[Officium]
Sabbato infra octavam Corporis Christi

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

[Lectio1]
Lesson from the first book of Samuel
!1 Sam 3:1-7
1 Now the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Heli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days, there was no manifest vision.
2 And it came to pass one day when Heli lay in his place, and his eyes were grown dim, that he could not see:
3 Before the lamp of God went out, Samuel slept in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was.
4 And the Lord called Samuel. And he answered: Here am I.
5 And he ran to Heli and said: Here am I: for thou didst call me. He said: I did not call: go back and sleep. And he went and slept.
6 And the Lord called Samuel again. And Samuel arose and went to Heli, and said: Here am I: for thou calledst me. He answered: I did not call thee, my son: return and sleep.
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither had the word of the Lord been revealed to him.

[Lectio2]
!1 Sam 3:8-12
8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose up and went to Heli.
9 And said: Here am I: for thou didst call me. Then Heli understood that the Lord called the child, and he said to Samuel: Go, and sleep: and if he shall call thee any more, thou shalt say: Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and slept in his place.
10 And the Lord came and stood: and he called, as he had called the other times: Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said: Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.
11 And the Lord said to Samuel: Behold I do a thing in Israel: and whosoever shall hear it, both his ears shall tingle.
12 In that day I will raise up against Heli all the things I have spoken concerning his house: I will begin, and I will make an end.

[Lectio3]
!1 Sam 3:15-20
15 And Samuel slept till morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to tell the vision to Heli.
16 Then Heli called Samuel, and said: Samuel, my son. And he answered: Here am I.
17 And he asked him: What is the word that the Lord hath spoken to thee? I beseech thee hide it not from me. May God do so and so to thee, and add so and so, if thou hide from me one word of all that were said to thee.
18 So Samuel told him all the words, and did not hide them from him. And he answered: It is the Lord: let him do what is good in his sight.
19 And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and not one of his words fell to the ground.
20 And all Israel from Dan to Bersabee, knew that Samuel was a faithful prophet of the Lord.

[Lectio4]
From the Sermons of St. John Chrysostom, Patriarch of Constantinople.
!61st Homily to the people of Antioch.
Dearly beloved brethren, it behoveth us to learn the miracle of the Mysteries what the Gift is, and why It was given, and what is the use thereof. “We, being many, are one body,” saith [the Apostle Paul, (1 Cor. x. 17,) and again] “We are members of His Body, of His Flesh, and of His Bones.” (Eph. v. 30.) Only the initiated will now understand what I say. That this union may take place, not by love only, but verily and indeed, we ought to mingle our own with His Flesh. And this is done by eating that Food Which He hath given unto us, being fain to manifest that exceeding great love which He beareth to us-ward. To this end He hath mingled Himself with us, and infused His Body into our bodies, that we may be one together, like as the limbs of a man and his head are all of one body. Such union do they long for that love much.

[Lectio5]
When we come back from that Table we ought to be like so many lions breathing fire, dreadful to the devil. Our thoughts ought to be concentrated on our Great Head and the love which He showeth us. Many fathers and mothers there are who give their children to others to nurse, but I, saith the Lord to His children, I am not so, but I feed you with Mine Own Flesh, and join Myself to you, fain that ye all should be sons of noble blood now, and giving you a noble hope of that which ye shall be hereafter. I was content to become your Brother, I for your sakes have taken unto Me Flesh, and Blood, and that Flesh and Blood wherein I am become your Brother, the Same give I in turn unto you.

[Lectio6]
Let us then, dearly beloved brethren, take good heed to ourselves, as unto the holders of so great mercies, and when any foul word springeth to our lips, or we feel anger taking possession of us, or the sting of any other sinful passion, let us call to mind of What we have been counted worthy, and let that remembrance still the unruly motion. As often as we take that Body, as often as we taste that Blood, let us think how that we feed on Him Who is sitting on high, adored of Angels, at the right hand of the Eternal Power. Ah me, how many a way is open to us whereby we may be saved He hath made us His He hath given His Body to us and we still are not turned away from evil

[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.
I have said, my brethren, that what the Lord hath set before us, in eating of His Flesh and drinking of His Blood, is that we should dwell in Him, and He in us. We dwell in Him when we are His members, and He dwelleth in us when we are His temple. But the bond whereby we are made His members is oneness and what is the cause of oneness but love And love of God, whence is it? Ask the Apostle. “The love of God,” saith he, “is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Which is given unto us.” (Rom. v. 5.)

[Lectio8]
So “it is the spirit that quickeneth.” It is the spirit that maketh lively the limbs, nor is the quickening power of the spirit shed through any limbs but such as remain in union with the body whose the spirit is. The spirit that thou hast in thee, O man, and whereby thou art a man, doth that spirit shed life through any limb cut off from thy flesh By “spirit,” I mean soul. The soul quickeneth no limb but such as remain attached to the body. Cut one off, and the soul quickeneth it no more, for it is separate from the oneness of thy body.

[Lectio9]
These things I say, that we may love oneness and dread division. In sooth, there is nothing which a Christian ought so much to dread, as to be cut off from the Body of Christ. If he be cut off from the Body of Christ, he is no longer a member of Christ, and the Spirit of Christ no longer quickeneth him. “Now, if any man,” saith the Apostle, “have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” (Rom. viii. 9.) “It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” “Spirit and life”, what meaneth this? It is to be taken spiritually. Hast thou taken it spiritually? Then the words the Lord spake, unto thee they are spirit and they are life. Hast thou taken it carnally? Then the words of the Lord are still indeed spirit and life but not for thee.
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