# Matins Nocturn 2-3 readings for the Holy Innocents (Dec 28) — # SanctiM/12-28.txt inherits the whole day (`@Sancti/12-28`) with no # Nocturn 2/3 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/12-28.txt, English/Sancti/12-28.txt. # # Nocturn 2: Lectio4-6 combined into one reading, St. Augustine's # sermon — one continuous piece, no genuine source break. # Nocturn 3: Lectio7's Gospel citation (Matt 2:13-18) 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. Jerome's # commentary (Lectio7's homily + Lectio8-9 combined, one continuous # piece). id: holy-innocents readings: - nocturn: 2 isGospel: false source: "St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermon 10 on the Saints" text: la: >- Hódie, fratres caríssimi, natálem illórum infántium cólimus, quos ab Heróde crudelíssimo rege interféctos esse, Evangélii textus elóquitur. Et ídeo cum summa exsultatióne gáudeat terra, cæléstium mílitum et tantárum parens fecúnda virtútum. Ecce profánus hostis nunquam beátis párvulis tantum prodésse potuísset obséquio, quantum prófuit ódio. Nam, sicut sacratíssimum præséntis diéi festum maniféstat, quantum in beátos párvulos iníquitas abundávit, tantum in eis grátia benedictiónis refúdit. Beáta es, o Béthlehem terra Juda, quæ Heródis regis immanitátem in puerórum exstinctióne perpéssa es: quæ sub uno témpore candidátam plebem imbéllis infántiæ Deo offérre meruísti. Digne tamen natálem illórum cólimus, quos beátius ætérnæ vitæ mundus édidit, quam quos maternórum víscerum partus effúdit. Síquidem ante vitæ perpétuæ adépti sunt dignitátem, quam usúram præséntis accéperint. Aliórum quidem pretiósa mors Mártyrum laudem in confessióne proméruit, horum in consummatióne complácuit; quia incipiéntis vitæ primórdiis, ipse eis occásus inítium glóriæ dedit, qui præséntis términum impósuit. Quos Heródis impíetas lactántes matrum ubéribus abstráxit; qui jure dicúntur Mártyrum flores, quos in médio frígore infidelitátis exórtos, velut primas erumpéntes Ecclésiæ gemmas, quædam persecutiónis pruína decóxit. en: >- Dearly beloved brethren, today we keep the birthday of those children, who, as we are informed by the Gospel, were massacred by the savage King Herod. Therefore let earth rejoice with exceeding joy, for she is the mother of these heavenly soldiers, and of this numerous host. The love of the vile Herod could never have crowned these blessed ones as hath his hatred. For the Church testifieth by this holy solemnity, that whereas iniquity did specially abound against these little saints, so much the more were heavenly blessings poured out upon them. Blessed art thou, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, which hast suffered the cruelty of King Herod in the slaughter of thy children; who art found worthy to offer at once to God a whole white-robed army of guileless martyrs! Surely, it is well to keep their birthday, even that blessed birthday which gave them from earth to heaven, more blessed than the day that brought them out of their mother's womb. Scarcely had they entered on the life that now is, when they obtained that glorious life which is to come. We praise the death of other martyrs because it was the crowning act of an undaunted and persistent testimony; but these were crowned at once. He That maketh an end to this present life, gave to them at its very gates that eternal blessedness which we hope for at its close. They whom the wickedness of Herod tore from their mothers' breasts are rightfully called the flowers of martyrdom; hardly had these buds of the Church shown their heads above the soil, in the winter of unbelief, when the frost of persecution nipped them. status: { la: verified, en: verified } - nocturn: 3 isGospel: false source: "St. Jerome, Commentary on Matthew, Book I, on Matt 2:13-18" text: la: >- Quando tulit Púerum et Matrem ejus, ut in Ægýptum tránseat, nocte tulit, et in ténebris: quia noctem ignorántiæ his, a quibus ipse recéssit, relíquit incrédulis. Quando vero revértitur in Judǽam, nec nox, nec ténebræ ponúntur in Evangélio: quia in fine mundi Judǽi fidem, tamquam Christum ab Ægýpto reverténtem suscipiéntes, illuminabúntur. Ut adimplerétur quod dictum est a Dómino per prophétam dicéntem: Ex Ægýpto vocávi Fílium meum. Respóndeant, qui Hebræórum volúminum dénegant veritátem, ubi hoc in Septuagínta legátur interprétibus. Quod cum non invénerint, nos eis dicémus, in Osée prophéta scriptum, sicut et exemplária probáre possunt, quæ nuper edídimus. Tunc adimplétum est, quod dictum est per Jeremíam prophétam dicéntem: Vox in Rama audíta est, plorátus et ululátus multus, Rachel plorans fílios suos. De Rachel natus est Bénjamin, in cujus tribu non est Béthlehem. Quǽritur ergo, quómodo Rachel fílios Judæ, id est Béthlehem, quasi suos ploret. Respondébimus bréviter, quia sepúlta sit juxta Béthlehem in Ephrata; et ex matérno corpúsculi hospítio matris nomen accéperit; sive quóniam Juda et Bénjamin duæ tribus junctæ erant, et Heródes præcéperat non solum in Béthlehem intérfici púeros, sed et in ómnibus fínibus ejus. en: >- He took the young Child, and His mother, and fled into Egypt, by night and in darkness; and the darkness of that night was a figure of the darkness of ignorance in which they left the unbelievers from whom they fled. But when they returned into Judaea, we learn not from the Gospel that it was by night, or in darkness; which is an image of that light which will lighten the Jews, when, at the end of the world, they shall receive back the faith, which now lighteneth the Gentiles, even as Judaea received Christ returning from Egypt. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the Prophet, saying Out of Egypt have I called My Son. Those who go about to deny the authority of the Hebrew Scriptures, ask where any such passage is to be found in the Septuagint. But, although they find it not there, I tell them that the fact of its being written in the Prophet Hosea can be proved by the texts which I have lately published. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the Prophet, saying; In Rama was there a voice heard, weeping and great mourning; Rachel weeping for her children. The child of Rachel was Benjamin, and Bethlehem is not a town belonging to his tribe. We must therefore seek another reason why Rachel should weep for the children of Judah, to whom Bethlehem belongeth, as for her own. The plain answer is that she is buried at Ephrath close to Bethlehem, and she is called Mother on account of the resting-place of her earthly tabernacle being there. It is possible also that she is called Mother because the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were joined together, and Herod slew not only all the children that were in Bethlehem, but also in all the coasts thereof. status: { la: verified, en: verified }