[Oratio]
O God, who filled your most blessed Confessor Benedict with the spirit of all the righteous, grant to us your servants who celebrate his solemnity, that filled with his spirit we may faithfully accomplish by your assistance that which we have promised.
$Per Dominum

[Invit]
Let us praise our God * As we venerate our holy father Benedict.

[Hymnus Matutinum]
Invincible sign-bearer,
Consecrated as leader of the soldiers,
defend us, O Benedict,
with your strong arm of prayer.
_
With those same conquering arms defeat
The lions roar, our ghostly fœ,
With which you drove once from you
That fearful blackbird long ago.
_
With fresh wounds’ force those wounds were cured,
With nettles’ sting and thorny briar;
With mind divinely kindled you
Didst quench the flame with added fire.
_
The cross like crushing stone destroyed
The fatal cup of poisoned wine
The cup of death could not prevail
Against that strong, lifegiving sign.
_
A brother’s mind from prayer reft
Was by a vagrant spirit led:
Stability returned to him
When from your staff the demon fled.
_
To the Father be glory,
And for his only Son,
With the Spirit, the Paraclete,
Now and forever.
Amen.

[Ant Matutinum]
The man of God said to his brethren: Beware for the evil spirit is coming against you.;;1
He who had given the warning had hardly finished speaking the words when the wall of the house fell, crushed the little boy, and was left as ruins.;;2
Then he shut the door of his cell and, even more fervently than was his wont, prostrated himself in prayer.;;4
O wonder, from the hour he restored the boy to health, more fit for work than he was before.;;5
The servant of Almighty God, pouring forth his prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ, vanished the ancient enemy from the possessed man.;;8
God accomplished that which he had promised to his faithful servant Benedict, that he might guard souls.;;10
Venerable Benedict said: Make the sign of the cross, brother, make the sign of the cross.;;14
Today there is little indeed, but tomorrow you shall have abundance.;;20
On the following day two hundred measures of meal were found outside the storehouse door.;;23
So great was the merit of Benedict with Jesus Christ, that the earth cast forth the body of him who possessed not his favour.;;95
Noone could doubt the promises of him who on an instant produced a full cask of oil in place of an almost empty vessel.;;96
Benedict now makes the cave where first he dwelt shine forth with miracles according to the faith of those who seek him.;;97
Let us praise the Patriarch of monks with songs, and celebrate our patron glorious in miracles.;;256;257;258

[Lectio1]
From the book of Ecclesiasticus
!Eccl 45:1-6
1 Moses was beloved of God, and men: whose memory is in benediction.
2 He made him like the saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words he made prodigies to cease.
3 He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him commandments in the sight of his people, and shewed him his glory.
4 He sanctified him in his faith, and meekness, and chose him out of all flesh.
5 For he heard him, and his voice, and brought him into a cloud.
6 And he gave him commandments before his face, and a law of life and instruction, that he might teach Jacob his covenant, and Israel his judgments.

[Responsory1]
R. Go your way to the rock, and in the place where you find three stones laid one on another, dig a little hole,
* For almighty God is able to bring forth water from the heights of that mountain.
V. Away they went, and came to the rock which Benedict had predicted, sweating drops of water.
R. For almighty God is able to bring forth water from the heights of that mountain.

[Lectio2]
!Eccl 47:9-12
9 In all his works he gave thanks to the holy one, and to the most High, with words of glory.
10 With his whole heart he praised the Lord, and loved God that made him: and he gave him power against his enemies:
11 And he set singers before the altar, and by their voices he made sweet melody.
12 And to the festivals he added beauty, and set in order the solemn times even to the end of his life, that they should praise the holy name of the Lord, and magnify the holiness of God in the morning.

[Responsory2]
R. The man of God's disciple, called Maurus, called the venerable Father
* For the man that persecuted him was slain.
V. Which thing when Benedict heard, he was passing sorrowful, and lamented much.
R. For the man that persecuted him was slain.

[Lectio3]
!Eccl 48:1;5-7;10
1 And Elias the prophet stood up, as a fire, and his word burnt like a torch.
5 Who raisedst up a dead man from below, from the lot of death, by the word of the Lord God.
6 Who broughtest down kings to destruction, and brokest easily their power in pieces, and the glorious from their bed.
7 Who heardest judgment in Sina, and in Horeb the judgments of vengeance.
10 Who art registered in the judgments of times to appease the wrath of the Lord, to reconcile the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob.

[Responsory3]
R. Look not, O Lord, on my sins, but the faith of this man, that desires to have his son raised to life, and restore that soul to the body, which you have made. And when the prayer ended he revived.
* And he gave him back to his father healed.
V. And the soul returned again, and therewith the child's body began to tremble in such sort that all which were present beheld it.
R. And he gave him back to his father healthy.

[Lectio4]
!Eccl 48:13-15
13 Elias was indeed covered with the whirlwind, and his spirit was filled up in Eliseus: in his days he feared not the prince, and no man was more powerful than he.
14 No word could overcome him, and after death his body prophesied.
15 In his life he did great wonders, and in death he wrought miracles.

[Responsory4]
R. The man of the Lord, Benedict, returned the iron head to the Goth from the depths saying:
* Behold work on, and be sad no more.
V. For as soon as he put the handle in the lake, the iron head came up from the depths and reattached itself, and so he returned it saying.
R. Behold work on, and be sad no more.

[Lectio5]
Sermon of St Bernard, Abbot
!#
The most sweet name of our glorious Father, Benedict, ought to be embraced and honored by you with every sign of joy because he is your leader, your master, and your lawgiver. Let his sanctity, his piety, his justice refresh you. The blessed Benedict was a great and fruitful tree, like a tree which is planted near the running waters. He was so planted near the running waters that he brought forth his fruit in due season. To his fruit belong the three things whereof I have made mention above: his sanctity, his justice, his piety. Miracles prove his sanctity; his teaching, his piety; his life, his justice.

[Responsory5]
R. In making the rock to yield forth water, Moses; in the iron, which came from the bottom of the lake, Eliseus; in the walking upon the water, Peter; in the obedience of the crow, Elias;
* In lamenting the death of his enemy, David is brought forth.
V. This one man was full of the spirit of all good men.
R. In lamenting the death of his enemy, David is brought forth.

[Lectio6]
But why am I to propose his miracles to you? In order that you may want to perform miracles? By no means! But that you may lean on his miracles for support. In other words, that you may be confident and glad because you have merited such a great protector. For most certainly he who was so great and powerful on earth is very powerful in heaven, being exalted to a greatness of glory corresponding to the magnitude of his grace. For the branches are known to shoot forth according to the size of the roots, and with as many roots as the tree is supported, with so many branches, as they say, is it adorned. Thus, then, though we may not have the power to perform miracles, the miracles of our patron should be a great consolation to us.

[Responsory6]
R. Behold how full of the Lord's merits Benedict is revealed, the glowing jewel of monks:
* Who, like Eliseus was given a double portion of the Holy Spirit, and in a single act, effected a fourfold miracle.
V. In the pouring out of the poison, the detection of the snake in the flagon, in the obedience of the raven, in the carrying far away of the deadly bread.
R. Who, like Eliseus was given a double portion of the Holy Spirit, and in a single act, effected a fourfold miracle.

[Lectio7]
His teaching, too, instructs us and guides our steps to the path of peace. Further, the justice of his life in every way strengthens and vivifies us, so that we are so much the more enkindled to do the things he has taught us as we are assured that he has not taught us otherwise than he acted. The example of his work is, indeed, a living and effective sermon, making what is said very pleasing to hear in that it shows that what is urged can be done. Consequently, in this manner his sanctity consoles us; his piety enlightens us; his justice strengthens us. Of what great piety was he that he not only benefited those present to him, but was also solicitous for those to come? Not only for those who lived then did this tree produce its fruit, but even today its fruit multiplies and remains.

[Responsory7]
R. Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating the solemnity of our Holy Father Benedict:
* Whom God blessed with all spiritual blessings and through whom many will possess the blessing by inheritance.
V. For he will shine like the sun with the just forever, now in the Church, and then in the kingdom of their Father.
R. Whom God blessed with all spiritual blessings and through whom many will possess the blessing by inheritance.

[Lectio8]
Surely beloved of God and men is he whose presence was not only in benediction (for there are many who are beloved of God alone because they are now known to God alone), but his memory also is even now in benediction. For even until this day, as a threefold confession of his love for his Lord, he feeds the flock of the Lord with this three-fold fruit. He feeds it by his life; he feeds it by his teaching; he feeds it through his intercession. Being unceasingly aided by him, do you also, dearest brethren, bear fruit, because for this have you been appointed, “that you should go and bring forth fruit.”

[Responsory8]
R. Your eyes shall see your teacher: 
* For he prays for the people and for the holy city Jerusalem.
V. This most humble man appeared among the people.
R. For he prays for the people and for the holy city Jerusalem.

[Responsory9]
R. In the same manner as Elias, you made rain come from heaven, O Father, you led oil to flow quickly
* You restored the dead to life and performed innumerable other miracles.
V. For that reason we celebrate your memory with devoted minds, O Benedict.
R. You restored the dead to life and performed innumerable other miracles.

[Responsory10]
R. Because of your clean-heartedness, and because you were out of yourself with rapture, you beheld the whole earth, for God honored you with a ray of his own light,
* O most blessed Benedict!
V. You draw with you flocks of monks to the saving knowledge.
R. O most blessed Benedict!

[Responsory11]
R. We remind you holy Father of that dignity which your Lord deemed you worthy to be blessed and honoured in your glorious end
* Purpose faithfully to be with us, therefore, at the hour of our death.
V. That strengthened by your presence, we may escape the snares of our enemies, and enter into the never-ending blessed joys of heaven.
R. Purpose faithfully to be with us, therefore, at the hour of our death.

[Responsory12]
R. A straight road stretched eastwards from his cell until it reached up into heaven
* A magnificent road covered with rich carpeting and glittering with thousands of lights.
V. This is the road taken by blessed Benedict when he ascended to heaven.
R. A magnificent road covered with rich carpeting and glittering with thousands of lights.
