Dominica V post Epiphaniam: “call even the heretics a seed of evil-doers because they have sprung up from the seed of the Gospel, and been begotten in the Name of Christ, though afterwards they have turned after crooked ways and lying doctrines.”

St Nicholas and Arius

Sun, 2/9/25:

Today is the 5th Sunday after Epiphany under the 1954 (semi-double Sunday) and 1962 (II class Sunday) rubrics.

Mass: Proper Mass. Green. Gloria. Gradual/Alleluia. Credo. Preface of the Most Holy Trinity. Ite. Under 1954, commemoration of St. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria, C & D, and of St. Apollonia, V & M. No commemorations or additional prayers under the 1962 rubrics.

Office: Sunday office. Green. Matins of 3 nocturns of 9 lessons (1954)/1 nocturn of 3 lessons (1962; I & II from occurring Scripture  as in the 1st nocturn of the old Breviary [II = II & III combined]; III = lesson VII of the old Breviary). Te Deum. Psalms and antiphons of Sunday. All else from the Sunday office per annum. Proper Benedictus antiphon. Collect of the Sunday. At Lauds, under 1954, commemoration of St. Cyril of Alexandria and of St. Apollonia. No commemorations under 1962. Omit suffrage (1954). (Source: LB236 on Twitter/X.)

From the Holy Gospel according to Matthew

Matt 13:24-30

At that time, Jesus said to the people a parable: The kingdom of heaven is likened to a man that sowed good seeds in his field. And so on.

Homily by St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo.

Quest. Evang. Matth. xi, Bk. 4

When the Shepherds of the Church wax careless, and since the Apostles sleep the sleep of death, cometh the devil, and soweth them whom the Lord calleth a seed of evil-doers. Now, are these seed of evil-doers the heretics, or Catholics of bad lives? It is possible to call even the heretics a seed of evil-doers because they have sprung up from the seed of the Gospel, and been begotten in the Name of Christ, though afterwards they have turned after crooked ways and lying doctrines.

But whereas it is written that they were sown in the midst of the wheat, we ought haply to understand that they are of one communion with the righteous. Nevertheless, forasmuch as the Lord saith, The field is the world, (and not, the Church,) we may well understand that the seed of evil doers are the heretics, since in this world they are mingled together with the good, not in one common Communion, but only under one common name of Christian. But they which are of one faith with the good seed, and yet are themselves worthless, may more fitly be likened to straw than to tares, since the straw springeth from one soil and one root with the good ear.

However, as touching the net cast into the sea, and enclosing a great multitude of fishes, both bad and good, we may well understand that by the bad are meant Catholics of bad lives. For the sea is one thing whereby we may understand to be signified the world; and the net another, which seemeth to signify our faith, or the Communion of one Church. Between heretics and sinful Catholics there is this difference, that heretics believe a lie, and sinful Catholics believe the truth, but live not as they believe.

Collect
℣. The Lord be with you.
℟. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
O God, Who graciously and by divine means founded through blessed John, the Order of the Most Holy Trinity to ransom captives from the hands of the Saracens, grant, we beseech You, that through Your help and the merits of his prayers we may be freed body and soul from captivity.
Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end.
℟. Amen.