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Red Semidouble URGED BY THE APPROACH of Laurence’s triumph, Stephen rises to assist at his combat; it is a meeting full of beauty and strength, revealing the work of Eternal Wisdom in the arrangement of the sacred cycle. But the present feast has other teachings also to offer us. The first resurrection, of which we spoke above, continues for the Saints. After Nazarius and Celsus, and all the martyrs whom the victory of Christ has shown to be partakers of his gory according to the divine promise, the standard-bearer of the white-robed army himself rises glorious from his tomb...

Red   LET THE HEAVENS REJOICE, let the Island of Saints exult, and let all the universe shout with her a song of victory: for now indeed earth has been everywhere empurpled with the blood of testimony. Alban, Proto-Martyr of fruitful Britain, seals today the conquest of the far West. Already, doubtless, even from the earliest days, Albion had yielded abundant flowers beneath the foot steps of the Spouse, whose giant stride had reached even unto her. Later on, Eleutherius and Lucius had added the fresh charm of other plants to this new garden, wherein far away from sterile...

Red Double of the Second Class (with simple Octave) ST. PETER DAMIAN thus begins his Sermon for this Feast: “We are holding in our arms the Son of the Virgin, and are honoring, with our caresses, this our Infant God. The holy Virgin has led us to the dear Crib. The most beautiful of the Daughters of men has brought us to the most beautiful among the Sons of men, and the Blessed among women to Him that is Blessed above all. She tells us … that now the veils of prophecy are drawn aside, and the counsel of...