[Rank]
De III die Infra Octavam Concept. Immac. Beatae Mariae Virginis;;Semiduplex;;2.5;;vide Sancti/12-08

[Rule]
vide Sancti/12-08;
9 lectiones;
CPapaM=Melchiades;
Doxology=Nat

[Lectio4]
!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 Scriptures set forth the Eternal Generation of the~
Uncreated Wisdom, and that, because Mary was predestined in the decree of the~
Incarnation of the same Wisdom. This practice hath been received 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 celebrated 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.

[Lectio5]
Thus it hath always been one of the most striking features of the Roman Church~
that she hath most powerfully 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 Conception of Mary, and caused it to be observed with an Office and a~
Mass wherein her privilege of immunity from original sin was openly asserted.~
Our said Predecessors have done everything in their power to increase the love~
of the faithful for this doctrine by granting Indulgences in its honour; by~
giving permission to cities, provinces, and kingdoms to choose for their~
Patroness the Mother of God, under her title Conceived 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.

[Lectio6]
Moreover, 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 solemnity, 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 Virgin conceived without sin, when they granted permission to add~
to the Litany of Loretto the invocation, Queen conceived without original sin,~
and to insert the word stainless into the Preface of the Mass on this Feast,~
that so the law of prayer might become the law of belief.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke
!Luke 1:26-28
In that time the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called~
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.
_
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 unhappy 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 unwisely began to make~
excuse, he scrupled not to throw the blame upon her, saying, The woman whom~
Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Wherefore, O~
Eve, betake thyself to Mary Mother, betake thyself to thy daughter let the~
daughter 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.

[Lectio8]
What 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. Nevertheless, 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~
mercy. 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 accuse~
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.

[Lectio9]
Has 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 woman? (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 prevailed by means of a woman, was by a woman to be overthrown, and he~
believed. 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
&teDeum

[Commemoratio]
!Commemoratio S. S. Melchiadis Papae Mart.
@Commune/C2:Oratio
