that, without judging aright, or discovering the truth, you have condemned a daughter of Israel? Return back to judgment, for they have borne false witness against her. Then the people went back in haste. And Daniel said to them: Separate them one from another, and I will examine them. And when they were separated from one another, he called one of them, and said to him: O thou who art grown old in wickedness, thy sins are now come out, which thou hast heretofore committed in giving unjust judgments, oppressing the innocent, and discharging the guilty though the Lord hath said thou shalt not put to death the innocent, nor the righteous man. Now therefore, if thou sawest her, tell me under what tree thou didst see them talking together? Who answered, under a mastick tree. Then Daniel said : Thou hast justly lied against thy own life. Behold the angel of the Lord, according to the sentence passed by him, shall cut thee in two. Then, he being put aside, he commanded the other to come, and said to him: Thou offspring of Canaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thy heart; thus have you done before now with the daughters of Israel, and they through fear, have conversed with you; but this daughter of Juda could not bear with your wickedNow therefore, tell me under what tree didst thou find them talking together? Who said, under an holm. Then Daniel said to him: Thou hast also lied justly against thy own life; for the Angel of the Lord is waiting with a sword to cut thee in two and kill thee. Upon this all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and blessed God, who saveth those that hope in him. And they arose against the two Elders; for Daniel had proved them guilty, from their own words, of having borne false witness. And they did to them, even as they had maliciously intended against their neighbour, and put them to death; and innocent blood was saved on that day.

ness.

GRAD. Ps. 22. Though I should walk in the midst of the shades of death, I will fear no harm, because thou O Lord, art with me. V. Thy crook and thy staff have been my comfort.

GOSPEL. John viii. 1. 11.

T that time; Jesus went to mount Olivet; and, early in the morning, came again into the temple, and all the people came to him, and sitting down he

taught them. And the Scribes and Pharisees bringing to him a woman taken in adultery, and setting her in the middle, they said to him; Master, this woman hath just now been taken in adultery. And Moses in the law hath commanded us to stone such a one. What therefore sayest thou? This they said tempting him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooping down, writ with his finger on the ground. But they continuing to ask him, he lifted himself up, and said to them: He that is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her. And again stooping down, he wrote on the ground. When they heard this, they went away one after another, beginning from the eldest and Jesus remained alone, and the woman standing in the middle. Then Jesus lifting himself up, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath nobody condemned thee? Who said: Nobody, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee: Go, and now sin no more.

OFFERT. Psalm 118. Direct my steps according to thy law, that no injustice may reign in me, O Lord.

SECRET. Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that the offering of this sacrifice may cleanse and protect our frail nature from all evil. Thro'.

COMM. John 8. Woman, hath nobody condemned thee? Nobody, O Lord. Neither will I condemn thee; now sin no more.

POSTCOMM. Quasumus. We beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we may be reckoned among his members, whose body and blood we partake of. Who liveth, &c.

Let us pray. Bow down your heads to God.

PRAYER. Prætende, Domine. Stretch forth, O Lord, over thy people, the right hand of thy heavenly aid, that they may seek thee with their whole heart, and mercifully obtain what they ask for as they ought. Thro'.

THE COMMEMORATION AT VESPERS.

Anth. Woman, hath nobody condemned thee? Nobody, O Lord; neither will I condemn thee; sin

now no more.

Ant. Nemo te condemnavit, mulier? Nemo, Domine; nec ego te condemnabo; jam amplius noli peccare.

V. and R. at p. 225. PRAYER. Collect of to-morrow.

IV. SUNDAY IN LENT.

INSTRUCTION.

THE
HE Church seems to forget, in the Mass of this

day, the sentiments of pennance and of sorrow, with which she hath been taken up from the beginning of Lent. The reason of this is, that formerly such as were to receive baptism at Easter, were enregistered after having been examined this week. Besides, she saw the time now approaching for the reconciliation of the Penitents, whom she had subjected to public pennance on Ash-Wednesday. The future birth therefore of those, who were judged worthy of the grace of baptism; and the resurrection to a new life of several of her children, who, after having gone astray, return to God by a sincere conversion, is the subject of the Church's joy on this day.

MASS. INTROIT.
EJOICE, O Jerusa-

Rem; and meet toge

ther all you who love her. Rejoice exceedingly, you who have been in sorrow, that you may leap for joy, and suck plentifully from her breasts your comfort. Ps. 121. I have rejoiced at what hath been told me : we are to go up to the house of the Lord, Glory.

V.

Isaias lxvi. Psalm cxxi.

COLLECT. Concede. Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we, who are justly afflicted accord-. ing to our demerits, may be relieved by thy comforting grace. Thro.'

B

EPISTLE. Gal. iv. 22. 31.

RETHREN: It is written, that Abraham had two sons; the one by a bond-maid, the other by a free woman. But he that was of the bond-woman, was born according to the flesh: but he by the free woman, in virtue of a promise; now these things were said by way of allegory. * For these are the two covenants.

One made on mount Sinai, which bringeth forth to bondage; and this is Agar. For Sinai is a mountain of Arabia, and hath a reference to Jerusalem, that now is, and is in bondage with her children. But that Jerusalem, which is above, is free, and is our mother. For it is written Rejoice thou, who art barren, and that bearest not: break forth, and cry out, thou that bringest not forth; for she that had no husband, hath more children than she that hath a husband. But we, brethren, are the children of the promise, as Isaac was. But, as then, he who was born according to the flesh, persecuted him that was born according to the spirit; so it is also now. But what saith the scripture? Cast out the bond-woman and her son; for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free-woman. Therefore, brethren, we are not the children of the bond woman, but of the free-woman; and it was Christ that purchased us that freedom.

GRAD. Ps. cxxi. I rejoiced at what had been told me; we are to go up to the house of the Lord. V. May peace be on thy ramparts; and plenty within thy walls.

more.

AT

Lætatus sum in his quæ dicta sunt mihi; in domum Domini ibimus. V. Fiat pax in virtute tua; et abundantia in turribus tuis.

Qui confidunt in Domino, sicut mons. Sion; non commovebitur in æternum, qui habitat in Jerusalem. V. Montes in circuitu ejus, et Dominus in circuitu populi sui, ex hoc nunc et usque in sæculum.

GOSPEL. John vi. 1. 15.

T that time; Jesus crossed over the sea of Galilee, which is that of Tiberias; and a great multitude followed him, because they saw the miracles he wrought on those that were diseased. Jesus therefore went up a mountain; and sat there with his disciples. And the passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. When Jesus therefore had lifted up his eyes, and saw that a very great multitude was coming to him, he said to Philip: Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat? And

this he said to try him, for he knew what he was going to do. Philip answered him: Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not enough for them, for every one to have only a little piece. One of his disciples, Andrew the brother of Simon Peter, saith to him: Here is a boy that hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many? Then Jesus said: Make the men sit down; for there was a great deal of grass in that place. Then the men sat down, being in number about five thousand. Then Jesus took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed them to those that were sat down; as likewise of the fishes, as much as they had a mind for. And when they had eaten enough, he said to his disciples; Gather up the fragments, which are left, that they may not be lost. They gathered them up therefore, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which were left by those who had eaten. Then those men, having seen the miracle wrought by Jesus, said: This is certainly the Prophet, who is to come into the world. And when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take him by force to make him King, he withdrew again alone into the mountain. CREDO.

Laudate Dominum, quia benignus est; psallite nomini ejus, quoniam suavis est; omnia quæcumque voluit, fecit in cœlo et in

OFFERT. Ps. cxxxiv. Praise the Lord, for he is good; sing to his name, for he is sweet; he hath done whatever he pleased, both in heaven and on terra. earth.

SECRET. We beseech thee, O Lord, mercifully regard this present sacrifice, that it may both increase our devotion, and advance our salvation. Thro'.

COMM. Ps. cxxi. Jerusalem, which is built like a city, all whose parts are joined together; for it was thither the tribes went up, the tribes of the Lord, to praise thy name, O Lord,

Jerusalem, quæ ædificatur ut civitas, cujus participatio ejus in idipsum; illuc enim ascenderunt tribus, tribus Domini, ad confitendum nomini tuo, Domine.

Grant, we beseech thee,

POSTCOMM. Da nobis. O merciful God; that we may sincerely respect, and receive with faith thy holy mysteries, with which thou daily feedest us. Thro'.