[Rank]
Sexta die infra Octavam Nativitatis Beatae Mariae Virginis;;Semiduplex;;2;;ex Sancti/09-08

[Rule]
ex Sancti/09-08
9 lectiones
Doxology=Nat

[Lectio4]
Ex libro sancti Epiphanii Episcopi adversus haereses.
!Lib. 3. haeresi 78. post medium.
From the Book against heresies written by St Epiphanius, Archbishop (of~
Salamis.)
!Bk. iii. 78.
Eve, who received the mystic title of Mother of all living (Gen. iii. 20), was a~
type of Mary, the Blessed Mother of God. It was even after she had heard the~
words, Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return, that Eve was called~
Mother of all living. And it is certainly strange that after the transgression~
she should receive this great title. In respect of carnal things all men upon~
the earth do indeed draw their genealogy from Eve, and in respect of spiritual~
things life was born upon the earth from Mary, who gave birth to Him That liveth,~
and so becometh Mother of all that live by Him. And so Mary hath a mystic right~
to the title of Mother of all living.

[Responsory4]
@Sancti/09-08:Responsory4

[Lectio5]
Unto Eve was given a coat of skins to clothe the natural body withal when she~
knew that she was naked, (Gen. iii. 21,) but unto Mary it was given to bring~
forth for us a Lamb with Whose glorious fleece (of merits) we may through wisdom~
be clothed in a robe of immortality. Eve was a cause of death to all men, for by~
her, death entered into the world; but Mary is a cause of life whereby life is~
sprung up for us all, since through her the Son of God entered into the world. ' '~
Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. (Rom.
v. 20.) Whence death was brought in, thence hath life also come forth, that life~
may take the place of death, and He Who by a woman hath become life unto us may~
put away the death which was invented by a woman. On the one hand Eve, being~
still a virgin, transgressed by disobedience; on the other hand, by a virgin~
came the obedience of grace, the announcement of Him Who came from heaven and~
took flesh, and life everlasting.

[Responsory5]
@Sancti/09-08:Responsory5

[Lectio6]
We may be permitted to say so, the following words, written of the Church, may~
be taken of Mary Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and~
shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh. (Gen. ii. 24.) The holy~
Apostle saith This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and~
the Church. (Eph. v. 32.) See the scrupulous accuracy of the Scriptural~
language. Concerning Adam it is said that God formed him, but concerning Eve~
that He builded her. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, builded~
He into a woman. (Gen. ii. 22.) Hereby is shown that the Lord formed unto~
Himself a Body out of Mary, but that out of His Rib He builded up the Church,~
namely, when His Side was pierced and opened, and the mystic streams of Blood~
and Water flowed for the remission of sin.

[Responsory6]
@Sancti/09-08:Responsory6

[Lectio7]
From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
!Matt 1:1-17 
The Book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of~
Abraham. Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat Jacob. And so on.
_
Homily by St Austin, Bishop (of Hippo.)
!Bk. iii. upon the Harmony of the Gospels, I.
The Evangelist Matthew beginneth thus The book of the generation of Jesus~
Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham. By this beginning he sufficiently~
showeth that he taketh upon him to tell the generation of Christ according to~
the Flesh. It is by this generation that Christ is the Son of Man, a title~
whereby He oftentimes calleth Himself, pointing out unto us what He hath been~
mercifully pleased to become for our sakes. As to His higher and eternal~
Generation, by Which He is the Only-begotten Son of God, begotten before any~
creature, and by Whom all things were made, it is so indescribable that the~
Prophet may be understood to point to it where he saith who shall declare His~
generation? (Isa. liii. 8.)

[Responsory7]
@Sancti/07-02:Responsory7

[Lectio8]
Matthew therefore followeth the human pedigree of Christ, tracing down the line~
of His forefathers from Abraham to Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was~
born Jesus. That it was not from lying with Joseph, but as a virgin, that Mary~
gave birth to the Christ, is deemed by the Evangelist no reason why he should~
not give Joseph the name of husband. By this it is clearly indicated that even~
where the faithful who are married abstain from one another by common consent,~
their union may continue and be called wedlock, albeit it be a tie which~
consisteth in the tender attachment of minds and not the coupling of bodies, and~
this more especially, since they were able to have a Son born unto them without~
that carnal embrace the only right end of which is the begetting of children.

[Responsory8]
@Sancti/07-02:Responsory8

[Lectio9]
!Cap. 2.
Since the Apostle Paul clearly saith that Jesus Christ our Lord was made of the~
seed of David according to the flesh, (Rom. i. 3,) we must not doubt that Mary~
was somewise descended from the stock of David. But it is also asserted that she~
was a woman with Priestly blood, by the statement that she was cousin to~
Elizabeth, (Luke i. 36,) who was of the daughters of Aaron. We are~
therefore bound to believe that in Christ flowed the blood of the two great~
races, namely, the Kingly and the Priestly. In these two races was found among~
the Hebrews that mysterious anointing which typified the anointing or Chrisma~
from which the title of the Christ or Anointed is taken, and which Anointing~
was so long beforehand in these clear types so plainly foreshadowed.
&teDeum
