THE TWELVE PROPHECIES - The Second Prophesy: Genesis 5: 32; 6; 7: 6: 11-14, 18-21, 23-24; 8: 1-3, 6-12, 15-21

Normally the Twelve Prophecies are at Easter and Pentecost. St. Francis de Sales in his sermons for the season (Advent and Christmas) pointed out that Christmas is one of the three fulfillments of the type of the original Pasch of Moses, the other two being Easter and Pentecost. So let us bring to mind the Prophecies, since in fact their fulfillment is only in the life of Our Lord Jesus Christ in His salvation He brought to earth with Him beginning with His advent upon earth born of the Blessed Virgin Mary with St. Joseph watching over the both of them.

The Second Prophesy: Genesis 5: 32; 6; 7: 6: 11-14, 18-21, 23-24; 8: 1-3, 6-12, 15-21

The deluge.-The ark is the prefigure of the true Church,which is the Ark of Salvation.

Noë vero cum quingentórum esset annórum, génuit Sem, Cham, et Japheth. Cumque cæpíssent hómines multiplicari super terram, et fílias procreássent, vidéntes fílii Dei fílias hóminum, quod essent pulchræ, accepérunt sibi uxóres ex ómnibus, quas elégerant. Dixítque Deus: Non permanébit spíritus meus in hómine in ætérnum, quia taro est: erúntque dies illíus centum vigínti annórum. Gigántes autem erant super terram in diébus illis. Postquam enim ingréssi sunt fílii Dei ad fílias hóminum, illæque genuérunt, isti sunt poténtes a sæculo viri famósi. Videns autem Deus, quod multa malítia hóminum esset in terra, et cuncta cogitátio cordis inténta esset ad malum omnitémpore, pœnítuit eum quod hóminem fecísset in terra. Et factus dolóre cordis intrínsecus: Delébo, inquit, hóminem, quem creavi, a facie terræ, ab hómine usque ad animántia, a réptili usque ad vólucres cæli: pœnítet enim me fecísse eos. Noë vero invénit grátiam coram Dómino. Hæ sunt generatiónes Noë: Noë vir justus atque perféctus fuit in generatiónibus suis, cum Deo ambulávit. Et génuit tres fílios, Sem, Cham et Japheth. Corrúpta est autem terra coram Deo, et repléta est iniquitáte. Cumque vidísset Deus terram esse corrúptam (omnis quippe caro occúperat viam suam super terram), dixit a Noë: Finis univérsæ carnis venit coram me: repléta est terra iniquitáte a facie eórum, et ego dispérdam eos cum terra. Fac tibi arcam de lignis lævigátis: mansiúnculas in arca fácies, et bitúmine línies intrínsecus, et extrínsecus. Et sic fácies eam: Trecentórum cubitórum erit longitúdo arcæ, quinquagínta cubítorum latitúdo, et trigínta cubitórum altitúdo illius. Fenéstram in area fácies, et in cúbito consummábis summitátem ejus: óstium autem arca pones ex látere: deórsum cœnácula, et trístega fácies in ea. Ecce ego addúcam aquas dilúvii super terram, ut interfíciam omnem carnem, in qua spíritus vitæ est subter cælum. Univérsa quæ in terra sunt, consuméntur. Ponámque fœdus meum tecum: et ingrediéris arcam tu, et fílii tui, uxor tua, et uxóres Fíliórum tuórum tecum. Et ex cunctis animántibus univérsa carnis bina indúces in arcam, ut vivant tecum: masculíni sexus, et feminíni. De volúcribus juxta genus suum et de juméntis in génere suo, et ex omni réptili terra secúndum genus suum: bina de ómnibus ingrediéntur tecum, ut possint vívere. Tolles ígitur tecum ex ómnibus escis, quæ mandi possunt, et comportábis apud te: et erunt tam tibi, quam illis in cibum. Fecit igitur Noë ómnia, qua pracéperat illi Deus. Erátque sexcentórum annórum, quando dilúvii aqua inundavérunt super terram. Rupti sunt ómnes fontes abyssi magna, et catarácta cæli apértie sunt: et facta est plúvia super terram quadragínta diébus et quadragínta nóctibus. In artículo diéi illius ingréssus eat Noë, et Sem, et Cham, et Japheth Fílii ejus, uxor illíus, et tres uxores filiórum ejus cum eis in arcam: ipsi, et omne ánimal secúndum genus suum, universáque juménta in génere suo, et omne, quod movétur super terram in génere suo, cunctúmque volátile secúndum genus suum. Porro area ferebátur super aquas. Et aquæ prævaluérunt nimis super terram: opertíque sunt ómnes montes excélsi sub univérso cælo. Quindecim cúbitis áltior fuit aqua super montes, quos operúerat. Consúmptaque est omnis caro quæ movebátur super terram, vúlucrum, animántium, bestiárum, omniúmque reptílium, quæ reptant super terram. Remánsit autem solus Noë, et qui cum eo erant in arca. Obtinuerúntque aquæ terram centum quinquagínta diébus. Recordátus autem Deus Noë, cunctorúmque animántium, et ómnium jumentórum, quæ erant cum eo in arca, addúxit spíritum super terram, et imminútæ sunt aquæ. Et clausi sunt fontes abyssi et cataráctæ cæli: et prohíbitæ sunt plúviæ de cælo. Reversæque sunt aquæ de terra eúntes, et redeúntes: et cœpérunt mínue post centum quinquagínta dies. Cumque transíssent quadragínta dies, apériens Noë fenéstram arcæ, quam fécerat, dimísit corvum: qui egrediebátur, et non revertebátur, donec siccaréntur aquæ super terram. Emísit quoque colúmbam post eum, ut vidéret si jam cessássent aquæ super fáciem terræ. Quæ cum non invenísset ubi requiésceret pes ejus, revérsa est ad eum in arcam: aquæ enim erant super univérsam terram: extendítque manum, et apprehénsam íntulit in arcam. Exspectáre autem ultra septum diébus áliis, rursum dimísit colúmbam ex arca. At illa venit ad eum ad vésperam, portans ramum olívæ viréntibus fóliis in ore suo. Intelléxit ergo Noë, quod cessássent aqua super terram. Exspectavítque nihilóminus septem alios dies: et emísit colúmbam, quæ non est revérsa ultra ad eum. Locútus est autem Deus ad Noë, dicens: Egrédere de arca, tu et uxor tua, fílii tui, et uxóres fíliórum tuórum tecum cuncta animántia, qua sunt apud te, ex omni carne, tam in volatílibus, quam in béstiis, et univérsis reptílibus, qua reptant super terram, edu: tecum, et ingredímini super terram: créscite, et multiplicámini super eam. Egréssus est ergo Noë, et fílii ejus, uxor illíus, et uxóres fíliórum ejus cum eo. Sed et ómnia animántia, juménta, et reptília, qua reptant super terram, sécundum genus suum, egréssa sunt de arca. Ædificávit autem Noë altáre Dómino: et tollens de cunctis pecóribus, et volúcribus mundis, óbtulit holocáusta super altáre. Odoratúsque est Dóminus odórem suavitátis.

And Noe, when he was five hundred years old, begot Sem, Cham, and Japheth. And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them, the sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose. And God said, My spirit shall not remain in man forever, because he is flesh; and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown. And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times, it repented Him that He had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart, He said, I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air; for it repenteth Me that I have made them. But Noe found grace before the Lord. These are the generations of Noe; Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with God. And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth. And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity. And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth), He said to Noe, the end of all flesh is come before Me; the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without. And thus shalt thou make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. Thou shalt make a window in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish the top of it; and the door of the ark thou shalt set in the side; with lower, middle chambers, and third stories, shalt thou make it. Behold I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh wherein is the breath of life under heaven: all things that are in the earth shall be consumed. And I will establish My covenant with thee: and thou shalt enter into the ark; thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons, with thee. And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark, that they may live with thee, of the male sex and the female. Of fowls according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of every thing that creepeth on the earth according to its kind; two of every sort shall go in with thee that they may live. Thou shalt take unto thee of all food that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee: and it shall be food for thee and them. And Noe did all things which God had commanded him. And he was six hundred years old when the waters of the flood overflowed the earth. All the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the floodgates of heaven were opened, and the rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. In the selfsame day Noe, and Sem and Chain and Japheth, his sons, his wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark; they and every beast according to its kind, and all the cattle in their kind, and every thing that moveth upon the earth according to its kind, and every fowl according to its kind. And the ark was carried upon the waters: and the waters prevailed beyond measure upon the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered; the water was fifteen cubits higher than the mountains which it covered. And all flesh was destroyed that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beasts, and of all creeping things that creep upon the earth. And Noe only remained, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth a hundred and fifty days. And God remembered Noe, and all the living creatures, and all the cattle which were with him in the ark, and brought a wind upon the earth, and the waters were abated; the fountains also of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were shut up, and the rain from heaven was restrained. And the waters returned from off the earth, going and coming; and they began to be abated after a hundred and fifty days. And after that forty days were passed, Noe opened the window of the ark, which he had made, sent forth a raven, which went forth, and did not return till the waters were dried up upon the earth. He sent forth also a dove after him, to see if the waters had ceased upon the face of the earth: but she not finding where her foot might rest, returned to him into the ark, for the waters were upon the whole earth; and he put forth his hand, and caught her, and brought her into the ark. And having waited yet seven other days, he again sent forth the dove out of the ark. And she came to him in the evening carrying a bough of an olive tree with green leaves in her mouth. Noe therefore understood that the waters were ceased upon the earth. And he stayed yet another seven days; and he sent forth the dove, which returned not any more unto him. And God spake to Noe, saying, Go out of the ark, thou and thy wife, thy sons, and the wives of thy sons with thee. All living things that are with thee of all flesh, as well in fowls as in beasts, and all creeping things that creep upon the earth, bring out with thee, and go ye upon the earth; increase and multiply upon it. So Noe went out, he and his sons, his wife, and the wives of his sons with him. And all living things, and cattle, and creeping things that creep upon the earth, according to their kinds, went out of the ark. And Noe built an altar unto the Lord, and taking of all cattle and fowls that were clean, offered holocausts upon the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savor.

COLLECT

P. Oremus.

D. Flectamus genua.

S. Levate.

Deus, incommutábilis virtus, et lumen atérnum: respíce propítius ad totíus Ecclésiæ tuæ mirábile sacraméntum, et opus salútis humánæ, perpétua dispositiónis efféctu tranquíllius operáre; totúsque mundus experiátur et vídeat, dejécta érigi, inveteráta renovári, et per ipsum redíre ómnia in íntegrum, a quo sumpsére princípium: Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum: Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sæcula sæculórum. S. Amen.

P. Let us pray.

D. Let us kneel.

S. Arise.

O God, unchangeable virtue and light eternal, look mercifully upon the wonderful sacrament of Thy whole Church, and perform in peace the work of human salvation, and let the whole world feel and see the things lifted up that were cast down, the worn out things renewed, and that all things are made whole through Him from Whom they had their origin, Our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who with Thee livest and reignest, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. S. Amen.

My humble Christmas gift: The Final Trial Red