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 devout soldier of them that waited on him continually; and when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. ON Ry. The LORD JESUS. p. clxxxiv. Lesson II. the morrow, as they went on their journey, and drew nigh unto the city, Peter went up upon the housetop 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 to the earth: wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 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 unclean. 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 enquiry for Simon's house, and stood before the gate. Ry. Purge out. p. clxxxiv. Lesson III. 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 Israel, preaching peace by JESUS CHRIST: (he is LORD of all:) that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judæa, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; how GoD anointed JESUS of Nazareth 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; whom they slew and hanged on a tree him GOD raised up the third day, and shewed 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. Te Deum. p. 15. SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER. Inv. The LORD is risen. Hymn. Rex sempiterne. Ants., Pss. and yy. as in the Psalter, p. 5. FIRST NOCTurn. Of the Acts of the Apostles. Lesson I. Chap. xiii. NOW when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem. But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophcts 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 Israel, and ye that fear GoD, give audience. The GOD of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers | from the dead: and he was seen many 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 nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. Ry. With great power. p. clxxxvii. Lesson II. AND afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I 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 Israel a SAVIOUR, JESUS: When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose. Ry. From the mouth. p. clxxxviii. Lesson III. I MEN and brethren, children of the 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 the 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, Thou art my SoN, this day have I begotten thee. Ry. Behold. p. clxxxii. SECOND NOCTURN. A Sermon of S. Leo the Pope. Serm. I. on the Ascension of the LORD. Ry. I am the True Vine. p. clxxxii. stock of Abraham, and whoso-IN those days, while the two disever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell 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 ciples were on their journey, the LORD joined Himself to them as a third companion; and, to the end that all the darkness of our doubt might be removed, He blamed their slowness as they were fearing and trembling. Their enlightened hearts received the flame of faith; and that which was before lukewarm is made to burn when the LORD Himself opens the Scriptures. Also in the breaking of bread, the eyes of them that sit at meat with Him are opened. Moreover, in the breaking of bread, the Ry. The LORD JESUS. p. clxxxviii. AMONG these and other miracles, when the disciples were wavering in trembling thought, and the LORD had appeared in the midst of them, and had said, Peace be unto you: lest the thing they pondered in their hearts should abide in their opinions (for they thought they saw a spirit, and not a body), He corrects their fancies at variance with the truth. He accumulates before their doubting eyes the abiding signs of the Cross in His Hands and His Feet, and invites them to handle Him with greater scrutiny. Because the marks of the nails and of the lance had been preserved to heal the wounds of faithless hearts: that with no doubtful faith, but with most certain knowledge, we might hold that the same nature was about to sit down at the right hand of the FATHER, which had lain in the sepulchre. Ry. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump for CHRIST our passover is sacrificed for us: * therefore let us keep the feast in the LORD. Al. . He died for our sins, and rose again for our justification. Therefore. Glory. Therefore. THIRD NOCTURN. Lesson of the Holy Gospel according to S. John, Lesson VII. Chap. x. AT that time: JESUS said unto the Pharisees: I am the good Shepherd the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. And that which follows. A Homily of S. Gregory the Pope. Hom. 14 on the Gospels. Dearly beloved brethren, ye have heard in the gospel lesson your instruction; ye have also heard our peril. For behold, He who is good, not by outward gift, but essentially, saith; I am the good Shepherd. And the pattern of that same goodness, which we are to copy, He addeth, saying: The good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep. He did what He taught, The good Shepherd gave His life for He shewed what He commanded. the sheep, that He might turn His Body satisfy the sheep whom He had reand Blood into a Sacrament for us, and deemed with the nourishment of His own flesh. Lesson VIII. THE way of despising of death unto us: the pattern to which they are which they are to follow is shewn to be conformed is set before us. First, we are compassionately to lay out our outward goods for His sheep and at last, if need be, to serve these same sheep even with our death. From the first, which is least, we advance till we reach the last, which is greater. But since the life whereby we live is beyond all measure better than the earthly substance which outwardly we possess: he who giveth not his substance for the sheep, how will he give for them his life? Ry. The good Shepherd. p. clxxxvii AND there are not wanting those who while they love their earthly substance more than the sheep, deservedly lose the name of shepherd: of these it is next said: But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth | Men and brethren, hearken unto me: the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. He is called, not shepherd, but hireling, who feedeth the LORD'S sheep, not for inward love, but for gain. In good sooth he is an hireling, who holdeth the room of a shepherd indeed, but who seeketh not the gain of souls; cleaveth to earthly ease, is glad at the honour of promotion, waxeth fat with temporal lucre, rejoiceth in the reverence paid to him by man. Te Deum. p. 15. MONDAY. Of the Acts of the Apostles. Lesson I. Chap. xv. BUT there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been 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 Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders GOD had wrought among the Gentiles by them. Ry. With great power. p. clxxxvii. AND after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Simeon 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, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: that the residue of men might seek after the LORD, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the LORD, who doeth all these things. Known unto GoD are all his works from the beginning of the world. 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 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. Ry. From the mouth. p. clxxxviii. THEN pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren : and they wrote letters by them after this manner: The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: it seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our LoRD JESUS CHRIST. We have sent therefore 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. Te Deum. p. 15. TUESDAY. Of the Acts of the Apostles. THEN Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found 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 any thing, 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 determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the LORD, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us. Ry. Behold the Lion. p. clxxxii. Lesson II. 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 resurrection of the dead, some mocked; and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter. So Paul departed from among them. Ry. I am the True Vine. p. cxciv. HOWBEIT certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them. After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; and found a certain Jew Inamed 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 reasoned tentmakers. And he in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Te Deum. p. 15. WEDNESDAY. Of the Acts of the Apostles. Lesson I. Chap. xx. AND from Miletus he sent to Ephechurch. And when they were come to sus, and called the elders of the him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been FOR in him we live, and move, and with you at all seasons; serving the have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 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 devices. And the times of this ignorance GOD winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent: because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will LORD with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house: testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward GOD, and faith toward our LORD JESUS CHRIST. And now, behold, |
