# Matins Nocturn 2-3 readings for the Nativity of St. John the Baptist
# (Jun 24) — SanctiM/06-24.txt's own Lectio4-9 all resolve back to
# `@Sancti/06-24:LectioN` (resliced), so this feast's own proper
# content is sourced from the Tridentine track exactly as for a
# pre-1955 saint (see memory vu-matins-pre1955-saints,
# vu-matins-sanctim-saints).
# web/www/horas/Latin/Sancti/06-24.txt, English/Sancti/06-24.txt.
#
# Nocturn 2: Lectio4-6 (St. Augustine's sermon) combined into one
# reading, one continuous excerpt.
# Nocturn 3: Lectio7's Gospel citation (Luke 1:57-69) quotes only the
# opening sentence before "Et réliqua", not the full pericope, so —
# per the pre-1955 pass's convention of not transcribing bare incipits
# — only the homily portion is authored (not marked isGospel),
# combined with Lectio8-9 as one continuous excerpt of St. Ambrose's
# commentary. No responsory given for either reading.
id: nativity-of-st-john-the-baptist
readings:
  - nocturn: 2
    isGospel: false
    source: "St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, Sermon 20 on the Saints"
    text:
      la: >-
        Post illum sacrosánctum Dómini natális diem, nullíus hóminum nativitátem légimus
        celebrári, nisi solíus beáti Joánnis Baptístæ. In áliis Sanctis et eléctis Dei nóvimus
        illum diem coli, quo illos, post consummatiónem labórum et devíctum triumphatúmque
        mundum, in perpétuas æternitátes præsens hæc vita partúriit. In áliis consummáta últimi
        diéi mérita celebrántur: in hoc étiam prima dies, et ipsa étiam hóminis inítia
        consecrántur; pro hac absque dúbio causa, quia per hunc Dóminus advéntum suum, ne súbito
        hómines insperátum non agnóscerent, vóluit esse testátum. Joánnes autem figúra fuit
        véteris Testaménti, et in se formam prǽtulit legis; et ídeo Joánnes prænuntiávit
        Salvatórem, sicut lex grátiam præcucúrrit.


        Quod autem nondum natus de secréto matérni úteri prophetávit, et expers lucis jam testis
        est veritátis; hoc est intellegéndum, quod latens sub velámine et carne lítteræ, et
        Redemptórem mundo spíritu prædicávit, et nobis Dóminum nostrum de quodam legis útero
        proclamávit. Ergo quia Judǽi erravérunt a ventre, id est, a lege quæ a Christo grávida
        erat, erravérunt a ventre, locúti sunt falsa; ídeo hic venit in testimónium, ut
        testimónium perhibéret de lúmine.


        Quod autem Joánnes in cárcere constitútus ad Christum discípulos suos órdinat; lex ad
        Evangélium transmíttit. Quæ lex juxta typum Joánnis, quasi ignorántiæ clausa cárcere, in
        obscúro et in occúlto jacébat, et Judáica cæcitáte sensus intra lítteram tenebátur
        inclúsus. De hoc beátus Evangelísta prolóquitur: Ille erat lucérna ardens, id est,
        Spíritus Sancti igne succénsus, ut mundo ignorántiæ nocte possésso lumen salútis
        osténderet, et quasi inter densíssimas delictórum ténebras splendidíssimus justítiæ
        solem lucis suæ rádio demonstráret, et de seípso dicens: Ego vox clamántis in desérto.
      en: >-
        Outside the most holy Birthday of the Lord, we find celebrated in the Gospel the birth of
        only one other, namely, that of the blessed Baptist, John. As regardeth all others among
        God's holy and chosen ones we know that that day is observed whereon, with their work
        finished, and the world conquered and finally trampled down, they were born from this
        into a better life, even one of everlasting blessedness. In others is honoured the
        crowning of the struggle on their last day of dying life, but in John is honoured the
        first day; in him the very beginning is found hallowed. And the reason of this is, without
        doubt, because he was sent from God to bear witness to the coming of the Light, lest when
        It came It might take the darkness by surprise, and the darkness might not comprehend It.
        Now, John was a figure of the Old Testament, and showed in his own person a typical
        embodiment of the Law; and therefore John heralded beforehand the coming of the Saviour,
        even as the Law was our schoolmaster to bring us to the grace of Christ.


        But as touching this, that he prophesied while yet in the hidden depths of his mother's
        womb, and while himself lightless bore testimony to the truth, we are to understand it as
        a figure how that while himself wrapped round with the veil and carnal ordinances of the
        letter, he by the spirit preached unto the world a Redeemer, and testified that Jesus is
        our Lord even while for himself, working under the law, the birth of the new dispensation
        was still in the womb of the future, and not come to day. The Jews were estranged from the
        womb, that is from the Law, that womb heavy with the Christ That was to be; they went
        astray from the belly, speaking lies; and therefore John came for a witness, to bear
        witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.


        But as for this, that when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two
        of his disciples; this is the Law sending to the Gospel. For John here was a figure of the
        Law, imprisoned in ignorance, lying in the dark, and in a hidden place, and he was
        fettered through Jewish misunderstanding within the bonds of the letter. But of him was it
        said, as is written in the Blessed Evangelist: He was a burning and a shining light; that
        is to say, that, when the whole world was wrapt in the night of ignorance, this Saint was
        kindled by the fire of the Holy Ghost, to show before men the light of salvation, and at
        the hour of the thickest darkness of sin, appeared like a bright morning star to herald
        the rising of that Sun so right gloriously radiant, the Son of righteousness, Christ our
        Lord. And this is why John said of himself: I am the voice of one crying in the
        wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.
    status: { la: verified, en: verified }

  - nocturn: 3
    isGospel: false
    source: "St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Commentary on Luke, Bk. 2 (on Luke 1:57-69)"
    text:
      la: >-
        Péperit fílium Elísabeth, et congratulabántur vicíni. Habet Sanctórum edítio lætítiam
        plurimórum, quia commúne est bonum; justítia enim commúnis est virtus. Et ídeo in ortu
        justi futúræ vitæ insígne præmíttitur, et grátia secutúræ virtútis exsultatióne
        vicinórum præfiguránte signátur. Pulchre autem tempus, quo fuit in útero Prophéta,
        descríbitur, ne Maríæ præséntia taceátur; sed tempus silétur infántiæ, eo quia infántiæ
        impediménta nescívit. Et ídeo in Evangélio nihil super eo légimus, nisi ortum ejus, et
        oráculum, exsultatiónem in útero, vocem in desérto.


        Neque enim ullam infántiæ sensit ætátem, qui supra natúram, supra ætátem in útero
        pósitus matris, a mensúra cœpit ætátis plenitúdinis Christi. Mire sanctus Evangelísta
        præmitténdum putávit, quod plúrimi infántem patris nómine Zacharíam appellándum
        putáverint; ut advértas matri non nomen alicújus displicuísse degéneris, sed id Sancto
        infúsum Spíritu, quod ab Angelo ante Zacharíæ fúerat prænuntiátum. Et quidem ille mutus
        intimáre vocábulum fílii nequívit uxóri; sed per prophetíam Elísabeth dídicit, quod non
        didícerat a maríto.


        Joánnes est, inquit, nomen ejus; hoc est, non nos ei nomen impónimus, qui jam a Deo
        nomen accépit. Habet vocábulum suum, quod agnóvimus, non quod elégimus. Habent hoc
        mérita Sanctórum, ut a Deo nomen accípiant. Sic Jacob Israël dícitur, quia Deum vidit.
        Sic Dóminus noster Jesus nominátus est, ántequam natus; cui non Angelus, sed Pater nomen
        impósuit. Vides Angelos quæ audíerint, non quæ usurpáverint, nuntiáre. Nec miréris, si
        nomen múlier, quod non audívit, asséruit; quando Spíritus ei Sanctus, qui Angelo
        mandáverat, revelávit.
      en: >-
        Elizabeth's full time came that she should be delivered, and she brought forth a son.
        And her neighbours rejoiced with her. The birth of a Saint is a joy for many, for it is a
        good to all. Righteousness is an help to all, and therefore when a righteous man is born
        it is an heralding of his life, which is still to come, that the helpful excellency of his
        future should be hailed by the, as it were, prophetic joy of the neighbours. It is well
        that we should be told concerning the prophet, while he was yet in the womb, that we may
        know how that Mary was there; but we hear nothing of his childhood, because we know that
        it was safe and strong through the nearness of the Lord, Himself then in that womb which
        was free from the sorrows of pregnancy. And therefore we read in the Gospel nothing
        touching him save his coming, the annunciation thereof to his father, the leap which he
        gave in the womb, and his crying in the wilderness.


        It was not for him to feel childishness, who beyond all use of nature or of his age, when
        as yet he lay in his mother's womb, leapt at once unto the measure of the stature of the
        fullness of Christ. It is strange how that the Holy Evangelist hath judged meet to tell us
        that they thought to call the child Zacharias, after the name of his father, that thou
        mayest notice that the mother would have none of the names whereby their kindred were
        called, but only that name which the Holy Ghost had dictated, and which the Angel had told
        before unto Zacharias. The dumb man had certainly not been able to tell his wife by what
        name to call the child, and Elizabeth must needs have learnt by revelation what she could
        not have heard from her husband.


        His name is John; that is, it is not for us to choose a name now for him to whom God hath
        given a name already. He hath a name, which we know, but it is not one of our choosing. To
        receive a name from God is one of the honours of the Saints. Thus was it that Jacob's name
        was no more called Jacob but Israel, because he saw God face to face. Thus was it that our
        Lord Jesus was named before He was born, with a name not given by an Angel, but by the
        Father. Thou seest that Angels tell that which they have been bidden to tell, not matters
        of their own choosing. Nor oughtest thou to wonder that Elizabeth named a name which she
        had not heard, since it had been revealed to her by the same Holy Ghost Who had commanded
        the Angel to tell it.
    status: { la: verified, en: verified }
