Sarx

Note the parts that are repeated daily on the Ash Wednesday Post

Today’s Station: Santa Susanna

Missa: VERBA MEA Auribus

INTROIT: Psalm 5: 2-4
Give ear, O Lord, to my words, understand my cry. Hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God. For to thee will I pray: O Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear my voice. v. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Repeat The law of the Lord…

COLLECT:
Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that they who mortify the flesh by abstaining from food, may follow justice by fasting from sin. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God world without end. Amen

EPISTLE: Daniel 13: 1-9, 15-17, 19-30, 33-62 (please note: because this passage is from the Apocryphal books, it is not available from my usual preferred translation.)
In those days there was a man that dwelt in Babylon, and his name was Joakim: And he took a wife whose name was Susanna, the daughter of Helcias, a very beautiful woman, and one that feared God. For her parents being just, had instructed their daughter according to the law of Moses. Now Joakim was very rich, and had an orchard near his house: and the Jews resorted to him, because he was the most honourable of them all. And there were two of the ancients of the people appointed judges that year, of whom the Lord said: Iniquity came out from Babylon from the ancient judges, that seemed to govern the people. These men frequented the house of Joakim, and all that had any matters of judgment came to them. And when the people departed away at noon, Susanna went in, and walked in her husband’s orchard. And the old men saw her going in every day, and walking: and they were inflamed with lust towards her: And they perverted their own mind and turned away their eyes that they might not look unto heaven, nor remember just judgments. And it fell out, as they watched a fit day, she went in on a time, as yesterday and the day before, with two maids only, and was desirous to wash herself in the orchard: for it was hot weather. And there was nobody there, but the two old men that had hid themselves and were beholding her. So she said to the maids: Bring me oil, and washing balls, and shut the doors of the orchard, that I may wash me. Now when the maids were gone forth, the two elders arose, and ran to her, and said: Behold the doors of the orchard are shut, and nobody seeth us, and we are in love with thee: wherefore consent to us, and lie with us. But if thou wilt not, we will bear witness against thee, that a young man was with thee, and therefore thou didst send away thy maids from thee. Susanna sighed, and said: I am straitened on every side: for if I do this thing, it is death to me: and if I do it not, I shall not escape your hands. But it is better for me to fall into your hands without doing it, than to sin in the sight of the Lord. With that Susanna cried out with a loud voice: and the elders also cried out against her. And one of them ran to the door of the orchard, and opened it. So when the servants of the house heard the cry in the orchard, they rushed in by the back door to see what was the matter. But after the old men had spoken, the servants were greatly ashamed: for never had there been any such word said of Susanna. And on the next day, When the people were come to Joakim her husband, the two elders also came full of wicked device against Susanna, to put her to death. And they said before the people: Send to Susanna daughter of Helcias the wife of Joakim. And presently they sent. . And she came with her parents, and children, and all her kindred. Therefore her friends and all her acquaintance wept. But the two elders rising up in the midst of the people, laid their hands upon her head. And she weeping looked up to heaven, for her heart had confidence in the Lord. And the elders said: As we walked in the orchard alone, this woman came in with two maids, and shut the doors of the orchard, and sent away the maids from her. Then a young man that was there hid came to her, and lay with her. But we that were in a corner of the orchard, seeing this wickedness, ran up to them, and we saw them lie together. And him indeed we could not take, because he was stronger than us, and opening the doors be leaped out: But having taken this woman, we asked who the young man was, but she would not tell us: of this thing we are witnesses. The multitude believed them as being the elders and the judges of the people, and they condemned her to death. Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said: O eternal God, who knowest hidden things, who knowest all things before they come to pass, Thou knowest that they have borne false witness against me: and behold I must die, whereas I have done none of these things, which these men have maliciously forged against me. And the Lord heard her voice. And when she was led to be put to death, the Lord raised up the holy spirit of a young boy, whose name was Daniel. And he cried out with a loud voice I am clear from the blood of this woman. Then all the people turning themselves towards him, said: What meaneth this word that thou hast spoken? But he standing in the midst of them, said: Are ye so foolish, ye children of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth, you have condemned a daughter of Israel? Return to judgment, for they have borne false witness against her. So all the people turned again in haste, and the old men said to him: Come, and sit thou down among us, and shew it as: seeing God hath given thee the honour of old age. And Daniel said to the people: Separate these two far from one another, and I will examine them. So when they were put asunder one from the other, he called one of them, and said to him: O thou that art grown old in evil days, now are thy sins come out, which thou hast committed before: In judging unjust judgments, oppressing the innocent, and letting the guilty to go free, whereas the Lord saith: I The innocent and the just thou shalt not kill. Now then, if thou sawest her, tell me under what tree thou sawest them conversing together. He said: Under a mastic tree. And Daniel said: Well hast thou lied against thy own head: for behold the angel of God having received the sentence of him, shall cut thee in two. And having put him aside, he commanded that the other should come, and he said to him: O thou seed of Chanaan, and not of Juda, beauty hath deceived thee, and lust hath perverted thy heart: Thus did you do to the daughters of Israel, and they for fear conversed with you: but a daughter of Juda would not abide your wickedness. Now therefore tell me, under what tree didst thou take them conversing together. And he answered: Under a holm tree. And Daniel said to him: Well hast thou also lied against thy own head: for the angel of the Lord waiteth with a sword to cut thee in two, and to destroy you. With that all the assembly cried out with a loud voice, and they blessed God, who saveth them that trust in him. And they rose up against the two elders, (for Daniel had convicted them of false witness by their own mouth,) and they did to them as they had maliciously dealt against their neighbour, To fulfill the law of Moses: and they put them to death, and innocent blood was saved in that day.

GRADUAL: Psalm 22: 4
For though I should walk in the midst of the shadow of death, I will fear no evils, for thou art with me. V. Thy rod and thy staff, they have comforted me.

GOSPEL: John 8: 1-11
At that time Yeshua went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak, he appeared again in the Temple Court, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The Torah-teachers and the P’rushim brought in a woman who had been caught committing adultery and made her stand in the center of the group. Then they said to him, “Rabbi, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in our Torah, Moshe commanded that such a woman be stoned to death. What do you say about it?” They said this to trap him, so that they might have ground for bringing charges against him; but Yeshua bent down and began writing in the dust with his finger. When they kept questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “The one of you who is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.” Then he bent down and wrote in the dust again. On hearing this, they began to leave, one by one, the older ones first, until he was left alone, with the woman still there. Standing up, Yeshua said to her, “Where are they? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, sir.” Yeshua said, “Neither do I condemn you. Now go, and don’t sin any more.”

A Homily on the Gospel Passage From Matins for the Day
by St Augustine the Bishop

Jesus went unto the Mount of Olives, that is to say, by interpretation, unto the fruitful mount, the mount of anointing, the mount of chrism. Where else could Christ so meetly teach as on the Mount of Olives? For the Name Christ is derived from chrism, and chrism in Greek is the same word as ointment in Latin. Yea, Christ our unction hath anointed us because we are to be wrestlers with the devil. And early in the morning, he came again unto the temple, and all the people came unto him ; and he sat down, and taught them. But so far no man laid hands on him, because as yet it pleased him not to suffer. But now give heed, and see how the Lord’s meekness is tried by his enemies.

And the Scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery ; and when they had set her in the midst, they say unto him : Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act : now, Moses in the Law commanded that such should be stoned ; but what sayest thou? This they said, tempting him, thath they might have to accuse him. And when had they anything whereof to accuse him? Had they taken him in any sin? Or could this be said in any way to pértain unto him?

We must understand, my brethren, the wondrous meekness which was in the Lord. They had marked that he was exceeding gentle, exceeding meek. For verily of him had they foretold : Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou Most Mighty, according to thy worship, and renown : good luck have thou with thine honour : ride on, because of the word of truth, of meekness, and righteousness. He came bringing truth because he was the Teacher, meekness because he was the Deliverer, and righteousness because he was the Judge. By reason of these three virtues it was that the prophetical Psalmist declared in the Holy Ghost, that he was to ride on as conqueror. When he spake, truth shone forth. When he was provoked not to wrath against his enemies, meekness was made glorious. So it came to pass that his enemies, because of these two virtues, to wit, his truth and his meekness, were tormented with spite and envy, and put a stumbling block before him in the third, to wit, his righteousness. Wherefore they plotted among themselves that because he was accounted a man of truth and meekness, accusation must be sought against him in respect of righteousness. Thus if he did accept as truth what is written in the Law, to wit, that the woman taken in adultery be stoned, the would have failed in meekness ; but if he consented to let her go, he would not have kept righteousness.

OFFERTORY: Psalm 118: 133
Direct my steps according to thy word: and let no iniquity have dominion over me.

SECRET:
Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that the gift of this sacrifice which we offer, may ever purify and preserve our frailty from all evil. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God world without end. Amen

COMMUNION: John 8: 10-11
Then Jesus lifting up himself, said to her: Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee?

POSTCOMMUNION:
We beseech Thee, almighty God, to number us among His members, whose Body and Blood we have received in communion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God world without end. Amen

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE:
Extend, O Lord, to Thy faithful the right hand of heavenly aid, that they may seek Thee with their whole heart, and be made worthy to obtain that for which they rightly ask. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God world without end. Amen