[Officium]
Feria V infra Hebdomadam post Ascensionem

[Lectio1]
Lesson from the third letter of St. John the Apostle
!3 John 1:1-4
1 The ancient to the dearly beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
2 Dearly beloved, concerning all things I make it my prayer that thou mayest proceed prosperously, and fare well as thy soul doth prosperously.
3 I was exceedingly glad when the brethren came and gave testimony to the truth in thee, even as thou walkest in the truth.
4 I have no greater grace than this, to hear that my children walk in truth.

[Lectio2]
!3 John 1:5-10
5 Dearly beloved, thou dost faithfully whatever thou dost for the brethren, and that for strangers,
6 Who have given testimony to thy charity in the sight of the church: whom thou shalt do well to bring forward on their way in a manner worthy of God.
7 Because, for his name they went out, taking nothing of the Gentiles.
8 We therefore ought to receive such, that we may be fellow helpers of the truth.
9 I had written perhaps to the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them, doth not receive us.
10 For this cause, if I come, I will advertise his works which he doth, with malicious words prating against us. And as if these things were not enough for him, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and them that do receive them he forbiddeth, and casteth out of the church.

[Lectio3]
!3 John 1:11-14
11 Dearly beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doth good, is of God: he that doth evil, hath not seen God.
12 To Demetrius testimony is given by all, and by the truth itself, yea and we also give testimony: and thou knowest that our testimony is true.
13 I had many things to write unto thee: but I would not by ink and pen write to thee.
14 But I hope speedily to see thee, and we will speak mouth to mouth. Peace be to thee. Our friends salute thee. Salute the friends by name.

[Lectio5]
An earthly Body, then, is now lifted up above the heights of heaven the Bones, Which but a little while before had lain within the narrow walls of the grave, have made their entry among the angelic hosts human nature hath been given a place in the lap of immortality and therefore the Apostle whose account we have heard read, saith: “When He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up.” (Acts i. 9.) While thou hearest these words, “taken up,” thou must understand thereby the ministry of the angelic army whereby this Festival revealeth to us the Mystery of Him who is both God and Man. United in One Person, we see in Him who lifted up, Divine Power, and in Him Who was lifted up, very Man.

[Lectio6]
Therefore are utterly to be loathed those pestiferous teachings of Eastern falsehood, those brandnew inventions of ungodliness which dare to assert that He Who in One Person is both Son of God and Son of Man, hath but one nature. On the one hand, if a man say that Christ is not Partaker of the Divine nature, he hath denied the glory of his Maker on the other, he who saith that the Manhood is not of the nature of man, hath denied the mercy of his Saviour. As touching these points, it is wellnigh impossible for an Arian to believe that the Gospel writers are any better than liars, since they distinctly assert in some places that the Son of God is equal, and, in others, that He is inferior, to the Father. Farther, if a man be given over to this soul-slaying delusion of believing that our Saviour hath only one nature, he must of necessity admit either that it was only God, or that it was only man who was crucified. But it was not so. If He had been of no nature but the Divine, He could not have suffered, and if He had been of no nature but the human, He could not have conquered death.

[Lectio8]
Hence it is that Solomon hath put into the mouth of the, (same) Church the words: “Behold, He cometh! leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills These hills are his lofty and; noble achievements. “Behold, He cometh leaping upon the mountains.” When He came to redeem us, He came, if I may so say, in leaps. My dearly beloved brethren, would you know what His leaps were? From heaven he leapt into the womb' of the Virgin, from the womb into the manger, from the manger on to the Cross, from the Cross into the grave, and from the grave up to heaven. Lo, how the Truth made manifest in the Flesh did leap for our sakes, that He might draw us to run after Him for this end did He rejoice, as a strong man to run a race.