S. Venantii Martyris.

Filíoli, nemo vos sedúcat. Qui facit justítiam, justus est: sicut et ille justus est. Qui facit peccátum, ex diábolo est: quóniam ab inítio diábolus peccat. In hoc appáruit Fílius Dei, ut dissólvat ópera diáboli. Omnis, qui natus est ex Deo, peccátum non facit: quóniam semen ipsíus in eo manet, et non potest peccáre, quóniam ex Deo natus est. In hoc manifésti sunt fílii Dei, et fílii diáboli. Omnis, qui non est justus, non est ex Deo, et qui non díligit fratrem suum: quóniam hæc est annuntiátio, quam audístis ab inítio, ut diligátis altérutrum. Non sicut Cain, qui ex malígno erat, et occídit fratrem suum. Et propter quid occídit eum? Quóniam ópera ejus malígna erant: fratris autem ejus justa.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doth justice is just, even as he is just. He that committeth sin is of the devil: for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God appeared, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God, committeth not sin: for his seed abideth in him, and he can not sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil. Whosoever is not just, is not of God, nor he that loveth not his brother. For this is the declaration, which you have heard from the beginning, that you should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of the wicked one, and killed his brother. And wherefore did he kill him? Because his own works were wicked: and his brother's just
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Nolíte mirári fratres, si odit vos mundus. Nos scimus quóniam transláti sumus de morte ad vitam, quóniam dilígimus fratres. Qui non díligit, manet in morte: omnis, qui odit fratrem suum, homicída est. Et scitis quóniam omnis homicída non habet vitam ætérnam in semetípso manéntem. In hoc cognóvimus caritátem Dei, quóniam ille ánimam suam pro nobis pósuit: et nos debémus pro frátribus ánimas pónere. Qui habúerit substántiam hujus mundi, et víderit fratrem suum necessitátem habére, et claúserit víscera sua ab eo: quómodo cáritas Dei manet in eo? Filíoli mei, non diligámus verbo, neque lingua, sed ópere et veritáte.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

Wonder not, brethren, if the world hate you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not, abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself. In this we have known the charity of God, because he hath laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, and shall shut up his bowels from him: how doth the charity of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word, nor in tongue, but in deed, and in truth.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.

At Venántius prǽsidi sístitur, et ab eo íterum frustra tentátus ut Christi fidem deséreret, in cárcerem conjícitur: quo Attalus præco míttitur, qui ei dicat, se quoque Christiánum fuísse, et ei nómini proptérea renuntiásse, quod cognovísset, ináne esse fídei comméntum, quo Christiáni præséntibus se ábdicant ob vanam futurórum spem. Verum nóbilis Christi athléta cállidi hostis insídias non ignórans, diáboli minístrum a se pénitus rejécit. Quare ad prǽsidem íterum addúcto omnes contúsi sunt dentes, maxillǽque confráctæ: atque ita cæsus in sterquilínium dejícitur. Sed inde ab Angelo quoque eréptus, rursus stetit ante júdicem: qui, Venántio adhuc loquénte, e tribunáli cécidit, et in ea voce, Verus est Venántii Deus, nostros deos destrúite, exclámans exspirávit.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

Now Venantius stood before the Praefect, and when he had again vainly tempted him to give up his faith in Christ, he cast him into prison, and sent unto him Attalus the crier. Attalus told him how that he also had been a Christian, but had denied that name, seeing it was a foolish faith which made Christians to throw away things present for a groundless hope of things to come. But Christ's brave champion, well knowing the wiles of our subtle enemy, drove the devil's servant from his presence. When he appeared again before the Praefect, his teeth and jaws were broken, and so mangled he was cast out upon a dunghill. But thence also an Angel delivered him, and he stood again before the judge. And there while Venantius was yet speaking, the judge fell from off the judgment-seat, and when he had cried with a loud voice, "Venantius, his God is true, take away our gods," he died.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Quod cum prǽsidi nuntiátum esset, extémplo Venántium leónibus óbjici jussit, qui, naturáli feritáte omíssa, ad ejus se pedes abjecérunt: ínterim ille pópulum Christi fidem edocébat. Quare inde amótus, íterum in cárcerem tráditur. Cumque postrídie prǽsidi reférret Porphýrius, se per visum noctu pópulos, quos Venántius aqua tingébat, claríssima luce fulgéntes, ipsum vero prǽsidem obscuríssima calígine opértum vidísse; præses ira incénsus, eum íllico cápite plecti ímperat: deínde Venántium per loca vépribus et cárduis cónsita trahi usque ad vésperam. Is cum semiánimis relíctus esset, mane se íterum prǽsidi præsentávit, cujus jussu statim e rupe præcipitátur: sed inde étiam divínitus eréptus, dénuo per loca áspera ad mille passus tráhitur: ubi milítibus siti æstuántibus, in próxima conválle, ex lápide, in quo et génuum formam relíquit, sicut étiam nunc in ejus ecclésia vidére licet, crucis signo a Venántio facto, aquæ manárunt. Eo miráculo plures permóti in Christum credidérunt, quos omnes præses eo loci una cum Venántio cápite feríri jussit. Fulgúra et terræmótus eo témpore ita magni fuére, ut præses aufúgeret: qui paucis tamen post diébus divínam haud valens effúgere justítiam, turpíssimam mortem oppétiit. Christiáni ínterim Venántii et aliórum córpora honorífico loco sepeliérunt, quæ Cameríni in ecclésia Venántio dicáta cóndita adhuc sunt.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

Then they told the President of it, he commanded Venantius to be straightway thrown to the lions. But the beasts were not wild to him, and lay down at his feet. And meanwhile he taught the Christian faith to the people. So they took him away from thence and cast him once more into prison. The next day Porphyry came to the President, and told him how that he had seen in a vision of the night Venantius sprinkling certain ones with water, and they that were sprinkled shone with a marvellous light, and the President himself hidden in deep darkness. Then the President was moved to great anger and commanded forthwith to behead Porphyry. As for Venantius, he bade them drag him about in rough places, full of briars and thistles, until the evening. When it was over, he was left half dead, but in the morning he stood for the last time before the President, who commanded to cast him down from a steep rock. It pleased God that this should not kill him, and he was haled again through rough places for about a mile. There the soldiers were athirst, and Venantius, by the sign of the Cross, made waters to flow from a stone in a gulley hard by. This is that stone whereon also he left the imprint of his knees, and which can be seen to this day in his Church. By this wonder many were moved to believe in Christ and the President commanded them all, and Venantius with them, to be beheaded in the same place where they were. When it was done there were great lightnings and earthquakes, so that the President fled, but he could not fly from the judgment of God, and but a few days thereafter he died a most shameful death. Meanwhile the Christians took the bodies of Venantius and the others, and buried them in an honourable place, wherein they lie to this day, under the Church at Camerino which is dedicated to Venantius.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Quid ergo est, Ego sum vitis vera? Numquid ut ádderet, vera, hoc ad eam vitem rétulit, unde ista similitúdo transláta est? Sic enim dícitur vitis per similitúdinem, non per proprietátem: quemádmodum dícitur ovis, agnus, leo, petra, lapis anguláris, et cétera hujúsmodi, quæ magis ipsa sunt vera, ex quibus ducúntur istæ similitúdines, non proprietátes. Sed cum dicit, Ego sum vitis vera: ab illa se útique discérnit, cui dícitur: Quómodo convérsa es in amaritúdinem vitis aliéna? Nam quo pacto est vitis vera, quæ exspectáta est ut fáceret uvam, fecit autem spinas?
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

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? Here is He called a vine, not plainly, but in parable, as also He is called elsewhere a sheep, a lamb, a lion, a rock, a corner-stone, 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? 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?
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Ego sum, inquit, vitis vera: et Pater meus agrícola est. Numquid unum sunt agrícola et vitis? Secúndum hoc ergo vitis Christus, secúndum quod ait: Pater major me est. Secúndum autem id, quod ait: Ego, et Pater unum sumus; et ipse agrícola est: nec talis, quales sunt, qui extrínsecus operándo éxhibent ministérium; sed talis, ut det étiam intrínsecus increméntum. Nam neque qui plantat est áliquid, neque qui rigat: sed, qui increméntum dat, Deus. Sed útique Deus est Christus, quia Deus erat Verbum: unde ipse, et Pater unum sunt: et, si Verbum caro factum est, quod non erat, manet quod erat.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

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. In this sense He is 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. But Christ is God, for the Word was God. Therefore He and the Father are one: and, albeit the Word was made flesh, which, before, He was not, He ceased not to be still That Which He was.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.