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Lesson III.

AND MY FATHER will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. Ponder, dearly beloved brethren, what an honour that is, to have GOD coming into the guest chamber of the heart. Certainly if any wealthy or honourable friend were coming into our house, the whole house would be cleaned with great diligence, lest there should be anything to offend the eyes of the friend as he came in. Wherefore let him who makes ready his soul for GOD, wipe away the foulness of evil deeds. But see what the Truth saith: We will come, and will make Our abode with him. He cometh into the hearts of some, and maketh not His abode; because these feel reverence for GOD when pricked in their conscience; but in time of temptation they forget the very thing with which they were pricked, and thus they return to the commission of sins, as though they had never mourned them.

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Why is He called the Saviour of the

world, unless He have come to save the world, not to judge the world? Hast thou no wish to be saved by Him? thou shalt be judged of thyself. And why say I, thou shalt be judged? Observe what He

saith: He that believeth on Him shall not be judged: But of him that believeth not, what can you expect shall be said, but; He is judged. In what He addeth, He saith, He is judged already; judgment hath not yet appeared, and yet judgment is already passed.

Ry. Henceforth I call you not servants, but friends, for ye have known all things that I have wrought in the midst of you. Alleluia. * Receive ye the HOLY GHOST the Comforter: He it is, Whom the FATHER shall send you, Alleluia. V. Ye are My friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

Receive. Ben. The Divine help.
Lesson II.

THE LORD knoweth them that are His: He knoweth who will continue to the crown, who will continue to the flame. He knoweth

the wheat in His threshing-floor: He knoweth the chaff also. He knoweth the crop : He knoweth also the tares. He who believeth not is judged already. Why judged?

Because he hath not believed on the name of the only Begotten Son of GOD. For this is judgment, because light is come into the world, and men more than light, loved darkness My because their works were evil. brethren, whose deeds hath the LORD found to be good? None. Therefore He hath found all deeds evil. How is it then that some have done the truth, and come unto the light? For this also follows: Whoso doeth the truth, cometh to the light.

Ry. The HOLY GHOST proceeding from the Throne, invisibly entered the hearts of the apostles with a new token of hallowing: * that in their mouths all manner of new tongues

should spring up. Al. y. The fire of GOD came upon them, not burning, but enlightening, and bestowed upon them gifts and graces. That. Glory. That. Ben. The King.

Lesson III.

BUT, He saith, they loved darkness
rather than light. That is where
He laid the stress. For many have
loved their sins, and many have con-
fessed their sins; for he who accuses
his sins, and confesses his sins, is
already acting with GOD. GOD also
accuses thy sins: and if thou accusest
thy sins, thou art joined with GOD.
For a man and a sinner are two
different things.
When you hear the
word man, that is what God made: when
you hear the word sinner, that is what

man himself made. Blot out what thou

madest, in order that GOD may save what He made. It behoveth thee to hate thine own work in thyself, and

to love the work of GoD in thee. For

when that which thou thyself hast made begins to displease thee, then thy

good works begin, because thou accusest thy bad works. The beginning of good works is the confession of evil works.

Te Deum. p. 15.

WHITSUN TUESDAY.

. The HOLY GHOST the Comforter: Alleluia. Ry. Shall teach you all things. Alleluia. Our FATHER. Abs. His piety. Ben. The Evangelical. Lesson of the Holy Gospel according

to S. John.

Lesson I. Chap. x.

AT that time: JESUS said unto the Pharisees: Verily, Verily I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, 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 that which

follows.

A Homily of S. Augustine the Bishop.
Tract 45 on S. John.

and of the door whereby it enters the sheepfold. The heathens may then say: We live a good life. If they do not enter by the door, what profit is that to them of which they boast? For the use to any one of living a good

life, is, that eternal life may be given him. For what profit is a good life unto him, unto whom eternal life is not given? Therefore they cannot be said to live a good life, who either from blindness know not, or from pride despise, the goal of a good life. For no man hath a true and certain hope of everlasting life, unless he knoweth the Life, which is CHRIST, and enters by the door into the sheepfold.

Ry. There appeared unto the disciples cloven tongues like as of fire,

Alleluia: * and the HOLY GHOST sat

upon each of them. Alleluia. Alleluia. V. And they began to speak with other tongues, as the SPIRIT gave them

utterance. And the. Ben. The Divine

help.

Lesson II.

MEN of this kind therefore very often try to persuade men to lead a good life, and not to be Christians. They wish to go up by another way, and to plunder and to kill: not like the good Shepherd, to preserve and to save. For there have been some philosophers discoursing often with ingenuity about virtues and vices, distinguishing, defining, drawing the keenest conclusions of reasoning, filling books, puffing their own wisdom with windy cheeks, who were bold enough to say to men: Follow us, keep to our sect,

if you wish to live happily. But they did not enter through the door: they desired to slay, destroy, and to kill.

Ry. The apostles spake in divers tongues the wonderful works of God, * as the SPIRIT gave them utterance. Alleluia. V. They were all filled with the HOLY GHOST, and began to speak. As. Glory. As. Ben. The King. Lesson III.

The LORD hath in to-day's lesson WHAT shall I say of them? Lo,

set before us a parable of His flock,

the very Pharisees read the

Scriptures; and in that which they | Delight in the LORD, and He will give read, they uttered the name of CHRIST, thee thy heart's desire. There is a they hoped for His coming, and yet kind of pleasure in the heart, to which they knew Him not when He was that heavenly bread is sweet. And here. For they boasted that they further, if the poet might fairly say, themselves were among the Seers, that Each man's pleasure draws him on, is, among the wise men: and they not necessity, but pleasure, not comdenied CHRIST, and entered not by the pulsion, but delight: how much more door; wherefore they too, if they forcibly ought we to say that a man is chanced to draw any away, drew them drawn to CHRIST, who delights in truth, not to free them, but to slay and kill. delights in blessedness, delights in Let us pass over these also: and let righteousness, delights in everlasting us see whether those who boast in the life? all which is CHRIST. Or can the name of CHRIST themselves, do them- bodily senses have their pleasures, and selves enter through the door. For the mind be deprived of pleasures of there are countless persons, who not its own? If the mind hath not only boast themselves to be Seers, but pleasures of its own, why is it said: would fain seem to be enlightened by And the children of men shall put CHRIST and yet they are heretics. their trust under the shadow of Thy wings they shall be satisfied with the plenteousness of Thy house: and Thou shalt give them drink of Thy pleasures, as out of the river: for with Thee is

Te Deum. p. 15.

EMBER WEDNESDAY.

y. They were all filled with the HOLY GHOST. Alleluia. Ry. And began to speak. Alleluia. Our FATHER. Abs. The Almighty. Ben. The

Evangelical.

Lesson of the Holy Gospel according to S. John.

Lesson I. Chap. vi.

the well of life: and in Thy light shall we see light?

Ry. The LORD taught them discipline and wisdom: Alleluia. He strengthened the grace of His SPIRIT within them, and filled their hearts with understanding, Alleluia. y. And suddenly the sound of the HOLY

AT that time: JESUS said unto the SPIRIT came upon them. And. Ben.

multitude of the Jews: No man can come to me, except the FATHER which hath sent me draw him. And that which follows.

A Homily of S. Augustine the Bishop.
Tract 26 on S. John.

Think not thou art drawn against thy will. The mind is drawn by love also. Nor should we feel any alarm, lest an objection should be brought against us, in this gospel phrase of the holy Scriptures, by men who weigh words and are as far as possible from understanding the things of GoD; and lest they should say to us, How can I believe of my own will, if I am drawn? I answer; It is a little thing to be drawn by the will; thou art drawn by pleasure too. What means, to be drawn by pleasure?

The Divine.

Lesson II.

SUPPOSE a lover: and he under

stands what I am saying: suppose one longing, suppose one hungering, suppose one journeying in this wilderness and thirsting, and sighing for the fountain of his eternal country; suppose such an one, and he knows what I am saying. But if I speak to a cold person, he knows not what I speak. Such were they who murmured together. CHRIST saith: Whosoever the FATHER draweth, cometh unto Me. What is this, Whom the FATHER draweth : seeing CHRIST Himself draws? Why did He choose to say, Whom the FATHER draweth? have to be drawn, let us be drawn by Him, unto Whom one that loves Him

If we

saith: We will run after the savour of Thine ointments. But let us consider, brethren, what He wished us to understand, and take it in as far as we can. The FATHER draweth unto the Son those who believe in the SON, because they think that He hath GOD as His FATHER. For GOD the FATHER begat the SON co-equal to Himself; and he who thinks and feels and ponders in his faith, that He in Whom he believes is equal to the FATHER, that man is drawn by the FATHER to the SON.

Ry. Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel: Alleluia: * he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved. Al. Al. Al. V. In My Name shall they cast out devils, they shall

speak with new tongues, they shall take up serpents. He. Glory. He. Ben. The King.

Lesson III.

is drawn by the cord of the heart. If then things, which belong to earthly delights and pleasures, are shewn to those who love them, and draw them on, because it is true that each man's pleasure draws him on, does not CHRIST, revealed by the FATHER, draw? For what does the soul long after more eagerly than the truth?

Te Deum. p. 15.

THURSDAY.

y. The SPIRIT of the LORD filleth the world. Al. Rz. And That which containeth all things hath knowledge of the Voice. Al. Our FATHER. Abs. Hear. Ben. The Evangelical.

Lesson of the Holy Gospel according

to S. Luke.

Lesson I. Chap. ix.

AT that time: JESUS called his twelve disciples together, and

ARIUS believed the Son to be a gave them power and authority over

creature: the FATHER did not draw him because he doth not rightly think of the FATHER, who doth not believe the SON to be equal. What sayest thou, O Arius? What sayest thou, O heretic? What speakest thou? What is CHRIST? Not, he answers, Very GOD, but him whom Very GoD made. The FATHER hath not drawn thee: for thou hast not understood the FATHER, Whose SoN thou deniest. Thou art thinking of something else, which is not the SON; and thou art neither drawn by the FATHER, nor to the SON. For the SoN is one thing, and that of which thou speakest is another. Photinus saith: CHRIST is only a man, and is not God also. Whoso believeth this, the FATHER hath not drawn him. Whom hath the FATHER drawn? Him who saith: Thou art the CHRIST, the Son of the living GOD. Thou shewest green bough to a sheep thou drawest it. Nuts are offered to a boy: he is drawn and that which runs, is drawn, is drawn by its affections, is drawn without violence to the body,

a

all devils, and to cure diseases. that which follows.

And

A Homily of S. Ambrose the Bishop.

Book 6 on S. Luke 9.

What kind of man he ought to be who preaches the Kingdom of GOD, is set down in the gospel precepts: that without staff, without scrip, without sandals, without bread, without money, that is, seeking no help of earthly succour, and relying on faith, he should, just in proportion as he hath less desire for temporal things, have more confidence that he will be provided with them. And they who like can refer all these matters to this intention, that the passage seems only designed to form a spiritual habit of mind, which appears to have stripped the body of a kind of garment: by not merely casting away power, and despising riches, but abandoning the allurements of the flesh itself. And first of all a general precept of peace and firmness is given to them, that they should bring peace with them, retain steadfastness, observe the laws and the

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Lesson II.

Lesson III.

UT as the form of this command

BU deserves reverence in its literal

meaning of the sacred tie of hospitality, so a heavenly meaning smiles on us in mystery. For in choosing a house, a worthy host is sought for. Let us then see if it be not the Church, which

Ry. The fire of GoD came, not burning, but enlightening: not consuming, but shining: and found the hearts of the disciples pure shrines, *is pointed out for our preference, and and bestowed on them gifts of graces. CHRIST. For what worthier house Al. Al. y. The grace of Godhead can there be for the Apostles to enter pouring down upon them, found them in and preach, than Holy Church? or united in love, and shone upon them. what host seems to be far preferable And. Ben. The Divine. to all others, save CHRIST, Who was wont to wash the feet of His guests, and Who suffers not any whom He receives into His house to dwell there with defiled feet: but however stained they may have been by their former life, nevertheless vouchsafes to purify them for the remainder of their progress? He alone then it is, Whom no one ought to abandon, no one to change; and it is well said to Him: LORD, to Whom shall we go? for Thou hast the words of eternal life; and we believe.

BUT, that the rights of hospitality might be counted as their due, they are further commanded, when not received, to shake off the dust, and to go forth from the city. Hereby we are taught that there is no small reward for hospitality: in that we are not merely to bring peace to our hosts, but also, if any sins of earthly frailty cloud them, these are to be removed, when they admit the footsteps of the apostolic preachers. And it is not without reason that, according to Matthew, a rule is laiddown that the apostles must choose the house into which they are to enter: in order that there should be

no reason for changing their dwelling, and breaking the tie of hospitality. But the same caution is not enjoined upon the host: lest hospitality should be diminished by making selection of a guest.

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Lesson of the Holy Gospel according
to S. Luke.
Lesson I. Chap. v.

Rz. The HOLY GHOST filled all the AT that time: It came to pass on a

certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judæa, and Jerusalem: and the power of the LORD was present to heal them. And that which follows.

house where the Apostles were sitting: and there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and It sat upon each of them: * and they were filled with the HOLY GHOST, and began to speak with other tongues, as the SPIRIT gave them utterance. Al. Al. y. When the disciples were gathered A Homily of S. Ambrose the Bishop. together for fear of the Jews: suddenly there came a sound from Heaven upon them. And. Glory. And. Ben. The King.

Book 5 on S. Luke v.

The healing of this paralytic is neither unmeaning, nor unimportant, wherein the LORD is said to have

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