[Officium]
Feria Secunda Majoris Hebdomadæ

[Officium] (rubrica 1955 aut rubrica 196)
Feria Secunda Hebdomadæ Sanctæ

[Lectio1]
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to John
!John 12:1-9
Six days before the pasch, Jesus came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life.
_
Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop (of Hippo.)
!50th Tract on John
There they made Him a supper and Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table lest men should deem that it was but by an ocular delusion that they had seen him arise from the dead. He lived therefore, spake, and ate; to the manifestation of the truth, and the confusion of the unbelieving Jews. Jesus, then, sat down to meat with Lazarus and others, and Martha, being one of Lazarus' sisters, served. But Mary, Lazarus' other sister, took a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the Feet of Jesus, and wiped His Feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. We have now heard that which was done; let us search out the mystic meaning thereof.

[Responsory1]
R. The ungodly said: Let us oppress the righteous man without cause, and swallow him up alive, as the grave; let us make his memorial to perish from the earth, and cast lots among us for his spoils and those murderers laid by store for themselves, but of evil.
* Fools and haters loathe wisdom, and are guilty in their thoughts.
V. Such things they did imagine, and were deceived, for their own wickedness blinded them.
R. Fools and haters loathe wisdom, and are guilty in their thoughts.

[Lectio2]
Whatsover thou art that wilt be a faithful soul, seek with Mary to anoint the Feet of the Lord with costly ointment. This ointment was a figure of justice, and therefore is there said to have been a pound thereof, a pound being a weight used in scales. The word pistikes used by the Evangelist as the name of this ointment, we must believe to be that of some place, from which this costly perfume was imported. Neither is this name meaningless for us, but agreeth well with our mystic interpretation, since Pistis is the Greek word which signifieth Faith, and whosoever will do justice must know that: The just shall live by faith. (Rom. i. 17; Hab. ii. 4.) Anoint therefore the Feet of Jesus by thy good life, following in the marks which those Feet of the Lord have traced. Wipe His Feet likewise with thy hair; that is, if thou have aught which is not needful to thee, give it to the poor; and then thou hast wiped the Feet of Jesus with thy hair, that is, with that which thou needest not, and which is therefore to thee as is hair, being a needless out-growth to the body. Here thou hast what to do with that which thou needest not. To thee it is needless, but the Lord's Feet have need of it; yea, the Feet which the Lord hath on earth are sorely needy.

[Responsory2]
R. I became a reproach unto mine enemies they looked upon me and shaked their heads.
* Help me, O Lord my God!
V. They have spoken against me with a lying tongue they compassed me about also with words of hatred.
R. Help me, O Lord my God!

[Lectio3]
For of whom save of His members, will He say at the latter day: Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these My brethren, ye have done it unto Me. (Matth. xxv. 40.) That is, ye have spent nothing save that which ye needed not, but ye have ministered unto My Feet. And the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. That is, the fragrance of your good example filleth the world; for this odour is a figure of reputation. They which are called Christians, and yet live bad lives, cast a slur on Christ and it is even such as they unto whom it is said: The Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you. (Rom. ii. 24; Ezek. xxxvi. 20, 23.) But if, through such, the Name of God be blasphemed, through the godly is praise ascribed to the Same His Holy Name, as the Apostle doth likewise say: In every place we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish. (2 Cor. ii. 14, 15.)

[Responsory3]
R. False witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty they have gone about to kill me, neither spared they to spit in my face; their spears have wounded me, and all my bones are out of joint.
* But as for me, I counted myself as one that is dead upon the earth.
V. They poured forth their fury upon me, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
R. But as for me, I counted myself as one that is dead upon the earth.
&Gloria
R. False witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty; they have gone about to kill me, neither spared they to spit in my face; their spears have wounded me, all my bones are out of joint. But as for me, I counted myself as one that is dead upon the earth.

[Ant Laudes]
I hid not my face * from shame and spitting.
Awake, O sword, * against them that scatter my flock.
They took the thirty pieces of silver, * my price, that I was prized at of them.
Waters flowed over mine head; * I said I am cut off; I will call upon thy Name, O Lord God.
O Lord, behold the lips * of those that rose up against me, and their device.

[Ant 2]
And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me * with thine Own Self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

[Oratio 2]
O Almighty God, Which knowest that we be set in such straits that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves, we pray thee mercifully to relieve us, for whom continually pleadeth the suffering of thine Only Begotten Son.
$Qui tecum

[Ant 3]
Thou couldest have no power * at all against Me, except it were given thee from above.

[Oratio 3]
Help us, O God of our salvation, and grant us grace to draw near with joy to the memorial of thy great mercies whereby Thou wast pleased to make us new creatures.
$Per Dominum