Lord my God: save me for thy mercies sake. Alleluia, Alleluia. V. I see the heavens opened, and Jesus standing at the right hand of the power of God. Alleluia. GOSPEL. Matt. xxiii. 34. 39.-At that time: Jesus said to the Scribes and Pharisees: Behold I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes : and some of them you will put to death, and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: that upon you may come all the just blood that hath been shed upon the earth, from the blood of Abel the just, even unto the blood of Zacharias the son of Barachias, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. Amen. I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered together thy children, as the hen doth gather her chickens under her wings, and thou wouldst not? -Behold, your house shall be left to you desolate. For I say to you, you shall not see me henceforth till you say: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. CREDO. OFFERT. Acts vi. 7-The Apostles chose Stephen, a Levite, full of faith, and of the Holy Ghost, whom the Jews stoned, praying and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Alleluia. SECRET. Receive, O Lord, these offerings in memory of thy saints: and as their sufferings have made them glorious, so may our devotion render us free from sin. Thro'. COMM. Acts. vii.-I see the heavens opened, and Jesus standing on the right-hand of the power of God: Lord Jesus receive my spirit, and lay not this sin to their charge. P. COMM. Auxilientur.-May the mysteries we have received, O Lord, be a help to us, and, by the intercession of the blessed martyr, Stephen, strengthen us with thy perpetual protection. Thro' St. JOHN the EVANGELIST. INTROIT, In medio, as in MASS XII. Common of Doctors. COLLECT. Ecclesia.-Mercifully, O Lord, enlighten thy Church, that being taught by blessed John, thy Apostle and Evangelist, she may come to thy eternal rewards. Thro'. The Commem. of Christmas, and of St. Stephen, by their several Collects, Secrets, and P. Comms. LESSON. Ecclus. xv. 1. 6.—He that feareth God, will do good: and he that possesseth justice, shall lay hold on her. And she will meet him as an honourable mother, With the bread of life and understanding, she shall feed him, and give him the water of wholesome wisdom to drink: and she shall be made strong in him, and he shall not be moved: and she shall hold him fast, and he shall not be confounded: and she shall exalt him among his neighbours, and in the midst of the Church she shall open his mouth, and shall fill him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and shall clothe him with the robe of glory. She shall heap upon him a treasure of joy and gladness, and our Lord God shall cause him to inherit an everlasting name. GRAD. John xxi.-A report was spread among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: but Jesus said not, he should not die. V. But, so I will have him remain till I come: follow thou me. Alleluia, Alleluia. V. This is the disciple that beareth testimony of these things, and we know his testi mony is true. Alleluia. & GOSPEL. John xxi. 19. 24.-At that time Jesus said to Peter: follow me. Peter turning about, saw that disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also leaned on his breast at supper, and said: Lord, who is he that shall betray thee? Him there-t fore when Peter had seen, he saith to Jesus: Lord and what shall this man do? Jesus saith to him: So I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? follow thou me. This saying, therefore, went abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. And Jesus did not say to him: He should not die; but, so I will have him to remain till I come, what is it to thee? This is that disciple who giveth testimony of these things, and hath written these things: and we know that his testimony is true. CREDO. OFFERT. Ps. xci.-The just shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow up like the cedar of Libanus. SECRET. Receive, O Lord, the offerings we make to thee, on his feast, by whose intercession we hope to be delivered. Thro'. COMM. John xxi.-A report was spread among the brethren, that that disciple should not die. But Jesus said not, he should not die; but so will I that he remain till I come. P. COMM. Refecti cibo.-Being refreshed, O Lord, with this heavenly meat and drink, we humbly beseech thee, that we may be assisted by his prayers, on whose feast we have received these sacred mys teries. Thro'. The HOLY INNOCENTS. INTROIT. Ps. viii.-Out of the mouth of infants and sucklings thou hast perfected praise to confound thy enemies. Ps. O Lord, our Lord, how admirable is thy name in the whole earth! Y. 8. Glory, want Gloria in Excelsis is not said, except it be Sunday, or the Octave-day. COLLECT. Deus, cujus.-O God, whose praise the Holy Martyrs, the Innocents, published this day, not by speaking, but by dying: mortify in us all our vicious inclinations, that we may shew forth, in our actions, thy faith which we profess with our lips. Thro'. The Commems. of Christmas, of St. Stephen, of St. John, by their respective Collects, Secrets, and P. Communions, as pp. 77. 79. and 81. LESSON. Rev. xiv. 1. 5.-In those days: I be held, the Lamb standing on mount Sion, and with him a hundred forty-four thousand, having his name, and the name of his Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder: and the voice which I heard, was as the voice of harpers, harping on their harps. And they sung as it were a new canticle, before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the ancients, and no man could say the canticle, but those hundred forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the earth. These are they who were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were purchased from anong men, the first fruits to God, and to the Lamb: and in their mouths there was found no lie; for they are without spot before the throne of God. GRAD. Ps. Our soul hath been delivered, as a sparrow out of the snare of the fowlers. V. The snare is broken, and we are delivered: our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Alleluia, Alleluia. V. Praise the Lord: you his servants, praise ye the name of the Lord. Alleluia. If it be not the Octave-day or Sunday, the above Alleluias and V. are omitted; and in their stead is said the Tract. Ps. lxxviii. They have spilt, the V TRACT. blood of the saints, like water about Jerusalem. And there were none to bury them. V. Revenge, O Lord, the blood of thy saints, which hath been spilt on the earth. GOSPEL. Matt. ii. 13. 18.-At the same time: An angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the Child and his Mother, and йly, into Egypt; and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy him. Who arose, and took the Child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the pro-, phet, saying: "Out of Egypt have I called my Son." Then Herod perceiving that he was deluded by the wise Men, was exceeding angry and sending killed all the men-children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was ful filled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying: "A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning: Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. CREDO. OFFERT. Ps. cxxiii.-Our soul hath been delivered, as a Sparrow out of the snares of the fowlers. The snare is broken and we are delivered. SECRET. May the pious prayers of thy saints, O Lord, be never wanting to us, both to make our offerings acceptable, and to obtain for us thy mercy. Thro' COMM. Matt. ii.—A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning: Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. P COMM. Votiva.-Now we have partaken, O |