[Officium]
Feria Sexta infra octavam Corporis Christi

[Officium] (rubrica 196 aut rubrica 1955)
Feria VI infra Hebdomadam I post Octavam Pentecostes

[Lectio1]
Lesson from the first book of Samuel
!1 Sam 2:27-29
27 And there came a man of God to Heli, and said to him: Thus saith the Lord: Did I not plainly appear to thy father's house, when they were in Egypt in the house of Pharao?
28 And I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, and burn incense to me, and to wear the ephod before me: and I gave to thy father's house of all the sacrifices of the children of Israel.
29 Why have you kicked away my victims, and my gifts which I commanded to be offered in the temple: and thou hast rather honoured thy sons than me, to eat the firstfruits of every sacrifice of my people Israel?

[Lectio2]
!1 Sam 2:30-33
30 Wherefore thus saith the Lord the God of Israel: I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father should minister in my sight, for ever. But now saith the Lord: Far be this from me: but whosoever shall glorify me, him will I glorify: but they that despise me, shall be despised.
31 Behold the days come: and I will cut off thy arm, and the arm of thy father's house, that there shall not be an old man in thy house.
32 And thou shalt see thy rival in the temple, in all the prosperity of Israel, and there shall not be an old man in thy house for ever.
33 However I will not altogether take away a man of thee from my altar: but that thy eyes may faint and thy soul be spent: and a great part of thy house shall die when they come to man's estate

[Lectio3]
!1 Sam 2:34-36
34 And this shall be a sign to thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, Ophni and Phinees: In one day they shall both of them die.
35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, who shall do according to my heart, and my soul, and I will build him a faithful house, and he shall walk all days before my anointed.
36 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall remain in thy house, shall come that he may be prayed for, and shall offer a piece of silver, and a roll of bread, and shall say: Put me, I beseech thee, to somewhat of the priestly office, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

[Lectio4]
From the Sermons of St. Thomas Aquinas.
!Lesser works, 57
It serveth well therefore to the edifying of the faithful to make memorial of the institution of this so health-giving and so wonderful a Sacrament, that we may worship the unspeakable way by the which the Divine Presence in-dwelleth in this Sacrament, Which we see, and may praise the power of God whereby in this Sacrament are wrought so many wonders, yea, and also give God some of those thanks which we owe unto Him for this so health-giving gift of His loving-kindness. It is true that on the Day of the Supper of the Lord, on which day we know it to have been that He ordained this Sacrament, at the solemn celebration of the Mass, the memory of the instituting thereof is more particularly mentioned, but all the rest of the Services on that day deal chiefly with Christ Suffering, to worshipping of Whom the Church doth at that season give all her mind.

[Lectio5]
But, that the congregation of Christ's faithful people might celebrate with an whole Festal Office all to itself the institution of this so great Sacrament, Urban IV., Bishop of Rome, being touched with love toward this said Sacrament, hath made a godly ordinance that the memory of the said institution should be celebrated by all the faithful upon the Fifth Day of the week, next after the Eighth Day of Pentecost. From one end of the year to the other we use this Sacrament to our souls' health, and we more particularly celebrate the institution thereof at that season wherein the Holy Ghost taught the hearts of the disciples to acknowledge the mysteries thereof, for then it was, as we read, that “they continued steadfastly in [the Apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in] breaking of Bread, [and in prayers.”] (Acts ii. 42.)

[Lectio6]
And, moreover, to the end that on the aforesaid Thursday, and the seven days next following, the memory of this health-giving Institution might be the more honourably celebrated, and the Feast thereby be held in more excellent worship, the abovenamed Bishop of Rome, after the manner of the doles which in Cathedral Churches are given to such as come to the singing or saying of the Canonical Hours by night and day, hath out of his Apostolic bounty granted spiritual rewards to all such as in their own persons are present in the Church at the diverse Canonical Hours during all this Festival, thereby to stir up the faithful to come to the keeping of this great Feast in greater eagerness and numbers.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to John
!John 6:56-59
At that time, Jesus said unto the multitudes of the Jews: My Flesh is meat indeed and My Blood is drink indeed. And so on.
_
Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo
!27th Tract on John.
We have heard from the Gospel the words of the Lord which follow [those that formed the subject of my earlier discourse. To your ears and understandings we owe a discourse on these also, and to-day it becometh very well, for it is upon that Body of the Lord, Which He professeth Himself that He “will give for the life of the world,” “that a man may eat thereof and not die.” He hath made manifest how He giveth, and What is His Gift, where He saith: “He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh My Blood, dwelleth in Me and I in him.” The sign to show whether a man hath or hath not eaten that Flesh and drunk that Blood, is whether or not he dwelleth in Christ and Christ in him, whether or not he is a guest of Christ and Christ of his, whether or not he so cleaveth unto Christ, that Christ be not parted from him.

[Lectio8]
This hath He taught, and warned us, by words of deep meaning, to be in His Body as members whose Head is He, eating His Flesh, and cleaving alway to His Oneness.” Many of His disciples when they had heard this.. went back, and walked no more with Him “for they understood not by Flesh any flesh other than such as they themselves were made of. The Apostle saith, (and very true it is) “To be carnally minded is death.” (Rom. viii. 6.) The Lord giveth us His Flesh to eat, and to understand it carnally is death. Where He saith: “Whoso eateth My Flesh is life” we. must not eat His Flesh carnally, whom it is written “Many of His disciples” (not His enemies) “when they heard this, said This is an hard saying who can hear it?”

[Lectio9]
If His disciples took His words for an hard saying, how did His enemies take them? And, nevertheless, thus it behoved to speak them if all men were not to understand them. A Divine mystery ought to make us thoughtful, not to repel us and yet, when the Lord Jesus Christ spoke thus in mystery, many of His disciples went back and walked no more with Him. They believed not that He was speaking of some great thing, and darkly announcing in these hath eternal understand this as did they of “Many of His words a bounty. They understood but as they pleased, even after the manner of men, that Jesus was able, or that Jesus meant, to give that Flesh wherewith the Word is clothed on, as it were, in slices, to them that believe on Him. And they said “This is an hard saying who can hear it?”
&teDeum