 Heb. vi. 20; vii. 2—4.
7 Wisd. xviii. 15.
4 Joel ii. 1.
8 Luke i. 28.
FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT.
217
PRIME.
Antiphon. Blow ye the trumpet,
&c., (First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory the same al-
teration as before.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Behold, the desire, * &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
The Chapter is taken from Lauds.
SEXT.
thereof, and said unto thee: Thou art
My servant, I have chosen thee and not
cast thee away. Fear thou not, for I am
with thee; be not dismayed, for I am
thy God; I have strengthened thee,
yea, I have upholden thee, and the
right hand of My Righteous One com-
forteth thee.
First Responsory.
Blow ye the trumpet, &c., (First Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
Antiphon. The crooked, * &c., (Third BEHOLD, all they that fight against
Antiphon at Lauds.)
BUT
Chapter. (1 Cor. iv. 3.)
UT with me it is a very small thing
that I should be judged of you, or
of any man's judgment; yea, I judge
not mine own self.
NONE.
Antiphon. Thine Almighty Word, *
&c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (1 Cor. iv. 5.)
THE
HEREFORE judge nothing before
the time, until the Lord come,
Who both will bring to light the hidden
things of darkness, and will make mani-
fest the counsels of the hearts: and then
shall every man have praise of God.
VESPERS.
Antiphon and Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
After "Bless we the Lord," are said
the Vespers of the Dead.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on the Third Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xli. 8.)
AND thou, Israël My servant, Jacob,
whom I have chosen, the seed of
Abraham My friend in whom I have
taken thee from the ends of the earth,
and called thee from the uttermost parts
thee shall be ashamed and con-
founded: they shall be as nothing, and
the men that strive with thee shall
perish. Thou shalt seek them and
shalt not find them, even them that
contended with thee; they that war
against thee shall be as nothing and as a
thing of nought. For I the LORD thy
God will hold thy right hand, saying
unto thee: Fear not, I have holpen
thee.
Second Responsory.
The sceptre shall not depart, &c.,
(Second Responsory on Sunday.)
Third Lesson.
FEAR not, thou worm Jacob, ye dead
ones in Israël; I have holpen
thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer,
the Holy One of Israël. Behold, I have
made thee a new sharp threshing wain,
having teeth; thou shalt thresh the
mountains, and beat them small, and
shalt make the hills as chaff. Thou
shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry
them away; and the whirlwind shall
scatter them; and thou shalt rejoice in
the LORD, thou shalt glory in the Holy
One of Israël.
Third Responsory.
I must decrease, &c., (Third Respon-
sory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Thus saith the Lord, *Repent ye, for
1 Matth. iii. 2.
218
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Alleluia.
Prayer as on Sunday.
After "Bless we the Lord," is said
the Dirge.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
I the LORD have called thee in righ-
teousness, and held thine hand and
kept thee, and given thee for a cove-
nant of the people, for a light of the
Gentiles; to open the blind eyes, to
bring out the prisoners from the prison,
and them that sit in darkness out of the
prison-house.
Second Responsory.
Behold, the fulness of the time, &c.,
(Fifth Responsory on Sunday.)
Third Lesson. (10.)
SING unto the LORD a new song, His
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
(as on Monday in SING
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on the Third Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (xlii. 1.)
BEHOLD My servant whom I will
uphold, Mine elect in whom My
soul delighteth: I have put My spirit
upon him, he shall bring forth judg-
ment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry,
nor have respect of persons, neither
shall he cause his voice to be heard in
the street. A bruised reed shall he not
break, and the smoking flax shall he
not quench; he shall bring forth judg-
ment unto truth. He shall not fail nor
be discouraged till he have set judgment
in the earth; and the isles shall wait
for his law.
First Responsory.
Unto us shall a Child, &c., (Fourth
Responsory on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
THUS saith God the LORD, He That
created the heavens and stretched
them out, He That established the earth
and that which cometh out of it; He
That giveth breath unto the people upon
it, and spirit to them that walk therein.
1 The town of Petra,
praise from the end of the earth, ye
that go down to the sea, and all that is
therein, the isles and the inhabitants
thereof. Let the wilderness and the
cities thereof lift up their voice, they
that dwell in the black [tents]. Sing,
O ye inhabitants of "the rock," shout
from the top of the mountains. Let
them give glory unto the LORD, and
declare His praise in the islands. The
LORD shall go forth as a mighty man,
He shall stir up jealousy like a man of
war; He shall cry, yea, roar; He shall
prevail against His enemies.
Third Responsory.
O virgin of Israël, &c., (Sixth Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2 Awake, awake, * put on strength, O
arm of the LORD!
See however the Rubrics on Dec. 21
and 23, (p. 205.)
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the same
alteration in the Short Responsory at
Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
2 Isa. li. 9.
FOURTH WEEK IN ADVENT.
219
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on the Third Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (li. 1.)
EARKEN to me, ye that follow after
Η Ε
righteousness and seek the LORD!
Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn,
and to the hole of the pit whence ye are
digged. Look unto Abraham your fa-
ther, and unto Sarah that bare you;
for I called him alone, and blessed him,
and increased him. Therefore the LORD
shall comfort Zion; He also will com-
fort all her waste places: and He will
make her wilderness a place of de-
lights, and her desert like the garden
of the LORD. Joy and gladness shall be
found therein, thanksgiving, and the
voice of praise.
First Responsory.
I have sworn, &c., (Seventh Respon-
sory on Sunday.)
HE
Second Lesson.
EARKEN unto Me, My people, and
give ear unto Me, O My nation :
for a law shall proceed from Me, and I
will make My judgment to rest for a
light of the people. My Righteous One
is near, My Saviour is gone forth, and
Mine arms shall judge the people: the
isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine
arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes
to the heavens, and look upon the earth
beneath; for the heavens shall vanish
away like smoke, and the earth shall
wax old like a garment, and they that
dwell therein shall perish in like man-
ner but My salvation shall be for ever,
and My righteousness shall not pass
away.
Second Responsory.
We will not go back, &c., (Eighth Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
Third Lesson.
EARKEN unto Me, ye that know
righteousness, My people in whose
heart is My law: fear ye not the re-
proach of men, neither be ye afraid of
their revilings. For the worm shall eat
them up like a garment, and the moth
shall eat them like wool: but My sal-
vation shall be for ever, and My righte-
ousness from generation to generation.
Third Responsory.
Consider how great, &c., (Ninth Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹I will place salvation* in Zion, and
My glory in Jerusalem. Alleluia.
See however the Rubrics on Dec. 21,
and 23, (p. 205.)
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE,
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on the Third Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (lxiv. 2.)
0
THAT Thou wouldest rend the hea-
vens, that Thou wouldest come
down! that the mountains might flow
1 Isa. xlvi. 13.
220
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
down at Thy presence! They would
pass away like a fire that is burnt out,
the fires would cause the waters to boil,
to make Thy name known to Thine ad-
versaries, that the nations may tremble
at Thy presence! When Thou doest ter-
rible things we shall not abide it: Thou
camest down, the mountains flowed
down at Thy presence. From the be-
ginning of the world men have not
heard, nor perceived by the ear; the
eye hath not seen, O God, beside Thee,
what Thou hast prepared for them that
wait for Thee!
First Responsory.
Blow ye the trumpet, &c., (First
Responsory on Sunday.)
Second Lesson.
THOU meetest him that rejoiceth, and
worketh righteousness; they will
remember Thee in Thy ways: behold,
Thou art wroth, for we have sinned: in
those was continuance and we shall be
saved. But we are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousnesses are
as filthy rags:¹ and we all do fade as a
leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind,
have taken us away. There is none
that calleth upon Thy name, that stir-
reth up himself to take hold of Thee:
Thou hast hid Thy face from us, and
hast consumed us by the hand of our
iniquities.
Second Responsory.
The sceptre shall not depart, &c.,
(Second Responsory on Sunday.)
Third Lesson.
AND now, O LORD, Thou art our Fa-
ther; we are clay, and Thou our
Potter, and we all are the work of Thy
hand. Be not wroth very sore, O LORD,
neither remember our iniquity for ever:
behold, see, we are all Thy people. The
city of Thy sanctuary is a wilderness,
Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a deso-
lation. Our holy and our beautiful
house, where our fathers praised Thee,
is burned up with fire, and all our
pleasant things are laid waste.
Third Responsory.
I must decrease, &c., (Third Respon-
sory on Sunday.)
1 Pannus menstruatæ.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2 Comfort ye, comfort ye, My people,
saith the Lord your God.
See however the Rubric on Dec. 23,
(p. 205.)
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory as on the Third Sunday.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (lxvi. 5.)
HEAR the word of the LORD, ye that
A
tremble at His word; your bre-
thren that hated you, and cast you out
for My name's sake, said; Let the LORD
be glorified, and we shall see it in your
joy-but they shall be ashamed.
voice of people from the city, a voice
from the temple, a voice of the LORD
that rendereth recompense, to His ene-
mies. Before she travailed, she brought
forth before her pain came she was de-
livered of a man child. Who hath heard
such a thing? or who hath seen such
things? Shall the earth bring forth in
one day? or shall a nation be born at
once for as soon as Zion travailed she
brought forth her children.
First Responsory.
Unto us shall a Child, &c., (Fourth
Responsory on Sunday.)
2 Isa. xl. 1.
CHRISTMAS EVE.
221
Second Lesson.
SHALL not I Myself bring forth,
saith the LORD, That make others
to bring forth? Shall I Myself be bar-
ren, That cause others to beget chil-
dren? saith [the Lord] thy God. Re-
joice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad
with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for
joy with her, all ye that mourn for her,
that ye may suck and be satisfied with
the breasts of her consolations: that ye
may milk out, and be delighted with
the abundance of her glory. For thus
saith the LORD: Behold, I will extend
the glory of the Gentiles to her like a
flowing stream, whereof ye shall suck;
ye shall be borne upon her breasts, and
be dandled upon her knees.
Second Responsory.
Behold, the fulness of the time, &c.,
(Fifth Responsory on Sunday.)
As
Third Lesson.
one whom his mother comforteth,
so will I comfort you, and ye shall
be comforted in Jerusalem. When ye
see this, your heart shall rejoice, and
your bones shall flourish like an herb:
and the band of the LORD shall be known
towards His servants, and His indigna-
tion towards His enemies. For, behold,
the LORD will come with fire; and His
chariots like a whirlwind, to render His
anger with fury, and His rebuke with
flames of fire: for by fire and by His
sword will the LORD plead with all
flesh, and the slain of the LORD shall
be many.
Third Responsory.
O virgin of Israël, &c., (Sixth Re-
sponsory on Sunday.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. ii. 3.)
Come ye, &c., (as on Monday in the
First Week.)
were spoken by the angel concerning
the Virgin Mary.
Prayer as on Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Antiphons as on Sunday, and the
same alteration in the Short Responsory
at Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 10.)
The sceptre, &c., (as on Monday in
the First Week.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday.
Christmas Eve,
The Eve of the Lord's Birth.
MATTINS.
Of the week-day, except the following.
Invitatory. This day ye shall know
that the Lord cometh: *1 and in the
morning, then ye shall see His glory.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
Verse. This day ye shall know that
the Lord cometh.
Answer. And in the morning, then
ye shall see His glory.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (i. 18.)
WHEN as Mary, the Mother of JESUS,
was espoused to Joseph, before they
came together, she was found with child
of the Holy Ghost. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem,] (1st Bk. of Commentaries,
on Matth. i.)
Why was the Lord conceived of an
espoused virgin rather than of a free?
First, for the sake of the genealogy of
Mary, which we have obtained by that
of Joseph. Secondly, because she was
thus saved from being stoned by the
Jews as an adulteress. Thirdly, that
Himself and His mother might have a
guardian on their journey into Egypt.
To these, Ignatius, the martyr of An-
tioch, has added a fourth reason: name-
ly, that the birth might take place un-
1 Exod. xvi. 6, 7.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Behold, all things are fulfilled * which
1
222
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
known to the devil; who would natu-
rally suppose that Mary had conceived
by Joseph.
First Responsory.
¹Sanctify yourselves to-day, and be
ready for on the morrow ye shall see
the majesty of God upon you.
:
Verse. This day ye shall know that
the Lord cometh, and in the morning,
then ye shall see.
Answer. The majesty of God upon
you.
Second Lesson.
BEFORE they came together, she
was found with child of the Holy
Ghost." She was found, that is, by Jo-
seph, but by no one else. He had al-
ready almost an husband's privilege to
know all that concerned her.
"Before
they came together." This doth not
imply that they ever did come together:
the Scripture merely showeth the abso-
lute fact that up to this time they had
not done so.
Second Responsory.
2Stand still, and ye shall see the help
of the Lord with you: O Judah and Je-
rusalem, fear not. To-morrow ye shall
go out, and the Lord will be with you.
Verse. Sanctify yourselves, O ye chil-
dren of Israël, and be ready.
·
Answer. To-morrow ye shall go out,
and the Lord will be with
you.
Third Lesson.
" THEN Joseph her husband, being a
just man, and not willing to make
her a public example, was minded to
put her away privily." If any man be
joined to a fornicatress they become one
body; and according to the law they
that are privy to a crime are thereby
guilty. How then can it be that Jo-
seph is described as a just man, at the
very time he was compounding the cri-
minality of his espoused? It must have
been that he knew her to be pure, and
yet understood not the mystery of her
pregnancy, but, on account of his entire
trust in her, was willing to hold his
peace.
1 Exod. xix. 10.
3 Deut. vii. 15.
5 Exod. xvi. 6, 7.
Third Responsory.
Sanctify yourselves, O ye children of
Israël, saith the Lord: for on the mor-
row the Lord will come down. And will
take away from you all sickness.3
Verse. On the morrow the sins of the
earth shall be washed away, and the
Saviour of the world will be our King.
Answer. And will take away from
you all sickness.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And will take away from
you all sickness.
The rest of the day is observed as a
Double Feast.
LAUDS.
Psalms of the Sunday.
First Antiphon. 40 Judah and Je-
rusalem, fear not: to-morrow ye shall
go out, and the LORD will be with you.
Second Antiphon. This day ye shall
know that the Lord cometh: and in
the morning, then ye shall see His
glory.
Third Antiphon. On the morrow
the sins of the earth shall be washed
away, and the Saviour of the world will
be our King.
Fourth Antiphon. The Lord cometh!
*-Go ye out to meet Him, and say:
How great is His dominion, and of His
kingdom there shall be no end: He is
the Mighty God, the Ruler, the Prince
of Peace, Alleluia.
Fifth Antiphon. On the morrow * ye
shall be saved, saith the Lord God of
hosts.
PAUL,
Chapter. (Rom. i. 1.)
a servant of JESUS Christ, called
to be an Apostle, separated unto
the gospel of God, which He had pro-
mised afore by His Prophets, in the
holy Scriptures, concerning His Son,
Which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
Verse. On the morrow the sins of the
earth shall be washed away.
Answer. And the Saviour of the world
will be our King.
2 Exod. xiv. 13; 2 Par. (Chron.) xx. 17.
4 2 Par. (Chron.) xx. 17.
CHRISTMAS EVE.
223
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The Saviour of the world shall rise like
the sun, and come down into the womb
of the Virgin as the showers upon the
grass. Alleluia.
O GOD,
Prayer.
GOD, Whose mercy doth year by
year cause us to rejoice, looking
forward to our deliverance, grant that
as we now make ready with gladness to
receive Thine Only-begotten Son as our
Saviour, so we may see Him without
dread at His second and terrible coming
as our Judge, even our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
As on Doubles.
PRIME.
Antiphon. O Judah and Jerusalem, *
&c., (First Antiphon at Lauds.)
The same alteration as before in the
Short Responsory.
Chapter at the end. (Rom. i. 5.)
BY Whom we have received grace and
Apostleship, for obedience to the
faith among all nations, by His name,
among whom are ye also the called of
our Lord JESUS Christ.
TERCE.
Antiphon. This day ye shall know,
&c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
This day ye shall know that the Lord
cometh.
Answer. This day ye shall know that
the Lord cometh.
Verse. And in the morning, then ye
shall see His glory.
Answer. That the Lord cometh.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. This day ye shall know that
the Lord cometh.
Verse. ¹Stand ye still.
Answer. And ye shall see the salva-
tion of the LORD with you.
Prayer as at Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. On the morrow,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
WHO
Chapter. (Rom. i. 4.)
* &C.,
HO is declared to be the Son of
God with power, according to the
spirit of holiness, by the resurrection of
our Lord JESUS Christ from the dead.
Short Responsory.
On the morrow the sins of the earth
shall be washed away.
Answer. On the morrow the sins of
the earth shall be washed away.
Verse. And the Saviour of the world
will be our King.
Answer. The sins of the earth shall
be washed away.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. On the morrow the sins of
the earth shall be washed away.
Verse. On the morrow ye shall be
saved.
Answer. Saith the Lord God of hosts.
Prayer as at Lauds.
NONE.
Antiphon. On the morrow,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
* &c.,
On the morrow ye shall be saved.
Answer. On the morrow ye shall be
saved.
Verse. Saith the Lord God of hosts.
Answer. Ye shall be saved.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. On the morrow ye shall be
saved.
Verse. On the morrow the sins of the
earth shall be washed away.
Answer. And the Saviour of the world
will be our King.
Prayer as at Lauds.
The Feast begins at sunset.
From henceforth until the Epiphany,
the last verse of all the hymns at Prime,
Terce, Sext, None, and Compline, is
altered in honour of the Incarnation.
1 2 Par. (Chron.) xx. 17.
224
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Dule or Christmas Day,
The Birth-Day¹ of the Lord.
Double of the First Class, with an Octave.
Everything as on Sundays except what
is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
First Antiphon. King Peaceful ex-
ceeded all the kings of the earth, and all
the earth sought to Peaceful.*
3
Second Antiphon. King Peaceful ex-
ceeded all the kings of the whole earth.
Third Antiphon. The days of Mary
were accomplished that she should bring
forth her first-born Son.
Fourth Antiphon. Know ye that the
kingdom of God is at hand: Amen I say
unto you, it will not tarry.
Fifth Antiphon. "Lift up your heads:
behold, your redemption draweth nigh.
Psalm CXVI.
O praise the LORD, &c., (p. 154.)
THE
Chapter. (Tit. iii. 4.)
THE kindness and love of God our
Saviour appeared, not by works of
righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy He saved us.
Hymn.
JESUS, the Ransomer of man,
Who, ere created light began,
Didst from the Sovereign Father spring,
His power and glory equalling.
Thou brightness of Thy Father's rays,
Thou hope and end of all our ways:
With gracious ears the prayers attend,
Which round the world to Thee ascend.
Remember, Lord, that heretofore,
When Thee Thy Virgin Mother bore,
Thou from her womb didst breathe our air,
And human nature for us bear.
1 Nativitas.
To Thee, this present solemn day,
We yearly adorations pay;
The world's Redeemer Thee we own,
Descending from Thy Father's throne.
The joyful heavens, earth and main,
With whatsoever they contain,
In new, harmonious accents sing
New life restored by the new-born King.
We, ransomed by that bloody tide,
That issued from Thy sacred side,
With double hymns of heart and voice,
For this Thy natal day rejoice.
TO JESUS, from a Virgin sprung,
Be glory given, and praises sung:
The like to God the Father be,
And Holy Ghost eternally. Amen.
Verse. On the morrow the sins of the
earth shall be washed away.
Answer. And the Saviour of the world
will be our King.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Or ever the sun be risen, ye
shall see the King of kings coming forth.
from the Father, as a bridegroom out of
his chamber.
Prayer as at the following Lauds.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Unto us a Christ is born:
* O come, let us worship Him.
Hymn as at Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The LORD hath said
unto Me: * Thou art My Son, this day
have I begotten Thee.
Psalm II.
Why do the heathen rage? &c., (p. 4.)
2 This passage is in 3 (1) Kings x. 23, 24, and relates to Solomon, but by translating his
name, which, in the Hebrew, means "Peaceful," it is made to apply to Christ the true
"Prince of Peace."
3 Luke ii. 6, 7.
8 Cf. Isa. ix. 6.
4 Luke xxi. 31.
6 Translation extracted from the "Hortus Animæ.”
5 Luke xxi. 28.
7 Cf. Ps. xviii.
CHRISTMAS DAY.
225
Second Antiphon. The Lord is as a
bridegroom* coming out of his chamber.
Psalm XVIII.
The heavens declare, &c., (p. 16.)
Third Antiphon. Grace is poured into
Thy lips: * therefore God hath blessed
Thee for ever.
Psalm XLIV.
My heart is overflowing, &c., (p. 36.)
Verse. The Lord is as a bridegroom.
Answer. Coming out of his chamber.
AT
First Lesson. (Isa. ix. 1.)
T the first He lightly afflicted the
land of Zabulon and the land of
Naphtali and afterward did more grie-
vously afflict the way of the sea, beyond
Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The
people that walked in darkness have
seen a great light: they that dwell in
the land of the shadow of death, upon
them hath the light shined. Thou hast
multiplied the nation and not increased
the joy. They shall joy before Thee
according to the joy in harvest, as men
rejoice when they divide the spoil. For
Thou hast broken the yoke of his bur-
den, and the staff of his shoulder, and
the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of
Midian. For every battle of the warrior
is with confused noise, and garments
rolled in blood, and it shall be with
burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a
Child is born, and unto us a Son is given:
and the government is upon His shoulder,
and His name shall be called Wonderful,
Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Ever-
lasting Father, the Prince of Peace.
First Responsory.
This is the day whereon the King of
heaven was pleased to be born of a
Virgin, that He might bring back to
heaven man who was lost. There is joy
among the hosts of Angels, because eter-
nal salvation hath appeared unto men.
Verse. Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, to men of good-
will.4
Answer. There is joy among the hosts
of Angels, because eternal salvation hath
appeared unto men.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. This is the day whereon the
King of heaven was pleased to be born
of a Virgin, that He might bring back
to heaven man who was lost. There is
joy among the hosts of Angels, because
eternal salvation hath appeared unto
men.
Second Lesson. 5(Isa. xl. 1.)
OMFORT ye, comfort ye, My people,
COMFORT God. Speak ye com
saith your
fortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her
that her warfare is accomplished, that
her iniquity is pardoned; for she hath
received of the LORD's hand double for
all her sins. The voice of him that crieth
in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way
of the LORD, make straight in the desert
an highway for our God. Every valley
shall be exalted, and every mountain
and hill shall be made low: and the
crooked shall be made straight, and the
rough places plain. And the glory of
the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh
shall see it together; for the mouth of
the LORD hath spoken it. The voice
said, Cry. And I said: What shall I
cry? All flesh is grass, and all the
goodliness thereof is as the flower of the
field. The grass withereth and the
flower fadeth, because the spirit of the
LORD bloweth upon it: surely the peo-
ple is grass. The grass withereth and
the flower fadeth: but the word of our
"Lord endureth for ever.
Second Responsory.
This day is the true peace come down
unto us from heaven. This day through-
out the whole world the skies drop down
sweetness.
Verse. This day is the day-break of
our new redemption, of the restoring of
the old, of everlasting joy.
1 But the title is not given out. Lowth translates the first words: "In the former time
He debased the land of Zabulon, &c.," (referring to the invasion under Tiglath Pileser,)
"but in the latter time He hath made it glorious, even the way of the sea, &c."
The Hebrew tradition, accepted by Lowth, attributes the negative to an eccentric
spelling, and translates: "and increased their joy.'
3 Luke ii. 14.
• I.e. the objects of God's good-will.
Hebrew, our God."
5 Not given out.
226
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Answer. This day throughout the
whole world the skies drop down sweet-
ness.
Third Lesson. ¹(Isa. lii. 1.)
AWAKE, awake, put on thy strength,
Zion: put on thy beautiful gar-
ments, O Jerusalem, thou city of the
Holy One! for henceforth there shall
no more come into thee the uncircum-
cised and the unclean. Shake thyself
from the dust, arise, sit down, O Jeru-
salem loose thyself from the bands of
thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion!
For thus saith the LORD: Ye have sold
yourselves for nought, and ye shall be
redeemed without money. For thus
saith the Lord 2GoD: My people went
down aforetime into Egypt, to sojourn
there and the Assyrian oppressed them
without cause. Now, therefore, what
have I here, saith the LORD, that My
people is taken away for nought? They
that rule over them do evil, saith the
LORD, and My Name continually every
day is blasphemed. Therefore My people
shall know My Name in that day: they
shall know that I am He That spake,
behold, it is I.
Third Responsory.
O ye shepherds, speak, and tell us
what ye have seen; who is appeared in
the earth? We saw the new-born
Child, and Angels singing praise to the
Lord.
2
Verse. Speak; what have ye seen?
And tell us of the Birth of Christ.
Answer. We saw the new-born Child,
and Angels singing praise to the Lord.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. We saw the new-born Child,
and Angels singing praise to the Lord.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. We have drunk in
Thy loving-kindness, * O God, in the
midst of Thy temple.
Psalm XLVII.
Great is the LORD, &c., (p. 38.)
Second Antiphon. In the Lord's days*
shall abundance of peace arise and
flourish.
1 Not given out.
Psalm LXXI.
Give the king Thy judgments, &c.,
(p. 55.)
Third Antiphon. Truth is sprung out
of the earth, * and righteousness hath
looked down from heaven.
Psalm LXXXIV.
LORD, Thou hast been favourable, &c.,
(p. 67.)
Verse. Thou art fairer than the chil-
dren of men.
Answer. Grace is poured into thy
lips.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great,] (1st for
Christmas.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, “Unto us
is born this day a Saviour," (Luke
ii. 11.) Let us rejoice. It would be un-
lawful to be sad to-day, for to-day is
Life's Birthday: the Birthday of that
Life, Which, for us dying creatures, tak-
eth away the sting of death, and bringeth
the bright promise of the eternal glad-
ness hereafter. It would be unlawful
for any man to refuse to partake in our
rejoicing. All men have an equal share
in the great cause of our joy, for, since
our Lord, Who is the destroyer of sin
and of death, findeth that all are bound
under the condemnation, He is come to
make all free. Rejoice, O thou that art
holy; thou drawest nearer to thy crown.
Rejoice, O thou that art sinful; thy Sa-
viour offereth thee pardon. Rejoice also,
O thou Gentile; God calleth thee to life.
For the Son of God, when the fulness of
the time was come, which had been
fixed by the unsearchable counsel of
God, took upon Him the nature of man,
that He might reconcile that nature to
Him Who made it, and so the devil, the
inventor of death, is met and beaten in
that very flesh which hath been the
field of his victory.
Fourth Responsory.
How great is this mystery, how won-
derful is the teaching of the faith! The
beasts saw the new-born Lord lying in
a manger. Blessed is that Virgin whose
2 The Divine Name.
3 Ps. xliv. 2.
CHRISTMAS DAY.
227
womb was made meet to bear our Lord
Christ.
Verse. Hail, Mary, full of grace: the
Lord is with thee.
Answer. Blessed is that Virgin whose
womb was made meet to bear our Lord
Christ.
Fifth Lesson.
HEN our Lord entered the field of
battle against the devil, He did so
with a great and wonderful fairness.
Being Himself the Almighty, He laid
aside His uncreated Majesty to fight
with our cruel enemy in our weak flesh.
He brought against him the very shape,
the very nature of our mortality, “yet
without sin." (Heb. iv. 15.) His birth
however was not a birth like other
births-for no other is born pure, nay,
not the little child whose life endureth
but a day on the earth.¹ To His birth
alone the throes of human passion had
not contributed, in His alone no conse-
quence of sin had had part. For His
Mother was chosen a Virgin of the
kingly lineage of David, and when she
was to grow heavy with the sacred Child,
her soul had already conceived Him be-
fore her body. She knew the counsel
of God announced to her by the Angel,
lest the unwonted events should alarm
her. The future Mother of God knew
what was to be wrought in her by the
Holy Ghost, and that her modesty was
absolutely safe.
Fifth Responsory.
Blessed is God's holy Mother, Mary,
maiden undefiled. This day hath she
brought forth the Saviour of the world.
2
Verse. Blessed is she that believed;
for there is a performance of all those
things which were told her from the
Lord.
Answer. This day hath she brought
forth the Saviour of the world.
Sixth Lesson.
THEREFORE, dearly beloved bre-
thren, let us give thanks to God
the Father, through His Son, in the
Holy Ghost: Who, "for His great love
wherewith He loved us," hath had
mercy on us: and, "even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us
1 Job xiv. 4. (LXX.)
together with Christ," (Eph. ii. 4, 5,)
that in Him we might be a new crea-
ture, and a new workmanship. Let us
then put off the old man with his deeds
(Col. iii. 9); and, having obtained a
share in the Sonship of Christ, let us
renounce the deeds of the flesh. Learn,
O Christian, how great thou art, who
hast been made partaker of the Divine
nature, (2 Pet. i. 4,) and fall not again.
by corrupt conversation into the beg-
garly elements above which thou art
lifted. Remember Whose body it is
whereof thou art made a member, and
Who is its Head, (1 Cor. vi. 15.) Re-
member that it is He That hath deli-
vered thee from the power of darkness
and hath translated thee into God's light,
and God's kingdom, (Col. i. 13.)
Sixth Responsory.
O Mary, how holy and how spotless is
thy virginity-I am too dull to praise
thee! For thou hast borne in thy breast
Him Whom the heavens cannot con-
tain.3
Verse. Blessed art thou among wo-
men, and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb.
Answer. For thou hast borne in thy
breast Him Whom the heavens cannot
contain.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For thou hast borne in thy
breast Him Whom the heavens cannot
contain.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. He shall cry unto
Me (Alleluia): * Thou art my Father,
(Alleluia.)
Psalm LXXXVIII.
I will sing of the mercies, &c., (p. 69.)
Second Antiphon. Let the heavens
rejoice, * and let the earth be glad before
the LORD, for He cometh.
Psalm XCV.
O sing unto the LORD, &c., (p. 72.)
Third Antiphon. The Lord hath made
known, (Alleluia,) * His salvation, (Al-
leluia.)
2 Luke i. 45.
3 3 (1) Kings viii. 27.
Q 2
228
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Psalm XCVII.
O sing unto the LORD, &c., (p. 74.)
Verse. He shall cry unto Me, (Alle-
luia.)
Answer. Thou art my Father, (Alle-
luia.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 1.)
AT that time: There went out a decree
rom Cæsar Augustus that all the
world should be enrolled. And so on..
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great,] (8th on the Gospels.)
By God's mercy we are to say three
Masses to-day, so that there is not much
time left for preaching; but at the same
time the occasion of the Lord's Birth-
day itself obliges me to speak a few
words. I will first ask why, when the
Lord was to be born, the world was en-
rolled? Was it not to herald the ap-
pearing of Him by Whom the elect are
enrolled in the book of life? Whereas
the Prophet saith of the reprobate: "Let
them be blotted out of the book of the
living, and not be written with the
righteous." (Ps. lxviii. 29.) Then, the
Lord is born in Bethlehem. Now the
name Bethlehem signifieth "the House
of Bread," and thus it is the birth-place
of Him Who hath said, "I am the
Living Bread, Which came down from
heaven." (John vi. 51.) We see then
that this name of Bethlehem was pro-
phetically given to the place where
Christ was born, because it was there
that He was to appear in the flesh by
Whom the souls of the faithful are fed
unto life eternal. He was born, not in
His Mother's house, but away from
home. And this is a mystery, showing
that this our mortality into which He
was born was not the home of Him Who
is begotten of the Father before the
worlds.
Seventh Responsory.
Blessed be the womb of the Virgin
Mary, which bore the Son of the Eternal
Father, and blessed be the paps which
gave suck to Christ our Lord. This day
hath He been pleased for the salvation
of the world to be born of a Virgin.
Verse. This day which is breaking is
holy: O come, ye Gentiles, and worship
the Lord.
Answer. This day hath He been
pleased for the salvation of the world
to be born of a Virgin.
Eighth Blessing.
May the Gospel's glorious word,
Cleansing to our souls afford.
Eighth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 15.)
AT
that time: The shepherds said one
to another: Let us now go even
unto Bethlehem, and see this thing
which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan,] (Book ii. on Luke ii.)
Behold the beginning of the Church.
Christ is born, and the shepherds watch;
shepherds, to gather together the scat-
tered sheep of the Gentiles, and to lead
them into the fold of Christ, that they
might no longer be a prey to the ravages
of spiritual wolves in the night of this
world's darkness. And that shepherd
is wide awake, whom the Good Shepherd
stirreth up. The flock then is the people,
the night is the world, and the shep-
herds are the Priests. And perhaps he
is a shepherd to whom it is said," Be
watchful and strengthen," (Apoc. iii. 2,)¹
for God hath ordained as the shepherds
of His flock not Bishops only, but also
Angels.
Eighth Responsory.
"The Word was made flesh, and dwelt
among us. And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the Only-begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth.
Verse. All things were made by Him,
and without Him was not anything
made.
Answer. And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the Only-begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And we beheld His glory,
the glory as of the Only-begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth.
1 Addressed to the Angel of the Church of Sardis.
2 John i. 14, 3.
CHRISTMAS DAY.
229
Ninth Blessing.
Christ That sent the Gospel preacher,
In his meaning be our Teacher.
Ninth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (i. 1.)
IN the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo,] (1st Tract on John.)
Lest thou shouldest think all things
mean, as thou art accustomed to think
of all things human, hear and digest
this "The Word was God."
Now
perhaps there will come forward some
Arian unbeliever, and say that the Word
of God was a creature. How can the
Word of God be a creature, when it was
by the Word that all creatures were
made? If He be a creature, then there
must have been some other Word, not a
creature, by which He was made. And
what Word is that? If thou sayest
that it was by the word of the Word
Himself that He was made, I tell thee
that God hath no other, but One Only-
begotten Son. But if thou say not that
it was by the word of the Word Himself
that He was made, thou art forced to
confess that He by Whom all things
were made was not Himself made at all.
Believe the Gospel.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c." is said.
After this the Service proceeds as
follows:¹
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let us pray.
Here follows the Prayer from Lauds,
at the end of which is answered:
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
In communities the Midnight Mass is
now celebrated, and immediately after-
wards Lauds are begun.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. O ye shepherds,
speak, and tell us what ye have seen;
*
who is appeared in the earth? We saw
the new-born Child, and angels singing
praise to the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. The Mother brought
forth the King, * Whose name is called
THE ETERNAL; the joy of a Mother was
hers, remaining a Virgin unsullied;
neither before nor henceforth hath there
been or shall be such another. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. The Angel said
unto the shepherds: * I bring you good
tidings of great joy; for unto you is
born this day a Saviour of the world.
Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. There was with
the Angel a multitude of the heavenly
host, praising God, and saying: Glory
to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, to men of good will. Alleluia.
Fifth Antiphon. Unto us this day a
little Child is born, and His name
shall be called the Mighty God. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
G
Chapter. (Heb. i. 1.)
OD, Who at sundry times and in
divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the Prophets: hath
in these last days spoken unto us by
His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir
of all things, by Whom also He made
the worlds.
4
Hymn.*
FROM where the sunrise had its birth,
Unto the farthest bounds of earth,
The Virgin Mary's Child we sing,
With notes of gladness, Christ the King.
Blest Maker of the world, He came
And clad Him in a servant's frame,
Our flesh with His own Flesh to aid,
Lest those should perish whom He made.
1 But if there is to be no Mass, Lauds are begun at once.
* This Antiphon has a sort of rhythm like Hexameters, which has been preserved in the
translation.
* Luke ii. 10, 13, 14.
• Translation by the Rev. Dr. Littledale. In the original the verses begin with A, B, C,
D, E, F, G, respectively.
230
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
His Mother pure becomes the place
Wherein abides celestial grace,
She bears within her maiden breast
A secret by herself unguessed.
Soon rises in that modest shrine
The Temple of the Lord Divine :
The stainless and unwedded one
Within her womb conceived the Son.
Him in that wondrous birth she bore
Whom Gabriel announced before;
Whom John while yet unborn perceived,
And, leaping in the womb, believed.
On hay reclined, the Lord Most High,
Within a manger deigned to lie:
And He Who feeds the birds of air
Vouchsafed a little milk to share.
The Heavenly choirs now rejoice,
The Angels lift to God their voice,
The Shepherd Who the world hath made
Before the shepherds lies displayed.
O Lord, from spotless Virgin sprung,
All glory unto Thee be sung,
To Father, and to Spirit be
Like honour paid eternally. Amen.
Verse. The Lord hath made known.
-Alleluia.
Answer. His salvation.
Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Glory to God in the highest, * and on
earth peace, to men of good-will. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, Almighty
that we who groan under the
burthen of our sins, may, by the new
Birth of Thine Only-begotten Son in
Chapter at the end. (Heb. i. 11.)
THEY shall perish, but Thou remain-
est, and they all shall wax old as
doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt
Thou change them, and they shall be
changed: but Thou art the Same, and
Thy years shall not fail.
In Communities the Dawn Mass is
now celebrated.
TERCE.
Antiphon. The Mother, &c., (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
The Word was made flesh. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Answer. The Word was made flesh.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And dwelt among us.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The Word was made flesh.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. He shall cry unto Me.-Alle-
luia.
Answer. Thou art my Father. Al-
leluia.
SEXT.
Antiphon. The Angel said, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Heb. i. 10.)
ND: Thou, Lord, in the beginning
the flesh, mercifully be freed and deli-Aast laid the foundation of the

vered. Through the Same our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Prime is said at dawn.
Antiphon. O ye shepherds, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the short Responsory instead of the
Verse "Thou That sittest at the right
hand of the Father,” is said:
Verse. Thou That wast born of the
Virgin Mary.
And the same alteration is made every
day till Twelfth Day.
•
earth, and the heavens are the works of
Thine hands.
Short Responsory.
The LORD hath made known. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Answer. The LORD hath made known.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
Verse. His salvation.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The LORD hath made known.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. All the ends of the earth have
seen-Alleluia.
Answer. The salvation of our God.
Alleluia.
ST. STEPHEN'S DAY.
231
NONE.
Antiphon. Unto us this day, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
All the ends of the earth have seen.-
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. All the ends of the earth
have seen.-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The salvation of our God.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The Word was made flesh.
Alleluia.
Answer. And dwelt among us. Al-
leluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
First Antiphon. Thine shall be the
dominion in the day of Thy power, amid
the brightness of the saints: * from the
womh before the day-star have I begot-
ten Thee.
Second Antiphon. The Lord sent re-
demption unto His people, * He hath
commanded His covenant for ever.
Third Antiphon. Unto the upright
there ariseth light in the darkness: * the
Lord is gracious, and full of compassion,
and righteous.
Fourth Antiphon. With the LORD
there is mercy,* and with Him is plen-
teous redemption.
Psalm CXXIX.
Out of the depths, &c., (p. 99.)
Fifth Antiphon. Of the fruit of thy
body will I set upon thy throne.
Psalm CXXXI.
LORD, remember David, &c., (p. 160.)
Chapter and Verse and Answer from
Lauds.
Hymn as at the First Vespers.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. This day the Christ is born:
this day the Saviour is appeared: * this
day the Angels sing praise in the earth
and the Archangels rejoice: this day
the righteous are glad and say: Glory
to God in the highest. Alleluia.
1 Acts vi. 8.
2 The original has a rhyme.
Commemoration of ST. STEPHEN.
Antiphon. ¹And Stephen, full of grace
and power, did great wonders among the
people.
Verse. Thou hast 2 crowned him with
glory and honour, O Lord.
Answer. And madest him to have do-
minion over the works of Thy hands.
Let us pray.
GRANT, O Lord, that we may have
grace to tread in his footsteps whom
we honour, and learn to love and bless
our persecutors by the example of Thy
First Martyr Stephen, who prayed even
for his murderers to JESUS Christ, Thy
Son; Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
St. Stephen's Day.
The Feast of St. Stephen the First
Martyr.
Double of the Second Class, with an
Octave.
All from the Common Office for one
Martyr except what is otherwise given
here.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. He That once a little
Child, shivering in the manger lay, set
on Stephen's blessed head a crown that
fadeth not away. * O come, let us wor-
ship Him!
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (vi. 2.)
IN those days, when the number of the
disciples was multiplied, there arose
a murmuring of the Grecians against
the Hebrews, because their widows were
neglected in the daily ministration.
Then the twelve called the multitude of
the disciples unto them, and said: It is
not reasonable that we should leave the
Word of God, and serve tables. Where-
fore, brethren, look ye out among you
seven men of honest report, full of the
Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may
appoint over this business. But we will
give ourselves continually to prayer,
and to the ministry of the word.
2 The name Stephen means a crown.
232
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Responsory.
And Stephen, full of grace and power,
did great wonders and miracles among
the people.
Verse. There arose certain of the sy-
nagogue, disputing with Stephen; and
they were not able to resist the wisdom,
and the Spirit which spake.
Answer. Did great wonders and mi-
racles among the people.
Second Lesson.
AND the saying
ND the saying pleased the whole
multitude. And they chose Ste-
phen, a man full of faith and of the
Holy Ghost, and Philip, and Prochorus,
and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parme-
nas, and Nicolas, a proselyte of Antioch.
Whom they set before the Apostles:
and when they had prayed, they laid
their hands on them. And the word of
God increased; and the multitude of the
disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly;
and a great multitude of the priests
were obedient to the faith. And Ste-
phen, full of grace and power, did great
wonders and miracles among the people.
Second Responsory.
'All that sat in the council, looking
steadfastly on Stephen, saw his face as
it had been the face of an angel stand-
ing among them.
Verse. Full of grace and power, he
did great wonders and miracles among
the people.
Answer. His face as it had been the
face of an angel standing among them.
Third Lesson.
THEN there arose certain of the syna-
gogue, which is called the syna-
gogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians,
and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia
and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
And they were not able to resist the
wisdom and the Spirit which spake.
Then they suborned men, which said
they had heard him speak blasphemous
words against Moses and against God.
And they stirred up the people, and the
elders, and the scribes; and came upon
1 Acts vi. 15.
him, and caught him, and brought him
to the council, and set up false wit-
nesses, which said: This man ceaseth
not to speak words against this holy
place, and the law.
Third Responsory.
2The blessed Stephen looked up stead-
fastly into heaven, and saw the glory of
God, and said :-Behold, I see the hea-
vens opened, and the Son of Man stand-
ing at the right hand of the power of God.
Verse. But Stephen, being full of the
Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into
heaven, and saw the glory of God, and
said:
Answer. Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of Man standing at
the right hand of the power of God.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of Man standing at
the right hand of the power of God.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Fulgentius, Bishop [of Ruspa.]
(On St. Stephen.)
YES
ESTERDAY we were celebrating
the birth in time of our Eternal
King; to-day we celebrate the victory,
through suffering, of one of His soldiers.
Yesterday our King was pleased to come
forth from His royal palace of the Vir-
gin's womb, clothed in a robe of flesh,
to visit the world; to-day His soldier,
laying aside the tabernacle of the body,
entereth in triumph into the heavenly
palaces. The One, preserving un-
changed that glory of the Godhead
which He had before the world was,
girded Himself with the form of a ser-
vant, and entered the arena of this
world to fight sin; the other taketh off
the garments of this corruptible body, and
entereth into the heavenly mansions,
where he will reign for ever.
The One
cometh down, veiled in flesh; the other
goeth up, clothed in a robe of glory,
red with blood.
2 Acts vii. 55.
3 Now called Alfaques, in the district of Tunis, in North Africa. The Martyrology
(Jan. 1) says that "in the persecution by the Vandals he suffered much for the Catholic
faith, and on account of his great learning, was banished by the Arians into the isle of
Sardinia; but, afterward permitted to return to his Bishopric, renowned for his life and
preaching, made an holy end." Born, A.D. 468. Died, 533.
ST. STEPHEN'S DAY.
233
Fourth Responsory.
"They stoned Stephen, calling upon
God and saying: Lord JESUS Christ, re-
ceive my spirit; and lay not this sin to
their charge.
Verse. And he kneeled down, and
cried with a loud voice, saying:-
Answer. Lord JESUS Christ, receive
my spirit; and lay not this sin to their
charge.
Fifth Lesson.
THE One cometh down amid the jubi-
lation of angels; the other goeth up
amid the stoning of the Jews. Yester-
day the holy angels were singing, "Glory
to God in the highest ;" to-day there is
joy among them, for they receive Ste-
phen into their company. Yesterday
the Lord came forth from the Virgin's
womb; to-day His soldier is delivered
from the prison of the body. Yesterday
Christ was for our sakes wrapped in
swaddling bands; to-day He girdeth
Stephen with a robe of immortality.
Yesterday the new-born Christ lay in a
narrow manger; to-day Stephen enter-
eth victorious into the boundless hea-
vens. The Lord came down alone that
He might raise many up; our King
humbled Himself that He might set His
soldiers in high places.
Fifth Responsory.
"They ran upon him with one accord,
and cast him out of the city, calling
upon God, and saying: Lord JESUS, re-
ceive my spirit.
Verse. And the witnesses laid down
their clothes at a young man's feet,
whose name was Saul; and they stoned
Stephen, calling upon God, and say-
ing:-
Answer. Lord JESUS, receive my
spirit.
Sixth Lesson.
MY brethren, it behoveth us to con-
sider with what arms Stephen was
able, amid all the cruelty of the Jews, to
remain more than conqueror, and wor-
thily to attain to so blessed a triumph.
Stephen, in that struggle which brought
him to the crown whereof his name is a
prophecy, had for armour the love of
God and man, and by it he remained
victorious on all hands. The love of
God strengthened him against the cru-
elty of the Jews; and the love of his
1 Acts vii. 59, 60.
neighbour made him pray even for his
murderers. Through love he rebuked
the wandering, that they might be cor-
rected; through love he prayed for them
that stoned him, that they might not
be punished. By the might of his love
he overcame Saul his cruel persecutor
and earned for a comrade in heaven, the
very man who had done him to death
upon earth.
Sixth Responsory.
The ungodly fell upon the righteous,
to put him to death. But he received
the stones with joy, that he might earn
a crown of glory.
Verse. They stopped their ears, and
ran upon him with one accord.
Answer. But he received the stones
with joy, that he might earn a crown of
glory.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. But he received the stones
with joy, that he might earn a crown of
glory.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxiii. 34.)
T that time: JESUS said unto the
AT
Scribes and Pharisees: Behold, I
send unto you Prophets, and wise men,
and Scribes; and some of them ye shall
kill and crucify. And so on.
Homily on this passage by St. Jerome,
Priest [at Bethlehem.] (Bk. iv. Com-
mentary on Matth. xxiii.)
We have already remarked that the
Lord's words, "Fill ye up the measure
of your fathers," (32,) refer in the first
place to Himself, Whom the Jews after-
wards put to death. In a secondary
sense it may likewise be applied to His
disciples, of whom He saith, "Behold, I
send unto you Prophets, and wise men,
and Scribes." Here observe that, accord-
ing to the Apostle writing to the Corin-
thians, (1 Cor. xii. 4,) there are diversities
of gifts among Christ's followers. Some
are Prophets of that which is to come;
some are wise men, who know the due sea-
son for rebuke and exhortation; some are
Scribes learned in the law. And of these
they stoned Stephen, slew Paul with
2 Acts vii. 56-58.
234
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the sword, crucified Peter, and scourged
the Disciples mentioned in the Acts of
the Apostles. (v. 40; xvi. 23.)
Seventh Responsory.
Stephen, the servant of God, who was
stoned by the Jews, saw the heavens
opened: he saw and entered in. Blessed
is he, unto whom the heavens were
opened.
Verse. While his poor body was
crushed by the hurtling shower of
stones, God's brightness broke upon him
out of the heavenly palaces.
Answer. Blessed is he unto whom the
heavens were opened.
IT
Eighth Lesson.
T is a subject of dispute among com-
mentators who is meant by Zacha-
rias the son of Barachias. We read of
several persons of the name of Zacharias.
But here, in order to prevent any mis-
take, it is particularly said, "Whom ye
slew between the temple and the altar.”
I have read various opinions in various
places upon this question, and I will
give each. First, some hold that Za-
charias the son of Barachias is the ele-
venth of the twelve Minor Prophets;
and this opinion is supported by the
father's name. But the Bible nowhere
telleth us that this Prophet was slain be-
tween the temple and the altar; and it
is hardly possible that he can have been,
for in his time it could scarcely be said
that even the ruins of the temple were
in existence. Secondly, others main-
tain that this Zacharias was Zacharias,
the father of John the Baptist. This
interpretation is derived from the dreams
of the Apocryphal Gospels, wherein it is
asserted that he was martyred for preach-
ing Christ's coming.
Eighth Responsory.
The gates of heaven were opened to
Christ's blessed martyr Stephen, and he
is the first of all the martyrs. Where-
fore he reigneth crowned in heaven.
Verse. For he was the first to make
an offering of his death to that Saviour
Who vouchsafed to suffer death for us.
Answer. Wherefore he reigneth
crowned in heaven.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
¹ Acts vii. 58, 59.
Answer.
Wherefore he reigneth
crowned in heaven.
Ninth Lesson.
A THIRD school will have it that this
Zacharias, the son of Barachias,
was that Zacharias of whom we read, in
4 (2) Kings xxiv. 21, that he was slain
by Joash, king of Judah, between the
temple and the altar. Against this it
is to be remarked, that that Zacharias
was not the son of Barachias, but of
Jehoiada the priest; whence it is writ-
ten, "Joash remembered not the kind-
ness which Jehoiada his father had done
to him." The question therefore aris-
eth, if this opinion be true, why, the
name and manner of death both agree-
ing with this explanation, Zacharias is
called the son, not of Jehoiada, but of
Barachias. In Hebrew, Barachias"
signifieth "the Blessed of the LORD,
and "Jehoiada" "Righteousness." In
the Gospel used by the Nazarenes the
name of Jehoiada is used instead of Ba-
rachias.
*
LAUDS.
1
"
First Antiphon. They stoned Ste-
phen, calling upon God, and saying:
Lay not this sin to their charge.
Second Antiphon. The stones of the
brook * were sweet to him: all the souls
of the righteous follow him.
Third Antiphon. O my God, my soul
followeth hard after Thee, * for my
flesh hath been stoned for Thy sake.
Fourth Antiphon. Stephen saw the
heavens opened; * he saw and entered
in: blessed is he unto whom the heavens
were opened.
*
Fifth Antiphon. 2Behold, I see the
heavens opened, and JESUS standing on
the right hand of the power of God.
Chapter. (Acts vi. 8.)
AND Stephen, full of
grace and power,
did great wonders and miracles
among the people.
Verse. Devout men carried Stephen
to his burial.
Answer. And made great lamenta-
tion over him.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias,
and Prayer throughout the Office from the
Commemoration of the preceding evening.
Commemoration of Christmas from
the Lauds of yesterday.
2 Acts vii. 55.
3 Acts viii. 2.
ST. JOHN'S DAY.
235
PRIME.
Antiphon. They stoned Stephen, &c.,
(First Antiphon åt Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory the same
alteration as yesterday.
Chapter at the end. (Acts vii. 59.)
AND he kneeled down, and cried with
a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not
this sin to their charge. And when he
had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord.
TERCE.
Antiphon. The stones of the brook, *
&c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. O my God, &c., (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Acts vi. 9.)
THEN there arose certain of the syna-
gogue of the Libertines, and Cyre-
nians, and Alexandrians, and of them
of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with
Stephen, and they were not able to re-
sist the wisdom, and the Spirit, which
spake.
NONE.
Antiphon. Behold, I see,* &c., (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
VESPERS.
All as the Second Vespers of Christ-
mas, till the Chapter.
Chapter from Lauds.
Verse. Stephen saw the heavens
opened.
Answer. He saw and entered in:
blessed is he unto whom the heavens
were opened.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Devout men carried Stephen to
his burial, and made great lamentation
over him.
Commemoration of ST. JOHN.
Antiphon. This is that John, which
leaned on the Lord's Breast at supper;
even that blessed Apostle, unto whom
were made known the secret things of
heaven.
Verse. Very worshipful is blessed
John.
Answer. Which leaned on the Lord's
Breast at supper.
MER
Let us pray.
ERCIFUL Lord, we beseech Thee
to cast Thy bright beams of light
upon Thy Church, that it, being en-
lightened by the doctrine of Thy blessed
Apostle and Evangelist John, may at
length attain to the light of everlasting
life.1
Commemoration of Christmas from
the Second Vespers of that day.
St. John's Day.
The Feast of St. John, Apostle and
Evangelist.
Double of the Second Class, with an
Octave.
All from the Common Office of Apos-
tles except the following:

MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the First Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle John (i. Ï.)
THAT Which was from the beginning,
Which we have heard, Which we
have seen with our eyes, Which we have
looked upon, and our hands have han-
dled, of the Word of life, (and the Life
was manifested, and we have seen It,
and bear witness, and show unto you
that Eternal Life, Which was with the
Father, and was manifested unto us)
That Which we have seen and heard de-
clare we unto you, that ye also may
have fellowship with us, and our fel-
lowship be with the Father, and with
His Son Jesus Christ. And these things
we write unto you that ye may rejoice,
and that your joy may be full. This
then is the message which we have heard
of Him, and declare unto you: That
God is light, and in Him is no darkness
at all.
First Responsory.
Very worshipful is blessed John, which
1 When this is the first or last Prayer, it has, of course, the usual termination, “Through
our Lord, &c.”
236
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
leaned on the Lord's Breast at supper.
To Him did Christ upon the Cross com-
mit His mother, maiden to maiden.
Verse. The Lord chose him for his
clean maidenhood, and loved him more
than all the rest.
Answer. To him did Christ upon the
Cross commit His mother, maiden to
maiden.
IF
F
Second Lesson.
we say that we have fellowship with
Him, and walk in darkness, we lie,
and do not the truth. But if we walk
in the light, as He is in the light, we
have fellowship one with another, and
the blood of JESUS Christ His Son cleans-
eth us from all sin. If we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us. If we confess
our sins, He is faithful and just to for-
give us our sins, and to cleanse us from
all unrighteousness. If we say that we
have not sinned, we make Him a liar,
and His word is not in us.
Second Responsory.
This is the disciple which testifieth
of these things, and wrote these things.
And we know that his testimony is true.
Verse. He drank in the rivers of the
Gospel from the Lord's Breast as from
an holy fountain.
Answer. And we know that his tes-
timony is true.
Y
Third Lesson. (ii. 1.)
My little children, these things write
And
I unto you, that ye sin not. And
if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, JESUS Christ the righ-
teous and He is the propitiation for
our sins; and not for ours only, but also
for the sins of the whole world.
hereby we do know that we know Him,
if we keep His commandments. He that
saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth
is not in him. But whoso keepeth His
word, in him verily is the love of God
perfected.
Third Responsory.
This is that most blessed Evangelist
and Apostle John. Who was found
worthy that the Lord should honour him
1 John xxi. 24.
3
Apoc. iii. 12.
more than all the rest, by a special pri-
vilege of love.
Verse. This is the disciple whom
JESUS loved, which also leaned on the
Lord's Breast at supper.
Answer. Who was found worthy that
the Lord should honour him more than
all the rest, by a special privilege of
love.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Who was found worthy that
the Lord should honour him more than
all the rest, by a special privilege of
love.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book on
Ecclesiastical writers, written by St.
Jerome, Priest [at Bethlehem.]
THE Apostle John "whom JESUS
loved" was a son of Zebedee, and
brother of the Apostle James, who was
beheaded by Herod soon after our Lord
suffered. He was the last of the Evan-
gelists to write his Gospel, which he
published at the request of the Bishops
of Asia, against Cerinthus and other
heretics, and particularly against the
then spreading doctrine of the Ebionites,
who asserted that Christ had had no
existence before Mary. It was there-
fore needful for the Evangelist to de-
clare His Eternal and Divine Genera-
tion.
Fourth Responsory.
3 Him that overcometh will I make a
pillar in My temple, saith the Lord, and
I will write My name upon him, and
the name of the city, which is New Je-
rusalem.
4
Verse. To him that overcometh will
I give to eat of the tree of life, which is
in the midst of the Paradise of My God.
Answer. And I will write My name
upon him, and the name of the city,
which is New Jerusalem.
IN
Fifth Lesson.
the fourteenth year after Nero, Do-
mitian stirred up the second perse-
cution, and John was exiled to the island
of Patmos, where he wrote his Apoca-
2 John xxi. 20.
4 Apoc. ii. 7.
ST. JOHN'S DAY.
237
lypse, which hath been explained by
Justin the Martyr and Irenæus. When
Domitian was killed, the Senate an-
nulled all his acts, on account of his
savage cruelty, and the Apostle returned
to Ephesus, during the reign of Nerva.
He remained at Ephesus until the time
of Trajan, and founded and governed all
the Churches of Asia. There, in an ex-
treme old age, he died, in the sixty-
eighth year after the Lord's passion, and
was buried near the city.
Fifth Responsory.
JESUS loved him, because his singular
gift of purity made him more worthy of
love. He chose him for a virgin unto
Himself, and he remaineth a virgin for
ever.
Verse. At the end, when He was dy-
ing upon the Cross, to him did He com-
mit His mother, maiden to maiden.
Answer. He chose him for a virgin
unto Himself, and he remaineth a vir-
gin for ever.
Sixth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Commen-
tary upon the Epistle to the Galatians,
by the same author (iii. 6.)
THE
HE Blessed Evangelist John lived
at Ephesus down to an extreme old
age, and, at length, when he was with
difficulty carried to the Church, and was
not able to exhort the congregation at
length, he was used simply to say at
each meeting, "My little children, love
one another."
At last the disciples
and brethren were weary with hearing
these words continually, and asked him,
"Master, wherefore ever sayest thou
this only ?" Whereto he replied to
them, (worthy of John,) "It is the com-
mandment of the Lord, and if this only
be done, it is enough.'
Sixth Responsory.
IN the midst of the congregation did
the Lord open his mouth. And
filled him with the spirit of wisdom and
understanding.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And filled him with the
spirit of wisdom and understanding.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xxi. 19.)
T that time: JESUS saith unto Peter:
Follow Me. Peter, turning about,
seeth the disciple whom JESUS loved,
following. And so on.
Homily on this passage by St. Austin,
Bishop [of Hippo,] (124th Tract on
John.)
The Church knoweth of two different
lives which God hath revealed and
blessed one is the life of faith, the
other the life of knowledge: one the life
of this pilgrimage, the other the life of
the eternal mansions; one the life of
work, the other the life of rest: one the
life of the journey, the other the life of
home; one the life of action, the other
the life of contemplation. The one es-
cheweth evil and doeth good; the other
hath no evil to eschew, and only an ex-
ceeding good to enjoy. The one striveth
with the enemy, the other hath no ene-
mies, and reigneth.
Seventh Responsory.
2In that day will I take thee, O My
servant, and will make thee as a signet
before Me. For I have chosen thee,
saith the LORD.
Verse. ³ Be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life.
Answer. For I have chosen thee,
saith the LORD.

THE
Eighth Lesson.
one succoureth the needy; the
other is where there are no needy
to succour. The one forgiveth them
that trespass against it, that its own
trespasses may be forgiven; the other
neither hath trespasses to forgive nor to
be forgiven. The one is chastened with
evil, lest it be exalted above measure
by good; the other enjoyeth such a ful-
ness of grace that it feeleth no evil, and
cleaveth so firmly unto the Highest
2 Hag. ii. 24.
Verse. He made him rich with joy
and gladness.
Answer. And filled him with the
spirit of wisdom and understanding.
1 Ecclus. xv. 5, 6.
3 Apoc. ii. 10.
238
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
น
Good, that it hath no temptation to
pride.
Eighth Responsory.
This is that John which leaned on
the Lord's Breast at supper-even that
blessed Apostle unto whom were made
known the secret things of heaven.
Verse. He drank in the rivers of the
Gospel from the Lord's Breast, as from
an holy fountain.
Answer. Even that blessed Apostle
unto whom were made known the secret
things of heaven.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Even that blessed Apostle
unto whom were made known the secret
things of heaven.
W
Ninth Lesson.
HEREFORE the one is good, but
still sorrowful; the other is better
and perfectly blessed. And of these two
lives there are types, of the one in the
Apostle Peter, of the other in John.
The one laboureth here even unto the
end, and findeth its end hereafter; the
other stretcheth out into the hereafter,
and in eternity findeth no end. There-
fore is it said unto the one, "Follow
Me;" but of the other, "If I will that
he tarry till I come, what is that to
thee? Follow thou Me." What is the
meaning of these words? who can know?
who can understand? what is it? is it
"Follow thou Me, imitating Me in the
bearing of earthly sorrow; let him tarry
till I come again, bringing the everlast-
ing reward?"
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Very worshipful *
is blessed John, which leaned on the
Lord's Breast at supper.
Second Antiphon. This is the disciple
* which testifieth of these things, and
we know that his testimony is true.
Third Antiphon. This is My dis-
ciple: * if I will that he tarry till I
come-?
Fourth Antiphon. There be some
standing here, * which shall not taste
of death, till they see the Son of man in
His kingdom.
Fifth Antiphon. Behold My servant,
1 Matth. xvi. 28.
* whom I have chosen, I have put My
spirit upon him.
Chapter. (Ecclus. xv. 1.)
HE that feareth the Lord will do
good: and he that keepeth righ-
teousness shall obtain her, and as an
honoured mother shall she meet him.
Verse. This is the disciple which tes-
tifieth of these things.
Answer. And we know that his tes-
timony is true.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias,
and Prayer throughout the Office from
the Commemoration at the preceding
Vespers.
Commemorations of Christmas and of
St. Stephen from the Second Vespers of
Christmas Day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Very worshipful, * &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory the same al-
teration as before.
Chapter at the end. (Ecclus. xv. 5.)
IN the midst of the congregation did
the Lord open his mouth, and filled
him with the spirit of wisdom and un-
derstanding, and clothed him with a
robe of glory.
TERCE.
Antiphon. This is the disciple, * &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. This is My disciple, * &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Ecclus. xv. 3.)
WITH the bread of life and under-
standing did the Lord our God
feed him, and gave him the healthful
water of wisdom to drink.
NONE.
Antiphon. Behold My servant, * &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
2 Matth. xii. 18.
CHILDERMAS DAY.
239
VESPERS.
All as at the Second Vespers of Christ-
mas, till the Chapter.
Chapter as at Lauds.
Verse and Answer as at the Comme-
moration in the preceding Vespers.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. There went this saying abroad
among the brethren, that that disciple
should not die; yet JESUS said not: He
shall not die; but, If I will that he
tarry till I come.
Commemoration of the HOLY
INNOCENTS.
Antiphon. These are they which
were not defiled with women: for they
are virgins, and follow the Lamb whi-
thersoever He goeth.
Verse. Herod was exceeding wroth,
and slew many children.
Answer. In Bethlehem Judah, the
city of David.
Let us pray.
GOD, Whose praise Thine Innocent
Martyrs did this day set forth, not
in confession but in death, mortify and
kill all vices in us, that we, whose
mouths profess Thy faith, may by our
lives also give glory to the same.2
Commemorations of Christmas and of
St. Stephen from the Second Vespers of
Christmas Day.
Childermas Day.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents,
Martyrs.
Double of the Second Class, with an
Octave.
All from the Common Office for Many
Martyrs, except what is otherwise given
here.
MATTINS.
Hymn.s 3
THE moody tyrant hears aghast
News that the King of kings, at last,
Hath come to rule o'er Israël's name,
And David's Royal throne to claim.
1 Apoc. xiv. 4.
Mad at the tidings is his cry!
"A King, who drives me forth, is nigh-
Haste ye, my guard, with hand on glaive,
Till ye in blood all cradles lave."
What is the gain of such a sin?
What doth his crime for Herod win?
Saved only from so many slain,
Away uninjured Christ is ta'en.
JESU, to Thee be glory paid,
Born for us of a stainless maid
To Father, and to Spirit blest,
Like praise be evermore addrest. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
;
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Jeremiah (xxxi. 15.)
THUS saith the LORD: A voice was
heard in the "lofty city," lamen-
tation and weeping, and great mourn-
ing, Rachel weeping for her children,
refused to be comforted for them, be-
cause they were not. Thus saith the
LORD: Refrain thy voice from weeping,
and thine eyes from tears: for thy work
shall be rewarded, saith the LORD, and
they shall come again from the land of
the enemy. And there is hope in thine
end, saith the LORD, and thy children
shall come again to their own border.
First Responsory.
"An hundred, forty, and four thou-
sand, which were redeemed from the
earth; these are they which were not
defiled with women. For they remained
virgins; therefore are they kings before
God, and the Lamb of God is with them.
Verse. These are they which came
out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes in the Blood of the Lamb.
Answer. For they remained virgins;
therefore are they kings before God,
and the Lamb of God is with them.
I
Second Lesson.
HAVE surely heard Ephraim be-
moaning himself thus: Thou hast
chastised me; and I was chastised as
a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke.
Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned;
2 When this is the first or last Prayer, it has, of course, the usual termination, "Through
our Lord, &c."
3 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Littledale.
5 Apoc. xiv. 2, 4; vii. 14.
4 Ramah.
240
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
for Thou art the LORD my God. For after
that Thou hadst turned me, I repented:
and after that Thou hadst instructed me,
I smote upon my thigh: I was ashamed,
yea, even confounded, because I did
bear the reproach of my youth. Is
Ephraim My dear son? Is he a plea-
sant child? For since I spake against
him, I do earnestly remember him still.
Second Responsory.
¹I heard under the altar the voices of
them that were slain, saying: How long
dost Thou not avenge our blood? And
it was said unto them from God: Rest
yet for a little season, until the number
of your brethren be fulfilled.
Verse. I saw under the altar of God
the souls of them that were slain for the
Word of God, and for the testimony
which they held, and they cried with a
loud voice, saying:
Answer. How long dost Thou not
avenge our blood? And it was said
unto them from God: Rest yet for a
little season, until the number of your
brethren be fulfilled.
SET
Third Lesson.
ET thee up watch-towers, make thee
2 monuments of thy grief, set thine
heart toward the high-way, even the
way which thou wentest: turn again, O
Virgin of Israël, turn again to these thy
thou back-sliding daughter? for the
LORD hath created a new thing in the
earth a woman shall compass a man.
Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God
of Israël: As yet they shall use this
speech in the land of Judah, and in the
cities thereof, when I shall bring again
their captivity: The LORD bless thee, O
beauty of righteousness, and mountain
of holiness!
Third Responsory.
"They worshipped Him That liveth
for ever and ever. And cast their crowns
before the throne of the Lord their
God.
Verse. And they fell down upon their
faces before the throne, and blessed Him
That liveth for ever and ever.
1 Apoc. vi. 9, 10, 11.
Answer. And cast their crowns be-
fore the throne of the Lord their God.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And cast their crowns be-
fore the throne of the Lord their God.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(10th on the Saints.)
EARLY beloved brethren, to-day we
DEA
keep the birthday of those chil-
dren, who, as we are informed by the
Gospel, were massacred by the savage
King Herod. Therefore let earth re-
joice with exceeding joy, for she is the
mother of these heavenly soldiers, the
source of these great powers. The love
of the vile Herod could never have
crowned these blessed ones as hath his
hatred. For the Church testifieth by
this holy solemnity, that whereas ini-
quity did specially abound against these
little saints, so much the more were
heavenly blessings poured out upon
them.
Fourth Responsory.
4 The blood of Thy saints have they
shed like water round about Jerusalem.
And there was none to bury them.
Verse. The dead bodies of Thy ser-
vants have they given to be meat unto
the fowls of the air, the flesh of Thy
saints unto the beasts of the earth.
Answer. And there was none to bury
them.
Fifth Lesson.
BLESSED art thou, O Bethlehem in
the land of Judah, which hast suf-
fered the cruelty of King Herod in the
slaughter of thy children; who art
found worthy to offer at once to God a
whole white-robed army of guileless
martyrs! Surely, it is well to keep
their birth-day, even that blessed birth-
day which gave them from earth to
heaven, more blessed than the day that
brought them out of their mother's
womb. Scarcely had they entered on
2 I.e. (perhaps) in going into exile, mark the road, since it will soon have to be re-
traced.
3 Apoc. iv. 10.
4 Ps. lxxviii. 3, 2.
CHILDERMAS DAY.
241
the life that now is, when they obtained
that glorious life which is to come.
Fifth Responsory.
For
These holy ones suffered for Thy sake,
O Lord: take vengeance for them.
day by day they cry unto Thee.
Verse. Avenge, O Lord, the blood of
Thy saints which is shed.
Answer. For day by day they cry
unto Thee.
Sixth Lesson.
WE praise the death of other martyrs
because it was the crowning act
of an undaunted and persistent testi-
mony; but these were crowned at once.
He That maketh an end to this present
life, gave to them at its very gates that
eternal blessedness which we hope for
at its close. They whom the wicked-
ness of Herod tore from their mothers'
breasts are rightfully called the flowers
of martyrdom; hardly had these buds
of the Church shown their heads above
the soil, in the winter of unbelief, when
the frost of persecution nipped them.
Sixth Responsory.
¹These are they which have not de-
filed their garments. They shall walk
with Me in white, for they are worthy.
Verse. These are they which were
not defiled with women: for they are
virgins.
Answer. They shall walk with Me
in white, for they are worthy.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. They shall walk with Me
in white, for they are worthy.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Second Antiphon. These are they
which came out of great tribulation,
and have washed their robes in the
blood of the Lamb.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 13.)
A
T that time: The angel of the Lord
appeareth to Joseph in a dream,
saying: Arise, and take the young Child,
and His mother, and flee into Egypt:
¹ Apoc. iii. 4.
and be thou there until I bring thee
word. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Book i. Comment. "on
Matth. ii.)
He took the young Child, and His
mother, and fled into Egypt, by night
and in darkness; and the darkness of
that night was a figure of the darkness
of ignorance in which they left the un-
believers from whom they fled. But
when they returned into Judæa, we
learn not from the Gospel that it was
by night, or in darkness; which is
an image of that light which will
lighten the Jews, when, at the end of
the world, they shall receive back the
faith, which now lighteneth the Gen-
tiles, even as Judæa received Christ re-
turning from Egypt.
Seventh Responsory.
The saints sung a new song before
the throne of God and the Lamb: and
their voices were echoed on earth.
Verse. These were redeemed from
among men, being the first-fruits unto
God, and to the Lamb, and in their
mouth was found no guile,
Answer. And their voices were echoed
on earth.
"THA
Eighth Lesson.
HAT it might be fulfilled which
was spoken of the Lord by the
Prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have
I called My Son." Those who go about
to deny the authority of the Hebrew
Scriptures, ask where any such passage
is to be found in the Septuagint. But,
although they find it not there, I tell
them that the fact of its being written
in the Prophet Hosea (xi. 1) can be
proved by the texts which I have lately?
published.
Eighth Responsory.
I saw under the altar of God the souls
of them that were slain for the word of
God, which they held, and they cried
with a loud voice: Avenge, O Lord, the
blood of Thy saints, which is shed.
Verse. Under the throne of God all
the saints cry aloud:
Answer. Avenge, O Lord, the blood
of Thy saints, which is shed.
2 Viz. circ. A.D. 400. The reading of the LXX. is: "I loved [Israël], and called his
sons out of Egypt."
R
242
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
If this day be Sunday the following
is added:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Avenge, O Lord, the blood
of Thy saints, which is shed.
Ninth Lesson.
"THEN was fulfilled that which was
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Herod was exceeding
wroth * and slew many children in
Bethlehem Judah, the city of David.
*
Second Antiphon. Herod slew many
children from two years old and under,
for the Lord's sake.
Third Antiphon. Their angels * do
always behold the face of My Father.
Fourth Antiphon. In Rama was there
a voice heard, weeping and mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children.
*
*
Fifth Antiphon. Under the throne of
God all the saints cry aloud: Avenge
our blood, O our God!
spoken by Jeremy the Prophet,
saying; In Rama was there a voice
heard, weeping and great mourning;
Rachel weeping for her children." The
child of Rachel was Benjamin, and Beth-
lehem is not a town belonging to his
tribe. We must therefore seek another
reason why Rachel should weep for the
children of Judah, to whom Bethlehem
belongeth, as for her own. The plain
answer is that she is buried at Ephrath
close to Bethlehem, and she is called
Mother on account of the resting-place
of her earthly tabernacle being there,
It is possible also that she is called Mo- ALL
ther because the tribes of Judah and
Benjamin were joined together, and
Herod slew not only all the children
that were in Bethlehem, but also in all
the coasts thereof.
If it be Sunday, the Hymn, "We
praise Thee, O God, &c.," is said, but
if not, then the following:
Ninth Responsory,
What are these which are arrayed in
white robes? and whence came they?
And he said to me: These are they
which came out of great tribulation,
and have washed their robes, and made
them white in the Blood of the Lamb.
Verse. I saw under the altar of God
the souls of them which were slain for
the word of God, and for the testimony
which they held.
Answer. These are they which came
out of great tribulation, and bave washed
their robes, and made them white in the
Blood of the Lamb,
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. These are they which came
out of great tribulation, and have washed
their robes, and made them white in the
Blood of the Lamb,
1 Matth. xviii. 10.
Chapter. (Apoc, xiv. 1.)
LOOKED, and, lo, a Lamb stood on
the mount Sion, and with Him an
hundred, forty, and four thousand;
having His name and His Father's
name written in their foreheads,
Hymn.?
LL hail! ye infant Martyr flowers !
Cut off in life's first dawning hours,
As rose-buds snapped in tempest strife,
When Herod sought your Saviour's life.
You, tender flock of lambs, we sing,
First victims slain for Christ your King:
Beneath the altar's heavenly ray,
With martyr palms and crowns ye play.
For their Redemption, glory be,
O JESUS, Virgin-born, to Thee!
With Father, and with Holy Ghost,
For ever from the Martyr-host!
Amen.
Verse and Answer, Antiphon at the
Song of Zacharias, and Prayer through-
out the Office, all from the Commemora-
tion at the preceding Vespers.
Commemoration of Christmas, of St.
Stephen, and of St. John from their
respective Lauds.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Herod
Herod was exceeding
wroth, * &c., (First Antiphon at
Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory the same
alteration as before.
Chapter at the end. (Apoc. xiv. 4.)
THESE were redeemed from among
men, being the first-fruits unto
God and to the Lamb, and in their
mouth was found no guile; for they are
without fault before the throne of God.
2 Translation by the late Rev. Dr. Neale.
ST. THOMAS' DAY.
243
TERCE.
Antiphon. Herod slew many chil-
dren, * &c., (Second Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Their angels, &c., (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Apoc. xiv. 4.)
THESE are they which were not de-
filed with women: for they are vir-
gins. These are they which follow the
Lamb whithersoever He goeth.
NONE.
Antiphon. Under the throne of God,
* &c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
VESPERS.
All as the Second Vespers of Christ-
mas, till the Chapter.
Chapter and Hymn as at Lauds,
Verse. Under the throne of God all
the saints cry aloud:
Answer. Avenge our blood, O our
God.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Innocent babes were killed for
Christ's sake, yea, the unrighteous king
slew the sucklings: now they follow
the Lamb whithersoever He goeth, they
are without fault before the throne of
God, and say continually: Glory be to
thee, O Lord.
Unless it be Saturday there follows a
Commemoration of ST. THOMAS OF
CANTERBURY.
Antiphon and Verse and Answer
from the Common Office of One Martyr.
Prayer.
GOD, in defence of Whose Church
the glorious Bishop Thomas fell by
the swords of wicked men, grant, we
beseech Thee, that all that ask his help,
may obtain wholesome fruit of their
petition.¹
Commemorations of Christmas, of St.
Stephen, and of St. John, from the
Second Vespers of each respectively.
Note. If Christmas Day, St. Ste-
phen's Day, St. John's Day, or Inno-
cents' Day fall on a Sunday, no notice
is taken of the Sunday, but the Office
belonging to it is said upon the soonest
possible day after St. Thomas of Can-
terbury's Day.
If the Feast of St. Thomas of Can-
terbury fall on a Sunday, the Feast is
put off till the Monday following, and
on Saturday at the Second Vespers of
the Innocents a Commemoration is made
of the Sunday instead of St. Thomas.
On the Sunday itself at Second Vespers
St. Thomas is commemorated before the
Four Octaves. Then on St. Thomas'
Day itself at Second Vespers the service
will be all of a Double rite, of Christ-
mas till the Chapter, and from the
Chapter, inclusive, of St. Silvester, with
a Commemoration of St. Thomas, before
those of the Four Octaves.
St. Thomas of Canterbury's
Bay.
The Feast of St. Thomas, Archbishop
[of Canterbury,] Martyr.

Semidouble.
All from the Common Office for One
Martyr, except what is otherwise given
here.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Acts xx. 17, as in the
Common Office for a Martyr.
SECOND NOCTURN.
THOMAS was born in London, [in the
year of our Lord 1117,] and suc-
ceeded Theobald in the Archbishopric
of Canterbury [in 1162]. He, had pre-
viously filled with great distinction the
office of Lord Chancellor, and showed
an indomitable firmness in his duty as
Primate. When Henry II., King of
England, in an assembly of the Bishops
and great men of his realm, endeavoured
to pass laws detrimental to the advan-
tage and dignity of the Church, he op-
posed himself so steadily to the king's
wishes, that, neither promises, nor threats
availing to shake him, he was about to
be cast into prison, had he not made.
good his escape in time. The whole of
his kinsfolk without regard to age or
1 When this is the first or last Prayer, it has, of course, the usual termination, "Through
our Lord, &c.”
R 2
244
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
sex, his friends, and his advisers, were
then banished the kingdom, and those
who were able, were bound by an oath
to make their way to the presence of
Thomas, in the hope that though care-
less of his own sufferings, he might
yield at the sight of their misery. But
neither flesh and blood, nor the plead-
ings of natural affection could make him
swerve from the line of his pastoral duty.
Fifth Lesson.
He hit, by whom he was graciously
HⓇ m.,
betook himself to Pope Alexander
received, and who committed him to the
care of the Cistercians at Pontigni. As
soon as this came to the knowledge of
King Henry, he sent threatening letters
to the monks, in order to drive Thomas
from this shelter. The saint was un-
willing that the Cistercian Order should
suffer on his account, and therefore vo-
Blessed Virgin Mary, to St. Denis, and
to the other holy Patrons of the Church
of Canterbury. He presently offered his
sacred head for the stroke of death, and
received it from the swords of those
wicked men with the same constancy
with which he had withstood the com-
mands of the unrighteous king. The
murderers pulled out his brains and
strewed them all about the floor of the
Church. He testified on the 29th day
of December, in the [53rd] year of [his
own age and of] our Lord 1170, and,
being afterwards honoured with many
miracles, was canonised by Pope Alex-
ander III. [in 1173].
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (x. 11.)
luntarily withdraw from Pontigni, and AT that time: JESUS said unto the
accepted the invitation of Lewis VII.,
King of France, to go to his court. Hé
remained here, until his banishment was
recalled at the intercession of the Pope
and of the King of France, and he re-
turned to England amid great public
joy. He was quietly continuing the
work of a faithful shepherd of souls,
when certain calumniators denounced
him to the king as a plotter against the
crown and the public peace. Henry,
deceived by these libels, cried out that
it was hard that one priest should never
let him have quiet in his kingdom.
Sixth Lesson.
SOME wicked servants of the king,
hearing his words, and thinking to
do him pleasure, betook themselves to
Canterbury to rid him of the archbishop.
They entered the cathedral in the even-
ing as Thomas was proceeding to assist
at Evensong. The clergy in attendance
on him, conscious of the attempt about
to be made, wished to bolt the doors.
But the saint caused them to be again
opened, saying, "The Church of God is
not to be made a castle of, and for the
cause of God's Church I am willing to
die." He then said to his murderers,
"I charge you in the name of the Al-
mighty God to hurt none of my people."
With these words he fell on his knees,
and commended himself to God, to the
Pharisees: I am the Good Shep-
herd. The Good Shepherd giveth His
life for the sheep. And so on.
Homily by 'St. John Chrysostom, Pa-
triarch [of Constantinople.] (59th on
John.)
Dearly beloved brethren, the Bishops
of the Church hold a great office, an
office that needeth much that wisdom
and strength whereof Christ hath given
us an example. We must learn of Him
to lay down our lives for the sheep and
never to leave them; and to fight bravely
against the wolf. This is the difference
between the true shepherd and the hire-
ling. The one leaveth the sheep and
seeketh his own safety, but the other
recketh not of his own safety, so as he
may watch over the sheep. Christ then
having given us the duty of a good shep-
herd, warneth us against two enemies;
first, the thief that cometh not but to
kill and to steal, and, secondly, the hire-
ling that standeth by, and defendeth
not them that are committed to his
charge.
Eighth Lesson.
2): "Woe be to the shep-
EZECHIEL hath said of old time,
herds of Israël! do they not feed them-
selves? Should not the shepherds feed
the flocks?" But they did the contrary,
a great wickedness and the root of many
1 Jan. 27.
SATURDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS.
245
evils. "Therefore," he saith, "they
brought not back that which was gone
astray: neither did they search for that
which was lost: neither did they bind
up that which was broken, nor strengthen
that which was sick; for they fed them-
selves, and not the flock." And Paul
hath the same in other words, where he
saith, (Phil. ii. 21): "All seek their
own, not the things which are JESUS
Christ's."
CHR
Ninth Lesson.
HRIST showeth Himself very dif-
ferent from either the thief or the
hireling; whereas the thief cometh to
destroy, He came that they might have
life, and that they might have it more
abundantly. The hireling fleeth, but
He layeth down His life for the sheep,
that the sheep perish not. When then
the Jews went about to kill Him, He
ceased not to teach: He gave not up
them that believed in Him, but stood
steadfast and died. Wherefore He hath
good title often to say, "I am the Good
Shepherd." It was but a little while
and He showed us how He could lay
down His life for the sheep. And if it
appeareth not as yet how they have life,
and have it more abundantly, (but it
shall appear, in the world which is to
come,) we may well be persuaded of
the truth of the second promise, who
have seen the fulfilment of the first.
At Lauds, Commemorations of Christ-
mas, St. Stephen, St. John and the Holy
Innocents, from their respective Lauds.
At Prime, the same alteration in the
Short Responsory as before.
At Vespers, if the day has not fallen
on Friday or Sunday, the service as on
the Second Vespers of Christmas until
the Chapter exclusive.
Chapter, Verse and Answer, Anti-
phon at the Song of the Blessed Virgin,
and Prayer from the next morning's
Lauds-that is, those of the Sunday
within the Octave of Christmas.
Hymn from the First Vespers of
Christmas.
Commemoration of St. Thomas, from
the Common Office for a Martyr, with
the special Prayer.
Then Commemorations of St. Stephen,
St. John, and the Holy Innocents, from
the Second Vespers of each respectively.
If the day is a Friday, the service is
altogether as of the Second Vespers of
Christmas, only the Antiphons are not
doy
doubled.
Commemoration of St. Thomas, from
the Common Office, with the special
Prayer.
Then Commemorations of St. Stephen,
St. John, and the Holy Innocents, from
the Second Vespers of each respectively.
Note. Whenever the 29th of Decem-
ber does not fall on a Friday or on Sun-
day, the Office of the Sunday within
the Octave of Christmas is said on
Dec. 30.
If Dec. 29 fall on a Friday, the Office
of Saturday is of the Octave of Christ-
mas, as given immediately hereafter,
and the Office on Sunday is of St. Sil-
vester, with merely a Commemoration of
Sunday.
Saturday within the Octave of
Christmas.
Sabbath within the Octave of the Birth-
Day of the Lord.
All as on Christmas Day, except what
is otherwise given here, and that the
Antiphons are not doubled.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Epistle of the Blessed
Apostle Paul to the Romans (i. 1.)¹
PAUL
a servant of JESUS Christ,
called to be an Apostle, separated
unto the Gospel of God, which He had
promised afore by His Prophets in the
holy Scriptures, concerning His Son,
Which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh, and determined
to be the Son of God with power, ac-
cording to the Spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection of our Lord JESUS Christ
from the dead: by Whom we have re-
ceived grace and apostleship, for obe-
dience to the faith among all nations,
1 Archbishop Kenrick says that "this letter has been placed at the head of the letters
of St. Paul, on account of the dignity of the Roman Church."-"It is probably sixth in
the order of time, having been written in the year 58, from Corinth, or Cenchrea." N. T.,
p. 459.
246
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
for His name, among whom are ye also
the called of JESUS Christ: to all that
be in Rome, beloved of God, called to
be saints. Grace to you, and peace from
God our Father, and the Lord JESUS
Christ.
First Responsory.
This day is the true peace, &c., (Se-
cond Responsory on Christmas Day.)
Second Lesson.
FIRST, I thank my God, through
JESUS Christ, for you all, that your
faith is spoken of throughout the whole
world. For God is my witness, Whom
I serve with my spirit, in the Gospel of
His Son, that without ceasing I make
mention of you always in my prayers;
making request, if by any means now at
length I might have a prosperous journey,
by the will of God, to come to you. For
I long to see you, that I may impart unto
you some spiritual gift, to the end ye
may be established: that is, that I may
be comforted together with you by the
mutual faith both of you and me.
Second Responsory.
O ye shepherds, &c., (Third Respon-
sory on Christmas Day,) omitting the
last Verse and Answer.
Third Lesson.
NOW I would not have you ignorant,
brethren, that oftentimes I pur-
posed to come unto you (but was let
hitherto,) that I might have some fruit
among you also, even as among other
Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks
and to the Barbarians, both to the wise
and to the unwise: so, as much as in
me is, I am ready to preach the Gospel
to you that are at Rome also. For I
am not ashamed of the Gospel. For it
is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth, to the Jew
first, and also to the Greek. For therein
is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith, as it is written:
¹The just shall live by faith. For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven
against all ungodliness and unrighteous-
ness of men, who hold the truth of God
in unrighteousness: because that which
may be known of God is manifest in
them; for God hath showed it unto
them.
Third Responsory.
How great is this mystery, &c., (Fourth
Responsory on Christmas Day.)
At the end is added:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Blessed is that virgin whose
womb was made meet to bear the Lord
Christ.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (9th on
Christmas.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, the great-
we
ness of God's work, in its breadth
and height, passeth the power of man's
utterance; and, therefore, when
must needs not keep silence, we find it
hard to know what to say. The words
of the Prophet-"Who shall declare
His generation?" (Isa. liii. 8)—look not
only to the Divine, but also to the human
birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Faith believeth, but words cannot ex-
plain, how the two natures were joined
in one Person,-and therein we find that
we shall never lack matter of praise in
Him, Whose abundance ever outrunneth
the power of our expression.
Fourth Responsory.
Blessed is God's holy mother, &c.,
(Fifth Responsory on Christmas Day.)
Fifth Lesson.
THEREFORE let us rejoice, that this
mystery of mercy is greater than
we can ever speak; and let us feel that
it is good for us to fail if we try to ex-
press the height and depth of redeeming
love. He cometh nearest to the know-
ledge of the truth, who, the farther he
advanceth, seeth all the more clearly
that he can never overtake that where-
after he searcheth. For he that ima-
gineth therein that he hath ever at-
tained unto the goal, hath not found
that which he seeketh, but hath alto-
gether missed.
Fifth Responsory.
O Mary, how holy, &c., (Sixth Re-
sponsory on Christmas Day,) down to
the Verse, "Glory, &c.," exclusive.
1 Hab. ii. 4.
SATURDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS.
247
BUT
Sixth Lesson.
UT lest we should be confounded at
the weakness of our mortality, we
have help in the words of the Prophets
and Evangelists; and they are able so
to inflame and teach us that we may see
the Birth of the Lord, wherein the
Word was made Flesh, not so much as
a thing past, as a thing present. The
proclamation of the angel to the shep-
herds who watched their flocks by night,
ringeth in our ears also; and for this
end are we appointed to rule the Lord's
flock, that we may ever keep in our
heart the word revealed from heaven,
and say unto you, as we do this day:
"Behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people;
for unto you is born this day, in the
city of David, a Saviour, Which is
Christ the Lord!"
Sixth Responsory.
Blessed be the womb, &c., (Seventh
Responsory on Christmas Day.)
At the end is added:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. This day hath He been
pleased for the salvation of the world to
be born of a Virgin.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 15.)
AT
T that time: The shepherds said one
to another: Let us now go even
unto Bethlehem, and see this thing
which is come to pass, which the Lord
hath made known unto us. And they
came with haste. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. ii. on Luke ii.)
The shepherds came with haste. This
is how every one cometh who is really
earnestly seeking Christ. The shep-
herds believed the angel. Wilt not thou
believe Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Angels, Prophets, and Apostles? Here
also remark how carefully every word in
the Scripture is chosen. They came
with haste to see this "Word," (as the
original text hath it.¹) A Word, in-
deed; the Word of God. He that saw
the Lord's Flesh, saw the Word, that is,
God the Son.
Seventh Responsory.
The Word was made Flesh, &c.,
(Eighth Responsory on Christmas Day,)
down to the Verse" Glory, &c." exclu-
sive.
BECA
Eighth Lesson.
ECAUSE the office of a shepherd is
mean, think not meanly of the
example of their faith. Verily, that
which is poorest in learning is richest
in faith. The Lord seeketh not for
schools crowded with wise men, but for
a people of a single heart unused to
overlay and to disguise what they learn,
by vain and superfluous adornments.
He will have straightforwardness rather
than vain-glory.
Eighth Responsory.
How is the King of heaven attended?
He that containeth the world is laid in
a stable lying in a manger, reigning
in heaven.
Verse. Unto us is born, this day, in the
city of David, a Saviour, Which is Christ
the Lord.
Answer. Lying in a manger, reigning
in heaven.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Lying in a manger, reigning
in heaven.
Ninth Lesson.
THINK not meanly either of the
shepherds' words. The shepherds
strengthen the faith even of Mary; the
shepherds lead God's people to His wor-
ship. For, "all they that heard it,
wondered at those things which were
told them by the shepherds. But Mary
kept all these things and pondered them
in her heart.” Let us learn the mo-
desty of the Holy Virgin, that modesty
of speech as of body, whereby she laid
up in her heart the evidences of her
faith.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
At Lauds, Commemorations of St.
1 Gr. Rhema.
248
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Inno-
cents.
The Vespers are Double, and from the
Chapter, inclusive, of St. Silvester.
Commemorations of the succeeding
Sunday, of Christmas Day, of St. Ste-
phen, St. John, and the Holy Innocents.
Sunday within the Octave of
Christmas.
The Lord's Day within the Octave of
the Birth-Day of the Lord.
All as on Christmas Day, except what
is otherwise given here, and that the
Antiphons are not doubled.
MATTINS.
The Lessons of the first Two Nocturns,
and the Responsories of all Three, the
same as given for the Saturday within
the Octave.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 33.)
AT that time: Joseph and Mary the
mother of JEsus, marvelled at those
things which were spoken of Him. And
so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. ii. on Luke ii.)
We see that God's abounding grace is
poured forth on all by the birth of the
Lord, and that the gift of prophecy is
not denied to the righteous, but to the
unbelieving. Simeon prophesieth that
our Lord JESUS Christ is set for the fall
and rising again of many in Israël, set-
ting forth that the just and the unjust
reap different fruits from the coming of
the Saviour; so will it be with us; ac-
cording to our individual works will the
True and Just Judge apportion to us
punishment or reward.
Eighth Lesson.
YEA, a sword shall pierce through
thy own soul also." We have no
record or tradition that Mary left this
1 Heb. iv. 12, 13.
world by suffering a violent death, and
the material sword can pierce the body
only, and not the soul. Wherefore here
we see the wisdom of Mary in that she
was not ignorant of the heavenly mys-
teries. For, "the word of God is quick,
and powerful, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a dis-
cerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart for all things are naked and
opened unto the eyes" of the Son of
God, from Whom also the secret things
of our conscience are not hidden.
Ninth Lesson.
THERE had been a triple prophecy;
the prophecy of Simeon had fol-
lowed the prophecy of the virgin, and
the prophecy of the wife; those, namely,
of Mary and Elizabeth. And now ought
the widow also to prophesy, that no sex
nor state might be wanting. And Anna
is brought before us with such a title
from her widowhood and her life, that
we may well believe that she received
the grace to announce the Advent of
the Redeemer. In our exhortation ad-
dressed to widows we have already
treated of her gifts at length, and, as
we have much matter before us, we will
not now again enter on the subject.
BRE
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Gal. iv. 1.)
RETHREN: The heir, as long as he
is a child, differeth nothing from
a servant, though he be lord of all; but
is under tutors and governors until the
time appointed by the father.
Verse. The Word was made Flesh.
Alleluia.
Answer. And dwelt among us. Al-
leluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
While all things were in quiet silence,
and that night was in the midst of her
swift course,
Thine Almighty Word, O
Lord, leapt down out of Thy Royal
Throne.2
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
do Thou order all our actions in
2 Wisd. xviii. 14, 15.
ST. SILVESTER'S DAY.
249
conformity with Thy good pleasure, that
through the name of Thy well-beloved
Son, we may worthily abound in all
good works, Through the same our
Lord JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liv-
eth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
Stephen, morations, and this mod, ft.
of Christmas,
St. Holy In-
nocents.
PRIME.
Chapter at the end.
HEREFORE he is
vant, but a son;
then an heir of God.
WH
TERCE.
(Gal. iv. 7.)
no more a ser-
and if a son,
The Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Chapter. (Gal. iv. 4.)
BUT when the fulness of the time was
come, God sent forth His Son,
made of a woman, made under the law,
to redeem them that were under the
law, that we might receive the adop-
tion of sons.
NONE.
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
VESPERS.
Chapter and Verse and Answer from
Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Child JESUS increased in
age and wisdom before God and man.
Hogmanay.
The Feast of St. Silvester, Pope and
Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, except what is
otherwise given here.
1 Luke ii. 52.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ro-
mans (ii. 1.)
THEREFORE, thou art inexcusable;
judgest; for wherein thou judgest ano-
ther, thou condemnest thyself; for thou
that judgest doest the same things. But
we are sure that the judgment of God
is according to truth against them which
commit such things. And thinkest thou
this, O man, that judgest them which
do such things, and doest the same,
that thou shalt escape the judgment
of God? Or despisest thou the riches
of His goodness, and forbearance, and
long-suffering? Knowest thou not that
the goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance?
Second Lesson.
BUT, after thy hardness and impeni-
tent heart, treasurest up unto thy-
self wrath, against the day of wrath and
revelation of the righteous judgment of
God, Who will render to every man ac-
cording to his deeds: to them who, by
patient continuance in well-doing, seek
for glory and honour and immortality,
eternal life; but unto them that are
contentious and do not obey the truth,
but obey unrighteousness, indignation
and wrath.
Third Lesson.
TRIBULATION and anguish upon
every soul of man that doeth evil,
of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile,
but glory and honour and peace, to every
man that worketh good, to the Jew first,
and also to the Gentile. For there is
no respect of persons with God. For as
many as have sinned without law shall
also perish without law; and as many
as have sinned in the law, shall be
judged by the law. For not the hearers
of the law are just before God, but
the doers of the law shall be justi-
fied.
2 Græci.
+
250
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
SILV
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ILVESTER was a Roman by birth,
and his father's name was Rufinus.
He was brought up from a very early
age under a Priest named Cyrinus, of
whose teaching and example he was a
diligent learner. In his thirtieth year
he was ordained Priest of the Holy
Roman Church by Pope Marcellinus.
In the discharge of his duties he became
a model for all the clergy, and, after
the death of Melchiades, he succeeded
him on the Papal throne, [in the year
of our Lord 314.] Constantine was
then emperor.¹ This prince was afflicted
with leprosy, and was advised by his
physicians to bathe in children's blood,
which he accordingly ordered to be shed
for that purpose. The holy Apostles
Peter and Paul appeared to him when
he was asleep; and bade him, if he
would be cleansed of his leprosy, aban-
don the atrocious thought of the bath;
seek out Silvester, who was then in
hiding on Mount Soracte; obtain from
him a new birth in the laver of re-
generation; build Christian Churches
throughout his dominions; destroy the
idols of the false gods; and turn to the
worship of the true God. Constantine,
obeying this heavenly warning, caused
Silvester to be diligently sought for,
and brought before him. The Saint
enabled him to recognise the Apostles
by their images; healed him of his
leprosy by baptism; and stirred him up
to protect and propagate the religion of
Christ.
CON
Fifth Lesson.
ONSTANTINE, by the advice of
Silvester, built many Basilicas, and
magnificently adorned them with holy
images, offerings and gifts; granting to
the Christians, at the same time, per-
mission to build public churches, which
had hitherto been forbidden them. Un-
der this Pope were held two Councils.
The first was the great Council of Nice,
presided over by the Papal Legates, and
in the presence of Constantine, and three
hundred and eighteen Bishops, where
the holy and Catholic Faith was declared,
and Arius and his followers condemned;
which Council was finally confirmed by
the Pope, at the request of all the as-
sembled Fathers. The Second Council
was held at Rome, where Arius was
again condemned by two hundred and
eighty-four Bishops.
Sixth Lesson.
THIS Pope issued many useful ordi-
nances for the Church of God. He
reserved to Bishops the right of con-
secrating the Holy Chrism; ordered
Priests to anoint with Chrism the heads
of the newly baptised; settled the offi-
ciating dress of Deacons as a dalmatic
and a linen maniple; and forbade the
consecration of the Sacrament of the
Altar on anything but a linen corpo-
ral. He likewise ordained that all per-
sons taking Holy Orders should remain
awhile in each grade before being pro-
moted to a higher; that laymen should
not go to law against the clergy; and
that the clergy themselves were not to
plead before civil tribunals. He decreed
that the first and seventh days of the
week should be called respectively the
Lord's Day and the Sabbath, and the
others, Second Day, Third Day, and so on.
In this he confirmed the use of the word
"Feria" for the week-days, the which
use had already begun in the Church.
This word signifieth an "holiday," and
pointeth to the duty of the clergy ever
to lay aside all worldly labour, and leave
themselves free to do continually the
work of the Lord. The heavenly wis-
dom with which he ruled the Church of
God, was joined in him to a singular
holiness of life, and an inexhaustible
tenderness towards the poor; in which
matter he ordained that the wealthy
clergy should each relieve a certain
number of needy persons; and he also
made arrangements for supplying the
consecrated virgins with the necessaries
of life. He lived as Pope twenty-one
years, ten months and one day, and was
buried in the cemetery of Priscilla on
the Salarian Way, [in the year 335.]
He held seven Advent ordinations, and
made forty-two Priests, twenty-five
Deacons, and sixty-five Bishops of va-
rious sees.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
1 The history contained in the rest of this lesson is now rejected by all writers, and the
whole account of the Saint would probably receive considerable modification at any future
revision of the Breviary.
THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE LORD.
251
Homily of St. Gregory, as in the Com-
mon Office for a Confessor not a Bishop.
Throughout the Office, the Prayer is,
"Grant, we beseech Thee, &c.,” (from
the same Common Office.)
Commemorations of Christmas, St.
Stephen, St. John, and the Holy Inno-
cents.
At Prime the same alteration as be-
fore in the Short Responsory.
The Vespers are of the Circumcision,
without any Commemorations.
New Year's Day.
The Circumcision of the Lord, and
Octave of His Birth.
Double of the Second Class.
Everything as on Sundays except what
is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, Verse and An-
swer, and Prayer from Lauds.
Psalms as in the Common Office for
Feasts of the Blessed Virgin.
Hymn from the Vespers of Christmas
Day.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. ¹God, for His great love where-
with He loved us, sent His Own Son in
the likeness of sinful flesh.
No Commemorations.
MATTINS.
Alleluia.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Christ-
mas Day.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The Lord hath said
unto Me: Thou art My Son, * this day
have I begotten Thee.
Psalm II.
Why do the heathen rage, &c., (p. 2.)
Second Antiphon. In the sun hath
He set His tabernacle: * and He is as a
bridegroom coming out of his chamber.
Psalm XVIII.
The heavens declare, &c., (p. 16.)
1 Eph. ii. 4; Rom. viii. 3.
2 Ps. 1. 6.
Third Antiphon. Be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors, and the King of
glory shall come in.
Psalm XXIII.
The earth is the LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)
Verse. The Lord is as a bridegroom.
Answer. Coming out of His chamber.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ro-
mans, (iii. 1.)
HAT advantage then hath the Jew?
WHAT
or what profit is there of circum-
cision? Much every way. Chiefly, be-
cause that unto them were committed
the oracles of God. For what if some
did not believe? Shall their unbelief
make the faith of God of none effect?
God forbid. Yea, God is true: but
every man a liar, as it is written :-
"That Thou mightest be justified in
Thy sayings, and mightest overcome
when Thou art judged." But if our
unrighteousness commend the righteous-
ness of God, what shall we say? Is God
unrighteous, Who taketh vengeance?
(I speak as a man.) God forbid, For
then how shall God judge this world?
First Responsory.
3 Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him
Which taketh away the sins of the
world; behold Him of Whom I said
unto you: He That cometh after me is
preferred before me; Whose shoe's
latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
Verse. He that is of the earth speak-
eth of the earth; He That cometh from
heaven is above all.
Answer. Whose shoe's latchet I am
not worthy to unloose.
Is
Second Lesson. (iii. 29.)
He the God of the Jews only? Is
He not also of the Gentiles? Yea,
of the Gentiles also. Seeing it is one
God Which justifieth the circumcision
by faith, and uncircumcision through
faith. Do we then make void the law
through faith? God forbid yea, we
establish the law. (iv. 1.) What shall we
then say that Abraham, our father, hath
found, according to the flesh? For if
Abraham were justified by works, he
3 John i. 29.
4 John iii. 31.
252
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
"
hath whereof to glory, but not before
God. For what saith the Scripture ?
1" Abraham believed God, and it was
counted unto him for righteousness.'
Now to him that worketh is the reward
not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But
to him that worketh not, but believeth
on Him That justifieth the ungodly,
his faith is counted for righteousness,
according to the gracious purpose of
'God.
Even as David also describeth
the happiness of the man, unto whom
God imputeth righteousness without
works: "Blessed are they whose ini-
quities are forgiven, and whose sins are
covered.'
Second Responsory.
This day which is breaking is holy:
O come, ye Gentiles, and worship the
Lord. For this day is much light come
down unto us from heaven.
Verse. This is the day which the
LORD hath made, let us rejoice and be
glad in it.
Answer. For this day is much light
come down unto us from heaven.
Third Lesson.
COMETH this blessedness then upon
the circumcision only, or upon the
uncircumcision also? For we say that
faith was reckoned to Abraham for righ-
teousness. How then was it reckoned?
When he was in circumcision or in un-
circumcision? Not in circumcision, but
in uncircumcision. And he received
the sign of circumcision, a seal of the
righteousness of the faith which he had,
yet being uncircumcised; that he might
be the father of all them that believe,
though they be not circumcised, that it
might be imputed to them also for righ-
teousness; and the father of circum-
cision to them who are not of the cir-
cumcision only, but who also walk in
the steps of that faith of our father
Abraham, which he had, being yet un-
circumcised.
Third Responsory.
4 Blessed be He That cometh in the
name of the LORD! God is the LORD
Which hath showed us light. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. This is the day which the
1 Gen. xv. 6.
2 Ps. xxxi. 1, 2.
LORD hath made, let us rejoice and be
glad in it.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
SECOND NOCTURN.
*
First Antiphon. Thou art fairer than
the children of men, grace
is poured
into Thy lips.
Psalm XLIV.
My heart is overflowing, &c., (p. 36.)
*
Second Antiphon. This man was born
in her, and the Highest Himself hath
established her.
Psalm LXXXVI.
Her foundation, &c., (p. 68.)
Third Antiphon. All the trees of the
wood shall rejoice * before the LORD, for
He cometh.
Psalm XCV.
O sing unto the LORD, &c., (p. 72.)
Verse. Thou art fairer than the chil-
dren of men.
Answer. Grace is poured into thy
lips.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (7th for
Christmas.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, whosoever
will keep truly and honour piously
this day's festival, it is necessary for
him neither to think falsely of the Lord's
Incarnation, nor meanly of the Lord's
Godhead. For as there is danger, on
the one hand, of denying the truth of
Christ's participation of our nature, so
is there no less danger, on the other, of
doing despite to the equality of His
glory with the glory of the Father.
Wherefore, when we draw near to un-
derstand the mystery of Christ's Birth,
wherein He was born of the Virgin
Mary, we must leave the clouds of
earthly imagination behind and pierce
the fog of human wisdom with the eye
of enlightened faith.
3 Ps. cxvii. 24.
4 Ps. cxvii. 26, 27.
THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE LORD.
253
Fourth Responsory.
Rejoice with me, all ye that love the
Lord. For while I was yet little I
pleased the Most High, and from my
womb have I brought forth God and
man.
Verse. All generations shall call me
blessed, for God hath regarded the low-
liness of His hand-maiden.
Answer. For while I was yet little I
pleased the Most High, and from my
womb have I brought forth God and
man.
Fifth Lesson.
THE authority on which we believe is
the authority of God Himself; the
teaching which we follow is the teach-
ing of God Himself. Wherefore whe-
ther we lend the ear of our mind to the
testimony of the Law, or to the revela-
tions of the Prophets, or to the full
pealing of the Gospel trumpet, that is
true, which John the son of thunder,
uttered, when he was filled with the
Holy Ghost, and said: "In the begin-
ning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. The
Same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by Him, and
without Him was not anything made."
True also is his witness when he saith :
"The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the
glory as of the Only-begotten of the
Father." (John i. 1—3, 14.)
Fifth Responsory.
The heart of the Virgin was fixed,
when the Angel declared unto her the
mystery of God and she conceived: then
did she receive in her pure womb Him
That is fairer than the children of men.
And, she that is blessed for ever, brought
forth for us God and man.
Verse. Soon rises, in that modest
shrine, the Temple of the Lord Divine:
the stainless and unwedded one, within
her womb conceived the Son.
Answer. And, she that is blessed for
ever, brought forth for us God and man.
Sixth Lesson.
THE
HE Person of the Son of God there-
fore remaineth unchanged and one,
though He have two natures, keeping
He appear-
His own, and taking ours. He
eth as man to be the restorer of men,
but abideth all the while in His immut-
able Godhead. That Godhead which He
shareth with the Father was not a whit
the less Almighty, nor did the form of a
servant touch the form of God to dero-
gate from it. The Most High and Ever-
lasting Being, bending down for man's
salvation, took the manhood into His
glory; He ceased not to be That which
He is from everlasting. Hence we see
the Only-begotten Son of God in one
place confessing that the Father is greater
than He, (John xiv. 28,) and in another
declaring that He and the Father are
One, (x. 30.) This is an evident proof
of the distinction of His two natures,
and the unity of His Person; for He is
inferior to the Father as touching His
Manhood, and yet equal to the Father
as touching His Godhead, and yet,
though He be God and Man, He is not
two, but One Christ.
Sixth Responsory.
Blessed and worshipful art thou, O
Virgin Mary; from thee, still maiden
undefiled, the Saviour came a little
child. He Whose glory filled the hea-
vens lay in a manger.
Verse. 10 LORD, I have heard Thy
speech and was afraid; I considered
Thy works and trembled. O Thou [That
dwellest] between the two living crea-
tures!
Answer. He Whose glory filled the
heavens lay in a manger.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He Whose glory filled the
heavens lay in a manger.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. In the beginning,
and before the worlds, the Word was
God, and this day is He born the Sa-
viour of the world.
*
Psalm XCVI.
The LORD reigneth, &c., (p. 73.)
Second Antiphon. The Lord our Sa-
viour, * begotten before the day-star, and
before the worlds, hath this day vouch-
safed to be born.
¹ Hab. iii. 2. As to the "two living creatures," compare Exod. xxv. 22, &c. But this
reading of the Song of Habakkuk is not that of the present authorised version. (P. 108.)
254
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Psalm XCVII.
O sing unto the LORD, &c., (p. 74.)
*
Third Antiphon. When the Lord was
born the Angels sang together, saying:
¹Salvation to our God, Which sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Psalm XCVIII.
The LORD reigneth, &c., (p. 74.)
Verse. The LORD hath made known.
Alleluia.
Answer. His salvation. Alleluia.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 21.)
AT that time: When eight days were
accomplished for the circumcision
of the Child, His name was called JESUS.
And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Book ii. on Luke ii.)
So the Child is circumcised. This is
the Child of Whom it is said: "Unto us a
Child is born, unto us a Son is given,”
(Isa. ix. 6.) "Made under the law to
redeem them that were under the law.
(Gal. iv. 4.)
"To present Him to the Lord," (22,)
In my Commentary on Isaiah I have
already explained what is meant by
being presented to the Lord in Jerusa-
lem, and therefore I will not enter into
the subject again. He that is circum-
cised in heart gaineth the protection of
God, for "the eyes of the LORD are
upon the righteous." (Ps. xxxiii. 16.)
Ye will see that as all the ceremonies
of the old law were types of realities in
the new, so the circumcision of the body
signified the cleansing of the heart from
the guilt of sin.
Seventh Responsory.
O Mary, how holy and how spotless is
thy virginity! I am too dull to praise
thee: for thou hast borne in thy breast
Him Whom the heavens cannot con-
tain.
Verse. Blessed art thou among wo-
men, and blessed is the fruit of thy
womb.
Answer. For thou hast borne in thy
breast Him Whom the heavens eannot
contain.
Apoc. vii. 10.
Eighth Lesson.
BUT since the body and mind of man
remain yet infected with a prone-
ness to sin, the circumcision of the
eighth day is also a type of that com-
plete cleansing from sin which we shall
have at the resurrection. This cere-
mony was also performed in obedience
to the commandment of God: 2" Every
male that openeth the womb shall be
called holy unto the Lord." These words
were written with especial reference to
the delivery of the Blessed Virgin.
Truly He That opened her womb was
holy, for He was altogether without
spot, and we may gather that the law
was written specially for Him from the
words of the Angel: "That Holy Thing
Which shall be born of thee, shall be
called the Son of God."
Eighth Responsory.
The Virgin-Mother that knew not a
man, bore, but travailed not. She fed
the Saviour of the world, the King of
Angel hosts above, JESUS, our Redeemer
blest, from the fountain of her breast.
Verse. Soon rises in that modest
shrine, the Temple of the Lord Divine;
the stainless and unwedded one, within
her womb conceived the Son.
Answer. She fed the Saviour of the
world, the King of Angel hosts above,
JESUS, our Redeemer blest, from the
fountain of her breast.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. She fed the Saviour of the
world, the King of Angel hosts above,
JESUS, our Redeemer blest, from the
fountain of her breast.
Ninth Lesson.
AMONG all that are born of women
the Lord Jesus Christ stood alone
in holiness. Fresh from His immacu-
late Birth, He felt no contagion from
human corruption, and His heavenly
Majesty drove it away. If we are to
follow the letter and say that every
male that openeth the womb is holy,
how shall we explain that so many
have been unrighteous? Was Ahab
holy? Were the false prophets holy?
Were they holy on whom Elijah justly
ealled down fire from heaven? But He
to Whom the sacred commandment of
2 Luke ii. 23.
THE CIRCUMCISION OF THE LORD.
255
the law of God is mystically directed is
the Holy One of Israel; Who also alone
hath opened the secret womb of His
holy Virgin-bride the Church, filling
her with a sinless fruitfulness to give
birth to Christian souls.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,"
&c., is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. How wonderful is
the dealing here! * The Maker of man
hath taken to Himself a living body, and
hath been pleased to be born of the
Virgin; He is come forth conceived
without seed, and hath made us par-
takers of His Divine nature.
Second Antiphon. When, in an un-
speakable manner, * Thou wast born of
a Virgin, the Scriptures were fulfilled;
to save man, Thou camest down as dew
upon the fleece: we praise Thee, O our
God!
*
Third Antiphon. Mother of God,
when Moses saw the bush unconsumed,
we own that it was a figure of the pre-
servation of thy most wonderful virgi-
nity: pray for us.
Fourth Antiphon. The Root of Jesse
hath blossomed: * the star is arisen out
of Jacob, the Virgin hath given birth
to the Saviour: we praise Thee, O our
God!
Fifth Antiphon. Behold, Mary hath
borne * for us a Saviour; John beheld
Him and cried, saying: Behold, the
Lamb of God, behold Him that taketh
away the sins of the world. Alleluia.
Chapter. (Tit. ii. 11.)
THE grace of God our Saviour hath
appeared, teaching us, that, deny-
ing ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and
godly in this present world.
Hymn from the Lauds of Christmas
Day.
Verse. The Word was made Flesh.
Alleluia.
Answer. And dwelt among us. Al-
leluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
This day is set forth a wonderful mys-
tery,* a new thing hath been created in
the earth-God is made man. That which
He was He remaineth, and that which
He was not He taketh, suffering therein
neither confusion nor division.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who, by the fruitful virginity
of the Blessed Mary, hast given
unto mankind the rewards of everlasting
life; grant, we beseech Thee, that we
may continually feel the might of her
intercession, through whom we have
worthily received the Author of our life,
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. How wonderful, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory the same
alteration as before.
THE
Chapter at the end. (Heb. ii. 11.)
HEY shall perish, but Thou remain-
est; and they all shall wax old as
doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt
Thou change them, and they shall be
changed; but Thou art the Same, and
Thy years shall not fail.
TERCE.
Antiphon. When in an unspeakable
manner, &c., (Second Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter as at Lauds.
Short Responsory as at Terce on
Christmas Day.
SEXT,
Antiphon. Mother of God, &c., (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Heb. i. 10.)
AND: Thou, Lord, in the beginning
hast laid the foundation of the
earth and the heavens are the works
of Thine hands.
:
Short Responsory as on Sext on Christ-
mas Day.
NONE.
Antiphon. Behold, Mary, &c., (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory as at None on
Christmas Day,
256
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Psalms as in the Common Office for
Feasts of the Blessed Virgin.
Hymn and Verse and Answer from
the Vespers of Christmas Day.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Herein is a great mystery of
heirship: the womb of her that knew
not a man is become the temple of God:
in taking of her flesh He was not de-
filed: all nations shall come and say,
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Commemoration of ST. STEPHEN.
Antiphon. Stephen, full of grace and
power, did great wonders among the
people.
Verse. Stephen saw the heavens
opened.
Answer. He saw and entered in:
blessed is he unto whom the heavens
were opened.
Let us pray.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Who hast dedicated the first-fruits
of Thy Martyrs with the blood of the
Blessed Stephen; grant, we beseech
Thee, that the same may pray for us
also, who prayed even for his murderers
to our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son;
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
No other Commemoration.
Octave of St. Stephen.
Double.
All as on the Feast-day, (p. 231), ex-
cept the following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of the
Apostles (vii. 51.)
166
YE stiff-necked, and uncircumcised
in heart and ears, ye do always
resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers
did, so do ye. Which of the Prophets
have not your fathers persecuted? And
they have slain them which showed
before of the coming of the Just One;
of Whom ye have been now the betray-
ers and murderers: who have received
the law by the disposition of Angels, and
have not kept it." When they heard
these things they were cut to the heart,
and they gnashed on him with their
teeth.
Second Lesson.
BUT he, being full of the Holy Ghost,
looked up steadfastly into heaven,
and saw the glory of God, and JESUS
standing on the right hand of God.
And said: "Behold, I see the heavens
opened, and the Son of man standing
on the right hand of God." Then they
cried out with a loud voice, and stopped
their ears, and ran upon him with one
accord. And they cast him out of the
city and stoned him: and the witnesses
laid down their clothes at a young man's
feet, whose name was Saul. And they
stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and
saying: "Lord JESUS, receive my spirit."
AN
Third Lesson.
ND he kneeled down and cried with
a loud voice, saying: "Lord, lay
not this sin to their charge." And when
he had said this, he fell asleep in the
Lord. (viii. 1.) And Saul was consent-
ing unto his death. And at that time
there was a great persecution against
the Church which was at Jerusalem :
and they were all scattered abroad
throughout the regions of Judea and
Samaria except the Apostles. And de-
vout men carried Stephen to his burial
and made great lamentation over him.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(2nd on St. Stephen.) ·
EVEN after the glory of yesterday,
bright with the splendour of Christ
our Saviour's Birth, this day. findeth
itself an illumination of its own from
the crown of the blessed Martyr Ste-
1 The end of the speech of the Saint before the Council.
OCTAVE OF ST. STEPHEN.
257
phen. The whole earth knoweth how
manfully he fought and conquered: for
he suffered at the very fountain-head of
the Church, that is to say, in Jerusalem.
It was in the Church there that he
ministered as a Deacon and in the
youthful spring-time of life dyed with
his blood the lily of his purity. His Pas-
sion is very glorious, and many ways
wonderful, and when we read it in the
Acts of the Apostles, we seem rather to
see than to hear.
Fifth Lesson.
CHRIST, the Captain of the Martyrs,
hath first suffered for us, leaving
us an example that we should follow His
steps, (1 Pet. ii. 21.) And truly, Blessed
Stephen followed them, when, having
confessed Christ, he was stoned to death
by the Jews, and obtained the crown
which his name had foreshown. For
the meaning of the Greek name "Ste-
phanos" is " a crown." Already he had
a crown for his name, a fore-shadowing
of the martyr's palm which he beareth
in heaven.
Sixth Lesson.
WHEN they stoned him he did not
rejoice at the thought that God
would take vengeance on his perse-
cutors. On the contrary, he prayed that
they might be forgiven. For he re-
membered the word of the Lord, that
saith: "Vengeance belongeth unto Me,
I will recompense, saith the Lord,'
(Heb. x. 30,) and again: "Say not
thou; I will recompense evil [to mine
enemies], but wait on the LORD, and
He shall save thee." (Prov. xx. 22.)
The Lord God biddeth us also be pa-
tient, knowing that in the great day of
retribution, we, as well as His holy
martyrs, shall be righted.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxiii. 34.)
T that time: JESUS said unto the
Scribes and Pharisees: Behold, I
send unto you Prophets, and wise men,
and scribes and some of them ye shall
kill and crucify. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. iv. Comment. “on
Matth. xxiii.)
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that
killest the Prophets." The Jerusalem
that killed the Prophets was not the
material stone and houses, but they that
dwelt therein. He wept over her with
a father's love, as also it is written in
another place that, when He saw the
city, He wept over it. (Luke xix. 41.)
"How often would I have gathered thy
children together.' Here observe that
Christ avoweth that He had been the
Sender of all the former Prophets.
"Even as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings." A similar figure
is found in the Song of Moses in Deuter-
onomy, xxxii. 11, "As an eagle stirreth
up her nest, fluttereth over her young,
spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh
them, and beareth them on her wings."
Eighth Lesson.
"BEHOLD, your house is left unto
you desolate." God had already
spoken these things once before, by the
mouth of Jeremiah, where He saith:
"I have forsaken Mine house, I have
left Mine heritage; Mine inheritance is
become unto Me like an hyæna's den."2
(xii. 7.) The house of the Jews, which
was to be left unto them desolate, is that
Temple, whose splendour they loved
only too well, when they slew the Owner
of it for the sake of it, and said of
Christ, "This is the heir; come, let us
kill Him, and the inheritance shall be
ours." (Matth. xxi. 38.)
Ninth Lesson.
FOR I say
I say unto you, Ye shall not
see Me henceforth, till ye shall
say Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord." Here He speaketh
to Jerusalem and to the Jewish people.
The words, "Blessed is He That cometh
in the name of the Lord," were indeed
spoken by babes and sucklings when the
Saviour entered Jerusalem in triumph,
"and they that went before and they
1 In the original this quotation is made from a different version to that in the Psalter.
(P. 111.)
2 This passage in Jeremiah is somewhat obscure. See it, on Wednesday in Holy Week,
where the translation in the text is altogether different.
8
258
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
that followed, cried, saying, 'Blessed is
He That cometh in the name of the
Lord; Hosanna in the highest,"" (Mark
xi. 9,) but they are originally taken
from Psalm cxvii. 26.-Which Psalm is
all evidently written in honour of the
coming of our Lord.
LAUDS.
Commemorations of St. John and of
the Holy Innocents from their respective
Lauds.
VESPERS.
Antiphons from Lauds.
Psalms as on Sunday, except the last,
which is :
Psalm CXV.
I believed, therefore have I spoken,
&c., (p. 153.)
From the Chapter inclusive the Ves-
pers are of the Octave of St. John.
HE
Chapter. (Ecclus. xv. 1.)
E that feareth the Lord will do
good; and he that keepeth righ-
teousness shall obtain her, and as an
honoured mother shall she meet him.
Hymn from the Common Office for
Apostles.
Verse and Answer, Antiphon at the
Song of the Blessed Virgin, and Prayer,
from the Commemoration of St. John in
"the Second Vespers of St. Stephen,
(p. 235.)
Commemoration of the Holy Inno-
cents from the Second Vespers of their
Feast.
Octave of St. John.
Double.
All as on the Feast-Day, (p. 235,)
except the following.
1 I.e. "Unveiling" or "Revelation."
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the ¹Apoca-
lypse of the Blessed Apostle John,
(iv. 1.)
AFTER this I looked; and, behold, a
door was opened in heaven; and
the first voice which I heard, was as it
were of a trumpet talking with me,
which said: Come up hither, and I will
show thee things which must be here-
after. And immediately I was in the
Spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in
heaven, and One sat on the throne.
And He That sat was to look upon like
a jasper and a sardine stone; and there
was a rainbow round about the throne,
in sight like unto an emerald; and
round about the throne were four-and-
twenty seats; and upon the seats I saw
four-and-twenty 2 elders sitting, clothed
in white raiment; and they had on their
heads crowns of gold.
Second Lesson.
AND out of the throne proceeded light-
nings, and voices and thunderings;
and there were seven lamps of fire burn-
ing before the throne, which are the
seven spirits of God. And before the
throne there was a sea of glass like unto
crystal; and in the midst of the throne,
and round about the throne, were four
living creatures full of eyes before and
behind. And the first living creature
was like a lion, and the second living
creature like a calf, and the third living
creature had the face as a man, and the
fourth living creature was like a flying
eagle. And the four living creatures
had each of them six wings about him;
and they are full of eyes about and
within.
2 "Seniores." But the Greek is "Presbyteroi," generally translated, or, rather, con-
tracted, "Priests." It may be suggested, with great reverence, that the arrangement
described is similar to that in the most ancient Churches, some of which still exist. In
these the East end has a large arch, here represented by the rainbow, opening into a
semi-circular apse, which is here represented by the hollow vault of heaven. At the end
of the apse is a "throne" for the Bishop, and the Presbyters sit round the apse on either
side of him. On the chord of the apse stands the Altar, and the Celebrant occupies the
place, "in the midst of the throne and the elders," assigned by St. John to the True High
Priest, looking at the people over the Altar. The "sea of glass" is described as in the place
where there is a paved enclosure for the Choir, viz, just westward of the Altar. Under
the Altar are placed the reliques of the Saints, (in primitive times always martyrs—vi. 9,)
and lighted lamps hang before it.
OCTAVE OF ST. JOHN.
259
Third Lesson.
ND they rest not day and night, say-
A
ing: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God
Almighty, Which was, and is, and is to
come. And when those living creatures
gave glory and honour and blessing to
Him That sat upon the throne, Who
liveth for ever and ever, the four-and-
the four-and-
twenty elders fell down, and worshipped
Him That liveth for ever and ever, and
cast their crowns before the throne, say-
ing: Thou art worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory, and honour, and power;
for Thou hast created all things, and for
Thy pleasure they are and were created.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from a treatise of
St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo,] on
John. (36.)
OF
F the Four Evangelists, or, rather,
the Four Writers of the one Evan-
gel, the holy Apostle John hath not un-
worthily been compared by spiritual
writers to an eagle, because of the lofty
and glorious flight of his teaching, soar-
ing above the other three; a flight that
raiseth not himself alone, but also the
hearts of all, whosoever will hear him.
The other three writers walk with the
Lord upon earth, as with a man, and
enlarge little upon His Godhead; but
John, as though it had wearied him to
walk upon earth, in the very first words
of his writing, riseth not above the earth
only, or above the firmament, and the
heavens, but above every angel, and
above every power of things unseen,
and flieth directly to Him by Whom all
things were made, saying: "In the be-
ginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God."
THE
Fifth Lesson.
HEN he goeth on worthily of such a
beginning, and speaketh of the
Lord's Godhead as none hath ever
spoken, uttering freely the things which
he had heard. It is not without cause
that it is told of him in that Gospel how
he lay on JESUS' Breast at supper. Truly
he drank secretly from that Breast, and
what he drank secretly he hath uttered
openly, that all men may know not only
how the Son of God became man, suf-
fered, and rose again for us, but like-
wise how He was with the Father before
He took flesh, the Only-begotten Son,
the Word of the Father, co-eternal with
Him That begat Him, equal to Him
That sent Him.
Sixth Lesson.
JOHN
JOHN is an eagle that soareth up to
the things that are not made, and
fixeth his eye unquailing upon the secret
and eternal Light. It is said that the
father-eagle taketh his young in his
talons and flieth with them, that they
may look at the sun. Them that look
at it boldly, he acknowledgeth for his
own offspring, but them whose eyes
shrink, he letteth fall from his claws as
bastards. Let us consider, then, how
mightily he must speak who is likened
to an eagle; and yet we who are rep-
tiles crawling on earth, weak, and of
small consideration even among men,
dare take in hand these utterances, to
treat of them, and to explain them, and
think that our intelligence understand-
eth them, or our speech commendeth
them.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xxi. 19.)
AT that time: JESUS saith unto Peter:
Follow Me. Then Peter, turning
about, seeth the disciple whom JESUS
loved following. And so on.
Homily by St. John Chrysostom, Pa-
triarch [of Constantinople.] (87th Hom.
on John.)
Christ had made known great things
to Peter, charged him with the care of
the whole world, announced to him his
future martyrdom, and given him testi-
mony of His especial love. Peter then
would have John for a fellow and helper,
and he said, "What shall this man
do?" as it were, "Shall not he also fol-
low the same path with me?" At the
supper, when Peter would ask a question
of the Lord, he dared not, but got John
for his spokesman; and now Peter ask-
eth that which he thought John fain
would know, but dared not ask for him-
self. Christ "saith unto him: If I will
that he tarry till I come, what is that
to thee?"
s
2
260
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Eighth Lesson.
PETER asked because of his great love
for John, hoping not to be parted
from him, and Christ answered him, that
with whatever affection he loved him,
he could not love him as He loved him.
"If I will that he tarry till I come,
what is that to thee?" "Let us learn
from these words, by the teaching of
Christ, neither to chafe, nor to enquire
too curiously, where the will of God is
concerned. For when Peter would be
still asking, the Lord at length checked
him in these words for his continued
curiosity.
Ninth Lesson.
THEN went this saying abroad a-
mong the brethren, that that
disciple should not die; yet JESUS said
not unto him, He shall not die; but, If
I will that he tarry till I come, what is
that to thee?" That is, He would not
have it thought that He had disposed of
them both in the same way. He spoke
thus that He might check the untimely
motion of affection, and the desire to
continue the old companionship. The
Apostles were about to take in charge
the whole earth, and it behoved them
no more to continue together, lest the
world should suffer. Therefore the Lord
saith to Peter: "Thou hast received
thy task; bend thyself to it, and do it;
work and fight; what is it to thee if I
will that he tarry here? Turn thou
to thine own appointed labour and
finish it."
LAUDS.
Commemoration of the Holy Innocents
from their proper Lauds.
VESPERS.
Antiphons from Lauds.
Psalms from the Common Office for
Apostles.
Commemoration of the Holy Innocents
from their proper Lauds.
Octave of Childermas.
Octave of the Holy Innocents, Martyrs.
Double.
All as on the Feast-day, except the
following.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Romans
(v. 1.)
THEREFORE being justified by faith,
let us have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ; by Whom also
we have access by faith into this grace,
wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of
the glory of the sons of God. And not
only so, but we glory in tribulations also,
knowing that tribulation worketh pa-
tience, and patience proof, and proof
hope; and hope maketh not ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Which
is given unto us.
FOR
Second Lesson.
wherefore, when we were yet
without strength, did Christ in due
time die for the ungodly? For scarcely
for a righteous man will one die; yet
peradventure for a good man some would
even dare to die. But God commendeth
His love towards us; in that while we
were yet sinners Christ died for us;
much more then being now justified by
His Blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him.
Third Lesson.
FOR if, when we were enemies, we
were reconciled to God by the death
of His Son, much more, being recon-
ciled, we shall be saved by His life. And
not only so, but we also joy in God,
through our Lord JESUS Christ, by
Whom we have now received the Atone-
ment. Moreover, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by
sin, so also death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (1st
for Childermas.)
THE Lord is born, and sorrow breaketh
out, not in heaven but on earth;
to mothers is proclaimed lamentation,
to angels joy, to children translation.
God is born, and innocence must be of-
OCTAVE OF CHILDERMAS.
261
fered up to Him Who cometh to con-
demn the malice of the world. The
Lamb that taketh away the sins of the
world is come to be crucified, and the
tender flock is brought to the sacrifice.
But the mothers will lament over them
whose inarticulate bleating is silenced
for ever. Let us turn a look on this
great martyrdom, this heart-rending
sorrow. The sword is drawn, though
there is no offence to punish, only jea-
lousy shrieking for Him Who is born,
and doth no violence. And here are
mothers weeping over the lambs of the
flock. "In Ramah was there a voice
heard, weeping and great mourning."
They are pledges [which shall be re-
turned hereafter], but they are pledges
taken without being given, impounded
without being entrusted.
Fifth Lesson.
ATURE is herself our witness of
NATU
what the scene must have been
when the tyrant dashed the little ones
against the stones. The childless mo-
thers tore their hair; those, whose in-
fants had still escaped, strove vainly to
hide them, and their very cries betrayed
them, too young to have learnt the si-
lence of fear. Sometimes the wretched
mother struggled with the executioner,
as he dragged the child to which she
clung from her arms. The fruit of her
body is torn from her breast. Was it
for this that her womb bore it, and her
paps gave it suck? Had she carried it
so tenderly, that the murderer might
seize it? It had come of her body only
to be dashed against the stones.
Sixth Lesson.
SOMETIMES a broken-hearted woman
cried to the ruffian to kill her also;
wherefore leave her to her childless
widowhood? If fault there were, the
fault was hers,-then why not let her
suffer and follow her lost one? Some
must have cried out that all were being
slain for the sake of One, and that One
had escaped. And surely some called
for the coming of the Messiah to deliver
them. 66
Come, come, O Saviour, how
long do we wait for Thee? Thou art
Almighty-come, and save our chil-
dren." And so the cry of the mother
and the sacrifice of her offspring went
up together to heaven.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 13.)
AT
T that time: The Angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream,
saying: Arise, and take the young Child,
and His Mother, and flee into Egypt:
and be thou there until I bring thee
word. And so on.
Homily by St. John Chrysostom, Pa-
triarch of Constantinople.] (8th on
Matthew.)
When Joseph had heard this he was
not troubled, neither did he say, 'This
is doubtful, or at least obscure. Thou
saidst not long ago, that He shall save
His people, and now apparently Him-
self He cannot save; but we are to flee,
and journey far, and dwell in a strange
land. Thy works belie thy words.' But
Joseph said none of these things, for he
was faithful; neither did he curiously
ask of the angel the time of his return,
which God was not pleased to show him,
but only to send him that word, "Be
thou there until I bring thee word.”
Eighth Lesson.
cheerfully, and by faith bore all
E was not slothful, but obeyed
tribulations with joy. God in His mercy
mingled some joy with his sorrow, as
He doth in all the saints, whom He
will have to abide continually neither
in sorrow, nor in joy: but weaveth their
life ever with a strange diversity. And
let us consider how He did it here.
The Eighth Responsory is added to,
as when the Feast falls on Sunday.
Ninth Lesson.
WHEN St. Joseph knew that the Vir-
gin was with child, he was greatly
troubled; but forthwith an Angel came
to take away his fears. The Lord was
born and he rejoiced with exceeding
joy; but straightway came the great
danger, when all Jerusalem was troubled,
1 Pignora sunt, non credita sed creata, non deposita sed expositą. The passage is very
obscure. The imagery seems to be taken from a pawn-shop.
262
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the king in great wrath, and murderers
seeking the young Child's life. The
star shone over Bethlehem, and the wise
men came to worship; but Herod sought
to slay the Saviour; and they arose, and
fled into a far country.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is always said.
VESPERS.
Antiphons from Lauds.
Psalms from the Common Office of
Many Martyrs.
Commemoration of TWELFTH-DAY EVE.
Antiphon. The Child JESUS increased
in stature and wisdom before God and
man.
Ferse. The LORD hath made known.
Alleluia.
Answer. His salvation. Alleluia.
Let us pray.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
do Thou order all our actions in
conformity with Thy good pleasure, that
through the name of Thy well-beloved
Son, we may worthily abound in all
good works.
Commemoration of 1ST. TELESPHORUS,
Pope and Martyr.
All from the Common Office of one
Bishop and Martyr.
Prayer. O God, Who year by year
dost gladden, &c.
Twelfth-Day Ebe.
The Eve of the Epiphany.
Semidouble.
MATTINS.
All as on New Year's Day, except that
the Antiphons are not doubled, and the
following:
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ro-
mans (vii. 1.)
KNOW ye not, brethren, (for I speak
to them that know the law,) how
that the law hath dominion over a man,
so long as he liveth? For the woman
which hath an husband is bound up by
the law to her husband so long as he
liveth: but if the husband be dead, she
is loosed from the law of her husband.
So then, if, while her husband liveth,
she be married to another man, she shall
be called an adulteress; but, if her hus-
band be dead, she is free from the law
of her husband; so that she is no adul-
teress, though she be married to another
man.
Second Lesson.
WHEREFORE, my brethren, ye also
are become dead to the law by the
body of Christ; that ye should be mar-
ried to another, even to Him Who is
raised from the dead; that we should
bring forth fruit unto God. For when
we were in the flesh, the motions of sin
which were by the law, did work in our
members, to bring forth fruit unto death.
But now we are delivered from the law
of death wherein we were held, that we
should serve in newness of spirit, and
not in the oldness of the letter.
WHAT
Third Lesson.
HAT shall we say then? Is the
Law sin? God forbid. Nay, I
had not known sin, but by the law. For
I had not known lust, except the law'
had said: Thou shalt not covet. But
sin, taking occasion by the command-
ment, wrought in me all manner of con-
cupiscence. For without the law sin
was dead. For I was alive without the
law once but when the commandment
came sin revived.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(13th for the Season.)
EARLY beloved brethren, Our Lord
DEA
JESUS Christ, Who is from ever-
lasting to everlasting, and by Whom all
things were made, being, as at this
time, born of a Virgin, is become for us
a Saviour. Unto us is He born in time
of His own good will, that He may give
1 The Martyrology, (Jan. 5,) says: "At Rome, Pope St. Telesphorus, who, under Anto-
ninus Pius, after many toils, gained a glorious martyrdom for the confession of Christ."
TWELFTH-DAY EVE.
263
us to partake of that glory which He
had with the Father before the world
was. God is made man, that man may
be made God; that men might eat An-
gels' bread, the Lord of Angels (as on
this day) was made man.
Fifth Lesson.
THIS day is fulfilled the prophecy
""
which saith: "Drop down, ye hea-
vens, from above, and let the skies pour
down the Righteous One: let the earth
open and let her bring forth the Sa-
viour. He That made all things was
Himself made, that he that had been
lost might be found. Man is made to
say in the Psalms (cxviii. 67): "Before
I was afflicted, I went astray." Man
sinned and was found guilty God was
born Man, that the sinner might be par-
doned. Man fell and God came down.
Man fell miserably and God came down
mercifully. Man fell through pride and
God came down with grace.
0
Sixth Lesson.
MY brethren, what miracles, what
wonders be these! The course of
nature is put out of order. God is born
-a virgin becometh with child. She
knoweth not a man, but conceiveth at
the word of God. She is at once a
'maiden and a mother, made a mother
and remaining a maiden unsullied. She
is a virgin who beareth a Son and yet
knoweth not a man. The seal of her
maidenhood still unbroken, her womb
is made fruitful of offspring. There is
but one in the manner of Whose con-
ception there is found no memorial of
sin, even He Who was begotten without
the embrace of human passion, not by
the operation of fleshly craving, but by
the obedience of a will attuned to the
Will of God.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 19.)
Α1
T that time: When Herod was dead,
behold, an Angel of the Lord ap-
peareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
saying: Arise and take the young Child
and His Mother, and go into the land
of Israël. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. i., Comm. on Matth.
ii.)
From the words, "they are dead,"
(in the Plural,) which are used in this
passage of the Gospel, we may under-
stand that there were others beside
Herod "which sought the young Child's
life"-probably the Priests and Scribes.
"And he" (Joseph)" arose, and took
the young Child and His Mother." It
is not written, "He took his wife and
child," but "he took the young Child
and His Mother;" whence it is clear
that the holy Evangelist willeth to
imply that Joseph was not the father,
but the Guardian of JESUS, not the hus-
band, but the Betrothed of Mary.
((
BUT
Eighth Lesson.
UT when he heard that Archelaus
did reign in Judea, in the room
of his father Herod, he was afraid to go
thither." There are some persons so
grossly ignorant of history that they
confuse themselves over the two Herods,
as if the one mentioned here were the
same who afterwards set our Lord at
nought during His Passion, and they
cannot understand how he should now
be said to be dead. The Herod who was
made friends with Pilate over Christ's
death, was the son of the Herod who
massacred the infants of Bethlehem, and
the brother of Archelaus.
Ninth Lesson.
"HE shall be called a Nazarene.”
The Evangelist, in quoting these
words, saith that they were " spoken by
the Prophets," (Plural.) If he had been
citing any one precise passage he would
have said "by the Prophet," in the
Singular. But he is citing the sense of
the Prophets, and not any individual
passage in any of their writings. He
seemeth to refer to the fact that in He-
brew the word "Nazarene" signifieth
"holy," and that Christ is the Holy
One of God is the common declaration
of all the Scriptures.¹
1 Judges xiii. 5, however, contains almost the precise phrase, and is very like Luke i. 31,
and Matth. i. 21.
264
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
LAUDS.
The Chapter, Hymn, Verse and An-
swer, Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias and Prayer throughout the Office
are taken from the Sunday within the
Octave of Christmas, (p. 248.)
A Commemoration is made of St.
Telesphorus. All from the Common
Office. Prayer as before.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Chapters and Prayer as on the Sun-
day within the Octave of Christmas,
(p. 249.)
The Feast begins at sunset.
From henceforth till the end of the
Octave of Twelfth-Day, the last verse
of all the Hymns at Prime, Terce, Sext,
None, and Compline, is altered in honour
of the Epiphany.
Twelfth-Day,
The Epiphany¹ of the Lord.
Double of the First Class, with an Octave.
Everything as on Sundays except what
is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPEKS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer
from Lauds.
The Last Psalm,
Psalm CXVI.
O praise the LORD, all ye nations,
&c., (p. 154.)
Hymn.2
WHAT makes thee, cruel Herod, quake,
Lest Christ thy crown from thee
should take?
He will not seize an earthly throne,
Who heavenly kingdoms makes our own.
The Sages coming from afar,
Follow the new appearing star:
With light they seek a better Light;
Their gifts confess the God of might.
The heavenly Lamb in Jordan stood,
To sanctify the crystal flood;
Our sins with that baptismal dew,
Were washed in Him, Who sin ne'er knew.
A strange miraculous power is shown:
The water pots are ruddy grown,
Whose waters by command Divine
Their nature change, and yield pure wine.
To Christ, Who did the Gentiles call,
Be endless glory given by all,
To God the Father we repeat
The same, and to the Paraclete. Amen.
3
Verse. The kings of Tarshish and
of the isles shall bring presents.
Answer. The kings of Arabia and
Saba shall offer gifts.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. When the wise men saw the
star, they said one unto another: This
is the sign of the Great King; let us go
and search diligently for Him, and pre-
1 Epiphaneia-a Greek word, meaning Manifestation. By the Greeks themselves the
Feast is called most commonly the Theophaneia, or Manifestation of God. It is observed
by the Church in honour of the Manifestation of Christ upon three occasions; first, when
a star led the wise men to adore Him; secondly, when He was baptized in Jordan, and
the Father proclaimed Him His Son; thirdly, when He "manifested forth His glory" by
turning water into wine at Cana. Of these occasions the first is principally commemo-
rated on the Feast itself, and the second on the Octave, but mentions of the latter pene-
trate the whole Office. Throughout the whole East there is a Blessing of the Waters at
the First Vespers, in which the people bathe, or from which they are sprinkled, in honour
of the Baptism of Christ, and there is a Ritual for the purpose, according to the Roman
Rite, which is in use in some Churches at Rome and elsewhere. This ceremony is re-
peatedly alluded to in the Office, and must be kept in mind if it is to be intelligently
followed. The Birth of Christ appears (at least in some places) to have been anciently
observed on this day, as is still done by the Monophysite Armenians, and this perhaps
accounts in part for the great importance given to it.
2 Translation extracted from the "Hortus Animæ.”
3 Ps. lxxi. 10.
TWELFTH-DAY.
265
sent unto Him gifts, gold, and frankin-
cense, and myrrh. Alleluia.
COMPLINE.
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus:
JESU, Whom now the Gentiles see,
To Thee all praise be given,
With Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Here as it is in heaven. Amen.
MATTINS.
The Lord's Prayer, the Angelic Salu-
tation, and the Apostles' Creed are re-
cited inaudibly, as usual, but the rest of
the beginning of Mattins is entirely
omitted, and the Service begins at once
with the First Antiphon of the First
Nocturn, as follows :
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Give unto the LORD,
O ye sons of God: * worship the LORD
in His holy courts.
Psalm XXVIII.
Give unto the LORD, &c., (p. 22.)
Second Antiphon. It is a river, the
streams whereof make glad * —Alleluia
-the city of God-Alleluia.
Psalm XLV.
God is our refuge, &c., (p. 37.)
Third Antiphon. Sing praises to our
God, sing praises: * sing praises unto
our King, sing ye praises with under-
standing.
Psalm XLVI.
O clap your hands, &c. (p. 37.)
Verse. ¹Let all the earth worship
Thee, and sing unto Thee.
Answer. Let them sing praises to
Thy Name, O Lord.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (lv. 1.)
HO, every one that thirsteth, come ye
to the waters; and he that hath
no money, come ye, buy and eat: yea,
come, buy wine and milk without money
and without price. Wherefore do ye
spend money for that which is not bread,
and your labour for that which satisfieth
1 Ps. lxv. 4.
♦ Luke iii. 22.
not? Hearken diligently unto Me, and
eat ye that which is good, and let your
soul delight itself in fatness. Incline
your ear and come unto Me: hear, and
your
soul shall live: and I will make
an everlasting covenant with you, even
the sure mercies of David. Behold I
have given him for a witness to the
people, a leader and commander to the'
nations.
First Responsory.
This day, when the Lord was baptized
in Jordan, the heavens were opened, and
the Spirit descended like a dove, and
abode upon Him, and, lo, the voice of
the Father was heard, 3 like unto thun-
der, saying: This is My beloved Son,
in Whom I am well pleased.
4
Verse. The Holy Ghost descended in
a bodily shape like a dove upon Him,
and a voice came from heaven-
Answer. This is My beloved Son, in
Whom I am well pleased.
Second Lesson. (Isa. lx. 1.)
ARISE, shine, [O Jerusalem,] for thy
light is come, and the glory of the
LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold,
darkness shall cover the earth, and gross
darkness the people: but the LORD shall
arise upon thee, and His glory shall be
seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall
walk in thy light, and kings in the
brightness of thy rising. Lift
Lift up thine
eyes round about and see: all they
gather themselves together, they come
to thee; thy sons shall come from far,
and thy daughters shall be nursed at
thy side. Then thou shalt see, and
flow together; and thine heart shall
fear and be enlarged, because the riches
of the sea shall be poured in upon thee,
the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto
thee; the multitude of camels shall co-
ver thee, the dromedaries of Midian and
"Ephah all they from Saba shall come :
they shall bring gold and incense, and
they shall show forth the praises of the
LORD.
:
Second Responsory.
The Holy Ghost appeared in a bodily
shape like a dove, and the voice of the
Father was heard: This is My beloved
Son, in Whom I am well pleased.
2 Matth. iii. 16, 17.
3 Ps. xxviii. 3.
5 A country and tribe of the Midianites.
266
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Verse. The heavens were opened unto
him, and, lo, the voice of the Father
was heard, like unto thunder, saying:
Answer. This is My beloved Son, in
Whom I am well-pleased.
I
Third Lesson. (Isa. Ixi. 10.)
WILL greatly rejoice in the LORD,
and my soul shall be joyful in my
God for He hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, and hath covered
me with the robe of righteousness, as a
bridegroom decketh himself with orna-
ments, and as a bride adorneth herself
with her jewels. For as the earth
bringeth forth her bud, and as the gar-
den causeth the things that are sown in
it to spring forth, so the Lord ¹GOD will
cause righteousness and praise to spring
forth before all the nations. (lxii. 1.)
For Zion's sake I will not hold my
peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will
not rest, until the Righteous One thereof
go forth as brightness, and her Saviour
as a lamp that burneth.
Third Responsory.
1
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall bring presents. The kings of Ara-
bia and Saba shall offer gifts unto the
Lord God.
Verse. All they from Saba shall come,
they shall bring gold and incense.
Answer. The kings of Arabia and
Saba shall offer gifts unto the Lord
God.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The kings of Arabia and
Saba shall offer gifts unto the Lord God.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Let all the earth
worship Thee, and sing unto Thee: *
let them sing praises to Thy name, O
Lord.
Psalm LXV.
Make a joyful noise, &c., (p. 48.)
Second Antiphon. The kings of Tar-
shish and the isles shall bring presents *
unto the Lord the King.
Psalm LXXI.
Give the king Thy judgment, &c.,
(p. 55.)
Third Antiphon. All nations whom
Thou hast made shall come * and worship
before Thee, O Lord.
Psalm LXXXV.
Bow down Thine ear, &c., (p. 67.)
Verse. The kings of Tarshish and of
the isles shall bring presents.
Answer. The kings of Arabia and
Saba shall offer gifts.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (2nd for
Twelfth-Day.)
DEA
EARLY beloved brethren, rejoice in
the Lord; again I say, rejoice.
But a few days are past since the so-
lemnity of Christ's Birth, and now the
glorious light of His Manifestation is
breaking upon us. On that day the
Virgin brought Him forth, and on this
the world knew Him. The Word made
Flesh was pleased to reveal Himself by
degrees to those for whom He had come.
When JESUS was born He was mani-
fested indeed to the believing, but hid-
den from His enemies. Already indeed
the heavens declared the glory of God,
and their sound went out into all lands,
when the Herald Angels appeared to
tell to the shepherds the glad tidings
of a Saviour's Birth; and now the guid-
ing star leadeth the wise men to wor-
ship Him, that from the rising of the
sun to the going down thereof, the Birth
of the true King may be known abroad;
that through those wise men the king-
doms of the east might learn the great
truth, and the Roman empire remain
no more in darkness.
Fourth Responsory.
Shine, shine, O Jerusalem, for thy
light is come: and the glory of the
LORD is risen upon thee.
Verse. And the Gentiles shall walk in
thy light, and kings in the brightness of
thy rising.
Answer. And the glory of the LORD
is risen upon thee.
Fifth Lesson.
THE very cruelty of Herod, when he
strove to crush at His birth this
King Whom he alone feared, was made
1 The Name.
TWELFTH-DAY.
267
a blind means to carry out this dispen-
sation of mercy. While the tyrant with
horrid guilt sought to slay the little
Child he did not know, amid an indis-
criminate slaughter of innocents, his
infamous act served to spread wider
abroad the heaven-told news of the
Birth of the Lord. Thus were these
glad tidings loudly proclaimed, both by
the novelty of their story, and the ini-
quity of their enemies. Then was the
Saviour borne into Egypt, that that na-
tion, of a long time hardened in idola-
try, might by the mysterious virtue
which went out of Him, even when His
presence was unknown, be prepared for
the saving light so soon to dawn on
them, and might receive the Truth as a
wanderer even before they had banished
falsehood.
Fifth Responsory.
All they from Saba shall come, they
shall bring gold and incense, and they
shall show forth the praises of the LORD.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The kings of Tarshish and of
the isles shall bring presents, the kings
of Arabia and Saba shall offer gifts.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
DEA
Sixth Lesson.
EARLY beloved brethren, we re-
cognise in the wise men who came
to worship Christ, the first-fruits of that
dispensation to the Gentiles wherein
we also are called and enlightened.
Let us then keep this Feast with grate-
ful hearts, in thanksgiving for our
blessed hope, whereof it doth comme-
morate the dawn. From that wor-
ship paid to the new-born Christ is to
be dated the entry of us Gentiles upon
our heirship of God and co-heirship
with Christ. Since that joyful day the
Scriptures which testify of Christ have
lain open for us as well as for the Jews.
Yea, their blindness rejected that Truth,
Which, since that day, hath shed Its
bright beams upon all nations. Let all
observance, then, be paid to this most
sacred day, whereon the Captain of
our salvation was made manifest, and
as the wise men fell down and wor-
shipped Him in the manger, so let us
fall down and worship Him enthroned
Almighty in heaven. As they also
opened their treasures and presented
unto Him mystic and symbolic gifts, so
let us strive to open our hearts to Him,
and offer Him from thence some worthy
offering.
Sixth Responsory.
There came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem, asking and saying: Where
is He That is born King of the Jews?
for we have seen His star in the east,
and are come to worship the Lord.
Verse. We have seen His star in the
east.
Answer. And are come to worship the
Lord.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And are come to worship
the Lord.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Instead of the 1st Psalm the following
is said just as given here.
Antiphon. O come, let us worship
Him for He is the Lord our God.
Psalm XCIV.
COME, let us sing unto the LORD:
let us make a joyful noise to the
God of our salvation.
Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise
unto Him with Psalms.
Antiphon. O come, let us worship
Him for He is the Lord our God.
For the LORD is a great God, and a
great King above all gods.
In His hand are the inmost depths of
the earth and the heights of the hills
are His also.
Antiphon. O come, let us worship
Him for He is the Lord our God.
:
For the sea is His, and He made it,
and His hands formed the dry land.
Antiphon. O come, let us worship
Him for He is the Lord our God.
And we are the people of His pas-
ture, and the sheep of His hand. To-
day if ye will hear His voice, harden
not your heart.
As in "the Provocation," and as in
the day of "Temptation" in the wil-
derness, when your fathers tempted Me,
and proved Me, although they had seen
My works.
Antiphon. O come, let us worship
Him: for He is the Lord our God.
Forty years long was I grieved with
1
268
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
that generation, and said: It is a people
that do err in their heart.
And they have not known My ways:
unto whom I sware in My wrath that
they should not enter into My rest.
Antiphon. O come, let us worship
Him for He is the Lord our God.
:
Glory be to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Ghost..
As it was in the beginning, is now,
and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
Antiphon. O come, let us worship
Him: for He is the Lord our God.
The Service then proceeds as usual.
Second Antiphon. O worship the
LORD*-Alleluia-in His holy temple-
Alleluia.
Psalm XCV.
O sing unto the LORD, &c., (p. 72.)
Third Antiphon. Worship God *
Alleluia-all ye His Angels-Alleluia.
Psalm XCVI.
The LORD reigneth, &c., (p. 73.)
Verse. Oworship the LORD-Alleluia.
Answer. In His holy temple-Alle-
luia.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 1.)
W
HEN JESUS was born in Bethlehem
of Judah, in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from
the East to Jerusalem, saying: Where
is He That is born King of the Jews?
Aud so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (10th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, hear ye from
the Gospel lesson how, when the King of
heaven was born, the king of earth was
troubled? The heights of heaven are
opened and the depths of earth are
stirred. Let us now consider the ques-
tion, why, when the Redeemer was born,
an angel brought the news to the shep-
herds of Judea, but a star led the wise
men of the East to worship Him. It
seemeth as if the Jews as reasonable
creatures received a revelation from a
reasonable being, that is, an angel, but
the Gentiles without, being as brutes,
are roused not by a voice, but by a sign,
that is, a star. Hence Paul hath it:
66 a sign, not to them that believe, but
to them that believe not: but prophesy-
ing serveth not for them that believe
not, but for them which believe." (1 Cor.
xiv. 22.) So the prophesying, (that is,
of the angel) was given to them that
believed, and the sign to them that be-
lieved not.
Seventh Responsory.
The star which the wise men had seen
in the East, went before them, till they
came where the young Child was. And
when they saw the star, they rejoiced
with exceeding great joy.
Verse. And when they were come
into the house, they found the young
Child with Mary His Mother, and fell
down and worshipped Him.
Answer. And when they saw the star,
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Eighth Lesson.
THUS also we remark that afterwards
the Redeemer was preached among
the Gentiles not by Himself, but by His
Apostles, even as, when a little Child,
He is shown to them, not by the voice
of angels, but merely by the vision of a
star. When He Himself had begun to
speak He was made known to us by
speakers, but when He lay silent in the
manger, by that silent testimony in
heaven. But whether we consider the
signs which accompanied His birth or
His death, this thing is wonderful,
namely, the hardness of heart of the
Jews, who would not believe in Him
either for prophesying or for miracles.
Eighth Responsory.
When the wise men saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And
when they were come into the house,
they found the young Child with Mary
His Mother, and fell down and wor-
shipped Him; and when they had opened
their treasures, they presented unto
Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and
myrrh.
Verse. The star which the wise men
had seen in the East, went before them,
till it came and stood over where the
young Child was.
Answer. And when they were come
into the house, they found the young
TWELFTH-DAY.
269
'
Child with Mary His mother and fell
down and worshipped Him.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And when they had opened
their treasures, they presented unto
Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and
myrrh.
Ninth Lesson.
ALL things which He had made, bore
witness that their Maker was come.
Let me reckon them after the manner
of men.
The heavens knew that He
was God, and sent a star to shine over
where He lay. The sea knew it, and
bore Him up when He walked upon it.
The earth knew it, and quaked when
He died. The sun knew it, and was
darkened. The rocks and walls knew
it, and rent at the hour of His death.
Hell knew it, and gave up the dead that
were in it. And yet up to this very
hour the hearts of the unbelieving Jews
will not acknowledge that He to Whom
all nature testified is their God, and,
being more hardened than the rocks, re-
fuse to be rent by repentance.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. The Lord our Sa-
viour, begotten before the day-star,
and before the ages, is this day made
manifest in the world.
Chapter. (Isa. lx. 1.)
ARISE, shine, O Jerusalem, for thy
light is come, and the glory of the
LORD is risen upon thee.
Hymn.2
ETHLEHEM! of noblest cities,
BETH
None can once with thee compare;
Thou alone the Lord of heaven,
Didst for us Incarnate bear.
Fairer than the sun at morning,
Was the star that told His birth;
To the lands their God announcing,
Hid beneath a form of earth.
By its lambent beauty guided,
See, the Eastern Kings appear;
See them bend, their gifts to offer,
Gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh.
Offerings of mystic meaning !—
Incense doth the God disclose;
Gold a Royal Child proclaimeth;
Myrrh a future tomb foreshows.
Holy JESU, in Thy brightness
To the Gentile world displayed!
With the Father and the Spirit,
Endless praise to Thee be paid.
Amen.
Verse. Worship God-Alleluia.
Answer. All ye His Angels. Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
This day is the Church joined unto the
Heavenly Bridegroom, since Christ
hath washed away her sins in Jordan;
the wise men hasten with gifts to the
marriage supper of the King; and they
that sit at meat together make merry
with water turned into wine. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office.
Second Antiphon. O Jerusalem, * thy
light is come, and the glory of the
glory_of_the
LORD is risen upon thee, and the Gen-
tiles shall walk in thy light. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. When the wise men
* had opened their treasures, they pre-GOD, Who by the leading of a star
sented unto the Lord gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. O ye seas and
floods, * bless ye the Lord. O ye wells,
bless ye the Lord. Alleluia.
Fifth Antiphon. 'Bright as a fiery
beacon gleams the guiding star, * whose
mystic beams shone o'er the crib where,
veiled in clay, the new-born King of
Glory lay. When to the manger came
the three, they fell in worship on the
knee, then to the King their gifts un-
fold, the myrrh, the frankincense, and
gold.
1 Two verses of an Hymn.
didst, as on this day, manifest
Thine Only-begotten Son to the Gen-
tiles, mercifully grant that we, which
know Thee now by faith, may after this
life have the fruition of Thy glorious
Godhead; through the Same our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Last verse of the Hymn as at Com-
pline.
2 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
270
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Antiphon. The Lord our Saviour,
&c., (First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory instead of
the Verse, "Thou That sittest at the
right hand of the Father," is said:
Verse. Thou That art manifested unto
us this day.
And the same alteration is made every
day till the end of the Octave.
Chapter at the end. (Isa. lx. 6.)
ALL they from Saba shall come, they
shall bring gold and incense, and
they shall show forth the praises of the
LORD.
TERCE.
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus:
JESU, Whom now the Gentiles see,
Father and Spirit, One and Three,
To Thee, one God, be glory given,
By men on earth, by Saints in heaven.
Amen.
Antiphon. O Jerusalem, * &c., (Se-
cond Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall bring presents. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The kings of Tarshish and
of the isles shall bring presents. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. The kings of Arabia and Saba
shall offer gifts.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The kings of Tarshish and
of the isles shall bring presents. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. All they from Saba shall come.
Alleluia.
Answer. They shall bring gold and
incense. Alleluia.
SEXT.
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus:
JESU, by Gentiles now adored,
With Father and with Holy Ghost,
To Thee be praise, as God and Lord,
On earth as 'mid the Angelic host. Amen.
Antiphon. When the wise men, * &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Isa. lx. 4.)
IIFT up thine eyes round about, and
see; all they gather themselves
together, they come to thee: thy sons
shall come from far, and thy daughters
shall be nursed at thy side.
Short Responsory.
All they from Saba shall come. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Answer. All they from Saba shall
come. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. They shall bring gold and in-
cense.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. All they from Saba shall
come. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Worship the LORD. Alleluia.
Answer. In His holy courts. Alle-
luia.
NONE.
Last verse of the Hymn as at Com-
pline.
Antiphon. Bright as a fiery beacon
gleams, &c., (Fifth Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Worship the LORD. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Answer. Worship the LORD. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. In His holy courts.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Worship the LORD. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. Worship God. Alleluia.
Answer. All ye His Angels. Alleluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer from
First Vespers.
Psalms as on Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. This day we keep a holiday in
TWELFTH-DAY.
271
honour of three wonders, *-this day a
star led the wise men to the manger;
this day at the marriage, water was
made wine; this day was Christ, for
our salvation, pleased to be baptized of
John in Jordan. Alleluia.
If this day should be a Saturday, the
following Commemoration is made of the
Sunday within the Octave.
Antiphon. The Child JESUS tarried
behind in Jerusalem, and His parents
knew not of it, supposing Him to have
been in the company and they sought
Him among their kinsfolk and acquaint-
ance.
Verse. All they from Saba shall
come. Alleluia.
Answer. They shall bring gold and
incense. Alleluia.
0
Let us pray.
LORD, we beseech Thee, mercifully
to receive the prayers of Thy peo-
ple which call upon Thee, and grant
that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do, and also
may have grace and power faithfully to
fulfil the same; through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
COMPLINE.
Last verse of the Hymn as before.
The following are the rules for the
Service during the Octave of the Epi-
phang.
1. If a Double or Semidouble Feast
occur, it is transferred, unless it be the
Patronal, or Titular Feast of the Church,
or the Feast of the Dedication of the
same. Simple Feasts are merely com-
memorated.
2. The Service is precisely the same
as on Twelfth-Day itself, except the
differences hereafter immediately noted,
and those given under the head of every
day.
3. Mattins commence as usual with
the following:
Invitatory. Christ is made manifest
unto us, * Ō come, let us worship Him.
Hymn. What makes thee, &c., (Hymn
at First Vespers.)
4. Except on the Sunday within the
Octave, and on the Octave itself, the
First Responsory is as follows:
There are three precious gifts which
the wise men offered unto the Lord on
this day, and they speak a mystery of
the things of God,-Gold, to show His
kingly power; frankincense, for our
Great High Priest; and myrrh, against
the Lord's burying.
Verse. The wise men worshipped the
Captain of our Salvation, as He lay in
the manger, and when they had opened
their treasures, they presented unto Him
mystic gifts.
Answer. Gold, to show His kingly
power; frankincense, for our Great
High Priest; and myrrh, against the
Lord's burying.
5. The Third Nocturn begins as fol-
lows:
*
First Antiphon. This man was born
in her, and the Highest Himself shall
establish her.
Psalm LXXXVI.
Her foundation, &c., (p. 68.)
6. Offices are hereafter given for five
days within the Octave, besides the Oc-
tave-day itself, and the Sunday. These
Offices are recited one after another on
the five next week-days after the Feast.
For example, if the Feast fell on a Sa-
turday, the Office for the Second Day
within the Octave would be said on Mon-
day. The Lessons of the First Nocturns
of these days are subject to the change
mentioned in the eighth section.
7. The Antiphons are not doubled,
except on the Octave-day.
8. On the First Sunday after the
Epiphany is begun the First Epistle of
St. Paul to the Corinthians, which is
continued on the following days till the
Saturday inclusive. These Lessons are
all given together at p.286. To make
room for them the Lessons from the
Epistle to the Romans are omitted if
need be. Hence, if the Feast fell on a
Saturday, all the rest of the Epistle to
the Romans would that year be omitted.
9. If the Feast fall on a Sunday, the
Octave-day will do so too. Then the
272
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
first Sunday after the Feast will be ob-
served as the Octave-day, and the Office
of the Sunday will be said on Saturday
by anticipation, except the beginning of
the First Epistle to the Corinthians,
which will still be read on Sunday, and
its place in the Sunday Office (said by
anticipation on Saturday) is supplied
with Lessons from the Epistle to the
Romans, given on p. 282.
Second Day within the Octave of
the Epiphany.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Romans (ix. 1.)
I
SAY the truth in Christ, I lie not,
my conscience bearing me witness
in the Holy Ghost; that I have great
heaviness and continual sorrow in my
heart. For I could wish that myself
were accursed from Christ for my bre-
thren, my kinsmen according to the
flesh; who are Israëlites; to whom per-
taineth the adoption, and the glory, and
the covenant, and the giving of the
law, and the service of God, and the
promises; whose are the fathers, and of
whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ
came, Who is over all-God, blessed for
ever. Amen.
NOT
Second Lesson.
as though the word of God hath
taken none effect. For they are
not all Israëlites which are of Israël;
neither, because they are the seed of
Abraham, are they all children; but:
"In Isaac shall thy seed be called;"
that is, they which are the children of
the flesh, these are not the children of
God; but the children of the promise
are counted for the seed.-For this is
the word of promise: 2" At this time
will I come, and Sarah shall have a
son." And not only she, but when Re-
becca also had conceived [twins] by the
same our father Isaac.
Third Lesson.
FOR the children being not yet born,
neither having done any good or
evil, (that the purpose of God, accord-
1 Gen xxi. 12.
+ Mal. i. 2, 3.
ing to election, might stand,) not of
works, but of Him That calleth, it was
said unto her: 3" The elder shall serve
the younger"-as it is written: "Jacob
have I loved, but Esau have I hated.”
What shall we say then? Is there un-
righteousness with God? God forbid.
For He saith to Moses: 5 I will have
mercy on whom I will have mercy, and
I will have compassion on whom I will
have compassion." So then, it is not of
him that willeth, nor of him that run-
neth, but of God that showeth mercy.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(2nd on the Epiphany, 30th on the
Season.)
WIS
ISE men came from the East to
worship the Virgin's Son. This is
the event which we this day commemo-
rate, the occasion in honour of which
this sermon is preached. On them that
day first broke in gladness, which year
by year, now cometh round to us for
celebration. They were the first-fruits
of that Gentile Church whereof we are
the in-gathering. To us the voice of
Apostles, to them a star, as a voice from
heaven, proclaimed the advent of a Sa-
viour; and to us the voice of the Apos-
tolic preachers is also as a voice from
heaven, a heaven declaring the glory of
God.
Fifth Lesson.
GREAT is the mystery. While He
lay in the manger, He drew to Him-
self wise men from the East; while He
was unknown in the stable, He was re-
cognised in the heavens; and, being
recognised in the heavens, made Him-
self known in the stable. So this day
is called in the Greek "Epiphaneia,'
which is, being interpreted, "Manifes-
tation." Wherein is manifested both
the greatness and the lowliness of Him,
Whose greatness was attested in the
stars of heaven, and Who, being sought
on earth, is found so lowly that there is
no room for Him in the inn. And yet,
though to be found in fashion as a little
Child wrapped in swaddling-clothes, He
2 Gen. xviii. 10.
5 Exod. xxxiii. 19.
3 Gen. xxv. 23.
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.
is the object of worship to the wise men
and of terror to the godless.
Sixth Lesson.
FOR Herod feared when he heard from
the wise men of Him Whom they
sought, and of Whose birth they knew
by the witness of a star. What will be
the fearful judgment-seat of Him, Who,
even as a Suckling, struck terror into
haughty kings? How much wiser is
the thought of those kings who seek
Christ like the wise men, to worship
Him, than of those who seek Him, like
Herod, to slay Him! who seek to put
Him to that same death, which He came
to suffer from His enemies for their own
salvation, and which, by His death, He
hath trodden down! Kings will do well
to fear Him Who now sitteth at the
right hand of the Father, and Whom
Herod feared when He hung upon His
mother's breast.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 1.)
WHEN JESUS was born in Bethlehem
of Judah, in the days of Herod the
king, behold, there came wise men from
the East to Jerusalem, saying: Where
is He That is born King of the Jews?
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (10th on the Gospels.)
When Herod knew of the birth of our
King, he betook himself to his cunning
wiles, and lest he should be deprived of
an earthly kingdom he desired the wise
men to search diligently for the young
Child, and when they had found Him,
to bring him word again.
He said,
"that he also might come and worship
Him," but, in reality, that, when he
had found Him, he might put Him to
death. But, behold, of how light weight
is the malice of man, when it is tried
against the counsel of God. It is written:
"There is no wisdom, nor understand-
ing, nor counsel, against the LORD,'
(Prov. xxi. 30.) So the star which the
wise men saw in the East, still led them
on; they found the new-born King, and
>
273
presented unto Him gifts; then they
were warned in a dream that they should
not return to Herod. And as it came to
pass that, when Herod sought JESUS,
he could not find Him-even so is it
with hypocrites, who, while they make
pretence to seek the Lord to worship
Him, find Him not.
Eighth Lesson.
IT is as well to know that it is one of
the opinions of the Priscillianist
heretics that every man is born under
the influence of a star; and, to confirm
this notion, they bring forward the in-
stance of the star of Bethlehem, which
appeared when the Lord was born; and
which they call His star, that is, the
star ruling over His fate or destiny.
But if we consider the words of the Gos-
pel concerning this star, they are: "It
went before, till it came and stood over
where the young Child was." Whence
we see that it was not the young Child
Who followed the star, but the star
which followed the young Child, as if
to show that the young Child ruled the
`star, instead of the star ruling Him.
Ninth Lesson.
BUT I pray that the hearts of the
faithful may ever be free from the
thought that anything ruleth their des-
tiny. In this world there is but One
Who ruleth the destiny of man, even
He Who made man; neither was man
made for the stars, but the stars for
man; and if we say that they rule his
destiny, we set them above him for
When
whose service they were made.
Jacob came out of his mother's womb,
and his hand took hold on his elder
brother Esau's heel, he could not have
done so unless this his first movement
had been behind his brother, and, ne-
vertheless, such was not in after life the
position of those two brethren whom
their mother brought forth at one birth.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
There came wise men from the East to
Bethlehem to worship the Lord : * and
when they had opened their treasures,
they presented unto Him precious gifts;
gold, as unto the Great King; frankin-
1 An unclean branch of the Manichæan school, which arose in Spain towards the close
of the fourth century.
T
274
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
J
cense as unto the true God; and myrrh
for His burying. Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. When the wise men saw the
star, they rejoiced with exceeding
great joy; and when they were come
into the house, they presented unto the
Lord gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Alleluia.
Third Bay within the Octave of the
Epiphany.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
love, in honour preferring one another;
not slothful in business; fervent in
spirit; serving the Lord; rejoicing in
hope; patient in tribulation; continuing
instant in prayer; distributing to the
necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you: bless
and curse not. Rejoice with them that
do rejoice, and weep with them that
weep; be of the same mind one toward
another; minding not high things, but
condescending to men of low estate.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(2nd on the Epiphany.)
ANY kings of the Jews had been
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ro- MAN
mans (xií. 2.)
BESEECH
you, therefore, brethren,
I
by the mercies of God, that ye pre-
sent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable unto God, which is your rea-
sonable service. And be not conformed
to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind: that ye
may prove what is that good, and ac-
ceptable, and perfect will of God. For
I say, through the grace given unto me,
to every man that is among you: not to
be more wise than it behoveth to be
wise, but to be wise unto soberness;
and according as God hath dealt to every
man the measure of faith.
OR
FOR
Second Lesson.
as we have many members in one
body, and all members have not
the same office; so we, being many, are
one body in Christ, and every one mem-
bers one of another, and having gifts
differing according to the grace that is
given to us; whether prophecy, accord-
ing to the proportion of faith; or min-
istry, in ministering; or he that teach-
eth, in teaching; he that exhorteth, in
exhortation; he that giveth, in sim-
plicity; he that ruleth, in carefulness;
he that showeth mercy, in cheerfulness.
Third Lesson.
ET love be without dissimulation.
Abhor that which is evil, cleave to
that which is good; be kindly affec-
tioned one to another, with brotherly
born, and died, but which of them
was sought after by wise men to wor-
ship him? Not one: for not one had
been proclaimed by the voice of heaven.
Let us not also pass by the fact that the
enlightenment of the wise men standeth
in strong contrast to the blindness of the
Jews. The first came from far to find
Him, Whom, being born in their midst,
the second knew not.
Fifth Lesson.
THE wise men found the young Child
among those who denied Him.
These holy pilgrims came and wor-
shipped the yet silent Christ in the land
whose inhabitants, after He grew up
and worked miracles, crucified Him.
They worshipped in that tiny Body the
God Whom, amid great signs and won-
ders, the Jews would not spare even as
a man. They who saw the Star which
shone at His birth, put it to more profit
than they who saw the sun veiled at His
death.
Sixth Lesson.
THE star which led the wise men to-
wards the place where the new-
born God dwelt with His Virgin Mother,
ceased to shine when it came to the city
of Jerusalem; while they were inquiring
of the Jews where Christ should be born.
The Jews answered them according to
the testimony of the Divine Scriptures:
"In Bethlehem of Judah for thus it is
written: And thou Bethlehem in the
land of Judah, art not the least among
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.
275
the princes of Judah, for out of thee
shall come a Governor, that shall rule
My people Israël." What else are we
to understand that God's Providence
would here signify, than that there
should remain among the Jews those
Divine Writings only, whereby the Gen-
tiles are enlightened, while they them-
selves remain dark?
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 1.)
WHE
HEN JESUS was born in Bethlehem
of Judah, in the days of Herod the
King, behold, there came wise men from
the East to Jerusalem, saying: Where
is He That is born King of the Jews?
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory. [the
Great.] (10th on the Gospels.)
The wise men brought gold, frankin-
cense, and myrrh. Gold is the fitting
gift to a King, frankincense is offered
in sacrifice to God, and with myrrh are
embalmed the bodies of the dead. By
the gifts, therefore, which they presented
unto Him, the wise men set forth three
things concerning Him unto Whom they
offered them; by the gold, that He was
King; by the frankincense, that He was
God; and by the myrrh, that He was
to die. There are some heretics who
believe Him to be God, but confess not
His Kingly dominion over all things;
these offer unto Him frankincense, but
refuse Him gold. There are some others
who admit that He is King, but deny
that He is God; these present unto Him
gold, but will not give Him frankin-
cense.
Eighth Lesson.
THERE are some other heretics who
profess that Christ is both God and
King, but not that He took a dying na-
ture; these offer Him gold and frankin-
cense, but not myrrh for the Manhood.
Let us, however, present gold unto the
new-born Lord, acknowledging His uni-
versal Kingship; let us offer unto Him
frankincense, confessing that He Who
hath been made manifest unto us in
time, is God before time was; let us
give unto Him myrrh, believing that
He Who cannot suffer as touching His
Godhead, was made capable of death as
touching the manhood which He shareth
with us.
Ninth Lesson.
19
THE
HERE is also another signification in
this gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Gold is a type of wisdom; as saith So-
lomon: "In the mouth of the wise
abideth a treasure to be desired.'
Frankincense, which is burnt in honour
of God, is a figure of prayer; witness
the words of the Psalmist, (Ps. cxl. 2 :)
"Let my prayer be set forth as incense
before Thee.' By myrrh is represented
the putting to death of the body; as
where the holy Church saith of her la-
bourers who strive for God even unto
death: "My hands dropped with myrrh."
(Cant. v. 5.)
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Gold, frankincense, and myrrh, * are
the three precious gifts which the wise
men offered unto the Lord, as unto the
Son of God, the Great King. Alle-
luia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O Christ, Thou Light of Light,
Thou art made manifest, * and the wise
men have presented unto Thee gifts.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Fourth Day within the Octave of
the Epiphany.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ro-
mans (xiii. 1.)
LET every soul be subject unto the
higher powers. For there is no
power but of God: the powers that be
are ordained of God. Whosoever, there-
fore, resisteth the power, resisteth the
ordinance of God. And they that resist
earn for themselves damnation for
rulers are not a terror to good works,
1 Prov. xxi. 20. (LXX.)
T 2
276
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be
afraid of the power? Do that which is
good, and thou shalt have praise of the
same; for he is the minister of God to
thee for good.
BUT
Second Lesson.
if thou do that which is evil, be
afraid; for he beareth not the
sword in vain. For he is the minister
of God; a revenger to execute wrath
upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore
ye must needs be subject not only for
wrath, but also for conscience' sake.
For, for this cause pay ye tribute also:
for they are God's ministers, attending
continually upon Him for this very
thing. Render, therefore, to all their
dues; tribute to whom tribute is due;
custom to whom custom; fear to whom
fear; honour to whom honour.
0
Third Lesson.
WE no man anything, but to love
one another; for he that loveth
his neighbour, hath fulfilled the law.
For this, Thou shalt not commit adul-
tery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt
not steal, Thou shalt not bear false wit-
ness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there
be any other commandment, it is briefly
comprehended in this saying: "Thou
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
Love worketh no ill to his neighbour.
Therefore love is the fulfilling of the
law.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (1st for
Twelfth-Day.)
EARLY beloved brethren, we have
but lately celebrated that day where-
on the inviolate virginity of Blessed
Mary gave to man a Saviour. And now
the venerable solemnity of the Epiphany
giveth us a continuance of joy. So that
by the nearness of these two holy Feasts,
the freshness of our gladness and the
quickening of our faith hath no time
wherein to die away. And truly it con-
cerneth the salvation of all men, that
the Mediator between God and men is
already made manifest before leaving
the humble city of His birth.
Fifth Lesson.
IT is true that the Lord chose the na-
tion of Israël, and in that nation
one family, whence to take upon Him
that nature which He shareth with all
mankind, but, at the same time, He
would not that the narrow walls of His
Mother's house should imprison within
them all the brightness of His appear-
ing, and, as He was pleased to be born
for all, so willed He to be forth with
made manifest to all. Three wise men
in the East, therefore, saw a new and
brilliant star, which, by excelling all
others in brightness and beauty, at-
tracted the eyes and thoughts of all be-
holders and thereby it became at once
evident that some new and great event
had befallen.
Sixth Lesson.
HEN He Who had given the sign,
THEN
gave understanding to those that
saw it; and having given to them to
understand that He was born, He gave
them the grace to seek Him; and, being
sought by them, was pleased to be found.
The three wise men followed the guiding
of the heavenly light, and, with their
eyes firmly fixed upon the glory that
went before them, were so led by the
light of grace as to obtain the know-
ledge of truth. They,
They, knowing that
He was born a King, sought Him in the
Royal City; but He Who had taken
upon Him the form of a servant, and
came not to judge but to be judged, had
chosen Bethlehem for His birth, and
Jerusalem for His Suffering.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 1.)
WHEN JESUS was born in Bethlehem
of Judah, in the days of Herod the
King, behold, there came wise men from
the East to Jerusalem, saying: Where
is He That is born King of the Jews?
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (10th on the Gospels.)
The wise men teach us a great lesson
in that "they departed into their own
country another way." That which
they did, ("being warned of God in a
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.
277
+
dream,") we ought to do. Our country
is heaven; and, when we have once
known JESUS, we can never get there
by returning on the way wherein we
walked before we knew Him. We have
left our country far, by the way of
pride, and disobedience, and worldliness
and forbidden indulgence: we must seek
that heavenly Fatherland by tears, by
subjection, by contempt of the things
which are seen, and by curbing the
fleshly appetites.
Eighth Lesson.
LET us then depart into our
own
country another way. They that
have by enjoyment put themselves away
from it, must seek it again by sorrow.
Therefore, my dearly beloved brethren,
it behoveth us to be ever fearful and
watch, having continually before the
eyes of our heart, on the one hand, the
guilt of our doings, and, on the other,
the judgment at the latter day. It be-
hoveth us to think how that awful Judge
will surely come, Whose judgment is
hanging over us, and hath not yet fallen:
the wrath to come is before sinners, and
hath not yet smitten them: and the
Judge yet tarrieth in order that, when
He cometh, there may haply be less to
condemn.
Ninth Lesson.
IET us afflict ourselves for our faults
"let its won before His Presence with
us come
with weeping, and, with the Psalmist,
thanksgiving." Let us take heed that
we be not fooled by the appearance of
earthly happiness, or seduced by the
vanity of earthly pleasure. For the
Judge is at hand, even He That saith :
"Woe unto you that laugh now, for ye
shall mourn and weep," (Luke vi. 25.)
Hence also Solomon saith: "Even in
laughter the heart is sorrowful; and
the end of that mirth is heaviness,"
(Prov. xiv. 13.) And again: "I said
of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth,
What doeth it?" (Eccles. ii. 2.) And
yet again: "The heart of the wise is in
the house of mourning, but the heart of
fools is in the house of mirth," (vii. 5.)
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
We have seen His star* in the East,
and are come with gifts to worship the
Lord.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Herod inquired of the wise
men: What is the sign that ye have
seen that a King is born? We have
seen the shining of the star, the glory
whereof enlighteneth the whole world.
Fifth Bay within the Octave of the
Epiphany.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ro-
mans (xiv. 1.)
HIM that is weak in the faith receive
ye, but not to doubtful disputa-
tions. For one believeth that he may
eat all things: another, who is weak,
eateth herbs. Let not him that eateth
despise him that eateth not: and let
not him which eateth not, judge him
that eateth: for God hath received him.
Who art thou that judgest another
man's servant? To his own Master he
standeth or falleth; yea, he shall be
holden up: for God is able to make him
stand.
Second Lesson.
Father, another esteemeth every
FOR
OR one man esteemeth one day above
day alike; let every man be fully per-
suaded in his own mind. He that re-
gardeth the day, regardeth it unto the
Lord; and he that eateth, eateth to the
Lord: for he giveth God thanks. And
he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth
not, and giveth God thanks. For none
of us liveth to himself, and none dieth
to himself. For whether we live, we
live unto the Lord; and whether we
die, we die unto the Lord. Whether
we live, therefore, or die, we are the
Lord's.
FOR
Third Lesson.
OR to this end Christ died and rose
again, that He might be the Lord
both of the dead and living. But why
dost thou judge thy brother? Or why
dost thou set at nought thy brother?
For we shall all stand before the judg-
278
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
ment-seat of Christ. For it is written:
1"As I live, saith the Lord, unto Me
every knee shall bow, and every tongue
shall confess to God." So then every
one of us shall give account of himself
to God. Let us not therefore judge one
another any more.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of 2St. Maximus, Bishop [of Turin.]
(1st on the Epiphany.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, we are
instructed by the tradition of the
Fathers, that we have to keep holiday
on this solemnity in honour of several
joyful events. We are taught that on
this day, our Lord Christ was, first,
manifested to the Gentiles by the lead-
ing of a star; secondly, that being bid-
den to a marriage, He turned water into
wine; and, thirdly, that He received
baptism from John, whereby He hal-
lowed the waters of the Jordan, and
cleansed him that baptised Him.
WH
Fifth Lesson.
HICH of these events was the
greatest, He knoweth by Whose
Will they came to pass; for us it is
needful to believe and doubt not that
whatever was wrought was wrought for
us.
For to the Gentiles is given a hope
of worshipping that Very God of Very
God, to adore Whom the Chaldæans
were led by the rays of a glorious star.
So also He That by His Will changed
water into wine, hath given us to drink
of the cup of His Blood of the New
Testament; and the Lamb of God bap-
tized in Jordan hath hallowed for us
that saving Fountain wherein we are
born again.
Sixth Lesson.
we
THEREFORE, my brethren, as
have lately celebrated with glad-
1 Isa. xlv. 23.
ness the Festival of our Saviour's birth,
so now it behoveth us with all earnest-
ness to keep holy in His honour, this
the birth-day of His wonderworking.
And, verily, these three anniversaries
are rightly on one day preached to us,
who acknowledge the unspeakable mys-
tery of the Trinity under the name of
one God. By these miracles the Lord
Christ our Redeemer willed to manifest
to men some of the power of that God-
head. Which in Him lay hidden under
the Manhood.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 1.)
JESUS
WHEN
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judah, in the days of Herod
the king, behold, there came wise men
from the East to Jerusalem, saying:
Where is He That is born King of the
Jews? And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. i. Comm. on Matth.
ii.)
(6 We have seen His star in the East."
In order that the Jews might be con-
founded by hearing from the Gentiles
of the birth of Christ, the star rose
in the East. They knew that it would
come, by the prophecy of Balaam, whose
successors they were. See the book of
Numbers, (xxiv. 17.) The star led the
wise men to Judea, that the Priests,
having it demanded of them where
Christ should be born, might have no
power to plead that they knew not of
His coming.
Eighth Lesson.
AND they said unto him, In Beth-
lehem of Judea,”—this is a mis-
take of copyists. In our opinion, what
2 The Martyrology for June 25, says: "At Turin, the birth-day of St. Maximus,
Bishop and Confessor, very famous for learning and holiness.” He was born about
the close of the fourth century, was Bishop of Turin at the beginning of the fifth,
and died after 465, aged eighty or ninety years. Nothing more accurate is strictly his-
torical.
3 Purificâsse.
• Which has since been corrected in the Latin Vulgate, which now reads, "In Bethle-
hem of Judah," but the accepted Greek text still retains the inaccuracy. The Missal
agrees with the Vulgate.
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.
279
the Evangelist wrote must have been,
not "of Judea," but "of Judah." Thus
it is in the Hebrew text. Nor is there
any town called Bethlehem among any
other people, that this should be called
of Judea" to distinguish it. But it is
fitly distinguished as "of Judah," be-
cause there is in Judea another Beth-
lehem, namely, the one in Galilee. See
the Book of Joshua the son of Nun.
(xix. 15.) Finally, the passage cited,
which is in the Prophet Micah, (v. 2,)
hath: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the thou-
sands of Judah."
"AN
Ninth Lesson.
ND when they had opened their
treasures they presented unto
Him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and
myrrh." The mystic meaning of these
gifts is thus neatly expressed by Juven-
cus the Priest,
"To God made man, born Israel's King,
Frankincense, myrrh, and gold they
bring."
"And being warned of God in a dream
that they should not return to Herod,
they departed into their own country
another way." They who had pre-
sented unto the Lord gifts, were hon-
oured by receiving a warning, not from
an Angel, but from God Himself;
whereas even Joseph was warned only
by an Angel. They departed into their
own country another way, that they
might not be brought into contact with
the unbelief of the Jews.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
All nations shall come from afar,
bringing their gifts with them. Alle-
luia.
VESPERS,
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. All they from Saba shall come,
* they shall bring gold and incense.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Sixth, Day within the Octave of the
Epiphany.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Romans (xv. 1.)
WE
E then that are strong ought to
bear the infirmities of the weak,
and not to please ourselves.
Let every
one of you please his neighbour in that
which is good, to edification. For even
Christ pleased not Himself, but, as it
is written: "The reproaches of them
that reproached Thee fell on Me." For
whatsoever things were written afore-
time were written for our learning, that
we, through patience and comfort of
the Scriptures, might have hope.
Now
Second Lesson.
OW the God of patience and conso-
lation grant you to be likeminded
one toward another, according to Christ
JESUS, that ye may with one mind and
one mouth glorify God, even the Father
of our Lord JESUS Christ. Wherefore
receive ye one another as Christ also re-
ceived you, to the glory of God. For I
say that JESUS Christ was a minister of
the circumcision for the truth of God,
to confirm the promises made unto the
fathers; but that the Gentiles glorify God
for His mercy; as it is written: "There-
fore will I give thanks unto Thee, O
Lord, among the heathen, and sing
praises unto Thy Name." And again
He saith: "Rejoice, O ye nations,
with His people." And again: 5"0
praise the LORD, all ye nations, and
praise Him, all ye people."
Third Lesson.
AND again Isaias saith: "There shall
a root of Jesse, and He That
shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in
Him shall the Gentiles trust." Now
the God of hope fill you with all joy and
peace in believing, that ye may abound
in hope, and in the power of the Holy
1 I.e. (apparently) the Hebrew Gospel used by the Nazarenes, but now lost.
2 Ps. lxviii. 10.
5 Ps. cxvi. 1.
3 Ps. xvii. 50.
6 Isa. xi. 10.
4 Deut. xxxii. 43. (LXX.)
280
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Ghost. And 1 myself also am persuaded
of you, my brethren, that ye also are
full of love, filled with all knowledge,
so that ye are able to admonish one
another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have
written the more boldly unto you in some
sort, as putting you in mind; because
of the grace that is given to me of God,
that I should be the minister of JESUS
Christ to the Gentiles, sanctifying the
Gospel of God, that the offering of the
Gentiles may be made acceptable and
sanctified in the Holy Ghost.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Fulgentius, Bishop [of Ruspa.]
(5th on Twelfth-Day.)
THE
HE same God Who in the Old Testa-
ment had commanded the first fruits
to be offered to Himself, being born as a
man, Himself consecrated to His own
worship the first-fruits of the nations.
The Shepherds were the first-fruits of
the Jews, and the wise men of the Gen-
tiles. The first came from near at hand,
the second from afar. "Where is He,"
say they, "that is born King of the
Jews?" Herod, the king of the Jews,
had already had children. Archelaus
was born in a palace, Christ at an inn;
Archelaus was laid in a silver cradle,
Christ in a manger. And yet the wise
men sought, not Archelaus, but Christ;
they did not even name him that was
born in a palace, but when they found
Him That lay in a manger, they fell
down and worshipped Him.
WHO
Fifth Lesson.
HO is the King of the Jews? The
Poor and the Rich, the Lowly and
the Exalted One. Who is the King of
the Jews? He Who, being carried at
the breast, is adored as the Eternal; He
Who lieth tiny in the manger, and is
He Whom the heavens cannot contain;
He Who is meanly wrapped in swad-
dling clothes, and is more glorious than
all the stars. Why art thou troubled,
O Herod? He that is born King of the
Jews cometh not by carnal warfare to
conquer other kings, but by a marvel-
lous working, by dying, to subdue them
to Himself. He is not born to be thy
successor, but that the world may faith-
fully believe in Him. He cometh, not
that He may fight in the flesh, but that
He may conquer through the suffering
of death.
Sixth Lesson.
THE little Child, Whom the wise men
call the King of the Jews, is the
Maker and Lord of Angels. If thou
fearest Him at His birth, thou hast
more reason to fear Him as the Almighty
Judge. Fear Him, not as a pretender
to thy kingdom, but fear Him as Him
Who will pass a most just sentence of
condemnation on thee because thou hast
not believed in Him. "Go," saith He-
rod, "and bring me word again, that I
may come and worship Him also." We
know thy cunning lying, thy godless
unbelief, thine iniquitous treachery.
The blood of the innocents which thou
didst cruelly shed, is witness to us of
what thou wouldest have done to Him.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (ii. 1.)
WHEN JESUS was born in Bethlehem
of Judah, in the days of Herod the
King, behold there came wise men from
the East to Jerusalem, saying: Where
is He That is born King of the Jews?
And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Book ii. on Luke ii.)
What are the gifts of the faithful and
true? Gold to our King, frankincense
to our God, and myrrh to Him Who
died for us. The first is that whereof
are made the royal honours of kings,
the second is that mystic offering which
is used in the worship of the Divine
Power, and the third is that wherewith
we pay respect to the dead, whose bodies
it keepeth from corruption. My breth-
ren, let us who hear and read these
things, make offering out of what trea-
sures we have-albeit we have it in
earthen vessels. (2 Cor. iv. 7.) If we
confess that all that we have, we have,
not from ourselves, but from Christ,
how much more should we confess that
whatever we have is not our own, but
Christ's?
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.
281
Eighth Lesson.
HE wise men out of their treasures
THE
presented unto Him gifts. Wilt
thou know how pleasing to Him they
were? The star appeared to them, but
disappeared when it came near Herod.
Then it appeareth to them again, leading
them on the way that led to Christ.
This star then was the way, and we
know that Christ calleth Himself "the
Way." (John xiv. 6.) And truly also
in the mystery of His Incarnation He is
called a Star; as it is written: "There
shall come forth a Star out of Jacob, and
a Man shall rise out of Israël." Where
Christ is, there is a Star; yea, He is
Himself" the bright and morning Star."
(Apoc. xxii. 16.) And the light that
leadeth to JESUS is His own.
Ninth Lesson.
REMARK another point. The wise
men came by one way and departed
by another. They that had seen Christ,
knew Christ, and they departed better
than they came. There are two ways,
-the way of sin, which leadeth to He-
rod; and Christ, the true Way, Who
leadeth us home from that journeying
here, whereof it is said: "My soul hath
long dwelt as an exile." (Ps. cxix. 5.)
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
They that despised Thee * 2shall come
unto Thee, and shall bow themselves
down at the Soles of Thy Feet.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The wise men being warned *
in a dream, departed into their own
country another way.
Saturday within the Octave.
The Sabbath within Eight Days of the
Epiphany.
The Vespers from the Chapter are as
follows.
Chapter. (Rom. xii. 1.)
RETHREN, I beseech you, by the
mercies of God, that ye present
BRE
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ac-
ceptable unto God, which is your rea-
sonable service.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the Feast, (p. 265.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Child JESUS tarried be-
hind in Jerusalem, * and His parents
knew not of it, supposing Him to have
been in the company; and they sought
Him among their kinsfolk and acquaint-
ance.
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee, mercifully
to receive the prayers of Thy peo-
ple which call upon Thee: and grant
that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do, and also
may have grace and power faithfully to
fulfil the same, through our Lord JESUS
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Then is made a Commemoration_of
the Epiphany. The Antiphon is that
proper to that particular day within
the Octave.
Verse. All they from Saba shall come
-Alleluia.
Answer. They shall bring gold and
incense-Alleluia.
Unless it be the Fifth Day within the
Octave, in which case are said:
Verse. Worship God-Alleluia.
Answer. All ye His angels—Alle-
luia.
Prayer as on the Feast.
Should the Feast fall on a Sunday,
and therefore the Office for the Sunday
within the Octave be anticipated on Sa-
turday, the above, being the First Ves-
pers of the Sunday, are said on Friday
evening.
1 Numb. xxiv. 17, where in the present text it is not "a man,” but “a sceptre." The
"man" is LXX.
2 Cf. Apoc. iii. 9.
282
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Sunday after the
Twelfth-Day.
The Lord's Day within eight days of
the Epiphany.
All is said as on the Feast, according
to the rules given on p. 271, (which see)
except what is otherwise given here.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
The following Lessons are only used
when this Office is said by anticipation
on Saturday. Otherwise the First Epis-
tle to the Corinthians is begun. See p.
286.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ro-
mans (xvi. 1.)
I
COMMEND unto you Phoebe our
sister, who is a Deaconess of the
Church which is at Cenchrea, that ye
receive her in the Lord as becometh
Saints, and that ye assist her in what-
soever business she hath need of you:
for she hath been a succourer of many,
and of myself also. Greet Prisca, and
Aquila, my helpers in Christ JESUS,
(who have for my life laid down their
own necks; unto whom not only I give
thanks, but also all the Churches of the
Gentiles) and the church that is in their
house.
Second Lesson. (17.)
Now I beseech you, brethren, mark
them which cause divisions and
offences, contrary to the doctrine which
ye have learned; and avoid them. For
they that are such serve not Christ our
Lord, but their own belly: and by good
words and fair speeches deceive the
hearts of the simple. For your obedience
is known everywhere abroad; I rejoice
therefore in you. But I would have you
wise unto that which is good, and simple
concerning evil.
Third Lesson.
TIMOTHY my work-fellow, and Lu-
1
cius and Jason, and Sosipater, my
kinsmen, salute you. I, Tertius, who
wrote this Epistle, salute you in the
Lord. Caius, mine host, and the whole
Church, salute you. Erastus, the cham-
berlain of the city, saluteth you, and
Quartus a brother. The grace of our
Lord JESUS Christ be with you all.
Amen.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (5th on
the Epiphany.)
IT is meet and right, dearly beloved
brethren, yea, it is our bounden
duty and godly service, to rejoice with
full hearts upon those days which more
especially set forth before us the work-
ings of God's mercy; and to have in
honourable memory those things that
were done for our salvation. Hereto
are we called by the seasons of the year
which continually return, and notably
by this present, which, after but a short
time hath passed since that day whereon
the Co-eternal Son of God was born of
a Virgin, bringeth now the Feast of the
Epiphany, hallowed by the Manifesta-
tion of the Lord.
Fifth Lesson.
IN providence of God hath appointed
this said Manifestation the good
a strong bulwark to our faith. For now,
while in solemn worship we call to
mind how the childhood of the Saviour
was adored in its first infancy, we re-
ceive from the original Scriptures the
doctrine that Christ was born with the
very nature of man. For this is that
which maketh of sinners saints, even to
believe that in one and the same our
Lord JESUS Christ there is very God-
head and very Manhood-very Godhead,
as touching Which, He, being in the
form of God, is equal to the Father from
everlasting to everlasting-and very
Manhood, wherein He, taking upon Him
the form of a servant, hath in these latter
days been born Man.
Sixth Lesson.
FOR the strengthening of this our
faith, which we profess in the face
of every false doctrine, the mercy of
God hath made it to come to pass that
1 I.e. the secretary of the Apostle.
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.
283
one of those peoples who dwell in the
uttermost parts of the East, and excel
in the skill of reading the stars, should
see the sign of the birth of that Child
Who was to reign over all Israël. There
appeared to the eyes of wise men a new
star of such passing beauty, as wrought
in the minds of all that saw it the per-
suasion that the event, which it an-
nounced, was of an importance not to
be neglected.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 42.)
WHE
HEN JESUS was twelve years old
they went up to Jerusalem, after
the custom of the Feast, and when they
had fulfilled the days, as they returned,
the Child JESUS tarried behind in Jeru-
salem. And so on.
Homily by S. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. ii. on Luke ii.)
We read that when He was twelve
years old the Lord began to dispute.
The number of His years was the same
as the number of the Apostles whom He
afterwards sent forth to preach the Faith.
He Who, as touching His Manhood, was
filled with wisdom and grace from God,
was not careless of the parents of the
same Manhood, and, after three days,
was pleased to be found in the Temple :
thereby foreshadowing that, after the
three days of His victorious Passion, He
That had been reckoned with the dead,
would present Himself, living, to our
faith, in His heavenly Kingship and
Divine Majesty.
Eighth Lesson.
"HOW is it that ye sought Me?"
Christ hath two Generations;
one from His Father, another from His
Mother. That from His Father is His
Eternal Generation as God the Son
that from His Mother is that whereby
He came to work for us and minister to
us. Those acts, therefore, of His, which
are above nature, beyond His age, and
different to His custom, proceeded not
from the strength of His Manhood, but
from the power of His Godhead. On
another occasion His Mother moveth
Him to work a miracle; here He
answereth her, because she treateth
that which was of the Godhead, as
though it had been of the Manhood.
On this occasion it is said that he was
twelve years old, but on the other He
had already disciples. His mother had
seen His wonders on the earlier occa-
sion, and had learnt from her Son to
call on the mightier nature for a work
of power.¹
Ninth Lesson.
AND He came to Nazareth, and was
subject unto them." No wonder
that the great Teacher should practise.
And shall we marvel how He Who was
subject to His Mother, was about His
Father's business? His subjection to
His Mother proceeded, not from weak-
ness, but from dutiful affection. Ne-
vertheless, the false serpent lifteth its
head from its cruel lair, and spitteth
poison from its venomous breast. The
heretics say that, as the Son was sent
by the Father, therefore the Father is
greater than the Son, and, if the Father
be greater than the Son, there is that,
than which the Son is less; yea, that
He Who is sent, hath of necessity, need
of some strengthening from outside
Himself. He was subject to His Mo-
ther? Was He less than she?
forbid !
LAUDS.
God
Chapter. (Rom. xii. 1.)
BRETHREN, I beseech you by the
mercies of God, that ye present
your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, ac-
ceptable unto God, which is your rea-
sonable service.
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The Child JESUS tarried behind in Je-
rusalem, and His parents knew not of
it, supposing Him to have been in the
company; and they sought Him among
their kinsfolk and acquaintance.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
LORD, we beseech Thee mercifully
to receive the prayers of Thy peo-
1 Translated directly from the works of the Saint. In the Breviary the passage has got
corrupted, even to the substitution of a negative for an affirmative ("ne" for "ut.")
284
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
ple which call upon Thee; and grant
that they may both perceive and know
what things they ought to do, and also
may have grace and power faithfully to
fulfil the same, through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Epiphany. Antiphon and Prayer as
on the Feast and the following
Verse. All they from Saba shall come
-Alleluia.
Answer. They shall bring gold and
incense-Alleluia.
At Terce, Chapter and Prayer from
Lauds.
SEXT.
Chapter. (Rom. xii. 3.)
FOR I say, through the
say, through the grace given
unto me, to every man that is
among you: not to be more wise than it
behoveth to be wise, [but to be wise]
unto soberness.
OR
NONE.
Chapter. (Rom. xii. 4.)
FOR as we have many members in one
body, and all members have not the
same office; so we, being many, are one
body in Christ, and every one members
one of another, in Christ JESUS our
Lord.
VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter and Prayer from
Lauds.
Psalms as on Sundays.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as at
the First Vespers of the Epiphany.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Son, why hast Thou thus
dealt with us? * Thy father and I have
sought Thee sorrowing. How is it that
ye sought Me? Wist ye not that I
must be about My Father's business?
A Commemoration is made of the
1 May 9.
Epiphany. Antiphon and Prayer as
at the Second Vespers of the Feast, and
the Verse and Answer "All they from
Saba, &c." as at Lauds.
Octave Day of the Epiphany.
The Eighth Day after the Epiphany.
Double.
All as on the Feast except as other-
wise directed in the rules given on p.
271, or given here.
First Vespers as the First Vespers of
the Feast, except the Prayer, which is
taken from Lauds.
When this Octave Day falls on Sun-
day, the Vespers on Saturday are the
First Vespers of the Octave, with a Com-
memoration of the Sunday within the
Octave. This Commemoration is made
by the Antiphon "Son, why hast Thou,
&c.," Verse and Answer, "All they
from Saba, &c.," and the Prayer, “Ŏ
Lord, we beseech Thee, &c." as above.
If the Octave Day falls on a Monday
the same Commemoration is made on
Sunday evening.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
"All they
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season, that is, from 1 Cor.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of ¹St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Pa-
triarch [of Constantinople.] (Dis-
course on the Epiphany.)2
I AM not able to restrain the outbursts
of my happiness. I feel changed
and elated. I forget my own meanness
while I undertake and try to discharge
the office of the great John. It is true
that I am not the Forerunner, but at
least I come from the desert.3 Christ
is enlightened, or rather, He enlight-
eneth us with His own light. Christ is
baptized: let us go down with Him
into the water, that we may come up
with Him.
4
2 In the original called by one of the Greek names: "The Holy Lights."
3 St. Gregory was a comrade of St. Basil, and was brought from a solitude at Seleucia
to be Bishop of Constantinople.
• Enlightenment is an ancient term for Baptism, still used by the Greeks.
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY.
285
Fifth Lesson.
OHN is baptizing. JESUS cometh.
JOHN
He cometh that He may make holy
him who baptizeth Him; He cometh to
bury the old Adam in the waters; He
cometh to hallow the blessed flood of
Jordan. He Who is Flesh and Spirit
cometh to open for all that should ever
be baptized that power of generation
whereby new peoples are constantly be-
gotten of water and the Holy Ghost.
The Baptist will not receive Him. JESUS
striveth with him. "I," saith John,
"have need to be baptized of Thee."
Thus speaketh the candle to the Sun,
the messenger to the Word.
Sixth Lesson.
JESUS came up out of the water, hav-
ing, in a manner, washed the whole
world, and brought it up with Him.
And He saw the heavens opened (not
divided,) even those heavens which
Adam had once shut upon himself and
us his descendants,—when the cherub's
fiery sword barred the gates of Paradise.
And the Holy Spirit bare witness, wit-
ness unto Him Who is of one Substance
with Himself. And witness was given
from heaven, unto Him that came down
from heaven.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (i. 29.)
A¹
T that time: John seeth JESUS com-
ing unto him, and saith: Behold
the Lamb of God, behold Him Which
taketh away the sin of the world. And
so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (6th Tract on John.)
John knew JESUS even before He
came to be baptized of him in Jordan,
as we perceive by the words: "I have
need to be baptized of Thee, and comest
Thou to me?" Behold, how he knew
that He was the Lord, how he knew
that He was the Son of God! How do
we prove that he knew that He it was
Who should baptize with the Holy
Ghost? Before the Lord came to the
river, when many betook themselves to
John to be baptized of him, the Baptist
said: "Iindeed baptize you with water:
but One Mightier than I cometh; the
latchet of Whose shoes I am not worthy
to unloose: He shall baptize you with
the Holy Ghost and with fire." (Luke
iii. 16.)* Behold, John knew this also.
Eighth Lesson.
YET John saith: "I knew Him not.""
Now, how are we to explain this
without calling John a liar?-and God
forbid that we should ever even think
anything of the kind. Was it not that
when the Dove descended on Christ, John
then for the first time knew Him to
have that peculiar attribute, that, who-
soever should baptize with His Baptism,
whether they were themselves just or
unjust, the virtue of the Sacrament
should proceed, not from them, but from
Him on Whom abode the Dove; so that
He is the real Baptizer in every Chris-
tian Baptism until the end of time, and
it is in this sense that it is said of
Him: "the Same is He Which bap-
tizeth with the Holy Ghost ?" Whether
it be Peter, or Paul, or Judas, that per-
formeth the ceremony, the real Baptizer
and effectual Worker is Christ. For if
the holiness of the baptism depended on
the holiness of the particular officiator,
no two baptisms would be exactly alike,
and every one would be supposed to be
more or less regenerated according as
the minister who baptized him was
more or less of a saint.
Ninth Lesson.
NOW, my brethren, understand me.
The saints themselves, those good
men who appertain to the Dove, those
good men whose portion is in Jerusalem,
those good men in the Church, of whom
the Apostle saith, "the Lord knoweth
them that are His," (2 Tim. ii. 19,)
these good men differ one from another
by diversities of graces, and are not all
of the same worthiness. Some are holier
than others, and some are better than
others. Supposing then (for the sake of
argument) that A is baptized by B, a
righteous saint, and C is baptized by D
who is less worthy in the sight of God,
who hath attained only a lower degree
in godliness, who is not so chaste, and
whose life is not so good as B's: yet A
286
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
and C receive just the same thing. And
how is this, unless it be that it is Christ
Himself Who is the effectual Baptizer?
LAUDS.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Whose Only-begotten Son was
made manifest in the substance of
our flesh, mercifully grant that our in-
ward man may be changed into the
likeness of Him Whose outward Man is
made like unto us. Even the same our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
THE LESSONS FROM THE FIRST EPIS-
TLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE CORIN-
THIANS,
Commenced on the Sunday within the
Octave of the Epiphany, and con-
tinued daily till the next Saturday.
Note 1. If a Week-day in this week
is observed as such, the Office is as in
the Psalter, and what is not given
there (for example, the Responsories,) is
taken from the Sunday within the Oc-
tave, according to Ch. XXVII. of the
Pye.
Note 2. If the next Sunday shall be
Septuagesima, then either on the Satur-
day, or, failing that, the first day after
the Octave which is not occupied by an
Office with Nine Lessons, the Week-
day Office is said with the following
changes,-
(a.) The Lessons are those of the Gos-
pel for the Second Sunday after the
Epiphany, namely, from St. John ii. 1,
with the Homily of St, Austin upon
the same, given on p. 295.
(b.) The Responsories are those given
for the First Nocturn of the Third
Sunday after the Epiphany (p. 303),
namely:-First, "O LORD, rebuke me
not," &c. Second, "O God, Which
(c.) The Antiphon at the Song of
Zacharias is that given in the Comme-
moration of the Second Sunday after
the Epiphany, at Lauds, on the Feast of
the Holy Name, p. 296, namely: "There
was a marriage in Cana," &c.
(d.) The Prayer is from the same,
namely, "Almighty and everlasting
God, Who dost govern," &c.
First Sunday after the
Epiphany.
The First Lord's Day after the
Epiphany.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the First Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle Paul to the Corin-
thians¹ (i. 1.)
PAUL, called to be an Apostle of JE-
sus Christ, through the will of
God, and Sosthenes our brother, unto
the Church of God which is at Corinth,
to them that are sanctified in Christ
JESUS, called to be Saints, with all that
in every place, whether their's or our's,
call upon the Name of JESUS Christ our
Lord. Grace be unto you, and peace
from God our Father, and from the Lord
JESUS Christ.
I
Second Lesson,
THANK my God always on your be-
half, for the grace of God which is
given you in Christ JESUS; that in every-
thing ye are enriched in Him, in all
utterance and in all knowledge; even
as the testimony of Christ was confirmed
in you; so that ye are wanting in no
grace, waiting for the appearing of our
Lord JESUS Christ, Who shall also con-
firm you unto the end, that ye may be
blameless in the day of the coming of
our Lord JESUS Christ. God is faithful
by Whom ye were called unto the fel-
lowship of His Son JESUS Christ our
Lord.
Third Lesson.
satest," &c. And Third, "The Lord Now I beseech you, brethren, by the
is at my right hand," &c.
Name of our Lord JESUS Christ,
¹ Archbishop Kenrick says:—"The First Epistle to the Corinthians was written from
Ephesus, about the year of our Lord 56: or as Olshausen insists, 59. Corinth, the capital
of Achaia, and of all Greece after the fall of Athens, B.C. 86,.... had received the
faith, by the preaching of St. Paul, about the year 52."
'
FIRST WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
287
that ye all speak the same thing, and
that there be no divisions among you;
but that ye
be perfectly joined together
in the same mind, and in the same
judgment. For it hath been declared
to me of you, my brethren, by them
which are of the house of Chloë, that
there are contentions among you. Now
this I say, that every one of you saith:
I am of Paul; and, I of Apollos; and, I
of Cephas; and, I of Christ. Is Christ
divided? was Paul crucified for you?
or were ye baptized in the name of
Paul?
Monday.
Second Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul
to the Corinthians (ii. 1.)
AND I, brethren, when I came to you,
came not with excellency of speech
or of wisdom, declaring unto you the tes-
timony of Christ. For I deemed not
myself to know anything among you,
save JESUS Christ, and Him crucified,
And I was with you in weakness, and
in fear, and in much trembling; and my
speech and my preaching was not with
enticing words of man's wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power; that your faith should not stand
in the wisdom of men, but in the power
of God.
Second Lesson.
OWBEIT, we speak wisdom among
HOWBEIT,
them that are perfect; yet not the
wisdom of this world, nor of the princes
of this world, that come to nought; but
we speak the wisdom of God in a mys-
tery, even the hidden wisdom which
God ordained before the world unto our
glory, which none of the princes of this
world knew; for had they known it,
they would never have crucified the
Lord of glory. But as it is written,
eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nei-
ther have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for
them that love Him.¹
Third Lesson.
BUT God hath revealed that wisdom
unto us by His Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth out all things, yea, the
deep things of God. For what man
knoweth the things of man, save the
spirit of man which is in him? Even
so the things of God knoweth no man,
but the Spirit of God. Now we have
received, not the spirit of the world,
but the Spirit Which is of God, that we
might know the things that are freely
given to us of God: which things also
we speak, not in the words which man's
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual
things with spiritual.
Tuesday,
Third Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul
to the Corinthians (v. 1.)
It is commonly, and such
is reported commonly that there is
fornication as is not named even among
the Gentiles, that one should have his
father's wife. And ye are puffed up;
and have not rather mourned, that he
that hath done this deed might be taken
away from among you. But I, verily,
as absent in body, but present in spirit,
have judged already, as though I were
present, him that hath so done this
deed in the name of our Lord JESUS
;
Christ, when ye are gathered together,
my spirit also being with you, with the
power of our Lord JESUS Christ, to de-
liver such an one unto Satan for the
destruction of the flesh, that the spirit
may be saved in the day of our Lord
JESUS Christ.
Second Lesson.
YOUR glorying is not good. Know ye
not that a little leaven leaveneth
the whole lump? Purge out the old
leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as
ye are unleavened. For even Christ our
Passover is sacrificed for us. Therefore
let us keep the feast, not with old leaven,
1 Perhaps meant for a quotation from Isa. Ixiv. 4, but the late Dr. Neale inclined to the
belief that it was from some early Christian composition.
288
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
1
neither with leaven of malice and wick-
edness, but with the unleavened bread
of sincerity and truth.
I
Third Lesson.
WROTE unto you in an epistle :
Company not with fornicators. Yet
not altogether with the fornicators of
this world, or with the covetous, or ex-
tortioners, or with idolaters: for then
must ye needs go out of the world. But
now I have written unto you, not to
keep company: if any man that is called
a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or
an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard,
or an extortioner: with such an one,
no, not to eat.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul
to the Corinthians (vi. 1.)
DARE any of
ARE any of you, having a matter
against another, go to law before
the unjust, and not before the saints?
Do ye not know that the saints shall
judge the world? And if the world
shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy
to judge the smallest matters? Know
ye not that we shall judge Angels?
How much more, things that pertain to
this life? If, then, ye have judgments
of things pertaining to this life, set
them to judge who are least esteemed
in the Church. I speak to your shame.
Is it so that there is not a wise man
among you, that shall be able to judge
between his brethren? But brother
goeth to law with brother, and that be-
fore the unbelievers.
Second Lesson.
Now, therefore, there is utterly a fault
among you, because ye go to law
one with another. Why do ye not ra-
ther take wrong? Why do ye not rather
suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay,
ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your
brethren. Know ye not that the un-
righteous shall not inherit the kingdom
of God? Be not deceived: neither for-
nicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
nor effeminate, nor abusers of them-
selves with mankind, nor thieves, nor
covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers,
nor extortioners shall inherit the king-
dom of God. And such were some of
you: but ye are washed, but ye are
sanctified, but ye are justified in the
name of our Lord JESUS Christ, and in
the Spirit of our God.
ALL
Third Lesson.
LL things are lawful unto me, but
all things are not expedient. All
things are lawful for me, but I will not
be brought under the power of any.
Meats for the belly, and the belly for
meats: but God shall destroy both it
and them. Now, the body is not for
fornication, but for the Lord, and the
Lord for the body. And God hath both
raised up the Lord: and will also raise
up us by His Own power. Know ye not
that your bodies are the members of
Christ? Shall I then take the members
of Christ, and make them the members
of an harlot ? God forbid. What?
Know ye not that he which is joined to
an harlot is made one body? For "two,"
saith He, "shall be one flesh." But
he that is joined unto the Lord is one
spirit. Flee fornication.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul
to the Corinthians (vii. 1.)
NOW concerning the things whereof
ye wrote unto me: it is good for a
man not to touch a woman; neverthe-
less, to avoid fornication, let every man
have his own wife, and let every woman
have her own husband. Let the hus-
band render the debt unto the wife;
and likewise also the wife unto the
husband. The wife hath not power of
her own body, but the husband and
likewise also the husband hath not
power of his own body, but the wife.
Second Lesson.
DEFRAUD ye not one the other, ex-
cept perchance it be with consent,
for a time, that ye may give yourselves
1 Gen. ii. 24.
FIRST WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
289
to prayer; and come together again,
that Satan tempt you not for your in-
continency. But I speak this by per-
mission, not of commandment. For I
would that ye all were even as I myself.
But every man hath his proper gift of
God, one after this manner, and another
after that. But I say to the unmarried
and widows: it is good for them if they
abide even as I. But if they cannot
contain, let them marry. For it is
better to marry than to burn.
Third Lesson.
AND unto the married I command,
not I, but the Lord; let not the
wife depart from her husband; but if
itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave
itself unseemly, seeketh not her own,
is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil,
rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth
in the truth; beareth all things, believ-
eth all things, hopeth all things, endureth
all things. Charity never faileth; but
whether there be prophecies, they shall
fail; whether there be tongues, they
shall cease; whether there be know-
ledge, it shall vanish away. For we
know in part, and we prophesy in part.
But when that which is perfect is come,
then that which is in part shall be done
away.
Third Lesson.
she depart, let her remain unmarried, WHEN I was a child, I spake as a
And
or be reconciled to her husband.
let not the husband put away his wife.
For to the rest speak I, not the Lord :
If any brother hath a wife that be-
lieveth not, and she be pleased to dwell
with him, let him not put her away.
And the woman which believeth, and
hath an husband which believeth not,
and he be pleased to dwell with her, let
her not put away her husband; for the
unbelieving husband is sanctified by the
believing wife, and the unbelieving wife
is sanctified by the believing husband;
else were your children unclean, but
now are they holy.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul
to the Corinthians (xiii. 1.)
THOUGH I speak with the tongues of
men and of angels, and have not
charity, I am become as sounding brass,
or a tinkling cymbal. And though Í
have the gift of prophecy, and under-
stand all mysteries, and all knowledge;
and though I have all faith, so that I
could remove mountains, and have not
charity, I am nothing. And though I
bestow all my goods to feed the poor,
and though I give my body to be burned,
and have not charity, it profiteth me
nothing.
CHA
Second Lesson.
HARITY suffereth long, and is kind :
charity envieth not, vaunteth not
U
child, I understood as a child, I
thought as a child. But when I became
a man, I put away childish things.
Now, we see through a glass darkly;
but then, face to face. Now, I know in
part; but then shall I know even as
also I am known. And now abideth
faith, hope, charity, these three: but
the greatest of these is charity.
Zaturday.
The Sabbath.
If the next day be Septuagesima Sun-
day, then a peculiar Office is sometimes
said on this day, (see Note 2, p. 286,)
in which case the following Lessons are
simply omitted.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul
to the Corinthians (xvi. 1.)
NOW concerning the collection for
the Saints, as I have given order
to the Churches of Galatia, even so do
ye. Upon the first day of the week let
every one of you lay by him in store
whatsoever pleaseth him, that there be
no gatherings when I come. And when
I come, whomsoever ye shall approve
by your letters, them will I send to
bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
And if it be meet that I go also, they
shall go with me.
Second Lesson.
NOW I will come unto you, when I
shall pass through Macedonia, for
I do pass through Macedonia. And it
290
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
may be that I will abide, yea, and winter
with you; that ye may bring me on my
journey whithersoever I go. For I would
not see you only in passing; but I trust
to tarry a while with you, if the Lord
permit. But I will tarry at Ephesus
until Pentecost. For a great door and
evident is opened unto me, and there
are many adversaries.
Third Lesson.
NOW, if Timothy come, see that he be
with you without fear: for he
worketh the work of the Lord, as I also
do. Let no man therefore despise him :
but conduct him forth in peace, that he
may come unto me: for I look for him
with the brethren. As touching our
brother Apollos, I tell you that I greatly
desired him to come unto you with the
brethren: but his will was not at all to
come at this time: but he will come
when he shall have convenient time.
Watch ye; stand fast in the faith; quit
you like men, and be strong. Let all
your things be done with charity.
Vespers are always the First Vespers
of the Feast of the Holy Name, except
when the next day is Septuagesima
Sunday, in which case the Feast of the
Holy Name is transferred to Jan. 28,
(which see,) and these Vespers are, from
the Chapter, of Septuagesima, with the
Farewell to the Alleluia, all the Office
between this and that, being that year
omitted.
Second Sunday after the
Epiphany.
Feast of the Most Holy Name of JESUS,¹
Double of the Second Class.
All as on ordinary Sundays, except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
First four Psalms as on Sundays.
2
First Antiphon. Whosoever shall
call on the name of the LORD shall be
saved.
Second Antiphon. Holy and terrible
is His Name; the fear of the LORD is
the beginning of wisdom.
Third Antiphon. Yet will I rejoice
in the LORD: I will joy in the God of
my salvation.
Fourth Antiphon. From the rising
of the sun unto the going down of
the same the LORD's Name is to be
praised.
Fifth Antiphon. I will offer the sa-
crifice of thanksgiving, and will call
upon the Name of the LORD.
Psalm CXV.
I believed, therefore have I spoken,
&c., (p. 153.)
Hymn.¹
JESUS! the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast!
Yet sweeter far Thy Face to see
And in Thy Presence rest.
No voice can sing, no heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than JESU's Name,
The Saviour of mankind!
O hope of every contrite heart!
O joy of all the meek!
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek!
But what to those who find? ah! this
Nor tongue nor pen can show—
The love of JESUS, what it is,
None but His loved-ones know.
JESUS! Our only joy be Thou,
As Thou our prize shalt be;
In Thee be all our glory now,
And through eternity! Amen.
Verse. Blessed be the Name of the
LORD-Alleluia.
Answer. From this time forth, and
for evermore-Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. He That is mighty hath done
to me great things, and holy is His
Name-Alleluia.
1 In the original this Office is not given here, but in the Proper Offices of Festivals. It
is inserted here, 1st, because it is nearly always so in practice; and 2ndly, as a specimen
of the application of the General Rubrics.
* Joel ii. 32; Rom. x. 13.
4 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
3 Hab. iii. 18.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
291
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who hast appointed Thine
Only-begotten Son to be the Saviour
of mankind, and hast commanded that
His Name should be called JESUS, mer-
cifully grant that we who here on earth
do worship that His most Holy Name
may be made glad in heaven by His
Presence. Through the Same our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
Commemoration of the First Vespers
of the SUNDAY.
Antiphon. God hath holpen His ser-
vant Israël as He spake to Abraham
and to his seed, to exalt them of low
degree for ever and ever.
Verse. Let the evening prayer ascend
unto Thee, O Lord.
Answer. And let there descend upon
us Thy mercy.
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY and
LMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Who dost govern all things in hea-
ven and earth, mercifully hear the sup-
plication of Thy people, and grant us
Thy peace all the days of our life.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ, Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
At Compline the last verse of the
Hymn is altered in honour of the In-
carnation.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Name which shall be
called Wonderful,' the Name of JESUS is
the Name which is above every name.³
* O come, let us worship Him.
3 Hymn.
JESU, King most wonderful!
Thou Conqueror renowned!
Thou sweetness most ineffable!
In Whom all joys are found!
When once Thou vísitest the heart,
Then truth begins to shine;
Then earthly vanities depart;
Then kindles love divine.
1 Isa. ix. 6.
♦ Phil. ii. 10.
2 Phil. ii. 9.
5 Isa. xii. 4.
O JESU, Light of all below!
Thou Fount of life and fire!
Surpassing all the joys we know,
All that we can desire.
May every heart confess Thy Name,
And ever Thee adore;
And seeking Thee, itself inflame
To seek Thee more and more.
Thee may our tongues for ever bless,
Thee may we love alone;
And ever in our lives express
The image of Thine own. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. O LORD our Ruler,
how excellent is Thy Name in all the
earth.
Psalm VIII., commencing with the
2nd verse.
Who hast set, &c., (p. 6.)
Second Antiphon. At the Name of
JESUS, let every knee bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things
under the earth.
Psalm XVIII.
The heavens declare, &c., (p. 16.)
Third Antiphon. "Praise the LORD
and call upon His Name: remember that
His Name is exalted.
Psalm XXIII.
The earth is the LORD's, &c., (p.
124.)
Verse. For Thy Name's sake, O
LORD, pardon mine iniquity.
Answer. For it is great.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (iii. 1.)
NOW Peter and John went up to-
gether into the temple at the hour
of prayer, being the ninth hour." And
a certain man, lame from his mo-
ther's womb, was carried; whom they
laid daily at the gate of the temple,
which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of
them that entered into the temple.
Who, seeing Peter and John about to
go into the temple, asked an alms.
And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him,
3 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
6 Ps. xxiv. 11.
7 i.e. None.
U 2
292
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
}
with John, said: Look on us. And he
gave heed unto them, expecting to
receive something of them. Then Peter
said: Silver and gold have I none, but
such as I have give I thee; In the Name
of JESUS Christ of Nazareth, rise up
and walk. And he took him by the
right hand, and lifted him up, and im-
mediately his feet and soles received
strength. And he, leaping up, stood
and walked, and entered with them into
the temple, walking, and leaping, and
praising God.
First Responsory.
Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bring
forth a Son, and shalt call His Name
him this perfect soundness in the pre-
sence of you all.
1
Second Responsory.
¹ Blessed is Thy Name, O God of our
fathers, for in wrath Thou wilt remem-
ber mercy. And in the time of tribula-
tion Thou forgivest the sins of them
that call upon Thee.
Verse. And blessed be Thy glorious
Name for ever, O Thou Who only doest
wondrous things!
Answer. And in the time of tribula-
tion Thou forgivest the sins of them that
call upon Thee.
JESUS; for He shall save His people A
from their sins.
Verse. His Name was called JESUS,
which was so named of the Angel, be-
fore He was conceived in the womb.
Answer. For He shall save His peo-
ple from their sins.
Second Lesson.
AND all the people saw him walking,
and praising God. And they knew
that it was he which sat for alms at the
Beautiful Gate of the temple, and they
were filled with wonder and amazement
at that which had happened unto him.
And, as he held Peter and John, all the
people ran together unto them in the
porch that is called Solomon's, greatly
wondering. And when Peter saw it,
he answered unto the people: Ye men
of Israël, why marvel ye at this? or why
look ye so earnestly on us, as though by
our own power or strength we had made
this man to walk? The God of Abra-
ham, and the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath
glorified His Son JESUS, Whom ye de-
livered up, and denied Him in the pre-
sence of Pilate, when he was determined
to let Him go. But ye denied the Holy
One, and the Just, and desired a mur-
derer to be granted unto you; and killed
the Author of life, Whom God hath
raised from the dead, whereof we are
witnesses. And His Name, through
faith in His Name, hath made this man
strong, whom ye see and know: yea,
the faith which is by Him hath given
1 Tobit iii. 13.
• Ecclus. li. 15.
Third Lesson. (iv. 5.)
ND it came to pass on the morrow,
that their rulers, and elders, and
scribes of Jerusalem, and Annas the high
priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and
Alexander, and as many as were of the
priests' kindred, were gathered together.
And when they had set them in the
midst, they asked: By what power, or
by what name have ye done this? Theu
Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said
unto them: Ye rulers and elders of the
people, hearken: If we this day be ex-
amined of the good deed done to the
impotent man, by what means he is
made whole; be it known unto you all,
and to all the people of Israël, that by
the Name of our Lord JESUS Christ of
Nazareth, Whom ye crucified, Whom
God raised from the dead, even by Him
doth this man stand here before you
whole. This is the stone which was set at
nought of you builders, which is become
the head of the corner; neither is there
salvation in any other. For there is
no other Name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.
Third Responsory.
"I will praise Thy Name continually;
yea, I will praise it with thanksgiving.
Verse. "I will be glad and rejoice in
Thee I will sing praise to Thy Name,
O Thou Most High.
Answer. Yea, I will praise it with
thanksgiving.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Yea, I will praise it with
thanksgiving.
Ps. lxxi. 18, 19.
5 Ps. ix. 3.
3 Ps. cxvii. 22.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
293
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. They shall be mind-
ful of Thy Name, O Lord, unto all
generations.
Psalm XLIV.
My heart is overflowing, &c., (p. 36.)
Second Antiphon. 10 magnify the
LORD with me, and let us exalt His
Name together.
Psalm XLV.
God is our refuge, &c., (p. 37.)
2
Third Antiphon. All nations whom
Thou hast made, shall come and wor-
ship before Thee, O Lord, and shall
glorify Thy Name.
Psalm LXXXVI.
Her foundation, &c., (p. 68.)
Verse. For the glory of Thy Name,
deliver us, O Lord.
Answer. And forgive our sins, for
Thy Name's sake.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
(15th on the Song of Songs.)
T is not idly that the Holy Ghost
groom to oil, when He maketh the Bride
say to the Bridegroom: "Thy Name is
as oil poured forth."5 Oil indeed giveth
light, meat, and unction. It feedeth
fire, it nourisheth the flesh, it sootheth
pain; it is light, food, and healing.
Behold, Thus also is the Name of the
Bridegroom. To preach it, is to give
light; to think of it, is to feed the soul;
to call on it, is to win grace and unction.
Let us take it point by point. What,
thinkest thou, hath made the light of
faith so suddenly and so brightly to
shine in the whole world but the preach-
ing of the Name of JESUS? Is it not in
the light of this Name that God hath
called us into His marvellous light,
even that light wherewith we being en-
lightened, and in His light seeing light,"
Paul saith truly of us: "Ye were some-
1 Ps. xxxiii. 4.
2 Ps. lxxxv. 9.
times darkness, but now are ye light in
the Lord."
Fourth Responsory.
8 Let them that know Thy Name put
their trust in Thee; for Thou, LORD,
hast not forsaken them that seek Thee.
Verse. Arise, O Lord, help us, and
redeem us for Thy Name's sake.
Answer. For Thou, LORD, hast not
forsaken them that seek Thee.
THIS
Fifth Lesson.
is the Name which the Apostle
was commanded to bear before
Gentiles, and kings, and the children
of Israël, the Name which he bore as a
light to enlighten his people, crying
everywhere: 10" The night is far spent,
the day is at hand; let us therefore cast
off the works of darkness, and let us put
on the armour of light, let us walk
honestly as in the day." He pointed
out to all that candle set upon a candle-
stick, preaching in every place JESUS
and Him crucified. How did that Name
shine forth and dazzle every eye that
beheld it, when it came like lightning
out of the mouth of Peter to give bodily
strength to the feet of the lame man,
and to clear the sight of many a blind
soul? Cast he not fire when he said:
"In the Name of JESUS Christ of Naza-
reth, rise up and walk ?”
Fifth Responsory.
11 Let us praise Thy great Name, for
it is terrible and holy.
Verse. 12 Some trust in chariots, and
some in horses, but we will call upon
the Name of the LORD our God.
Answer. For it is terrible and holy.
Sixth Lesson.
THE Name of JESUS is not a Name of
light only, but it is meat also.
Dost thou ever call it to mind, and re-
main unstrengthened? Is there any-
thing like it to enrich the soul of him
that thinketh of it? What is there like
it to restore the fagged senses, to fortify
strength, to give birth to good lives and
pure affections? The soul is fed on
husks if that whereon it feedeth lack
3 Ps. lxxviii. 9.
4 Aug. 20.
5 Cant. i. 3, where spiced, or perfumed oil (i.e. ointment) seems to be meant. So
Gesenius.
6 Ps. xxxv. 10.
7 Eph. v. 8.
8 Ps. ix. 11.
10 Rom. xiii. 12.
11 Ps. xcviii. 3.
12 Ps. xix. 8.
9 Ps. xliii. 26.
294
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
seasoning with this salt. If thou writ-
est, thou hast no meaning for me if I
read not of JESUS there. If thou preach,
or dispute, thou hast no meaning for me
if I hear not of JESUS there. The men-
tion of JESUS is honey in the mouth,
music in the ear, and gladness in the
heart. It is our healing too. Is any
sorrowful among us? Let the thought
of JESUS come into his heart, and spring
to his mouth. Behold, when the day of
that Name beginneth to break, every
Psalm XCVII.
O sing unto the LORD, &c., (p. 74.)
Verse. Give unto the LORD glory
and honour.
Answer. Give unto the LORD the
glory due unto His Name.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 21.)
cloud will flee away, and there will be AT that time: When eight days were
a great calm. Doth any fall into sin?
Doth any draw nigh to an hopeless
death? And if he but call on the life-
giving Name of JESUS, will he not
draw the breath of a new life again?
Sixth Responsory.
10 LORD, let all those that put their
trust in Thee rejoice, let them ever
shout for joy because Thou dwellest in
them; let them also that love Thy
Name be joyful in Thee.
Verse. They shall walk, O LORD, in
the light of Thy countenance; and in
Thy Name shall they rejoice all the
day.
Answer. Let them also that love Thy
Name be joyful in Thee.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Let them also that love Thy
Name be joyful in Thee.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Sing unto the LORD,
and bless His Name: show forth His
salvation from day to day.
Psalm XCV.
O sing unto the LORD, &c., (p. 72.)
3
Second Antiphon. According to Thy
Name, O God, so is Thy praise unto the
ends of the earth; Thy right hand is
full of righteousness.
Psalm XOVI.
The LORD reigneth, &c., (p. 73.)
4
Third Antiphon. Sing unto God,
sing praises to His Name; spread a path
before Him That rideth upon the hea-
vens: the LORD is His Name.
1 Ps. v. 12.
5 Ps. xxviii. 2.
2 Ps. lxxxviii. 16, 17.
6 Ps. cxiv. 3, 4.
accomplished for the circumcising
of the Child, His Name was called JESUS.
And so on.
Homily by St. Bernard, Abbat [of
Clairvaux.] (1st on the Circumcision.)
Behold a mystery, great and full of
wonder! The Child is circumcised, and
His Name is called JESUS. Why are
these two things thus mentioned toge-
ther? It would seem that circumcision
should rather be for the saved than for
the Saviour; that the Saviour ought
rather to be Circumciser than circum-
cised. But behold here the Mediator
between God and men, how even from
His childhood He joineth the things of
the Highest to the things of the lowest,
the things of God to the things of men.
He is born of a woman, but her womb
is made fruitful without the loss of the
flower of her virginity. He is wrapped
in swaddling-bands, but these swad-
dling-bands are a theme for the jubila-
tion of angels. He is laid in a manger,
but a bright star standeth in heaven
over the place. So also in His circum-
cision, the ceremony gave proof of the
reality of the Manhood which He had
taken, and that Name which is above
every name proclaimed the glory of His
Blessed Majesty. As very son of Abra-
ham He underwent circumcision; He
assumed the Name of JESUS as very Son
of God.
Seventh Responsory.
"Sorrow and trouble did I find. Then
called I upon the Name of the LORD.
Verse. The Name of the LORD is a
strong tower; I trusted in Him, and I
am helped.
Answer. Then called I upon the
Name of the LORD.
3 Ps. xlvii. 11.
• Ps. lxvii. 5.
7 Prov. xviii. 10; Ps. xxvii. 7.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
295
Eighth Lesson.
MY JESUS beareth not that Name as
others have borne it before Him,
as a vain and empty title. It is not in
Him the shadow of a great Name, but
the very meaning of that Name. That
His Name was revealed from heaven, is
attested by the Evangelist, where it is
written, "Which was so named of the
angel before He was conceived in the
womb." After JESUS was born men
called Him JESUS, but angels called
Him JESUS, before He was conceived in
the womb. The One Lord is the Sa-
viour of angels and of men; of men,
since His Incarnation; of angels, from
the beginning of their creation.
"His
Name," saith the Evangelist,
called JESUS, which was so named of
the angel before He was eonceived in
the womb." In the mouth therefore of
two or three witnesses is every word
established;¹ and that word whereof
the Prophet spoke as cut short, is set
forth at length in the Gospel-the Word
made Flesh.
Eighth Responsory.
2
was
O Lord, I will wait on Thy Name.
For it is good before Thy Saints.
Verse. To give thanks unto Thy
Holy Name, and to triumph in Thy
praise.
Answer. For it is good before Thy
Saints.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For it is good before Thy
Saints.
Ninth Blessing.
May the Gospel's glorious word
Cleansing to our souls afford.
1 Matth. xviii. 16; Deut. xix. 15.
Ninth Lesson.
(Of the Second Sunday after the
Epiphany.)
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (ii. 1.)
Adana of Galilee, and the mother
T that time: There was a marriage
of JESUS was there. And both JESUS
was called, and His disciples, to the
marriage. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (9th Tract on John.)
6
Even setting aside any mystical in-
terpretation, the fact that the Lord was
pleased to be asked, and to go to a mar-
riage, showeth plainly enough that He
is the Author and Blesser of marriage.
There were yet to be those of whom the
Apostle hath warned us as "forbidding
to marry,
"5 who say that marriage is a
bad thing in itself, and a work of the
devil. Yet we read in the Gospel that
when the Lord was asked, "Is it law-
ful for a man to put away his wife for
every cause?” He answered that it was
not lawful, except it were for fornica-
tion. In which answer ye will re-
member that He used these words:
"What God hath joined together, let
not man put asunder." (Eighth Lesson
of the Sunday.) They who are well in-
structed in the Catholic religion know
that God is the Author and Blesser of
marriage; and that, whereas joining to-
gether in marriage is of God, divorce is
of the devil. But it is lawful for a
man to put away his wife in case of
fornication, for by not keeping a wife's
faith to her husband she herself hath
first willed not to be wife. They also
who have made a vow of their virginity
to God and have thereby attained to an
higher degree of honour and holiness in
8
* The allusion is apparently to the LXX. version of Isa. x. 22, which reads: "For
though thy people Israël be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved; for He
will finish the word and cut it short in righteousness, because a short word will God, the
Lord of powers, make in the whole world"-quoted in Rom. ix. 27, 28.
3 Ps. li. 11.
5 1 Tim. iv. 3.
4 Ps. cv. 47.
6 Matth. xix. 3 et seq.
7 A person bound to the recitation of the Divine Office would satisfy the obligation by
reading to this point only.
8 Quia ipsa esse uxor prior noluit, quæ fidem conjugalem marito non servavit. As the
Church teaches that a marriage once validly contracted and consummated is indissoluble,
two explanations have been given to Matth. xix. 9. (1) That "porneia" is there used
synonymously with "moicheia," and a separation à mensâ et toro is meant, (2) that the
case referred to is that given in Deut. xxii. 21.
296
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.

the Church, are not unmarried, for they
are a special part of the marriage of the
whole Church, which is the Bride of
Christ. (Ninth Lesson of the Sunday.)
The Lord, being asked, went to the
marriage, to strengthen the marriage
tie, and to shed light on the hidden
meaning of matrimony. In that mar-
riage feast the Bridegroom to whom it
was said, "Thou hast kept the good
wine until now,
Stay with us, Lord, and with Thy light
Illume the soul's abyss;
Scatter the darkness of our night
And fill the world with bliss.
O JESU! Spotless Virgin flower!
Our life and joy! to Thee
Be praise, beatitude, and power,
Through all eternity! Amen.
Verse. Our help is in the Name of the
LORD.
was a figure of the
Lord Christ, Who hath kept until now
the good wine, namely the Gospel.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
1
First Antiphon. Thy Name is as
oil* poured forth, therefore do the vir-
gins love Thee.
Second Antiphon. Know ye that the
LORD He is God, * and His Name en-
dureth for ever.
Third Antiphon. My soul thirsteth *
for Thy Holy Name, O Lord.
Fourth Antiphon. Blessed is the
Holy Name of Thy glory, and worthy
to be praised, and exalted above all for
ever.
*
Fifth Antiphon. Young men and
maidens, old men and children, praise
the Name of the LORD, for His Name
Alone is excellent.
Chapter. (Phil. ii. 8.)
BRETHREN, Christ humbled Him-
became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly ex-
alted Him, and given Him a Name
which is above every name, that at the
Name of JESUs every knee should bow.
Hymn.+
JESUS, Thou the Beauty art
Of angel worlds above!
Thy Name is music to the heart,
Enchanting it with love!
Celestial sweetness unalloyed!
Who eat Thee hunger still,
Who drink of Thee still feel a void
Which nought but Thou canst fill!
O my sweet JESUS! hear the sighs
Which unto Thee I send !
To Thee my inmost spirit cries,
My being's hope and end!
1 Cant. i. 3.
2 Ps. xcix. 3.
• Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
Answer, Who made heaven and earth.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"He exposed Himself to deliver His
people, and to get Himself an everlast-
ing Name. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office, "O God,
Who hast appointed, &c.," as at Ves-
pers.
Commemoration of the Lauds of the
SUNDAY.
Antiphon. There was a marriage in
Cana of Galilee, * and JESUS was there,
and Mary His mother.
Verse. The LORD reigneth, He is
clothed with majesty.
Answer. The LORD is clothed with
strength, and hath girded Himself with
power.
Prayer as at the Commemoration at
Vespers, "Almighty and everlasting
God, &c."
PRIME.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
Antiphon. Thy Name is as oil, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory is_said,
"Thou That wast born of the Virgin
Mary."
Chapter at the end. (Col. iii. 17.)
WHATSOEVER ye do in word or
deed, do all in the Name of the
Lord JESUS Christ, giving thanks to
God and the Father by Him.
TERCE.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
Antiphon. Know that the Lord He
3 Dan. iii. 52.
5 1 Macc. vi. 44.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
297
is God, &c., (Second Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
Blessed be the Name of the LORD-
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. Blessed be the Name of the
LORD-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. From this time forth, and for
evermore.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Blessed be the Name of the
LORD-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Give unto the LORD glory and
honour- Alleluia.
Answer. Give unto the LORD the
glory due unto His Name. Alleluia.
SEXT.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
Antiphon. My soul thirsteth, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Phil. ii. 10.)
T the Name of JESUS let every knee
AT bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the
earth; and let every tongue confess
that our Lord JESUS Christ is in the
glory of God the Father.
Short Responsory.
Give unto the LORD glory and honour
-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. Give unto the LORD glory
and honour. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Give unto the LORD the glory
due unto His Name.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Give unto the LORD glory
and honour-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. O magnify the LORD with me
-Alleluia.
Answer. And let us exalt His Name
together-Alleluia.
NONE.
The last Verse of the Hymn is al-
tered in honour of the Incarnation.
Antiphon. Young men and maidens,
&c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter, Col. iii. 17, as at the end of
Prime.
Short Responsory.
O magnify the LORD with me-Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Answer. O magnify the LORD with
me-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And let us exalt His Name
together.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O magnify the LORD with
me-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Our help is in the Name of
the LORD-Alleluia.
Answer. Who made heaven and earth
-Alleluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
The same as First Vespers, except the
following:
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thou shalt call His Name JE-
sus for He shall save His people from
their sins-Alleluia.
Commemoration of the SUNDAY.
Antiphon. When they wanted wine,
JESUS Commanded them to fill the wa-
ter-pots with water, and the water was
made wine-Alleluia.
Verse. Let my prayer, O Lord, be set
forth.
Answer. As incense before Thee.
Prayer as at the two former Com-
memorations.
Note. It may possibly happen that a
Ninth Lesson is wanted for this Feast,
in which case the following is the
Ninth Lesson.
IT is no wonder that it should be at
His circumcision that the Name of
JESUS, (which is, being interpreted,
Saviour,") is given to the Child Who
is born unto us, for it was then that He
for the first time shed that sinless Blood
Which is the mean whereby He hath
chosen to work out our salvation. It is
no matter for the speculation of Chris-
tians why the Lord Christ was pleased
to be circumcised. He was circumcised
for the same reason for which He was
born, and for which He suffered. Nei-
ther one nor the other was for Himself,
298
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
but all for the sake of the elect. He
was not born in sin; He was not cir-
cumcised to separate Him from sin;
neither did He die for sins of His own,
but for ours.
"Which was so named of
the Angel before He was conceived in
the womb." The Angel indeed gave
Him that title of "Saviour," but not
for the first time. Saviour is His Name
from everlasting; He hath it of His own
proper nature to save. This title He
hath in Himself, not by the gift of any-
thing that He hath made, be it man or
Angel.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
(First Lesson of Sunday.¹)
Here beginneth the Second Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Co-
rinthians (i. 1.)
PAUL,
an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by
the will of God, and Timothy our
brother, unto the Church of God which
we would not, brethren, have you igno-
rant of our trouble, which came to us
in Asia, that we were pressed out of
measure above strength, insomuch that
we were weary even of life. But we
had the answer of death³ in ourselves,
that we might not trust in ourselves,
but in God, Which raiseth the dead
Who delivered us from so great danger,
and doth deliver; in Whom we trust
that He will yet deliver us, ye also
helping together by prayer for us; that
for the gift bestowed upon us, by the
means of many persons, thanks may be
given by many on our behalf.
First Responsory.
40 how great is Thy goodness, O
Lord,-which Thou hast laid up for
them that fear Thee!
Verse. Which Thou, O Lord, hast
wrought for them that trust in Thee
before the sons of men!
Answer. Which Thou hast laid up
for them that fear Thee!
Second Lesson.
(First Lesson of Monday, iii. 1.)
is at Corinth, with all the Saints which Do
are in all Achaia. Grace be to you and
peace, from God our Father, and from
the Lord JESUS Christ. Blessed be
the God and Father of our Lord JESUS
Christ, the Father of mercies, and the
God of all comfort, Who comforteth us
in all our tribulation, that we also may
be able to comfort them which are in
any trouble, by the comfort wherewith
we ourselves are comforted of God. For,
as the sufferings of Christ abound in us,
so our consolation also aboundeth by
Christ. (Second Lesson of Sunday.)
And whether we be afflicted, it is for
your consolation and salvation, or whe-
ther we be comforted it is for your com-
fort, or whether we be exhorted it is for
your exhortation and salvation, which
is effectual to the enduring of the same
sufferings which we also suffer, that our
hope of you may be steadfast, knowing
that as ye are partakers of the suffer-
ings, so shall ye be also of the consola-
tion. (Third Lesson of Sunday.) For
we begin again to commend our-
selves? Or need we (as some
others) epistles of commendation to
you, or from you? Ye are our epistle,
written in our hearts, known and read
of all men; manifestly declared to be
the epistle of Christ, ministered by us,
and written, not with ink, but with the
Spirit of the living God; not in tables
of stone, but in fleshly tables of the
heart.
Second Responsory.
50 God, be Thou my helper. Neither
leave me.
Verse. Nor forsake me-O God of my
salvation.
Answer. Neither leave me.
Third Lesson.
(Second Lesson of Monday.)
we
AND such trust have we through
Christ to God-ward; not that we
are sufficient of ourselves to think any-
thing, as of ourselves; but our suffi-
ciency is of God, Who also hath made
1 A person bound to the recitation of the Divine Office can fulfil the obligation by read-
ing the Lessons of Sunday only.
* Written from some city in Macedonia, a year after the former.
"The presentiment'-we felt that we should die."-Abp. Kenrick.
4 Ps. xxx. 20.
5 Ps. xxvi. 9.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
299
us able ministers of the New Testament,
not of the letter, but of the Spirit: for
the letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth
life. But if the ministration of death,
engraven with letters upon stones, was
glorious, so that the children of Israël
could not steadfastly behold the face of
Moses, for the glory of his countenance
which is done away: how shall not
the ministration of the Spirit be rather
glorious? (Third Lesson of Monday.)
For if the ministration of condemnation
be glory, much more doth the ministra-
tion of righteousness exceed in glory.
For even that which was glorious had
no glory in this respect, by reason of the
glory that excelleth. For if that which
is done away is glorious; much more
that which remaineth is glorious. See-
ing then that we have such an hope, we
use great confidence; and, not as Moses,
which put a veil over his face, that the
children of Israël might not steadfastly
look upon the face of that which is done
away. But their minds are blinded.
For until this day remaineth the same
veil untaken away in the reading of the
Old Testament, because it is taken away
in Christ.
Third Responsory.
¹I will bless the LORD at all times.
His praise shall continually be in my
mouth.
Verse. My soul shall make her boast
in the LORD; the humble shall hear
thereof and be glad.
Answer. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth.
Prayer throughout the week, "Al-
mighty and everlasting God," &c., (p.
291.)
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul to
the Corinthians (v. 1.)
FOR we know that if our earthly house
of this tabernacle were dissolved
1 Ps. xxxiii.
2 Ps. xxxviii. 13, 14.
we have a building of God, an house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring
to be clothed upon with our house which
is from heaven; if so be that, being
clothed, we shall not be found naked.
For we that are in this tabernacle do
groan, being burdened, not for that we
would be unclothed, but clothed upon,
that mortality might be swallowed up
of life.
First Responsory.
20 God, give ear unto my tears; hold
not Thy peace, but, O, spare me! For
I am a stranger with Thee, and a so-
journer.
Verse. Be pleased, O LORD, to de-
liver me; O LORD, look upon me to
help me.
Answer. For I am a stranger with
Thee, and a sojourner.
THE
Second Lesson.
'HEREFORE we are always confident,
knowing that whilst we are at home
in the body, we are absent from the
Lord (for we walk by faith, not by
sight) but we are confident and willing
rather to be absent from the body, and
to be present with the Lord. Where-
fore we labour, that, whether present or
absent, we may please Him. For we
must all appear before the judgment-
seat of Christ, that every one may re-
ceive the things done in his body, ac-
cording to that he hath done, whether
it be good or bad.
Second Responsory.
4 The Lord hath set my feet upon a
rock, and ordered my goings. And He
hath put a new song in my mouth.
Verse. He heard my cry: He brought
me up also out of an horrible pit.
Answer. And He hath put a new
song in my mouth.
Third Lesson.
KNOWING therefore the terror of the
Lord, we persuade men; but we
are made manifest unto God. And I
trust also are made manifest in your
consciences. We commend not our-
selves again unto you, but give you oc-
casion to glory on our behalf; that ye
may have somewhat to answer them
3 Ps. xxxix. 14.
4 Ps. xxxix. 3, 4.
300
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
which. glory in appearance, and not in
heart. For whether we be beside our-
selves, it is to God; or whether we be
sober, it is for your cause. For the love
of Christ constraineth us; because we
thus judge, that if one died for all, then
were all dead: and CHRIST died for all:
that they which live should not hence-
forth live unto themselves, but unto
Him Which died for them, and rose
again.
Third Responsory.
¹I said: LORD, be merciful unto me.
Heal my soul, for I have sinned against
Thee.
Verse. Deliver me from all mine ini-
quities, O Lord.
Answer. Heal my soul, for I have
sinned against Thee.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Heal my soul, for I have
sinned against Thee.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul to
the Corinthians (vii. 1.)
HAVING therefore these promises,
dearly beloved, let us cleanse our-
selves from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of
God.
Receive us. We have wronged
no man, we have corrupted no man, we
have defrauded no man. I speak not
this to condemn you: for we have said
before that ye are in our hearts, to die
and live with you.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off in the midst of my
sins.
Nor keep Thy wrath against me for my
latter end.
Verse 2 Enter not into judgment with
Thy servant, O Lord.
Answer. Nor keep Thy wrath against
me for my latter end.
¹ Ps. xl. 5.
Ps. lviii. 18.
2 Ps. cxlii. 2.
5 Ps. ix. 3.
Second Lesson.
GREAT is my boldness towards you,
great is my glorying of you; I am
filled with comfort, I am exceeding joy-
ful in all our tribulation. For when we
were come into Macedonia, our flesh had
no rest, but we were troubled on every
side: without were fightings, within
were fears. Nevertheless God, That
comforteth those that are cast down,
comforted us by the coming of Titus.
And not by his coming only, but also
by the consolation wherewith he was
comforted in you, when he told us your
earnest desire, your mourning, your
zeal for me: so that I rejoiced the
more.
Second Responsory.
3 My heart is ready, O God, my heart
is ready. I will sing and give praise to
the Lord.
Verse. Awake up, my glory, awake,
psaltery and harp!" I will awake early.
Answer. I will sing and give praise
to the Lord.
FOR
Third Lesson.
though I have made you sorry
with a letter, I repent not; and, if
I had repented, perceiving that the same
epistle made you sorry, (though it were
but for a season,) now I rejoice: not
that ye were made sorry, but that ye
sorrowed to repentance. For ye were
made sorry according to God, so that ye
receive damage from us in nothing. For
the sorrow which is according to God
worketh repentance to salvation not to
be repented of: but the sorrow of the
world worketh death.
Third Responsory.
4 Unto Thee, O my Strength, will I
sing, for God is my defence, the God
of my mercy.
Verse. I will be glad and rejoice in
Thee, I will sing praise to Thy Name,
O Thou Most High.
Answer. The God of my mercy.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The God of my mercy.
3 Ps. lvi. 8, 9.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
301
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul to
the Corinthians (x. 1.)
NOW I, Paul, myself beseech you, by
the meekness and gentleness of
Christ, who in presence am base among
you, but being absent am bold towards
you. But I beseech you that I may not
be bold when I am present, with that
confidence wherewith I am thought to
be bold against some, which think of us
as if we walked according to the flesh.
For though we walk in the flesh we do
not war after the flesh.
First Responsory.
¹In Thee, O God, do I put my trust;
rustz
let me never be put to confusion, Ó
Lord: deliver me in Thy righteousness,
and cause me to escape.
Verse. Incline Thine ear unto me,
deliver me speedily.
Answer. And cause me to escape.
Second Lesson.
FOR the weapons of our warfare are
not carnal, but mighty through God
to the pulling down of strongholds, cast-
ing down imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the
knowledge of God, and bringing into
captivity every thought to the obedience
of Christ, and having in a readiness to
revenge all disobedience, when your
obedience is fulfilled. Look ye on things
after the outward appearance? If any
man trust to himself that he is Christ's,
let him of himself think this again,
that, as he is Christ's, even so we are
Christ's.
Second Responsory.
"Let my mouth be filled with Thy
praise, that I may sing of Thy glory,
all the day long of Thy greatness. Cast
me not off in the time of old age; for-
sake me not when my strength faileth.
Verse. My lips shall be fain when
I sing unto Thee.
1 Ps. lxx. 1, 2.
Answer. Forsake me not when my
strength faileth.
Third Lesson.
FOR though I should boast somewhat
more of our authority, which the
Lord hath given us for edification, and
not for your destruction, I should not
be ashamed. But that I may not seem
as if I would terrify you by letters-
("for his letters,' say they, "are
weighty and powerful, but his bodily
presence is weak, and his speech con-
temptible,")-let such an one think
this, that such as we are in word by
letters when we are absent, such will
we be also in deed when we are present.
For we dare not make ourselves of the
number, or compare ourselves with some
that commend themselves, but measur-
ing ourselves by ourselves, and compar-
ing ourselves to ourselves.
Third Responsory.
My lips shall be fain when I sing
unto Thee; and my soul, which Thou,
O Lord, hast redeemed.
Verse. My tongue shall also talk of
Thy righteousness, all the day long of
Thy praise.
Answer. And my soul, which Thou,
O Lord, hast redeemed.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And my soul, which Thou,
O Lord, hast redeemed.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul to
the Corinthians (xii. 1.)
IF
it behoveth me to glory (but it is
not expedient) yet I will come to
visions and revelations of the Lord. I
know a man in Christ above fourteen
years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot
tell, or whether out of the body, I can-
not tell; God knoweth ;) such an one to
have been caught up to the third hea-
ven. And I know such a man, (whether
in the body, or out of the body, I cannot
2 Ps. lxx. 8, 9, 23.
302
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
tell; God knoweth ;) how that he was
caught up into paradise, and heard un-
speakable words, which it is not lawful
for man to utter.
First Responsory.
¹I will praise Thee, O Lord my God,
with all my heart, and I will glorify
Thy Name for evermore. For great is
Thy mercy toward me.
2
Verse. Thou art my God, and I will
praise Thee: Thou art my God, and I
will exalt Thee.
Answer. For great is Thy mercy to-
ward me.
Of
Second Lesson.
such an one will I glory: yet of
infirmities. For though I would desire
to glory, I shall not be a fool: for I will
say the truth: but I forbear, lest any
man should think of me above that
which he seeth me to be, or that he
heareth of me. And lest I should be
exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations, there was
given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan to buffet me.
For
this thing I besought the Lord thrice,
that it might depart from me, and He
said unto me: My grace is sufficient for
thee for My strength is made perfect
in weakness.
Second Responsory,
Great, O Lord, is Thy mercy toward
And Thou hast delivered my soul
from the lowest hell.
me.
Verse. In the day of my trouble I
called upon Thee, for Thou hast heard
me.
Answer. And Thou hast delivered my
soul from the lowest hell.
Third Lesson.
MOST gladly therefore will I rather
glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.
Therefore I take pleasure in my infir-
mities, in reproaches, in necessities, in
persecutions, in distresses for Christ's
sake. For when I am weak, then am I
strong-I am become a fool; ye have
compelled me. For I ought to have
been commended of you: for in nothing
1 Ps. lxxxv. 12, 13.
2 Ps. cxvii. 28.
am I behind the very chiefest Apostles,
though I be nothing.
Third Responsory.
3 The LORD is my refuge. And my
God is the stay of my trust.
Verse. He delivered me from the
strongest of mine enemies, and the LORD
was my stay.
Answer. And my God is the stay of
my trust.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And my God is the stay of
my trust.
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul to
the Corinthians (xiii. 1.)
BEHOLD, this is the third time I am
coming to you. In the mouth of
two or three witnesses shall every word
be established. I told you before, and
foretell you, as present, and now as ab-
sent, to them which heretofore have
sinned, and to all other, that, if I come
again, I will not spare. Seek ye a proof
of Christ speaking in me, Which to
you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in
you? For though He was crucified
through weakness; yet He liveth by
the power of God. For we also are
weak in Him, but we shall live with
Him by the power of God toward you.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
EXA
Second Lesson.
be
XAMINE yourselves whether ye
in the faith: prove yourselves.
Know ye not your own selves, how that
JESUS Christ is in you? except ye be
reprobates. But I trust ye shall know
that we are not reprobates. Now I pray
God that ye do no evil; not that we
should appear approved, but that ye
should do that which is right: though
we be as reprobates. For we can do
3 Ps. xciii. 22.
• Ps. xvii. 18.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
303
nothing against the truth, but for the
truth. For we are glad that we are
weak, and ye are strong. This also we
pray for, even your perfection.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
Third Lesson.
THEREFORE I write these things
being absent, lest, being present, I
should use sharpness, according to the
power which the Lord hath given me to
edification, and not to destruction, Fi-
nally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect;
be of good comfort; be of one mind;
live in peace, and the God of peace and
love shall be with you. Greet one ano-
ther with an holy kiss. All the saints
salute you. The grace of our Lord JESUS
Christ, and the love of God, and the
communion of the Holy Ghost be with
you all. Amen.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, O my Strength, &c.,
(p. 300.)
VESPERS.
The Prayer is taken from the Lauds
of the succeeding Sunday.
Third Sunday after the
Epiphany.
The Third Lord's Day after the
Epiphany.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the ¹Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle Paul to the Galatians
(i. 1.)
PAUL,
an Apostle (not of men, neither
by man, but by JESUS Christ, and
God the Father, Who raised Him from
the dead) and all the brethren which
are with me, unto the Churches of Ga-
latia. Grace be to you, and peace, from
God the Father, and from our Lord
JESUS Christ, Who gave Himself for
our sins, that He might deliver us from
this present evil world, according to the
will of God, and our Father, to Whom
be glory for ever and ever. Ámen.
First Responsory.
20 LORD, rebuke me not in Thine
anger, neither chasten me in Thy hot
displeasure. Have mercy upon me, O
LORD, for I am weak.
Verse. Fearfulness and trembling
are come upon me, and darkness hath
overwhelmed me.
Answer. Have mercy upon me, 0
LORD, for I am weak.
I
Second Lesson.
MARVEL that ye are so soon re-
moved from him that called you into
the grace of Christ, unto another Gos-
pel: which is not another; unless there
be some that trouble you, and would
pervert the Gospel of Christ. But
though we, or an angel from heaven,
preach any other Gospel unto you than
that which we have preached unto you,
let him be anathema. As we said be-
fore, so say I now again: If any man
preach any other Gospel unto you than
that ye have received, let him be ana-
thema. For do I now persuade men or
God? Or do I seek to please men? If
I yet pleased men, I should not be the
servant of Christ.
4
Second Responsory.
*O God, Which satest in the throne
judging right, be Thou a refuge for the
poor, a refuge in times of trouble. For
Thou alone beholdest mischief and spite.
Verse. The poor leaveth himself unto
Thee; Thou wilt be the helper of the
fatherless,
Answer. For Thou alone beholdest
mischief and spite.
FOR
Third Lesson.
OR
I certify you, brethren, that the
Gospel which was preached of me
is not after man: for I neither received
it of man, neither was I taught it, but
by the revelation of JESUS Christ. For
ye have heard of my conversation in
1 Abp. Kenrick says, "It was written probably about the year 54 of Christ.”
2 Ps. vi. 2, 3.
3 Ps. liv. 6.
Ps. ix. 6; x. 14.
304
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
times past in the Jews' religion, how
that beyond measure I persecuted the
Church of God, and wasted it, and pro-
fited in the Jews' religion above many
mine equals in mine own nation, being
more exceedingly jealous of the tradi-
tions of my fathers.
Third Responsory.
'The Lord is at my right hand, I
shall never be moved. Therefore my
heart is glad, and my tongue rejoiceth.
Verse. The LORD is the portion of
mine inheritance, and of my cup.
Answer. Therefore my heart is glad,
and my tongue rejoiceth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Therefore my heart is glad,
and my tongue rejoiceth.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Exposition
of the Epistle to the Galatians by St.
Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (Preface,
Bk. iv.)
THE reason of the Apostle's writing
to the Galatians was this: that they
might understand that the grace of God
had worked in them that they were no
longer under the law. For when the
grace of the Gospel was preached to
them, there had not been wanting to
them some of them of the circumcision,
Christians indeed in name, but who had
not yet apprehended that great benefit
of grace, and desiring still to be bound
with burdens of the law-burdens which
the Lord God had laid, not upon such as
serve righteousness, but upon such as
serve sin, laying, that is to say, upon
the unrighteous a righteous law, where-
by their unrighteousness was made mani-
fest, not taken away. For there is not
anything which taketh away sin, save
only the grace of faith which worketh
by love.
Fourth Responsory.
20 Lord, Thou hast shown me the
path of life. Thou shalt fill me with
joy in Thy presence, at Thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore.
Verse. Thou art He That shalt re-
store mine inheritance unto me.
1 Ps. xv. 9, 5.
Answer. Thou shalt fill me with joy
in Thy presence, at Thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore.
THE
Fifth Lesson.
HESE men of the circumcision would
have the Galatians, who were under
grace, to be under the burdens of the
law, persuading them that the Gospel
profited them nothing, unless they should
be circumcised, and take on them the
other outward observances of the Jews'
religion. Whence the Galatians began
to have doubts of the Apostle Paul, by
whom the Gospel had been preached to
them, as one that held not the doctrine
of the other Apostles, who compelled the
Gentiles to come under the law.
Fifth Responsory.
"I will love Thee, O LORD, my
strength; the LORD is my rock, and
my fortress.
Verse. My Deliverer, my God, my
Helper.
Answer. And my fortress.
Sixth Lesson.
THE same question is discussed in the
Epistle to the Romans, but with
this difference: in that case the Apostle
putteth an end to the discussion, and
stilleth the strife which had arisen be-
tween the Jewish and the Gentile con-
verts, in consequence of the Jews hold-
ing that they had earned the knowledge
of the Gospel as a reward for their ob-
servance of the law, and grudging the
same knowledge to the uncircumcised,
as to men who had done nothing to de-
serve it; and the Gentiles, on the con-
trary, maintaining that they were supe-
rior to the Jews, in that they were not
the murderers of the Lord. Now, in
this Epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle
addresseth himself to those who were
troubled by the authority claimed by
them who were of the circumcision, and
sought to bring into subjection to the
law them who were of the uncircum-
cision.
•
Sixth Responsory.
4 The earth is the LORD's, and the
fulness thereof-the world, and they
that dwell therein.
Verse. For He hath founded it upon
4 Ps. xxiii. 1, 2.
2 Ps. XV. 10, 5.
3 Ps. xvii. 2.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
305
the seas, and established it upon the
floods.
Answer, The world, and they that
dwell therein.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The world, and they that
dwell therein.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (viii. 1.)
AT
T that time: When JESUS was come
down from the mountain, great
multitudes followed Him: and, behold,
there came a leper and worshipped Him.
And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. i. Comm. on Matth.
viii.)
When the Lord was come down from
the mountain, great multitudes followed
Him. They were not able to follow Him
when He went up. And first there came
a leper. This poor creature's disease had
prevented him from hearing the Sa-
viour's long sermon on the Mount. Let
it be noted that he is the first person
specially named as being healed. The
second was the Centurion's servant;
the third was Peter's wife's mother,
who was sick of a fever at Capernaum;
the fourth were they who were brought
unto Christ as being troubled with evil
spirits, from whom He by His word cast
out the evil spirits, at the same time
that He healed all that were sick.
Seventh Responsory.
¹Unto Thee, O LORD, do I lift up my
the truth of the teaching that had gone
before.
"Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst
make me clean." He that prayeth
the Lord to have the will, doubteth not
but that He hath the power.
"And JESUS put forth His Hand, and
touched him, saying: I will; be thou
clean." As soon as the Lord put forth His
Hand the leprosy departed. Let us remark
how lowly and unbragging is the Lord's
language. The leper had said, "If Thou
wilt," the Lord answereth, "I will."
The leper, "Thou canst make me clean,'
-the Lord, "Be thou clean." Most
Latin readers, misled by the identity
of form in that language between the
Present Infinitive Active and the Second
Person Singular Present Imperative Pas-
sive of the Verb, read Christ's answer as
if it were, "I will to make thee clean."
This is wrong. The sentences are sepa-
rate. First cometh the expression of
volition, "I will," then the command,
"Be thou clean.'
Eighth Responsory.
"One Seraph cried unto another-
Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD God of
hosts: the whole earth is full of His
glory.
Verse. There are Three That bear
record in heaven, the Father, the Word,
and the Holy Ghost: and these Three
are One.
Answer. Holy, Holy, Holy is the
LORD God of hosts :
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The whole earth is full of
His glory.
Ninth Lesson.
soul. O my God, I trust in Thee, let "AND JESUS saith unto him: See
me not be ashamed.
me.
Verse. O keep my soul and deliver
Answer. O my God, I trust in Thee,
let me not be ashamed.
Eighth Lesson.
AND, behold, there came a leper, and
worshipped Him, saying:
"Pro-
perly after preaching and doctrine cometh
occasion for a sign, that the power of
the miracle might confirm in the hearers
¹ Ps. xxiv. 1, 2, 20.
thou tell no man." What need
was there to tell what his body showed ?
"But go thy way, show thyself to the
Priest. There were divers reasons why
Christ should send him to the Priest.
First, for humility's sake, that He might
show reverence to God's Priest. Then
there was a command in the law that
they that were cleansed of leprosy should
make an offering to the Priests. More-
over, that, when the Priests saw the
leper cleansed, they might either be-
2 Isa. vi. 3.
3 1 John v. 7.
X
306
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
lieve in the Saviour, or refuse to believe;
if they believed, that they might be
saved, and, if they believed not, that
they might have no excuse. Lastly,
that He might give no ground for the
accusation that was so often brought
against Him, that He was unobservant
of the law.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When JESUS was come down from the
mountain, * behold, there came a leper,
and worshipped Him, saying: Lord, if
Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean.
And JESUS put forth His Hand, and
I learn of you: Received ye the Spirit
by the works of the law, or by the hear-
ing of faith? Are ye so foolish, that,
having begun in the Spirit, ye are now
made perfect by the flesh? Have ye
suffered so many things in vain? if it
be yet in vain. He therefore That mi-
nistereth to you the Spirit, and worketh
miracles among you, doeth He it by the
works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith? As it is written: "Abraham
believed God, and it was accounted to
him for righteousness."¹
First Responsory.
O how great, &c., (p. 298.)
Second Lesson.
touched him, saying: I will; be thou KNOW ye therefore, that they which
clean.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
mercifully look upon our infirmi-
ties, and in all our dangers and neces-
sities stretch forth the right hand of
Thy Majesty to help and defend us.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
One God, world without end. Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Lord, if Thou wilt, * Thou
canst make me clean: and JESUS saith to
him I will; be thou clean.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Gala-
tians (iii. 1.)
0
FOOLISH Galatians, who hath be-
witched you, that ye should not
obey the truth, before whose eyes JESUS
Christ hath been evidently set forth,
crucified among you? This only would
1 Gen. xv. 6.
4 Hab. ii. 4.
are of faith, the same are the chil-
dren of Abraham. And the Scripture,
foreseeing that God would justify the
heathen through faith, told before unto
Abraham: "In thee shall all nations
be blessed." So then, they which be
of faith shall be blessed with faithful
Abraham. For as many as are of the
works of the law, are under the curse.
For it is written: "Cursed is every one
that continueth not in all things which
are written in the book of the law, to
do them."3
Second Responsory.
O God, &c., (p. 298.)
Third Lesson.
BUT that no man is justified by the
law in the sight of God is evident,
for "the just liveth by faith." And the
law is not of faith; but "the man that
doeth them shall live in them." Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the
law, being made a curse for us; (for it is
written : "Cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree:") that the blessing
of Abraham might come upon the Gen-
tiles through JESUS Christ, that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit
through faith.
Third Responsory.
I will bless, &c., (p. 299.)
2 Gen. xii. 3.
5 Lev. xviii. 5.
3 Deut. xxvii. 26.
6 Deut. xxi. 23.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
307
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Gala-
tians (v. 1.)
TAND fast, and be not entangled
STAN
again with the yoke of bondage.
Behold I, Paul, say unto you, that, if
ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit
you nothing. For I testify again to
every man that circumciseth himself,
that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
Christ is become of no effect unto
you,
whosoever of you are justified by the
law ye are fallen from grace. For we
in spirit by faith wait for the hope of
righteousness.
First Responsory.
O God, give ear, &c., (p. 299.)
FOR
Second Lesson.
OR in Christ JESUS neither circum-
cision availeth anything, nor un-
circumcision; but faith which worketh
by love. Ye did run well: who did
hinder you, that ye should not obey the
truth? This persuasion cometh not of
Him That calleth you. A little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump. I have con-
fidence in you in the Lord, that ye will
be none otherwise minded. But he that
troubleth you shall bear his judgment,
whosoever he be.
Second Responsory.
The Lord hath set, &c., (p. 299.)
Third Lesson.
AND I, brethren, if I yet preach cir-
cumcision, why do I yet suffer per-
secution? Then is the offence of the
Cross ceased. I would they were even
cut off which trouble you. For, bre-
thren, ye have been called unto liberty:
only use not liberty for an occasion to
the flesh, but by love serve one another.
For all the law is fulfilled in one word:
"Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy-
self."1
But if ye bite and devour one
1 Lev. xix. 18.
2
another, take heed that ye be not con-
sumed one of another. I say then:
Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not
fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the
flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the
Spirit against the flesh: for these are
contrary the one to the other, so that
ye do not the things that ye would.
Third Responsory.
I said, &c., (p. 300.)
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the 2Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ephe-
sians (i. 1.)
PAUL,
an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by
the will of God, to all the Saints
which are at Ephesus, and to the faith-
ful in Christ JESUS. Grace be to you,
and peace, from God our Father, and
from the Lord JESUS Christ. Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord
JESUS Christ, Who hath blessed us with
all spiritual blessings in heavenly things
in Christ, according as He hath chosen
us in Him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and with-
out blame before Him in love.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
WHO
Second Lesson.
HO hath predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by JESUS
Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will, to the praise of the
glory of His grace, wherein He hath
made us acceptable in His beloved Son.
In Whom we have redemption through
His Blood, the forgiveness of sins, accord-
ing to the riches of His grace, wherein
He hath abounded toward us in all wis-
dom and prudence: that He might make
known unto us the mystery of His will,
according to His good pleasure, which
He hath purposed in Himself, to gather
together in one all things in Christ,
* Abp. Kenrick says, "This letter was written about the year 62, when the Apostle was,
the first time, a prisoner at Rome."
x 2
308
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
|
both which are in heaven, and which
are on earth, in Him, in the dispensa-
tion of the fulness of times.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
Third Lesson.
IN Whom we also have been called to
have part, being predestinated ac-
cording to the purpose of Him Who
worketh all things after the counsel of
His own will, that we should be to the
praise of His glory, who have first
trusted in Christ. In Whom ye also
trusted, after that ye heard the word of
truth, (the Gospel of your salvation,) in
Whom also, after that ye believed, ye
were sealed with the Holy Spirit of pro-
mise, Which is the earnest of our in-
heritance, until the redemption of the
purchased possession, unto the praise of
His glory.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, &c., (p. 300.)
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Ephesians (iv. 1.)
I
THEREFORE, the prisoner of the
Lord, beseech you
that ye
walk wor-
thy of the vocation wherewith ye are
called, with all lowliness and meekness,
with long-suffering, forbearing one an-
other in love, endeavouring to keep the
unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There is one body and one Spirit, even
as ye are called in one hope of your call-
ing; one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
men."
He ascended up on high, He led cap-
tivity captive, and gave gifts unto
"Now that He ascended, what
is it but that He also descended first into
the lower parts of the earth? He That
descended is the Same also That ascended
up far above all heavens, that He might
fill all things.
Second Responsory.
Let my mouth, &c., (p. 301.)
Third Lesson.
AND He gave some, Apostles; and
some, Prophets; and some, Evan-
gelists; and some, Pastors and Teachers,
for the perfecting of the Saints, for the
work of the ministry, for the edifying
of the body of Christ: till we all come
into the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
perfect man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fulness of Christ: that
we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the
wickedness of men, and the cunning
craftiness whereby they lie in wait to
deceive. But, working the truth in
love, may we grow up into Him in all
things Which is the Head, even Christ.
Third Responsory.
My lips, &c., (p. 301.)
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Ephesians (v. 1.)
therefore followers of God, as
one' God and Father of all, Who is BE year children, and walk in love
above all, and through all, and in
us all.
First Responsory.
In Thee, O God, &c., (p. 301.)
Second Lesson.
UT unto every one of us is given ac-
BUT
cording to the measure of the gift
of Christ. Wherefore he saith: "When
as Christ also hath loved us, and hath
given Himself for us, an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
savour. But fornication, and all un-
cleanness or covetousness, let it not be
even named among you, as becometh
Saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish
talking, nor vile jesting, which are not
convenient, but rather, giving of thanks.
1 Ps. lxvii. 19.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
309
First Responsory.
I will praise, &c., (p. 302.)
Second Lesson.
FOR know ye and understand this;
that no whoremonger, nor unclean
person, nor covetous man, who is an
idolater, hath any inheritance in the
kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no
man deceive you with vain words: for
because of these things cometh the wrath
of God upon the children of disobedience.
Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now
are ye light in the Lord. Walk as
children of light.
Second Responsory.
Great, O Lord, &c., (p. 302.)
Third Lesson.
FOR the fruit of light is in all good-
ness, and righteousness, and truth;
proving what is acceptable unto the
Lord. And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
reprove them. For it is a shame even
to speak of those things which are done
of them in secret. But all things that
are reproved are made manifest by the
light for whatsoever doth make ma-
nifest is light. Wherefore he saith:
"Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise
from the dead, and Christ shall give
thee light."
Third Responsory.
The LORD is, &c., (p. 302.)
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Ephesians (vi. 1.)
CHILDREN, obey your parents in the
Lord; for this is right. "Honour
thy father and thy mother," which is
the first commandment with promise,
"that it may be well with thee, and
thou mayest live long on the earth."
And, ye fathers, provoke not your chil-
dren to wrath, but bring them up in
the nurture and admonition of the
Lord.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
Second Lesson.
SERVANTS, be obedient to them that
are your masters according to the
flesh, with fear and trembling, in single-
ness of your heart, as unto Christ; not
with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but
as the servants of Christ, doing the will
of God from the heart, with good will
doing service as to the Lord, and not to
men: knowing that whatsoever good
thing any man doeth, the same shall he
receive of the Lord, whether he be bond
or free. And, ye masters, do the same
things unto them, forbearing threaten-
ing; knowing that both their and your
Master is in heaven, neither is there
respect of persons with Him.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
Third Lesson.
FINALLY, my brethren, be strong in
the Lord, and in the power of His
might. Put on the whole armour of
God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil. For
we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities and powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in
high places. Wherefore take unto you
the whole armour of God, that ye may
be able to withstand in the evil day,
and, having done all, to stand.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, O my Strength, &c.,
(p. 300.)
VESPERS.
The Prayer is taken from the Lauds
of the succeeding Sunday.
1 The late Dr. Neale believed this to be a quotation from an ancient Christian hymn.
2 Exod. xx. 12; Deuteron. v. 16.
310
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Fourth Sunday after the
Epiphany.
The Fourth Lord's Day after the
Epiphany.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle Paul to the Philip-
pians (i. 1.)
PAUL and Timothy, the servants of
JESUS Christ, to all the saints in
Christ JESUS which are at Philippi, with
the Bishops and Deacons. Grace be
unto you and peace, from God our Fa-
ther, and from the Lord JESUS Christ.
I thank my God upon every remem-
brance of you, always in every prayer of
mine for you all making request with
joy, for your fellowship in the Gospel
of Christ, from the first day until now.
Being confident of this very thing, that
He Which hath begun a good work in
you will perform it until the day of
JESUS Christ. Even as it is meet for
me to think this of you all, because I
have you in my heart, inasmuch as both
in my bonds, and in the defence and
confirmation of the Gospel, ye all are
partakers of my joy.
First Responsory.
the glory and praise of God. But I
would ye should understand, brethren,
that the things which happen unto me
have fallen out rather unto the further-
ance of the Gospel; so that my bonds
in Christ are manifest in all the court
and in all other places, and many of
the brethren in the Lord, waxing con-
fident by my bonds, are much more bold
to speak the word of God without fear.
Second Responsory.
O God, Which satest, &c., (p. 303.)
Third Lesson.
SOME indeed preach Christ even of
envy and strife; and some also of
good will; some of love, knowing that
I am set for the defence of the Gospel,
and some preach Christ of contention,
not sincerely, supposing to add afflic-
tion to my bonds. What then? While
Christ is preached any way, whether
in pretence or in truth, I therein will
rejoice, yea, and do rejoice.
Third Responsory.
The Lord is at my right hand, &c.,
(p. 301.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Moral [Reflections on Job] written by
Pope St. Gregory [the Great.] (iv.30.)
O LORD, rebuke me not, &c., (p. 303.) WE refresh the body lest it should
Second Lesson.
FOR God is my record, how greatly I
long after you all in the bowels of
JESUS Christ. And this I pray, that
your love may abound yet more and
more in knowledge and in all judgment:
that ye may approve things that are
excellent, that ye may be sincere and
without offence till the day of Christ,
being filled with the fruits of righteous-
ness which are by JESUS Christ, unto
grow too weak and fail us; we
chasten it by abstinence, lest it should
wax gross, and become lord over us;
we strengthen it with exercise, lest it
perish by the not using; and straight-
way we give it rest, lest it faint through
weariness; we succour it with raiment,
lest the cold should blight it; and we
strip it of the raiment wherewith we
have clothed it, lest the heat should
afflict it. In all these so many offices
what do we but serve the corruptible?
Upon what is all this care spent but
1 Abp. Kenrick says, "The faithful of Philippi cherished at all times a tender affection
for [St. Paul], and cheerfully contributed to his wants, especially when he was a prisoner
at Rome, whither they sent their offerings by the hands of Epaphroditus, who was pro-
bably their Bishop. Paul showed his confidence and tender regard for them by accepting
their contributions, which he also gratefully acknowledged in this epistle The letter
was written in the year 62, and forwarded by Epaphroditus. It is believed to have been
one of the last written during the first imprisonment of the Apostle at Rome, as it indi-
catcs confidence that he would soon be set at liberty."
•
•
FOURTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
311
upon that whereover hangeth the doom
of weakness and change?
Fourth Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast shown me, &c.,
(p. 304.)
WEL
Fifth Lesson.
ELL therefore saith Paul: "For
the creature was made subject to
vanity, not willingly, but by reason of
Him Who hath subjected the same in
hope: because the creature itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God." (Rom. viii. 20.)
"The creature was made subject to
vanity, not willingly"-for when man
had of his own free will abdicated his
state of unchangeable blessedness, the
just sentence of death was passed upon
him, and whether he willed or not, he
became subject to the state of change
and corruption. But "the creature it-
self also shall be delivered from the
bondage of corruption" when it shall
rise again incorruptible and be made
partaker of the glory of the children of
God.
Fifth Responsory.
I will love Thee, &c., (p. 304.)
Sixth Lesson.
HERE, then, the elect are still sub-
ject to sorrow, being yet bound by
the sentence of corruption; but when
we shall have put off this corruptible
we shall be loosed from that sentence,
and shall sorrow no more. For though
we earnestly desire to appear before
God, we are still let by the burden of
this dying body. Rightly then are we
called prisoners, since we are not free
to go whither we will, that is to say, to
God; and rightly did the prisoner Paul,
yearning after the things which are
eternal, and still weighed down with
the burden of this corruptible, rightly
did he cry out: "I have a desire to
depart and to be with Christ." (Phil. i.
23.) He would not have felt this keen-
ness if he had not felt himself bound
down.
Sixth Responsory.
The earth, &c., (p. 304.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to Matthew (viii.
23.)
ᎪᎢ
T that time: When JESUS was en-
tered into a ship, His disciples fol-
lowed Him; and, behold, there arose a
great tempest in the sea, insomuch that
the ship was covered by the waves: but
He was asleep. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. i. Comm. on Matth.
viii.)
The fifth sign that He did was when
He took ship at Capernaum, and com-
manded the winds and the sea: the
sixth, when, in the country of the Ger-
gesenes, He suffered the devils to enter
into the swine: the seventh, when, as
He came into His own city, He cured
the man sick of the palsy lying on a bed.
The first man sick of the palsy that He
cured was the centurion's servant.
Seventh Responsory.
Unto Thee, O LORD, &c., (p. 305.)
"BUT
Eighth Lesson.
He was asleep; and His dis-
ciples came to Him, and awoke
Him, saying: Lord, save us." There
is a type of this in the history of Jonah,
who, when the storm arose, was lying
fast asleep, and whom the sailors woke
to help them; who also saved the sailors
by commanding them to throw him into
the sea, the said casting of him into the
sea, being, as we know, a figure of
Christ's Passion.
Then He arose and rebuked the
winds and the sea." From these words
we understand that all things, which
have been made, are sentient to their
Maker. All things which He rebuketh
or commandeth, hear His voice. This is
not the error of the heretics who will
have it that everything is quick, but
part of the majesty of the Creator, Who
maketh to feel Him things which we
cannot make to feel us.
Eighth Responsory.
One Seraph cried, &c., (p. 305.)
312
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
"BUT
Ninth Lesson.
UT the men marvelled, saying:
What manner of man is this, that
even the winds and the sea obey Him?"
It was not His disciples that marvelled,
but the sailors, and the others that were
in the ship. If, however, any one will-
eth to withstand this our interpreta-
tion and to maintain that it was the
disciples who marvelled, we are ready
to answer them that they who knew not
before the power of the Saviour deserve
to be stripped of the title of disciples,
and to be called simply "the men.'
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When JESUS was entered into a ship, *
there arose a great tempest in the sea:
and His disciples awoke Him, saying:
Lord, save us: we perish.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
0
GOD, Who knowest us to be set in
the midst of so many and great
dangers, that, by reason of the frailty
of our nature, we cannot always stand
upright; grant to us such health of mind
and body, that by Thy strength and pro-
tection we may overcome all evils,
whereby for our sins we are justly af-
flicted. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
One God, world without end. Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Lord, save us: we perish:
give the word, O God, and let there be
a great calm!
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Phi-
lippians (iv. 1.)
THEREFORE, my brethren dearly
beloved and longed for, my joy and
my crown; so stand fast in the Lord,
my dearly beloved. I beseech Euodias
and entreat Syntyché, that they be of
the same mind in the Lord. And I
entreat thee also, true yoke-fellow,¹ help
those women which laboured with me
in the Gospel, with Clement² also, and
with other my fellow-labourers, whose
names are in the book of life.
First Responsory.
O how great, &c., (p. 298.)
Second Lesson.
REJOICE in the Lord alway: again I
say, Rejoice. Let your moderation
be known unto all men for the Lord is
at hand. Be careful for nothing; but
in everything by prayer and supplica-
tion, with thanksgiving, let your re-
quests be made known unto God. And
may the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ JESUS.
Second Responsory.
O God, &c., (p. 298.)
Third Lesson.
FINALLY, brethren, whatsoever things
are true, whatsoever things are ho-
nest, whatsoever things are just, what-
soever things are holy, whatsoever things
are lovely, whatsoever things are of good
report, if there be any virtue, and if there
be any praise of obedience, think on these
things. Those things which ye have both
learned, and received, and heard, and seen
in me, do, and the God of peace shall be
with you. But I rejoiced in the Lord
greatly, that now at the last your care of
me hath flourished again, wherein ye were
also careful: but ye lacked opportunity.
Third Responsory.
I will bless, &c., (p. 299.)
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Epistle of the Blessed
Apostle Paul to the Colossians (i. 1.)
an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by
the will of God, and Timothy our
PAUL,
1 A very common opinion is that this is the Bishop, the bearer of the letter.
2 Afterwards Pope. Nov. 23.
3 Abp. Kenrick says: "The letter was written during the imprisonment of the Apostle
at Rome, about the year 62.”
FOURTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
313
brother, to the saints and faithful bre-
thren in Christ JESUS, which are at Co-
lossæ. Grace be unto you and peace
from God our Father, and from the
Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to
God and the Father of our Lord JESUS
Christ, praying always for you, since we
heard of your faith in Christ JESUS, and
of the love which ye have to all the
Saints, for the hope which is laid up
for you in heaven, whereof ye heard
before in the word of the truth of the
Gospel, which is come unto you, as it
is in all the world, and bringeth forth
fruit, and waxeth strong, as it doth also
in you, since the day ye heard of it, and
knew the grace of God in truth; as ye
also heard of Epaphras our dear fellow-
servant,¹ who is for you a faithful mi-
nister of Christ JESUS; who also de-
clared unto us your love in the Spirit.
First Responsory.
O God, give ear, &c., (p. 299.)
Second Lesson.
FOR this cause we also, since the day
we heard it, do not cease to pray
for you, and to desire that ye may be
filled with the knowledge of His will,
in all wisdom and spiritual understand-
ing; that ye may walk worthy of God,
in all pleasing, being fruitful in every
good work, and increasing in the know-
ledge of God; strengthened with all
might, according to His glorious power,
in all patience and long-suffering, giv-
ing thanks with joyfulness unto the Fa-
ther, Which hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the Saints
in light.
Second Responsory.
The Lord hath set, &c., (p. 299.)
Third Lesson.
WHO
HO hath delivered us from the
power of darkness, and hath trans-
lated us into the kingdom of His dear
Son, in Whom we have redemption
through His Blood, even the forgiveness
of sins: Who is the image of the invi-
sible God, the First-born of every crea-
ture; for by Him were all things created,
that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities,
or Powers; all things were created by
Him, and in Him, and He is before all,
and in Him all things consist. And He
is the Head of the body of the Church;
Who is the Beginning, the First-born
from the dead.
Third Responsory.
I said, &c., (p. 300.)
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Co-
lossians (iii. 12.)
put on, therefore, as the elect of God,
holy and beloved, bowels of mercy,
kindness, humbleness, meekness, long-
suffering: forbearing one another, and
forgiving one another, if any man have
a quarrel against any; even as the Lord
hath forgiven you, so also do ye. And
above all these things put on charity,
which is the bond of perfectness; and
let the peace of Christ rule in your
hearts, to the which also ye are called
in one body; and be ye thankful.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
Second Lesson.
ET the word of Christ dwell in you
richly, in all wisdom, teaching and
admonishing one another in psalms, and
hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with
grace in your hearts to the Lord. What-
soever ye do in word or deed, do all in
the Name of the Lord JESUS Christ,
giving thanks to God and the Father by
Him.
Wives submit yourselves unto
your own husbands, as it is fit in the
Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and
be not bitter against them. Children,
obey your parents in all things: for this
is well pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers,
provoke not your children to anger, lest
they be discouraged.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
¹ Probably their Bishop, (and first Apostle.)
314
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Third Lesson.
ERVANTS, obey in all things your
SER
masters according to the flesh, not
with eye-service, as men-pleasers, but
in singleness of heart, fearing God.
Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to
the Lord, and not unto men, knowing
that of the Lord ye shall receive the re-
ward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord
Christ. For he that doeth wrong shall
receive for the wrong which he hath
done: and there is no respect of persons
with God. (iv. 1.) Masters, give unto
your servants that which is just and
equal, knowing that ye also have a
Master in heaven. Continue in prayer,
and watch in the same with thanks-
giving.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, &c., (p. 300.)
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
1
Here beginneth the First Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle Paul to the Thessa-
lonians (i. 1.)
PAUL, and Silvanus, and Timothy,
unto the Church of the Thessalo-
nians, which is in God the Father, and
in the Lord JESUS Christ. Grace be
unto you and peace. We give thanks
to God always for you all, making men-
tion of you in our prayers without ceas-
ing, remembering the work of your faith,
and labour, and love, and patience of
hope in our Lord JESUS Christ, in the
sight of God and our Father: knowing,
brethren beloved of God, your election;
for our Gospel came not unto you in
word only, but also in power, and in the
Holy Ghost, and in much fulness, as ye
know what manner of men we were among
you for your sake.
First Responsory.
In Thee, O God, &c., (p. 301.)
Second Lesson.
A ND ye became followers of us, and of
the Lord, receiving the word in
much affliction, with joy of the Holy
Ghost, so that ye were ensamples to all
that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.
For from you sounded out the word of
the Lord, not only in Macedonia and
Achaia, but also in every place your
faith to God-ward is spread abroad, so
that we need not to speak anything.
For they themselves show of us what
manner of entering in we had unto you;
and how ye turned to God from idols, to
serve the living and true God, and to
wait for His Son from heaven (Whom
He raised from the dead) even JESUS,
Who hath delivered us from the wrath
to come.
Second Responsory.
Let my mouth, &c., (p. 301.)
Third Lesson.
FOR yourselves, brethren, know our
entrance in unto you, that it was
not vain; but even after that we had
suffered before, and were shamefully en-
treated, as ye know, at Philippi,2 we
were bold in our God to speak unto you
the Gospel of God with much careful-
ness. For our exhortation was not of
deceit, nor of uncleanness, nor in guile :
but as we were approved of God to be
put in trust with the Gospel, even so we
speak, not as pleasing men, but God,
Which trieth our hearts. For neither
at any time used we flattering words, as
ye know, nor made occasion of covetous-
ness-God is witness; nor of men sought
we glory, neither of you, nor yet of
others.
Third Responsory.
My lips, &c., (p. 301.)
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul to
the Thessalonians (iv. 1.)
FURTHERMORE, then, we beseech
you, brethren, and exhort you by
1 Abp. Kenrick says: "This letter is believed to be the first of [St. Paul's] epistles. It
is ascribed to the close of the year 51, or the beginning of 52; though some date it as late
as the year 54.'
2 Acts xvi. 22 et seq.
FOURTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
315
the Lord JESUS, that as ye have re-
ceived of us how ye ought to walk and
to please God, so ye would walk, that
ye may abound more and more. For ye
know what commandments I gave you
by the Lord JESUS. For this is the will
of God, even your sanctification; that
ye should abstain from fornication, that
every one of you should know how to
possess his vessel in sanctification and
honour; not in the passion of lust, even
as the Gentiles, which know not God.
First Responsory.
I will praise, &c., (p. 302.)
Second Lesson.
AND let no man go beyond, nor de-
fraud his brother in any matter,
because that the Lord is the avenger of
all such, as we have forewarned you,
and testified. For God hath not called
us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness.
He therefore that despiseth [these com-
mands] despiseth not man, but God;
Who hath also given us His Holy Spirit.
Second Responsory.
Great, O Lord, &c., (p. 302.)
Third Lesson.
BUT as touching brotherly love, ye
need not that I write unto you:
for ye yourselves are taught of God to
love one another. But indeed ye do it
toward all the brethren which are in all
Macedonia. But we beseech you, bre-
thren, that ye increase more and more,
and that ye study to be quiet, and to do
your own business, and to work with
your own hands, as we commanded you;
and that ye walk honestly toward them
that are without, and covet no man's
goods.
Third Responsory.
The LORD is, &c., (p. 302.)
Zaturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the ¹Second Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Thes-
salonians (i. 1.)
PAUL, and Silvanus, and Timothy,
unto the Church of the Thessalo-
nians in God our Father, and in the
Lord JESUS Christ. Grace unto you,
and peace, from God our Father, and
the Lord JESUS Christ. We are bound
to thank God always for you, brethren,
as it is meet, because that your faith
groweth exceedingly, and the charity of
every one of you all toward each other
aboundeth: so that we ourselves glory
in you in the Churches of God, for your
patience and faith, in all your persecu-
tions and tribulations that ye endure, as
a manifest token of the righteous judg-
ment of God, that ye may be counted
worthy in the kingdom of God, for which
ye also suffer.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
BGod to
BUT
Second Lesson.
UT if it is a righteous thing with
God to recompense tribulation to
them that trouble you; ye who are
troubled shall receive rest with us, when
the Lord JESUS shall be revealed from
heaven with His mighty angels, in
flaming fire, taking vengeance on them
that know not God, and that obey not
the Gospel of our Lord JESUS Christ:
who shall be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the
Lord, and from the glory of His power,
when He shall come to be glorified in
His Saints, and to be admired in all
them that believe; because our testi-
mony among you is committed for proof
to that day. Wherefore also we pray
always for you, that our God would
1 Abp. Kenrick says: "The preceding letter, especially that portion of it which re-
ferred to the last judgment, (iv. 13 et seq.) having produced a deep impression on the
Thessalonians, some one took occasion to forge another in the name of the Apostle, an-
nouncing that the judgment itself was at hand. The report of the terror which this an-
nouncement spread soon reached St. Paul, who hastened to relieve them from their
distressed state of mind, by assuring them that a great apostacy must first take place,
and the great enemy of Christ must appear, before the final judgment of mankind. He
did not, however, fail to set forth this event in all its terrific character, &c."
316
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
make you worthy of His calling, and
fulfil all the good pleasure of His good-
ness, and the work of faith with power,
that the name of our Lord JESUS Christ
may be glorified in you, and ye in Him,
according to the grace of our God, and
the Lord JESUS Christ.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
Third Lesson. (ii.)
BUT we beseech you, brethren, by the
coming of our Lord JESUS Christ,
and our gathering together in Him, that
ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor be
troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or
by letter, as sent by us, as that the day
of the Lord is at hand. Let no man
deceive you by any means: for that
day shall not come except there come
falling-away first, and that man of sin
be revealed, the son of perdition, who
opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that is called God, so that he sitteth in
the temple of God, showing himself as
though he were God.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, O my Strength, &c., (p.
300.)
VESPERS.
The Prayer is taken from the Lauds
of the succeeding Sunday.
Fifth Sunday after the
Epiphany.
The Fifth Lord's Day after the
Epiphany.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the First Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle Paul to Timothy,¹
(i. 1.)
PAUL,
an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by
the commandment of God our Sa-
viour, and Christ JESUS our hope-Unto
1 Jan. 24.
Timothy, my beloved son in the faith-
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the
Father, and Christ JESUS our Lord. As
I besought thee to abide still at Ephe-
sus, when I went into Macedonia, that
thou mightest charge some that they
teach no other doctrine, neither give
heed to fables, and endless genealogies,
which minister questions, rather than
the edifying which is of God in faith.
First Responsory.
O LORD, rebuke me not, &c., (p. 303.)
Second Lesson.
NOW the end of the commandment is
charity, out of a pure heart, and
of a good conscience, and of faith un-
feigned. From which some having
swerved have turned aside unto vain
jangling, desiring to be teachers of the
law, understanding neither what they
say, nor whereof they affirm. But we
know that the law is good, if a man use
it lawfully; knowing this, that the law
is not made for a righteous man, but for
the lawless and disobedient, for the un-
godly and for sinners, for unholy and
profane, for murderers of fathers and
murderers of mothers, for manslayers,
and whoremongers, for them that defile
themselves with mankind, for men-
stealers, for liars and perjurers, and if
there be any other thing that is con-
trary to sound doctrine, according to
the glorious Gospel of the blessed God,
which was committed to my trust.
Second Responsory.
O God, Which satest, &c., (p. 303.)
Third Lesson.
THANK Him Who hath enabled me,
even our Lord the Christ of God,
for that He counted me faithful, putting
me into the ministry; who was before a
blasphemer, and a persecutor, and in-
jurious; but I obtained the mercy of
God, because I did it ignorantly in un-
belief. And the grace of our Lord was
exceeding abundant with faith and love
which is in Christ JESUS. This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all ac-
ceptation, that Christ JESUS came into
this world to save sinners, of whom I
"This letter," says Abp. Kenrick, "is assigned by Hug to Pentecost of the
year 59, although others more generally date it as late as 64."
FIFTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
317
am chief. Howbeit, for this cause I
obtained mercy, that in me, first, JESUS
Christ might show forth all long-suf-
fering, for the teaching of them that
should hereafter believe on Him, to life
everlasting.
Third Responsory.
The Lord is at my right hand, &c.,
(p. 304.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(On the Words of the Apostles, 8.)
"THIS
HIS is a saying made for man,¹
and worthy of all acceptation,
that Christ JESUS came into this world
to save sinners." Listen to the words
of the Gospel :-"The Son of man is
come to seek, and to save that which
was lost." If man had not been lost,
the Son of man would not have come.
Wherefore, man had been lost; God
came made Man, and man was found;
man had perished by his own free will:
God made Man came by grace which
setteth free.
Fourth Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast shown me, &c.,
(p. 304.)
DOST
Fifth Lesson.
OST thou ask how free-will availeth
to evil? Call to mind a sinner-
Dost thou ask what God made Man
availeth to help? Consider in Him the
grace which setteth free. There is no
example which so showeth what availeth
the free will of man, when it is taken
possession of by pride, to use it without
God's help, of evil is there no greater
and plainer example, than the first man.
The first man fell: and where had he
been if the second Man had not come ?
As the first was man, so was the second
Man, and therefore is this saying a say-
ing made for man.
Fifth Responsory.
I will love Thee, O LORD, &c., (p.
304.)
1 This is the reading of the old Latin version.
NE
Sixth Lesson.
EITHER is there any example which
so showeth what availeth the ten-
derness of the grace and the abundance
of the All-might of God, as the Man
That is the Mediator between God and
men, the Man Christ JESUS. For what
do we say, my brethren? I speak to
them that have been bred up in the Ca-
tholic Church, or who have been recon-
ciled to that Church. We know and
hold that the Mediator between God and
men, the Man Christ JESUS, as touching
His Manhood, is of the same nature as
For our flesh is not of one nature,
and His Flesh of another nature, neither
our soul of one nature and His Soul of
another nature. He took upon Himself
the same nature which He had freely
ordained to save.
we.
Sixth Responsory.
The earth is the LORD'S, &c., (p.304.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to Matthew (xiii.
24.)
T that time: JESUS put forth unto
the multitudes this parable: The
Kingdom of heaven is likened unto a
man which sowed good seed in his field.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Quæst. Evan. Matth. xi.,
Bk. 4.)
When the Shepherds of the Church
wax careless, and since the Apostles
sleep the sleep of death, cometh the
devil, and soweth them whom the Lord
calleth "a seed of evil-doers." Now,
are these "seed of evil-doers" the here-
tics, or Catholics of bad lives? It is
possible to call even the heretics a “seed
of evil-doers" because they have sprung
up from the seed of the Gospel, and
been begotten in the Name of Christ,
though afterwards they have turned
after crooked ways and lying doctrines.
Seventh Responsory.
Unto Thee, O LORD, &c., (p. 305.)
2 Matth. xviii. 11.
318
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
BUT
Eighth Lesson.
UT whereas it is written that they
were sown in the midst of the
wheat, we ought haply to understand
that they are of one communion with
the righteous. Nevertheless, forasmuch
as the Lord saith, "The field is the
world," (and not, the Church,) we may
well understand that the "seed of evil
doers" are the heretics, since in this
world they are mingled together with
the good, not in one common Commu-
nion, but only under one common name
of Christian. But they which are of
one faith with the good seed, and yet
are themselves worthless, may more
fitly be likened to straw than to tares,
since the straw springeth from one soiĺ
and one root with the good ear.
Eighth Responsory.
One Seraph cried, &c., (p. 305.)
Ninth Lesson.
HOWEVER, as touching the net cast
into the sea, and enclosing a great
multitude of fishes, both bad and good,
we may well understand that by the
bad are meant Catholics of bad lives.
For the sea is one thing whereby we
may understand to be signified the
world; and the net another, which
seemeth to signify our faith, or the
Communion of one Church. Between
heretics and sinful Catholics there is
this difference, that heretics believe a
lie, and sinful Catholics believe the
truth, but live not as they believe.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,"
&c., is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in
thy field? From whence then hath it
tares? And he saith unto them: An
enemy hath done this.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
0
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
VESPERS.
*
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The master saith: Gather ye
together first the tares, and bind them
in bundles to burn them; but gather
the wheat into my barn.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul to
Timothy (iii. 1.)
HIS is a true saying: If a man de-
THIS
sire the office of a Bishop, be de-
sireth a good work. A Bishop then
must be blameless, the husband of one
wife, sober, prudent, of good behaviour,
modest, given to hospitality, apt to
teach, not given to wine, no striker,
but patient; not a brawler, not cove-
tous; one that ruleth well his own
house; having his children in subjec-
tion with all modesty. For if a man
know not how to rule his own house,
how shall he take care of the Church of
God? Not a novice, lest being lifted
up with pride, he fall into the condem-
nation of the devil. Moreover, he must
have a good report of them which are
without, lest he fall into reproach, and
the snare of the devil.

First Responsory.
O how great, &c., (p. 298.)
L'
Second Lesson.
IKEWISE must the Deacons be
chaste, not double-tongued, not
given to much wine, not greedy of
filthy lucre, holding the mystery of
the faith in a pure conscience. And let
these also first be proved; then let
them use the office of a Deacon, being
found blameless. Even so must the
women¹ be grave, not slanderers, sober,
faithful in all things. Let the Dea-
cons be the husbands of one wife; rul-
ing their children and their own houses
well. For they that have used the
¹ Probably Deaconesses.
LORD, we beseech Thee to keep
Thy family continually in godli-
ness, that they who do lean only upon
the hope of Thy heavenly grace, may
evermore be defended by Thy mighty
power. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
FIFTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
319
office of a Deacon well, purchase to
themselves a good degree, and great
boldness in the faith, which is in Christ
JESUS.
Second Responsory.
O God, &c., (p. 298.)
Third Lesson.
HESE things write I unto thee, hop-
THE
ing to come unto thee shortly; but
if I tarry long, that thou mayest know
how thou oughtest to behave thyself in
the house of God, which is the Church
of the living God, the pillar and ground
of the truth. And, without contro-
versy, great is the mystery of godliness,
which was manifest in the flesh, justi-
fied in the Spirit, seen of Angels,
preached unto the Gentiles, believed on
in the world, received up into glory.
(iv. 1.) But the Spirit speaketh ex-
pressly that in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed
to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils.
Third Responsory.
I will bless, &c., (p. 299.)
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the 'Second Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to Timothy
(i. 1.)
PAUL, an Apostle of JESUS Christ, by
the will of God, according to the
promise of life which is in Christ JESUS,
to Timothy, my dearly beloved son,
grace, mercy, and peace from God the
Father, and Christ JESUS our Lord. I
thank God, Whom I serve from my fore-
fathers with pure conscience, that with-
out ceasing I have remembrance of thee
in my prayers, night and day greatly
desiring to see thee, being mindful of
thy tears, that I may be filled with joy,
when I call to remembrance the un-
feigned faith that is in thee, which
dwelt first in thy grandmother Loïs,
and thy mother Eunicé; and I am per-
suaded that in thee also.
First Responsory.
O God, give ear, &c., (p. 299.)
WH
Second Lesson.
HEREFORE, I put thee in remem-
brance that thou stir up the gift
of God which is in thee by the putting
on of my hands. For God hath not
given us the spirit of fear, but of power,
and of love, and of soberness. Be not
thou therefore ashamed of the testimony
of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner:
but be thou partaker of the afflictions of
the Gospel according to the power of
God, Who hath saved us, and called us
with His holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to His own
purpose and grace which was given us
in Christ JESUS before the world began.
Second Responsory.
The Lord hath set, &c., (p. 299.)
BUT i
Third Lesson.
it is now made manifest by the
light of our Saviour JESUS Christ,
Who hath abolished death, and hath
brought life and immortality to light
through the Gospel, whereunto I am
appointed a preacher, and an Apostle,
and a teacher of the Gentiles. For the
which cause I also suffer these things;
nevertheless I am not ashamed. For I
know Whom I have believed, and am
persuaded that He is able to keep that
which I have committed unto Him
against that day. Hold fast the form of
sound words which thou hast heard of
me, in faith and love which is in Christ
JESUS.
Third Responsory.
I said, &c., (p. 300.)
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul
to Timothy (iii. 1.)
THIS know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come: for men
•
have induced the general
1 Archbishop Kenrick says, "The mention of the approaching consummation of [St.
Paul's] ministry in the last chapter, and some facts
opinion that this was the last letter from his pen."
320
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
shall be lovers of their own selves, cove-
tous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, dis-
obedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
without natural affection, contentious,
false accusers, incontinent, fierce, dis-
courteous, traitors, heady, high-minded,
and lovers of pleasure more than lovers
of God; having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof. And from
such turn away.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
Second Lesson.
OR of this sort are they which creep
FOR
into houses, and lead captive silly
women laden with sins, led away with
divers lusts, ever learning and never
able to come to the knowledge of the
truth. Now, as Jannes and Mambres¹
withstood Moses, so do these also resist
the truth, men of corrupt minds, repro-
bate concerning the faith: but they shall
proceed no further; for their folly shall
be manifest unto all men, as theirs also
was.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
Third Lesson.
UT thou hast been a diligent follower
BUT
2
of my doctrine, manner of life,
purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity,
patience, persecutions, afflictions, which
came unto me at Antioch, Iconium,
and Lystra, what persecutions I_en-
dured; but out of them all the Lord
delivered me. Yea, and all that will
live godly in Christ JESUS shall suffer
persecution. But evil men and seducers
shall wax worse and worse, deceiving
and being deceived.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, &c., (p. 300.)
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle Paul to ³Titus (i. 1.)
PAUL, a servant
a servant of God, and an Apostle
of JESUS Christ, according to the
faith of God's elect, and the acknow-
ledging of the truth which is after god-
liness, in hope of eternal life which God,
That cannot lie, promised before the world
began, but hath in His own times mani-
fested His word through preaching,
which is committed unto me according
to the commandment of God our Sa-
viour; to Titus, my beloved son after
the common faith; grace unto thee, and
peace, from God the Father, and JESUS
Christ our Saviour.
First Responsory.
In Thee, O God, &c., (p. 301.)
FOR
Second Lesson.
this cause left I thee in Crete,
that thou shouldest set in order the
things that are wanting, and ordain
Priests in every city, as also I have ap-
pointed thee. If any be blameless, the
husband of one wife, having faithful
children, not accused of riot or unruly.
For a Bishop must be blameless, as the
steward of God, not proud, not soon
angry, not given to wine, no striker,
not given to filthy lucre; but a lover of
hospitality, courteous, sober, just, holy,
temperate, holding fast the faithful word
as he hath been taught; that he may
be able by sound doctrine both to exhort
and to convince the gainsayers.
Second Responsory.
Let my mouth, &c., (p. 301.)
FOR
Third Lesson.
there are also many unruly, vain
talkers and deceivers, specially they
1 According to Jewish tradition, they were warlocks, disciples of Balaam, who were
called in by Pharaoh to oppose Moses in Egypt, and who afterwards accompanied Balaam
when he went to curse Israël. The form of their names slightly varies. Accepted Greek,
and Vatican Codex, "Jannes and Jambres." Midrash Rabbah, "Yuchni and Mamré."
Jonathan ben Uzziel, "Yanis and Yambris," or "Yamreh."
2 Acts xiii. 50-xiv. 19.
* A Gentile disciple, and (probably) convert, of St. Paul, by whom he was made Bishop
in Crete. See Alban Butler. Jan. 4.
FIFTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
321
of the circumcision; whose mouths must
be stopped; who subvert whole houses,
teaching things which they ought not,
for filthy lucre's sake. One of them-
selves, even a prophet of their own,¹
said:
"The Cretans are alway liars,
evil beasts, slow bellies.". This witness
is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply,
that they may be sound in the faith, not
giving heed to Jewish fables, and com-
mandments of men, that turn from the
truth. Unto the pure all things are
pure; but unto them that are defiled
and unbelieving is nothing pure.
Third Responsory.
My lips, &c., (p. 301.)
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to Titus (ii.
15.)
THESE things speak, and exhort, and
rebuke with all authority. Let no
man despise thee..(iii. 1.) Put them
in mind to be subject to princes and
powers, to obey orders, to be ready to
every good work, to speak evil of no
man, to be no brawlers, but gentle,
showing all meekness unto all men.
First Responsory.
I will praise, &c., (p. 302.)
FOR
Second Lesson.
Second Responsory.
Great, O Lord, &c., (p. 302.)
Third Lesson,
THIS is a faithful saying, and these
things I will that thou affirm con-
stantly, that they which have believed
in God should be careful to maintain
good works. These things are good and
profitable unto men. But avoid foolish
questions, and genealogies, contentions,
and strivings about the law; for they
are unprofitable and vain. A man that
is an heretic after the first and second
admonition avoid, knowing that he that
is such is subverted, and sinneth, being
condemned of his own judgment.
Third Responsory.
The Lord is, &c., (p. 302.)
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle Paul to Philemon (1.)
PAUL, a prisoner of JESUS Christ, and
Timothy our brother, unto Phile-
mon our dearly beloved and fellow-la-
bourer, and to our beloved sister Appia,
and Archippus our fellow-soldier, and
to the Church in thy house. Grace to
you, and peace, from God our Father
and the Lord JESUS Christ. I thank
my God, making mention of thee always
in
my prayers, hearing of thy love, and
faith which thou hast toward the Lord
JESUS, and toward all saints: that the
communication of thy faith may become
evident by the acknowledging of every
good work which is in you in Christ
JESUS.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
OR we ourselves also were some-
times foolish, unbelieving, deceived,
serving divers lusts and pleasures, living
in malice and envy, hateful, and hating
one another. But after that the kind-
ness and love of God our Saviour ap-
peared, not by works of righteousness
which we have done, but according to
His mercy He saved us, by the laver of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy FOR. I have had great joy and consola-
Ghost, Which He shed on us abundantly
through JESUS Christ our Saviour: that,
being justified by His grace, we should
be made heirs, according to the hope of
eternal life.
Second Lesson.
tion in thy love, because the bowels
of the saints are refreshed by thee,
brother. Wherefore, though I might
be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee
that which is convenient, yet for love's
1 Epimenides.
Y
322
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
sake I rather beseech thee, being such
an one as Paul the aged, and now also
a prisoner of JESUS Christ. I beseech
thee for my son Onesimus,¹ whom I
have begotten in my bonds, which in
time past was to thee unprofitable, but
now profitable to thee, and to me, whom
I have sent again to thee.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
Third Lesson.
THO
HOU therefore receive him as mine
own bowels; whom I would have
retained with me, that in thy stead he
might have ministered unto me in the
bonds of the Gospel but without thy
mind would I do nothing, that thy be-
nefit should not be, as it were, of ne-
unto the fathers by the Prophets, hath
in these last days spoken unto us by
His Son, Whom He hath appointed
Heir of all things, by Whom also He
made the worlds: Who, being the bright-
ness of His glory, and the express image
of His Substance, and upholding all
things by the word of His power, when
He had purged our sins, sat down on
the right hand of the Majesty on high:
being made so much better than the
angels, as He hath by inheritance ob-
tained a more excellent name than they.
First Responsory.
O God, rebuke me not, &c., (p. 303.)
Second Lesson.
cessity, but willingly. For perhaps he FOR unto which of the angels said
therefore departed for a season from
thee, that thou shouldest receive him
for ever; not now as a servant, but, in-
stead of a servant, a brother beloved,
specially to me; but how much more
unto thee, in the flesh, and in the Lord?
If thou count me therefore a partner,
receive him as myself. If he hath
wronged thee, or oweth thee aught, put
that on mine account. I, Paul, have
written it with mine own hand.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, O my Strength, &c., (p.
300.)
VESPERS.
The Prayer is taken from the Lands
of the succeeding Sunday.
Sirth Sunday after the
Epiphany.
The Sixth Lord's Day after the
Epiphany.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Epistle of the Blessed
Apostle Paul to the Hebrews (i. 1.)
GOD, Who at sundry times and in
divers manners spake in time past
1 A run-away slave.
4 Ps. xcvi. 7.
7 Ps. ci. 25—27.
He at any time: "Thou art My
Son, this day have I begotten Thee 2
And again: "I will be to Him a Fa-
ther, and He shall be to Me a Son ?"3
And again, when He bringeth in the
First-begotten into the world, He saith:
"And let all the angels of God worship
Him."4
And of the angels He saith:
"Who maketh His angels spirits, and
His ministers a flame of fire." But
unto the Son He saith: "Thy throne,
O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre
of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy
kingdom. Thou hast loved righteous-
ness and hated iniquity: therefore God,
even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with
the oil of gladness above Thy fellows."
Second Responsory.
O God, Which satest, &c., (p. 303.)
Third Lesson.
AND: "Thou, Lord, in the begin-
ning hast laid the foundation of
the earth, and the heavens are the works
of Thine hands. They shall perish, but
Thou remainest; and they all shall wax
old as doth a garment, and as a vesture
shalt Thou change them, and they shall
be changed; but Thou art the Same,
and Thy years shall not fail." But to
which of the angels said He at any
time: "Sit Thou at My right hand,
until I make Thine enemies Thy foot-
2 Ps. ii. 7.
5 Ps. ciii. 4.
3 2 Kings (Sam.) vii. 14.
6 Ps. xliv. 6, 7.
SIXTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
323
stool", 1 Are they not all minister-
ing spirits, sent forth to minister for
them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Third Responsory.
The Lord is at My right hand, &c.,
(p. 304.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Athanasius, Pope [of Alex-
andria.] (2nd against the Arians.)
IF
F the heretics had but known the
person, the matter, and the times
of the Apostle who spoke, they would
never have spoken of Godhead as if It
were human, nor borne themselves so
wickedly, and withal so foolishly against
Christ. It will be permitted to us to
return, and to take again the first words
of the Lesson. The Apostle then saith:
"God, Who at sundry times and in di-
vers manners, spake in time past unto
the fathers by the Prophets, hath in
these last days spoken unto us by His Son"
—and again, a little farther on: "When
the Son had purged our sins, He sat
down on the right hand of the Majesty on
high: being made so much better than
the angels as He hath by inheritance ob-
tained a more excellent name than they."
The Apostle here expressly nameth the
times wherein God hath spoken unto us
by His Son, and wherein the Same His
Son hath purged our sins; for when
hath He spoken unto us by His Son,
when did the Son purge our sins, or
when was He born a Man, but since
God spake unto the Fathers by the Pro-
phets, namely, in these last days?
Fourth Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast shown me, &c.,
(p. 304.)
Fifth Lesson.
THE Apostle, about to enter on the
subject of the Word's human dispen-
sation and the last days, naturally men-
tioneth first that God had not up to those
days been silent, but had spoken unto
the fathers by the Prophets: and, after
the Prophets had discharged their office,
and the law had been given by the mi-
1 Ps. cix. 1.
nistry of angels, that the Son also came
down unto us to minister-and then he
addeth, "being made so much better
than the angels," to show that as the
Son differeth from a servant, so is the
ministry of the Son better than the duty
and office of servants.
Fifth Responsory.
I will love Thee, O LORD, &c., (p.
304.)
Sixth Lesson.
THE Apostle, therefore, seeing the dif-
ference between the new ministry
and the old, maketh very bold in writ-
ing and speaking to the Jews. For this
cause, therefore, he doth not compare
the details of the two ministries, and
then come to the general conclusion that
the new was greater or more honourable
than the old, (lest any should under-
stand that the two ministries were of
the same kind, and that the conclusion
that the new is better is arrived at by
comparing the degrees in each of things
which they had in common,) but he
saith that the Son, "was made better,"
to distinguish at once and completely
the nature of the Son from the nature
of things created.
Sixth Responsory.
The earth is the LORD'S, &c., (p. 304.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xiii. 31.)
ᎪᎢ
T that time: JESUS spake this pa-
rable unto the multitude: The
kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of
mustard-seed, which a man took and
sowed in his field. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Book ii. Comment. "on
Matth. xiii.)
The kingdom of heaven is the procla-
mation of the Gospel, and that know
ledge of the Scriptures, which leadeth
unto life, and whereof it is said to the
Jews, "The kingdom of God shall be
taken from you, and given to a na-
tion bringing forth the fruits thereof."
2 May 2.
J
Y 2
324
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
(Matth. xxi. 43.) Therefore is this
kingdom like to a grain of mustard-
seed, which a man took and sowed in
his field. By the man that sowed it in
his field, many understand to be meant
the Saviour, because He is the Sower
That soweth in the souls of believers;
others understand every man that sow-
eth good seed in his own field, that is,
in himself and in his own heart.
Seventh Responsory.
Unto Thee, O Lord, &c., (p. 305.)
WHO
Eighth Lesson.
HO is he that soweth, but our own
mind and soul, which take the
grain from preaching, and by nourish-
ing it in the soil, cause it to sprout in
the field of our own breast? The preach-
ing of the Gospel is the least of all doc-
trines. He that preacheth, for his first
lesson, God made man, Christ dead, and
the stumbling-block of the Cross, re-
ceiveth at first but little credit. Com-
pare such teaching as this with the doc-
trines of the Philosophers, with their
books, their magnificent eloquence, and
their rounded sentences, and thou shalt
see how the grain of the Gospel, when it
is sown, is the humblest of all seeds.
Eighth Responsory.
One Seraph cried, &c., (p. 305.)
Ninth Lesson.
UT when the doctrines of men grow
BUT
up, there is therein nothing pierc-
ing, nothing healthy, nothing life-giv-
ing. The plant is drooping, and delicate,
and soft. There are herbs and grass
whereof it may truly be said that "the
grass withereth and the flower fadeth.'
(Isa. xl. 8.) But the grain of Gospel
seed, though, when it was sown, it
seemed to be the least of all seeds, when
once it is rooted in the soul of man, or
in the whole world, groweth not into
an herb, but becometh a tree so that
the birds of the air (whereby we may
understand, either the souls of believers,
or the [angelic] powers bound to the
service of God,) come and lodge in the
branches thereof. I consider that the
branches of the Gospel tree, which grow-
eth from the grain of mustard-seed, are
the divers developments of doctrine, on
which the birds above mentioned find
resting-places.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God," &c., is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The kingdom of heaven * is like to a
grain of mustard-seed, which is the least
of all seeds, but, when it is grown, it is
the greatest among herbs.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
GR
RANT us, we beseech Thee, O Al-
mighty God, ever to think such
things as be reasonable, and in every
word and work of ours, to do always that
is well pleasing in Thy sight. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, One God, world
without end. Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The kingdom of heaven * is
like unto leaven, which a woman took
and hid in three measures of meal till
the whole was leavened.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle to
the Hebrews (iii. 1.)
WHEREFORE, holy brethren, par-
takers of the heavenly calling,
consider the Apostle and High Priest of
our confession, even JESUS; Who is
faithful to Him That hath appointed
Him, as also Moses was faithful in all
His house. For He was counted worthy
of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as
He Who hath builded the house hath
more honour than the house. For every
house is builded by some one; but He
That hath made all things, is God.
First Responsory.
O how great, &c., (p. 298.)
SIXTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
325
Second Lesson.
AND Moses verily was faithful in all
:
His house, as a servant, for a tes-
timony of those things which were to
be spoken after but Christ, as a Son,
over His own house; which house we
are, if we hold fast the confidence, and
the glory of the hope, firm unto the end.
Wherefore, as the Holy Ghost saith:
"To-day if ye will hear His voice,
harden not your hearts; as in the Pro-
vocation,' and as in the day of Temp-
tation' in the wilderness.”
Second Responsory.
O God, &c., (p. 298.)
Third Lesson.
TAKE heed, brethren, lest there be in
any of you an evil heart of unbe-
lief, in departing from the living God;
but exhort one another daily, while it
is called "To-day," lest any of you be
hardened through the deceitfulness of
sin. For we are made partakers of
Christ, if we hold the beginning of our
confidence¹ steadfast unto the end. While
it is said: "To-day, if ye will hear His
voice, harden not your hearts, as in 'the
Provocation'"-for some, when they
had heard, did provoke, howbeit not all
that came out of Egypt by Moses.
Third Responsory.
I will bless, &c., (p. 299.)
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle to
the Hebrews (iv. 1.)
LET us therefore fear, lest, a promise
being left us of entering into His
rest, any of you should seem to come
short of it. For unto us was the Gospel
preached, as well as unto them. But
1 See v. 6.
+
the word of hearing did not profit them,
not being mixed with faith in them
that heard it. For we which have be-
lieved do enter into rest, as He said:
"Unto whom I sware in My wrath, that
they should not enter into My rest"-
although the works were finished from
the foundation of the world.
First Responsory.
O God, give ear, &c., (p. 299.)
Second Lesson.
FOR He spake in a certain place (Gen.
ii. 2) of the seventh day on this
wise: "And God did rest the seventh
day from all His works.” And in this
place again: "They should not enter
into My rest." Seeing, therefore, it
remaineth that some must enter therein,
and they to whom it was first preached
entered not in, because of unbelief:
again He limiteth a certain day, saying
in David: "To-day"-(after so long a
time, as it is said above)-"To-day if
ye will hear His voice, harden not your
hearts."
Second Responsory.
The Lord hath set, &c., (p. 299.)
Third Lesson.
FOR if Jesus had given them rest,
then would He not afterward have
spoken of another day. There remain-
eth therefore a rests to the people of
God. For he that is entered into his
rest, he also hath ceased from his own
works, as God did from His. Let us
labour, therefore, to enter into that rest,
lest any man fall after the same ex-
ample of unbelief. For the word of God
is quick and powerful, and sharper than
any two-edged sword, piercing even to
the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart.
Third Responsory.
I said, &c., (p. 300.)
2 Viz. Joshua, or Josue-the name is the same which is Græcised, Latinised, and Angli-
cised into Jesus or Jesus.
3 Relinquitur sabbatismus; literally "the keeping of a Sabbath;" Rheims has, very
elegantly, “a day of rest," but there is nothing about a day in the original, and the words
are given in the text in that form in which they have become something like a pious
proverb.
326
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
t
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle to
the Hebrews (vi. 1.)
THEREFORE, leaving the principles
of the doctrine of Christ, let us go
unto things more perfect, not laying
again the foundation of repentance from
dead works, and of faith toward God, of
the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying
on of hands, and of resurrection of the
dead, and of eternal judgment. And
this will we do, if God permit.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
Ꭱ
Second Lesson.
FOR it is impossible for those who were
once enlightened, and have tasted
of the heavenly Gift, and were made
partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have
tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come, if they
shall fall away, to renew them again
unto repentance; seeing they crucify
to themselves the Son of God afresh, and
put Him to an open shame.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
Third Lesson.
FOR the earth which drinketh in the
rain that cometh oft upon it, and
bringeth forth herbs meet for them by
whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing
from God. But that which beareth
thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh
unto cursing: whose end is to be burned.
But, beloved, we are persuaded better
things of you, and things nearer to sal-
vation, though we so speak. For God
is not unrighteous, to forget your work,
and the love which ye have showed in
His name, in that ye have ministered
to the saints, and do minister.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, &c., (p. 300.)
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle to
the Hebrews (vii. 1.)
FOR this Melchisedeck, King of Salem,
Priest of the Most High God, who
met Abraham returning from the slaugh-
ter of the kings, and blessed him; to
whom also Abraham gave a tenth part
of all; first, being, by interpretation,
King of Righteousness, and, after that,
also King of Salem, which is, King of
Peace; without father, without mother,
without descent, having neither begin-
ning of days nor end of life, but made
like unto the Son of God, abideth a
Priest continually.

First Responsory.
In Thee, O God, &c., (p. 301.)
N°w
Second Lesson.
consider how great this man
was, unto whom even the Patriarch
Abraham gave the tenth of the choicest
spoils. And, verily, they that are of
the sons of Levi, who receive the office
of the priesthood, have a commandment
to take tithes of the people according to
the law, that is, of their brethren, though
they come out of the loins of Abraham.
But he whose descent is not counted
from them, received tithes of Abraham,
and blessed him that had the promises.
Second Responsory.
Let my mouth, &c., (p. 301.)
Third Lesson.
AND, without all contradiction, the
less is blessed of the greater. And
here men that die receive tithes: but
there, he receiveth them, of whom it is
witnessed that he liveth. And (as I
may say) Levi also, who receiveth tithes,
payed tithes in Abraham; for he was
yet in the loins of his father when Mel-
chisedeck met him. If therefore per-
fection were by the Levitical priesthood,
(for under it the people received the
law,) what further need was there that
another Priest should rise after the order
of Melchisedeck, and not be called after
the order of Aaron? For the priesthood
being moved there is made of necessity
a change also of the law.
SIXTH WEEK AFTER EPIPHANY.
327
Third Responsory.
My lips, &c., (p. 301.)
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle to
the Hebrews (xi. 1.)
Now
faith is the substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen. For by it the elders obtained
a good report. Through faith we under-
stand that the worlds were framed by
the word of God, so that things which
are seen were not made of things which
do appear. By faith Abel offered unto
God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain:
by which he obtained witness that he
was righteous, God testifying of his gifts,
and by it he, being dead, yet speaketh.
First Responsory.
I will praise, &c., (p. 302.)
BY!
Second Lesson.
Y faith Enoch was translated that he
should not see death, and was not
found, because God had translated him :
for, before his translation, he had this
testimony, that he pleased God. But
heirs with him of the same promise.
For he looked for a city which hath
foundations, whose Builder and Maker
is God.¹
Third Responsory.
The LORD is, &c., (p. 302.)
Zaturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle to
the Hebrews (xiii. 1.)
IET brotherly love continue among
you. Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers: for thereby some have enter-
tained angels unawares. Remember
them that are in bonds, as bound with
them; and them which suffer adversity,
as being yourselves also in the body.
Let marriage be honourable in all, and
the bed undefiled. But whoremongers
and adulterers God will judge.
First Responsory.
Cut me not off, &c., (p. 300.)
Second Lesson.
without faith it is impossible to please your conversation be without
LET
God. For he that cometh to God must
believe that He is, and that He is a re-
warder of them that diligently seek Him.
By faith, Noah, being warned of God of
things not seen as yet, moved with fear,
prepared an ark to the saving of his
house, by the which he condemned the
world, and became heir of the righteous-
ness which is by faith.
Second Responsory.
Great, O Lord, &c., (p. 302.)
Third Lesson.
BY faith he whose name is called
Abraham, obeyed the command to
covetousness, and be content with
such things as ye have. For He hath
said: "I will never leave thee, nor for-
sake thee:"2 so that we may boldly say:
"The LORD is my helper, and I will
not fear what man shall do unto me."3
Remember them which have the rule
over you, who have spoken unto you
the word of God; whose faith follow,
considering the end of their conversa-
tion, JESUS Christ, the Same yesterday,
and to-day, and for ever.
Second Responsory.
My heart is ready, &c., (p. 300.)
Third Lesson.
go out into a place which he should after BE not carried about with divers and
receive for an inheritance, and he went
out, not knowing whither he went. By
faith he sojourned in the land of pro-
mise, as in a strange country, dwelling
in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the
1 The reader is vehemently urged to finish
2 Josh. i. 5.
strange doctrines. For it is a good
thing that the heart be established with
grace, not with meats; which have not
profited them that have been occupied
therein. We have an Altar, whereof
reading this sublime chapter for himself.
3 Ps. cxvii. 6.
328
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
they have no right to eat which serve
the tabernacle. For the bodies of those
beasts whose blood is brought into the
Sanctuary by the High Priest for sin,
are burned without the camp. Where-
fore JESUS also, that He might sanctify
the people with His own Blood, suffered
without the gate.
Third Responsory.
Unto Thee, O my Strength, &c., (p.
300.)
Note. If there be less than six weeks
between the Epiphany and Septua-
gesima, as many of the foregoing weeks
as may be necessary are omitted, and
the Office commences on the evening be-
fore Septuagesima Sunday as imme-
diately hereafter given; but the Anti-
phons, Prayers, and Homilies of the
omitted Sundays are afterwards used
for the latter Sundays before Advent.
Saturday before Septuagesima
Zunday.
The Sabbath before the Lord's Day
within Seventy Days of Easter.
VESPERS.
The Chapter and Prayer are taken
from the Lauds of the next morning.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Lord said unto Adam:
Of the tree which is in the midst of the
garden thou shalt not eat: in the hour
that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely
die.
At the end, the words, "Bless we the
Lord," are said thus-
Verse. Bless we the Lord-Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Answer. Thanks be to God-Alleluia,
Alleluia.
This is the Farewell to the Alleluia,
which word is not uttered in the Office
again till Easter. At the Compline of
this evening and every other Service,
after the "Glory be to the Father, &c.,"
at the beginning, instead of " Alleluia,"
is said:
Ceaseless praise to Thee be given,
O Eternal King of heaven.
If the Vespers of this evening be of a
Festival, a Commemoration is made of
the Saturday, and the Farewell to the
Alleluia takes place as above.
If from Septuagesima to Low Sun-
day, both inclusive, a Feast fall on a
Sunday, it is transferred, unless it be
the Patronal Feast, or the Anniversary
of the Consecration of the Church where
the Service takes place, to which occa-
sions yield all the Sundays except the
First in Lent, and Passion, Palm,
Easter, and Low Sundays.
Septuagesima Sunday.
The Lord's Day within Seventy Days
of Easter.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Let 18 come before the
presence of the Lord: * and make a
joyful noise unto Him with Psalms.
The second half of the First Verse of
the XCIVth Psalm, ("Let us come,
&c.,") is omitted.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Book of Genesis
(i. 1.)
IN
N the beginning God created the hea-
vens and the earth. And the earth
was without form and void, and dark-
ness was upon the face of the deep:
and the Spirit of God moved upon the
face of the waters. And God said: Let
there be light. And there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was
good; and God divided the light from
the darkness; and God called the light
Day, and the darkness He called Night:
and the evening and the morning were
the first day. And God said: Let there
be a firmament in the midst of the wa-
ters, and let it divide the waters from
the waters. And God made the firma-
ment, and divided the waters which
were under the firmament from the wa-
ters which were above the firmament.
And it was so. And God called the fir-
mament Heaven: and the evening and
the morning were the second day.
First Responsory.
In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth, wherein He
SEPTUAGESIMA.
329
made man also, after His own image
and
Verse.
Third Lesson.
d likenesso God formed man of the Northbundantly the moving crea
So
dust of the ground, and breathed into
his face the breath of life.
Answer. After His own image and
likeness.
A
Second Lesson.
ND God said: Let the waters under
the heaven be gathered together
unto one place, and let the dry land ap-
pear. And it was so. And God called
the dry land, Earth; and the gathering
together of the waters called He Seas.
And God saw that it was good. And
God said; Let the earth bring forth the
green herb yielding seed, and the fruit-
tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose
seed is in itself, upon the earth. And
it was so. And the earth brought forth
the green herb yielding seed after his
kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose
seed was in itself, after his kind. And
God saw that it was good. And the
evening and the morning were the third
day. And God said: Let there be lights
in the firmament of the heaven, and let
them divide the day from the night;
and let them be for signs, and for sea-
sons, and for days and years; and let
them be for lights in the firmament of
heaven; and let them give light upon
the earth. And it was so. And God
made two great lights, the greater light
to rule the day; and the lesser light to
rule the night; He made the stars also.
And God set them in the firmament of
the heaven, to give light upon the earth,
and to rule over the day and over the
night, and to divide the light from the
darkness.
And God saw that it was
good. And the evening and the morn-
ing were the fourth day.
Second Responsory.
In the beginning God created the
heavens and the earth, and the Spirit
of God moved upon the face of the
waters. And God saw everything that
He had made, and it was very good.
Verse. Thus the heavens and the
earth were finished, and all the hosts of
them.
Answer. And God saw everything
that He had made, and it was very
good.
1 Gen. ii. 7.
ture that hath life, and fowl that may
fly above the earth in the open firma-
ment of heaven. And God created
great whales, and every living creature
that moveth, which the waters brought
forth abundantly after their kind, and
every winged fowl after his kind. And
God saw that it was good. And God
blessed them, saying: Be fruitful and
multiply, and fill the waters in the seas,
and let fowl multiply in the earth. And
the evening and the morning were the
fifth day. And God said: Let the earth
bring forth the living creature after his
kind, cattle and creeping thing, and
beast of the earth after his kind.
And it was so. And God made the
beast of the earth after his kind, and
cattle, and everything that creepeth
upon the earth after his kind. And
God saw that it was good. And God
said: Let Us make man after Our Own
image and likeness, and let him have
dominion over the fish of the sea, and
over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the
earth.
Third Responsory.
The LORD formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed into his face
the breath of life, and man became a
living soul.
Verse. In the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth, wherein He
made man also.
Answer. And breathed into his face
the breath of life, and man became a
living soul.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And breathed into his face
the breath of life, and man became a
living soul.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the book in-
tituled "The Handbook," written by
St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (Chaps.
xxv., xxvi., xxvii., tom. 3.)
THE Lord threatened man with the
punishment of death, in case he
3 Gen. ii. 1.
2 Gen. i. 31.
330
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
sinned. Thus did He gift him with
free will, while He yet kept His lord-
ship over him, and helped him with the
dread of destruction. And so He put
him in that happy garden, under the
very shadow of the tree of life, in that
good place from whence, had he kept
his righteousness, he might have passed
to a better. But the first man sinned,
and was banished from Eden, and in-
fected all his descendants with the dis-
ease of sin, poisoning their very root,
and bringing upon all that sentence of
death and damnation, which he had
earned for himself. So that all that
descend by fleshly generation from Adam,
and from the guilty woman, who was
the cause of his sin and the partaker
of his punishment, derive from them
original sin; whereby they are drawn
through a way of divers sins and sor-
rows, towards that final ruin which they
shall share with the rebel angels who
are at once their corrupters, their lords,
and their comrades,
Fourth Responsory.
God took the man and put him into
the garden of Eden, to dress it and to
keep it.
Verse. ¹And the LORD God had plant-
ed a garden aforetime in Eden, and there
He put the man whom He had formed.
Answer. To dress it and to keep it.
So
Fifth Lesson.
SO❝by one man sin entered into the
world, and death by sin, (and so
death passed upon all men,) in whom
all have sinned." (Rom. v. 12.) By the
world the Apostle signifieth in this place
all mankind. Thus then hath the mat-
ter stood. The damned mass of hu-
manity lay in misery, or rather wal-
lowed in it, and fell from bad to worse,
till it joined the company of the sin-
ning angels, and both together suffered
the deserved punishment of their vile
treason.
Fifth Responsory.
The LORD God said: It is not good
that the man should be alone. Let Us
make an help meet for him.
Verse. But for Adam there was not
1 i. 8.
found an help meet for him; and God
said-
Answer. Let Us make an help meet
for him.
Sixth Lesson.
Το
the wrath of God appertaineth
whatever sin man, through the
blind and untamed sting of his flesh,
willingly committeth, and whatever
punishment, declared and open, he un-
willingly suffereth. There is, indeed,
no pause in that goodness of the Creator
whereby He giveth even to the traitor
angels life and strength, (which if He
gave not, they would be annihilated,)
and whereby He formeth the seed of
men, though they come of a corrupt and
condemned stock, quickeneth them,
strengtheneth and fitteth their limbs
for the changing seasons of their life,
extendeth their knowledge in divers
places, and giveth them whereon to live.
It hath been His will rather to draw
good out of evil, than to suffer that there
should be no evil.
Sixth Responsory.
2 The LORD caused a deep sleep to fall
upon Adam, and He took one of his ribs.
And the rib which the LORD had taken
from Adam, made He a woman, and
brought her unto Adam, to see what he
would call her. And he called her
name Woman, because she was taken
out of Man,3
Verse. And while he slept He took
one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh
instead thereof.
Answer. And the rib which the LORD
had taken from Adam made He a wo-
man, and brought her unto Adam, to
see what he would call her.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And he called her name
Woman, because she was taken out of
Man.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xx. 1.)
A
T that time: JESUS spake this para-
ble unto His Disciples: The king-
dom of heaven is like unto a man that
2 ii. 21-23.
3 Virago, quia de Viro. In the Hebrew it is "Ishah” from “Ish." The Seventy appear
to have found it hopeless, and the Latin is clumsy, but the English does very well.
SEPTUAGESIMA.
331
is an householder, which went out early
in the morning to hire labourers into his
vineyard. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (19th on the Gospels.)
We hear that the kingdom of heaven
in like unto a man that is an house-
holder, which went out early in the
morning, to hire labourers into his
vineyard. Who indeed is more justly
to be likened to an householder than
our Maker, Who is the Head of the
household of faith, bearing rule over
them whom He hath made, and being
Master of His chosen ones in the world,
as a Master over those that are in his
house? He it is That hath the Church
for a vineyard, a vineyard that ceaseth
not to bring forth branches of the True
Vine, from righteous Abel to the last of
the elect that shall be born in the
world.
Seventh Responsory.
And the LORD God had planted a gar-
den aforetime in Eden, and there He put
the man whom He had formed.
Verse. And out of the ground made
the LORD God to grow every tree that is
pleasant to the sight, and good for food,
the tree of life also in the midst of the
garden.
Answer. And there He put the man
whom He had formed.
Eighth Lesson.
THIS householder, then, for the cul-
tivation of his vineyard, goeth_out
early in the morning, and at the third
hour, and the sixth hour, and the ninth
hour, and the eleventh hour, to hire
labourers into his vineyard. Thus the
Lord, from the beginning to the end of
the world, ceaseth not to gather together
preachers for the instruction of His
faithful people. The early morning of
the world was from Adam until Noah;
the third hour from Noah until Abra-
ham; the sixth hour from Abraham
until Moses; the ninth hour from Moses
until the coming of the Lord; the
eleventh hour from the coming of the
Lord until the end of the world.
this eleventh hour are sent forth as
preachers the Holy Apostles, who have
received full wages, albeit they be come
in late.
1 iii. 22.
At
Eighth Responsory.
¹Behold, Adam is become as One of
Us, to know good and evil. See lest he
take of the tree of life and live for
ever.
Verse. Unto Adam also did the LORD
God make a coat of skins, and clothed
him, and said :-
Answer. See lest he take of the tree
of life and live for ever.
FOR
Ninth Lesson.
the cultivation of His vineyard,
(that is, the instruction of His peo-
ple,) the Lord hath never ceased to send
into it labourers. First, by the Fathers,
then, by the Prophets and Teachers of
the Law, and lastly, by the Apostles He
hath dressed and tended the lives of His
people, as the owner of a vineyard
dresseth and tendeth it by means of
workmen. Whoever in whatever de-
gree joined to a right faith the teaching
of righteousness, was so far one of God's
labourers in God's vineyard. By the
labourers at early morning, and at the
third hour, the sixth hour, and the
ninth hour, may be understood God's
ancient people, the Hebrews, who strove
to worship Him with a right faith in
company with His chosen ones from the
very beginning of the world, and thus
continually laboured in His vineyard.
And now, at the eleventh hour, it is said
unto the Gentiles also: "Why stand ye
here all the day idle?"
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God," &c., is not said on this or any
other Sunday before Easter.
Ninth Responsory.
2 The LORD said unto Cain: Where is
Abel thy brother? Lord, I know not:
am I my brother's keeper? And He
said unto him: What hast thou done?
Behold, the voice of thy brother Abel's
blood crieth unto Me from the ground.
Verse. Cursed shalt thou be upon the
earth, which hath opened her mouth to
receive thy brother's blood from thy
hand.
Answer. Behold, the voice of thy
brother Abel's blood crieth unto Me
from the ground.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
2 iv. 9-11.
332
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Answer. Behold, the voice of thy
brother Abel's blood crieth unto Me
from the ground.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Have mercy upon me,
* O God, and cleanse me from my sin:
for against Thee only have I sinned.
Psalm L.
Have mercy, &c., (p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. I will praise Thee,
* for Thou hast heard me.
Psalm CXVII.
O give thanks unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 115.)
*
Third Antiphon. O God, Thou art
my God, early will I seek Thee, be-
cause Thou hast been my help.
Psalms LXII. and LXVI.
O God, Thou art, &c., (p. 86.)
Fourth Antiphon. ¹Blessed art Thou,
* O our God, in the firmament of hea-
ven, and worthy to be praised above all
for ever.
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise ye the LORD
* from the heavens.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., and CL.
Praise ye, &c., (p. 89.)
Chapter. (1 Cor. ix. 24.)
BRETHREN, know ye not that they
run in a race run all, but
one receiveth the prize? So run that
ye may obtain.
Verse. LORD, Thou hast been our
refuge.
Answer. In all generations.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Thus saith the Lord: The kingdom of
heaven is like unto a man that is an
householder, * which went out early in
the morning to hire labourers into his
vineyard.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
LORD, we beseech Thee favourably
to hear the prayers of Thy people
that we, who are justly punished for our
offences, may be mercifully delivered
¹ Dan. iii. 56.
by Thy goodness, for the glory of
Thy Name. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. And when he had agreed*
with the labourers for a penny2 a day,
he sent them into his vineyard.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Go ye also * into my vine-
yard, and whatsoever is right, that will
I give you.
The Chapter is taken from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Why stand ye here * all
the day idle? They answered and said
unto him: Because no man hath hired us.
Chapter. (1 Cor. ix. 25.)
AND every man that striveth for the
mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible
crown, but we an incorruptible.
NONE.
Antiphon. The Lord of the vineyard
saith: Call the labourers, and give
them their hire.
Chapter. (1 Cor. x. 4.)
FOR they drank of that spiritual rock
that followed them: and that rock
was Christ. But with many of them
God was not well pleased.
VESPERS.
Chapter as at Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The householder saith unto his
labourers: * Why stand ye here all the
day idle? But they answered and said:
Because no man hath hired us.
Go ye
also into my vineyard, and whatsoever
is right, that will I give you.
Monday.
Second Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (i. 27.)
So
God created man in His Own
image; in the image of God created
2 Greek, denarion. Its value was nearly a shilling.
SEPTUAGESIMA.
333
He him: male and female created He
them. And God blessed them, and said
unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth, and subdue it;
and have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and
over every living thing that moveth
upon the earth. And God said: Be-
hold, I have given you every herb
bearing seed which is upon the face of
the earth, and every tree in the which
is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to
you it shall be for meat. And to
every beast of the earth, and to every
fowl of the air, and to every thing that
creepeth upon the earth wherein there
is life, [I have given it] for meat. And
it was so. And God saw everything
that He had made, and it was very
good. And the evening and the morn-
ing were the Sixth Day.
First Responsory.
1 When the Lord walked in the gar-
den in the cool of the day, He called,
and said: Adam, where art thou? Lord,
I heard Thy voice, and I hid myself.
Verse. I heard Thy voice in the garden,
and I was afraid, because I was naked.
Answer. And I hid myself.
Second Lesson.
THUS the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them.
And on the seventh day God ended His
work which He had made; and He
rested on the seventh day from all His
work which He had made. And God
blessed the seventh day and sanctified
it, because that in it He had rested from
all His work, which He created and
made. These are the generations of the
heavens and of the earth, when they
were created, in the day that the LORD
God made the heavens and the earth,
and every plant of the field before it
sprung up in the earth, and every herb
of the field before it grew : for the LORD
God had not caused it to rain upon the
earth, and there was not a man to till
the ground; but there rose up a spring2
from the earth and watered the whole
face of the ground.
Second Responsory.
3 The Lord said unto Adam: In the
sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread
iii. 8-10.
when thou tillest the ground it shall not
henceforth yield unto thee her fruits.
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring
forth to thee.
Verse. Because thou hast hearkened
unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten
of the tree which I commanded thee, say-
ing: Thou shalt not eat of it,-cursed is
the ground whereon thou shalt labour.
Answer. Thorns also and thistles shall
it bring forth to thee.
Third Lesson.
So the LORD God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed
into his face the breath of life, and man
became a living soul. And the LORD
God had planted a garden aforetime in
Eden, and there He put the man whom
He had formed. And out of the ground
made the LORD God to grow every tree
that is pleasant to the sight, and good
for food: the tree of life also in the
midst of the garden, and the tree of
knowledge of good and evil. And a
river went out of Eden to water the
garden, and from thence it was parted,
and became into four heads.
Third Responsory.
The LORD formed man, &c., (p. 329.)
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. These last have wrought but
one hour, * and thou hast made them
equal unto us, which have borne the
burden and heat of the day.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (ii. 15.)
So the LORD God took the man and
put him into the garden of Eden,
to dress it and to keep it; and He com-
manded him, saying: Of every tree of
the garden thou mayest freely eat; but
of the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for
in the day that thou eatest thereof thou
shalt surely die. And the LORD God
said: It is not good that the man should
be alone; let Us make him an help meet
for him.
2 LXX., Hebrew, "a mist."
3 iii. 19; iv. 12.
334
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Responsory.
God took the man, &c., (p. 330.)
Second Lesson.
SO out of the ground the LORD God
formed every beast of the field, and
every fowl of the air, and brought them
unto Adam, to see what he would call
them.
And whatsoever Adam called
every living creature, that was the name
thereof. And Adam gave names to
all cattle, and to every fowl of the air,
and to every beast of the field. But for
Adam there was not found an help meet
for him.
Second Responsory.
The LORD God said, &c., (p. 330.)
Third Lesson.
AND the LORD God caused a deep
sleep to fall upon Adam. And
while he slept, He took one of his ribs,
and closed up the flesh instead thereof.
And the rib which the LORD God had
taken from Adam made He a woman,
and brought her unto Adam. And
Adam said: This is now bone of my
bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall
be called Woman, because she was taken
out of Man. Therefore shall a man
leave his father and his mother; and
shall cleave unto his wife; and they
twain shall be one flesh.
Third Responsory.
The LORD caused, &c., (p. 330.)
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. And the householder said: *
Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not
thou agree with me for a penny? Take
that is thine, and go thy way.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (iii. 1.)
NOW the serpent was more subtle
than any beast of the field which
the LORD God had made. And he said
unto the woman: Why hath God said
ye shall not eat of every tree of the
garden? And the woman said unto the
serpent: We may eat of the fruit of the
trees of the garden; but of the fruit of
the tree which is in the midst of the
garden, God hath said: Ye shall not eat
of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye
die. And the serpent said unto the
woman Ye shall not surely die. For
God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened,
and ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil. And the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and that it was
pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be
desired and she took of the fruit there-
of, and did eat, and gave also unto her
husband with her, and he did eat. And
the eyes of them both were opened.
First Responsory.
And the LORD God, &c., (p. 331.)
Second Lesson.
AND when they knew that they were
And
naked, they sewed fig-leaves toge-
ther, and made themselves aprons. And
they heard the voice of the LORD God
walking in the garden in the cool of the
day; and Adam and his wife hid them-
selves from the presence of the LORD
God amidst the trees of the garden. And
the LORD God called unto Adam, and
said unto him: Where art thou?
he said: I heard Thy voice in the_gar-
den, and I was afraid, because I was
naked, and I hid myself. And He said:
Who told thee that thou wast naked?
Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I
commanded thee that thou shouldest not
eat? And Adam said: The woman,
whom Thou gavest me to be with me,
she gave me of the tree, and I did
eat. And the LORD God said unto the
Woman: Wherefore hast thou done
this? And she said: The serpent be-
guiled me, and I did eat.
Second Responsory.
Behold, Adam is become, &c., (p.
331.)
Third Lesson.
AND the LORD God said unto the ser-
pent: Because thou hast done this,
thou art cursed above all cattle, and
above every beast of the field; upon thy
belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou
eat all the days of thy life. I will put
enmity between thee and the woman,
SEPTUAGESIMA.
335
:
and between thy seed and her seed; she¹
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt
bruise her heel. And unto the woman
He said I will greatly multiply thy
sorrows and thy conception: in sorrow
shalt thou bring forth children, and thou
shalt be in the power of thy husband,
and he shall rule over thee. And unto
Adam He said: Because thou hast heark-
ened unto the voice of thy wife, and
hast eaten of the tree of which I com-
manded thee, saying: Thou shalt not
eat of it—cursed is the ground whereon
thou shalt labour; in sorrow shalt thou
eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns
also and thistles shall it bring forth to
thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the
field. In the sweat of thy face shalt
thou eat bread, till thou return unto the
ground; for out of it wast thou taken;
for dust thou art, and unto dust thou
shalt return. And Adam called his wife's
name Eve,2 because she was the mother
of all living.
Third Responsory.
The LORD said unto Cain, &c., (p. 331.)
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Take that thine is,
* and go
thy way; for I am good, saith the Lord.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (iv. 1.)
AND Adam knew his wife, and she
conceived, and bare Cain, and said :
I have gotten a man from GOD.³ And
she again bare his brother Abel-and
Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain
was a tiller of the ground. And in pro-
cess of time it came to pass that Cain
brought of the fruit of the ground an
offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he
also brought of the firstlings of his flock,
and of the fat thereof. And the LORD
had respect to Abel, and to his offering.
But unto Cain and to his offering He
had not respect: and Cain was very
wroth, and his countenance fell. And
the LORD said unto him: Why art thou
wroth? and why is thy countenance
fallen? If thou doest well shalt thou
not be accepted? and if thou doest not
well, doth not sin lie at the door? But
the desire thereof is under thee, and
thou hast control over it.
First Responsory.
In the beginning, &c., (First Respon-
sory on Sunday, p. 328.)
Second Lesson.
ND Cain said unto Abel his brother;
Let us go forth abroad. And when
they were in the field, Cain rose up
against Abel his brother, and slew him.
And the LORD said unto Cain: Where
is Abel thy brother? And he said: I
know not; am I my brother's keeper?
And He said unto him: What hast thou
done? The voice of thy brother's blood
crieth unto Me from the ground. Now,
therefore, cursed shalt thou be upon the
earth, which hath opened her mouth to
receive thy brother's blood from thy
hand. When thou tillest the ground it
shall not henceforth yield unto thee her
fruits a fugitive and a vagabond shalt
thou be on the earth.
Second Responsory.
In the beginning, &c., (Second Re-
sponsory on Sunday, p. 329.)
Third Lesson.
ND Cain said unto the LORD: My
sin is too great for me to gain par-
1 Ipsa. Abp. Kenrick remarks that two MSS. examined by Kennicott read as the Vulgate,
and that in the very ancient style of the Pentateuch the gender of the Pronoun (without
points) is common. "The verb, however, is masculine, and the text is applied by St.
Irenæus to Christ as 'the Seed predestined to trample under foot the seed of the serpent."
See also the Breviary itself, on March 25. (Fourth Lesson.)
2 Chavah = Life.
8 The Name.
4 Like a beast of prey lying in wait. (Gesenius.) The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel
on the whole passage is: "If thou doest thy work well, will not thy guilt be forgiven
thee? But if thou doest not thy work well in this world, thy sin is retained unto the day
of the great judgment, and at the doors of thy heart lieth thy sin. And into thy hand
have I delivered the power over evil passion, and unto thee shall be the inclination there-
of, that thou mayest have authority over it, to become righteous, or to sin." (Etheridge's
translation, I. 170.)
336
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
don thereof.¹ Behold, Thou hast driven
me out this day from the face of the
earth, and from Thy face shall I be hid,
and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond
in the earth. Every one therefore that
findeth me shall slay me.
And the
LORD said unto him: It shall not be
so: but whosoever slayeth Cain, ven-
geance shall be taken on him sevenfold.
And the LORD set a mark upon Cain,
lest any finding him should kill him.
as handle the harp and organ. And
Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an
artificer and a workman in all manner
of craft concerning brass and iron. And
the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
First Responsory.
God took the man, &c., (p. 330.)
Second Lesson.
And Cain went out from the presence of AND Lamech said unto his wives: Ada
the LORD, and dwelt a vagabond in the
land on the East of Eden.
Third Responsory.
The LORD formed man, &c., (p. 329.)
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Is it not lawful for me * to do
what I will? Is thine eye evil because
I am good? saith the Lord.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (iv. 17.)
AND Cain knew his wife, and she con-
ceived and bare Enoch: and he
builded a city, and called the name of
the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
And Enoch begat Irad, and Irad begat
Mahujael, and Mahujael begat Methu-
sael, and Methusael begat Lamech. And
Lamech took unto him two wives: the
name of the one was Ada, and the name
of the other Zillah. And Ada bare
Jabal; he was the father of such as
dwell in tents, and of such as have
cattle. And his brother's name was
Jubal; he was the father of all such
and Zillah, hear my voice, ye wives
of Lamech, hearken to my speech; for
I have slain a man to my wounding,
and a young man to my hurt; Cain shall
be avenged seven-fold, but Lamech se-
venty-and-seven-fold. And Adam still
knew his wife, and she bare a son and
called his name Seth:3 For God, said
she, hath appointed me another seed
And
instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
to Seth, to him also there was born a
son, and he called his name Enos: he
began to call upon the name of the
LORD.
Second Responsory.
The LORD God said, &c., (p. 331.)
THIS
Third Lesson. (v.)
HIS is the book of the generation of
Adam. In the day that God created
man, in the likeness of God made He
him-male and female created He them,
and blessed them, and called their name
Adam, in the day when they were
created. And Adam lived an hundred
and thirty years, and begat a son in his
own likeness, after his image, and called
his name Seth. And the days of Adam,
after he had begotten Seth, were eight
hundred years, and he begat sons and
daughters. And all the days that Adam
lived were nine hundred and thirty
years; and he died.
"My sins are
1 The Jerusalem Targum softens the hopelessness of this exclamation.
greater than can be borne. Nevertheless there is power before Thee to absolve and for-
give me." (Etheridge's translation, I. 172.)
2 Abp. Kenrick, in his notes, remarks, in effect, (1) that the simple meaning of the text
as above given is that Lamech had injured or imperilled himself by killing a man, but that
there was some circumstance (such, perhaps as its being done accidentally, or not a fra-
tricide) which made the offence much less than Cain's, so that to punish Lamech with
death would be ten times worse than so to punish Cain; (2) that it is rendered interro-
gatively in the Arabic ("Have I slain a man, &c.") as if Lamech undertook to dissipate
the fears of his wives by asking them, Was his offence in the double marriage as great as
if, &c.? (3) the negative thus implied is the sense absolutely adopted, centuries before, by
Onkelos. ("I have not slain a man, that on his account I should bear the condemnation
of death; or destroyed a young man, that on his account my posterity should be con-
sumed"-Etheridge's translation, I. 44.)
3 Appointment.
SEXAGESIMA.
337
Third Responsory.
The LORD caused, &c., (p. 330.)
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (v. 15.)
AND Mahalaleel lived sixty and five
years, and begat Jared. And Maha-
laleel lived, after he begat Jared, eight
hundred and thirty years, and begat
sons and daughters. And all the days of
Mahalaleel were eight hundred and
ninety-five years; and he died.
And
Jared lived an hundred sixty and two
years, and he begat Enoch. And Jared
lived after he begat Enoch eight hun-
dred years, and begat sons and daugh-
ters. And all the days of Jared were
nine hundred and sixty and two years;
and he died. And Enoch lived sixty
and five years, and begat Methuselah.
First Responsory.
And the LORD God planted, &c., (p.
331.)
Second Lesson.
AND Enoch walked with God: and he
lived, after he begat Methuselah,
three hundred years, and begat sons and
daughters. And all the days of Enoch
were three hundred sixty and five years.
And he walked with God; and he was
seen no more, for God took him. And
Methuselah lived an hundred, eighty
and seven years, and begat Lamech.
And Methuselah lived, after he begat
Lamech, seven hundred eighty and the
years, and begat sons and daughters.
And all the days of Methuselah were
nine hundred sixty and nine years; and
he died.
Second Responsory.
Behold, Adam is become, &c., (p.
331.)
¹ I.e. "rest," or "comfort.”
Third Lesson.
AND Lamech lived an hundred eighty
and two years, and begat a son,
and he called his name Noah,¹ saying:
This same shall comfort us concerning
our work and toil of our hands upon the
ground which the LORD hath cursed.
And Lamech lived, after he begat Noah,
five hundred ninety and five years, and
begat sons and daughters. And all the
days of Lamech were seven hundred
seventy and seven years; and he died.
Third Responsory.
The LORD said unto Cain, &c., (p.
331.)
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds of
the following morning.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Lord said unto Noah: *
The end of all flesh is come before Me:
make thee an ark of planed timber, that
seed of all flesh may be saved therein.
Sexagesima Sunday.
The Lord's Day within Sixty Days of
Easter.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and omission in Ps. xciv.
as on last Sunday.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (v. 31.)
AND when Noah was five hundred
years old he begat Shem, Ham,
and Japheth. (vi. 1.) And it came to
pass, when men began to multiply on
the face of the earth, and daughters
were born unto them, that the sons of
God saw the daughters of men that
they were fair, and they took them
wives of all which they chose.
God said: My Spirit shall not always
2 Targums "the sons of the mighty," and Samaritan, "sons of the rulers.”
And
3 Targum of Onkelos: "This evil generation shall not stand before Me for ever, be-
cause they are flesh and their works are evil." Jonathan ben Uzziel: "Have I not im-
parted My Holy Spirit to them, that they may work good works? And, behold, their
works are wicked. Behold, I will give them a prolongment of 120 years, that they may
work repentance, and not perish."
Z
338
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
continue in man, for that he also is
flesh and his days shall be an hundred
and twenty years. And there were
giants in the earth in those days. For
after that the sons of God came in unto
the daughters of men, and they bare
children to them, the same became
mighty men, which were of old, men of
renown.
First Responsory.
¹The Lord said unto Noah: The end
of all flesh is come before Me; for the
earth is filled with violence through
them. And I will destroy them with
the earth.
Verse. Make thee an ark of planed
timber, rooms shalt thou make in it.
Answer. And I will destroy them
with the earth.
Second Lesson.
AND God saw that the wickedness of
man was great in the earth, and
that every thought of his heart was only
evil continually, and it repented Him
that He had made man on the earth.
And it grieved Him at the heart; and
He said I will destroy man, whom I
have created, from the face of the earth;
both man and beast, and the creeping
thing, and the fowls of the air: for it
repenteth Me that I have made them.
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the
LORD.
Second Responsory.
Noah was a just man and perfect; he
walked with God. According to all that
God commanded him, so did he.
Verse. He made him an ark, that a
seed of every sort might be saved alive.
Answer. According to all that God
commanded him, so did he.
Third Lesson.
HESE are the generations of Noah:
THE
Noah was a just man, and perfect
in his generations; he walked with God.
And he begat three sons, Shem, Ham,
and Japhet. The earth also was corrupt
before God, and was filled with violence.
And when God looked upon the earth
and beheld how it was corrupt, (for all
flesh had corrupted his way upon the
earth,) He said unto Noah: The end of
all flesh is come before Me: the earth is
1 vi. 13.
3 viii. 20; ix. 1, 9.
filled with violence through them, and
I will destroy them with the earth.
Make thee an ark of planed timber:
rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and
shalt pitch it within and without with
pitch. And this is the fashion thou
shalt make it of: the length of the ark
shall be three hundred cubits, the
breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height
of it thirty cubits.
Third Responsory.
Forty days and forty nights were the
heavens opened; and there went into
the ark two and two of all flesh wherein
is the breath of life. And the LORD
shut them in.
Verse. In the self-same day entered
Noah into the ark, and his sons, and his
wife, and the wives of his sons.
Answer. And the LORD shut them in.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And the LORD shut them in.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
upon
The Lesson is taken from the Book
Noah's Ark by St. Ambrose, Bishop
[of Milan.] (Chap. iv.)
WE
E read that the Lord was angry. It
is in the thoughts, that is to say,
in the knowledge of God, that man
being put on earth and weighted with
the body cannot be without sin, for
earth is the home of temptations, and
the flesh is a bait for corruptions. Yet
man had a reasonable soul, and his soul
had power to control his body; and,
being so made, he made no struggle to
keep himself from falling into that from
whence he would not return. God's
thoughts are not as man's thoughts; in
Him there is no such thing as change
of mind, no such thing as to be angry
and then cool down again. These things
are written that we may know the bitter-
ness of our sins, whereby we have earned
the Divine wrath. To such a degree had
iniquity grown that God, Who by His
nature cannot be moved by anger, or
hatred, or any passion whatsoever, is
represented as provoked to anger.
Fourth Responsory.
3 Noah builded an Altar unto the
2 Esse non possit, i.e. since the Fall.
SEXAGESIMA.
339
LORD, and offered burnt offerings on the
Altar; and the LORD smelled a sweet
savour, and blessed Noah, and said:
Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth.
Verse. Behold, I establish My_cove-
nant with you, and with your seed after
you.
Answer. Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth.
Fifth Lesson.
AND God threatened that He would
destroy man. He said: "I will
destroy man, whom I have created, from
the face of the earth; both man and
beast, and the creeping thing, and the
fowls of the air.' What harm had the
animals done? For man's use had they
been created, and, when man was wiped
away, they were of use no longer. And
there is an higher reason. Man is a
living soul, capable of reason, who may
be described as a living animal, subject
to death, and endowed with reason.
When then the highest animal is gone,
why should the lower branches remain ?
Among men are some families illus-
trious for honourable pedigrees, and so
there are also races of souls whose come-
liness is the lustre of virtues.
Sixth Responsory.
By Myself have I sworn, saith the
Lord. I will not again bring the waters
of the flood upon the earth: I will re-
member My covenant. And the waters
shall become no more a flood to destroy
all flesh.
Verse. I do set My bow in the clouds,
and it shall be for a token of a covenant
between Me and the earth.
Answer. And the waters shall no
more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And the waters shall no
more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (viii. 4.)
Why should anything be saved alive, AT that time: When much people
when righteousness, the basis of salva-
tion, is to be no more?
Fifth Responsory.
The Lord said unto Noah: 'I do set
My bow in the clouds of heaven: and
I will remember My covenant which is
between Me and you.
Verse. And it shall come to pass,
when I bring a cloud over the heaven,
that My bow shall be seen in the cloud.
Answer. And I will remember My
covenant which is between Me and
BUT
Sixth Lesson.
you.
UT more effectually to condemn the
rest of men, and to manifest the
goodness of God, it is written that Noah
found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Here we learn also that the sin of his
neighbour casteth no shadow on the
righteous, when he is kept as a stock
from whence the whole race are to spring.
He is praised, not because he was of
a noble race, but because he was a
just man and perfect. The stock of a
just man yieldeth men of just souls;
for virtues, like blood, are hereditary.
were gathered together, and were
come to JESUS out of every city, He
spake by a parable: A sower went out
to sow his seed. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (15th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, the passage
from the Holy Gospel which ye have
just heard, needeth not so much that I
should explain it, as that I should seek
to enforce its lesson. The Truth Him-
self hath explained it, and, after that,
it beseemeth not man's frailty to fritter
away His exposition by any further
comment. But there is, in that very
explanation by the Lord, somewhat,
which it behoveth us well to weigh. If
it were but we who bade you believe
that by the seed is signified the word;
by the field, the world; by the birds,
the devils; and by the thorns, riches-
ye would perchance doubt of the truth
of our explanation. Therefore the Lord
Himself hath vouchsafed to give this
explanation, and that, not for this
parable only, but that ye may know in
what manner to interpret others, where-
of He hath not given the meaning.
1 ix. 13, 14.
z 2
340
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Seventh Responsory.
¹God blessed Noah and his sons, and
said unto them: Be fruitful, and mul-
tiply, and replenish the earth.
Verse. Behold, I establish My cove-
nant with you, and with your seed after
you.
Answer. Be fruitful, and multiply,
and replenish the earth.
BEGI
Eighth Lesson.
EGINNING His explanation, the
Lord saith that He speaketh in
parables. Hereby He doth certify us,
when our weakness would unveil to you
the hidden meaning of His words. If I
spake of myself, who would believe me
when I say that riches are thorns?
Thorns prick, but riches lull to rest.
And yet riches are indeed thorns, for
the anxiety they bring is a ceaseless
pricking to the minds of their owners,
and, if they lead into sin, they are
thorns which bloodily tear the_soul.
But we understand from another Evan-
gelist (Matth. xiii. 23) that in this place
the Lord speaketh, not of riches them-
selves, but of the deceitfulness of riches.
Eighth Responsory.
Behold, I establish My covenant with
you, and with your seed after you.
Neither shall there any more be a flood
to destroy the earth.
Verse. I do set My bow in the clouds,
and it shall be for a token of a covenant
between Me and the earth.
Answer. Neither shall there any
more be a flood to destroy the earth.
TFOR
Ninth Lesson.
HOSE riches are deceitful riches,
which can be ours only for a little
while; those riches are deceitful riches,
which cannot relieve the poverty of our
souls. They are the only true riches,
which make us rich in virtues. If then,
dearly beloved brethren, ye seek to be
rich, earnestly desire the true riches.
If ye would be truly honourable, strive
after the kingdom of heaven. If ye love
1 ix. 7, 9.
the bravery of titles, hasten to have your
names written down at Court above,
where Angels are. Take to heart the
Lord's words which your ear heareth.
The food of the soul is the word of God:
when the stomach is sick it throweth up
again the food which is put into it, and
so is the soul sick when a man heareth
and digesteth not in his memory the
Word of God. And if any man cannot
keep his food, that man's life is in des-
perate case.
Ninth Responsory.
When much people were gathered to-
gether to JESUs, and were come to Him
out of every city, He spake by a parable:
A sower went out to sow his seed.
Verse. And, as he sowed, some fell on
good ground, and sprang up, and bare
fruit an hundred-fold.
Answer. A sower went out to sow his
seed.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. A sower went out to sow his
seed.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Have mercy upon
me, O God, * after Thy great mercy.2
Psalm L.
Have mercy, &c., but beginning with
the words, "After Thy great mercy,'
(p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. If the Lord be my
Saviour * I will not fear what man can
do unto me.
Psalm CXVII..
O give thanks unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. Within the veil³ I
cried betimes: * O God, Thou art my
God, early will I seek Thee.
Psalms LXII and LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p. 86.)
2 In the Latin the order of verse 3 is reversed in the Antiphon, ("After Thy great
mercy, have mercy," &c.,) and the Psalm consequently begins as usual.
3 The allusion is perhaps to the ancient custom of hanging a curtain before the chancel,
between Septuagesima and Easter. It is still so done, at least in Sicily, but the trans-
lator does not think it is anywhere practised in Rome. Formerly it seems to have been
nearly co-extensive with Latin Christianity. Cf., however, verse 8.
SEXAGESIMA.
341
Fourth Antiphon. Let us sing praises
* to the Lord our God.
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise God with the
timbrel and dance; * praise Him with
stringed instruments and organs.
Psalms CXLVIII, CXLIX, and CL.
Praise ye, &c., (p. 88.)
Chapter. (2 Cor. xi. 19.)
BRETHREN, ye suffer fools gladly,
seeing ye yourselves are wise: for
ye suffer if a man bring you into bon-
dage, if a man devour you, if a man
take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a
man smite you on the face.
Verse and Answer as last Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When much people were gathered toge-
ther to JESUS, * and were come to Him
out of every city, He spake by a parable;
a sower went out to sow his seed.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
GOD, Who seest that we put not our
trust in anything that we do, mer-
cifully grant that through the protec-
tion of the Teacher of the Gentiles¹ we
may be defended against all adversity.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Some seed fell on good
ground, * and bare fruit with patience.
TERCE.
Antiphon. They which keep the word
of God * in an honest and good heart,
bring forth fruit with patience.
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Some seed fell on good
ground, and bare fruit, some an hun-
dred-fold, and some sixty-fold.
Chapter. (2 Cor. xi. 25.)
THRICE was I beaten with rods, once
was I stoned, thrice I suffered ship-
wreck, a night and a day have I been
in the deep of the sea.
NONE.
Antiphon. If then, dearly beloved
brethren, ye seek to be rich, * earnestly
desire the true riches.
Chapter. (2 Cor. xii. 19.)
MOST gladly therefore will I rather
glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me.
SECOND VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
*
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. JESUS said to His disciples :
Unto you it is given to know the mys-
teries of the kingdom of God, but to
others in parables.
Monday.
Second Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (vii. 1.)
THE LORD said unto Noah: Come
thou and all thy house into the
ark; for thee have I seen righteous be-
fore Me in this generation. Of every
clean beast thou shalt take to thee by
sevens, the male and the female; and
of beasts that are not clean by two, the
male and the female. Of fowls also of
the air by sevens, the male and the
female, to keep seed alive upon the face
of all the earth. For yet seven days and
I will cause it to rain upon the earth
forty days and forty nights, and every
living substance that I have made will
I destroy from off the face of the earth.
First Responsory.
In the self-same day entered Noah
into the ark, and his sons, and his wife
and the wives of his sons.
Verse. Every living substance was
destroyed from the earth, and Noah
1 This is on account of the "Station" at Rome being on this day at St.-Paul's-without-
the-walls, for which reason also (apparently) has been chosen the long Epistle at Mass,
from 2 Cor.
1
!
+
342
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
only remained alive, and they that were
with him in the ark.
Answer. His wife, and the wives of
his sons.
Second Lesson.
AND Noah did according unto all that
the LORD had commanded him.
(10.) And it came to pass after seven
days that the waters of the flood over-
flowed the earth. In the six-hundredth
year of Noah's life, in the second month,
the seventeenth day of the month, the
same day were all the fountains of the
great deep broken up, and the water-
spouts of heaven were loosed; and the
rain was upon the earth forty days and
forty nights.
Second Responsory.
in.
Answer. And the LORD shut them
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And the LORD shut them in.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. If ye would be truly honour-
able, strive after our Fatherland which
is in heaven.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (viii. 1.)
¹The Lord remembered Noah, and AND God remembered Noah, and
made a wind to pass over the earth, and
the waters assuaged, and the rain from
heaven was restrained.
Verse. And the waters returned from
off the earth continually, and after the
end of the hundred and fifty days the
waters were abated.
Answer. And the rain from heaven
was restrained.
Third Lesson.
IN the self-same day entered Noah,
and Shem, and Ham, and Japhet,
his sons, his wife, and the three wives
of his sons with them, into the ark;
they, and every beast after his kind, and
all the cattle after their kind, and every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the
earth after his kind, and every fowl after
his kind. [And they went in unto
Noah into the ark, two and two of all
flesh, wherein was the breath of life.
And they went in, male and female, of
all flesh, as God had commanded him :
and the LORD shut him in.] And the
flood was forty days upon the earth, and
the waters increased, and bare up the
ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
Third Responsory.
Forty days and forty nights were the
heavens opened, and there went into
the ark of all flesh wherein is the breath
of life. And the LORD shut them in.
Verse. In the self-same day entered
Noah into the ark, and his sons, and his
wife, and the wives of his sons.
every
living thing, and all the cattle, that
was with him in the ark, and He made
a wind to pass over the earth, and the
waters assuaged. The fountains also of
the deep, and the water-spouts of hea-
ven were stopped, and the rain from
heaven was restrained. And the waters
returned from off the earth continually,
and after the end of the hundred and
fifty days, the waters were abated. And
the ark rested in the seventh month,
on the twenty-seventh day of the month,
upon the mountains of Armenia.
First Responsory.
Noah builded, &c., (p. 338.)
Second Lesson.
AND the waters decreased continually
until the tenth month: in the tenth
month, on the first day of the month,
were the tops of the mountains seen.
And it came to pass at the end of forty
days, that Noah opened the window of
the ark which he had made, and he sent
forth a raven; which went forth, to and
fro, until the waters were dried up from
off the earth. Also he sent forth a dove
after him, to see if the waters were
abated from off the face of the ground.
But the dove found no rest for the sole
of her foot, and she returned unto him
into the ark.
Second Responsory.
The Lord said, &c., (p. 339.)
1 viii. 1.
SEXAGESIMA.
343
Third Lesson.
AND he stayed yet another seven days,
and again he sent forth the dove
out of the ark. And she came in to him
in the evening, and she bare in her
mouth an olive-branch with green leaves.
So Noah knew that the waters were
abated from off the earth. And he
stayed yet another seven days, and sent
forth the dove, which returned not again
unto him any more. And it came to
pass in the six-hundredth-and-first
year,¹ in the first month, the first day
of the month, the waters were dried
from off the earth.
Third Responsory.
By Myself, &c., (p. 339.)
VESPERS.
up
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The seed is the word of God, *
and the Sower is Christ; if any man
find Him, he shall never be moved.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (viii. 15.)
A
Go forth of the ark, thou, and thy
wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives
with thee. Bring forth with thee every
living thing that is with thee, of all
flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of
every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth, and go ye upon the earth;
be fruitful and multiply upon it. And
Noah went forth, and his sons, and his
wife, and his sons' wives with him;
every beast and cattle, and whatsoever
creepeth upon the earth after their kinds,
went forth out of the ark.
ND God spake unto Noah, saying:
First Responsory.
God blessed, &c., (p. 340.)
Second Lesson.
AND Noah builded an altar unto the
the LORD smelled a sweet savour, and
said: I will not again curse the ground
any more for man's sake: for the imagi-
nation of man's heart and his thoughts
are prone to evil from his youth. Neither
will I again smite any more every thing
living, as I have done. While the earth
remaineth, seed-time and harvest, and
cold and heat, and summer and winter,
and day and night, shall not cease.
Second Responsory.
Behold, I establish, &c., (p. 340.)
Third Lesson. (ix. 1.)
AND God blessed Noah and his sons,
and said unto them: Be fruitful,
and multiply, and replenish the earth.
And the fear of you and the dread of you
shall be upon every beast of the earth,
and upon every fowl of the air, upon all
that moveth upon the earth: all the
fishes of the sea, into your hand are they
delivered. Every moving thing that
liveth shall be meat for you; even as
the green herb, have I given you all
things; but flesh with the blood thereof
shall ye not eat. For your blood of your
lives will I require at the hand of every
1
beast, and at the hand of man; at the
hand of every man's brother will I re-
quire the life of man. Whoso sheddeth
man's blood, his blood shall be shed;
for in the image of God made He man.
Third Responsory.
In the self-same day, &c., (p. 341)
with this addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. His wife, and the wives of
his sons.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. But that on the good ground *
are they which in an honest and good
heart bring forth fruit with patience.
Note. If any of the three Antiphons
given for the Song of the Blessed Virgin
on the three last days are omitted, and
the office on the next day (Thursday) is
of the Week-day, then the Antiphon at
1 Of his age.
LORD, and took of every clean
beast, and of every clean fowl, and of-
fered burnt-offerings on the altar. And
344
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the Song of the Blessed Virgin on that
day will be the last of those which have
been omitted.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (ix. 12.)
AND God said: This is the token of
the covenant which I make between
Me and you, and every living creature
that is with you, for perpetual genera-
tions: I do set My bow in the clouds,
and it shall be for a token of a covenant
between Me and the earth. And, it shall
come to pass, when I bring a cloud over
the heaven, that My bow shall be seen
in the cloud; and I will remember My
covenant which is between Me and you,
and every living soul that quickeneth
flesh, and the waters shall no more be-
come a flood to destroy all flesh.
First Responsory.
The Lord said, &c., (p. 338.)
Second Lesson.
AND Noah began to be an husband-
man, and he planted a vineyard.
And he drank of the wine, and was
drunken; and he was uncovered within
his tent. And Ham the father of Ca-
naan, saw the nakedness of his father,
and told his two brothers without. And
Shem and Japhet took a garment on
their shoulders, and went backward, and
covered the nakedness of their father;
and their faces were backward, and they
saw not their father's nakedness.
Second Responsory.
Noah was a just man, &c., (p. 338.)
Third Lesson.
AND Noah awoke from his wine, and
knew what his younger son had
done to him, and he said: Cursed be
Canaan, a servant of servants shall he
be unto his brethren. And he said:
Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; let
Canaan be his servant. May God en-
large Japhet, and let him dwell in the
tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his
servant. And Noah lived after the flood
three hundred and fifty years. And all
his days were nine hundred and fifty
years, and he died.
Third Responsory.
Forty days, &c., (p. 338.)
Friday.
Sixth Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (x. 1.)
THESE are the generations of the sons
of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japhet;
and unto them were sons born after the
flood. The sons of Japhet, Gomer, and
Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and
Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And
the sons of Gomer, Ashkenaz, and Ri-
phath, and Togarmah. And the sons of
Javan, Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim,
and Dodanim. By these were the isles
of the Gentiles divided in their lands,
every one after his tongue, after their
families in their nations. And the sons
of Ham, Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut,
and Canaan.¹
First Responsory.
Noah builded, &c., (p. 338.)
Second Lesson. (xi. 1.)
AND the whole earth was of one lan-
guage and of one speech. And it
came to pass, as they journeyed from
the East, that they found a plain in the
land of Shinar and they dwelt there.
And they said one to another: Go to,
let us make brick, and burn them tho-
roughly. And they had brick for stone,
and slime had they for mortar, and they
said: Go to, let us build us a city, and
a tower whose top may reach unto hea-
ven: and let us make us a name, before
we be scattered abroad upon the face of
the whole earth.

Second Responsory.
The Lord said, &c., (p. 339.)
1 For (comparatively) short notes upon this ethnological passage, see Abp. Kenrick's
Bible.
QUINQUAGESIMA.
345
Third Lesson.
AND the LORD came down to see the
city and the tower, which the chil-
dren of Adam builded, and He said:
Behold, the people is one, and they have
all one language; and this they begin to
do; and now nothing will be restrained
from them which they have imagined to
do. Go to, let Us go down and there
Serug lived thirty years, and begat
Nahor. Aud Serug lived, after he begat
Nahor, two hundred years, and begat
sons and daughters.
Second Responsory.
Behold, I establish, &c., (p. 340.)
Third Lesson.
confound their language, that they may AND Nahor lived nine-and-twenty
not understand one another's speech.
So the LORD scattered them abroad from
thence upon the face of all the earth,
and they left off to build the city.
Third Responsory.
By Myself, &c., (p. 339.)
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (xi. 10.)
HESE are the generations of Shem.
THE
Shem was an hundred years old,
and begat Arphaxad, two years after
the flood. And Shem lived, after he
begat Arphaxad, five hundred years,
and begat sons and daughters. And
Arphaxad lived five hundred and thirty
years, and begat Salah; and Arphaxad
lived, after he begat Salah, three hun-
dred and three years,¹ and begat sons
and daughters. And Salah lived thirty
years, and begat Eher. And Salah lived
after he begat Eber four hundred and
three years, and begat sons and daugh-
ters.
First Responsory.
God blessed, &c., (p. 340.)
Second Lesson.
ND Eber lived four-and-thirty years,
and begat Peleg. And Eber lived
after he begat Peleg, four hundred and
thirty years, and begat sons and daugh-
ters. And Peleg lived thirty years, and
begat Reü. And Peleg lived, after he
begat Reü, two hundred and nine years,
and begat sons and daughters. And Reü
lived two-and-thirty years, and begat
Serug. And Reü lived, after he begat
Serug, two hundred and seven years,
and begat sons and daughters. And
·
years, and begat Terah. And Na-
hor lived, after he begat Terah, an hun-
dred and nineteen years, and begat sons
and daughters. And Terah lived seventy
years, and begat Abram, and Nahor, and
Haran. These are the generations of
Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and
Haran. And Haran begat Lot. And
Haran died before his father Terah in
the land of his nativity in Ur of the
Chaldees. And Abraham and Nahor
took them wives; the name of Abram's
wife was Sarai; and the name of Na-
hor's wife Melcha, the daughter of
Haran the father of Melcha and the
father of Iscah. But Sarai was barren
and had no children.
Third Responsory.
In the self-same day, &c., (p. 341.)
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from the succeed-
ing Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Abraham, the Captain and Fa-
ther of our faith, * offered up a burnt-
offering on the altar instead of his son.
Quinquagesima Sunday.
The Lord's Day within Fifty Days of
Easter.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and omission in Psalm
XCIV. as on Septuagesima Sunday.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (xii. 1.)
NOW the LORD said unto Abram:
1 Present Hebrew text, 403. Targums, 430.
Get thee out of thy country and
2 Gen. xxii. 13.
346
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
from thy kindred, and from thy father's
house, and go into a land that I will
show thee and I will make of thee a
great nation, and I will bless thee and
make thy name great, and thou shalt be
blessed. I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee;
and in thee shall all families of the
earth be blessed. So Abram departed,
as the LORD had spoken unto him;
and Lot went with him. And Abram
was seventy and five years old when he
departed out of Haran. And he took
Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son,
and all their substance that they had
gathered, and the souls that they had
gotten in Haran; and they went forth
to go into the land of Canaan. And
when they were come thither, Abram
passed through the land unto the place
of Shechem, unto "the noble vale."
And the Canaanite was then in the
land.
First Responsory.
The LORD spake unto Abram, saying:
Get thee out of thy country, and from
thy kindred, and go unto the land that I
will show thee: and I will make of thee
a great nation.
Verse. I will surely bless thee and
make thy name great, and thou shalt be
blessed.
Answer. And I will make of thee a
great nation.
Second Lesson.
AND the LORD appeared unto Abram
and said unto him: Unto thy seed
will I give this land. And there builded
he an altar unto the LORD, Who ap-
peared unto him. And he removed from
thence unto a mountain on the east of
Bethel,2 and pitched his tent there, hav-
ing Bethel on the west, and Hai on the
east. And there he builded an altar
unto the LORD, and called upon His
Name. And Abram journeyed, going
on still toward the south. And there
was a famine in the land, and Abram
went down into Egypt, to sojourn there:
for the famine was grievous in the land.
And it came to pass when he was come
near to enter into Egypt, that he said
unto Sarai his wife: I know that thou
art a fair woman to look upon, and that
when the Egyptians see thee, they will
say: This is his wife; and they will
kill me, but they will save thee alive.
Say, therefore, I pray thee, that thou
art my sister; that it may be well with
me for thy sake, and my soul shall live
because of thee.
Second Responsory.
Abraham stood by the oak of Mamre,
and he saw three men coming up by the
path. He saw three, and worshipped
One.
Verse. Behold, Sarah thy wife shall
bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his
name Isaac.
Answer. He saw three, and worship-
ped One.
Third Lesson.
AND it came to pass, that, when Abram
was come into Egypt, the Egyp-
tians beheld the woman that she was
very fair. The princes also told Pha-
raoh, and commended her before him;
and the woman was taken into Pha-
raoh's house. And they entreated Abram
well for her sake. And he had sheep,
and oxen, and he-asses, and men-ser-
vants, and maid-servants, and she-asses,
and camels. And the LORD plagued
Pharaoh and his house with great
plagues, because of Sarai, Abram's wife.
And Pharaoh called Abram, and said
unto him: What is this that thou hast
done unto me? Why didst thou not
tell me that she was thy wife? Why
saidst thou that she was thy sister, so
that I might take her to me to wife?
Now, therefore, behold thy wife, take
her and go thy way.
Third Responsory.
The Lord did tempt Abraham, and
said unto him: Take thy son Isaac
whom thou lovest, and offer him there
for a burnt-offering upon one of the
mountains which I will tell thee of.
1 The meaning of both words seems uncertain. Abp. Kenrick, "The turpentine tree of
Moreh." LXX., "the lofty oak." Onkelos, "the plain of Moreh," (so also the Protestant
version.) Jonathan-ben-Üzziel, "the plain which had been showed." Jerusalem Targum,
"the plain (or, valley) of vision." And so on.
2 Afterwards so called by Jacob, xxviii. 19.
3 xviii. 1, 2; xvii. 19.
4 xxii. 1, 2.
QUINQUAGESIMA.
347
Verse. And when the Lord called
him, he answered: Behold, here I am.
And the Lord said unto him :
Answer. Take thy son Isaac whom
thou lovest, and offer him there for a
burnt-offering upon one of the moun-
tains which I will tell thee of.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Take thy son Isaac whom
thou lovest, and offer him there for a
burnt-offering upon one of the moun-
tains which I will tell thee of.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book
upon the Patriarch Abraham written
by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of Milan.]
(Bk. i. 2.)
ABRAHAM was truly a great man,
illustrious as an example of many
virtues; one the like of whom the day-
dreams of Philosophy have not been
able to produce. That which she ima-
gineth is less than that which he did;
his simple truth and faith were some-
thing grander than her lying rounded
periods. Let us then consider what
this man's loyalty was. For that vir-
tue is first to be taken which was the
source of all the others, and thus this
was the first which God called for from
him, when He said: "Get thee out of
thy country, and from thy kindred, and
from thy father's house." It would
have been enough to have said, “Get
thee out of thy country," for there were
his kindred, and there his father's
house.
Fourth Responsory.
¹The Angel of the LORD called unto
Abraham and said: Lay not thine hand
upon the lad; for now I know that thou
fearest God.
Verse. And Abraham stretched forth
his hand to slay his son; and, behold,
the Angel of the LORD called unto him
out of heaven, and said:
Answer. Lay not thy hand upon the
1 xxii. 11, 10.
lad; for now I know that thou fearest
God.
Fifth Lesson.
BUT He gave the details of his sacri-
fice one by one, that He might see
whether he loved Him, lest also he
should begin rashly, or should seek to
evade the heavenly commandment. But
as the whole of the precept was plainly
set forth, lest anything should be un-
considered, so also were the rewards set
forth, lest the burden should seem hope-
less. He was tried as one that is strong,
he was roused as one that is true, he
was called as one that is righteous; and
he departed loyally, as the Lord had
spoken unto him. And Lot went forth
with him. That saying of the Seven
Wise Men of Greece is much spoken
of "Follow God." But this did Abra-
ham before the Seven Wise Men were
thought of; he followed God, and went
out of his own land.
Fifth Responsory.
The Angel of the LORD called unto
Abraham out of heaven the second time,
and said: I will bless thee, and I will
multiply thy seed as the stars of the
heaven.
Verse. Thy seed shall possess the
gate of his enemies, and in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed.
Answer. And I will multiply thy seed
as the stars of the heaven.
BUT,
Sixth Lesson.
forasmuch as Abraham had be-
fore had another country, namely,
the land of the Chaldees, whence went
forth Terah the father of Abraham, and
came unto Haran, and forasmuch as he
to whom it had been said, "Get thee
out from thy kindred," took Lot, his
brother's son, with him, let us consider
whether this "Get thee out of thy
country" signifieth not "get thee out of
this earthly dwelling," namely, our
body, from which Paul came forth, who
said, "Our conversation is in heaven."
(Phil. iii. 20.)
2 xxii. 15, 17, 18.
3 There appears in this obscure passage to be
stands for a country as well as for earth or soil.
translated "Get thee out of thy earth.”
some play on the word "terra," which
Hence, "Exi de terrâ tuâ ” might be
348
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Sixth Responsory.
10 God of my master Abraham, pros-
per my way which I go; that I may
return again in safety unto the house of
my master.
Verse. O Lord, I pray Thee, be mer-
ciful unto Thy servant-
Answer. That I may return again in
safety unto the house of my master.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. That I may return again in
safety unto the house of my master.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xviii. 31.)
AT
T that time: JESUS took unto Him
the twelve, and said unto them:
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all
things that are written by the Prophets
concerning the Son of man shall be ac-
complished. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (2nd on the Gospels.)
Our Redeemer, foreseeing that the
minds of His disciples would be troubled
by His suffering, told them long before
both of the pains of that suffering, and
of the glory of His rising again, to the
end that, when they should see Him die
as He had prophesied, they might not
doubt that He was likewise to rise again.
But, since His disciples were yet carnal,
and could not receive the words telling
of this mystery, He wrought a miracle
before them. A blind man received his
the woman whom the LORD hath ap-
pointed out for my master's son.
Answer. O LORD God of Abraham,
Thou hast prospered my way.
Eighth Lesson.
BUT, dearly beloved brethren, we
must so take the miracles of our
Lord and Saviour, as believing both that
they were actually wrought, and that
they have some mystic interpretation
for our instruction. For in His works,
power speaketh one thing and mystery
again another. Behold here, for in-
stance. We know not historically who
this blind man was, but we do know of
what he was mystically the figure. Man-
kind is blind, driven out from Eden in
the persons of his first parents, knowing
not the light of heaven, and suffering
the darkness of condemnation. But,
nevertheless, through the coming of his
Redeemer, he is enlightened, so that
now he seeth by hope already the glad-
ness of inward light, and walketh by
good works in the path of life.
Eighth Responsory.
3 The word of the LORD came unto
Abram, saying: Fear not, Abram: I
am thy shield, and thy exceeding great
reward.
Verse. For I am the LORD thy God
That brought thee out of Ur of the
Chaldees.
Answer. Fear not, Abram: I am thy
shield, and thy exceeding great reward.
sight before their eyes, that if they WE
could not receive heavenly things by
words, they might be persuaded of hea-
venly things by deeds.
Seventh Responsory.
2 I came this day unto the well, and I
besought the Lord, and said: O LORD
God of Abraham, Thou hast prospered
my way.
Verse. Therefore the virgin to whom
I shall say: Give me water of thy
pitcher to drink; and she shall say to
me: Drink, my lord, and I will give
thy camels drink also; let the same be
1 xxiv. 12.
Ninth Lesson.
E must note that as JESUS drew
to Jericho a blind man received
his sight. Now, this name Jericho,
being interpreted, signifieth "the city
of the moon :" and in Holy Scripture
the moon is used as a figure of our im-
perfect flesh, of whose gradual corrup-
tion her monthly waning is a type. As,
therefore, our Maker draweth nigh to
Jericho, a blind man receiveth his sight.
While the Godhead taketh into it-
self our weak manhood, man receiveth
again the light which he had lost. By
God's suffering in the Manhood, man is
raised up toward God. This blind man
is also well described as sitting by the
2 xxxii. 42-44.
3 xv. 1, 7.
QUINQUAGESIMA.
349
wayside begging; for the Truth saith:
"I am the Way." (John xiv. 6.)
Ninth Responsory.
AS the Lord passed by, a certain blind
man sat by the way-side, and cried
unto Him. And the Lord asked him,
saying: What wilt thou that I shall do
unto thee? Lord, that I may receive my
sight.
Verse. And JESUS stood, and com-
manded him to be brought unto Him;
and when he was come near, He asked
Him, saying:
Answer. What wilt thou that I shall
do unto thee?
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Lord, that I may receive my
sight.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. O Lord, according
to the multitude of Thy tender mercies,
* blot out my transgressions.
Psalm L.
Have mercy, &c., (p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. Thou art my God,
* and I will praise Thee: Thou art my
God, and I will exalt Thee.
Psalm CXVII.
O give thanks, &c., (p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. O God, early will I
seek Thee, * to see Thy power.
Psalms LXII. and LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p.
86.)
Fourth Antiphon. Sing praises, * and
exalt Him above all for ever.
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise ye the LORD
* from the heavens, all His angels.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., and CL.
Praise ye the LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
Chapter. (1 Cor. xiii. 1.)
RETHREN, though I speak with the
BREM
Verse and Answer as on Septuagesima
Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem,* and all
things that are written by the Prophets
concerning the Son of man shall be ac-
complished: for He shall be delivered
unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked
and spitted on; and they shall scourge
Him, and put Him to death, and the
third day He shall rise again.
0
Prayer throughout the day.
LORD, we beseech Thee, mercifully
to hear our prayers, that we, being
loosed from all chains of our sins, may
by Thee be defended against all adver-
sity. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. As JESUS went on His way,
* as He was come nigh unto Jericho, a
certain blind man cried unto Him, that
he might worthily receive his sight.
TERCE.
Antiphon. As the Lord passed by,
a certain blind man cried unto Him:
Thou Son of David, have mercy on me.
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. And they that went before
rebuked him,* that he should hold his
peace but he cried so much the more:
Thou Son of David, have mercy on me!
:
Chapter. (1 Cor. xiii. 8.)
CHARITY never faileth; but whether
there be prophecies, they shall fail;
whether there be tongues, they shall
cease; whether there be knowledge, it
shall vanish away. For we know in
part, and we prophesy in part.
NONE.
Antiphon. The blind man cried on
the Lord * so much the more, to give
him light.
Chapter. (1 Cor. xiii. 13.)
tongues of men and of Angels, and Arity, these three: but the greatest
have not charity, I am become as sound-
ing brass or a tinkling cymbal.
ND now abideth faith, hope, cha-
of these is charity.
350
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. And JESUS stood, and com-
manded the blind man to be brought
unto Him, and He asked him, saying:
What wilt thou that I shall do unto
thee? Lord, that I may receive my
sight. And JESUS said unto him: Re-
ceive thy sight: thy faith hath saved
thee. And immediately he received his
sight, and followed Him, glorifying God.
Monday.
Second Day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (xiii. 1.)
AND Abram went up out of Egypt, he,
and his wife, and all that he had,
and Lot with him, into the South. And
he was very rich in gold and in silver.
And he went on his journeys from the
South even to Bethel, unto the place
where his tent had been at the begin-
ning, between Bethel and Hai, unto the
place of the Altar which he had made
at the first: and there he called on the
Name of the LORD. And Lot also, which
was with Abram, had flocks, and herds,
and tents. And the land was not able
to bear them, that they might dwell to-
gether for their substance was great,
so that they could not dwell together.
:
First Responsory.
Abram removed his tent, and came,
and dwelt by the vale¹ of Mamre; and
built there an altar unto the LORD.
Verse. And the LORD said unto him :
Lift up thine eyes, and look; all the
land which thou seest, to thee will I
give it, and to thy seed for ever.
Answer. And built there an Altar unto
the LORD.
Second Lesson.
THEREFORE there was a strife be-
tween the herdmen of Abram's
cattle, and the herdmen of Lot's cattle.
And the Canaanite and the Perizzite
dwelled then in the land. Abram there-
fore said unto Lot: Let there be no
strife, I pray thee, between me and
thee, and between my herdmen and thy
herdmen; for we be brethren. Behold,
the whole land is before thee; separate
thyself, I pray thee, from me. If thou
wilt take the left hand, then I will
go
to the right: if thou depart to the right
hand, then I will go to the left. And Lot
lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the
plain of Jordan, that it was well watered
everywhere, before the LORD destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the gar-
den of the LORD, and like the land of
Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. Then
Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan,
and journeyed eastward.
Second Responsory.
2Abraham believed God, and it was
counted unto him for righteousness.
And therefore he became the friend of
God.
Verse. For he was righteous in the
sight of the Lord, and walked in His
ways.
Answer. And therefore he became the
friend of God.
Third Lesson.
AND they ne brother. Abram dwelled
separated themselves, bro-
in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled
in the cities of the plain of Jordan, and
abode in Sodom. But the men of Sodom
were very wicked, and sinners before
the LORD exceedingly. And the LORD
said unto Abram, after that Lot was se-
parated from him: Lift up now thine
eyes, and look from the place where
thou art, Northward and Southward,
and Eastward and Westward: all the
land which thou seest, to thee will I
give it, and to thy seed for ever. And
I will make thy seed as the dust of the
earth.
Third Responsory.
The Lord did tempt, &c., (p. 346.)
Prayer throughout the day as on
Sunday.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. And they, &c., (Antiphon at
Sext on Sunday, p. 349.)
¹ Some, instead of "vale" or "plain," read "oak" or "terebinth-tree."
2 Gen. xv. 6.
LENT.
351
Shrove Tuesday.
Third Day in the Week within Fifty
Days of Easter.
First Lesson.
Second Responsory.
The Angel of the LORD, &c., (Fifth
Responsory on Sunday, p. 347.)
Third Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of AND the king of Sodom went out to
Genesis (xiv. 8.)
ND there went out the king of Sodom,
and the king of Gomorrah, and the
king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim,
and the king of Belah, (the same is
Zoar:) and they joined battle with them
in the vale of the woods, with Chedor-
laomer, the king of Elam, and with
Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel
king of Shinar, and Arioch king of
Ellasar; four kings with five. And the
vale of the woods was full of slime-pits.
And the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah
fled and fell there: and they that re-
mained fled to the mountain. And they
took all the goods of Sodom and Go-
morrah, and all their victuals, and went
their way; and they took Lot, Abram's
brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and
his goods.
First Responsory.
The Angel of the LORD, (Fourth Re-
sponsory on Sunday, p. 347.)
Second Lesson.
AND, behold, there came one that had
escaped, and told Abram the He-
brew, for he dwelt in the vale of Mamre
the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and bro-
ther of Aner; for these were confederate
with Abram. And when Abram heard
that his brother Lot was taken captive,
he armed his trained servants, born in
his house, three hundred and eighteen,
and pursued them unto Dan. And he
divided his comrades, and warred against
them by night, and smote them, and
pursued them unto Hobah, which is on
the left hand of Damascus. And he
brought back all the goods, and his bro-
ther Lot, and his goods; and the women
also and the people.
meet him, (after his return from
the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of
the kings that were with him,) in the
valley of Shaveh, which is the King's
Dale. And Melchizedek King of Salem
brought forth bread and wine, (for he
was the Priest of the Most High God,)
and blessed him, and said: Blessed be
Abram of the Most High God, Maker of
heaven and earth; and blessed be the
Most High God, which hath delivered
thine enemies into thy hand. And he
gave him tithes of all.

Third Responsory.
O God of my master, &c., (p. 348.)
Prayer throughout the day as on
Sunday.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thou Son of David, * have
mercy on me. What wilt thou that I
shall do unto thee? Lord, that I may
receive my sight.
Lent.
During Lent the following rules are
to be observed.
1. On the first Saturday and every
Week-day after, Vespers are said be-
fore Supper, being the one meal allowed.
2. When the service is of the Week-
day, at every service except Mattins,
Preces are said kneeling.
3. If the service is of the Week-day,
the following additions are made in
Choir, but persons bound to the Divine
Office are not bound to them under sin.²
a. On Monday the Office of the Dead,
viz. the Vespers after the Vespers on
1 The letter of this rule is, of course, fulfilled by those who eat before sunset, if they say
Vespers before supper, which a tolerated custom now allows to be taken at any time after
noon. In this country at least, the rich, when fasting, usually adhere to the primitive
practice of the Church during the warmth of her first love, and take their meal after dark;
but among working-people and religious, who rise very early, the other practice is most
usual. The Church now tolerates it, only insisting that at any rate her day of Prayer
should have closed. For private recitation some do not hold the rule to apply.
* There are, however, indulgences for reciting them under any circumstances.
352
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Sunday evening, and the Dirge after
Lauds the next morning. Out of Choir
it may be said any time between Sunday
afternoon and Monday midnight. Mon-
day in Holy Week is excepted.
b. On Wednesday the Gradual Psalms.
In Choir they are said before Mattins;
out of Choir whenever convenient, and
Wednesday in Holy Week is excepted.
c. On Friday' the Penitential Psalms
and the Litany. The whole is said
kneeling after Lauds, but out of Choir
how and when convenient. Good Friday
is excepted. (See the Additional Services
at the end of the Breviary.)
4. Simple Feasts are only commemo-
rated. Doubles and Semidoubles are
observed, if they fall on Week-days be-
fore Palm Sunday. In this case the
Ninth Lesson of the Festival is omitted
or read as one with the Eighth, and for
the Ninth Lesson is read the first part
or the whole of the Homily for the
Week-day, which is also commemorated
at Lauds and Vespers.
Ash Wednesday.
Fourth Day. Of Ashes.
This Day cannot be displaced by a
Festival.
Before Mattins are said the Gradual
Psalms.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (vi. 16.)
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples; When ye fast, be not, as
the hypocrites, of a sad countenance.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Bk. ii. on the Lord's Sermon
on the Mount, ch. xii., tom. 4.)
It is evident that by these precepts
we are bidden to seek for inner gladness,
lest, by running after that reward which
is without, we should become conformed
to the fashion of this world, and should
so lose the promise of that blessing which
is all the truer and more stable that it is
inward, that blessing wherein God hath
chosen us to be conformed to the like-
ness of His Son. In this chapter we
will principally consider the fact that
vain-glory findeth a ground for its exer-
cise in struggling poverty as much as in
worldly distinction and display; and this
development is the most dangerous, be-
cause it enticeth under pretence of being
the serving of God.
First Responsory.
I came this day, &c., (p.348.)
HE
Second Lesson.

E that is characterised by unbridled
indulgence in luxury or
in dress,
or any other display, is by these very
things easily shown to be a follower of
worldly vanities, and deceiveth no one
by putting on an hypocritical mask of
godliness. But those professors of Chris-
tianity, who turn all eyes on themselves
by an eccentric show of grovelling and
dirtiness, not suffered by necessity, but
by their own choice, of them we must
judge by their other works whether their
conduct really proceedeth from the de-
sire of mortification by giving up unne-
cessary comfort, or is only the mean of
some ambition: the Lord biddeth us be-
ware of wolves in sheep's clothing, but
"by their fruits," saith He, "ye shall
know them."
Second Responsory.
The word of the LORD, &c., (p.348.)
Third Lesson.
THE test is when, by divers trials,
such persons lose those things which
under the cover of seeming unworldli-
ness they have either gained or sought
to gain. Then must it needs appear
whether they be wolves in sheep's cloth-
ing, or indeed sheep in their own. But
that hypocrites do the contrary maketh
it no duty of a Christian to shine before
the eyes of men with a display of need-
less luxury-the sheep need not to lay
aside their own clothing because wolves
sometimes falsely assume it.
Third Responsory.
Abram removed his tent, &c., (p. 350,)
with this addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
1 But in most if not all dioceses there are Greater Double Offices in honour of the Passion
on these Fridays.
LENT.
353
Answer. And built there an altar
unto the LORD.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When ye fast, * be not, as the hypo-
crites, of a sad countenance.
Prayer.
(On this and all other Week-day Offices
in Lent, Preces are said kneeling.)
LORD, grant unto Thy faithful
people to enter with all meet god-
liness upon the observance of this wor-
shipful and solemn Fast, and in like mind
faithfully to fulfil the same. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After None, ashes are blessed and put
upon the heads of clergy and people,
after which is celebrated the Liturgy.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Lay up for yourselves treasures
in heaven, where neither moth nor
rust doth corrupt.
Prayer.¹
LOOK mercifully, O Lord, upon all
that bow themselves down before
Thy Divine Majesty, and, as Thou hast
given them to taste of Thine Unspeak-
able Gift, so strengthen them ever by Thy
heavenly succour. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (viii. 5.)
AT
T that time: When JESUS was en-
tered into Capernaum, there came
unto Him a centurion, beseeching Him,
and saying: Lord, my servant lieth at
home sick of the palsy, and grievously
tormented. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Book ii. on the Agreement of
the Evangelists, ch. xx., tom. 4.)
Let us consider whether Matthew and
Luke are at one as touching this cen-
turion's servant. Matthew saith: "There
came unto Him a centurion, beseeching
Him, and saying: Lord, my servant
lieth at home sick of the palsy." This
seemeth to differ from what Luke saith:
namely: "And when he heard of JESUS,
he sent unto Him the elders of the Jews,
beseeching Him that He would come
and heal his servant. And when they
came to JESUs, they besought Him in-
stantly, saying: That he was worthy
for whom He should do this; for he
loveth our nation, and he hath built us
a synagogue. Then JESUS went with
them; and when He was now not far
from the house, the centurion_sent
friends to Him, saying unto Him: Lord,
trouble not Thyself; for 1 am not worthy
that Thou shouldest enter under my
roof." (vii. 6, et seq.)
First Responsory.
Lord, my servant lieth at home sick
of the palsy, and grievously tormented.
Amen, I say unto Thee, I will come and
heal him.
Verse. Lord, I am not worthy that
Thou shouldest enter under my roof,
but speak the word only, and my ser-
vant shall be healed.
Answer. Amen, I say unto thee, I
will come and heal him.
IF
Second Lesson.
F it were done thus, how is Matthew
truthful, when he saith that the
"centurion came unto Him," - seeing
that, in fact, he sent his friends? We
must then look well into this, and we
shall see that Matthew only made use
of a common form of speech. Now, we
use to say of a man that he cometh to a
place even though he be not already
come: whence also we say, "He arrived
1 These Prayers appointed for the Week-day evenings during Lent, are the same as the
Prayers over the people" read after the Post-Communions of the corresponding masses
said after None. The first clause of the Prayer above relates to the Bidding, "Bow down
your heads to God," always said before the "Prayer over the people," and the second
clause, of course, to the Holy Communion just received.
A A
354
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
close," or "He arrived a long way off,"
that is, to that place to which he would
come; yea, we speak of that coming,
toward which he tendeth, as though it
had already taken place, when he that
should be come at, seeth not yet him that
cometh, but is come at for him by friends,
to obtain his favour, which is needful for
him that would come to him. And so
much doth this manner of speaking hold,
that they are commonly said to "come
at" a great man, (who is beyond their
personal reach,) who, by means of suit-
able persons, succeed in laying before
him such things as they desire.
Second Responsory.
Abraham stood by the oak, &c., (p.
346.)
Third Lesson.
'HEREFORE it is not strange that
THE
Matthew should make use of the
common short phrase, and say of the
centurion, who reached the Lord's sym-
pathies, by mean of friends, that he
"came unto Him." Also we must needs
not pass by lightly the mystic depth
which underlieth the words of this holy
Evangelist. It is written in the Psalms
(xxxiii. 6): "Draw near unto Him and
be lightened." Thus did the centurion
in faith draw near unto JESUS, and the
Lord so praised him that He said: "I
have not found so great faith, no, not
in Israël." Of him of whom these words
were spoken the Evangelist deemeth it
wiser to say that he had found his way
to JESUS, that he had got to Christ, than
that they came, through whom he sent
his message unto Him.
Third Responsory.
The Lord did tempt Abraham, &c.,
(p. 346.)
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of
the palsy * and grievously tormented.
Amen, I say unto thee: I will come and
heal him.
Prayer.
GOD, Whom sin doth justly move
to anger, and repentance turn
again, mercifully to forgive the same,
look down now graciously upon the sup-
plications of Thy people praying before
Thee, and turn away the scourges of
Thy wrath, which for our sins, we do
most rightfully deserve. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Lord, I am not worthy * that
Thou shouldest enter under my roof;
but speak the word only, and my ser-
vant shall be healed.
Prayer.
SPARE, O Lord, spare Thy people,
that they, being justly chastened
because of their iniquities, may through
Thy mercy find time of relief. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Åmen.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (v. 43.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: Ye have heard that it
hath been said: Thou shalt love thy
neighbour and hate thine enemy. And
so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. i., Comm. on Matth.
v. and vi.)
"But I say unto you: Love your
enemies, do good to them that hate
you." There are many who judge
of the commandments of the Lord by
their own weakness, and not by the
strength of His Saints; and so deem
Him to have commanded things impos-
sible. These are they who think that
not to hate their enemies is all that they
are able to do; and that to command us
to love them, is to command more than
man's nature can bear. It behoveth
then to know, that this which Christ
commandeth is not impossible, albeit
LENT.
355
perfect. This is what David did in re-
spect of Saul and Absalom; the martyr
Stephen also prayed for his enemies,
even while they were stoning him; and
Paul "could wish that himself were
accursed from Christ for his" persecu-
tors. (Rom. ix. 3.) And this, JESUS
Himself did, as well as taught, when
He said: "Father, forgive them for
they know not what they do." (Luke
xxiii. 34.)
First Responsory.
:
The Angel of the LORD, &c., (Fourth
Responsory on Sunday, p. 347.)
Second Lesson.
"THAT ye may be the children of
your Father Which is in heaven.'
If he that doeth the commandments of
God becometh a son of God, then is he
not a son by nature, but by his own
choice.
"Therefore when thou doest thine
alms, do not sound a trumpet before
thee, as the hypocrites do in the syna-
gogues, and in the streets, that they
may have glory of men. He that
soundeth a trumpet before him, when he
doeth alms, is an hypocrite. He that
disfigureth his face, when he fasteth, to
the end that he may show the emptiness
of his belly in his looks, he also is an
hypocrite. He that prayeth in the syna-
gogues and in the corners of the streets,
that he may be seen of men, is an hypo-
crite.
Second Responsory.
The Angel of the LORD called, &c.,
(Fifth Responsory on Sunday, p. 347.)
Third Lesson.
FRO
'ROM all which, we gather that an
hypocrite is one which doeth any-
thing that he may have glory of men.
To me also it seemeth that he which
saith unto his brother: "Let me pull
out the mote out of thine eye," (vii. 4,)
that he also is an hypocrite; for he pro-
poseth to take upon him that office for
vain-glory's sake, that he himself may
appear righteous. Wherefore the Lord
saith unto him: "Thou hypocrite, first
cast out the beam out of thine own eye."
Thus we see that it is, not the doing
good, but the motive which moveth us
to go good, which will meet with reward
from God; and, if thou stray but a little
from the right way, it is of small mo-
ment whether thou wander to the right
hand or to the left, when once thou hast
lost the straight path.
Third Responsory.
O God of my master, &c., (p. 348.)
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When thou doest alms, * let not thy
left hand know what thy right hand
doeth.
0
Prayer.
LORD, the Fast is now begun we
beseech Thee graciously to bless
the same, and so to strengthen us Thy
people, that we may ever follow this our
bodily exercise, with our hearts truly
turned to seek after Thee. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds the Penitential Psalms
and the Litany are said kneeling.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. But thou, when thou prayest,
enter into thy closet; * and, when thou
hast shut the door, pray to thy Father.
0
Prayer.
LORD, graciously look down upon
Thy people, and purge the same
from all sin, for then shall no evil be
able to hurt them, when no iniquity
hath hold upon them. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Zaturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (vi. 49.)
AT
T that time: When the even was
come, the ship was in the midst of
the sea, and JESUS alone on the land.
And so on.
AA2
356
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.j¹ (Bk. ii., cap. 6, on Mark
vi. 45.)
The toil of the disciples in rowing,
and the wind contrary to them, is a
figure of the divers toils of the Holy
Church, as, amid the waves of a world
that fighteth against her, and the stormy
blasts of unclean spirits, she-laboureth
to reach the rest of her Fatherland
above, as a shore safe for her anchor.
Here also it is well said that the ship
was in the midst of the sea, and He
alone on the land; for sometimes it
cometh to pass that the Church is, by
the great pressure of the Gentiles, not
only so afflicted, but also befouled, that
it seemeth as though, if it were possible,
her Redeemer had for the time forsaken
her.
First Responsory.
I came this day, &c., (p. 348.)
Second Lesson.
WHENCE it is that there cometh that
cry of hers, when she is taken
amid the waves, and the winds of temp-
tations that break upon her, and with
piteous entreaty she calleth on Him to
protect her "Why standest Thou afar
off, O LORD, why hidest Thou Thyself
in times of trouble?" (Ps. ix. 22.) And
then, in the verses that follow, she telleth
Him what saith the enemy that perse-
cuteth her, saying: "For he hath said
in his heart: God hath forgotten; He
hideth His face: He will never see it."
(32.)
Second Responsory.
The word of the LORD, &c., (p. 348.)
Third Lesson.
VERILY, He
seeth them that are toiling in the sea,
albeit He be Himself on the land. Al-
though He seem for a moment to tarry
in succouring the distressed, neverthe-
less the look of His love is strengthening
them, all the while, lest they should
faint and sometimes He setteth them
free, even by an open deliverance, con-
quering all their adversaries for them,
as when He walked upon the swelling
of the waves, and stilled them.
Third Responsory.
:
Abram removed his tent, &c., (p.
350, with addition as on Wednesday,
p. 352.)
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2 Yet they seek Me* daily, and delight
to know My ways.
Prayer.
EAR our prayers, O Lord, and grant
HEA
unto us, that we may keep with all
earnestness and godliness, this solemn
Fast, ordained for the health both of
our bodies and of our souls. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
This is the first day on which Vespers
must be said before Supper.
Chapter and Prayer from the follow-
ing Lauds.
()
Hymn.³
MAKER of the world, give ear,
Accept the prayer and own the tear,
Toward Thy Seat of Mercy sent
In this most holy Fast of Lent.
Each heart is manifest to Thee:
Thou knowest our infirmity :
Forgive Thou then each soul that fain
Would seek to Thee, and turn again.
ERILY, He forgetteth not the prayer
of the poor, neither turneth He His
face away from any that putteth his
trust in Him; yea, rather, to him who-
soever is striving with the enemy,
He
giveth help to conquer, and, whosoever
conquereth, to him He giveth an ever-
lasting crown. For the which reason
Iso it is here said plainly: "He saw
em toiling in rowing.' The Lord
he celebrated English historian; born, A.D. 673, near Jarrow on the Tyne; sent to
▾ Benedictine house at that place, at seven years of age; ordained Deacon in 691;
12; died, May 26, 735, after the First Vespers of the Ascension, which fell on May
ch day, therefore, the Martyrology names him, with the remark that he is very
`oliness and learning. In England he has a Festival on Oct. 29.
૧.
Our sins are manifold and sore,
But pardon them that sin deplore;
And, for Thy Name's sake, make each soul,
That feels and owns its languor, whole.
3 Translation extracted from the "Hymnal Noted."
FIRST WEEK IN LENT.
357
So mortify we every sense
By grace of outward abstinence,
That from each stain and spot of sin
The soul may keep her fast within.
Grant, O Thou Blessed Trinity!
Grant, O Essential Unity!
That this our Fast of forty days
May work our profit and Thy praise.
Amen.
Verse. God hath given His Angels
charge over thee.
Answer. To keep thee in all thy
ways.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Then shalt thou call, * and
the Lord shall answer: thou shalt cry,
and He shall say: Here I am.
First Sunday in Lent.
The First Lord's Day in the Forty
Days before Easter.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Let it not be vain for you
to rise up early, before the light² : for *
the Lord hath promised a crown to them
that watch.
Hymn.3
NOW, with the slow revolving year,
Again the Fast we greet;
Which in its mystic circle moves
Of forty days complete.
That Fast, by Law and Prophet taught,
By JESUS Christ restored;
JESUS, of seasons and of times
The Maker and the Lord.
Henceforth more sparing let us be,
Of food, of words, of sleep;
Henceforth beneath a stricter guard
The roving senses keep:
And let us shun whatever things
Distract the careless heart;
And let us shut our souls against
The tyrant tempter's art;
And weep before the Judge, and strive
His vengeance to appease ;
Saying to Him with contrite voice
Upon our bended knees
;
Much have we sinned, O Lord! and still
We sin each day we live;
Yet look in pity from on high,
And of Thy grace forgive.
1 Isa. lviii. 9.
3 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
Remember that we still are Thine,
Though of a fallen frame;
And take not from us in Thy wrath
The glory of Thy name.
Undo past evil; grant us, Lord,
More grace to do aright;
So may we now and ever find
Acceptance in Thy sight.
Blest Trinity in Unity!
Vouchsafe us, in Thy love,
To gather from these fasts below
Immortal fruit above.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul to
the Corinthians (vi. 1.)
WE then, as workers together with
Him, beseech you also that ye
receive not the grace of God in vain.
(For He saith: "I have heard thee in
a time accepted, and in the day of sal-
vation have I succoured thee."4 Be-
hold, now is the acceptable time; be-
hold, now is the day of salvation.)
Giving no offence to any, that our mi-
nistry be not blamed; but in all things
let us approve ourselves as the ministers
of God, in much patience, in afflictions,
in necessities, in distresses, in stripes,
in imprisonments, in tumults, in la-
bours, in watchings, in fastings, in pu-
rity, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in
kindness, in the Holy Ghost, in love
unfeigned, in the word of truth, in the
power of God: by the armour of righ-
teousness on the right hand and on the
left, by honour and dishonour, by evil
report and good report; as deceivers,
and yet true; as unknown, and yet well
known; as dying, and behold, we live;
as chastened, and not killed; as sor-
rowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor,
yet making many rich; as having no-
thing, and yet possessing all things.
*
First Responsory.
Behold, now is the acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation : let
us approve ourselves in much patience,
in much fasting; in the power of God,
by the armour of righteousness.
Verse. In all things let us approve
2 Ps. cxxvi. 3.
4 Isa. xlix. 8.
358
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
ourselves as the ministers of God, in
much patience, in much fasting.
Answer. In the power of God, by the
armour of righteousness.
0
Second Lesson.
YE Corinthians, our mouth is open
unto you, our heart is enlarged.
Ye are not straitened in us, but ye
are straitened in your own bowels;
but having the same recompense, (I
speak as unto sons,) be ye also enlarged.
Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers. For what fellowship
hath righteousness with unrighteous-
ness? And what communion hath light
with darkness? And what concord hath
Christ with Belial ¹ or what part hath
he that believeth with an infidel? And
what agreement hath the temple of
God with idols? For ye are the temple
of the living God, as God hath said:
"I will dwell in them, and walk among
them, and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people."2
Second Responsory.
In all things let us approve our-
selves as the ministers of God, in much
patience; that our ministry be not
blamed.
Verse. Behold, now is the acceptable
time; behold, now is the day of salva-
tion: let us approve ourselves in much
patience.
Answer. That our ministry be not
blamed.
Third Lesson.
Same as the Second Lesson on Wed-
nesday in the Second Week after the
Epiphany (p. 300) from the words:
"I am filled with comfort"-inclusive,
to the end, and the Third Lesson as far
as the words: "Ye sorrowed to repent-
ance"-inclusive.
Third Responsory.
The Priests shall pray, with fasting
and with weeping, and shall say: Spare,
O LORD, spare Thy people; and give not
Thine heritage to destruction.
Verse. The Priests shall weep between
the porch and the altar, and shall say:
1 "The destroyer," i.e. Satan.
3 Joel ii. 17.
Answer. Spare, O LORD, spare Thy
people; and give not Thine heritage to
destruction.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Spare, O LORD, spare Thy
people and give not Thine heritage to
destruction.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (4th on
Lent.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, I am to
preach to you the holiest and the
greatest of Fasts; and with what words
can I more fitly begin than with those
words of the Apostle, in whom Christ
spake, which have just been read? "Be-
hold, now is the acceptable time! Be-
hold, now is the day of salvation!" It
is true that there are no times which
are not rich with God's gifts; His grace
doth ever give us an entry unto His
mercy; nevertheless, more especially at
this time doth it behove that the minds
of all men be earnestly stirred up to
make progress in things spiritual, and
to be nerved by a trust in God stronger
than ever; for now the anniversary of
that day on which we were redeemed is
drawing near, and thereby moving us
to work all godliness, to the end that
we may be able to celebrate, with clean
minds and bodies, that mystery which
exceedeth all others, the mystery of the
Lord's sufferings.
Fourth Responsory.
Let us amend for the better in that
wherein we have sinned unknowingly,
or ever the day of death suddenly pre-
vent us, and we seek a place of repent-
ance, and find none. Give heed, O Lord,
and have mercy upon us, for we have
sinned against Thee.
Verse. Help us, O God of our salva-
tion, and for the glory of Thy Name
deliver us, O Lord.
Answer. Give heed, O Lord, and have
mercy upon us, for we have sinned
against Thee.
2 Exod. xxix. 45; Lev. xxvi. 12.
Ps. lxxviii. 9.
FIRST WEEK IN LENT.
359
Fifth Lesson.
MYSTERIES so great demand sus-
tained earnestness, and continuous
worship, if we would ever abide in the
sight of God, such as it is meet that He
should find us on the Feast of the Pass-
over.
But since few have the strength
to do thus, and the frailty of the body
rebelleth against such hardness, while
the divers actions of this life distract
us with their cares, it necessarily be-
falleth that the dust of earth befouleth
the hearts even of the godly. To meet
this befoulment therefore, and to restore
the cleanness of our souls, it is provided
by the healthful institution of God, that
we should be purged by an exercise of
forty days, wherein godly works may
redeem the mis-spending of our other
time, and purifying fasts rid us of the
same.
Fifth Responsory.
and
¹Let the wicked forsake his way,
the unrighteous man his thoughts, and
let him return unto the LORD, and He
will have mercy upon him; for the
Lord our God is gracious, and merciful,
and repenteth Him of the evil.2
3
Verse. The Lord hath no pleasure in
the death of the wicked; but that he
turn from his way and live,
Answer. For the Lord our God is gra-
cious, and merciful, and repenteth Him
of the evil.
Sixth Lesson.
THEREFORE, dearly beloved bre-
thren, as we are now about to enter
upon these mystic days, the end of whose
most holy ordinance is the cleansing
both of our souls and bodies, let us take
heed that we be obedient unto the com-
mand of the Apostle, putting far away
from us every defilement of flesh and
spirit, ordering the strife which there is
between the two substances whereof we
are compounded; that the soul, which
is ordained under the rule of God, and
which it beseemeth under His rule to
rule the body, may enjoy the fulness of
her lordship; giving no offence to any
so that we may give no cause to such
as revile us. For if our ways during
the Fast agree not with the purity of
perfect temperance, the reproaches of
1 Isa. lv. 7.
the unbelievers will be just, and our
sins will arm the tongues of the un-
godly to the harming of our religion.
The sum of our Fast standeth not only
in abstaining from meats; neither is it
profitable to deny food to the body, if
the mind be not bridled from iniquity.
Sixth Responsory.
The season of the Fast openeth unto
us the gates of heaven; let us enter
thereon in prayer and supplication, that
on the day when the Lord riseth again
we may rejoice with Him.
Verse. In all things let us approve
ourselves the ministers of God, in much
patience.
Answer. That on the day when the
Lord riseth again we may rejoice with
Him.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. That on the day when the
Lord riseth again we may rejoice with
Him.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (iv. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS was led up of
the Spirit into the wilderness, to
be tempted of the devil: and when He
had fasted forty days and forty nights,
He was afterward an-hungred. And
so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (16th on the Gospels.)
Some persons are accustomed to ques-
tion what Spirit it was of which JESUS
was led up into the wilderness, on ac-
count of the words a little farther on:
'Then the devil taketh Him up into
the holy city"-and again: "The devil
taketh Him up into an exceeding high
mountain." But in truth, and without
any searching, we may very fitly take it
that we are to believe it was the Holy
Ghost Who led Him up into the wilder-
ness; His own Spirit led Him where
the evil spirit found Him to tempt Him.
When however it is said that He, God
and man, was taken up by the devil
either into an exceeding high mountain
or into the holy city, the mind shrinketh
2 Joel ii. 13.
3 Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
360
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
from believing, and the ears of man
tingle to hear it. Yet these things we
know not to be incredible, when we
consider certain other things concern-
ing Him.
Seventh Responsory.
¹Rend your hearts and not your gar-
ments, and turn unto the LORD your
God; for He is gracious and merciful.
Verse. Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unrighteous man his
thoughts, and let him return unto the
LORD, and He will have mercy upon him.
Answer. For He is gracious and mer-
ciful.
Eighth Lesson.
IN truth, the devil is the head of all
the wicked, and every wicked man
is a member of this body, of which the
devil is the head. Was not Pilate a
limb of Satan? Were not the Jews that
persecuted, and the soldiers that cruci-
fied Christ, likewise limbs of Satan? Is
it then strange that He should allow
Himself to be led up into a mountain
by the head, Who allowed Himself to
be crucified by the members? There-
fore it is not unworthy of our Redeemer,
Who came to be slain, that He was will-
ing to be tempted. It was meet that
He should thus overcome our tempta-
tions by His own, even as He came to
conquer our death by His own.
Eighth Responsory.
*Deal thy bread to the hungry, and
bring the poor and the wanderer to
thine house. Then shall thy light break
forth as the morning, and thy righteous-
ness shall go before thee.
Verse. When thou seest the naked,
cover him; and hide not thyself from
thine own flesh.
Answer. Then shall thy light break
forth as the morning, and thy righteous-
ness shall go before thee.
WE
Ninth Lesson.
E ought to know that temptation
worketh through three forms.
There is, first, the suggestion; then the
delectation; lastly, the consent. When
we are tempted, it often happeneth that
1 Joel ii. 13.
But
we fall into delectation, and even into
consent, because in the sinful flesh of
which we are begotten, we carry in our-
selves matter to favour the attack.
God, when He took Flesh in the womb
of the Virgin, and came into the world
without sin, did so without having in
Himself anything of this lusting of the
flesh against the spirit. It was possible
therefore for Him to be tempted in the
first stage, namely suggestion; but there
was nothing in His Mind in which de-
lectation could fix its teeth. And thus
all the temptation which He endured
from the devil was without, and none
within Him.
Ninth Responsory.
4 God hath given His Angels charge
over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands,
lest haply thou dash thy foot against a
stone.
Verse. Thou shalt tread upon the
adder and the cockatrice, the lion also,
and the dragon shalt thou trample under
feet.
Answer. They shall bear thee up in
their hands, lest haply thou dash thy
foot against a stone.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. They shall bear thee up in
their hands, lest haply thou dash thy
foot against a stone.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Create in me a clean
heart, * O God, and renew a right spirit
within me.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. Save me now, O
LORD; * O LORD, send Thou prosperity.
Psalm CXVII.
O give thanks, &c., (p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. Thus will I bless
Thee, O Lord, while I live; and will
lift up my hands in Thy Name.
Psalms LXII. and LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p. 87.)
Fourth Antiphon. In an humble
2 Isa. lviii. 7, 8.
3 I.e. the feeling of "How pleasant to do it."
4 Ps. xc. 11-13.
5 Dan. iii. 40.
FIRST WEEK IN LENT.
361
*
spirit and a contrite heart may we be
accepted by Thee, O Lord; and so let
our sacrifice be this day, that it may be
acceptable and pleasant in Thy sight, O
Lord our God!
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise God, * ye
heavens of heavens, and all ye waters.¹
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
Chapter. (2 Cor. vi. 1.)
BRETHREN, we beseech you that ye
receive not the grace of God in
vain. For He saith: I have heard thee
in a time accepted, and in the day of
salvation have I succoured thee.
Hymn.2
THE darkness fleets, and joyful earth
Welcomes the new-born day;
JESUS! true Sun of human souls!
Shed in our souls Thy ray!
Thou, Who dost give the accepted time,
Give tears to purify,
Give flames of love to burn our hearts
As victims unto Thee.
The fountain, whence our sins have flowed,
Shall soon in tears distil,
If but Thy penitential grace
Subdue the stubborn will.
The day is near when all re-blooms,—
Thine own blest day, O Lord!
We too would joy, by Thy right hand
To life's true path restored.
All-glorious Trinity! to Thee
;
Let earth's vast fabric bend
And evermore from souls renewed
The Saints' new song ascend.
Days, grant unto this Thy family, that
what things soever they strive to obtain
at Thy hand by abstaining from meats,
they may ever turn to profit by good
works. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
*
PRIME.
Antiphon. When JESUS had fasted
forty days and forty nights, He was
afterward an-hungred.
TERCE.
W
Antiphon. Then the devil taketh Him
up into the holy city, * and setteth Him
on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith
unto Him: If Thou be the Son of God,
cast Thyself down.
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Man shall not live by bread
alone, but by every word that pro-
ceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Chapter. (2 Cor. vi. 2.)
BEHOLD, now is the acceptable time;
now is the day of salvation: giving
no offence to any, that our ministry be
not blamed.
NONE.
Antiphon. Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, * and Him only shalt
thou serve.
Chapter. (2 Cor. vi. 9.)
Verse. God hath given His Angels AS chastened, and not killed; as sor-
charge over thee.
Answer. To keep thee in all thy
ways.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS was led up of the Spirit into the
wilderness, * to be tempted of the de-
vil: and when He had fasted forty days
and forty nights, He was afterward an-
hungred.
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, Who dost every year purge
Thy Church by the Fast of Forty
rowful, yet alway rejoicing; as
poor, yet making many rich; as having
nothing, yet possessing all things.
VESPERS.
Chapter and Verse and Answer from
Lauds.
Hymn as on Saturday evening.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Behold, now is the accepted
time; * behold, now is the day of sal-
vation; in these days therefore let us
1 Possibly, an allusion to the approaching Easter baptisms.
2 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
3 i.e., Easter.
༔༔ ༔

362
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
approve ourselves as the ministers of
God, in much patience, in fastings, in
watchings, and in love unfeigned.
Afterwards are said the Vespers for
the Dead.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxv. 31.)
A
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: When the Son of Man
shall come in His glory, and all the
Angels with Him, then shall He sit
upon the throne of His glory, and be-
fore Him shall be gathered all nations.
And so on.
Homily by S. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (On Faith and Works, xv. 4.)
If, without keeping the command-
ments, it be possible to attain unto life
by faith only, (and "faith, if it hath
not works, is dead,"-James ii. 17,)
how can it be true that the Lord will
say to such as He shall have set on
His left hand: "Depart from Me,
ye cursed, into everlasting fire, pre-
pared for the devil and his angels?"
He rebuketh them, not because they
have not believed in Him, but because
they have not wrought good works.
Yea, lest any man should promise him-
self life eternal by faith only, (and
"faith, if it hath not works, is dead,")
the Lord saith that He will gather to-
gether all nations, nations who have
lived mingled together in the same
countries, that we may seem to hear
them which have believed indeed in
Him, but have not wrought good works,
(as though that their dead faith could,
"being alone," lead them into life eter-
nal,) that we may seem to hear such
crying unto Him,-"Lord, when saw
we Thee suffering such and such things,
and did not minister unto Thee?"
First Responsory.
Behold, now is the acceptable time,
&c., (p. 357.)
Second Lesson.
IF they shall go into everlasting fire
who have not done works of mercy,
shall not they go who have taken their
neighbour's goods? Or shall not they
go who have outraged the temple of
God in their own selves, and so been
merciless to themselves? As if works
of mercy could avail anything without
love, contrary to the words of the Apos-
tle: "Though I bestow all my goods to
feed the poor, and have not charity, it
profiteth me nothing." (1 Cor. xiii. 3.)
And what manner of love to his neigh-
bour hath he who loveth him as himself
and loveth not himself?-remembering
that "he that loveth iniquity hateth his
own soul." (Ps. x. 6.)
Second Responsory.
In all things, &c., (p. 358.)
NEI
Third Lesson.
EITHER dare we say here that by
which some delude themselves,
namely, that the fire indeed is everlast-
ing, but that they will not burn therein
everlastingly. Such men say that they
whose faith is dead, will pass through
that everlasting fire, and that they are
they to whom it is promised that they
themselves "shall be saved, yet so as by
fire." (1 Cor. iii. 15.) So that, though
the fire itself be everlasting, the burn-
ing of the damned therein, that is, the
work of the fire upon them, will not be
everlasting. As though the Lord were
answering this beforehand, the last
words of His Sermon are: "And these
shall go away into everlasting punish-
ment, but the righteous into life eter-
nal.' As the fire, so shall the burning
be; and the Truth biddeth us know that
they shall burn therein, who have lacked,
not faith, but good works.
Third Responsory.
The Priests, &c., (p. 358.)
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Isa. lviii. 1.)
(RY aloud, spare not; lift up thy
voice like a trumpet, and show My
people their transgressions, and the
house of Jacob their sins.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 357.)
FIRST WEEK IN LENT.
363
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Come, ye blessed of My Father, * in-
herit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.
Prayer.
TURN us, O God of our salvation, and
that the Fast of these Forty Days
may profit us, do Thou order all our
thoughts according to Thy heavenly
teaching. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds is said the Dirge.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Joel ii. 17.)
THE Priests, the ministers of the
LORD, shall weep between the
porch and the altar, and shall say:
Spare, O LORD, spare Thy people, and
give not Thine heritage to reproach,
that the heathen should rule over them.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday, (p. 356.)
Prayer.
LOOSE us, O Lord, we beseech Thee,
from all bonds of our sins, and in
Thy mercy turn away from us all pains
which for the same we do justly de-
serve. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxi. 10.)
AT
T that time: When JESUS was
come into Jerusalem, all the city
was moved, saying: Who is this? And
so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.] (7th for Lent. Tom. vii.)
The same thing which the Lord show-
ed in a figure by cursing the barren
fig-tree, He afterwards more plainly put
before us by casting the desecrators out
of the temple. The tree herself had
not sinned by bearing no fruit when the
Lord was hungry, for the time of figs
was not yet come, but those Priests had
sinned who were carrying on worldly
business in the Lord's house, and who
neglected to bring forth that fruit of
godliness which they owed, and which
the Lord was hungry to find in them.
The Lord made the fig-tree to wither
away under His curse, that all men who
saw it, and all men who hear of it,
might know that they will be condemned
by the judgment of God, if they content
themselves with the talk of godliness,
without the solid fruit of good works,
even as that barren fig-tree was clothed
only with a rustling garb of green
leaves.

First Responsory.
Let us amend, &c., (p. 358.)
Second Lesson.
BUT because the buyers and sellers
berod
understood not the parable of the
barren fig-tree, the Lord brought upon
them the stroke of the punishment that
they had deserved, and cast out the
traffickers in earthly things, from that
house, wherein it had been commanded
that nothing should be done save the
work of God, sacrifices and prayers of-
fered up to Him, and His word read,
taught, and sung. And yet it may be
believed that nothing was being sold or
bought in the temple save such things
as were needful for the service thereof,
as we read in another place, (John ii.
14,) that when JESUS went into the
temple "He found those that sold oxen
and sheep and doves," and all these
things were doubtless there for no other
end but to be offered to God in that His
holy house, and were sold by the natives
to those worshippers who came from a
distance, to be so used.
Second Responsory.
Let the wicked, &c., (p. 359.)
Third Lesson.
IF, therefore, the Lord would not have
to be sold in the temple, even such
things as He willed should be offered
364
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
therein, (on account, that is, of the
greed or dishonesty which is often the
stain of such transactions,) with what
anger, suppose ye, would He visit such
as He might find laughing or gossiping
there, or yielding to any other sin? If
the Lord suffer not to be carried on in
His house such worldly business as may
be freely done elsewhere, how much
more shall such things as ought never
to be done anywhere, draw down the
anger of God if they be done in His own
holy house? Lastly; the Holy Ghost
came down upon the Lord in the shape
of a dove, and by doves therefore may
be signified the gifts of that Holy Spirit.
They, then, to this day sell doves in the
temple of God, who take money in the
Church for the laying on of their hands,
whereby the Holy Ghost is given from
heaven.
Third Responsory.
The season of the Fast, &c., (p. 359.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on Mon-
day, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 357.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS went into the temple of God, *
and cast out all them that sold and
bought; and overthrew the tables of the
money-changers, and the seats of them
that sold doves.
Prayer.
LOOK down, O Lord, on this Thy
family, and grant that our minds,
which, by the chastening of the body,
we seek to purify, may ever more
and more shine in Thy sight by strong
hungering after Thee. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the Unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. For it is written that My
house is the house of prayer * for all
nations; but ye have made it a den of
thieves and He was daily teaching in
the temple.
Prayer.
LORD, may our prayers come up
before Thy presence, and do Thou
mercifully rid Thy Church of all wick-
edness. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Ember Wednesday.
Fourth Day of Quarter-Tense.
Before Mattins are said the Gradual
Psalms.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xii. 38.)
AT that time: Certain Scribes and
Pharisees answered JESUS, saying:
Master, we would see a sign from Thee.
And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (7th Bk. on Luke, ch. xii.)
After the condemnation of the Jewish
people, the mystery of the Church is
plainly declared in the figures of the
repentant Ninevites, and of the Queen
of the South. Like that Queen, the
Church cometh from the uttermost parts
of the earth, to hear the wisdom of the
true Solomon, the Prince of Peace.¹ A
Queen she is, and a Queen of one indi-
visible realm, wrought into one body
out of all nations, however divers and
distant.
First Responsory.
Rend your hearts, &c., (p. 360.)
Second Lesson.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on Mon- AND thus cometh that great mystery
day, (p. 363.)
1 A play on the meaning in the Hebrew of the name Solomon, i.e., "Peaceful.”
FIRST WEEK IN Lent.
365
more excellent now in the fulness of
truth, than in the ancient type. For
Prayer.
there they had in Solomon only a type LORD, we beseech Thee, mercifully
of that which Christ is now in His own
Person. And the Church is of two
classes, whereof the one knoweth not
how to sin, and the other sinneth no
more. To wash away sin is the work of
repentance, to eschew it that of wisdom.
Second Responsory.
Deal thy bread, &c., (p. 360.)
Third Lesson.
LASTLY, the sign of the Prophet
Jonas, as it was a figure of the
Lord's sufferings, was also a witness to
the gravity of those sins which the Jews
committed. At the same time, we see
in these words of the Lord a declaration
at once of His power, and of His love;
for, by turning our eyes on the Nine-
vites, He showeth us a way of escape,
while He setteth before us the horror
of what will otherwise be our punish-
ment. Even the Jews need not cease to
hope for pardon, if only they would re-
pent.
Third Responsory.
¹Shut up alms in the breast of the
poor, and it shall plead for you with the
Lord. For, 2as water will quench fire,
so alms maketh an atonement for sins.
Verse. Give alms, and, behold, all
things are clean unto you.
3
Answer. For, as water will quench
fire, so alms maketh an atonement for
sins.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For, as water will quench
fire, so alms maketh an atonement for
sins.
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on Mon-
day, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
This evil and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign; * and there shall
no sign be given to it, but the sign of
the Prophet Jonas.
1 Ecclus. xxix. 15.
to hear our prayers, and to stretch
forth the right hand of Thy power against
all things that fight against us. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on Mon-
day, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. As Jonas was three days and
three nights in the whale's belly, *
shall the Son of man be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth.
Prayer.
80
LORD, we beseech Thee to cast Thy
bright beams of light upon our
mind that we may clearly see whatso-
ever things Thou wouldest have us to
do, and have strength to do always that
is pleasing in Thy sight. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xv. 21.)
T that time: JESUS went thence, and
departed into the coasts of Tyre
and Sidon. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. ii. Comm. on Matth.
xv.)
Christ leaveth the Scribes and Phari-
sees who had spoken falsely against
Him, and goeth into the coasts of Tyre
and Sidon, that He may heal the Tyrians
2 Ecclus. iii. 33.
3 Luke xi. 41.
366
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
and Sidonians. But a woman of Canaan
cometh to Him out of the land He had
left, and crieth to Him to give health to
her daughter. Remark that the case of
the daughter of this woman of Canaan
is the fifteenth case of healing.
"Have mercy on me, O Lord, Thou
Son of David!" She knew that He was
to be called "Son of David" because she
was come out of His own country, and
had left the errors of the Tyrians and
Sidonians when she changed her home
and her faith.¹
First Responsory.
I had been troubled, but that I knew
Thy mercy, O Lord: Thou hast said:
2I have no pleasure in the death of the
wicked, but that he turn from his
way
and live. O Thou, Who didst call the
Canaanitish woman and the Publican
unto repentance!
Verse. In the multitude of the sor-
rows within my heart, Thy comforts
delight my soul.
Answer. O Thou Who didst call the
Canaanitish woman and the Publican
unto repentance !
Second Lesson.
"MY daughter is, grievously vexed
with a devil.” I think that the
daughter of this woman of Canaan,
[whom the Lord at length delivered,]
was a figure of the souls of such as now
believe, but were once grievously vexed
by the devil, knowing not Him Who
made them, and bowing down to stocks
and stones.
"But He answered not a word"-not
because He was puffed up with the pride
of the Pharisees, or shared the high
looks of the Scribes, but that He might
fulfil His own word that He had spoken,
saying: "Go not into the way of the Gen-
tiles, and into any city of the Samaritans
enter ye not." (Matth. x. 5.) He would
not give an occasion to such as spoke
falsely against Him, and He kept back
perfect salvation from the Gentiles until
such time as He should have suffered
and risen again.
Second Responsory.
In all things, &c., (p. 358.)
"6
Third Lesson.
AND His disciples came and besought
Him, saying: Send her away; for
she crieth after us.' The disciples,
knowing not as yet the mysterious
things of the Lord, said this, either
because they were moved with compas-
sion and so interceded for this Canaan-
itish woman, whom another Evangelist
calleth a Syrophœnician, (Mark vii. 26,)
or because she was crying out that the
Lord was an hard, instead of a merciful
physician, and they desired to be rid of
her clamour.
"But He answered and said: I am
not sent but unto the lost sheep of the
house of Israël,"-not that He was not
sent unto the Gentiles, but because it
was to Israël in the first instance that
He was sent, whom refusing the Gospel,
He might justly pass away from, and go
to the Gentiles.
Third Responsory.
The Priests, &c., (p. 358.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. Iviii. 1, as on Mon-
day, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 361.)
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS went thence, and departed unto
the coasts of Tyre and Sidon: and, be-
hold a woman of Canaan came out of
those coasts, and cried unto Him, say-
ing Have mercy on me, Thou Son of
David!
0
4
Prayer.
LORD, look down favourably upon
the earnestness of Thy people, and
grant that they being an-hungred in
their bodies, may be spiritually fed by
the fruit of good works. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.

The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
1 "The woman was a Gentile, a Syrophenician by nation." (Mark vii. 26.)
2 Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
4 Viz. those of her adopted country, Canaan.
3 Ps. xciii. 19.
FIRST WEEK IN LENT.
367
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on Mon-
day, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as or
Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O woman, great is thy faith: *
be it unto thee even as thou wilt.
Prayer.
GRANT, O Lord, we beseech Thee,
unto all Christian people, that
what they now believe they may one
day know, and may see in love un-
checked that heavenly Gift Whereof
now they are the worshippers and the
partakers. Through our Lord JESUS
Himself fasted this number of days
complete. Moses representeth the Law,
Elias the Prophets, and the Lord the
Gospel. And therefore these three ap-
peared on the Mount of the Transfigura-
tion. There the Lord showed Himself
to His disciples with His Face shining
as the sun, and His raiment glistering;
and He stood between Moses and Elias;
as it were, the Gospel receiving testi-
mony, on the one hand from the Law,
and, on the other, from the Prophets.
First Responsory.
Let us amend, &c., (p. 358.)
Second Lesson.
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign- WHETHER therefore, it be in the
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Ember Friday.
Sixth Day of Quarter-Tense.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (v. 1.)
AT
T that time: There was a feast of
the Jews and JESUS went up to
Jerusalem. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (17th Tract on John.)
Let us see what is mystically signified
by that one infirm man whom alone the
Lord, keeping to a mysterious unity,
chose out of so many sufferers, to be the
subject of His healing power. He found
in him a certain number of years of
sickness. He had had an infirmity
thirty and eight years. How this num-
ber is proper rather to weakness than to
health, will now be the subject of a few
careful remarks. I bespeak your atten-
tion; the Lord will be present, that I
may speak fitly, and you may under-
stand. The number forty is put before
us as hallowed, and, in a way, perfect.
I think that your love knoweth this:
God's Scriptures often and often witness
it. Ye well know that a Fast of this
number of days is hallowed. Moses
fasted forty days. Elias did the same.
And our Lord and Saviour JESUS Christ
Hear
Law, or in the Prophets, or in the
Gospel, the number of forty is recom-
mended to us for Fast-days. The great
and general Fast is this: to abstain
from the iniquity of the world, and her
forbidden pleasures. This is the per-
fect Fast," that, denying ungodliness,
and worldly lusts, we should live so-
berly, righteously, and godly in this pre-
sent world." After such a Fast, what
is the Feast that followeth ?
what the Apostle saith in continua-
tion: "Looking for that blessed hope,
and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour JESUS Christ."
(Titus ii. 12, 13.) We, then, make our
pilgrimage in this world a Lent, by liv-
ing good lives, and abstaining from her
iniquities and her forbidden pleasurés.
But at the end of this life-long Lent
there will be an Easter indeed.
"look for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and
our Saviour JESUS Christ." When that
hope is realised, when that faith is swal-
lowed up in knowledge, then indeed
shall we receive every man a penny. In
good sooth, it is true that every labourer
in the vineyard will get his wages-
witness that Gospel which I believe ye
have not forgotten, (Matth. xx. 1—16)
and which it is not my business to quote
again as if ye were ignorant children.
Now, the word used in the original for
this
penny which the labourers received
is "denarion.
denarion." And the derivation of
the word "denarion" is the numeral
"decem," ten. There are forty days in
Lent, and if we add ten, we get fifty.
So do we toil in fasting for the forty
We
368
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
days of Lent before Easter, and, then,
when we have, as it were, received our
reward, we keep holiday for the fifty
days of Easter-tide.
Second Responsory.
Let the wicked, &c., (p. 359.)
REM
Third Lesson..
EMEMBER how I remarked, that
the man healed by our Lord at
the pool of Bethesda, had had an infir-
mity thirty and eight years. I wish to
explain why this number of thirty-eight
is proper rather to weakness than to
health. "Love is the fulfilling of the
law" (Rom. xiii. 10;) to the fulfilling
of the law belongeth in every work the
number forty. But in love we have
given us two precepts: "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and
great commandment. And the second
is like unto it: Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the
prophets." (Matth. xxii. 37-40.) When
the widow gave all she had for an of-
fering to God she gave two mites (Mark
xii. 42;) the inn-keeper received two
pence wherewith to cure him that had
fallen among thieves (Luke x. 35;)
JESUS abode for two days among the
Samaritans (John iv. 40,) that He might
establish them in love. When, then,
anything good is spoken of as two, the
two great divisions of love are the chief
mystic interpretation. If, then, the law
is fulfilled in the number forty, and it
is not fulfilled if there be lacking the
two precepts of love, what wonder is it
that he was infirm who lacked two of
forty?
Third Responsory.
The season of the Fast, &c., (p. 359.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on Mon-
day, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The Angel of the Lord came down from
heaven, and the water was troubled,
and one was made whole.
Prayer.
LORD, be gracious unto Thy people,
and in Thy mercy help all such as
Thou hast called to be Thine. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Ámen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds are said the Penitential
Psalms and the Litany.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on Mon-
day, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. He That made me whole, * the
Same said unto me: Take up thy bed,
and walk in peace.
HEA
Prayer.
EAR us, O merciful God, and cause
the bright beams of Thy grace to
shine upon our souls. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Ember Saturday.
The Sabbath of Quarter-Tense.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xvii. 1.)
T that time: JESUS taketh Peter,
and James, and John his brother,
and bringeth them up into an high
mountain apart, and was transfigured
before them. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Leo [the Great.]
(On the Transfiguration of the Lord.)
Dearly beloved brethren, the Lesson
from the Holy Gospel which, entering
in by our bodily ears, hath knocked at
the door of our inner mind, calleth us
to understand a great mystery. This,
by the grace of God, we shall the more
readily do, if we return to consider what
hath been told us just before. The Sa-
FIRST WEEK IN LENT.
369
viour of mankind, even JESUS Christ,
laying the foundations of that faith
whereby the ungodly are called to righ-
teousness and the dead to life, instilled
into the minds of His disciples, both by
the voice of His teaching and the wonder
of His works, that they should believe
Him, the one Christ, to be both the
Only-begotten Son of God and the Son
of man.
Had they believed Him one
of these and not the other, it had availed
them nothing to salvation; and the dan-
ger was equally great, of holding the
Lord JESUS Christ to be God without
the Manhood, or Man only without the
Godhead, since we are constrained to
acknowledge that He is perfect God and
perfect Man, and that as there is in the
Godhead perfect Manhood, so there is
in the Manhood perfect Godhead.
First Responsory.
Rend your heart, &c., (p. 360.)
Second Lesson.
To strengthen, therefore, the saving
knowledge of this faith, the Lord
had asked His disciples what, among the
differing opinions of men, was their own
belief and judgment as to Who He was.
Then did the Apostle Peter, by the re-
velation of That Father Who is above
all, rising above fleshly things, yea, out-
stripping the thoughts of men, then did
he fix the eyes of his mind upon the
Son of the living God, and confess the
glory of the Godhead, for he looked not
on the substance of the flesh and blood
only. And in all the exaltation of this
faith so well did he please God, that he
was gifted with that joyous blessing, the
hallowed establishment of that impreg-
nable rock, whereon the Church being
founded, should prevail against the gates
of hell and the laws of death; neither,
when anything is to be bound or loosed,
is any bound or loosed in heaven, other-
wise than as the judgment of Peter hath
bound or loosed it upon earth.
Second Responsory.
Deal thy bread, &c., (p. 360.)
BUT,
Third Lesson.
UT, dearly beloved brethren, it be-
hoved that the height of this un-
derstanding, which the Lord praised,
should rest upon a foundation, and that
foundation, the mystery of the lower
nature, lest the faith of the Apostle,
carried away by the glorious acknow-
ledgment of the Godhead in Christ, should
deem it unworthy and unnatural for
the impassible God to take into Him-
self the frailty of our nature; and should
thus believe that in Christ the Manhood
had been so glorified as to be no longer
able to suffer pain, or be dissolved in
death. And therefore it was that, when
the Lord said how that He must go up
unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things
of the elders and chief priests, and
scribes, and be killed, and rise again the
third day, and the blessed Peter, bright
with heavenly illumination, and still
glowing from the passionate acknow-
ledgment of the Divine Sonship, by a
natural, and, as seemed to him, a godly
shrinking, could not bear the mention
of mockery and insult and a cruel death,
he was corrected by the merciful rebuke
of JESUS, and moved rather to desire to
be a partaker in the sufferings of his
Master.
B B
Third Responsory.
Shut up thine alms, &c., (p. 365.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on Mon-
day, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS took His disciples, * and went up
into a mountain, and was transfigured
before them.
Prayer.
beseech Thee, upon Thy people,
OOK down mercifully, O Lord, we
and graciously turn away from them the
Scourges of Thy wrath. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from the follow-
ing Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the last Saturday, (p. 356.)
3
370
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Tell the vision that ye have
seen to no man, * until the Son of man
be risen again from the dead.
Second Sunday in Lent.
Second Lord's Day in the Forty Days
before Easter.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on last Sun-
day, (p. 357.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (xxvii. 1.)
AND it came to pass that when Isaac
was old, and his eyes were dim, so
that he could not see, he called Esau
his eldest son, and said unto him: My
son? And he said unto him: Here am
I. And his father said: Behold, now I
am old, and I know not the day of my
death. Take thy weapons, thy quiver
and thy bow, and go out to the field;
and take me some venison, and make
me savoury meat, such as thou knowest
that I love, and bring it to me, that I
may eat, and my soul may bless thee
before I die. And Rebecca heard. And
Esau went to the field to do as his father
had commanded him. And Rebecca said
unto Jacob her son: I heard thy father
speak unto Esau thy brother, saying:
Bring me venison, and make me sa-
voury meat, that I may eat, and bless
thee before the LORD, before my death.
Now therefore, my son, obey my voice,
and go now to the flock, and fetch me
from thence two good kids of the goats,
and I will make them savoury meat for
thy father, such as he loveth; and thou
shalt bring it to thy father, that he may
eat, and that he may bless thee before
his death.
First Responsory.
Take thy weapons, thy quiver and thy
bow, and bring me some of thy venison,
that I may eat, and my soul may bless
thee.
Verse. And when thou hast taken
somewhat, make me thereof savoury
meat, that I may eat.
Answer. And my soul may bless thee.
Second Lesson.
AND he answered: Thou knowest that
Esau my brother is a hairy man,
and I am a smooth man; if my father
feel me, and perceive it, I fear lest he
think that I go about to deceive him,
and I shall bring a curse upon me, and
not a blessing. And his mother said
unto him: Upon me be the curse, my
son; only obey my voice, and go, fetch
me them as I have said. And he went,
and fetched, and brought them to his
mother. And she made savoury meat,
such as she knew that his father loved.
And she took goodly raiment of Esau,
which were with her in the house, and
put them upon Jacob: and she put the
skins of the kids of the goats upon his
hands, and upon the smooth of his neck.
And she gave the savoury meat, and the
bread which she had prepared, into his
hand. And he brought it unto his fa-
ther, and said: My father? And he
said: I hear; who art thou, my son?
And Jacob said: I am Esau thy first-
born; I have done according as thou
badest me. Arise, sit, and eat of my
venison, that thy soul may bless me.
And Isaac said unto his son again : How
is it that thou couldest find it so quickly,
my son? And he said: God willed that
that which I sought should come to me
quickly.
Second Responsory.
See! the smell of my son is as the
smell of a field which the LORD hath
blessed may my God multiply thee as
the sand of the sea, and give thee a
blessing of the dew of heaven!
Verse. And God Almighty bless thee,
and multiply thee-
Answer. And give thee a blessing of
the dew of heaven.
Third Lesson.
AND Isaac said: Come near, that I
may feel thee, my son, whether
thou be my very son Esau or not. And
he went near unto his father, and Isaac
felt him, and said: The voice is Jacob's
voice, but the hands are the hands of
Esau. And he discerned him not, be-
cause his hands were hairy, as his elder
SECOND WEEK IN LENT.
371
brother's hands. Therefore, or ever he
blessed him, he said: Art thou my
very son Esau ? And he answered:
I am.
And he said: Bring it near
to me, my son, and I will eat of thy
venison, that my soul may bless thee.
And he brought it near to him, and he
did eat; and he brought him wine also.
And when he had drunk, he said unto
him: Come near now, and kiss me, my
son. And he came near and kissed him.
And as soon as he smelled the smell of
his raiment, he blessed him, and said:
See! the smell of my son is as the smell
of a field which the LORD hath blessed.
God give thee of the dew of heaven, and
the fatness of the earth, and plenty of
corn and wine. Let people serve thee,
and nations bow down to thee: be lord
over thy brethren and let thy mother's
sons bow down to thee. Cursed be he
that curseth thee, and blessed be he that
Third Responsory.
God give thee of the dew of heaven
and the fatness of the earth. Let people
and nations serve thee. Be lord over
thy brethren.
Verse. And let thy mother's sons bow
down to thee.
Answer. Be lord over thy brethren.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Be lord over thy brethren.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book
against Lying written by St. Austin,
Bishop [of Hippo.] (Ch. ix. tom. 4.)
IF we consider faithfully and carefully
what it was that Jacob did by the
advice of his mother, and wherein he
seemeth to have deceived his father, it
will appear that [it hath an aspect in
which] it is not a lie, but an allegory.
If we denounce this [its mystic sense]
as a lie, then must we also give the
name of lies to even all parable, and to
every figure devised to set forth the na-
ture of anything, which is not to be
taken in its literal sense, but in which
one thing is to be understood under the
name of another. And this be far from
us. Whoso should do this, would bring
1 xxviii. 17.
the charge of falsehood against very
many figures of speech, including that
one called metaphor (in which a word is
transferred from that meaning which
belongeth to it, to some other) to which
would, by such reasoning, be given the
name of a lie.
Fourth Responsory.
¹As Jacob went out from his own land,
he saw the glory of God, and said: How
dreadful is this place! This is none
other but the house of God; and this is
the gate of heaven.
Verse. Surely God is in this place,
and I knew it not.
Answer. This is none other but the
house of God; and this is the gate of
heaven.
Fifth Lesson.
THE deep meaning is given; but what
is considered is the lie; because
men do not understand the way in which
that signification, which is a truth, is
set forth; but the falsehood is plainly
expressed, and believed. That we may
understand this more plainly by taking
some points in illustration, consider with
me what Jacob did. It is certain that
he covered his limbs with the skins of
goats. If we consider his object in
point of fact, we shall find that it was
to lie, because he did this that he might
be thought to be he who he was not.
But if we consider this his deed in that
deep typical sense which it undoubtedly
possesseth, we find that by the goat-
skins are represented sins, and by him
who covered himself therewith Him
Who bore not His own sins, but the
sins of others.
Fifth Responsory.
2 If the Lord my God will be with me,
in this way that I go, and will keep me,
and will give me bread to eat, and rai-
ment to put on, and will bring me again
safely, the LORD shall be my refuge,
and this stone shall be a sign.
Verse. So Jacob rose up early in the
morning, and took the stone that he
had put for his pillow, and set it up for
a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of
it, and said:
Answer. The LORD shall be my re-
fuge, and this shall be a sign.
2 xxviii. 20, 21, 18.
BB 2
372
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Sixth Lesson.
T is impossible to apply the term
IT
"lie" to that mystic aspect of this
transaction in which it was true; and
such an aspect there is, not only in the
acts, but in the words. When Isaac
said to Jacob: "Who art thou, my
son?" and Jacob answered: "I am
Esau, thy first-born,"-if we take this
in its sense relative to the two brothers,
it will be apparent that it was a lie.
If, however, we look at it relatively to
that for the sake of which these words
and deeds were written down, we shall
see that Christ is here signified in His
mystic body, the Church. Concerning
her, [the younger covenant,] He saith
[to them of the older covenant]:
"Ye
shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob,
and all the Prophets in the kingdom of
God, and you yourselves thrust out.
And they shall come from the east, and
from the west, and from the north, and
from the south, and shall sit down in
the kingdom of God. And, behold, there
are last which shall be first, and there
are first which shall be last." (Luke
xiii. 28-30.) Thus did the younger
take away the title and inheritance from
the elder, and acquire it to himself.
Sixth Responsory.
The LORD shall be my God, and this
stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall
be called God's house, and of all that
Thou shalt give me, I will offer tithes
and peace-offerings to Thee.
Verse. If I come again to my father's
house in peace.
Answer. I will offer tithes and peace-
offerings unto Thee.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. I will offer tithes and peace-
offerings unto Thee.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xvii. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS taketh Peter,
and James, and John his brother,
and bringeth them up into an high
mountain apart, and was transfigured
before them. And so on.
Continuation of the Homily by Pope
St. Leo [the Great.]
JESUS took Peter, and James, and
John his brother, and brought them up
into an exceeding high mountain apart,
and manifested forth the brightness of
His glory. Hitherto, though they un-
derstood that there was in Him the
Majesty of God, they knew not the
power of that Body which veiled the
Godhead. And therefore He had indi-
vidually and markedly promised to some
of the disciples that had stood by Him
(Matth. xvi. 28) that they should “not
taste of death till they had seen the Son
of Man coming in His kingdom,"-that
is, in the kingly splendour, which is the
right of the Manhood taken into God,
and which He willed to make visible to
those three men. This it was that they
saw, for the unspeakable and unap-
proachable vision of the Godhead Him-
self which will be the everlasting life of
the pure in heart, (Matth. v. 8,) can no
man, who is still burdened with a dying
body, see and live.
Seventh Responsory.
¹The Angel said unto Jacob: Let me
go, for the day breaketh. And he said:
I will not let thee go, except thou bless
me. And he blessed him there.
Verse. And when Jacob arose, behold
there wrestled a man with him, until
the breaking of the day; and, when he
saw that he prevailed not, he said unto
him:-
Answer. Let me go, for the day
breaketh. And he said: I will not let
thee go, except thou bless me. And he
blessed him there.
WH
Eighth Lesson.
HEN the Father saith: "This is
My beloved Son, in Whom I am
well pleased: hear ye Him"-did they
not plainly hear Him say-"This is My
Son, Whose it is to be of Me and with
Me without all time?” For neither is
He That begetteth, before Him That is
begotten, neither He That is begotten,
after Him That begetteth Him. This
is My Son"-between Whom and Me,
to be God is not a point of difference;
to be Almighty, a point of separation;
nor to be Eternal, a point of distinction.
1 xxxii. 24-32.
(C
SECOND WEEK IN LENT.
373
"This is My Son"-not by adoption,
but My very Own; not created from, or
of another substance, or out of nothing,
but begotten of Me; not of another na-
ture, and made like unto Me, but of
Mine own Being, born of Me, equal
unto Me.
Eighth Responsory.
I have seen God face to face-and my
life is preserved.
Verse. And he said unto me: Thy
name shall be called no more Jacob, but
Israël shall be thy name.
Answer. And my life is preserved.
Ninth Lesson.
"THIS is My Son"-by Whom all
things were made, and without
Whom was not anything made that was
made, (John i. 3;) Who maketh like-
wise all things whatsoever I make: and
what things soever I do He doeth like-
wise, (v. 19), inseparably and indiffer-
ently. "This is My Son"
Who
thought it not robbery, nor hath taken
it by violence, to be equal with Me,
but, abiding still in the form of My
glory, that He may fulfil Our common
decree for the restoration of mankind,
hath bowed the unchangeable Godhead
even to the form of a servant. (Phil. ii.
6, 7.) Him therefore in Whom I am
in all things well pleased, by Whose
preaching I am manifested, and by
Whose lowliness I am glorified, Him
instantly hear ye. For He is the Truth
and the Life, (John xiv. 6,) My Power,
and My Wisdom. (1 Cor. i. 24.)
Ninth Responsory.
1 When Jacob heard that Esau came
to meet him, he divided his sons and
his wives, saying: If Esau smite the
one company, then the other shall es-
cape.
Deliver me, O Lord, Which
saidst unto me: I will multiply thy
seed as the stars of heaven, and as the
sand of the sea, which cannot be num-
bered for multitude.
Verse. O LORD, Which saidst unto
me: Return unto thy country-20 Lord,
Which feedest me still from my youth
up-
Answer. Deliver me, O Lord.
¹ xxxii. 7, 11, 12.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Which saidst unto me: I
will multiply thy seed as the stars of
heaven, and as the sand of the sea,
which cannot be numbered for multi-
tude.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. O LORD, open Thou
my lips, and my mouth shall show
forth Thy praise.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. The right hand of
the LORD hath done valiantly, the
right hand of the LORD hath exalted
me.
Psalm CXVII.
O give thanks, &c., (p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. My God hath
been my help.
Psalms LXII. and LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p. 86.)
Fourth Antiphon. Let us sing the
Song of the Three Children, * even the
Song that they sang when they blessed
the Lord in the burning fiery furnace.
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. He hath established
them* for ever and ever: He hath
made a decree which shall not pass.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the Lord, &c., (p. 88.)
Chapter. (1 Thess. iv. 1.)
WE beseech you, brethren, and ex-
hort you by the Lord JESUS, that
as ye have received of us how ye ought
to walk and to please God, ye would so
walk, and abound more and more.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS took His disciples, and went
up into a mountain, and was trans-
figured before them.
2 xlviii. 15.
374
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Prayer.
GOD, Who seest that we have no
power of ourselves to help our-
selves, keep us both outwardly in our
bodies, and inwardly in our souls, that
we may be defended from all adversities
which may happen to the body, and
from all evil thoughts which may as-
sault and hurt the soul. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer throughout the day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Lord, it is good for us to
be here:* if Thou wilt, let us make
here three tabernacles, one for Thee,
and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
TERCE.
Antiphon from Prime.
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Let us make here three
tabernacles, one for Thee, and one for
Moses, and one for Elias.
FOR
Chapter. (1 Thess. iv. 3.)
OR this is the will of God, even your
sanctification, that ye should ab-
stain from fornication; that every one
of you should know how to possess his
vessel in sanctification and honour.
NONE.
Antiphon. Tell the vision that ye
have seen to no man, * until the Son of
Man be risen again from the dead.
Chapter. (1 Thess. iv. 7.)
FOR God hath not called us unto un-
cleanness, but unto holiness, in
Christ JESUS our Lord.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin same as that at None.
After Vespers are said the Vespers
of the Dead.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (viii. 21.)
A
T that time: JESUS said unto the
multitudes of the Jews: I go My
way, and ye shall seek Me, and shall
die in your sins. And so on.
Homily on this passage by St. Austin,
Bishop [of Hippo.] (Tract 38 on John.)
The Lord spake unto the Jews, saying:
"I go My way"-for, to the Lord Christ,
death was a departure to that place
whence He had come, and whence He
had never departed. "I go My way,'
saith He, "and ye shall seek Me"-not
from love, but from hatred. Yea, after
He had withdrawn Himself from the
sight of men, two classes sought Him,
even they that loved, and they that
hated Him; the one because they longed
for His presence, the other because they
were fain to hunt Him down. In the
Psalms the Lord Himself saith by His
Prophet: "Refuge failed me, and no
man cared for my soul." (Ps. cxli. 5.)
And again He saith in another Psalm:
"Let them be confounded and put to
shame that seek after my soul." (Ps.
xxxiv. 5.)
First Responsory.
2 While as Jacob went from Beersheba,
and hasted unto Haran, the LORD spake
unto him, saying: The land whereon
thou sleepest, to thee will I give it, and
to thy seed.
3
Verse. He built an altar of stones
unto the Name of the Lord, and poured
oil upon the top of it; and God blessed
him and said :
1 Viz. by inspiring the language of the complaint. The words in both cases were uttered
by David.
2 xxviii. 13.
3 xxxv. 7, 14, 9.
SECOND WEEK IN LENT.
375
Answer. The land whereon thou
sleepest, to thee will I give it, and to
thy seed.
Second Lesson.
THUS doth He blame them that seek
not, and condemn such as seek.
Yea, it is a good thing to seek the soul
of Christ, as the disciples sought it; and
an evil thing to seek it, as the Jews
sought it; the first sought it to possess,
the second to destroy it. What then
doth He bid us know will be the reward
of such as seek it evilly in a perverse
heart? 'Ye shall seek Me, and"-lest
ye think that ye shall do well so to seek
Me, I tell you that ye-"shall die in
your sins."
To seek Christ with bad
intent, is as much as to die in sin, for it
is to hate Him through Whom alone we
can be saved.
Second Responsory.
¹God appeared unto Jacob, and blessed
him, and said: I am the God of Bethel,
where thou anointedst the pillar, and
where thou vowedst a vow unto Me. 2I
will make thee fruitful, and multiply
thee.
Verse. Surely the LORD is in this
place, and I knew it not.
Answer. I will make thee fruitful,
and multiply thee.
WH
Third Lesson.
HEREAS men whose hope is in God
ought to return good even for evil,
those men returned evil for good. The
Lord therefore told them beforehand,
and, because He knew it, He let them
know their coming end, how that they
should die in their sins. Then He said
farther: "Whither I go, ye cannot
come." This He said in another place
(xiii. 33) to His disciples, but He never
said to them: "Ye shall die in your
sins." What said He? The same words
as to the Jews: "Whither I go, ye can-
not come." Yet, to the disciples, these
words only deferred, they cut not away
hope-for they, though for a little while
they could not come whither He was to
go, were yet in the end to go there.
Not so they to whom He foretold and
said: "Ye shall die in your sins."
Third Responsory.
God give thee, &c., (p. 371.)
1 xxxi. 13.
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Even the Same * That I said unto you
from the beginning.
04
Prayer.
Thee, unto this Thy family, that
ALMIGHTY God, grant, we beseech
as they do abstain from meals to
afflict the flesh, so by following after
righteousness they may fast from sin.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds is said the Dirge.

VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. He That sent Me is with Me,
and hath not left Me alone, for I do al-
ways those things that please Him.
GE
Prayer.
Almighty God, and as Thou dost
RACIOUSLY hear our prayers, O
give us to look with confidence for Thy
favour for which we hope, so grant us,
in Thy goodness, the manifestation of
Thine accustomed mercy. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Åmen.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxiii. 1.)
T that time: Spake JESUS to the
multitude, and to His disciples,
3 xxviii. 16.
Α1
2 xlviii. 4.
376
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
saying: The Scribes and Pharisees sit
in Moses' seat. All therefore whatso-
ever they bid you observe, that observe
and do; but do not ye after their works.
And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. iv. Comm. on Matth.
xxiii.)
Was there ever man gentler and kinder
than the Lord? The Pharisees tempted
Him; their craft was confounded, and,
in the words of the Psalmist, "The ar-
rows of babes have pierced them," (Ps.
lxiii. 8,) and nevertheless, because of
the dignity of their Priesthood and name,
He exhorteth the people to be subject
to them, by doing according to their
words, though not according to their
works. By the words "Moses' seat" we
are to understand the teaching of the
law. Thus also must we mystically
take, “Sitteth in the seat of the scorn-
ful," (Ps. i. 1,) and likewise, "over-
threw the seats of them that sold doves,"
(Matth. xxi. 10,) to describe doctrine.
First Responsory.
As Jacob went, &c., (p. 371.)
Second Lesson.
FOR they bind heavy burdens, and
grievous to be borne, and lay
them on men's shoulders, but they them-
selves will not move them with one of
their fingers." This is generally directed
against all teachers who command things
hard, and themselves do not even things
easy. But it is to be remarked that the
"shoulders," the "fingers," and the
"binding" of the burdens, have a spi-
ritual interpretation.
"But all their works they do for to
be seen of men.' Whosoever therefore
doth anything for to be seen of men,
the same is, so far, a Scribe and a Pha-
risee.
Second Responsory.
If the Lord my God, &c., (Fifth
Responsory on Sunday, p. 371.)
Third Lesson.
THEY make broad their phylacteries,
and enlarge the borders of their
garments. And love the uppermost
rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in
the synagogues, and greetings in the
markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi."
Woe to us miserable sinners who have
inherited the vices of the Pharisees!
When the Lord had given the command-
ments of the law to Moses He added
afterwards: "Thou shalt bind them for
a sign upon thine hand, and they shall
be as frontlets between thine eyes,"
(Deut. vi. 8.) The sense of these words
is: "My Law shall be in thine hand to
order whatsoever thou doest, and ever
before thine eyes that thou mayest me-
ditate therein day and night." "But the
Pharisees, by a bad interpretation, were
accustomed to write on pieces of parch-
ment the Decalogue of Moses, that is,
the Ten Words of the Law,¹ and to tie
these pieces of parchment, plaited in a
peculiar manner, on their foreheads, so
as to make a sort of crown round their
heads, which projected in front of their
eyes, and always moved before them.
Third Responsory.
The LORD shall be my God, &c., (p.
372.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
For One is your Master, * Which is in
heaven, even Christ the Lord.
Prayer.
ENABLE us, O Lord, we beseech
Thee, to carry to a perfect end this
holy and helpful observance, that what
we know we have to do by Thine ordi-
nance we may be holpen to do by Thy
strength. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
1 St. Jerome seems to have been misinformed. The passages inscribed in the phylac-
teries are four, and are (1) Exod. xiii. 1-10; (2) 11–16; (3) Deut. vi. 4—9; (4.) xi. 13 –21.
SECOND WEEK IN LENT.
377
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. And all ye are brethren, * and
call no man your father upon earth: for
One is your Father, Which is in heaven:
neither be ye called masters, for One is
your Master, even Christ.
Prayer.
END Thy merciful ears, O Lord, we
beseech Thee, unto our supplica-
tions, and heal the sickness of our souls,
that we, receiving Thy pardon, may re-
joice for ever in Thy blessing. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Åmen.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
Before Mattins are said the Gradual
Psalms.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xx. 17.)
AT
T that time: JESUS, going up to
Jerusalem, took the twelve dis-
ciples apart, and said unto them: Be-
hold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the
Son of man shall be betrayed unto the
chief priests and unto the Scribes, and
they shall condemn Him to death. And
so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. v. to Gratian, on Faith,
c. ii.)
Consider what it was that the mother
of Zebedee's children came to Christ de-
siring, with, and for her sons. She was
a mother, who, longing for the honour
of her sons, preferred a request immo-
derate, and yet pardonable. She was a
mother who, albeit stricken in years and
comfortless, at an age when she had
sore need of the strength of her off-
spring to help and keep her, was yet so
earnest in godliness and motherly love,
that she had liefer suffer the loss of her
sons, that they might gain the reward
of following Christ still, as we read they
had already done, when, at the first call
of the Lord, they left their nets and
their father. (iv. 18-20.)
First Responsory.
The Angel said, &c., (p. 372.)
Second Lesson.
SHE; then, Viherly
then, yielding to the intensity
of her motherly love, besought the
Saviour, saying: "Grant that these my
two sons may sit, the one at Thy right
hand and the other at Thy left hand, in
Thy kingdom." Although it was a mis-
take, it was a mistake of love. For a
mother's love knoweth no moderation.
Yet, although it was a greedy prayer,
that was a pardonable greed, which hun-
gered, not for riches, but for grace.
Neither was that request shameless which
sought, not her own good, but her chil-
dren's. Remember that she was a mo-
ther. Think how that she was a mother.
Second Responsory.
I have seen God, &c., (p. 373.)
CHR
Third Lesson.
HRIST took into His consideration
that mother's love of hers, which
made her sons' reward the comfort of
her own old age, and which could bear
the loss of her loved ones, broken as she
was by a mother's yearnings. Consider
also that she was a woman, that is, of the
weaker sex, to which the Lord had not
yet given strength by His Passion. Con-
sider, I say, that she was an heiress of
Eve, and weakened by that transmission
of the unbridled covetousness of the first
woman, which the Lord had not yet dis-
armed by His Blood, even that craving
for undue dignity, wherewith all our
natures are imbued, and which Christ's
Blood-shedding had not yet washed
away. She erred indeed, but the mis-
take was an inherited weakness.
Third Responsory.
When Jacob heard, &c., (p. 373.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.).
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, * and
378
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the Son of man shall be betrayed to be
crucified.
Prayer.
OOK down in mercy upon Thy people,
Log
O Lord, we beseech Thee, and grant
unto them, whom Thou commandest to
abstain from fleshly meats, power to ab-
stain also from the corruption of sin.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. For He shall be delivered to
the Gentiles, * to mock, and to scourge,
and to crucify.
0
Prayer.
GOD, the Renewer and Lover of
innocency, turn the hearts of all
Thy servants to Thyself, that so they,
being enkindled with the fire of Thy
Spirit, may be found ever rooted in faith,
and fruitful in works. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Same Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (40th on the Gospels.)
Whom, dearly beloved brethren, whom
are we to understand as signified by that
rich man which was clothed in purple
and fine linen, and fared sumptuously
every day, whom, I ask, are we to under-
stand, but the Jewish people, who had
all the outward life of religious ordi-
nances, and who turned the treasure of
the law they had received to show and
not to use? What but the herd of the
Gentiles is figured in Lazarus, full of
sores? Whosoever turneth himself to
God and is not ashamed to confess his
sin, hath his sores on the skin, for in a
sore on the skin breaketh out the cor-
ruption, which is drawn from within.
First Responsory.
Take thy weapons, &c., (p. 370.)
Second Lesson.
´HAT is, then, the confession of our
WHA
sins
Han but the breaking out of our
sores ? The corrupt matter of sin is
healthily opened in confession, instead
of remaining in the mind to rot it. Open
sores on the skin bring the poisonous
matter to the surface, and when we con-
fess our sins, what do we but open up
the evil that there is lurking in us? But
Lazarus desired to be fed with the crumbs
which fell from the rich man's table, and
no man gave unto him; even so did that
proud people scorn to admit a Gentile to
the knowledge of their law.¹
Second Responsory.
See! the smell of my son, &c., (p.
-370.)
Third Lesson.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p. THE teaching of the law moved them
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xvi. 19.)
unto th
that time: JESUS said unto the
AT
Pharisees: There was a certain rich
man, which was clothed in purple and
fine linen, and fared sumptuously every
day. And so on.
to pride, and not to love, as though
they swelled with self-importance at the
thought of their riches, and the words
which some Gentiles caught of their
knowledge were as crumbs falling from
their sumptuous table. On the other
hand, the dogs came and licked the sores
of the beggar that was laid at their gate.
Sometimes in Holy Writ, under the figure
of dogs, preachers are understood. A
dog's tongue healeth the sore which it
1 Gentilium quemque ad cognitionem legis admittere superbus ille populus despiciebat.
It is, however, evident, from John xii. 20, Acts ii. 5, and other places, that Gentile con-
verts to Judaism were by no means rare.
SECOND WEEK IN LENT.
379
licketh, and so do holy teachers, when
we confess our sins, and they speak to
us, mollify by their tongues the sores of
our souls.
Third Responsory.
God give thee, &c., (p. 371.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.),
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Son, remember * that thou in thy life-
timé receivedst thy good things, and
likewise Lazarus evil things.
Prayer.
GRANT unto us, O Lord, we beseech
Thee, the help of Thy grace, that
we, who are now bent on fasting and
prayer, may be freed from enemies both
of our bodies and of our souls. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. That rich man, who had re-
fused Lazarus bread crumbs, cried for
a drop of water.
Prayer.
ᏴᎬ
BE Thou, O Lord, the Help of Thy
servants, and grant unto their
prayers this abiding effect of Thy mercy,
that, as they do make their boast in
Thee, that it is Thou Which hast created
and dost govern them, so Thou wilt re-
new in them the gifts wherewith Thou
didst bountifully endow them, and wilt
preserve what Thou hast renewed.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ, Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxi. 33.)
AT that time: JESUS spake unto the
multitudes of the Jews and unto
the chief priests this parable: There
was a certain householder, which planted
a vineyard, and hedged it round about.
And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. ix. on Luke xx.)
Many derive divers spiritual mean-
ings from the term vineyard, but Isaias
giveth us to know that" the vineyard
of the LORD of Sabaoth is the house of
Israël," (v. 7.) Who but God planted
that vineyard? He it was that let it
out to husbandmen, and went into a far
country; not that the Lord, Who is
everywhere present, moveth from place
to place; but because He is nigh unto
them that seek Him, and from such as
regard Him not He standeth afar off.
For a long time He tarried away, lest
He might seem to ask too early_for
the fruits of His vineyard. For where
kindness is greatest, there ingratitude
is worst.
First Responsory.
As Jacob went, &c., (p. 371.)
Second Lesson.
THEREFORE it is well written in
Matthew, for our instruction, that
He "hedged it round about," that is,
He girded it with the fortifications of
His own Divine protection, that it might
not easily lie open to the ravages of
spiritual wild beasts.
“And digged a wine-press in it."
What sense are we to put upon the
wine-press, unless it be that the Psalms
are here described under that title, be-
cause in them the mysteries of the
Lord's Passion flow over like new wine,
working under the power of the Holy
Ghost? Whence also, they upon whom
380
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the Holy Ghost was out-poured, were
deemed to be drunken (Acts ii. 13.)
God therefore digged a wine-press,
whereinto the reasonable grapes of in-
ward fruitfulness poured their spiritual
richness.
Second Responsory.
If the Lord my God, &c., (p. 371.)
Third Lesson.
(6 ND built a tower"-that is, He
raised up the goodly structure of
the Law. And so this His vineyard,
thus fortified, furnished, and garnished,
He gave over to the Jews.
""
"And when the time of the fruit drew
near, He sent His servants to the hus-
bandmen. Well doth He call it the
time of the fruit, not the time of the
in-gathering. For the Jews yielded Him
no fruit; the Lord had no in-gathering
from that vineyard of which He said:
"When I looked that it should bring
forth grapes, it brought forth wild
grapes. (Isa. v. 4.) Not with wine
that maketh glad the heart of man, not
with the new wine of the spirit, reeked
that wine-press, but with the blood of
the Prophets, brutally shed.
Third Responsory.
The LORD shall be my God, &c., (p.
372.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
He will miserably destroy those wicked
men, * and will let out His vineyard
unto other husbandmen, which shall
render Him the fruits in their seasons.
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY God, grant, we beseech
Thee, that the Sacred Fast may so
cleanse us that thereby Thou mayest
make us to come with clean hearts unto
those holy ordinances which are now
before us. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds are said the Penitential
Psalms and the Litany.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. When they sought to lay hands
on Him, * they feared the multitude,
because they took Him for a Prophet.
Prayer.
RANT unto Thy people, O Lord, we
GRA
beseech Thee, soundness both of
mind and body, that they, cleaving ever
unto good works, may evermore wor-
thily be defended by the shield of Thine
Almighty arm. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xv. 11.)
AT that time: JESUS spake this pa-
rable unto the Pharisees and Scribes:
A certain man had two sons; and the
younger of them said to his father:
Father, give me the portion of goods
that falleth to me. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. vii. Comment. on Luke
xv.)
Thou seest how that the heavenly
goods are given to such as seek them.
Neither oughtest thou to think the fa-
ther to blame, because he gave to his
younger son. In the kingdom of God
there is no age of weakness, neither
1 Thus the present text, but that quoted by St. Ambrose follows the LXX. "thorns.”
2 Viz. the Sacraments administered at Easter.
SECOND WEEK IN LENT.
381
doth faith wax infirm with years. He,
surely, who asked, deemed himself of
sufficient age. And would that he had
not left his father! then had he been
ignorant of the obstacle of his age!
But after that he had left his father's
house, and had gone into a far country,
he began to be in want. Well is he
said to have wasted his substance, who
hath cut himself off from the Church!
First Responsory.
Father, I have sinned against heaven
and before thee, and am no more worthy
to be called thy son.
Make me as one
of thy hired servants.
Verse. How many hired servants of
my father's have bread enough and to
spare, and I perish with hunger! I will
arise and go to my father and will say
unto him:
Answer. Make me as one of thy hired
servants.
Second Lesson.
Η HE took his journey into a far country.
No man can go farther than to
abandon his own better self, to leave,
not his country, but his morals, and, as
it were, in an hideous fever of lust after
the world, to divorce himself from the
ties that bind him to holy things. Yea,
he that turneth his back on Christ, ba-
nisheth himself from his Fatherland,
and becometh a citizen of the world.
But we are no more strangers and fo-
reigners, but fellow-citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God,"
since we "who sometimes were afar off,
are made nigh by the Blood of Christ."
(Eph. ii. 19, 13.) Let us not envy the
pleasures of them who remain in the far
country. We too have once been there,
but, as saith Isaiah, "they that dwelt
in the land of the shadow of death, upon
them hath the light shined." (ix. 2.)
And that far country is the land of the
shadow of death.
Second Responsory.
I have seen God, &c., (p. 373.)
Third Lesson.
UT we to whom the Lord Christ is
BUT
the breath of life, are alive under
the shadow of Christ. And therefore it
is that the Church saith: "I sat down
under His shadow with great delight."
(Cant. ii. 3.) The prodigal son by
riotous living wasted all the gifts of
nature. Take warning, O thou who art
made in the image and likeness of God,
lest thou waste the same by brutish
wallowing. Thou art the work of God;
say not "to a stock: Thou art my fa-
ther," (Jer. ii. 27,) lest thou grow into
the likeness of a stock, as it is written:
"They that make them are like unto
them." (Ps. cxiii. 16.)
Third Responsory.
When Jacob heard, &c., (p. 373.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
I will arise and go to my father, * and
will say unto him: Make me as one of
thy hired servants.
Prayer.
RANT, O Lord, we beseech Thee,
GE
that our Fasts may bring forth
their fruit unto salvation, that so the
affliction which we lay upon our bodies
may quicken our souls unto spiritual
increase. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
One God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from the follow-
ing Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. But the father said to his ser-
vants: * Bring forth the best robe, and
put it on him, and put a ring on his
hand, and shoes on his feet.
382
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Third Sunday in Lent.
Third Lord's Day in the Forty Days
before Easter.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the First
Sunday, (p. 357.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (xxxvii. 2.)
JOSEPH, being sixteen years old, was
feeding the flock with his brethren,
for he was yet but a lad; and he was
with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his
father's wives; and he brought unto
his father their evil report. Now Israël
loved Joseph more than all his children,
because he was the son of his old age,
and he made him a coat of many co-
lours. And when his brethren saw that
their father loved him more than all his
brethren, they hated him, and could not
speak peaceably unto him. And it came
to pass that he dreamed a dream, and
he told it his brethren; and they hated
him yet the more. And he said unto
them: Hear, I pray you, this dream
which I have dreamed: I thought that
we were binding sheaves in the field,
and my sheaf arose, and stood upright;
and your sheaves stood round about, and
made obeïsance to my sheaf. And his
brethren said unto him: Shalt thou in-
deed rule over us? or shalt thou indeed
have dominion over us? And they hated
him yet the more for his dreams and for
his words. And he dreamed yet ano-
ther dream, and told it to his brethren,
and said: I beheld in my dream as
though the sun, and the moon, and the
eleven stars made obeïsance to me. And
he told it to his father and to his bre-
thren; and his father rebuked him, and
said unto him: What is this dream that
thou hast dreamed? Shall I, and thy
mother, and thy brethren indeed come
to bow down ourselves to thee to the
earth?
First Responsory.
And when his brethren saw Joseph
afar off, they said one to another: Be-
hold, this dreamer cometh. Come, let
us slay him; and we shall see what
will become of his dreams.
Verse. And when his brethren saw
that their father loved Joseph more than
all his brethren, they hated him, and
could not speak peaceably unto him
therefore they said:
Answer. Come, let us slay him; and
we shall see what will become of his
dreams.
So
Second Lesson.
his brethren envied him, but his
father observed the saying, and
spake nothing. And when his brethren
were gone to feed their father's flock in
Shechem, Israël said unto him: Thy
brethren feed the flock in Shechem:
come, and I will send thee unto them.
And he said to him: Here am I. And
he said to him: Ge, I pray thee, and
see whether it be well with thy bre-
thren, and with the flocks; and bring
me word again what passeth. So he
sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and
he came to Shechem. And a certain
man found him wandering in the field,
and asked him what he sought. And
he answered: I seek my brethren; tell
me, I pray thee, where they feed their
flocks. And the man said unto him:
They are departed hence; for I heard
them say: Let us go to Dothan. And
Joseph went after his brethren, and
found them in Dothan. And when they
saw him afar off, before he came near
unto them, they conspired against him,
to slay him, and said one to another:
Behold, this dreamer cometh; come, let
us slay him, and cast him into some old
cistern, and we will say: Some evil
beast hath devoured him; and we shall
see what will become of his dreams.
Second Responsory.
Judah' said unto his brethren: Be-
hold, the Ishmaelites pass by; come, let
us sell him, and let not our hands be
defiled. For he is our flesh, and our
brother.
Verse. What profit is it if we slay our
1 Judas. Perhaps the passage is chosen for this Responsory with allusion to the selling
of Christ by the Iscariote.
THIRD WEEK IN LENT.
383
brother, and conceal his blood? It is
better to sell him.
Answer. For he is our flesh, and our
brother.
AN
Third Lesson.
ND Reuben heard it, and he strove
to deliver him out of their hands;
and said: Kill him not, nor shed blood,
but cast him into this cistern that is in
the wilderness, and keep your hands
undefiled. This he said, being willing
to rid him out of their hands, and de-
liver him to his father again. And it
came to pass straightway, when Joseph
was come unto his brethren, that they
stripped him out of his coat of many
colours that was on him; and they cast
him into an old cistern, wherein was no
water. And they sat down to eat bread;
and, behold, a company of Ishmaëlites
came from Gilead, with their camels
bearing spicery, and balm, and myrrh,
going to carry it down to Egypt. Judah
therefore said unto his brethren: What
profit is it if we slay our brother, and
conceal his blood? It is better to sell
him to the Ishmaëlites, and let not our
hands be defiled; for he is our brother
and our flesh. And his brethren were
content. Then there passed by Midian-
ites, merchantmen, and they drew up
Joseph out of the cistern, and sold him
to the Ishmaëlites for twenty pieces of
silver: and they brought him into Egypt.
Third Responsory.
They drew up Joseph out of the pit,
and sold him to the Ishmaëlites for
twenty pieces of silver.¹ And Reuben
returned unto the pit, and when he
found not Joseph, he rent his clothes,
and wept, and said: The child is not,
and I, whither shall I go?
Verse. And they took Joseph's coat,
and dipped it in the blood of a kid of
the goats, and they sent one that brought
the coat unto their father, and said:
See now whether this be thy son's coat
or no.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book upon
holy Joseph written by St. Ambrose,
Bishop [of Milan.] (Čh. 1.)
THE lives of the saints are the models
for the lives of others. This is one
of the reasons why we have been given
the wise tale of the Scriptures, that while,
by reading therein, we come to know
Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and
others of the righteous, we may follow
them in that path of innocency which is
opened to us for our imitation by the
record of their godly conversation. Of
them I have often treated, and to-day
the story of the holy Joseph cometh
before me.
In that story there are pat-
terns of many virtues, but chiefly is he
glorious on account of his clean living.
Right is it then that ye who have learnt
in Abraham the devotedness of a faith
that nothing could daunt, in Isaac the
transparency of an upright soul, in Ja-
cob a wonderful patience of spirit in
great travails, should now turn from
their worthy deeds, to see the bright ex-
ample of Joseph's self-control.
Fourth Responsory.
When Jacob saw Joseph's coat he rent
his clothes, and mourned; and he said:
An evil beast hath devoured my son
Joseph.
Verse. And his brethren took his coat,
and sent it to his father: and he knew
it, and said:
Answer. An evil beast hath devoured
my son Joseph.
Fifth Lesson.
THE holy Joseph is put before us as
a pattern of chastity. Modesty
shineth in his manners and in his deeds,
and a certain loveliness, which is found
with chastity, shineth there also. Hence
his parents loved him more than their
other children. But this love caused
him to be the object of an envy, which
we must needs not pass by, and upon
this the whole story turneth. Yet, at
the same time, we learn how that just
man was not swayed by any desire to
avenge his own sufferings, neither re-
paid evil for evil. Whence also David
1 xxxvii. 29–33.
Answer. And Reuben returned unto
the pit, and when he found not Joseph,
he rent his clothes, and wept.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And Reuben said: The child
is not, and I, whither shall I go?
384
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
saith: "If I have rewarded evil-"
(Ps. vii. 5.)¹
Fifth Responsory.
When Joseph came into the land of
Egypt, he heard a language that he un-
derstood not; his hands were burdened
with labour; and his tongue spake
wisdom among princes.
4
Verse. Whose feet they hurt with
fetters; the iron entered into his soul,
until the time that his word came-
Answer. And his tongue spake wis-
dom among princes.
IN
Sixth Lesson.
what would Joseph have been
worthy to be chosen before others,
if he had harmed them which harmed
him, and loved them which loved him?
For this do many do. But it is a won-
der if one do that which the Saviour
teacheth, and love his enemy. Well,
then, may we wonder at him who did
this before the Gospel came; who, being
injured, spared; being assailed, forgave;
being sold, returned no evil; but repaid
insult with favour. We, from the Gos-
pel, have been taught to do all this,
and we cannot. Let us also, then, learn
how that there was envy even among
some of the holy [Patriarchs], that we
may follow the example of the patience
[wherewith others of them bore it ;] and
let us feel that they were not men of
another and higher nature than ours,
but only quicker; that they were not
sinless, but that they repented. But
if the passion of envy scorched even
some of the holy race, how much more
need is there for the sinful to take heed
lest it set fire to them?
Sixth Responsory.
"Think on me when it shall be well
with thee, and make mention of me
unto Pharaoh, that he may bring me
out of this prison. For I was stolen
away; and here have I done nothing,
that they should put me into the dun-
geon.
Verse. For yet three days, and then
Pharaoh shall remember thy service,
1 Viz., "I have not rewarded evil," &c.
sense of the words of David to be-"If I
[evil unto] me."
2 Ps. lxxx. 6, 7.
5 xl. 14, 15, 13.
and restore thee unto thy place; then
think of me-
Answer. And make mention of me
unto Pharaoh, that he may bring me
out of this prison.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For I was stolen away; and
here have I done nothing, that they
should put me into the dungeon.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to Luke (xi. 14.)
AT that time: JESUS was casting out
a devil, and it was dumb. And it
came to pass, when the devil was gone
out, the dumb spake; and the people
wondered. And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.] (Bk. iv. c. 48 on Luke xi.)
We read in Matthew (xii. 22) that
the devil, by which this poor creature
was possessed, was, not only dumb, but
also blind; and that, when he was
healed by the Lord, he saw as well as
spake. Three miracles, therefore, were
performed on this one man; the blind
saw, the dumb spake, and the possessed
was delivered. This mighty work was
then indeed wrought carnally, but it is
still wrought spiritually in the conver-
sion of believers, when the devil is cast
out of them, so that their eyes see the
light of faith, and the lips, that before
were dumb, are opened that their mouth
may show forth the praise of God.
"But some of them said: He casteth
out devils through Beelzebub, the chief
of the devils." These some were not of
the multitude, but liars among the
Pharisees and Scribes, as we are told by
the other Evangelist (24.)
Seventh Responsory.
"We are verily guilty concerning our
brother, in that we saw the anguish of
his soul, when he besought us, and we
would not hear. Therefore is this dis-
tress come upon us.
St. Ambrose seems to have understood the
have rewarded evil unto them that rewarded
3 Ps. xlviii. 4; civ. 22; cxviii. 46.
6 xlii. 21, 22.
♦ Ps. civ. 18.
THIRD WEEK IN LENT.
Verse. And Reuben answered his
brethren, saying: Spake I not unto you,
saying: Do not sin against the child;
and ye would not hear?
Answer. Therefore is this distress
come upon us.
Eighth Lesson.
WHILE the multitude, who were
less instructed, wondered ever at
the works of the Lord, the Pharisees
and scribes, on the other hand, denied
the facts when they could, and when
they were not able, twisted them by an
evil interpretation, and asserted that
the works of God were the works of an
unclean spirit.
"And others, tempting Him, sought
of Him a sign from heaven. They
would have had Christ either to call
down fire from heaven like Elias,
(4 Kings i. 10,) or, like Samuel, (1 Kings
vii. 10,) to have made thunder roll, and
lightning flash, and rain fall at mid-
summer. And yet and if He had so
done, they had been still able to explain
away these signs also, as being the
natural result of some unusual, though,
till that moment, unremarked state of
the atmosphere. O thou, who stubbornly
deniest that which thine eye seeth,
thine hand holdeth, and thy sense per-
ceiveth, what wilt thou say to a sign
from heaven? In good sooth, thou wilt
say that the magicians in Egypt also
wrought divers signs from heaven.
(Ex. vii., viii.)
Eighth Responsory.
And Reuben answered his brethren,
saying: Spake I not unto you, saying:
Do not sin against the child; and ye
would not hear? Behold, his blood is
required.
Verse. We are verily guilty concern-
ing our brother, in that we saw the
anguish of his soul, when he besought
us, and we would not hear.
Answer. Behold, his blood is re-
quired.
Ninth Lesson.
BUT He, knowing their thoughts,
said unto them: Every kingdom
divided against itself is brought to deso-
lation, and an house divided against an
house falleth." He answered not their
words, but their thoughts; as though
CC
385
He would compel them to believe in the
power of Him Who seeth the secrets of
the heart. But if every kingdom di-
vided against itself is brought to deso-
lation, then have not the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Ghost a divided
kingdom, since His is a kingdom, that
without all contradiction, shall never be
brought to desolation by any shock, but
abideth unchanged and unchangeable
for ever.
"If Satan also be divided against
himself, how shall his kingdom stand?
Because ye say that I cast out devils by
Beelzebub." In saying this, He sought
to draw from their own mouth a con-
fession that they had chosen for them-
selves to be part of that devil's king-
dom, which, if it be divided against
itself, cannot stand.
Ninth Responsory.
Jacob lamented for his two sons, say-
ing: Woe is me; I am bereaved of Jo-
seph, for he is not; and afflicted because
of Benjamin, because he is taken away
for bread. I pray the King of heaven
in my distress, that He may make me
to see them yet again.
Verse. And Jacob cast him down
upon his face upon the ground, and
wept sore; and he prayed, saying-
Answer. I pray the King of heaven
in my distress, that He may make me
to see them yet again.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. I pray the King of heaven
in my distress, that He may make me
to see them yet again.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. O Lord, do good in
Thy good pleasure * unto Zion; to build
the walls of Jerusalem.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. The LORD is on
my side; * I will not fear: what can
man do unto me?
Psalm CXVII.
O give thanks, &c., (p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. God be merciful *
unto us, and bless us.
386
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Psalms LXII. and LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p. 86.)
*
Fourth Antiphon. ¹The fire forgat his
strength that Thy children might be
delivered therefrom.
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. Praise God, O ye sun
and moon,
*for His Name alone is ex-
alted!
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise
ye the LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
Chapter. (Eph. v. 1.)
BRETHREN, be ye followers of God,
as dear children; and walk in love,
as Christ also hath loved us, and hath
given Himself for us, an offering and a
sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling
savour.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When a strong man armed keepeth his
palace, his goods are in peace.
Prayer throughout the Office.
WE beseech thee, Almighty God, look
upon the hearty desires of Thy
humble servants, and stretch forth the
right hand of Thy Majesty, to be our de-
fence against all our enemies. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. When JESUS had cast out
the devil, * the dumb spake, and the
people wondered.
TERCE.
Antiphon. If I with the finger of God
* cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom
of God is come upon you.
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. He that gathereth not with
Me scattereth,* and he that is not with
Me is against Me.
FOR
Chapter. (Eph. v. 5.)
OR this know ye, that no whore-
monger, nor unclean person, nor
covetous man, who is an idolater, hath
any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ
and of God.
NONE.
Antiphon. When the unclean spirit
is gone out of a man, he walketh
through dry places, seeking rest, and
finding none.
Chapter. (Eph. v. 8.)
FOR ye were sometimes darkness, but
now are ye light in the Lord. Walk
as children of light: for the fruit of the
Spirit is in all goodness, and righteous-
ness, and truth.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. A certain woman of the com-
pany lifted up her voice and said: *
Blessed is the womb that bare Thee,
and the paps which Thou hast sucked.
But JESUS said unto her: Yea, rather,
blessed are they that hear the word of
God, and keep it.
After Vespers are said the Vespers of
the Dead.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (iv. 23.)
T that time: JESUS said unto the
AT
Pharisees: Ye will surely say unto
Me this proverb: Physician, heal thy-
self. Whatsoever we have heard done
in Capernaum, do also here in Thy
country. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. iv. on Luke iv.)
Here we have a display of a spite not
very common.
Their hatred of Christ,
1 Cf. Wisdom xvi. 23.
THIRD WEEK IN LENT.
387
and their desire to find grounds for that
hatred in what in Him appealed for
their love, had made them forget their
local friendliness to a fellow-citizen.
By this example as well as by God's
declaration, thou mayest learn that thou
wilt wait in vain to be holpen of His
mercy, whilst thou art envious of the
spiritual good of thy neighbour. Yea,
the Lord turneth Him away from the
envious, and will not show the mighty
works of His power to such as are bitter
against His gifts to others. The ex-
ample of Himself which God hath been
pleased to set before us is that of His
doings in the Flesh, and it is by these
His doings which He suffered to be seen,
that we are taught touching those which
are unseen.
First Responsory.
¹Take hence presents with you, and
go unto the lord of the land, and when
ye be come into his presence, bow your-
selves to him to the earth. And my
God give you mercy before the man,
that he may send away again this your
brother, and him which he keepeth in
ward.
Verse. Take of the best fruits of the
land in your vessels, and carry down
the man a present.
Answer. And my God give you mercy
before the man, that he may send away
again this your brother, and him which
he keepeth in ward.
THE
Second Lesson.
HE Saviour then doth not lightly
excuse Himself that He had wrought
none of His mighty works in His own
country, lest perchance, any should
thence learn to think lightly of our
duty to love our Fatherland. Neither
was it possible that He Who loved all,
should not love His own countrymen;
they it was who failed in that love be-
cause of their very envy.
"I tell you of a truth, many widows
were in Israël in the days of Elias.'
The days of Elias-not that the said
days belonged to Elias, but either be-
cause those were the days when Elias
1 Cf. xliii. 11-14.
lived and worked; or, else, this is a
mystic phrase, meaning that Elias by
his works made many souls to awake
spiritually from the night of sin to the
day of grace, and turn to the Lord. In
this latter sense that holy Prophet was
a mean whereby heaven was opened to
such as looked to the eternal and mys-
terious things of God, and again was
shut, (and there was a famine,) when
there were no means of knowing God
through outward ordinances. This sub-
ject, however, I have treated before at
full length, when I was writing on the
subject of widows.
Second Responsory.
2 Is this your younger brother, of
whom ye spake unto me? God be
gracious unto thee, my son. And he
made haste, and entered into the house,
and wept there, for his tears brake forth,
and he could not refrain himself.
Verse. And Joseph lifted up his eyes,
and saw his brother Benjamin, and his
bowels yearned upon his brother.
Answer. And he made haste, and
entered into the house, and wept there,
for his tears brake forth, and he could
not refrain himself.
Third Lesson.
"AND many lepers were in Israël in
the days of Eliseus the Prophet,
and none of them was cleansed, saving
Naaman the Syrian." By these words
of the Lord our great Physician, we are
plainly taught and urged to put our
trust in the Adorable God, since we see
that none was healed, or cleansed from
bodily plague-spots, save him who took
a religious means to regain health. For
the blessings of God are not given to
them who close their eyes in sleep, but
to them that look to Him. We have
remarked in our other book, (alluded to
above,) that the widow to whom Elias
was sent was a type of the Church.
And next after [the mention of the
type of] the Church cometh meetly the
[mention of him who was a type of the
Gentile] people, [her converts.] Yea,
the Gentiles were a people foreigners by
2 xliii. 29, 30.
8 Translated directly from the works of the Saint, which give the following:-" Dixi-
mus, in viduâ illâ, ad quam Elias directus est, typum ecclesiæ præmissum. Populus
ecclesiam congruit ut sequatur, (i.e., congruit ut populus ecclesiam sequatur.) Populus
ille ex alienigenis congregatus, populus ille ante leprosus," &c. In the printed text of the
1
cc 2
388
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
birth, leprous, and covered with plague-
spots, till they were baptized in the
stream [of the] mystic [Jordan;] but
from the sacramental waters they rise,
lepers no more, but cleansed in body
and soul, a glorious virgin Church, not
having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing. (Eph. v. 27.)
Third Responsory.
¹Joseph said unto his eleven brethren:
I am Joseph whom ye sold into Egypt;
is our father yet alive, the old man of
whom ye spake unto me? Go, bring
him down unto me, that he may
live.
Verse. For these two years hath the
famine been in the land; and yet there
are five years, in the which there shall
neither be earing nor harvest.
Answer. Go, bring him down unto
me, that he may live.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Go, bring him down unto
me, that he may live.
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Amen I say
* No Prophet is
unto you,
accepted in his own country.
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee mercifully
to shed abroad Thy grace into our
hearts, that we who are now denying
carnal meats to our bodily cravings, may
have power likewise to withhold from
the same all yielding to the deathful
lusts of sin. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds is said the Dirge.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. But JESUS,* passing through
the midst of them, went His way.
L
Prayer.
ET our help, O Lord, be in Thy
mercy, that we over whom Thy
wrath doth most justly hang because of
our sins, may in all dangers worthily
be shielded by Thy protection and de-
livered by Thy salvation. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
356.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xviii. 15.)
T that time: JESUS said unto His
AT
disciples: If thy brother shall
trespass against thee, go and tell him
his fault between thee and him alone.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (16th Sermon on the Words
of the Lord, vol. x.)
Why tell him his fault? Because he
hath made thee smart by trespassing
against thee? God forbid. If thou tell
him his fault because thou lovest thy-
self, thou dost nothing. But if thou tell
it him because thou lovest him, then
dost thou do exceeding well. Hear now,
in the words of the Gospel itself, for
love of whom thou oughtest to do it, of
thyself, or of him. The Lord saith: "If
he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy
brother." Therefore it behoveth thee
Breviary the passage has got corrupted thus:-"Diximus, in viduâ illâ, ad quam Elias
directus est, typum ecclesiæ præmissum. Populus ecclesiam congregavit, ut sequatur
populus ille ex alienigenis congregatus. Populus ille ante leprosus," &c.
î xlv. 4, 6; xliii. 27.
THIRD WEEK IN LENT.
389
to do it for his sake, that thou mayest
gain him; since, if thou so do, haply
thou mayest gain him; whereas, if thou
do it not, he may haply perish. Why
then are there so many who reckon
lightly of a trespass against their bro-
ther, and say: I have done no great
offence, for I have trespassed only against
my fellow man? Deem it not light;
thou hast trespassed, though it be against
thy fellow man.
First Responsory.
"They told Jacob, saying: Thy son
Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor
over all the land of Egypt; and, when
he heard it, his spirit revived, and he
said: It is enough; I will go, and see
him before I die.
Verse. And when Jacob heard that
his son yet lived, he was as one that
awakeneth from a deep sleep, and said—
Answer. It is enough; I will go, and
see him before I die.
Second Lesson.
WOULDEST thou know that thy
trespass against thy brother hath
destroyed thee? If he against whom
thou hast trespassed tell thee thy fault
between himself and thee alone, and
thou hear him, he hath gained thee.
Gained thee! And what signify those
words, if it be not that thou, if thou be
not gained, shalt perish? For if thou
shouldest not otherwise perish, in what
sense can he be said to gain thee?
Therefore let no man deem it a light
thing when he trespasseth against his
brother. For the Apostle Paul saith in
a certain place: "When ye sin so against
so the sin is light, if any at all. And
perchance thou wilt argue that it is
light, because it is quickly mended;
thou hast trespassed against thy brother,
but thou canst make satisfaction, and be
right again; thou hast done the deadly
thing quickly, and quickly canst thou
find a remedy. O my brethren, which
of us can hope for the kingdom of hea-
ven, when we remember that the Gospel
saith: "Whosoever shall say to his
brother: Thou fool: shall be in danger
of hell fire?" (Matth. v. 23.) It is a
thought full of dread; but, lo! the re-
medy-"If thou bring thy gift to the
altar, and there rememberest that thy
brother hath aught against thee, leave
there thy gift before the altar, and go
thy way; first be reconciled to thy bro-
ther, and then come and offer thy gift.'
God is not wroth that thou tarry or ever
thou offer thy gift; for God seeketh thy-
self more than thy gift.
Third Responsory.
Think on me, &c., (p. 384.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
*
as
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
If two of you shall agree on earth
touching anything that they shall ask,
it shall be done for them of My Father,
saith the Lord.
Prayer.
RACIOUSLY hear us, O Almighty
the brethren, and wound their weak GRA
conscience, ye sin against Christ." (1 Cor.
viii. 12.) We are all members of Christ.
How dost thou not trespass against
Christ, which trespassest against one of
His members?
Second Responsory.
When Joseph went, &c., (p. 384.)
Third Lesson.
LET no man therefore say: I have not
trespassed against God, but only
against my brother; that is, I have
trespassed against my fellow-man; and
and merciful God, and in Thy good-
ness enable us to reap the fruit of this
our healthful Fasting. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.),
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
First Saturday, (p. 356.)
1 xlv. 26–28.
す
​390
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Where two or three are gathered
together in My Name, * there am I in
the midst of them, saith the Lord.
0
Prayer.
LORD, shield us by Thy protection,
and keep us ever from all iniquity.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
❤
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
Before Mattins are said the Gradual
Psalms.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xv. 1.)
AT that time: There came to JESUS
Scribes and Pharisees which were
of Jerusalem, saying: Why do Thy dis-
ciples transgress the tradition of the
elders? And so on.
First Responsory.
We are verily guilty, &c., (p. 384.)
Second Lesson.
"FOR God commanded, saying, Honour
thy father and mother; and, He
that curseth father or mother, let him
die the death." But ye say:
Whoso-
ever shall say to his father or his mo-
ther: It is a gift, by whatsoever thou
mightest be profited by me; and honour
not his father or his mother, he shall be
free." The word "honour" is used in
Scripture, not so much in the sense of
paying salutations and services, as in
that of giving alms and gifts. "Honour
widows," saith the Apostle, "which are
widows indeed." (1 Tim. v. 3.) And here
honour signifieth support. So again,
(17, 18): "Let the Priests that rule well
be counted worthy of double honour,
especially they who labour in the word
and doctrine. For the Scripture saith:
6 Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that
treadeth out the corn:' and: 'The la-
bourer is worthy of his reward.” ”
Second Responsory.
And Reuben answered, &c., (p. 385.)
Third Lesson.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at THE Lord being mindful of the help-
Bethlehem.] (Bk. ii. Comm. on Matth.
XV.)
The stupidity of the Pharisees and
Scribes is something extraordinary.
They rebuke the Son of God because
He doth not observe the traditions and
commandments of men: "for they wash
not their hands when they eat bread."
It behoveth us to cleanse, not the hands
of the body, but the hands of the soul,
namely, our works, that we may do the
commandments of God.
"But He answered and said unto
them: Why do ye also transgress the
commandment of God by your tradi-
tion ?", He meeteth here their false
accusation by a true. 'How,' saith He,
'do ye, who pass over the command-
ments of God, in order to keep to the
traditions of men, hold that My disciples
are to be rebuked, because they deem the
tradition of the elders of little moment
in comparison with the doing of what
they know to be the Laws of God?'
lessness, or age, or poverty of pa-
rents, had commanded their children to
honour them even by giving them the
necessaries of life. The Scribes and
Pharisees, scrupling not to make of none
effect this most benign law, and bring-
ing in ungodliness under the very form
of godliness, taught, for the benefit of
unnatural children, that if any one
vowed to God, Who is our very Father
in heaven, whatsoever he was bound to
give to his parents, the duty of discharg-
ing his debt to his heavenly Father ought
to come before that which he owed to his
earthly father; or, at least, that parents
in such case incurred the guilt of sacri-
lege by taking for themselves what they
knew had been made a gift to God. And
so parents were left unsuccoured, and
the offerings of such children, under
pretence of being given to God and His
temple, became the gain of the Priests.
Third Responsory.
Jacob lamented, &c., (p. 385.)
THIRD WEEK IN LENT.
391
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Hear and understand * the traditions
which the Lord hath given unto us.
GE
Prayer.
RANT unto us, O Lord, we beseech
Thee, that we, being purged by
healthful Fasting, and mortified to all
sinful lusts, may the more speedily ob-
tain of Thee forgiveness. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. To eat * with unwashen hands,
defileth not a man.
Prayer.
GRANT unto us, we beseech Thee, O
Almighty God, that we who seek
the shelter of Thy protection, being de-
fended from all evils, may serve Thee in
peace and quietness of spirit. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Åmen.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (iv. 38.)
house. And Simon's wife's mother was
taken with a great fever. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. iv. on Luke iv.)
Behold here how long-suffering is the
Lord our Redeemer! Neither moved to
anger against them, nor sickened at their
guilt, nor outraged by their attacks, did
He leave the Jews' country. Nay, for-
getting their iniquity, and mindful only
of His mercy, He strove to soften their
hard and unbelieving hearts, sometimes
by His teaching, and sometimes by free-
ing some of them, and sometimes by
healing them. St. Luke doth well to
tell us first of the man who was deli-
vered from an unclean spirit, and then
of the healing of a woman. The Lord
indeed came to heal both sexes, but that
must be healed first which was created
first, and then must not she be passed
by whose first sin arose rather from
fickleness of heart than from depraved
will.
First Responsory.
And when his brethren, &c., (p. 382.)
Second Lesson.
THAT the Lord began to heal on the
Sabbath-day showeth in a figure
how that the new creation beginneth
where the old creation ended. It show-
eth moreover, that the Son of God, Who
is come not to destroy law but to fulfil
law, (Matth. v. 17,) is not under law,
but above law. Neither was it by law,
but by the Word, that the world was
created, as it is written: "By the Word
of the LORD were the heavens made."
(Ps. xxxii. 6.) The law, then, is not
destroyed, but fulfilled, in the Redemp-
tion of fallen man. Whence also the
Apostle saith: "Put off, concerning the
former conversation, the old man, which
is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
and be renewed in the spirit of your
mind; and put on the new man, which
after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness." (Eph. iv. 22.)
Second Responsory.
Judah said, &c., (p. 382.)
AT that time: JESUS arose out of the IT
synagogue, and entered into Simon's
I
Third Lesson.
was well that He began to heal on
the Sabbath, that He might show
392
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Himself to be the Creator, weaving in
one with another of His works, and con-
tinuing that which He had already be-
gun, even as a workman, being to repair
an house, beginneth not to take down
that which is old from the foundations,
but from the roof. Thus doth the Lord
begin to lay to His hand again, in that
place whence last He hath lifted it; then
He beginneth with things lesser, that He
may go on to things greater. Even men
are able to deliver other men from evil
spirits, albeit with the word of God: to
command the dead to rise again is for
God's power alone.¹ Perchance, also,
this woman, the mother-in-law of Simon
and Andrew, was a type of our nature,
stricken down with the great fever of
sin, and burning with unlawful lusts
after divers objects. Nor would I say
that the passion which rageth in the
mind is a lesser fire than that fever
which burneth the body. Covetousness,
and lust, and uncleanness, and vain de-
sires, and strivings, and anger-these be
our fevers.
Third Responsory.
They drew up Joseph, &c., (p. 383.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
And devils also came out of many,
crying out and saying: Thou art Christ
the Son of God. And He, rebuking
them, suffered them not to speak, for
they knew that He was Christ.
Prayer.
PRAISE be to Thee, O Lord, for the
blessed and solemn victory of Thine
holy servants Cosmas and Damian,
whereby Thou, in Thine unspeakable
Providence, wast pleased to give unto
them everlasting glory, and unto us a
shield and succour. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. All they that had any sick *
brought them unto JESUS, and He
healed them.
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee that Thine
heavenly Peace-Offering may so
effectually work for all Thy people,
which are now bowing themselves down
before Thee, that they may ever con-
tinue in meek obedience to Thy com-
mandments. Through the Same our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (iv. 5.)
Α 1
T that time: Cometh JESUS to a city
of Samaria which is called Sychar:
near to the parcel of ground that Jacob
gave to his son Joseph. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (15th Tract on John.)
"JESUS, wearied with His journey,'
"JESUS, wearied with His journey,'
¹ Divinæ solius est potestatis-and yet Scripture attributes this miracle to divers saints
under both covenants.
2 On this day the "Station" at Rome is in the Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian. It
is not, however, the day of their martyrdom, which the Martyrology distinctly declares
to be Sept. 27, when their Feast occurs. The "beata solemnitas" here spoken of must
therefore be understood of their victory itself. Cf. Cant. iii. 11, "the day of his espousals,
the day of the gladness of his heart."
THIRD WEEK IN LENT.
393
-the mysteries are beginning now. It
is not for nothing that JESUS is wearied.
It is not for nothing that the Mighty
One of God is wearied. It is not for
nothing that He is wearied Who Him-
self giveth Rest to all them that are
weary and heavy-laden. It is not for
nothing that He is wearied Whose ab-
sence prostrateth us, and Whose pre-
sence maketh us to be strong.
"JESUS, therefore, being wearied with
His journey, sat thus on the well: and
it was about the sixth hour." There is
a depth in all these details-they all
have something to say for us to learn.
Upon them we gaze. "Knock," saith
the Lord, "and it shall be opened unto
you." Let us knock then-and, 0, may
He open to me and to you, even He Who
hath spoken to us those words: "Knock,
and it shall be opened unto you."
(Matth. vii. 7.)
First Responsory.
When Jacob saw; &c., (p. 383.)
Second Lesson.
IT is for thy sake that JESUS was
wearied with His journey. We find
the Strength of JESUS, and we find
JESUS weak; yea, strong and weak.
Strong, for "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God: the Same was in
the beginning with God." Wouldest
thou know again how that the Son of-
God is Strong? "All things were made
by Him, and without Him was not
anything made that was made"-made
without effort. (John i. 1—3.) What
then is stronger than He by Whom
all things were made without effort?
Wouldest thou know His weakness ?
"The Word was made Flesh and dwelt
among us."
(14.) Christ, Strong, made
thee; Christ, Weak, redeemed thee.
Christ, Strong, made all things out of
nothing; Christ, Weak, so wrought that
that that was made perished not. His
Strength hath made us, and His Weak-
ness saved us.
Second Responsory.
When Joseph went, &c., (p. 384.)
Third Lesson.
Hit Strength to all such as are weak,
E then, being Himself made Weak,
gathering them together, to use His own
figure, even as an hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings. "O Jerusa-
lem, Jerusalem! how often would I have
gathered thy children together, even as
an hen gathereth her chickens under her
wings, and ye would not!" (Matth.
xxiii. 37.) Consider now, my brethren,
in what bondage is an hen to her chick-
ens. There is no other bird in whom
motherhood is unmistakeable. We watch
the sparrows building their nests under
our eyes; we see swallows, and storks,
and pigeons building theirs every day.
But, unless we actually see them in
their nests, we know not if they have
little ones, or no. But the hen's mo-
therhood is so much a part of herself,
that even if at the minute we see not
her children the chickens following after
her, nevertheless we see by her ways if
she be a mother.
Third Responsory.
Think on me, &c., (p. 384.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Whosoever drinketh * of the water that
I shall give him shall never thirst.
0
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee graciously
to bless this our Fast, that we who
are now outwardly denying meats to our
bodies, may have power inwardly to
keep our souls fasting from all sin.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
After Lauds are said, kneeling, the
Penitential Psalms and the Litany.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Sir, I perceive that Thou art
*
३
394
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
a Prophet: our fathers worshipped in
this mountain-
0
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY God, grant, we be-
seech Thee, that we whose trust is
under the shadow of Thy wings, may,
through the help of Thy power, over-
come all evils that rise up against us.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to John (viii. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS went unto the
Mount of Olives. And early in the
morning, He came again into the temple.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (33rd Tract on John.)
(6 JESUS went unto the Mount of
Olives❞—even unto that fruitful Mount,
that anointing Mount, that Mount of
Chrism. Where else became it Christ
to teach if not on the Mount of Olives?
For the word "Christ" is derived from
"Chrisma," and "Chrisma" is the Greek
for "ointment.' He hath anointed us
that we may be able to wrestle with the
devil.¹
""
"And, early in the morning, He came
again into the temple; and all the
people came unto Him; and He sat
down, and taught them"-and no man
laid hands on Him, because He was not
yet pleased to suffer. And now listen
how His enemies tried the Lord's meek-
ness.
First Responsory.
We are verily guilty, &c., (p. 384.)
Second Lesson.
AND
ND the Scribes and Pharisees
brought unto Him a woman
taken in adultery; and when they had
set her in the midst, they say unto
Him: Master, this woman was taken in
adultery, in the very act. Now, Moses
in the law commanded that such should
be stoned; but what sayest Thou? This
they said, tempting Him, that they
might have to accuse Him.' Whereof
to accuse Him? Had they taken Him
in any sin? Or was the woman said to
have anything to do with Him?
Second Responsory.
And Reuben answered, &c., (p. 385.)
Third Lesson.
WE must understand, my brethren,
that there was a wonderful gen-
tleness in the Lord. They knew that
He was most mild and most gentle. Of
Him indeed it had been said of old
time: "Gird Thy sword upon Thy
thigh, O most Mighty! In Thy come-
liness and Thy beauty go forward, fare
prosperously, and reign, because of truth,
and meekness, and righteousness." (Ps.
xliv. 4, 5.) And He came bringing truth
as one that teacheth, meekness as one
that delivereth, and righteousness as
one that knoweth. Because of these it
was that the Prophet declared, in the
Holy Ghost, that He was to reign.
Whenever He spake, truth shone forth:
whenever He spared His enemies, meek-
ness was made glorious. And His ene-
mies, racked with envy and hatred by
His truth and His meekness, laid a
stumbling-block for His righteousness.
Third Responsory.
Jacob lamented, &c., (p. 385.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS Stooped down, and wrote on the
ground: He that is without sin, let him
cast a stone at her.
0
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY God, grant, we beseech
Thee, that as many as, to afflict the
body, do abstain from meats, may, by
1 The ancient wrestlers had their bodies rubbed with oil.
FOURTH WEEK IN LENT.
395
following after righteousness, fast from
sin. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from the follow-
ing Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Woman, hath no man con-
demned thee? * No man, Lord. Neither
do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Mid-Lent Sunday, called also
Mothering Sunday, and Rose
Sunday.
1
The Fourth Lord's Day in the Forty
Days before Easter.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on the First
Sunday, (p. 357.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Exodus (iii. 1.)
OW Moses kept the flock of Jethro
NOW,
his father-in-law, the priest of
Midian: and he led the flock to the
back-side of the desert, and came to the
mountain of God, even to Horeb. And
the LORD² appeared to him in a flame of
fire, out of the midst of a bush: and he
looked, and, behold, the bush burned
with fire, and was not consumed. And
Moses said: I will now turn aside, and
see this great sight, why the bush is not
burned. And when the LORD saw that
he turned aside to see, He called unto
him out of the midst of the bush, and
said: Moses! Moses! And he said:
Here am 1. And He said: Draw not
nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off
thy feet; for the place whereon thou
standest is holy ground. Moreover He
said: I am the God of thy father: the
God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his
face; for he was afraid to look upon
God.
First Responsory.
The Lord spake unto Moses, saying:
Go down now into Egypt, and say unto
Pharaoh Let My people go. And the
heart of Pharaoh shall be hardened, that
he will not let My people go but by a
mighty hand.
Verse. The cry of the children of
Israël is come unto Me, and I have seen
their affliction: come now, therefore,
and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, and
thou shalt say unto him—
Answer. Let My people go. And the
heart of Pharaoh shall be hardened, that
he will not let My people go but by a
mighty hand.
Second Lesson.
AND the LORD said: I have surely
seen the affliction of My people
which are in Egypt, and have heard
their cry by reason of their taskmasters;
for I know their sorrows; and I am
come down to deliver them out of the
hand of the Egyptians, and to bring
them up out of that land, unto a good
land and a large, unto a land flowing
with milk and honey, unto the place of
the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and
the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and
the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now,
therefore, the cry of the children of Is-
raël is come unto Me, and I have also
seen the oppression wherewith the Egyp-
tians oppress them. Come now there-
fore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh,
that thou mayest bring forth My people,
the children of Israël, out of Egypt.
¹ So called because on this day the gladness of the Church at the thought of the con-
sequences to her of the atonement causes her to use, if possible, rose-coloured (viz.
reddish brown) vestments, &c., instead of purple, as well as the altar to be decorated with
flowers, the dalmatic and tunicle to be worn, and the organ played. The observance is
a sort of rest in the middle of Lent, and in some places the Fast undergoes a slight modi-
fication for a few days. On this day, at Rome, the Pope blesses the Golden Rose, which
afterwards remains on the Altar during Mass.
2 Hebrew, "the angel of the LORD."
So also the LXX. and Onkelos.
396
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Second Responsory.
¹Moses stood before Pharaoh, and
said: Thus saith the LORD: Let My
people go, that they may hold a Feast
unto Me in the wilderness.
Verse. The Lord God of the Hebrews
hath sent me unto thee, saying:
Answer. Let My people go, that they
may hold a feast unto Me in the wilder-
ness.
Third Lesson.
AND Moses said unto God: Who am
I that I should go unto Pharaoh,
and that I should bring forth the chil-
dren of Israël out of Egypt? And He
said unto him: Certainly I will be with
thee; and this shall be a token unto
thee that I have sent thee: when thou
hast brought forth My people out of
Egypt, thou shalt serve God upon this
mountain. And Moses said unto God:
Behold, when I come unto the children
of Israël, and shall say unto them: The
God of your fathers hath sent me unto
you: and they shall say unto me: What
is His Name? what shall I say unto
them? And God said unto Moses: I
AM THAT I AM.2 And He said: Thus
shalt thou say unto the children of Is-
rael: I AM³ hath sent me unto you.
And God said moreover unto Moses:
Thus shalt thou say unto the children
of Israël: The LORD God of your fathers,
the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto
you. This is My Name for ever, and
this is My memorial unto all genera-
tions.
Third Responsory.
4 Let us sing unto the LORD, for He
hath triumphed gloriously; the horse
and his rider hath He thrown into the
sea. The LORD is my strength and
song, and He is become my salvation.
Verse. The LORD is a man of war;
ALMIGHTY" is His Name.
1 Exod. v. 1.
Answer. The LORD is my strength
and song, and He is become my salva-
tion.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The LORD is my strength,
and my song, and He is become my sal-
vation.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of "St. Basil the Great, Archbishop
[of Cæsarea-in-Pontus.] (1st on Fast-
ing.)
W
7
WE know that it was with and by
fasting that Moses went up into
the Mount, for he had not dared to go
up to that smoking summit, nor to have
entered that darkness, except he had
been made strong by a Fast. It was
with fasting that he received the com-
mandments, written by the finger of
God upon tables of stone. Upon the
mountain, that Fast made interest with
Him Whose Law was given unto it;
but, below, gluttony was leading the
people to the worship of idols and pol-
luting them. It is written:
"The
people sat down to eat and to drink, and
rose up to play." (Ex. xxxii. 6.) That
one fit of drunken phrenzy, on the part
of the people, made void and of none
effect all the toil and patience of the
forty days, during the which, the servant
of God had fasted and prayed unceas-
ingly. To the Fast had been given those
tables of stone written on with the finger
of God; the Feast's work was to break
them, by the hand of the most holy Pro-
phet, who deemed a nation of drunkards
a nation unmeet to receive Law from
God.
Fourth Responsory.
8 Thy way is in the sea, and Thy
paths in the great waters. Thou leddest
? EGO SUM QUI SUM. Hebrew, EH’YEH ASHER EH'YEH. LXX., I AM HE
THAT IS. Onkelos does not dare to attempt a translation, and it is indeed unfathomable;
though it is generally understood to express the nature of Him Who alone is Self-existent,
Eternal, and Unchangeable.
³ QUÍ EST. Hebrew, EH'YEH. LXX., HE THAT IS. Onkelos, untranslated, as
before.
6 June 14.
4 XV. 1-3.
5 The Name.
7 See the facts referred to throughout, in Ex. xxiv. 12–18; xxxi. 18; xxxii. 1—19.
8 Ps. lxxvi. 20.
FOURTH WEEK IN LENT.
397
Thy people like a flock, by the hand of
Moses and Aaron.
Verse. ¹Thou broughtest them through
the Red Sea, and leddest them through
much water.
Answer. Thou leddest Thy people
like a flock by the hand of Moses and
Aaron.
Fifth Lesson.
Na moment of time, that people, who
had by great wonders been taught
to worship God, were, by gluttony,
dropped back into the cesspool of Egyp-
tian idolatry. The which things if thou
wilt consider, thou shalt see that the
tendency of fasting is to God-ward, and
that that of feasting is to hell-ward.
What was it that degraded Esau, and
made him a slave to his brother? Was
it not that one dish of pottage for which
he sold his birth-right? (Gen. xxv.
29-34.) Was it not prayer when joined
to fasting that gave Samuel to his mo-
ther? (1 Kings [Sam.] i. 7, 19.) What
made the mighty Samson invincible?
Was it not the fast during the which he
was conceived in his mother's womb?
The Fast it was which made him to be
conceived; the Fast, which fed him;
the Fast, which made a man of him,
even as the Angel of the Lord com-
manded his mother, saying: "She may
not eat of anything that cometh of the
vine, neither let her drink wine or
strong drink." (Judges xiii. 14.) Fasting
is the mother of Prophets, the strength
and stay of mighty men.
Fifth Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast overwhelmed in
the deep of the sea them which perse-
cuted Thy people, even Thy people
which Thou leddest in the pillar of
the cloud.
Verse. Thou leddest Thy people like
a flock, by the hand of Moses and
Aaron.
Answer. Even Thy people, which
Thou leddest in the pillar of the cloud.
Sixth Lesson.
IT is Fasting which giveth wisdom to
lawgivers; Fasting which is the
trustiest keeper of the soul, and the
to mighty men; Fasting which maketh
supple them which run and which
wrestle. It is Fasting which maketh a
man strong to strive against temptation,
and which is to godliness as a fenced
city; even Fasting, whose fellow is
soberness, and her work temperance.
It is Fasting which maketh men to wax
valiant in fight; Fasting which teach-
eth to rest in time of peace. Fasting
maketh a Nazarite to be holy, and a
Priest perfect. Without a Fast it is
unlawful to touch the Sacrifice, not only
in that mystic and true worship of God
which now is, but also according to the
law, in those sacrifices which were of-
fered of old time as figures of the true.
It was Fasting which opened the eyes
of Elias to look upon the visions of GOD,
even as it is written, that when he had
fasted forty days and forty nights he
was in the mount of God, even Horeb,
and he was made able, so far as man may
be made able, to see God. (3 [1] Kings
xix. 8 et seq.) Even so also was Moses
in that Mount forty days and forty
nights, fasting, at what time he again
received the Law. (Ex. xxxiv. 28.) Un-
less the Ninevites had fasted, both man
and beast, herd and flock, they had not
escaped from the ruin that hung over
them. (Jonah iii. 7-10.) In the wil-
derness fell some-and who were they?
Yea, they were such as lusted after
flesh meat. (Num. xi. 33.)
Sixth Responsory.
2 Moses, the servant of God, fasted
forty days and forty nights, to make him
meet to receive the Law of God.
Verse. Moses gat him up unto the
Lord into Mount Sinai, and he was in
the Mount forty days and forty nights.
Answer. To make him meet to re-
ceive the Law of God.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. To make him meet to re-
ceive the Law of God.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vi. 1.)
T that time: JESUS went over the
safest companion for the body. It is Atea of Galilee, which is the sea of
Fasting which is strength and armour
1 Wisd. x. 18.
2 xxxiv. 28.
3 xxiv. 18.
398
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Tiberias. And a great multitude fol-
lowed Him, because they saw His mi-
racles which He did on them that were
diseased. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (24th Tract on John.)
The miracles which our Lord JESUS
Christ did were the very works of God,
and they enlighten the mind of man by
mean of things which are seen, that he
may know more of God. God is Him-
self of such a Substance as eye cannot
see, and the miracles, by the which He
ruleth the whole world continually, and
satisfieth the need of everything that
He hath made, are by use become so
common, that scarce any will vouchsafe
to see that there are wonderful and
amazing works of God in every grain of
seed of grass. According to His mercy
He kept some works to be done in their
due season, but out of the common course
and order of nature, that men might see
them and be astonished, not because they
are greater, but because they are rarer
than those which they lightly esteem,
since they see them day by day.
Seventh Responsory.
¹After that the Lord had looked upon
him, the face of Moses shone. And when
the elders saw that his face shone, they
marvelled and were sore afraid.
Verse. And when he came down from
Mount Sinai with the two tables of tes-
timony in his hand, he wist not that his
face shone, because that God had spoken
with him.
Answer. And when the elders saw
that his face shone, they marvelled and
were sore afraid.
Eighth Lesson.
OR it is a greater miracle to govern
FOR the whole universe, than to satisfy
five thousand men with five loaves of
bread; and yet no man marvelleth at it.
At the feeding of the five thousand, men
marvel, not because it is a greater mi-
racle than the other, but because it is
rarer.
For Who is He Which now
feedeth the whole world, but He Which,
from a little grain that is sown, maketh
the fulness of the harvest? God worketh
in both cases in one and the same man-
1 xxxiv. 29, 30.
3 Ps. lxxx. 10.
ner. He Which of the sowing maketh
to come the harvest, is He Which of the
five barley loaves in His Hands made
bread to feed five thousand men; for
Christ's are the Hands which are able to
do both the one and the other. He
Which multiplieth the grains of corn
multiplied the loaves, only not by com-
mitting them to the earth whereof He is
the Maker.
Eighth Responsory.
2 Behold, I send My Angel before thee,
to keep thee. Beware, and obey My
voice; then I will be an enemy unto
thine enemies, and an adversary unto
thine adversaries; for Mine Angel shall
go before thee.
Verse. 30 Israël, if thou wilt hearken
unto Me, there shall no strange god be
in thee, neither shalt thou worship any
strange god: for I am the LORD.
Answer. Beware, and obey My voice;
then I will be an enemy unto thine ene-
mies, and an adversary unto thine ad-
versaries; for Mine Angel shall go be-
fore thee.
Ninth Lesson.
THIS miracle, then, is brought to bear
upon our bodies, that our souls may
thereby be quickened; shown to our
eyes, to give food to our understanding;
that, through His works which we see,
we may marvel at that God Whom we
cannot see, and, being roused up to be-
lieve, and purified by believing, we may
long to see Him, yea, may know by
things which are seen Him Who is Un-
seen. Nor yet sufficeth it for us to see
only this meaning in Christ's miracles.
Let us ask of the miracles themselves
what they have to tell us concerning
Christ-for, soothly, they have a tongue
of their own, if only we will understand
it. For, because Christ is the Word of
God, therefore the work of the Word is
a Word for us.
Ninth Responsory.
* Give ear, O my people, to my law:
incline your ears to the words of my
mouth.
Verse. I will open my mouth in pa-
rables: I will utter dark sayings of
old.
2 Exod. xxiii. 20.
4 Ps. lxxvii. 1.
FOURTH WEEK IN LENT.
399
Answer. Incline your ears to the
words of my mouth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Incline your ears to the
words of my mouth.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Then shalt Thou be
pleased with the sacrifices of righ-
teousness, when Thou hast hidden Thy
face from my sins.
Psalm L.
Have mercy, &c., (p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. It is better to trust
* in the LORD, than to trust in princes.
Psalm CXVII.
O give thanks, &c., (p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. Let God, even our
own God, bless us; let God bless us.
Psalms LXII. and LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p.
86.)
*
Fourth Antiphon. 10 Lord, Thou art
mighty to save us with a strong hand:
deliver us, O our God.
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. Kings of the earth,
* and all people, praise God.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
Chapter. (Gal. iv. 22.)
BRETHREN, It is written that Abra-
ham had two sons; the one by a
bond-maid, the other by a free woman.
But he who was of the bond-woman was
born after the flesh: but he of the free
woman was by promise; which things
are an allegory.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When JESUS lifted up His Eyes, * and
saw a great company come unto Him,
He saith unto Philip: Whence shall we
buy bread that these may eat?
And
this He said to prove him; for He Him-
self knew what He would do.
Prayer.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, Almighty
God, that we who for our evil deeds
are worthily punished, may, by the com-
fort of Thy grace, mercifully be relieved.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer throughout the day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. And JESUS took the loaves.
* and when He had given thanks, He
distributed to them that were set down.
TERCE.
Antiphon. With five loaves and two
fishes* did the Lord satisfy five thou-
sand men.
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Same Antiphon as at Terce.
Chapter. (Gal. iv. 27.)
REJOICE, thou barren, that bearest
not, break forth and cry, thou that
travailest not; for the desolate hath
many more children than she which
hath an husband.
NONE.
Antiphon. Then those men, * when
they had seen the miracle that JESUS
did, said within themselves: This is of
a truth that Prophet that should come
into the world.
Chapter. (Gal. iv. 31.)
So then, brethren, we are not children
of the bond-woman, but of the free:
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath
made us free.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
1 Dan. iii. 17.
400
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. And JESUS went up into a
mountain, * and there He sat with His
disciples.
After Vespers are said the Vespers
of the Dead.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (ii. 13.)
AT that time: The Jews' Passover was
at hand: and JESUS went up to
Jerusalem, and found in the temple
those that sold oxen, and sheep, and
doves. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (10th Tract on John.)
What hear we now, my brethren ?
Behold, that temple was still but a
figure, and the Lord drove out there-
from all them that sought their own,
even them that were come to deal in
merchandise. And what was it that
they sold there? Only such things as
were needful to men for the sacrifices
that then were. For your love knoweth
that, because of that people's carnal-
mindedness and the stoniness of their
heart, there were commanded unto them
such sacrifices as these, thereby to hold
them back from idolatry: and there, ac-
cording, they offered up oxen, and sheep,
and doves. This ye have read, and
know.
1
First Responsory.
¹ When ye be gone over Jordan, there
shall ye build an Altar unto the LORD,
of whole stones; ye shall not lift up
any iron tool upon them; and ye shall
offer burnt-offerings thereon, and peace-
offerings, unto your God.
Verse. When ye shall pass over [Jor-
dan] unto the land which the LORD
giveth you, there shall ye build an Altar
unto the LORD,
1 Deut. xxvii. 4-6.
Answer. Of whole stones; ye shall
not lift up any iron tool upon them;
and ye shall offer burnt-offerings there-
on, and peace-offerings, unto your God.
IT
Second Lesson.
was no great sin, therefore, if they
sold in the temple that which was
bought to be offered in the temple-and
yet He drove them out. If, then, the
Lord drove out of His temple them which
sold such things as are lawful and right
(for to buy and sell is lawful, if only it
be done honestly,) and suffered not the
house of prayer to be made an house of
merchandise, what would He have done
if He had found there men drunken?
Second Responsory.
Hear, O Israël, the law of the Lord,
and write it in thine heart as in a book;
and I will give unto thee a land flowing
with milk and honey.
Verse. Take heed therefore, and
hearken unto My voice: and I will be
an enemy unto thine enemies.
Answer. And I will give unto thee
a land flowing with milk and honey.
IF
Third Lesson.
the house of God must not be an
house of merchandise, must it be an
house to drink in? And yet, when we
say this, men gnash upon us with their
teeth. But we find consolation in re-
membering that so far we are even as
the Psalmist, who saith: "They gnashed
upon me with their teeth." (Ps. xxxiv.
16.) Yea, we have also learnt to listen
to words that heal us, though, of a
verity, the lashes that are made at
His word are really made at Christ.
"Lashes," saith He, "were heaped upon
Me; and they knew not what they did."
(15.) He was lashed by the scourges
of the Jews, and He is lashed still by
the blasphemies of false Christians; they
heap lashes upon the Lord their God;
and know not what they do. As for
we will do that which He hath holpen
us to do (12, 13;) "But as for me, when
they troubled me, my clothing was sack-
cloth, and I humbled my soul with fast-
ing."2
2 The quotation is not from the present Latin Version.
us,
FOURTH WEEK IN LENT.
401
Third Responsory.
¹As I was with Moses, so I will be
with thee, saith the Lord. Be strong
and of a good courage, and thou shalt
bring My people into a land flowing with
milk and honey.
Verse. Fear not, for I am with thee :
whithersoever thou goest I will not fail
thee, nor forsake thee.
Answer. Be strong and of a good cou-
rage, and thou shalt bring My people
into a land flowing with milk and honey.
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Thus saith the Lord: * Take these
things hence; make not My Father's
house an house of merchandise.
Prayer.
RANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that we who year by year do
prayerfully renew the holy observance
of this Thy great Fast, may be accept-
able in Thy sight, as touching both our
bodies and our souls. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds is said the Dirge.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thus saith the Lord :* Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will
raise it up. But He spake of the temple
of His Body.
0
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee graciously
to hear our supplications, and ever-
1 Addressed to Joshua. (Josh. i. 5, 6.)
3 Cf. John x. 32.
more help and defend all them to whom
Thou hast given the mind to pray.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vii. 14.)
T that time: About the midst of the
Feast, JESUS went into the tem-
up
ple, and taught. And the Jews mar-
velled. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (29th Tract on John.)
He Which had gone up unto the Feast,
"not openly, but as it were in secret,
the Same taught, and spake openly, and
no man laid hands upon Him. That
He had hid Himself, was for example's
sake; that He manifested Himself, was
to show His power. And when He
taught, the Jews marvelled. As seem-
eth to my mind, they all marvelled, but
were not all converted. And wherefore
marvelled they? Because many of them
knew where He was born, and how He
had been brought up. They had never
seen Him learn letters; but they heard
Him dispute concerning the law, and
alledge the testimony of the same, as
no man could do who had not read it;
and no man can read unless he learn
and therefore they marvelled. But their
marvelling was unto the Teacher an
occasion for the revealing of higher
truth.
First Responsory.
;
Why go ye about to kill Me, a Man
That hath told you the truth? If I
have spoken evil, bear witness of the
evil; but if well, why smitest thou Me?
Verse. Many good works have I
wrought among you; for which of those
works go ye about to kill Me?
D D
3
2 John vii. 20; viii. 40; xviii. 23.
1
402
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
1
Answer. If I have spoken evil, bear
witness of the evil; but if well, why
smitest thou Me?
Second Lesson.
FOR when they marvelled and whis-
pered, the Lord said a certain deep
thing, yea, a thing worthy of very care-
ful thought and discussion. And what
was this thing which the Lord gave for
an answer to such as "marvelled that
He knew letters, having never learned ?"
"JESUS answered them and said: My
doctrine is not Mine, but His That sent
Me." Here is the first depth, for He
seemeth in these few words to enunciate
a contradiction. He saith not: This
doctrine is not Mine-but: "My doc-
trine is not Mine." If it be not Thine,
O Lord, wherefore dost Thou call it
Thine? If it be Thine, wherefore say-
est Thou that it is not Thine? For
Thou sayest: "My doctrine is not
Mine."
Second Responsory.
¹I, even I, the Lord, have led you
forty years in the wilderness, and your
clothes are not waxen old upon you. I
rained down manna upon you from hea-
ven, and ye bave forgotten Me, saith the
Lord.
Verse. I led you forth out of the land
of Egypt, and delivered you from the
house of bondage.
Answer. I rained down manna upon
you from heaven, and ye have forgotten
Me, saith the Lord.
Third Lesson.
IET us then carefully regard what
L
this same holy Evangelist saith in
the beginning of his Gospel, and we
shall find there wherewith to loose the
knot of this difficulty. There it is
written : "In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God." (i. 1.) What
is the doctrine of the Father but the
Word of the Father? If Christ there-
fore be the Word of the Father, He is
the doctrine of the Father. But a Word
cannot be of no one, but must needs, if
it be a Word, have some one whose word
Christ therefore saith that His
it is.
doctrine is Himself, and therefore not
His, forasmuch as He is the Word of
the Father. And what hast thou that
is so much thine own as thy self? Or
what is there that is so little thine own
as thyself, if that which thou art is
another's?
Third Responsory.
Moses, the servant of God, &c., (p.
397.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Why go ye about to kill Me, * a Man
that hath told you the truth?
0
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee that the
observance of this holy Fast may
avail us both to the increase of godli-
ness in our conversation, and the sta-
blishing upon us of the help of Thy
mercy. Through our Lord JESUS Christ,
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. No man laid hands on Him;
because His hour was not yet come.
0
Prayer.
LORD, have mercy upon Thy people,
and be graciously pleased to grant
relief unto the same, which are ever
toiling amid the storms of divers tri-
bulations. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, world without end. Amen.
1 Deut. xxix. 5.
=
减
​FOURTH WEEK IN LENT.
403
4
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
Before Mattins are said the Gradual
Psalms.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (ix. 1.)
AT
T that time: As JESUS passed by, He
saw a man which was blind from
his birth. And His disciples asked Him,
saying: Rabbi, who did sin, this man,
or his parents, that he was born blind?
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (44th Tract on John.)
Dread and wondrous are all the things
which our Lord JESUS Christ did, both
His works and His words; the works,
because He wrought them; the words,
because they are deep. If, therefore,
we consider the meaning of this work of
His, we see that that man which was
blind from his birth was a figure of
mankind. This spiritual blindness was
the consequence of the sin of the first
man, from whom we all inherit by birth,
not death only, but depravity also. For
if blindness be unbelief, and faith, light,
whom, when Christ came, did He find
faithful? Nay, the Apostle who had
himself been born of the race of which
the Prophets came, saith: "We also
were by nature children of wrath, even
First Responsory.
After that the Lord, &c., (p. 398.)
THE
Second Lesson.
IE Lord came; and what did He?
He set before us a great mystery.
"JESUS spat on the ground, and made
clay of the Spittle"-for
-for "the Word
was made flesh."
"And He anointed the eyes of the
blind man with the clay"-but yet that
man saw not. He was anointed, in-
deed, but yet still he saw not.
"And He said unto him: Go, wash
in the Pool of Siloam.” Now, it
was the duty of the Evangelist to im-
press upon us the name of this Pool,
and therefore he saith: "Siloam, which
is, by interpretation, Sent." Ye, my
brethren, know Who is signified where
it is written : 66 [The sceptre shall not
depart from Judah, nor a law-giver from
his loins, until] He that shall be Sent
[cometh.]" (Gen. xlix. 10.) Yea, He it
is, Who, if He had not been sent, we
had never been sent loose out of the
prison-house of sin. The blind man
went his way therefore, and washed his
eyes in that Pool, which is, by interpre-
tation, "Sent"-in other words, he was
baptized in Christ. When, therefore,
he had figuratively been baptized in
Him Whom the Father hath Sent into
the world "he came seeing." When
he was anointed, he was perchance made
a figure of a Catechumen.'
Second Responsory.
Behold I send, &c., (p. 398.)
Third Lesson.
as others." (Eph. ii. 3.). And if chil- YE have heard this great mystery.
dren of wrath, then children also of
vengeance, children of damnation, chil-
dren of hell. And wherefore so "by
nature," unless it were that the sin of
the first man had made all his descen-
dants to be born in sin, in that they
partook of his nature? If, then, our
nature bring sin with it, all men, ac-
cording to the spirit, are born blind.
Ask of a man: "Art thou a Chris-
tian ?", He answereth thee: "I am
not." Then, if thou ask him: "Art
thou a pagan then, or a Jew?" And
he still saith unto thee: "Nay”—and
thou say:
"Art thou then a Catechu-
men, though not yet one of the faith-
ful?" and he saith: "Yea, a Catechu-
men"-then there thou seest a man
1 Oil (specially blest for that purpose by Bishops on Maundy Thursday, and called from
its object the oil of Catechumens) is, of course, still used in so making them, both infants
and adults.
2 The ancient Church, at least in Africa, did not so commonly use infant Baptism
as we do. St. Augustine himself was made a Catechumen when an infant, and not baptized
till his conversion to Catholicism from the heresy which he had embraced as a young
man and retained for nine years.
DD 2
404
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
anointed, but not yet washed.
what hath he been anointed?
him, and he will tell thee.
With
Ask of
Ask of
him in Whom he believeth, and, being
a Catechumen, he will say: "In Christ."
made clay of His Spittle, and anointed
mine eyes, and now I do see.
Prayer.
But, behold, I speak before both Faith-LET Thy merciful ears, O Lord, be
ful and Catechumens. What said I
touching the Spittle and the clay? I
said: "for the Word was made flesh.""
This the Catechumens hear, but it is not
enough for them to be anointed; they
must make haste to the washing, if they
would have their eyes opened.'
Third Responsory.
Give ear, O My people, &c., (p. 398.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Rabbi, who did sin, this man, or his
parents, * that he was born blind?
JESUS answered, and said: Neither hath
this man sinned, nor his parents; but
that the works of God shall be made
manifest in him.
O
Prayer.
GOD, Who by mean of Fasting dost
give unto the righteous the reward
of their good works, and unto sinners
pardon; have mercy upon us, we be-
seech Thee, and grant that we, humbly
confessing our guiltiness, may so be
enabled to obtain Thy forgiveness.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Man that is called JESUS *
open unto the prayers of all them
that entreat Thee, and that Thou mayest
grant us ever such things as we ask,
teach us ever to ask such things as are
pleasing in Thy sight. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (vii. 11.)
AT
called Naim; and His disciples went
T that time: JESUS went into a city
with Him, and much people. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. v. Comm. on Luke vii.)
The history which we here read in the
Holy Gospel hath for us specially two
gracious lessons, the one from the literal,
the other from the mystic interpretation
thereof. According to the letter then,
we see how quickly the compassion of
God was aroused by the sorrow of this
mother, who was a widow, a widow
broken down by nursing her only son,
or by the bitterness of her grief for his
death. She was a widow also whose
worshipful conversation is borne witness
to by this, that, "much people of the
city was with her." Mystically how-
ever, this widow encompassed by the
multitude was something more than a
poor woman whose tears won from the
Lord the resurrection of her young and
only son; for she is a type of our holy
mother the Church, who calleth back
her young children to life from the pur-
suit of deathly vanities, and soul-slay-
ing honours, by bidding them look on
¹ A great deal of doctrine and several formularies as well as privileges were concealed
from the Catechumens.
FOURTH WEEK IN LENT.
405
those tears which she sheddeth for such
as they, and which it is unlawful for her
to shed for them of whom she knoweth
that they will rise again.¹
First Responsory.
The Lord spake unto Moses, &c., (p.
395.)
Second Lesson.
2
THIS man, then, being dead, was
carried out on a bier to the grave
by four bearers, even as the sinner is
borne to destruction by the four elements
of which he is composed. But there was
hope in his latter end, from this, that
that whereon he was carried was of wood,
and wood, albeit it had profited us little
before, is become everything to us now
since "JESUS touched it," being a figure
of that gibbet, the Cross, which was made
thereof, and wherefrom salvation floweth
unto all people. When, therefore, the
horrid bearers of the corpse heard the
commandment of God, they stood still,
and carried no farther him who was dead
through the fatal course of a material
nature. And is not our case even as
that of the widow's son, when we lie, as
it were, lifeless, in our spiritual coffin,
that is, in the last bed of our soul's
death, consumed by the fever of un-
bridled lust, or frozen by cold-hearted-
ness, or with our whole manliness sapped
by some degrading habit of this earthly
body, or starved by a spiritual lock-jaw
that shutteth our mouth to the bright
food of our soul? These, and such as
these, are they which carry us out to
burial.
Second Responsory.
Moses stood, &c., (p. 396.)
BUT
Third Lesson.
UT even at the last hour, when the
hope of life hath been utterly ex-
tinguished, and the bodies of the dead
are lying by the side of the grave, by
the word of God those carcases live
again, yea, arise and speak. Then doth
JESUS deliver the son to his mother, for
JESUS calleth him out of the grave, and
delivereth him from death. O, what is
the grave of the soul but a bad life?
Sinner! thy grave is unbelief, and thy
throat is a sepulchre! Even so is it
written: "Their throat is an open se-
pulchre," (Ps. v. 11,) whereout breathe
their pestilential words. Lo! Christ
maketh thee free from that grave! If
only thou wilt hear the word of God,
thou shalt yet arise from that sepulchre !
Yea, though thy sin be exceeding
weighty, so that the tears of thine own
sorrow cannot wash it away, let thy
Mother the Church weep for thee, that
longing Mother who weepeth for every
one of her children as though he were
"the only son of his mother, and she
was a widow." Believe me, her spi-
ritual anguish is keen like the anguish
of nature, when she seeth her children
dead in sin, and carried out to be buried
for ever.
Third Responsory.
Let us sing, &c., (p. 396.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS went into a city called Naim; *
and, behold, there was a dead man
carried out, the only son of his mother.
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY God, grant, we beseech
Thee, that we who are chastened
by this hallowed Fast, may be gladdened ·
by holy earnestness, and that as earthly
attractions grow dimmer, things hea-
venly may grow clearer. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, One God, world with-
out end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
1 Viz. those "who are fallen asleep in JESUS."
2 The Greek uses the Plural, not the Dual.
7
406
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Virgin. A great Prophet is risen up
among us, and God hath visited His
people.
0
Prayer.
GOD, the Teacher and Shepherd of
all Thy people, purge the same
from all sins which do assail them, that
so they may ever be pleasing in Thy sight
and safe under Thy shelter. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xi. 1.)
AT
T that time: A certain man was sick,
named Lazarus, of Bethany, the
town of Mary, and her sister Martha.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (49th Tract on John.)
Ye remember that in our last reading
we learnt how that the Lord "escaped
out of the hands" of them which "took
up stones to stone Him," "and went
away again beyond Jordan, into the
place where John at first baptized."
(John x. 31, 39, 40.) While, then, the
Lord still tarried there, Lazarus was
sick at Bethany, which was a town near
to Jerusalem.
"It was that Mary which anointed
the Lord with ointment, and wiped His
Feet with her hair, whose brother Laza-
rus was sick. Therefore his sisters sent
unto Him." We know already whither
it was that they sent, for we know where
JESUS was: "He was gone away again
beyond Jordan."
"His sisters sent unto Him, saying:
Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is
sick"-in order that, if He so pleased,
He might come and free him from his
sickness. But JESUS healed not, that
He might afterward quicken.
First Responsory.
Thy way, &c., (p. 396.)
Second Lesson.
WHAT therefore sent his sisters to
((
say? "Lord, behold, he whom
Thou lovest is sick"-and no more.
They said not: "Come:"-for JESUS
loved him; and to tell Him that he was
sick was enough. They dared not to
say: Come, and heal him :"-they
dared not to say: Speak the word
where Thou art, and it shall be done
here." And wherefore should they not
have said this if they had the faith
which won the Centurion so much
praise? He had said: "Lord, I am not
worthy that Thou shouldest come under
my roof; but speak the word only, and
my servant shall be healed." (Matth.
viii. 8.) But they said none of these
things, only: "Lord, behold, he whom
Thou lovest is sick"-"It is enough that
Thou shouldest know it: Thou art not
one that lovest and leavest.'
Second Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast overwhelmed, &c.,
(p. 397.)
Third Lesson.
BUT some man will say:
How shall
Lazarus be a type of the sinner,
and yet the Lord so love him?" Let
such an one hear the words of the same
Lord, which He said: "I am not come
to call the righteous, but sinners."
(Matth. ix. 13.) For if God had not
loved sinners, He had not come down
from heaven to earth.
"When JESUS heard that, He said:
This sickness is not unto death, but for
the glory of God, that the Son of God
might be glorified thereby." Such a
glorification is no increase of majesty
for Him, but of profit for us. He there-
fore meaneth to say: "This sickness is
not unto death, but for the working of a
miracle, the which being wrought, if
men will thereby believe in Christ, they
shall escape the real death." Note es-
pecially how the Lord doth in this place
declare Himself to be God, as it were by
implication, for the sake of some which
say that He is not the Son of God.
Third Responsory.
Moses, the servant of God, &c., (p.
397.)
FOURTH WEEK IN LENT.
407
•
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Our friend Lazarus sleepeth: * let us
go, and awake him out of sleep.¹
0
Prayer.
GOD, Who dost quicken the whole
world anew by Thine unspeakable
Sacraments, grant, we beseech Thee,
that Thy Church may both profit by
whatsoever Thou hast ordained touch-
ing the things which are eternal, nor be
comfortless of such help as is needful
unto her touching the things which are
temporal. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds are said the Penitential
Psalms and the Litany.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Joel ii. 17, as on the
First Monday, (p. 363.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Saturday, (p. 356.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Lord, if Thou hadst been here,
Lazarus had not died; * behold, by this
time he stinketh, for he hath lain in the
grave four days already.
Prayer.
RANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, unto all us who know that we
are weak, and who trust in Thee, be-
cause we know that Thou art Strong,
the gladsome help of Thy loving-kind-
ness, both here in time, and hereafter in
eternity. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on the First Sunday, (p.
357.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (viii. 12.)
AT
T that time: JESUS spake unto the
multitudes of the Jews, saying; I
am the Light of the world: He that fol-
loweth Me, walketh not in darkness; but
shall have the Light of life. And so on.
Homily on this passage by St. Austin,
Bishop [of Hippo.] (34th Tract on
John.)
I take it that these words of the Lord
"I am the Light of the world”—are
sufficiently clear to all men who have
eyes which see that Light. At the same
time, such men as have no eyes except
those which are in their bodies, are sur-
prised to find our Lord JESUS Christ
saying, "I am the Light of the world."
And that we might not want somebody
to say, "Is our Lord JESUS Christ, then,
the same sun that riseth and setteth
every day?" there have actually been
heretics who did say it. The Manichæans
believed that that sun which we see with
our bodily eyes, and to see which is plain
and common to beasts as well as men,
was the Lord Christ.
First Responsory.
After that the Lord, &c., (p. 398.)
Second Lesson.
BUT
UT the right faith of the Catholic
Church damneth such comment,
and recogniseth in it a doctrine of devils.
And as it is her practice not only to
brand errors by the difference of her
own Creed, but also to remove them, if
possible, by dint of argument, let us
take up arms against this falsehood,
which hath from the very beginning
been the object of the curse of the Holy
Church. God forbid that we should be-
lieve that our Lord JESUS Christ is this
sun whose apparent movement is to rise
every day in the East, and set every day
in the West; which when we see no
1 A curious divergence from the words of the inspired text, which are: "I go, that I
may awake him, &c.”
408
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
more, night cometh over us; and whose
rays are sometimes intercepted by clouds:
and which hath some law of motion of
its own whereby it describeth an orbit.¹
The planet is not the same thing as our
Lord JESUS Christ. Our Lord JESUS
Christ is not that created sun, but He
by Whom that sun was created; for
"all things were made by Him, and
without Him was not anything made
that was made." (John i. 3.)
Second Responsory.
Behold, I send, &c., (p. 398.)
Third Lesson.
HE is therefore the Light by Whom
the material light was made. Him
may we love, Him may we long to know,
Him may we thirst after; to Him may
His own beams one day lead us, and in
Him may we so live that we shall never
die! For He, even He, and none other,
He is that Light, of Whom the Prophet
that was given of old time, sang in the
Psalms, when he said: "For with Thee
is the fountain of life, and in Thy Light
shall we see light." (Ps. xxxv. 10.)
Remember ye likewise what the word
of God's ancient saints saith of such
Light: "O LORD, Thou preservest man
and beast-How excellent is Thy lov-
ing-kindness, O God!" (7.)
Third Responsory.
Give ear, &c., (p. 398.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Isa. lviii. 1, as on the
First Monday, (p. 362.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
the First Sunday, (p. 361.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Thus saith the Lord: * He that follow-
eth Me walketh not in darkness, but
shall have the Light of life.
0
Prayer.
LORD, we pray Thee, that Thy
grace may make fruitful the toil
of this our godly exercise, since it shall
nothing avail us to have fasted, if our
Fast be not pleasing in Thy most gra-
cious sight. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
Before Vespers all Crosses, images,
and pictures are covered with purple
veils.2
VESPERS.
From these Vespers till the Vespers
of Low Sunday, both inclusive, the
Week-day Commemoration of the Cross
is not made, and at and after the Lauds
of the Monday in Low Week it is made
in the manner peculiar to Easter-tide
till the Lauds of the Eve of the Ascen-
sion, inclusive. Likewise, from these
Vespers inclusive, till Lauds of the
Monday after Trinity Sunday exclusive,
the Common Commemorations of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, of St. Joseph, of
the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, of
Peter_and_Paul,
the local Patron, and for Peace are
omitted.
Chapter and Prayer from the follow-
ing Lauds.
Hymn.3
HE Royal Banners forward go;
The Cross shines forth in mystic glow,
Where Life for sinners death endured,
And life by death for man procured.
1 Modern astronomers believe the centre of its orbit to be a star (Alcyone) in the
constellation Pleiades.
? The extremely sorrowful tone of the Church throughout the early part of the month
Nisan, (and that Passiontide is to be so translated is evident from the First Responsory on
Passion Sunday,) is not explained by any custom of the Synagogue, and is perhaps in-
tended in honour of our Lord's last sojourn in Judæa, during which the plots for His
death were in development. He seems, from the Gospel and tradition, to have arrived at
Bethany, from the neighbourhood of Jordan, on the Friday, and the Church, in deference
to the "Day of Delight," postpones her commemoration of these woeful days till the close
of the Sabbath which began on Friday evening, and during which He rested with those
He loved, the last Sabbath but one before His death.
3 Translation by the late Rev. Dr. Neale. It was composed by Venantius Fortunatus,
Bishop of Poictiers, (whose life extended from A.D. 530 to 609,) on occasion of the recep-
tion of certain Reliques by St. Gregory of Tours and St. Radegund, previously to the con-
secration of a Church at Poictiers. It is therefore strictly and primarily a processional
hymn. (Neale's Mediæval Hymns, 1,6.)
PASSION WEEK.
409
Where deep for us the spear was dy'd,
Life's torrent rushing from His Side,
To wash us in that precious flood
Where, mingled, Water flowed, and Blood.
Fulfilled is all that David told
In true Prophetic song of old;
"Amidst the nations, God,” saith he,
"Hath reigned and triumphed from the
Tree."1
O Tree of Beauty! Tree of Light!
O Tree with Royal Purple dight!
Elect on whose triumphal breast
Those holy Limbs should find their rest!
On whose dear arms, so widely flung,
The weight of this world's ransom hung :
The price of human kind to pay,
And spoil the spoiler of his prey.
20 Cross, our one reliance, hail!
This holy Passiontide, avail
To give fresh merit to the Saint,
And pardon to the penitent.
To Thee, Eternal Three in One,
Let homage meet by all be done;
Whom by the Cross Thou dost restore,
Preserve and govern evermore. Amen.
Verse. Deliver me, O LORD, from the
evil man.
Answer. Preserve me from the wicked
man.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I am One That bear witness
of Myself, and the Father That sent Me
beareth witness of Me.
COMPLINE.
Note that the Verse, "Glory be to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost," is omitted in the Short Respon-
sory, and is not said again except on Fes-
tivals, till the Saturday evening before
Low Sunday. Also that the same change
is made in all the other Short Respon-
sories, viz. those at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None, till Low Sunday. The Re-
sponsory therefore runs as follows :
Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend
my spirit.
Answer. Into Thy hands, O Lord, I
commend my spirit.
1 So-called Italic for Ps. xcv. 10.
us, o
Verse. Thou hast redeemed us,
LORD God of truth.
Answer. I commend my spirit. Into
Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.
Verse. Keep us, O Lord, as the apple
of the eye.
Answer. Hide us under the shadow
of Thy wings.
And it is thus said daily until Maun-
dy-Thursday, exclusive, except on Fes-
tivals, when it is said as usual.
Passion Sunday.
The Lord's Day in time of the Passion.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. To-day if ye will hear the
voice of the Lord,* harden not your hearts.
""
In Ps. xciv. the words, "To-day, if
ye will hear His voice, harden not your
hearts,' are omitted, and in place of
them, the Invitatory is repeated again
by the Choir, (or others who may be
answering,) after which the Cantors or
Officiant begin, "As in the Provoca-
tion, &c."
At the end of the Psalm the clause
beginning "Glory be to the Father, &c.
is also omitted, nor are the words
"Harden not your hearts" said, but the
entire Invitatory is simply repeated
again.
SING
3
Hymn.s
NG, my tongue, the glorious battle,
With completed victory rife :
And above the Cross's trophy
Tell the triumph of the strife :
How the world's Redeemer conquered
By surrendering of His life.
God his Maker, sorely grieving
That the first-made Adam fell,
When he ate the fruit of sorrow
Whose reward was death and hell,
Noted then this Tree, the ruin
Of the ancient tree to quell.4
For the work of our salvation
Needs would have his order so,

2 "These two verses were added when the Hymn was appropriated to Passiontide."
3 Also by Venantius Fortunatus, and translated by the late Dr. Neale.
4 The Cross, as the mystic “tree of life,” (Gen. ii. 9,) is here set by the poet in antithesis
to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “whose mortal taste Brought death into the
world and all our woe." The present translator has taken the liberty to substitute "tree"
for "wood," as a translation of "lignum,"-as more conformable to our common phra-
seology, and used by Dr. Neale himself in the "Royal Banners."
410
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
And the multiform deceiver's
Art by art would overthrow,
And from thence¹ would bring the med'cine
Whence the insult of the foe.
Wherefore, when the sacred fulness
Of th' appointed time was come,
This world's Maker left His Father,
Sent the Heavenly Mansion from,
And proceeded, God Incarnate,
Of the Virgin's Holy Womb.
Weeps the Infant in the manger
That in Bethlehem's stable stands;
And His Limbs the Virgin Mother
Doth compose in swaddling bands,
Meetly thus in linen folding
Of her God the Feet and Hands.2
To the Trinity be glory
Everlasting, as is meet:
Equal to the Father, equal
To the Son, and Paraclete :
Trinal Unity, Whose praises
All created things repeat. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
me, saying: Before I formed thee in the
belly I knew thee; and before thou
camest forth out of the womb I sanc-
tified thee; and I ordained thee a pro-
phet unto the nations. Then said I:
Ah! Lord GOD!5 behold, I cannot speak,
for I am a child !6
First Responsory.
"These are the days to be observed
of you in their seasons.
in their seasons. In the four-
teenth day at even is the LORD'S Pass-
over, and on the fifteenth day ye shall
keep a Feast unto the LORD, the Most
High.8
Verse. The LORD spake unto Moses,
saying: Speak unto the children of
Israël, and say unto them:
Answer. In the fourteenth day at
even is the LORD's Passover, and on the
fifteenth day ye shall keep a Feast unto
the LORD, the Most High.
Second Lesson.
Here beginneth the Book of the Prophets BUT the LORD said unto me: Say
Jeremiah (i. 1.)
THE words of Jeremiah the son of
Hilkiah, of the Priests that were in
Anathoth, in the Land of Benjamin: to
whom the word of the LORD came in
the days of Josiah the son of Amon king
of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his
reign. It came also in the days of
Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of
Judah, unto the end of the eleventh
year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah,
king of Judah, unto the carrying away
of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
Then the word of the LORD came unto
1 I.e. from trees.
not, I am a child: for thou shalt
go to all that I shall send thee; and
whatsoever I command thee, thou shalt
speak. Be not afraid of their faces, for
I am with thee to deliver thee, saith
the LORD. Then the LORD put forth
His hand, and touched my mouth; and
the LORD said unto me: Behold, I have
put My words in thy mouth. See, I
have this day set thee over the nations
and over the kingdoms, to root out and
to pull down, and to destroy and to
throw down, and to build and to plant.
Moreover the word of the LORD came
unto me, saying: Jeremiah, what seest
2 The poem is here abruptly broken off, the rest being sung at Lauds.
3 Abp. Kenrick says : "This Prophet was a son of Hilkiah, a Priest of Anathoth, a vil-
lage in the tribe of Benjamin, about three miles from Jerusalem. He prophesied in Judea,
from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah, about 629 years before Christ, until the
eleventh year of Zedekiah, during a period of forty years. Subsequently, also, he pro-
phesied both in Judea and in Egypt, where he is believed to have died, although the
circumstances of his death are not ascertained. St. Epiphanius states that he was stoned
by the people of Taphne." (So the Roman Martyrology, on May 1; and it is generally
believed that he was martyred for protesting against idolatry.) "The Prophet was, in
several respects, a type of our Redeemer, of Whose wonderful Conception, Life, and Suf-
ferings, striking predictions and figures are found in this Divine book. The Church bor-
rows his lamentations to express her anguish and desolation in contemplating the Passion
and Death of her Divine Spouse." For some account of the events of his time, see the
Eleventh Week after Pentecost.
• About the year B.C. 629.
5 The Name.
6 He is thought to have been about fifteen years of age.
7 Lev. xxiii. 1-6.
8 The 14th day is Holy Saturday, and at Even (the hour of Even Song) is the joyful
ceremony peculiar to that day. The 15th day is Easter Day.
PASSION WEEK.
411
thou? And I said: I see a rod of the
watch-early [tree.1] Then said the LORD
unto me: Thou hast well seen: for I
will watch over My word to perform it
early. And the word of the LORD came
unto me the second time, saying: What
seest thou? And I said: I see a seeth-
ing pot, and the face thereof is from the
face of the North.2
Second Responsory.
"They be increased that trouble me,
and that say: There is no help for him
in his God. Arise, O LORD! Save me,
O my God!
Verse. Lest mine enemy say: I have
prevailed against him.
Answer. Arise, O LORD! Save me, 0
my God!
Third Lesson.
HEN the LORD said unto me: Out
THE
of the North an evil shall break
forth upon all the inhabitants of the
land. For, lo, I will call all the fa-
milies of the kingdoms of the North,
saith the LORD: and they shall come,
and they shall set every one his throne
at the entering of the gates of Jerusa-
lem, and against all the walls thereof
round about, and against all the cities
of Judah. And I will utter My judg-
ments with them, touching all their
wickedness who have forsaken Me, and
have made offerings unto other gods,
and worshipped the works of their own
hands. Thou, therefore, gird up thy
loins, and arise, and speak unto them
all that I command thee. Be not dis-
mayed at their faces; for I will not
make their countenance fearful unto
thee. For, behold, I have made thee
this day a fenced city, and an iron pillar,
and brazen walls against the whole land,
against the kings of Judah, against the
princes thereof, and against the priests
thereof, and against the people of the
land. And they shall fight against thee,
and they shall not prevail against thee;
for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to
deliver thee.
Third Responsory.
5 How long shall mine enemy be ex-
alted over me? Consider, and hear me,
O LORD my God!
Verse. Those that trouble me will
rejoice when I am moved: but I have
trusted in Thy mercy.
Answer. Consider and hear me, O
LORD my God! How long shall mine
enemy be exalted over me? Consider
and hear me, O LORD my God!
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (9th for
Lent.)
EARLY beloved brethren, we know
DEA
that of all the solemn Feasts which
are kept by Christians the Passover is
the chief. The ordinances of the whole
rest of the year are ordered to the end of
preparing us to come to this one in
worthy and meet manner. But these
days, which now are, are they which
ought most especially to stir up a godly,
mind in us, seeing that they are they
which are nearest to that most glorious
mystery of God's mercy. In these days
the holy Apostles, taught by the Holy
Ghost, ordered the chiefest store of Fast-
ing, that we, sharing His Cross with
Christ, might, albeit we are what we
are, in Him, do some of the same things
which He did for our sakes, and so
realise the saying of the Apostle: "If
we suffer with Him, we shall be also
glorified together." (Rom. viii. 17.) He
that is "partaker of the sufferings"
(2 Cor. i. 7) of the Lord hath a sure and
certain hope of that blessedness which
He hath promised unto us.
Fourth Responsory.
"Thou art my God-be not far from
me for trouble is near; for there is
none to help.
Verse. But be not Thy strength far
1 This is the Hebrew name of the almond-tree, “so called because it is the first to arouse
and awake from the sleep of winter." (Gesenius.)
2 "This boiling caldron is used to represent the elements of excitement on the part of
the Babylonians and Chaldeans who were about to invade Judah."
*
3 Ps. iii. 2, 3, 7.
5 Ps. xii. 3—5.
4 Ps. xii. 4.
6 Ps. xxi. 11, 12, 20.
412
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
from me; O LORD, haste Thee to help
me.
Answer. For trouble is near; for
there is none to help.
DEA
Fifth Lesson.
EARLY beloved brethren, there is
no man to whom the state of the
age in which he liveth denieth a share
in this glory of partaking, first the suf-
ferings, and then the triumph and joy,
of Christ. It is not as though this time
of peace were barren in occasions of
valour. The Apostle giveth us this
warning: "All that will live godly in
Christ JESUS shall suffer persecution."
(2 Tim. iii. 12.) And therefore, as long
as godliness is watchful, persecution will
never be asleep. The Lord Himself saith
in one of His own exhortations: "He
that taketh not his cross, and followeth
after Me, is not worthy of Me." (Matth.
x. 38.) And we must not doubt that
these words of Christ apply not only to
His immediate disciples, to whom He
spoke them, but belong to all the faith-
ful and to the whole Church, who,
whosoever be the believers of whom she
is for the time composed on earth, hear-
eth in these words the way to be saved
which her Lord hath appointed for them.
Fifth Responsory.
¹I was cast upon Thee from the womb ;
Thou art my God from my mother's
belly; be not far from me. For trouble.
is near, and there is none to help.
Verse. Save me from the lion's mouth,
and mine affliction from the horns of
the unicorns.
Answer. For trouble is near, and there
is none to help.
Sixth Lesson.
AS then, it is the duty of the whole
body of the Church to live godly,
so is it her right at all times to be
a-bearing of her Master's Cross, and
that not only in her general body, but
individually in the person of each one
of her members, who differ every one
from another in the way in which they
have to carry it, and the shape in which
it is laid upon them. The one common
name for all their carrying of the Cross
1 Ps. xxi. 11, 12, 22.
is persecution, but the manner of his
wrestling is special to each; and there
is often more danger in the ambush
than in the pitched field of battle.
Blessed Job, who had tried both the
goods and the ills of this world, said :
"Is not the life of man upon earth a
warfare" (vii. 1.) The attack upon
the faithful soul arrayeth itself not
alone in bodily torture and punishment;
yea, when the limbs are sound enough,
fearful is the ravage that threateneth us
when the lusts of the flesh unman us.
But when "the flesh lusteth against
the spirit, and the spirit against the
flesh" (Gal. iv. 7) the reasonable mind
findeth her reinforcement in the help-
ful Cross of Christ, and though she be
lured by foul cravings, yet refuseth to
give her consent, for God maketh her
pure thoughts to tremble for fear of
Him. (Ps. cxviii. 120.)
Sixth Responsory.
20 Lord, my trouble is near, and there
is none to help me; or ever they pierce
my hands and my feet, save me from
the lion's mouth!-that I may declare
Thy Name unto my brethren.
Verse. O God, deliver my soul from
the sword, and my darling from the
power of the dog.
Answer. That I may declare Thy
Name unto my brethren. O Lord, my
trouble is near, and there is none to
help me; or ever they pierce my hands
and my feet, save me from the lion's
mouth! that I may declare Thy Name
unto my brethren.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (viii. 46.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto the
multitudes of the Jews: Which of
you convinceth Me of sin? And, if I
say the truth, why do ye not believe
Me? And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (18th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, consider the
gentleness of God. He came to take
away sins, and He saith: "Which of
2 Ps. xxi. 12, 17, 22, 23, 21.
PASSION WEEK.
413
you convinceth Me of sin ?" He Who,
through the might of His Godhead, was
able to justify sinners, was contented
to show by argument that He was not
Himself a sinner. But exceeding dread
is that which followeth. "He that is
of God heareth God's words; ye, there-
fore, hear them not, because ye are not
of God." If, then, whosoever is of God
heareth God's words, and whosoever is
not of Him cannot hear His words, let
each one ask himself if he, in the ear of
his heart, heareth God's words, and
understandeth Whose words they are?
The Truth commandeth us to long for
a Fatherland in heaven, to bridle the
lusts of the flesh, to turn away from the
glory of the world, to seek no man's
goods, and to give away our own.
Seventh Responsory.
10 Lord, I go mourning all the day
long, for my soul is filled with a loath-
some disease: they also that sought
after life have used violence against
my
me.
Verse. My friends and my neighbours
draw near, and stand over against me;
and they that are nearest to me stand
afar off.
Answer. They also that sought after
my life have used violence against me.
Eighth Lesson.
ET each of you, therefore, think
within himself if this voice of God
is heard in the ear of his heart, and if
he knoweth already if he is of God. For
some there be, whom it pleaseth not to
hear the commandments of God even
with their bodily ears. And some there
be, who receive the same with their
bodily ears, but whose heart is far from
them. And some also there be, who
hear the words of God with joy, so that
they are moved thereby even to tears
but when their fit of weeping is past
they turn again to iniquity. They hear
not the words of God, who despise to do
them. Therefore, dearly beloved bre-
thren, call up your own life before your
mind's eye, and then ponder with trem-
bling those awful words which the mouth
1 Ps. xxxvii. 7, 8, 13, 12.
of the Truth spake: "Ye therefore hear
them not, because ye are not of God.”
Eighth Responsory.
20 Lord, hide not Thy face from Thy
servant, for I am in trouble; hear me
speedily.
Verse. Draw nigh unto my soul, and
redeem it; deliver me, because of mine
enemies.
Answer. For I am in trouble; hear
me speedily.
Ninth Lesson.
THE Truth speaketh these words con-
cerning the reprobate; but the
reprobate make manifest the same thing
concerning themselves, by their evil
works. Thus immediately followeth :
"Then answered the Jews, and said
unto Him: Say we not well that Thou
art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?”
But let us hear what the Lord said to
this insult. "I have not a devil, but I
honour My Father, and ye do dishonour
Me." The Lord said: "I have not a
devil," but He did not say: "I am not
a Samaritan," for in a sense a Samari-
tan He was indeed, since the word Sa-
maritan, in the Hebrew tongue, signi-
fieth, being interpreted, "a Watcher,"
and the Lord is that Watcher, of Whom
the Psalmist saith (cxxviii. 2) that un-
less He keep the city, other watchman
waketh but in vain. He also is that
Watchman unto Whom crieth Isaiah
(xxi. 11):-"Watchman, what of the
night? Watchman, what of the night ?”
Therefore the Lord said:-"I have
not a devil," but not: "I am not a
Samaritan." Of the two things brought
against Him He denied one; but by
His silence, admitted the other.
Ninth Responsory.
04 that my head were waters, and
mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might
weep day and night! for my nearest
brother hath supplanted me, and my
neighbour hath walked with slanders
against me.
Verse. Let their way be dark and
slippery, and let the Angel of the LORD
persecute them.
2 Ps. lxviiii. 18, 19.
3 The Jews, however, of course meant that He was one of those heretics whose head-
quarters were at Samaria, and who still exist there, of whom He had Himself said, "Ye
worship ye know not what." (John iv. 22.)
4 Jer. ix. 1, 4.-Lit. "Who will give my head," &c.
5 Ps. xxxiv. 6.
414
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
•
Answer. And my neighbour hath
walked with slanders against me.
0
that my head were waters, and mine
eyes a fountain of tears, that I might
weep day and night! for my nearest
brother hath supplanted me, and my
neighbour hath walked with slanders
against me.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. 10 LORD, behold my
affliction; * for the enemy hath magni-
fied himself.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. I called upon the
LORD in my distress; and He an-
*
swered me, and set me at large.
Psalm CXVII.
O give thanks, &c., (p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. 20 Lord, Thou hast
pleaded the cause of my soul; * Thou
hast redeemed my life, O Lord my
God.
Psalms LXII. and LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p.
86.)
Fourth Antiphon. 30 My people,
what have I done unto thee? * or
wherein have I wearied thee? testify
against Me.
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. Shall evil be re-
compensed for good? * for they have
digged a pit for My soul.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
BRE
Chapter. (Heb. ix. 11.)
RETHREN, Christ being come an
High Priest of good things to come,
by a greater and more perfect taber-
nacle, not made with hands, that is to
say, not of this building, neither by the
blood of goats and calves, but by His
Own Blood, He entered in once into the
holy place, having obtained eternal re-
demption for us.
1 Lam. i. 9.
♦ Jer. xviii. 20.
2 Lam. iii. 58.
TH
Hymn.5
'HIRTY years among us dwelling,
His appointed time fulfilled,
Born for this, He meets His Passion,
For that this He freely willed :
On the Cross the Lamb is lifted,
Where His Life-Blood shall be spilled.
He endured the nails, the spitting,
Vinegar, and spear, and reed;
From that Holy Body broken
Blood and water forth proceed:
Earth, and stars, and sky, and ocean,
By that flood from stain are freed.
Faithful Cross! above all other,
One and only noble Tree!
None in foliage, none in blossom,
None in fruit thy peers may be:
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron!
Sweetest weight is hung on thee.
Bend thy boughs, O tree of glory!
Thy relaxing sinews bend;
For a while the ancient rigour,
That thy birth bestowed, suspend;
And the King of heavenly beauty
On thy bosom gently tend.
Thou alone wast counted worthy
This world's ransom to uphold;
For a shipwrecked race preparing
Harbour, like the ark of old;
With the Sacred Blood anointed
From the smitten Lamb that rolled.
To the Trinity be glory
Everlasting, as is meet:
Equal to the Father, equal
To the Son, and Paraclete :
Trinal Unity, Whose praises
All created things repeat. Amen.
Verse. "Deliver me from mine ene-
mies, O my God,—
Answer. And defend me from them
that rise up against me.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS said unto the multitudes of the
Jews and unto the Chief Priests: He
that is of God heareth God's words; ye,
therefore, hear them not, because ye
are not of God.
Prayer throughout the day.
WE beseech Thee, Almighty God,
mercifully to look upon this Thy
family, that by Thy great goodness they
may be governed and preserved ever-
more, both in body and soul. Through
• Continuation of the Mattins Hymn.
3 Micah vi. 3.
6 Ps. lviii. 2.
PASSION WEEK.
415
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. I have not a devil; * but
I honour My Father, and ye do dis-
honour Me, saith the Lord.
The Short Responsory is said as fol-
lows:
Christ, Thou Son of the Living God,
have mercy on us.
Answer. Christ, Thou Son of the
Living God, have mercy on us.
Verse. Thou, that sittest at the right
hand of the Father.
Answer. Have mercy on us. Christ,
Thou Son of the Living God, have mercy
on us.
Verse. Arise, O Christ, and help us.
Answer. And deliver us for Thy
Name's sake.
And it is thus said daily until
Maundy-Thursday, exclusive, except on
Festivals, when it is said as usual.
*
TERCE.
Antiphon. I seek not Mine Own
glory; there is One That seeketh and
judgeth.
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Amen, Amen, * I say unto
you: If a man keep My saying, he shall
never see death.
Chapter. (Heb. ix. 13.)
FOR if the blood of goats and of bulls,
and the ashes of an heifer sprink-
ling the unclean, sanctifieth to the puri-
fying of the flesh, how much more shall
the Blood of Christ, Who through the
Holy Spirit offered Himself without spot
to God, purge our conscience from dead
works, to serve the living God?
NONE.
Antiphon. Then took the Jews up
stones to cast at Him: but JESUS hid
Himself, and went out of the temple.
Chapter. (Heb. ix. 15.)
AND for this cause He is the Mediator
of the New Testament, that, by
means of death, for the redemption of
the transgressions that were under the
first Testament, they which are called
might receive the promise of eternal in-
heritance, in Christ JESUS our Lord.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday evening, (p. 408.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Your father Abraham rejoiced
to see My day: * and he saw it, and was
glad.
After Vespers are said the Vespers of
the Dead.
Monday in Passion Week.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and alteration in Ps. xciv.,
and Hymn, as yesterday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vii. 32.)
AT that time: The chief priests and
the Pharisees sent officers to take
JESUS. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (31st Tract on John.)
How could they take Him until such
time as He willed to be taken? If, then,
they could not take Him until He willed
to be taken, were they sent to watch His
"Then said JESUS unto
teaching?
them: Yet a little while am I with you"
-what ye now seek to do, ye shall do;
but not yet, for I will not so yet. And
why will I not so yet? Because "yet a
little while am I with you, and then I
go unto Him that sent Me"-I must
fulfil that which I am sent to do, and
so go to suffer.
First Responsory.
'Deliver me, O my God, out of the
hand of the wicked, and out of the hand
1 Ps. lxx. 4, 5, 12.
416
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
of the unrighteous and cruel man. For
Thou art my hope.
Verse. O my God, be not far from
me: 0 my God, make haste for my help.
Answer. For Thou art my hope.
Second Lesson.
YE shall seek Me, and shall not find
Me, and where I am thither
ye
cannot come." In these words He fore-
told already His rising again from the
dead. While He was with them they
would not know Him; and afterwards
they sought Him, when they saw that a
multitude already believed in Him. For
great signs were wrought also when the
Lord rose again, and ascended up into
heaven. Then were great signs again
wrought through the Disciples, (that is,
through them by Him Who worketh the
same directly also by Himself,) accord-
ing as He had said unto them: "With-
out Me ye can do nothing." (John xv.
5.) When that lame man that was laid
daily at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple
stood up at the voice of Peter (Acts iii.)
and walked, and all the people were
filled with wonder, Peter bade them
know that it was not by his own power
that he had made him to walk, but by
the power of Him Whom they had killed.
And when they heard this, many were
pricked in their heart, and said: What
shall we do? (Acts ii. 37.)
Second Responsory.
'They that lay wait for my soul take
counsel together, saying: God hath for-
saken him; persecute and take him, for
there is none to deliver him. O my God,
be not far from me: 0 my God, make
haste for my help.
Verse. All that hate me whispered
together against me; against mê did
they devise my hurt, saying:
Answer. Persecute and take him, for
there is none to deliver him. O my God,
be not far from me: 0 my God, make
haste for my help.
1 Ps. lxx. 10.
Third Lesson.
FOR
FOR they saw that they were burdened
with the guilt of an exceeding great
sin, in that they had killed Him, Whom
it was their duty to worship and adore :
and for that guilt they knew of no pro-
pitiation. Yea, their sin was indeed ex-
ceeding great; and the consideration of
it made them to despair for whom the
Lord, when He hung upon the Cross,
had been willing to pray, as it is written :
"Then said JESUS: Father, forgive
them, for they know not what they do.”
(Luke xxiii. 34.) At that hour He had
seen among many aliens some that were
His Own; for them He asked forgive-
ness, while yet He suffered at their hand,
nor considered that they were putting
Him to death, but only that He was
dying for them.
Third Responsory.
3 Mine enemies spoke to me peaceably,
but in wrath they troubled me. This
Thou hast seen, O LORD; keep not
silence: be not far from me.
Verse. But as for me, when they
troubled me my clothing was sack-cloth,
and I humbled my soul with fasting.
Answer. This Thou hast seen, O
LORD; keep not silence: be not far
from me. Mine enemies spoke to me
peaceably, but in wrath they troubled
me. This Thou hast seen, O Lord; keep
not silence; be not far from me.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (Jer. xi. 19.)
COME, let us put [poison of a deadly]
tree into his bread, and let us cut
him off from the land of the living, that
his name may be no more remembered.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 414.)
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
In the last day, that great day of the
Feast, JESUS stood and cried, saying:
If any man thirst, let him come unto
Me, and drink.
2 Ps. xl. 8, 9.
... ·
3 Ps. xxxiv. 20, 22, 13. (Other version than the present.)
4 The present Hebrew is, literally, "Let us destroy tree in his bread," i.e. "Let
us destroy him by putting the juice of some poisonous tree into his food." LXX., "Let
us put tree into his bread." Jonathan ben Uzziel," Let us cast poison of death into
his food." For the context regarding this plot to assassinate Jeremiah, see the First
Lesson on Tuesday in Holy Week. The compilers of the Breviary seem to have selected
this passage with an eye to a mystic allusion to the "fatal tree" of the Cross, as the
instrument of death.
PASSION WEEK.
417
Prayer.
HALLOW, O Lord, we beseech Thee,
this our Fast, and mercifully grant
us forgiveness of all our trespasses.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
After Lauds is said the Dirge.
VESPERS.
Chapter. (Jer. xi. 20.)
BUT, O LORD of Sabaoth, That judgest
righteously, and triest the reins and
the heart, let me see Thy vengeance on
them for unto Thee, have I revealed
my cause, [O Lord my God.]
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday, (p. 408.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. If any man thirst, let him come
unto Me, * and drink: and out of his
belly shall flow living water, saith the
Lord.
Prayer.
GRANT,
RANT unto Thy people, we beseech
and body, that they, ever cleaving unto
good works, may under Thy shadow be
ever worthily defended. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Tuesday in Passion Week.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory, alteration in Ps. xciv.,
and Hymn as on Sunday, (p. 409.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vii. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS walked in Gali-
lee;
for He would not walk in
Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill
Him. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (28th Tract on John.)
In this chapter of the Gospel, my
brethren, our Lord JESUS Christ hath
much commended Himself unto our
faith, as touching His Manhood. At
the same time, His words and works
were alway such as to give us to believe
that He is both God and Man, yea, that
God Who made us, and that Man Who
hath sought us, yea, God the Son, Who,
as touching His Godhead, is alway with
the Father, (John i. 18; iii. 13,) and,
as touching His Manhood, hath been
with us in time. (Matth. i. 23.) For
He had not sought the work of His
hands unless He had been made His
own work. (John i. 14.) Keep this well
in mind, and let your hearts never for-
get it, namely, that Christ was not made
Man so as to cease to be God. He, Who
made the Manhood, took It into that
Godhead Which is His from everlasting
to everlasting.¹
First Responsory.
2Thou art my Helper and my Pro-
tector, O Lord, and in Thy word do I
hope. Depart from me, ye evil doers,
for I will keep the commandments of
my God.
Verse. I hate the unrighteous, but
Thy law do I love.
Answer. Depart from me, ye evil
doers, for I will keep the commandments
of my God.
Second Lesson.
WHILE therefore He lay hid in the
Manhood, we must not think that
He had suffered any lessening of power,
but that He was giving ensample to our
weakness. When He willed it, He was
taken; when He willed it, He was put
to death. (John x. 18.) But, since He
was to have members, that is, His faith-
ful people, who would not have that
power over their lives which He, our
God, had over His, He hid Himself, He
concealed Himself, as if it were to escape
1 The Creed of St. Athanasius is as felicitous as usual in the expression of this dogma-
"One; not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh; but by taking of the Manhood into
God." See the whole passage beginning, "For the right Faith is, that we believe and
confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man, &c. &c."
2 Ps. cxviii. 114, 115, 113.
EE
418
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
being put to death, to show what should
be done by those His members in whom
He should dwell.
Second Responsory.
¹I will teach transgressors Thy ways,
and sinners shall be converted unto
Thee. Deliver me from blood-guilti-
ness, O God, Thou God of my salvation.
Verse. O Lord, open Thou my lips,
and my mouth shall show forth Thy
praise.
Answer. Deliver me from blood-
guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my sal-
vation.
FOR
Third Lesson.
Christ is not the Head of His
Church in such sense that He is
not in her Body; but the whole Christ is
in the Head, and the whole Christ is in
the Body. That, then, which His mem-
bers are is Himself, (though That Which
He is, That are not therefore His mem-
bers.) For if His members had not been
indeed His Own, how had He said unto
Saul, (Acts ix. 4): "Why persecutest
thou Me ?"-since Saul was not perse-
cuting Him in Himself, but in His
members, that is, in His faithful ones
which were upon earth. He said not,
"Why persecutest thou My holy ones,'
nor, "My servants," no, nor yet called
He them by that more honourable name,
"My brethren," but,
but, "Why perse-
cutest thou Me ?"—that is, "the mem-
bers of My Body, whose Head I am."
Third Responsory.
2 Make not my soul to perish with sin-
ners, O God, nor my life with bloody
men. Redeem me, O Lord!
3
Verse. Deliver me, O LORD, from
the evil man, preserve me from the
wicked man.
Answer. Redeem me, O Lord! make
not my soul to perish with sinners, O
God, nor my life with bloody men. Re-
deem me, O Lord!
LAUDS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 19, as yesterday,
(p. 416.)
1 Ps. 1. 15-17.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 414.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
My time is not yet come:
* but your
time is alway ready.
0
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee that this
our Fast may be acceptable in Thy
sight, and may, through Thy blessing,
effectually work in us, making us meet
here to receive Thy grace and hereafter
the everlasting glory which Thou hast
promised. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 20, as yesterday,
(p. 417.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday, (p. 408.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Go ye up unto this Feast: * I
go not up [yet] unto this Feast, for My
time is not yet full come.
0
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee to give us
grace to endure to the end in doing
of Thy will, that in our days Thy people
which serve Thee may have increase,
both as touching bettering of their works,
and multiplying of their numbers.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ_Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
Wednesday in Passion Week.
Fourth Day.
Before Mattins are said the Gradual
Psalms.
MATTINS.
Invitatory, alteration in Ps. xciv.,
and Hymn as on Sunday.
2 Ps. xxv. 9.
3 Ps. cxxxix. 2.
♦ An allusion to those who are to be baptised on the approaching Holy Saturday.
PASSION WEEK.
419
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (x. 22.)
T that time: It was at Jerusalem the
AT
Feast of the Dedication, and it was
winter. And JESUS' walked in the
Temple in Solomon's Porch. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (48th Tract on John.)
The Greek word "Enkainia," used by
the Evangelist,¹ signifieth the Feast of
the Dedication of the Temple. The de-
rivation thereof is "kainon," which is,
being interpreted, "new;" and the De-
dication of anything new is thence
called Enkainia. The use of this word
is still preserved among ourselves;2 if
any man put on his new coat for the
first time we say that he enkainiateth.³
It was the use of the Jews to keep solemn
holiday upon the Anniversary of the De-
dication of the Temple, and this was the
Feast-day which was being observed
when the Lord spake the words which
have been read.¹
First Responsory.
O Lord, I go mourning, &c., (p. 413.)
“IT
Second Lesson.
was winter. And JESUS walked
in the Temple in Solomon's Porch.
Then came the Jews round about Him,
and said unto Him: How long dost Thou
make us to doubt? If Thou be the
Christ, tell us plainly." They sought
not to know the truth, but to have
whereof to accuse Him. It was winter,
and they were cold; for they were slow
to draw near to God's fire. If to believe
is to draw near thereto, then he which
believeth draweth near thereto : and he
which denieth, goeth away therefrom.
The feet of the soul, by which it moveth,
are the affections thereof.
Second Responsory.
O Lord, hide not, &c., (p. 413.)
Third Lesson.
THEY were frozen with want of love,
and at the same time on fire with
thirst to do injury. They stood afar off,
and yet came near; for though they
drew not near by faith, they were eager
to persecute. They sought to hear the
Lord say: "I am the Christ;" and
perchance they knew somewhat con-
cerning Christ, as touching His Man-
hood, for the Prophets had prophesied
of Christ. But the Godhead of Christ
even some heretics do not see witnessed
either in the Prophets or in the Gospel;
how much less the Jews, seeing that
"the veil is upon their heart.” (2 Cor.
iii. 15.)
·
Third Responsory.
O that my head, &c., (p. 413.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 19, as on Mon-
day, (p. 416.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 414.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
My sheep hear My voice, and I, the
Lord, know them.
Prayer.
GOD, be mercifully pleased, through
the hallowing of this Fast, to shed
light upon the hearts of Thy faithful
people, and since Thou hast given them
the mind to pray, let Thy pitiful ears
be open graciously to hear their suppli-
cations. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 20, as on Mon-
day, (p. 417.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday, (p. 408.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Many good works have I wrought
among you, and for them ye go about
to kill Me.
1 And preserved in the Latin, probably because it was the regular name for the Feast
among the Greek-speaking Jews. It was the Feast now commonly called "Chanucah,
which is kept on Casleu 25, (about the beginning of December,) with an Octave. See
Monday in the Second week of October.
2 Viz. in Africa in the fifth century.
3 Encæniare dicitur.
4 The discourse was perhaps delivered after the Gospel at High Mass.
•
EE 2
4.20
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
GR
Prayer.
RACIOUSLY hear our prayers, O
Almighty God, and as Thou dost
give us to look with confidence for Thy
favour for which we hope, so grant us,
in Thy goodness, the manifestation of
Thine accustomed mercy. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Thursday in Passion Week.
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory, alteration in Ps. xciv.,
Hymn as on Sunday.
First Lesson.
and
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (vii. 36.)
AT that time: One of the Pharisees
desired JESUS that He would eat
with him. And He went into the Pha-
risee's house, and sat down to meat.
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (33rd on the Gospels.)
When I think of the repentance of
Mary Magdalene I feel nigher to weep
than to say ought. Is there indeed any
man, however stony his heart, who is
not somewhat moved to follow the en-
sample of her repentance by the tears of
that poor sinful woman? She weighed
what she did, and would not that what
she did should be niggardly. She came
unbidden among the guests, and ob-
truded her tears upon the banquet. Ye
may hence gather her sorrow, that she
was content to weep at a feast.
First Responsory.
Deliver me, &c., (p. 415.)
WE
Second Lesson.
"E believe that this woman, of whom
Luke saith that she was (6 & Wo-
man in the city, which was a sinner,"
and whom John nameth Mary, (xi. 2,)
was the same as she of whom it is writ-
ten in Mark (xvi. 9) that the Lord had
cast out of her seven devils. And what
signify seven devils but all manner of
sin? For even as seven days do repre-
sent all time, so doth the number seven
stand for all. Therefore is it said that
Mary had seven devils, because she was
full of all sin.
Second Responsory.
They be increased, &c., (p. 411.)
BUT
Third Lesson.
how
UT see how she realized the depth of
her own filthiness, and came to be
washed to the Well of Mercy, before all
them which were bidden to the feast.
The bitterness of her inward shame
made her esteem it a light thing to be
despised outwardly. At what then do
we marvel, my brethren? That she
came, or that the Lord welcomed her?
Or would it be truer for me to say that
He drew her to Him and welcomed her
when she came ? for His mercy inwardly
drew her, and, when she came, His
gentleness openly welcomed her.
Third Responsory.
How long, &c., (p. 411.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 19, as on Mon-
day, (p. 416.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 414.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The Master saith, My time is at hand;
*I will keep the Passover at thy house
with My disciples.
Prayer.
GRANT, we beseech thee, O Almighty
God, that the honour of man's
nature, which gluttony hath degraded,
may be seasonably renewed by strict-
ness in keeping of this healthful Fast.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
Vespers are of the Feast.
PASSION WEEK.
421
Friday in Passion Week.
Compassion of our Lady.¹
Sixth Day.
Greater Double.
Office of the Seven Sorrows of the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, except what
is given here.
Note, (1st) That should this Feast be
prevented by one of higher dignity, it is
transferred to the Saturday, and should
it be again prevented, it is omitted.
(2ndly) If, for any reason, the First
Vespers are not said, the Hymn proper
to them is prefixed to the Hymn at
Mattins.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Psalms.
1. Psalm CXV.
I believed, therefore have I spoken,
&c., (p. 153.)
2. Psalm CXIX.
In my distress, &c., (p. 154.)
3. Psalm CXXXIX.
Deliver me, O LORD, &c., (p. 166.)
4. Psalm CXL.
LORD, I cry unto Thee, &c., (p. 166.)
5. Psalm CXLI.
I cried unto the LORD, &c., (p. 167.)
Hymn.2
T the Cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to JESUS to the last :
Through her heart His sorrow sharing,
All His bitter anguish bearing,
Lo! the piercing sword had passed!
O, how sad, and sore distressèd,
Now was she, that Mother Blessèd
Of the Sole-begotten One;
Woe-begone, with heart's prostration,
Mother meek, the bitter Passion
Saw she of her glorious Son.
Who could mark, from tears refraining,
Christ's dear Mother uncomplaining,
In so great a sorrow bowed?
Who, unmoved, behold her languish
Underneath His Cross of anguish,
'Mid the fierce unpitying crowd?

For His people's sins rejected,
She her JESUs, unprotected,
Saw with thorns, with scourges rent;
Saw her Son from judgment taken,
Her beloved in death forsaken,
Till His Spirit forth He sent.
Fount of love and holy sorrow,
Mother! may my spirit borrow
Somewhat of thy woe profound;
Unto Christ, with pure emotion,
Raise my contrite heart's devotion,—
Love to read in every Wound. Amen.
Verse. Pray for us, O Virgin most
sorrowful.
Answer. That we may be made wor-
thy of the promises of Christ.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Simeon said unto Mary: Yea,
a sword shall pierce through thine own
soul also.
The following Commemoration is made
of the Week-day.
4
Antiphon. With desire I have desired
to eat this Passover with you before I
suffer.
Verse. Deliver me, O LORD, from the
evil man.
Answer. Preserve me from the wicked
man.
0
Let us pray.
LORD, we beseech Thee, deal mer-
cifully with Thy people, and fill
1 In the original this Office is not given here, but at the end of March, in the Proper
Offices for Feasts. It is here inserted, partly because it is almost invariably so in practice,
and partly as an example of the application of the General Rubrics. Should it be trans-
ferred, no more of the Week-day Office is used than is embodied in it.
2 This, with the Hymns at Mattins and Lauds, constitutes the master-piece of Jacopone
da Todi, the "Stabat Mater," called by Dr. Neale the most pathetic, as the "Dies Iræ" is
the most sublime, of Medieval poems. The translation is extracted from "Hymns for
the Year," except verses 8 and 9, which are omitted in that compilation, and which are
taken from the "Hymnal Noted." The "People's Hymnal" contains an extract from
the same translation, and attributes it to Bp. R. Mant. The readings of these Hymnals
differ considerably from one another.
3 Luke ii. 34, 35.
• Luke xxii. 15.
422
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
plentifully with the rich things of Thy
commandments all them who at this
time do, to fulfil Thy will, turn away from
that which displeaseth Thee. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
At Compline the last verse of the
Hymn is altered in honour of the In-
carnation, and so at Prime, Terce, Sext,
None, and the Second Compline.
As the Office is of a Festal form, the
Verse, "Glory," &c., is said as usual in
the Responsory, and so throughout.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. When we remember the
sorrows of the most glorious Virgin, * O
come, let us worship the Lord, Who suf
fered for us!
THO
Hymn.
HOSE five Wounds on JESUS smitten,
Mother in my heart be written,
Deep as in thine own they be :
Thou, my Saviour's Cross who bearest,
Thou, thy Son's rebuke who sharest,
Let me share them both with thee!
In the Passion of my Maker
Be my sinful soul partaker,
Weep till death, and weep with thee;
Mine with thee be that sad station,
There to watch the great Salvation
Wrought upon the atoning Tree. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The kings of the
earth set themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together against the LORD, and
against His Anointed.
Psalm II.
Why do the heathen rage? &c.,
(p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. I cried unto the
LORD with my voice, and He heard me
out of His holy hill.
Psalm III.
LORD, how are they increased, &c.,
(p. 5.)
Third Antiphon. My heart is like
melting wax in the midst of my bowels.
1 Lam. i. 3.
Psalm XII.
How long wilt Thou forget me, &c.,
(p. 9.)
Verse. ¹He hath made me desolate.
Answer. And faint with sorrow all
the day.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (liii.)
WHO hath believed our report? And
to whom is the arm of the LORD
revealed? For He shall grow up be-
fore Him as a tender plant, and as a
root out of a dry ground: He hath no
form nor comeliness; and when we shall
see Him, there is no beauty that we
should desire Him. He is despised and
rejected of men; a man of sorrows and
acquainted with grief; and He hid as it
were His face from us; He was despised,
and we esteemed Him not. Surely
He hath borne our griefs and carried
our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgres-
sions, He was bruised for our iniqui-
ties: the chastisement of our peace was
upon Him, and with His stripes we are
healed.
First Responsory.
"My Beloved is white and ruddy,
yea, He is altogether lovely; for the
sight of Him doth altogether breathe of
love, and stirreth up to love in return;
His Head is bowed down, His Hands
are stretched out, and His Side is
opened.
Verse. Maiden and Mother, thou didst
look upon Him with eyes full of tender-
ness, and there thou sawest not only
that thy Son was smitten, but that the
world was saved.
Answer. For the sight of Him doth
altogether breathe of love, and stirreth
up to love in return; His Head is
bowed down, His Hands are stretched
out, and His Side is opened.
Second Lesson.
ALL we, like sheep, have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his
own way: and the LORD hath laid on
Him the iniquity of us all. He was
2 Cant. v. 10.
PASSION WEEK.
423
offered up because He willed it, and
He opened not His Mouth. He is
brought as a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before his shearers is
dumb, so He openeth not His Mouth.
He was taken from prison and from
judgment: and who shall declare His
generation? For He was cut off out of
the land of the living; for the trans-
gression of my people have I stricken
Him. And He made His grave with
the wicked, and with the rich in His
death; because He had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in His Mouth.
Second Responsory.
2
His hands are like rings, pierced
with the points of the nails; set with
price of man's salvation, as it were with
jacinths.
Verse. He had horns coming out of
His hands: there was the hiding of His
power: for His Hands are—
Answer. Set with the price of man's
salvation, as it were with jacinths.
YET
Third Lesson.
ET it pleased the LORD to bruise
Him; He hath put Him to grief;
when He hath made His Soul an offer-
ing for sin, He shall see His seed, He
shall prolong His days, and the plea-
sure of the LORD shall prosper in His
Hand. He shall see of the travail of
His Soul, and shall be satisfied: by His
knowledge shall My righteous Servant
justify many, for He shall bear their
iniquities. Therefore will I divide Him
a portion with the great, and He shall
divide the spoil with the strong; be-
cause He hath poured out His Soul unto
death; the
and He was numbered with the
transgressors; and He bare the sin of
many, and made intercession for the
transgressors.
Third Responsory.
JESUS loved John because his singular
gift, &c., (Fifth Responsory on Dec. 27,
p. 237,) with the following addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He chose him for a virgin
unto Himself, and he remaineth a virgin
for ever.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Mine enemies speak
evil of me: When shall he die, and his
name perish?
Psalm XL.
Blessed is he that considereth, &c.,
(p. 34.)
Second Antiphon. O God, I have de-
clared my life unto Thee, Thou hast put
my tears in Thy sight.
Psalm LV.
Be merciful unto me, &c., (p. 43.)
Third Antiphon. As for the sons of
men, their teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongue a sharp sword.
Psalm LVI.
Be merciful unto me, &c., (p. 44.)
Verse. My face is swollen with weep-
ing,
Answer. And on mine eye-lids is the
shadow [of death.]
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
(On the twelve stars.)
set
THE Martyrdom of the Virgin is set
before us, not only in the prophecy
of Simeon, but also in the story itself of
the Lord's Passion. The holy old man
said of the Child JESUS (Luke ii. 34,)
1 Oblatus est quia ipse voluit. The present Hebrew is literally, "He was oppressed and
he was afflicted." Jonathan ben Uzziel, "He was required, and he was brought back,
and without opening his mouth, he submitted to the mighty of the people."
2 Viz., with the centres removed so as to make the outside of the hand surround a void
space, as a ring does, instead of the palms. The words of the original, (Cant v. 14,) how-
ever, are-" His hands are like gold rings, set with gems of Tarshish"-viz., according to
Gesenius, "The fingers when bent are like gold rings, the dyed nails are compared to
gems," the Easterns, as is well known, being accustomed to dye their nails red, or rather
orange, with henna. What particular stone is to be understood by "gems of Tarshish"
is not certain. Jacinth is the Latin, and it is of a purple colour with reddish flashes, so
that it might, by a violent figure, be compared to the appearance of an inflamed wound.
The LXX. and others understand the topaz, which is found of a pinkish and yellowish
tinge, and thus would answer to the effect (viz., like Homer's "rosy-fingered Dawn") of
finger nails died with henna.
8 Hab. iii. 4, p. 108.
4 Job xvi. 17.
1
424
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.

"Behold, this Child is set for the fall
and the rising again of many in Israël ;
and for a sign which shall be spoken
against; yea," (said he unto Mary,) “a
sword shall pierce through thine own
soul also”—Even so, O Blessed Mother!
The sword did indeed pierce through
thy soul! for nought could pierce the
Body of thy Son, nor pierce thy soul
likewise. Yea, and when this JESUS of
thine had given up the ghost, and the
bloody spear could torture Him no more,
thy soul winced as it pierced His dead
Side-His Own Soul might leave Him,
but thine could not.
Fourth Responsory.
'The Jews crucified JESUS; and there
was darkness; and about the ninth hour
JESUS cried with a loud voice: My God,
why hast Thou forsaken Me? And
He bowed His Head, and gave up the
Ghost.
Verse. 20 what a sickening at heart
was thine at that moment, O Mother!
Answer. And He bowed His Head,
and gave up the Ghost.
Fifth Lesson.
THE sword of sorrow pierced through
thy soul, so that we may truly call
thee more than martyr, in whom the
love, that made thee suffer along with
thy Son, wrung thy heart more bitterly
than any pang of bodily pain could do.
Did not that word of His indeed pierce
through thy soul, sharper than any two-
edged sword, even to the dividing asun-
der of soul and spirit, (Heb. iv. 12,)—
"Woman, behold thy son!" (John xix.
26.) 0 what a change to thee! Thou
art given John for JESUS, the servant
for his Lord, the disciple for his master,
the son of Zebedee for the Son of God,
a mere man for Very God. O how
keenly must the hearing of those words
have pierced through thy most loving
soul, when even our hearts, stony, iron,
as they are, are wrung at the memory
thereof only !
Fifth Responsory.
The suffering of the Lord was a sorrow
1 Matth. xxvii. 35, 45, 46; John xix. 30.
3 Cant. viii. 1.
exceeding sorrowful to her, His Mother,
crushed by a natural bereavement.
Verse. The iron of the soldier's lance
pierced through the Side of the Re-
deemer, and through the soul of the
Virgin Mother.
Answer. A sorrow exceeding sorrow-
ful to her, His Mother, crushed by a
natural bereavement.
Sixth Lesson.
MARVEL not, my brethren, that
Mary should be called a Martyr
in spirit. He indeed may marvel who
remembereth not what Paul saith, nam-
ing the greater sins of the Gentiles, that
they were "without natural affection,"
(Rom. i. 31.) Far other were the bowels
of Mary, and far other may those of her
servants be! But some man perchance
will say: Did she not know that He
was to die? Yea, without doubt, she
knew it. Did she not hope that He was
soon to rise again? Yea, she most faith-
fully hoped it. And did she still mourn
because He was crucified? Yea, bit-
terly. But who art thou, my brother,
or whence hast thou such wisdom, to
marvel less that the Son of Mary suf-
fered than that Mary suffered with Him?
He could die in the Body, and could not
she die with Him in her heart? His
was the deed of that Love, greater than
which hath no man (John xv. 13;) her's,
of a love, like to which hath no man,
save He.
Sixth Responsory.
30 that Thou wert my brother, that
sucked the breasts of my mother, that I
might cleave unto Thy Side, till Thy
Blood touched my blood, and washed it
away! O that the Fountain of Water
Which floweth from the Well-head of
Thy Righteous Heart, (through Thy
Veins, Who hast done all things well,5)
may at the last spring up for us into
everlasting blessedness!
Verse. Thy sons shall come from far,
and Thy daughters shall be nursed at
Thy Side.
Answer. O that the Fountain of Water
Which floweth from the Well-head of
5 Lit. through the veins of good work. Cf. Mark vii. 37.
6 Isa. lx. 4.
2 An Hexameter line.
4 Cf. John iv. 14.
PASSION WEEK.
425
Thy Righteous Heart, (through Thy
Veins, Who hast done all things well,)
may at the last spring up for us into
everlasting blessedness!
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O that the Fountain of Water
Which floweth from the Well-head of
Thy Righteous Heart, (through Thy
Veins, Who hast done all things well,)
may at the last spring up for us into
everlasting blessedness!
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. They bend their
bow, even bitter words, that they may
shoot in secret at the perfect.
Psalm LXIII.
Hear my voice, &c., (p. 48.)
Second Antiphon. I am as a man that
hath no strength, lying nerveless among
the dead.
Psalm LXXXVII.
O LORD God of my salvation, &c.,
(p. 68.)
Third Antiphon. He hath filled
me with bitterness, he hath made me
drunken with wormwood.
Psalm CVIII.
Hold not Thy peace, &c., (p. 84.)
Verse. O God, I have declared my life
unto Thee-
Answer. Thou hast put my tears in
Thy sight.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xix. 25.)
A
T that time: There stood by the
Cross of JESUS His Mother, and
Homily by S. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (119th Tract on John.)
This is that hour whereof JESUS, when
He was about to turn water into wine,
had said unto His Mother: "Woman,
what have I to do with thee? Mine hour
is not yet come." (John ii. 4.) He had
spoken of this hour, which then was not
yet come, wherein, being about to die,
it should be His duty to acknowledge
her of whom He had been born in a
dying Body. Then, since He was about
to work the works of God, He thrust
from Him, as though He knew her not,
her who was His Mother, not in that
nature as touching which He is equal
to the Father, but in that as touching
which He is inferior to the Father. But
now, since He is suffering the pains of
Man, He careth, with a Man's love, for
her of whom He hath been made Man.
And herein He giveth us a lesson. He
doth that which He would have us to
do. The Good Master, by His Own ex-
ample, commandeth that among His
disciples, dutiful children should suc-
cour their parents, as though even that
Tree whereon His dying Limbs were
nailed, even that Tree were to be a
pulpit for His teaching.
Seventh Responsory.
"I am distressed for Thee, my Son
JESUS, very pleasant hast Thou been
unto me; Thy love to me was wonder-
ful, passing the love of women; for even
as a mother loveth her only Son, so loved
I Thee.
Verse. My life is spent with grief,
and my years with sighing.
Answer. For even as a mother loveth
her only Son, so loved I Thee.
Eighth Blessing.
She whose Feast-day, &c.
Eighth Lesson.
His Mother's sister Mary the wife of AND of this teaching by JESUS Cruci-
Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene. And
80 on.
1 Lam. iii. 15.
fied cometh that which the Apostle
Paul commandeth, where he saith, (1
* Tunc, ergo, divina facturus, non divinitatis sed infirmitatis matrem velut incognitam
repellebat, lit. "the Mother, not of His Divinity but of His weakness." To translate this
passage, I have made use of the exact words of the Athanasian Creed. (Tr.)
3 2 Kings (Sam.) i. 26. It is from the lament of David over Saul and Jonathan, and is,
in the original place, "I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan, &c.”
4 Ps. xxx. 11.
426
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Tim. v. 8:) "If any provide not for his
own, and specially for those of his own
house, he hath denied the faith, and is
worse than an infidel." But what is
so much of a man's own house, as chil-
dren are of their parents'? and parents
of their children's? Of this most healthy
law the Master of the Saints was pleased
Himself to give an example, when, being
God, He treated not as His handmaid
her of whom He was the Maker and the
Lord, but, being also Man, gave another
to be as a son in His stead, to her of
whom as Man He had been made,¹ and
whom He was leaving.
Eighth Responsory.
Fount of love and holy sorrow,
Mother! may my spirit borrow
Somewhat of thy woe profound;
"Unto Christ with pure emotion,
Raise my contrite heart's devotion,-
Love to read in every Wound.
Verse. That as thy Son JESUS for our
sakes died and rose again, so we also
who have died with Him³ may rise again
with Him.
Answer. Unto Christ, with pure emo-
tion,
Raise my contrite heart's devotion,-
Love to read in every Wound.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Unto Christ, with pure emo-
tion,
Raise my contrite heart's devotion,-
Love to read in every Wound.
Ninth Blessing.
May the Gospel's glorious word
Cleansing to our souls afford.
Ninth Lesson. (Of the Week-day.)*
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xi. 47.)
A
that time: Gathered the chief
Priests and the Pharisees a council
against JESUS, and said: What do we?
For this Man doeth many miracles.
And so on.
1 Creatus.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (49th Tract on John.)
The chief Priests and the Pharisees
took counsel together, but "Let us be-
lieve in Him" was not one of the sug-
gestions offered. Those lost creatures
thought much more how they might
hurt and undo Him, than how they
might save themselves from perishing.
And yet they were afraid, and took
counsel together, "and said: What do
we? For this Man doeth many mira-
cles. If we let Him thus alone, all men
will believe on Him; and the Romans
shall come and take away both our place
and our nation." They were afraid of
losing temporal things, but they gave
no thought to eternal life, and so they
lost both. (Second Lesson of the Week-
day.) For, after that the Lord had suf-
fered and been glorified, first came the
Romans, and took away both their place
and nation, prevailing against them and
leading them away captive, and se-
condly there followeth them that which
is written: "But the children of the
kingdom shall be cast out into outer
darkness." (Matth. viii. 12.) But their
fear was that, if all men should believe
on Christ, none would remain to defend
the city of God and His Temple against
the Romans, since they deemed that
Christ's teaching was against the Temple
itself, and against the laws of their fa-
thers. (Third Lesson of the Week-day.)
"And one of them, named Caïphas, be-
ing the High Priest that same year, said
unto them: Ye know nothing at all,
nor consider that it is expedient for us
that one man should die for the people,
and that the whole nation perish not.
And this spake he not of himself: but
being High Priest that year, he pro-
phesied- Here we will learn that
bad men are enabled by the spirit of
prophecy to foretell the future; which,
at the same time, the Evangelist attri-
buteth to an ordinance of God, namely,
that he was the High Priest.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
2 These words are not in the original from the Hymn, as is the beginning of the Respon.
sory, but they rhyme with it, and express the same idea.
3 Commortui, i.e. in baptism. Rom. vi. 4; Col. ii. 12; 2 Tim. ii. 11.
4 If it be transferred to Saturday, of course it is the Homily for that day.
5 A person bound to the Office may satisfy by ending the Ninth Lesson here.
PASSION WEEK.
427
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. I will get me to the
mountain of myrrh, * and to the hill of
frankincense.
*
Second Antiphon. My beloved is
white and ruddy: the hair of his head
is like kingly purple, bound in tresses.
Third Antiphon. Whither is thy
beloved gone, * O thou fairest among
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When JESUS saw His Mother, * and the
disciple whom He loved, standing by
the Cross, He saith unto His Mother:
Woman, behold thy Son! Then saith
He to the disciple: Behold thy Mother!
Prayer throughout the Office.
women? Whither is thy beloved turned O GOD, at Whose Passion, according
aside?
Fourth Antiphon. A bundle of myrrh
is my well-beloved unto me; he shall
lie betwixt my breasts.
*
Fifth Antiphon. "Revive me with
flowers, stay me up with apples, for I
am swooning with love.
WHO
Chapter. (Isa. liii. 1.)
HO hath believed our report? And
unto whom is the arm of the LORD
revealed? For He shall grow up before
Him as a tender plant, and as a root
out of a dry ground.
Hymn.
IRGIN, thou, of virgins fairest,
VIRG
May the bitter woe thou bearest
Make on me impression deep;
Thus Christ's dying may I carry,
With Him in His Passion tarry,
And His Wounds in memory keep.
May His Wounds transfix me wholly,
May His Cross and Life-Blood holy
Ebriate my heart and mind:
Thus inflamed with pure affection,
In the Virgin's Son protection
May I at the Judgment find.
When in death my limbs are failing
Let Thy Mother's prayer prevailing
Lift me, JESUS! to Thy throne:
To my parting soul be given
Entrance through the gate of heaven ;
There confess me for Thine own! Amen.
Verse. Pray for us, O Virgin most
sorrowful!
Answer. That we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ.
1 Cant. iv. 6.
to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword
of sorrow pierced through the gentle
soul of the glorious Maiden and Mother
Mary, mercifully grant to as many as
do ever remember with awe how that
her soul was pierced and Thou didst
suffer,-even for all such be Thou en-
treated, for the sake and by the prayers
of all Thy glorious and holy servants
who stood so leally by Thy Cross, and
grant unto the same, that for them Thy
life-giving Death may not have been in
vain. Who livest and reignest with
God the Father, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The following Commemoration is made
of the Week-day.
Antiphon. Now the Jews' Feast-day
was at hand, and the chief Priests sought
how they might kill JESUS; but they
feared the people.
Verse. Deliver me from mine ene-
mies, O my God.
Answer. And defend me from them
that rise up against me.
WE
Let us pray.
E beseech Thee, O Lord, pour Thy
grace into our hearts, that all we
who of our own will do check our sins
with the curb of mortification, may
suffer here, and escape condemnation to
eternal punishment hereafter. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the -
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
2 Canalibus, lit. streamlets. Cant. vii. 5. The allusion of the Office is evidently to the
Hair of our Lord when on the Cross, darkened with the Precious Blood, and hanging in
long masses from under the cincture of His thorny crown. The Latin translator seems
to have used a different vocalisation of the Hebrew text to that which we now have, and
which makes the sense somewhat thus: "The hair of thine head is like purple"-(allud-
ing perhaps to the appearance of very black hair, especially in sunlight; and the Bride of
the Canticles was swarthy, i. 3)—“the King is captivated by thy tresses."
5 Cant. ii. 5.
3 Cant. v. 17.
✦ Cant. i. 13.
428
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
(The Penitential Psalms and the Li-
tany are not said, because of the Feast.)
PRIME.
Antiphon. I will get me, &c. (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory, instead of
the words, "Thou that sittest at the
Right Hand of the Father," is said:
Verse. Thou That didst suffer for
man's sake.
And the Verse, "Glory be, &c." is
said as usual out of Passiontide.
Chapter at the end. (Isa. liii. 8.)
WHO shall declare His generation?
For He was cut off out of the
land of the living; for the transgression
of My people have I stricken Him.
TERCE.
Antiphon. My beloved, * &c. (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
He hath made me desolate.
Answer. He hath made me desolate.
Verse. And faint with sorrow all the
day.
Answer. Desolate.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He hath made me desolate.
Verse. My face is swollen with weep-
ing.
Answer. And on mine eyelids is the
shadow [of death.]
After Terce, in community Churches,
is said or sung the Mass of the Feast.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Whither, &c. (Third An-
tiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Isa. liii. 5.)
Hsions;
E was wounded for our transgres-
sions; He was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace
was upon Him, and with His stripes we
are healed.
Short Responsory.
My face is swollen with weeping.
Answer. My face is swollen with
weeping.
Verse. And on my eyelids is the
shadow [of death.]
Answer. Swollen with weeping.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. My face is swollen with
weeping.
Verse. O God, I have declared my
life unto Thee,-
Answer. Thou hast put my tears in
Thy sight.
NONE.
Antiphon. Revive me, &c. (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
O God, I have declared my life unto
Thee-
Answer. O God, I have declared my
life unto Thee—
Verse. Thou hast put my tears in Thy
sight.
Answer. I have declared my life unto
Thee.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O God, I have declared my
life unto Thee.
Verse. Pray for us, O Virgin most
sorrowful!
Answer. That we may be made wor-
thy of the promises of Christ.
After None, in community Churches,
is said or sung the Mass of the Week-
day.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as on the First, except the Anti-
phon at the Song of the Blessed Virgin,
which is the same as that at the Song of
Zacharias at Lauds, and the following
Commemoration of the Week-day.¹
Antiphon. The chief Priests con-
sulted that they might kill Jesus, but
they said: Not on the Feast-day, lest
there be an uproar among the people.
1 Supposing the Feast not to be transferred to Saturday.
PASSION WEEK.
429
Verse. Deliver me, O LORD, from the
evil man.
Answer. Preserve me from the wicked
man.
Let us pray.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that we who seek the grace
of Thy protection, being delivered from
all evils, may serve Thee ever in peace
and quietness of spirit. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth
ye consider that there is a difference
between a man dead of disease, and a
man killed, behold, the Lord hath raised
up both for He first raised up Lazarus,
who had died a natural death, and then
Himself, after a violent one.
First Responsory.
O Lord, I go mourning, &c., (p. 413.)
Second Lesson. (51st Tract.)
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of "ON
the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
Saturday in Passion Week.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and alteration in Ps. xciv.
and Hymn as on last Sunday, (p. 409.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xii. 10.)
T that time: The chief Priests con-
sulted that they might put Lazarus
also to death; because that by reason of
him many of the Jews went away and
believed on JESUS. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (50th Tract on John.)
When they saw Lazarus who had been
raised from the dead, and knew that the
miracle which the Lord had worked was
so great, spread about by so many wit-
nesses, and so plain and manifest that
it could neither be concealed nor denied,
they invented an expedient; and see
here what it was-"But the chief Priests
consulted that they might put Laza-
rus also to death." What stupidity of
thought, what blindness of cruelty is
here! If the Lord Christ had raised
up again a man who had died a natural
death, could He not also raise up one
that had died by violence? Would kill-
ing Lazarus paralyse the Lord? But if
!
N the next day much people that
were come to the feast, when they
heard that JESUS was coming to Jerusa-
lem, took branches of palm-trees, and
went forth to meet Him, and cried:
Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israël
That cometh in the Name of the Lord!"
Palm-branches are glorious boughs which
tell of victory; yea, the Lord was now
ready by His Own Death to trample
down death, and to carry the victorious
banner of His Cross in triumph over the
devil, the prince of death. The cry with
which He was greeted, namely "Ho-
sanna," hath not, as we are assured by
some who are acquainted with the He-
brew language, any meaning in parti-
cular, but is a shout after the manner
of interjections, as they are called, just
as in Latin when we lament we say
"Heu," or when we are pleased, "Vah."
Second Responsory.
O Lord, hide not, &c., (p. 413.)
Third Lesson.
251
THE
HESE were the shouts of applause
with which the crowd greeted Him,
“Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israël
That cometh in the Name of the Lord!"
What inward torture must the jealousy
of the Jewish leaders have caused them,
when they heard that great multitude
hailing Christ as their King! But, for
the Lord, what was it to be King of
Israël ? To the Eternal² King what
mattered it to become a King of men?
And Christ is not King of Israël in the
sense of monarchs who exact tribute, or
arm hosts with steel to conquer enemies
1 So in English "Hurrah," "Ha, ha, ha," and so on. Heu is generally translated
"Alas," and, Vah, “Aha.” "Hosanna," however, means Save, I pray," or "O save!"
i.e. "I pray [God] save [you]." It is said to have been a common Hebrew cry, answer-
ing to "Long live-" or more nearly "God save-e.g. the King." The actual phrase
occurs in Ps. cxvii. 25, 26, where it possibly hails the King's entrance into the temple,
"Save now, O LORD! O LORD, send Thou prosperity! Blessed be he that cometh in the
Name of the LORD !"—" Anna, ADONAI, hoshiah na; anna, ADONAI, hatzlichah na.'
* Rex sæculorum, "King of the ages," or, "King of the worlds."
430
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
that are seen. But King of Israël He
is, as He Who is Lord of our intellect,
a Ruler Whose power shall never wane,
and Who openeth a Kingdom in heaven
to all such as centre in Him their faith,
their hope, and their love.
Third Responsory.
O that my head, &c., (p. 413.)
LAUDS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 19, as on Mon-
day. (p. 416.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Sunday, (p. 414.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
O Father, glorify Thou Me* with Thine
Own Self, with the glory which I had
with Thee before the world was.
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee that Thy
people, since they are hallowed as
Thine Own, may grow ever in godly
love toward Thee their Father Who art
in heaven, and may so be schooled by
holy works, that ever as Thou dost more
and more pour of Thy gifts upon them,
they may ever more and more walk be-
fore Thee in all such things as be well-
pleasing in the sight of Thy Divine
Majesty. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from the Lauds
of the following morning.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
last Saturday, (p. 408.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O righteous Father, the world
hath not known Thee; but I have
known Thee, because Thou hast sent
Me.
Palm Sunday.¹
The Lord's Day among the Palms.
MATTINS.
Invitatory, alteration in Ps. xciv.,
and Hymn, as on the last Sunday, (p.
409.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Jeremiah (ii. 12.)
BE
E astonished, O ye heavens, at this,
and ye gates thereof, be ye very
desolate, saith the LORD. For My people
have committed two evils. They have
forsaken Me, the Fountain of living
waters, and hewed them out cisterns,
broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
Is Israël a servant? Is he an home-
born slave? Why is he spoiled? The
young lions roared upon him and yelled,2
and they made his land waste: his cities
are burned, without inhabitant. Also,
the children of Memphis and Taha-
panes have polluted thee up to the
crown of thy head. Hast thou not pro-
cured this unto thyself, in that thou
hast forsaken the LORD thy God, when
He led thee by the way?
First Responsory.
50 Lord, in the day that I called upon
Thee, Thou saidst: Fear not. Thou
hast pleaded my cause, and hast re-
deemed me, O Lord my God.
Verse. In the day of my trouble I
called upon Thee, for Thou hast heard
me.
Answer. Thou hast pleaded my cause,
and hast redeemed me, O Lord my God.
Second Lesson.
AND now what hast thou to do in the
way of Egypt, to drink the waters
of the "Miry 7 Or what hast thou
to do in the way of Assyria, to drink the
waters of the river 28 Thine own wick-
edness shall correct thee, and thy back-
slidings shall reprove thee. Know,
1 Called also Flowering Sunday, and Fig Sunday.
2 Lit. gave out their voice.
3 Hebrew name, Noph.
4 Constupraverunt: but the Hebrew is, "devour the crown, &c."
5 Lam. iii. 57, 58.
6 Ps. lxxxv. 7.
7 Shichor, "miry," an abusive nick-name for the Nile.
8 Euphrates.
HOLY WEEK.
431
therefore, and see, that it is an evil
thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken
the LORD thy God, and that My fear is
not in thee, saith the LORD God of hosts.
Of old time thou hast broken My yoke,
and burst My bands; and thou saidst:
I will not serve. Yea, upon every high
hill, and under every green tree, thou
wanderedst playing the harlot. Yet I
had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a
right seed: how then art thou turned
into the degenerate plant of a strange
vine unto Me? For though thou wash
my soul. Give heed to me, O LORD,
and hearken to the voice of them that
contend with me. Shall evil be recom-
pensed for good for they have digged
a pit for my soul.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (Second
on the Passion of the Lord.)
thee with nitre, and take thee much Ent and triumphal
soap, yet thine iniquity is marked be-
fore Me, saith the Lord GOD.¹
Second Responsory.
My brethren stand afar off from me,
and they which have known me-make
themselves strange unto me, and leave
me.
Verse. My neighbours forsake me, and
mine acquaintane-
Answer. Make themselves strange
unto me, and leave me.
Third Lesson. (29.)
WHEREFORE will ye plead with
Me? Ye all have forsaken Me,
saith the LORD. In vain have I smitten
your children; they received no correc-
tion; your own sword hath devoured
your Prophets, the generation of you
hath been as a lion unto them to destroy
them. See ye the word of the LORD:
Have I been a wilderness unto Israël?
a land of darkness? Wherefore say My
Wherefore say My
people We have forsaken Thee; we
will come no more unto Thee? Can a
maid forget her ornaments or a bride
her attire 2 Yet My people have for-
gotten Me, days without number.
Third Responsory.
3 Give heed to me, O LORD, and
hearken to the voice of them that con-
tend with me. Shall evil be recom-
pensed for good? for they have digged
a pit for my soul.
Verse. Remember that I stood before
Thee to speak good for them, and to turn
away Thy wrath from them.
Answer. Shall evil be recompensed
for good? for they have digged a pit for
1 The Name.
3 Jer. xviii. 19.
EARLY beloved brethren, the jubi-
lant day which
ushereth in the commemoration of the
Lord's Passion is come; even that day
for which we have longed so much, and
for whose yearly coming the whole world
may well look. Shouts of spiritual ex-
ultation are ringing, and suffer not that
we should be silent. It is indeed hard
to preach often on the same Festival,
and that always meetly and rightly, but
a Priest is not free, when we celebrate
so great and mysterious an out-pouring
of God's mercy, to leave his faithful
people without the service of a discourse.
Nay, that his subject-matter is unspeak-
able should in itself make him eloquent,
since where enough can never be said,
there must needs ever be somewhat to
say. Let man's weakness, then, fall
down before the glory of God, and ac-
knowledge herself ever too feeble to un-
fold all the works of His mercy. We
may jade our emotions, break down in
our understanding, and fail in our
speech: it is good for
speech: it is good for us, that even what
we truly feel in presence of the Divine
Majesty is but little, [compared to the
vastness of the subject.]
Fourth Responsory.
*The enemy hath enclosed my ways:
he lay in wait for me as a lion in secret
places: he hath filled me and made me
drunken with bitterness: they have cut
off my life in the dungeon, and cast a
stone upon me. O Lord, behold all their
iniquity, and plead the cause of my soul,
Thou That art the Redeemer of my
life!
Verse. I was a derision to all my
people, and their song all the day.
Answer. O Lord, behold all their ini-
2 Fascia pectoralis-breast-knot.
♦ Lam. iii. 9, 10, 15, 53, 58, 14.
1
4
432
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
quity, and plead the cause of my soul,
Thou That art the Redeemer of my
life!
Fifth Lesson.
FOR when the Prophet saith: "Seek
the LORD and be strong; seek His
face evermore," (Ps. civ. 4,) let no man
thence conclude that he will ever have
found all that he seeketh, lest he which
hath ceased to come near should cease
to be near. But among all the works of
God which foil and weary the steadfast
gaze of man's wonder, what is there that
doth at once so ravish and so exceed the
power of our mind's eye as do the suffer-
ings of the Saviour? He it was Who,
to loose man from the bands wherewith
he had bound himself by the first death-
dealing transgression, spared to bring
against the rage of the devil the power
of the Divine Majesty, and met him with
the weakness of our lowly nature. For
if our proud and cruel enemy had been
able to know the counsel of God's mercy,
it had been his task rather to have soft-
ened the minds of the Jews into gentle-
ness, than to have inflamed them with
unrighteous hatred; and so lost the ser-
vice of all his slaves, by pursuing for his
Debtor One That owed him nothing.
Fifth Responsory.
¹Save me, O God, for the waters are
come in unto my soul: hide not Thy
face from me; for I am in trouble. Hear
me speedily, O Lord my God.
Verse. Draw nigh unto my soul, and
redeem it: deliver me because of mine
enemies.
Answer. For I am in trouble. Hear
me speedily. O Lord my God.
BUT
Sixth Lesson.
his own hate dug a pit-fall for
him he brought upon the Son of
God that death which is become life to
all the sons of men. He shed that inno-
cent Blood, Which hath reconciled the
world unto God, and become at once the
price of our redemption and the cup of
our salvation. The Lord hath received
that which according to the purpose of
His Own good pleasure He hath chosen.
1 Ps. lxviii. 2, 18, 19.
8 Cf. Ps. xxxiv. 4.
He hath let fall on Him the hands of
bloody men: but while they were bent
only on their own sin, they were ser-
vants ministering to the Redeemer's
work. And such was His tenderness
even for His murderers that His prayer
to His Father from the Cross, as touch-
ing them, was, not that He might be
avenged upon them, but that they might
be forgiven.
Sixth Responsory.
20 Lord, be not Thou far from me:
spare me in the day of evil: let them
be confounded that persecute me; but
let not me be confounded.
Verse. Let all mine enemies which
seek after my soul be confounded.
Answer. But let not me be con-
founded. O Lord, be not Thou far from
me: spare me in the evil day: let them
be confounded that persecute me, but
let not me be confounded.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxi. 1.)
AT that time: When JESUS drew nigh
unto Jerusalem, and was come to
Bethphagé, unto the Mount of Olives,
then He sent two disciples. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (9th Book on Luke.)
Beautiful is the type, when the Lord,
about to leave the Jews, and to take up
His abode in the hearts of the Gentiles,
goeth up into the Temple; a figure of
His going to the true Temple wherein
He is worshipped, not in the deadness
of the letter, but in spirit and in truth,
even that Temple of God whereof the
foundations are laid, not in buildings of
stone, but in faith. He leaveth behind
Him such as hate Him, and getteth Him
to such as will love Him. And there-
fore cometh He unto the Mount of Olives
that He may plant upon the heights of
grace those young olive-branches, whose
Mother is the Jerusalem which is above.
Upon this mountain standeth He, the
Heavenly Husbandman, that all they
2 Jer. xvii. 17, 18, (LXX.)
4 Here follow the two words "dicens eis" which I omit, as they would produce an odd
sense in English.
HOLY WEEK.
433
which be planted in the House of the
Lord, may be able each one to say:
"But I am like a fruitful olive-tree in
the House of God.” (Ps. li. 10.)
Seventh Responsory.
¹The LORD is with me as a Mighty
Terrible One; therefore have they perse-
cuted me, and have not been able to
understand. O LORD, Thou triest the
reins and the heart-unto Thee have I
opened my cause.
Verse. 20 LORD, Thou hast seen my
wrong that they do me; judge Thou my
cause.
Answer. Unto Thee have I opened
my cause.
Eighth Lesson.
AND perchance that mountain doth
signify Christ Himself. For what
other is there that beareth such fruit of
olives as He doth, not rich with store of
loaded branches, but spiritually fruitful
with the fulness of the Gentiles? He
also it is on Whom we go up, and unto
Whom we go up; He is the Door; He
is the Way; He is He Which is opened
and Which openeth; He is He upon
Whom knocketh whosoever entereth in,
and to Whom they that have entered in,
do worship.
A figure also was it that the disciples
went into a village, and that there they
found an ass tied and a colt with her:
neither could they be loosed, save at the
command of the Lord. It was the hand
of His Apostles which loosed them. He
whose work and life are like theirs will
have such grace as was theirs. Be thou
also such as they, if thou wouldest loose
them that are bound.
Eighth Responsory.
3 The ungodly said, reasoning with
themselves, but not aright; Let us lie
in wait for the righteous, because he is
clean contrary to our doings: he pro-
fesseth to have the knowledge of God,
he calleth himself the Son of God, and
boasteth that he hath God to his Father.
Let us see if his words be true; and,
if he be indeed the Son of God, let Him
deliver him from our hand; let us con-
demn him with a shameful death.
1 Jer. xx. 11, 12.
3 Wisd. ii. 1, 12, 13, 17, 16, 20.
Verse. We are esteemed of him as
counterfeits, and he abstaineth from our
ways as from filthiness, and commendeth
the end of the just.
Answer. Let us see if his words be
true; and, if he be indeed the Son of
God, let Him deliver him from our
hand; let us condemn him with a
shameful death.
Now, let
Ninth Lesson.
let us consider who they were,
who, being convicted of transgres-
sion, were banished from their home in
the Garden of Eden into a village, and
in this thou wilt see how Life called
back again them whom death had cast
out. For this reason, we read in Mat-
thew that there were tied both an ass
and her colt; thus, as man was banished
from Eden in a member of either sex,
so is it in animals of both sexes that his
re-call is figured. The she-ass is a type
of our sinful Mother Eve, and the colt
of the multitude of the Gentiles; and it
was upon the colt that Christ took His
seat. And thus it is well written of the
colt, (Luke xix. 30,) that thereon never
yet had man sat, for no man before
Christ ever called the Gentiles into the
Church-which statement thou hast in
Mark also (xi. 2): “Whereon never man
sat."
Ninth Responsory.
Liars are come round about, they have
fallen upon me with scourges without a
cause. But do Thou, O Lord my Re-
deemer, avenge me!
Verse. For trouble is near, and there
is none to help.
Answer. But do Thou, O Lord my
Redeemer, avenge me! Liars are come
round about me, they have fallen upon
me with scourges without a cause. But
do Thou, O Lord my Redeemer, avenge
me!
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. 4The Lord God will
help me: * and therefore
and therefore I am not con-
founded.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p. 96.)
2 Lam. iii. 59.
4 Isa. 1. 7.
F F
434
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
*
Second Antiphon. They compassed me
about, yea, they compassed me about:
but in the Name of the LORD! I will
destroy them.
Psalm CXVII.
O give thanks, &c., (p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. Judge Thou my
cause, * and redeem me, O Lord, for
Thou art mighty to save.
Psalms LXII and LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p. 86.)
Fourth Antiphon. 'Fare we with An-
gels and men in faith to meet the Re-
deemer, hailing the Slayer of death
with joyful shouts of 'Hosanna in the
highest !'
The Song of the Three Holy Children.
Fifth Antiphon. Let them be con-
founded that persecute me; * but let
not me be confounded, O Lord my God.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
Chapter. (Phil. ii. 5.)
BRETHREN, Let this mind be in you,
which was also in Christ JESUS,
Who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God: but
emptied Himself, and took upon Him
the form of a servant, and was made in
the likeness of men, and found in fashion
as a man.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
last Sunday, (p. 414.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Much people that were come to the
Feast, cried unto the Lord: Blessed
is He That cometh in the Name of the
Lord! Hosanna in the highest !3
Prayer throughout the Office.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Who, of Thy tender love towards
mankind, hast sent Thy Son our Saviour
JESUS Christ to take upon Him our flesh
and to suffer death upon the Cross, that
all mankind should follow the example
of His great humility; mercifully grant,
that we may both follow the example of
His patience, and also be made partakers
of His resurrection. Through the Same
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. The Hebrew children took
branches of olive-trees, * and went forth
to meet the Lord, crying and saying:
Hosanna in the highest!
TERCE.
Antiphon. The Hebrew children
spread their garments in the way,
and cried, saying: Hosanna to the Son
of David! Blessed is He that cometh in
the Name of the Lord!
Chapter from Lauds.
After Terce, and, in Parish Churches,
the blessing and sprinkling of the Holy
Water, follows the ceremony of blessing
the palms, or other boughs of trees,
during which is read the Lesson from
Exod. xv. xvi. and the Gospel from
Matth. xxi., which is the subject of the
Homily at Mattins. When the branches
have been distributed to the people, fol-
lows the procession, which represents the
Triumphal Entry of our Lord into the
Holy City. After the procession the
Liturgy is immediately celebrated, with
the rites peculiar to the day, and in-
cluding the Epistle from Phil. ii. and
the Passion according to Matthew (xxvi.
xxvii.)

SEXT.
Antiphon. Unto Thee have I opened
my cause, * O Lord my God, Which art
the Redeemer of my life.
1 This is the fifth Antiphon sung during the Procession. It has a sort of cadence like
two Hexameter lines, ending with 'Hosanna.'
2 Jer. xvii. 18.
3 That is, either "Save [Him,] we pray [Thee, O Thou That dwellest] in the highest,"
or "O send [Him] health from heaven."
✦ Jer. xx. 12; Lam. iii. 58.
HOLY WEEK.
435
Chapter. (Phil. ii. 8.)
HE humbled Himself and became obe-
dient unto death, even the death
of the Cross, wherefore God also hath
highly exalted Him, and given Him a
Name which is above every name.
NONE.
Antiphon. ¹I will call upon Thy
Name,* O LORD; hide not Thy face at
my cry.
AT
Chapter. (Phil. i. 10.)
T the Name of JESUS let every knee
bow, of things in heaven, and things
in earth, and things under the earth:
and let every tongue confess that our
Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God
the Father.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday before Passion Sunday, (p.
408.)
*
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. It is written: I will smite the
Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock
shall be scattered abroad: but after I
am risen again, I will go before you into
Galilee there shall see Me, saith the
Lord.
Monday in Holy Week.3
Second Day in the Great Week.
MATTINS.
Invitatory, alteration in Ps. xciv., and
Hymn as on Passion Sunday, (p. 409.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xii. 1.)
'HEN JESUS, six days before the Pass-
THE
over, came to Bethany, where La-
zarus was, which had been dead, whom
JESUS raised from the dead. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (50th Tract on John.)
"There they made Him a supper"-
and "Lazarus was one of them that sat
1 Lam. iii. 55, 56.
at the table"-lest men should deem
that it was but by an ocular delusion
that they had seen him arise from the
dead. He lived therefore, spake, and
ate; to the manifestation of the truth,
and the confusion of the unbelieving
Jews. JESUS, then, sat down to meat
with Lazarus and others, and Martha,
being one of Lazarus' sisters, served.
But Mary, Lazarus' other sister, "took
a pound of ointment of spikenard, very
costly, and anointed the Feet of JESUS,
and wiped His Feet with her hair; and
the house was filled with the odour of
the ointment." We have now heard
that which was done; let us search out
the mystic meaning thereof.
First Responsory.
*The ungodly said: Let us oppress
the righteous man without cause, and
swallow him up alive, as the grave: let
us make his memorial to perish from
the earth, and cast lots among us for his
spoils and those murderers laid by store
for themselves, but of evil. Fools and
haters loathe wisdom, and are guilty in
their thoughts.
Verse. Such things they did imagine,
and were deceived, for their own wicked-
ness blinded them.
Answer. Fools and haters loathe wis-
dom, and are guilty in their thoughts.
Second Lesson.
WHOSOEVER thou art that wilt be
a faithful soul, seek with Mary to
anoint the Feet of the Lord with costly
ointment. This ointment was a figure
of justice, and therefore is there said to
have been a pound thereof, [a_pound
being a weight used in scales.] The
word "pistikes" used by the Evangelist
as the name of this ointment, we must
believe to be that of some place, from
which this costly perfume was imported."
Neither is this name meaningless for us,
but agreeth well with our mystic inter-
pretation, since "Pistis" is the Greek
word which signifieth "Faith," and
whosoever will do justice must know
that: "The just shall live by faith."
2 Matth. xxvi. 31, 32; Zech. xiii. 7.
3 Called also Fig Monday, in certain parts of England, because on this day our Lord
desired to eat figs.
4 Wisd. ii. 1, 10; Prov. i. 12.
5 But it is now generally believed that this word is either (1) From "pino,” to drink, and
means liquid; (2) From "pistis," faith, and means genuine, unadulterated; or (3) From
the Latin "spicata," and means "spike"-nard.
វ
FF 2
436
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
(Rom. i. 17; Hab. ii. 4.) Anoint
therefore the Feet of JESUS by thy good
life, following in the marks which those
Feet of the Lord have traced. Wipe
His Feet likewise with thy hair; that
is, if thou have aught which is not
needful to thee, give it to the poor; and
then thou hast wiped the Feet of JESUS
with thy hair, that is, with that which
thou needest not, and which is there-
fore to thee as is hair, being a needless
out-growth to the body. Here thou
hast what to do with that which thou
needest not. To thee it is needless, but
the Lord's Feet have need of it; yea,
the Feet which the Lord hath on earth
are sorely needy.
Second Responsory.
¹I became a reproach unto mine ene-
mies: they looked upon me and shaked
their heads. Help me, O LORD my
God!
Verse. They have spoken against me
with a lying tongue: they compassed
me about also with words of hatred.
Answer. Help me, O LORD my God!
Third Lesson.
FOR of whom save of His members,
will He say at the latter day: "In-
asmuch as ye have done it unto one of
the least of these My brethren, ye have
done it unto Me"? (Matth. xxv. 40.)
That is-"ye have spent nothing save
that which ye needed not, but ye have
ministered unto My Feet."
"And the house was filled with the
odour of the ointment." That is, the
fragrance of your good example filleth
the world; for this odour is a figure of
reputation. They which are called Chris-
tians, and yet live bad lives, cast a slur
on Christ: and it is even such as they
unto whom it is said: "The Name of
God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
through you." (Rom. ii. 24; Ezek. xxxvi.
20, 23.) But if, through such, the Name
of God be blasphemed, through the godly
is praise ascribed to the Same His Holy
Name, as the Apostle doth likewise say:
"In every place we are unto God a
sweet savour of Christ, [in them that
are saved, and in them that perish."]
(2 Cor. ii. 14, 15.)
1 Ps. cviii. 25, 2.
♦ Cf. Zech. xiii. 7.
Third Responsory.
2 False witnesses are risen up against
me, and such as breathe out cruelty:
they have gone about to kill me, neither
spared they to spit in my face; their
spears have wounded me, and all my
bones are out of joint. But as for me,
I counted myself as one that is dead
upon the earth.
Verse. They poured forth their fury
upon me, they gnashed upon me with
their teeth.
Answer. But as for me, I counted
myself as one that is dead upon the
earth. False witnesses are risen up
against me, and such as breathe out
cruelty; they have gone about to kill
me, neither spared they to spit in my
face; their spears have wounded me,
and all my bones are out of joint. But
as for me, I counted myself as one that
is dead upon the earth.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. I hid not my face
* from shame and spitting.
Second Antiphon. Awake, O sword,*
against them that scatter my flock.
Third Antiphon. They took the
thirty pieces of silver, * my price, that
I was prized at of them.
6
Fourth Antiphon. Waters flowed over
mine head; *I said: I am cut off; I
will call upon Thy Name, O LORD God.
Fifth Antiphon. O Lord, behold the
lips of those that rose up against me,
and their device.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 19, as on Mon-
day after Passion Sunday, (p. 416.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Passion Sunday, (p. 414.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me *
with Thine Own Self, with the glory
which I had with Thee before the world
was.
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY God, Which knowest
that we be set in such straits that
we have no power of ourselves to help
ourselves, we pray Thee mercifully to
relieve us for whom continually pleadeth
the Suffering of Thine Only-Begotten
2 Cf. Ps. xxvi. 12.
5 Zech. xi. 12, 13.
3 Isa. 1. 6.
6 Lam. iii. 54, 55.
7 Lam. iii. 62.
HOLY WEEK.
437
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
The Antiphons at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None are the First, Second, Third,
and Fifth, at Lauds, respectively.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 20, as on the
Monday after Passion Sunday, (p. 417.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday before Passion Sunday, (p.
408.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thou couldest have no power
at all against Me, except it were given
thee from above.
Prayer.
HELP us, O God of our salvation, and
grant us grace to draw near with
joy to the memorial of Thy great mercies
whereby Thou wast pleased to make us
new creatures. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, One God, world without end.
Amen.
Tuesday in Holy Week.
Third Day in the Great Week.
MATTINS.
Invitatory, alteration in Ps. xciv.,
and Hymn, as on Passion Sunday, (p.
409.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Jeremiah (xi. 15.)
WHY hath My beloved wrought many
iniquities in Mine house? Will
holy meats¹ make atonement for thy
perverseness, whereof thou boastest?
The LORD called thy name, A green
olive tree, fair, fruitful, goodly: as soon
as He had spoken, a great fire was kin-
dled in her, and the boughs thereof are
burnt up.
And the LORD of hosts,
That planted thee, hath pronounced evil
against thee, for the evil of the house
of Israël, and of the house of Judah,
1 Apparently the sacrifices.
which they have done against themselves,
to provoke Me to anger, in making
offerings unto Baalim. But Thou, Ö
LORD, hast given me knowledge of it,
and I know it: then Thou showedst mé
their doings. But I was like a gentle
lamb, that is brought to the slaughter:
and I knew not that they had devised
devices against me, saying: Come, let
us put [poison of a deadly] tree into his
bread, and let us cut him off from the
land of the living, that his name may be
no more remembered. But, O LORD of
Sabaoth, That judgest righteously, and
triest the reins and the heart, let me see
Thy vengeance on them; for unto Thee
have I revealed my cause.

First Responsory.
3
2I have suffered defaming and fear
from them that were my familiars: they
watched for my halting, saying: Let
us entice him, and prevail against him.
But Thou, O LORD, art with me, as a
Mighty Terrible One. Let them stumble
into everlasting confusion, that I may
see Thy vengeance upon them, for unto
Thee have I opened my cause.
Verse. 40 LORD, plead Thou the cause
of my soul, Thou That art the Redeemer
of my life.
Answer. Let them stumble into ever-
lasting confusion, that I may see Thy
vengeance upon them, for unto Thee
have I opened my cause.
R
Second Lesson. (xii. 1.)
IGHTEOUS art Thou, O LORD, and
I plead with Thee; yet let me talk
with Thee of Thy judgments: where-
fore doth the way of the wicked pros-
per? Wherefore are all they happy
that lie and work iniquity? Thou hast
planted them; yea, they have taken
root: they grow; yea, they bring forth
fruit. Thou art near in their mouth,
and far from their reins. But Thou, O
LORD, knowest me; Thou hast seen me,
and tried mine heart toward Thee. Pulĺ
them out like sheep for the shambles,
and prepare them for the day of slaugh-
ter. How long shall the land mourn,
and the herbs of every field wither, for
the wickedness of them that dwell
therein? The beasts are consumed and
2 Cf. Jer. xx. 10, 11.
3 Custodientes latus meum, lit. watching my side.
4 Lam. iii. 58.
5 Sanctifica, lit. devote them.
438
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the birds, because they said: He shall
not see our last end.
Second Responsory.
¹For Thy sake, O God of Israël, I
have borne reproach; shame hath co-
vered my face; I am become a stranger
unto my brethren, and an alien unto my
mother's children. For the zeal of Thine
house hath eaten me up.
Verse. Draw nigh unto my soul, and
redeem it; deliver me, because of mine
enemies.
Answer. For the zeal of Thine house
hath eaten me up.
Third Lesson. (7.)
HAVE forsaken Mine house; I have
left Mine heritage, I have given the
dearly beloved of My soul into the hand
of her enemies. Mine heritage is be-
come unto Me as a lion in the forest; it
crieth out against Me, therefore have I
hated it. Is not Mine heritage unto
Me as an hideous bird [of prey]? Is not
the unseemly bird everywhere through-
out it 3 Come ye, assemble yourselves
together, all ye beasts of the field,
hasten to devour. Many pastors have
destroyed My vineyard, they have trod-
den My portion under foot, they have
made My pleasant portion a desolate
wilderness. They have made it deso-
late, and [being desolate] it mourneth
unto Me. With desolation is the whole
land made desolate, because there is no
man that considereth in the heart.
Third Responsory.
4 The congregation of the people hath
compassed me about, but I rewarded no
evil unto him that rewarded evil unto
me. O Lord, let the wickedness of the
wicked come to an end, but establish the
just.
Verse. Judge me, O LORD, according
to my righteousness, and according to
mine integrity that is in me.
1 Ps. lxviii. 8—10, 19.
Answer. O Lord, let the wickedness
of the wicked come to an end, but es-
tablish the just. The congregation of
the people hath compassed me about,
but I rewarded no evil nnto him that
rewarded evil unto me. O Lord, let
the wickedness of the wicked come to
an end, but establish the just.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. 5Behold, O LORD,
and see: * for I am in trouble: hear
me speedily.
Second Antiphon. "Plead my cause,
* O Lord : deliver me from the unjust
and deceitful man.
Third Antiphon. "I cried by reason
of mine affliction unto the LORD, * and
He heard me out of the belly of hell.
Fourth Antiphon. O LORD, I am
80
oppressed-✶ undertake Thou for me;
for I know not what to say unto mine
enemies.
Fifth Antiphon. The ungodly said:
Let us oppress the righteous man,
because he is clean contrary to our do-
ings.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 19, as on Mon-
day in Passion Week, (p. 416.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Passion Sunday, (p. 414.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Now, before the Feast of the Passover,
as JESUS knew that His hour was come,
* having loved His Own which were
in the world, He loved them unto the
end.
0
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
give us grace so to use the solemn
and mysterious memorial of the Lord's
Suffering, that the same may be unto
us a mean whereby worthily to win Thy
forgiveness. Through the Same our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
2 Dilectam animam meam, lit. my dearly beloved soul.
8 "Numquid avis discolor hæreditas Mea Mihi? Numquid avis tincta per totum ?"
Hebrew, lit., “Is Mine heritage unto Me an hideous [flock of] vultures? Is the flock of
vultures all round it?" LXX. "Is not Mine heritage an hyæna's den unto Me? or a den
[of them] all round it?" Jonathan ben Uzziel: “Like a flock of birds scattered about,
thus is Mine heritage scattered about before Me. And like a bird that has been shot at,
thus collect themselves upon it those who murder with the sword; all around, the kings
of the nations; and their camps come upon it for plunder.”
4 Cf. Ps. vii. 8, 5, 10, 9.
6 Ps. xlii. 1.
8 Isa. xxxviii. 14. Cf. 15.
5 Lam. i. 20; Ps. lxviii. 18.
7 Jonah ii. 3.
9 Wisd. ii. 12.
HOLY WEEK.
439
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
The Antiphons at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None, are the First, Second, Third,
and Fifth, at Lauds, respectively.
After None is celebrated the Liturgy,
including the Passion according to Mark
(xiv. 1—xv. 46.)
VESPERS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 20, as on Mon-
day in Passion Week, (p. 417.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday before Passion Sunday, (p.
408.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I have power to lay down My
life,* and I have power to take it again.
Prayer.
RID us, O God, by Thy mercy, of all
deceitfulness of the old man, and
make us meet to become a new creature
in our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
Wednesday in Holy Week.
Fourth Day in the Great Week.
MATTINS.
Invitatory, alteration in Ps. xciv.,
and Hymn as on Passion Sunday, (p.
409.)
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Jeremiah (xvii. 13.)
LORD, the Hope of Israël, all that
forsake Thee, shall be ashamed :
they that depart from Thee, shall be
written in the earth; because they have
forsaken the LORD, the fountain of liv-
ing waters. Heal me, O LORD, and I
shall be healed; save me, and I shall be
saved; for Thou art my praise. Be-
hold, they say unto me: Where is the
word of the LORD? let it come now.'
As for me, I was not turned aside from
following after Thee, Which art my
Shepherd:¹ neither have I desired the
day of man; Thou knowest. That which
came out of my lips was right before
Thee. Be not a terror unto me: Thou
art my hope in the day of evil. Let
them be confounded that persecute me,
but let not me be confounded: let them
be dismayed, but let not me be dis-
mayed bring upon them the day of
evil, and destroy them with double de-
struction.

First Responsory.
*They have spoken against me with a
lying tongue; they compassed me about
also with words of hatred: in return for
my love they were my adversaries: but
I gave myself unto prayer; and Thou
hast heard me, O Lord my God!
Verse. And they have rewarded me
evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Answer. But I gave myself unto
prayer; and Thou hast heard me, O
Lord my God!
Second Lesson. (xviii. 13.)
WHO hath heard such things as the
هم
virgin of Israël hath done most
horribly? Will the snow of Lebanon
fail from the rock of the field 23 or
can a man root up the source of a
fountain of cold flowing waters? Be-
cause My people hath forgotten Me,
they have offered sacrifices to lies, and
stumbled in their ways, their ancient
ways, to turn aside therefrom into paths
untried; to make their land desolate,
and a perpetual hissing. Every one
that passeth thereby shall be astonished,
and wag his head. I will scatter them
as with an east wind before the enemy;
I will show them the back, and not the
face, in the day of their calamity. Then¹
said they: Come, and let us devise de-
vices against Jeremiah; for the law
shall not perish from the Priest, nor
counsel from the wise, nor the word
from the Prophet. Come, and let us
smite him with the tongue, and let us
not give heed to any of his words.
1 I.e. that in which the veracity of the Prophet would be proved by the destruction of
his people.
2 Ps. cviii. 3, 4, 5.
3 I.e. will snow ever cease to lie among the wild crags of Lebanon?
That is, when the Saint had delivered the preceding prophecy, his fellow-townsmen
determined to put him down as a young upstart.
440
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Second Responsory.
The ungodly said, &c., (p. 433.)
GIVE
Third Lesson.
IVE heed to me, O LORD, and
hearken to the voice of them that
contend with me. Shall evil be recom-
pensed for good? For they have dig-
ged a pit for my soul. Remember that
I stood before Thee to speak good for
them, and to turn away Thy wrath
from them. Therefore deliver up their
children to the famine, and give them over
to the edge of the sword: let their wives
be bereaved of their children and be wi-
dows, and let their men be put to death;
let their young men be slain by the
sword in battle. Let a cry be heard
from their houses; for Thou wilt bring
the robbers suddenly upon them; be-
cause they have digged a pit to take me,
and hid snares for my feet. Yet, LORD,
Thou knowest all their counsel against
me to slay me; forgive not their ini-
quity, neither blot out their sin from
Thy sight; let them be overthrown be-
fore Thee: deal with them in the time
of Thine anger.
Third Responsory.
Liars are come, &c., (p. 433.)
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. 'Deliver me from
blood-guiltiness, O God, *Thou that art
my God, and my tongue shall sing
aloud of Thy righteousness.
Second Antiphon. I have suffered
defaming * and fear from them: but
the LORD is with me as a Mighty Ter-
rible One.
Third Antiphon. But in vain have
they sought my soul; they shall go
into the lower parts of the earth.
Fourth Antiphon. All mine enemies
heard of my affliction: * O Lord, they
rejoiced that Thou hadst done it.
Fifth Antiphon. O Lord, bind the
Gentiles* with chains, and their kings
with fetters.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 19, as on Mon-
day in Passion Week, (p. 416.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Passion Sunday, (p. 414.)
1 Ps. 1. 16.
✦ Ps. cxlix. 8.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Simon, sleepest thou? Couldst not
thou watch one hour with Me?
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY God, we beseech Thee
that we whose transgressions do
unceasingly harm us, may find freedom
in the Suffering of Thine Only-begotten
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
The Antiphons at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None are the First, Second, Third,
and Fifth at Lauds, respectively.
After None is celebrated the Liturgy,
including the Passion according to Luke
(xxii. 1-xxiii. 55.)

VESPERS.
Chapter from Jer. xi. 20, as on Mon-
day in Passion Week, (p. 417.)
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday before Passion Sunday, (p.
408.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The damsel said unto Peter: *
Surely thou art one of them, for thy
speech bewrayeth thee.
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee, behold_this
Thy family, for which our Lord
JESUS Christ was contented to be be-
trayed, and given up into the hands of
wicked men, and to suffer death upon
the Cross: Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, word without end. Amen.
Maundy Thursday.
Fifth Day of the Great Week, whereon
was instituted the Lord's Supper.
MATTINS.
On this and the two following nights
Mattins and Lauds are always said
together, and these Three Services are
commonly called the Three Nights of
Darkness.5 In Choir six lights are
lighted upon the Altar, and fifteen
(seven on each side and one at the top)
2 Jer. xx. 10, 11.
5 Tenebræ.
3 Ps. lxii. 10.
HOLY WEEK.
441
in a triangle-shaped candlestick before
the Epistle corner. As each Antiphon
is repeated the second time, one of the
fifteen candles is put out.
The Antiphons are all doubled, and
the Hymn, "Glory be to the Father,"
&c., is everywhere omitted.
After the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic
Salutation, and the Apostles' Creed have
been said inaudibly, all else is omitted,
and the First Antiphon begins at once.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The zeal of Thine
house hath eaten me up, and the re-
proaches of them that reproached Thee
are fallen upon me.
Psalm LXVIII.
Save me, O God, &c., (p. 52.)
Second Antiphon. Let them be turned
backward and put to confusion, that de-
sire my hurt.
Psalm LXIX.
Make haste, O God, &c., (p. 54.)
Third Antiphon. Deliver me, O my
God, out of the hand of the wicked.
Psalm LXX.
In Thee, O LORD, &c., (p. 54.)
Verse. Let them be turned backward
and put to confusion.
Answer. That desire my hurt.
The whole of the Lord's Prayer is then
said inaudibly, and the Reader at once
begins the First Lesson. Thus is it done
on each of the three nights; no Absolu-
tion or Blessing is asked or given in any
Nocturn or before any Lesson.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Lamentation¹ of
Jeremiah the Prophet (i. 1.)
ALEPH.2 How doth the city sit soli-
tary that was full of people! How
is she become as a widow, she that was
great among the nations! She that was
Princess among the provinces, how is
she become tributary!
BETH. She weepeth sore in the night,
and her tears are upon her cheeks:
among all her lovers, she hath none to
comfort her; all her friends have dealt
treacherously with her, and are become
her enemies.
GHIMEL. Judah is gone into cap-
tivity, because of affliction, and because
of great servitude: she dwelleth among
the heathen, and findeth no rest: all
her persecutors overtook her between
the straits.
DALETH. The ways of Zion do mourn,
because none come to the solemn Feasts;
all her gates are desolate, her Priests
sigh, her virgins are afflicted, and she
weighed down with bitterness.
HE. Her adversaries are the chief,
her enemies prosper: for the LORD hath
afflicted her for the multitude of her
transgressions; her children are gone
into captivity before the enemy.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God!
"But
The Reader does not say,
Thou," &c., nor is "Thanks be to God"
answered after this or any other Lesson
on these three nights, but the Responsory
begins at once.
First Responsory.
"At the Mount of Olives He prayed
unto the Father: O My Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from Me!
The spirit indeed is willing, but the
flesh is weak.
Verse. Watch and pray, that ye enter
not into temptation.
Answer. The spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak.
Second Lesson.
VAV. And from the daughter of Zion
all her beauty is departed: her
princes are become like harts that find
no pasture, and they are gone without
strength before the pursuer.+
ZAIN. Jerusalem remembered, in the
days of her affliction and of her mise-
ries, all her pleasant things that she
had in the days of old, when her people
fell into the hand of the enemy, and
1 Over the ruins of Jerusalem, after it had been sacked and burnt by the Assyrians.
2 This composition is A B C Darian. The letters are those of the Hebrew alphabet.
3 Matth. xxvi. 42, 41.
The simile is a sporting one, taken from wretched animals subjected to the chase,
but which are too feeble to run well.
442
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
none did help her: the adversaries saw
her, and did mock at her Sabbaths.
HETH.¹ Jerusalem hath grievously
sinned; therefore she is removed. All
that honoured her, despise her, because
they have seen her nakedness. Yea,
she sigheth and turneth backward.
TETH. Her filthiness is in her skirts;
she remembereth not her last end:
therefore she came down wonderfully,
she had no comforter. O LORD, bebold
my affliction, for the enemy hath mag-
nified himself.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God!
Second Responsory.
"My Soul is exceeding sorrowful, even
unto death: tarry ye here and watch
with Me; yet a little while, and ye
shall see the multitude close Me in.
Ye shall flee; and I will go to be offered
a sacrifice for you.
Verse. Behold, the hour is at hand,
and the Son of Man is betrayed into the
hands of sinners.
Answer. Ye shall flee; and I will go
to be offered a sacrifice for
you.
Third Lesson.
[OD.3 The enemy hath spread out his
hand upon all her pleasant things;
for she hath seen the heathen enter into
her Sanctuary, concerning whom Thou
didst command that they should not
enter into Thy congregation.
CAPH. All her people sigh, they seek
bread: they have given their pleasant
things for meat to relieve the soul. See,
O LORD, and consider, for I am become
vile.
LAMED. Is it nothing to you, all ye
that pass by? Behold, and see if there
be any sorrow like unto my sorrow,
which is done unto me; wherewith the
LORD hath afflicted me in the day of
His fierce anger.
MEM. From above hath He sent fire
into my bones, and it prevaileth against
them: He hath spread a net for my
feet, He hath turned me back: He
hath made me desolate and faint all
the day.
NUN. The yoke of my transgressions
is bound by His hand; they are wreathed
and come up upon my neck. He hath
made my strength to fall: the LORD
hath delivered me into their hands,
from whom I am not able to rise
up.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God!
Third Responsory.
*Behold, when we shall see Him, He
hath no form nor comeliness: there is
no beauty in Him: this is He Which
hath borne our griefs and carried our
sorrows; but He was wounded for our
transgressions, and with His stripes we
are healed.
Verse. Surely He hath borne our
griefs and carried our sorrows.
Answer. And with His stripes we are
healed. Behold, when we shall see Him,
He hath no form nor comeliness: there
is no beauty in Him; this is He Which
hath borne our sins and carried our
sorrows but He was wounded for our
transgressions, and with His stripes we
are healed.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The Lord shall de-
liver the needy from the strong: the
poor also, that hath no helper.
Psalm LXXI.
Give the king, &c., (p. 55.)
Second Antiphon. The ungodly think
and speak wickedness: they speak loftily
concerning oppression.
Psalm LXXII.
Truly God is good, &c., (p. 56.)
Third Antiphon. Arise, O Lord, and
judge my cause.
Psalm LXXIII.
O God, why hast Thou cast us off?
&c., (p. 57.)
Verse. Deliver me, O my God, out of
the hand of the wicked.
Answer. Out of the hand of the un-
righteous and cruel man.
1 Rather, Cheth, or Kheth,—a strong guttural, like Scotch "ch" in "loch."
2 Matth. xxvi. 38, 45.
8 Or, Yod.
4 Isa. liii. 2, 4.
HOLY WEEK.
443
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Treatise
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo,] upon
the Psalms (liv. 1.)
GIVE ear to my prayer, O God, and
despise not my supplication: at-
tend unto me and hear me. These
are the words of a man travailing, care-
ful, and troubled. He prayeth in the
midst of much suffering, longing to be
rid of his affliction. Our part is to see
what that his affliction was, and when
he hath told us, to acknowledge that we
also suffer therefrom; that so, partaking
in his trouble, we may take part also in
his prayer. He saith: "I mourn in my
exercise, and am troubled." Wherein
mourned he? Wherein was he troubled ?
He saith: "In my exercise." In the
next words he giveth us to know that
his affliction was the oppression of the
wicked,-("Because of the voice of the
enemy, and because of the oppression of
the wicked,")—and this suffering which
came upon him at the hands of wicked
men, he hath called his exercise. Think
not that wicked men are in this world
for nothing, or that God doth no good
with them. Every wicked man liveth,
either to repent, or to exercise the
righteous.
Fourth Responsory.
¹Mine own friend hath betrayed Me
by the sign of a kiss: "Whomsoever I
shall kiss, That Same is He-hold Him
fast." This was the traitorous sign
which he gave, even he who murdered
with a kiss. Woe unto that man! He
cast down the price of blood, and went,
and hanged himself.
Verse. It had been good for that man
if he had not been born.
Answer. Woe unto that man! He
cast down the price of blood, and went,
and hanged himself.
Fifth Lesson.
WOULD to God that they which now
exercise us were converted and
exercised with us! Yet, while they are
as they are, and exercise us, we will
not hate them: for we know not of any
one of them whether he will endure to
the end in his sin. Yea, oftentimes,
¹ Matth. xxvi. 48, 24; xxvii. 5.
when thou deemest that thou hatest
thine enemy, he whom thou hatest is
thy brother, and thou knowest it not.
The Holy Scriptures show us that the
devil and his angels are already damned
unto everlasting fire, and therefore of
their repentance it behoveth us to de-
spair; but of theirs only. These are
they against whom we wrestle within;
to the which wrestling the Apostle stir-
reth us up where he saith: "We wrestle
not against flesh and blood,"-(that is,
not against men whom we see,)-"but
against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this
world." (Eph. vi. 12.) He saith not
"the rulers of this world," lest per-
chance thou shouldest deem that devils
are the lords of heaven and earth; what
he doth say is, "rulers of the darkness
of this world," of that world which they
love who love the world, of that world
wherein the ungodly and unrighteous
do prosper, of that world, in fine, of
which the Gospel saith: "And the
world knew Him not." (John i. 10.)
Fifth Responsory.
2The vile trader Judas came to the
Lord to kiss Him, and He, as a guile-
less Lamb, refused not a kiss to Judas,
who, for a certain number of pence,
betrayed Christ to the Jews.
Verse. It had been good for that man
if he had not been born.
Answer. Who for a certain number
of pence, betrayed Christ to the Jews.
Sixth Lesson.
"I HAVE seen iniquity and strife in
the city." (v. 9.) Behold, the glory
of the Cross. That Cross which was the
object of the insults of God's enemies,
is established now above the brows of
kings. The end hath shown the mea-
sure of its power: it hath conquered
the world, not by the sword, but by its
wood. The enemies of God thought the
Cross a meet object of insult and ridi-
cule, yea, they stood before it, "wag-
ging their heads and saying: If He be
the Son of God, let Him come down
from the Cross!" (Matth. xxvii. 39, 40.)
And He stretched forth His Hands unto
a disobedient and gainsaying people.
(Rom. x. 21.) If he is just which liveth
2 Cf. Matth. xxvi. 48–50, 15, 24; Jer. xi. 19.
444
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
by faith, (Rom. i. 17; Hab. ii. 12,) he
is unjust that hath not faith. There-
fore where is written "iniquity" we
we may understand "unbelief." The
Lord therefore saith that He " saw
iniquity and strife in the city," and
that He "stretched forth His Hands
unto that disobedient and gainsaying
people,”—and, disobedient and gainsay-
ing as they were, He was hungry for
their salvation, and said: "Father, for-
give them, for they know not what they
do." (Luke xxiii. 34.)
Sixth Responsory.
¹One of My disciples shall betray Me
this night. Woe unto that man by
whom I am betrayed! It had been
good for that man if he had not been
born.
Verse. He that dippeth his hand with
Me in the dish, the same shall betray
Me into the hands of sinners.
Answer. It had been good for that
man if he had not been born. One of
My disciples shall betray Me this night.
Woe unto that man by whom I am be-
trayed. It had been good for that man
if he had not been born.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I said unto the
wicked: Speak not wickedness against
God.
Psalm LXXIV.
Unto Thee, O God, &c., (p. 58.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Paul
to the Corinthians (ii. 17.)
NOW, in this that I command, I praise
you not, that ye come together, not
for the better, but for the worse. For,
first of all, when ye come together in the
Church, I hear that there be divisions
among you, and I partly believe it. For
there must be also heresies, that they
which are approved may be made mani-
fest among you. When ye come toge-
ther, therefore, into one place, this is
not to eat the Lord's Supper. For every
one taketh before his own supper to
eat, and one is hungry, and another is
drunken. What! have ye not houses
to eat and to drink in? or despise ye the
Church of God, and shame them that
have not? What shall I
What shall I say to you?
Do I praise you? In this I praise you
not.
Seventh Responsory.
3I was like a gentle lamb that is
brought to the slaughter, and I knew
not that mine enemies had devised de-.
vices against me, saying: Come, let us
put [poison of a deadly] tree into his
bread, and let us cut him off from the
land of the living.
Verse. All they that hate me devised
my hurt against me: they plotted toge-
ther to do me evil, saying:
Answer. Come, let us put [poison of
a deadly] tree into his bread, and let us
cut him off from the land of the living.
Eighth Lesson.
Second Antiphon. The earth trembled
and was still, when God arose to judg- FOR I have received of the Lord that
ment.
Psalm LXXV.
In Judah is God known, &c., (p. 58.)
Third Antiphon. In the day of my
trouble I sought God with my hands.2
Psalm LXXVI.
I cried unto the Lord, &c., (p. 59.)
Verse. Arise, O Lord.
Answer. Judge Thou my cause.
1 Matth. xxvi. 21, 24, 23, 45.
which also I delivered unto you,
That the Lord JESUS, the same night in
which He was betrayed, took bread;
and, when He had given thanks, He
brake it, and said: Take, eat: This is
My Body, Which shall be given for you;
this do in remembrance of Me. After
the same manner also He took the
cup,
when He had supped, saying: This Cup
is the New Testament in My Blood.
This do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in
remembrance of Me. For as often as
ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup,
2 In its original place the meaning would be, "hands lifted up in prayer;" here it is
probably meant to refer to our Lord's, lifted up and stretched out upon the Cross.
3 Jer. xi. 19.
4 Ps. xl. 8, 9.
HOLY WEEK.
445
ye do show the Lord's death till He
come.
Eighth Responsory.
¹Could ye not watch with Me one
hour, ye that called one on the other to
die for Me? Or see ye not Judas, how
that he sleepeth not, but maketh haste
to betray Me to the Jews?
Verse. Why sleep ye? Rise, and
pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
Answer. Or see ye not Judas, how
that he sleepeth not, but maketh haste
to betray Me to the Jews?
Ninth Lesson.
W
HEREFORE, whosoever shall eat
this Bread, or drink the Cup of
the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of
the Body and Blood of the Lord. But
let a man examine himself, and so let
him eat of that Bread, and drink of that
Cup. For he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily eateth and drinketh damna-
tion to himself, not discerning the Lord's
Body. For this cause many are weak
and sickly among you, and many sleep.
For if we would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged. But when we
are judged we are chastened of the Lord,
that we should not be condemned with
the world. Wherefore, my brethren,
when ye come together to eat, tarry one
for another. If any man hunger, let
him eat at home, that ye come not to-
gether unto condemnation. And the
rest will I set in order when I come.
Ninth Responsory.
3The elders of the people consulted
that they might take JESUS by subtilty,
and kill Him: they came out, as against
a thief, with swords and staves.
Verse. The chief Priests and the
Pharisees gathered a council.
Answer. That they might take JESUS
by subtilty, and kill Him: they came
out, as against a thief, with swords and
staves. The elders of the people con-
sulted that they might take JESUS by
subtilty, and kill Him: they came out,
as against a thief, with swords and
staves.
1 Matth. xxvi. 40.
3 Matth. xxvi. 3, 4, 55.
5 Isa. liii. 7.
LAUDS.
This part of the Service begins at once
with the First Antiphon.
First Antiphon. O Lord, Thou shalt
be justified when Thou speakest, and be
clear when Thou art judged.
Second Antiphon. "The Lord was
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and
He opened not His mouth.
Third Antiphon. Mine heart is broken
within me; all my bones tremble.
Fourth Antiphon. O Lord, Thou hast
spoken unto us in Thy strength, and in
Thy Holy Banquet.
Fifth Antiphon. "He was offered up
because He willed it, and He bore our
sins.
No Chapter or Hymn are said either
on this or the two following nights.
Verse. "Mine Own familiar friend, in
whom I trusted,-
Answer. Which did eat of My bread,
hath lifted up his heel against Me.
By this time all the candles on the
triangular candlestick have been put out,
except the one at the top, and, while the
Song of Zacharias is being sung, every
light throughout the Church is put out,
as are also the six on the Altar, one bý
one, so that the last is put out at the
words, "To give light to them that sit
in darkness, &c." As the Antiphon,
"Now he that betrayed Him, &c.," is
repeated the second time, the candle at
the top of the triangular candlestick is
taken and hidden under the Altar, at
the Epistle corner.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Now he that betrayed Him gave them a
sign, saying: Whomsoever I shall kiss,
That Same is He: hold Him fast.
Then is said the following sentence,
and as it begins, all kneel down:
Christ, for our sakes, became obedient
unto death.
Then is said:
1. The Lord's Prayer, inaudibly.
2. Ps. L., "Have mercy upon me,
2 Luke xxii. 46.
4 John xi. 47.
6 Ps. xl. 10.
446
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
&c.," (p. 96,) in a tone which can just
be heard.
3. The Prayer, "Lord, we beseech
Thee, behold this Thy family, &c.,"
(p. 440.) Neither "Let us pray" nor
anything else is said before it." It is
said in the same tone as Ps. L., except
the last clause, “Who liveth and reign-
eth, &c.," which is said inaudibly.
When it is over some noise is made,¹ the
hidden light is put back on the trian-
gular candlestick, and all present im-
mediately rise and depart in silence.
PRIME.
After the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic
Salutation, and the Apostles' Creed have
been said inaudibly, all else is omitted,
and the Psalms begin at once.
No Antiphon is said, and the Hymn,
"Glory be to the Father, &c.," is every-
where omitted.
The Psalms themselves are as on
Feasts, viz. Ps. LIII., "Save me, O
God, &c.," and the two first parts of
Ps. CXVIII., "Blessed are the unde-
filed, &c.," and "Deal bountifully, &c."
As soon as the Psalms are over, the
Office continues, "Christ, for our sakes,
&c.," to the end, as at Lauds. And so
terminates the Service.
The Martyrology is not read in Choir,
and whether in or out of Choir, what
follows it, beginning "Precious in the
sight of the LORD," is omitted.
TERCE, SEXT, AND NONE.
After the Lord's Prayer and the
Angelic Salutation have been said in-
audibly, all else_is_ omitted, and the
usual portions of Ps. CXVIII. begin
at once.
No Antiphon is said, and the Hymn,
Glory be to the Father, &c.," is every-
where omitted.
As soon as the appointed portions of
Ps. CXVIII. are over, the Office con-
tinues, “Christ, for our sakes, &c.," to
the end, as at Lauds. And so termi-
nates the Service. This ending must be
said complete after each Office, whether
they be said at one time or not.
After None the Altar is vested in
white, and adorned as for a solemn
Feast, but without reliques, pictures, or
images. The Cross is covered with a
white veil over the purple one; six lights
are lighted, and the organ plays while
the Priest and his ministers proceed to
the Sanctuary, dressed in white vest-
ments. The Liturgy is then celebrated,
in memory of the First Eucharist, cele-
brated by our Lord Himself on this
evening. After the Liturgy, the Con-
secrated Host Which is to be consumed
on the next day, goes in Procession to
the place prepared for It. The Pro-
cession over, all return to their places,
except the Priest and his ministers, who
go to the Sacristy. In their absence
Vespers are begun, and they meanwhile
take off their vestments, returning to the
Choir in surplices in time to assist at
the latter part of the Service.
VESPERS.
After the Lord's Prayer and the
Angelic Salutation have been said in-
audibly, all else is omitted, and the
First Antiphon begins at once.
The Antiphons are all doubled, and
the Hymn, "Glory be to the Father,
&c.," is everywhere omitted.
First Antiphon. I will take the cup
of salvation, and call upon the Name of
the LORD.
Psalm CXV.
I believed, therefore have I spoken,
&c., (p. 153.)
Second Antiphon. With them that
hate peace, I was peaceable; when I
spoke unto them they fought against
me without a cause.
Psalm CXIX.
In my distress, &c., (p. 154.)
Third Antiphon. O LORD, preserve
me from the wicked man.
Psalm CXXXIX.
Deliver me, O LORD, &c., (p. 166.)
Fourth Antiphon. Keep me from the
snare which they have laid for me, and
the gins of the workers of iniquity.
Psalm CXL.
LORD, I cry unto Thee, &c., (p. 166.)
Fifth Antiphon. I looked on my right
1 That is, the Officiant, to announce that the Prayer is over, gives one or two taps.
HOLY WEEK.
447
hand, and beheld but there was no
man that would know me.
Psalm CXLI.
I cried unto the LORD with my voice,
&c., (p. 167.)
No Chapter, Hymn, nor Verse and
Answer are said.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. And, as they were eating, JESUS
took bread, and blessed, and brake, and
gave to His disciples.'
Then, "Christ, for our sakes, &c.,"
to the end, as at Lauds.
After Vespers, the Priest puts on a
purple stole, and, with the help of his
ministers, strips the Altar quite bare,
in remembrance of the Nakedness of our
Lord Jesus Christ during great part of
His Passion. During the ceremony is
recited Ps. XXI., “My God, My God,
&c.," without the Hymn, "Glory be to
the Father, &c.," but with this Anti-
phon, both before and after: "They
part My garments among them, and cast
lots upon My vesture. There remain
only on the Altar the Cross under its
purple veil, and the unlighted candles
in the candlesticks. This is the end of
the Service.
At a later hour in the day, is per-
formed the Maundy, that is, the "Man-
datum" or "Commandment of the
Lord," that is to say, Superiors wash
the feet of their inferiors, in obedience
to the command and example of our
Lord, Who, on this evening, Himself
first performed this ceremony for His
disciples.
COMPLINE.
The early part of the Service is en-
tirely omitted, except the Confession and
Absolution, after which begin the usual
Psalms, without any Antiphon, or the
Hymn, "Glory be to the Father, &c.,'
which is everywhere omitted.
Immediately after Ps. CXXXIII.,
"Behold, bless ye the LORD, &c.," is
said the Song of Simeon, without any
1 Matth. xxvi. 26.
Antiphon, and immediately after "the
glory of Thy people Israël," is said:
Christ, for our sakes, &c.," to the end,
as at Lauds.
Thus end Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext,
None, Vespers, and Compline, from the
Lauds of Maundy Thursday to the None
of Holy Saturday, both inclusive.
Good Friday.
Sixth Day of the Great Week.
The Preparation of the Passover. 2
MATTINS.
This is the Second Night of Darkness.
The ceremonial is the same as before,
as are also the omissions in the Ser-
vice.
The Antiphons are all doubled, and
the Hymn, "Glory be to the Father,
&c.," is everywhere omitted.
After the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic
Salutation, and the Apostles' Creed have
been said inaudibly, the First Antiphon
begins at once.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The kings of the
earth set themselves, and the rulers take
counsel together, against the LORD, and
against His Anointed.
Psalm II.
Why do the heathen rage, &c., (p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. They part my gar-
ments among them, and cast lots upon
my vesture.
Psalm XXI.
My God, My God, &c., (p. 126.)
Third Antiphon. False witnesses are
risen up against me, and iniquity hath
belied itself.
Psalm XXVI.
The LORD is my light, &c., (p. 21.)
Verse. They part my garments among
them.
2 In Parasceve, i.e. Paraskeué. This is the Greek word used by all the Evangelists to
designate this day; by St. John three times. The word is retained in the Latin, probably
because it was the common name of the day among Greek-speaking Jews.
4.48
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Answer. And cast lots upon my ves-
ture.
Then, the Lord's Prayer having been
said inaudibly, the First Lesson begins
at once.
H
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Lamenta-
tions of Jeremiah the Prophet (ii. 8.)
ETH. The LORD hath purposed to
destroy the wall of the daughter
of Zion: He hath stretched out His
line, He hath not withdrawn His hand
from destroying the rampart doth la-
ment, and the wall languisheth with it.
TETH. Her gates are sunk into the
ground, He hath destroyed and broken
her bars; her king and her princes are
The law is no
among the Gentiles.
more; her Prophets also find no vision
from the LORD.
IOD. The elders of the daughter of
Zion sit upon the ground, and keep si-
lence: they have cast up dust upon their
heads; they have girded themselves with
sack-cloth: the virgins of Jerusalem
hang down their heads to the ground.
CAPH. Mine eyes do fail with tears,
my bowels are troubled, my liver is
poured upon the earth, for the destruc-
tion of the daughter of my people, be-
cause the children and the sucklings
swoon in the streets of the city.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God!
The First Responsory begins at once.
First Responsory.
All my friends have forsaken me, and
mine enemies have prevailed against
me; he whom I loved hath betrayed
me. Mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes
upon me; he breaketh me with breach
upon breach and [in my thirst] they
gave me vinegar to drink.2
Verse. I am numbered with the trans-
gressors; and my life is not spared.
breach upon breach; and [in my thirst]
they gave me vinegar to drink.
Second Lesson.
LAMED. They say to their mothers:
Where is corn and wine? When
they swooned as the wounded in the
streets of the city, when their soul was
poured out into their mother's bosom.
MEM. What thing shall I take to
witness for thee? What thing shall I
liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem ?
What shall Í equal to thee, that I may
comfort thee, O virgin daughter of Zion?
For thy breach is great like the sea:
who can heal thee?
NUN. Thy Prophets have seen vain
and foolish things for thee, and they
have not discovered thine iniquity, to
stir thee up to repent, but have seen for
thee false burdens and causes of banish-
ment.
SAMECH. All that pass by clap their
hands at thee: they hiss and wag their
head at the daughter of Jerusalem, say-
ing: Is this the city that men call
"The Perfection of beauty,
"The joy
of the whole earth!"
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God!
Second Responsory.
3The veil of the Temple was rent in
twain, [from the top to the bottom,]
and all the earth did quake: the thief
on the cross cried, saying: Lord, re-
member me when Thou comest into Thy
kingdom!
Verse. 3The rocks rent, and the graves
were opened, and many bodies of the
Saints, which slept, arose.
Answer. And all the earth did quake:
the thief on the cross cried, saying:
Lord, remember me when Thou comest
into Thy kingdom!
Third Lesson. (iii. 1.)5
Answer. Mine enemy sharpeneth his ALEPH. I am the man that hath
eyes upon me; he breaketh me with
seen affliction by the rod of His
wrath.
1 This commences in the middle of another A B C Darian composition.
•
2 Et terribilibus oculis plaga crudeli percutientes, aceto potabant me. This appears to
be a sort of compound of Job xvi. 10, 15, and Ps. lxviii. 22, and the passage in the text is
accordingly constructed from those passages, but the quotation is either very inexact or
from a very different version to the present.
3 Matth. xxvii. 51, 52.
4 Luke xxiii. 42.
5 Here begins a third A B C Darian poem, but each letter has three, instead of one
verse.
HOLY WEEK.
449
ALEPH. He hath led me, and brought
me into darkness, but not into light.
ALEPH. Surely against me is He
turned: He turneth His hand against
me all the day.
BETH. My skin and my flesh hath
He made old; He hath broken my
bones.
BETH. He hath builded round about
me, and compassed me with gall and
travail.
BETH. He hath set me in dark places,
as they that be dead of old.
GHIMEL. He hath hedged me about,
that I cannot get out: He hath made
my chain heavy.
GHIMEL. Also when I cry and shout,
He shutteth out my prayer.
GHIMEL. He hath inclosed my ways
with hewn stone: He hath made my
paths crooked.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God.
Third Responsory.
¹I had planted thee a noble vine.
How then art thou turned into a dege-
nerate plant, which willest that Barabbas
should be released unto thee, and that I
should be crucified?
Verse. I fenced thee, and gathered
out the stones from thee, and built a
tower in [the midst of] thee.
Answer. How then art thou turned
into a degenerate plant, which willest
that Barabbas should be released unto
thee, and that I should be crucified? I
had planted thee a noble vine. How
then art thou turned into a degenerate
plant, which willest that Barabbas should
be released unto thee, and that I should
be crucified?
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. They that sought
after my life have used violence against
me.
Psalm XXXVII.
O LORD, rebuke me not, &c., (p. 30.)
Second Antiphon. Let them be
ashamed and confounded together that
seek after my soul, to destroy it.
Psalm XXXIX.
I waited patiently, &c., (p. 33.)
1 Jer. ii. 21.
4 Cf. Matth. x. 28.
Third Antiphon. Strangers are risen
up against me, and oppressors seek after
my soul.
Psalm LIII.
Save me, O God, &c., (p. 115.)
Verse. 3 False witnesses are risen up
against me.
Answer. And iniquity hath belied
itself.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Treatise
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo,]
upon the Psalms (lxiii. 2.)
"THOU hast hidden me from the
secret counsel of the wicked,
from the insurrection of the workers of
iniquity." Now let us fix our eyes upon
our Head. Many martyrs have suffered
such things as He suffered, but God's
hiding of His suffering servants is not
so well seen in the Martyrs, as it is in
the Captain of the Martyrs. And it is
in Him that we best see how it fared
with them. He was hidden from the
secret counsel of the wicked; hidden by
God, being Himself God; hidden, as
touching the Manhood, by God the Son,
and the very Manhood, Which is taken
into God the Son; because He is the
Son of man, and He is the Son of God
-Son of God, as being in the form of
God; Son of man, as having taken upon
Him the form of a servant, (Phil. ii. 6,
7,) Whose life no man taketh from Him,
but Who layeth it down of Himself.
He hath power to lay it down, and He
hath power to take it again, (John x.
18.) What then was all that they which
hated Him could do? They could kill
the Body, but they were not able to kill
the Soul. Consider this very earnestly.
It had been a small thing for the Lord
to preach to the Martyrs by His word,
if He had not also nerved them by His
example.
Fourth Responsory.
5 Are ye come out, as against a thief,
with swords and staves, for to take Me
I sat daily with you, teaching in the
Temple, and ye laid no hold on Me;
and, now when ye have scourged Me,
ye lead Me away to crucify Me 16
2 Isa. v. 2.
5 Matth. xxvi. 55.
G G
3 Ps. xxvi. 12.
6 Matth. xxvii. 26, 31.
450
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON,
Verse. And when they had laid
hands on JESUS, and taken Him, He
said unto them :
Answer. I sat daily with you, teach-
ing in the Temple, and ye laid no hold
on Me: and now, when ye have scourged
Me, ye lead Me away to crucify Me!
Fifth Lesson.
And
E know what secret counsel was that
of the wicked Jews, and what in-
surrection was that of the workers of
iniquity. Of what iniquity were they
the workers? The murder of our Lord
JESUS Christ. "Many good works,'
saith He,2 "have I showed you--for
which of those works go ye about to kill
Me " He had borne with all their
weaknesses: He had healed all their
diseases: He had preached unto them
the kingdom of heaven: He had dis-
covered to them their plagues, that they
might rather hate them, than the Phy-
sician Which came to cure them.
now at last, without gratitude for all
the tenderness of His healing love, like
men raging in an high delirium, throw-
ing themselves madly on the Physician,
Who had come to cure them, they took
counsel together how they might kill
Him, as if to see if He were a Man and
could die, or Something more than a
man, and That would not let Himself
die. In the Wisdom of Solomon we
recognise their words, (ii. 18, 19, 20,)
"Let us condemn Him with a shameful
death-Let us examine Him; for, by
His own saying, He shall be respected.
If He be the Son of God, let Him help
Him.
Fifth Responsory.
3The Jews crucified JESUS: and there
was darkness [over all the land, unto
the ninth hour] and about the ninth
hour JESUS cried with a loud voice,
[saying]: My God, [My God,] why hast
Thou forsaken Me? And He bowed
His Head, and gave up the Ghost.
Verse. 5 When JESUS had cried with
a loud voice, He said: Father, into Thy
hands I commend My Spirit.
Answer. And He bowed His Head,
and gave up the Ghost.
1 Mark xiv. 46, 48, 49.
4 John xix. 30.
Sixth Lesson.
THEY whet their tongue like a
sword." The Jews cannot say :
"We did not murder Christ"-albeit
they gave Him over to Pilate His judge,
that they themselves might seem free of
His death. For when Pilate said unto
them, "Take ye Him and kill Him,'
they answered, "It is not lawful for us
to put any man to death.” They could
throw the blame of their sin upon a
human judge: but did they deceive
God, the Great Judge? In that which
Pilate did, he was their accomplice, but
in comparison with them, he had far the
lesser sin. (John xix. 11.) Pilate strove
as far as he could, to deliver Him out
of their hands; for the which reason
also he scourged Him, (John xix. 1,)
and brought Him forth to them (4).
He scourged not the Lord for cruelty's
sake, but in the hope that he might so
slake their wild thirst for blood: that,
perchance, even they might be touched
with compassion, and cease to lust for
His death, when they saw What He was
after the flagellation. Even this effort
he made. "But when Pilate saw that
he could not prevail, but that rather a
tumult was made," (Matth. xxvii. 24,)
ye know how that "he took water, and
washed his hands before the multitude,
saying I am innocent of the Blood of
this Just Person.” And yet, "he deli-
vered Him to be crucified!" (26). But
if he were guilty who did it against his
will, were they innocent who goaded
him on to it? No. Pilate gave sen-
tence against Him, and commanded Him
to be crucified, but ye, O ye Jews, ye
also are His murderers! Wherewith?
With your tongue, whetted like a sword.
And when, but when ye cried, "Crucify
Him! Crucify Him" (Mark xv. 13,
14; Luke xxiii. 21; John xix. 6.)
Sixth Responsory.
"I have given the dearly-beloved of
My soul into the hand of her enemies,
and Mine heritage is become unto Me as
a lion in the forest; the enemy crieth
out against Me, saying: Assemble your-
selves together, hasten to devour Him :
3 Matth. xxvii. 35, 45, 46.
2 John x. 32; vii. 19.
5 Luke xxiii. 46.
There are words like it in John xix. 6, but the whole pas-
6 This is not in the Gospels.
sage seems a loose quotation from xviii. 31.
7 Jer. xii. 7,8; cf. 9—11.
HOLY WEEK.
451
they have made My portion a desolate
wilderness, and the whole land mourneth
unto Me: because there is none found
that will know Me, nor do well.
Verse. There be risen up against me
such as breathe out cruelty, and they
have not spared my soul.
Answer. Because there is none found
that will know Me, nor do well. I have
given the dearly-beloved of My soul
into the hand of her enemies, and Mine
heritage is become unto Me as a lion in
the forest: the enemy crieth out against
Me, saying: Assemble yourselves toge-
ther, hasten to devour Him: they have
made My portion a desolate wilderness,
and the whole land mourneth unto me:
because there is none found that will
know Me, nor do well.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. O Lord, defend me
from them that rise up against me, for
they lie in wait for my life.
Psalm LVIII.
Deliver me, &c., (p. 45.)
Second Antiphon. Thou hast put away
mine acquaintance far from me; I am
shut up, and cannot come forth.
Psalm LXXXVII.
example of unbelief. For the Word of
God is quick and powerful, and sharper
than any two-edged sword, piercing even
to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow; and is a
discerner of the thoughts and intents of
the heart. Neither is there any crea-
ture that is not manifest in His sight:
but all things are naked and opened
unto the eyes of Him with Whom we
have to do. Seeing then that we have
a great High Priest that is passed into
the heavens, JESUS the Son of God, let
us hold fast our profession. For we have
not an High Priest, Which cannot be
touched with the feeling of our infir-
mities: but was in all points tempted
like as we are, yet without sin.
Seventh Responsory.
2 They have turned me over into the
hands of the wicked: they also have
numbered me with the transgressors,
neither have they spared my life: the
mighty are gathered together against
me, and stand up against me like giants.
Verse. Strangers are risen up against
me, and oppressors seek after my soul.
Answer. And stand up against me
like giants.
Eighth Lesson.
O LORD God of my salvation, &c.. ET us therefore come boldly unto the
(p. 68.)
Third Antiphon. They gather them-
selves together against the soul of the
righteous, and condemn the innocent
blood.
Psalm XCIII.
The LORD God, to Whom vengeance,
(p. 71.)
Verse.
They have spoken against
me with a lying tongue.
Answer. They compassed me about
also with words of hatred, and fought
against me without a cause.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the He-
brews (iv. 11.)
ET us labour to enter into that rest,
lest any man fall after the same
1 Ps. cviii. 3.
3 Ps. liii. 5.
throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time
of need. (v.) For every High Priest
taken from among men is ordained for
men in things pertaining to God, that
he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for
sins who can have compassion on the
ignorant, and on them that are out of
the way; for that he himself also is
compassed with infirmity. And by rea-
son hereof he ought, as for the people,
so also for himself, to offer for sins.
Eighth Responsory.
4 That wicked one betrayed JESUS to
the chief-priests and elders of the people:
but Peter followed Him afar off, to see
the end.
Verse. And they led Him away to
Caïphas the High Priest, where the
Scribes and Pharisees were assembled.
Answer. But Peter followed Him
afar off, to see the end.
2 Cf. Job xvi. 12, 14, 15; Isa. liii. 12.
4 Cf. Matth. xxvi. 47, 48, 57, 58.
I
GG 2
452
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Ninth Lesson.
AND no man taketh this honour unto
himself, but he that is called of
God, as was Aaron. So, also, Christ
glorified not Himself to be made an
High Priest, but He That said unto
Him: "Thou art My Son, to-day have
I begotten Thee." (Ps. ii. 7.) As He
saith also in another place: "Thou art
a Priest for ever, after the order of Mel-
chisedeck." (Ps. cix. 4.) Who, in the
days of His flesh, when He had offered
up prayers and supplications, with strong
crying and tears, unto Him That was
able to save Him from death, was heard,
in that He feared.¹ And though He
was the Son of God, yet learned He
obedience by the things which He suf-
fered and being made perfect, He is
become the Author of Eternal Salvation
unto all them that obey Him-called of
God an High Priest after the order of
Melchisedeck.
Ninth Responsory.
2 Mine eyes do fail with tears, because
the Comforter that should relieve me is
far from me. Behold, O all ye nations,
if there be any sorrow like unto my
sorrow.
Verse. O all ye that pass by, behold,
and see-
Answer. If there be any sorrow like
unto my sorrow. Mine eyes do fail
with tears, because the Comforter that
should relieve me is far from me. Be-
hold, O all ye nations, if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow.
LAUDS.
This part of the Service begins at
once with the First Antiphon.
3
First Antiphon. God spared not His
Own Son, but delivered Him up for us
all.
Second Antiphon. My spirit is over-
whelmed within me: my heart within
me is troubled.
Third Antiphon. One thief said unto
the other: We indeed receive the due
reward of our deeds, but what hath this
Man done? Lord, remember me, when
Thou comest into Thy kingdom.
Fourth Antiphon. Lord, when my
soul is troubled, Thou wilt remember
mercy.
Fifth Antiphon. Lord, remember me,
when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.
No Chapter or Hymn is said.
Verse. He hath set me in dark
places.
Answer. As they that be dead of old.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"They set up over His Head His accu-
sation written: JESUS OF NAZA-
RETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
The Service finishes as yesterday, ex-
cept that the sentence, "Christ, for our
sakes, &c." is read thus:
Christ, for our sakes, became obedient
unto death, even the death of the Cross.
The whole of the other Offices are pre-
cisely the same as yesterday, with the
exception of the above addition to the
sentence, "Christ, for our sakes, &c.,"
which addition is made throughout the
day, and the Antiphon at the Song of
the Blessed Virgin at Vespers, which is:
When He had received the vinegar,
He said: It is finished: and He bowed
His Head, and gave up the Ghost."
The Liturgy is celebrated after None.
At its conclusion the Priest and his
ministers go to the Sacristy to unvest,
and Vespers are begun in their absence,
just as yesterday. The Priest and mi-
nisters in the same way return to Choir
before Vespers are over.
Holy Saturday, called also Easter
Eve, Pasch Saturday, and Eas=
ter Saturday.
The Holy Sabbath.
MATTINS.
This is the Third Night of Darkness.
The Ceremonial is the same as before, as
are also the omissions in the service.
The Antiphons are all doubled, and
1 Or, "on account of His reverent submission."
3 Rom. viii. 32.
6 Matth. xxvii. 37.
• Luke xxiii. 40-42.
7 John xix. 30.
2 Lam. ii. 11; i. 16, 12.
5 Lam. iii. 6.
HOLY WEEK.
453
the Hymn, "Glory be to the Father,
&c.,") is everywhere omitted.
After the Lord's Prayer, the Angelic
Salutation, and the Apostles' Creed have
been said inaudibly, the First Antiphon
begins at once.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I will both lay me
down in peace, and sleep.
Psalm IV.
When I called, &c., (p. 172.)
Second Antiphon. He shall abide in
Thy tabernacle: He shall dwell in Thy
holy hill.
Psalm XIV.
LORD, who shall abide, &c., (p. 10.)
Third Antiphon. My flesh shall rest
in hope.
Psalm XV.
Preserve me, O Lord, &c., (p. 11.)
Verse. I will both lay me down in
peace.
Answer. And sleep.
Then, the Lord's Prayer having been
said inaudibly, the First Lesson begins
at once.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Lamen-
tation of Jeremiah the Prophet (iii.
22.)
HET
ETH.¹ It is of the LORD's mercies
that we are not consumed: because
His compassions fail not.
HETH. They are new every morning;
great is Thy faithfulness.
HETH. The LORD is my portion, saith
my soul therefore will I hope in Him.
TETH. The LORD is good unto them
that wait for Him, to the soul that seek-
eth Him.
TETH. It is good that a man should
quietly wait for the salvation of the
LORD.
TETH. It is good for a man that he
bear the yoke in his youth.
IOD. He sitteth alone and keepeth
silence, because he hath borne it upon
him.
IOD. He putteth his mouth in the
dust, if so be there may be hope.
IOD. He giveth his cheek to him
that smiteth him: he is filled full with
reproach.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God!
The First Responsory begins at once.
2 He hath been brought as a lamb to
the slaughter, and while he was evil-
entreated he opened not his mouth: he
was delivered up to death, that he might
quicken his people.
Verse. He hath poured out his soul
unto death, and he was numbered with
the transgressors.
Answer. That he might quicken his
people.
Second Lesson. (iv. 1.)
ALEPH. How is the gold become
dim! How is the most fine gold
changed! The stones of the Sanctuary
are poured out in the top of every street!
BETH. The precious sons of Zion,
clad in fine gold, how are they esteemed
as earthen pitchers, the work of the
hands of the potter!
GHIMEL. Even the most savage beasts
draw out the breast, they give suck to
their young ones: the daughter of my
people is cruel, like the ostrich in the
wilderness!
DALETH. The tongue of the sucking
child cleaveth to the roof of his mouth
for thirst: the young children ask
bread, and no man breaketh it unto
them!
HE. They that did feed delicately,
are dead of famine in the streets: they
that were brought up in scarlet embrace
dung-hills!
VAV. For the iniquity of the daugh-
ter of my people is greater than the sin
1 This is the continuation of the A B C Darian poem begun last night, omitting the
letters Daleth, He, Vav, and Zain.
2 Cf. Isa. liii. 7; 1 Macc. vi. 44.
8 Isa. liii. 12.
4 This is the beginning of another A B C Darian poem.
5 Lamiæ, pr. a kind of vampire, or night-wandering spectre. Hebrew, Tanin—a word
of indeterminate meaning, expressing generally savage wild beasts. Gesenius supposes
jackals.
454
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
of Sodom, that was overthrown in a
moment, and no hands stayed on her.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God!
Second Responsory.
¹Arise, O Jerusalem, and put off thy
garments of rejoicing: cover thee with
sack-cloth and ashes: for the Saviour
of Israël hath been slain in the midst
of thee.
Verse. Let thy tears run down like
a river day and night, and let not the
apple of thine eye cease.
Answer. For the Saviour of Israël
hath been slain in the midst of thee.
Third Lesson. (Lam. v. 1.)
Here beginneth the Prayer of Jeremiah
the Prophet.
EMEMBER, O LORD, what is come
upon us: consider and behold our
reproach. Our inheritance is turned to
strangers, our houses to aliens. We are
orphans and fatherless; our mothers are
as widows. We have drunken our water
for money; our wood is sold unto us.
Our necks are in jeopardy; we are weary,
and have no rest. We have given the
hand to the Egyptians, and to the Assy-
rians, to be satisfied with bread. Our
fathers have sinned, and are not; and
we have borne their iniquities. Ser-
vants have ruled over us: there is none
that doth deliver us out of their hand.
We gat our bread with the peril of our
lives, because of the sword of the wil-
derness. Our skin was black like an
oven, because of the terrible famine.
They ravished the women in Zion, and
the maids in the cities of Judah.
Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Return unto
the Lord thy God!
Third Responsory.
30 my people! lament, like a virgin
[girded with sack-cloth for the husband
of her youth,] howl, ye. shepherds, in
sack-cloth and ashes,³ for the day of the
LORD is at hand, and it is great and
very terrible.
Verse. Gird yourselves, ye Priests,
1 Cf. Jonah iii. 6.
3 Joel i. 8, 15; ii. 11; i. 13.
and howl, ye ministers of the altar:
cast up ashes upon you.
Answer. For the day of the LORD is
at hand, and it is great and very ter-
rible. O my people! lament, like a
virgin, [girded with sack-cloth for the
husband of her youth,] howl, ye shep-
herds, in sack-cloth and ashes, for the
day of the LORD is at hand, and it is
great and very terrible.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors," and the King of
glory shall come in.
Psalm XXIII.
•
The earth is the LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)
Second Antiphon. I believe that I
shall yet see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Psalm XXVI.
The LORD is my light, &c., (p. 21.)
Third Antiphon. O Lord, Thou hast
brought up my soul from the grave.
Psalm XXIX.
I will extol Thee, &c., (p. 23.)
Verse. But Thou, O LORD, be mer-
ciful unto me.
Answer. And raise me up; and I will
requite them.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Treatise of
St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo,] upon
the Psalms (lxiii. 7.)
MAN
AN shall attain to thoughts that
are very deep: but God shall
still be exalted." The enemies of our
Lord had communed of laying snares
privily; they had said, "Who shall see
them" They had searched out ini-
quities; they had accomplished a dili-
gent search. And Man attained even
unto [the realisation of] their counsels,
for the Lord, as Man, suffered Himself
to be taken. For He had not been
taken at all, unless He had been a Man,
2 Lam. ii. 18.
✦ Jer. xxv. 34.
5 Probably here referring to the "gates of death" entered by Christ when He de-
scended into hell." The other Antiphons seem put in the mouth of "the spirits in
prison." (1 Pet. iii. 19.)
6 Ps. xl. 11.
HOLY WEEK.
455
or seen, unless He had been a Man, or
smitten, unless He had been a Man, or
crucified, unless He had been a Man, or
have died, unless He had been a Man.
Man therefore, He attained unto all those
sufferings, which had had nothing in
Him, unless He had been a Man. But
if He had not been Man, man had not
been redeemed. And the Lord as Man
attained to thoughts that were very
deep, yea, secret; showing the Man-
hood to the eyes of men, and keeping
the Godhead within Him; veiling the
form of God, as touching Which, He is
Equal to the Father, and manifesting
the form of a servant, as touching which,
He is inferior to the Father.
Fourth Responsory.
Our Shepherd, even the Fountain of
living waters, is gone from us; He
passed away, and the sun was darkened.
For now hath our Saviour bound him
captive, which bound the first man cap-
tive; this day hath He burst the gates
and bars of death.
Verse. The bands of hell He hath
utterly abolished, and hath done away
the power of the devil.
Answer. For now hath our Saviour
bound him captive, which bound the
first man captive; this day hath He
burst the gates and bars of death.
How
Fifth Lesson.
OW far did the accomplishment of
their diligent search reach? Even
to the setting a watch of soldiers at the
sepulchre, to guard the Lord, even after
He was dead and buried. For "they
said unto Pilate: Sir, we remember that
that deceiver-" (Matth. xxvii. 63.)
This was the term by which they de-
signated the Lord JESUS Christ, and the
remembrance that He was so named is
a sweet consolation to us His servants,
when we are called impostors. So they
said unto Pilate, "that deceiver said,
while He was yet alive: After three
days I will rise again. Command there-
fore that the sepulchre be made sure
until the third day, lest His disciples
come and steal Him away, and say unto
the people: He is risen again from the
dead: so the last error shall be worse
than the first. Pilate said unto them:
Ye have a watch; go your way; make
it as sure as ye can. So they went and
made the sepulchre sure, sealing the
stone, and setting a watch."
Fifth Responsory.
O all ye that pass by, behold and see
if there be any sorrow like unto my sor-
row.
Verse. O all ye nations, behold, and
see my sorrow,
Answer. If there be any sorrow like
unto my sorrow.
66
Sixth Lesson.
So they went, and made the sepul-
chre sure, sealing the stone, and
setting a watch"-and anon, "behold,
there was a great earthquake," and the
Lord arose. So great wonders were
wrought about the sepulchre that the
very soldiers, which were put to guard
it, were witnesses thereto, if only they
would have told the truth. But the
same love of money which had made a
slave of that disciple who was a com-
panion of Christ, made slaves also of the
soldiers that were put to watch His se-
pulchre. "Some of the watch came
into the city, and showed unto the chief
Priests all the things that were done:
and when they were assembled with the
elders, and had taken counsel, they gave
large money unto the soldiers, saying:
Say ye, His disciples came by night and
stole Him away while we slept." In
good sooth, their diligent search had
been accomplished and ended before
this. What didst thou say, O stupid
cunning? Wast thou indeed so utterly
void of the light of godly wisdom, and
confounded in the bottomless pit of
thine own falsehood as to tell them to
say: "His disciples came by night, and
stole Him away while we slept ?" Part
of the testimony of thine eye-witnesses
was that they were asleep at the time:
thou thyself wast asleep not to be able
to see that on their own testimony, their
testimony must have been worthless.
Sixth Responsory.
¹Behold how the righteous dieth, and
no man taketh it to heart; and the just
are taken away, and none considereth.
From the midst of sinners is the righ-
1 Cf. Wisd. iv. 10, 14.
456
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
teous translated; and his memory is in
peace.
Verse. As a lamb before his shearers
is dumb, so He opened not His mouth;
He was taken from prison and from
judgment.
Answer. And his memory is in peace.
Behold how the righteous dieth, and no
man taketh it to heart; and the just
are taken away, and none considereth.
From the midst of sinners is the righ-
teous translated; and his memory is in
peace.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. God is my helper,
and the Lord upholdeth my soul.
Psalm LIII.
Save me, O God, &c., (p. 115.)
Second Antiphon. His place is in
Peace," and His dwelling-place in
Zion.
Psalm LXXV.
In Judah is God known, &c., (p. 58.)
Third Antiphon. I am as a man that
hath no strength, lying nerveless among
the dead.
Psalm LXXXVII.
O LORD God of my salvation, &c., (p.
68.)
Verse. His place is in "Peace.”1
Answer. And His dwelling-place in
Zion.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the He-
brews (ix. 11.)
CHRIST being come an High Priest
of good things to come, by a greater
and more perfect tabernacle, not made
with hands, that is to say, not of this
building, neither by the blood of goats
and calves, but by His own Blood, He
entered in once into the Holy Place,
having obtained eternal redemption for
us. For if the blood of goats or of bulls,
and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling
the unclean, sanctifieth to the purify-
ing of the flesh, how much more shall
the Blood of Christ, Who, through the
Holy Spirit, offered Himself without
spot to God, purge our conscience from
dead works to serve the living God?
Seventh Responsory.
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together
against the LORD, and against His
Anointed.
Verse. Why do the heathen rage?
and the people imagine a vain thing,
Answer. Against the LORD, and
against His Anointed?
AN
Eighth Lesson.
ND for this cause, He is the Mediator
of the New Testament, that, by
means of death, for the redemption of
the transgressions that were under the
first Testament, they, which are called,
might receive the promise of eternal
inheritance. For where a testament is,
there must also of necessity be the death
of the testator. For a testament is of
force after men are dead: otherwise it
is of no strength at all while the tes-
tator liveth. Wherefore neither the
first Testament was dedicated without
blood.
Eighth Responsory.
I am counted with them that go down
into the pit. I am as a man that hath
no strength, lying nerveless among the
dead.
Verse. They have laid me in the low-
est pit, in darkness, and in the shadow
of death.
Answer. I am as a man that hath no
strength, lying nerveless among the
dead.
Ninth Lesson.
FOR when Moses had read every pre-
cept of the law to all the people,
he took the blood of calves and of goats,
with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop,
and sprinkled both the book and all the
people, saying: This is the blood of the
Testament which God hath enjoined
unto you. Moreover, he sprinkled like-
wise with blood both the Tabernacle and
all the vessels of the ministry. And
almost all things are by the law purged
¹ Lit. Salem, a play upon the meaning of that name, viz. Peace. Of our Lord in the
grave it was true in both senses.
2 Ps. ii. 2, 1.
HOLY WEEK.
457
with blood; and without shedding of
blood is no remission.
Ninth Responsory.
¹After that the Lord was buried, they
sealed the sepulchre, rolling a stone to
the door of the sepulchre; and setting
a watch to keep Him.
Verse. The chief priests came toge-
ther unto Pilate, and made that request
unto him.
Answer. Setting a watch to keep Him.
After that the Lord was buried, they
sealed the sepulchre, rolling a stone to
the door of the sepulchre, and setting a
watch to keep Him.
LAUDS.
This part of the Service begins at
once with the First Antiphon.
First Antiphon. 20 death, I will be
thy death; O grave, I will be thy de-
struction.
Psalm L.
Have mercy upon me, &c., (p. 96.)
Second Antiphon. They shall mourn
for Him, as one mourneth for his only
son, for the innocent Lord hath been
put to death.
Psalm XLII.
Judge me, O God, &c., (p. 100.)
Third Antiphon. O all ye nations,
behold, and see my sorrow.
Psalms LXII., LXVI.
O God, Thou art my God, &c., (p. 86.)
Fourth Antiphon. O Lord, deliver my
soul from the gates of the grave.
The Song of Hezekiah, (p. 101.)
Fifth Antiphon. O all ye that pass
by, behold, and see if there be any sor-
row like unto my sorrow.
Psalms CXLVIII., CXLIX., CL.
Praise ye the LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
Verse. My flesh shall rest in hope.
Answer. Neither wilt Thou suffer
Thine Holy One to see corruption.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
1 Matth. xxvii. 66, 62.
3 Zech. xii. 10.
There were women sitting over against
the sepulchre, weeping, and making la-
mentation for the Lord."
The Service finishes as on Thursday,
except that the sentence, "Christ, for
our sakes, &c." is read thus :
Christ, for our sakes, became obedient
unto death, even the death of the Cross,
wherefore God also hath highly exalted
Him, and given Him a Name which is
above every name.
Before Prime the altar is vested, with
a purple frontal, and furnished with
white wax tapers, but they are not lit
till the Liturgy is on the point of com-
mencing.
Prime, Terce, Sext, and None, are
precisely the same as on Thursday, with
the exception of the above addition to
the sentence, Christ, for our sakes,
&c." which is made at all of them.
After None the Priest and his mi-
nisters put on purple vestments, and he
blesses some Holy Water; afterwards
they go to the Porch of the Church,
where they begin the long series of cere-
monies peculiar to the day. 1. The
New Fire and the Incense is blessed.
2. Light from the new fire is brought into
the Church in procession. 3. The Paschal
candle is blessed and lighted, as well as
all other lights in the Church, except
those on the altar. 4. The Twelve Les-
sons from the Old Testament are read,
and the corresponding Prayers and
Tracts sung. 5. A Procession is made
to the Font. 6. The Font is blessed, and
(7) the Baptisms take place. 8. The
Procession returns, commencing the Li-
tany, which is continued while all kneel
or lie prostrate before the altar. At the
words, "We sinners do beseech Thee to
hear us" the Priest and his ministers
rise and go to the Sacristy, where they
put on white vestments. At the same
time, and while the Litany is still going
on, the altar is vested in white, and
the tapers are lighted. After the words
"Graciously hear us, Christ" the
"Kyrie eleison" is begun, and while
it is in singing the Priest and ministers
2 Hos. xiii. 14.
4 Ps. xv. 9, 10.
5 Not in Scripture. The nearest approach to it is Matth. xxvii. 61.
#
458
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
proceed to the Sanctuary and at once
begin the Liturgy. At the Hymn,
"Glory be to God on high, &c." the
bells are rung, the organ plays, and the
images and pictures are uncovered. The
Liturgy goes on, with the observances
peculiar to the day, and as soon as the
First Vespers
1. The Lord's Prayer and the An-
gelic Salutation are said inaudibly.
2. Antiphon. Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Psalm CXVI.
O praise the LORD, &c., (p. 154,) with
the Hymn, "Glory be to the Father,
&c."
Antiphon. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
1
3. Antiphon. But in the end of the
Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the
first day of the week, came Mary Mag-
dalene, and the other Mary, to see the
sepulchre. Alleluia.
The Song of the Blessed Virgin with
the Hymn, "Glory be to the Father,
&c."
Then the Antiphon, "But in the end
of the Sabbath, &c." is repeated.
4. Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let us pray.
pour
POUR forth, O Lord, we beseech Thee,
the Spirit of Thy love into our
hearts, and by Thy mercy make all them
to be of one mind to whom Thou hast
given to eat of Thy mystic Passover.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Priest has drunk the wine after the
Communion, Vespers are sung in a par-
ticular manner, interwoven with the
latter part of the Mass. Those who
have not the happiness to be present at
these services say in the following man-
ner the
of Easter.
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Same Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Verse. Bless we the Lord-Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Answer. Thanks be to God-Alleluia,
Alleluia.
5. The Lord's Prayer is said inau-
dibly.
It is forbidden to add anything else
whatsoever.
COMPLINE.
Compline begins as usual, and “Alle-
luia" is again said instead of "Cease-
less praise, &c."
No Antiphon is said at the Psalms.
No Hymn, Chapter, nor Short Re-
sponsory are said.
The Antiphon at the Song of Simeon
is "But in the end of the Sabbath, *
&c.," the "O Lord, save us, &c." being
omitted.
Antiphon of the Blessed Virgin at
the end-"Rejoice, Rejoice, &c.'
No kneeling during Eastertide.
1 Matth. xxviii. 1.

Easter Day.
The Lord's Bay whereon He Rose again.
Double of the First Class.
All as on ordinary Sundays, except
what is otherwise given here.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord is risen in-
deed. * Alleluia.
No Hymn is said.
There is only one Nocturn, and that
with three Psalms.
First Antiphon. 2I AM THAT I
AM * —and My counsel is not with the
ungodly, but My delight is in the Law
of the LORD.
Psalm I.
Blessed is the man, &c., (p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. I have asked of
My Father. Alleluia *—and He hath
given me the heathen. Alleluia-for
Mine inheritance-Alleluia.
Psalm II.
Why do the heathen rage? &c.,
(p. 4.)
Third Antiphon. I laid me down, and
slept; I awaked, * for the LORD sus-
tained Me. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Psalm III.
LORD, how are they increased, &c.,
(p. 5.)
Verse. The Lord is risen from the
grave-Alleluia.
Answer. Who hung for us upon the
tree-Alleluia.
1 Luke xxiv. 34.
Absolution. Graciously hear, &c.
First Blessing.
May the Gospel's Holy Lection
Be our safety and Protection.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to Mark (xvi. 1.)
AT
T that time: Mary Magdalene, and
Mary the mother of James, and
Salome had bought sweet spices, that
they might come and anoint JESUS.
And so on.
Homily by Pope Gregory [the Great.]
(21st on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, ye have
heard the deed of the holy women which
had followed the Lord; how that they
brought sweet spices to His Sepulchre,
and, now that He was dead, having loved
Him while He was yet alive, they followed
Him with careful tenderness still. But
the deed of these holy women doth point
to somewhat which must needs be done
in the holy Church. And it behoveth
us well to give ear to what they did,
that we may afterward consider with
ourselves what we must do likewise after
their ensample. We also, who believe
in Him Which was dead, do come to
His sepulchre bearing sweet spices, when
we seek the Lord with the savour of
good living, and the fragrant report of
good works. Those women, when they
brought their spices, saw a vision of
Angels, and, in sooth, those souls whose
2 Ex. iii. 14.
460
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
godly desires do move them to seek the
Lord with the savour of good lives, do
see the countrymen of our Fatherland
which is above.
First Responsory.
'The Angel of the Lord descended
from heaven, and came and rolled back
the stone, and sat upon it, and said unto
the women: Fear not ye; for I know
that ye seek Him Which was crucified:
He is risen already. Come, see the place
where the Lord lay. Alleluia.
Verse. And entering into the sepul-
chre, they saw a young man sitting on
the right side, clothed in a long white
garment, and they were affrighted; and
he saith unto them:
Answer. Fear not ye: for I know that
ye seek Him Which was crucified: He
is risen already; come, see the place
where the Lord lay. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The Angel of the Lord de-
scended from heaven, and came and
rolled back the stone and sat upon it,
and said unto the women: Fear not ye:
for I know that ye seek Him Which was
crucified: He is risen already: Come,
see the place where the Lord lay. Al-
leluia.
Second Blessing.
God's most mighty strength alway
Be His people's staff and stay.
IT
Second Lesson.
behoveth us to mark what this
meaneth, that they saw the Angel
sitting on the right side. For what
signifieth the left, but this life which now
is? or the right, but life everlasting?
Whence also it is written in the Song of
Songs (ii. 6): "His left hand is under
my head, and His right hand doth em-
brace me." Since, therefore, our Re-
deemer had passed from the corruption
of this life which now is, the Angel
which told that His undying life was
come, sat, as became him, on the right
side. They saw him clothed in a white
garment, for he was herald of the joy of
this our great solemnity, and the glis-
tering whiteness of his raiment told of
the brightness of this holy Festival of
ours. Of ours, said I? or of his? But
if we will speak the truth, we must ac-
1 Matth. xxviii. 2, 5, 6.
knowledge that it is both his and ours.
The Again-rising of our Redeemer is a
Festival of gladness for us, for us it
biddeth know that we shall not die for
ever; and for Angels also it is a festival
of gladness, for it biddeth them know
that we are called to fulfil their number
in heaven.
Second Responsory.
3 When the Sabbath was passed, Mary
Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James, and Salome, had bought sweet
spices, that they might come and anoint
JESUS. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And very early in the morn-
ing, the first day of the week, they came
unto the sepulchre, at the rising of the
sun.
Answer. That they might come and
anoint JESUS. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. That they might come and
anoint JESUS. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Blessing.
May He That is the Angels' King
To that high realm His people bring.
Third Lesson.
On
this glad Festival then, which is
both his and ours, the Angel ap-
peared in white raiment. For as the
Lord, rising again from the dead, lead-
eth us unto the mansions above, He
repaireth the breaches of the heavenly
Fatherland. But what meaneth this,
that the Angel said unto the women
which came to the sepulchre: "Fear
not?" Is it not as though he had said
openly: "Let them fear which love not
the coming of the heavenly country-
men; let them be afraid who are so
laden by fleshly lusts, that they have
lost all hope ever to be joined to their
company. But as for you, why fear ye,
who, when ye see us, see but your
fellow-countrymen ?" Hence also Mat-
thew, writing of the guise of the Angel,
saith (xxviii. 3): "His countenance was
like lightning, and His raiment [white]
as snow. The lightning speaketh of
fear and great dread, the snow of the
soft brilliancy of rejoicing.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God," is said.
2 Mark xvi. 5, 6.
3 Mark xvi. 1-3.
EASTER WEEK.
461
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. For the Angel of
the Lord descended from heaven, and
came and rolled back the stone, and sat
upon it,* Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. And, behold, there
was a great earthquake: * for the Angel
of the Lord descended from heaven.
Alleluia.
*
Third Antiphon. And his counte-
nance was like lightning, and his rai-
ment [white] as snow. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Fourth Antiphon. And for fear of
him the keepers did shake, and be-
came as dead men. Alleluia.
Fifth Antiphon. And the Angel an-
swered * and said unto the women :
Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek
JESUS. Alleluia.
No Chapter, Hymn, nor Verse and
Answer are said, but this sentence is
read:
2 This is the day which the LORD hath
made: let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
3 And very early in the morning, the
first day of the week, they came unto
the sepulchre, at the rising of the sun.
Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, Who, through Thine Only-
begotten Son, hast on this day
overcome death, and opened unto us the
gate of everlasting life, we humbly be-
seech Thee that, as, by Thy special
grace preventing us, Thou dost put into
our minds good desires, so by Thy con-
tinual help, we may bring the same to
good effect. Through the Same our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
A double "Alleluia" is added to
"Bless we the Lord," and to "Thanks
be to God."
PRIME.
No Hymn is said, or any Antiphon
with the Psalms.
The Psalms are as on Festivals, viz.
the LIIIrd, and two parts of the
CXVIIIth, and immediately after the
Psalms is said, "This is the day, &c.,"
as_at Lauds, and then, (after Verse,
"Hear my prayer, O LORD," and An-
swer, "And let my cry come unto Thee,"
and "Let us pray,") the Prayer,
0
Lord God Almighty, Who hast safely
brought us, &c.
The Martyrology is read in Choir,
and the Service concludes as usual.
TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
No Hymn is said, or any Antiphon
with the parts of Ps. CXVIII.
After the sections of the Psalm, is
said, "This is the day, &c.," as at
Lauds, and then (after the usual Verse
and Answer, and "Let us pray,”) fol-
lows the Collect of the day from Lauds.
VESPERS.
Antiphons and Prayer from Lauds.
No Chapter, Hymn, or Verse and
Answer are said, but “This is the day,
&c.," as at Lauds.
4
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. And when they looked, they
saw that the stone was rolled away,
away, for
it was very great. Alleluia.
A double "Alleluia" is added to
"Bless we the Lord" and to "Thanks
be to God."
COMPLINE.
The Psalms and Song of Simeon are
said without Antiphons.
The Hymn, Chapter, and Short Re-
sponsory are omitted.
After the Song of Simeon is said,
"This is the day, &c.," then, "Hear my
prayer, &c."
Easter Monday.
Second Day within the Octave of the
Passover.
Double of the First Class.
All precisely the same as on Easter
Sunday, except the following.
1 All the Antiphons are from Matth. xxviii. 2—5.
8 Mark xvi. 2.
2 Ps. cxvii. 24.
4 Mark xvi. 4.
462
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xxiv. 13.)
T that time: Two of JESUS' disciples
AT
went that same day to a village,
called Emmaus, which was from Jeru-
salem about threescore furlongs. And
so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great,] (23rd on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, ye hear how
that while two of His disciples walked
together in the way, not believing in
His Resurrection, but talking together
concerning Him, the Lord manifested
Himself unto them, but yet held their
eyes that they should not know Him.
This holding of the eyes of their body,
wrought by the Lord, was a figure of
the spiritual veil which was yet upon
the eyes of their heart. For in their
heart they loved and yet doubted: even
as the Lord drew near to them out-
wardly, but showed not Who He was.
To them that talked together of Him,
He revealed His immediate presence;
but hid, from them that doubted, the
knowledge of His Person.
First Responsory.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
went very early to the sepulchre. That
JESUS Whom ye seek, is not here: for
He is risen, as He said: He goeth be-
fore you into Galilee; there shall ye
see Him. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. ¹And very early in the morn-
ing, the first day of the week, they came
unto the sepulchre, at the rising of the
sun; and, entering into the sepulchre,
they saw a young man sitting upon the
right side, who saith unto them:
Answer. That JESUS Whom ye seek,
is not here: for He is risen, as He said:
He goeth before you into Galilee: there
shall ye see Him. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
"He ex-
HE
spoke to them; He rebuked the
hardness of their heart;
pounded unto them in all the Scriptures
the things concerning Himself:" and,
1 Mark xvi. 2, 5-7.
nevertheless, seeing that He was yet a
stranger to faith in their hearts, "He
made as though He would have gone
further." These words-"He made as
though❞—would here seem to mean
"He feigned," but He Who is simple
Truth doth nothing with feigning: He
only showed Himself to them in bodily
manners, as He was toward them spi-
ritually; but they were put to the proof
whether, though they loved Him not
yet as their God, they could love Him
at least as a wanderer.
Second Responsory.
3The Good Shepherd, Who laid down
His life for the sheep, yea, Who was
contented even to die for His flock, the
Good Shepherd is risen again.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. For even Christ our Passover
is sacrificed for us.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
BUT since it was impossible, that they
with whom Truth walked, should
be loveless, they asked Him as a wan-
derer to take of their hospitality. But
why say we that they asked Him, when
it is written: "And they constrained
Him?" From their ensample we learn
that we ought not only to bid, but also
to urge, wanderers to our hospitable
entertainment. They laid a table there-
fore, and set before Him bread and
meat; and that God Whom they had
not known in the expounding of the
Holy Scripture, they knew in the break-
ing of bread. In hearing the command-
ments of God they were not enlightened,
but they were enlightened in the doing
of them as it is written: "Not the
hearers of the law are just before God,
but the doers of the law shall be justi-
fied." (Rom. ii. 13.) Whosoever there-
fore will understand that which he
heareth, let him make haste to practise
in his works that which he hath already
been able to hear. Behold, the Lord
was not known while He spake, but He
2 Here are omitted six words, containing an untranslateable allusion to the Latin word
for a potter.
3 Cf. John x. 11.
4 1 Cor. v. 7.
EASTER WEEK.
463
was contented to be known when He
brake bread.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹ While they walked, JESUS drew near,
and went with His disciples: but their
eyes were holden that they should not
know Him and He rebuked them,
saying: O fools, and slow of heart to
believe all that the Prophets have
spoken! Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, Who dost heal the sick world
by the solemn gladness of the Pass-
over, continue, we beseech Thee! to pour
forth Thine heavenly gifts upon Thy
people, till the same shall bring them
into perfect liberty, and finally avail
them unto life everlasting. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Åmen.
2
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. What manner of communica-
tions are these that ye have one to an-
other, as ye walk, and are sad? Alle-
luia.
Easter Tuesday.
Third Day within the Octave of the
Passover.
Double of the First Class.
All precisely the same as on Easter
Sunday, except the following.
MATTINS.
Verse. The Lord is risen indeed-Al-
leluia.
Peace be unto you; it is I Myself; be
not afraid. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. x. Comm. on Luke xxiv.)
We see here the marvellous nature of
the Lord's glorified Body. It could enter
unseen, and then become seen. It could
easily be touched, but Its nature is hard
to understand. The disciples were af-
frighted, and supposed that they had
seen a spirit. And therefore the Lord,
that He might show us the evidence of
His Resurrection, said: "Handle Me,
and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and
bones as ye see Me have." Therefore it
was not by being in a disembodied state,
but by the peculiar qualities of the risen
and glorified Body that He had passed
through closed doors. (John xx. 19.)
For that which is touched or handled is
a body.
First Responsory.
3 With great power gave the Apostles
witness of the Resurrection of our Lord
JESUS Christ. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and they spake the Word
of God with boldness.
Answer. Witness of the Resurrection
of our Lord JESUS Christ. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
WE
Second Lesson.
E shall all rise again with our
bodies. But it is sown a na-
tural body; it is raised a spiritual body."
(1 Cor. xv. 44.) The spiritual body is
the finer, and the natural body is the
grosser, besodden as yet by the corrup-
tion of earth. Was not That a real
Body, wherein remained those marks of
His Wounds, those holes of the nail-
prints, which the Lord bade His dis-
ciples to handle? Hereby, also, He
hath not only strengthened our faith,
but also quickened our love, since we
know that it hath been His will to carry
to heaven those Wounds which He bore
for our sake, and wherewith He would
not make away; but plainly showeth to
His Eternal Father the price of our
freedom. It is as marked with these
Wounds and embracing the trophy of
our salvation that the Father hath said
to Him, "Sit Thou at My right Hand :"
2 Luke xxiv. 17.
Answer. And hath appeared to Simon
-Alleluia.
&c.
Absolution. May His loving-kindness,
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xxiv. 36.)
AT that time: JESUS stood in the midst
of His disciples, and said unto them:
1 Luke xxiv. 15, 16, 25.
3 Acts iv. 33, 31.
464
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
and it is, like Him, marked with their
wounds, that He hath shown us that
the Martyrs, whose Crown He is, are,
and will be with Him there.
Second Responsory.
From the mouth of the wise doth
proceed honey, Alleluia: the sweetness
of honey is under his tongue. Alleluia.
Thy lips drop as the honey-comb. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.¹
Verse. Wisdom doth abide in his
heart, and out of his mouth cometh
understanding.
Answer. Thy lips drop as the honey-
comb. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thy lips drop as the honey-
comb. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
AND now, since our Lesson from Luke
here faileth, let us have recourse
to John, and consider how that, accord-
ing to him, (xx. 20,) "then were the
disciples glad when they saw the Lord,"
and received the grace of faith. Accord-
ing to Luke, "He upbraided them with
their unbelief," but according to John
He said also, "Receive ye the Holy
Ghost." Luke, not John, hath, "Tarry
ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be
endued with power from on high."
Indeed, to me it seemeth as though the
one Evangelist had busied himself with
the greater and higher matters, and the
other with the narrative, and such things
as are more human: the one with the
course, the other with the essence, of
history. For as it is impossible to doubt
the word of him "which testifieth of
these things," (John xxi. 24,) and
"which saw" (xix. 35) these things,
and concerning whom "we know that
his testimony is true," (xxi. 24,) so is
it sinful to think of negligence or false-
hood as attaching to the other, even
Luke, who earned to himself to be an
Evangelist, [albeit he was not an
Apostle,] and therefore we hold that
both are truthful, neither are they at
variance one with the other, either in
the difference of the words they use, or
in the sacredness of their characters as
Evangelists. For though Luke saith
that at the first the Apostles believed
not, yet he showeth that afterward they
believed and although, if we regard
only the first fact, the Evangelists seem
divergent one from the other, yet, when
we consider what cometh afterward, we
see that they are at one.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
3JESUS stood in the midst of His dis-
ciples, and said unto them: Peace be
unto you. Alleluia, Alleluia.
0
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, Who art ever multiplying the
Children of Thy Church, grant
unto the same Thy servants that they
may lead the rest of their lives according
to this beginning wherein Thou hast
given them faith to receive the Sacra-
ment of the New Birth. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Behold My Hands and My
Feet, that it is I Myself. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Wednesday in Easter Week.
Fourth Day within the Octave of the
Passover.
Semidouble.
All precisely the same as Easter Sun-
day, except that the Antiphons are not
doubled, and what else is given here.
Verse. Then were the disciples glad
-Alleluia.
1 Cant. iv. 11. The reader will of course perceive the allusion to our Lord's eating
some honey. (Luke xxiv. 42, 43.)
2 Such is no doubt implied in Luke, but the actual words, "He upbraided them, &c.,"
are in Mark xvi. 14.
8 Luke xxiv. 36.
4 This is a prayer for those who have been baptized on Holy Saturday.
5 Luke xxiv. 39.
6 John xx. 20.
EASTER WEEK.
465
Answer. When they saw the Lord-
Alleluia.
Absolution. May the Almighty,
First Lesson.
&c.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xxi. 1.)
AT
T that time: JESUS showed Himself
again to the disciples at the Sea of
Tiberias. And on this wise showed He
Himself: There were together Simon
Peter, and Thomas called Didymus.¹
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (24th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, the portion
of the Holy Gospel which hath but now
been read in your ears, knocketh loudly
at the door of your heart, with a certain
question, the answer whereto calleth for
thought. This same question is: Where-
fore did Peter, who had before his con-
version been a fisher, wherefore did he,
after his conversion, again go a-fishing?
-since the Truth hath said: "No man,
having put his hand to the plough, and
return to the receipt of custom. It is
one thing to seek a livelihood by fishing,
and another to amass money by farming
of taxes. There are many kinds of
business in which it is difficult or im-
possible to be engaged, without commit-
ting sin, and to such kinds of business
as these, he which hath once been con-
verted must not again betake himself.
Second Responsory.
*I am the True Vine, and ye are the
branches: he that abideth in Me, and
I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. As the Father hath loved Me,
so have I loved you.
Answer. He that abideth in Me, and
I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He that abideth in Me, and
I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of the disciples were toiling in the sea,
God? (Luke ix. 62.) Wherefore did
Peter return to that which he had left?
But with thought we see the answer to
this question. The trade which was
harmless before his conversion, did not
become harmful because he had been
converted.
First Responsory.
2 Behold, the Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, hath pre-
vailed to open the Book, and to loose
the seven seals thereof. Alleluia, Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. Worthy is the Lamb That was
slain to receive power, and riches,³ and
wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
WE know that Peter had been a fisher-
man, and Matthew a publican,
and that Peter after his conversion went
back to his fishing, but Matthew did not
IT may likewise be asked why, when
the Lord, after His Resurrection, stood
on the shore, whereas, before His Re-
surrection, He had walked on the waves
before them all. The reason of this is
quickly known if we will think of the
end which it then served. The sea is a
figure of this present world, tossed to
and fro by changing fortune, and con-
tinually ebbing and flowing with the
divers tides of life. The stableness of
the shore is an image of the never-end-
ing rest of the eternal home. The dis-
ciples therefore, for that they were yet
tossed to and fro upon the waves of a
dying life, were toiling in the sea, but
He our Redeemer, Who had already laid
aside that which in this body is subject
to corruption, and had risen again from
the dead, He stood upon the shore.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"Cast the net on the right side of the
ship, * and ye shall find. Alleluia.
2 Apoc. v. 5, 12.
3 So the Greek, "Plouton ;" Latin translation, Divinitatem.
1 I.e. Twin.
4 John xv. 1, 5, 9.
5 John xxi. 6.
H H
466
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
0
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, Who dost every year fill us
with holy gladness for the Again-
rising of the Lord, mercifully grant that
these Feast-days which we are now
keeping here in time, may be to us a
mean whereby in the end we may wor-
thily attain unto those pleasures which
are at Thy right hand for evermore.
Through the Same our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
One God, world without end. Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. ¹JESUS saith unto His disciples:
Bring of the fish which ye have now
caught; * Simon Peter went up, and
drew the net to land, full of great fishes.
Alleluia.
Thursday in Easter Week.
Fifth Day within the Octave of the
Passover.
Semidouble.
All precisely the same as on Easter
Sunday, except that the Antiphons are
not doubled, and what else is given here.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xx. 11.)
AT that time: Mary stood without at
the
the Sepulchre, weeping. And as
she wept, she stooped down, and looked
into the sepulchre, and saw two Angels
in white, sitting. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (25th on the Gospels.)
Mary Magdalene, "a woman in the
city, which was a sinner," through love
of the truth washed away by her tears
the befoulment of her sin, and the word
of the Truth was fulfilled which He
spake: "Her sins, which are many, are
forgiven for she loved much." (Luke
vii. 37.) She that had remained cold
while she sinned, became burning when
she loved. For after that she had been
1 John xxi. 10, 11.
to the Sepulchre, and had not found
there the Body of the Lord, and had
believed that It had been taken away,
and had told His disciples, they came
and saw, and thought it was even as the
woman had said: and it is written-
"Then the disciples went away again
unto their own home-but Mary stood
without at the sepulchre, weeping."
First Responsory.
2They have taken away my Lord,
and I know not where they have laid
Him. The Angels say unto her: Wo-
man, why weepest thou? He is risen,
as He said. He goeth before you into
Galilee; there shall ye see Him. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. And as she wept, she stooped
down and looked into the Sepulchre,
and saw two Angels in white, sitting;
and they say unto her :
Answer. He goeth before you into
Galilee; there shall ye see Him. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
IN connection with this matter, we
ought to ponder what great store of
love there was in that woman's heart,
who, when even His disciples were gone
away, could not tear herself from the
grave of the Lord. She sought Him
Whom she had not found there, and as
she sought, she wept, and the fire of
love in her heart yearned after Him,
Who she believed had been taken
away. And so it came to pass that she,
who had lingered to seek Him, was the
only one that then saw Him, since the
back-bone of a good work is endurance,
and the voice of the Truth Himself hath
said: "He that endureth to the end
shall be saved." (Matth. x. 22; xxiv.
13.)
Second Responsory.
Rejoice with me, all ye that love the
Lord: for I sought Him and He hath
appeared unto me; and while as I was
weeping at the Sepulchre, I saw the
Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. When His disciples were gone
away, I tarried still; and the fire of
love in my heart yearned after Him.
Answer. And while as I was weeping
2 John xx. 13, 12, 11; Matth. xxviii. 6, 7.
EASTER WEEK.
467
at the Sepulchre, I saw the Lord. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And while as I was weeping
at the Sepulchre, I saw the Lord. ~Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
AS Mary wept there, she stooped down
and looked into the Sepulchre. It
was but a little while and she had seen
how the Sepulchre was empty, and had
told that the Lord was taken away.
Why then should she stoop down and
look in again? But she loved Him so
well, that one look was not enough; the
energy of her affection constrained her
to search again and again. She began
by searching and not finding; but she
endured in her search, and, behold, it
came to pass that she found. And this
was done that our own longings for
Christ's presence might be taught to
expand, and know that as they expand
they will meet with Him to Whom they
aspire.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Mary stood without at the Sepulchre
weeping, * and saw two Angels in white,
sitting, and the napkin that had been
about the Head of JESUS. Alleluia.
0
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, Who dost make all nations,
how diverse soever they be, to be-
come one family in giving of praise to
Thy Name, grant unto all them which
are born again in the fountain of bap-
tism to live ever in oneness of faith, and
godliness of works. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. They have taken away my
Lord, and I know not where they
have laid Him: if thou have borne
Him hence, tell me,-Alleluia,—and I
will take Him away-Alleluia.
Friday in Easter Week.
Sixth Day within the Octave of the
Passover.
Semidouble.
All precisely the same as on Easter
Sunday, except that the Antiphons are
not doubled, and what else is given here.
MATTINS.
Verse. The Lord is risen indeed-
Alleluia.
Answer. And hath appeared to Simon
Alleluia.
Absolution. May His loving-kind-
ness, &c.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxviii. 16.)
AT that time: The eleven disciples
went away into Galilee, into a
mountain where JESUS had appointed
them. And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Bk. iv. Comm. on the
end of Matth.)
After His Resurrection JESUS was
seen on a mountain in Galilee, and there
He was worshipped; and, albeit some
doubted, their doubts have led to a fur-
ther establishing of our faith. Then
He showed Himself more openly unto
Thomas, and made him handle the Side
That was pierced with the spear, and
the Hands wherein were the holes of
the nails.
"And JESUS came and spake unto
them, saying: All power is given unto
Me in heaven and in earth." Yea, all
power is given unto Him Who but a
little while before had been crucified,
and buried in the grave, and had lain
among the dead, but Who also had risen
again. Power is given unto Him in
heaven and in earth, that He Who of
everlasting had been King of heaven,
might have a Monarchy on earth also,
through the faith of them which believe
in Him.

First Responsory.
¹After that our Lord JESUS was risen
again, He came and stood in the midst
1 John xx. 19, 20.
HH 2
468
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
of His disciples, and said unto them:
Peace be unto you. Alleluia. Then
were the disciples glad, when they saw
the Lord. Alleluia.
Verse. The first day of the week,
when the doors were shut where the
disciples were assembled, came JESUS,
and stood in the midst, and said unto
them :
Answer. Peace be unto you. Alle-
luia. Then were the disciples glad,
when they saw the Lord. Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
GO ye therefore and teach all na-
tions, baptizing them in the Name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost." First, they teach all
nations; then, they wash with water
them whom they have taught. For it
is impossible for the body to receive the
Sacrament of Baptism, unless the mind
first receive the truth of the faith. And
they are baptized "In the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost"-for, even as the Godhead of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost, is all One, so is the one
grace of Baptism the gift of all the
Three Divine Persons: and the Name
of the Trinity is the Name of One God.
Second Responsory.
'Purge out the old leaven, that ye
may be a new lump: for even Christ
our Passover is sacrificed for us: there-
fore let us keep the Feast, in the Lord.
Alleluia.
Verse. 2 He died for our offences, and
rose again for our justification.
Answer. Therefore let us keep the
Feast, in the Lord. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Therefore let us keep the
Feast, in the Lord. Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
"TEACHING them to observe all
things whatsoever I have com-
manded you."
The order of the Lord's commands to
the Apostles is markedly this. First, to
teach all nations; secondly, to make
1 1 Cor. v. 7, 8.
them partake in the Sacrament of the
faith; thirdly, when they had believed
and been baptized, to teach them what
to observe. And lest we should think
that He commanded things light and
few, He hath said: "All things what-
soever I have commanded you,"
that all, who have believed and been
baptized in the Name of the Trinity, are
bound to observe all things whatsoever
He hath commanded.
80
"And, lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. [Amen.]"
He Who promiseth that He will be
with His disciples even unto the end of
the world, doth give them thereby to
know that they will be alway conquerors,
and that He will never fail any which
believe in Him.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The eleven disciples saw JESUS in Gali-
lee, and worshipped Him there. Al-
leluia.
0
Prayer throughout the day.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Who hast made the Mystery of the
Passover the seal of the Covenant of
man's Redemption, grant unto the souls
of us Thy servants that we may not
only outwardly observe the same, but
may bring forth the lively fruits there-
of. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. All power is given unto Me *
in heaven and in earth. Alleluia.
Saturday in Easter Week.
The Sabbath in White.s
Semidouble.

Mattins, Lauds, Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None are all precisely the same as
on Easter Sunday, except that the An-
tiphons are not doubled, and what else
is given here.
2 Rom. iv. 25.
3 So called because those who had been baptized on Holy Saturday wore the white
raiment assumed for that ceremony till Low Sunday inclusive.
EASTER WEEK.
469
MATTINS.
Verse. The disciples were glad—Al-
leluia.
Answer. When they saw the Lord-
Alleluia.
Absolution. May the Almighty, &c.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xx. 1.)
A¹
T that time: The first day of the
week cometh Mary Magdalene
early, when it was yet dark, unto the
Sepulchre. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (22nd on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, the portion
of the Holy Gospel which hath just now
been read in your ears, is exceeding
simple on the face of it, which is its
historical sense; but the mystic sense,
which underlieth that other, requireth
from us a little searching. Mary Mag-
dalene came unto the Sepulchre when
it was yet dark. The historic sense
telleth us what was the hour of day;
the mystic sense, the state of her under-
standing who sought. Mary Magdalene
sought for Him, by Whom all things
were made, and Whom she had seen die,
as concerning the flesh, she sought for
Him, I say, in the grave, and finding
Him not, she believed that He had
been stolen away. Yea, it was yet dark,
when she came unto the sepulchre.
Then she ran and told the disciples, but
they who had loved Him most, namely
Peter and John, did outrun the others.
First Responsory.
¹Christ, being raised from the dead,
dieth no more; death hath no more do-
minion over Him: for in that He died, He
died unto sin once; but in that He liveth,
He liveth unto God. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. He died for our offences, and
rose again for our justification.
Answer. But in that He liveth, He
liveth unto God. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. He died for our offences, and
rose again for our justification.
Answer. But in that He liveth, He
liveth unto God. Alleluia, Alleluia.
1 Rom. vi. 9, 10.
Second Lesson.
So they ran both together, but John
did outrun Peter, and came first
to the Sepulchre," but yet took he not
upon himself to go in first.
"Then
cometh Peter following him, and went
in.”
What, my brethren, what did the
racing of these Apostles signify? Can
we believe that the description given by
the deepest of the Evangelists is without
a mystic interpretation? By no means.
John had never told how that he did
outrun Peter, and yet went not into the
Sepulchre, if he had not believed that
his hesitation veiled some mystery.
What signifieth John but the Syna-
gogue? or Peter, but the Church?
Second Responsory.
*These are the new lambs, who have
proclaimed-Alleluia: they came but
just now to the well: they are all filled
with light. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. In the Presence of the Lamb
they are clothed with white robes, and
hold palms in their hands.
Answer. They are all filled with light.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. They are all filled with light.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
NEITHER must ye take it as strange
that the elder Apostle should re-
present the Church, and the younger
the Synagogue: for although the Syna-
gogue was first to worship God, yet the
herd of Gentiles is in the world older
than the Synagogue, as witnesseth Paul
where he saith: "That was not first
which is spiritual, but that which is
natural." (1 Cor. xv. 46.) By Peter,
then, who was the elder, is signified the
Church of the Gentiles; and by John,
who was the younger, the Synagogue of
the Jews. They run both of them to-
gether, for from the time of her birth
until now, (and so will it be until the
end,) the Church of the Gentiles hath
run in a parallel road and [manywise]
a common road with the Synagogue,
albeit not with equal understandings.
2 Cf. Gen. xxix. 10. The same allusion occurs in the fifth verse of the Hymn at the
ensuing Mattins.
3 Cf. Apoc. vii. 9.
470
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
The Synagogue came first to the Sepul-
chre, but she hath not yet entered in;
for, though she hath received the com-
mandments of the law, and hath heard
the Prophets tell of the Incarnation and
Passion of the Lord, she will not believe
in Him Who died for her.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
They ran both together, and that
other disciple did outrun Peter, and
came first to the Sepulchre. Alleluia.
Prayer.
RANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that we who have kept wor-
shipfully the Passover holidays, may at
last worthily pass from keeping Feasts
unto Thee here to the everlasting jubila-
tion hereafter. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
VESPERS.
At these Vespers the ordinary course
of the services is resumed, as in the
Psalter, where the Office peculiar to
Paschal Time is marked. Consequently
the Psalms are CXLIII., CXLIV.
CXLV., CXLVI., and CXLVII., with
the Antiphon, "Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia."
The Antiphons are doubled.
Chapter and Prayer from the follow-
ing Lauds.
Hymn.¹
1
'HE Lamb's high banquet we await,
In snow-white robes of royal state:
And now, the Red Sea's channel past,
To Christ our Prince we sing at last.
Upon the Altar of the Cross
His Body hath redeemed our loss:
And tasting of His roseate² Blood,
Our life is hid with Him in God.
3That Paschal Eve God's arm was bared:
The devastating Angel spared;
By strength of hand our hosts went free
From Pharaoh's ruthless tyranny.
Now Christ our Paschal Lamb is slain,
The Lamb of God That knows no stain,
The true Oblation offered here,
Our own unleavened Bread sincere.
O Thou, from Whom hell's monarch flies,
O Great, O Very Sacrifice,
Thy captive people are set free,
And endless life restored in Thee.
For Christ, arising from the dead,
From conquered hell victorious sped:
And thrust the tyrant down to chains,
And Paradise for man regains.
Author of all, be Thou our Guide
In this our joy of Eastertide,
Whene'er the assaults of death impend,
Thy people strengthen and defend.
To Thee, Who, dead, again dost live,
All glory, Lord, Thy people give;
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.
Verse. Lord, abide with us-Alle-
luia.
Answer. For it is toward evening-
Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. At evening, being the first day
of the week, * when the doors were shut
where the disciples were assembled,
JESUS stood in the midst, and said unto
them: Peace be unto you. Alleluia.
The Common Commemoration of the
Cross is not made.
"Bless we the Lord” and “Thanks
be to God" are this evening and hence-
forward said without "Alleluia."
At Compline, the Preces are omitted.
1 Translation by the late Rev. Dr. Neale, except the seventh verse, which is not in his
translation, and which is extracted from the "People's Hymnal," where it occurs in
several Hymns, (201, &c.,) marked "Cento” in the Appendix.
2 "The poet," says Dr. Neale, (Preface to Mediæval Hymns, VII.,) "would tell us that,
though one Drop of our Lord's Blood was sufficient to redeem the world, yet out of the
greatness of His love to us He would shed all. As every one knows, the last drainings of
life-blood are not crimson, but of a far paler hue: strictly speaking, roseate." For the
doctrine, he cites the sixth verse of the “ Adoro Te devote" of St. Thomas Aquinas.
3 The Hymn is in the mouth of the Neophytes baptized on Holy Saturday, comparing
themselves to the Israëlites, passing out of Egypt through the sea, (1 Cor. x. 2.) Cf. for
the allusions Exod. xii. 23; vi. 1, &c.
• Luke xxiv. 29.
5 John xx. 19.
LOW WEEK.
471
Note. That at Compline on this night
the last Verse of the Hymn is altered in
honour of the Resurrection, and the
same is the case henceforward with the
Hymns at Compline, Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None, on all days, Feasts included,
until the First Vespers of the Ascension,
exclusive. The only exception is where
the Hymns may be specially altered in
honour of the Incarnation, (for instance,
those in any Office in honour of the
Blessed Virgin.)
Low Sunday.
The Lord's Day in White, being the
Eighth Day of the Passover.
Double.
This day commence the Paschal An-
tiphons, &c., in the Psalter.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord is risen indeed.
* Alleluia.
Hymn.¹
whose
TERNAL King of heaven, Whose Word,
Called forth creation from its rest,
Before the ages Thou art Lord
In Thine Eternal Father's breast.
Thou, when earth's dawning sun began
To chase the chaos-shades away,
In Thine own image madest man,
And didst inspire the senseless clay.
But Satan's craft, and Satan's wile
Could mar that work so very good;
And Eden's wood must man beguile
That God may reign from off the wood.
O born of Mary's virgin womb,
2 First-fruits of death's dark womb to be,
Thou bidd'st us waken from the tomb,
And rise to light and life with Thee.
3 Eternal Shepherd of the sheep,
The stone lay heavy on the well;
The clear Baptismal spring lies deep,
But Thou hast helped Thine Israël!
Redeemer of the sons of men,
Thou hungest dying on the Rood
That Thou might'st pay the price again
Of our salvation in Thy Blood.
O JESUS, Saviour, lead us in
With Thee in safety to abide,
And call us from the grave of sin
To rise with Thee this Eastertide.

Now to the Father, and the Son
Who rose from death, be glory given;
With Thee, O holy Comforter!
Henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Colos-
sians (iii. 1.)
IF ye be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ
sitteth on the right hand of God. Set
your affection on things above, not on
things on the earth. For ye are dead
and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, Who is your life, shall
appear, then shall ye also appear with
Him in glory. Mortify, therefore, your
members which are upon the earth, for-
nication, uncleanness, lust, evil concu-
piscence, and covetousness, which is
idolatry for which things' sake the
wrath of God cometh on the children of
disobedience; in the which ye also
walked some time, when ye lived in
them.
First Responsory.
The Angel of the Lord, &c., First
Responsory on Easter Sunday, (p. 460,)
omitting the last Verse and Answer.
Second Lesson.
BUT do ye also put off all these;
anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy,
filthy communication out of your
mouth.
Lie not one to another, seeing that ye
have put off the old man with his deeds,
and have put on the new man, which is
renewed in knowledge after the image
of Him That created him: where there
is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision
nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,
bond nor free; but Christ is all and in
all. Put on, therefore, as the elect, &c.,
1 Translation extracted from the "People's Hymnal" (where it is referred to "Hymns
and Lyrics") except the last verse, which is not in the "People's Hymnal" and is taken
from the Hymn at Lauds.
2 1 Cor. xv. 20.
3 Cf. Gen. xxix. 1-10, where Jacob opening the well to the flock seems to be taken as
a type of our Lord opening the Font to those baptized on Holy Saturday.
472
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
as First Lesson on Wednesday in the
Fourth Week after the Epiphany, (p.
313,) to the words "the Lord hath for-
given you, so also do ye," inclusive.
Second Responsory.
'The Angel of the Lord spake unto
the women, saying: Whom seek ye?
Seek ye JESUS? He is risen now:
come and see. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Seek ye JESUS of Nazareth,
Which was crucified? He is risen, He
is not here.
Answer. Come and see. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
AND above all these things, &c., con-
tinuation of the preceding, and the
next Lesson as far as "thanks to God
and the Father by Him."
Third Responsory.
When the Sabbath was passed, &c.,
(p. 460.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(1st Sermon for the Octave of the
Passover, being the 157th for the Sea-
sons.)
THE Feast of this day is the end of
the Paschal solemnity, and there-
fore it is to-day that the Newly-Bap-
tized put off their white garments: but,
though they lay aside the outward mark
of washing in their raiment, the mark
of that washing in their souls remaineth
to eternity. Now are the days of the
Pass-over, that is, of God's Passing-
over our iniquity by His pardon and
remission; and therefore our first duty
is so to sanctify the mirth of these holy
1 Cf. Matth. xxviii. 5, 6.
days, that our bodily recreation may be
taken without defilement to our spiritual
cleanness. Let us strive that our relax-
ation may be sober and our freedom
holy, holding ourselves carefully aloof
from anything like excess, drunkenness
or lechery. Let us try so to keep in
our souls their Lenten cleansing, that if
our Fasting hath left us aught yet un-
won, we may still be able to seek it.
Fourth Responsory.
Mary Magdalene, &c., (p. 462.)
MY which
Fifth Lesson.
discourse concerneth all them
which are committed unto my
spiritual charge; but, nevertheless, since
the first happy week of your Sacra-
mental life draweth this day to a close,
I address myself in especial to 3you who
are the new olive-plants of holiness
round about the Table of the Lord,
(Ps. cxxvii. 4,) to you, who have but a
little while been born again of water
and the Holy Ghost, (John_iii. 5,) to
you, O holy generation (1 Pet. ii. 9)
to you, O new creation, (Gal. vi. 15,) to
you, the excellency of my dignity, (Gen.
xlix. 3,) and the fruit of my labour, my
brethren dearly beloved and longed for,
my joy and my crown, all ye who now
stand so fast in the Lord. (Phil. iv. 1.)
To you I address the words of the Apos-
tle (Rom. xiii. 12.) "Behold! the night
is past! the day is come! Cast off there-
fore the works of darkness, and put on
the armour of light. Let us walk ho-
nestly, as in the day; not in rioting
and drunkenness, not in chambering
and wantonness, not in strife and envy-
ing: but put ye on the Lord JESUS
Christ."
4
Fifth Responsory.
The Good Shepherd, &c., (p. 462,)
omitting the last Verse and Answer.
2 This is not a pun, but literally correct. God Himself gave this name to this Festival,
(Exod. xii. 11—13,) as it is written: "It is the LORD's Passover (PESACH.) For I will
pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of
Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt will I execute judgment:
I am the LORD. And the blood" (of the Paschal lamb sprinkled on the lintel and door-
posts) "shall be unto you for a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the
blood, I will pass over you (W-PHASACH-TI,) and the plague shall not be upon you to de-
stroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt."
3 Those baptized on Holy Saturday.
4 When the Saint uttered these words to the Neophytes he must have keenly remem-
bered the part they had played in his own life. Conf. viii. 12. Alban Butler, Aug. 28.
(Vol. viii. p. 417.)
LOW WEEK.
473
Sixth Lesson.
E have," saith Peter, (2 Peter i.
W
19,) "a more sure word of Pro-
phecy, whereunto ye do well that ye
take heed, as unto a light that shineth
in a dark place, until the day dawn, and
the day-star arise in your hearts."
"Let your loins therefore be girded
about, and your lights burning in your
hands, and ye yourselves like unto men
that wait for their lord, when he will
return from the wedding." (Luke xii.
36.) Behold, the days come, whereof
the Lord saith, (John xvi. 16, 17, 19,)
"A little while, and ye shall not see
Me, and again a little while and ye shall
see Me." Now is the hour whereof He
said (20), "Ye shall weep and lament,
but the world shall rejoice"-that is to
say, this present life, wherein we walk
as strangers and pilgrims, (1 Pet. ii. 11,)
far away from Him Who is our Home,
this present life is very full of trials.
"BUT," saith JESUS, "but I will see
you again, and your heart shall rejoice,
and your joy no man taketh from you."
(22.)
Sixth Responsory.
With great power, &c., (p. 463,) with
this addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Witness of the Resurrection
of our Lord JESUS Christ.
THIRD NOCTURN,
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xx. 19.)
AT
T that time, being the same day at
evening, the first day of the week,
when the doors were shut where the
disciples were assembled for fear of the
Jews, came JESUS, and stood in the
midst, and said unto them: Peace be
unto you. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (26th on the Gospels.)
When we hear this passage of the Gos-
pel read, a question straightway knock-
eth at the door of our mind. How was
it that the Body of the Risen Lord was
a real Body, if It was able to pass through
closed doors into the assembly of His
disciples? But we ought to know that
the works of God are no more wonder-
ful when they can be understood by
man's reason, and faith hath lost her
worth when her subject-matter is the
subject-matter of human demonstration.
Nevertheless, those very works of our
Redeemer which are in themselves
impossible to be understood, must be
thought over in connection with other
of His works, that we may be led to
believe in things wonderful, by mean of
things more wonderful still. That Body
of the Lord, Which came into the as-
sembly of the disciples through closed
doors, was the Same, Which at Its birth,
had become manifest to the eyes of men
by passing out of the cloister of the
Virgin's womb without breaking the
seal thereof. What wonder is it if that
Body Which had come out of the Vir-
gin's womb, without opening the matrix,
albeit It was then on Its way to die,
now that It was risen again from the
dead and instinct for ever with undying
life, what wonder is it, I say, if that
Body passed through closed doors?
Seventh Responsory.
From the mouth, &c., (p. 464,) omit-
ting the last Verse and Answer.
Eighth Lesson.
BUT since the beholders doubted of
the reality of that Body Which
they saw, "He showed unto them His
Hands and His Side," and allowed them
to handle that Same Flesh Which had
just passed through the closed doors.
(Luke xxiv. 39.) In this there were
two strange things manifested, yea,
things which according to our under-
standing_are_contrary the one to the
other. His Risen Body was incorrup-
tible and yet palpable. For whatever
can be touched, must needs be subject
to corruption; and whatever is not sub-
ject to corruption, cannot be touched.
But, in a way altogether wonderful and
incomprehensible, our Redeemer after
His Resurrection revealed Himself in a
Body at once palpable and incorrup-
tible: revealed Himself in an incorrup
tible Body, that we might learn to seek
a like glorification; and in a palpable

474
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.

Body, for the strengthening of our faith.
He revealed Himself in a Body at once
incorruptible and palpable, that He
might thereby make manifest the fact
that His Risen Body was unaltered in
nature, albeit transfigured in glory.
Eighth Responsory.
After that our Lord, &c., (p. 467,)
with this addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Peace be unto you. Alleluia.
Then were the disciples glad, when they
saw the Lord. Alleluia.
THE
Ninth Lesson.
HEN said JESUS to them again :
Peace be unto you. As My Fa-
ther hath sent Me, even so send I you"
-that is, as My Father, Who is God,
hath sent Me, Who am God, even so do
I, Who am Man, send you, who are
men. The Father sent the Son, Whom
He appointed to be made Man for the
redemption of man. Him He willed to
send into the world to suffer, albeit He
Whom He sent to suffer was the Son of
His love. The Lord sendeth His chosen
Apostles into the world, not to be happy
in the world, but, as He had been Him-
self sent, to suffer. As the Father lov-
eth the Son and yet sendeth Him to
suffer, even so doth the Lord love His
disciples, albeit He sendeth them into
the world, to suffer therein; and there-
fore it is well said: "As My Father
hath sent Me, even so send I you”.
that is, while I send you into the wild
storm of persecution, I love you all the
same, I love you, yea, I love you with a
love like that wherewith the Father
loveth Me, Who sent Me into the world
to bear agony therein.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
DEA
LAUDS.
Chapter. (1 John v. 4.)
EARLY beloved brethren, whatso-
ever is born of God overcometh
the world; and this is the victory that
overcometh the world, even our faith.
Hymn.¹
THE dawn was redd'ning in the sky,
With "Alleluias” rang the air;
Earth held a glorious jubilee,
Hell gnashed its teeth in fierce despair:
When our most valiant mighty King
From death's abyss in dread array
Led the long-prisoned Fathers forth
Into the beam of light and day:
When He Whom stone, and seal, and guard,
Had safely to the tomb consigned
Triumphant rose and buried death
Deep in the grave He left behind:
"Calm all your grief and still your tears,"—
Hark, the descending angel cries,-
"For Christ is risen from the dead,
And death is slain, no more to rise."
O JESUS, from the death of sin
Keep us, we pray; so shalt Thou be
The everlasting Paschal joy
Of all the souls new-born in Thee.
Now to the Father, and the Son
Who rose from death, be glory given;
With Thee, O Holy Comforter !
Henceforth by all in earth and heaven.
Amen.
Verse. Let the heavens and the earth
be glad. Alleluia.
Answer. For Thou art risen again, O
Christ! Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Then the same day at evening, being
the first day of the week, when the doors
were shut where the disciples were as-
sembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus
stood in the midst, and said unto them:
Peace be unto you. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
GRANT, we beseech, O Almighty God,
we for whom the Feast of the
Passover hath now drawn to an end,
may in our life and manner ever keep
new the healthful influence of the same.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
At Prime, note the observances pe-
culiar to Easter-tide, especially that
though the Creed of St. Athanasius is
1 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
LOW WEEK.
475
said, the Psalms are only the LIIIrd,
and the two first parts of the CXVIIIth,
and the change in the Short Responsory.
It is only because this day is a Double
that Preces are omitted. Chapter at the
end from Col. iii. 1.
In Terce, Sext, None, and Compline,
note the Short Responsories.
Chapter at Terce from Lauds.
Chapter at Sext. (1 John v. 5.)
FOR who is he that overcometh the
world, but he that believeth that
JESUS is the Son of God? This is He
That came by Water and Blood, even
JESUS Christ; not by Water only, but
by Water and Blood.
IF
Chapter at None. (1 John v. 9.)
we receive the witness of men, the
witness of God is greater, since this
is the witness of God that is greater,
that He hath testified of His Son.
that believeth on the Son of God, hath
the witness of God in himself.
VESPERS.
He
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as yes-
terday evening.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. After eight days came the Lord,
the doors being shut, and said unto
them. Peace be unto you. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Monday in Low Week.
Second Day.
Invitatory. Alleluia, Alleluia, * Al-
leluia.
Hymn as yesterday.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the ¹Book of the Acts of
the Apostles (i. 1.)
THE
HE former Treatise² have I made, O
Theophilus, of all that JESUS began
3
both to do and to teach, until the day
in which He was taken up, after that
He through the Holy Ghost had given
commandments unto the Apostles whom
He had chosen : to whom also He showed
Himself alive after His Passion, by
many infallible proofs, being seen of
them forty days, and speaking of the
things pertaining to the kingdom of
God, and, eating together with them,
He commanded that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the
Promise of the Father," Which," saith
He, "ye have heard by My Mouth: for
John truly baptized with water, but ye
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost
not many days hence." They therefore
that were come together, asked of Him,
saying: Lord, wilt Thou at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israël?
And He said unto them: It is not for
you to know the times or the seasons,
which the Father hath put in His Own
power; but ye shall receive the power
of the Holy Ghost coming upon you,
and ye shall be witnesses unto Me, both
in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth.
First Responsory.
With great power, &c., (p. 463.)
Second Lesson.
AND when He had spoken these
things, while they beheld, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out
of their sight. And while they looked
up steadfastly toward heaven, as He
went up, behold two men stood by them
in
white apparel, which also said: Ye
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up
into heaven? This same JESUS, Which
is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have seen
Him go into heaven. Then returned
they unto Jerusalem from the Mount
called Olivet, which is nigh unto Jeru-
salem, about a Sabbath-day's journey.
And when they were come into the
Supper-room, they went up where abode
Peter and John, James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and
1 Abp. Kenrick says: "This book, by the acknowledgment of all, is the work of St.
Luke, and forms the sequel to his Gospel."
2 I.e., his Gospel.
3 Nothing is known of this person.
476
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
哭
​Matthew, James the son of Alphæus,
and Judas the brother of James. These
all were continuing with one accord in
prayer with the women, and Mary the
Mother of JESUs, and with His brethren.
Second Responsory.
From the mouth, &c., (p. 464.)
Third Lesson.
these days Peter stood up in the
midst of the brethren, and said, (the
number of the names together were
about an hundred and twenty): Men
and brethren, this Scripture must needs
be fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by
the mouth of David spake before con-
cerning Judas, which was guide to them
that took JESUS: for he was numbered
with us, and had obtained part of this
ministry. Now this man purchased a
field with the reward of iniquity; and
he hanged himself,¹ and burst asunder
in the midst, and all his bowels gushed
out. And it was known unto all the
dwellers at Jerusalem, insomuch as that
field is called in their proper tongue,
"Aceldama," that is to say, The field
of blood. For it is written in the Book
of Psalms: "Let their habitation be
desolate, and let none dwell therein,"
(lxviii. 26,) and: "Let another take his
office," (cviii. 8.) Wherefore, of these
men which have companied with us all
the time that the Lord JESUS went in
and out among us, beginning from the
Baptism of John, unto that same day
that He was taken up from us, must
one become a witness with us of His
Resurrection. And they appointed two,
Joseph_called Barsabas, who was sur-
named Justus,² and Matthias. And they
prayed and said: Thou, Lord, Which
knowest the hearts of all men, show
whether of these two Thou hast chosen,
that he may take part of this ministry
and Apostleship; from which Judas by
transgression fell, that he might go to
his own place. And they gave forth
their lots, and the lot fell upon Mat-
thias, and he was numbered with the
eleven Apostles.
►
God, &c.," is said every day in Pas-
chal-time.
LAUDS.
Note that the Psalms for Lauds on
Sunday are used every day in Paschal-
time.
Chapter. (Rom. vi. 9.)
CHRIST, being raised from the dead,
dieth no more, death hath no more
dominion over Him. For in that He
died, He died unto sin once: but in that
He liveth, He liveth unto God.
Hymn, Verse and Answer, and Prayer
as on Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
3 When JESUS was risen early the first
day of the week* He appeared first to
Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had
cast seven devils. Alleluia.
This morning is made for the first
time the Paschal Commemoration of the
Cross,
At Prime, note that the Psalms used
on Festivals are used every day in Pas-
chal-time.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday.
4
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Peace be unto you, * it is I,
Alleluia. Be not afraid, Alleluia.
Paschal Commemoration of the Cross.
WEEK-DAYS IN EASTER-TIDE.
Throughout the whole of Paschal-
time, till the First Vespers of the As-
cension, exclusive, on every Week-day
are used the same Invitatory and Hymn
at Mattins, and the same Chapter,
Hymn, and Verse and Answer, at
Lauds and Vespers, as on this Monday
just given. The rest of the observances
peculiar to Paschal-time are given in
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
O the Psalter.
1 Suspensus. But the Greek is, "falling headlong." See Matth. xxvii. 5.
2 Greek, Ioustos, a proper name, not his title.
3 Mark xvi. 9.
✦ John xx. 19; Matth. xiv. 27.
LOW WEEK.
477
Tuesday in Low Week.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of the
Apostles (ii. 1.)
ND when the day of Pentecost was
A
fully come, they were all with one
accord in one place: and suddenly there
came a sound from heaven, as of a rush-
ing mighty wind, and it filled all the
house where they were sitting. And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues,
as it were of fire, and it sat upon each
as it were of and it all filed with
the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with
other tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave
them utterance. And there were dwell-
ing at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, of
every nation under heaven. Now when
this was noised abroad, the multitude
came together, and were confounded, be-
cause that every man heard them speak
in his own language. And they were all
amazed and marvelled, saying: Behold,
are not all these which speak Galileans?
And how hear we every man in our own
tongue wherein we were born?
First Responsory.
Behold, the Lion, &c., (p. 465.)
Second Lesson.
BUT Peter, standing up with the
eleven, lifted up his voice, and
said unto them: Ye men of Judæa, and
all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this
known unto you, and hearken unto my
words: For these are not drunken, as
ye suppose, seeing it is but the third
hour of the day, but this is that which
was spoken by the Prophet Joel (ii.
28-32): "And it shall come to pass in
the last days," saith the Lord, "I will
pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and
your sons and your daughters shall pro-
phesy,2 and your young men shall see
visions, and your old men shall dream
dreams. And also upon My servants
and upon My handmaids in those days
1
.3
will I pour out My Spirit, and they
shall prophesy :3 and I will show won-
ders in the heaven above, and in the
earth beneath, blood, and fire, and va-
pour of smoke. The sun shall be turned
into darkness, and the moon into blood,
before the great and terrible day of the
LORD come. And it shall come to pass
that, whosoever shall call on the Name
of the LORD shall be delivered."
Second Responsory.
I am the True Vine, &c., (p. 465.)
Third Lesson.
YE Jous of Nazareth, a Man ap-
men of Israel, hear, these words:
proved of God among you, by miracles,
and wonders, and signs, which God did
by Him, in the midst of you, as ye
yourselves also know; Him, being de-
livered by the predeterminate counsel
and foreknowledge of God, ye have
taken, and by wicked hands have tor-
mented and slain: Whom God hath
raised up, having loosed the pains of
death, because it was not possible that
He should be holden of it. For David
speaketh concerning Him (Ps. xv.
8-10): "I have set the LORD always
before Me; because He is at My right
hand, I shall not be moved. There-
fore My Heart is glad and My Tongue
rejoiceth: My Flesh also shall rest in
hope. For Thou wilt not leave My
Soul in hell: neither wilt Thou suffer
Thine Holy One to see corruption."
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
I go before you into Galilee, * there
shall ye see Me, as I said unto you.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Reach hither thine hand, and
feel the print of the nails. * Alleluia.
And be not faithless but believing. Al-
leluia.
1 In novissimis diebus,—but in Joel, postea, i.e., afterward.
2 In Joel these clauses are transposed.
3 This clause is not in Joel, at least in the now extant text.
+ Cf. Matth. xxviii. 7.
5 Cf. John xx. 25, 27.
478
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Wednesday in Low Week.
Fourth Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson as on the Feast of the
Most Holy Name, (p. 291,) down to the
words, "Rise up and walk.'
""
First Responsory.
After that our Lord, &c., (p. 467.)
Second Lesson as above, from the
words, “And he took him by the right
hand, &c.," to those in the Second Les-
son, "called Solomon's, greatly wonder-
ing."
Second Responsory.
Purge out, &c., (p. 468.)
Third Lesson as above, from the
words, "And when Peter saw it, &c.,"
to the end of the Second Lesson.
The Hymn,“We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹I am the True Vine. * Alleluia. And
ye are My branches indeed.
2
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thomas! because thou hast
seen Me, thou hast believed: * blessed
are they that have not seen and yet
have believed. Alleluia.
Thursday in Low Week.
Fifth Day.
See Rubric (p. 476)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (v. 1.)
BUT
a certain man named Ananias,
with Sapphira his wife, sold a pos-
session, and kept back part of the price,
his wife also being privy to it: and he
1 Cf. John xv. 1, 5.
brought a certain part and laid it at the
Apostles' feet. But Peter said: Ana-
nias, why hath Satan tempted thine
heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to
keep back part of the price of the land?
Whiles it remained, was it not thine
own? and after it was sold, was it not
in thine own power? Why hast thou
conceived this thing in thine heart?
Thou hast not lied unto men, but unto
God. And Ananias, hearing these words,
fell down and gave up the ghost. And
great fear came on all them that heard
these things. And the young men
arose, took him up, and carried him
out, and buried him.
First Responsory.
Christ being raised, &c., (p. 469.)
Second Lesson.
AND it was this wife, not know
ND it was about the space of three
ing what was done, came in. Then Peter
said unto her: Woman, tell me whether
ye sold the land for so much? And she
said: Yea, for so much. And Peter said
unto her: How is it that ye have agreed
together to tempt the Spirit of the
Lord? Behold, the feet of them which
have buried thine husband are at the
door, and shall carry thee out. She fell
down straightway at his feet, and yielded
up the ghost. And the young men came
in and found her dead, and, carrying
her forth, buried her by her husband.
And great fear came upon all the
Church, and upon as many as heard
these things.
Second Responsory.
The Good Shepherd, &c., (p. 462.)
Third Lesson.
AND by the hands of the Apostles
were many signs and wonders
wrought among the people. And they
were all with one accord in Solomon's
Porch. And of the rest durst no man
join himself unto them; but the people
magnified them. And believers were
the more added to the Lord, multitudes
both of men and women, insomuch that
they brought forth the sick into the
streets, and laid them on beds and
couches, that at the least the shadow of
Peter passing by might overshadow some
2 John xx. 29.
LOW WEEK.
479
of them, and they might be delivered
from their infirmities. There came also
a multitude out of the cities round about
Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them
which were vexed with unclean spirits:
and they were healed every one.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
*
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹Mine heart is on fire : * I would that I
might see my Lord: I seek Him, and
know not where they have laid Him.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
2
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I have put my finger into the
print of the nails, and my hand into
*
His Side, and I have said: My Lord,
and my God! Alleluia.
Friday in Low Week.
Sixth Day.
See Rubric (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (viii. 9.)
BUT
UT there was a certain man called
Simon, which before-time in the
same city³ used sorcery, and bewitched
the people of Samaria, giving out that
himself was some great one: to whom
they all gave heed, from the least to the
greatest, saying: This man is the great
power of God. And to him they had
regard, because that of long time he
had bewitched them with sorceries.
But when they believed Philip preach-
ing the things concerning the kingdom
of God, they were baptized in the Name
of JESUS Christ,5 both men and women.
Then Simon himself believed also: and
when he was baptized, he continued
with Philip, and wondered, beholding
the miracles and signs which were done.
First Responsory.
With great power, &c., (p. 463.)
Now
Second Lesson.
when the Apostles which were
at Jerusalem heard that Samaria
had received the Word of God, they sent
unto them Peter and John: who, when
they were come down, prayed for them,
that they might receive the Holy Ghost;
for as yet He was fallen upon none of
them, but they were only baptized in
the Name of the Lord JESUS. Then
laid they their hands on them, and they
received the Holy Ghost. And when
Simon saw that through laying on of
the Apostles' hands the Holy Ghost was
given, he offered them money, saying:
Give me also this power, that on whom-
soever I lay hands, he may receive the
Holy Ghost.
Second Responsory.
From the mouth, &c., (p. 464.)
Third Lesson.
BUT Peter said unto him: Thy money
perish with thee, because thou hast
thought that the gift of God may be
purchased with money. Thou hast
neither part nor lot in this matter: for
thy heart is not right in the sight of
God. Repent therefore of this thy
wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps
the thought of thine heart may be for-
given thee. For I perceive that thou
art in the gall of bitterness, and in the
bond of iniquity. Then answered Si-
mon and said: Pray ye to the Lord for
me, that none of these things which ye
have spoken come upon me.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS,
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
* came to see the Sepulchre. Alle-
luia.
If the Saturday is not occupied by
2 Cf. John xx. 25-28.
3 Samaria.
1 Cf. John xx. 2.
4 According to the Fathers, he pretended to be a Divine Incarnation, and the Messiah.
5 So the Latin, but the accepted Greek and the Codex Vaticanus is, "the things con-
cerning the kingdom of God and the Name of JESUS Christ, they were baptized," &c.
6 But he afterwards became the first heresiarch, and the opponent of St. Peter at Rome.
480
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
some Feast with Nine Lessons, it is oc-
cupied by the Simple Office of the Blessed
Virgin.
Saturday in Low Week.
The Sabbath.
See Rubric (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (x. 1.)
NOW there was a certain man in
Cæsarea, called Cornelius, a cen-
turion of the band called the Italian
band, a devout man, and one that feared
God with all his house, which gave much
alms to the people, and prayed to God
alway. He saw in a vision evidently,
about the ninth hour of the day, an
Angel of God coming in to him, and
saying unto him: Cornelius. And when
he looked on him he was afraid, and
said: What is it, Lord? And he said
unto him: Thy prayers and thine alms
are come up for a memorial before God.
And now send men to Joppa, and call
for one Simon, whose surname is Peter;
he lodgeth with one Simon a tanner,
whose house is by the sea side; he shall
tell thee what thou oughtest to do.
And when the Angel which spake unto
Cornelius was departed, he called two
of his household servants, and a soldier
which feared the Lord, of those whom
he commanded, and when he had de-
clared all these things to them, he sent
them to Joppa.
Second Lesson.
ΟΝ
ON the morrow, as they went on their
journey, and drew nigh unto the
city, Peter went up upon the house-top
to pray, about the sixth hour. And he
became very hungry, and would have
eaten. But while they made ready, he
fell into a trance; and saw heaven
opened, and a certain vessel descending
unto him, as it had been a great sheet,
knit at the four corners, and let down
from heaven to the earth, wherein were
all manner of four-footed beasts, and fowls
of the air, and creeping things of the
earth. And there came a voice to him:
Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter
said: Not so, Lord: for I have never
eaten anything that is common or un-
clean. And the voice spake unto him
again the second time: What God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common.
This was done thrice; and the vessel
was received up again into heaven.
Now while Peter doubted in himself
what this vision which he had seen
should mean, behold, the men which
were sent from Cornelius had made en-
quiry for Simon's house, and stood be-
fore the gate.
Third Lesson. (34.)
THEN Peter opened his mouth, and
said: Of a truth I perceive that
God is no respecter of persons, but in
every nation he that feareth Him, and
worketh righteousness is accepted with
Him. The Word which God sent unto
the children of Israël, preaching peace
by JESUS Christ: (He is Lord of all.)
Ye know that word which was pub-
lished throughout all Judea and began
from Galilee, after the baptism which
John preached, even JESUS of Nazareth;
how God anointed Him with the Holy
Ghost and with power; Who went
about doing good, and healing all that
were oppressed of the devil, for God was
with Him. And we are witnesses of all
things which He did, both in the land
of the Jews and in Jerusalem.
they hanged on a tree and slew. Him
God raised up the third day, and showed
Him openly, not to all the people, but
unto witnesses chosen before of God, even
to us who did eat and drink with Him
after He rose from the dead.
VESPERS.
Whom
Chapter and Prayer from the ensuing
Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I am the Shepherd of the
Sheep: I am the Way, the Truth, and
the Life: * I am the Good Shepherd,
and know My Sheep, and am known of
Mine. Alleluia, Alleluia.

1 Or by the Votive Office of her Conception, at the reader's pleasure.
2 John x. 11, 9, 14; xiv. 6.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER.
481
Good Shepherd Sunday.
The Second Lord's Day after the
Passover.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Low
Sunday, (p. 471.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (xiii. 13.)
Now
OW when Paul and his company
loosed from Paphos, they came to
Perga in Pamphylia: and John depart-
ing from them, returned to Jerusalem.
But when they departed from Perga,
came to Antioch in Pisidia, and
have found David the son of Jesse, a
man after Mine Own heart, which shall
fulfil all My will." Of this man's seed
hath God, according to His promise
raised unto Israël a Saviour, JESUS:
when John had first preached, before
His coming, the baptism of repentance
to all the people of Israël. And as John
fulfilled his course, he said: "I am not
He Who ye think that I am; but,
behold, there cometh One after me,
Whose shoes of His Feet I am not wor-
thy to loose." (Mark i. 7.)
Second Responsory.
From the mouth, &c., (p. 464,) omit-
ting the last Verse and Answer.
Third Lesson.
they into the synagogue on the Sab- Mtock of Abraham, hid wh of ter
bath day, and sat down. And after the
reading of the Law and the Prophets,
the rulers of the Synagogue sent unto
them, saying: Ye men and brethren, if
ye have any word of exhortation for the
people, say on. Then Paul stood up,
and, beckoning with his hand, said:
Men of Israël, and ye that fear God,
give audience: the God of the people of
Israël chose our fathers, and exalted the
people when they dwelt as strangers in
the land of Egypt, and with an high
arm brought He them out of it: and
about the time of forty years suffered
He their manners in the wilderness.
And when He had destroyed seven na-
tions in the land of Canaan, He divided
their land to them by lot, after about
four hundred and fifty years; and after
that, He gave unto them Judges, until
Samuel the Prophet.
First Responsory.
With great power, &c., (p. 463.)
AN
Second Lesson.
ND afterward they desired a king,
and God gave unto them Saul the
son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Ben-
jamin, by the space of forty years. And
when He had removed him, He raised
up unto them David to be their king, to
whom He gave testimony and said: "I
among you feareth God, to you is the
word of this salvation sent. For they
that dwelled at Jerusalem, and their
rulers, because they knew Him not, nor
yet the voices of the Prophets, which
are read every Sabbath day, they have
fulfilled them in condemning Him. And
though they found no cause of death in
Him, yet desired they Pilate that He
should be slain. And when they had
fulfilled all that was written of Him,
they took Him down from the tree, and
laid Him in a Sepulchre. But God
raised Him from the dead on the third
day; and He was seen many days of them
which came up with Him from Galilee to
Jerusalem, who are His witnesses unto
the people. And we declare unto you
glad tidings, how that the promise which
was made unto our fathers, God hath
fulfilled the same unto us their children,
in that He hath raised up JESUS again,
as it is also written in the Second Psalm
(7): "Thou art My Son; this day have
I begotten Thee."
Third Responsory.
Behold the Lion, &c., (p. 465,) with
this addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
1 Apparently this quotation is a sort of cento of Ps. lxxxviii. 21, and 1 Kings (Sam.) xiii. 14.
-
I I
482
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (1st for
the Lord's Ascension.)
EARLY beloved brethren, the days
DEARLY
which passed between the Resur-
rection and the Ascension of the Lord,
wore not idly by, but in them were es-
tablished great Sacraments, and great
Mysteries were revealed. In them was
abolished the terror of that fearful
death, and it was shown that not the
soul only, but the body also, will not die
eternally. In them the breathing of the
Lord on His Apostles shed upon them
the Holy Ghost, and the Blessed Apostle
Peter, being given the keys of the king-
dom of heaven, was chosen out of the
rest to receive the chief care of the
Lord's fold.
Fourth Responsory.
I am the True Vine, &c., (p. 465,)
omitting the last Verse and Answer.
IT
Fifth Lesson.
T was during those days, that as two
of His disciples were walking to-
gether, the Lord Himself joined them,
and made Himself One of three com-
panions. Then that, to clear away all
shadow of doubt from our mind, He
rebuked the slowness of such as still
feared and trembled. Their hearts en-
lightened by faith, caught the flame;
and, whereas they had afore been cold,
they glowed again as the Lord opened
to them the Scriptures. In the break-
ing of bread their eyes were opened, and
they knew Him. And, O, how much
happier were they with their eyes opened,
and gazing upon the glorification of our
nature in His Person, than were the
first father and mother of our race, upon
whom their own transgression had
brought shame!
Fifth Resposonry.
After that our Lord, &c., (p. 467.)
Sixth Lesson.
A MID these and other miracles, while
the disciples were still troubled
with fearful thoughts, the Lord mani-
fested Himself in the midst of them,
and said: "Peace be unto you." And
lest their reason should be deceived by
the vain imaginations which lurked in
their hearts, (for they thought that What
they saw was a spirit, and not Flesh,) He
rebuked thoughts so inconsistent with
the truth; and pointed out to the eyes
of the doubters the marks of crucifixion
which still remained in His Hands and
His Feet, and bade them handle Him
more closely. Those open Wounds made
by the nails and spear in His Body re-
main ever open to close the wounds in
unbelievers' hearts: that we may hold,
not with doubtful faith, but with most
firm and absolute knowledge, that the
Manhood Which lay in the grave is the
Same Which now sitteth at the right
hand of God the Father.
Sixth Responsory.
Purge out, &c., (p. 468.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (x. 11.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto the
Pharisees: I am the Good Shep-
herd. The Good Shepherd giveth His
life for His sheep. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (14th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, ye have
heard from the Holy Gospel what is at
once your instruction, and our danger.
Behold, how He Who, not by the vary-
ing gifts of nature, but of the very
essence of His being, is Good, behold
how He saith: "I am the Good Shep-
herd." And then He saith what is the
character of His goodness, even of that
goodness of His which we must strive
to copy: "The Good Shepherd giveth
His life for the Sheep." As He had
foretold, even so did He; as He had
commanded, so gave He ensample. The
Good Shepherd gave His life for the
sheep, and made His Own Body and
His Own Blood to be our Sacramental
Food, pasturing upon His Own Flesh
the sheep whom He had bought.
Seventh Responsory.
Christ being raised, &c., (p. 469.)

SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER.
483
Eighth Lesson.
HE,
E, by despising death, hath shown
us how to do the like; He hath
set before us the mould wherein it be-
hoveth us to be cast. Our first duty is,
freely and tenderly to spend our out-
ward things for His sheep, but lastly, if
need be, to serve the same by our death
also. From the light offering of the
first, we go on to the stern offering of
the last, and, if we be ready to give our
life for the sheep, why should we scru-
ple to give our substance, seeing how
much more is the life than meat?"
(Matth. vi. 25.)
Eighth Responsory.
The Good Shepherd, &c., (p. 462.)
Ninth Lesson.
AND some there be which love the
things of this world better than
they love the sheep; and such as they
deserve no longer to be called shep-
herds. These are they of whom it is
written: "But he that is an hireling, and
not the shepherd, whose own the sheep
are not, seeth the wolf coming, and
leaveth the sheep, and fleeth" (12.)
He is not a shepherd but an hireling
which feedeth the Lord's sheep, not be-
cause he loveth their souls, but because
he doth gain earthly wealth thereby.
He that taketh a shepherd's place, but
seeketh not gain of souls, that same is
but an hireling; such an one is ever
ready for creature-comforts, he loveth
his pre-eminence, he groweth sleek upon
his income, and he liketh well to see
men bow down to him.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (1 Pet. ii. 21.)
BRETHREN, Christ suffered for us,
leaving you an example, that ye
should follow His steps: Who did no
sin, neither was guile found in His
Mouth.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Low Sunday, (p. 474.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
I am the Shepherd of the sheep: * I
am the Way, the Truth, and the Life:
I am the Good Shepherd, and know My
sheep, and am known of Mine. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
GOD, Whose Son hath humbled
Himself, and Who hast through
Him raised up the whole world, grant
to Thy faithful people everlasting joy;
and as Thou hast delivered them from
the bitter pains of eternal death, make
them to be glad for ever in Thy presence.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Chapter at Terce as at Lauds.
Chapter at Sext. (1 Pet. ii. 23.)
HE gave Himself up to him that
Hjudged
judged Him unjustly. He, His
Own Self, bare our sins in His Own
Body upon the tree, that we, being dead
to síns, should live unto righteousness:
by Whose stripes we are healed.
Chapter at None. (1 Pet. ii. 25.)
FOR ye were as sheep going astray,
but are now returned unto the
Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday in Easter Week, (p. 470.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I am the Good Shepherd,
Who feed My sheep and I lay down
My life for My sheep. Alleluia.
Monday.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
Second Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (xv. 5.)
BUT
UT there rose up certain of the sect
of the Pharisees, which believed,
saying: That it was needful to circum-
ป
II 2
484
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
cise them;¹ and to command them to
keep the law of Moses. And the Apostles
and elders² came together, for to consider
of this matter. And when there was
much disputing, Peter rose up and said
unto them: "Men and brethren, ye
know how that a good while ago, God
made choice among us, that the Gentiles
by my mouth should hear the word of
the Gospel and believe. And God Which
knoweth the hearts, bare them witness,
giving them the Holy Ghost, even as
He did unto us; and put no difference
between us and them, purifying their
hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why
tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the
neck of the disciples, which neither our
fathers nor we were able to bear? But
we believe that through the grace of the
Lord JESUS Christ we shall be saved,
even as they." Then all the multitude
kept silence and gave audience to Bar-
nabas and Paul, declaring what miracles
and wonders God had wrought among
the Gentiles by them.
First Responsory.
With great power, &c., (p. 463.)
Second Lesson.
ND after they had held their peace,
AND
James answered, saying: "Men and
brethren, hearken unto me. Simon hath
declared how God at the first did visit
the Gentiles, to take out of them a people
for His Name: and to this agree the
words of the Prophets, as it is written :
'Afterward I will return,³ and I will
raise up the tabernacle of David, that is
fallen, and close up the breaches thereof,
and I will raise¹ it up, that the remnant
of men may seek the Lord, even all the
nations which are called by My Name,
saith the LORD That doeth this.' (Amos
ix. 11, 12.) Known unto God from ever-
lasting are all His works. Wherefore,
my sentence is, that we trouble not them,
which from among the Gentiles are
turned to God; but that we write unto
them, that they abstain from pollutions
1 Viz. the Gentile converts.
of idols, and from fornication, and from
things strangled, and from blood. For
Moses of old time hath in every city
them that preach him, being read in the
Synagogues every Sabbath Day."
Second Responsory.
From the mouth, &c., (p. 464.)
Third Lesson.
And
THEN pleased it the Apostles and El-
ders,2 with the whole Church, to
send chosen men of their own company
to Antioch, with Paul and Barnabas, [to
wit,] Judas named Barsabas, and Silas,
chief men among the brethren.
they wrote letters by them, [after this
manner]: "The Apostles, and Elders,2
and brethren, [send] greeting unto the
brethren which are of the Gentiles, in
Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia. For-
asmuch as we have heard, that certain
which went out from us have troubled
you with words, subverting your souls,
(to whom we gave no such command-
ment;) it seemed good unto us, being
assembled with one accord, to send chosen
men unto you, with our dearly beloved
Barnabas and Paul, men that have ha-
zarded their lives for the Name of our
Lord JESUS Christ. We have sent there-
fore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell
you the same things by mouth. For it
seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to
us, to lay upon you no greater burden
than these necessary things: That ye
abstain from meats offered to idols; and
from blood; and from things strangled;
and from fornication. From which if
ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well.
Fare ye well."
The Hymn," We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
5 Go ye into the world, * Alleluia, and
teach all nations. Alleluia.
2 Seniores, but the Greek is "presbuteroi," generally translated, or, rather, contracted,
"Priests."
3 These words are not in Amos, but only "In those days will I raise, &c.”
• A very free quotation. The words of Amos are, "And I will raise up his ruins, and I
will build it as in the days of old; that they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all
the heathen, because they are called by My Name, saith the LORD That doeth this."
5 Mark xvi. 15; Matth. xxviii. 19.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER.
485
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Good Shepherd * giveth
His life for His sheep. Alleluia.
Tuesday.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
Third Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (xvii. 22.)
THE
HEN Paul stood in the midst of the
Areopagus,2 and said: "Ye men of
Athens, I perceive that in all things ye
are exceedingly God-fearing. For as I
passed by and beheld your statues, I
found also an altar with this inscription
To the Unknown God.' Whom
therefore ye ignorantly worship, Him
declare I unto you. God That made
the world and all things therein, seeing
that He is the Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands,
neither is worshipped with men's hands,
as though He needed anything, seeing
that He giveth to all life, and breath,
and all things; and hath made of one
blood all nations of men, for to dwell on
all the face of the earth, and hath de-
termined the times before appointed,
and the bounds of their habitation; that
they should seek God, if haply they
might feel after Him, and find Him,
though He be not far from every one
of us."
First Responsory.
Behold, the Lion, &c., (p. 465.)
Second Lesson.
FOR in Him we live, and move, and
have our being as certain also
of
your own poets have said: 'For we
are also His offspring."3 Forasmuch
then as we are the offspring of God, we
ought not to think that the Godhead is
like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven
by art and man's device. And the times
1 John x. 11.
of this ignorance God winked at, but
now commandeth all men everywhere to
repent; because He hath appointed a
day in which He will judge the world
in righteousness, by that Man Whom
he hath ordained; whereof He hath
given assurance unto all men, in that
He hath raised Him from the dead".
and when they heard of the Resurrec-
tion of the dead, some mocked, and others
said: "We will hear thee again of this
matter." So Paul departed from among
them.
Second Responsory.
I am the True Vine, &c., (p. 465.)
HOW BEIT
Third Lesson.
OWBEIT, certain men clave to him,
and believed: among which was
Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman
named Damaris, and others with them.
(xviii.) After these things Paul de-
parted from Athens, and came to Corinth;
and found a certain Jew named Aquila,
born in Pontus, lately come from Italy,
with his wife Priscilla, (because that
Claudius had commanded all Jews to
depart from Rome,) and came unto them.
And because he was of the same craft,
he abode with them and wrought: for
by their occupation they were tent-
makers. And he reasoned in the Syna-
gogue every Sabbath, preaching the
Name of the Lord JESUS, and persuaded
the Jews and the Greeks.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
*
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"Go ye into the world, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the Name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost. Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. But he that is an hireling,
[and not the Shepherd,] whose own the
sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming,
and leaveth the sheep, * and fleeth; and
2 I.e. "the hill of" the god "Ares"-a celebrated place at Athens.
3 "The quotation," says Mr. Ornsby, in his Greek Testament, "is from the 'Phæno-
mena' of Aratus, a poet of Tarsus in Cilicia, St. Paul's own city. There is a very similar
passage in an hymn of the Stoic Cleanthes."
♦ Mark xvi. 15; Matth. xxviii. 19.
5 John x. 12.
486
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
K
the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth
the sheep. Alleluia.
Wednesday.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
Lessons from Acts xx. 17, as in the
Common Office for a Bishop and Martyr.
First Responsory.
After that our Lord, &c., (p. 467.)
Second Responsory.
Purge out, &c., (p. 468.)
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Go to My brethren, and say unto them
-Alleluia-that they go into Galilee *
-Alleluia: there shall they see Me.
Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. As the Father knoweth Me, *
even so know I the Father: and I lay
down My life for My sheep. Alleluia.
Thursday.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
Fifth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (xxiv. 10.)
THEN Paul, (after that the Governor
had beckoned unto him to speak,)
answered: "Forasmuch as I know that
thou hast been of many years a judge
unto this nation, I do the more cheer-
fully answer for myself. Because that
thou mayest understand that there are
yet but twelve days since I went up to
Jerusalem for to worship. And they
neither found me in the temple dis-
puting with any man, neither raising
up the people, neither in the Syna-
3
gogues, nor in the city: neither can
they prove the things whereof they now
accuse me. But this I confess unto thee,
that after the way which they call heresy,
so worship I my Father and God, believ-
ing all things which are written in the
Law and in the Prophets; and have
hope toward God, (which they them-
selves also look for,) that there shall be
a resurrection of the dead, both of the
just and unjust. And herein do I exer-
cise myself, to have always a conscience
void of offence toward God, and toward
men."
First Responsory.
Christ being raised from the dead, &c.,
(p. 469.)
Second Lesson.
NOW after many years, I came to
bring alms to my nation, and
offerings, and vows. Whereupon certain
Jews from Asia found me purified in the
temple, neither with multitude, nor with
tumult: who ought to have been here
before thee, and object, if they had aught
against me: or else let these same here
say, if they have found any evil-doing in
me,
while I stood before the council, ex-
cept it be for this one voice, that I cried,
standing among them: Touching the
resurrection of the dead I am called in
question by you this day.'
Second Responsory.
The Good Shepherd, &c., (p. 462.)
Third Lesson.
BUT Felix, having more perfect know-
"
ledge of that way, deferred them,
and said: "When Lysias the Chief Cap-
tain shall come down, I will hear you.
And he commanded a Centurion to keep
Paul, and to let him have rest, and that
he should forbid none of his acquaint-
ance to minister unto him. And after
certain days, when Felix came, with his
wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he
sent for Paul, and heard from him the
faith which is in Christ JESUS. And as
he reasoned of justice and chastity, and
of judgment to come, Felix trembled;
and answered: "Go thy way for this
time; when I have a convenient season,
1 John xx. 17. Cf. Matth. xxviii. 7.
2 Felix, to whom St. Paul had been sent from Jerusalem.
3 Concursum facientem turbæ.
SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER.
487
I will call for thee." He hoped also
that money should have been given him
of Paul, that he might loose him: where-
fore he sent for him the oftener, and
communed with him. But after two
years Porcius Festus came into Felix'
First Responsory.
With great power, &c., (p. 463.)
Second Lesson.
And Felix, willing to show the AND when he had tarried among them
Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound.
room.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹ Art thou only a stranger [in Jerusalem],
and hast not known concerning JESUS, *
and how they delivered Him to be con-
demned to death? Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Other sheep I have, which are
not of this fold: * them also I must
bring, and they shall hear My voice;
and there shall be one fold, and one
shepherd. Alleluia.
Friday.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (xxv. 1.)
NOW when Festus was come into the
province, after three days he as-
cended from Cæsarea to Jerusalem. Then
the chief priests and the leaders of the
Jews informed him against Paul, and be-
sought him, desiring as a favour against
him, that he would send for him to Je-
rusalem, they laying wait in the way
to kill him. But Festus answered, that
Paul should be kept at Cæsarea, and
that he himself would depart shortly
thither. "Let them therefore," said
he, (6 which among you are able, go
down with me, and accuse this man, if
there be any wickedness in him.”
1 Luke xxiv. 18-20.
no more than eight or ten days, he
went down unto Cæsarea; and the next
day, sitting on the judgment-seat, com-
manded Paul to be brought. And when
he was come, the Jews which came down
from Jerusalem stood round about, and
laid many and grievous complaints
against him, which they could not prove,
while Paul answered for himself: "Nei-
ther against the Law of the Jews, neither
against the Temple, nor yet against
Cæsar, have I offended anything at all."
Second Responsory.
Out of the mouth, &c., (p. 464.)
Third Lesson.
BUT Festus, willing to do the Jews a
pleasure, answered Paul, and said :
"Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and
there be judged of these things before
me?" Then said Paul: "I stand at
Cæsar's judgment-seat, where I ought
to be judged. To the Jews have I done
no wrong, as thou very well knowest.
For if I be an offender, or have com-
mitted anything worthy of death, I re-
fuse not to die: but if there be none of
these things whereof these accuse me,
no man may deliver me unto them. Í
appeal unto Cæsar." Then Festus, when
he had conferred with the council, an-
swered: Thou hast appealed unto
Cæsar, unto Cæsar thou shalt go.'
112
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c." is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
3 Ought not Christ to have suffered these
things, and so to enter into His glory?
Alleluia.
*
Vespers are either of a Festival or of
the Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin.¹
2 The reader is strongly recommended to read the appearance of St. Paul before Festus
and Agrippa, (Acts xxv., xxvi.,) and the journey of the Apostle to Rome, (xxvii., xxviii.)
3 Luke xxiv. 26.
4 Or of the Votive Office of the Conception.
488
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (xxviii. 16.)
AND when we came to Rome, Paul
was suffered to dwell by himself
with a soldier that kept him. And after
three days he called the chief of the
Jews together. And when they were
come together, he said unto them:
"Men and brethren, though I have
committed nothing against the people,
or customs of our fathers, yet was I de-
livered prisoner from Jerusalem into
the hands of the Romans: who, when
they had examined me, would have let
me go, because there was no cause of
death in me. But when the Jews spake
against it, I was constrained to appeal
unto Cæsar; not that I had aught to
accuse my nation of. For this cause
therefore have I called for you, to see
you and to speak with you; because
that for the hope of Israel I am bound
with this chain."
Second Lesson.
AND they said unto him: "We neither
received letters out of Judea, con-
cerning thee, neither any of the bre-
thren, that came, showed or spake any
harm of thee. But we desire to hear of
thee what thou thinkest: for, as con-
cerning this sect, we know that every-
where it is spoken against." And when
they had appointed him a day, there
came many to him into his lodging, to
whom he expounded and testified the
kingdom of God, persuading them con-
cerning JESUS, both out of the Law of
Moses, and out of the Prophets, from
morning till evening. And some be-
lieved the things which were spoken,
and some believed not.
Third Lesson.
AND when they agreed not among
themselves, they departed, after
that Paul had spoken one word: "Well
spake the Holy Ghost by Isaias the Pro-
phet unto our fathers, saying: 'Go ye
unto_this_people and say unto them:
Ye shall hear with the ear, but under-
stand not; and seeing ye shall see, but
perceive not. For the heart of this
people is grown fat, and they hear
heavily with their ears, and shut their
eyes, lest perchance they see with their
eyes, and hear with their ears, and un-
derstand with their heart, and be con-
verted, and I should heal them."
it known therefore unto you that this
salvation of God is sent unto the Gen-
tiles, and that they will hear it."
when he had said these words, the Jews
departed from him, and had great rea-
soning among themselves. And he dwelt
two whole years in his own hired house,
and received all that came in unto him,
preaching the kingdom of God, and
teaching the things which concern the
Lord JESUS Christ, with all confidence,
no man forbidding him.
Vespers are of the Feast.
Be
And
Third Sunday after Easter.
The Third Lord's Day after the
Passover.
Feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph.2
Double of the Second Class.
All from the Common Office for a
Feast of a Confessor not a Bishop, ex-
cept the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Hymn.3
JOSEPH ! to thee by hosts on high
And choirs of Christians, laud be paid!-
Saintly of life,-by purest tie
Joined unto her, the glorious Maid.
1 This is a very free quotation from Isa. vi. 9.
" And He said: Go, and tell this people :
Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the
heart of this people dark, and their ears heavy and shut their eyes: lest perchance, &c."
2 In the original this Office is put at the beginning of April or May, but it is here placed
where it always occurs in practice, and the accompanying application of the General
Rubrics is made.
3 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Littledale.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER.
489
When thou didst doubt thy wife's repute,
And mark her great with Sacred Load,
The angel taught thee that her Fruit
Came from the Holy Ghost of God.
To clasp the Son, thy Lord, was thine,—
To share His flight to Egypt's shore,-
With tears, to seek in Salem's Shrine
Him lost,—with joy, to find once more.
Death brings to other saints their rest;
Through toil they win the victor's place ;—
Thou happier, like the angels blest,
Alive, hast seen God Face to face.
Spare us, O Trinity Most High!
Grant that, with Joseph, we may gain
Thy starry realm, and ceaselessly
There raise to Thee our thankful strain.
Amen.
Verse. ¹He made him lord of His
house. Alleluia.
Answer. And ruler of all His sub-
stance. Alleluia.
2
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. When as Mary, the Mother of
JESUS, was espoused to Joseph, before
they came together, she was found with
child of the Holy Ghost. Alleluia.
A Commemoration is made of the
Third Sunday after Easter: Antiphon
and Prayer from the same Commemora-
tion at Lauds.
Verse. Lord, abide with us-Alleluia.
Answer. For it is toward evening-
Alleluia.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. In worshipful remem-
brance of our blessed Defender Joseph,*
let us praise our God. Alleluia.
Hymn as at First Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
3
Antiphon. The Angel of the Lord
appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying:
Arise, and take the young Child and His
Mother, and flee into Egypt, and be
thou there until I bring thee word. Al-
leluia.
Psalms I., II., III., (pp. 4, 5.)
1 Ps. civ. 21.
4 Ecclus. li. 1, 2.
2 Matth. i. 18.
5 Gen. xli. 55.
Verse. I will give praise unto Thy
Name-Alleluia.
Answer. For Thou hast been mine
Helper and Defender-Alleluia.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Genesis (xxxix. 1.)
SO Joseph was brought down to Egypt,
and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh,
captain of the guard, an Egyptian,
bought him of the hands of the Ish-
maelites, which had brought him down
thither. And the LORD was with him,
and he was a prosperous man; and he
was in the house of his master; and
[his master] knew well that the LORD
was with him, and made all that he did
to prosper in his hand. And Joseph
found grace in his master's sight, and
he served him; and he made him over-
seer over his house, and all that he had
he put into his hand. And the LORD
blessed the Egyptian's house for Jo-
seph's sake, and made all his substance
to increase, in the house, and in the
field, [and he left all that he had in
Joseph's hand,] and he knew not aught
he had, save the bread which he did
eat. And Joseph was a goodly person,
and well-favoured.
First Responsory.
6
"The people cried to Pharaoh for
bread: and he answered them: Go unto
Joseph. Alleluia.
7
Verse. The saving of our lives is in
thy hand; only let us find grace in thy
sight, and we will gladly be Pharaoh's
servants.
Answer. And he answered them: Go
unto Joseph. Alleluia.
THE
Second Lesson. (xli. 37.)
HE thing was good in the eyes of
Pharaoh, and in the eyes of all his
servants, and he said unto them: Can
we find such an one as this is, a man in
whom the Spirit of God is? Unto Jo-
seph therefore he said: Forasmuch as
God hath showed thee all this which
thou hast spoken, how shall I find any
man more discreet and wise than thou
3 Matth. ii. 13.
6 Rex, "the king," according to Gesenius, a simple translation of the Egyptian word ;
but the translator has thought it best to give the foreign word, as it stands in the Hebrew
and in the Vulgate.
7 Gen. xlvii. 25.
490
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
art? Thou shalt be over my house, and
according to thy word shall all my peo-
ple be ruled: only in the throne will I
be greater than thou. And Pharaoh
said moreover unto Joseph: See, I have
set thee over all the land of Egypt. And
he took off his ring from his hand, and
put it upon his hand; and arrayed him
in a vesture of fine linen, and put a gold
chain about his neck, and he made him
to ride in the second chariot which he
had, and an herald cried out that all
men should bow the knee before him,
and should know that he had been made
ruler over all the land of Egypt.
Second Responsory.
¹God hath made me as a father to
Pharaoh, and lord of all his house. He
hath made me great, to save much peo-
ple alive. Alleluia.
2
Verse. Come unto me, and I will
give you all the good of the land of
Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the
land.
Answer. He hath made me great, to
save much people alive. Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
AND Pharaoh said moreover unto Jo-
seph: I am Pharaoh: without thee
shall no man lift up his hand or foot in
all the land of Egypt. And he changed
his name, and called him in the Egyp-
tian tongue,"Saviour-of-the-world."s
And he gave him to wife Asenath daugh-
ter of Potiphar, Priest of Heliopolis. So
Joseph went out into the land of Egypt,
(he was thirty years old when he stood
before King Pharaoh) and went through-
out all the land of Egypt. And the
plenteousness of the seven years came
to pass, and the corn was gathered by
handfuls, and laid up in the granaries
of Egypt. The fruit of the field which
was round about every city was laid
up in the same. And so plentiful was
the wheat that it was like unto the sand
of the sea, and exceeded all reckon-
ing.
1 Gen. xlv. 8; 1. 20.
Third Responsory.
4 Now shall I die happy, since I have
seen thy face, and do leave thee behind
me. I am not disappointed of seeing
thee. The Lord hath showed me also
thy seed. Alleluia.
Verse. "He That hath fed me from
my youth up, bless the lads, and let my
name be named on them.
Answer. The Lord hath showed me
also thy seed. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The Lord hath showed me
also thy seed. Alleluia.
SECOND NOCTURN.
6
Antiphon. An Angel of the Lord
appeareth in a dream to Joseph [in
Egypt] saying: Arise, and take the
young Child and His Mother, and go
into the land of Israël: for they are
dead which sought the young Child's
life. Alleluia.
Psalms IV., V., VIII., (pp. 172,
97, 6.)
Verse. "Look down from heaven, and
behold, and visit this vine-Alleluia.
Answer. And protect that [Thy right
hand hath planted.] Alleluia.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernardine of Sienna. (1st on
St. Joseph.)
WHEN any special favours are con-
ferred upon a reasonable being, it
is the common rule that whenever the
grace of God electeth such and such an
one for such and such a grace, or for
such and such an high post of duty, the
person so elected receiveth all the gifts
of grace which be needful for him in
that state of life whereunto he is called,
and receiveth them abundantly. Of
this there is an excellent instance in the
case of the holy Joseph, the so-called
father of our Lord JESUS Christ, and
2 Gen. xlv. 18.
3 Tsaphnath Phanéach. LXX. Psonthomphanéch. Egyptian scholars interpret it as
above, but the Jews had an interpretation of their own from the Hebrew form, i.e.
“Revealer-of-a-secret” (so Gesenius.)
• Cf. Gen. xlvi. 30; xlviii. 11.
6 Matth. ii. 19, 20.
8 May 20.
5 Gen. xlviii. 15, 16.
7 Ps. lxxix. 15, 16.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER.
491
the real husband of her, who is Queen of
the world, and Lady of Angels. He had
been elected by the Eternal Father to
be the faithful nurse and warder of His
two chief treasures, that is, His Son,
and Joseph's own Wife. This duty Jo-
seph faithfully discharged, and conse-
quently the Lord hath said to him:
"Well done, thou good and faithful
servant: enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord." (Matth. xxv. 21.)
Fourth Responsory.
Thou hast given me the shield of
Thy salvation, and Thy right hand
hath holden me up. My buckler, and
the horn of my salvation, and my re-
fuge. Alleluia.
Verse. I am thy shield and thy ex-
ceeding great reward.
Answer. My buckler, and the horn of
my salvation, and my refuge. Alleluia.
THIS
Fifth Lesson.
HIS man Joseph, if we compare him
with the Universal Church of Christ,
is he not that elect and chosen one,
through whom, and under whom, Christ
is orderly and honestly brought into the
world? If, then, the Holy Universal
Church be under a debt to the Virgin
Mother, because it is through her that
she hath been made to receive Christ,
next to Mary she oweth love and wor-
ship to Joseph. Joseph is the key of
the [Church of the Saints which were
under the] Old Testament, in whose
person the noble structure of Patriarchs
and Prophets reacheth her completion
and realiseth her promises. He is the
only one of them who actually enjoyed
in full fruition what God had been
pleased to promise before to them. It
is, therefore, with good reason that we
see a type of him in that Patriarch
Joseph who stored up corn for the peo-
ple. But the second Joseph hath a more
excellent dignity than the first, seeing
that the first only gave to the Egyptians
bread for the body, but the second was
the watchful guardian for all the elect
of that Living Bread Which came down
from heaven, of Which whosoever eat-
eth will never die.
1 Ps. xvii. 36, 3.
• I.e. Wisdom's.
7 Reverentia.
Fifth Responsory.
3 He shall set his children under her¹
shelter, and shall lodge under her
branches by her shall he be covered
from heat, and in her glory shall he
dwell. Alleluia.
Verse. Trust in Him," ye congrega-
tion of the people, pour out your heart
before Him.
Answer. And in her glory shall he
dwell. Alleluia.
THE
Sixth Lesson.
HERE can be no doubt that Christ
still treateth Joseph in heaven with
that familiarity, honour, and most high
condescension which He paid him, like
a Son to a father, while He walked
among men; nay, rather, that He hath
now crowned and completed those habits.
We may very reasonably suspect that it
was with a peculiar meaning that Christ
said to him: "Enter thou into the joy
of thy Lord." The joy of being blessed
for ever entereth into the heart of man,
but when the Lord said to Joseph, "Enter
thou into joy," He probably meant mys-
tically to bid him realise a joy which
should not be within him only, but out-
side him also, above him, and below
him, and all round about him, and over-
flowing him as it were a great bot-
tomless pit of joy to swallow him up
altogether. Therefore, O thou blessed
Joseph! remember us! In thy helpful
prayers, make intercession for us with
Him Who vouchsafed to be supposed
thy Son! Likewise, obtain some pity
for us from that most blessed Maiden
who was thy wife, and the Mother of
Him, Who, with the Father and the
Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth, one
God, world without end. Amen.
Sixth Responsory.
8Though an host should encamp
against me, my heart shall not fear.
Though war should rise against me, in
this will I be confident. Alleluia.

9
Verse. My praise shall be continu-
ally of Thee, for Thou art my strong
refuge.
2 Gen. xv. 1.
5 Ps. lxi. 9.
8 Ps. xxvi. 3.
Answer. Though war should rise
3 Ecclus. xiv. 26, 27.
6 I.e. in God-see context.
9 Ps. lxx. 7.
492
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
against me, in this will I be confident.
Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Though war should rise
against me, in this will I be confident.
Alleluia.
THIRD NOCTURN,
Antiphon. ¹Joseph arose, and took
the young Child and His Mother, and
came into the land of Israël, and dwelt
in a city called Nazareth. Alleluia.
Verse. I called upon the Lord, the
Father of my
Lord-Alleluia.
Answer. That He would not leave me
in the days of my trouble. Alleluia.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (viii. 21.)
A
ND at that time: When all the
people were baptized, it came to
surround themselves with a family, is
very ancient, even among the people of
God. Hence, Luke is understood to
have included in his Gospel, under the
name of father of Joseph, that, not of
the father by whom he was begotten,
but of him by whom he was adopted,
and it is the ancestors of this adoptive
father who are reckoned up as far as
David.
Seventh Responsory.
Joseph, thou son of David, fear not
to take unto thee Mary thy wife; for
That Which is conceived in her is of
the Holy Ghost: and she shall bring
forth a Son; and thou shalt call His
Name JESUS. Alleluia.
Verse. For He shall save His people
from their sins.
Answer. And thou shalt call His
Name JESUS. Alleluia.
Eighth Lesson.
pass, that JESUS also being baptized and BUT since we are behoven to believe
praying, the heaven was opened. And
so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Bk. ii., on the Harmony of
the Evangelists.)
"And JESUS Himself began to be
about thirty years of age, being (as was
supposed) the Son of Joseph." These
words, as was supposed," were evi-
dently here written for the correction of
such as might think that the Lord was
the Son of Joseph, in the same sense as
other men are called the children of
their fathers. Those who find any trouble
in the fact that the ancestors reckoned
downward by Matthew from David to
Joseph, are other than those reckoned
upward by Luke from Joseph to David,
such, I say, as are troubled by this, may
get over it by supposing that Joseph
had two fathers; one, that is, who begat
him, and another who adopted him."
The custom of adopting children, where-
by those who have none of their own
1 Matth. ii. 21, 23.
that what each of the Evangelists
said was true, Matthew as well as Luke;
and therefore that one of them nameth
the father who begat, and the other,
the father who adopted, Joseph; we na-
turally suppose that the Evangelist, who
nameth the adoptive father, was he who
abstaineth from using the term "beget."
Matthew beginneth (i. 2): "Abraham
begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob,"
and so on, always with the use of this
word "begat," till he cometh to: "and
Jacob begat Joseph." By the word
which he useth he doth sufficiently indi-
cate that the genealogy which he is
giving is that of him who begat.5 Luke
saith "Joseph was the son of Heli,"
not "Joseph was begotten of Heli;'
but even if he had said the latter, it
would not have troubled this interpre-
tation of ours, that one Evangelist nam-
eth the natural, and the other the adop-
tive father of Joseph. It is not an
outrageous thing to say that one who
adopteth another hath begotten him,
2 Ecclus. li. 14.
8 This remark, and the rest of these Lessons, opens the whole (fearfully difficult and
complicated) question of the inter-relationship of the divers members of the Sacred Family.
A note, embracing a genealogical table, briefly setting forth the commonest statements on
the subject, will be found after Sept. 8.
4 Matth. i. 20, 21.
5 If it should happen by any chance that this Feast be transferred, and the day to which
it is so transferred has no Homily of its own, a ninth Lesson is made by dividing the eighth
at this mark.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER.
493
albeit he hath done it, not carnally, but
by love. Even so hath God given to us
the power to become His sons, albeit
He hath not begotten us of His Own
Nature and Substance, as He hath His
Only-Begotten Son, but only reckoneth
us, in His love, among His children.
Eighth Responsory.
¹Arise, and take the young Child, and
His Mother, and flee into Egypt; and
be thou there until I bring thee word.
Alleluia.
Verse. That it might be fulfilled which
was spoken of the Lord by the Prophets,
saying: Out of Egypt have I called My
Son.
Answer. And be thou there until I
bring thee word. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And be thou there until I
bring thee word. Alleluia.
Ninth Lesson. (Homily for the Third
Sunday after Easter.)
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xvi. 16.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: A little while, and ye
shall not see Me; and again a little
while, and ye shall see Me, because I
go
to the Father. And so on.
fested Himself to them for forty days,
He ascended up into heaven.2 (Eighth
Lesson of Sunday.) But now, to them
which were looking on Him in the Body.
He saith, "A little while, and ye shall
not see Me," a little while, and they
who now saw Him clad in a dying na-
ture, should see Him so no more, because
He was about to go to the Father. But
He saith: "And again a little while,
and ye shall see Me," and these words
are a promise to the Universal Church,
just as are those others: "Lo, I am
with you alway, even unto the end of
the world" (Matth. xxviii. 20.) Our
Lord delayeth not His promised coming.
Again a little while, and we shall see
Him. We shall see Him. And, 0, when
we shall see Him then, we shall beg,
we shall ask no more; for no desire will
be unsatisfied, and no riddle unsolved.
(Ninth Lesson of Sunday.) This "lit-
tle while" seemeth a very long while to
us now, while as it is still going on, but
when it is over we shall feel indeed
how truly it is but "a little while."
Therefore, may our rejoicing never be
like the rejoicing of that world whereof
it is said: "The world shall rejoice."
"A woman when she is in travail
hath sorrow," and yet, while hitherto
our gladness is still coming to the birth
through throes of sorrow, let us not
be altogether sorrowful, but, as the
Apostle hath it (Rom. xii. 12): "Re-
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of joicing in hope: patient in tribulation."
Hippo.] (101st Tract on John.)
This "little while" is the whole dura-
tion of this present world. In the same
sense this same Evangelist saith in his
Epistle (ii. 18), "It is the last time."
The words, "because I go to the Fa-
ther," refer to the first clause of the
text, namely, "A little while and ye
shall not see Me," and not to the latter
clause, that is, "and again a little while,
and ye shall see Me." By His going to
the Father He was about to bring it to
pass that they should see Him no more.
And thus it was that He said, not that
He was about to die, and that after His
death they should not see Him until He
rose again, but that He was going to
the Father, which He did when, after
that He was risen again and had mani-
¹ Matth. ii. 13, 15.
"A woman, when she is in travail hath
sorrow, because her hour is come: but
as soon as she is delivered of the child,
she remembereth no more the anguish,
for joy that a man is born into the
world." And so will it be with us.
And with that let me end my dis-
course.
The next passage is one of extreme
difficulty; nor is it possible to treat it
briefly, if, (with the will of God,) it is
to be treated satisfactorily.
The Hymn," We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. And Jacob begat
Joseph, * the husband of Mary, of whom
2 A person bound to the Office might satisfy the obligation by stopping here.
3 Matth. i. 16.
*
494
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
was born JEsUs, Who is called Christ.
Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel
* was sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee, named Nazareth, to a Virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Joseph.
Alleluia.
2
Third Antiphon. And Joseph also
went up
* from Galilee, out of the city
of Nazareth, unto Judea, unto the city
of David, which is called Bethlehem.
Alleluia.
Verse. Thou hast given me the
shield of Thy salvation. Alleluia.
Answer. And Thy right hand hath
holden me up. Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
8 Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to
to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for
That Which is conceived in her is of the
Holy Ghost. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office.
Fourth Antiphon. And they came
with haste, * and found Mary and Jo-GOD, Who in Thine unspeakable
seph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
Alleluia.
Fifth Antiphon. And JESUS Himself
began to be about thirty years of age,
being (as was supposed) the Son of Jo-
seph. Alleluia.
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 26.)
THE blessings of thy father have been
strengthened by the blessings of his
progenitors, until the Desire of the ever-
lasting hills come; let them be on the
head of Joseph, and on the crown of
him that was a Nazarite from his
brethren.
Hymn.6
5
JOY of the Saints! who didst uphold
Our life's sure Hope, the world's one
Stay,-
Joseph! as now thy praise is told,
Hearken to us in love to-day.
The great Creator made it thine
To be the spouse of purest Maid,
And father of the Word Divine
In name-salvation's work to aid.
Thou seest with joy in manger lie
The Saviour sung by seers of yore,
And Him, the Son of God Most High,
In lowliness thou didst adore.
The King of kings, the Lord of all,
The God Whom heaven in awe attends,
Whose nod makes trembling demons fall,
To thee in meek submission bends.
To God Most High, the Three in One,
Be praise, Who gave such grace to thee,
He make us win what thou hast won,
The joys of life eternally. Amen.
1 Luke i. 26, 27.
2 Luke ii. 4.
5 "Separate," i.e. as sold away from them.
vious estrangement.
6 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Littledale.
7 Ps. xvii. 36.
8 Matth. i. 20.
foreknowledge didst choose Thy
blessed servant Joseph to be the hus-
band of Thine Own most holy Mother;
mercifully grant that now that he is in
heaven with Thee, we who on earth do
reverence him for our Defender, may
worthily be holpen by the succour of
his prayers to Thee on our behalf; Who
livest and reignest with God the Fa-
ther, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
The following Commemoration is made
of the Third Sunday after Easter.
Antiphon. A little while, and ye shall
not see Me, saith the Lord; and again
a little while, and ye shall see Me, be-
cause I go to the Father. Alleluia.
Verse. Let the heavens and the earth
be glad. Alleluia.
Answer. For Thou art risen again, O
Christ! Alleluia.
Let us pray.
ALMIGHTY God, Who showest to
them that be in error the light of
Thy truth, to the intent that they may
return into the way of righteousness;
grant unto all them that are admitted
into the fellowship of Christ's Religion,
that they may eschew those things that
are contrary to their profession, and fol-
low all such things as are agreeable to
the same. Through the Same our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
3 Luke ii. 16.
4 Luke iii. 23.
Perhaps allusion is also made to the pre-
THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER.
495
PRIME.
Antiphon. And Jacob, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Gen. xlix. 22.)
JOSEPH is a fruitful bough, a fruitful
and comely to look upon,
whose branches run over the wall.
TERCE.
Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
He made him lord of His house. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Answer. He made him lord of His
house. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And ruler of all His substance.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He made him lord of His
house. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. I will give praise unto Thy
Name-Alleluia.
Answer. For Thou hast been mine
Helper and Defender. Alleluia.
SEXT.
Antiphon. And Joseph also, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Gen. xlix. 25.)
THE God of thy father shall help thee,
and the Almighty shall bless thee
with blessings of heaven above.
Short Responsory.
I will give praise unto Thy Name.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. I will give praise unto Thy
Name. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. For Thou hast been mine
Helper and Defender.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. I will give praise unto Thy
Name. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The righteous shall grow as
the lily. Alleluia.
1 Ps. xci. 14.
Answer. Yea, he shall flourish for
ever in the presence of the Lord. Alle-
luia.
NONE.
Antiphon. And JESUS Himself, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
The righteous shall grow as the lily.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The righteous shall grow as
the lily. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Yea, he shall flourish for ever
in the presence of the Lord.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The righteous shall grow as
the lily. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Planted in the house of the
LORD. Alleluia.
Answer. In the courts of the house of
our God. Alleluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
Same as the First, except the follow-
ing:
Verse. 21 sat under His shadow in
Whom I delighted. Alleluia.
Answer. And His fruit was sweet to
my taste. Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Son, why hast Thou thus
dealt with us? Behold, Thy father and
I have sought Thee sorrowing. Alle-
luia.
Commemoration of the SUNDAY.
Antiphon. Amen I say unto you, that
ye shall weep and lament, but the world
shall rejoice and ye shall be sorrowful,
but your sorrow shall be turned into
joy. Alleluia.
luia.
Verse. Lord, abide with us-Alle-
Answer. For it is toward evening—
Alleluia.
Prayer as at Lauds.
2 Cant. ii. 3.
3 Luke ii. 48.
496
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Monday.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson. (First Lesson of Sun-
day.)
Here beginneth the Book of the Apoca-
lypse of the Blessed Apostle John²
(i. 1.)
'HE Revelation³ of JESUS Christ, which
THE
God gave unto Him, to show unto
His servants things which must shortly
come to pass and He sent and signified
it by His Angel unto His servant John:
who bare record of the Word of God,
and of the testimony of JESUS Christ, of
all things that he saw. Blessed is he
that readeth and he that heareth the
words of this prophecy, and that keep-
eth those things which are written there-
in: for the time is at hand.
John to the seven Churches which are
in Asia grace be unto you and peace,
from Him Which is, and Which was,
and Which is to come, and from the
seven spirits which are before His
throne; and from JESUS Christ, Who is
the Faithful Witness, the First-Begotten
of the dead, and the Prince of the kings
of the earth; Who loved us, and washed
us from our sins in His own Blood, and
hath made us a kingdom and Priests
unto God and His Father: to Him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Amen.
First Responsory.
I saw the gate of the city, which
looketh toward the East, and 5 written
thereon the names of the [Twelve]
Apostles and of the Lamb. And upon
the walls thereof a guard of Angels.
Alleluia.
Verse. "I saw a new heaven and a
new earth coming down out of heaven.
Answer. And upon the walls thereof
a guard of Angels.~ Alleluia.
Second Lesson. (Second Lesson of Sun-
day.)
7
BEHOLD, He cometh with clouds,
and
every eye shall see Him,-they
also which pierced Him. And all kin-
dreds of the earth shall wail because of
Him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha
and Omega, the Beginning and the
Ending, saith the Lord God, Which is,
and Which was, and Which is to come,
the Almighty. I, John, who am your
brother and companion in tribulation,
and in the kingdom and patience of
JESUS Christ, was in the isle that is
called Patmos,8 for the word of God, and
for the testimony of JESUS. I was in
the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and heard
behind me a great voice, as of a trum-
pet, saying: What thou seest, write in
a book, and send it unto the Seven
Churches which are in Asia; unto
Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto
Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto
Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto
Laodicea. (Third Lesson of Sunday.)
And I turned to see the voice that spake
with me, and being turned, I saw seven
golden candlesticks, and in the midst of
the seven golden candlesticks One like
unto the Son of Man, clothed with a
garment down to the Foot, and girt
about the Paps with a golden girdle.
His Head and His Hairs were white,
like white wool, yea, like snow; and
His Eyes were as a flame of fire; and
His Feet like unto fine brass, as if it
were burning in a furnace and His
Voice as the sound of many waters.
And He had in His Right Hand seven
stars, and out of His Mouth went a sharp
two-edged sword: and His Countenance
was as the sun shineth in his strength.
And when I saw Him, I fell at His Feet,
as dead. And He laid His Right Hand
upon me, saying: Fear not; I am the
First and the Last; I am He That liveth,
and was dead; and, behold, I am alive
for evermore and I have the keys of
death and of hell. Write therefore
the things which thou hast seen, and
1 A person bound to recite the Office could satisfy by reading only the Lessons of
Sunday.
2 See the notices of the Saint, Dec. 27 and May 6.
3 The Greek "Apokalupsis" is retained in the Latin-probably because it was the
popular name, as it is, to a certain extent, among us.
4 Cf. Ez. xliv. 1.
5 xxi. 12, 14.
6 xxi. 1, 2.
7 The first and last letters of the Greek Alphabet; as in English, A and Z.
8 He had been sent to penal servitude there, to work in the mines.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER.
497
which are, and which shall be here-
after.
Second Responsory.
¹The Angel showed me the fountain
of the water of life: and he said unto
me, Alleluia. Here worship God. Al-
leluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. When I had heard and seen,
I fell down to worship before the feet of
the Angel, which showed me these
things, and he said unto me:
Answer. Here worship God, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Here worship God, Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson. (ii. 1.) (First Lesson
of Monday.)
UNTO the Angel of the Church of
Ephesus write: These things saith
He That holdeth the seven stars in His
Right Hand, Who walketh in the midst
of the seven golden Candlesticks: I know
thy works, and thy labour, and thy pa-
tience, and how thou canst not bear them
which are evil, and thou hast tried them
which say they are Apostles, and are not:
and hast found them liars, and hast pa-
tience, and hast borne for My Name's
sake, and hast not fainted. Neverthe-
less I have somewhat against thee, be-
cause thou hast left thy first love. Re-
member therefore from whence thou art
fallen, and repent, and do the first works.
Or else I will come unto thee, and will
remove thy candlestick out of his place,
except thou repent. But this thou hast,
that thou hatest the deeds of the Nico-
laïtans, which I also hate. He that
hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the Churches: To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the tree
1 Cf. xxii. 1, 9, 8.
of life, which is in the midst of the Pa-
radise of My God. (Second Lesson of
Monday.) And unto the Angel of the
Church in Smyrna write: These things
saith the First and the Last, Which was
dead, and is alive: I know thy tribula-
tion and poverty, (but thou art rich,)
and how thou art blasphemed of them
which say they are Jews, and are not,
but are the synagogue of Satan. Fear
none of those things which thou shalt
suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some
of you into prison, that ye may be tried,
and ye shall have tribulation ten days.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown of life. He that hath
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit
saith unto the Churches: He that over-
cometh shall not be hurt of the second
death. (Third Lesson of Monday.)
And to the Angel of the Church in Per-
gamos write: These things saith He
Which hath the sharp sword with two
edges. I know where thou dwellest,
even where Satan's seat is: and thou
holdest fast My Name, and hast not de-
nied My Faith. And in those days
Antipas was My faithful witness, who
was slain among you, where Satan dwell-
eth. But I have a few things against
thee, because thou hast there them that
hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught
Balac to cast a stumbling-block before
the children of Israël, to eat, and to
commit fornication: so hast thou also
them that hold the doctrine of the Nico-
laïtans. Repent thou likewise; or, else,
I will come unto thee quickly, and will
fight against them with the sword of My
Mouth. He that hath an ear, let him
hear what the Spirit saith unto the
Churches: To him that overcometh will
I give of the hidden manna, and will
give him a white stone, and in the stone
a new name written, which no man
knoweth saving he that receiveth it."
5
4
* These "Angeloi" or "Messengers" have been generally supposed to be the Bishops,
as charged with the message of God's Word.
3 An impure off-shoot of the Gnostic school of thought.
• Cf. Numbers xxxi. 16. A full explanation of the allusion in the text may be found in
the tradition embodied in the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel upon Num. xxiv. 14.
"And
now, behold, I return to go to my people. Come, I will give thee counsel: Go, furnish
tavern-houses, and employ seductive women to sell food and drinks cheaply, and to bring
this people together to eat and drink, and commit whoredom with them, that they may
deny their God; then in a brief time will they be delivered into thy hand, and many of
them fall." (Etheridge's translation, ii. 429.) See the consequences, Num. xxv.
5 The accepted Greek adds-" which I hate."
• The reader would do well to read the messages to the other four Churches.
K K
498
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹And beginning at Moses* and all the
Prophets, He expounded unto them the
Scriptures concerning Himself. Alle-
luia.
2
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Your sorrow shall be turned
into joy, Alleluia: and your joy no man
taketh from you. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Apocalypse of the Blessed Apostle
John (iv. 1.)
After this I looked, and, behold, a
door was opened, &c., (First Lesson on
Jan. 3, p. 258, to the end, and the Se-
cond, down to "seven spirits of God,"
inclusive.)
First Responsory.
"I saw Jerusalem coming down out of
heaven, adorned with pure gold, and
garnished with precious stones. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. The building of the wall of it
was of jasper; and the city was pure
gold, like unto clear glass.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
And before the throne, &c., (p. 258,
to the end of the Second Lesson, and the
Third, as far as "and is to come," in-
clusive.)
Second Responsory.
Upon the diadem of Aaron's head was
graven the Majesty of the Lord, while
as the work of God was in doing. Alle-
luia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
¹ Luke xxiv. 27.
Verse. For in the long garment which
he had, was the whole world," and in
the four rows of the stones was the glory
of the fathers graven.
Answer. While as the work of God
was in doing. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. While as the work of God
was in doing. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Third Lesson.
(The rest of the Third Lesson, p. 259.)
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"And they constrained Him, * saying:
Lord, abide with us, for it is toward
evening. Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Sorrow hath filled your heart,
* and your joy no man shall take from
you. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Apocalypse of the Blessed Apostle
John (v. 1.)
AND I saw, in the Right Hand of Him
That sat on the throne, a book,
written within and on the back side,
sealed with seven seals. And I saw a
strong Angel proclaiming with a loud
voice: Who is worthy to open the book,
and to loose the seals thereof? And no
man in heaven, nor in earth, neither
3 Cf. xxi. 2, 18, 19.
2 John xvi. 20, 22.
4 Cf. Wisd. xviii. 24. What was really engraven was: "Holiness to the ETERNAL."
5 The Jews believed the materials of the vestments symbolized the universe, &c.
6 Luke xxiv. 29.
7 John xvi. 6, 20.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER.
499
under the earth, was able to open the
book, neither to look thereon. And I wept
much, because no man was found worthy
to open the book, neither to look there-
on. And one of the elders saith unto
me: Weep not; behold, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath
prevailed to open the book, and to loose
the seven seals thereof. And I beheld,
and, lo, in the midst of the throne and
of the four living creatures, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a Lamb, as It
had been slain, having seven Horns,
and seven Eyes, Which are the seven
Spirits of God, sent forth into all the
earth. And He came and took the book
out of the Right Hand of Him That sat
upon the throne.
First Responsory.
¹Thy streets, O Jerusalem, shall be
paved with pure gold-Alleluia—and
the song of joy shall be sung in thee.
Alleluia. And all that pass through all
thy streets shall say: Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. Thy light shall be exceeding
glorious, and all the ends of the earth
shall worship thee.
Answer. And all that pass through
all thy streets shall say: Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
A
Second Lesson.
ND when He had opened the book,
the four living creatures and four
and twenty elders fell down before the
Lamb, having every one of them harps,
and golden vials full of odours, which are
the prayers of the saints: and they sung
a new song saying: O Lord, Thou art
worthy to take the book and to open the
seals thereof, for Thou wast slain, and
hast redeemed us to God by Thy Blood
out of every kindred and tongue and
people and nation: and hast made us
unto our God a kingdom and priests;
and we shall reign on the earth.
Second Responsory.
*The people of Israël sung: Alleluia :
and all the multitude of Jacob sung in
measure. And David [was] with the
singers, [and] played upon an harp in
the house of the Lord, and sung praises
unto God. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. So the Priests and the Levites
were sanctified, and all Israël brought
up the ark of the covenant of the LORD
with shouting.
Answer. And David [was] with the
singers, [and] played upon an harp in
the house of the Lord, and sung praises
unto God. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And David [was] with the
singers, [and] played upon an harp in the
house of the Lord, and sung praises unto
God. Alleluia, Alleluia.
AN
Third Lesson.
ND I beheld, and I heard the voice
of many Angels round about the
throne, and the_living_creatures, and
the elders; and the number of them was
thousands of thousands, saying with a
loud voice: Worthy is the Lamb That
was slain to receive power, and riches,
and wisdom, and strength, and honour,
and glory, and blessing.
And every
creature which is in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and such as
are in the sea, and all that are in them
-all of them heard I saying: Blessing,
and honour, and glory, and power be
unto Him That sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.
And the four living creatures said:
Amen. And the four and twenty elders
fell down upon their faces, and wor-
shipped Him That liveth for ever and
ever.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Abide with us: * for it is toward even-
ing, and the day is far spent.
luia.
VESPERS.
Alle-
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Your sorrow-Alleluia *—shall
be turned into joy-Alleluia
1 Cf. xxi. 21; Tobit xiii. 22.
$ 1 Par. (Chron.) xv. 14, 28.
2 Cf. 1 Par. (Chron.) xiii. 8.
KK 2
500
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Apocalypse of the Blessed Apostle
John (xv. 1.)
AND I saw another sign in heaven,
great and marvellous, seven Angels
having the seven last plagues; for in
them is filled up the wrath of God. And
I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mingled
with fire; and them that had gotten
the victory over the beast, and over his
image, and over the number of his name,
stand on the sea of glass, having the
harps of God: and they sing the song
of Moses the servant of God and the
song of the Lamb, saying: Great and
marvellous are Thy works, O Lord God
Almighty; just and true are Thy ways,
O Eternal King! Who shall not fear
Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy Name?
for Thou only art The Merciful: for all
nations shall come and worship before
Thee for Thy judgments are made
manifest.
First Responsory.
¹Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof—Al-
leluia-for Thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by Thy Blood-
Alleluia.
Verse. For Thou hast made us unto
our God a Kingdom and Priesthood-
Answer. By Thy Blood-Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
ND after that I looked, and, behold,
the temple of the tabernacle of the
testimony in heaven was opened; and
the seven Angels came out of the temple,
having the seven plagues, clothed in
pure and white linen, and having their
breasts girded with golden girdles. And
one of the four living creatures gave
unto the seven Angels seven golden
vials, full of the wrath of God, Who
liveth for ever and ever. And the temple
was filled with smoke from the glory of
God, and from His power: and no man
1 v. 9, 10.
was able to enter into the temple, till
the seven plagues of the seven Angels
were fulfilled.
Second Responsory.
2 As the vine brought I forth pleasant
savour-Alleluia. Come unto me, all
ye that be desirous of me, and fill your-
selves with my fruits. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. In me is the favour of the way
and the truth; in me is the hope of life
and strength.
Answer. Come unto me, all ye that
be desirous of me, and fill yourselves
with my fruits. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Come unto me, all ye that
be desirous of me, and fill yourselves
with my fruits. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson. (xvi. 1.)
AND I heard a great voice out of the
temple saying to the seven Angels:
Go your ways, and pour out the seven
vials of the wrath of God upon the earth.
And the first went and poured out his
vial upon the earth; and there fell a
noisome and grievous sore upon the men
which had the mark of the beast, and
upon them which worshipped his image.
And the second Angel poured out his
vial upon the sea, and it became as the
blood of a dead man: and every living
soul died in the sea. And the third
[Angel] poured out his vial upon the
rivers and fountains of waters, and they
became blood. And I heard the Angel
of the waters say: Thou art righteous,
O Lord, Which art, and Which wast,
Holy, because Thou hast judged thus;
for they have shed the blood of Saints
and Prophets, and Thou hast given them
blood to drink; for they are worthy.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
And He went in with them. * And it
came to pass, as He sat at meat with
them, He took bread, and blessed it, and
brake, and gave to them. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
2 Ecclus. xxiv. 23, 26, 25.
THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER.
501
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Amen, Amen, I say unto
you, that I will see you again, * and
your heart shall rejoice, and your joy
no man taketh from you. Alleluia.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Apocalypse
of the Blessed Apostle John (xix. 1.)
AFTER these things I heard a voice
of much people in heaven, saying:
Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and
power are our God's; for true and righ-
teous are His judgments, Who hath
judged the great whore, which did cor-
rupt the earth with her fornication, and
hath avenged the blood of His servants
at her hands. And again they said:
Alleluia. And her smoke rose up for
ever and ever. And the four and twenty
elders and the four living creatures fell
down and worshipped God That sat on
the throne, saying: Amen, Alleluia.
And a voice came out of the throne,
saying: Praise our God, all ye His ser-
vants, and ye that fear Him, both small
and great.
First Responsory.
³ One of the seven Angels talked with
me, saying: Come hither, I will show
thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And
I saw Jerusalem descending out of hea-
ven, adorned with her jewels. Alleluia,
for the Lord our God, the Omnipotent,
reigneth! Let us be glad and rejoice
and give honour to Him, for the mar-
riage of the Lamb is come, and His wife
hath made herself ready. And to her
was granted that she should be arrayed
in fine linen, clean and white. For the
fine linen is the righteousness of Saints.
And he saith unto me: Write-Blessed
are they which are called unto the mar-
riage supper of the Lamb. And he saith
unto me: These are the true sayings of
God. And I fell at his feet to worship
him, and he said unto me: See thou do
it not; I am thy fellow-servant, and of
thy brethren that have the testimony of
JESUS: worship God: for the testimony
of JESUS is the spirit of prophecy.
Second Responsory.
4 I heard in heaven the voice of many
Angels, saying: Fear the Lord, and
give glory to Him, and worship Him
That made heaven and earth, the sea,
and the fountains of waters. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. I saw a strong Angel of God
fly through the midst of heaven, crying
with a loud voice and saying:
Answer. Fear the Lord, and give
glory to Him, and worship Him That
made heaven and earth, the sea, and
the fountains of waters. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Fear the Lord, and give
glory to Him, and worship Him That
made heaven and earth, the sea, and
the fountains of waters. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Third Lesson.
leluia. And he white hoop,
Verse. And he carried me away in AND I saw heaven opened, and, be-
the Spirit to a great and high moun-
tain;
Answer. And I saw Jerusalem de-
scending out of heaven, adorned with
her jewels. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
AND I heard as it were the voice of a
great multitude, and as the voice
of many waters, and as the voice of
mighty thunderings, saying: Alleluia,
1 John xvi. 22.
3 xxi. 9, 10, 2, &c.
He That
sat upon him was called Faithful and
True, and in righteousness He doth
judge and make war. His Eyes were
as a flame of fire, and on His Head were
many crowns, and He had a Name writ-
ten, that no man knew but He Himself.
And He was clothed with a vesture dip-
ped in Blood, and His Name is called, the
Word of God. And the armies which
are in heaven followed Him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
2 Rome is universally understood.
▲ xiv. 6, 7.
502
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
clean. And out of His Mouth goeth a
sharp two-edged sword, that with it He
should smite the nations. And He shall
rule them with a rod of iron: and He
treadeth the wine-press of the fierceness
and wrath of Almighty God. And He
hath on His vesture and on His Thigh
written: King of kings, and Lord of
lords.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
They knew the Lord JESUS *-Alleluia
-in the breaking of bread-Alleluia.
Vespers are either of a Feast or of
the Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin.¹
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Apocalypse of the Blessed Apostle
John (xxii. 1.)
ND he showed me a river of water
of life, clear as crystal, proceed-
ing out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb. In the midst of the street of it,
and on either side of the river, was there
the tree of life, which bare twelve man-
ner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every
month; and the leaves of the tree were
for the healing of the nations. And
there shall be no more curse: but the
throne of God and of the Lamb shall be
in it; and His servants shall serve Him.
And they shall see His Face, and His
Name shall be in their foreheads. And
there shall be no night there; and they
shall need no candle, neither light of
the sun, for the Lord God shall give
them light; and they shall reign for
ever and ever. And he said unto me:
These sayings are faithful and true.
And the Lord God of the spirits of the
Prophets sent His Angel to show unto
His servants the things which must
shortly be done. And, behold, I come
quickly. Blessed is he that keepeth the
sayings of the prophecy of this book.
Second Lesson.
ND I, John, am he which saw these
things and heard them; and when
I had heard and seen, I fell down to
worship before the feet of the Angel
which showed me these things, and he
said unto me: See thou do it not; for I
am thy fellow-servant, and of thy bre-
thren the Prophets, and of them which
keep the sayings of the prophecy of this
book. Worship God. And he saith
'unto me: Seal not the sayings of the
prophecy of this book: for the time is
at hand. He that is unjust, let him be
unjust still; and he which is filthy, let
him be filthy still; and he that is righ-
teous, let him be righteous still; and he
that is holy, let him be holy still. Be-
hold, I come quickly-and My reward
is with Me, to give every man according
as his work shall be.
I
Third Lesson.
And
AM Alpha and Omega, the First and
the Last, the Beginning and the
End. Blessed are they that wash their
robes in the Blood of the Lamb: that
they may have right to the tree of life,
and may enter in through the gates into
the city. Without are dogs, and sor-
cerers, and whoremongers, and mur-
derers, and idolaters, and whosoever
loveth and maketh a lie. I JESUS have
sent Mine Angel to testify unto you
these things in the Churches. I am the
Root and the Offspring of David, and
the bright and morning Star.
the Spirit and the bride say: Come.
And let him that heareth, say: Come.
And let him that is athirst, come: and
whosoever will, let him take the water
of life freely. For I testify unto every
man that heareth the words of the pro-
phecy of this book: If any man shall
add unto these things, God shall add
unto him the plagues that are written
in this book; and if any man shall take
away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part
out of the Book of Life, and out of the
holy city, and from the things which
are written in this book. He Which tes-
tifieth these things saith: Surely I come
quickly. Amen. Come, Lord JESUS!
The grace of our Lord JESUS Christ be
with you all. Amen.
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from the follow-
ing Lauds.
1 Or Votive of the Conception, if the reciter pleases.
FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER.
503
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I go My way to Him That sent
Me; * and none of you asketh Me,
Whither goest Thou? Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Fourth Sunday after Easter.
Fourth Lord's Day after the Passover.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Low
Sunday, (p. 471.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
If the Saturday should have been the
Feast of SS. Philip and James, and the
following Lessons consequently read on
it, on Sunday Morning are read those
of Monday, which day itself will be oc-
cupied by the Feast of the Finding of
the Cross, with special Lessons.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Catholic Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle ¹James (i. 1.)
JAMES, a servant of our God and Lord
JESUS Christ, to the twelve tribes
which are scattered abroad, greeting.
My brethren, count it all joy when ye
fall into divers temptations, knowing
that the trying of your faith worketh
patience. But patience hath a perfect
work that ye may be perfect and en-
tire, wanting nothing. But if any of
you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,
That giveth to all men liberally, and
upbraideth not, and it shall be given
him. But let him ask in faith, nothing
wavering.
First Responsory.
*If I forget thee, Alleluia, let my right
hand forget me. If I do not remember
thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof
of my mouth. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. By the rivers of Babylon there
we sat down and wept, when we remem-
bered thee, O Zion!
Answer. If I do not remember thee,
let my tongue cleave to the roof of my
mouth. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
he that wavereth is like a wave
FOR that
of the sea, driven with the wind
and tossed. Therefore let not that man
think that he shall receive anything of
the Lord. A double-minded man is un-
stable in all his ways. Let the brother
of low degree rejoice in that he is ex-
alted: but the rich in that he is made
low, because as the flower of the grass
he shall pass away. For the sun is no
sooner risen with a burning heat but it
withereth the grass, and the flower
thereof falleth, and the grace of the
fashion of it perisheth: so also shall
the rich man fade away in his ways.
Second Responsory.
3 The waters saw Thee, O God, the
waters saw Thee; and they were afraid.
There was a noise as of many waters;
the clouds sent out a sound. Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Thy lightnings lightened the
world: the earth saw it and shook.
Answer. There was a noise as of many
waters; the clouds sent out a sound.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
BLESSED is the man that endureth
temptation: for when he hath been
proved, he shall receive the crown of
life, which God hath promised to them
that love Him. Let no man say when
he is tempted that he is tempted of God;
for God cannot be tempted with evil
neither tempteth He any man.
every man is tempted when he is drawn
away of his own lust and enticed. Then,
when lust hath conceived, it bringeth
forth sin; and sin, when it is finished,
bringeth forth death. Do not then err,
my beloved brethren..
But
1 May 1. The Epistle is styled Catholic, that is, Universal, because not addressed to
any one person or congregation. "It was written at Jerusalem," says Abp. Kenrick,
"probably about the year 62, when the wars and seditions among the Jews, which brought
on the destruction of the city, bad begun."
2 Ps. cxxxvi. 5, 6, 1.
3 Ps. lxxvi. 17-19.
▲ “God," says Abp. Kenrick, "is not tempted to evil, and consequently He does not
tempt others. To solicit others to sin implies personal corruption."
504
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Third Responsory.
¹I will declare Thy Name unto my
brethren-Alleluia. În the midst of
the congregation will I praise Thee-
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. I will praise Thee, O Lord,
among the people, and sing unto Thee
among the nations.
Answer. In the midst of the congre-
gation will I praise Thee-Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. In the midst of the congre-
gation will I praise Thee-Alleluia,
Alleluia.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Treatise
of the Holy Martyr Cyprian, Bishop
[of Carthage,] upon the great good of
patience. (Sermon 3.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, I am
about to speak to you touching
patience, and to preach to you how use-
ful and convenient a thing it is! and
how shall I begin better, than by saying
that you will have need of patience to
listen to me, yea, your very hearing
and learning cannot but be an exercise
thereof? It is when a sermon or soul-
profiting argument is given ear to pa-
tiently that it teacheth profitably.
Dearly beloved brethren, there are di-
vers paths of heavenly wisdom, wherein
we are invited to walk, if we would reach
in the end the reward which God hath
prepared to crown hope and faith; but
I find no path more useful to life-ward,
nor more sure to glory-ward than this,
that while we humbly strive, in all
fear, and in all godliness, to obey the
commandments of the Lord, we should
set our chiefest guard in an unceasing
watch over our patience. The philoso-
phers also say that they take this path,
but their patience is as much a sham as
their wisdom is a cheat, for who can be
wise or patient who knoweth nothing of
God's wisdom or God's patience?
1 Ps. xxi. 23.
4 Ps. lxvii. 27.
Fourth Responsory.
*Bless ye God in the congregations—
Alleluia. Even the Lord, ye that are of
the fountains of Israël-Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. "Sing forth the honour of His
Name, make His praise glorious.
Answer. Even the Lord, ye that are
of the fountains of Israël-Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Fifth Lesson. (ii., iii., viii.)
BUT as for us, dearly beloved bre-
thren, we are the real philosophers,
whose wisdom lieth not in words but in
deeds, and is manifested not in dresses
but in the truth. We are they whose
knowledge hath the inward conscious-
ness, not the idle boasting, of strength.
We are not speakers of high-sounding
words, but our lives are the lives of
servers and worshippers of God. Let it
be ours, then, to show forth by spiritual
watchfulness that patience which is a
part of the teaching which we have
learnt from heaven. Patience is one of
His Own virtues whereof God hath made
us partakers with Him: our Great Head
is the Captain of the patient, and it is
through patience that He hath crowned
Himself with glory and honour.__Yea,
God is Himself the Source, the Foun-
tain, and the Greatness of patience, and
it behoveth man to love what is beloved
of God. That good thing which he
loveth is commended unto him of God's
Majesty. If God be our Lord and Fa-
ther, let us follow after the ensample of
our Lord and Father's patience, since it
is the duty of servants to be obedient,
and of sons to be home-minded.
Fifth Responsory.
"With my whole heart-Alleluia-
have I sought Thee-Alleluia. O let
me not wander from Thy command-
ments! Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Blessed art Thou, O Lord:
teach me Thy statutes.
Answer. O let me not wander from
Thy commandments! Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
2 Ps. lvi. 10.
5 Ps. lxv. 2.
3 Sept. 16.
• The allusion is to the peculiar cloak adopted by those who affected philosophy.
7 Ps. cxviii. 10, 12.
FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER.
505
BY
Sixth Lesson.
our patience God draweth us to-
ward Himself, and keepeth us His
Own. Patience doth soothe anger, bri-
dle the tongue, govern the mind, keep
peace, set rules of self-control, break the
onset of lust, still the swelling of tem-
per, put out the fire begotten of hatred,
make the rich meek, and relieve the
need of the poor; patience doth guard
in virgins their blessed wholeness; in
widows, their careful purity; in such as
be married, their single-hearted love
one toward the other. Patience doth
teach such as be successful to be lowly-
minded; such as be unfortunate, to be
brave; and all to be gentle when they
are wronged and insulted. Patience
maketh a man soon to forgive them that
trespass against him, and if he have
trespassed against any, long and humbly
to ask his pardon. Patience doth fight
down temptations, bear persecution, and
endure unto the end in suffering, and in
up-lifting of our testimony. Patience
is the moat that guardeth the stout
foundations of the castle of our faith.
Sixth Responsory.
¹Sing us a song-Alleluia. How shall
we sing the LORD's song in a strange
land?—Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. There they that carried us
away captive required of us a song.
Answer. How shall we sing the
LORD's song in a strange land?—Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. How shall we sing the
LORD'S song in a strange land?-Alle-
leluia, Alleluia.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to John (xvi. 5.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: I go My way to Him
That sent Me; and none of you asketh
Me: Whither goest Thou? And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (94th Tract on John.)
The Lord Jesus told His disciples
1 Ps. cxxxvi. 3, 4.
2 Ps. cxliii. 9.
what things they should suffer after that
He was gone away from them, and then
He said: "These things I said not unto
you at the beginning, because I was
with you; but now I go My way to
Him That sent Me." Let us first see
whether it had been that He had not
told them before this what they were to
suffer in time coming. That He had
done so amply before the night of the
last Supper, is testified by the three
first Evangelists, but it was when that
Supper was ended that, according to
John, He said: "These things I said
not unto you at the beginning, because
I was with you."
Seventh Responsory.
2I will sing a new song unto Thee, O
God-Alleluia. Upon a psaltery of ten
strings will I sing praises unto Thee.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
3
Verse. Thou art my God, and I will
praise Thee: Thou art my God, and I
will exalt Thee.
Answer. Upon a psaltery of ten strings
will I sing praises unto Thee. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Eighth Lesson.
this difficulty by asserting that,
ARE we then to try and loose the knot
of
according to these three Evangelists, it
was on the eve of the Passion, albeit
before the Supper, that He had said
these things unto them, and therefore
not at the beginning, when He was with
them, but when He was about to leave
them, and to go His way to the Father?
And in this way we might reconcile the
truthfulness of what this Evangelist
saith here "These things I said not
unto you at the beginning"-with the
truthfulness of the other three.
this explanation is rendered impossible
by the Gospel according to Matthew,
who telleth us how that the Lord spake
to His Apostles concerning their suffer-
ings to come, not only when He was on
the point of eating the Passover with
them, but at the very beginning, when
the names of the twelve are first given,
and they were sent forth to do the work
of God. (Matth. x. 17—42.)
Eighth Responsory.
But
*It is a good thing to give thanks unto
4 Ps. xcl. 2, 4.
3 Ps. cxvii. 28.
506
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the LORD-Alleluia-and to sing praises
-Alleluia.
Verse. Upon an instrument of ten
strings, upon the harp with a solemn
sound.
Answer. And to sing praises-Al-
leluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And to sing praises-Al-
leluia.
Ninth Lesson.
IT would seem then that when He
said: "These things I said not unto
you at the beginning, because I was
with you," He meant by "these things,"
not the sufferings which they were to
bear for His sake, but His promise of
the Comforter Who should come to them,
and testify while they suffered. (xv.
26, 27.) This Comforter then, or Ad-
vocate, (for the Greek word "Para-
klétos" will bear either interpretation,)
would be needful to them when they
saw Christ no more, and therefore it
was that Christ spoke not of Him "at
the beginning" [of the Gospel Dispen-
sation] while He Himself "was with"
His disciples, because His visible Pre-
sence was then their sufficient Comfort.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
Y
MY
LAUDS.
Chapter. (James i. 17.)
My beloved brethren, every good gift
and every perfect gift is from
above, and cometh down from the Fa-
ther of lights, with Whom is no vari-
ableness, neither shadow of turning.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Low Sunday, (p. 474.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
I go My way to Him That sent Me;
and none of you asketh Me: Whither
goest Thou? Alleluia, Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day and week.
0
GOD, of Whom it cometh that the
minds of Thy faithful people be all
of one will, grant unto the same Thy
people that they may love the thing
which Thou commandest, and desire
that which Thou dost promise, that so,
amid the sundry and manifold changes
of the world, our hearts may surely
there be fixed, where true joys are to
be found, Through our Lord JESUS
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Chapter at Terce from Lauds.
Chapter at Sext. (James i. 19.)
HEREFORE, my beloved brethren,
W let every man be swift to hear,
but slow to speak, and slow to wrath;
for the wrath of man worketh not the
righteousness of God.
WHE
Chapter at None. (James i. 21.)
HEREFORE lay apart all filthiness
and superfluity of naughtiness,
and receive with meekness the engrafted
Word, Which is able to save your souls.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday before Low Sunday, (p. 470.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I go My way to Him That sent
Me: * but because I have said these
things unto you, sorrow hath filled your
heart. Alleluia.
Monday.
Second Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle James (i. 17.)
VERY good gift, and every perfect
EVE
gift is from above, and cometh
down from the Father of lights, with
Whom is no variableness, neither sha-
dow of turning. For of His Own will
begat He us with the word of truth,
that we should be a kind of first-fruits
of His creatures. This ye know, my
well-beloved brethren. But let every
man be swift to hear, but slow to speak,
and slow to wrath: for the wrath of
man worketh not the righteousness of
God.
FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER.
507
First Responsory.
¹Let now the redeemed of the LORD
—Alleluia-say: Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. Let them whom He hath re-
deemed from the hand of the enemy, and
gathered them out of the lands.
Answer. Say: Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Second Lesson.
WHEREFORE lay apart all filthi-
ness and superfluity of naughti-
ness, and receive with meekness the
engrafted Word, Which is able to save
your souls. But be ye doers of the
word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves. For if any be an
hearer of the word, and not a doer; he
is like unto a man beholding his natural
face in a glass; for he beholdeth him-
self, and goeth his way, and straight-
way forgetteth what manner of man he
was.
Second Responsory.
O sing unto the Lord. Alleluia. Sing
unto Him. Alleluia.
2
Verse. Give unto the LORD glory
and honour, give unto the LORD the
glory due unto His Name.
Answer. Sing unto Him. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Sing unto Him. Alleluia.
BUT
Third Lesson.
UT whoso looketh into the perfect
law of liberty, and continueth
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer,
but a doer of the work, this man shall
be blessed in his deed. If any man
among you think himself to be religious,
and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth
his own heart, this man's religion is
vain. Pure religion and undefiled be-
fore God and the Father is this: to
visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, and to keep himself unspotted
from the world.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
3
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
³ Did not our heart burn within us, at
1 Ps. cvi. 2.
4 John xvi. 7.
2 Ps. xxviii. 2.
the thought of JESUS, * while He talked
with us by the way? Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I tell you the truth: * it is ex-
pedient for you that I go away for if I
go not away, the Comforter will not
come unto you. Alleluia.
Tuesday.
Third Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle James (ii. 1.)
MY brethren, have not the faith of
our Lord JESUS Christ [the Lord]
of glory, with respect of persons. For
if there come unto your assembly a man
with a gold ring in goodly apparel;
and there come in also a poor man in
vile raiment; and ye have respect to
him that weareth the gay clothing, and
say unto him: Sit thou here in a good
place; and say to the poor: Stand thou
there, or sit here under my footstool-
are ye not then partial in yourselves,
and are become judges of evil thoughts?
First Responsory.
Bless ye God, &c., (p. 504.)
Second Lesson.
HEARKEN, my beloved brethren.
Hath not God chosen the poor of
this world, rich in faith and heirs of
the kingdom which He hath promised
to them that love Him? But ye have
despised the poor. Do not rich men
oppress you, and draw you before the
judgment-seats? Do not they blas-
pheme that worthy name by the which
ye are called? Nevertheless, if ye fulfil
the royal law, according to the Scrip-
ture: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself (Lev. xix. 18)-ye do well.
But if ye have respect to persons, ye
commit sin, and are convinced of the
law as transgressors.
8 Luke xxiv. 32.
5 Candida-sordida. Perhaps rather “clean” and “dirty.”
508
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Second Responsory.
With my whole heart, &c., (p. 504,)
with this addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O let me not wander from
Thy commandments! Alleluia, Alleluia.
FOR
Third Lesson.
whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point,
he is guilty of all. For He That said:
Thou shalt not commit adultery: said
also: Thou shalt do no murder. Now,
if thou commit no adultery, yet, if thou
do murder, thou art become a trans-
gressor of the law. So speak ye, and
so do, as they that shall be judged by
the law of liberty. For he shall have
judgment without mercy that hath
showed no mercy: for mercy rejoiceth
against judgment.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Peace be unto you, it is I. Alleluia.
Fear not. Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. When the Comforter, the Spirit
of truth, is come, * He will reprove the
world of sin, and of righteousness, and
of judgment. Alleluia.
Wednesday.
Fourth Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle James (ii.˜¯14.)
WHA
HAT doth it profit, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith,
and have not works? Can faith save
him? If a brother or sister be naked,
and destitute of daily food, and one of
you say unto them: Depart in peace,
be ye warmed and filled-notwithstand-
ing ye give them not those things which
are needful to the body, what doth it
profit? Even so, faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone.
First Responsary.
I will sing, &c., (p. 505.)
YEA,
Second Lesson.
a man may say: Thou hast faith
and I have works. Show me thy
faith without works, and I will show
thee my faith by works. Thou believest
that there is one God; thou doest well:
the devils also believe, and tremble.
But wilt thou know, O vain man, that
faith without works is dead? Was not
Abraham our father justified by works,
when he offered Isaac his son upon the
altar? Seest thou how faith wrought
with his works, and by works was faith
made perfect?
Second Responsory.
It is a good thing, &c., (p. 505.)
A
Third Lesson.
""
ND the Scripture was fulfilled which
saith: Abraham believed God, and
it was counted to him for righteousness
(Gen. xv. 6); and he was called, "the
Friend of God.' Ye see, then, how
that by works a man is justified, and
not by faith only. Likewise also was
not Rahab the harlot justified by works,
when she had received the messengers,
and had sent them out another way
For as the body without the spirit is
dead, so faith without works is dead
also.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
A spirit hath not flesh and bones, * as ye
see Me have: now believe. Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I have yet many things to say
unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
* Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth,
is come, He will guide you into all truth.
Alleluia.
FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER.
509
Thursday.
Fifth Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle James (iii. 1.)
MY brethren, be not many masters,
knowing that ye shall receive the
greater condemnation. For in many
things we offend all. If any man offend
not in word, the same is a perfect man.
Such an one is able also to bridle the
whole body. Behold, we put bits in the
horses' mouths, that they may obey us,
and we turn about their whole body.
First Responsory.
If I forget thee, &c., (p. 503.)
Second Lesson.
BEHOLD also the ships, though they
be so great, and are driven of fierce
winds, yet are they turned about with
a very small helm, whithersoever the
governor listeth. Even so, the tongue
is a little member and boasteth great
things. Behold, how little a flame doth
set on fire a great forest: and the tongue
is a fire, a world of iniquity.
Second Responsory.
The waters saw Thee, &c., (p. 503,)
with this addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. There was a noise as of many
waters; the clouds sent out a sound.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
S⁰
Third Lesson.
is the tongue among our members,
that it defileth the whole body, and
setteth on fire the course of nature; and
it is set on fire of hell. For every kind
of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents,
and the like, is tamed, and hath been
tamed of mankind: but the tongue can
no man tame: it is an unruly evil, full
of deadly poison. Therewith bless we
God, even the Father; and therewith
curse we men, which are made after the
similitude of God. Out of the same
mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing.
1 Luke xxiv. 42.
2 Eccles. iv. 4.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
'The disciples gave the Lord a piece
of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. For He shall not speak of Him-
self; but whatsoever He shall hear,
that shall He speak and He will show
you things to come. Alleluia.
Friday.
Sixth Day.
See Rubric, (p. 476.)
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle James (iv. 1.)
ROM whence come wars and fight-
FRO
ings among you? Come they not
hence, even of your lusts which are in
your members? Ye lust, and have not:
ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot
obtain ye fight and war, yet ye have
not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and
receive not, because ye ask amiss, that
ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye
adulterers, know ye not that the friend-
ship of the world is enmity with God?
Whosoever, therefore, will be a friend
of the world, is the enemy of God.
First Responsory.
Bless ye God, &c., (p. 504.)
Second Lesson.
Do ye think that the Scripture saith
in vain: The spirit that dwelleth
in us lusteth to envy? But He giveth
more grace. Wherefore He saith: 3God
resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto
the humble. Submit yourselves there-
fore to God, but resist the devil, and he
will flee from you. Draw nigh to God,
and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
your hands, ye sinners; and purify your
hearts, ye double-minded. Be afflicted,
and mourn, and weep: let your laughter
be turned to mourning, and your joy to
3 Prov. xxix. 23; Matth. xxiii. 12.
510
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
heaviness. Humble yourselves in the
sight of the Lord, and He shall lift
you up.
Second Responsory.
With my whole heart, &c., (p. 504,)
with this addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O let me not wander from
Thy commandments! Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
PEAK not evil one of another, bre-
SPEA
thren. He that speaketh evil of his
brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh
evil of the law, and judgeth the law.
But if thou judge the law, thou art not
rupted, and your garments are moth-
eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered,
and the rust of them shall be a witness
against you, and shall eat your flesh, as
it were fire. Ye have heaped up wrath
for yourselves against the latter days.
Behold, the hire of the labourers who
have reaped down your fields, which is
of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and
the cry of them is entered into the ears
of the Lord of Sabaoth. Ye have lived
in pleasure on the earth, and have nou-
rished your hearts with wantonness for
the day of slaughter. Ye have con-
demned and killed the just, and he hath
not withstood you.
Second Lesson.
a doer of the law, but a judge. There BE ye patient, therefore, brethren,
is one Law-giver and Judge, Who is
able to destroy and to set free. But
who art thou that judgest thy neigh-
bour? Behold now, ye that say: To-
day or to-morrow we will go into such
a city, and continue there a year, and
buy and sell, and get gain-ye know
not what shall be on the morrow.
what is your life? It is even a vapour,
that appeareth for a little while, and
then vanisheth away. For that ye ought
to say: If the Lord will-and: If we
live-we will do this or that.
For
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c." is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
These are the words which I spake
unto you, while I was with you. Alle-
luia.
Vespers are either of a Feast or of
the Simple Office of the Blessed Virgin.¹
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle James (v. 1.)
G⁰
O to now, ye rich men, weep and
U howl for your miseries that shall
come upon you. Your riches are cor-
unto the coming of the Lord. Be-
hold, the husbandman waiteth for the
precious fruit of the earth, and hath
long patience for it, until he receive the
first and second harvest. Therefore be
ye also patient, and stablish your hearts;
for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.
Grudge not one against another, bre-
thren, lest ye be condemned. Behold,
the Judge standeth before the door.
Take, my brethren, the Prophets who
have spoken in the name of the Lord,
for an example of that which cometh
of affliction, of labour, and of patience.
Behold, we count them happy which
endured. Ye have heard of the patience
of Job, and have seen the end of the
Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful and
of tender mercy.
BUT
Third Lesson.
UT above all things, my brethren,
swear not, neither by heaven, nei-
ther by the earth, neither by any other
oath. But let your speech be: Yea,
yea; and: Nay, nay; lest ye fall into
condemnation. Is any among you af-
flicted? Let him
Let him pray. Is any merry?
Let him sing psalms. Is any sick
among you? Let him call for the
Priests of the Church, and let them
pray over him, anointing him with oil
in the name of the Lord; and the prayer
of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord
shall raise him up, and if he be in sins,
they shall be forgiven him. Confess
your sins therefore, one to another, and
1 Or Votive of the Conception.
ROGATION SUNDAY.
511
A
pray one for another, that ye may be
saved for the fervent prayer of a righ-
teous man availeth much.
:
VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from the follow-
ing Lauds, and Antiphon of the Blessed
Virgin from that of Zacharias at the
same.
Rogation Sunday.
Fifth Lord's Day after the Passover.
MATTINS.
Invitatory and Hymn as on Low Sun-
day, (p. 471.)
Responsories as on last Sunday.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the First Epistle of the
¹Blessed Apostle Peter (i. 1.)
PETER, an Apostle of JESUS Christ,
to the strangers scattered through-
out Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia,
and Bithynia, elect, according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, unto
the sanctification of the Spirit, unto
obedience, and sprinkling of the Blood
of JESUS Christ: Grace unto you, and
peace, be multiplied. Blessed be God
and the Father of our Lord JESUS Christ,
Which, according to His abundant mercy
hath begotten us again unto a lively
hope by the Resurrection of JESUS Christ
from the dead, to an inheritance incor-
ruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you,
who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to
be revealed in the last time.
Second Lesson.
WHEREIN ye greatly rejoice, though
now for a season, if need be, ye
are in heaviness, through manifold temp-
tations; that the trial of your faith,
being much more precious than gold
(which is tried with fire,) may be found
unto praise, and glory and honour at
the appearing of JESUS Christ: Whom,
having not seen, ye love; in Whom,
though now ye see Him not, yet ye be-
lieve; and believing, rejoice, with joy
unspeakable and full of glory; receiv-
ing the end of your faith, even the sal-
vation of your souls. Of which salva-
tion the Prophets have inquired and
searched diligently, who prophesied of
the grace that should come unto you,
searching what or what time the Spirit
of Christ Which was in them did sig-
nify, when It testified beforehand the
sufferings of Christ, and the glory that
should follow. Unto whom it was re-
vealed that, not unto themselves, but
unto you, they did minister the things
which are now reported unto you by
them that have preached the Gospel
unto you, with the Holy Ghost sent
down from heaven, on Whom the angels
desire to look.
Third Lesson.
WHEREFORE gird up the loins of
2
your mind, be sober, and hope to
the end, for the grace that is offered
unto you,
the revelation of JESUS Christ;
as obedient children, not fashioning
yourselves according to the former lusts
in your ignorance; but as He Which
hath called you is Holy, so be ye holy
in all manner of conversation; be-
cause it is written: Be ye holy, for
I am Holy. And if ye call Him Fa-
ther, Who without respect of persons
judgeth according to every man's work,
pass the time of your sojourning here
in fear forasmuch as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your
vain conversation received by tradition
from your fathers, but with the Precious
Blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without
blemish and without spot; Who verily
was foreordained before the foundation
of the world, but was manifest in these
¹ Abp. Kenrick says: "The period when this letter was written cannot be fixed with
certainty. Hug assigns it to the eleventh year of Nero." (If so, three years before the
martyrdom of the Apostle.) "The common opinion is that it was written from Rome,
which is understood to have been designated by the name of Babylon (v. 13) as in the
Apocalypse, but the critic just mentioned....supposes that it was written from Babylon
in Asia."
3 Lev. xi. 44.
512
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
•
last times for you, who by Him do be-
lieve in God That raised Him up from
the dead, and gave Him glory; that
your faith and hope might be in God.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book
written by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan], on belief in the Resurrection.
SINCE it was impossible that the Wis-
dom of God could die, and that which
could not die could not rise from the dead,
He took to Himself Flesh Which could die,
that That Whose nature it was to die
might die, and rise again. Neither was it
possible that the resurrection of the dead
should come otherwise than by man,
"for since by man came death, by Man
came also the resurrection of the dead."
(1 Cor. xv. 21.) Man He rose since
Man He died, the Manhood quickened
but the Godhead Quickener. Man then,
as touching the Flesh; God now, over
all things. For now we know Christ no
longer after the Flesh, but we owe it to
the Flesh that we know Him as "be-
come the First-fruits of them that slept"
(1 Cor. xv. 23)" and the First-begotten
of the dead" (Apoc. i. 5.)
Fifth Lesson.
THE first-fruits are of the same kind
and nature as the other fruits, and
they are brought as an offering to God¹
to win His blessing on the in-gathering,
an holy offering made on behalf of all,
and as it were the homage of restored
nature. Christ then is the First-fruits
of them that sleep. But is He the First-
fruits of only His own loved ones that
fall asleep in Him, and lie as it were
untouched by death, wrapt in a sweet
slumber? Or is He the First-fruits of
all the dead? But "as in Adam all
die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive." (1 Cor. xv. 22.) So that, as in
Adam were the first-fruits of the death
wherein all die, even so in Christ were
the first-fruits of the resurrection, where-
in all rise again. But let no man be
hopeless, neither let it be a grief to the
righteous to remember that to rise again
will be common to all men, when he
looketh for that day wherein the harvest
of his life will nobly realise itself. All
shall rise again, "but," as saith the
Apostle (23,) "every man in his own
order." The harvest of God's mercy
will be for all, but in reward one man
shall differ from another.
I
Sixth Lesson.
TELL you how grievous an outrage
against God it is not to believe in
the resurrection. If we shall not rise
again, then did Christ die in vain, "then
is Christ not risen" (13.) For if, [if
He rose at all], He rose for us, and if
He had not us to rise for, then He is
plainly not risen. In Him the world,
in Him the heavens, in Him the earth
rose again. For there shall be "a new
heaven, and a new earth" (Apoc. xxi.
1.) For Himself He needed not to rise
Whom the bands of death held not.
For although He died as Man, yet was
He free in the netherworld itself.
Wouldest thou hear how free?
"I am
as a man that hath no strength, free
among the dead" (Ps. lxxxvii. 6.) 0
how free! Who was able to take up his
life again at will (John x. 18), even as
it is written that He said: "Destroy
this Temple, and in three days I will
raise it up" (John ii. 19.) O how free!
Who descended into hell only to redeem
others therefrom.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xvi. 23.)
A
disciples: Amen, Amen, I
T that time: JESUS said unto His
say unto
you: Whatsoever ye shall ask the Fa-
ther in My Name, He will give it you.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (102nd Tract on John.)
We have now to consider these words
of the Lord: "Amen, Amen, I say unto
you: Whatsoever ye shall ask the Fa-
ther in My Name, He will give it you."
1 In some places the persons performing the Rogation Procession carry nosegays. Is
this the offering alluded to?
2 Liba, lit. the sacrificial cakes.
ROGATION SUNDAY.
513
It hath already been said in the earlier
part of this discourse of the Lord, for
the sake of some who ask the Father
in Christ's Name and receive not, that
whatsoever is asked, which tendeth not
to salvation, is not asked in the Name of
something, because all things are no-
thing in comparison with this.
LAUDS.
Chapter. (James i. 22.)
the Saviour. By the words: "In My MY beloved brethren, be ye doers of
Name"-we must not understand the
vocalization of letters and syllables, but
the meaning of what is said, the honest
and true meaning.
Eighth Lesson.
THEREFORE, whosoever thinketh of
Christ as he ought not to think of
the Only Son of God, such an one doth
not ask anything in Christ's Name, al-
though he do actually utter letters and
syllables to that effect, because by these
sounds he meaneth not the Real Christ,
but a fancied being who hath no exist-
ence except in the speaker's imagina-
tion. But on the other hand, whosoever
thinketh of Christ as he ought to think,
the same asketh in Christ's Name, and
receiveth, provided only it be nothing
against his own everlasting salvation:
but if it is good for him to receive, he
receiveth. Some things are not given
at once, but kept over till a more fitting
season. Such is the true interpretation
of the words: "He will give it you"-
namely, that those things will be given
which are good for them to ask. All
the Saints, also, are heard when they
ask for themselves, but not necessarily
when they ask for their friends, or their
enemies, or others, even as it is written,
not simply: "He will give it”—but :
"He will give it you."
66
Ninth Lesson.
HITHERTO," saith the Lord, "have
ye asked nothing in My Name:
ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy
may be full." This their joy, whereof
He saith that it shall be full, is to be
understood not of fleshly but of spiritual
joy, and when that joy is so great that
it can be increased no more, then shall
it without doubt be full. Whatsoever
therefore we ask for the fulfilling of
this joy, (that is, if we thereby mean
grace, if we ask for that life which is the
really blessed one,) that is a thing which
it is meet to ask in Christ's Name. If
we ask anything else than this, we ask
nothing, although we do actually ask
the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving your own selves: for if any
be an hearer of the word, and not a doer,
he is like unto a man beholding his na-
tural face in a glass; for he beholdeth
himself, and goeth his way, and straight-
way forgetteth what manner of man he
was.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Low Sunday, (p. 474.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My
Name: * ask, and ye shall receive. Al-
leluia.
Prayer.
GOD, from Whom all good things
do come, grant to us Thy humble
servants that by Thy holy inspiration
we may think those things that be good,
and by Thy merciful guiding may per-
form the same. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
L L
The same Prayer till the Feast of the
Ascension, except at Lauds, Terce, Sext,
and None on Monday.
Chapter at Terce from Lauds.
Chapter at Sext. (James i. 25.)
BUT whose liberty, and continueth
UT whoso looketh into the perfect
law of
therein, he being not a forgetful hearer,
but a doer of the work, this man shall
be blessed in his deed.
Chapter at None. (James i. 27.)
Rond the Father is this: to visit
URE religion and undefiled before
the fatherless and widows in their afflic-
tion, and to keep himself unspotted from
the world.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn and Verse and Answer as on
Saturday before Low Sunday, (p. 470.)
514
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Ask, and ye shall receive, *
that your joy may be full: for the Fa-
ther Himself loveth you, because ye
have loved Me, and have believed in Me.
Alleluia.
Rogation Monday.
Second Day, whereon are made Sup-
plications.
If a Simple Feast fall on this day it
is only commemorated: if a Feast of
Nine Lessons, the Office is of it, with
the Homily for the Week-day as the
last Lesson, and a Commemoration of
the same at Lauds only.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xi. 5.)
Α1
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: Which of you shall have
a friend, and shall go unto him at mid-
night, and say unto him; Friend, lend
me three loaves. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. vii. on Luke xi.)
We gather from this commandment,
among other things, that we ought to
pray, not only by day, but also by night.
Thou seest how that he which arose at
midnight to ask three loaves of his
friend, and endured in supplication, was
not disappointed of that which he sought.
Of what are these three loaves a figure,
but of that our Mysterious Bread Which
cometh down from heaven? Thou seest
that if thou lovest the Lord thy God,
thou mayest win His bounty, not only
for thyself, but for others likewise. And
who can deserve more to be called our
"Friend" than He Which gave His
Own Body for us?
First Responsory.
Let now the redeemed, &c., (p. 507.)
Second Lesson.
FROM this Friend it was that David
asked bread at midnight, and re-
ceived it, as he saith: "At midnight I
rise to give thanks unto Thee." (Ps.
cxviii. 62.) Even thus did he obtain
those loaves [of spiritual nourishment]
which he still setteth before us for our
refreshment. How he asked it, we
know from that he saith: "Every night
wash I my bed." (Ps. vi. 7.) He knew
that there was no fear of waking Him
Who sleepeth not. (Ps. cxx. 3.) There-
fore let us keep in mind the things which
are written for our learning, and be in-
stant in prayer both by day and by night,
to ask pardon of our sins.
Second Responsory.
O sing, &c., (p. 507,) omitting the
last Verse and Answer.
IF
Third Lesson.
F David, who was such a Saint, and
whose time was so taken up by the
cares of a kingdom, praised the Lord
seven times a day, (Ps. cxviii. 164,) and
was always present with godly zeal at
the morning and evening sacrifice, what
ought we to do, (who have so much the
more need to pray, as the weakness of
our body and mind doth so much oftener
make us to fall,) that we, wearied with
this pilgrimage, and worn out by the
gradual waning of our earthly day,
and the changes of life, that we, I say,
may not be starved of that life-giving
Bread Which strengtheneth man's heart?
The Lord teacheth us to be watchful, all
of us, and that, not at midnight only,
but alway. "And if He shall come in
the second watch, or come in the third
watch, and find them so-blessed are
those servants whom the Lord, when
He cometh, shall find watching." (Luke
xii. 37.)
Third Responsory. (Instead of the
Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God, &c.")
I will declare, &c., (p. 504.)
LAUDS.
Antiphons and Psalms as on Sunday.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Ask, and ye shall receive: * seek, and
ye shall find: knock, and it shall be
opened unto you. Alleluia.
Prayer.
RANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that we who in our tribula-
tion are yet of good cheer because of Thy
ROGATION TUESDAY.
515
loving-kindness, may find Thee mighty
to save from all dangers. Who livest
and reignest with God the Father, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer at Terce, Sext, and
None.
On this day there is a ¹Procession of
supplication, followed by a special Mass.
All persons bound to recite the_Office,
and who are not present at the Proces-
sion, are bound to recite the Litany after
Lauds. This cannot be done before mid-
night between Sunday and Monday.
VESPERS.
These Vespers may be of a Feast. If
so, no Commemoration is made of the
Week-day, but if they are Semidouble
or Simple, the Cross is commemorated as
usual.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Father Himself loveth you,
*because ye have loved Me, and have
believed in Me. Alleluia.
Rogation Tuesday.
Third Day, whereon are made Sup-
plications.
If a Feast, even Simple, fall on this
day, it is observed, and the Week-day
not commemorated.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Peter
(iv. 1.)
ORASMUCH, then, as Christ hath
suffered for us in the flesh, arm
yourselves likewise with the same mind;
for he that suffered in the flesh hath
ceased from sin, that he no longer should
live the rest of his time in the flesh to
the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
For the time past sufficeth to have
wrought the will of the Gentiles, when
we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess
of wine, revellings, banquetings, and
abominable idolatries. Wherein they
think it strange that ye run not with
them to the same excess of riot; whose
talk is alway blasphemy; who shall give
account to Him That is ready to judge
the quick and the dead. For, for this
cause was the Gospel preached also to
them that are dead,2 that they might be
judged according to men in the flesh,
but live according to God in the spirit.
But the end of all things is at hand.
First Responsory.
Bless ye God, &c., (p. 504.)
Second Lesson.
BE ye therefore sober and watch unto
prayer. But, above all things, have
constant charity among yourselves, for
charity covereth a multitude of sins.
Use hospitality one to another without
grudging. As every man hath received
grace, even so minister the same one to
another, as good stewards of the mani-
fold grace of God. If any man speak,
let him speak as the words of God; if
any man minister, let him do it as of
the ability which God giveth; that God
in all things may be glorified through
JESUS Christ, to Whom be praise and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Second Responsory.
With my whole heart, &c., (p. 504,)
with this addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O let me not wander from
Thy commandments! Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Third Lesson.
BELOVED, think it not strange con-
cerning the fiery trial which is
trying you, as though some strange
thing happened unto you: but rejoice,
inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's
sufferings, that, when His glory shall
be revealed, ye may be glad also with
exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for
the Name of Christ, happy are ye, for-
asmuch as the honour, the glory, and
the power of God, yea, and His Spirit
also, do then rest upon you. But let
none of you suffer as a murderer, or as
1 The object of the Procession and Mass on these three days seems to be to implore a
blessing upon the fruits of the earth, and in rural places, the Procession goes through the
fields.
2 L.e. by our Lord, when He descended into hell.
3 Persecution.
LL 2
516
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
a thief, or as an evil doer, or as a luster
after other men's goods. But if he suffer
as a Christian, let him not be ashamed:
but let him glorify God in that name.
For the time is come that judgment
must begin at the house of God.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
*
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Christ ought to have suffered, and to
have risen again from the dead. Alle-
luia.
On this day also there is a Procession
of Supplication, followed by a special
Mass, and all persons bound to recite the
Office, and who are not present at the
Procession, are bound to recite the Litany
after Lauds.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I came forth from the Father,
* and am come into the world: again I
leave the world, and go to the Father.
Alleluia.
Rogation Wednesday. Eve of the
Ascension.
Fourth Day, whereon are made Suppli-
cations. The same is the Eve of the
Ascension.
If a Simple Feast fall on this day, it
is_only_commemorated: if a Feast of
Nine Lessons, the Office is of it, with
the Homily of the Eve as the last Les-
son, and a Commemoration of the same
at Lauds only.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xvii. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS lifted up His
Eyes to heaven, and spake these
words: Father, the hour is come; glorify
Thy Son. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (104th Tract on John.)
Our Lord, the Only-begotten and co-
eternal Son of the Father, was able, if
need were, in and from the form of a
servant, to pray in silence; but He thus
manifested Himself in prayer, remem-
bering that He is our Teacher. Thus
He made known unto us the prayer
which He made for us: since He was so
great a Master that, not only His dis-
course to them, but His prayer to the
Father for them, is an up-building to
His disciples. And if it was so for them
who were there to hear, truly it is so for
us also for whose instruction it hath
been written down.
First Responsory.
O God, I will sing, &c., (p. 505.)
Second Lesson.
WHEREFORE, by these words: “Fa-
ther, the hour is come; glorify
Thy Son"-He showeth that all time,
and all whatsoever He doth, or alloweth
to be done, and the season wherein He
will do or allow it, is alike ordained of
Him Who is Himself not subject to time.
Yea, all things which were then to come,
or are yet to come now, have the reason
why they should be, in the Wisdom of
God, Which is Itself independent of all
time.
"The hour is come." We must not
believe that that hour was brought on
by the march of destiny, but was by
ordination of God. No stars decreed
irresistibly that the time was come for
Christ to suffer-God forbid that the re-
volutions of His planets should force
death on Him Who made them.
Second Responsory.
It is a good thing, &c., (p. 505.)
Third Lesson.
SOME think that the glorification of
the Son by the Father was that
"He spared Him not, but delivered Him
up for us all." (Rom. viii. 32.) But if
we say that He was glorified by suffer-
ing, how much more shall we say that
He was glorified by rising again? While
He suffered, His humbleness was more
manifested than His glory, as witnesseth
the Apostle, where he saith: "He hum-
bled Himself, and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the cross"-
then he addeth touching His glorifica-
tion: "Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted Him, and given Him a Name
which is above every name, that at the
ASCENSION DAY.
517
Name of JESUS every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth,
and things under the earth; and that
every tongue should confess that our
Lord JESUS Christ is in the glory of God
the Father." (Phil. ii. 8—11.) This is
the glorification of our Lord JESUS
Christ, that glorification whose first
rays dawned on the Resurrection morn-
ing.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy
Son* with the glory which I had with
Thee before the world was. Alleluia.
On this day also there is a Procession
of Supplication, followed by a special
Mass, and all persons bound to recite the
Office, and who are not present at the
Procession, are bound to recite the Litany
after Lauds.
Vespers are of the Feast.
Ascension Day, called also Holy Thursday.
The Ascension of the Lord.
Double of the First Class.
All as on Sundays, except the fol-
lowing:
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, Hymn, and
Prayer from Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Psalm CXVI.
O praise the LORD, &c., (p. 154.)
Verse. God is gone up with a shout
-Alleluia.
Answer. And the LORD with the
sound of a trumpet-Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Father, I have manifested Thy
Name unto the men which Thou gavest
Me: * but now I pray for them, not for
the world, because I come to Thee. Al-
leluia.
COMPLINE.
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus :
JESU, victorious Lord, to Thee,
On Thy return to heaven,
With Father, Spirit-One and Three,
Eternal praise be given. Amen.
1 Ps. xlvi. 6.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Alleluia. The Lord Christ
hath ascended up into heaven. * O come
let us worship Him! Alleluia.
O
Hymn.s
THOU Eternal King Most High!
Who didst the world redeem;
And, conquering death and hell, receive
A dignity supreme—
Thou, through the starry orbs, this day,
Didst to Thy throne ascend;
Thenceforth to reign in sovereign power,
And glory without end.
There, seated in Thy Majesty,
To Thee submissive bow
The heaven of heavens, the earth beneath,
The realms of hell below.
With trembling there the Angels see
The changed estate of men;
The flesh which sinned by Flesh redeemed;
Man in the Godhead reign.
There, waiting for Thy faithful souls,
Be Thou to us, O Lord!
Our joy of joys while here we stay,
In heaven our great reward.
Renew our strength; our sins forgive;
Our miseries efface;
3 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
2 John xvii. 6.
518
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
And lift our souls aloft to Thee,
By Thy celestial grace.
So when Thou shinest on the clouds,
With Thine angelic train,
May we be saved from deadly doom,
And our lost crowns regain.
To Christ returning gloriously
With victory to heaven,
Praise, with the Father, evermore,
And Holy Ghost, be given. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. O God, Thou hast
set Thy glory above the heavens.
*
Alleluia.
Psalm VIII.
O LORD, our Ruler, &c., (p. 6.)
Second Antiphon. The LORD is in
His holy Temple: * the LORD'S [throne]
is in heaven. Alleluia.
Psalm X.
In the LORD put I my trust, &c., (p.
8.)
Third Antiphon. His going forth is
from the end of the heaven, * and his
circuit unto the ends of it. Alleluia.
Psalm XVIII.
The heavens declare, &c., (p. 16.)
Verse. God is gone up with a shout—
Alleluia.
Answer. And the LORD with the
sound of a trumpet-Alleluia.
First Lesson, "Here beginneth the
book, &c.," (Acts i. 1,) as on Monday
after Low Sunday, (p. 475,) as far as
the words, "not many days hence."
·First Responsory.
¹Being seen of them forty days after
that He had suffered, and speaking of
the kingdom of God-Alleluia. And
while they beheld, He was taken up,
and a cloud received Him out of their
sight. Alleluia.
Verse. And, eating together with
them, He commanded them that they
should not depart from Jerusalem, but
wait for the Promise of the Father.
Answer. And while they beheld, He
was taken up, and a cloud received Him
out of their sight. Alleluia.
1 Acts i. 3, 4, 9.
3 Ps. xx. 14.
Second Lesson, "They therefore that
were come together, &c.," in the First
Lesson of Monday after Low Sunday,
to the end, and the Second Lesson as far
as the words, "received Him out of their
sight."
Second Responsory.
The Lord hath set His beauty above
the stars; His loveliness is in the clouds
of heaven, and His Name endureth for
ever. Alleluia.
Verse. His going forth is from the
end of the heaven, and His circuit unto
the ends of it.
Answer. His loveliness is in the
clouds of heaven, and His Name endur-
eth for ever. Alleluia.
Third Lesson, "And while they looked
up, &c.," in the Second Lesson of Mon-
day after Low Sunday to the end.
Third Responsory.
"Be Thou exalted, O Lord-Alleluia—
in Thine Own strength-Alleluia.
Verse. O God, Thou hast set Thy
glory above the heavens.
Answer. In Thine Own strength—
Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. In Thine Own strength-
Alleluia.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Be Thou exalted, O
Lord,* in Thine Own strength; we will
sing and praise [Thy power.] Alleluia.
Psalm XX.
The King shall joy, &c., (p. 17.)
Second Antiphon. I will extol Thee,
O LORD, * for Thou hast lifted Me up.
Alleluia.
Psalm XXIX.
I will extol, &c., (p. 23.)
Third Antiphon. God is gone up with
a shout, * and the LORD with the sound
of a trumpet. Alleluia.
Psalm XLVI.
O clap your hands, &c., (p. 37.)
Verse. When Christ ascended up on
high-Alleluia.
2 Ps. xviii. 6, 7.
• Eph. iv. 8.
ASCENSION DAY.
519
Answer. He led captivity captive-
Alleluia.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (1st on
the Lord's Ascension.)
AFTER the blessed and glorious Re-
surrection of our Lord JESUS Christ,
wherein the Divine Power raised up
in
three days the true Temple of God
Which the iniquity of the Jews had de-
stroyed (John ii. 19,) God was pleased to
ordain, by His Most Sacred Will, and in
His Providence for our instruction and
the profit of our souls, a season of forty
days; which season, dearly beloved bre-
thren, doth end on this day. During
that season the bodily Presence of the
Lord still lingered on earth, that the
reality of the fact of His having risen
again from the dead might be armed
with all needful proofs. The death of
Christ had troubled the hearts of many
of His disciples; their thoughts were
sad when they remembered His agony
upon the Cross, His giving up of the
Ghost, and the laying in the grave of
His lifeless Body, and a sort of hesita-
tion had begun to weigh on them.
Fourth Responsory.
¹My time is come that I should re-
turn unto Him That sent Me, saith the
Lord. Be not sorrowful, neither let
your heart be troubled. I pray the Fa-
ther for you, that He may keep you.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. If I go not away, the Com-
forter will not come unto you: when I
am ascended, I will send Him unto you.
Answer. I pray the Father for you,
that He may keep you. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
H¹
Fifth Lesson.
ENCE the most blessed Apostles,
and all the disciples, who had been
fearful at the finishing on the Cross, and
doubtful of the trustworthiness of the
rising again, were so strengthened by
the clear demonstration of the fact, that,
when they saw the Lord going up into
the heights of heaven, they sorrowed
not, nay, they were even filled with
great joy. And, in all verity, it was a
great and unspeakable cause for joy to
see the Manhood, in the presence of
that holy multitude of believers, exalted
above all creatures even heavenly, ris-
ing above the ranks of the angelic
armies, and speeding Its glorious way to
where the most noble of the Archangels
lie far behind, to rest no lower than that
place where high above all principality
and power, It taketh Its seat at the
right hand of the Eternal Father, Sharer
of His throne, and Partaker of His glory,
and still of the very man's nature which
the Son hath taken upon Him.
Fifth Responsory.
"Let not your heart be troubled; I go
unto the Father, and when I am taken
from you, I will send unto you-Alle-
luia-the Spirit of truth; and your heart
shall rejoice. Alleluia.
Verse. I will pray the Father, and He
shall give you another Comforter.
Answer. The Spirit of truth; and
your heart shall rejoice. Alleluia.
THE
Sixth Lesson.
HEREFORE, dearly beloved bre-
thren, let us also rejoice with
worthy joy, for the Ascension of Christ
is exaltation for us, and whither the
glory of the Head of the Church is
passed in, thither is the hope of the
body of the Church called on to follow.
Let us rejoice with exceeding great joy,
and give God glad thanks. This day is
not only the possession of Paradise made
sure unto us, but in the Person of our
Head we are actually begun to enter
into the heavenly mansions above.
Through the unspeakable goodness of
Christ we have gained more than ever
we lost by the envy of the devil. We,
whom our venomous enemy thrust from
our first happy home,-we, being made
of one body with the Son of God, have
by Him been given a place at the right
hand of the Father; with Whom He
liveth and reigneth, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Sixth Responsory.
3 When Christ ascended up on high,
1 John xvi. 5; xiv. 1, 16; xvii. 15; xvi. 7; xv. 26.
2 John xiv. 1, 12; xv. 26; xvi. 22; xiv. 16, 17.
3 Eph. iv. 8.
520
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
He led captivity captive-He gave gifts
unto men. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. God is gone up with a shout,
and the LORD with the sound of a
trumpet.
Answer. He gave gifts unto men-
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He gave gifts unto men-
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. He is exalted-Al-
leluia *—far above all gods-Alleluia.
Psalm XCVI.
The LORD reigneth, &c., (p. 73.)
Second Antiphon. The LORD is great
in Zion-Alleluia *-and He is high
[above all people.] Alleluia.
Psalm XCVIII.
The LORD reigneth, &c., (p. 74.)
Third Antiphon. The LORD hath pre-
pared-Alleluia-His throne * in ĥea-
ven-Alleluia.
Psalm CII.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, &c., (p.
76.)
Verse. ¹I ascend unto My Father and
to your Father-Alleluia.
Answer. To My God and your God-
Alleluia.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xvi. 14.)
AT
T that time: JESUS appeared unto
the eleven disciples as they sat at
meat, and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart: because
they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (29th on the Gospels.)
I may be allowed to say that the dis-
ciples' slowness to believe that the Lord
had indeed risen from the dead, was not
so much their weakness as our strength.
In consequence of their doubts, the fact
of the Resurrection was demonstrated
by many infallible proofs. These proofs
1 John xx. 17.
we read and acknowledge. What then
assureth our faith, if not their doubt?
For my part, I put my trust in Thomas,
who doubted long, much more than in
Mary Magdalene, who believed at once.
Through his doubting, he came actually
to handle the holes of the Wounds, and
thereby closed up any wound of doubt
in our hearts.
Seventh Responsory.
2I will pray the Father, and He shall
give you another Comforter, that He
may abide with you for ever, even the
Spirit of truth-Alleluia.
Verse. For if I go not away, the Com-
forter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send Him unto you.
Answer. That He may abide with
you for ever, even the Spirit of truth—
Alleluia.
Eighth Lesson.
Το
To confirm to our minds the trust-
worthiness of the fact that our Lord
did indeed rise again from the dead, it
is well for us to remark one of the state-
ments of Luke (Acts i. 4.)-" Eating
together with them, He commanded
them that they should not depart from
Jerusalem"-and a little afterward :-
"While they beheld, He was taken up,
and a cloud received Him out of their
sight." Consider these words, note well
these mysteries. After "eating toge-
ther with them-He was taken up." He
ate and ascended: that the fact of His
eating might show the reality of the
Body in Which He went up. But Mark
telleth us that before the Lord ascended
into heaven He upbraided His disciples
with their unbelief and hardness of
heart. From this I know not what we
should gather, but that the Lord then
upbraided His disciples, from whom He
was about to be parted in the body, to
the end that the words which He spoke
unto them as He left them, might be
the deeper imprinted on their hearts.
Eighth Responsory.
3 Thou makest the clouds Thy chariot,
O Lord, Thou walkest upon the wings of
the wind. Alleluia.
Verse. Thou art clothed with honour
and majesty, covering Thyself with
light as with a garment!
2 John xiv. 16, 17; xvi. 7.
3 Ps. ciii. 3.
ASCENSION DAY.
521
Answer. Thou walkest upon the
wings of the wind. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou walkest upon the wings
of the wind. Alleluia.
Ninth Lesson.
WHEN, then, He had rebuked the
hardness of their heart, what com-
mand did He give them? Let us hear.
"Go ye into all the world, and preach
the Gospel to every creature." Was the
Holy Gospel, then, my brethren, to be
preached to things insensate, or to brute
beasts, that the Lord said to His dis-
ciples: "Preach the Gospel to every
creature ?" Nay; but by the words
"every creature" we must understand
man, in whom are combined qualities
of all creatures. Being he hath in com-
mon with stones, life in common with
trees, feeling in common with beasts,
understanding in common with angels.
If then, man hath something in com-
mon with every creature, man is to a
certain extent every creature. The Gos-
pel, then, if it be preached to man only,
is preached to every creature.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. ¹Ye men of Galilee,
why stand ye gazing up into heaven ? *
This same JESUS, Which is taken up
from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner. Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. And while they
looked steadfastly towards heaven, * as
He went up, they said: Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. He lifted up His
Hands, and blessed them,* and was car-
ried up into heaven. Alleluia.
*
Fourth Antiphon. Extol the King of
kings, and ascribe praise to God. Al-
leluia.
Fifth Antiphon. While they beheld,
He was taken up, * and a cloud re-
ceived Him in heaven. Alleluia.
Chapter. (Acts i. 1.)
THE former Treatise have I made, O
Theophilus, of all that JESUS began
both to do and to teach, until the day in
1 Acts i. 11.
which He was taken up, after that He
through the Holy Ghost had given com-
mandments unto the Apostles whom He
had chosen.
Hymn.*
THOU pure Light of souls that love!
True joy of every human breast!
Sower of life's immortal seed!
Our Maker, and Redeemer blest!
What wondrous pity Thee o'ercame
To make our guilty load Thine own,
And, sinless, suffer death and shame,
For our transgressions to atone !
Thou, bursting Hades open wide,
Didst all the captive souls unchain;
And thence to Thy dread Father's side
With glorious pomp ascend again.
O still may pity Thee compel
To heal the wounds of which we die;
And take us in Thy light to dwell,
Who for Thy blissful Presence sigh.
Be Thou our Guide; be Thou our Goal;
Be Thou our Pathway to the skies;
Our Joy when sorrow fills the soul;
In death our everlasting prize. Amen.
Verse. The LORD hath prepared-
Alleluia.
Answer. His throne in heaven-Al-
leluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
I ascend unto My Father, and your Fa-
ther; to My God and your God. Al-
*
leluia.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GRANT,
we beseech Thee, Almighty
God, that like as we do believe
Thine Only-Begotten Son our Saviour to
have this day ascended into the heavens,
so we may also in heart and mind thi-
ther ascend, and with Him continually
dwell: Through the Same our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Last verse of the Hymn as at Com-
pline.
Antiphon. Ye men of Galilee, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
2 Luke xxiv. 50, 51.
* Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
3 Acts i. 9.
522
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
In the Short Responsory instead of
"Thou That sittest, &c.," is said:
Verse. Thou That hast gone up above
the stars.
Chapter at the end. (Acts i. 11.)
YE
men of Galilee, why stand ye gaz-
ing up into heaven? This Same
JESUS, Which is taken
up
heaven, shall so come, in like manner
as ye have seen Him go into heaven.
TERCE.
John truly baptized with water, but ye
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost,
not many days hence."
Short Responsory.
When Christ ascended up on high—
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Answer. When Christ ascended up
on high-Alleluia, Alleluia.
from you into
Verse. He led captivity captive.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. When Christ ascended up on
high-Alleluia, Alleluia.
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus:
JESU, Who, victor in the fight,
Returnest to the realms of light,
To Father, Spirit, and to Thee,
Eternal praise and glory be. Amen.
Antiphon. And while they looked,
&c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
God is gone up with a shout-Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Answer. God is gone up with a shout
-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And the LORD with the sound
of a trumpet.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. God is gone up with a shout
-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. When Christ ascended up on
high-Alleluia.
Answer. He led captivity captive-
Alleluia.
SEXT.
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus:
JESU, on Thy return to heaven,
Victorious o'er the foe, to Thee,
Be praise, and thanks, and glory given,
With Father, Spirit, One and Three.
Amen.
Antiphon. He lifted up, &c., (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Acts i. 4.)
AND, eating together with them, He
commanded that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the
Promise of the Father, "Which," saith
He, "ye have heard by My Mouth; for
Verse. I ascend unto My Father and
your Father-Alleluia.
Answer. To My God and your God-
Alleluia.
NONE
Last verse of the Hymn as at Com-
pline.
Antiphon. While they beheld, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
I ascend unto My Father and your
Father-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. I ascend unto My Father,
and your Father-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. To My God and your God.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. I ascend unto My Father
and your Father-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The LORD hath prepared-
Alleluia.
Answer. His throne in heaven-Al-
leluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the fol-
lowing.
Verse. The LORD hath prepared-Al-
leluia.
Answer. His throne in heaven-Al-
leluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O King of glory, Lord of hosts,
* Who hast this day exalted Thine Own
Self, with great triumph, above all the
heavens, leave us not orphans; but send
FRIDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY.
523
unto us the Promise of the Father, even
the Spirit of truth. Alleluia.
Compline as before.
Until the Eve of Pentecost, inclusive,
the Office is every day the same as on
Ascension Day, except,
1. On all days except the Octave Day,
which is Double, the Antiphons are not
doubled.
2. Certain changes hereafter given
under each day.
Feasts of Nine Lessons are observed,
with a Commemoration of the Office of
the Ascension, (unless a Feast of Greater
Double or higher rank fall on the Fri-
day before Pentecost,) except on the Eve
of Pentecost.
Simple Feasts have only Commemo-
rations at Vespers and Lauds and the
Ninth Lesson at Mattins.
Friday after Ascension Bay.
Sixth Day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the ¹Second Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Peter (i. 1.)
SIMON Peter, a servant and an Apos-
tle of JESUS Christ, to them that
have obtained like faith with us, through
the righteousness of our God and Sa-
viour JESUS Christ. Grace and peace
be multiplied unto you, through the
knowledge of God and of Christ JESUS
our Lord, according as His Divine Power
hath given unto us all things that per-
tain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of Him That hath called us
by His Own glory and strength; through
Whom are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises, that by these ye
might be made partakers of the Divine
Nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust.
A
Second Lesson.
ND beside this, giving all diligence,
add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge,
temperance; and to temperance, pa-
tience; and to patience, godliness; and
to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness, charity. For if these
things be in you, and abound, they shall
make you that ye shall neither be bar-
ren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of
our Lord JESUS Christ. But he that
lacketh these things is blind, and grop-
eth, and hath forgotten that he was
purged from his old sins.
Third Lesson.
WHEREFORE the rather, brethren,
give diligence by good works to
make your calling and election sure:
for while ye do these things, ye shall
never sin. For so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into
the everlasting kingdom of our Lord
and Saviour JESUS Christ. Wherefore
I will not be negligent to put you al-
ways in remembrance of these things,
though ye know them and be estab-
lished in the present truth. But I think
it meet, as long as I am in this taber-
nacle, to stir you up, by putting you in
remembrance: knowing that shortly I
must put off this my tabernacle, even
as our Lord JESUS Christ hath showed
me.2 Moreover, I will endeavour that
ye may be able after my decease to
have these things always in remem-
brance.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (2nd
for the Lord's Ascension.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, that mys-
terious thing, our salvation, which
the Maker of the universe thought worth
purchasing with His Own Precious
Blood, was aimed at by Him, in the
dispensation of His humility, from the
hour wherein He was born as touch-
ing the flesh, till the moment when, at
the end of the Passion, He cried on
the Cross :-"It is finished." Although
from under the form of a servant many
1 "This letter," says Abp. Kenrick, "appears to have been written to the same persons
to whom the former was addressed." (III. 1.) "It was written probably a short time be-
fore the completion of his course by martyrdom." (I. 14.)
2 I.e., by crucifixion. John xxi. 18, 19.
524
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
marks of His Godhead shone forth, yet,
as a whole, the work of those three-and-
thirty years was to manifest the verity
of the Mauhood Which the Son of God
had taken into Himself. But when the
suffering was all over, and the bands of
death were broken, (that death which
had lost all his power by seeking to
bind Him Who knew no sin,) then was
weakness changed into strength, mor-
tality into immortality, insult into that
glory which the Lord JESUS Christ, on
so many occasions, made manifest by so
many and infallible proofs, until the
day came when that triumphant proces-
sion of victory, which He had led from
the realms of shattered death, followed
Him with unimaginable pomp into the
heavens.
ΟΝ
Fifth Lesson.
the solemn Feast of the Passover
the cause of our joy was that Christ
was risen again. This day we rejoice
because that He is ascended up into
heaven. We call to mind and justly
celebrate that day whereon our lowly
nature was in the Person of Christ,
borne up high above all the heavenly
armies, above all the circles of Angels,
beyond the heights of all the Powers,
even to where Christ is sitting on the
right hand of the Father. Our founda-
tions are laid, and our house is built
upon this succession of the works of
God; and His grace is made more won-
derful by this, that, though the visible
Object of worship is removed, from
among men, the faith of the Church
doth not grow weak, nor her hope
wavering, nor her love cold.
IT
Sixth Lesson.
is the back-bone of a strong mind
and the eye of a trusty soul, to be-
lieve unhesitatingly that which is not
seen with the bodily eyes, and to centre all
love where there can be no experimental
knowledge. This it is which is the only
thing we can have of godliness; for how
could a man be justified through faith,
if the saving objects were objects of
sight? There was a man who would
not believe in the Resurrection of Christ
until he had examined by sight, and
hast believed: blessed are they that
have not seen, and yet have believed."
(John xx. 29.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xvi. 14.)
AT that time: JESUS appeared unto
the eleven disciples as they sat at
meat, and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart; because
they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (Same as before.)
"He that believeth, and is baptized,
shall be saved; but he that believeth
not shall be damned." Perchance some
man will say within himself: "I have
already believed, and therefore I shall
be saved." Thou hast well said, if thou
showest thy faith by thy works. He
only hath a true faith whose life doth
not give the lie to his confession.
Hence it is that Paul saith, touching
some who were falsely faithful:-"They
profess that they know God; but in
works they deny Him." (Tit. i. 16.)
And John likewise saith:-"He that
saith: I know Him; and keepeth not His
commandments, is a liar." (I. ii. 4.)
Eighth Lesson.
SINCE, then, it so standeth, it is to
our lives we must look for proof of
the reality of our faith. Then only are
we truly Christ's faithful people when
our works are the fulfilment of our pro-
fession. The day whereon we were
baptized we bound ourselves to re-
nounce all the works of the old enemy,
and all his pomps. Therefore let every
one of you now turn his inward eye
upon his own behaviour, and if, since
his baptism, he hath kept that promise
which he made before it, let him know
that he is in very truth one of Christ's
faithful ones; and let him rejoice.
Ninth Lesson.
touched the marks of the Passion in the BUT if he hath utterly broken his
Divine Body, and the Lord said to him:
"Because thou hast seen Me, thou
promise, if he hath fallen away to
work iniquity, and to lust after the
SATURDAY AFTER ASCENSION DAY.
525
pomps of the world, let us see if he now
knoweth how to weep over his back-
sliding. By the merciful Judge that
man is not punished as a perjurer who
in the end telleth the truth, even
though he hath first lied. Because Al-
mighty God doth, in His tender kind-
ness, so receive our contrition, that, in
His judgment, He declareth us not
guilty of that which we have done
amiss.
Saturday.
The Sabbath.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle Peter
(iii. 1.)
THIS Second Epistle, beloved, I now
write unto you; in both which I
stir up your pure minds by way of re-
membrance, that ye may be mindful of
the words which were spoken before by
the Holy Prophets, and of the com-
mandment of us the Apostles of the
Lord and Saviour, knowing this first,
that there shall come in the last days,
in deceit, scoffers, walking after their
own lusts, and saying: "Where is the
promise of His coming? for since the
fathers fell asleep, all things continue
as they were from the beginning of the
creation." For this they willingly are
ignorant of, that by the word of God
the heavens were of old, and the earth
formed from the water and by the
water; whereby the world that then was,
being overflowed with water, perished.
But the heavens and the earth which
are now, by the same word are kept in
store, reserved unto fire against the day
of judgment, and perdition of ungodly
men.
Second Lesson.
BUT, beloved, be not ignorant of this
one thing, that one day is with
the Lord as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day. The Lord
is not slack concerning His promise, as
some men count [Him:] but is long-
suffering for your sake, not willing that
any should perish, but that all should
come to repentance. But the day of the
Lord will come as a thief; in the which
the heavens shall pass away with a great
crash, and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat; the earth also, and the
works that are therein, shall be burned
up. Seeing, then, that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of per-
sons ought ye to be, in holy conversa-
tion and godliness, looking for, and
hasting unto the coming of the day of
the Lord, wherein the heavens, being
on fire, shall be dissolved, and the ele-
ments shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless, we, according to His pro-
mise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Third Lesson.
WHEREFORE, beloved, seeing that
ye look for such things, be dili-
gent that ye may be found of Him in
peace, without spot, and blameless. And
account that the long-suffering of our
Lord is salvation: even as our beloved
brother Paul also, according to the wis-
dom given unto him, hath written unto
you, as also in all his epistles, speaking
in them of these things; in which are
some things hard to be understood,
which they that are unlearned and
unstable wrest, (as they do also the
other Scriptures,) unto their own de-
struction. Ye, therefore, brethren, see-
ing ye know these things before, beware
lest ye also, being led away with the
error of the foolish, fall from your own
stedfastness. But grow in grace, and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Sa-
viour JESUS Christ. To Him be glory,
both now and for ever. Amen.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The lesson is taken from the Sermons of
Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (2nd on
the Ascension.)
A
ND so the seen Presence of our Re-
deemer in the Body, was changed
for an unseen Presence in the Sacra-
ments, and hearing was given to the
Church in place of seeing, that her faith,
rightly so called, might be the more
victorious and stedfast; and that teach-
ing, which the hearts of all her children
are called on to hear, is a teaching_en-
lightened by rays from heaven. This
faith, strengthened by the Ascension of
-
526
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
the Lord, and established by the gift of
the Holy Ghost, neither bonds, nor im-
prisonment, nor exile, nor famine, nor
fire, nor savage beasts, nor those forms of
death, fine-wrought in cruelty, wherein
they that persecute us are well skilled,
have been able to scare. For this faith
there have striven throughout the whole
world, even unto the out-pouring of their
blood, not men only, but women also,
not little lads only, but tender maidens.
This is the faith which hath cast out
devils, healed diseases, raised the dead.
Fifth Lesson.
HENCE even the blessed Apostles
themselves, who had been com-
forted by so many miracles and taught
by so many discourses, were sickened
by the horrors of their Lord's Passion,
and received but doubtfully the assur-
ance of His Resurrection, till after the
Lord's Ascension; and then fared on so
bravely, that all that had been fearful
to them before became joyful then.
The reason was that they had lifted up
all their mind to think of the Godhead
of Him Who sitteth at the right hand
of the Father. They asked no longer
for a seen Presence, when their spiritual
eye had caught the fact that, even as,
when He had come down to earth, He
had not left His Father, so now that
He was gone up into heaven, He had
not left His disciples. So then it was,
dearly beloved brethren, that the Son
of man more excellently and more sa-
credly revealed Himself as the Son of
God, when He had withdrawn Himself
again into that glory which He had
with the Father before the world was.
In some unspeakable way He began to
be more present, as touching His God-
head, when He removed Himself farther
from us, as touching His Manhood.
Sixth Lesson.
THEN it was that a better instructed
faith began intellectually to ap-
proach the idea of a Son equal to the
Father, and no longer to need to handle
in Christ the bodily Matter, Which is
of a nature as touching which He is
inferior to the Father; since, Its nature
still remaining in the glorified Body,
the faith of believers was summoned to
that place where the Only-Begotten
Son, Who is equal to the Father, is felt,
not by the application of a bodily hand,
but by the effort of a spiritual-minded
intellect. Hence it was that after His
Resurrection, when Mary Magdalene,
(in whom was there represented the
Person of the whole Church,) wished to
handle the Lord, He said: "Touch Me.
not; for I am not yet ascended to My
Father"-that is; I will no more tha
thy nearness to Me should be a nearness
of body to Body, nor that thine expe-
rience of Me should henceforward be
one proceeding from fleshly experiment
-for that, I appoint thee an higher
world, I make ready for thee a nobler
form of it than this-after that I have
ascended to My Father, a time will come
when thou shalt indeed touch Me, but
after a manner more perfect, more real
than this, even a time when thou shalt
lay hold on that which thou touchest
not now, and believe that which thou
seest not now.'
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xvi. 14.)
A
T that time: JESUS appeared unto
the eleven disciples as they sat at
meat, and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart: because
they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (Same as before.)
"And these signs shall follow them
that believe: In My Name they shall cast
out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it
shall not hurt them; they shall lay
hands on the sick, and they shall re-
cover."
My brethren, these signs do
not follow us. Do we, then, not be-
lieve? Nay. The truth is, these things
were needful when the Church was
young. That she might grow by the
increase of the faithful, she needed to
be nourished with miracles. Even so
we, when we plant a young tree, con-
tinually water and tend it till we see
that it hath taken firm root in the earth:
but when once it hath taken firm root,
it can grow of itself. Hence, Paul saith
of tongues: "Tongues are for a sign,
SUNDAY AFTER THE ASCENSION.
527
not to them that believe, but to them
that believe not." (1 Cor. xiv. 22.)
Eighth Lesson,
WE have a deeper matter of thought
touching these signs and mighty
works. It is the work of the holy
Church to do every day spiritually that
which the Apostles then did carnally.
When her Priests, armed with the power
of exorcism, lay their hands upon be-
lievers, and command evil spirits to
dwell no longer in their souls, what is
it they do but cast out devils? When
Christ's faithful people themselves give
up the language of their old life, and
speak the wonderful works of God, the
glory and power of their Maker, telling
of them with all their strength, what is
it they do then but speak with new
tongues? When either the one or the
other doth by his exhortation charm the
wickedness out of his neighbour's heart,
what is it he doth but take up serpents?
Ninth Lesson.
WHEN they hear the voice of temp-
tation inviting to deadly sin, but
are not drawn thereby to work iniquity,
do they not then drink a deadly thing,
and it doth not hurt them? As often as
they see their neighbour fainting in
well-doing, and run to help him with
all their might, so that their ensample
braceth the feeble life of the waverer,
what do they but lay hands on the sick
and they recover? And indeed, such
miracles as these are the greatest mi-
racles, which are spiritual; the greatest,
for they bring health, not to the dying
body, but to the immortal soul.
VESPERS.
Chapter, Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin, and Prayer from the
following Lauds; the said Antiphon
being from the Song of Zacharias.
A Commemoration is made of the As-
cension, from the Second Vespers of
that Feast, and
Verse. God is gone up with a shout-
Alleluia.
Answer. And the LORD with the
sound of a trumpet-Alleluia.
Sunday after Ascension Day.
The Lord's Day within the Octave of
the Ascension.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.

If the Saturday should have been the
Feast of St. John before the Latin Gate,
and the following Lessons consequently
read on it, on Sunday morning are read
those of Monday, which day will itself
be occupied by the Feast of St. Michael
on Mount Gargano, with special Lessons.
Lessons from 1 John i. 1, as on Dec.
27, (p. 235,) with the following added
at the end of the Third:
Hereby know we that we are in Him.
He that saith he abideth in Him, ought
himself also so to walk, even as He
walked.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(2nd on the Ascension.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, our Sa-
viour is gone up from us into hea-
ven,
but let us not be troubled on earth.
Let only our heart be there with Him,
and we shall have peace here. Let us
in heart thither ascend with Christ in
the mean while, and when that glad day
which He hath promised cometh, our
body will follow. But we must know,
my brethren, that there are some things
that cannot ascend with Christ-pride
cannot, nor covetousness, nor brutish-
ness: no one of our diseases can ascend
thither where our Healer is. And,
therefore, if we would follow our Healer,
we must needs leave our diseases and
sins behind us. All such things tie us
down, as it were, with bands, and ham-
per us in the meshes of a net of sins;
but, with God's help, we will say with
the Psalmist: "Let us break their bands
asunder," (ii. 3,) that we may be able
honestly to say to the Lord: "Thou hast
loosed my bonds; I will offer to Thee
the sacrifice of thanksgiving," (cxv. 17.)
THE
Fifth Lesson.
Resurrection of the Lord is our
hope; the Ascension of the Lord is
528
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
our glorification. To-day we keep the
solemn holiday of the Ascension. If,
therefore, our keeping of this holiday is
to be a right, faithful, earnest, holy,
godly keeping, we must in mind like-
wise ascend, and lift up our hearts unto
the Lord. When we ascend we must
not be high-minded, nor flatter ourselves
with our good works, as though they
were our own. We must lift up our
hearts unto the Lord. When man's
heart is lifted up, but not unto the Lord,
such lifting-up is pride; to lift up the
heart unto the Lord, is to make the
Most High our Refuge. Behold, my
brethren, a great wonder. God is high,
but if thou art lifted up He fleeth from
thee, whereas, if thou humblest thyself,
He cometh down to thee. Wherefore?
"The LORD is high, yet hath He re-
spect unto the lowly but the proud He
knoweth from afar." (Ps. cxxxvii. 6.)
To the lowly He hath respect, that He
may raise them up; the proud He know-
eth from afar, that He may thrust them
down.
:
Sixth Lesson.
CHRIST arose again, to give us hope
that this mortal will yet put on im-
mortality: He hath assured against an
hopeless death, and against the thought
that death endeth life. We were trou-
bled, even as touching the soul; but
Christ, arising from the grave, hath as-
sured to us the resurrection of the body
also. Believe therefore, that thou mayest
be made pure. First it behoveth thee
to believe, if by faith thou wouldest in
the end worthily see God. And wouldest
thou see God? Give ear to His own
words: "Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they shall see God." (Matth. v. 8.)
Think first then, how to purify thine
heart; take from it whatsoever thou
seest in it which displeaseth God.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xv. 26.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples when the Comforter is
come, Whom I will send unto you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth,
Which proceedeth from the Father, He
shall testify of Me. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (92nd Tract on John.)
The Lord JESUS, in that discourse
which He addressed to His disciples
after the Last Supper, when He was on
the very eve of the Passion, when He
was, as it were, about to go away and
leave them as touching His bodily Pre-
sence, albeit as touching His spiritual
Presence He is with us alway even unto
the end of the world, (Matth. xxviii. 20,)
in that discourse He exhorted them to
bear patiently the persecution of wicked
men, of whom He speaketh as "the
world:" out of the which world, never-
theless, He saith that He hath chosen
even His disciples themselves, (xv. 19,)
that they might know that it was by the
grace of God that they were what they
were, (1 Cor. xv. 10,) whereas it was by
their own sins that they had been what
they had been.
"IF
Eighth Lesson.
F they have persecuted Me, they
will also persecute you." Here
He clearly pointeth to the Jews, the
persecutors both of Himself and of
His disciples, so that we see that they
which persecute His holy ones are as
much citizens of the world of damnation
as they which persecuted Himself. He
saith: "They know not Him That sent
Me," (21,) and yet again, (24,) "They
have hated both Me and My Father," (x.
36,) that is to say, both the Sender and
the Sent, the meaning of which words
we have already treated in other dis-
courses-and with that He cometh to
the words: "That the word might be
fulfilled that is written in their law:
They hated Me without a cause.
-
Eighth Responsory.
¹For if I go not away, the Comforter
will not come unto you; but if I depart,
I will send Him unto you: and when
He is come, He will guide you into all
truth-Alleluia.
Verse. For He shall not speak of
Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear,
that shall He speak: and He will show
you things to come.
Answer. And when He is come, He
1 John xvi. 7, 13.
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION.
529
will guide you into all truth. Alle-
luia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And when He is come, He
will guide you into all truth. Alleluia.
Ninth Lesson,
THEN saith the Lord, as though in
continuation: "But when the Com-
forter is come, Whom I will send unto
you from the Father, even the Spirit of
truth, Which proceedeth from the Fa-
ther, He shall testify of Me. And ye
also shall bear witness, because ye have
been with Me from the beginning.'
What connection hath this with the
words: "Now have they both seen and
hated both Me and My Father; but that
the word might be fulfilled that is writ-
ten in their law: They hated Me with-
out a cause?" Is it that when the Com-
forter is come, even the Spirit of truth,
He will confound by irrefragable testi-
mony them who have both seen and
hated both God the Son and God the
Father? Yea, indeed, some there were
who had seen and still hated, whom the
testimony of the Comforter converted to
the faith which worketh by love.
DEA
LAUDS.
Chapter. (1 Pet. iv. 8.)
EARLY beloved brethren, be ye
sober and watch unto prayer. And
above all things have fervent charity
among yourselves, for charity covereth
a multitude of sins.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When the Comforter is come, * Whom
I will send unto you from the Father,
even the Spirit of truth, Which proceed-
eth from the Father, He shall testify of
Me. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day.
0 ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
grant that our will be ever meekly
subject unto Thy will, and our heart ever
honestly ready to serve Thy Majesty.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Ascension: Antiphon and Prayer from
Lauds of the Feast, and
Verse. God is gone up with a shout-
Alleluia.
Answer. And the LORD with the
sound of a trumpet-Alleluia.
Chapter at the end of Prime from
None.
Chapter at Terce from Lauds.
Chapter at Sext. (1 Pet. iv. 9.)
SE hospitality one to another with-
out grudging. As every man hath
received grace, even so minister the same
one to another, as good stewards of the
manifold grace of God.
Chapter at None. (1 Pet. iv. 11.)
IF any man speak, let him speak as
the words of God; if any man mi-
nister, let him do it as of the ability
which God giveth; that God in all
things may be glorified through our
Lord JESUS Christ.
VESPERS.
Chapter from Lauds.
1
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. These things have I told you,
that, when the time shall come, ye
may remember that I told you of them.
Alleluia.
Commemoration of the Ascension as
yesterday evening.
Monday within the Octave of the
Ascension.
Second Day.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle John
(iii. 1.)
BE
BEHOLD, what manner of love the
Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called, and should be,
the sons of God! Therefore the world
knoweth us not, because it knew Him
1 John xvi. 4.
M M
530
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
not. Beloved, now are we the sons of
God; and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be. We know that, when He
shall appear, we shall be like Him: for
we shall see Him as He is. And every
man that hath this hope in Him puri-
fieth himself, even as He is Pure. Who-
soever committeth sin doth iniquity, and
iniquity is sin. And ye know that He
was manifested to take away our sins;
and in Him is no sin. Whosoever abidethi
in Him sinneth not; and whosoever sin-
neth, hath not seen Him, neither known
Him.
Second Lesson.
LITTLE children, let no man deceive
you. He that doeth righteousness
is righteous, even as He is Righteous.
He that committeth sin, is of the devil;
for the devil sinneth from the beginning.
For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that He might destroy the
works of the devil. Whosoever is born
of God, doth not commit sin; for His
seed remaineth in him; and he cannot
sin, because he is born of God. In this
the children of God are manifest, and
the children of the devil. Whosoever
doeth not righteousness, is not of God;
neither he that loveth not his brother.
For this is the message that ye heard
from the beginning, that ye should love
one another. Not as Cain, who was of
that wicked one, and slew his brother.
And wherefore slew he him? Because
his own works were evil, and his bro-
ther's righteous.
Third Lesson.
ARVEL not, my brethren, if the
world hate you. We know that
we have passed from death unto life, be-
cause we love the brethren. He that
loveth not, abideth in death. Whoso-
ever hateth his brother is a murderer.
And ye know that no murderer hath
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch [of
Constantinople.] (On the Ascension,
tom. 3.)
HEN Christ went up into heaven,
WHE
He offered unto the Father the
First-fruits of our nature, and the Fa-
ther marvelled at the offering, seeing
the Majesty of the Priest and the Spot-
lessness of the oblation. He received
the Sacrifice into His Own hands, He
made It to sit upon His Throne, nay,
more, He gave It a place at His Own
Right Hand. Let us ask what nature
was His Who heard the words: "Sit
Thou at My right hand," (Ps. cix. 1,)-
what nature was His to Whom God
said: "Be Thou Partaker of My
Throne?" It was the same nature as
was his who heard the sentence: "Dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou re-
turn." (Gen. iii. 19.)
It
Fifth Lesson.
was not enough of glory for Him to
be exalted above the heavens, nor
to be ranked with angels; but He was
exalted above the heavens, He went
up above the Cherubim, He ascended
beyond the Seraphim, neither found He
His rank beneath the Throne of the
Lord of lords. Behold how high the
heaven is above the earth, and the earth
above hell, how high above the heaven
is the heaven of heavens, how high
above the heaven of heavens the Angels,
above the Angels the Higher Powers,
and above the Higher Powers the Throne
of the Lord. Above all these hath One
of our nature been exalted, so that man,
which had fallen so low that there was
no farther fall for him, is now in place so
high, that there is thence no ascending.
Sixth Lesson.
eternal life abiding in him. Hereby PAUL also, dwelling on this, saith:
perceive we the love of God, because He
laid down His life for us; and we ought
to lay down our lives for the brethren.
Whoso hath this world's good, and seeth
his brother have need, and shutteth
up
his bowels [of compassion] from him,
how dwelleth the love of God in him?
My little children, let us not love in
word, neither in tongue, but in deed
and in truth.
"He That descended is the Same
also That ascended up far above all hea-
vens," even as he had said: "Now, that
He ascended, what is it but that He also
descended first into the lower parts of
the earth." (Eph. iv. 9, 10.) Learn
hence Who it was That ascended, and
with what nature He was exalted. And
with this thought I wish to bring my
sermon to an end. From the thought
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION.
531
of that glorified Manhood let us learn
with amazement what the goodness of
God is; that goodness which hath
crowned with an honour, higher than
which is none, and a glory, greater than
which is none, a Person Sharer of our
nature, even That Person Which this
day hath taken the place which is His
of right, above all things other than
Himself. This day Angels and Arch-
angels beheld our nature upon the
Throne of the Lord, refulgent with
eternal glory.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xvi. 14.)
T that time: JESUS appeared unto
AT
though to show plainly that for a mere
man some outward help was needful.
This help was given to him by Angels,
as plainly appeareth, since it was im-
possible for one whom a weak nature yet
weighed down earthward, to fly up even
into the atmosphere. But of our Re-
deemer we read not that He was borne
up in a chariot, or by Angels, since He
by Whom all things were made, clearly
r se above all things by His Own Power.
He returned unto Him with Whom He
was, and whither He returned, there He
abode, for albeit as touching His Man-
hood He ascended up into heaven, yet,
as touching His Godhead, He still com-
prehended both heaven and earth.
Ninth Lesson.
BUT as the sale of Joseph by his bre-
the eleven disciples as they eat at BUT
meat, and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart: because
they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (Same as before.)
"So then, after the Lord JESUS had
spoken unto them, He was received up
into heaven, and sat on the right hand
of God." We learn in the Old Testa-
ment, (4 Kings ii.,) that Elijah was
taken up into heaven. But this word
"heaven," may mean either the terres-
trial atmosphere, or the space external
to the sphere of this planet.¹ Of these
the atmosphere closely surrounds the
earth, and we call the birds "the fowls
of the heaven," because we see them
fly therein. It was only up into this
that Elijah was taken, that he might be
carried off suddenly into some part of the
earth, to us unknown, and there live in
profound peace of body and soul, until
the end of the world, when he will re-
turn and pay the debt of nature. For
him, therefore, death waiteth, but is not
escaped. But our Redeemer made it not
to wait for Him, but conquered it, and
by rising again shattered it, and by His
thren was a type of the sale of
Christ, so were the translations of Enoch
and Elijah types of His Ascension. The
Lord therefore had had forerunners and
witnesses of His Ascension, the one be-
fore the Law, the other under the Law,
that Himself might one day come, Who
was able indeed to pass into the heavens.
Hence also there is some difference to be
observed in the manner wherein each
was translated. Enoch was seen no more,
(Gen. v. 24,) for God took him; Elijah
was carried up by a whirlwind into
heaven; He That came after them, was
not taken up, nor carried up, but went
up through space by His Own Power.
Tuesday within the Octave of the
Ascension.
Third Day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN,
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle John
(iv. 1.)
Ascension showed forth the glory of His BELOVED, believe not every spirit,
Again-rising.
Eighth Lesson.
WE
E must mark also, how that Elijah
was taken up in a chariot, as
but try the spirits, whether they
are of God: because many false prophets
are gone out into the world. Hereby is
known the Spirit of God; every spirit
that confesseth that JESUS Christ is come
in the flesh, is of God; and every spirit
1 The words here rendered "terrestrial atmosphere” and “space external to the sphere
of this planet” are “aër” and “æther.”
мм 2
532
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
that leaveth hold on¹ JESUS is not of
God, and this is Antichrist, whereof ye
have heard that it should come, and even
now already is it in the world. Ye are
of God, little children, and have over-
come him, because greater is He That
is in you, than he that is in the world.
They are of the world; therefore speak
they of the world, and the world heareth
them. We are of God. He that knoweth
God, heareth us; he that is not of God,
heareth not us. Hereby know we the
Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Second Lesson.
BELOVED, let us love one another,
for love is of God. And every one
that loveth is born of God, and knoweth
God. He that loveth not, knoweth not
God; for God is love. In this was ma-
nifested the love of God toward us, be-
cause that God sent His Only-begotten
Son into the world, that we might live
through Him. Herein is love: not that
we loved God; but that He first loved
us, and sent His Son to be the propitia-
tion for our sins. Beloved, if God so
loved us, we ought also to love one an-
other. No man hath seen God at any
time. If we love one another, God
dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected
in us. Hereby know we that we dwell
in Him, and He in us, because He hath
given us of His Spirit. And we have
seen and do testify, that the Father sent
His Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Third Lesson.
WHOSOEVER shall confess that JE-
sus is the Son of God, God dwell-
eth in him, and he in God. And we have
known and believed the love that God
hath to us. God is love; and he that
dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and
God in him. Herein is the love of God
with us made perfect, that we may have
boldness in the day of judgment, because
as He is, so are we in this world. There
is no fear in love; but perfect love cast-
eth out fear, because fear hath torment.
He that feareth, is not made perfect in
love. Let us therefore love God, because
God first loved us. If a man say, I love
God; and hateth his brother, he is a liar.
For he that loveth not his brother whom
he hath seen, how can he love God,
Whom he hath not seen? And this
commandment have we from God; that
he who loveth God, love his brother
also.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Maximus, Bishop [of Turin.]
(43rd, 2nd on Pentecost.)
MY
Y holy brethren,3 ye remember that
I have likened the Saviour to that
eagle, touching which it is written in
the Book of Psalms, (cii. 5,) "Thy youth
is renewed like the eagle's." There are
many points of likeness. The eagle
riseth above ground, wingeth his way
aloft, and mounteth skyward: even so
did the Saviour rise from the depth of
the grave, mount up unto the exalted
mansions of Paradise, and enter the
heights of heaven. The eagle leaveth
below him the foul mists of earth, flieth
above, and drinketh in health from a
purer air; even so did the Lord leave
below Him the filthy slough of sinners
on earth, and rejoice Himself with the
honesty of a purer life, when He soared
again into His Own holy home.
Fifth Lesson.
But
IN all ways therefore, is the Saviour
aptly likened to an eagle.
what can we make of this, that the
eagle is a bird of prey, oft-times a plun-
derer? Even in this he is like to the
Saviour. He bore off His prey, when
He carried off from the jaws of hell to
heaven the Manhood Which He had
swooped to take to Himself, yea, when
He led captive to an higher home him
whom He had delivered from the mas-
tership of another lord, namely the devil,
-even as it is written in the Prophet,
(Ps. lxvii. 19,) "Thou hast ascended on
high, Thou hast led captivity captive,
Thou hast received gifts among men.
Sixth Lesson.
THOU hast ascended on high, Thou
hast led captivity captive." O
how nobly doth the Prophet paint the
Triumph of the Lord! We hear how
1 Solvit-perhaps by explaining Him away as a phantom without any real body, as did
the Phantasiast heretics. The Greek, however, is-" confesseth not."
2 I.e. Antichrist, or, his spirit.
3 Sanctitas vestra.
WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION.
533
that of old time, when kings marched
in triumph, the procession of prisoners
walked before the chariot of their con-
queror. Lo, the Lord entereth the hea-
vens, not after, but amid a most glorious
band of captives. That band are not led
before His chariot, but themselves bear
up their Saviour. In some mystic sense,
when the Son of God bore to heaven the
Son of man, captivity both led and was
led.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xvi. 14.)
T that time: JESUS appeared unto
AT
the eleven disciples as they sat at
meat, and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart; because
they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (Same as before.)
We must ponder the meaning of these
words of Mark,-" He sat on the right
hand of God," and how that_Stephen
said, (Acts vii. 56,) “Behold, I see the
heavens opened, and the Son of man
standing on the right hand of God."
Wherefore doth Mark say that He sat,
whereas Stephen testifieth that he saw
Him standing? But ye know, my bre-
thren, that to sit is for him that judgeth,
to stand, for him that fighteth, or helpeth.
Eighth Lesson.
SINCE, therefore, our Redeemer is as-
cended up into heaven, and even
now is Judge of all, beside that at the
end of the world He will so come, there-
fore doth Mark say that He sitteth where
He hath gone up, because we look for
Him, after that His glorious Ascension,
that He will come again at the end to
be our Judge. But Stephen, while yet
he was in the throes of the battle, saw
Him That was helping him standing.
Stephen on earth was overcoming the
unbelief of his persecutors, but it was
the grace of Him That is in heaven that
fought in him all the while.
Ninth Lesson.
AND they went forth and preached
everywhere, the Lord working
with them, and confirming the word
with signs following." What are we to
see in this, what are we to remember,
but that obedience followed command-
ment, and signs obedience? But now,
since, by the will of God, we have
lightly run over our reading from the
Gospel, it remaineth that we should say
somewhat by way of reflection on this
great Festival.
Wednesday within the Octave of the
Ascension.
Fourth Day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Second Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle John (1.)
HE Elder unto the Lady Eklekté,¹
THE
and her children, whom I love in
the truth; and not I only, but also all
they that have known the truth, for the
truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and
shall be with us for ever. Grace be with
you, mercy, and peace, from God the
Father, and from Christ JESUs, the Son
of the Father, in truth and love. I re-
joiced greatly that I found of thy chil-
dren walking in truth, as we have re-
ceived a commandment from the Father.
And now I beseech thee, Lady, not as
though I wrote a new commandment
unto thee, but that which we had from
the beginning, that we love one another.
Second Lesson.
AND this is love, that we walk after
His commandments. For this is
the commandment, that, as ye have heard
from the beginning, ye should walk in
it; for many deceivers are entered into
the world who confess not that JESUS
Christ is come in the flesh: this is a
deceiver and an Antichrist. Look to
yourselves, that ye lose not those things
1 I.e. Elect. Divers opinions have been maintained regarding the two sister ladies,
both called Eklekte, mentioned in this Epistle, of which the three commonest are―(1.) That
this was their proper name. (2.) That it is a title used by the Apostle, who wished to
suppress their names as well as his own, possibly from prudential motives. (3.) That they
are allegorical designations of Churches, e.g. Corinth and Ephesus.
534
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
which ye have wrought, but that ye re-
ceive a full reward. Whoso draweth
back, and abideth not in the doctrine of
Christ, hath not God: he that abideth
in the doctrine, he hath both the Fa-
ther and the Son.
Third Lesson.
IF there come any unto you, and bring
not this doctrine, receive him not
into your house, neither bid him 'God
speed.' For he that biddeth him ‘God
speed,' is partaker of his evil deeds.
Having many things to write unto you,
I would not write with paper and ink:
for I hope to be with you, and speak
face to face, that your joy may be full.
The children of thy sister Eklekté greet
thee.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Gregory, Bishop [of Nyssa.]¹
(Discourse on the Lord's Ascension.)
THE very thought of this day's Fes-
tival is great enough in itself, but
the Prophet David hath much inflamed
our joyful enthusiasm by the Psalms.
This noble Prophet hath, as it were,
gone out of himself, as though the body
were a weight duller than his spirit could
bear; he joineth company with the
Powers of heaven, and telleth what they
said when they went with the Lord hea-
venward, and cried in tones of command
to those Angels who work on earth, and
by whose heralding the Birth of the In-
carnate One had been proclaimed—“ Lift
up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye
lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the
King of glory shall come in." (Ps. xxiii.
7, 9.)
HE,
Fifth Lesson.
E, Who containeth all things, is
everywhere, but for the sake of
them which receive Him, He is pleased
to make Himself a local Presence which
hath bounds. Not only did He become
a Man among men, but when convers-
ing among Angels, He alloweth that
title also to be given Him. The gate-
keepers therefore ask : "Who is this
King of glory?" and it is answered them
that He is "The LORD, strong and
mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle,"
the Lord, Whose work it had been to
fight him who held mankind in bondage,
and to "destroy him that had the power
of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. ii.
14)-that now that dark enemy was
trampled down, and man had had won
for him freedom and peace.
Sixth Lesson.
THE keepers run to the gates, and bid
the doors unfold, that the Lord may
enter in, to take again the gl ry which
He had there among them before. But
when they see Him, clad in the likeness
of sinful flesh, (Rom. viii. 3,) they know
Him not, even Him Who is red in His
apparel, because that He hath trodden
Alone the wine-press of human pain,
and the blood is sprinkled upon His
garments, (Isa. lxiii. 2, 3.) Therefore
they cry again to their fellows that bear
Him company: "Who is this King of
glory?" And they answer them no
more: "The LORD, strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle" but The
LORD of hosts"-the Lord, Whose Own
are become the kingdoms of the world
(xi. 15, Apoc.) the Lord, Who hath made
Himself the Head of all things (Eph.
iv. 15,) the Lord, Who hath made all
things new (Apoc. xxi. 5.) "He is the
King of glory!"
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xvi. 14.)
A that time: JESUS appeared unto
the eleven are
the eleven disciples as they sat at
meat, and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart; because
they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (Same as before.)
The first question we have to ask is
why we read that Angels appeared at
the time of the Birth of the Lord, but
we read not that they appeared in white
apparel; whereas, when the Lord as-
1 Younger brother of St. Basil the Great. Elected Bishop of Nyssa in A.D. 372; banished
by the Arians, but recalled in 378; died about 400; has a clause in the Martyrology on
March 9.
OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION.
535
cended into heaven, it is written that
the angels which appeared were clad in
white. "While they beheld, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out
of their sight. And while they looked
steadfastly toward heaven, as He went
up, behold, two men stood by them in
white apparel," (Acts i. 9, 10.) White
raiment is an outward sign of solemn
inward joy. That the occasion of God-
made-Man entering into heaven was a
great Festival for Angels, is the reason
which we see, why angels are specially
named as robed in white at His Ascen-
sion, and not at His Birth. At the
Birth of the Lord the Godhead was ma-
nifested veiled under the form of a ser-
vant, but at His Ascension the Manhood
was seen exalted; and white vestments
are more apt to exaltation than humilia-
tion.
THE
Eighth Lesson.
'HEREFORE were the angels bound
to appear in white apparel at the
Ascension; at His Birth He Who
thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, was seen in the form in which He
had humbled Himself; at His Ascen-
sion the Manhood Which He had taken
into God was seen glorified. Again,
dearly beloved brethren, we must re-
member to-day, how that Christ hath
"blotted out the hand-writing that was
against us," (Col. ii. 14,) and reversed
the sentence which doomed us to cor-
ruption. That same nature to which
it was said, "Dust thou art, and unto
dust shalt thou return," (Gen. iii. 19,)
that same nature is His Who hath this
day ascended up into heaven. It is be-
cause of this up-lifting of our flesh that
blessed Job, by a figure, calleth the
Lord a bird. The Jews could not un-
derstand the Mystery of the Ascension,
and in view of this their unbelief, blessed
Job said mystically: "He knew not the
path of the bird,” (xxviii. 7.)¹
Ninth Lesson.
THE
'HE name of a bird is well given to
the Lord, Who bodily soared up
into heaven. And the path of that Bird
knoweth no man, who believeth not in
the Ascension into heaven. It is of this
glorious occasion that the Psalmist saith:
"Who hast set Thy glory above the
heavens," (viii. 2,) and again: "God
is gone up with a shout, and the LORD
with the sound of a trumpet," (xlvi. 6.)
And yet again he saith: "Thou hast
ascended on high, Thou hast led cap-
tivity captive," (lxvii. 19.) "When
Christ ascended up on high, He led cap-
tivity captive," (Eph. iv. 8,) because
by His Own incorruptibility He swal-
lowed up our corruptibility. "He gave
gifts unto men," because by sending the
Spirit from above, He gave "to one, the
word of wisdom; to another, the word
of knowledge; to another, the working
of miracles; to another, the gifts of
healing; to another, divers kinds of
tongues; to another, the interpretation
of tongues," (1 Cor. xii. 8-10.)
Vespers are the same as the First
Vespers of the Feast. Double.
Octave of the Ascension.
Double.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson as on the Thursday in
the Third Week after the Epiphany,
p. 308, and the Second down to the words
"-gifts unto men.'
Second Lesson. Continuation of the
foregoing, down to the words in the
Third Lesson "-lie in wait to deceive."
Third Lesson.
BUT, working the truth in love, may
we grow up into Him in all things,
Which is the Head, even Christ: from
Whom the whole body, fitly joined to-
gether and compacted by that which
every joint supplieth, according to the
effectual working in the measure of
every part, maketh increase of the body
unto the edifying of itself in love. This
I say therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that ye henceforth walk not as the Gen-
tiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
having the understanding darkened, be-
ing alienated from the life of God through
the ignorance that is in them, because
St. Gregory seems to have been misled by the identity of the Nominative and Genitive
of the Latin word "avis." The Hebrew is: "There is a path which no bird of prey
knoweth."
536
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
of the blindness of their heart; who,
being past hope, have given themselves
over unto lasciviousness, to work all un-
cleanness with greediness. But ye have
not so learned Christ, if so be that ye
have heard Him, and have been taught
by Him.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(3rd on the Ascension, 176th on the
Season.)
EARLY beloved brethren, all the
wonderful works which our Lord
JESUS Christ did in this world, under
the weakness of our nature, are pro-
fitable for us; when He exalted His
Manhood above the stars, He showed
that heaven may open for a believer;
and while He, the Conqueror of death,
went up into the heavenly mansions,
He showed to him that overcometh,
whither he also may follow. Therefore,
the ascension of the Lord is the seal of
the Catholic Faith, which assureth in
us the hope of the gift which is yet to
come to us, from a miracle whereof we
already feel the fruits. Thus let every
one that is faithful, having already re-
ceived so much, learn to hope for that
which is promised, on the ground of that
which he knoweth to have been given,
and hold the goodness of God in times
which have been, and times which now
are, as a sure pledge of the same in
times to come.
Fifth Lesson.
A
the Bones, Which but a little while be-
N earthly Body, then, is now lifted
up above the heights of heaven :
fore, had lain within the narrow walls
of the grave, have made their entry
among the angelic hosts; human nature
hath been given a place in the lap of
immortality; and therefore the Apostle
whose account we have heard read, saith:
"When He had spoken these things,
while they beheld, He was taken up.
(Acts i. 9.) While thou hearest these
words, "taken up," thou must under-
stand thereby the ministry of the an-
gelic army: whereby this Festival re-
vealeth to us the Mystery of Him Who
is both God and Man. United in One
Person, we see in Him Who lifted up,
Divine Power, and in Him Who was
lifted up, very Man.
THEIR
Sixth Lesson.
HEREFORE are utterly to be loathed
those pestiferous teachings of East-
ern falsehood, those brand-new inven-
tions of ungodliness which dare to
assert that He Who in One Person is
both Son of God and Son of Man, hath
but one nature. On the one hand, if a
man say that Christ is not Partaker of
the Divine nature, he hath denied the
glory of his Maker; on the other, he
who saith that the Manhood is not of
the nature of man, hath denied the
mercy of his Saviour. As touching
these points, it is well-nigh impossible
for an Arian to believe that the Gospel
writers are any better than liars, since
they distinctly assert in some places that
the Son of God is equal, and, in others,
that He is inferior, to the Father. Far-
ther, if a man be given over to this soul-
slaying delusion of believing that our
Saviour hath only one nature, he must
of necessity admit either that it was only
God, or that it was only man who was
crucified. But it was not so. If He had
been of no nature but the Divine, He
could not have suffered, and if He had
been of no nature but the human, He
could not have conquered death.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xvi. 14.)
AT that time: JESUS appeared unto
the eleven disciples as they sat at
meat, and upbraided them with their
unbelief and hardness of heart; because
they believed not them which had seen
Him after He was risen. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (Same as before.)
The Prophet Habakkuk also hath
spoken of the glory of Christ's Ascen-
sion in the words: "The sun was lifted
up on high, and the moon stood still in
1 I.e. the doctrines of the Monophysite heretics.
FRIDAY AFTER THE OCTAVE OF THE ASCENSION.
537
her habitation," (iii. 10, 11.) Who is
here signified by the Sun, if not the
Saviour? or by the Moon, if not the
Church? Until the Lord was with-
drawn from her sight, (that is, by His
Ascension,) His Holy Church was pale
before the hostile glare of the world,
but after He was ascended, she waxed
stronger, and distinctly shed forth the
beams of that faith, which had hitherto
dwelt hiddenly in her. "The sun was
lifted up, and the moon stood still in
her habitation ;" when the Lord was gone
away into heaven, His holy Church
waxed stronger in her enlightening
power.
HE
Eighth Lesson.
ENCE it is that Solomon hath put
into the mouth of the (same)
Church the words: "Behold, He com-
eth! leaping upon the mountains, skip-
ping upon the hills!" (Cant. ii. 8.) These
hills are his lofty and noble achieve-
ments. "Behold, He cometh! leaping
upon the mountains!" When He came
to redeem us, He came, if I may so say,
in leaps. My dearly beloved brethren,
would you know what His leaps were?
From heaven He leapt into the womb of
the Virgin, from the womb into the
manger, from the manger on to the
Cross, from the Cross into the grave, and
from the grave up to heaven. Lo, how
the Truth made manifest in the Flesh
did leap for our sakes, that He might
did He "rejoice, as a strong man to run
a race," (Ps. xviii. 5,) that we might
passionately say: Draw us after Thee;
we will run after the savour of Thine
ointments." (Cant. i. 3.)
THE
Ninth Lesson.
HEREFORE, dearly beloved bre-
thren, it behoveth us in heart and
mind thither to ascend, where we be-
lieve Him to have already ascended
bodily. Let us fly earthly lusts: for us,
who have a Father in heaven, let no-
thing be sweet below! And very much
must we keep in our minds this thought,
that He Which ascended up in peace,
will return in dreadful Majesty; and
will require from us with justice an ac-
count of our keeping of those command-
ments which He gave us in mercy. Let
no man therefore reckon lightly this
season which is given unto us that we
may repent ourselves, nor be reckless
touching the state of his soul; our Re-
deemer will be all the sterner, when He
cometh to judgment, as He hath been
wondrously long-suffering before.
At Vespers no Commemoration is
made of the next day's Office.³
Friday after the Octave of the
Ascension.
Sixth Day.
If a Double or Semidouble Feast fall.
on this day, the Office is of it, with a
Commemoration of the Week-day, unless
the said Feast be a Greater Double or
higher.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
4
Here beginneth the Third Epistle of the
Blessed Apostle John (1.)
THE Elder unto the well-beloved
Gaius, whom I love in the truth.
Beloved, I pray that in all things thou
mayest prosper and be in health, even
as thy soul prospereth. I rejoiced
greatly when the brethren came, and
testified of the truth that is in thee,
even as thou walkest in the truth. I
have no greater joy than to hear that
my children walk in truth.
Second Lesson.
ELOVED, thou doest faithfully what-
soever thou doest to the brethren,
and to strangers, which have borne wit-
1 As this passage stands in the Hebrew original, in the authorised Latin version used
by the Church, and in the Roman Breviary itself (Lauds for Friday, p. 108) it is “the
deep uttered his voice, he lifted up his hands" (i.e. waves) " on high. The sun and moon
stood still in their habitation, &c. &c."
2 Remember that the Bride is here comparing her Lover to a gazelle or roe.
3 That is, as regards the Office of the Season. The occurrence of the First Vespers of a
Festival is met in the usual manner prescribed in the Pye.
• Another private letter, addressed to one Gaius, concerning whom nothing is known.
538
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
ness of thy charity before the Church;
whom if thou bring forward on their jour-
ney after a godly sort, thou shalt do well :
because that for His Name's sake they
went forth, taking nothing of the Gen-
tiles. We therefore ought to receive
such, that we may be fellow-helpers t›
the truth. I would perchance have
written to the Church; but Diotrephes,
who loveth to have the pre-eminence
among them, receiveth us not. Where-
fore, if I come, I will rebuke his deeds
which he doeth, prating against us with
malicious words: and, not content there-
with, neither doth he himself receive
the brethren, and forbiddeth them that
do, and casteth them out of the Church.
Third Lesson.
ELOVED, follow not that which is
BEL
evil, but that which is good. He
that doeth good, is of God: he that do-
eth evil hath not seen God. Demetrius
hath good report of all men, and of the
truth itself; yea, and we also bear re-
cord, and thou knowest that our record
is true. I had many things to write
unto thee: but I would not with ink
and pen write unto thee. But I trust I
shall shortly see thee, and we shall
speak face to face. Peace be to thee.
The friends salute thee. Greet the
friends by name.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(Same as before.)
DEA
EARLY beloved brethren, if the
Flesh wherein our Saviour tram-
pled down the devil had not been of our
nature, He would indeed have exer-
cised Himself, but He would not have
conquered for us. If the Body wherein
He rose from the grave had not been of
our nature, His Resurrection would not
have affected our state. Whoso assert-
eth this, that Christ hath but one na-
ture, he doth not understand why Christ
took Flesh upon Him, he confoundeth
the order, and maketh void the benefit
of the Incarnation. If the Flesh wherein
our Healer came was not sharer in hu-
man nature, then all that by His Birth
He took from man would have been
degradation. O may such dangerous
dreams be far from our thoughts! What
He took is ours, what He gave is His.
I testify that the first Adam, who fell,
and the second Adam, Who rose from
the dead, are both of the same human
nature that I am of. I testify that
What lay in the grave, and What as-
cended into heaven, is of the same human
nature that I am of.
IT
Fifth Lesson.
was therefore just because His Body
was of our nature, that Christ's
Death hath quickened us, His Resur-
rection raised us up, His Ascension
sanctified us. It was just because His
Body was of our nature, that His Pre-
sence in the heavenly kingdoms is a
pledge that we also shall one day be
there. Let us therefore strive, dearly
beloved brethren, since the Lord hath
on this day gone up on high in a Body
of our nature, ourselves, as far as we
can, to ascend thither in hope, to fol-
low Him with our heart. Let us as-
cend to Him in love, and speed, keeping
pace with love, even by our very sins
and passions. If every one of us would
strive to get above them, and accus-
tom himself to tread on them, he might
make of even them a stepping-stone to
mount to higher things. Such things
lift us up if they are underneath us.
WE
Sixth Lesson.
make our vices a ladder, if we
tread them down. With the Au-
thor of goodness there ascended no spite;
with the Son of the Virgin, no lust or
sensuality. I say vices do not follow to
heaven the Father of perfection, sin the
Holy One of God, neither weakness nor
disease the Divine Healer. If therefore
we would enter into the kingdom of
that Healer, we must first take heed to
our sores. We must so order and guard
in us the mutual relations of our soul
and body, that the soul, the nobler part
of man, may not be dragged down to
hell by her grovelling companion, but
may rather, being herself of a nature
more glorious, bear with her to heaven
at the last, a sanctified body, by the help
of Him Who liveth and reigneth for
ever and ever. Amen.

WHITSUN EVE.
539
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xv. 25.)
A¹
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: When the Comforter is
come, Whom I will send unto you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth,
Which proceedeth from the Father, He
shall testify of Me. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (92nd Tract on John.)
Upon the day of Pentecost the Holy
Ghost came down upon a congregation
of an hundred and twenty men, among
whom were all the Apostles. These
men, after they had been filled with the
Spirit, began to speak with the tongues
of all nations, and many of the by-
standers, amazed at the marvel, when
they saw in the discourse of Peter, how
great and how Divine a witness was
borne to the fact that the Christ, Whom
they had murdered, and Whom they reck-
oned among the dead, had risen again
and was alive, many of these bystanders
were pricked in their heart (Acts ii. 37)
and were converted. They received
pardon from that noble Blood, Which
they had so sacrilegiously and so brutally
shed, seeing that that Blood had re-
deemed even Its Own out-pourers.
Eighth Lesson.
HE Blood of Christ "Which is shed
THE
for many for the remission of sins"
(xxvi. 28) was so effectually shed, that
It could remit even the very sin that
shed It. Toward this looked the Lord
when He said: "They hated Me with-
out a cause; but when the Comforter is
come, Whom I will send unto you from
the Father, He shall testify of Me."
This was as though He had said: They
have hated Me and slain Me while they
see Me, but when they shall see Me no
more, the Comforter shall bear such
testimony of Me, as will compel them to
believe in Me. "And ye also," saith
He, "shall bear witness, because ye
have been with Me from the beginning,"
-the Holy Ghost shall bear witness,
and ye also shall bear witness.
cause ye have been with Me from the
beginning," ye are able to speak that
ye do know, (John iii. 11,) which ye do
"Be-
not now,
while as yet the fulness of the
Spirit is not come upon you.
Eighth Responsory.
For if I go not away, &c., (p. 528.)
E
HE
Ninth Lesson.
shall testify of Me; and ye also
shall bear witness" when "the
love of God is shed abroad in your
"hearts by the Holy Ghost Which"
shall be "given unto" you, (Rom. v. 5,)
and maketh you not ashamed to lift up
your testimony. This love had not been
so shed abroad in Peter's heart when he
was frightened by the questioning of
the maid-servant, and could not bear
witness to the truth, but brake his pro-
mise, and was driven by strong fear to
deny Christ thrice. "There is no"
such "fear in love; but perfect love
casteth out fear." Before the Passion
of the Lord, Peter's slavish fear was
questioned by a bond-woman; but after
the Resurrection of the Lord, his free
love was asked by the very Prince of
freedom, (John xxi. 15–17;) and there-
fore the first questioning shoɔok him,
but under the second he was at peace:
at the first he denied Him Whom he
had loved; at the second he loved Him
Whom he had denied. But, even so,
his love was weak and narrow, until
the Holy Ghost had strengthened and
widened it.
LAUDS.
Chapter, Antiphon at the Song of
Zacharias, and Prayer from Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Chapters and Prayer as on Sunday.
VESPERS.
Chapter, Antiphon at the Song of
the Blessed Virgin, and Prayer as on
Sunday.
Saturday, Ebe of Whitsun Bay.
The Sabbath, which is the Eve of
If from this day to Trinity Sunday,
both inclusive, a Feast of Nine Lessons
occur, it is transferred till after Trinity
Sunday.
540
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Catholic Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Jude¹ (1.)
JUDE, the servant of JESUS Christ,
and brother of James, to them that
are beloved in God the Father and pre-
served in JESUS Christ, and called.
Mercy unto you, and peace, and love be
multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all
diligence to write unto you of your com-
mon salvation, it was needful for me to
write unto you, and to exhort you that
you should earnestly contend for the
faith which was once delivered unto the
Saints. For there are certain men crept
in unawares, (who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation,) ungodly
men, turning the grace of our God into
lasciviousness, and denying the only
Sovereign and our Lord JESUS Christ.
I
Second Lesson.
WILL therefore put you in remem-
brance, though ye once knew this,
how that JESUS,2 having saved the peo-
ple out of the land of Egypt, afterward
destroyed them that believed not: and
the Angels which kept not their first
estate, but left their own habitation,
He hath reserved in everlasting chains
under darkness unto the judgment of
the great day. Even as Sodom and Go-
morrha, and the cities about them, in
like manner giving themselves over to
uncleanness and going after strange
flesh, are set forth for an example, suf-
fering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Likewise also, these defile the flesh,
despise dominion, and speak evil of
dignities.
1 The cousin of the Lord. Oct. 28.
YET
Third Lesson.
ET Michaël the Archangel, when,
contending with the devil, he dis-
puted about the body of Moses, durst not
bring against him the judgment of his
blasphemy, but said: The Lord rebuke
thee. But these speak evil of those
things which they know not: but what
they know naturally, as brute beasts, in
those things they corrupt themselves.
Woe unto them, for they have gone the
way of Cain, and run greedily after the
error of Balaam for reward, and perished
in the gainsaying of Korah. These are
spots in your feasts of charity, when
they feast with you without fear, feed-
ing themselves; clouds they are without
water, carried about of winds; trees
which wither, without fruit, twice dead,
plucked up by the roots; raging waves
of the sea, foaming out their own
shame; wandering stars, to whom is
reserved the blackness of darkness for
ever.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Treatise
upon the Creed, addressed to Cate-
chumens by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Bk. iv. ch. I. tom. 9.)
YE
E are yet the unborn offspring of a
great Mother. Our Holy Mother
the Church hath by the most sacred
sign of the Cross¹ received you into her
womb, and from thence she is now just
about to bring you forth, as she hath al-
ready brought forth your brethren, with
thrills of spiritual joy. But until,
through the washing of regeneration,
she bringeth you forth into true light,
she feedeth you in her womb with such
food as becometh your condition, and in
gladness matureth her children for the
2 The accepted Greek and the Sinaitic MS. read "the Lord." Abp. Kenrick says,
"the Apostle ascribes to JEsus Christ the deliverance of the Israëlites, and the punish-
ment of the unbelieving murmurers."
3 The Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziel mentions the presence of St. Michaël at the death
of Moses, and the Midrash Rabbah has a great quantity of tradition regarding that event,
the presence of St. Michaël at it, and the mutual hostility of him and Sammael, “the
wickedest of the Satans," on the occasion, but the present translator has not succeeded in
discovering the precise legend quoted by St. Jude. Cf. Zech. iii.
* Remember that this discourse is supposed to be addressed about midnight to the
Catechumens who are to be baptized the ensuing afternoon. The last stage of initiation
before actual baptism had taken place; they had heard the Creed for the first time. The
allusions to ceremonies will be explained by reading the Offices of Baptism.
WHITSUN EVE.
541
glad moment of her delivery. This Mo-
ther is not stricken by the doom of Eve,
to bring forth children in sorrow, (Gen.
iii. 16,) and they themselves oftener-
times weeping than laughing. Rather
doth your spiritual Mother annul the
sentence of your earthly; Eve, by dis-
obedience, endowed her offspring with
death; the Church, by obedience, giveth
them newness of life. All the mystic
prayers and ceremonies which have been
and are still being performed over you
by the ministry of the servants of God,
exorcisms, prayers, spiritual songs, on-
breathings, haircloth, prostrations, bar-
ing of the feet, the dread which ye feel,
albeit so safe,-all these things, I say
unto you, are the nourishment which
ye are drawing from your Mother while
yet ye are in her womb, that at the
baptismal birth she may be able to pre-
sent you strong and laughing babes unto
Christ.
Fifth Lesson.
YE have also received the Creed, which
is the shield of the travailing Mo-
ther against the venom of the dragon.
In the Apocalypse of the Apostle John
(xii. 4) it is written :-" And the dragon
stood before the woman which was ready
to be delivered, for to devour her child
as soon as it was born." That this dra-
gon is the devil ye all know. Ye know
likewise that by the woman is signified
the Virgin Mary, who, herself a Virgin,
bore our Virgin Head, and who is re-
vealed unto us as a type of the Holy
Church, in that, even as Mary, though
she bore a Son, remained a Virgin, so
the Church doth in all times give birth
to all her members, and yet is ever
presented a chaste virgin to Christ.
(2 Cor. xi. 2.) I have undertaken, with
the help of the Lord, to expound every
clause of the Creed, that I may bring
home to your understandings what each
containeth. Your hearts are ready, for
the enemy hath been shut out of your
hearts.
Sixth Lesson.
YE have made profession of renounc-
ing the enemy. At the moment of
that profession it was not before men only,
but in the presence of God and His Angels
that ye said:"I do renounce him." Re-
nounce him, not only in your words, but
in
your ways; not only with your voices,
but with your lives; not only with your
lips, but in your works. Know ye well
that the wrestling which ye have under-
taken is a strife with an enemy who is
subtle, and old, and patient: now that
ye have once renounced him, let him
never again find in you his works; never
again give him the right to bring you
into bondage. O Christian! thou wilt
be caught and exposed, if thou dost one
thing and professest another; if thou
art faithful in name, and makest it to
be evident by thy works that thou hast
broken the faith pledged by this pro-
mise; if some while thou goest into a
church to pray, and anon to the shows
to join in applauding obscene representa-
tions. What hast thou to do any more
with the pomps of the devil, which thou
hast renounced?
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to John (xiv. 15.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: If
: If ye love Me, keep My
commandments. And I will pray the
Father, and He shall give you another
Comforter. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (74th and 75th Tracts on
John.)
By these words of the Lord-“I will
pray the Father, and He shall give you
another Comforter"-He doth imply
that Himself is a Comforter. The Greek
word used, namely "Paraklétos," sig-
nifieth also an Advocate, and is used in
that sense where it is written: "We
have an Advocate-Parakléton-with
the Father, JESUS Christ the Righte-
ous." (1 John ii. 1.)
"Even the Spirit of truth, Whom the
world cannot receive," "because," as
we read elsewhere (Rom. viii. 7)
"the
carnal mind is enmity against God; for
it is not subject to the law of God,
neither indeed can be"-as we may say
plainly nothing can make unrighte-
ousness righteous. By, "the world,'
in this place, we must understand the
lovers of the world, a love which cometh
not of the Father. And therefore it is
that this love of the world, which we
542
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
strive to lessen and to destroy in our-
selves, is contrary to "the love of God,
which is shed abroad in our hearts by
the Holy Ghost which is given unto
us." (Rom. v. 5.)
Eighth Lesson.
THE Spirit of truth; Whom the
world cannot receive, because it
seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him"
-for to love the world is to lack those
spiritual eyes, which are able to see
Him Who is invisible, the Holy Ghost.
"But ye know Him," saith the Lord
to His disciples, "for He shall dwell
with you, and shall be in you." He
will be in them to dwell in them, not
dwell in them to be in them. for one
must first be in a place before one dwell
there. But lest the Apostles should
think that the words, "He shall dwell
with you," signified that He should vi-
sibly abide with them for a while, as
do guests in the houses of men, the Lord
saith in explanation: "He shall be in
you."
Eighth Responsory.
For if I go not away, &c., (p. 528.)
Ninth Lesson.
THEREFORE is He seen That is in-
visible. If He were not in us we
could have in us no knowledge of Him:
but He is seen in us, as we see our con-
science. We see the faces of other men,
but we cannot see our own; but of con-
sciences we see none save that within
ourselves. But our conscience is never
elsewhere but within us; whereas the
Holy Ghost may be without us, as well
as within us. He is given to be within
us, and, unless He be within us, we can
neither see nor know Him, either within
or without us.
Then, after that He had promised the
Holy Ghost, the Lord, lest they should
deem that He was to give them that
other Comforter instead of Himself, and
that He Himself was to be no longer
with them, said also: "I will not leave
you orphans; I will come to you." There-
fore, although the Son of God hath made
us by adoption sons of His Own Father,
and hath willed that the Same Who is
His Father by nature, should be our
Father by grace, nevertheless, He show-
eth that Himself hath toward us a love
as of a Father, where He saith: "I will
not leave you orphans."
LAUDS.
Chapter, Antiphon at the Song of
Zacharias, and Prayer from Sunday.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
Chapters and Prayer as on Sunday.
After None the Priest and his minis-
ters put on purple vestments, and go to
the Altar, where they begin the series
of ceremonies peculiar to the day, but
the tapers are not lit till the Liturgy is
on the point of commencing. (1) The
Six Lessons from the Old Testament are
read, and the corresponding Prayers
and Tracts sung. (2) A Procession is
made to the Font. (3) The Font is
blessed. (4) The Baptisms take place.
(5) The Procession returns, beginning
the Litany, which is continued while all
kneel or lie prostrate before the Altar.
At the words, "We sinners, beseech
Thee to hear us," the Priest and his min-
isters rise and go to the Sacristy, where
they put on red vestments. At the same
time, and while the Litany is still going
on, the Altar is vested in red, and the
tapers are lighted. After the words,
Graciously hear us, O Christ," the
"Kyrie eleison" is begun, and while it
is in singing the Priest and ministers
proceed to the Sanctuary and begin the
Liturgy.
Vespers are of the Feast.
543
Whitsun Bay.
The Feast of Pentecost.¹
Double of the First Class.
All as on ordinary Sundays except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm, Psalm CXVI., “O praise
the LORD," &c., (p. 154.)
Hymn.2
COME, Holy Ghost, Creator, come,
From Thy bright heavenly throne !
Come, take possession of our souls,
And make them all Thine Own!
Thou Who art called the Paraclete,
Best Gift of God above,
The Living Spring, the Living Fire,
Sweet Unction, and True Love!
Thou Who art seven-fold in Thy grace,
Finger of God's right hand,
His Promise, teaching little ones
To speak and understand!
O guide our minds with Thy blest light-
With love our hearts inflame-
And with Thy strength which ne'er decays
Confirm our mortal frame.
Far from us drive our hellish foe-
True peace unto us bring—
And through all perils guide us safe
Beneath Thy sacred wing.
Through Thee may we the Father know-
Through Thee the Eternal Son-
And Thee the Spirit of Them Both-
Thrice-blessed Three in One.
All glory to the Father be,
With His Co-equal Son ;
The same to Thee, O Paraclete,
While endless ages run. Amen.
Verse. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost. Alleluia.
Answer. And began to speak. Al-
leluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I will not leave you orphans—
Alleluia-I go away, and come again
unto you-Alleluia-and your heart
shall rejoice-Alleluia.
At Compline, Prime, Sext, and None,
from this evening till the None of the
next Saturday, both inclusive, the last
verse of the Hymn is altered in honour
of the Resurrection.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Alleluia. "The Spirit of
Spiri
the Lord filleth the world: * O come,
let us worship Him. Alleluia.
Hymn.
ABOVE the starry spheres
To where He was before
Christ had gone up, soon from on high
The Father's Gift to pour;
And now had fully come,
On mystic circle borne
Of seven times seven revolving days,
The Pentecostal morn :
When, as the Apostles knelt
At the third hour in prayer,
A sudden rushing sound proclaimed
The God of glory near.
Forthwith a tongue of fire
Alights on every brow;
Each breast receives the Father's Light,
The Word's enkindling glow.
The Holy Ghost on all
Is mightily outpoured;
Who straight in divers tongues declare
The wonders of the Lord.
While strangers of all climes
Flock round from far and near,
And with amazement, each at once
Their native accents hear.
3
But, faithless still, the Jews
Deny the hand Divine;
And madly jeer the Saints of Christ,
As drunk with new-made wine.
1 I.e. "of the fiftieth day" after the offering of the sheaf at the Passover. Lev. xxiii.
15, 16; Deut. xvi. 9, 10. It is very often called the Feast of Weeks.
2 Translation extracted from the "Garden of the Soul."
3 Acts ii. 4.
5 Wisd. i. 7.
• John xiv. 18, 28; xvi. 22.
6 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
544
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Till Peter in the midst
Stood up, and spake aloud;
And their perfidious falsity
By Joel's witness showed.
Praise to the Father be!
Praise to the Son Who rose !
Praise to the Holy Paraclete!
While age on ages flows.
Amen.
There is only one Nocturn, and that
with three Psalms.
First Antiphon. Suddenly there
came a sound from heaven * as of a
rushing mighty wind. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Psalm XLVII.
Great is the LORD, &c., (p. 38.)
Second Antiphon. Strengthen, O God,
that which Thou hast wrought for us,
* because of Thy holy Temple at Jerusa-
lém. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Psalm LXVII.
Let God arise, &c., (p. 49.)
Third Antiphon. Send forth Thy
Spirit, and they shall be created; * and
Thou shalt renew the face of the earth.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Psalm CIII.
Bless the LORD, O my soul, &c., (p.
77.)
Verse. The Spirit of the Lord filleth
the world. Alleluia.
Answer, And That Which containeth
all things hath knowledge of the voice.
Alleluia.
Absolution. Graciously hear, &c.
First Blessing.
May the Gospel's, &c.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xiv. 23.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: If a man love Me, He
will keep My word, and My Father will
love him, and We will come unto him,
and make Our abode with him. And
so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (30th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, our best way
will be to run briefly through the words
which have been read from the Holy
¹ Acts ii. 2.
Gospel, and thereafter rest for a while
quietly gazing upon the solemn subject
of this great Festival. This is the day
whereon "suddenly there came a sound
from heaven," and the Holy Ghost de-
scended upon the Apostles, and, for
fleshly minds, gave them minds wherein
the love of God was shed abroad; and,
while without "there appeared unto
them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and
it sat upon each of them," within, their
hearts were enkindled. While they re-
ceived the visible presence of God in the
form of fire, the flames of His love en-
wrapped them. The Holy Ghost Him-
self is love; whence it is that John
(I. iv. 8) saith: "God is love." Who-
soever therefore loveth God with all his
soul, already hath obtained Him Whom
he loveth; for no man is able to love
God, if He have not gained Him Whom
he loveth.
First Responsory.
2 When the day of Pentecost was fully
come, they were all with one accord in
one place Alleluia-and suddenly there
came a sound from heaven-Alleluia-
as of a mighty rushing wind, and it
filled all the house-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. 3 Where the disciples were as-
sembled for fear of the Jews, there sud-
denly came upon them a sound from
heaven-
Answer. Asof a rushing mighty wind,
and it filled all the house-Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Second Blessing.
God's most mighty, &c.
Second Lesson.
BUT, behold, now, if I shall ask any
one of you whether he loveth God,
he will answer with all boldness and
quietness of spirit: "I do love Him."
But at the very beginning of this day's
Lesson from the Gospel, ye have heard
what the Truth saith: "If a man love
Me, he will keep My word." The test,
then, of love, is whether it is showed by
works. Hence the same John hath said
in his Epistle (I. iv. 20, v. 3:) "If a
man say, I love God, and keepeth not
His commandments, He is a liar." Then
do we indeed love God, and keep His
commandments, if we deny ourselves
2 Acts ii. 1, 2.
3 John xx. 19.
WHITSUN DAY.
545
น
the gratification of our appetites. Who-
soever still wandereth after unlawful
desires, such an one plainly loveth not
God, for he saith, Nay, to that which
God willeth.
Second Responsory.
They were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak, as the Holy
Ghost gave them utterance, and the
multitude came together, saying: Alle-
luia.
Verse. The Apostles spake in divers
tongues the wonderful works of God.
Answer. And the multitude came to-
gether, saying: Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And the multitude came to-
gether, saying: Alleluia.
Third Blessing.
May He That is the Angels' King, &c.
Third Lesson.
A We will come unto him, and make
Our abode with him." O my dearly be-
loved brethren, think what a dignity is
that, to have God abiding as a guest in
our heart! Surely if some rich man or
some powerful friend were to come into
our house, we would hasten to have our
whole house cleaned, lest, perchance,
when he came in, he should see aught
to displease his eye. So let him that
would make his mind an abode for God,
cleanse it from all the filth of works of
iniquity. Lo, again, what saith the
Truth?"We will come unto him, and
make Our abode with him." There are
some hearts whereunto God cometh, but
maketh not His abode therein; with a
certain pricking they feel His Presence,
but in time of temptation, they forget
that which hath pricked them and so
ND My Father will love him, and
1 Acts ii. 4, 6, 11.
they turn again to work unrighteous-
ness, even as though they had never re-
pented.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. When the day of
Pentecost was fully come * they were all
with one accord in one place. Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. The Spirit of the
Lord filleth the world. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. They were all filled
with the Holy Ghost and began to speak.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. 20 ye wells, * and
all that move in the waters, ascribe ye
praise to God. Alleluia.
Fifth Antiphon. The Apostles spake
in divers tongues * the wonderful works
of God. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Chapter. (Acts ii. 1.)
WHEN the day of Pentecost was
fully come, the disciples were all
with one accord in one place; and sud-
denly there came a sound from heaven, as
of a rushing mighty wind; and it filled
all the house where they were sitting.
Rou
Hymn.³
OUND roll the weeks our hearts to greet,
With blissful joy returning;
For lo! the Holy Paraclete
On twelve bright brows sits burning;
With quivering flame He lights on each,
In fashion like a tongue, to teach
That eloquent they are of speech,
Their hearts with true love yearning.
While with all tongues they speak to all
The nations deem them maddened;
And drunk with wine the Prophets call,
Whom God's good Spirit gladdened;
A marvel this-in mystery done-
The holy Paschal-tide5 outrun,
By numbers told whose reckoning won
Remission for the saddened.6
2 Dan. iii. 77, 79. An allusion to the Baptisms on the Eve.
3 Translation by the Rev. W. J. Blew.
* Paraclitus illapsus est Apostolis. The apparently pointed omission of any mention of
the Blessed Virgin, the brethren of the Lord, and others who were present, (Acts i. 14, 15;
ii. 1,) is to be ascribed, not to the original poet, but to some modern recensor.
The original text, (as preserved in the Monastic Breviary,) reads: "Paraclitus effulsit
in discipulos."
5 Paschæ peracto tempore. By this must be here understood, not what we call Paschal-
tide, but the days of the "numbering of the Omer," by which the Feast of Pentecost (or
Weeks) is reckoned from that of the Passover. (Lev. xxiii. 15, 16; Deut. xvi. 9, 10.)
6 Lege fit remissio. The allusion is very obscure, but is perhaps to the fact that the
year of Jubilee was attained by the same calculation, viz., 7×7+1, as the day of
Pentecost.
N N
546
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
O God most holy, Thee we pray
With reverent brow low bending,
Grant us the Spirit's gifts to-day,-
The gifts from heaven descending;
And since Thy grace hath deigned to bide
Within our breasts once sanctified,
Deign, Lord, to cast our sins aside,
Henceforth calm seasons sending.
To God the Father, laud and praise,
Praise to the Son be given;
Praise to the Spirit of all grace,
The Fount of graces seven-
As was of old, all worlds before,
Is now, and shall be evermore,
When time and change are spent and o'er,—
All praise in earth and heaven. Amen.
1
Verse. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost-Alleluia.
Answer. And began to speak-Alle-
luia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2 Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose so-
ever sins ye remit, they are remitted
unto them. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, Who on this day didst teach the
hearts of Thy faithful people, by
the sending to them the light of Thy
Holy Spirit, grant us by the Same Spirit
to have a right judgment in all things,
and evermore to rejoice in His holy
comfort. Through our Lord JESUS Christ,
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Same Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. When the day, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
The Psalms are the LIIIrd, and two
first parts of CXVIIIth, and the Creed
of St. Athanasius is omitted.
In the Short Responsory is said—
Verse. Thou That sittest at the right
hand of the Father.
Chapter at the end from None.
TERCE.
Hymn, "Come, Holy Ghost, Creator,
come, &c.," as at First Vespers, in-
stead of, "Come, Holy Ghost, Who ever
one, &c."
Antiphon. The Spirit of the Lord,
&c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
1 Acts ii. 4.
Short Responsory.
The Spirit of the Lord filleth the
world. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The Spirit of the Lord filleth
the world. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And That Which containeth
all things hath knowledge of the voice.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The Spirit of the Lord filleth
the world. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The Comforter, Which is the
Holy Ghost-Alleluia.
Answer. He shall teach you all things
—Alleluia.
SEXT.
Antiphon. They were all filled, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Acts ii. 6.)
NOW when this was noised abroad,
the multitude came together, and
were confounded, because that every
man heard them speak in his own lan-
guage.

Short Responsory.
The Comforter, Which is the Holy
Ghost-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The Comforter, Which is
the Holy Ghost-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. He shall teach you all things.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The Comforter, Which is
the Holy Ghost-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost-Alleluia.
Answer. And began to speak-Alle-
luia.
NONE.
Antiphon. The Apostles spake, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
JEWS
Chapter. (Acts ii. 11.)
EWS also, and Proselytes, Cretes and
Arabians, we do hear them speak
in our tongues the wonderful works of
God.
Short Responsory.
They were all filled with the Holy
Ghost-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. They were all filled with
the Holy Ghost-Alleluia, Alleluia.
2 John xx. 22, 23.
WHITSUN WEEK.
547
Verse. And began to speak.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. They were all filled with
the Holy Ghost-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The Apostles spake in divers
tongues-Alleluia.
Answer. The wonderful works of God
-Alleluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons and Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn from First Vespers.
Verse. The Apostles spake in divers
tongues-Alleluia.
Answer. The wonderful works of God
-Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. This day the day of Pentecost
is fully come-Alleluia. This day the
Holy Ghost appeared in fire unto the
disciples, and gave unto them gifts of
grace: He sent them into all the world,
to preach and to testify: he that be-
lieveth, and is baptized, shall be saved.
Alleluia.
Whitsun Monday.
Second Day within the Octave of Pen-
tecost.
Double of the First Class.
the world not to condemn the world, but
that the world through Him might be
saved?" If thou willest not to be saved
through Him, thou wilt be condemned
of thyself. And why say I that thou
wilt be condemned? Because it is writ-
ten: "He that believeth in Him is not
condemned." What then canst thou
hope that He will say of "him that
believeth not," but that he will be con-
demned? And indeed He doth say far-
ther: "He that believeth not is con-
demned already." He is condemned
already, though the condemnation be
not yet openly pronounced.
First Responsory.
¹Henceforth I call you not servants,
but I have called you My friends; because
ye have known all things, whatsoever I
have done among you. Alleluia. Re-
ceive ye the Holy Ghost, Which is your
Comforter within you: the Same is He
Whom the Father will send unto you.
Alleluia.
Verse. Ye are My friends, if ye do
whatsoever I command you.
Answer. Receive ye the Holy Ghost
Which is your Comforter within you:
the Same is He Whom the Father will
send unto you. Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
All precisely the same as on Whitsun HE is condemned already, for "the
Day, except the following:
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (iii. 16.)
A
T that time: JESUS said unto Nico-
demus: God so loved the world that
He gave His Only-begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in Him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. And
so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (12th Tract on John.)
The Physician cometh that, as far as
in him lieth, he may heal the sick man.
He is his own destroyer who will not
keep the_commandments of the Phy-
sician. Into the world came the Sa-
viour. Why is He called the Saviour
of the world but because He came "into
connoweth them that are His."
(2 Tim. ii. 19.) He knoweth them for
whom is laid up the crown, and likewise
them that are reserved unto the fire.
His eye seeth in the field of the world
the distinction of the wheat and of the
straw, of the grain and of the tares.
"He that believeth not is condemned
already." And why? "Because he
hath not believed in the Name of the
Only-begotten Son of God. And this is
the condemnation; that light is come
into the world, and men loved darkness
rather than light, because their deeds
were evil." "Because their deeds were
evil;" but, my brethren, is there one
man of whom God findeth that his works
are good? No, not one. God findeth
all works to be [in themselves] bad.
How then do we hear that some there
be who do truth, and come to the light?
For these words come anon: "But he
that doeth truth, cometh to the light."
1 Cf. John xv. 15, 14, 26; XX. 22.
548
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Second Responsory.
The Holy Ghost, Which proceedeth
from the Throne, entered unseen into
the hearts of the Apostles, with a new
token of sanctification, even that all
manner of tongues should spring to
their lips. Alleluia.
Verse. The fire of God fell, not to
burn them, but to enlighten them, and
gave them gifts of grace.
Answer. That all manner of tongues
should spring to their lips. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. That all manner of tongues
should spring to their lips. Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
BUT the Lord saith [of such as these,
who are condemned already, be-
cause they believe not in Him]: "They
loved darkness rather than light.'
" And
here He maketh the great point [of dif-
ference between such, and them that do
the truth.] There are many who have
loved their sins; there are many who
have confessed their sins; and he that
confesseth and denounceth his sin, is
working already with God. God de-
nounceth thy sins, and if thou denounce
them likewise, then dost thou join thy-
self with God in His act. The man and
the sinner are two different things. God
made the man, and the man made the
sinner. Put away thy work, and God
will save His. Thou art behoven to hate
in thyself thine own work, and to love
God's work. When thine own works
begin to displease thee, then is it that
thou beginnest to do well, because thou
denouncest thine own evil works. The
first thing to do, if thou wouldst do
good works, is to acknowledge thine evil
ones.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
God so loved the world that He gave
His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. Alleluia.
0
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, Who didst give Thine Holy
Spirit unto Thine Apostles, grant
unto Thy people the effectual fruit of
their godly supplications, and as Thou
hast given them faith, give them also
peace. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Same Holy
Ghost, One God, world without end.
Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. If a man love Me, he will keep
My words and My Father will love
him, and We will come unto him, and
make Our abode with him. Alleluia.
Whitsun Tuesday.
Third Day within the Octave of Pen-
tecost.
Double of the First Class.
All precisely as on Whitsun Day,
except the following :
MATTINS.
Verse. The Comforter, Which is the
Holy Ghost-Alleluia.
Answer. He shall teach you all things
-Alleluia.
&c.
Absolution. May His loving-kindness,
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (x. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto the
Pharisees: Amen, Amen, I say
unto you, he that entereth not by the
door into the sheep-fold, but climbeth
up some other way, the same is a thief
and a robber: but he that entereth in
by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (45th Tract on John.)
In the words of the Gospel which are
this day read, the Lord hath spoken unto
us in similitudes, touching His flock,
and the Door Whereby entry is made
into their fold. The Pagans therefore
may say, "We live good lives," but if
they enter not in by the Door, what
doth that profit them whereof they made
their boast? A good life is profitable
to a man if it lead unto life everlasting,
but if he is not to have life everlasting,
what shall his good life profit him?
Neither indeed can it be truly said that
they live good lives, who are either so
1 John xiv. 23.
WHITSUN WEEK.
549
blinded as not to know, or so puffed up
as to despise the end of a good life. And
no man can have a true and certain hope
of life everlasting, unless he know the
true Life, Which is Christ, and enter in
by that Door into the sheepfold.
First Responsory.
There appeared unto the Apostles
cloven tongues, like as of fire-Alleluia.
Answer. And the Holy Ghost sat
upon each of them-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And they began to speak with
other tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave
them utterance.
Answer. And the Holy Ghost sat
upon each of them. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
THERE are many such, who try to
persuade men to live good lives but
not to be Christians. These are they
who would fain "climb up some other
""for to kill and to destroy," and
way,"
are not as the Good Shepherd, Who is
come to keep and to save. There have
been philosophers who have treated
read of Christ, and therefore talked of
Christ; they looked for His coming, and
when He came, they knew Him not.
They boasted that they themselves were
among the Seers, that is, of the wise
ones, and they denied Christ, and en-
tered not in by the Door. Therefore
they, if they led away any, led them
away only to kill and to destroy, not to
free them. So much for them.
Now let us see if all they who boast the
name of Christian enter in by the Door.
Some there are, and their number
cannot be reckoned, who not only boast
that they themselves are among the
Seers, but would fain appear as though
their hearts were enlightened by Christ
-but they are heretics.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹I am the Door, saith the Lord; by Me
if any man enter in, he shall be saved,
and shall find pasture. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day,
many subtle questions of right and LORD, we beseech Thee, that Thy
wrong, who have been the authors of
many distinctions and definitions, who
have completed many exceedingly clever
arguments, who have filled many books,
and have proclaimed their own wisdom
with braying trumpets. These dared to
say to men: "Follow us; embrace our
school of thought, and you will find
therein the secret of an happy life."
But these were not of them who enter
in by the Door; they came not but for
to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.
Second Responsory.
The Apostles spake in divers tongues
the wonderful works of God; as the
Holy Spirit gave them utterance-Alle-
luia.
Verse. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost, and began to speak-
Answer. As the Holy Spirit gave
them utterance. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. As the Holy Spirit gave
them utterance. Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
TOUCHING these, what shall I say?
Behold, the Pharisees themselves
1 John x. 9.
Holy Spirit may dwell in us in
much power, mercifully cleansing our
hearts, and shielding us from all things
hurtful. Through our Lord Jesus Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Same Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. 2 Peace I leave with you; My
peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Alleluia.
Ember Wednesday.
Fourth Day of Quarter-Tense.
Semidouble.
All precisely the same as on Whitsun
Day, except that the Antiphons are not
doubled, and what else is given here.
MATTINS.
Verse. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost-Alleluia.
Answer. And began to speak-Alle-
luia.
Absolution. May the Almighty, &c.
2 John xiv. 27.
NN 2
550
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vi. 44.)
T that time: JESUS said unto the
multitudes of the Jews: No man
can come to Me, except the Father,
Which hath sent Me, draw him. And
so on.
lished in them the grace of His Spirit,
and filled their hearts with understand-
ing. Alleluia.
Verse. For with a sudden sound the
Holy Ghost came upon them,-
Answer. And filled their hearts with
understanding. Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of GIVE me a lover, and he will catch
Hippo.] (26th Tract on John.)
Think not that thou art drawn against
thy will: the soul is drawn, not will-
ingly only, but lovingly. Neither must
we be afraid lest men who are great
weighers of words, and very far from
understanding the things of God, should
catch us up upon this Gospel doctrine of
the Holy Scriptures, and should say to
us: How can my faith be willing if I
am drawn? I answer: Thou art not
drawn as touching thy will, but by plea-
sure. And, now, what is being drawn
by pleasure? "Delight thyself in the
LORD, and He shall give thee the desires
of thine heart." (Ps. xxxvi. 4.) There
is pleasure in that heart to which the
Bread That came down from heaven is
sweet. The poet is allowed to say-
"His special pleasure draweth each,"
but pleasure, which so draweth, is not a
necessity, not a bond, but a delight;
how much more strongly, may we say,
that men are drawn to Christ, who de-
light in truth, who delight in blessed-
ness, who delight in righteousness, who
delight in life everlasting, since truth,
and blessedness, and righteousness, and
everlasting life are all to be found in
Christ? Or have the bodily senses
pleasure, and the spiritual senses none?
If the spiritual senses have no pleasures,
wherefore is it written: "And the chil-
dren of men shall put their trust under
the shadow of Thy wings. They shall
be abundantly satisfied with the fatness
of Thy house, and Thou shalt make
them drink of the river of Thy plea-
sures. For with Thee is the fountain
of life, and in Thy light shall we see
light." (Ps. xxxv. 8.)
First Responsory.
The Lord taught them good judgment
and knowledge-Alleluia. He estab-
And
my meaning; give me a longer,
give me an hungerer, give me a wan-
derer in this desert, athirst and gasping
for the fountains of the eternal Father-
land; give me such an one, and he will
catch my meaning. If I talk to some
cold creature, he will not. Such cold
creatures were they of whom it is writ-
ten:-"The Jews then murmured at
Him because He said, I am the Bread
Which came down from heaven.
they said: Is not this JESUS the son of
Joseph, whose father and Mother we
know? How is it then that He saith,
I came down from heaven? JESUS
therefore answered and said unto them:
Murmur not among yourselves. No
man can come to Me, except the Fa-
ther, Which hath sent Me, draw him.'
(41-44.) But wherefore speaketh Christ
of them whom the Father draweth, since
He Himself draweth? Why was it His
will to say "No man can come to Me
except the Father draw him?" If we
are to be drawn, let us be drawn by
Him to Whom one that loved much
said:"Draw me, we will run after
the savour of Thy good ointments."
(Cant. i. 4.) But let us consider, my
brethren, what He meant, and under-
stand it as well as we can. The Father
draweth to the Son them who believe in
the Son, because they are persuaded that
He hath God to His Father. God the
Father begetteth to Himself a co-equal
Son; and whosoever is persuaded, and
realiseth unto himself by faith, and
thinketh, that He in Whom he believeth
is equal to the Father, him the Father
is drawing unto the Son.
Second Responsory.
¹Go ye into all the world and preach
the Gospel-Alleluia. He that believeth,
and is baptized, shall be saved. Alle-
luia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. In My Name shall they cast
1 Mark xvi. 15, 16, 17.
WHITSUN WEEK.
551
out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; they shall take up serpents.
Answer. He that believeth, and is
baptized, shall be saved. Alleluia, Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He that believeth, and is
baptized, shall be saved. Alleluia, Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
ARIUS, who believed that the Son
was made, was not one of them
whom the Father draweth; since who-
soever believeth not that the Father is
a Father by the begetting of a co-equal
Son, such an one knoweth not the Fa-
ther. What sayest thou, O Arius?
What sayest thou, O thou heretic?
What is thy profession? What is Christ?
"" He is not," saith Arius, "Himself
Very God." Then, O Arius, the Father
hath not drawn thee; thou hast not
understood His dignity as a Father, to
Whom thou deniest His Son. Thou
dost deny the existence of the Son of
God, the Father draweth thee not, and
thou art not drawn to the Son, since the
Son of whom thou speakest is another
son, [existing only in thine imagina-
tion,] and not the really existent Son.
Photinus said :-" Christ is a mere man,
and not God at all." He who uttered
those words was not one of them whom
the Father draweth. But whom hath
the Father drawn? The Father drew
him who said:-"Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God." (Matth.
xvi. 16, 17.) Show a sheep a green
bough, and thou drawest him. Let a
boy see some nuts, and he is drawn by
them. As they run, they are drawn,
drawn by taste, drawn without bodily
hurt, drawn by a line bound to their
heart. If, then, among earthly things,
such as be sweet and pleasant draw such
as love them, as soon as they see them,
so that it is truth to say,
"His special pleasure draweth each,”
doth not that Christ, Whom the Father
hath revealed, draw? What stronger
object of love can a soul have than the
Truth?
-
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
¹I am the Living Bread * Which came
down from heaven, saith the Lord. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
0
Prayer throughout the day.
LORD, we beseech Thee that the
Comforter, Which proceedeth from
Thee, may enlighten our minds, and
lead us into all truth, even as Thy Son
hath promised unto us. Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Same Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I am the Living Bread Which
came down from heaven: * if any man
eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever;
and the Bread that I will give is My
Flesh, Which I will give for the life of
the world. Alleluia.
Thursday.
Fifth Day within the Octave of
Pentecost.
Semidouble.
All precisely the same as on Whitsun
Day, except that the Antiphons are not
doubled, and what else is given here.
MATTINS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ix. 1.)
A
T that time: JESUS called His twelve
disciples together, and gave them
power and authority over all devils, and
to cure diseases. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. vi. on Luke ix.)
We learn from the commandments of
the Gospel what manner of men they
ought to be who preach the glad tidings
of the kingdom of God. "Take nothing
for your journey; neither staves nor
scrip, neither bread, neither money.'
Thus let the Apostle, destitute of earthly
help, and panoplied in faith, deem him-
self able to do all the more, as he need-
1 John vi. 51.
552
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
eth all the less. Such as please may
also put upon these words a spiritual in-
terpretation; in that a man may be said
to lay aside the encumbrances of the
body, not only by abdicating power, and
casting away riches, but also by denying
the very body itself its pleasures. The
first general commandment given to the
Apostles touching their manners was to
be bringers of peace, (Matth. x. 13,) and
to be no gadders about, but keepers of
the laws of guests. To wander from
house to house, and to abuse the rights
of hospitality are things alien to a
preacher of the kingdom of heaven.
First Responsory.
The fire of God fell, not to burn them,
but to enlighten them; not to devour
them, but to illuminate them: and
found the hearts of the disciples clean
vessels. And He gave them gifts of His
grace. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. He found them one in love,
and the out-poured grace of the God-
head shone through them.
Answer. And He gave them gifts of
His grace. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
BUT be met
UT as the kindness of hospitality is
to be met with courtesy, so also is
it said:" Whosoever will not receive
you, when ye go out of that city, shake
off the very dust from your feet, for a
testimony against them." Hereby is it
taught that hospitality doth meet with
a good reward, since not only do we
bring peace to such as receive us, but
also, if they be shadowed by some
earthly vanities, these defects are taken
away, where enter the feet of them that
bear the glad tidings of Apostolic preach-
ment. It is well written in Matthew
(x. 11.)-"Into whatsoever city or town
ye shall enter, inquire who in it is wor-
thy; and there abide till ye go thence"
-thus avoiding any possible need of
going from house to house. But no
such selection is commanded to him
that giveth hospitality, lest his hospi-
tality itself should be lessened, while he
picketh his guests.
Second Responsory.
The Holy Ghost filled all the house
where the Apostles were; and there ap-
peared unto them cloven tongues like as
of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy
Ghost, and began to speak in divers
tongues as the Holy Spirit gave them
utterance. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. When the disciples were all
with one accord in one place, for fear of
the Jews, suddenly there came a sound
from heaven upon them.
Answer. And they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in
divers tongues as the Holy Spirit gave
them utterance. Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And they were all filled with
the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in
divers tongues, as the Holy Spirit gave
them utterance. Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Third Lesson.
THIS passage, taken according to the
plain meaning, is a sacred com-
mandment touching the religious duty
of hospitality, but its heavenly words
likewise hint at a mystery. When the
house is chosen, it is asked if the master
thereof be worthy. Let us see if this
be not perchance a figure of the Church,
and her Master, Christ. What worthier
house can the Apostolic preacher enter,
than the Holy Church? Or what host
is more to be preferred before all others,
than Christ, Whose use it is to wash the
feet of His guests? yea, Who suffereth
not that any whom He receiveth into
His house should dwell there with foul
feet, but, defiled as they are by their
former wanderings, doth vouchsafe to
change them into new and clean livers.
He Alone is He, from Whose house no
man ought ever to go forth, nor change
His roof for any other shelter, for unto
Him it is well said: "Lord, to whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life, and we believe." (John vi.
68, 69.)
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS called His twelve disciples toge-
ther, * and gave them power and autho-
rity over all devils, and to cure diseases:
and He sent them to preach the king-
WHITSUN WEEK.
553
dom of God, and to heal the sick. Al-
leluia.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Comforter, Which pro-
ceedeth from the Father * Alleluia-
He shall glorify Me-Alleluia.
Ember Friday.
Sixth Day of Quarter-Tense.
Semidouble.
All precisely the same as on Whitsun
Day, except that the Antiphons are not
doubled, and what else is given here.
MATTINS.
Verse. The Comforter, Which is the
Holy Ghost-Alleluia.
Answer. He shall teach you all things
-Alleluia.
&c.
Absolution. May the loving-kindness,
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (v. 17.)
AT
T that time: It came to pass on a
certain day, as JESUS sat and
taught, that there were Pharisees, and
Doctors of the law sitting by, which
were come out of every town in Galilee,
and Judæa and Jerusalem: and the
power of the Lord was present to heal
them. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. v. on Luke v.)
["And, behold, men brought in a bed
a man which was taken with a palsy."]
The healing of this paralytic was not
idle, nor its fruits limited to himself.
The Lord healed him, or ever he could
ask, not because of the entreaties of
others, but for example's sake. He gave
a pattern to be followed, and sought not
the intercession of prayer. In the pre-
sence of the Pharisees and doctors of the
law, which were come out of every town
of Galilee, and Judæa, and Jerusalem,
many sick folk were healed, but among
them is specially described the healing of
this paralytic. First of all, as we have
1 John xv. 26 ; xvi. 14.
;
before said, every sick man ought to en-
gage his friends to offer up prayers for
his recovery, that so the tottering frame-
work of this our life, and the distorted
feet of our works, may be righted by the
healing power of the word from heaven.
First Responsory.
2 Ye have not chosen Me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you; that ye
should go and bring forth fruit, and that
your fruit should remain. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse, As My Father hath sent Me,
even so send I you.
Answer. That ye should go and bring
forth fruit, and that your fruit should
remain. Alleluia, Alleluia.
THE
Second Lesson.
HERE ought therefore to be advisers,
who should rouse up the minds of
the sick to higher things, since when
the body becometh languid with sick-
ness, the mind is apt to follow its ex-
ample. With the help of such friends
he can be brought and laid on the
ground before the Feet of JESUS, and
seem worthy of a glance from the Lord;
for the Lord looketh upon such as lie
lowly before Him,-"for He hath re-
garded the lowliness of His handmaiden"
(Luke ii. 48.)
"And when He saw their faith, He
said unto him: Man, thy sins are for-
given thee." Great is the Lord, Who,
for the sake of some, forgiveth the
sins of others: Who trieth some, and
pardoneth the wanderings of others.
Why should thine equal, O man, avail
not with thee, if a slave have won power
to intercede, and right to obtain, with
God?
Second Responsory.
The Spirit of the Lord filleth the
world, and That Which containeth all
things hath knowledge of the voice.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
3
Verse. For [Wisdom] is the worker
of all things, having all power, over-
seeing all things.
Answer. And That Which containeth
all things hath knowledge of the voice.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
2 John xv. 16; xx. 21.
3 Wisd. vii. 21, 23.
554
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SEASON.
Answer. And That Which containeth
all things hath knowledge of the voice.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
THOU that judgest, learn to for-
give; thou that art sick, to pray.
If thou doubt of the pardon of thy sins,
because of their grievousness, get thee
to the Church, that she may pray for
thee, and that the Lord, accepting her
countenance, may grant to her petitions
what He refuseth to thine. And al-
though we are bound to accept this his-
tory as one of fact, and to believe that
the body of the paralytic was healed;
yet remember thou also his inward cure,
unto whom his sins were forgiven. The
Jews said: "Who can forgive sins but
God alone?" And in these words they
confessed the Godhead of Him Who for-
gave the sins of the paralytic, and them-
selves condemned their own unbelief in
Him Whose work they acknowledged,
but Whose Person they denied.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
JESUS said: But that ye may know that
the Son of Man hath power upon earth
to forgive sins *-He said unto the sick
of the palsy-I say unto thee: Arise;
take up thy couch, and go into thiné
house. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the day.
MOST Merciful God, we beseech
Thee to grant unto Thy Church
that, forasmuch as she is gathered toge-
ther in the Holy Ghost, no assaults of her
enemies may be able to trouble her.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Same Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. But the Comforter, Which is
the Holy Ghost, * Whom the Father
will send in My Name, He shall teach
you all things, and bring all things to
your remembrance, whatsoever I have
said unto you. Alleluia.
I
1 John xiv. 26.
Ember Saturday.
The Sabbath of Quarter-Tense.
Semidouble.
All precisely the same as on Whitsun
Day, except that the Antiphons are not
doubled, and what else is given here.
MATTINS.
Verse. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost-Alleluia.
Answer. And began to speak-Alle-
luia.
Absolution. May the Almighty, &c.
Lessons from Luke iv. 38, with the
Homily of St. Ambrose, p. 391.
First Responsory.
They were all filled, &c., (Second Re-
sponsory on Whitsun Day, omitting the
last Verse and Answer.)
Second Responsory.
Henceforth I call you not, &c., (First
Responsory on Monday,) with this addi-
tion :
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Receive ye the Holy Ghost,
Which is your Comforter within you:
the Same is He Whom the Father will
send unto you. Alleluia.
LAUDS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2 The love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts by His Spirit, Which dwelleth
in us. Alleluia.
Prayer at Lauds, Terce, Sext, and None.
WE beseech Thee, O Lord, mercifully
to pour into our hearts Thy Holy
Spirit, by Whose Wisdom we have been
created, and by Whose Providence all
our ways are ordered. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Same Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
After None is celebrated the Liturgy,
and with this celebration ends Paschal-
time.
Vespers are of the following Feast.
2 Rom. v. 5.
.
T
Addenda to the Common of Saints.
The following were accidentally omitted.
Page 833. Last Psalm at Mattins.
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge,
&c., (p. 37.)
Page 861. At Lauds.
Verse. The Lord guided the
just in right paths. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And showed him the
kingdom of God. [Alleluia.]
Page 887.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. O how lovely
and glorious is the generation * of
the chaste. [Alleluia.]
Ps. viii. O LORD our Ruler,
&c., (p. 6.)
Second Antiphon. His left hand
is under my head, * and his right
hand doth embrace me.
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare,
&c., (p. 16.)
Third Antiphon. Return, re-
turn, O Shulammith, *
return,
return, that we may look upon
thee.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the
LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. In thy comeli-
ness and thy beauty, * go forward,
fare prosperously, and reign. [Al-
leluia.]
Ps. xliv. My heart is overflow-
ing, &c., (p. 36.)
Second Antiphon. God shall
help her with His countenance :
God is in the midst of her; she
shall not be moved.
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge, &c.,
(p. 37.)
Third Antiphon. Many waters
cannot * quench love.
Ps. xlvii. Great is the LORD,
&c., (p. 38.)
Verse. God shall help her with
His countenance. [Alleluia.]
Answer. God is in the midst of
her: she shall not be moved. [Al-
leluia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I am black
but comely, * O ye daughters of
Jerusalem; therefore hath the
King loved me, and brought me
into His chamber. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD,
&c., (p. 72.)
Second Antiphon. Draw me
after thee: *
we will run after
the savour of thy good ointments,
thy name is as oil poured forth.
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth,
&c., (p. 73.)
Third Antiphon. Come, Bride
of Christ,* and take the everlast-
ing crown, which the Lord hath
prepared for thee.
Ps. xcvii. O sing unto the
LORD, &c., (p. 74.)
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and forechosen her. [Alleluia.]
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His Tabernacle. [Alle-
luia.]
Note. During Paschal time
the three Psalms of each Nocturn
are said together, under the first
Antiphon.
The Common of Saints.
OFFICES FOR THE FEASTS OF THE SAINTS, ACCORDING TO THE CLASS TO
WHICH EACH SAINT BELONGS, AND COMMON TO ALL THE SAINTS OF
EACH CLASS RESPECTIVELY.
1. Apostles' Edes.
The Office is of the Week-day, begins
at Mattins, and ends at None. What
is not of the Week-day and what is
not specially given in its own place is as
follows.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to John
(xv. 12.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said to His
disciples: This is My com-
mandment, That ye love one ano-
ther, as I have loved you. And
so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (27th on the Gospels.)
All the holy words of the Lord
are full of His commandments.
Why, then, speaketh the Lord of
the commandment to love one an-
other as if He gave no other com-
mandment ? This," saith He,
"is My commandment, That ye
love one another." Is it not because
love is the one object of all His
commandments, and all His com-
mandments are one? For, even as
a tree, having but one root, bring-
eth forth many branches, so, if the
root be love, many virtues do
spring therefrom. Neither is the
branch of good works green, if it
abide not in the root of love.
TH
Second Lesson.
THEREFORE the command-
ments of the Lord are mani-
fold, and yet one. Manifold, indeed,
by the diversity of working, but
one, as concerning the root of love.
And how it behoveth us to keep
fast hold on that root of love, we
know from Him, Who in sundry
places of His holy Scripture,
moveth us to love our friends in
Him, and our enemies for Him.
He truly abideth in love, who
loveth his friend in God, and his
enemy for God. For there are
some who love their neighbour in-
deed, but by an affection engen-
dered of kinship and of the flesh :
such love the Scripture forbiddeth
not: but it is one thing to love our
neighbour with that love whereto
nature doth freely move us, and
another thing to love him with that
love whereto we are obliged, if we
would do whatsoever the Lord
commandeth us.
3 G
792
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Third Lesson.
E, then, that loveth his neigh-
HE, then,
bour naturally, loveth him
indeed, but attaineth not unto
that great reward of love, for he
loveth him, not after the spirit,
but after the flesh. Therefore,
when the Lord saith: "This is
My commandment, That ye love
one another," He saith also, " as
I have loved you,"-even as though
He said openly, "Love ye one
another, with that aim wherewith
I have loved you." And in this
matter, dearly beloved brethren,
it behoveth us to watch; for he that
hateth us of old time, even while he
draweth our mind to love the things
which are seen and temporal,
rouseth up against us our neigh-
bour who is weaker than we are, to
take from us that which we love.
Prayer at Lauds and during the day.
GRA
RANT, we beseech Thee, O
Almighty God, that the wor-
shipful Feast of Thy blessed
Apostle, (here insert the name of
the Saint,) on the eve whereof we
now stand, may avail us to the
increase both of godliness toward
Thee, and of health to our own
souls. Through our Lord JE-
Sus Christ Thy Son, Who liv
eth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end.
Amen.

On the eve of St. Matthew (Sept.
20,) is said, "Thy blessed Apostle and
Evangelist Matthew." If it be a Fast
the Long Preces are said at Lauds and
Prime, and the corresponding short ones
at Terce, Sext, and None, kneeling.
H. For Apostles, Evangelists, and Martyrs,
Whether one or many, whose Feasts are kept within Easter-tide.¹
Everything as on Sundays, except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
O praise the LORD, &c., (Ps.
cxvi. p. 154.)
Hymn for Apostles and Evangelists.2
WHEN Christ by His own servants
slain
Had died upon the bitter Cross,
The Apostles, of their joy bereft,
Were weeping their dear Master's loss:
Meanwhile an Angel at the tomb
To holy women hath foretold,
"The faithful flock with joy shall soon
Their Lord in Galilee behold."
Who, as they run the news to bring,
Lo, straightway Christ Himself they
meet,
All radiant bright with heavenly light,
And, falling, clasp His sacred feet.
To Galilee's lone mountain height
The Apostolic band retire,
There, blest with their dear Saviour's
sight,
Enjoy in full their soul's desire.
O JESU, from the death of sin
Keep us, we pray; so shalt Thou be
The everlasting Paschal joy
Of all the souls new-born in Thee.
To God the Father, with the Son,
Who from the grave immortal rose;
And Thee, O Paraclete, be praise,
While age on endless ages flows.
Amen.
1 During the rest of the year they have different offices, for which see pp. 805, 817, and 829.
2 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
FOR APOSTLES, ETC., IN PASCHAL-TIDE.
793
0
Hymn for one Martyr.¹
GOD, of Thy soldiers
1
the Portion and Crown,
Spare Thy people, who hymn
the Praise of the Blest;
Earth's bitter joys,
its lures and its frown,
He scanned them and scorned,
and so is at rest.
The Martyr, he ran
all valiantly o'er
An highway of blood
for the prize Thou hast given.
We kneel at Thy feet
and meekly implore,
That our pardon may wait
on his triumph in heaven.
Honour and praise
To the Father and Son
And the Spirit be done
Now and always. Amen.
Hymn for many Martyrs.²
THOU, the Martyrs' glorious King,
Of Confessors the crown and prize;
Who dost to joys celestial bring
Those who the joys of earth despise;
By all the praise Thy Saints have won;
By all their pains in days gone by;
By all the deeds which they have done
Hear Thou Thy suppliant people's
cry.
Thou dost amid Thy Martyrs fight;
Thy Confessors Thou dost forgive;
May we find mercy in Thy sight,
And in Thy sacred presence live.
To God the Father glory be,
And to His sole-begotten Son;
And glory, Holy Ghost, to Thee!
While everlasting ages run. Amen.
Verse. 30 ye Saints and righ-
teous, rejoice in the Lord. Alle-
luia.
Answer. God hath chosen you
for His own inheritance. Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. The everlasting
1 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Newman.
3 Ps. xxxii. 1, 12.
5 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
light* shall shine upon Thy Saints,
O Lord, even unto everlasting.
Alleluia.
MATTINS.
Invitatory for Apostles and
Evangelists. The Lord, He is the
King of the Apostles. * O come,
let us worship Him. Alleluia.
Invitatory for one or many Mar-
tyrs. 'Let the Saints rejoice in the
Lord. * Alleluia.
Hymn for Apostles and Evangelists,
and for one Martyr, as at Vespers.
SING
Hymn for many Martyrs.5
ING we the Martyrs blest,
Their blood for JESUS pour'd;
Sing we their glorious victories,
And infinite reward.
Treading the world beneath,
Spurning the body's pain,
'Twas theirs, in Martyrdom's brief space,
Eternal joys to gain.
Consign'd to raging flames
Or ruthless beasts a prey;
Their tender flesh by savage hooks
Torn piece by piece away;
Their vitals hanging forth;
Unmoved they still endure;
Unmoved continue, in the grace
Of endless life secure.
Saviour, to us vouchsafe
Of Thy dear clemency,
A portion with Thy Martyr Saints,
Through all eternity. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Only one Antiphon and three Psalms
are said.
Antiphon. The righteous shall
stand in great boldness before
the face of such as have afflicted
them. Alleluia.
2 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
4 Cf. Pss. xxxii. 1, cxxxi. 9.
6 Wisdom v. 1.
794
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
The Psalms for Apostles and Evan-
gelists are:
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare,
&c., (p. 16.)
Ps. xxxiii. I will bless the LORD,
&c., (p. 26.)
Ps. xliv. My heart is overflow-
ing, &c., (p. 36.)
The Psalms for one or many Martyrs
are:
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen,
&c., (p. 4.)
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they in-
creased, &c., (p. 5.)
Verse. O ye Saints and righ-
teous, rejoice in the LORD. AÏle-
luia.
Answer. God hath chosen you
for His own inheritance. Alleluia.
The Lessons are either proper to the
Feast, or from Scripture according to
the Season.
First Responsory.
'Blessed is the man that feareth
the LORD-Alleluia-that de-
lighteth greatly in His command-
ments. Alleluia, Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. Glory and riches shall
be in his house, and his righteous-
ness endureth for ever.
Answer. That delighteth greatly
in His commandments. Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Responsory.
2Your sorrow-Alleluia-shall
be turned into joy. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. The world shall rejoice,
and ye shall be sorrowful, but
your sorrow-
1 Ps. cxi. 1, 3.
4 Ps. xxxiii. 21.
Answer. Shall be turned into
joy. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Third Responsory.
³Precious in the sight of the
LORD-Alleluia-is the death of
His Saints. Alleluia.
Verse. The Lord keepeth all
their bones, not one of them shall
be broken.
Answer. Is the death of His
Saints. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Is the death of His
Saints. Alleluia.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Only one Antiphon is said.
Antiphon. "Behold, how they
are numbered among the chil
dren of God, and their lot is
among the Saints. Alleluia.
The Psalms for Apostles and Evan-
gelists are:
Ps. xlvi. O clap your hands,
&c., (p. 37.)
Ps. lx. Hear my cry, &c., (p.
47.)
Ps. lxiii. Hear my voice, &c.,
(p. 48.)
The Psalms for one Martyr are:
Ps. iv. When I called, &c.,
(p. 172.)
Ps. v. Give ear to my words,
&c., (p. 97.)
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler,
&c., (p. 6.)
The Psalms for many Martyrs are :
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide,
&c., (p. 10.)
2 John xvi. 20.
5 Wisd. v. 5.
3 Ps. cxv. 6.
FOR APOSTLES, ETC., IN PASCHAL-TIDE.
795
Ps. xv. Preserve me, O Lord,
&c., (p. 11.)
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the
LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)
Verse. The everlasting light
shall shine upon Thy Saints, O
Lord-Alleluia.
Answer. Even unto everlasting.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Ser-
mons of S. Ambrose, Bishop
[of Milan] (xxii.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, it
is very meet and right that
after the gladness of Easter, which
we have celebrated in the Church,
we should mingle our own joy
with the joy of the holy Martyrs;
yea, that we should tell of the
glory of the Lord's rising again,
to them that have been made par-
takers of the Lord's sufferings.
It truly must needs be that they
which have been partakers of His
sufferings, should be also of His
joy. For thus saith the blessed
Apostle: "As ye are partakers of
the sufferings, so shall ye be also
of the consolation." (2 Cor. i. 7.)
And again: "If we suffer, we
shall also reign with Him. (2
Tim. ii. 12.) He, therefore, that
endureth sorrow for Christ, must
needs also have glory with Christ.
Fourth Responsory.
The everlasting light shall shine
upon Thy Saints, O Lord. Even
unto everlasting. Alleluia.
Verse. 'Everlasting joy upon
their heads: they shall obtain
joy and gladness.
Answer. Even unto everlasting.
Alleluia.
1 Isa. xxxv. 10.
Fifth Lesson.
ISAY again, let us tell to the
holy Martyrs what the grace
of the Lord's Passover is: let us
tell them that, even as He hath
opened the bars of His own grave,
even so shall their graves also be
opened: let us tell them that, even
as in His dead Body the Veins
grew warm and quick again, even
so shall their limbs, that now are
cold, flush with the heat of an
eternal vigour. That power which
brought again our Lord from the
dead will bring His Martyrs too.
For as they have followed Him
in His sufferings, so shall they
follow Him also in His newness
of life. It is written in the
Psalms: "Thou hast shown Me
the path of life." (xv. 12.) This
is said of the Resurrection in the
Person of the Saviour, as of Him
Who, after that He died, came up
again from hell, and began to have
that path of life which was not
known before.

Fifth Responsory for Apostles and
Evangelists.
2With great power gave the
Apostles witness of the Resur-
rection of our Lord JESUS Christ.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. They were all filled with
the Holy Ghost, and they spake
the word of God with bold-
ness.
Answer. Witness of the Resur-
rection of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Fifth Responsory for one or many
Martyrs.
3God will comfort-Alleluia
-His servants. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
2 Acts iv. 33, 31.
3 Cf. Isa. li. 3.
796
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Verse. The LORD will judge
His people, and will comfort-
Answer. His servants.
luia.
Sixth Lesson.
Alle-
FOR, before that Christ came,
that path of life was not
known, which none had risen from
the dead to tread. But, since the
Lord hath risen, it is known, and
many have trodden it after the
Lord. Touching them, the holy
Evangelist saith: "Many bodies
of the saints which slept arose with
Him, and went into the holy city."
(Matth. xxvii. 52, 53.)2 Where-
fore, when the Lord riseth again
and saith: "Thou hast shown Me
the path of life," we also can
now say to Him: "Thou hast
shown us the path of life." For
He hath shown us the path of
life, Who hath shown us the way
that leadeth unto life. He hath
shown me the path of life, Who
hath taught me faith, mercy,
righteousness, and chastity; for
these are the ways that lead unto
life eternal.
Sixth Responsory for Apostles and
Evangelists.
"These are the new lambs, who
have proclaimed-Alleluia: they
came but just now to the well:
they are all filled with light. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. They stand before the
Lamb, clothed with white robes,
and palms in their hands.
Answer. They are all filled with
light. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
1 Ps. cxxxiv. 14.
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. They are all filled with
light. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Sixth Responsory for one or many
Martyrs.
"Come forth, O ye daughters of
Jerusalem, and behold the Mar-
tyrs with the crowns wherewith
the Lord crowned them in the day
of His feasting, and of His glad-
ness. Alleluia.
Verse. For He hath strength-
ened the bars of thy gates; He
hath blessed thy children within
thee.
Answer. In the day of His feast-
ing, and of His gladness. Alle-
luia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. In the day of His feast-
ing, and of His gladness. Alle-
luia.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Only one Antiphon is said.
Antiphon. The everlasting light
* shall shine upon Thy Saints, O
Lord, even unto everlasting. Al-
leluia.
The Psalms for Apostles and Evan-
gelists are:
Ps. lxxiv. Unto Thee, O God,
&c., (p. 58.)
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth,
&c., (p. 73.)
Ps. xcviii. The LORD reigneth,
be the people, &c., (p. 74.)
2 The quotation is anything but exact.
3 Cf. Gen. xxix. 10. Jacob, opening the well to the flock, seems to be taken as a type
of our Lord opening Baptism to His followers.
4 Cf. Apoc. vii. 9.
5 Cf. Cant. iii. 11.
6 Ps. cxlvii. 2.
FOR APOSTLES, ETC., IN PASCHAL-TIDE.
797
The Psalms for one Martyr are:
Ps. x. In the LORD, &c., (p. 8.)
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide,
&c., (p. 10.)
Ps. xx. The king shall joy,
&c., (p. 17.)
The Psalms for many Martyrs are:
Ps. xxxii. Rejoice in the LORD,
&c., (p. 25.)
Ps. xxxiii. I will bless the Lord,
&c., (p. 26.)
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge,
&c., (p. 37.)
Verse. Everlasting joy upon
their heads. Alleluia.
Answer. They shall obtain joy
and gladness. Alleluia.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to John
(xv. 1.)
T that time: JESUS said unto
AT
His disciples: I am the true
vine, and My Father is the hus-
bandman. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop
[of Hippo.] (Tract 80, on John.)
Dearly beloved brethren, this
passage of the Gospel, wherein
the Lord saith that He is the vine,
and that His disciples are the
branches, is to be taken in that
sense wherein it is also said, that
He is the Head of the Church,
(Eph. v. 23), and that we are the
members of Him (30) Who is the
Mediator between God and men,
the man Christ JESUS (1 Tim. ii.
5). The vine and his branches
are of one and the same nature.
Therefore, seeing that He was
God, of which nature we are not,
He was made man, to the end that
He might have in Himself this
vine, that is, the manhood, where-
of we men can be made branches.
Seventh Responsory.
¹I am the true vine, ye are the
branches. He that abideth in Me,
and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. As the Father hath loved
Me, so have I loved you.
Answer. He that abideth in Me,
and I in him, the same bringeth
forth much fruit. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Eighth Blessing.
He (or they) whose feast-day
we are keeping,
Be our Advocate (or Advocates)
with God.
Eighth Lesson.
WHY saith He: "I am the
true vine?" As touching
this word "true," hath He not
here regard to that other parable
of a vine, the like figure whereto
He doth here apply to Himself?
(Jer. ii. 21.) Here is He called a
vine, not plainly, but in parable,
as also He is called elsewhere a
sheep, (Isa. liii. 7, Acts viii. 32,)
a lamb, (John i. 36,) a lion, (Apoc.
v. 5,) a rock, (1 Cor. x. 4,) a cor-
ner-stone, (Eph. ii. 20,) and other
things of the like kind. But these
things are in themselves that which
they seem to be, albeit He is called
by their names, not plainly, but in
a parable, and herein are they dif-
ferent from that vine, whereof in
this place He taketh on Him the
name. For when He saith: "I am
the true vine," doth He not make
1 John xv. 5-9.
798
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
distinction between Himself, and
that which indeed seemed to be a
vine, but to which it is said: "How
art thou turned into the degene-
rate plant of a strange vine unto
Me?” (Jer. ii. 21.) For by what
title shall that plant be called
other than a false vine, whereto
they looked that she should bring
forth grapes, and she brought
forth thorns ?¹
Eighth Responsory.
2Her Nazarites are become pure,
Alleluia: they reflect the glory of
God, Alleluia. They are whiter
than milk. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. They are purer than
snow, they are whiter than milk,
they are more ruddy in body than
coral,3 their polishing is of sap-
phire.
Answer. They are whiter than
milk. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. They are whiter than
milk. Alleluia, Alleluia.
HE
""
Ninth Lesson.
E saith: "I am the true vine,
and My Father is the hus-
bandman.' Is the vine one with
the husbandman? These words
then are to be taken in that sense
wherein He also saith: "My Fa-
ther is greater than I." (John xiv.
28.) In this sense is He the vine,
and the Father is the husband-
man. But again, in regard to
those words: "I and the Father
are one," and again: "and My
Father is the husbandman," we
1 LXX.
understand that They are not the
vine and the husbandman, after
the manner of a vine, and the hus-
bandman that from without doth
care for and keep it, but after the
manner of a vine and Him That
from within doth make it to bring
forth fruit. For "neither is he
that planteth anything, neither he
that watereth: but God that giv-
eth the increase." (1 Cor. iii. 7.)
But Christ is God, for "the Word
was God." (John i. 1.) Therefore
He and the Father are one: and,
albeit the Word was made
flesh,” (John i. 14), which, before,
He was not, He ceased not to be
still That Which He was.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. 4Thy Saints, O
Lord, * shall grow as the lily,
Alleluia they shall come up be-
fore Thee with a pleasant savour
like balm, Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. In the hea-
venly kingdoms, * there is the
dwelling of the saints, Alleluia :
there shall be their rest for ever
and ever. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. In the shadow
[of Thy wings,] * O Lord, Thy
Saints cried and said: Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. O ye spirits
and souls of the righteous, * give
praise to our God. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Fifth Antiphon. "The righteous
shall shine forth * as the sun, in
the presence of God. Alleluia.
2 Lam. iv. 7.
"Coral" is taken
3 Ebore antiquo. The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain.
from Gesenius, and seems here at least the most appropriate word, the description being
apparently meant to depict the beautiful pink and white of youth.
4 Cf. Hos. xiv. 5, Ecclus. xxiv. 20.
5 Matth. xiii. 43.)
FOR APOSTLES, ETC., IN PASCHAL-TIDE.
799
TH
Chapter. (Wisd. v. 1.)
'HE righteous shall stand in
great boldness before the
face of such as have afflicted
them, and made no account of
their labours.
Hymn for Apostles and Evangelists.¹
NOW daily shines the sun more fair,
Recalling that blest time,
When Christ on His Apostles shone
In radiant light sublime.
They in His Body see the Wounds,
Like stars divinely glow;
Then forth, as His true witnesses,
Throughout the world they go.
O Christ! Thou King most merciful!
Our inmost hearts possess ;
So may our canticles of praise
Thy name for ever bless.
Keep us,
O JESU! from the death
Of sin; and deign to be
The everlasting Paschal joy
Of all newborn in Thee.
Praise to the Father, and the Son,
Who from the dead arose ;
Praise to the Blessed Paraclete,
While age on ages flows. Amen.
Hymn for one Martyr.¹
ARTYR of unconquer'd might!
Follower of th' Încarnate Son!
Who, victorious in the fight,
Hast celestial glory won;
By the virtue of thy prayer,
Let no evil hover nigh;
Sin's contagion drive afar ;
Waken drowsy lethargy.
Loosen'd from the fleshly chain
Which detained thee here of old,
Loose us from the bonds of sin,
From the fetters of the world.
Glory to th' Incarnate Son,
Who from death immortal rose;
Glory to the Trine in One,
While the flood of ages flows. Amen.
Hymn for many Martyrs, "O Thou
the Martyrs' glorious King," as at First
Vespers.
Verse. Precious in the sight of
the LORD-Alleluia.
Answer. Is the death of His
Saints. Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. Come forth, O ye daughters
of Jerusalem, * and behold the
Martyrs with the crowns where-
with the Lord crowned them, in
the day of His feasting and of
His gladness. Alleluia, Alleluia.
The Prayers for the Apostles and
Evangelists are all special.
1. Prayer for one Martyr, who was a
Bishop.
MERCIFULLY consider our
weakness, O Almighty God,
and, whereas by the burden of
our sins we are sore let and hin-
dered, may it please Thee, that
the prayers of Thy blessed and
glorious Martyr and Bishop (here
insert his name) may shield us.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
0
2. Another Prayer for the same.
GOD, Who year by year dost
gladden us by the solemn
feast-day of Thy blessed Martyr
and Bishop, (here insert his name,)
mercifully grant, that we who keep
his birthday, may ever feel the
joyful effects of his protection.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
3. Prayer for a Martyr not a Bishop.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O
Almighty God, that we who
¹ Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
3 H
800
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
keep the birthday of Thy blessed
Martyr, (here insert his name,)
may be so holpen by his prayers,
that we may ever grow more
and more in love toward Thy holy
Name. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end.
GRACIOUSLY
Amen.
4. Another for the same.
RACIOUSLY hear us, we be-
seech Thee, O Almighty God,
and, at the petition of Thy blessed
Martyr, (here insert his name,) be
mercifully pleased to deliver us
from all things which may hurt
our bodies, and from all evil
thoughts which may defile our
souls. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
7. Another for the same.
GOD, Who, year by year, dost
gladden us by the solemn
feast-day of Thy holy Martyrs,
(here insert their names,) merci-
fully grant, that we who rejoice
because of their worthy deeds,
may be also stirred up to follow
after their example. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Thy Saints, O Lord,
&c., (First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Rom. viii. 28.)
of the Holy Ghost, one God, WE know that all things work
5. Prayer for many Martyrs, who were
Bishops.
LORD, we beseech Thee, that
the feast of Thy blessed Mar-
tyrs and Bishops (here insert their
names) may keep us, and their
worshipful prayers commend us.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
O
6. Prayer for many Martyrs, not Bi-
shops.
GOD, by Whose mercy we
here keep the birthday of
Thy holy Martyrs, (here insert
their names,) grant us hereafter
to rejoice in their blessed com-
pany for all eternity. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy
together for good to them
that love God, to them who are
called to be Saints according to
His purpose.
TERCE.
Antiphon. In the heavenly
kingdoms, &c., (Second Antiphon
at Lauds.)
Chapter. The righteous shall
stand, &c., (from Lauds.)
Short Responsory.
O ye Saints and righteous, re-
joice in the Lord. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Answer. O ye Saints and righ-
teous, rejoice in the Lord. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. God hath chosen you
for His own inheritance.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
FOR APOSTLES, ETC., IN PASCHAL-TIDE.
801
Answer. O ye Saints and right-
eous, rejoice in the Lord. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Verse. The everlasting light
shall shine upon Thy Saints, O
Lord-Alleluia.
Answer. Even unto everlasting.
Alleluia.
Prayer as at Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. In the shadow, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
BEH
Chapter. (Wisd. v. 5.)
EHOLD, how they are num-
bered among the children of
God, and their lot is among the
Saints.
Short Responsory.
The everlasting light shall shine
upon Thy Saints, O Lord. Alle-
luia, Alleluia.
Answer. The everlasting light
shall shine upon Thy Saints, O
Lord-Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Even unto everlasting.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The everlasting light
shall shine upon Thy Saints, O
Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Everlasting joy upon
their heads. Alleluia.
Answer. They shall obtain joy
and gladness. Alleluia.
Prayer as at Lauds.
NONE.
Antiphon. The righteous, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Everlasting joy upon their
heads. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. Everlasting joy upon
their heads. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. They shall obtain joy
and gladness.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Everlasting joy upon
their heads. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Precious in the sight of
the LORD-Alleluia.
Answer. Is the death of His
Saints. Alleluia.
Prayer as at Lauds.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as at First Vespers, except the
following:
The Psalms for Apostles and Evan-
gelists are:
Ps. cix. The LORD said, &c.,
(p. 146.)
Ps. cxii. Praise the LORD, &c.,
(p. 148.)
Ps. cxv. I believed, &c., (p.
153.)
Ps. cxxv. When the LORD
turned, &c., (p. 158.)
Ps.cxxxviii. O LORD, Thou hast
searched me, &c., (p. 165.)
The Psalms for one or many Martyrs
are the same as on Sundays, except the
last, which is:
Ps. cxv. I believed, &c., (p.
153.)
Verse. Precious in the sight of
the LORD-Alleluia.
Answer. Is the death of His
Saints. Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. O ye Saints and
righteous, * rejoice in the Lord-
Alleluia; God hath chosen you
for His own inheritance. Alleluia.
·
3 H 2
802
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Other Lessons for the Feasts
of Martyrs in Easter-tide.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Epistle of St. Cyprian, Bishop
[of Carthage,] and himself a
Martyr, to the Martyrs and
Confessors. (Bk. ii. ep. 6.)
How shall I praise you, O
Martyrs so brilliantly vic-
torious? Can the voice of man's
praise add anything to the glory
of your manful heart and un-
shaken faithfulness ? Ye have
borne all the hardness of the tor-
ment, and have attained unto the
excellent height of glory: the
tormentors have not worn you
out, nay, ye rather have worn out
the tormentors. When they that
kill the body would give you no
rest from suffering, ye suffered
until ye gained the crown.
the torment waxing still more
dread, waxed not to the casting
down of your strong faith, but to
the sooner sending God's men
home to God.
THEY
Fifth Lesson.
And
THEY that stood by looked in
wonder at your heavenly con-
flict, that battle of God, that wres-
tling of spirit, that combat of
Christ. There they saw His ser-
vants standing with voice un-
shaken, with spirit unbroken,
strong in God's strength, naked
indeed, as to the arms of this
world, but clothed on with the
armour of God, and equipped with
the fiery weapons of faith. There
they that were tormented stood
braver than they that tormented
them. Their bruised and mangled
bodies overcame the instruments
of cruelty that bruised and man-
gled them. The bloody stripes,
so often laid on, could not beat
down the impregnable castle of
their faith, even when the cover-
ing of their bowels was broken,
and that which was tormented in
God's servants was no longer
limbs but wounds. The blood
that ran down, ran down to quench
the rage of persecution, noble
blood, that can put out the flames
and fire of hell.

Sixth Lesson.
the eyes of the Lord! O
WHAT a spectacle was that
how noble! O how mighty! O
how precious in the sight of God
were His soldiers' loyalty and
faithfulness! Even as it is writ-
ten in the Psalms, the Holy Ghost
therein at once speaking to us
and warning us :
Precious in the
sight of the LORD is the death of
His Saints." O what a precious
death is his, who maketh purchase
of life that can never die, at the
price of his own blood, and seizeth
on the crown, when courage hath
no more left to meet! O how
joyful was Christ! How gladly
fought He in such servants as
these, in these how gladly did
He triumph, the Keeper of their
faith, and, in the end, to them
how gladly did He give that
reward which no man knoweth
saving he that receiveth it! (Apoc.
ii. 17.) He it was, Who was there
when they fought,-He it was,
Who raised them up to be the
champions and defenders of His
holy Name, He, Who gave them
the strength,-He, Who nerved
them. He, That by death hath
1 Who were then suffering in the persecution of Decius.
FOR APOSTLES, ETC., IN PASCHAL-TIDE.
803
once conquered for us, liveth now
for ever to conquer in us.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to John
(xv. 5.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto
His disciples: I am the vine,
ye are the branches: He that
abideth in Me and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit :
for without Me ye can do nothing.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop
[of Hippo.] (Tract 81 on John.)
:
Lest any man should so take
these words, "the same bringeth
forth much fruit," as to think
that the branch can of itself bring
forth any fruit whatsoever, the
Lord saith further, "without Me
ye can do," not only "small things,"
but, "nothing." Whether, then,
it be little or much, there can be
nothing done, save through Him,
without Whom we can do no-
thing for if the branch bring
forth fruit, albeit but little, it is
through Him That purgeth it, that
it may bring forth more fruit.
And if the branch abide not in
the vine, and draw not his sap
from the vine's root, it can bring
forth no fruit whatsoever of itself.
And as CHRIST would not have
been the vine, if He had not been
man, He could not have given
grace to His branches, if He had
not been God.
Eighth Lesson.
WITHOUT
ITHOUT the sap of grace
the branch cannot live, and
it is within the power of his own
free will to choose death rather
than life. "If a man abide not
in Me," saith the Lord, "he is
cast forth as a branch, and is
withered, and men gather them,
and cast them into the fire, and
they are burned." So much the
more worthy as is the branch of
the vine, if it abide in the vine, so
much the baser is it, if it abide
not in the vine. Then is it as the
vine-branches whereof the Pro-
phet Ezekiel saith (xv. 3, 4) that
wood shall not be taken thereof
to do any work, and it is meet for
no work. The branch hath choice
of two things, the vine, or the
fire: if it abide not in the vine, it
shall be cast into the fire; if, then,
it would not be cast into the fire,
let it abide in the vine.
Ninth Lesson.
"IF ye abide in Me," saith the
Lord, “and My words abide
,,
in you, ye shall ask what ye will
and it shall be done unto you.'
And what can they will that abide
in Christ, save the things of Christ?
What can they will that abide in
the Saviour save such things as
tend to salvation? Since we are
in Christ we will one thing, and
since we are as yet in this world,
we will another. Since we are
yet in this world, it befalleth us
to seek some things, whereof we
know not that they be inexpedient
for us. But far be it from us to
think that we shall obtain them,
if we abide in Christ, for, when
we seek from Him, He giveth not,
save that which is expedient for us.
For Simple Feasts of one or
many Martyrs in Easter-tide.
The Office is as on a Semidouble, with
the following exceptions.
FIRST VESPERS.
The Office is of the Week-day, till the
Chapter exclusive.
道
​804
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
The Office of the Saint or Saints be-
gins with the Chapter, which, as also
the Hymn, Verse and Answer, Anti-
phon at the Song of the Blessed Virgin,
and Prayer, are all as just given. The
Paschal Commemoration of the Cross is
said.
At Compline are said Preces.
MATTINS.
The Invitatory and Hymn are as
just given.
Then follow the Week-day Psalms
with the Antiphon, "Alleluia, Alle-
luia, Alleluia."
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Verse. O ye Saints and righ-
teous, rejoice in the Lord. AĬle-
luia.
Answer. God hath chosen you
for His own inheritance.
luia.
Absolution.
Graciously hear, &c.
Alle-
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
Verse. The everlasting light
shall shine upon Thy saints, O
Lord-Alleluia.
Answer. Even unto everlasting.
Alleluia.
Absolution.
May His loving-kindness, &c.
On Wednesdays.
Verse. Everlasting joy upon
their heads. Alleluia.
Answer. They shall obtain joy
and gladness. Alleluia.
Absolution.
May the Almighty, &c.
First Blessing.
May His blessing be upon us
Who doth live and reign for
ever.
First Lesson from Scripture accord-
ing to the Season, being either the first
part, or, if the Saint or Saints have
two Lessons, the whole read as one, at
will.
First Responsory.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Blessed is the man, &c., (First
Responsory in the preceding Office,
p. 794.)
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
The everlasting light, &c.,
(Fourth Responsory in the pre-
ceding Office, p. 795.)
On Wednesdays.
I am the true vine, &c., (Seventh
Responsory in the preceding Office,
p. 797.)
Second Blessing.
He (or they) whose feast-day
we are keeping,
Be our Advocate (or Advocates)
with God.
Second Lesson is the first of the Le-
gend of the Saint or Saints, if there be
two; if not, it is the second from Scrip-
ture, to which the third may be added at
will.
Second Responsory.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Your sorrow, &c., (Second Re-
sponsory in the preceding Office,
p. 794, with this addition :)
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Shall be turned into
joy. Alleluia, Alleluia.
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
God will comfort, &c., (Fifth
Responsory for Martyrs in the
preceding Office, p. 795, with this
addition :)
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. His servants. Alleluia.
FOR APOSTLES AND EVANGELISTS.
805
On Wednesdays.
Her Nazarites, &c., (Eighth
Responsory in the preceding Office,
p. 798.)
Third Blessing.
May He That is the Angels'
King
To that high realm His people
bring.
Third Lesson is the whole or second
part of the Legend of the Saint or Saints,
if there is one, or else the special Lesson
assigned.
Then the Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said, and so end Mattins.
The rest of the Office is as on a Semi-
double, as just given; it ends at None,
inclusive; Preces are said at Prime, and
the Cross is Paschally commemorated at
Lauds.
IH. For Apostles and Evangelists,
Whose Feasts are kept out of Easter-tide.
Everything as on Sundays except what
is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Hymn from
Lauds.
The Prayer is always Proper.
Last Psalm.
O praise the LORD, &c., (Ps.
cxvi., p. 154.)
Verse. 'Their sound is gone out
through all the earth.
Answer. And their words to the
ends of the world.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. For they will de-
liver you up to the councils, and
they will scourge you in their
synagogues, and ye shall
shall be
brought before kings and gover-
nors for My sake, for a testimony
against them and the Gentiles.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord, He is the
King of the Apostles. * O come,
let us worship Him!
Hymn.3
THE Lord's eternal gifts,
The Apostles' mighty praise,
Their victories, and high reward,
Sing we in joyful lays.
1 Ps. xviii. 5.
Lords of the Churches they;
Triumphant Chiefs of war;
Brave Soldiers of the Heavenly Camp;
True Lights for evermore.
Their's was the Saint's high faith;
And quenchless hope's pure glow;
And perfect charity, which laid
The world's fell tyrant low.
In them the Father shone;
In them the Son o'ercame :
In them the Holy Spirit wrought,
And filled their hearts with flame.
Praise to the Father, Son,
And Spirit, One and Three;
As evermore hath been before
And shall for ever be. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Their sound
is gone out through all the earth,
and their words to the ends of the
world.
3 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare,
&c., (p. 16.)
Second Antiphon. The righte-
ous cry, and the LORD heareth.
Ps. xxxiii. I will bless the LORD,
&c., (p. 26.)
Third Antiphon. Thou shalt
make them princes over all the
earth: they shall be mindful of
Thy Name, O Lord.
2 Matth. x. 17, 18.
806
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
1
Ps. xliv. My heart is over-
flowing, &c., (p. 36.)
Verse. Their sound is gone out
through all the earth.
Answer. And their words to the
ends of the world.
The following Lessons are not read if
Proper Lessons are assigned instead.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First
Epistle of the Blessed Apostle
Paul to the Corinthians (iv. 1.)
ET a man so account of us as
L¹
of the ministers of Christ,
and stewards of the mysteries of
God. It is required of stewards
here, that a man be found faith-
ful. But with me it is a very
small thing that I should be
judged of you, or of man's judg-
ment: yea, I judge not mine own
self. For I know nothing against
myself: yet am I not hereby justi-
fied: but He that judgeth me is
the Lord. Therefore judge no-
thing before the time, until the
Lord come: Who both will bring
to light the hidden things of dark-
ness, and will make manifest the
counsels of the hearts: and then
shall every man have praise of
God.
First Responsory.
¹Behold, I send you forth as
sheep in the midst of wolves, saith
the Lord; be ye therefore wise as
serpents, and harmless as doves.
Verse. While ye have light, be-
lieve in the light, that ye may be
the children of light.
Answer. Be ye therefore wise as
serpents, and harmless as doves.
Second Lesson.
AND these things, brethren,
I have in a figure transferred
1 Matth. x. 16.
to myself and to Apollos for your
sakes, that ye might learn in us
not to think of men above that
which is written, that no one of
you be puffed up for one against
another. For who maketh thee
to differ from another? And what
hast thou that thou didst not re-
ceive? Now, if thou didst receive
it, why dost thou glory, as if thou
hadst not received it? Now ye are
full, now ye are rich: ye have
reigned as kings without us: and
I would to God ye did reign, that
we also might reign with you.
For I think that God hath set
forth us the Apostles last, as it
were appointed to death: for we
are made a spectacle unto the
world, and to Angels, and to men.
Second Responsory.
³Take My yoke upon you, saith
the Lord, and learn of Me, for I
am meek and lowly in heart; for
My yoke is easy, and My burden
is light.
Verse. And ye shall find rest
unto your souls.
Answer. For My yoke is easy,
and My burden is light.
WE
Third Lesson.
E are fools for Christ's sake,
but ye are wise in Christ:
we are weak, but ye are strong:
ye are honourable, but we are
despised. Even unto this present
hour we both hunger, and thirst,
and are naked, and are buffeted,
and have no certain dwelling-
place, and labour, working with
our own hands: being reviled, we
bless: being persecuted, we suffer
it: being defamed, we entreat:
we are made as the filth of the
earth, and are the off-scouring of
2 John xii. 36.
3 Matth. xi. 29.
FOR APOSTLES AND EVANGELISTS.
807
all things unto this day. I write
not these things to shame you,
but as my beloved sons, I warn
you. For though ye have ten
thousand instructors in Christ;
yet have ye not many fathers.
For in Christ JESUS I have be-
gotten you through the Gospel.
Third Responsory.
"When ye stand before kings
and governors, take no thought
how or what ye shall speak; for
it shall be given you in that same
hour, what ye shall speak.
Verse. For it is not ye that
speak, but the Spirit of your Fa-
ther, Which speaketh in you.
Answer. For it shall be given
you in that same hour, what ye
shall speak.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. For it shall be given
you in that same hour, what ye
shall speak.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The princes of
the people are gathered together
with the God of Abraham.
Ps. xlvi. O clap your hands,
&c., (p. 37.)
Second Antiphon. Thou hast
given the heritage to those that
fear Thy Name, Ŏ Lord.
Verse. Thou shalt make them
princes over all the earth.
Answer. They shall be mindful
of Thy Name, Ŏ Lord.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (30th on the Gos-
pels.)
IT is written:
"By His Spirit
the Lord hath garnished the
heavens." (Job xxvi. 13.) Now
the garniture of the heavens are
the godly powers of preachers,
and this garniture, what it is, Paul
teacheth us thus:-"To one is
given by the Spirit the word of
wisdom, to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit; to
another faith by the same Spirit;
to another the gifts of healing by
the same Spirit, to another the
working of miracles, to another
prophecy, to another discerning of
spirits, to another divers kinds of
tongues, to another the interpre-
tation of tongues. But all these
worketh that one and the self-same
Spirit, dividing to every man seve-
rally as He will." (1 Cor. xii. 8.)

Fourth Responsory.
³I saw men standing together,
clad in shining raiment, and the
Angel of the Lord spake unto me,
saying: These men are holy, for
they are the friends of God.
Verse. I saw a strong Angel of
Ps. lx. Hear my cry, &c., (p. God fly into the midst of heaven,
47.)
Third Antiphon. They declared
the work of God, and understood
His doings.
saying with a loud voice-
Answer. These men are holy,
for they are the friends of God.
Fifth Lesson.
Ps. lxiii. Hear my voice, &c., SO much power then as have
(p. 48.)
1 Matth. x. 18—20.
preachers, so much garniture
2 Ps. xliv. 17, 18.
3 This Responsory reads like a quotation, but neither the translator nor any whom he
has consulted, have succeeded in discovering its source. It is not in Scripture.
4 Cf. Apoc. viii. 13.
808
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
•
have the heavens. Wherefore
again it is written: "By the word
of the LORD were the heavens
made." (Ps. xxxii. 6.) For the
Word of the Lord is the Son of
the Father. But, to the end that
all the Holy Trinity may be made
manifest as the Maker of the
heavens, (that is, of the Apostles,)
it is straightway added touching
God the Holy Ghost: " and all
the host of them by the Breath
of His mouth." Therefore the
might of the same heavens is the
might of the Spirit, for they had
not braved the powers of this
world, unless the strength of the
Holy Ghost had comforted them.
For we know what manner of men
the Teachers of the Holy Church
were before the coming of this
Spirit and since He came we see
in Whose strength they are made
strong.
Fifth Responsory.
'Blessed are ye when men shall
revile you, and persecute you,
and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely, for My sake;
rejoice, and be exceeding glad,
for great is your reward in hea-
ven.
Verse. 2When men shall hate
you, and when they shall separate
you from their company, and shall
reproach you, and cast out your
name as evil, for the Son of Man's
sake,
Answer. Rejoice, and be ex-
ceeding glad, for great is your re-
ward in heaven.
Sixth Lesson.
VERILY, if we ask of the dam-
sel that kept the door, she
1 Matth. v. 11, 12.
will tell us what was the measure
of weakness and of strength in
that Shepherd³ of the Church
nigh to whose most holy body we
are now sitting, before that the
Spirit came. He was so stricken
by the words of one woman, that
for fear of death, he denied Life.
And we may well remember that
Peter denied in captivity Him,
Whom the thief confessed, even
when He was lifted up upon the
Cross. But let us hear what that
craven was after that the Spirit
came. When the rulers and elders
were gathered together, the Apos-
tles were beaten, and commanded
not to speak at all nor teach in
the name of JESUS. And Peter
answered with great boldness,
"We ought to obey God rather
than men." (Acts v. 42.)

Sixth Responsory.
These are they which have con-
quered, and are become the friends
of God, who recked not of the
commandments of princes, and
earned the everlasting reward.
And now have they crowns on
their heads, and palms in their
hands.
Verse. These are they which
came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes in the
blood of the Lamb.
Answer. And now have they
crowns on their heads, and palms
in their hands.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And now have they
crowns on their heads, and palms
in their hands.
2 Luke vi. 22.
St. Peter, buried in the Vatican Basilica, where this sermon seems to have been
preached.
4
+ Apoc. vii. 14, cf. 9.
FOR APOSTLES AND EVANGELISTS.
809
THIRD NOCTURN.
Note that between Septuagesima and
Easter the word "Alleluia" in the fol-
lowing Antiphons is omitted.
First Antiphon. The horns of
the righteous shall be exalted.
[Alleluia.]
Ps. lxxiv. Unto Thee, O God,
&c., (p. 58.)
Second Antiphon. Light is
sprung up for the righteous. Al-
leluia and gladness for the up-
right in heart. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth,
&c., (p. 73.)
Third Antiphon. They kept
His testimonies, and the ordi-
nance that He gave them. [Al-
leluia.]
Ps. xcviii. The LORD reigneth,
be the people, &c., (p. 74.)
Verse. ¹O God, Thy friends are
exceeding honourable.
Answer. Their power is waxen
right strong.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xix. 27.)
AT
T that time: Peter said unto
JESUS Behold, we have
forsaken all, and followed Thee:
what shall we have therefore?
And so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest
[at Bethlehem.] (Bk.iii. on Matth.
xix.)
Peter was a fisherman, he was
not rich, he earned his bread by
his hand and skill, and neverthe-
less he is thus bold, and saith
confidently : "We have forsaken
all." And because it sufficeth
¹ Ps. cxxxviii. 17.
not to forsake only, he addeth
that which to do is to be perfect:
"and followed Thee." "We have
done that which Thou hast com-
manded us, what reward there-
fore wilt Thou give us ?"
"And
JESUS said unto them: Amen I
say unto you, that ye which have
followed Me, in the regeneration,
when the Son of Man shall sit in
the throne of His glory, ye also
judging the twelve tribes of Is-
shall sit upon twelve thrones,
raël." He said not, "Ye which
have forsaken all," for this did
even Crates the philosopher, and
they which have set nothing by
riches are many, but, "Ye which
have followed Me.'
have followed Me." This did the
Apostles, and this do believers do.
Seventh Responsory.
2
These are they who while yet
they lived in the flesh, planted
the Church in their own blood
³they drank of the Lord's cup,
and became the friends of God.
Verse. Their sound is gone out
through all the earth, and their
words to the ends of the world.
Answer. They drank of the
Lord's cup, and became the friends
of God.
Eighth Blessing.
He (or they) whose feast-day
we are keeping,
Be our Advocate (or Advocates)
with God.
'IN
Eighth Lesson.
the regeneration, when the
Son of Man shall sit in the
throne of His glory, and when
the dead shall rise again from
corruption incorruptible, (1 Cor.
xv. 53,) ye also shall sit upon
2 A Greek cynic, remarkable for his self-denial, who flourished at Athens about B.C. 300.
3 Cf. Matth. xx. 22, 23.
810
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
""
twelve thrones of judgment, con-
demning the twelve tribes of Is-
raël, because, when ye believed in
Me, they would not. (John iii. 18.)
And every one that hath forsaken
houses, or brethren, or sisters, or
father, or mother, or wife, or chil-
dren, or lands, for My Name's
sake, shall receive an hundred-
fold, and shall inherit everlasting
life.' This place agreeth well
with that other where the Sa-
viour saith: "I came not to send
peace, but a sword. For I am
come to set a man at variance
against his father, and the daugh-
ter against her mother, and the
daughter-in-law against her mo-
ther-in-law; and a man's foes
shall be they of his own house-
hold." (Matth. x. 34.) Every one,
therefore, that hath set no store
by affection, and riches, and the
pleasures of the world, for Christ's
faith's sake, and the preaching of
the Gospel, shall receive an hun-
dredfold, and shall inherit ever-
lasting life.
Eighth Responsory.
These men are saints, whom
the Lord hath chosen in love un-
feigned, and hath given them
glory everlasting. These are they
by the light of whose teaching
the Church is glorified, even as
the moon is glorified by the light
of the sun.
Verse. The saints through
faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness.
Answer. By the light of whose
teaching the Church is glorified,
even as the moon is glorified by
the light of the sun.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
1 Heb. xi. 33.
Answer. By the light of whose
teaching the Church is glorified,
even as the moon is glorified by
the light of the sun.
BY
Ninth Lesson.
:
an
Y reason of these words, "
hundredfold," some will have
it that there shall be a thousand
years after the resurrection, where-
in theythat have forsaken all things
shall receive an hundredfold of
those things which they have for-
saken, and shall inherit everlast-
ing life. Such men consider not
that though in other things this
were worthy, as touching wives
it is unseemly for it becometh
us not to think that he which
hath forsaken one wife in this
world, shall receive an hundred
wives in that which is to come.
But the meaning is this, that every
one that for the Saviour's sake
hath forsaken earthly things, shall
receive spiritual things: which
things, being rightly weighed
against earthly things, are
though hundredfold were
weighed against one.


an
as
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. This is My
commandment, * That ye love
one another, as I have loved you.
Second Antiphon. 2Greater love
hath no man than this, * that a
man lay down his life for his
friends.
Third Antiphon. 2Ye are My
friends, if ye do whatsoever I
command you, saith the Lord.
Fourth Antiphon. ³Blessed are
the peace-makers, blessed are the
pure in heart, for they shall see
God.
2 John xv. 12—14.
3 Matth. v. 9, 8.
FOR APOSTLES AND EVANGELISTS.
811
Fifth Antiphon. In your pa-
tience * possess ye your souls.
BRE
Chapter. (Eph. ii. 19.)
RETHREN, now ye are no
more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow-citizens with the Saints,
and of the household of God: and
are built upon the foundation of
the Apostles and Prophets, JESUS
Christ Himself being the chief
corner-stone.
Hymn.2
NOW let the earth with joy resound,
And Heaven the chant re-echo
round ;
Nor Heaven nor earth too high can raise,
The great Apostles' glorious praise.
O ye who, throned in glory dread,
Shall judge the living and the dead!
Lights of the world for evermore!
To you the suppliant prayer we pour.
Ye close the sacred gates on high;
At your command apart they fly:
O loose for us the guilty chain
We strive to break, and strive in vain.
Sickness and health your voice obey;
At your command they go or stay:
From sin's disease our souls restore;
In good confirm us more and more.
So when the world is at its end,
And Christ to judgment shall descend,
May we be called those joys to see,
Prepared from all eternity.
Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past,
And so shall be while ages last. Amen.
Verse. They declared the work
of God.
Answer. And understood His
doings.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. "Ye which have forsaken all,
and have followed Me, shall re-
ceive an hundredfold, and shall
inherit everlasting life.
1 Luke xxi. 19.
3 Ps. lxiii. 10.
The Prayer throughout the Office is
always special.
PRIME.
Antiphon. This is My com-
mandment, &c., (First Antiphon
at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Acts v. 41.)
THE Apostles departed from
the presence of the council,
rejoicing that they were counted
worthy to suffer shame for the
sake of the name of JESUS.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Greater love, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
Their sound is gone out through
all the earth.
Answer. Their sound is gone
out through all the earth.
Verse. And their words to the
ends of the world.
Answer. Through all the earth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Their sound is gone
out through all the earth.
Verse. Thou shalt make them
princes over all the earth.
Answer. They shall be mindful
of Thy Name, Ŏ Lord.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Ye are My friends,
&c., (Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Acts v. 12.)
AND by the hands of the Apos-
tles were many signs and
wonders wrought among
among the
people.
2 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
4 Matth. xix. 27—29.
812
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Short Responsory.
Thou shalt make them princes
over all the earth.
Answer. Thou shalt make them
princes over all the earth.
Verse. They shall be mindful
of Thy Name, O Lord.
Answer. Over all the earth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Thou shalt make them
princes over all the earth.
Verse. O God, Thy friends are
exceeding honourable.
Answer. Their power is waxen
right strong.
NONE.
Antiphon. In your patience,
&c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
O God, Thy friends are exceed-
ing honourable.
Answer. O God, Thy friends
are exceeding honourable.
Verse. Their power is waxen
right strong.
Answer. Exceeding honourable.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. O God, Thy friends
are exceeding honourable.
Verse. They declared the work
of God.
Answer. And understood His
doings.
SECOND VESPERS.
First Antiphon. The LORD hath
sworn, and will not repent: Thou
art a Priest for ever.
Ps. cix. The LORD said, &c.,
(p. 146.)
Second Antiphon. That the Lord
may set him with the princes of
His people.
Ps. cxii. Praise the LORD, O
ye His servants, &c., (p. 148.)
Third Antiphon. O Lord, Thou
hast loosed my bonds: I will offer
to Thee the sacrifice of thanks-
giving.
Ps. cxv. I believed, therefore
have I spoken, &c., (p. 153.)
Fourth Antiphon. They went
forth weeping, sowing their seed.
Ps. cxxv. When the LORD
turned again, &c., (p. 158.)
Fifth Antiphon. O God, Thy
friends are honourable; their
power is waxen right strong.
Ps. cxxxviii. O LORD, Thou hast
searched me, &c., (p. 165.)
Chapter, Hymn, and Verse and An-
swer from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the
fight, and strive against the old
Blessed Virgin. Wax valiant in
serpent: and ye shall receive an
everlasting kingdom. Alleluia.
Other Lessons for the Feasts
of the Apostles.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Ex-
position of the Eighty-sixth
Psalm by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.]

“HE
ER foundation is in the holy
mountains: the LORD lov-
eth the gates of Zion." Where-
fore hath the city twelve founda-
FOR APOSTLES AND EVANGELISTS.
813
tions, and in them the names of
the Prophets and of the Apostles
of the Lamb P¹ Because their
authority is the foundation where-
on our weakness resteth. Where-
fore are they the gates ?2 Because
through them we enter in unto
the kingdom of God, since they
have preached the same unto us,
and when we enter in through
their preaching, we enter in by
Christ, Who is Himself The
Door. (John x. 7.) And, whereas
it is written that the city hath
twelve gates, and, again, that
Christ is the one Door, Christ is
all the twelve, for He is in all
the twelve: and therefore were
twelve Apostles chosen. There
lieth a great mystery in the sig-
nification of this number, Twelve.
"Ye shall sit," saith the Lord,
CC
upon twelve thrones, judging
the twelve tribes of Israël.”
Fifth Lesson.
F then there be set there twelve
If thrones of judgment, (Ps. cxxi.
5,) Paul, in that he is the thir-
teenth Apostle, hath not where
to sit, nor wherein to judge. 'Ne-
vertheless, he hath said of him-
self that he will judge not men
only, but angels. "Know ye not,"
saith he, "that we shall judge
angels ?" (1 Cor. vi. 3,)—that is,
the fallen angels. Then might they
have answered him: "Wherefore
boastest thou thyself to be a judge?
For where is thy seat? The Lord
hath said that for the twelve
Apostles there shall be twelve
thrones: one of the twelve, even
Judas, is indeed fallen, but holy
Matthias is chosen into his place;
for the twelve thrones there are
still twelve to sit thereon: first
find whereon thou shalt sit, and
afterward_give thyself out for a
judge. Let us see, then, what
is the meaning of these twelve
thrones. By them is signified in
a mystery the whole world, since
the Church shall be through all
the earth, whence this building
is called to be built up together
in Christ.
Sixth Lesson.
THEREFORE is it said that
there shall be twelve thrones,
because from all quarters shall
there come men to be judged;
even as it is said that the city
hath twelve gates, because from
all quarters shall the nations of
them which are saved, enter into
it. So, not the twelve only, and
the Apostle Paul, but all, as many
as shall judge, have part in these
twelve thrones, this signifying,
that they shall judge all men;
even as all that enter into the
city, have part in her twelve gates.
For there are four quarters of
the world, the East, and the West,
and the North, and the South:
of which four quarters is mention
often made in the Scriptures.
From the four winds shall the
elect be gathered together, as saith
the Lord in the Gospel: "And
He shall send His Angels with a
great sound of a trumpet; and
they shall gather together His
elect from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other."
(Matth. xxiv. 31.) From the four
winds, therefore, is the Church
called together; and how are they
1 A sort of quotation from or allusion to Apoc. xxi. 14, but there the Prophets are not
mentioned.
2 Apoc. xxi. 12, says that on the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of
Israël.
814
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
called? Everywhere are they
called in the Trinity; for they
are called no otherwise than by
baptizing them in the Name of
the Father, and of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost. (Matth. xxviii.
19.) Now four being multiplied
by three is twelve.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xix. 27.)
A
T that time: Peter said unto
JESUS: Behold, we have for-
saken all, and followed Thee:
what shall we have therefore?
And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede,
Priest [at Jarrow.] (Homily for
St. Benedict's Birth-day.)
perfect," saith
"If thou wilt be perfect," saith
Christ, go and sell that thou
hast, and give to the poor, and
come and follow Me: and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven.'
(Matth. xix. 21.) Yea, treasure
that passeth not away! Unto
such saith JESUS, at the question-
ing of Peter: Amen I say unto
you, that ye which have followed
Me, in the regeneration, when the
CC
Son of Man shall sit in the throne
of His glory, ye also shall sit
upon twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israël.” He
taught them, which work for His
Name's sake in this life, to look
for their reward in another life:
that is, in the regeneration. "In
the regeneration!"—when we who
have been born dying creatures
into a dying life, shall in the re-
surrection be born again into an
undying life.
Eighth Lesson.
AND soothly, it is a just retri-
bution, that they, who, while
they were yet here, have for
Christ's sake set no store by be-
ing great among men, should
there by Christ be singularly
glorified to be the assessors of
His judgment-seat, even they
whom nothing here could turn
aside from being the followers of
His footsteps. Nevertheless, let
there be no man that believeth
that the twelve Apostles only,
among whom Matthias holdeth
that place from which Judas by
transgression fell, (Acts i. 25,)
that they only shall judge, even
as the twelve tribes of Israël
shall not alone be judged: for
then were the tribe of Levi, which
is the thirteenth, unjudged.
Ninth Lesson.
MOREOVER, then, were Paul,
who is the thirteenth Apostle,
deprived of all part in the judg-
ment; whereas he saith of him-
self: "Know ye not that we shall
judge angels? How much more
things that pertain to this life ?"
But it behoveth us to know that
every one who hath forsaken all
and followed Christ, as did the
Apostles, shall also come with
Him to judgment, even as every
man shall stand at His judgment-
seat. And the Scriptures use
often to signify all by this num-
ber twelve; by the twelve thrones
of the Apostles are signified the
thrones of all them that shall
judge; and by the twelve tribes
of Israël, the whole number of
them that shall be judged.
FOR APOSTLES AND EVANGELISTS.
815
Other Lessons for the Feasts
of Evangelists.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Book of the
Prophet Ezekiel (i. 1.)
A
ND it came to pass in the
thirtieth year, in the fourth
month, in the fifth day of the
month, as I was among the cap-
tives by the river of Chebar, that
the heavens were opened, and I
saw visions of God. In the fifth
day of the month, which was the
fifth year of King Jehoiachim's
captivity, the word of the LORD
came unto Ezekiel, the son of
Buzi, the Priest, in the land of
the Chaldeans, by the river Che-
bar, and the hand of the LORD
was there upon him. And I
looked, and, behold, a whirlwind
came out of the North, a great
cloud, and a fire infolding itself,
and a brightness was about it,
and out of the midst thereof, (that
is, out of the midst of the fire,)
as the colour of amber.
Second Lesson.
ALSO in the midst thereof the
likeness of four living crea-
tures; and this was their appear-
ance, they had the likeness of a
man. And every one had four
faces, and every one had four
wings. Their feet were straight
feet, and the sole of their feet
was like the sole of a calf's foot,
and they sparkled like the colour
of glowing brass. And they had
the hands of a man under their
wings on their four sides, and
they had faces and wings on four
sides. And the wings of one
were joined to the wings of ano-
ther; they turned not when they
went; they went every one straight
forward.
A
Third Lesson.
S for the likeness of their
faces, they four had the face
of a man and the face of a lion
on the right side, and they four
had the face of an ox on the left
side, and they four had the face
of an eagle above. Thus were
their faces, and their wings were
stretched upward, two wings of
every one were joined one to an-
other, and two covered their bo-
dies; and they went every one
straight forward. Whither the
spirit was to go, they went, and
they turned not when they went.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Exposition of the Book of the
Prophet Ezekiel by Pope St.
Gregory [the Great.] (Hom. 3,
Bk. i.)
THE Prophet writeth very mi-
nutely touching the four holy
living creatures, whom he saw in
the spirit as being to come. He
saith: “Every one had four faces,
and every one had four wings.'
What signifieth the face save like-
ness whereby we are known? or
wings, save the power to fly?
since it is by the face that man
is known from man, and by their
wings that the birds' bodies are
carried up into the air. So the
face pertaineth to certitude, and
the wings to contemplation. With
certitude we are known of God
Almighty, Who saith: "I am the
Good Shepherd, and know My
sheep, and am known of Mine.
(John x. 14.) And again: "I
know whom I have chosen." (xiii.
18.) And by contemplation,
3 I
816
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
whereby we rise above ourselves,
we as it were fly heavenwards.
Fifth Lesson.
EVERY one had four faces"
-four faces, that is, and
one body. If thou seek to know
what Matthew teacheth concern-
ing the Incarnation of the Lord,
he teacheth no other doctrine
than teacheth Mark, or Luke, or
John. If thou seek to know what
John teacheth, it is beyond all
doubt that his doctrine is the doc-
trine of Matthew, and Mark, and
Luke. If thou ask concerning
Mark, he hath that which hath
Matthew, and John, and Luke.
If thou wilt know of Luke, know
that he teacheth as doth Matthew,
and Mark, and John. Therefore
every one hath four faces, for God
knoweth and seeth in them but
one faith, which thou mayest see
in each and in all.
Sixth Lesson.
"AND every one had four
:
wings. For they do all
with one accord preach our Lord
JESUS Christ, the Son of Almighty
God: toward Whose Godhead
lifting up the eyes of their mind,
they do lift the wings of contem-
plation, and do fly. In the Evan-
gelists, the face pertaineth to the
Lord's Manhood, and the wings
to His Godhead for they turn
their face toward Him Whom
they see in bodily shape: but
when they say that He is, as
touching His Godhead, Incom-
prehensible, and Incorporeal, the
wings of their contemplation do,
in a manner, carry them in flight
heavenward. Because, then, they
have all one faith in the Incarna-
tion, and do all equally look by
contemplation toward the God-
head, it is well written of them,
Every one had four faces, and
every one had four wings.”
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(x. 1.)
AT
T that time: The Lord ap-
pointed other seventy-two
also, and sent them two and two
before His face into every city
and place, whither He Himself
would come. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (17th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, our
Lord and Saviour doth sometimes
admonish us by words, and some-
times by works. Yea, His very
works do themselves teach us:
for that which He doth silently
His example still moveth us to
copy. Behold how He sendeth
forth His disciples to preach by
two and two: since there are two
commandments to love, that is, a
commandment to love God, and a
commandment to love our neigh-
bour: and where there are not
two, the one, being alone, hath
not whereon to do the Lord's
commandment. And no man can
properly be said to love himself:
for love tendeth outward toward
our neighbour, if it be the love
whereto the Gospel doth oblige us.

Eighth Lesson.
BEHOLD, the Lord sendeth
D forth His disciples to preach
by two and two: and thus doing,
He doth silently teach us that
whosoever loveth not his neigh-
bour, such an one it behoveth not
to take upon him the office of a
FOR ONE MARTYR.
817
#
preacher. Well also is it said
that He sent them before His
face into every city and place
whither He Himself would come.
The Lord followeth His preach-
ers: first cometh preaching, and
then the Lord Himself cometh to
the house of our mind, whither
the word of exhortation hath come
before and so cometh the truth
into our mind.
Ninth Lesson.
THEREFORE to preachers
saith Isaiah: "Prepare ye
the way of the LORD, make straight
an high-way for our God." (xl. 3.)
And again the Psalmist saith:
Spread a path before Him That
rideth upon the heavens." (lxvii.
4.) The Lord rideth upon the
heavens; above that from which
in death He veiled His glory hath
He royally exalted that glory that
excelleth, even the glory of His
rising again. He rideth upon the
heavens, Who, being risen again
from the dead, is throned high
above the death to which He
bowed. Before Him, therefore,
That rideth upon the heavens, we
spread a path, when we set forth
His glory before the eyes of your
mind, to the end that He Himself
may come after, and Himself en-
lighten the same your minds by
His presence and His love.


IV. For Feasts of One Martyr,
Which are kept out of Easter-tide.
Everything as on Sundays, except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
O praise the LORD, &c., (Ps.
cxvi., p. 154.)
Hymn.¹
GOD, of Thy soldiers
the Portion and Crown,
Spare Thy people, who hymn
the Praise of the Blest;
Earth's bitter joys,
its lures and its frown,
He scanned them and scorned,
and so is at rest.
Thy Martyr, he ran
all valiantly o'er
An highway of blood
for the prize Thou hast given.
We kneel at Thy feet
and meekly implore,
That our pardon may wait
on his triumph in heaven.
1 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Newman.
Honour and praise
To the Father and Son
And the Spirit be done
Now and always. Amen.
Verse. "Thou hast crowned him
with glory and honour, O Lord.
Answer. And madest him to
have dominion over the works of
Thy hands.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. This man is holy,
* for he hath striven for the law
of his God even unto death, and
hath not feared for the words of
the ungodly: for he had his
foundation upon a strong rock.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord He is the
King of the Martyrs. * O come,
let us worship Him!
3 Ecclus. iv. 33; 1 Macc. ii. 62; Matth. vii. 25.
Hymn as at First Vespers.
2 Ps. viii. 7.
312
818
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. His delight *
was in the law of the LORD day
and night.
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c.,
(p. 4.)
*
Second Antiphon. The Lord
hath set him upon His holy
hill, to declare His decree.
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen,
&c., (p. 4.)
Third Antiphon. I cried unto
the LORD with my voice, and
He heard me out of His holy
hill.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they in-
creased, &c., (p. 5.)
Verse. Thou hast crowned him
with glory and honour, O Lord.
Answer. And madest him to
have dominion over the works of
Thy hands.
The following Lessons are not read
if other Lessons are assigned instead,
(either special, or from Scripture ac-
cording to the Season,) or if the Martyr
whose Feast is being kept was not a
Bishop. In the latter case, failing
other Lessons, are read those from Rom.
viii. 12, given on p. 829.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Acts of the Apostles (xx. 17.)
FRO
ROM Miletus Paul sent to
Ephesus, and called the
elders of the Church.. And when
they were come to him, he said
unto them: Ye know, from the
first day that I came into Asia,
after what manner I have been
with you at all seasons, serving
the Lord with all humility of
mind, and with many tears, and
temptations, which befell me by
the lying-in-wait of the Jews:
how I kept back nothing that was
showed you, and have taught you
profitable unto you, but have
publicly, and from house to house,
testifying both to the Jews and
also to the Gentiles, repentance
toward God, and faith toward our
Lord Jesus Christ. And now, be-
hold, I go bound in the spirit unto
Jerusalem, not knowing the things
that shall befall me there; save
that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in
every city, saying that bonds and
afflictions abide me at Jerusalem.
But none of these things move
me, neither count I my life dear
unto myself: so that I might
finish my course with joy, and
the ministry which I have re-
ceived of the Lord JESUS, to tes-
tify the Gospel of the grace of
God.
First Responsory.
This man is holy, for he hath
striven for the law of his God
even unto death, and hath not
feared for the words of the un-
godly; for he had his foundation
upon a strong rock.
Verse. This is he which loved
not his life in this world, and is
come unto an everlasting king-
dom.
Answer. For he had his foun-
dation upon a strong rock.
Second Lesson.
AND now, behold, I know that
ye all, among whom I have
gone preaching the kingdom of
God, shall see my face no more.
Wherefore I take you to record
this day, that I am pure from the
blood of all men. For I have not
shunned to declare unto you all
the counsel of God. Take heed
¹ Cf. John xii. 25.
FOR ONE MARTYR.
819
unto yourselves, and to all the
flock, over the which the Holy
Ghost hath made you Bishops to
feed the Church of God, which
He hath purchased with His Own
Blood. I know this, that af-
ter my departing shall grievous
wolves enter in among you, not
sparing the flock; also of your
own selves shall men arise, speak-
ing perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them. Therefore
watch, and remember that, by the
space of three years, I ceased not
to warn every one of you night
and day with tears.
Second Responsory.
"The righteous shall grow as
the lily; yea, he shall flourish in
the presence of the Lord for ever.
Verse. Those that be planted
in the house of the LORD, shall
flourish in the courts of the house
of our God.
Answer. Yea, he shall flourish
in the presence of the Lord for
ever.
A
Third Lesson.
ND now I commend you to
God, and to the word of His
grace, Which is able to build you
up, and to give you an inherit-
ance among all them which are
sanctified. I have coveted no
man's silver, or gold, or apparel,
as ye yourselves know: for these
hands have ministered unto my
necessities, and to them that were
with me. I have showed you all
things, how that so labouring ye
ought to support the weak, and
to remember the words of the
Lord JESUS, how He said: It is
more blessed to give than to re-
ceive. And when he had thus
spoken, he kneeled down, and
1 Hos. xiv. 6; Isa. xvii. 11, &c.
prayed with them all. And they
all wept sore, and fell on Paul's
neck, and kissed him, sorrowing
most of all for the words which
he spake, that they should see his
face no more. And they accom-
panied him unto the ship.
Third Responsory.
This is he which knew righ-
teousness, and saw great wonders,
and made his prayer unto the
Most High; and he is numbered
among the Saints.
Verse. This is he which loved
not his life in this world, and is
come unto an everlasting king-
dom.
Answer. And he is numbered
among the Saints.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And he is numbered
among the Saints.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. O ye sons of
men, * know that the LORD hath
set apart him that is holy for
Himself.
Ps. iv. When I called, &c., (p.
172.)
Second Antiphon. O LORD, Thou
hast compassed him* with Thy fa-
vour as with a shield.
Ps. v. Give ear to my words,
&c., (p. 97.)
Third Antiphon. Thou hast
crowned him * with glory and
honour in all the earth.
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, how
excellent, &c., (p. 6.)
Verse. O Lord, Thou hast set a
crown of precious stones-
Answer. Upon his head.
2 Ps. xci. 14.
820
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of St. Austin, Bishop
[of Hippo.] (44th on the Saints.)
THE
'HE illustrious day whereon
the blessed Martyr N. (here
insert his name) conquered, doth
this day come round to us again :
and as the Church doth rejoice
with him in his glory, so doth she
set before us his footsteps to be
followed. For if we suffer, we
shall also reign with him. In his
glorious battle we have two things
chiefly to consider: the hardened
cruelty of the tormentor, and the
unconquered patience of the Mar-
tyr: the cruelty of the tormentor,
that we may abhor it; the patience
of the Martyr, that we may imi-
tate it. Hear what the Psalmist
saith, complaining against sin:
"Fret not thyself because of the
evil-doers, for they shall soon dry
up like the grass." (xxxvi. 1.)
But touching the patience which
is to be shown against the evil-
doers, hear the word wherewith
the Apostle moveth us: "Ye have
need of patience, that ye may
receive the promise." (Heb. x.
36.)
Fourth Responsory.
"The Lord made him honour-
able, and defended him from his
enemies, and kept him safe from
those that lay in wait for him, and
gave him perpetual glory.
Verse. He went down with him
into the pit, and left him not in
bonds.
Answer. And gave him per-
petual glory.
So
Fifth Lesson.
the patience of the blessed
Martyr was crowned, and
the unchastened spite of the tor-
mentor is given over to everlast-
ing torture. Christ's glorious
champion looked for this during
his battle, and shrank not from
prison. Like his Head, he bore re-
proach, underwent mocking, and
feared not for scourges: and as
many sufferings as for Christ's
sake he bore before he died, so
many offerings did he make unto
Him of himself. He had drunk in
the Apostles' word, and kept it deep
in him: "The sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us," (Rom.
viii. 18,) "for our light affliction
which is but for a moment, work-
eth for us a far more exceeding
and eternal weight of glory." (2
Cor. iv. 17.) Being lifted up above
earthly things by the love of this
promise, and tasting beforehand
the sweetness of the heavenly
peace, he was unspeakably moved,
and said with the Psalmist:
"What have I in heaven, and
what is there upon earth that I
desire beside Thee? My flesh
and my heart faileth: Thou art
the God of my heart, and God is
my portion for ever." (lxxii. 26.)

Fifth Responsory.
20 Lord, Thou hast given him
his heart's desire, and hast not
withholden the request of his lips.
Verse. For Thou hast prevented
him with the blessings of sweet-
ness: Thou hast set a crown of
precious stones upon his head.
Answer. And hast not with-
holden the request of his lips.
Sixth Lesson.
FOR he considered, as far as
man's weakness is able, through
¹ Wisd. x. 11-14, substituting "Lord" for "Wisdom."
2 Ps. xx. 2, 3.
FOR ONE MARTYR.
821
Ps. x. In the LORD put I my
trust, &c., (p. 8.)
Second Antiphon. He shall
dwell in Thy tabernacle, he
shall rest upon Thy holy hill.
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide,
&c., (p. 10.)
Third Antiphon. O Lord, Thou
hast set a crown * of precious
stones upon his head.
this darkness, to fix the eyes of
his mind upon the eternal things,
what is the gladness of the city
above and being not able to tell
it, he cried out wondering: "What
have I in heaven?" As though
he would have said: It passeth
my strength, it passeth the power
of my utterance, it goeth beyond
the reach of my understanding,
what is that beauty, what is that
glory, what is that exaltation,
wherein, when He hath hidden
us from the troubling of men, in
the secret of His presence, our
Lord JESUS Christ shall change
our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto His glorious
Body!" (Ps. xxx. 21, Phil. iii.
21.) In sight of this perfect li-
berty he shrank from no danger,
and quailed before no suffering:
and if he could have died a thou-AT
sand times, he would not have
thought himself to have bought
it at a price high enough.
Sixth Responsory.
"The Lord hath put on him a
robe of honour, and put about his
head a crown of joy.
Verse. With the bread of life
and understanding hath the Lord
fed him, and given him the water
of health and wisdom to drink.
Answer. And put about his
head a crown of joy.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And put about his
head a crown of joy.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The righteous
LORD * loveth righteousness: His
countenance doth behold upright-
ness.
1 Altered from Ecclus. vi. 32; xv. 3.
Ps. xx. The king shall joy in
Thy strength, &c., (p. 17.)
Verse. His glory is great in
Thy salvation.
Answer. Honour and great ma-
jesty shalt Thou lay upon him.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(xiv. 26.)
that time: JESUS said unto
the multitudes: If any man
come to Me, and hate not his fa-
ther, and mother, and wife, and
children, and brethren, and sis-
ters, yea, and his own life also, he
cannot be My disciple. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great,] (37th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, if we
consider what and how great
things are promised unto us in
heaven, all things which are upon
earth grow poor to our mind. For
when this world's goods are reck-
oned against the gladness above,
they are found to be a clog rather
than an help. This present life
being compared to life eternal,
ought rather to be called death
than life. For what is the daily
failing of our corruption but, as it
were, a creeping death? But what
tongue is there that can tell, or
what understanding that can com-
2 Ps. xx. 5.
822
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
prehend how great is the rejoicing
in the city above, where they have
part with the choirs of Angels,
where they stand with the most
blessed spirits before the glory of
the Creator, where they see the
face of God present, where they
behold the Incomprehensible
Light, where they have no fear
of death, and where they rejoice
eternally incorruptible?
Seventh Responsory.
¹A crown of gold upon his head,
wherein is engraved Holiness, an
ornament of honour, a costly work.
Verse. For Thou hast prevented
him with the blessings of sweet-
ness, Thou hast set a crown of
precious stones upon his head.
Answer. Wherein is engraved
Holiness, an ornament of honour,
a costly work.
Eighth Blessing.
He whose feast-day we are
keeping
Be our Advocate with God.
Eighth Lesson.
WHEN we hear these things
our hearts burn within us;
and we long to be already there,
where we hope to rejoice for ever.
But we cannot attain unto great
rewards, save through great la-
bour. Therefore saith the excel-
lent preacher Paul: "He is not
crowned, except he strive law-
fully." (2 Tim. ii. 5.) The great-
ness of the reward doth delight
our mind; let not the throes of
the struggle dishearten us. There-
fore the Truth saith unto every
one that cometh unto Him: If
any man come to Me, and hate
and sisters, yea, and his own life
also, he cannot be My disciple."
Eighth Responsory.
This is a Martyr indeed, who
shed his blood for Christ's Name's
threats of judges, nor sought to
sake; who feared not for the
be great with the glory of this
world, but pressed on unto the
kingdom of heaven.
Verse. The Lord guided the
righteous in right paths, and
showed him the kingdom of God.
Answer. Who feared not for
the threats of judges, nor sought
to be great with the glory of this
world, but pressed on unto the
kingdom of heaven.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Who feared not for
the threats of judges, nor sought
to be great with the glory of this
world, but pressed on unto the
kingdom of heaven.
Upon a few occasions, instead of the
above, the following is the Eighth Re-
sponsory.
³O Lord, Thou hast prevented
him with the blessings of sweet-
ness; Thou hast set a crown of
precious stones upon his head.
Verse. He asked life of Thee,
and Thou gavest him length of
days for ever and ever.
Answer. Thou hast set a crown
of precious stones upon his head.
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
Ghost.
Answer. Thou hast set a crown
of precious stones upon his head.
Ninth Lesson.
not his father and mother, and BUT it may be asked how we
wife, and children, and brethren,
1 Altered from Ecclus. xlv. 14.
are commanded in one place
2 Wisd. x. 10, again substituting "the Lord" for "Wisdom.”
3 Ps. xx. 3, 4.
FOR ONE MARTYR.
823
66
to hate our parents, and them
that are near us in the flesh, and
in another place to love even our
enemies. And, verily, the Truth
hath said, as touching a wife:
What God hath joined together,
let not man put asunder." (Matth.
xix. 6.) And Paul saith: "Hus-
bands, love your wives, even as
Christ also loved the Church."
(Eph. v. 25.) Behold, the dis-
ciple commandeth a man to love
Fifth Antiphon. 3 Father, I will
* that where I am, there shall
also My servant be.
Chapter. (James i. 12.)
LESSED is the man that en-

BLE
dureth temptation: for, when
he is tried, he shall receive the
crown of life, which God hath
promised to them that love Him.
Hymn.+
Follower of th' Incarnate Son!
Who, victorious in the fight,
Hast celestial glory won;
By the virtue of thy prayer,
Let no evil hover nigh;
Sin's contagion drive afar;
Waken drowsy lethargy.
his wife, and the Master saith: MARTYR of unconquer'd might,
"If any man hate not his wife,
he cannot be My disciple." Doth
the judge, then, order one procla-
mation, and the crier make ano-
ther? or can a man both love
and hate? If we consider well
the force of the commandment,
we shall be able in wisdom to do
both. Let us love wife, and kin-
dred, and neighbour, as touching
their nearness in the flesh; but
as touching the way of God, if
they withstand us therein, let us
not know them, but hate them
and flee from them.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
1
First Antiphon. Whosoever
shall confess Me * before men,
him will I confess also before
My Father.
Second Antiphon. He that fol-
loweth Me * walketh not in dark-
ness, but shall have the light of
life, saith the Lord.
Third Antiphon. If any man
serve Me,* let him follow Me;
and where I am, there shall also
My servant be.
3
Fourth Antiphon. ³If any man
serve Me, * him will My Father,
Who is in heaven, honour.
1 Matth. x. 32.
3 John xii. 25, 26; xvii. 24.
5 Ps. xci. 14.
Loosen'd from the fleshly chain
Which detain'd thee here of old,
Loose us from the bonds of sin,
From the fetters of the world.
Glory to the Father be:
Glory to th' Incarnate Son;
Glory, Holy Ghost, to Thee,
While eternal ages run.
Amen.
Verse. The righteous shall
flourish like the palm-tree.
Answer. He shall grow like a
cedar in Lebanon.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. He that hateth his life * in
this world, shall keep it unto life
eternal.
If the Prayer is not special there is
said one of the following, which is also
used throughout the whole Office of the
Saint.
1. Prayer for one Martyr, who was a
Bishop.
MERCIFULLY
ERCIFULLY consider our
weakness, O Almighty God,
and whereas by the burden of
2 John viii. 12.
• Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
824
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
our sins we are sore let and hin-
dered, may it please Thee, that
the prayers of Thy blessed and
glorious Martyr and Bishop (here
insert his name) may shield us.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, One God, world with-
out end. Amen.
2. Another Prayer for the same.
GOD, Who year by year dost
gladden us by the solemn
feast-day of Thy blessed Martyr
and Bishop, (here insert his name,)
mercifully grant that we who keep
his birthday, may ever feel the
joyful effects of his protection.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
3. Prayer for a Martyr not a Bishop.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O
Almighty God, that we who
keep the birthday of Thy blessed
Martyr, (here insert his name,)
may be so holpen by his prayers,
that we may ever grow more
and more in love toward Thy holy
Name. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
GR
4. Another for the same.
RACIOUSLY hear us, we be-
seech Thee, O Almighty God,
and, at the petition of Thy blessed
Martyr, (here insert his name,) be
mercifully pleased to deliver us
from all things which may hurt
our bodies, and from all evil
thoughts which may defile our
souls. Through our Lord Jesus
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
PRIME.
&c.,
Antiphon. Whosoever,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Ecclus. xxxix. 6.)
'HE righteous hath given his
heart to resort early to the
Lord That made him, and will
pray before the Most High.
THE

TERCE.
Antiphon. He that followeth
Me, &c., (Second Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
Thou hast crowned him with
glory and honour, O Lord.
Answer. Thou hast crowned
him with glory and honour, O
Lord.
Verse. And madest him to have
dominion over the works of Thy
hands.
Answer. With glory and hon-
our, O Lord.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Thou hast crowned
him with glory and honour, O
Lord.
Verse. O Lord, Thou hast set
a crown of precious stones-
Answer. Upon his head.
SEXT.
Antiphon. If any man serve
Me, &c., (Third Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter. (Ecclus. xv. 3.)
ITH the bread of life and
understanding hath the
WITH
FOR ONE MARTYR.
825
Lord our God fed him, and given
him the water of health and wis-
dom to drink.
Short Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast set a crown
of precious stones
Answer. O Lord, Thou hast set
a crown of precious stones-
Verse. Upon his head.
Answer. A crown of precious
stones.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. O Lord, Thou hast set
a crown of precious stones-
Verse. His glory is great in
Thy salvation.
Answer. Honour and great ma-
jesty shalt Thou lay upon him.
NONE.
Antiphon. Father, I will, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
His glory is great in Thy Sal-
vation.
Answer. His glory is great in
Thy salvation.
Verse. Honour and great ma-
jesty shalt Thou lay upon him.
Answer. In Thy salvation.
Verse. The righteous shall flou-
rish like the palm-tree.
Answer. He shall grow like a
cedar in Lebanon.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, Verse and An-
swer, and Prayer from Lauds.
Ps. cxv. I believed, &c., (p.
153.)
Hymn as at First Vespers,
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. 'If any man will
come after Me, * let him deny
himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me.
Other Lessons for Feasts of
One Martyr.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Ex-
position of the hundred-and-
eighteenth Psalm by St. Am-
brose, Bishop [of Milan.] (21st
Sermon.)
"PRINCES have persecuted
me without a cause; but
my heart standeth in awe of Thy
word." These are rightly the
words of a martyr, who beareth
unjustly the torments of the per-
secutors, who hath robbed no
man, who hath violently oppressed
no man, who hath shed the blood
of no man, who hath imagined
to defile the bed of no man, who
is debtor to the laws in nothing,
and who is punished more griev-
ously than if he were a robber:
who speaketh righteousness, and
there is none that will hear: who
speaketh salvation, and all men
fight against him: who is able to
say: "When I spoke unto them,
they fought against me without a
cause." (Ps. cxix. 7.) They fight
against him without a cause, who
can lay no sin to his charge; they
fight against him as an evil-doer,
who is by their own acknowledg-
ment righteous: they fight against
him as a warlock, who glorieth in
the name of the Lord, and who
doeth all things well because he
doeth all things for God's sake.
1 Matth. xvi. 24.
826
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
THE
Fifth Lesson.
HEY fight against him in vain
who is accused of ungodli-
ness among the ungodly and the
unfaithful, because he teacheth
Faith. Verily, him that is fought
against without a cause it behov-
eth to be strong and patient.
Wherefore then saith he: "My
heart standeth in awe of Thy
word ?" Awe is the mark of the
weak, the timid, and the fearful.
But there is also a weakness unto
salvation, there is a fear which
is an holy fear. "O fear the
LORD, all ye His Saints." (Ps.
xxxiii. 10.) And again : "Blessed
is the man that feareth the LORD."
(Ps. cxi. 1.) And wherefore is
he blessed? because he
"de-
lighteth greatly in His command-
ments."
Sixth Lesson.
THINK, then, how the martyr
gers. On the one hand the wild
beasts, roaring for his blood, do
indeed strike terror; he heareth
the hissing of the plates of white-
hot metal, and seeth surging up
the flames of the fiery furnace;
behind him is the clanking of fet-
ters, and beside him the execu-
tioner, stained with fresh blood;
think of him there, face to face
with the apparatus of death-but
think again of what thinketh
he? Of the Law of God, of the
everlasting fire, of the eternal
flames, wherein the unbelieving
shall burn for ever, of that tor-
ture whereof the agony is for ever
new. And then indeed his heart
faileth for fear, lest by giving
way under torment here, he should
give himself up to everlasting
torment hereafter: then indeed he
trembleth, when Faith maketh to
glitter before his eyes the awful
sword of the judgment to come.
And in this, the faithful tremb-
ling of the true-hearted, are there
not both unshaken hope of the
eternal things, and awe of the
things of God?
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xvi. 24.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto
His disciples: If any man
will come after Me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross,
and follow Me. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (32nd on the Gos-
pels.)
Our Lord and Redeemer came
into the world a new Man, and
gave the world new command-
ments. For against the ways of
our old life, brought and bred up
in sin, He set the contrast of His
new life. It was the old way,
according to the knowledge of
the carnal man, for every man
to keep his own goods, and, if he
were able to do it, to take his
neighbour's goods also, and, if
he were not able to take them, at
least to lust after them. But the
Heavenly Physician hath medi-
cines wherewith to meet all the
diseases of sin. For, even, as by
the art of the physician, things
hot are healed by things cold, and
things cold by things hot, so
doth our Lord set against sin
holiness, ordaining for the lech-
erous purity, for the miserly mu-
nificence, for the hot-tempered
meekness, and for the proud low-
liness.

FOR ONE MARTYR.
827
Eighth Lesson.
So the Lord, when He would
give a new commandment
unto them that came to Him, said:
"Whosoever he be of you that
forsaketh not all that he hath, he
""
cannot be Myth Pl,"
33,)—as though He had said
openly: "All ye that according to
the old man lust after your neigh-
bour's goods, must, according to
the zeal of the new man, give away
even that which is your own.
But let us hear again what He
saith in this place: "If any man
will come after Me, let him deny
himself." First He saith that we
must deny to ourselves that which
is our own, and now that we must
even deny ourselves to ourselves.
Perchance it is not hard for a
man to give up that which is his
own, but it is exceeding hard to
give up himself. To deny him-
self his possessions is little: but
to deny himself himself is a de-
nial exceeding great.
Ninth Lesson.
ET when we come unto Him
YET
the Lord will have us deny
to ourselves even ourselves, since
as many of us as are entered into
the battle of faith, are entered
into a contention against evil spi-
rits. But the evil spirits have
nothing of their own in this world,
and therefore must we wrestle
with them, naked with naked.
For if he that is clothed, wrestle
with him that is naked, he faileth
swiftly, because he hath whereon
he that is naked taketh hold. And
what are all things earthly but
things wherewith the soul is
clothed upon? whosoever there-
fore will wrestle with Satan, let
him cast away his clothes, lest he
be thereby endangered.
Again other Lessons for the Third
Nocturn.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (x. 26.)
A
time. The unto
that time: JESUS said unto
thing covered, that shall not be
revealed, and hid, that shall not
be known. And so on.
Homily by St. Hilary, Bishop
[of Poitiers.] (Comm. on Matth.
Chap. 10.)
The Lord pointeth to the day
of judgment, that day wherein
the hidden counsels of the hearts
shall be made manifest, and those
things which are dark now shall
be the subject of all men's know-
ledge. Therefore He warneth us
notto fear threats, nor persuasions,
nor the power of such as fight
against us; since in the day of
judgment it will be manifest that
all these things are null and void.
"And what I tell you in dark-
ness, that speak ye in light; and
what ye hear in the ear, that
preach ye upon the house-tops."
We read not that the Lord's use
was to speak by night, or to tell
His doctrine in darkness, but
that to the carnal all His words
were darkness, and to the unbe-
lieving all His discourse night.
Eighth Lesson.
THEREFORE willeth He that
that which He hath spoken,
should be freely proclaimed in
faith and in confession. There-
fore commandeth He that that
which He hath told in darkness
shall be spoken in light, and that
that which He hath made to
be heard in the ear should be
preached upon the house-tops,
828
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
that is, with loud and high words.
For it behoveth us ever to make
God known, and to speak in the
light of Apostolic preaching the
dark things of the Gospel mes-
sage, having no fear of them
which have power over bodies,
but none over our souls, but ra-
ther fearing God, Which is able
to destroy both body and soul in
hell.
CC
Ninth Lesson.
FEAR not them which kill
the body." Therefore we
need fear nothing which may
chance to our bodies, nor sorrow
because of the destruction of the
flesh, when, according to the laws
of our nature and that from whence
we are taken, we are unclothed
upon, and become a pure spirit.
And, since it behoveth us who are
rooted in such a doctrine, freely
and constantly to confess God,
even were it only because of
the alternative whereby we are
bound, He saith further: "Who-
soever shall confess Me before
men, him will I confess also be-
fore My Father, Which is in
heaven. But whosoever shall de-
ny Me before men, him will I
also deny before My Father,
Which is in heaven." Such wit-
nesses as He hath seen us to have
been here to His name before
men, such a Witness shall we
find Him to be hereafter to our
names before His Father Which
is in heaven.
For Simple Feasts of One
Martyr.
The Office is as on a Semi-double, with
the following exceptions.
FIRST VESPERS.
The Office is of the Week-day, till the
Chapter exclusive.
The Office of the Saint begins with
the Chapter, which, as also the Hymn,
Verse and Answer, Antiphon at the
Song of the Blessed Virgin, and Prayer
are all as given, (p. 817.) The Com-
mon Commemorations are said or not
according to the Week-day.
At Compline are said Preces.
MATTINS.
The Invitatory and Hymn are as
just given.
Then follow the Week-day Psalms,
with their own Antiphons.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Verse. Thou hast crowned him
with glory and honour, O Lord.
Answer. And madest him to
have dominion over the works of
Thy hands.
Absolution.
Graciously hear, &c.
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
Verse. O Lord, Thou hast set
a crown of precious stones-
Answer. Upon his head.
Absolution.
May His loving-kindness, &c.
On Wednesdays.
Verse. His glory is great in
Thy salvation.
Answer. Honour and great ma-
jesty shalt Thou lay upon him.
Absolution.
May the Almighty, &c.
First Blessing.
May His blessing be upon us,
Who doth live and reign for
ever.
First Lesson from Scripture accord-
ing to the Season, being either the first
part, or, if the Saint have two Lessons,
the whole read as one, at will.
FOR MANY MARTYRS.
829
First Responsory.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
This man is holy, &c., (First
Responsory in the preceding Of-
fice.)
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Lord made him honour-
able, &c., (Fourth Responsory in
the preceding Office.)
On Wednesdays.
A crown of gold, &c., (Seventh
Responsory in the preceding Of-
fice.)
Second Blessing.
He whose feast-day we
keeping
Be our Advocate with God.
are
Second Lesson is the first of the Le-
gend of the Saint, if there be two; if
not, it is the second from Scripture, to
which the third may be added at will.
Second Responsory.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
The righteous shall grow, &c.,
(Second Responsory in the preced-
ing Office ;) with this addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Yea, he shall flourish
in the presence of the Lord for
ever.
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
O Lord, Thou hast given him,
&c., (Fifth Responsory in the pre-
ceding Office;) with this addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And hast not with-
holden the request of his lips.
On Wednesdays.
This is a martyr indeed, &c.
Or, O Lord, Thou hast prevented,
&c., (Eighth Responsory in the
preceding Office.)
Third Blessing.
May He That is the Angels'
King
To that high realm His people
bring.
Third Lesson is the whole or the se-
cond part of the Legend of the Saint, if
there is one, or else the special Lesson
assigned.
Then the Hymn, "We praise Thee,
O God, &c.," is said, and so end Mattins.
The rest of the Office is as on a Semi-
double, as just given; it ends at None,
inclusive; Preces are said at Prime, and
the Common Commemorations are made
at Lauds or not, according to the Week-
day.
V. For Feasts of Many Martyrs,
Kept out of Easter-tide.
Everything as on Sundays, except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
O praise the LORD, &c., (Ps.
cxvi., p. 154.)
THE
Hymn.¹
HE triumphs of the martyred saints
The joyous lay demand,
The heart delights in song to dwell
On that victorious band:
Those whom the senseless world ab-
horred,
Who cast the world aside,
Deemed fruitless, worthless, for the sake
Of Christ, their Lord and Guide.
1 Translation by the late Dr. Mant.
830
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
For Thee they braved the tyrant's rage,
The scourge's cruel smart :
The wild beast's claw their bodies tore,
But vanquished not the heart :
Like lambs before the sword they fell,
Nor cry nor plaint expressed:
For patience kept the conscious mind,
And armed the fearless breast.
What tongue can tell Thy crown pre-
pared
To wreathe the martyr's head?
What voice Thy robe of white to clothe
His limbs with torture red?
Vouchsafe us, Lord, if such Thy will,
Clear skies and seasons calm :
If not, the martyr's cross to bear,
And win the martyr's palm. Amen.
Verse. ¹Be glad in the LORD, and
rejoice, ye righteous.
Answer. And shout for joy, all
ye that are upright in heart.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. For theirs is the
kingdom of heaven, who loved
not their lives in this world, and
have attained unto the reward of
the kingdom, and have washed
their robes in the blood of the
Lamb.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord, He is the
King of the Martyrs. * O come,
let us worship Him!
Hymn.3
ING we the Martyrs blest,
SING
Their blood for JESUS pour'd;
Sing we their glorious victories,
And infinite reward.
Treading the world beneath,
Spurning the body's pain,
'Twas theirs, in Martyrdom's brief space,
Eternal joys to gain.
Consign'd to raging flames
Or ruthless beasts a prey;
Their tender flesh by savage hooks
Torn piece by piece away;
Their vitals hanging forth;
Unmoved they still endure;
1 Ps. xxxi. 12.
3 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
Unmoved continue, in the grace
Of endless life secure.
Saviour, to us vouchsafe
Of Thy dear clemency,
A portion with Thy Martyr Saints,
Through all eternity. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. By the rivers
of water* hath the Lord planted
the vineyard of the righteous, and
in His Law do they meditate day
and night.
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. As gold in
the furnace * hath the Lord tried
His chosen ones, and received
them for ever as a burnt-offering.
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen,
&c., (p. 4.)
*
Third Antiphon. Though the
elect be punished in the sight
of men, yet is their hope full of
immortality for ever.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they in-
creased, &c., (p. 5.)
Verse. Be glad in the LORD, and
rejoice, ye righteous.
Answer. And shout for joy, all
ye that are upright in heart.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Epistle of Blessed Paul the
Apostle to the Romans (viii. 12.)
RETHREN, we are debtors,
BRE
not to the flesh, to live after
the flesh. For if ye live after
the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye
through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live.
For as many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons
of God. For ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to
2 Cf. Matth. v. 10; John xii. 25; Apoc. vii. 14.
4 Cf. Isa. v. 7.
5 Wisd. iii. 6, 4.
FOR MANY MARTYRS.
831
fear, but ye have received the
Spirit of adoption, whereby we
cry: Abba! (Father.) For the
Spirit Itself beareth witness with
our spirit that we are the children
of God. And if children, then
heirs; heirs of God, and joint-
heirs with Christ; if so be that
we suffer with Him, that we may
be also glorified together. For I
reckon that the sufferings of this
present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us. For the
earnest expectation of the crea-
ture waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God.
First Responsory.
God shall wipe away all tears
from the eyes of His Saints, and
there shall be no more sorrow,
nor crying, neither shall there be
any more pain; for the former
things are passed away.
Verse. They shall hunger no
more, neither thirst any more,
neither shall the sun light on
them, nor any heat.
Answer. For the former things
are passed away.
Second Lesson. (28.)
AND we know that all things
work together for good to
them that love God, to them who
are called to be Saints, according
to His purpose. For whom He
did foreknow, He also did pre-
destinate to be conformed to the
image of His Son, that He might
be the First-born among many
brethren. Moreover, whom He
did predestinate, them He also
called: and whom He called,
them He also justified: and whom
He justified, them He also glori-
fied. What then shall we say to
these things? If God be for us,
who can be against us? He That
spared not His own Son, but de-
livered Him up for us all, how
shall He not with Him also freely
give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's
elect? It is God That justifieth.
Who is He that condemneth?
It is Christ JESUS, That died,
yea, rather, That is risen again,
Who is even at the right hand
of God, Who also maketh inter-
cession for us.

Second Responsory.
These men are holy, who have
gloriously shed their blood for
the Lord's sake, yea, who loved
Christ in their lives, and were
made like unto Him in their flesh,
and therefore they have earned
crowns of victory.
Verse. One spirit, and one faith
was in them.
Answer. And therefore they
have earned crowns of victory.
WHO
Third Lesson.
HO then shall separate us
from the love of Christ?
Shall tribulation, or distress, or
famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
persecution, or sword? As it is
written: For Thy sake we are
killed all the day long, we are
accounted as sheep for the slaugh-
ter.
Nay, in all these things we
are more than conquerors, through
Him That loved us. For I am
persuaded that neither death, nor
1 In Apoc. xxi. 4, from which this beautiful Responsory is taken, the words are, “And
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, &c." The mention of “death” seems to
be omitted because the Church will not apply that word to the glorious transit of her
Martyrs, which she habitually styles their "natalitia," or Birthday Festival.
2 Ps. xliii. 22.
3 к
832
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
life, nor angels, nor Principali-
ties, nor Powers, nor things pre-
sent, nor things to come, nor
might, nor height, nor depth, nor
any other creature, shall be able
to separate us from the love of
God, which is in Christ JESUS
our Lord.
Third Responsory.
They gave their bodies for
God's sake to death; and gained
the everlasting crown.
Verse. These are they which
came out of great tribulation, and
have washed their robes in the
Blood of the Lamb.
Answer. And gained the ever-
lasting crown.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And gained the ever-
lasting crown.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I will give
unto My Saints a place * in the
kingdom of My Father, every one
by his own name, saith the Lord.
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide,
&c., (p. 10.)
Second Antiphon. To the Saints
that are in the earth * Thou hast
made all my counsels admirable.
Ps. xv. Preserve me, O Lord,
&c., (p. 11.)
Third Antiphon. The Saints
that wait upon the LORD * shall
renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles,
they shall fly and not faint.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the
LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)
Verse. Let the righteous re-
joice before God.
1 Apoc. vii. 14.
4 Ps. lxvii. 4.
Answer. Yea, let them exceed-
ingly rejoice.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of St. Austin, Bishop
[of Hippo.] (47th on the Saints.)
EARLY beloved brethren, as
DE
often as we keep the Feasts
of the holy Martyrs, we look to
tercession, such good things in
obtain of the Lord, by their in-
this life that thereby we, follow-
ing them, may gain better in that
which is to come. For they only
do truly keep Holiday on the
Feasts of the Martyrs, who follow
after the Martyrs' example. These
Feasts of the Martyrs are the
Martyrs' preaching, whereby to
stir us up to imitate what we are.
not loath to honour.
Fourth Responsory.
5Thy Saints, OLord, have passed
a wonderful way, serving Thy
commandments, that they might
be found without hurt in the midst
of the mighty waters. Dry land
appeared, and, out of the Red
Sea, a way without impediment.
Verse. He smote the rock, and
the waters gushed out, and the
streams overflowed.
Answer. Dry land appeared,
and, out of the Red Sea, a way
without impediment.
Fifth Lesson.
BUT we, who would fain rejoice
with the Saints, would fain
not share with them the persecu-
tion of the world. Whosoever
will not take ensample of the holy
Martyrs, as far as lieth in him,
such an one cannot attain unto
their blessedness. Thus preach-
2 Cf. John xiv. 2.
5 Wisd. xix. 5—7; Neh. ix. 11.
3 Isa. xl. 31.
6 Ps. lxxvii. 20.
FOR MANY MARTYRS.
833
eth the Apostle Paul, when he
saith: "As ye are partakers of
the sufferings, so shall ye be also
of the consolation.' (2 Cor. i. 7.)
Yea, the Lord Himself saith in
the Gospel: "If the world hate
you, ye know that it hated Me
before it hated you." (John xv.
18.) He will not be of the body,
who will not be hated with the
Head.
Fifth Responsory.
The Saints of God shrank not
from the stripes of the execution-
ers, but died for Christ's Name's
sake; that they might be made
joint-heirs in the house of the Lord.
Verse. They gave their bodies
for God's sake to death.
Answer. That they might be
made joint-heirs in the house of
the Lord.
Sixth Lesson.
UT some man will say: "And
BUT
who is he that can tread in
the footsteps of the blessed Mar-
tyrs ?" To such an one I answer
that, by the Lord's help, we are
able, if we so will, to tread in the
footsteps, not of the blessed Mar-
tyrs only, but even of the same
Lord Himself. Hearken, not to
me, but to the same Lord, Who
crieth unto all men: "Learn of
Me, for I am meek and lowly in
heart." (Matth. xi. 29.) Hear
also with what words the Apostle
Peter warneth us: "Christ suf-
fered for us, leaving us an ex-
ample, that we should follow His
steps." (1 Pet. ii. 21.)
Sixth Responsory.
¹As gold in the furnace hath the
Lord tried His chosen ones, and
received them as a burnt-offering,
and yet a while, and they shall be
1 Wisd. iii. 6—9.
2 Wisd. v. 16.
regarded; for the grace of God,
and His peace, are with His chosen.
Verse. They that put their trust
in Him shall understand the truth:
and such as be faithful in love
shall abide with Him.
Answer. For the grace of God,
and His peace, are with His chosen.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. For the grace of God,
and His peace, are with His
chosen.
*
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. "The righteous
live for evermore; their reward
also is with the Lord.
Ps. xxxii. Rejoice in the LORD,
&c., (p. 25.)
Second Antiphon. They gave up
their bodies unto death * rather
than serve idols: and therefore
have they crowns on their heads
and palms in their hands.³
Ps. xxxiii. I will bless the
LORD, &c., (p. 26.)
Third Antiphon. Behold, how
great with God is the reward * of
His Saints: yea, they who died
for Christ's sake shall live for
ever and ever.
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge, &c.,
(p. 37.)
Verse. The righteous live for
evermore.
Answer. Their reward also is
with the Lord.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(xxi. 9.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto
His disciples: When ye shall
hear of wars and commotions, be
3 Apoc. vii. 9.
4 Matth. v. 12.
3K 2
834
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
not terrified: for these things
must first come to pass; but the
end is not by and by. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (35th on the Gos-
pels.)
Our Lord and Redeemer will-
eth us to know what shall be the
signs that the end of the world is
at hand, to the end that ye may be
the less terrified, when that com-
eth whereof ye have already had
warning. Darts strike less which
are seen coming: and the plagues
of the earth will be to us more
bearable, if we are harnessed
against them with the shield of
foreknowledge. Behold, how He
saith: "When ye shall hear of
wars and commotions be not ter-
rified for these things must first
come to pass; but the end is not
by and by." It behoveth us to
ponder these words of our Re-
deemer, wherein He warneth us
of suffering, from without, and
from within. Wars are the work
of a foreign enemy, commotions
of the citizens. Therefore, that
He may let us know that we shall
be troubled from within and from
without, He showeth that our
wrestling shall be in part against
strangers, and in part against our
brethren.
:
Seventh Responsory.
Because of the covenant of the
Lord, and the laws of their fa-
thers, the Saints of God abode in
brotherly love, for one spirit and
one faith was ever in them.
Verse. ¹Behold how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity.
Answer. For one spirit and one
faith was ever in them.
1 Ps. cxxxii. 1.
Eighth Blessing.
They whose feast-day we are
keeping
Be our Advocates with God.
Eighth Lesson.
BUT,
when these woes come, the
end is not by and by. And
He saith further: "Nation shall
rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom; and great earth-
quakes shall be in divers places,
and pestilences, and famines, and
fearful sights and great signs
shall there be from heaven." Be-
fore the last tribulation cometh,
shall come many other tribula-
tions: and, by the many woes
which shall come first, shall be
foreshadowed the everlasting woe
which shall come in the end. And
therefore, after wars and commo-
tions, the end is not yet by and
by: many woes must come first,
to give warning of the woe that
hath no end.

Eighth Responsory.
O ye My Saints, who, being in
the flesh, didst have striving-I
will render unto you a reward of
your labours.2
Verse. Come, ye blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom!
Answer. I will render unto you
a reward of your labours.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. I will render unto you
a reward of your labours.
On the Feasts of Martyrs who were
brothers the following is the Second or
Eighth Responsory.
Theirs is a brotherhood indeed,
whose tie no storms availed to
sever; together they followed the
Lord in the shedding of their
2 Wisd. x. 17.
8 Matth. xxv. 34.
FOR MANY MARTYRS.
835

blood. Together they set at
nought the Royal Palace; toge-
ther they attained unto the king-
dom of heaven.
Verse. Behold how good and
how pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity.
Answer. Together they set at
nought the Royal Palace; toge-
ther they attained unto the king-
dom of heaven.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Together they set at
nought the Royal Palace; toge-
ther they attained unto the king-
dom of heaven.
Ninth Lesson.
BUT, forasmuch as the signs
:
and troubles whereof the
Lord speaketh are so manifold,
we must needs shortly consider
each for, of necessity, we must
suffer some things from heaven,
some from the earth, some from
the powers of nature, and some
from men.
For where He saith:
"Nation shall rise against na-
tion"-He speaketh concerning
the troubling of men where :
great earthquakes shall be in
CC
world shall fight with Him against
the unwise." (Wisd. v. 20.)
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. O how many
torments have all the Saints suf-
fered, that they might attain
safely unto the palm of martyr-
dom!
Second Antiphon. The Saints
have attained unto the kingdom,*
with palms in their hands; they
have earned crowns of Majesty
from the Lord's hand.
Third Antiphon. 'The bodies of
the Saints are buried in peace, *
and their name liveth for ever-
more.
Fourth Antiphon. O all ye Mar-
tyrs of the Lord, bless ye the
Lord for ever.
*
Fifth Antiphon. O ye Martyrs,
heavens, praise Him with the
praise ye the LORD from the
dance-Alleluia.]
Note that between Septuagesima and
Easter this last word "Alleluia" is
omitted.
The Chapter. (Wisd. iii. 1.)
divers places"-concerning wrath THE souls of the righteous are
from above: where: "and pes-
tilences"-concerning the frailty
of the body: where: "and fa-
mines"—concerning the barren-
ness of the earth: where: "fear-
ful signs from heaven," and tem-
pests-concerning commotions of
the air. As, then, all things shall
have an end, so, before the end,
shall all things be troubled: and
we who have sinned and come short
in all things, shall in all things
be afflicted, that it may be ful-
filled that is written: "and the
1 Ecclus. xliv. 14.
in the hand of God, and the
torment of death shall not touch
them. In the sight of the unwise
they seemed to die: but they are
in peace.
Hymn. O Thou, the Martyrs'
glorious King, &c., (p. 793.)
Verse. Let the Saints be joyful
in glory.
Answer. Let them sing aloud
upon their beds.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. Even the very hairs of
your head are all numbered: *
2 Ps. cxlix. 5.
3 Luke xii. 7.
836
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
fear not therefore; ye are of more
value than many sparrows.
If the Prayer is not special there is
said one of the following, which is also
used throughout the whole Office of the
Saints.
Prayer for many Martyrs, who were
Bishops.
LORD, we beseech Thee, that
the feast of Thy blessed Mar-
tyrs and Bishops (here insert their
names) may keep us, and their
worshipful prayers commend us.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
Prayer for many Martyrs, not Bishops.
0
GOD, by Whose mercy we
here keep the birthday of
Thy holy Martyrs, (here insert
their names,) grant us hereafter
to rejoice in their blessed com-
pany for all eternity. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Another for the same.
GOD, Who, year by year, dost
gladden us by the solemn
feast-day of Thy holy Martyrs,
(here insert their names,) merci-
fully grant, that we who rejoice
because of their worthy deeds,
may be also stirred up to follow
after their example. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. O how many tor-
ments, &c., (First Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Wisd. iii. 7.)
THE righteous shall shine, and
run to and fro like sparks
among the stubble. They shall
judge the nations, and have do-
minion over the people, and their
Lord shall reign for ever.
TERCE.
Antiphon. The Saints have at-
tained, &c., (Second Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
¹Be glad in the LORD, and re-
joice, ye righteous.
Answer. Be glad in the LORD,
and rejoice, ye righteous.
Verse. And shout for joy, all
ye that are upright in heart.
Answer. And rejoice, ye righ-
teous.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Be glad in the LORD,
and rejoice, ye righteous.
Verse. Let the righteous re-
joice before God.
Answer. Yea, let them exceed-
ingly rejoice.

SEXT.
Antiphon. The bodies of the
Saints, &c., (Third Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter. (Wisd. x. 17.)
THE Lord hath rendered to the
Saints a reward of their la-
bours, and guided them in a mar-
vellous way and was unto them
1 Ps. xxxi. 11.
FOR MANY MARTYRS.
837
for a cover by day, and a light of
stars in the night season.
Short Responsory.
Let the righteous rejoice before
God.
Answer. Let the righteous re-
joice before God.
Verse. Yea, let them exceed-
ingly rejoice.
Answer. Before God.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Let the righteous re-
joice before God.
Verse. The righteous live for
evermore.
Answer. Their reward also is
with the Lord.
NONE.
Antiphon. O ye Martyrs, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
The righteous live for ever-
more.
Answer. The righteous live for
evermore.
Verse. Their reward also is with
the Lord.
Answer. For evermore.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The righteous live for
evermore.
Verse. Let the Saints be joyful
in glory.
Answer. Let them sing aloud
upon their beds.
SECOND VESPERS.
First Antiphon. These men are
holy, * for they have given up
their bodies unto death for the
1 Heb. xi. 33.
sake of the covenant of their God,
and have washed their robes in
the Blood of the Lamb.
Second Antiphon. The Saints
through faith subdued kingdoms,
* wrought righteousness, obtained
promises.
Third Antiphon. The youth of
the Saints shall be renewed * like
the eagle's: they shall grow as
the lily in the city of the Lord.
Fourth Antiphon. God shall
wipe away all tears from the eyes
of His Saints: * and there shall
be no more sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more
pain; for the former things are
passed away.
Fifth Antiphon. In the hea-
venly kingdoms, * there is the
dwelling of the Saints: there shall
be their rest for ever and ever.
Ps. cxv. I believed, &c., (p. 153.)
Chapter, and Verse and Answer from
Lauds.
Hymn from First Vespers.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. In heaven do re-
joice the souls of the Saints * who
have followed the steps of Christ;
and because they shed their blood
for the love of Christ, therefore
shall they be made glad for ever
with Christ.
Other Lessons for the Feasts
of Many Martyrs.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Ser-
mons of St. John Chrysostom,
Patriarch [of Constantinople.]
(1st on the Martyrs. Tom. iii.)
EVERY man knoweth how, by
the good Providence of God,
2 Ps. cii. 5; lxxi.16; Isa. xxxv. 1.
838
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
the divers glories of His Martyrs
are held in such esteem by His
people, that the same His Šaints
in all places receive worthy honour,
and before us is set, by the favour
of Christ, the noble ensample of
their courage: thus are we stirred
up to consider, on the occasion of
these Holidays, how great glory
doth abide them in heaven, whose
birthdays are thus kept upon
earth: thereby, also, we are roused
to strive to be like them, brave,
godly, and true: so that, in the
strength of Christ, we, like them,
may wrestle with, and conquer
our enemy, and, when we have
gained the same victory that they
gained, may with them at last
be glorified in the kingdom of
heaven.
Fifth Lesson.
did the Saints strive against sin;
but the work braced their mus-
cles, and in death they were more
than conquerors. Of such as run
in a race, no man saith that they
are strong, unless they run, and
none can be crowned, unless he
conquer. No soldier prevaileth
against his enemy, unless he fight;
or winneth the Emperor's favour,
unless he have warred. Chris-
tian! the needful arms are thine!
In thy hands are the strong
weapons, wherewith thou canst
conquer the enemy!
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(vi. 17.)
Τ
FOR what man is there willing AT that time: JESUS came down
to share their reward, that if
he do not first lay hold on their
steadfastness, follow after the en-
sample of their faith, and imitate
their brave patience, can either
seek or find their glory by like-
ness to their lives? But whoso-
ever doth so follow them, let him
not doubt but that, though in very
deed he gain not the crown of
martyrdom, he is yet able by good
works to make himself meet
therefor. For we have a most
merciful God, Which either giveth
Martyrdom unto such as be will-
ing, or, without Martyrdom, doth
make them joint heirs with the
Saints in the kingdom of God.
FOR
Sixth Lesson.
OR even as afflictions unman
the ungodly, so do trials
harden the righteous. Even thus
from the mountain, and stood
in the plain, and the company of
His disciples, and a great multi-
tude of people out of all Judea,
and Jerusalem, and from the sea
coast of Tyre and Sidon. And
so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop
[of Milan.] (Bk. v. on Luke
vi.)
Mark well how JESUS goeth
upward with His disciples, and
downward to the multitude. How
should the multitude behold
Christ, save in a lower place?
Such go not up to the things
which are above; such attain not
to the things which are high.
And when JESUS cometh down,
He findeth such as are diseased:
for such like go not up to the
heights. Hence also Matthew
saith that there were there “all
FOR MANY MARTYRS.
839
sick people," (iv. 25.) Of these
every man had need of heal-
ing, that, when he had received
strength, by and by, he might go
up into the mountain. And there-
fore, being Himself come down,
He healeth them in the plain, that
is to say, He calleth them away
from their lust, and freeth them
of their blindness. He
He cometh
down to our wounds, to the end
that by a certain use of His nature,
and by the abundance thereof,
He might make us joint-heirs of
the kingdom of heaven.
Eighth Lesson.
BLESSED be ye poor, for
your's is the kingdom of
God." Saint Luke giveth us but
four of the Lord's Beatitudes,
and Saint Matthew eight: but in
those eight are contained these
four, and in these four those
eight. For in these four are em-
braced the cardinal virtues: and
in those eight they are set forth
in a number full of mystery. It
is written at the head of more
than one of the Psalms that they
are "for the octave," and thou
hast received the commandment :
"Give a portion to seven, and
also to eight"-to seven or eight
what? Perchance degrees of
blessedness. For as this eighth
[Beatitude] doth name the most
glorious realization of our hope—
["the kingdom of Heaven"]-so
doth it also name the most royal
exertion of our strength-["bless-
ed are they which are perse-
cuted."]¹
BUT
Ninth Lesson.
UT let us first consider the
fuller of the forms of these
Beatitudes. “Blessed be ye poor,
for your's is the kingdom of God.'
Both of the Evangelists give to
this Beatitude the first place.
Yea, surely, for poorness, at least
in spirit, is the first in order, the
mother, and procreatrix of vir-
tues; since he that setteth no
store by temporal things, winneth
toward eternal things; neither is
any man able to gain the kingdom
of heaven, on whom the love of
this present world doth so press,
that he cannot rid himself there-
of.
1 The latter half of this Lesson, from the words "It is written," &c., is one of the most
difficult passages in the Breviary, and seems to require a short note, especially as it is so often
recited in the Church Service. (1.) “For the octave” is meant as a translation of the
Hebrew words "Al-hashsh'míníth," found in the superscription of Pss. vi. and xi. The
real meaning of these words seems to have been lost for at least two thousand years, and
conjectures on the subject have exercised the various ingenuity of the learned, who are
widely disagreed. It is, however, a pretty general idea that the phrase is a technical
musical direction, and has something to do with the number 8. Gesenius believes it to
correspond to the Italian " basso,” and to imply a composition intended for men's voices.
(2.) Eccles. xi. begins thus: "Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after
many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil
shall be upon the earth." This latter verse the Rev. T. P. Dale, in his profound transla-
tion and Commentary upon Ecclesiastes, renders, “Give a share all round, and to some
one else beside, for thou dost not know what sort of mischief shall be in the earth,” and
he says, "It is equivalent to our 'everybody and some one else."" The whole would
seem to be an exhortation to almsgiving full even to abundance: seven, as the "perfect"
number, being chosen to imply a full number generally. Cf. Job v. 19; Micah v. 5; Matth.
xviii. 22. (3.) "benedictionibus. Sicut enim spei nostræ octava perfectio est, ita octava
summa virtutum est." The translator confesses to great uncertainty as to the meaning,
but, upon full and repeated consideration, at the interval of years, he is inclined to think
that "octava" agrees with "benedictio" understood, and that the paraphrase in the text
is the most probable sense.
840
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Another Homily.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(xii. 1.)
T that time: JESUS said unto
His disciples: Beware of the
leaven of the Pharisees, which is
hypocrisy. And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede,
Priest [at Jarrow.] (Bk. iv. on
Luke, Cap. lii.)
Touching this leaven the Apos-
tle warneth us: "Therefore let
us keep the feast, not with old
leaven, neither with the leaven of
malice and wickedness, but with
the unleavened bread of sincerity
and truth." (1 Cor. v. 8.) For
even as a little leaven doth infect
the whole lump wherein it is put,
and the savour thereof doth spread
all abroad therein, so doth hypo-
crisy, when once it hath tainted
the soul, drive out from it all sin-
cerity and truth. The meaning,
therefore, of this passage is this:
"Beware, lest ye be as the hypo-
crites, for yet a little while, and
all men shall see that ye are good,
and they are evil."
Eighth Lesson.
AS touching what followeth:
"For there is nothing co-
vered that shall not be revealed,
neither hid, that shall not be
known. Therefore, whatsoever ye
have spoken in darkness shall be
heard in the light." These words
are true, not only as concerning
the world which is to come, where-
in the secrets of all hearts shall
be made manifest, but even as
concerning this present world,
since now that which the Apos-
tles spake and suffered in the
darkness of persecution, and the
gloom of dungeons, is, since that
the Church is glorified, told of
them for a memorial of them,
wherever their acts are read
throughout the whole world. "Be
not afraid of them that kill the
body," for they that persecute the
righteous, when they have killed
the body, "after that, have no
it is a childish folly which maketh
Truly,
more that they can do."
such men to cast the dead limbs
of the martyrs to birds and beasts,
while yet they have no strength
to withstand the Almight of God,
whereby He will surely quicken
the same limbs and raise them up
again.
Ninth Lesson.
leads, lost, of such as do
persecutors there are two
openly rage in cruelty against us;
and, secondly, of such as do seek,
by cunning wiliness and lying, to
beguile us. Against both these
the Saviour willeth to guard and
strengthen us, in one place warn-
ing us to be not afraid of them
that kill the body, and, in another
place, to beware of the leaven of
the Pharisees: since, when we are
dead, neither the cruelty of the
one class, nor the falsehood of the
other, will be able any more to
touch us.
"Are not five sparrows
sold for two farthings?" If God,
saith the Lord, if God cannot for-
get the least of the works of His
hands that hath life, the little
birds that fly hither and thither
in the air, if He cannot forget
them, wherefore should ye, who
are made in the image and like-
ness of your Maker, wherefore
should ye be afraid of them that
kill the body? He that is the
careful Lord of the beasts, which
FOR MANY MARTYRS.
841
think not, how much more shall
He be careful of man which hath
a reasonable soul?
For Simple Feasts of Many
Martyrs.
The Office is as on a Semi-double,
with the following exceptions.
FIRST VESPERS.
The Office is of the Week-day, till
the Chapter, exclusive.
The Office of the Saints begins with
the Chapter, which, as also the Hymn,
Verse and Answer, Antiphon at the
Song of the Blessed Virgin, and Prayer
are all as just given, (pp. 829, 830.) The
Common Commemorations are said or not
according to the Week-day.
At Compline are said Preces.
MATTINS.
The Invitatory and Hymn are as just
given.
Then follow the Week-day Psalms,
with their own Antiphons.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Verse. Be glad in the Lord, and
rejoice, ye righteous.
Answer. And shout for joy, all
ye that are upright in heart.
Absolution.
Graciously hear, &c.
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
Verse. Let the righteous re-
joice in the presence of God.
Answer. Yea, let them be ex-
ceeding glad.
Absolution.
May His loving-kindness, &c.
On Wednesdays.
Verse. The righteous live for
evermore.
Answer. Their reward also is
with the Lord.
Absolution.
May the Almighty, &c.
First Blessing.
May His blessing be upon us,
Who doth live and reign for
ever.
First Lesson from Scripture, accord-
ing to the Season, being either the first
part, or, if the Saints have two Lessons,
the whole read as one, at will.
First Responsory.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
God shall wipe away, &c., (First
Responsory in the preceding Of
fice.)
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
Thy Saints, O Lord, &c.,
(Fourth Responsory in the pre-
ceding Office.)
On Wednesdays.
Because of the covenant, &c.,
(Seventh Responsory in the pre-
ceding Office.)
Second Blessing.
They whose feast-day we are
keeping,
Be our Advocates with God.
Second Lesson is the First of the
Legend of the Saint, if there be two; if
not, it is the Second from Scripture, to
which the Third may be added, at will.
Second Responsory.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
These men are holy, &c., (Se-
cond Responsory in the preceding
Office,) with the following addi-
tion:
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And therefore they
have earned crowns of victory.
842
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
The Saints of God shrank not,
&c., (Fifth Responsory in the pre-
ceding Office,) with the following
addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. That they might be
made joint-heirs in the house of
the Lord.
On Wednesdays.
O ye, My Saints, &c., (Eighth
Responsory in the preceding Of-
fice.)
VI. For Feasts of one
Whether kept in
Everything as on Sundays, except
what is otherwise given here. In Easter-
tide the word Alleluia, here given in
brackets [] is occasionally added.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
O praise the LORD, &c., (Ps.
cxvi., p. 154.)
Hymn.¹
1.
THIS is the day when JEsU's true
Confessor,
Whose happy festal here His people
keep,
Hasting with joy to dwell with Him
the Blesser,
Climbed Heaven's steep.
If it be not the anniversary of the
Saint's death, the following is said
instead.
1.
Safe now for ever, JESU's true Con-
fessor,
Whose happy festal here His people
keep,
Third Blessing.
May He That is the Angels,
King,
To that high realm His people
bring.
Third Lesson is the whole or the
Second part of the Legend of the Saints,
if there is one, or else the special Lesson
assigned.
Then the Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God," &c., is said, and so end Mattins.
The rest of the Office is as on a Semi-
double, as just given; it ends at None,
inclusive; Preces are said at Prime,
and the Common Commemorations are
made at Lauds or not, according to the
Week-day.
Bishop and Confessor,
Easter-tide or not.
Doth of his labours for his mighty
Blesser,
Rich harvest reap.
2.
Gentle was he, wise, pure, and lowly-
hearted,
Sober and modest, ever foe to strife,
While in his frame there flowed as yet
unparted
Currents of life.
3.
Ofttimes hath He Whose face he sees in
heaven,
Being entreated for His servant's sake,
To us on earth the same for healer given
Sick whole to make.
4.
Wherefore our choir, in thankfulness
adoring,
Lifteth its voice with melody of laud,
While he on high for us his prayer is
pouring,
Unto his God.
5.
Glory and honour, virtue and salvation
Be unto Him, Who, in His might
divine,
Ruleth supremely over all creation,
One and yet Trine. Amen.
¹ Translation by the Rev. Dr. Littledale, except the alternative first verse, and the third,
FOR ONE BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.
843
Verse. 'The Lord loved him and
beautified him. [Alleluia.]
Answer. He clothed him with
a robe of glory. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. O thou Priest and
Bishop, * thou worker of mighty
works, thou good shepherd over
God's people, pray for us unto
the Lord. [Alleluia.]
For Doctors.
O right excellent Teacher,
Light of the Holy Church, N.
(here insert his name) blessed lover
of the Divine Law, pray for us to
the Son of God. [Alleluia.]
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord, He is
the King of the Confessors. * O
come, let us worship Him. [Al-
leluia.]
Hymn as at First Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
In Easter-tide all the three Psalms
following are said under one Antiphon,
viz., the first, "Blessed is the man.
man
First Antiphon. Blessed is the
* that doth meditate in the
law of the Lord: his delight is
therein day and night, and what-
soever he doeth shall prosper.
[Alleluia.]
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. Blessed and
holy is he * that putteth his trust
in the Lord, that declareth the
decree of the Lord, and is set
upon His holy hill.
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen,
&c., (p. 4.)
Third Antiphon. Thou, O Lord,
art my glory,* Thou art a shield
¹ Ecclus. xlv. 9.
for me: Thou art the Lifter-up of
mine head, and Thou hast heard
me out of Thy holy hill.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they in-
creased, &c., (p. 5.)
Verse. The Lord loved him and
beautified him. [Alleluia.]
Answer. He clothed him with
a robe of glory. [Alleluia.]
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
First Epistle of the Blessed
Apostle Paul to Timothy (iii. 1.)
HIS is a true saying: If a

THIS
man desire the office of a
Bishop, he desireth a good work.
A Bishop, then, must be blame-
less, the husband of one wife,
sober, prudent, of good behaviour,
modest, given to hospitality, apt
to teach, not given to wine, no
striker, but patient; not a brawler,
not covetous; one that ruleth well
his own house, having his chil-
dren in subjection with all gravity.
For if a man know not how to rule
his own house, how shall he take
care of the church of God? Not
a novice, lest, being lifted up with
pride, he fall into the condemna-
tion of the devil. Moreover, he
must have a good report of them
which are without, lest he fall
into reproach, and the snare of
the devil.
First Responsory.
"Well done, thou good and faith-
ful servant, thou hast been faith-
ful over a few things. I will make
thee ruler over many things; en-
ter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Lord, thou deliveredst
unto me five talents; behold, I
have gained beside them five
talents more.
2 Matth. xxv. 21, 20.
844
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Answer. Enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord. [Alleluia.]
Second Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Epistle to Titus (i. 7.)
FOR a Bishop must be blame-
:
less, as the steward of God:
not proud, not soon angry, not
given to wine, no striker, not
given to filthy lucre: but a lover
of hospitality, courteous, sober,
just, holy, temperate, holding fast
the faithful word, as he hath been
taught that he may be able by
sound doctrine both to exhort and
to convince the gainsayers. For
there are many unruly, vain talk-
ers, and deceivers, specially they
of the circumcision, whose mouths
must be stopped: who subvert
whole houses, teaching things
which they ought not, for filthy
lucre's sake.
Second Responsory.
'Behold an high priest, who in
his days pleased God: therefore
the Lord assured him by an oath
that He would multiply his seed
among His people. [Alleluia.]
Verse. He hath made him a
blessing unto all nations, and hath
established His covenant upon
his head.
Answer. Therefore the Lord as-
sured him by an oath that He
would multiply his seed among
His people. Alleluia.]
Third Lesson. (ii. 1.)
BUT speak thou the things
which become sound doc-
trine: that the aged men be sober,
chaste, temperate, sound in faith,
in charity, in patience. The aged
women likewise, that they be in
behaviour as becometh holiness,
1 Ecclus. xliv. 16, 22, 25.
not false accusers, not given to
much wine, teachers of good
things; that they may teach the
young women to be sober, to love
their husbands, to love their chil-
dren, to be discreet, chaste, sober,
keepers at home, good, obedient
to their own husbands, that the
word of God be not blasphemed.
Young men likewise exhort to be
sober-minded. In all things show
thyself a pattern of good works,
in doctrine, in uncorruptness, in
gravity, sound speech, that can-
not be condemned: that he that
is of the contrary part may be
ashamed, having no evil thing to
say of us.
Third Responsory.
2The LORD hath sworn and will
not repent: Thou art a Priest for
ever after the order of Melchi-
sedek. [Alleluia.]
Verse. The LORD said unto my
Lord: Sit Thou at My right
hand.
Answer. Thou art a Priest for
ever after the order of Melchi-
sedek. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Thou art a Priest for
ever after the order of Melchi-
sedek. [Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
In Easter-tide all the three Psalms
following are said under one Antiphon,
viz. the first.
First Antiphon. When His
holy one called, * the Lord heard
him, yea, the Lord heard him,
and gave him peace. [Alleluia.]
Ps. iv. When I called, &c.,
(p. 172.)
2 Ps. cix. 5, 1.
FOR ONE BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.
845
4
Second Antiphon. Let all those
that put their trust in Thee re-
joice, O Lord, for Thou hast bless-
ed the righteous; * Thou hast
compassed him with Thy favour
as with a shield.
Ps. v. Give ear to my words,
&c., (p. 97.)
Third Antiphon. O LORD, our
Ruler, * how excellent is Thy
Name in all the earth! Who
hast crowned Thine holy one with
glory and honour, and madest him
to have dominion over the works
of Thy hands.
gotten us through the Gospel."
(1 Cor. iv. 15.)
Fourth Responsory.
³I have found David My ser-
vant, with My holy oil have I
anointed him; for My hand shall
help him. [Alleluia.]
Verse. The enemy shall prevail
nothing against him, nor the son
of wickedness afflict him.
Answer. For My hand shall
help him. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Lesson.
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, WHATSOEVER, therefore, of
&c., (p. 6.)
Verse. "The Lord hath chosen
him for a Priest unto Himself.
[Alleluia.]
Answer. To offer up unto Him
the sacrifice of praise. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of St. Maximus, Bi-
shop [of Turin.] (59th Hom.,
being the 2nd on St. Eusebius
of Vercelli.)
T is idle to strive to add any-
IT
thing to the praise of our
holy and most blessed Father N.
(here insert the name of the Saint
whose Feast is being kept,) whose
Feast is this day kept. The beauty
of his life ought not to be the sub-
ject of panegyrics, so much as the
object of imitation. The Scripture
saith: "A wise son is the glory
of his father,"2-truly then will
he be honoured by such as, by
doing after his ensample, show
themselves to be his children-
"for in Christ JESUS hath he be-
1 Cf. Ecclus. xlv. 20.
virtue and grace there may
be in this holy people, all the
bright streams thereof do flow
from him, as from a most clear
fountain. By his manly chastity,
by his sternly noble temperance,
by the graceful courtesy which
marked him, he drew all men's
love to God and by his eminent
ministry in his Bishoprick he
hath left behind him in his dis-
ciples, many heirs of his priest-
hood.
:
Fifth Responsory.
³I have laid help upon one that
is mighty, and have exalted one
chosen out of My people; for
My hand shall help him. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. I have found David My
servant, with My holy oil have I
anointed him.
Answer. For My hand shall
help him. [Alleluia.]
Τ
Sixth Lesson.
IT is very meet and right that
upon this day, which is made
a joyful day for us because it is
2 There does not appear to be any such passage in Scripture. Prov. x. 1 is something
like it.
3 Ps. lxxxviii. 21, 20.
846
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
the day whereon our blessed Fa-
ther N., (here insert his name,)
passed away to heaven, I say it
is very meet and right that on
this day we should sing that verse
of the Psalms: "The righteous
shall be in everlasting remem-
brance." (cxi. 7.) His memory
is rightly honoured among men
who is at this present making
glad among Angels. The word
of God saith: "Judge none bless-
ed before his death," (Ecclus. xi.
30,) as though it were said, "Judge
him blessed when life is ended,
praise him when he is made per-
fect." For there are two main
reasons why it is better to praise
a dead man than a living, since, if
thou call him holy and worthy
after his death, thou dost it when
neither canst thou be corrupted
by being a flatterer, nor he by
being flattered.
Sixth Responsory.
This is he which wrought great
wonders before God, and the
whole earth is full of his teach-
ing. 'May he pray for all people,
that their sins may be forgiven
unto them! [Alleluia.]
Verse. This is he which loved
not his life in this world, and
hath attained unto the kingdom
of heaven.
following are said under one Antiphon,
viz. the first.
First Antiphon. Lord, this Thy
Saint * shall dwell in Thy taber-
nacle, and this that hath worked
righteousness shall abide upon
Thy holy hill. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide,
&c., (p. 10.)
Second Antiphon. He asked
life of Thee, * and Thou, O Lord,
gavest it: honour and great ma-
jesty hast Thou laid upon him:
Thou hast set a crown of precious
stones upon his head.
Ps. xx. The king shall joy, &c.,
(p. 17.)
*
Third Antiphon. He shall re-
ceive a blessing from the LORD,
and mercy from the God of his
salvation: for this is the genera-
tion of them that seek the Lord.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the
LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)
Verse. Thou art a Priest for
ever. [Alleluia.]
Answer. After the order of
Melchisedek. [Alleluia.]
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xxv. 14.)
T that time: JESUS spake un-
Answer: May he pray for all A to His disciples this parable:
people, that their sins may be
forgiven unto them! [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. May he pray for all
people, that their sins may be
forgiven unto them! [Alleluia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
In Easter-tide all the three Psalms
1 Cf. 2 Macc. xv. 14.
A man, travelling into a far coun-
try, called his own servants, and
delivered unto them his goods.
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (9th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, this
Lesson from the Holy Gospel mov-
eth us to take good heed lest we,
who seem in this world to have re-
2 Ps. cix. 5.
FOR ONE BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.
847
ceived more than others, should
thereby bring ourselves into
greater condemnation from the
Maker of this world. To whom
much is given, of the same is
much required. Therefore, let
him that receiveth much, strive
to be all the more lowly, and all
the more ready to do God service,
for his very gifts' sake, knowing
that he will be obliged to give
account thereof. Behold, a man,
travelling into a far country, call-
eth his own servants, and deliver-
eth unto them talents, to the end
that they may trade therewith.
After a long time, the lord of those
servants cometh, and reckoneth
with them, and to them that have
done well, He rendereth a reward
of their labours, but that servant
which was careless of his master's
work He condemneth.
Seventh Responsory.
The Lord loved him and beauti-
fied him; He clothed him with
a robe of glory, and crowned him
at the gates of Paradise. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. The Lord hath put on
him the breast-plate of faith,' and
hath adorned him.
Answer. And crowned him at
the gates of Paradise. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Blessing.
He whose feast-day we are
keeping
Be our Advocate with God.
WH
Eighth Lesson.
HAT other, then, is that man
travelling into a far country
but our Redeemer, Who is gone
up from us into heaven in that
Flesh Which He had taken into
Himself? For the earth is the
2 Luke xii. 35, 36.
1 1 Thess. v. 8.
home of the Flesh, Which travel-
leth into a far country-when our
Redeemer giveth It a place in
heaven. But that man travelling
into a far country delivered unto
his servants his goods; and so
doth our Redeemer give spiritual
gifts unto His faithful people.
"And unto one he gave five
talents, to another two, and to
another one. There are five
bodily senses; that is, sight, hear-
ing, taste, smell, and touch. By
the five talents therefore are sig-
nified the five senses, that is, out-
ward knowledge. By the two,
wit and work. And by the figure
of the one talent, understanding,
which is alone.
Eighth Responsory.
2Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning, and ye
yourselves like unto men that
wait for their lord, when he will
return from the wedding. [Al-
leluia.]
Verse. Watch therefore, for ye
know not what hour your Lord
doth come.
Answer. And ye yourselves like
unto men that wait for their lord,
when he will return from the
wedding. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And ye yourselves like
unto men that wait for their lord,
when he will return from the
wedding. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Responsory for Doctors.
4In the midst of the congrega-
tion did the Lord open his mouth.
And filled him with the spirit of
wisdom and understanding. [Al-
leluia.]
3 Matth. xxiv. 42.
4 Ecclus. xv. 5, 6.
3 L
848
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Verse. He made him rich with
joy and gladness.
Answer. And filled him with
the spirit of wisdom and under-
standing. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And filled him with
the spirit of wisdom and under-
standing. [Alleluia.]
"A
Ninth Lesson.
priest, who in his days pleased
God, and was found righteous.
[Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. 'None was
found like unto him, * to keep the
Law of the Most High. [Alle-
luia.]
Third Antiphon. Therefore the
Lord assured him * by an oath
that He would multiply his seed
among His people. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. O all ye
Priests of God, * bless ye the
Lord : O all ye servants of the
Lord, sing praises unto our God.
[Alleluia.
This last word, "Alleluia," is omitted
between Septuagesima and Easter.
ND so he that had received
five talents, gained other
five talents”—for some there be
who, while yet they are not able
to go on unto things inward and
mystic, do yet so desire our Fa-
therland which is above, that they
teach well all whom they can, and
of those very outward things
which they have received make
gain double. These are they
which keep themselves clean from BEE
the unruly motions of the flesh,
and from the lust of the world,
and from the delight of things
which are seen, and, by their
preaching, keep other men also
clean from all these things. And
some there are who receive, as
their two talents, the power to
think and the power to work.
These are they which inwardly
understand dark things, and out-
wardly work wonders. And these,
since they preach unto others,
both through their understanding
and their works, gain, as it were,
double, for the talents which they
have received.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
Fifth Antiphon. Good and faith-
ful servant, enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord. [Alleluia.]
Chapter. (Ecclus. xliv. 17.)
EHOLD an high priest, who
in his days pleased God, and
was found righteous, and in the
time of wrath he made a propitia-
tion.
Hymn.2
JESU, the world's Redeemer, hear!
Thy Bishops' fadeless crown, draw
near!
Accept with gentler love to-day
The prayers and praises that we pay!
The day that crowned with deathless
fame
This meek Confessor of Thy Name,
Whose yearly feast, in solemn state,
Thy faithful people celebrate.
The world, and all its boasted good,
As vain and passing, he eschewed;
And therefore, with Angelic bands,
In endless joys for ever stands.
Grant then that we, O gracious God,
May follow in the steps he trod;
And freed from ev'ry stain of sin,
First Antiphon. 'Behold an high As he hath won, may also win.
1 Ecclus. xliv. 16, 17, 20, 2.
2 Translation by J. D. Chambers, Esq.
FOR ONE BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.
849
To Thee, O Christ, our loving King,
All glory, praise, and thanks we bring:
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.
Verse. The Lord guided the
just in right paths. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And showed him the
kingdom of God. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. Well done, thou good and
faithful servant; * thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will
make thee ruler over many things,
saith the Lord. [Alleluia.]
If the Prayer is not special, there is
said one of the following, which is also
used throughout the whole Office of the
Saint.
GRANT,
Prayer.
RANT, we beseech Thee, O
Almighty God, that the wor-
shipful Feast of Thy blessed Con-
fessor and Bishop Ñ., (here insert
his name,) may avail us to the in-
crease both of godliness toward
Thee, and healthfulness to our
own souls. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liv-
eth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
Another Prayer.
HEAR, O Lord, we beseech
Thee, the prayers which we
offer Thee on this the solemn
Feast-day of Thy blessed Confes-
sor and Bishop N., (here insert
his name,) and, for the sake of
him who so nobly served Thee,
forgive us our trespasses. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
For Doctors.
GOD, Who didst give unto
Thy people Thy blessed ser-
vant N. (here insert his name) to
feed them with the bread of eter-
nal life, grant, we beseech Thee,
that even as on earth he showed
unto us Thy lively word, so in
heaven we may worthily be holpen
by the succour of his prayers to
Thee on our behalf. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, One
God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer throughout the day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Behold, an high
priest, &c., (First Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Ecclus. xlv. 19.)
execute the office of the
Priesthood, and to be honour-
ed for His Name's sake, and to
offer to Him the incense which
He had chosen, for a sweet sa-
vour.
TERCE.
Antiphon. None was found,
&c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
The Lord loved him, and beauti-
fied him.
Answer. The Lord loved him,
and beautified him.
Verse. He clothed him with a
robe of glory.
Answer. And beautified him.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.

1 Wisd. x. 10.
3 L 2
850
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Answer. The Lord loved him
and beautified him.
Verse. The Lord hath chosen
him for a Priest unto Himself.
Answer. To offer up unto Him
the sacrifice of praise.
In Easter-tide the above is said thus:
The Lord loved him, and beau-
tified him. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The Lord loved him,
and beautified him. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. He clothed him with a
robe of glory.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The Lord loved him,
and beautified him. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. The Lord hath chosen
him for a Priest unto Himself.
Alleluia.
Answer. To offer up unto Him
the sacrifice of praise. Alleluia.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Therefore the Lord,
&c., (Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Ecclus. xliv. 20.)
ONE was found like unto him,
NONE was found
to keep the Law of the Most
High; therefore the Lord assured
him by an oath, that He would
multiply his seed among His
people.
Short Responsory.
The Lord hath chosen him for
a Priest unto Himself.
Answer. The Lord hath chosen
him for a Priest unto Himself.
Verse. To offer up unto Him
the sacrifice of praise.
Answer. A Priest unto Him-
self.
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The Lord hath chosen
him for a Priest unto Himself.
Verse. Thou art a Priest for
ever.
Answer. After the order of
Melchisedek.
In Easter-tide the above is said thus:
The Lord hath chosen him for
a Priest unto Himself. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Answer. The Lord hath chosen
him for a Priest unto Himself.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. To offer up unto Him
the sacrifice of praise.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The Lord hath chosen
him for a Priest unto Himself.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Thou art a Priest for
ever. Alleluia.
Answer. After the order of
Melchisedek. Alleluia.
NONE.
Antiphon. Good and faithful,
&c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Thou art a Priest for ever.
Answer. Thou art a Priest for
ever.
Verse. After the order of Mel-
chisedek.
Answer. For ever.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Thou art a Priest for
ever.
Verse. The Lord guided the
Verse. Glory be to the Father, just in right paths.
FOR ONE BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.
851
Answer. And showed him the
kingdom of God.
In Easter-tide the above is said thus:
Thou art a Priest for ever.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. Thou art a Priest for
ever. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. After the order of Mel-
chisedek.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
Other Lessons for Feasts of
One Bishop and Confessor.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of St. Maximus, Bi-
shop [of Turin.] (59th Homily,
being the 2nd on St. Eusebius of
Vercelli.)
and to the Son, and to the Holy OUR Blessed Father N., (here
Ghost.
Answer. Thou art a Priest for
ever. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The Lord guided the
just in right paths. Alleluia.
Answer. And showed him the
kingdom of God. Alleluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Verse and
Answer from Lauds.
Hymn from First Vespers.
Last Psalm.
LORD, remember David, &c.,
(Ps. cxxxi., p. 160.)
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. The Lord loved
him and beautified him; He
clothed him with a robe of glory,
and crowned him at the gates of
Paradise. [Alleluia.]
But if the Saint were a Pope, the
following is said instead:
Being made the Chief Bishop,
*he dreaded not earthly things,
but pressed on gloriously unto the
kingdom of heaven. [Alleluia.]
For Doctors.
O right excellent Teacher, Light
of the Holy Church, N. (here in-
sert his name) blessed lover of the
Divine Law, pray for us to the
Son of God. [Alleluia.]
insert the name of the Saint
whose Feast is being kept,) is safe
now, and we may safely praise
his great deeds. He that kept
such a manful hand upon the
tiller of faith, hath now cast the
anchor of hope in moorings of
great calm, and brought his ship,
heavy laden with heavenly riches
and everlasting merchandise, safe
into the haven where he would be.
Thus fareth it now with him who
never fainted, but for so long time
held up ever the shield of the fear
of God against all that did beset
him. What was his whole life
but one long fight against an
enemy that never slept ?
O
Fifth Lesson.
HOW
many blinded souls
there were, that had wan-
dered away from the path of the
Truth, and were hanging from the
edge of the precipice over the pit,
when he gave them sight again,
and opened their eyes that they
might see Christ! How many
deaf ears were there, stopped up
with unbelief and condemnation,
when he opened them to hear that
voice of commandment that speak-
eth from heaven, and gave them
that precious hearing that heareth
God calling us to be forgiven, so
that they obeyed, and answered!
How many wounded spirits were
852
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
I
there, to whom his tongue, per-
suading them and praying for
them like the tongue of an angel,
brought health again!
O
Sixth Lesson.
HOW God wrought in him
to cleanse and pardon, by dis-
cipline and exhortation, many a
stricken soul, long distempered,
and, as it seemed, incurably foul
with sin, covered all over with
virulent leprosy !
How many
souls there were, dwelling in liv-
ing bodies, but dead, and crushed
and buried under the sense of sin,
whom he quickened again for
God, by calling them to amend-
ment as to light, souls dead to
God, in which that great follower
of his Lord killed sin by the same
Lord's life-giving death.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xxiv. 42.)
T that time: JESUS said unto
A
His disciples: Watch, for
ye know not what hour your Lord
doth come. And so on.
Homily by St. Hilary, Bishop
[of Poitiers.] (Comment. on Matth.
chap. 26.)
To the end that we may know
that our ignorance of that day
whereof no man knoweth is not
without use, the Lord moveth us
to watch for the coming of the
thief, to be ever instant in prayer,
and ever busy in such works as
He commandeth. He showeth how
that the devil is that thief who
watcheth ever how he may spoil
dwelling therein careless and hea-
vy with sleep, he may dig through
our walls with the arms of his
craft and temptations. Us, there-
fore, it behoveth to be ready, who
have ever our ignorance concern-
ing that day to be unto us a rea-
son of watchfulness.
C
Eighth Lesson. (Chap. 27.)
HO then is a faithful and
WHO then
wise servant, whom his
Lord hath made ruler over His
household ?" Although the Lord
doth move us all in common to
weary not in carefulness and
watching, He layeth more espe-
cially upon the rulers of His peo-
ple, that is, the Bishops, this duty,
to look always for His coming.
For such an one is that faithful
and wise servant, made ruler over
his Lord's household, who ever
seeketh such things as be con-
venient and useful for the people
unto him committed. Such an
one, if he hear this word, and do
that which he is commanded, that
is, if he strengthen by seasonable
and sound doctrine such things as
be weak, if he bind together that
which is sundered, if he make
straight again what is become
crooked, and give to the house-
hold the lively Word which is
able to feed them unto life eternal,
if such an one do thus, and mean-
while the hour which he knoweth
not come upon him, he shall ob-
tain glory of the Lord, as a faith-
ful steward and an useful over-
seer: that is, he shall have glory
with God, for in all things he
shall have of that which is best.
Ninth Lesson.
our goods, breaking into the house BUT if that servant despise the
of our body; that, while we are
long suffering of God, Which
FOR ONE BISHOP AND CONFESSOR.
853
waiteth to give salvation unto all
men, and begin to wax wanton
against his fellow-servants, and
to give himself over to the evil
and the vices of this present world,
having all his care for the wor-
ship of his belly: the Lord of that
servant shall come in a day when
he looketh not for Him, and shall
cut him off from the goods where-
with he was entrusted, and ap-
point him his portion with the
hypocrites, in everlasting punish-
ment, because he hath disobeyed
the commandments, because he
hath minded the things of this
present world, because he hath
lived the life of an heathen, be-
cause being unmindful of the
judgment to come, he hath af-
flicted with hunger, and thirst,
and stripes, the flock committed
to his care.
If it should be that several Bishops
and Confessors are to be honoured by one
Feast, the Office is the same as that just
given, except as follows:
1. In the Common Prayer the words
"Thy Blessed Confessor and Bishop N.'
are altered into "Thy blessed Confes-
sors and Bishops N. and N."
2. In the Sermons by St. Maximus of
Turin everything said of the Saint in
the Singular Number, is altered into the
Plural. For example: "Our Blessed
Fathers N. and N. are safe now, and we
may safely praise their great deeds.
They that kept such manful hands upon
the tiller, &c. &c. &c.”
3. The following Lessons may be read
in the First Nocturn.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book of Ecclesiasticus (xliv. 1.)
L
ET us now praise famous men,
and our fathers that begat
us. The Lord hath wrought great
glory by them through His great
power from the beginning. Such
as did bear rule in their king-
doms, men renowned for their
power and their understanding,
showing forth among the Prophets
the dignity of Prophets, and still
ruling over the people that now
is, and by the strength of wisdom
instructing the people in most
holy words. Such as by their
skill sought out musical tunes,
and published canticles of the
Scriptures.
Second Lesson.
MEN rich in virtue, studying
comeliness, living at peace
in their houses. All these were
honoured in their generations, and
were the glory of their times.
They that were born of them have
left a name behind them, that their
praises might be reported. And
some there be which have no
memorial; who are perished as
though they had never been; who
also were born as though they
had not been born, and their chil-
dren after them.
Third Lesson.
BUT these were merciful men,
:
whose righteousness hath not
been forgotten: with their seed
shall continually remain a good
inheritance, their children have an
holy heritage their seed also
abideth firm in the covenant, and
their children for their sakes re-
main for ever. Their seed, and
their glory, shall not be blotted
out. Their bodies are buried in
peace, but their name liveth for
evermore. Let the people tell of
their wisdom, and the congrega-
tion show forth their praise.
854
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
For a Simple Feast of a Bishop
and Confessor.
The Office is as on a Semi-double,
with the following exceptions.
FIRST VESPERS.
The Office is of the Week-day, till the
Chapter, exclusive. The Office of the
Saint begins with the Chapter, which,
as also the Hymn, Verse and Answer,
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin, and Prayer are all as just given,
(p. 842 et seq.) The Common Comme-
morations are said or not according to
the Week-day.
At Compline are said Preces.
MATTINS.
The Invitatory and Hymn are as just
given.
Then follow the Week-day Psalms,
with their own Antiphons.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Verse. The Lord loved him and
beautified him. [Alleluia.]
Answer. He clothed him with
a robe of glory. [Alleluia.]
Absolution.
Graciously hear, &c.
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
Verse. The Lord hath chosen
him for a Priest unto Himself.
[Alleluia.]
Answer. To offer up unto Him
the sacrifice of praise. [Alleluia.]
Absolution.
May His loving-kindness, &c.
On Wednesdays.
Verse. Thou art a Priest for
ever. [Alleluia.]
Answer. After the order of
Melchisedek. [Alleluia.]
Absolution.
May the Almighty, &c.
First Blessing.
May His blessing be upon us,
Who doth live and reign for
ever.
First Lesson from Scripture, accord-
ing to the Season, being either the first
part, or, if the Saint have two Lessons,
the whole read as one, at will.
First Responsory.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Well done, &c., (First Respon-
sory in the preceding Office.)
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
I have found David, &c.,
(Fourth Responsory in the pre-
On Wednesdays.
The Lord loved him, &c., (Se-
venth Responsory in the preceding
Office.)
Second Blessing.
They whose feast-day we are
keeping,
Be our Advocates with God.
Second Lesson is the First of the
Legend of the Saint, if there be two; if
not, it is the Second from Scripture, to
which the Third may be added at will.
Second Responsory.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Behold an high priest, &c.,
(Second Responsory in the preced-
ing Office,) with this addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Therefore the Lord
assured him by an oath that He
would multiply his seed among
His people. [Alleluia.]
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
I have laid help, &c., (Fifth
FOR A CONFESSOR NOT A BISHOP.
855
Responsory in the preceding Of-
fice,) with the following addi-
tion:
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. For My hand shall
help him. [Alleluia.]
On Wednesdays.
Let your loins, &c., (Eighth
Responsory in the preceding Of-
fice.)
Third Blessing.
May He That is the Angels'
King,
To that high realm His people
bring.
Third Lesson is the whole or the
second part of the Legend of the Saint,
if there be one, or else the special Lesson
assigned.
Then the Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said, and so end Mattins.
The rest of the Office is as on a Semi-
double, as just given; it ends at None,
inclusive; Preces are said at Prime,
and the Common Commemorations are
made at Lauds or not, according to the
Week-day.
VH. For Feasts of a Confessor not a Bishop,
Whether kept in
Everything as on Sundays, except
what is otherwise given here. In Easter-
tide the word Alleluia, here given in
brackets [] is occasionally added.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
O praise the LORD, &c., (Ps.
cxvi., p. 154.)
Hymn, This is the day, &c., or,
Safe now for ever, &c., (p. 842.)
Verse. The Lord loved him and
beautified him. [Alleluia.]
Answer. He clothed him with
a robe of glory. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. 'I will liken him
unto a wise man, * which built
his house upon a rock. [Alleluia.]
For Doctors.
O right excellent Teacher,
Light of the Holy Church, N.
(here insert his name) blessed lover
Easter-tide or not.
of the Divine Law, pray for us to
the Son of God. [Alleluia.]
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord, He is
the King of the Confessors. * O
come, let us worship Him. [Al-
leluia.]
Hymn as at First Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
In Easter-tide all the three Psalms
following are said under one Antiphon,
viz., the first, "Blessed is the man."
First Antiphon. Blessed is the
man * that doth meditate in the
law of the Lord: his delight is
therein day and night, and what-
soever he doeth shall prosper.
[Alleluia.]
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. Blessed and
holy is he * that putteth his trust
in the Lord, that declareth the
1 Matth. vii. 24.
856
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
decree of the Lord, and is set
upon His holy hill.
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen,
&c., (p. 4.)
Third Antiphon. Thou, O Lord,
art my glory, * Thou art a shield
for me: Thou art the Lifter-up of
mine head, and Thou hast heard
me out of Thy holy hill.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they in-
creased, &c., (p. 5.)
Verse. The Lord loved him and
beautified him. [Alleluia.]
Answer. He clothed him with
a robe of glory. [Alleluia.]
First Lesson.
pre-
The Lesson is taken from the Book
of Wisdom (iv. 7.)
HOUGH the righteous be
THO
vented with death, yet shall
he be in rest. For honourable
age is not that which standeth in
length of time, nor that is mea-
sured by number of years: but
wisdom is the grey hair unto men,
and an unspotted life is old age.
He pleased God, and was beloved
of Him, so that living among sin-
ners, he was translated. He was
taken away speedily, lest that
wickedness should alter his under-
standing, or deceit beguile his soul.
For the bewitching of naughti-
ness doth obscure things that are
honest, and the wandering of con-
cupiscence doth undermine the
simple mind. He, being made
perfect in a short time, fulfilled a
long time for his soul pleased
the Lord: therefore hasted He to
take him away from among the
wicked.
First Responsory.
Well done, thou good and faith-
ful servant, thou hast been faith-
1 Hos. xiv. 6; Isa. xvii. 11, &c.
ful over a few things, I will make
thee ruler over many things; en-
ter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Lord, thou deliveredst
unto me five talents; behold, I
have gained beside them five
talents more.
Answer. Enter thou into the
joy of thy Lord. [Alleluia.]
THIS
Second Lesson.
HIS the people saw, and un-
derstood it not, neither laid
they this up in their minds, that
the grace of God and His mercy
are with His Saints, and that He
hath respect unto His chosen.
Thus the righteous that is dead
doth condemn the ungodly which
are living, and youth that is soon
perfected, the many years of the
unrighteous. For they shall see
the end of the wise, and shall not
understand what God in His coun-
sel hath decreed of him, and to
what end the Lord hath set him
in safety. They shall see him
and despise him: but the Lord
And
shall laugh them to scorn.
they shall thereafter fall without
honour, and be a reproach among
the dead for evermore: for when
they are puffed up, He shall rend
them, and they shall be speech-
less, and He shall shake them
from the foundation, and they
shall be utterly laid waste.

Second Responsory.
¹The righteous shall grow as
the lily; yea, he shall flourish in
the presence of the Lord for ever.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Those that be planted
in the house of the LORD, shall
flourish in the courts of the house
of our God.
2 Ps. xci. 14.
FOR 857
•
A CONFESSOR NOT A BISHOP.
Answer. Yea, he shall flourish
in the presence of the Lord for
ever. Alleluia.]
A
Third Lesson.
ND they shall be in sorrow,
and their memorial shall pe-
rish. When they cast up the
accounts of their sins they shall
come with fear, and their own
iniquities shall convince them to
their face. (v.) Then shall the
righteous stand in great boldness
before the face of such as have
afflicted them, and made no ac-
count of their labours. When
they see it, they shall be troubled
with terrible fear, and shall be
amazed at the strangeness of their
salvation, and they, repenting and
groaning for anguish of spirit
shall say within themselves:
These were they whom we had
sometimes in derision, and a pro-
verb of reproach. We fools ac-
counted their life madness, and
their end to be without honour.
Behold, how they are numbered
among the children of God, and
their lot is among the Saints.
Third Responsory.
This is he which knew righ-
teousness, and saw great wonders,
and made his prayer unto the
Most High; and he is numbered
among the Saints. [Alleluia.]
Verse. This is he which loved
not his life in this world, and is
come unto an everlasting king-
dom.
Answer. And he is numbered
among the Saints. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And he is numbered
among the Saints. [Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
In Easter-tide all the three Psalms
following are said under one Antiphon,
viz. the first.
*
First Antiphon. When His holy
one called, the Lord heard him;
yea, the Lord heard him, and
gave him peace. [Alleluia.]
Ps. iv. When I called, &c., (p.
172.)
Second Antiphon. Let all those
that put their trust in Thee re-
joice, O Lord, for Thou hast
blessed the righteous; * Thou hast
compassed him with Thy favour
as with a shield.
Ps. v. Give ear to my words,
&c., (p. 97.)
Third Antiphon. O LORD, our
Ruler, how excellent is Thy
Name in all the earth! Who
hast crowned Thine holy one with
glory and honour, and madest
him to have dominion over the
works of Thy hands.
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler,
&c., (p. 6.)
Verse. 'The mouth of the righ-
teous speaketh wisdom. [Alle-
luia.]
Answer. And his tongue talketh
judgment. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Ser-
mons of St. John Chrysostom,
Patriarch [of Constantinople.]
(On St. Philogonius, Tom. iii.)
THE blessed N., (here insert the
name of the Saint whose Feast
is being kept,) whose Feast we are
this day keeping, doth justly call
on our tongue to tell what great
deeds he wrought. To-day did
that blessed servant of God pass
1 Ps. xxxvi. 30.
858
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
into that higher life, which is a
life of peace, a life where there
is no trouble. To-day his ship
reached that harbour whereafter
wreck is to be dreaded no more.
He hath felt trouble and anguish
of spirit for the last time. And
wherefore marvel we that that
place is one where the mind is
vexed no more, when we remem-
ber that Paul saith even to men
living here in this life-"Rejoice
evermore, pray without ceasing ?"
(1 Thess. v. 16.)
Fourth Responsory.
"The Lord made him honour-
able, and defended him from his
enemies, and kept him safe from
those that lay in wait for him,
and gave him perpetual glory.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. He went down with him
and all these things are taken
away from us, when we shall
have no ill-health, nor disease,
nor matter wherein to sin, when
that hard thing, right of property,
shall exist no more, whereby all
unrighteousness cometh into this
life, and strifes unnumbered are
begotten.
Fifth Responsory.
The Lord loved him and beau-
tified him: He clothed him with
a robe of glory, and crowned him
at the gates of Paradise. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. The Lord hath put on
him the breast-plate of faith,2 and
hath adorned him.
Answer. And crowned him at
the gates of Paradise. [Alleluia.]
Ν
Sixth Lesson.
into the pit, and left him not in IN this verily do I most chiefly
bonds.
Answer. And
gave him per-
petual glory. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Lesson.
ERE there are sicknesses,
HE
here there are strivings, here
there are untimely deaths, here
there are lies, here there are jea-
lousies, here there are troubles,
here there is anger, here there
are lustings, here there are pit-
falls unnumbered, here there are
daily cares, here one evil fol-
loweth after another, and all
bring vexation. And yet Paul
hath it that even here a man
may rejoice evermore, if he will
but raise his head above the flood
of earthly things, and order his
life aright. How much better
shall we fare when we have
passed away from all these things,
rejoice, for the happiness of
that holy servant of God, in that,
being taken away hence, and
having found here no abiding
city, he is become a citizen of
that other city, which is the city
of the living God: from the
Church here he is gone, but he
is come unto the Church of the
first-born, which are written in
heaven, (Heb. xii. 22, 23); he
keepeth holiday with us no more,
but he is passed to where he
holdeth high festival with Angels.
And what be that city, and that
Church, and that festival above,
Paul biddeth us know, saying:
"Ye are come unto the city of
the living God, the heavenly Je-
rusalem, and unto the Church of
the first-born which are written
in heaven, and to an innumerable
company of Angels."
1 Wisd. x. 11-14, substituting "Lord" for "Wisdom."
2 1 Thess. v. 8.
FOR A CONFESSOR NOT A BISHOP.
859
Sixth Responsory.
'This is he which did according
unto all that God commanded
him; and God said unto him:
Enter thou into My rest; for thee
have I seen righteous before Me
among all people. [Alleluia.]
Verse. This is he which loved
not his life in this world, and is
come unto an everlasting kingdom.
Answer. For thee have I seen
righteous before Me among seen
people. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. For thee have I seen
righteous before Me among all
people. [Alleluia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
In Easter-tide all the three Psalms
following are said under one Antiphon,
viz., the first.
First Antiphon. Lord, this Thy
Saint shall dwell in Thy taber-
nacle, and this that hath worked
righteousness shall abide upon
Thy holy hill. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide,
&c., (p. 10.)
Second Antiphon. He asked
life of Thee, * and Thou, O Lord,
gavest it: honour and great ma-
jesty hast Thou laid upon him:
Thou hast set a crown of precious
stones upon his head.
Ps. xx. The king shall joy, &c.,
(p. 17.)
Third Antiphon. He shall re-
ceive * a blessing from the LORD,
and mercy from the God of his
salvation: for this is the genera-
tion of them that seek the Lord.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the
LORD's, &c., (p. 124.)
Verse. The law of his God is
in his heart. [Alleluia.]
Answer. None of his steps shall
slide. [Alleluia.]
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(xii. 35.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto
His disciples: Let your loins
be girded about, and your lights
burning. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (13th on the Gos-
pels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, the
words of the Holy Gospel, which
have just been read, lie open be-
fore you, and, lest their very plain-
ness should make them seem to
some to be hard, we will go through
them with such shortness as that
neither may they which under-
stand not remain unenlightened,
nor they which understand be
wearied. The Lord saith: "Let
your loins be girded about." Now,
we gird our loins about, when by
continency we master the lustful
inclination of the flesh. But, for-
asmuch as it sufficeth not for a
man to abstain from evil deeds, if
he strive not to join thereto the
earnest doing of good works, it is
lights burning." Our lights burn
immediately added: "And your
when, by good works, we give
bright example to our neighbour;
concerning which works the Lord
saith: Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see
your good works, and glorify
your Father Which is in heaven."
(Matth. v. 16.)
1 Cf. Gen. vii. 5, 1; Ps. xciv. 11; Heb. iv. 11.
2 Ps. xxxvi. 31.
860
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Seventh Responsory.
This is he which wrought great
wonders before God, and praised
the Lord with all his heart. May
he pray for all people, that their
sins may be forgiven unto them!
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Behold a man without
blame, a worshipper of God in
truth, keeping himself clean from
every evil work, and abiding still
in his innocency.
Answer. May he pray for all
people, that their sins may be
forgiven unto them! [Alleluia.]
Eighth Blessing.
He whose feast-day we are
keeping
Be our Advocate with God.
Eighth Lesson.
ERE, then, are two command-
HE
works.
ments, to gird our loins
about, and to keep our lights
burning the cleanness of puri-
ty in our body, and the light
of the truth in our works.
Whoso hath the one and not the
other, pleaseth not thereby our
Redeemer; that is, he pleaseth
Him not which doth good works,
but bridleth not himself from the
pollutions of lust, neither he which
is eminent in chastity, but exer-
ciseth not himself in good works.
Neither is chastity a great thing
without good works, nor good
works anything without chastity.
And if any man do both, it re-
maineth that he must look by
hope toward our Fatherland
above, and not have for his
reason wherethrough he turneth
himself away from vice, the love
of honour in this present world.
Eighth Responsory.
Let your loins be girded about,
and your lights burning, and ye
yourselves like unto men that wait
for their lord, when he will re-
turn from the wedding. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. Watch, therefore, for ye
know not what hour your Lord
doth come.
Answer. And ye yourselves like
unto men that wait for their lord,
when he will return from the
wedding. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And ye yourselves like
unto men that wait for their lord,
when he will return from the
wedding. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Responsory for Doctors.
In the midst of the congrega-
tion did the Lord open his mouth.
And filled him with the spirit of
wisdom and understanding. [AI-
leluia.]
Verse. He made him rich with
joy and gladness.
Answer. And filled him with
the spirit of wisdom and under-
standing. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. And filled him with
the spirit of wisdom and under-
standing. [Alleluia.]
AN
Ninth Lesson.
ND ye yourselves like unto
men that wait for their
lord, when he will return from
the wedding that, when he
cometh and knocketh, they may
open unto him immediately.'
The Lord cometh at the hour of
judgment: He knocketh when, by
the pains of sickness, He biddeth
us know that death is nigh. To
Him open we immediately, if we
FOR A CONFESSOR NOT A BISHOP.
861
But who-
receive Him in love. Whoso
feareth to leave this body, will
not open to the Judge when He
knocketh, for he dreadeth to see
that Judge, Whom he knoweth
that he hath despised. But who-
soever knoweth that his hope and
works are built upon a good foun-
dation, when he heareth the Judge
knock, openeth to Him imme-
diately, for to such an one that
coming is blessed,-yea, when the
hour of death is at hand, such an
one haileth with gladness a glo-
rious reward.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. 'Lord, Thou
deliveredst unto me five talents:
* behold, I have gained beside
them five talents more. [Alle-
luia.]
Second Antiphon. Well done,
thou good servant, * thou hast
been faithful in a very little,
enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord. [Alleluia.]
Third Antiphon. 3A faithful and
wise servant * whom his Lord
hath made ruler over His house-
hold. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. 4Blessed is
that servant * whom his Lord,
when He cometh and knocketh
at the door, shall find watching.
[Alleluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. Thou good and
faithful servant, * enter thou into
the joy of thy Lord. [Alleluia.]
Chapter. (Ecclus. xxxi. 8.)
BLE
LESSED is the man that is
found without blemish, and
hath not gone after gold, neither
hath put his trust in riches, nor
in treasure. Who is he, and we
1 Matth. xxv. 20.
3 Matth. xxiv. 45.
will call him blessed? For won-
derful things hath he done in his
life.
Hymn.5
JESUS! Eternal Truth sublime!
JES
Through endless years the Same !
Thou Crown of those who through all
time
Confess Thy Holy Name!
Thy suppliant people, through the
prayer
Of Thy blest Saint, forgive;
For his dear sake Thy wrath forbear,
And bid our spirits live.
Again returns the sacred day
With heavenly glory bright,
Which saw him go upon his way
Into the realms of light.
All objects of our vain desire,
All earthly joys and gains,
To him were but as filthy mire;
And now with Thee he reigns.
Thee, JESUS, his all-gracious Lord,
Confessing to the last,
He trod beneath him Satan's fraud,
And stood for ever fast.
In holy deeds of faith and love,
In fastings and in prayers,
His days were spent; and now above
Thy heavenly Feast he shares.
Then for his sake Thy wrath lay by,
And hear us while we pray;
And pardon us, O Thou Most High!
On this his festal day.
All glory to the Father be,
And Sole Incarnate Son;
Praise, Holy Paraclete to Thee,
While endless ages run. Amen.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. Well done, thou good and
faithful servant; * thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will
make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord. [Alleluia.]
2 Matth. xxv. 21; Luke xix. 17.
4 Matth. xxiv. 46; Luke xii. 36, 37; Apoc. iii. 20.
5 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
862
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Prayer.
GOD, Who, year by year, dost
gladden us by the solemn
Feast-day of Thy blessed Con-
fessor (here insert his name,) mer-
cifully grant unto all who keep
his birthday, grace to follow after
the pattern of his godly conver-
sation. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
O
Another Prayer.
LORD, mercifully hear the
supplications which we offer
unto Thee on this the solemn
Feast-day of Thy blessed Confes-
sor (here insert his name,) and,
forasmuch as we put no trust in
our own righteousness, grant that
we may be holpen by his prayers
who walked with Thee. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
O
For Doctors.
GOD, Who didst give unto
Thy people Thy blessed ser-
vant N. (here insert his name) to
feed them with the bread of eter-
nal life, grant, we beseech Thee,
that even as on earth he showed
unto us Thy lively word, so in
heaven we may worthily be holpen
by the succour of his prayers to
Thee on our behalf. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer throughout the day,
PRIME.
Antiphon. Lord, Thou deliver-
edst, &c., (First Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Wisdom x. 10.)
THE Lord guided the just in
right paths, showed him the
kingdom of God, and gave him
knowledge of holy things, made
him rich in his travails, and mul-
tiplied the fruit of his labours.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Well done, &c., (Se-
cond Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
The Lord loved him, and beau-
tified him.
Answer. The Lord loved him,
and beautified him.
Verse. He clothed him with a
robe of glory.
Answer. And beautified him.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The Lord loved him,
and beautified him.
Verse. The mouth of the righ-
teous speaketh wisdom.
Answer. And his tongue talketh
judgment.
In Easter-tide the above is said thus :
The Lord loved him, and beau-
tified him. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The Lord loved him,
and beautified him. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. He clothed him with a
robe of glory.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The Lord loved him,
and beautified him. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
FOR A CONFESSOR NOT A BISHOP.
863
Alle-
Verse. The mouth of the righ-
teous speaketh wisdom.
luia.
Answer. And his tongue talketh
judgment. Alleluia.
SEXT.
Antiphon. A faithful and wise
servant, * &c., (Third Antiphon
at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Ecclus. xxxix. 6.)
'HE righteous giveth his heart
THE
to resort early to the Lord
that made him, and will pray be-
fore the Most High.
Short Responsory.
The mouth of the righteous
speaketh wisdom.
Answer. The mouth of the
righteous speaketh wisdom.
Verse. And his tongue talketh
judgment.
Answer. The righteous speak-
eth wisdom.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The mouth of the
righteous speaketh wisdom.
Verse. The law of his God is
in his heart.
Answer. None of his steps shall
slide.
In Easter-tide the above is said thus:
The mouth of the righteous
speaketh wisdom. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Answer. The mouth of the
righteous speaketh wisdom. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And his tongue talketh
judgment.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The mouth of the
righteous speaketh wisdom. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. The law of his God is
in his heart. Alleluia.
Answer. None of his steps shall
slide. Alleluia.
NONE.
Antiphon. Thou good and faith-
ful servant, &c., (Fifth Antiphon
at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
The law of his God is in his
heart.
Answer. The law of his God is
in his heart.
Verse. None of his steps shall
slide.
Answer. In his heart.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The law of his God is
in his heart.
Verse. The Lord guided the
just in right paths.
Answer. And showed him the
kingdom of God.
In Easter-tide the above is said thus:
The law of his God is in his
heart. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The law of his God
is in his heart. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. None of his steps shall
slide.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The law of his God
is in his heart. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
3 м
864
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Verse. The Lord guided the
just in right paths. Alleluia.
Answer. And showed him the
kingdom of God. Alleluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
not done it. His goods are esta-
blished in the Lord, and all the
congregation of the Saints shall
declare his alms.
Second Lesson. (xxxii. 18.)
Same as at First Vespers, except the WHOSO feareth the Lord will
following.
Verse and Answer from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. 'Lo, a servant of
God who esteemed but little
things earthly,
And by word and work laid him
up treasure in heaven. [Alleluia.]
For Doctors.
O right excellent Teacher, Light
of the Holy Church, N. (here in-
sert his name) blessed lover of the
Divine Law, pray for us to the
Son of God. Alleluia.]
Other Lessons for Feasts of
a Confessor not a Bishop.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book of Ecclesiasticus (xxxi. 8.)
BLESSED is the man that is
receive His discipline: and
they that seek Him early shall
find His blessing. He that seek-
eth the law shall be filled there-
with: but the hypocrites shall
be offended thereat. They that
fear the Lord shall find righ-
teous judgment, and shall kindle
justice as a light. (28.) He that
believeth God taketh heed to the
commandments: and he that trust-
eth in Him shall fare never the
worse. (xxxiii. 1.) There shall no
evil happen unto him that feareth
the Lord: but in temptation God
will keep him, and deliver him
from evil. A wise man hateth
not the commandments and judg-
ments, neither is he tossed to and
fro therein as a ship in a storm.
A man of understanding trusteth
in the law of God, and the law is
faithful unto him.
Third Lesson. (xxxiv. 14.)
THE spirit of those that fear
God is precious, and is blessed
in His sight. For their hope is
in Him that serveth them, and
the eyes of God are upon them
that love Him. Whoso feareth
the Lord shall fear nothing, nor be
afraid, for He is his hope. Blessed
is the soul of him that feareth the
Lord. To Whom doth he look?
And Who is his strength? The
eyes of the Lord are upon them
that fear Him, He is their mighty
protection, and strong stay; a de-
fence from heat, and a cover from
1 An elegiac couplet.
found without blemish, and
hath not gone after gold, neither
hath put his trust in riches nor
in treasure. Who is he, and we
will call him blessed? For won-
derful things hath he done in his
life. Whoso hath been tried
thereby, and found perfect, the
same shall have glory for ever;
who might offend, and hath not
offended; or done evil, and hath
FOR A CONFESSOR NOT A BISHOP.
865
the sun at noon, a preservation
from stumbling, and an help from
falling. He raiseth up the soul,
and lighteneth the eyes; He giv-
eth health, and life, and blessing.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book of Moral [Reflections
upon Job,] written by Pope St.
Gregory [the Great.] (Bk. x.
Chap. xvi. on Job xii.)
THE
IE simplicity of the righteous
is made a subject of derision.
The wisdom of this world hideth
our true feelings by artifice, and
useth language to conceal our
thoughts; this is the wisdom
which demonstrateth the truth of
falsehood, and showeth the false-
hood of the truth. This kind of
shrewdness the young acquire
by practice, and children pay for
the learning it. Those who are
good at this look down upon
their neighbours; those who are
bad at it are humble and timid,
and wonder at it in others;
they regard this astuteness too,
wrong though it be, with wist-
ful admiration, under softened
epithets. Unstraightforwardness
is called good breeding. The prin-
ciples of the world teach those
who entertain them, to try and
rise to distinction, and when they
have attained the bubble of glory
which is so soon to pass away, to
feel it sweet to have at their feet
them on whom they may wreak
rich revenge.
These principles
teach a man, as long as he is
strong enough, to give way to no-
body else, and, if he hath no
chance by force, to try and attain
his object by diplomacy.
Fifth Lesson.
THE wisdom of the righteous is
the contrary of all this. They
seek to avoid deception, to give
their thoughts a clear expression
in their words, to love the truth
because it is the truth, to avoid
falsehood, and rather to suffer
than to inflict evil. Such are they
who seek not to avenge them-
selves for wrong, and deem it gain
to be despised for the truth's sake.
This their simplicity is made a sub-
ject of derision, for such as are wise
in this world believe the purity of
their virtue to be simple foolery.
Whatsoever is done innocently,
they consider without doubt stu-
pid. Such works as the truth
approveth are idiotic, when tried
by carnal standards of wisdom.
After all, what stupider thing is
there in this world than to ex-
press our real thoughts in our
words, to keep nothing quiet by
skilful tact, to repay no injuries,
to pray for them which curse us,
to seek poverty, to give up pro-
perty, to strive not with such as
take from us, to turn the other
cheek to the smiter?

"C
A
Sixth Lesson. (Ch. xvii.)
LAMP despised in the
thoughts of the rich, is
ready for the time appointed."
(Job xii. 5.) It often happeneth
that one of the elect, who is on his
way to be happy for ever, is
crushed down here by repeated
misfortunes. He reposeth in no
luxury of possessions, no distinc-
tion marketh him as honourable
among men, no admiring followers
1 I.e., the just man seems to shine now but dimly, but at the set time, he shall shine in
splendour.-Abp. Kenrick.
3 M 2
1
3
866
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
court him, no rich dress maketh
comely his bodily appearance.
Everybody seeth in him a person
to be looked down upon, and his
reputation is that of one unworthy
of the world's favour. And yet,
that is a man who, to the eyes of
the Judge Who seeth in secret, is
glorious through virtue, whose
life is radiant with worth. He dis-
liketh to be honoured, and doth
not refuse to meet with contempt.
He bringeth abstinence to bear on
his body, and his luxury is spi-
ritual richness in love. He trieth
to keep his feelings patient, and
when he hath to stand up for righ-
teousness' sake, is glad to be de-
spised. He feeleth from his heart
for the afflicted, and the pros-
perity of the godly giveth him as
much pleasure as if it were his
own. He is careful inwardly to
digest the food of the Holy Word.
When he is inquired of, he doth
not know how to give a double
answer.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(xii. 32.)
T that time: JESUS said unto
A
His disciples: Fear not, little
flock, for it is your Father's good
pleasure to give you the kingdom.
And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede,
Priest [at Jarrow.] (Bk. iv. Ch.
54 on Luke xii.)
The elect are called a little
flock, perchance because the re-
probate are far more in number
than they, but, more probably, be-
cause they love to be lowly, since
it is God's will that however much
His Church should grow in num-
bers, she should grow with lowli-
ness even unto the end of the
world, and should enter lowly
into that kingdom which is hers
by His promise. That kingdom
He promiseth to her here, when
He biddeth her to seek only the
kingdom of God, and, to comfort
her in her travail, He doth so
sweetly and so graciously say
that her Father will give it to
her.
CC
Eighth Lesson.
ELL that ye have and give
SELL
alms." Fear not, He saith,
lest, while ye fight for the king-
dom of God, ye should lack such
things as are needful for this life,
nay rather, sell even that which
ye have, and give alms. This doth,
whosoever for the Lord's sake
leaveth all that he hath, and then
worketh with his hands, that so
he may have to eat, and withal to
give alms. In this doth the Apos-
tle boast himself, saying: “I
have coveted no man's silver, or
gold, or apparel, as ye yourselves
know for these hands have mi-
nistered unto my necessities, and
to them that were with me. I
have showed you all things, how
that so labouring ye ought to sup-
port the weak." (Acts xx. 33, 34,
35.)
Ninth Lesson.
"PROVIDE yourselves bags
which wax not old"-that
is to say, by almsgiving, the re-
ward thereof remaineth for ever.
Nevertheless, we must not think
here that this commandment for-
biddeth the Saints to keep money
for their own use, and for helping
of the poor. The Lord Himself,
to Whom angels ministered, had
a bag, and kept therein that which
the faithful people gave unto Him
FOR A CONFESSOR NOT A BISHOP.
867
(John xii. 6,) to relieve therewith
the need of His disciples, and other
poor folk. But we are commanded
not to serve God for gain, nor to
work unrighteousness for fear of
poverty.
If it should be that several Confessors
not Bishops are to be honoured by one
Feast, the Office is the same as that just
given, except the following:
1. In the Common Prayer the words
"Thy blessed Confessor N." are altered
into "Thy blessed Confessors N. and
N.," and the word "his" into" their."
2. In the Sermon by St. John Chry-
sostom everything said in the Singular
Number is altered into the Plural. For
example: "The blessed N. and N.,
whose Feast we are this day keeping,
do justly call, &c., &c."
For Abbats the Office is as above, ex-
cept the following:
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee, that
the prayers of Thy blessed
Abbat N. (here insert his name)
may commend us unto Thee, and
that what for our own worthiness
we cannot obtain, Thou may-
est grant us through his help.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xix. 27, with the
Homily of St. Jerome upon the same,
(p. 809.)
Other Lessons.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xi. 25.)
AT
T that time JESUS answered
and said: I thank Thee, O
Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because Thou hast hid these
things from the wise and pru-
dent, and hast revealed them unto
babes. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop
[of Hippo.] (10th Sermon on the
Words of the Lord.)
Come unto Me, all ye that
labour!" And wherefore labour
we all, but because we are frail,
sickly, dying creatures, burdened
with earthen vessels which dis-
tress us? But if these fleshly
vessels be distressful, let the open
expanse of love be free and wide.
Come unto Me, all ye that la-
bour!"—and why? That we may
labour no more. His promise is
an instant promise, for He calleth
such as are labouring. Perchance
they will ask Him what shall be
their reward? "And I," saith
He, "will give you rest. Take
My yoke upon you, and learn of
Me"-not how to make the world,
not how to create all things visible
and invisible, not to work won-
ders in the earth, nor to raise the
dead-but-"for I am meek and
lowly in heart."
Eighth Lesson.
WILT thou be great? Begin
by being little. Dost thou
think to raise up a lofty build-
ing? Then lay the foundations
thereof in lowliness. The greater
soever, and the more massy, be
that which any man thinketh to
build, so much the deeper doth
he dig his foundation. And when
the house is built, it towereth
heavenward; but he which layeth
the foundation goeth down into
the earth. The building, there-
fore, is low before it is high, and,
after it is low, it riseth high to
the roof.
868
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Ninth Lesson.
WHAT is the roof of the house
on which we labour? Whi-
ther do its spires rise? I answer
you at once; to the presence of
God. You see how high it is, yea,
what it is to see God. He that
will, understandeth what I say,
and he heareth. What is pro-
mised you is to see God, God, the
True, God, the Supreme. Blessed
is he who seeth Him by Whom
he is seen. Such as worship false
gods see them easily, but they see
them who have eyes and see not.
But unto us it is promised that
we shall see that God Who liveth
and seeth. (Gen. xvi. 14.)
Other Lessons.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xix. 27.)
AT that time: Peter said unto
JESUS: Behold, we have for-
saken all, and followed Thee:
what shall we have therefore?
And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede,
Priest [at Jarrow.] (For St. Be-
nedict's Birthday.)
In the judgment to come, the
elect will be in two classes. One
class are they who have forsaken
all, and followed the Lord: and
these shall judge along with Him.
The other class are they who have
not equally forsaken all that they
had, but who have been careful
daily to give alms of their goods
to the poor of Christ: these shall
be the subjects of judgment, and
these are they who shall then
hear these words: "Come, ye
blessed of My Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from
the foundation of the world: for
I was an hungered, and ye gave
Me meat: I was thirsty, and ye
gave Me drink." (Matth. xxv.
34, 35.)
OF
Eighth Lesson.
the reprobate also we gather,
from the words of the Lord,
that there will be two classes.
One class are they who, being
made partakers in the mystery of
Christian faith, have neglected to
show their faith by their works :
these are they to whom it will be
said at the judgment: "Depart
from Me, ye cursed, into everlast-
ing fire, prepared for the devil
and his angels: for I was an-hun-
gered, and ye gave Me no meat.”
(41.) The other class are they
who either have never received
the faith and mysteries of Christ,
or who, having received, have
apostatised, and abandoned it:
and touching these it is said:
'But he that believeth not is
condemned already, because he
hath not believed in the name of
the only-begotten Son of God."
(John iii. 18.)

Ninth Lesson.
ND now that we have touched
A
for a moment, with fear and
just dread, upon these things, let
us rather turn our hearing to the
right joyful promises of our Lord
and Saviour. Let us look what
His so great, beautiful, and fa-
therly love will give to such as
follow Him; not the reward of
life everlasting only, but gifts
exceeding precious in this life
also. Every one," saith He
CC
that hath forsaken houses or
brethren, or sisters, or father, or
mother, or wife, or children, or
lands, for My Name's sake, shall
FOR DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH.
869
""
receive an hundredfold, and shall
inherit everlasting life.' For
every one that shall forsake earth-
ly affections and goods, to go and
be Christ's disciple, the further
he goeth on in Christ's love, the
more shall he find who will re-
joice to give him a place in their
hearts, and to minister to him of
their substance.
VHH. For Doctors of the Church.
The Office is that of a Bishop and
Confessor, or of a Confessor not a
Bishop, (pp. 842 and 855) according as
the particular Doctor was a Bishop or
not, with the differences marked in those
two Offices, and the following.
Lessons.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book of Ecclesiasticus (xxxix.
1.)
HE
E that is wise will seek out
the wisdom of all the antient,
and be occupied in prophecies.
He will keep the sayings of the
renowned men, and where subtil
parables are, he will be there
also. He will seek out the secrets
of grave sentences, and be con-
versant in dark parables. He
will serve among great men, and
appear before princes. He will
travel through strange countries,
for he will try the good and the
evil among men.
Second Lesson.
HE will give his heart to resort
early to the Lord that made
him, and will pray before the
most High. He will open his
mouth in prayer, and make sup-
plication for his sins. If the
great Lord will, He will fill him
with the spirit of understanding,
and he shall make the utterances
of his wisdom to distil as the
rain, and shall give thanks unto
the Lord in his prayer. He shall
direct his counsel and knowledge,
and in His secrets shall he medi-
tate.
Third Lesson.
E shall show forth that which
HE
he hath learnt, and shall
glory in the law of the covenant
of the Lord. Many shall com-
mend his understanding, and it
shall not be blotted out for ever.
His memorial shall not depart
away, and his name shall live from
generation to generation. Nations
shall show forth his wisdom, and
the congregation shall declare his
praise.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book of Moral [Reflections
on Job,] written by Pope St.
Gregory [the Great.] (Bk. ix.
ch. vi.)
'IN
the Book of Job (ix. 9), it
is written that it is God
"which maketh Arcturus, Orion,
and Hyades." Now if by the
constellation Orion be mystically
signified the spiritual constella-
tion of the holy Martyrs, whom
can we understand to be named
after them under the title of the
Hyades, but the Doctors of the
1 The first and part of the second sentence is here inserted for the sake of the sense.
870
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Holy Church? When the glo-
rious constellation of the Martyrs
Sixth Lesson.
T the same time that the
had set, and the light of the faith A Hyades come bringing rain,
grew stronger, then appeared the
constellation of the Doctors in
the firmament of the Church,
even in that spring-time when the
winter of unbelief was past, and
the Sun of truth rose higher to
shine on the hearts of His faith-
ful ones. The storms of perse-
cution were gone, and the long
nights of unbelief were over;
then rose the Doctors to shine
on the Church, when the spring
promised her a year, all the
brighter for the cruel tempest
before.
Fifth Lesson.
the sun daily riseth higher in the
heavens: thus do we, seeing the
learning of the Doctors, and hav-
ing our mind saturated with the
rain of preaching, grow warmer
in faith. And when the hot
heavens [shine fiery over her, the
wet earth tendeth to harvest:
thus do we, when the fire of holy
learning burneth bright in our
heart, tend to bring forth the
fruit of good works. When, day
by day we learn more of the
knowledge of heavenly things, a
spring-time of inward light is
opening within us, a new Sun is
irradiating our mind, and, as we
know Him better by the words of
IT beseemeth well that the holy His Teachers, He doth daily Him-
des, for these stars are so styled
from the Greek word "hyetos,'
and "hyetos" signifieth rain. The
Hyades are therefore named after
rain, because when they rise they
undoubtedly bring rain. Well,
then, do we apply the name of the
Hyades to those who, when they
rise to shine in the firmament of
the universal Church, make the
rain of holy preaching to fall
self shine the more therein.
the end of the world groweth
nearer, the knowledge of things
heavenly will grow greater, and
continue to develop with time.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (v. 13.)
T that time: JESUS said unto

heart. For if the word of preach- A His disciples. Ye are the
ing had not been as rain, then had
Moses never said: "My doctrine
shall drop as the rain," (Deut.
xxxii. 2,) nor had the Truth said
by Isaiah: "I will also command
the clouds that they rain no rain
upon it," (v. 6,) nor yet these
words which we have just quoted :
Therefore the rain-stars have
been withholden."¹
salt of the earth; but if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith
shall it be salted? And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop
[of Hippo.] (Bk. i. on the Lord's
Sermon on the Mount, ch. vi.,
tom. 4.)
The Lord showeth how that
such men are to be esteemed but
1 Quamobrem prohibitæ sunt stellæ pluviarum. This would appear to have been a copy-
ist's blunder in St. Gregory's Bible for "Quamobrem prohibitæ sunt stillæ pluviarum-
Therefore the rain-drops have been withholden.”—Jer. iii. 3.
FOR DOCTORS OF THE CHURCH.
871
fools as do so run after things
temporal, either through lust for
abundance thereof, or through
dread of lack of the same, as to
lose those things which are eter-
nal, and which, as men cannot
give them, so likewise neither can
they take them away. If, there-
fore, the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be salted?
This is as much as to say: Ye
are they by whom the stale mass
of mankind is to be sweetened;
if ye, therefore, through shrink-
ing from the trials of persecutions,
which endure but for a moment,
do yourselves cast away that
kingdom which is everlasting, who
will there be to correct your back-
sliding, seeing that ye be they,
and none other, whom God hath
chosen to correct the backslidings
of all others ?
Eighth Lesson.
"IT is thenceforth good for
nothing, but to be cast out,
and to be trodden under foot of
men." He that suffereth perse-
cution is not thus trodden under
foot of men; he that in good
sooth is trodden under foot of
men, is he which, through fear of
persecution, hath lost his savour.
No man can be trodden upon, un-
less he be beneath him which
treadeth upon him; but he can-
not be beneath his tormentor, who,
suffer he how grievously soever
in his body upon earth, hath still
his heart in heaven.
"YE
Ninth Lesson.
E are the light of the world."
They whom the Lord hath,
just above, called the salt of the
earth, the same doth He now call
the light of the world. By the
earth, whereof they were said to
be the salt, we have not under-
stood to be signified that earth
whereupon we walk with our
bodily feet, but the men which
dwell upon the earth, or sinners,
for the sweetening and correction
of whose stinking corruption the
Lord hath sent His Apostles, as it
were, as so much salt. And so
here also, by the world we are to
understand, not the heavens and
the earth, but the men which are
in the world, or which love the
world for the enlightening of
whom the Apostles have been
sent.
"A city that is set on an
hill cannot be hid"-that is, set
upon the heights of the same
plain and great righteousness,
whereof the mountain upon the
which the Lord taught was itself
a figure.
Another Homily for the Third
Nocturn.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (v. 13.)
T
that time: JESUS said unto
His disciples: Ye are the
salt of the earth. But if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith
shall it be salted? And so on.
Homily by St. Hilary, Bishop
Poitiers.] (Comment. on
[of
Matth. v.)
Ye are the salt of the earth.
But if the salt have lost his
savour, wherewith shall it be
salted? It is thenceforth good
for nothing, but to be cast out,
and to be trodden under foot of
men." There is, I take it, no
such thing as salt of the earth.
How, then, can the Apostles be
called the salt of the earth?
872
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
But the true meaning of these
words will be made plain, when
we consider the duty of Apostles,
and the nature of salt itself.
Now, salt is a compound of the
elements of water and fire, out
of the which two things in salt
there is made one.
THI
Eighth Lesson.
HIS thing, therefore, thus
made to serve in divers ways
the use of men, doth keep from
corruption bodies whereon it is
sprinkled, and doth readily yield
to all the senses the perception of
its inborn savour. And thus are
the Apostles, seeing that they are
the preachers of the kingdom of
heaven, and in a certain sense the
sowers of the seed of life everlast-
ing, since that Word of God which
they scatter hath power to make
this mortal put on immortality.
Meetly then are they called salt,
the savour of whose teaching
doth keep sweet the receiver
thereof even unto life everlast-
ing.
Ninth Lesson.
UT the nature of salt is to be
BUT
ever the same, and unchang-
ing, and, on the other hand, the
nature of man hath this weak-
ness, to be changeable. He only
is blessed who hath continued
even unto the end in all the works
which God hath commanded.
Therefore doth the Lord warn
them whom He calleth the salt of
the earth, that they are behoven
to remain strong in that strength
which He hath given unto them,
lest, becoming themselves savour-
less, they should be impotent to
season others; losing the fresh-
ness of their own saltness, be
unable to stop the corruption
round about them; and so the
Church cast them out of her but-
tery, and they and those that they
should have salted, be together
trodden under foot of such as
enter in.
A Third Homily for the Third
Nocturn.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (v. 13.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto
His disciples: Ye are the
salt of the earth. But if the salt
have lost his savour, wherewith
shall it be salted? And so on.
Homily by St. John Chrysos-
tom, Patriarch [of Constanti-
nople.] (15th on Matth.)
Consider how that the Lord
saith: "Ye are the salt of the
earth," by the which figure He
showeth what a necessary of life
is the Gospel. By this figure, He
hath us to know that they unto
whom He spake have an account
to render, not of their own life
only, but for the whole world.
Not unto two cities, saith the
Lord, nor unto ten, nor unto
twenty, nor unto one people, as I
sent the Prophets, send I you.
But I send you unto every land
and sea, even unto the whole
world, lying groaning, as it is,
under the burden of divers
sins.
Eighth Lesson.
'HESE words, "Ye are the
THE
salt of the earth," show unto
us the whole nature of man as
savourless and stinking with the
strong corruption of sin. And
therefore demandeth He of His
Apostles such qualities as are
FOR VIRGINS.
873
most needful and useful to the
furthering the salvation of many.
He that is gentle and lowly, ten-
der and just, shutteth not up all
these good things in his own
heart, but openeth these bright
fountains that they may gush
forth for the use of his neighbour.
He whose heart is pure, and who
seeketh peace, suffering persecu-
tion for the truth's sake, doth
still lead a life for the good of the
commonwealth.
Ninth Lesson.
THINK not, saith the Lord,
that the struggle is easy
whereunto ye shall be led, neither
shall your reckoning be of light
matters. Ye are the salt of the
earth. Have ye then salted that
which is corrupted? Nay, for it
is impossible that that which is
once corrupted can be made sound
again by the rubbing it with salt.
This it is not asked of them to
do. But their work is to sprinkle
with salt, and to keep fresh there-
after, such things as the Lord
hath given over into their charge,
and which He Himself hath made
new, and freed from all taint, be-
fore giving them. To make sound
after the corruption of sin, is the
work of Christ's power alone; to
preserve from falling away again,
is the duty and the toil com-
manded to the Apostles.
IX. For Virgins,
Whether one or many,
All as on Sundays, except the fol-
lowing.
The "Alleluias" in brackets [ ] are
only inserted during Paschal-time.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, Hymn, and
Prayer from Lauds.
Ps. cix. The LORD said, &c., (p.
146.)
Ps. cxii. Praise the LORD, O ye
His servants, &c., (p. 148.)
Ps. cxxi. I was glad, &c., (p.
156.)
Ps. cxxvi. Except the LORD
build, &c., (p. 158.)
Ps. cxlvii. Praise the LORD, O
Jerusalem, &c., (p. 170.)
For One Virgin.
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
1 Ps. xliv. 5-16.
Martyr or not Martyr.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. Come, Bride of
Christ, and take the everlasting
crown* which the Lord hath pre-
pared for thee. [Alleluia.]
For Many Virgins.
Verse. 'After her shall virgins
be brought unto the King. [Al-
leluia.]
Answer. Her fellows shall be
brought unto thee. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. Trim your lamps,
O ye wise virgins! * Behold the
Bridegroom cometh! Go ye out
to meet Him! [Alleluia.]
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord He is the
King of the Virgins. * O come,
let us worship Him! [Alleluia.]
2 Matth. xxv. 6, 7.
874
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
CHI
Hymn.¹
1.
HILD of the Virgin, Maker of Thy
Mother,
Virgin-engendered, of the Virgin Son,
Virgin is she of whom we sing another
Victory won.
If the Saint be not a Martyr the 2nd
and 3rd verses are omitted.
2.
Double the palm of triumph which she
beareth,
Strove she to vanquish woman's fear
of death:
Quelled now the hand of death and hell
appeareth
Her feet beneath.
3.
Death won no conquest, nor the thou-
sand terrors,
Kindred of death-fierce torments
bravely borne:
Gave she her blood: that blood the ra-
diance mirrors
Of life's new morn.
4.
When she pleads for us, at her sweet
petition,
That we may sing with conscience
pure of sin,
From debt of guilt O grant us Thy re-
mission
And peace within.
5.
Glory to Thee, O Father, Son, and Spirit,
Glory co-equal on the throne on high,
Equal in power, in unity of merit,
Eternally. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time all three Psalms are
said under the first Antiphon.
First Antiphon. 20 how lovely
and glorious is the generation
of the chaste! [Alleluia.]
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, &c.,
(p. 6.)
Second Antiphon. Sing for us
again and again before this maid-
en's bed* the tender idylls of the
play.3
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare,
&c., (p. 16.)
Third Antiphon. Return, re-
turn, O Shulammith! * Return,
return, that we may look upon
thee.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the
LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty-[Alleluia.]
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously and reign. [Alleluia.]
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
First Epistle of the Blessed
Apostle Paul to the Corin-
thians (vii. 25.)
CONCERNING
CONCERNING virgins I have
no commandment of the Lord:
yet I give my judgment, as one
that hath obtained mercy of the
Lord, to be faithful. I suppose,
therefore that this is good for the
present need, that it is good for
a man so to be. Art thou bound
unto a wife? Seek not to be
loosed. Art thou loosed from a
wife? Seek not a wife. But and
if thou marry, thou hast not
sinned. And if a virgin marry,
she hath not sinned. Neverthe-
less, such shall have trouble in
2 Wisd. iv. 1.
¹ Translation by the Rev. G. Moultrie.
3 Drama. The Song of Solomon (the form of which is dramatic,) seems to be the play
referred to.
+ Cant. vi. 13. The translation follows the Hebrew and Latin as to the proper name.
The Breviary text has "Sunamitis,” which seems to be either a misprint or a conjectural
emendation, founded on the belief that the name is a local designation from the town of
Shunem (Cf. 3 (1) Kings i. 3, &c.) But this town, teste Eusebio, was also called "Sulem,”
and is now known as "Solam." However, the most common view has been that the
name is a feminine form of Solomon, (cf. in English, John and Jane, Francis and Frances,
&c.) Vide Gesenius sub vocibus. It is found in the New Testament, under the form of
"Salome." Mark xv. 40, xvi. 1.
FOR VIRGINS.
875
:
the flesh. But I spare you. But
this I say, brethren: The time is
short-it remaineth that both they
that have wives be as though they
had none and they that weep, as
though they wept not; and they
that rejoice, as though they re-
joiced not; and they that buy, as
though they possessed not; and
they that use this world, as not
abusing it. For the fashion of
this world passeth away.
First Responsory for a Virgin and
Martyr.
Come, Bride of Christ, and
take the everlasting crown, which
the Lord hath prepared for thee,
even for thee who for the love of
Him hast shed thy blood, and art
entered with Angels into His gar-
den. [Alleluia.
Verse. Come, O My chosen one,
and I will establish My throne in
thee, for the King hath greatly
desired thy beauty.¹
1
Answer. And thou art entered
with Angels into His garden.
[Alleluia.]
First Responsory for a Virgin not a
Martyr.
Come, O My chosen one, and I
will establish My throne in thee,
for the King hath greatly desired
thy beauty. [Alleluia.]
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty, go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.¹
Answer. For the King hath
greatly desired thy beauty. [Al-
leluia.]
Second Lesson.
BUT I would have you without
carefulness. He that is un-
married careth for the things that
belong to the Lord, how he may
please God. But he that is mar-
ried careth for the things that
are of the world, how he may
please his wife, and he is divided.
The unmarried woman, and the
virgin careth for the things of the
Lord, that she may be holy both
in body and in spirit. But she
that is married careth for the
things of the world, how she may
please her husband. And this Ï
speak for your own profit: not
that I would cast a snare upon
you, but for that which is comely,
and which giveth occasion to at-
tend upon the Lord without dis-
traction.
Second Responsory.
¹Grace is poured into thy lips;
therefore God hath blessed thee
for ever. [Alleluia.]
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty, go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. God hath blessed thee
for ever. [Alleluia.]
Third Lesson.
[Fany man think that he behav
eth himself uncomely toward
his virgin, if she pass the flower
of her age, and need so require,
let him do what he will-he sin-
neth not, and if she marry. Never-
theless, he that standeth stead-
fast in his heart, having no ne-
cessity, but hath power over his
own will, and hath so decreed in
his heart, that he will keep his
virgin, doeth well. So then, he
that giveth his virgin in marriage
doeth well; and he that giveth
her not, doeth better. The wife
is bound by law as long as her
husband liveth. But if her hus-
band have fallen asleep, she is
free; she may marry whom she
1 Ps. xliv. 13, 5, 3
3.
876
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
will-only, in the Lord. But she
will be happier if she so abide,
after my judgment-and I also
think that I have the Spirit of
God.
Third Responsory.
In thy comeliness and thy beau-
ty, go forward, fare prosperously,
and reign. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips, therefore God hath blessed
thee for ever.
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time all three Psalms are
said under the first Antiphon.
First Antiphon. In thy come-
liness and thy beauty, *
go for-
ward, fare prosperously, and reign.
[Alleluia.]
Ps. xliv. My heart is overflow-
ing, &c., (p. 36.)
Second Antiphon. God shall
help her with His countenance ; *
God is in the midst of her; she
shall not be moved.
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge,
&c., (p. 37.)
Third Antiphon. 'Many waters
cannot quench love.
*
Ps. xlvii. Great is the LORD,
&c., (p. 38.)
Verse. God shall help her with
His countenance. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Ser-
mons of St. Ambrose, Bishop
[of Milan.] (Bk. i. on Virgins.)
HIS day is a maiden's Birth-
THIS
day. The love of virginity
provoketh us to say somewhat
touching maidenhood, lest, if we
pass thereby, we should seem to
cast a slur on that which was her
chief strength. Virginity is not
to be praised because it is a grace
which is poured forth in Martyrs,
but because it is a grace which
maketh Martyrs. But what un-
derstanding of man can rightly
grasp this excellency which riseth
above the laws of nature herself?
What natural voice can pourtray
a thing which is supernaturally
noble ? It is a reflection on earth
of a glory whose home is in hea-
ven. And it is but that which
we may justly look for, when we
see her who hath her Husband in
heaven, live a life whose model
is the life of heaven.
Fourth Responsory.
Because of truth, and meek-
ness, and righteousness; and thy
right hand shall lead thee won-
derfully. [Alleluia.]
Verse. In thy comeliness, and
thy beauty, go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. And thy right hand
shall lead thee wonderfully. [Al-
leluia.]
IT
Fifth Lesson.
was maiden-hood that pierced
beyond the clouds, the atmos-
phere, the Angels, and the stars,
and came upon the Word of God
in the very bosom of the Father,
and sucked Him into her heart.
For who, that hath once found such
¹ Cant. viii. 7.
Answer. God is in the midst of
her; she shall not be moved. [Al-
leluia.]
FOR VIRGINS.
877
blessedness, would leave it again?
"For thy name is as ointment
poured forth, therefore do the
virgins love thee," and draw thee
after them. (Cant. i. 3.) Lastly,
it is not I, but the Lord by Whom
it is said that they which neither
marry nor are given in marriage
are as the angels of God in hea-
ven. (Matth. xxii. 30.) Let no
man therefore marvel that they
which be married unto the Lord
of angels should be likened them-
selves to angels.
Fifth Responsory.
'Thou hast loved righteousness,
and hated iniquity; therefore God,
thy God, hath anointed thee with
the oil of gladness. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Because of truth, and
meekness, and righteousness.
Answer. Therefore God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the
oil of gladness. [Alleluia.]
Sixth Lesson.
WHO would
HO would deny that this is
a life which hath come down
from heaven, seeing it is a life
whereof it is not easy to find an
ensample before God came down
to dwell in a Body of clay?
Then was it a virgin which con-
ceived Him in her womb, and the
Word was made Flesh, that Flesh
might be made God. Some will
say: Concerning Elias also, we
find not that he shared in the
lusting after a bodily coming-
together. Yea; and therefore is
it that he was carried up in a
fiery chariot into heaven; there-
fore is it that he is seen with the
Lord amid all the glory of the
Transfiguration; therefore it is
that he is to come as a Forerun-
ner of the Lord's coming again.
1 Ps. xliv. 9.
Sixth Responsory.
After her shall virgins be
brought unto the King, her fel-
lows shall be brought unto thee
with gladness and rejoicing. [Al-
leluia.
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty, go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. They shall be brought
unto thee with gladness and re-
joicing. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. They shall be brought
unto thee with gladness and re-
joicing. [Alleluia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time all three Psalms are
said under the first Antiphon.
*
First Antiphon. I am black
but comely, O ye daughters of
Jerusalem; therefore hath the
King loved me, and brought me
into his chamber. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD,
&c., (p. 72.)
Second Antiphon. Draw me
after thee; * we will run after
the savour of thy good ointments;
thy name is as oil poured forth.
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth,
&c., (p. 73.)
Third Antiphon. Come, Bride
of Christ,* and take the everlast-
ing crown with the Lord hath
prepared for thee.
Ps. xcvii. O sing unto the
LORD, &c., (p. 74.)
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. [Alleluia.]
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle. [Alle-
luia.]
2 Cant. i. 5, 4.
878
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xxv. 1.)
A
T that time: JESUS said to
His disciples: The Kingdom
of heaven shall be likened unto
ten virgins, which took their
lamps, and went forth to meet
the Bridegroom and the Bride.
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (12th on the Gos-
pels.)
Dearly beloved brethren; often-
times do I warn you to fly corrupt
conversation, and to keep your-
selves unspotted from the world.
But the portion which is this day
read from the Holy Gospel doth
oblige me to say that even to
these good things which ye do, ye
must needs take all careful heed.
Look ye well to it, that, when ye
work righteousness, ye do it not
as seeking the praise and admira-
tion of men, for if the lust of
praise do once creep in, that which
seemeth so fair without, loseth its
reward within. Behold how the
Redeemer speaketh of these ten
virgins. He calleth them all vir-
gins, yet entered not all of them
into the door of blessedness, for
there were some of them who
sought outwardly the honour of
virginity, but would take no oil
within their vessels with their
lamps.
Seventh Responsory.
This is one of those wise vir-
gins whom the Lord found watch-
ing, for when she took her lamp,
she took oil with her. And when
the Lord came, she went in with
him to the marriage. [Alleluia.]
Verse. At midnight there was
a cry made: Behold! the Bride-
groom cometh! go ye out to meet
him!
Answer. And when the Lord
came, she went in with Him to
the marriage. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Blessing.
She (or they) whose feast-day
we are keeping,
Be our Advocate (or Advocates)
with God.
Eighth Lesson.
BUT, first of all, it is for us to
ask: What is the kingdom
of Heaven? And wherefore shall
the same be likened unto ten
virgins, whereof, albeit five were
wise, yet five were foolish? For
if the kingdom of heaven be such
that there shall in no wise enter
into it anything that defileth, nei-
ther whatsoever worketh abomi-
nation, or maketh a lie, (Apoc.
xxi. 27,) how can it be like unto
five virgins which were foolish ?
But we must know that, in the
word of God, the kingdom of hea-
ven doth oftentimes signify the
Church as she now is, touching
the which the Lord saith in ano-
ther place: "The Son of Man
shall send forth His Angels, and
they shall gather out of His king-
dom all things that offend.'
(Matth. xiii. 41.) In that king-
dom of Blessedness, wherein peace
shall have her perfect reign, there
shall be nothing found that of-
fendeth for the angels to gather
out.
Eighth Responsory.
"
At midnight there was a cry
made: Behold! the Bridegroom
cometh! go ye out to meet him!
[Alleluia.]
FOR VIRGINS.
879
Verse. Trim your lamps, O ye
wise virgins.
Answer. Behold! the Bride-
groom cometh! go ye out to meet
him! [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Behold! the Bride-
groom cometh! go ye out to meet
him! [Alleluia.]
THE
Ninth Lesson.
HE body of every man doth
consist of five senses, and
five being doubled, is ten. For-
asmuch, therefore, as the whole
body of the faithful doth consist
of two sexes, the Holy Church is
likened unto ten virgins. And
forasmuch as in the Church the
good are for the present mingled
with the bad, and the reprobate
with the elect, it is rightly said
that, of the ten virgins, five are
wise and five are foolish. There
are many who have self-control,
which do keep themselves from
lusting after things outward,
whose hope beareth them to
things inward, who chastise the
flesh, who long with intense home-
sickness for their Fatherland
which is in heaven, who seek an
eternal reward, and who will not
to receive for their labours the
praise of men. These are they
who reckon their glory, not in
the mouths of men, but in the
testimony of their own conscience.
And many there be likewise who
afflict the body by self-control,
and yet who seek for their self-
control applause from men.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
1 Wisd. iii. 13.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. This is one of
the wise virgins, * one chosen out
of the number of the careful. [Al-
leluia.]
Second Antiphon. This is one
of the wise virgins, whom the
Lord found watching. [Alle-
luia.]
*
Third Antiphon. This is one
which hath not known the sinful
bed, she shall have fruit in the
visitation of holy souls. [Al-
leluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. Come, O My
chosen one, * and I will establish
My throne in thee. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. She is beauti-
ful * among the daughters of Je-
rusalem. Alleluia.1

Chapter. (2 Cor. x. 17.)
BRETHREN, he that glorieth,
let him glory in the Lord.
For not he that commendeth him-
self is approved, but whom the
Lord commendeth.
Hymn.2
JESU, the Virgin's Crown, do Thou
Accept us, as in prayer we bow;
Born of that Virgin, whom alone
The Mother and the Maid we own.
Amongst the lilies Thou dost feed,
With Virgin choirs accompanied;
With glory decked, the spotless brides
Whose bridal gifts Thy love provides.
They, wheresoe'er Thy footsteps bend,
With hymns and praises still attend;
In blessed troops they follow Thee,
With dance, and song, and melody.
We pray Thee therefore to bestow
Upon our senses here below,
Thy grace, that so we may endure
From taint of all corruption pure.
2 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Neale.
3 N
880
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
All laud to God the Father be:
All laud, Eternal Son, to Thee:
All laud, as is for ever meet,
To God the Holy Paraclete. Amen.
For one Virgin.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever.
For many Virgins.
Verse. After her shall virgins
be brought unto the King. [Al-
leluia.]
Answer. Her fellows shall be
brought unto thee. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Za-
charias. For one Virgin. The
kingdom of heaven is like unto
a merchantman* seeking goodly
pearls, who, when he had found
one pearl of great price, went and
sold all that he had, and bought
it. [Alleluia.]
For many Virgins. Trim your
lamps, O ye wise virgins!* Behold!
the Bridegroom cometh! go ye
out to meet him! [Alleluia.]
Prayer for a Virgin and Martyr.
GOD, Who, amidst the won-
drous work of Thy Divine
power, dost make even weak
women to be more than conquerors
in the uplifting of their testimony,
mercifully grant unto all us which
do keep the Birthday of Thy
blessed handmaiden and witness
N. (here mention her name) grace
to follow her steps to Thee-ward.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
Another Prayer for a Virgin and
Martyr.
0
LORD, we pray Thee that
Thy blessed handmaiden
and witness N., (here mention her
name,) in whom Thou hast ever
been well pleased, because of her
worthy maidenhood and her
mighty showing-forth of Thy
power, may entreat Thy pardon
on our behalf. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
GR
Prayer for a Virgin not a Martyr.
RACIOUSLY hear us, O God
of our salvation, and grant
that as the Birthday of Thy
blessed handmaiden N. (here
mention her name) doth make us
happier, so the fruit of her godly
earnestness may make us better.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
Prayer for many Virgins, Martyrs.
GR
RANT unto us, we beseech
Thee, O Lord, our God, that
we may ever call to mind, with all
worship and thanksgiving, the vic-
tory of Thy holy Virgin Martyrs
NÑ., (here mention their names,)
and although we know that our
mind cannot comprehend Thee
Who art this day their exceeding
great reward, give us always the
grace humbly to worship Thee.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
1 Matth. xiii. 45, 46.
FOR VIRGINS.
881
PRIME.
Antiphon. This is one, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end.
For a Virgin and Martyr. (Ecclus.
li. 13.)
0
LORD my God, Thou hast
lifted up my dwelling from
the earth; and I prayed for de-
liverance from death-I called
upon the Lord, the Father of my
Lord, that He would not leave
me in the days of my trouble,
and in the time of the proud,
when there was no help.
For a Virgin not a Martyr. (Wisd.
iv. 1.)
HOW lovely and glorious is
the generation of the chaste!
For the memorial thereof is im-
mortal, because it is known with
God and with men.
TERCE.
Antiphon. This is one, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
In thy comeliness and in thy
beauty.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty.
Verse. Go forward, fare pros-
perously and reign.
Answer. In thy beauty.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty.
Verse. God shall help her with
His countenance.
Answer. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus:
In thy comeliness and in thy
beauty. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. God shall help her with
His countenance. Alleluia.
Answer. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
leluia.
Prayer from Lauds.
SEXT.
Al-
Antiphon. This is one, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (2 Cor. xi. 2.)
FOR I am jealous over you
with godly jealousy. For I
have espoused you to one hus-
band, that I may present you as
a chaste virgin to Christ.
Short Responsory.
God shall help her with His
countenance.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance.
Verse. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
Answer. With His counten-
ance.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance.
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
3N2
882
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
In Paschal-time the above is said thus :
God shall help her with His
countenance. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. God hath chosen her
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia.
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle. Alleluia.
Prayer from Lauds.
NONE.
Antiphon. She is beautiful, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
God hath chosen her, and fore-
chosen her.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
Verse. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
Answer. And fore-chosen her.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips.
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever.
In Paschal-time the above is said thus:
God hath chosen her, and fore-
chosen her. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips. Alleluia.
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. Alleluia.
Prayer from Lauds.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as at First, except the following.
For one Virgin.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. [Alleluia.]
Other Lessons for Virgins.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book of Ecclesiasticus (li. 1.)
I WILL thank Thee, O Lord
and King, and praise Thee,
O God my Saviour. I will give
praise unto Thy Name; for Thou
hast been mine Helper and De-
dy from destruction, and from the
fender, and hast preserved my bo-
snare of the slanderous tongue,
and from the lips that forge
lies, and hast been mine Helper
against mine adversaries. And
hast delivered me, according to
the multitude of the mercies of
FOR VIRGINS.
883
Thy Name, from them that roared
against me, and that were ready
to devour me: out of the hands
of such as sought after my life,
and from the gates of trouble
that were open all around me:
from the choking of the fire that
compassed me, so that when I
stood in the midst of the flame I
was not scorched : from the depth
of the belly of hell, from an un-
clean tongue, and from lying
words, and from an unjust king,
and from an unrighteous tongue.
Second Lesson.
MY soul shall praise the Lord
even unto death, for my
life was near to the hell beneath.
They compassed me on every side,
and there was no man to help
me. I looked for the succour of
men, but there was none. Then
thought I upon Thy mercy, O
Lord, and upon Thine acts of old;
how Thou deliverest such as wait
for Thee, O Lord, and savest
them out of the hands of the
people.
Third Lesson.
THOU hast lifted up my dwell-
THO
ing from the earth, and I
prayed for deliverance from death.
I called upon the Lord, the Father
of my Lord, that He would not
leave me in the days of my
trouble, and in the time of the
proud, when there was no help.
I will praise Thy Name con-
tinually, and will sing praise
with thanksgiving; for that my
prayer was heard. For Thou
savedst me from destruction, and
deliveredst me from the evil time.
Therefore will I give thanks, and
praise Thee, and bless the Name
of the Lord.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book of the holy Martyr Cyp-
rian, Bishop [of Carthage,]
concerning the rules and cloth-
ing of Virgins. (2.)
AM now to address myself to
virgins, and as their condition
is one of such glorious exaltation,
I am the more behoven to be care-
ful. This mass of consecrated
virginity is the flower upon the
plant of the Church. It is the
charm and loveliness of spiritual
grace. It is a generation of glad-
ness. It is a work of praise and
honour, untouched and uncor-
rupted. It is the image of God
reflecting the holiness of the
Lord. It is the brightest portion
of the flock of Christ. It is the
joy of our holy Mother the
Church, and the rich blossom of
her glorious fruitfulness, and
every addition to the number of
her virgins is an increase of her
gladness. To these I speak, them
I exhort, more in tenderness than
in authority. Not that I, who
am so worthless, and little, and
feel so keenly the lowliness of
mine own estate, would speak as
finding any fault to reprove, but
because when I feel the tenderest
care, I feel the most nervous
dread of any troubling by the
wicked one.

Fifth Lesson.
THIS is not an unreasonable
care, nor a groundless dread,
which looketh to the way of sal-
vation and keepeth the life-giving
commandments of the Lord, to
the end that they, who have con-
secrated themselves to Christ, who
have turned their back for ever
884
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
upon the pleasure of the flesh,
who have vowed themselves God's
own in body as well as in mind,
may finish the work for which so
vast a reward awaiteth them;
that they may desire no more to
seem fair or pleasing in any eyes
but those of the Lord, from
Whose hand they look to receive
the wage of their continence, as
He Himself hath said:
"All
men cannot receive this saying,
save they to whom it is given.
For there are some eunuchs which
were so born from their mother's
womb; and there are some eu-
nuchs which were made eunuchs
of men; and there be eunuchs
which have made themselves eu-
nuchs for the kingdom of heaven's
sake. He that is able to receive
it, let him receive it." (Matth.
xix. 11, 12.)
Sixth Lesson.
ND yet again, the voice of an
AN
Angel hath proclaimed what
is the reward of continence.
"These are they which were not
defiled with women; for they are
virgins. These are they which
follow the Lamb whithersoever He
goeth." (Apoc. xiv. 4.) Neither
is it to man only that the Lord
hath promised this glorious re-
ward for virginity. He passeth
not by women, but, since the
woman is made out of the man,
and taken and formed from him,
God in His Holy Scriptures useth
mostly to address Himself to the
race in the form wherein He
originally created it, for they are
twain in one flesh, and when man-
kind is spoken of, womankind
also is signified. But if con-
tinence be a following of Christ,
and virginity have her aim in the
kingdom of heaven, what concern
have such with earthly finery,
or with self-adorning, whereby,
while they seek to please men,
they offend God?
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xix. 3.)
AT
T that time: the Pharisees
came unto JESUS, tempting
Him and saying unto Him: Is it
lawful for a man to put away his
wife for any cause? And so on.
Homily by St. John Chrysos-
tom, Patriarch [of Constanti-
nople.] (63rd on Matthew.)
Seeing that directly to exhort
them unto virginity was well-nigh
more than they could bear, our
Lord seeketh to draw them to
the desire thereof, taking occasion
by the needfulness of a law a-
gainst divorce. Then He showeth
that virginity is possible, saying:
"There are some eunuchs which
were so born from their mother's
womb; and there are some eu-
nuchs which were made eunuchs
of men; and there be eunuchs
which have made themselves eu-
nuchs for the kingdom of heaven's
sake." In these words He per-
suadeth them indirectly to choose
virginity, while He teacheth them
that such a gift is not so good as
to be impossible.
Eighth Lesson.
THIS His doctrine He esta-
blisheth somewhat thus. Sup-
posing that thou hadst been born
a eunuch by nature, or hadst been
made a eunuch by the cruelty of
men, so that thou hadst no sexual
enjoyment, and hadst no credit
for having none, what wouldest
FOR VIRGINS.
885
thou do? Give God thanks there-
fore, that thou dost, for a reward
and a crown, what such others
suffer with no reward and no
crown-yea, and that, rather a
lighter burden than the same, and
that not only because thou hast
the joy of hope, and of knowing
that thou doest well, but also
because thou art not so bat-
tered by storms of desire as they
are.
Ninth Lesson.
WHEN, therefore, He had
spoken of such as are eu-
nuchs by nature, or by mutilation,
and are eunuchs vainly and use-
lessly, unless they also bridle
their thoughts, and of such as
deny themselves for the kingdom
of heaven's sake, He added:
"He that is able to receive it,
let him receive it," that He might
make them the readier by show-
ing the very sternness of the
work, and, in His unspeakable
goodness, He would not include
any such precept within the re-
quirements of the law, and, by
saying this, showeth it to be the
more possible, that He might in-
crease the desire of freely choos-
ing it.
Simple Office for Virgins.
The Office is as on a Semi-double, with
the following exceptions.
FIRST VESPERS.
The Office is of the Week-day, till the
Chapter exclusive.
The Office of the Saint or Saints be-
gins with the Chapter, which, as also
the Hymn, Verse and Answer, Anti-
phon at the Song of the Blessed Virgin,
and Prayer, are all as just given. The
Common Commemorations are made or
not according to the Week-day.
At Compline are said Preces.
MATTINS.
The Invitatory and Hymn are as
just given.
Then follow the Week-day Psalms,
with their own Antiphons.
On Mondays and Thursdays.
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
On Tuesdays and Fridays.
Verse. God shall give her the
help of His countenance. [Alle-
luia.]
Answer. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved. [Al-
leluia.]
For Wednesdays.
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. [Alleluia.]
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle. [Alle-
luia.]
First Blessing.
May His blessing be upon us,
Who doth live and reign for
ever.
First Lesson from Scripture accord-
ing to the Season, being either the first
part, or, if the Saint or Saints have two
Lessons, the whole read as one, at will.
First Responsory.
On Monday and Thursday.
Come, Bride of Christ, &c. Or,
Come, O My chosen one, &c., (p.
875.)
On Tuesday and Friday.
Because of truth and meekness,
&c., (p. 876.)
On Wednesday.
This is one of those wise vir-
gins, &c., (p. 878.)
a
886
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Second Blessing.
She (or they) whose feast-day
we are keeping,
Be our Advocate (or Advocates)
with God.
Second Lesson is the first of the Le-
gend of the Saint or Saints, if there be
two; if not, it is the second from Scrip-
ture, to which the third may be added at
will.
Second Responsory.
On Monday and Thursday.
Grace is poured into thy lips,
&c., (p. 875,) with this addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God hath blessed thee
for ever. [Alleluia.]
On Tuesday and Friday.
Thou hast loved righteousness,
&c., (p. 877,) with this addition :
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Therefore God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the
oil of gladness. [Alleluia.]
On Wednesday.
At midnight, &c., (p. 878.)
Third Blessing.
May He That is the angels'
King
To that high realm His people
bring.
Third Lesson, the whole or second
part of the Lesson of the Feast.
Then the Hymn, "We praise Thee,
O God, &c.," is said, and so end Mat-
tins.
The rest as on a Semi-double, as just
given; it ends at None,inclusive; Preces
are said at Prime, and the Common Com-
memorations are made at Lauds or not,
according to the Week-day.
X. For Holy Women.
Whether One or Many, Martyr or not Martyr, but not Virgin.
All as on Sundays, except the follow-
ing.
In Paschal-time are inserted the "Al-
leluias" here given in brackets [ ].
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, Hymn and Prayer
from Lauds.
Ps. cix. The LORD said, &c.,
(p. 146.)
Ps. cxii. Praise the LORD, O
ye His servants, &c., (p. 148.)
Ps. cxxi. I was glad, &c., (P.
156.)
Ps. cxxvi. Unless the LORD
build, &c., (p. 158.)
Ps. cxlvii. Praise the LORD, O
Jerusalem, &c., (p. 170.)
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
*
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. 'The kingdom of
heaven is like unto a merchant-
man, seeking goodly pearls;
who, when he had found one
pearl of great price, gave up all
that he had and bought it. TAI-
leluia.]
1 Matth. xiii. 45, 46.
FOR HOLY WOMEN.
887
MATTINS.
Invitatory. For the godly life
of Blessed N. * (here insert her
name), let us praise our God.
Hymn.
WHEN she pleads for us, at her sweet
petition,
That we may sing with conscience pure
of sin,
From debt of guilt, O grant us Thy
remission
And peace within.
Glory to Thee, O Father, Son, and Spirit,
Glory co-equal on the throne on high!
Equal in power, in unity of merit
Eternally! Amen.
Lessons for a Martyr from Ecclus. li. 1,
(p. 882.)
For a Woman not a Martyr.
WHO
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Proverbs of Solomon (xxxi. 10.)
HO can find a virtuous wo-
man? For her price is far
above the rarest merchandise.
The heart of her husband doth
safely trust in her, so that he
shall have no need of spoil. She
will do him good and not evil, all
the days of her life. She seeketh
wool and flax, and worketh wisely
with her hands. She is like the
merchant's ship, she bringeth her
food from afar; she riseth also,
while it is yet night, and giveth
meat to her household, and a por-
tion to her maidens. She con-
sidereth a field, and buyeth it;
with the fruit of her hands she
plantẹth a vineyard. She girdeth
her loins with strength, and
strengtheneth her arms.
First Responsory.
will establish My throne in thee,
for the King hath greatly desired
thy beauty. [Alleluia.]
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty, go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. For the King hath
greatly desired thy beauty. [Al-
leluia.]
Second Lesson.
HE tasteth and perceiveth that
SHE
her merchandise is good. Her
candle goeth not out by night.
She layeth her hands to hard
work, and her fingers hold the
distaff. She spreadeth out her
hands to the poor, yea, she reach-
eth forth her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid of the cold of
snow for, her household, for all
her servants are clothed with
double garments. She maketh
for herself coverings of tapestry:
her clothing is fine linen and
purple. Her husband is known
in the gates, when he sitteth
among the elders of the land.
She maketh linen and selleth it,
and delivereth girdles unto the
Canaanite.¹
Second Responsory.
Grace is poured into thy lips;
therefore God hath blessed thee
for ever. [Alleluia.]
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty, go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. God hath blessed thee
for ever. [Alleluia.]
STR
Third Lesson.
TRENGTH and honour are
her clothing; and she will
laugh in the latter day. She
Come, O My chosen one, and I openeth her mouth with wisdom,
1 Used by the Jews for an itinerant trader, much as we call a tramp an Egyptian (vulg.
Gipsy.)
888
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
and in her tongue is the law of
kindness She looketh well to the
ways of her household, and eateth
not the bread of idleness. Her
children arise up, and call her
blessed; her husband, and he
praiseth her. Many daughters
have gotten riches, but thou ex-
cellest them all. Favour is de-
ceitful, and beauty is vain: a
woman that feareth the LORD, she
shall be praised. Give her of the
fruit of her hands, and let her own
works praise her in the gates.
Third Responsory.
In thy comeliness and thy beau-
ty, go forward, fare prosperously,
and reign. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips, therefore God hath blessed
thee for ever.
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book upon Widows by St. Am-
brose, Bishop [of Milan.] (Near
the end.)
I
BEHOLD the field of the
Church, that the same is a
fruitful field, somewhile smiling
with the brightness of virginity,
somewhile golden with the ripe
harvest of widowhood, somewhile
rich with the crop of marriage.
These things be diverse, but they
be the fruits of the same field.
There are not so many choice
lilies as stalks of bearded grain,
ears for the harvest, and there
are more places in the soil fitted
once to receive seed than there
are places which, when they have
yielded a crop, are fitted again
to be ploughed. Good, then, is
widowhood, which the judgment
of an Apostle hath so often com-
mended, widowhood, which is the
teacher of faith and of purity.

Fourth Responsory.
Because of truth, and meek-
ness, and righteousness; and thy
right hand shall lead thee won-
derfully. [Alleluia.]
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty, go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. And thy right hand
shall lead thee wonderfully. [Al-
leluia.]
THE
Fifth Lesson.
'HEREFORE, they who wor-
ship adultery and unclean-
ness in their gods made celibacy
and widowhood punishable. They
who lusted after abominations,
taxed self-control. The pretence
was the desire of fruitfulness, but
the aim was to abolish virginity,
the resolution of chastity. When
a soldier hath served his time he
layeth down his arms, leaveth his
trade, and retireth him to his own
lands, that as well himself may
rest after the toils of life, as that
the hope of rest to come may
make others the more ready to
undergo work. So also the aged
labourer leaveth it for others to
guide the handle of the plough,
and withdraweth from the weari-
ness of his younger days' labour
to essay the task of an old
man's thoughtful supervision. It
is easier to prune vines, than to
stamp them out, to check the
first wild outburst of their vigour,
FOR HOLY WOMEN.
889
and to curtail the wantonness of
their young growth, so teaching,
even by the ensample of the vine-
yard, that chastity, which keepeth
itself within the bearing of but a
few children.
Fifth Responsory.
Thou hast loved righteousness,
and hated iniquity; therefore
God, thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. Because of truth, and
meekness, and righteousness.
Answer. Therefore God, thy
God, hath anointed thee with the
oil of gladness. [Alleluia.]
L
Sixth Lesson.
IKE to these is a widow, a
veteran retiring to rest upon
God she shall be praised. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. Give her of the fruit of
her hands, and let her own works
praise her in the gates.
Answer. A woman that feareth
God, she shall be praised. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. A woman that feareth
God, she shall be praised. [Alle-
luia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Mat-
thew (xiii. 44.)
the earned rewards of her chas-AT that time: JESUS spake unto
tity, and who, albeit she layeth
down the arms of wifehood, still
ruleth the order of all her house-
hold; albeit she be at rest from
bearing burdens, she is careful in
the marriage of her youngers, and
with the wisdom of age chooseth
what study is the most useful,
what fruit is the richest, what
wedlock is the meetest. And so,
if the government of the field be
given more to the elder than to
the younger, wherefore shouldest
thou hold that a wife is more
useful than a widow? But if
they which persecuted the faith
persecuted also widowhood, then,
surely, in the eyes of them which
hold the faith, must widowhood
be looked upon as a reward,
rather than shrunk from as a
punishment.
Sixth Responsory.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty
is vain: a woman that feareth
His disciples this parable:
The kingdom of heaven is like
unto treasure hid in a field. And
so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (11th on the Gos-
pels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, the
kingdom of heaven is likened
unto the things of earth, to the
end that by the mean of things
which we know, our mind may
rise to the contemplation of the
things which we know not; by
the ensample of things which are
seen, may fix her gaze on things
which are not seen; by the touch
of things which she useth, may
be warmed towards the things
which she useth not; by things
which she knoweth and loveth,
to love also the things which she
knoweth not. For, behold, "the
kingdom of heaven is likened
unto treasure hid in a field, the
which when a man hath found, he

890
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
hideth, and, for joy thereof, goeth
and selleth all that he hath and
buyeth that field."
Seventh Responsory.
She openeth her mouth with
wisdom, and in her tongue is the
law of kindness. She looketh
well to the ways of her house-
hold, and eateth not the bread of
idleness. [Alleluia.]
Verse. She tasteth and perceiv-
eth that her merchandise is good.
Her candle goeth not out by
night.
Answer. And she eateth not the
bread of idleness. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Lesson.
AND herein we must remark
that the treasure, when once
it hath been found, is hidden to
keep it safe. He who keepeth not
hidden from the praises of men his
eager striving heavenwards, doth
not enough to keep the same safe
from the attacks of evil spirits.
In this life we are, as it were,
on the way home, and the road
is beset by evil spirits, as it were,
by highwaymen. He, therefore,
inviteth robbery who carrieth his
treasure glaringly. This I say,
not that our neighbour should not
see our good works-since it is
written: "Let your light so shine
before men that they may see
your good works, and glorify
your Father Which is in heaven"
(Matth. v.16)—but that we should
not seek, by what we do, to gain
the praise of men. Let the out-
ward work agree with the inward
thought, that by our good works
we may give an ensample to our
neighbour, and still, by our inten-
tion, directed only to the pleasing
1 Cf. Phil. iii. 8.
God, we may also have liefer that
our works were secret.
Eighth Responsory.
'The kingdom of this world and
all the beauty of life I have es-
teemed as nothing, for the excel-
lency of the love of JESUS Christ
my Lord, Whom, having seen, I
loved; Whom, having believed, I
longed after. [Alleluia.]
Verse. My heart is overflowing
with a good matter; I speak of
my works unto the King.
Answer. Whom, having seen, I
loved; Whom, having believed, I
longed after. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.

I
Answer. Whom, having seen,
loved; Whom, having believed, I
longed after. [Alleluia.]
Ninth Lesson.
'HE treasure is the desire for
THE
heaven; the field wherein it
is hidden is the earnest observ-
ance wherewith this desire is sur-
rounded. Whosoever turneth his
back upon the enjoyments of the
flesh, and by earnest striving hea-
venward, putteth all earthly lusts
under the feet of discipline, so
that he smileth back no more
when the flesh smileth at him,
and shuddereth no more at any-
thing that can only kill the body
-whosoever doth thus, hath sold
all that he had, and bought that
field.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. While the king
* sitteth at his table, my spikenard
* Cant. i. 12.
FOR HOLY WOMEN.
891
sendeth forth the smell thereof.
[Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. 'We will run
after thee, * in the savour of thy
good ointments. The virgins love
them exceedingly. [Alleluia.]
*
Third Antiphon. 'Lo! the winter
is past, the rain is over and gone.
Rise up, my love, and come away.
[Alleluia.]
*
Fourth Antiphon. Come, O My
chosen one, and I will establish
My throne in thee. Alleluia.
Omit this Alleluia between Septua-
gesima and Easter.
Fifth Antiphon. She is beauti-
ful * among the daughters of Je-
rusalem. [Alleluia.]
I
Chapter for a Martyr. (Ecclus. li. 1.)
WILL thank Thee, O Lord
and King, and praise Thee, O
God my Saviour. I will give
praise unto Thy Name, for Thou
hast been my Helper and De-
fender, and hast preserved my
body from destruction.
WHO
Chapter for a Woman neither Virgin
nor Martyr. (Prov. xxxi. 10.)
HO can find a virtuous wo-
man? For her price is far
above the rarest merchandise.
The heart of her husband doth
safely trust in her, so that he
shall have no need of spoil.
Hymn.2
LAUD we the Saint most sweet
Shining in glory blest,
Who bore a hero's noble heart
Within a woman's breast.
Pierced with the love of Christ
The world's false love she fled :
And Heavenward with might and main
Upon her journey sped.
With fasts she pined the flesh,
But on sweet food of prayer
Feasted her spirit pure; and now
Doth joys eternal share.
1 Cant. i. 4, 3; ii. 11, 10.
O Christ our King and God!
Thou strength of all the strong!
To Whom alone all holy deeds,
And all great works belong;
For her deep plaints on high,
To us propitious be;
And in the glorious Trinity
Glory eterne to Thee. Amen.

Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. Give her of the fruit of her
hands, and let her own works
praise her in the gates. [Alleluia.]
Prayer as for Virgins.
GRACIOUSLY hear us, O God
of our salvation, and grant
that as the Birthday of Thy
blessed handmaid N. (here mention
her name) doth make us happier,
so the fruit of her godly earnest-
ness may make us better. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. While the king, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
MY
Chapter at the end.
For a Martyr. (Ecclus. li. 8.)
Y soul shall praise the Lord
even unto death, for Thou,
O Lord our God, deliverest such
as wait for Thee, and savest them
out of trouble.
For a Woman neither Virgin nor
Martyr. (Prov. xxxi. 29.)
MANY daughters have gotten
riches, but thou excellest
them all. Favour is deceitful
2 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
·
892
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
J
and beauty is vain; a woman that
feareth the LORD, she shall be
praised.
TERCE.
Antiphon. We will run, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
In thy comeliness and in thy
beauty.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty.
Verse. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. In thy beauty.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty.
Verse. God shall help her with
His countenance.
Answer. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus:
SEXT.
Antiphon. Lo! the winter is
past, &c., (Third Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter for a Martyr. (Ecclus. li. 4.)
THOU hast delivered me, ac-
THOU
cording to the multitude of
the mercies of Thy Name, from
them that roared against me, and
that were ready to devour me,
out of the hands of such as sought
after my life, and from the gates
of trouble that were open all
around me.
Chapter for a Woman neither Virgin
nor Martyr. (Prov. xxxi. 10.)
HE spreadeth out her hand to
SHE
the poor, yea, she reacheth
forth her hands to the needy. She
is not afraid of the cold of snow
for her household.
Short Responsory.
God shall help her with His
countenance.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance.
Verse. God is in the midst of
In thy comeliness and in thy her, she shall not be moved.
beauty. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Verse. God shall help her with
His countenance. Alleluia.
Answer. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved. Al-
leluia.
Prayer from Lauds.
Answer. With His counte-
nance.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance.
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus :
God shall help her with His
countenance. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
FOR HOLY WOMEN.
893
Verse. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia.
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle. Alle-
luia.
Prayer from Lauds.
NONE.
She is beautiful, &c., (Fifth An-
tiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
God hath chosen her, and fore-
chosen her.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
Verse. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
Answer. And fore-chosen her.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips. Alleluia.
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. Alleluia.
Prayer from Lauds.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, Hymn, and Verse
and Answer from Lauds.
Psalms as at First Vespers.
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. She spreadeth
out her hand to the poor, *
yea,
she reacheth forth her hands to
the needy, and eateth not the
bread of idleness. [Alleluia.]
Other Lessons for the Second
Nocturn for a Martyred
Woman not a Virgin.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of St. John Chrysos-
tom, Patriarch [of Constanti-
nople.] (67th on divers places
in the New Testament.)
Verse. Grace is poured into thy THE commemorations which I
lips.
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever.
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus:
God hath chosen her, and fore-
chosen her. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
love and welcome the most
are the commemorations of the
Martyrs, and, while I love and
welcome them all, more especially
do I do so when the wrestling set
before us is the wrestling of a
woman. The weaker the vessel,
the stronger the grace, the greater
the spoils, the clearer the victory;
and that, not because the sex of
the wrestler is frail, but because
the enemy is now conquered by
her through whom he once con-
quered.
894
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
BY
Fifth Lesson.
Y a woman he overcame, by a
woman he is overcome. A
woman was once his weapon; a
woman is now become the instru-
ment of his defeat; he findeth
that the weak vessel cannot be
broken. The first woman sinned
and died; this one died rather
than sin. The first under the
delusion of a lying promise, (Gen.
iii. 4,) broke the law of God; this
one chose rather to keep covenant
with her Benefactor, than to keep
this present life. What excuse
for softness and sloth can men
any longer hope to make? or what
forgiveness, when women bear
XI. For Feasts of the
All as on Sundays, except the fol-
lowing.
The "Alleluias" in brackets [] are
only inserted during Paschal-time.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Ps. cix. The LORD said, &c.,
(p. 146.)
Ps. cxii. Praise the LORD, O ye
His servants, &c., (p. 148.)
Ps. cxxi. I was glad, &c., (p.
156.)
Ps. cxxvi. Except the LORD
build, &c., (p. 158.)
Ps. cxlvii. Praise the LORD, O
Jerusalem, &c., (p. 170.)
Hymn.2
HALL, thou "Star-of-Ocean,”'s
Portal of the sky,
themselves so bravely and man-
fully, and gird themselves up so
nobly for the wrestling of godli-
ness ?
Sixth Lesson.
HE had a weak body, and a
SHE had
sex which is exposed to hurt ;
but grace came, and made nothing
of these frailties. Nothing is
stronger than one in whose mind
the fear of God is firmly and wil-
fully rooted. The enemy may
threaten fire, or iron, or beasts,
or anything else, but such an one
taketh them all for matters not
worth consideration. And thus
did this blessed woman do.
Blessed Virgin Mary.1
Ever-Virgin Mother
Of the Lord Most High!
Oh, by Gabriel's AVE
Úttered long ago,
EVA's name reversing,*
'Stablish peace below!
Break the captive's fetters-
Light on blindness pour-
All our ills expelling,
Every bliss implore-
Show thyself a Mother-
Offer Him our sighs,
Who, for us Incarnate,
Did not thee despise.
Virgin of all virgins!
To thy shelter take us-
Gentlest of the gentle !
Chaste and gentle make us.
Still as on we journey,
Help our weak endeavour,
Till with thee and JESUS,
We rejoice for ever.
1 It is now usual to insert this Common Office into Breviaries, but it is placed last of all,
after the Office for the Consecration of Churches.
* Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
3 Apparently meant for a translation of MRYM. See note in the Office of her name,
between September 8 and September 9.
• I.e., Eva, written backwards, reads Ave (Hail.) This quaint conceit is clearer in the
translation than in the Latin.
FOR FEASTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
895
Through the highest heaven
To the Almighty Three,
Father, Son, and Spirit,
One same glory be. Amen.
Verse. Holy Virgin, my praise
by thee accepted be. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Give me strength a-
gainst thine enemies. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. O Holy Mary,
be thou an help to the helpless,
a strength to the fearful, a com-
fort to the sorrowful; * pray for
the people, plead for the clergy,
make intercession for all women
vowed to God; may all that are
keeping this thine holy Feast-day
feel the might of thine assistance.
[Alleluia.]
The words, "Are keeping this thine
holy Feast-day," are very often altered on
the different Festivals, which alterations
will be found in their own places.
At Compline the last verse of the
Hymn is altered in honour of the In-
carnation.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Holy Virgin Mary,
* Mother of God, pray for us.
[Alleluia.]
Hymn.¹
THE God Whom earth, and sea, and
sky,
Adore, and laud, and magnify,
Who o'er their threefold fabric reigns,
The Virgin's spotless womb contains.
The God, Whose will by moon and sun,
And all things in due course is done,
Is borne upon a maiden's breast,
By fullest heavenly grace possessed.
How blest that Mother in whose shrine
That great Artificer Divine,
Whose hand contains the earth and sky,
Vouchsafed, as in His ark, to lie!
Blest, in the message Gabriel brought;
Blest, by the work the Spirit wrought;
From whom the great Desire of earth
Took human Flesh and human birth.
1 Translation by the late Rev. Dr. Neale.
All honour, laud, and glory be,
O JESU, Virgin-born, to Thee!
All glory, as is ever meet,
To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time all three Psalms are
said under the first Antiphon.
First Antiphon. 2Blessed art
thou among women, * and blessed
is the fruit of thy womb. [Alle-
luia.]
Ps. viii. O LORD our Ruler,
&c., (p. 6.)
Second Antiphon. 30 Holy Mo-
ther of God, * thou hast yielded a
pleasant odour like the best myrrh.
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare
&c., (p. 16.)
Third Antiphon. Sing for us
again and again before this maid-
en's bed * the tender idylls of the
play.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the
LORD's, &c., (p. 124.)
Verse. In thy comeliness and
thy beauty. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign. [Alleluia.]
I,
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Proverbs of Solomon (viii. 12.)
WISDOM, dwell with pru-
dence, and find out knowledge
of witty inventions. The fear of the
LORD is to hate evil; pride, and
arrogancy, and the evil way, and
the double mouth, do I hate.
Counsel is mine, and sound wis-
dom; understanding is mine;
mine is strength. By me kings
reign and princes decree justice.
By me princes rule, and nobles
command righteousness. I love
them that love me, and those that
seek me early shall find me.
2 Luke i. 42.
3 Ecclus. xxiv. 20.
3 0
896
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
First Responsory.
O how holy and how spotless
is thy virginity! I am too dull
to praise thee; for thou hast
borne in thy breast Him Whom
the heavens cannot contain. [Al-
leluia.]
Verse. Blessed art thou among
hath regarded the lowliness of
His handmaiden.
Answer. And I have brought
forth from my bowels God and
man. [Alleluia.]
Third Lesson. (34.)
women, and blessed is the fruit of BLESSED is the man that
thy womb.
Answer. For thou hast borne
in thy breast Him Whom the
heavens cannot contain. [Alle-
luia.]
RICH
Second Lesson.
ICHES and honour are with
me, yea, durable riches and
righteousness. My fruit is better
than gold and precious stones,
and my revenue than choice sil-
ver. I walk in the way of righ-
teousness, in the midst of the
paths of judgment; that I may
cause those that love me to in-
herit substance, and that I may
fill their treasures. The LORD
possessed me in the beginning of
His ways, before His works of
old. I was set up from everlast-
ing, or ever the earth was. When
there were no depths, I was al-
ready conceived; when there were
no fountains abounding with wa-
ter, before the mountains were
settled in their strength, before
the hills, was I brought forth.
Second Responsory.
Rejoice with me, all ye that
love the Lord, for while I was
yet a little one, I pleased the
Most High. And I have brought
forth from my bowels God and
man. [Alleluia.]
Verse. All generations shall
call me blessed, since the Lord
heareth me, watching daily
at my gates, and waiting at the
posts of my doors. Whoso findeth
me findeth life, and shall obtain
salvation from the LORD; but he
that sinneth against me wrongeth
his own soul. All they that hate
me love death. (ix. 1.) Wisdom
hath builded her house; she hath
hewn out her seven pillars. She
hath killed her beasts; she hath
mingled her wine: she hath also
furnished her table. She hath
sent forth her maidens unto the
citadel, and unto the walls of the
city, to cry out: Whoso is simple,
let him come unto me. And unto
them that want understanding,
she saith: Come, eat of my bread,
and drink of the wine which I
have mingled.
Third Responsory.
Blessed art thou, O Virgin
Mary, who hast carried the Lord,
the Maker of the world. Thou
hast borne Him Who created
thee, and thou abidest a virgin
for ever.. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Hail, Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Answer. Thou hast borne Him
Who created thee, and thou a-
bidest a virgin for ever. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
1 Luke i. 48.
Answer. Thou hast borne Him
FOR FEASTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
897
Who created thee, and thou a-
bidest a virgin for ever.
luia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
[Alle-
In Paschal-time all the Psalms are
said under the first Antiphon.
First Antiphon. In thy come-
liness and thy beauty, * go for.
ward, fare prosperously, and reign.
[Alleluia.]
Ps. xliv. My heart is over-
flowing, &c., (p. 36.)
Second Antiphon. God shall
give her the help of His counte-
nance; * God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge, &c.,
(p. 37.)
Third Antiphon. O Holy Mo-
ther of God: * all we who dwell
in thee are in gladness.
Ps. lxxxvi. Her foundation is
in the holy mountains, &c., (p.
68.)
Verse. God shall give her the
help of His countenance. [Alle-
luia.]
Answer. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved. [Al-
leluia.]
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of St. John Chrysos-
tom, Patriarch [of Constanti-
nople.] (Found in Metaphras-
tes.)
THE Son of God chose for His
Mother not a woman of
wealth, not a woman of substance,
but that blessed maiden whose
soul was bright with grace. It
was because Blessed Mary had
preserved a superhuman chastity,
that she conceived the Lord JE-
¹ I.e. Wisdom. Ecclus. xxiv. 17, 20.
Let us
sus Christ in her womb.
then fly to the most holy maiden,
who is Mother of God, that we
may gain the help of her patron-
age. Yea, all ye that be virgins,
whosoever ye be, run to the Mo-
ther of the Lord. She will keep
for you by her protection, your
most beautiful, your most pre-
cious, and your most enduring
possession.
Fourth Responsory.
¹I was exalted like a cedar in
Lebanon, and as a cypress-tree
upon Mount Zion. Like the best
myrrh I yielded a pleasant odour.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Like cinnamon and sweet
balsam.
Answer. I yielded a pleasant
odour. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Lesson.
VERILY, dearly beloved bre-
thren, the Blessed Virgin
Mary was a great wonder. What
thing greater or more famous than
she, hath ever at any time been
found, or can be found? She
alone is greater than heaven and
earth.
earth. What thing holier than
she hath been, or can be found?
Neither Prophets, nor Apostles,
nor Martyrs, nor Patriarchs, nor
ships, nor Seraphim, nor Che-
Angels, nor Thrones, nor Lord-
visible or invisible, can be found
rubim, nor any other creature,
that is greater or more excellent
than she. She is at once the
hand-maid and the parent of God,
at once virgin and mother.
Fifth Responsory.
"Who is this that cometh up like
the sun? This, comely as Jerusa-
lem? The daughters of Zion
2 Cant. viii. 5; vi. 10, 4, 8.
302
898
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
saw her, and called her blessed;
the queens also, and they praised
her. [Alleluia.]
Verse. ¹And about her it was as
the flower of roses in the spring of
the year, and lilies of the valleys.
Answer. The daughters of Zion
saw her and called her blessed;
the queens also, and they praised
her. [Alleluia.]
Sixth Lesson.
HE is the Mother of Him
SHE
Who was begotten of the
Father before all ages, and Who
is acknowledged by Angels and
men to be Lord of all. Wouldst
thou know how much nobler is this
virgin than any of the heavenly
powers? They stand before Him
with fear and trembling, veiling
their faces with their wings, but
she offereth humanity to Him to
Whom she gave birth. Through
her we obtain the remission of
sins. Hail, then, O Mother!
heaven! damsel! maiden! throne!
adornment, and glory, and foun-
dation, of our Church! cease not
to pray for us to thy Son and
our Lord JESUS Christ! that
through thee we may find mercy
in the day of judgment, and may
be able to obtain those good things
which God hath prepared for
them that love Him, by the grace
and goodness of our Lord JESUS
Christ; to Whom, with the Fa-
ther, and the Holy Ghost, be as-
cribed all glory, and honour, and
power, now, and for ever and ever.
Amen.
Sixth Responsory.
When the Lord beheld the
daughter of Jerusalem adorned
with her jewels, He greatly de-
sired her beauty; and when the
daughters of Zion saw her, they
cried out that she was most
blessed, saying: Thy name is as
ointment poured forth. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Upon thy right hand did
stand the Queen in a vesture of
gold wrought about with divers
colours.
Answer. And when the daugh-
ters of Zion saw her, they cried
out that she was most blessed.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Saying, Thy name is
as ointment poured forth. [Alle-
luia.]

THIRD NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time all three Psalms are
said under the first Antiphon.
First Antiphon. Joy to thee, *
O Virgin Mary, thou hast tram-
pled down all the heresies in the
whole world. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the Lord,
&c., (p. 72.)
*
Second Antiphon. Holy Virgin,
my praise by thee accepted be;
give me strength against thine
enemies.
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth,
&c., (p. 73.)
Third Antiphon during most of
the year. After thy delivery thou
still remainest a virgin * unde-
filed; Mother of God, pray for us.
Third Antiphon, during Advent
and on the Feast of the Annuncia-
tion. The angel of the Lord an-
nounced unto Mary, * and she
conceived of the Holy Ghost.
Ps. xcvii. O sing unto the
LORD, &c., (p. 74.)
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. [Alleluia.]

1 Ecclus. 1. 8.
FOR FEASTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
899
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle. [Alle-
luia.]
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(xi. 27.)
AT
T that time: as JESUS spake
unto the multitudes, a cer-
tain woman of the company lifted
up her voice and said unto Him:
Blessed is the womb that bare
Thee. And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede,
Priest [at Jarrow.] (Bk. iv. ch.
49 on Žuke xi.)
It is plain that this was a wo-
man of great earnestness and
of all praise, for out of thee rose
the Sun of righteousness, even
Christ our God. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Pray for the people,
plead for the clergy, make inter-
cession for all women vowed to
God. May all that are keeping
this thine holy Feast-day feel the
might of thine assistance.
Answer. For out of thee rose
the Sun of righteousness, even
Christ our God. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Blessing.
She whose feast-day we are
keeping
Mary, blessed Maid of maidens,
Be our advocate with God.
Eighth Lesson.
faith. The Scribes and Phari- BUT if we shall say that the
sees were at once tempting and
blaspheming the Lord, but this
woman so clearly grasped His
Incarnation, and so bravely con-
fessed the same, that she con-
founded both the lies of the great
men who were present, and the
faithlessness of the heretics who
were yet to come. Even as the
Jews then, blaspheming the works
of the Holy Ghost, denied the very
Son of God Who is of one sub-
stance with the Father, so after-
wards did the heretics, by denying
that Mary always a Virgin did,
under the operation of the Holy
Ghost, supply flesh to the Only-
begotten One of God, when He
was about being born in an human
Body, even so, I say, did the he-
retics deny that the Son of Man
should be called a true Son, Who
is of one substance' with His Mo-
ther.
Seventh Responsory.
O Holy Virgin Mary, happy
indeed art thou, and right worthy
¹ Verum consubstantialemque matri filium.
Flesh, Wherewith the Son of
God was born in the flesh, was
something outside of the flesh of
the Virgin His Mother, without
reason should we bless the womb
that bare Him, and the paps
which He hath sucked. But the
Apostle saith: "God sent forth
His Son, made of a woman, made
under the law,” (Gal. iv. 4,) and
they are not to be listened to who
read this passage: "Born of a
woman, made under the law."
He was made of a woman, for He
was conceived in a virgin's womb,
and took His Flesh, not from no-
thing, not from elsewhere, but
from the flesh of His Mother.
Otherwise, and if He had not been
sprung of a woman, He could not
with truth be called the Son of
man.
Let us therefore, denying
the doctrine of Eutyches, lift up
our voice, along with the Uni-
versal Church, whereof that wo-
man was a figure, let us lift up
our heart as well as our voice
2 Extranea.
900
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
from the company, and say unto
the Saviour: "Blessed is the
womb that bare Thee, and the
paps which Thou hast sucked !”
Blessed Mother! of whom one¹
hath said:
Thou art His Mother Who reigns o'er
earth and o'er heaven for ever.
Eighth Responsory.
All generations shall call me
blessed. For He That is Mighty,
even the Lord, hath done to me
great things; and Holy is His
Name. [Alleluia.]
Verse. And His mercy is on
them that fear Him, from gene-
ration to generation.
Answer. He That is Mighty,
even the Lord, hath done to me
great things, and Holy is His
Name. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. He That is Mighty,
even the Lord, hath done to me
great things, and Holy is His
Name. [Alleluia.]
Ninth Lesson.
that hear the Word of God
"YEA, rather, blessed are they
and keep it." How nobly doth
How nobly doth
the Saviour say "Yea" to the
woman's blessing, declaring also
that not only is she blessed who
was meet to give bodily birth to
the Word of God, but that all
they who spiritually conceive the
same Word by the hearing of
faith, and, by keeping it through
good works, bring it forth and, as
it were, carefully nurse it, in their
own hearts, and in the hearts of
their neighbours, are also blessed.
Yea, and that the very Mother of
God herself was blessed in being
for a while the handmaid of the
Word of God made Flesh, but
that she was much more blessed
in this, that through her love she
keepeth Him for ever.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. While the
King sitteth at his table, * my
spikenard sendeth forth the smell
thereof. [Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. His left hand
is under my head, * and his right
hand doth embrace me. [Alleluia.]
Third Antiphon. I am black
but comely, *O ye daughters of
Jerusalem. Therefore the King
hath loved me, and brought me
into his chamber. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. 4Lo! the win-
ter is past, the rain is over and
gone. Rise up, my love, and
come away. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. O Holy Mo-
ther of God! thou art become
beautiful * and gentle in thy
gladness. [Alleluia.]
I
Chapter. (Ecclus. xxiv. 14.)
WAS created from the begin-
ning, before the world; and
I shall never fail. In the holy ta-
bernacle I served before Him.
Hymn.
All daughters of mankind above,
GLORIOUS Virgin, ever blest,
Who gavest nurture from thy breast
To God, with pure maternal love.
What we had lost through sinful Eve
The Blossom sprung from thee re-
stores,
And, granting bliss to souls that grieve,
Unbars the everlasting doors.

1 The poet Sedulius-an Irishman, of the fifth century.
3 Cant. i. 5, 4.
5 The speaker in these Little Chapters is Wisdom.
6 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Littledale.
2 Cant. ii. 6.
♦ Cant. ii. 11, 10.
FOR FEASTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
901
O Gate, through which hath passed the
King!
O Hall, whence light shone through
the gloom!
The ransomed nations praise and sing
The Offspring of thy virgin womb!
Praise from mankind and heaven's host,
TO JESUS of a Virgin sprung,
To Father and to Holy Ghost,
Be equal glory ever sung. Amen.
the Verse, "Thou that sittest, &c.," is
said:
Verse. Thou that wast born of
the Virgin Mary.
Chapter at the end. (Ecclus. xxiv. 19.)
IN
the broad ways I gave a
sweet smell like cinnamon
and aromatic balm; I yielded a
Verse. Grace is poured into thy pleasant odour like the best myrrh.
lips. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. ¹O Mary! Blessed art thou
that hast believed,* for there shall
be a performance of those things
which were told thee from the
Lord. Alleluia.
Between Septuagesima and Easter
omit Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office, if there
be none special.
RANT, we beseech Thee, O
GF
Lord God, unto all Thy ser-
vants, that they may remain con-
tinually in the enjoyment of sound-
ness both of mind and body, and
by the glorious intercession of
the Blessed Mary, always a Vir-
gin, may be delivered from pre-
sent sadness, and enter into the
TERCE.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
Antiphon. His left hand, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
In thy comeliness and in thy
beauty.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty.
Verse. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. In thy beauty.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty.
Verse. God shall help her with
His countenance.
Answer. God is in the midst of
joy of Thine eternal gladness. her, she shall not be moved.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
PRIME.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
Antiphon. While the King, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus:
In thy comeliness and in thy
beauty. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Go forward, fare pros-
perously, and reign.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
In the Short Responsory instead of Ghost.
1 Luke i. 45.
902
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
Answer. In thy comeliness and
in thy beauty. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. God shall help her with
His countenance. Alleluia.
Answer. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved. Al-
leluia.
Prayer from Lauds.
SEXT.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
Antiphon. I am black, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
A
Chapter. (Ecclus. xxiv. 15.)
ND so I was established in
Zion, and likewise in the
holy city was I given to rest, and
in Jerusalem was my power. And
I took root among the honourable
people,' even in the portion of my
God as His own inheritance, and
mine abiding was in the full as-
sembly of the Saints.
Short Responsory.
God shall help her with His
countenance.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance.
Verse. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
Answer. With His counte-
nance.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance.
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus:
God shall help her with His
countenance. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. God is in the midst of
her, she shall not be moved.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God shall help her
with His countenance. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia.
Answer. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle. Alle-
luia.
Prayer from Lauds.
NONE.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
Antiphon. O Holy Mother, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
God hath chosen her, and fore-
chosen her.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
Verse. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
Answer. And fore-chosen her.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips.
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever.
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus :
God hath chosen her, and fore-
chosen her. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. God hath chosen her,

1 I.e. the Jews.
FOR FEASTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
903
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. He hath made her to
dwell in His tabernacle.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. God hath chosen her,
and fore-chosen her. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Office of the Blessed Virgin as
a Simple, for Saturdays.
On all Saturdays not immediately
hereafter excepted, the Office of the
Blessed Virgin is said as a Simple, to
the exclusion of the Week-day "Office,
and in preference before any other
Simple. The Saturdays excepted_ are
(1) those in Advent, (2) those in Lent,
(3) the Ember Saturdays, (4) all Eves,
(5) those to which a Sunday Office may
be transferred according to chap. iv.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy 4, 5, of the Pye, (6) those upon which
lips. Alleluia.
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. Alleluia.
Prayer from Lauds.
SECOND VESPERS.
The same as the First, except the fol-
lowing:
Verse. Holy Virgin, my praise
by thee accepted be. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Give me strength a-
gainst thine enemies. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. All generations
shall call me blessed, * for God
hath regarded the lowliness of
His hand-maiden. [Alleluia.]
At Compline the last verse of the
Hymn is altered in honour of the In-
carnation.
Note. The above-mentioned altera-
tions of the last verses of the Hymns at
Compline, Prime, Terce, Sext, None,
and Compline, and in the Verse in the
Short Responsory at Prime, are made
every day within the Octaves of the
Feasts of the Blessed Virgin, and that
even when the Office of the day is not of
her.
any Office of Nine Lessons occurs² either
naturally or by translation.
FIRST VESPERS.
These begin with the Chapter on Fri-
day evening. Chapter from Lauds of
the full Office.
Hymn, Hail, thou Star of
Ocean, &c., (p. 892.)
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin (except between
Christmas and Candlemas, and in
Paschal-time.) Blessed Mother,
and inviolate maiden! * glorious
Queen of the world! plead for us
with the Lord!
Between Christmas and Candlemas it
is taken from the Second Vespers of
New Year's Day, viz. "Herein is a
great mystery of heirship, &c.," (p.
256.)
In Paschal-time it is, "Rejoice! Re-
joice! &c.," (p. 95.)
Prayer, "Grant, we beseech Thee,
&c.," as in the full Office, except between
Christmas and Candlemas, when it is,
"O God, Who by the fruitful virginity,
&c.," (p. 150.)
After the Prayer of the Blessed Vir-
gin are made the Common Commemora-
1 But it need not now ever be said, unless the reciter wishes, as Pope Pius IX. allows
the Votive Office of the Immaculate Conception to be substituted.
2 This is reckoned to include the Saturdays before Low and Trinity Sundays, on account
of their rank as Semi-doubles.
904
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
tions of St. Joseph, the Holy Apostles,
the local Patrons, and for Peace, or of
the Cross only, according to the Season.
If there be a Simple to be commemorated,
it is done before these, immediately after
the Prayer of the Blessed Virgin.
If the Office on Friday be one of Nine
Lessons, the Vespers are of it, and a
Commemoration is made of the Blessed
Virgin, (Antiphon, Verse and Answer,
and Prayer, as above,) unless the said
Office of Nine Lessons be of her already,
in which case no further Commemoration
of her is made.
At Compline the last verse of the
Hymn is altered in honour of the In-
carnation, even if the Blessed Virgin
should only have been commemorated at
Vespers. An exception, however, is
made in favour of the Office of Nine
Lessons, which has had the Vespers, if
it has a special last verse of its own.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Hail, Mary, full of
grace, *the Lord is with thee.
[Alleluia.]
Hymn. The God Whom earth,
&c., (p. 895.)
Then follow the Psalms and Anti-
phons of Saturday.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy
lips. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Therefore God hath
blessed thee for ever. [Alleluia.]
Absolution.
By the prayers of the Blessed
Mary, always a Virgin, and by
the prayers of all His saints, and
for her sake, and for their sakes,
may the Lord lead us unto the
kingdom of heaven.
First Blessing.
Bless us, Mary, Maiden mild
Bless us, JEsUs, Mary's Child.
First Lessons from Scripture accord-
ing to the Season.
First Responsory.
O how holy and how spotless,
&c., (p. 896.)
Second Blessing.
With the Lord, Who sprang of
thee,
Maid of maidens, plead for me!
Second Lesson, the rest of the Lessons
from Scripture.
Second Responsory.
O Holy Virgin Mary, happy
indeed, &c., (p. 896,) with this
addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. For out of thee rose
the Sun of righteousness, even
Christ our God.
Third Blessing.
He to Whom His Mother prays
Grant us blessing all our days.
Third Lesson, from those given at the
end of the Office.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
All the rest as on Semi-doubles, ex-
cept the following.
Between Christmas and Candlemas
the Antiphons at Lauds and the small
Hours are those of New Year's Day,
(p. 251,) as well for the Psalms as for
the Song of Zacharias.
Verse. Blessed art thou among
[Alleluia.]
women.
Answer. And blessed is the
Fruit of thy womb. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias, except between Christmas and
Candlemas, and in Paschal-time.
O Blessed Mary, Mother of
God, Virgin for ever, temple of
the Lord, sanctuary of the Holy
Ghost, thou, without any en-
sample before thee, didst make
thyself well-pleasing in the sight
of our Lord JESUS Christ-pray
for the people, plead for the
FOR FEASTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
905
十一
​clergy, make intercession for all
women vowed to God.
Paschal Antiphon at the Song
of Zacharias. Rejoice, rejoice,
&c., (p. 95.)
Between Christmas and Candlemas
the_Prayer throughout the day is, “O
food, Wat other times, "Grant, we be-
150.) At
Who by the fruitful, &c.," (p.
seech Thee, &c.," as in the full Office.
The Commemorations are made as
directed at Vespers.
The Office ends with None.
THIRD LESSONS FOR THE SIMPLE
OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIR-
GIN, ACCORDING TO THE DIF-
FERENT MONTHS OF THE YEAR.
1. For January.
The Lesson is taken from an
Epistle of St. Ambrose, Bishop
[of Milan,] to Pope Siricius.
(Variously numbered 81 and 7.)
THE
HERE be some perverse per-
sons who say: She conceived
as a virgin, but she did not bring
forth as a virgin. Could she then
conceive as a virgin, but not bring
forth as a virgin, seeing that con-
ception and birth always go to-
gether? But if the teaching of
Priests be not believed, at any
rate let belief be given to the re-
velation of Christ, and to the
utterances of Angels, who said:
'With God nothing shall be im-
possible." (Luke i. 37.) Let be-
lief be given to the Apostles'
Creed, which the Church of Rome
holdeth and keepeth ever incor-
rupt. Mary listened to the voice
of the Angel, and she who had
first said: "How shall this be ?"
-making no question of the truth
of such birth, afterwards answer-
ed: 66 Behold the handmaid of the
Lord; be it done unto me accord-
ing to thy word."
2. For February.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book against Jovinian, written
by St. Jerome, Priest [at Beth-
lehem.]
CH
other of this our Virgin
HRIST was a Virgin, and the
was herself always a Virgin, a
mother and still a virgin. JESUS
came in when the doors were
shut. (John xx. 19.) In His se-
pulchre, which was new, and cut
out of the hardest rock, no man
was laid, either before or after
Him. It was from a spring shut
up, a garden enclosed, (Cant. iv.
12,) that there came forth, to use
the language of Joel, (iii. 18,) a
fountain that watereth the valley,
according to one interpretation¹
called the valley of cords, accord-
ing to another, the valley of thorns.
By cords would be signified those
of sinners, wherewith, until He
come, they are bound; by thorns,
the thorns that spring up and
choke the seed of the sower,
(Matth. xiii. 7, 22.) The Virgin
Mother is that gate which looketh
toward the East, and which, as
saith Ezekiel, (xliv. 2,) was to be
shut, and was not to be opened;
over which is the glory of the
God of Israel, (x. 19;) which was
to have within it, and which was
by the way of which the Sun of
to disclose, the Holy of Holies;
righteousness, the Priest after
the order of Melchisedek, was to
enter, and to go out by the way
of the same (xliv. 3.)
3. For March.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book against heresies written
1 The present Hebrew text reads "acacias.”
906
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
by the Holy Martyr Irenæus,¹
Bishop [of Lyons.] (v. 19.)
WHEN
the Lord
came unto
His Own, and was made of
the nature whereof He is the
Maker, and by becoming obedient
even unto the tree [of the Cross]
atoned for the disobedience which
had rifled the tree [of knowledge];
and when the transgression was
done away, whereby the espoused
virgin Eve had transgressed; the
true message of the Gospel was
meetly carried by an angel unto
a virgin espoused to a man, even
Mary. Eve was drawn away by
a fallen angel to fly from God,
and to deny His Word, but Mary
was told by an angel that she
was to bear God, and she was
obedient unto His Word. The
one was drawn aside to turn
away from God, the other was
persuaded to obey God, and
Maiden Mary became advocate
for Maiden Eve. As one maiden
had brought the sentence of death
upon all mankind, so the other
maiden took it away-a maiden
in each scale of the balance re-
stored the æquipoise.
4. For April.
The Lesson is taken from the
Exposition of the Prophet Eze-
kiel, written by St. Jerome,
Priest [at Bethlehem.] (Bk.
xiii. on ch. xliv.)
"THE
'HEN he brought me back
the way of the gate of the
outward Sanctuary, which look-
eth toward the East, and it was
shut. Then saith the LORD unto
me: This gate shall be shut, it
shall not be opened, and no man
shall enter in by it; because the
LORD, the God of Israël, hath en-
tered in by it, therefore it shall
be shut. It is for the Prince;
the Prince, he shall sit in it, to
eat bread before the LORD; he
shall enter by the way of the
porch of that gate, and shall go
out by the way of the same." By
this closed gate may well be un-
derstood to be figured the Virgin
Mary, who hath remained a Vir-
gin since, as well as before, becom-
ing a mother. Virgin she was
when the Angel said unto her:
"The Holy Ghost shall come
Highest shall overshadow thee;
upon thee, and the power of the
therefore also that Holy Thing
Which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God." And
when He was born, she still re-
mained a Virgin for ever to the
confutation of them who hold that
after the birth of the Saviour she
had children by Joseph, because
the Gospel speaketh of “brethren
of the Lord."
5. For May.
The Lesson is taken from a Dis-
course upon the Creed ad-
dressed to Catechumens by St.
Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(Bk. iii. ch. 4, t. ix.)
BY
Y a woman came death, and
by a woman, life.
By Eve
destruction, by Mary salvation.
Fallen² Eve went after the temp-
ter, ³unfallen Mary gave birth to
the Redeemer. Eve freely took
the cup offered to her by the ser-
pent, and gave it to her husband,
and thereby they both earned
¹ Disciple of St. Polycarp, disciple of St. John the Evangelist. Martyred at Lyons, in
the persecution under Severus, when a great number of the Lyonnese Christians suffered,
June 28, A.D. 202 or 208.
2 Corrupta.
3 Integra.
FOR FEASTS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
907
death; Mary, filled with heavenly
grace, brought forth that Life
whereby dead flesh can be quick-
ened. For Who did this but He
Who is Son of a Virgin and
Bridegroom of Virgins -Who
made His Mother fruitful, but
robbed her not of her maiden-
hood.
6. For June.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of St. Bernard, Abbat
[of Clairvaux.] (On Apoc. xii.
1.)
DEARLY beloved brethren,
one
man and one woman
grievously harmed us, but, thanks
be to God, by one Man and one
woman all things are restored
unto us, and there remaineth still
due from us a great debt of gra-
titude. For not as the offence,
so was the gift (Rom. v. 15,) but
the greatness of the benefit far
outweigheth the amount of the
loss. Thus did it please our most
wise and merciful Creator; that
which was shaken, He did not
break, but made all things new
and better, making for us a new
Adam out of the old, and chang-
ing Eve for Mary.
7. For July.
The Lesson is taken from an
Epistle of St. Ambrose, Bishop
[of Milan,] to Pope Siricius.
(Variously numbered 81 or 7.)
INCE water hath been called
SINCE
out of the rock, since iron
hath floated upon water, since
*man hath walked upon water, it
is not impossible that a virgin
bore a son. Therefore if the
waves carried man, could not a
virgin give birth to a man, and
especially to that Man, of Whom
we read: "The Lord shall send
""
them a Saviour, and a Great One,
and He shall deliver them, and
the LORD shall be known to
Egypt, and the Egyptians shall
know the LORD in that day.
(Isa. xix. 20, 21.) In the Old
Testament there was a virgin at
the head of the Hebrew army
when they passed through the
sea (Ex. xv. 20, 21;) in the New
Testament a noble maiden was
chosen as the heavenly Palace,
the instrument of salvation.
8. For August.
The Lesson is taken from the Ex-
position of the Books of Kings
written by Pope St. Gregory
[the Great.] (On1 Kings (Sam.)
i. 1.)
Now there
there was a
was a certain
certain man
of Ramathaïm-zophim, of
Mount Ephraim." The name of
Mount Ephraïm may be applied to
the most blessed Mother of God,
always a Virgin. She was indeed
a mountain, the glorious height
of whose predestination, towered
above the predestination of any
other creature. Was not Mary a
lofty mountain, Mary, who, that
she might reach the dignity of
conceiving the Eternal Word,
lifted up the peaks of her holi-
ness far above all the companies
of angels, even unto the footstool
of God? Prophesying of this
mountain's sublime elevation, Isa-
iah saith: "And it shall come to
pass in the last days, that the
mountain of the LORD's house
shall be established in the top of
the mountains, and shall be ex-
alted above the hills." (ii. 2.) She
was indeed a mountain on the top
of the mountains, for the height
of Mary shone high over that of
any of the Saints.
908
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
9. For September.
The Lesson is taken from an Epis-
tle of Pope St. Leo [the Great]
to the Empress Pulcheria. (Ep.
xiii.)
NO type fully represented the
The woman between the sun and
the moon, (Apoc. xii. 1.) Mary,
standing midway between Christ
and the Church. But perchance
the fleece lying soaked with dew
in the midst of the dry floor mak-
eth thee to wonder less than the
woman clothed with the sun.
Great is the relation, but marvel-
lous the closeness, of the woman
and the sun.
How did that gen-

mystery of our Redemption,
which had been predestined from
everlasting, for the Holy Ghost
had not yet come upon a Virgin,
nor the power of the Highest
overshadowed her, that within her
inviolate womb, Wisdom might justly wonder, O holy Moses,
build herself an house, the Word
be made Flesh, and the form of
God and the form of a servant be
united in one Person,-the Maker
of times be born in time, and He
by Whom all things were made
be brought forth into the midst of
all. Unless a new Man, made in
the likeness of sinful flesh, had
taken our nature upon Him-un-
less He that is of one Substance
with the Father had been pleased
to become of one substance with
His Mother¹-unless He, Who
alone is without sin, had joined
our nature to His Own-mankind
would still have remained bound
under the yoke of the devil.
10. For October.
The Lesson is taken from the Ser-
mons of St. Bernard, Abbat [of
Clairvaux.] (From the Sermon
on Apoc. xii. 1.)
DEA
EARLY beloved brethren, let
us embrace the footsteps of
Mary, and cast ourselves down in
earnest entreaty before her bless-
ed feet. Let us hold her, and not
let her go, except she bless us,
(Gen. xxxii. 26,)-for she is able.
She is the fleece between the dew
and the floor, (Judges vi. 37-40.)
tle nature remain unconsumed in
the fervent heat? Thou didst
when thou didst see that the
bush burned with fire but that
the bush was not consumed,] and
didst say: "I will now turn aside
and see this great sight, why the
bush is not burnt." If thou wilt
indeed draw nigh, put off thy
shoes from off thy feet, and the
curiosity of carnal speculation
from thy mind. (Ex. iii. 2-5.)
11. For November.
The Lesson is taken from the Ex-
position of the Prophet Isaiah,
written by St. Basil, Arch-
bishop [of Cæsarea.] (On ch.
viii. 3.)
"AN
Α
ND I went in unto the Pro-
phetess," said Isaiah, "and
she conceived and bare a son." (viii.
3.) That Mary was a Prophetess
unto whom Isaiah went in very
closely by the spirit of fore-know-
ledge, will be denied by none who
remembereth what she said, when
she was filled with the spirit of
prophecy. For what said she ?
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
and my spirit hath rejoiced in
God my Saviour. For He hath
regarded the lowliness of His
handmaiden: for, behold, from

Consubstantialis matri.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
909
henceforth all generations shall
call me blessed." If thou wilt
ponder all her words, thou wilt
not gainsay that she was a Pro-
phetess, upom whom the Holy
Ghost came, and whom the power
of the Highest overshadowed.
12. For December.
The Lesson is taken from the
Book upon Offices written by
St. Ambrose, Bishop [of Mi-
lan.] (i. 8.)
MODESTY is a good comrade
for keeping chastity, and
commendeth the Mother of God
unto readers of the Gospel, at the
very beginning of acquaintance.
Her modesty, like a satisfactory
witness, showeth her worthiness
to be chosen unto the office. Alone
in her chamber, she is silent at
the salutation of the Angel, and is
troubled at his entering, for the
strange sight of anything like a
man disturbed her maidenly coun-
tenance. Lowly though she was,
her bashfulness allowed her not
to return his salutation, or to
make any answer, until she knew
that she was to receive the mo-
therhood of the Lord-and [then
she spoke,] not to gainsay his
words, but to learn how the mat-
ter was to act upon her.
XH. For the Dedication of a Church.
All as on Sundays except the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem,
&c., (Ps. cxlvii., p. 173.)
Hymn.¹
BLESSED City, Heavenly Salem,
Vision dear of peace and love,
Who, of living stones upbuilded,
Art the joy of Heaven above,
And, with angel cohorts circled,
As a Bride to earth dost move!
From celestial realms descending,
Bridal glory round her shed,
To His Presence, decked with jewels,
By her Lord shall she be led:
All her streets, and all her bulwarks,
Of pure gold are fashioned.
Bright with pearls her portal glitters;
It is open evermore;
And, by virtue of His merits,
Thither faithful souls may soar,
Who for Christ's dear Name, in this
world
Pain and tribulation bore.
Many a blow and biting sculpture
Polished well those stones elect,
In their places now compacted
By the Heavenly Architect,
Who therewith hath willed for ever
That His Palace should be decked.
Laud and honour to the Father,
Laud and honour to the Son
;
Laud and honour to the Spirit;
Ever Three and ever One:
Consubstantial, Co-eternal,
While unending ages run. Amen.
Verse. This is the house of God,
stoutly builded. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Well founded upon a
sure rock. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. "The Most High
hath hallowed His Tabernacle. *
For this is the House of God,
whereon His Name shall be called,
whereof it is written: My Name
shall be there, saith the Lord.
[Alleluia.]
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Holiness becometh
1 Dr. Neale's translation from the original text, with one line altered.
2 Ps. xlv. 5; Jer. vii. 10; 3 Kings viii. 29, &c.
3 Ps. xcii, 5.
910
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
the house of God. * In her let us
worship her Bridegroom, even
Christ. [Alleluia.]
Hymn from Vespers,
FIRST NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time all three Psalms are
said under the first Antiphon.
First Antiphon. Lift up your
gates, O ye princes, * and be ye
lift up, ye everlasting doors. [Al-
leluia.]
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the
LORD'S, &c., (p. 124.)
Second Antiphon. The LORD
shall be my God, * and this stone
shall be called God's house.
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge, &c.,
(p. 37.)
Third Antiphon. 2Moses built
an altar * unto the Lord God.
Ps. xlvii. Great is the LORD,
&c., (p. 38.)
Verse. Holiness becometh Thine
house, O LORD,-[Alleluia.]
Answer. For ever. [Alleluia.]
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Second Book of Paralipomena
(vii. 1.)
OW when Solomon had made
Now wnd
an end of praying, the fire
came down from heaven, and con-
sumed the burnt-offerings and the
sacrifices; and the glory of the
LORD filled the house. And the
Priests could not enter into the
house of the LORD, because the
glory of the LORD had filled the
LORD's house. And when all
the children of Israël saw how
the fire came down, and the glory
of the LORD upon the house, they
bowed themselves with their faces
1 Gen. xxviii. 21, 22.
to the ground upon the pavement,
and worshipped and praised the
LORD, [saying:] For He is good;
for His mercy endureth for ever!
Then the King and all the people
offered sacrifices before the LORD.
And King Solomon offered a sa-
crifice of twenty-and-two thou-
sand oxen, and an hundred and
twenty thousand sheep. So the
King and all the people dedicated
the house of God.
First Responsory.
When the Temple was dedi-
cated the people sang praise, and
sweet in their mouths was the
sound. [Alleluia.]
Verse. The LORD's house is es-
tablished in the top of the moun-
tains; and all nations shall flow
unto it.
Answer. And sweet in their
mouths was the sound. [Alle-
luia.]
Second Lesson.
AND the Priests waited on their
offices; the Levites also with
instruments of music of the LORD,
which David the King had made
to praise the LORD" Because
His mercy endureth for ever"
singing David's hymns by their
ministry. And the Priests sound-
ed trumpets before them, and all
Israël stood. Moreover, Solomon
hallowed the middle of the Court
that was before the house of the
LORD; for there he offered burnt-
offerings and the fat of the peace-
offerings, because the brazen altar
which Solomon had made was not
able to receive the burnt-offerings
and the meat-offerings and the
fat. Also at the same time Solo-
mon kept the Feast seven days
and all Israël with him, a very
2 Ex. xvii. 15.
3 Isa. ii. 2.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
911
great congregation, from the en-
tering in of Hamath unto the
River of Egypt. And in the
eighth day he made a solemn as-
sembly; for they kept the dedi-
cation of the altar seven days, and
the Feast seven days.
Second Responsory.
The LORD's house is established
in the top of the mountains, and
exalted above the hills, and all
nations shall flow unto it, and
shall say: Glory be to Thee, O
LORD! [Alleluia.]
Verse. They shall doubtless
come again with rejoicing, bring-
ing their sheaves with them.
Answer. And all nations shall
flow unto it, and shall say: Glory
be to Thee, O Lord! [Alleluia.]
Third Lesson.
THUS Solomon finished the
:
house of the LORD, and the
King's house, and all that came
into Solomon's heart to make in
the house of the LORD, and in
his own house, he prosperously
effected. And the LORD appeared
to him by night, and said unto
him I have heard thy prayer,
and have chosen this place to My-
self for an house of sacrifice. If
I shut up heaven that there be
no rain, or if I command the lo-
custs to devour the land, or if I
send pestilence among My peo-
ple; if My people, upon whom
My Name is called, shall pray,
and seek My face, and turn from
their wicked ways, then will I
hear from heaven, and will for-
give their sin, and will heal their
land. Now Mine eyes shall be
open and Mine ears attent unto
1 Ps. cxxv. 6.
the prayer that is made in this
place. For now have I chosen
and sanctified this place, that My
Name may be there for ever, and
Mine eyes and Mine heart shall
be there perpetually.
Third Responsory.
20 Lord, bless this house which
I have built unto Thy Name.
Whosoever shall come unto this
place and pray, then hear Thou
from the excellent throne of Thy
glory. [Alleluia.]
Verse. O Lord, if Thy people
turn and pray toward Thy sanc-
tuary.
Answer. Hear Thou from the
excellent throne of Thy glory.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Hear Thou from the
excellent throne of Thy glory.
[Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time all three Psalms are
said under the first Antiphon.
First Antiphon. This is none
other but the house of God, and
this is the gate of heaven. [Alle-
luia.]
Ps. lxxxiii. How lovely are Thy
tabernacles, &c., (p. 66.)
Second Antiphon. ³Jacob beheld
a ladder set up on the earth, and
the top of it reached to heaven,
and the angels of God descending
on it. And he said: Surely this
place is holy.
Ps. lxxxvi. Her foundation, &c.,
(p. 68.)
Third Antiphon. ³Jacob set up
2 Founded on Solomon's Prayer at the Dedication of the Temple.

3 Gen. xxviii. 17, 12, 18.
3 P
912
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
the stone for a pillar, and poured Israël, Thou that leadest Joseph
oil upon the top of it.
Ps. lxxxvii. O LORD God of my
salvation, (p. 68.)
Verse. 'My house-[Alleluia,]
Answer. Shall be called the
house of prayer. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Sermons of St. Austin, Bishop
[of Hippo.] (252nd for the
Season.)
DEA
EARLY beloved brethren, as
often as we keep the Dedi-
cation-Feast of some Altar or
Church, if we think faithfully
and carefully, and live holily and
righteously, that which is done in
temples made with hands, is done
in our soul by a spiritual build-
ing. He lied not who said: "The
temple of God is holy; which
temple ye are," (1 Cor. iii. 17,)
and again: "Know ye not that
your body is the temple of the
Holy Ghost, Which is in you,
(vi. 19.) And therefore, dearly
beloved brethren, since by the
grace of God, without any fore-
going deserts of our own, we have
been made meet to become the
Temple of God, let us work as
hard as we can, with His help,
that our Lord may not find in His
Temple, that is, in us, anything
to offend the eyes of His Ma-
jesty.
Fourth Responsory.
"If they pray toward this place,
forgive the sin of Thy people, O
God, and teach them the good
way wherein they should walk,
and manifest forth Thy glory in
this place.
like a flock, Thou that sittest upon
the Cherubim.
Answer. Forgive the sin of Thy
people, O God, and teach them
the good way wherein they
should walk, and manifest forth
Thy glory in this place.

Fifth Lesson.
ET
the Tabernacle of our
heart be swept clean of vices
and filled with virtues. Let it be
locked to the devil, and thrown
open to Christ. Yea, let us so
work, that we may be able to open
the door of the kingdom of hea-
ven with the key of good works.
For even as evil works are so
many bolts and bars to close
against us the entrance into life,
so beyond doubt are good works
the key thereto. And therefore,
dearly beloved brethren, let each
one look into his own conscience,
and when he findeth the wounds
of guilt there, let him first strive
by prayers, fasting, or almsdeeds
to purge his conscience, and so
let him dare to take the Eucha-
rist.
Fifth Responsory.
How dreadful is this place!
Surely this is none other but the
house of God, and this is the gate
of heaven. [Alleluia.]
Verse. This is the house of
God, stoutly builded, well found-
ed upon a sure rock.
Answer. Surely this is none
other but the house of God, and
this is the gate of heaven. [Alle-
luia.]
FOR
Sixth Lesson.
OR if he acknowledge his ini-
quity, and withdraw himself
Verse. Give ear, O Shepherd of from the Altar of God, he will
1 Mark xi. 17.
3 Ps. lxxix. 1.
2 Founded on Solomon's prayer at the Dedication of the Temple.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
913
soon attain unto the mercy of the
pardon of God, for, as he that
exalteth himself shall be abased,
so shall he that humbleth himself
be exalted. (Luke xiv. 11.) He
who, as I have said, acknowledg-
ing his iniquity, withdraweth him-
self through lowliness from the
Altar of the Church, till he have
mended his life, need have but
little fear that he will be excom-
municated from the eternal mar-
riage-supper in heaven.
Sixth Responsory.
Jacob rose up early in the
morning, and set up the stone for
a pillar, and poured oil upon the
top of it, and vowed a vow unto
the Lord. Surely this place is
holy, and I knew it not. [Alle-
luia.]
Verse. And Jacob awaked out
of his sleep, and he said:
Answer. Surely this place is
holy, and I knew it not. [Alle-
luia.1
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Surely this place is
holy, and I knew it not. [Alle-
luia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time the Psalms are all
said under the first Antiphon.
First Antiphon. He that dwell-
eth in the help of the Most High
* shall abide under the shadow of
the God of heaven. [Alleluia.]
When "Alleluia" is not said, if the
Office be Semi-double the Psalm begins
with the words "Shall abide under the
shadow;" if Double, with, "He will
say to the LORD."
Ps.xc. He that dwelleth, &c.,
(p. 173.)
Second Antiphon. The Temple
of the Lord is holy. * The same
is God's workmanship and God's
building.
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD,
&c., (p. 72.)
Third Antiphon. 'Blessed be
the glory of the LORD * from His
[holy] place. Alleluia.
Omit "Alleluia" between Septuage-
sima and Easter.
Ps. xcviii. The LORD reigneth,
&c., (p. 74.)
Verse. This is the house of
God, stoutly builded. [Alle-
luia.]
Answer. Well founded upon a
sure rock. [Alleluia.]

Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the
Holy Gospel according to Luke
(xix. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS entered
and passed through Jericho.
And, behold, there was a man
named Zacchæus, which was the
chief among the publicans, and
he was rich. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop
[of Milan.] (Bk. viii. on Luke.)
Zaccheus was little of stature,
that is, he was not raised aloft
among men by nobility of birth,
and, like the most of the world,
he possessed few merits. When
he heard that the Lord and Sa-
viour, Who had come unto His
Own, and Whom His Own had
not received, (John i. 11,) was
coming, he desired to see Him.
But the sight of JESUS is not
easy; to any on the earth it is
impossible. And since Zacchæus
had neither the Prophets, nor yet
1 Ezek. iii. 12.
3 P 2
914
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
the Law, as a gracious help to his
nature, he climbed up into a syca-
more tree, raising his feet above the
vanity of the Jews, and straight-
ening the crooked branches of his
former life, and therefore he re-
ceived JESUS to lodge within his
house.
Seventh Responsory.
My house shall be called the
house of prayer, saith the Lord.
'Therein, he that asketh, receiv-
eth;
he that seeketh, findeth; and
to him that knocketh, it shall be
opened. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Ask, and ye shall re-
ceive; seek, and ye shall find.
Answer. And to him that knock-
eth, it shall be opened. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Lesson.
E did well to climb up into a
HE
tree, that a good tree might
bring forth good fruits, (Matth.
vii. 17,) and that the slip of the
wild olive, grafted, contrary to
nature, into the good olive, might
bring forth the fruits of the law.
(Rom. xi. 17, 24.) For the root
is holy, however unprofitable the
branches. Their barren beauty
hath now been overshadowed by
the belief of the Gentiles in the
Resurrection, as by a material up-
growth. Zacchæus, then, was in
the sycamore tree, and the blind
man by the way-side. (xviii. 35.)
For the one, JESUS stood waiting
to show mercy, and asked him
before He healed him, what he
would that He should do for him;
being unbidden of the other, He
bade Himself to be his Guest,
knowing how rich was the reward
of receiving Him. Nevertheless,
albeit He had heard no words of
1 Luke xi. 9, 10.
invitation, yet had He seen how
his heart went.
Eighth Responsory.
³All thy walls are of stones
most precious. The towers of
Jerusalem shall be built up with
jewels. [Alleluia.]
Verse. The gates of Jerusalem
shall be built up with the sap-
phire stone, and the emerald, and
all her walls round about with
stones most precious.
Answer. The towers of Jerusa-
lem shall be built up with jewels.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. The towers of Jerusa-
lem shall be built up with jewels.
[Alleluia.]
Ninth Lesson.
BUT lest
we should seem
haughtily to pass by the
poor blind man, and to hurry on
to the rich one, let us stand wait-
ing for him, as the Lord stood
and waited; let us ask of him, as
Christ asked of him. Let us ask,
because we are ignorant; Christ
asked, because He knew. Let us
ask, that we may know whence he
received his cure; Christ asked,
that all of us may know from one
ensample wherethrough we are to
earn a sight of the Lord. Christ
asked, that we might believe that
none, save they that confess Him,
can be saved.


3 Cf. Tobit xiii. 21, and Apoc. xxi. 18-20.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Holiness be-
cometh Thine house, * O Lord,
for ever. [Alleluia.]
2 John xvi. 24; Matth. vii. 7.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
915
Second Antiphon. My house *
shall be called the house of
prayer. [Alleluia.]
Third Antiphon. This is the
Lord's house * stoutly builded,
well founded upon a sure rock.
[Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. The Lord's
house is well founded* upon a
sure rock. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. All thy walls
are of stones most precious, * and
the towers of Jerusalem shall be
built up with jewels. [Alleluia.]
I
Chapter. (Apoc. xxii. 2.)
SAW the holy city, New Je-
rusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a
Bride adorned for her husband.
Hymn.¹
HRIST is made the sure Foundation,
CHRIST
And the precious Corner-Stone,
Who, the two walls underlying,
Bound in each, binds both in one:
Holy Zion's Help for ever,
And her Confidence Alone.
All that dedicated City,
Dearly loved by God on high,
In exultant jubilation
Pours perpetual melody;
God the One, and God the Trinal,
Singing everlastingly.
To this Temple, where we call Thee,
Come, O Lord of hosts, to-day!
With Thy wonted loving-kindness
Hear Thy people as they pray;
And Thy fullest benediction
Shed within its walls for aye.
Here vouchsafe to all Thy servants
That they supplicate to gain:
Here to have and hold for ever
Those good things their prayers obtain;
And hereafter in Thy glory,
With Thy blessed ones to reign.
Laud and honour to the Father;
Laud and honour to the Son;
Laud and honour to the Spirit;
Ever Three and ever One:
Consubstantial, Co-eternal,
While unending ages run.
Amen.
Verse. This is the Lord's house,
stoutly builded—[Alleluia.]
Answer. Well founded upon a
sure rock. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacha-
rias. Zacchæus, make haste and
come down, for to-day I must
abide at thy house. * And he
made haste and came down, and
received Him joyfully into his
house. This day is salvation
come from God to this house.
Alleluia.
Between Septuagesima and Easter
omit "Alleluia."
O
Prayer.
GOD, Who dost every year
bring round unto us again
the day whereon this Thine holy
temple was hallowed, and bring-
est us again in soundness of body
and mind to be present at Thine
holy worship, graciously hear the
supplications of Thy people, and
grant that whosoever shall come
into this Thine house to ask good
at Thine hand, may be rejoiced in
the obtaining of all his request.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
On the actual day on which the
Church is dedicated, and also when the
Dedication Feasts of two Churches come
together, for the other Prayer, is used
the following.
GOD, Who invisibly con-
tainest all things, and yet
art pleased for the salvation of
men to show forth visible signs.
of Thy power, fill this house with
the glory of Thine indwelling
power; and grant that all who
gather themselves together to pray
1 Dr. Neale, with two lines altered-an alteration applauded by himself. (Mediæval
Hymns, p. 22.)
916
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
in this place, may receive the
good comfort of Thine help in
every tribulation wherein they
cry unto Thee. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Holiness becometh,
&c., (First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Apoc. xxi. 4.)
AND God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes, and
there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither
shall there be any more pain ;
for the former things are passed
away. And He That sat upon the
throne said: Behold, I make all
things new.
TERCE.
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus:
Holiness becometh Thine house,
O LORD. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. Holiness becometh
Thine house, O LORD.
Alleluia.
Verse. For ever.
Alleluia,
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Holiness
Answer.
Thine house, O LORD.
Alleluia.
becometh
Alleluia,
Verse. This place is holy, where-
in the Priest prayeth-Alleluia.
Answer. For the pardon of the
transgressions and offences of the
people. Alleluia.
SEXT.
Antiphon. This is the Lord's
house, &c., (Third Antiphon at
Lauds.)
Chapter. (Apoc. xxi. 3.)
Antiphon. My house, &c., (Se- AND I heard a great voice out
cond Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
Holiness becometh Thine house,
O LORD.
Answer. Holiness becometh
Thine house, O LORD-
Verse. For ever.
Answer. O LORD.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. Holiness
Thine house, O LORD.
becometh
Verse. This place is holy, where-
in the Priest prayeth.
Answer. For the pardon of the
transgressions and offences of the
people.
of the throne, saying: Be-
hold, the tabernacle of God is
with men, and He will dwell with
them. And they shall be His
people; and God Himself shall
be with them, and be their God.
Short Responsory.
This place is holy, wherein the
Priest prayeth.
Answer. This place is holy,
wherein the Priest prayeth-
Verse. For the pardon of the
transgressions and offences of the
people.
Answer. The Priest prayeth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. This place is holy,
wherein the Priest prayeth.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
917
Verse. This is the Lord's house,
stoutly builded-
Answer. Well founded upon a
sure rock.
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus:
This place is holy, wherein the
Priest prayeth. Alleluia, Alle-
luia.
Answer. This place is holy,
wherein the Priest prayeth.
leluia, Alleluia.
Al-
Verse. For the pardon of the
transgressions and offences of the
people.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. This place is holy,
wherein the Priest prayeth. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. This is the Lord's house,
stoutly builded. Alleluia.
Answer. Well founded upon a
In Paschal-time the above is said
thus:
This is the Lord's house, stoutly
builded. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. This is the Lord's
house, stoutly builded. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. Well founded upon a
sure rock.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. This is the Lord's
house, stoutly builded. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. The Lord's house is well
founded. Alleluia.
Answer. Upon a sure rock. Al-
leluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Last Psalm.
Lauds.
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem,
&c., (Ps. cxlvii., p. 170.)
sure rock. Alleluia.
NONE.
Hymn. Blessed city, heavenly
Antiphon. All thy walls, &c., Salem, &c., (First Vespers.)
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
This is the Lord's house, stoutly
builded.
Answer. This is the Lord's
house, stoutly builded-
Verse. Well founded upon a
sure rock.
Answer. Stoutly builded.
Verse. Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy
Ghost.
Answer. This is the Lord's
house, stoutly builded.
Verse. The Lord's house is
well founded-
Answer. Upon a sure rock.
Verse. Holiness becometh Thine
house, O LORD-[Alleluia.]
Answer. For ever. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the
Blessed Virgin. How dreadful is
this place. Surely this is none
other but the house of God, and
this is the gate of heaven. [Al-
leluia.]
Second Day within the Octave.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the
following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
I
918
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Treatise
upon the Psalms, written by St. Aus-
tin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (On Ps.
cxxi.)
(6
ERUSALEM is builded as a city."
JER
Brethren, when David said that,
Jerusalem was no longer in building,
but already builded. He speaketh then
of some city which is even now being
built, and which I know not, where-
unto do run in faith, the living stones,
concerning whom Peter saith (I. ii. 5):
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up
a spiritual house," that is, an holy tem-
ple unto God. But what meaneth he by
the words, "Ye also, as lively stones,
are built up?" If thou believest, thou
livest; but if thou believest, then art
thou become a temple of God; as indeed
the Apostle Paul hath it: "The temple
of God is holy, which temple ye are."
(1 Cor. iii. 17.)
Fifth Lesson.
THE city then is still in building."
Stones are being hewn out of the
mountains by the hands of them that
preach the truth, and are being cut
square, that they may be fitted into the
everlasting walls. Many stones are still
in the hands of the workman, and they
must not fall out of his hands if they
would be meet stones, and make part of
the masonry of the temple. This is
that Jerusalem which is builded as a
city, and her foundation is Christ. So
saith the Apostle Paul : "Other founda-
tion can no man lay than that is laid,
which is Jesus Christ." (1 Cor. iii. 11.)
JESUS
Sixth Lesson.
HERE the foundation is first laid
WHE
in the earth, then the walls are
builded up thereon, and the weight of
the walls presseth downward, for the
foundation is beneath them. But if our
foundation be in heaven, then must we
be so builded as to press, not downward,
but upward. This great Church which
ye behold with your bodily eyes was
builded up by bodies, and because bodies
builded it up, they laid the foundations
thereof beneath. But we who are
builded up a spiritual house, have our
foundation above us. Thitherward let
us run, that we may be built in, for it
is of Jerusalem that it is said: "Our
feet have been wont to stand within thy
gates, O Jerusalem !"
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xix. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS entered and
passed through Jericho. And, be-
hold, there was a man named Zacchæus,
which was the chief among the pub-
licans, and he was rich. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. viii. on Luke.)
(xviii. 43.) And immediately [the
blind man] received his sight, and fol-
lowed Him, glorifying God." He could
not have received his sight but by fol-
lowing Christ, by glorifying God, and by
turning away from the world. But now
let us turn to speak words of kindness to
the rich. We are fain, if we can, to
heal all men, and we would give no
offence to the rich; and they would
have ground of righteous offence if we
applied to them roughly and untruly
that which is said about a camel passing
through the eye of a needle, or if we
passed them by too quickly, as repre-
sented in Zacchæus.
Eighth Lesson.
THE rich should learn that there is
nothing wrong in possessing wealth;
the wrong is in those who possess wealth
without knowing how to use it. Riches
are indeed a stumbling-block to the
wicked, but to the good they are a means
of grace. Zaccheus was rich, and he
was one of Christ's chosen ones; but
when he gave the half of his goods to
the poor, and restored four-fold any-
thing which he had taken from any
man by false accusation (for simple re-
storation is not enough, neither doth
one who keepeth possession of ill-gotten
gains, really give gifts, in that which he
giveth, since it is not his plunder, but
gifts out of that which is his own, that
are asked for,) [when Zacchæus, I say,
1 The next two sentences seem to be quoted or at least taken from the Shepherd of
Hermas.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
919
did these things,] he received manifold
recompense.
Ninth Lesson.
IT is well mentioned that he was the
chief among the publicans. Who
need give up hope, when he seeth one
that had acquired wealth by false accu-
sation attain unto salvation?
"And he was rich." Know that all
rich men are not misers.
(C He was little of stature.' The
Scripture saith nothing of any man's
stature, save of that of Zacchæus.' And
wherefore? Perchance his littleness of
stature was spiritual, being a mental
dwarfing through sin, or a childishness
in faith. He had not yet promised to
make restitution; he had not yet seen
Christ; and he is well called little.
Whereas John was called great, (Luke i.
15,) John, who saw Christ, and the
Spirit like a dove descending and abid-
ing on Him, as he himself" bare record,
saying: I saw the Spirit descending
from heaven like a dove, and It abode on
Him." (John i. 32.)
Third Bay within the Octave.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the fol-
lowing.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(256th for the Season.)
HE
THE reason of the present gathering
is the dedication of an house of
prayer. That house is the house of our
prayers, but the house of God is our-
selves. If we are the house of God, we
are being built in this world, that we
may be consecrated at the end of this
world. The time of building is the
time of work; the time of consecration
is the time of holiday-keeping. Thus
it was with this building; while it was
yet being put together, there was toil;
now that the believers in Christ are
gathered together in it, there is rejoic-
ing. Believing is, as it were, the hewing
of timbers from the forests, and stones
from the mountains. Catechising and
baptising are the shaping and squaring
and polishing of the stones by the hands
of the workmen. And still they make
not an house for the Lord, until they be
mortared together with charity.
Fifth Lesson.
NONE of these beams and stones could
have entered into this building,
unless they had been meetly joined to-
gether, unless they had been coupled in
agreement one with another, and united,
as it were, in the embrace of love. When
thou seest in any house that the beams
and stones are well joined together,
thou enterest therein boldly, fearing
not that it will fall upon thee. So also,
when the Lord Christ was fain to enter
[into His spiritual temple, the Church,]
and to dwell in us, He said, as it were
to build us: "A new commandment I
give unto you, that ye love one another.”
(John xiii. 34.) "A new command-
ment I give unto you"-ye have hither-
to been old; ye made Me no house; ye
lay in your ruins. That ye may rise
therefore, from your ruins, love one
another.
THIN
Sixth Lesson.
INK then, my kind friends,² that
according to what hath been fore-
told and promised, this house is being
builded throughout the whole world.
When the Jews returned from the cap-
tivity, and the house of God was builded
up again, it was said in a song extracted
from an older psalm: "Sing unto the
LORD a new song; sing unto the LORD,
all the earth.”s That which the Psalm
1 However, Deut. iii. 11; 1 Kings (Sam.) x. 23, &c.
2 Charitas vestra.
$ Ps. XCV.
In the LXX. this Psalm is intituled “ An Ode of David, when the house was
built up after the captivity." It is really by David, as appears from 1 Par. (Chron.) xvi.,
and was composed by him as part of a Psalm for the occasion of the Ark's arrival at
Jerusalem, whence it seems (according to the LXX.), to have been extracted, and used as
suitable to the occasion to which they refer it.
920
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
calleth a new song, the Lord calleth a
new commandment. For wherefore
should we sing a new song unless it
were to tell of a new love? Since sing-
ing is lovers' wont-
"Love upon the singer's tongue,
Prompts the measure that is sung."
Let us love, and love unselfishly; for
the cheerful rest of the Lord's Day. See
also, how that Zaccheus in the syca-
more was like a young fig of the new
season, in whom, as in other things, was
fulfilled that which is written: The
fig-tree putteth forth her green figs."
(Cant. ii. 13.)
Ninth Lesson.
we love the Lord, and better than He CHRIST came for this, that trees
there is nothing; let us love Him for
His own sake, and ourselves in Him, as
for Him.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xix. 1.)
AT
T that time: JESUS entered, and
passed through Jericho. And, be-
hold, there was a man named Zacchæus,
which was the chief among the publi-
cans. And he was rich. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. viii. on Luke.)
•
["He sought to see JESUS and
could not, for the press."] What is this
press but the brute herd, which cannot
perceive the crown of wisdom? There-
fore, as long as Zaccheus remained in
the herd, he could not see Christ. When
he riseth above the herd, then he seeth
Him; that is to say, when he had got
over the stupidity of the common people,
he gained a view of Him Whom he de-
sired. "For the Lord was to pass that
way. This is beautifully added-sig-
nifying that He was about to pass,
either where the sycamore-tree stood,
or where Zacchæus was to believe in
Him-thereby at once affording a mystic
type and conferring a grace. For thus
had He come, to pass by way of the
Jews unto the Gentiles.
Eighth Lesson.
"AND when JESUS came to the, place,
He looked up and saw him." For
now was Zacchæus climbed up on high
amid the blossom of good works, as in
the boughs of a fruitful tree. And here,
since we have begun to take mystic in-
terpretations, we may remark how de-
lightful a fruit to a believer's taste is
1 Vox hujus cantoris
Fervor est sancti amoris.
might bring forth, not fruit, but
men. We have read elsewhere: "When
thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw
thee." (John i. 48.) Nathaniel was
under the tree, that is, above the root
for the root is holy, and he was a righ-
teous man. Nevertheless, Nathaniel was
still underneath the tree, for he was
under the law; but, Zacchæus had gone
up the tree, for he was above the law;
Nathaniel was Christ's privy defender,
but Zaccheus was His open preacher.
Nathaniel was still seeking Christ out
of the law, but Zacchæus had gone above
the law, by giving up his goods in order
to follow the Lord.
Fourth Bay within the Octave.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the
following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons of
St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (256th
on the Season.)
CONSIDER that passage in the "Song
of rejoicing at the opening of the
house of David," which we have just
sung amid the wrecks of the masons'
sheds: "Thou hast put off my sack-
cloth." That referreth to the wrecks;
but what to the new building?
girded me with gladness." Here is the
utterance for the opening of the house :
"To the end that my glory may sing
"And
2 Ps. xxix. from which all the texts quoted are taken, except those marked otherwise.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
921
praise to Thee.”
And who is the
speaker? Tell it from his own words.
Were I to explain it, I should only make
it darker, therefore I will but repeat his
own words, and at the sound of his
speech ye shall know him forthwith,
that ye may love him for his address.
Who is he that can say: "O LORD,
Thou hast brought up My soul from the
grave?"
Fifth Lesson.
WHO is He Whose soul hath already
been brought up from the grave,
but He in Whose mouth are put else-
where the words, "Thou wilt not leave
My soul in hell?" This Psalm is in-
tituled "a Song of rejoicing at the open-
ing of the house of David," and the first
thing spoken of therein is deliverance,
as it is said: "I will extol Thee, O
LORD, for Thou hast lifted me up, and
hast not made my foes to rejoice over
me." Consider that by these foes are
meant the Jews, who thought that they
had slain Christ, overcome in Him their
enemy, and destroyed Him as they
might a man mortal like other men.
BUT
Sixth Lesson.
UT He rose again the third day, and
His utterance is: "I will extol
Thee, O LORD, for Thou hast lifted Me
up"-in connection with which, con-
sider the saying of the Apostle: "God
hath highly exalted Him." (Phil. ii.
9.) "And hast not made My foes to
rejoice over Me." They rejoiced indeed
over the death of Christ, but at His
Resurrection, Ascension, and preaching,
some of them were cut to the heart.
When He was preached, the faithful
testimony of His Apostles cut some of
them to the heart, and some were con-
verted, and some were hardened, and
some were confounded, but none re-
joiced.
AT
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
T that time: JESUS entered and
passed through Jericho. And be-
hold, there was a man named Zacchæus,
which was the chief among the pub-
licans, and he was rich. And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great,] (Bk. xxviii. of Moral [Reflec-
tions on Job], ch. 27.)
If we would be truly wise, and behold
wisdom herself, we must humbly ac-
knowledge ourselves to be fools. Let
us cast away harmful wisdom, and learn
praiseworthy folly. For this reason in-
deed is it written: "God hath chosen
the foolish things of the world, to con-
found the wise." (1 Cor. i. 27.) And
again it is said: "If any man among
you seemeth to be wise in this world,
let him become a fool, that he may be
wise." (iii. 18.) And unto this doth
the very Gospel bear witness, wherein
it is said that Zacchæus "sought to see
JESUS, Who He was; and could not for
the press, because he was little of sta-
ture. And he ran before, and climbed
up into a sycamore tree to see Him; for
He was to pass that way." For this
name Sycamore, being interpreted, sig-
nifieth the "Foolish Fig."
Eighth Lesson.
LITTLE Zacchæus therefore accepted
the humiliation of having recourse
to the sycamore-and saw the Lord.
They who humbly choose to be fools in
the estimation of the world, have a deep
insight into the wisdom of God. The
press standeth in our way, on account
of our little stature, when we are fain
to see the Lord; for the toilsome din of
worldly business tormenteth our weak
minds, so as to hinder our perceiving
the light of the truth. But we climb
up wisely into the sycamore tree, if we
willingly give up our minds to that folly
which God giveth unto us. What can
be more utter folly (in this world) than
not to seek for that we have lost, to
leave that whereof we have been robbed
in the hands of our despoilers, to take
no revenge for wrongs which have been
done us, yea, even to offer to him that
taketh away our cloak, our coat also,
and be patient?
Ninth Lesson.
THE Lord biddeth us, as it were, to
climb up into the sycamore, where
He saith: "Of him that taketh away
thy goods, ask them not again." (Luke
1 Sukamoros-which St. Gregory seems to have derived from sukos, a fig, and môros,
(pr. mwros,) a fool, but the derivation now generally accepted is sukos, a fig, and moros,
a mulberry, as a plant combining certain characteristic features of both trees.
922
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
*
vi. 30.) And again: "Whosoever shall
smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to
him the other also.' (Matth. v. 39.)
From the boughs of this sycamore tree,
the Lord is seen passing by. He may
indeed, as yet, not be seen face to Face,
but by this wise folly the inward eye
may see the Wisdom of God, as it were,
passing by, even that Wisdom Which
they that are wise in their own conceit
cannot see. They are mixed up in the
overbearing press of their own imagina-
tions, and have not yet found the syca-
more tree whereinto to climb up, if they
would see the Lord.
Fifth Day within the Octave.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the fol-
lowing.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons of
St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (256th
for the Season.)
THOU hast not made my foes to
rejoice over me." (Ps. xxix. 2.)
Now-a-days, when Churches are filled
with believers, do we imagine that this
maketh the Jews to rejoice? Churches
are built, consecrated, and filled; where-
fore should they rejoice? Not only do
they not rejoice, but they are put to
confusion; and the words are fulfilled
which are written: "I will extol Thee,
O LORD, for Thou hast lifted me up,
and hast not made my foes to rejoice
over me"-Thou hast not made them to
rejoice over Me, for even if they turn
and believe in Me, Thou wilt make them
to rejoice, not over Me, but in Me. Lest
we should make overlong our exposition
of our song, let us take another point.
How saith Christ: "Thou hast put off
My sackcloth, and girded Me with glad-
ness?" His sackcloth was the likeness
of sinful flesh.
THE
Fifth Lesson.
HINK not lightly thereof, because
He calleth it His sackcloth; the
price of thy redemption was wrapped
up in it.
"Thou hast put off My sack-
cloth." Let us turn aside to look more
closely at this sackcloth-"Thou hast
put off My sackcloth." The sackcloth
was put off when He suffered. How
saith He, therefore, unto God the Fa-
ther, "Thou hast put off My sackcloth ?"
Wilt thou hear how it is that He saith
unto the Father, "Thou hast put off My
sackcloth ?" It is because God “spared
not His Own Son, but delivered Him up
for us all." (Rom. viii. 32.) By means
of the Jews, who knew not what they
did, He did that whereby they that knew
should be redeemed, and they that gain-
said should be put to confusion. They
know not what good their evil deed hath
done for us.
The sackcloth was hung
up, amid the rejoicings of the ungodly-
the persecutor rent it with his spear,
and the Redeemer caused our price to
spring forth.
Sixth Lesson.
ET Christ the Redeemer sing, let
Judas that sold Him groan, and
the Jews that bought Him blush. Judas
sold Him, and the Jews bought Him,
and both buyer and seller in the wicked
bargain are condemned, both alike have
cast themselves away. Let our Head
therefore speak concerning His slain
Body, His hallowed Body-let Him
speak, and let us listen.
"Thou,'
saith He "hast put off My sackcloth,
and girded Me with gladness'-Thou
hast put off My mortality, and hast
girded Me with immortality and incor-
ruption' to the end that My glory may
sing praise unto Thee, and not be si-
lent.' What meaneth this, "and not
be silent?" "No more shall the lance
pierce Me, and I hang silent under the
blow." For "Christ being raised from
the dead, dieth no more; death hath no
more dominion over Him." (Rom. vi. 9.)
THIRD NOCTURN,
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xix. 1.)
Α 1
T that time: JESUS entered and
passed through Jericho. And, be-
hold, there was a man named Zacchæus,
which was the chief among the publi-
cans. And he was rich. And so on.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
923
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.] (Bk. v. ch. 77 on Luke
xix.)
"The things which are impossible
with men, are possible with God."
(xviii. 27.) For behold the camel, when
he hath laid aside his load, passeth
through the eye of a needle, that is to
say, the rich man and the publican,
when he putteth off from him the burden
of his riches, and despiseth to be wealthy
by unjust means, entereth into the
strait gate and narrow way which
leadeth unto life. He that with earnest
faith desired to see the Saviour, helped
the defect of his natural stature by
climbing up into a tree, and thereby he
earned what he longed for, but dared
not to ask, even the blessedness of hav-
ing the Lord to abide as a guest at his
house.
ZAO
Eighth Lesson.
ACCHÆUS, whose name, being in-
terpreted, signifieth "Justified," is
a type of such from among the Gentiles
as believe. The more they be harassed
by the cares of this world, the more they
be weighed down by the sense of sin,
the humbler is their prayer.
"But,'
[saith the Apostle Paul unto such,] "ye
are washed, but, ye are sanctified,-
but, ye are justified, in the Name of the
Lord JESUS, and by the Spirit of our
God." (1 Cor. vi. 11.) Such desired to
see the Saviour as He entered into Je-
richo, but could not for the press, for,
albeit wishful for that grace of faith
which the Saviour brought into the
world, the long-used habit of sin stood
in the way of the desire.
Ninth Lesson.
THE press of evil habits which rebuked
the blind man, that he should hold
his peace, and not cry for light, the
same press hindered the publican from
seeing JESUS. But even as the blind
man overcame them by crying so much
the more, so must he that is little of
stature needs get above the obstruction
of the harmful crowd, by seeking an
higher place, ascending from the earth,
and betaking him up into the tree, that
is, the Cross. And the Cross is a Syca-
more, (a tree with leaves somewhat like
to those of a mulberry, but higher,
whence also it is called by the Latins
Celsa," that is, the High tree,) for
the name "Sycamore" signifieth, being
interpreted, the "Foolish Fig," and
thus is the Cross, which feedeth as with
figs them that believe, but is mocked at
as foolishness by them that believe not.
Sixth Bay within the Octave.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the fol-
lowing.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons of
St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (256th
for the Season.)
THEREFORE, while I joyfully gaze
upon the new walls of this holy
Church, which we this day hallow unto
the name of God, I find that I owe high
praise to our God, and to you, my holy
brethren, a suitable discourse upon the
building of the house of God. But my
discourse will only be suitable if it con-
tain for your spiritual up-building,'
that which, God inwardly building, may
avail toward your souls' health. That
building which we behold with our
bodily eyes, wrought in these walls, must
be reflected spiritually in our minds,
and that finish which we see in stone
and wood, it must be the work of God's
grace to finish within our own bodies.
IN
Fifth Lesson.
N the first place, therefore, let us give
thanks unto our Lord God, from
Whom cometh down every good gift
and every perfect gift. (James i. 17.)
Let us with all the cheerfulness of our
hearts praise Him for having put it into
the thoughts of His faithful ones to raise
unto Him this house of prayer, stirred
up their love and given them help,
breathed the will into them when they
as yet had it not, and then enabled them
¹ This sentence contains an untranslateable play upon the word "edification."
924
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
to carry out their will.
"For it is God
Which worketh in you both to will and
to do of His good pleasure." (Phil. ii.
13.) And thus it is He Himself Who
hath begun, and hath finished.
Sixth Lesson.
AND forasmuch as He never suffereth
good works to lie unrewarded in
His sight, He will give a reward meet
for so great a work to those His faithful
ones,
unto whose labours He hath already
given His helpful blessing. And yet have
we more thanks to give unto our Lord
God. For this Church, which He hath
caused to be builded unto His Name,
He hath made more honourable with
the reliques of His holy Martyrs.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xix. 1.)
A
T that time: JESUS entered and
passed through Jericho. And, be-
hold, there was a man named Zacchæus,
which was the chief among the pub-
licans. And he was rich. And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.] (Bk. v. ch. 77, on Luke
xix.)
"And when JESUS came to the place,
He looked up, and saw him." The Sa-
viour, passing through Jericho, came to
the place whither Zacchæus had already
run before, and climbed up into a syca-
more-tree. Thus did He send through-
out the world the preachers of His
Word, in whom Himself did indeed
speak and go, and so came unto those
who were already high up-lifted by be-
lieving in His sufferings, and fain to
be blessed with the full revelation of
His Godhead. "He looked up, and
saw him"-for the eyes of His choice
were toward one whom the grace of faith
had raised above earthly desires, and
who stood aloft above the unbelieving
multitudes. "To look on" signifieth with
God to choose or to love; whence it is
said: "The eyes of the LORD are upon
the righteous." (Ps. xxxiii. 16.) Even
we also hasten to look at things which
we love, while we turn our eyes away
from what is loathsome to us.
Eighth Lesson.
ESUS therefore looked on one that
JESU
was fain to look on Him, chose one
that chose Him, and loved one that
loved Him. This progress, namely, to
go on, by believing in the Lord's Incar-
nation, to an acknowledgment of His
Godhead, is, as it were, to climb up into a
sycamore-tree to catch a sight of JESUS'
Face; this progress, I say, the excel-
lent Teacher [Paul] pointeth at, when
he saith: "I determined not to know
anything among you, save Jesus Christ,
and Him Crucified." (1 Cor. ii. 2.) And
again in rebuking certain he saith:
(6 Ye are become such as have need of
milk, and not of strong meat," (Heb.
v. 12)-herein signifying by milk the
weakness of the dispensation in time,
and by strong meat, the sublimity of the
everlasting glory.
"A¹
Ninth Lesson.
ND [JESUS] said unto him: Zac-
chæus, make haste and come
down, for to-day I must abide at thine
house. And he made haste, and came
down, and received Him joyfully." The
Lord abode awhile in the house of the
chief of the Pharisees-that is to say,
He taught in the synagogue of the Jews;
but since they spake against Him with
envenomed tongues, because He washed
not His hands before He sat down to
eat, because He healed on the Sabbath
Day, because He received publicans and
sinners, because He rebuked their greed,
and did other things worthy of God, He
was wearied by their wickedness, and
turned away and left them, saying:
"Behold, your house is left unto you
desolate." (Matth. xxiii. 38.) But to-
day He must abide in the house of little
Zacchæus-that is to say, He must rest,
while the beams of the new light are
bright, in the lowly hearts of the believ-
ing nations.
Seventh Bay within the Octave.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the
following.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
FOR THE DEDICATION OF A CHURCH.
925
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch [of
Constantinople.] (Hom. 33 on Matth.
ix.)
THE
HE Church is the common house of
all. Hereinto ye first do enter, and
then we, keeping the form of the dis-
ciples; and therefore, so soon as we be
come in, that we may follow the rule
given to them, (Luke x. 5,) we greet
you all with the salutation of "Peace."
Let no one then be drowsy, let no one
keep his mind occupied with worldly
business, when the Priests are come in
for the sermon. The punishment for
doing so is no light one. I had a thou-
sand times rather be left alone in one of
your own houses, when I come to visit
you, than that ye should not listen unto
me when I am preaching here. This
would vex me more than that, for this
is more your house than that.
Fifth Lesson.
FOR this is the house wherein our
greatest treasures and our hopes
are laid up. What is there here that
is not great and wonderful? The Table
here is the most precious and glorious
of tables. The lamp here is the most
precious and glorious of lamps, as they
know who have in faith been anointed
with oil therefrom, and been healed of
sickness.¹ The Ambry² here is far the
best and the most needful, for therein
is laid up, not raiment, but mercy-
albeit they be few that take It. The
bed here is the noblest of beds, for what
can be better than that pillow whereon
resteth the written Word of God 3
Sixth Lesson.
AND in good sooth, if we were all at
one, we should have none other
house than this. And that I utter not
herein an hard saying, witness those
three thousand and five thousand who
had but one house and one table and
one mind. "The multitude of them
that believed," saith [the author of the
Acts of the Apostles] "were of one heart
and of one soul" (iv. 32.) But since we
are far from such perfection as their's,
and are parted in divers houses, let us
strive to be like them, at least when we
come together here. For albeit in other
things we are poor and needy, do ye at
the least welcome us kindly when we
come in hither among you; and when I
say, "Peace be unto you," do ye an-
swer, not with your voices only but with
your hearts, "And with thy spirit."
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xix. 1.)
AT
T that time: JESUS entered and
passed through Jericho. And, be-
hold, there was a man named Zacchæus,
which was the chief among the pub-
licans. And he was rich. And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.] (Continuation of the last.)
It
"And when they saw it, they all mur-
mured, saying, That He was gone to be
guest with a man that is a sinner.”
is clear that the Jews have always hated
that the Gentiles should be saved. It
is written: "And the next Sabbath-Day
came almost the whole city together, to
hear the word of God. But when the
Jews saw the multitudes, they were
filled with envy, and spake against
those things which were spoken by
Paul." (Acts xiii. 44.) And elsewhere
it is told how that even the faithful
brethren contended with the Prince of
the Apostles," saying, Thou wentest in
to men uncircumcised, and didst eat
with them." (xi. 3.)
AN
Eighth Lesson.
ND Zacchæus stood, and said unto
the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half
of my goods I give to the poor; and if
I have taken anything from any man by
false accusation I restore him four-fold."
While others were blaming the sinner,
Zacchæus himself stood, that is, con-
tinued in that truth of faith wherein he
had begun, and showed himself to be
1 The oil used for Extreme Unction is, in the Greek rite, taken from the lamp that burns
before the picture of our Lord.
2 Arca, no doubt the Tabernacle.
3 In Greek Churches a copy of the Gospels is kept lying on the altar.
་
926
THE COMMON OF SAINTS.
not only a sinner converted, but even
to have taken a place among the per-
fect. "If," saith the Lord, "thou wilt
be perfect, go and sell that thou hast,
and give to the poor, and thou shalt
have treasure in heaven." (Matth. xix.
21.) If a man before his conversion
have lived blamelessly, after his conver-
sion he can give to the poor all that he
hath-
Ninth Lesson.
UT if he have had any unjust deal-
BUT
ing to law, to make restitution, and not
till afterwards must he give to the poor
that which remaineth unto him. And
thus will it become true of him also,
when he keepeth nothing for himself,
but hath dispersed and hath given to
the poor, that "his righteousness en-
dureth for ever." (Ps. cxi. 8.) And
this is that wise folly, which the pub-
lican gathered from his sycamore-tree,
like life-giving fruit, namely, to make
restitution of that which he had robbed,
to give away that which was his own,
to hold cheap the things which are seen,
to be fain even to die for the things
which are not seen, to deny himself,
and to will to follow in the steps of that
Lord upon Whom thitherto he had not
looked.
Octave-Day of the Bedication.
Double.
All as on the Feast, except the fol-
lowing,
SECOND NOCTURN,
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First Epistle
of Pope St. Felix IV.¹ (On Consecra-
tion, dist. i. ch. 2.)
WE read that Moses, by the command
of the Lord, made and hallowed a
tabernacle, with the table and altar, and
other vessels and furniture thereof, for
the worship of God; and we know that
he hallowed the same, not only by
prayers to God, but by anointing them,
at the command of the Lord, with holy
oil. How these things were done, and
how none others but Priests anointed
with holy ointment, and arrayed before
the Lord in holy garments, and Levites,
handled, carried, set up, and put in
order these holy things, all this is to be
found written in the Law of the Lord,
among the ordinances which Moses wrote
down at the command of the Lord.
Fifth Lesson.
IN the Books of Kings we read how
David, the most godly of princes,
made more splendid the worship of God,
and was fain to build a temple unto the
Lord, but was withheld, because of the
quantity of blood which he had shed,
and only gathered together treasures for
that end; and how Solomon his son, at
the command and with the help of God,
did that which his father had desired to
do, and hallowed the temple and the
altar and the other things pertaining to
the worship of God. "And at that time
Solomon held a Feast, and all Israël with
him, a great congregation, from the en-
tering in of Hamath unto the River of
Egypt, before the LORD our God seven
days and seven days, even fourteen days,
and on the eighth day he sent the people
away." (3 Kings viii. 65, 66.)
TH
Sixth Lesson. (Ch. 17.)
HE Feast of the Dedication of
Churches and Priests is to be kept
year by year, as the Lord Himself hath
given us an ensample, that we should
follow His steps, by coming with the
rest of the people to keep the Feast of
the Dedication of the Temple; as it is
written: "It was at Jerusalem the Feast
of the Dedication, and it was winter.
And JESUS walked in the temple in
Solomon's Porch." (John x. 22, 23.)
That these Dedication-Feasts are to be
kept for eight days, ye will find in the
Third Book of Kings, after the account
of the Dedication of the Temple.
In the Third Nocturn are read the
Lessons from some day omitted within
the Octave.
1 A.D. 526-30.
The Proper Office of the Saints.
NOVEMBER 28.
At Vespers, Commemoration as of the
First Vespers of the Holy Martyr Sa-
turninus.1
All from the Common Office for One
Martyr, (p. 817,) except the following.
0
Prayer.
GOD, by Whose mercy we keep the
birthday of Thy blessed Martyr Sa-
turninus, grant us also succour for his
sake. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Note. The above rule is to be always
observed. On the Feast of every Saint
the Office read is the Office common to all
Saints of the Class to which he, she, or
they belong, except something be spe-
cially appointed.
เ
NOVEMBER 29.
Eve of St. Andrew, Apostle.
If this day fall in Advent, no notice
is taken of the Eve. At Lauds a Com-
memoration is made of St. Saturninus,
which Commemoration is taken from the
Common Office for One Martyr, except
the Prayer, which is as above.
Vespers of the following Feast.
NOVEMBER 30.
Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle.
Double of the Second Class.
All from the Common Office for Apos-
tles, (p. 805,) except what is otherwise
given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter and Prayer from
Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. One of the two which followed
the Lord was Andrew, * Simon Peter's
brother. Alleluia.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day if in Advent.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. "The Lord saw Peter
and Andrew, and He called them.
Second Antiphon. Follow Me, and I
will make you fishers of men, * saith the
Lord.
Third Antiphon. And they left their
nets, * and followed the Lord their Sa-
viour.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Romans (x. 4.)
CHRIST is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that
1 The Martyrology says, that on November 29, "were born [into the better life] at
Rome, on the Salarian Way, under the Prince Maximian, the holy Martyrs Saturninus the
old, and Sisinnius the Deacon. After long suffering in prison, they were hoisted upon the
rack by command of the Prefect of the City, and, being there stretched with thongs, were
flogged with cudgels and loaded scourges, and tormented with fire; whereafter they were
taken down from the rack and beheaded." A.D. 304.
3 Matth. iv. 18-20.
2 John i. 40.
3 Q
928
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
believeth. For Moses describeth the
righteousness which is of the law, that
the man which doeth these things shall
live in it.¹ But the righteousness which
is of faith speaketh on this wise :2 Say
not in thine heart, Who shall ascend
into heaven? that is, to bring Christ
down from above: or, Who shall descend
into the deep? that is, to bring up
Christ again from the dead. But what
saith the Scripture? The word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy
heart: that is, the word of faith which
we preach that if thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord JESUS, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised Him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved.
First Responsory.
3The Lord, walking by the Sea of Ga-
lilee, saw Peter and Andrew casting
their nets into the sea, and He called
them saying: Follow Me, and I will
make you fishers of men.
Verse. For they were fishers, and
He saith unto them-
Answer. Follow Me, and I will make
you fishers of men.
Second Lesson.
'OR with the heart man believeth
FOR
unto righteousness, and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation.
For the Scripture saith: 4 Whosoever be-
lieveth on Him shall not be ashamed.
For there is no difference between the
Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord
over all is rich unto all that call upon
Him. For whosoever shall call upon the
name of the Lord shall be saved. "How
then shall they call on Him in Whom
they have not believed? And how
shall they believe in Him of Whom
they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher? And
how shall they preach, except they be
sent? As it is written: "How beautiful
are the feet of them that preach the
Gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings
of good things!
Second Responsory.
As soon as the blessed Andrew heard
the voice of the Lord calling him, he
1 Lev. xviii. 5.
• Isa. xlix. 23.
7 Isa. liii. 1.
10 Isa. lxv. 1, 2.
left his nets, by the exercise and use
whereof he lived, and followed Him
Who giveth life everlasting.
Verse. This is that disciple who for
the love of Christ hung upon the cross,
and suffered for the law of his God.
Answer. And followed Him Who
giveth life everlasting.
Third Lesson.
BUT they have not all obeyed the
Gospel. For Isaias saith: "Lord,
who hath believed our report? So then
faith cometh by hearing, and hearing
by the word of Christ. But I say:
Have they not heard? Yes verily, their
sound went into all the earth, and their
words unto the ends of the world. But
I say: Did not Israël know? First
Moses saith: 'I will provoke you to jea-
lousy by them that are no people: and
by a foolish nation I will anger you.
But Isaias is very bold, and saith: 10I
was found of them that sought Me not:
I was made manifest unto them that
asked not after Me. But to Israël He
saith: All day long I have stretched
forth My hands unto a disobedient and
gainsaying people.
Third Responsory.
Andrew the good teacher, the friend
of God, was led to the cross, and when
he saw it afar off, he said: God bless
thee, O cross,-be welcome to the fol-
lower of Him That hung on thee, even
my Master Christ.
Verse. God bless thee, O cross,-thou
art hallowed by the Body of Christ
His Members make thee goodly as with
pearls.
Answer. Be welcome to the follower
of Him That hung on thee, even my
Master Christ.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Be welcome to the follower
of Him That hung on thee, even my
Master Christ.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Whom the Lord
called to be His Apostle, * when he was
2 Deut. xxx. 11, 12, 14.
5 Joel ii. 32.
8 Ps. xviii. 4.
3 Matth. iv. 18, 19.
6 Isa. lii. 7.
9 Deut. xxxii. 21.
FEAST-DAYS IN NOVEMBER.
929
by the sea, him also He counted worthy
to be His martyr. Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. Andrew was to the
Lord as a sweet savour, * which He loved
exceedingly.
Third Antiphon. The blessed Andrew
hung alive upon the cross for two days *
for Christ's Name's sake, and, all the
while, he taught the people.
Fourth Lesson.
THE Apostle Andrew was born at
Bethsaida, a town of Galilee, and
was the brother of Peter. He was a dis-
ciple of John the Baptist, and heard
him say of Christ, "Behold the Lamb
of God," (John i. 35-37, 40,) whereupon
he immediately followed JESUS, bringing
his brother also with him. Some while
after, they were both fishing in the Sea
of Galilee, and the Lord Christ, going by,
called them both, before any other of the
Apostles, in the words, "Follow Me, and
I will make you fishers of men." They
made no delay, but left their nets, and
followed Him. (Matth. iv. 18-20.) After
the death and Resurrection of Christ,
Andrew was allotted Scythia as the pro-
vince of his preaching, and, after labour-
ing there, he went through Epirus and
Thrace, where he turned vast multitudes
to Christ by his teaching and miracles.
Finally, he went to Patras in Achaia, and
there also he brought many to the know-
ledge of Gospel truth. Ageas the Pro-
consul resisted the preaching of the
Gospel, and the Apostle freely rebuked
him, bidding him know that while he
held himself a judge of his fellow men,
he was himself hindered by devils from
knowing Christ our God, the Judge of all.
Fourth Responsory.
The man of God was led to be cruci-
fied, and the people cried with a loud
voice, saying: The innocent blood of
this just person is condemned without a
cause.
Verse. And when they led him out to
crucify him, all the people ran together
and cried, saying:
Answer. The innocent blood of this
just person is condemned without a
cause.
THE
Fifth Lesson.
HEN Ægeas, being angry, answered
him, "Boast no more of this thy
Christ. He spake words even such as
thine, but they availed Him not, and
He was crucified by the Jews." Whereto
Andrew boldly answered that Christ had
given Himself up to die for man's salva-
tion; but the Pro-consul blasphemously
interrupted him, and bade him look to
himself, and sacrifice to the gods. Then
said Andrew, “We have an altar, where-
on day by day I offer up to God, the
Almighty, the One, and the True, not
the flesh of bulls nor the blood of goats,
but a Lamb without spot: and when
all they that believe have eaten of the
Flesh Thereof, the Lamb That was slain
abideth whole and liveth." Then Ægeas
being filled with wrath, bound the Apos-
tle in prison. Now, the people would
have delivered him, but he himself
calmed the multitude, and earnestly
besought them not to take away from
him the crown of martyrdom, for which
he longed and which was now drawing
near.
Fifth Responsory.
O precious cross, which the Members
of my Lord have made so fair and
goodly, welcome me from among men,
and join me again to my Master, that,
as by thee He redeemed me, so by thee
also He may take me unto Himself.
Verse. The blessed Andrew stretched
forth his hands to heaven and prayed,
saying: Precious cross, be my salva-
tion,-
Answer. That, as by thee He re-
deemed me, so by thee also He may
take me unto Himself.
Sixth Lesson.
SOME short while after, he was brought
before the judgment-seat, where he
extolled the mystery of the cross, and re-
buked Ægeas for his ungodliness. Then
Egeas could bear with him no longer,
but commanded him to be crucified, in
imitation of Christ. Andrew, then, was
led to the place of martyrdom, and, as
soon as he came in sight of the cross,
he cried out, "O precious cross, which
the Members of my Lord have made so
goodly, how long have I desired thee!
how warmly have I loved thee! how
constantly have I sought thee! And,
now that thou art come to me, how is
my soul drawn to thee! Welcome me
from among men, and join me again to
3 Q2
930
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
my Master, that as by thee He redeemed
me, so by thee also He may take me unto
Himself." So he was fastened to the
cross, whereon he hung living for two
days, during which time he ceased not to
preach the faith of Christ, and, finally,
passed into the Presence of Him the
likeness of Whose death he had loved
so well. All the above particulars of
his last sufferings were written by the
Priests and Deacons of Achaia, who
bear witness to them of their own know-
ledge. Under the Emperor Constan-
tine the bones of the Apostle were first
taken to Constantinople, whence they
were afterwards ¹brought to Amalfi. In
the Pontificate of Pope Pius II. his
head was carried to Rome, where it is
kept in the Basilica of St. Peter.
Sixth Responsory.
All day long I have stretched forth
my hands upon the cross unto a diso-
bedient and gainsaying people, which
walketh in a way that is not good, but
after their own sins.
Verse. The LORD God to Whom ven-
geance belongeth, the God to Whom ven-
geance belongeth, hath shown Himself:
lift up Thyself, Thou Judge of the earth,
render a reward to the proud.
Answer. Which walketh in a way
that is not good, but after their own
sins.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Which walketh in a way
that is not good, but after their own
sins.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Suffer not Thy ser-
vant, O Lord, to be parted from Thee :
the hour is come to lay my body in the
earth, and for Thee to bid me come unto
Thyself.
Second Antiphon. But Andrew be-
sought the people * not to hinder his
passion.
*
Third Antiphon. Welcome me from
among men and join me again to my
Master; that, as by thee He redeemed
me, so by thee also He may take me
unto Himself.
1 By the Crusaders, A.D. 1210.
2 Isa. lxv. 2.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (iv. 18.)
AT that time: JESUS, walking by the
Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren,
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea. And
80 on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (5th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, ye hear how
that Peter and Andrew, having once
heard the Lord call them, left their nets,
and followed their Saviour. As yet they
had seen none of His miracles, as yet
they had received no promise of their
exceeding and eternal reward; never-
theless, at one word of the Lord they
forgot all those things which they
seemed to have. We have seen many
of His miracles; we have received many
of His gracious chastenings; many times
hath He warned us of the wrath to
come-and yet Christ calleth and we do
not follow.
Seventh Responsory.
The holy Andrew lifted up his eyes
to heaven, and prayed, and cried with a
loud voice, and said: Thou art my God,
Whom I have seen; suffer not the un-
just judge to take me down from the
cross; for now I know what the power
of Thy holy Cross is.
Verse. Thou art Christ my Master,
Whom I have loved, Whom I have
known, Whom I have confessed: in
this thing hear me.
Answer. For now I know what the
power of Thy holy Cross is.
Eighth Lesson.
HE who calleth us to be converted is
now enthroned in heaven; He
hath broken the necks of the Gentiles
to the yoke of the faith, He hath laid
low the glory of the world, and the
wrecks thereof, falling ever more and
more to decay, do preach unto us that
the coming of that day when He is to
be revealed as our Judge is drawing
nigh: and yet, so stubborn is our mind,
that we will not yet freely abandon that
3 Ps. xciii. 1.
FEAST-DAYS IN NOVEMBER.
931
which, will we, nill we, we lose day by
day. Dearly beloved brethren, what
shall we answer at His Judgment-seat,
we whom no lessons can persuade, and
no stripes can break of the love of this
present world?
Eighth Responsory.
When Andrew saw the cross he cried,
saying: How wonderful art thou, O
cross! O cross, how loveable art thou!
O cross, thy bright beams enlighten the
darkness of the whole world! Welcome
a follower of JESUS, that, as by thee He
died to redeem me, so by thee also He
may take me unto Himself.
Verse. O precious cross, which the
Members of my Lord have made so fair
and goodly,-
Answer. Welcome a follower of JESUS,
that, as by thee He died to redeem me,
so by thee also He may take me unto
Himself.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Welcome a follower of Jesus,
that, as by thee He died to redeem me,
so by thee also He may take me unto
Himself,
SOME
Ninth Lesson.
one perchance will ask in his
heart, what Peter or Andrew had
to lose by obeying the call of the Lord?
Dearly beloved brethren, we must con-
sider here rather the intention than the
loss incurred by this obedience. He
that keepeth nothing for himself, giveth
up much; he that sacrificeth his all,
sacrificeth what is to him a great deal.
Beyond doubt, we cling to whatever we
have, and what we have least, that we
desire most. Peter and Andrew therefore
gave up much when they gave up even
the desire of possessing anything.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. God bless thee, pre-
cious cross,
*be welcome to the follower
of Him That hung on thee, even my
Master Christ.
Second Antiphon. The blessed An-
drew prayed and said: * O Lord, King
of everlasting glory, receive me hang-
ing on this gallows.
Third Antiphon. Andrew was the
servant of Christ, a worthy Apostle
of God, the brother of Peter, and lik-
ened to Christ and to Peter in his death.
Fourth Antiphon. Christ's dear hand-
maid Maximilla took the body * of the
Apostle and buried it with spices in an
honourable place.
Fifth Antiphon. O Lord, Thou hast
caused them that persecuted the just
to be swallowed up in hell, * but to the
just Thou hast Thyself shown the way
on the tree of the cross.
Chapter. (Rom. x. 10.)
RETHREN, with the heart man
believeth unto righteousness, and
with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. For the Scripture saith:
Whosoever believeth on Him, shall not
be ashamed.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Spare unto us this just man, release unto
us this holy one: * slay not the friend of
God, who is just, courteous, and godly.
Prayer throughout the Office.
LORD, we humbly beseech Thy
Majesty, that even as Thou didst
give Thy blessed Apostle Andrew to
Thy Church to be a teacher and a ruler
on earth, so, now that he is with Thee,
he may continually make intercession
for us. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
If in Advent a Commemoration is
made of the Week-day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. God bless thee, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Rom. x. 16.)
FOR Isaias saith: Lord, who hath be-
lieved our report? So then faith
cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
word of Christ. But I say: Have they
not heard? Yes verily, their sound went
into all the earth, and their words unto
the ends of the world.
TERCE.
Antiphon. The blessed Andrew, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
932
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Andrew was the servant,
&c., (Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Rom. x. 12.)
FOR there is no difference between
the Jew and the Greek: for the
same Lord over all is rich unto all that
call upon Him. For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved.
NONE.
Antiphon. O Lord, Thou hast caused,
&c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. When the blessed Andrew came
to the place where the cross was made
ready, he cried and said: O precious
cross, * of a long time have I desired
thee, and, now that thou art made ready
for me, my soul is drawn to thee, and I
come to thee in peace and gladness;
thou also oughtest to welcome me with
joy, for I am the disciple of Him Who
hung on thee.
If in Advent, a Commemoration is
made of the Week-day.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
DECEMBER 2.
minds being joined to Thee by Thy
love, we may escape all dangers which
do presently beset us, and finally attain
unto Thine everlasting joy. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration is
made of the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture, according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
BIBIANA was a Roman maiden, dis-
tinguished on account of the nobi-
lity of her family, but now far more
distinguished for her confession of Christ.
In the reign of the foul tyrant, Julian
the Apostate, her father Flavian, al-
though he was an ex-Præfect, was
branded as a slave and banished to Ac-
quapendente, not far from Rome, where
he soon died a martyr for his faith. His
wife, Dafrosa, and his two daughters,
Bibiana and Demetria, were first im-
prisoned in their own house, with the
idea of starving them to death; but the
mother was afterwards taken outside the
city and beheaded. Bibiana and her
sister Demetria, after the death of their
holy parents, were stripped of all they
had in the world. Apronianus, Prætor
of the city, who hankered after their
property, continued to persecute them,
but although they were destitute of all
The Holy Virgin and Martyr human support, God, Who giveth bread
Bibiana.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for one
Virgin and Martyr, (p. 873,) except
what is otherwise given here.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, the Giver of all good gifts,
who unto the lily of pure maiden-
hood in the hand of Thy servant Bibi-
ana, didst join the palm of a glorious
martyrdom, grant us, we beseech Thee,
at her pleading, that our hearts and
to the hungry, fed them, and kept them
in health, life and strength, to the
wonder of their enemies.
Fifth Lesson.
APRONIANUS then attacked them,
to make them worship the gods of
the Gentiles, and promised them the re-
storation of their property, the favour
of the Emperor, and a great marriage
for each of them, if they would give
way, and, on the other hand, imprison-
ment, stripes, and death. But neither
promises nor threats availed, for they
remained firm in the faith, being re-
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
933
solved rather to die than to pollute
themselves by doing according to the
deeds of the heathen; and, as for the in-
iquity of the Prætor, they loathed it
continually. At length the strength of
Demetria gave way, and she fell down
suddenly, and died in the Lord, before
the eyes of her sister Bibiana. Then
Bibiana was put into the hands of an
artful woman named Rufina, to seduce
her if possible; but she had known the
law of Christ from her childhood, and
kept the lily of her purity undefiled,
triumphing over the efforts of that vile
person, and disappointing the lust of
the Prætor.
THE
Sixth Lesson.
HEN, when Rufina saw that her false
words availed not, she took to blows,
and scourged Bibiana daily, but the saint
was not staggered in her holy resolution.
At last the Prætor, mad with baffled
lust, when he found his labour was
thrown away, ordered his lictors to
strip her naked, hang her up by the
hands to a pillar, and flog her to death
with whips weighted with lead.¹ When
all was over, her sacred body was thrown
out for the dogs to eat. It lay two days
in the Forum Tauri, but the animals
would not touch it; and, at last, a Priest,
named John, took it, and buried it by
night beside the graves of her mother
and sister, near the Licinian Palace.
This is the place where there is still a
church, dedicated in the name of St.
Bibiana. When this church was being
restored by Urban VIII., the bodies of
these three holy women, Bibiana, De-
metria, and Dafrosa, were found, and
were re-buried under the High Altar.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xiii. 44, with the
Homily of St. Gregory (p. 889.)
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of the Week-day. Vespers are of the
following.
DECEMBER 3.
fessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
what is otherwise given here.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who wast pleased to make
the preaching and miracles of the
blessed Francis an instrument to gather
in the people of the Indies into Thy
Church, mercifully grant that we who
venerate the glorious memory of his
worthy deeds, may also have the grace
to follow the pattern of his virtues.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
At First Vespers Commemorations are
made of St. Bibiana, and of the Week-
day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture, according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
FRANCIS was of noble family, and
was born in the castle of Xavier,
in the diocese of Pampeluna, [in the
year of our Lord 1506.] He was a com-
panion of St. Ignatius at Paris, and
one of his earliest disciples. Under
his teaching, he learnt to become so
wrapt in the contemplation of divine
things, that he was sometimes lifted in
extasy off the ground, which happened
to him several times when he was saying
Mass in public before large congrega-
tions. He earned these refreshments of
the soul by the sharpest punishment of
the body. He gave up the use not only
of meat and wine, but also of wheaten
bread; he lived on the vilest food, and
ate only once every two or three days.
He used an iron scourge till his blood
ran freely; he shortened the hours of his
rest, and lay only on the ground.
Fifth Lesson.
St. Francis Xavier, Confessor. THE hardness and holiness of his life
Double.
had made him meet to be called to be
an Apostle, and when John III., King of
Portugal, asked Pope Paul III. to send
to the Indies some members of the then
1 A.D. 363.
All from the Common Office of a Con-
1
934
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
new Society of JESUS, the Pontiff, by
the advice of St. Ignatius, sent Francis
to enter on that vast field of labour with
the powers of Apostolic Nuncio. He
arrived [in India on the 6th day of
May, in the year 1542.] When he
began his work, it seemed as though
God Himself taught him the many
and difficult languages of the natives.
It even happened that when he preached
in one language to a mixed congrega-
tion of different nationalities, each one
heard him in his own tongue wherein
he was born.¹ He travelled over count-
less districts, always walking, and often
bare-footed. He introduced the faith
into Japan, and six other countries. In
India he turned many hundred thousands
to Christ, and regenerated many chiefs
and kings in the holy font. And not-
withstanding that he was doing all these
great things for God's service, so deep
was his lowliness that when he wrote to
St. Ignatius, the General of the Society,
he did so on his knees.
Sixth Lesson.
OD was pleased to support his zeal
Gop
for spreading the Gospel with many
and great miracles. He gave sight to a
blind man. On one occasion the supply
of fresh water failed when he was at sea,
and five hundred sailors were in danger of
perishing by thirst, but the servant of
God, by the sign of the Cross, turned salt
water into fresh, and they used it for a
considerable time. Some of this water
was also carried into different countries,
and a great number of sick persons were
instantaneously cured by it. He called
several dead men to life, among whom
was one who had been buried the day
before, and who was disinterred by com-
mand of the saint; and likewise two
others who were being carried to the
grave, and whom he took by the hand
and restored living to their parents. He
had the spirit of prophecy, and foretold
many things, remote both in place and
time. Utterly worn out with his labours,
he died full of good works in the island
of San-Chan in the Canton River, [upon
the 2nd day of December, in the year of
our Lord 1552.] His body was buried
in
quick lime, and, being again taken
up, was again buried in the same, but at
the end of many months it was found
entirely incorrupt, and sweet, and, when
At
cut, blood flowed freely from it. From
China it was carried to Malacca, and, as
soon as it reached that place, a plague,
which was raging there, ceased.
length, when he had become famous
throughout the whole world for new and
wonderful miracles, Gregory XV. added
his name to the list of the Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xvi. 15.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: Go ye into all the world,
and preach the Gospel to every creature.
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (29th on the Gospels.)
By the words "every creature" we
may understand every tribe of the Gen-
tiles. Of aforetime it had been said,
"Go not into the way of the Gentiles,'
(Matth. x. 5,) but now, "Preach the
Gospel to every creature," that, since the
Jews had proudly rejected the preaching
of the Apostles, that might become our
gain which was the seal of their con-
demnation. But when the Eternal Truth
sendeth forth His disciples to preach,
what doth He but scatter seed over the
field of the world? He scattereth abroad
a few grains for seed, that He may
afterward reap an abundant harvest in
our faith.
Eighth Lesson.
THE great harvest of faithful souls
throughout the whole world would
never have sprung up, if the hand of
the Lord had not first scattered those
chosen grains of preachers over the
reasonable soil of men's minds. Then
is written, "He that believeth and is
baptized shall be saved: but he that
believeth not, shall be damned." Now,
perchance, thou sayest in thine heart: Í
believe, and therefore I shall be saved.
True, if to thy faith thou dost add works.
He only hath a living faith whose life
doth not give the lie to his profession.
It is of this that Paul speaketh, where he
saith of certain vain believers, "They
profess that they know God; but in
works they deny Him." (Tit. i. 16.)
1 Cf. Acts ii. 6.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
935
Ninth Lesson.
"AND these signs shall follow them that
believe: In My name they shall
cast out devils, they shall speak with
new tongues, they shall take up ser-
pents; and if they drink any deadly
thing, it shall not hurt them; they
shall lay hands on the sick, and they
shall recover."
My brethren, these signs do not follow
us. Do we, then, not believe? Nay.
The truth is, these things were needful
when the Church was young. That she
might grow by the increase of the faith-
ful, she needed to be nourished with
miracles. So we, when we plant a
young tree, continually water and tend
it, till we see that it hath taken firm root
in the earth: but when once it hath
taken firm root, it can grow of itself.
Hence Paul saith of tongues: "Tongues
are for a sign, not to them that believe,
but to them that believe not." (1 Cor.
xiv. 22.)
At Lauds is made a Commemoration
of the Week-day.
Vespers are of the following, from the
Chapter, inclusive.
DECEMBER 4.
tinually to make intercession for us.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O right excellent Teacher, &c.
Commemorations of St. Francis Xa-
vier, of the Week-day, and of the holy
Virgin and Martyr Barbara.¹ Her
Commemoration is taken from the Com-
mon Office for one Virgin and Martyr,
(p. 873,) with the Prayer, "O God,
Who, amidst the wondrous works of
Thy Divine power, &c."
MATTINS.
The first verse of the hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Tim. iii. 1, as in the
Common Office, (p. 843.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
St. Peter Chrysologus, Arch- PETER, called in Greek “Chryso-
bishop [of Ravenna,] Con-
fessor, and Doctor of the
Church.
Double.
Ali from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who by a sign from heaven
didst mark out the blessed Peter
Chrysologus, the excellent Teacher, to
be a ruler and instructor of souls, grant,
we pray Thee, that even as Thou didst
give him to be a teacher of Thy lively
truth on earth, so, now that he is with
Thee, we may worthily have him con-
logus," or, "of the golden words,"
on account of his wonderful eloquence,
was born of respectable parents at
Imola, near Ravenna. He displayed a
very early leaning to godliness, and
became a disciple of Cornelius of Rome,
Bishop of Imola. This Prelate, hav-
ing experience of his learning and
holiness of life, soon ordained him
Deacon. On the death of the Arch-
bishop of Ravenna, the people of that
place elected a successor, and sent him,
according to custom, to Rome, to be con-
firmed in his appointment by Pope
Sixtus III. The Archbishop elect ac-
cordingly set forth, along with the am-
bassadors of the people of Ravenna and
Cornelius, Bishop of Imola, attended by
Peter the Deacon. While they were
yet on the way, the holy Apostle Peter
and Apollinaris the Martyr appeared to
1 The Martyrology says, that on December 4, "There suffered at Nicomedia, in the per-
secution under Maximinus, the holy Virgin and Martyr Barbara. After a cruel and wast-
ing imprisonment, she endured burning with lamps, the cutting off of her breasts, and
other torments, and finished her testimony by the sword." A.D. 235?
936
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
the Supreme Pontiff in a dream, leading
a young man between them, whom they
commanded him to make Archbishop.
As soon as the embassy arrived at Rome
the Pope knew in Peter the young man
of his dream, chosen of God to the Arch-
bishopric. Wherefore he set aside him
that the people of Ravenna had pre-
sented, and preferred Peter to that
Metropolitan Church, in the year of our
Lord, 433. The ambassadors of the
people of Ravenna took it ill, till they
heard the vision: then they gave them-
selves up to the will of God, and re-
ceived the new Archbishop with great
reverence.
Fifth Lesson.
PETER being against his will con-
secrated Archbishop, arrived at
Ravenna, where he was received with
great joy by the Emperor Valentinian, the
Empress-Mother Galla Placidia, and all
the people. And this one thing he
asked of them, that, as he, for the saving
of their souls, had not refused to bear the
heavy weight of the Archbishoprick, so
they would strive to follow his warnings,
and live in submission to the law of God.
He took the bodies of the two Saints,
namely, Barbatian the Priest, and Ger-
man, Bishop of Auxerre, and caused
them to be embalmed with rich oint-
ments and honourably buried, and he
kept the cowl and haircloth shirt of
German for a legacy for himself. At
Classis, three miles from Ravenna, he
built a Baptistery of extraordinary size,
and several splendid churches, in honour
of the blessed Apostle Andrew and other
Saints. He preached a most severe ser-
mon against the acting and dancing of
guisards¹ about New Year time, in which
discourse he said among other things,
"He that jesteth with the devil will never
rejoice with Christ. By command of
Pope Leo I. he addressed an Epistle to
the Council of Chalcedon against the
heretic Eutyches. He also confuted
Eutyches himself in another letter,
which is likewise published in the new
editions of the Acts of the Council, and
is matter of Church History.
Sixth Lesson.
WE HEN he preached in public his
vehemence was such that he some-
times became speechless from excite-
ment. This happened to him once when
he was preaching on the subject of the
woman who had an issue of blood.
(Matth. ix. 20-22.) The congregation
on this occasion were so wrought up,
that they filled the whole place with
tears, cries, and prayers, and Peter
afterwards thanked God, Who had
turned his failure to the profit of their
souls. When he had ruled the church
of Ravenna in holiness for about eigh-
teen years, God gave him knowledge
that the end of his labours was at hand,
and he returned to his home at Imola to
die. When he arrived at Imola, he en-
tered the church of St. Cassian, and
offered upon the High Altar a great
circlet of gold, set with stones of great
price, a golden chalice and a silver
paten. Water poured out of these
vessels hath often healed hydrophobia
and fevers. Some of the people of Ra-
venna had followed the Archbishop, but
he now dismissed them, with a charge
to use great prudence in their choice of
his successor. Then he fell to prayer,
that God would mercifully receive his
spirit, asking the same likewise for the
sake of his patron St. Cassian, and so he
passed in peace to a better life, on a 2nd
of December, about the year of our
Lord 450. His holy body was buried,
amid the sorrow and veneration of the
whole city, hard by the remains of St.
Cassian, where it lieth even to this day,
guarded with great reverence. One arm
was cut off and sent to Ravenna, where
it is preserved in the Ursian Church, in
a reliquary of gold and precious stones.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. Austin upon the same,
(p. 870.)
Eighth Responsory.
In the midst of the congregation, &c.,
(p. 860.)
At Lauds are made Commemorations
of the Week-day and of St. Barbara.
At Vespers the Antiphon at the Song
of the Blessed Virgin is "O right excel-
lent Teacher, &c.," as at First Vespers,
and Commemorations are made of the
1 Homines personati.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
937
Week-day, and of St. Saba,¹ Abbat,
which latter is taken from the Common
Office for a Confessor not a Bishop, (p.
855), with the Prayer, "O Lord, we
beseech Thee, that the prayers, &c.,"
(p. 867.)
DECEMBER 5.
At Lauds, Commemoration of St.
Saba, from the Common Office, with the
Prayer as above. Vespers of the fol-
lowing.
DECEMBER 6.
he was still a young man he lost both
his father and mother, after which he
gave his whole property away to the
poor. One particular example is given
of his Christian charity. There was a
certain needy man in the city who had
three marriageable daughters, for whom
he could not get husbands, and so
thought to make them harlots. When
Nicolas heard of it, he went to the house
by night and threw in by the window
such a sum of money as made a dowry
for one of them. This he did a second
and a third time, and thus by his
St. Nicolas, Archbishop [of charity they were honourably given in
Myra,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office of a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who hast made the blessed
Bishop Nicolas famous by countless
signs and wonders, deliver us, we be-
seech Thee, for his sake and by his
prayers, from the everlasting fires of
hell. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
NICOLAS
Fourth Lesson.
COLAS was born at the famous
city of Patara in Lycia. His
parents obtained him from God by
prayer, and the holiness of his life was
marked even from the cradle. When
he was at the breast he never would
suck more than once on Wednesdays
and Fridays, and that always after sun-
set, though he sucked freely on other days.
This custom of fasting he never broke
through during his whole life. While
marriage.
WHE
Fifth Lesson.
HEN he had given himself entirely
to God he set forth for Palestine,
that he might see the Holy Places, and
worship therein. During this pilgrim-
age he embarked once on board a ship
when the sky was clear and the sea
calm, but he foretold a great storm,
which afterwards arose and raged until
the sailors were afraid; and then the
saint by prayer stilled the tempest.
After he had returned home, and his
holy life was known to all men, God
bade him go to Myra, which is the chief
city of Lycia, at a time when the Bishop
had just died and the Bishops of the
Province were called together to choose
a successor. While they deliberated, they
received a warning from heaven to
choose that Nicolas who should first
come into the church in the morning.
In obedience to that warning, Nicolas
was seized at the door of the church,
and with universal consent consecrated
Archbishop. In his great office he was
an unceasing model of purity, as he had
always been, of gravity, of regularity in
prayer, of watching, of abstinence, of
charity, of hospitality, of meekness in
exhortation, and of sternness in rebuke.
Sixth Lesson.
HE was the comforter of widows and
orphans by money, by advice, and
by labour. He was the deliverer of the
oppressed, so mightily, that it is related
that the Emperor Constantine once un-
1 The Martyrology says that "he shone in Palestine as a wonderful ensample of holi-
ness, and toiled hard for the Catholic faith against the adversaries of the Holy Council of
Chalcedon.” Born at Mutalasca in Cappadocia, A.D. 439. Died at the convent now called
from him Mar Saba, between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, December 5, 532.
938
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
This
justly condemned three Tribunes to
death, and these unhappy men called
upon Nicolas, though living and absent,
to save them, who yet appeared in a
vision to the Emperor, and forced him
by threats to set them free. When the
Emperors Diocletian and Maximian
published their edict against Chris-
tianity, Nicolas did not cease to preach
the truth at Myra, wherefore he was
seized by the soldiers of the Emperors,
carried away from his See, and thrown
into prison, where he remained until
the accession of Constantine.
Prince set him free, and he returned to
Myra. He betook himself to the first
Council of Nice, where he was one of
the 318 Bishops who condemned the
heresy of Arius. He returned thence
to his Bishoprick, and, not long after,
became aware of the approach of death.
When his last moment was come, he
lifted up his eyes to heaven, and, when
he saw the Angels coming to meet him,
he began to recite the thirtieth Psalm,
"In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust,'
and when he had said, "Into Thy hands
I commend my spirit," he passed to the
heavenly Fatherland. His body was
finally removed to Bari in Apulia, where
it is kept with great fame and honour.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
At Lauds is made a Commemoration
of the Week-day.
Vespers of the following, from the
Chapter inclusive.
DECEMBER 7.
St. Ambrose, Bishop [of Mi-
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O right excellent Teacher, &c.
Commemoration of St. Nicolas, and
of the Week-day.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Tim. iii. 1, as in the
Common Office, (p. 843.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
AMBROSE, Bishop of Milan, was the
another Ambrose, a Roman
citizen, and was born when his father
was Prefect of Gaul, [about the year
of our Lord 340.] A swarm of bees
settled upon his face when he was
in his cradle, which was considered
an omen of his future eloquence. He
received a liberal education at Rome.
He was afterwards, under the Prefect
Probus, made governor of Liguria and
Emilia, and so came with authority to
Milan. Auxentius, an Arian, who had
been intruded into the Bishoprick of
Milan, happening to die, the most
violent disputes arose about the choice
of a successor. Ambrose came to the
church in his official capacity, and urged
upon the contending factions, in a long
and powerful speech, the necessity of
keeping the public peace; whereupon a
child suddenly cried out, Ambrose,
Bishop," and the whole assembly took
it up, and unanimously called for his
election.
Fifth Lesson.
MBROSE refused, and would not
lan,] Confessor and Doctor A yield to their prayers, whereupon
of the Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office of one
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
Prayer throughout the Office. O God,
Who didst give unto Thy people, &c.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
they carried their petition to the Em-
peror Valentinian. It was very pleas-
ing to this Prince that those he had
appointed as judges should be chosen
Bishops, as also to the Prefect Probus,
who had, as it were prophetically, said
to him when he appointed him, "Go
and govern them more like a Bishop
than a Judge." When the will of the
Emperor was added to the desire of the
people, Ambrose yielded, and received
Baptism, (for hitherto he was only a
1 A.D. 342?
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
939
Catechumen,) Confirmation, and Com-
munion, and then the several Orders on
successive days, till on the eighth day,
which was the 7th of December, [in the
year 374,] the weight of the Episcopate
was laid upon his shoulders. Being made
Bishop, he showed himself a stout up-
holder of the Catholic faith, and the dis-
cipline of the Church, and turned to the
truth great numbers of Arians and other
heretics, and, among them, he begat in
Christ JESUS that burning and shining
light of the Church, Austin.
Sixth Lesson.
AFTER the murder of the Emperor
Gratian, [in 383,] Ambrose was sent
as an ambassador to Maximus, by whom
he had been slain, and, as he refused to
repent, the Bishop renounced his com-
munion. After the massacre which the
Emperor Theodosius had commanded at
Thessalonica, [in 390,] he refused to per-
mit that Prince to enter a church.
The
Emperor pleaded that he was no worse
than David, who had been guilty of adul-
tery and murder, to which Ambrose an-
swered him, "As thou hast followed him
in his sin, follow him also in his repent-
ance." Then Theodosius humbly did pub-
lic penance laid upon him by the Bishop.
At length the Saint was worn out with
his continual labour and care for the
Church, (for the which also he composed
many excellent books,) and foretold that
the day of his death was at hand, though
he had not then fallen into his last sick-
ness. As he lay dying, Honoratus, Bishop
of Vercelli, heard a voice from God three
times crying to him that the hour of Am-
brose's departure was come, whereupon he
went to him quickly, and gave him the
sacred Body of our Lord. When he had
received It, the Saint, still praying, with
his hands stretched out in the form of a
cross, gave his spirit to God, upon the 4th
day of April, in the year of Christ, 397.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 871.)
Eighth Responsory.
In the midst of the congregation, &c.,
(p. 860.)
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of the Week-day.
Vespers of the following.
DECEMBER 8.
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Double of the Second Class, with an Octave.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of the Blessed Virgin, (p. 894,) except
what is otherwise given here.
Note. When this Office is used as a Vo--
tive Office in Paschal-time the word "Al-
leluia” is added wherever it is here given
in brackets, []. The further changes
required in the Votive Office are given in
their places or in a Note at the end.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, Verse and An-
swer, and Prayer from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. All generations shall call me
blessed, for He That is mighty hath
done to me great things. Alleluia.
This word "Alleluia" is omitted in
Septuagesima and Sexagesima Weeks.
Commemoration of St. Ambrose, (An-
tiphon, “O right excellent, &c.,") and
of the Week-day.
COMPLINE.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Let us keep the Feast of
the stainless Conception of the Virgin
Mary: * let us worship Christ, her Son,
and her Lord and ours. [Alleluia.]
Hymn.1
BLEST Guardian of all virgin souls!
Portal of bliss to man forgiven!
Pure Mother of Almighty God!
Thou hope of earth, and joy of Heaven!
Fair Lily, found among the thorns!
Most beauteous Dove with wings of gold!
1 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
940
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Rod from whose tender root upsprang
That healing Flower long since foretold!
Thou Tower, against the dragon proof!
Thou Star, to storm-toss'd voyagers dear!
Our course lies o'er a treacherous deep;
Thine be the light by which we steer.
>
Scatter the mists that round us hang;
Keep far the fatal shoals away;
And while through darkling waves we
sweep,
Open a path to life and day.
O JEsu, born of Virgin bright!
Immortal glory be to Thee;
Praise to the Father infinite,
And Holy Ghost eternally. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time only one Antiphon,
namely the first, is said at each Nocturn.
First Antiphon. O Lord, how excel-
lent is Thy Name * in all the earth,
Who hast made Thee a worthy taber-
nacle in the Virgin Mary. [Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. The Lord hath set
*His tabernacle in the sun.
Third Antiphon. Even in her Con-
ception* did Mary receive a blessing
from the Lord, and mercy from the God
of her salvation.
Verse. 'It is Almighty God That gird-
eth me with strength. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And maketh my way per-
fect. [Alleluia.]
First Lesson.
world, in whom all have sinned. Fear
not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with
God. [Alleluia.]
Verse. The Lord hath delivered thy
soul from death, yea, the Lord was thy
stay.
Answer. Fear not, Mary, for thou
hast found grace with God. [Alleluia.]
Second Lesson.
AND the woman saw that the tree was
good for food, and that it was pleasant
to the eyes, and a tree to be desired: and
she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,
and gave also unto her husband with her,
and he did eat. And the eyes of them
both were opened; and they knew that
they were naked, and they sewed fig-
leaves together and made themselves
aprons. And they heard the voice of the
LORD God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day; and Adam and his wife
hid themselves from the presence of the
LORD God, amidst the trees of the garden.
Second Responsory.
4Come unto me, all ye that be desirous
of me, and I will declare what God hath
done for my soul. [Alleluia.]
5
Verse. "As the Lord liveth, by me He
hath fulfilled His mercy.
Answer. And I will declare what God
hath done for my soul. [Alleluia.]
Third Lesson.
ND the LORD God called unto Adam,
The Lesson is taken from the Book of Aand said unto him. Where art thou?
Genesis (iii. 1.)
THE serpent was more subtle than any
beast of the field which the LORD
God had made. And he said unto the wo-
man, Why hath God said, Ye shall not eat
of
every tree of the garden? And the wo-
man said unto the serpent, We may eat of
the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of
the fruit of the tree which is in the midst
of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not
eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye
die. And the serpent said unto the wo-
man: Ye shall not surely die. For God
doth know that in the day ye eat there-
of, then your eyes shall be opened: and ye
shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
First Responsory.
"By one man sin entered into the
1 Ps. xvii. 33.
And he said: I heard Thy voice in the
garden: and I was afraid, because I was
naked, and I hid myself. And He said:
Who told thee that thou wast naked?
Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I
commanded thee that thou shouldest
not eat? And Adam said: The woman
whom Thou gavest me to be with me,
she
gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the woman:
Wherefore hast thou done this? And
she said: The serpent beguiled me, and
I did eat. And the LORD God said unto
the serpent: Because thou hast done
this, thou art cursed above all cattle,
and above every beast of the field; upon
thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt
thou eat all the days of thy life: I will
put enmity between thee and the wo-
* Rom. v. 12; Luke i. 30.
4 Ecclus. xxiv. 26; Ps. lxv. 16.
3 Cf. Ps. lv. 13, xvii. 21.
5 Judith xiii, 18.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
941
man, and between thy seed and her
seed: she shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise her heel.
Third Responsory.
'My beloved is white like snow in Le-
banon, her lips drop as the honeycomb.
Honey and milk are under her tongue.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Come from Lebanon, My
Spouse, thou shalt be crowned with a
crown of grace.
Answer. Honey and milk are under
her tongue. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Honey and milk are under
her tongue. [Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Grace is poured into
her Conception, * and she is fairer than
the daughters of men. [Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. God hath holpen
her right early, * the Most High hath
hallowed His tabernacle.
Third Antiphon. Glorious things are
spoken of thee, O City of God; * the
Lord hath laid thy foundation in the
holy mountains.
Verse. By this I know that Thou fa-
vourest me. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Because mine enemy cannot
triumph over me. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Jerome, Priest [at Bethlehem.³]
(On the Assumption.)
WHO
HO and what was the blessed and
glorious Mary, always a Virgin,
hath been revealed by God by the message
of an Angel, in these words, "Hail, thou
that art full of grace, the Lord is with
thee: blessed art thou among women.'
It was fitting that a fulness of grace
should be poured into that Virgin who
hath given to God glory and to man a
Saviour, who hath brought peace to earth,
who hath given faith to the Gentiles, who
hath killed sin, who hath given law to
life, who hath made the crooked ways
straight. Verily, she is full of grace. To
others grace cometh measure by measure;
I Cant. v. 10, iv. 11, 8.
in Mary grace dwelleth at once in all ful-
ness. Verily, she is full of grace. We
believe that the holy Fathers and Pro-
phets had grace; but they were not full
of grace. But into Mary came a fulness
of all the grace which is in Christ, al-
beit otherwise [than as it is in Him.]
Therefore is it said: "Blessed art thou
among women," that is,
that is, "Blessed art
thou above all women." The fulness
of blessing in Mary utterly neutralized
in her any effects of the curse of Eve.
In her praise Solomon writeth in the
Song of Songs, (ii. 10,) "Rise up, my
dove, my fair one, for the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone." And again,
"Come from Lebanon, my Spouse, come,
thou shalt be crowned." (iv. 8.)
Fourth Responsory.
4I came out of the mouth of the Most
High, the first-begotten before every
creature. I made the unfading light to
arise in the heavens. When there were
no depths I was conceived. [Alleluia.]
Verse. For the Lord hath created me
in righteousness, and hath held mine
hand, and hath kept me.
Answer. When there were no depths
I was conceived. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Lesson.
NOT unjustly then is she bidden to
come from Lebanon, for Lebanon
is so named on account of its stainless
and glistening whiteness. The earthly
Lebanon is white with snow, but the
lonely heights of Mary's holiness are
white with purity and grace, brilliantly
fair, whiter far than snow, sparkling
with the gifts of the Holy Ghost-she is
undefiled like a dove, all clean, all up-
right, full of grace and truth. She is
full of mercy, and of the righteousness
that hath looked down from heaven,
and therefore is she without stain be-
cause in her hath never been any cor-
ruption. She hath compassed a man in
her womb, saith holy Jeremiah, but she
conceived not by the will of fallen man.
"The LORD," saith the Prophet, “hath
created a new thing in the earth; a wo-
man shall compass a man." (xxxi. 22.)
Verily, it is a new thing. Verily, it was a
new work of power, greater than all other
3 To be found among his spurious works.
◄ I. e., Wisdom. Ecclus. xxiv. 5, 6; Prov. viii. 24.
2 Ps. xl. 12.
942
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
works, when God, Whom the world can-
not bear, and Whom no man shall see
and live, entered the lodging of her
womb, breaking not the blissful cloister
of her virgin flesh. And in her body
He was borne, the Infinite inclosed
within her womb. And from her womb
He came forth, so that it was fulfilled
which was spoken of the Prophet Eze-
kiel, saying, "This gate shall be shut,
it shall not be opened, and no man shall
enter in by it; because the LORD, the God
of Israël hath entered in by it, therefore
it shall be shut." (xliv. 2.) Hence also
in the Song of Songs it is said of her,
(iv. 12,) "A garden enclosed is my
sister, my spouse, a garden enclosed, a
fountain sealed, thy perfumes are a gar-
den of delights." Verily a garden of
delights, filled with the perfumes of all
flowers, rich with the sweet savour of
grace. And the most holy Virgin her-
self is a garden enclosed, whereinto sin
and Satan have never entered to sully
the blossoms, a fountain sealed, sealed
with the seal of the Trinity. (So far
the Sermon.)
Fifth Responsory.
'No defiled thing can fall into her;
she is the brightness of the everlasting
light, and the unspotted mirror of the
power of God. [Alleluia.]
Verse. For she is more beautiful than
the sun, and being compared with the
light, she is found before it.
Answer. She is the brightness of the
everlasting light, and the unspotted
mirror of the power of God. [Alleluia.]
Sixth Lesson.
THE fact that the Virgin Mother of
God had at the moment of her con-
ception triumphed over the foul enemy
of man, hath ever been borne out by the
Holy Scriptures, by the venerable tra-
dition of the Church, and by her un-
ceasing belief, as well as by the common
conviction of all Bishops and faithful
Catholics, and by marked acts and con-
stitutions of the Holy See. At length
the Supreme Pontiff Pius IX., in com-
pliance with the wishes of the Úniversal
Church, determined to publish it as a
truth of faith, on his own absolute and
unerring authority, and accordingly, on
1 Wisd. vii. 25, 26, 29.
3 Cf. Isa. lxi. 10.
the 8th day of December, 1854, in the
Vatican Basilica, in presence of a great
multitude composed of the Fathers Car-
dinals of the Holy Roman Church, and
Bishops from all parts of the earth, he,
with the consent and jubilation of the
whole world, declared and defined as
follows: That doctrine which declareth
that the most blessed Virgin Mary was
in the first instant of her Conception
preserved, by a special privilege granted
unto her by God, from any stain of origi-
nal sin, is a doctrine taught and revealed
by God, and therefore is to be held by
all faithful Christians firmly and con-
stantly.
Sixth Responsory.
"There appeared a great wonder in
heaven: a Woman clothed with the
sun, and the moon under her feet, and
upon her head a crown of twelve stars.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. The Lord hath clothed her
with the garments of salvation, and
hath covered her with the robe of righ-
teousness, yea, as a bride He hath a-
dorned her with jewels.
Answer. And upon her head a crown
of twelve stars. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And upon her head a crown
of twelve stars. [Alleluia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Holiness and beauty
are in her Conception: * declare her
glory among all people. [Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. Rejoice ye all in
the LORD: * and give thanks at the re-
membrance of His holiness.
Third Antiphon. The LORD hath made
known His salvation: * the glory of His
Mother hath He openly showed in the
sight of the heathen.
Verse. 'I will extol Thee, O Lord, for
Thou hast lifted me up. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And hast not made my foes
to rejoice over me. [Alleluia.]
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
that time: The Angel Gabriel was
sent from God, unto a city of Gali-
2 Apoc. xii. 1.
4 Ps. xxix. 2.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
943
lee, named Nazareth, to a virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David, and the virgin's
name was Mary. And so on.
Homily by St. German, Patriarch [of
Constantinople.] (On the Presentation
of the Blessed Virgin.)
Hail, Mary, full of grace, holier than
the Saints, higher than the heavens,
more glorious than the Cherubim, more
honourable than the Seraphim, and the
most worshipful thing that the hands of
God have made.
Hail, O dove, bearing in thy beak the
olive-branch of peace that telleth us of
salvation from the spiritual flood, (Gen.
viii. 10, 11,)-dove, blessed omen of a
safe harbour, whose wings are of silver,
and thy feathers of gold, shining in the
bright beams of the Most Holy and
Light-giving Spirit. (Ps. lxvii. 14.)
Hail, thou living garden of Eden,
planted towards the East by the right
hand of the Most Merciful and Mighty
God, wherein do grow to His glory rich
lilies and unfading roses, for the healing
of them that have drunk in death from
the blighting and pestilential breezes of
the bitter West, (Gen. ii. 8, 9); Eden,
wherein hath sprung that Tree of life,
Whereof if any man eat he shall live
for ever. (Gen. ii. 9; iii. 22. John
vi. 52.)
Hail, stately Palace of the King, most
holy, stainless, purest, House of the
Most High God, adorned with His Royal
splendour, open to all, filled with Kingly
dainties; Palace wherein is that spi-
ritual bridal chamber, not made with
hands, nor hung with divers colours, in
the which the Eternal Word, when He
would raise up fallen man, wedded flesh
unto Himself, that He might reconcile
unto the Father them who had cast
themselves away.
Seventh Responsory.
A garden enclosed is my sister, my
spouse, a garden enclosed, a fountain
sealed. O Mary, thy perfumes are a
garden of delights. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Open to me, my sister, my
love, my dove, my undefiled.
Answer. O Mary, thy perfumes are a
garden of delights. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Lesson.
HAIL, O rich and shady Mountain of
God, whereon pastured the True
Lamb, Who hath taken away our sins
and infirmities, (Hab. iii. 3;³ Isa. liii. 4;
John i. 29,)-mountain, whereout hath
been cut without hands that Stone
which hath smitten the altars of the
idols, and become the head-stone of the
corner, marvellous in our eyes. (Dan.
ii. 34; Ps. cxvii. 22, 23.)
Hail, thou holy Throne of God, thou
divinest store-house, thou temple of glo-
ry, thou bright crown, thou chosen trea-
sure, thou mercy-seat for the whole
world, thou heaven declaring the glory
of God. (Ps. xviii. 1.)
Hail, thou vessel of pure gold, made
to hold the manna that came down from
heaven, the sweet food of our souls, even
Christ. (Ex. xvi. 33; Heb. ix. 4; John
vi. 49-51.)
Hail, O purest Virgin, most praise-
worthy and most worshipful, hallowed
treasury for the wants of all creatures;
thou art the untilled earth, the un-
ploughed field; thou art the vine full
of flowers, the well overflowing with
waters, Maiden and Mother; thou art
the Mother that knew not a man, the
hidden treasure of guilelessness, and the
clear, bright star of holiness; by thy
most acceptable prayers, strong from thy
motherly mouth, obtain for all estates
of men in the Church that they may
continually tend unto Him Who is the
Lord, and God, and Maker of thee, and
of them, and of all, but of thee the Son
also, conceived without man's interven-
tion; obtain this, O Mother, pilot them
to the harbour of peace.


Eighth Responsory.
My soul doth magnify the Lord; for
He That is mighty hath done to me great
things, and holy is His name. [Alleluia.
Verse. For, behold, from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed.
Answer. For He That is mighty hath
done to me great things, and holy is His
name. [Alleluia.]
1 The Martyrology (May 12,) says, that this "holy Patriarch, illustrious for his graces
and teaching, most faithfully withstood the Emperor Leo the Isaurian, when that Prince
published an edict against the Holy Images." Elected to the Patriarchal throne, A.D. 715,
expelled by the heretics, 730, and died May 12, 733.
* Cant. iv. 12, v. 2.
3 LXX.
3 R
944
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For He That is mighty hath
done to me great things, and holy is His
[Alleluia.]
name.
Ninth Lesson.
BE with righteousness, and to make
E it thine to clothe God's priests
1
them shout aloud for joy (Ps. cxxxi.
9, 16,) in approved and stainless, and
upright and glorious faith. Thine be
it to guide in peace the sceptres of or-
thodox princes, even of princes who
put their trust in thee to be the crown
of their Majesty, and the Royal Robe of
their greatness, and the firm foundation
of their dominion, more than in purple,
or fine gold, or pearls, or precious stones;
thine be it to put under their feet the
unfaithful nations, nations that blas-
pheme thee, and the God That was born
of thee; thine be it to keep in meek
obedience the people that are under
them, according to the commandment
of God. Behold, this is thine own city,¹
which hath thee for her towers and her
foundations,-crown her with victory,
gird the house of God with strength,
keep undefiled the loveliness of His ta-
bernacles, as for them that praise thy
name, be thou their deliverer from strife
and bitterness of spirit. Free thou the
prisoner, protect the wanderer, and if
there be any that hath no refuge, be
thou to him a consolation. Stretch forth
thine hand and help the whole earth-
so shall we year by year keep this and
all thy feasts, and at last be found with
thee in Christ JESUS, Who is Lord of
all, and verily our God. To Him, with
the Holy Father, Who is the Fountain
of Life, and the co-eternal Spirit, Three
Persons and One Substance, even as
there is one Kingdom, be glory and
strength, now and for ever. Amen.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Thou art all fair, O
Mary, there is no spot of original sin
in thee. [Alleluia.]
3
Second Antiphon. Thy raiment * is
white as snow, and thy countenance as
the sun. [Alleluia.]
1 Constantinople.
• Judith xv. 10; xiii. 23.
4
Third Antiphon. Thou art the exal-
tation of Jerusalem, * thou art the great
glory of Israël, thou art the great re-
joicing of our nation. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. O Virgin Mary,
blessed art thou of the Most High God,
above all the women upon the earth.
[Alleluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. 5Draw us, * Maiden
undefiled, we will run after thee in the
odour of thy perfumes. [Alleluia.]
Chapter. (Prov. viii. 22.)
THE Lord possessed me in the begin-
ning of His ways, before His works
of old. I was ordained from everlast-
ing, from the beginning, or ever the
earth was. When there were no depths
I was conceived.
Verse. This day is the Holy Virgin
Mary conceived without sin.
Answer. The Virgin's foot hath
bruised the serpent's head.
In the Votive Office:
Verse. Maiden Mother of God, thy
stainless conception-[Alleluia]
Answer. Was a message of joy to the
whole world. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The Lord God said unto the serpent: I
will put enmity between thee and the
woman, * and between thy seed and her
seed; she shall bruise thy head. Alle-
luia.
In Septuagesima and Sexagesima omit
"Alleluia.”
Prayer.
GOD, Who didst cause that a virgin
should be conceived without sin, to
the end that she might be made a meet
dwelling-place for Thy dear Son; 0
God, Who through the precious death
of the Same Thy Son foreseen by Thee,
didst keep her clean from all stain, hear
us, we beseech Thee, and grant that by
her prayers, we also who are presently
defiled, may finally be made pure, and
so with her attain unto Thee. Through
the Same our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
2 Cf. Cant. iv. 7.
5 Cf. Cant. i. 3, 4.
3 Cf. Matth. xvii. 2.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
945
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Thou art all fair, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory, instead of
"Thou That art to come into the world,"
is said:
Verse. Thou That wast born of the
Virgin Mary.
And this is done throughout the whole
Octave.
THE
Chapter at the end. (Apoc. xii. 1.)
HERE appeared a great wonder in
heaven: a Woman clothed with
the sun, and the moon under her feet,
and upon her head a crown of twelve
stars.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Thy raiment, &c., (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
It is Almighty God That girdeth me
with strength. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Answer. It is Almighty God That
girdeth me with strength. [Alleluia,
Alleluia.]
Verse. And maketh my way perfect.
Answer. That girdeth me with
strength.
In the Votive Office in Paschal-time :
"Alleluia, Alleluia.”
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. It is Almighty God That
girdeth me with strength. [Alleluia,
Alleluia.]
Verse. By this I know that Thou
favourest me. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Because mine enemy shall
not triumph over me. [Alleluia.]
SEXT.
Antiphon. Thou art the exaltation of
Jerusalem, &c., (Third Antiphon at
Lauds.)
THIS
Chapter. (Ezek. xliv. 2.)
HIS gate shall be shut, it shall not
be opened, and no man shall enter
in by it; because the Lord, the God of
Israël, hath entered in by it, therefore
it shall be shut for the Prince; the
Prince, He shall sit in it.
Short Responsory.
By this I know that Thou favourest
me. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Answer. By this I know that Thou
favourest me. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Verse. Because mine enemy shall not
triumph over me.
Answer. Thou favourest me.
In the Votive Office in Paschal-time:
"Alleluia, Alleluia."
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. By this I know that Thou
favourest me. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Verse. I will extol Thee, O Lord, for
Thou hast lifted me up. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And hast not made my foes
to rejoice over me. [Alleluia.]
Prayer from Lauds.
NONE.
Antiphon. Draw us, &c., (Fifth An-
tiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
I will extol Thee, O Lord, for Thou
hast lifted me up. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Answer. I will extol Thee, O Lord,
for Thou hast lifted me up. [Alleluia,
Alleluia.]
Verse. And hast not made my foes to
rejoice over me.
Answer. Thou hast lifted me up.
In the Votive Office in Paschal-time :
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. I will extol Thee, O Lord,
for Thou hast lifted me up. [Alleluia,
Alleluia.]
Verse. Maiden Mother of God, thy
stainless conception, [Alleluia,]
Answer. Was a message of joy to the
whole world. [Alleluia.]
Prayer from Lauds.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the follow-
ing:
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
3 R 2
946
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Virgin. This day is a rod sprung from
the root of Jesse: this day is Mary con-
ceived without any stain of sin this
day hath she bruised the head of the old
serpent. Alleluia.
In the Votive Office it is, "O holy
Mary, &c.,” (p. 150,) ending, "may all
that keep the memory of thine holy
and stainless conception, feel the might
of thine assistance. [Alleluia.]"
Divinity, such a wealth of gifts of grace
as He hath bestowed upon none of the
Angels and none of the Saints. He
made her always free from any the
slightest pollution of sin, so fair and so
upright that no other of His works are
like to her, and only Himself can we
understand to excel her. Verily, this
was most fitting, that this most wor-
shipful Mother should be made bright
with the brightness of uncontaminated
A Commemoration is made of the holiness, and should conquer the old
Week-day.
DECEMBER 9.
Second Bay within the Octave of
the Emmaculate Conception.
All as yesterday, except what is
otherwise given here.
FIRST NOCTURN.
serpent by escaping altogether the stain
of original sin, for she was that Mother
to whom the Eternal Father was will-
ing to give the Co-Eternal and Co-
Equal Only-begotten Son of His love,
to be her Son also.
Sixth Lesson.
THE Catholic Church, which, through
the perpetual teaching of the Holy
Ghost, is the pillar and ground of the
The Lessons are taken from Scripture truth, (1 Tim. iii. 15,) hath always held
according to the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Dogmatic
Bull of Pope Pius IX.
GOD
OD is unspeakable. His ways are
mercy and truth; His Will is Al-
mighty Power; and His wisdom reacheth
mightily from one end to another, and
sweetly ordereth all things. (Wisd. viii.
1.) He from all eternity foresaw the sor-
rowful fall of man by the transgression
of Adam, and, in His mysterious purpose,
He decreed, before the worlds were, that
the Word should be made flesh, to the end
that man, who had been seduced by the
fraud of the devil, might not perish,
but that as in the first Adam all die, in
Christ all might be made alive. (1 Cor.
xv. 22.) And to this end, the Eternal
Creator from the beginning, and before
all ages, chose and ordained a woman
to be the Mother of His Only-begotten
Son, of whom He should take flesh and
be born, in the blessed fulness of time.
(Gal. iv. 4.) And this woman He loved
with so great a love that He allowed His
Will to be freely wrought in her. (1
(1
Thess. iv. 3.)
Fifth Lesson.
WHEREFORE, He bestowed upon
her, out of the treasure of the
the original innocence of this most ex-
alted Virgin to be bound up with her
wonderful holiness, and her mighty dig-
nity of Mother of God. This doctrine
she hath felt herself to hold by the gift
of God, and as part of that faith once
delivered from heaven unto the Saints,
(Jude 3,) and as time hath gone on,
she hath continually explained, put
forth, and upheld it. This belief is
found strong in the earliest times, and
rooted as it were in the hearts of Christ's
faithful people; by the care and study
of holy Bishops it hath been taught in all
parts of the Catholic world; and the
Church herself pointed to it when she
allowed the Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary to be held as a feast, for
exciting the piety and devotion of her
children. In the case of the Saints the
Church celebrateth only the day of their
being made perfect at death, [but of her
Divine Lord, of His Blessed Mother,
and of St. John the Baptist she vene-
rateth the birth also, as of those sancti-
fied in the womb.] When [therefore]
she [goeth further and] maketh the case
of the Blessed Virgin an exception to all
others besides that of Christ, keeping
holiday in honour of her conception [as
well as of her birth,] it is manifest that
she regardeth that Conception as alto-
gether singular, wonderful, and different
to all other conceptions, except only
Christ's, namely, as holy.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
947
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
AT that time: The Angel Gabriel was
sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee, named Nazareth, to a Virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Jo-
seph, of the house of David, and the
Virgin's name was Mary. And so on.
Homily by St. Sophronius, Patriarch
[of Jerusalem.]¹ (On the Annuncia-
tion.)
When this blessed Angel was sent to
the most pure virgin what did he say?
In what words did he break the happy
news of Redemption? "Hail, thou that
art full of grace, the Lord is with thee."
[Now this word "Hail" is in the ori-
ginal "Chairé," which being interpreted
signifieth "Rejoice."] The messenger of
joy in his first word biddeth her rejoice.
He knew well that his message was a mes-
sage of good tidings of great joy to men,
(Luke ii. 10,) yea, to all creatures,-a
message of healing to all sicknesses. He
knew well that his message was a message
of God's light to a dark world. He knew
well that it proclaimed the end of er-
ror. He knew well that it blunted
the sting of death. He knew well that
it broke the power of corruption. He
knew well that it brought victory over
hell. He knew well that it told of sal-
vation to all the fallen children of Adam,
groaning under that yoke of maledic-
tion which fell on them when they were
thrust out of Eden, and banished from
that happy home. Therefore, when he
began to speak, he spoke in tones of re-
joicing, and opened his message with
sounds of gladness. Therefore made he
the name of joy to herald the tidings of
good, which were to be for a joy unto
all people, whosoever should believe.
Eighth Lesson.
AND, of a truth, it was fitting that
God's proclamation of joy should
open with the accents of gladness. And
this is the reason why the angel nameth
joy first, because he knew the coming
fruits of his message, and that his con-
verse with the Virgin was to bring joy
to the whole world. Can we find any
joy or any brightness like the joy and
the brightness of that salutation ad-
dressed to the Blessed Mother of glad-
ness? Rejoice, O mother of joy more
than heavenly! Rejoice, O thou that
nourishest joy in the highest! Rejoice,
O Lady, full of the joy of salvation!
Rejoice, O thou that bringest a joy that
passeth not away! Rejoice, O myste-
rious treasury dispensing unspeakable
joy! Rejoice, O most blessed fountain,
overflowing with unfailing joy!
joice, O store-house of God, filled with
the everlasting joy of eternity! Re-
joice, O fair tree, bearing fruit of life-
giving joy! Rejoice, O Maiden Mother
of God! Rejoice, O thou that after
child-birth remainest a virgin! Rejoice,
O wonder, who, after all wonders, art
still the most wonderful!
Ninth Lesson.
WHO shall w
Re-
HO shall worthily set forth thy
glory? Who shall make bold to
say what thou art? Who will hold him-
self able to tell of all thy splendour?
Thou art the exaltation of humanity;
thou art made much higher than the
Angels; thy brightness hath thrown the
brightness of the Archangels into sha-
dow; thou lookest down upon the lofty
seats of the Thrones; thou makest the
height of the Lordships to seem low;
thy rank taketh precedence before the
rank of the Principalities; compared
with thee the Powers are weakness;
thou art a Mighty one mightier than all
the Mighty; thine earthly eyes see fur-
ther than the contemplation of the Che-
rubim can reach; the Seraphim have
six wings, but thy flight is nobler than
their's; in a word, thou hast far ex-
celled every other work of God; thou
wast far purer than any other creature;
and thou hast conceived the Creator of
all creatures, carried Him in thy womb,
and brought Him forth; thou hast been
chosen, out of all that He has made, to
to be His mother.
1 An eminent opponent of the Monothelite heretics. Elected to the Patriarchal throne,
A.D. 634. Died March 11, 639 or 644.
2 The above sentence is inserted to give meaning to the rest of the Homily, which was
written in Greek.
948
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
At Lauds and Vespers a Commemora-
tion is made of the Week-day, and after-
wards, at Vespers, of St. Melchiades,¹
Pope and Martyr. Antiphon, and Verse
and Answer from the Common Office,
(p. 817.) Prayer. "Mercifully consider
our weakness, &c.," (p. 823.)
DECEMBER 10.
Third Bay within the Octave of
the Emmaculate Conception.
All as on the Feast, except what is
otherwise given here.
FIRST NOCTURN.
The Lessons are taken from Scripture
according to the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Dogmatic
Bull of Pope Pius IX.
BOTH
in her Offices and in the most
holy Liturgy the Church hath been
accustomed to apply to the creation of
Mary the language in which the Holy
man Church that she hath most power-
fully asserted, guarded, promoted, and
vindicated the doctrine that the Virgin
was conceived without sin. It hath been
the boast of Our Predecessors that by
their authority they instituted in the
Roman Church the Feast of the Con-
ception of Mary, and caused it to be ob-
served with an Office and a Mass wherein
her privilege of immunity from original
sin was openly asserted. Our said Pre-
decessors have done everything in their
power to increase the love of the faith-
ful for this doctrine; by granting Indul-
gences in its honour; by giving per-
mission to cities, provinces, and king-
doms to choose for their Patroness the
Mother of God, under her title "Con-
ceived without sin;" by approving of
Guilds, Congregations, and Associations
of persons under vows, all instituted in
honour of the sinless Conception; by
praising the piety of those who have
founded Convents, Hospitals, Altars and
Churches named from this belief; and
lastly, by encouraging those who have
taken an oath to defend this opinion to
the utmost of their power.
Scriptures set forth the Eternal Genera- MORE
tion of the Uncreated Wisdom, and that,
because Mary was predestined in the
decree of the Incarnation of the same
Wisdom. This practice hath been re-
ceived by the faithful in all quarters,
and plainly showeth what hath been the
mind of the Church of Rome, which is
the mother and mistress of all Churches,
on the subject of the sinless conception
of the Virgin. Nevertheless, it is fitting
to set forth in greater detail the cele-
brated acts of this Church, on account
of that pre-eminent rank and power
which all other Churches are bound to
yield her, because she is the centre of
Catholic truth and unity, wherein alone
Doctrine is always preserved pure, and
from whom all the other Churches must
needs receive the tradition of the Faith.
Fifth Lesson.
THUS it hath always been one of the
most striking features of the Ro-
Sixth Lesson.
OREOVER, Our said Predecessors
with great joy ordained that the
Feast of the said Conception should be
observed as of the same rank as that of
the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, and
appointed that it should be kept with
an Octave throughout the whole Church.
They added this Feast to those which
are commanded to be kept with solem-
nity, and ordered that the ceremony
called a "Papal Chapel" should take
place every year on this Feast in our
Patriarchal Basilica of our Lady of the
Snows. And above all did they rejoice
in the hope of strengthening this belief
in the minds of the faithful, and stirring
them up to love and venerate the Vir-
gin conceived without sin, when they
granted permission to add to the Litany
of Loretto the invocation, "Queen con-
ceived without original sin," and to in-
sert the word "stainless" into the Pre-
face of the Mass on this Feast, that so
the law of prayer might become the law
of belief.
1 The Martyrology says, "He suffered much in the persecution under Maximian, but
fell asleep in the Lord after that peace had been given to the Church." Elected to succeed
Eusebius, July 2, A.D. 311. Died Jan. 10, 314.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
949
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
A¹
T that time: The Angel Gabriel was
sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David, and the virgin's
name was Mary. And so on.
Homily by St. Bernard, Abbat [of
Clairvaux.] (2nd on this text.)
Rejoice, father Adam, and yet more
thou mother Eve, ye that are the source
of all, and the ruin of all, and the un-
happy cause of their ruin before ye gave
them birth. Be comforted both in your
daughter, and such a daughter; but
chiefly thou, O woman, of whom the
first evil came, and who hast cast thy
slur upon all women. The time is come
for the slur to be taken away, and for
the man to have nothing to say against
the woman. At the first, when he un-
wisely began to make excuse, he scrupled
not to throw the blame upon her, say-
ing, "The woman whom Thou gavest to
be with me, she gave me of the tree,
and I did eat." Wherefore, O Eve, be-
take thyself to Mary: mother, betake
thyself to thy daughter: let the daugh-
ter answer for the mother: let her take
away her mother's reproach; let her
make up to her father for her mother's
fault for if man be fallen by means of
woman, it is by means of woman that
he is raised up again.
Eighth Lesson.
WHAT didst
HAT didst thou say, O Adam?
"The woman whom Thou gavest to
be with me, she gave me of the tree, and
I did eat." These are wrathful words,
by the which thou dost rather magnify
than diminish thine offence. Neverthe-
less, Wisdom hath defeated thy malice.
God asked thee that He might find in
thee an occasion of pardon, but, in that
He found it not, He hath sought and
found it in the Treasure of His Own mer-
cy. One woman answereth for another
the wise for the foolish; the lowly for
the proud; for her that gave thee of the
tree of death, another that giveth thee
to taste of the tree of life; for her that
brought thee the bitter food of sin,
another that giveth thee of the sweet
fruits of righteousness. Wherefore ac-
cuse the woman no more, but speak in
thanksgiving, and say, "Lord, the
woman whom Thou hast given me, she
hath given me of the tree of life, and I
have eaten; and it is in my mouth
sweeter than honey, for thereby hast
Thou quickened me." (Ps. cxviii. 103,
93.) Behold, it was for this that the
angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin, to
the most worshipful of women, a woman
more wonderful than all women, the
restorer of them that went before, and
the quickener of them that come after
her.
Ninth Lesson.
WAS it not of this thy daughter, O
"(
Adam, that God spake when He
said unto the serpent, "I will put
enmity between thee and the woman ?"
And if thou wilt still doubt that He
speaketh of Mary, hear what followeth :
"She shall bruise thy head." Who
won this conquest but Mary? She
brought to nought the whole wiles of
Satan, whether for the pollution of her
body or the injury of her soul. Was it
not of her that Solomon spake, where he
saith, Who shall find a virtuous wo-
man?" (Prov. xxxi. 10.) The wise man
knew the weaknesses of women, how frail
they are in body, and how changeable
in mind. But he had read that God had
promised that the enemy,
who had pre-
vailed by means of a woman, was by a
woman to be overthrown, and he be-
lieved. But he wondered greatly, and
said, "Who shall find a virtuous woman?”
that is to say: If our salvation, and the
bringing back of that which is lost, and
the final triumph over the enemy, is in
the hand of a woman, it must needs be
that a virtuous woman be found, meet to
work in that matter.
·
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of the Week-day, and then of St. Mel-
chiades. Antiphon, and Verse and An-
swer from the Common Office for a Mar-
tyr, (p. 817.) Prayer, "Mercifully
consider our weakness, &c." (p. 823.)
Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter inclusive.
950
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
DECEMBER 11.
Fifth Lesson.
St. Damasus, Pope and Con- THIS Pope built two Basilicas, first, St.
fessor.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
The Vespers begin at the Chapter.
Prayer throughout the Office.
HEA
and Confessor Damasus, mercifully grant
us pardon and peace. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liv-
eth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Ámen.
CAR our prayers, O Lord, and at
the petition of Thy blessed Bishop
A Commemoration is made of the Im-
maculate Conception, and of the Week-
day.
COMPLINE.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
The Lessons are taken from Scripture
according to the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
DAMASUS was a Spaniard, a man of
eminence and of great learning in
the Scriptures, [and was elected to the
Chair of Peter in the year of our Lord,
366.
In 381] he convoked the First
Council of Constantinople, wherein he
crushed the wicked heresy of Eunomius
and Macedonius. He confirmed the
condemnation of the Assembly, at Ri-
mini, which condemnation had already
been pronounced by Liberius. This As-
sembly of Rimini was that in which, to
use the language of St. Jerome, Valens
and Ursacius brought it about through
trickery that the Faith of Nice was ab-
rogated by mob law, and the world
afterwards groaned in amazement to find
itself Arian.
Lawrence's, near Pompey's Theatre,
which he magnificently enriched, and
endowed it with houses and farms; and,
secondly, another, over the Catacombs
on the Road to Ardea. He also con-
secrated the Platonia, where the bodies
of St. Peter and St. Paul lay for some
time, and decorated it with elegant in-
scriptions in poetry composed by him-
self. He wrote on the subject of vir-
ginity both in prose and verse, and
likewise many other poems on various
subjects.
Sixth Lesson.
He punished for the offences which
ordained that false accusers should
they had falsely laid to the charge of
their neighbours. He established the
usage, which already prevailed in many
churches, of singing the Psalms, both by
day and by night, by alternate choirs,
and of adding at the end of each Psalm
the words, "Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.'
It was at his command that St. Jerome
revised the translation of the New Tes-
tament to accord with the Greek text.
He ruled the Church for seventeen
years, two months, and twenty-six days.
He held five Advent ordinations, where-
in he ordained thirty-one Priests, eleven
Deacons, and sixty-two Bishops for di-
vers Sees. At length he fell asleep in
the Lord, in the reign of Theodosius the
Elder, [upon the 10th day of December,
in the year 384, being] aged nearly eighty
years, and full of righteousness, truth,
and judgment. He was buried beside
his mother and sister in the Church
which he had himself founded on the
Road to Ardea. His reliques were after-
wards taken to the Basilica of St. Law-
rence, which is thence sometimes called
"San Lorenzo in Damaso."
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxiv. 42, with
the Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 852.)
}
At Lauds a Commemoration of the
Immaculate Conception, and of the
Week-day.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
The last verse of all the Hymns is
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
951
altered in honour of the Incarna-
tion.1
At Prime, "Thou That wast born of
the Virgin Mary."
VESPERS.
From the Chapter inclusive of the
following.
DECEMBER 12.
Fifth Day within the Octave of the
Emmaculate Conception.
Semi-double.
All as on the Feast, except that none
of the Antiphons are doubled, and what-
ever else is given here.
At Vespers a Commemoration of St.
Damasus, (Antiphon, "Being made the
Chief Bishop, &c.," and Prayer as at
his First Vespers) and of the Week-
day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
The Lessons are taken from Scripture
according to the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Dogmatic
Bull of Pope Pius IX.
THE language used in public worship
is the necessary offspring of the
teaching which it expresseth, and the
former can have no safety unless_the
latter be settled. Wherefore Our Pre-
decessors the Roman Pontiffs, while en-
couraging the pious love of the faithful
for the Conception of the Blessed Vir-
gin, have taken care ceaselessly to in-
culcate the sinlessness of the same.
They have always particularly insisted
that the Feast should be observed not in
honour of Mary's sanctification, a false
opinion, most foreign to the mind of the
Church (but which hath nevertheless
been maintained by some,) but in honour
of her Conception itself.
THE
Fifth Lesson.
same Our Predecessors have like-
wise resisted the dreams of those
who have imagined that in the sinless
Conception there were Two Instants,
and that the Church celebrateth the
Second and not the First. Indeed, Our
said Predecessors have considered the
sinlessness of the First Instant to be
as much a truth for their assertion,
protection, and promulgation, as the sin-
lessness of the Conception at all. Hence
came those words in which Our Pre-
decessor Alexander VII. in a decree de-
clareth the mind of the Church, and
saith, "Christ's faithful people, drawn
by love to His most blessed Mother, the
Virgin Mary, have of a long time be-
lieved that God, at the very First In-
stant in which He made her soul and
joined it to her body, by a special
grace and privilege granted to her,
through the merits of His dear Son,
Christ JESUS, the Saviour of the world,
Whose precious death He foreknew,
cleansed her from all sin, original as
well as actual; and it is in this belief,
and no other, that the said faithful of
Christ have always kept with devotion
and joy the Feast of the said Concep-
tion.",
IT
Sixth Lesson.
hath always been one of the most
weighty cares of Our said Predeces-
sors the Roman Pontiffs to protect the
doctrine of the sinlessness of Mary's
Conception from any sort of attack or
corruption. Not only have they suffered
no one to condemn and traduce it, but
they have gone much further, and in
public and repeated declarations have
averred: That that doctrine which
holdeth that the Virgin was conceived
without sin is a doctrine, the arguments
in support of which are strong enough
to enable the profession thereof to be
made at the time of public worship,
which is antient, which is almost uni-
versal, which is one of those which the
Church of Rome encourageth and pro-
tecteth, and which is worthy even to be
expressed in the Holy Liturgy itself,
and in the most solemn prayers of the
Church. Our said Predecessors did not
stop even here, but in order to preserve
the doctrine of the Virgin's sinless Con-
ception from any injury, they strictly
forbade that the opposite opinion should
1 Of course this is not the case if the Feast be transferred out of the Octave of the
Conception.
952
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
be maintained either in public or in
private, to the end that it might at
length die out under their disapproba-
tion.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
AT that time: The Angel Gabriel was
sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee, named Nazareth, to a Virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David, and the
Virgin's name was Mary. And so on.
Homily by St. Tarasius, Patriarch [of
Constantinople.] (On the Presentation
of the Mother of God.)
O Mary, where shall I find words
to praise thee? Maiden undefiled, vir-
gin unstained, exaltation of women,
glory of daughters! Holy Maiden Mo-
ther, blessed art thou among women,
thy glory is in thy guilelessness, and
thy name is a name of purity. In thee
the curse of Adam is done away, and
the debt of Eve paid. Thou art the
clean offering of Abel, chosen out of
the firstlings of the flock, a pure sacri-
fice. Thou art the hope of Enos, that
firm hope that he had in God, and was
not ashamed. Thou art the grace that
was in Enoch in this life, and his tran-
sit to a better. Thou art the Ark of
Noah, and the band of reconciliation
with God in a new regeneration. Thou
art the exceeding glory of the kingdom
and Priesthood of Melchisedech.
art the unshaken trust of Abraham, and
his faith in the promise of children that
were to be. Thou art the renewed
oblation and the reasonable burnt-offer-
ing of Isaac. Thou art the ladder that
Jacob saw going up to heaven, and the
most noble of all his children through-
out the twelve tribes of Israël. Ac-
cording to the flesh thou art the daugh-
ter of Judah. Thou art the modesty of
Joseph, and the overthrow of the old
Egypt, yea, and of the Synagogue of
the Jews. O purest! Thou art the
book of Moses the Lawgiver, whereon
the new covenant is written with the
Thou
finger of God, for the new Israël, fleeing
from the spiritual Egypt, even as the
old law was written upon Sinai, for the
old Israël, that Israël which was fed in
the wilderness upon manna and water
from the rock, whereof both were types
of Christ, which was yet to come from
thy womb, as a bridegroom from his
chamber. Thou art Aaron's rod that
budded. Thou art David's daughter,
all glorious within, clothed in a vesture
of gold, wrought about with divers
colours.
THO
Eighth Lesson.
HOU art the vision of the Prophets,
and the fulfilment of those things
which they foretold. Thou art the gate
whereof Ezekiel spake, when he pro-
phesied, and said, "This gate shall be
shut, it shall not be opened, and no man
shall enter in by it; because the LORD,
the God of Israël, hath entered in by it,
therefore it shall be shut" (xliv. 2.)
Thou art the Rod of Jesse, whereof Isaiah
spake, (xi. 1,) even that Rod whose
Flower is Christ, and whose offshoots
shall choke out all the seedlings of sin,
and fill the earth with plants of grace.
Thou art the Covenant foretold by Jere-
miah when he said (xxxi. 31) “Behold,
the days come, saith the LORD, that I
will make a new covenant with the
house of Israël, and with the house of
Judah, not according to the covenant
that I made with their fathers"-there-
by signifying the coming of thy Son,
and calling upon all nations to worship
Him for their God, even to the utter-
most parts of the earth. Thou art the
great mountain spoken of by Daniel, the
man greatly beloved, wherefrom is cut
without man's hands the corner-stone,
that is, Christ, which hath smitten in
pieces the parti-coloured image of the
old serpent. I honour thee as the un-
polluted fountain, I proclaim that thou
art full of grace, I praise thee as the
clean and undefiled tabernacle of God.
Verily, where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. As by a woman
death entered into the world, by a wo-
man came the power to rise again.
The serpent gave us to eat deadly fruit,
but that fall hath ended in the life-giv-
The Martyrology for Feb. 25, mentions at Constantinople, "the holy Bishop Thara-
sius, famous for learning and godliness, addressed to whom there exists an Epistle of
Pope Adrian I. in defence of holy Images." Consecrated on a Christmas Day, about
A.D. 780. Died Feb. 25, 806.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
953
ing Bread of Immortality. Eve, our first
mother, brought forth Cain the first
murderer; thou, O Mary, hast brought
forth Christ, the first-fruits of life and
of the resurrection. Ear hath not heard
the like. It hath not entered into the
heart of man to conceive this new thing.
Blessed be the unspeakable depths of the
Wisdom of God.
Ninth Lesson.
AND now we, the people of God, a
holy generation, an acceptable con-
gregation, the nestlings of the dove of
peace, children of grace, do with puri-
fied minds and unpolluted lips, praise
God in the tongues of all nations in this
joyful solemnity of the Virgin. This
is a noble Feast wherein the Angels
keep holiday and men do most fitly offer
praise, even a feast wherein we echo with
reverence and joy that salutation first
spoken by Gabriel. Hail Mary! Hail,
thou Paradise of God the Father, whence
the knowledge of Him floweth in broad
rivers to the ends of the earth! Hail,
Dwelling-place of God the Son, whence
He came forth clothed in flesh! Hail,
mysterious Tabernacle of God the Holy
Ghost! Hail, thou that art holier than
the Cherubim! Hail, thou that art
more glorious than the Seraphim!
Hail, thou that art nobler than the
heavens! Hail, thou that art brighter
than the sun! Hail, thou that art
fairer than the moon! Hail, manifold
splendour of the stars! Hail, light
cloud, dropping the dew of heaven!
Hail, holy breeze, clearing the air of
the vapours of sin! Hail, royal theme
of the Prophets! Hail, sound of the
Apostles gone out into all the earth!
Hail, most excellent confession of the
Martyrs! Hail, just hope of the Patri-
archs! Hail, peculiar honour of all the
Saints! Hail, source of health to dying
creatures! Hail, O Queen, ambassadress
of peace! Hail, stainless crown of
motherhood! Hail, advocate of all
under heaven! Hail, restoration of the
whole world! Hail, thou that art full
of grace, the Lord is with thee, even
the Lord that is before thee, and from
thee, and that is with us. To Him,
with the Father, and the most holy and
Life-giving Spirit, be ascribed all praise,
now and ever, world without end.
Amen.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of the Week-day.
Vespers of the following.
DECEMBER 13.
St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a Vir-
gin and Martyr, (p. 873,) except what
is given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons at the Psalms, and Prayer
from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. In patience hast thou possessed
thy soul, Lucy, Bride of Christ: thou
hast hated the things that are in the
world, and art glorified among the
Angels; thou hast shed thine own blood,
and conquered the Adversary.
A Commemoration is made of the Im-
maculate Conception, and of the Week-
day.
COMPLINE.
The last verse of the Hymn is altered
in honour of the Incarnation.¹
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Cor. vii. 25, (p. 874.)
First Responsory.
Maiden Lucy, why seekest thou of
me that which thou thyself canst pre-
sently give thy mother? For thy faith
hath holpen her, and, behold, she is
made whole-because thou hast made in
thy virginity a pleasant dwelling-place
for thy God.
Verse. Even as Christ hath by me
glorified Catania, so by thee shall He
glorify Syracuse.
Answer. Because thou hast made in
thy virginity a pleasant dwelling-place
for thy God.
1 Of course this is not the case if the Feast be transferred out of the Octave of the
Conception.
954
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Second Responsory.
I besought my Lord Jesus Christ that
this fire might not take hold upon me;
and I obtained from the Lord that I
should not finish my testimony for yet
a while.
Verse. For so much as they loved
me, so bitterly spake they against me:
but I gave myself unto prayer.¹
Answer. And I obtained from the
Lord that I should not finish my testi-
mony for yet a while.
Third Responsory.
The Lord made her to prevail in the
battle, and she was glorified in the sight
of God and man: she spake wisdom be-
fore princes and the Lord of all loved
her.
Verse. God shall help her with His
countenance: God is in the midst of
her: she shall not be moved.
Answer. And the Lord of all loved
her.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And the Lord of all loved
her.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
LUCY was a maiden of Syracuse, the
daughter of a noble Christian
family. Her mother Eutychia, being
afflicted with an issue of blood, went
with her to Catania, to pray before the
body of the blessed Agatha. Lucy, by
her earnest prayers at the grave, ob-
tained her mother's cure, through the
intercession of Agatha, and then imme-
diately begged her to give to Christ's
poor the whole dowry which had been
set apart for herself. As soon, therefore,
as they returned to Syracuse, they sold
the property, and distributed the money
among the poor.
Fourth Responsory.
Come, Bride of Christ, &c. (First Re-
sponsory in the Common Office.)
Fifth Lesson.
WHEN this came to the ears of one
to whom her parents had betrothed
her against her will, he accused Lucy
1 Cf. Ps. cviii. 4.
before Paschasius the Prefect of being a
Christian. The Prefect could not move
her to commit idolatry, either by his
entreaties or his threats; nay, the more
he strove to persuade her, so much the
bolder did she become in her confession.
Then, seeing that he could prevail
nothing, "words," saith he, "will cease
when we come to blows."2 To whom
the virgin answered, "God's servants
will never want words, for the Lord
Christ hath said: When ye shall stand
before kings and governors, take no
thought how or what ye shall speak, for
it shall be given you in that same hour
what ye shall speak, for it is not ye that
speak, but the Holy Ghost Which
speaketh in you." (Matth. x. 18-20;
Mark xiii. 9-11.)
Fifth Responsory.
Grace is poured into thy lips, &c.,
(Second Responsory in the Common
Office.)
Sixth Lesson.
THE
HEN Paschasius asked her saying,
"Is the Holy Ghost in thee?"
Whereto she answered, "They that live
in chastity and piety are the temples of
the Holy Ghost." "Then," said he,
"I will send thee to be prostituted in a
brothel, and get the Holy Ghost out of
thee." To whom she made reply, "Thou
canst not prostitute my will. If thou
cause this poor body to be violated, the
crown of my soul's purity will be brighter
through suffering." Then he bade them
take her to the place of shame, but by the
power of God it became impossible to
move her. Whereupon, being inflamed
with anger, he had pitch, resin, and
boiling oil poured upon her, and then
set on fire. But the fire did not take
hold upon her. Therefore he practised
many other cruelties upon her, and at
last thrust a sword through her neck.
When Lucy had received this wound,
she began to speak of the peace of the
Church, which it should enjoy after the
death of Diocletian and Maximian, and
presently returned her soul into the
hands of God. She testified on the
thirteenth day of December. Her body
* There is an untranslateable pun on verba and verbera.
• "She died in prison of the wounds she had received, about the year 304.” Alban
Butler.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
955
was buried at Syracuse, but afterwards
taken to Constantinople, and lastly to
Venice.
Sixth Responsory.
In thy comeliness, &c., (Third Re-
sponsory in the Common Office.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xiii. 44, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 886.)
Seventh Responsory.
Because of truth, &c., (Fourth Re-
sponsory in the Common Office for Holy
Women.)
Eighth Responsory.
Thou hast loved righteousness, &c.,
(Fifth Responsory in the Common Office
for Holy Women,) to which is added:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Therefore God, thy God,
hath anointed thee with the oil of glad-
ness.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. When holy Lucy
prayed, * the blessed Agatha appeared
to her, and comforted the handmaid of
Christ.
*
Second Antiphon. Maiden Lucy,
why seekest thou of me that which
thou thyself canst presently give thy
mother ?
Third Antiphon. Maiden Lucy, * by
thee shall Christ glorify Syracuse.
Fourth Antiphon. I bless Thee, O
Father of my Lord JESUS Christ, be-
cause through Thy Son the fire is
quenched round about me.
Fifth Antiphon. Lucy my sister, *
maiden consecrated to God, why seekest
thou of me that which thou thyself
canst presently give thy mother?
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Lucy, Bride of Christ, thou art become
as a pillar that cannot be shaken; all
the people wait for thee, until thou re-
ceive the crown of life. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office, "Gra-
ciously hear us, O God of our salvation,
&c.," (p. 880.) "Thy blessed hand-
maiden and witness Lucy.'
""
A Commemoration is made of the
Immaculate Conception, and of the
Week-day.
PRIME, TERCE, SEXT, NONE.
The last verse of all the Hymns is
altered in honour of the Incarnation.¹
The Antiphons are taken successively
from Lauds, omitting the Fourth.
At Prime, "Thou That wast born of
the Virgin Mary." 1
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons at the Psalms and Prayer
from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Holy Ghost came upon the
bride of Christ in great power, so that
she could not be moved.
A Commemoration is made of the
Immaculate Conception, and of the
Week-day.
At Compline the Hymn is altered as
at the other Hours.
Note. If the Feast of St. Lucy should
fall upon the Third Sunday in Advent,
it is kept on the Monday, in which case
the Second Vespers of St. Lucy are not
said, but those of the Octave of the Im-
maculate Conception, being the same as
the First Vespers of that Feast, with a
Commemoration of St. Lucy and of the
Week-day.
DECEMBER 14.
Seventh Bay within the Octave of
the Emmaculate Conception.
Semi-double.
All as on the Feast, except that none
of the Antiphons are doubled, and what-
ever else is differently given here.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
The Lessons are taken from Scripture
according to the Season. If this day
happen to be Ember Wednesday, they
are from Proverbs viii. 12, (p. 895.)
1 Of course this is not the case when the Feast is transferred out of the Octave of the
Conception.
956
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Dogmatic
Bull of Pope Pius IX.
IT is known to all men, with what care
this doctrine of the sinlessness of
the conception of the Mother of God hath
been handed down, set forth, and de-
fended by the most distinguished Re-
ligious Orders, Theologians, Universi-
ties, and Doctors skilled in the things
of God. All men know likewise how
and Ecclesiastical writers, learned in
Holy Scripture, are marked by no more
earnest feature than that in all their
books and Scriptural Commentaries,
written for the confirmation of doctrine,
and the edification of the faithful, they
do all in divers ways preach and teach
the excelling holiness of this Virgin, her
dignity, her freedom from any stain of
sin, and the glory of her victory over
the dark enemy of our race.
Sixth Lesson.
carefully Christian Bishops, even in their Anesis remark that passage where
ALL Commentators on the Book of
public teaching, have professed the doc-
trine that through the merits of Christ
our Lord and Saviour, foreknown by
God, the Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of
God, was delivered from ever being the
victim of original sin, but, on the con-
trary, had the fruits of Redemption ap-
plied to her at the very moment of her
Conception, and was therefore redeemed
in a nobler way than others. But the
weightiest fact of all is that the most
holy Council of Trent, when, in accord-
ance with the Holy Scriptures, as inter-
preted by the holy Fathers and the ap-
proved Councils, it decreed that all men
are conceived in sin, expressly added
that it did not mean thereby to say that
the blessed and stainless Mary, Mother
of God, did not form an exception to the
rule. From this declaration of the Fa-
thers of Trent it can clearly be drawn
that there is nothing in the Bible, no-
thing in tradition, and nothing in the
Fathers which can rightly be adduced
against this prerogative of the most
Blessed Virgin, nay, as far as circum-
stances demanded, they as much as de-
clared her free from the original stain.
Fifth Lesson.
N truth, this doctrine upon the Con-
most
is day by day more earnestly set forth
by the graver thought of the Church, by
her teaching, by her care, by her learn-
ing, and by her wisdom. It is explained,
taught, confirmed, and wonderfully
spread among all peoples and nations of
the Catholic world. The Church hath
received it from the Fathers, as a part
of the original faith, attested strongly
by the most ancient and venerable
monuments of both the Eastern and
Western Churches. Indeed, the Fathers
God at the very time of the Fall speak-
eth of the Atonement, to the confusion
of the lying serpent, and the comfortable
hope of man, and saith, "I will put en-
mity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed,” and all
the ancients teach that by this passage
is meant the most merciful Saviour of
mankind, namely, our Lord JESUS
Christ, the Only-begotten Son of God,
and His most blessed Mother the Vir-
gin Mary, as if the enmity which both
He and she felt against the devil, was,
in a sense, of a kind common to them
Both. Christ took our nature upon
Him, and is become the Mediator be-
tween God and man, (1 Tim. ii. 5,)
blotting out the handwriting that was
against us, nailing it to His Cross, (Col.
ii. 14,) and the most holy Virgin, by
that subtle, close, and abiding tie which
bindeth mother to Child, feeleth along
with Him His truceless enmity to the
serpent, and He, through His merits,
hath granted to her that moment of vic-
tory wherein her stainless foot bruised
the serpent's head.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
AT
T that time: The angel Gabriel was
sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Jo-
seph, of the house of David, and the
virgin's name was Mary. And so on.
Homily by St. Sophronius, Patriarch
[of Jerusalem.] (On the Annunciation.)
Blessed indeed art thou among wo-
men, for thou hast turned the curse of
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
957
Eve into a blessing; thou hast even
brought a blessing upon Adam, when he
lay smitten by the first sentence of death.
Blessed indeed art thou among women,
for thou art the mean whereby the Fa-
ther's blessing hath come upon man, and
delivered him from the old curse.
Blessed indeed art thou among women,
for by thee thy fathers have found sal-
vation; the salutation of the Angel tell-
eth thee that thou art about to bear
them a Deliverer. Blessed indeed art
thou among women, for thou, not know-
ing a man, conceivest a Son through
Whom the whole earth shall be blessed,
and bring forth thorns and thistles no
more. Blessed indeed art thou among
women, for thou remainest thyself no
more than a woman, and yet art made
Mother of God. If That holy Thing
Which shall be born of thee be truly
God made Man, then art thou truly
Mother of God, for God is made thine
Offspring.
"FEAR
Eighth Lesson.
EAR not, Mary, for thou hast found
grace with God"-abiding grace.
Thou hast found grace with God-ex-
ceeding grace. Thou hast found grace
with God-all desirable grace. Thou
hast found grace with God-greater
grace than any other. Thou hast found
grace with God-unfailing grace. Thou
hast found grace with God-saving
grace. Thou hast found grace with
God-immoveable grace. Thou hast
found grace with God-invincible grace.
Thou hast found grace with God-ever-
lasting grace. Before thee there have
been others, many others, made won-
derful in holiness, but to none hath it
been given, as to thee, to be full of grace;
to none hath it been given, as to thee,
to attain to such divine riches; to none,
received more than the goodness of God
hath conferred on any other. It is in-
deed because God made His home in thee
that thou thus aboundest. There hath
never been any save thee that hath
comprehended the Incomprehensible;
none save thee that hath enjoyed His
presence so much; none that He hath
made so ready therefor; none on whom
the uncreated light hath shone so clearly;
and therefore none who hath, like thee,
sheltered the Lord God, the Maker and
Lord of all, conceived Him in thy womb,
and brought Him into the world, to re-
deem men lying under the Father's sen-
tence, and to offer to them everlasting
salvation. Wherefore, O Lady, I have
already cried unto thee with the Angel,
and I will still cry-"Hail, thou that art
full of grace, the Lord is with thee!
Blessed art thou among women!"
A Commemoration of the Week-day
is made at Lauds.
Vespers of the following.
DECEMBER 15.
Octave of the Emmaculate Con=
ception.
Double.
All as on the Feast, (First Vespers as
the First Vespers of the Feast,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day.
MATTINS.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Dogmatic
Bull of Pope Pius IX.
as to thee, to be prevented by purifying FROM of old time continual prayers
grace; to none, as to thee, to shine from
the day-spring with light from heaven;
to none, as to thee, to be exalted above
all things before created.
Ninth Lesson.
ND justly; for none hath ever drawn
ANI
so near to God as thou hast; none
hath ever been gifted by God with good
gifts as thou hast; none hath ever re-
ceived of God's grace as thou hast. Thou
art mightier than all things which are
called mighty among men; thou hast
have been offered to this Apostolic
See not only by Bishops, Churchmen,
and the Regular Orders, but also by
Emperors and Kings, beseeching that
the sinlessness of the Conception of the
Mother of God might be made the sub-
ject of a Dogmatic Definition. These
prayers have been still more urgently
addressed in recent times to Our Prede-
cessor, of happy memory, Gregory XVI.,
and to Ourselves, by the Bishops, by the
Secular Clergy, by the Regular Orders,
and by the most eminent Christian
958
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Princes and nations. The knowledge
of these things hath caused Our heart to
rejoice, and they have been the serious
occupation of Our thoughts ever since,
in spite of Our unworthiness, the in-
scrutable Providence of God was pleased
to set Us in this supreme Chair of Peter,
and to put His Church into Our hands,
for Us to govern. Since then, We have
had nothing so much at heart as to
yield to the desires of the Church in this
matter, to the increasing of the venera-
tion of which the most holy Virgin is
already the object, and to the setting in
a clearer light the singular graces with
which God hath adorned her, being Our-
selves especially drawn to the same by
the reverence, love, and affection with
which We have been from Our child-
hood animated towards the same most
holy Virgin Mary, Mother of God.
Fifth Lesson.
AND now We trust in the Lord that
the time is come to define as a truth
of faith the doctrine of the stainless
Conception of the most holy Virgin
Mary, Mother of God, that doctrine al-
ready set forth by Holy Scripture, by
the ancient traditions, by the unbroken
belief of the Universal Church, by the
one common opinion of the Catholic
Episcopate and laity, and by the marked
acts and decrees of Our Predecessors.
We have weighed everything in Our
mind, and We have without ceasing
implored the help and light of God's
Holy Spirit by earnest prayer, and We
are of opinion that it is Our duty no
longer to delay, but by Our Supreme
Decision to settle and declare that the
Virgin was conceived without sin, and
thus to satisfy the godly cravings of the
whole Christian world, as well as the
instinct of Our own love for the said
most holy Virgin, and, above all, be-
cause she is His Mother, to glorify our
Lord Jesus Christ by this act, since
whatever we do rightly to honour the
Mother must redound to the glory of
the Son.
Sixth Lesson.
WHEREFORE, having in all fasting
and humbleness of heart continually
implored God the Father through His
Blessed Son, to hear Our own prayers
and those of His whole Church, and to
teach and strengthen Our mind by the
power of His Holy Spirit, having begged
the intercession of the Church Trium-
phant, and, above all, with groans called
on the Holy Ghost the Comforter, We
now, moved by Him, for the honour of
the Holy and Undivided Trinity, for the
greater praise and exaltation of the Vir-
gin Mother of God, the glory of the Ca-
tholic Faith, and the good of Christianity,
in the name and authority of our Lord
JESUS Christ, of the Blessed Apostles
Peter and Paul, and in Our own, de-
clare and define that:-That doctrine
which declareth that the most blessed
Virgin Mary, was in the first instant of
her Conception, preserved, by a special
grace and privilege granted to her by
Almighty God, through the merits of
Christ JESUS, Saviour of mankind, which
He foreknew, from any stain of original
sin, is a doctrine taught and revealed by
God, and therefore from this time for-
ward must be held by all faithful Chris-
tians firmly and constantly. Wherefore
if any one, which God forbid, shall at
any time think in his heart any thing
contrary to this Our definition, let him
know that he is condemned by his own
judgment, that he hath made shipwreck
of the faith, and that he hath cut himself
off from the body of the Church.

THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
At that time: The Angel Gabriel was
sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee, named Nazareth, to a Virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Jo-
seph, of the house of David, and the
Virgin's name was Mary. And so on.
Homily by St. Epiphanius, Bishop [of
Salamis-in-Cyprus.] (Discourse in
praise of the Blessed Virgin.)
I am at a loss what words or terms I
ought to employ in speaking of this
illustrious and holy Virgin. She is
1 The Martyrology (May 12) says that "he remains a wonder, on account of his eminent
and varied learning and knowledge of the Scriptures, of the holiness of his life, of his zeal
for the Catholic faith, of his bounty toward the poor, and of the mighty miracles which
he wrought." Born about A.D. 310. Elected Bishop about 367. Died, May 12, 405.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
959
raised above all things except God; she
was made much higher than the Che-
rubim and Seraphim, and the whole
host of heaven; neither the voices of
heaven nor of earth are full enough to
set forth her majesty, no, not the voices
of Angels. O blessed Virgin! O pure
dove and Bride of heaven! O Mary!
At once the heaven, the temple, and
the throne of God! Mother of the Sun
That shineth both on heaven and on
earth, even Christ! Bright cloud,
through which the Son of Man hath
come as the lightning, that lighteneth
from the East even unto the West!
Hail, gate of heaven, full of grace, of
whom the Prophet in the Song of Songs
openly speaketh in the course of his
prayer, saying, "A garden enclosed is
My sister, My Spouse, a garden enclosed,
a fountain sealed." (iv. 12.)
Eighth Lesson.
THE Virgin is that stainless lily
whence hath sprung the Rose that
fadeth not, even Christ. O Holy Mo-
ther of God! Ewe without spot, that
hast borne the Lamb That took flesh of
thee, even Christ! O Maiden whose
holiness hath dazzled the heavenly
armies! There hath appeared a great
sign in heaven, a woman clothed with
the sun, and with the Light in her
arms; a great sign in heaven, the Vir-
gin's womb the chamber of the Son of
God; a great sign in heaven, the Lord
of angels made the Virgin's child. The
angels accused Eve, but now they praise
Mary, who hath raised Eve fallen, and
restored to heaven Adam banished from
Paradise. For Mary is the bridge be-
tween heaven and earth, the ambassa-
dress who hath reconciled them in her
womb.
WE
Ninth Lesson.
E cannot measure the grace be-
stowed upon this holy Virgin.
Hence the salutation addressed to her
by Gabriel," Hail," thou glorious hea-
ven, "full of grace." “Hail,” Virgin
adorned with many graces, yea,
"full
of grace." "Hail," thou vessel of gold
that holdest the manna that came down
from heaven, "full of grace.'
"Hail,"
thou unfailing fountain, that satisfiest
the thirsty soul with sweet waters,
"full of grace." Hail, holy, sinless
Mother of Him That was before thee,
even Christ. Hail, thou Queenly purple,
mantle of the King of heaven and earth.
Hail, thou Book that no man can under-
stand, and yet which the Eternal Word,
the Son of the Father, hath opened for
earth to read.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of the Week-day, and at Vespers of the
following (Prayer from Lauds,) and of
the Week-day.
If, (as might be the case where the
Immaculate Conception is the Patronal
Feast,) the Octave falls on the Third
Sunday in Advent, the Office is of the
Season from the None of Saturday ex-
clusive, but with Commemorations of the
Octave at both Vespers and Lauds, and
without Common Commemorations or
Preces.
OFFICE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEP-
TION AS A VOTIVE OFFICE, FOR SA-
TURDAYS.
Pope Pius IX. permits that on all
Saturdays, with certain exceptions, the
Office of December 8, with certain alte-
rations, be said instead of the Office of
the day. The Saturdays excepted are:
(a) Any Saturday whatsoever upon
which Nine Lessons are read, either by
reason of the Week-day Office, or of any
Festal Office either belonging to the day
or transferred to it.
(b) The Saturdays in Advent, Lent,
and the Octaves of Easter and Pente

cost.
(c) All eves.
(d) Saturdays to which the Sunday
Office may be transferred according to
the Pye, iv. 4, 5.
The alterations in the Office itself
are-
(a) It is semi-double, with the Com-
mon Commemorations at Vespers and
Lauds, and Preces at Compline and
Prime. Its relations to a Simple Office
on Saturday itself, or a Semi-double or
Double on Friday or Sunday, (Sunday
is always at least Semi-double,) are
arranged in the same way as if it were
a Semi-double Festival.
(b) The saying or omitting of the
"Alleluia" and one or two other points
3 8
960
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
are as immediately heretofore given in
the Office itself. In Paschal-time Prime
and Compline are said in the Paschal
manner.
(c) The Lessons of the First Nocturn
are from Scripture according to the
Season.
(d) The Lessons of the Second and
Third Nocturn are-
Before Ash Wednesday, as on the
Second Day within the Octave.
In Paschal-time, as on the Third day.
From the Feast of the Sacred Heart
to August, as on the Fifth Day.
From August to Advent, as on the
Seventh Day.
DECEMBER 16.
St. Eusebius, Bishop [of Vers
celli,] Martyr.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for one
Martyr, (p. 817,) except what is other-
wise given here.
Prayer throughout. O God, Who year
by year, &c., (p. 824.)
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. If this day fall upon one
of the Ember Days they are from Acts
xx. 17, (p. 818.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
EUSEBIUS was a Sardinian by birth,
first a Reader in the Roman Church,
and then Bishop of Vercelli. It seemed
specially designed by Providence that
he should be called to govern that
Church, for the electors, who had never
before known him, passed over, with a
strange unanimity, all their own fellow-
citizens, and chose Eusebius, as soon as
they had seen him. He was the first
Bishop in the Western Church who es-
tablished an Order of Regular Clergy,
to combine the active with the contem-
hope. This Pope, knowing that the
Spirit of God was in him, sent him with
his Legates to the Emperor Constantius,
[in the year 354,] to plead the cause of
the Catholic Faith. His earnestness
prevailed with that Prince, so that he
obtained all that was asked for, and,
among other things, permission for a
Council to be summoned.
Fifth Lesson.
THE year following, the Council met
at Milan, and Eusebius, by the in-
vitation of the Emperor, and the desire
and command of the Papal Legates, at-
tended. Here the Arians, assembled in
a perfect synagogue of Satan, and all
furiously raging together against holy
Athanasius, found Eusebius one of the
stoutest enemies of their faction. As
soon as he entered the Council, he deli-
vered a long harangue, wherein he re-
marked that, of those there gathered to-
gether, some were notoriously defiled
with heresy, and therefore he proposed
that everyone should first of all sub-
scribe the Nicene Creed, before proceed-
ing to any other business. The Arians,
in a violent passion, refused, whereupon
he on his part refused to subscribe any
proceedings against Athanasius, and
even skilfully procured the withdrawal
of the signature of the holy martyr
Denys, then Bishop of Milan, which
they had lyingly procured by prac-
tising on his simplicity. The Arians
were now utterly enraged, and, after
many persecutions, procured a decree
of banishment against Eusebius.
Saint shook off the dust of his feet
against them, and, defying alike the
threats of Cæsar, and the drawn swords
of the soldiery, accepted the sentence as
one of the dignities of his office. He
was sent to Bethshan in the Holy Land,
suffering hunger, thirst, stripes, and all
manner of violence, but for the Faith's
sake he despised this life, and feared
not death, but freely delivered his body
to the tormentors.
Sixth Lesson.
The
wrote a solemn letter from Beth-
plative life. At this time the storm, of HE what, addressed to the clergy and
Arian blasphemy and sin was sweeping
far and wide over the West, and Euse-
bius set himself to fight against it so
manfully, that his unshaken faith
brought back Liberius again to life and
people of Vercelli and that neighbour-
hood, full of constancy, devotion, and
piety, describing the frightful cruelty
and brazen impudence of the Arians.
FEAST-DAYS IN DECEMBER.
961
From this letter we know how com-
pletely they failed to scare him by their
threats and their inhuman brutality, or
to seduce him by their serpent-like cun-
ning into receiving their communion.
In consequence of his unshaken resolu-
tion, he was moved from Bethshan into
Cappadocia, and then again, to the de-
serts of Upper Egypt. He suffered exile
until the death of Constantius, [in 361,]
after which he was allowed to return
to his flock. First, however, he took
care to attend the Council at Alexan-
dria, called to heal the wounds of the
Church, and, afterwards, like a skilful
physician, he made a progress through
all the provinces of the East, strength-
ening those that were weak in the Faith,
and confirming them in Christian doc-
trine. Then, with the same healthful
results, he passed through Illyricum
into Italy, who, at his coming, laid
aside her garments of mourning. After
his return, he published an expurgated
edition of Origen's Commentary on the
Psalms, and likewise of the works of
Eusebius of Cæsarea, both which he
translated from Greek into Latin. At
length, distinguished by all these great
works, he passed to that crown of glory
which fadeth not away, promised to
them who suffer for the truth. He
departed this present life at Vercelli, [in
371,] in the reign of Valentinian and
Valens.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xvi. 24, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 826.)
Eighth Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast prevented him,
&c., (p. 822.)
If this day be an Ember-Day, the
Ninth Lesson is of that; in which case
the Ninth Lesson from the Homily is
either omitted or read together with the
Eighth.
At Lauds a Commemoration of the
Week-day.
DECEMBER 21.
St. Thomas, Apostle.
Double of the Second Class.
All from the Common Office for Apos-
tles, (p. 805,) except what is otherwise
given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thomas, because thou hast
seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed
are they that have not seen, and yet
have believed. Alleluia.
GR
Prayer throughout the Office.
RANT unto us, O Lord, we beseech
Thee, to glory in the solemn com-
memoration of Thy blessed Apostle Tho-
mas; and, being defended by his pro-
tection, to follow always with meet god-
liness the pattern of his faith. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Cor. iv. 1, (p. 806.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THE Apostle Thomas, called Didymus,
or the Twin, was a Galilean. After
the descent of the Holy Ghost, he went
into many provinces to preach Christ's
Gospel. He gave knowledge of the
rules of Christian faith and life to the
Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hyrca-
nians, and Bactrians. He went last to
the East Indies. Here he provoked the
anger of one of the idolatrous kings, be-
cause the holiness of his life and teach-
ing, and the number of his miracles,
drew many after him, and brought them
to the love of Christ JESUS. He was
therefore condemned, and slain with
lances. He crowned the dignity of the
Apostleship with the glory of martyr-
dom, on the Coromandel coast, not far
from Madras.
Fifth Lesson.
from the Common
It is written, &c., (from the Common
Office, Fourth Lesson.)
Sixth Lesson.
So much power, &c., (p. 807.)
I
382
962
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xx. 24.)
A
T that time: Thomas, one of the
twelve, called Didymus, was not
with them when JESUS came. And
80 on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (26th on the Gospels.)
Dearly beloved brethren, what is it
in this passage which particularly claim-
eth our attention? Think ye that it
was by accident that this chosen Apostle
was not with them when JESUS came ?
or, when he came, heard? or, when he
heard, doubted? or, when he doubted, felt?
or,
when he had felt, believed? All these
things were not accidental, but Provi-
dential. It was a wonderful provision
of Divine mercy, that this incredulous
disciple, by thrusting his fingers into
the bodily Wounds of his Master, should
apply a remedy to the spiritual wounds
of unbelief in our souls. The doubts of
Thomas have done us more good than
the faith of all the disciples that be-
lieved. While he feeleth his way to faith,
our minds are freed from doubt, and
settled in faith.
Eighth Lesson.
He
EVEN as the Lord before His birth
willed that Mary should be es-
poused, and yet never lose her virginity,
so, after His Resurrection, He willed
that His disciple should doubt, and yet
not lose his faith. For, even as the es-
poused husband was the keeper of the
virginity of the Mother, so was the dis-
ciple who doubted and felt, the witness
of the truth of the Resurrection.
felt, and cried out: "My Lord and my
God. JESUS saith unto him: Thomas,
because thou hast seen Me, thou hast
believed." When the Apostle Paul
saith (Heb. xi. 1): "Faith is the sub-
stance of things hoped for, the evidence
of things not seen"-he plainly meaneth
that faith is the evidence of things that
cannot be seen. When they are seen,
there remaineth not faith, but know-
ledge.
Ninth Lesson.
If this day be an Ember-day this
Lesson is of that, and then the follow-
ing is either omitted, or read as one with
the preceding.
THOMAS, then, seeth, and believeth.
Why is it said to him: "Because
thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed ?"
The truth is, he saw one thing, and so
believed another. To mortal man it is
not given to see God. He therefore
saw only the Manhood, and yet had
faith in the Godhead: "My Lord and
my God." This he said, seeing and
believing, seeing Perfect Man, and yet
believing in Perfect God, Whom he
could not see. O what a comfort are
the words which follow! "Blessed are
they that have not seen, and yet have
believed." These words are specially
meant for us, who have not seen even
the Flesh, and who yet do believe. They
are specially meant for us if we believe
and do not, by our lives, give the lie to
our belief. He only hath a saving faith,
whose faith beareth fruit.
LAUDS AND SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Songs of Zacharias
and of the Blessed Virgin the same as
at the Song of the Blessed Virgin at
First Vespers, and Commemorations
are made of the Week-day.
The rest of the Feasts of December are
in the Office of the Season.
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
The earlier Feast-days in January
are given in the Office of the Season.
On the earliest day not occupied by an
Office with Nine Lessons, is said the
Office of the Dead.
JANUARY 10, 11.
At Vespers on the 10th, and Lauds
on the 11th, are made Commemorations
of St. Hyginus,¹ Pope and Martyr.
All from the Common Office for One
Martyr. Prayer, "Mercifully consider
our weakness, &c.,” (p. 823.)
1 The Martyrology says that "he gloriously finished his testimony at Rome in the per-
secution under Antonine." Elected Pope, A.D. 139. Died, 142..
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
963
JANUARY 14.
St. Hilary, Bishop [of Poitiers,]
Confessor and Doctor of the
Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O right excellent Teacher, &c.,
(p. 843.)
Prayer throughout the Office. O God,
Who didst give, &c., (p. 849.)
Commemoration of St. Felix, Priest
and Martyr, from the Common Office for
one Martyr, (p. 817,) with the follow-
ing
Prayer.
YRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
GR
God, that the example of Thy
Saints may continually stir us up to
amend our sinful lives, that as we do
solemnly commemorate them, we may
also sincerely strive to imitate them.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Hilary was born of a noble fa-
mily in Acquitaine, and is distin-
guished as a divine and an orator. He
was married in his earlier life, but even
then lived the life of a monk: and on
account of his remarkable holiness, was
ultimately made Bishop of Poitiers,
[about the year 353,] in which office
he did his duty so as to gain the uni-
versal praise of the faithful. At that
time the Emperor Constantius was
persecuting the Catholics by threats,
by the plundering of their goods, by
exile, and at length, by every species of
cruelty, in order to force them to yield
to the Arian heresy. Against the Arians
Hilary set himself up as a brazen wall,
and turned upon himself the fierceness
of their anger. They assailed him by
many artifices, and at last Saturnine,
Bishop of Arles, at the Council of Be-
ziers, [in 356,] procured his banishment
to Phrygia. During this exile he raised
a dead man to life, and wrote a work in
twelve books on the Trinity, against the
Arians.
Fifth Lesson.
IN [the year 359,] the fourth of his
exile, took place the Council of Se-
leucia in Isauria, at which Hilary was
obliged to be present, but afterwards
withdrew to Constantinople. Here he
realised more sharply the awful nature
of this crisis in the history of Chris-
tianity, published three pamphlets in
the form of letters to the Emperor, and
demanded from that Prince leave to hold
a public disputation in his presence. The
Arian Bishops Ursacius and Valens, whom
Hilary had already confuted in writ-
ing, were afraid to meet him in debate,
and therefore induced Constantius, under
pretence of pardon, to send him back to
his Bishoprick, [in 360.] His mother,
the Church of Gaul, to use the language
of Jerome, received him with open arms
on his return from the battle with the
heretics. He was followed to Poitiers
by Martin, afterwards Bishop of Tours,
whose after holiness was a fruit of his
teaching.
Sixth Lesson.
ENCEFORTH he ruled the Church
of Poitiers in great peace. By
his exertions the Church of Gaul was
led to denounce the Arian blasphemy.
His wonderful learning is seen in his
numerous works, of which Jerome writeth
to Læta that he deemeth them quite
faultless. "One can follow Hilary in
his books," saith he, "without tripping
once." He passed from earth to hea-
ven upon the thirteenth day of January,
in the year of our Lord 369, in the reign
of the Emperors Valentinian and Valens.
He had already been called an illus-
trious Doctor of the Church, by many
Fathers and Councils, and was so styled
in the Liturgy in some Dioceses, when
964
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
at length, [in the year 1850,] Pope Pius
IX., at the prayer of the Synod of Bor-
deaux, and in accordance with a resolu-
tion of the Sacred Congregation of Rites,
proclaimed and confirmed the title, and
commanded that the Mass and Office of
his Feast should be everywhere said as
those of a Doctor.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Gospel, Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 871,) with
the second section thereof, beginning,
"This thing, therefore, thus made to
serve, &c.,"-read together as one.
Eighth Lesson.
Continuation of the same Homily,—
"But the nature of salt, &c."
Eighth Responsory.
In the midst of the congregation, &c.,
(p. 860.)
Ninth Lesson.
(For St. Felix, Priest and Martyr.)
FELIX
ELIX was a Priest of Nola, who, on
account of his fiery zeal against
idolatry, suffered much persecution from
the heathens, and was cast into prison.
From thence an angel delivered him by
night, and bade him go to Maximian,
Bishop of Nola. This Bishop, enfeebled
by old age, had at length despaired of
power to withstand the torments of the
persecutors, and had hidden himself in a
wood. Thither came Felix, by the will
of God, and found the holy Bishop lying
half-dead upon the ground. He suc-
coured him, and carried him upon his
shoulders to the house of an holy widow.
On another occasion, Felix, having again
provoked the anger of the devil-wor-
shippers, became an object of their pur-
suit, from which he hid himself in a
narrow place between two walls. Hard-
ly had he entered, when some spiders
wove their webs across the entrance,
which the enemy perceiving, concluded
that no man had entered, and passed by.
After leaving this hiding-place, Felix
lay for three months in the house of an
holy woman. After the Lord gave peace
to His Church, the Saint returned to
Nola, where he turned many to Christ
by his life, his preaching, and his mi-
racles. He steadily refused to accept
the Bishoprick, fell asleep in the Lord,¹
and was buried at Nola in the place
called "The Pines."
1
Vespers of the following, from the
Chapter inclusive.
JANUARY 15.
St. Paul, the First Hermit,
Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor, (p. 855,) except what is other-
wise given here.
Prayer throughout the Office. O God,
Who year by year dost gladden us, &c.
(p. 824.)
The First Vespers, as regards St.
Paul, begin with the Chapter.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
A Commemoration is made of the pre-
ceding :
Antiphon. O right excellent, &c.
Verse. The Lord hath chosen him for
a Priest unto Himself.
Answer. To offer up unto Him the
sacrifice of praise.
Prayer from the Common Office as
during the day.
Also a Commemoration of St. Maurus,
Abbat. Antiphon. "Well done, thou
good and faithful servant, &c." Verse.
"The Lord guided the just, &c.," and the
Answer—all as if from Lauds, and the
Prayer, “O Lord, we beseech Thee that
the prayers, &c."
Note. Even if the Feast of St. Paul be
transferred, these Commemorations, An-
tiphons, Verses, Answers, and Prayers
remain as above.

MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
The Lessons are taken from Scripture
according to the Season.
1 Circ. A.D. 256.
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
965
.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
PAUL the first hermit, and model of
all others, was a native of the
lower Thebaïd in Egypt. At the age of
fifteen years he lost both his parents.
In order to escape from the persecution
of Decius and Valerian, and to serve God
in quietness, he betook himself to a cave
in the desert. Here there was a palm-
tree, on the fruit of which he lived, and
of whose leaves he made his raiment
until he attained the age of 113 years.
At that time¹ Anthony, being now himself
aged 90 years, received a command from
God to go and see him. They met with-
out knowing one another's names, and
saluted one another, after which they
fell straightway into a long discourse
concerning the kingdom of God. Now
it so happened that a raven had of a
long time brought Paul every day half
a loaf, but on this day while they spake
together he brought a whole one.
WH
Fifth Lesson.
HEN the raven had flown away-
"Well," quoth Paul, "the Lord
hath sent us our dinner. Truly He is
gracious; truly He is merciful. It is
now sixty years that I have had half a
loaf of bread every day, but now that
thou art come, Christ giveth His soldiers
double rations." Then they asked a
blessing, and ate together, sitting by a
spring. When they were refreshed, they
returned thanks, as is the custom, and
afterwards spent the whole night prais-
ing God. At break of day Paul felt the
approach of death, and desired Anthony
to bring the cloak which Athanasius
had given him, to use for his winding-
sheet. While Anthony was on his way
back from this journey, he saw in a
vision the soul of Paul ascending to
heaven, surrounded by choirs of angels,
and accompanied by the Prophets and
Apostles.
Sixth Lesson.
WHEN Anthony reached the cell of
Paul, he found the dead body of
the Saint in a kneeling posture, with
the head thrown up and the hands
stretched out towards heaven. He im-
1 A.D. 342.
mediately began to chant the psalms
and hymns ordained by Christian tra-
dition, while he wrapped the body in
the cloak of Athanasius. He had no
spade to dig a grave, but two lions came
racing from the desert, as though to at-
tend the burying, and scratched a hole
big enough to hold a man's body, with
their paws, showing meanwhile such
signs of grief as their nature alloweth.
When they were gone away, Anthony
put the holy body in this hole, covered
it with earth, and arranged it like a
Christian's grave. He took away for
himself Paul's tunic, which he had
woven out of the palm-leaves some-
what after the manner of basket-work,
and this tunic Anthony was in the habit
of wearing on the great days of the Pass-
over and Pentecost as long as he lived.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xi. 25, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 867.) The
Third ("Wherewith can we fasten to-
gether, &c.") is either omitted or read
as one with the Second, in order to make
room for
Ninth Lesson.
2
(For St. Maurus, Abbat.)
MAURUS was born of a noble Roman
family, and while he was yet a
child was offered to God by his father
Eutychius, in the order and under the
personal teaching of St. Benedict. In a
short while he made such progress in the
life of grace that he became a wonder
to his master, who often held him up
to his other disciples as a pattern of
regular observance and all virtues.
While he was yet very young, Pope
St. Gregory telleth a wonderful instance
of his obedience. Placid the monk
having fallen into a lake where he was
being swept away by the current, the
holy Patriarch called Maurus and bade
him run to the rescue, which he did,
walking on the water till he reached
Placid, whom he took by the hair of
the head and dragged to the shore.
He was sent by St. Benedict into France,
where he founded the celebrated monas-
tery [of Glanfeuil, now called St. Maur-
sur-Loire,] which he governed for forty
2 This custom of offering little children was permitted by St. Benedict, but is now for-
bidden. St. Maurus was dedicated at twelve years of age, in A.D. 522.
966
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
1
years. He was a zealous and successful
propagator of monastic discipline. He
passed to heaven, famous for holiness
and miracles, when he was more than
seventy years of age, in the year of
Salvation 565.
LAUDS.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Maurus. Antiphon. "I will liken him,
&c." Verse. "The Lord loved him,
&c." Answer. "He clothed him, &c."
Prayer. "O Lord, we beseech Thee that
the prayers, &c." (p. 867)—all as if
from First Vespers.
Note. This Commemoration does not
change even if the Feast of St. Paul be
transferred.
At Second Vespers the first verse of
the Hymn is altered.
Commemoration of the following, from
the Common Office, with Prayer from
Lauds.
JANUARY 16.
St. Marcellus, Pope and
Martyr.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for One
Martyr, except what is otherwise given
here.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Marcellus was a Roman, and
held the supreme Pontificate from
[the year of our Lord 304,1 in] the reign
of Constantius and Galerius, till [310
in] that of Maxentius. It was through
his persuasion that the Roman lady Lu-
cina left the whole of her property to
the Church of God. He instituted
twenty-five titles in the city, that is,
districts like parishes, both for the bap-
tism and penance of heathens converted
to Christianity, and for the burial of
the martyrs. These proceedings excited
the wrath of Maxentius, who threatened
Marcellus with the heaviest punish-
ment, unless he would lay down the
Popedom and sacrifice to idols.
Fifth Lesson.
THE servant of God treated with con-
tempt the mad cries of this man,
who accordingly took him and sent him
to a menagerie, to take care of the beasts
which were fed at the public cost. Mar-
cellus remained at this place for nine
months, which he spent in continual
fasting and prayer, and, as he could not
visit the parishes in person, he wrote
letters to them. Some clerks rescued
him, and the blessed Lucina hospitably
received him into her house, in which
he dedicated a Church, which is now
called St. Marcellus'. Here the Chris-
tians met to pray, and the blessed Mar-
cellus himself preached.
THE
Sixth Lesson.
HESE proceedings came to the know-
ledge of Maxentius, who thereupon
had the wild beasts brought from the
menagerie and located in the church,
where Marcellus was made to feed them.
The noisomeness of the place and the
filthiness of his occupation broke down
a constitution already enfeebled by many
ailments, and he fell asleep in the Lord.
The blessed Lucina buried his body in
the cemetery of Priscilla, on the Salarian
Way, on the 16th of January. He sat
on the throne of Peter for five years,
one month, and twenty-five days. He
wrote an epistle to the Bishops of the
Patriarchate of Antioch on the primacy
of the Roman Church, wherein he proveth
the right of the same Church to be called
the head of all the Churches. In this
letter he likewise saith that no Council
can be lawfully gathered together except
by the authority of the Roman Pontiff.
He ordained at Rome in the month of
December twenty-five Priests, two Dea-
cons, and twenty-one Bishops for divers
Sees.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xvi. 24, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 826.)
Eighth Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast prevented him,
&c., (p. 822.)
1 Alban Butler says rather 308, as Marcellus did not actually enter into occupation.
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
967
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
LORD, we pray Thee, mercifully
give ear unto the prayers of Thy
people who rejoice at the memory of the
victory through suffering of Thy blessed
who were eminent for any grace, and
strove to copy them.
Martyr and Bishop Marcellus, and for H
his sake succour us. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Vespers of the following.
JANUARY 17.
St. Anthony, Abbat.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Ab-
bats, (p. 867,) except what is otherwise
given here.
Prayer throughout the Office. O Lord,
we beseech Thee, that the prayers, &c.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of St. Marcellus, with Prayer
as above.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ANTHONY was
an Egyptian, the
child of noble and Christian pa-
rents, whom he lost while yet very
young. On one occasion he entered a
Church, and heard these words of the
Gospel, (Matth. xix. 21,) "If thou wilt
be perfect, go and sell that thou hast,
and give to the poor." He took these
words as if they were addressed to him-
self personally, for this was the obe-
dience which he thought every word of
the Lord Christ should meet with.
therefore sold his whole possessions, and
gave the price to the poor. Being thus
delivered from worldly entanglements,
he set himself to lead on earth the life
of an angel. Finding himself, as it
were, about to enter the field of battle
against Satan, he thought it wisest to
add to the shield of faith, which he al-
ready possessed, all the rest of the armour
of God, wherefore he observed all those
He
Fifth Lesson.
E was excelled by none in watch-
fulness and self-restraint. He
surpassed all in long-suffering, meek-
ness, tenderness, lowliness, perseverance,
and continual study of the Holy Scrip-
tures. He had such a loathing of the
company and conversation of heretics
and schismatics, especially Arians, that
he used to say that a faithful Christian
ought as far as possible never to come
near any such. He took the sleep which
was needful for the body lying on the
ground. Such was his devotion to fast-
ing, that he took nothing with his bread
but salt, and drank only water; he
never ate or drank before sunset; he
often abstained from food altogether for
two days at a time; and very often
passed whole nights in prayer. Being
so valiant a soldier of God, Anthony was
attacked by the devil with divers temp-
tations, but he overcame them all by
prayer and fasting. Nevertheless, these
frequent triumphs over Satan did not
lull Anthony into security, for he was
well aware of the numberless arts of
assault possessed by the evil one.
Sixth Lesson.
THEN he betook himself into the vast
deserts of Africa that lie near Egypt.
Day by day he advanced on the path
to perfection. Day by day the attacks
of the fiends became more violent, but
day by day his strength grew greater to
strive against them. At length he came
to mock at the powerlessness of the
devils, against whom he stirred up his
disciples to fight, teaching them with
what arms to combat.
Believe me,
my brethren," he used to say, "Satan
is afraid of good men's watchings, and
prayers, and fasts, and voluntary po-
verty, and mercifulness, and lowliness,
but above all, of their warm love for
Christ our Lord, the mere sign of Whose
most holy Cross is enough to undo him
and put him to flight. He became
such an object of dread to the devils,
that many persons throughout Egypt
who were tormented by them, were de-
livered by calling on his name: more-
over, the fame of his holiness was so
spread abroad, that Constantine the
968
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Great and his sons wrote to him to com-
mend themselves to his prayers. In the
hundred and fifth year of his age, and
the fulness of his reputation for piety
and miracles, having roused up great
numbers to follow his example, he gath-
ered his monks around him, and when
he had exhorted them to strive after
Christian perfection, he passed to heaven
on the 17th day of January, [in the year
of our Lord 356.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 859.)
Vespers of the following.
JANUARY 18.
St. Peter's Chair at Rome.
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Hymn.¹
1
PETER, whatever thou shalt bind on
earth,
The same is bound above the starry sky;
What here thy delegated power doth loose,
Is loosed in heaven's supremest court
on high :
To judgment shalt thou come when the
world's end is nigh.
Praise to the Father through all ages be!
The same to Thee, O Co-eternal Son!
And Holy Ghost, One Glorious Trinity!
To Whom all majesty and might belong :
So sing we now, and such be our eternal
song. Amen.
Verse. Thou art Peter.
Answer. And upon this rock I will
build My Church.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thou art the shepherd of the
sheep, and the Prince of the Apostles,
and unto thee are given the keys of the
kingdom of heaven.
Prayer and Commemoration of St.
Paul from Lauds; then a Commemora-
tion of St. Anthony, and lastly of St.
Prisca, Virgin and Martyr, from the
1 Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
Common Office for Virgins and Martyrs,
with the following
Prayer.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
unto all Thy servants who do
here keep the birthday of Thy blessed
Virgin and Martyr Prisca, and do year
by year rejoice at her solemn commemo-
ration, that they may have grace to fol-
low after the pattern of her great faith.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Thou art the Shepherd of
the sheep, and the Prince of the Apos-
tles: * and unto thee hath God given
the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Hymn from First Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the First Epistle, &c.,
(First Lesson on the Fifth Sunday after
Easter, p. 511.)
First Responsory.
Simon Peter, before I called thee out
of the ship, I knew thee, and appointed
thee for a captain over My people. And
I have given unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven.
Verse. Whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth,
shall be loosed in heaven.
Answer. And I have given unto thee
the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Second Lesson.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, &c., (Se-
cond Lesson on the Fifth Sunday after
Easter, p. 511, as far as the words,
even the salvation of your souls" in-
clusive.)
Second Responsory.
2 Simon Peter, if thou lovest Me, feed
My sheep. Lord, Thou knowest that I
love Thee: I will lay down my life for
Thy sake.
2 John xxi. 16; xiii. 37.
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
969
Verse. If I should die with Thee, I
will not deny Thee.
Answer. I will lay down my life for
Thy sake.
Third Lesson.
Of which salvation, &c., (Second Les-
son on the Fifth Sunday after Easter,
p. 511, from these words to the end.)
Third Responsory.
Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build My Church, and the gates of
hell shall not prevail against it. And
I will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven.
Verse. Whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth,
shall be loosed in heaven.
Answer. And I will give unto thee
the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
་
Answer. And I will give unto thee
the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (First
Sermon on the Holy Apostles Peter
and Paul, before the middle.)
WH
HEN the twelve holy Apostles had
received from the Holy Ghost the
power to speak all languages, they di-
vided the whole world into districts,
which they severally allotted to them-
selves as fields for their Gospel labours.
Then was Peter, the Prince of the Apos-
tles, sent to the capital city of the Roman
Empire, that he might cause the light
to shine thence throughout the whole
body of the civilized nations. At that
time what nation was there that had no
representative in Rome? When Rome
had learnt, what people that did not
learn too?
Fourth Responsory.
Thou art the Shepherd of the sheep,
and the Prince of the Apostles, and unto
thee hath God given all the kingdoms
of the world. Therefore unto thee hath
He given the keys of the kingdom of
heaven.
1 Mark xiv. 31.
Verse. Whatsoever thou shalt bind
on earth shall be bound in heaven; and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.
Answer. Therefore unto thee hath
He given the keys of the kingdom of
heaven.
IN
Fifth Lesson.
N Rome were the dreams of an unbe-
lieving philosophy to be destroyed,
in Rome were the empty utterances of
earthly wisdom to be confuted, in Rome
was idolatry to be overcome, in Rome
profanity to be put down, even in Rome,
where the activity of superstition had
gathered together from the whole earth
every error which it could find. O most
blessed Apostle Peter! this was the city
to which thou didst not shrink to come.
The Apostle Paul, thy comrade in glory,
was yet occupied in founding the
Churches, and thou didst enter alone
into that forest of wild beasts roaring
furiously; thou didst commit thyself to
that stormy ocean, more boldly than
when thou walkedst upon the waters to
come to JESUS.
Fifth Responsory.
2 Peter, I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not; and when thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren.
Verse. Flesh and blood hath not re-
vealed it unto thee, but My Father
Which is in heaven.
Answer. And when thou art con-
verted, strengthen thy brethren.
Sixth Lesson.
THOU hadst already taught them of
the circumcision who were con-
verted; thou hadst founded the Church
of Antioch, the first that bore the noble
name of Christian; thou hadst published
the law of the Gospel throughout Pon-
tus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bi-
thynia; and thou didst not fear for the
hardness of thy work, nor turn back
because of thine old age, but didst boldly
set up the trophy of the cross of Christ
upon those Roman walls, where the
Providence of God had appointed the
throne of thine honour, and the glorious
scene of thy passion.
Sixth Responsory.
Peter, lovest thou Me? Lord, Thou
2 Luke xxii. 32.
970
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
knowest that I love Thee. Feed My
sheep.
Verse. Simon, son of Jonas, lovest
thou Me more than these? Lord, Thou
knowest that I love Thee.
Answer. Feed My sheep.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Feed My sheep.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xvi. 13.)
AT that time: JESUS came into the
coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, and He
asked His disciples, saying: Who do
men say that I, the Son of Man, am
And so on.
Homily by St. Hilary, Bishop [of
Poitiers.] (Commentary on Matthew
xvi.)
The Lord asketh His disciples who
men say that He is, and He addeth, “He,
the Son of Man." Let us ever remember
to hold fast this truth of our profession,
namely, that the Son of God is the Son
of Man also. Were He one and not the
other, then were He no Saviour for us.
The Lord then, having heard the va-
rious opinions of men, asketh," But Who
say ye that I am? And Simon Peter
answered and said: Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God." Peter had
weighed the questions. The Lord had
asked, "Who do men say that I, the
Son of Man, am?" That He was Son
of Man was sufficiently evident to all
who looked upon His Body. But when
He spake of His whole Self, and asked,
"Who do ye say that I am?" He
showed that the mind had something to
grasp beyond That Which was seen, for
Son of Man He was manifestly. What
judgment did He wish them to give?
I think it was not that which He had
owned concerning Himself. That some-
thing more, which He wished them to
own, was a hidden thing, whereunto the
faith of them that believed in Him was
to reach.
Seventh Responsory.
JESUS asked His disciples, saying:
Who do men say that I, the Son of
Man, am? Peter answered, and said:
Thou art the Christ, the Son of the
living God. And I say unto thee, that
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build My Church.
Verse. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-
jona, for flesh and blood hath not re-
vealed it unto thee, but My Father
Which is in heaven.
Answer. And I say unto thee, that
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build My Church.
Sometimes, as, for instance, where
this or St. Prisca is the Patronal Feast,
a Ninth Lesson of this Homily is re-
quired, and in that case the Lesson
which follows is divided into two, at the
placed marked.
Eighth Lesson.
PETER'S confession was followed by
a proper reward for having seen
the Son of God in the Son of Man.
Blessed is this holy Apostle, in whose
praise it is said that he saw with more
than human eyes That Which was un-
seen, who gazed upon Flesh and Blood,
and by the secret revelation of the Hea-
venly Father recognised the Eternal
Son of God; who was the first thought
worthy to acknowledge the Divinity of
Christ. (Here, if necessary, the_Les-
son is divided.) God bless thee, O Peter,
thou who by uttering for the first time
the title of Divine honour, didst lay the
goodly foundation of the Church! God
bless thee, thou worthy rock whereon
she is built, for ever triumphant over
the infernal powers, the gates of hell,
and the bands of death! God bless thee,
happy door-keeper of heaven, to whose
keeping are given the keys of the ever-
lasting mansions, whose sentences on
earth are already confirmed in heaven-
so that whatsoever thou shalt bind on
earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth
shall be loosed in heaven.
Eighth Responsory:
The Lord hath chosen thee for a priest
unto Himself, to offer up unto Him the
sacrifice of praise.
Verse. ¹Offer unto God thanksgiving,
and pay thy vows unto the Most High.
Answer. The sacrifice of praise.
1 Ps. xlix. 14.
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
971
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The Sacrifice of praise.
PRISCA
Ninth Lesson.
For St. Prisca, Virgin and Martyr.
was a noble Roman maiden,
who at thirteen years of age was
accused of Christianity before the Em-
peror Claudius. By his command she
was taken to the temple of Apollo to
sacrifice there, and when she refused,
was buffeted and sent to prison. She
was taken out from thence again, but
as she still held steadfastly to the faith,
they flogged her, poured boiling tallow
upon her, and sent her back a second
time. She was at last thrown to a lion
in the amphitheatre, but it quietly lay
down at her feet. She was starved for
three days in a slaves' prison house, and
then tortured upon the rack. Pieces of
flesh were next torn from her body with
iron hooks, and she was thrown on a
burning pile. She marvellously still
remained alive, and was accordingly
beheaded outside the city. Thus she
added the crown of martyrdom to the
palm of virginity. The Christians bu-
ried her body at the tenth milestone on
the road from Rome to Ostia on the 18th
of January.¹
LAUDS.
Hymn.2
PETER, blest Shepherd! hearken to our
cry,
And with a word unloose our guilty
chain;
Thou! who hast power to ope the gates on
high
To men below, and power to shut them
fast again.
Praise, blessing, majesty, through endless
days,
Be to the Trinity immortal given;
Who in pure Unity profoundly sways
Eternally alike all things in earth and
heaven. Amen.
Verse. Let them exalt Him in the
congregation of the people.
Answer. And praise Him in the as-
sembly of the elders.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Thus saith the Lord unto Simon Peter:
Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth,
1 About A.D. 275.
shall be bound in heaven; and what-
soever thou shalt loose on earth shall be
loosed in heaven.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who hast given unto Thy
Blessed Apostle Peter the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and the power
to bind and to loose, loose us, we be-
seech Thee, at his mighty intercession,
from all the bands of our sins. Who
livest and reignest with God the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
Then the following Commemoration
of St. Paul.
Antiphon. O Holy Apostle Paul,
Preacher of the truth, and Teacher of
the Gentiles, pray for us to God Who
hath chosen thee.
Verse. O Holy Apostle Paul, thou
art a chosen vessel unto God.
Answer. To preach the Gospel
throughout the whole world.
0
Prayer.
GOD, Who, through the preaching
of the Blessed Apostle Paul, hast
caused the light of the Gospel to shine
throughout the world, grant, we beseech
Thee, that we, who do keep his memo-
rial, may continually be holpen by his
intercession with Thee.
Then a Commemoration is made of
St. Prisca. (Prayer from Vespers.)
SECOND VESPERS.
Hymn from First Vespers.
Verse. The Lord hath chosen thee for
a Priest unto Himself.
Answer. To offer up unto Him the
sacrifice of praise.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Being made the Chief Bishop,
&c., (p. 851.)
Prayer and Commemoration of St.
Paul as before; and then the following,
at will, unless this be Saturday evening
or within an Octave.
For St. Cnut.
Antiphon and Verse and Answer
from the First Vespers of the Common
Office for one Martyr.
• Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
3 Ps. cvi. 32.
972
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Prayer.
GOD, Who, for the enlightening of
Thy Church, hast vouchsafed to
glorify the Blessed King Cnut with
the palm of martyrdom, and with many
great signs and wonders; mercifully
grant that even as he, by Thy grace,
meekly followed after the pattern of
Thy dear Son in His most painful death
and sufferings, so we, being stirred up
by his example to do likewise, may like
him worthily attain in the end unto
Thine everlasting joy.
Then is always made a Commemora-
tion of St. Maris and his Companions,
Martyrs.
Antiphon and Verse and Answer
from the First Vespers of the Common
Office for Many Martyrs, (p. 829.)
G
Prayer.
RACIOUSLY hear, O Lord, the
prayers of Thy people who draw
near unto Thee under the protection of
Thy blessed Saints, granting us in this
world Thy peace, and in that which is
to come life everlasting. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
JANUARY 19.
St. Cnut IV., King [of Ben-
mark,] Martyr.
This Feast may be observed as a Semi-
double, at will, unless this day fall on
a Sunday or within any Octave, when
it is to be totally omitted, but the Simple
Office or Commemoration of St. Maris
and his Companions is retained.
All from the Common Office for One
Martyr, (p. 817,) except what is other-
wise given here.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
CNUT IV.
Fourth Lesson.
NUT IV. was a son of Swegen Es-
trithsson, King of Denmark. He
was remarkable for his faith, devotion,
and uprightness, and gave tokens of
saintliness from his earliest years.
Having by election succeeded to his fa-
ther's crown amid universal public re-
joicings, [in the year 1080,] he applied
himself steadily to the advancement of
Religion, the endowment of Churches,
and the adorning them with costly fur-
niture. When he had by just wars
subdued barbarous countries, he was
fired by his desire for the propagation
of the faith to submit their inhabitants
to the Christian Law. Amid the glory
of earthly conquests, and the splendour
of earthly riches, he longed only that
his kingdoms might become the king-
doms of our Lord, and he cast his
kingly crown at the feet of Christ Cru-
cified, fain that he and his people might
together be the subjects of Him Who
is King of kings and Lord of lords.
He chastened his body by fasts, hair-
cloth, and scourges, and was ever in-
stant in prayer and contemplation. He
was generous to the poor, and a bene-
factor to all men, nor did he ever suffer
his foot to slide from the path of righ-
teousness and the observance of the Di-
vine Law.
Fifth Lesson.
THUS did this holy king, enriched
with many virtues, rapidly advance
towards perfection. Since that William
Duke of Normandy had invaded Eng-
land, the English sent to the Danes for
help, and [in 1085] Cnut fitted out an
army for their relief, the command of
which he entrusted to his brother Olave.
That prince was induced by the lust of
power to stir up the soldiers and people,
and turn their arms against the King,
which rebellion was further embittered
by the resistance of the malignant and
ungodly to the new laws, whereby the
payment of tithes had been imposed, in
conformity to the commands of God and
the Church, and for disobeying which
some had been punished. The traitors
first resisted, and then stirred up the
people to compass the death of the King.
WHE
Sixth Lesson.
HEN the King knew that they
would put him to death on account
of his righteousness, he chose for the
scene of his conflict the Church of St.
Alban the Martyr, [at Odensee,] in the
island of Fyen, to which he betook him-
self, and when he had strengthened him-
self by receiving the Sacraments, recom-
་
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
973
mended his last trial to God in earnest
prayer. The conspirators arrived in a
great body, and first tried to set the
Church on fire, and then to break open
the doors. Failing in both these at-
tempts they attacked the windows,
through which they hurled stones and
arrows at the holy King, who was kneel-
ing in prayer for his enemies before the
altar. At last a dart pierced him through,
whereupon he fell forward upon the
ground, with his arms extended in the
form of a Cross, and thus, bearing a
glorious testimony, received his ever-
lasting crown. He witnessed [upon the
10th day of July, in the year 1086,]
during the Pontificate of Gregory VII.
God was afterwards pleased to glorify
the memory of the Martyr with many
miracles. The kingdom of Denmark
was scourged with poverty and misfor-
tunes immediately on the commission of
that sacrilegious murder. Many per-
sons, however, 'who were afflicted with
divers diseases, received health at the
grave of the Saint. The Queen desired
to remove his body, but an extraordinary
light appearing in the sky, she concluded
that such was not the will of God.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xvi. 24, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 821.)
The Third ("Yet when we come unto
Him,") is either omitted or read as one
with the Second, in order to make room
for the
Ninth Lesson.
(For St. Maris, and his Companions,
Martyrs.)
MARIS was a Persian of high rank,
who came to Rome in the reign of
the Emperor Claudius, with his wife
Martha, who was equally noble, and
their two sons Audifax and Abachum,
to pray at the graves of the Martyrs.
Here they comforted the Christians who
were in prison, and whom they relieved
by their ministrations and alms, and
buried the bodies of the Saints.
these acts they were all arrested, but no
threats or terrors could move them to
sacrifice to idols. They were accord-
ingly mangled with clubs, and drawn
with ropes, after which they were burnt
by applying plates of red-hot metal to
For
their bodies, and their flesh partly torn
off with metal hooks. Lastly their hands
were all cut off, and they were fastened
together by the neck, in which state
they were driven through the city to
the thirteenth mile-stone on the Cor-
nelian Way, a place now called Santa
Ninfa, where they were to die. Martha
addressed a moving exhortation to her
husband and sons to hold out bravely
to the last, for the love of JESUS Christ;
and was then herself drowned. The
other three martyrs were next beheaded
in the same sand-pit. Their bodies
were thrown into a fire. The lady
Felicity of Rome collected the half-
burnt remains, and caused them to be
buried at her own farm.¹
Prayer throughout the Office as at
Vespers.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of St. Maris and his Companions.
Prayer as before.
Vespers are the First of the following.
JANUARY 20.
9. Fabian and Sebastian,
Martyrs.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Many
Martyrs, except what is otherwise given
here.
ME
Prayer throughout.
ERCIFULLY consider our weak-
ness, O Almighty God, and where-
as by the burden of our sins we are sore
let and hindered, grant that we may be
relieved by the prayers of Thy blessed
and glorious Martyrs Fabian and Se-
bastian. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
At First Vespers, if the Feast of St.
Cnut has been observed, a Commemora-
tion is then made of him. Prayer as
before.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
The Lessons are taken from Scripture
according to the Season.
1 A.D. 270.
974
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
FAB
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ABIAN was a Roman, and sat as
Pope from [the year of our Lord
236, in] the reign of the Emperor Max-
imin till [250, in] that of Decius. He
appointed a Deacon to each of the seven
districts of Rome to look after the poor.
He likewise appointed the same number
of Subdeacons to collect the acts of the
Martyrs from the records kept by the
seven district notaries. It was by him
that it was ordained that every Maundy
Thursday the old Chrism should be
burnt and new consecrated. He was
crowned with martyrdom upon the 20th
of January, in the persecution of De-
cius, and buried in the cemetery of St.
Kallistus on the Appian Way, having
sat in the throne of Peter fifteen years
and four days. He held five Advent
ordinations, in which he ordained twenty-
two Priests, seven Deacons, and eleven
Bishops for divers Sees.
Fifth Lesson.
THE father of Sebastian was of Nar-
bonne, and his mother a Milanese.
He was a great favourite of the Em-
peror Diocletian, both on account of his
noble birth and his personal bravery,
and was by him appointed captain of
the first company of the Prætorian
Guards. He was in secret a Christian,
and often supported the others both by
good offices and money. When some
showed signs of yielding under persecu-
tion, he so successfully exhorted them,
that, for JESUS Christ's sake, many
offered themselves to the tormentors.
Among these were the brothers Mark
and Marcellian who were imprisoned
at Rome in the house of Nicostratus.
The wife of Nicostratus himself, named
Zoë, had lost her voice, but it was re-
stored to her at the prayer of Sebastian.
These facts becoming known to Diocle-
tian, he sent for Sebastian, and after
violently rebuking him, used every
means to turn him from his faith in
Christ. But as neither promises nor
threats availed, he ordered him to be
tied to a post and shot to death with
arrows.
SEB
Sixth Lesson.
EBASTIAN was treated accordingly,
and left for dead, but in the night
the holy widow Irene sent for the body
in order to bury it, and then found that
he was still alive, and nursed him in
her own house. As soon as his health
was restored, he went out to meet Diocle-
tian, and boldly rebuked him for his
wickedness. The Emperor was first
thunder-struck at the sight of a man
whom he believed to have been some
time dead, but afterwards, frenzied
with rage at the reproaches of Sebas-
tian, ordered him to be beaten to death
with rods, under which torment the
martyr yielded his blessed soul to God,
[upon the 20th day of January, in the
year of our Lord 288.] His body was
thrown into a sewer, but he appeared
in sleep to Lucina, and made known to
her where it was, and where he would
have it buried. She accordingly found
it and laid it in those Catacombs, over
which a famous Church hath since been
built, called St. Sebastian's-without-
the-Walls.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke vi. 17, with the
Homily of St. Ambrose, (p. 838.)
Second Vespers are of the following,
from the Chapter inclusive.
JANUARY 21.
St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr.1
Double.
All from the Office for One Virgin
and Martyr, (p. 873,) except what is
otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Should these Vespers be of St. Agnes
from the beginning, the Antiphons are
taken from Lauds, and the Psalms are
those of Sunday Vespers, except the
last, which is Psalm cxvi. "O praise
the LORD, all ye nations, &c.,” (p. 154.)
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The blessed Agnes stood in the
midst of the fire, and stretched forth
1 Executed at Rome, (after the failure of an attempt to subject her to the worst out-
rages,) in the persecution under Diocletian. A.D. 303, 4, 5?
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
975
her hands, and prayed, saying: 0 Fa-
ther! Who Alone art Almighty! Who
Alone art to be adored! Who Alone art
to be worshipped! Who Alone art to
be feared! I thank Thee because that
through Thy Holy Son Thou hast de-
livered me from the threatenings of the
godless tyrant, and hast made me to
walk with clean feet over the filthy
slough of fleshly sin: and now, behold,
I come unto Thee, unto Thee Whom
I have loved, Whom I have sought,
Whom I have ever desired.
A Commemoration is made of SS.
Fabian and Sebastian, Martyrs. Prayer
from their Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I will none of thee,
prey of death, for I am prevented by
another Lover.
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. My right hand and
my neck hath He clasped with precious
stones, and put pearls beyond price in
mine ears.
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Third Antiphon. He hath sealed me
in my forehead that I may let in no
other lover but Him.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they increased,
&c., (p. 5.)
Lessons from Ecclus. li. 1, (p. 882.)
First Responsory.
Let us keep with joy and gladness the
feast of this most saintly maiden, let us
call to mind the holy passion of the
blessed Agnes: in her thirteenth year
she conquered, losing death and finding
life, because she loved the Only Giver
of Life.
Verse. Reckoned but a child in this
world, she understood more than the
ancients.
Answer. Because she loved the Only
Giver of Life.
Second Responsory.
My right hand and my neck hath He
clasped with precious stones, and put
pearls beyond price in mine ears, and
hath crowned me with the bright blos-
soms of the eternal spring-time.
Verse. He hath sealed me in my fore-
head, that I may let in no other lover
but Him.
Answer, And hath crowned me with
the bright blossoms of the eternal spring-
time.
Third Responsory.
Christ is my Lover, and I am entering
with Him into the marriage-chamber.
His Mother is a Virgin, and His Father
knoweth not a woman. The instruments
of His music sound sweetly together in
my ears. If I love Him I shall be
chaste, if I touch Him I shall be clean,
if I embrace Him I shall be a virgin
indeed.
Verse. He hath espoused me with a
betrothal ring, and adorned me with a
necklace of great price.
Answer. If I love Him I shall be
chaste, if I touch Him I shall be clean,
if I embrace Him I shall be a virgin
indeed.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. If I love Him, I shall be
chaste, if I touch Him I shall be clean,
if I embrace Him I shall be a virgin
indeed.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The Lord hath
clothed me with a vesture of wrought
gold, and adorned me with a necklace of
great price.
Ps. iv. When I called, &c. (p. 172.)
Second Antiphon. I have sucked
honey and milk out of His Mouth, and
His Blood is red on my cheeks.
Ps. v. Give ear to my words, O LORD,
&c., (p. 97.)
Third Antiphon. I keep my troth to
Him alone, and commit me altogether
to Him.
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, &c.,
(p. 6.)
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
St. Ambrose, Bishop [of Milan,] on
Virgins. (Bk. i. Chap. 2.)
THIS is a virgin's birthday; let us
then follow the example of her
chastity. It is a Martyr's birthday; let
3
T
976
THR PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
us then offer sacrifices. It is the birth-
day of the holy Agnes; let men then be
filled with wonder, little ones with hope,
married women with awe, and the un-
married with emulation. But how shall
I set forth the glory of her whose very
name is an utterance of praise? It
seemeth to me that this being, holy be-
yond her years, and strong beyond human
nature, received the name of Agnes, not
as an earthly designation, but as a re-
velation from God of what she was to
be. For this name Agnes is from the
Greek, and being interpreted, signifieth
Pure. So that this saintly maiden is
known by the very title of Chastity:
and when I have added thereto the word
Martyr, I have said enough. She needeth
not the praise which we could utter,
but do not. None is more praiseworthy
than she for whose praise all mouths are
fitted. As many as name her, so many
praise her, by the noble title of martyr.
Fourth Responsory.
"The LORD hath clothed me with the
garments of salvation, and hath covered
me with the robe of joyfulness, and hath
set on my head a crown as the crown of
a bride.
Verse. He hath put pearls beyond
price in mine ears, and hath crowned me
with the bright blossoms of the eternal
spring-time.
Answer. And hath set on my head a
crown as the crown of a bride.
Fifth Lesson.
WE learn by tradition that this holy
She quailed not when the weapons of
the angry soldiery were pointed at her
breast. If they forced her against her
will to approach the altars of devils, she
could stretch forth her hands to Christ
amid the very flames which consumed
the idolatrous offerings, and mark on
the heathen shrine the victorious Cross
of the Lord. She was ready to submit
her neck and hands to the iron shackles,
but they were too big to clasp her
slender limbs. Behold a strange martyr!
She is not grown of stature to fight the
battle, but she is ripe for the triumph;
too weak to run in the race, and yet
clearly entitled to the prize; unable
from her age to be aught but a learner,
she is found a teacher.
Fifth Responsory.
I have sucked honey and milk out of
His Mouth, and His Blood is red on my
cheeks.
Verse. He hath shown me countless
treasure, and hath sworn to endow me
therewith.
Answer. And His Blood is red on my
cheeks.
Sixth Lesson.
HE went to the place of execution
a
Sirgin, with more willing and joy-
SHE
ful footsteps than she would have gone
with to the nuptial chamber as a bride.
The spectators were all in tears, and
she alone did not weep. They beheld
her with wonder, laying down that life
of which she had hardly begun to taste
the sweets, as freely as though she had
drained it to the dregs and was weary of
its burden. All men were amazed when
they saw her whose years had not made
her her own mistress, arise as a witness
for the Deity. Consider how many
threats her murderer used to excite her
fears, how many arguments to shake
her resolution, how many promises to
bribe her to accept his offers of mar-
riage. But she answered him: "It is an
insult to Him Whom I have wedded to
expect me to comply. He That first
chose me, His will I be. Headsman,
why waitest thou? Perish the body
which draweth the admiration of eyes
from which I would turn away." She
stood, prayed, and then bent her neck
for the stroke. Now mightest thou
Isa. lxi. 10.
martyr testified in the thirteenth
year of her age. We will pass by the
foul cruelty which did not spare her
tender years, to contemplate the great
power of her faith, whereby she over-
came the weakness of childhood, and
witnessed a good confession. Her little
body was hardly big enough to give
play to the instruments of their cruelty,
but if they could scarce sheathe their
swords in her slight frame, they found
in her that which laughed the power of
the sword to scorn. She had no fear
when she found herself grasped by the
bloody hands of the executioners. She
was unmoved when they dragged her
with clanging chains. Hardly entered
on life, she stood fully prepared to die.
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
977
have seen the murderer trembling as
though he himself were the criminal,
the executioner's hand shake, and the
faces of them that stood by turn white
at the sight of her position, and all the
while herself remain without fear.
This one victim brought God a double
offering, that of her purity, and that of
her faith. She preserved virginity and
achieved martyrdom.
Sixth Responsory.
His Body and mine are already joined
together, and His Blood is red on my
cheeks. His Mother is a virgin, and
His Father knoweth not a woman.
Verse. I am wedded to the Lord of
Angels, at Whose beauty the sun and
the moon do wonder.
Answer. His Mother is a virgin, and
His Father knoweth not a woman.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. His Mother is a virgin, and
His Father knoweth not a woman.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I keep my troth to
Him Alone, at Whose beauty the sun
and the moon do wonder.
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide, &c.,
(p. 10.)
Second Antiphon. Christ hath crowned
me with the bright and priceless blossoms
of the eternal spring-time.
Ps. xliv. My heart is overflowing,
&c., (p. 36.)
Third Antiphon. I am wedded to the
Lord of Angels, at Whose beauty the
sun and the moon do wonder.
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge, &c.,
(p. 37.)
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with the
Homily of Pope St. Gregory (p. 878,)
and the following Responsories.
Seventh Responsory.
I am wedded to the Lord of Angels,
at Whose beauty the sun and the moon
do wonder. I keep my troth to Him
Answer. I keep my troth to Him
alone, and commit me altogether to
Him.
Eighth Responsory.
O Thou Who Alone art Almighty!
Who Alone art to be adored! Who
Alone art to be worshipped! Who Alone
art to be feared! I bless Thee, be-
cause that through Thine Only-begotten
Son Thou hast delivered me from the
threatenings of wicked men, and hast
made me to walk with clean feet through
the filthy haunts of devils.
Verse. My lips praise Thee, my heart
and all that is within me do long after
Thee.
Answer. Because that through Thine
Only-begotten Son Thou hast delivered
me from the threatenings of wicked men,
and hast made me to walk with clean
feet through the filthy haunts of devils.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Because that through Thine
Only-begotten Son Thou hast delivered
me from the threatenings of wicked men,
and hast made me to walk with clean
feet through the filthy haunts of devils.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Agnes entered* the
place of shame, and found the Angel of
the Lord ready.
Second Antiphon. For I have with
me * an Angel of the Lord to keep my
body.
Third Antiphon. My Lord JESUS
Christ hath espoused me with His ring,
* and hath set on my head a crown
as the crown of a bride.
Fourth Antiphon. I bless Thee, O
Father of my Lord JESUS Christ, be-
cause through Thy Son the fire is
quenched around me.
Fifth Antiphon. Rejoice with me *
and make merry, because I also have
received a throne in light among all
these.
Chapter. (Ecclus. li. 1.)
alone, and commit me altogether to King, and praise Thee, O God my
I WILL thank Thee, O Lord and
Him.
Verse. My right hand and my neck
hath He clasped with precious stones,
and put pearls beyond price in mine
ears.
Saviour. I will give praise unto Thy
Name, for Thou hast been my Helper
and Defender, and hast preserved my
body from destruction.
3T2
978
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.

Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Behold, now I see that which I have de-
sired; now I possess that for which I
have hoped: now am I united in heaven
to Him Whom I loved with my whole
heart upon earth.
Prayer throughout.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Who hast chosen the weak things
of the world to confound the things
which are mighty, mercifully grant
unto us that we who keep the solemn
feast of Thy blessed Virgin and Martyr
Agnes, may feel the power of her in-
tercession with Thee. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Agnes entered,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
* &c.,
Chapter at the end. (Ecclus. li. 8.)
MY
soul shall praise the Lord, even
unto death, for Thou, O Lord our
God, deliverest such as wait for Thee,
and savest them out of trouble.
TERCE.
Psalms as on Sundays, except the last,
which is Psalm cxlvii. "Praise the
LORD, O Jerusalem, &c.," (p. 170.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The blessed Agnes stood in the
midst of the fire, and stretched forth
her hands unto the Lord, and prayed,
saying: 0 Thou Who Alone art Al-
mighty! Who Alone art to be adored!
Who Alone art to be worshipped! Who
Alone art to be feared! I bless Thee,
and glorify Thy Name for ever and
A Commemoration is made of the fol-
lowing, by the Antiphon, Verse and
Answer from the First Vespers of the
Common Office for Many Martyrs, and
the following
Prayer.
LET Thy merciful ears, O Lord, be
open unto our prayers, and where-
as we do feel ourselves burdened by the
guilt of our sins, do Thou graciously
relieve us at the petition of Thy bless-
ed Martyrs, Vincent and Anastasius.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ, Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth' with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
JANUARY 22.
Antiphon. For I have, &c., (Second The Holy Martyrs Vincent and
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. My Lord JESUS Christ,
&c., (Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Ecclus. li. 3.)
THOU hast delivered me according to
the multitude of the mercies of Thy
Name from them that roared against
me, and that were ready to devour me,
out of the hands of such as sought after
my life, and from the gates of trouble
that were open all around me.
NONE.
Antiphon. Rejoice with me,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
SECOND VESPERS.
* &c.,
Antiphons and Chapter from Lauds.
Anastasius.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for Many
Martyrs, (p. 829,) except what is other-
wise given here.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
VINCENT was born at Huesca in
Granada in Spain. He was early
turned to study, and learned sacred
letters from Valerius, Bishop of Sara-
gossa. He was accustomed to deliver
discourses for this Prelate, who, owing
to an impediment in his speech, was not
able to preach himself. This coming to
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
979
the ears of Dacian, Prefect of the pro-
vince under Diocletian and Maximian,
he caused Vincent to be arrested at Sa-
ragossa, and brought before him at
Valencia in bonds. The saint was
scourged, and afterwards tormented on
the rack, in presence of numerous spec-
tators, but neither torture, threats, nor
fair words could bend his resolution.
He was then laid on a grating over hot
coals, his flesh mangled with iron hooks,
and white-hot plates of metal applied
to the wounds. The still breathing re-
mains were taken back to a prison, and
laid on broken potsherds, that the agony
of his naked body might prevent his
sleeping from exhaustion.
Fifth Lesson.
AS he lay in his dark cell, a glorious
light suddenly filled the prison, to
the astonishment of all who saw it.
The gaoler informed Dacian, who caused
the martyr to be brought out and cared
for in a soft bed, hoping that though he
had failed to move him by cruelty, he
might seduce him by pretended kind-
ness.¹ But the indomitable soul of Vin-
cent, armed with faith and hope in
Christ JESUS, remained unconquered
even to the end, and triumphing over
the fire, the steel, and the cruelty of the
tormentors, passed away to receive the
victorious crown of martyrdom in
heaven, on the 22nd day of January,
[in the year of our Lord 304.] His body
was thrown out unburied. A raven
perched upon it and kept off with his
beak, claws, and wings both the other
birds and a wolf, which came to prey on
it. Dacian then had it thrown into the
sea, but by the will of God, it was
washed up again, and the Christians
took and buried it.
Sixth Lesson.
ANASTASIUS was a Persian monk
who made a pilgrimage to the Holy
Places at Jerusalem in the reign of the
Emperor Heraclius, during which journey
he endured bonds and stripes on account
of his confession of Christ at [Banias,
then called] Cæsarea, in Palestine. Soon
after his return, he was arrested by the
Persians for the same cause, and, after
enduring divers torments, he and seventy
other Christians were beheaded by order
of King Chosroes. [He testified upon
the 22nd day of January in the year of
our Lord 628.] His reliques were first
carried to Jerusalem, to the monastery
in which he had made his monastic
profession, and afterwards to Rome,
where they were laid in the monastery of
Saints Vincent and Anastasius.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xxi. 9, "When
ye shall hear of wars, &c.," with the
Homily of St. Gregory upon the same,
(p. 833.)
Prayer throughout the day as at the
Commemoration the evening before.
The Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter inclusive.
JANUARY 23.
St. Raymond de Peñafuerte,
Confessor.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for a Con-
fessor, (p. 855,) except what is otherwise
given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
The Office is of Saints Vincent and
Anastasius till the Chapter, exclusive.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
O
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst choose the blessed
Raymond to be an eminent minister
of the Sacrament of Penance, and in a
wonderful manner didst make him to pass
over the waves of the sea, grant unto
us, at his petition, the grace to bring
forth fruits worthy of repentance, and
in the end to attain unto the harbour of
eternal salvation. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of Saints
Vincent and Anastasius; Antiphon,
Verse and Answer from the Common
Office, and Prayer from their Office.
In the following sentence there are in the original three puns upon the name of the
Saint (which is derived from the verb vinco, I conquer ;) viz., invictus, vicit, victor.
980
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Then a Commemoration of St. Eme-
rentiana, Virgin and Martyr; all from
the Common Office for a Virgin and
Martyr, (p. 873.) Prayer, "O Lord,
we pray Thee, &c."
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is al-
tered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THE blessed Raymond was born at
Barcelona, [in the year of our Lord
1175,] and was of the noble family of
the De Peañfuerte. He was early in-
structed in the Christian religion, and
even while he was still a little child, he
showed such excellence of mind and
body, as filled his friends with strong
hopes of his future greatness.
young man he taught letters in his na-
tive place. He afterwards went to
Bologna, where he applied himself to
works of godliness, and to the study of
the Ecclesiastical and Civil Law. He
As a
above all to those unhappy Christians
who were slaves to the unbelievers. He
was the confessor of St. Peter Nolasco
and of James I., King of Aragon, and
by his advice St. Peter Nolasco gave up
his whole worldly possessions to ransom
as many as possible of the wretched cap-
tives. At this moment the most blessed
Virgin appeared simultaneously to St.
Raymond, St. Peter Nolasco, and King
James, and revealed to them the plea-
sure of her Only-begotten Son and her-
self, that they should establish in her
honour an order of Religious persons
whose work should be the redemption of
Christian slaves from bondage among
unbelievers. The three took counsel
together, and then founded the Order of
the Blessed Mary of Ransom, for the
Redemption of Captives. The blessed
Raymond himself composed a most ap-
propriate code of rules for the new in-
stitution, for which he after some years
obtained the express sanction of Pope
Gregory IX., and himself [on the 10th
day of August, in the year 1223,] with
his own hands clothed St. Peter Nolasco
in the habit, and constituted him the
first Master General of the Order.
took the degree of Doctor, and lec- HE
tured with great applause upon the
Canon Law. He attained so much ce-
lebrity that Berengar, Bishop of Barce-
lona, on his way from Rome to his own
See, turned aside to visit the Saint at
Bologna, and at length persuaded him
after many entreaties to return with
him to Spain. He was appointed to a
canonry and the archdeaconry in the
Church of Barcelona, in which offices
he set both clergy and people a bril-
liant example of uprightness, modesty,
learning, and meekness, and more espe-
cially strove, as far as in him lay, to în-
crease the honour and reverence paid to
the Virgin Mother of God, whom he
venerated with an affection singularly
devoted.
Fifth Lesson.
WHEN he was about forty-five years
of age he solemnly professed in the
Order of Friars Preachers, and strove,
as a new recruit, to perfect himself
in all the duties of his calling, par-
ticularly in charity to the poor, and
Sixth Lesson.
E was summoned to Rome by Gre-
gory IX., [in the year 1230,]
and appointed by him his Chaplain,
Penitentiary, and Confessor, and by
his orders collected into one volume of
the Decretals the ordinances of the Ro-
man Pontiffs, which up to that time
were only to be found scattered among
the records of divers Councils and
Churches. He firmly refused the Arch-
bishopric of Tarascon, which was of-
fered him by the Pope himself, and,
having been chosen Master General of
the whole order of Friars Preachers, he
discharged the duties of that office in
holiness for two years, and then re-
signed it. It was by his advice that
James, King of Aragon, established the
Office of the Holy Inquisition in his
dominions. He was distinguished by
many miracles, of which the chief which
is narrated of him is that on one occa-
sion being in the island of Majorca and
wishing to go to Barcelona, he spread
his cloak upon the sea, and passed over
the waters on it, accomplishing the
whole distance of sixty leagues in six
hours, and finally entering his convent
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
981
through the closed doors. He attained
the age of nearly an hundred years,
and fell asleep in the Lord [on the
6th day of January,] in the year of
salvation 1275. His name was enrolled
by Clement VIII. among those of the
Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 37, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 859.) The
Ninth Lesson ("And ye yourselves,
&c.") is either omitted or read as one
with the Eighth in order to leave room
for
Ninth Lesson.
For St. Emerentiana.
EMERENTIANA was a Roman maid-
en, and the foster-sister of the
blessed Agnes. While she was still a
Catechumen she was inspired by her
faith and love to rebuke the fury of the
idol-worshippers against the Christians;
whereupon a mob assembled, and stoned
her so severely that she was only able
to drag herself to the grave of holy
Agnes, where, while she prayed, she
gave up her soul to God, being baptized,
not in water, but in her own blood, so
freely shed for Christ.
At Lauds a Commemoration of St.
Emerentiana. (Antiphon, Verse and
Answer from the Common Office, and
Prayer as at First Vespers.)
Second Vespers are of the following,
from the Chapter inclusive.
JANUARY 24.
St. Timothy, Bishop [of
Ephesus,] Martyr.
Double.
MATTINS.
All from the Common Office for One
Martyr, (p. 817,) except what is other-
wise given here.
Prayer throughout the Office, "Mer-
cifully consider our weakness, &c.," (p.
823.)
First Vespers are of the preceding till
the Chapter, exclusive.
A Commemoration is made of St. Ray-
mond. (Prayer from his Office.)
€
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
TIMOTHY was a native of Lystra in
Lycaonia, born of a Gentile father
and a Jewish mother. He embraced the
Christian religion when the Apostle
Paul came into those parts. The holy
Apostle was so struck with the fame of
Timothy's sanctity, that he chose him
to be the companion of his journeys, and
caused him to be circumcised, in order
to remove a stumbling-block from the
way of those Jews who felt drawn to
Christianity. When they came toge-
ther to Ephesus, the Apostle consecrated
him Bishop of that Church.
Fifth Lesson.
TWO of the Apostle Paul's Epistles
are addressed to this Saint, of which
one was written from Laodicea, and the
other from Rome. These sacred writ-
ings so stirred him up to the zealous
discharge of his duties as a spiritual
shepherd, that he strove to prevent the
people of Ephesus from sacrificing to
Artemis on her feast-day, knowing that
sacrifice is due to God alone. The hea-
thens thereupon stoned him till he was
well-nigh dead, and although he was
rescued by the Christians, and carried
to a mountain near the city, he then
fell asleep in the Lord, on the 24th day
of January.
Sixth Lesson.
The illustrious day, &c., (p. 820.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xiv. 26, with the
Homily of St. Gregory (p. 821.)
Vespers of the following.
JANUARY 25.
Conversion of St. Paul the
Apostle.
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office for Apos-
1 See Alban Butler. Jan. 23.
f
1
982
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
tles, (p. 805,) except what is otherwise
given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, Verse and An-
swer, and Prayer from Lauds.
Psalms as on Sunday, except the last,
which is Psalm cxvi., "O praise the
LORD, all ye nations, &c.," (p. 154.)
L
Hymn.
EAD us, great teacher Paul, in wisdom's
ways,
And lift our hearts with thine to Hea-
ven's high throne;
Till Faith beholds the clear meridian blaze,
And, sun-like, in the soul reigns Charity
alone.
Praise, blessing, majesty, through endless
days,
Be to the Trinity Eternal given;
Who in Pure Unity profoundly sways
Eternally all things alike in earth and
heaven. Amen.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Ananias, go thy way, and seek
Saul: for, behold, he prayeth: for he is
a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My
name before the Gentiles, and kings, and
the children of Israël.
A Commemoration is made of St. Pe-
ter, which is taken from Lauds.
Then a Commemoration of S. Timo-
thy.
MATTINS.
*
Invitatory. For the conversion of the
Teacher of the Gentiles, let us praise
our God.
Hymn. "Lead us, &c.," as at First
Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. 'He That wrought
effectually in Peter to the Apostleship,
the Same was mighty in me toward the
Gentiles, and they perceived the grace
that was given unto me of the Lord
Christ.
Second Antiphon. I know Whom I
have believed, and am persuaded that
He is able to keep that which I have
committed unto Him against that day,
as a righteous Judge.
1 Gal. ii. 8, 9.
3 Phil. i. 21; Gal. vi. 14.
Third Antiphon. 3To me to live is
Christ, and to die is gain: God forbid
that I should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord JESUS Christ.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (ix. 1.)
SAUL, yet breathing out threatenings
and slaughter against the disciples
of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
and desired of him letters to Damascus
to the synagogues; that, if he found any
of this way, whether they were men or
women, he might bring them bound
unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed,
he came near Damascus, and suddenly
there shined round about him a light
from heaven. And he fell to the earth,
and heard a voice saying unto him:
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?
And he said: Who art Thou, Lord? And
the Lord said: I am JESUS, Whom thou
persecutest; it is hard for thee to kick
against the pricks.
First Responsory.
He That wrought effectually in Peter
to the Apostleship, the Same was mighty
in me toward the Gentiles, and they per-
ceived the grace that was given unto
me of the Lord Christ.
Verse. The grace of God which was
bestowed upon me was not in vain, but
His grace abideth ever in me.
Answer. And they perceived the grace
that was given unto me of the Lord
Christ.
Second Lesson.
AND he trembling and astonished,
said: Lord, what wilt Thou have
me to do? And the Lord said unto
him: Arise, and go into the city, and it
shall there be told thee what thou must
do. And the men which journeyed with
him stood speechless, hearing a voice
but seeing no man. And Saul arose
from the earth, and when his eyes were
opened, he saw nothing. But they led
him by the hand and brought him into
Damascus. And he was there three days
without sight, and neither did eat nor
drink.
2 2 Tim. i. 12; iv. 8.
4 1 Cor. xv. 10.
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
983
Second Responsory.
¹I have fought a good fight, I have
finished my course, I have kept the
faith; henceforth there is laid up for
me a crown of righteousness.
Verse. I know Whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that He is able to
keep that which I have committed unto
Him against that day.
Answer. Henceforth there is laid up
for me a crown of righteousness.
Third Lesson.
AND there was a certain disciple at
Damascus, named Ananias; and to
him said the Lord in a vision: Ananias.
And he said: Behold, I am here, Lord.
And the Lord said unto him: Arise,
and go into the street which is called
Straight, and inquire in the house of
Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus;
for, behold, he prayeth. And hath
seen a man named Ananias coming in,
and putting his hand on him, that he
might receive his sight. Then Ana-
nias answered: Lord, I have heard by
many of this man, how much evil he
hath done to Thy saints at Jerusalem:
and here he hath authority from the
chief priests to bind all that call on Thy
name. But the Lord said unto him:
Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel
unto Me, to bear My name before the
Gentiles, and kings, and the children of
Israel. For I will show him how great
things he must suffer for My name's
sake.
Third Responsory.
"There is laid up for me a crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righ-
teous Judge, shall give me at that day.
Verse. I know Whom I have believed,
and am persuaded that He is able to
keep that which I have committed unto
Him against that day.
Answer. Which the Lord, the righ-
teous Judge, shall give me at that day.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Which the Lord, the righ-
teous Judge, shall give me at that day.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. O Holy Apostle Paul,
thou art a chosen vessel unto God, to
1 2 Tim. iv,
•
preach the Gospel throughout the whole
world.
Second Antiphon. Paul is made one
of the chiefest among the Saints, and a
chosen vessel; verily he is worthy to be
glorified, for he was made worthy to sit
upon one of the twelve thrones.
Third Antiphon. I have fought a
good fight, I have finished my course, I
have kept the faith.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(24th on the Saints. 279.)
WE the of
E have this day heard read out of
the Acts of the Apostles how that
the Apostle Paul, from being a persecutor
of the Christians, was changed into a
preacher of Christ. Christ laid low the
persecutor, that He might raise him up
a teacher of His Church. He smote and
healed him, slew him and made him
alive again. For the Lord Christ is that
Lamb That was Himself slain by the
wolves, and That now turneth the wolves
into lambs. Now was fulfilled in Paul
that which was clearly spoken in pro-
phecy by the Patriarch Jacob, when he
blessed his children, laying hands in-
deed on them which then were, but look-
ing forward to the things which were
yet for to come. Paul beareth witness of
himself that he was of the tribe of Ben-
jamin, (Rom. xi. 1,) and when Jacob
blessed his sons, and came to bless Ben-
jamin, he said: "Benjamin shall ravin
as a wolf." (Gen. xlix. 27.)
Fourth Responsory.
O Holy Apostle Paul, thou art a
chosen vessel unto God, to preach the
Gospel throughout the whole world;
through whom all nations have known
the grace of God.
Verse. Pray for us to God Who hath
chosen thee.
Answer. Through whom all nations
have known the grace of God.
Fifth Lesson.
WHAT then? Is Benjamin a wolf
that shall ravin for ever? God
forbid. "In the morning he shall de-
vour the prey, and at night he shall
divide the spoil.". This is exactly what
7, 8; i. 12.
984
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
was fulfilled in the Apostle Paul. If it
please you, we will now consider how in
the morning he devoured the prey, and
at night divided the spoil. Here morn-
ing and evening are put for the begin-
ning and the end. So we may read,
"In the beginning he shall devour the
prey, and at the end he shall divide the
spoil." First, then, in the beginning,
he devoured the prey. So it is written
that he received letters from the chief
priests and went forth, that wheresoever
he should find any Christians, he might
bring them bound unto the priests, that
they might be punished.
Fifth Responsory.
'By the grace of God I am what I am.
And His grace which was bestowed upon
me was not in vain, but abideth ever in
me.
Verse. He That wrought effectually
in Peter to the Apostleship, the Same
was mighty in me toward the Gentiles.
Answer. And His grace which was
bestowed upon me was not in vain, but
abideth ever in me.
Sixth Lesson.
HE went breathing out threatenings
and slaughter, yea, truly, devour-
ing the prey. When also they stoned
Stephen, the first Martyr that laid down
his life for Christ's name's sake, Saul
was consenting unto his death, and, as
though it contented him not to stone
him, he kept the clothes of all them
that did it, urging them on more than
if he had joined them. So in the morn-
ing he devoured the prey. How in the
evening did he divide the spoil? Struck
down by the voice of Christ from hea-
ven, ravining no more, he falleth upon his
face, cast down to be raised up, smitten
to be healed.
Sixth Responsory.
'Saul, who also is called Paul, was
made a great preacher; and being of
God increased the more in strength he
confounded the Jews.
Verse. Proving that This is very
Christ, the Son of God.
Answer. And being of God increased
the more in strength he confounded the
Jews.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And being of God increased
the more in strength he confounded the
Jews.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Saul, who also is
called Paul, was made a great preacher,
and, being of God increased the more in
strength, he confounded the Jews.
Second Antiphon. Lest I should be
exalted above measure through the
greatness of the revelations, there was
given to me a thorn in the flesh, the
messenger of Satan, to buffet me: for
this thing I besought the Lord thrice,
that it might depart from me; and the
Lord said unto me: Paul, My grace is
sufficient for thee.
Third Antiphon. There is laid up
for me a crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall
give me at that day.
Lessons from Matth. xix. 27, with
the Homily of the Venerable Bede (p.
814.)
Seventh Responsory.
O Holy Apostle Paul, Preacher of the
truth, and teacher of the Gentiles, pray
for us to God, Who hath chosen thee,
that we may be made worthy of the
grace of God.
Verse. O Holy Apostle Paul, thou art
a chosen vessel unto God, and a Preacher
of the truth.
Answer. Pray for us to God Who
hath chosen thee, that we may be made
worthy of the grace of God.
Eighth Responsory.
³In Damascus the governor under
Aretas the king was desirous to appre-
hend me, and by the brethren in a
basket was I let down by the wall, and
so escaped I his hands, in the name of
the Lord.
Verse. The God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ knoweth that I lie
not.
Answer. And by the brethren in a
basket was I let down by the wall.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
1 Acts ix. 22, 20.
2 2 Cor. xii. 7-9.
3 2 Cor. xi. 32, 33, 31.
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
985
Answer. And so escaped I his hands,
in the name of the Lord.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. 'I have planted, *
Apollos watered, but God gave the in-
crease. Alleluia.
After Septuagesima omit Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. Most gladly there-
fore will I rather glory * in my infirmi-
ties, that the power of Christ may rest
upon me.
Third Antiphon. The grace of God
which was bestowed upon me was not
in vain, * but His grace abideth ever
in me.
Fourth Antiphon. In Damascus the
governor under Aretas the king was de-
sirous to apprehend me; by the brethren
in a basket was I let down by the wall,
and so escaped I his hands, in the name
of the Lord.
Fifth Antiphon. 3Thrice was I beaten
with rods, * once was I stoned, thrice I
suffered shipwreck, for Christ's name's
sake.
Chapter. (Acts ix. 1.)
SAUL, yet breathing out threatenings
and slaughter against the disciples
of the Lord, went unto the high priest,
and desired of him letters to Damascus,
to the synagogues, that, if he found any
of this way, whether they were men or
women, he might bring them bound
unto Jerusalem.
set. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
Then the following Commemoration of
St. Peter.
Antiphon. Thou art the Shepherd of
the sheep, and the Prince of the Apos-
tles, and unto thee hath God given the
keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Verse. Thou art Peter.
Answer. And upon this rock I will
build My Church.
Prayer.
GOD, Who hast given unto Thy
Blessed Apostle Peter the keys of
the kingdom of heaven, and the power
to bind and to loose, loose us, we be-
seech Thee, at his mighty intercession,
from all the bands of our sins. Who
livest and reignest with God the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. I have planted, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Acts ix. 22.)
bring them bound BUT Saul increased the more in
Verse. O Holy Apostle Paul, thou art
a chosen vessel unto God.
Answer. To preach the Gospel through-
out the whole world.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Thus saith the Lord: Ye, which have
followed Me, shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
Israel.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who, through the teaching of
the Blessed Apostle Paul, hast
caused the light of the Gospel to shine
throughout the world, grant, we beseech
Thee, that we, having his wonderful
conversion (as on this day) in remem-
brance, may show forth our thankful-
ness unto Thee for the same, by follow-
ing the holy example which he hath
1 1 Cor. iii. 6.
strength, and confounded the Jews
which dwelt at Damascus, proving that
this is very Christ.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Most gladly therefore, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. The grace of God, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Acts ix. 8.)
AND Saul arose from the earth, and,
when his eyes were opened, he
saw nothing. But they led him by the
hand, and brought him into Damascus.
And he was there three days without
sight, and neither did eat nor drink.
2 2 Cor. xii. 9.
3 2 Cor. xi. 25.
986
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
NONE.
Antiphon. Thrice was I beaten, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons and Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn, Verse and Answer from First
Vespers.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O Holy Apostle Paul, Preacher
of the truth, and Teacher of the Gen-
tiles, pray for us to God, Who hath
chosen thee.
Prayer and Commemoration of St.
Peter from Lauds.
Then a Commemoration of the fol-
lowing. Antiphon, Verse and Answer
from the First Vespers of the Common
Office for One Martýr, (p. 817,) and the
Prayer, "O God, Who year by year,
&c.," (p. 824.)
JANUARY 26.
St. Polycarp, Bishop (of
Smyrna,] Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for One
Martyr, (p. 817,) except the following.
Prayer throughout the Office, "O God,
Who year by year, &c."
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book on
Ecclesiastical Writers, composed by
St. Jerome, Priest [at Bethlehem.]
POLYCARP a disciple of the
was
Apostle John, and was consecrated
by him Bishop of Smyrna. He was
reckoned the chief of all the Christians
of Asia, because he had been taught by
several of the Apostles, and other per-
sons who had seen the Lord. During
the reign of the Emperor Antoninus
Pius, and while Anicetus presided over
the Church of Rome, Polycarp came
thither to discuss some questions re-
garding the time for observing Easter.
He found some heretics at Rome, who
had been led astray by the doctrine of
Marcion and Valentine, and brought
back many of them to the faith. One
day Marcion met him by accident, and
said to him: Do you recognise me?
whereto he replied: I recognise the de-
vil's eldest son. Some time after, in
the reign of Mark Antonine and Lucius
Aurelius Commodus, during the fourth
persecution since Nero, when the Pro-
consul was ruling in Smyrna, the whole
population being assembled in the thea-
tre, clamoured against Polycarp, and to
please them he was burnt. He wrote
an extremely useful Epistle to the Phi-
lippians, which is publicly read in the
Churches of Asia even to this day.
Fifth and Sixth Lessons from the
Exposition of Ps. cxviii. by St. Am-
brose, (p. 825,) the Fifth Lesson being the
First, ("Princes have persecuted me,
&c.,") and the Sixth the Second and Third
read as one, ("They fight against him,
&c.," and "Think then how the martyr,
&c.,") or else the Second only.
THIRD NOCTURN.

Lessons from Matth. x. 26, with the
Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 827.)
Vespers of the following, from the
Chapter inclusive.
JANUARY 27.
St. John Chrysostom, Patri-
arch [of Constantinople,]
Confessor, and Doctor of the
Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for one
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O right excellent Teacher, &c.,
(p. 843.)
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
987
Prayer throughout the Office.
ERCIFUL Lord, we beseech Thee
ME
continually to increase by Thy
heavenly grace, Thy holy Church, which
Thou hast vouchsafed to enlighten by
the glorious labours and teaching of Thy
blessed Confessor and Bishop John Chry-
sostom. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Polycarp. Prayer as in his Office.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
JOHN
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
IN of Antioch, who, on account of
the golden stream of his eloquence,
is called by the Greeks Chrysostomos,
or, "the golden-mouthed," was a lawyer
and man of the world of much eminence,
before he turned his great intellect and
wonderful industry to the study of things
sacred. He took orders, and was or-
dained a priest of the Church of An-
tioch, [in the year of our Lord 386,]
and after the death of Nectarius, was
forced by the Emperor Arcadius to ac-
cept, though sorely against his own will,
the Archbishoprick of Constantinople.
Having received the burden of a shep-
herd's office, [upon the 26th day of
February, in the year 398,] he set him-
self zealously to do his duty, struggling
against the degradation of public morality
and the loose lives of the nobility, and
thereby drew upon himself the ill-will of
many enemies, especially the Empress
Eudoxia, whom he had rebuked on ac-
count of the money of the widow Calli-
tropa, and the land of another widow.
Fifth Lesson.
SOME Bishops being assembled in a
Council at Chalcedon, [in 403,] which
Council the Saint held to be neither law-
ful, nor public, although he was com-
manded to go there, he refused. Where-
upon Eudoxia, striving earnestly against
him, caused him to be sent into exile.
Soon after, however, the people of the
city rose, and demanded his recall, and he
was then brought back again amid great
public rejoicings. Nevertheless he ceased
not to war against vice, and absolutely
forbade the celebration of public games
round the silver statue of Eudoxia in
the square outside the Church of the
Eternal Wisdom. Upon this, a party of
Bishops, who were enemies to him,
banded together, and obtained that he
should be banished again, which was
done accordingly, [on the 20th day of
June, 404,] amid the lamentations of
widows and the poor, who felt as if they
were being deprived of a common fa-
ther. During this exile, it almost passeth
belief how much Chrysostom suffered,
and how many souls he turned to the
faith which is in Christ JESUS.
Sixth Lesson.
AT this time a Council was assembled
at Rome, wherein Chrysostom's
restoration to his See was decreed by
Pope Innocent I., but meanwhile, he
was suffering great hardships and cruel-
ties on his journey at the hands of the
soldiers who had him in charge. As
he passed through Armenia he prayed
in the Church of the holy martyr Basil-
iscus, and the same night that blessed
conqueror appeared to him in a vision
and said: "Brother John, to-morrow
thou shalt be with me." On the next
day therefore, he received the Sacrament
of the Eucharist, and, arming himself
with the sign of the cross, resigned his
soul to God, it being the 14th of Sep-
tember, [in the year of salvation,
407.] As soon as he was dead a fu-
rious hailstorm took place at Constanti-
nople, and after four days the Empress
died. The Emperor Theodosius, the
son of Arcadius, brought the body of
John Chrysostom to Constantinople with
great state, and numerously attended,
and on the 27th of January, [438,]
laid it with magnificent honours in
the grave, beside which he prayed for
the forgiveness of his own father and
mother. The holy body was afterwards
taken to Rome, and is now buried in
the Vatican Basilica. The number, de-
voutness, and brilliance of St. John
Chrysostom's sermons and other writ-
ings, his acuteness in exposition, and
the close aptness of his explanations
of Holy Scripture, have been and are
!
988
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
the object of universal wonder and
admiration, and often seem not un-
worthy to have been dictated to him by
the Apostle Paul, for whom he enter-
tained a wonderful devotion.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. John Chrysostom (p.
872.)
Eighth Responsory.
In the midst of the congregation, &c.,
(p. 847.)
SECOND VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O right excellent Teacher, &c.,
(p. 851.)
Then the following Commemoration
of St. Agnes.
Antiphon. Christ hath hallowed His
Bride and Witness unto Himself, stand-
ing at her right hand in the shape of a
Lamb¹ whiter than snow.
Verse. In thy comeliness and thy
beauty.
Answer. Go forward, fare prospe-
rously, and reign.
Prayer.
GOD, Who year by year dost gladden
Thy people by the solemn feast of
Thy blessed Virgin and Martyr Agnes,
grant unto us, we beseech Thee, not
only devoutly to observe the same, but
also to follow after the pattern of her
godly conversation. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
JANUARY 28.
Note. On this day is sometimes,
though very rarely, celebrated the Feast
of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. In
this case the Office is precisely the same
as that given for the Second Sunday
after the Epiphany, (p. 290,) omitting
only the word "Alleluia" wherever it
occurs, and likewise the Commemoration
of the Octave of the Epiphany, should it
occur at First Vespers, and those of the
Sunday at both Vespers and at Lauds,
and the Ninth Lesson being of the Sun-
day. The First Vespers will be as on
the Saturday evening before the Second
Sunday after the Epiphany, with a
Commemoration of St. John Chrysos-
tom and of St. Agnes, and at Mattins
the Ninth Lesson will be of St. Agnes,
as hereafter given. The Short Respon-
sories at Terce, Sext, and None will be
as follows:
AT TERCE.
Blessed be the name of the LORD.
Answer. Blessed be the name of the
LORD.
Verse. From henceforth, now, and
for ever.
Answer. The name of the LORD.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Blessed be the name of the
LORD.
Verse. Give unto the LORD glory and
honour.
Answer. Give unto the LORD the
glory due unto His Name.
AT SEXT.
Give unto the LORD glory and honour.
Answer. Give unto the LORD glory
and honour.
Verse. Give unto the LORD the glory
due unto His Name.
Answer. Glory and honour.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Give unto the LORD glory
and honour.
Verse. O magnify the LORD with me.
Answer. And let us exalt His Name
together.
AT NONE.
O magnify the LORD with me.
Answer. O magnify the LORD with
me.
Verse. And let us exalt His Name
together.
Answer. With me.

Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O magnify the LORD with
me.
Verse. Our help is in the Name of
the LORD.
Answer. Who made heaven and
earth.
¹ Probably some play on the Latin word “Agnus.”
FEAST-DAYS IN JANUARY.
989
But when the Feast of the Holy Name
is not kept on this day, the Feast is of
St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr, again.
Simple.
The Office is all from the Common
Office for Simple Feasts of a Virgin
and Martyr, (p. 885,) except the fol-
lowing.
MATTINS.
The First and Second Lessons are
from Scripture according to the Season,
the Third being omitted, or read as one
with the Second.
Responsories on Monday.
First. Let us keep with joy and glad-
ness, &c., (First Responsory on January
21.)
Second. My right hand, &c., (Second
Responsory on January 21,) with the
following added:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And hath crowned me with
the bright blossoms of the eternal
spring-time.
On Tuesday and Friday.
First. The LORD hath clothed me,
&c., (Fourth Responsory on January
21.)
Second. I have sucked honey, &c.,
(Fifth Responsory on January 21,) with
the following added:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And His Blood is red on my
cheeks.
On Wednesday.
daughter of the Emperor Constantine,
being sick of an incurable ulcer, betook
herself to the said grave, although she
was not yet a Christian, and as she lay
by it and slept, she seemed to hear the
voice of Agnes, saying to her: Con-
stance, be of good courage: believe in
JESUS Christ the Son of God, and He
will make thee whole. The Princess,
being healed, was baptized, along with
many others of the Emperor's family
and household, and afterwards built
over the grave of the blessed Agnes a
Church named in her honour.
The Service during the rest of the day
is the same as on Jan. 21, except the
Prayer, which is as at the Commemoration
of St. Agnes last night, and that the
Antiphons are not doubled. After None
nothing is said of St. Agnes, but the
service is altogether of St. Francis de
Sales. The Preces are said at Prime.
JANUARY 29.
St. Francis de Sales, Bishop
[of Geneva,] Confessor, and
Doctor of the Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O right excellent, &c., (p.
843.)
Prayer throughout the Office.
First. I am wedded, &c., (Seventh 0 GOD, Who didst will that Thy
Responsory on January 21.)
Second. O Thou Who alone, &c.,
(Eighth Responsory on January 21.)
ONE
Third Lesson.
NE night when the parents of the
blessed Agnes were watching at her
grave, she appeared to them in company
with a band of virgins, and said to them:
Father and Mother, weep not for me as
though I were dead; for now these vir-
gins and I live together in Him Whose
love was my whole life upon earth.
Some years afterwards, Constance, the
Blessed Confessor and Bishop Fran-
cis should become all things to all men,
mercifully grant unto us, that we being
filled with the sweetness of Thy heavenly
love, may so take to ourselves his admo-
nitions and be succoured by his prayers,
that in the end we may with him attain
unto Thine everlasting joy. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, One God, world
without end. Ámen.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
990
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
FRANCIS was born of godly and noble
parents, in the town of Sales, from
which his family take their name of
"de Sales," [upon the 21st day of Au-
gust, in the year of our Lord 1567.]
In his childish years his staid and
godly demeanour gave promise of his
future sanctity. He received a liberal
education as he grew up, and after-
wards studied Philosophy and Theo-
logy at Paris. In order to the complete
furnishing of his mind, he took the de-
gree of Doctor of Laws, both Civil and
Ecclesiastical, at Padua, with much dis-
tinction. He had already bound him-
self with a vow of perpetual virginity
at Paris, and he renewed the same in
the Holy House of Loreto. From this
path of virtue, neither the temptations
of the devil nor the allurements of the
world ever induced him to swerve.
HE
Fifth Lesson.
E refused to be made Counsellor of
the Parliament of Chambery, for
which his family had obtained for him
patents from the Duke of Savoy, and
determined to become a clergyman. He
was appointed to the Provostship of the
Church of Geneva, and, being shortly
afterwards ordained Priest, discharged
so admirably the duties of his position,
that he was sent by Granier, his Bishop,
to preach the word of God in Chablais,
and other places in the outskirts of the
diocese, where the inhabitants had em-
braced the heresy of Calvin. He joy-
fully undertook this mission, in which
he suffered much, being often hunted by
the Protestants to murder him, and as-
sailed by many calumnies and plots.
Amid all these dangers and struggles
his constancy remained invincible, and
under the blessing and care of God he
is said to have recalled seventy-two
thousand of these heretics to the Faith
of Christ's Universal Church, among
whom were many distinguished by rank
and learning.
Sixth Lesson.
AFTER the death of Bishop Granier,
who had procured his appointment
as Coadjutor, he was consecrated Bishop,
[upon the 3rd day of December, 1602.]
In that office he was truly a burning
and a shining light, showing all around
a bright example of godliness, zeal for
the discipline of the Church, ardent
love of peace, tenderness to the poor,
and, indeed, of all graces. For the
greater ornament of God's worship he
established a new Order of Nuns, which
is named from the Visitation of the
Blessed Virgin. These nuns follow the
Rule of St. Austin, but Francis added
thereto several additional constitutions
distinguished by wisdom, prudence, and
tenderness. He enlightened the Church
by writings full of heavenly teaching,
and pointing out a safe and simple road
to Christian perfection. In the 55th
year of his age, while on his way from
France to Annecy, after saying mass at
Lyons on the Feast of St. John the
Evangelist, he was seized with fatal ill-
ness, and on the next day passed from
earth to heaven, in the year of our Lord
1622. His body was carried to Annecy
and honourably buried in the Church of
the nuns of the Visitation, where it soon
began to be distinguished for miracles.
The truth of these having been proved,
the Supreme Pontiff, Alexander VII.,
enrolled his name among those of the
Saints, and appointed for his Feast-day
the 29th of January.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. Hilary (p. 871.)
Eighth Responsory.
In the midst of the congregation, &c.,
(p. 847.)
%%
At Second Vespers the first_verse
the Hymn is altered; Antiphon,
right excellent, &c.," and a Commemo-
ration is made of the following, from the
Common Office for one Virgin and Mar-
tyr, (p. 873.) Prayer, “O God, Who
amidst the wondrous, &c.," (p. 880.)
JANUARY 30.
St. Martina, Virgin and
Martyr.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for one
Virgin and Martyr, (p. 873,) except
FEAST-DAYS İN JANUARY.
991
what is otherwise given here. Prayer
throughout the Office, "O God, Who
amidst the wondrous, &c."
Note. Should this Feast be observed
as a Double, or otherwise have First
Vespers, the Hymn at that Service is
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
composed of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 7th MARTINA was a maiden of a most
verses of the Hymn hereafter given for
Mattins, and in this case the Hymn at
Mattins begins at the 4th verse, (the 7th
being used at both Vespers and Mattins.)
MATTINS.
Hymn.¹
1.
Hear thou with joy, O Rome, Martina's
name,
Her praises celebrate with glad accord;
Martina, high in merit, virgin blest,
And martyr of the Lord.
2.
Beauty and youth, the joys of happy home,
Ancestral palaces, and noble birth;
All these were hers, all these for JESU's
sake,
She counted nothing worth.
3.
Her wealth she shared among the poor of
Christ,
Content with seeking better wealth above:
Herself she gave to her immortal King,
Too happy in His love.
4.
The agonising hooks, the rending scourge,
Shook not the dauntless spirit in her
breast;
With torments rack'd, Angels her fainting
flesh
Recruit with heavenly feast.
5.
In vain they cast her to the ravening
beasts;
Calm at her feet the lion crouches down:
Till smitten by the sword at length she goes
To her immortal crown.
6.
Now with the Saints Martina reigns in
bliss ;
And, where Idolatry sate throned of yore,
From her victorious altar praise and prayer
With odorous incense soar.
7.
Expel false worldly joys; and fill us, Lord,
With Thine enlightening beam divine;
Who with Thy suffering martyrs present
art,
The Godhead, One and Trine. Amen.
illustrious Roman family, daughter
of a Consul. She lost her parents while
still very young, and, being inflamed
with Christian zeal, she distributed her
wealth, whereof she had abundance,
with great profusion among the poor.
Under the Emperor Alexander, she was
commanded to sacrifice to the imaginary
gods, and refused with much boldness
to commit this great wickedness. Upon
this she was again and again scourged,
and mangled with iron prongs and
hooks, and pieces of broken pottery.
Her limbs were cut off piece by piece
with sharp swords, and boiling tallow
poured upon the living trunk. Lastly
she was sent to be eaten publicly by the
wild beasts in the amphitheatre, but by
the will of God, they would not touch
her, and she was then thrown upon a
burning pile, but still remained alive.
Fifth Lesson.
SOME of her tormentors were so moved
by the spectacle, that they repented,
and, by the grace of God confessing the
faith of Christ, through which she re-
mained constant, were themselves tor-
tured and beheaded. Martina herself
lay praying, with a brightness on her
face, while a matter like milk oozed
from her body along with the blood,
emitting a soft, sweet smell. She was
as it were unconscious of an earthquake
and most violent thunderstorm which
arose and was raging, and while the
lightning struck temples, and melted
statues, she seemed in spirit rather to
be seated above on a queenly throne,
praising God in heaven among the
Blessed.
Sixth Lesson.
THE judge being infuriated at what
had taken place, and chiefly at her
unbending firmness, ordered the head
of the martyr to be cut off. At the
moment this was done, a peal which
shook the city was heard, like a voice
(Died while the above was in proof, Jan. 2,
1 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
1878. R. I. P.)
3 U
992
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
calling her home, and so great was the
consternation, that it was made the
means of conversion to many idolaters.
The holy body of Martina wherein she
had suffered in the Pontificate of Ur-
ban I., was discovered in the time of
Urban VIII.,¹ in the very old Church
called after her, situated at the foot of
the Capitoline Hill, near the Mamertine
Prison, along with the bodies of the
holy martyrs Concordius, Epiphanius,
and others. The Church was then al-
tered and restored and handsomely de-
corated, and then the body was replaced
in it, amid public rejoicings, with a
solemn ceremony and procession.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with the
Homily of Pope St. Gregory, (p. 878.)
PLEA
LAUDS.
Hymn.
EAD, maiden, for thy native land,
Plead for thy Mother Church of Rome,
Plead for each Christian State that shields
The brightness of the Christian home.
From them let warfare roll to where
Justice and vengeance have a work-
Let war, with all its horrors rife,
Crush the foul empire of the Turk.
Their fellow-Christians to set free
Let all men Christian draw the sword-
However divers, one in this,
The love of Christ, their common Lord.
Rome calls upon thee that the prayers,
Not rising from one shore alone,
May from thine odour-phial float
Toward the Everlasting Throne.
Borne on the eternal breeze of praise
That from the Blessed myriads swells
To Him Who, circled by the Saints,
In holiness unuttered dwells. Amen.
Prayer throughout the day. O God,
Who amidst the wondrous, &c., (p. 880.)
Vespers are of the following from
the Chapter inclusive.
JANUARY 31.
St. Peter Nolasco, Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop (p. 855,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is al-
tered.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who hast commended Thy
love toward us, in that while we
were yet sinners, Thou didst die for us,
that Thou mightest redeem us from the
hand of the enemy; aud Who didst
raise up Thy holy servant Peter (in
imitation of that Thy so great love for
their souls) to redeem the bodies also of
Thy servants from the hand of the
enemies of Thy Cross, and to that end,
didst choose him for a mean whereby
Thou hast given unto Thy Church a
new family of sons; mercifully grant
unto us, at his petition, that we may be
delivered from the bondage of our sins,
and may one day together with him
rejoice in perfect liberty in our very
Fatherland, which is in heaven: Who
livest and reignest with God the Father,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Martina. Prayer as in her Office.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is al-
tered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
PETER Nolasco was born of noble
parents at Recaudun near Carcas-
sonne in France [about the year 1189,]
and is chiefly distinguished for his great
love toward his neighbour. It was con-
sidered a foreshadowing of this virtue,
that when he was a little child in his
cradle, a swarm of bees settled on his right
hand, and began to make an honey-comb
there. He lost his parents while still
young, and in consequence of his horror
of the Albigensian heresy, with which
¹ Both the hymns in this Office are by him.
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
993
France was then plagued, he sold his pro-
perty there and emigrated to Spain.
Here he first discharged a vow which he
had made at the sanctuary of the Bless-
ed Virgin of Monserrat, and afterwards
went to Barcelona. Here he was so
affected by the miserable state of the
Christians who were in slavery to the
Moors, that he expended his whole for-
tune in ransoming as many of them as
possible, and used to say that he wished
he could be sold himself to ransom
more, or could himself change places
with them.
IT
Fifth Lesson.
came to pass that God showed how
agreeable to Him was the charitable
zeal of Peter. One night when he was
praying, and his mind was much ex-
ercised on the means of succouring the
enslaved Christians, the Blessed Virgin
appeared to him in a vision, and gave
him to understand that it would be most
pleasing to her Son and herself, if he
would found in her honour an order of
religious men, whose chief duty it should
be to effect the redemption of Christian
bondsmen out of the hand of the unbe-
lievers. In conformity to this revelation,
which had likewise on the same night
been made to St. Raymond de Pegnafort
and King James I. of Aragon, he founded
the Religious Order of the Blessed Mary
of Ransom, for the redemption of cap-
tives. The members of this order add
a fourth vow to the three essential ones
of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience,
namely, that they will be ready if need
be to remain as hostages in the hand of
the unbelievers for the liberation of
others.
Sixth Lesson.
AFTER he took the vow of virginity
he remained with his purity quite
unsullied all his life, and was at the
same time a bright pattern of long-
suffering, lowliness, temperance, and
other virtues. God was pleased to adorn
him with the gift of Prophecy, whereby
he foretold things to come. Among
others, he prophesied to King James
that he would take the city of Valencia
from the Moors, which he afterwards
did. He was refreshed by frequent ap-
paritions of his Guardian Angel and of
the Virgin Mother of God. He had
lived to a great age, when being quite
worn out, and falling into a grievous
sickness, he perceived that his end was
at hand. He then received the holy
Sacraments, and, gathering his brethren
around him, exhorted them for the last
time to show pity to slaves. After this
he began to repeat with great emotion
the cx. Psalm, "I will praise Thee, O
LORD, with my whole heart," and when
he had uttered the words "He sent re-
demption unto His people," he resigned
his soul to God. This happened at mid-
night between the 23rd and 24th of
December, 1256. Alexander VII. ordered
that his feast should be celebrated on
the 31st of January.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 32, with the
Homily of the Venerable Bede, (p. 886.)
Second Vespers are of the following,
from the Chapter, inclusive. Prayer,
"Mercifully consider
consider our weakness,
&c.," (p. 823.) A Commemoration is
made of the preceding.
FEAST DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
}
Upon the first day not occupied by an
Office of Nine Lessons, is said the Office
of the Dead.
FEBRUARY 1.
St. Ignatius, Bishop [of
Antioch,] Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for one
Martyr, (p. 817,) except what is other-
wise given here.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book on
Ecclesiastical Writers, composed by
St. Jerome, Priest [at Bethlehem.]
GNATIUS was the third Bishop of
Antioch after the Apostle Peter.
3U2
994
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
When Trajan stirred up his persecution,
he was condemned to be devoured by
wild beasts, and sent to Rome in chains.
When on his journey thither he arrived
at Smyrna, where Polycarp, the disciple
of John, was Bishop, he wrote an Epis-
tle to the Ephesians, another to the
Magnesians, a third to the Trallians,
and a fourth to the Romans: and after
leaving Smyrna, he addressed a further
Epistle to the Philadelphians, and
another to the Smyrnians, along with
a private Epistle to Polycarp, to whose
care he commended the Church of An-
tioch. In this last he quoteth a passage
regarding the Person of Christ from the
Gospel, which I have recently trans-
lated.
IT
Fifth Lesson.
is fitting that, as we have made
mention of a man of so much im-
portance, we should also note briefly
the Epistle which he addressed to the
Romans. "I am on my way," saith he,
"from Syria to Rome, and am already
fighting with beasts on sea and on land
all the way. I may say I am chained
day and night to ten leopards, for in-
deed the soldiers, who have charge of
me, are no better. The more courteous
I am to them, the worse they use me.
But still their wickedness is good school-
ing for me, though I know that my mere
sufferings cannot in themselves gain me
justification. I trust that I shall like
the beasts who are to devour me; at any
rate, I pray they may put me out of
pain quickly, and fly on me willingly,
that I be not like some other Martyrs,
whose bodies the animals have refused
to touch. If I find that they will not
come on, I will run at them as quick as
I can, to make them devour me. Let
me be, my little children: I know what
is good for me."
"I
Sixth Lesson.
FEEL now that I am beginning to
be Christ's disciple; I desire none
of those things which are seen, if so be
I may find Christ JESUS. I care not
that there come upon me fire, or cross,
or wild beasts, or breaking of my bones,
or sundering of my members, or de-
struction of my whole body, yea, or all
the torments of the devil, if only so be
I may win Christ." When he was
brought condemned to the theatre, and
heard the roaring of the beasts which
were to devour him, he felt so strong
an eagerness to suffer, that he cried
out: "I am Christ's wheat, and so let
the beasts' teeth be my mill, that I may
be ground, and be found to make good
bread." He suffered in the eleventh
year of Trajan. What was left of his
body lieth at Antioch, in the grave-yard
outside the gate which leadeth toward
Daphne.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xii. 24.)
A
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: Amen, Amen, I say unto
you, Except a corn of wheat fall into
the ground and die, it abideth alone.
And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Tract 51 on John.)
The Lord JESUS was Himself a corn
of wheat that was to die and bring forth
much fruit; to die by the unbelief of the
Jews, and to bring forth much fruit in
the faith of the Gentiles. He, exhort-
ing men to follow His steps, saith: "He
that loveth his life shall lose it." Now,
these words may be understood in two
ways. First: "he that loveth his life
shall lose it," that is, "If thou love
life, thou wilt lose it; if thou wilt live
for ever in Christ, refuse not to die
for Christ." Or secondly: "he that
loveth his life shall lose it; love not
then that which thou shalt lose; love
not this present life, so that thou be
thereby in jeopardy of losing life eter-
nal."
THAT
Eighth Lesson.
AT this second interpretation is the
meaning of the Gospel, appeareth
most probably from the words which
follow: "And he that hateth his life in
this world, shall keep it unto life
eternal." From which we may suppose
the sense of the first words to be: He
that loveth his life in this world shall
lose it unto life eternal.”
This is a
great and marvellous saying, showing
how a man may so love life as to lose
life, and so hate life as to keep life.
If thou love it too well, then dost thou
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
995
hate it if thou hate it with an holy
hatred, then dost thou love it. Blessed
are they that, lest they should so love it
as to lose it, so hate it as to keep it.
BEW
Ninth Lesson.
ARE lest thou take these words
"He that hateth his life in this
world shall keep it unto life eternal".
as some do, for an approval of suicide.
Some evil and perverse men, bloody and
guilty murderers of themselves, do in-
deed throw themselves into the fire,
drown themselves in water, and cast
themselves down precipices, and so
perish. This is not the teaching of
Christ, Who, when the devil would have
Him cast Himself down from an high
place, answered: "Get thee behind Me,
Satan. It is written, Thou shalt not
tempt the Lord thy God." (Matth. iv.
5-7.) Who also said to Peter, signify-
ing by what death he should glorify
God: "When thou wast young thou
girdedst thyself and walkedst whither
thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be
old, another shall gird thee, and carry
thee whither thou wouldest not." (John
xxi. 18.) From which it is evident that
he that would follow Christ's footsteps,
must be slain, not by himself, but by
another.
Prayer throughout the day as at First
Vespers.
Vespers of the following.
FEBRUARY 2.
Candlemas Day.
Purification of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
Double of the Second Class.
Note. Should the 2nd February be a
privileged Sunday, the Office for Can-
dlemas Day is transferred to the Mon-
day, any other Feast of less or equal
rank being transferred. Should there
be a Double of the First Class on the
Monday, the Candlemas Office is trans-
ferred on.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of the Blessed Virgin (p. 894,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons from the Lauds of New
Year's Day, (p. 255.)
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds.
Verse. It was revealed unto Simeon
by the Holy Ghost.
Answer. That he should not see
death before he had seen the Lord's
Christ.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The old man held his Lord in
his arms in the form of a little child,
but the Child was the old man's King:
even that Child whom a virgin bore, and
remained a virgin as before: the fruit
of her womb, and the God of her soul.
A Commemoration is made of the pre-
ceding.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Behold, the Lord the
Ruler cometh unto His holy temple: *
Rejoice and be glad, O Zion! go forth
to meet thy God!
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Exodus (xiii. 1.)
THE LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Sanctify unto Me all the first-born;
whatsoever openeth the womb among
the children of Israël, both of man and
of beast it is Mine. And Moses said
unto the people: (11) It shall be when
the LORD shall bring thee into the land of
the Chanaanites, as He sware unto thee
and to thy fathers, and shall give it
thee, that thou shalt set apart unto the
LORD all that openeth the matrix, and
every firstling that cometh of a beast
which thou hast; the males shall be the
LORD'S. The firstling of an ass thou
shalt redeem with a lamb: and if thou
wilt not redeem it, then thou shalt
break his neck. And all the first-born
of man among thy children shalt thou
redeem.
First Responsory.
Make ready thy chamber, O Zion, to
receive Christ thy King, even that Child
Whom a Virgin bore, and remained a
996
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Virgin as before: the fruit of her womb
and the God of her soul.
Verse. Simeon took the Child up in
his arms, and blessed God.
Answer. Even that Child Whom a
Virgin bore, and remained a Virgin as
before the fruit of her womb and the
God of her soul.
Second Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Leviticus (xii. 1.)
THE LORD spake unto Moses, saying:
Speak unto the children of Israël, say-
ing: If a woman hath conceived seed and
borne a man child, then she shall be un-
clean seven days, according to the days
of the separation for her infirmity shall
she be unclean. And the eighth day
shall the child be circumcised and she
shall then continue in the blood of her
purifying three and thirty days. She
shall touch no hallowed thing, nor come
into the Sanctuary, until the days of
her purifying be fulfilled. But if she
bear a maid child, then she shall be un-
clean two weeks, as in her separation,
and she shall continue in the blood of
her purifying three score and six days.
:
Second Responsory.
When the days of Mary's purification
according to the law of Moses were ac-
complished, they brought JESUS to Je-
rusalem, to present Him to the Lord;
as it is written in the law of the Lord :
Every male that openeth the womb shall
be called holy unto the Lord.
Verse. They offered for Him unto the
Lord a pair of turtle-doves or two young
pigeons.
Answer. As it is written in the law
of the Lord: Every male that openeth
the womb shall be called holy unto the
Lord.
Third Lesson.
AND when the days of her purifica-
tion are fulfilled, for a son or for a
daughter, she shall bring a lamb of the
first year for a burnt-offering, and a
young pigeon or a turtle-dove for a sin-
offering, unto the door of the tabernacle
of the testimony, unto the priest, who
shall offer it before the LORD, and make
an atonement for her, and she shall be
cleansed from the issue of her blood.
This is the law for her that hath borne
a male or a female. And if her hand
find it not, or she be not able to bring a
lamb, she shall take two turtles, or two
young pigeons, the one for the burnt-
offering, and the other for a sin-offer-
ing; and the priest shall make an
atonement for her, and she shall be
clean.
Third Responsory.
They offered for Him unto the Lord a
pair of turtle-doves, or two young
pigeons; as it is written in the law of
the Lord.
Verse. And when the days of Mary's
purification according to the law of
Moses were accomplished, they brought
Him to Jerusalem, to present Him to
the Lord.
Answer, As it is written in the law
of the Lord.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. As it is written in the law
of the Lord.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (13th
on the Season.)
old time it was written: "And of
Fold
·
that man was born in her, and the
Highest Himself shall establish her?"
Blessed be the omnipotence of Him That
was born! Blessed the glory of Him
That came from heaven to earth! While
yet He was borne in His Mother's womb,
He was saluted by John the Baptist;
He was presented in the temple, and
recognised by that famous, antient, and
glorious worthy, the old man Simeon.
As soon as he knew Him he worshipped
Him, and said: "Lord, now lettest
Thou Thy servant depart in peace-for
mine eyes have seen Thy Salvation."
Fourth Responsory.
Simeon was just and devout, waiting
for the redemption of Israel; and the
Holy Ghost was upon him.
Verse. It was revealed unto him by
the Holy Ghost, that he should not see
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
997
death, before he had seen the Lord's
Christ.
Answer. And the Holy Ghost was
upon him.
Fifth Lesson.
HE lingered in the world to see the
birth of Him Who made the world.
The old man knew the Child, and in
that Child became a child himself, for
in the love wherewith he regarded the
Father of all, he felt his own years to
be but as of yesterday. The old man
Simeon bore the new-born Christ, and
all the while, Christ was the old man's
Lord. It had been told him by the
Lord that he should not taste of death
before he had seen the birth of the
Lord's Christ. Now Christ is born, and
all the old man's wishes on earth are
fulfilled. He That came to a decrepit
world came to an old man.
Fifth Responsory.
It was revealed unto Simeon by the
Holy Ghost that he should not see death
before he had seen the Lord's Christ;
and he blessed God, and said: Lord,
now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in
peace, for mine eyes have seen Thy sal-
vation.
Verse. When His parents brought in
the Child JESUS, to do for Him after the
custom of the law: then took he Him
up in his arms.
Answer. And blessed God, and said:
Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant de-
part in peace, for mine eyes have seen
Thy salvation.
Sixth Lesson.
HE wished not to remain long in the
world, but he longed to see Christ
in the world, singing with the Prophet,
and saying: "Shew us Thy mercy
O LORD, and grant us Thy salvation.
(Ps. lxxxiv. 8.)
8.) And now at last,
that ye may know that the cause of
his joy was that this prayer_was
granted, he saith: "Now lettest Thou
Thy servant depart in peace, for mine
eyes have seen Thy salvation." The
Prophets have sung that the Maker of
heaven and earth would converse on
earth with men: an angel hath de-
clared that the Creator of flesh and
spirit would come in the flesh: the un-
born John, yet in the womb, hath
saluted the unborn Saviour yet in the
womb. The old man Simeon hath seen
God a little Child.
Sixth Responsory.
When His parents brought the Child
JESUS into the temple, to do for Him
after the custom of the law, Simeon
took Him up in his arms, and blessed
God, and said: Lord, now lettest Thou
Thy servant depart in peace.
Verse. Simeon took up the Child in
his arms, and cried out, and said:
Answer. Lord, now lettest Thou Thy
servant depart in peace.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Lord, now lettest Thou Thy
servant depart in peace.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 22.)
AT that time: When the days of
Mary's purification, according to
the law of Moses, were accomplished,
they brought JESUS to Jerusalem, tó
present Him to the Lord, as it is written
in the law of the Lord. And so on.
Homily on this passage by St. Am-
brose, Bishop [of Milan.] (Bk. 2,
Comm. on Luke ii.)
"And, behold, there was a man in
Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon,
and the same man was just and devout,
waiting for the consolation of Israël."
The birth of the Lord is attested not
only by Angels and Prophets, and shep-
herds, but also by elders and just men.
Every age, and both sexes, as well as
the miracles of the events themselves,
are here to strengthen our faith. A
virgin conceiveth, a barren woman
beareth, a dumb man speaketh, Eliza-
beth prophesieth, the wise man wor-
shippeth, the unborn child leapeth, the
widow praiseth, and the just man
waiteth.
Seventh Responsory.
Simeon took JESUS up in his arms,
and cried out, and said: Verily Thou
art a light to lighten the Gentiles, and
the Glory of Thy people Israël.
998
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Verse. When His parents brought in
the Child JESUS, then took he Him up
in his arms, and blessed God, and said:
Answer. Verily Thou art a light to
lighten the Gentiles, and the Glory of
Thy people Israël.
Eighth Lesson.
WELL is he called just, who looked
not for favour for himself, but for
consolation for his people. He desired to
be set free from the bondage of this frail
body, but he waited to see the Promised
One for he knew that blessed are the
eyes that see Him. "Then took he
Him up in his arms, and blessed God,
and said: Lord, now lettest Thou Thy
servant depart in peace, according to
Thy word." Behold a just man, con-
fined in the weary prison of the body,
desiring to be dissolved and to begin to
be with Christ. For to be dissolved and
to be with Christ is much better. (Phil.
i. 23.)
Eighth Responsory.
The old man bore the Child, but the
Child was the old man's King; even
that Child Whom a virgin bore, and
remained a virgin as before; and when
that virgin had brought Him into the
world, she fell down and worshipped
Him.
Verse. Simeon took the Child up in
his arms, and gave thanks, and blessed
the Lord.
Answer. Even that Child Whom a
virgin bore, and remained a virgin as
before; and when that virgin had
brought Him into the world, she fell
down and worshipped Him.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Even that Child Whom a
virgin bore, and remained a virgin as
before; and when that virgin had
brought Him into the world, she fell
down and worshipped Him.
Ninth Lesson.
WHOSOEVER will be dissolved and
be with Christ, let him come into
the Temple, let him come to Jerusalem,
let him wait for the Lord's Christ, let
him take hold on the Word of God, let
him embrace it with good works, as it
were with arms of faith: and then let
him depart in peace, for he shall not see
death, who hath seen life. Behold how
the Lord's Birth doth overflow with
abounding grace for all, and prophecy
is not denied to the just, but to the un-
believing. Behold, Simeon prophesieth
that the Lord JESUS Christ is come for
the fall and rising again of many: yea,
He shall separate the just from the un-
just by their deserts, and according as
our work shall be, so shall the true and
righteous Judge command us to be
punished or rewarded.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
*
First Antiphon. Simeon was just
and devout, waiting for the consolation
of Israël, and the Holy Ghost was upon
him.
Second Antiphon. It was revealed
unto Simeon * by the Holy Ghost that
he should not see death before he had
seen the Lord.
Third Antiphon. Simeon took the
Child up in his arms, and gave thanks,
and blessed the Lord.
Fourth Antiphon. A light to lighten
the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy
people Israël.
Fifth Antiphon. They offered for Him
* unto the Lord, a pair of turtle doves,
or two young pigeons.
Chapter. (Mal. iii. 1.)
BEHOLD, I send My Angel, and he
shall prepare the way before Me.
And the LORD, Whom ye seek, shall
suddenly come to His holy temple, even
the Angel of the Covenant Whom ye
delight in.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
When His parents brought in the Child
JESUS, then took Simeon Him up in his
arms, and blessed God, and said: Now
lettest Thou Thy servant depart in
peace.
Prayer throughout the Office.
ALMIGHTY and everliving God, we
humbly beseech Thy Majesty, that
as Thy Only-begotten Son was this day
presented in the temple in substance of
our flesh, so we may be presented unto
Thee with pure and clean hearts.
Through the same our Lord JESUS Christ
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
999
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Simeon was just, * &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory,
"Thou
That wast born of the Virgin Mary."
Chapter at the end. (Mal. iii. 4.)
THE
HEN shall the offering of Judah and
Jerusalem be pleasant unto the
LORD, as in the days of old, and as in
former years, saith the Lord Almighty.
TERCE.
Antiphon. It was revealed, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Simeon took, * &c., (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
BEH
Chapter. (Mal. iii. 2.)
EHOLD, He shall come, saith the
LORD of hosts: but who shall be
able to think of the day of His coming?
and who shall stand to see Him? For
He is like the fiery blast of a furnace,
and like fuller's soap.
NONE.
Antiphon. They offered for Him,
&c. (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons from Lauds.
All the rest as at First Vespers, ex-
cept the
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. This day did the Blessed Vir-
gin Mary present the Child JESUS in the
temple; and Simeon, filled with the
Holy Ghost, took Him up in his arms,
and blessed God for ever.
A Commemoration is made of the fol-
lowing from the Common Office for one
Bishop and Martyr, (p. 817.) Prayer,
"O God Who year by year dost gladden
us, &c."
FEBRUARY 3.
St. Blase, Bishop [of Sebaste
in Armenia,] Martyr.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for
Simple Feasts of a Martyr, (p. 828,)
except the following.
MATTINS.
The First and Second Lessons are
from Scripture according to the Season,
the Third being omitted or read as one
with the Second.
THIS
Third Lesson.
HIS Blase was chosen Bishop of the
city of Sebaste in Armenia, in
which place he enjoyed a great reputa-
tion for virtue. When Diocletian be-
gan to make the Christians the objects
of his insatiable cruelty, the Saint hid
himself in a cave on Mount Argæus,
where he lay till he was found by some
of the soldiers of Agricolaus the Pre-
sident, who were out hunting. He was
brought before the President, who com-
manded him to be thrown into irons.
While he was in prison, Blase healed
many of the sick, who were brought to
him on account of his reputation of
saintliness, and among others a boy who
had been despaired of by the physicians,
and who was at the point of death, from
a thorn which had become fixed in his
throat. Blase appeared twice before the
President, but neither cajolements nor
threats could induce him to sacrifice to
the gods. He was first beaten with
rods, and afterwards put on the rack,
where his flesh was mangled with iron
combs. At last his head was cut off,
whereby he finished a noble testimony
to the faith which is in Christ our Lord.
He bore witness on the 3rd day of
February, [in the year of salvation 316.]
Prayer throughout the day. O God,
Who year by year dost gladden us, &c.,
(p. 824.)
FEBRUARY 4.
St. Andrew Corsini, Bishop
[of Fiesole,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for one
1000
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS,
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
0
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who dost continually raise up
in Thy Church new ensamples of
godly living, grant unto Thy people so
to follow in the steps of Thy blessed
Bishop and Confessor Andrew, that at
the last they may together with him
attain unto Thine eternal reward.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
It must be remembered that no Com-
memoration is made of St. Blase, because
his Feast is a Simple: if it be Lent a
Commemoration must be made of the
Week-day, which rule is to be invariably
observed throughout that Season.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. If it be in Lent, then they
are from the Common Office, ("This
is a true saying, &c.." p. 843,) which
rule is to be invariably observed when
neither the Week-day nor the Feast has
proper Lessons from Scripture.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Andrew was born at Florence,
of the noble family of Corsini [upon
the 30th day of November, in the year
1302.] His birth was a special answer to
prayer, and his parents vowed him to
the Blessed Virgin. God fore-showed
even before his birth what he was to be.
While his mother was great with child
she dreamt that she brought forth a
wolf, which ran to the Carmelite Church
and was changed into a lamb as soon as
it reached the porch. The lad was
brought up in godliness and learning
becoming his rank, but turned to bad
courses; wherefore his mother often re-
buked him. Nevertheless, when he knew
how his parents had vowed him to the
Maiden Mother of God, the love of God
touched his heart, and the vision of his
mother moving him, he betook himself
to the Institute of the Carmelites. In
that place the devil exercised him with
many and divers temptations, but could
not break him off from his determina-
tion to profess as a friar. He was soon
after sent to Paris, where he finished
his studies at the University, and took
his degree; after which he returned to
his own country, and was set over the
houses of his order in Tuscany.
Fifth Lesson.
THE Bishop of Fiesole being dead, the
Church in that place chose Andrew
Corsini for his successor. He held him-
self altogether unworthy of that office,
and for a long time lay hidden and un-
known, till he was betrayed by the voice
of a child marvellously speaking, and
found outside the city. Then, lest he
should seem to resist the Will of God,
he took the Bishoprick [in the year 1360.]
Being dignified with this office, he set
himself to a more perfect exercise of the
virtue of lowliness, whereof he was al-
ready a diligent practiser. He was emi-
nent in watchfulness over the flock com-
mitted to his charge, joining thereto
great tenderness and liberality towards
the poor. He continued instant in
prayer and watching. Thus was he so
adorned with these and many other vir-
tues, and even with the gift of prophecy,
that the fame of his holy life was in the
mouths of all men.
Sixth Lesson.
URBAN V., moved by the fame of his
godly conversation, sent him as his
Legate to quiet disturbances at Bologna.
He endured much in the discharge of
this duty, calming with great wisdom
the angry passions of the citizens, who
had broken out into civil war, and
when peace was restored, he returned
home. Shortly after, he received from
the Blessed Virgin a warning of his ap-
proaching death, and being worn out
with his unceasing toil, and the ri-
gour of his voluntary mortifications,
he passed to the kingdom of heaven,
[upon the 6th day of January,] in the
years, in honour of her purity. Such is not
¹ Perhaps to wear white for his first seven
an uncommon vow in some Catholic countries.
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
1001
year of our Lord 1373, and the 71st of his
own age. His name became illustrious
for many and great miracles, and Urban
VIII. enrolled him in the number of the
Saints. His body resteth at Florence in
the Church of his Order, and is looked
on with great reverence by the citizens,
to whom, even in these days, he hath
more than once shown himself a pro-
tector.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 24, "A
man travelling, &c.," with the Homily
of St. Gregory, (p. 843.)
If it is in Lent the Ninth Lesson
("And so he that had received five
talents, &c.,") is either omitted or read
as one with the Eighth, and the Ninth
Lesson is of the gospel of the Week-day,
with the Commentary upon the same,
being either the first of the three
Lessons of the Week-day, or the whole
three read as one. This rule is inva-
riably to be observed when the Week-
day has a proper Gospel.
Prayer throughout the day as at
First Vespers, and at Lauds a Com-
memoration is made of the Week-day if
it be in Lent, which rule is invariably
to be observed.
Vespers are from the Chapter (in-
clusive) of the following.
J
FEBRUARY 5.
St. Agatha, Virgin and
Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Virgin and Martyr, (p. 873,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
These Vespers are of St. Andrew
Corsini, up to the Chapter exclusive, but
if they should be all of St. Agatha (as
for instance, in her own Church,) the
Antiphons are taken from Lauds, and
the Psalms are as on Sundays, except
the last, which is Ps. cxvi., "O praise
the LORD, &c.," (p. 154.)
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The blessed Agatha stood in the
midst of the prison, and stretched forth
her hands, and prayed unto the Lord,
saying: O Lord JESUS Christ, my Good
Master, I thank Thee because Thou hast
made me to overcome the cruelty of the
executioners: and now, O Lord, may it
please Thee that I should happily attain
unto Thy glory, which fadeth not away.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Andrew Corsini. Prayer as at his
First Vespers.
MATTINS.
Psalms as in the Common Office for
one Martyr (p. 818.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I am well born, and
of a respectable family, as all my rela-
tions testify.
Second Antiphon. The best of my
birth is, that I was born the slave of
Christ.
Third Antiphon. I look like a slave,
because I am one-the slave of Christ.
Lessons from Ecclus. li. 1, (p. 882.)
First Responsory.
While the blessed Agatha was being
grievously tortured in the breasts, she
said to the judge: Thou foul, cruel, and
bloody tyrant, art thou not ashamed to
do this to me, having thyself sucked at a
mother's breast?
Verse. I have breasts within, which
have been the Lord's from my child
hood, and them thou canst not mangle.
Answer. Thou foul, cruel, and bloody
tyrant, art thou not ashamed to do
this to me, having thyself sucked at a
mother's breast?
Second Responsory.
Agatha went to prison with great joy
and exultation, like a guest to a banquet,
and recommended her struggle to the
Lord in prayer.
Verse. She, the daughter of a most
noble race, rejoiced when a vile person
haled her to prison.
Answer. She went like a guest to a
banquet, and recommended her struggle
to the Lord in prayer.
E
1002
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Third Responsory.
Who art thou, who comest to heal
my wounds? I am an Apostle of
Christ: have no fear of me, my daughter:
He hath sent me to thee Whom thy soul
and thy pure heart love.
Verse. For I am His Apostle, and I
bid thee know that thou art healed in
the Name of Him.
Answer. Whom thy soul and thy
pure heart love.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Whom thy soul and thy
pure heart love.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The holy Agatha
said: Dost thou promise me beasts?
When they hear Christ's name they
grow tame.
Second Antiphon. If thou put the fire
to me, Angels will bring me a saving
dew from heaven.
Third Antiphon. Agatha went to
prison with great joy and exultation,
like a guest to a banquet, and recom-
mended her struggle to the Lord in
prayer.
Fourth Lesson.
THE
HE Maiden Agatha was a Sicilian of
noble birth. The citizens of Pa-
lermo and Catania dispute as to which
city had the honour of being her birth-
place. It was at Catania that, during
the persecution under the Emperor
Decius, she won the crown of a glorious
martyrdom. She was equally celebrated
for her beauty and her chastity, and
Quintianus, Prætor of Sicily, conceived
a passion for her. He tried every sort
of "device to overcome her modesty, and
when he found it impossible to make
her consent to his wishes, he caused her
to be arrested on a charge of Christian
superstition, and handed over to a
woman named Aphrodisia to be cor-
rupted. The company, however, of this
woman had no effect in shaking her con-
stancy in the Christian worship, nor her
settled determination to preserve her
purity. Aphrodisia therefore reported
to Quintianus that she was only throw-
ing away her pains on Agatha. He
ordered her to be brought before him.
Thou," said he, "art the daughter of
a noble family-dost thou feel no shame
in living the degraded and slavish life
of a Christian ?" Agatha answered
him, "The lowliness and bondage of a
Christian are far nobler than the estate
and pride of a king."
Fourth Responsory.
But by the Lord's help I will continue
to acknowledge Him Who hath saved
me, and strengthened me.
Verse. I thank Thee, O my Lord
JESUS Christ, because Thou hast sent
Thine Apostle unto me to heal my
wounds.
Answer. And strengthened me.
Fifth Lesson.
THEN the Prætor, being incensed
against her, gave her the alterna-
tive of either sacrificing to the gods, or
being submitted to the torture; and as
she remained firm in the faith, she was
buffeted and sent back to prison. The
next day she was brought forth, and,
because her resolution was still un-
shaken, she was stretched on the rack
and tortured with pieces of white-hot
metal. Then her breasts were cut off.
When Agatha received this injury she
cried out to Quintianus, "Cruel tyrant,
art thou not ashamed to do this to me,
having thyself sucked at a mother's
breast?" She was remanded again to
prison and put in irons. That night an
old man, who called himself an Apostle
of Christ, came to her, and healed her
wounds. The following day she was
brought for the last time before the
Prætor. Her constancy was unmoved,
and she was rolled on sharp potsherds
and live embers.
Fifth Responsory.
He hath cured me Who hath sent
His Apostle Peter to the prison to
strengthen me, after I was ordered to
be put on the rack. Because of my
chastity, help me, O Lord my God, for
they are torturing my breasts.
Verse. He hath vouchsafed to heal
me of all my wounds, and to put new
paps on my breasts.
Answer. Because of my chastity, help
me, O Lord my God, for they are tor-
turing my breasts.
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
1003
Sixth Lesson.
AT timth a
T that time the whole city was
shaken with a great earthquake,
and two of the Prætor's dearest friends,
Silvinus and Falconius, were killed by
falling walls. The townspeople were in
an uproar, and Quintianus, in fear of a
riot, ordered Agatha, who was half-
dead, to be carried back to prison quietly.
Then she made the following prayer:
"O Lord, Who hast been my Keeper
from my childhood, Who hast taken
from me all love for this present world,
Who hast strengthened me so that I am
more than conqueror over the cruelty of
the executioners, receive my spirit,"
and with these words she passed to
heaven. She finished her testimony
on the 5th day of February [in the year
of our Lord 251.] Her body was buried
by the Christians.
Sixth Responsory.
O Lord, Thou hast seen and known
how I have fought, and how I have run
in the race; but, because I would not
obey the magistrates, they ordered me
to be tortured in the breasts.
Verse. Because of truth, and meek-
ness, and righteousness,
Answer. They ordered me to be tor-
tured in the breasts.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. They ordered me to be tor-
tured in the breasts.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Unless thou make
the executioners to handle my body
vigorously, my soul will not be able to
enter into the Lord's paradise with the
palm of martyrdom.
Second Antiphon. O Lord, Thou hast
seen how I have fought, and how I have
run in the race; but, because I would
not obey the magistrates, they ordered
me to be tortured in the breasts.
Third Antiphon. Because of my
chastity they ordered me to be stretched
upon the rack: help me, O Lord my
God, for they are torturing my breasts.
Ps. xv. Preserve me, O Lord, &c.,
(p. 11.)
Lessons from Matth. xix. 3, with the
Homily of St. John Chrysostom, (p.
884.)
Seventh Responsory.
When the blessed Agatha came into
the prison, she stretched forth her hands
to God, and said: O Lord, Who hast
made me to overcome the cruelty of the
executioners, may it please Thee that I
should attain unto Thy mercy.
Verse. O Lord, Who hast made me,
Who hast taken from me all love for
this present world, and Who hast saved
my body from pollution,
Answer. May it please Thee that I
should attain unto Thy mercy.
Eighth Responsory.
I have used no earthly medicine for
my body, but I have for a Master,
Christ JESUS, by Whose Word alone all
things are made.
Verse. He hath vouchsafed to heal
me of all my wounds, and to put new
paps on my breast, and upon Him will I
call, even upon the Living God.
Answer. By Whose Word alone all
things are made.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. By Whose Word alone all
things are made.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Who art thou* who
comest to heal my wounds? I am an
Apostle of Christ: have no fear of me,
my daughter.
Second Antiphon. I have used no
earthly medicine for my body, but I
have for a Master Christ JESUS, by
Whose Word alone all things were made.
Third Antiphon. O my Lord Jesus
Christ, I thank Thee, * because Thou
hast been mindful of me, and hast sent
unto me Thine Apostle, to heal my
wounds.
Fourth Antiphon. I bless Thee, O
Father of my Lord JESUS Christ, be-
cause by Thine Apostle Thou hast put
new paps on my breast.
Fifth Antiphon. Upon Him Who
hath vouchsafed * to heal me of all my
wounds, and to put new paps on my
breast, upon Him will I call, even upon
the Living God.
Chapter (Ecclus. li. 1) from the Com-
mon Office for an Holy Woman, Martyr
but not Virgin, (p. 891.)
1004
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
'The heathen multitude made haste, and
came to the grave of the virgin, and
took therefrom her veil wherewith to
stem the fire; that the Lord might
show Himself to be a Deliverer from the
burning, for the sake of Agatha, His
blessed Martyr.
Prayer. O God, Who amidst the won-
drous, &c., (p. 880.)
At Prime, Terce, Sext, and None, the
Antiphons are taken from Lauds; viz.
at Prime the first, at Terce the second,
at Sext the third, and at None the fifth.
The rest is from the Common Office for
an Holy Woman, Martyr but not Vir-
gin, (p. 886,) and the Prayer at Terce,
Sext, and None is "O God, Who amidst
the wondrous, &c.," as at Lauds.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Psalms as on Sundays, except the last,
which is Ps. cxlvii., "Praise the LORD,
O Jerusalem, &c.," (p. 170.)
From the Chapter, the Office is of St.
Titus, Bishop and Confessor. All from
the Common, (p. 842.) The first verse
of the Hymn is altered. Prayer, “O
God, Who didst glorify, &c.," as below.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Agatha. Antiphon. "The blessed Aga-
tha stood in the midst, &c.," (p. 1001.)
Then of the holy Virgin Martyr Doro-
thy. Antiphon, Verse and Answer
from the Common Office, (p. 873,) and
Prayer, "O Lord, we pray Thee, &c.,"
(p. 880.)
FEBRUARY 6.
St. Titus, Archbishop (of Gor-
tyna in Crete,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst glorify Thy blessed
Confessor and Bishop Titus with
the graces of an Apostle, grant unto us
for his sake and at his prayers, that we
may so live soberly, righteously, and
godly in this present world, that here-
after we may worthily attain unto the
Fatherland which is in heaven. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season, or, in Lent, from the Com-
mon Office.
THE
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
HE Apostle Paul had no sooner by
his preaching gathered the Cretans
to the Sacraments and doctrines of the
Christian Faith, than he made Titus
their Bishop. It is agreed that the ho-
liness of Titus shone with so bright a
light before the infant Church, that he
earned fellowship with the disciples of
the Teacher of the Gentiles. Being
taken to share in the work of preaching,
he so endeared himself to Paul by his
faithfulness and zeal in declaring the
Gospel, that the Apostle saith: “When
I came to Troas to preach Christ's Gos-
pel, and a door was opened unto me of
the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit,
because I found not Titus my brother:
but taking my leave of them, I went
from thence into Macedonia." (2 Cor. ii.
12, 13.) And again he saith: "When
we were come into Macedonia, our flesh
had no rest, but we were troubled on
every side; without were fightings, with-
in were fears. Nevertheless, God, that
comforteth those that are cast down,
comforted us by the coming of Titus."
(vii. 5, 6.)
IT
Fifth Lesson.
T was this affection of Paul toward
Titus, which had induced him to
send him to Corinth upon a Mission
which mainly concerned the collection
of alms from the charity of the faithful
1 Viz. an eruption of Mount Etna. The same veil is still carried up the mountain on
similar occasions for the same purpose.
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
1005
for the relief of the poor Hebrew Saints
at Jerusalem. This mission Titus dis-
charged with such wisdom and gentle-
ness, that he not only strengthened the
Corinthians in the faith, but also stirred
up in them an earnest desire, a mourn-
ing, a fervent mind toward Paul, their
earliest teacher. (vii. 7.) Many were
the other journeys by land and sea
which Titus undertook in order to sow
the seed of God's word among men of
divers nations, tongues, and countries.
Filled with bold loyalty to the banner
of the Cross, he went with Paul to the
island of Crete. Of the Church of Crete
the Apostle himself made him the first
Bishop; and we may not doubt that, as
such, he was what his Teacher bade him
be, "in all things showing himself a
pattern of good works, in doctrine, in
uncorruptness, in gravity." (Tit. ii. 7.)
Sixth Lesson.
LIKE a candle, he gave forth the
light of faith in the midst of men
sitting in the darkness of idolatry and
falsehood, as in the shadow of death.
He is said to have sweated mightily to
unfurl the banner of the Cross among
the Dalmatians. He was full of days
and good works, when, upon a 4th of
January, in the 94th year of his age, he
died one of those deaths which are pre-
cious in the sight of the Lord. He was
buried in the Church of which the
Apostle had made him the minister.
His praises have been mostly written by
St. John Chrysostom and St. Jerome.
The 4th of January is the day upon
which his name is read in the Roman
Martyrology, but Pope Pius IX. as-
signed for his Festival, to be kept with
an Office and Mass by the clergy secu-
lar and regular throughout the Catholic
world, the first free day afterwards.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke x. 1, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 816.) The
last part is omitted, or read as one with
the Eighth, to make room for the
Ninth Lesson. (For St. Dorothy.)
HE maiden Dorothy, of Cæsarea in
THE
Cappadocia, was betrayed to Apri-
cius the President by her two sisters,
Chrysta and Callista, who had denied
the faith, in the hope that he would in-
duce her to do likewise. She was ar-
rested, but it came not to pass as they
hoped. On the contrary, she brought
them back to the Christian worship, and
they received martyrdom. She was long
tormented upon the rack, and scourged
with palm-branches, and in the end was
beheaded, receiving the double palm of
virginity and martyrdom.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of St. Dorothy. All from the Common.
Prayer, "O Lord, we pray Thee, &c.,")
(p. 880.)
Vespers are of the following, from the
Chapter inclusive.
FEBRUARY 7.
St. Romuald, Abbat.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) ex-
cept what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is
changed.
Prayer: O Lord, we beseech Thee,
&c., (p. 867.)
A Commemoration is made of St.
Titus. Prayer as in his Office.
No Commemoration of St. Dorothy.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. If it be in Lent they are
from the Common Office, viz. Ecclus.
xxxi. 8, "Blessed is the man, &c.," and
the two which follow, (p. 864.)
THE
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
HE holy Abbat Romuald was the son
of one Sergius, of a noble family of
Ravenna. While he was still very young,
he went to a neighbouring monastery at
Classis to do penance. While he was
there he heard a discourse by a monk,
which stirred him up strongly to aim
1006
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
**
at godliness of living; and he had after-
wards in the Church by night two vi-
sions in which the blessed servant of
God Apollinaris foretold to him that he
should become a monk himself. He
accordingly did so; and soon afterwards
betook himself to one Marinus, whose
holy life and strict discipline were then
much noised about in all the coasts of
the Venetians, that he might by his
teaching and guidance attain towards
the hard and lofty point of perfection.
THE
Fifth Lesson.
more he was assailed by the wiles
of Satan and the unkindness of men,
the more did he exercise himself in
lowliness, with continual fasting and
prayer, and rejoice in thinking of hea-
venly things, with abundance of tears.
And all the while he bore so bright a
face as gladdened all who looked on
him. He was held in great honour by
princes and kings, and his counsel moved
many to leave the blandishments of the
world and withdraw to the desert.
had such a burning desire to obtain the
crown of martyrdom that he set out for
Pannonia on purpose to seek it, but,
falling into sickness whenever he went
forward though growing strong again
whenever he drew back, he behoved to
return home.
GOD
Sixth Lesson.
He
OD worked miracles by him both
during his life and after his death,
and likewise gave him the gift of pro-
phecy. Like the Patriarch Jacob, he
saw a ladder reaching from earth to
heaven, and men in white garments as-
cending and descending upon it, in
whom he marvellously knew were re-
presented the monks of the Camaldolese
Institute, of which he was the founder.
At the age of 120 years, of which he had
spent 100 in serving God in great hard-
ness, he passed into His Presence, in
the year of Salvation 1027. Five years
after his death his body was found in-
corrupt, and laid in a magnificent grave
in the Church of his order at Fabriano.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xix. 27, with the
Homily of the Ven. Bede, (p. 868.)
Prayer throughout the day as at First
Vespers.
The Second Vespers are of the follow-
ing, from the Chapter inclusive.
FEBRUARY 8.
St. John de la Mata, Con-
fessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
These Vespers are of St. Romuald, up
to the Chapter, exclusive.
0
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who by a sigu from heaven
didst choose Thy holy servant John
to be the founder of the Order of the
Most Holy Trinity for the ransom of
prisoners held in the power of the Sara-
cens, mercifully grant unto us for his
ɛake that we may be delivered by Thine
Almighty power from all bonds and
chains of sin whether in our bodies or in
our souls. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, One God, world without end.
Amen.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Romuald. Prayer as at his First Ves-
pers.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is al-
tered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. In Lent, the same as yes-
terday.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
JOHN de la Mata, the founder of the
Order of the Most Holy Trinity for
the Ransom of Prisoners, was born at
Faucon in Provence [upon Midsummer's
Day, in the year 1169,] and was the child
of parents equally distinguished for their
rank and their godly life. He went for
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
1007
his education first to Aix and then to
Paris. At the University of Paris, where
he went through the course of Divinity
and took the degree of Doctor, he be-
came eminent for learning and virtue.
For this reason the Bishop of Paris or-
dained him Priest, an honour from
which his lowliness caused him to
shrink, in the hope that he should in-
duce him to remain at Paris, and be a
bright example of wisdom and manners
to the students who resorted thither.
He offered up the Holy Sacrifice to God
for the first time in the private Chapel
of the Bishop, and in the presence of
that Prelate and divers other persons.
In the midst of the ceremony, a vision
from God appeared to John. There ap-
peared to him an angel, clad in raiment
white and glistering; having sewn on
his breast a cross of red and blue.
arms were crossed before him, and his
hands were upon the heads of two slaves,
one a Christian and the other a Moor.
And immediately the man of God was
in the spirit, and knew that he was
called to the work of ransoming bonds-
men from the power of the unbelievers.
THA
Fifth Lesson.
His
HAT he might set himself with due
forethought to the carrying out of
his work, he withdrew into a certain
desert, and there, by the will of God, he
found Felix de Valois, who had already
spent many years in that place. With
him he joined company, and they passed
three years together in continual prayer,
meditation, and all spiritual exercises.
It came to pass, one day, when they
were sitting on the bank of a spring,
that there came to them a stag having
between his horns a cross of red and
blue. Felix cried out in wonder at that
sight, and John then told him of the
vision that had appeared to him when he
was saying his first Mass. Thenceforth
they gave themselves with redoubled
fervour to prayer, and, being three times
warned in sleep, they determined to go
to Rome, and pray the Pope to institute
an Order for the ransom of prisoners.
They arrived at the time of the election
of Innocent III., who received them
courteously, and entertained in his mind
their petition. While he was in con-
sideration, he went to the Lateran Ca-
thedral, on the second Feast of St. Agnes,
and there, while Mass was being so-
lemnly sung, at the moment of the ele-
vation of the Sacred Host, there ap-
peared to him an angel, clad in raiment
white and glistering, having sewn on
his breast a cross of red and blue, and
making as though he would free pri-
soners. Thereupon the Pope founded
the Order, commanding that it should
be called the Order of the Most Holy
Trinity for the Ransom of prisoners, and
that they who professed in it should be
clad in white raiment, having sewn on
their breasts a cross of red and blue.
THE
Sixth Lesson.
HE Order being thus established, the
holy Founders returned into France,
and built their first Convent at Cerfroid,
in the diocese of Meaux. Felix re-
mained in charge of this house, and
John went back to Rome with several
companions. To them Innocent gave
the house, Church, and hospital of St.
Thomas de Formis on the Colian Mount,
with great endowments and property.
Moreover he gave them a letter of in-
troduction to Miramolin, King of Mo-
rocco, and they began with bright hopes
the work of ransoming prisoners. John
next betook himself to Spain, great part
of which was then in the hands of the
Saracens, and stirred up the hearts of
the kings, princes, and all the faithful
to have pity on slaves and the poor. He
built Convents, founded Hospitals, and
ransomed many bondsmen, to the great
gain of souls. At last he returned to
Rome, still busied in good works, but
worn out by unceasing toil, and weak--
ened by sickness. As he drew near the
end of his earthly pilgrimage, his burn-
ing love for God and for his neighbour
suffered no diminution. He called to-
gether his brethren, and earnestly ex-
horted them to go on with that work of
ransom which had been pointed out to
them from heaven, and then fell asleep
in the Lord, on the 21st day of De-
cember, 1213. His body was buried with
due honour in the Church of St. Thomas
de Formis.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 859.)
At Vespers a Commemoration is made
'
}
3 x
1008
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
of the following: Antiphon, Verse_and
Answer, from the Common Office for a
Virgin and Martyr, and Prayer, "O
God, Who amidst the wondrous, &c.,'
(p. 880.)
EBRUARY 9.
St. Apollonia, Virgin and
Martyr.
Simple.
""
All from the Common Office for Simple
Feasts of a Virgin and Martyr,(p.
885,) except the following.
MATTINS.
The First and Second Lessons are from
Scripture according to the Season, the
Third being omitted, or read as one with
the Second.
Third Lesson.
APOLLONIA was an aged virgin of
Alexandria, who, [in the year of sal-
vation 249,] in the reign of the Emperor
Decius, was brought before the idols to
worship them, but refused, declaring that
Christ JESUS is True God, and that to Him
worship is due. The cruel executioners
beat and pulled out all her teeth, and
threatened to burn her alive if she would
not deny Christ. To whom she an-
swered, that for Christ JESUS' sake she
was ready to die. Being taken to the
place of execution she stood for a few
moments as if in doubt, and then, the
fire of the Holy Ghost burning up in
her heart, she broke from those that
held her, and leapt of her own accord
into the flames.¹ Her body was quickly
consumed, and her soul departed pure
to obtain the eternal crown of martyr-
dom.
Prayer throughout the day. O God,
Who amidst the wondrous, &c., (p. 880.)
FEBRUARY 10.
St. Scholastica, Virgin.2
Double.
All from the Common Office for Vir-
gins, (p. 873,) except what is otherwise
given here.
1 On this see Alban Butler, Feb. 9.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who, to show the way of the
undefiled, wast pleased that the
soul of Thy blessed Virgin Scholastica
should fly to heaven in a bodily shape,
like a dove, mercifully grant unto us
Thy servants, for her sake, and at her
petition, worthily to attain unto Thine
everlasting joy. Through our Lord JE-
Sus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
No Commemoration of St. Apollonia
at First Vespers.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture, according to
the Season. In Lent from 1 Cor. vii.
25, (p. 874.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Second
Book of the Dialogues of Pope St.
Gregory [the Great.] (Ch. 33.)
THE worshipful Scholastica, the sister
of our Father Benedict, was hal-
lowed unto the Lord Almighty from a
child. Her custom was to come to see
her brother once every year. And when
she came, the man of God went down
unto her, not far from the door, but, as
it were, within the borders of his monas-
tery. And there was a day when she
came, as her custom was, and her wor-
shipful brother went down to her, and
his disciples with him. Then they passed
the whole day together, praising God,
and speaking one to the other of spi-
ritual things. And when the night
came, they brake bread together. And
while they were yet at table, and con-
versed together on spiritual things, the
hour was late. Then the holy woman
his sister besought him, saying: "Leave
me not, I pray thee, this night, but let
us speak even until morning of the glad-
ness of the eternal life." He answered
her: "What is it that thou sayest, my
sister? I can by no means remain out
of my cell." Now the firmament was so
clear that there were no clouds in the
2 Died circa A.D. 543.
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
1009
L
sky. Then the holy nun, when she had
heard the words of her brother, that he
would not abide with her, clasped her
hands on the table, and laid her face on
her hands, and besought the Lord Al-
mighty. And it came to pass that when
she lifted up her head from the table,
there were great thunderings and light-
nings, and a flood of rain, insomuch that
neither the worshipful Benedict nor the
brethren that were with him could move
as much as a foot over the threshold of
the place where they sat.
Fifth Lesson.
NOW when the holy woman laid her
head in her hands upon the table,
she wept bitterly, and as she wept, the
clearness of the sky was turned to a
tempest. As she prayed, immediately
the flood followed. And the time was
so, that she lifted up her head when it
thundered, and when she had lifted up
her head, the rain came. When the man
of God saw that he could not return to
his monastery, because of the lightnings,
and thunderings, and the great rain, he
was sorrowful and grieved, saying: "Al-
mighty God forgive thee, my sister;
what is this that thou hast done?" She
answered him: "Behold, I besought thee,
and thou wouldest not hear; I besought
my God, and He hath heard me; if,
therefore, thou wilt, go forth, leave me
alone, and go thy way to thy monastery.'
But he could not, and so he tarried in
the same place, not willingly, but of
necessity. And so it came to pass that
they slept not all that night,” but fed
one another with discourse on spiritual
things.
Sixth Lesson.
""
ND, when the morning was come,
AND,
the worshipful woman arose, and
went unto her own cell, and the man
of God went back to his monastery.
And, behold, after three days he was
sitting in his cell, and he lifted up his
eyes to heaven, and saw the soul of his
sister, delivered from the body, fly to
heaven in a bodily shape like a dove.
Wherefore he rejoiced because of the
glory that was revealed in her, and gave
thanks to Almighty God in hymns and
praises, and made known to the brethren
that she was dead. He commanded them
also to go and take up her body, and
bring it to his monastery, and lay it in
the grave which he had made ready for
himself. Whereby it came to pass that
they twain who had ever been of one
mind in the Lord, even in death were
not divided.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 878.)
FEBRUARY 14.
St. Valentine, Priest and
Martyr.¹
Simple.
All from the Common Office for Simple
Feasts of One Martyr, (p. 828,) except
the following.
GRANT,
Prayer throughout.
we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that we who keep the birth-
day of Thy blessed Martyr Valentine
may be delivered by his prayers from
all the ills that hang over us. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
The First and Second Lessons are
from Scripture according to the Season,
the Third being omitted, or read as one
with the Second. The Third Lesson is
from the Sermons of St. Austin, “The
illustrious day, &c.," (p. 820.)
FEBRUARY 15.
The Holy Martyrs, Faustinus
and Jobita.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for Simple
Feasts of Many Martyrs, (p. 841,) ex-
cept what is otherwise given here.
Prayer throughout the Office. O God,
Who year by year, &c., (p. 836.)
No Commemoration is made of St.
Valentine at First Vespers.
1 The Martyrology says that "after many wonders of healing and of teaching, he was
cudgelled and beheaded at Rome, under Claudius Cæsar” about A.D. 270.
!
му
3 x 2
1010
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
MATTINS.
The First and Second Lessons are
from Scripture according to the Season,
the Third being omitted, or read as one
with the Second.
Second Responsory.
Feasts of a Bishop and Martyr, (p. 828,)
except what is otherwise given here.
Prayer throughout. Mercifully con-
sider our weakness, &c., (p. 823.)
MATTINS.
The First and Second Lessons are
Theirs is a brotherhood indeed, &c., from Scripture according to the Season.
(p. 834.)
Third Lesson.
FAUSTINUS
This
AUSTINUS and Jovita were bro-
thers, born of a noble family at
Brescia. While Trajan's persecution
was raging, they were taken about in
chains from one city of Italy to another,
and exhibited in torture in each.
cruelty utterly failed to silence their
confession of Christ, Whom they preached
by their sufferings in every place where
they were shown. They were after-
wards kept for a long time at Brescia,
where they were exhibited with wild
beasts, and tormented with fire. Being
both still alive, they were brought to
Milan, without their chains having ever
been taken off. At Milan they were
tortured again with every invention of
cruelty that could be devised. Never-
theless the great power of their faith
made them more than conquerors, shin-
ing even as gold tried in the furnace.
From Milan they were brought to Rome,
where they were confirmed by Pope
Evaristus, and where they were put to
the torture again with extreme bar-
barity. They were afterwards shown
in public at Naples, where the tormen-
tors displayed their skill in divers ways
upon them. Here they were thrown
chained into the sea, but the angels de-
livered them. Their stations of suffer-
ing, by their God-like patience, and the
wonderful Power displayed in them, had
now turned many souls to JESUS. In
the end they were carried back to Bres-
cia, and, when Hadrian took the empire,
they were put to death by the axe at
that place. The crown of martyrdom
which they won is glorious.
FEBRUARY 18.
St. Simeon, Bishop [of
Jerusalem,] Martyr.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for Simple
1 About A.D. 121.
the Third being omitted, or read as one
with the Second.
Third Lesson.
SIMEON, the son of Cleophas, (Matth.
xiii. 55,) was [chosen] the second
Bishop of Jerusalem, [in the year 62,]
being the first after James. Under the
Emperor Trajan he was accused before
the Pro-Consul Atticus, as being both a
Christian, and a relation of Christ, this
being the time when all were arrested
that were of the lineage of David. He
underwent with great suffering the same
things that were inflicted on our Sa-
viour, and all men marvelled to see with
how great boldness and firmness he en-
dured the grievous torment of the Cross,
at his great age, for he was an hundred
and twenty years old.
FEBRUARY 22.
St. Peter's Chair at Antioch.
Greater Double.
All the same as on the Feast of St.
Peter's Chair at Rome, (p. 968,) except
what is otherwise given here.
MATTINS.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(15th on the Saints.)
THE solemn Feast of to-day received
from our forefathers the name of
that of St. Peter's Chair at Antioch, be-
cause there is a tradition that it was on
this day that Peter, first of the Apostles,
was enthroned in a Bishop's Chair.
Rightly, therefore, do the Churches ob-
serve the first day of that Chair, the
right to which the Apostle received for
the salvation of the Churches from the
Lord of the Churches Himself, with the
2 A.D. 107 or 116.
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
1011
words: "Thou art Peter, and upon this
rock I will build My Church."
IT
Fifth Lesson.
was the Lord Himself Who called
Peter the foundation of the Church,
and therefore it is right that the Church
should reverence this foundation where-
on her mighty structure riseth. Justly
is it written in the Psalm which we have
just heard: "Let them exalt him in the
congregation of the people, and praise
him in the assembly of the elders."
Blessed be God, Who hath commanded
that the Blessed Apostle Peter should
be exalted in the congregation! Worthy
to be honoured by the Church is that
foundation from which her goodly towers
rise, pointing to heaven!
Sixth Lesson.
N the honour which is this day paid
shop's throne, an honour is paid to the
office of all Bishops. The Churches tes-
tify one to another, that, the greater the
Church's dignity, the greater the rever-
ence due to her priests. While I con-
fess how rightly godly custom hath ex-
alted this Feast in the estimation of all
the Churches, the more do I wonder at
the growth of that unhealthy error
which at this day causeth some unbe-
lievers to lay food and wine upon the
graves of the dead,' as if souls once rid
of the body had any longer any need of
bodily refreshment.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xvi. 13.)
A
T that time: JESUS came into the
coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, and He
asked His disciples, saying: Who do
men say that I, the Son of Man, am?
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Leo [the Great.]
(3rd on the Anniversary of his own
élection.)
The Lord asked His disciples Who
men said that He was, and their an-
swers were human as long as they were
the answers of human reason, unillumi-
nated by Divine light. At last, when
the glimmerings of earthly conjecture
were spoken, he whose Apostleship is
the first in dignity, was the first to con-
fess his Lord. "And Simon Peter an-
swered and said: Thou art the Christ,
the Son of the living God. And JESUS
answered and said unto him: Blessed
art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and
blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but My Father Which is in heaven.'
That is to say, "For this cause art thou
blessed, because My Father Himself hath
taught thee; the opinions of men have
not beguiled thee, the voices of angels
have not taught thee, not flesh and
blood, but He, Whose Only-begotten
Son I am, hath revealed Me unto thee."
Eighth Lesson.
THUS saith the Lord unto Simon
Peter: "And I say
also unto thee,
That thou art Peter.' That is to say,
"Even as My Father hath revealed
unto thee concerning Me that I am God,
even so now will I also reveal unto thee
that thou art Peter; I am the sure Rock
of defence, the Corner Stone, Who make
both one, (Eph. ii. 20, 15,) I am the
Foundation, beside Which other can
no man lay, (1 Cor. iii. 11,) and thou
also art a rock, in My Strength made
hard, and those things whereof I by
right am Lord, into thy hand do I give
them, that thou mayest bear rule over
them, for Me, and with Me."
"And
upon this rock I will build My Church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it." "Upon this strength of
thine, whereof I am the Strength, I
will build My eternal temple, and upon
the truth of thy confession of Me I will
make to rise that My glorious Church
whose spires shall pierce to heaven."
Ninth Lesson.
Note. If this Feast fall on a Satur-
day before Lent, or be transferred to a
Monday, and it be not Leap Year, then
the Ninth Lesson will be the Homily for
St. Matthias' Eve, of which a Comme-
moration will also be made at Lauds,
after that of St. Paul. If moreover
this Feast fall in Lent, then the Ninth
Lesson will be the Homily of the Week-
day, of which also a Commemoration
will be made. In Lent no notice of St.
Matthias' Eve is taken in the Office.
¹ Perhaps alluding to some practice, in celebration of festivals, which had grown out of
the agapæ or love-feasts, and had become an abuse.
1012
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
AGAINST this confession the gates of
shall never prevail, neither
shall the bands of death take hold upon
it. Thus saith He That is faithful and
true. And as this confession hath power
to lift up to heaven them that make it,
so is it able to thrust down to hell them
that gainsay it. Wherefore it is said
unto the most blessed Peter: "And I
will give unto thee the keys of the
kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever
thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound
in heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt
loose on earth, shall be loosed in hea-
ven." This power passed indeed to the
other Apostles also; this the Lord's will
had effect in them; but it is not in vain
that it is written that that was given tó
one which passed from him to all. To
Peter alone were the keys given, and
Peter is set as the pattern for all them
that bear rule in the Church to follow.
There remaineth therefore the right of
Peter,wheresoever his judgment decreeth
justice. Neither is there anything too
hard, or too lax, where there is nothing
bound and nothing loosed, save when
Peter bindeth or looseth.
SECOND VESPERS.
A Commemoration is made of the fol-
lowing. Antiphon, "O right excellent
Teacher, &c.," (p. 843,) Verse, "The
Lord loved him, &c.," and Answer, (p.
843,) and the following Prayer.
GRANT unto us, we beseech Thee, O
Almighty God, so to profit by the
teaching and example of Thy blessed
Confessor and Bishop Peter, that like
him we may lightly esteem the things
which are seen and temporal, and finally
attain unto those good things which are
unseen and eternal. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
FEBRUARY 23.
St. Peter Damian, [Cardinal]
Bishop [of Ostia,] Confessor
and Doctor of the Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
what is otherwise given here.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. In Lent from 1 Tim. iii.
1, (p. 843.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THE holy Doctor Peter Damian was
born of respectable parents at Ra-
venna [about the year of our Lord
988.] While he was still a suckling,
his mother, overcome with the care of
many children, cast him out to perish,
but one of the women servants saved
him when he was nigh to death, and fed
him until natural affection appeared
again in his mother, to whom she then
gave him back. After the death of both
his parents he lived with a brother who
treated him like the lowest slave, and
in whose house he underwent a hard
bondage. Even while he was in this
condition he gave a wonderful proof of
his faith toward God, and his dutiful
love toward his father. It chanced that
one day he found a considerable sum of
money, but instead of using it to relieve
his own poverty, he gave it all to a priest
to offer God's sacrifice for the forgive-
ness of his father's sins. He had hap-
pily another brother called Damian, the
same from whom he seemeth afterwards
to have taken his surname. By him he
was affectionately adopted, and put in
the way of being educated. He made
such progress in learning as astonished
his teachers, and when he had won an
eminent name in letters, he began to
teach on his own accord with general
applause. Meanwhile, lest his body
should get the better of his mind, he
constantly wore a hair-shirt under his
softer clothes, and exercised himself in
fasting, watching, and prayer. In the
spring-time of his age he was grievously
tormented by the stings of the flesh;
and sometimes, when the rebellions of
lust seemed about to get the mastery
over him at night, he threw himself
into a freezing stream to check them.
After this he would go about visiting
consecrated places, and repeat the whole
book of Psalms. He was most careful
FEAST-DAYS IN FEBRUARY.
1013
¡
in relieving the poor, on whom he would
wait with his own hands.
DES
Fifth Lesson..
ESIRING to attain to perfection of
life he betook himself to the con-
vent of Font-Avellano, in the diocese
of Gubbio, in Umbria, a house founded
by the blessed Ludolph, the disciple of
St. Romuald, for the monks of the Holy
Cross. He dwelt there not long before
he was sent by his Abbat, first to the
Abbey of Pomposia, and, secondly, to
that of St. Vincent at Pietra Pertusa,
both which brotherhoods he greatly pro-
fited by his godly exhortations, discreet
rules, and grave manners. After his
return home, and the death of his Su-
perior, he was chosen to rule the bre-
thren of Avellano. Here he founded
divers new hermitages, and made the
community so to flourish under his
saintly direction, that he is esteemed
the second Father and chief ornament
of that Order. This healthful care of
Peter was made a blessing to convents
of other Rules than his own, to houses
of Canons, and to the people. He was
many ways profitable to the diocese of
Urbino. He sat with Theuzo the Bishop
of that See to judge of a most weighty
matter, and led him by his counsel and
assistance rightly to administer his Bi-
shoprick. He was foremost in contem-
plation of the things of God, in severity
toward his own body, and in other
things whereby to set a bright example
of godliness. In consideration of these
things the Supreme Pontiff Stephen IX.,
[in the year 1057,] created him, in spite
of his own unwillingness and objections,
a Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church,
and appointed him Bishop of Ostia.
This dignity Peter bore with the highest
reputation for piety, and adorned with
works meet for a Bishop.
AT
Sixth Lesson.
T the most anxious times he greatly
sustained the Church of Rome and
the Supreme Pontiffs by his teaching,
by missions which he discharged, and
by divers other labours which he under-
took on their behalf. He strove man-
fully even unto death against the here-
sies of the Nicolaïtans and the Simoniacs,
by putting down which evils he recon-
ciled the Church of Milan to that of
Rome. He was one of the stoutest
op-
ponents of the false Popes Benedict and
Cadalous. He deterred Henry IV., King
of Germany, from his wicked scheme for
putting away his wife. He recalled the
people of Ravenna to their bounden duty
to the Bishop of Rome, and restored
them to the communion of the Church..
He reformed the Canons of Velletri, and
brought them to lead more godly lives.
There were hardly any Cathedral
Churches, especially in the province of
Urbino, of which he did not deserve
well. In Gubbio, of which he had at one
time the management, he abolished many
things unseemly. He brought about im-
provements in many and divers places, as
if each were his special charge. [In 1062]
he
gave up his dignities of Cardinal and
Bishop, but he allowed his love toward
his neighbours to know no diminution.
He was particularly zealous in spreading
abroad four devout practices: 1st. To
fast every Friday in honour of the Holy
Cross of JESUS Christ; 2nd. To recite
the Hours of the Blessed Mother of God,
called also her Little Office; 3rd. To
sanctify Saturday in her honour; and
4th, and especially, to scourge oneself
in punishment for sin committed. At
length he departed to be with Christ, at
Faenza, on his way back from his mis-
sion to Ravenna, on the 22nd of Febru-
ary, [in the year 1072,] at the height of
his reputation for holiness, learning, mi-
racles, and good works. His body is buried
in the house of the Cistercians at Faenza,
where the people resort often to his grave
with great reverence. The citizens of Fa-
enza, to whom he hath been found good
at need even to this day, have chosen him
for their Patron in the presence of God.
The supreme Pontiff Leo XII., finding
that an Office and Mass in memory of
him, as a Confessor and Bishop, was in
use in some dioceses, and in the Camal-
dolese Order, by advice of the Sacred
Congregation of Rites, added the title of
Doctor, and extended the use of the said
Office and Mass to the whole Church.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 870.)
Eighth Responsory.
In the midst, &c., (p. 860.)
If it be neither Lent nor Leap Year
the Ninth Lesson will be the Homily
1014
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
)
for St. Matthias' Eve. Then the Third
Lesson of the Homily on Matth. v. 13 is
omitted, or read as one with the Second,
and the First Lesson only of the Homily
of the Eve is read, or else the three as
one. In Lent no notice is taken of St.
Matthias' Eve, and the Ninth Lesson
is the Homily for the Week-day, either
the first part or all three in one.
Prayer throughout the day as at the
Commemoration the preceding evening.
In Leap Year St. Matthias' Eve is
kept on February 24.
In Lent it is omitted.
All from the Common Office for Apos-
tles' Eves, (p. 791.)
FEBRUARY 24, OR IN LEAP YEAR
FEB. 25.
St. Matthias, Apostle.
Double of the Second Class.
All from the Common Office for the
Feasts of Apostles, (p. 805,) except what
is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst choose Thy blessed
servant Matthias to be of the
number of the twelve Apostles, grant,
we beseech Thee, that Thy Church,
being upholden by his prayers,
ever feel about her the arms of Thy
most mighty protection. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
If this be the evening of February
23rd, then a Commemoration is made of
St. Peter Damian. Antiphon, “O right
excellent Teacher, &c.," (p. 843.)
Verse, "The Lord guided, &c.," and
Answer, (p. 849,) and the Prayer of St.
Peter Damian as throughout the day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of the
Apostles (i. 15.)
IN the brethren, and said:
those days Peter stood up in the
(the number of the men together was
about an hundred and twenty) Men and
brethren, this Scripture must needs be
fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the
mouth of David spake before concerning
Judas, which was guide to them that
took JESUS: for he was numbered with
us, and had obtained part of this min-
istry. Now this man purchased a field
with the reward of iniquity; wherein
also he hanged himself, and bursting
asunder in the midst, all his bowels
gushed out.
Second Lesson.
AND it was known unto all the
dwellers at Jerusalem, insomuch
as that field is called in their proper
tongue "Haceldama," that is to say,
"The field of blood.” For it is written
in the book of Psalms: "Let his habi-
tation be desolate, and let no man dwell
therein, and his Bishoprick let another
take." (cviii. 8.) Wherefore, of these
men which have companied with us all
the time that the Lord JESUS went in
and out among us, beginning from the
baptism of John, unto that same day
that He was taken up from us, must
one be ordained to be a witness with us
of His resurrection.
Third Lesson.
AND they appointed two, Joseph called
Just, and Matthias. And they prayed,
and said: Thou, Lord, Which knowest
the hearts of all men, show whether of
these two Thou hast chosen, that he
may take part of this ministry and
Apostleship, from which Judas by trans-
gression fell, that he might go to his
own place. And they gave forth their
lots, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and
he was numbered with the eleven
Apostles.2
SECOND NOCTURN.
Lessons from St. Austin's Exposition
of Psalm lxxxvi. (p. 812.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xi. 25, with the
Homily of St. Austin, p. 867.' In Lent
the Third Lesson of St. Austin's Homily
1 Literally, "about her the bowels of Thy mercy.
* The Martyrology says that he ultimately "suffered martyrdom in Judea for preaching
the Gospel."
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1015
is omitted or read as one with the Second,
and the Ninth Lesson is the Homily on
the Gospel for the Week-day.
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
On the day next before Lent on which
Nine Lessons are not read, is said the
Office of the Dead.
MARCH 4.
St. Casimir, Confessor.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, in the strength of Whose
grace Thine holy servant Casimir
did Thee leal and brave service amidst
the softness of kings' palaces and the
temptations of the world, grant that
Thy people, being holpen by his inter-
cession, may ever despise earthly things,
and breathe after those that are heavenly.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
In Lent a Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
Then of St. Lucius, Pope and Martyr.¹
All from the Common Office for one
Martyr, (p. 817.) Prayer, "O God,
Who year by year, &c.," (p. 824.)
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. In Lent from Wisd. iv. 7
and v. 1, (p. 856.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Casimir
Casimir was the son of Casimir
III., King of Poland, by Eliza-
beth of Austria, his wife [and was born
upon the 5th day of October, in the
year 1458.] From his childhood he
was taught by the best masters, and
was trained in all godliness and good
learning. While he was still a boy he
wore rough hair-cloth, and chastened
himself with much fasting. He forsook
the softness of his princely bed, and lay
upon the hard ground, and on stormy
nights he would go out secretly and
prostrate himself before the doors of
the Churches, crying to God for mercy.
He was unwearied in contemplating
the Passion of Christ, and when he was
present at Mass, so profound was his re-
collection, that he seemed to be alto-
gether beside himself.
H" c
Fifth Lesson.
new
E made the propagation of the
Catholic faith one of the chief
works of his life, and strove hard against
the schism in Ruthenia. He persuaded
his father to forbid by law that the
schismatics should build any
churches, or repair the existing ones
when they fell into decay. So great
was his liberality and tenderness to-
ward the needy and the afflicted, that
he came to be called the father and
guardian of the poor. From his in-
fancy he never soiled his purity, and in
his last illness, when his physicians ad-
vised him to seek for relief from his
grievous suffering by the sacrifice of his
chastity, he cheerfully determined rather
to die.
Sixth Lesson.
BEING
EING made perfect in a short space,
and full of piety and good works,
he foretold the day of his own death,
and, gathering round him a choir of
priests and monks, he rendered his soul
into the hands of God Whom they were
praising, [upon the 4th day of March, in
the
year of our Lord 1482, and] the 25th
of his own age. His body was carried to
Wilna, where many miracles are reputed
to have been wrought around it. At his
grave a dead girl is said to have received
her life again, blind men their sight,
cripples the power of walking, and
1 The Martyrology says that "at Rome, on the Appian Way, was born into the higher
life the holy Martyr Pope Lucius. He was first banished in the persecution under Vale-
rian, but was afterwards permitted by the will of God to return to his Church, and, after
toiling much against the Novatians, finished his testimony by being beheaded. He is
highly praised by St. Cyprian." Succeeded Cornelius A.D. 252. Testified next year.
1016
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
many sick folk health. Moreover, on an
occasion when the Lithuanians in scanty
numbers were exposed to the shock of a
powerful enemy, they believed that he
appeared in the air, and gave them the
signal victory which they won. On the
assurance of these things, Leo X. was
moved to add his name to those of the
Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 859.) In Lent
the Ninth Lesson is the Homily on the
Gospel for the Week-day, in which case
the Third Lesson on Luke xii. 35 is
omitted or read as one with the Second,
and the three Lessons for the Week-day
read as one, or else the first only.
LAUDS.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Lucius. All from the Common Office
for one Martyr, (p. 817.) Prayer, "O
God, Who year by year, &c.," (p.
824.)
In Lent a Commemoration of the
Week-day is made before that of St.
Lucius.
Prayer throughout the day as at First
Vespers.
MARCH 7.
St. Thomas of Aquino, Con-
fessor and Doctor of the
Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
what is otherwise given here.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O right excellent Teacher, &c.,
(p. 855.)
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who dost enlighten Thy
Church by the wonderful learning
of Thy blessed Confessor Thomas, and
quickenest her through his godly labours,
grant unto Thy people, we humbly be-
seech Thee, ever to apprehend by their
understanding what he teacheth, and in
their life faithfully to practise the same.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
In Lent a Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
Then of the Martyrs Perpetua and
Felicitas, which is done whether it be
Lent or not.
Antiphon. For their's is the kingdom
of heaven, who loved not their life in
this world, and have attained unto the
reward of the kingdom, and have washed
their robes in the Blood of the Lamb.
Verse. Thou hast crowned them with
glory and honour, O Lord.
Answer. And madest them to have
dominion over the works of Thy hands.
Prayer.
GE
RANT unto us, we beseech Thee,
O Lord our God, that we may ever
call to mind, with all worship and
thanksgiving, the victory of Thy holy
Martyrs Perpetua and Felicitas, and
although we know that our mind cannot
comprehend Thee Who art this day their
exceeding great reward, give us always
the grace humbly to worship Thee.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee
God, world without end. Amen.
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Ecclus. xxxix. 1, (p.
869.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.

THOMAS, called the Angel of the
Schools, was the son of Landulph,
Earl of Aquino, and Theodora of Naples,
his wife, being nobly descended on both
sides. [He was born in the year of sal-
vation 1226.] When he was only four
years old, he was given into the keeping of
the Benedictine monks of Monte Cassino.
1 These two holy women, along with three men named Revocatus, Saturninus, and Se-
cundulus, suffered in the amphitheatre at Carthage, with circumstances of great cruelty, in
A.D. 203. See the article of Alban Butler, which is very interesting.
•
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1017
He was thence sent to Naples to study,
and there, while very young, entered
the Order of Friars Preachers. This
displeased his mother and brothers, and
he left Naples for Paris. When he was
on his journey his brothers met him,
and carried him off by force to the castle
of Monte San Giovanni, where they im-
prisoned him in the keep. Here they
used every means to break him of his
intention, and at last brought a woman
into his room to try to overcome his
purity. The lad drove her out with a
fire-brand. When he was alone he
knelt down before the figure of the
Cross, and there he fell asleep. As he
slept, it seemed to him that angels came
and girded his loins: and from this time
he never felt the least sexual inclination.
His sisters came to the castle to beseech
him to give up his purpose of leaving
the world, but he so worked on them by
his godly exhortations, that both of them
ever after set no value on earthly things,
and busied themselves rather with hea-
venly.
Fifth Lesson.
BEING let down from a window,
At
Thomas escaped out of the castle
of Monte San Giovanni, and returned
to Naples. Thence he went first to
Rome, and then to Paris, in company of
Brother John the German, then Master-
General of the Friars Preachers.
Paris he studied Philosophy and Theo-
logy under Albert the Great Doctor. At
the age of twenty-five years, he took the
degree of Master, and gave public dis-
quisitions on the Philosophers and Theo-
logians with great distinction. He never
set himself to read or write, till he had
first prayed, and when he was about to
take in hand a hard passage of the Holy
Scriptures, he fasted also. Hence he
was wont to say to Brother Reginald
bis comrade, that whatever he knew, he
had learnt, not so much from his own
labour and study, as from the inspiration
of God. At Naples he was once kneel-
ing in very earnest prayer before an
image of Christ Crucified, when he
heard a voice which said: "Thomas,
thou hast written well of Me-what
reward wilt thou that I give thee?"
He answered: "Lord,-Thyself."
Sixth Lesson.
THERE
HERE was no kind of writer in
which he was not well read. He
studied most carefully the works of the
Fathers but he did not, on account
of his reading, dispense himself from
preaching the Word of God. Once while
he was giving a course of sermons in
the Basilica of St. Peter during the Oc-
tave of Easter, a woman, who had an
issue of blood, was healed by touching
the hem of his garment. His writings
are so wonderful, both because of their
number, their variety, and the clear-
ness of his explanations of hard things,
that he has gained from them the title
of the Angelic Doctor. Urban IV. sent
for him to Rome, but could not per-
suade him to accept any dignity. Pope
Clement IV. also offered him the Arch-
bishoprick of Naples, but he refused it.
Being sent by Gregory X. to the Council
of Lyons, he fell sick on his way, at
the Abbey of Fossa-nuova, and there,
during his illness, he made an exposi-
tion of the Song of Songs. There he
died on the 7th of March, in the year of
salvation 1274, aged fifty years. He was
distinguished for miracles both during
his life and after his death. Pope John
XXII. added his name to those of the
Saints, in the year 1323. His body was
afterwards carried to Toulouse, in the
reign of the supreme Pontiff Urban V.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 870.) Eighth
Responsory. "In the midst, &c." In Lent
the Ninth Lesson is the Homily on the
Gospel for the Week-day, in which case
the Third Lesson of the Homily on
Matth. v. 13, is omitted, or read as one
with the Second, and the First Lesson
only of the Week-day is used, or else all
three as one.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas, the same
as at the last Vespers, before which, in
Lent, is made a Commemoration of the
Week-day.
MARCH 8.
St. John of God, Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop (p. 855,) except
the following.
1018
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst so enkindle in
Thy servant John the fire of Thy
Divine love, that when he walked in
the midst of earthly fire the flame there-
of had on his body no power, and Who
didst choose him for a mean whereby
Thou hast given unto Thy Church a new
family of sons, mercifully grant unto us,
for his sake, that the fire of Thy love
may burn up in us all things that dis-
please Thee, and make us meet for Thy
heavenly kingdom. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
Up to the Chapter, exclusive, of St.
Thomas of Aquino.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Thomas of Aquino. Antiphon, "0
right excellent Teacher, &c.," (p. 855.)
Verse, "The Lord guided, &c.," and An-
swer, (p. 849.) Prayer as at his First
Vespers.
In Lent a Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. In Lent from Ecclus. xxxi.
8, (p. 864.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
JOHN of God was born of Catholic
and godly parents in the town
of Montemor in Portugal, [in the year
1495.] The lot to which God had
elected him was foreshown at his birth
by a light shining over the house,
and by the ringing of a bell untouched
by human hands. He fell at one time
into a loose habit of life, but was re-
called by the grace of God, and began
to show tokens of true reformation. By
hearing the Word of God, he so felt him-
self stirred up to strive after nobler
things, that he considered not that to
which he had already attained, and
yearned to be perfect, as our Father in
heaven is perfect. He gave away all
his property to the poor and prisoners,
and became a gazing-stock to all that
knew him, by the strength of his re-
pentance, and the depth of his self-
contempt. On this account he was com-
monly supposed to be mad, and was
once shut up in a lunatic asylum. He
was only the more filled with schemes
of charity, and collected, by begging,
funds sufficient to build a large double
Hospital in the town of Granada. Here
he founded the new Order of Hospital
Brethren with which he enriched the
Church. These Brethren are now spread
throughout all parts of the world, and
engaged in ministering to the souls and
bodies of the sick.
Fifth Lesson.
HE strove to get for the sick poor,
whom he sometimes brought to the
Hospital on his own shoulders, what-
ever was needful for their souls or bodies.
His charity was extended to the poor
outside of his institution, and he used to
supply food privately to necessitous
widows, and more so to young women
whose virtue was tempted on account of
their poverty. He was most careful in
encouraging the virtue of purity in all
whom he knew. On one occasion when
there was a great fire in the hospital at
Granada, John bravely entered the burn-
ing house, ran from one part of it to
another, carried out the sick on his
shoulders, and threw the beds out of the
windows, and finally, after passing half-
an-hour in the midst of the flames,
which were now raging with great vio-
lence, by the mercy of God left the
building uninjured, to the great wonder
of all the citizens; thereby to teach all
them that love God that the fire which
burnt in his heart gave him strength to
risk the fire which threatened him from
without.
HE
Sixth Lesson.
E was a marked example of every
kind of austerity, of the most
lowly obedience, of the deepest voluntary
poverty, of the most constant prayer, of
ghostly contemplation, and of love to-
wards the blessed Virgin. He was dis-
tinguished for the gift of tears. Being
at last seized by deadly sickness, he
duly received, with saintly affection, all
the Sacraments of the Church. After
all strength seemed to have left him, he
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1019
got out of his bed, put on his own
clothes, and knelt down before an image
of the Lord Christ hanging on the Cross.
Round it he threw his arms and pressed
it against his heart, and in this position,
as it were in the kiss of the Lord, he
died, on the 8th day of March, 1550.
After his death his body did not leave
its grip of the crucifix until it was for-
cibly taken away, six hours after. Dur-
ing these six hours all the inhabitants
of the city came to see it, and noticed a
savour of strange sweetness proceeding
from it. His name was illustrious as a
worker of miracles both before and after
his death, and the Supreme Pontiff
Alexander VIII. added it to those of the
Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxii. 35.)
AT that time: The Pharisees came
unto JESUS, and one of them, which
was a lawyer, asked Him a question.
tempting Him, saying: Master, which
is the great commandment in the Law?
And so on.
Homily by St. John Chrysostom, Pa-
triarch [of Constantinople.] 72nd on
Matthew.
This
When the Pharisees had heard that
Christ had put the Sadducees to silence,
they gathered themselves together for a
fresh attack; just when it behoved them
to be quiet, they willed to contend; and
so they put forward one of themselves,
who professed skill in the law, not wish-
ing to learn, but to lay a snare.
person therefore proposed the question:
"Which is the great commandment in
the law?" The first and great com-
mandment is: "Thou shalt love the
LORD thy God," but they expected that
He would make some exception or ad-
dition to this in His Own case, since He
made Himself God. (John x. 33.) With
this expectation they asked Him the
question; but what said Christ? To
show that they had adopted this course,
because they were loveless, and sick
with envy, He answered: "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great
commandment. And the second is like
unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour
as thyself."
WHY
Eighth Lesson.
HY is this second commandment
like unto the first? Because the
first is the second's source and sanction.
"For every one that doeth evil hateth
the light, neither cometh to the light."
(John iii. 20.) And again: "The fool
hath said in his heart: There is no God"
-and there followeth: "They are cor-
rupt, and become abominable in their
works." (Ps. xiii. 1, 2.) And yet again:
"The love of money is the root of all
evil; which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith.” (1 Tim.
vi. 10.) And yet once more:
"If ye
love Me, keep My commandments.
(John xiv. 15,)—of which command-
ments the head and root is: "Thou
shalt love the Lord thy God; and thy
neighbour as thyself."
Ninth Lesson.
IF, therefore, to love God is to love our
neighbour also, (as it appeareth
where it is written: "Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou Me? And he said
unto Him: Lord, Thou knowest all
things; Thou knowest that I love Thee.
JESUS saith unto him: Feed My sheep,
John xxi. 17,)—and if "love is the ful-
filling of the law," (Rom. xiii. 10,)
justly doth the Lord say that " on these
two commandments hang all the law
and the Prophets." And even as when,
before this, (23-32,) being interrogated
about the Resurrection, He answered
them more than they asked, so, now,
being interrogated concerning the first
and great commandment, He answereth
them, of His own accord, touching that
second one also, which is little lower
than the first, for "the second is like
unto it." Herein He would have them
understand that it was hatred stirred
them up to question Him. For "Cha-
rity," saith the Apostle, "envieth not.”
(1 Cor. xiii. 4.)
In Lent the Ninth Lesson is the
Homily on the Gospel for the Week-day,
in which case the Third Lesson of the
Homily on Matth. xxii. 35, is omitted
or read as one with the Second, and
2*
.
1020
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
the First Lesson only of the Week-day
is read, or else all three as one.
In Lent a Commemoration
Week-day is made at Lauds.
of the
The Second Vespers are of the follow-
ing, from the Chapter, inclusive.
MARCH 9.
St. Frances of Rome,
Widow.
Double.
All from the Common Office for an
Holy Woman who is neither Virgin nor
Martyr, (p. 886,) except the follow-
ing.
Prayer throughout.
0
GOD, Who didst give unto Thy
blessed hand-maid Frances many
gifts of Thy heavenly grace, and, among
them, to have an angel for her familiar
friend; mercifully grant that we, being
continually holpen through her prayers,
may worthily attain unto the fellowship
of angels hereafter. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of the preceding (Prayer as at
his First Vespers,) and if it be Lent of
the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. If it be Lent, from Prov.
xxxi. 10, (p. 887.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THE noble Roman matron Frances
[was born in the year 1384, and]
was a pattern of godliness from her
earliest years. As a child she shrank
from games, and set no store by the
amusements of the world, but delighted
to be continually alone and engaged in
prayer. At the age of eleven years she
desired to consecrate her virginity to
God, and to enter a convent, but humbly
yielded obedience to the wishes of her
parents, and was married to Lawrence
de' Pontiani, a young man whose rank
was equal to his wealth. As a wife she
persevered, as far as she lawfully could,
in her determination to lead an austere
life; she abstained as much as possible
from going to shows, feasts, and such
like amusements, dressed plainly in
woollen stuffs, and spent in prayer or
the service of her neighbour, whatever
time she did not occupy with her duties
as mistress of her husband's house. She
strove earnestly to wean the married
women of Rome from the vanities of the
world and the frivolities of dress. To
this end she founded during her hus-
band's lifetime the Sisterhood of the
Oblates, under the rule of the Benedic-
tine congregation called "of the Mount
of Olives." When it pleased God [in
the year 1413,] that her husband should
be banished, all her goods taken away,
and her home ruined, she meekly bowed
down before His holy will, often repeat-
ing the words of the blessed Job:
LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken
away; blessed be the name of the
LORD." (i. 21.)
Fifth Lesson.
The
N her husband's death she [in 1437]
betook herself immediately to the
house of the Oblates, and, with her feet
bare and a rope round her neck, threw
herself down on the threshold, entreat-
ing the sisters with tears to receive her
into their number. When she obtained
her wish, although she was the mother
of them all, she would be among them
only as one that served, glorying rather
to be called the most degraded of women
and a vessel of uncleanness. Her lowly
esteem of herself was shown both by
her word and example. She passed
often through the city from a vineyard
in the country carrying a bundle of
sticks on her head, or driving an ass
laden with faggots; she succoured the
needy, for whom she collected large
alms, and visited the sick in the hos-
pitals, ministering to them both food
for the body, and exhortations healthful
for their souls. She strove continually
to bring her body into subjection by
watchings, fastings, haircloth, the wear-
ing of an iron girdle, and the often use
of a scourge. She never ate but once a
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1021
day, and then only vegetables, and she
took no drink but water. These severi-
ties she however sometimes relaxed, in
obedience to her confessor, on whose word
and wishes she framed her customs.
Sixth Lesson.
So great was her mental realization of
the things of God, and chiefly of
the sufferings of the Lord Christ, and
so abundant her tears in contemplating
them, that she seemed sometimes about
to sink under her grief. Often when
she was engaged in prayer, and prin-
cipally after she had received the Most
Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, her
spirit became altogether lifted up to
God, and she remained motionless,
carried away by the thought of heavenly
things. The enemy of man assailed
her with divers reproaches and buffet-
ings to break her of her intent, but she
feared him not, and with the help of an
Angel whom God gave her to be her
familiar friend, she won a noble victory
over the tempter. God glorified her
with the gifts of healing and of pro-
phecy, whereby she foretold things to
come, and saw the secrets of the hearts
of men. More than once while her
thoughts were busy in God she remained
unwet by streams or rain. When there
was left only bread enough for three
sisters, the Lord at her prayers, was
pleased so to multiply it, that fifteen had
enough, and the basket was filled again
with the fragments. In the month of
January also, when the sisters were
gathering sticks in the country, and
were thirsty, she satisfied them abun-
dantly with bunches of fresh grapes
from a tree. She departed to be with
the Lord, famous for good works and
miracles, in the fifty-sixth year of her
age, [upon the 9th day of March, in
the year of our Lord 1440.] The Su-
preme Pontiff Paul V. caused her to be
numbered among the Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xiii. 44, with the
Homily of Pope St. Gregory, (p. 889.)
In Lent the Ninth Lesson is the Homily
on the Gospel for the Week-day, in
which case the Third Lesson of the
Homily on Matth. xii. 44 is omitted, or
read as one with the Second, and the
First Lesson only of the Week-day is
read, or else all three as one.
In Lent a Commemoration of the
Week-day is made at Lauds.
At Second Vespers a Commemoration
is made of the following; Antiphon
and Verse and Answer from the Common
Office for Many Martyrs, (p. 830,) and
the following.
Prayer.
God, that we who know Thy
RANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
glorious Martyrs to have been in their
testimony leal and true towards Thee,
may, now that they are with Thee, feel
them to be in their petitions pitiful
towards us.
Then the Week-day is commemorated.
MARCH 10.
The Forty Holy
The Forty Holy Martyrs at
Sebaste.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for Many
Martyrs, (p. 829,) except the following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons (in Lent) from Rom. viii. 12,
(p. 830.) If out of Lent, according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
WHILE Licinius was Emperor and
Agricolaus President, [in the year
of our Lord 320,] forty soldiers at
Sebaste, a city of Armenia, gave a sin-
gular instance of faith in JESUS Christ,
and bravery under suffering. After
being often remanded to an horrid pri-
son-house, bound in fetters, and their
mouths bruised with stones, they were
ordered out in the depth of winter,
stripped naked, and put upon a frozen
pool, to die of cold during the night.
The prayer of them all was the same:
“O Lord, forty of us have begun to run
in the race, grant that all forty may re-
ceive the crown, let not one be wanting
1022
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
at the last. Behold, is it not an honour-
able number in Thy sight, Who didst
bless the fast of forty days, and at the
end Thy Divine Law came forth to the
earth? When also Elias sought Thee,
Thou, O God, didst reveal Thyself unto
him when he had fasted for forty days."
Even so was their petition.
Fifth Lesson.
WHEN the keepers were all asleep
and the watchman only was awake,
he heard them praying and saw a light
shining round about them, and Angels
coming down from heaven, as the mes-
sengers of the King, bearing nine-and-
thirty crowns, and distributing them to
the soldiers. Then he said within him-
self: "Are not forty here? Where is
the crown of the fortieth ?" And as he
looked he saw one of them whose courage
could not bear the cold, come and leap
into a warm bath that stood by ; and the
Saints were grievously afflicted. Never-
theless God suffered not that their prayer
should return unto them void; for the
watchman wondered, and called the
keepers, and stripped himself of his
clothes; and, when with a loud voice he
had confessed himself a Christian, he
joined the Martyrs. When the servants
of the President knew that the watch-
man also was a Christian, they brake
the legs of them all with staves.
Sixth Lesson.
UNDER this torment died they all,
saving Melithon, who was the
youngest. Now, his mother stood by,
and when she saw that his legs were
broken, but that he was yet alive, she
cried, and said: "My son, have patience
but a little longer. Behold how Christ
standeth at the door to help thee." When
she saw the bodies of all the others put
upon carts and taken away to be burned,
and that her son was left behind, be-
cause the multitude wickedly hoped that
being but a lad, if he lived, he might
yet be drawn to commit idolatry, the
holy mother took him on her own
shoulders and bravely followed behind
the carts laden with the bodies of the
Martyrs. In her arms Melithon gave
up his soul to God, and the mother who
loved him so well laid his body with her
own hands upon the pile, with those of
the other Martyrs, that, as they had all
been one in faith and strength, in death
they might not be divided, and might
enter heaven together. After the burn-
ing, what remained of them was thrown
into a running stream, but the ashes
were all washed together into one place,
and being found and rescued, they were
laid in an honourable sepulchre.
THIRD NOCTURN.

Lessons from Luke vi. 17, with the
Homily of St. Ambrose, (p. 838.) The
Ninth Lesson is the Homily on the
Gospel for the Week-day, and the Third
Lesson of the Homily on Luke vi. 17 is
omitted or read as one with the Second,
and the First Lesson only of the Week-
day is read, or else all three as one.
Prayer throughout the day as at the
Commemoration last evening.
At Lauds and Vespers a Commemo-
ration is made of the Week-day.
MARCH 12.
St. Gregory [the Great,] Pope,
Confessor, and Doctor of the
Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O right excellent Teacher, &c.,
(p. 843.)
Prayer throughout.
GOD, who hast blessed the soul of
Thy servant Gregory with an ever-
lasting blessing, mercifully grant that we,
who groan under the burden of our sins,
may by his prayers be relieved. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Ecclus. xxxix, 1, as in
the Common Office, (p. 869.)
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1023
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
GREGORY the Great was a Roman, the
son of Gordian the Senator, [and was
born about the year of our Lord 540.]
As a young man he studied philosophy,
and afterwards discharged the office of
Prætor. After his father's death he
built six monasteries in Sicily, and a
seventh in honour of St. Andrew, in
his own house at Rome, hard by the
Church of Saints John and Paul at the
ascent of the hill Scaurus. In this
monastery of St. Andrew, he and his
masters, Hilarion and Maximian, pro-
fessed themselves monks, and Gregory
was afterwards Abbat. Later on, he was
created a Cardinal Deacon, and sent to
Constantinople as legate from Pope Pe-
lagius to the Emperor Tiberius Constan-
tine. Before the Emperor he so suc-
cessfully disputed against the Patriarch
Eutychius, who had denied that our
bodies shall verily and indeed rise
again, that the Prince threw the book
of the said Patriarch into the fire.
tychius himself also soon after fell sick,
and when he felt death coming on him,
he took hold of the skin of his own hand
and said in the hearing of many that
stood by: "I acknowledge that we shall
all rise again in this flesh."
Fifth Lesson.
Eu-
REGORY returned to Rome, and,
Pelagius being dead of a plague,
he was unanimously chosen Pope. This
honour he refused as long as he could.
He disguised himself and took refuge in
a cave, but was betrayed by a fiery
pillar. Being discovered and overruled,
he was consecrated at the grave of St.
Peter, [upon the 3rd day of Septem-
ber, in the year 590.] He left behind
him many ensamples of doctrine and
holiness to them that have followed
him in the Popedom. Every day he
brought pilgrims to his table, and
among them he entertained not an
Angel only, but the very Lord of
Angels in the guise of a pilgrim. He
tenderly cared for the poor, of whom he
kept a list, as well without as within
the city. He restored the Catholic faith
in many places where it had been over-
thrown. He fought successfully against
the Donatists in Africa and the Arians
in Spain. He cleansed Alexandria of
the Agnoites. He refused to give the
Pall to Syagrius, Bishop of Autun, un-
less he would expel the Neophyte here-
tics from Gaul. He caused the Goths
to abandon the Arian heresy. He sent
into Britain Augustine and divers other
learned and holy monks, who brought
the inhabitants of that island to believe
in JESUS Christ. Hence Gregory is
justly called by Bede, the Priest of Jar-
row, "the Apostle of England." He
rebuked the presumption of John, Patri-
arch of Constantinople, who had taken
to himself the title of Bishop of the
Universal Church, and he dissuaded the
Emperor Maurice from forbidding sol-
diers to become monks.
Sixth Lesson.
REGORY adorned the Church with
GR
holy customs and laws. He called
together a Synod in the Church of St.
Peter, and therein ordained many things;
among others, the ninefold repetition of
the words "Kyrie eleison" in the Mass,
the saying of the word "Alleluia" in
the Church service, except between Sep-
tuagesima inclusive and Easter exclu-
sive, and the addition to the Canon of the
Mass of the words "Do Thou order all our
days in Thy peace." He increased the
Litanies, the number of the Churches
where is held the observance called a
Station, and the length of the Church
Service. He would that the four Coun-
cils of Nice, Constantinople,. Ephesus,
and Chalcedon should be honoured like
four Gospels. He released the Sicilian
Bishops from visiting Rome every three
years, willing them to come instead once
every five years. He was the author of
many books, and Peter the Deacon de-
clareth that he often saw the Holy Ghost
on his head in the form of a dove when he
was dictating them. It is a marvel how
much he spoke, did, wrote, and legis-
lated, suffering all the while from a
weak and sickly body. He worked many
miracles. At last God called him away
to be blessed for ever in heaven, in the
thirteenth year, sixth month, and tenth
day of his Pontificate, being the 12th
day of March, [in the year of salvation
604.] This day is observed by the
Greeks, as well as by us, as a festival,
on account of the eminent wisdom and
holiness of this Pope. His body was
3 Y
1024
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
buried in the Church of St. Peter, hard
by the Private Chapel.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (v. 12.)
T that time: JESUS said unto His
A disciples: Ye are the salt of the
earth. But if the salt have lost his
savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (Hom. 17 on Luke x.)
We have to consider that he who is
not able by one exhortation to exhort
all at once, must strive according to his
ability to instruct each in private and
edify each by personal conversation.
We must always hold in mind that
which was said to the holy Apostles,
and, through the Apostles, to us: "Ye
are the salt of the earth." If we are
therefore salt, we ought to season the
minds of the faithful. Ye then that are
shepherds, remember that ye feed the
flock of God, even that flock of which
the Psalmist saith to God: "Thy crea-
tures shall dwell therein" (Ps. lxvii.
11.) We often see pieces of rock-salt
given to animals, which they lick, and
the seasoning of the salt is good for
them. As these pieces of rock-salt to
cattle, so ought Priests to be to their
people. A Priest should be prudent in
what he saith, and what warning he
giveth to each; and each one when he
meeteth his Priest, should draw from
him a savour unto life eternal.
WE
Eighth Lesson.
E are not the salt of the earth, if
we season not the hearts of them
that hear us. He that faileth not in
preaching, imparteth this seasoning to his
neighbour. And we do not truly preach
to others unless by our own works and
example we show them what we preach.
Dearly beloved brethren, I think that
God is not so much wronged by any as
He is by Priests, whom He hath ordained
to keep others straight, and then seeth
setting an ill example; when we, who
ought to be the enemies of sin, work
sin, seek not the good of souls, take
leisure to enjoy our own pursuits, seek
worldly things, and set our minds to
gain human respect. And, above all,
when we who, as Prelates are raised
above the others, and are so far freer to
do what we like, prostitute our ministry
of blessing, wherewith we are blessed, to
compass the ends of worldly vanity,
abandon God's work, occupy ourselves
with earthly affairs, take in sooth an
holy place, and then involve ourselves
in deeds and thoughts of the world.
Eighth Responsory.
In the midst, &c., (p. 847.)
The Ninth Lesson is the Homily for
the Week-day, either the first part or
all three as one.
At Lauds and Vespers a Commemo-
ration is made of the Week-day.
Note. If any of the Feasts which
follow fall in Holy Week or Easter
Week, they are transferred till after
Low Sunday, with the changes in that
case necessary.
MARCH 17.
St. Patrick, Archbishop [of
Armagh,] Confessor.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst send forth Thy
blessed Confessor and Bishop Pa-
trick to preach Thy glory among the
Gentiles, mercifully grant unto us, for
his sake and at his petition, whatsoever
Thou commandest us to do, to have
grace and power faithfully to fulfil the
same. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost
one God world without end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration is
made of the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN,
Lessons from 1 Tim. iii. 1, (p. 843.)
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1025
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
PATRICK, called the Apostle of Ire-
land, was born in Great Britain.
The name of his father was Calphur-
nius, and that of his mother Conchessa.
She is said to have been a relation of St.
Martin, Bishop of Tours. When Pa-
trick was a lad, he was several times
taken prisoner by savages, and while,
being in their hands, he was employed
as a shepherd, he already showed marks
of his saintliness to come. His spirit
was filled with faith, and love, and fear
of God, so that he would rise before the
light, in snow, and frost, and rain, to
make his prayers to God, being accus-
tomed to address God in prayer an hun-
dred times every day, and an hundred
times every night. After being rescued
from his third captivity, he was placed
among the clergy, and for a long time
exercised himself in sacred learning.
To this end he travelled with much
labour, through Gaul, Italy, and the
islands of the Tyrrhenian Sea, but at
last being called of God to work for the
salvation of the Irish, and, having re-
ceived from the Blessed Pope Celestine
a commission to preach the gospel, and
likewise being consecrated a Bishop, he
betook himself to Ireland.
Fifth Lesson.
IN the discharge of his calling it is a
marvel with how many evils, with
how many sufferings and labours, and
with how many adversaries the Apos-
tolic Patrick had to bear. Nevertheless,
by the goodness of God, that island,
which had up to that time been given
over to the serving of idols, was, through
the preaching of Patrick, so wrought
on that she soon brought forth the
fruit which won her the name of the
Island of Saints. Patrick caused many
of her people to be born again by the
washing of regeneration; he ordained
many Bishops and clerks; he decreed
rules for virgins and widows living in
continency. By the authority of the
Bishop of Rome he established the See
of Armagh as the Primatial See of all
Ireland, and enriched the Church with
reliques of the Saints brought from
Rome. Patrick, moreover, was so emi-
nently adorned with heavenly visions,
with the gift of prophecy, and with great
signs and wonders from God, that the
fame of him spread itself abroad more
and more, day by day.
Sixth Lesson.
BESIDES that which came upon him
daily, the care of all the Churches
of Ireland, he never suffered his spirit
to weary in constant prayer. They say
that it was his custom to repeat every
day the whole Book of Psalms, together
with Songs and Hymns, and two hun-
dred Prayers; that he bent his knees to
God in worship three hundred times
every day, and that he made on himself
the sign of the Cross an hundred times
at each of the Seven Hours of the
Church Service. He divided the night
into three portions; during the first he
repeated the first hundred Psalms, and
bent his knees two hundred times; dur-
ing the second he remained plunged in
cold water, with heart, eyes, and hands
lifted up to heaven, and in that state
repeated the remaining fifty Psalms;
during the third he took his short rest,
lying upon a bare stone. He was a
great practiser of lowliness, and, after
the pattern of the Apostle, he always
continued to work with his own hands.
At last he fell asleep in the Lord in ex-
treme old age, refreshed with the Divine
Mysteries, worn out with unceasing care
for the Churches, and glorious both in
word and work. His body is buried in
Down in Ulster. He passed away in
the fifth century after the giving of sal-
vation by Christ.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
The Third is either omitted or read as
one with the Second, and the Ninth Les-
son is either the first part or the whole
of the Homily for the Week-day.
At Lauds and Vespers a Commemo-
ration is made of the Week-day.
MARCH 19.
St. Joseph, Husband of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, Con-
fessor.
Double of the First Class. (Patronal
Feast of the Universal Church.)
All from the Common Offce for a
3 Y 2
1026
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
་་
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
the following.
FIRST VESPERS.¹
First Antiphon. And Jacob begat Jo-
seph, the husband of Mary, of whom
was born JEsUs, Who is called Christ.
Second Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel
was sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Jo-
seph, of the house of David, and the
virgin's name was Mary.
Third Antiphon. When as Mary, the
mother of JESUS, was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together, she was found
with child, of the Holy Ghost.
Fourth Antiphon. [Then] Joseph her
husband, being a just man, and not will-
ing to make her a public example, was
minded to put her away privily.
Fifth Antiphon. [But while he thought
on these things, behold,] the angel of
the Lord appeared unto him [in a dream,]
saying: Joseph, thou son of David, fear
not to take unto thee Mary thy wife;
for that which is conceived in her is of
the Holy Ghost and she shall bring
forth a son, and thou shalt call His
name JESUS.
Chapter. (Prov. xxviii. 20 and xxvii.
18.)
A
FAITHFUL man shall abound with
blessings, and he that guardeth his
Master shall be honoured.
Hymn, "Joseph, to thee, &c.," and
Verse and Answer as on the Third Sun-
day after Easter, (p. 488.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Joseph, being raised from sleep,
did as the Angel of the Lord had bidden
him, and took unto him his wife.
Prayer.
HELP us, we beseech Thee, O Lord,
for the sake of the Husband of Thy
most holy Mother, that what we cannot
for ourselves obtain, Thou mayest grant
us at his petition: Who livest and
reignest with God the Father, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the Sun-
day or Week-day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. O come, let us worship *
Christ the Son of God, Who vouchsafed
to be supposed the son of Joseph.
Hymn, "Joy of the Saints, &c.," as on
the Third Sunday after Easter, (p. 494.)
FIRST NOCTURN.2
First Antiphon. Joseph went up from
Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into
Judea, unto the city of David, which is
called Bethlehem, to be enrolled with
Mary.
Second Antiphon. The shepherds came
with haste, and found Mary and Joseph,
and the Babe lying in a manger.
Third Antiphon. Behold, the Angel
of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a
dream, saying: Arise, and take the
young Child and His mother, and flee
into Egypt.
Verse. He made him lord of His
house.
Answer. And ruler of all His sub-
stance.
"6
First Lesson as on the Third Sunday
after Easter, (Gen. xxxix. 1,) So
Joseph was brought down, &c.," (p.
489,) as far as the words, "blessed the
Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake."
First Responsory.
4 The LORD was with Joseph, and gave
him favour in the sight of the keeper of
the prison. And the keeper of the prison
committed to Joseph's hand all the pri-
soners that were in the prison.
Verse. And whatsoever they did there,
he was the doer of it: because the LORD
was with him, and that which he did,
the LORD made it to prosper.
Answer. And the keeper of the prison
committed to Joseph's hand all the pri-
soners that were in the prison.
Second Lesson as on the Third Sun-
day after Easter: Gen. xli. 37, "The
counsel of Joseph was good in the eyes
of Pharaoh, &c.," as far as the words,
"will I be greater than thou," (p. 489.)
1 All the Antiphons are from Matth. i. 16, 18-21, 24, except the second, from Luke i.
26, 27.
2 Antiphons from Luke ii. 4, 5, 16; Matth. ii. 13.
• Gen. xxxix. 21, 23.
3 Ps. civ. 21.
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1027
Second Responsory.
¹ When all the land of Egypt was
famished, the people cried to the king.
for bread. And the king said unto all the
Egyptians: Go unto Joseph; and what
he saith to you, do.
Verse. The famine was more grievous
every day over all the face of the earth,
and Joseph opened all the store-houses,
and sold unto the Egyptians.
Answer. Go unto Joseph; and what
he saith to you, do.
Third Lesson as the remainder of the
Second Lesson on the Third Sunday
after Easter, (p. 490,) that is, from the
words, "And Pharaoh said again unto
Joseph, &c.," to the end, and the fol-
lowing words in addition,
And Pharaoh said unto Joseph: I am
Pharaoh; and without thee shall no
man lift up his hand or foot in all the
land of Egypt.
Third Responsory.
2 The Lord hath made me as a father
to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house :
fear not for God sent me before you
into Egypt, to save your lives.
Verse. Come unto me, and I will give
you all the good things of Egypt, and
ye
shall eat the fat of the land.
Answer. For God sent me before you
into Egypt, to save your lives.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For God sent me before you
into Egypt to save your lives.
SECOND NOCTURN.3
First Antiphon. Joseph arose, and
took the young child and His mother by
night, and departed into Egypt: and
was there until the death of Herod.
Second Antiphon. When Herod was
dead, an Angel of the Lord appeareth
in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying:
Arise, and take the young Child and
His mother, and go into the land of
Israël for they are dead which sought
the young Child's life.
Third Antiphon. Joseph took the
young Child and His mother, and came
into the land of Israël.
1 Gen. xli. 55, 56.
3 Antiphons from Matth. ii. 14, 19—21.
5 Luke ii. 4, 5.
Verse. His glory is great in Thy sal-
vation.
Answer. Honour and great majesty
shalt Thou lay upon him.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat of Clairvaux.
(2nd on Luke i. 26.)
Wissed Joseph was, we may gather
HAT and what manner of man the
blessed
from that title wherewith, albeit only as
a deputy, God deemed him fit to be
honoured-he was both called, and sup-
posed to be the Father of God. We
may gather it from his very name,
which, being interpreted, signifieth "In-
crease, Remember likewise that great
Patriarch who was sold into Egypt, and
know that the Husband of Mary not
only received his name, but inherited
his purity, and was likened to him in
innocence and in grace.
""
Fourth Responsory.
"Joseph went up from Galilee, out of
the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto
the city of David, which is called Beth-
lehem because he was of the house
and lineage of David.
Verse. To be enrolled with Mary his
espoused wife.
Answer. Because he was of the house
and lineage of David.
Fifth Lesson.
IF then, that Joseph that was sold by
his brethren through envy, and was
brought down to Egypt, was a type of
Christ sold by a disciple, and handed
over to the Gentiles, the other Joseph
flying from the envy of Herod carried
Christ into Egypt. That first Joseph
kept loyal to his master, and would not
carnally know his master's wife; that
second Joseph knew that the Lady, the
Mother of his Lord, was a virgin, and
he himself remained faithfully virgin
toward her. To that first Joseph it was
given to know dark things in interpret-
ing of dreams; to the second Joseph it
was given in sleep to know the myste-
ries of the kingdom of heaven.
2 Gen. xlv. 8, 7, 18.
+ Ps. xx. 5.
1028
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Fifth Responsory.
¹Arise, and take the young Child and
His mother, and flee into Egypt; and
be thou there until I bring thee word.
Verse. That it might be fulfilled
which was spoken of the Lord by the
Prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have I
called My Son.
Answer. And be thou there until I
bring thee word.
Sixth Lesson.
THE
HE first Joseph laid by bread, not
for himself, but for all people; the
second Joseph received into his keeping
that Living Bread Which came down
from heaven, not for him only, but for
the whole world. We cannot doubt but
that that Joseph was good and faithful
to whom was espoused the Mother of
the Saviour. Yea, I say, he was a faith-
ful and wise servant, whom the Lord
appointed to be the comfort of His own
Mother, the keeper of His own Body,
and the only and trusty helper in the
Eternal Counsels.
Sixth Responsory.
2When His parents brought the Child
JESUS into the temple, to do for Him
after the custom of the law, Simeon took
Him up in his arms, and blessed God.
Verse. And His father and mother
marvelled at those things which were
spoken of Him.
Answer. Simeon took Him up in his
arms, and blessed God.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Simeon took Him up in his
arms, and blessed God.
THIRD NOCTURN.8
First Antiphon. When Joseph heard
that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the
room of his father Herod, he was afraid
to go thither.
Second Antiphon. Joseph, being
warned of God in a dream, turned aside
into the parts of Galilee; and he came
and dwelt in a city called Nazareth,
that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the Prophets: He shall be
called a Nazarene.
Third Antiphon. The father and
mother of JESUS marvelled at those
1 Matth. ii. 13, 15.
things which were spoken of Him; and
Simeon blessed them.
Verse. The righteous shall grow as
the lily.
Answer. Yea, he shall flourish for
ever in the presence of the Lord.
Lessons the same as on Christmas Eve,
(p.221) the Third is omitted or read as
one with the Second, and the Ninth Les-
son is the Homily for the Sunday or
Week-day, either the first or all three
as one.
Seventh Responsory.
4 The Mother of JESUS said unto Him:
Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us?
Behold, Thy father and I have sought
Thee sorrowing.
Verse. And He said unto them: How
is it that ye sought Me? Wist ye not
that I must be about My Father's busi-
ness?
Answer. Behold, Thy father and I
have sought Thee sorrowing.
Eighth Responsory.
4 JESUS went down with them, and
came to Nazareth, and was subject unto
them.
Verse. He increased in wisdom and
stature, and in favour with God and
man.
Answer. And was subject unto them.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And was subject unto them.
LAUDS.4
First Antiphon. The parents of JESUS
went to Jerusalem every year, at the
feast of the Passover.
Second Antiphon. When they re-
turned * the Child JESUs tarried behind
in Jerusalem, and His parents knew not
of it.
Third Antiphon. When they found
not JESUS, * they turned back again to
Jerusalem, seeking Him; and after
three days they found Him in the Tem-
ple, sitting in the midst of the Doctors,
both hearing them and asking them
questions.
Fourth Antiphon. His mother said
unto Him: Son, why hast Thou thus
dealt with us? Behold, Thy father and
I have sought Thee sorrowing.
3 Antiphons from Matth. ii. 22, 23; Luke ii. 33, 34.
2 Luke ii. 27, 28, 33.
✦ Luke ii. 8, 41–51.
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1029
Fifth Antiphon. JESUS went down
with them, and came to Nazareth,
and was subject unto them.
Chapter as at First Vespers.
Hymn.¹
WORSHIPP'D throughout the Church to
earth's far ends
With prayer and solemn rite,
Joseph this day triumphantly ascends
Into the realms of light.
Oh, blest beyond the lot of mortal men !
O'er whose last dying sigh,
Christ and the Virgin Mother watch'd se-
rene,
Soothing his agony.
Loosed from his fleshly chain, gently he
fleets
As in calm sleep away;
And diadem'd with light, enters the seats
Of everlasting day.
There throned in pow'r, let us his loving aid
With fervent prayers implore;
So may he gain us pardon in our need,
And peace for evermore.
Glory and praise to Thee, blest Trinity!
One only God and Lord,
Who to Thy faithful ones unfailingly
Their aureoles dost award. Amen.
Verse. The mouth of the righteous
speaketh wisdom.
Answer. And his tongue talketh judg-
ment.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
2JESUS Himself began to be about thirty
years of age, being, (as was supposed,)
the son of Joseph.
Prayer as at First Vespers, which
Prayer is the same throughout the day.
A Commemoration is made of the
Sunday or Week-day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. The parents, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Wisdom x. 10.)
WHEN the righteous fled, Wisdom
guided him in right paths, showed
him the kingdom of God, and gave him
knowledge of holy things, made him
rich in his travails, and multiplied the
fruit of his labours.
1 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
TERCE.
Antiphon. When they returned, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
He made him lord of His house.
Answer. He made him lord of His
house.
Verse. And ruler of all His substance.
Answer. Lord of His house.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He made him lord of His
house.
Verse. His glory is great in Thy sal-
vation.
Answer. Honour and great majesty
shalt Thou lay upon him.
SEXT.
Antiphon. When they found not, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
A
Chapter. (Ecclus. xlv. 1, 4.)
MAN beloved of God and men,
whose memorial is blessed. He
sanctified him in his faithfulness and
meekness, and chose him out of all men.
Short Responsory.
His glory is great in Thy salvation.
Answer. His glory is great in Thy
salvation.
Verse. Honour and great majesty
shalt Thou lay upon him.
Answer. In Thy salvation.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. His glory is great in Thy
salvation.
Verse. The righteous shall grow as the
lily.
Answer. Yea, he shall flourish for
ever in the presence of the Lord.
NONE.
Antiphon. JESUS went down, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
The righteous shall grow as the lily.
Answer. The righteous shall grow as
the lily.
2 Luke iii. 23.
1030
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Verse. Yea, he shall flourish for ever
in the presence of the Lord.
Answer. As the lily.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The righteous shall grow as
the lily.
Verse. Planted in the house of the
LORD-
Answer. In the courts of the house
of our God.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as at First Vespers, except the
following:
Verse. Glory and riches shall be in
his house.
Answer. And his righteousness en-
dureth for ever.
3
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Behold a faithful and wise ser-
vant, whom his Lord hath made ruler
over His household.
A Commemoration is made of the
Sunday or Week-day,
MARCH 21.
St. Benedict, Abbat and
Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout from the Common
Office, ("O Lord, we beseech Thee, that
the prayers, &c.," p. 867,) and in Lent
a Commemoration of the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Ecclus. xliv. 1, (p. 853.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
BENEDICT was born of a noble fa-
mily at Norcia, [about the year of
our Lord 480,] and studied letters at
Rome. Desiring to give himself alto-
called Subiaco. In this place he lay hid
for three years, unknown to all except
the monk Romanus, by means of whom
he received the necessaries of life. While
he was in the cave at Subiaco, the devil
one day assailed him with an extraor-
dinary storm of impure temptation, and
to get it under, he rolled himself in
brambles till his whole body was lace-
rated, and the sting of pain drove out
the sallies of lust. At last the fame of
his holiness spread itself abroad from
the desert, and some monks came to him
for guidance, but the looseness of their
lives was such that they could not bear
his exhortations, and they plotted to-
gether to poison him in his drink. When
they gave him the cup, he made the
sign of the Cross over it, whereupon it
immediately broke, and Benedict left
that monastery, and retired to a desert
place alone.
Fifth Lesson.
NEVERTHELESS his disciples fol-
lowed him daily, and for them he
built twelve monasteries, and set holy
laws to govern them. Afterwards he
went to Cassino, and brake the image of
Apollo which was still worshipped there,
overturned the altar, and burnt the
groves. There, [in the year 529,] he
built the Church of St. Martin and the
little chapel of St. John; and instilled
Christianity into the townspeople and in-
habitants. He grew in the grace of God
day by day, so that being prevented with
the spirit of prophecy he foretold things
to come. When Totila, King of the
Goths, heard of it, and would see whe-
ther it really were so, he sent his spa-
tharius before him, with the kingly
ensigns and attendance, and feigning
himself to be Totila. But as soon as
Benedict saw him he said: "My son,
put off that which thou wearest, for it
is not thine." To Totila himself he fore-
told that he would go to Rome, would
cross the sea, and would die after nine
years.
Sixth Lesson.
gether to Christ JESUS, he be took him- SME months before he departed this
self to a very deep cave at the place now
1 Ps. xci. 14.
2 Ps. cxi. 3.
life, Benedict forewarned his dis-
3 Matth. xxiv. 45.
◄ As St. Benedict invented Western monasticism, the monks spoken of in this Lesson
were probably of some Eastern Order. There are still such in Italy.
FEAST-DAYS IN MARCH.
1031
ciples on what day he was to die; and
he ordered his grave to be opened six
days before he was carried to it. On
the sixth day, [being the 21st of March,
in the year 543,] he would be carried in-
to the Church, where he received the
Eucharist, and then, in the arms of his
disciples, with his eyes lifted up to hea-
ven, and rapt in prayer, he gave up
the ghost. Two monks saw his soul
rising to heaven, clothed in a most pre-
cious garment, and surrounded with
lights, and One of a most glorious and
dreadful aspect standing above, Whom
they heard saying: "This is the way
whereby Benedict, the beloved of the
Lord, goeth up to heaven."
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xix. 27, with
the Homily of St. Jerome, (p. 809.) In
Lent the third part is omitted or read
along with the second, and the Ninth
Lesson is the Homily for the Week-day,
of which either the first part only is
read, or else all three as one.
A Commemoration of the Week-day
is made at Lauds and Second Vespers.
MARCH 25.
Lady Day.
The Annunciation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
Double of the Second Class.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of the Blessed Virgin, (p. 894,) except
the following.
If this Feast falls on a privileged
Sunday it is kept on Monday, any Feast
not higher in rank being transferred;
if in Holy Week or Easter it is itself
transferred, with the same rights, to
the Monday in Low Week.
Note. If this Office be transferred
into Paschal-time, the word "Alleluia"
is added wherever here given in brack-
ets, and also at the end of the first para-
graph (just before the "Verse") and of
every "Answer" in the Responsories.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Verse. Hail, Mary, full of grace. [Al-
leluia.]
Answer. The Lord is with thee. [Al-
leluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, O Mary, and the power of
the Highest shall overshadow thee. [Al-
leluia.]
In Lent a Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Hail, Mary, full of grace:
* the Lord is with thee. [Alleluia.]
FIRST NOCTURN,
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (vii. 10.)
Moreover the LORD spake again, &c.,
(Third Lesson on the Saturday in the
First Week of Advent, p. 189.)
First Responsory.
The Angel Gabriel was sent, &c.,
(Third Responsory on the First Sunday
in Advent, p. 181, omitting the last
Verse and Answer.)
Second Lesson.
And there shall come forth a rod, &c.,
(First Lesson on the Second Sunday in
Advent, p. 190, omitting the title, and
the beginning of the Second Lesson, down
to the words "faithfulness the girdle
of his reins.")
Second Responsory.
Hail, Mary, &c., (Fourth Responsory
on the First Sunday in Advent, p. 181.)
Third Lesson.
The wilderness, &c., (First Lesson on
the Fourth Sunday in Advent, p. 213,
omitting the title.)
Third Responsory.
Receive, O virgin, &c., (First Re-
sponsory on Monday in the First Week
of Advent, p. 184,) with the following
in addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And thou shalt be called
blessed among all women. [Alleluia.]
1032
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (2nd
for Christmas.)
THE Almighty and merciful God,
Whose nature is goodness, Whose
will is power, and Whose work is mercy,
did, at the very beginning of the world,
as soon as the devil's hatred had mor-
tally poisoned us with the venom of his
envy, foretell those remedies which His
mercy had fore-ordained for our healing.
He bade the serpent know that there
was to be a Seed of the woman Who
should yet bruise the swelling of his
pestilential head; this Seed was none
other than the Christ to come in the
flesh, that God and Man in one Person,
Who, being born of a Virgin, should,
by His undefiled birth, damn the se-
ducer of man.
Fourth Responsory.
Behold, a Virgin, &c., (Seventh Re-
sponsory on the First Sunday in Ad-
vent, p. 182.)
Fifth Lesson.
THE devil rejoiced that by his fraud
he had so deceived man as to make
him lose the gifts of God, forfeit his
privilege of eternal life, bring himself
under the hard sentence of death, and
find in his misery a certain comfort in
the accomplice of his guilt; he rejoiced
also that God, in His just anger, was
changed towards man, whom He had
made in such honour. But, dearly be-
loved brethren, that Unchangeable God,
Whose Will cannot be divorced from
His goodness, by His own secret counsel
carried out in a mysterious way His
original purpose of goodness, and man,
who had been led into sin by the wicked
craft of the devil, perished not to disap-
point that gracious purpose of God.
Fifth Responsory.
There shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a Flower shall
grow out of his roots. And righteousness
shall be the girdle of his loins, and faith-
fulness the girdle of his reins. [Alleluia.]
Verse. And the Spirit of the LORD
shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wis-
dom and understanding, the Spirit of
counsel and might.
Answer. And righteousness shall be
the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness
the girdle of his reins. [Alleluia.]
Sixth Lesson.
WH
HEN therefore, dearly beloved bre-
thren, the fulness of that time
came, which God had appointed for our
Redemption, our Lord JESUS Christ en-
tered this lower world, came down from
His heavenly throne, and, while He left
not that glory which He hath with the
Father before the world was, was incar-
nate by a new order and a new birth-
new,
in that He Who is Invisible among
His own, was made visible among us;
He Who is Incomprehensible, willed to
be comprehended; He Who is before
the ages, began to be in time; the Lord
of all shadowed the glory of His Ma-
jesty, and took upon Him the form of a
servant; the Impassible God vouch-
safed to become a man subject to suffer-
ing; and the Immortal laid Himself
under the laws of death.
Sixth Responsory.
O Mary, how holy, &c., (Sixth Re-
sponsory on Christmas Day, p. 227.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons the same as on Ember Wed-
nesday in Advent, (p. 208.) In Lent
the Third is omitted or read as one with
the Second, and the Ninth Lesson is the
Homily for the Week-day, either the
first part or all three as one.
Seventh Responsory.
Rejoice with me, &c., (Second Re-
sponsory in the Common Office for Feasts
of the Blessed Virgin.)
Eighth Responsory.
Rejoice, O Mary, by whose mighty
hand the Church hath victory o'er her
foes achieved, since thou to Gabriel's
word of quickening power in lowliness
hast listened, and believed-thou, still a
virgin, in thy blessed womb hast God
Incarnate of thy flesh conceived, and
still, in heaven, of that virginity re-
mainest after childbirth unbereaved.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Blessed art thou that hast be-
lieved, for there is a performance of
those things which were told thee from
the Lord.
Answer. Thou, still a virgin, in thy
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1033
blessed womb hast God Incarnate of thy
flesh conceived, and still, in heaven, of
that virginity remainest after child-
birth unbereaved. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou, still a virgin, in thy
blessed womb hast God Incarnate of thy
flesh conceived, and still, in heaven, of
that virginity remainest after child-
birth unbereaved. [Alleluia.]
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel
was sent to a virgin espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph; and the vir-
gin's name was Mary. [Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. Hail, Mary, * full
of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed
art thou among women. [Alleluia.]
Third Antiphon. Fear not, Mary,
thou hast found grace with the Lord:
behold, thou shalt conceive, and bring
forth a Son. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. The Lord shall
give unto Him the throne of His father
David, and of His kingdom there shall
be no end. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. Behold the hand-
maid of the Lord: * be it unto me ac-
cording to thy word. [Alleluia.]
Chapter. (Isa. vii. 14.)
BEHOLD, the virgin shall conceive and
bear a Son, and His Name shall be
called Emmanuel. Butter and honey
shall He eat, that He may know to re-
fuse the evil, and choose the good.
Verse. Hail, Mary, full of grace. [Al-
leluia.]
Answer. The Lord is with thee. [Al-
leluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
How shall this be, * thou Angel of God,
seeing I know not a man? Hear, O
Virgin Mary: the Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the
Highest shall overshadow thee. [Alle-
luia.]
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst will that Thy word
should, by the message of an Angel,
take flesh in the womb of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, grant unto us, we beseech
Thee, that all we who do believe her to
be in very deed the Mother of God, may
be holpen by her prayers in Thy sight.
Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
In Lent a Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Isa. xi. 1.)
THERE shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a Branch
shall grow out of his roots. And the
Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Hail, Mary, &c., (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Fear not, &c., (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Luke i. 32.)
THE Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of His father David, and
He shall reign over the house of Jacob
for ever, and of His kingdom there shall
be no end.
NONE.
Antiphon. Behold the handmaid, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as at the First Vespers, except the
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Angel Gabriel said unto
Mary: Hail, thou that art full of grace,
* the Lord is with thee: blessed art
thou among women. [Alleluia.]
In Lent a Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
APRIL 2.
St. Francis of Paola, Con-
fessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of one Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,)
except the following.
1034
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
0
FIRST VESPERS.
Prayer.
GOD, Who exaltest the meek, and
hast raised up Thy Blessed Confes-
sor Francis even unto the glory of Thy
Saints, grant unto us, we beseech Thee,
for his sake, so to walk after him in
lowliness of heart, that in the end we
may attain, as he hath, to that great
reward which Thou hast promised unto
all such as be so minded. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
The same Prayer throughout the
Office.
In Lent a Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season; or, in Lent, from Ecclus.
xxxi. 8, (p. 864.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
HIS Francis was born of humble pa-
THIS
rents at Paola, a town in Cala-
bria, [about the year of our Lord, 1416.]
His parents, who had long been child-
less, obtained him, after making a vow,
by the prayers of blessed Francis. While
he was yet a lad, the love of God moved
him to withdraw into a desert place,
where he lived for six years, hardly as
to the body, but sumptuously in medi-
tation on things heavenly. Neverthe-
less, when the fame of his holy life was
noised abroad, and many betook them-
selves to him, that they might learn
godliness, he was drawn out of the de-
sert by love to his neighbour, and built
a Church near Paola, wherein he laid
the first foundations of his order.
IN
Fifth Lesson.
his words there was a wonderful
charm: he kept his virginity always
inviolate: he was so great a lover of
lowliness that he used to call himself
the last of all, and would that his dis-
ciples should be called the Minimi,
which is, being interpreted, the Least of
the brethren. His raiment was coarse;
he went always bare-footed; and he
slept on the ground. The extreme small-
ness of the amount of food which he
took was extraordinary. He ate only
once a day, and that after sunset. Then
he took only bread and water, with
scarcely any of such condiment as is
allowed in Lent. He bound his dis-
ciples by a fourth vow, added to those
of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, to
observe the same rule of eating as him-
self.
Sixth Lesson.
It of
was the will of God to make the
holiness of His servant manifest by
many miracles. The most notorious of
these is that on one occasion when some
seamen refused to take him over the
Straits of Messina, he spread his cloak
upon the sea, and crossed over on it
with his companion. In the spirit of
prophecy he foretold many things to
come. Louis XI., King of France, held
him in great worship, and bade him to
his Court. At last, at Tours, in the
ninety-first year of his age, and the
1507th of our salvation,2 he departed
hence to be ever with the Lord. His
body was not buried for eleven days
after his death, but it not only showed
no signs of corruption but even gave
forth a sweet savour. Pope Leo X.
caused him to be numbered among the
Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 32, with the
Homily of the Venerable Bede, (p. 866.)
In Lent the third part is omitted or
read as one with the second, and the
Ninth Lesson is either the first part or
the whole of the Homily for the Week-
day.
In Lent the Week-day is commemo-
rated at Lauds and Second Vespers.
1 In the hope that Francis could by miracle prolong his life. The Saint could only be
induced to go by the absolute commands of Sixtus IV. He arrived at Plessis-les-Tours,
April 24, 1482. Alban Butler says that he effected "a perfect change" in the King's heart,
before his death, which occurred, Aug. 30, 1483.
2 Alban Butler gives a year later.
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1035
APRIL 4.
St. Isidore, Archbishop (of
Seville,] Confessor and Doc-
tor of the Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of Doctors, (p. 869,) except the follow-
ing. Prayer throughout," O God, Who
didst give, &c."
At First Vespers, " O right excellent,
&c.," and in Lent, a Commemoration of
the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Ecclus. xxxix. 1, (p.
869.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ISIDORE, the admirable teacher, was
a Spaniard by birth, being the son
of Severian, governor of the Province of
Carthagena. He was trained up in all
godliness and learning by his holy bre-
thren Leander, Archbishop of Seville,
and Fulgentius, Bishop of Carthagena.
He was well instructed in the Latin,
Greek, and Hebrew letters, and he came
from his masters a most eminent scholar
in all human knowledge, and a pattern
of all Christian graces. While yet he
was very young, he attacked with such
firmness the Arian heresy, which had of
former times polluted the Gothic nation,
who then were the chief rulers of Spain,
that he was near being murdered by the
heretics. After that Leander was de-
parted this life,' Isidore was chosen to
the See of Seville, against his own will,
but at the vehement instance of King
Reccared, and with the strong assent of
the clergy and people. Holy Gregory
the Great not only confirmed his elec-
tion by his own Apostolic authority, and
caused him to be adorned, as is the cus-
tom, with a Pallium sent from the body
of Blessed Peter, but is also stated to
have appointed him Vicar of the Apos-
tolic See for all Spain.
Fifth Lesson.
tianity and the Church, and how un-
wearied in establishing the same by his
word and writings, yea, how brightly
he shone in all graces. He was a lead-
ing promoter and spreader of monastic
institutions throughout Spain. He built
many monasteries. He founded colleges
in which, when his duty allowed him
spare time for sacred study and reading,
he taught the many disciples who betook
themselves to him from all quarters.
Among these, two of the most distin-
guished were the holy Bishops Ildephon-
sus of Toledo, and Braulio of Saragossa.
He called the Council of Seville, where-
in, in a most incisive and eloquent dis-
course, he shattered and crushed the
heresy of the Acephali, by which Spain
was then threatened. So great was his
fame among all men for the holiness of
his life and doctrine, that scarcely six-
teen years after his death the whole
Council of Toledo, by the acclamation
of more than fifty Bishops, among whom
was the holy Ildephonsus himself, de-
clared him to be worthy to be called the
excellent Teacher, the newest ornament
of the Catholic Church, one whose learn-
ing would endure to the end of the
world, and of worshipful memory. It
was the opinion of the holy Braulio that
he was not only fit to be compared to
Gregory the Great, but also that he was
a gift from God to Spain instead of the
Apostle James.
Sixth Lesson.
SIDORE wrote Books "of Etymolo-
ISI
gies" and "on Church Offices," and
likewise many others, so useful in the
administration of Christian and Church
Law, that the holy Pope Leo IV. felt
no scruple in writing to the Bishops of
Britain, that the sayings of Isidore were
worthy to be kept like those of Jerome
and Austin, whenever there is to be done
some strange work, wherein the rules of
the Canon Law are not enough defined.
Many sentences from his writings may
also be discovered embedded in the
Canon Law of the Church itself.
presided over the Fourth Council of
Toledo, the most celebrated that ever
met in Spain. Before his death he had
purged Spain of the Arian heresy, and
publicly foretold his own dissolution and
the wasting of the kingdom by the Sa-
1 A.D. 600 or 601.
HEN he was Archbishop no tongue
WHE can tell how leal he was, how
lowly, and meek, and merciful, how
careful to restore the laws of Chris-
He
1036
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
racens which was to come. He passed
away to heaven, at Seville, where he
had ruled his Church for forty years,
[upon the 4th day of April,] in the
year of our Lord 636. In accord-
ance with his own commands, his body
was first buried between his brother
Leander and his sister Florentina, but
Ferdinand I., King of Castille and Leon,
bought it for a great price from Enet,
the Saracen, who then ruled at Seville,
carried it to Leon, and there built a
Church in honour of him, wherein his
said body lieth, illustrious through mira-
cles, and reverenced with great worship
by the people.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (v. 13.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: Ye are the salt of the
earth; but if the salt have lost his
savour, wherewith shall it be salted?
It is thenceforth good for nothing, but
to be cast out, and to be trodden under
foot of men. And so on.
Homily by St. Isidore, Archbishop
[of Seville.] (Bk. ii. to St. Fulgentius
on Offices, c. 5.)
Whosoever is set over the people to
teach them and to catechise them in
good works, him it behoveth in all
things to be holy, and in nothing to be
held blameworthy. For he which re-
buketh another for sin, should have no
dealings with sin himself. Since with
what face can he rebuke them which
are under him, if he which is rebuked of
him be able to answer him straightway,
saying: Begin by teaching thyself to do
well? Verily, whosoever setteth him-
self to teach others to live well, him it
behoveth first of all to correct his own
life, so that in all things he may be able
to give the same his own life for an en-
sample, and may provoke all to good liv-
ing by his works as well as by his words.
Likewise also he must needs be learned
in the Scriptures, since if the life of a
Bishop be holy only, then is he profit-
able to himself only. But if he be
learned also in his teaching and dis-
course, he is able to edify his neigh-
bours, both teaching such as are his
1 Motadhid Abbâd, Cadi of Seville. Dozy,
pp. 119–123.
own, and confounding the gainsayers,
who, unless they be confounded and un-
masked, are easily able to lead astray
the hearts of the simple.
Eighth Lesson.
SUCH an one it behoveth, that his dis-
course should be pure, plain, open,
very weighty, and seemly, full of sweet-
ness and comeliness, touching often the
mystery of Law, the teaching of faith,
the manliness of self-control, and the
training of righteousness. Such an one
it behoveth to exhort all men with vary-
ing exhortation, according to the profes-
sion and way of life of each, that is to
say, such an one must know what, to
whom, when, and how to speak. His
duty is, before all others, to read the
Scriptures, to know the Canons, to copy
the ensamples of the Saints, to be in-
stant in watching, fasting, and prayer,
to keep peace with his brethren, to
separate himself from none of the mem-
bers of Christ, to condemn no man un-
tried, and to excommunicate no man
unheard. Such an one it behoveth, as
he is the first in authority, so also to be
the first in lowliness, yet ever so, that, by
misplaced lowliness, he suffer not nor
encourage the sins of those that are
under him, nor use his authority hardly
and with violence, but as one that is
the more careful of the flock committed
unto him, as being mindful of that
stricter account which he will have to
give at the fearful judgment seat of
Christ.
Ninth Lesson.
(In Lent this Lesson is either the first
part or the whole of the Homily for the
Week-day, in which case what follows
is either omitted or read as one with the
Eighth Lesson.)
SUCH
an one must have firm hold on
charity, that gift which surpasseth
all others, and without which all others
are nothing worth. Charity is the keeper
of chastity, and that keeper's home is
lowly-mindedness. With all other gifts
he must needs be eminent for purity,
yea, his must be a mind belonging utterly
to Christ, and clean and free from any
fleshly defilement. But these are not all
his needful gifts. Besides these, it be-
hoveth him to undertake the care of the
Hist. des Musulmans d'Espagne, vol. iv.

FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1037
*
poor, and to do the same with zeal and
likewise with prudence, to feed the hun-
gry, to clothe the naked, to entertain
strangers, to ransom prisoners, to be the
guardian of the widow and the orphan,
to watch over all without ceasing, and
to be heedful that his alms be neither
foolish nor wasteful. In him hospitality
must shine, entertaining all men with
courtesy and brotherly love; for if it be
the duty of all the faithful to listen to
that Gospel which saith: "I was a
stranger, and ye took Me in," (Matth.
xxv. 35,) how much more is it the duty
of Bishops, whose house it behoveth to
be an home for all men?
In Lent the Week-day is commemo-
rated at Lauds.
Vespers are of the following, from the
Chapter, inclusive.
APRIL 5.
St. Vincent Ferrer, Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of one Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,)
except the following.
O
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who wast pleased to enlighten
Thy Church through the worthy
deeds and Gospel preaching of Thy
blessed Confessor Vincent, grant unto
us Thy servants grace so to order our
lives after his ensample, that we, being
holpen by his protection, may by Thee
be ever delivered from all evil. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration is
made of St. Isidore, Antiphon, "O
right excellent, &c.," and, in Lent, of
the Week-day.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season; or, in Lent, from Ecclus.
xxxi. 8, (p. 864.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Vincent was born of respect-
able parents, at Valencia in Spain
[upon the 23rd day of January, in
the year of our Lord 1357.] Even as
a child he had an heart like the heart
of an old man. Considering, to the ut-
most of his young understanding, how
fleeting is the course of this dark world,
he, in the eighteenth year of his age,
took the habit of a Friar in the Order of
Preachers. After he had made his
solemn profession, he devoted himself to
sacred learning, and took the degree of
Master in Divinity with much distinc-
tion. He soon after received permission
from his superiors to preach the word of
God, on which duty he entered with
such power and success, striving against
the unbelief of the Jews, and over-
throwing the errors of the Saracens,
that he brought an exceeding great
multitude of unbelievers to believe in
Christ, and turned many thousands of
Christians from sin to sorrow, and from
vice to virtue. He was a chosen vessel
unto God to proclaim the tidings of sal-
vation among all nations, and tribes,
and tongues, crying out that the last
day, that awful day of judgment, is at
hand, smiting consternation into the
minds of all, as many as heard him,
weaning their love from a perishing
world, and turning it to God.
Fifth Lesson.
WHILE Vincent
HILE Vincent wrought the Apos-
tolic work of preaching committed
to him, he lived ever as follows: Every
morning he sang a solemn Mass, and
every day he preached in public. He
fasted every day, unless prevented by
some absolute necessity. He refused to
no one his holy and just advice. He
never ate meat, nor wore linen. He
quieted public disturbances, and nego-
tiated the peace of kingdoms. When
the seamless garment of the Church
was rent by an horrid schism, he worked
1 Ferrerius or Ferrarius, i.e. Smith. The name might be Englished, if not translated,
Ferrers, being the same as that of the noble English family of the Comites Ferrarii or
Earls Ferrars, who still have, and exercise, the right, in allusion to their name, of levying
a tax of an horse-shoe on every peer of the Realm who comes for the first time within a
certain distance of the Castle of Oakham, in Rutlandshire.
1038
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
his every nerve to unite it again, and
keep it one. He was a burning and a
shining light of all virtues, walking
always in lowliness and simpleness, so
that he meekly welcomed and embraced
them which spake evil against him and
persecuted him.
Sixth Lesson.
THE Power of God confirmed his life
and doctrine with many great signs
and wonders. He often laid his hands
upon the sick and they recovered. He
cast out unclean spirits, and made the
deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, and the
blind to see. He cleansed the lepers,
and raised the dead. After passing
through many countries of Europe with
exceeding profit to souls, worn out with
age and disease, but still ever the same
unwearied herald of the Gospel, he
brought his life and his preaching toge-
ther to an happy end, at Vannes in
Brittany, [upon the 5th day of April,]
in the year of salvation 1419. Pope
Callistus III. numbered him with the
Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
Homily of Pope St. Gregory, (p. 859.)
In Lent the third part is omitted or
read_as_one with the second, and the
Ninth Lesson is either the first part,
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Peter i. 1, as on the
Fifth Sunday after Easter, (p. 511.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
LEO I. was an Etruscan who ruled the
Church¹ at the time when Attila,
king of the Huns, whose surname is the
Scourge of God, invaded Italy, and after
a siege of three years, took, sacked, and
burnt Aquileia. Thence he was hurry-
ing to Rome, on fire with anger, and his
troops were already preparing to cross
the Po, at the place where that river is
joined by the Mincio, when he was met
by Leo, moved with compassion at the
thought of the ruin which hung over
Italy. By his God-given eloquence, At-
tila was persuaded to turn back, and
when he was afterwards asked by his
servants why, contrary to his custom,
he had so meekly yielded to the entrea-
ties of the Bishop of Rome, he answered
that he had been alarmed by a figure
dressed like a Priest, which had appeared
at the side of Leo while he was speak-
ing, holding a drawn sword, and had
made as though to kill the king unless
he consented. And so he returned into
Pannonia.
or the whole of the Homily for the M¹
Week-day.
In Lent the Week-day is commemo-
rated at Lauds and Second Vespers.
APRIL 11.
St. Leo I. (called "the Great,")
Pope, Confessor, and Doctor
of the Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of Doctors, (p. 869,) except the fol-
lowing.
Prayer at First Vespers and through-
out the Office: "Hear, O Lord, we be-
seech Thee, the prayers, &c.," (p. 849.)
At First Vespers in Lent, a Comme-
moration is made of the Week-day.
Fifth Lesson.
EANWHILE Leo went back to
Rome, where he was received with
rejoicing by all men. A while later,
Genseric entered the city, but Leo, by
the power of his eloquence and the au-
thority of his holy life, persuaded him
to abstain from fire, insult, and slaugh-
ter. When Leo beheld how the Church
was assailed by many heresies, and in
dire trouble through the Nestorians and
Eutychians, to purify the same and
establish her in the Catholic Faith, he
called the Council of Chalcedon, where,
in an assembly of six hundred and
thirty Bishops Nestorius was again con-
demned, along with Eutyches and Dios-
corus; the decrees of which Council were
confirmed by the authority of Leo.
Sixth Lesson.
FTER these matters, this holy Pope
set himself to the restoration and
1 He was consecrated, Sept. 29, 440, a short time after his election.
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1039
building of Churches. By his advice
that godly woman Demetria built the
Church of S. Stephen upon her farm on
the Latin Road, at the third milestone
from the city. He himself built ano-
ther Church upon the Appian Way,
which Church is called that of S. Cor-
nelius. He restored likewise many other
Churches, and the holy vessels used
therein. He built Clergy-houses at the
three Basilicas of Peter, Paul, and Con-
stantine. He built a monastery hard
by the Basilica of S. Peter. He ap-
pointed for the graves of the Apostles
certain keepers, whom he called the
Chamberlains of the said Apostles. He
ordained that in the action of the Mys-
tery³ should be uttered the words-"An
holy sacrifice, an offering without spot."
He ordered that no nun should have the
covering of her head blessed¹ until she
had made trial of her virginity for forty
years. After doing all these and other
illustrious works, and after he had
written much that is both godly and
easy to be understood, he fell asleep in
the Lord on the eleventh day of April.5
[in the year 461.] He held the Papal
See for twenty years, ten months, and
twenty-eight days.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xvi. 13.)
AT
T that time: JESUS came into the
coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, and He
asked His disciples, saying: Who do
men say that I, the Son of Man, am?
And so on.
Homily by Pope St. Leo [the Great.]
(2nd on the anniversary of his own
élection.)
When the Lord, as we read in the
Evangelist, asked His disciples: "Who
did men, amid their divers speculations,
believe that He, the Son of Man, was;
blessed Peter answered and said: Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living
God. And JESUS answered and said
unto him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-
jona: for flesh and blood hath not re-
vealed it unto thee, by My Father,
Which is in heaven: and I say also
unto thee, that thou art Peter, and
upon this rock I will build My Church,
and the gates of hell shall not prevail
against it; and I will give unto thee the
keys of the kingdom of heaven; and
whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth
shall be bound in heaven; and what-
soever thou shalt loose on earth shall
be loosed in heaven.” Thus therefore
standeth the ordinance of the Truth,
and blessed Peter, abiding still that firm
rock which God hath made him, hath
never lost that right to rule in the
Church which God hath given unto him.
Eighth Lesson.
N the universal Church it is Peter
that doth still say every day, "Thou
art the Christ, the Son of the living
God," and every tongue which confess-
eth that JESUS is Lord is taught that
confession by the teaching of Peter.
This is the faith that overcometh the
devil and looseth the bands of his pri-
soners. This is the faith which maketh
men free of the world and bringeth
them to heaven, and the gates of hell
are impotent to prevail against it. With
such ramparts of salvation hath God
fortified this rock, that the contagion of
heresy will never be able to infect it,
nor idolatry and unbelief to overcome
it. This teaching it is, my dearly be-
loved brethren, which maketh the keep-
ing of this Feast to-day to be our rea-
sonable service, even the teaching which
maketh you to know and honour in my-
self, lowly though I be, that Peter who
is still entrusted with the care of all
other shepherds and of all the flocks to
them committed, and whose authority
I have, albeit unworthy to be his heir.
Ninth Lesson.
(In Lent this Lesson is either the
first part or the whole of the Homily
for the Week-day, in which case what
1 This is S. Saviour's, commonly called St. John Lateran.
2 Cubicularii. More correctly "Gentlemen of the Bed-chamber."
3 That is, in the Canon of the Mass, called the "action" in the Roman Missal,
* Take the solemn vows, on which occasion the veil is blessed.
5 Alban Butler says Nov. 10.
5
3 Z
1040
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
follows is either omitted or read as one
with the Eighth Lesson.)
WHEN, therefore, we address our ex-
hortations to your godly ears, be-
lieve ye that ye are hearing him speak
whose office we are discharging. Yea,
it is with his love for you that we warn
you, and we preach unto you no other
thing than that which he taught, en-
treating you that ye would gird up the
loins of your mind and lead pure and
sober lives in the fear of God. 2My
disciples dearly beloved, ye are to me,
as the disciples of the Apostle Paul
were to him, (Phil. iv. 1,) à crown and
a joy, if your faith, which, in the first
times of the Gospel was spoken of
throughout the whole world, (Rom. i. 8)
abide still lovely and holy. For, albeit
it behoveth the whole Church which is
spread throughout all the world, to be
strong in righteousness, you it chiefly
becometh above all other peoples to
excel in worth and godliness, whose
house is built upon the very crown of
the Rock of the Apostle, and whom not
only hath our Lord JESUS Christ, as
He hath redeemed all men, but whom
also His blessed Apostle Peter hath made
the foremost object of his teaching.
In Lent the Week-day is commemo-
rated at Lauds and Vespers.
APRIL 13.
St. Hermenegild, Martyr.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of One Martyr, (p. 817, or 792,) except
the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
Hymn.
If it happens for any reason that
these Vespers are omitted, this Hymn is
said at Mattins, and the Hymn for
Mattins at Lauds.
THOU who on the throne of Spain
Didst shed Nicæa's glorious light—
Whose faith waxed strong a place to gain
With them who die to win the fight;
We know thy faith unsullied stood
Alike before earth's smile and frown,
Knowing that death an higher good
That bore thee to a martyr's crown.
Lent's forty days that were thy last
Thy soul with such meek courage stored,
That thou didst leave the earthly Fast
To keep thine Easter with the Lord.
As to thy heart in worship bound
To our's Nicæa's Symbol lies;
With thee may we one day be found
Where that bright faith in knowledge
dies! Amen.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst teach Thy blessed
Martyr Hermenegild to choose an
heavenly rather than an earthly crown,
grant, we beseech Thee, that we, like
him, may so pass through things tem-
poral that we finally miss not those
which are eternal. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
In Lent Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
A
MATTINS.
Hymn.
FATHER'S love, that called to sin,
Thine higher love to Christ passed by;
The glories of a crown were dim
Before thy spirit's piercing eye.
As in earth's peace so in her strife
·
The love of JESUS bore thee through,
Till, quickened to the higher life,
Thou hadst borne all that men can do-
All men can do !—and thou, above,
The victor's palm-branch bearest now;
O in the presence of God's love
The Church's champion still be thou!
As to thy heart in worship bound
To our's Nicæa's Symbol lies;
With thee may we one day be found
Where that bright faith in knowledge
dies! Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. In Lent, from Rom. viii.
12, (p.830.)
1 Lit. the ears of your holiness. So St. Austin addresses his congregation as "your
love."
* It must of course be remembered, as in the Eighth Lesson, so more especially in this,
that St. Leo addresses the Romans.
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1041
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book in-
tituled the Dialogues, written by Pope
St. Gregory [the Great.] (Bk. iii.
ch. 31.)
KING¹ Hermenegild, the son of Leo-
vigild, King of the Visigoths, was
turned from the Arian heresy to the
Catholic Faith by the preaching of that
most worshipful man Leander, Bishop
of Seville, the same who was for a long
season mine own familiar friend. Then
his father, being himself an Arian,
strove to bring him back to that heresy,
first by offering him gifts, and then
seeking to awe him by threatening.
And when he answered alway that,
having once had knowledge of the true
faith, he never could forsake it, his fa-
ther was wroth, and took away his king-
dom from him, and plundered him of
all his goods. And when not even so
could he sap the manliness of his soul,
he cast him into a most strait prison,
having his neck and his hands in fetters
of iron. And so that young King Her-
menegild began to hold in little esteem
an earthly kingdom, and to long exceed-
ingly for an heavenly. Yea, he clothed
himself in sack-cloths in the prison, and
as he lay bound therein, he poured forth
supplications to Almighty God to give
him strength. There he lay bound,
having suffered the loss of all things,
but his suffering made him but to esteem
more worthless the glory of this world,
which passeth away so easily.
BUT
Fifth Lesson.
UT when the day of the glad Pass-
over came, at dead of night, the
unbelieving father sent to his son the
Arian Bishop, to offer him, as the price
of his favour, to receive at the hands of
the said Bishop the Communion which
was the result of a sacrilegious conse-
cration. But when the Arian Bishop
came into the prison, the servant of God,
remembering that he was not his own
but God's man, rebuked the unbeliever
as he deserved, and drave him from his
presence with just reproaches; for
though he was weak and bound as touch-
ing this outer body, yet was he strong
in the mighty castle of his soul. The
Bishop, therefore, went away again to
that Arian father. And when he came
to Leovigild, he waxed exceeding wroth,
and sent his servants to kill God's faith-
ful witness where he lay. Which thing
was done; for as soon as they came to
him into the prison, they clave his head
with an axe, and freed him from the
dying life of this house of our taber-
nacle. And so they did to him all that
which they that kill the body are able
to do, and it was a thing which now of
a long season he feared not, seeing that
when they have done that, they have no
more that they can do, but fearing rather
Him Who, when He hath killed, hath
power to cast both body and soul into
hell. But God, to make manifest the
glory of His servant, was pleased to work
signs from heaven, for of a sudden the
solemn swell of singing of Psalms was
heard at that dead hour of night from
round about the place where lay the
body of the kingly martyr, kingly now
in an higher and truer sense than the
sense of earthly kingship, since he had
witnessed a good confession for the truth,
sealing it with his blood.
Sixth Lesson.
SOME say, too, that lights were seen
there that night. Wherefore it came
to pass that the body of the martyr be-
came the rightful object of reverence to
all God's faithful people. The unbe-
lieving father, murderer of his own
child, was seized with remorse, and re-
pented him of what he had done, but he
sorrowed not unto salvation. For though
he knew that the Catholic faith was
true, he stood in fear of his people, and
deserved not to attain unto it. He fell
sick, and, when he was at the point of
death, he made it his duty to recom-
mend King Reccared his surviving son
to the care of the Bishop Leander, whom
aforetime he had grievously persecuted,
that though Reccared was now left in
heresy, the Bishop might work in him
by his exhortations the same change
that he had worked in his brother,-
which when Leovigild had said, he died.
After his death, King Reccared took for
"He was invested by his father with the Royal diadem and the fair principality of
Bætica." Gibbon, xxxvii.
2 Between Holy Saturday, the 13th, and Easter Day, the 14th of April, A.D. 586.
1
Y
3 z 2
1042
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
his ensample not his unbelieving father
but his martyred brother. He forsook
the Arian heresy, and brought the whole
nation of the Visigoths to believe in the
true faith, so that he allowed no man in
his kingdom to be an officer, who dared
any longer range himself through heresy.
as an enemy of the Kingdom of God.
Neither need we marvel that Reccared
was a preacher of the faith, since he had
had to his brother a martyr, for whose
sake Almighty God hath holpen him to
bring back so many to the bosom of their
Father Who is in heaven.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Whether in or out of Paschal-time
the Lessons are from Luke xiv. 26, with
the Homily of Pope St. Gregory, (p.
821.) In Lent the Third of these Les-
sons is omitted, or read as one with the
Second, and the Ninth Lesson is either
the first part or the whole of the Homily
for the Week-day, which is also com-
memorated at Lauds and Second Ves-
pers.
APRIL 14.
The Holy Martyrs Tiburtius,
Valerian, and Marimus.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for Simple
Feasts of Many Martyrs (p. 841 or
803.)
0
Prayer throughout.
ALMIGHTY God, for Whom holy
Tiburtius, Valerian, and Maximus
uplifted their testimony, grant, we be-
seech Thee, unto all whosoever call the
same to solemn memory, grace to imitate
the example of their godly courage.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
Second Lesson.
VALERIAN was a Roman, of a family
as noble as that of the blessed
maiden Cecily, to whom he was con-
tracted in marriage, in the reign of the
Emperor Alexander Severus. At her
persuasion he and his brother Tiburtius
were baptized by the holy Pope Urban.¹
When it came to the knowledge of Al-
machius, the Prefect of the city, that
they were become Christians, had given
their substance to the poor, and were
burying the bodies of the faithful, he
sent for them and strongly rebuked
them; but as they constantly confessed
that Christ is God, and that the gods of
the heathen are but vain images of de-
vils, he commanded them to be beaten
with rods.
Third Lesson.
BUT, forasmuch as no blows could
force them to worship the image
of Jupiter, but they seemed rather to wax
strong in witnessing to the truth of the
faith that was in them, they were be-
headed at the fourth mile-stone from
the city. One of the clerks of the Pre-
fect, named Maximus, who had led them
out to die, was so moved at the sight of
their courage that he himself, with
many other servants of the Prefect,
owned to being a Christian: they were
sentenced to be scourged to death with
whips loaded with lead, under the which
torment, in a little while, all these, who
had once been the devil's ministers,
passed away as martyrs of Christ the
Lord.
APRIL 17.
St. Anicete, Pope and Martyr.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for Simple
Feasts of One Martyr (p. 828 or 803,)
except the following Lesson.
Prayer, "O God, Who year by year,
&c.,” (p. 799,) throughout the Office.
MATTINS.
Third Lesson.
THIS Anicete was a Syrian who ruled
the Church in the time of the Em-
peror Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. It
was his ordinance which forbade the
clergy to grow long hair. He held five
December ordinations, wherein he or-
dained seventeen Priests, four Deacons,
and nine Bishops for divers sees. He
lived as Pope eight years, eight months,
¹ Apparently an anachronism. See De Rossi in the Bolletino Archæologico, and Dom
Guéranger's "Ste. Cécile."
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1043
and twenty-four days. He bore witness
to his faith in Christ even unto blood,
and, being crowned on the seventeenth
day of April, [in the year of salvation
173,] was buried upon the Appian Way
in the Cemetery which has since been
called that of St. Calixtus.
APRIL 21.
St. Anselm, Archbishop [of
Canterbury,] Confessor, and
Doctor of the Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of Doctors, (p. 869,) except the follow-
ing. Prayer throughout, "O God, Who
didst give, &c.," (p. 849.) At First
Vespers, "O right excellent, &c."
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Ecclus. xxxix. 1, (p.
869.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ANSELM was born of noble and Ca-
tholic parents, named Gundulph
and Hermenberga, at Aosta, in Pied-
mont, [about the year of our Lord
1033.] From his tenderest years his
diligence in study, and his aspirations
to a more perfect state of life, gave no
indistinct foreshadowing of the holiness
and learning to which he afterwards at-
tained. The heat of youth drew him
for a while into the snares of the world,
but he soon returned to his first courses,
and, forsaking his country and his goods,
betook himself [in 1060,] to the monastery
of Bec, under the rule of S. Benedict.
There he made his profession as a monk,
and under the rigid discipline of Herluin
the Abbat, and the learned instruction
of the profound Lanfranc, with great
zeal of spirit and eager obedience to the
Rule, he made such progress in learning
and godliness, that he shone before all
others as an ensample of holiness of
life, and power of doctrine.
Fifth Lesson.
MORTIFICATION and purity were
his marked characteristics, and by
constant fasting all taste for food seemed
to have died in him. He spent the day
in the monastic work, in teaching, and
in answering hard questions upon reli-
gion, and he took away from sleep during
what remained to him of the night, that
he might refresh his soul by thoughts
of God, wherein he was alway comforted
by an unceasing flow of tears. When
he was chosen Prior of the monastery,
he so won over, by his charity, lowli-
ness, and wisdom, some brethren who
looked ill upon him, that from enviers,
as he had found them, he turned them
into lovers of God and of himself like-
wise, with exceeding gain to the strict-
ness of observance in that Abbey. After
the death of the Abbat, [in 1078,] An-
selm, though against his own will, was
chosen to succeed him. In this high
place the light of his learning and holi-
ness so shone all round about, that he
was reverenced not only by Kings and
Bishops, but was taken up by the holy
Pope Gregory VII., who, amid the great
persecutions which were then trying him,
wrote with words of great love to Anselm
to recommend himself and the Catholic
Church to his prayers.
Sixth Lesson.
AFTER the death of Lanfranc, Arch-
bishop of Canterbury, [in 1089,]
Anselm, whose teacher Lanfranc had for-
merly been, was driven by William II.
King of England, supported by the en-
treaties of the clergy and people, though
sorely against his own wishes, to take
upon him the government of that Church.
Raised to that See [upon the 4th day of
December, in the year 1093,] he straight-
way set himself to reform the corrupt man-
ners of the people, and, first by his word
and example, and then by his writings
and the Councils which he held, succeeded
in restoring the ancient godliness and
discipline of the Church. But when
the aforesaid King William tried by
force and threats to seize on the rights
of the Church, Anselm withstood him as
beseemed a Priest, and after that he had
suffered the plundering of all his goods
and been sent into banishment, he be-
took himself to Rome to Urban II. There
he was received with great worship, and
won high praise for that in the Council
of Bari [in 1098,] he maintained by
countless proofs from Scripture and the
1044
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
holy Fathers, against the error of the
Greeks, that the Holy Ghost proceedeth
from the Son also. When William
lived no more, his brother Henry I.,
King of England, [in the year 1100,]
called back Anselm thither, and there
he fell asleep in the Lord, [upon the
21st day of April, 1109.] His is a name
illustrious not for miracles only, nor for
holiness, (and indeed he had a wondrous
love for his Lord Who had suffered for him,
and for the blessed Maiden Mother of the
Same our Lord,) but also for the deep
learning which he used for the defence of
the Christian Religion and the good of
souls. That wonderful knowledge of theo-
logy which he had, and which is shown in
all the books which he wrote, seemeth to
have been given him from heaven for
the teaching of all writers on the same
subject, who have used what is called
the Scholastic method.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. Hilary (p. 871.)
At Second Vespers "O right excel-
lent, &c.," and a Commemoration is
made of the following. (All from the
Common.)
APRIL 22.
The Holy Martyrs, Popes
Soter and Caius.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for Many
Martyrs in Paschal-time, (p. 792,) ex-
cept the following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
SOTER, a countryman of Fondi in
Campania, succeeded the holy
martyr Anicete, [in the year 173.] It
was he who ordained that nuns should
not touch the sacred vessels and linen
of the Altar, nor serve with the in-
cense in the Church. He ordained
likewise, that on the anniversary of
the Lord's Supper, every one should
receive the Body of Christ, except
those who were forbidden to do so on
account of grievous sin. He sat as
Pope three years, eleven months, and
twenty-eight days. He ordained in the
month of December eighteen Priests,
nine Deacons, and eleven Bishops for
divers places. He was crowned with
martyrdom under the Emperor Marcus
Aurelius, [in 177,] and was buried after
the manner of them that had gone be-
fore him, in the Cemetery, which was
afterwards called that of S. Calixtus.
Fifth Lesson.
CAIUS, who was a Dalmatian and a
kinsman of the Emperor Diocletian
[and succeeded holy Eutychian in the
year 283. It] was he which ordained
that the following should be the order of
degrees in the Church through which all
should pass before they be made Bishop:
First, Door-keeper; second, Reader;
third, Exorcist; fourth, Acolyte; fifth,
Sub-deacon; sixth, Deacon; seventh,
Priest. Caius fled from the cruelties
practised by Diocletian against the
Christians, and lay hid for a while in
a cave, but after eight years he and
his brother Gabinus won the crown of
martyrdom, [upon the 21st day of
April, in the year 296.] At that time
he had sat in the chair of Peter twelve
years, four months, and five days,
and had ordained in the month of De-
cember twenty-five Priests, eight Dea-
cons, and five Bishops. He was buried
in the Cemetery of Calixtus upon
the twenty-second day of April. It
was Urban VIII. who renewed the me-
morial of him in the city, rebuilt his
Church, which had been in ruins, and
distinguished it by making it one of
those whence the Cardinals take their
titles, and of those which are called
"Stations," and enriching it with the
reliques of the Saint.
Sixth Lesson from the Sermons of St.
Ambrose, (p. 795.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from John xv. 5, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 803.)
Prayer at Lauds and throughout the
Office, "O Lord, we beseech Thee, &c.,
(p. 800.)
Vespers are of the following, from the
Chapter inclusive.
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1045
APRIL 23.
St. George, Martyr.1
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of One Martyr in Paschal-time, (p.792,)
except the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
As regards St. George, these Vespers
begin at the Chapter.
0
Prayer.
GOD, Who dost gladden us through
the worthy deeds and prayers of
Thy blessed Martyr George, mercifully
grant that all they which seek Thy
mercy through him, may effectually ob-
tain the gift of Thy grace. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of SS.
Soter and Caius. All from the Common.
Prayer as in their Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Lessons from the Letter of St. Cyprian
to the Martyrs, (p. 802.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from John xv. 1, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 797.)
Prayer throughout the Office from
First Vespers.
Second Vespers are of the following.
APRIL 24.
St. Faithful of Sigmaringen,
Martyr.
Double.

All from the Common Office for Feasts
of One Martyr in Paschal time, (p. 792,)
except the following.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst vouchsafe to en-
kindle in blessed Faithful the fire
of Thy Seraphim," and to glorify his
toil to give men a true knowledge of
Thee by the palm-branch of martyrdom
and by great signs and wonders, be en-
treated, we beseech Thee, for his sake
and by his prayers, and so establish_us
in the knowledge and love of Thee, that
we also, like him, may be found "faith-
ful" even unto death in serving of
Thee. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
At First Vespers.a Commemoration is
made of St. George. All from the Com-
mon and Prayer as above.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN,
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN,
FAITHFUL was born of the respect-
able family of Rey in the town
of Sigmaringen in Swabia, [in the
year of our Lord 1577.] From his
childhood he was adorned with many
bright gifts of nature and grace. In-
tellectually distinguished, and assisted
by all the advantages of education, he
took at Fribourg the degrees of Philo-
sophy and of Civil and Canon Law, and
1 This saint is one of the most popular in Christendom, but who he was, and indeed
everything about him, except the fact of martyrdom, is enveloped in the greatest obscu-
rity. The labours of the Bollandists tend to show that he was very probably a Cappa-
docian by birth and a soldier by profession, and that he is the martyr (otherwise anony-
mous) who was tortured to death for pulling down the edict of Diocletian against Christianity,
at Nicomedia, in A.D. 303. He seems, says Alban Butler, to have been arrested on Good
Friday (April 16,) and after having been tortured for eight days, to have received his crown
on the Friday following, April 23. He was the first victim of Diocletian's persecution.
? Probably a sort of play upon the name of the "Seraphic Order," often given to the
Franciscans.
1046
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
it was while engaged in these studies,
that he began to strive after the height
of perfection in the school of Christ, to
which end he earnestly trained himself
in all the exercises of godliness. He
ceased not to exhort to Christian godli-
ness, both by his words and works, the
noblemen who made him their com-
panion, and who were drawn from the
chief families of divers parts of Europe.¹
While on his travels, he was careful to
mortify the lusts of the flesh by frequent
austerities, and so to get the command
of himself, that he was never seen under
any circumstances to be moved to anger.
He was a zealous champion of law and
justice, and when he returned into Ger-
many, he won a most distinguished name
in his profession as an advocate. After
a while, however, in view of the dangers
which beset him at the Bar, he deter-
mined to enter on a path safer as re-
garded his eternal salvation, and, in
obedience to an inward call from above,
he sought admission into the Sera-
phic order, among the Capuchin Friars
Minors, [in the year 1612.]
Fifth Lesson.
AFTER he had obtained his holy wish,
horrid ravages among the Austrian sol-
diers, he gave
diers, he gave himself up with his whole
soul to unwearied offices of tenderness
toward the helpless sick. In allaying
quarrels and relieving the temporal dis-
tress of his neighbour, he bore himself
with such wisdom and zeal as to earn
the name of "Father of his country."
HE
Sixth Lesson.
tenderly and warmly loved the
maiden Mother of God and her
Rosary, and he besought God under the
patronage of many of His holy servants,
but especially under that of the same
blessed Mother, to vouchsafe to let him
offer his life and his blood together for
the sake of the Catholic faith. This
burning desire came upon him more and
more, day by day, as he celebrated with
great ardour of spirit the Holy Liturgy;
and by the unexpected Providence of
God it came to pass that this brave sol-
dier of Christ was chosen President of
the Missions which the Congregation
for the Propagation of the Faith had at
that time just founded for the Grisons.
He accepted this hard task with a will-
ing and joyful heart, and discharged it
with such zeal, that many heretics were
turned to the orthodox faith, and great
hope was engendered that the whole of
that people would return to the peace of
Christ and His Church. Faithful, who
was gifted with the spirit of Prophecy,
often foretold the great woes which
afterwards came upon the Grisons, and
that he himself would be murdered by
the heretics. At last, on a certain 23rd
of April, some of the heretics, who pre-
tended to be converted, entreated him to
come and preach the following day at
the Church of a place which is called
Sevis. He complied with the treacher-
ous invitation, but, as he knew that
plots were being laid against him, he
had made himself ready beforehand for
the last conflict. On the 24th day of
April, in the year 1622, he went to
Sevis, and began to preach, but his dis-
course was interrupted by a riot, and [on
his way back,] he was [met by a party
of Calvinists, and] brutally murdered.
By this glorious death, which he suffered
with a willing and cheerful heart, he
offered to God in his own blood the first-
fruits of martyrdom from the above-
¹ He was a travelling tutor.
he showed himself even in his no-
viceship a singular despiser of the world
and of himself, and still more so when
with great spiritual joy he had made his
solemn profession to the Lord. By his
observance of the Rule, he became the
wonder and the example of all. He
gave himself chiefly to prayer and
sacred learning, but he excelled, by a
remarkable grace, in the ministry of the
Word, and thereby not only stirred up
the Catholics to bring forth more fruit,
but also drew misbelievers to the know-
ledge of the truth. He was set at the
head of communities of Friars in divers
places, and discharged the duty so laid
upon him with great praise for
pru-
dence, justice, meekness, wisdom, and
lowliness. He was animated by a vehe-
ment love of the strictest poverty, and
cleansed the convent of whatever was
not altogether needful. While he pur-
sued himself with an healthy hatred,
and most stern fastings, watchings, and
scourgings, he showed to all others a
love like the love of a mother for her
sons. When a contagious fever made
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1047
F
mentioned Congregation. God hath since
glorified him by many signs and won-
ders, especially at Coire and Feldkir-
chen, where his reliques are kept with
much popular veneration.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from John xv. 1, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 797.)
Vespers are of the following.
APRIL 25.
St. Mark, Evangelist.
Double of the Second Class.
All from the Common Office for Evan-
gelists in Paschal-time, (p. 792,) except
the following.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst exalt Thy blessed
Evangelist Mark, by giving him
grace to preach Thine Evangel, grant
unto us, we beseech Thee, ever to follow
more and more what he teacheth, and
ever to be shielded from all evil by his
prayers. Through our Lord JESUS Christ,
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of St. Faithful. All from the
Common. Prayer from his Office.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Ezekiel i. 1, (p. 815.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book upon
Church Writers, composed by St.
Jerome, Priest [at Bethlehem.]
MARE
RK was the disciple and inter-
preter of Peter, and it was from
what he had heard Peter tell, that, at
the request of the brethren at Rome, he
wrote the shortest of the Gospels. When
Peter had heard it, he approved it, and
gave it to the Church to be read, by his
authority. Mark betook himself to
Egypt, with the Gospel which he had
compiled, and was the first man who
preached Christ at Alexandria. There
he founded a Church with such teaching
and austerity of life, that all who fol-
lowed Christ were constrained to imitate
him.
Fifth Lesson.
AST of all, Philo, that most learned
Jew, observing that the first Church
of Alexandria still kept the law of
Moses, wrote a book concerning their
manners, as if in praise of his own
nation, wherein he saith that under
the teaching of Mark, the Christians of
Alexandria had all things in common,
just as Luke telleth us was the case with
all them that believed at Jerusalem.
Mark died in the eighth year of Nero,
and was buried at Alexandria. Ania-
nus succeeded him.
Sixth Lesson, from S. Gregory on
Ezekiel, (p. 815.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke x. 1, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 816.)
On this day there is a Procession fol-
lowed by a special Mass, in memory of
the like ceremony, whereby in the time of
St. Gregory, the anger of God was ap-
peased, and a plague stayed in Rome.
All persons bound to recite the_Office
and who are not present at the Proces-
sion, are bound to recite the Litany,
after Lauds. This Procession and Li-
tany is not transferred with the Feast
of St. Mark, unless April 25th were
Easter Sunday, and then only to Mon-
day.
In Second Vespers a Commemoration
is made of the following. Prayer from
their Lauds.
Note. If any of the following Feasts
fall on the Rogation Days, or on the
Eve of the Ascension, the Lessons of
the First Nocturn are those from Scrip-
ture which are given in the Common
Offices, unless proper Lessons are_as-
signed, or the First Epistle of St. Peter
is to be begun. In such case, also, the
third part of the Homily for the Feast
is omitted or read as one with the
second, and the Ninth Lesson is either
the first part or the whole of the Homily
for the Week-day, and the said Week-
day is Commemorated at Vespers and
Lauds. Note also that a Feast falling
on those three days does not abolish the
Litany.
1018
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
APRIL 26.
The Holy Martyrs, Popes
Cletus and Marcellinus,¹
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for Many
Martyrs, (p. 793, or 829,) except the
following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. On Rogation Monday from
Rom. viii. 12, (p. 830,) unless from
1 Peter i. 1, (see above.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
(LETUS was a Roman, the son of
CLE
Emilian, of the Fifth Region of
the city, and the street called Noble.
He ruled the Church in the time of the
Emperors Vespasian and Titus. In ac-
cordance with the precept of the Prince
of the Apostles he ordained twenty-five
Priests for the city. He was the first
Pope who made use in his letters of the
phrase "Health and Apostolic Benedic-
tion." When he had ruled the Church
for twelve years, seven months, and two
days, and brought it into an excellent
state of order, in the reign of the Em-
peror Domitian, and the second persecu-
tion since the time of Nero, he was
crowned with martyrdom, and buried on
the Vatican mount, hard by the body of
blessed Peter.
ΜΑΙ
Fifth Lesson.
ARCELLINUS was a Roman. In
that savage persecution which was
ordered by the Emperor Diocletian, he
was so unnerved by fright that he burnt
incense to idols. Filled with remorse
at the thought of his apostasy, he went
to the Council of Sinuessa, and there
appeared before the Assembly of Bishops
clad in sackcloth, and with many tears
publicly confessed his sin. Nevertheless
no man there dared to condemn him,
but all answered with one accord:
"Judge thou thyself out of thine own
mouth; not by any judgment of ours.
The first See is judged of none." And
they bade him remember how that Peter
also, through poorness of spirit, had de-
nied his Lord even as he had, but that
Peter had wept as he had, and had ob-
tained pardon of God.
THER
Sixth Lesson.
HEN Marcellinus went back to Rome,
and thrust himself into the pre-
sence of the Emperor. On him he bit-
terly cast reproaches for having driven
him by his cruelty to so awful a sin.
So Diocletian ordered Marcellinus to be
beheaded, along with three other Chris-
tians, whose names are Claudius, Cyri-
nus, and Antoninus. At the command
of the Emperor their bodies were cast
out unburied, and lay so for thirty-six
days. At the end of that time St. Peter
appeared in a dream to Blessed Marcel-
lus, and in obedience to his command
the said Marcellus went with certain
Priests and Deacons, singing hymns,
and carrying lights, and buried these
four bodies honourably in the Cemetery
of Priscilla upon the Salarian Way.
Marcellinus ruled the Church for seven
years, eleven months, and twenty-three
days. During this time he held two
Advent ordinations, and ordained at
them four Priests, and five Bishops for
divers Sees.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from John xv. 5, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 803.)
LAUDS.
Prayer throughout.
LORD, we beseech Thee that the
precious testifying of Thy blessed
Martyrs and Bishops Cletus and Mar-
cellinus may profit us, and their godly
prayers protect us. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth_and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, One God, world without
end. Amen.
1 A cloud hangs over both these names. Strong arguments are brought forward to show
that both Cletus and Anacletus (July 13) are a single real Anencletus, mentioned in the
Canon of the Mass under the name of Cletus as the successor of Linus. As for Marcel-
linus, the extraordinary history of him given in the text is now universally, or almost
universally, acknowledged to be a fiction. Alban Butler gives as the dates of their re-
spective deaths A.D. 89 and 304.
FEAST-DAYS IN APRIL.
1049
APRIL 28.
St. Vitalis, Martyr.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for a
Simple Feast of a Martyr, (p. 803, or
828,) except the following Lesson. Prayer
throughout, "Grant, we beseech Thee,
&c.," (p. 799.)
Third Lesson.
VITALIS was a soldier, and the father
of the holy Martyrs Gervase and
Protase. He went to Ravenna with
Paulinus the judge, and there saw the
physician Ursicinus led out to die, be-
cause he owned to being a believer
in Christ. As the torments went on,
Ursicinus seemed to waver a little, and
Vitalis cried out to him, "Ursicinus! as
a physician thou hast been used to heal
other men's bodies, take heed lest thou
let thine own soul die eternally." These
words encouraged Ursicinus, and he en-
dured bravely in his testimony even
unto the end; but Paulinus was filled
with fury, and caused Vitalis to be
seized, tormented on the rack, and
finally thrown into a pit and buried
under an heap of stones. When it was
over, a certain priest of Apollo, who had
urged on Paulinus against Vitalis, was
seized by the devil, and began to cry
out, "Vitalis! Vitalis! thou art Christ's
Martyr, but thou makest me to burn!
thou makest me to burn!” until in that
phrenzy he threw himself into the
river.
APRIL 29.
art Christ's
St. Peter, Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of Martyrs, (p. 792, or 817,) except the
following.
GRA
Prayer throughout.
RANT us grace, we beseech Thee, O
Almighty God, to follow with zeal
conformable thereto after the pattern of
that great ensample of faith, Thy blessed
Martyr Peter, who, for the spreading of
the same faith, did so run as to obtain
the palm of martyrdom. Through our
Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee, in the unity
of the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Peter was born at Verona, [in
the year of our Lord 1205,] of
parents polluted with the Manichæan
heresy, but he himself began his life-
long strife against error when he was
but a little child. When he was seven
years old he went to school, and was
asked by his heretic uncle what he
learnt there: be answered that he had
learnt the Christian Creed: and neither
his father nor his uncle were ever able
to shake his constancy in the faith,
either by cajolements or threats. When
he was a young lad he went to Bologna
to study, and there he was called by
the Holy Ghost to an higher state of
life, and entered the Order of Friars
Preachers, [at fifteen years of age.]
Fifth Lesson.
•
HE
E was marked by great perfection as
a Friar: so watchful was he over
the purity of his body and soul, that he
never felt himself defiled by a mortal
sin. He chastened his body by fasting
and watching, and ennobled his soul by
the contemplation of the things of God.
He was constantly busied in works for
furthering the salvation of souls: and
had a peculiar gift of grace for clearly
convincing heretics. Such was his power
as a preacher, that countless crowds
were drawn together to hear him, and
many were moved to repentance.
Sixth Lesson.
THE faith which was in him burnt so
hotly, that he longed to seal his
confession with his blood, and often-
times he earnestly besought from God
the grace to do so. It was but a little
while before the heretics murdered him,
that he foretold, in preaching, his own
1 About A.D. 62.
1050
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
approaching death. While he was in-
trusted with the duties of the Holy In-
quisition, he was returning from Como
to Milan, when an ungodly ruffian as-
sailed him and wounded him once and
again in the head with a sword. Peter,
to whom these blows were nearly fatal,
began with his last breath to recite that
Profession of the Faith, to which as a
little child he had clung with such manly
courage, but the murderer thrust the
weapon into his side, and he passed away
to receive a Martyr's palm in heaven.
It was [the 6th day of April, in] the
year of salvation 1252. In the follow-
ing year, Innocent IV., seeing by how
many miracles God had been pleased to
glorify him, added his name to the sa-
cred roll of Martyrs.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons in Paschal-time from John
xv. 1, with the Homily of St. Austin,
(p. 797,) out of Paschal-time, from
Luke xiv. 26, with the Homily of St.
Gregory, (p. 821.)
Vespers are of the following, from the
Chapter, inclusive.
APRIL 30.
St. Katharine of Sienna,
Virgin.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of a Virgin not a Martyr, (p. 873,) ex-
cept the following.
Prayer throughout.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that we which do keep the
birthday of Thy blessed Virgin Katha-
rine, and do year by year renew her
memorial with solemn gladness in Thy
presence, may likewise be conformed
to the pattern of her saintly walk with
Thee. Through our Lord JESUS Christ,
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
One God, world without end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of St. Peter, Martyr. Prayer
from his Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Katharine was a maiden of Si-
enna, and was born of godly parents,
[in the year 1347.] She took the habit of
the Third Order of St. Dominick. Her
fasts were most severe, and the austerity
of her life wonderful. It was discovered
that on some occasions she took no food
at all from Ash Wednesday till Ascen-
sion Day, receiving all needful strength
by taking the Holy Communion. She
was engaged oftentimes in a wrestling
with devils, and was sorely tried by
them with divers assaults: she was con-
sumed by fevers, and suffered likewise
from other diseases. Great and boly
was the name of Katharine, and sick
folk, and such as were vexed with evil
spirits were brought to her from all
quarters. Through the Name of Christ,
she had command over sickness and
fever, and forced the foul spirits to leave
the bodies of the tormented.
WHIL
Fifth Lesson.
HILE she dwelt at Pisa, on a cer-
tain Lord's Day, after she had re-
ceived the Living Bread Which came
down from heaven, she was in the
spirit; and saw the Lord nailed to the
Cross advancing towards her. There
was a great light round about Him, and
five rays of light streaming from the
five marks of the Wounds in His Feet,
and Hands, and Side, which smote her
upon the five corresponding places in
her body. When Katharine perceived
this vision, she besought the Lord that
no marks might become manifest upon
her flesh, and straightway the five beams
of light changed from the colour of
blood into that of gold, and touched in
the form of pure light her feet, and
hands, and side. At this moment the
agony which she felt was so piercing,
that she believed that if God had not
lessened it, she would have died. Thus
the Lord in His great love for her, gave
her this great grace, in a new and two-
fold manner, namely, that she felt all
the pain of the wounds, but without
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1051
there being any bloody marks to meet
the gaze of men. This was the account
given by the handmaiden of God to her
Confessor, Raymund, and it is for this
reason that when the godly wishes of
the faithful lead them to make pictures
of the blessed Katharine, they paint her
with golden rays of light proceeding
from those five places in her body which
correspond to the five places wherein
our Lord was wounded by the nails and
spear.
Sixth Lesson.
THE learning which Katharine had
was not acquired but inspired. She
answered Professors of Divinity upon
the very hardest questions concerning
God. No one was ever in her company
without going away better. She healed
many hatreds, and quieted the most
deadly feuds. To make peace for the
Florentines, who had quarrelled with
the Church, and were under an Ec-
clesiastical Interdict, she travelled to
Avignon, [in 1376,] to see the Chief
Pontiff Gregory XI. To him she
showed that she had had revealed to
her from heaven his secret purpose of
going back to Rome, which had been
known only to God and himself. It was
at her persuasion as well as by his own
judgment, that the Pope did in the end
return to his own See. She was much
respected by this Gregory, as well as by
his successor Urban VI., who even em-
ployed her in their embassies. The
Bridegroom took her home [upon the
29th day of April, in the year of salva-
tion 1380,] when she was about_thirty-
three years old, after she had given
almost countless proofs of extraordinary
Christian graces, and manifestly dis-
played the gifts of Prophecy and mira-
cles. Pope Pius II. enrolled her among
the Virgin Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 878.)
Vespers are of the following.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
If Paschal-time comes to an end dur-
ing this month, on the first day after-
wards on which only three Lessons are
read, is said the Office of the Dead.
MAY 1.
The Holy Apostles Philip and
James.
Double of the Second Class.
All from the Common Office for
Apostles, during Paschal-time, (p.
792,) except the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons and Prayer from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Let not your heart be troubled :
ye believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father's house are many man-
sions. Alleluia, Alleluia.
*
A Commemoration is made of St. Ka-
tharine of Sienna. Prayer from her
Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
If the Lessons would naturally be
from the Epistle of St. James, then they
remain undisturbed; if not, they are
from the beginning of that Epistle, as
on the Fourth Sunday after Easter,
(p. 503.)
PHILIP
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
was born in the town of
Bethsaida, and was one of the
first of the twelve Apostles who were
called by the Lord Christ. Then "Philip
findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him:
We have found Him of Whom Moses
in the Law, and the Prophets, did write."
(John i. 45.) And so he brought him
to the Lord. How familiarly he was in
the company of Christ, is manifest from
that which is written: "There were
certain Greeks among them that came
up to worship at the Feast: the same
came therefore to Philip, ... and de-
sired him, saying: Sir, we would see
JESUS." (John xii. 20, 21.) When the
Lord was in the wilderness, and was
about to feed a great multitude, "He
said unto Philip: Whence shall we buy
bread, that these may eat?" (John vi.
5.) Philip, after that he had received
the Holy Ghost, took Scythia, by lot,
as the land wherein he was to preach
the Gospel, and brought nearly all that
1052
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
people to believe in Christ. At the last
he came to Hierapolis in Phrygia, and
there, for Christ's Name's sake, he was
fastened to a cross and stoned to death.
The day was the first of May. The
Christians of Hierapolis buried his body
at that place, but it was afterwards
brought to Rome and laid in the Ba-
silica of the Twelve Apostles, beside
that of the blessed Apostle James.
Fifth Lesson.
JAMES, surnamed the Just, the bro-
ther of our Lord JESUS Christ, was
a Nazarite from the womb. During his
whole life he never drank wine or
strong drink, never ate meat, never
shaved, and never took a bath. He
was the only man who was allowed to
go into the Holy of Holies.¹ His rai-
ment was always linen. So continually
did he kneel in prayer, that the skin of
his knees became horny, like a camel's
knees. After Christ was ascended, the
Apostles made James Bishop of Jeru-
salem: and even the Prince of the Apos-
tles gave special intelligence to him
after that he was delivered from prison
by an angel. (Acts xii. 17.) When in
the Council of Jerusalem certain ques-
tions were mooted touching the law
and circumcision, James, following the
opinion of Peter, addressed a discourse
to the brethren, wherein he proved the
call of the Gentiles, and commanded
letters to be sent to such brethren as
were absent, that they might take heed
not to lay upon the Gentiles the yoke
of the Law of Moses. (Acts xv. 13—29.)
It is of him that the Apostle Paul saith,
writing to the Galatians: "Other of
the Apostles saw I none, save James the
Lord's brother.” (i. 19.)
Sixth Lesson.
So great was James' holiness of life
that men strove one with another
to touch the hem of his garment. When
he was ninety-six years old, and had
most holily governed the Church of
Jerusalem for thirty years, ever most
constantly preaching Christ the Son of
God, he laid down his life for the faith.
He was first stoned, and afterward taken
up on to a pinnacle of the Temple and
cast down from thence. His legs were
broken by the fall, and he was well
nigh dead, but he lifted up his hands
towards heaven, and prayed to God for
the salvation of his murderers, saying :
"Lord, forgive them, for they know not
what they do!" As he said this, one
that stood by smote him grievously upon
the head with a fuller's club, and he
resigned his spirit to God. He testified
in the seventh year of Nero, and was
buried hard by the Temple, in the place
where he had fallen. He wrote one of
the Seven Epistles which are called
Catholic.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xiv. 1.)
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: Let not your heart be
troubled. Ye believe in God, believe
also in Me. In My Father's house there
are many mansions. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (67th Tract on John.)
It behoveth us, my brethren, to have
our minds more given to God-ward, if
we would that those words of the Holy
Gospel which have just sounded in our
ears, should become a living reality for
our understandings. The Lord JESUS
saith: "Let not your heart be troubled.
Ye believe in God, believe also in Me."
Lest, being but
Lest, being but men, their heart should
be troubled by the fear of death, He
strengtheneth them, even by the re-
minder that He is God. He saith: "Ye
believe in God, believe also in Me"-
for if ye believe in God, ye must needs
believe in Me. And this were not so,
if Christ were not God.
Eighth Lesson.
YE
E believe in God, believe also in
Him Who is by nature and not by
robbery equal with God, (Phil. ii. 6:)
for in that He emptied Himself, He did
it not by laying aside the form of God,
but by taking upon Him the form of a
servant. Ye fear death for this form of
1 This is evidently a mistake. See Lev. xvi. 2, &c. &c. &c., and thence Heb. ix. 7.
"Into the (Holy of Holies) went the High Priest alone once a year."
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1053
a servant, but let not your heart be
troubled, the form of God will raise it
up again." But what signifieth_that
which followeth ? "In My Father's
house there are many mansions." Was
it not that they had fear on their own
account, and needed for themselves to
hear Him say, "Let not your heart be
troubled ?" Which of them trembled
not when they had heard Him say to
Peter, the lealest and boldest of them
all, "The cock shall not crow this day,
before that thou shalt thrice deny that
thou knowest Me?"
Ninth Lesson.
MEETLY were they troubled, for
that they were about to be scat-
tered from Him, but when they heard
Him say, "In My Father's house are
many mansions," they had been com-
forted even if He had not also said, "I
go to prepare a place for you," for then
they believed and knew, that, when all
dangers and all trials were for ever over,
they should be for ever with the Lord,
with Christ and with God. Yea, though
one man be stronger than another,
though one be wiser than another,
though one be holier than another, yet
"in My Father's house are many man-
sions." That house is an house wherein
none are strangers, but every man shall
receive a mansion therein according as
his work shall be.
*
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Lord, show us the
Father, and it sufficeth us. Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. Philip, * He that
hath seen Me hath seen the Father.
Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. Have I been so long
time with you, and yet hast thou not
known Me? * Philip, he that hath seen
Me hath seen the Father. Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. If ye had known
Me [ye should have known My Father
also,] and from henceforth ye know
Him and have seen Him. Alleluia, Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Fifth Antiphon. If ye love Me, *
keep My commandments. Alleluia, Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by
Me. Alleluia.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who dost every year gladden
us by the solemn memorial of Thine
Apostles Philip and James, grant us
grace, we beseech Thee, not only to re-
joice because of their worthy deeds, but
also to tread in their footsteps. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
At Prime, Terce, Sext, and None, the
Antiphons are the First, Second, Third,
and Fifth from Lauds, respectively.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons and Prayer from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. If ye abide in Me, and My
words abide in you, ye shall ask what
ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Athanasius. Antiphon. “O right ex-
cellent, &c." Prayer, "Hear, O Lord,
&c.," as in the following Office.
MAY 2.
St. Athanasius, [called the
Great,] Pope¹ [of Mexandria,]
Confessor and Boctor of the
Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Doctor, (p. 869,) except the following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. On Rogation Monday and
1 Although the Russians call all priests Popes, (Gr. pappas, Engl. papa,) the world in
general has reserved the title to the successors of St. Peter and St. Mark, though the
latter are also more commonly called Patriarch than the former.
1054
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Wednesday from Ecclus. xxxix. 1, (p.
869.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THE great Athanasius, the lealest sol-
dier that the Catholic Religion hath
perhaps ever had, was an Alexandrian.
He was ordained Deacon by Alexander,
[in the year 326,] Bishop of that city,
whom he afterwards succeeded. [In
325] he had followed Alexander to
the Council of Nice, where he wrestled
triumphantly against the blasphemy of
Arius. For this reason he was honoured
with so much of their hatred by the
Arians, that their vindictiveness never
forsook him from that time forward.
[In the year 335,] they called together
a Council at Tyre, composed for the
most part of Arian Bishops, where they
suborned a wretched woman to charge
Athanasius with having raped her when
she had received him as a guest into
her house.¹ Athanasius therefore came
into the assembly, and with him a cer-
tain priest whose name was Timothy.
This Timothy arose as though he were
Athanasius, and asked her, saying:
Woman, was it I that was thy guest?
was it I that raped thee?" She cried
out indignantly: "Yea, thou it was
that didst rape me, "the which she
attested with an oath, and called on
the honour of the judges to punish such
iniquity. Upon this discovery of her
perjury, they drave the shameless wo-
man from their presence.
Fifth Lesson.
THE Arians also accused Athanasius
of having murdered the [schismatic]
Bishop Arsenius. This Arsenius they
kept shut up, and brought into the court
a dead man's hand, which they declared
had been his, and had been cut off by
Athanasius to use in sorcery. But Ar-
senius escaped in the night, and when
he appeared before all the Council whole
and sound, the brazen-faced crime of
the enemies of Athanasius was exposed.
This appearance nevertheless they attri-
buted to Athanasius being a warlock,
and persisted still in their attack on
him. He was driven into exile, and
banished to Treves in Gaul. Thence-
forth, under authority of the Emperor
Constantius, that abettor of Arians, he
was hunted to and fro with unceasing
persecutions. He suffered hardships
which it is difficult to believe. He was
sent wandering all about the Roman
world. He was twice more thrust out
of his See, and again restored through
the authority of Pope Julius of Rome,
and with the protection of the Emperor
Constans, the brother of Constantius, by
decrees of the Councils of Sardica and
of Jerusalem. The vindictiveness of
the Arians never let him alone. In his
third exile so great was the danger of
his life from the pursuit of their un-
dying hatred, that he had to lie hid for
five years in a dry cistern, unknown to
all men, save one of his friends who
brought him food.
Sixth Lesson.
AFTER the death of Constantius,
Julian the Apostate, who succeeded
him, allowed every sort of Bishop who
had been banished to return to their
own Churches. Athanasius therefore
returned to Alexandria, and was re-
ceived with profound reverence. But
it was not long before the same Arians
got Julian to hunt him down again, and
again it behoved him to fly. A band of
soldiers were sent in pursuit of him to
kill him, and as he fled up the Nile,
their boat pressed hard on his. Atha-
nasius, before they were yet in sight,
had his own boat turned round, and
went down the stream to meet them.
As the vessels passed one another the
1 "Whether this (accusation of incontinence) was ever brought is more than doubtful."
Dr. Newman's Arians, iv. 2.
? There was another charge of having broken the Altar and Chalice, and thrown the
sacred books into the fire at a schismatic Church in the Mareotis. This Athanasius met
by proving that there was not and never had been any Church at the place, but the Arians
insisted on sending a Commission to Egypt to make investigations on the spot. This
precious Commission was composed of some of the rankest heretics that even Arianism
could produce, and took the chief accuser of Athanasius as their guide and host. On
their report the servant of God was formally condemned of rebellion, sedition, and a
tyrannical use of his episcopal power, of murder, sacrilege, and magic. Newman, iv. 2.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1055
murderers called out to ask if they knew
where Athanasius was, and the servant
of God himself cried to them in answer,
"Ye are close to him!" whereupon
they redoubled their exertions to ascend
the stream, and Athanasius went peace-
fully down to Alexandria, and found
means of concealment till the death of
Julian. Yet once again he had to fly
from another persecution at Alexandria,
and in this his fifth and last exile he
hid himself for four months in his own
father's sepulchre. From all these so
many and so great dangers did God de-
liver him, and at last he died in his own
bed at Alexandria, [upon the 2nd day
of May, in the year of salvation, 373,]
in the reign of Valens. He wrote much
that is both godly and luminous in ex-
plaining the Catholic Faith, and governed
the Church of Alexandria in great holi-
ness, amid all changes of weather, for six
and forty years.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (x. 23.)
T that time: JESUS said unto His
AT
disciples: When they persecute
you in this city, flee ye into another.
And so on.
Homily by St. Athanasius, Pope [of
Alexandria.] (Defence of his own
flight.)
It is written in the Law, (Num. xxxv.
11,) "Ye shall appoint you cities to be
cities of refuge for you,' -that in these
cities they which were pursued to put
them to death might enter and be safe.
And in the latter days when He was
come, even that very Word of the Fa-
ther, Which had spoken aforetime unto
Moses, He gave again the same com-
mandment "When they persecute you
in this city, flee ye into another." And,
a while afterward, He said: "When ye
shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, stand
in the Holy Place, (whoso readeth, let
him understand,) then let them which
be in Judæa flee unto the mountains;
let him which is on the house-top not
come down to take anything out of his
house; neither let him which is in the
field return back to take his clothes."
(Matth. xxiv. 15—18.)
Eighth Lesson.
THE Saints, therefore, knowing these
words of the Lord, have obeyed
them in their lives. What the Lord
hath now commanded by His Own
Mouth He commanded through His
Saints before that He Himself was come
in the flesh, and to obey this command-
ment worketh in a man perfection, since
whatever God commandeth is a thing
which it behoveth man to do. For this
cause, that very Word of God Which
was made flesh for our sake thought it
meet when they sought Him, (even as
at this present time they are seeking
us,) to hide Himself, (John viii. 59,)
and, when they persecuted Him, to fly
and escape from their laying in wait for
Him: although when that time came
which He had Himself decreed, and
wherein He willed, as touching the
Body, to suffer for us all, He willingly
gave Himself up to His enemies.
HOLY
Ninth Lesson.
men of God, therefore, have
learnt to take ensample from their
Saviour, (and the Same is and hath
been the Teacher of all such, whether
of old time, or in these latter days,) and
know how that it is lawful to baffle their
persecutors by flying from them, and by
lying hid when they seek them. For
since they know not the day nor the
hour wherein an all-seeing God hath
ordained their end, they do not daringly
give themselves into the power of such
as hate them, but rather, knowing it to
be written, "My times are in Thy hand,"
(Ps. xxx. 16,) and that "the LORD killeth
and maketh alive," (1 Kings ii. 6,) they
"endure unto the end," (Matth. xxiv.
13,) "they wander about," as saith the
Apostle, "in sheepskins and goatskins,
being destitute, afflicted, [tormented,
(of whom the world is not worthy,)]
they wander in deserts, [and in moun-
tains,] and" hide "in dens and caves of
the earth," (Heb. xi. 37,) until either
their appointed time come, or until more
plainly God, the real Appointer of times,
speaketh unto them, and chaineth up
the persecutors, or manifestly giveth
them over into the hands of the same,
as may be His Own good pleasure.
4 A
1056
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
At Lauds and throughout the Office,
Prayer, Hear, O Lord, we beseech
Thee, the prayers, &c.," (p. 849.)
Vespers are of the following.
MAY 3.
Finding of the Holy Cross.
Double of the Second Class.
All as on ordinary Sundays, except
the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
O praise the LORD, &c., (p. 154.)
Hymn as on the Saturday before
Passion Sunday, (p. 408,) except the
sixth verse.
Sixth verse.
Hail, Altar! Hail, O Victim, Thee
Decks now Thy Passion's Victory;
Where Life for sinners death endured,
And life by death for man procured.
Verse. This sign of the Cross shall be
in heaven. Alleluia.
Answer. When the Lord cometh to
judgment. Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Hail, O Cross! Brighter than
all the stars! Thy name is honourable
upon earth! To the eyes of men thou
art exceeding lovely! Holy art thou
among all things that are earthly! Thy
transom made the one worthy balance
whereon the price of the world was
weighed! Sweetest wood and sweetest
iron, Sweetest weight is hung on thee!
O that every one that is here gathered
this day to praise thee may find that
thou art indeed salvation for him!
leluia, Alleluia.
Al-
A Commemoration is made of St.
Athanasius. Antiphon, “O right ex-
cellent, &c." Prayer as in his Office.
MATTINS.
Hymn as on Passion Sunday, (p.
409.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
Antiphon. All the earth this day is
making glad memorial of the finding of
the Cross, whose light is streaming over
every land and people. Alleluia.
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c., (p. 4.)
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they increased,
&c., (p. 5.)
Verse. This sign of the Cross shall be
in heaven. Alleluia.
Answer. When the Lord cometh to
judgment. Alleluia.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Galatians (iii. 10.)
For as many as are of the works of
the law, &c. (In_the_middle_of_the
Second Lesson for Monday in the third
week after the Epiphany, p. 306, to the
end of the Third Lesson.)

First Responsory.
Lo! the Church, with solemn gladness,
hails the day for ever glorious, when the
opening earth revealeth that dread tree
of mystic triumph. On whose boughs
her dying Saviour shattered death and
crushed the serpent. Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. He the Word of God eternal,
on those stately branches hanging, hath
for us a new way opened.
Answer. On whose boughs her dying
Saviour shattered death and crushed the
serpent. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Second Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Philippians (ii. 5.)
LET
ET this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ JESUS, Who, being
in the form of God, thought it not rob-
bery to be equal with God: but emptied
Himself, and took upon Him the form
of a servant, and was made in the like-
ness of men, and found in fashion as a
man. He humbled Himself and became
1 Matth. xxiv. 30.
Invitatory. Christ crucified is our
King. * U come let us worship Him.
Alleluia.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1057
obedient unto death, even the death of
the Cross. Wherefore God also hath
highly exalted Him, and given Him a
Name which is above every name; that
at the Name of JESUS every knee should
bow, of things in heaven, and things in
earth, and things under the earth, and
that every tongue should confess that
our Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of
God the Father.
Second Responsory.
Faithful Cross, above all other, one
and only noble tree! None in foliage,
none in blossom, none in fruit thy peers
may be! Sweetest wood and sweetest
iron, Sweetest weight is hung on thee!
Alleluia,
Verse. Thou art higher than all ce-
dars.
Answer. Sweetest wood, and sweetest
iron, Sweetest weight is hung on thee!
Alleluia.
Third Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle
of the Blessed Apostle Paul to the
Colossians (ii. 9.)
IN
Christ dwelleth all the fulness of
the Godhead bodily: and ye are
complete in Him, Which is the Head of
all principality and power: in Whom
also ye are circumcised with_the_cir-
cumcision made without hands, which
standeth not in the cutting off of the
flesh of this body, but in the circum-
cision of Christ: buried with Him in
baptism, wherein also ye are risen with
Him through the faith of the operation
of God, Who hath raised Him from the
dead. And you, being dead in your
sins and the uncircumcision of your
flesh, hath He quickened together with
Him, having forgiven you all trespasses:
blotting out the handwriting of ordi-
nances that was against us, which was
contrary to us, and took it out of the
way, nailing it to His Cross: and having
spoiled principalities and powers, He
made a show of them, openly triumph-
ing over them in Himself.
Third Responsory.
'This is that noble tree, planted in the
midst of the garden; whereon the Author
of our salvation did by His Own death
openly triumph over the death of all men.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Even the Cross, whereof the
glory is so excellent, and whereafter
Helen, the mother of Constantine, did
so diligently search until she found it.
Answer. Whereon the Author of our
salvation did by His Own death openly
triumph over the death of all men. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Whereon the Author of our
salvation did by His Own death openly
triumph over the death of all men. Al-
leluia, Alleluia.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Antiphon. Lo, the Cross's happy
triumph, fraught with healing of dis-
eases, Tree whereon the True Life dy-
ing trampled down the death of all men.
Alleluia.
Ps. iv. When I called upon Him, &c.,
(p. 172.)
Ps. v. Give ear to my words, &c., (p.
97.)
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, how ex-
cellent, &c., (p. 6.)
Verse. We adore Thee, O Christ, and
we bless Thee. Alleluia.
Answer. Because that through Thy
Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Alleluia.
Fourth Lesson.
AFTER that famous victory which the
Emperor Constantine gained over
Maxentius, [in the year 312,] on the
eve of which the banner of the Cross
of the Lord had been given to him
from heaven, Helen, the mother of
Constantine, being warned in a dream,
came to Jerusalem, [in 326,] to seek
for the Cross. There it was her care to
cause to be overthrown the marble sta-
tue of Venus, which had stood on Cal-
vary for about one hundred and eighty
years, and which had originally been
put there to desecrate and destroy the
memorial of the sufferings of the Lord
Christ. The like work Helen did [at
Bethlehem] by cleansing from an image
of Adonis the stable where the Saviour
was born, and from an idol of Jupiter,
1 Cf. Gen. ii. 8, 9; Heb. v. 9; Col. ii. 15; Luke xv. 8.
}
i
4A 2
1058
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
the place where He had arisen from the
dead.
Fourth Responsory.
But us it behoveth to glory in the
Cross of our Lord JESUS Christ, in Whom
is our salvation, life, and resurrection,
Who hath saved us and redeemed us.
Alleluia.
Verse. O Lord, we worship Thy Cross,
and make memorial of Thy glorious
passion.
Answer. Who hath saved us and re-
deemed us. Alleluia.
Fifth Lesson.
WHEN she had thus cleansed the
place where the Cross had stood,
Helen caused deep excavations to be
made, which resulted in the discovery
of three crosses, and, apart from them,
the writing which had been nailed on
that of the Lord. But which of the
crosses had been His was unknown, and
was only manifested by a miracle. Ma-
carius, Bishop of Jerusalem, after offer-
ing solemn prayers to God, touched with
each of the three a woman who was
afflicted with a grievous disease. The
two first had no effect, but at the touch
of the third she was immediately healed.
Fifth Responsory.
The Relique true from heaven re-
vealed, hath now the Gospel's figure
sealed; as by the serpent Moses reared,
so by the Cross the sick are healed.
Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. When the dead touch the Cross
they arise, and the wonderful works of
God are made manifest.
Answer. As by the serpent Moses
reared, so by the Cross the sick are
healed. Alleluia, Alleluia.
HE
Sixth Lesson.
ELEN, after she had found the life-
giving Cross, built over the site
of the Passion a Church of extraordinary
splendour, wherein she deposited part of
the Cross, shut up in a silver case.
Another part which she gave to her son,
Constantine, was laid up in the Church
of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, which
he built at Rome on the site of the Ses-
sorian Palace.¹ She also gave to her
son the nails with which the Most Holy
Body of JESUS Christ had been pierced.
Constantine established a law abolishing
the punishment of crucifixion for all
time coming: and thenceforth what had
hitherto been a hissing and a curse
among men, began to be esteemed wor-
shipful and glorious.
Sixth Responsory.
"This Sign of the Cross shall be in
heaven, when the Lord cometh to judg-
ment. Then shall the secrets of our
hearts be made manifest. Alleluia, Al-
leluia.
Verse. When the Son of man shall
sit in the throne of His glory, and shall
begin to judge the world by fire.
Answer. Then shall the secrets of
our hearts be made manifest. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Then shall the secrets of
our hearts be made manifest. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Antiphon. We adore Thee, O Christ,
and we bless Thee, because that through
Thy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Alleluia.
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 72.)
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth, &c.,
(p. 73.)
Ps. xcvii. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 74.)
Verse. Let all the earth worship Thee,
and sing unto Thee. Alleluia.
Answer. Let them sing praises to Thy
Name, O Lord. Alleluia.
1 The Cross and its reliques are the subject of an elaborate disquisition, pp. 45 to 163,
by M. Rohault de Fleury in his learned antiquarian work, intituled Memoire sur les In-
struments de la Passion de N.-S. J. C. The total cubic volume of all the reliques of which
he could hear as at present actually or even possibly existing anywhere is about 5,000,000
of French cubic millimetres; whereas a cross large enough for the execution of a man
must have contained at least 180,000,000 or thereby.
* Cf. Matth. xxiv. 30; 1 Cor. xiv. 25; Matth. xix. 28.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1059
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (iii. 1.)
A'
T that time: There was a man of the
Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler
of the Jews. The same came to JESUS
by night, and said unto Him: Rabbi,
we know that Thou art a Teacher come
from God. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo,] (11th Tract on John.)
Nicodemus was one of them which
believed in the Name of JESUS, when
they saw the signs and wonders which
He did. So hath John given us to un-
derstand a few words before our text:
"Now when He was in Jerusalem at
the Passover, in the feast-day, many be-
lieved in His Name" (ii. 23.) And
wherefore did they believe in His Name?
John telleth us immediately: "When
they saw the miracles which He did."
And now, what saith he touching Nico-
demus ? "There was a man of the
Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of
the Jews. The same came to JESUS by
night, and said unto Him: Rabbi, we
know that Thou art a Teacher come
from God." Nicodemus therefore be-
lieved in His Name. And why did he
believe? He saith: "For no man can
do these miracles that Thou doest, ex-
cept God be with him."
Seventh Responsory.
Sweetest wood and sweetest iron,
Sweetest weight is hung on thee! Thou
alone wast counted worthy this world's
ransom to uphold! Alleluia.
Verse. This sign of the Cross shall be
in heaven when the Lord cometh to
judgment.
Answer. Thou alone wast counted
worthy this world's ransom to uphold!
Alleluia.
Eighth Lesson.
IF, then, Nicodemus was one of the
many which had believed in His
Name, let us seek to find in Nicodemus
why "JESUS did not commit Himself
unto them" (ii. 24.) "JESUS answered
and said unto him: Amen, Amen, I say
unto thee; except a man be born again,
he cannot see the kingdom of God."
JESUS therefore committeth Himself unto
such as be born again. Behold, Nico-
demus and they that were with him be-
lieved in JESUS, but JESUS did not com-
mit Himself unto them. Just so are all
catechumens; they believe in the Name
of Christ, but JESUS hath not yet com-
mitted Himself unto them. Now I
trust ye will be good enough to pay
attention, and understand what I am
going to say. If ye ask of a Catechu-
men: "Dost thou believe in Christ ?"
he saith: "I believe," and he signeth
himself with the sign of the Cross. The
Cross of his Lord is marked upon his
forehead, and he is not ashamed of it.
Behold, he believeth in the Name of
Christ. But let us ask him:
"Dost
thou eat the flesh of the Son of man ?”
and he knoweth not what we mean, for
JESUS hath not yet committed Himself
unto him.
Eighth Responsory.
As Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of
Man be lifted up, that whosoever be-
lieveth in Him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. Alleluia.
Verse. God sent not His Son into the
world to condemn the world, but that
the world through Him might be saved.
Answer. That whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have ever-
lasting life. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. That whosoever believeth in
Him should not perish, but have ever-
lasting life. Alleluia.
Ninth Lesson. (Of certain saints.)
ALEXANDER was a Roman, who
ruled the Church during the reign
of the Emperor Hadrian. He turned to
Christ a great number of the Roman
nobility. He ordained that nothing but
bread and wine should be offered at the
mystery, but that some water should be
mingled with the wine, in memory of
the Blood and Water Which flowed from
the Side of JESUS Christ. He added to
the Canon of the Mass the words:
"Who, the night before He suffered.”
He also ordained that blessed water
mingled with salt, should be kept always
in Churches, and should be used in
1 If a Ninth Lesson of the Cross is by any chance wanted, the Eighth is divided here.
1060
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
private rooms to scare away devils. He
sat in the throne of Peter ten years,
five months, and twenty days. He hath
great renown on account of the holiness
of his life, and the usefulness of his
institutions. He was crowned with mar-
tyrdom, [in the year 119,] together with
the Priests Eventius and Theodulus, and
was buried beside the Nomentan Way,
at the third mile-stone from the city,
in the same place where he had been
beheaded. During his Popedom he held
divers Advent ordinations, and at them
ordained six Priests, two Deacons, and
five Bishops for divers places. The bodies
of these three Martyrs, Alexander,
Eventius, and Theodulus, were after-
wards brought into the city, and buried
in the Church of St. Sabina. On this
day likewise [about the year 367,] oc-
curred the blessed death of Juvenal, the
holy Bishop of Narni, who by the holi-
ness of his life and teaching, became the
father in Christ of so many of the dwel-
lers in that city. He fell asleep very
peacefully, with great fame for miracles,
and was there honourably buried.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. O what a work of
love was that! * when Life and death
died together upon the Tree. Alleluia.
*
Second Antiphon. Save us, O Christ
the Saviour, save us through the might
of Thy Cross! Thou Who didst save
Peter when he was ready to sink in the
sea, have mercy upon us!
us! Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. Behold the Cross
of the Lord! * fly, ye ranks of the ad-
versary! The Lion of the tribe of
Judah, the Root of David, hath pre-
vailed. Alleluia.
Fourth Antiphon. But us it behoveth
to glory in the Cross of our Lord JESUS
Christ. Alleluia !
Fifth Antiphon. By Thy Cross' holy
sign, JESUS, guard this soul of mine
from my ghostly enemy. Alleluia.
Chapter. (Phil. ii. 5.)
BRETHREN, let this mind be in you
which was also in Christ JESUS,
Who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God, but
1 Apoc. v. 5.
emptied Himself, and took upon Him
the form of a servant, and was made in
the likeness of men, and found in fashion
as a man.
Hymn as on Passion Sunday, (p.
414.)
Verse. We adore Thee, O Christ, and
we bless Thee. Alleluia.
Answer. Because that through Thy
Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Alleluia.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Thou art higher than all cedars, whereon
the Life of the world hung, whereon
Christ openly triumphed, and His death
trampled down death for ever. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst cause that the
Cross of our salvation should in
most honourable wise be found again,
and Who didst manifest thereby the
marvellous efficacy of Thy sufferings,
mercifully grant that by the Ransom
which Thou didst pay upon that tree
of life we may finally attain unto life
eternal: Who livest and reignest with
God the Father, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amer.
The same Prayer throughout the day.
Then the following Commemoration is
made of the Saints.
Antiphon. Come forth, O ye daughters
of Jerusalem, and behold the martyrs
Iwith the crowns wherewith the Lord
crowned them in the day of His feasting
and of His gladness. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Precious in the sight of the
LORD. Alleluia.
Answer. Is the death of His Saints.
Alleluia.
GR
Let us pray.
RANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that we who do keep the
birthday of Thy holy servants Alex-
ander, Eventius, Theodulus, and Ju-
venal, may by their prayers be deli-
vered from all evils that presently hang
over us. Through our Lord JESUS Christ,
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
2 Gal. vi. 14.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1061
L
PRIME.
Antiphon. O what a work, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end.
HE humbled Himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the
death of the Cross. Wherefore God
also hath highly exalted Him, and hath
given Him a Name which is above every
name.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Save us, &c., (Second An-
tiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
This sign of the Cross shall be in
heaven. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. This sign of the Cross shall
be in heaven. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. When the Lord cometh to
judgment.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. This sign of the Cross shall
be in heaven. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. We adore Thee, O Christ, and
we bless Thee. Alleluia.
Answer. Because that through Thy
Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Alleluia.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Behold the Cross, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
BUT God
The Chapter. (Gal. vi. 14.)
UT God forbid that
forbid that I should
should glory,
save in the Cross of our Lord JESUS
Christ, by Whom the world is crucified
unto me, and I unto the world.
Short Responsory.
We adore Thee, O Christ, and we
bless Thee. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. We adore Thee, O Christ,
and we bless Thee. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Because that through Thy
Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. We adore Thee, O Christ,
and we bless Thee. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Let all the earth worship
Thee, and sing unto Thee. Alleluia.
Answer. Let them sing praises to Thy
Name, O Lord. Alleluia.
NONE.
Antiphon. By Thy Cross, &c., (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Let all the earth worship Thee, and
sing unto Thee. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. Let all the earth worship
Thee, and sing unto Thee. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. Let them sing praises to Thy
Name, O Lord.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Let all the earth worship
Thee, and sing unto Thee. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. This sign of the Cross shall be
in heaven: Alleluia.
Answer. When the Lord cometh to
judgment. Alleluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the follow-
ing:
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. JESUS, our Triumphant Head,
on the Cross' Transom dread the Hands
of power and mercy spread That broke
the prison of the dead. Alleluia.
A Commemoration is made of the fol-
lowing. Prayer from Lauds.
MAY 4.
St. Monica, Widow.
Double.
All from the Common Office for an
Holy Woman, neither Martyr nor Vir-
gin, (p. 886,) except the following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
1062
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
1.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
MONICA was twice over the mother
of St. Austin, for, under God,
he owed to her both earth and heaven.
When her husband was very old she
made him a friend of JESUS Christ, and
after his death she lived a widow in
all purity and constantly occupied in
works of mercy. Her son Austin had
fallen into the heresy of the Mani-
chæans, and for his conversion she ear-
nestly pleaded with God for years, with
strong crying and tears. She followed
Austin to Milan, and tenderly and con-
stantly besought him to confer with
Ambrose the Bishop. This he consented
to do, and at last, through the public
sermons and private conversations of
Ambrose, his eyes were opened to see
the truth of the Catholic Religion, and
he received baptism at the Bishop's
hands, [at the Passover of the year 387.]
Fifth Lesson.
HE mother and son set out to return
THE
to their home in Africa, but after
they had reached Ostia at the mouth of
the Tiber, she was stricken down by a
fever. One day as she lay sick, she
came to herself after her mind had been
long wandering, and said: "Where am
I
Then she saw who were standing
by, and said: "Let your mother lie
here: only, remember me at the altar
of the Lord." On the ninth day this
blessed lady surrendered her spirit to
God. Her body was buried there at
Ostia in the Church of St. Aurea, but,
long after, in the Popedom of Martin V.
it was carried to Rome and honourably
buried again in the Church of St. Au-
gustine.
Sixth Lesson. (Confessions of St. Aus-
tin. Bk. ix. ch. 12.)
AUSTIN addeth these words after de-
scribing his mother's death: "We
did not think that her's was a death
which it was seemly to mark with re-
pining, or tears, or lamentations, seeing
that she died not sorrowfully, nor at all
as touching her best and noblest part.
This we knew, because we knew what her
life had been, her faith unfeigned, her
sure and certain hope. And then, never-
theless, I remembered again what Thine
handmaid was used to be, her walk with
Thee, how godly and holy it was, and
with us so gentle and long-suffering;
and that it was all gone away from me
now. And I wept, over her and for
her. And if any man will make it
blame to me that I wept for a little
while, when I saw lying dead before my
eyes my mother, who had wept over me
so many years, that she might see me
live, I say, if any man will make it
blame to me, I pray him not to sneer at
me, but rather (if his charity be so
great) himself to weep over my sins be-
fore Thee, Who art a Father to all them
to whom Thy Christ is a Brother."
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke vii. 11, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 778.)
0
LAUDS.
Prayer.
GOD, the Consolation of all such as
be sorrowful and the salvation of
all them that put their trust in Thee,
Who didst mercifully regard the tears
which Thy blessed handmaid and his
mother Monica shed before Thee for
the conversion of Austin, be again en-
treated for the sake both of her and of
him, and make us so to weep over our own
sins that Thy gracious majesty may be
moved to have mercy upon us. Through
the Same our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
The same Prayer throughout the day.
Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter inclusive.
MAY 5.
St. Pius V., Pope and
Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for Feasts
of a Confessor and Bishop, (p. 842,)
except the following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who when Thou wast pleased
to break the teeth of them that hate
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1063
Thy Church, and to restore again the
solemn worship of Thyself, didst choose
the blessed Pope Pius to work for Thee in
that matter, grant that he may still be a
tower of strength for us; grant that we
also may be more than conquerors over
all that make war upon our souls, and
in the end may enter into perfect peace
in Thy presence. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is al-
tered.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Monica. Prayer from her Office.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
Fifth Lesson.
PAUL IV., to whom his virtues had
greatly endeared him, raised him [in
1556,] to the united Bishoprics of Nepi
and Sutri, and after two years he was en-
rolled among the Cardinal Priests of the
Roman Church. Pius IV. translated
him to the Church of Mondovi in Pied-
mont, wherein, on his coming, he found
that many corruptions had crept in.
He reformed the whole of his diocese,
and, after settling his affairs, returned
to Rome, where his attention was called
to matters of the gravest business, in
determining which he used Apostolic
boldness and firmness. After the death
of Pius IV., the fifth Pius, to the as-
tonishment of all men, was elected to
succeed him, [on the 7th of January,
1566.] On becoming Pope he changed
his way of life in no respect except
as regarded his raiment. The Pro-
pagation of Religion was to him the
object of unceasing care; the restora-
tion of the Discipline of the Church, of
un wearied toil; the up-rooting of error,
of sleepless watchfulness; the relieving
the needs of the poor, of unfailing cha-
rity; the maintenance of the rights of
the Apostolic See, of adamantine firm-
ness.
Sixth Lesson.
[MICHAEL] Ghislieri [afterwards THE Turkish Sultan Selim was bloated
proclaimed Pope under the name
of] Pius V., was born [on the 27th
of January, in the year 1504,] at the
town of Bosco in the Milanese, but
his family was a noble one of Bologna.
At the age of fourteen years he en-
tered the order of Friars Preachers.
He was a man marked by a wonderful
long-suffering, a deep lowliness, a great
hardness of living, an unwavering ear-
nestness in prayer, and a most strong
zeal for the perfect observance of the
Rule of his Order, and for the greater
glory of God. He gave himself to the
study of Philosophy and Theology, and
was so learned in both, that he dis-
charged for many years with great re-
putation the duties of a Professor of
those sciences. He preached publicly
in many places, to the great profit of
his hearers. He long did the work of
Inquisitor with unflinching spirit, and
preserved many cities, not without risk
to his own life, from the heresy which
was then creeping in everywhere.
with many victories, and had got
together an huge fleet in the Gulf of
Lepanto, but Pius V. crushed him,
[on the 7th of October, 1571,] not so
much by force of arms as by dint of
the prayers wherein he pleaded with
God. At the hour that the victory was
won, Pius knew it by the inward reve-
lation of God, and stated the fact to his
servants. He was busied with the pre-
parations for a new expedition against
the Turks, when he was laid down by
grievous sickness. He bore most sharp
sufferings with the gentlest patience,
and when the end came, he received the
Sacraments as is usual, and with great
peace yielded his spirit to God, [on
the 1st of May,] in the year of sal-
vation 1572, and of his own age the
68th, having sat as Pope six years,
three months, and twenty-four days.
His body is buried in the Church of St.
Mary, where the Manger from Beth-
lehem is, and is there held in great re-
spect by the faithful, who have obtained
1064
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
from God by his prayers, many evident
miracles. The said miracles having
been proved by a judicial investigation
Pope Clement XI. enrolled his name
among those of the Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
Vespers are of the following.
MAY 6.
The Testifying of the Holy
Apostle John before the Latin
Gate.¹
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office for Apos-
tles, (p. 792 or 805,) except the following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Which seest that sins and
sufferings do on every side rise up
to trouble us, grant, we beseech Thee,
that we may find a shield in time of
need through the glorious prayers of
Thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist,
John. Through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The blessed Apostle John was
cast into a vessel of boiling oil, but by
the favour and protection of God, he
came out unharmed. Alleluia.
A Commemoration is made of St. Pius
V. Antiphon. "He was the Chief
Bishop, &c." Prayer from his Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
The Lessons are from Scripture ac-
cording to the Season, if they happen to
be taken from the Apocalypse, or from
one of St. John's Epistles. If not, they
are those from 1 Johni. 1, p. 235, with the
following added at the end of the Third:
"Hereby know we that we are in Him.
He that saith he abideth in Him, ought
himself also so to walk, even as He
walked.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book
against Jovinian written by St. Je-
rome, Priest [at Bethlehem.] (Bk. i.)
THE Apostle John was one of the dis-
ciples of the Lord. There is a tra-
dition that he was the youngest of the
Apostles. He was a virgin when the
Faith of Christ found him, and he hath
remained a virgin for ever. This is
why he was "the disciple whom JESUS
loved" more than any of the others,
and why he "leaned on JESUS' Breast.
When Peter, who had been married,
wished to ask the Lord who it was that
was about to betray Him, he dared not
ask for himself, but beckoned to John,
that he should ask it. (John xiii.
23, 24.) After the Resurrection, when
"Mary Magdalene came and told the
disciples that the Lord was risen, Peter
and John ran both together to the sepul-
chre, but John did outrun Peter." (xx.
2-4.) Later on, when the Apostles
were on the Sea of Galilee, in a ship,
fishing, "JESUS stood on the shore, but
the disciples knew not that It was
JESUS," till virgin knew Virgin, and
"that disciple whom JESUS loved, saith
unto Peter: It is the Lord." (xxi. 2—7.)
Fifth Lesson.
JOHN was both an Apostle, and an
Evangelist, and a Prophet. He was
an Apostle, in that he wrote to the
Churches, as their Teacher. He was an
Evangelist, in that he wrote one of the
Gospels, the like whereto was not done
by any other of the twelve Apostles,
save Matthew. He was a Prophet, in
that when he was in the isle of Patmos,
whither he had been banished by Do-
mitian on account of his up-lifting of his
testimony for the Lord, he saw there that
Apocalypse which containeth such un-
fathomable mysteries concerning" things
which shall be hereafter." (Apoc. i. 19.)
Tertullian also saith that when he was
at Rome, he was put into a vessel of
boiling oil, but that he came out cleaner
and healthier than he went in.
¹ The gate of Rome opening towards Latium.
4
+
འ
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1065
Sixth Lesson.
THERE is a great difference between
his Gospel and the three others.
Matthew beginneth to write as of a
man: "The Book of the Generation of
JESUS Christ, the Son of David, the son
of Abraham." Luke's first words of
history relate to the priesthood of Za-
charias Mark commenceth with the
surrection His kingdom would imme-
diately be established, and that that
would be fulfilled at His first coming
which is promised at His second. And
so, with womanly haste, she forgetteth
the future, and catcheth at the present.
Eighth Lesson.
prophecies of Malachi and Isaiah. The IT Word addressed His answer to the
first hath the face of a man, with an
human genealogy; the second hath the
face of a calf, being a victim offered by
priests; the third hath the face of a
lion, even "the voice of one crying in
the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of
the Lord, make His paths straight;" but
the John of whom I write is like a fly-
ing eagle (Apoc. iv. 7,) whose kingly
flight beareth him up above earth-
gathered clouds, an eagle that wingeth
his way toward the Father Himself, and
which crieth: "In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God." (John i. 1.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xx. 20.)
AT that time. Came to. JESUS the
mother of Zebedee's children, with
her sons, worshipping Him, and de-
siring a certain thing of Him. And
so on.
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest [at
Bethlehem.] (Comment. on Matt. xx.
Bk. 3.)
Whence had the mother of Zebedee's
children gotten her idea of the Lord's
kingdom? He had but just said (18—
20:) "The Son of man shall be be-
trayed unto the chief priests and unto
the scribes, and they shall condemn Him
to death, and shall deliver Him to the
Gentiles to mock, [and to scourge,] and
to crucify Him." He had told His
trembling disciples of the outrages that
awaited Him in His Passion; and yet
that mother came to Him to ask for her
sons a share in the glory of His Triumph.
I think it was because the Lord, after
He had said all the rest, had said also:
"And the third day He shall rise again.'
The woman supposed that after His re-
ning
disciples, understanding that she had
made her prayer in obedience to their
wishes. "Are ye able to drink of the
cup that I shall drink of?" From God's
written Word we gather that by this
cup, He meant the Passion, touching
the which we read that He said: “Õ
My Father, if it be possible, let this cup
pass from Me!" (Matth. xxvi. 39.)
Likewise is it written in the hun-
dred-and-fifteenth Psalm (13): "I will
take the cup of salvation, and call upon
the Name of the LORD," and what that
life-giving cup was, the words which
soon follow tell us: "Precious in the
sight of the LORD is the death of His
Saints."
Ninth Lesson.
THE uedee, James namely and John,
question ariseth, how the two sons
of
drank of the cup of contention even unto
blood against sin, seeing that though
we know by the Scriptures that "He-
rod the king killed James the brother of
John with the sword," (Acts xii. 1, 2,)
yet John ended his earthly life by a
natural death. But if we read the Re-
cords of the Church, we shall find there
told how that John, on account of his
testifying to the truth, was cast into a
vessel of boiling oil, and although the
holy champion came out unhurt and
continued his pilgrimage here for a
while longer, before he received his
crown from Christ's hand, being straight-
way banished into the isle of Patmos,
yet we see that he had the soul of a
martyr, and drank the same cup of mar-
tyrdom that was drunk by the three
children in the burning fiery furnace,
albeit the persecutor did not actually
shed his blood.
At Second Vespers, Antiphon at the
Song of the Blessed Virgin as at the
First, and a Commemoration of the fol-
lowing. Prayer from Lauds.
1066
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
16
MAY 7.
i
St. Stanislaw, Bishop [of
Crakow,] Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for One
Martyr, (p. 792 or 817,) except the fol-
lowing.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
THIS
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
HIS Stanislaw was a Pole. He was
born of a noble family, [on the 26th
day of July, in the year of our Lord
1030,] at [Szerepanow, in the diocese of]
Crakow. Hisgodly parents, who had been
childless for thirty years, obtained him
from God by prayer, and from his earliest
years he gave token of the holiness
of life which afterwards marked him.
When he was a young man he applied
himself heartily to all useful learning,
and was deeply read in the sacred teach-
ing of the Canons and of Theological
science. After the death of his parents
he inherited great possessions, but he
sold them, and distributed the price to
the poor, purposing himself to become a
monk. However, by the Providence of
God, Lampert, Bishop of Crakow, named
him Canon of the Cathedral Church of
that diocese, and Preacher in the same:
and afterwards [in 1072,] he was elected,
against his own will, to succeed to Lam-
pert's place. In this office he was a bright
and shining light of all virtues that be-
come a shepherd of souls, especially of
tenderness toward the poor.
Fifth Lesson.
T that time Boleslaw II. was King of
Poland, and him Stanislaw griev-
ously offended, because he openly re-
buked him for his shameless lust.
Wherefore, in a solemn Parliament of
his kingdom, he made Stanislaw to be
brought before him on a false accusation
of having taken wrongfully a certain
village, which he had bought in the
name of his Church. The Bishop could
not rebut this charge by documents, and
the witnesses were in too great fear to
speak the truth. Stanislaw therefore
said that in three days he would produce
before the judgment-seat one Peter,
from whom he had bought the village,
and who had been dead three years.
His enemies laughed thereat, and closed
with his proposal, and the man of
God gave himself up to fasting and
prayer for three days. On the day
which he had promised, after he had
offered up the Holy Sacrifice of the
Mass, he commanded Peter to rise from
the grave.
Peter then immediately
came to life, arose, and followed Stanis-
law to the King's judgment-seat, where
before the King and all others, who were
struck dumb with amazement, he bore
witness of the sale of the village, and
the honest payment of the price by the
Bishop, and then again fell asleep in the
Lord.
STA
Sixth Lesson.
TANISLAW often rebuked Boles-
law, but when he found it was in
vain, he at last cut him off from the
communion of Christ's faithful people.
Thereupon Boleslaw became frenzied
with rage, and [on the 8th of May, in
the year 1079,] sent soldiers to the
Church to murder the holy Bishop.
This they thrice essayed to do, but God
was pleased that they should be held
back by some unseen power. In the
end, the ungodly King with his own
hand cut off the head of the Priest of
God as he was standing at the Altar
offering up the Sacrifice without spot.
His body was hewn into pieces and
strewn about the fields, but the eagles
strangely kept the beasts of prey off it.
The Canons of the Cathedral of Crakow
soon gathered together the mutilated and
scattered limbs, which they were enabled
to see by a lightness which overspread
the sky at night; and they fitted them to-
gether, each into his place. The reliques
immediately so joined themselves one to
the other, that no marks of wounds re-
mained. Moreover, God was pleased to
manifest the holiness of His servant by
many wonders after his death, by the
which being moved, Pope Innocent IV.
added his name to those of the Saints,
and the Supreme Pontiff Clement VIII.
gave his Feast a place in the Service
Book of the Church of Rome, com-
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1067
manding that the memory of so glorious
a Martyr should be everywhere cele-
brated under the Double rite.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons in Paschal-time from John
xv. 1, with the Homily of St. Austin,
p. 797, out of Paschal-time, from Luké
xxi. 9, with the Homily of Gregory,
(p. 833.)
Prayer throughout the day.
GOD, for Whose glory the noble
Bishop Stanislaw fell by the swords
of sinful men, grant, we beseech Thee,
that all whosoever ask his help, may
find such answer to their petition as may
profit them to the everlasting salvation
of their souls. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Vespers are of the following.
MAY 8.
Thus we praise with veneration
All the armies of the sky:
Chiefly him, the warrior Primate
Of celestial chivalry:
Michael, who in princely virtue
Cast Abaddon from on high.
By whose watchful care, repelling,
King of everlasting grace!
Every ghostly adversary,
All things evil, all things base;
Grant us of Thine only goodness
In Thy paradise a place.
Laud and honour to the Father;
Laud and honour to the Son;
Laud and honour to the Spirit;
Ever Three, and ever One:
Consubstantial, Co-eternal,
While unending ages run. Amen.
Verse. An Angel stood at the Altar of
the Temple. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Having a golden censer in
his hand. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. While as John was gazing upon
the holy mystery, the Archangel Mi-
chael sounded his trumpet: Forgive
us, O Lord our God, Which openest the
book, and loosest the seals thereof. Al-
Manifestation of the holy Arch- leluia.
angel Michael.
Greater Double.
All as on Sundays except the follow-
ing.
If this Feast should happen to be
observed out of Paschal-time, then the
word "Alleluia" is omitted, wherever it
is here given in brackets [ ], the Anti-
phons at Mattins are as on September
29, and the Short Responsories are also
said as on that day.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm, Ps. cxvi. O praise the
LORD, &c., (p. 154.)
Hymn.¹
THEE, O Christ, the Father's Splendour
Life and virtue of the heart,
In the presence of the Angels
Sing we now with tuneful art:
Meetly in alternate chorus
Bearing our responsive part.
1 Translated by Dr. Neale.
A Commemoration is made of the
preceding. Prayer from that Office.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord, He is the King
of the Archangels. O come, let us
worship Him. [Alleluia.]
Hymn as at First Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Antiphon. The sea was moved and
the earth quaked, when the Archangel
Michael descended from heaven. [Al-
leluia.]
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, &c.,
(p. 6.)
Ps. x. In the LORD put I my trust,
&c., (p. 8.)
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall dwell, &c.,
(p. 10.)
Verse. An Angel stood at the Altar of
the Temple. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Having a golden censer in
his hand. [Alleluia.]
2 Cf. Luke x. 11; Apoc. viii. 3.
1068
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Daniel (vii. 9.)
I
BEHELD till the thrones were set,
and the Ancient of days did sit;
Whose garment was white as snow, and
the Hair of His Head like the pure
wool: His throne, the fiery flame; His
wheels, burning fire. A fiery stream
issued and came forth from before Him.
Thousands of thousands ministered unto
Him, and ten thousand times hundreds
of thousands stood before Him: the
judgment was set, and the books were
opened. I beheld then, because of the
voice of the great words which the horn¹
spake and I saw that the beast was
slain, and his body destroyed, and given
to be burnt with fire.
First Responsory.2
HERE was silence in heaven while
THE
the dragon_fought against Michael
the Archangel. I heard the voice of thou-
sands of thousands, saying: Salvation,
and honour, and power unto God the
Almighty. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Thousands of thousands min-
istered unto Him, and ten thousand
times hundreds of thousands stood be-
fore Him.
Answer. I heard the voice of thou-
sands of thousands, saying: Salvation,
and honour, and power unto God, the
Almighty. [Alleluia.]
Second Lesson. (x. 4.)
AND in the four-and-twentieth day of
the first month, I was by the side
of the great river, which is the Tigris.
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked;
and, behold, a certain man clothed in
linen, whose loins were girded with fine
gold of Uphaz :3 his body also was like
the chrysolite, and his face as the ap-
pearance of lightning, and his eyes as
lamps of fire; and his arms and his
lower parts at his feet like in appear-
ance to shining brass; and the voice of
his words like the voice of a multitude.
And I Daniel alone saw the vision; for
the men that were with me saw it not;
but a great fear fell upon them, so that
they fled to hide themselves. Therefore
I was left alone and saw this great
vision, and there remained no strength
in me; for my comeliness was changed
in me into corruption, and I retained no
strength.
Second Responsory.
An Angel stood at the Altar of the
Temple, having a golden censer in his
hand; and there was given unto him
much incense; and the smoke of the in-
cense ascended up before the Lord, out
of the Angel's hand. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee; I will worship to-
ward Thy holy temple, and praise Thy
Name, O Lord.
Answer. And the smoke of the in-
cense ascended up before the Lord, out
of the Angel's hand. [Alleluia.]
Third Lesson.
ET heard I the voice of his words;
YET
and when I heard, I fell down as-
tounded upon my face, and my face
clave unto the ground. And, behold,
an hand touched me, which set me upon
my knees and upon the palms of my
hands. And he said unto me: O Daniel,
thou man greatly beloved, understand
the words that I speak unto thee, and
stand upright; for unto thee am I now
sent. And when he had spoken this
word unto me, I stood trembling. Then
said he unto me: Fear not, Daniel;
for from the first day that thou didst
set thine heart to understand, and to
chasten thyself before thy God, thy
words were heard, and I am come for
thy words. But the prince of the king-
dom of Persia withstood me one-and-
twenty days, but, lo! Michael, one of
the chief princes, came to help me, and
I then obtained the victory with the
Kings of Persia. Now I am come to
1 One of the horns of one of the mystic beasts, see verses 7 and 8.
2 Cf. Apoc. viii. 1, xii. 7, xix. 1, &c.
3 Gesenius believes this name to be "a corruption of Ophir," the celebrated gold-country
often mentioned in the Bible, but as to whose situation the learned are anything but
agreed.
4 Viz., says Gesenius, "the lively colour of my face."
5 Ps. cxxxvii. 1.
6 This is Gesenius' rendering of this passage in his Lexicon. The Latin, like the Hebrew,
is literally "I remained with," but Gesenius takes the sense of being fully up with, &c.,
"Joined in battle with them, I held my own." Comp. "to stand one's ground."
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1069
make thee understand what shall befall
thy people in the latter days, for yet the
vision is [not to be fulfilled] till [after
many] days.
Third Responsory.
Before the Angels will I sing praise
unto Thee, and will worship toward Thy
holy temple. And I will praise Thy
Name, O Lord. [Alleluia.]
Verse. For Thy loving-kindness, and
for Thy truth; for Thou hast glorified
Thine holy on us.
aids from earth toward heaven to rise.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. The Archangel Michael is the
Vice-Roy of Paradise, and the Angels that
are the dwellers therein, do hold him in
worship.
Answer. Whosoever on him calleth
blessed within his wardship lies. His a
prayer whose voice availing aids from
earth toward heaven to rise. [Alleluia.]
A
Fifth Lesson.
ND came to pass on this wise. A.
hine woly Nam I will praise Thy Name, Dertain man had a bull grazing
Answer. And
O Lord. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And I will praise Thy Name,
O Lord. [Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
Antiphon. Archangel Michael, come
to help God's people. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare, &c.,
(p. 16.)
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the LORD'S,
&c., (p. 124.)
Ps. xxxiii. I will bless the LORD, &c.,
(p. 26.)
Verse. The smoke of the incense as-
cended up before the Lord. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Out of the Angel's hand.
[Alleluia.]
Fourth Lesson.
THAT the blessed Archangel Michael
hath oftentimes been seen of men
is attested on the authority of the Holy
Bible, and also by the ancient traditions
of the Saints. For this reason such
visions are held in remembrance in
many places. As of old time did the
Synagogue of the Jews, so now doth the
Church of God respect Michael as her
watcher and defender. But during the
Popedom of Gelasius I. the summit of
Mount Gargano in Apulia, at whose
foot lieth the town of Siponto, was the
scene of an extraordinary appearance of
this same Archangel Michael.
Fourth Responsory.
This is Michael, who to battle leads
the armies of the skies; whosoever on
him calleth blessed within his wardship
lies. His a prayer whose voice availing
man
with the flock upon Mount Gargano,
and it strayed. And when they had
sought it for a long while they found it
jammed in the mouth of a cavern. Then
one that stood there shot an arrow at it
to slay it, but the arrow turned round
and came back against him that had
shot it. They therefore that saw it, and
all those that heard it, were sore afraid
because of that which had come to pass,
so that no man dared any more to draw
near to the cavern. But when they had
sought counsel of the Bishop of Siponto,
he answered, that it behoved to seek the
interpretation from God, and proclaimed
three days of fasting and prayer.
Fifth Responsory.
Where Angels lead the spirits of the
blessed dead the glad procession_moves
with Michael at its head, to lead them
into the garden of Eden. [Alleluia.]
Verse. ¹O Lord, send Thy Holy Spirit
from heaven: the Spirit of wisdom and
understanding.
Answer. To lead them into the gar-
den of Eden. [Alleluia.]
Sixth Lesson.
AFTER three days the Archangel Mi-
chael gave warning to the Bishop
that that place was under his protection,
and that he had thus pointed out by a
sign that he wished that worship should
be offered to God there, with remem-
brance of himself and of the Angels.
Then the Bishop and the citizens made
haste and came to the cavern; and when
they found that the form thereof was
somewhat after the fashion of a Church,
they began to perform the public wor-
ship of God therein which sanctuary
hath been glorified with many miracles.
1 Cf. Wisd. ix. 17; Is. xi. 2.
1070
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
It was not long after these things that
Pope Boniface IV. hallowed the Church
of St. Michael on Hadrian's Mole at
Rome, on the 29th day of September on
the which day the Church also holdeth
in remembrance All Angels. But this
present day is hallowed in remembrance
of the manifestation of the Archangel
Michael.
Sixth Responsory.
¹At that time shall Michael stand up,
which standeth for your children. And
there shall be a time, such as never was
since there was a nation even to that
same time. [Alleluia.]
Verse. At that time thy people shall
be delivered, every one that shall be
found written in the Book of Life.
Answer. And there shall be a time,
such as never was since there was a
nation even to that same time. [Al-
leluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And there shall be a time,
such as never was since there was a
nation even to that same time. [Al-
leluia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
Antiphon. The Angel Michael the
Archangel, he is the messenger whom
God sendeth to all the souls of the
righteous. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 72.)
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth, &c., (p.
73.)
Ps. cii. Bless the LORD, O my soul,
&c., (p. 76.)
Verse. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee, O my God. [Al-
feluia.]
Answer. I will worship toward Thy
holy Temple, and praise Thy Name.
[Alleluia.]
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xviii. 1.)
T that time: Came the disciples unto
JESUS, saying: Who is the greatest
in the kingdom of heaven? And so on.
1 Dan. xii. 1.
Homily by St. Hilary, Bishop [of
Poitiers.] (Com. on Matth. xviii.)
"Unless ye become as little children,"
saith the Lord, "ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven," that is, unless
by the uprooting of bodily and mental
depravity, we bring our souls to the in-
nocency of childhood. But He giveth
the name of children to all such as be-
lieve by the hearing of faith. Children
follow their father, love their mother,
know not how to wish evil to their
neighbours, are not careful for earthly
riches; they insult not, they hate not,
they lie not, they believe what they are
told, and take for truth what they hear.
Us then it behoveth to return to the
simpleness of little children, for when
we are well rooted therein, we shall so
far bear about in ourselves an image of
the sublime simpleness of the Lord
JESUS.
Seventh Responsory.
Be not ye afraid before the Gentiles:
but in your hearts, worship ye the Lord,
and fear Him; for His Angel is with you.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. An Angel stood at the Altar of
the Temple, having a golden censer in
his hand.
Verse. For His Angel is with you.
[Alleluia.]
(C
WOE
Eighth Lesson.
unto the world because of of-
fences!" The lowliness of the
Passion is an offence unto the world.
Such is the state of stupidity to which
man's ignorance hath reduced itself,
that it turneth away from the Lord of
Eternal Glory, because of the unsightli-
ness of the Cross! And what is so cer-
tain to bring woe unto the world as to
turn away from Christ? And therefore
He saith: "It must needs be that of-
fences come," because His fulfilling the
lowliness of the Passion was the pre-
destined mean whereby He was to give
us eternal life.
Eighth Responsory.
The Archangel Michael came to help
God's people. He arose to succour the
spirits of the righteous. [Alleluia.]
Verse. An Angel stood at the Altar of
* Baruch vi. 5, 6.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1071
the Temple, having a golden censer in
his hand.
Answer. He arose to succour the spi-
rits of the righteous. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He arose to succour the spi-
rits of the righteous. [Alleluia.]
Ninth Lesson.
"TAKE heed that ye despise not one
of these little ones that believe
in Me." He hath laid on us a most meet
tie to constrain us to love one another,
especially such as indeed believe in the
Lord. For I say unto you that in
heaven their Angels do always behold
the face of My Father Which is in
heaven. For the Son of man is come to
save that which was lost." From these
words we see, first, that the Son of man
saveth; secondly, that the Angels do
see God; and thirdly, that the Angels of
these little ones have the wardship over
the prayers of the faithful. That the
Angels have this wardship is taught us
absolutely. The Angels therefore do
every day offer to God the prayers which
they which are saved do make to Him in
the Name of Christ. Therefore it is
dangerous for a man to despise them,
seeing that these are they by whose
watchful service and ministry, his wishes
and requests are presented before the
throne of the eternal and unseen God.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. An Angel stood at
the Altar of the Temple, having a
golden censer in his hand. [Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. While as the Arch-
angel Michael fought against the dra-
gon,
* I heard voices saying: Salvation
unto our God. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. Michael Mine Arch-
angel, * I have appointed thee for a
prince over the ingathering of souls.
[Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. O ye Angels of the
Lord, bless ye the Lord alway. [Al-
leluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. O ye Angels and
Archangels, O ye Thrones and Do-
minions, O ye Principalities and Powers,
O ye mighty Ones of heaven, praise ye
the Lord from the heavens! Alleluia.
Chapter. (Apoc. i. 1.)
GOD gave unto JESUS Christ to show
unto His servants things which
must shortly come to pass: and He sent
and signified it by His Angel unto His
servant John; who bare record of the
Word of God and of the testimony of
JESUS Christ, of all the things which
he saw.
CHR
Hymn.¹
HRIST! of the holy Angels light and
gladness,
Maker and Saviour of the human race,
O may we reach the world unknown to
sadness,
The blessed mansions where they see
Thy Face!
Angel of peace, may Michael to our dwell-
ing
Down from high Heaven in mighty calm-
ness come,
Breathing serenest peace, wild war dis-
pelling
With all her sorrows to the infernal
gloom.
Angel of might, may Gabriel swift des-
cending,
Far from our gates our ancient foes
repel,
And his own triumphs o'er the world de-
fending,
In temples dear to Heaven return and
dwell.
Angel of health, may Raphael lighten o'er
us,
To every sick bed speed his healing flight,
In times of doubt direct the way before us,
And through life's mazes guide our steps
aright.
The Virgin, harbinger of peace supernal,
Mother of Light, with all the Angelic
train,
Heaven's glittering host, court of the King
Eternal,
All Saints be with us, till that bliss we
gain.
Be this by Thy thrice holy Godhead granted,
Father, and Son, and Spirit ever blest;
Whose glory by the Angel host is chanted,
Whose Name by all the universe confest.
Amen.
Verse. An angel stood at the altar of
the Temple. [Alleluia.]
1 Translation by the Rev. W. J. Copeland.
4 B
1072
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Answer. Having a golden censer in
his hand. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
There was silence in heaven while as
the dragon made war, and Michael
fought against him, and prevailed over
him. [Alleluia.]
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who hast ordained and con-
stituted the services of angels and
men in a wonderful order, mercifully
grant that as Thy holy angels alway do
Thee service in heaven, so, by Thy ap-
pointment, they may succour and de-
fend us on earth. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. An Angel stood, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
THE
Chapter at the end. (Apoc. xii. 7.)
HERE was a great war in heaven;
Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon; and the dragon
fought, and his angels: and prevailed
not; neither was their place found any
more in heaven.
TERCE.
Antiphon. While as the Archangel,
&c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
An Angel stood at the Altar of the
Temple. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. An Angel stood at the Altar
of the Temple. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Having a golden censer in his
hand.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. An Angel stood at the Altar
of the Temple. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. And the smoke of the incense
ascended up before the Lord. Alleluia.
Answer. Out of the Angel's hand.
Alleluia.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Michael Mine Archangel,
&c., (Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
I
Chapter. (Apoc. v. 11.)
HEARD the voice of many Angels
round about the throne, and the
living creatures and the elders; and the
number of them was thousands of thou-
sands, saying with a loud voice: Salva-
tion unto our God.
Short Responsory.
The smoke of the incense ascended up
before the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Answer. The smoke of the incense as-
eended up before the Lord. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. Out of the Angel's hand.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The smoke of the incense
ascended up before the Lord. Alleluia,
Alleluia.
Verse. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee, O my God. Alleluia.
Answer. I will worship toward Thy
holy Temple, and praise Thy Name.
Alleluia.
NONE.
Antiphon. O ye Angels, &c., (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Before the Angels will I sing praise
unto Thee, O my God.
Answer. Before the Angels will I
sing praise unto Thee, O my God.
Verse. I will worship toward Thy
holy Temple, and praise Thy Name.
Answer. Alleluia, Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Before the Angels will I
sing praise unto Thee, O my God.
Verse. Worship God. Alleluia.
Answer. All ye His Angels. Alleluia.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the following.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxxxvii. I will praise Thee, &c.,
(p. 164.)
Verse. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee, O my God. [Alleluia.]
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1073
Answer. I will worship toward Thy
holy Temple, and praise Thy Name.
[Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O thou Prince most glorious,
Michael the Archangel, remember us-
and here, and everywhere, alway en-
treat for us the countenance of the Son
of God. Alleluia.
A Commemoration is made of the
following. Antiphon, "O right excel-
lent, &c."
MAY 9.
St. Gregory of Pazianzus, Da-
triarch of Constantinople,]
Confessor, and Doctor of the
Church.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Doctor, (p. 868,) except the following.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is al-
tered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season. On Rogation Monday or
Wednesday, from Ecclus. xxix. 1, (p.
811.)
THI
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
HIS Gregory, to whom is commonly
given, on account of his extraordi-
nary depth of sacred learning, the title
of "the Divine," was a noble Cappa-
docian, born at Nazianzus¹ in that
country, and educated at Athens along
with St. Basil, with whom likewise,
when they had acquired knowledge in
divers branches of earthly learning, he
gave himself up to learn the things of
God. This they did for some years in
a Monastery, framing their opinions, not
out of their own heads, but according
to the interpretation arrived at by the
wisdom and decision of the antients.
They were both distinguished by power
of doctrine and holiness of life; they
were both called to the duty of preach-
ing the Gospel of truth; and through
the Gospel they both begat many sons
unto Christ.
Fifth Lesson.
GREGORY after a while returned
He was first made Bishop
of Sasima, and afterwards administered
the Church of Nazianzus. Then he was
called to rule the Church of Constanti-
nople. That city, which he found reek-
ing with heresy, he purged, and brought
again to the Catholic faith. But this,
which deserved for him the warmest
love of all men, raised up many enemies.
Among the Bishops themselves there
was a great party against him, and to
still their contentions, he, of his own
free will, gave up his see, saying with
the Prophet Jonah: "Take me up, and
cast me forth into the sea: so shall the
sea be calm unto you; for I know that
for my sake this great tempest is upon
you," (i. 12.) So he went his way back
again to Nazianzus, and when he had
seen that Eulalius was set over that
Church, he gave himself up altogether
to think and write concerning the things
of God.
HE
Sixth Lesson.
E wrote much, both in prose and
verse, with wonderful godliness
and eloquence. According to the judg-
ment of learned and holy men, there is
nothing in his writings which anywhere
strays from the line of true godliness
and Catholic truth, and not a single
word which any one can justly call in
doubt. He was one of the latest cham-
pions of the doctrine that the Son is of
one substance with the Father. No one
has ever won greater praise for goodness
of life, neither was any man more ear-
nest in prayer. During the reign of the
Emperor Theodosius he dwelt in the
country after the manner of a monk,
and unceasingly taken up with writing
and reading, until, in a good old age, he
laid down his earthly, to enter on an
heavenly life.³
¹ Sometimes called Nazianzum. I follow Gibbon.
2 When he first arrived, Arianism was triumphant, and he ministered to the Catholics
in a private house. It was not till after two years that, on the accession of Theodosius,
that great Emperor himself led Gregory to the Patriarchal throne in St. Sophia.
3 A.D. 389 or 391.
4 B 2
1074
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. v. 13, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 870.)
Vespers are of the following from the
Chapter inclusive.
MAY 10.
St. Antonine, Archbishop [of
Florence,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout.
HELP us, O Lord, we beseech Thee,
for the sake of Thine holy Bishop and
Confessor Antonine, and so show Thyself
merciful in us, Who didst show Thyself
wondrous in him. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
The first verse of the Hymn is al-
tered.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Gregory Nazianzen. Antiphon, "O
right excellent, &c."
Then of the Holy Martyrs Gordian
and Epimachus. Antiphon and Verse
and Answer from the First Vespers of
the Common Office for Many Martyrs,
(p. 792 or 829,) and Prayer:
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almigh-
ty God, that we who make solemn
memorial of Thy blessed Martyrs Gor-
dian and Epimachus, who are now with
Thee, may continually be holpen by the
prayers of the same. Through our Lord
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
MATTINS.
The first verse of the Hymn is altered.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ANTONINE was born of respectable
parents at Florence, [in the year
of grace 1389,] and the holiness of
his after life was fore-shadowed in
him even as a little child. When he
was sixteen years of age he entered the
Order of Friars Preachers, and from that
time forth he was a burning and a shin-
ing light to all the godly. He pro-
claimed a truceless war against idleness:
after a short night's rest, he was the
first to come to the service of Mattins;
when they were over he spent the rest
of the night in prayer, or at least in
reading, or writing out books, or if
sleep altogether overcame his weary
body, he would rest against the wall
with his head bowed down, and then
shake off slumber again, and set him-
self anew with fresh eagerness to his
sacred watch.
Fifth Lesson.
HE required of himself the most un-
flinching observance of the Rule
of his Order, and never ate meat unless he
were grievously ill. He slept upon the
ground or upon bare boards. "He always
wore haircloth, and sometimes an iron
girdle which bit into his naked skin. His
virginity he kept ever undimmed by the
least breath or shadow. He was so skil-
ful in giving advice that he gained the
common nickname of "Counsel Anto-
nine." At the same time so beautifully
brilliant was his lowliness, that even
when he was at the head of houses
and provinces of his Order, he most
cheerfully undertook all the meanest
services of the houses where he was.
Eugenius IV. appointed him Archbishop
of Florence, and he took it so ill, that
it was only when awed by the threats of
the Apostolic See that he obeyed, and
accepted the dignity, [in the year 1446.]

As
Sixth Lesson.
S Archbishop it can hardly be told
how noble he was, in wisdom, in
godliness, in love, in meekness, in Priest-
ly zeal. It was wonderful to see how
thoroughly he taught himself nearly
all the sciences, without the help of a
master. At last, after much work, and

FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1075
publishing many valuable books on
Doctrine, he received the Holy Eucha-
rist and was anointed, and then, clasp-
ing the image of his crucified Saviour
to his heart, joyfully welcomed death,
on the 2nd day of May, in the year
1459. He was remarkable for the work-
ing of miracles, both during his life,
and after his death, and Adrian VI. en-
rolled his name among those of the
Saints, in the year 1523.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.) The
last part of this Homily is omitted, or
read along with the second, and the
following is the
Ninth Lesson. (For SS. Gordian and
Epimachus.)
GORDIAN was a judge before whom,
in the reign of Julian the Apos-
tate, Januarius the Priest was brought
to be condemned. Januarius instructed
Gordian in the Christian faith, and him-
self, with his wife, and fifty-three other
persons of the same household, were all
baptized at Rome. On this account the
Prætor sent back Januarius, and or-
MAY 12.
The Holy Martyrs Nereus,
Achilles, Virgin Domitilla,
and Pancras.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for Many
Martyrs, (p. 792 or 829,) except the
following
Prayer throughout.
LORD, we beseech Thee, that the
blessed and solemn remembrance
of Thy Martyrs Nereus, Achilles, Domi-
tilla, and Pancras, making our hearts to
burn within us, may cause us to be more
meet for Thy service. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.

MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
dered Clementian the Deputy to cast NEREUS and Achilles were brethren,
Gordian into prison.
Afterward he
caused the same Gordian to be brought
before him in chains, and when he
found he could not shake him in his
will to cleave to the faith, he com-
manded that he should first be hided
with whips loaded with lead, and there-
after beheaded. His body was thrown
out before the temple of Apollo for dogs
to eat, but the Christians buried it at
night in the catacombs upon the Latin
Way, in the same vault where were al-
ready lying the remains of the blessed
Martyr Epimachus. These had been
brought from Alexandria, in which city
Epimachus had long been imprisoned
for owning Christ, and had in the end
grasped the crown of his testimony by
being burnt alive.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of these Holy Martyrs. Prayer as at
First Vespers.
At Second Tespers the first verse of
the Hymn is altered.
eunuchs belonging to Flavia Do-
mitilla, who were baptized by blessed
Peter, along with her and her mother
Plautilla. They had advised Domitilla
to consecrate her virginity to God, and
on this account Aurelian, to whom she
was betrothed, accused them of being
Christians. They nobly confessed the
faith, and were banished to the island
of Pontia. Then they were again put
to the torture, and after being scourged,
were taken to Terracina. At Terracina,
Minutius Rufus tormented them with
the rack and with fire, but as they con-
stantly affirmed that having once been
baptized by the blessed Apostle Peter,
no torture could ever make them sacri-
fice to idols, they were beheaded. Aus-
picius, their own disciple and the tutor
of Domitilla, took their bodies to Rome,
where they were buried on the road to
Ardua.
Fifth Lesson.
THE Virgin Flavia Domitilla was a
Roman, the niece of the Emperors
1076
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Titus and Domitian,¹ and was veiled by
the blessed Pope Clement. Aurelian, son
of the Consul Titus Aurelius, to whom
she was betrothed, accused her of being
a Christian, and the Emperor Domitian
banished her into the island of Pontia,
where she long suffered and testified in
prison. At length she was taken to
Terracina, where she again confessed
Christ, and as she seemed ever to grow
firmer, the judge, under the Emperor
Trajan, caused her chamber to be set
on fire, and there Domitilla, with her
foster-sisters the maidens Theodora and
Euphrosyne, finished the race of faith
by grasping the crown of glory, on the
seventh day of May. Their bodies were
found whole, and were buried by the
Deacon Cæsarius. This, the twelfth day
of May, is that whereon the bodies of
Nereus and Achilles, and that of Domi-
tilla, were carried from the Deaconry of
St. Adrian, and laid in the Church
which is properly called by the name of
these holy martyrs, but formerly by that
of "St. Peter's Bandage."2
PANCRAS
Sixth Lesson.
was the son of a noble fa-
mily of Phrygia. He came to Rome
in the reign of the Emperors Diocletian
and Maximian, being then a boy of
fourteen years of age. There he was
baptized by the Bishop of Rome, and
brought up in the Christian faith. On
this account he was soon after taken,
and having constantly refused to sacri-
fice to the gods, he offered his neck to
the executioner with manly courage,
and won a glorious crown of martyrdom.
The Lady Octavilla took his body by
night, embalmed it with precious oint-
ments, and buried it on the Aurelian
Way.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (iv. 46.)
A
T that time: There was a certain
nobleman, whose son was sick at
Capernaum. Ánd so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (28th Sermon, viz. that preached
on the Birth-day and in the Church of
these Holy Martyrs.)
Wherefore was it that when this no-
bleman besought the Lord to come down
ere his child died, the Lord (albeit He
healed him) would not come, and yet,
when the Centurion prayed Him to heal
his servant, albeit not asked to come
down,3 He went with them? He
deemed not that the nobleman's son
was worthy of His bodily presence, but
He refused not to go to help the Cen-
turion's servant. What is this but a
rebuke to earthly pride, which maketh
us to respect in men their honours and
riches rather than that Divine image
wherein they are created? It was not
so with our Redeemer, who would not
go to the son of the nobleman, but was
ready to come down for the Centurion's
servant, to show that to Him the things
which are great among men are but of
little moment, and the things which are
little esteemed among men are not be-
neath His notice.
Eighth Lesson.
UR pride then standeth rebuked, that
pride which maketh us forget for
the sake of one man that another man
is a man at all. This pride, as we have
said, looketh only at the surroundings
of men, not at their nature, and seeth
not that God is to be honoured in a
man because he is a man. Lo! how
the Son of God will not go unto the
nobleman's son, but is ready to go and
heal the servant. Of myself I know
that if any one's servant were to ask me
to go to him, I have a sort of pride
which would say to me silently inside
my heart: Go not; thou wilt lower
thyself; the Papal dignity will be lightly
esteemed; thy exalted station will be
degraded. Behold how He Which came
down from heaven, doth not deem it
below Him to go to help a servant, and
yet I who am of the earth earthy, shrink
from being trodden on.
1 The identity of this Flavia Domitilla has got confused. See Alban Butler and the
Bollandists; also Gibbon.
2 When St. Peter was walking here a bandage fell off his leg.
s Luke vii. 3, but it is there written "beseeching Him that He would come and heal
his servant." The "Lord, I am not worthy" (v. 5) seems to have been an afterthought.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1077
Ninth Lesson.
THIN
HINK not therefore within yourselves
what ye have, but what ye are.
Behold, the world which I love, is a
world which passeth away. Those holy
servants of God, by whose grave I am
standing, ennobled themselves mentally
above the world at its fairest. To them
was offered length of days, robust health,
plenty in possessions, fruitfulness in off-
spring, comfort under perpetual peace:
and yet while the spring-tide of life was
unfolding before them, their hearts had
already condemned it to an arid winter.
Behold, winter in their hearts, spring
in mine! Death, and pain, and bar-
renness occur all around me, I am at-
tacked on all sides, and I feel very bitter,
and yet the sting of fleshly lust so blind-
eth me, that I love the bitter feelings, I
hunt after those that flee from me, and
cling to those that wish to leave me.
MAY 14.
St. Boniface, Martyr.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for a
Simple Feast of one Martyr, (p. 803
or 828,) except the following.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
that we who do make solemn
remembrance of Thine holy Martyr Bo-
niface, may be holpen in Thy presence
by his prayers. Through our Lord JE-
sus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
MATTINS.
Second Lesson.
BONIFACE was a Roman citizen who
in sin with the noble
lady Aglaé. The memory of this trans-
gression overwhelmed him with exceed-
ing sorrow, so that for penance he gave
himself up to look for and bury the
bodies of the martyrs. While he was
at Tarsus, and apart from his fellow-
travellers, he saw a great many persons
being divers ways tormented, because
1 About A.D. 307.
they confessed to believing in Christ.
He kissed their chains, and vehemently
exhorted them bravely to bear their
sufferings, seeing that the same their
affliction which was but for a moment,
was working for them an exceeding,
even an eternal weight of glory. For
this cause Boniface also was taken, and
his flesh torn off him with iron claws.
Sharp reeds also were driven between
his finger-nails and the quick, and
molten lead poured into his mouth. In
his agony he was only heard to say:
"I thank Thee, O Lord JESUs Christ,
Son of God."
Third Lesson.
AFTERWARD he was dipped head
foremost into a vessel of boiling
pitch, and as he was drawn out un-
harmed, the judge in fury commanded
him to be beheaded.¹ At the time it was
done there was a great earthquake,
whereby many unbelievers were turned
to believe in the Lord Christ. The fel-
low-travellers of Boniface sought him
the next day, and when they knew that
he had undergone Martyrdom, they
bought his body for fifty shillings, and
after that they had embalmed it with
spices, and wrapped it in linen, they
carried it to Rome. The Lady Aglaé,
who had herself with great contrition
given up her life to godly works, was
told by an angel what had come to pass.
She therefore went forth to meet the
holy body, and built a Church in the
name of Boniface, wherein his said body
was buried upon the fifth day of June
next after that fourteenth of May where-
on in the city of Tarsus in Cilicia, under
the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian,
he had passed away to heaven.
MAY 16.
St. Ubald, Bishop [of Gubbio,]
Confessor.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
2 Quingentis solidis. About £30.
1078
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
FIRST VESPERS.
Prayer.
GRACIOUSLY help us, we beseech
Thee, O Lord, and at the petition
of Thy blessed Confessor and Bishop
Ubald, stretch forth the right hand of
Thy mercy to shield us against all the
fiery darts of the wicked one. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
The same Prayer throughout the Of-
fice.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN,
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Ubald was born of a noble fa-
mily at Gubbio in Umbria, and well
established in godliness and learning
from his earliest years. When he was
a young man, it was often proposed to
him to marry, but he never abandoned
his determination to preserve his vir-
ginity. After that he was ordained
Priest he divided his inheritance among
the poor and Churches, and embraced
the Institute of Canons Regular of St.
Austin. This Institute he brought to
Gubbio, and for some time led therein
a most holy life. When the fame of his
saintliness had got noised abroad, Pope
Honorius II. set him, contrary to his
own wishes, over the Church of Gubbio,
and he was honoured with consecration
as Bishop by the hands of the said Pope
himself, [in the year of our Lord 1129.]
Fifth Lesson.
WHEN Ubald came to live as Bishop
"always bore in the body the dying of
the Lord JESUS," (2 Cor. iv. 10,) while
he daily fed his soul in unceasing and
earnest prayer. Hence he acquired such
wonderful meekness, that when he was
most grievously wronged and insulted
he not only took it patiently, but, by a
strange impulse of love for them, em-
braced his persecutors with every proof
of affection.
FOR
Sixth Lesson.
the space of two years before
Ubald passed away from this pre-
sent life, he was tried as gold in the
furnace, by grievous bodily weakness,
and, day after day, amid the sharpest suf-
ferings, he never ceased patiently to give
God thanks. He rested in peace on the
sacred day of Pentecost, [in the year 1160,]
having for many years governed with
great praise the Church which had been
entrusted to him, and glorious for good
works and miracles. Pope Celestine III.
numbered him with the Saints. His
strength is most chiefly shown in the
casting out of evil spirits. His body
hath remained without corruption for all
these ages, and is reverenced greatly in
his native town by Christ's faithful
people. To them he hath more than
once shown himself good at need.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth xxv. 14, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
Vespers are of the following.
MAY 17.
St. Paschal Baylon, Con-
fessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
the following.
in Gubbio, he changed his way of
life in no wise from that which he had
led before, but his virtues began to be
more eminent because his word and en-
sample were now more able to benefit
his neighbours, to whom the shepherd
of their souls was a pattern, not by out-
ward showing only, but from his heart.
He ate little, dressed simply, and slept
upon a hard and very poor bed. He
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst glorify Thy blessed
Confessor Paschal through a won-
derful love for the sacred mysteries of
Thy Body and Blood, grant even unto us
also, like him, to taste the inward fat-
ness of Thy Supper, O JESUS, our Lord
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1079
and God: Who livest and reignest with
God the Father, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of St. Ubald. Prayer from
his Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
PASCHAL Baylon was the son of poor
and godly parents, in the town of
Torre Hermosa, and Diocese of Sagunta
in Aragon, [in the year of our Lord
1540.] From his childhood he gave
indications of a holy life. He was na-
turally of a good disposition, and very
wishful to learn about heavenly things.
His boyhood and youth he passed in the
occupation of a shepherd. This way of
life pleased him well, because he thought
it one useful and fitted to nourish lowli-
ness and keep innocency. He ate little,
and was instant in prayer. He had
great weight and favour with his fellows
and neighbours, whose quarrels he healed,
corrected their mistakes, enlightened
their ignorance, and roused them from
idleness. They all greatly honoured and
loved him, as though he were their
father and teacher, and even then many
called him "Beato," that is, "the
Blessed."
Fifth Lesson.
In
a world which was to him "a dry
land, where no water is" (Ps. lxii.
2,) Paschal grew up a lily of the val-
lies, "planted in the House of the
Lord" (Ps. xci. 14,) whose strange
sweetness spread all around. When he
took upon him an harder life, by enter-
ing the Institute of bare-footed Grey
Friars, of the strict observance, "he
rejoiced as a strong man to run a race"
(Ps. xviii. 6,) and gave himself up alto-
gether to serve the Lord, thinking by
day and by night only how he might at-
tain more and more to have that mind
in him which was also in Christ JESUS
(Phil. ii. 5.) And so it came to pass in
a little while, that his very elders set
him before them for their model, as a
pattern of a man seeking to be perfect
in the path of the Seraphic Order.
Paschal himself held the lowly place of
a lay brother, and deemed himself "the
off-scouring of all things" (1 Cor. iv.
13.) He took most cheerfully, and dis-
charged with the greatest humility and
patience, the hardest and meanest work
of the house, as though such were his
peculiar right. His flesh would some-
times rebel against his spirit, but he
broke it under the yoke of mortification,
and brought it into subjection. Day by
day the spirit of self-denial waxed
stronger in him, and "forgetting those
things which were behind, he reached
forth unto those things which were be-
fore" (Phil. iii. 13.)
то
Sixth Lesson.
the Virgin Mother of God he had
vowed himself when he was but a
little lad, and he paid her every day the
services of a son, and trusted her as a
mother. It is hard to tell how intense
was the love which bound him to the
Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist,
a love which seemed literally stronger
than death, for when his dead body was
lying on the bier, its eyes opened and
shut twice when the Sacred Host was
lifted up, to the amazement of all that
were there. When he was among here-
tics, he suffered much and grievously at
their hands for plainly and openly tell-
ing the truth touching this Sacrament:
they often sought after him to murder
him, but by the singular Providence of
God he was delivered from those wicked
men. When he was at prayer he often
became utterly insensible, and his soul
fainted away with the love of God.
During these trances it was believed
that he received directly from heaven
that knowledge which he had, and which
enabled him, although a man altogether
rough and unlettered, to answer the
hardest questions upon the mysteries of
the faith, and even to write some books.
At last, full of good works, he joyfully
passed away to be ever with the Lord,
at the hour foretold by himself, on the
Feast of Pentecost, the 17th day of May,
in the year of salvation, 1592, on which
day also he had been born, fifty-two
years before. Illustrious for the graces
above mentioned, and for the miracles
which he worked both during his life,
1080
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
and after his death, he was named
Blessed by Pope Paul V., and Alex-
ander VIII. enrolled him among the
Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 859.)
Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter, inclusive.
MAY 18.
St. Venantius, Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for one
Martyr, (p. 792 or 817), except the fol-
lowing.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, in Whose sight this day is
holy, because Thy blessed Martyr
Venantius did become more than con-
queror thereon, graciously hear the
prayers of Thy people, and grant that
all who reverence his right worthy
loyalty to Thee, may be like him in godly
endurance. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, One God, world without end.
Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
If the following Hymn be not said,
the first four verses are prefixed to the
Hymn at Mattins.
Hymn.¹
ENANTIUS, Martyr of the Lord,
VEN
And glory of his native home,
Sings triumph, in his glad reward,
O'er judge and headsmen overcome.
A boy, yet tried in dungeon fast
By cruel stripes and fetters rude,
And lengthened hunger, he is cast
To raging lions as their food.
Yet the fierce lions injure not
The guiltless victim whom they meet,
Their hunger and their rage forgot,
They crouch to lick the martyr's feet.
Men hang him downwards from a height,
And make him breathe smoke's stifling
fumes,
While that a kindled cresset's light
His scorching sides and breast consumes.
Praise to the Father and the Son,
And, Holy Spirit, unto Thee,
And by Thy martyr's prayers be won
For us those joys that aye shall be.
Amen.
A Commemoration is made of St. Pas-
chal Baylon. Prayer from his Office.
MATTINS.
Hymn.¹
HRIST'S noble soldier scouts as fraud
Those idols by the heathen sought,
And, wounded with the love of God,
Of life imperilled recketh not.
They bind him with harsh thongs in hate,
And headlong from a cliff they send,
Till thorns his visage lacerate,
And stones his mangled body rend.
While the Saint's limbs they rack and toss,
The torturers grow faint with thirst,
Venantius signs the Holy Cross,
And from the rock forth waters burst.
And as that warrior most brave
Drink to his foes gave from the stone,
So pour, O Lord, Thy grace's wave
In dews refreshing on Thine own.
Praise to the Father and the Son,
And, Holy Spirit, unto Thee,
And by Thy martyr's prayers be won
For us those joys that aye shall be.
Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
VENANTIUS was a lad of Camerino
[in the neighbourhood of Ancona,]
who at fifteen years of age was accused
of Christianity before Antiochus, Præ-
fect of Camerino under the Emperor
Decius. Venantius therefore appeared
before Antiochus at the gate of the city,
and when the Præfect had striven with
him for a long while, by promises and
threats, he commanded him to be
scourged and thrown into irons, but an
Angel loosed his bonds. He was after-
wards scarified with lamps, and hung
head downwards in smoke. Anastasius
¹ Translation by the Rev. Dr. Littledale.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1081
the trumpeter was amazed at his hardi-
ness under suffering, and when it ap-
peared to him that the Martyr was a
second time loosed by an Angel, and
was walking in white raiment on the
smoke, he believed on Christ, and was
baptized, with all his house, by the
blessed Priest Porphyry, and a little
while after they both together earned
the palm of martyrdom.
Fifth Lesson.
NOW Venantius stood before the Præ-
fect, and when he had again vainly
tempted him to give up his faith in
Christ, he cast him into prison, and sent
unto him Attalus the crier. Attalus
told him how that he also had been a
Christian, but had denied that name,
seeing it was a foolish faith which made
Christians to throw away things present
for a groundless hope of things to come.
But Christ's brave champion, well know-
ing the wiles of our subtle enemy, drave
the devil's servant from his presence.
When he appeared again before the
Præfect, his teeth and jaws were broken,
and so mangled he was cast out upon a
dunghill. But thence also an Angel
delivered him, and he stood again be-
fore the judge. And there while Venan-
tius was yet speaking, the judge fell
from off the judgment-seat, and when
he had cried with a loud voice, "Venan-
tius his God is true, take away our
gods," he died.
WHE
Sixth Lesson.
HEN they told the President of it,
he commanded Venantius to be
straightway thrown to the lions. But
the beasts were not wild to him, and
lay down at his feet. And meanwhile
he taught the Christian faith to the
people. So they took him away from
thence and cast him once more into pri-
son.
The next day Porphyry came to
the President, and told him how that he
had seen in a vision of the night Venan-
tius sprinkling certain ones with water,
and they that were sprinkled shone with
a marvellous light, and the President
himself hidden in deep darkness. Then
the President was moved to great anger
and commanded forthwith to behead
Porphyry. As for Venantius, he bade
them drag him about in rough places,
1 A.D. 250.
full of briars and thistles, until the
evening. When it was over, he was
left half dead, but in the morning he
stood for the last time before the Presi-
dent, who commanded to cast him down
from a steep rock. It pleased God that
this should not kill him, and he was
haled again through rough places for
about a mile. There the soldiers were
athirst, and Venantius, by the sign of
the Cross, made waters to flow from a
stone in a gulley hard by. This is that
stone whereon also he left the imprint
of his knees, and which can be seen till
this day in his Church. By this wonder
many were moved to believe in Christ;
and the President commanded them all,
and Venantius with them, to be be-
headed in the same place where they
were.¹ When it was done there were
great lightnings and earthquakes, so
that the President fled, but he could not
fly from the judgment of God, and but
a few days thereafter he died a most
shameful death. Meanwhile the Chris-
tians took the bodies of Venantius and
the others, and buried them in an
honourable place, wherein they lie to
this day, under the Church at Camerino
which is dedicated to Venantius.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from John xv. 1, with the
Homily of St. Austin, (p. 797) or else
from Luke xiv. 26, with that of St.
Gregory, (p. 821,) according as this day
is kept within or without Paschal-tide.
WH
LAUDS.
Hymn.2
HILST, banishing the gloom of night,
The morning star tells day is near,
Venantius bids us think aright
Of blesséd joys in glory clear.
For he dispelled the mists of sin,
And all the Stygian dark abhorred,
And taught his countrymen to win
That light of truth which is the Lord.
He with the laver's hallowed wave
His native land hath purified,
And those the font as soldiers gave,
Rose to the stars as martyrs tried.
Now, where the Angels' bliss he shares,
That we may from all sin be freed,
Let him unite with us in prayers,
As we for grace enlightening plead.
2 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Littledale.
1082
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Praise to the Father and the Son,
And, Holy Spirit, unto Thee,
And by Thy martyr's prayers be won
For us those joys that aye shall be.
Amen.
Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter inclusive.
MAY 19.
St. Peter Celestine, Pope, and
Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst exalt Thy blessed
servant Peter Celestine even to the
honour of the chief Bishoprick, and
didst teach him to love better to be
lowly, grant unto us, we beseech Thee,
after his ensample, so lightly to esteem
all things earthly, that in the end we,
even as he hath done, may happily at-
tain unto those good things which Thou
hast promised unto the humble and
meek. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of St. Venantius, (Prayer as in
his Office,) and also of St. Pudentiana,
Virgin but not Martyr, from the Com-
mon Office for the First Vespers of Vir-
gins, (p. 873.) Prayer, Graciously
hear us, O God of our salvation, &c.,"
(p. 880.)
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
THI
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
HIS Peter, who is called Peter Ce-
lestine, because when he became
Pope he did so under the title of Ce-
lestine V., was the son of respectable
Catholic parents, and was born at
Isernia in Apulia [about the year of grace
1221.] He was hardly entered on boy-
hood, when he withdrew into a desert,
in order to keep his soul safe from the
snares of the world. In solitude he fed
his mind with heavenly meditation, and
brought his body into subjection, even
by wearing an iron chain next to his
bare flesh. He founded, under the Rule
of St. Benedict, that congregation which
was afterwards known as the Celestine.
His light, as of a candle set upon a can-
dlestick, could not be kept hidden, and
after the Church of Rome had for a long
while been widowed of a shepherd, he
was chosen without his knowledge and
in his absence, to fill the chair of Peter.
The news of his election filled himself
with as great amazement, as it did all
others with sudden joy. When how-
ever, he was seated in the exalted place
of the Papal dignity, he found that the
many cares by which he was beset made
it well-nigh impossible for him to give
himself to his accustomed meditations;
[after four months,] of his own free will
he resigned the burden and the honour
together [on the 13th day of December,
1294]; and, while he sought to return
to his old way of life, [on the 19th day of
May, 1296,] he fell asleep in the Lord.¹
How precious his death was in His
sight was gloriously manifested by a
Cross which appeared shining in the air
before the door of the cell. He was il-
lustrious for miracles both during his
life and after his death, and when these
had been duly investigated, Clement V.,
in the eleventh year after his departure
hence, enrolled his name among those
of the Saints.
Fifth and Sixth Lessons from S. Gre- .
gory the Great, "The simplicity of the
righteous,," and "The wisdom of the
righteous," (p. 865.)
1 The reader must not suppose from the above narrative that St. Peter Celestine was
allowed to end his days in peaceful retirement. The cruel persecution to which he was
subjected, and under which he sank is related, briefly, and in the way least unfavourable
to Boniface VIII., in Alban Butler, vol. v. May 19. But see also Rohrbacher, Histoire
de l'Eglise. Vol. 19.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1083
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xix. 27, with
the Homily of the Venerable Bede, (p.
814.) The last is omitted, or read as
one with the second, in order to make
room for the following.
Ninth Lesson. (For the Holy Maiden
Pudentiana.)
THE maiden Pudentiana was the or-
phan daughter of Pudens the Ro-
man Senator. She was a Christian of
eminent godliness. She with her sister
Praxedes distributed to the poor the
money which they obtained by the sale
of their inheritance. She gave her-
self continually to fasting and prayer.
By her care the whole of the household,
being ninety-six persons, were baptized
by Pope Pius I. Whereas the Emperor
Antonine had forbidden the Christians
to offer sacrifice in public, Pope Pius
used to meet with them in Pudentiana's
house, to celebrate the holy rites. She
was a gracious hostess to them, and
ministered to them in such things as are
needful for the body. She thus busied
herself in works of Christian godliness
until she passed from this present life
to a better. She was buried in her fa-
ther's sepulchre in the cemetery of Pris-
cilla on the Salarian Way upon the 19th
day of May.¹
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of St. Pudentiana.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. He was the chief Bishop, &c.
A Commemoration is made of the fol-
lowing. Prayer from Lauds.
MAY 20.
St. Bernardine of Sienna,
Confessor.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for a Con-
fessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except the
following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN,
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
HIS Bernardine was born of the noble
As
THI
family of the Albizeschi, in the Re-
public of Sienna, [on the 8th of Septem-
ber, in the year 1380.] His saintliness
began to manifest itself from his earliest
years. He was well brought up by a
godly father and mother, and even when
he was being taught the first rudiments
of worldly learning, he used to give up
his play-time to occupy himself with
devout works, being much drawn to
fasting, prayer, and the devotion to the
most Blessed Virgin. He abounded like-
wise in tenderness for the poor.
time went on, that he might the more
entirely do these things, it was his will
to enrol himself among those who work
in the Hospital of Blessed Mary, called
"of the Ladder," at Sienna. There,
during the raging of an horrible dis-
temper, he laboured with marvellous
charity and great bodily suffering, in
serving the sick. In bodily presence he
was a very goodly person, but, with all
his other virtues, he kept ever so holy a
guard over his purity, that it soon came
to pass that no one, however shameless,
dared to say an unseemly word in his
presence.
Fifth Lesson.
HE suffered a severe sickness, and,
when, after bearing it with the
utmost patience, he recovered his health,
he began to think of embracing some
institute of the religious life. To make
his way sure, he built a little hut in the
outskirts of the city, where he hid him-
self and led a life of hardships of all
kinds, continuing instant in prayer to
God that He would be pleased to make
clear to him what path he should fol-
low. And so it came to pass by God's
will that he chose the order of Blessed
Francis. In that order he shone a
bright instance of lowliness, long-suf-
fering, and every other grace of a reli-
gious man. When the superior of his
1 About A.D. 160.
1084
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
convent saw this, and had already con-
sidered what his teaching and know-
ledge of sacred learning were, he laid
on Bernardine the duty of preaching.
This the Saint humbly accepted, and
finding that his usefulness was much
impaired by his having a shrill, harsh
voice, he betook him to implore the help
of God, Who was pleased, not without a
miracle, to free him from this drawback.
THOSE
Sixth Lesson.
OSE were times fruitful in vices
and crimes; and the bloody civil
wars which raged in Italy confounded
all things Divine and human. Ber-
nardine went through the cities and
towns, and, in the Name of JESUS, that
Name which he ever bore upon his lips
and in his heart, he prevailed in great
measure by his word and example, in
setting up falling godliness and mo-
rality. Illustrious cities demanded him
from the Pope as their Bishop, but this
was an honour which his unconquerable
humility caused him always steadily to
refuse. At last the man of God, after
untold labours, the working of many
and great miracles, and the writing of
godly and learned books, in the 67th
year of his age, at Aquila in the Ab-
ruzzi, rested in a blessed death, [upon
the 20th day of May, 1444.] As the
fame of new signs and wonders in-
creased day by day, Pope Nicolas V. in
the sixth year after his death, added his
name to the roll of the Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xix. 27, with the
Homily of St. Jerome, (p. 809.)
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Which didst give unto Thy
blessed Confessor Bernardine the
grace to love Thy Holy Name exceeding
well, be entreated, we beseech Thee, for
his sake and by his prayers, and mer-
cifully pour into our hearts also the
Spirit of Thy love. Who livest and
reignest with God the Father, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
1 "Papæ," but Dom Gueranger has shown
here meant cannot have been the Pope Urban.
MAY 25.
St. Gregory VH., Pope and
Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, the might of all them which
put their trust in Thee, Who to
keep Thy Church free, didst make Thy
blessed Confessor and Bishop Gregory
strong to wrestle and to suffer, grant
unto us, following his example, and
holpen by his prayers, that with us as
with him, if they fight against us, they
shall not prevail against us. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
A Commemoration is made of the
First Vespers of St. Urban, Bishop¹
and Martyr. Antiphon, and Verse and
Answer from the Common Office for one
Martyr.
Prayer.
ALMIGHTY God, of Whose blessed
Martyr and Bishop Urban we do
make solemn memorial, grant, we be-
seech Thee, that we may be holpen of
his prayers in Thy Presence. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
HIL
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ILDEBRAND, who reigned as Pope
under the name of Gregory VII.,
was born at Saona in Tuscany. By his
teaching, by his holiness, and by his
graces of all kinds, he was a noble light
in his "Vie de Ste. Cécile" that the Bishop
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1085
""
of the Church, whose brightness hath
shone throughout all lands. There is a
story to the effect that when he was a
little child without any schooling, he
was playing at the feet of a carpenter
who was planing wood, and that God
guided his hand to arrange the shavings
which fell into the form of letters, mak-
ing the inspired words of David, "He
shall have dominion from sea to sea,
(Ps. lxxi. 8,) a fore-shadowing, as it
were, of that wide lordship over the
earth which was afterwards his. He
was taken to Rome, and brought up
under the shelter of St. Peter. As a
young man be bitterly sorrowed over
the oppression of the freedom of the
Church by the laity, and over the cor-
ruption of the clergy themselves. He
took the habit of a monk in the Abbey
of Clugny, which was then in all the
glory of the severest observance of the
Rule of St. Benedict. There he served
God's majesty with such warmth of ear-
nestness that the saintly fathers of the
convent chose him to be their Prior.
But the Providence of God had greater
things in store for him, whereby to make
all. Reigning as Gregory VII., "he was
as the sun shining upon the Temple of
the Most High." (Ecclus. 1. 7.) Mighty
both in word and deed, he toiled for the
restoration of Ecclesiastical discipline,
for the spread of the Faith, for the de-
fence of the freedom of the Church, for
the suppression of error and corruption,
so that since the time of the Apostles
there is said never to have been a Pope
who bore more labour and trouble for the
sake of God's Church, or contended more
manfully for her liberties. He purged
divers provinces of the pollution of si-
mony. Like a brave soldier he with-
stood without dread the unrighteous
contendings of the Emperor Henry IV.,
against whom he shrank not from set-
ting himself as a wall of defence for the
house of Israël. And when the said
Henry fell into the depths of sin he cut
him off from the communion of the
faithful, and from his kingdom, and
loosed the nations that were subject to
him from their sworn allegiance.
him a source of health to many, and he WH
was brought away from Clugny. He
was first elected Abbat of the monastery
of St. Paul-without-the-walls at Rome,
and afterwards created a Cardinal of the
Roman Church. Under the Popes Leo
IX., Victor II., Stephen IX., Nicolas
II., and Alexander II., he discharged
great offices of trust, and the duties of
a Legate, and Blessed Peter Damian,
speaking of him at this time, calleth
him a man of most holy and honest
thoughts. When Pope Victor II. sent
him as his Legate into France, he, by a
miracle, forced the Bishop of Lyons,
who was befouled by the pollution of
simony, to acknowledge his sin; in the
Council of Tours he wrung from Be-
renger¹ a second abjuration of his he-
resy; and he prevailed against the
schism of Cadolaus,2 and strangled it.
Fifth Lesson.
AFTER the death of Alexander II.,
Hildebrand, against his own will
and to his own grief, was, on the 22nd
day of April, in the year of Christ 1073,
chosen Pope by one common consent of
Sixth Lesson.
WHILE He was celebrating solemn
Mass, godly men saw a dove de-
scend from heaven, perch upon his right
shoulder, and spread out its wings so as
to veil his head, a testimony that it was
not by reasonings of man's wisdom, but
by the teachings of the Holy Ghost, that
he was guided in his rule over the
Church. When the armies of the in-
famous Henry encompassed Rome, and
hedged her in on every side, a great fire
which the enemy had raised became ex-
tinct, when Gregory made the sign of
the Cross towards it. The Norman Duke,
Robert Guiscard, at length delivered
Gregory from the hand of Henry, and
he departed from Rome, first to the
Abbey of Monte Cassino, and thence
onward to Salerno, to dedicate the
Church of St. Matthew the Apostle at
that place. While he was preaching to
the people there, on a certain day he
was smitten with grievous pains, and
fell into a sickness whereof he foresaw
that he should never be healed. As he
lay on his death-bed, Gregory's last
words were: "I have loved righteous-
ness and hated iniquity, and therefore I
am dying in exile." He was a man
1 Archdeacon of Angers; the first heretic who denied the Real Presence.
2 Bishop of Parma; he got himself set up as an Anti-pope, by the title of "Honorius II.”
1086
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
really holy, a visitor of sin, and a most
leal soldier of the Church. It is past
reckoning how many sufferings he man-
fully bore, and how much he wisely or-
dained in many Councils, which he
gathered together in Rome. He had
been Pope twelve years, when, [on the
25th day of May,] in the year of salva-
tion 1085, he went hence to be ever with
the Lord. Both during his life and after
his death he was marked by signs and
wonders not a few. His holy body was
honourably buried in the Cathedral
Church of Salerno.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxiv. 42, with
the Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 852.)
The last part is omitted or read as one
with the second in order to make room
for the following.
Ninth Lesson. (For St. Urban, Bishop
and Martyr.)
THIS Urban was a Roman, who, in
the reign of the Emperor Alex-
ander Severus, by his teaching and holy
life, brought many to believe in Christ.
Among others was Valerian, the husband
of the blessed Cecily, and Tiburtius the
brother of Valerian, both of whom
afterwards bravely underwent martyr-
dom. It was Urban¹ who wrote the fol-
lowing words concerning the property of
the Church. "Those things which His
faithful ones make offering of unto the
Lord, must never be turned to any other
use than those of the Church, or of
our Christian brethren, or of the poor.
They are the free-will offerings of faith-
ful believers, the trespass offerings of
sinners, and the inheritance of the
poor." He sat in the chair of Peter
six years, seven months, and four
days, and being crowned with martyr-
dom, was buried in the cemetery of
Prætextatus, on the 25th day of May.
He held five ordinations in December,
wherein he ordained nine Priests, five
Deacons, and eight Bishops for divers
places.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of St. Urban. Prayer as yesterday
evening.
Vespers are of the following, from the
Chapter inclusive.
MAY 26.
St. Philip Neri, Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
the following.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who hast exalted Thy blessed
Confessor Philip and made him
glorious with the glory wherewith Thou
glorifiest Thine holy ones, mercifully
grant that his solemn memorial may not
only gladden us, but also, by Thy grace,
stir us up to follow after his good en-
sample. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
These, as far as St. Philip is con-
cerned, begin with the Chapter.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Gregory VII. Antiphon, "He was the
chief Bishop, &c." Prayer from his
Office.
Also of (First Vespers of) St. Eleu-
therius, Pope and Martyr. Prayer,
"Mercifully consider our weakness, &c."
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
PHILIP Neri² was born of godly and
respectable parents at Florence, [on
the 23rd day of July, in the year of grace
1515.] From his earliest childhood he
gave signs of the holiness of life which he
afterwards attained. As a young man
he gave up the rich inheritance which
would have come to him from his uncle,
1 That is, Pope Urban. The two have got confused together. Urban I. sat A.D. 223
2 This is the same as the common British name "Black."
-230.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1087
and went to Rome, where, in the study
of philosophy and theology, he gave
himself altogether to Christ. His self-
control was such that he sometimes
fasted from all food for three days at a
time. He was instant in watching and
prayer, and during the frequent pil-
grimages which he made to the seven
churches of Rome, it was his custom to
remain all night in prayer to God in
the Catacomb of Kallistus. [On the
23rd of May, 1551,] he became a Priest
in obedience to the advice of his Con-
fessor, and afterwards made the sal-
vation of souls the one object of his
existence; he heard confessions with
un wearied tenderness until his dying
day, and became the spiritual father in
Christ of many sons, whom it was his
beloved work to feed day by day upon
the Word of God, upon the often re-
ceiving of the Sacraments, upon instant
prayer, and upon other godly works: to
the which end he founded the Congre-
gation of the Oratory.
HE
Fifth Lesson.
E was full of the love of God, and
his heart was so hot therewith,
that it became straitened in its place,
and the Lord was pleased to ease him
by [the gristle which joined] the fourth
and fifth ribs [on his left side] breaking,
and so allowing more play to the in-
ternal organs. Sometimes, when he was
saying Mass, or more intent than usual
in prayer, he was seen to be raised off
the ground, and become, in a strange
manner, all shining. He was ever ready
to succour the poor and needy with
kindly services, in which works God
was pleased to make him meet once to
give alms to an Angel, and, again, when
once by night he was carrying bread to
the hungry, and was fallen into a pit,
an Angel drew him out unhurt. He
longed to be lowly, and always shrank
from honours, and from dignities in the
Church, whereof several of the highest
were divers times offered to him, but he
always firmly refused them.
Sixth Lesson.
HE was illustrious tarted and very
E was illustrious for the gift of pro-
a
He
wonderful power of reading the thoughts
of men's souls. He ever kept his own
virginity undefiled, and could distin-
guish those that were pure-minded by a
sort of sweet savour, and, the unclean,
on the contrary, by a kind of stench.
He sometimes appeared in double to
persons at a distance, and brought them
help when they were in peril. He healed
many that were sick and dying. He
also raised one dead man to life.
was honoured by seeing several times
heavenly spirits, and likewise the Vir-
gin Mother of God herself. He saw the
souls of divers persons, radiant with
glory, ascend to heaven. In the year of
salvation 1595 the Feast of the Body of
Christ fell upon the 25th day of May.
Philip, on that day, said Mass with ex-
traordinary gladness of spirit, and per-
formed the other religious works of the
day, and after the hour of midnight, at
the time he had himself foretold, he
fell asleep in the Lord, in the eighty-
second year of his life. Gregory XV.,
finding that God had glorified him by
many miracles, enrolled his name among
those of the saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
The
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 859.)
last part is omitted, or read as one with
the second, in order to make room for
the following.
Ninth Lesson. (For St. Eleutherius,
Pope and Martyr.)
ELEUTHERIUS, who ruled the
Church in the time of the Emperor
Commodus, was born at Nicopolis in
Greece, and had been Deacon to Pope
Anicetus. At the beginning of his reign
letters of request were brought him from
Lleurwg,¹ a British king, praying him to
receive him and his people as Christians.
Wherefore Eleutherius sent to Britain
those learned and godly men Dyfan and
Ffagan, who received the king and the
others into the faith. During the time
of Eleutherius, Irenæus, the disciple of
Polycarp, came to Rome, and was hos-
pitably received by the Bishop. His
was a time when the Church of God
1 The name is Latinized Lucius. He was prince or king of Morganwg, a dominion
exactly co-extensive with the diocese of Llandaff. Dyfan and Ffagan are called in Latin
Damianus and Fugatius.
4 C
1088
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS,
enjoyed the utmost peace and quietness,
and the faith was spread abroad through-
out the whole world, and most chiefly in
Rome. Eleutherius lived as Pope fifteen
years and twenty-three days. He held
three ordinations in the month of De-
cember, wherein he ordained twelve
Priests, eight Deacons, and fifteen
Bishops for divers Sees. He [died in
the year of our Lord 192, and] was buried
upon the Vatican Mount, hard by the
body of St. Peter.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of St. Eleutherius.
In Second Vespers a Commemoration
is made of the following. Prayer from
her Office. Also of St. John, Pope and
Martyr. Prayer, “O God, Who year
by year, &c."
MAY 27.
St. Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi,
Virgin.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for a
Virgin not a Martyr, (p. 873,) except
the following.
0
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who lovest virginity, and
Who didst make Thy blessed Virgin
Mary Magdalen a-fire with the love of
Thyself, and rich with Thy heavenly
gifts, grant unto us, who honour her
memory by a yearly Feast, the grace to
copy the ensample of her purity and of
her tenderness. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Mary Magdalen¹ was born of the
noble Florentine family of the Pazzi,
[on the 2nd day of April, in the year of
Christ 1566.] She was hardly out of her
cradle when she set her feet in the path of
perfection. At ten years of age she made
a vow of perpetual virginity, and [at fif-
teen] took the habit of the order of Mount
Carmel, in the convent of Saint Mary
of the Angels. In that sisterhood she
was in all ways a pattern to all. She
was pure to that degree, that she did not
even know of the existence of anything
which can hurt modesty. For the space
of five years, by the command of God,
she lived upon nothing but bread and
water, the Lord's Day only excepted, in
which she used the food which is taken
in Lent. She chastised her body with
hair-cloth, scourging, cold, hunger,
watching, nakedness, and all manner
of hardships.
Fifth Lesson.
HE love of God was so hot within
THE
her, that she was sometimes fain to
bathe her breast with cold water to
allay the agitation. She was oftentimes
rapt in the spirit, and that most mar-
vellously, for whole days at a time,
during which trances she saw things
hidden and heavenly, and was enlight-
ened of God with great gifts. But after
all these things she had a stern tussling
with the prince of the darkness of this
world, while God allowed her spirit to
remain dry, deserted, abandoned by all,
and tormented with divers temptations.
And all that while she remained an en-
sample of unconquered patience and the
deepest lowly-mindedness.

SHE
Sixth Lesson.
HE was very remarkable for her ten-
der love toward her neighbours.
Sometimes she went whole nights with-
out sleep, while she was working for the
service of the sisters, or waiting upon
the sick. She sometimes healed sores
even by licking them. That there should
be unbelievers and sinners perishing
caused her bitter weeping, and she
offered herself to God to suffer for their
conversion whatsoever He chose. For
many years, therefore, before her death,
her mighty charity towards others, made
her freely to give up that heavenly joy
of spirit, wherewith she had once so
overflowed. She had often in her mouth
the words: "To suffer, not to die." At
length, in the forty-second year of her
This is her name in religion; her baptismal name was Katharine.
FEAST-DAYS IN MAY.
1089
age, on the 25th day of May, in the
year 1607, after a long and grievous
sickness, the Bridegroom came, and she
entered with Him into the marriage-
chamber. Clement IX., finding that
God had glorified her by many miracles,
both during her life and after her death,
enrolled her name among those of the
Holy Virgins. Her body, up to the pre-
sent day, has never shown the least sign
of corruption.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 878.) The
last part is either omitted, or read as
one with the second, in order to make
room for the following.
Ninth Lesson. (For St. John I., Pope
and `Martyr.)¹
POPE John 1. was a Tuscan, who
ruled the Church during the reign
of the Emperor Justinian. He went to
Constantinople to get help from Jus-
tinian in the troubles which the heretic
King Theodoric was then causing in
Italy. It pleased the Lord to mark this
journey with wonders. A certain no-
bleman at Corinth lent to the Pope for
his journey a very quiet horse on which
his own wife was used to ride. But
when the horse was returned to his
owner he was found become so vicious,
that by his restiveness and plunging he
was always throwing off his mistress, as
though he were not content to carry the
lady after having carried the Vicar of
JESUS Christ. When the nobleman and
his wife found the beast to be thus
worthless, they gave him for a present
to the Pope. But a thing much more
marvellous was that when the Pope,
accompanied by the Emperor, and under
the gaze of an immense multitude of
people, who had come forth with Jus-
tinian to do him honour, was at the
entering in of the Golden Gate of Con-
stantinople, he gave sight to a blind
man. Even the Emperor fell at his
feet to show him respect. When he had
arranged bis business with Justinian he
returned into Italy, and forthwith sent
out a letter to all the Bishops of Italy,
bidding them hallow for Catholic wor-
ship the churches of the Arians, and
adding these words: "We Ourselves
when We were at Constantinople on
some matters pertaining to the Catholic
Religion and others pertaining to the
King Theodoric, hallowed as Catholic
all their Churches which We were able
to find in those parts." Theodoric took
this rule very ill, and, having enticed
John by fraud to come to Ravenna, he
cast him into prison, wherein, in a few
days, he died of filth and hunger. He
had sat in the chair of Peter two years,
nine months, and fourteen days, within
which time he had ordained fifteen Bi-
shops. A little while afterward Theo-
doric also died. St. Gregory writeth that
a certain hermit saw him between Pope
John and Symmachus the Patrician,
whom he had likewise slain, going down
into the fiery crater of Lipari, as though
they who had been his victims were be-
come the judges of his punishment.
The body of John was carried from Ra-
venna to Rome, and there buried in the
Church of St. Peter.
MAY 30.
St. Felir E., Pope and Martyr.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for a
Simple Feast of one Martyr, (p. 803 or
828,) except the following Lesson. Prayer
throughout the Office, "Mercifully con-
sider, &c.," (p. 823.)
Third Lesson.
POPE Felix I. was a Roman who
ruled the Church in the days of
the Emperor Aurelian. His father's
name was Constantius. His is the ordi-
nance which commands that Mass should
be celebrated on the monuments and
graves of martyrs. He held two De-
cember ordinations, wherein he ordained
nine Priests, five Deacons, and five Bi-
shops for divers places. Having finished
his testimony he was buried upon the
Aurelian Way, in the Church which he
had himself built and dedicated. He
lived as Pope two years, four months,
and twenty-nine days.2
1 There may be some doubt whether the present form of the legend of St. John I. will
survive the next revision of the Breviary; however, these marvels are taken from St.
Gregory's Dialogues. St. John reigned A.D. 523–526.
2 Reigned A.D. 269–274.
4 c 2
1090
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
MAY 31.
St. Angela Merici, Virgin.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a Vir-
gin not a Martyr, (p. 873,) except the
following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Whose will it hath been to use
blessed Angela as a mean whereby
to make a new fellowship of virgins to
grow and flourish in Thy Church, grant
unto us, at her prayers, so angelically
to live, that we may freely lay aside all
earthly things, and worthily enter upon
the enjoyment of those things which
are eternal. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, One God, world without end.
Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is_made
is made of St. Petronilla, Virgin not
Martyr,¹
Prayer. Graciously hear us, &c., (p.
880.)
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ANGELA Merici was born of godly
parents at Decenzano on the west-
ern shore of the Lake of Garda, in the
diocese of Verona and territory of Venice,
[on the 21st day of March, about the
year of grace 1474.] From her earliest
years she carefully guarded the lily of
her virginity, with the intention of
keeping it for ever unbroken. She had
no taste for women's finery, and pur-
posely marred the exceeding comeliness
of her body and her sightly hair, as
seeking to appear beautiful only in the
eyes of Him Who is the Lover of souls.
At ten years of age she lost both her
father and mother, and thereafter, being
fain to take upon her a life of greater
hardness, she essayed to retire into a
desert place apart, but this her uncle
forbade her to do, and she learnt how to
practise at home what she was not al-
lowed to attempt in the wilderness.
She often used hair-cloth and scourg-
ing; never ate flesh-meat, except when
she was sick; drank wine only on the
Feast-days of Christmas and Easter;
and many a day took nothing at all.
She was instant in prayer. What little
sleep she took, she took lying on the
ground. The devil strove to beguile
her, appearing under the form of an
angel of light, but she quickly detected
him and put him to flight. At length
she added to the glory of virginity that
poverty which is commended in the
Gospel; she gave up all that she had,
and adopted the dress and rule of the
Third Order of St. Francis.
Fifth Lesson.
HE left undone no service of kind-
SHE
ness which she was able to do to
her neighbours. If there remained any-
thing over of the food which was given
in alms to herself, she gave that to the
poor. She cheerfully waited upon the
sick. She journeyed about, with a great
reputation for holiness, comforting the
afflicted, asking forgiveness for the
guilty, reconciling the angry, and re-
calling the wicked from evil. Her only
hunger was for the bread of Angels, and
she took the Same right often, and then
arose in her a vehemence of love bear-
ing her towards God, which oftentimes
made her beside herself. She made a
pilgrimage, with intense feeling, to the
Holy Places in Palestine, during which
journey she lost her sight at Canea in
Crete on her way out, and recovered it
at the same place on her way home.
In this journey also, God saved her from
being made prisoner by the unbelievers
and from shipwreck. She went to Rome
[in 1525,] at once to pray at the im-
moveable Rock of the Church, and to
gain the abundant pardons of the Ju-
bilee. Pope Clement VII. conversed
1 The Martyrology is not so reticent as the Breviary regarding this Saint. It is there
stated that she was the daughter of St. Peter, and while living at Rome, received an offer
of marriage. She felt disinclined to accept it, and asked for three days for consideration.
During this time she made the matter the subject of earnest prayer, and on the third day
she died. But Dom Guéranger, in his "Vie de Ste. Cécile" shows strong arguments
against this account.
FEAST-DAYS IN JUNE.
1091
with her, was edified by her holiness,
and highly commended her; neither
would he let her leave Rome, until he
knew that God was calling her else-
where.
Sixth Lesson.
SHE went back to Brescia, and there
hired an house near the Church of
St. Afra, in which house, in obedience
to a vision and command from heaven,
she founded a new Order of religious
women, constituted under certain rules
and holy regulations of life. This Order
she put under the name and patronage
of St. Ursula, the fearless leader of
maidens. When Angela was near to
death, she foretold that this Order will
never cease. She was well-nigh three
score and ten years of age, and full of
good works, when, in the [night between
the] 27th [and the 28th days] of Janu-
ary, in the year 1540, she winged her
flight heavenward. Her dead body lay
unburied thirty days, supple and life-
like. It was laid at last in the Church
of St. Afra, where sleep so many more
of God's holy children. Divers miracles
forthwith began to be worked at her
grave. The fame of these being noised
about, she began to be commonly called
Blessed, and that not only at Brescia
and Decenzano; and pictures of her
were put over Altars. Not many years
afterward, holy Charles Borromeo said
openly at Brescia, that she was one
whose name the Apostolic See might
well enroll among those of holy virgins.
The reverence which had of a long
time been shown to her memory was
approved by the local Ordinaries, con-
firmed by divers Papal Indults, and
solemnly ratified and established by de-
cree of Pope Clement XIII. As she con-
tinued famous for new and proved mira-
cles, Pope Pius VII., at the solemn
canonization held in the Vatican Basi-
lica, upon the 24th day of May, in the
year 1807, added her name to the list of
holy maids.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 878.) At
Lauds a Commemoration is made of St.
Petronilla. Prayer as before.
FEAST DAYS IN JUNE.
On the first day on which Nine Les-
sons are not read is recited the Office
of the Dead.
JUNE 2.
The Holy Martyrs Marcellinus,
Peter, and Elmo.¹
Simple.
All from the Common Office for a
Simple Feast of Many Martyrs, (p.
803 or 841,) except the following. Prayer
throughout, "O God, Who year by
"0
year, &c."
THIS
Second Lesson.
Peter was an exorcist, whom, in
the reign of the Emperor Diocletian,
Serenus the Judge cast into prison at
Rome because he confessed the Christian
faith. He there set free Paulina, the
daughter of Artemius, the keeper of the
prison, from an evil spirit which tor-
mented her. Upon this, Artemius and
his wife and all their house, with their
neighbours who had run together to see
the strange thing, would fain be made
friends with JESUS Christ. Peter there-
fore brought them to Marcellinus, the
Priest, who baptized them all. When
Serenus heard of it, he called Peter and
Marcellinus before him, and sharply re-
buked them, adding to his bitter words
threats and terrors, unless they would
deny Christ. Marcellinus answered him
with Christian boldness, whereupon he
caused him to be buffeted, separated him
from Peter and shut him up naked in
a prison strewn with broken glass, with-
out either food or light. Peter also he
straitly confined. But when both of
them were found to wax faithfuller and
braver in their bonds, they were be-
headed, unshaken in their testimony,
and confessing JESUS Christ gloriously
by their blood.
1 Well known as a Patron invoked by Neapolitan sailors. The Latin name is Erasmus,
of which Elmo is a contraction.
1092
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Third Lesson.
LMO was a Bishop in Campania who,
[in the year 303,] in the reign of the
Emperors Diocletian and Maximian was
beaten with clubs and whips loaded with
lead, and afterwards anointed with melted
pitch, sulphur, and lead, and boiling re-
sin, wax, and oil. From all this he came
forth whole and sound; which wonder
turned many to believe in Christ. He
was remanded again to prison, and
straitly bound in heavy iron fetters.
But from these he was wondrously de-
livered by an angel. At last, at Formi,
Maximian caused him to be subjected
to divers torments, and in the end being
clad in a coat of red-hot brass the power
of God made him to be more than con-
queror in this thing also, and to grasp
the palm-branch of a glorious testimony,
whereby he strengthened many in the
faith and turned many to it.
JUNE 4.
St. Francis Caracciolo, Con-
fessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop (p. 855,) except
the following.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst raise up Thy blessed
servant Francis to found a new
Order in Thy Church, and didst ennoble
him through earnestness in prayer and
love of penance, grant unto us after his
ensample so to pray without ceasing
and to bring our bodies into subjection,
that in the end we, like him, may wor-
thily attain unto Thy heavenly glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, One
God, world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Francis, whose worldly name
was Ascanius, was one of the noble
family of Caracciolo. He was born in the
town of Santa Maria della Villa, in the
Abruzzi, [on the 13th day of October, in
the year of grace 1563.] From his earliest
years he showed great marks of godliness.
When he was a young man he had a
severe illness, and on his recovery de-
termined to serve God only, and bade
farewell to the world. He betook him-
self to Naples, where he was ordained
Priest, enrolled himself in a devout
guild, and gave himself up altogether
to seek after God, and to gain souls for
Him, in which work he showed himself
an unwearied comforter to such pri-
soners as were condemned to death." It
came to pass that those two great ser-
vants of God, John Austin Adorno and
Fabricius Caracciolo, wrote a letter to a
certain person, wherein they exhorted
him to found a new religious Institute.
This letter came by a mistake to be de-
livered to Francis Caracciolo. The new-
ness of the idea and the strange ways of
God's Providence took possession of his
mind, and he joyfully added himself to
their company. They withdrew them-
selves to the wilderness of the Camal-
dolese hermits [near Naples,] and there
concerted the Rule of the New Order.
Thence they went together to Rome,
and obtained the confirmation of their
work from Sixtus V., who was pleased
that they should be called The Lesser
Clerks Regular, since they add to the
three accustomed vows [of Poverty,
Chastity, and Obedience] a fourth, bind-
ing themselves not to seek preferment
in the Church.
Fifth Lesson.
A special love and devotion he had
ASCANIUS Caracciolo, moved by a
to the holy Francis of Assisi, took, when
he made his solemn profession, the name
of Francis. After two years, John
Adorno departed this life, and Francis,
against his own will, was made Head
of the Order. In this office he shone a
burning light of grace. Devoted to the
prosperity of the Institute, he earnestly
sought the blessing of God upon it, by
constant prayer, by tears, and by stern
FEAST-DAYS IN JUNE.
1093
treatment of his own body. In this
work, he thrice travelled into Spain in
the guise of a pilgrim, and begging
his bread from door to door. In these
his journeys he suffered very great hard-
ships, and was most wonderfully holpen
of the Almighty, especially one while
when he was on ship-board and the
ship nigh to perish, but for the work of
his prayers. He toiled hard in those
countries to attain his wishes, but
through the wide-spread fame of his
holy life, and the noble generosity of
the Most Catholic Kings Philip II. and
Philip III., he overcame with his brave
perseverance the opposition of all that
withstood him, and founded several
houses of his Order. This he was able
to do in Italy also.
HE
Sixth Lesson.
was a great pattern of lowliness,
so that when he came to Rome he
betook himself to an almshouse, and
chose a leper for his familiar friend.
Paul V. offered him divers honours in
the Church, but he firmly refused them
all. He preserved his purity unspotted,
and when certain shameless women set
themselves to attack his chastity, he
took the occasion to gain over their
souls for Christ. Toward God's great
mystery of the Eucharist he was drawn
with passionate tenderness, and would
pass almost whole nights without sleep,
simply adoring It. This godly custom
he established in his Order, to be kept
up therein for ever, the peculiar mark
thereof. He was a great encourager of
the worship of the Maiden Mother of
God. He was hot with strong love for
his neighbour. He was gifted with
prophecy, and the discerning of spirits.
In the forty-fourth year of his age he
was continuing long in prayer in the
Holy House of Loreto, when it was
made known to him that the end of his
earthly life was at hand. He straight-
way took his way to the Abruzzi, and
was there seized with illness while he
was with the disciples of St. Philip
Neri, in the town of Agnone. He re-
ceived with great devotion. the Sacra-
ments of the Church, and then, upon
the 4th day of June, being the Eve of
the Feast of the Body of Christ, in the
year 1608, he very peacefully fell asleep
in the Lord. His sacred body was car-
ried to Naples, and there honourably
buried in the Church of St. Mary the
Greater, where he had laid the first
foundations of his Order. As he became
distinguished for miracles Pope Clement
XIV. enrolled his name, with solemn
pomp, among those of the Blessed, and
Pope Pius VII., in the year 1807, find-
ing his mighty works continue, added
it to the list of the Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 859.)
Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter inclusive.
JUNE 5.
St. Boniface, Archbishop [of
Maintz,] Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for one
Martyr, (p. 792 or 817,) except the fol-
lowing.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who wast pleased to make
the zeal of Thy blessed Martyr
and Bishop Boniface the mean whereby
Thou didst cause many peoples to know
Thy Name, mercifully grant unto us
who solemnly keep holiday for his me-
mory, to be feelingly holpen by the
succour of his protection. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
First Vespers, as regards St. Boni-
face, begin with the Chapter.
Commemoration is made of St.
Francis Caracciolo. Prayer from his
Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN,
Fourth Lesson.
WINFRID, afterwards called Boni-
face, was an Englishman, and
سم
J
''
1094
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
born in England, towards the end of the
seventh century. From his very child-
hood, he turned away from the world,
and set his heart upon becoming a
monk. His father tried in vain to
turn him from his wishes by the be-
guilements of the world, and he entered
a Monastery, where the Blessed Wolph-
ard instructed him in all godliness and
divers kinds of learning. At the age
of twenty-nine years he was ordained
Priest, and became an unwearied preach-
er of the Word of God, wherein he had
a gift which he used with great gain of
souls. Nevertheless, his great desire
was to spread the kingdom of Christ,
and he continually bewailed the vast
number of savages who were plunged
in the darkness of ignorance and were
the servants of the devil. This zealous
love of souls increased in him in inten-
sity day by day, till nothing would serve
him, but, having implored the blessing
of God by tears and prayers, and ob-
tained authority from the head of his
monastery, to set forth for the coast of
Germany.
Fifth Lesson.
HE set sail from England with two
companions [in the year 716] and
reached the town of Dorestadt in Frise-
land. A great war being then raging
between Radbod, King of the Frise-
landers and Charles Martel, Winfrid
preached the Gospel in vain. He went
back to England, and betook himself
again to his Monastery, whereof he
was, against his own will, chosen to
be the head. After two years he ob-
tained the consent of the Bishop of Win-
chester to resign his office, and [in 719]
went to Rome, to seek an Apostolic
commission to preach to the heathen.
When he arrived at the city he was
courteously welcomed by Gregory II.,
who changed his name from Winfrid to
Boniface. He departed thence to Ger-
many, and preached Christ to the tribes
in Thuringia and Saxony. Radbod,
King of Friseland, who bitterly hated
the Christian name, being dead, Boni-
face went a second time among the
Friselanders, and there, with his com-
rade St. Willibrord, preached the Gos-
pel for three years with so much fruit,
that the idols were hewn down, and
countless churches arose to the true
God.
Sixth Lesson.
ST. Willibrord urged upon him to
take the office of a Bishop, but he
deferred to seek it, that he might the
more instantly toil for the salvation of
the unbelievers. Advancing into Ger-
many he reclaimed thousands of the
Hessians from devil-worship. Pope
Gregory sent for him to Rome, [whither
he came in 723,] and after hearing a
noble profession of his faith, consecrated
him a Bishop. He again returned to
Germany, and thoroughly purged Hesse
and Thuringia from all remains of idola-
try. On account of such great works
Gregory III. advanced Boniface to the
dignity of an Archbishop, and on the
occasion of a third journey to Rome [in
738] he was invested by the Sovereign
Pontiff with the powers of Legate of the
Apostolic See. As such, he founded
[the] four Bishopricks [of Erfurt, Pader-
born, Wurtzburg, and Achstat] and held
divers Synods, among which is espe-
cially to be remembered that of Les-
sines, held in Belgium, in the diocese of
Cambrai, wherein he made his strongest
endeavours to spread the Faith among
the Belgians. By Pope Zacharias, he
was named Archbishop of Maintz, and
by command of the same Pope, he
anointed Pepin to be King of the Franks.
After the death of St. Willibrord, he
undertook the government of the Church
of Utrecht, at first through Eoban; but
he afterwards was released from the
care of the Church of Maintz and esta-
blished his see at Utrecht. The Frise-
landers having again fallen back into
idolatry, he once more betook himself
to preach the Gospel among them, and
while he was busied in this duty, he
grasped the crown of martyrdom, being
murdered by some ungodly savages,
along with his fellow-Bishop Eoban,
and many others, in a bloody massacre
near the River Born, [on the 5th day of
June, in the year of our Lord 755, and
of his own age the 75th.] In accordance
with the wish expressed by himself dur-
ing life the body of St. Boniface was
carried to Maintz, and buried in the
monastery of Fulda, of which he had
been the founder, and where God has
gloriously honoured it by the working
of many signs and wonders. Pope Pius
IX. ordered the Office and Mass in his
memory to be used throughout the whole
Church.
FEAST-DAYS IN JUNE.
1095
•
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (v. 1.)
AT
T that time: JESUS, seeing the mul-
titudes, went up into a mountain,
and, when He was set, His disciples
came unto Him. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Bk. i. on the Lord's Ser-
mon.)
"Blessed are the pure in heart, for
they shall see God." What fools then
be they that seek God with their out-
ward eyes, since it is in the heart that
He is seen, as it is written elsewhere :
"In simplicity of heart seek Him."
(Wisd. i. 1.) A simple heart is a pure
heart. And even as we cannot see this
earthly light, unless the eyes be open, so
cannot God be seen, unless that be open
which alone can perceive Him.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they
shall be called the children of God."
The perfection of peace is the absence of
contrariety, and the peacemakers are
called the children of God because they
offer no contrariety against the will of
God. As beseemeth children, they have
their Father's likeness.
THEY
Eighth Lesson.
HEY are peacemakers in themselves,
who order all the movements of
their own mind in obedience to reason,
that is, to their intellect and soul, and
so doing, and taming the lusts of the
flesh, become a kingdom for God. In
such kingdom all things are so ordered,
that the chiefest and noblest part of
man ruleth without contention over those
lower things which we have in common
with beasts. And just in the same way,
must that nobler part of man, that is to
say, intellect and reason, needs be put in
subjection to what is above it, namely,
Truth, the Only-begotten Son of God.
He only can rule well who, hath learnt
to obey. And this ordering is that peace
which is given on earth to men of good
will; this is the life of whatsoever is
thoroughly and perfectly wise.
Ninth Lesson.
FROM this most peaceful and most
orderly kingdom is cast forth the
prince of this world, whose rule is over
the contentious and disorderly. When
once this peace hath been proclaimed
and established within, whatsoever wars
he that is without can raise, can but
heap more glory upon that glory which
is according to God, for nothing of the
castle will yield before him, but the
yielding of his own engines will wit-
ness how strong be its ramparts. And
therefore cometh next: "Blessed are
they which are persecuted for righteous-
ness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven."
Vespers are of the following, from the
Chapter inclusive.
JUNE 6.
St. Norbert, Archbishop [of
Magdeburg,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst make Thy blessed
Confessor and Bishop Norbert a
notable preacher of Thy Word, and
wast pleased to make Thy Church thereby
fruitful in a new family of sons, grant,
we beseech Thee, unto us, that we being
holpen by Thee for his sake, may have
strength to do those worthy deeds where-
unto his words and works alike do move
Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
us.
First Vespers, as regards St. Norbert,
begin with the Chapter.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Boniface. Prayer from his Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
1096
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
NORBERT, born [in the year 1080] of
parents of the highest rank, tho-
roughly educated in his youth in worldly
knowledge, and a member of the Im-
perial court, turned his back upon the
glory of the world, and chose rather to
enlist himself as a soldier of the Church.
Being ordained Priest, he laid aside all
soft and showy raiment, clad himself in
a coat of skins, and made the preaching
of the Word of God the one object of his
life. He had the right to rich revenues
of the Church; but these he renounced:
and to an ample fortune from his father;
but this he gave to the poor. He ate
only once a day, and that in the evening,
and then his meal was of the fare of Lent.
such he was a strong upholder of the
discipline of the Church, especially con-
tending against the marriage of the
clergy. At a Council held at Rheims
he was a great help to Innocent II., and
went with some other Bishops to Rome,
where they stamped out the schism of
Peter Leoni. It was at last at Mag-
deburg that this man of God, full of
good works and of the Holy Ghost, fell
asleep in the Lord, on the 6th day of
June, in the year of salvation 1134.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
JUNE 9.
His life was one of singular hardness, The Holy Martyrs Primus and
and he was used even in the depth of
winter to go out with bare feet and
ragged garments. Hence came that
mighty power of his words and deeds,
whereby he was enabled to turn count-
less heretics to the true faith, sinners to
repentance, and enemies to peace and
brotherly love.
BEIN
Fifth Lesson.
Felician.
Simple.
All from the Common Office for a
Simple Feast of Many Martyrs, (p.
803 or 841,) except the following Prayer
and Lessons.
Prayer throughout the Office.
ever heartily to rejoice over Thine
holy Martyrs Primus and Felician, and
grant to us at their prayer the gift of
Thy safe-keeping. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
EING one while at Laon, the Bishop MAKE us, O Lord, we beseech Thee,
besought him not to leave his dio-
cese, and he therefore made choice of a
wilderness at the place called Prémon-
tré, whither he withdrew himself with
thirteen disciples, and thus founded the
Order of the Præmonstratensian Canons,
whereof he, by the will of God, received
the Rule, in a vision, from St. Austin.
When, however, the fame of his holy
life became every day more and more
noised abroad, and great numbers sought
to become his disciples, and the Order
had been approved by Honorius II., and
other Popes, many more monasteries
were built by him, and the Institute
wonderfully extended.
Sixth Lesson.
BEING called to Antwerp, he there
gave the death-blow to the shame-
ful heresy of Tanchelin. He was re-
markable for the spirit of prophecy and
for the gift of miracles. He was created
(albeit he would rather not have had it
so) Archbishop of Magdeburg, and as
Second Lesson.
PRIMUS and Felician were two bro-
thers who were accused of Chris-
tianity during the persecution by Dio-
cletian and Maximian, and thrown into
irons, which an angel broke, and so
freed their limbs. In the presence of
the Prætor they most earnestly clave to
the profession of their faith, and were
immediately parted one from the other.
Felician's was the steadfastness which
was first tried in divers ways. They,
however, that strove to argue him into
sin, when they found that words availed
nothing, fastened his hands and feet to
a post, and left him to hang there three
days without food or drink. On the
角
​FEAST-DAYS IN JUNE.
1097
fourth day the Prætor called Primus
before him, and said to him: "Seest
thou how much thy brother is wiser
than thou? He hath obeyed the Em-
perors, and they have made him honour-
able. Thou hast only to follow his en-
sample to be made partaker of his ho-
nours and favours."
Third Lesson.
PRIMUS answered him: "What hath
befallen my brother I know, for an
angel hath told me. Would to God,
that, seeing I have the same will that
he hath, I were not divided from him
in uplifting of testimony." These words
raised the wrath of the Prætor, and to
the torments which he had already in-
flicted on Primus, he added this also,
that he had boiling lead put into his
mouth, compelling his brother Felician
to be present and see it done. After
that, he had them led into the theatre
and two lions let loose upon them, in
the presence of about twelve thousand
people who were gathered together to
see the show. The lions only fawned
upon the knees of the Saints, making
friends with them with motions of their
heads and tails. This exhibition turned
five hundred persons and their house-
holds to Christ. The Prætor, then,
moved beyond all endurance by what
had passed, caused Primus and Felician
to be beheaded.
JUNE 10.
St. Margaret, Queen of
Scots, Widow.
Semi-double.
All from the Common Office for an
Holy Woman neither Martyr nor Vir-
gin, (p. 886,) except the following.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst make Margaret,
that blessed Queen, wonderful for
tender love toward the poor, grant that
her intercession and ensample may be
effectual to gain for our hearts a thorough
love toward Thee. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture, according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
MARGARET, Queen of Scots, was
most noble by birth, uniting in her-
self, from her father the blood of the
Kings of England and from her mother
the blood of the Cæsars, but her greatest
nobleness was in her brave Christian life.
She was born in Hungary, where her fa-
ther was then an exile, [in the year 1046,]
and had passed a religious childhood,
when her uncle Edward, the holy King of
England, recalled him to his own royal
home, and she came to England with him
[in 1054.] A few years after, upon the
ruin of her family,' she was escaping from
England by sea, when the violence of
the weather, or, to speak more truly,
the Providence of God, caused that the
ship should take refuge upon the coast
of Scotland. There her extraordinary
graces of mind and body so attracted
King Malcolm III., that by the advice
of his mother, he took her to wife [in
1070,] and of Scotland she deserved ex-
ceedingly well for the thirty years of her
reign, by the holiness of her life and the
abundance of her works of mercy.
Fifth Lesson.
IN the midst of kingly dainties, she
afflicted her body with hardships
and watching, using to spend great part
of the night in earnest prayer. Besides
other fasts which she imposed upon her-
self, it was her custom to observe one of
forty days before Christmas, concerning
which fast she was so rigid, that she
would not relax it even under sharp
suffering. She took great delight in the
public worship of God, and founded or
renewed a great number of Churches
and convents, which she enriched at
great cost with sacred furniture. Her
healthy example drew the King her
husband to habits of sobriety, and to
imitate her in her good works. To all
1 By the conquest of England by William I. in 1966.
1098
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
her children she had the happiness of
giving a godly education, and several of
them, like her mother Agatha and her
sister Christina, led notable holy lives.
The happiness of the whole kingdom
was the object for which she constantly
strove, and she successfully rooted out
all the vices which had stealthily crept
in, and established among the people a
standard of living worthy of Christians.
Sixth Lesson.
THE most remarkable feature of her
life was the tenderness of her cha-
rity toward her neighbour, especially
the needy. Of these she would not
only order whole flocks to be relieved,
but was accustomed to give dinner to
three hundred of them every day, treat-
ing them with the tenderness of a mo-
ther, and waiting upon them on her
knees like a maid-servant. She held
it one of the privileges of her rank to
wash their feet with her own Royal
hands, and to dress their sores, which
latter she would even kiss. To meet
the expenses of her charities she sold
not only her queenly raiment and her
precious jewels, but more than once ex-
hausted her funds entirely. Purified
by grievous suffering, which she bore
with marvellous patience during an ill-
ness of six months, she resigned her
soul into the hands of Him Who had
created it, upon the 10th day of June,¹
[1093.] At the moment of death, the
bystanders saw her poor worn face, pale
and disfigured by continual suffering,
flush again with a beauty to which it
had long been unused. After her death
she became illustrious on account of
great signs and wonders. With the
ap.
proval of Clement X. she was chosen
Patroness of Scotland, and her memory
is held in profound reverence through-
out the whole earth.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xiii. 44, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 889.)
Vespers are of the following.
JUNE 11.
St. Barnabas, Apostle.
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office for Apos-
tles, (p. 792 or 805,) except the following.
Prayer throughout the Office.
0
GOD, Who dost gladden us by the
worthy deeds and availing prayers
of Thy Blessed Apostle Barnabas, mer-
cifully grant unto us who seek through
him Thy manifold gifts, by the tender-
ness of Thy mercy effectually to obtain
the same. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of St. Margaret. Prayer from
her Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Acts of
the Apostles (xiii. 43.)
NOW when the Synagogue was dis-
missed, many of the Jews and re-
ligious proselytes followed Paul and Bar-
nabas; who, speaking to them, per-
suaded them to continue in the grace of
God. And the next Sabbath Day came
almost the whole city together, to hear
the word of God. But when the Jews
saw the multitudes they were filled with
envy, and spake against those things
which were spoken by Paul, blasphem-
ing. Then Paul and Barnabas waxed
bold and said: It was necessary that
the Word of God should first have been
spoken to you, but, seeing ye put it
from you, and judge yourselves un-
worthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn
to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord
commanded us: I have set thee to be a
light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest
be for salvation unto the ends of the
earth.
1 This is a most singular inaccuracy. There can be no doubt that she died upon Nov. 16,
upon which day her Feast was anciently kept in Scotland. She had another on June 19,
in memory of the translation of her relics in 1250. The present office was inserted in the
Roman Kalendar by Innocent XII. in 1693, at the request of James VII., and June 10 is the
Birth-day of the " Chevalier St. George.”
FEAST-DAYS IN JUNE.
1099
A
Second Lesson.
ND when the Gentiles heard this,
they were glad, and glorified the
word of the Lord; and as many as were
ordained to eternal life believed. And
the word of the Lord was published
throughout all the region. But the
Jews stirred up the devout and honour-
able women, and the chief men of the
city, and raised persecution against
Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them
out of their coasts. But they shook off
the dust of their feet against them, and
came unto Iconium. And the disciples
were filled with joy and with the Holy
Ghost.
Third Lesson. (xiv. 1.)
AND it came to pass in Iconium, that
they went both together into the
Synagogue of the Jews, and so spake
that a great multitude both of the Jews
and also of the Greeks believed. But
the unbelieving Jews stirred up the
Gentiles, and made their minds evil-
affected against the brethren. Much
time therefore abode they speaking
boldly in the Lord, Which gave testi-
mony unto the word of His grace, and
granted signs and wonders to be done
by their hands.
SECOND NOCTURN.1
Fourth Lesson.
JOSES, who by the Apostles was sur-
named Barnabas, (which is, being
interpreted, the Son of Consolation,) a
Levite and of the country of Cyprus,
having land, sold it, and brought the
money, and laid it at the Apostles' feet.
(Acts iv. 36, 37.) When Paul, after his
conversion, was come to Jerusalem, the
disciples were all afraid of him, but
Barnabas took him, and brought him to
the Apostles. (ix. 26, 27.) When tid-
ings that a great number believed and
turned unto the Lord at Antioch came
unto the ears of the Church which was
at Jerusalem, they sent forth Barnabas
that he should go as far as Antioch.
Who, when he came, and had seen the
grace of God, was glad, and exhorted
-
them all that with purpose of heart they
would cleave unto the Lord. For he
was a good man, and full of the Holy
Ghost, and of faith, and much people
was added unto the Lord. (xi. 21—24.)
Fifth Lesson.
THEN departed Barnabas to Tarsus
for to seek Paul, and, when he had
found him, he brought him unto An-
tioch. And it came to pass that a whole
year they assembled themselves with
the Church, and taught much people.
And the disciples were called Christians
first in Antioch. And in these days
came prophets from Jerusalem unto An-
tioch. And there stood up one of them,
named Agabus, and signified, by the
Spirit, that there should be great dearth
throughout all the world-which came
to pass in the days of Claudius Cæsar.
Then the disciples, every man according
to his ability, determined to send relief
unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea,
which also they did, and sent it to the
elders by the hands of Barnabas and
Paul. (xi. 25-30.) And Barnabas and
Paul returned from Jerusalem, when
they had fulfilled their ministry, and
took with them John, whose surname
was Mark. (xii. 25.)
NOW
Sixth Lesson.
there were in the Church that
was at Antioch, certain Prophets
and teachers; and, as Paul and Bar-
nabas, together with them, ministered
to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost
said: Separate Me Barnabas and Saul
for the work whereunto I have called
them. And when they had fasted and
prayed, and laid their hands on them,
they sent them away. So they, being
sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed
unto Seleucia; and from thence they
sailed to Cyprus; (xiii. 1-4) in the
which island, and in many other cities
and countries, they journeyed about,
preaching the Gospel with great gain to
them that heard them. Nevertheless,
at last, Paul and Barnabas departed
asunder one from the other. And so
Barnabas took Mark and sailed unto
1 The Lessons in this Nocturn consist almost entirely of a string of passages from the
Acts of the Apostles. In the Latin these passages are given in a somewhat mutilated and
disjointed manner, like quotations from memory; in translating I have thought it best to
give them nearly in their original form, as they are to be found in the Bible itself.
}
1100
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
Cyprus, (xv. 39,) once more. And there
it was that upon a certain 11th of June,
in or about the seventh year of the
reign of Nero, Barnabas crowned the
dignity of the Apostolate with the glory
of martyrdom. During the reign of
the Emperor Zeno, his body was found
in its grave in Cyprus; on his breast
lay a copy of the Gospel according to
Matthew, written by the hand of Bar-
nabas himself.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (x. 16.)
T that time: JESUS said unto His
A that fam: Behold, I
disciples: Behold, I send you forth
as sheep in the midst of wolves. And
so on.
Homily by St. John Chrysostom, Pa-
triarch of Constantinople.] 34th on
Matthew.
When the Lord had cleared the minds
of His disciples of all care, and had
armed them by showing forth His
mighty works, had estranged them from
all business of this world, and freed
them from all anxiety touching the
things of time, moulding them into a
frame of iron-like, nay, diamond-like,
hardness, then at length He told them
of the contendings against the which
they were afterward to wrestle. By
this foretelling of things to come they
were much holpen. First, they learnt
the power of His fore-knowledge. Then,
they were guarded against all suspicion
that these great sorrows flowed from
faultiness in their Master. Again, the
future sufferers were made safe from
all trouble of being taken unawares.
Lastly, seeing that they heard these
things at a time nigh to His own suffer-
ing, they were not over troubled.
Eighth Lesson.
AND
ND now, that they may understand
how that this is a new kind of war-
fare, and an unaccustomed manner of
contending, when He sendeth them forth
unarmed, “providing neither gold, nor
silver, nor brass in their purses; nor
scrip for their journey, neither two
coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves,'
(x. 9, 10,) left to the hospitality of
whosoever would receive them, He mak-
eth not here an end to His discourse,
but, in manifestation of His unspeak-
able power, He biddeth them, so going,
to show forth the meekness of sheep,
seeing they were about going unto
wolves-neither simply unto wolves, but
in the very midst of wolves. Neither
is it only the meekness of sheep which
He biddeth them have, but also the
harmlessness of doves, that He might so
much the more gloriously display His
power, when the sheep overcame the
wolves. These are the sheep which al-
beit they abide in the midst of wolves,
and are mangled by many a bite, not
only are not destroyed, but do gradually
make the wolves change their nature,
and become sheep themselves.
Ninth Lesson.
BEYOND all doubt it is a greater and
more marvellous thing to change
the minds of enemies, and to turn their
thoughts round, than to kill them;
more especially when the work is to be
done by only twelve sheep, and the
whole world is full of the wolves.
Shame then upon us, whose deeds are
so contrary, and who rather run like
wolves upon our enemies. For so long
as we are sheep we conquer, yea, though
a thousand wolves be gathered round
about us, we overcome, and are the con-
querors: but if we become wolves our-
selves, then are we conquered. For
then doth the Shepherd's help forsake
us, Who feedeth not wolves but sheep.
In the Second Vespers a Commemo-
ration is made of St. John of San Fa-
gondez, and of the Holy Martyrs Ba-
silides, Cyrinus, Nabor, and Nazarius.
Prayers from next day's Lauds.
JUNE 12.
St. John of San Fagondez,
Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
the following.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
FEAST-DAYS IN JUNE.
1101
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
JOHN [Gonzalez] was born, the off-
spring of a noble race, at San Fa-
gondez in
in Spain, [on Midsummer
Day in the year of grace 1430.] His
father and mother after long child-
lessness, obtained him from God by
prayers and good works. From his
earliest years he gave clear signs of his
after holiness of life. He was used to
climb up upon an high place to preach
to the other little boys, and to exhort
be good and to worship God,
the friars, throughout an whole year.
After his year of noviceship, he un-
dertook the duty of preacher at the com-
mand of his Superior. At that time,
owing to bloody feuds, all things human
and divine at Salamanca were in such
utter confusion, that murders were com-
mitted almost every hour, and the streets
and squares, and the very churches,
flowed with the blood of all classes, es-
pecially of the nobility.
Sixth Lesson.
T was John, who by public preaching
theto made it his work to reconcile I wad private conversations, softened
and
their quarrels. While he was still at
home he was given in charge to the
monks of the Order of Saint Benedict,
at the village of San Fagondez, to
teach him his first lessons. While he
was thus busied, his father obtained for
him the benefice of the Parish, but no
persuasions could induce him to keep
this preferment. He became one of the
household of the Bishop of Burgos, and
that Prelate, seeing his uprightness,
took him into his counsels, ordained
him Priest, and made him a Canon,
heaping upon him many kindnesses.
However, that he might serve God the
more quietly, he left the Bishop's Pa-
lace, resigned all his Church income,
and betook him to a certain Chapel
wherein he celebrated the Holy Liturgy
every day, and oftentimes preached con-
cerning the things of God, with great
profit to all that heard him.
Fifth Lesson.
HE went later to Salamanca to study,
and there being taken into the
celebrated College of St. Bartholomew,
he did his priestly office, so that he was
at once constant to the studies he de-
sired and busy with sermons. Here he
had a severe illness, and vowed to take
up a sterner way of living. In fulfil-
ment of this vow, he gave to an half-
naked beggar the better of the two gar-
ments which were all that he had, and
then went to a Convent of the friars of
St. Austin, which was then in the
richest bloom of rigid discipline. Being
admitted therein, he surpassed the most
advanced in obedience, lowliness, watch-
ings, and prayer. At the time that he
had charge of the table, one keg of wine
the hearts of the citizens so that the
town was restored to peace. He grie-
vously offended one of the nobles by
rebuking him for his cruelty toward his
vassals. This man sent two knights to
murder him on the road. They had
already come nigh him when God sent
a terror upon them, so that they and
their horses stood still, until they cast
themselves down before the feet of the
Saint, imploring his forgiveness for their
sin. The Prince himself, also, smitten
with a sudden dread, despaired of his
salvation, till he had sent for John,
who, finding him repent of his deed,
restored him to soundness. Some quar-
relsome men, likewise, who were fain to
give him a cudgelling, found their arms
stiffen, nor would their strength come
back till they had asked his pardon for
their wickedness. Oftentimes when he
was celebrating the Holy Liturgy, the
Presence of the Lord Christ became
sensibly manifest to him, and he drank
in things heavenly from their Divine
Well-head Himself. Oftentimes also he
could see the secrets of men's hearts,
and foretell strange things to come. He
raised from the dead his own niece,
aged seven years. He foretold the day
of his own death, and prepared himself
by receiving most devoutly the Sacra-
ments of the Church, [and then fell
asleep in the Lord, upon the 11th day
of June, in the year 1475.] God glorified
him by many miracles, both before and
after his death. These being duly
proved, Alexander VIII. numbered him
among the Saints.
THIRD NOCTURN.
abundantly sufficed in his hands for all Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
1102
THE PROPER OFFICE OF THE SAINTS.
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
The last is omitted, or read as one with
the second, in order to leave room for
the
Ninth Lesson. (For the Holy
Martyrs.)
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Holy Martyrs.
Prayer.
BASILIDES, Cyrinus, Nabor, and Na- BRIGHTEN over us, O Lord, we be-
zarius were Roman soldiers, of
illustrious birth, and distinguished gal-
lantry. Having embraced the Christian
Religion, and being found publishing
that Christ was the Son of God, they
were arrested by Aurelius, Præfect of
Rome under the Emperor Diocletian.
As they despised his orders to sacrifice
to the gods, they were committed to
prison. While they were at prayer
there, a brilliant light broke forth be-
fore the eyes of all that were there, and
shone in all the prison. Marcellinus
the keeper of the prison and many
others were moved by this heavenly
glory to believe in the Lord Christ.
Basilides, Cyrinus, Nabor, and Nazarius
were afterwards discharged out of the
prison. However, in the reign of the
Emperor Maximian, when they set light
by his commands also, and had ever in
their mouth that there is but one Christ,
one God, and one Lord, they were tor-
mented with whips loaded with metal,
and again cast into chains. Thence, on
the seventh day, they were brought out,
and set before the Emperor, and there
still persisted in mocking at the foolish
idols, and declaring that JESUS Christ
is God. They were accordingly_con-
demned to death and beheaded. Their
bodies were given to wild beasts to eat,
but, as the creatures would not touch
them, the Christians took them, and
buried them honourably.
LAUDS.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, the Author of peace and
Lover of concord, Who didst won-
derfully adorn Thy blessed Confessor
John with the grace of making peace
between them that were at war, grant
unto us for his sake and by his prayers,
to be so solidly established in the love
of Thyself, that no trials whatsoever
may be able to part us from Thee.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
seech Thee, this solemn Birthday-
keeping for Thine own holy Martyrs,
Basilides, Cyrinus, Nabor, and Naza-
rius, and grant that the same love of
Thee which hath brought them for ever
and ever, such things as exceed all that
we can either ask or think, may grow
up in us also by the fruits of our earnest
petition. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter inclusive.
JUNE 13.
St. Anthony of Padua,
Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Confessor not a Bishop, (p. 855,) except
the following.
First Vespers begin (as regards St.
Anthony) at the Chapter.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, make Thy Church to be glad
at the solemn memorial of Thy
blessed Confessor Anthony, causing her
ever to be strong through Thy ghostly
succour, and fitting her to relish bless-
edness at Thy right hand for evermore.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of St.
John of San Fagondez. Prayer from
his Office.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
་
FEAST-DAYS IN JUNE.
1103
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
[FERDINAND de Bullones, after-
wards called] Anthony, was born
of decent parents at Lisbon in Por-
tugal, [on the Feast of the Assump-
tion, in the year of grace 1195.]
They gave him a godly training, and
while he was still a young man, he
joined an Institute of Canons Regular.
However, when the bodies of the five
holy martyred Friars Minor, who had
just suffered in Morocco for Christ's
sake, were brought to Coimbra, the de-
sire to be himself a martyr took a strong
hold upon him, and [in 1220] he left
the Canons Regular and became a Fran-
ciscan. The same yearning led him to
attempt to go among the Saracens, but
he fell sick on the way, and, being
obliged to turn back, the ship in which
he had embarked for Spain, was driven
by stress of weather to Sicily.
Fifth Lesson.
FROM Sicily he came to Assisi to
attend the General Chapter of his
Order, and thence withdrew himself to
the Hermitage of Monte Paolo near Bo-
logna, where he gave himself up for a long
while to consideration of the things of
God, to fastings, and to watchings. Be-
ing afterwards ordained Priest and sent
to preach the Gospel, his wisdom and
fluency were very marked, and drew on
him such admiration of men, that the
Pope, once hearing him preach, called
him "The Ark of the Covenant." One
of his chief points was to expend all
his strength in attacking heresies,
whence he gained the name of the
"Heretics' everlasting Hammer."
HE
Sixth Lesson.
was the first of his Order who, on
account of his excellent gift of
teaching, publicly lectured at Bologna
on the interpretation of Holy Scripture,
and directed the studies of his brethren.
He travelled through many provinces.
The year before his death he came to
Padua, where he left some remarkable
records of his holy life. After having
undergone much toil for the glory of
God, full of good works and miracles,
he fell asleep in the Lord upon the 13th
day of June, in the year of salvation,
1231. Pope Gregory IX. enrolled his
name among those of the Holy Con-
fessors.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xii. 35, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, p. 859.
Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter, inclusive.
¹ Probably a somewhat cumbrous compliment, constructed on 2 Cor. iii. 3.
;
The Additional Services.
NOTE.-None of these Services are ever binding upon persons bound to recite the
Office, except that for the Dead on All Souls' Day, and the Litany (without the
Penitential Psalms) on St. Mark's Day, and the three Rogation Days.¹
The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This Office is added to the Church
Office every day, except (1) those on
which Nine Lessons are read, (2) those
in the Holy Week, (3) those within the
Octaves of Easter and Pentecost, and
(4) Saturdays upon which her Office is
said as a Simple; upon all which days
it is omitted from the First Vespers
inclusive. Upon Christmas Eve it is
omitted from Mattins inclusive. When
it is said in Choir, Mattins and Lauds
are said before the Mattins and Lauds
of the Day, and the Vespers before
Vespers. Prime is said just before the
Martyrology is read. Terce, Sext, None,
and Compline are said after the Terce,
Sext, None, and Compline of the day,
respectively. Out of Choir it is said
whenever the reciter chooses.
If it is said apart from the Church
Office, the Angelic Salutation is said in-
audibly before each Office, except Lauds.
None of the Antiphons are ever doubled.
The Office varies according as it be
(1) Ordinary, (2) In Advent, (3) Be-
tween Christmas and Candlemas, and
(4) In Paschal-time.
1. ORDINARY.
VESPERS.
Make haste, &c., as usual, continu-
ing the same as on a Semi-double Feast
of the Blessed Virgin, till the end of
the Hymn.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy lips.
Answer. Therefore God hath blessed
thee for ever.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Blessed Mother and inviolate
Maiden! * glorious Queen of the world!
Plead for us with the Lord!
Then:
Kyrie eleison.
Answer. Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Verse. O Lord, hear my prayer.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let us pray.
Grant, we beseech Thee, &c., (as in
the full Office, p. 901, with the short
ending, Through Christ our Lord.)
Then the following Commemoration of
the Saints.
Antiphon. O all ye holy children of
God, be pleased to pray for our salva-
tion and the salvation of all men.
¹ Nevertheless, in some Churches the custom exists, and in some there are foundations
for saying the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin, or the Office of the Dead every day or
on certain days, irrespective of what the Church Office may be, and such has also been
the practice of some Saints.
*
4 x
1376
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
+
Verse. Be glad in the LORD, and re-
joice, ye righteous.
Answer. And shout for joy, all ye
that are upright in heart.
BE
Let us pray.
E Thou, O Lord, the Shield of Thy
people, and cover with Thine ever-
lasting Arm those who trust in the help
of Thine Apostles Peter and Paul, and
the others Thine Apostles.
We pray Thee, O Lord, that all Thine
holy children may in all places succour
us, and that as we call to mind their
worthy acts, so we may feel the comfort
of their friendship.
Grant Thou also peace in our days,
and keep Thy Church ever clean purged
of all iniquity.
Order Thou also our footsteps, our
deeds, and our wills, and the footsteps,
the deeds, and the wills of all Thy ser-
vants, in the straight path that leadeth
unto salvation in Thee.
Reward with life eternal all them who
do us good.
And grant eternal rest unto all the
faithful departed.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
COMPLINE.
Turn us, &c., as in the Church Office,
but the Psalms, (which are said without
any Antiphon,) are
Ps. cxxviii. Many a time have they
afflicted, &c., (p. 159.)
Ps. cxxix. Out of the depths, &c.,
(p. 99.)
Ps. cxxx. LORD, my heart is not
haughty, &c., (p. 160.)
R
Hymn.¹
EMEMBER, O Creator Lord,
That in the Virgin's sacred womb
Thou wast conceived, and of her flesh
Didst our mortality assume.
Mother of grace, O Mary blest!
To thee, sweet fount of love, we fly;
Shield us through life, and take us hence
To thy dear bosom when we die.
O JESU, born of Virgin bright,
Immortal glory be to Thee;
Praise to the Father infinite,
And Holy Ghost eternally.
I
Amen.
Chapter. (Ecclus. xxiv. 24.)
AM the mother of fair love, and fear,
and knowledge, and holy hope.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. Pray for us, O holy Mother of
God.
Answer. That we may be made wor-
thy of the promises of Christ.
Antiphon. We take refuge under Thy
protection.
Song of Simeon. Lord, now lettest
Thou Thy servant, &c., (p. 175.)
Antiphon. We take refuge under Thy
protection, O holy Mother of God! De-
spise not our supplications in our need,
but deliver us alway from all dangers, O
Virgin, glorious and blessed!
Kyrie eleison.
Answer. Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
need,
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let us pray.
ORD, we pray Thee, that the glorious
intercession of Mary, blessed, and
glorious, and everlastingly Virgin, may
shield us and bring us on toward eternal
life. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
O LORD, open Thou my lips, &c., as
in the full Office, only with this
Invitatory. Hail, Mary, full of grace.
* The Lord is with thee!
Only one Nocturn is said. On Mon-
days and Thursdays, it is the First from
the full Office: on Tuesdays and Fri-
days, the Second; and, on Wednesdays
and Saturdays, the Third. Then :
Verse. Grace is poured into thy lips.
Answer. Therefore God hath blessed
thee for ever.
1 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.
Our Father, &c. And lead us not
into temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from evil.
Absolution.
By the prayers of the Blessed Mary,
always a Virgin, and by the prayers of
all His Saints, and for her sake and for
their sakes, may the Lord lead us unto
the kingdom of heaven.
Answer, Amen.
First Blessing.
Bless us, Mary, Maiden mild,
Bless us, JESUS, Mary's Child.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Ecclesiasticus (xxiv. 11.)
WITH all these I sought rest, but I
shall abide in the inheritance of
the Lord. So the Creator of all things
gave me a commandment, and said unto
me, even He that made me rested in my
tabernacle, and said unto me, Let thy
dwelling be in Jacob, and thine inheri-
tance in Israël, and strike thou thy
roots amid My chosen people.
us.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon
Answer. Thanks be to God.
First Responsory.
O how holy and how spotless, &c.,
(p. 896.)
Second Blessing.
With the Lord Who sprang of thee,
Maid of maidens, plead for me.
ΑΝ
Second Lesson.
ND so was I established in Zion, and
likewise in the Holy City was I
given to rest, and in Jerusalem was my
power. And I took root among the
honourable people, even in the portion
of my God, as His own inheritance, and
mine abiding was in the full assembly
of the Saints.
.us.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Second Responsory.
1377
Blessed art thou, O Virgin, &c., (p.
896,) omitting the last Verse and An-
swer.
I
Third Blessing.
He to Whom His mother prays,
Grant us blessing all our days.
Third Lesson.
WAS exalted like a cedar in Lebanon,
and as a cypress-tree upon Mount
Zion. I was exalted like a palm-tree in
Kadesh, and as a rose-plant in Jericho,
as a fair olive-tree in the plains, and
grew up as
as a plane-tree beside the
water in the broad ways. I gave a
sweet smell like cinnamon and aromatic
balm; I yielded a pleasant odour like
the best myrrh.
us.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Third Responsory.
O holy Virgin Mary, happy indeed art
thou, and right worthy of all praise, for
out of thee rose the Sun of righteous-
ness, even Christ our God.
Verse. Pray for the people, plead for
the clergy, make intercession for all
women vowed to God. Let all that are
making this holy memorial of thee feel
the might of thine assistance.
Answer. For out of thee rose the
Sun of righteousness.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Even Christ our God.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Mary hath been
taken to heaven; * the Angels rejoice;
they praise and bless the Lord.
Second Antiphon. The Virgin Mary
hath been taken into the chamber on
high, where the King of kings sitteth
on a throne amid the stars.
Third Antiphon. We run after thee,
on the scent of thy perfumes-— * the
virgins love thee heartily.
Fourth Antiphon. Blessed of the
Lord art thou, O daughter, * for by thee
we have been given to eat of the fruit
[of the tree] of Life.
4
4 x 2
1378
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
Fifth Antiphon. Fair and comely art
thou, O daughter of Jerusalem,
*ter-
rible as a fenced camp set in battle
array.
Chapter. (Cant. vi. 8.)
THE daughters of Zion saw her, and
called her blessed; the queens also,
and they praised her.
Hymn. O glorious Virgin, &c., (p.
900.)
Verse. Blessed art thou among wo-
men.
Answer. And blessed is the Fruit of
thy womb.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
O Blessed Mary, &c., (p. 904.)
Then:
Kyrie eleison.
Answer. Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Who didst will that Thy Word
should, by the message of an Angel,
take flesh in the womb of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, grant unto us, we beseech
Thee, that all we who do believe her
to be in very deed the Mother of God,
may be holpen by her prayers in Thy
sight. Through the same Christ our
Lord.
Then the Commemoration of the
Saints, as at Vespers.
PRIME.
After the repetition of the Antiphon
the Office proceeds thus:
Chapter. (Cant. vi. 9.)
HO is she that cometh forth like
WHO
Wthe rising dawn, fair as the moon,
clear as the sun, terrible as a fenced
camp set in battle array ?
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. Holy Virgin, my praise by
thee accepted be.
Answer. Give me strength against
thine enemies.
the
Kyrie eleison.
And so on, as at Compline, but with
Prayer.
GOD, Who wast pleased to choose
for Thy dwelling-place the maiden
palace of Blessed Mary, grant, we be-
seech Thee, that her protection may
shield us, and make us glad in her com-
memoration. Who livest and reignest
with God the Father, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
TERCE.
Make haste, &c., as in the Church
Office.
Hymn as at Compline.
Antiphon. The Virgin Mary, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Ps. cxix. In my distress, &c., (p.
154.)
Ps. cxx. I will lift up mine eyes, &c.,
(p. 154.)
Ps. cxxi. I was glad, &c., (p. 156.)
Chapter. (Ecclus. xxiv. 15.)
Make haste, &c., as in the Church AND so I was established in Zion, and
Office.
Hymn as at Compline.
Antiphon. Mary is taken, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Ps. liii. Save me, O GOD, &c., (p.
115.)
Ps. lxxxiv. LORD, Thou hast been
favourable, &c., (p. 67.)
Ps. cxvi. O praise the LORD, &c., (p.
154.)
likewise in the holy city was I
given to rest, and in Jerusalem was my
power.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy lips.
Answer. Therefore God hath blessed
thee for ever.
Kyrie eleison.
And so on, as at the other Hours, but
with the Prayer, "O God, Who, by the
fruitful virginity, &c.," (p. 94,) with
the longer ending, "Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, &c."
THE LITTLE OFFICE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 1379
SEXT.
Make haste, &c., as in the Church
Office.
Hymn as at Compline.
Antiphon. We run after thee, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Ps. cxxii. Unto Thee lift I up, &c.,
(p. 157.)
Ps. cxxiii. If it had not been, &c.,
(p. 157.)
Ps. cxxiv. They that trust, &c., (p.
157.)
Chapter. (Ecclus. xxiv. 16.)
AND I took root among the honour-
able people, even in the portion of
my God, as His own inheritance, and
mine abiding was in the full assembly
of the Saints.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. Blessed art thou among women.
Answer. And blessed is the Fruit of
thy womb.
Kyrie eleison.
And so on as at the other Hours, but
with the Prayer, "Most merciful God,
&c.," (p. 94,) with the long ending,
Through the Same our Lord, &c."
NONE.
Make haste, &c., as in the Church
Office.
Hymn as at Compline.
Antiphon. Fair and comely, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Ps. cxxv. When the LORD turned,
&c., (p. 158.)
Ps. cxxvi. Except the LORD, &c., (p.
158.)
Ps. cxxvii. Blessed is every one, &c.,
(p. 159.)
Chapter. (Ecclus. xxiv. 19.)
IN N the broad ways I gave a sweet
balm; I yielded a pleasant odour like
the best myrrh.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. After thy delivery thou still
remainest a Virgin undefiled.
Answer. Mother of God, pray for us.
Kyrie eleison.
And so on, as at the other Hours,
but with this
Prayer.
LORD, we beseech Thee, forgive
the transgressions of Thy servants,
and, forasmuch as by our own deeds we
cannot please Thee, may we find safety
through the prayers of the Mother of
Thy Son and our Lord. Through the
Same our Lord JESUS Christ, Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
2. IN ADVENT.
The Office is the same as the Ordinary
one, except the following.
The Prayer at every Hour is, “O
God, Who didst will, &c.," (as at Lauds
in the Ordinary Office, and save at Ves-
pers, with the longer ending.)
At Vespers the Antiphons and Chap-
ter are taken from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin as at that of Zacharias.
Commemoration of the Saints as at
Lauds.
At Compline:
Chapter. (Isa. vii. 14.)
BEHOLD, the Virgin shall conceive
and bear a Son, and His Name shall
be called Emmanuel. Butter and honey
shall He eat, that He may know to re-
fuse the evil, and choose the good.
Verse. The Angel of the Lord an-
nounced unto Mary.
Answer. And she conceived of the
Holy Ghost.
Antiphon at the Song of Simeon as
at that of Zacharias.
At Mattins note the difference in the
Third Antiphon on Wednesdays and
Saturdays.
First Lesson. (Luke i. 26.)
THE Angel Gabriel was sent from God
unto a city of Galilee named Naza-
reth, to a Virgin espoused to a man
whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David, and the Virgin's name was Mary.
And the Angel came in unto her, and
said: Hail, thou that art full of grace:
the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou
among women.
1380
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
us.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon
Answer. Thanks be to God.
First Responsory.
The Angel Gabriel was sent, &c., (p.
181,) omitting the last Verse and An-
swer.
Second Lesson.
AND when she heard it, she was
troubled at his saying, and cast in
her mind what manner of salutation this
should be. And the Angel said unto
her: Fear not, Mary; for thou hast
found grace with God: behold, thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring
forth a Son, and shalt call His Name
JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest; and the
Lord God shall give unto Him the
throne of His father David; and He
shall reign over the house of Jacob for
ever, and of His kingdom there shall be
no end.
us.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Second Responsory.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, &c., (p.
181.)
Third Lesson.
THE
HEN said Mary unto the Angel:
How shall this be, seeing I know
not a man? And the Angel answered
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And thou shalt be called
blessed among all women.
At Lauds the Antiphons are the same
as on Lady Day, (p. 1033,) with the
Alleluia at the end of the Second and
Third. These same Antiphons are like-
wise used at Vespers, and the First,
Second, Third, and Fifth, at Prime,
Terce, Sext, and None, respectively.
Chapter. (Isa. xi. 1.)
THERE shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a Flower
shall grow out of his roots. And the
Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias
(used also at those of the Blessed Virgin
and of Simeon.) The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, O Mary, * fear not;
thou shalt bear in thy womb the Son of
God. Alleluia.
Commemoration of the Saints.
Antiphon. Behold, the Lord shall
come, and all His Saints with Him;
and it shall come to pass in that day
that the light shall be great. Alleluia.
Verse. Behold, the Lord shall appear
upon a white cloud.
Answer. And ten thousand of His
Saints with Him.
and said unto her: The Holy Ghost PURIFY
shall come upon thee, and the power of
the Highest shall overshadow thee;
therefore also that Holy Thing Which
shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin
Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a
son in her old age, and this is the sixth
month with her who was called barren;
for with God nothing shall be impossi-
ble. And Mary said: Behold the hand-
maid of the Lord; be it unto me ac-
cording to thy word.
us.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Third Responsory.
Receive, O Virgin Mary, &c., (p.
184,) with this addition :
Let us pray.
our minds, O Lord, we be-
seech Thee, by the grace of Thy
visitation, that when Thy Son our Lord
JESUS Christ shall come with all His
Saints with Him, He may find in us a
people made ready that He may dwell
amongst us. Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
At Prime, Chapter from Compline.
At Terce, Chapter from Lauds.
At Sext:
THE
Chapter. (Luke i. 32.)
HE Lord God shall give unto Him
the throne of His father David
and He shall reign over the house of
Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom
there shall be no end.
THE OFFICE FOR THE DEAD.
1381
At None, Chapter from Compline.
Verse. The Angel of the Lord an-
nounced unto Mary.
Answer. And she conceived of the
Holy Ghost.
3. BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND CANDLE-
MAS.
The Office is the same as the Ordinary
one, except the following.
The Prayer at every Hour is, “O
God, Who by the fruitful virginity,
&c.," (p. 255,) save at Vespers with
the longer ending.
The Antiphons at Vespers and Lauds
are as on New Year's Day, (p. 255,)
and the First, Second, Third and Fifth,
are used at Prime, Terce, Sext, and
None, respectively.
Antiphon at the Songs of the Blessed
Virgin and of Simeon. "Herein is a
great mystery, &c.,” (p. 256.)
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"This day is set forth, &c.," (p. 255.)
4. IN PASCHAL-TIME.
The Office is the same as the Ordinary
one, except that the Antiphon, at the
Songs of the Blessed Virgin, of Simeon,
and of Zacharias, is "Rejoice, rejoice,
&c.," (p. 95.) And take notice par-
ticularly that the word Alleluia is not
added elsewhere, as it is in the Church
Office.
The Office for the Dead.
Except in Holy Week and Paschal-
time, this Office is said upon the first
day of the Month upon which Nine
Lessons are not read, and, in Advent
and Lent, upon the first day of every
Week not so occupied. When it is said
in Choir, Vespers are said after the
Vespers of the day, and the Dirge after
Lauds the next morning, unless the cus-
tom of the particular Church be other-
wise. Out of Choir it is said whenever
the reciter chooses.
VESPERS,
The Antiphons are doubled if three
Nocturns are to be said in the Dirge.
The Service begins absolutely with the
First Antiphon, as follows.
First Antiphon. I will walk before
the Lord * in the land of the living.
Ps. cxiv. I am well pleased, &c.,
(p. 153.)
At the end of this and all the other
Psalms and Canticles throughout the
whole Office of the Dead, "Glory be to
the Father, &c.," is not said, but in-
stead,
O Lord, grant them eternal rest, and
let the everlasting light shine upon
them!
Second Antiphon. Woe is me! O Lord,
* that my sojourn is long.
Ps. cxix. In my distress, &c., (p.
154.)
Third Antiphon. The LORD shall
keep thee from all evil, * the Lord
shall keep thy soul.
Ps. cxx. I will lift up mine eyes, &c.,
(p. 154.)
Fourth Antiphon. If Thou, LORD,
shouldest mark iniquities, * O Lord,
who shall stand?
Ps. cxxix. Out of the depths, &c., (p.
99.)
Fifth Antiphon. O Lord, forsake not
*the works of Thine own hands.
Ps. cxxxvii. I will praise Thee, &c.,
(p. 164.)
After the Fifth Antiphon, the Ser-
vice proceeds directly, thus:
Verse. ¹I heard a voice from heaven,
saying unto me:
1 Apoc. xiv. 13.
1382
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
Answer. Blessed are the dead which
die in the Lord.
Antiphon. All that the Father giveth
Me shall come to Me; * and him that
cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.¹
The Song of the Blessed Virgin.
After the Antiphon, all kneel down,
and the Lord's Prayer is said silently,
except the words "Our Father," and
the termination,
And lead us not into temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from evil.
Then, except on All Souls' Day, and
the day of death or burial of the person
or persons for whom the Office is being
said, is said,
Ps. cxlv. Praise the LORD, O my
soul, &c., (p. 169.)
At the end is said, “O Lord, grant
them, &c.," and then :
Verse. From the gates of the grave
Answer. Deliver their souls, O Lord!
Verse. May they rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let us pray.
Then follow one or more of the Prayers
hereafter immediately given, and then :
Verse. O Lord, grant them eternal
rest.
Answer. And let the everlasting light
shine upon them.
Verse. May they rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Thus absolutely ends the Office.
DIFFERENT PRAYERS FOR THE DEAD.
1. On All Souls' Day, for all the
Faithful Departed.
GOD, Who art Thyself at once the
Maker and the Redeemer of all Thy
faithful ones, grant unto the souls of
Thy servants and handmaids remission
of all their sins, making of our entrea-
ties unto our Great Father a mean
whereby they may have that forgive-
1 John vi. 37.
ness which they have ever longed for.
Who livest and reignest with God the
Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
2. For all the Faithful Departed, at
other times than All Souls' Day.
GOD, Who in the ranks of the Apos-
tolic Priesthood hast caused some
of Thy servants to stand in high places,
some as Bishops, and some as Priests,
grant, we beseech Thee, that they may
be joined unto such company in ever-
lasting blessedness.
GOD, Who forgivest iniquity, and
wouldest that all men should be
saved, we beseech Thee to grant in the
tenderness of Thy mercy that all the
members of our congregation, all our
kinsfolk, and all who have done us good,
who have departed from this world, and
for whom the Blessed Mary and all Thine
holy ones do plead with Thee, may be
joined unto the company of the same in
everlasting blessedness.
GOD, Who art Thyself at once the
Maker and the Redeemer, &c.,
(Prayer 1,) but ending, Who livest and
reignest for ever and ever. Amen.
3. On the Day of Burial.
LORD, we pray Thee to absolve the
soul of Thy servant (or, Thine
handmaid) N. (here express the name)
who hath died unto the world, that he
(or, she) may live unto Thee. And where-
insoever while he (or, she) walked among
men he (or, she) hath transgressed
through the weakness of the flesh, do
Thou in the exceeding tenderness of Thy
mercy forgive and put away. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
0
4. At the Year's-Mind.
LORD God, Who art the Great
Pardoner, grant rest and refresh-
ment, peace and blessing, light and
glory, unto the souls of Thy men-
servants and Thy maid-servants, (or, the
soul of Thy servant, or, of Thine hand-
maid,) whose Year's-Mind we are keep-
ing. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
2 Piis.
THE OFFICE FOR THE DEAD.
1383
་
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
5. For a deceased Pope.
GOD, by Whose inscrutable appoint-
ment Thy servant N. (here express
his name) was called to a place in the
line of the Chief Bishops; O God, Who
didst thereby lay upon him the duty of
being Lieutenant on earth for Thine
Only-begotten Son; O God, grant unto
him now, we beseech Thee, a place
among Thine holy Bishops, who are
entered into everlasting blessedness.
Through the Same our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
6. For a deceased Priest or Bishop.
GOD, Who in the ranks of the Apos-
tolic Priesthood hast caused Thy
servant N. (here express his name) to
stand before Thee in the high place of a
Bishop (or Priest), grant, we beseech
Thee, that he may be joined unto the
company of such in everlasting blessed-
ness. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
If the deceased were a Cardinal, his
dignity is expressed in the Prayer,
thus: "the high place of a Cardinal
Bishop," or "of a Cardinal Priest."
7. For deceased Parents.
GOD, Who hast commanded us to
OHOD, Your hate comd mother, look
honour our father and mother, look
in the pitifulness of Thy mercy upon
the souls of my father and mother, (or,
the soul of my father, or, the soul of my
mother,) and forgive them their tres-
passes, (or, him his trespasses, or, her
her trespasses,) and grant unto me the joy
of seeing them (or, him, or, her) again
in the glorious light of everlasting life.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, One God,
world without end. Amen.
The above Prayer is altered to suit
circumstances, as where several children
join in prayer for a parent, or a com-
pany of persons for the parents of all,
"""our" and us,” instead of "my" and
"C
me."
"
8. For deceased Brethren, Comrades,
Friends, Kinsfolk, or Benefactors, is
said the Prayer, "O God, Who forgivest
iniquity, &c.," (under 2,) with the
necessary alterations.
9. For a Man.
LORD, incline Thine ear unto the
0
prayers whereby we humbly call
upon Thee to show mercy unto the soul
of Thy servant N. (here express the
name) which it hath pleased Thee to
call out of this world, that it may please
Thee also to set him in a place of peace
and light, and give him a part with
Thy Saints. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
If the deceased were a Cardinal Dea-
con, is said "Thy servant the Cardinal
Deacon N."
10. For a Woman.
LORD, we beseech Thee in the tender-
ness of Thy great mercy, to have
pity upon the soul of Thine handmaid
N. (here express her name), purge her
from all defilements whereby in this
dying body she hath been befouled, and
give her inheritance in everlasting sal-
vation. Through our Lord JESUS Christ,
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
THE DIRGE.
When three Nocturns are said (as is
always the case on All Souls' Day) the
Antiphons throughout the Office are
doubled, and the Office commences with
Ps. xciv., and an Invitatory. Otherwise
it begins with the First Antiphon. If
one Nocturn be said, the First is said on
Mondays and Thursdays, the Second on
Tuesdays and Fridays, and the Third
on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Invitatory. Unto the [Eternal] King
all live.¹ * Ŏ come, let us worship Him!
Instead of the clause beginning “Glory,
&c.," is said, "O Lord, grant, &c."
1 Luke xx. 38.
1384
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
FIRST NOCTURN,
First Antiphon. Make my way straight
before Thy face, * O Lord my God.
Ps. v. Give ear, &c., (p. 97.)
Second Antiphon. Return, O LORD,
deliver my soul: * O save me for Thy
mercy's sake!
Ps. vi. O LORD, rebuke me not, &c.,
(p. 5.)
Third Antiphon. Lest he tear my
soul like a lion, while there is none
to deliver, or to save.
Ps. vii. O LORD my God, &c., (p. 6.)
Verse. From the gates of the grave
Answer. Deliver their souls, O Lord.
The Lord's Prayer is then said si-
lently, and then is begun immediately
the
First Lesson.¹
LORD! let me alone; for my days are
vanity. What is man, that Thou
shouldest magnify him? or that Thou
shouldest set Thine heart upon him?
Thou visitest him very early, and triest
him suddenly. How long wilt Thou not
depart from me, nor let me alone, till
I swallow down my spittle? I have
sinned; what shall I do unto Thee, O
Thou Preserver of men? Why hast
Thou set me as a mark against Thee, so
that I am a burden to myself? Why
dost Thou not pardon my transgression,
and take away mine iniquity? Behold!
now shall I sleep in the dust, and if
Thou shalt seek me in the morning, I
shall not be.
The Responsory is begun directly.
First Responsory.
I believe that my Redeemer liveth,
and that I shall stand up from the earth
at the latter day, and in my flesh shall
I see God my Saviour.
Verse. Whom I shall see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold, and not
another.
Answer. And in my flesh shall I see
God my Saviour.
Job vii. 16.
Second Lesson.2
MY soul is weary of my life; I will
leave my complaint upon myself;
I will speak in the bitterness of my
soul. I will say unto God: Do not
condemn me; show me wherefore Thou
judgest me thus. Doth it seem good
unto Thee that Thou shouldest maltreat
me, that Thou shouldest oppress the
work of Thine hands, and help the
counsel of the wicked? Hast Thou eyes
of flesh or seest Thou as man seeth?
Are Thy days as the days of man? Are
Thy years as the times of men, that
Thou inquirest after mine iniquity, and
searchest after my sin? Yet Thou
knowest that I have done no wrong,
but that there is none that can deliver
out of Thine hand.
Second Responsory.
Thou Who didst call up Lazarus from
the grave after that he had begun to
stink!-do Thou, O Lord, grant them
rest and a place of forgiveness.
Verse. Thou Who shalt come to judge
the quick and dead, and the world by
fire-
Answer. Do Thou, O Lord, grant
them rest and a place of forgiveness.
Third Lesson.
THINE hands have made me and fash-
ioned me together round about; and
dost Thou so suddenly destroy me? Re-
member, I beseech Thee, that Thou hast
made me as the clay, and that Thou
wilt bring me into the dust again. Hast
Thou not poured me out as milk, and
curdled me like cheese? Thou hast
clothed me with skin and flesh ; and
hast fenced me with bones and sinews.
Thou hast granted me life and favour,
and Thy visitation hath preserved my
spirit.
Third Responsory.
Lord, when Thou comest to judge the
earth, where shall I hide myself from
the face of Thy wrath? For I have
sinned greatly in my life.
2 Job x. 1.
THE OFFICE FOR THE DEAD.
1385
!
I
Verse. I dread my sins, I blush before
Thee-
I see the Great Tribunal set!
In fear and terror I implore Thee,
Forgive when soul and Judge are met!
Answer. For I have sinned greatly in
my life.
Verse. O Lord, grant them etenral
rest, and let the everlasting light shine
upon them.
Answer. For I have sinned greatly
in my life.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. He maketh me to
lie down * in green pastures.
Ps. xxii. The LORD is my Shepherd,
&c., (p. 125.)
Second Antiphon. Lord, remember
not the sins of my youth, * nor my
transgressions.
Ps. xxiv. Unto Thee, O LORD, &c.,
(p. 124.)
Third Antiphon. I believe that I
shall yet see the goodness of the LORD *
in the land of the living.
Ps. xxvi. The LORD is my light, &c.,
(p. 21.)
Verse. May the LORD set them with
princes.
Answer. Even with the princes of
His people.
Fourth Lesson.¹
ANSWER Thou me: how many are
mine iniquities and sins? Make
me to know my transgressions and of-
fences. Wherefore hidest Thou Thy
face, and holdest me for Thine enemy?
Dost Thou show forth Thy power against
a leaf driven to and fro by the wind?
And wilt Thou pursue the dry stubble?
For Thou writest bitter things against
me, and art fain to consume me with
the iniquities of my youth. Thou put-
test my feet in the stocks, and lookest
narrowly unto all my paths, and ob-
servest my footsteps, and as a rotten
thing I am to be consumed, and as a
garment that is moth-eaten.
Fourth Responsory.
Remember, O God, that my life is
1 Job xiii. 22.
wind. The eye of him that hath seen
me shall see me no more.
Verse. Out of the depths have I cried
unto Thee, O LORD! Lord, hear my
voice.
Answer. The eye of him that hath
seen me shall see me no more.
Fifth Lesson.2
MAN that is born of a woman is of
few days and full of trouble. He
cometh forth like a flower, and is cut
down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and
continueth not. And dost Thou think
it worthy to open Thine eyes upon such
an one, and to bring him into judgment
with Thee? Who can bring a clean
thing out of unclean seed? Is it not
Thou Who alone art? The days of man
are short, the number of his months is
with Thee: Thou hast appointed his
bounds that he cannot pass. Turn from
him for a little while, that he may rest,
till he shall accomplish, as an hireling,
his day.
Fifth Responsory.
Woe is me, O Lord! for I have sinned
greatly in my life. I am smitten: what
shall I do? Whither shall I flee but
unto Thee, O my God? Have mercy
upon me, when Thou comest at the
latter day.
Verse. My soul is sore vexed, but
Thou, O LORD, help me.
Answer. Have mercy upon me, when
Thou comest at the latter day.
Sixth Lesson.
THAT Thou wouldest hide me in
the grave, that Thou wouldest keep
me secret, until Thy wrath be past;
that Thou wouldest appoint me a set
time, and remember me. If a man die,
shall he live again? All the days
wherein I now toil, I am waiting till my
change come. Thou shalt call, and I
will answer Thee. Thou wilt stretch
forth Thy right hand unto the work of
Thine hands. Thou dost indeed num-
ber my steps, but be Thou merciful unto
my sins.
Sixth Responsory.
Hold not my sins in remembrance, O
2 Job xiv. 1.
1386
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
Lord, when Thou comest to judge the
world by fire.
Verse. Make my way straight before
Thy face, O Lord my God.
Answer. When Thou comest to judge
the world by fire.
Verse. O Lord, grant them eternal
rest, and let the everlasting light shine
upon them.
Answer. When Thou comest to judge
the world by fire.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Be pleased, O LORD,
to deliver me: * O LORD, look upon me
to help me.
Ps. xxxix. I waited patiently, &c.,
(p. 33.)
Second Antiphon. LORD, heal my
soul; * for I have sinned against Thee.
Ps. xl. Blessed is he, &c., (p. 34.)
Third Antiphon. My soul thirsteth
for the living God; * when shall I come
and appear before God?
Ps. xli. As the hart panteth, &c.,
(p. 34.)
Verse. O deliver not unto beasts the
souls of them that praise Thee!
Answer. And forget not the souls of
Thy poor for ever.
Seventh Lesson.¹
MY breath will wax feebler, and my
days fewer, and there is nothing
before me but the grave. I have not
sinned; yet mine eye remaineth in af-
fliction. Deliver me, O Lord, and set
me beside Thee; and let any man's
hand fight against me. My days are
past, my purposes are broken off, and
are but vexation to my spirit. They
change the night into day, and again,
God, have mercy upon me, and save me,
for in hell there is no redemption.
Verse. Save me, O God, by Thy Name,
and judge me in Thy strength.
Answer. O God, have mercy upon me,
and save me, for in hell there is no re-
demption.
Eighth Lesson.2
Mr
MY flesh is consumed, my bone cleav-
eth unto my skin, and there re-
maineth not round my teeth save the
skin of my lips. Have pity upon me,
have pity upon me, at least ye that are
my friends, for the hand of the Lord
hath touched me. Why do ye perse-
cute me as God, and glut yourselves
upon my flesh? O that my words were
now written! O that they were inscribed
in a book with an iron pen, or cut in
lead, or graven with a chisel upon the
flinty rock! For I know that my Re-
deemer liveth, and that I shall stand up
from the earth at the latter day, and in
my flesh shall I see God; Whom I shall
see for myself, and mine eyes shall be-
hold, and not another. This is mine
hope that is laid up in my bosom.
Eighth Responsory.
O Lord, judge me not according to my
works; for I have done nothing that
can be counted in respect of Thee. I
beseech Thy Majesty therefore, that
Thou wouldest blot out my transgres-
sions, O God.
Verse. Lord, wash me thoroughly
from mine iniquity and cleanse me from
my sin.
Answer. Blot out my transgressions,
O God.
Ninth Lesson.³
after the darkness I hope for light. If WHEREFORE hast Thou brought
I wait, the grave is mine house; I have
made my bed in the darkness. I have
said to corruption: Thou art my father
-to the worm: Thou art my mother,
and my sister. Where therefore is now
my hope? As for my patience, who
shall consider it ?
Seventh Responsory.
Forasmuch as I sin daily, and repent
not, the fear of death troubleth me.
1 Job xvii. 1.
0
me forth out of the womb? O
that I had perished, and no eye had seen
me! I should have been as though I
had not been-I should have been car-
ried from the womb to the grave. Are
not my days few? Let me alone then,
that I may comfort myself a little in
my sorrow, before I go whence I shall
not return, even to the land of darkness
and the shadow of death, a land of cheer-
lessness and darkness, where the night
of death dwelleth, without any order,
2 Job xix. 20.
8 Job x. 18.
THE GRADUAL PSALMS.
1387
but shapelessness and dreadfulness of
darkness for ever.
Ninth Responsory when three Nocturns
have been said.
Deliver me, O Lord, from eternal
death in that awful day when the hea-
vens and the earth shall be shaken,¹
and Thou shalt come to judge the world
by fire.
Verse. Quaking and dread take hold
upon me, when I look for the coming of
the trial and the wrath to come.
Answer. When the heavens and the
earth shall be shaken.
Verse. That day is a day of wrath, of
wasteness and desolation, a great day
and exceeding bitter.2
Answer. When Thou shalt come to
judge the world by fire.
Verse. O Lord, grant them eternal
rest, and let the everlasting light shine
upon them!
Answer. Deliver me, O Lord, from
eternal death in that awful day, when
the heavens and the earth shall be
shaken, and Thou shalt come to judge
the world by fire.
Ninth Responsory when only one Noc-
turn has been said.
Deliver me from the ways of hell, O
Lord, Who didst break the gates of brass
in sunder, and didst descend into hell,
and give them light, that they that sat
in affliction and darkness might behold
Thee.
Verse. Crying and saying, Thou hast
come, O our Redeemer-
Answer. That they that sat in afflic-
tion and darkness might behold Thee.
Verse. O Lord, grant them eternal
rest, and let the everlasting light shine
upon them!
Answer. That they that sat in afflic-
tion and darkness might behold Thee.
Lauds begin at once with the
First Antiphon. The bones which
Thou hast broken * may rejoice.
Ps. 1. Have mercy upon me, &c., (p.
96.)
Second Antiphon. Lord, hear * my
prayer; unto Thee shall all flesh come.
Ps. lxiv. Praise becometh Thee, &c.,
(p. 102.)
Third Antiphon. Thy right hand *
upholdeth me.
Pss. lxii. lxvi. O God, Thou art my
God, &c., (p. 86.)
Fourth Antiphon. From the gates of
the grave
* deliver my soul, O Lord.
Song of Hezekiah. I said, &c., (p.
101.)
Fifth Antiphon. Let everything that
hath breath * praise the LORD.
Pss. cxlviii. cxlix. cl. Praise ye the
LORD, &c., (p. 88.)
After the Fifth Antiphon the service
proceeds directly thus:
Answer. I heard a voice from heaven
saying unto me:
Verse. Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord.
Antiphon. ³I am the resurrection and
the life: * he that believeth in Me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live
and whosoever liveth and believeth in
Me shall never die.
The Song of Zacharias.
After the repetition of the Antiphon,
all kneel down, and the service ends as
at Vespers, except that, if Ps. cxlv. have
been said at Vespers, now is said instead
Ps. cxxix. "Out of the depths, &c.,"
(p. 99.)
The Gradual Psalms.
The Gradual Psalms are said every
Wednesday in Lent, except the Wednes-
day in Holy Week. In Choir they are
said before the Mattins of the day; out
of Choir, whenever convenient.
1 Haggai ii. 6.
No Antiphon is said with these
Psalms.
At the end of the first five, the Hymn
"Glory be to the Father, &c.," is not
said.
2 Zeph. i. 15.
3 John xi. 25, 26.
1388
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
Ps. cxix. In my distress, &c., (p.
154.)
Ps. cxx. I will lift up mine eyes, &c.,
(p. 154.)
Ps. cxxi. I was glad, &c., (p. 156.)
Ps. cxxii. Unto Thee lift I up, &c.,
(p. 157.)
Ps. cxxiii. If it had not been the
LORD, &c., (p. 157.)
O Lord, grant them eternal rest, and
let the everlasting light shine upon
them.
Then all kneel, and the Lord's Prayer
is said inaudibly, except the words "Our
Father" and the termination-
And lead us not into temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from evil.
Verse. From the gates of the grave.
Answer. Deliver their souls, O Lord!
Verse. May they rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let us pray.
LORD, we beseech Thee to loosen the
souls of Thy men-servants and of
Thy maid-servants, even the souls of
all Thy faithful children from all bonds
soever wherewith their transgressions
have bound them, and grant unto them
to live and breathe again among all Thy
Saints and elect, in a glorious resurrec-
tion. Through Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
Then are said the next five, and at
the end of each the Hymn, "Glory be
to the Father, &c."
Ps. cxxiv. They that trust in the
LORD, &c., (p. 157.)
Ps. cxxv. When the LORD turned,
&c., (p. 158.)
Ps. cxxvi. Except the LORD build,
&c., (p. 158.)
Ps. cxxvii. Blessed is every one, &c.,
(p. 159.)
Ps. cxxviii. Many a time, &c., (p.
159.)
Then all kneel.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Our Father (the Lord's Prayer is con-
tinued inaudibly till the termination)
And lead us not into temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from evil.
Verse. Remember Thy congrega-
tion.
Answer. Which Thou hast purchased
of old.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Whose property is ever to
have mercy and to forgive, receive
our humble petitions, and grant that we
and all Thy servants who are bound by
the chain of sin, may, by the tenderness
of Thy pity, mercifully be absolved.
Through Christ our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
Then are said the next five, and at
the end of each the Hymn, "Glory be
to the Father, &c."
Ps. cxxix. Out of the depths, &c., (p.
99.)
Ps. cxxx. LORD, my heart is not
haughty, &c., (p. 160.)
Ps. cxxxi. LORD, remember David,
&c., (p. 160.)
Ps. cxxxii. Behold, how good, &c.,
(p. 161.)
Ps. cxxxiii. Behold, now, bless ye,
&c., (p. 173.)
Then all kneel.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Our Father (the Lord's Prayer is con-
tinued inaudibly till the termination)
And lead us not into temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from evil.
Verse. O Thou my God, save Thy ser-
vants.
Answer. That trust in Thee.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
Let us pray.
STRETCH forth, O Lord, over all Thy
men-servants and Thy maid-ser-
vants the right arm of Thy help from
heaven, that they may seek Thee with all
their heart, and what they ask worthily
may obtain effectually. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
THE PENITENTIAL PSALMS AND LITANY.
1389
The Seven Penitential Psalms and the Litany.
These are said kneeling every Friday
in Lent except Good Friday, and the
Litany alone (without the Seven Psalms)
on St. Mark's Day, April 25-and on
the three Rogation Days. In Lent they
are said in Choir after Lauds (imme-
diately after V. Bless we the Lord. R.
Thanks be to God.) Out of Choir, when
convenient.
Glory be to the Father, &c., is said
after each Psalm.
Antiphon. Remember not.
Ps. vi. O LORD, rebuke me not, &c.,
(p. 5.)
Ps. xxxi. Blessed are they, &c., (p.
24.)
Ps. xxxvii. O LORD, rebuke me not,
&c., (p. 30.)
Ps. 1. Have mercy upon me, &c., (p.
96.)
Ps. ci. Hear my prayer, &c., (p. 75.)
Ps. cxxix. Out of the depths, &c., (p.
99.)
Ps. cxlii. Hear my prayer, &c., (p.
107.)
Antiphon. 'Remember not, Lord, our
offences, nor the offences of our fore-
fathers; neither take Thou vengeance
of our sins.
THE LITANY.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
O Christ, hear us.
Graciously hear us, O Christ.
O God the Father, of heaven,
O God the Son, Redeemer of the
world,
O God the Holy Ghost,
O Holy Trinity, One God,
Holy Mary,
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Holy Michael,
Holy Gabriel,
Holy Raphael,
upon us.
Pray for us.
Have mercy
O all ye holy Angels and Arch-
angels,
Ŏ all ye holy Orders of blessed
0
spirits,
Holy John the Baptist,
Holy Joseph,
O all ye holy Patriarchs and Pro-
phets;
Holy Peter,
Holy Paul,
Holy Andrew,
Holy James,
Holy John,
Holy Thomas,
Holy James,
Holy Philip,
Holy Bartholomew,
Holy Matthew,
Holy Simon,
Holy Thaddeus,
Holy Matthias,
Holy Barnabas,
Holy Luke,
Holy Mark,
O all ye holy Apostles and Evan-
gelists,
O all ye holy Disciples of the
Lord,
O all ye holy Innocents,
Holy Stephen,
Holy Lawrence,
Holy Vincent,
Holy Fabian and Sebastian,
Holy John and Paul,
Holy Cosmas and Damian,
Holy Gervase and Protase,
O all ye holy Martyrs,
Holy Silvester,
Holy Gregory,
Holy Ambrose,
Holy Austin,
Holy Jerome,
Holy Martin,
Holy Nicolas,
O all ye holy Bishops and Con-
fessors,
O all ye holy Teachers,
Holy Anthony,
Holy Benedict,
Holy Bernard,
Holy Dominick,
Pray for
us.
1 Tobias iii. 3.
1390
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
*
Holy Francis,
O all ye holy Priests and Levites,
O all ye holy Monks and Her-
mits,
Holy Mary Magdalen,
Holy Agatha,
Holy Lucy,
Holy Agnes,
Holy Cecily,
Holy Katharine,
Holy Anastasia,
O all ye holy Virgins and Wi-
dows,
Pray for us.
O all ye holy men and women, chil-
dren of God,
Make intercession for us.
Be merciful,
Spare us, O Lord.
hear us, O Lord.
Be merciful,
Graciously
From all evil,
From all sin,
From Thy wrath,
From sudden and unprovided
death,
From the snares of the devil,
From the spirit of uncleanness,
From lightning and tempest,
From the scourge of earthquake,
From pestilence, famine, and
war,
From everlasting death,
Through the mystery of Thine
holy Incarnation,
Through Thy coming,
Through Thy Birth,
Through Thy Baptism and holy
Fasting,
Through Thy Cross and Suffer-
ing,
Through Thy Death and Burial,
Through Thine holy Rising again,
Through Thy wonderful Ascen-
sion,
Through the coming of the Holy
Ghost, the Comforter,
In the day of judgment,
We sinners,
to
Do beseech Thee to hear us.
That Thou wouldest spare us,
That Thou wouldest pardon us,
That it may please Thee
bring us unto true repentance,
That it may please Thee to rule
and preserve Thy holy Church,
That it may please Thee to pre-
serve our Apostolic Lord, and all
orders of the Church in holy reli-
gion,
We beseech Thee to
O Lord, deliver us.
hear us.
That it may please Thee to
bring down the enemies of Thy holy
Church,
That it may please Thee to give
peace and true concord unto all
Christian Kings and Princes,
That it may please Thee to give
peace and unity to all Christian
nations,
That it may please Thee to
strengthen and preserve us in Thy
holy Service,
That Thou wouldest raise up our
minds to heavenly desires,
That Thou wouldest reward with
eternal good all them who do good
to us,
That Thou wouldest deliver our
souls, and the souls of our brethren,
kinsfolk and benefactors, from eter-
nal damnation,
That it may please Thee to give
and preserve to our use the fruits
of the earth,
That it may please Thee to grant
eternal rest unto all the faithful
departed,
That it may please Thee gra-
ciously to hear us,
Son of God,
We beseech Thee to hear us.
O Lamb of God, That takest away the
sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
O Lamb of God, That takest away the
sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
O Lamb of God, That takest away the
sins of the world,
Have mercy upon us.
O Christ, hear us.
Graciously hear us, O Christ.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Our Father, (the Lord's Prayer is
continued inaudibly till the termination.)
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from evil.
MAK
Psalm LXIX.
AKE haste, O God, to deliver me :
make haste to help me, O LORD.
Let them be ashamed and confounded,
*that seek after my soul.
Let them be turned backward and put
*
to confusion, that desire my hurt.
Let them be turned back with shame,
* that say unto me: Aha, aha.
THE PENITENTIAL PSALMS AND LITANY.
1391
Let all those that seek Thee be joyful
and glad in Thee, * and let such as love
Thy salvation say continually: Let the
Lord be magnified.
But I am and needy: * help me,
poor
O God.
Thou art my help and deliverer: * 0
LORD, make no tarrying.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
As it was in the beginning, &c.
Verse. ¹0 Thou, my God, save Thy
servants,
Answer. That trust in Thee.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Whose property is ever to have
mercy and to forgive, receive our
humble petitions, and grant that we and
all Thy servants who are bound by the
chain of sin, may, by the tenderness of
Thy pity, mercifully be absolved.
LORD, we beseech Thee graciously
to hear our humble petitions, and
spare all those who confess their sins
unto Thee, granting us in Thy goodness
pardon and peace.
Verse. Lord, be Thou unto us a strong BE graciously pleased, O Lord, to show
tower
Answer. From the enemy.
Verse. Let the enemy prevail no-
thing against us.
Answer. Nor the son of wickedness
afflict us.
Verse. +Deal not Thou with us after
our sins.
Answer. Nor reward us according to
our iniquities.
Verse. Let us pray for our Bishop.5
Answer. "The Lord preserve him, and
quicken him, and make him to be
blessed upon the earth, and deliver him
not unto the will of his enemies.
Verse. Let us pray for them who have
done good to us.
Answer. May it please Thee, O Lord,
to reward with eternal life all them
who do good to us for Thy Name's sake.
Amen.
Verse. Let us pray for the faithful
departed.
Answer. O Lord, grant them eternal
rest, and let the everlasting light shine
upon them.
Verse. May they rest in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Let us pray for our absent
brethren.
Answer. O Thou my God, save Thy
servants that trust in Thee.
Verse. "O Lord, send them help from
the sanctuary.
Answer. Ånd strengthen them out of
Zion.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O Lord.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
1 Ps. lxxxv. 2.
forth upon us Thine unspeakable
mercy, ridding us from all sin, and
therewithal delivering us from all pains
which for the same we do justly de-
serve.
O
GOD, Whom sin doth justly move to
anger, and repentance turn again,
mercifully to forgive the same, look down
now graciously upon the supplications of
Thy people praying before Thee, and
turn away the scourges of Thy wrath,
which for our sins, we do most right-
fully deserve.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
0
have pity upon Thy servant our
Bishop N., (here name the Pope,) and
order his goings according to Thy mercy
in the paths of eternal salvation, that
by the gift of Thy grace, he may ever
seek such things as please Thee, and
with all his strength fulfil the same.
GOD, from Whom all holy desires,
all good counsels, and all just works
do proceed; give unto Thy servants that
peace which the world cannot give, that
both our hearts may be set to obey Thy
commandments, and also that by Thee
we being defended from the fear of our
enemies, may pass our time in rest and
quietness.
LORD, burn our reins and our hearts
with the fire of Thy Holy Spirit,
that we may serve Thee with chaste
bodies and pure minds.
GOD, Who art Thyself at once the
Maker and the Redeemer of all Thy
faithful ones, grant unto the souls of
4 Ps. cii. 10.
3 Ps. lxxxviii. 23.
5 Pontifex. This being the Roman Breviary, the Pope is understood to be meant.
6 Ps. xl. 3.
2. Ps. lx. 4.
7 Ps. xix. 3.
4 Y
1392
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
Thy servants and handmaids remission
of all their sins, making of our entrea-
ties unto our Great Father a mean
whereby they may have that forgive-
ness which they have ever longed for.
PREVENT us, O Lord, we beseech
Thee, in all our doings, with Thy
gracious inspiration, and further us
with Thy continual help, that every
prayer and work of ours may begin from
Thee, and by Thee be duly ended.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Who art Lord both of the living
and of the dead, and hast mercy upon
all whom Thou fore-knowest shall by
faith and work be Thine, we most
humbly beseech on behalf of all for
whom we have a mind to pray, whether
they be yet entangled in the flesh in
this present world, or whether they be
already rid of the body, and entered into
that world which for us is still to come,
that all Thy holy children may pray for
them, and that the pitifulness of Thy
mercy may grant unto them the forgive-
ness of all their trespasses. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. May the almighty and mer-
ciful Lord graciously hear us.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. And may the souls of the
faithful, through the mercy of God, rest
in peace.
Answer. Amen.
Grace before and after Meat.
Before dinner, he who blesses the meal
says:
Verse. Bless ye—
Answer. Bless ye.
Then he says:
'The eyes of all—
And the rest continue:
Wait upon Thee, O Lord, and Thou
givest them their meat in due season.
Thou openest Thine hand, and fillest all
things living with plenteousness.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, &c.
Answer. As it was, &c.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Our Father, (inaudibly till the last
words,)
And lead us not into temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from evil.
Let us pray.
BLESS us, O Lord, and these Thy
gifts, which we are about to re-
1 Ps. cxliv. 15, 16.
ceive from Thy bounty. Through Christ
our Lord.
Answer. Amen.
Reader. Sir, be pleased to give the
blessing.
The Blessing.
May the King of eternal glory make
us to be partakers at His table in heaven.
Answer. Amen.
At the end of dinner, the Reader con-
cludes, saying:
us.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. May all Thy works praise
Thee, O LORD!
Answer. And let Thy Saints bless
Thee!
Verse. Glory be to the Father, &c.
Answer. As it was, &c.
We give Thee thanks, O Almighty
God, for all Thy mercies. Who livest
and reignest for ever and ever.
Answer. Amen.
Then is said alternately either Ps. 1.,
2 Ps. cxliv. 10.
GRACE BEFORE AND AFTER MEAT.
1393
"Have mercy upon me, &c.," (p. 96,) or
Ps. cxvi. "O praise the LORD, &c.,” (p.
154.) Then:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, &c.
Answer. As it was, &c.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Our Father, (inaudibly till the last
words,)
And lead us not into temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from evil.
Verse. ¹He hath dispersed, he hath
given to the poor-
Answer. His righteousness endureth
for ever.
Verse. I will bless the LORD at all
times-
Answer. His praise shall continually
be in my mouth.
Verse. My soul shall make her boast
in the LORD-
Answer. The humble shall hear there-
of and be glad.
Verse. O magnify the LORD with
me-
Answer. And let us exalt His Name
together.
Verse. Blessed be the Name of the
LORD!-
Answer. From this time forth and
for evermore!
May it please Thee, O Lord, to reward
with eternal life all them who do good
to us for Thy Name's sake.
Answer. Amen.
Verse. Bless we the Lord.
Answer. Thanks be to God.
Verse. May the souls of the faithful,
through the mercy of God, rest in
peace.
Answer. Amen.
The Lord's Prayer is again said, in-
audibly throughout, and then:
God grant us His peace.
Answer, Amen.
At supper the form is the same, except
the following:
Text at the beginning (Ps. xxi. 27.)
The poor shall eat-
And be satisfied, and they shall praise
the LORD that seek Him: their heart
shall live for ever.
1 Ps. cxi. 9.
4 Ps. cx. 4.
Blessing.
May the King of eternal glory bring
us to sup with Him in eternal life.
At the end:
Verse. He hath made a memorial of
His wonderful works.
Answer. The LORD is gracious and
full of compassion: He hath given meat
unto them that fear Him.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, &c.
Answer. As it was, &c.
5God is blessed in all His gifts, and
holy in all His works.
Answer. Amen.
And Ps. cxvi. is always said.
On some days the form is special, as
follows:
Note 1. These special passages are
used both at dinner and supper.
Note 2. On a Fast-day, the single
meal allowed is supper.
Note 3. It is always allowed to sub-
stitute Psalm cxvi. for the special Psalm
appointed, except on Maundy Thursday
and Good Friday.
1. From supper on Christmas Eve to
dinner on Jan. 5, both inclusive.
Text at the beginning (John i. 14.)
The Word was made Flesh, Alle-
luia,-
And dwelt among us. Alleluia.
At the end:
Verse. The LORD hath made known.
Alleluia,-
Answer. His salvation.
Alleluia.
Ps. xcvii. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 74.)
2. From supper on Jan. 5 to supper
on Jan. 13, both inclusive:
Text at the beginning (Ps. Ixxi. 10.)
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
shall bring presents. Alleluia-
The kings of Arabia and Saba shall
offer gifts. Alleluia.
2 Ps. xxxiii. 2-4.
5 Cf. Ps. cxliv. 17.
3 Ps. cxii. 2.
4Y2
1394
THE ADDITIONAL SERVICES.
At the end:
Verse. All they from Saba shall
come. Alleluia—
Answer. They shall bring gold and
incense. Alleluia.
Ps. lxxi. Give the King, &c., (p. 55.)
3. At supper on Maundy Thursday,
nothing is said except the following :
At the beginning (without any
ye, &c.")
"Bless
Christ, for our sakes, became obedient
unto death.
Then the Lord's Prayer is said in-
audibly throughout, and afterwards the
sign of the Cross is made silently.
If there be reading, nothing is said
by the Reader before or after, and no
blessing, &c.
At the end:
Christ for our sakes, &c.
Then Ps. 1., (p. 96,) without "Glory,
&c."
Then the Lord's Prayer is said in-
audibly throughout.
Then the Prayer, "Lord, we beseech
Thee, &c.," (p. 440,) the last clause,
"Who liveth, &c.," being said inau-
dibly.
Then the Lord's Prayer again in-
audibly throughout.
4. At supper on Good Friday, the
same, except that the words, "even the
death of the Cross" are added to the
(6 Christ, for our sakes, &c."
5. Supper on Holy Saturday is as
usual, with the following:
Text at the beginning. (Matth.
xxviii. 1.)
But in the end of the Sabbath,
As it began to dawn toward the first
day of the week, Alleluia-Came Mary
Magdalene, and the other Mary, to see
the sepulchre. Alleluia.
1 Isa. Ix. 6.
At the end the same is repeated as
V. and R.
6. From dinner on Easter Day to
dinner on the next Saturday, both in-
clusive.
Text at the beginning. (Ps. cxvii. 24.)
This is the day which the LORD hath
made, Alleluia-
Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Al-
leluia.
At the end, the same is repeated as
V. and R.
Ps. cxvii. O give thanks, &c., (p.
115.)
7. From supper on Rogation Wed-
nesday to supper on Friday before
Whitsun Day, both inclusive.
Text at the beginning. (Ps. xlvi. 6.)
God is gone up with a shout, Alle-
luia-
And the LORD with the sound of a
trumpet. Alleluia.
At the end:
Verse. When Christ ascended up on
high-Alleluia.
Answer. He led captivity captive-
Alleluia.
Ps. xlvi. O clap your hands, &c., (p.
37.)
8. From supper on Whitsun Eve to
supper on the Friday following, both
inclusive.
Text at the beginning. (Wisd. i. 7.)
The Spirit of the Lord filleth the
world, Alleluia-
And That Which containeth all things
hath knowledge of the voice. Alleluia.
At the end:
Verse. They were all filled with the
Holy Ghost. Alleluia.
Answer. And began to speak. Alle-
luia.
Ps. xlvii. Great is the LORD, &c., (p.
38.)
2 Eph. iv. 8.
3 Acts ii. 4.
PRAYERS FOR A JOURNEY.
1395
Prayers for a Journey.
These Prayers are said immediately
after starting. If one person say them
by himself, the Singular Number is
used.
Antiphon. May the Lord, the Al-
mighty and Merciful, lead us—
Song of Zacharias. Blessed be the
Lord, &c., (p. 91.)
Antiphon. May the Lord, the Al-
mighty and Merciful, lead us into the
way of peace and prosperity, and may
the angel Raphael be with us in the
way, that we may come to our home
again in peace, and health, and glad-
ness.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Our Father (inaudibly till the last
words)
And lead us not into temptation.
Answer. But deliver us from evil.
Verse. 10 Thou my God, save Thy
servants,
Answer. That trust in Thee.
Verse. 20 Lord, send us help from the
sanctuary.
Answer. And strengthen us out of
Zion.
Verse. Lord, be Thou unto us a
strong tower,
Answer. From the enemy.
Verse. Let the enemy prevail no-
thing against us,
Answer. Nor the son of wickedness
afflict us.
Verse. Blessed be the Lord daily.
Answer. The God of our salvation
maketh our way prosperous.
Verse. Show us Thy ways, O LORD.
Answer. And teach us Thy paths.
Verse. 70 that our ways were di-
rected,
Answer. To keep Thy statutes.
Verse. The crooked shall be made
straight.
Answer. And the rough places plain.
Verse. God hath given His Angels
charge over thee.
Answer. To keep thee in all thy
ways.
Verse. Hear my prayer, O LORD.
1 Ps. lxxxv. 2.
• Ps. lxxxviii. 23.
7 Ps. cxviii, 5.
Answer. And let my cry come unto
Thee.
0
Let us pray.
GOD, Who madest the children of
Israël to walk with dry feet through
the midst of the sea, and Who didst
open unto the three wise men, by the
guiding of a star, the way that led unto
Thee, grant us good speed, and quiet-
ness, that Thine holy Angel may be
with us, and that we may happily come
thither whither we would, now, and, in
the end, unto the haven of eternal sal-
vation.
0
GOD, Who didst call Thy servant
Abraham out of Ur of the Chal-
dees, and didst keep him from evil
through all the ways of his pilgrimage,
we beseech Thee, that it may please
Thee to keep us Thy servants. Be Thou
unto us,
O Lord, an help when we go
forward, a comfort by the way, a sha-
dow from the heat, a covering from the
rain and the cold, a chariot in weari-
ness, a refuge in trouble, a staff in slip-
pery paths, an haven in shipwreck. Do
Thou lead us, that we may happily come
thither where we would be, and there-
after come again safe unto our own
home.
RACIOUSLY hear our supplications,
GR
O Lord, we beseech Thee, and order
the goings of Thy servants in the safe
path that leadeth unto salvation in
Thee, that amidst all the manifold
changes of this life's pilgrimage, Thy
shield may never cease from us.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that Thy family may fare on-
ward in the path of salvation, and by
giving heed to the preaching of the
blessed Fore-runner John, may safely
attain unto Him Whom John preached,
even our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
Verse. Let us go on in peace.
Answer. In the name of the Lord.
Amen.
2 Ps. xix. 3.
5 Ps. lxvii. 20.
8 Isa. xl. 4.
3 Ps. lx. 4.
6 Ps. xxiv. 4.
9 Ps. xc. 7.
General Appendix.
DECEMBER 1.
Second Day within the Octave of
St. Andrew.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the fol-
lowing.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Peter Chrysologus, Archbishop
of Ravenna.] (Sermon 133.)
THIS day is well called the day of
blessed Andrew's birth, whereon
indeed he came not forth out of his
mother's womb into this life that now
is, but whereon, having been conceived
in faith, he was born through martyr-
dom into glory; whereon he lay not
down wailing in his mother's cradle, but
entered with unspeakable joy into the
unseen mansions above; whereon he
sucked not from his mother's breast a
feeble nourishment of milk, but like a
loyal soldier, shed his brave blood for
his King. And he is alive; for the
fighters in the heavenly warfare are the
slayers of death.
Fifth Lesson.
ERE in death he followeth the Lord
HER
passionately and hungrily; he
straineth every nerve to follow in the
Lord's Foot-prints, lest in the race he
should fall behind his brother [Peter,]
who had been his like by nature, his
comrade by calling, and his peer by
grace. Together had the brothers, at
one word from the Lord, left their fa-
ther, their home, and their goods. To-
gether had they unweariedly devoted
themselves to Christ, in toil, in shame,
in journeying, in insult, in watching.
Once only, when the Lord was suffering,
had Andrew forsaken Him and fled, and
then he fell not alone, for Peter denied.
But upon this let us be silent. The bre-
thren committed divers faults, but re-
ceived alike the same forgiveness.
Sixth Lesson.
THAT Cross which had once scared
them, was afterward the object
whereunto both hasted with all their
strength, that as it had once led them
into guilt, it might now be made a step-
ping-stone to heaven, the mean of a re-
ward and a crown. Peter goeth up upon
the cross, Andrew upon the tree, that
they who leapt for joy to suffer with
Christ, might in their own persons show
forth the likeness of His Passion, the
redeemed of His tree be perfected for
the palm. And thus doth our Andrew,
though he yield to Peter in place of
honour, come behind him neither in his
reward nor in his works.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (iv. 18.)
AT that time: JESUS, walking by the
sea of Galilee, saw two brethren,
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
1398
GENERAL APPENDIX.
brother, casting a net into the sea. And
so on.
Homily by Pope St. Gregory [the
Great.] (5th on the Gospels.)
He gave up much who, with all that
he had, gave up also all desire to have
aught. They that follow [the Lord]
give up as much as they that follow
Him not are able to desire. Let no one,
then, when he seeth another give up
much, say within himself: I would fain
follow the despisers of the world, but I
have nothing to give up. My brethren,
ye give up much if ye give up earthly
desires.
Eighth Lesson.
LITTLE though our outward sacrifice
may be, it is enough for the Lord,
"for the Lord seeth not as man seeth,
for man looketh on the outward appear-
ance, but the LORD looketh on the heart,"
(1 Kings xvi. 7,) and He considereth,
not the intrinsic worth of the offering,
but the intention of the offerer. If we
look to the outward aspect only, behold,
these holy purchasers acquired unto
themselves to live everlastingly among
Angels at the price of a ship and some
nets. The Lord regardeth not the worth
of what thou payest, but only what love
thou hast for the kingdom of God.
Ninth Lesson.
OF great worth for Zaccheus was the
half of his goods, for he kept the
other half wherefrom to restore four-
fold to any man from whom he had
taken anything by false accusation.
(Luke xix. 8.) Of great worth for Peter
and Andrew were the nets and the ship
which they left. Of great worth for the
poor widow were the two mites (Luke
xxi. 1-4.) Of great worth is the cup
of cold water. (Matth. x. 42.) What-
soever thou hast, be it little or be it
much, is worth the kingdom of God.
Vespers are of St. Bibiana, from the
Chapter inclusive.
DECEMBER 5.
Sixth Day within the Octave of
St. Andrew.
All as the Feast except that the An-
tiphons are not doubled, and the follow-
ing.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
WAS
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
AS it a man, my brethren, that so
spake? or was it an Angel? or
was it some new kind of creature? It
was a man subject to like passions as
we are. (James v. 17.) That he could
suffer is shown by those actual suffer-
ings whose approach made him so to
leap for joy. Whence came in man this
strange delight, this unheard of merri-
ment? Whence came into our weak-
ness auch strength? Whence came into
man a mind so spiritual, love so burn-
ing, a soul so great? God forbid that
we should attribute his strength to him-
self. "Every good gift and every per-
fect is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights," (James i.
17,) even from Him "Who only doeth
wondrous things." (Ps. lxxi. 18.)
Fifth Lesson.
SURELY and certainly, dearly beloved
brethren, Andrew's strength was
from that Spirit Who "helpeth our in-
firmities," (Rom. viii. 26,) and by Whom
"the love of God is shed abroad in our
hearts," (v. 5,) a long strong as death,
(Cant. viii. 6,) yea, stronger than death.
(Can
would to God that we also might be
found partakers in that Spirit! Were
He with us, without doubt He would
help our infirmities, and, as He made
the Cross and even death itself welcome
to blessed Andrew, so would He make
for us toil and penance to be not only
not irksome, but even most sweet, yea,
and altogether lovely. (Cant. v. 16.)
"For My Spirit," saith the Lord, "is
1 I.e. the address of St. Andrew to the Cross.
1
OCTAVE OF ST. ANDREW.
1399
sweet above honey," (Ecclus. xxiv. 27,)
so sweet that it can take the bitterness
out of that exceeding bitter thing, death.
HAY
Sixth Lesson.
APPY is that soul which maketh
her boast and her triumph in the
Cross, only so as she continue to cleave
thereto, and can be cast down by no
trials. If any man be on the Cross, let
him pray,
let him pray with blessed An-
drew to his Lord and Teacher, not to
suffer him to be taken down therefrom.
For what will not the evil one dare?
what will not the wicked one be bold
enough to attempt? That which he did
to the disciple by the hands of Egeas,
that had he imagined to do to the Master
by the tongues of the Jews. And in
both cases he repented when it was too
late, and fled overcome and confounded.
And so may he fly from us, conquered
by Him Who triumphed both in His
Own Person and in that of His disciple.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (iv. 18.)
AT
T that time: JESUS, walking by the
Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren,
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea. And
so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow]. (Comment. on Mark i. 6.)
These were the first who were called
to follow the Lord. Unlettered fishers
were sent to preach, to the end that the
faith of believers "should not stand in
the wisdom of men, but in the power of
God." (1 Cor. ii. 5.) But a question may,
arise, as to a discrepancy between the
narrative of Matthew and Mark, and
that of Luke. For Matthew and Mark
(i. 16--20) say that the Lord first called
Peter and Andrew, "and when He had
gone a little farther thence, He saw
James the son of Zebedee, and John his
brother, and straightway He called
them." Whereas Luke saith (v. 4-11)
that Peter and Andrew "enclosed a
great multitude of fishes, and their net
brake; and they beckoned unto their
•
•
•
•
partners, which were in the other ship,
that they should come and help them.
And they came and filled both the ships
When Simon Peter saw it . . . he
was astonished and so were also
James and John, the sons of Zebedee,
which were partners with Simon.
And when they had brought their ships
to land, they forsook all, and followed
Him."
Eighth Lesson.
HENCE we must understand that
these two narratives relate to two
different occasions, whereof that recorded
in Luke was the earlier, and that the
Lord did not upon that occasion call
them, but merely foretold to Peter that
he should from thenceforth catch men.
This is not said in that place so as to
imply that he was thenceforth to cease
to catch fish; nay, even after the Re-
surrection of the Lord we read that
Peter went a-fishing. (John xxi. 13.)
Therefore was it said that thenceforth
he should catch men, not that thence-
forth he should not catch fish.
Ninth Lesson.
WE are therefore given to understand
from Luke that after the event
recorded by him they went back again
to catch fish as usual, before that took
place which is told by Matthew and
Mark, namely, the Lord's calling, first
Peter and Andrew, and then the two
sons of Zebedee, and bidding them fol-
low Him. For on the first occasion they
drew their ships to the land, as though
to have them ready on their return, but
on the second they followed Him as One
Who called and commanded them to
come after Him.
DECEMBER 7.
Octave Day of St. Andrew.
All as on the Feast, except the fol-
lowing.
FIRST VESPERS.
These, as regards St. Andrew, begin
with the Chapter.
All as the First Vespers of the Feast.
1400
GENERAL APPENDIX.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
(For St. Andrew's Eve.)
0
WITH what joy of the whole earth
should be proclaimed so fresh a
marvel, so astounding a work of God's
power! Andrew was a man subject to
like passions as we are, (James v. 17,)
and yet when he saw the cross which
had been made ready for him at hand,
he was seized with such a yearning for
it, he bounded with such an unearthly
joy, unknown for ages, that he cried
out and said, "O precious Cross, of a
long time have I desired thee, and, now
that thou art made ready for me, my
soul is drawn to thee, and I come to
thee in peace and gladness; thou
also oughtest to welcome me with joy."
See ye how that his gladness made him
beside himself, to cry out, "Thou also
oughtest to welcome me with joy."
Fifth Lesson.
WAS there then such an outburst of
gladness that it could infect the
very cross itself, take away all its dead-
liness and make it all happy? But in-
deed can any say that it is more con-
trary to experience, reason, and nature
to find happiness felt by the cross, than
to find it felt by the crucified? To the
cross nature hath denied the power to
feel glad, in the crucified whatever
power she hath is to destroy all gladness
and inspire grief. Brethren, what spake
from Andrew's mouth was not a tongue
but a quivering flame of fire, or if in-
deed it were a tongue, a tongue of fire.
From above had Christ sent fire into
his bones, (Lam. i. 13,) and these words
are coals kindled at it. And would that
to us they might be hot burning coals
(Ps. cxix. 4) to devour and burn away
whatever carnal feeling there is still left
in us.
0
Sixth Lesson.
BLESSED Andrew! thy faith was
indeed as a grain of mustard seed,
which suddenly developed such unhoped
for heat when it began to be ground in
the mill of persecution. What would
it have been if it had been ground a
little more? What imagination can pic-
ture what its hotness would have become?
What ears could have borne to hear
his words? When Egeas threatened
him with the death of the Cross, he
thought to crush him; but he was mis-
taken. The word roused him, and he
cried out: "If I had been afraid of the
torture of the Cross, I should not have
preached the glory of the Cross." They
who are the servants of the Cross do well
to honour the lover of the Cross, and
this honour he hath right to expect
more especially from such as have made
particular profession to take up their
cross.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (iv. 18.)
AT that time: JESUS, walking by the
sea of Galilee, saw two brethren,
Simon called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, casting a net into the sea.
And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.]
Meetly did the Lord will to make
His fishers of men out of fishers of fish.
It is the business of a fisher to go into a
boat, to take nets in his hands, and
therewith to drag fishes to the shore out
of the depths of the sea. Even so did
the fishers of men by entering the
bosom of the Church, go up into the
ship of faith, and with the nets of their
preaching both by word and work, draw
many men unto the true day out of the
bitter and dark depths of this world's
ocean. Behold how in Achaia, blessed
Andrew had his nets in his hands, and
caught a great multitude of spiritual
fishes. We read that not only the
whole city, but also all the country
round about, believed, so that he him-
self said: "Christ hath sent me into
this province, where I have gained peo-
ple not a few.”
EXPECTATION OF THE B.V.M.
1401
BUT
Eighth Lesson.
JT we may consider that it was not
a meaningless fact that the Lord
at His first calling chose four disciples;
four is a perfect number, and when
quartered, signifieth perfection. Or at
least, there is a reference to the four
principal virtues, namely, Prudence,
Temperance, Fortitude, and Justice.
These virtues the four Apostles set forth,
not only in their number, but also in
their names-Peter, which is by some
interpreted "Knowing," signifieth Pru-
dence. Andrew, which is interpreted
"Manly," signifieth Fortitude, a virtue
which was his, not in name only, but
also in deed, for he persevered manfully
in the right faith, even unto suffering,
so that even when he was being led out
to be crucified, and come in sight of the
Cross, he joyfully hailed it with the
words, "Hail, precious Cross!"
Ninth Lesson.
BY James, which is interpreted "Sup-
plantor," is signified Justice, whose
task is to supplant iniquity and love
uprightness. By John, which is inter-
preted "Grace of God," or "In him is
grace," is signified Temperance, other-
wise called Discretion, which is the mo-
ther of all virtues. When therefore the
Lord, at the first calling, chose four
Disciples, He gave us to know by their
very number, that, if we will be His
followers, we must have these four
virtues.
DECEMBER 18.
Office in honour of the Blessed
Virgin Mary looking shortly
to be delivered.
Greater Double.
Whatever is not specially given here
is from the Common Office for Feasts of
the Blessed Virgin, (p. 894,) except that
the last verse of the Hymn is not altered
in honour of the Incarnation.
Prayer throughout as on March 25,
(p. 1033.)
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons as on March 25, (p. 1033,)
1 It is always "O Wisdom, &c.,"
2 Isa. xlv. 8.
with "Alleluia" added to the Second
and Third.
Hymn. Creator of the starry pole,
&c., (p. 179.)
Verse. Hail, Mary, full of grace.
Answer. The Lord is with thee.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, O Mary,-fear not; thou
shalt bear in thy womb the Son of God.
Alleluia.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day. Antiphon, “O, &c.'
MATTINS.
991
Invitatory. Hail, Mary, full of grace,
* the Lord is with thee.
Hymn. Supernal Word, &c., (p.
179.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Behold, our Lord
cometh with power, and He shall lighten
the eyes of His servants. Alleluia.
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, &c.,
(p. 6.)
Second Antiphon. Drop down, ye
heavens, from above, and let the skies
pour down the Righteous One: let the
earth open, and let her bring forth the
Saviour.
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare, &c.,
(p. 16.)
Third Antiphon. Behold, the Name
of the LORD cometh from far, and His
brightness filleth the world.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the LORD'S,
&c., (p. 124.)
Verse. Out of Zion, the Perfection of
beauty,
Answer. Our God shall come mani-

festly.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (vii. 10.)
Moreover the LORD spake again, &c.,
(p. 189.)
unless the Feast be transferred.
3 Isa. XXX, 27.
1402
GENERAL APPENDIX.
First Responsory.
The sceptre shall not depart, &c.,
(p. 214.)
Second Lesson.
And there shall come forth a rod, &c.,
(p. 190,) down to "faithfulness the
girdle of His reins," in the next Lesson.
Second Responsory.
'There shall come a Star out of Jacob,
and a Man shall rise out of Israël, and
shall smite through all the princes of
the aliens; and all the earth shall be
His possession.
Verse. Out of Jacob shall come He
that shall have dominion, and shall de-
stroy him that remaineth of the city.
Answer. And all the earth shall be
His possession.
Third Lesson.
The wilderness and the solitary place,
&c., (p. 213.)
Third Responsory.
The Lord shall come down like rain,
&c., (p. 201.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Out of Zion shall
go forth the law, and the word of the
LORD from Jerusalem.
Ps. xliv. My heart is overflowing,
&c., (p. 36.)
Second Antiphon. Lo, this is our
God, we have waited for Him, and He
will save us.. Alleluia.
Ps. xlv. God is our refuge, &c., (p.
37.)
Third Antiphon. The Lord cometh!
go ye out to meet Him, and say: How
great is His dominion, and of His
kingdom there shall be no end! He is
the Mighty God, the Ruler, the Prince
of Peace! Alleluia.
Ps. lxxxvi. Her foundation, &c., (p.
68.)
Verse. There shall come forth a rod
out of the stem of Jesse.
1 Num. xxiv. 17, 19.
4 Isa. xi. 1.
4
Answer. And a flower shall grow out
of his roots.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Alonzo, Archbishop [of Toledo.]
(Book on the Maidenhood of Blessed
Mary.)
0 O MY Suzeraine and my Lady, who
bearest rule over me, Mother of my
Lord, handmaid of thy Son, who gavest
birth to Him Who made the world, I
beseech thee, I pray thee, I ask thee,
that I may have the spirit of thy Lord,
and the spirit of thy Son, yea, and the
spirit of my Redeemer, to enable me to
think what is true and worthy concern-
ing thee, to speak what is true and wor-
thy concerning thee, and to love what-
soever is true and worthy concerning
thee. Thou hast been chosen of God,
taken of God, called of God; thou art
very nigh unto God, thou cleavest unto
God, thou art bound unto God; thou
wast visited by an Angel, saluted by an
Angel, blessed by an Angel, called happy
by an Angel; troubled at his saying,
perplexed in thought, confounded at the
salutation, wonderstruck at the words of
the message.
Fourth Responsory.
Behold, the Virgin shall conceive,
&c., (p. 183.)
Fifth Lesson.
THOU hearest that thou hast found
grace with God, and thou art
bidden not to fear; thence thou art
strengthened with confidence, and art
taught to know wonders, and carried
forward to new tidings of unheard-of
glory. The Angel doth thee to wit that
thou shalt be a mother, and, with off-
spring in thy womb, thou remainest
untouched and virgin. Then the assur-
ance of thy maidenhood is set forth be-
fore us, and the Angel preacheth unto
thee the glad tidings that that Holy
Thing Which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God, and anon, the
wondrous message of the power of the
King that is to come. Thou askest how
this shall be, thou wouldest know whence
it cometh, thou enquirest as to the rea-
2 Isa. ii. 3.
3 Isa. XXV. 9.
EXPECTATION OF THE B.V.M.
1403
son, thou seekest to understand the
anomaly, thou art fain to learn the
order of things. Hear then a mystery
unheard hitherto, behold an operation
hitherto unknown, turn thine eyes upon
a thing secret, hitherto unsuspected,
learn of a work hitherto unwrought.
"The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee."
Fifth Responsory.
Drop down, ye heavens, &c., (p. 211.)
Sixth Lesson.
ALL the Trinity is at work in thee to
make thee conceive, but it is the
Son of God alone Whose Person taketh
Flesh in thee as thy Child. And
Third Antiphon. Tell it out among
the people, and say: Behold, God our
Saviour cometh.
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 72.)
Verse. The Lord goeth forth from
His holy place.
Answer. He cometh to save His
people.
If this day be Ember- Wednesday, the
following Lessons are not read, but, in-
stead, those on p. 208, (but the Respon-
sories are unaltered.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
"therefore also that Holy Thing Which AT that time: The Angel Gabriel was
shall be" conceived in thee, brought
forth of thee, produced of thee, sprung
of thee, "born of thee, shall be called
the Son of God." For "He shall be
great," He shall be the God of powers,
the King of all ages, the Maker of all
things. Behold, "blessed art thou
among women," Virgin among mothers,
Lady among damsels, Queen among sis-
ters. Behold, for this "all generations
shall call thee blessed," all the powers of
heaven know thee to be blessed, all the
Prophets tell that thou art blessed, all
nations proclaim thee blessed. And,
for us, blessed our faith calleth thee,
blessed do our souls call thee, blessed
doth our love call thee, blessed do our
hymns call thee, and blessed shall my
words call thee.
Sixth Responsory.
The Lord will teach us, &c., (p. 202.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The LORD shall give
that which is good, and our land shall
yield her increase.
Ps. lxxxiv. LORD, Thou hast been
favourable, &c., (p. 67.)
Second Antiphon. He that is both
God and Man shall come of the house
of David, and sit in David's seat. Al-
leluia.
Ps. lxxxvi. Her foundation, &c.,
(p. 68.)
sent from God, unto a city of Gali
lee, named Nazareth, to a Virgin es-
poused to a man whose name was Joseph,
of the house of David: and the Virgin's
name was Mary. And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.] (On Luke i., and in the
Homilies for the Winter Season. Em-
ber-Wednesday in December.)
There is sent from God unto the Vir-
gin Mary the Angel Gabriel, which
name, being interpreted, signifieth
"Strong-man-of-God." For he came
as the messenger of Him Who was
pleased to appear weak in order that He
might prevail against the prince of the
power of the air, (Eph. ii. 2,) of Him
of Whom it is said by the Psalmist,
"The LORD strong and mighty, the
LORD mighty in battle," (xxiii. 8,)
and again, "The LORD of hosts, He is
the King of glory," (10.) Therefore it
was assigned to the Strong-man-of-God
to announce that the Lord of hosts,
mighty in battle, was coming to wage
war against the powers of the air.
"And the Angel came in unto her,
and said: Hail, thou that art full of
grace; the Lord is with thee; blessed
art thou among women.
Meetly is she styled "full of grace"
who hath attained a grace gained by no
other, that, namely, of conceiving and
bringing forth the actual Author of
grace.
Seventh Responsory.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, &c., (p.
181.)
1404
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Eighth Lesson.
AND behold, thou shalt conceive in
thy womb, and bring forth a Son,
and shalt call His Name JESUS."
The name JESUS is interpreted "Sa-
viour,'
or "Saving," to which mean-
ing the Angel pointed when he said to
Joseph: "Thou shalt call His name JE-
sus, for He shall save His people from
their sins." (Matth. i. 21.) He saith
not that "He shall save the people of
Israël," but that "He shall save His
people," that is to say, a people gathered
into one faith from among both the cir-
cumcised and the uncircumcised, who
being thus gathered in, there should be
one fold and one Shepherd. (John
x. 16.)
"He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest; and the
Lord God shall give unto Him the
throne of His father David."
He, then, that was conceived in that
virginal womb, and brought forth there-
from, was the Son of the Highest. He
that in time was made of His mother
(Gal. iv. 4) is God, begotten of the Fa-
ther before all worlds. But if the same
Person Who is Man is God, let Nestorius
cease from saying that it was the Man
only Who was born of the Virgin.
Eighth Responsory.
Receive, O Virgin Mary, &c., (p.
184,) with the following addition,
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And thou shalt be called
blessed among all women.
Ninth Lesson.
"THEREFORE also that Holy Thing
Which shall be born of thee shall
be called the Son of God.'
JESUS alone is said to be born an
Holy Thing, to distinguish such holi-
ness from any holiness of ours. We
may indeed be made holy, but we are
not born holy, for we are hampered by
the corrupt condition of our nature, so
that every one of us may well groan
and say with the Prophet, "For, be-
hold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in
sin did my mother conceive me.' (Ps.
1. 6.) He alone is absolutely and essen-
tially Holy, Who to counteract the cor-
"
ruptible condition in nature, was con-
ceived without fleshly coition.
"That Holy Thing Which shall be
born of thee shall be called the Son of
God." What can be said to this by a
Nestorian, who, by denying that the
Blessed Mary was Mother of God, flieth
directly in the face of this truth? Here
is a distinct statement that God is to
come upon her, and therefore that the
Thing to be born is the Son of God.
What escape therefore is there from one
of two conclusions, viz., either (1) that
the Son of God is not God, or (2) that
she who brought forth God is rightly
called Theotokos, that is, Mother-of-
God?
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.

LAUDS.
Antiphons as on March 25, (p. 1033,)
without Alleluia.
Chapter. (Isa. xi. 1.)
THERE shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a Flower
shall grow out of his roots. And the
Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.
Hymn. Hark a joyful voice, &c.,
(p. 183.)
Verse. The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee.
Answer. And the power of the High-
est shall overshadow thee.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
He shall sit upon the throne of David,
and of his kingdom, for ever.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory is said,
Verse. Thou that art come into the
world.
Chapter at the end. (Isa. xlv. 8.)
DROP
ROP down, ye heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down the
Righteous One: let the earth open, and
let her bring forth the Saviour.
ESPOUSAL OF THE B.V.M.
1405
TERCE.
Antiphon. Hail, Mary, &c., (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
¹Thou, O Lord, shalt arise and have
mercy upon Zion.
Answer. Thou, O Lord, shalt arise
and have mercy upon Zion.
Verse. For the time to favour her,
yea, the set time, is come.
Answer. Have mercy upon Zion.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou, O Lord, shalt arise
and have mercy upon Zion.
Verse. Drop down, ye heavens, from
above, and let the skies pour down the
Righteous One.
Answer. Let the earth open, and let
her bring forth the Saviour.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Fear not, &c., (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Isa. vii. 14.)
BEHOLD, the virgin shall conceive
and bear a Son, and His Name
shall be called Emmanuel. Butter and
honey shall He eat, that He may know
to refuse the evil, and choose the good.
Short Responsory.
Drop down, ye heavens, from above,
and let the skies pour down the Right-
eous One.
Answer. Drop down, ye heavens, from
above, and let the skies pour down the
Righteous One.
Verse. Let the earth open, and let her
bring forth the Saviour.
Answer. Let the skies pour down the
Righteous One.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Drop down, ye heavens, from
above, and let the skies pour down the
Righteous One.
Verse. "Send forth the Lamb, O Lord,
the Ruler of the land.
1 Ps. ci. 14.
Answer. From the Rock in the wil-
derness unto the mount of the daughter
of Zion.
NONE.
Antiphon. Behold the handmaid, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Send forth the Lamb, O Lord, the
Ruler of the land.
Answer. Send forth the Lamb, O
Lord, the Ruler of the land.
Verse. From the rock in the wilder-
ness unto the mount of the daughter of
Zion.
Answer. The Ruler of the land.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Send forth the Lamb, O
Lord, the Ruler of the land.
Verse. The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee.
Answer. And the power of the High-
est shall overshadow thee.
SECOND VESPERS.
Same as the First, except the follow-
ing:
Fifth Antiphon. Of the fruit of thy
body will I set upon thy throne.
Ps. cxxxi. LORD, remember David,
&c., (p. 160.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O maiden of maidens, how shall
this be, since neither before nor hence-
forth hath there been, nor shall be such
another? Daughters of Jerusalem, why
look ye curiously upon me? What ye
see is a mystery of God.
Commemoration of the Week-day.
Antiphon, "O, &c.'
JANUARY 23.
Espousal of the Blessed Vir-
gin Mary to St. Joseph.
Greater Double.
Whatever is not specially given here
2 Isa. xvi. 1.
1406
GENERAL APPENDIX.
is taken from the Common Office for
Feasts of the Blessed Virgin, (p. 894.)
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Verse and Answer, and
Prayer from Lauds.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Let us tell again of the right
worthy espousal of the glorious Virgin
Mary, who gained the honour of Mo-
therhood without losing the guileless-
ness of a Maid.
Where it is permitted, the following
Commemoration of St. Joseph is made,
before any other Commemoration what-
ever.
Antiphon. Joseph, being raised from
sleep, did as the Angel of the Lord had
bidden him, and took unto him his
wife.
Verse. He made him lord of his
house.
Answer. And ruler of all his sub-
stance.
Let us pray.
Help us, we beseech Thee, &c., (p.
1026.)
Then are made Commemorations of
[the Second Vespers of] SS. Vincent
and Anastasius, and of [the First Ves-
pers of] St. Emerentiană.
At Compline the last verse of the
Hymn is altered in honour of the In-
carnation.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Let us keep the Bridal-
Feast of the Virgin Mary. * Let us
worship Christ, her Son, and her Lord
and ours.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
Here beginneth the Song of Songs,
(i. 1.)
[THE Bride.] Let him kiss me with
kisses of his mouth-for better
than wine are thine embraces, redolent
of the best perfumes! Thy name is as
ointment poured forth, therefore do the
virgins love thee. Draw me! We will
run after thee on the scent of thy per-
fume. The king hath brought me into
his chambers. We will be glad and re-
joice in thee. We will think of thine
embraces more than of wine.
I am
black, but comely, O ye daughters of
Jerusalem,- as the tents of Kedar, as the
curtains of Solomon.
First Responsory.
This day was the Blessed Virgin Mary
betrothed of the lineage of David. The
same is she through whom the salvation
of the world hath been manifested be-
fore the eyes of all believers. This is
she whose glorious life hath given light
to the world.
Verse. Let us keep with rejoicing the
Bridal-Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Answer. The same is she through
whom the salvation of the world hath
been manifested before the eyes of all
believers. This is she whose glorious
life hath given light to the world.
Second Lesson.
[THE Bride.] Look not upon me be-
cause I am black, because the sun
hath tanned me. My mother's children
were angry with me; they made me
the keeper of the vineyards; mine own
vineyard have I not kept. Tell me, O
thou whom my soul loveth, where thou
feedest thy flock, where thou layest thee
down at noon, lest I begin to turn aside
after the flocks of thy companions.
[The Bridegroom.] If thou know not,
O thou fairest among women, go thy
way forth by the footsteps of the flock,
and feed thy kids beside the shepherd's
tents. I have compared thee, 0_my
love, to my company of horses in Pha-
raoh's chariot. Thy cheeks are comely
like a dove's, thy neck like strings of
jewels.¹
Second Responsory.
Let us keep right heartily the Bridal-
Feast of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary,
that she may pray for us to our Lord
JESUS Christ.
1 Or "Thy cheeks are comely with strings, and thy neck with rows of jewels."
ESPOUSAL OF THE B.V.M.
1407
Verse. Let us keep with right hearty
rejoicing the betrothal of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
Answer. That she may pray for us to
our Lord JESUS Christ.
Third Lesson.
NECKLACES of gold will we make for
thee, with inlaid work of silver.
[The Bride.] While the king sat on
his couch, my spikenard sent forth the
smell thereof. A bundle of myrrh is my
well-beloved unto me. He shall lie be-
twixt my breasts. My beloved is unto
me as a bunch of cypress in the vine-
yards of Engaddi.
[The Bridegroom.] Behold, thou art
fair, my love, behold, thou art fair;
thou hast doves' eyes.
[The Bride.] Behold, thou art fair,
my beloved, yea, comely.
[Both.] Our bed is of flowers, the
beams of our house are of cedar, our
rafters of cypress.
Third Responsory.
Let us tell again of the right worthy
espousal of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The
same is she whose lowliness the Lord
regarded, she who by the message of an
Angel conceived the Saviour of the
world.
Verse. Let us keep right earnestly
the Bridal-Feast of the most Blessed
Virgin Mary.
Answer. The same is she whose low-
liness the Lord regarded, she who by
the message of an Angel conceived the
Saviour of the world.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The same is she whose low-
liness the Lord regarded, she who by
the message of an Angel conceived the
Saviour of the world.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
(2nd on Luke i. 26.)
THE secret course of the counsel of
Not
God was for awhile to be hidden
from the prince of this world.
that God had any need to fear hin-
drance from him, if He had chosen to
work openly, but because He Who doth
all things wisely as well as mightily,
is wont to observe in all His works cer-
tain meetnesses both of things and of
times: and so in this, the glorious work
of our redemption, He was pleased to
show His wisdom as well as His power.
Fourth Responsory.
This day was betrothed the glorious
Virgin Mary, a child of the seed of Abra-
ham, a daughter of the tribe of Judah,
a Princess of the lineage of David. This
is she whose famous life still sheddeth
lustre upon all the Churches.
Verse. This day was the Blessed Vir-
gin Mary betrothed of the lineage of
David.
Answer. This is she whose famous
life still sheddeth lustre upon all the
Churches.
IT
Fifth Lesson.
was meet therefore, that He Who
was about to cast down the troubler,
should sweetly order all things in hea-
ven and in earth, to establish the reign
of peace; and that He Who was about
to prevail against the envier, should
first give us the sorely-needed example
of His Own lowliness and meekness;
that so, by the marvellous disposition of
His wisdom He might appear at once
gentle to His own, and awful to His foe.
Fifth Responsory.
Let us keep with rejoicing the Bridal-
Feast of the Blessed Mary, that she may
pray for us to our Lord JESUS Christ.
Verse. With all our heart and with
all our soul let us sing praise to Christ
on this the solemn Feast-day of Mary
the mighty Mother of God.
Answer. That she may pray for us to
our Lord JESUS Christ.
FOR
Sixth Lesson.
R what would it have profited for
God to crush the devil, if we were
to remain proud? For this end there-
fore did it behove that Mary should be
espoused to Joseph, namely, that the
holy thing might be kept from the dogs,
that an husband might attest her maiden-
hood, that the modesty of the virgin
might be spared, and her good fame
4 z
1408
GENERAL APPENDIX.
saved. Than this, what could be wiser,
what more worthy of God's counsels ?
By this device the heavenly secret was
at the same time provided with its wit-
ness and protected from its foeman; and
the good name of the Maiden Mother
preserved.
Sixth Responsory.
Thy betrothal, O Virgin Mother of God,
was a message of joy to the whole world,
for out of thee rose the Sun of righ-
teousness, even Christ our God, Who
hath taken away the curse and brought
a blessing, confounded death, and given
unto us everlasting life.
Verse. Blessed art thou among wo-
men, and blessed is the Fruit of thy
womb.
Answer. For out of thee rose the Sun
of righteousness, even Christ our God..
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Who hath taken away the
curse and brought a blessing, confounded
death, and given unto us everlasting
life.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons the same as on Christmas-
Eve, (p. 221.) The Third is omitted,
or read as one with the Second, to leave
room for the Ninth Lesson, which is of
St. Emerentiana.
Seventh Responsory.
All generations shall call me blessed,
for the Lord That is Mighty hath done to
me great things, and holy is His name.
Verse. And His mercy is on them
that fear Him from generation to gener-
ation.
Answer. For the Lord That is Mighty
Answer. For out of thee rose the Sun
of righteousness.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Even Christ our God.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. This day was be-
trothed the glorious Virgin Mary, * a
child of the seed of Abraham, a daughter
of the tribe of Judah, a Princess of the
lineage of David.
Second Antiphon. This day is the
Bridal-Feast of the holy Virgin Mary,
whose famous life still sheddeth lustre
upon all the Churches.
Third Antiphon. Mary was a maiden
of illustrious birth, * the daughter of a
Kingly race. We earnestly intreat her
to help our minds and souls by her
prayers.
Fourth Antiphon. With all our heart
and with all our soul let us sing praise
to Christ* on this the solemn Feast-
day of Mary, the mighty Mother of
God.
Fifth Antiphon. Let us keep with
rejoicing the Bridal-Feast of the Blessed
Virgin Mary,* that she may pray for
us to our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse. This day is the Bridal-Feast
of the holy Virgin Mary.
Answer. Whose famous life still shed-
deth lustre upon all the Churches.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Let us this day keep solemnly the Bridal-
Feast of Mary, Mother but still Maiden,
her Bridal, a step toward the loftiness of
her throne. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office.
hath done to me great things, and holy GRANT unto us Thy servants, we be-
is His name.
Eighth Responsory.
O holy Virgin Mary, happy indeed art
thou, and right worthy of all praise,
for out of thee rose the Sun of righte-
ousness, even Christ our God.
Verse. Pray for the people, plead for
the clergy, make intercession for all
women vowed to God. May all that
keep thine holy Bridal-Feast feel the
might of thine assistance.
seech Thee, O Lord, the gift of Thy
heavenly grace, unto whom Thou didst
give the first sight of a Saviour as the
offspring of a Blessed Virgin, and grant
that this Feast, which they keep in ho-
nour of the same Virgin, may avail them
unto the increase of peace. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end.” Amen.
If permitted, Commemoration of St.
PRAYER OF OUR Lord.
1409
Joseph, from his Office, (p. 1029.) Then
of St. Emerentiană.
The Antiphons at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None, are the First, Second, Third,
and Fifth from Lauds, respectively.
The last verses of all the Hymns are
altered in honour of the Incarnation.
Verse at Prime, "Thou that wast
born of the Virgin Mary."
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the following.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thy betrothal, O Virgin Mother
of God, was a message of joy to the whole
world, for out of thee rose the Sun of
righteousness, even Christ our God,
Who hath taken away the curse and
brought a blessing, confounded death,
and given unto us everlasting life.
Where permitted, Commemoration of
St. Joseph, from his Office, (p. 1030.)
Then of the First Vespers of] St.
Timothy.
At Compline the last verse of the
Hymn is altered in honour of the Incar-
nation.
Tuesday or Friday after
Septuagesima Sunday.
Office in Memory of the Prayer of our
Lord JESUŠ Čhrist in the Garden
of Gethsemane.
Greater Double.
All as on Sundays, except the follow-
ing.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxvi. O praise the LORD, &c., (p.
154.)
Hymn.¹
SEE the Eternal Word descending
From the throne of bliss supreme,
Love-constrained, His way now wending
Adam's children to redeem.
1 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Wallace.
3 Luke xxii, 41—2.
4 Ecclus. xviii. 23.
Pitying the world's disaster,
Yearning to repair its fall,
Prone upon the earth, our Master
Prays for pardon for us all.
O what anguish, what affliction
Hemmed Him round on every side.
Who shall tell His dereliction !
While His suppliant accents cried-
"O My Father! O My Father!
Let this Chalice pass away-
Yet not My will, Thy will rather
Be accomplished this day-”
'Neath that load of anguish sinking
Drops of Blood stood on His Brow-
Wondering earth in silence drinking
One by one the Drops that flow.
But an Angel swiftly gliding
Comes from heaven to His aid;
And that Form the Godhead hiding
Comfort seeks from those He made.
To the Father praise be given-
Praise the Son, Whose Name is greater
Than all names beneath the heaven,-
Praise the Spirit, every creature. Amen.
Verse. My soul is exceeding sorrow-
ful,
Answer. Even unto death.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. He kneeled down, and prayed,
saying: Father, if Thou be willing, re-
move this cup from Me; nevertheless,
not My will, but Thine, be done.

MATTINS.
Invitatory. Christ JESUS Who prayed
at the foot of the Mount of Olives, *
Him, O come, let us worship!
Hymn from Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Before thou prayest,
prepare thy soul, and be not as one that
tempteth God.
Ps. xvi. Hear my right, O LORD, &c.,
(p. 12.)
Second Antiphon. "Let nothing hin-
der thee to pray always, and defer not
until death to be justified.
Ps. xxiv. Unto Thee, O LORD, &c.,
(p. 124.)
Third Antiphon. "All things whatso-
ever ye shall ask in prayer, believing,
ye shall receive.
2 Matth. xxvi. 38.
5 Ibid. 22.
6 Matth. xxi. 22.
4 z 2
1410
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Ps. cxli. I cried unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 167.)
ful,
Verse. My soul is exceeding sorrow-
Answer. Even unto death.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Tobias (xii. 8-13.)
PRAYER is good with fasting, and to
lay up alms rather than to lay up
stores of gold. For alms doth deliver
from death, and the same it is which
purgeth away sin, and causeth to find
mercy and everlasting life. But they
that work sin and iniquity are enemies
of their own soul. Therefore I show
you the truth, and will not keep an
hidden matter back from you. When
thou didst pray with tears, and bury the
dead, and leave thy dinner, and hide
the dead in thine house by day, and
bury them by night, I did bring up thy
prayer before the Lord. And because
thou wast accepted with God, it was
needs that temptation should try thee.
First Responsory.
'In everything give thanks. Pray
without ceasing.
Verse. For this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you all.
Answer. Pray without ceasing.
Second Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle James (v. 16.)
PRAY
one for another, that ye may be
healed, for the fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much. Elias
was a man subject to like passions as
we are, and he prayed earnestly that it
might not rain upon the earth, and it
rained not by the space of three years
and six months. And he prayed again,
and the heaven gave rain, and the earth
brought forth her fruit. Brethren, if
any of you do err from the truth, and
one convert him, let him know that he
which converteth a sinner from the
error of his way shall save his soul from
1 1 Thess. v. 17, 18.
5 Matth. vi. 5.
death, and shall hide a multitude of
sins.
ye
Second Responsory.
2When ye stand praying, forgive, if
have aught against any.
Verse. That your Father also Who is
in heaven may forgive you your tres-
passes.
Answer. Forgive, if ye have aught
against any.
Third Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the He-
brews (v. 5.)
Christ glorified not Himself, &c., (in
the Ninth Lesson on Good Friday, p.
452, to the end of that Lesson.)
Third Responsory.
"The LORD hath heard my supplica-
tion; the LORD hath received my prayer.
Verse. I cried with my whole heart;
hear me, O LORD!
Answer. The LORD hath received my
prayer.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The LORD hath received my
prayer.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. "When ye pray ye
shall not be as the hypocrites are; for
they love to pray standing in the syna-
gogues and in the corners of the streets,
that they may be seen of men.
Ps. xlii. Judge me, O God, &c., (p.
100.)
Second Antiphon. "But thou, when
thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and,
when thou hast shut the door, pray to
thy Father Who is in secret.
Ps. liv. Give ear to my prayer, &c.,
(p. 42.)
Third Antiphon. "And it came to pass
in those days, that JESUS went out into
a mountain to pray, and continued all
night in prayer to God.
Ps. cxx. I will lift up mine eyes, &c.,
(p. 154.)
2 Mark xi. 25.
6 Ibid. 6.
3 Ps. vi. 10.
4 Ps. cxviii. 145.
7 Luke vi. 12.
PRAYER OF OUR LORD.
1411
Verse. ¹0 My Father, if it be possi-
ble,-
Answer. Let this cup pass from Me!
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Treatise
upon the Lord's Prayer written by
the Holy Martyr Cyprian Bishop [of
Carthage.] (On the Lord's Prayer.)
THE
HE Lord hath indeed taught us to
pray, not by words only, but also
by deeds. He Himself prayed often-
times, and right earnestly, and showed
us by the witness of His Own example
what we are behoven to do; as it is
written: "And He withdrew Himself
into the wilderness, and prayed." (Luke
v. 16.) And again: "And it came to
pass in those days that JESUS went out
into a mountain to pray, and continued
all night in prayer to God." (Luke vi.
12.) If He prayed Who was without
sin, how much more are sinners be-
holden to pray? And if He remained
sleepless all night in unceasing prayer,
how much more ought we to watch by
night in common prayer? The Lord
prayed and besought, but not for Him-
self-for what had the Innocent One to
ask for for Himself? But it was for us
sinners that He prayed, as Himself de-
clareth when He saith unto Peter:
"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath
desired to have you, that he may sift
you as wheat; but I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith fail not. (Luke
xxii. 31, 32.) And a little while after,
He prayed to the Father for all, say-
ing: "Neither pray I for these alone,
but for them also which shall believe
on Me through their word, that they
all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in
Me, and I in Thee; that they also may
be one in Us." (John xvii. 20, 21.)
Fourth Responsory.
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath
desired to have you, that he may sift
you as wheat; but I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith fail not.
Verse. And when thou art converted,
strengthen thy brethren.
Answer. I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not.
1 Matth. xxvi. 39.
Fifth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Commen-
tary upon the Epistle to the Hebrews,
written by St. Anselm, Archbishop
[of Canterbury.] (v.)
HE offered up prayers like a true High
Priest. That He prayed we read
oftentimes in the Gospel, especially in
that according to Luke, who draweth
Him in His Priestly character. But
even as all things which He did in the
Flesh, His prayers and supplications
were for men. Through all His life He
prayed to the Father touching the Re-
surrection of His Own Flesh, and our
salvation, and at the last moment be-
fore He suffered, He offered up suppli-
cations, that is, prayers most beseeching
and most vehement, with the utmost
passion and tenderness of His Heart,
when, "being in an agony He prayed
more earnestly, and His Sweat was as it
were great drops of Blood falling down
to the ground." (Luke xxii. 44.) These
prayers and supplications He offered up
unto the Father, Who met Him half-
way by hearing Him. He offered them
up unto Him That was able to save Him
from death, that is, to raise Him up again
-unto Him of Whom He knew that He
was able to save Him, that is, to make
Him so that He could die no more and
suffer no more, by delivering Him from
death, so that His Soul was not left in
hell, neither did His Flesh see corrup-
tion in the grave. (Ps. xv. 10.)
Fifth Responsory.
"The prayer of the humble pierceth
the clouds, and till it come nigh, he will
not be comforted.
Verse. And will not depart till the
Most High shall behold.
Answer. And till it come nigh, he
will not be comforted.
Sixth Lesson.
AND these prayers and supplications
He offered up with strong crying,
that is, with the keenest and liveliest
yearning of godly desire, as when, being
in an agony, He prayed more earnestly,
and even with tears, for in that length-
ened prayer we must believe that He
shed Tears as well as those drops of Blood
which trickled down His Body in the
2 Ecclus. xxxv. 21.
1412
GENERAL APPENDIX.
place of sweat. And He was heard, for
in rising again, He received that for
which He had asked. He was heard,
that is, He in especial was heard in a
sense of thoroughness in which no other
hath ever been heard, since, after the
throes of the struggle were over, the
Father exalted Him above everything
created. Moreover, He was heard on
account of reverent submission,¹ which
meaneth either that He was heard be-
cause as the Son of God reverent sub-
mission was due to His wishes, or else
that He was heard because of His re-
verent submission to the Will of God,
in that He feared and honoured the
Father above all. Or again, we may
understand that He was heard, because
His reverent submission merited that
He should be heard. The out-pouring
of His Blood may in itself be called a
strong cry, wherein He was heard on
account of His reverent submission to
such suffering. His reverent submis-
sion in that case lay in this, that hav-
ing never done any evil, He was willing
to suffer, simply out of love.
Sixth Responsory.
2Let now Thine ears be attentive and
Thine eyes open, to hearken unto the
prayer of Thy servant,
Verse. Which I pray before Thee this
day, night and day.
Answer. To hearken unto the prayer
of Thy servant.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. To hearken unto the prayer
of Thy servant.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. 3Trouble and anguish
have taken hold on me: Thy command-
ments are my delight.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they increased,
&c., (p. 5.)
Second Antiphon. I looked for some
to take pity on me, and there was none;
and for comforters, but I found none.
Ps. xii. How long wilt Thou forget,
&c., (p. 9.)
Third Antiphon. My soul cleaveth
¹ Apo tes eulabeias,
4 Ps. lxviii. 21, 3, 1.
unto the dust; quicken Thou me ac-
cording to Thy word.
Ps. lxxxvii. O LORD God of my sal-
vation, &c., (p. 68.)
Verse. Watch and pray,
Answer. That ye enter not into temp-
tation.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xxii. 39.)
A
T that time: JESUS came out, and
went, as He was wont, to the Mount
of Olives; and His disciples also fol-
lowed Him. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. x. Comm. on Luke xxii.)
"Remove this cup from Me”—the
Man shrank from death, the God re-
mained unshaken in the counsel of His
Own Will. We must needs die to this
world that we may rise again to God,
that in accordance with God's sentence,
the law of the curse may work itself
out by our return to the dust of the
earth from whence we are taken.
"Not My will, but Thine be done."
In these words our Lord signifieth by
"My will" His human will, and by the
Father's will, His Own Divine Will.
The wills of men are temporal, but the
Will of God is eternal. There is not
one Will of the Father, and another
Will of the Son. There is but one Will,
where there is but one God. Learn,
nevertheless, from the ensample of
Christ, to be resigned to God's Will, and
not to choose that which best pleaseth
thyself, but that which thou knowest
will best please God.
Seventh Responsory.
*I am come into the depth of the sea,
and the flood overfloweth me.
Verse. Save me, O God, for the waters
are come in unto my soul.
me.
Answer. And the flood overfloweth
Eighth Lesson.
THEN, let us consider the special
meaning of His different expres-
sions. "My Soul is exceeding sorrow-
3 Ps. cxviii. 143, 25.
2 2 Ezra (Nehem.) i. 6.
5 Matth. xxvi. 41.
PRAYER OF OUR LORD.
1413
ful, even unto death.” (Matth. xxvi.
38.) So also elsewhere He saith: "Now
is My Soul troubled." (John xii. 27.)
It was not He Who had taken the Man-
hood into God Who was troubled, but
the Manhood Which He had so taken.
The soul of man is able to be moved by
divers feelings, but not so God. "The
Spirit indeed is willing, but the Flesh
is weak." (Matth. xxvi. 41.) That
which was exceeding sorrowful was not
Himself but His Soul. The Eternal
Wisdom was not sorrowful, the Divine
Being was not sorrowful, but the human
Soul of JESUS was sorrowful. He had
taken into the Godhead a Soul, but a
Soul of the same nature as mine.2 I am
not deceived into thinking that it was
one thing, when it seemed another.
Sorrowful He seemed to be, and sor-
rowful He was-not at the thought of
His Own sufferings, but of our sins.
Eighth Responsory.
"Let my prayer come before Thee:
incline Thine ear unto my cry.
Verse. For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draweth nigh unto the
grave.
Answer. Incline Thine ear unto my
cry.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
utterable crime. And because of all
these things He said: "Let this cup
pass from Me!" It was not that the
Divine Son of the Divine Being was
afraid to die, but He would not that
even wicked men should perish on His
account.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. JESUS cometh with
His disciples unto a place called Geth-
semane, and saith unto them: Sit ye
here while I go and pray yonder.
Second Antiphon. And He took with
Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
and began to be sorrowful and very
heavy.
Third Antiphon. Then saith He unto
them: My Soul is exceeding sorrowful,
even unto death; tarry ye here, and
watch with Me.
Fourth Antiphon. And He went a
little farther, and fell on His Face, and
prayed, saying: 0 My Father! if it be
possible, let this cup pass from Me!
Fifth Antiphon. O My Father! if
this cup may not pass away from Me,
except I drink it, Thy Will be done!
Chapter. (Matth. xxvi. 40.)
Answer. Incline Thine ear unto my JESUS cometh unto the disciples, and
cry.
Ninth Lesson.
THEN He saith: "I will smite the
shepherd, and the sheep of the flock
shall be scattered abroad." (Matth. xxvi.
31.) He was sorrowful because He was
leaving us orphans. But how resolutely
He was giving Himself up to die is suf-
ficiently clear by what followed, when
He went to meet those that sought Him,
when He calmed the agitated, when He
nerved the timid, when He received the
traitor himself with the condescension
of a kiss. Neither is it other than the
truth to say that He was sorrowful for
their sakes who were hunting Him
down, since He knew what a punish-
ment they were to undergo for that un-
findeth them asleep, and saith unto
Peter: What! could ye not watch with
Me one hour? Watch and pray, that
ye enter not into temptation.
FRO
Hymn.5
'ROM high heaven the Mediator,
Whom the Prophets sang of yore,
Comes to heal our fallen nature,
Zion's daughters! weep no more.
For the ill which Eden wrought us,
When our parents went astray,
Olivet to life hath brought us,
Where our Lord doth watch and pray.
The Redeemer of His nation,
Such the love which filled His Breast,
Hastens to make expiation
For the world by sin oppressed.
1 St. Ambrose seems to understand these words as spoken by our Lord concerning
Himself.
2 Suscepit animam suam, suscepit corpus meum.
3 Ps. lxxxvii. 3, 4.
4 Antiphons from Matth. xxvi. 36-9, 42.
5 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Wallace.
1414
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Now the Father's anger ceases,
And the Hand up-raised to smite,
All those threatening shafts releases,
Destined on our souls to light.
Thus the snares of hell are broken ;
Heaven's gates are open wide,
Where eternal joys unspoken
Welcome those for whom He died.
To the Father praise be given !
Praise the Son, Whose Name is greater
Than all names beneath the heaven,
Praise the Spirit, every creature. Amen.
Verse. ¹Lord, teach us to pray.
Answer. After this manner therefore
efore
pray ye.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Being in an agony He prayed more
earnestly, and His Sweat was as it were
great drops of Blood falling down to the
ground.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
LORD JESUS Christ, Who in the
garden didst both by Thy word and
by Thine ensample teach us to pray that
we enter not into temptation, mercifully
grant that we may ever be so instant in
prayer, that we may worthily gain the
comfortable fruits thereof. Who livest
and reignest with God the Father, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. JESUS cometh, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Ps. liii. and the two sections of cxviii.
The Creed of St. Athanasius is not
said.
Chapter at the end. (Matth. v. 44.)
PRAY for them which despitefully use
you and persecute you, that ye may
be the children of your Father, Who is
in heaven.
TERCE.
Antiphon. And He took with Him,
&c., (Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
My Soul is exceeding sorrowful.
Answer. My Soul is exceeding sor-
rowful,
Verse. Even unto death.
Answer. Exceeding sorrowful.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. My Soul is exceeding sor-
rowful.
Verse. O my Father, if it be pos-
sible-
Answer. Let this cup pass from Me!
SEXT.
Antiphon. Then saith He unto them,
&c., (Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Luke xxi. 36.)
WATCH
that ye may be accounted worthy
ATCH ye therefore and pray always,
to escape all these things that shall
come to pass, and to stand before the
Son of Man.
Short Responsory.
O My Father! if it be possible.
Answer. O My Father! if it be pos-
sible-
Verse. Let this cup pass from Me!
Answer. If it be possible.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O my Father! if it be pos-
sible.
Verse. Watch and pray,
Answer. That ye enter not into temp-
tation.
NONE.
Antiphon. O My Father! &c., (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Watch and
pray.
Answer. Watch and pray,
Verse. That ye enter not into temp-
tátion.
Answer. And pray.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Watch and pray.
Verse. His Sweat
Answer. Was as it were great drops
of Blood.
1 Luke xi. 1; Matth. vi. 9.
SUFFERINGS OF OUR LORD.
1415
}
!
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxv. I believed, &c., (p. 153.)
Hymn from First Vespers.
Verse. His Sweat
Answer. Was as it were great drops
of Blood.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. ¹Behold, the hour is at hand,
and the Son of Man is betrayed into
the hands of sinners.
Tuesday or Friday after Sexa-
gesima Sunday.
Office in Memory of the Sufferings of
our Lord JESUS Christ.
Greater Double.
All as on Sundays, except the follow-
ing.
FIRST VESPERS.
First Antiphon. I will take the cup
of salvation, and call upon the Name of
the LORD.
Ps. cxv. I believed, &c., (p. 153.)
Second Antiphon. With them that
hate peace I was peaceable. When I
spoke unto them they fought against
me without a cause.
Ps. cxix. In my distress, &c., (p.
154.)
Third Antiphon. O LORD, preserve
me from the evil man.
Ps. cxxxix. Deliver me, &c., (p.
166.)
Fourth Antiphon. Keep me from the
snare which they have laid for me, and
the gins of the workers of iniquity.
Ps. cxl. LORD, I cry unto Thee, &c.,
(p. 166.)
1 Matth. xxvi. 45.
Fifth Antiphon. I looked on my right
hand and beheld, but there was no man
that would know me.
Ps. cxli. I cried unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 167.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Hymn.2
BLOOD is the price of heaven;
All sin that price exceeds;
O come to be forgiven,
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
Under the olive boughs,
Falling like ruby beads,
The Blood drops from His Brows,
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
While the fierce scourges fall,
The Precious Blood still pleads;
In front of Pilate's hall
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
Beneath the thorny crown
The crimson fountain speeds;
See how it trickles down,
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
Bearing the fatal wood
His band of Saints He leads,
Marking the way with Blood
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
On Calvary His shame
With Blood still intercedes
His open Wounds proclaim-
He bleeds!
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
He hangs upon the tree,
Hangs there for my misdeeds;
He sheds His Blood for me;
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
2 The two beautiful and popular Hymns by the late Dr. Faber which are here inserted
at Vespers and Mattins are not translations of the Hymns Mærentes oculi and Aspice,
infami, but, whether the ideas were suggested by the Latin or whether it be an accidental
coincidence, they agree with the sense of the Latin so closely, that they might fairly be
called Paraphrases or imitations, and this consideration induces the Translator to insert
them. Absolute translations have been executed by the late Rev. E. Caswall and the Rev.
Dr. Wallace.
1416
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Ah me! His Soul is fled;
Yet still for my great needs
He bleeds when He is dead;
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
His Blood is flowing still;
My thirsty soul It feeds;
He lets me drink my fill
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
;
O sweet! O precious Blood!
What love, what love it breeds!
Ransom, Reward, and Food,
He bleeds,
My Saviour bleeds!
Bleeds!
Verse. He was offered up because
He willed it.
Answer. And with His stripes we are
healed.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. 20 all ye that pass by! behold,
and see if there be any sorrow like unto
my sorrow.
At Compline the last verse of the Hymn
is said thus :
Lord JESU, slain for us, to Thee
Eternal praise be given,
With Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Here as it is in heaven.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Christ our King Who was
crucified, * Him-O come!-let us wor-
ship.
0
Hymn.3
COME and mourn with me awhile!
See, Mary calls us to her side;
O come, and let us mourn with her;
JESUS, our Love, is crucified!
Have we no tears to shed for Him,
While soldiers scoff and Jews deride?
Ah! look how patiently He hangs ;
JESUS, our Love, is crucified!
How fast His Hands, His Feet are nailed;
His blessed Tongue with thirst is tied;
His failing Eyes are dim with Blood;
JESUS, our Love, is crucified !
His Mother cannot reach His Face;
She stands in helplessness beside;
Her heart is martyred with her Son's;
JESUS, our Love, is crucified!
1 Isa. liii. 7, 5.
Seven times He spoke, seven words of love,
And all three hours His silence cried
For mercy on the souls of men:
JESUS, our Love, is crucified!
Death came, and JESUS meekly bowed;
His failing Eyes He strove to guide
With mindful love to Mary's face;
JESUS, our Love, is crucified!
O break, O break, hard heart of mine!
Thy weak self-love and guilty pride
His Pilate and His Judas were;
JESUS, our Love, is crucified!
Come, take thy stand beneath the Cross,
And let the Blood from out that Side
Fall gently on thee, drop by drop:
JESUS, our Love, is crucified!
A broken heart, a fount of tears,
Ask, and it will not be denied;
A broken heart love's cradle is;
JESUS, our Love, is crucified!
O love of God! O sin of man!
In this dread act your strength is tried;
And victory remains with love;
For He, our Love, is crucified!
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The kings of the
earth set themselves, and the rulers
take counsel together against the LORD
and against His Anointed.
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. They be increased
that trouble me; many are they that
rise up against me.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they increased,
&c., (p. 5.)
Third Antiphon. They part my gar-
ments among them; and cast lots upon
my vesture.
Ps. xxi. My God, My God, &c., (p.
126.)
Verse. He was offered up because He
willed it.
Answer. And with His stripes we are
healed.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Epistle of
the Blessed Apostle Paul to the Ro-
mans (v. 8.)
GOD commendeth His love toward us,
in that, while we were yet sinners,
2 Lam. i. 12.
3 By Dr. Faber as before; two verses are omitted.
SUFFERINGS OF Our Lord.
1417
1
Answer. And thou didst betray Me
unto the chief Priests, and lead Me unto
the judgment-hall of Pilate.
Third Lesson. (vi.)
WHAT shall we say then? Shall we
not WHAT
Christ died for us. Much more then,
being now justified by His Blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through Him.
For if, when we were enemies, we were
reconciled to God by the death of His
Son, much more, being reconciled, we
shall be saved by His life. And not
only so, but we also joy in God through
our Lord JESUS Christ, by Whom we
have now received the atonement. (17.)
For if by one man's offence, death
reigned by one, much more they which
receive abundance of grace, and bounty,
and righteousness, shall reign in life
through JESUs Christ.
First Responsory.
¹I had planted thee a noble vine, saith
the Lord, and thou hast brought forth
unto Me grapes exceeding bitter, for
thou hast made ready a Cross for thy
Saviour.
Verse. 20 My people, what have I
done unto thee? and wherein have I
wearied thee? Testify against Me.
Answer. For thou hast made ready a
Cross for thy Saviour.
Second Lesson.
THEREFORE, as by the offence of
one judgment came upon all men
to condemnation, even so, by the righ-
teousness of One, [the gift] came upon
all men unto justification of life. For
as by one man's disobedience many were
made sinners, so by the obedience of
One shall many be made righteous.
Then, the law entered that the offence
might abound; but where sin abounded
grace did much more abound, that, as
sin hath reigned unto death even so
might grace reign, through righteous-
ness, unto eternal life, by JESUS Christ
our Lord.
Second Responsory.
I brought thee forth out of Egypt;
behind thee I caused Pharaoh to drown
in the Red Sea, and before thee I went
in the pillar of the cloud. And thou
didst betray Me unto the chief Priests,
and lead Me unto the judgment-hall of
Pilate.
Verse. O My people, what have I
done unto thee? and wherein have I
wearied thee? Testify against Me.
1 Cf. Jer. ii. 21.
continue in sin, that grace may
abound? God forbid; how shall we,
that are dead to sin, live any longer
therein? Know ye not that so many
of us as were baptized into JESUS Christ
were baptized into His death? For we
are buried with Him by baptism into
death, that, like as Christ was raised
up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also may walk in
newness of life. For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of His
death, we shall be also in the likeness
of His resurrection; knowing this, that
our old man is crucified with Him, that
the body of sin might be destroyed, that
henceforth we should not serve sin. For
he that is dead is freed from sin. Now,
if we be dead with Christ, we believe
that we shall also live with Him.
Third Responsory.
I scourged Egypt in her first-born for
thy sake, and thou when thou hadst
scourged Me, didst deliver Me [to be
crucified,] ¡Me, Who as a lamb before
his shearer, was dumb, and opened not
My Mouth, 3
Verse. O My people, what have I done
unto thee? and wherein have I wearied
thee? Testify against Me.
Answer. And thou, when thou hadst
scourged Me, didst deliver Me [to be
crucified].
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Me, Who, as a lamb before
his shearer, was dumb, and opened not
My Mouth.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Mine enemies speak
evil of me: When shall he die, and his
name perish?
Ps. xl. Blessed is he that considereth,
&c., (p. 34.)
Second Antiphon. Strangers are risen
up against me, and oppressors seek after
my soul.
2 Micah vi. 3.
3 Isa. liii. 7.
1418
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Ps. liii. Save me, O God, by Thy
Name, &c., (p. 115.)
Third Antiphon. Mine enemies tread
me down all the day long; all their
thoughts are against me for evil.
Ps. lv. Be merciful unto me, &c., (p.
43.)
all.
Verse. ¹God spared not His Own Son.
Answer. But delivered Him up for us
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(41st on the Passion.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, the awful
solemnity of the Lord's Sufferings
is proclaimed unto us even by the cir-
cumstances of the day itself whereon
they took place, that day whereon the
dumb elements were dumb no longer.
Let the light of faith make the tongues
of men tell of that agony, whereon the
silence of darkness was eloquent. Our
Lord was weighing out upon the tran-
som of the Cross, as upon the transom of
a balance, the price of our salvation, and
by the payment of one death He Who
had made all, bought all, and became
the Restorer of all. For let us have no
hesitation in believing that He bought
the whole world, when He paid more
than the whole world was worth, since
the inestimable value of the price paid
infinitely exceeded the value of the ob-
ject redeemed. One scale was weighted
against the other, but when it was done,
they hung not evenly.2 He Who bad
no sins of His Own, by His merits took
away the sins of others. This victim of
goodness alone fell, that He might lift
up others, and since He alone owed no-
thing, He alone was able to spend His
superabundance in charity for debtors.
Fourth Responsory.`
I smote the kings of Canaan for thy
sake, and gave thee a kingly sceptre,
and thou didst put on My Head a crown
of thorns, and smite Me upon the Head
with a reed.
Verse. O My people, what have I
done unto thee? and wherein have I
wearied thee? Testify against Me.
Answer. And thou didst put on My
1 Rom. viii. 32.
Head a crown of thorns, and smite Me
upon the Head with a reed.
Fifth Lesson.
AND now judge from this, if He hath
paid for us so high a price, what
interest He will have from us. On this
day [on which He suffered] the words
of the prophet were fulfilled: "I gave
My Back to the smiters, and My Cheeks
to them that plucked off the Hair, I hid
not My Face from shame and spitting."
(Isa. 1. 6.) He took our evil, that He
might give us His good. From the ex-
tent to which He loved man after his
fall, we may understand how He was
pleased to love him before he sinned.
When thou seest what was the worth of
thy ransom, let it make thee feel some
shame for sin. Behold the Holy One
scourged for the sake of a sinner, the
Eternal Wisdom mocked for the sake of
a fool, the Truth murdered for the sake
of a liar, the Righteous One condemned
for the sake of a criminal, the Merciful
One tortured for the sake of the cruel,
the Harmless One filled with bitterness
for the sake of a wretch, the Gentle One
given gall to drink, the Innocent One
doomed for the sake of the guilty, Life
dying for the sake of the dead.
Fifth Responsory.
I led thee through the wilderness for
forty years, and gave thee manna to eat,
and thou didst buffet Me and scourge
Me.
Verse. O My people, what have I
done unto thee? and wherein have I
wearied thee? Testify against Me.
Answer. And thou didst buffet Me
and scourge Me.
Sixth Lesson.
SENSELESS nature shuddered at the
sin of man. The rebel work of His
hands would not acknowledge Him, but
the quaking earth bore witness that He
was Lord of the world, and the shrink-
ing sun confessed that He was the King
of heaven. His [natural] Body was clad
in a purple robe, for the blood of His
martyrs is the stately robe of His [mys-
tical body the] Church. The crown
upon His Head was a crown of thorns,
2 Inter redemptum et redimentem dispensatio fuit, compensatio non fuit.
SUFFERINGS OF OUR LORD.
1419
for the sharp prickles of our sins, by the
remission whereof He claimeth the glo-
rious title of Redeemer, are likened
unto thorns and thistles. (Gen. iii. 18.)
And now let us try to treat Him other-
wise than He was treated then, to treat
Him so that the lives of His members
may form a crown for Him. Upon the
Cross He saith: "I thirst," (John xix.
28,) that thirst was for unbelieving souls
to believe in Him; but on the contrary
they put to His mouth the astringent
vinegar of deadly sin, whereinto they
have turned by malice the wine of wis-
dom given unto them by God. The
veil of the Temple was rent in twain,
for the Synagogue lost her crown, the
old rites were abolished, and the fact of
one Church for all humanity stood re-
vealed. The graves were opened, for
death rightly lost her rights.
Sixth Responsory.
I lifted thee up with a strong hand,
and thou didst lift Me up upon the
gibbet of the Cross, and thereon I
stretched forth My hands unto an un-
believing and gainsaying people.¹
Verse. O My people, what have I done
unto thee? and wherein have I wearied
thee? Testify against Me.
Answer. And thou didst lift Me up
upon the gibbet of the Cross.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And thereon I stretched
forth My hands unto an unbelieving and
gainsaying people.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. As for the sons of
men, their teeth are spears and arrows,
and their tongue a sharp sword.
Ps. lvi. Be merciful unto me, &c., (p.
44.)
Second Antiphon. They bend their
bow, even bitter words, that they may
shoot in secret at the perfect.
Ps. liv. Give ear to my prayer, &c.,
(p. 42.)
Third Antiphon. I am as a man that
hath no strength, lying nerveless among
the dead.
1 Rom. x. 21.
Ps. lxxxvii. O LORD God of my sal-
vation, &c., (p. 68.)
Verse. He became obedient unto
death,
Answer. Even the death of the Cross.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to John (xix. 28.)
AT that time: JESUS, knowing that
all things were now accomplished,
that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
said: I thirst. And so on.
Homily by St. John Chrysostom, Pa-
triarch of Constantinople. (On John,
84.)
"JESUS, knowing that all things were
now accomplished, said: I thirst"-even
in this one word" making a fulfilment of
Scripture. And now see here the spite
of those that were there; we, although
we had countless enemies, who had
grievously assailed us, if we saw them
at the point of death, would be touched
with some feeling of compassion. But
those beings were no wise touched, but
rather excited; they cracked their jests
upon Him, "and they filled a sponge
with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop,
and put it to His Mouth"-this was
why the hyssop was added, because to
give them a draught of hyssop is a way
to put to death felons. Seest thou in
what a calm of unruffled strength He
went through all this? And then
"When JESUS therefore had received
the vinegar, He said: It is finished.
And He bowed His Head and gave up
the ghost."
Seventh Responsory.
I gave thee to drink out of the rock
the waters of salvation, and thou didst
give Me gall and vinegar to drink.
Verse. O My people, what have I
done unto thee? and wherein have I
wearied thee? Testify against Me.
Answer. And thou didst give Me
gall and vinegar to drink.
It
Eighth Lesson.
commonly is after death the head
falleth, but here the Head fell be-
2 Dipso.
1420
GENERAL APPENDIX.
fore death, whereby the Evangelist
showeth that He was [exalted as] Lord
above [the nature] of all others. The
Jews had now swallowed the camel, and
proceeded to strain out the gnat; hav-
ing accomplished the great murder, they
discussed a point about the honouring
of a day. Because it was the Pre-
paration (paraskeue,) that the bodies
should not remain upon the Cross on
the Sabbath-Day, the Jews besought
Pilate that their legs might be broken,
and that they might be taken away."
Seest thou the force of the truth?
What they did fulfilled a prophecy, for
thereby was another made clear. "Then
came the soldiers, and brake the legs of
the first, and of the other which was
crucified with Him, but when they came
to JESUS, and saw that He was dead al-
ready, they brake not His Legs, but one
of the soldiers with a spear pierced His
Side." Willing, with a vile and in-
iquitous willingness to do the Jews a
pleasure, that man outraged his Re-
deemer even in death.
Eighth Responsory.
I opened the Red Sea before thee,
and thou didst open with a spear the
Side of thy Saviour, Who redeemed
the world by His Blood.
Verse. O My people! what have I
done unto thee? and wherein have I
wearied thee? Testify against Me.
Answer. And thou didst open with a
spear the Side of thy Saviour.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Who redeemed the world by
His Blood.
Ninth Lesson.
UT rest Thou still, O Thou Whom
BUT
"
my soul loveth! they thought to
do it wickedly, but they did service to
the truth. For these things were
done, that the Scripture should be ful-
filled: Not a bone of him shall be
broken,' and, again, another Scripture
saith: They shall look on Him Whom
they pierced.' Nor was it done for
this alone, but it was afterward a mean
to faith for Thomas and them that were
with him. And, yet again, another
1 Ps. lxxii. 14.
• Ps. lxviii. 21.
great mystery was here established, for
"forthwith came thereout Blood and
Water." Not idly nor perchance sprang
forth that twofold Fountain, for the
Church, like her great Head," came by
Water and Blood; not by Water only,
but by Water and Blood." (1 John v. 6.)
What this meaneth the baptized do
know, for they have been born again of
water, and fed on Flesh and Blood.
Hence come the Sacraments, so that as
often as thou drinkest of that wondrous
Cup, thou dost as good as suck out of
the opened Side.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. All the day long
have I been plagued, * and chastened
every morning.
Second Antiphon. "I gat me to the
mountain of myrrh, * and to the hill of
frankincense; I was brought as a lamb
to the slaughter, and I was dumb, and
opened not my mouth.
Third Antiphon. They pierced my
hands and my feet; * they have told all
my bones.
Fourth Antiphon. I looked for com-
forters and I found none; * they gave
me also gall for meat, and in my thirst
they gave me vinegar to drink.
Fifth Antiphon. When JESUS had re-
ceived the vinegar, * He said: It is
finished-and He bowed His Head, and
gave up the ghost.
BRET
you,
Chapter. (Phil. ii. 5.)
RETHREN, let this mind be in
which was also in Christ JESUS,
Who, being in the form of God, thought
it not robbery to be equal with God;
but emptied Himself, and took upon
Him the form of a servant, and was
found in the likeness of men. He hum-
bled Himself and became obedient unto
death, even the death of the Cross.
Hymn.5
'ERWHELMED in depth of woe,
Upon the tree of scorn
Hangs the Redeemer of mankind
With racking anguish torn.
Isa. liii. 7.
3 Ps. xxi. 17, 18.
2 Cant. iv. 6;
5 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
SUFFERINGS OF OUR LORD.
1421
PRIME.
See how the nails those Hands
And Feet so tender rend;
See down His Face, and Neck, and Breast
His Sacred Blood descend !
Hark! with what awful cry
His Spirit takes Its flight,
That cry, it pierced His Mother's heart
And whelmed her soul in night.
Earth hears, and to its base
Rocks wildly to and fro;
Tombs burst; seas, rivers, mountains
quake;
The vail is rent in two.
The sun withdraws his light;
The midday heavens grow pale;
The moon, the stars, the universe
Their Maker's death bewail.
Shall man alone be mute?
Come, youth and hoary hairs,
Come, rich and poor, come, all mankind,
And bathe those Feet in tears.
Come, fall before His Cross,
Who shed for us His Blood!
Who died, the Victim of pure love,
To make us sons of God.
JESU, all praise to Thee,
Our joy and endless rest;
Be Thou our Guide while pilgrims here,
Our Crown amid the blest. Amen.
Verse. He was wounded for our
transgressions.
Answer. He was bruised for our in-
iquities.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
But when they came to JESUS, and saw
that He was dead already, they brake
not His Legs, but one of the soldiers
with a spear pierced His Side, and forth-
with came thereout Blood and Water.
Prayer throughout the Office.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Who didst send our Saviour to take
upon Him our flesh, and to endure the
Cross, that all mankind should follow
the example of His great humility,
mercifully grant that we who worship
in memory of His Sufferings, may wor-
thily both follow the example of His
Patience and also be made partakers of
His resurrection. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
Antiphon. All the day long, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus:
Lord Jesus, slain for us, to Thee
Eternal praise be given,
With Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Here as it is in heaven.
Chapter at the end. (Isa. liii. 8.)
WH
HO shall declare His generation?
For He was cut off out of the land
of the living for the transgression of
my people did I smite Him.
Instead of Verse, "Thou That sittest,
&c.," is said:
Verse. Thou That wast pleased to
suffer for us.
TERCE.
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus:
JESU, our Sacrifice, to Thee,
To Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Be praise, and thanks, and glory given,
By men on earth, by Saints in heaven.
Antiphon. I gat me, &c., (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
He was offered up because He willed it.
Answer. He was offered up because
He willed it.
Verse. And with His stripes we are
healed.
Answer. Because He willed it.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He was offered up because
He willed it.
all.
Verse. God spared not His Own Son,
Answer. But delivered Him up for us
SEXT.
The last verse of the Hymn is said
thus:
Lord JESU, Who for us didst die,
To Father, Thee, and Holy Ghost,
Be praise below, as praise on high,
On earth, as 'mid the Angelic host.
1422
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Antiphon. They pierced, &c., (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Zech. xiii. 6.)
WHAT are these wounds in thine
hands? Then he shall answer:
Those with which I was wounded in the
house of my friends.
Short Responsory.
God spared not His Own Son.
Answer. God spared not His Own
Son.
Verse. But delivered Him up for us
all.
Answer. His Own Son.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. God spared not His Own
Son.
Verse. He became obedient unto
death,
Answer. Even the death of the Cross.
NONE.
The last verse of the Hymn as at
Compline.
Antiphon. When JESUS, &c., (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
He became obedient unto death.
Answer. He became obedient unto
death,
Verse. Even the death of the Cross.
Answer. Unto death.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He became obedient unto
death.
Verse. He was wounded for our
transgressions.
Answer. He was bruised for our ini-
quities.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the following.
Verse. He was wounded for our
transgressions.
Answer. He was bruised for our ini-
quities.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Joseph took down the Body of
JESUS, and wrapt It in linen, and laid
It in a sepulchre that was hewn in
stone. In that day there was a great
mourning, and the women sitting over
against the sepulchre, mourned, as one
mourneth for the death of the first-
born.
Verse at Compline as before.
First Friday in Lent.
Office in Memory of the Coronation of
our Lord JES US Christ with Thorns.
Greater Double.
All as on Sundays except the follow-
ing.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxvi. O praise the LORD, &c., (p.
154.)
D
Hymn.2
AUGHTERS of Zion! Royal Maids!
Come forth to see the Crown
Which Zion's self, with cruel hands,
Hath woven for her Son.
See! how amid His gory Locks
The jagged thorns appear;
See! how His pallid Countenance
Foretells that death is near.
Oh, savage was the earth that bore
Those thorns so sharp and long !
Savage the hand that gathered them
To work this deadly wrong!
But now that Christ's redeeming Blood
Hath tinged them with Its dye,
Fairer than roses they appear,
Or palms of victory.
JESU! the thorns which pierced Thy Brow
Sprang from the seed of sin-
Pluck ours, we pray Thee, from our hearts,
And plant Thine own therein.
Praise, honour, to the Father be,
And sole begotten Son;
Praise to the Spirit Paraclete
While endless ages run. Amen.
1 Cf. Luke xxiii. 53; Matth. xxvii. 61; Zech. xii. 10, 11.
2 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
CORONATION OF OUR LORD.
1423
Verse. When they had platted a crown
of thorns,
Answer. They put it upon His Head.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Go forth, O ye daughters of
Zion, and behold King Solomon with the
Crown wherewith his mother crowned
him whiles she was making ready a
Cross for her Saviour.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day, (p. 354.)
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Christ our King, Who was
crowned with thorns, * Him, O come,
let us worship!
Hymn from Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Only three Psalms are said, as fol-
lows.
First Antiphon. He shall be like a
tree planted by the rivers of water, that
bringeth forth his fruit in his season.
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c., (p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. They take counsel
together against the LORD, and against
His Anointed.
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen, &c., (p.
4.)
Third Antiphon. Thou hast enlarged
me when I was in distress.
Ps. iv. When I called, &c., (p. 172.)
Verse. Thou hast crowned Him with
glory and honour, O Lord-
Answer. And madest Him to have
dominion over the works of Thy hands.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (liii.)
Who hath believed, &c., (as on the
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrow, p. 422.)
First Responsory.
3Cursed is the ground by man's work.
Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth
for the Anointed.
Verse. Because Adam hath eaten of
1 Cant. iii. 11.
the tree of which God commanded him,
saying: Thou shalt not eat of it.
Answer. Thorns and thistles shall it
bring forth for the Anointed.
Second Lesson.
All we like sheep, &c., (Second Les-
son, p. 422, down to the words, “have
I stricken Him.")
Second Responsory.
The Lord' appeared unto Moses in a
flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush;
and he looked, and, behold, the bush
burned with fire, and the bush was not
consumed.
Verse. And Moses said: I will now
turn aside, and see this great sight.
Answer. And he looked, and, behold,
the bush burned with fire, and the bush
was not consumed.
Third Lesson.
And he made his grave, &c., (in the
Second Lesson to the end, and the Third,
down to the words, "He shall bear
their iniquities.")
Third Responsory.
5Behold the fire and the wood. God
will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt-
offering.
Verse. And Abraham lifted up his
eyes, and looked, and, behold, behind
him a ram caught in a thicket by his
horns.
Answer. A lamb for a burnt-offering.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. A lamb for a burnt-offering.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. O LORD, Thou hast
compassed me with Thy favour as with
a shield.
Ps. v. Give ear to my words, &c., (p.
97.)
Second Antiphon. Thou hast made
him a little lower than the angels, Thou
hast crowned him with glory and ho-
nour.
2 Ps. viii. 6.
3 Gen. iii. 17, 18, &c.
4 Exod. iii. 2, 3, but the words are "the Angel of the Eternal appeared, &c."
5 Gen. xxii. 7, 8, 13.
5 A
1424
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, &c., (p.
6.)
Third Antiphon. The wicked bend
their bow, they make ready their arrows
in the quiver, that they may shoot at
the upright.
Ps. x. In the LORD, &c., (p. 8.)
Verse. 'Thou hast set a crown, O Lord,
of precious stones,
Answer. Upon his head.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
(2nd for Twelfth Day.)
O forth, O ye daughters of Zion."
You we address as daughters of
Zion, O worldly souls, frail, sickly chil-
dren, daughters and not sons, beings in
whom there is no muscle, and no man-
liness. Go forth from your dream of
carnal sensuality to understand some-
thing with your mind. Go forth from
your bondage to the lusts of the flesh,
unto the freedom of spiritual intelli-
gence. Go forth out of your country,
and from your kindred, and from your
father's house, and behold King Solo-
mon with the crown wherewith his mo-
ther crowned him, that crown of want
and woe. But albeit his stepmother
crowned him with a crown of woeful
thorns, he is yet to be crowned by his
household with a crown of righteous-
ness, when "the Son of Man shall send
forth His Angels, and they shall gather
out of His Kingdom all things that of-
fend," (Matth. xiii. 41,) when " the
LORD will enter into judgment with the
antients of His people," (Isa. iii. 14,)
and "the world shall fight with Him
against the unwise." (Wisd. v. 21.)
The Father also crowneth Him with a
crown of glory, as saith the Psalmist:
"Thou hast crowned him with glory
and honour, O Lord," (Ps. viii. 6.)
Daughters of Zion! behold Him with the
crown wherewith His mother crowned
Him!
Fourth Responsory.
*When the chief Shepherd shall ap-
pear, (even the Shepherd That was smit-
ten, and the sheep of the flock were
scattered abroad,) when He shall ap-
1 Ps. xx. 4.
s Wisd. v. 17.
pear, we shall receive a crown of glory
that fadeth not away.
Verse. When He maketh a great feast
to show the riches of His glorious king-
dom.
Answer. We shall receive a crown of
glory that fadeth not away.
Fifth Lesson. (42nd Sermon on the
Song of Songs.)
BRET
RETHREN, from the first moment
of my conversion, I took care to
gather a bundle of my Lord's troubles
and griefs, and put the same to lie be-
tween my breasts, to make up for the
sheaf of merits which I knew I had not.
I will tell how abundantly sweet was
the smell of this [bundle of myrrh.]
As long as I live, even for ever and
ever, I will never forget those mercies
whereby I was called to life. I have
kept this healthy bundle by me, and no
one will ever take it away from me, but
it shall lie between my breasts. I have
decreed that to think of these troubles
and griefs is real wisdom; in them I
have determined to find perfect righte-
ousness, full knowledge, plentiful sal-
vation, and abundant merit. From these
His troubles and griefs I drink some-
times a draught of healthy bitters, and
from the same again I draw the sweet
oil of comfort. It is the thought of
these troubles and woes of His that
cheereth me when I am afflicted, and
maketh me grave when it is well with
me. As the pilgrim walketh along the
King's High-way of this present life,
in joy and in sorrow, it is the memory
of the woes of JESUS that keeps him
moving straight and saveth him from
the dangers that threaten him upon the
one hand or upon the other. These
griefs are what will gain my pardon
from the Judge of all the earth; He
Who is dreadful to the mighty is shown
by these griefs to be meek and lowly,
manifesting as the Forgiving One, yea,
One That a man may take ensample by,
Him Who is exalted above all Princes
and dreadful among the kings of the
earth.
Fifth Responsory.
³He hath received a glorious kingdom
and a beautiful crown.
Verse. *God hath highly exalted Him,
2 1 Pet. v. 4; Matth. xxvi. 31; Esther i. 3, 4.
4 Phil. ii. 9.
CORONATION OF OUR LORD.
1425
and given Him a Name which is above
every name.
Answer. And a beautiful crown.
Sixth Lesson.
THEREFORE are these His griefs
oftentimes in my mouth, and God
knoweth that they be alway in my heart.
My pen useth to write of them, as is
manifest. The highest flight of my
philosophy is this, to know JESUS, and
Him Crucified. I do not ask, like the
Bride, where He lieth to rest at noon,
(Cant. i. 6,) since I have the joy to em-
brace Him as He lieth between my
breasts. I ask not where He feedeth at
noon, since I see Him on the Cross a
Saviour. On the Cross He is glorious,
at my breast He is sweet; on the Cross,
my Bread; at my breast, my milk, milk
which filleth the bellies of sucklings, and
the paps of mothers, and therefore He
shall lie betwixt my breasts. Do ye
also, dearly beloved brethren, do ye also
gather you a bundle of this beloved
myrrh, [even the woe of JESUS,] put it
in the core of your heart, put it to guard
the door of your breast, that it may lie
betwixt your breasts also. If ye have
before your eyes Him Whom ye bear
about, the sight of the Lord's afflictions
will make your own lighter to carry,
through the help of Him Who is the
Bridegroom of the Church, and Who
is above all God, blessed for ever.
Amen.
Sixth Responsory.
'They shall make an ark of shittim-
wood; and thou shalt overlay it with
pure gold; within and without shalt
thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it
a crown of gold round about.
Verse. And thou shalt put into the
ark the testimony which Ishall give thee.
Answer. And shalt make upon it a
crown of gold round about.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And shalt make upon it a
crown of gold round about.
THIRD NOCTURN,
First Antiphon. He that walked up-
1 Exod. xxv. 10, 11, 16.
rightly and worked righteousness was
crowned upon Thy holy hill.
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide, &c.,
(p. 10.)
Second Antiphon. Thou hast set a
crown of precious stones upon his head,
O Lord.
Ps. xx. The king shall joy, &c., (p.
17.)
Third Antiphon. In the presence of
mine enemies Thou anointest mine head
with oil.
Ps. xxii. The LORD is my Shepherd,
&c., (p. 125.)
Verse. A crown of gold upon his
head.
Answer. Wherein was engraved "Ho-
LINESS.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xix. 1.)
A
T that time: Pilate took JESUS and
scourged Him. And the soldiers
platted a crown of thorns, and put it on
His Head. And so on.
Homily by St. Bernard, Abbat [of
Clairvaux.] (50th on divers matters.)
Daughters of Zion, behold King Solo -
mon-not here called "the Preacher,"
or Y'dydyah.3 By these three names
was that King called, and therein is he
a figure of our true Solomon, JESUS
Christ, Who was Sh'lomoh, that is,
"the Peaceful One" in His exile here,
Who will be [Koheleth, that is,]" the
Preacher" when He delivereth the la-t
doom, and Who is Y'dydyah, that is,
"the delight of the LORD" as the Uni-
versal King-gentle in His exile, righ-
teous in His judgment, glorious in His
kingdom; lovely in His exile, dreadful
in His judgment, worshipful in His
kingdom. Behold Him now "with the
crown wherewith His Mother crowned
Him." This was a crown of mercy, and
therein He may be followed. But His
step-mother also crowned Him with a
crown of sorrow, and therein He was
made a reproach. By His step-mother
I mean the Synagogue which showed
2 Ecclus. xlv. 14.
3 "The-delight-of-the-LORD,” a name given to Solomon, 2 Kings (Sam.) xii. 26. In the
Vulgate it is translated "Amabilis-Domino."
5 A 2
1426
GENERAL APPENDIX.
herself not as His mother, but as His
step-mother.
Seventh Responsory.
¹Thou shalt make an Altar to burn in-
cense upon; of shittim-wood shalt thou
make it. And thou shalt make unto it a
crown of gold round about.
Verse. And thou shalt put the Altar
before the veil that is before the mercy-
seat.
Answer. And thou shalt make unto
it a crown of gold round about.
Eighth Lesson.
HIS household will crown Him with
a crown of righteousness, and
therein He will be dreadful. His Fa-
ther crowneth Him with a crown of glory,
and therein He is lovely. Let sinners
gaze upon Him in His crown of sorrow,
the crown of thorns, and let the pricks
thereof enter into themselves. Let the
daughters of Zion, the souls that love
Him, gaze upon Him in His crown of
mercy, and follow in His steps. The
wicked shall gaze upon Him in His
crown of righteousness, and they shall
perish. The Saints shall gaze upon Him
in His crown of glory, and they shall be
blessed for ever. Others also that have
followed Him shall be crowned after
Him, but that by earnest working by
the help of His grace. He alone was
crowned by His mother, Who alone,
with every emotion duly ordered, came
forth out of His mother's womb, like a
Bridegroom out of his chamber.
Eighth Responsory.
2A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief, Christ was crowned with
thorns. The Same is He Who crowneth
us with mercy and loving-kindness.
Verse. He was wounded for our trans-
gressions; He was bruised for our ini-
quities; and with His stripes we are
healed.
Answer. The Same is He Who crown-
eth us with mercy and loving-kindness.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The Same is He Who crown-
eth us with mercy and loving-kindness.
1 Exod. xxx. 1, 3, 6.
4 Isa. xi. 2; Ecclus. i. 22, 11.
7 Ps. lxiv. 12.
9 Isa. lxii. 3.
Ninth Blessing.
May the Gospel's glorious word,
Cleansing to our souls afford.
Ninth Lesson, the Homily of the
Week-day, (p. 367.)
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. My beloved is white
and ruddy; the hair of his head is like
kingly purple bound in tresses.
Second Antiphon. The spirit of the
fear of the Lord rested upon him; * a
crown of wisdom and gladness adorned
him.
Third Antiphon. "The Lord clothed
him with the garments of salvation, *
and with the robe of righteousness, as a
bridegroom decked with his crown.
Fourth Antiphon. ‘A bundle of myrrh
is my well-beloved unto me * he shall
lie betwixt my breasts.
;
Fifth Antiphon. "The King of Eter-
nal Glory, * Who was crowned for our
sakes, will bless the crown of the year
with His goodness.
Chapter. (Cant. iii. 11.)
O forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and
behold King Solomon with the
crown wherewith his mother crowned
him.
Hymn.8
THE noble crown of Christ our Lord
Shines in the antient pact;
By thorn-entangled Victim shown,
And burning Bush intact.
The ark was circled by a crown;
The Table's mystic round,
And Altars breathing sweet perfume
Fair golden crowns surround.
Hail! Crown of glory! hail to thee!
Encircling JESUS' scars!
No gems, no gold can rival thee,
Nor crowns of shining stars.
Strength, honour, praise and glory be
To Father and to Son,
And to the Spirit Paraclete,
While endless ages run.
Amen.
Verse. 'Thou shalt be a crown of glory
in the hand of the LORD.
2 Isa. liii. 3 ; Ps. cii. 4.
;
5 Isa. lxi. 10.
3 Cant. v. 10; vii. 5.
6 Cant. i. 12.
8 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Wallace.
CORONATION OF OUR LORD.
1427
Answer. And a royal diadem in the
hand of thy God.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Then came JESUS forth, wearing the
crown of thorns and the purple robe.
Prayer throughout the Office.
RANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that we who among the me-
mories of the sufferings of our Lord JE-
sus Christ do make worshipful mention
of His Coronation with thorns, may by
Him be worthily crowned with glory
and honour in heaven. Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day, (p. 368.)
PRIME.
Antiphon. My beloved, &c., (First
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Ps. liii. and the two sections of cxviii.
"Whosoever, &c.," is not said.
Chapter at the end. (Isa. xxviii. 5.)
IN
that day shall the LORD of hosts
be for a crown of glory, and for a
diadem of beauty unto the residue of
His people.
TERCE.
Antiphon. The spirit of the fear, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the
hand of the LORD.
Answer. Thou shalt be a crown of
glory in the hand of the LORD.
Verse. And a royal diadem in the
hand of thy God.
Answer. In the hand of the LORD.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou shalt be a crown of
glory in the hand of the LORD.
Verse. Thou hast crowned him with
glory and honour, O Lord.
Answer. And madest him to have
dominion over the works of Thy hands.
SEXT.
Antiphon. The Lord clothed him, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
I
Chapter. (Apoc. vi. 2.)
SAW, and behold, a white horse;
and he that sat on him had a bow
and a crown was given unto him; and
he went forth conquering, and to con-
quer.
Short Responsory.
Thou hast crowned him with glory
and honour, O Lord.
Answer. Thou hast crowned him with
glory and honour, O Lord.
Verse. And madest him to have do-
minion over the works of Thy hands.
Answer. With glory and honour, O
Lord.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou hast crowned him with
glory and honour, O Lord.
Verse. We worship Thy Crown, O
Lord,-
Answer. We tell of Thy glorious suf-
ferings.
NONE.
Antiphon. The King, &c., (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
We worship Thy Crown, O Lord.
Answer. We worship Thy Crown, O
Lord.
Verse. We tell of Thy glorious suf-
ferings.
Answer. Thy Crown, O Lord!
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. We worship Thy Crown, O
Lord.
Verse. When they had platted a crown
of thorns,
Answer. They put it upon His Head.
SECOND VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
1428
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxvi. O praise the LORD, &c.,
(p. 154.)
Hymn, and Verse and Answer from
First Vespers.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. And they bowed the knee be-
fore Him, and mocked Him, saying:
Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit
upon Him, and took the reed, and smote
Him on the Head.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day.
Second Friday in Lent.
Office in Memory of the Piercing of our
Lord JESUS Christ with the Spear
and Nails.
Greater Double.
All as on Sunday, except the fol-
lowing.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxvi. O praise the LORD, &c., (p.
154.)
Hymn.
ON Calvary with what a mystery gleams
The spear that at the ninth hour of
the day
Made for the Precious Blood toward the
earth
Out of the pulseless Heart its last strange
way.
As the first Adam by the tree of life
Lay still and silent in sleep's deep repose,
Mother of all that live, from his cleft side
Eve guileful bride to life and beauty rose.
So when upon the Cross's quickening tree
In death's deep sleep the Second Adam
hung,
Mother of all that live by faith, the Church
From His cleft Side in Blood and Water
sprung.
There too the nails that pierced Him-they
they were
Wherewith the Saviour to the bitter wood
1 Matth. xxvii. 29.
Whereto His Hands and Feet were nailed,
nailed too
The dark handwriting that against us stood.
Praise to the Father, and the Holy Ghost,
And Him Who, where earth's feeble vision
fails
Amid the glory of the Eternal Throne
Still bears the marking of the spear and
nails.
Verse. They pierced My Hands and
My Feet.
Answer. They have told all My
Bones.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Blotting out the hand-writing
of the ordinance that was against us,
He took it out of the way, nailing it to
His Cross.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day, (p. 379.)
At Compline, last verse of the Hymn,
Lord JESU, slain for us, to Thee
Eternal praise be given,
With Father, Spirit, One and Three,
Here as it is in heaven.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Christ, Who was pierced
with the Spear and Nails, * Him, 0
come, let us worship!
Hymn.+
If the Hymn at Vespers should not
have been said, it is said instead of this
one, and verses 1, 2, and 3 of this are
prefixed to the Hymn at Lauds.
HAIL, Spear and Nails, erewhile despised
As things of little worth ;
Now crimson with the Blood of Christ
And famed through heaven and earth.
Chosen by Jewish perfidy
As instruments of sin,
God turned you into ministers
Of love and grace Divine :
For from each several wound ye made
In the Redeemer's Frame,
As from a fount, celestial gifts
And life eternal came.
Thee, JESU, pierced with Nails and Spear,
Let every knee adore;
With Thee, O Father, and with Thee,
O Spirit, evermore. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.5
Only three Psalms are said.
2 Ps. xxi. 17.
• Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
5 Antiphons from John xix. 33-37.
3 Col. ii. 14.
PIERCING of our Lord.
1429
First Antiphon. But when they came
to JESUS, they brake not His Legs, but
one of the soldiers with a spear pierced
His Side.
Ps. i. Blessed is the man, &c., (p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. And forthwith came
thereout Blood and Water; and he that
saw it bare record, and his record is
true.
Ps. ii. Why do the heathen, &c.,
(p. 4.)
Third Antiphon. Another Scripture
saith: They shall look on Him Whom
they pierced.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they increased,
&c., (p. 5.)
Verse. They persecute him whom
Thou hast smitten.
Answer. And they embitter the pain
of my wounds.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Zechariah (xii. 10.)
THUS saith the Lord: I will pour
upon the house of David and upon
the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit
of grace and of supplications; and they
shall look upon Me Whom they have
pierced; and they shall mourn for him,
as one mourneth for his only son, and
shall be in bitterness for him, as one
useth to be that is in bitterness for the
death of his first-born. In that day
there shall be a great mourning in Je-
rusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrim-
mon in the field of Megiddon. And
the land shall mourn, every family
apart; the family of the house of David
apart, and their wives apart; the family
of the house of Nathan apart, and their
wives apart; the family of the house of
Levi apart, and their wives apart; the
family of Shimei apart, and their wives
apart; all the families that remain a-
part, and their women apart.
First Responsory.
But when they came to JESUS, and
1 Ps. lxviii. 27.
saw that He was dead already, they
brake not His Legs; but one of the sol-
diers with a spear pierced His Side.
Verse. And he that saw it bare record,
and his record is true.
Answer. One of the soldiers with a
spear pierced His Side.
Second Lesson. (xiii.)
IN that day there shall be a fountain
opened to the house of David, and
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin
and for uncleanness.3 And it shall come
to pass in that day, saith the LORD of
hosts, that I will cut off the names of
the idols out of the land, and they shall
no more be remembered; the false pro-
phets and the unclean spirit will I cause
to pass out of the land. And it shall
come to pass that, when any shall yet
prophesy, then his father and his mother,
that begat him, shall say unto him:
Thou shalt not live, for thou speakest
lies in the name of the LORD. Ând his
father and his mother, that begat him,
shall thrust him through, when he pro-
phesieth. And it shall come to pass in
that day, that the prophets shall be
ashamed every one of his vision, when
he had prophesied; neither shall they
wear a rough garment to deceive; but
he shall say: I am no prophet; I am an
husbandman; for Adam hath been mine
ensample from my youth.
Second Responsory.
One of the soldiers with a spear
pierced His Side, and forthwith came
thereout Blood and Water.
Verse. In that day there shall be a
fountain opened to the house of David
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
Answer. And forthwith came there-
out Blood and Water.
Third Lesson.
AND one shall say unto him: What
are these wounds in thine hands?
Then he shall answer: Those with which
I was wounded in the house of my friends.¹
2 This was the national lamentation for the death of Josiah. 2 Par. (Chron.) xXXV. 24, 25.
3 In ablutionem peccatoris et menstruatæ.
4 Abp. Kenrick says: "The occasion of his wounds is not stated, although he received
them in the house of his friends. They were probably inflicted by his parents, to punish
him for uttering false prophecies"-as he also says before: "The general horror of
idolatry is expressed by the readiness of parents to punish their own son for countenancing
it by false predictions."
1430
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Awake, O sword, against My shepherd,
and against the man that is My fellow,
saith the LORD of hosts; smite the shep-
herd, and the sheep shall be scattered;
and I will turn Mine hand upon the
little ones. And it shall come to pass
that in all the land, saith the LORD,
two parts therein shall be cut off and
die; but the third shall be left therein.
And I will bring the third part through
the fire, and will refine them as silver
is refined, and will try them as gold is
tried. He shall call on My Name, and
I will hear him. I will say: Thou art
My people; and he shall say: The LORD
is my God.
Third Responsory.
In that day there shall be a fountain
opened to the house of David, and to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and
for uncleanness.
Verse. This is He That came by
Water and Blood, even JEsUs Christ.
Answer. For sin and for uncleanness.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For sin and for uncleanness.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. They shall look upon
Me Whom they have pierced; and they
shall mourn for him as one mourneth
for his only son.
Ps. iv. When I called, &c., (p. 172.)
Second Antiphon. What are these
wounds in thine hands?
Ps. v. Give ear, &c., (p. 97.)
Third Antiphon. Those with which I
was wounded in the house of my friends.
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, &c.,
(p. 6.)
Verse. He was wounded for our trans-
gressions.
Answer. He was bruised for our ini-
quities.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from a Sermon by
Pope Innocent VI. (Decree concern-
ing the Feast of the Spear and the
Nails.)
WE
E are behoven so to glory in the
most holy sufferings of our Lord
1 1 John v. 6.
and Saviour JESUS Christ, as to count
out one by one all the mysteries and
merits of His Suffering, and even to
glory in every one of their soul-saving
instruments. Among such mysteries is
notable the fact that the Saviour on the
Cross, after that He had given up the
Ghost, bore that His Side should be
pierced with a spear, to the end that in
the stream of Blood and Water which
forthwith came thereout, there might
spring forth, one, and stainless, and
virgin, His Bride and our holy mother,
the Church. O how blessed is that gap
in the Sacred Side, whence have rushed
for us so many and so great streams of
mercy! Happy for us was the lance
whose work was to do us such good, and
to add such another glory to such a
victory!
Fourth Responsory.
'This is He That came by Water and
Blood, even JESUS Christ; not by Water
only, but by Water and Blood.
Verse. There are Three that bear
witness in earth, the Spirit, and the
Water, and the Blood: and these Three
are One.
Answer. Not by Water only, but by
Water and Blood.
Fifth Lesson.
IN opening that Side, the lance opened
for us the gates of the kingdom of
heaven. In wounding Him Who was
dead already, (John xix. 33, 34,) the
lance closed our wounds, and gave us
life and health. In piercing Him Who
was harmless, (Heb. vii. 26,) the lance,
by His Blood, purged our sins of their
harmfulness; in trickling down with
that most holy Water, it flooded away
from our eye the beam which had made
us blind, and washed us clean in the
waves of God's mercy. For us are also
sweet the nails wherewith the Saviour
was fastened upon the Cross. We must
clearly remember that theirs it was not
only to be smeared with the sinless
Blood, not only to bear up the weight
of the Great [Victim of Atonement], but
to open for us, in the salvation-bringing
Wounds, sweet wells of the goodness of
God; [by going through His Hands,]
to free our hands from the manacles of
21 John v. 8.
PIERCING OF OUR LORD.
1431
sin, and, [by boring His Feet,] to draw
our feet out of the snares of death.
Fifth Responsory.
'Many dogs have compassed me: the
assembly of the wicked have inclosed
me. They pierced my hands and my
feet they have told all my bones.
Verse. One shall say unto him, What
are these wounds in thine hands?
Answer. They pierced my hands and
my feet they have told all my bones.
Sixth Lesson.
THAN the Cleft in that Side, and the
Wounds in those Hands and Feet
what is there holier? What is there
more life-giving ?-out of Them floweth
salvation, and in Them the souls of be-
lievers may for ever find health. The
Lance and Nails heretofore mentioned,
and other instruments employed in the
life-giving Sufferings of Christ, are
everywhere to be held in reverence of
all His faithful people, and solemn Of-
fices concerning His Sufferings them-
selves are held and kept in the Church;
but We, nevertheless, hold it meet and
convenient that a special Festal Office
should be held and kept concerning
these things in particular, especially in
those places where the instruments
themselves are asserted to be still pre-
served; and We desire by these Offices
and Indulgences more particularly to
provoke the earnestness in godliness of
such of the faithful as please themselves
with the belief that they have any such
Relique in their possession.
Sixth Responsory.
One shall say unto him: What are
these wounds in thine hands? Then he
shall answer: Those with which I was
wounded in the house of my friends.
Verse. Except I shall see in His
Hands the print of the nails, I will not
believe.
Answer. Those with which I was
wounded in the house of my friends.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Those with which I was
wounded in the house of my friends.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. They pierced my
1 Ps. xxi. 17.
hands and my feet: they have told all
my bones.
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 72.)
Second Antiphon. Except I shall see
in His Hands the print of the nails,
and put my finger into the print of the
nails, and thrust my hand into His
Side, I will not believe.
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth, &c.,
(p. 73.)
Third Antiphon. Reach hither thy
finger, and behold My Hands; and
reach hither thy hand, and thrust it
into My Side.
Ps. xcvii. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 74.)
Verse. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him.
Answer. And with His stripes we are
healed.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xix. 28.)
AT that time: JESUS, knowing that
all things were now accomplished,
that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
saith: I thirst. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (120th Tract upon John.)
"One of the soldiers with a spear
pierced His Side, and forthwith came
thereout Blood and Water.' The
Evangelist speaketh carefully. He
saith not that he smote the Side, nor
yet that he wounded It, nor yet any-
thing else, but "pierced"-"pierced"
It, to fling wide the entrance unto life,
whence flow the Sacraments of the
Church, those Sacraments without which
there is no entrance into the life which
is life indeed. That Blood, Which was
shed there, was shed for the remission
of sins, that Water is the Water that
mantleth in the cup of salvation.
Therein are we washed, and thereof do
we drink. Of this was it a type when
it was said unto Noah: "The door of
the ark shalt thou set in the side
thereof.. and of every living thing
of all flesh shalt thou bring into the ark
to keep them alive.” (Gen. vi.
16, 19.) A figure this of the Church.
•
•
2 John xx. 25.
1432
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Seventh Responsory.
These things were done that the
Scripture should be fulfilled: A bone of
Him shall not be broken. And again
another Scripture saith: They shall look
on Him Whom they pierced.
Verse. I will pour upon the house of
David and upon the inhabitants of Jeru-
salem the spirit of grace and of suppli-
cations.
Answer. They shall look on Him
Whom they pierced.
Eighth Lesson.
HUS it was that the first woman was
THUS
made from the side of her husband
while he slept, and she was called [Eve,
which is, being interpreted,] "Life,"
"because she was the mother of all liv-
ing." (Gen. iii. 20.) This name set
forth a great good, before it became as-
sociated with the bitter fruit of a great
evil. And here we have the second
Adam bowing His Head, and the deep
sleep of death falling upon Him upon
the Cross, and He sleepeth that the
Ninth Lesson, the Homily of the
Week-day, (p. 367.)
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. One of the soldiers
with a spear pierced His Side, * and
forth with came thereout Blood and
Water.
Second Antiphon. They pierced my
hands and my feet, they have told all
my bones.
Third Antiphon. There are three that
bear witness in earth, * the Spirit, and
the Water, and the Blood.
Fourth Antiphon. 'Why are ye trou-
bled? * and why do thoughts arise in
your hearts? Behold My Hands and
My Feet, that it is I Myself.
Fifth Antiphon. Reach hither thy
finger, and behold My Hands; * and
reach hither Thy hand, and thrust it
into My Side.
Chapter. (1 John v. 5.)
beloved brethren, Who is
Lord God may take a thing out of His DEAR that overcometh the world, but
Side, and make thereof a wife for Him.
O what a death was His, which quick-
eneth the dead! What is cleaner than
His Blood? What more health-giving
than His wounding? "For these things
were done, that the Scripture might be
fulfilled: Not a Bone of Him shall be
broken,'-and again, another Scripture
saith: "They shall look on Him Whom
they pierced.'
Eighth Responsory.
I will pour upon the house of David
and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem
the spirit of grace and of supplications;
and they shall look upon Me Whom
they have pierced.
Verse. And they shall mourn for him
as one mourneth for his only son.
Answer. And they shall look upon
Me Whom they have pierced.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And they shall look upon
Me Whom they have pierced.
Ninth Blessing.
May the Gospel's glorious word,
Cleansing to our souls afford.
1 Luke xxiv. 38, 39.
he
he that believeth that JESUS is the Son
of God? This is He that came by
Water and Blood,—even JEsus Christ-
not by Water only, but by Water and
Blood.
Hymn.2
H, turn those blessed points, all bathed
Mine were the sins that wrought His
death-
In JESU's Blood, on me;
Mine be the penalty.
Pierce through my feet, my hands, my
heart-
So may some Drop distil
Of Blood Divine, into my soul,
And all its evils heal.
So may my feet be slow to sin,
Harmless my hands shall be ;
So, from my wounded heart, shall each
Forbidden passion flee.
Thee, JESUS! pierced with nails and spear!
Let every knee adore!
With Thee, O Father, and with Thee,
O Spirit, evermore. Amen.
Verse. They pierced my hands and
my feet.
Answer. They have told all my
bones.
2 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
PIERCING OF OUR LORD.
1433
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
'His Visage was so marred more than
any man, and His Form more than the
sons of men. So shall He sprinkle
many nations.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst take our weak na-
ture upon Thee, and, inasmuch as
Thou didst will it, didst work salvation
for the world by being crucified with
Nails and pierced with a Spear, merci-
fully grant unto all of us who now on
earth are making solemn memorial of
the same Nails and Spear, that here-
after in heaven we may be made glad
for ever by the fruits of that glorious
victory whereof Thy piercing was the
mean. Who livest and reignest with
God the Father, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day, (p. 368.)
PRIME.
Antiphon. One of the soldiers, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Ps. liii. and the two sections of Ps.
cxviii. "Whosoever, &c.," is not said.
In the Short Responsory, instead of
"Thou That sittest, &c.," is said,
us.
Verse. Thou That wast wounded for
Chapter at the end. (1 Pet. ii. 24.)
WHO His Own Self bare our sins in
His Own Body on the tree, that
we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were
healed.
TERCE.
Antiphon. They pierced, &c., (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
They pierced my hands and my feet.
Answer. They pierced my hands and
my feet.
Verse. They have told all my bones.
Answer. And my feet.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. They pierced my hands and
my feet.
Verse. They persecute him whom
Thou hast smitten.
Answer. And they embitter the pain
of my wounds.
SEXT.
Antiphon. There are three, &c.
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (1 Pet. ii. 21.)
BRETHREN, Christ suffered for us,
leaving you an example, that ye
should follow His steps: Who did no
sin, neither was guile found in His
Mouth.
Short Responsory.
They persecute him whom Thou hast
smitten.
Answer. They persecute him whom
Thou hast smitten.
Verse. And they embitter the pain
of my wounds.
Answer. Whom Thou hast smitten.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. They persecute him whom
Thou hast smitten.
Verse. He was wounded for our
transgressions.
Answer. He was bruised for our ini-
quities.
NONE.
Antiphon. Reach hither, &c. (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
He was wounded for our transgres-
sions.
Answer. He was wounded for our
transgressions.
Verse. He was bruised for our ini-
quities.
Answer. For our transgressions.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He was wounded for our
transgressions.
Verse. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him.
Answer. And with His stripes we are
healed.
1 Isa. lii. 14, 15.
1434
GENERAL APPENDIX.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the following.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxv., I believed, &c., (p. 153.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Surely He hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we
did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God,
and afflicted.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day, (p. 380.)
Third Friday in Lent.
Office in Memory of the Enshroud-
ment of our Lord JESUS Christ in His
Most Holy Winding-Sheet.
Greater Double.
All as on Sundays, except the fol-
lowing.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxvi. O praise the Lord, &c., (p.
154.)
Hymn.
ESUS! when on Thy fatal day
JEST
Thy people turn their awe-struck eyes,
Thy latest vesture's history dread
Distinct before their memory lies.
Thy Suffering o'er, from Hands and Feet
They drew the nails who loved Thee
well-
Into the linen's spotless folds
Thy Soul-less Body gently fell.
O Word of God! the conquest won,
Thy trophies still around Thee lay-
Clothed in a vesture dipped in Blood
Thou restedst Victor from the fray.
With our salvation's awful Price,
Still wet upon Thy gaping Side
And mangled Feet, and Hands, and Brow,
The virgin web was redly dyed.
If Blood from Thee, let tears from us
In spirit on Thy grave-clothes fall-
The price was Thine, the debt was ours;
For us, for us, was suffered all.
Thou Who Thine own blest life didst give
A sacrifice for ours to be,
Teach us, O God, in least return
Our Blood-bought lives to give to Thee!
Word of the Self-Existent One,
Word uttered with the Breath Divine,
Word clad in vesture dipped in Blood,
All praise eternally be Thine! Amen.
Verse. We honour Thy Winding-
Sheet, O Lord.
Answer. We call to mind Thy glo-
rious Sufferings.
Antiphon to the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. A man named Joseph, a good
man and a just, went to Pilate, and
begged the Body of JESUS. [Then Pilate
commanded the Body to be delivered.]
And when [Joseph] had taken [the
Body] he wrapped It in a clean linen
cloth.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day, (p. 379.)
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Christ our Lord, Who re-
calleth the memory of His Sufferings
by the thought of the Holy Shroud,
Him, O come, let us worship!
A
Hymn.¹
WONDROUS mystery this day
Reveals itself before our eyes:
The true Son of the living God
Upon the Cross in torment dies.
To advocate a servant's cause,
He takes that servant's guilty guise;
The Master suffers for the slave,
The just Man for the sinner dies.
The emblems of His cruel death
And triumph redly were impressed
Upon the robe, which with its folds
His mangled Body did invest.
These were the signs of victory won
O'er Death, o'er Hell, and o'er the World;
These were the trophies which our Chief
Displays triumphantly unfurled.
This gratitude at least we owe
To Him who brought eternal life,
That 'neath this banner we should stand,
And fight and conquer in the strife.
Then let us die to all our sin,
And let us rise to life of grace;
That by the Cross we may deserve
To see the glory of His Face.
Grant this, O Father merciful!
And Thou, His own coequal Son!
Grant this, O Spirit! Who dost bear
The sceptre, while the ages run. Amen.
1 Translation by the Rev. Dr. Wallace.
ENSHROUDMENT OF OUR LORD.
1435
L
FIRST NOCTURN.
Only three Psalms are said.
First Antiphon. Thou art red in
thine apparel, and thy garment like
their's that tread in the wine-press.
Ps. iv. When I called, &c., (p. 172.)
Second Antiphon. 'Blood hath been
sprinkled upon my garments, and I
have stained all my raiment.
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide, &c.,
(p. 10.)
Third Antiphon. They part my gar-
ments among them, and cast lots upon
my vesture.
Ps. xv. Preserve me, &c., (p. 11.)
Verse. We honour Thy Winding-
Sheet, O Lord.
Answer. We call to mind Thy suffer-
ings.
Lessons from Isa. liii. (p. 422.)
First Responsory.
Behold, we saw Him as having no
form nor comeliness. There is no beauty
in Him. He hath borne our sins, and
sorroweth for us. He was wounded for
our transgressions, and with His stripes
we are healed.
Verse. Surely He hath borne our sins,
and carried our sorrows.
Answer. And with His stripes we are
healed.
Second Responsory.
"What are these wounds in thine
hands? Then he shall answer: Those
with which I was wounded in the house
of my friends.
Verse. Awake, O sword, against My
shepherd, and against the man that is
My fellow.
Answer. Then he shall answer: Those
with which I was wounded in the house
of my friends.
Third Responsory.
We honour Thy Winding-Sheet, O
Lord; we call to mind Thy glorious
1 Isa. Ixiii. 2, 3.
sufferings. Thou that didst suffer for
us, have mercy upon us!
Verse. O that every one who is here
gathered this day to praise Thee may
find that Thou art indeed salvation for
him!
Answer. Thou that didst suffer for
us, have mercy upon us!
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou that didst suffer for
us, have mercy upon us!
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. He hid as it were
His Face from us; He was despised,-
and we esteemed Him not.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the LORD'S,
&c., (p. 124.)
Second Antiphon. All they that see
Me, laugh Me to scorn; they shoot out
the lip, and shake the head.
Ps. xxvi. The LORD is my light, &c.,
(p. 21.)
Third Antiphon. He hath poured out
His soul unto death; [and He was num-
bered with the transgressors;] and He
bare the sin of many.
Ps. cxliv. I will extol Thee, &c., (p.
168.)
Verse. We adore Thee, O Christ, and
we bless Thee.
Answer. Because that through Thy
Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Ambrose, Bishop [of Milan.]
(On Luke xxiii.)
WHA
HAT is the meaning of this, that,
not His Apostles but Joseph, and
as saith John, Nicodemus, performed
the burial of Christ? The one was a
just and bold man, the other a master
in Israël. Such it beseemed Christ to
have to lay Him in the grave, even He
from whom all justice and all rule
proceed. Hereby no ground is left for
dispute, and the Jews are confuted by
witnesses from their own midst. The
just man covereth the Body of Christ
with linen, the guileless anointeth it
with ointment. These distinctions we
3 Zech. xiii. 6, 7.
2 Ps. xxi. 19.
♦ For had the Apostles buried Him, they might have said that He had been taken away,
rather than buried.
1436
GENERAL APPENDIX.
find not idle, for the clothing of the
Church is the righteousness of her
Saints (Apoc. xix. 8), and guilelessness
bringeth her grace.
Fourth Responsory.
O wondrous Shroud, wherein was
wrapped up our Treasure, the ransom-
money of the captives.
Verse. The whole world rejoiceth,
redeemed by the Blood of her Lord.
Answer. Our Treasure, the ransom-
money of the captives.
Fifth Lesson.
Do tote in thy mind's eye] the
thou, if thou also wilt be just,
Body of the Lord, with that glory which
is Its Own. Though thou believest It
to have been dead, [in thy faith] cover
It with the fulness of the Godhead
Which belongeth unto It. Anoint It
with myrrh and aloes, that thou mayest
be a good savour of Christ. The linen
which the just Joseph gave was fine,
and perchance the same as the great
sheet knit at the four corners, and let
down to the earth, wherein were all
manner of four-footed beasts of the
earth, and wild beasts, and creeping
things, and fowls of the air, figures of
the Gentiles, which appeared unto Peter.
(Acts x. 11, 12.) With Christ was mys-
tically buried in that ointment of spike-
nard the Church, who bindeth_together
in her Communion all peoples, how
divers soever they be.
Fifth Responsory.
¹And his brethren took Joseph's coat,
and dipped it in the blood of a kid of
the goats, which they had slaughtered,
and they sent one that brought the coat
unto their father, and said: This have
we found-see now whether it be thy
son's coat, or no.
Verse. And he knew it, and said: It
is my son's coat; an evil beast hath de-
voured him.
Answer. This have we found-see
now whether it be thy son's coat, or no.
Sixth Lesson.
THIS Joseph is called by Luke just,
and by Matthew rich. And well
is he called rich which receiveth the
1 Gen. xxxvii. 31-33.
Body of Christ. By receiving [the source
of all] riches, he bade farewell to lack
of faith. He that is just is rich. A
just man therefore wrapped the Body in
the linen, while an Israëlite “brought
a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an
hundred pound weight,"-that is to say,
"Then
the measure of perfect faith.
took they the Body of JESUS, and wound
It in linen clothes with the spices, as
the manner of the Jews is to bury"
(John xix. 38—42,) wound it, not in the
nooses of treachery, but in the bands of
loyalty. And they laid It in that gar-
den, whereunto the Church is so often-
times compared, because of the mani-
fold and divers fruits of good works and
flowers of grace which do grow in her.
Sixth Responsory.
2Christ suffered for us, leaving you
an example, that ye should follow His
steps, Who did no sin, neither was guile
found in His Mouth.
Verse. Who, when He was reviled,
reviled not again; when He suffered,
He threatened not.
Answer. Who did no sin, neither was
guile found in His Mouth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Who did no sin, neither was
guile found in His Mouth.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. My flesh shall rest
in hope, for Thou wilt not suffer Thine
Holy One to see corruption.
Ps. liii. Save me, O God, &c., (p. 115.),
Second Antiphon. Thou hast turned
for me my mourning into rejoicing:
Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and
girded me with gladness.
Ps. lxxv. In Judah is God known,
&c., (p. 58.)
Third Antiphon. I am as a man that
hath no strength, lying nerveless among
the dead.
Ps. lxxxvii. O LORD God of my sal-
vation, &c., (p. 68.)
Verse. Let all the earth worship Thee
and sing unto Thee.
Answer. Let them sing praises to
Thy Name, O Lord.
2 1 Pet. ii. 21–23.
ENSHROUDMENT of our Lord.
1437
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Mark (xv. 42.)
AT that time: When the even was
come, because it was the Prepara-
tion, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
Joseph of Arimathæa, an honourable
counsellor, which also waited for the
kingdom of God, came,—And so on.
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.] (For Tuesday in Holy
Week.)
The Greek word "Paraskeué," used
by the Evangelist, signifieth "the Pre-
paration," and was the name by which
the Greek-speaking Jews were used to
call Friday, as being the day whereon
those things were got ready which would
be needed during the rest of the Sab-
bath, even as it was antiently com-
manded concerning the manna:
"On
the sixth day they shall prepare that
which they bring in, and it shall be
twice as much as they gather daily."
(Exod. xvi. 5.) Even thus is it written
that on Friday "God created man.
(Gen. i. 27.) And "thus the heavens
and the earth were finished, and all the
host of them. And on the seventh day
God ended His work which He had
made; and He rested on the seventh
day from all His work which He had
made. And God blessed the seventh
day and sanctified it, because that in it
He had rested from all His work which
God created and made." (ii. 1-3.) And
He was pleased to call the seventh day
the Sabbath, that is to say, the Day of
"Rest." (Exod. xx. 10.) In like man-
ner also did the crucified Saviour com-
plete upon Friday the work of the new
creation, and "when
He had re-
ceived the vinegar, He said: It is
finished"-even as it were "The even-
ing and the morning are about to be
numbered as the sixth day, and My
work whereby I have re-made the world,
I have ended." And on the seventh
day, the Sabbath Day, He rested from
all His work which He had made,
awaiting in the grave till the eighth
day should come, for Him to rise again.
·
•
Seventh Responsory.
Joseph bought a clean linen cloth, to
wrap therein the Body of the Lord. He
came therefore, and took the Body.
Verse. Joseph of Arimathæa besought
Pilate that he might take away the Body
of JESUS.
Answer. He came therefore, and took
the Body.
Eighth Lesson.
JOSEPH of Arimathæa, an honour-
able counsellor, which also waited
for the kingdom of God, came, and went
in boldly unto Pilate, and craved the
Body of JESUS." Very honourable was
this Joseph in the eyes of the world, but
his honour now is because of his good
work toward God. It was meet that he
who laid the Lord in the grave should
by his good life have earned such a
ministry, and by the power of his ho-
nourable position in the world should
have been able to obtain it. A person
unknown or obscure would not have
been able to go unto the President and
to obtain from him the Body of the
Crucified.
Eighth Responsory.
This is that most honourable Wind-
ing-Sheet, wherein, when the Author
of salvation was taken down from the
Cross, He was pleased to be wrapped.
Verse. That we being stripped of the
slough of the old Adam and buried to-
gether with [the new Adam] might be
clothed on with the white linen of His
sinlessness.
Answer. Wherein when the Author
of salvation was taken down from the
cross, He was pleased to be wrapped.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Wherein, when the Author
of salvation was taken down from the
Cross, He was pleased to be wrapped.
Ninth Lesson from Matth. xxi. 33, with
the Homily of St. Ambrose (p. 379.)
The Hymn, ""
We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. There was a man
named Joseph, an honourable counsel-
lor, a good man, and a just; * (the same
also was rich;) who also himself waited
for the kingdom of God.
Second Antiphon. This man went in
boldly unto Pilate, * and craved the
Body of JESUS.
1438
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Third Antiphon. When Pilate knew
of the Centurion that JESUS was al-
ready dead, * he gave the Body to Jo-
seph.
Fourth Antiphon. And Joseph bought
fine linen, * and took Him down, and
wrapped Him in the linen.
Fifth Antiphon. And laid Him in a
sepulchre, wherein never man before
was laid.
WHO
*
Chapter. (Isa. lxiii. 1.)
HO is This That cometh from Edom,
with dyed garments from Bozrah ?
This That is glorious in His apparel,
travelling in the greatness of His
strength? I, That speak in righteous-
ness, mighty to save.
Hymn.¹
JESUS, as though Thyself wert here,
I draw in trembling sorrow near;
And gazing on Thy Form Divine,
Kneel down to kiss those Wounds of Thine.
Ah me, how naked art Thou laid,
Blood-stained, distended, cold, and dead,-
Joy of my soul, my Saviour Sweet!-
Upon the sacred Winding-Sheet !
Hail, awful Brow! Hail, thorny wreath!
Hail, Countenance, now pale in death,
Whose glance but late so brightly blazed,
That angels trembled as they gazed.
And hail to Thee, my Saviour's Side—
And hail to Thee, Thou Wound so wide,
Thou Wound more ruddy than the rose,
True Antidote of all our woes.
O by those Sacred Hands and Feet
For me so mangled, I entreat,
My JESUS, turn me not away,
But let me here for ever stay. Amen.
Verse. The LORD reigneth, He is
clothed with majesty.
Answer. The LORD is clothed with
strength, and hath girded Himself with
power.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
Joseph, an honourable Counsellor, which
also waited for the kingdom of God,
bought fine linen, and took down the
Body of JESUS, and wrapped It in the
linen.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who hast left unto us [in the]
records of Thy Sufferings [how
Thou wast enshrouded] in the holy linen
wherein Joseph wrapped Thy most sa-
cred Body what time he had taken It
down from the Cross, mercifully grant
that through Thy Death and Burial we
may be brought unto the glory of Thy
Resurrection. Who livest and reignest
with God the Father, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day, (p. 380.)
Verse. God hath given His Angels
charge over Thee.
Answer. To keep Thee in all Thy
ways.
PRIME.
Antiphon. There was a man, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
I
Chapter at the end. (Isa. lxiii. 5.)
LOOKED, and there was none to
help; I searched, and there was
none to uphold; therefore Mine Own
arm brought salvation unto Me, and
My fury, it upheld Me.
TERCE.
Antiphon. This man went in, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
We honour Thy Winding-Sheet, O
Lord.
Answer. We honour Thy Winding-
Sheet, O Lord.
Verse. We call to mind Thy Suffer-
ings.
Answer. O Lord.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. We honour Thy Winding-
Sheet, O Lord.
Verse. We worship and bless Thee,
O Christ!
Answer. For that by Thy death Thou
hast redeemed the world.
SEXT.
Antiphon. When Pilate knew, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
¹ Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
WOUNDS OF OUR LORD.
1439
1
Chapter. (Isa. lxiii. 2.)
WHEREFORE art Thou red in Thine
apparel, and Thy garments like
their's that tread in the wine-fat? I
have trodden the wine-press alone, and
of the people there was none with Me.
Short Responsory.
We worship and bless Thee, O Christ!
Answer. We worship and bless Thee,
O Christ!
Verse. For that by Thy death Thou
hast redeemed the world.
Answer. O Christ!
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. We worship and bless Thee,
O Christ!
Verse. Let all the earth worship Thee,
and sing unto Thee.
Answer. Let them sing praises to Thy
Name, O Lord.
NONE.
Antiphon. And laid Him, &c., (Fifth
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Let all the earth worship Thee and
sing unto Thee.
Answer. Let all the earth worship
Thee and sing unto Thee.
Verse. Let them sing praises to Thy
Name, O Lord.
Answer. And sing unto Thee.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Let all the earth worship
Thee and sing unto Thee.
Verse. The LORD reigneth, He is
clothed with Majesty.
Answer. The LORD is clothed with
strength, and hath girded Himself with
power.
SECOND VESPERS.
As the First, except the following.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxli. I cried unto the Lord, &c.,
(p. 167.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. A certain rich man of Ari-
I Zech. xii. 10.
mathæa, named Joseph, took the Body
of JESUS, and wrapped It in clean linen.
Commemoration of the Week-day, (p.
380.) Verse and Answer as in the Com-
memoration at Lauds.
Fourth Friday in Lent.
Office in honour of the Five Most Holy
Wounds of our Lord JESUS Christ.
Greater Double.
All as on Sundays, except the follow-
ing.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Ps. cxv. I believed, &c., (p. 153.)
Ps. cxix. In my distress, &c., (p.
154.)
Ps. cxxxix. Deliver me, O LORD, &c.,
(p. 166.)
Ps. cxl. LORD, I cry unto Thee, &c.,
(p. 166.)
Ps. cxli. I cried unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 167.)
Hymn. "Sing, my tongue, the glo-
rious battle, &c.," (p. 409.)
Verse. They shall look upon Him
Whom they have pierced.
Answer. And they shall mourn for
Him, as one mourneth for the death of
the first-born.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. While as the Only-begotten
Son of God hung upon the Cross, and
was mocked of all, His Virgin Mother
Mary worshipped Him in her sorrow as
very God and Man.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Christ Who was nailed to
the Cross, pierced with five Wounds, *
Him, O come, let us worship!
Hymn as at Vespers, (p. 409.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
2
First Antiphon. Who is This That
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments
from Bozrah ?
2 Antiphons from Isa. lxiii. 1—3.
5 B
1440
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Ps. x. In the LORD put I, &c., (p. 8.)
Second Antiphon. Wherefore art Thou
red in Thine apparel, and Thy gar-
ments like their's that tread in the
wine-fat?
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide, &c.,
(p. 10.)
Third Antiphon. I have trodden the
wine-press alone, and of the people
there was none with Me.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the LORD'S,
&c., (p. 124.)
Verse. They pierced My hands and
My Feet.
Answer. They have told all My Bones.
First Lesson from Isa. liii. as on p.
422.
First Responsory.
2God hath made us acceptable in His
beloved Son, in Whom we have redemp-
tion through His Blood, for the remis-
sion of sins.
Verse. Behold, the fulness of the time
was come wherein God sent forth His
Son into the world.
Answer. In Whom we have redemp-
tion through His Blood, for the remis-
sion of sins.
Second Lesson as on Friday in Pas-
sion Week, (p. 422,) with these words
added:
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise
Him; He hath put Him to grief.
Second Responsory.
4 We who sometimes were far off, are
made nigh by the Blood of JESUS Christ;
for He is our peace, Who hath made
both one.
Verse. This is the LORD's doing, and
it is marvellous in our eyes.
Answer. He is our peace, Who hath
made both one.
W
Third Lesson. (lxiii. 1.)
HO is This That cometh from Edom,
This, That is glorious in His apparel, tra-
velling in the greatness of His strength?
I That speak in righteousness, mighty
to save. Wherefore art Thou red in
1 Ps. xxi. 17.
Eph. ii. 14; Ps. cxvii. 23.
Thine apparel, and Thy garments like
their's that tread in the wine-fat? I
have trodden the wine-press alone, and
of the people there was none with Me.
I trod them in Mine anger, and tram-
pled them in My fury; and their blood
is sprinkled upon My garments, and I
have stained all My raiment. For the
day of vengeance is in Mine heart, and
the year of My redemption is come. I
looked, and there was none to help; I
sought, and there was none to uphold.
Third Responsory.
"It pleased [the Father] that in the
first-born from the dead should all the
fulness of the Godhead dwell, and by
Him to reconcile all things unto Him-
self, making peace through the Blood of
His Cross, whether they be things in
heaven or things in earth.
Verse. He is the Head of the Body of
the Church, in all things having the
preeminence.
Answer. Making peace through the
Blood of His Cross, whether they be
things in heaven or things in earth.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Making peace through the
Blood of His Cross, whether they be
things in heaven or things in earth.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. They pierced My
Hands and My Feet; they have told all
My Bones.
Ps. xxi. My God, my God, &c., (p.
126.)
Second Antiphon. From the Sole of
the Foot even unto the Head there is no
soundness in Him.
Ps. lxv. Make a joyful noise, &c., (p.
48.)
Third Antiphon. "Wounds, and Brui-
ses, and putrefying Sores-they have not
been closed, neither bound up, neither
mollified with ointment.
Ps. lxxv. In Judah is God known,
&c., (p. 58.)
Verse. Surely He hath borne our
griefs.
Answer. And carried our sorrows.
2 Eph. i. 6, 7.
5 Col. ii. 9; i. 18, 20.
3 Gal. iv. 4.
6 Isa. i. 6.
WOUNDS OF OUR LORD.
1441
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
(Bk. on the Passion, ch. 41.)
AFTER much mocking by Jews and
Gentiles, after much Blood-shed-
ding, Jesus is taken, and His Hands
and Feet pierced with hard nails, and
so our Saviour, the gentle JESUS, is
nailed to the tree of the Cross. Look
there, and gaze upon the roses of bloody
suffering-how they shine-the marks
of that love greater than which hath
no man. Suffering and love strive to-
gether whether the one shall be more
excellent for bloodiness or the other for
fieriness.
Fourth Responsory.
'JESUS through death destroyed him
that had the power of death, that He
might deliver them who through fear
of death were all their life-time subject
to bondage.
Verse. Wherefore in all things it be-
hoved Him to be made like unto His
brethren, that He might be merciful.
Answer. That He might deliver them
who through fear of death were all their
life-time subject to bondage.
Fifth Lesson.
LO with what red flowers doth blossom
that noble Vine, our ruddy JESUS!
Look if anywhere on His Body thou
wilt not find those bloody roses. Look
into one Hand and then into the Other,
and thou wilt find a rose in Either.
Look at one Foot and then at the Other
are They not rosy ? Look at the
Gash in His Side, and That hath Its
rose too-but a rose pink rather than
red this time, by reason of the Water;
as saith the Evangelist: "One of the
soldiers with a spear pierced His Side,
and forthwith came thereout Blood and
Water."
Fifth Responsory.
2By man came death; by Man came
also the resurrection of the dead. For
as in Adam all have sinned, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive.
1 Heb. ii. 15, 17.
2 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22, 26. Notice the curious
reads, "In Adam all die, &c."
3 Cf. Gen. xxxvii. 32, 33; Isa. lxiii. 3.
Verse. At last shall be destroyed the
enemy death.
Answer. For as in Adam all have
sinned, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive.
Sixth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the same. (On
the Passion of the Lord.)
OOK down, O Lord, Holy Father,
from Thy Sanctuary, even from
heaven Thy_dwelling-place, and behold
this Most Holy Oblation Which our
Great High Priest, Thine Holy Child,
the Lord JESUS doth offer unto Thee for
the sins of His brethren; and take not
vengeance upon us for the multitude of
our iniquities. Know now, O Father,
whether this be Thy Son Joseph's coat
or no. Alas! an evil beast ĥath de-
voured Him, and trampled [Him] in
his fury [and stained all] His raiment.
Behold, in five places It is rent griev-
ously.s
Sixth Responsory.
4We see JESUS, [Who was made a little
lower than the Angels,] for the suffer-
ing of death, crowned with glory and
honour, that He [by the grace of God]
should taste death for every man.
Verse. For it became Him [for Whom
are all things, and by Whom are all
things,] in bringing many sons unto
glory, to make the captain of their sal-
vation perfect through sufferings.
Answer. That He [by the grace of
God] should taste death for every man.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. That He [by the grace of
God] should taste death for every man.

THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. 5 What are these
wounds in Thine Hands?
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 72.) I
Second Antiphon. 5Those with which
I was wounded in the house of My
friends.
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth, &c.,
(p. 73.)
divergence from the inspired text, which
4 Heb. ii. 9, 10.
5 Zech. xiii. 6.
5 B 2
1442
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Third Antiphon. 'My complaint is
bitter, and my stroke is heavier than
my groaning.
Ps. xcvii. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 74.)
Verse. He was wounded for our trans-
gressions.
Answer. He was bruised for our ini-
quities.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xix. 28.)
T
At that time: JESUS, knowing that
all things were now accomplished,
that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
saith: I thirst. And so on.
Homily by St. Cyril, Pope of Alex-
andria. (Bk. xii. Comment. on John.)
The brutality of the Jews had already
outraged Christ to the full; cruelty had
nothing left to desire; and now at the
last moment the Most Holy Flesh of
Christ suffereth a pain springing natu-
rally from Itself. That Flesh, fevered
by many and divers tortures, felt thirst.
Great pain hath the property of produc-
ing strong thirst, since by some natural
law which I cannot explain, it drieth
up as by heat the liquids of the body
and as it were setteth on fire the inward
parts.
Seventh Responsory.
"The grace of God is now made mani-
fest by the appearing of our Saviour
JESUS Christ, Who hath abolished death,
and hath brought life and immortality
to light.
Verse. Who hath saved us and called
us with His holy calling, according to
grace which was given us in Christ
JESUS.
Answer. Who hath abolished death,
and hath brought life and immortality
to light.
Eighth Lesson.
“IT
IT is finished."
Jewish outrage
against God was finished; the
power to inflict torture was finished.
What had the Jews left unattempted, or
cruelty left undone? Did any pain or
insult remain uninflicted? Rightly did
1 Job xxiii. 2.
• Isa. xxx. 26.
He say: "It is finished." But He was
come to be the Lord of the dead as well
as of the quick, and the hour was now
calling Him to go and preach to the
imprisoned spirits in the netherworld.
He accepted even death for our sakes
and bore in His Own Flesh that suffer-
ing common to all our nature. When
they saw that the Head of JESUS had
fallen, and deemed Him to have already
given up the Ghost, they held it pains
wasted to break His Legs. Howbeit,
forasmuch as they dreaded Him even
in death, they pierced His Side with a
spear, and there burst forth Blood min-
gled with Water, the image and the first-
fruits of the mystic Thankoffering and
of holy Baptism, for holy Baptism is
indeed a thing of Christ and from Christ,
and the virtue of the mystic Thank-
offering proceedeth unto us from His
holy Flesh.
Eighth Responsory.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to take the
book, and to open the seals thereof, for
Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us
to God by Thy Blood-
Verse. And hast made us unto our
God a kingdom and Priests.
Answer. By Thy Blood.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. By Thy Blood.
Ninth Lesson, the Gospel and Homily
of the Week-day.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O
God, &c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Surely He hath
borne our griefs and carried our sor-
rows.
*
Second Antiphon. But He was wound-
ed for our transgressions, * He was
bruised for our iniquities.
*
Third Antiphon. The LORD bindeth
up the breach of His people, and heal-
eth the stroke of their wound.
Fourth Antiphon. "Every one that
goeth by it shall be astonished * at all
the plagues thereof.
Fifth Antiphon. "O all ye that pass
by! * Behold and see, if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow!
2 2 Tim. i. 10, 9.
5 Jer. xlix. 17.
8 Apoc. v. 9.
6 Lam. i. 12.
WOUNDS OF OUR LORD.
1443
Chapter. (Isa. liii. 5.)
CHRIST] was wounded for our trans-
gressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities, and with His stripes we are
healed.
Hymn, "Thirty years, &c.," (p.
414.)
Verse. They shall look upon Him
Whom they have pierced.
Answer. And they shall mourn for
Him as one mourneth for the death of
his first-born.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
One of the soldiers with a spear pierced
His Side, and forthwith came thereout
Blood and Water.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who by the suffering of Thine
Only-begotten Son, and the out-
pouring of His Blood through the five
Wounds, hast made anew the manhood
which sin had lost, grant, we beseech
Thee, that we who on earth do worship
the Wounds Which He received may
worthily obtain in heaven the purchase
of His Most Precious Blood. Through
the Same our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee,
in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one
God, world without end. Amen.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Surely, &c., (First Anti-
phon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Isa. liii. 12.)
[CHRIST] poured out His Soul unto
death; and He was numbered
with the transgressors; and He bare
the sin of many, and made intercession
for the transgressors.
TERCE.
Antiphon. But He was wounded, &c.,
(Second Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
They pierced My Hands and My
Feet.
Answer. They pierced My Hands and
My Feet.
Verse. They have told all My Bones.
Answer. My Hands and My Feet.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. They pierced My Hands and
My Feet.
Verse. O all ye that pass by!
Answer. Behold, and see My sorrow!
SEXT.
Antiphon. The LORD bindeth up,
&c., (Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Isa. 1. 6.)
I
HID not My Face from shame and
for the Lord GOD will
help Me; therefore shall I not be con-
founded.
Short Responsory.
Surely He hath borne our griefs.
Answer. Surely He hath borne our
griefs-
Verse. And carried our sorrows.
Answer. Our griefs.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Surely He hath borne our
griefs.
Verse. The chastisement of our peace
was upon Him.
Answer. And with His stripes we are
healed.
NONE.
Antiphon. O all ye, &c., (Fifth An-
tiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
He was wounded for our transgres-
sions.
Answer. He was wounded for our
transgressions.
Verse. He was bruised for our ini-
quities.
Answer. For our transgressions.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He was wounded for our
transgressions.
Verse. He was offered up because He
willed it.
Answer. And He opened not His
Mouth.
1444
GENERAL APPENDIX.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I am your Redemption. * My
Hands, which made you, those Hands
were pierced with the nails. It was for
your sakes that I was scourged, for your
sakes that I was crowned with thorns,
for your sakes that as I hung, I said:
"I thirst"-and, for water, they gave
Me vinegar to drink. They gave Me
also gall for My meat, and pierced My
Side with a spear. I died and was
buried, and arose again. I am with you
always and am alive for evermore.
A Commemoration is made of the
Week-day.
Fifth Friday in Lent.
Office in honour of the Most Precious
Blood of our Lord JESUS Christ.
Greater Double.
All as on the first Sunday of July,
(p. 1134,) substituting Commemorations
and Ninth Lesson of the Week-day for
those of the Sunday.
MARCH 18.
St. Gabriel, Archangel.
Greater Double.
If this Feast be observed in Lent, the
Week-day is commemorated at Vespers
and Lauds, and has the Ninth Lesson
at Mattins. If it be transferred into
Paschal-time, the word "Alleluia” is
added wherever it is given in brackets [],
and all three Psalms of each Nocturn
are said under the First Antiphon.
All as on Sundays, except the fol-
lowing.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Hymn, and Verse and Answer as at
Lauds on May 8, (p. 1067.)
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Angel Gabriel came in
unto the Virgin Mary, and said: Hail,
thou that art full of grace; the Lord is
with thee; blessed art thou among wo-
men. [Alleluia.]
A Commemoration is made of the
Second Vespers of St. Patrick, and of
the Week-day.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord, He is the King
of the Archangels, * O come, let us wor-
ship Him. [Alleluia.]
Hymn as at Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel
said unto Daniel: Understand, O son of
man; for at the time of the end shall
the vision be fulfilled. [Alleluia.]
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, &c.,
(p. 6.)
Second Antiphon. Behold the man
Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision
[at the beginning,] being caused to fly
swiftly, touched me about the time of
the evening oblation; and he informed
me.
Ps. x. In the LORD put I my trust,
&c., (p. 8.)
Third Antiphon. 'When Gabriel was
about speaking unto me, I fell upon my
face toward the ground; but he touched
me, and set me upright.
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide, &c.,
(p. 10.)
Verse. An Angel stood at the Altar
of the Temple. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Having a golden censer in
his hand. [Alleluia.]
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Daniel (ix. 20.)
WHILES I, Daniel, was speaking and
Ps. exvi. O praise the LORD, &c., praying, and confessing my sins,
(p. 154.)
1 Dan. viii. 17, 18.
ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL.
1445
and the sins of my people Israël, and
presenting my supplication before my
God for the holy mountain of my God,
whiles yet I was speaking in prayer,
behold, the man Gabriel, whom I had
seen in the vision at the beginning,
being caused to fly swiftly, touched me
about the time of the evening oblation.
And he informed me, and talked with
me, and said: O Daniel, I am now come
forth to give thee skill and understand-
ing. At the beginning of thy suppli-
cations the commandment came forth;
and I am come to show thee, for thou art
greatly beloved; therefore understand
the matter, and consider the vision.
First Responsory.
Whiles Daniel was praying, and con-
fessing his sins, and the sins of his
people, behold, the Archangel Gabriel,
being caused to fly swiftly, touched him
about the time of the evening oblation.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Whiles he was presenting his
supplication before his God-
Answer. Behold, the Archangel Ga-
briel, being caused to fly swiftly, touched
him about the time of the evening ob-
lation. [Alleluia.]
Second Lesson.
SEVENTY weeks are determined upon
thy people, and upon thine holy
city, to finish the transgression, and to
make an end of sins, and to make recon-
ciliation for iniquity, and to bring in
everlasting righteousness, and to seal up
the vision and prophecy, and to anoint
the Most Holy. Know, therefore, and
understand, that from the going forth
of the commandment to build up again
Jerusalem, unto the Prince, the An-
ointed, shall be seven weeks, and three-
score-and-two weeks. The street shall
be built again, and the walls, even in
troublous times.
Second Responsory.
And Gabriel talked with Daniel, and
said: At the beginning of thy supplica-
tions the commandment came forth; and
I am come to show thee, for thou art
greatly beloved. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Therefore understand the mat-
ter and consider the vision.
Answer. And I am come to show
thee, for thou art greatly beloved. [Al-
leluia.]
Third Lesson.
AND after three-score-and-two weeks
shall Christ be cut off-and they
shall not be His own people that shall
deny Him. And a people, with a Prince
that shall come, shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary; and the end thereof
shall be desolation, and after the end of
the war desolation is appointed. But he
shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week; and in the midst of the
week the sacrifice and the oblation shall
cease; and in the temple shall be the
abomination of desolation; and even
until the consummation and the end
shall endure the desolation.
Third Responsory.
Behold, the man Gabriel, whom I had
seen [in the vision at the beginning,]
being caused to fly swiftly, touched me
about the time of the evening oblation;
and he informed me, [and talked with
me,] and said: 0 Daniel, I am now
come forth to give thee skill and under-
standing. [Alleluia.]
Verse. O Gabriel, make me to under-
stand the vision. So he came near where
I stood. And he said unto me:-
Answer. O Daniel, I am now come
forth to give thee skill and understand-
ing. [Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O Daniel, I am now come
forth to give thee skill and understand-
ing. [Alleluia.]
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel
appeared unto Zacharias, and said unto
him: Thy wife Elizabeth shall bear
thee a son, and thou shalt call his name
John. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare, &c.,
(p. 16.)
Second Antiphon. And Zacharias said
unto the Angel: Whereby shall I know
this? for I am an old man, and my wife
well stricken in years.

1 Antiphons from Luke i. 11, 13, 18, 19.
1446
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the LORD'S,
&c., (p. 124.)
Third Antiphon. And the Angel, an-
swering, said unto him: I am Gabriel,
that stand in the presence of God, and
am sent to speak unto thee, and to
show thee these glad tidings.
Ps. xxxiii. I will bless the LORD,
&c., (p. 26.)
Verse. The smoke of the incense as-
cended up before the Lord-[Alleluia.]
Answer. Out of the Angel's hand.
[Alleluia.]
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
(On Luke i. 26.)
66
THE Angel Gabriel was sent from
God."
I opine that this Angel is not one of
those lesser ones who are often sent to
earth with messages upon one occasion
and another. This may well be under-
stood from his name, which signifieth
"the strong-man-of-God," and because
it is especially said that he was sent,
not by some spirit haply more excellent
than he, but from God Himself. It is
said "from God"-lest it should be
imagined that God had revealed His
counsel to any of the blessed spirits be-
fore revealing it to the Virgin, except
to the Archangel Gabriel, who is thus
discovered to possess such an excellency
in the heavenly host as becomes at once
his name and his message.
Fourth Responsory.
It came to pass that while Zacharias
executed the Priest's office before God,
in the order of his course, there appeared
unto him the Angel Gabriel, standing
on the right side of the Altar of incense.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. When he went into the tem-
ple of the Lord to burn incense, accord-
ing to the custom of the Priest's office.
Answer. There appeared unto him
the Angel Gabriel, standing on the right
side of the Altar of incense. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Lesson.
NEITHER d
EITHER do his name and his mes-
sage disagree, for whom did it more
beseem to be the herald of "Christ,
the Power of God," (1 Cor. i. 24,) than
him who was honoured by bearing a
like name? For power and strength
are much the same. Neither doth it
appear unmeet or unseemly that the
Lord and His messenger should have
a like title, when we consider that that
title differeth in meaning in each.
Christ is called the Power or Strength
of God in a sense very different to that
in which the like appellation is given
to the Angel. In the Angel it is a be-
stowed title; in Christ, an essential
description.
Fifth Responsory.
The Angel Gabriel came down unto
Zacharias, and said unto him: Fear
not; for thy prayer is heard; and thy
wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son,
and thou shalt call his name John.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. And when Zacharias saw him,
he was troubled, and fear fell upon him;
but the Angel said unto him:-
Answer. Fear not; for thy prayer is
heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall
bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his
name John. [Alleluia.]
CHR
Sixth Lesson.
HRIST is called, and absolutely is,
the Power of God." When the
strong man armed kept his palace, and
all his goods were in peace, Christ came
upon him as One stronger than he, and
overcame him by the strength of His
Own arm, and took from him all his
armour wherein he trusted, and divided
his spoils. (Luke xi. 21, 22.) But the
Angel is called the "strong-man-of-
God," either because this title was his
right as the herald of the Power of God,
or because it was his mission to comfort
the Virgin, naturally fearful, simple,
and shame-faced, lest she should be be-
side herself with terror at the newness
of the miracle, which office indeed he
discharged when he said: "Fear not,
Mary; for thou hast found grace with
God." Meetly therefore was Gabriel
chosen for this work, or rather, meetly
was his name given him since he had
been so chosen.
Sixth Responsory.
I am Gabriel, that stand in the pre-
ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL.
1447
sence of God; and am sent to speak
unto thee, and to show thee these glad
tidings. Behold, thou shalt be dumb,
and not able to speak, until the day that
these things shall be performed.~ [Al-
leluia.]
Verse. Because thou believest not my
words, which shall be fulfilled in their
season.
Answer. Behold, thou shalt be dumb,
and not able to speak, until the day that
these things shall be performed. [Al-
leluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and
to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Behold, thou shalt be dumb,
and not able to speak, until the day that
these things shall be performed. [Al-
leluia.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel
was sent to a virgin espoused to [a man
whose name was] Joseph, [and the vir-
gin's name was] Mary. [Alleluia.]
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 72.)
Second Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel
said unto Mary: Behold, thy cousin
Elizabeth, she hath also conceived a son
in her old age.
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth, &c.,
(p. 73.)
Third Antiphon. O Virgin Mary, re-
ceive the word of the Lord which is sent
thee by His Angel Gabriel.
Ps. cii. Bless the LORD, O my soul,
&c., (p. 76.)
Verse. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee, O my God. [Al-
leluia.]
Answer. I will worship toward Thy
holy Temple, and praise Thy Name.
[Alleluia.]
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy
Gospel according to Luke (i. 26.)
AT
Homily by St. Julian, Archbishop
of Toledo.¹ (2nd against the Jews.)
It was from an Angel that Daniel
learnt the secret of the seventy weeks
until the birth of the Christ; it was by
the apparition of an Angel that Zacha-
rias heard that he was about to beget a
son; and it was when an Angel foretold
that the Christ should be born of her,
that Mary believed and consented. These
three things we see announced by an
Angel, and fulfilled. Let us now then
look carefully whether the Angel who
appeared to Zacharias and Mary was the
same who had foretold these same things
to Daniel.
Seventh Responsory.
The Angel Gabriel was sent to Mary,
the virgin espoused to Joseph, and the
Virgin was afraid of the light. Fear
not, Mary, for thou hast found grace
with the Lord. Behold, thou shalt con-
ceive and bring forth a Son, and He
shall be called the Son of the Highest.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. And when she heard it, she
was troubled at his saying, and cast in
her mind what manner of salutation
this should be. And the Angel said
unto her :
Answer. Fear not, Mary, for thou
hast found grace with the Lord. Be-
hold, thou shalt conceive, and bring
forth a Son, and He shall be called the
Son of the Highest. [Alleluia.]
Eighth Blessing.
He whose Feast-day, &c.
As
Eighth Lesson.
S for Daniel, he, in the Book of his
Prophecy, when he learnt from the
Angel the mystery of the seventy weeks,
which should mark the date of the Birth
of Christ, plainly expresseth the name
of the said Angel. For he saith: "Be-
hold, the man Gabriel, whom I had
seen [in the vision] at the beginning, be-
ing caused to fly swiftly, touched me
[about the time of the evening oblation;
and he informed me, and talked with
me,] and said: 0 Daniel, [I am now
come forth to give thee skill and under-
1 March 8.
T that time: The Angel Gabriel was
sent from God unto a city of Gali-
lee named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused
to a man whose name was Joseph, of
the house of David: and the Virgin's
name was Mary. And so on.
1448
GENERAL APPENDIX.
standing. At the beginning of thy sup-
plications the commandment came forth,
and I am come to show thee, for thou
art greatly beloved; therefore] under-
stand the matter," and so on, as is there
narrated. And so, when the time
pointed at drew near, we find in the
Gospel the wondrous name of this same
Angel. For the Angel said unto Zacha-
rias: "I am Gabriel, that stand in the
presence of God; and am sent to speak
unto thee, and to show thee these glad
tidings."
Eighth Responsory.
Rejoice, O Mary, by whose mighty
hand the Church hath victory o'er her
foes achieved, since thou to Gabriel's
word of quickening power in lowliness
hast listened and believed; thou, still a
virgin, in thy blessed womb, hast God,
incarnate of thy flesh, conceived; and,
still of heaven, of that virginity re-
mainest after child-birth unbereaved.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Answer. Since thou to Gabriel's word
of quickening power in lowliness hast
listened and believed; thou, still a vir-
gin, in thy blessed womb, hast God, in-
carnate of thy flesh, conceived; and,
still of heaven, of that virginity re-
mainest after child-birth unbereaved.
[Alleluia.]
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Since thou to Gabriel's word
of quickening power in lowliness hast
listened and believed; thou, still a vir-
gin, in thy blessed womb, hast God, in-
carnate of thy flesh, conceived; and,
still of heaven, of that virginity re-
mainest after child-birth unbereaved.
[Alleluia.]
Ninth Lesson.
ND this is also the name which we
read in the Gospel where the child-
bearing of the Blessed Virgin Mary is
spoken of, as it is written: "The Angel
Gabriel was sent from God, unto a city
of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David; and the
virgin's name was Mary." We see then
that it was the one and the same Angel
Gabriel who revealed to Daniel the time
prefixed for the Birth of Christ, and who
announced the delivery of the Virgin
when the time came. He cometh at the
very time which he himself had fore-
told, and showeth by actual demonstra-
tion the fulfilment of his former word,
faithful in the prophecy of the weeks,
faithful in the revelation of the mys-
tery.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. When Zacharias
went into the Temple of the Lord, *
there appeared unto him the Angel Ga-
briel, standing on the right side of the
Altar of incense. [Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. But the Angel said
unto him: Fear not, * Zacharias: for
thy prayer is heard. [Alleluia.]
Third Antiphon. I am the Angel Ga-
briel, that stand in the presence of
God, and am sent to speak unto thee.
[Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. The Angel Gabriel
spake unto Mary * and said: Behold
thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and
bring forth a Son, and shalt call His
Name JESUS. [Alleluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. Then said Mary un-
to the Angel: How shall this be, seeing
I know not a man? * And the Angel
Gabriel answered and said unto her:
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee,
and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee. [Alleluia.]
Chapter. (Dan. ix. 21.)
BEHOLD, the man Gabriel, whom I
had seen in the vision at the be-
ginning, being caused to fly swiftly,
touched me about the time of the even-
ing oblation; and he informed me, and
talked with me, and said: 0 Daniel, I
am now come forth to give thee skill
and understanding.
0
Hymn.¹
CHRIST, Redeemer of mankind,
Thy servants here protect and spare,
Who hearest with a loving mind,
The Blessed Virgin's holy prayer.
May those glad hosts which see Thy Face,
The spirits of the heavenly home,
Away from us all evils chase,
Both past, and present, and to come.
1 Translation extracted from "The People's Hymnal.”
ST. GABRIEL THE ARCHANGEL.
1449
Then purge away all unbelief,
From every land where Christians dwell,
That unto Thee, our Victor Chief,
Our thanks and praises we may tell.
The Father Unbegot we laud,
We praise the sole-begotten Son,
And Holy Spirit, with them God,
Now, and while endless ages run. Amen.
Verse. An Angel stood at the Altar of
the Temple. [Alleluia.]
Answer. Having a golden censer in
his hand. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
The Angel Gabriel came down unto
Zacharias, and said unto him: Thy wife
shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call
his name John, and many shall rejoice
at his birth; for he shall go before the
face of the Lord, to prepare His ways.
[Alleluia.]
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst choose the Arch-
angel Gabriel from among all Thine
other Angels, and send him to herald
the mystery of Thine Incarnation, mer-
cifully grant that we who keep his feast
upon earth may feel his protection in
heaven. Who livest and reignest with
God the Father, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
In Lent a Commemoration is made of
the Week-day.
PRIME.
Antiphon. When Zacharias, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Dan. ix, 25.)
KNO
NOW therefore, and understand,
that from the going forth of the
commandment to rebuild Jerusalem unto
Christ the Prince shall be seven weeks,
and three-score-and-two weeks.
TERCE.
Antiphon. But the Angel, &c., (Se-
cond Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
An Angel stood at the Altar of the
Temple.
Answer. An Angel stood at the Altar
of the Temple.
Verse. Having a golden censer in his
hand.
Answer. At the Altar of the Temple.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. An Angel stood at the Altar
of the Temple.
Verse. And the smoke of the incense
ascended up before the Lord-
Answer. Out of the Angel's hand.
But if in Paschal-time, it is said as
on May 8.
SEXT.
Antiphon. I am the Angel, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Dan. ix. 3.)
AND I am come to show thee, for thou
art greatly beloved: Seventy weeks
are determined, to finish the transgres-
sion, and to make an end of sin, and to
seal up
the vision and prophecy, and to
anoint the Most Holy.
Short Responsory.
The smoke of the incense ascended
up before the Lord.
Answer. The smoke of the incense
ascended up before the Lord-
Verse. Out of the Angel's hand.
Answer. Before the Lord.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. The smoke of the incense
ascended up before the Lord.
Verse. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee, O my God.
Answer. I will worship toward Thy
holy Temple, and praise Thy Name.
But if in Paschal-time, it is said as
on May 8.
NONE.
Antiphon. Then said Mary, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Before the Angels will I sing praise
unto Thee, O my God.
1450
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Answer. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee, O my God.
Verse. I will worship toward Thy
holy Temple, and praise Thy Name.
Answer. O my God.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Before the Angels will I
sing praise unto Thee, O my God.
Verse. Worship God,
Answer. All ye His Angels.
But if in Paschal-time, it is said as
on May 8.
SECOND VESPERS.
(These are usually the First Vespers
of St. Joseph.)
Same as the First, except the follow-
ing.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxxxvii. I will praise Thee, &c.,
(p. 164.)
Verse. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee, O my God. [Alleluia.]
Answer. I will worship toward Thy
holy temple, and praise Thy Name.
[Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. The Archangel Gabriel said
unto Mary: With God nothing shall be
impossible. And Mary said: Behold the
handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me
according to thy word. And the Angel
departed from her. [Alleluia.]
MAY 16.
St. John of Nepomuc,
Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Martyr, (p. 792 or 817,) except the
following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who through the unconquer-
able Sacramental silence of Thy
blessed servant John hast adorned Thy
Church with the crown of yet another
martyrdom, grant unto us, at his prayers
and after his ensample, the grace to
bridle well our tongues, and to be ready
to lose the whole world rather than our
own souls. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth
with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS John was born at Nepomuc,
from which his name is taken, a
little town of Bohemia [some leagues
from Prague, about the year of our
Lord, 1330.] His father and mother
were well stricken in years. At the hour
of his birth fire appeared blazing over
the house. As a child he fell grievously
ill, but completely recovered, through
the help of the Blessed Virgin, to whom
his father and mother believed that they
originally owed him. These signs from
heaven were followed by a godly educa-
tion aided by a quick wit, and he passed
his boyhood amid holy and earnest ex-
ercises, esteeming it his enjoyment to go
to Church and to serve Priests at the
Altar. He went to study letters first at
Staaze, and then more advanced learn-
ing at Prague, where he took the degree
of Master in Philosophy and of Doctor
in Divinity and Canon Law. Being
ordained Priest, and fitted by the science
of the Saints to labour for the gain of
souls, he gave himself up entirely_to
the ministry of the word of God. His
eloquence and holiness brought forth
abundant fruits in the destruction of
vice and the recall of wanderers into
the path that leadeth unto life, and he
was appointed a Canon of the Metro-
politan Church of Prague. Soon after-
wards he was named Court Preacher by
King Wenceslaus IV., and discharged
this office with such success, that the
King acted largely on his advice, and
held him in great respect. But the
servant of God firmly and constantly
refused the higher honours offered him
by his Sovereign, and which would have
taken him away from the preaching of
the Divine Word.
66
B.V.M. HELP OF CHRISTIANS."
1451
HE
Fifth Lesson.
But
E was appointed Royal Almoner, and
the Queen Jane made him her
Confessor. When King Wenceslaus fell
away from his good life and resolutions,
and plunged into sin, he took in bad
part the remonstrances and warnings of
his godly wife, and dared to ask from
John a disclosure of the things which
the Queen had confided to him in the
tribunal of Sacramental Penance.
the servant of God remained unshaken,
first under blandishments and then un-
der torture and a miserable imprison-
ment, in refusing to gratify the King's
base curiosity. But the laws neither of
God nor of man could withhold the in-
sane mind of Wenceslaus from his in-
famous idea, and the champion of Christ
openly foretold to the people that his
own last conflict was at hand, and the
afflictions which would thereafter befall
the kingdom. He went presently to
Buntzel, and, in front of the antient
image of the Blessed Virgin which is
there honoured, prayed earnestly for
strength from heaven to fight a good
fight. He returned thence on the even-
ing before Ascension Day [1383,] and
the King chancing to look out at a win-
dow and see him pass, sent for him and
furiously demanded his compliance, with
the threat of having him drowned if he
was obstinate. John remained perfectly
unmoved. That night, therefore, he
was thrown into the River Muldaw,
where it runs through Prague, and so
gained the glorious crown of martyrdom.
THE
Sixth Lesson.
HE sacrilegious murder was com-
mitted secretly, but a great sign
from God made it public, and, with it,
the glory of the martyr. As the lifeless
corpse was borne along by the stream,
lights appeared, floating and moving
over the waters. The next morning
therefore the Canons, fearing nothing
the anger of the King, took the body
from the sand and carried it in solemn
procession to the Metropolitan Church,
and there gave it burial. The memory
of this victorious Priest became con-
stantly more illustrious by miracles and
by the veneration paid it by the faith-
ful, especially such as are slandered.
After more than three hundred years,
when his remains, which had lain all
the while under ground, were judicially
examined, the tongue was found incor-
rupt and fresh, and when, after six
years more, it was shown to the judges
appointed by the Apostolic See, it sud-
denly swelled again to its full size, and
changed in colour from dark to bright
red. These and other signs being duly
certified, the supreme Pontiff Benedict
XIII., upon the 19th day of March, in
the year of salvation 1729, inscribed in
the list of the holy martyrs, the name
of this first champion of the inviolability
of sacramental confession, whose secrecy
he sealed with his blood.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons (even in Paschal-time) from
Matth. x. 26, with the Homily of St.
Hilary, (p. 827.)
MAY 24.
The Blessed Virgin Mary,
styled "Help of Christians."
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office for her
Festivals (p. 894,) except the following.
Prayer throughout.
ALMIGHTY and merciful God, Who
hast in marvellous wise appointed
the most Blessed Virgin Mary to be an
everlasting help for the succour of Thy
Christian people, mercifully grant that
we striving under her protection in life
may attain victory over our malignant
adversary in death. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
FIRST VESPERS.
Hymn.¹
OFTTIMES, when hemm'd around by hos-
tile arms,
The Christian people lay all sore dismay'd,
Faith's eye hath traced the Virgin gliding
down,
To lend her loving aid.
1 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
1452
GENERAL APPENDIX.
So speak the monuments of olden time,
And shrines that bright with votive spoils
appear;
So speak the Festivals in her sweet praise,
Returning year by year.
Now for new mercies a new song ascends,
While with our Lady's ensigns all unfurl'd,
Rome in procession long high triumph
holds,
And with great Rome the world.
Oh, happy day! on which Saint Peter's
throne
Receives the Faith's great Ruler back
again;
Returning from his banishment, in peace
O'er Christendom to reign.
Ye youths and maidens, priests and people
all!
Pour out your grateful hearts on this glad
day,
Striving with all your strength, to Heaven's
high Queen
Her well-earn'd praise to pay.
Virgin of Virgins! JESU's Mother blest!
Add yet another mercy to the past;
And help our Pastor all his flock to lead
Safe into Heaven at last.
To Thee, great Trinity, be endless praise,
Blessing, and majesty, and glory due;
To Thee may we our hearts and voices
raise,
All the long ages through.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Behold, Mary was our hope,
unto whom we fled, to help and deliver
us; and she came to our succour.
leluia.
MATTINS.
Hymn as at Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Al-
Lessons from Prov. viii. 12, as in the
Common.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Bernard, Abbat [of Clairvaux.]
(On the Twelve Stars.)
DEARLY beloved br
EARLY beloved brethren, one man
and one woman have much harmed
us, but, thanks be to God, by one Man
and one woman, all hath been restored
unto us, and that, not without a plen-
tiful increase of graces. Verily, Christ
is enough, and verily "our sufficiency
is of Him" (2 Cor. iii. 5,) but for us "it
is not good that the man should be
alone," (Gen. ii. 18.) It was more meet
that a woman as well as a man should
appear in the matter of our redemption.
And thus the woman "blessed among
women" is not seen idle, but a place is
found for her in the work of reconcilia-
tion. We must needs have a medium
between us and the Mediator Christ,
neither can we have one more useful
than Mary. Eve was a cruel medium,
through which the venomous serpent
infected her husband with its poison,
but Mary is a trustworthy medium which
offereth the healthful antidote for that
poison both to men and to women. The
one ministered to the work of seduction,
the other to that of the atonement. The
one smuggled in the fall, the other
brought in the Redemption. Why should
weak man tremble to come to Mary?
There is nothing stern, nothing dread-
ful about her; she is all sweetness, of-
fering, to all, milk and wool. Consider
well the whole course of the Gospel his-
tory, and if thou find in Mary any such
thing as harshness, or hardness, and
even the least sign of loss of temper,
trust her not again, and fear to come
unto her.
BUT
Fifth Lesson.
UT if thou find her to be altogether
as indeed she is, full of a mother's
tenderness and grace, full of gentleness
and mercy, give thanks unto Him Who,
in the vast abundance of His goodness,
hath given thee such a spokeswoman in
whom thou canst not but trust. In fine,
through the boundlessness of her charity
she hath made herself all things to all
men, (1 Cor. ix. 22,) "A debtor both
to the wise and to the unwise," (Rom.
i. 14.) She openeth to all the bosom of
her mercy, that of her fulness all may
receive; the captive, ransom; the sick,
health; the sorrowful, comfort; the
sinful, pardon; the righteous, grace;
even angels, gladness. She is not one
who inquireth what we have deserved,
but is to all most easy to be entreated
and most merciful; in the wideness of
her love she hath pity upon the needs
of all. She is the woman of whom God
P
B.V.M.
1453
HELP OF CHRISTIANS."
promised of old time that she should
bruise with her foot of power the head
of the old serpent. For her heel he lay
in wait, but vainly. For she by herself
hath crushed the depravity of every
heresy. They that lay in wait for her
have been crushed, they that assailed
her have been trampled down, they that
maligned her have been silenced, and
all generations call her blessed. If by
the moon we are to understand the
Church, we have her office of advocate
clearly set forth, where it is said, "A
woman clothed with the sun, and the
moon under her feet." (Apoc. xii. 1.)
Let us embrace the blessed feet of Mary,
casting ourselves down in most earnest
entreaty before her. Let us take hold
upon her, and not let her go until she
bless us; for she is able.
Sixth Lesson. (From History.)
HRISTENDOM hath oftentimes had
Carvellous experience how present
an help is the Mother of God for scat-
tering her foes. Thus it was that the
most holy Pope Pius V., after the fa-
mous victory which the Christians gained
over the Sultan of Turkey in the battle
of Lepanto, ordered that in the Litany
of Loretto this Queen of heaven should
be styled, among other titles, "Help of
Christians." But one of the most re-
markable and indeed truly miraculous
instances was that of Pius VII., Bishop
of Rome. He was dragged from his
Apostolic See by the plots and arms of
wicked men, and for five years was kept
in close confinement, mainly at Savona,
being almost utterly cut off from all
means whereby he could govern the
Church, a feature without a precedent
in any previous persecution. When it
was least expected, he was replaced upon
the Papal throne, with universal appro-
bation, and as it were by the hands of
the whole world. The same thing hap-
pened to him a second time, when ano-
ther storm arose, and he left the City
and went in company with the Sacred
College of Cardinals to the Riviera.
Then, by an outpouring of God's mercy,
the storm, which had threatened darkly,
ceased, and he returned to Rome amid
fresh rejoicing of the nations. But be-
fore leaving the North of Italy he car-
ried out an old intention which his cap-
tivity had prevented him from realising,
and, amid solemn pomp, placed with
his own hands a crown of gold upon
the famous image at Savona which de-
picts the Mother of God under the title
of Mother of Mercy. The wonderful
turns in his affairs the same Pope Pius
VII., having had personal experience of
everything, ascribed to the intercession
of the most holy Mother of God, whose
mighty aid he had himself unceasingly
implored, and had urged all Christ's
faithful people to implore. He there-
fore appointed a solemn Feast to be kept
for ever in honour of the Virgin Mother,
styled "Help of Christians," upon the
24th day of May, being that of his own
happy return to the City of Rome, and
he approved for this occasion a special
office that the memorial, as well as the
thanksgiving for such great mercies
might remain in all time distinct.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xi. 27.)
AT that time: As JESUS spake unto
the multitudes, a certain woman of
the company lifted up her voice and
said unto Him: Blessed is the womb
that bare Thee. And so on.
Homily by St. Bernard, Abbat [of
Clairvaux.] (For Sept. 8.)
Consider, O man, the counsel of God;
recognise its wisdom and its goodness.
He Who was about to water the whole
floor with dew from heaven, began by
drenching the fleece. He who was about
to redeem all mankind, poured the price
of redemption upon Mary. Consider
deeper with what feelings He hath
willed that we should honour Mary,
He Who hath given unto her a fulness
of all good; so that if we have any
hope, any grace, any salvation, we know
that it runneth over from her abun-
dance "who goeth up, overflowing with
delights." (Cant. viii. 5.) With all our
hearts, then, with all our deepest affec-
tions and longings, let us honour Mary,
since this is the will of Him Who hath
been pleased that it should be through
Mary that we should have all things. I
say that such is His will-for our sakes.
In the Seventh Responsory insert the
1454
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Alleluia, and say, "May all that are
asking thine holy help feel the might of
thine assistance.'
Eighth Lesson.
[GOD] doth in all things anticipate
our needs, cheer our terrors, rouse
our faith, nerve our hope, put away our
fears, strengthen our cowardice. Thou
art awe-struck even by hearing the voice
of the Father, thou art ashamed to ap-
proach Him, and wouldest fain hide
be grace with God, for among men
"favour is deceitful." (Prov. xxxi. 30.)
Let others seek for merits, but let us
seek to find grace. For why? Is it not
the work of grace that we are here?
Of a truth, "it is of the LORD's mer-
cies that we are not consumed." (Lam.
iii. 22.)
LAUDS.
Hymn.2
thyself among the trees of the garden. MOTHER of our Lord and Saviour!
Lo! He hath given thee Jesus for a
Mediator, a Mediator Who will be heard
on account of His reverent submission,
(Heb. v. 7,) for the Father loveth the
Son. (John iii. 35.) But perchance thou
shrinkest before the Divine Majesty in
Him also, since albeit He be made Man,
He remaineth still God. Wouldst thou
have an advocate with Him likewise?
Have recourse to Mary. There is nothing
in Mary but pure humanity-pure, not
only in the sense of being free from any
kind of contamination, but in that of
being pure and simple human nature
and nothing more. And I have no he-
sitation in saying that she also will be
heard on account of her reverent sub-
mission. The Son will indeed hear the
mother, and the Father will hear the
Son.
In the Eighth Responsory say the
"Alleluia."
MY
Ninth Lesson.
Y little children, this is the sin-
ners' ladder to heaven, this is
my chiefest trust, this is the whole
reason of the hope that is in me.¹ For
why? Can her Son thrust her away,
or endure that she should be thrust
away? Can He either not hear, or not
Himself be heard? Plainly He cannot.
The Angel giveth her this joyful assur-
ance : Thou hast found grace with
God." She will always find grace with
God, and grace is all that we need, since
by grace are we saved. (Eph. ii. 8.)
What else do we want, my brethren?
Let us seek grace, and let us seek it
through Mary, for he that seeketh,
findeth, and cannot be disappointed of
his hope. Let us seek grace, but let it
in beauty as in power!
Glory of the Christian nations!
Ready help in trouble's hour!
Though the gates of Hell against us
With profoundest fury rage;
Though the ancient Foe assault us,
And his fiercest battle wage;
Nought can hurt the pure in spirit,
Who upon thine aid rely;
At thy hand secure of gaining
Strength and mercy from on high.
Safe beneath thy mighty shelter,—
Though a thousand hosts combine,
All must fall or flee before us,
Scatter'd by an arm divine.
Firm as once on holy Sion,
David's tower rear'd its height;
With a glorious rampart girded,
And with glistening armour bright;
So th' Almighty's Virgin Mother
Stands in strength for evermore;
From Satanic hosts defending
All who her defence implore.
Through the long unending ages,
Blessed Trinity, to Thee!
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
Praise and perfect glory be. Amen.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
To thee we cried, O holy Mother of
God, and by thee the Lord's help reached
Alleluia.
us.
SECOND VESPERS.
Hymn as at the First.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. "O holy Mary, &c.," (p. 895,)
ending "May all that are asking thine
holy help feel the might of thine as-
sistance.",
1 Hæc peccatorum scala, hæc mea maxima fiducia est, hæc tota ratio spei meæ.
• Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
THE “
1455
MOST HOLY REDEEMER.
""
Office in honour of our Lord's
title of "Our Most Holy
Redeemer."
Ordinary or Greater Double.
All as on Sundays, except the fol-
lowing.
FIRST VESPERS.
First Antiphon. The LORD shall send
the rod of His strength out of Zion, and
He shall reign for ever and ever.
Ps. cix. The LORD said, &c., (p.
146.)
Second Antiphon. The Lord sent re-
demption unto His people; He hath
commanded His covenant for ever.
Ps. cx. I will praise Thee, &c., (p.
147.)
Third Antiphon. ¹The Lord is my
goodness, and my fortress, my strength,
and my Deliverer.
Ps. cxv. I believed, &c., (p. 153.)
Fourth Antiphon. With the LORD
there is mercy, and with Him is plen-
teous redemption.
Ps. cxxix. Out of the depths, &c.,
(p. 99.)
Fifth Antiphon. In whatsoever day
I call upon Thee, answer me: Thou
wilt strengthen my soul exceedingly.
Ps. cxxxvii. I will praise Thee, &c.,
(p. 164.)
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds.
Hymn.2
REATOR of the starry pole,
CRE
Saviour of all who live,
And light of every faithful soul,
JESU, these prayers receive.
Who sooner than our foe malign
Should triumph, from above
Didst come, to be the medicine
Of a sick world, in love;
And the deep wounds to cleanse and cure
Of a whole race, didst go,
Pure Victim, from a Virgin pure,
The bitter Cross unto.
1 Ps. cxliii. 2.
3 Apoc. v. 9, 10.
Who hast a Name, and hast a Power,
The height and depth to sway,
And Angels bow, and devils cower,
In transport or dismay;
Thou too shalt be our Judge at length;
Lord, in Thy grace bestow
Thy weapons of celestial strength,
And snatch us from the foe.
Honour and glory, power and praise,
To Father, and to Son,
And Holy Ghost, be paid always,
The Eternal Three in One. Amen.
Verse. ³Lord, Thou hast redeemed us
by Thy Blood.
Answer. And hast made us unto our
God a kingdom.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
*But My salvation shall be for ever, and
My righteousness from generation to
generation. Alleluia.
At Compline, Prime, Terce, Sext, and
None, the last verse of the Hymn is
altered in honour of the Incarnation.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Where in heaven JESUS
reigns, Angels bow before Him. * Come
ye also, sons of earth, come ye and adore
Him.
Hymn, "Who madest all and dost
control," (p. 42.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I cried unto the
LORD with my voice, and He heard me
out of His holy hill.
Ps. iii. LORD, how are they increased,
&c., (p. 5.)
Second Antiphon. O LORD our Ruler,
how excellent is Thy Name in all the
earth!
Ps. vii. beginning with the words,
"Who hast set, &c.," (p. 6.)
Third Antiphon. The LORD is in His
holy temple: "the LORD's throne is in
heaven.
Ps. x. In the LORD, &c., (p. 8.)
2 Translation by Cardinal Newman.
• Isa. li. 6, 8.
5 c
1456
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Verse. ¹Redeem me, O Lord, and be
merciful unto me.
Answer. In the congregations will I
bless Thee, O LORD.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
the Prophet Isaiah (li. 1.)
EARKEN to Me, ye that follow after
HE
righteousness, and seek the LORD!
Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn,
and to the hole of the pit whence ye are
digged. Look unto Abraham your fa-
ther, and unto Sarah that bare you;
for I called him alone, and blessed him,
and increased him. Therefore the LORD
shall comfort Zion; He also will com-
fort all her waste places and He will
make her wilderness a place of delights,
and her desert like the garden of the
LORD. Joy and gladness shall be found
therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of
praise. Hearken unto Me, My people,
and give ear unto Me, O My nation;
for a law shall proceed from Me, and Í
will make My judgment to rest for a
light of the people. My Righteous One
is near, My Saviour is gone forth, and
Mine arms shall judge the people: the
isles shall wait upon Me, and on Mine
arm shall they trust.
First Responsory.
I saw the Lord sitting, &c., (p. 739.)
Second Lesson.
IFT up your eyes to the heavens,
and look upon the earth beneath
;
for the heavens shall vanish away like
smoke, and the earth shall wax old like
a garment, and they that dwell therein
shall perish in like manner: but My
salvation shall be for ever, and My righ-
teousness shall not pass away. Hearken
unto Me, ye that know righteousness,
My people in whose heart is My law:
fear ye not the reproach of men, neither
be ye afraid of their revilings. For the
worm shall eat them up like a garment,
and the moth shall eat them like wool;
but My salvation shall be for ever, and
My righteousness from generation to
generation.
1 Ps. xxv. 11, 12.
3 Ps. xlvii. 10.
Second Responsory.
Look down, O Lord, &c., (p. 739.)
Third Lesson.
AWAKE, awake, put on strength, O
arm of the LORD! Awake, as in
the ancient days, in the generations of
old. Art thou not it that hath cut the
Insolent one, that hath wounded the
dragon? Art thou not it which hath
dried the sea, the waters of the great
deep? that hath made the depths of the
sea a way for the ransomed to pass over?
And now the redeemed of the LORD
shall return, and come with singing
unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall
be upon their head; they shall obtain
gladness and joy; sorrow and mourning
shall flee away. I, even I, am He That
comforteth you. Who art thou, that
thou shouldest be afraid of a man that
shall die, and of the son of man which
shall wither as grass? And forgettest the
LORD thy Maker, That hath stretched
forth the heavens, and laid the founda-
tions of the earth; and hast feared con-
tinually every day before the face of the
fury of the oppressor, who made himself
as though he were ready to destroy?
Where is now the fury of the oppressor?
He shall quickly come that shall open,
and he shall not kill unto utter destruc-
tion, neither shall his bread fail. But I
am the LORD thy God.
Third Responsory.
20 God, Which satest in the throne
judging right, be Thou a refuge for the
poor, a refuge in times of trouble. For
Thou alone beholdest mischief and spite.
Verse. The poor leaveth himself unto
Thee; Thou wilt be the helper of the
fatherless.
Answer. For Thou alone beholdest
mischief and spite.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. For Thou alone beholdest
mischief and spite.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. We have drunk in
2 Ps. ix. 5; x. 14.
CC
THE MOST HOLY REDEEMER."
1457
Thy loving-kindness, O God, in the
midst of Thy temple.
Ps. xix. The LORD hear thee, &c., (p.
17.)
Second Antiphon. Thou art Thyself
my King, Who commandest deliver-
ances for Jacob.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the LORD'S,
&c., (p. 124.)
Third Antiphon. 2Offer unto God the
sacrifice of praise, and pay thy vows
unto the Most High.
Ps. xlv. God is our Refuge, &e., (p.
37.)
Verse. Remember us, O LORD, with
the favour that Thou showest unto Thy
people.
Answer. O visit us with Thy salva-
tion.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great,] (1st on
the December Fast, and almsgiving.)
DEA
EARLY beloved brethren, if we study
attentively the history of the crea-
tion of our race, we shall find that man
was made in the image of God, that his
ways also might be an imitation of the
ways of his Maker. This is the natural,
real, and highest dignity to which we
are capable of attaining, that the good-
ness of the Divine nature should have a
reflection in us, as in a glass. As a
mean of reaching this dignity, we are
daily offered the grace of our Saviour,
for as in the first Adam all men are
fallen, so in the Second Adam can all
men be raised up again. Our restora-
tion from the consequences of Adam's
fall is sheer mercy of God, and nothing
else; we should not have loved Him
unless He had first loved us, (1 John
iv. 19,) and scattered the darkness of
our ignorance by the light of His truth.
Fourth Responsory.
The Lord is at my right hand, I shall
never be moved. Therefore my heart
is glad, and my tongue rejoiceth.
Verse. The LORD is the portion of
mine inheritance, and of my cup.
1 Ps. xliii. 5.
Answer. Therefore my heart is glad,
and my tongue rejoiceth.
FOR
Fifth Lesson.
His great love then wherewith
He hath loved us, (Eph. ii. 4,)
God reneweth His likeness in us. And,
moreover, in order that He may find in
us the reflection of His goodness, He
giveth us that whereby to work along
with Himself, (Who worketh all in all,)
lighting, as it were, candles in our dark
minds, and kindling in us the fire of
His love, to make us love not Himself
only, but likewise, in Him, whatsoever
He loveth. For if among men that
friendship is well founded which is
founded upon like ways of living, and
like ways of living do produce some love
one toward another even among the re-
probate, how much should we yearn
and strive not to do anything that is
out of harmony with God's ways? The
Prophet saith (Ps. xxix. 6), "For there
is terror in His anger, and in His fa-
vour is life." And it is only by copy-
ing His will that we can attain to be
made partakers of His nature. (2 Pet.
i. 4.)
Fifth Responsory.
Consider, O Lord, &c., (p. 739,) omit-
ting the last Verse and Answer.
Sixth Lesson.
WHEN the Lord saith (Luke x. 27);
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul, and with all thy strength, and
with all thy mind, and thy neighbour
as thyself"-let the faithful soul learn
from her Maker and Master His own
unfailing love, and unite her will en-
tirely with the will of Him in Whose
dealings there is never any the least
departure either from the uprightness
of justice or from the tenderness of
mercy. However great be a man's toils,
or however many his troubles he hath
always a good reason for bearing them
patiently, if he understand that his trials
are sent to him either to correct or to
prove him.
2 Ps. xlix. 14.
3 Ps. cv. 4.
5 c 2
1458
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Sixth Responsory.
They decked the forefront, &c., (p.
710,) with this addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And there was very great
gladness among the people.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. But as for me, I
have called upon God, and the LORD
shall save me.
Ps. lx. Hear my cry, &c., (p. 47.)
Second Antiphon. He only is my God
and my Saviour; my salvation, and my
refuge for ever.
Ps. lxxiv. Unto Thee, O God, &c.,
(p. 58.)
Third Antiphon. Behold, O God our
shield! and look upon the face of Thine
Anointed.
Ps. lxxxiii. How lovely are Thy ta-
bernacles, &c., (p. 66.)
Verse. Thou hast declared Thy
strength among the people.
Answer. Thou hast with Thine arm
redeemed Thy people.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (iii. 13.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto Nico-
demus: No man hath ascended up
to heaven, but He That came down
from heaven, even the Son of man,
Which is in heaven. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Tract on John iii.)
No man hath ascended up to heaven,
but He That came down from heaven.
For He came down; and died; and, by
His death, delivered us from death.
Death slew Him, and He slew death.
And ye know, my brethren, how that it
was through the devil's envy that death
entered into the world. "For God
made not death," saith the Scripture,
"neither hath He pleasure in the de-
struction of the living, for He created
all things that they might have their
1 Ps. liv. 17.
being." (Wisd. i. 13, 14.) But what is
there said ? "Nevertheless through
envy of the devil came death into the
world.” (ii. 24.) Man was not driven
to come to the death which the devil
offered, for the devil had no power to
drive him; but he had great skill in
cajoling him. If thou hadst not as-
sented, the devil could have done no-
thing to thee; it was thine own con-
sent, O man, which brought thee to
death. Of dying creatures are born
dying creatures, and of them that once
could not die are made beings that must
die. From Adam all men are born to
die; but JESUS, the Son of God, the
Word of God, by Whom all things were
made, the Only-begotten Son, co-equal
to the Father, was made so that He
could die, for "the Word was made
Flesh, and dwelt among us." If then
He accepted death, and crucified death
upon His cross, dying creatures are freed
from death. The which thing also, the
Lord hath us to wit, was in a figure
wrought among them of old time.
(6
Seventh Responsory.
Blessed is the people, &c., (p. 741.)
'A
Eighth Lesson.
ND," saith He, "as Moses lifted
up the serpent in the wilderness,
even so must the Son of Man be lifted
up." What was figured by that ser-
pent which was lifted up? The death
of the Lord upon the cross. For as by
the serpent came death, by the image of
the serpent was represented death.
Death-giving is the bite of the serpent,
life-giving the death of the Lord. The
serpent is looked upon that the serpent
may be vanquished. What signifieth
this? A death is looked upon that death
may be vanquished. But whose death is
it that is looked upon? Life's death.
For is not Christ the Life? And yet
Christ died.
(If a Ninth Lesson be required, the
Eighth is divided here.)
And now, brethren, if we would be
healed of sin, let us look upon Christ
crucified for He saith, that (C
as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
:
2 Ps. lxxvi. 15, 16.
3 There is an untranslatable pun upon morsus (a bite) and mors (death.)
"C
THE MOST HOLY redeemer."
1459
even so must the Son of Man be lifted
up, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have eternal
life." Even as they who looked upon
the serpent which Moses lifted up in
the wilderness were healed of the bite of
the serpent, even so they who by faith
look unto Christ crucified are healed of
the bite of sin. But they of old time
were delivered from death to receive
life temporal, whereas here He saith
that they have eternal life. This is the
difference between the shadow and the
substance; the shadow gave temporal
life, the substance giveth eternal life.
Eighth Responsory.
One Seraph cried, &c., (p. 558.)
(The Ninth Lesson, if on a Sunday, is
the Homily of the Sunday.)
LAUDS.
What wondrous pity Thee o’ercame
To make our guilty load Thine own,
And, sinless, suffer death and shame,
For our transgressions to atone !
O still may pity Thee compel
To heal the wounds of which we die;
And take us in Thy light to dwell
Who for Thy blissful Presence sigh.
Be Thou our Guide, be Thou our goal,
Be Thou our pathway to the skies,
Our joy when sorrow fills the soul,
In death our everlasting prize.
Verse. LORD, Thou hast been our
refuge-
Answer. In all generations.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
5Lo, this is our God; * we have waited
for Him, and He will save us; we have
waited for Him, we will be glad and re-
joice in His salvation. Alleluia.
Prayer throughout the Office.
First Antiphon. 'Sing unto the LORD, GOD, Who hast appointed Thine
* for He hath done excellent things;
make this known in all the earth.
Second Antiphon. Behold, God is my.
salvation, I will not be afraid, * for He
is become my salvation. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. With joy shall ye
draw water out of the wells of the Sa-
viour, * and ye shall say: Praise the
LORD, and call upon His Name.
Fourth Antiphon. Now is come sal-
vation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of His Christ.
Fifth Antiphon. Cry out and shout,
thou inhabitant of Zion, * for great is
the Holy One of Israël in the midst of
thee.
Chapter. (Tob. iii. 13.)
BLESSED be Thy Name, O God of
our fathers, for although Thou hast
been angry, yet wilt Thou show mercy,
and in the time of tribulation Thou for-
givest the sins of such as call upon
Thee.
Hymn.3
THOU pure light of souls that love!
True joy of every human breast!
Sower of life's immortal seed!
Our Maker, and Redeemer blest!
1 Isa. xii. 5, 2, 3, 4,
6.
3 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
0
Only-begotten Son Redeemer of
the world, and through His overcoming
of death hast mercifully renewed us
unto life, grant that we, being mindful
of such benefits, may cleave unto Thee
with an everlasting love, and worthily
partake of the fruits of Thy redemp-
tion. Through the Same our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Sing unto the Lord, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
In the Short Responsory is said,
Verse. Thou That hast redeemed the
world.
Chapter at the end. (Apoc. iv. 11, v. 9.)
THOU art worthy, O Lord our God, to
receive glory and honour and power,
for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed
us to God by Thy blood out of every
kindred, and tongue, and people, and
nation, and hast made us a kingdom
unto our God.
2 Apoc. xii. 10.
4 Ps. lxxxix. 1.
5 Isa. XXV. 9.
t
1460
GENERAL APPENDIX.
TERCE.
NONE.
Antiphon. Behold, God, &c., (Second (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Antiphon. Cry out and shout, &c.,
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
Redeem me, O Lord, and be merciful
unto me.
Answer. Redeem me, O Lord, and be
merciful unto me.
Verse. In the congregation will I bless
Thee, O LORD.
Answer. Be merciful unto me.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Redeem me, O Lord, and be
merciful unto me.
Verse. Remember us, O Lord, with
the favour that Thou showest unto Thy
people.
Answer. O visit us with Thy salva-
tion.
SEXT.
Antiphon. With joy shall ye draw,
&c., (Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (1 Cor. i. 30.)
OF a is made unto us wisdom,
F Him are ye in Christ JESUS, Who
and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption.
Short Responsory.
Remember us, O LORD, with the
favour that Thou showest unto Thy
people.
Answer. Remember us, O LORD, with
the favour that Thou showest unto Thy
people.
Verse. O visit us with Thy salvation.
Answer. That Thou showest unto
Thy people.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Remember us, O LORD, with
the favour that Thou showest unto Thy
people.
Verse. Thou, O Lord, hast redeemed
us by Thy Blood.
Answer. And hast made us a king-
dom unto our God.
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Thou hast declared Thy strength
among the people.
Answer. Thou hast declared Thy
strength among the people.
Verse. Thou hast with Thine arm re-
deemed Thy people.
Answer. Thy strength among the
people.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou hast declared Thy
strength among the people.
Verse. LORD, Thou hast been our
refuge-
Answer. In all generations.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except
Verse. Thou, O Lord, hast redeemed
us by Thy Blood.
Answer. And hast made us a king-
dom unto our God.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Thy kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth
throughout all generations. Alleluia.
Second Sunday of October.
Office in honour of the Motherhood of
the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office for her
Feasts, (p. 894,) except the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Verse. Blessed art thou among wo-
men.
Answer. And blessed is the Fruit of
thy womb.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Let us keep glad holiday in
1 Ps. cxliv. 13.
MOTHERHOOD OF THE B.V.M.
1461
honour of the Motherhood of the Blessed
Mary, always a Virgin.
A Commemoration is made of the
Sunday.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Let us keep holiday in
honour of the Motherhood of the Blessed
Virgin Mary. * Let us worship Christ,
her Son, and her Lord, and ours.
J
Hymn.'
THE Saviour left high Heaven to dwell
Within the Virgin's womb,
And there arrayed Himself in Flesh,
Our Victim to become.
She unto us divinely bore
Salvation's King and God,
Who died for us upon the Cross,
Who saves us in His Blood.
She too our joyful hope shall be,
And drive away all fears,
Offering for us to her dear Son
Our contrite sighs and tears.
That Son, He hears His Mother's prayer,
And grants, ere it be said;
Be ours to love her and invoke
In every strait her aid.
Praise to the Glorious Trinity
While endless times proceed,
Who in that bosom pure of stain
Sowed such immortal seed. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Ecclesiasticus (xxiv. 5.)
I CAME out of the mouth of the Most
High before there was any creature.
I caused the unfading light to arise in
the heavens, and covered all the earth
as a cloud. I dwelt in high places, and
my throne was in the cloudy pillar. I
alone compassed the circuit of heaven,
and pierced unto the bottom of the deep.
I walked in the waves of the sea, and
stood in all the earth, and in every peo-
ple and in every nation I had dominion.
And in my power I trod under my feet
the hearts of all that are excellent and
that are lowly. And in all these I
sought rest, and I will abide in the in-
heritance of the Lord.
First Responsory.
O Holy Virgin Mary, happy art thou,
and right worthy of all praise, for out
of thee rose the Sun of righteousness,
even Christ our God, by Whom we are
saved and redeemed.
Verse. Let us keep glad holiday in
honour of the Motherhood of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
Answer. For out of thee rose the Sun
of righteousness, even Christ our God,
by Whom we are saved and redeemed.
Second Lesson.
So the Creator of all things gave me a
commandment, and said-(and He
that made me rested in my tabernacle)
-and He said: Dwell thou in Jacob,
and inherit in Israël, and strike thy
roots amid My chosen people. I was
created from the beginning, before the
world; and I shall never fail. And in
the holy tabernacle I served before Him.
And so I was established in Zion, and
likewise in the holy City was I given to
rest, and in Jerusalem was my power.
And I took root among the honourable
people, even in the portion of my God
as His own inheritance, and mine abid-
ing was in the full assembly of the
Saints.
Second Responsory.
From thee, still maiden undefiled, the
Saviour came a little Child. He the
Lord Who ruleth o'er earth and o'er
heaven for ever, being made man was
enclosed in the blest sides of thy womb.
Verse. Blessed art thou among wo-
men, and blessed is the Fruit of thy
womb.
Answer. He the Lord Who ruleth
o'er earth and o'er heaven for ever,
being made man, was enclosed in the
blest sides of thy womb.
Third Lesson.
I WAS exalted like a cedar in Leba-
non, and like a cypress-tree upon
Mount Zion. I was exalted like a palm-
tree in Kadesh, and like a rose-tree in
Jericho. I was exalted like a fair olive-
tree in the fields, and like a plane-tree
by the water in the broad ways. I gave
a sweet smell like cinnamon and aro-
matic balm. I yielded a pleasant odour
1 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
1462
GENERAL APPENDIX.
like the best myrrh. Like storax, and
galbanum, and onyx, and myrrh, like
the unfelled woods of Lebanon, and like
the unadulterated balsam, so did I per-
fume the place of mine abode. As the
turpentine-tree I stretched out my
branches, and my branches are the
branches of honour and grace. As the
vine brought I forth pleasant savour.
Third Responsory.
'Many daughters have gotten riches,
but thou excellest them all. O holy
Mother of God, thou art become beau-
tiful and gentle in thy gladness.
Verse. May all that are keeping the
Feast of thine holy Motherhood feel the
might of thine assistance.
Answer. O holy Mother of God, thou
art become beautiful and gentle in thy
gladness.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. O holy Mother of God, thou
art become beautiful and gentle in thy
gladness.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy lips.
been wrought. The fruitfulness of Eli-
zabeth, before unhoped for, is brought
forward that she might not doubt that
He Who had given conception unto her
that was barren, would give the same
unto her that was Virgin. And so the
Word of God, the Son of God, Who was
in the beginning with God, by Whom
all things were made, and without
Whom was not anything made that was
made, to deliver man from eternal death,
was made man.
Fourth Responsory.
Let us tell again of the right worthy
Motherhood of the glorious Virgin Mary.
The same is she whose lowliness the
Lord regarded, she who by the message
of an Angel, conceived the Saviour of
the world.
Verse. Let us sing praise to Christ
on this the solemn Feast-day of the
wondrous Mother of God.
Answer. The same is she whose low-
liness the Lord regarded, she who by
the message of an Angel conceived the
Saviour of the world.
Fifth Lesson. (2nd for Christmas.)
Answer. Therefore God hath blessed OUR Lord JESUS Christ, descending
thee for ever.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Leo [the Great.] (1st for
Christmas.)
HIS Mother was chosen a Virgin of the
kingly lineage of David, and when
she was to grow heavy with the sacred
Child, her soul had already conceived
Him before her body. She learned the
counsel of God announced to her by the
Angel, lest the unwonted events should
alarm her. The future Mother of God
knew what was to be wrought in her by
the Holy Ghost, and that her modesty
was absolutely safe. For why should
she, unto whom was promised all suffi-
cient strength through the power of the
Highest, have felt hopeless merely be-
cause of the unexampled character of
such a conception? She believeth, and
her belief is confirmed by the attesta-
tion of a miracle which hath already
from His throne in heaven, but
leaving not that glory which He hath
with the Father, cometh into this lower
world by being born after a new order
and in a new birth. He cometh after
a new order, in that He Who is unseen
among His own, was seen among us;
the Incomprehensible was fain to be
comprehended, and He That is from
everlasting to everlasting began to be
in time. He was the Offspring of a new
birth; conceived of a maiden, born of a
maiden, without the passion of any
fleshly father, without any breach of
His Mother's virginity, since such a
birth beseemed the coming Saviour of
mankind, Who was to have in Him the
nature of man's being, and to be free of
any defilement of man's flesh. Though
He sprung not as we spring, yet is His
nature as our nature; we believe that
He is free from the use and custom of
men; but it was the power of God which
wrought that a maiden should conceive,
that a maiden should bring forth, and
yet abide a maiden still.
1 Prov. xxxi. 29.
MOTHERHOOD OF THE B.V.M.
1463
Fifth Responsory.
Blessed art thou of the Lord, O daugh-
ter, for through thee have we been given
to eat of the tree of life. Thou, without
ensample before thee, didst make thyself
well-pleasing in the sight of our Lord
JESUS Christ.
Verse. Despise not our petitions in
our necessities, but deliver us from all
dangers, O holy Mother of God.
Answer. Thou, without any ensam-
ple before thee, didst make thyself well-
pleasing in the sight of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Sixth Lesson.
THE power of the Spirit of God was
set to raise up what was cast down, to
bind up what was broken, and to bestow
abounding strength of modesty for the
overcoming of the enticements of the
flesh, and therefore it behoved that that
power should first be poured forth to
preserve that coy cloister, that holy
hostel which had pleased Him, and that
the sinless Offspring should keep His
Mother maiden as she had been before,
so that virginity, which in all others
cannot survive motherhood, might, by
being re-created, serve as a model to
others. Moreover, doth it not seem a
counsel of the very deepest wisdom,
that Christ chose to be born of a virgin?
To the end, that is, that the devil might
not know that salvation for man had
sprung into being, and might think the
Child no otherwise born than other chil-
dren, because the spirituality of the con-
ception escaped his notice, and so it
appeared to him to be an ordinary con-
ception like others. To bring this about,
the Christ was born of a Virgin, who had
been made fruitful by the Holy Ghost:
and whereas conception is effected in no
other mother without some of the filthi-
ness of sin, this solitary mother drew
purification from conception.
Sixth Responsory.
Blessed art thou among women and
blessed is the Fruit of thy womb. Whence
is this to me, that the Mother of my
Lord should come to me?
Verse. He That is mighty hath re-
garded the lowliness of His handmaiden,
and hath done to me great things.
Answer. Whence is this to me, that
the Mother of my Lord should come to
me?
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Whence is this to me, that ·
the Mother of my Lord should come to
me?
THIRD NOCTURN.
Verse. He That is mighty hath done
to me great things.
Answer. His mercy is on them that
fear Him, from generation to genera-
tion.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (ii. 43.)
A Child Jesus tarried behind in Je-
T that time: As they returned, the
rusalem, and His parents knew not of
it. And so on.
Homily by St. Bernard, Abbat [of
Clairvaux.] (1st Hom. in praise of the
B.V.M.)
Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with
us?" Mary called God, the Lord of
Angels, her son. Which of the angels
would have dared to do so? It is enough
for them, and they reckon it a great
thing, that, being naturally spirits, they
should receive the grace of being made
and called angels, as witness David:
"Who maketh spirits His angels.'
But Mary, knowing herself to be His
Mother, doth boldly apply the word
"Son" to that Majesty Whom the an-
gels do serve with awe; neither doth
God despise to be called what He hath
made Himself. For a little after, the
Evangelist saith: "And He was subject
unto them." Who to whom? God to
men. I say that God, unto Whom the
angels are subject, and Who is obeyed
by the Principalities and Powers, was
subject to Mary.
Seventh Responsory.
Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, thou that hast believed
the Lord, for there hath been a perform-
ance in thee of those things which were
told thee. Therefore God hath blessed
thee for ever.
1 Meant for a quotation from Ps. ciii. 5, Heb. i. 7.
1464
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Verse. Grace is poured into thy lips;
plead for us with the Lord our God.
Answer. Therefore God hath blessed
thee for ever.
MAR
Eighth Lesson.
0
ARVEL thou at both these things,
and choose whether to marvel
most at the sublime condescension of
the Son, or at the sublime dignity of
Mary. Either is amazing, either mar-
vellous. That God should obey this
woman, is a lowliness without parallel;
that this woman should rule over God,
an exaltation without match. In praise
of virgins, and of virgins only, is it sung
that "These are they which follow the
Lamb whithersoever He goeth," (Apoc.
xiv. 4.) Of what praise then thinkest
thou that she must be worthy who even
leadeth the Lamb? O man, learn to
obey. O earth, learn to submit.
dust, learn to keep down. It is of thy
Maker that the Evangelist saith: "And
He was subject unto them." Blush, O
proud ashes! God humbleth Himself;
and dost thou exalt thyself? God is
subject unto men; and wilt thou, by
striving to rule over men, set thyself
before thy Maker? (Here the Lesson is
broken, if a Ninth Lesson of the Feast
be needed.) O happy Mary, lowly and
virgin; and wondrous virginity, which
motherhood destroyed not, but exalted;
and wondrous lowliness, which the fruit-
ful virginity took not away, but enno-
bled; and wondrous motherhood, which
was both virgin and lowly.
lowly. Which
of them is not wondrous? which of
them is not unexampled? and which of
them doth not stand alone? The won-
der would be if thou wert not puzzled
at which to wonder most-motherhood
in a virgin, or virginity in a mother; a
motherhood so exalted, or lowliness in
such exaltation. But indeed more mar-
vellous than any one of these things is
the combination of them all, and with-
out all comparison, it is more excellent
and more blessed to have received them
all, than to have received any one of
them alone. What wonder is it that
God, of Whom we see and read, that
"He is wonderful in His holy places,"
(Ps. lxvii. 36,) should have shown Him-
self wonderful in His Mother? O ye
that be married, honour this incorrup-
tion in corruptible flesh; O, holy maid-
ens, gaze in wonder at motherhood in a
maid; 0, all mankind, take pattern by
the lowliness of the Mother of God.
Eighth Responsory.
Rejoice with me, &c., (p. 896,) with
this addition:
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And I have brought forth
from my bowels God and Man.
The Ninth Lesson is the Homily of
the Sunday.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. Blessed art thou, *
O Virgin Mary, who hast borne the
Creator of all.
Second Antiphon. Thou hast given
birth to Him Who made thee, and
thou remainest a virgin for ever.
Third Antiphon. All generations
shall call me blessed, for the Lord
hath regarded the lowliness of His hand-
maiden.
Fourth Antiphon. He That is mighty
hath done to me great things, * and
holy is His Name.
Fifth Antiphon. The daughters of
Zion saw her, * and called her blessed;
the queens also, and they praised her.
Chapter. (Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 12.)
H
E that made me rested in my taber-
nacle and said unto me, Dwell
thou in Jacob, and strike thy roots
among My chosen people.
MOT
Hymn.¹
OTHER of Almighty God,
Suppliant at thy feet we pray,
Shelter us from Satan's fraud,
Safe beneath thy wing this day.
'Twas by reason of our Fall
In our first Forefather's crime,
That the mighty Lord of all
Raised thee to thy rank sublime.
O then upon Adam's race
Look thou with a pitying eye,
And entreat of JESUS grace,
Till He lay His anger by.
Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
Be to Thee, O Virgin's Son,
With the Father and the Spirit,
While eternal ages run.
¹ Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
Amen.
PURITY OF THE B.V.M.
1465
Verse. The root of Jesse hath blos-
somed: the Star is arisen out of Jacob.
Answer. The Virgin hath given birth
to the Saviour.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
O holy Mary, &c., (p. 895,) and say,
May all that tell of thy marvellous Mo-
therhood feel the might of thine assist-
ance.
Prayer throughout as on Lady Day,
(p. 1033.)
A Commemoration is made of the
Sunday.
The Antiphons at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None, are the First, Second, Third,
and Fifth from Lauds, respectively, and
the Chapter at Terce is that from
Lauds.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Maiden Mother of God, thy
Motherhood was a message of joy to the
whole world, for out of thee arose the
Sun of righteousness, even Christ our
God.
Commemoration of the Sunday.
Third Sunday of October.
Office in honour of the Purity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
Greater Double.
All as in the Common Office for
Feasts of the Blessed Virgin, (p. 894,)
except the following.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Hymn, "Blest Guardian, &c.," (p.
939.)
Verse. Let us tell with rejoicing of
the Maidenhood of the Blessed Virgin.
Answer. That she may pray for us to
our Lord JESUS Christ.
1 Wisd. vii. 25, 26.
3 Wisd. vii. 11.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. 'No defiled thing can fall into
her, she is the brightness of the ever-
lasting light, and the unspotted mirror
of the power of God.
Commemoration of the Sunday.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. Let us keep the Feast of
the Maidenhood of the Mother of God. *
Let us worship Christ, her Son, and
her Lord and ours.
Hymn.2
TAR of Jacob, ever beaming
STAR
With a radiance all divine,
Mid the happy stars of Heaven
Glows no purer ray than thine.
All in stoles of snowy brightness,
Unto thee the Angels sing,
Unto thee the virgin choirs,
Mother of th' eternal King.
Joyful in thy path they scatter
Roses white and lilies fair,
Yet with thy chaste bosom's whiteness
Rose nor lily may compare.
Oh that this low earth of ours,
Answering th' angelic strain,
With thy praises might re-echo,
Till the Heavens replied again.
Honour, glory, virtue, merit,
Be to Thee, O Virgin's Son,
With the Father and the Spirit,
While eternal ages run. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Verse. All good things together came
to me with her.
Answer. And innumerable riches by
her hands.
First Lesson from Cant. ii. 1, (p.
1143,) down to "come away," in the
Second Lesson, (p. 1144.)
First Responsory.
*My beloved is mine, and I am his,
who feedeth among the lilies. Thou
art beautiful, O my love, winsome and
comely as Jerusalem, terrible as a
fenced camp set in battle array.
Verse. My dove, my undefiled is but
one. The daughters of Zion saw her
2 Translation by the late Rev. E. Caswall.
4 Cant. ii. 16; vi. 3, 4, 8, 9.
1466
GENERAL APPENDIX.
and called her blessed; the queens also,
and they praised her.
Answer. Thou art beautiful, O my
love, winsome and comely as Jerusalem,
terrible as a fenced camp set in battle
array.
Second Lesson.
O how beautiful art thou, &c., p.
1226, and the words "Thou art all fair,
my love, and there is no spot in thee."
Second Responsory.
¹Rise up, make haste, my love, my
dove, my fair one, and come away! for
lo the winter is past, the rain is over
and gone, the flowers appear on the
earth.
Verse. I will arise and go about the
city; in the streets and in the broad-
ways, I will seek him whom my soul
loveth.
Answer. For lo the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone, the flowers
appear on the earth.
Third Lesson.
Come from Lebanon, &c., in the
Second Lesson, p. 1227, down to the
words "fountain sealed" in the Third
Lesson.
Third Responsory.
21 charge you, O daughters of Jeru-
salem, if ye see my beloved, that ye tell
him that I am faint with love. What is
thy beloved like, O thou fairest among
women?
Verse. My beloved is white and
ruddy, one among thousands. This is
my beloved, and this is my friend, O
daughters of Jerusalem.
Answer. What is thy beloved like, O
thou fairest among women?
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. What is thy beloved like, O
thou fairest among women?
SECOND NOCTURN.
Verse. After thy delivery thou still
remainest a Virgin undefiled.
Answer. Mother of God, pray for us.
1 Cant. ii. 10-12; iii. 2.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book upon
Virgins, written by St. Ambrose,
Bishop [of Milan.] (Book ii.)
SET
ET before yourselves, as the ideal of
virginity, the life of Blessed Mary,
which reflecteth, as in a looking-glass,
the beauty of chastity, and the loveli-
ness of self-government. Hence ye may
take the pattern of your life, for here
are to be seen, set forth as in a model,
all those things which ye should learn-
what to correct, what to flee, what to
hold. The first incentive of the learner
is the position of the teacher. Whose
position is higher than that of the Mo-
ther of God? who brighter than she
whom the light chose? what purer than
she who conceived a body without bodily
connection?
Fourth Responsory.
The most Blessed Virgin Mary is a
garden enclosed, a fountain sealed; she
is the Queen of Angels, the Lady of the
world. The same is she through whom
God came down to earth that men might
go up into heaven.
Verse. To thee we cry, banished sons
of Eve, Virgin most holy, remember us.
Answer. The same is she through
whom God came down to earth that men
might go up into heaven.
Fifth Lesson.
WHAT shall I say about the rest of
her great qualities? She was a
Virgin not in body only, but in mind
also; the purity of her thoughts had
been deflowered by no evil suggestion,
she was lowly in heart, serious in words,
wise in head; she spoke little, and
took great delight in reading; she
placed her hopes not in uncertain riches,
but in the prayers of the poor; she was
earnest in her pursuits, and modest in
conversation; she was used to consider
not what men might think of her, but
what God might think; she hurt none,
and wished well to all; she shrank
from boasting, she followed reason; she
loved whatsoever was best.
Fifth Responsory.
So pure was Blessed Mary, that she
2 Cant. v. 8.
3 Cant. v. 10.
PURITY OF THE B.V.M.
1467
won to be the Mother of the Lord; God
made her whom He had chosen, and
chose her of whom He would be made.
Verse. The same is the star arisen
out of Jacob, whose light shineth in all
the world.
Answer. God made her whom He
had chosen, and chose her of whom He
would be made.
Sixth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Peter Chrysologus, Archbishop
[of Ravenna.] (Serm. 143.)
SHE gave glory to Heaven, she gave
God to earth, she gave faith to the
Gentiles, she gave an end to sin, she
gave order to life, she gave discipline
to manners. The Virgin accepted the
grace which was brought to her by the
Angel, and then forthwith gave in
return everlasting salvation. Virgin
blessed indeed, whose are at once the
grace of Maidenhood and the crown of
Motherhood. Virgin blessed indeed,
who won such grace as to conceive from
Heaven, and kept untouched the wreath
of her guilelessness. Virgin blessed in-
deed, who received the grace of bearing
a divine Offspring, and remaineth the
sovereign of purity in all states of life.
Sixth Responsory.
How shall this be, seeing I know not
a man? The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee; therefore also
that Holy Thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God.
Verse. And Mary said, Behold the
handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me
according to thy word.
Answer. And the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. That Holy Thing that shall
be born of thee shall be called the Son
of God.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Verse. Thou hast found grace with
God.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (i. 26.)
AT
T that time: The Angel Gabriel was
sent from God, unto a city of Ga-
lilee named Nazareth, to a virgin es-
poused to a man. And so on.
Homily by St. Bernard, Abbat [of
Clairvaux.] (Luke i. 26.)
None can doubt that she who is the
Queen of Virgins will be the foremost
of all to sing that song which it will be
given to virgins alone to sing in the
kingdom of God. And I think that in
singing that song which they alone will
sing, but which they will sing all, hers
will be the sweetest and the clearest
voice, whose notes will make glad the
city of our God. To utter such notes
as hers, to sing such a song as hers, will
none other be found worthy even among
those virgins, and that music will be
kept for her alone, who alone hath the
boast of being Mother, and Mother of
the Son of God. She hath wherewith
to boast, I say, not in itself that she is
mother, but in that He whom she bare
was her son. Of a surety God (and it
was God whom she bore) who was to
give to His Mother a glory which in the
heavenly places is all her own, was care-
ful to prevent her on earth, with a grace
which was all her own, even that grace
whereby in some way which cannot be
uttered, she conceived without touch
and bore without change.
Seventh Responsory.
There shall come forth a rod out of
the stem of Jesse, and a flower shall
grow out of his roots. Behold the Vir-
gin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and
His name shall be called Emmanuel.
Verse. Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy
wife, for that which is conceived in her
is of the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Behold the Virgin shall con-
ceive and bear a Son, and His name
shall be called Emmanuel.
Eighth Lesson.
Answer. Holy Mother of God, guile- I became God to be born of none but
less maiden.
a virgin. It became a Virgin Mother
to be the Mother of God. It became the
ނ
•
.་
1468
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Creator of mankind, as about to be born
a Man, made of a woman, to choose unto
Himself out of all, and indeed to create
for Himself, such a Mother as He knew
beseemed Him, and would please Him.
He was pleased, therefore, that she should
be a Virgin out of whom, being herself
stainless, He should come forth Stain-
less to purge away all stains. He was
pleased that she should be lowly out of
whom He should come forth, Who is
meek and lowly in Heart, to set an ex-
ample unto all, in Himself, of needful
and healthful graces. He granted her
the power of motherhood while yet
maiden, having already Himself breathed
into her the love of virginity, and granted
unto her the reward of her lowliness.
And that she who was to conceive and
bear the Holy of Holies might be holy
in body, she received the gift of vir-
ginity; and that she might be holy in
mind, she received the gift of lowliness.
If a Ninth Lesson of the Feast is
required, the Eighth is divided here.
O Virgin most wonderful and most
worshipful, O woman worthy of a wor-
ship all thine own, worthy to be won-
dered at above all women, thou that
renewest them that were before thee, and
quickenest them that come after thee!
The Angel was sent unto a Virgin"
-a virgin in body, a virgin in mind,
a virgin by profession, a virgin such as
the Apostle would have her be, "holy
both in body and in spirit," a virgin not
newly found, nor by hazard, but elect
from everlasting, foreknown by the Most
High, and made ready by Him, kept by
Angels, foreshadowed by Patriarchs,
and foretold by Prophets.
Eighth Responsory.
O blessed Mary, Mother of God, Tem-
ple of the Lord, Sanctuary of the Holy
Ghost, thou without any ensample be-
fore thee, didst make thyself well-pleas-
ing in the sight of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Verse. Thou hast given birth to Him
Who created thee, and thou remainest a
Virgin for ever.
Answer. Thou without any ensample
before thee didst make thyself well-
pleasing in the sight of our Lord JESUS
Christ.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou without any ensample
before thee didst make thyself well-
pleasing in the sight of our Lord JESUS
Christ.
The Ninth Lesson is the Homily of
the Sunday.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. As the lily among
thorns, * so is my love among the
daughters.
Second Antiphon. My beloved is mine
* and I am his, who feedeth among the
lilies.
Third Antiphon. O how beautiful art
thou, * my love, how beautiful art
thou.
Fourth Antiphon. My dove, * my un-
defiled is but one.
Fifth Antiphon. When the daughters
of Zion saw her, * they cried out that
she was most blessed.
0
Chapter. (Wisdom iv. 1.)
HOW lovely and glorious is the
generation of the chaste, for the
memorial thereof is immortal, because
it is known with God and with men.
Verse. In thy comeliness and in thy
beauty.
Answer. Go forward, fare prosper-
ously, and reign.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
O Mary, how holy and how spotless is
thy virginity. I am too dull to praise
thee, for through thee we have received
our Redeemer, even our Lord JESUS
Christ.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that as we do keep a feast to
proclaim with worship and gladness how
that the Virginity of the most pure Vir-
gin Mary was all whole and undefiled,
so we may be holpen by her prayers,
that we may become pure both in body
and in spirit. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, One God, world without end.
Amen.
Commemoration of the Sunday.
ST. RAPHAEL.
1469
The Antiphons at Prime, Terce, Sext,
and None, are the first, second, third,
and fifth from Lauds respectively, and
the Chapter at Terce is taken from
Lauds.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O blessed Mary, Mother of God,
Virgin for ever, Sanctuary of the Holy
Ghost, thou, without any ensample be-
fore thee, didst make thyself well-pleas-
ing in the sight of our Lord JESUS
Christ.
Commemoration of the Sunday.
OCTOBER 24.
St. Raphael, the Archangel.
Greater Double.
All as on Sundays, except the follow-
ing.
FIRST VESPERS.
Antiphons, Chapter, and Prayer from
Lauds.
Last Psalm.
Ps. cxvi. O praise the LORD, &c., (p.
154.)
Hymn.¹
THEE, O Christ, the Father's splendour,
Life and virtue of the heart,
In the presence of the angels,
Sing we now with tuneful art:
Meetly in alternate chorus
Bearing our responsive part.
Thus we praise with veneration
All the armies of the sky;
Chiefly him, the blest Physician,
Sent with healing from on high :
Raphael, who in princely virtue
Bade the haunting demon fly.
By whose watchful care, repelling,
King of everlasting grace!
Every ghostly adversary,
All things evil, all things base,
Grant us of Thine only goodness
In Thy paradise a place.
Laud and honour to the Father
Laud and honour to the Son;
Laud and honour to the Spirit;
Ever Three, and ever One:
Consubstantial, Co-eternal,
While unending ages run. Amen.
Verse. An Angel stood at the Altar of
the Temple.
Answer. Having a golden censer in
his hand.
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. I am the Angel Raphael, who
stand before the Lord; but bless ye
God, and tell of all His wondrous works.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. The Lord, He is the King
of the Archangels, * O come let us wor-
ship Him.
Hymn as at First Vespers.
FIRST NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. When Tobias went
in, he found a young man with his loins
girded, and as it were ready to set forth,
and knowing not that it was an Angel,
he saluted him.
6.)
Ps. viii. O LORD, our Ruler, &c., (p.
Second Antiphon. The Angel Raphael
hid himself, and said: I am Azarias, the
son of Ananias the Great.
Ps. x. In the LORD put I my trust,
&c., (p. 8.)
Third Antiphon. I will bring thy
son safely into the land of the Medes,
and bring him back safely unto thee
again. Alleluia.
Ps. xiv. LORD, who shall abide, &c.,
(p. 10.)
Verse. There was given unto the
Angel much incense.
Answer. That he should offer it upon
the golden altar, which is before the
presence of the Lord.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book of
Tobias (xii. 1,) as on p. 693.
1 The original is an adaptation of the original form (“ Tibi Christe splendor Patris") of
the Hymn for Michaelmas Day, "Te splendor et virtus Patris," and the translation is ac-
cordingly an adaptation of the translation of that Hymn by the late Dr. Neale.
1470
GENERAL APPENDIX.
First Responsory.
At that time the prayers of them
twain were heard in the presence of the
glory of the Most High God, and holy
Raphael, the Angel of the Lord, was
sent to heal the twain of them, whose
prayers had been uttered at one time in
the presence of the Lord.
Verse. Tobias and Sara were in tri-
bulation, and began to pray with tears.
Answer. And holy Raphael, the An-
gel of the Lord, was sent to heal the
twain of them, whose prayers had been
uttered at one time in the presence of
the Lord.
Second Lesson.
So the father and the son, p. 694,
down to "temptation should try thee,'
in the Third Lesson.
Second Responsory.
When Tobias went forth he found a
very well-favoured young man standing
with his loins girded, and as it were
ready to set forth, and he saluted him
and said: Whence art thou, O good young
man ?
Verse. And he knew not that it was
an Angel of the Lord, and saluted him,
and said:
Answer. Whence art thou, O good
young man?
Third Lesson.
AND now the Lord sent metty bus
ND now the Lord sent me to heal
thee, and to deliver Sara, thy son's
wife, from a devil; for I am the Angel
Raphael, one of the seven, which stand
before the Lord. And when they heard
it, they were troubled, and quaked, and
fell upon their faces on the ground.
And the Angel said unto them: Peace
be unto you, fear not. In that I was
with you, I was with you by the will of
God, bless Him and praise Him. Unto
you indeed I seem to eat and drink, but
my meat is a meat which is not seen,
and my drink a drink which man cannot
behold. It is time therefore for me to
return unto Him that sent me, but bless
ye God, and tell of all His marvellous
works. And when he had so said, he
was taken away from their sight, and
they beheld him no more. Then they
cast themselves down upon their faces,
by the space of three hours, and blessed
God; and they arose, and told of all
His marvellous works.
Third Responsory.
The Angel went in unto Tobias and
saluted him and said: Joy be ever with
thee, be of good courage, for it is at
hand that God should heal thee.
Verse. And Tobias answered and said:
What joy shall I have while I sit in
darkness, and see not the light of hea-
ven ?
Answer. Be of good courage, for it is
at hand that God should heal thee.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Be of good courage, for it is
at hand that God should heal thee.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. And the Angel said,
Take the fish by the gill, and draw him
out of the water.
Ps. xviii. The heavens declare, &c.,
(p. 16.)
Second Antiphon. Tell me, I pray
thee, brother Azarias, to what use is
that which thou hast bidden me keep
of the fish.
Ps. xxiii. The earth is the LORD'S,
&c., (p. 124.)
Third Antiphon. The gall is a healing
to the eyes, but the virtue of the heart
and the liver putteth the power of the
devil to flight.
Ps. xxxiii. I will bless the LORD, &c.,
(p. 26.)
Verse. And the smoke of the incense
ascended up before the Lord-
Answer. Out of the Angel's hand.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons of
S. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.] (Serm.
i. in Dom. 15, B. Tob. 226th for the
Season.)
1
BLESSED Tobit, who knew how to
break his bread to the hungry,
maketh ready a swift recompense for
him, who toiled for him for hire. We
have listened patiently to the reading,
which is just over, and we have mar-
1 "Tobis."
ST. RAPHAEL.
1471
velled at the discourse of the father
and son, and now they are admonished
by the Angel, whom they had deemed a
dweller of earth; but whose service was
the service of the Divine Glory. For it
was to this end that he was suffered to
fall into the affliction of blindness, even
that he might have an Angel to his
physician, who was kindled with the
very light of God, and uttered the words,
"Prayer is good with fasting and alms-
giving." The prayer of the just is the
key of heaven; the supplication goeth
up, and the mercy of God cometh down.
Though the earth be deep, and the hea-
vens high, yet God heareth the voice of
him who hath a good conscience. If it
be a groan only, it is articulate enough
for Him; a tear is sufficient for His
eyes; He heareth weeping sooner than
words. The prayer of the presumptuous
He is wont to reject. The father and the
son were of one mind; albeit twain, they
had but one thought. "My son," saith
he, "let us send away that man with
an addition to his wages such as he
pleaseth, for he hath done us great good
by his work." And they began to ask
him if he would take payment of his
wages. "Brother," saith he, "take that
is thine, and go thy way safely; take
thy wages, for thou hast shown much
kindness unto me, and unto my son.
Take, as I said, half of the substance
that thou and my son have brought
unto me, for the thanks that we owe
thee cannot be measured."
Fourth Responsory.
Tobias asked the Angel: Of what
house, or of what tribe, art thou? And
he answered and said: I am Azarias,
the son of Ananias the Great.
Verse. Dost thou seek for a tribe or
family, or an hired man to go with thy
son? But be not careful over-much.
Answer. I am Azarias, the son of
Ananias the Great.
Fifth Lesson.
THE Angel, who had been sent to work
mercy for nothing, rejoiceth at the
thought of wages. "Tobit, or Tobias,"
saith he, "why take needless thought
to pay me? Keep what your heavenly
Father hath given you. He is the foun-
tain of health, and I am His minister to
Ye
heal. Ye know not who is the hireling
whose services ye have earned.
feared not to bury the dead of the cap-
tivity. O Tobit, thy works are gone up
before the Lord, inasmuch as thou didst
leave thy dinner to give burial to the
dead. It was I who offered up before
the Lord as a fat sacrifice thy care for
their honourable burial; and it is I that
have been sent forth to do the com-
mands of the Heavenly Judge. Thou
didst bury the dead, without fear for
the sting of death; the very voiceless
dead, whom thou didst bury, cried aloud
for thee. The blindness of thine eyes
was a trial, whereby thy patience should
earn a brighter crown from the hea-
venly places. I am Raphael, one of the
seven Angels, who stand in the pre-
sence of the glory of God; I have no
need of wages from man; I am rich
enough, in that I am near to the Ma-
jesty on high. He That hath sent me is
rich. What He hath granted freely,
He hath commanded me to grant freely.
Neither do ye owe me any thanks, for
ye have received nothing from me of
my own strength. Bless God, and give
praise to Him, and glorify Him, for He
hath shown good upon you."'
Fifth Responsory.
Tobias went out to wash his feet, and
behold a great fish went out, and would
have devoured him; and he was sore
afraid, and cried out with a loud voice,
and said: O sir, he assaileth me. And
the Angel said unto him: Take him by
his gill, and draw him unto thee; open
this fish, and take his heart, and his
liver, and his gall, and put them up
safely by thee, for they are useful and
needful for drugs.
Verse. And Tobias drew the fish unto
the dry ground, and it began to gasp at
his feet, and the Angel said unto him-
Answer. Open this fish, and take his
heart, and his liver, and his gall, and
put them safely by thee, for they are
useful and needful for drugs.
Sixth Lesson.
WHEN the glory of the heavenly
mystery was made known by the
voice of the Archangel Raphael, Tobit
and Tobias were thunderstruck, and
fell upon the ground, their weak voices
5 D
1472
GENERAL APPENDIX.
utterly silenced at the hearing of that
strange voice. Why are ye afraid, O
father Tobit, and son Tobias? is it be-
cause ye have taken one of the dwellers
of heaven into your pay, and hired him
as though he were one of the labourers
of earth? The Angel hid his name from
you; he said not, I am the Angel Ra-
phael, but, I am Azarias, the son of An-
anias the Great. In the first name that
he gave thee he hid his high estate, lest
he should scare him that hired him.
For if he had said, I am an Angel, he
would not have become the paid ser-
vant of Tobias. He kept back his noble
name that the greatness of his nobility
might shine out at the last. Behold,
dearly beloved brethren, how great is the
merit of almsgiving. Almsgiving hath
earned an Angel for a servant, until he
accomplished, as a hireling, his day.
Ye behold of how great profit it is to
bury the dead, even an oblation which
the Angel Raphael maketh to ascend
up
before the heavenly Majesty. Ye be-
hold how that alms deliver from death,
and purge away sins, and open the
eyes, and force from thee the darkness
of sin. Tobias is led on his journey,
and Sara, sorrowfully bereaved of so
many husbands, is joined in wedlock by
an Angel.
Sixth Responsory.
The Angel Raphael said unto Tobias:
When thou enterest into thine house,
straightway worship the Lord thy God;
and when thou hast given thanks unto
Him, draw near unto thy father and
kiss him, and forth with smear upon his
eyes some of the gall of the fish which
thou carriest with thee; for know that
his eyes will straightway be opened, and
thy father shall see the light of heaven,
and shall behold thee, and be glad.
Verse. Take with thee some of the
gall of the fish, for it will be needful.
Answer. And forthwith smear upon
his eyes some of the gall of the fish
which thou carriest with thee; for know
that his eyes will straightway be opened,
and thy father shall see the light of
heaven, and shall behold thee, and be
glad.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And forthwith smear upon
his eyes some of the gall of the fish
which thou carriest with thee; for know
that his eyes will straightway be opened,
and thy father shall see the light of
heaven, and shall behold thee, and be
glad.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. Here is Sara the
daughter of Raguel, who shall be given
unto thee to wife, and all her substance
with her.
Ps. xcv. O sing unto the LORD, &c.,
(p. 72.)
Second Antiphon. She hath had seven
husbands, who were all strangled by an
evil spirit; I am afraid lest the like
should befal me.
Ps. xcvi. The LORD reigneth, &c.,
(p. 73.)
Third Antiphon. Spend three days
in prayer with thy wife, that thou
mayest obtain the blessing of sons, in
the seed of Abraham.
Ps. cii. Bless the LORD, O my soul,
&c., (p. 76.)
Verse. The Angel Raphael took hold
on the evil spirit,
Answer. And drove him away into
the desert of Upper Egypt.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (v. 1.)
AT that time: There was a feast of the
Jews, and Jesus went up to Jeru-
salem. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Tract 17 on John v.)
It is no wonder that God should work
wonders, the wonder would be if men
worked them. We should rather re-
joice, than wonder, that our Lord and
Saviour JESUS Christ was made Man; and
that being God among men, He wrought
the things of God, for it availeth more
to our salvation that He was made Man,
than that He did such and such things
as Man; and it profiteth more that He
healed sick souls, than that He healed
the diseases of bodies, which were to die
after all.
Seventh Responsory.
The Angel Raphael said: Bless ye
the God of heaven, and confess Him
before all living, for He hath had mercy
upon you.
ST. RAPHAEL.
1473
Verse. Bless Him, and praise Him,
and tell of all His marvellous works,-
Answer. For He hath had mercy
upon you.
Eighth Blessing.
He whose feast-day, &c.
Eighth Lesson.
THE impotent man's soul knew not
Him Who was to heal her, but
although he had as yet no eyes in his
heart wherewith to recognize the hid-
den God, he had bodily eyes in his flesh,
which could see bodily things, and there-
fore he did that which could be seen
that he might be healed by that Power,
which he saw not. He betook him to
that place where "lay a great multi-
tude of impotent folk, of blind, halt,
withered, [waiting for the moving of
the water. For an Angel went down at
a certain season into the pool and trou-
bled the water: whosoever then first
after the troubling of the water stepped
in, was made whole of whatsoever disease
he had."]
Eighth Responsory.
It is time for me to return unto Him
That sent me, saith the Angel Raphael,
but bless ye the Lord, and tell of all His
marvellous works.
Verse. Confess Him before all living,
for He hath had mercy upon you.
Answer. Bless ye the Lord, and tell
of all His marvellous works.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Bless ye the Lord, and tell
of all His marvellous works.
Ninth Lesson.
THE Lord was the physician both of
souls and of bodies; He it was Who
was come to heal the soul of every one
whosoever believeth on Him; but, out
of all those sick folk, He chose to heal
but one, for the signification of unity.
If we look at it with our little minds,
and with only human comprehension
and thought, He doth not appear to
have done much, considering what He
was able to do; and as a display of
mercy, but little. There were so many
lying sick there, and He healed but one,
although it required but a single word
from Him to make them all arise.
The Hymn, "We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. The Angel Raphael
was sent * unto Tobias and Sara to heal
them.
Second Antiphon. The Angel went in
* unto Tobias, and said: Joy be ever
with thee.
*
Third Antiphon. Be of good courage,
Tobias, for it is nigh at hand that
God shall heal thee.
Fourth Antiphon. Bless ye the God
of Heaven, and confess Him before all
living, for He hath had mercy upon
you.
Fifth Antiphon. Peace be unto you,
* fear not, bless ye God, and give praise
to Him.
WH
Chapter. (Tobit xii. 12.)
HEN thou didst pray with tears,
and didst bury the dead, and didst
leave thy dinner, and didst hide the
dead in thine house through the day,
and bury them in the night, I offered
up thy prayer before the Lord.
CHR
Hymn.¹
HRIST! of the holy Angels light and
gladness,
Maker and Saviour of the human race,
O may we reach the world unknown to
sadness,
The blessed mansions where they see Thy
face!
Angel of health, may Raphael lighten o'er
us,
To every sick bed speed his healing flight,
In times of doubt direct the way before us,
And through life's mazes guide our steps
aright.
The Virgin harbinger of peace supernal,
Mother of Light, with all the Angelic train,
Heaven's glittering host, court of the King
Eternal,
All saints be with us, till that bliss we gain.
Be this by Thy thrice holy Godhead granted,
Father, and Son, and Spirit ever blest
Whose glory by the Angel host is chanted,
Whose Name by all the universe confest.
1 Translation by the Rev. W. J. Copeland.
Amen.
1474
GENERAL APPENDIX.
Verse. Before the Angels will I sing
praise unto Thee, O my God.
Answer. I will worship toward Thy
holy temple, and praise Thy Name.
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
I am the Angel Raphael, who stand be-
fore the Lord; but bless ye God, and
tell of all His marvellous works. Al-
leluia.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst give Thy blessed
Archangel Raphael unto Thy ser-
vant Tobias to be his fellow wayfarer,
grant unto us, Thy servants, that the
same may ever keep and shield us, help
and defend us. Through our Lord JE-
sus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. The Angel Raphael, &c.,
(First Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter at the end. (Tob. xii. 6.)
is time for me to return unto Him
It time
IT
That sent me; but bless ye God, and
tell of all His marvellous works.
TERCE.
Antiphon. The Angel, &c., (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory as on p. 1297.
SEXT.
Antiphon. Be of good courage, &c.,
(Third Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter. (Tob. xii. 14.)
AND now the Lord sent me to heal
thee, and to deliver Sara, thy son's
wife, from a devil. For I am the Angel
Raphael, one of the seven, which stand
before the Lord.
Short Responsory as on p. 1298.
NONE.
Antiphon. Peace be unto you, &c.,
(Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from the end of Prime.
Short Responsory as on p. 1298.
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the last Psalm,
which is Ps. cxxxvii., "I will praise
Thee, &c.," (p. 164,) and
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O Thou Prince most glorious,
Raphael the Archangel, remember us,
and here and everywhere alway entreat
for us the countenance of the Son of
God.
A Commemoration is made of the holy
Martyrs Chrysanthus, and Daria.
Office in honour of the Patron-
age of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office for her
Festivals, (p. 894.)
In the Antiphon, "O holy Mary," at
First Vespers, and the Seventh Re-
sponsory, is said, "May all that are
keeping feast in honour of thine holy
patronage, feel the might of thine as-
sistance."
Note. In the different countries and
dioceses in which the Service Book used
is that according to the use of the Church
of Rome, it is usual to nationalise it by
the addition of a special Appendix, con-
taining festivals of national, or local
interest. England and Ireland possess
these Appendices.
In Scotland, the Pope having been the
Ordinary until March, 1878, the Office
used has been that of his own diocese,
viz. of Rome; which is, of course, as
locally Italian in character, as the Eng-
lish is English, and the Irish Irish.
As it will no doubt be one of the first
cares of the Scotch hierarchy to place
our country in the same position as
others, the translator has not thought
it worth while to translate the Roman
Appendix, and in the meanwhile, if any
Scotch reader wishes to follow the daily
service more closely, he must have re-
course to the Common.

Feast of Corpus Christi.
Feast of the Body of Christ.¹
OFFICE OF CORPUS CHRISTI AS A VOTIVE OFFICE, IN HONOUR OF THE MOST
HOLY SACRAMENT, ON THURSDAYS.
It is permitted that on all Thursdays, with certain exceptions, the Office of Corpus
Christi, with certain alterations, be said instead of the Office of the day.
The Thursdays excepted are
(a) Any Thursday whatsoever upon which Nine Lessons are read, either by
reason of the Week-day Office, or of any Festal Office either belonging to the day
or transferred to it.
(b) The Thursdays in Advent, Lent, and the Octaves of Easter and Pentecost.
(c) All Eves.
(d) Thursdays to which the Sunday Office may be transferred according to the
Pye. iv. 4, 5.
The alterations in the Office itself are
(a) It is Semi-double, with the Common Commemorations at Vespers and Lauds,
and Preces at Compline and Prime. Its relations to a Simple Office on Thursday
itself, or a Semi-double or Double Office on Wednesday or Friday, are arranged in
the same way as if it were a Semi-double Festival.
(b) The saying or omitting of the "Alleluia" is as given in the Office itself.
The Lessons of the First Nocturn are from Scripture according to the Season.
(d) The Lessons of the Second Nocturn are
In January and February, as on Saturday within the Octave.
In March and April, as on Sunday within the Octave.
In May and June, as on Monday within the Octave.
In July and August, as on Tuesday within the Octave.
In September and October, as on Wednesday within the Octave.
In November and December, as on the Octave Day.
(e) The Lessons of the Third Nocturn are
In January and February, as on Friday within the Octave.
In March and April, as on Saturday within the Octave.
In May and June, as on Monday within the Octave.
In July and August, as on Tuesday within the Octave.
In September and October, as on Wednesday within the Octave.
In November and December, as on the Octave Day.
N.B. In Paschal-time Prime and Compline are said in the Paschal manner.
All as on Sundays, except the fol-
lowing.
Note. Out of Paschal-time, the word
"Alleluia" is omitted wherever it is
here given in brackets, [], but within
Paschal-time the aforesaid word is in-
serted whenever given thus, "* P. T.
Alleluia," in addition to the others.2
1 I.e. as really present in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
2 As to the omission and addition of the Alleluia in the Votive Office the divergence of
the authorities consulted by the translator causes him some uneasiness. In this transla
tion the sense of the majority is followed.
2
CORPUS CHRISTI.
FIRST VESPERS.
Chapter and Prayer from Lauds.
First Antiphon. Christ the Lord,
being made an High Priest for ever*
after the order of Melchisedec, hath of-
fered bread and wine. * P. T. Alleluia.
Second Antiphon. He hath made His
wonderful works to be remembered; *
the LORD is [gracious and] full of com-
passion. He hath given meat unto them
that fear Him. * P. T. Alleluia.
Third Antiphon. I will take the cup
of salvation, * and offer the sacrifice of
thanksgiving. *P. T. Alleluia.
Psalm CXV.
I believed, therefore have I spoken,
&c., (p. 153.)
Fourth Antiphon. Let the children
of the Church be like olive-plants *
round about the table of the Lord.
* P. T. Alleluia.
Psalm CXXVII..
Blessed is every one, &c., (p. 159.)
Fifth Antiphon. The Lord, That
maketh peace in the borders of the
Church, * filleth her with the finest of
the wheat. * P. T. Alleluia.
Psalm CXLVII.
Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem, &c.,
(p. 170.)
Hymn.2
Fto my tongue, Its mystery sing;
the glorious Body telling,
And the Blood, all price excelling,
Which for this world's ransoming
In a noble womb once dwelling
He shed forth, the Gentiles' King.
Given for us, for us descending
Of a Virgin to proceed,
Man with man in converse blending
Scattered He the Gospel seed :
Till His sojourn drew to ending
Which He closed in wondrous deed.
At the Last Great Supper seated,
Circled by His brethren's band,
All the Law required, completed,
In the Feast its statutes planned,
To the twelve Himself He meted
For their Food, with His own Hand.
¹ Heb. vi. 20; Gen. xiv. 18.
Word made Flesh, by word He maketh
Very bread His Flesh to be;
Man for wine Christ's Blood partaketh;
And if senses fail to see,
Faith alone the true heart waketh
To behold the Mystery.
Therefore, we, before It bending,
This great Sacrament adore:
Types and shadows have their ending
In the new rite evermore :
Faith, our outward sense amending,
Maketh good defects before.
Honour, laud, and praise addressing
To the Father and the Son,
Might ascribe we, virtue, blessing,
And eternal benison;
Holy Ghost, from Both progressing,
Equal laud to Thee be done. Amen.
Verse. 3Thou didst send them from
heaven-[Alleluia.]
Answer. Bread able to content every
man's delight-[Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. O Lord, how kindly is Thy
Spirit! * even Thine, Whose sustenance
declared Thy sweetness unto Thy chil-
dren when Thou didst send them from
heaven bread tempering itself to every
man's liking, O Thou, Who hast filled
the hungry with good things, and the
rich, that are proud in the imagination
of their hearts, Thou hast sent empty
away. *[P. T. Alleluia.]
At Compline and every other Office
the last verse of the Hymn is altered in
honour of the Incarnation, excepting
only the three Hymns proper to the
Feast.
MATTINS.
Invitatory. O come, and let us wor-
ship Christ,
Of all the nations Lord, *
Who doth, to them that feed on Him,
The Bread of Life afford.
* P. T. Alleluia.
L
Hymn.5
ET old things pass away;
Let all be fresh and bright;
And welcome we with hearts renewed
This Feast of new delight.
2 Translated by the late Dr. Neale, (two words altered, "noble" for "
translation of "generosi" in the 1st, and "for" for "in" in the 4th.)
3 Wisd. xvi. 20.
5. Translation by the Rev. E. Caswall.
generous," as a
4 Wisd. xii. 1; xvi. 21.
CORPUS CHRISTI.
3
Upon this hallowed eve,
Christ with His brethren ate,
Obedient to the olden Law,
The Pasch before Him set.
Which done,-Himself entire,
The True Incarnate God,
Alike on each, alike on all,
His sacred Hands bestowed.
He gave His Flesh; He gave
His Precious Blood; and said,
"Receive and drink ye all of This
For your salvation shed."
Thus did the Lord appoint
This Sacrifice sublime,
And made His Priests the ministers
Through all the bounds of time.
Farewell to types! henceforth
We feed on Angels' Food!
The slave-O, wonder!—eats the Flesh
Of his Incarnate God!
O Blessed Three in One!
Visit our hearts, we pray,
And lead us on through Thine own paths
To Thy eternal day. Amen.
FIRST NOCTURN.
In Paschal-time only one Antiphon,
namely the First, is said at each Noc-
turn:
First Antiphon. The Lord brought
forth His fruit in the season of His
death, even that fruit whereof if any
man eat, he shall live for ever.¹ *P. T.
Alleluia.
Psalm I.
Blessed is the man, &c., (p. 4.)
Second Antiphon. His faithful ones
which are increased by the fruit of His
corn and His wine* do lay them down
in peace and sleep in Christ.
Psalm IV.
When I called, &c., (p. 172.)
Third Antiphon. 2Us, being many,
hath the Lord made one body, * for we
are all partakers of that one cup, which
is not the communion of the blood of
bulls, but of God Himself.
Psalm XV.
Preserve me, O Lord, &c., (p. 11.)
Verse. He gave them of the bread of
heaven-[Alleluia.]
1 John vi. 51.
4 Exod. xii. 6, 8.
7 John vi. 32.
Answer. Man did eat Angels' bread
-[Alleluia.]
First Responsory.
*The whole assembly of the children
of Israël shall kill the lamb toward the
evening of the Passover. And they shall
eat the flesh, and unleavened bread.
*P. T. Alleluia.
Verse. Even Christ our Passover is
sacrificed for us; therefore let us keep
the feast with the unleavened bread of
sincerity and truth.
Answer. And they shall eat the flesh,
and unleavened bread. * P. T. Alle-
luia.
Second Responsory.
"Ye shall eat flesh, and shall be filled
with bread. This is the bread which
the LORD hath given you to eat. *P. T.
Alleluia.
Verse. 'Moses gave you not that
Bread from heaven, but My Father giv-
eth you the true Bread from heaven.
Answer. This is the bread which the
LORD hath given you to eat. * P. T.
Alleluia.
Third Responsory.
Elijah looked, and, behold, there was
a cake baken on the coals at his head,
and he arose, and did eat and drink;
and went in the strength of that meat
[forty days and forty nights] unto the
mount of God. * P. T. Alleluia.
Verse. If any man eat of this Bread,
he shall live for ever.
Answer. And went in the strength of
that meat [forty days and forty_nights]
unto the mount of God. *P. T. Alle-
luia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. And went in the strength of
that meat [forty days and forty nights]
unto the mount of God. * P. T. Alle-
luia.
SECOND NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. The Lord remem-
ber our offering, and accept our burnt-
sacrifice. * P. T. Alleluia.
Psalm XIX.
The LORD hear thee, &c., (p. 17.)
2 1 Cor. x. 17; Heb. ix. 13, 14.
5 1 Cor. v. 7, 8.
8 3 (1) Kings xix. 6, 8.
3 Ps. lxxvii. 24, 25.
6 Exod. xvi. 12, 15.
9 John vi. 51.
4
CORPUS CHRISTI.
Second Antiphon. The Lord prepareth
His Table before us* in the presence of
our enemies.
Psalm XXII.
The LORD is my Shepherd, &c., (p.
125.)
Third Antiphon. Let them that keep
holiday around the Table of the Lord *
make the voice of joy and praise to be
heard [in the house of God.]
Psalm XLI.
As the hart panteth, &c., (p. 34.)
Verse. ¹He fed them with the finest
of the wheat-[Alleluia.]
Answer. And with honey out of the
Rock did He satisfy them-[Alleluia.]
Fourth Responsory.
2As they were eating, JESUS took
bread, and blest it, and brake it, and
gave it to the disciples, and said: Take,
eat; this is My Body. * P. T. Alleluia.
Verse. The men of my tabernacle
said: 0 that we had of his flesh! we
cannot be satisfied.
Answer. Take, eat; this is My Body.
* P. T. Alleluia.
Fifth Responsory.
4JESUS took the cup, after supper,
saying: This cup is the New Testament
in My Blood. This do in remembrance
of Me. *P. T. Alleluia.
Verse. My soul hath them still in
remembrance, and is humbled in me.
Answer. This do in remembrance of
Me. * P. T. Alleluia.
Sixth Responsory.
"I am that Bread of life. Your fa-
thers did eat manna in the wilderness,
and are dead. This is the Bread Which
cometh down from heaven, that a man
may eat thereof, and not die. * P. T.
Alleluia.
Verse. I am the living Bread Which
came down from heaven; if any man
eat of this Bread, he shall live for ever.
Answer. This is the Bread Which
cometh down from heaven, that a man
1 Ps. lxxx. 17.
3 Job xxxi. 31.
may eat thereof, and not die. * P. T.
Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. This is the Bread Which
cometh down from heaven, that a man
may eat thereof, and not die. * P. T.
Alleluia.
THIRD NOCTURN.
First Antiphon. I will go unto the
Altar of God; *I will feed on Christ,
Which is the Renewer of my youth.
* P. T. Alleluia.
us
Psalm XLII.
Judge me, O God, &c., (p. 100.)
Second Antiphon. The Lord hath fed
* with the finest of the wheat, and
with honey out of the Rock" hath He
satisfied us.
Psalm LXXX.
Sing aloud unto God, &c., (p. 64.)
Third Antiphon. It is at Thine Altar,
O Lord, that we do feed on Christ, for
Whom our heart and our flesh crieth out.
*
Psalm LXXXIII.
How lovely are Thy tabernacles, &c.,
(p. 66.)
Verse. Thou bringest forth food out
of the earth! [Alleluia.]
Answer. And wine that maketh glad
the heart of man. [Alleluia.]
Seventh Responsory.
'He that eateth My Flesh and drink-
eth My Blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in
him. * P. T. Alleluia.
Verse. 10 What nation is there so great,
who hath gods so nigh unto them, as
the LORD our God is to us?
Answer. Dwelleth in Me, and I in
him. * P. T. Alleluia.
Eighth Responsory.
"As the living Father hath sent Me,
and I live by the Father, so he that
eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.
* P. T. Alleluia.
2 Matth. xxvi. 26.
4 Luke xxii. 20, 19.
5 Viz., the affliction and the misery, the wormwood and the gall. See context in
Lam. iii. 20.
6 John vi. 48-51.
9 John vi. 56.
7 1 Cor. x. 4.
10 Deut. iv. 7.
8 Ps. ciii. 15.
11 John vi. 57.
CORPUS CHRISTI.
5
LO
Verse. With the bread of life and
understanding hath the Lord fed him.
Answer. So he that eateth Me, even
he shall live by Me. * P. T. Alleluia.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. So he that eateth Me, even
he shall live by Me. *P. T. Alleluia.
The Hymn," We praise Thee, O God,
&c.," is said.
LAUDS.
First Antiphon. 2Wisdom hath build-
ed her house, * she hath mingled her
wine, she hath also furnished her table.
[Alleluia.]
Second Antiphon. Thou feddest Thine
Own people * with Angels' food, and
didst send them bread from heaven.
[Alleluia.]
Third Antiphon. Out of Christ His
bread shall be fat, * and He shall yield
royal dainties. [Alleluia.]
Fourth Antiphon. "The Priests shall
be holy; * for the offerings [of the
LORD] made by fire, and the bread of
their God, they do offer, [therefore they
shall be holy.] [Alleluia.]
Fifth Antiphon. To him that over-
cometh will I give of the hidden manna,
* and will give him a new name. [Al-
leluia.]
Chapter. (1 Cor. xi. 23.)
BRETHREN, I have received of the
Lord that which also I delivered
unto you, That the Lord JESUS, the
same night in which He was betrayed,
took bread, and, when He had given
thanks, He brake it, and said: Take,
eat; this is My Body, Which shall be
given for you: this do in remembrance
of Me.
Hymn.
HE Word of God proceeding forth,
Yet leaving not the Father's side,
And going to His work on earth,
Had reached at length life's eventide.
By a disciple to be given
To rivals for His Blood athirst;
Himself, the very Bread of heaven,
He gave to His disciples first.
1 Ecclus. xv. 3.
He gave Himself in either kind;
His Precious Flesh; His Precious Blood;
of flesh and blood is man combined,
And He of man would be the Food.
In Birth, man's Fellow-man was He;
His Meat, while sitting at the Board;
He died, his Ransomer to be;
He reigns, to be his Great Reward.
O Saving Victim, slain to bless!
Who openest heaven's bright gates to all,
The attacks of many a foe oppress;
Give strength in strife, and help in fall.
To God, the Three in One, ascend
All thanks and praise for evermore ;
He grant the life that shall not end,
Upon the heavenly country's shore.
Amen.
Verse. He maketh peace in thy bor-
ders. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And filleth thee with the
finest of the wheat. [Alleluia.]
Antiphon at the Song of Zacharias.
"I am the living Bread Which came
down from heaven: * if any man eat of
this Bread he shall live for ever. [Al-
leluia.]
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who under a wonderful Sa-
crament hast left unto us whereby
to show forth Thy Suffering Death,
grant unto us, we beseech Thee, so reve-
rently to handle the Sacred Mysteries of
Thy Body and Thy Blood that we may
alway feel within ourselves the fruit of
Thy Redeeming Work. Who livest and
reignest with God the Father, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
PRIME.
Antiphon. Wisdom, &c., (First An-
tiphon at Lauds.)
The Psalms are LIII. and the two
first parts of CXVIII.
2 Prov. ix. 1, 2.
In the Short Responsory instead of
"Thou That sittest, &c.," is said,
Verse. Thou That wast born of the
Virgin Mary.
* Adapted from Jacob's blessing on Asher. Gen. xlix. 20.
6 Apoc. ii. 17.
8 John vi. 51.
3 Wisd. xvi. 30.
5 Lev. xxi. 6.
7 Translation extracted from the “Hymnal Noted.”
6
CORPUS CHRISTI.
Chapter at the end. (1 Cor. xi. 27.)
HOSOEVER shall eat this Bread,
or drink this Cup of the Lord
unworthily, shall be guilty of the Body
and Blood of the Lord.
TERCE.
Antiphon. Thou feddest, &c., (Second
Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter from Lauds.
Short Responsory.
He gave them of the bread of heaven.
[Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Answer. He gave them of the bread
of heaven. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Verse. Man did eat Angels' bread.
Answer. [Alleluia, Alleluia.
Out of Paschal-time: “The bread of
heaven.
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He gave them of the bread
of heaven. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Verse. He fed them with the finest of
the wheat. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And with honey out of the
rock did He satisfy them. [Alleluia.]
SEXT.
Antiphon. Out of Christ, &c. (Third
Antiphon at Lauds.)
FOR
Chapter. (1 Cor. xi. 26.)
OR as often as ye eat this Bread, and
drink this Cup, ye do show the
Lord's death till He come.
Short Responsory.
He fed them with the finest of the
wheat. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Answer. He fed them with the finest
of the wheat. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Verse. And with honey out of the
rock did He satisfy them.
Answer. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Out of Paschal-time: "The finest of
the wheat."
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. He fed them with the finest
of the wheat. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
1 1 Cor. xi. 26.
Verse. Thou bringest_forth food out
of the earth. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And wine that maketh glad
the heart of man. [Alleluia.]
NONE.
Antiphon. To him that overcometh,
&c., (Fifth Antiphon at Lauds.)
Chapter as at the end of Prime.
Short Responsory.
Thou bringest forth food out of the
earth. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Answer. Thou bringest forth food out
of the earth. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Verse. And wine that maketh glad
the heart of man.
Answer. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Out of Paschal-time: "Out of the
earth."
Verse. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
Answer. Thou bringest forth food out
of the earth. [Alleluia, Alleluia.]
Verse. He maketh peace in thy bor-
ders. [Alleluia.]
Answer. And filleth thee with the
finest of the wheat. [Alleluia.]
SECOND VESPERS.
All as the First, except the following:
Antiphon at the Song of the Blessed
Virgin. Holy exceedingly is the Supper
of the Lord,* wherein we do feed on
Christ, do show His death till He come,¹
do get grace abundantly to our souls,
and do take pledge of the glory which
shall hereafter be revealed in us.² [Al-
leluia.]
Friday.
Sixth Day, within the Octave of the
Feast of the Body of Christ.
THIRD NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in January
and February.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vi. 56.)
that time: JESUS said unto the
A thatitude of the Jews: My Flesh
2 Rom. viii. 18.
CORPUS CHRISTI.
7
is meat indeed and My Blood is drink
indeed. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (17th Tract on John.)
We have heard from the Gospel the
words of the Lord which follow [those
that formed the subject of my] earlier
discourse. To your ears and under-
standings we owe a discourse on these
also, and to-day it becometh very well,
for it is upon that Body of the Lord,
Which He professeth Himself that He
"will give for the life of the world,"
"that a man may eat thereof and not
die." He hath made manifest how He
giveth, and What is His Gift, where He
saith: "He that eateth My Flesh and
drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me and
I in him." The sign to show whether
a man hath or hath not eaten that Flesh
and drunk that Blood, is whether or not
he dwelleth in Christ and Christ in him,
whether or not he is a guest of Christ
and Christ of his, whether or not he so
cleaveth unto Christ, that Christ be not
parted from him.
Eighth Lesson.
THIS hath He taught, and warned us,
by words of deep meaning, to be in
His Body as members whose Head is
He, eating His Flesh, and cleaving alway
to His Oneness. Many of His dis-
ciples when they had heard this
•
went back and walked no more with
Him"-for they understood not by
"Flesh" any flesh other than such as
they themselves were made of. The
Apostle saith, (and very true it is): "To
be carnally minded is death." (Rom. viii.
6.) The Lord giveth us His Flesh to
eat, and to understand it carnally is
death. Where He saith: "Whoso
eateth My Flesh
hath eternal
life"-we must not understand this His
Flesh carnally, as did they of whom it
is written: "Many of His disciples"-
(not His enemies)" when they heard
this, said: This is an hard saying-who
can hear it ?"
If
·
•
Ninth Lesson.
His disciples took His words for an
hard saying, how did His enemies
take them? And, nevertheless, thus it
behoved to speak them if all men were
not to understand them. A Divine
mystery ought to make us thoughtful,
not to repel us; and yet, when the Lord
JESUS Christ spoke thus in mystery,
many of His disciples went back and
walked no more with Him. They be-
lieved not that He was speaking of some
great thing, and darkly announcing in
these words a bounty. They under-
stood but as they pleased, even after the
manner of men, that JESUS was able, or
that JESUS meant, to give that Flesh
wherewith the Word is clothed on, as it
were, in slices, to them that believe on
Him. And they said: "This is an
hard saying—who can hear it ?”
Saturday.
The Sabbath within the Octave of the
Feast of the Body of Christ.
SECOND NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in January
and February.)
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. John Chrysostom [Patriarch of
Constantinople.] (61st Homily to the
people of Antioch.)
DEARLY beloved brethren, it be-
hoveth us to learn the miracle of
the Mysteries-what the Gift is, and
why It was given, and what is the use
thereof. "We, being many, are one
body," saith [the Apostle Paul, (1 Cor.
x. 17,) and again]-"We are members
of His Body, of His Flesh, and of His
Bones." (Eph. v. 30.) Only the ini-
tiated¹ will now understand what I say.
That this union may take place, not by
love only, but verily and indeed, we
ought to mingle our own with His Flesh.
And this is done by eating that Food
Which He hath given unto us, being
fain to manifest that exceeding great
love which He beareth to us-ward. To
this end He hath mingled Himself with
us, and infused His Body into our bodies,
that we may be one together, like as the
limbs of a man and his head are all of
one body. Such union do they long for
that love much.
1 I.e. the baptized, the Church's doctrine on the Eucharist being concealed from the
catechumens.
8
CORPUS CHRISTI.
WHE
Fifth Lesson.
HEN we come back from that Table
we ought to be like so many lions
breathing fire, dreadful to the devil.
Our thoughts ought to be concentrated
on our Great Head and the love which
He showeth us. Many fathers and mo-
thers there are who give their children
to others to nurse, but I, saith the Lord
to His children, I am not so, but I feed
you with Mine Own Flesh, and join My-
self to you, fain that ye all should be
sons of noble blood now, and giving you
a noble hope of that which ye shall be
hereafter. I was content to become your
Brother, I for your sakes have taken
unto Me Flesh, and Blood, and that
Flesh and Blood wherein I am become
your Brother, the Same give I in turn
unto you.
Sixth Lesson.
ET us then, dearly beloved brethren,
take good heed to ourselves, as unto
the holders of so great mercies, and when
any foul word springeth to our lips, or
we feel anger taking possession of us, or
the sting of any other sinful passion, let
us call to mind of What we have been
counted worthy, and let that remem-
brance still the unruly motion. As often
as we take that Body, as often as we
taste that Blood, let us think how that
we feed on Him Who is sitting on high,
adored of Angels, at the right hand of
the Eternal Power. Ah me, how many
the Lord hath set before us, in eating of
His Flesh and drinking of His Blood, is
that we should dwell in Him, and He
in us.
We dwell in Him when we are
His members, and He dwelleth in us
when we are His temple. But the bond
whereby we are made His members is
oneness; and what is the cause of one-
ness but love? And love of God, whence
is it? Ask the Apostle.
"The love of
God," saith he, "is shed abroad in our
hearts by the Holy Ghost, Which is
given unto us." (Rom. v. 5.)
Eighth Lesson.
SO "it is the spirit that quickeneth."
""
It is the spirit that maketh lively
the limbs, nor is the quickening power
of the spirit shed through any limbs but
such as remain in union with the body
whose the spirit is. The spirit that thou
hast in thee, O man, and whereby thou
art a man, doth that spirit shed life
through any limb cut off from thy flesh?
By "spirit," I mean soul. The soul
quickeneth no limb but such as remain
attached to the body. Cut one off, and
the soul quickeneth it no more, for it
is separate from the oneness of thy
body.
Ninth Lesson.
a way is open to us whereby we may be THESE things I say, that we may love
saved! He hath made us His-He hath
given His Body to us-and we still are
not turned away from evil!
THIRD NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in March
and April.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vi. 56.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto the
multitudes of the Jews: My Flesh
is meat indeed and My Blood is drink
indeed. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (27th Tract on John.)
I have said, my brethren, that what
oneness and dread division. In
sooth, there is nothing which a Christian
ought so much to dread, as to be cut off
from the Body of Christ. If he be cut
off from the Body of Christ, he is no
longer a member of Christ, and the
Spirit of Christ no longer quickeneth
him. "Now, if any man," saith the
Apostle, "have not the Spirit of Christ,
he is none of His." (Rom. viii. 9.)
"It is the Spirit that quickeneth;
the flesh profiteth nothing: the words
that I speak unto you, they are spirit
and they are life."
Spirit and life"-what meaneth
this? It is to be taken spiritually.
Hast thou taken it spiritually? Then
the words the Lord spake, unto thee
they are spirit and they are life. Hast
thou taken it carnally? Then the words
of the Lord are still indeed spirit and
life-but not for thee.
CORPUS CHRISTI.
9
Second Sunday after Pentecost.
The Lord's Day within the Octave of
the Body of Christ.
SECOND NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in March
and April.)
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. John Chrysostom [Patriarch of
Constantinople.] (60th Homily to the
People of Antioch.)
THE
Word saith: "This is My Body."
This we confess, and believe, and,
with spiritual eyes, do see. Christ hath
not left unto us Himself in such form
as that we can see, hear, touch, smell,
or taste Him; and yet hath He left
Himself unto us in things which we can
see, hear, touch, smell, and taste, and
which all men may understand. Thus
also is it in baptism; by mean of water,
which men perceive outwardly, is given
unto them a gift which they can grasp
only inwardly, that is, a new birth. If
we had no bodies, then would these
things be given us without any outward
and visible signs, but since we are here
made up of souls and bodies, there are
given unto our souls gifts which they
can grasp, in outward signs which our
bodies may perceive. How many there
be which say: I would that I could see
His comely presence, His Face, His gar-
ments, even His shoes! Behold, thou
dost see and touch Him, yea, thou dost
feed upon Him. And wouĺdest thou
behold His raiment? Lo, He hath given
unto thee not only to behold it, but to
feed upon it, and handle it, and take it
into thyself.
Fifth Lesson.
TO this table of the Lord let none dare
to draw near with squeamishness
or carelessness. Let all be fiery, all hot,
all roused. To the Jews it was com-
manded touching the Paschal lamb,
(Exod. xii. 11): "And thus shall ye
eat it; with your loins girded, your
shoes on your feet, and your staff in
your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste;
it is the LORD'S Passover." But thou
needest to be more watchful than they.
They were just about to travel from
Egypt to Palestine, and therefore they
bore the guise of travellers; but the
journey that lieth before thee is from
earth to heaven. And therefore it be-
hoveth thee in all things to be on thy
guard, for the punishment of him that
eateth or drinketh unworthily is no light
one. (1 Cor. xi. 27.) Bethink thee how
thou art indignant against him which
betrayed, and them that crucified the
Lord; and look to it well that thou also
be not "Guilty of the Body and Blood
of the Lord." As for them, they slew
His Most Holy Body; but thou, after
all that He hath done for thee, dost
thrust Him into thy polluted soul. For
His love it was not enough to be made
Man, to be buffeted, and to be crucified;
He hath also mingled Himself with us,
by making us His Body, and that not by
faith only, but verily and indeed.
Sixth Lesson.
CAN anything be purer than that man
ought to be, who eateth of this
great Sacrifice? Can sun-beam be clearer
than that hand ought to be which break-
eth this Flesh?-that mouth, which is
filled with that spiritual fire?-that
tongue, which is reddened by that Blood,
awful exceedingly? That whereon the
Angels quail to look, neither dare to
gaze steadfastly upon It, because of the
blinding glory that shineth therefrom,
upon This we feed, with This we become
one, and are made one body of Christ,
and one flesh. "Who can utter the
mighty acts of the LORD? who can
show forth all His praise ?" (Ps. cv. 2.)
Where is the shepherd which feedeth
his flock with his own blood? Nay, why
should I say, shepherd? Many mothers
there be, who after all the pains of tra-
vail, give their own little ones to stran-
gers to nurse. But so would not He, but
feedeth us with His Own Blood, and mak-
eth us to grow up in His Own substance.
Monday within the Octave of
Corpus Christi.
Second Day, within the Octave of the
Feast of the Body of Christ.
SECOND NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in May and
June.)
10
CORPUS CHRISTI.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. John Chrysostom [Patriarch of
Constantinople.] (Continuation of the
60th Homily.)
this mysterious Sacrament Christ
doth mingle Himself with all and
each of His faithful ones. They are
His children, and He nurseth them Ĥim-
self, and giveth them not over unto
another, herein again assuring us that
the Flesh He hath taken unto Him-
self is ours. We then, who have been
deemed meet to be treated with such
love and such honour, let us be wake-
ful! See ye not how eagerly the suck-
lings seize on the breasts, how readily
they fix their mouths on the paps? Let
us, with like eagerness, draw nigh to
that Table, and suck at that spiritual
Cup. Yea, let us prize that gracious
Food as the suckling doth its mother's
breast, and hold it the great woe of life
to be cut off from that Banquet. Here
there are set before us no works of man's
power; He That worked at that Last
Supper, the Same worketh the same
here still. As for us Priests, we hold
the place of His ministers, but He Which
halloweth and changeth is He. Hither
let there draw nigh no Judas, nor cove-
tous one-this is no Table for him. But
he which is Christ's disciple, let him
come; for the Lord saith: "I will keep
the Passover with My disciples," (Matth.
xxvi. 18.) This is that Passover Table,
and it is all Christ's-what is wrought
there is not some of it Christ's work,
and some of it man's work, but it is all
His work and not another's.
Fifth Lesson.
HITHER let there draw nigh none
brutal, none cruel, none merciless;
in good sooth, none unclean. I speak
to all that take that Holy Communion,
and to you also, O ye that do adminis-
ter the same! To you now I turn my
speech, to warn you with how great
care that Gift is to be given. No slight
vengeance is that which awaiteth you
if ye admit for a partaker at the Lord's
Table the sinner whose guiltiness ye
know. At your hands will his blood
be required. If a man be a General, a
Governor, a crowned Monarch, yet if he
come there unworthily, forbid him;
+
thou hast greater power than he. To
this end hath God exalted you to the
honour ye hold, that ye may judge in
such matters. This office is your dig-
nity, this is your strength, this is all
your crown, this, and not the going
about in white robes and glittering vest-
ments. And thou, O layman! when
thou seest the Priest making the obla-
tion, think not that He Which is then
the real Worker is such a Priest as thou
seest, but know of a surety that it is
Christ's Hand Which is stretched out,
albeit unseen by thee.

L
Sixth Lesson.
ET us hear, all of us, both Priests
and laymen, let us hear What
Food it is whereof we are made worthy
let us hear, I say, and let us quake.
The Lord satisfieth us with His Own
holy Flesh, setting Himself slain be-
fore us.
What excuse therefore shall
we have, if, being so fed as we are,
we sin as we do? If, eating of the
Lamb, we are still wolves? If, pastured
as the sheep of the flock, we raven like
lions? This mysterious Sacrament for-
biddeth unto us not outrage only, but
any the least enmity; it is the Mystery
of
peace. Upon the Jews God laid it to
make year by year by solemn festivals
a yearly commemoration of His mercies
unto them, but upon thee to do this in
remembrance of His love to thee, day
by day. To this Table then let there
draw nigh no Judas Iscariot, no Simon
Magus. These men fell through cove-
tousness; let us fly that bottomless pit.
THIRD NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in May and
June.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vi. 56.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto the
multitudes of the Jews: My Flesh
is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink
indeed. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (26th Tract on John.)
"This is the bread which cometh
down from heaven," (v. 50.) By "this
bread" the Lord here signifieth both the
manna, and That Which we receive at
CORPUS CHRISTI.
11
the Altar of God. Both these are, as it
were, Sacramental signs, differing indeed
somewhat in their outward and visible
part, but pointing to the Same Thing
signified. Hear what the Apostle saith:
"Moreover, brethren, I would not that
ye should be ignorant how that all our
fathers were under the cloud, and all
passed through the sea, and were all
baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in
the sea, and did all eat the same spi-
ritual meat.' (1 Cor. x. 1-3.) This
meat was the same spiritually but not
really; they ate manna-we eat Some-
thing else. Spiritually they ate What
we eat; but our fathers-not their fa-
thers; unto whom we are like-not
unto whom they are like. And it is
added: "And did all drink the same
Spiritual drink." They drank one
thing, and we drink Another, the dif-
ference being in the outer show, the
sameness in that the Same Thing is
pointed to by both. And what was that
Same Drink? "They drank of the spi-
ritual Rock that followed them, and that
Rock was Christ." Him did bread and
rock alike signify. The Rock was a
figure, but by the Word and in the
Flesh there is the very Christ Himself.
And how came they to drink of that
rock? "Moses lift up his hand, and
with his rod he smote the rock twice,
and the water came out abundantly."
(Num. xx. 11.) These two strokes of
the rod upon the rock are a figure of the
two beams whereof the Cross was made.
Eighth Lesson.
HRIST'S faithful ones discern the
CHR
Lord's Body while they remain
watchful members of His Body. They
remain members of His Body as long as
they will to live according to His Spirit.
The Spirit of Christ giveth life to no-
thing but the body of Christ. Now, my
brethren, understand what I am going
to say. Thou art a man, and hast a
body and a spirit. By spirit I mean the
soul, which causeth thee to be a man
at all. Thou art a man, made up of
soul and body. Thy spirit is unseen,
thy body seen. Tell me, which of them
is it which giveth animation to the
other? Doth thy spirit derive anima-
tion from thy body, or thy body from
thy spirit? Every one who liveth will
answer-for if any one cannot answer
this, I know not if he be alive. What
will whosoever hath life answer? "Ve-
rily, it is my spirit which doth animate
my body."
Wilt thou then live by the
Spirit of Christ? Be of the Body of
Christ.
Ninth Lesson.
S it not my spirit which doth animate
my body? My spirit doth animate
my body, and thy spirit doth animate
thy body. The Body of Christ liveth
not save by the Spirit of Christ. Hence
it is that the Apostle Paul saith, touch-
ing this Bread: "We, being many, are
one bread, and one body, for we are all
partakers of that one Bread." (1 Cor. x.
17.) O what a Sacrament of love! O
what a seal of union! O what a bond of
charity! He that willeth to live hath
here where to live, and whence to live.
Let him come near, let him believe, let
him enter into that Body, that he may
be quickened. Let him not sever him-
self from the fit joining-together of all
the members; let him not be as a mor-
tifying limb, that must needs be cut off,
nor a mis-shapen limb, a cause to blush.
Let him be goodly, and useful, and
healthy. Let him cleave unto the body;
let him live by God to God; let him
labour now on earth, that he may reign
hereafter in heaven.
Tuesday.
Third Day, within the Octave of the
Feast of the Body of Christ.
SECOND NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in July and
August.)
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Letter
written to Cæcilius by the Holy Mar-
tyr Cyprian, Bishop [of Carthage.]
(Bk. ii. Ep. 3.)
the deed of the Priest Melchisedek
we see a type of the Sacrament of
the Lord's Sacrifice. For thus it is
written in the writings of God :—" And
Melchisedek King of Salem brought
forth bread and wine: for he was the
Priest of the Most High God: and he
blessed" Abraham. (Gen. xiv. 18.) That
Melchisedek was a type of Christ, the
12
CORPUS CHRISTI.
Holy Ghost Himself doth testify in the
Psalms, where the First Person of the
Holy Trinity, even the Father, is set
before us as saying unto the Second Per-
son, that is, the Son :-" Before the day-
star have I begotten Thee. Thou
art a Priest for ever, after the order of
Melchisedek." (cix. 3, 4.) And verily
that sameness of order cometh of this
sacrifice, and proceedeth from this, that
Melchisedek was the Priest of the Most
High God; that he offered bread and
wine; and that he blessed Abraham.
Fifth Lesson.
WHAT Priest
HAT Priest of the Most High God
is there, more so than is our Lord
JESUS Christ?—He Who hath made an
offering unto God the Father, and the
same offering that Melchisedek made,
bread and wine, that is to say, His Own
Flesh and His Own Blood. And, as
touching Abraham, that ancient blessing
was spoken likewise by fore-knowledge
upon us. For if Abraham believed God
and it was accounted to him for right-
eousness, verily, whosoever believeth God
and liveth by faith, the same is found
righteous, and is shown unto us that he
is already blessed in faithful Abraham,
and justified-as the Apostle Paul prov-
eth, where he saith:-"Abraham be-
lieved God, and it was accounted unto
him for righteousness. Know ye there-
fore that they which are of faith, the
same are the children of Abraham.
And the Scripture, fore-seeing that God
would justify the heathen through faith,
preached before the Gospel unto Abra-
ham, saying: In thee shall all nations
be blessed." (Gal. iii. 6—8.)
Ν
Sixth Lesson.
IN Genesis, therefore, in order that the
Priest Melchisedek might in due
order pronounce the blessing upon Abra-
ham, there was first offered a typical
sacrifice, consisting of bread and wine.
This was the offering which our Lord
JESUS Christ completed and fulfilled,
when He offered up bread and a cup of
wine mingled [with water.] This ful-
filment by Him Who came to fulfil
(Matth. v. 17,) utterly satisfied the truth
of the image which had gone before.
The Holy Ghost doth by Solomon also
clearly foreshadow, as it were in a para-
ble, the Lord's Sacrifice, pointing to the
victim slain, and the bread and the wine,
and the Altar likewise, and the Apostles;
as it is written:-"Wisdom hath builded
her house, she hath hewn out her seven
pillars; she hath killed her beasts, she
hath mingled her wine, she hath also
furnished her table. She hath sent forth
her servants, she crieth upon the highest
places of the city, saying: Whoso is
simple, let him turn in hither unto me.
As for them that want understanding,
she saith to them: Come, eat of my
bread, and drink of the wine which I
have mingled for you." (Prov. ix. 1—5.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in July
and August.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vi. 56.)
AT
that time: JESUS said unto the
multitudes of the Jews: My Flesh
is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink
indeed. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (26th Tract on John.)
"Not as your fathers did eat manna,
and are dead." Wherefore did they eat
and die? Because they believed only
that which they saw; and that which
they saw not, they understood not.
Therefore were they your fathers, be-
cause ye are like unto them. Doth this
death, my brethren, mean that death
which is outward and bodily? And do
not we also die, who eat of that Bread
Which cometh down from heaven?
That death died they, and so shall we
also, as far, as I have said, as is meant
that death which is outward and bo-
dily.
BUT
Eighth Lesson.
the death whereof the Lord doth
sound the alarm, the death that
their fathers died, is another death than
that which is outward and bodily.
Moses ate manna, Aaron ate manna,
Phinehas ate manna, many ate manna
in whom the Lord was well pleased-
and these are not dead. Wherefore?
Because they understood spiritually that
outward bread, spiritually hungered
thereafter, spiritually tasted thereof, and
CORPUS CHRISTI.
13
spiritually were satisfied therewith. So
also do we this day feed on a visible food,
but the Sacrament is one thing, and the
grace of the Sacrament is another.
0
Ninth Lesson.
HOW many there be which receive
at the Altar, and die, yea, die even
in the very receiving! Whence the
Apostle saith:-"[He that eateth and
drinketh unworthily] eateth and drink-
eth damnation to himself." (1 Cor. xi.
29.) Is it not written :-" When JESUS
had dipped the sop, He gave it to Judas
Iscariot, the son of Simon, and after
the sop Satan entered into him?" (John
xiii. 26, 27.) And yet he took it. And
when he had eaten it, the enemy en-
tered in and possessed him. Not be-
cause what he ate was evil, but because
he, being evil, dared to eat that which
was good. Look to it well, then, bre-
thren, that ye take spiritually the
Bread Which cometh down from hea-
ven. Bring innocency with you to the
Altar. Though your sins be daily, let
them not be deadly. Before ye draw
near to the Altar, think well what it is
counsel is from heaven.
Nevertheless,
it was a great and wonderful work of God
when He rained down manna upon His
people, and the people laboured not, and
yet were fed. Perchance, thou sayest:
Here, it is my bread which is used. But
that bread is bread only till the Sacra-
mental words are spoken; at the Conse-
cration, instead of bread, there cometh
to be the Body of Christ. This therefore
let us establish. How cometh it that
that which was bread becometh the Body
of Christ? Through the Consecration.
And in what words, and in Whose lan-
guage doth the Consecration take place?
In those of the Lord JESUS. All the
other things which are said [in the
Liturgy], the ascription of praise to God
[in the Preface], the prayer for the peo-
ple, for kings, and for others, which
formeth the first part [of the Canon,
these are put in the mouth of the Priest.]
But when that point is reached when
this worshipful Sacrament is to be con-
secrated, then the Priest useth no more
his own words, but Christ's.
Fifth Lesson.
that ye say:- "Forgive us our tres- IT is the word of Christ, therefore,
passes, as we forgive them that trespass
against us." "For, if ye forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you" (Matth. vi. 14)-
and ye may draw near boldly, for unto
It is Bread, and not poison.
you
Wednesday.
Fourth Day, within the Octave of the
Feast of the Body of Christ.
SECOND NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in Septem-
ber and October.)
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Book
upon the Sacraments, written by St.
Ambrose,' Bishop [of Milan.] (Bk.
iv. ch. 4.)
WHO invented the Sacraments but
the Lord JESUS? The Sacra-
ments came down from heaven, for all
which doth the needful work in this
Sacrament. And what is the word of
Christ? It is the word of Him at
Whose bidding all things were made.
The Lord commanded, and the heavens
were created; the Lord commanded, and
the earth was formed; the Lord com-
manded, and the seas were made; the
Lord commanded, and all creatures
sprang into being. Thou seest, then,
how mightily-working a word is the
word of Christ. If then the word of
Christ hath such power that it can make
that to be which hath never been, where-
in doth it appear greater that it maketh
one thing to be changed into Another?
There was once no heaven; there was
once no sea; there was once no earth.
But hear him who saith:-"He spake,
and it was done; He commanded and it
stood fast. (Ps. xxxii. 9.) If, then, I
am to answer thee, I tell thee that be-
fore the Consecration it is not the Body
of Christ, but after the Consecration it
is the Body of Christ, for Himself "hath
spoken, and it is done; He hath com-
manded, and it standeth fast."
1 Pseudo-Ambrose.
14
CORPUS CHRISTI.
Sixth Lesson. (ch. 5.)
AND now I come back to my text. It
is indeed a great and worshipful
fact that manna was rained down upon
the Jews; but think thou, which was
the more great and worshipful, the
manna from heaven, or the Body of
Christ-the Body of that Same Christ
by Whom the heavens were made?
And, again; the fathers "did eat manna,
and are dead; he that eateth of this
Bread," (John vi. 58,) It is unto him
"the remission of sins," (Matth. xxvi.
28,) and "he shall never die." (John
xi. 26.) ¹Therefore it is not idly that,
when thou art a-receiving, thou sayest:
"Amen"-testifying in thine heart
that That Which thou art taking is the
Body of Christ. The Priest saith unto
thee:-"The Body of Christ!"—and
thou answerest : "Amen"-that is to.
say: "It is true." What then thy
tongue confesseth, let thine heart hold
to.
THIRD NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in Septem-
ber and October.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vi. 55.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto the
multitudes of the Jews: My Flesh
is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink
indeed. And so on.
Homily by St. Hilary, Bishop [of
Poitiers.j2 (Bk. viii. on the Trinity.)
When we speak concerning the things
of God, we must not speak after the
manner of men, nor after the manner
of the world. Let us read those things
which are written, and understand those
things which we read; and then let us
act as having a perfect faith. We shall
speak but folly and godlessness if we speak
concerning the natural truth of Christ
in us, and have not learnt at Christ's
School how we should speak. He Him-
self saith:-"My Flesh is meat indeed,
and My Blood is drink indeed. He that
eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood,
dwelleth in Me, and I in him." There
is here no room left for doubt as to What
is His Flesh and what is His Blood.
FOR
Eighth Lesson.
OR now we know by the declaration
of the Lord Himself and by [the
teaching of] our Faith, the reality of
His Flesh and Blood. And when we
eat the One and drink the Other, They
work effectually in us to make us dwell
in Him and He in us. Is not this a re-
ality? Surely it befalleth not them to
find it true, who deny that Christ JESUS
is Very God. He is in us by means of
His Flesh, and we are in Him when
that which we are is with Him in God.
That we dwell in Him through the Sa-
crament wherein His Flesh and Blood
are given unto us, He Himself doth tes-
tify, where He saith:-"Yet a little
while, and the world seeth Me no more;
but ye see Me; because I live ye shall
live also. [At that day ye shall know
that] I am in My Father, and ye in Me,
and I in you." (John xiv. 19, 20.)
BUT
Ninth Lesson.
that this union in us is a real
one, He testifieth thus:-" He that
eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood,
dwelleth in Me, and I in him." For no
one dwelleth in Him in whom He doth
not dwell, since he which receiveth [the
Body of Christ] hath but received that
Flesh of [the same nature as] his own,
which Christ hath taken into Himself.
The mystery of this perfect union He
had taught before, when He said:-
"As the living Father hath sent Me,
and I live by the Father, so, he that
eateth Me, even he shall live by Me."
He therefore liveth by the Father, and,
as He liveth by the Father, so shall we
live by Him.
Thursday.
Octave of Corpus Christi.
The Eighth Day of the Feast of the
Body of Christ.
SECOND NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in Novem-
ber and December.)
1 The next words relate to the form of words used in administering the Holy Commu-
nion where and when the writer lived. The translator believes it to be the same still in
use in Abyssinia.
2 Jan. 14.
CORPUS CHRISTI.
15
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
or the Blessed Patriarch of Jerusa-
lem, Cyril.¹ (Instruction of Catechu-
mens, 4.)
THER
HE teaching of the blessed Paul
seemeth of itself enough instruction
for you concerning those Divine Mys-
teries, whereof, if ye be made worthy,
ye become therein, so to speak, of one
Body and of one Blood with Christ.
Paul saith that our Lord JESUS Christ,
"the same night in which He was be-
trayed, took bread; and, when He had
given thanks, He brake it, and gave it
unto His disciples, saying: Take, eat;
this is My Body.
After the same
manner also He took the cup," and gave
thanks, "and said:'
"and said:"-Take this, and
drink it; this is My Blood. Since there-
fore it is He Who hath definitely stated
and said, touching that Bread: "This
is My Body"-who will dare any longer
to doubt that It is so? And since it is He
again that hath absolutely affirmed and
said, touching that cup: "This is My
Blood"-who is he that will doubt any
longer, or say that It is not His Blood?
Fifth Lesson.
T the beginning of His ministry in
Cana in Galilee, the Lord turned
water into wine, a thing which hath
some qualities in common with blood;
and shall we deem Him less worthy that
we should believe Him when He turneth
wine into Blood? When He was bidden
to that marriage wherein twain were
made one flesh, He did the beginning of
His miracles to the amazement of all
men; and shall we less surely hold that
He hath given us His Body and Blood
to be our meat and drink, or take them
with weaker faith that they are indeed
His Body and His Blood? Under the
appearance of bread He giveth unto us
His Body, and, under the appearance of
wine, His Blood: and when thou shalt
come to receive, it is on the Body and
Blood of Christ that thou wilt feed, be-
ing made a partaker of His Body and of
His Blood. Thus indeed it is that we
become Christ-bearers,2 namely, by car-
rying about Christ in our bodies, when
we receive His Body and Blood into our
own frames. Thus, as the blessed Peter
hath it, we are "partakers of the Divine
nature." (2 Pet. i. 4.)
C
CHR
Sixth Lesson.
HRIST once said, in conversing with
the Jews:-"Except ye eat the
Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His
Blood, ye have no life in you." (John
vi. 53.) But they took not spiritually
that which He said, and "from that
time many of His disciples went back,
and walked no more with Him." (66.)
They thought that He had bidden them
to eat flesh. The Old Testament also
had Shew-bread, but this Old Testament
bread was now to have an end. The
bread of the New Testament is "the
Bread Which cometh down from heaven"
(50), the cup of the New Testament,
the Cup of Salvation, that Bread and
that Cup Which hallow both souls and
bodies. Wherefore I will have thee to
understand that the Bread and Wine
whereunto thou art to come, are not
mere common bread or mere common
wine; for they are the Body and the
Blood of Christ. Even if thy senses do
indeed deny this fact, yet let faith make
thee right sure of it. Judge not the
Thing by the taste thereof, but let faith
assure thee beyond all doubt thou art
partaking of the Body and Blood of Christ.
THIRD NOCTURN.
(Read in the Votive Office in Novem-
ber and December.)
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (vi. 56.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto the
multitudes of the Jews: My Flesh
is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink
indeed. And so on.
Homily by St. Cyril, Pope [of Alex-
andria.³] (Book iv. on John, ch. 17.)
"He that eateth My Flesh and
¹ Elected A.D. 350. Suffered much persecution from the Arians, and died March 18, 386.
2 Christiferi.
3 Raised to that dignity in A.D. 412. Died June 28, 444. The Roman Martyrology
names him on January 28. He is chiefly distinguished as the antagonist of the heresiarch
Nestorius.
16
CORPUS CHRISTI.
drinketh My Blood," saith the Lord,
"dwelleth in Me, and I in him.' If a
man take two pieces of wax and melt
them, and pour the one into the other,
they necessarily mingle; so also, he that
receiveth the Body and Blood of the
Lord doth become so joined with the
Lord that he is to be found in Christ
and Christ in him. Another comparison
thou wilt find in Matthew. The Lord
there saith: "The kingdom of heaven
is like unto leaven which a woman took,
and hid in three measures of meal, [till
the whole was leavened,]" (xiii. 33,)
because, as Paul saith, " a little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump." (Gal. v. 9.)
So also doth a little of this Blessing
fill
him with Its grace: and thus doth Christ
dwell in us, and we in Christ.
Cup of the Lord unworthily... eateth
and drinketh damnation to himself."
(1 Cor. xi. 27, 29.) I therefore examine
myself and find myself unworthy. And
I ask thee, who citest these words to me,
who shall ever be found worthy? When
wilt thou be such an one as may be
worthy to be offered to Christ? If by
sin thou art unworthy, and thou ceasest
not to sin, (for, as the Psalmist hath it,
-"Who can understand his errors ?".
Ps. xviii. 13,) then shalt thou for ever
lack this means of life and sanctification.
Ninth Lesson.
draw the whole man unto Itself, and WHEREFORE, I counsel thee to be-
Eighth Lesson.
AS for ourselves, if we would win life
everlasting; if we would that the
Giver of immortality should dwell in us,
let us run freely to receive this Blessing,
and let us beware that the devil succeed
not in laying a stumbling-block in our
way, in the shape of a mistaken rever-
ence. Thou rightly sayest, and we know
well, how that it is written: "Whoso-
ever shall eat this Bread and drink this
take thee to godly thoughts, and
to live carefully and holily, and so to
receive that Blessing-a Blessing which,
believe me, doth banish, not death only,
but all diseases likewise. For when
Christ dwelleth in us, He stilleth the
law of death in our members, which
warreth against the law of our mind,
(Rom. vii. 23,) He giveth strength to
godliness, He turneth to calm the tur-
bulent surging of our mind, He cureth
them which are sick, He raiseth up
them which are fallen, and, like the
Good Shepherd, Which giveth His life
for the sheep, He prevaileth that the
sheep perish not.
Offices peculiar to England.
DEC. 5.
St. Birinus,¹ Bishop [of Dor-
chester,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c.”
The Week-day and St. Saba are com-
memorated at Vespers and Lauds.
The Hymn at Vespers and Mattins
begins "Safe now for ever."
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From Bede, iii. 7, and
the Saxon Chronicle.)
IN the year of Christ 634, the West
Saxons, under their King Cynegils,
received the Faith, the Word of God
being preached among them by the
Bishop Birinus, who had come into Bri-
tain at the persuasion of Pope Hono-
rius. He made a personal promise to
this Pope that he would go into far
parts of England, where no teacher had
yet reached, and there sow the seed of
our holy Faith. The Pope therefore
commanded Asterius, Bishop of Genoa
to consecrate him a Bishop.
Fifth Lesson.
WHEN Birinus came to Britain, the
first place he went to was the
country of the West Saxons, whom he
found steeped in idolatry. Among them
therefore he deemed it better to abide,
than to go farther in search of subjects
for his preaching. He converted and
baptized the King and his people, and
Cynegils afterwards received from the
font the most holy Oswald, King of the
Northumbrians, whose daughter he was
about to take in marriage, and thus, by
a beautiful coincidence, became first his
god-father and then his son-in-law.
THE
Sixth Lesson.
HESE two Kings joined in giving to
Birinus the city of Dorchester, to
be his See, and thence, after building
and hallowing Churches, and calling
many people to God by holy labour, he
passed away to be for ever with the
Lord, [about the year 650.] At Dor-
chester he was buried, but after many
years, Bishop Hedda removed his body
to Winchester, where it was honourably
laid in the Church of the Holy Apostles
Peter and Paul.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
1 The Keltic Apostle of Wessex; a Latin form for Bran, or Brian.
a
་
2
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
St. Thomas of Canterbury (Dec. 29,)
is a Double of the Second Class, with
an Octave. Accordingly on Dec. 28 the
Vespers, from the Chapter inclusive, are
of him, with a Commemoration of the
Holy Innocents before those of the other
Octaves. He is commemorated every
day, except New Year's Day, at Ves-
pers and Lauds, after the other Octaves,
till Jan. 4. At Vespers on that day,
the Office (Double) is of St. Thomas,
(as if First Vespers) from the Chapter,
inclusive, with Commemorations of the
Octave-day of the Innocents, of Twelfth-
Day Eve, and of St. Telesphorus.
Thenceforth the Office (Double) is of St.
Thomas till None, inclusive, with a
Commemoration of the Eve and of St.
Telesphorus at Lauds. At Mattins,
the Lessons of the First Nocturn are
from Rom. vii. 1, (p. 262,) of the Se-
cond Nocturn from St. Ambrose on
Ps. cxviii. (p. 825,) of the Third Noc-
turn from John x. 11, with the Homily
of St. Gregory (p. 482,) whereof the last
part is omitted or read as one with_the
Eighth Lesson, and then the Ninth Les-
son is from Matth. ii. 19, with the first
part or the whole of St. Jerome's
Homily (p. 263.) At the First Ves-
pers of the Epiphany, no notice is taken
of St. Thomas.
JAN. 19.
(The Office of St. Cnut IV. is not said.)
St. Wolstan, Bishop [of Wor-
cester,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout. (Taken from the
Salisbury Missal.)
Pour into our hearts, O Lord, the
Spirit of Thy love, that we, being
holpen by the prayers of Thy blessed
Confessor and Bishop Wolstan, may
worthily taste Thy sweetness in ever-
lasting blessedness. Through our Lord
JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Same Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end. Amen.
At Second Vespers of St. Peter, a
Commemoration is made of St. Wol-
stan, between those of St. Paul and SS.
Maris, &c.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From the Life by Wil-
liam of Malmesbury. Anglia Sacra,
ii. 241.)
THIS
HIS Wolstan gained a great fame for
holiness while he was a Priest. He
afterwards became a monk at Worcester,
and in a short while was set to govern
that Church. As regarded earthly learn-
ing he was almost entirely uneducated,
and gave himself up wholly to ghostly
lore. As an English speaker he was
deemed very eloquent, and it is a re-
markable proof of this, that, by con-
stant preaching, he brought the citizens
of Bristol to their right minds, after
both the Royal and the Papal authority
had failed to make them give up their
infamous slave-trade.
As
Fifth Lesson.
S a Bishop, he was unwearied in
doing the work of the Good Shep-
herd. He made constant visitations
throughout his Diocese, held Ordina-
tions, consecrated Churches, rebuked
sinners, and both by word and ensample,
stirred up the souls committed to his
charge to yearn after life eternal. It
often was so that he remained without
food from sunrise to dark, confirming
the children who were brought to him
from all quarters, to the number of two
or three thousand at a time. The gen-
tleness and the tender love of souls
which he displayed in hearing confes-
sions were so great, that penitents flowed
to him from well-nigh all England, and
converted sinners under his warnings
brought forth fruits meet for repen-
tance.
1 But of the First Class among the secular clergy, whose Patron he is, and to whom
therefore these directions do not all apply.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
3
GO
HIS
Sixth Lesson.
IS watchfulness for the salvation of
others did not cause him to neglect
his own. He said Mass often, was con-
stant in prayer, never ate meat, and
served God in abundant almsgiving to
the poor. The lowlier he was regard-
ing himself, the more did others speak
of him, and not only Englishmen and
Normans, but foreign Kings and Princes
also, commended themselves to his
prayers. He died very old, in the year
of our Lord 1095, and is buried in his
own Church at Worcester.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxiv. 42, with
the Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 852.)
The last is omitted or read with the
Eighth, to make room for that of SS.
Maris, &c.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From his Life by Gi-
raldus Cambrensis. Anglia Sacra, ii.
628.)
THIS David was born of a Princely
race in Cardiganshire. After be-
coming a Priest he was moved by the
desire of a more perfect life to betake
himself to Paulinus, the disciple of St.
Germain, who dwelt in the Isle of
Wight. Under this master he made
great progress, and began, at his exhor-
tation, to preach to the people of the
neighbourhood. In progress of time he
founded many monasteries, wherein his
disciples, in quiet retreat from men,
passed their days in working with their
hands, reading, praying, and succour-
ing the poor.
Fifth Lesson.
At Lauds, Commemoration of the THE revival in Britain of the Pelagian
Holy Martyrs.
Vespers are of SS. Fabian and Se-
bastian, from the Chapter, inclusive,
with a Commemoration of St. Wolstan.
MARCH 1.
St. Babid, Archbishop [of Ca-
erleon,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, O Almighty
God, that the fatherly prayers of
Thy blessed Confessor and Bishop David
may help us, and that while we keep
his solemn Feast, we may follow the
example of his steadfastness in defend-
ing the Catholic Faith. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth
and reigneth with Thee in the unity of
the Holy Ghost, one God, world with-
out end, Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
heresy brought it about that a
Council was got together in Cardigan-
shire, wherein David, for his zealous
contending for the Catholic Faith was
unanimously chosen Archbishop of
Wales, in the place of holy Dyfrug,
who had resigned. The new Arch-
bishop called together a second Council,
in which all the decrees of the first were
confirmed. From these decrees, ap-
proved by the authority of the Pope, all
the Churches of Wales received their
usage and rule.
Sixth Lesson.
IN those days the Church of God
flourished exceedingly. Monasteries
were set up in many places, and great
multitudes of the faithful, of divers
orders, were brought unto Christ, and
unto all of them David was as a glass
and an ensample. Not by word alone
but by his life also, he shone as a light
to others; a great preacher, but a greater
practiser. In an old age, and full of
good works, he resigned his soul to
God, upon a 1st day of March, about
the year of salvation 544.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
Vespers are of the following, from
the Chapter, inclusive, with a Comme-
moration of St. David.
4
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
MARCH 2.
St. Chad,¹ Bishop [of Lich-
field,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout. (Taken from the
0
Salisbury Missal.)
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God,
Who dost this day gladden us by
the Feast of Thy blessed Confessor and
Bishop Chad, we humbly beseech Thy
mercy that we may be holpen toward
life eternal by his fatherly prayers
whom we do solemnly honour. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN,
Fourth Lesson. (From the Venerable
Bede, iii. 23, 28; ix. 2, 3.)
HAD was Abbat of the monastery
CHA
called Lestingay, [in the Wolds of
Yorkshire.] He was a man holy and
lowly, well read in the Scriptures, and
a diligent practiser of that which he
learnt therefrom. Wherefore Wini,
Bishop of the West Saxons, at the de-
sire of King Oswin, ordained him Bishop
of York. Being so consecrated, he set
himself to look to the orthodoxy and
clean living of the clergy, to seek after
lowliness, self-control, and learning,
and to make a visitation of the towns,
country, cottages, hamlets, and castles,
to preach the Gospel therein, going al-
ways not on horseback, but on foot,
after the fashion of the Apostles.
THE
Fifth Lesson.
HEODORE, Archbishop of Canter-
bury, took Bishop Chad to task, as
though he had not been rightly con-
secrated. To whom he answered: "If
thou knowest that I have not rightly
been made a Bishop, I willingly lay
down mine office; neither did I ever
deem myself fit to hold it, but when I
was commanded, I took it, for obedience'
sake." Theodore marvelled at his low-
liness, and made him Bishop of the
Mercians and of Lindisfarne, in the
which office he strove to do his duty in
great perfection of life, after the en-
sample of the old Fathers.
Sixth Lesson.
IEN the hour of his death drew
WHEN the
Wear, he exhorted the brethren
near,
who stood by to keep love and peace
with each other and with all the faith-
ful, and never to relax from the strict
observance of the monastic life. His
sickness increasing, he made him ready
to depart, by receiving the Body and
Blood of the Lord, and on the seventh
day his soul was set free from the toil-
some prison of the body, and went away
to be in gladness for ever. He died at
his own See of Lichfield, upon the 2nd
day of March, in the year 672.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxiv. 42, with
the Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 852.)
MARCH 8.
(The Feast of St. John of God is kept
upon March 11.)
St. Felir, Bishop [of Dun-
wich,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
The Vespers of March 7 are of St.
Thomas of Aquino till the Chapter, ex-
clusive.
The Chapter and the rest are of St.
1 Chad, or Cead, Saxon form of Gaelic Cad, or Cedd.

OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
5
ما
Felix, with a Commemoration of St.
Thomas. (Antiphon, "O right excel-
lent, &c.")
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson, (From Bede, xi. 15.)
ABOUT the year of Christ 631 came
from Burgundy, where he had been
born and ordained, to Honorius, Arch-
bishop of Canterbury, the Bishop Felix,
and, when he had shown him all his
desire, he commissioned him to preach
to the East Angles. And he was not
disappointed of his hope. He delivered
the whole of that land from their long-
standing sin and sorrow, and taught
them to believe rightly and to do rightly,
and how to be happy for ever. He esta-
blished his See in the town of Dunwich,
and there, after ruling his Diocese for
seventeen years, he brought his life to a
peaceful end.
Fifth Lesson.
"It is idle, &c.," (p. 845,) to which
may be added, “Whatsoever, therefore,
&c."
Sixth Lesson.
"Whatsoever, therefore, &c.," or "It
is very meet, &c."
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
Vespers are of St. Frances, from the
Chapter, inclusive, with a Commemora-
tion of St. Felix.
MARCH 20.
St. Cuthbert, Bishop [of
Lindisfarne,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout. (Taken from the
Salisbury Missal.)
GOD, Who, through the priceless
gift of Thy grace, dost make Thine
holy ones glorious, mercifully grant that
the prayers of Thy blessed Confessor
and Bishop Cuthbert may help us wor-
thily there to attain, where are the spi-
rits of just men made perfect. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God,
world without end. Amen.
In the Second Vespers of St. Joseph
a Commemoration is made of St. Cuth-
bert.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From Bede, iv. 27, 32,
and Life of St. Cuthbert.)
WH
HILE Cuthbert was Provost, first,
of Melrose, and then of Lindis-
farne, he not only afforded to the monks a
beautiful example of the monastic life,
and admirable exhortations to the same,
but would also go out of the monastery
and preach to the people round about.
Such was his skill in teaching, such the
persuasive power of his tenderness, such
the light of his face, as it had been the
face of an angel, that all came to him,
and openly confessed their deeds, and
then by fruits meet for repentance, re-
paired their former iniquities.
Fifth Lesson.
It was afterward, that, while he was
as an isle
Farne, he was chosen Bishop of Lindis-
farne. In this office he helped by un-
ceasing prayer the people to him com-
mitted, and taught them in instructions
full of soul-saving doctrine. And he
did that which is the main help of a
teacher-whatsoever he bade others do,
6
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
he did first himself. He loved warmly,
he was long-suffering and lowly, he was
constant and instant in prayer. He was
very courteous to all men. He thought
it better than prayer to go and help a
sick brother. But when he had been
Bishop two years, he went back to Farne
Island, to make himself readier to meet
death.
66
Sixth Lesson.
WHEN," saith the Priest Herefrid,
who was present, "he was come
very near to death, he gave some words
of exhortation concerning peace and
lowly-mindedness, short but sharp; and
then passed the rest of the day quietly
waiting for the blessedness which was
coming. When night came, he still con-
tinued in prayer, without sleeping. At
the usual hour for the night prayer, he
received from me the life-giving Sacra-
ments, and provisioned himself for his
departure by taking the Body and Blood
of the Lord. Then he turned his eyes
heavenward, and stretched up his hands,
and so breathed forth, to rejoice for
ever in the kingdom of heaven, a soul
whose whole bent was already gone
home to the praise-giving above." [He
fell asleep upon the 20th day of March,]
in the year of salvation 687.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxiv. 42, with
the Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 852.)
Vespers are of St. Benedict, from the
Chapter, inclusive, with a Commemora-
tion of St. Cuthbert.
APRIL 3.
St. Richard, Bishop [of
Chichester,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout. (Taken from the
Salisbury Missal.)
GOD, Who, for the sake of Thy
blessed Confessor and Bishop Ri-
chard, hast made Thy Church bright
with famous signs and wonders, grant
unto us Thy servants to be holpen by
his prayers in the way toward the glory
of everlasting blessedness. Through
our Lord JESUS Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season, or from the Common.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From his Confessor,
R. Bocking, and Harpsfield's Church
History of the Thirteenth Century.)
THIS Richard was Chancellor of Can-
terbury, and followed the holy arch-
bishop Edmund to France. After the
death of that Saint, Richard set him-
self to study theology among the Friars
Preachers at Orleans, and there took
Priest's Orders. He thence returned
into England, and undertook the care of
a Parish, (which he held without other
preferment,) but was, not long after-
wards, first re-appointed Chancellor of
Canterbury, and then elected Bishop of
Chichester, but, in consequence of the
King's objection to him, it was not until
after two years' time that he obtained
possession of his See at the bidding of
the Pope.
Fifth Lesson.
ESTABLISHED over the Church of
Chichester, he discharged most
earnestly the duties of an holy shepherd
of souls. The hardness and sternness
of his own living enabled him not only
to feed his people's souls with the life-
giving Word, but also their bodies with
needful food. He was very diligent in
visiting the sick, and would bury the
dead with his own hands. He often
excused their debts to those who owed
unto him, and when he was behoven to
go to law with any man, his chief de-
sire was to cherish charity toward his
adversary, being used to say that we
ought not so to seek our own rights,
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
7
as to weaken that love whereunto our
neighbour hath right by the command
of God Himself.
Sixth Lesson.
THE Pope charged him with the duty
of preaching the Crusade, and he
persevered in that work until, in the
midst of a journey undertaken in the
cause, he died at Dover, as he had him-
self foretold. At the point of death he
caused an image of Christ suffering to be
brought to him, and commended his
soul to his Redeemer, while he kissed
the figured wounds. This man of God
died
upon the third day of April, in the
year of our salvation 1253.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
Vespers are of St. Isidore from the
Chapter, inclusive, with a Commemora-
tion of St. Richard.
APRIL 23.
St. George is a Double of the First
Class with an Octave. All from the
Common Office for one Martyr in Pas-
chal time, (p. 792,) except that at both
Vespers and at Lauds the Verse and
Answer and the Antiphon at the Gospel
Canticle (i.e. of the Blessed Virgin or
of Zacharias) is as in the Common Com-
memoration used in England, with the
word"Alleluia" added to each. Prayer
throughout as in the Breviary.
Lessons of the First Nocturn from
Rom. viii. 12, (p. 830.) Of the Second,
from St. Cyprian, (p. 802.) of the
Third, from John xv. 9, with the Ho-
mily by St. Austin, (p. 797.)
At Second Vespers a Commemoration
is made of St. Faithful of Sigmaringen.
Throughout the Octave, when the Of-
fice is not of the Saint, he is commemo-
rated at Vespers and Lauds, except on
a Double of the First Class, when he is
not commemorated at all, or of the Se-
cond, when he is so only at Second Ves-
pers.
APRIL 27.
Fifth Day within the Octave of
St. George.
Semi-double.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the fol-
lowing.
Vespers as regards St. George, begin
with the Chapter. A Commemoration
is made of SS. Cletus and Marcellinus.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Lessons from St. Ambrose, (p. 795.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xv. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: I am the true vine, and
My Father is the husbandman. And
so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Tract 80 on John.)
"Every branch in Me that beareth
not fruit He taketh away; and every
branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth
it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
Now ye are clean through the word
which I have spoken unto you." If
then, they were clean through the word
which He had spoken unto them, He
also, as well as the Father, doth purge
the branches, which duty resteth not
with the vine but with the husband-
man. Christ also it is Who doth make
His branches His workmen. Although
indeed the workmen do not give the in-
crease, they do nevertheless help toward
1 By a curious error the Officia Propria Sanctorum Angliæ, printed at Malines in 1866,
call this the fourth day, and the 28th the fifth, as if Octave meant seven.
8
OFFICES PECULIAR TO England.
the same, but that, not in any strength
of their own, "for without Me," saith
the Lord, "ye can do nothing.”
HEA
Eighth Lesson.
EAR ye also how they themselves
do confess the same. "Who is
Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers
by whom ye believed, even as the Lord
gave to every man? I have planted,
Apollos watered, but God gave the in-
crease"-He, not Paul, nor Apollos. To
give the increase is something beyond
(1 Cor. iii. 5, 6) the power of men's lowli-
ness, or Angel's exaltation. It is the
work of the Trinity, Which is the hus-
bandman, and of none other.
Now
Ninth Lesson.
are ye clean”—and yet again
to be purged. If they had not
been already clean, they could have
borne no fruit. But every branch that
beareth fruit, the husbandman purgeth
it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
It bringeth forth fruit, because it is
clean; and, to make it bring forth more
fruit, it is purged again. Who is there
in this life so pure that he can cease to
say, "Wash me throughly from mine
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin ?"
(Ps. 1. 3.) Nay, "if we say that we
have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us." (1 John i. 8.)
Thus the husbandman purgeth the clean,
that is, the fruitful, branches, that by
being yet more clean, they may bring
forth yet more fruit.
At Vespers a Commemoration is made
of St. Vitalis.
APRIL 28.
Sixth Day within the Octave of
St. George.
Semi-double.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the fol-
lowing.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Ser-
mons of St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.]
WHE
Yea,
HEN our earthly house of this ta-
bernacle is dissolved, the shadow
of death encompasseth us, but neverthe-
less, life cometh not to an end, and even
in midst of the conditions of the nether-
world itself, in Christ's strength we
walk without stumbling. Hence is it
that the holy Prophet saith:
though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, yet will I fear no
evil, for Thou art with me." (Ps. xxii.
4.) And the Lord Himself hath said
the same thing even more plainly con-
cerning His faithful ones, where He
saith: "He that believeth in Me, though
he were dead, yet shall he live; and
whosoever liveth and believeth in Me,
shall never die." (John xi. 25.)
Fifth Lesson.
THEREFORE, my brethren, let us
join the holy martyrs in proclaim-
ing the glory of the Lord's Passover;
let us join them, I say, and-albeit they
know all things better than we do-
nevertheless let us preach unto them
how He rose up again out of the maw
of the grave. Let them reveal to us by
what law He returned into the grave out
of the depths of the netherworld. I say,
let them tell to us how heat became
gradually suffused into the dead and
cold Body, breath entered, Blood man-
tled again, and set the pulses beating as
of yore in the chill, clammy Veins.]
I
Sixth Lesson.
SAY, let them tell to us how the
limp mass of the Muscles strung
again the ruined fabric of the Body, and
the breath of life started again in their
old harmony the silent functions of
the inward parts. Let Priests preach
what wonders the Saviour wrought in
this upper world after that He was risen
again; let the martyrs reveal what re-
freshment for the departed He wrought
in death itself.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
9
APRIL 30.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xv. 1.)
AT that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: I am the true vine, and
My Father is the husbandman. And
so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (81st Tract on John.)
He
"I am the vine-ye are the branches
-My Father is the husbandman." Upon
these words of the Lord JESUS we have
already discoursed to the best of our
power. In the present reading, He still
speaketh of Himself as the vine, and of
His disciples as His branches, saying:
"Abide in Me, and I in you.
abideth not in them in the same way as
they abide in Him; but, in either case,
the abiding is for their benefit, not His.
The branches of a vine do not give life
to it, but receive life from it; and just
so is the True Vine toward His branches
-He giveth life to them, not they to
Him.
Eighth Lesson.
OR a disciple to abide in Christ and
FOR
to have Christ abiding in him, are
two very good things for the disciple,
but no good to Christ. If a branch be
cut off, the stock with its living root,
can throw out another; but the branch
which hath been cut off must needs die
for want of a root. Then the Lord goeth
farther, and saith: "As the branch can-
not bear fruit of itself, except it abide
in the vine, so, no more can ye, except
ye abide in Me." These words, my bre-
thren, put in a very strong light what
grace is. To the hearts of the lowly
they are an instruction; to the mouths
of the proud an obstruction.
Octave of St. George.
Double.
All as on the Feast except the follow-
ing.
First Vespers (same as First Vespers
of the Feast) as regards St. George, be-
gin at the Chapter.
A Commemoration is made of St.
Peter Martyr.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN,
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. Austin, Bishop [of Hippo.]
(44th on the Saints.)
THE
HE sick patiently suffer physicians
to cut, burn, and divers ways tor-
ture them, in the hope of regaining tem-
poral health; how much more patiently
did the blessed Martyr suffer all the
agony of temporal pain, in the assur-
ance of being crowned with mercy and
loving-kindness, and satisfying his de-
sire with good things? He was willing
to be crushed in the wine-press, that,
like a ripe grape, he might pass away
into wine, and afford his beloved [JESUS]
a draught of that wine of pomegranates
(Cant. viii. 2,) wherewith godly minds do
get so drunken that they learn how use-
fully to tread under foot [things tem-
poral], and to look unwaveringly upon
things eternal.
Fifth Lesson.
Ninth Lesson of St. Vitalis, who is HE therefore who hath begun his
also commemorated at Lauds.
Vespers are of St. Peter Martyr,
with a Commemoration of the Oc-
tave.
career by disregarding the riches
of the world, and keeping down the al-
lurements of the flesh, and who in the
fulness of his course hath suffered much,
holding back from his sacrifice nothing
for himself, hath made of himself an
10
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
whole burnt-offering, and hath drunk
of that precious cup, which already, as
he sat at the great Feast of the Holy
Scriptures, he had seen offered to him
by the Master of that Feast. His death
may seem as wretched a thing as they
will in the eyes of the reprobate; but
it is precious in His sight, Who is mar-
vellous in His Saints.
Sixth Lesson.
HE in Whose sight his death was
precious, Himself first called him
to be His soldier, Himself justified him,
and Himself hath glorified him; Him-
self sent him to the battle, and Himself
gave him the victory. This kind of
warfare is a very different thing to
earthly warfare, wherein they are es-
teemed victors who obtain what it was
a wickedness to desire, who rejoice in
iniquity, and riot in those things which
are worst. In the Christian conflict,
the suffering is manifest, and the tri-
umph unseen. It is as the Psalmist
saith, in the character of a martyr:
"Grant us help in trouble, for vain is
the help of man: through God will we do
valiantly," (Ps. lix. 13, 14,)—as though
he had said: "Our victory, our glory
are inward, not outward; without we
are wretched, within we are lovely."
THIRD NOCTURN,
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to John (xv. 1.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: I am the true vine, and
My Father is the husbandman. And
so on.
Homily by St. Cyril, Pope [of Alex-
andria.] (Bk. x. Cap. 11 on John.)
It is plain that the reason why the
Lord setteth Himself before us under
the similitude of a vine is that we may
see, as with our eyes, that they which
abide in Him draw from Him a power
to bring forth spiritual fruit, just as the
branches of the natural vine bring forth
fruit by drawing sap from the vine;
and that, on the other hand, such
branches as separate themselves from
Him, or fail in obedience to His com-
mandments, are condemned, not only
to bring forth no fruit, but also to suffer
everlasting fire. For whosoever falleth
away from Christ, either in faith or in
love, giveth himself over. to punish-
ment, and is good for nothing but to be
cast into the fire.
Eighth Lesson.
THE Lord saith that the root and
foundation of that blessedness which
is from above, are to keep to the dogmas
and commandments of the Gospel teach-
ing, as something given to us from
heaven. To such as cheerfully keep
the same, the Lord promiseth whatso-
ever right things they may ask. He
saith: "If ye abide in Me, and My
words abide in you, ye shall ask what
ye will, and it shall be done unto you.'
It is possible that thou abide in Christ,
and yet that His words abide not in
thee. Double therefore is the way of
keeping His commandments, namely,
by faith and by love.
SING
Ninth Lesson.
""
INCE this is so, they who own Christ
merely by their words, but seek not
perfection by the observance of His
commandments, that is to say, by love,
do indeed in one way abide in Christ,
but His words do not abide in them.
They have not forgotten what the Gos-
pel saith, but pleasures beguile them to
cast away the grace of the Holy Ghost.
Wherefore it is necessary to add unto
faith works of love. He that doeth
thus abideth in Christ by faith, and
Christ's words abide in him,-even as
it is said in the Psalms: "Thy word
have I hid in mine heart, that I
might not sin against Thee." (Ps.
cxviii. 11.)
In the First Vespers of SS. Philip
and James, a Commemoration is made
of St. George.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
11
MAY 19.
St. Dunstan, Archbishop [of
Canterbury,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout. (Taken from the
Salisbury Missal.)
0
GOD, Who hast made Thy blessed
Bishop Dunstan to inherit a king-
dom in heaven, grant unto us, for his
glorious sake, to inherit everlasting joy.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
First Vespers, as regards St. Dun-
stan, begin with the Chapter, and a
Commemoration is made of St. Venan-
tius and of St. Pudentiana.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From his Life by Os-
bern. Anglia Sacra, xi. 99.)
THIS Dunstan was born of a noble
family. He was expelled from the
King's court through the efforts of his
enemies, whereupon he bade farewell to
the world. He betook himself to Glas-
tonbury, as there were then no monks
there, and got together_some, of whom
he was made Abbat. He was a great
favourite of the Kings Edmund and
Edred, but peculiarly obnoxious to Edwy,
because he used to rebuke him for his
perverse doings, and oppose his wishes.
In consequence of this line of conduct,
the king took proceedings against him,
from which he was obliged to abscond,
and he went and lived abroad at Ghent,
in Flanders.
Fifth Lesson.
I home again, with great popular ap
the reign of Edgar he was called
plause, and soon afterwards promoted to
the Archbishoprick of Canterbury. He
was excessively severe in using Church
discipline, and never spared one who
had erred. He ejected all the married
clergy from their Churches, and put in
regular monks in their places, and he
forced the King himself to do penance
for seven years for sins which he had
committed.
Sixth Lesson.
DUNSTAN'S strictness caused him to
be regarded with fear by many,
but all admired him as a Saint, so that
he got among the lower classes the
name of being a good Archbishop. Af-
ter the death of the Kings Edgar and
Edward, he put the crown on Etheldred,
the next heir, to whom he is said to
have foretold an unhappy reign, and
no cessation from trouble. He died full
of days, and was buried in his own
Church, towards the end of the tenth
century.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxiv. 42, with
the Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 852.)
Ninth Lesson of St. Pudentiana.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of St. Pudentiana, and at Vespers of
St. Bernardine of Sienna.
MAY 25.
(The Feast of St. Gregory VII. is kept
on May 28.)
St. Aldelm, Bishop [of Shir-
bourne,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout. (Taken from the
Salisbury Missal.)
GOD, Who, upon this day, didst
raise Thy blessed Bishop Aldelm
to eternal blessedness in heaven, grant,
for his sake, and at his prayers, that
12
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
Thy mercy may bring us also thither.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
At First Vespers a Commemoration
is made of St. Ürban.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From his Life by
William of Malmesbury. Anglia
Sacra, xi. Ï.)
A
LDELM, who was a Saxon of Royal
blood, took the habit of a monk in
the Monastery at Malmesbury. He re-
sorted again and again to Canterbury
to sit at the feet of the Abbat Adrian,
and so advanced under his instruction,
that not only himself became famous as
a teacher, but was also the first Eng-
lishman who ventured on publishing
books. According to the testimony of
Bede, he was a man of wide and varied
learning, a brilliant speaker, and won-
derfully well read both in Ecclesiastical
and worldly writers.
Fifth Lesson.
HE read often, and prayed constantly,
so that, (to use his own expres-
sion,) while he read, he seemed to hear
God speaking to him, and while he
prayed, himself to speak to God there
present. He was indifferent to hun-
ger, and careless about money, stopped
inside his monastery, and proclaimed
an unceasing war against idleness and
desire. However, when a Church Sy-
nod had discussed the corrupt doc-
trines of the British Christians, and had
come to the unanimous conclusion that
it was better to lead the schismatics by
reason than to drive them by force,
Aldelm took upon himself the task of
confuting their errors. This he did by
writing a book, which was the mean
of leading back many of the wanderers
into the bosom of the Universal Church.
Sixth Lesson.
AFTER the death of Hedda, Bishop
of the West-Saxons, Aldelm was
induced, against his own wishes, to ac-
cept the See of Shirbourne. When he
entered on this sphere of duty, he al-
ready felt that the end of his life was
near, and, to make the best of what
time remained, he preached day and
night, visited about his diocese, and
practised fasting, and the like, as much
as in the prime of his life. He died
four years after becoming a Bishop, in
the year of our Lord's Incarnation 709,
and was buried in the Church of St.
Michael the Archangel, at Malmesbury.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.) Ninth
Lesson of St. Urban.
At Lauds, Commemoration of St.
Urban.
Vespers of the following.
MAY 26.
St. Augustine, Archbishop (of
Canterbury,] Confessor, Apos-
tle of England.
Double of the Second Class, with an
Octave.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who didst_give blessed Au-
gustine to the English people, to
be their first teacher, grant unto us, we
beseech Thee, that as we do proclaim
his praise on earth, so we may feel his
prayers in heaven. Through our Lord
pra
ESUS Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and
reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
At First Vespers Commemorations
are made of St. Aldelm and of St.
Eleutherius.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Tim. iii. 1, fc., as in
the Common Office.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
13

SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From Bede, i. 23,
et seq.)
AUGUSTINE, the first Archbishop of
was
Canterbury, and the Apostle of the
English, was sent into England by
blessed Gregory, and came thither in
the year 597. At that time there was
in Kent a most mighty King named
Ethelbert, whose power reached even to
the Humber. When this King had
heard wherefore the holy man
come, he received him kindly, and bade
him and his companions, who were all
monks, to come to his own capital city
of Canterbury; being struck with as-
tonishment at the perfect blamelessness
of their lives, and the power of the hea-
venly doctrine which they preached,
and which God confirmed with signs
following.
Fifth Lesson.
THEY drew nigh to the city in solemn
procession, singing the Litany, and
bearing before them for their standard a
silver cross and a picture of the Lord
our Saviour painted on a panel. Hard
by the city, upon the east side, there
was a Church builded of old time in
honour of St. Martin, and wherein the
Queen, who was a Christian, was used
to pray. There they first began to meet
together, to sing, to pray, to celebrate
Masses, to preach, and to baptize, until
the King was turned, to the faith, and
the most part of his people were led by
his example, (but not his authority,)
to take the name of Christian, for he
had learnt from his teachers and his
own soul's physicians, that men are to be
drawn, and not driven to heaven. And
now Augustine, being ordained Arch-
bishop of the English and of Britain,
lest he should leave untravailed any
part of the Lord's vineyard, asked from
the Apostolic See a new band of labour-
ers, Mellitus, Justus, Paulinus, and
Rufinian.
BY
Sixth Lesson.
them Gregory sent hallowed ves-
sels, Altar-cloths, Church vest-
ments, and also reliques of the holy
Apostles and Martyrs. He instructed
them to turn the temples of the idols
into places of Christian worship, by
sprinkling them with hallowed water,
building altars in them, and putting
reliques therein. The Britons who,
nearly an hundred and fifty years be-
fore, had been thrust into the uttermost
parts of the island, had some Bishops,
whom Augustine vehemently urged to
lay aside their error concerning the
keeping of Easter, and to labour along
with him for the conversion of the
English, but they left it all to him.
He toiled much for the saving of souls.
He was illustrious for miracles, but
more illustrious for his life. He made
Mellitus Bishop of London, and Justus
Bishop of Rochester, and named Law-
rence to succeed himself at Canterbury,
and then finished his work in peace,
and passed away to that life which is a
life of perfect blessedness, upon the
26th day of May, [in the year of our
Lord 604,] in the reign of Ethelbert.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke x. 1, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 816.) Ninth
Lesson of St. Eleutherius.
At Lauds a Commemoration is made
of St. Eleutherius, and at Vespers of
St. Mary Magdalen de' Pazzi.
During the Octave, when the Office is
not of St. Augustine, he is commemo-
rated every day at Vespers and Lauds,
except on a Double of the First Class,
when he is not commemorated at all, or
of the Second, when he is so only at the
Second Vespers.
MAY 30.
Fifth Bay within the Octave of
St. Augustine.
Semi-double.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the fol-
lowing.
At Vespers there is a Commemora-
tion of St. Felix.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
14
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch [of
Constantinople.] (On Rom. xv.)
HUMAN rulers sometimes, if they
have to consult as to special mat-
ters, find the day not long enough, and
sit up by night. We, on the other
hand, the object of whose business is
heaven, sleep even by day. Who is to
deliver us from being as strictly pun-
ished for negligence as they who deal in
worldly things would be? If we had to
offer our bodies to the slaughter, if we had
to bear all manner of deaths, ought we
things about myself, or about such as
are like unto me, but about the best
shepherds, who are such as was Paul, or
Peter, or [Augustine.] Such as they
let us take for examples, whether our
duty be to rule or to obey, for even they
who have to obey what is above them,
have that beneath them which they
have to rule,-I mean their own house,
friends, servants, wife, or children.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (x. 1.)
not to run to it as to the market? The AT that time: The Lord appointed
things I say for the hearing, not of the
shepherds only, but of the sheep also,
that the sheep (while ever preserving in
their regard all obedience and teach-
ableness of spirit,) may stir up the
shepherds to greater liveliness.
Fifth Lesson.
THUS Paul commandeth, where he
saith: "Obey them that have the
rule over you, and submit yourselves;
for they watch for your souls, as they
that must give account." (Heb. xiii. 17.)
These words "they watch for your
souls" mean unnumbered toils, cares,
and dangers. The good shepherd, who
is such an one as Christ would have him
to be, may be likened to many martyrs.
A martyr dieth once for Christ, but the
shepherd, if he is what he ought to be,
goeth to death a thousand times for the
flock, for such a shepherd may die every
day. And for this reason do ye, when
ye find hard work, and prayerfulness,
and diligence, and readiness, and love,
do ye help us, so that both we may be
your glory, and ye ours.
Sixth Lesson.
WHEN Christ entrusted and enjoined
the shepherd's work to him who
was the Prince of the Apostles, and who
loved Him more than the rest, He
asked him first, Loved he Him?-that
thou mayest learn that to do a shep-
herd's work is before all things else
as an evidence of love for Christ. And
it is a work that requireth nerve and
earnestness. I am not saying these
other seventy-two also, and sent
them two and two before His face into
every city and place, whither He Him-
self would come. And so on.
Homily by St. Ambrose, Bishop [of
Milan.] (Bk. vii. on Luké x.)
If any ask why the Jews in Egypt
were bidden to eat the lamb with their
shoes on their feet (Ex. xii. 11,) whereas
when the Apostles were sent to preach
the Gospel they were commanded not to
carry shoes; such an one should con-
sider that he who is yet in Egypt hath
to beware lest he be bitten by some
serpent, for in Egypt there be many
poisonous serpents. And he who keep-
eth the typical Passover may be open to
hurt, but he that is the minister of the
true Passover hath no poison to fear.
And how true this is, thou mayest know
by the words of the Lord Himself where
He saith: "Behold, I give unto you
power to tread on serpents and scor-
pions, and over all the power of the
enemy; and nothing shall by any means
hurt you." (19.)
Eighth Lesson.
THE Apostles were commanded not to
provide themselves staves (Matth.
x. 10.) What is a staff but a sceptre
showing forth power? or an instrument
of pain and punishment? Therefore it
was by works of humility that the dis-
ciples obeyed the command of that hum-
ble Lord, of Whom it is said that “In
His humiliation His judgment was
taken away" (Acts viii. 33.) They were
sent to sow the seed of the faith not by
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
15
violence, but by instruction; not to ex-
ercise power, but to extol the teaching
of lowliness. Nevertheless, we know
that there is a rod wherewith the Lord
hath entrusted His Apostles, even as
Paul witnesseth, where he saith: “What
will ye shall I come unto you with a
rod, or in love, and in the spirit of
meekness?" (1 Cor. iv. 21.) And this
rod also the Apostle gave unto Timothy,
saying: "Reprove, exhort, rebuke,
(2 Tim. iv. 2,) or perchance, before that
the Lord suffered, and so established the
hearts of the uncertain nations, tender-
ness only was needful, but after that He
had suffered, rebuke also.
Ninth Lesson of St. Felix, (p. 1089.)
St. Felix is commemorated at Lauds.
JUNE 1.
Seventh day within the Octave of St.
Augustine.
Semi-double.
All as on the Feast, except that the
Antiphons are not doubled, and the fol-
lowing.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Lessons from St. Maximus, "Our
Blessed Father Augustine, &c.," (p.
851.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (x. 1.)
A
trusted the same to Judas. He endured
the thief; but I am fain to learn from
my Lord, and I ask: Lord, Thou didst
endure the thief, but whence hadst
Thou that which he was able to steal?
I am a poor, weak creature, and Thou
commandest me not to carry a purse;
Thou didst carry a bag, and it gave an
opportunity to rob Thee; if Thou hadst
had no bag, he would not have had
what to steal. What canst Thou say
unto me but this: Understand what it
is that thou hearest, "carry no purse."
What is a purse? it is money shut up,
that is to say, wisdom hidden. Shut
not up your wisdom in yourselves. Re-
ceive ye the Holy Ghost. Thou should-
est be a fountain, not a bag, a source to
give forth, not a receptacle to keep close.
""
Eighth Lesson.
ALUTE no man
SALUTE
man by the way."
This may be taken as a simple
command, as also He hath bidden us to
be speedy in executing His precepts.
But there is also another interpretation
which I consider the more probable, and
which toucheth me more closely, and
with me all other stewards, and you
also that be hearers. 'He that saluteth
speaketh of health, for this is how they
of old time were used to begin their
letters, "A to B wisheth health." What
therefore mean these words, "Salute no
man by the way?" He that saluteth in
the way, wisheth health as accident
ariseth. I see that ye have caught my
meaning, but I am not done yet, for ye
have not all caught it, and since we are
talking about the way, let us walk as
though we were in the way, and ye that
be quick, wait for them that be slow,
and so all walk together.
T that time: The Lord appointed WHAT
other seventy-two also, and sent
them two and two before His face into
every city and place, whither He Him-
self would come. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Sermon 42 on the Saints.)
The Lord Himself had a bag and en-
Ninth Lesson.
did I say? He that saluteth in
way wisheth health as acci-
dent ariseth; he is not going to him
whom he saluteth; he is busy about
something else, when the occasion of
salutation cometh across him; he is
walking with some other object, when
this meeteth him. But thou, if thou
preachest, do it, not by accident, but out
of love. There are men, therefore, who
1 What follows is almost impossible to translate, as it turns upon the Latin words Saluto
and Salus; one clause has had to be omitted.
·
16
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
preach the Gospel, as it were by acci-
dent, now and then, while they are about
their own business. It is of these that
the Apostle saith with groaning, "All
seek their own, not the things which
are JESUS Christ's" (Phil. ii. 21.) These
salute indeed, that is, they speak health,
they preach the Gospel, but to do so is
not their main intent; they do it only
as it were by accident.
At Vespers a Commemoration of SS.
Marcellinus, Peter, and Elmo.
JUNE 2.
Octave of St. Augustine.
Double.
All as on the Feast, except the fol-
lowing.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of Pope St. Gregory [the Great.]
(Part 2, Pastoral i., 2, 10.)
HE life of a Bishop ought to be so
THE
much higher than the life of his
people as is that of a shepherd than that
of his sheep. It behoveth him carefully
to consider how high are the calls upon
him in comparison of whom the people
are called sheep. It behoveth him,
therefore, to be pure in thought, emi-
nent in works, wise in silence, useful in
word, by sympathy every man's neigh-
bour, in contemplation more rapt than
any, by lowliness the fellow-worker of
such as do well, by zeal for righteous-
ness the opponent of evil in such as do
ill, not suffering the care of those things
that be outward to take away from the
care of those things that be inward, nor
neglecting to see to those that be out-
ward because he hath care for those
that be inward.
Fifth Lesson.
must consider also that when he
WE that is chosen a Bishop taketh on
him the care of the people, he cometh
man.
unto them as a physician unto a sick
If therefore his own works be
still disordered, with what face shall he
go to heal the suffering while his own
unhealed wounds are manifest? He
ought in all his ways to set an example
of good living, showing himself one
who hath died to all fleshly passions and
liveth in the spirit, who setteth little
store by it that things should go well
with him in this world, and is not
afraid that they should go ill, whose
only eagerness is for the things that be
inward; one whose spirit is under the
control of his will, and that, not alto-
gether through weakness of body, so
that it kicketh not much; one who is
not drawn to desire other men's goods,
but freely disperseth his own.
Sixth Lesson.
WHENCE the very office of a Bishop
is called a good work where it is
said: "If a man desire the office of a
Bishop he desireth a good work," (1
Tim. iii. 1.) He therefore is a witness
against himself, that he desireth not the
office of a Bishop, who desireth to be a
Bishop, not that he may be a minister of
good works, but for the sake of honour
and dignity. A man indeed doth not
only not desire the sacred office of a
Bishop at all, but doth not even know
what it is, if what he gaspeth for is the
position of power, if the subjection of
others unto him be a secret banquet to
his inmost thoughts, if it is his delight
to hear himself praised, if his heart
swell at the idea of his rank and if he
revelleth in wealth and comfort. What
he seeketh is gain in this world, and that
under the mask of the very dignity
whereby all gain in this world ought to
have been put away.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (x. 1.)
AT that time: The Lord appointed
Α
other seventy-two also, and sent
them two and two before His face into
every city and place, whither He Him-
self would come. And so on.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
17
Homily by the Venerable Bede, Priest
[at Jarrow.] (Comment. on Luke.)
No man doubteth that the twelve
Apostles were the beginning and fore-
showing of Bishops; and we ought to
know that these seventy-two were in
the same way the presentment of ordi-
nary Priests, that is to say, of the se-
cond order of the Priesthood. Albeit we
know from the writings of the Apostles
that in the first times of the Church the
words Priest and Bishop were applied
indifferently, whereof Priest doth indi-
cate the ripening of wisdom and the
other the toil of a shepherd. It is well
said that seventy-two were sent; either
because the Gospel was to be preached
to that number of races in the world,
the Apostles being sent to the twelve
tribes of Israël, and these to the outer
nations; or because the number of the
preachers was in itself a declaration that
the whole world was to be enlightened
by the Gospel of the Most High and
Undivided Trinity.
THE
Eighth Lesson.
HE sun doth thrice in seventy-two
hours cause his glorious circuit to
shine upon the world; and the Lord
hath called Himself the Day, and His
Apostles the hours, where He saith,
"Are there not twelve hours in the
day? if any man walk in the day, he
stumbleth not." (John xi. 9.) And in
the Psalms it is said: "Proclaim aloud
that His salvation is day from day"-
that is, Light of Light, Very God of
Very God. Moreover in many places of
the Holy Scriptures the mystery of the
Trinity is set forth under the figure of
three days, markedly where it is said that
the Lord arose again from the dead upon
the third day. So also in the Old Tes-
tament; when the people were come
unto Mount Sinai, it was upon the third
day that they received the Law, and
again, it was after three days" that
they passed over the river Jordan, that
river which is a type of the grace of
Baptism. (Josh. i. ÏÎ, iii. 2.)
(pp. 1091, 2.) The two Lessons being
read together as one.
JUNE 8.
St. William, Archbishop [of
Pork,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office for a
Bishop and Confessor, (p. 842,) except
the following.
Prayer throughout the Office. (Taken
from the York Missal.)
0
GOD, Who dost gladden us by the
works and prayers of Thy blessed
Confessor and Bishop, William; mer-
cifully grant that we who seek good by
him, may obtain bounty from Thy grace;
through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson. (From Capgrave
and Papebroch.)
BLESSED William was of very noble
birth, being the son of Earl Hu-
bert by Emma, sister of King Stephen,
and won the highest character even as
a lad. Growing in grace as he grew in
years, he was appointed treasurer of
York, in the which office he so bore
himself as to be universally looked on
as the common father of the poor. He
set greater prize by nothing than by
stripping himself, the more easily to
help the need of the struggling.
Α
Fifth Lesson.
death of Archbishop Turs-
tin, William was
Ninth Lesson. Of the Holy Martyrs, AFTER the dent was elected to follow
1 "Bene nuntiate diem de die salutare ejus," probably meant for Ps. xcv. 2, which how-
ever runs in the present Latin: "Annuntiate de die in diem salutare ejus," "show forth
His salvation from day to day."
b
18
OFFICES PECULIAR TO ENGLAND.
him, but as a few of the Chapter dis-
sented, holy Bernard denounced the
election to the Apostolic See as uncano-
nical, and it was declared null by Pope
Eugenius III. This affair caused no
vexation to the holy man, but on the
other hand gave him that occasion of
exercising lowliness and serving God
freely, of which he was most fain.
Sixth Lesson.
HE
E fled therefore from the pomps of
the world, and withdrew himself
into a solitary place, that he might
watch over his own salvation without
being troubled by outward things. How-
ever, when his adversaries were dead,
he was again elected Archbishop, and
this time unanimously, and was con-
firmed by Pope Anastasius. He had not
long taken possession of his See, when
he fell sick and passed away from this
life, upon the 8th day of June, in the
year of man's salvation 1154, full of
days, and glorious in the sight of God
for almsgiving, watching, fasting, and
good works.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxiv. 42, with
the Homily of St. Hilary, (p. 852.)
At Second Vespers a Commemoration
of the Holy Martyrs, Primus and Fe-
lician.
The Feast of the Sacred Heart is not
kept on the Friday after the Octave of
Corpus Christi, as is done by the Church
of Rome, but upon the third Sunday
after Pentecost. The following are the
Scripture Lessons for the Friday.
First Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the First Book
of Kings (viii. 4.)
THEN all the elders of Israël gathered
themselves together, and came to
Samuel unto Rama. And they said unto
him: Behold, thou art old, and thy sons
walk not in thy ways; make us a King to
judge us like all the nations. The thing
displeased Samuel, that they said: Give
us a King to judge us. And Samuel
prayed unto the LORD.
First Responsory.
Saul hath slain, &c., (p. 562.)
Second Lesson.
AND the LORD said unto Samuel:
Hearken unto the voice of the
people in all that they say unto thee.
For they have not rejected thee, but
they have rejected Me, that I should
not reign over them. According to all
the works which they have done since
the day that I brought them up out of
Egypt, even unto this day; wherewith
they have forsaken Me, and served other
gods, so do they also unto thee. Now,
therefore, hearken unto their voice;
howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them,
and show them the manner of the king
that shall reign over them.
Second Responsory.
Ye mountains of Gilboa, &c., (p.
562.)
Third Lesson.
AND Samuel told all the words of the
LORD unto the people that asked of
him a king, and he said: This will be
the manner of the king that shall reign
over you he will take your sons, and
appoint them for his chariots, and to be
his horsemen, and to run before his
chariots, and he will appoint him cap-
tains over thousands, and captains over
hundreds, and will set them to ear his
ground, and to reap his harvest, and to
make his instruments of war, and his
chariots; and he will take your daugh-
ters to be confectionaries, and to be
cooks, and to be bakers; and he will
take your fields, and your vineyards,
and your olive-yards, even the best of
them, and give them to his servants.
Third Responsory.
Thus saith the LORD, &c., (p. 563.)
Upon the Third Sunday after Pente-
cost the Office is of the Sacred Heart (p.
588) with a Commemoration of the Sun-
day at both Vespers and at Lauds. The
Ninth Lesson of the Feast is omitted,
and the Homily of the Sunday read in-
stead.
Offices peculiar to Ireland.
NOVEMBER 27.
St. Farrell,¹ Bishop [of Salz-
burg,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office, (p. 842,)
except the following.
Prayer throughout the Office, "Grant,
we beseech Thee, &c.," (p. 849.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
(From the Proper Offices of the exempt
Church and Diocese of Passau.)
Fourth Lesson.
FARRELL was born in Ireland of a
noble race, and from a little child,
his good dispositions were the wonder of
all who knew him. He seemed to care
for nothing but to study the Divine
Scriptures, and to do works of love and
worship. He went into France to move
men's hearts with the love of Christ, and
stood high in the esteem of King Pepin.
But God would have him to be as a
candle set on a candlestick, that all men
might see his light; and Pope Stephen
the Second named him to the Bishoprick
of Salzburg. In this Office he set before
his flock so bright an ensample of wis-
dom and pastoral care, that all whom he
ruled looked upon him as the best of
fathers.
Fifth Lesson.
AT
Ta great expense he built the cathe-
dral of Salzburg from the founda-
tions, and brought thither, with great
honour and edification of the people, the
reliques of holy Rupert, the first of his
predecessors. Concerning the building
of this church, we find a miracle men-
tioned, namely, that the money for the
payment of those who were employed,
was placed in an open vessel for each
man to help himself, but that none of
them was ever able to take out of it more
than was the just due of his labour.
AT
Sixth Lesson.
T length Farrell was worn out with
unceasing toil and old age, and
having ruled the Church committed to
his care, with great praise of godliness
and great profit to souls, and sent into
Carinthia that Bishop Modestus, so emi-
nent for holiness, he entered into the
heavenly mansions, during the reign of
the Emperor Karl the Great. His body
is kept honourably in the Church of
Salzburg.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with
the Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
¹ Latinised, Vergilius.
α
2
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
DECEMBER 18.
St. Flannan, Bishop [of Kil-
laloe,] Confessor.1
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
whom we love and honour. Through
our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who
liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, one God, world
without end. Amen.
Hymn at both Vespers, and at Mat-
tins.
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p. SING we the Island of Saints, and God's
846.)
JANUARY 2.
St. Munchin, Bishop [of
Limerick,] Confessor.
Double of the First Class in the Diocese
of Limerick.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
JANUARY 8.
St. Albert, Bishop [in Mun-
ster,] Confessor.
Double of the First Class with an Octave
in the Diocese of Cashel.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
JANUARY 15.
St. Ita, Virgin.
Double.
All from the Common, (p. 873,) ex-
cept the following.
0
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who didst adorn Thy blessed
handmaiden Ita, with countless
gifts; grant unto us at her prayers, we
beseech Thee, the grace to copy in our
lives and actions the ensample of her
blessed and Royal handmaiden,
Ita, a child of our Kings, and a joy and an
help unto Ireland,
She who when first her lips were open, in
accents of wisdom
Spake, and filled with awe her glad and
wondering elders;
Who, when she lay in sleep, was seen with
flames to be girded,-
Sight of terror and dread, till, lo, Christ's
angel descending
Spake, and the wonder revealed, how the
saintly maiden was glowing,
Not with the fires of earth, but with bright-
ness of heavenly glory,
Like to the bush that burnt and was not
consumed upon Horeb.
Choir unto choir throughout all the faith-
ful Churches of Ireland,
Rank unto rank white-robed, respond, with
ascriptions of glory,—
Praise unto Him That begat, and to Him
the Only-begotten,
Praise unto Him That proceeds, and hal-
lows the Saints of His people. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
IN tourished
the sixth age of the Church there
flourished in the province of Mun-
ster in Ireland, the holy Virgin Ita, so
illustrious for the spirit of prophecy,
and for famous miracles. She was born
of a kingly race, in the country of the
Deasy-a region which is now included
in the County of Waterford. Her glo-
rious works at once intensified, and
emphasised the lustre which she de-
rived from her birth. From the very
waters of Baptism, she seemed to be
filled with the grace of the Holy Ghost,
Son of King Theodorick, and scholar of St. Molua; consecrated at Rome, by Pope
John IV., A.D. 639.
2 Called "the Brigid of Munster."
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
3
and all men marvelled to behold such
love of God, such guilelessness of life,
such lowliness as that which she bore
with her everywhere, and such great
wonders as those which seemed every
day to be wrought at her prayers.
Fifth Lesson.
WHILE she was yet a little maid, she
earnestly besought her father that
he would allow her to hallow to Christ
herself, and all that she had. However,
her father had already promised her in
marriage to a noble stripling, and de-
clared that he was nowise able to grant
her that which she asked. Ita never-
theless, without any hesitation, and
filled with the spirit of prophecy, fore-
told to them that stood by that things
would shortly turn out otherwise. "Let
my father have time," said she, "he
forbiddeth me now to be hallowed to
God, but hereafter he will pray me to
do this very thing, and my Lord JESUS
Christ will command him, and he will
allow me to go whithersoever I will, that
I may serve God." And so it came to
pass, a while after, that it was at the
persuasion of her father, that this
blessed virgin received the hallowed
veil of virginity from the churchmen.
Sixth Lesson.
ONCE upon a time the holy Ita, taught
by a messenger from heaven, left
the land of her fathers, and went to the
country of the Hy-Conaill, and there
built a monastery, at the foot of mount
Luachra. The fame of this monastery
passed through the whole island, and
drew thither countless virgins, who
sought for graces, like Ita's, and, with
her, hallowed themselves to Christ.
Many Bishops and Abbats asked advice of
holy Ita, and among them were num-
bered S. Fachnan, S. Brandan, S. Col-
man, S. Mochaemoc, and S. Laserian. At
length the blessed Virgin sank from
weakness, and when she had given her
blessing to the whole sept of the Hy-
Conaill, and been strengthened with
the Holy Sacraments, she happily passed
away hence to be for ever with the
Lord, upon the 15th day of January, in
the year of salvation 570.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with
the Homily of S. Gregory, (p. 878.)
JANUARY 16.
St. Fursey, Abbat.
Double.
All from the Common Office, (p. 855,)
except the following.
Prayer throughout, “O Lord, we be-
seech Thee, &c.,” (p. 867.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons
of the Venerable Bede, Priest, [at
Jarrow.] (English Church Hist. iii.
19.)
FURSEY had preached the word of
God for many years in Ireland,¹ but
not being able any longer to endure the
riots of the mobs, who broke in upon
him, he came into the land of the Eng-
lish, where also he preached the word of
God, and built a monastery. After these
things he was fain to withdraw himself
from all business, and so left his monas-
tery, and the care of souls to his brother
Fullan, and the priests Gobban and
Dicull, and made arrangements for
finishing his life as a hermit.
HE
•
Fifth Lesson.
E had another brother called Ultan,
who, after a long trial in a monas-
tery, had gone to live as a hermit; to
him went Fursey, and dwelt with him
a whole year. When he saw the coun-
try troubled by an invasion of Gentiles,
1 Scotia is the word used here and in several other places, to indicate Ireland, as the
original home of the Scotch race.
*
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELand.
he took ship for Gaul, and there being
honourably welcomed by Hlodvius, King
of the Franks, and the noble Ercun-
vald, he built a monastery at Lagny-
sur-Marne. Not long after he fell ill,
and died.
Sixth Lesson.
FRCUNVALD took his body, and kept
it in the porch of the church, which
he was building in his own town of Pe-
ronne, until such time as the said church
should be dedicated. When this cere-
mony took place at the end of twenty-
seven days, and the body was carried in
from the porch to be buried near the
altar, it was found to be quite perfect.
Again at the end of four years, a little
chapel having been built eastward of
the altar, for its more honourable re-
ception, it was found, on its translation
thither, to be still without any mark
of corruption; and it is well known that
in that place God hath often been pleased
to cause him to work wonders.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xix. 27, with the
Homily of St. Jerome, (p. 809.)
JANUARY 31.
St. Edan, (Modoc,) Bishop (of
Ferns,] and Confessor.Î
Double.
Prayer throughout, “Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
FEBRUARY 1.
St. Brigid, (Bride,) Virgin.
Patroness of Ireland.
Double of the Second Class.
All from the Common Office for Vir-
gins, (p. 873,) except the following.
Prayer throughout the Office.
GOD, Who year by year, dost cause
us to rejoice as upon this day, in
the feast of Thy blessed handmaiden,
Brigid, mercifully grant us help for her
sake, the bright ensample of whose
chastity doth still shed its light upon
us. Through our Lord JESUS Christ
Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Cor. vii. 25, as in the
Common.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THE holy virgin Brigid was born of
noble and Christian parents in the
province of Leinster in Ireland, and she
was the mother in Christ of many holy
maidens. While she was yet a little
child, her father saw men clad in white
raiment, pouring holy oil upon her
head, which thing was a foreshadowing
of the godliness and holiness of the
virgin. As soon as she had attained to
the first years of girlhood, she chose
Christ her Saviour for her Bridegroom,
and clung to Him with so profound a
passion of her heart, that she gave away
to the poor whatsoever she had. The
matchless loveliness of her body brought
about her a host of suitors, and lest they
should prevail with her to break the
intention of virginity, by which she
had given herself over to God, she
prayed God to make her unsightly. She
was soon heard. One eye swelled, and
her whole face became so changed, that
she was allowed to send back the mes-
senger of the suitors, and by a solemn
vow to keep her virginity for Christ.
Fifth Lesson.
SHE took with her three maidens, and
went to Bishop Mahew, the dis-
ciple of St. Patrick. When he beheld
a pillar of fire over her head, he clad
¹ Born at East Breffny, A.D. 558; sojourned for some time in Wales; died, 628. Edán,
Aedán, or Aidán, is the diminutive of Aodh, or Aedh (translated Hew or Hugh.) Modóc
is Aodh with the possessive prefix, mo, my, and the diminutive suffix of endearment.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
5
LO
her in a white tunic, and a white
mantle, read the sacred prayers, and
admitted her to that canonical profes-
sion, which blessed Patrick had brought
into Ireland. At the moment that
she bowed down her head to receive
the hallowed veil, she chanced to touch
the wooden step of the altar with her
hand, and the dry wood at once be-
came green, and her eye was healed,
and her face became lovely as before-
time. After her example, so great a
multitude of maidens embraced the re-
gular life, that in a little while all Ire-
land was filled with houses of nuns,
whereof the chief was that one in which
Brigid herself ruled, and from which the
others hung, as from their head.
THE
Sixth Lesson.
HE holiness of this virgin is wit-
nessed by the miracles, which she
openly wrought, not only during her
life, but also after her course in this
world was ended. Very often did she
cleanse lepers, and obtain health by her
prayers for them that were sick of di-
vers diseases. She opened the eyes of
one that was born blind. A certain
shameless woman had an unlawful child,
whereof she protested that Bishop
Broonus was the father, but Brigid
made the sign of the cross upon the
mouth of the new-born child, which
forthwith told the name of its real fa-
ther, and so delivered the Bishop from
that false accusation. She had the
spirit of prophecy, and foretold many
things which were yet to come, as
though they were present before her.
She was bound in a holy friendship to
St. Patrick the Apostle of the Irish.
She foretold when he would pass out
of this life, and where would be the
place of his sepulchre. She was there
when he passed away, and gave the
linen which she had made ready before-
hand to swathe his body withal. At
last she gave up her beautiful soul to
her bridegroom Christ, and was laid
in the same grave with blessed Pa-
trick.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 878.)
FEBRUARY 6.
St. Mel, Bishop [of Ardagh,]
and Confessor.1
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
FEBRUARY 17.
St. Fintan, Abbat.²
Double.
All from the Common Office, (p. 855.)
Prayer throughout, "O Lord, we be-
seech Thee," (p. 867.)
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season, or in Lent from Ecclus.
xxi. 8, (p. 864.)
SECOND NOCTURN.
Lessons from St. Gregory on Job,
(p. 865.)
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xix. 27, with the
Homily of St. Jerome, (p. 809.)
1 Said to have been a nephew of St. Patrick, being the son of his sister Darerca; placed
in his see by St. Patrick, by whom it had been founded; died A.D. 488.
2 Abbat of Cluain-Ednech, in the diocese of Lethglean, in Leinster, in the sixth century.
(Alban Butler.) "He is of the race of Eochaidh Finnfuathairt, of whom was Brigid. He
is described as Fintan the generous, chief head of the monks of Ireland, and resembling
St. Benedict in his manners and life." Bp. Forbes' Kalendars of the Scottish Saints,
p. 349.
6
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
}
MARCH 5.
St. Ciaran, (Piran,) Bishop [of
Ossory,] Confessor.1
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
MARCH 8.
St. Catald, Bishop [of
Tarento,]2 Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common Office, (p. 842,)
just as it stands—(Prayer throughout,
"Grant, we beseech Thee, &c.,")-un-
less kept out of Lent, in which case the
Lessons of the First Nocturn are from
Scripture according to the Season.
MARCH 13.
St. Senan, Bishop [of Scat-
tery Island,] Confessor.
Double.
3
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
MARCH 20.
St. Cuthbert, Bishop [of Lin-
disfarne,] Confessor.4
Double.
All from the Common Office, (p. 842,)
just as it stands-(Prayer throughout,
"Grant, we beseech Thee, &c.,")-un-
less kept out of Lent, in which case the
Lessons of the First Nocturn are from
Scripture according to the Season.
MARCH 22.
St. Finnan,5 Bishop [of Lucca,]
Confessor.
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office, (p. 842,)
except the following.
Prayer throughout.
WE
E beseech Thee, O Lord, that we
may be aided by the prayers of
Thy holy Confessor and Bishop Finnan,
that, as we do tell of his worthy deeds,
we may ever feel his helpful succour.
Through our Lord JESUS Christ Thy
Son, Who liveth and reigneth with
Thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Tim. iii. 1, (p. 843.)
1 Called the first-born of the Saints of Ireland; said to have been born in Ossory about
A.D. 352; receiving some imperfect knowledge of Christianity, he went to Rome, and, on
his way back, joined company with St. Patrick, who was then starting (A.D. 402); founded
the See of Ossory at Saigir; he withdrew to Cornwall, and there died at the place called
from him St. Piran's.
2 A learned Irish monk, for some time regent of the school of Lismore; made a pil-
grimage to Jerusalem, and afterwards settled at Tarento, where he was elected Bishop
towards the end of the seventh century. (Alban Butler.)
3 Born about A.D. 448, of kingly race; travelled a good deal, visiting Rome, Tours, and
Menevia (St. David's); founded several monasteries in Ireland, and died at Kil-eochaille.
Along with St. Ita he is the Patron Saint of the Hy-Conaill. By some he is identified with
St. Mashenoc, and with the Scotch St. Kessog.
4 Said to have been the illegitimate son of an Irish Princess, and baptized Nulluhoc;
disciple of the school of St. Columba in Britain; became monk, and, in A.D. 664, Abbat,
of Melrose; afterwards made Prior of Lindisfarne; then was an hermit in Farne Island;
made Bishop of Lindisfarne in 685, and died, 687.
5 Latinised, Frigidianus.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
7
SECOND NOCTURN.
(From the Breviary of the Canons of
the Lateran Basilica.)
FINNAN
Fourth Lesson.
INNAN was the son of Ultach,
King of Ulster, and was taught the
Christian faith from a child. He was
born again in the laver of salvation
without the knowledge of his parents,
and was filled with such zeal, that he
was not afraid even as a lad to make a
pilgrimage from that far-away land to
Rome. At Rome he was honourably
welcomed by Pelagius the First. He
was there ordained a clergyman, and
given a place among the Canons of the
Cathedral of Our Saviour, among whom
he dwelt for a while, setting an admi-
rable example of the keeping of their
rule. From Rome he came home again,
and his heathen parents strove to re-
call him to the worship of idols, and to
persuade him to marry, but by the
power of God's grace it fell the other
way, for he brought them to leave their
wicked idolatry, and to believe in Christ,
in which faith he marvellously strength-
ened them, by raising his sister from the
dead in their presence.
HE
Fifth Lesson.
E went a little way thence, and
built a monastery, wherein he put
Canons, to live after the rule which he
had received at Rome, and therein he
dwelt with them for awhile in great
holiness. However, the fame of his
holiness and miracles became spread far
and wide, and that he might escape the
praise of men, he betook himself again
to Italy, and went to Lucca. There the
sweet odour of his holy conversation
gained him the worship of all the
citizens, and at their request he was
ordained Bishop of their city. In this
office he so spread about the worship of
God, that within the space of the twenty-
eight years during the which he held
the See he built twenty-eight Churches¹
with Baptisteries. The chiefest of these
is that which he hallowed in honour of
the three holy Deacons, but which is
now called S. Finnan's. During the
building of this Church, a very large
boulder, which many men were not able
to move, was moved by him without
labour; which stone is kept in the said
Church, even to this day, for a me-
morial.
How
Sixth Lesson.
W God looked upon this holy man
is further proved by that famous
miracle whereof blessed Gregory maketh
mention in his "Dialogues." The river
Serchio often flooded the plain of Lucca,
and did great damage to the dwellers
there, but Finnan prayed, and then
drew a hoe over the earth, and the
river followed the mark which he made,
and so he saved the plain from the flood.
After much toil, rich in good works
and full of days, he rested happily in
the Lord; and his body was buried in
the afore-mentioned Church of the three
Deacons. In the time of Karl the
Great, the body of a certain noble
damsel was buried upon the top of him,
and as soon as it touched him, she lived
again and cried out, "Take me away,
for you have put me on the top of blessed
Finnan's body." When she had said
that, she fell asleep again. In this way
it came to pass that the body which had
been hidden for nearly two hundred
years was miraculously discovered, and
held in the utmost honour. The day of
the finding thereof is kept by the people
of Lucca upon the 18th of November.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Matthew (xxiv. 42.)
AT
T that time: JESUS said unto His
disciples: Watch therefore, for ye
know not what hour your Lord will
come. And so on.
Homily by St. Fulgentius, Bishop [of
Ruspa.] (On the Confessors.)
The Apostle Paul saith unto us, touch-
ing himself and his fellows:-"Let a
man so account of us as of the min-
isters of Christ, and stewards of the
mysteries of God." (1 Cor. iv. 1.) And
when we consider that it is of himself
and of his fellows that he speaketh, we
1 Ecclesias baptismales.
8
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
can realize what it is that "is re-
quired in stewards, that a man be found
faithful." Neither may ye think that
the Apostles alone were appointed stew-
ards, and so neglect the duty of your
spiritual warfare, and go to sleep, like
idle, unfaithful, and thoughtless ser-
vants, for the same blessed Apostle hath
shown us that Bishops as well as Apos-
tles are stewards, when he saith: "A
Bishop must be blameless, as the steward
of God." (Tit. i. 7.)
BUT
Eighth Lesson.
JT we are the servants of the house-
holder, and the stewards of the
Lord. That measure of wheat, which
we give unto you, we have ourselves
received; and if we ask what that mea-
sure of wheat be, the same blessed
Apostle Paul showeth us, where he saith:
"God hath dealt to every man the
measure of faith." (Rom. xii. 3.) That
which Christ calleth the measure of
wheat, is the same measure which Paul
calleth the measure of faith, that we
may know that the wheat of the spirit
is nothing else but the worshipful mys-
tery of the Christian faith.
Ninth Lesson is the Homily for the
Week-day, but if another of the Saint
be required, it is as follows:
THIS
HIS measure of wheat we give unto
you, in the name of the Lord, as
often as, enlightened by the gift of spi-
ritual grace, we teach you according to
MARCH 24.
St. Macartín, Bishop [of
Clogher,] and Confessor.¹
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
MARCH 27.
St. Rupert, Bishop [of Salz-
burg,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common, (p. 842,) ex-
cept the following.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Tim. iii. 1, as in the
Common, or if kept out of Lent, from
Scripture according to the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
(From the Benedictine Breviary.)
Fourth Lesson.
the ordinance of the true faith; and RUPERT, who was Bishop of Worms,
ye do receive this same measure of
wheat by the hands of the Lord's
stewards, when day by day ye hear the
word of truth from the servants of God.
And now let us speak of this measure of
wheat. All are fed thereon, as God
divideth the measure unto all; thence
we take the bread of life, that we may
be able to attain unto eternal life, be-
lieving in Him, hoping in Him, loving
Him before all, and in all, Who giveth
Himself unto us to be our meat, lest we
should faint by the way, and Who keep-
eth a reward for us, that we may have
joy when we reach home.
in the reign of Childebert II.,
King of the Franks, was so gifted
with lowliness, meekness, chastity, pru-
dence, and other graces, that he shed
a brilliant light of faith and love to-
wards God upon his family, which
was a branch of that of the Frank
Kings. He was full of the Holy Ghost,
and stood before his people as a model
of the highest life. Whatever he taught,
he showed an ensample of, in himself,
whether it were of unwearied constancy
in prayer, of wisdom in advising, of
righteousness in judging, or of self-
restraint by chastening the body with
much fasting. So bountiful and kindly
1 One of the earliest disciples of St. Patrick; died A.D. 506.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
9
was he toward the needy, that he deemed
nothing his own, but what he had given
to the poor.
Fifth Lesson.
OW great was the fruit which his
How life bore for his neighbours, many
people, both near and far, do wit-
ness, who were led by his toil into
the path of salvation. Theudo, Duke
of Bavaria, who had heard the fame of
his holiness and miracles, sent unto him
an embassage of some of his chief men,
beseeching him that he would come and
visit his country, and shed upon it, and
upon him, the light of the Holy Faith.
Rupert was worn out with many per-
secutions, but he shrank not from the
godly and holy burden; and, a little
while after, be baptized Theudo, and
he
with him many of his highest lords
and a great multitude of the people.
Sixth Lesson.
UPERT established his episcopal See
RUPE
on the shores of the Waller See,
and built a Church in honour of the
blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, at
the place which is now called Salzburg,
upon the river Salzach, and furnished
it with clergy and all else that was
needful. There he turned his mind to
teach the sacred religion of Christ to
the rest of the Bavarian people. He
associated with himself twelve fellow-
labourers, and, by the help of God,
brought over that nation to the Catholic
Faith. And so he won the title of
Apostle of the Bavarians. He had
founded many Churches in divers places,
and gloriously exercised the office of a
Bishop for many years, when, having
offered up the Sacrifice of the most holy
Mass, upon the morning of the Lord's
Resurrection, and strengthened the
minds of his disciples by a fatherly ex-
hortation, he passed away to live for
ever with the Lord in heaven.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Seventh Lesson.
The Lesson is taken from the Holy Gos-
pel according to Luke (xix. 12.)
At that time: JESUS spake unto His
disciples this parable: A certain
nobleman went into a far country, to re-
ceive for himself a kingdom, and to re-
turn. And so on.
Homily by St. Austin, Bishop [of
Hippo.] (Gospel Questions. Book 2.)
By this nobleman we are to under-
stand our Lord JESUS Christ Himself;
and by the far country, that Gentile
Church which is spread even unto the
ends of the earth. It is said also, that
He is to return. For He went away that
the fulness of the Gentiles might come
in; and He will come again, that all
Israel may be saved. The ten pounds
signify the Law, being the number of
the Commandments, and the ten ser-
vants are they unto whom grace was
preached under it. And we are to un-
derstand that these ten pounds will gain
money by trading, when the veil shall
be taken away from the hearts of them
that hold them, and they shall under-
stand that the Law itself pertaineth
unto the Gospel. The citizens who "sent
a message after him, saying, We will
not have this man to reign over us," are
the Jews, who, even after His Resurrec-
tion, set persecutors upon the Apostles,
and rejected the preaching of the Gospel.
Eighth Lesson.
AND He receiveth the kingdom, and
returneth, for He Who appeared
before them, meek and lowly, when He
said, "My kingdom is not of this world"
(John xviii. 36,) will come again with
blinding and overwhelming glory. By
those servants who gave a good account
of that which had been committed unto
them, and were praised for having
gained by trading, we are to understand
those who have well used what hath been
given unto them to increase their Lord's
riches withal, through them who believe
in Him. And they, who will not so do,
are signified by the man who kept his
lord's pound laid up in a napkin.
Ninth Lesson.
THERE are some men who perversely
flatter themselves by saying "Every
one is answerable for himself, what is
the use of preaching and ministering
to others, so as to have to give an ac-
count for them also ?" With the Lord,
not even are they to be pardoned, unto
whom the Law was not given, and who
have fallen asleep without ever hearing
10
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
of the Gospel. "For by the greatness
and beauty of the creatures the Maker
of them might have been seen." (Wisd.
xiii. 5.) "For the invisible things of
Him from the creation of the world are
clearly seen, being understood by the
things that are made, even His eternal
power and Godhead, so that they are
without excuse." (Rom. i. 20.) And this
is what is meant where it is said that
the Lord reapeth where He hath not
sown, namely, that He holdeth guilty of
ungodliness them unto whom hath never
been ministered the word either of Law
or Gospel. And they who keep their
pound wrapped up in a napkin, are they
disease, but banished even from those
distant isles of Ocean certain enemies
of grace who had taken up their abode
in that their native land. For this
end he sent thither holy Germanus, Bi-
shop of Auxerre, as his own Legate,
and ordained first Palladius, deacon of
the Church of Rome, and then holy
Patrick, as Bishops for the Irish, and
thus, while he strove to keep Catholic
the island which belonged to the Ro-
mans, he made Christian the one which
was still savage.
Fifth Lesson.
HEN Patriarch of Con-
who from Both leave the ministry of Wstantinople, strove to seduce the
the word unattempted, under the delu-
sion that they are thereby keeping clear
of the danger of judgment.
APRIL 6.
St. Celestine, Pope and Con-
fessor.
Greater Double.
All from the Common, (p. 842,) ex-
cept the following.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from 1 Tim. iii. 1, as in the
Common.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
THIS Celestine was a Roman, the son
of one Priscus, and the immediate
predecessor of Holy Boniface in the
Bishopric of Rome, being chosen to that
place without any division among the
people. This venerable Pope, unto
whom the Lord was pleased to give very
largely of His grace for the defence of
the Catholic Church, knowing that they
that are once condemned can claim no
new trial, but only place for repentance,
commanded Celestius, the chief disciple
of Pelagius, who asked an audience of
him, to be banished from any part of
Italy, without entering upon the dis-
cussion of his business,-neither was he
more remiss in purging Britain of this
Church into a new falsehood, by preach-
ing that Christ was born of Mary, man
only, and not God also, and that di-
vinity was joined with Him for His
merit's sake, Celestine sharply used his
authority to combat that blasphemy.
He appointed Cyril, the holy Patriarch
of Alexandria, to be his Legate, with
authority to pronounce sentence upon
Nestorius, unless he recanted within the
space of ten days. But when Nestorius
continued in obstinate refusal, and the
disputes and turmoils grew greater, the
Third Ecumenical Council was gathered
together at Ephesus. In this Council
Celestine presided by his Legates, to
whom he prescribed that they were to
judge of the utterances of the Bishops,
without entering into conflict. In this
Council Nestorius and the heresy which
beareth his name, and a number of
Pelagians, who held a kindred false-
hood, were condemned.
Sixth Lesson.

CELESTINE rebuked by his letters
the superstition of those priests
who laid aside the ancient garments,
and ministered in the Church dressed
in a cloak, with their loins girded. He
took order also, that the Sacrament of
penance should not be refused to the
dying, and that lay persons and crimi-
nous clerks should not be appointed
Bishops. He also ordained that metro-
politans were not to take anything
upon themselves out of their provinces,
and that in the election of Bishops,
strangers were not to be preferred
before the Clergy who had already
served in the Church then vacant. He
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
11
ordained that some of the 150 Psalms
should be sung before the Most Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass. He hallowed the
Julian Basilica, decorated his own
cemetery with paintings, and offered
divers gifts for the adornment of the
Church. He held three ordinations in
the month of December, wherein he
made thirty-two priests, twelve dea-
cons, and forty-six Bishops for divers
places. He fell asleep in the Lord in
the year of Christ 432, in the reign of
the Emperors Theodosius and Valen-
tinian, and was buried in the cemetery
of Priscilla, upon the Salarian way.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 14, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 846.)
APRIL 7.
St. Kelly, Archbishop [of
Armagh,] Confessor.
Double.
All from the Common, (p. 842.)
Prayer throughout, “Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the First Nocturn from
Scripture according to the Season, or if
in Lent, from 1 Tim. iii. 1. Of the
Second Nocturn, from St. Maximus,
(p. 851.) And of the Third from
Matth. xxiv. 42, with the Homily of St.
Hilary, (p. 852.)
APRIL 18.
St. Laserían, (Molio,) Bishop
[of Leighlin,] Confessor.2
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
1 Died at Ard-Patrick, April 1, 1129.
APRIL 27.
St. Asicus, Bishop [of Elphin,]
and Confessor.3
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
MAY 1 OR 14.
St. Walburg, Virgin.
In her own Church on May 1, Double
of the First Class, with an Octave.
In any other Church May 14, Double.
All from the Common Office, (p.
873,) except the following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, Who amid the other number-
less gifts of Thy grace, dost work
marvels by weak women, mercifully
grant that we may feel how availing at
Thy mercy-seat are the prayers of Thy
blessed handmaiden Walburg, the bright
ensample of whose chastity doth still shed
its light upon us, and the glory of
whose mighty works doth even now
make us glad. Through our Lord JE-
sus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth_and
reigneth with Thee in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, one God, world without
end. Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
If of the First Class, from 1 Cor.
vii. 25, as in the Common. If not,
from Scripture according to the Season.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ALBURG was the daughter of holy
Richard, King of the English, and
sister to the holy Willibald, and Wuni-
bald. She hallowed her virginity to
Christ the Bridegroom, almost from her
cradle, and bravely passed by all the
2 Born of Royal race, A.D. 566; lived a good deal in Scotland, especially as a hermit in
the Holy Island of the Bay of Lamlash in Arran; went twice to Rome, where he was con-
secrated Bishop by the Pope; died A.D. 639.
3 Placed in this See by St. Patrick, by whom it was founded. He was a monk eminent
for penance and austerity.
12
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
attractions of this world. She mani-
fested her holiness wondrously in her
own land, and with the consent of her
brothers, obeyed the call of the holy
martyr Boniface to come from England
into Germany along with many other
women vowed to God, partly that she
might establish, partly that she might
keep up, and partly that she might
spread, the discipline of the cloister
among the nuns. This she eminently
did, setting an example in herself of
religious conversation, of love, and of
purity.
HER
Fifth Lesson.
TER brother Willibald sent for her
from Thuringia to Heidenheim to
rule a monastery of nuns which had
just been founded. This she did so
happily that when holy Wunibald died,
the monastery of men likewise was
committed to her care. She discharged
this office with the greatest uprightness,
wisdom, and holiness, not without the
grace of miracles, until she passed away
to that blessedness in heaven, which
had been the object of her most eager
desire, upon the 25th day of February,
in the year of salvation 776. Her
brother, Bishop Willibald, buried her
in her own monastery at Heiden-
heim.
Sixth Lesson.
THE holy Virgin rested in her home
and her grave at Heidenheim until
the time of Ockar, sixth Bishop of
Eystadt, by whose authority, supported
by the approval of the clergy, the re-
liques of this chaste maiden were carried
to Eystadt in solemn procession amid
crowds of all orders of men, and there
laid in that place which is since called
St. Walburg's. However, a part of the
hallowed reliques were given to the
monastery of Monheim, at the entreaty
of the Abbess Lioba. Many miracles
forthwith began to be worked at both
places. At Eystadt especially, a clear
oil, useful for divers sicknesses, oozeth
from the blessed bones of Walburg, in
the place of their interment.
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 878.)
In her own Churches the Service on the
Octave-day is the same as on the Feast,
except that the Lessons of the First
Nocturn are from Scripture according
to the Season.
MAY 10.
St. Congal, Abbat.¹
Double.
All from the Common, (p. 855.)
Prayer throughout, "O Lord, we
beseech Thee, &c.," (p. 867.)
Lessons of the First Nocturn from
Scripture according to the Season. Of
the Second Nocturn from St. John
Chrysostom, as in the Common. And
of the Third, from Matth. xix. 27, with
Homily of St. Jerome, (p. 809.) The
last Lesson is omitted, or read as one
with the Eighth, to make room for
the Ninth Lesson, which is of the
Holy Martyrs Gordian and Epima-
chus.
MAY 13.
St. Conlath, Bishop [of Kil-
dare,] Confessor.2
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c.'
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
MAY 14.
St. Carthag,(Mochudu,)Bishop
[of Lismore,] Confessor.3
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Born in Ulster, A.D. 516 or 7; founded the Abbey of Bangor in Down, 558; went to
Scotland in 598; was a friend of St. Columba; founded a church in Tyree; died circa
600-1-2.
2 Said to have been originally Bishop of Sodor; chosen by St. Brigid to be her chief
artist, and with her to govern her churches, and to be Bishop in her city; he was devoured
by dogs on his way to Rome.
3 Founder of Raithin as well as Lismore, at which latter he died, A.D. 637-8.
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
13
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
MAY 15.
St. Debnet,¹ Virgin and
Martyr.
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office, (p. 873,)
except the following.
Prayer throughout.
GOD, the lover of chastity, grant
unto our humble supplications that
Thy blessed handmaiden and witness,
Devnet, whose Feast-day we are keep-
ing, may obtain help for us from Thee,
for the sake of her life, and by her
prayers. Through our Lord JESUS
Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reign-
eth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, one God, world without end.
Amen.
MATTINS.
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Ecclus. li. 1, (p. 882.)
THE
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
HE Virgin Devnet sprang forth in
Ireland like a rose in the midst of
thorns; her father was a king, aban-
doned to idolatry; as she grew up in
his house she took no pleasure in
dancing, and music, and the pastimes
of her age, but was secretly baptized,
and vowed herself to Christ. The devil,
incensed at her doings, kindled in the
king her father an incestuous passion
toward her, and this man, forasmuch
as she was exceeding comely, and very
like to her mother, formed the desire to
take her to wife to himself, in violation
of the laws of nature.
Fifth Lesson.
SHE fled from the lust of her father,
and, in company with Gerebern and
some others, left her country, took ship,
and came with a favourable wind to a
certain place which is called Antwerp,
and there landed. Thence she went to
the village of Gheele, where she built
herself a neat habitation, and in medi-
tating on the things of God, led for
three months the life of an Angel.
Sixth Lesson.
THE father followed in pursuit of his
daughter, filled with fury, and when
he had found her, caused Gerebern to be
first beheaded, and then bade behead her
likewise; but as the executioner would
not do it, the cruel father himself with
his own sword wherewith he was girded
cut off the sacred head of this illustrious
virgin, who was crying for the mercy of
God. Thus did that glorious bride of
Christ, who is the terror and scourge
of devils, wing her flight for heaven,
adorned with the crown of maidenhood
and martyrdom.
THIRD NOCTURN,
Lessons from Matth. xxv. 1, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 878.)
MAY 16.
St. Brandan,2 Abbat.
Double.
Prayer throughout, "O Lord, we be-
seech Thee, &c.," (p. 867.)
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
809.)
JUNE 1.
St. Eleutherius, Pope and
Martyr.
Double.
All from the Common Office, (p. 792,
or p. 817,) except the following.
Prayer throughout, "Mercifully con-
sider, &c."
FIRST NOCTURN.
Lessons from Scripture according to
the Season.
1 Latin, Dympna. It survives in County Louth as "Demmy.”
* The subject of an immense quantity of legendary matter, especially as to his voyages ;
founded Clonfert in A.D. 559, and died, May 16, 577, aged ninety-five.
14
OFFICES PECULIAR TO IRELAND.
SECOND NOCTURN.
Fourth Lesson.
ELEUTHERIUS, who was a Greek,
and the son of one Abundius, was
born at the city of Nicopolis, in Epirus,
and became a priest of the Holy Ro-
man Church. In the reign of the Em-
peror Marcus Aurelius, in the year of
our Lord 179, after the death of Pope
Soter, he was chosen Bishop of Rome
by the voice of all the clergy. He dis-
charged the duties of the Popedom ex-
cellently and praiseworthily for fifteen
years and twenty-three days. He held
three ordinations in the month of De-
cember, wherein he ordained twelve
priests, eight deacons, and fifteen bi-
shops for divers sees.
Fifth Lesson.
THE Church of Lyons consulted him
by letter upon certain questions,
and he courteously welcomed the learned
Irenæus, the bearer of the letter, and
opened to him those traditions of the
Apostles which the Church of Rome had
preserved inviolate. He condemned the
superstition of the Montanists about
dry meats. He laid down excellent
laws for the regulation of procedure in
church suits. After Marcion and Valen-
tinus had again and again relapsed, he
cast them out of the Church.
Sixth Lesson.
HIS was a time when the Church
of God enjoyed the utmost peace
and quietness, and many at Rome were
turned to Christ, even of the chiefest.
At the beginning of his reign letters of
request were brought to Eleutherius
from Lleurwg, a British King, praying
him to send him ministers of the Word
of God. Wherefore Eleutherius sent to
him Dyfan and Ffagan, priests of the
Church of Rome, by whom the King
himself, and all his household, and
nearly all his subjects, were given the
new birth in the holy laver. When Eleu-
therius had done all these things, and
more, for the worship of God, he came ·
to a blessed end under the Emperor
Commodus, and was laid to rest in his
grave on the Vatican Hill upon the
28th of May [in the year of our Lord
192.]
THIRD NOCTURN.
Lessons from Luke xiv. 26, with the
Homily of St. Gregory, (p. 821.)
JUNE 3.
St. Kevin, Abbat.1
Double.
Prayer throughout, "O Lord, we be-
seech Thee, &c.,” (p. 867.)
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
809.)
JUNE 7.
St. Colman, Bishop [of Dro-
more,] Confessor.2
Double.
Prayer throughout, "Grant, we be-
seech Thee, &c."
Lessons of the Third Nocturn, (p.
846.)
JUNE 9.
St. Columba, (Columkill,)
Abbat.3
Greater Double.
All from the Common Office, (p.855.)
Prayer throughout, "O Lord, we be-
seech Thee, &c.,” (p. 867.)
Lessons of the First Nocturn from
Wisd. iv. 7, as in the Common. Of the
Second Nocturn from St. John Chrysos-
tom, also as in the Common; and of the
Third Nocturn from Matth. xix. 27, with
the Homily of St. Jerome, (p. 809.)
¹ Coëmgenus-"like Paul the Hermit in his habits and life,"-studied under St. Petroc,
and then under St. Eugenius of Derry; to avoid being chosen Abbat of Derry, he fled to
Gleann-da-locha, where he founded a monastery in A.D. 549; afterwards retired to a
deeper seclusion, and is said to have lived to the age of 120.
2 First Bishop of Dromore; said to have been born A.D. 516; was Abbat of Mackmore
in Antrim; the date of his death is uncertain.
3 The illustrious Columba, one of the Three Holy Patrons of Ireland, and the chief
apostle of the Picts, was born at Gartan in Tyrconnel in A.D. 521; ordained Priest, 546;
founded Durrough in 550; arrived in Scotland and founded Iona, 565 (?); died, 597.

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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
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