Occurring Scripture for the Hour of Matins
Third Week of Advent
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayLesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 26:1-6In that day shall this canticle be sung in the land of Juda. "Sion the city of our strength a savior, a wall and a bulwark shall be set therein. Open the gates, and let the just nation, that keeps the truth, enter in. The old error has passed away: Thou will keep peace: peace, because we have hoped in Thee." You have hoped in the Lord for evermore, in the Lord God mighty for ever. For He shall bring down them that dwell on high, the high city He shall lay low. He shall bring it down even to the ground, He shall pull it down even to the dust. The foot shall tread it down, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy.
Lesson ii
Isaias 26:7-10The way of the just is right, the path of the just is right to walk in. And in the way of Thy judgments, O Lord, we have patiently waited for Thee: Thy name, and t=Thy remembrance are the desire of the soul. My soul has desired Thee in the night: yea, and with my spirit within me in the morning early I will watch for Thee. When Thou do Thy judgments on the earth, the inhabitants of the world shall learn justice. Let us have pity on the wicked, but he will not learn justice: in the land of the saints he has done wicked things, and he shall not see the glory of the Lord.
Lesson iii
Isaias 26:11=14Lord, let Thy hand be exalted, and let them not see: let the envious people see, and be confounded: and let fire devour Thine enemies. Lord, Thou will give us peace: for Thou have wrought all our works for us. O Lord our God, other lords besides Thee have had dominion over us, only in Thee let us remember Thy name. Let not the dead live, let not the giants rise again: therefore have Thou visited and destroyed them, and have destroyed all their memory.
Lesson iv
A Sermon of Pope Saint Leo the Great
Second Sermon on the December Fast, and AlmsgivingDearly beloved brethren, with the care which becomes us as the shepherd of your souls, we urge the rigid observance of this December Fast. The month of December has come around again, and with it this devout custom of the Church. The fruits of the year, which is drawing to a close, are now all gathered in, and we most appropriately offer our abstinence to God as a sacrifice of thanksgiving. And what can be more useful than fasting, that exercise by which we draw nigh to God, make a stand against the devil, and overcome the softer enticements of sin?
Lesson v
Fasting has ever been the bread of strength. From abstinence proceeds pure thoughts, reasonable desires, and healthy counsels. By voluntary mortifications the flesh dies to lust, and the soul is renewed in might. But since fasting is not the only means by which our souls are made healthy, let us add works of mercy to our fasting. Let us spend in good deeds what we take from indulgence. Let our fast become the banquet of the poor.
Lesson vi
Let us defend the widow and serve the orphan; let us comfort the afflicted and reconcile the estranged; let us take in the wanderer and succor the oppressed; let us clothe the naked and cherish the sick. And may every one of us that shall offer to the God of all goodness this Advent sacrifice of fasting and alms be made by Him fit to receive an eternal reward in His heavenly kingdom! We fast on Wednesday and Friday; and there is likewise a Vigil on Saturday at the Church of St. Peter, that by his good prayers we may the more effectually obtain what we ask for, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, lives and reigns, one God, world without end. Amen.
Lesson vii
The continuation of the Holy Gospel according to John
John 1:19-28And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask Him: "Who are you?" And He confessed, and did not deny: and He confessed: "I am not the Christ." And they asked him: "What then? Are you Elias?" And he said: "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" And he answered: "No." And they said to Him: "Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say of yourself?" He said: "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'make straight the way of the Lord,' as said the prophet Isaias." And those that were sent, were of the Pharisees. And they asked him: Why do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet?" John answered them, saying: "I baptize with water; but there is One Who stood in your midst, Whom you do not know. He it is Who shall come after me, Who is preferred before me: the latchet of Whose shoe I am not worthy to loose." These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
An homily of Pope Saint Gregory the Great
The seventh on the GospelsDearly beloved brethren, the first thing which strikes us in today's Gospel is the humility of John. He was so great that it was thought he might be the Christ; yet he soberly chose rather to seem only what he really was, than to let the belief of men invest him with a dignity which did not belong to him; for he confessed, and denied not, but confessed, "I am not the Christ," at the same time he would not deny what he was in reality; and thus his very truth-speaking made him a member of Him Whose title he would not by falsehood take. In that he arrogated not to himself the name of Christ, he became a member of Christ. While he humbly strove to confess his own weakness, he earned by his simplicity a part in the grandeur of his Master.
Lesson viii
In considering this subject we find an apparent contradiction between one of John's statements, and the saying of our Redeemer recorded in another part of the Gospel. (cf. Matthew 17:10-13) When His disciples asked our Lord regarding the coming of Elias, He answered: "Elias has already come, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. And if ye will receive it, this that is, John is Elias" (cf. Matthew 11:11-15). But when John was asked if he was Elias, he answered: I am not. How comes it then, dearly beloved brethren, that we find the Truth Itself asserting what the prophet of the Truth denied? It must evidently be that our Lord meant one thing and John meant something else, when the Lord said, "This is," and John said, "I am not." For how can he be the prophet of truth, if he speak not according to the word of Him Who is the Eternal Truth?
Lesson ix
Let us then more minutely examine these words, and we shall find that there is no real contradiction. When the Angel announced to Zacharias the coming birth of John he said "He shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias" (Luke 1:17). As the old Elias will come again before the Second Advent of the Lord, so did John, as the new Elias, go before the First Advent, in the spirit and power of Elias. As the old Elias will be the Fore-runner of the Judge, so the new Elias was the Forerunner of the Savior. John then was Elias in spirit, but not in person; and our Lord asserted of the spirit what John denied of the person.
Collect:
Let us pray: Incline Thine ear to our prayers, we beseech Thee, O Lord; and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of Thy visitation. Who livest and reignest....
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 28:1-3Woe to the crown of pride, to the drunkards of Ephraim, and to the fading flower the glory of his joy, who were on the head of the fertile valley, staggering with wine. Behold the Lord is mighty and strong, as a storm of hail: a destroying whirlwind, as the violence of many waters overflowing, and sent forth upon a spacious land. The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim shall be trodden under feet.
Lesson ii
Isaias 28:4-7And the fading flower the glory of his joy, who is on the head of the fertile valley, shall be as an early fruit before the ripeness of autumn: which when he that sees it shall behold, as soon as he takes it in his hand, he will eat it up. In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of joy to the remnant of his people: And a spirit of judgment to him that sits in judgment, and strength to those who return out of the battle to the gate. But these also have been ignorant through wine, and through drunkenness have erred: the priest and the prophet have been ignorant through drunkenness, they are swallowed up with wine, they have gone astray in drunkenness, they do not see, they are ignorant of good judgment.
Lesson iii
Isaias 28:16-18Therefore, thus says the Lord God: "Behold I will lay a stone in the foundations of Sion, a tried stone, a corner stone, a precious stone, founded in the foundation. He that believeth, let him not be shakten. And I will set judgment in weight, and justice in measure: and hail shall overturn the hope of falsehood: and waters shall overflow its protection. And your league with death shall be abolished, and your covenant with hell shall not stand: when the overflowing scourge shall pass, you shall be trodden down by it."
Collect of Sunday
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 30:18-20Therefore the Lord waits that He may have mercy on you: and therefore shall He be exalted in sparing you: because the Lord is the God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him. For the people of Sion shall dwell in Jerusalem: weeping you shall not weep, He will surely have pity on you: at the voice of your cry, as soon as He shall hear, He will answer you. And the Lord will give you spare bread, and short water: and will not cause your teacher to flee away from you any more, and your eyes shall see your teacher.
Lesson ii
Isaias 30:22-25And you shall defile the plates of your graven things of silver, and the garment of your molten things of gold, and shall cast them away as the uncleanness of a menstruous woman. And bid it be gone. And rain shall be given to your seed, wherever you sow in the land: and the bread of the wheat of the land shall be most plentiful, and fat. Your lambs shall enjoy abundant pasture. And your oxen, and the ass colts that till the ground, shall eat mixed feed as it was winnowed in the floor. And there shall be rivers of running waters upon every high mountain, and upon every elevated hill in the day of the slaughter of many, when the tower shall fall.
Lesson iii
Isaias 30:26-28And the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days: in the day when the Lord shall bind up the wound of His people, and shall heal the stroke of their wound. Behold the name of the Lord comes from afar, His wrath burns, and is heavy to bear: His lips are filled with indignation, and His tongue as a devouring fire. His breath is a torrent overflowing even to the midst of the neck, to reduce the nations to nothing, and the bridle of error that was in the jaws of the people.
Collect of Sunday
Ember Wednesday
Lesson i
The continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Luke
Luke 1:26-38At that time, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, unto a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the Angel, having entered, said unto her, «Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women.» Who, having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this might be. And the Angel said to her, «Fear not Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the most High, and the Lord shall give Him the throne of David His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.» And Mary said unto the Angel, «How shall this be done, because I know not man?» And the Angel answering, said to her, «The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And, therefore, the Holy that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also has conceived a son even in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren; because nothing shall be impossible with God.» And Mary said, «Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to thy word.»
An homily of Saint Ambrose, Bishop
Book II on Luke.The mysteries of God are unsearchable, and it is especially declared by a Prophet, that a man can hardly know His counsels (cf. Wisdom 9:13). Nevertheless, some things have been revealed to us, and we may gather from some of the words and works of the Lord our Savior, that there was a special purpose of God, in the fact that she who was chosen to be the mother of the Lord was espoused to a man. Why did not the power of the Highest overshadow her before she was so espoused? Perhaps it was lest any might blasphemously say that she had conceived the Holy One in fornication.
Lesson ii
And the angel came in unto her. Let us learn from this Virgin how to bear ourselves, let us learn her modesty, let us learn by her devout utterance, above all let us learn by the holy mystery enacted. It is the part of a maiden to be timid, to avoid the advances of men, and to shrink from men's addresses. Would that our women would learn from the example of modesty here set before us. She upon whom the stare of men had never been fixed was alone in her chamber, and was found only by an angel. There was neither companion nor witness there, that what passed might not be debased in gossip and the angel saluted her.
Lesson iii
The mystery of this message was so great that it was not given through the mouths of men, but was spoken by an Angel. This is the first time that any ear has heard "The Holy Ghost shall come upon you." The words are heard and believed. Finally, she said, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your word." Look at her humility, her readiness to serve. She who was chosen to be the Lord's mother proclaims herself His handmaid.
Collect:
Let us pray: Hasten, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and do not delay, and grant us the help of Thy heavenly power, that those who trust in Thy goodness may be helped by the consolations of Thy coming. Who livest and reignest.
Lesson i
A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaias
Isaias 33:1-2Woe to you who spoil—shall you not be spoiled yourself? and you who despise, shall not thyself also be despised? when you shalt have made an end of spoiling, you shalt be spoiled: when being wearied thou shalt cease to despise, thou shalt be despised. O Lord, have mercy on us: for we have waited for thee: be thou our arm in the morning, and our salvation in the time of trouble.
Lesson ii
Isaias 33:3-6At the voice of the angel the people fled, and at the lifting up thyself the nations are scattered. And your spoils shall be gathered together as the locusts are gathered, as when the ditches are full of them. The Lord is magnified, for He has dwelled on high: He has filled Sion with judgment and justice. And there shall be faith in your times: riches of salvation, wisdom and knowledge: the fear of the Lord is His treasure.
Lesson iii
Isaias 33:14-17Sinners in Sion are afraid, trembling has seized upon the hypocrites. Which of you can dwell with devouring fire? which of you shall dwell with everlasting burnings? He that walks in justice, and that speaks truth, that casts away avarice by oppression, and shakes his hands from all bribes, that stops his ears lest he hear blood, and shuts his eyes that he may see no evil. He shall dwell on high, the fortifications of rocks shall be his high nest: bread is given him, his waters are sure. His eyes shall see the king in his beauty, they shall see the land far off.
Collect of Sunday
Ember Friday
Lesson i
The continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Luke
Luke 1:39-47At that time Mary, rising up, went into the hill country with haste to a city of Juda, and she entered into the house of Zachary, and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass that when Elizabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the infant leapt in her womb: and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she cried out with a loud voice, and she said, «Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And how is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because these things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.» And Mary said, «My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.»
An Homily of Saint Ambrose, Bishop
Commentary on Luke, Bk. ii. cWhen any one asks another to be believed, he is bound to give some reasonable ground. And so the Angel, when he announced to Mary the counsel of God, gave, as a proof, the conception of Elizabeth, then aged and barren, that Mary might perceive, by this example, that with God nothing is impossible. When the holy Virgin had heard it, she arose and went to visit her cousin. She did not go to see if what she had heard was true, because she did not believe God, or because she knew not who the messenger had been, or yet because she doubted the fact adduced in proof. She went joyfully as one who has received a mercy in answer to his vow goes to pay it. She went with devotion, as a godly person goes to execute a religious duty. She went into the hill country in joyful haste. And is it not something that she went up into the hills? God was already in her womb, and her feeling bore her continually upward. The grace of the Holy Spirit knows no slow working.
Lesson ii
Godly women will learn from the example of the Mother of God to take a tender care of their kinswomen who are with child. In pursuance of this charity, Mary, who had up tot this time remained alone at home, was not deterred by her maidenly shyness from entering on a public journey; she faced for this end the hardships of mountain travelling; and encountered with a sense of duty the weary length of the way. The Virgin left her home, and went into the hill country with haste, unmindful of the trouble, and remembering only the office to which her cousinly love prompted her, in spite of the delicacy of her sex. Maidens will learn from her not to idle about from house to house, to loiter in the streets, nor to take part in conversations in public. Mary, as she was swift to pass through the public roads, so was she slow again to enter on them and she abode with her cousin about three months.
Lesson ii
As the modesty of Mary is a pattern for the imitation of all maidens, so also is her humility. She went to see Elizabeth, like one cousin going to visit another, and as the younger to the elder. Not only did she first go, but she first saluted Elizabeth. Now, the purer a virgin is, the humbler ought she to be. She will know how to submit herself to her elders. She that professes chastity ought to be a very mistress of humility. Lowly-mindedness is at once the very ground in which devotion grows, and the first and principal rule of its teaching. In this act of the Virgin then we see the greater going to visit and to succor the lesser Mary to Elizabeth, Christ to John.
Collect:
Let us pray: Stir up Thy power, we beseech Thee, O Lord, and come: that they who trust in Thy goodness may be the more speedily freed from all adversity. Who livest.
Ember Saturday
Lesson i
The continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Luke
Luke 3:1-6Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch of Iturea and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilinia, under the high-priests Annas and Caiphas; the word of the Lord was given unto John, the son of Zachary in the desert. And he came into the region about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins, as it was written in the book of the sayings of Isaias the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the desert, 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight His paths. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made plain, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
An homily of Pope Saint Gregory the Great
Homily X on the Gospels.The date, at which the Fore-runner of our Redeemer entered on his public office of preaching, is indicated to us by the name of the ruler of the Roman Commonwealth, and by those of the princes of Palestine. The time of his preaching is indicated by these names, because he came as the Fore-runner of Him Who was to be the Redeemer of some Jews and many Gentiles. Moreover in the enumeration of these worldly monarchs there is a foreshadowing of the fact, that the Gentiles were about to be gathered into one, and the Jews to be scattered abroad in punishment of their unbelief; in the whole heathen Commonwealth we find the title of one Emperor, but in the small kingdom of Judaea are mentioned four masters.
Lesson ii
The blessed voice of the Savior said: "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation" (Luke 11:17). And we may well look for the ruin of the Jewish state when we see it divided among so many rulers. We observe likewise that the names of the reigning priests as well as kings are given. The Evangelist Luke hath left on record the chiefs both of the monarchy and of the priesthood who held office when John the Baptist began to preach, because John preached Him Who is at once our Priest and our King.
Lesson iii
"And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." It is evident from these words that John the Baptist not only preached, but also administered the baptism of repentance, and yet that baptism of repentance which he gave, was not really a baptism for the remission of sins. For there is only one baptism for the remission of sins, and that is our Christian baptism. It is worthy of note here that the words used are, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, for he himself owned that his baptism was not the true baptism that washes away sin. Even as the Eternal Word of God made Flesh was greater than the preacher that went before Him, so was His holy baptism, by which our sins are washed away, far greater than that baptism of repentance which the Fore-runner preached, and which could never wash away sin.
Collect:
Let us pray: O God, Who sees that we are afflicted because of our wickedness, grant in Thy mercy that we may be comforted by Thy visitation.
