Occurring Scripture for the Hour of Matins
Sexagesima Week
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday SaturdayLesson i
A reading from the book of Genesis
Gen 5:31; 6:1-4Noe, when he was five hundred years old, begot Sem, Cham, and Japheth. And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them, The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose. And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.
Lesson ii
Gen 6:5-8 5And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times, It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart, He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noe found grace before the Lord.
Lesson iii
Gen 6:9-15These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God. And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity. And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth,) He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shall make little rooms in the ark, and thou shall pitch it within and without. And thus shall thou make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits: the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
Lesson iv
From the Book on Noe's Ark of St Ambrose, Bishop.,
Chap, iv.We read that the Lord was angry. It is in the thoughts, that is to say, in the knowledge of God, that man being put on earth and weighted with the body cannot be without sin, for earth is the home of temptations, and the flesh is a bait for corruption. Yet man had a reasonable soul, and his soul had power to control his body; and, being so made, he made no struggle to keep himself from falling into that from whence he would not return. God's thoughts are not as man's thoughts; in Him there is no such thing as change of mind, no such thing as to be angry and then cool down again. These things are written that we may know the bitterness of our sins, whereby we have earned the Divine wrath. To such a degree had iniquity grown that God, Who by His nature cannot be moved by anger, or hatred, or any passion whatsoever, is represented as provoked to anger.
Lesson v
And God threatened that He would destroy man. He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. What harm had the animals done? For man's use had they been created, and, when man was wiped away, they were of use no longer. And there is an higher reason. Man is a living soul, capable of reason, who may be described as a living animal, subject to death, and endowed with reason. When then the highest animal is gone, why should the lower branches remain? Why should anything be saved alive, when righteousness, the basis of salvation, is to be no more?
Lesson vi
But more effectually to condemn the rest of men, and to manifest the goodness of God, it is written that Noe found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Here we learn also that the sin of his neighbor casts no shadow on the righteous, when he is kept as a stock from whence the whole race are to spring. He is praised, not because he was of a noble race, but because he was a just man and perfect. The stock of a just man yields men of just souls; for virtues, like blood, are hereditary. Among men are some families illustrious for honorable pedigrees, and so there are also races of souls whose comeliness is the luster of virtues.
Lesson vii
The continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Luke
Luke 8:4-15At that time: And when a very great multitude was gathered together, and hastened out of the cities unto him, he spoke by a parable. The sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And other some fell upon a rock: and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And other some fell among thorns, and the thorns growing up with it, choked it. And other some fell upon good ground; and being sprung up, yielded fruit a hundredfold. Saying these things, he cried out: He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him what this parable might be. To whom he said: To you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to the rest in parables, that seeing they may not see, and hearing may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. And they by the way side are they that hear; then the devil cometh, and taketh the word out of their heart, lest believing they should be saved. Now they upon the rock, are they who when they hear, receive the word with joy: and these have no roots; for they believe for a while, and in time of temptation, they fall away. And that which fell among thorns, are they who have heard, and going their way, are choked with the cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and yield no fruit. But that on the good ground, are they who in a good and perfect heart, hearing the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience.
Homily by Pope St Gregory the Great.
5th on the Gospels.Dearly beloved brethren, the passage from the Holy Gospel which ye have just heard, needs not so much that I should explain it, as that I should seek to enforce its lesson. The Truth Himself has explained it, and, after that, seems not man's right to fritter away His exposition by any further comment. But there is, in that very explanation by the Lord, somewhat, which it behooves us to weigh carefully. If it were but we who bade you believe that by the seed is signified the word; by the field, the world; by the birds, the devils; and by the thorns, riches ye would perchance doubt of the truth of our explanation. Therefore the Lord Himself has given us this explanation, and that, not for this parable only, but that ye may know in what manner to interpret others, whereof He has not given the meaning.
Lesson viii
Beginning His explanation, the Lord said that He spoke in parables. Hereby He doth certify us, when our weakness would unveil to you the hidden meaning of His words. If I spoke of myself, who would believe me when I say that riches are thorns? Thorns prick, but riches lull to rest. And yet riches are indeed thorns, for the anxiety they bring is a ceaseless pricking to the minds of their owners, and, if they lead into sin, they are thorns which bloodily tear the soul. But we understand from another Evangelist that in this place the Lord speaks not of riches themselves, but of the deceitfulness of riches.
Lesson ix
Those riches are deceitful riches, which can be ours only for a little while; those riches are deceitful riches, which cannot relieve the poverty of our souls. They are the only true riches, which make us rich in virtues. If then, dearly beloved brethren, ye seek to be rich, earnestly desire the true riches. If ye would be truly honorable, strive after the kingdom of heaven. If ye love the bravery of titles, hasten to have your names written down at Court above, where Angels are. Take to heart the Lord's words which your ear hears. The food of the soul is the word of God. When the stomach is sick it rejects the food which is put into it, and so is the soul sick when a man hears and digests not in his memory the Word of God. And if any man cannot keep his food, that man's life is in desperate case.
Let us pray O God, Who see that we put not our trust in anything that we do, mercifully grant that through the protection of the Teacher of the Gentiles we may be defended against all adversity. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Lesson i
A reading from the book of Genesis
Gen 7:1-4And the Lord said to him: Go in thou and all thy house into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation. Of all clean beasts take seven and seven, the male and female. But of the beasts that are unclean two and two, the male and female. Of the fowls also of the air seven and seven, the male and the female: that seed may be saved upon the face of the whole earth. For yet a while, and after seven days, I will rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy every substance that I have made, from the face of the earth.
Lesson ii
Gen 7:5; 7:10-12And Noe did all things which the Lord had commanded him. And after seven days were passed, the waters of the flood overflowed the earth. In the six hundredth year of the life of Noe in the second month, in the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the flood gates of heaven were open: And the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
Lesson iii
Gen 7:13-14; 7:17In the selfsame day Noe, and Sem, and Cham, and Japheth his sons: his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark: They and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and every thing that moves upon the earth according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind. And the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters increased, and lifted up the ark on high from earth.
Lesson i
A reading the book of Genesis
Gen 8:1-4And God remembered Noe, and all the living creatures, and all the cattle which were with him in the ark, and brought a wind upon the earth, and the waters were abated. The fountains also of the deep, and the flood gates of heaven were shut up, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters returned from off the earth going and coming: and they began to be abated after a hundred and fifty days. And the ark rested in the seventh month, the seven and twentieth day of the month, upon the mountains of Armenia.
Lesson ii
Gen 8:5-9And the waters were going and decreasing until the tenth month: for in the tenth month, the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared. 6 And after that forty days were passed, Noe, opening the window of the ark which he had made, sent forth a raven: 7 Which went forth and did not return, till the waters were dried up upon the earth. 8 He sent forth also a dove after him, to see if the waters had now ceased upon the face of the earth. 9 But she, not finding where her foot might rest, returned to him into the ark.
Lesson iii
Gen 8:10-13 10And having waited yet seven other days, he again sent forth the dove out of the ark. And she came to him in the evening, carrying a bough of an olive tree, with green leaves, in her mouth. Noe therefore understood that the waters were ceased upon the earth. And he stayed yet other seven days: and he sent forth the dove, which returned not any more unto him. Therefore in the six hundredth and first year, the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were lessened upon the earth.
Lesson i
A reading from the book of Genesis
Gen 8:15-19And God spoke to Noe, saying: "Go out of the ark, thou and thy wife, thy sons, and the wives of thy sons with thee. All livings things that are with thee of all flesh, as well in fowls as in beasts, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, bring out with thee, and go ye upon the earth: increase and multiply upon it." So Noe went out, he and his sons: his wife, and the wives of his sons with him. And all living things, and cattle, and creeping things that creep upon the earth, according to their kinds, went out of the ark.
Lesson ii
Gen 8:20-22And Noe built an altar unto the Lord: and taking of all cattle and fowls that were clean, offered holocausts upon the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savor, and said: I will no more curse the earth for the sake of man: for the imagination and thought of man's heart are prone to evil from his youth: therefore I will no more destroy every living soul as I have done. All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, night and day, shall not cease.
Lesson iii
Gen 9:1-6And God blessed Noe and his sons. And he said to them: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth. And let the fear and dread of you be upon all the beasts of the earth, and upon all the fowls of the air, and all that move upon the earth: all the fishes of the sea are delivered into your hand. And every thing that moves and lives shall be meat for you: even as the green herbs have I delivered them all to you: Saving that flesh with blood you shall not eat. For I will require the blood of your lives at the hand of every beast, and at the hand of man, at the hand of every man, and of his brother, will I require the life of man. Whosoever shall shed man's blood, his blood shall be shed: for man was made to the image of God.
Lesson i
Gen 9:12-15And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I will give between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations. I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me, and between the earth. And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, my bow shall appear in the clouds: And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that bears flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh.
Lesson ii
Gen 9:20-23And Noe, a husbandman, began to till the ground, and planted a vineyard. And drinking of the wine was made drunk, and was uncovered in his tent. Which when Cham the father of Chaanan had seen, to wit, that his father's nakedness was uncovered, he told it to his two brethren without. But Sem and Japheth put a cloak upon their shoulders, and going backward, covered the nakedness of their father: and their faces were turned away, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
Lesson iii
Gen 9:24-29 24And Noe awaking from the wine, when he had learned what his younger son had done to him, He said: Cursed be Chaanan, a servant of servants, shall he be unto his brethren. And he said: Blessed be the Lord God of Sem, be Chanaan his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Sem, and Chanaan be his servant. And Noe lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years: And all his days were in the whole nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.
Lesson i
Gen 10:1-6These are the generations of the sons of Noe: Sem, Cham, and Japheth: and unto them sons were born after the flood. The sons of Japheth: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Thubal, and Mosoch, and Thiras. And the sons of Gomer: Ascenez and Riphath and Thogorma. And the sons of Javan: Elisa and Tharsis, Cetthim, and Dodanim. By these were divided the islands of the Gentiles in their lands, every one according to his tongue and their families in their nations. 6 And the sons of Cham: Chus, and Mesram, and Phuth, and Chanaan.
Lesson ii
Gen 11:1-4And the earth was of one tongue, and of the same speech. And when they removed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it. And each one said to his neighbour: Come, let us make brick, and bake them of stones, and slime instead of mortar. And they said: Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven: and let us make our name famous before we be scattered abroad into all lands.
Lesson iii
Gen 11:5-8And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of Adam were building. And he said: Behold, it is one people, and all have one tongue: and they have begun to do this, neither will they leave off from their designs, till they accomplish them in deed. Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there may not understand one another's speech. And so the Lord scattered them from that place into all lands, and they ceased to build the city.
Lesson i.
A reading from the book of Genesis
Gen 11:10-15These are the generations of Sem: Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, two years after the flood. And Sem lived after he begot Arphaxad, five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Sale. And Arphaxad lived after he begot Sale, three hundred and three years; and begot sons and daughters. Sale also lived thirty years, and begot Heber. And Sale lived after he begot Heber, four hundred and three years; and begot sons and daughters.
Lesson ii
Gen 11:16-23And Heber lived thirty-four years, and begot Phaleg. And Heber lived after he begot Phaleg, four hundred and thirty years: and begot sons and daughters. Phaleg also lived thirty years, and begot Reu. And Phaleg lived after he begot Reu, two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters. And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Sarug. And Reu lived after he begot Sarug, two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. And Sarug lived thirty years, and begot Nachor. And Sarug lived after he begot Nachor, two hundred years: and begot sons and daughters.
Lesson iii
Gen 11:24-30And Nachor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Thare. And Nachor lived after he begot Thare, a hundred and nineteen years: and begot sons and daughters. And Thare lived seventy years, and begot Abram, and Nachor, and Aran. And these are the generations of Thare: Thare begot Abram, Nachor, and Aran. And Aran begot Lot. And Aran died before Thare his father, in the land of his nativity in Ur of the Chaldees. And Abram and Nachor married wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai: and the name of Nachor's wife, Melcha, the daughter of Aran, father of Melcha, and father of Jescha. And Sarai was barren, and had no children.
