The Introits, Collects, etc. for St Stephen, St John, and the Holy Innocents

Saint Stephen's Day.

December 26

Matins

The Psalms Appointed

118

The Readings

II Chron. 24:15-25 & Acts 6

The Antiphon for the Benedictus

The ungodly ran upon him with one accord, and stoned him, to give him over unto death: * but he right gladly endured the stones, that he might obtain a diadem of glory, alleluia.

Holy Communion

The Introit Psalm 52. Quid gloriaris?

    WHY boastest thou thyself, thou tyrant, * that thou canst do mischief;
    2 Whereas the goodness of God * endureth yet daily?
    3 Thy tongue imagineth wickedness, * and with lies thou cuttest like a sharp razor.

     4 Thou hast loved unrighteousness more than goodness, * and falsehood more than righteousness.
    5 Thou hast loved to speak all words that may do hurt, * O thou false tongue.
    6 Therefore shall God destroy thee for ever; * he shall take thee, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling, and root thee out of the land of the living.
    7 The righteous also shall see this, and fear, * and shall laugh him to scorn:
    8 Lo, this is the man that took not God for his strength; * but trusted unto the multitude of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
    9 As for me, I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God; * my trust is in the tender mercy of God for ever and ever.

    10 I will alway give thanks unto thee for that thou hast done; * and I will hope in thy Name, for thy saints like it well.

The Collect.

GRANT, O Lord, that, in all our sufferings here upon earth for the testimony of thy truth, we may stedfastly look up to heaven, and by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed; and, being filled with the Holy Ghost, may learn to love and bless our persecutors by the example of thy first Martyr Saint Stephen, who prayed for his murderers to thee, O blessed Jesus, who standest at the right hand of God to succour all those who suffer for thee, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

¶ Then shall follow the Collect of the Nativity which shall be said continually until New-Year's Eve.

For the Epistle. Acts vii. 55.

STEPHEN, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, and cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

The Gradual Ps. 119:23

23 Princes also did sit and speak against me; * but thy servant is occupied in thy statutes.

The Alleluia Ps 119:24

Alleluia! Alleluia! For thy testimonies are my delight, * and my counsellors. Alleluia!

The Gospel. St. Matt. xxiii. 34.

BEHOLD, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Evensong

The Psalms Appointed

30

The Readings

Wisdom 4:7–15 Acts 7:59–8:8

The Antiphon for the Magnificat

The heavenly portals are unfolded to Christ's martyr, blessed Stephen, who of all the saintly throng is the first in order: * and therefore he reigneth triumphant, crowned in heaven, alleluia.

Saint John the Evangelist's Day.

December 27

Matins

The Psalms Appointed

23 & 24

The Readings

Exod. 33:v. 7 & John 13:10-35

The Antiphon for the Benedictus

This is the same John, which leaned on Jesus' bosom at supper: * the blessed Apostle, unto whom were revealed the secrets of heaven.

Holy Communion

The Introit Psalm 11. In Domino confido.

IN the LORD put I my trust; * how say ye then to my soul, that she should flee as a bird unto the hill?
    2 For lo, the ungodly bend their bow, and make ready their arrows within the quiver, * that they may privily shoot at them which are true of heart.

3 If the foundations be destroyed, * what can the righteous do?
    4 The LORD is in his holy temple; * the LORD’S seat is in heaven.
    5 His eyes consider the poor, * and his eyelids try the children of men.
    6 The LORD approveth¹ the righteous: * but the ungodly, and him that delighteth in wickedness, doth his soul abhor.
    7 Upon the ungodly he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, storm and tempest: * this shall be their portion to drink.
    8 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; * his countenance will behold the thing that is just.

The Collect.

MERCIFUL Lord, we beseech thee to cast thy bright beams of light upon thy Church, that it, being instructed* by the doctrine of thy blessed Apostle and Evangelist Saint John, may so walk in the light of thy truth, that it may at length attain to everlasting life^†; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle. 1 St. John i. 1.

THAT which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our bands have handled, of the Word of life; (for the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The Gradual Ps 119:9-15

    WHEREWITHAL shall a young man cleanse his way? * even by ruling himself after thy word.
    10 With my whole heart have I sought thee; * O let me not go wrong out of thy commandments.

    11 Thy word have I hid within my heart, * that I should not sin against thee.
    12 Blessed art thou, O LORD; * O teach me thy statutes.
    13 With my lips have I been telling * of all the judgments of thy mouth.
    14 I have had as great delight in the way of thy testimonies, * as in all manner of riches.
    15 I will talk of thy commandments, * and have respect unto thy ways.

The Alleluia Ps 119:16

Alleluia! Alleluia! My delight shall be in thy statutes, * and I will not forget thy word. Alleluia!

The Gospel. St. John xxi. 19.

JESUS saith unto Peter, Follow me. Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, he shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.

Evensong

The Psalms Appointed

97

The Readings

Isa. 6:1–8 & Rev. 4

The Antiphon for the Magnificat

In the midst of the congregation he opened his mouth; and the Lord filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding: * in a robe of glory he arrayed him, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

The Holy Innocents' Day.

December 28

Matins

The Psalms Appointed

8 & 26

The Readings

Jer. 31:1–17 & Matt. 18:1–14

The Antiphon for the Benedictus

Many innocent children were slain in Christ's behalf; the very sucklings were put to death by a ruthless tyrant; * pure and unspotted, they follow the Lamb himself, and say without ceasing, Glory be to thee, O Lord.

Holy Communion

The Introit Psalm lxxix. Deus, venerunt genies.

O GOD, the Heathen are come into thine inheritance : thy holy temple have they defiled, and made Jerusalem an heap of stones.
    The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to bee meat unto the fowls of the air; and the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the land.
    Their blood have they shed like water on every side of Jerusalem : and there was no man to bury them.
    We are become an open shame to our enemies : a very scorn and derision unto them that are round about us.
    Lord, how long wilt thou be angry? shall thy jealousy burn like fire for ever?
    Pour out thine indignation upon the Heathen that have not known thee : and upon the kingdoms that have not called upon thy name.
    For they have devoured Jacob : and laid waste his dwelling-place.
    O remember not our old sins, but have mercy upon us and that soon : for we are come to great misery.
    Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy Name O deliver us, and be mercyfull unto our sins, for thy name sake.
    Wherfore shall the heathen saye : where is nowe theyr God.
    O let the vengeaunce of thy seruauntes bloud that is shed be openly shewed upon the heathen in our syght.
    O let the sorowfull syghyng of the prisoners come before the acordinge unto the greatnesse of thy power, preserue thou thos that are appoynted to dye.
    And as for the blasphemyc (wherewith our neyghbours have blasphemed thee) : rewarde thou them, O Lord, seuen-folde into their bosome.
    So we, that be thy people, and shepe of thy pasture, shall geue thee thankes for ever : and will alwaye be shewing forth thy prayse from generacion to generacion.
    Glory be to the father, and to the sonne &c.
    As it was in the begynning, is now, and ever &c.

The Collect.

O ALMIGHTY God, who out of the mouths of babes and sucklmgs hast ordained strength, and madest infants to glorify thee by their deaths: Mortify and kill all vices in us, and so strengthen us by thy grace, that by the innocency of our lives, and constancy of our faith even unto death, we may glorify thy holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the Epistle. Rev. xiv. 1.

I LOOKED, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth. These are they which were not defiled with women for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Gradual Ps 8:1

O LORD our Governor, how excellent is thy Name in all the world; * thou that hast set thy glory above the heavens!

The Alleluia Ps. 8:2

Alleluia! Alleluia! Out of the mouth of very babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies, * that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. Alleluia!

The Gospel. St. Matt. ii. 13.

THE angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saving, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, an be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. Then Herod, when he maw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, amid slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Evensong

The Psalms Appointed

19 & 126

The Readings

II Chron. 22:v. 8 & Mark 10:13–27

The Antiphon for the Magnificat

These are pure and holy virgins; * and they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth.