Septima die infra Octavam Omnium SanctorumSeventh Day Within the Octave of All Saints

Lesson I

Lesson from the book of Ezekiel

Ezek 19:1-7

Moreover take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, And say: Why did thy mother the lioness lie down among the lions, and bring up her whelps in the midst of young lions? And she brought out one of her whelps, and he became a lion: and he learned to catch the prey, and to devour men. And the nations heard of him, and took him, but not without receiving wounds: and they brought him in chains into the land of Egypt. But she seeing herself weakened, and that her hope was lost, took one of her young lions, and set him up for a lion. And he went up and down among the lions, and became a lion: and he learned to catch the prey, and to devour men. He learned to make widows, and to lay waste their cities: and the land became desolate, and the fulness thereof by the noise of his roaring.

Lesson II

Ezek 19:8-11

And the nations came together against him on every side out of the provinces, and they spread their net over him, in their wounds he was taken. And they put him into a cage, they brought him in chains to the king of Babylon: and they cast him into prison, that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel. Thy mother is like a vine in thy blood planted by the water: her fruit and her branches have grown out of many waters. And she hath strong rods to make sceptres for them that bear rule, and her stature was exalted among the branches: and she saw her height in the multitude of her branches.

Lesson III

Ezek 19:12-14

But she was plucked up in wrath, and cast on the ground, and the burning wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods are withered, and dried up: the fire hath devoured her. And now she is transplanted into the desert, in a land not passable, and dry. And a fire is gone out from a rod of her branches, which hath devoured her fruit: so that she now hath no strong rod, to be a sceptre of rulers. This is a lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation.

Lesson IV

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.

Lesson V

It ought not to be hard for us to copy others, when we see what they of old time did without any examples before them, so that in them who copied not others, but set example for others to copy, and in us who copy them, and in them which take example 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.

Lesson VI

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, diverse 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.

Lesson VII

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. Augustine, 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.

Lesson VIII

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.

Lesson IX

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.

Te Deum