[Rank]
ln Octavam Ss. Innocentium.;;Simplex;;1.1;;vide Sancti/12-28

[Rank1960]
Die Quarta Januarii;;Feria;;1;;vide Sancti/12-25

[RankTrident]
ln Octavam Ss. Innocentium.;;Duplex;;3;;ex Sancti/12-28

[Rule]
vide Sancti/12-28;
9 lectiones
Psalmi Dominica
Antiphonas Horas
Feria Te Deum

[Lectio1]
Lesson from the letter of St Paul the Apostle to the Romans
!Rom 7:1-3
1 Know you not, brethren, for I speak to them that know the law, that the law~
hath dominion over a man, as long as it liveth?
2 For the woman that hath an husband, whilst her husband liveth is bound to the~
law. But if her husband be dead, she is loosed from the law of her husband.
3 Therefore, whilst her husband liveth, she shall be called an adulteress, if~
she be with another man: but if her husband be dead, she is delivered from the~
law of her husband; so that she is not an adulteress, if she be with another~
man.

[Lectio2]
!Rom 7:4-6
4 Therefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law, by the body of~
Christ; that you may belong to another, who is risen again from the dead, that~
we may bring forth fruit to God.
5 For when we were in the flesh, the passions of sins, which were by the law,~
did work in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death.
6 But now we are loosed from the law of death, wherein we were detained; so that~
we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

[Lectio3]
!Rom 7:7-9
7 What shall we say, then? Is the law sin? God forbid. But I do not know sin,~
but by the law; for I had not known concupiscence, if the law did not say: Thou~
shalt not covet.
8 But sin taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of~
concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.
9 And I lived some time without the law. But when the commandment came, sin~
revived,

[Lectio93]
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 offered up to Him Who cometh to condemn 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 jealousy 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. which~
shall be returned hereafter, but they are pledges taken without being given,~
impounded without being entrusted.
&teDeum

[Lectio4]
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 offered up to Him Who cometh to condemn 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 jealousy 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. which~
shall be returned hereafter, but they are pledges taken without being given,~
impounded without being entrusted.

[Lectio5]
Nature is herself our witness of what the scene must have been when the tyrant~
dashed the little ones against the stones. The childless mothers tore their hair;~
those, whose infants had still escaped, strove vainly to hide them, and their~
very cries betrayed them, too young to have learnt the silence 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.

[Lectio6]
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.~
Come, come, O Saviour, how long do we wait for thee? Thou art Almighty come,~
and save our children. And so the cry of the mother and the sacrifice of her~
offspring went up together to heaven.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
!Matt 2:13-18
In that time an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise,~
and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I~
shall tell thee. And so on.
_
Homily by St John Chrysostom, Patriarch (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 Himself 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.

[Lectio8]
He was not slothful, but obeyed cheerfully, and by faith bore all 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.

[Lectio9]
When St Joseph knew that the Virgin 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, 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.
&teDeum
