[Officium]
Commune Apostolorum

[Ant Vespera]
This is my commandment * that you love one another, as I have loved you.
Greater love than this no man hath, * that a man lay down his life for his friends.
You are my friends * if you do the things that I command you, said the Lord.
Blessed are the peacemakers * the clean of heart, they shall see God.
In your patience * you shall possess your souls.

[Hymnus Vespera]
v. Now let the earth with joy resound,
And heaven the chant re-echo round;
Nor heaven nor earth too high can raise
The great Apostles' glorious praise.
_
O ye who, throned in glory dread,
Shall judge the living and the dead,
Lights of the world forevermore!
To you the suppliant prayer we pour.
_
Ye close the sacred gates on high;
At your command apart they fly:
Oh! loose for us the guilty chain
We strive to break, and strive in vain.
_
Sickness and health your voice obey;
At your command they go or stay:
From sin's disease our souls restore;
In good confirm us more and more.
_
So when the world is at its end,
And Christ to judgement shall descend,
May we be called those joys to see
Prepared from all eternity.
_
* Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past,
And so shall be while ages last.
Amen.

[Versum 1]
V. Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth:
R. And their words unto the ends of the world.

[Ant 1]
For they shall deliver you * up to councils: and in the synagogues you shall be beaten: and you shall stand before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony unto them.

[Invit]
The Lord, the King of Apostles, * O come, let us adore.

[Hymnus Matutinum]
v. Th' eternal gifts of Christ the King,
The Apostles' glory, let us sing;
And all with hearts of gladness raise
Due hymns of thankful love and praise.
_
For they the Church's princes are,
Triumphant leaders in the war,
The heavenly King's own warrior band,
True lights to lighten every land.
_
Theirs was the steadfast faith of saints,
The hope that never yields nor faints,
The love of Christ in perfect glow,
That lay the prince of this world low.
_
In them the Father's glory shone,
In them the Spirit's will was done,
The Son himself exults in them;
Joy fills the new Jerusalem.
_
* Praise to the Father, with the Son,
And Holy Spirit, Three in One;
As ever was in ages past,
And so shall be while ages last.
Amen.

[HymnusMMatutinumUS]
Now to you, Redeemer, we ask:
That you might unite to the fellowship of those above
your servants at prayer here
Forever and ever more

[Ant Matutinum]
Their sound * hath gone forth into all the earth: and their words unto the ends of the world.;;18
The just cried * and the Lord heard them.;;33
Thou shalt make them princes * over all the earth. They shall remember thy name, O Lord.;;44
The princes of the people * are gathered together, with the God of Abraham.;;46
Thou hast given an inheritance * to them that fear thy name, O Lord.;;60
They declared * the works of God, and understood his doings.;;63
The horns of the just * shall be exalted. Alleluia.;;74
Light is risen * to the just, alleluia, and joy to the right of heart. Alleluia.;;96
They kept his testimonies, * and the commandment which he gave them. Alleluia.;;98

[Nocturn 2 Versum]
V. Thou shalt make them princes over all the earth.
R. They shall remember thy name, O Lord.

[Nocturn 3 Versum]
V. Thy friends, O Lord, are made exceedingly honourable.
R. Their principality is exceedingly strengthened.

[Lectio1]
Lesson from the first letter of St. Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians
!1 Cor 4:1-5
1 Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God.
2 Here now it is required among the dispensers, that a man be found faithful.
3 But to me it is a very small thing to be judged by you, or by man's day; but neither do I judge my own self.
4 For I am not conscious to myself of any thing, yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me, is the Lord.
5 Therefore judge not before the time; until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise from God.

[Responsory1]
R. Behold, I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves, said the Lord:
* Be ye, therefore, wise as serpents and simple as doves.
V. Whilst you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light.
R. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.

[Lectio2]
!1 Cor 4:6-9
6 But these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollo, for your sakes; that in us you may learn, that one be not puffed up against the other for another, above that which is written.
7 For who distinguisheth thee? Or what hast thou that thou hast not received? And if thou hast received, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?
8 You are now full; you are now become rich; you reign without us; and I would to God you did reign, that we also might reign with you.
9 For I think that God hath set forth us apostles, the last, as it were men appointed to death: we are made a spectacle to the world, and to angels, and to men.

[Responsory2]
R. Take up my yoke upon you, said the Lord, and learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart.
* For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.
V. And you shall find rest to your souls.
R. For my yoke is sweet and my burden light.

[Lectio3]
!1 Cor 4:10-15
10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are honourable, but we without honour.
11 Even unto this hour we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no fixed abode;
12 And we labour, working with our own hands: we are reviled, and we bless; we are persecuted, and we suffer it.
13 We are blasphemed, and we entreat; we are made as the refuse of this world, the offscouring of all even until now.
14 I write not these things to confound you; but I admonish you as my dearest children.
15 For if you have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet not many fathers. For in Christ Jesus, by the gospel, I have begotten you.

[Responsory3]
R. But when they shall deliver you up to the judges, take no thought how or what to speak:
* for it shall be given you in that hour what to speak:
V. For it is not you that speak, but the spirit of your Father that speaketh in you.
R. For it shall be given you in that hour what to speak.
&Gloria
R. For it shall be given you in that hour what to speak.

[Lectio4]
Sermon of St. Gregory, Pope
!Sermon 30 on the Gospels
It is written: By His Spirit the Lord hath adorned the heavens. (Job xxvi. 13.) Now the ornament of the heavens are the godly powers of preachers, and this ornament, what it is, Paul teacheth us thus To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diverse kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will. (1 Cor. xii. 8.)

[Responsory4]
R. I saw men standing together, clad in shining raiment, and the Angel of the Lord spoke unto me, saying:
* These men are holy, for they are the friends of God.
V. I saw a strong Angel of God fly into the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice:
R. These men are holy, for they are the friends of God.

[Lectio5]
So much power then as have preachers, so much ornament have the heavens. Wherefore again it is written By the word of the Lord were the heavens made. ~(Ps. xxxii. 6.) For the Word of the Lord is the Son of the Father. But, to the end that all the Holy Trinity may be made manifest as the Maker of the heavens, that is, of the Apostles, it is straightway added touching God the Holy Ghost: you and all the host of them by the Breath of His mouth. Therefore the might of the same heavens is the might of the Spirit, for they had not braved the powers of this world, unless the strength of the Holy Ghost had comforted them. For we know what manner of men the Teachers of the Holy Church were before the coming of this Spirit and since He came we see in Whose strength they are made strong.

[Responsory5]
R. Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake;
* Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.
V. When men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.
R. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven.

[Lectio6]
Verily, if we ask of the damsel that kept the door, she will tell us what was the measure of weakness and of strength in that Shepherd 3 of the Church nigh to whose most holy body we are now sitting, before that the Spirit came. He was so stricken by the words of one woman, that for fear of death, he denied Life. And we may well remember that Peter denied in captivity Him, Whom the thief confessed, even when He was lifted up upon the Cross. But let us hear what that craven was after that the Spirit came. When the rulers and elders were gathered together, the Apostles were beaten, and commanded not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. And Peter answered with great boldness, We ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts v. 42.)

[Responsory6]
R. These are they which have conquered, and are become the friends of God, who recked not of the commandments of princes, and earned the everlasting reward.
* And now have they crowns on their heads, and palms in their hands.
V. These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes in the blood of the Lamb.
R. And now have they crowns on their heads, and palms in their hands.
&Gloria
R. And now have they crowns on their heads, and palms in their hands.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
!Matt 19:27-29
At that time, Peter said unto Jesus: Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee what shall we have therefore? And so on.
_
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest (at Bethlehem.)
!Bk. iii. on Matth xix.
Peter was a fisherman, he was not rich, he earned his bread by his hand and skill, and nevertheless he is thus bold, and saith confidently: We have forsaken all. And because it sufficeth not to forsake only, he addeth that which to do is to be perfect: and followed thee. We have done that which Thou hast commanded us, what reward therefore wilt Thou give us? And Jesus said unto them Amen I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He said not, Ye which have forsaken all, for this did even Crates the philosopher, and they which have set nothing by riches are many, but, Ye which have followed Me. This did the Apostles, and this do believers do.

[Responsory7]
R. These are they who while yet they lived in the flesh, planted the Church in their own blood;
* They drank of the Lord's cup, and became the friends of God.
V. Their sound is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
R. They drank of the Lord's cup, and became the friends of God.

[Lectio8]
In the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, and when the dead shall rise again from corruption incorruptible, (i Cor. xv. 53,) ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones of judgment, condemning the twelve tribes of Israel, because, when ye believed in Me, they would not. (John iii. 18.) And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My Name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. This place agreeth well with that other where the Saviour saith I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. (Matth. x. 34.) Every one, therefore, that hath set no store by affection, and riches, and the pleasures of the world, for Christ's faith's sake, and the preaching of the Gospel, shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

[Responsory8]
R. These men are saints, whom the Lord hath chosen in love unfeigned, and hath given them glory everlasting. These are they
* By the light of whose teaching the Church is glorified, even as the moon is glorified by the light of the sun.
V. The saints through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness.
R. By the light of whose teaching the Church is glorified, even as the moon is glorified by the light of the sun.
&Gloria
R. By the light of whose teaching the Church is glorified, even as the moon is glorified by the light of the sun.

[Lectio9]
By reason of these words, an hundredfold, some will have that there shall be a thousand years after the resurrection, wherein they that have forsaken all things shall receive an hundredfold of those things which they have forsaken, and shall inherit everlasting life. Such men consider not that though in other things this were worthy, as touching wives it is unseemly for it becometh us not to think that he that hath forsaken one wife in this world, shall receive an hundred wives in that which is to come. But the meaning is this, that every one that for the Saviour's sake hath forsaken earthly things, shall receive spiritual things which things, being rightly weighed against earthly things, are as though an hundredfold were weighed against one.
&teDeum

[Capitulum Laudes]
!Eph 2:19-20
v. Brothers: Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners; but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and the domestics of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.
$Deo gratias.

[Versum 2]
V. They declared the works of God.
R. And understood his doings.

[Ant 2]
You who left all * and follow me, you will receive hundredfolds, and you will have eternal life.

[Lectio Prima]
!Acts 5:41
V. And the Apostles indeed went from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were accounted worthy to suffer reproach for the name of Jesus.

[Responsory Breve Tertia]
R.br. Their sound hath gone * forth into all the earth.
R. Their sound hath gone * forth into all the earth.
V. And their words unto the ends of the world.
R. Forth into all the earth.
&Gloria
R. Their sound hath gone * forth into all the earth.

[Capitulum Sexta]
!Acts 5:12
v. And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people.
$Deo gratias

[Responsory Breve Sexta]
R.br. Thou shalt make them princes * over all the earth.
R. Thou shalt make them princes * over all the earth.
V. They shall remember thy name, O Lord.
R. All over the earth.
&Gloria
R. Thou shalt make them princes * over all the earth.

[Responsory Breve Nona]
R.br. Thy friends, O God * are made exceedingly honourable.
R. Thy friends, O God * are made exceedingly honourable.
V. Their principality is exceedingly strengthened.
R. O God, thy friends.
&Gloria
R. Thy friends, O God * are made exceedingly honourable.

[Ant Vespera 3]
The Lord hath sworn * and will not repent: thou art a Priest for ever.;;109
That the Lord may set him * with the princes of his people.;;112
O Lord, thou hast loosed my bonds; * I will offer thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving.;;115
They went forth weeping * sowing their seed.;;125
O God, thy friends are honourable; * their power is waxen right strong.;;138

[Ant 3]
Be valiant * in battle, fight the ancient serpent and accept the eternal kingdom. Alleluia.

[Lectio4 in 2 loco]
From the Exposition of the Eighty-sixth Psalm by St. Augustine, Bishop (of Hippo.)
!Ante medium
Her foundation is in the holy mountains; the Lord loveth the gates of Zion. Wherefore hath the city twelve foundations, and in them the names of the Prophets and of the Apostles of the Lamb? Because their authority is the foundation whereon our weakness resteth. Wherefore are they the gates? Because through them we enter in unto the kingdom of God, since they have preached the same unto us, and when we enter in through their preaching, we enter in by Christ, Who is Himself The Door. (John x. 7.) And, whereas it is written that the city hath twelve gates, and, again, that Christ is the one Door, Christ is all the twelve, for He is in all the twelve and therefore were twelve Apostles chosen. There lieth a great mystery in the signification of this number twelve: Ye shall sit, said the Lord, upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

[Lectio5 in 2 loco]
If then there be set there twelve thrones of judgment, (Ps. cxxi. 5,) Paul, in that he is the thirteenth Apostle, hath not where to sit, nor wherein to judge. Nevertheless, he hath said of himself that he will judge not men only, but angels. Know ye not, saith he, that we shall judge angels? (i Cor. vi. 3,) that is, the fallen angels. Then might they have answered him: Wherefore boastest thou thyself to be a judge? For where is thy seat? The Lord hath said that for the twelve Apostles there shall be twelve thrones; one of the twelve, even Judas, is indeed fallen, but holy Matthias is chosen into his place; for the twelve thrones there are still twelve to sit thereon first find whereon thou shalt sit, and afterward give thyself out for a judge. Let us see, then, what is the meaning of these twelve thrones. By them is signified in a mystery the whole world, since the Church shall be through all the earth, whence this building is called to be built up together in Christ.

[Lectio6 in 2 loco]
Therefore is it said that there shall be twelve thrones, because from all quarters shall there come men to be judged; even as it is said that the city hath twelve gates, because from all quarters shall the nations of them which are saved, enter into it. So, not the twelve only, and the Apostle Paul, but all, as many as shall judge, have part in these twelve thrones, this signifying, that they shall judge all men; even as all that enter into the city, have part in her twelve gates. For there are four quarters of the world, the East, and the West, and the North, and the South of which four quarters is mention often made in the Scriptures. From the four winds shall the elect be gathered together, as saith the Lord in the Gospel: And He shall send His Angels with a great sound of a trumpet; and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matth. xxiv. 31.) From the four winds, therefore, is the Church called together; and how are they called? Everywhere are they called in the Trinity; for they are called no otherwise than by baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matth. xxvii. 19.) Now four being multiplied by three is twelve.

[Lectio7 in 2 loco]
From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
!Matt 19:27-29
In that time, Peter said to Jesus said to him: Behold we have left all things, and have followed thee: what therefore shall we have? And so on.
_
Sermon of the Venerable Bede, Priest (at Jarrow)
!Homily for St. Benedict's Birth-day
If thou wilt be perfect, saith Christ, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and come and follow Me and thou shalt have treasure in heaven. (Matth. xix. 21.) Yea, treasure that passeth not away! Unto such saith Jesus, at the questioning of Peter Amen I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He taught them, which work for His Name's sake in this life, to look for their reward in another life that is, in the regeneration. In the regeneration! when we who have been born dying creatures into a dying life, shall in the resurrection be born again into an undying life.

[Lectio8 in 2 loco]
And soothly, it is a just retribution, that they, who, while they were yet here, have for Christ's sake set no store by being great among men, should there by Christ be singularly glorified to be the assessors of His judgment-seat, even they whom nothing here could turn aside from being the followers of His footsteps. Nevertheless, let there be no man that believeth that the twelve Apostles only, among whom Matthias holdeth that place from which Judas by transgression fell, (Acts i. 25,) that they only shall judge, even as the twelve tribes of Israel shall not alone be judged for then were the tribe of Levi, which is the thirteenth, unjudged.

[Lectio9 in 2 loco]
Moreover, then, were Paul, who is the thirteenth Apostle, deprived of all part in the judgment; whereas he saith of himself: Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life? But it behoveth us to know that every one who hath forsaken all and followed Christ, as did the Apostles, shall also come with Him to judgment, even as every man shall stand at His judgment seat. And the Scriptures use often to signify all by this number twelve; by the twelve thrones of the Apostles are signified the thrones of all them that shall judge; and by the twelve tribes of Israel, the whole number of them that shall be judged.
&teDeum