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St Benedict on Tuesday (Rogation Day) - May readings

You may recall that my previous posts on the old votive Office of St Benedict, usually said on the first free Tuesday of each month.

This Tuesday is, of course, also a rogation day, but my 1892 Monastic breviary prescribes that instead of the rogation day office, the Office of St Benedict be said on this day 'with a commemoration of the cross only'.

Accordingly, the readings for the votive office are set out below.

Reading 1: From the Third Book of Kings, chapter 17 - The son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick, and the sickness was very grievous, so that there was no breath left in him. And she said to Elias: What have I to do with thee, thou man of God? art thou come to me that my iniquities should be remembered, and that thou shouldst kill my son? And Elias said to her: Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him into the upper chamber where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. And he cried to the Lord, and said: O Lord my God, hast thou afflicted also the widow, with whom I am after a sort maintained, so as to kill her son? And he stretched, and measured himself upon the child three times, and cried to the Lord, and said: O Lord my God, let the soul of this child, I beseech thee, return into his body. And the Lord heard the voice of Elias: and the soul of the child returned into him, and he revived. And Elias took the child, and brought him down from the upper chamber to the house below, and delivered him to his mother, and said to her: Behold thy son liveth. And the woman said to Elias: Now, by this I know that thou art a man of God, and the word of the Lord in thy mouth is true.

R. Honestum fecit illum Dóminus, et custodívit eum ab inimícis, et a seductoribus tutavit illum: * Et dedit illi claritátem ætérnam.
V. Justum dedúxit Dóminus per vias rectas, et osténdit illi regnum Dei
R. Et dedit illi claritátem ætérnam.
R. The Lord made him honourable, and defended him from his enemies, and kept him safe from those that lay in wait for him; * And gave him perpetual glory.
V. He went down with him into the pit, and left him not in bonds.
R. And gave him perpetual glory.

Reading 2: From Chapter 11 of the Dialogues of  St Gregory the Great - Again, as the monks were making of a certain wall somewhat higher, because that was requisite, the man of God in the meantime was in his cell at his prayers. To whom the old enemy appeared in an insulting manner, telling him, that he was now going to his monks, that were a-working: whereof the man of God, in all haste, gave them warning, wishing them to look unto themselves, because the devil was at that time coming amongst them. The message was scarce delivered, when as the wicked spirit overthrew the new wall which they were a building, and with the fall slew a little young child, a monk, who was the son of a certain courtier.  At which pitiful chance all were passing sorry and exceedingly grieved, not so much for the loss of the wall, as for the death of their brother: and in all haste they sent this heavy news to the venerable man Benedict;

R. Amávit eum Dóminus, et ornávit eum: stolam glóriæ induit eum, * Et ad portas paradisi coronávit eum.
V. Induit eum Dóminus lorícam fidei, et ornávit eum.
R. Et ad portas paradisi coronávit eum.
R. The Lord loved him and beautified him He clothed him with a robe of glory * And crowned him at the gates of Paradise.
V. The Lord hath put on him the breast-plate of faith, and hath adorned him.
R. And crowned him at the gates of Paradise.

Reading 3: Who commanded them to bring unto him the young boy, mangled and maimed as he was, which they did, but yet they could not carry him any otherwise than in a sack: for the stones of the wall had not only broken his limbs, but also his very bones. Being in that manner brought unto the man of God, he bad them to lay him in his cell, and in that place upon which he used to pray; and then, putting them all forth, he shut the door, and fell more instantly to his prayers than he used at other times. And O strange miracle! for the very same hour he made him sound, and as lively as ever he was before; and sent him again to his former work, that he also might help the monks to make an end of that wall, of whose death the old serpent thought he should have insulted over Benedict, and greatly triumphed.

R. Iste homo perfécit ómnia quæ locútus est ei Deus, et dixit ad eum: Ingredere in réquiem meam: * Quia te vidi justum coram me ex ómnibus géntibus.
V. Iste est qui contempsit vitam mundi, et pervénit ad cæléstia regna.
R. Quia te vidi justum coram me ex ómnibus géntibus.
V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto.
R. Quia te vidi justum coram me ex ómnibus géntibus.
R. This is he which did according unto all that God commanded him; and God said unto him: Enter thou into My rest, * For thee have I seen righteous before Me among all people.
V. This is he which loved not his life in this world, and is come unto an everlasting kingdom.
R. For thee have I seen righteous before Me among all people.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, * and to the Holy Ghost.
R. For thee have I seen righteous before Me among all people.

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