# Matins reading for the Vigil of St. John the Baptist (Jun 23) —
# `Sancti/06-23.txt` ("In Vigilia S. Joannis Baptistæ"). A Vigil's own
# office is a single, simpler nocturn of just 3 lessons (`Lectio1-3`),
# not the usual 9-lesson ferial/feast structure — earlier characterized
# as "Nocturn 1 only, nothing to source" (see TODO.md/memory
# vu-matins-sanctim-saints), which undersold it: `Lectio1-3` genuinely
# *is* homiletic content here (a bare Gospel incipit + a real patristic
# homily), just filling the Vigil's only lesson slot rather than the
# Nocturn-2/3 slot a full feast would use. Per direct instruction
# (2026-08), pool it in rather than treat "only 3 lessons" as "no
# content" — the specific `nocturn` number is a display detail to sort
# out later, not a reason to withhold real sourceable text.
# web/www/horas/Latin/Sancti/06-23.txt, English/Sancti/06-23.txt.
#
# Lectio1's Gospel citation (Luke 1:5-17) is a bare incipit ("Et
# réliqua") with no full pericope text given, so — per the established
# convention of not transcribing bare incipits — only the homily
# portion is authored (not marked isGospel), St. Ambrose's commentary
# on Zachary and Elisabeth (Lectio1's homily + Lectio2-3 combined, one
# continuous piece).
id: vigil-of-st-john-the-baptist
readings:
  - nocturn: 2
    isGospel: false
    source: "St. Ambrose, Commentary on Luke, Book I (on Luke 1:5-17)"
    text:
      la: >-
        Docet nos Scriptúra divína non solum mores in iis qui prædicábiles sunt, sed étiam
        paréntes oportére laudári; ut véluti transmíssa immaculátæ puritátis heréditas, in iis
        quos vólumus laudáre, præcéllat. Quæ enim ália inténtio hoc loco sancti Evangelístæ,
        nisi ut sanctus Joánnes Baptísta nobilitétur paréntibus, miráculis, móribus, múnere,
        passióne? Sic étiam sancti Sámuel mater Anna laudátur; sic Isaac a paréntibus
        nobilitátem pietátis accépit, quam pósteris derelíquit. Sacérdos ítaque Zacharías, nec
        solum sacérdos, sed étiam de vice Abía, id est, nóbilis inter superióres famílias.


        Et uxor, inquit, illi de filiábus Aaron. Non solum ígitur a paréntibus, sed étiam a
        majóribus sancti Joánnis nobílitas propagátur, non sæculári potestáte sublímis, sed
        religiónis successióne venerábilis. Tales enim majóres habére débuit prænúntius
        Christi; ut non repénte concéptam, sed a majóribus accéptam et ipso infúsam jure
        natúræ, prædicáre fidem Domínici viderétur advéntus. Erant, inquit, ambo justi ante
        Deum, incedéntes in ómnibus mandátis et justificatiónibus Dómini sine queréla. Quid ad
        hoc réferunt qui, peccátis suis solátia præferéntes, sine peccátis frequéntibus
        hóminem putant esse non posse; et utúntur versículo, quia scriptum est in Job: Nemo
        mundus a sorde, nec si uníus diéi vita ejus sit in terra?


        Quibus respondéndum est, prius ut quid sit hóminem sine peccáto esse defíniant: utrum
        nunquam omníno peccásse, an desiísse peccáre. Si enim hoc putant sine peccáto esse,
        nunquam omníno peccásse; et ipse conséntio. Omnes enim peccavérunt, et egent glória
        Dei. Sin autem eum qui véterem errórem corréxerit, et in eam se vitæ transformáverit
        qualitátem, ut témperet a peccáto, negant abstinére a delíctis; non possum in eórum
        conveníre senténtiam, cum legámus, quia Sic Dóminus diléxit Ecclésiam, ut exhíbeat
        ipsam sibi gloriósam, et non habéntem máculam, aut rugam, aut áliquid ejúsmodi; sed ut
        sit sancta et immaculáta.
      en: >-
        The Divine Scriptures teach us that we are behoven to praise the lives, not only of
        those concerning whom we are to speak honourably, but the lives also of their fathers,
        so as to show that that which we will praise in our subjects was in them a gift
        inherited from the bright purity of the source from which they came. What other
        meaning can the holy Evangelist have had in this place but to glorify St. John the
        Baptist, as well for having been the offspring of such parents, as for his miracles,
        his life, his gifts, and his sufferings? So likewise is praise ascribed to Hannah, the
        mother of Samuel so also did Isaac draw from his parents that noble godliness which he
        in his turn bequeathed to his children. Thus it is told not only that Zacharias was a
        Priest, but a Priest of the course of Abia, that is to say, of a family noble among
        the noblest.


        And his wife was of the daughters of Aaron. Thus we see that the noble blood of St.
        John was inherited not only from parents, but from an ancient ancestry, not
        illustrious indeed by worldly power, but worshipful for the tradition of a sacred
        succession. Such were the forefathers whom it well became the Fore-runner of the
        Christ to have, that it might manifestly fall to his lot, not as a sudden gift, but as
        an heir-loom, to preach belief in the coming of the Lord. And they were both righteous
        before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, blameless.
        What do they make of this text who, to take them some consolation for their own sins,
        hold that man cannot exist without oftentimes sinning, and quote to that end that
        which is written in Job: Not one is clean, even though his life on the earth be but
        one day?


        To such we must reply by asking them first to tell us what they mean by a man without
        sin whether it be one who hath never sinned, or one who hath ceased to sin. If they
        mean by a man without sin one who hath never sinned, I myself agree in their position,
        for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. But if they mean to deny that
        he who hath reformed his old crooked ways, and changed his life for a new one, on
        purpose to avoid sin, cannot avoid sin, I am not able to subscribe to their opinion
        while I read that Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for it, that He might
        sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that He might present
        it to Himself a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing but
        that it should be holy and without blemish.
    status: { la: verified, en: verified }
