[Officium]
Feria VI post Cineres

[Lectio1]
Continuation of the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
!Matt 5:43-48; 6:1-4
In that time, Jesus said to his disciples: You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy. And so on.
_
Homily by St. Jerome, Priest (at Bethlehem.)
!Bk. i, Comm. on Matth. v and vi
But I say unto you: “Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you.” There are many who judge of the commandments of the Lord by their own weakness, and not by the strength of His Saints; and so deem Him to have commanded things impossible. These are they who think that not to hate their enemies is all that they are able to do; and that to command us to love them, is to command more than man's nature can bear. It behoveth them to know, that this which Christ commandeth is not impossible, albeit perfect. This is what David did in respect of Saul and Absalom; the martyr Stephen also prayed for his enemies, even while they were stoning him; and Paul could wish that himself were accursed from Christ for his persecutors. (Rom. ix. 3.) And this, Jesus Himself did, as well as taught, when He said: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” (Luke xxiii. 34.)

[Lectio2]
That ye may be the children of your Father Which is in heaven. If he that doeth the commandments of God becometh a son of God, then is he not a son by nature, but by his own choice. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues, and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. He that soundeth a trumpet before him, when he doeth alms, is an hypocrite. He that disfigureth his face, when he fasteth, to the end that he may show the emptiness of his belly in his looks, he also is an hypocrite.

[Lectio3]
He that prayeth in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that he may be seen of men, is an hypocrite. From all which, we gather that an hypocrite is one which doeth anything that he may have glory of men. To me also it seemeth that he which saith unto his brother: “Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye”, (vii. 4) that he also is an hypocrite; for he proposeth to take upon him that office for vainglory's sake, that he himself may appear righteous. Therefore the Lord saith unto him: “Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye.” Thus we see that it is, not the doing good, but the motive which moveth us to do good, which will meet with reward from God; and, if thou stray but a little from the right way, it is of small moment whether thou wander to the right hand or to the left, when once thou hast lost the straight path.

[Ant 2]
When thou dost * alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth.

[Oratio 2]
Further with thy gracious favor, we beseech thee, O Lord, the fasts which we have begun, that we may be able to practice the bodily fasts which we keep, with sincere minds.
$Per Dominum

[Ant 3]
But thou when thou shalt pray, * enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father.

[Oratio 3]
Guard, O Lord, thy people, and from all their sins cleanse them; for no adversity shall harm them if no iniquity dominates them.
$Per Dominum