[Rank]
Septima die infra Octavam Omnium Sanctorum;;Semiduplex;;2;;vide Sancti/11-01

[Rule]
vide Sancti/11-01;
9 lectiones
No secunda vespera
Quorum Festum 

[Lectio4]
From the Sermons of St John Chrysostom, (Patriarch of Constantinople.)
!On the Martyrs.
He that wondereth with reverential love at the mighty deeds of the holy, he~
that hath oftentimes on his tongue praises for the glory of the righteous, let~
such an one copy their holy lives and their righteousness; for if any take~
pleasure in the work of a Saint, he ought to take pleasure in serving God as~
that Saint served Him. If he praiseth the Saint, he ought to imitate him, and if~
he is not ready to imitate him, he ought not to praise him. Let him that~
praiseth another make himself worthy of a like praise, and if he be in~
admiration of the Saints, let his own admirable life reflect the holiness of~
theirs. If we love the good and leal because they are good and leal, let us not~
forget that we can be what they are, by doing as they did.

[Lectio5]
It ought not to be hard for us to copy others, when we see what they of old time~
did without any ensamples before them, so that in them who copied not others,~
but set ensample for others to copy, and in us who copy them, and in them which~
take ensample by us, Christ may be glorified in His holy Church. Thus from the~
very beginning of the world there have been the harmless Abel who was slain,~
Enoch who walked with God, and was seen no more, for God took him, Noah who was~
found righteous, Abraham who was tried and found faithful, Moses who was the~
meekest of men, Joshua who was chaste, David who was gentle, Elijah who was~
accepted, Daniel who was holy, and the three Children who were victorious.

[Lectio6]
The Apostles, the disciples of Christ, are held the teachers of believers.~
Confessors taught of them fight right manfully, the noble martyrs triumph, and~
the Christian army armed with the armour of God, ever prevaileth in warfare~
against the devil. All these have been men of like lealty, divers warfarings,~
and glorious victories. And thou, O Christian, art but a carpet-knight, if thou~
thinkest to conquer without a fight, to triumph without a struggle. Nerve~
thyself, strive manfully, hit hard in the press. Consider thine engagement, look~
to thy state, know thine arm, even the engagement which thou hast taken, the~
state wherein thou art come, and the arm wherewith thou hast enrolled thyself a~
soldier.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
!Matt 5:1-12
At that time Jesus seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain, and when~
he was set down, his disciples came unto him. And so on.
_
Homily by St Austin, Bishop (of Hippo.)
!Bk. i., on the Lord's Sermon.
At the first step in blessedness is set forth, as was behoven, the kingdom of~
heaven, the realisation of the perfect and highest wisdom of the reasonable~
soul. Thus is it said Blessed are the poor in spirit, for their's is the~
kingdom of heaven, as though it were said The fear of the Lord is the~
beginning of wisdom. Then unto the meek is given an inheritance, as the legacy~
of a father to dutiful children. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit~
the earth. Thirdly, there is comfort for such as mourn, knowing what they have~
lost, and what encompasseth them. Blessed are they that mourn (now), for they~
shall be comforted. Fourthly, the hungry and thirsty are promised that they~
shall be filled, a refreshment for the strugglers for life, and for the weary.~
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall~
be filled.

[Lectio8]
Mercy is proclaimed unto the merciful, as unto them who have taken the true~
and best counsel how to obtain from Him That is Mightier than they what they~
that are weaker than they obtain from them. Blessed are the merciful, for they~
shall obtain mercy from God. Unto the pure in heart it pertaineth to see God,~
for their eye is clear to take in the things eternal. Blessed are the pure in~
heart, for they shall see God. To the peacemakers it is given to be in the~
likeness and image of God, for these are the perfectly wise, created anew in the~
image of God, by the regeneration of the new man. Blessed are the peacemakers,~
for they shall be called the children of God. The foregoing are forms of~
blessedness which we believe can be thoroughly attained in this life. The~
Apostles, for instance, did, we believe, attain them. As for that entire change~
into the likeness of Angels, which is promised us when this life is done, no~
words can set it forth.

[Lectio9]
Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for their's is~
the kingdom of heaven. In this eighth word, which returneth back again to the~
fountainhead and setteth forth the perfect crown of human blessedness, is~
contained perchance a (mystic) connection with the fact that it was upon the~
eighth day that the old Law commanded that circumcision should be performed, and~
that it was upon the day next after the Sabbath (being the seventh day) that the~
Lord rose again, the day whereon He so rose being thus the eighth day, (had a~
week contained more than seven days,) and the first day (as a matter of fact.)~
There is perchance also a connection with the fact that we observe eight days~
(being from the Lord's Day whereon He rose to the Lord's Day in White both~
inclusive,) in honour of the creation of the new man. And yet again there is~
perchance a connection with the number contained in (the name of) the Feast of~
Pentecost, (which is, being interpreted, the Feast of the FiftiethDay.) For~
this number of fifty days is reckoned (from that of the offering of the Sheaf of~
the Passover) by counting (seven weeks, that is to say,) seven multiplied by~
seven, which is forty-nine, and thereto adding one, which joined with seven~
maketh eight, and so making full fifty. And thus borne backward to our~
fountainhead, the day whereon the Holy Ghost was sent down, we are borne unto~
the kingdom of heaven, and inherit the earth, and are comforted, and are filled,~
and obtain mercy, and are made pure, and are set at peace. And when we have thus~
been perfected within, we bear for truth's and righteousness' sake any troubles~
that may come upon us from without.
&teDeum
