S. Marci Evangelistæ.

Et factum est in trigésimo anno, in quarto, in quinta mensis, cum essem in médio captivórum juxta flúvium Chobar, apérti sunt cœli, et vidi visiónes Dei. In quinta mensis, ipse est annus quintus transmigratiónis regis Jóachin, factum est verbum Dómini ad Ezechiélem fílium Buzi sacerdótem in terra Chaldæórum, secus flumen Chobar: et facta est super eum ibi manus Dómini. Et vidi, et ecce ventus túrbinis veniébat ab Aquilóne: et nubes magna, et ignis invólvens, et splendor in circúitu ejus: et de médio ejus quasi spécies eléctri, id est de médio ignis.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

And it came to pass in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river of Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God. In the fifth day of the month, which was the fifth year of King Jehoiachim’s captivity, the word of the Lord came unto Ezekiel, the son of Buzi, the Priest, in the land of the Chaldeans, by the river Chebar, and the hand of the Lord was there upon him. And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the North, a great cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and out of the midst thereof, (that is, out of the midst of the fire,) as the colour of amber.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Marcus discípulus et intérpres Petri, juxta quod Petrum referéntem audíerat, rogátus Romæ a frátribus, breve scripsit Evangélium. Quod cum Petrus audísset, et probávit, et Ecclésiæ legéndum sua auctoritáte dedit. Assúmpto ítaque Evangélio quod ipse confécerat, perréxit in Ægýptum, et primus Alexandríæ Christum annúntians, constítuit Ecclésiam tanta doctrína et vitæ continéntia, ut omnes sectatóres Christi ad exémplum sui cógeret.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

Mark was the disciple and interpreter of Peter, and it was from what he had heard Peter tell, that, at the request of the brethren at Rome, he wrote the shortest of the Gospels. When Peter had heard it, he approved it, and gave it to the Church to be read, by his authority. Mark betook himself to Egypt, with the Gospel which he had compiled, and was the first man who preached Christ at Alexandria. There he founded a Church with such teaching and austerity of life, that all who followed Christ were constrained to imitate him.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Dóminus et Salvátor noster, fratres caríssimi, aliquándo nos sermónibus, aliquándo vero opéribus ádmonet. Ipsa étenim facta ejus præcépta sunt: quia dum áliquid tácitus facit, quid ágere debeámus innotéscit. Ecce enim binos in prædicatiónem discípulos mittit: quia duo sunt præcépta caritátis, Dei vidélicet amor, et próximi: et minus quam inter duos cáritas habéri non potest. Nemo enim próprie ad semetípsum habére caritátem dícitur: sed diléctio in álterum tendit, ut cáritas esse possit.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

Dearly beloved brethren, our Lord and Saviour doth sometimes admonish us by words, and sometimes by works. Yea, His very works do themselves teach us: for that which He doth silently His example still moveth us to copy. Behold how He sendeth forth His disciples to preach by two and two: since there are two commandments to love, that is, a commandment to love God, and a commandment to love our neighbour: and where there are not two, the one, being alone, hath not whereon to do the Lord's commandment. And no man can properly be said to love himself: for love tendeth outward toward our neighbour, if it be the love whereto the Gospel doth oblige us.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.

Cum Dóminus Jesus prædixísset discípulis suis persecutiónes, quas passúri erant post ejus abscéssum, subjúnxit atque ait: Hæc autem vobis ab inítio non dixi, quia vobíscum eram: nunc autem vado ad eum, qui me misit. Ubi primum vidéndum est, utrum eis futúras non prædíxerit ante passiónes. Sed álii tres Evangelístæ satis eum prædixísse ista demónstrant, ántequam ventum esset ad cœnam: qua perácta, secúndum Joánnem ista locútus est, ubi ait: Hæc autem vobis ab inítio non dixi, quia vobíscum eram. ¶ An forte hinc ista sólvitur quǽstio, quia et illi eum narrant passióni próximum fuísse cum hæc díceret? Non ergo ab inítio, quando cum illis erat: quia jam discessúrus, jamque ad Patrem perrectúrus hæc dixit. Et ídeo étiam secúndum illos Evangelístas verum est, quod hic dictum est: Hæc autem vobis ab inítio non dixi. Sed quid ágimus de fide Evangélii secúndum Matthǽum, qui hæc eis a Dómino non solum cum jam Pascha esset cum discípulis cœnatúrus, imminénte passióne, verum et ab inítio denuntiáta esse commémorat; ubi primum nominátim duódecim exprimúntur Apóstoli, et ad ópera divína mittúntur? ¶ Quid sibi ergo vult, quod hic ait: Hæc autem vobis ab inítio non dixi, quia vobíscum eram: nisi quia ea, quæ hic dicit de Spíritu sancto, quod sit ventúrus ad eos, et testimónium perhibitúrus, quando mala illa passúri sunt, hæc ab inítio eis non dixit, quia cum ipsis erat? Consolátor ergo ille, vel advocátus, (utrúmque enim interpretátur, quod est Græce Paráclitus) Christo abscedénte fúerat necessárius: et ídeo de illo non díxerat ab inítio, quando cum illis erat, quia ejus præséntia consolabántur.
Tu autem Dómine miserére nobis.
℟. Deo grátias.

The Lord Jesus told His disciples what things they should suffer after that He was gone away from them, and then He said: "These things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you; but now I go My way to Him That sent Me." Let us first see whether it had been that He had not told them before this what they were to suffer in time coming. That He had done so amply before the night of the last Supper, is testified by the three first Evangelists, but it was when that Supper was ended that, according to John, He said: "These things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you." ¶ Are we then to try and loose the knot of this difficulty by asserting that, according to these three Evangelists, it was on the eve of the Passion, albeit before the Supper, that He had said these things unto them, and therefore not at the beginning, when He was with them, but when He was about to leave them, and go His way to the Father And in this way we might reconcile the truthfulness of what this Evangelist saith here "These things I said not unto you at the beginning" with the truthfulness of the! other three. But this explanation is rendered impossible by the Gospel according to Matthew, who telleth us how that the Lord spake to His Apostles concerning their sufferings to come, not only when He was on the point of eating the Passover with them, but at the very beginning, when the names of the twelve are first given, and they were sent forth to do the work of God. (Matth. x. 17-42.) ¶ It would seem then that when He said: "These things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you," He meant by "these things," not the sufferings which they were to bear for His sake, but His promise of the Comforter Who should come to them, and testify while they suffered, (xv. 26, 27.) This Comforter then, or Advocate, (for the Greek word "Parakletos" will bear either interpretation,) would be needful to them when they saw Christ no more, and therefore it was that Christ spoke not of Him "at the beginning" (of the Gospel Dispensation) while He Himself "was with" His disciples, because His visible Presence was then their sufficient comfort.
But Thou, O Lord, have mercy on us.
℟. Thanks be to God.