[Officium]
Dominica in Sexagesima

[Ant 1]
The Lord said unto Noah: * The end of all flesh is come before Me, make thee an ark of planed timber, that seed of all flesh may be saved therein.

[Oratio]
O God, Who seest that we put not our trust in anything that we do, mercifully grant that through the protection of the Teacher of the Gentiles we may be defended against all adversity.
$Per Dominum

[Lectio1]
Lesson from the book of Genesis
!Gen 5:31; 6:1-4
31 Noe, when he was five hundred years old, begot Sem, Cham, and Japheth. 
1 And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them, 
2 The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose. 
3 And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. 
4 Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.

[Responsory1]
R. The Lord said unto Noah: The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence through them.
* And I will destroy them with the earth.
V. Make thee an ark of planed timber, rooms shalt thou make in it.
R. And I will destroy them with the earth.

[Lectio2]
!Gen 6:5-8
5 And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times,
6 It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart,
7 He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 But Noe found grace before the Lord.

[Responsory2]
R. Noah was a just man and perfect; he walked with God. 
* According to all that God commanded him, so did he.
V. He made him an ark, that a seed of every sort might be saved alive.
R. According to all that God commanded him, so did he.

[Lectio3]
!Gen 6:9-15
9 These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God.
10 And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth.
11 And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity.
12 And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth,)
13 He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth.
14 Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without.
15 And thus shalt thou make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits: the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

[Responsory3]
R. Forty days and forty nights were the heavens opened; and there went into the ark two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life.
* And the Lord shut them in.
V. In the self-same day entered Noah into the ark, and his sons, and his wife, and the wives of his sons.
R. And the Lord shut them in.
&Gloria
R. And the Lord shut them in.

[Lectio4]
From the Book upon Noah's Ark by St. Ambrose, Bishop (of Milan.)
!Chap, iv.
We read that the Lord was angry. It is in the thoughts, that is to say, in the knowledge of God, that man being put on earth and weighted with the body cannot be without sin, for earth is the home of temptations, and the flesh is a bait for corruption. Yet man had a reasonable soul, and his soul had power to control his body; and, being so made, he made no struggle to keep himself from falling into that from whence he would not return. God's thoughts are not as man's thoughts; in Him there is no such thing as change of mind, no such thing as to be angry and then cool down again. These things are written that we may know the bitterness of our sins, whereby we have earned the Divine wrath. To such a degree had iniquity grown that God, Who by His nature cannot be moved by anger, or hatred, or any passion whatsoever, is represented as provoked to anger.

[Responsory4]
R. Noah builded an Altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt offerings on the Altar; and the Lord smelled a sweet savour, and blessed Noah, and said:
* Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
V. Behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you.
R. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

[Lectio5]
And God threatened that He would destroy man. He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth; both man and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air. What harm had the animals done? For man's use had they been created, and, when man was wiped away, they were of use no longer. And there is an higher reason. Man is a living soul, capable of reason, who may be described as a living animal, subject to death, and endowed with reason. When then the highest animal is gone, why should the lower branches remain? Why should anything be saved alive, when righteousness, the basis of salvation, is to be no more?

[Responsory5]
R. The Lord said unto Noah: I do set My bow in the clouds of heaven,
* And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you.
V. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the heaven, that My bow shall be seen in the cloud.
R. And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you.

[Lectio6]
But more effectually to condemn the rest of men, and to manifest the goodness of God, it is written that Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. Here we learn also that the sin of his neighbour casteth no shadow on the righteous, when he is kept as a stock from whence the whole race are to spring. He is praised, not because he was of a noble race, but because he was a just man and perfect. The stock of a just man yieldeth men of just souls; for virtues, like blood, are hereditary. Among men are some families illustrious for honourable pedigrees, and so there are also races of souls whose comeliness is the lustre of virtues.

[Responsory6]
R. By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord. I will not again bring the waters of the flood upon the earth, I will remember My covenant.
* And the waters shall become no more a flood to destroy all flesh.
V. I do set My bow in the clouds, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.
R. And the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
&Gloria
R. And the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Luke
!Luke 8:4-15
At that time: When much people were gathered together, and were come to Jesus out of every city, he spake by a parable. A sower went out to sow his seed. And so on, and that which followeth.
_
Homily by Pope St. Gregory (the Great.)
!15th on the Gospels
Dearly beloved brethren, the passage from the Holy Gospel which ye have just heard, needeth not so much that I should explain it, as that I should seek to enforce its lesson. The Truth Himself hath explained it, and, after that, it beseemeth not man's frailty to fritter away His exposition by any further comment. But there is, in that very explanation by the Lord, somewhat, which it behoveth us well to weigh. If it were but we who bade you believe that by the seed is signified the word; by the field, the world; by the birds, the devils; and by the thorns, riches ye would perchance doubt of the truth of our explanation. Therefore the Lord Himself hath vouchsafed to give this explanation, and that, not for this parable only, but that ye may know in what manner to interpret others, whereof He hath not given the meaning.

[Responsory7]
R. God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them:
* Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
V. Behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you.
R. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

[Lectio8]
Beginning His explanation, the Lord saith that He speaketh in parables. Hereby He doth certify us, when our weakness would unveil to you the hidden meaning of His words. If I spake of myself, who would believe me when I say that riches are thorns? Thorns prick, but riches lull to rest. And yet riches are indeed thorns, for the anxiety they bring is a ceaseless pricking to the minds of their owners, and, if they lead into sin, they are thorns which bloodily tear the soul. But we understand from another Evangelist (Matth. xiii. 22) that in this place the Lord speaketh, not of riches themselves, but of the deceitfulness of riches.

[Responsory8]
R. Behold, I establish My covenant with you, and with your seed after you. 
* Neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
V. I do set My bow in the clouds, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.
R. Neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

[Lectio9]
Those riches are deceitful riches, which can be ours only for a little while; those riches are deceitful riches, which cannot relieve the poverty of our souls. They are the only true riches, which make us rich in virtues. If then, dearly beloved brethren, ye seek to be rich, earnestly desire the true riches. If ye would be truly honourable, strive after the kingdom of heaven. If ye love the bravery of titles, hasten to have your names written down at Court above, where Angels are. Take to heart the Lord's words which your ear heareth. The food of the soul is the word of God when the stomach is sick it throweth up again the food which is put into it, and so is the soul sick when a man heareth and digesteth not in his memory the Word of God. And if any man cannot keep his food, that man's life is in desperate case.

[Responsory9]
R. When much people were gathered together to Jesus, and were come to Him out of every city, He spake by a parable:
* A sower went out to sow his seed.
V. And, as he sowed, some fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundred-fold.
R. A sower went out to sow his seed.
&Gloria
R. A sower went out to sow his seed.

[Ant Laudes]
Have mercy upon me, O God, * after thy great mercy.
If the Lord be my Saviour * I will not fear what man can do unto me.
Within the veil I cried betimes: * O God, Thou art my God, early will I seek thee.
Let us sing praises * to the Lord our God.
In the high places, * praise ye God.
(sed rubrica tridentina aut rubrica monastica)
Praise the Lord with timbrel and choir * praise him with strings and organ.

[Capitulum Laudes]
!2 Cor 11:19-20
v. For you gladly suffer the foolish; whereas yourselves are wise. For you suffer if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take from you, if a man be lifted up, if a man strike you on the face.
$Deo gratias

[Ant 2]
When much people were gathered together to Jesus, * and were come to Him out of every city, He spoke by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed.

[Ant Prima]
The seed fell * upon good ground, and brought forth its fruit in patience.

[Ant Tertia]
They who keep * the word of God with a good and perfect heart, bring forth fruit in patience.

[Ant Sexta]
Some seed fell on good ground, * and bare fruit, some one hundred-fold, and some sixty-fold.

[Capitulum Sexta]
!2 Cor 11:25
v. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I was in the depth of the sea.
$Deo gratias

[Ant Nona]
If then, dearly beloved brethren, ye seek to be rich, * earnestly desire the true riches.

[Capitulum Nona]
!2 Cor 12:9
v. And he said to me: My grace is sufficient for thee; for power is made perfect in infirmity. Gladly therefore will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
$Deo gratias

[Ant 3]
Jesus said to His disciples: * Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to others in parables.