Léctio Epístolæ beáti Joánnis Apóstoli
Lesson from the first letter of St John the Apostle
Caríssimi: 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. 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.
Most dearly beloved, 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. Wonder not, brethren, if the world hates 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.