AND the ark of the LORD was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place. And they said, If ye send away the ark of the GOD of Israel, send it not empty; but in any wise return him a trespass And for the months of July and

very same thing that Melchisedech had

THIRD NOCTURN.

August.

offered, that is, bread and wine, to wit, And for the months of July and His own Body and Blood. And that former blessing, bestowed on Abraham, belonged to our people. For if Abraham believed GOD, and it was counted unto him for righteousness,

Lesson VII. Chap. vi.

Of the Holy Gospel according to S.
John.

AT that time: JESUS said unto the
multitude of the Jews: My Flesh
is meat indeed, and My Blood is
drink indeed. And that which

A Homily of S. Augustine.

no doubt every one who believes GOD,
and lives by faith, is found righteous,
and was long ago blessed, and declared
justified in faithful Abraham; as
the blessed Apostle Paul proves, follows.
saying, Abraham believed GOD, and
it was counted unto him for
righteousness. For the scripture
foreseeing that God would justify the
Gentiles by faith, foretold to Abra-
ham, that in him should all nations
be blessed.

Ry. JESUS took the cup. p. viii.

Lesson VI.

THAT therefore the benediction bestowed on Abraham by Melchisedech the priest, in Genesis, might be duly solemnized, it was preceded by a typical sacrifice, consisting, to wit, of bread and wine. And the LORD, accomplishing and fulfilling this thing, offered bread and the mixed chalice with wine; and He Who is fulness

fulfilled the truth of the prefigured

type. For the HOLY GHOST shews us beforehand a type of the LORD's Sacrifice in the words of Solomon: a type of the slain victim, and of the bread

and wine, and of the Altar too: and making mention of the Apostles, saith, Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars, she hath killed her beasts, she hath mingled her wine, she hath also

furnished her table. She hath sent forth her servants, summoning men with clear voiced preaching to that cup, saying: Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither; as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith

unto him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled.

Ry. I am the Bread of life. p. viii.

Tr. 26 on S. John.

Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. Wherefore did they eat, and are dead? Because they believed only what they saw, and did not understand what they did not see. They are called your fathers for this reason because you are like them. For, my brethren, so far as belongeth to visible and corporal death, do not we also die who eat the Bread which cometh down from heaven? So they also died as we shall also die, as far as belongs to the visible and carnal death of this body.

Ry. He that. p. ix.

Lesson VIII.

BUT so far as belongs to that death,

touching which the LORD alarms us, whereby their fathers died, Moses ate of the manna, Aaron ate of the manna, and Phineas ate of the manna.

Many ate of it then who pleased the
LORD, and are not dead.
Because they spiritually understood
Why?
the visible food; they spiritually
hungered for it: they tasted spiritually
that they might be spiritually filled.
We too, to-day, receive spiritual food:
for the sacrament is one thing; the
virtue of the sacrament is another.
Ry. As the living Father. p. ix.

roth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines. Then the children of Israel did put away Baalim and Ashtaroth, and served the LORD only.

poison to Judas? and when he received | Israel, saying, If ye do return unto it, the enemy entered into him; not the LORD with all your hearts, then because he had received an evil thing, put away the strange gods and Ashtabut because he, being evil, had evilly received a good thing. Take heed therefore, brethren; spiritually eat the Bread of heaven; bring innocence to the altar. As to your sins, though they be venial or perhaps not mortal, before you approach the altar, see that ye say, Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. If thou forgivest, it shall

be forgiven thee. Draw near confi

dently: it is bread, not poison.

AN

Te Deum. p. 15.

WEDNESDAY.

In the Octave.

FIRST NOCTURN.

Ry. Ye shall eat. p. vii.

Lesson III.

AND Samuel said, Gather all Israel to Mizpeh, and I will pray for you unto the LORD. And they gathered together to Mizpeh, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, We have sinned against the LORD. And Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpeh. And when the Philistines heard that the

gether to Mizpeh, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the children of Israel heard it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hands of the Philistines.

Of the 1st Book of Samuel. Lesson I. Chaps. vi. and vii. ND he smote the men of Beth-children of Israel were gathered toshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. And the men of Beth-shemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD GOD? and to whom shall he go up from us? And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjath-jearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you. And the men of Kirjath-jearim came, and fetched up the ark of the LORD, and brought it into the house of Abinadab in the

Ry. And Elijah. p. vii.

And for

Of the

SECOND NOCTURN.

the months of September
and October.

Book of S. Ambrose on the
Sacraments.

Lesson IV. Book 4.

hill, and sanctified Eleazar his son to WHO is the author of the Sacra

keep the ark of the LORD.

Ry. And the whole. p. vi.

Lesson II.

AND it came to pass, while the ark

abode in Kirjath-jearim, that the time was long; for it was twenty years and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD. And Samuel spake unto all the house of

ments, save the LORD JESUS? Those Sacraments came down from heaven. For every counsel is from heaven. It is in truth, a great and

divine miracle, that God rained down

manna from heaven on the people; and the people toiled not, and did eat. Therefore thou perhaps sayest: My bread is common bread. But this bread of thine is bread before the Sacra

mental words; when consecration heaven. But consider, whether is takes place, it becomes instead of greater, manna from heaven, or the bread the Body of CHRIST. Let us Body of CHRIST? No doubt the Body then establish this. How can that of CHRIST, Who was the Creator of which is bread become the Body of heaven. Further, he who ate manna CHRIST? By consecration. Whose is dead. But whoso shall eat of this words then, and whose discourse is the Body, remission of sins shall be consecration ? Those of the LORD granted him, and he shall not die for JESUS. For all the other words which ever. Therefore it is not mere form, that are spoken, offer praise to GOD, prayer is thou sayest Amen when thou receivest; made in them first for the people, for confessing then, in the spirit, that thou sovereigns, and for others: but when receivest the Body of CHRIST. The it comes to the hallowing of the Priest saith to thee: The Body of august Sacrifice, the Priest no longer CHRIST; and thou sayest: Amen; that uses his own words, but the words of is, Truly so. What the tongue confessCHRIST. eth, that the affections hold. Ry. I am. p. viii.

Ry. As they were. p. vii.

Lesson V.

THIRD NOCTURN.

THEREFORE the word of CHRIST And for the months of September and

makes this Sacrament.

What

October.

word of CHRIST? Doubtless that, Lesson of the Holy Gospel according whereby all things were made. The LORD commanded, and the heaven was made: the LORD commanded,

to S. John. Lesson VII. Chap. vi.

multitude of the Jews: My Flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. And that which follows. A Homily of S. Hilary the Bishop.

Book 8 on the Trinity.

or

and the earth was made: the LORD AT that time: JESUS said unto the commanded, and the seas were made: the LORD commanded, and every creature was produced. You see how efficacious is the word of CHRIST. If therefore there was such power in the word of CHRIST, that things which did not exist should begin to be, how much more is it efficacious to change things which already existed into something else? The heaven did not exist, the sea did not exist, the earth did not exist. But hear what He saith: He spake the word, and they were made: He commanded, and they were created. That I may then give thee thine answer, it was not the Body of CHRIST before consecration; but after consecration, I tell thee that it is now the Body of CHRIST. He spake the word, and it was made: He commanded, and it was created. R. JESUS. p. viii.

Lesson VI.

Now come back with me to my

statement. It was, no doubt, a great and marvellous thing, that He rained manna on the Jews from

We must not speak, in matters belonging to GoD, in a human worldly sense. Let us read what is written, let us understand what we have read, and then let us fulfil the duty of perfect faith. For, whatever we speak concerning the truth of CHRIST, by virtue of our natural faculties, we speak foolishly and impiously, unless we learn of Him. For He saith, My Flesh is meat indeed, and My Blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. There is no room left for doubting concerning the truth of His Body and Blood. Ry. He that. p. ix.

Lesson VIII.

FOR now, both according to the

plain statement of the LORD Himself, and to our faith, it is truly Flesh and truly Blood. And the taking and

drinking of these effects this: that
we should be in CHRIST, and CHRIST
in us.
Is not this the truth? No
doubt it may happen not to be the
truth to those who deny that CHRIST
JESUS is very GOD. He is therefore
in us by His Flesh, and we are in
Him, inasmuch as this nature of ours
is with Him in GOD. But that we are
in Him through the sacrament of
His communicated Flesh and Blood,
He Himself beareth witness, saying:
And now the world seeth Me not, but
ye see Me: because I live, ye shall
live also because I am in My FATHER,
and ye
in Me, and I in you.

R. As the living FATHER. p. ix.
Lesson IX.

make your faith touching divine mysteries sure of which when you have been made worthy, you become, so to speak, of the same Body and, the same Blood with CHRIST. For S. Paul has just been proclaiming that in the night in which our LORD JESUS CHRIST was betrayed, taking bread, and giving thanks, He brake it, and gave it to His disciples, saying: Take, eat: This is My Body. And taking the cup, and giving thanks, He said, Take, and drink: This is My Blood. Seeing then that He Himself hath pronounced and spoken of the bread, This is My Body, who shall dare to doubt thenceforward? And when too He hath said just as expressly:

BUT that this unity of nature is in This is My Blood: who can ever doubt

us, He Himself thus beareth witness: Whoso eateth My Flesh, and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. For no one can

be in Him, save one in whom He is
and who has taken into himself the
Flesh of Him, Who took upon Him
our flesh.
He had already a little
before taught us the sacrament of
this perfect union, saying: As the
living FATHER hath sent Me, and I
live by the FATHER, even so he that
eateth Me, the same shall live by Me.
He therefore liveth by the FATHER,
and in whatever manner He liveth by
the FATHER, we shall live in the same
manner by His Flesh.

Te Deum, p. 15.

THURSDAY.

Octave of Corpus Christi. The Lessons of the First Nocturn are read from the Epistle to the Corinthians, as on the Festival, p. vi.

SECOND NOCTURN.

or say that it is not His Blood?
Ry. As they were. p. vii.

Lesson V.

CHRIST at Cana of Galilee once

changed water into wine; which has a certain affinity to blood. And shall we think Him not worthy of our belief, that He could change wine into blood? Called to that marriage at which bodies are joined together, He wrought this miracle contrary to the expectation of all; and shall we not much more firmly be persuaded that He hath so given us His Body and Blood, for our enjoyment, that we should receive them with full certainty, as His Body and Blood? For he gives us His Body under the form of bread, and gives us His Blood under the form of wine, so that, when you receive, you may take the Body and Blood of CHRIST, and be made a partaker of that same Body and Blood. For so we become CHRIST-bearers, that is, bearing CHRIST in our bodies, when we receive His Body and Blood

And for the months of November and into our members. Thus, according to

December.

blessed Peter, we are made partakers

A Sermon of S. Cyril, Bishop of of the Divine Nature.

Jerusalem.

Lesson IV. Catech. myst.

THE teaching of blessed Paul seems of itself to be amply sufficient to

Ry. JESUS. p. viii.

Lesson VI.

CHRIST, once, conversing with the
Jews, said, Except ye eat My