# Matins Nocturn 2 reading for St. Ambrose, Bishop, Confessor, Doctor
# of the Church (Dec 7) — SanctiM/12-07.txt inherits the whole day
# (`@Sancti/12-07`) with no Nocturn 2 override, 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/12-07.txt, English/Sancti/12-07.txt.
# Lectio4-6 combined into one reading, one continuous vita, no
# genuine source break.
id: st-ambrose
readings:
  - nocturn: 2
    isGospel: false
    text:
      la: >-
        Ambrósius epíscopus Mediolanénsis, Ambrósii civis Románi fílius, patre Gálliæ
        præfécto natus est. In hujus infántis ore exámen apum consedísse dícitur: quæ res
        divínam viri eloquéntiam præmonstrábat. Romæ liberálibus disciplínis erudítus est.
        Post a Probo præfécto Ligúriæ et Æmíliæ præpósitus: unde póstea, ejúsdem Probi jussu,
        cum potestáte Mediolánum venit; ubi, mórtuo Auxéntio Ariáno epíscopo, pópulus de
        successóre deligéndo dissidébat. Quare Ambrósius, pro offícii sui múnere ecclésiam
        ingréssus, ut commótam seditiónem sedáret, cum multa de quiéte et tranquillitáte
        reipúblicæ præcláre dixísset, derepénte púero Ambrósium epíscopum exclamánte,
        univérsi pópuli vox erúpit, Ambrósium epíscopum deposcéntis.


        Recusánte illo et eórum précibus resisténte, ardens pópuli stúdium ad Valentiniánum
        imperatórem delátum est; cui gratíssimum fuit, a se deléctos júdices ad sacerdótium
        postulári. Fuit id étiam Probo præfécto jucúndum, qui Ambrósio proficiscénti quasi
        divínans díxerat: Vade, age, non ut judex, sed ut epíscopus. Itaque cum ad pópuli
        desidérium imperatóris volúntas accéderet, Ambrósius baptizátus (erat enim
        catechúmenus) sacrísque initiátus, ac servátis ómnibus ex institúto Ecclésiæ órdinum
        grádibus, octávo die, qui fuit séptimo Idus Decémbris, episcopále onus suscépit.
        Factus epíscopus, cathólicam fidem et disciplínam ecclesiásticam acérrime deféndit;
        multósque Ariános, et álios hæréticos ad fídei veritátem convértit, in quibus
        claríssimum Ecclésiæ lumen sanctum Augustínum Jesu Christo péperit.


        Gratiáno imperatóre occíso, ad Máximum ejus interfectórem legátus íterum proféctus
        est; eóque pœniténtiam ágere recusánte, se ab ejus communióne semóvit. Theodósium
        imperatórem, propter cædem Thessalonícæ factam, ingréssu ecclésiæ prohíbuit. Cui, cum
        ille David quoque regem adúlterum et homicídam fuísse dixísset, respóndit Ambrósius:
        Qui secútus es errántem, séquere pœniténtem. Quare Theodósius sibi ab eo impósitam
        públicam pœniténtiam humíliter egit. Ergo sanctus epíscopus pro Ecclésia Dei máximis
        labóribus curísque perfúnctus, multis libris étiam egrégie conscrípsit, ántequam in
        morbum incíderet, mortis suæ diem prædíxit. Ad quem ægrótum Honorátus Vercellénsis
        epíscopus, Dei voce ter admónitus, accúrrit, eíque sanctum Dómini corpus prǽbuit: quo
        ille sumpto, conformátis in crucis similitúdinem mánibus, orans, ánimam Deo réddidit
        prídie Nonas Aprílis, anno post Christum natum trecentésimo nonagésimo séptimo.
      en: >-
        Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, was the son of another Ambrose, a Roman citizen, and was
        born when his father was Prefect of Gaul. A swarm of bees settled upon his face when
        he was in his cradle, which was considered an omen of his future eloquence. He
        received a liberal education at Rome. He was afterwards, under the Prefect Probus,
        made governor of Liguria and Emilia, and so came with authority to Milan. Auxentius, an
        Arian, who had been intruded into the Bishopric of Milan, happening to die, the most
        violent disputes arose about the choice of a successor. Ambrose came to the church in
        his official capacity, and urged upon the contending factions, in a long and powerful
        speech, the necessity of keeping the public peace; whereupon a child suddenly cried
        out, Ambrose, Bishop, and the whole assembly took it up, and unanimously called for his
        election.


        Ambrose refused, and would not yield to their prayers, whereupon they carried their
        petition to the Emperor Valentinian. It was very pleasing to this Prince that those he
        had appointed as judges should be chosen Bishops, as also to the Prefect Probus, who
        had, as it were prophetically, said to him when he appointed him, Go and govern them
        more like a Bishop than a Judge. When the will of the Emperor was added to the desire
        of the people, Ambrose yielded, and received Baptism, (for hitherto he was only a
        Catechumen,) Confirmation, and Communion, and then the several Orders on successive
        days, till on the eighth day, which was the 7th of December, the weight of the
        Episcopate was laid upon his shoulders. Being made Bishop, he showed himself a stout
        upholder of the Catholic faith, and the discipline of the Church, and turned to the
        truth great numbers of Arians and other heretics, and, among them, he begat in Christ
        Jesus that burning and shining light of the Church, Augustine.


        After the murder of the Emperor Gratian, Ambrose was sent as an ambassador to Maximus,
        by whom he had been slain, and, as he refused to repent, the Bishop renounced his
        communion. After the massacre which the Emperor Theodosius had commanded at
        Thessalonica, he refused to permit that Prince to enter a church. The Emperor pleaded
        that he was no worse than David, who had been guilty of adultery and murder, to which
        Ambrose answered him, As thou hast followed him in his sin, follow him also in his
        repentance. Then Theodosius humbly did public penance laid upon him by the Bishop. At
        length the Saint was worn out with his continual labour and care for the Church, (for
        the which also he composed many excellent books,) and foretold that the day of his
        death was at hand, though he had not then fallen into his last sickness. As he lay
        dying, Honoratus, Bishop of Vercelli, heard a voice from God three times crying to him
        that the hour of Ambrose's departure was come, whereupon he went to him quickly, and
        gave him the sacred Body of our Lord. When he had received It, the Saint, still
        praying, with his hands stretched out in the form of a cross, gave his spirit to God,
        upon the 4th day of April, in the year of Christ, 397.
    status: { la: verified, en: verified }
