[Name]
Common of a Single Martyr in Paschaltide

[Invit]
Let the Saints rejoice in the Lord, * Alleluia.

[Lectio4]
Homily of St. Ambrose, Bishop
!Serm. 22
Dearly beloved brethren, it is very meet and right that after the gladness of Easter, which we have celebrated in the Church, we should mingle our own joy with the joy of the holy Martyrs yea, that we should tell of the glory of the Lord's rising again, to them that have been made partakers of the Lord's sufferings. It truly must needs be that they which have been partakers of His sufferings, should be also of His joy. For thus saith the blessed Apostle: “As ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.” (2 Cor. i. 7.) And again “If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him.” (2 Tim. ii. 12.) He, therefore, that endureth sorrow for Christ, must needs also have glory with Christ.

[Lectio5]
I say again, let us tell to the holy Martyrs what the grace of the Lord's Passover is let us tell them that, even as He hath opened the bars of His own grave, even so shall their graves also be opened let us tell them that, even as in His dead Body the Veins grew warm and quick again, even so shall their limbs, that now are cold, flush with the heat of an eternal vigor. That power which brought again our Lord from the dead will bring His Martyrs too. For as they have followed Him in His sufferings, so shall they follow Him also in His newness of life. It is written in the Psalms: “Thou hast shown Me the path of life” (xv. 12.) This is said of the Resurrection in the Person of the Saviour, as of Him Who, after that He died, came up again from hell, and began to have that path of life which was not known before.

[Responsory5]
R. His servants, alleluia
* God will comfort, alleluia, alleluia.
V. The Lord will judge His people and, His servants,
R. God will comfort, alleluia, alleluia.

[Lectio6]
Before that Christ came, that path of life was not known, which none had risen from the dead to tread. But, since the Lord hath risen, it is known, and many have trodden it after the Lord. Touching them, the holy Evangelist saying: “Many bodies of the saints which slept arose with Him, and went into the holy city.” (Matth. xxvii. 52, 53.) 4 Wherefore, when the Lord riseth again and saith: “Thou hast shown Me the path of life,” we also can now say to Him “Thou hast shown us the path of life.” For He hath shown us the path of life, Who hath shown us the way that leadeth unto life. He hath shown me the path of life, Who hath taught me faith, mercy, righteousness, and chastity for these are the ways that lead unto life eternal.

[Responsory6]
R. Come forth, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, and behold the Martyrs with the crowns wherewith the Lord crowned them;
* In the day of His feasting, and of His gladness. Alleluia.
V. For He hath strengthened the bars of thy gates He hath blessed thy children within thee.
R. In the day of His feasting, and of His gladness. Alleluia.
&Gloria
R. In the day of His feasting, and of His gladness. Alleluia.

[Lectio7]
From the holy Gospel according to John
!John 15:1-7
In that time Jesus said to his disciples: I an the true vine; and my Father is the husbandman. And so on.
_
Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop (of Hippo.)
!Tract 80 on John
Dearly beloved brethren, this passage of the Gospel, wherein the Lord saith that He is the vine, and that His disciples are the branches, is to be taken in that sense wherein it is also said, that He is the Head of the Church, (Eph. v. 23,) and that we are the members of Him (30) Who is the Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Tim. ii. 5.) The vine and his branches are of one and the same nature. Therefore, seeing that He was God, of which nature we are not, He was made man, to the end that He might have in Himself this vine, that is, the manhood, whereof we men can be made branches.

[Lectio8]
Why saith He: I am the true vine? As touching this word true, hath He not here regard to that other parable of a vine, the like figure whereto He doth here apply to Himself? (Jer. ii. 21.) Here is He called a vine, not plainly, but in parable, as also He is called elsewhere a sheep, (Isa. liii. 7, Acts viii. 32,) a lamb, (John i. 36,) a lion, (Apoc. v. 5,) a rock, (1 Cor. x. 4,) a corner-stone, ~(Eph. ii. 20,) and other things of the like kind. But these things are in themselves that which they seem to be, albeit He is called by their names, not plainly, but in a parable, and herein are they different from that vine, whereof in this place He taketh on Him the name. For when He saith: I am the true vine, doth He not make distinction between Himself, and that which indeed seemed to be a vine, but to which it is said: How art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto Me? (Jer. ii. 21.) For by what title shall that plant be called other than a false vine, whereto they looked that she should bring forth grapes, and she brought forth thorns?

[Lectio9]
He saith: I am the true vine, and My Father is the husbandman. Is the vine one with the husbandman? These words then are to be taken in that sense wherein He also saith: My Father is greater than I. (John xiv. 28.) In this sense is He the vine, and the Father is the husbandman. But again, in regard to those words: I and the Father are one, and again and: My Father is the husbandman, we understand that They are not the vine and the husbandman, after the manner of a vine, and the husbandman that from without doth care for and keep it, but after the manner of a vine and Him That from within doth make it to bring forth fruit. For neither is he that planteth anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase. (1 Cor. iii. 7.) But Christ is God, for the Word was God. (John i. 1.) Therefore He and the Father are one: and, albeit the Word was made flesh, (John i. 14,) which, before, He was not, He ceased not to be still That Which He was.
&teDeum

[Lectio4 in 2 loco]
From the Epistle of St Cyprian, Bishop [of Carthage,] and himself Martyr, to the Martyrs and Confessors
!Bk. ii, ep. 6
How shall I praise you, Martyrs so brilliantly victorious? Can the voice of man's praise add anything to the glory of your manful heart and unshaken faithfulness? Ye have borne all the hardness of the torment, and have attained unto the excellent height of glory: the tormentors have not worn you out, nay, ye rather have worn out the tormentors. When they that kill the body would give you no rest from suffering, ye suffered until ye gained the crown. And the torment waxing still more dread, waxed not to the casting down of your strong faith, but to the sooner sending God's men home to God.

[Lectio5 in 2 loco]
They that stood by looked in wonder at your heavenly conflict, that battle of God, that wrestling of spirit, that combat of Christ. There they saw His servants standing with voice unshaken, with spirit unbroken, strong in God's strength, naked indeed, as to the arms of this world, but clothed on with the armor of God, and equipped with the fiery weapons of faith. There they that were tormented stood braver than they that tormented them. Their bruised and mangled bodies overcame the instruments of cruelty that bruised and mangled them. The bloody stripes, so often laid on, could not beat down the impregnable castle of their faith, even when the covering of their bowels was broken, and that which was tormented in God's servants was no longer limbs but wounds. The blood that ran down, ran down to quench the rage of persecution, noble blood, that can put out the flames and fire of hell.

[Lectio6 in 2 loco]
O what a spectacle was that in the eyes of the Lord! O how noble! O how mighty! O how precious in the sight of God were His soldiers' loyalty and faithfulness! Even as it is written in the Psalms, the Holy Ghost therein at once speaking to us and warning us, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His Saints.” O what a precious death is his, who maketh purchase of life that can never die, at the price of his own blood, and seizeth on the crown, when courage hath no more left to meet! O how joyful was Christ! How gladly fought He in such servants as these, in these how gladly did He triumph, the Keeper of their faith, and, in the end, to them how gladly did He give that reward which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it! (Apoc. ii. 17.) He it was, Who was there when they fought, He it was, Who raised them up to be the champions and defenders of His holy Name, He, who gave them the strength, He, Who nerved them. He, That by death hath once conquered for us, liveth now for ever to conquer in us.

[Lectio7 in 2 loco]
From the Holy Gospel according to John
!John 15:5-10
At that time, Jesus said unto His disciples: I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. And so on.
_
Homily by St Augustine, Bishop (of Hippo.)
!Tract 81 on John.
Lest any man should so take these words, “the same bringeth forth much fruit,” as to think that the branch can of itself bring forth any fruit whatsoever, the Lord saith further, “without Me ye can do,” not only “small things,” but “nothing.” Whether, then, it be little or much, there can be nothing done, save through Him, without Whom we can do nothing: for if the branch bring forth fruit, albeit but little, it is through Him That purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. And if the branch abide not in the vine, and draw not his sap from the vine's root, it can bring forth no fruit whatsoever of itself. And as Christ would not have been the vine, if He had not been man, He could not have given grace to His branches, if He had not been God.

[Lectio8 in 2 loco]
Whithout the sap of grace the branch cannot live, and it is within the power of his own free will to choose death rather than life. “If a man abide not in Me,” saith the Lord, “he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” So much the more worthy as is the branch of the vine, if it abide in the vine, so much the baser is it, if it abide not in the vine. Then is it as the vine-branches whereof the Prophet Ezekiel saith (xv. 3, 4) that wood shall not be taken thereof to do any work, and it is meet for no work. The branch hath choice of two things, the vine, or the fire: if it abide not in the vine, it shall be cast into the fire; if, then, it would not be cast into the fire, let it abide in the vine.

[Lectio9 in 2 loco]
If ye abide in Me,” saith the Lord, “and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you.” And what can they will that abide in Christ, save the things of Christ? What can they will that abide in the Saviour save such things as tend to salvation? Since we are in Christ we will one thing, and since we are as yet in this world, we will another. Since we are yet in this world, it befalleth us to seek some things, whereof we know not that they be inexpedient for us. But far be it from us to think that we shall obtain them, if we abide in Christ, for, when we seek from Him, He giveth not, save that which is expedient for us.
&teDeum