Occurring Scripture for the
Hour of Matins
Second Week of Advent
Sunday
Lesson i
Here begins the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 11:1-4
And there shall come forth a rod out of the
root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. And the
spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: the spirit of wisdom, and of
understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of
knowledge, and of godliness. And He shall be filled with the spirit of
the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge according to the sight of the eyes,
nor reprove according to the hearing of the ears. But He shall judge
the poor with justice, and shall favor with equity the meek of the earth.
Lesson ii
Isaias 11:4-7
And He shall strike the
earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall
slay the wicked. And justice shall be the girdle of His loins: and
faith the girdle of His reins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb: and
the leopard shall lie down with the kid: the calf and the lion, and the
sheep shall abide together, and a little child shall lead them. The calf and
the bear shall feed: their young ones shall rest together: and the lion
shall eat straw like the ox.
Lesson iii
Isaias 11:8-10
And the sucking child
shall play on the hole of the cobra: and the weaned child shall thrust his
hand into the den of the viper. They shall not hurt, nor shall they
kill in all My holy mountain, for the earth is filled with the knowledge of
the Lord, as the covering waters of the sea. In that day the root of
Jesse, who stands for an ensign of the people, Him the Gentiles shall
beseech, and His sepulcher shall be glorious.
Lesson iv
Commentary on the Prophecies of Isaias of Saint
Jerome, Priest
Book 4, Chapter 11
"And there shall come
forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse." From the beginning of the book of
this prophet until the thirteenth chapter, where begins the vision, or
burden of Babylon, the whole of the vision of Isaias, the son of Amoz, is
one continual prophecy of Christ. We must explain it part by part, for if we
were to take it all at once, the memory of the reader would be confused.
Lesson v
We, however, understand
that the rod out of the root of Jesse signifies the holy Virgin Mary. She
was a clean stem that had as yet put forth no shoot; as we have read above
"Behold, the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son" [Isaias 7:14]. And the
flower we believe to mean the Lord our Redeemer, Who hath elsewhere compared
Himself to a flower; "I am a flower of the plain, and a lily of the valleys"
[Canticles 2:1].
Lesson vi
The Spirit of the Lord
then shall rest upon this flower; this flower which shall come forth from
the stem and roots of Jesse by means of the Virgin Mary. And truly the
Spirit of the Lord did rest upon our Redeemer. It is written that "In Him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" [Colossians 2:9]. The Spirit
was not shed on Him by measure, as it is upon the saints. To Him we may
apply the words of the Hebrew Gospel used by the Nazarenes; The whole
fountain of the Holy Ghost shall be poured forth upon Him "The Lord is a
spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" [II
Corinthians 3:17].
Lesson vii
The continuation of the Holy Gospel according to
Matthew
Matthew 11:2-10
Now when John had heard in prison the
works of Christ: sending two of his disciples they said to him: "Art
Thou He that is to come, or shall we look for another?" And Jesus
answering said to them: "Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen.
The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the
dead rise again, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And
blessed is he that shall not be scandalized in Me. And when they went
their way, Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John: "What did
you go out into the desert to see? a reed shaken with the wind? But
what did you go out to see? a man clothed in soft garments? Behold those who
are clothed in soft garments, are in the houses of kings. But what did
you go out to see? a prophet? yea I tell you, and more than a prophet.
For this is he of whom it is written: 'Behold I send My angel before Thy
face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee' [cf. Isaias 40:3]."
An homily of
Pope Saint Gregory the Great
Homily VI on the Gospels.
The sight of so many signs and so many
mighty works should have been a source of wonder, and not a stumbling-block.
And yet the unfaithful found these very works a rock of offence, when they
afterwards saw Him Who had worked so many miracles dying on the Cross.
Hence Paul says: "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a
stumbling-block and unto the Gentiles foolishness" [I Corinthians 1:23]. It
is indeed folly in the eyes of men to say that the Author of life died for
men and thus men put as a stumbling-block to hinder them from coming to
Jesus, the very thing that obliges them the most toward Him. For the more
humbling God has undergone for man's sake, the more worthy is He that man
should worship Him.
Lesson viii
"And blessed is he that
shall not be scandalized in Me." Now what is this, but a plain mention of
that time, when He afterwards humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death,
even the death of the Cross? It is as if He said: I indeed do
wonderful works, but the day will come when I shall not refuse to suffer
shame and evil treatment. Take heed then, ye who now worship Me for the
works' sake, that when I come to die ye despise Me not for My death's sake.
Lesson ix
And, as the disciples of
John departed, what did Jesus say unto the multitudes concerning this same
John? Let us hear. "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed
shaken with the wind?" Here our Lord teaches not by assertion, but by
negation. Now a reed is a thing so made that as soon as the wind blows upon
it, it bends it over toward the opposite quarter. And the fleshly-minded man
is like a human reed. As he is praised or blamed so he bends himself in the
one direction or the other.
Collect:
Stir up our hearts, O
Lord, to prepare the ways of Thine only-begotten Son; that through His
coming we may attain to serve Thee with purified minds. Who liveth and
reigneth with God the Father....
Monday
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 13:1-4
An oracle concerning
Babylon, which Isaias the son of Amos saw. "Upon the dark mountain lift ye
up a banner, exalt the voice, lift up the hand, and let the rulers go into
the gates. I have commanded My sanctified ones, and have called My
strong ones in My wrath, them that rejoice in my glory. The noise of a
multitude in the mountains, as it were of many people, the noise of the
sound of kings, of nations gathered together:"
Lesson ii
Isaias 13:4-8
The Lord of hosts has given charge to
the troops of war. To them that come from a country afar off, from the
end of heaven: the Lord and the instruments of his wrath, to destroy the
whole land. Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is near: it shall come as
a destruction from the Lord. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and
every heart of man shall melt, And shall be broken. Pangs and sorrows
shall take hold of them, they shall be in pain as a woman in labor. Every
one shall be amazed at his neighbor, their countenances shall be as faces
burnt.
Lesson iii
Isaias 13:9-11
Behold, the day of the Lord shall come,
a cruel day, and full of indignation, and of wrath, and fury, to lay the
land desolate, and to destroy the sinners out of it. For the stars of
heaven, and their brightness shall not display their light: the sun shall be
darkened in his rising, and the moon shall not shine with her light. And I
will visit the evils of the world, and against the wicked for their
iniquity: and I will make the pride of infidels to cease, and will bring
down the arrogance of the mighty.
Collect of Sunday
Tuesday
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 14:1-2
Her time is near at hand, and her days shall
not be prolonged. For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose
out of Israel, and will make them rest upon their own ground: and the
stranger shall be joined with them, and shall adhere to the house of Jacob.
And the people shall take them, and bring them into their place: and the
house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and
handmaids: and they shall make them captives that had taken them, and shall
subdue their oppressors.
Lesson ii
Isaias 14:3-6
And it shall come to pass in that day,
that when God shall give you rest from your labor, and from your vexation,
and from the hard bondage, in which you did serve, You shall take up
this parable against the king of Babylon, and shall say: "How has the
oppressor come to nothing, how has the tribute ceased? The Lord has
broken the staff of the wicked, the rod of the rulers, that struck the
people in wrath with an incurable wound, that brought nations under in fury,
that persecuted in a cruel manner.
Lesson iii
Isaias 14:12-15
How have you fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, who didst rise i the morning? how have you fallen to the earth, you
that wounded the nations? And you said in your heart: "I will ascend
into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit in
the mountain of the covenant, in the sides of the north. I will ascend
above the height of the clouds, I will be like the most High." But yet you
shall be brought down to hell, into the depth of the pit.
Collect of Sunday
Wednesday
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 16:1-4
Send forth, O Lord, the lamb, the ruler
of the earth, from Petra of the desert, to the mount of the daughter of
Sion. And it shall come to pass, that as a bird fleeing away, and as
young ones flying out of the nest, so shall the daughters of Moab be in the
passage of Arnon. Take counsel, gather a council: make your shadow as
the night in the midday: hide those who flee, and betray not those who
wander about. My fugitives shall dwell with you: O Moab, be a covert
to them from the face of the destroyer:
Lesson ii
Isaias 16:4-6
For the dust is at an end, the wretch
is consumed: he that trod the earth under foot has failed. And a
throne shall be prepared in mercy, and one shall sit upon it in truth in the
tabernacle of David, judging and seeking judgment and quickly rendering that
which is just. We have heard of the pride of Moab, he is exceeding
proud: his pride and his arrogance, and his indignation is more than his
strength.
Lesson iii
Isaias 16:7-8
Therefore shall Moabites howl for Moab,
every one shall howl: to them that feel secure behind the brick walls, tell
them of their punishment. For the suburbs of Hesebon are desolate, and
the lords of the nations have destroyed the vineyard of Sabama: the branches
of which once reached even to Jazer: they have wandered in the wilderness,
the branches thereof are left, they are gone over to the sea, and beyond.
Collect of Sunday
Thursday
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 19:1-2
The burden of Egypt.
Behold the Lord will ascend upon a swift cloud, and will enter into Egypt,
and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at His presence, and the heart of
Egypt shall melt in the midst thereof. "And I will set the Egyptians
to fight against the Egyptians: and they shall fight brother against
brother, and friend against friend, city against city, kingdom against
kingdom."
Lesson ii
Isaias 19:3-6
"And the spirit of Egypt shall be
broken in the bowels thereof, and I will cast down their counsel: and they
shall consult their idols, and their diviners, and their wizards, and
soothsayers. And I will deliver Egypt into the hand of cruel masters,
and a strong king shall rule over them," said the Lord the God of hosts.
And the water of the sea shall be dried up, and the river shall be wasted
and dry. And the rivers shall fail: the streams of the banks shall be
diminished, and be dried up. The reed and the bulrush shall wither
away.
The channel of the river shall
be laid bare from its fountain, and every thing sown by the water shall
be dried up, it shall wither away, and shall be no more. The
fishers also shall mourn, and all that cast a hook into the river shall
lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish away.
They shall be confounded that wrought in flax, combing and weaving fine
linen. And its watery places shall be dry, all they shall mourn
that made pools to take fishes.
Lesson iii
Isaias 19:11-13
The princes of Tanis have become
fools, the wise counselors of Pharao have given foolish counsel: how will
you say to Pharao: "I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?"
Where are now thy wise men? let them tell thee, and show what the Lord of
hosts has purposed for Egypt. The princes of Tanis have become fools,
the princes of Memphis have gone astray, thr leaders of her tribes have led
Egypt astray.
Collect of Sunday
Friday
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 24:1-3
Behold the Lord shall lay waste the earth, and shall strip
it, and shall afflict the face thereof, and scatter its inhabitants abroad.
And it shall be as with the people, so with the priest: and as with the
servant, so with his master: as with the handmaid, so with her mistress: as
with the buyer, so with the seller: as with the lender, so with the
borrower: as with him who calls for his money, so with him that owes it. With desolation shall the earth be laid waste, and it shall be utterly
spoiled: for the Lord hath spoken this word.
Lesson ii
Isaias 24:4-6
The earth mourned, and faded away, and
is weakened: the world faded away, the height of the people of the earth is
weakened.
And the earth is infected by its inhabitants: because they have transgressed
the laws, they have changed the ordinance, they have broken the everlasting
covenant. Therefore shall a curse devour the earth, and its inhabitants shall sin: and therefore those
who dwell therein
shall be scorched, and few men shall be left.
Lesson iii
Isaias 24:7-16
The vintage has mourned, the vine has languished
away, all the merry-hearted have sighed. The mirth of timbrels has ceased,
the noise of them that rejoice is ended, the melody of the harp is silent.
They shall not drink wine with a song: the drink shall be bitter to them
that drink it. The city of vanity is broken down, every house is shut
up, no man comes in. There shall be a crying for wine in the streets:
all mirth is forsaken: the joy of the earth is gone away. Desolation is
left in the city, and calamity shall oppress the gates. For it shall be
thus in the midst of the earth, in the midst of the people, as if a few
olives, that remain, should be shaken out of the olive tree: or grapes, when
the vintage is ended. These shall lift up their voice, and shall give
praise: when the Lord shall be glorified, they shall make a joyful noise
from the sea. Therefore glorify ye the Lord in instruction: the name of
the Lord God of Israel in the islands of the sea. From the ends of the earth we have heard praises, the
glory of the just one. And I said: "My secret to myself, my secret to myself,
woe is me: the liars have lied, and with the lying
of transgressors they have lied."
Collect of Sunday
Saturday
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 25:1-4
O Lord, Thou art my God, I
will exalt Thee, and give glory to Thy name: for Thou hast done wonderful
things, Thy designs of old faithful, amen. For Thou hast reduced the
city to a heap, the strong city to ruin, the house of strangers, to be no
city, and to be no more built up for ever. Therefore shall a strong
people praise Thee, the city of mighty nations shall fear Thee.
Because Thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in
his distress: a refuge from the whirlwind, a shadow from the heat.
Lesson ii
Isaias 25:4-7
For the blast of the Mighty is like a
whirlwind beating against a wall. Thou shalt bring down the tumult of strangers,
as heat in thirst: and as with heat under a burning cloud, Thou shalt make
the branch of the mighty to wither away. And the Lord of hosts shall
make unto all people in this mountain, a feast of fat things, a feast of
wine, of fat things full of marrow, of wine purified from the lees. And
He shall destroy in this
mountain the face of the bond with which all people were tied, and the web
that He began over all nations.
Lesson iii
Isaias 25:8-12
He shall cast death down headlong for
ever: and the Lord God shall wipe away tears from every face, and the
reproach of His people He shall take away from off the whole earth: for the
Lord hath spoken it. And they shall say in that day: Lo, this is our
God, we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord, we have
patiently waited for Him, we shall rejoice and be joyful in His salvation. For the hand of the Lord shall rest in this mountain: and Moab shall be
trodden down under Him, as straw is broken in pieces with the wagon. And
He shall stretch forth his hands under Him, as the
swimmer stretches forth his hands to swim: and He shall bring down
their glory with the dashing of their hands. And the bulwarks of your high
walls shall fall, and be brought low, and shall be pulled down to the
ground, even to the dust.
Collect of Sunday
If the third lesson is to be taken
from the Saturday Office of the Blessed Virgin or from a simplex feast of a
Saint, Lessons ii and iii above are concatenated.