Mozarabic Saturday - IV

Place yourself at Toledo: in the cathedral’s Mozarabic Rite chapel the faithful, silent, stand; silently, at this penitential season, the priest and his ministers advance to God’s altar; still without speaking, the priest bows awhile in prayer, then ascends the altar steps, kisses it, and goes to stand at his seat, where at length he first opens his mouth and salutes the congregation.  All attend to the readings that now begin.  A lector reads out the first lessson at the lectern; after he finishes, another takes his place.  The Old Testament lessons ended, the choir chants; a third lector reads the Epistle.  Next the deacon, with cerifers and thurifer, proceeds to the lectern to read the Gospel, first saluting the people (who stand in reverence), then censing the sacred volume.  The deacon having ended, then the priest having preached, again the choir sings God’s praises.  Next would come the offering of the Sacrifice…

But let us at the least unite ourselves to the Mass at Toledo by some participation in the Service of the Word, before in prayer making a spiritual communion as our devotion suggests.

******

Saturday in the fourth week of Lent

Sabbatum in quarta hebdomada Quadragesimæ

Sapiential Lesson: Proverbs 24,15-25

Historical Lection: 1 Samuel 20,11-21,1

Psallendum: Psalm 139,5b.9b

Apostle: 2 Peter 3,10-18

Gospel: John 8,31-59

Laudes: Psalm 139,2-5a

The Lord be ever with you. R/. And with thy spirit.

A Lesson from the Book of Proverbs. R/. Thanks be to God.

Son:

Lie not in wait, nor seek after wickedness in the house of the just, nor spoil his rest. For a just man shall fall seven times and shall rise again: but the wicked shall fall down into evil. When thy enemy shall fall, be not glad, and in his ruin let not thy heart rejoice: lest the Lord see, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him. Contend not with the wicked, nor seek to be like the ungodly: for evil men have no hope of things to come, and the lamp of the wicked shall be put out. My son, fear the Lord and the king: and have nothing to do with detracters. For their destruction shall rise suddenly: and who knoweth the ruin of both? These things also to the wise: It is not good to have respect to persons in judgment. They that say to the wicked man: Thou art just: shall be cursed by the people, and the tribes shall abhor them. They that rebuke him, shall be praised: and a blessing shall come upon them.

R/. Amen.

A Lesson from the First Book of Samuel. R/. Thanks be to God.

In those days:

Jonathan said to David: Come and let us go out into the field. And when they were both of them gone out into the field, Jonathan said to David: O Lord God of Israel, if I shall discover my father's mind, tomorrow or the day after, and there be any thing good for David, and I send not immediately to thee, and make it known to thee,  may the Lord do so and so to Jonathan and add still more. But if my father shall continue in malice against thee, I will discover it to thy ear, and will send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace, and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. And if I live, thou shalt shew me the kindness of the Lord: but if I die, thou shalt not take away thy kindness from my house for ever, when the Lord shall have rooted out the enemies of David, every one of them from the earth, may he take away Jonathan from his house, and may the Lord require it at the hands of David's enemies. Jonathan therefore made a covenant with the house of David: and the Lord required it at the hands of David's enemies. And Jonathan swore again to David, because he loved him: for he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan said to him: Tomorrow is the new moon, and thou wilt be missed: for thy seat will be empty till after tomorrow. So thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place, where thou must be hid on the day when it is lawful to work, and thou shalt remain beside the stone, which is called Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows near it, and will shoot as if I were exercising myself at a mark. And I will send a boy, saying to him: Go and fetch me the arrows. If I shall say to the boy: Behold the arrows are on this side of thee, take them up: come thou to me, because, there is peace to thee, and there is no evil, as the Lord liveth. But if I shall speak thus to the boy: Behold the arrows are beyond thee: go in peace, for the Lord hath sent thee away. And concerning the word which I and thou have spoken, the Lord be between thee and me for ever. So David was hid in the field, and the new moon came, and the king sat down to eat bread. And when the king sat down upon his chair (according to custom) which was beside the wall, Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul's side, and David's place appeared empty. And Saul said nothing that day, for he thought it might have happened to him, that he was not clean, nor purified. And when the second day after the new moon was come, David's place appeared empty again. And Saul said to Jonathan his son: Why cometh not the son of Isai to meat neither yesterday nor today? And Jonathan answered Saul: He asked leave of me earnestly to go to Bethlehem, and he said: Let me go, for there is a solemn sacrifice in the city, one of my brethren hath sent for me: and now if I have found favour in thy eyes, I will go quickly, and see my brethren. For this cause he came not to the king's table. Then Saul being angry against Jonathan said to him: Thou son of a woman that is the ravisher of a man, do I not know that thou lovest the son of Isai to thy own confusion and to the confusion of thy shameless mother? For as long as the son of Isai liveth upon earth, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Therefore now presently send, and fetch him to me: for he is the son of death. And Jonathan answering Saul his father, said: Why shall he die: what hath he done? And Saul caught up a spear to strike him. And Jonathan understood that it was determined by his father to kill David. So Jonathan rose from the table in great anger, and did not eat bread on the second day after the new moon. For he was grieved for David, because his father had put him to confusion. And when the morning came, Jonathan went into the field, according to the appointment with David, and a little boy with him. And he said to his boy: Go, and fetch me the arrows which I shoot. And when the boy ran, he shot another arrow beyond the boy. The boy therefore came to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot: and Jonathan cried after the boy, and said: Behold the arrow is there further beyond thee. And Jonathan cried again after the boy, saying: Make haste speedily, stand not. And Jonathan's boy gathered up the arrows, and brought them to his master: and he knew not at all what was doing: for only Jonathan and David knew the matter. Jonathan therefore gave his arms to the boy, and said to him: Go, and carry them into the city. And when the boy was gone, David rose out of his place, which was towards the south, and falling on his face to the ground, adored thrice: and kissing one another, they wept together, but David more. And Jonathan said to David: Go in peace: and let all stand that we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying: The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy seed for ever. And David arose, and departed: and Jonathan went into the city. And David came to Nobe to Achimelech the priest: and Achimelech was astonished at David's coming. And he said to him: Why art thou alone, and no man with thee?

R/. Amen.

R/. From unjust men deliver me. * Who have proposed to supplant my steps.

V/. They have plotted against me; do not thou forsake me, lest they should triumph. * Who have proposed to supplant my steps.

The Second Epistle of the Apostle Peter. R/. Thanks be to God.

Dearly beloved:

But the day of the Lord shall come as a thief, in which the heavens shall pass away with great violence, and the elements shall be melted with heat, and the earth and the works which are in it, shall be burnt up. Seeing then that all these things are to be dissolved, what manner of people ought you to be in holy conversation and godliness? Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of the Lord, by which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with the burning heat? But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to his promises, in which justice dwelleth. Wherefore, dearly beloved, waiting for these things, be diligent that you may be found before him unspotted and blameless in peace. And account the longsuffering of our Lord, salvation; as also our most dear brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, hath written to you: as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are certain things hard to be understood, which the unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. You therefore, brethren, knowing these things before, take heed, lest being led aside by the error of the unwise, you fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and unto the day of eternity. Amen.

R/. Amen.

The Lord be ever with you. R/. And with thy spirit.

A Lesson from the Holy Gospel according to John. R/. Glory to Thee, O Lord.

At that time:

Jesus said to those Jews, who believed him: If you continue in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him: We are the seed of Abraham, and we have never been slaves to any man: how sayest thou: you shall be free? Jesus answered them: Amen, amen I say unto you: that whosoever committeth sin, is the servant of sin. Now the servant abideth not in the house for ever; but the son abideth for ever. If therefore the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. I know that you are the children of Abraham: but you seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you. I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and you do the things that you have seen with your father. They answered, and said to him: Abraham is our father. Jesus saith to them: If you be the children of Abraham, do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man who have spoken the truth to you, which I have heard of God. This Abraham did not. You do the works of your father. They said therefore to him: We are not born of fornication: we have one Father, even God. Jesus therefore said to them: If God were your Father, you would indeed love me. For from God I proceeded, and came; for I came not of myself, but he sent me: why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. But if I say the truth, you believe me not. Which of you shall convince me of sin? If I say the truth to you, why do you not believe me? He that is of God, heareth the words of God. Therefore you hear them not, because you are not of God. The Jews therefore answered, and said to him: Do not we say well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered: I have not a devil: but I honour my Father, and you have dishonoured me. But I seek not my own glory: there is one that seeketh and judgeth. Amen, amen I say to you: If any man keep my word, he shall not see death for ever. The Jews therefore said: Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest: If any man keep my word, he shall not taste death for ever. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? and the prophets are dead. Whom dost thou make thyself? Jesus answered: If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father that glorifieth me, of whom you say that he is your God. And you have not known him, but I know him. And if I shall say that I know him not, I shall be like to you, a liar. But I do know him, and do keep his word. Abraham your father rejoiced that he might see my day: he saw it, and was glad. The Jews therefore said to him: Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say to you, before Abraham was made, I am. They took up stones therefore to cast at him. But Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple.

R/. Amen.

Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: Rescue me from the unjust man. * Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.

V/. They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of saps is under their lips. * Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.

V/. Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked: and from unjust men deliver me. * Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.