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THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
mibll ©b0tat:
JOANNES CROFTON, S.f.
CENSOR DEPUTATUS.
imprimatur :
4- HERBERTUS CARDINALIS VAUGHAN
ARCHIEP. WESTMON.
ROEHAMPTON ! PRINTED BY JOHN GRIFFIN.
V
THE
SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
AN EXPLANATION OF ITS DOCTRINE
RUBRICS AND PRAYERS
TRaitb an JntroOuctorg Cbaptcr
BY
M. GAVIN, S.J.
FIFTH EDITION
REVISED, ENLARGED, AND CORRECTED
{Seventh Thousand)
London: BURNS AND GATES (LIMITED)
NEW YORK, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO I BENZIGER BROTHERS^^^-^pT^/ \
AND 01^ ALL CATHOLIC BOOKSELLERS /^ ^ ^\
A' ;; . .'^
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1906 /^ ^u-f/'>:
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[All rights reserved.]
HAROLD B. LEE LIBRARY
BRIGHAM YOUNG UNIVERSITY
PROYO, UTAH
TO THE MEMBERS
OF THE SODALITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
FARM STREET, LONDON
THIS BOOK ON THE HOLY SACRIFICE
IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED,
IN GRATEFUL MEMORY
OF OUR MONTHLY MASS AND COMMUNION
DURING TWENTY YEARS.
M. GAVIN, SJ.
114, Mount Street,
London, W.
The Purification^ ^903*
CONTENTS.
Page
Introductory Chapter ..... xi
Preface to the Second Edition .... xxvii
Preface to 'fHE FoItrth Edition . ' . . . xxviii
Chapter the First.
The Doctrine bi the Sacrifice of the Mass . . . i
Questions ....... 2
Chapter the Second.
The Essence of the Mass ..... 3
Questions' .'.*.'. . . .11
Chapter the Third.
The Consecration of the Altar . . . . .12
Questions ....... 15
Chapter the Fourth.
The Vestments ....... 16
Questions .'.'.'.*.*. . 21
Chapter the Fifth.
The Asperges ....... 22
Questions ....... 24
Chapter the Sixth.
The Language of the Mass . . . . .25
Questions . . . . . . .34
Chapter the Seventh.
The Roman Mass in the Eighth Century . . -35
Questions ....... 49
CONTENTS.
Chapter the Eighth.
page
The Ordinary of the Mass. Part the First: From the
Beginning to the Offertory , . , .50
Questions ....... 60
Chapter the Ninth.
The Introit, " Kyrie," and " Gloria in excelsis " . .61
Questions ....... 69
Chapter the Tenth.
The " Dominus vobiscum," Collect, and Epistle . . 70
Questions .•...,, 75
Chapter the Eleventh.
The Gradual, Alleluia, Tract, and Sequence . , .76
Questions ....... 79
Chapter the Twelfth.
The Gospel and the Creed . . . . .80
Questions ....... 95
Chapter the Thirteenth.
Part the Second : The Offertory to the Canon . . 96
Questions . . . . . , .112
Chapter the Fourteenth.
Part the Third : The Canon of the Mass . . -113
Questions , . , , , , 150, 151
Chapter the Fifteenth.
Part the Fourth: From the "Pater noster " to the end of
Mass ....... 152
Questions . . . . . . . 183
Chapter the Sixteenth.
The Ceremonies of High Mass ..... 184
Questions ....... 204
Chapter the Seventeenth.
Mass for the Dead ...... 205
Questions ....... 214
INTR(3DUCTORY CHAPTER.
In April, 1901, I began on the Wednesday evenings in
Farm Street Church a series of simple Explanations of
Catholic Doctrine for Catholics and non-Catholics.
The text-book was the Penny Catechism. The purpose
was to explain, supplement, and illustrate that little
book which contains so much in a few pages. I began
with the Sacraments, and after explaining the Eucharist
as a Sacrament, went on to consider the Eucharist as
a Sacrifice. To the Mass some twenty-eight Instruc-
tions were devoted, and they are now published.
The earnest hope is entertained that this explanation
of the Mass will help to a deeper appreciation of the
greatest act of worship in the Church. It is impossible
to have laboured for many years in London without
painfully realizing that the Mass is neither known,
nor understood, nor attended, nor loved as it deserves.
Surely there are many Catholics who might with a
little self-denial hear Mass, if not daily, at least some-
times in the week. If we inquire the reason from those
who find time for other things and not for Mass, we
shall probably learn that they do not understand what
they lose. Mass is a closed book to them. The love,
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER,
self-sacrifice, and humiliation of a Divine Person lies
before them in the Eucharist ; they have eyes and see
not. With an intelligent grasp of the doctrine of the
Mass they would discover a method of discharging
every obligation of the creature to the Creator, and of
procuring all they want from His gracious bounty.
Let me explain simply the object of the Mass. Mass
is the supreme act of worship, in which Christ as the
Head of our race, offers His own Body and Blood in
acknowledgment of the Creator's dominion over Him
and over all mankind. Our Lord is the chief celebrant
at every Mass, and at the altar renews His profession
of perpetual service. Reason alone proves the obliga-
tion of giving God honour and glory. Our best is
indeed small, whether we consider the deeds performed
or the abject condition of every man, clad in infirmity
from head to foot. Our deficiency is supplied in the
Mass, which gives infinite honour and glory to God's
Supreme Majesty. One Mass, for which we cannot
spare half an hour, yields more honour and glory to
God than the adoration of the blessed in Heaven and
of their Queen. Once more. Thanksgiving is another
duty of the creature to the Creator. ** Thank you"
are almost the first words a mother teaches her child.
The duty of thanking God is so obvious that any
explanation weakens its claims. The duty is self-
evident. We are surrounded by the unmerited blessings
of Heaven as a fish by the waters of the sea. Man is
the neediest and most helpless and most ungrateful of
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
all creatures, and for him God has done incomparably
more than for the angels. The Crib, the Cross, and
the Tabernacle are three fountains of mercy and love
whence grace floods this earth. Man is powerless to
thank God for all His benefits. ** The unsearchable
riches of Christ " paid the debt of gratitude a thousand-
fold in the first Mass in the Supper Room. The Church
calls the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ
the Eucharist, which means thanksgiving, just as pain
means punishment. At the Mass Christ chants His Te
Deum in honour of His Father, or rather the Mass is
His Te Deum, and the faithful on earth, in Purgatory,
and Heaven, join the song of praise. You have received
great temporal and spiritual blessings; have Mass
offered in thanksgiving, and assist at the Holy Sacrifice
for the same intention. And though we may not aim so
high, it is useful to remember that the saints recognized
mercy even in crushing sorrow. '* Although He should
kill me I will trust in Him." {Joh xiii, 15.) And they
thank God at the Mass for sending it to them.
Once again : We are sinners. In this all men are
akin ; and we need some Being to appease the anger
of God, to obtain His forgiveness and to avert or
lessen the punishment due to crime. Mass is the great
appeasing power of the world, for Mass is Calvary
over again. The scene on Calvary is re-presented to
us in the drama of the Mass. Death on Calvary was
the consummation of the Sacrifice. That death was
caused by the separation of the Blood of our Lord
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
from His Body, that separation is, to use the words of
the Council of Trent, ** re-presented to us," placed again
before our eyes in the double consecration of bread and
wine. Although Christ exists whole and entire under
the appearance of bread as well as under the appear-
ance of wine, nevertheless by the words of Consecration
the Bod}^ alone is under the appearance of bread, and the
Blood alone under the appearance of wine. We have
then here that mystical parting of the Body and Blood
which makes the re-presentation of the Death upon the
Cross.
We are anxious for our friends or relatives who are
leading bad lives. But through the Mass we may
infallibly appease to some extent the anger of God
which we and they have 'justly incurred, and we may
infallibly procure them graces, which if accepted, will
lead them back into friendship with our Lord. For the
soul in the state of grace the Mass infallibly satisfies a
part of the punishment due to forgiven sin, wards off the
chastisements of God, and obtains graces in every con-
juncture of life ; while for the soul in Purgatory the Mass
is the surest and the quickest way of paying the debt,
and releasing the prisoner from the flame. Devotions
come and go in the Church. Some are more popular
in one age than in another. Mass is the devotion of
every age and people : it is our spiritual centre, like
the sun in the heavens, shedding light and warmth over
the earth. Mass can never leave us so long as this
planet hangs in the firmament, and the last Mass on
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
earth will be the signal for the Archangel's trumpet
to summon the dead to Judgment. **God Himself,"
says St. Alphonsus, '* cannot cause any action to be
performed which is holier and grander than the Mass."
In one word, to obtain the conversion of non-Catholics,
the release of souls from Purgatory, to avert the anger
of God, to satisfy His justice, to thank Him for count-
less favours, to obtain grace in special needs, Mass
is the surest and speediest, because the heavenly
appointed, means.
I have also endeavoured to explain in this book the
Rubrics of the Mass.
By the Rubrics are meant directions which the
Church has laid down for the fitting celebration of the
Holy Sacrifice. The word Rubric is taken from the
Roman law, in which the titles, maxims, and principal
decisions were written in red (ruber). Burchard,
the master of ceremonies under Innocent VIII. and
Alexander VI., first set out, so says Le Brun, the
ceremonies of the Mass in the Roman Pontifical
printed at Rome in 1485. The ceremonies were
finally arranged more or less in the present form by
Pius V. when he revised the Missal in 1570. Various
rites, such as the Ambrosian, Mozarabic, Carthusian,
Dominican, and others are approved by the Church;
the Rubrics at these Masses are somewhat diff'erent
from those of the ordinary Roman Mass. The history
of the Rubrics is full of interest to any student.
The Rubrics, says Le Brun in his famous work on
xvi INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
the Mass, are so many signs which express thought
more plainly than words. (Vol. I. Preface, p. i6.)
Some Rubrics carry us back to the very earliest time :
they are speaking records of the past. ** Let us all
remember this," says the Bishop of Newport in his
beautiful work {Our Divine Saviour, p. 282), ** there is not
a ceremony of the Mass, not a prayer, not a genu-
flexion, not a vestment worn which has not been
prescribed by ancient saints, if not by the Apostles
themselves, and which has not upon it the stamp and
sanctity of a hoary and venerable tradition. There is
not a symbol of office in the country, not a crown or
a flag, a chain or a robe, which is not of yesterday,
compared with the stole and chasuble of the priest at
the altar."
It will interest our readers to know that there is
hardly a Rubric ever used which may not yet be found,
either whole or in part, in the ceremonies employed in
the Church to-day. If we do not find it in High Mass
we shall find it in Low, if not in the Mass of a priest,
at least in that of a Bishop or perhaps in the Pope's
solemn Mass, said three times a year on the feasts of
Christmas, Easter, and SS. Peter and Paul. Some-
times rites no longer seen in the Roman Mass, still find
a place in the rites peculiar to certain Religious Orders
or in Votive Masses. Let us illustrate our meaning
by examples.
To begin with, the derivation of the word Mass
reveals th^ existence of a rubric which for ages has
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. xvi!
passed away. Mass comes to us from the Latin Missa.
Missa is another form of Missio, meaning dismissal,
just RS collecta (a collect) is another form of collectio, and
yepulsa of repulsio in the line from Horace, Virtus vepulsa
nescia sordid^, not to quote other examples. Now,
in the Liturgy there were two solemn dismissals —
first, of the catechumens after the Gospel ; next, of
the faithful at the end of the Service. The word for
dismissal came to denote the Service from which
there were two solemn dismissals. If further, it be
asked why the catechumens were dismissed after the
Gospel, the answer requires a brief explanation of
what is called the Discipline of the Secret {Disciplina
arcani). By the Discipline of the Secret, we mean the
custom which prevailed in the early Church, say, from
the end of the second to the close of the sixth century,
of concealing from heathens and catechumens under
instruction for the Church the most sacred doctrines
of the Faith. This secrecy was preserved by the early
Christians from the natural fear that the knowledge
of their doctrines might increase the violence of per-
secution, or expose such doctrines to ridicule or pro-
fanation. The catechumens were ordered to withdraw
after the Gospel and sermon, because at that point the
preparation for the Sacrifice begins.
Another rubric still in daily use reminds us of the
Discipline of the Secret, though some of our readers
may be unaware of the connection. Why is the Patev
noster said audibly at Mass, and in secret at the Little
b
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
Hours and the various Offices of the Church ?
Benedict XIV., a safe authority, gives the reason.
He informs us {The Mass, hk, ii. p.112,) that the Creed
with the Pater noster were among those prayers never
recited in the pubhc Services of the Church at which
pagans and catechumens assisted. Both pagans and
catechumens had left the church at the Pater noster,
hence there was no reason for saying the Pater noster
inaudibly ; but as pagans and catechumens were
allowed to be present at Prime, Vespers, Matins, &c.^
the Pater noster in their presence was said in secret.
And the custom lives to this day.
Let us take a few more instances. The priest's
berretta at Mass dates from about the tenth century.
Before that time the amice served as a covering for the
head. Even at the present time many Religious wear
the amice over the head until the beginning of Mass,
when they cast it back between the shoulders.
Why is it the custom for the priest to vest in the
sacristy and the Bishop at the altar? In earlier ages
(as now on solemn occasions) the Bishop was received
at the church door, a procession was formed, and the
Bishop was conducted to a side altar where he vested
before the principal Mass, and remained seated to
receive the homage and offerings of the congregation.
The Bishop then proceeded to the high altar and Mass
began. In time the procession ceased, the Bishop's
vestments were transferred to the high altar, and he
vested as now within the sanctuary. There was no
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
procession or solemnity before the priest's Mass, and
he naturally vested in the sacristy. The Psalm
Judica was not generally recited at Mass before the
ninth century, its omission at Masses for the Dead
and during Passiontide takes us back to the Mass in
the earlier ages when the Jitdica was never said. The
maniple originally served the purpose of a hand-
kerchief. It was pinned to the priest's arm before
he ascended the altar. The custom is now observed at
the Bishop's Mass ; he receives the maniple at the
Indulgentiam after the Confiteor. The sign of the Cross
is made at the Introit because it begins the Mass : the
Kyrie at Low Mass is said in the centre of the altar^
while the old custom of saying it at the Epistle side
is still kept at High Mass. The Gloria in excelsis was
said at Mass until the eleventh century by Bishops
only on Sundays and feasts, and by priests only at the
Mass of Easter Sunday. The Pax vohis said by the
Bishop after the Gloria instead of the Dominus vohisamiy
is taken, according to some writers, from the Gloria^
and is possibly a vestige of the Bishop's privilege.
Benedict XIV. gives another and far better explana-
tion. Bishops sdiy Pax vobis after the Gloria on festivals.
If the Gloria be not said, the Bishop's salutation is
the same as the priest's, Dominus vobiscum. The Bishop
possesses the fulness of the priesthood, and therefore
more closely represents Jesus Christ than a simple
priest. And Pax vobis was our Lord's greeting to
His disciples in the joy of the Resurrection. These
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
words, then, are fittingly said after the Gloria, In
the other salutations at Mass the Bishop says the
Dominus vobiscum to show that he is counted in the
number of priests.
At High Mass, the deacon, before saying the
Mtmda cor meum, places the Missal on the altar. This
reminds us of the ancient times when the Gospels, as a
mark of honour and respect, lay on the altar upon
a stand during Mass. We have now only one Missal
on the altar at Mass, in the earlier centuries two or
three books were used. Various customs still survive
during or after the Offertory, which link the present
with the past. Thus, the Oremus, as said immediately
before the Offertory, seems meaningless in its present
position unless it refers to a prayer formerly inserted
before the antiphon which we now call the Offertory.
For a thousand years the faithful at the Offertory, as
mentioned in this book, made their offering of bread
and wine for the altar, and wheat, oil, honey, and other
gifts for the support of the clergy. We are reminded
of this custom by two very striking Rubrics which occur
at the ordination of the priest and the consecration of
a Bishop. The Roman Pontifical directs that after the
Offertory has been read by the Bishop each of the
newly-ordained priests is to offer a lighted candle to
the Bishop, while the recently consecrated Bishop is
to present to the consecrating Bishop two lighted
torches, two loaves, and two barrels of wine. Some
of us may have wondered why the subdeacon at High
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER. xxi
Mass takes the paten from the deacon, after the
oblation of the chalice, and covering it with a long veil
holds it at the foot of the altar until the end of the
Pater noster. The Church is very conservative, and
sooner than part from an old custom she retains it^
though its raison d'etre has ceased. The custom can
be traced to the time when the faithful offered bread
and wine on the paten. As these offerings were large
and larger hosts were customary then, the size of the
paten was in proportion, and being inconvenient on the
altar, it was removed and kept by the subdeacon until
needed again by the priest.
Let us pass now to another vestige of an ancient
Rubric kept in a Votive Mass. The nuptial blessing
is given in the Mass for the Bride and Bridegroom after
the Pater noster and again after the Ite Missa est.
Why is the blessing given after the Pater noster ? The
blessing is the survival of a ceremony which has long
ceased to exist. Bishops in the earlier centuries gave
a special blessing after the Pater noster and again before
the Communion. The special blessing to the bride and
bridegroom in this place reminds us of that blessing
given by the Bishop. The second prayer at the end
for bride and bridegroom was found in the nuptial Mass
before the practice began of a priest blessing the
congregation after the Ite Missa est. And it naturally
keeps its place.
Once more. In churches abroad and at home
men sometimes occupy one side of the church and
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
women the other. One reason for this separation of the
sexes was because of the kiss of peace given after the
Agnus Dei. In ancient times the pax or kiss of peace
was common to every High Mass (except Solemn
Requiem), and at least every male member of the con-
gregation received it. Now the pax is given only at
High Mass to those who are in the sanctuary. But the
separation of the sexes sometimes continues, although
one special motive of the separation has disappeared.^
Finally, let me give one more instance of a rite which
is no longer allowed in the Mass of a priest or Bishop,
and is found in the solemn Mass of the Pope. Up to
the twelfth century Holy Communion was administered
to the faithful under both kinds. By the Council of
Constance, in 1414, the celebrant only is allowed to
receive under both kinds. When the laity communi-
cated under both species, other chalices besides that
used by the priest were employed ; the deacon usually
administered the Chalice, and the people drank the
Precious Blood through a tube. At this day during
the Mass said by the Pope over the tomb of the
Apostles at Christmas, Easter, and SS. Peter and Paul,
the deacon and subdeacon are privileged to partake
of the Precious Blood. A solitary instance of a usage
still surviving which was almost universal in the
Church for at least eleven hundred years.
The reader will find the Rubrics explained in their
proper place where the meaning is not self-evident.
^ In the early Church, women were always separated from men,
not merely at Mass, but at all public worship.
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
And now I pass to the third motive of this volume —
The Explanation of the Prayers in the Ordinary
OF THE Mass.
On this the greatest possible stress has been laid.
The prayers at Mass are the prayers of the Church
and their importance cannot be exaggerated. The
-Church is responsible for these prayers. She watches
over every word in the Mass with anxious care and
is keenly jealous of the least alteration or addition.
In proof of this we may mention that about 1814 the
Hol}^ See was petitioned to add the name of St. Joseph
to the list of saints in the prayer Communicantes in the
Canon. The request was refused. Not all prayers,
however holy and beautiful, even written by saints in
approved manuals of devotion, can claim to be called
the prayers of the Church. Much misunderstanding
is abroad on this subject. By the prayers of the Church
^e mean pre-eminently the Scriptures (for in a sense
Scripture from Genesis to the Apocalypse can be called
one long prayer), and such prayers as are prescribed
in the Mass and in all liturgical Services, or in those
rites, Ambrosian, Mozarabic, Carmelite, Carthusian,
Dominican, &c., &c., which the Church has approved.
In these she teaches her doctrine and preserves her
creed. The well-known theological axiom must not
be forgotten, lex supplicandi est lex credendi — her prayers
are the rule of her belief. It may safely be said that
the prayers at Mass are the warmest outpourings
xxlv INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
of the Church's loving heart in the subHmest act of
worship which earth offers to Heaven. No words can
possibly exaggerate the beauty of these prayers or the
reverent tenderness they display for the sacred Majesty
of God. Every feeling of the heart finds adequate
expression in her supplications as she mourns and
rejoices, thanks, beseeches and invokes her Spouse.
These prayers are recommended by every consideration
that excites devotion. As the prayers of the Church they
are in matters of faith divinely preserved from error^
and they teach us how to pray as no other prayers can.
They bear the consecration of age. The Canon, as we
read it to-day, is almost unchanged since the beginning
of the seventh century, 604, when St. Gregory the Great
died. For 1,300 years, then, virgins and martyrs and
confessors, the needy and the weary and the heavily
laden, the penitent sinner, the innocent child, the
monarch in his palace, the prisoner under sentence of
death have found all the heart longs for in the very same
words which we say to-day in hearing Mass. Why are
these prayers so little used by the Catholic laity ? Why
is the popular manual preferred to the Missal ? Why
are the prayers of a man dearer than the prayers of
the Church ? The only answer is that the Ordinary of
the Mass is not known and studied, and therefore is not
appreciated and loved as it deserves. The prayers of
Mass demand and abundantly repay the same study
which a diligent student gives to his classical author or
to some splendid passage in Shakespeare, Dante, or
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
i
Milton. Remember that the Mass has the privilege
of arousing the warmest love of the saint and the
undying hatred of the heretic. Whenever heresy-
arises, its most bitter persecution is reserved for the
Mass, and in no land did that persecution v^ax more
furious than in England. A love of the Mass is an
infallible test of a nation's faith ; v^here devotion to
Mass is weak, the faith is certain to wane. If you wish
to find a people who have kept the faith through an
almost passionate love for the Mass, look at Ireland,
where in Dublin alone some 40,000 hear Mass daily.
To increase the love for Holy Mass I have
endeavoured to explain every word and allusion found
in the Ordinary of the Mass which throws light on the
doctrine of the Blessed Eucharist, as also those expres-
sions and phrases which to many are unintelligible
because they may never have been explained.
This little book is meant for all classes ; for the
educated and the labouring man, for the home, the
convent, ecclesiastical seminaries, for boys and girls
at school, and especially for converts. Priests may
sometimes find in it thoughts of saints and theologians
that will make the privilege of ministering at the altar
even more highly prized.
In conclusion, I have to express my deep indebted-
ness to the following works: Rock's Hierurgia, the
Catholic Dictionary (Sixth Edition, 1903), Le Brun's
famous treatise on the Mass, Canon Oakeley's Explana-
tion of the Ceremonies of the Mass, Benedict XIV. on the
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER.
Mass, Father Hunter's Outlines of Dogmatic Theology^
Father Gerard's Religious Instruction for Catholic Youth;
and, above all, to the most valuable compilation in two
volumes by Dr. Gihr — Le Saint Sacrifice de la Messe, Son-
explication dogmatique^ lituvgique et ascetique. His book
cannot be too highly praised ; besides its intrinsic
merits, the learned author has grouped together passages
from great theologians and saints, our safest guides on
the Doctrine, Rubrics, and Prayers of Mass.
Scripture Manuals are arranged for the Oxford and
Cambridge Local Examinations, and were the Ordinary
of the Mass the subject for Examination, it is hoped
that this book would to some degree help the student
to pass in its Doctrine, Rubrics, and Prayers. Instruc-
tion is my object ; and on instruction solid piety is
founded.
For convenience an Index is added at the end.
M. GAVIN, S.J.
114, Mount Street, London, W.
The Purification, 1903.
Questions on the Introductory Chapter.
1. What is meant by Rubrics ? Why so called ? To
whom are we indebted for the Roman Pontifical ?
2. Give the derivation of the word Mass.
3. What is meant by the Discipline of the Secret ?
4. Why is the Pater noster said audibly at Mass, why
secretly in various offices of the Church ?
5. Explain the origin of the Pax vobis said by the Bishop
after the Gloria,
6. Why at High Mass is the paten taken from the altar
and held by the subdeacon until the Pater noster P
7. How long was Communion under both kinds given to
the laity ? When and why did it cease ? Is it given at any
Mass now ?
PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION.
The Second Edition of this book on the Sacrifice of
the Mass has been carefully revised and corrected. By
the kindness of friends, errors were pointed out to me
which had crept into the text, and they, it is hoped,
have been removed.
Some additions have been made in the body of
the book and an Appendix has been added on the
Language of the Mass. Many non-Catholics and some
well-meaning Catholics are earnest in their demand for
the use of the vernacular in Church Services. There
can be no objection to the vernacular in Services
which are extra-liturgical ; but we have endeavoured
to show that the law which prescribes Latin as the
language of the Mass in the Western Church is another
proof of the wisdom more than human which guides
her counsels.
M. GAVIN, S.J.
114, Mount Street, London, W.
Whit Sunday, 1903.
PREFACE TO THE FOURTH EDITION.
The Fourth Edition of this little book is now offered to
the public. Alterations have been made in the order
of the Chapters, with some slight additions here and
there in the body of the book. The Language of the
Mass, which formed an Appendix to the Second and
Third Editions, appears here as Chapter VI. Mass in
the Eighth Century is the subject of Chapter VII. Gihr's
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass : Christian Worship, its Origin and
Evolution, by Mgr. Duchesne, and Ordo Romanus Primtis,
with Introduction and Notes by Mr. E. G. Cuthbert
F. Atchley have helped me considerably in writing
the fresh Chapter. But chiefly am I indebted to
Father Herbert Lucas, S.J., of Stonyhurst College,
for his kindness in revising and correcting the Chapter.
May I hope that from the study of these few pages,
some laymen and students in Ecclesiastical Seminaries,
will be induced to consult the works of great liturgists,
living and dead ?
Questions are added at the end of the Chapters.
M. GAVIN, S.J.
114, Mount Street, London, W.
The Purification, igo6.
CHAPTER the FIRST.
THE DOCTRINE OF THE SACRIFICE OF
THE MASS.
The Eucharist is both Sacrament and Sacrifice.
There are several points of difference between the
Eucharist as a Sacrament and as a Sacrifice. The
efficacy of the Sacrifice lies in its being offered, and of
the Sacrament in its being received. The Eucharist as
a Sacrament increases our merit, and gives to the soul
all the advantages that food gives to the body. As a
Sacrifice the Eucharist is not only a source of merit but
also of satisfaction for sin. The Eucharist as a Sacra-
ment benefits alone the person who communicates : the
graces and blessings obtained through the Sacrament
for others are due to the goodness of God. But as a
Sacrifice the Eucharist is offered for and benefits the
whole Catholic Church, and its satisfactorial power is
extended to all faithful Christians living and dead.
Lastly, the chief end of the Holy Eucharist as a
Sacrament is our own sanctification, while its chief
end as a Sacrifice in the Mass is the supreme worship
of God. There is consequently a clear difference
between the Eucharist as a Sacrament and as a
Sacrifice.
The Council of Trent {Sess. xxii, can, 22) defines the
B
THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS.
Mass to be a true and proper Sacrifice; and says **it is
one and the same Victim and the same Offerer now offer-
ing by the ministry of His priests Who then offered
Himself on the Cross, only the manner of offering is
different." The Council has not defined a Sacrifice,
Sacrifice is commonly held to be an offering of a sub-
stantial thing made to God by a fitting minister through
its destruction, or equivalent destruction. Sacrifice is
made to God alone ; ^ His supreme dominion over
life and death is shown in the destruction of the
victim, who is slain instead of the sinner in acknow-
ledgment of his guilt to appease the anger of God.
The Mass, according to the Penny Catechism, is the
Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, really
present on the altar under the appearances of bread and
wine, and offered to God for the living and the dead.
In the Mass there is all that we need for a true
Sacrifice: (i) a visible thing, i.e., the Body and Blood
of Christ under the appearances of bread and wine ;
(2) the offering is made by Christ through His minister ;
(3) there is the mystical destruction in the separate con-
secration of bread and wine; (4) Mass is offered to God
alone — never to saints or to our Lady ; (5) Mass is
offered for the living and dead, '^ for all faithful Christians
living and dead," as the Church says at the Offertory.
Questions on Chapter I
1. State clearly the difference between the Eucharist as a
Sacrament and as a Sacrifice.
2. What is meant by a Sacrifice ?
3. Show that in the Mass, as defined by the Council of
Trent, there is a true Sacrifice.
1 See Trent, Sess. xxii. cap. 3, where the Council teaches that
though the Mass is said in honour and in the memory of the
Saints, sacrifice is offered not to them but to God alone who
crowned them.
CHAPTER the SECOND.
i
THE ESSENCE OF THE MASS.
We have to distinguish between the essence of the
Mass and an integral portion of the Mass.
By the essence of a thing we mean that by which
the thing is what it is ; flour and water are of the
essence of a loaf of bread. By the integral portion of
a thing we mean something needed to its completeness
though not to its existence. The body of a man with
an arm cut off is still a human body though not
perfect.
Nearly all theologians are agreed that the essence
of the Mass consists in the consecration of the bread
and wine at the Elevation. Most certainly were a
priest to say all the prayers at Mass and to omit the
Consecration, there would be no Sacrifice. There
would then be a bare commemoration of the Sacrifice
of Calvary — just what the Council of Trent defines the
Mass not to be. {Sess. ii, can. 3.)
Why are nearly all the theologians agreed that the
essence of the Mass consists in the Consecration under
two kinds ? Because the Consecration under two kinds
represents the mystical death of Jesus Christ.
The Council of Trent defines the Mass to be a real,
Sacrifice— also a re-presentation of the death of our
THE ESSENCE OF THE MASS.
Lord. Mass is a commemoration of the death of tiie
Lord, a showing forth of the death of our Lord.
In the consecration of the bread and wine we find
all that is needed. For the Sacrifice of the Cross
consisted in the death of our Lord, and the death of
our Lord was caused by the shedding of His Blood.
To be a sacrifice there must either be a real death
or a mystical destruction of the victim. A real death
there cannot be in the Man Christ, for Christ died once,
and dies no more.
The mystical destruction (mystical, that is, by
sign or symbol, not real), a showing forth of the
death of our Lord, is seen in the double Consecration.
For in virtue of the words of consecration the Body
alone is under the appearance of bread, and the Blood
alone is under the appearance of wine. Our Lord's
death was due to the separation of His Body and
Blood, and as by the force of the words at the consecra-
tion there is a separation of the Body and Blood, there
is a re-presentation, a re-enactment, a showing forth of
the death of the Lord.
By these words, ** Do this in commemoration of
Me," as the Council of Trent {Sess. xxiii, can, 2)
has defined, our Lord commands all priests to con-
secrate in both kinds, bread and wine, and the
consecration in both kinds makes the Sacrifice. If the
priest consecrates bread only, or wine only — there is no
Eucharistic Sacrifice — our Lord's command has not
been fulfilled.
Receiving under both kinds is for the priest a
strict obligation because of our Lord's command. The
Communion of the priest belongs to the integrity or
completeness of the Sacrifice.
So strictly does the Church interpret this obligation
THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE.
that should a priest faint or die after consecration of
the bread, another priest, if one be available, must
consecrate the wine and finish the Mass, even though
he has broken his fast. The Communion of the priest
under both kinds is enjoined, as just stated, by Divine
command and required for the completeness of the
Sacrifice ; in such a case the law of fasting before
Communion yields to the higher law of God to complete
the Sacrifice by receiving under the appearance of wine.
It may be asked what is the difference between
the Mass at the Last Supper and the Mass said to-day
by the priest ? In the Mass at the Last Supper
(i) Christ celebrated in person, and He now celebrates
by the ministry of His priests ; (2) Christ at the Last
Supper consecrated a mortal Body, His own, which
was to die on the morrow ; the priest now consecrates
the immortal Body of Jesus Christ ; (3) Christ at the
Last Supper by His Mass merited and satisfied afresh;
in the Mass as said by the priest, there is no new
merit or satisfaction. The Mass is only the applica-
tion of the merits and satisfactions gained by Jesus
Christ on the Cross.
THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE.
The four ends of Sacrifice are — (i) for God's
honour and glory ; (2) in thanksgiving for all His
benefits ; (3) to obtain pardon for our sins ; (4) to
obtain all graces and blessings through Jesus Christ.
First ; for God's honour and glory. Honour is the
outward expression of the inward respect the heart
feels ; glory means knowledge and praise. The honour is
greater in proportion to the thing offered, to the service
rendered ; its value chiefly depends on the position
6 THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE.
cf the person who pays the honour. In Mass the
thing offered is infinite, namely, Jesus Christ the Victim,
and the Offerer is infinite also, the same Jesus Christ.
From every point of view then the Sacrifice is of
infinite value.
Once more. The Mass is Calvary over again. Not
by His life but by His death He redeemed our sins on
the Cross. In the Mass there is the repetition of the
humiliation of the Cross. Christ as a Victim is shown
to us under the appearances of bread and wine — the
double consecration which by force of the words parts
the Body from the Blood and the Blood from the
Body, is by this, as we have just seen, the ** memorial"
of the death of Christ, a re-presentation of the shedding
of His Blood on the Cross, a showing forth of the
death of the Lord. Consummatum est means, amongst
other things, that the greatest act of honour and
worship has been paid to God.
Secondly ; Mass is offered in thanksgiving for all
His benefits.
The word Eucharist means thanksgiving, and
the Church in calling the Blessed Sacrament thanks-
giving teaches us one of the ends of Its institution.
The Preface is the introduction to the Canon
as a preface is the introduction to the book. The
introduction often explains the purpose of the book.
The words of the Preface, Vera dignum et justum
est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique
gratias agere — ** It is truly meet and just, right and
salutary, that we should always, and in all places, give
thanks to Thee," would be meaningless unless thanks-
giving were included in the Sacrifice about to begin.
Since everything that we have and all that we
are come from God, reason teaches that we are
THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE,
bound to thank God for all that He has done for us.
Our thanks are unworthy of Him, as we are sinners and
He is infinitely holy. Mass supphes our deficiencies,
and the offering of the Divine Victim to the Father by
Jesus Christ Himself is of infinite value independently
of the virtues and vices of the priest who celebrates.
The Church again insists on thanksgiving in the Gloria
in excelsis, in the familiar words : Gratias agimus tibi,
propter magnam gloriam tuam — ** We give Thee
thanks for Thy great glory." This is the very highest
form of thanksgiving in which all thought of self is
lost in gratitude for the glory which encircles the
Godhead. Mass then infallibly, as the work of Christ
and offered by Christ, gives glory and thanksgiving to
God.
Thirdly; Mass is offered to obtain pardon of our sins.
Two things are to be considered in sin — (i) its guilt;
(2) its punishment. Mass as it helps to the forgiveness of
sin is propitiatory, in its power of cancelling punishment
it is satisfactory. The Council of Trent teaches {Sess.xxii.
£h. 2) that this ** Sacrifice is truly propitiatory, and that
forgiveness of sins and of enormous crimes is obtained
by those who with a true heart and right faith, with
fear and reverence, contrite and penitent, approach to
God." The Mass then obtains the pardon of mortal and
venial sins and of the temporal punishment due to sin.
The Mass as propitiatory appeases the anger and
justice of God. ''• The Lord, being appeased by the
offering of this Sacrifice, granting grace and the gift
of repentance, wipes away crimes and even enormous
sins." {Council of Trent, Sess, xxii. ck, 2.) A distinctive
effect of this Sacrifice is that by it God is appeased,
as a man forgives an offence on account of some
homage which is paid him. For Mass does not
THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFfCh,
forgive sins directly and immediately, like Baptism and
Penance. Mass appeases the anger of God, and obtains
from Him the grace of repentance. Man can, if he
chooses, reject the grace and remain in sin; the free
acceptance of this grace enables the creature to turn
to God by Faith, Hope, Charity, and Sorrow, and thus
to receive worthily those sacraments which of them-
selves forgive all his sins.
The propitiatory power of the Mass disarms God's
justice ; the impetratory power draws down His mercy.
Indirectly Mass causes the conversion of sinners as a
propitiatory Sacrifice appeasing God's anger, leaving
scope for His mercy ; in so far as it is impetratory,
it obtains the grace of repentance, which may be
accepted or rejected. The propitiatory power is
infallible as Christ's work, that is, the Lord is in
some ways appeased, though to what extent cannot at
present be known. This depends on the free-will of
God and on the dispositions of the creature.
The power of the Mass to forgive sins is more clearly
understood by selecting a particular case. Let us take
a simple illustration. Suppose a mother has a Mass
offered for each of her sons, John and James. John is
leading a bad life; James is a practical Catholic and
is free from mortal sin. What effect on John has the
Mass said for him? It may be altogether barren of
result, because John can reject, if he likes, ** the grace
and gift of repentance," which the Council of Trent
speaks of. [Sess. xxii. ch. 2.) We are certain at least of
this ; first, that Mass necessarily and infallibly appeases
to some extent the anger of God which John has pro-
voked by his sins ; secondly, that it obtains from God
necessarily and infallibly grace which, though not always
f)f itself sufficient at the moment to cause John's conver-
THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE.
sion, goes some way towards it. Many Masses may be
needed before John's conversion is secured. If John
does what in him lies he will get further grace to stir
his heart to repentance, and to seek reconciliation and
pardon in the Tribunal of Penance. The Council of
Trent, in the passage quoted above, must not be under-
stood to teach that Mass of itself forgives ** enormous
crimes." Mass does not forgive the sins of John.
Mass wins for John, supposing he accepts and uses the
grace offered, the additional grace to make a good
confession, and thus to have his sins forgiven.
Let us now turn to James, who is free from grave
sin. What benefit does he receive from the Mass said
for him ? First, that Mass as the action of Christ,
who is the chief Celebrant in every Mass, necessarily
and infallibly satisfies for some of the temporal punish-
ment due to past sins, the guilt of which has been
forgiven ; secondly, as an impetratory Sacrifice it
obtains fresh graces for James, strengthening him
against temptation or fall, enabling him to lead a
holier life and to persevere in God's service.
By Mass also [Council of Trent, Sess. xxii. ch, i)
we obtain forgiveness of daily small faults through those
actual graces which urge us to sorrow and repentance.
For no sin great or small is ever forgiven, after we have
come to the use of reason, without sorrow and purpose
of amendment.
Mass remits the punishment of the living due
to mortal and venial sins after the guilt has been
forgiven in virtue of its being satisfactory. This
remission is infallible, relying on the merits of Christ ;
but to what extent punishment is remitted remains
unknown. St. Thomas says : *^ Although this offering of
the Mass, so far as its quality goes, is sufficient to cancel
THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE.
all the pain due to sin on this earth, nevertheless it is
satisfactory to those for whom it is offered or to the
offerer according to the quality of his devotion, and not
for all the punishment due to his sin." (S. Th. 3. q, 79.
ad 2,.)
In the case of the dead, Mass infallibly cancels
a portion of the punishment in Purgatory, though how
much we cannot tell. The Church sanctions a perpetual
Mass for the same soul, and thereby admits that she
does not know how far the satisfactions of Christ are
applied to that soul.
Further, it should be remembered that the propitia-
tory or appeasing power of the Mass saves the world in
general and men in particular from many punishments
which otherwise their sins would receive, such as war,
famine, plague, sickness, and other temporal misfortunes.
Fourthly ; the impetratory power of the Mass obtains
all graces and blessings through Jesus Christ. If all
prayer be a means of obtaining graces and blessings from
God, prayer joined with Sacrifice, as in the Mass, ought
to be more powerful still. Are our petitions as made
through the Mass infallibly heard ? Yes, if they be for
our good and in accordance with God's Providence.
But the pov/er of the Mass as a means of obtaining
a favourable answer to our prayers depends on the
dispositions of the person for whom it is offered, and of
the person who offers.
We have considered the Mass with Jesus Christ
as Chief Celebrant, and those graces and advantages
which, because of the Chief Offerer, are placed within
our reach, if we choose to take them. These graces
are obtained ex opeve opevato, by virtue of the act done.
Mass for the Dead, or a Black Mass, as we familiarly
call it, so far as concerns the essential part of the Sacrifice,
THE FOUR ENDS OF SACRIFICE.
the offering of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, is the
same in value ^s Mass for the living. But if we con-
sider the value of the prayers, that Mass, according to
the teaching of St. Thomas, is more profitable to the
soul in which there are fixed prayers for the dead and
the dead only. The devotion of the priest who says
Mass for the dead, or of him who has the Mass offered,
or the intercession of the Saint in whose honour the
Holy Sacrifice is celebrated, may more than compensate
for the loss of those accidental graces which belong to
the Requiem Mass. (5. Th, Siipplem, q, 72. a. 9. ad 5.)
Mass said by a bad priest is of the same value as
said by a good one, so far as the essential value of the
Mass is concerned. But it is certain that the better
disposed, the holier, the more fervent a priest is, the
greater grace and glory he merits with God : he obtains
more graces for others and secures for himself a larger
share in our Lord's satisfactions. (Sporer, TheoL Sacram.
p, ii, ch, 5.)
Questions on Chapter II.
1. In what does the essence of the Mass consist ?
2. Show that in the Mass there is a re-presentation and
Commemoration of the Death of our Lord,
VA 3. If bread or wine alone be consecrated, is there a true
Sacrifice ?
4. State the difference between Mass at the Last Supper
and Mass as said by a priest now.
5. Explain how Mass obtains the pardon of mortal sins.
6. Explain how Mass obtains the pardon of venial sins,
7. What is meant by the Mass (i) as propitiatory, (2) as
satisfactory y (3) 2iS impetratory ?
8. Is there any difference between Mass said by a good
and by a had priest, so far as the faithful are concerned ?
9. What is meant by Jesus Christ being the chief offerer
in the Mass and what benefits do we derive from that fact ?
CHAPTER the THIRD.
THE CONSECRATION OF THE ALTAR.
Four words are inseparably connected : Sacrifice,
Priest, Victim, Altar.
Sacrifice as we have seen is a supreme act of worship
offered to God alone by a lawful minister to show
God's supreme dominion and to satisfy for sins. A priest
by his ordination has the power of consecrating the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and of absolving from
sin. A priest offers Sacrifice. The Victim is the thing
offered in sacrifice.
The altar is the place where the Sacrifice is offered.
** We call all that," says Bellarmine, *^the altar where
the Victim is sacrificed that has been made by the
hands of the priest." (De Missa, vol, i, ch, xxvii,)
The altar is the most important object in the
church. The church is erected for the sake of the
altar and not the altar for the church. Remove
the altar, and the raison d'etre of the church has gone.
The altar is for the Blessed Eucharist. ** In the
Blessed Eucharist," says St. Thomas, ** there is con-
tained the cause of all sanctity, therefore everything
connected with the Blessed Eucharist is consecrated ;
the priests, ministers, vestments, the vessels appertain-
THE CONSECRATION OF THE ALTAR. 13
ing \o the Sacrifice, are consecrated." (S. Th, vi, Disf.
q. I, a. 2.)
Blessings are divided into two classes : (benedictiones
invocativcB) blessings that invoke God's favour and pro-
tection merely, and blessings that set things aside
to the service of God alone (benedictiones constitutive^).
Those things belong to the first class, which after being
blessed are still retained for man's use and benefit, v.g,,
food blessed in the grace before meals. The second
refers to the sacred vestments and such-like things,
and in a much higher degree to the altar consecrated
by chrism and the holy oils.
The altar may be of wood or stone. The latter being
more durable is preferred. The altar on which our
Lord is said to have instituted the Blessed Sacrament
preserved in St. John Lateran at Rome, and the altar at
which St. Peter is thought to have said Mass still
existing in the same church, are of wood.
The horizontal slab of wood or stone forming the
top of the altar is called the Table, on which the Sacred
Body rests given to man as Food ; while the whole
altar, partly from its shape and partly from its connec-
tion with the Sacrifice, and because it holds the relics,
is described as the tomb.
We speak of a fixed and of a portable altar, or altar-
stone. A fixed altar consists of a single block of stone
or wood, or it has a table, as the Pontifical describes,
united by cement to the base, so as to be irremovable.
In a portable altar the altar stone can be separated
from its base without losing its consecration.
The portable altar, a square piece of stone let into
the altar, is to all intents the altar. It should be
large enough to hold on its surface the Chalice and
Host.
14 THE CONSECRATION OF THE ALTAR
On the fixed altar, as on the altar-stone, five crosses
are engraved, one at each corner and one in the
centre.
The altar is consecrated by a Bishop or by a priest
specially delegated by the Pope.
The most essential parts of the rite consist in the
anointing with chrism (to indicate according to Gavantus
the richness of grace) and the placing of relics in the
sepulchre or aperture made in the altar-stone and
afterwards filled up. (Catholic Dictionary^ p, 23.)
The Bishop makes five crosses on the altar-stone
with his thumb, which he has dipped in a preparation
of water, ashes, salt, and wine specially blessed.
An essential part of the consecration is depositing
the relics of the martyrs in the altar : per merita sanctorum
tuonim quorum reliquicB hie sunt — '*by the merits of Thy
saints whose relics are here" — relics properly so called,
that is, portions of the bodies of martyrs, not merely
the clothes they wore, or things they possessed, must
be buried in the altar. Relics of martyrs, not con-
fessors, are selected because there is a close connection
between the martyr who dies for the faith and the
Sacrifice of Calvary, where Christ, the King of Martyrs,
shed His Blood for the Gospel which He taught, the
faithful whom He redeemed, and the Church which He
founded.
During the Anglo-Saxon times, instead of the
relics of martyrs, the Sacred Host was buried and
enclosed in the sepulchre of the altar. The reason
of this practice was perhaps the great difficulty of
communicating with Rome in those days and in obtain-
ing portions of the saints' bodies. {See Father Bridgets s
History of the Blessed Eucharist in Great Britain.)
THE CONSECRATION OF THE ALTAR. 15
A word as to the Tabernacle.
In England, before the sixteenth century, the Blessed
Sacrament was suspended in a case from the ceiling
over the high altar, and deposited in a pyx, which may
have been under lock and key. In France and in the
East the vase was in the form of a dove hung from the
ceiling — the practice never seems to have existed in
Italy.
In Scotland there are at this day several instances
of the Sacrament House, where the Blessed Sacrament
was kept in the church. There still exist the survivals
at least of the Sacrament House in some parts of
Germany.
Tabernacles, as we now see them in England, date
from some period of the sixteenth century.
Altar-cloths are blessed by the Bishop or a priest
authorized by the Bishop. They are three in number,
or one cloth doubled with the top cloth lying over it.
The latter should cover the altar and reach the ground^
the under cloths cover the table of the altar.
Questions on Chapter III'.
1. What is meant by Priest^ Victim, and Altar?
2. What is meant by and what required for the Consecration
of an A Ifar ?
3. Why are the relics of martyrs placed in the Altar?
Was the Blessed Sacrament ever enclosed in the sepulchre of
the A Itar ?
4. What is a Tabernacle, and a Sacrament House ?
CHAPTER the FOURTH.
THE VESTMENTS AT MASS.
^' The Liturgical vestments of the Christian ministry
are merely the costume worn by civilians of the Roman
empire in the fifth and sixth centuries. In the days of
Pope Celestine (423 — 432), there was at Rome no
liturgical costume distinct from that of a lay civilian."
(Ovdo Romanus Primus, with Introduction and Notes
by E. G. Cuthbert F. Atchley, p. 26.) Mr. Atchley
goes on to quote a letter to the Bishops of the Provinces
of Vienne and Narbonne in which Pope Celestine
condemns any departure in liturgical dress from the
ordinary costume.
Vestments are always blessed by the Bishop or
priest before being worn at the altar. The vestments
worn during Mass are the amice, alb, girdle, maniple,
stole, and chasuble.
The amice was originally a covering for the head
and shoulders. It now consists of one oblong piece
of linen with two strings and with a cross in the centre.
Members of many Religious Orders wear the amice over
the hood while they advance to the altar for Mass, and in
beginning the Mass let down the amice on the shoulders.
The amice is their berretta or priest's cap, which is
taken off at the beginning of Mass. A berretta is a
square cap with three or sometimes four corners. The
four-cornered berretta belongs to Doctors of Divinit}^
^* At Rome," says Benedict XI V., ** and in most churches,
THE VESTMENTS.
the berretta was unknown as late as the ninth century.
Its ecclesiastical use began when priests gave up the
ancient custom of covering their heads with the amice
till the actual beginning of the Mass." (Cath. Diet, p. 86.)
As the priest puts on the amice he repeats the
words : Impoiie, Domine, capiti meo galeam salutis ad exptig-
nandos diaholicos incur sus — ** Place, O Lord, on my head
the helmet of salvation, that so I may resist all the
assaults of the devil."
After the amice comes the alb, which was undoubt-
edly some sort of tunic or inner garment reaching to
the ground. Formerly clerks in minor orders wore
a shorter alb ; from this rose the surplice now worn by
the priest and the rochet by the Bishop. The priest
sa37S : Dealha me^ Domine, et munda cor meum, ut in Sanguine
Agni dealhatus gaudiis perfruar sempiternis — '' Make me
white, O Lord, and cleanse my heart ; that being made
white in the blood of the Lamb, I may deserve
eternal reward."
The whiteness of the alb signifies the purit}^ of con-
science which should belong to a priest.
The girdle is required to fasten the alb and to
prevent it from trailing along the ground ; it also
signifies chastity : Prcecinge me, Domine, cingulo ptcritatis
et extingue in lumbis meis humorem libidinis, ut maneat in me
virttis continenticB et castitatis — ** Gird me, O Lord, with
the girdle of purity, and quench in my reins the fire
of concupiscence : that the virtue of continence and
chastity may abide in me."
Next the maniple. Originally it served the purpose
of a cloth or handkerchief, but since the ninth
centur}^ it has become one of the priest's vestments.
It is of the same colour as the chasuble and stole.
The priest says, while he places the maniple on his
c
i8 THE VESTMENTS.
left arm : Merear, Domine, port are manipnlum fletus et doIoriSy
ut cum exult atione recipiam mercedem lahoris — " May I deserve^
O Lord, to bear the maniple of tears and sorrow, that
with joy I may receive the reward of my labour."
The stole is really an abridgment of the orarium*
Round the neck was placed an oblong piece of linen,
called the orarium, which was by women spread in
time of prayer over the head and shoulders, falling
round the body like a veil. The orarium worn by
ecclesiastics was bordered with streaks of purple, and
when in course of time its dimensions were contracted,,
these ornaments were retained as marks of honour,
while the plain linen portions were cut away, so that
it was reduced to a band which surrounded the neck
and fell down below the knees on both sides of the
body. {Rock,Hierurgia, vol. ii, p, 223.)
The stole is worn differently by the deacon, priest,
and Bishop at Mass. The deacon wears it from the
left shoulder under the right, where it is tied ; the priest
in the form of a cross across the breast, there it is
fixed by the Bishop at ordination ; and as the Bishop
has the cross on his breast, the stole drops down at
either side in the same way as the priest wears it while
preaching.
Taking the stole, the priest says: Redde mihi,Domine,.
stolam immortalitatis^ quam perdidi in prcBvaricatione primi
parentis, et quamvis indignus accede ad tmim sacrum mysterium^
merear tamen gaudium sempiternum — *' Restore me, O Lord,
the stole of immortality which I lost in the transgres-
sions of our first parent ; and although unworthy to
approach Thy Sacred Mysteries, may I deserve to
inherit eternal joys."
The chasuble is the chief vestment worn by the priest
at Mass. Originally its shape was very diff'erent from
THE VESTMENTS, i^
that in use now. It completely covered the body — the
only aperture was at the top for the head. In the
eleventh century the shape was altered and the sides
were opened. It then took the form of a Gothic chasuble.
This shape was preserved until the sixteenth century.
After that time the chasuble was further cut away
until it reached its present shape. On the face of the
Roman chasuble we have the cross, on the back the
column, though sometimes in the Roman vestment
there is a cross also on the back.
Originally there can be no doubt the chasuble was the
garment worn over other clothes, and corresponding to
what we call an overcoat. The Romans wore a large
outer garment on military service, called the psenula or
mantle. In the first half of the sixth century we find
the first traces of the paenula as an ecclesiastical
garment. Did it at once become distinctive of the
priesthood ? The question admits of no certain answer.
(Cath, Diet, p, 162.)
The priest, while putting on the chasuble, says :
Domine qui dixisti jugum meum suave est et omis meum leve^
fac ut istud port are sic valeam quod consequar tuam gratiam —
** O Lord, who hast said, My yoke is sweet and My
burden is light, grant me so to bear Thy yoke that
I may obtain Thy grace." ^
The veil covers the chalice. The burse holds the
corporal, and is in shape like a square envelope. The
corporal, so-called from corpus (a body), because on it
rests the Body of the Lord after the consecration, is
a square piece of linen with a cross in the centre.
The pall is a linen covering on the top of the chalice
1 As there is no necessary connection between the various
prayers just quoted and the vestments, no attempt has designedly
been made to explain the meaning of these prayers.
20 THE COLOURS OF THE VESTMENTS.
to prevent dust or flies from falling into the Precious
Blood. Originally the corporal was larger than at
present, and acted as a pall, being folded back over the
chalice.
The purificator is an oblong piece of linen cloth,
stretched over the mouth of the chalice, and it is used
to wipe the mouth, the chalice, and the paten.
Corporal and pall are blessed ; the purificator need
not be blessed.
The chalice is the cup used in Mass for the wine
which is to be consecrated. The rubrics of the Missal
require that it should be of gold or silver, or at least
have a silver cup gilt inside. The chalice is conse-
crated by the Bishop, who anoints the interior of the
cup with chrism, using at the same time the prayers
prescribed by the Ritual.
The paten is a plate used from the earliest times
to receive the Host consecrated at Mass. The side
on which the Host rests must be gilt. The paten is
also consecrated by a Bishop.
THE COLOURS OF THE VESTMENTS.
The following directions for the colours of vestments
at Mass are translated from the General Rubrics
(RuhriccB generales) found at the beginning of the Roman
Missal (Ratisbon, 1902, p. 20) :
*' I. The ornaments [pavamenta] of the altar, and the
vestments of the Celebrant and Ministers should be of
the colour agreeing with {convenientis) the Office and
Mass of the day, according to the custom of the
Roman Church, which uses five colours — white, red,
green, purple, and black.
'* 2. White is used from the Vespers of the Vigil of
the Nativity until the Octave of the Epiphany, both
THE COLOURS OF THE VESTMENTS. 21
days included, except on Feasts of martyrs which occur
within the octave ; on the Feast of the Most Holy Name
of Jesus, on Maundy Thursday, on Holy Saturday
at the celebration of Mass, and from that day in the
Office of the Season till None on Saturday, the Vigil
of Pentecost, except at the Mass when Litanies are
sung, and at the Mass on Rogation Days ; on the Feast
of the Most Holy Trinity ; on the Feast of Corpus
Christi ; on the Feast of the Sacred Heart ; on the
Feast of our Lord's Transfiguration ; on Feasts of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, except at the blessing of Candles
and at the procession which takes place on the Feast of
the Purification ; on Feasts of the Angels ; on the
Nativity of St. John the Baptist ; on the principal
Feast of St. John the Evangelist, which is celebrated
within the Octave of the Nativity ; on both the Feasts
of St. Peter's Chair ; on the Feast of St. Peter's Chains ;
on the Conversion of St. Paul ; on the Feast of All
Saints ; on Feasts of Confessors, whether Bishops or
not, and on the Feasts of Doctors ; on Feasts of Holy
Virgins not Martyrs, and on Feasts of Holy Women
neither Virgins nor Martyrs ; on the Dedication and
Consecration of a church or altar, at the Consecration
of the Pope, on the Anniversary of the Creation and
Coronation of the same, and of the Election and
Consecration of a Bishop. White is also used during the
octaves of the above-named Feasts which have octaves,
when the Mass of the octave is said, and on Sundays
occurring within the octave, when on them is said the
Mass of the Sunday, except on those Sundays to which
purple is assigned. White is also used at Votive Masses
of the above-named Feasts, at whatever time they are
said ; and at the Mass for Bridegroom and Bride.
'' 3. Red is used from the Vigil of Pentecost at Mass
21 A THE COLOURS OF THE VESTMENTS.
till the end of None and Mass on the following
Saturday ; on the Feasts of the Holy Cross and of the
Most Precious Blood of our Lord, on the Feast of the
Beheading of St. John the Baptist; on the Feast of
the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and on the Feasts of
the other Apostles (except on the principal Feast of
St. John the Evangelist after the Nativity of our Lord ;
on the Feasts of the Conversion of St. Paul, St. Peter's
Chair and St. Peter's Chains). Also on the Feast of
St. John before the Latin Gate; on the Feast of the
Commemoration of St. Paul the Apostle; on the Feasts
of Martyrs (except on the Feast of the Holy Innocents,
when it falls on a week-day ; should this Feast fall on a
Sunday red is used, but on the octave red is always used,
on whatever day it occurs) ; on Feasts of Holy Virgins
Martyrs, and of Holy Women Martyrs and not Virgins.
Also during the octaves of the above-named Feasts
which have octaves, when the Office is of the octave ;
and on the Sundays falling within those octaves, as has
been said above for white. Also in Votive Masses of
the above-named Feasts, and in the Mass for the
Election of a Pope.
** 4. Green is used from the Octave of the Epiphany
to Septuagesima, and from the Octave of Pentecost to
Advent, the latter excluded, whenever the Office is of
the Season ; but the following are excepted : Trinity
Sunday as ordered above, Sundays falling within
octaves when the colour of the octaves is retained,
and Vigils and Ember Days as hereafter prescribed.
** 5. Purple is used from the first Sunday of Advent
at first Vespers, until Mass on the Vigil of the Nativity
inclusive, and from Septuagesima Sunday till before
Mass on Holy Saturday whenever the Office is of the
Season; the following are excepted : Maundy Thursday,
THE COLOURS OF THE VESTMENTS. 21 b
when white is used, Good Friday, when black is used,
as hereafter prescribed, at the blessing of the Candle
on Holy Saturday, when the deacon (and the deacon
alone), while saying the Preface thereof wears white,
(having finished the Preface he wears purple, as before).
Purple is also used on the Vigil of Pentecost before
Mass from the first prophecy to the blessing of the font
inclusively; on Ember Days and Vigils on which there is
a fast, except the Vigil and Ember Days of Pentecost ;
at the Mass of the Litanies on the Feast of St. Mark the
Evangelist, and the Rogation Days, and at the proces-
sions which take place on these days. On the Feast
of the Holy Innocents when it does not fall on a
Sunday ; at the blessing of Candles on the Feast of the
Purification of our Blessed Lady, and at the Blessing
of Ashes and of Palms, and on Palm Sunday itself; in
the processions of these days and generally in all
processions, except processions of the Most Holy
Sacrament, and those which take place on the greater
Feasts, or in thanksgiving. Also in Masses of the
Passion of our Lord, in Masses for any necessity, for
sins, for the grace of a happy death, for the destruction
of schism, against Pagans, in time of War, for Peace,
against Pestilence, for Travellers, and for the Sick.
** 6. Black is used on Good Friday, and in all the
Offices and Masses of the Dead."
Questions on Chapter IV.
1. Give the names of the vestments worn by the Priest at Mass.
2. In what does the present use of the Amice differ from
its original purpose ?
3. Distinguish between the Alb, Surplice, and Rochet,
4. What is the Maniple ? and the Stole ? how is the Stole
worn by Bishop, Priest, and Deacon ?
5. Give the origin of the Chasuble,
6. What is the Burse, Corporal, Purificator, Paten, Chalice ?
7. Of what colours are the vestments used by the Church
at Mass ?
CHAPTER the FIFTH.
THE ASPERGES.
The Asperges, so called from the opening words of the
Rntiphon, A sperges me, Domine, hyssopo et numdah or : lavahis
me et super iiiveni dealhabor — '' Thou shalt sprinkle me
with h37ssop, O Lord, and I shall be cleansed : Thou
shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow,"
is a solemn act of purification by which the Church
prepares her altar, temple, and worshippers for the
holy mysteries of which the material church is about to
be the scene, and the faithful the sharers. At this
Service she makes use of holy water, which has been
blessed for the use of the faithful. (Oakeley, Ceremonies of
the Mass, p, 105.)
The antiphon says, '* Thou shalt sprinkle me with
hyssop, and I shall be cleansed," because in Exodus
[xii. 22), by command of Moses, the transom of the door
was sprinkled by the bunch of hyssop dipped in the
blood of the lamb, to save from the destroying angel
and thus to figure our redemption by the Blood of
Christ — and in Leviticus (xiv. 51), the hyssop is to be
left in the blood of the sparrow that is to be immolated
and the house is to be sprinkled seven times to cleanse
it from leprosy. This antiphon the Church very
fittingly uses while the priest sprinkles holy water,
imploring mercy and forgiveness.
The priest vested in a cope of the colour proper to
THE ASPERGES. 23
the da}^ proceeds to the altar, and kneeling, sprinkles
the altar three times with holy water. He makes the
sign of the Cross with holy water on his own person,
and rises, sprinkles the ministers, intones the antiphon
Asperges, which the choir takes up, proceeding to sing
the following words of the verse, and the first verse
of the Psalm Miserere in which they occur, after which
the first words (at least) of the antiphon are repeated.
The priest, reciting in a low voice the Miserere, walks
down the church and sprinkles the people, and returns
to the altar to recite the following verses, responses,
and prayer :
V. O Lord, show us Thy mercy.
R. And grant us Thy salvation.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto Thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray.
Hear us, Holy Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal God ; and
vouchsafe to send from Heaven Thy holy angel to guard,
cherish, protect, visit, and defend all who dwell in this
habitation ; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The versicle and response will be explained later in
the Mass. The appeal to ** Thy holy angel" is to the
angel whose special duty is either to watch over the
church where Jesus Christ is, to be on guard as soldiers
say, or to the angel referred to in the prayer in Mass
after the Elevation before the Memento for the Dead —
** We most humbly beseech Thee, Almighty God, com-
mand these things to be carried by the hands of Thy
holy A 7tgel to Thy altar on high;" meaning, perhaps,
by ^* Thy holy Angel" that Blessed Spirit who assists
at the tremendous Sacrifice.
24
THE ASPERGES.
From Easter to Whitsuntide inclusively, instead of
the foregoing antiphon, the following is sung and
Alleluia is added to the V. [Ostende nobis) and also to its
response (Et salutare) :
Vidi aquam egredientem
de templo a latere dextro,
Alleluia ; et omnes ad quos
pervenit aqua ista salvi facti
sunt, et dicent, Alleluia.
Coniitemini Domino, quo-
niam bonus ; quoniam in specu-
lum misericordia ejus. (Ps.
117.)
Gloria, Sec.
I saw water flowing from the
right side of the temple,
Alleluia : and all to whom
that water came were saved,
and they shall say Alleluia.
Praise the Lord for He is
good : for His mercy endureth
for ever. (Ps. 117.)
Glory, &c.
Questions on Chapter V.
1. What is the meaning of the ceremony of the Asperges ?
2. Explain the allusion in the sprinkling with hyssop, and
to the angel in the words
Thy holy angel."
vouchsafe to send from Heaven
CHAPTER the SIXTH.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS.
The Church's services may be classed under two
heads : liturgical and extra-liturgical. By liturgical
services I mean here pre-eminently the Holy Mass,
and next the Office recited by priests and monks, also
all services in the Roman Missal, Breviary, Pontifical,
and Ritual. Such services are official. By extra-
liturgical services are meant the additional hymns,
prayers, and devotions found in popular manuals and
approved by the Bishop of the diocese. Liturgical
services are prescribed and regulated by the Holy See
alone ; they are the same everywhere, at least in th<i
Western Church, and continue through the centuries
substantially unchanged. Extra-liturgical services are
subject to the revision, direction, and approval of the
Ordinary: they diff'er much at different times and in
different countries.
The extra-liturgical services are wont to be in the
vernacular of the country where they are in use, but
the liturgical services are always in Latin in the
Churches of the Western rite. We say of the Western
rite, for, strictly speaking, the Church has no language
distinctively her own. If at this moment she obliges
26 THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS.
all her priests in the Western Church to celebrate
Mass in Latin, she likewise requires those clergy
of her communion who follow the Oriental rite,
to use Greek or Syriac, Coptic or Slavonic. In
p. 52 of the Catholic Directory for 1903 for Great
Britain, under the general heading of the Oriental
rite, w^e have some twelve rites with six different
languages prescribed for the Holy Sacrifice. The
Church, then, cannot be said to use any one language
to the exclusion of all the rest.
But the fact remains, that Latin is the most widely
diffused of all ritual languages, and it is of obligation
in the liturgical services of the Western Church.
Non-Catholics occasionally, and also some ill-instructed
Catholics, clamour for the vernacular in Mass. Can
the Pope allow Mass to be said in the vernacular
of any country ? Most unquestionably he can. He
cannot change a single point of doctrine, or any
essential point of the discipline which our Lord
Himself established. But the choice of a liturgical
language falls under neither of these categories. It is
a matter of mere ecclesiastical law, and he can make
or unmake laws which help or impede the Church's
work on earth. With regard to the use of the Latin
language, the Council of Trent declares (Sess. xxii, ch, 8,
en the Sacrifice of the Mass, Denzinger, 823), that the
Fathers thought it inexpedient to have Mass said
everywhere in the vernacular ; and in the ninth canon
the Council condemns those who maintain that Mass
ought only to be celebrated in the vulgar tongue.
[Denzinger, 833.) The Church's authoritative teaching
then, as declared by the Fathers of Trent, was com-
prised in these two points : (i) that it was inexpedient
to say Mass everywhere in the vernacular, (2) that it
THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS. 27
I
was not lawful for a Catholic to hold that Mass should
be said only in the vulgar tongue. It is hardly possible
for the voice of authority to speak with more studied
moderation.
For well-nigh two thousand years the Church has
been using Latin in that rite which counts far more
members than all others together. It remains for us
to give the reasons which justify her in adopting and
retaining that language. It is not denied that the
Apostles not only preached but celebrated the sacred
rites in the verncicular. It is not maintained that
St. Peter used Latin in the Church services. He may
have done so ; but that is all we can say, for at that
time in Rome there was a Greek-speaking community.
The New Testament (except perhaps St. Matthew and
the Epistle to the Hebrews) was written in Greek,
and this fact seems to show that the educated and
influential members of the Church were more familiar
with Greek than Latin. It is also probable that in the
West the first missionaries spoke mainly Greek, which
was the language of the educated class throughout
Europe. The Greek inscriptions on the tombs of
Popes Fabian (251), Lucius (252), and Eutychianus
(275), prove that Greek was the official language of the
Holy See at that time, as De Rossi, a great authority
on the subject, points out. We may perhaps take the
conversion of Constantine (325), as about the date when
Greek ceased to be the language of the Church in
Rome. Survivals of the days when Greek was used
in the Liturgy of the Roman Church, may be seen
in the Kyrie Eleison said at all Masses, in the Trisagion.
on Good Friday, Agios 0 Theos, Agios ischyros, Agios
athanatos, eleison imas ; and in the singing of the Epistle
and Gospel in Latin and Greek during the Pope's
28 THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS.
vSolemn High Mass at St. Peter's. {See Dictionary of
Christian Antiquities, by Cheetham and Smith, voL ii.
p. 1016, London, 1875.)
When, however, Roman Christianity was first
preached, Latin was rapidly becoming the common
tongue of a large portion of Western Europe.
St. Augustine (353 — 430) in his City of God, tells us
that Rome imposed her language on the subject-races.
Latin was commonly spoken in the Roman colony of
Africa, and St. Augustine says he learnt Latin in the
nursery. Gaul and Spain after their subjugation by
Rome adopted Latin, and the upper classes knew
something of it even in distant Britain. The Roman
officials are said to have spoken Latin throughout
the Western Empire. There is no evidence of vernacular
services in Britain or in Ireland, where St. Patrick
(373 — 4^3) ^^^ his followers preached the Gospel. It
is most natural to suppose that the missionaries would
have employed the language familiar to them in the
Liturgy of Rome. In a service so sacred as the Mass,
where every word is of importance, the missionaries
would naturally use the language in which its prayers
were learnt by heart. For Mass in those early times
was probably said from memory. The Canon was
probably not written before the fifth century, and it is
admitted that the Liturgies which bore the names of
SS. Peter, James, and Mark, were not written by them*
{Le Bnw, Explication de la Messe, vol, ii, p, 14, Paris, 1726.)
That the Latin of the Church's Liturgy was not**under-
standed of the people," seems scarcely doubtful. If at
this day in Italy the peasantry speak several dialects
mutually unintelligible, is it likely that the Latin of
Pope Leo I. (440 — 460), or Gregory the Great (590 —
604), was understood by the uneducated classes ? What
THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS. 29
was true of Italy was more likely to be true of Africa,
Gaul, and Spain ; of England and of Ireland. There
was nothing to prevent the missionaries from teaching
the people in their own tongue the great truths of the
faith, or from instructing them in the august mysteries
of the Adorable Sacrifice, while they reserved for the
Mass and other Offices the Latin idiom, which with
Hebrew and Greek, the three languages used in the
inscription upon the Cross of Calvary, must have
possessed a sacred character in their eyes.
A further question may be asked. Why has Latin
been retained all these centuries as the official language
of the Church ? Various reasons may be adduced.
Latin amongst other tongues is distinguished by its
dignity, gravity, clearness, and precision. The ear is
naturally struck by the majesty of its sentences and
the harmony of its cadences. Latin has, moreover, the
great advantage of being readily pronounced even by
those who never studied it. Music is of obligation in
many Church services, and Latin lends itself easily to
the solemn chants of the Church's liturgy. Even the
poor people, as we call them, not merely in Catholic
countries but in England, sing many of the Latin
hymns by heart.
A much higher reason is found in the mission of
the Church on earth. She is not limited to country or
race. She is not the English Church nor the Russian.
She is Catholic or universal. She is for **all nations
and every creature." One language in her liturgy is
a distinct help to unity of worship. Wherever Catholics
go, they kneel before the same altar, and hear the same
prayers in a common language.
But the strongest reason of all in retaining Latin in
a liturgical service is the Church's zeal for teaching
30 THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS.
and preserving the faith. According to a theological
maxim — her prayer is the rule of her belief. Like her
Divine Master of old, she opens her mouth to pray,
and in her prayer she teaches the multitude. The
Gloria Patri teaches and enforces the mystery of the
Trinity ; the Church's exorcisms over catechumens
before Baptism imply the doctrine of original sin ; the
necessity of grace to make an action supernatural and
worthy of eternal reward is inculcated constantly in
her public supplications ; her prayers for the dead
from earliest ages set forth her teaching on Purgatory.
Apart from the Creed, an epitome of Catholic belief
said at Mass on Sundays, holidays, and all great
festivals, the Church during the Holy Sacrifice proclaims
the following doctrines — the Unity and Trinity of
God ; the Incarnation and Redemption of Christ ;
His blessed Passion, Resurrection, and glorious
Ascension ; the perpetuai. virginity of our Lady ; the
intercession of angels and saints; the veneration due
to relics ; the Sacrament of Holy Orders ; the reality
and necessity of sacrifice ; the Real Presence of Christ
in the Eucharist under both kinds ; the efficacy of
prayer and Mass for the dead, and the existence of
Purgatory. The truths of faith are necessarily expressed
in words, and it is important that the language in
which they are expressed should always remain the
same, both as regards the words, and even more
as regards their meaning. A vernacular being essen-
rially a living language fluctuates, while an ancient
tongue like the Latin is fixed and stable in its character.
The latter is much better adapted to the exact expression
of the Church's doctrine and rites in these liturgical
forms which play so large a part in handing down to
successive generations the revelation of God.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS. 31
Let us now consider the views of those who assert
that the Mass should be conducted in a language
**understanded of the people." The objection wherever
found, implies an unconscious ignorance of the true
nature of the Holy Sacrifice. Mass is not merely a
prayer, in which the faithful join, as they take part in
a litany. Mass is the public official act of service which
is said in the name of the Church for the living and the
dead. Mass is offered, not by any one, but by a man on
whom a great Sacrament has been conferred to enable
him to convert bread and wine into the Body and Blood
of our Lord. This official act is always public, because
offered in the name of the Church. A private Mass,
strictly speaking, does not exist. Mass in a hermit's cell
without a server is a magnificent act of public worship
offered by the Church to God ^*for all faithful Christians,
living and dead." The people do join in the Mass,
but they cannot offer sacrifice in the same manner as
the priest. They are bound to be present at Mass on
Sundays and holidays. There is, however, no obligation
to follow the Mass prayers. The poor man, saying his
beads, most certainly fulfils his obligation of hearing
Mass. Is it not strange, too, that there should be this
cry in favour of the vernacular, when half the Mass,
and that the more important, is said in secret, and is
inaudible to the congregation ?
But an interesting historical incident shows the
Church's mind as to the kind of language appropriate
for the solemn services of the Mass. Early in the
seventeenth century the Jesuit missionaries in China,
in view of the difficulty the Chinese found in learning
Latin, petitioned for leave from Paul V. to say
Mass and Office in Chinese, and to use the same
language in administering the Sacraments. Here is the
32
THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS.
answer of the Holy Inquisition on March 26th, 161 1,
as given in Le Brun. (Vol. ii. p. 241, with addition xiv.
Paris, 1726.)
In a General Congregation of
the Holy Roman and Universal
Inquisition held in the Apostolic
Palace at St. Peter's in the pres-
ence of our most holy Lord
Paul V. . . . His Holiness like-
wise gave leave to the Fathers to
translate the holy books of the
Bible into the Chinese language,
not into the language of the
people, but into the learned
language distinctive of educated
men, and to make use of these
books thus translated ; at the
same time (Paul V.) commands
that in the translation of the
Bible the Fathers show every
conceivable care and that the
translation be most faithful, and
he gives leave for the Divine
service of the Mass and of the
Canonical Hours to be said by
the Chinese missionaries in the
same Chinese language. Finally,
he gave leave for the Sacraments
and other Ecclesiastical rites to
be administered by Chinese
missionaries in the same classical
Chinese language.
'The Holy Office in reply drew a distinction between
the popular Chinese {lingua vulgaris) as now spoken by
that people and the Chinese spoken by the learned
and literary class. Leave was given to the Jesuit
missionaries to translate Bible and liturgy into the
latter {eruditani et litteratorum propriam), not into the
former (non tamen vulgar em). A Chinese scholar explains
Feria quinta die 26 Martii,
161 1. In generali Congregatione
Sanctae Romanae, et universalis
Inquisitionis habita in Palatio
Apostolico apud Sanctum Pet-
rum coram Sanctissimo Domino
nostro Paulo V. . . . Item per-
misit Sanctitas sua iisdem
Patribus, ut possint transferre
sacra Biblia in Linguam Sin-
arum, non tamen vulgarem, sed
eruditam et litteratorum pro-
priam, illisque sic translatis uti,
et simul mandat ut in transla-
tione Bibliorum, adhibeant sum-
mam et exquisitam diligentiam,
et translatio fidelissima sit, ac
in eadem lingua Sinarum possint
a Sinis celebrari divina officia
Missarum et Horarum Canonica-
rum. Denique permisit ut in
eadem lingua erudita Sinarum,
possint a Sinis Sacramenta minis-
trari, et aliae Ecclesiae functiones
peragi.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS. 33
to me the point of this distinction. The Chinese
of the people is a fluctuating language, comparable
in this respect with the vernacular tongues of European
nations. The learned Chinese, or if we may be
allowed the expression, the classical Chinese, is a
language of ancient origin, going back to the time of
Confucius (B.C. 500), stable in its forms and in the
meanings attached to them, and bearing the same
relation to modern Chinese, as ancient Latin to modern
Italian.
It has been stated in an earlier part of this article
that six different languages are at the present moment
in the East sanctioned by the Holy See in the celebra-
tion of Mass. Not one of these languages, so I am
assured by an Oriental scholar, is the vernacular of the
country. To take two familiar instances. In the
Russian liturgy the language is not modern Russian
but Slavonic of the time of St. Cyril and St. Methodius
in the ninth century. Mass in Coptic is less understood
than Mass in Latin ; not only has Coptic no affinity
with the Arabic spoken by the people, but many of
the Coptic priests can hardly read the Coptic MissaL
Here is the case of a language unintelligible not only
to the people but even to the priests, still kept in the
liturgy with the sanction of authority. It can hardly
be asserted that the Church favours the vernacular in
her liturgy.
Lastly : if the Church's liturgy is to be said in the
vernacular, where shall we end ? The people may then
fairly claim Mass in their local dialects which may be
described as their vernacular. We must have at least
two liturgies in Italy and France. For the Piedmontese
peasant cannot understand the language of an educated
Italian, and the rustics in the South of France cannot
34 THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASS.
follow the polished French of Paris. High German
and Low German are widely apart, Belgium will ask
for Mass in French and in Flemish, Ireland will insist
on Mass in English and Irish. No thoughtful man can
suppose that a multiplication of liturgies can do else
than diminish the reverence of the faithful for the
adorable Sacrifice of the Altar.
Questions on Chapter VI.
1. What is meant by the word liturgy, and by liturgical
and extra-liturgical service ?
2. Can the Pope allow Mass to be said in the vernacular ?
What does the Council of Trent say as regards the use of
Latin in Mass ?
3. How did Latin become the language of the Western
Church ?
4. Give some reasons for having Church services in Latin.
5. What is the meaning of the maxim — " the law of prayer
is the law of belief"? What doctrines are taught and
enforced in the Mass prayers ?
6. What answer did the Holy See give to the petition of
the Jesuit missionaries for Mass in Chinese ?
CHAPTER the SEVENTH.
THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH
CENTURY.
The first Mass was said by Jesus Christ in person on
Maundy Thursday night. At that august Sacrifice
the Apostles assisted. So far as is known from the
Scripture record that Mass consisted solely in the
conversion of bread and wine into the Body and Blood
of Christ. Our Divine Master would seem to have
prefaced the words of consecration with a prayer
of thanksgiving briefly indicated in the participle
€vxoLpi(TTr](ras *^ having given thanks," used in the
narrative of St, Luke [xxii. ig) and oiSt. Paul (i Cor.xi, 23).
At any rate we are not justified in saying that no such
prayer was uttered because it has not been more
explicitly recorded in the inspired page. It has been
held by some that in the earliest ages of the Church
there was no definite liturgy beyond the words of
institution and the Lord's Prayer. They alone were
used according to this theory, whenever persecution or
other circumstances made it necessary to shorten the
Mass as much as possible. Although the opinion
referred to hardly rests on solid foundation, it is correct
to say that Mass consists essentially in the Consecration
alone. A priest who should pronounce the words of
Consecration over bread and wine without any prayer
36 THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY.
before or after would celebrate Mass validly, though he
would of course sin grievously by transgressing, in a
grave matter, the existing laws of the Church.
The Apostles would naturally have watched with
deepest awe our Lord's words and acts at the Last
Supper, and talked them over afterwards. Did they
learn from their Master's lips how the Sacred Mysteries
were to be celebrated ? Did He indicate in general
lines how the great action was to be performed ? For
there was abundant opportunity during the forty days
after the Resurrection for our Lord to teach His
Apostles those rites and prayers that were to accom-
pany and adorn the greatest of all His works. The
only answer that we can give to the above queries is,
that we do not know. He **gave thanks" perhaps at
some length. It is, we believe, generally admitted that
the Apostles did not commit to writing any definite
form for celebrating Holy Mass ; in other words, the
Apostles did not establish or leave behind a written
liturgy.
There are, however, certain portions of the sacri-
ficial action common to all liturgies, practically
unchangeable, and such portions are traced by the
tradition of the Church to Apostolic sources. Such
portions, common to all forms of Eucharistic celebra-
tion in the East and West, are certain preparatory
prayers, readings from Holy Scripture in the shape of
Epistle or Gospel with a Psalm or Psalms thrown in
between, the offering of bread and wine mixed with
water, the Preface, as it is now called, the intercession
for the living and the dead, the fraction or breaking of
the host, and the thanksgiving after Communion. The
general character of the Holy Sacrifice ever remained
the same, though in details it has considerably
THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY. 37
developed. Our Lord gave great liberty to His Church.
In accordance with His wish she adapts herself to times
and peoples. The Apostles and their successors were
found in many lands ; and Mass would have been
celebrated everywhere. The rite was not fixed. It
probably depended after Apostolic times on the Bishops
who had in those early days much fuller local authority
in liturgical matters than at present. It was in their
power to introduce or omit, or change prayers during
the great act of Worship. The Sovereign Pontiff
could always change or improve, with the exception of
course of the form of Consecration, any portion of the
sacrificial rite. Thus there sprang up in different times
and places varying forms of Eucharistic Celebrations
which bear the names of Liturgies. Not until 1570
could Pius v., helped by the introduction of printing,
introduce uniformity into the liturgy of the Western
Church. In the Bull of July 14, 1570 {Qtio primuni
tempore), that Pontiff, while forbidding any addition,
omission, or change [nihil unqiiam addendum, detrahendiim
mit omittendum), in the Roman Missal which he imposed
on the Catholic world made, nevertheless, an exception
in favour of those Missals which had been in use for
more than two hundred years. To this day, with the
sanction of Rome, the Carmelites, Carthusians, and
Dominicans retain their ancient rite ; the Mozarabic
liturgy is still used in Toledo, the Ambrosian in Milan.
The extant liturgies are divided into two groups ;
those of the East and of the West. The distinction is
not merely geographical but answers to certain marked
characteristics of which the chief is that the Western
liturgies vary from day to day with the feast and the
season, while in the East only the Scriptural lessons
and the choral portion of the Mass vary from day to
38 THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY.
day. The chief liturgies in the Western Church are
the Mozarabic, the ancient GalHcan, the Ambrosian,
and the Roman.
The earHest documents giving the form of the
Roman Mass in the centuries that followed the triumph
of the Church under Constantine (325) are the three
Sacramentaries, as they are called, which pass under
the names of Pope Leo I. (440 — 461), Gelasius I. (492
— 496), and St. Gregory the Great (590 — 604). The full
text is found in Migne. Here is a brief account of
them. Each bears the title liber Sacramentorum, the book
of Sacraments — that is, of the Divine Mysteries of the
holy Roman Church. The term Sacrament is here
used, not in the technical sense which it acquired in the
twelfth century of an outward sign of inward grace, but
for the ** mystery of faith " by excellence, the Sacrifice
and Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. A Sacramentary
is not a Missal in our modern sense, but a Mass book
for the use of the celebrant in a Pontifical or High Mass.
It contains only those portions of the Mass which
belong to the celebrant as such, viz.. Collects, Secrets,
Prefaces, Postcommunions, and prayers over the people
{ovationes super popuhim). The Canon is found in the
Gelasian and Gregorian Sacramentaries, not in the
Leonine. The Epistles and Gospels and all the sung
portions of the Mass — Introit, Gradual, Offertory,
Communion, were to be found in separate liturgical
books — the Evangeliary, the Lectionary, the Gradual.
A word about each Sacramentary. The Leonine is
mutilated. It begins with April and closes with the
feast of Holy Innocents. (Migne, P.LJv, p. 22.) It has a
collection of prayers used at Mass, one or two Collects
for the day, a prayer of oblation, a Preface Veve digmim
which constantly changes, a Secret and a thanksgiving
THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY. 39
after Communion. These prayers as a rule do not
bear the titles which are found in our Missal. We do
find preces for the Collects, sttper oblata (prayer over the
offerings), our modern Secret (pp. 106, no) and in the
same pages post communio and super populum. Three
distinct Prefaces are given for the feast of the Ascension
(p. 37). At p. 114 there are prayers for Mass at a
Bishop's consecration with the hanc igihiv oblationem
before the words of institution, and on p. 134 the reader
will see the Collect and Secret for a Requiem Mass ;
also a hanc igitur oblationem with its petition that the
suffering soul may pass from death to life.
The Gelasian Sacramentary ( Migne, P.L . Ixxiv, p. 1 055)
consists of three books. The reader is at once struck
by finding the prayers at Mass with the titles they
bear in the Missal to-day; oratio before the Collect,
secreta for the Secret, the Vere dignum introducing the
Preface. Infra actionem is the title for the Communicantes.
We have the prayer post commimionem and the blessing
super popuhmi. The Eucharistic prayer the Vere dignum
varies almost for every feast. A few of the Collects in
the Gelasian Sacramentary find their place still in the
Roman Missal. Thus the Collect said at midnight
Mass on Christmas Eve (p. 1057) is now assigned for
the third Mass on Christmas Day ; Collects for the
second and fourth Sunday after Easter (pp. 1120, 1122)
are still read by us on these same Sundays.
The second book gives the Collects, Secrets, and
Postcommunions for Mass on saints' days. The
Catholic reader will rejoice at the Mass prayers for our
Lady's feasts of the Purification and Assumption. The
third book contains Collects, Secrets, and Postcom-
munions for sixteen Sundays after Pentecost, together
with the Canon. The Canon is given in full from the
40 THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY.
Siifsum cor da to the Pater nostev. It includes our
modern Preface, and has the title hie incipit canon
actionis (here the Canon begins) immediately before the
Sursum corda. The Gelasian Canon with one or two
additions to the list of Saints in the prayer Communicantes
(Migne, P. L. Ixxiv. p. 1196) is identical with the form
now used at the Holy Sacrifice.
The third book ends with prayers for various
classes of life, with different blessings in and out of
Mass, and with prayers for the dead during Mass and
at the funeral service. The nuptial blessing is in sub-
stance the same as conferred to-day, though the words
which convey it are very different (pp. 1213, 1214).
The Gregorian Sacramentary, although very far
removed indeed from our modern Missal, at least gives
the order of the Mass from the Introit to the Agmis Dei.
(Migne, P.L, Ixxviii. p. 24.) We have mention of the
Introit, the Gloria is to be said on Sundays if a Bishop
be celebrant; if a priest, only on Easter day. When
the Litany is said neither Gloria nor Alleluia is sung.
Next follows the Collect of the day (oratio) ; the Epistle
called ApostoUts because taken from Apostolic writings,
that is, Acts, Epistles, or Apocalypse ; the Gospel,
Offertory, Secret which has its original name of prayer
over the offerings {oratio super oblata). There seems in
the Gregorian Sacramentary no indication, that I can
discover, of prayers other than the Secreta between
Gospel and Preface. The Eucharistic prayer, begin-
ning as now with the closing words of the Secret, per
omnia sc^ciila scdctdorum, is exactly the same as said to-day
and ends with the Pater noster. The Memento for the
dead has the title super diptycha (see p. 28). There is no
mention of the Communion or of the kiss of peace. The
Agnus Dei is said once. In the body of the Sacramen-
THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY. 41
tary the oratio ad complendiim (the prayer at the end) is
our Postcommunion.
Some votive Masses are found at p. 236 ; and in the
Mass for Peace we have the Collect which is said
to-day. Scattered through the Sacramentaries are
Benedictions, Exorcisms, forms of Ordination and
Investiture. (See the Article on '' Liturgy " in Smith and
Cheetham's Dictionary of Christian Antiqtiities, vol. ii.
pp. 1032— 1034.)
It would, then, be impossible to reconstruct from
the Sacramentaries alone the whole of the Roman
Liturgy as it existed, for instance, in the sixth century.
Fortunately, however, we possess a document, dating
from the eighth century, w^hich contains a full and
interesting account of the Stational Mass (as it w^as
called) as celebrated by the Pope at that date. To this
we may now turn our attention. The document in
question is the first of a series of Ordines Romania
brought to light by Mabillon and published by him as
an Appendix to the works of St. Gregory the Great.
Of these Ordines it may be sufficient to say that,
roughly speaking, they correspond to the rubrical
portions of the Cceremoniale Episcoporum, The first of
them, that is to say, the earliest in date, has recently
been published with an English translation and notes,
full of valuable information, by Mr. E. G. Cuthbert
F. Atchley, to whose volume we are largely indebted
for what follows in this chapter. For the convenience
of the reader some explanation is offered of different
portions of the Mass, which finds a more suitable place
here than in subsequent chapters.
What is the Ordo Romanics Prinms P It is thus
described in the book referred to (Introduction, p. 3)
*^as a directory of the ceremonies of solemn or public
42 THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY.
Mass celebrated in Rome by the Pope himself or by
his deputy, in which all the clergy and people of the
Church of Rome were present, or at least represented."
This Mass was in a certain sense a Court function,
invested with all possible solemnity. It may be asked
how about the rubrics for Mass said in private by
Bishops and by the Pope himself? It is well to
remember that priests in the early ages celebrated
Mass far less frequently than now. Justin Martyr,
in the second century {ApoL I. 67) speaks of the Eucharist
as being celebrated only on Sunday. St. Augustine
(353 — 430) informs us (Epist. 54, ad Jamiar.) that in
some places there was Mass daily ; in others, only on
Sundays ; in others, on Saturdays and Sundays. In
early times the Bishop and priests celebrated together.
This custom seems to have continued in Rome long
after it had ceased elsewhere, and to have lasted till
the time of Innocent 111.(1198 — 1216). The custom still
survives in the Ordination Service for a Bishop and
priest. Duchesne assures us (Christian Worship — its
Origin and Evolution) that priests in their titular or parish
churches celebrated in a form fundamentally the same
as the Pontiff's Station Mass. The history, then, of
the Pontiff's Station Mass includes the history of the
private celebration of the Holy Mysteries.
The Service, as described in Ordo /., is briefly this.
The Pope, arriving in solemn procession at the
Stational Church, dismounts from his horse, and on
entering the church, goes with his deacons not to the
altar, but to the sacristy to vest. The vesting over, a
signal is given to the choir, already ranged before the
altar, to begin the Introit. This is the signal for the
Pope to leave the sacristy, preceded by his subdeacon
swinging the censer, and the seven acolytes carrying
THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY. 43
seven lighted candlesticks. On his way to the altar the
acolytes present the Pope with open pyxes that he may
adore the Holy Eucharist. In this act we may probably
trace the germ of the visit to the altar of the Blessed
Sacrament, so carefully provided for in our present
pontifical ceremonial. {Lent and Holy Week, by Herbert
Thurston, S.J., p. 332.) The Pope enters the sanctuary,
prostrates himself before the altar, rises, and gives the
kiss of peace to one of the Bishops and to the deacons,
and signals the conductor of the choir to stop singing
the Introit. The choir next sings the Kyrie, In Mass
to-day the Kyrie and Christe eleison are said a fixed
number of times ; in the Stational Mass in the eighth
century, which we are at this moment considering,
the number of times was determined by the Pope.
What is the origin of the Kyvie ? Mr. Atchley, in the
work referred to above (p. 70), quotes Mr. Bishop as
holding ^*that the Kyrie eleison was a pre-Christian
religious invocation. It found its way into public
Christian services soon after the triumph of the Church,
that is, in the course of the fourth century." However
this may be, we find that the Kyrie eleison was ordered
to be said in Rome during Matins, Mass, and Vespers
by the third canon of the Council of Vaison in 529
(Ordo Romamis Primus, p. 67). St. Gregory the Great, in a
letter to John, Bishop of Syracuse, assigned to the year
598, testifies to the Kyrie being said during Mass in
Rome at that time, though he does not say how long
the practice had been in vogue. The Kyrie may be
considered as a remnant of the Litany form of prayer.
It appears to have formed at Rome in early days the
initial portion of the liturgy. It was customary in
the eighth century, at least on those occasions when
the Litany was sung in the procession to the Church
44 THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY.
of the Stations, for Mass to begin with the Pax vohis and
the Collect. The Kyrie now said at Mass on Holy
Saturday is the conclusion of the Litany with which
that Mass began.
After this short digression on the origin of the Kyrie
let us watch the Papal Mass as described in Ordo L
The Kyrie over, the Pope turned again to the people to
intone the Gloria in excelsis. When the choir had chanted
that hymn, the Pope turned to the congregation,
saying, Peace be to you, and after the customary invi-
tation, Let us pray, said the Collect. Next followed
the Scripture lesson. As a rule, the Roman Missal gives
two Scripture lessons, the Epistle and Gospel. But on
Ember Wednesdays two lessons are read before the
Gospel, and six on Ember Saturdays, five from the Old
Testament, and one from the New. In earlier times
these lessons were first read in Latin, then in Greek —
hence the name Sabbata duodeci'm lectiommt — (Saturdays
with twelve lessons. Gihr, Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
p. 437.) According to the Ordo /., whence this
summary is taken, the Epistle is read from the Ambo
(which corresponds to our pulpit) b}^ the Subdeacon.
After the Subdeacon has read the Epistle a cantor
chants the responsory psalm from a step of the Ambo,
Then another cantor sings the alleluia and verse, or
tract according to the season. These psalms chanted
between the Epistle and Gospel, which still survive in
the Gradual and Tract, take us back in direct line
to the religious services of the Jewish synagogue.
'' In the Christian liturgy," says Duchesne, '* the psalms
constitute the most ancient and solemn representation
of the Davidic Psalter, We must take care not to put
them on the same footing as the other chants, the
Introit, Offertory, and Communion, which were intro-
duced later, and then merely to occupy attention
THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY. 45
during long services." {Christian Worship, pp. 168, 169.)
Next follows the singing of the Gospel by the Deacon.
At its close the Pope said, Peace be to you, followed
by The Lord be with you, to which the answer is
given — And with thy spirit. Then, as now, Oreimis is
said (the invitation to pray) before the antiphon called
the Offertory. Evidently after Oremus there is a gap ;
something is missing ; else the invitation has no
meaning. Various ways have been suggested of
explaining the invitation. One writer of note thinks
(Gihr, p. 497) that Oremiis relates not merely to the
Offertory chant, but also to the whole series of prayers
that are said during the Offertory. Mgr. Duchesne
offers a suggestion that is much more satisfactory. He
"' is inclined to believe " that the prayers of the faithful
still preserved in the series of solemn prayers on Good
Friday in the Mass of the Presanctified once followed
the Oremiis of the celebrant before the Offertor}^ These
prayers, according to Duchesne, in all other liturgies
occur at this place. They are not connected with our
Lord's sufferings, and therefore do not bear on the
Office of the day. They comprise the ordinary needs
of the Church, and are said for the Pope and Bishop, for
catechumens and heretics and pagans and Jews. ^' I am
of opinion," says Duchesne, *^that these prayers once
formed part of the ordinary Roman Mass, and that
they were said after the lection ; that is, at the place in
which they long continued to be recited on Wednesday
and Friday in Holy Week." ^ It is at least a plausible
conjecture that the request for prayers made at our
Sunday Mass after the Gospel: **Your prayers are
requested for the following sick, dead, &c.," are a relic
of the prayers of the faithful heard now only on Good
Friday.
1 Duchesne, Christian Worship, p. 172.
46 THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY.
We have now arrived at the Offertor}^ itself, which
derived its name from the offerings of bread and
wine made not merely by the faithful, but by Bishops,
priests, clerics, and even by the Pope.
The Pope and his attendants receive the offerings,
loaves of bread and flasks of wine, first from the faithful
and then from the clergy. As soon as the loaves and
wine needed for the sacrifice have been arranged on
the altar, the Pope says the Secret prayers, until he
chants the words per omnia scBcula scecitlonim, with which
we are so familiar to-day at the beginning of the
Preface. What is now called the Preface originally
formed a part of the Canon of the Mass. In the
Gelasian Sacramentary, as we have seen, the words
Jiic incipit canon actionis (here begins the Canon, the
fixed portion of the great Sacrificial action) are inserted
before the Preface. The Preface represents the com-
mencement of the great Eucharistic prayer, which
continues unbroken from Veve digmun et jusUini est to
the end of our Canon, and includes the words of Con-
secration. The insertion of the Sanctus changed the
character of the prayer to that of a Preface. The
Canon as marked in our Missal to-day with its various
divisions, the Te igitur, the Memento for the living, the
title " within the action," the solemn ceremonies of the
Elevation with the accompanying bell and the Memento
for the dead, was from the beginning of the Preface to
the per omnia s^eula s^ctdornm, one long thanksgiving
prayer, essentially the Eucharistic prayer. It included
the words of Consecration said without genuflection or
bell, while Bishops and priests in the sanctuary merely
bowed without kneeling. The history of this Euchar-
istic prayer is treated in an article in The Month
(** Fresh light on the early history of the Mass," by
Rev. H. Lucas, February, 1904) to which we may refer
THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY. 47
the reader. Further mention of it exceeds the scope
of the present chapter.
The rite of dropping the Sancta into the Precious
Blood next claims our attention. A portion of the
Host consecrated at a previous Mass and reserved for
the Pope's Mass was called the Sancta, We are all
familiar with the rite by which at the words the
peace of the Lord be with you always, the celebrant
drops a particle from the consecrated host into the
chalice. In the Stational Mass of the eighth century,
which we have been describing in this chapter, it was
usual to unite in the chalice twice during the celebration
of Mass, the species of bread with the species of wine,
first after the Pater and again at the Communion of the
celebrant. The Pope, at the words, the peace of the
Lord be with you always, while making a sign of the
Cross thrice over the chalice, as is done now, dropped
the Sancta into the chalice which contains the Precious
Blood. This action signifies the unity of the great
Sacrifice. One and the same Body by the force of the
words of Consecration is offered at every Mass, and
received at every Mass by the communicants in all
ages. Thus generations past and present assist at
the same Sacrifice, and partake of the same food.
Next comes the kiss of peace, which is given imme-
diately after the salutation, Pax Domini sit semper
vohiscnm. The Communion followed.
The Communion rite was long and complicated.
Briefly, it is this. The Pope received the consecrated
bread from the second deacon. After communicating,
the Pope put a particle which he had bitten off* the
consecrated bread into the chalice held by the Arch-
deacon [qui dum communicaverit, de ipsa sancta quam
momorderit, ponit inter manus Archidiaconi in Calicem),
making a sign of the Cross thrice, saying the words
48 THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY.
used by the priest to-day, may the mingling and
consecration of the Body and Blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ be to us that receive it effectual to
eternal life. Then the Pontiff received the chalice
from the Archdeacon. The Bishops and priests com-
municated under the form of bread at the Pope's hands,
and took the chalice from the hebdomadary Bishop. ^
Next follows the Communion of the people while
the choir chants the Communion Anthem. The chant
is continued until the people have all received Com-
munion. The Pope then makes a sign to the choir to
sing the Gloria Patri at the end of the Psalm. The
Bishops communicate the people under the species of
bread. The higher clergy drink the Precious Blood
from a chalice, but the people through a tube {pugillavis).
At the end of the Communion Psalm, the Pope says
the Postcommunion looking towards the east. He then
says Dominus vobisacm, but does not turn to the people.
Next comes the dismissal. One of the deacons says, Go,
Mass is over, and the people answer, Deo Gratias. The
Pope on his way to the Sacristy gives his blessing to
Bishops, priests, monks, and servers who ask it of him.
The Ofdo L gives a supplement, in which are
mentioned the few changes in the rubrics, when the
Stational Mass is celebrated by a Bishop other than the
Pope. But it is interesting to notice that for Bishops
who rule over cities (diocesan Bishops, as we say) the
rubrics at the Stational Mass are exactly the same as
for the Sovereign Pontiff.
The length of the Service thus briefly described
varied wuth the number of offerers and communicants,
and depended not a little on the sermon which always
^ Pope Stephen III. (768 — 772) ordained that seven Cardinal
Bishops should have the privilege of saying Mass at St. Peter's Altar
in the Lateran. Each Bishop took a w^eek at a time ; hence called
hebdomadary. (See Ordo /. p. 33)
THE ROMAN MASS IN THE EIGHTH CENTURY. 49
followed the Gospel. The Stational Mass was a
magnificent function, surrounded with all the pomp and
ceremony which reminds us of the grand Papal Mass
said at the present day over the Confession of St. Peter
at the feasts of Christmas, Easter, and SS. Peter and
Paul. We may be certain that the Stational Mass was
very long. Nor are we surprised at St. Gregory's
complaint that, because of the gout, he had scarcely
strength to celebrate a Solemn Mass which lasted three
hours. {Ordo I, p. 63.)
Questions on Chapter VII.
1. What do we know of the first Mass on Maundy
Thursday night ?
2. What portions of the Mass are found in all liturgies ?
3. When was uniformity introduced into the Missal of
the Western Church ? What did Pius V. ordain and forbid ?
Give the chief liturgies in the West.
4. What is meant by a Sacramentary ? How does it differ
from our modern Missal ?
5. Give some account of the Leonine, Gelasian, and
Gregorian Sacramentaries.
6. In these Sacramentaries what titles are applied to the
Introit, as we have it, to Collect, Epistle, Secret, to the Vere
dignum or Preface, and to the Postcommunion ?
7. What is the Ordo Romamis Primus ?
8. Were Masses as frequently said in the early ages as now ?
g. What is meant by concelebration ? Does it still survive
in the Church's liturgy ?
10. What is the probable origin of the visit to the Blessed
Sacrament before a Pontifical High Mass ?
11. What is the origin of the Kyrie ?
12. Explain the words Saturdays of twelve lessons.
13. What were the prayers of the faithful on Good
Friday ? Have they left any trace in Mass at the present
day ?
14. Describe the Eucharistic prayer, as given in this
chapter.
15. What was meant by the ceremony of the Sancta ?
16. At a Stational Mass, say how the Pope, the assistant
Bishops, priests, and laity communicated.
£
CHAPTER the EIGHTH.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS
Part the First.
From the Beginning to the Offertory.
The priest after vesting in the sacristy puts on his
berretta, makes a profound incHnation to the crucifix^
and preceded by his server advances to the altar with
covered head. The priest, as a token of his dignity,
wears the berretta until he reaches the altar, when he
hands it to the server ; he genuflects if the Blessed
Sacrament be reserved, otherwise he makes a profound
reverence to the cross, mounts the altar-steps, chalice
in hand, unfolds the corporal from the burse, places the
chalice on the corporal, opens the Missal at the Intvoit
of the day, returns to the altar, descends the steps,,
genuflects or bows profoundly again, and begins Mass
with the words. In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et
Spiritus Sancti. Amen, at the same time making
the sign of the Cross.
The words, In the name of the Father, and of the
Son, and of the Holy Ghost, taken from our Lord's
own words in the last chapter of St. Matthew, are an
accurate description of the Godhead. In the name
of the Father means that with the authority of God the
FHE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 51
Father, from whom all power springs, and of the Son
who became Man and died for us on Calvary, and of the
Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Son,
the Teacher of truth and the Sanctifier of the world, the
priest begins the great Sacrifice. The sign of the Cross
reminds us by its form of our Lord's Death on Calvary.
The sign of the Cross as made on forehead, breast, and
shoulders is said to be of Apostolic origin. Some have
thought that our Lord on Ascension Day blessed His
disciples, before He was hidden by a cloud, with the
sign of His Cross. TertuUian, writing at the end of the
second century, says, '' At every moving from place to
place, at every coming in and going out, in dressing,
at the baths, at table, on going to rest, sitting down,
we sign ourselves on the forehead with the Cross." The
sign of the Cross is used in all the Church's Services,
in the administration of the sacraments, in all her
blessings except in the blessing of the Paschal candle.
Amen is a Hebrew word meaning '' so be it ; " it
expresses the desire that our prayers be heard, and it
fortifies the good resolutions taken.
The three languages used in the inscription on the
Cross, ** Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews," namely,
Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, are found in the Mass.
Sabaoth, Cherubim and Seraphim, Hosanna, and
Amen, are Hebrew; Kyrie Eleison is Greek, and the
Liturgy of the Mass is Latin, at least in the Roman
Church.
The priest joining his hands begins the antiphon of
the 42nd Psalm.
Ajit, Introibo ad altare Dei. Ant. I will go unto the altar
of God.
R. Ad D cum qui laetificat ju- R. To God, who giveth joy to
ventutem meam. my youth.
52
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS,
PSALMUS 42.
Judica me Deus, et discerne
causam meam de gente non
sancta : ab homine iniquo, et
doloso erue me.
R. Quia he es Deus fortittido
mea : quare merepulisti, et quare
tristis incedo, dum affligit me
inimicus ?
Emitte lucem tuam, et veri-
tatem tuam : ipsa me dedux-
erunt, et adduxerunt in mon-
tem sanctum tuum, et in tab-
ernacula tua.
R. Et introibo ad altare Dei :
ad Deumqui laetificat juventutem
meam.
Confitebor tibi in cithara,
Deus, Deus mens : quare tris-
tis es anima mea, et quare
conturbas me ?
R. Spera in Deo, quoniam ad-
huc confitebor illi : salutare vul-
tus mei, et Deus meus.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et
Spiritui sancto.
R. Sicut erat in principio, et
nunc, et semper, et in saecula
saeculorum. Amen,
Introibo ad altare Dei.
R, Ad Deum qui laetificat ju-
ventutem meam.
Psalm 42.
Judge me, O God, and dis-
tinguish my cause from the
nation that is not holy : de-
liver me from the unjust and
deceitful man.
R. For Thou, 0 God, art my
strength: why hast Thou cast
me off? and why do I go sorrow-
ful whilst the enemy affiicteth me ?
Send forth Thy light and
Thy truth : they have con-
ducted me and brought me
unto Thy holy mount, and
unto Thy tabernacles.
R, And I will go unto the
altar of God : to God, who
giveth joy to my youth,
I will praise Thee on the
harp, O God, my God: why
art thou sorrowful, O my soul ?
and why dost thou disquiet
me ?
R. Hope in God, for I will
still give praise to Him : who is
the salvation of my countenance,
and my God,
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost.
R. ^ s it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be, world
without end. Amen,
I will go unto the altar of
God.
R. To God, who giveth joy to
my youth.
Explanation of the Psalm Judica.
An antiphon means ** alternate utterance," which is
•exemplified in the alternate chanting or saying of
psalms or hymns by two choirs. This method of
FHE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 53
reciting psalms is said to have been instituted by
St. Ignatius, one of the ApostoHc Fathers. In the
Latin Church it owed its origin to St. Ambrose of
Milan, in the fourth century. The word antiphon has
now a more restricted sense ; it means a verse prefixed
to or following a psalm or psalms, as a sort of key
perhaps to the intention of the Church in using the
psalm, or as drawing attention to that part of it on
which she desires to lay peculiar stress. The minister
or server answers: To God, who giveth joy to my
youth.
The joy here referred to in connection with youth
has evidently a spiritual meaning. Whenever sanctify-
ing grace is first given to the soul, a **new creature'*
is created, causing the death of the ** old man " of sin.
Now, one end of the Sacrifice is the forgiveness
of sins ; when mortal sins are forgiven the soul is
renewed in its youth by sanctifying grace, and the
Eucharist itself is the pledge of everlasting glory.
There is a singular propriety in reminding the priest of
this attribute of Almighty God as renovator of youth at
the moment that the priest stands like the Publican
** afar off" from the altar waiting for encouragement to
carry his desire into effect. {See Oakeley's Ceremonies of the
Mass, p, 12.)
The priest and server next recite in alternate verses
the psalm Judica,
The 42nd Psalm was composed by King David after
his sin and the rebellion of his son Absalom. Surrounded
by his enemies, full of sorrow for his past offences, King
David makes a direct appeal to God from whom alone
strength can be obtained, and lays his cause before his
Maker.
This Psalm, used in the Old Dispensation as a pre-
54 THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
paration for the altar, only since the eleventh century has
been used by the priest in the Mass. The priest applies
to his own necessities the words of David : Judge
me, O God, and distinguish my cause from the
nation that is not holy: deliver me from the
unjust and deceitful man.
The priest's confidence is in the fact that God alone
is to be His Judge. From men he might have no hope.
Standing at the foot of the altar he asks deliverance
from his spiritual enemies. The server, whose duty
is always to speak for the congregation, answers in
a tone of hope and joy : For Thou, O God, art my
strength : why hast Thou cast me off? and why
do I go sorrowful whilst the enemy afflicteth me ?
as if to encourage the priest that God will surely
succour him, and that sorrow need not depress him
though surrounded by enemies. The priest in more
hopeful accents, continues: Send forth Thy light
and Thy truth : they have conducted me and
brought me unto Thy holy mount, to the altar, the
mystical Calvary where the Victim is slain, and unto
Thy tabernacles, which, as a priest, I ought to serve
and guard. The server again answers in the words
of the antiphon said before the Psalm : And I will go
unto the altar of God : to God who giveth joy
to my youth. The priest encouraged more and
more by these words, exclaims : I will praise
Thee on the harp (see Apoc. ch. v., *' having each
of them harps in their hands," and in ch. xv.,
** and the voice I heard was that of harpers playing
on their harps "), in joyous strains, O God, my
God, for I belong to Thee, and I am made not by
strange gods, but by Thee, the only true and living
God; and then in a tone of sorrowful surprise, the
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
priest upbraids his own soul : Why art thou
sorrowful, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet
me? The server still continues: Hope in God, for
I will still give praise to Him, that is, confess all
He has done for me and praise Him. The salvation
of my countenance, that is, He is my salvation, for
He illumines my countenance by His light and makes
my face to behold His; and Thou art my God ; in
this thought there is hope.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Ghost. These words are taken from
our Lord's words in the last chapter of St. Matthew,
and are thought to have been framed by the Apostles.
They, with the addition, as it was in the begin-
ning, &c., form what is called the lesser doxology, the
Gloria in excelsis being the greater. We pray that
all praise and honour be given to the Godhead, one
in nature, three in persons; and the second portion,
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be, world without end ; Amen, is ascribed to
the Council of Nice, a.d. 325, or perhaps later, as a
condemnation of the doctrines of Arius, who maintained
that the Son was not in the beginning, nor equal to
the Father. (Rock's Hierurgia, vol. i. p. 75.)
The priest repeats again: I will go untO the
altar of God, and the server, to God who giveth
joy to my youth ; and then he makes the sign of the
Cross and confides himself to the Divine protection,
and with the words, Our help is in the name of
the Lord, the server answering: who hath made
heaven and earth, joins his hands, and bowing low,
says the Confiteor,
As one end of Sacrifice is the remission of sins,
the confession of sin and the prayer for pardon are
56
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
fittingly introduced here in the introduction to the
Mass and just before the priest mounts the holy altar.
The Confiteov consists of two parts — first the con-
fession of sin and then the prayer for intercession. The
priest says the Confiteov for the pardon of his own sins,
and the server says the Confiteov for the pardon of the
sins of the people whom he represents.
P. Adjutorium nostrum in
nomine Domini.
R. Qui fecit CO eliim et terrain,
P. Confiteor Deo omnipo-
tenti, beatae Mariae semper
Virgini, beato Michaeli Arch-
angelo, beato Joanni Bap-
tistae, Sanctis Apostolis Petro
et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et
vobis, fratres, quia peccavi
nimis cogitatione, verbo, et
opere, mea culpa, mea culpa,
mea maxima culpa. Ideo
precor beatam Mariam sem-
per Virginem, beatum Michae-
lem Archangelum, beatum
Joannem Baptistam, sanctos
Apostolos Petrum et Paulum,
omnes sanctos, et vos fratres,
orare pro me ad Dominum
Deum nostrum.
R. Miser eatur tui Ofmtipotens
Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis,
perducat te ad vitam aeternam.
P. Amen,
P. Our help is in the name
of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and
earth,
P. I confess to Almighty
God, to blessed Mary, ever a
Virgin, to blessed Michael the
Archangel, to blessed John
the Baptist, to the holy
Apostles Peter and Paul, to
all the saints, and to you,
brethren, that I have sinned
exceedingly, in thought, word,
and deed, through my fault,
through my fault, through my
most grievous fault. There-
fore I beseech blessed Mary,
ever a Virgin, blessed Michael
the Archangel, blessed John
the Baptist, the holy Apostles
Peter and Paul, all the saints,
and you, brethren, to pray to
the Lord our God for me.
R. May Almighty God be
merciful to thee, and, having for-
given thy sins, bring thee to life
everlasting,
P. Amen,
The Confiteov is then said by the Servev, &>c.
P. Misereaturvestriomnipo-
tens Deus et dimissis peccatis
vestris perducat vos ad vitam
aeternam.
R. Amen,
P. May Almighty God have
mercy on you, forgive you
your sins, and bring you to
life everlasting.
R. Amen,
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 57
Signing himself with the sign of the Cross, the priest says :
P. Indulgentiam absolu- P. May the Almighty and
tionem et remissionem pecca- merciful Lord grant us
torum nostrorum,tribuat nobis pardon, absolution, and remis-
omnipotens, et misericors sion of our sins.
Dominus.
R. Amen, R. Amen.
Then bowing down, he proceeds :
V. Deus tu conversus vivi- V. Thou wilt turn again,
ficabis nos. O God, and quicken us.
R. Et plebs tua laetabitur in R. And Thy people shall
te. rejoice in Thee.
V. Ostende nobis Domine V. Show us, O Lord, Thy
misericordiam tuam. mercy.
R. Et saliitare timm da nobis. R. And grant us Thy salva-
V. Domine exaudi orati- tion.
onem meam. V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. Et clamor mens ad te R. And let my cry come unto
veniat. Thee.
V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo, R. And with thy spirit,
Explanation of the Conjiteor.
I confess to Almighty God, says the priest.
Almighty because sin is forgiven by God alone, and
its forgiveness is a work of omnipotence ; to Blessed
Mary ever a Virgin, because she is the refuge of
sinners ; to Blessed Michael the Archangel, as
Chief of the Heavenly Host and Protector of the
Catholic Church ; to Blessed John the Baptist,
who preached the Gospel of penance and led a most
penitential life crowned by martyrdom ; to the Holy
Apostles Peter and Paul — the two names are always
connected in the Church's liturgy — the former, Head
of the Church, the latter, Apostle of the Gentiles —
both penitent sinners ; to all the Saints, our fellow-
citizens who during life were sinners too ; and to
58 THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
you, brethren, adds the priest, revealing his sin-
fulness to the congregation, that I have sinned
exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, a clause
which embraces all sins, as those of omission may be
classed under thought, for wilful omission is impos-
sible without thought or determination. Next comes
the petition to the saints already mentioned, to inter-
cede for the priest, Therefore, I beseech, &c. Then
follows the Miseveatiiv by the server, the confession by
the server, and the absolving prayer by the priest :
May Almighty God have mercy on you,
forgive you your sins, and bring you to life ever-
lasting— and signing himself with the sign of the
Cross, the priest says — May the Almighty and
merciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and
remission of our sins.
Both prayers are by way of supplication, they are
not authoritative, they are not absolution strictly so
called as in the confessional when the priest forgives by
a judicial sentence. In the confessional the priest
forgives — in the Mass he begs we may be forgiven.
Further the priest cannot forgive his own sins ; but in
the Indiilgeniiam he says peccatorum nostrorum (our
sins) and makes himself a part of the people ; thus this
prayer is shown to be a simple petition.
Next, slightly bowing, the priest recites these
versicles from the 84th Psalm — Thou wilt turn
again, O God, and quicken us. And Thy people
shall rejoice in Thee. In the next versicle is
another earnest request — Show US, O Lord, Thy
mercy and grant us Thy salvation, that is. Thy
grace through Jesus Christ, by whom alone we can be
saved ; the words O Lord, hear my prayer, and let
my cry come unto Thee, express the earnestness of
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 59
the request. The Lord be with you is the first
greeting of the priest to the people, and with thy
spirit, replies the server — may He be in thy spirit
too, O priest.
Oremus is said in a loud voice, as a formal invitation
to prayer; and the two prayers that follow are said
secretly to God, as the priest's private and personal
request for the pardon of his own offences before he
mounts the holy altar.
The priest prays in a low voice inaudible to the
congregation, secretly asking pardon for his personal
sins. The Council of Trent {Sess. xxii, c, 5) prescribes
that certain portions of the Mass should be said in a
loud, others in a low tone of voice. These outward
signs add solemnity to the prayers of the Church, and
lift the minds of the congregation to heavenly things.
The priest prays :
Aufer a nobis quaesumus Take away from us our ini-
Domine iniquitates nostras: quities, we beseech Thee, O
ut ad Sancta sanctorum purls Lord : that we may be worthy
mereamur mentibus introire. to enter with pure minds into
Per Christum Dominum nos- the Holy of Holies. Through
trum. Amen. Christ our Lord. Amen,
Bowing down over the altar, the Priest says :
Oramus te Domine per We beseech Thee, O Lord,
merita Sanctorum tuorum, by the merits of Thy Saints,
quorum reliquiae hie sunt, et whose relics are here, and of
omnium Sanctorum, ut in- all the Saints, that Thou
dulgere digneris omnia pec- wouldst vouchsafe to forgive
cata mea. Amen. me all my sins. Amen.
Explanation of the above two Prayers.
Take away from us our iniquities, we beseech
Thee (notice the humble earnestness of the prayer—
6o THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
we beseech Thee), that we may be worthy to enter
with pure minds into the Holy of HoUes.
In the Old Law the High Priest, and he only, entered
once a year into the Holy of Holies in the Temple
to sacrifice for himself and the people ; in the New any
priest may daily offer the Sacrifice of the Altar.
Bowing down over the altar the priest says : We
beseech Thee, O Lord (again the humble, earnest
request), by the merits of Thy Saints, whose
relics are here, and of all the Saints, that Thou
wouldst vouchsafe to forgive me all my sins.
(Again the humble prayer: digneris — **that Thou
wouldst deign.")
The priest kisses out of reverence the relics of the
martyrs which rest in the altar-stone. In the earliest
ages of the Church Mass used to be said on the tombs
of the martyrs : hence perhaps another reason for
enclosing their relics beneath the table of the altar.
Questions on Chapter VIII.
1. What did antiphon originally mean ? What is its
meaning and use now in the liturgy ?
2. When was the Psalm Judica introduced into the liturgy ?
What is the object of the Confiteor P
3. What is the lesser Doxology ?
/ 4. What is the difference between the absolution given in
the Confessional and that in the Mass ?
^5. Why does the priest kiss the altar ?
CHAPTER the NINTH.
I
THE INTROIT, KYRIE, AND GLORIA IN
EXCELSIS.
After kissing the altar and saying the last-
mentioned prayer, the priest proceeds to the Epistle
side of the altar, and with the sign of the Cross, begins
the Introit.
THE INTROIT.i
The Introit (introitus) is, as the word indicates, the
^' entrance " to the Mass. Here the Mass may be said
to begin. The prayers at the foot of the altar may be
considered the introduction to the Mass. There are
1 Over the Introit in the Roman Missal on all Ember days,
on the Sundays in Advent, and on all ferial Masses from Septua-
gesima to Low Sunday, we find such inscriptions as Statio ad
S. Maviam Major em — Station at the Church of St. Mary Major ;
Statio ad S. Crucem in Jerusalem — Station at the Church of the
Holy Cross in Jerusalem, &c. These words indicate the church
where Holy Mass was said after a solemn procession in which
the Pope, clergy, and laity joined. The church where the
procession halted and Mass was celebrated was called the
Station Church (statio, a halting-place). The Station with full
solemnity consisted of three things. First, the assembling in a
certain church ; next, the procession to the Station Church ; and
thirdly, the Mass said there. The preparatory assemblage of people
was called collecta ; because clergy and people collected together
previous to the solemn procession to the Station Church. The
banner of the Cross headed the procession ; Psalms were chanted
62 THE INTROIT.
indeed two introductions to the Mass, general and
special. The prayers before the Ijitroit are the general,
while the Preface forms the special introduction to the
Canon, the fixed and more solemn portion of the
Mass.
Since the Introit begins the Mass, the priest makes
as he recites it the sign of the Cross. In Masses for
the Dead the sign of the Cross is made over the Missal ;
it forms thus a suitable accompaniment to the Church's
prayer for rest and light for the souls in Purgatory.
The Introit consists nearly always of a passage
from Holy Scripture with a verse of a Psalm and the
Gloria Patri, after which the introductory passage is
repeated. The Scripture passage forms an antiphon
to the Psalm, which was formerly said entire. When
the prayers of the Mass were shortened the first verse
of the Psalm was retained often as an epitome of the
whole.
Le Brun and Benedict XIV. attribute the intro-
duction of Introits to Pope Gregory the Great, 590,
others attribute the Introit to Pope Celestine I., 420.
The Introit gives the key to the Mass. The
character of the Mass is known by the Introit. Joy,
sorrow, hope, desire, fear, gratitude, contrition, in
and the Litany of the Saints, as the procession drew near to the
Church. In the Station Church, before the celebration of the
Holy Sacrifice, a homily was often delivered by the Pope.
The Stations were usually penitential, though we find them also
on joyful festivals, as in Easter Week, on the Ascension and
Pentecost. Tke Catholic Dictionary (Sixth Edition, p. 857), quoting
from Fleury, says that Gregory the Great marked these Stations,
as we now have them in the Roman Missal. In the Office for
that Saint on March 12th, in the sixth lesson we find the following
reference to the Stations: "Litanias, Stationes, et Ecclesiasticum
officium auxit." (Dr. Gihr, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. English
translation, pp. 377—379)
THE INTROIT, 63
short, every feeling of the heart finds its expression in
the Introit. Let us take a few examples :
In Masses for the Dead, the Church says :
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord, and let
perpetual light shine upon them. Ps. Ixiv, A Hymn,
O God, becometh Thee in Sion ; and a vow
shall be paid to Thee in Jerusalem. O hear
my prayer ; all flesh shall come to Thee. The
Gloria Patri is omitted, as its tone is joyful.
For the great feast of the Immaculate Concep-
tion, the Church selects Isaias Ixi. : Rejoicing I
will rejoice in the Lord and my soul shall exult
in my God, because He has clad me with the
garments of salvation, and has surrounded me
with the vesture of gladness, like a bride adorned
with her jewels.
Ps. xxix. : I will extol Thee, O Lord, for Thou
hast upheld me : and hast not made my enemies
to rejoice over me. Our Lady, into whose mouth
these words are put by the Church, rejoices because
she has always been free from the stain of original sin
and her enemies never had power over her.
The Third Sunday of Advent is called Gaiidete
Sunday, from the first word of the Introit : Rejoice
in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice. {Philipp.
iv,)f because the Church rejoices at the near coming
of Jesus Christ.
The Fourth Sunday of Lent is called Lafare
Sunday, from the first word of the Introit. The Church
is again rejoicing because she draws nearer to the day
of her deliverance through the Passion, and above all,
through the Resurrection of her Founder from the
Tomb.
Saints have special Introits which point to their
■64 THE KYRIE ELEISON.
characteristic virtues — thus, St. Francis of Assisi, who
was distinguished by his love of the Cross, has for his
Introit the words of St. Paul : God forbid that
I should glory save in the Cross of our Lord
Jesus Christ, while to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the
singular honour belongs of having in the Introit an
allusion to the name of his Order, the Society of Jesus :
In the name of Jesus let every knee bow of
those that are in Heaven, on earth, and under
the earth : and let every tongue confess that our
Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the
Father (Philipp. ii.), followed by the Psalm : AH they
that love Thy name shall glory in Thee, for Thou
wilt bless the just. (Ps. v.)
Enough has been said to show that the Introit is
a part of the Mass which gives it a character according
to the feast or ecclesiastical season.
THE KYRIE ELEISON.
Originally the Kyrie was said at the Epistle side :
the custom survives at High Mass.
The Kyrie eleison, ** Lord have mercy on us," is
said at every Mass without exception— at Low Mass
beneath the crucifix, at High Mass on the Epistle side
after the Introit.
Kyrie Eleison is said thrice in honour of the
Father ; thrice in honour of the Son ; thrice in
honour of the Holy Ghost. We pray for mercy in
the three-fold misery of ignorance, sin, and punish-
ment. (S. Th. in, q. ^. ad 4.) The cry for mercy and
forgiveness is most appropriately introduced at the
beginning of the Sacrifice ; the cry is repeated again
and again, that we may offer the spotless Sacrifice
with pure hands.
THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 65
We have already seen in Chapter the Sixth that the
Kyrie eleison, now introduced into the Mass, is the con-
clusion of the Litany said before the Station Mass
began. Cardinal Wiseman thus speaks of its intro-
duction in this place : '*The Kyrie eleison, — that cry for
mercy which is to be found in every liturgy of East
and West — seems introduced as if to give grander effect
to the outburst of joy and praise which succeeds it in
the Gloria in excelsis'' [Essays, Prayer and Prayer books.)
THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS.
After the Kyrie comes the Gloria iiv excelsis. This
hymn is sometimes called the greater Doxology to
distinguish it from the lesser, the Gloria Patri, The
author of the Church's greatest hymn of praise is
unknown. The first verse. Glory be to God on high
and on earth peace to men of good-will, was sung
by the Angel and the heavenly host on Christmas night,
as recorded by St. Luke (ii. 14). The Gloria was intro-
duced into the Mass in the Roman Church first of all
on Christmas Day, when it was sung in the first Mass
in Greek, in the second in Latin. Up to the end of the
eleventh century the Gloria was said by Bishops at Mass
on Sundays and festivals, by priests only on Easter
Sunday. At the close of the twelfth century this privi-
lege gradually extended to priests. Since the revision
of the Missal by Pius V., in 1570, the rule is to say the
Gloria at Mass whenever the Te Detmi is said at Matins
— that is, when the Mass conforms to the Office.
Gloria in excelsis Deo ; et Glory be to God on high,
in terra pax hominibus bonae and on earth peace to men
voluntatis. Laudamus Te ; of good -will. We .praise
benedicimus Te ; adoramus Thee ; we bless Thee ; we
Te ; glorificamus Te. Gratias adore Thee ; we glorify Thee.
F
66
THE GLORIA IN EXCELS IS.
agimus Tibi propter magnam
gloriam Tuam. Domine Deus,
Rex coelestis, Deus Pater
omnipotens. Domine Fill
unigenite Jesu Christe ;
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei,
Filius Patris, qui toUis peccata
mundi, miserere nobis ; Qui
tollis peccata mundi, suscipe
deprecationem nostram : Qui
sedes ad dexteram Patris,
miserere nobis. Quoniam Tu
solus sanctus : Tu solus Domi-
nus : Tu solus altissimus, Jesu
Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu,
in gloria Dei Patris. Amen.
We give Thee thanks for Thy
great glory, O Lord God,
heavenly King, God the
Father Almighty. O Lord
Jesus Christ, the only-begotten
Son ; O Lord God, Lamb of
God, Son of the Father, who
takest away the sins of the
world, have mercy upon us ;
Thou who takest away the
sins of the world receive our
petitions ; Thou who sittest
at the right hand of the
Father have mercy upon us.
For Thou alone art holy :
Thou alone art Lord : Thou
alone, O Jesus Christ, with
the Holy Ghost, art most high
in the glory of God the
Father. A men.
Explanation of the Gloria in excelsis.
Let me offer a brief and simple explanation of this
hymn of praise.
Glory be to God on high, that is, may God be
glorified, be honoured, and praised in Heaven, and on
earth peace to men of good-will, and on earth may
peace, the calm ever found where order reigns, belong to
men who are the objects of God's good-will and special
love — who have pleased God. Now we enter on the
creature's praise of God — we praise Thee ; we wish in
words to acknowledge Thy excellence, we bless Thee;
as our Lord and God from whom all good things come.
We adore Thee, we pay Thee that supreme homage of
mind and will which God alone can claim ; we glorify
Thee, that through our words, however poor, the clear
knowledge of Thee may spread abroad ; Thy glory we
wish to seek, not our own. We give Thee thanks
I
THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS. 6^
for Thy great glory. These words express the very
highest form of gratitude which human nature can reach.
We thank Him, not for His goodness to us, but for the
great glory which He has possessed from all eternity
and will possess by the works of His hands.
O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father
Almighty. The word Lord means owner and Supreme
Master of Heaven and earth and all therein ; and God is
the fulness of every conceivable perfection. As heavenly
King He rules over the Blessed choirs of Heaven. As
Father He summons everything into being — Almighty
is the epithet most often applied to God in Scripture
comprising all wisdom, knowledge, power — to whom
alone in token of supreme dominion Mass is offered.
We now come to the second portion of the hymn.
The supplication is addressed to Jesus Christ.
O Lord Jesus Christ is our Saviour's full title ; as
Lord He is Master of Heaven and earth, to whom as
Man all power is given. Jesus (Saviour) comprises the
whole work of redemption ; Christ the anointed one
hears us with the Father and deigns to pray for us to
the Father. Christ is Man and God; He prays as Man,
as God He grants what He prays for. [St, Atigiistine,)
Lord God are the titles of omnipotence : Lamb of
God refers to the Passion and to the mystical slaying
at the Mass: who takest away the sins of the world
— these words were first used by St. John the Baptist,
** Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who taketh
away the sin of the world " (5^. Johi i. 29) — on His
Cross by complete redemption and satisfaction ; have
mercy on us is the Church's prayer for pardon
repeated again and again in her Offices and public
prayers. Thou who sittest at the right hand of
the Father; as Man Christ occupies the highest place
^8 THE GLORIA IN EXCELSIS.
in Heaven above angels and men, and as God is infi-
nitely merciful : receive our petitions ; these words
do not perfectly render the original Latin suscipe depve-
mtionem nostram; suscipe in Scriptural language means
hear and mercifully grant, as in Gen. xix. 21. Etiam in hoc
suscepi preces tuas — ** Behold also in this, I have heard
thy prayers, not to destroy the city for which thou hast
spoken." Suscipe has constantly this sense in the Mass.
Have mercy on us, says the Church, and forgive us
our sins— qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis ;
and forgive us also the evils that follow sin in the
punishment we have deserved, suscipe depreca-
tionem nostram ; precatio, says St. Augustine, means
a petition that good things be granted, deprecatio that
evil things be averted.
The hymn concludes with these words of praise :
For Thou alone art holy, holy by nature and by
essence ; holiness is Thy being, and all creatures
borrow their holiness from Thee : Thou alone art
Lord, absolute Master of Heaven and earth ; man is
but the steward of the few things he owns, Christ is
King of kings and Lord of lords. Thou alone, O Jesus
Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high, because
Thy Sacred Humanity is elevated and glorified above
all created things, that Sacred Humanity is in the
glory of God the Father. Amen.
A few ceremonies are prescribed to the priest in
saying the Gloria, As he says or intones Gloria in
excelsis he extends his hands and lifts them to his
shoulders to show his ardent desire to praise God. At
Deo he joins his hands and bows to the cross or to the
Blessed Sacrament if exposed, and he bows at the
words, we adore Thee, we give Thee thanks,
receive our petitions, and twice on mentioning the
name of jesus.
QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER IX. 6g
Questions on Chapter IX.
1. Explain what is meant by the Station Mass.
2. Give the meaning of the word Introit. Of what does
it consist ?
3. What is the origin of the Kyrie P Why is the Greek
form retained ?
4. When is the Gloria said ? What changes have been
effected in this matter since the twelfth century ?
5. Write an explanation of the Gloria word for word.
CHAPTER the TENTH.
DOMINUS VOBISCUM, COLLECT, AND
EPISTLE.
At the end of the Gloria the priest kisses the altar and
turning to the people, says Dominus vobiscum, ''the
Lord be with you," and the server representing the
congregation, returns the salutation, saying and with
thy spirit — may He be with your soul or spirit also,
O priest.
Whenever the priest turns round to salute the con-
gregation with the Domimts vobiscfim, he first kisses the
altar, or more properly the altar-stone, in which repose
the relics of the martyrs. The kiss is a mark of
veneration to the martyrs, and much more a sign of
love and reverence for Jesus Christ, who is soon to be
offered in Sacrifice on that altar for the living and the
dead.
In the earliest times, as the priest said Mass facing
the people, he did not turn round at the Domimis
vobiscum. At the Papal Mass said over the Tomb of
the Apostles the Pope faces the congregation, and does
not turn to the people at the Dominus vobiscum. When
the position of the altar was changed the celebrant
naturally turned to the people in saluting them.
The salutation, *' The Lord be with thee," was used
THE COLLECT.
by Booz in addressing the reapers {Ruth it. 4), ** And
behold, he came out of Bethlehem, and said to the
reapers, The Lord be with you. And they answered
him, The Lord bless thee." See also Judges {vi, 12) and
Gabriel's salutation to our Lady — ** The Lord is with
thee."
The priest, by the salutation, wishes every grace
to the people that the presence of God brings ; and the
people by their et aim spivitu ttco, implore that the
soul of the priest be filled with God, thus enabling him
to offer worthily the Holy Sacrifice.
The Bishop, at a Mass in which the Gloria is said,
uses the formula pax vobis instead of Doinimis vobiscum.
The words pax vobis are possibly taken from the Gloria.
The pax vobis of the Bishop (our Lord's favourite
greeting to His disciples after His Resurrection) is
said to be a remnant of the privilege, according to
Benedict XIV., as stated in the Introductory Chapter,
which once belonged to the Bishop alone of saying the
Gloria at Mass. The pax vobis, in the mouth of the Bishop,
reminds us of the privilege. Pax vobis is higher than
Dominus vobisaim, since the former is our Lord's own
salutation, and proceeds from the Bishop, who possesses
the fulness of the priesthood and a higher power to
bless than a priest.
THE COLLECT.
After the Dominus vobiscum the priest moves to
the Epistle side, and bowing to the cross, says,
Oremus, *^let us pray." These words, as already
stated, contain a distinct invitation to the congregation
to join with the priest in prayer. The priest raises his
hands to his shoulders. This gesture is perhaps, so some
writers assure us, in memory of our Lord's outstretched
72 THE COLLECT.
arms on the Cross. Certain Religious Orders in portions
of the Mass extend their arms almost to their full length.
It should be remembered, however, that the Church
adopts customs already existing, makes them her own,
and consecrates them to the service of God. Her vest-
ments are taken from the ordinary garments in use
during the earliest stage of her existence, her Basilicas
are the Roman Courts of Justice, and the method of
praying with outstretched arms was and is still prevalent
in the East, and to this day is seen amongst the poor in
Ireland. The frescoes in the Catacombs represent
saints of both sexes praying with arms outstretched. In
the 140th Psalm we read, *' The lifting up of my hands
as an evening sacrifice," while St. Paul bids Timothy
(i Tim, a, 8) to pray, lifting up holy hands. The Collect
(called Oratio in the Roman Missal), is eminently the
prayer of the day or feast, in which the Church begs
special gifts and graces corresponding to the different
feasts and seasons of the year. (Dr. Gihr, The Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, p. 407.)
The word Collect has been explained in various
ways. One simple explanation is that the Collect
gathers, collects together in the mouth of the priest the
wants and wishes of the faithful, for whom the priest at
Mass pleads.
Many of the Collects now said were composed by
St. Gelasius (492) or St. Gregory^ (590), while many are
of a later date, and are continually added for new feasts.
Almost all the Collects are addressed to the Father
and end with the words, '* through our Lord Jesus
Christ," &c. ; only a few, and these of recent date, are
addressed to the Son, and none to the Holy Ghost.
Why are the Collects chiefly addressed to the Father ?
Because the Mass represents the Sacrifice by which
THE COLLECT. 73
Christ offered Himself to the Father, and therefore
the prayers of the Liturgy are directed to the Father
Himself.
A word as to the formation of the Collect. The
Collects, however varied, are written more or less on
the same lines. St. Paul desires that supplications,
prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made by
men. This rule is followed in the Collects.
Take a few familiar instances. The Collect for the
Holy Ghost : O God (Hfting of the heart to God the
Father) who didst instruct the hearts of the
faithful by the light of the Holy Spirit (statement
of a grace and thanksgiving), grant us in the same
Spirit to relish what is right and ever to rejoice
in His consolations (the request), through our
Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who with Thee
liveth and reigneth in the unity of the Holy
Spirit through everlasting ages. These words,
which end all Collects addressed to the Father, implore
what is asked through the merits of the Passion and
Death of our Lord.
Here is a Collect addressed to Christ for the feast
of the Blessed Sacrament :
O God (the elevation of the heart to God) who
under a wonderful Sacrament hast left us a
memorial of Thy Passion (statement of a favour and
consequently thanksgiving), grant US, we beseech
Thee (the Church's favourite form of earnest petition),
so to reverence the sacred mysteries of Thy
Body and Blood, that we may continually find
the fruit of Thy redemption in our souls (close
of petition), who livest and reignest, world without
end (thus ends often the Collect addressed to the Son),
or the fuller form : who livest and reignest in the
74 THE EPISTLE.
unity of the Holy Ghost, God through ever-
lasting ages.
The first or principal Collect is always peculiar to
the Sunday or festival. On greater days one Collect
only is said ; on all festivals except the chief, other
Collects are admissible, and these are called Com-
memorations— a remembrance of saints and feasts.
A Collect prescribed by the Bishop in some special
need is called an Oratio impevata, a prayer ordered.
That prayer is sometimes for the Pope, or Church,
or for a temporal gain, e.g., fine weather, &c.
Amen gives assent to all said by the priest. In
the early ages the people answered Amen at Mass.
The server now answers for them.
THE EPISTLE.
The Jews began the public service of their Sabbath
by reading from Moses and the Prophets. {Acts xiii. 15.)
The first Christians followed their example, and during
divine worship on the Sunday read passages from the
New or Old Testament.
The general rule is, with few exceptions, that each
Mass has two lessons from the Bible said or sung
during the Holy Sacrifice, one is the Epistle, the other
the Gospel.
The Epistle may be taken from any portion of the
Old or New Testament except the Psalms and the four
Gospels. It is stated by Dr. Gihr that the present
arrangement of Epistles and Gospels throughout the
year, substantially as we have them now, was not made
before the sixteenth century. {Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
p. 436.)
The Epistle is more commonly taken from the
Epistles of the Apostles, and was once called Apostle,
THE EPISTLE. 75
because taken from Apostolic writings, that is, Acts,
Epistles, or Apocalypse. Postmodum dicituy oratio, delude
seqidtitr Apostohts, (Gregorian Sacramentary, Migne, P.L,
Ixxviii. 24.)
The Epistle at High Mass is chanted by the sub-
deacon, the Gospel by the deacon. The Epistle is read
before the Gospel to mark the subordination of the former
to the latter. The Epistle gives the teaching of Prophets
and Apostles, the Gospel is the direct teaching of Christ.
The Gospel determines the choice of the Epistle ;
these two lessons from the Bible are in perfect harmony,
they often express the same idea, seen sometimes from
different points of view. (See Epistle and Gospel for
the Sundays in Advent, the Epiphany, Ash Wednesday,
the First Sunday in Lent, Passion Sunday, the Second
Sunday after Easter, Corpus Christi, the Immaculate
Conception, the Seven Dolours, the Assumption, Pente-
cost, St. Augustine, Apostle of England ; St. Mary
Magdalene, the Sacred Heart, and Masses for the
Dead. The close relationship between the Epistle and
Gospel is very evident in Votive Masses for the Angels,
for the Holy Ghost, for the Passion of our Lord, for
the Grace of a Happy Death, for the Sick, for Bride
and Bridegroom.)
At the end of the Epistle the server answers Deo
gratias, to give thanks to God for the gift of His holy
doctrine.
Questions on Chapter X.
1. What is the origin and meaning of Domimis v obis aim ?
When and why is Pax vobis used instead ?
2. What is the meaning of Collect ? To whom are the
Collects chiefly addressed — and why ?
3. Why is the Epistle so called ? Whence is it taken ?
CHAPTER the ELEVENTH.
THE GRADUAL, ALLELUIA, TRACT,
AND SEQUENCE.
The Gradual is called from gradiis, a step, because it
was formerly sung on the step of the ambo where the
Lector had read the Epistle. The Gradual was once
called responsofy. The first part was called responsorium
as an answer to the Epistle, the second versus. The
Gradual represents a verse or two of psalms once sung
all through. Sometimes the Gradual is the Church's
own composition and not taken from Scripture, as in the
feast of the Seven Dolours. The first part of the Gradual
in Requiem Masses is also composed by the Church.
The force and meaning of the Gradual is clearly
seen when we remember that it is closely and
intimately connected with three other portions of the
Mass, the Introit, Offertory, and Communion. (See
the Mass for the First Sunday in Lent, the Mass for
the Holy Innocents and Angel Guardians, the Common
for Bishop and Confessor, &c.) The Introit, Gradual,
Offertory, and Communion are variable and were once
always sung.
The Gradual is seldom said or sung alone. The Alleluia
verse, as it is called, is generally added to the Gradual
throughout the year. This verse consists of two ^//^to't^s,
THE GRADUAL. 77
a verse of Scripture, and a third AllehUa, From
Septuagesima to Holy Saturday Alleluia is not said
at Mass. The Gradual is omitted from the Saturday
in Easter Week to the Octave of Pentecost. During
this period the Gradual (except on Rogation Days and
Whitsun-eve) gives place to the major Alleluia^ which,
strictly speaking, ushers in the Eastertide. The major
Allehda is so called to distinguish it irom the A lleluia
verse or minor Alleluia. The major Alleluia consists
of iv^o Alleluias prefixed to two verses, dind Alleluia is
added at the end of each verse.
Why, it may be asked, is the Gradual retained up to
Friday in Easter Week inclusively ? We reply that the
Church had a special reason during the first thousand
years of its existence for inserting the Gradual during
Easter Week. The Church had before her mind in her
liturgical worship the newly baptized, who on Holy
Saturday were born again by Baptism to a higher
life. During Easter Week the neophytes continued
their instruction in the mysteries of the faith, and
wore white garments, which in some places were laid
aside on Saturday in Easter Week and in others on
Low Sunday: hence the titles, Sahhato in A Ibis, Dominica
in Albisy in the Roman Missal. Liturgists tell us that
the Gradual lies midway between the mournful Tract
and joyful Alleluia. It denotes, as we are told, the
toilsome journey of the Christian to the Better Land.
The Gradual at Eastertide was an admonition to the
newly baptized that Heaven is gained after a conflict.
Saturday was the octave of Solemn Baptism ; and
the octave is said to symbolize eternal beatitude,
when the newly baptized reach their home in Heaven
and the great end of Baptism is thus obtained. The
Gradual ceases on Saturday in Easter Week and the
78 THE TRACT,
triumphant Alleluia takes its place. (See the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, Gihr. English translation, p. 461.)
The ancient baptismal rite on Holy Saturday has
long since fallen into disuse, but the Gradual in
Easter Week is retained. Another survival of an old
custom.
THE TRACT.
In certain seasons, as from Septuagesima to Easter,
the joyful Alleluia is exchanged for the Tract, which is
of a mournful character. The word Tract is derived
from tractim ; Tract meant something sung tractim,
without break or interruption of other voices as in
responsories and antiphons. The Tract is usually taken
from Scripture, very often from the Psalms. Its
character or tone sometimes resembles the Gradual
(see for example the Gradual and Tract in the Votive
Mass of the Holy Ghost after Septuagesima, and in
Requiem Masses).
The Sequence, sometimes called the Prose, from the
irregularity of its metre, derived its name from the last
vowel of the Alleluia which followed on through a series
of notes without words. Different notes on one syllable
without words may easily be difficult even to correct
Fingers. In the tenth century words were put to these
notes — and this is the origin of what is now called a
Sequence (a following on). Five are said or sung in
church, the Victimae Paschali at Easter, the Veni Sancte
Spiritus at Whitsuntide, the Lauda Sion for Corpus
Christi ; the Stahat Mater and the Dies Irae.
QUESTIONS ON CHAPTER XL 79
Questions on Chapter XL
1. Why is the Gradual so called ? What is it the survival
of? With what portions of the Mass is it closely connected
in thought and meaning ?
2. What is meant by the Alleluia verse, and what by the
Major Alleluia? Why is the Gradual retained in Easter
week ?
3. What does the word Tract mean ? When is it used ?
4. Give the origin of the word Sequence. Name the
Sequences now in use in the Roman Liturgy.
CHAPTER the TWELFTH.
THE GOSPEL AND THE CREED.
The second lesson from the Bible read at Mass is
called the Gospel (the good tidings of God). After the
Blessed Eucharist there is nothing the Church venerates
more than the word of God in the Gospel. At High
Mass the Gospel has lights and incense in token of the
Church's veneration ; while only the priest or deacon
is allowed to read or sing it at Mass.
Before the Gospel the priest bowing profoundly
before the altar, says two prayers — the first is called the
Munda cor metim and is as follows : Almighty God who
didst with a burning coal purify the lips of the
Prophet Isaiah, cleanse also my heart and my lips,
and of Thy merciful kindness vouchsafe to purify
me that I may worthily announce Thy holy Gospel,
through Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer alone shows the great importance set by
the Church on the reading and explanation of the
Gospel. The allusion is to the vision told in the sixth
chapter of Isaiah. In a vision the Prophet saw the
God of armies and his own unworthiness to preach
God's message, ** and one of the Seraphim flew to me
and in his hands was a live coal, which he had taken
with the tongs off the altar. And he touched my mouth
and said, Behold this hath touched thy lips, and thy
THE GOSPEL, 8i
iniquities shall be taken away, and thy sin shall be
cleansed." Then only did the Prophet gain courage
to give God's message. The fire is the figure of the
grace of the Holy Spirit which consumes all imper-
fections, and cleanses the heart to preach the Gospel.
The second pra3^er is as follows : May the Lord
be in my heart and on my lips that I may worthily
and in a becoming manner (this refers to the reading
or explanation) announce His Gospel.
After saying this prayer in secret the priest moves
to the right side of the altar, and in a loud voice
addresses his salutation to the people, The Lord be
with you, the server answers and with thy spirit,
which means here a mutual desire of priest and people
to announce and receive the Gospel in fitting dis-
positions.
The priest then says, according to the passage that
he is going to read, either the beginning of the
Gospel according to St. Matthew (or another
EvangeHst) or a continuation of the Gospel.
The words of the Church indicate that there are not
four Gospels, but one Gospel written by four Evangelists
from different points of view. The server answers
Glory be to Thee, O Lord, because the good news
of the Gospel teaches us to honour and praise God.
The priest makes the sign of the Cross on the
Missal, not to bless it, but to signify ** This is the book
of the Crucified." The Gospel is the word of the
Cross. The priest next makes the sign of the Cross
on his forehead, lips, and heart, to remind us that we
ought to carry the doctrine of a crucified Redeemer in
our mind, on our lips, and in our heart.
The Church's Rubrics observed in the reading of the
Gospel show her esteem for the Sacred Word.
82 THE GOSPEL.
(i) The Gospel is read at the right or more honour-
able side of the altar. Right and left on the
altar are indicated by the arms of the cross
over the tabernacle. Consequently the Gospel
is the right, the Epistle the left of the altar.
(2) The congregation stand as a mark of respect
and reverence. The rubric in the Roman Missal
seems now-a-days forgotten in England — ** at
private Masses the congregation {circumstantes}
always kneel, even in paschal time, except while
the Gospel is read."
(3) At High Mass two acolytes with lighted candles
and the thurifer with incense accompany the
deacon as he chants the Gospel. The lighted
candles signify the light of faith, the perfume
of incense the good odour of Christ, while the
consuming of the incense itself by fire is suit-
able to the idea of destruction involved in the
Sacrifice.
(4) The kiss given by the celebrant to the sacred
volume is a token of homage to and affection for
our Lord's teaching. The words said while he
kisses the Missal, after the first Gospel, Majr
our sins be blotted out by the words of the
Gospel, are the Church's petition for the pardon
of sin, through those acts of sorrow and love
which the words of the Gospel above all other
words excite in the heart.
THE CREED. ^3
THE CREED.
After the Gospel on Sundays follows usually the
sermon or explanation of the Gospel.
The Gospel, then, closes the first of the two
great divisions of Mass. The Mass to the end of
the Gospel and sermon was called in the early ages
of the Church the Missa Catechumenovum — the Mass
of the Catechumens — from the Offertory to the Ite
Missa est, Missa fidelium — the Mass of the faithful.
The catechumens, or those under instruction for the
Church, were dismissed after the Gospel. The Dis-
cipline of the Secret lasted for the first five hundred
years in the Church. We have already alluded in the
Introductory Chapter to the Discipline of the Secret, or
the custom which prevailed in the early Church of con-
cealing from heathens and catechumens the more secret
and mysterious doctrines of the Catholic Church, either
by not mentioning them at all, or by mentioning them
in enigmatical language, intelligible only to those who
were initiated into its meaning. '*That it existed even
as a rule with respect to the sacraments," says Cardinal
Newman, ** seems to be admitted on all hands." In
times of persecution the Christians were afraid to speak
openly of their doctrines and worship, from the fear of
increasing their own persecution or of having their
doctrines misunderstood or laughed at. They were
especially anxious to keep the Blessed Eucharist and
Mass secret from heathens and even catechumens.
The Offertory begins the Mass of the Faithful, or ot
those who professed the Catholic faith. The Credo is
fittingly introduced after the Gospel as a solemn act of
faith in the Gospel and doctrines of Divine revelation.
84 THE CREED.
The Credo is a suitable introduction to the Sacrifice, as
it is a confession of faith in our Divine Redeemer, who
is both Priest and Victim.
After the Gospel on certain days the Creed is said
or sung. These days are, all Sundays in the year, ah
feasts of our Lord and the Blessed Virgin, of the
Apostles, and Doctors of the Church, the feasts of All
Saints, the feast of the Angel Guardians, and practically
all Doubles of the First Class.
Apostles and Doctors have the Credo, because to
them in a special way belongs the duty of teaching the
truths of faith professed in the Credo, Except the
Mother of God, to St. Mary Magdalene alone among
women the Credo is given. St. Theresa and other saintly
women may have the Credo on their feast in a special
church, because that feast is a Double of the First Class
in that church, or because it claims the saint as its
patron.
The Credo in the Mass is called in the Church's
language Symbolum Nicaenum Constantinopolitammi, Sy^n-
bohim means a sign. The Creed is the sign of the true
Faith we profess and to which we belong. In it are
gathered together the chief Dogmas of Faith. In the
Constantinopolitan Creed we have clearly defined the
Divinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Arius
denied the Divinity of the Son, Macedonius the
Divinity of the Holy Ghost. At Constantinople in 381
two additions were made to the old Nicene formula.
The clause, of whose kingdom there shall be no end,
was added against Marcellus of Ancyra, who denied
that Christ's reign would continue after the Day of
Judgment. Again, after the clause, and in the Holy
Ghost, the words, the Lord and Life-giver who
proceedeth from the Father and the Son, who
THE CREED.
85
togrether with the Father and the Son, were added
against the Macedonians who denied the Divinity of
the Holy Ghost. The famous addition of the Filioque,
who proceedeth from the Father and the Son, was
introduced later by particular churches. About 1015
Rome itself adopted it. This brings the Creed to the
shape we now have it at Mass.
The Credo w^as recited or sung in the Roman Mass
at the beginning of the eleventh century under
Benedict VIII. (1012 — 1024). In the Eastern Church
the Credo was introduced at the beginning of the sixth.
Credo in unum Deum,
Patrem omnipotentem, fac-
torem coeli et terrae visibi-
lium omnium, et invisibilium.
Et in unum Dominum Jesum
Christum, Filium Dei uni-
genitum, et ex Patre natum
ante omnia saecula. Deum
de Deo ; lumen de lumine ;
Deum verum de Deo vero ;
genitum non factum ; consub-
stantialem Patri, per quem
omnia facta sunt. Qui propter
nos homines, et propter nos-
tram salutem, descendit de
coelis, {Hie genuflectitur.) et
incarnatus est de Spiritu
sancto ex Maria Virgine :
ET Homo factus est. Cruci-
fixus etiam pro nobis : sub
Pontio Pilato passus et sepul-
tus est. Et resurrexit tertia
die secundum Scripturas ; et
ascendit in coelum, sedet ad
dexteram Patris : et iterum
venturus est cum gloria judi-
care vivos et mortuos: cujus
regni non erit finis.
Et in Spiritum sanctum
Dominum, et vivificantem.
I believe in one God, the
Father Almighty, Maker of
heaven and earth, and of all
things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the only-begotten Son
of God, born of the Father
before all ages. God of God;
Light of Light; true God of
true God: begotten, not made;
consubstantial with theFather,
by whom all things were made.
Who for us men, and for our
salvation, came down from
heaven (here the people kneel
down^ , and was incarnate by
the Holy Ghost of the Virgin
Mary : and was made Man*
He was crucified also for us,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,,
and was buried. The third
day He rose again according
to the Scriptures; and as-
cended into heaven, and sitteth
at the right hand of the Father :
and He shall come again
with glory to judge both the
living and the dead ; of whose
kingdom there shall be no end.
And I believe in the Holy
Ghost, the Lord and Life-
86 THE CREED.
qui ex Patre Filioque pro- giver, who proceedeth from
cedit : qui cum Patre, et Filio the Father and the Son : who
simul adoratur et conglorifi- together with the Father and
catur : qui locutus est per the Son is adored and glori-
Prophetas. Et unam sanctam fied ; who spake by the pro-
catholicam et apostolicam phets. And one holy CathoHc
Ecclesiam. Confiteor unum and ApostoHc Church. I con-
baptisma in remissionem pec- fess one baptism for the remis-
catorum. Et exspecto resur- sion of sins. And I look for
rectionem mortuorum, et the resurrection of the dead
vitam venturi saeculi. Amen, and the life of the world to
come. Amen.
Explanation of the Nicene Creed.
I believe ; believe does not mean, as often in English,
a mere expression of opinion said hesitatingly and
doubtfully; believe means a firm, unhesitating, abso-
lutely certain state of mind, without shadow of fear or
doubt, because the belief rests on the word of God.
In one God. We are bound to believe in God, infinite
in every perfection, containing in Himself the fulness
of every conceivable good: hence it follows there is only
one God — for the fulness of every conceivable perfection
is found in one God alone. The Father Almighty.
The word Father in the Creed leads us to a knowledge
of the Trinity ; there cannot be a Father without a
Son ; thus we are obliged to acknowledge the Trinity
in which there is a distinction of person with one and
the same nature, the Son is generated by the Father, the
Holy Ghost proceeds necessarily from the Father and
Son. Almighty means that God can do everything
which is not repugnant to His infinite perfection.
Almighty is the name most frequently applied to God in
Scripture. The thought of omnipotence strengthens more
than anything else our faith, hope, and confidence in
God. Maker here is the same as Creator, and the latter
THE CREED. 87
signifies, as taught by the Council of the Vatican, one
who makes out of nothing, that is, where nothing was,
something came into being at God's command. Of
Heaven ; this includes the sun, moon, stars, and sky
above; the words and earth mean this planet with
everything on its surface. And of all things visible
and invisible; this clause explains more fully Heaven
and earth — nothing exists, seen or unseen in earth or
Heaven, neither men nor angels, which has not been
made by God. He made the demons too: not as
demons: He made them pure spirits, and by their own
sin they became demons.
And (I believe) in one Lord Jesus Christ. The
Council now passes on to condemn Arius by distinctly
defining that Christ is God. Lord expresses our belief
in the sovereignty of Christ, not merely as God but also
as Man, over the whole world. He is Lord of earth, of
angels and of men. Jesus is the distinctive name ot
Christ as God and Man — it means Saviour, indicating
His office according to the Angel's words to St. Joseph :
^* She shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call His
name Jesus ; for (the reason of the name) He shall
save His people from their sins." (5^. Matt, i, 21.) Christ
means anointed. In the Old Law priests, prophets, and
kings were anointed. The rite is. used in the Christian
Church when priests are ordained and kings are
crowned.
Christ is Priest, Prophet, and King. He is
anointed not with oil as priests and kings, but with the
fulness of grace poured into His Soul by the Holy
Ghost. The Psalmist says of Christ, ** Thou hast loved
justice and hated iniquity : therefore God, Thy God
hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above
Thy fellows." [Psalm xliv. 8.) The name Christ as also
S8 THE CREED.
the name Jesus brings before us the two natures of the
Word Incarnate. Besides the anointing of the Man
Jesus with grace, there is the higher anointing with the
Divinity whereby especially He is the Messiah long
expected by the nations. Christ is a Priest not by sacra-
mental rites. His Priesthood began with His Incarna-
tion, and it was completed by the sacrifice of His life
on Calvary. The best description of that Priesthood
is given by St. Paul in the Epistle to the Hebrews.
Christ is also a Prophet. In Scripture prophet does
not mean exclusively one who foretells the future. It is
commonly used to signify a teacher. Christ is the great
Teacher of the world, from Him we learn the Gospel
that leads to Heaven. Before the coming of Christ, of
Him prophets spoke, and Christ in the flesh spoke of
His Father. Christ is King not only as God but as
Man and as sharer of our nature. ^* He shall reign in
the house of Jacob for ever and of His Kingdom there
shall be no end." (St, Luke i. 32, 33.) His Kingdom is
spiritual and for everlasting. It began on earth and
will be perfected at His second coming, when the whole
world shall be subject to Christ, and Christ at the head
of His elect shall as Man make His grand act of
submission to His Father and God shall be all in all.
(i Cor, XV, 28.)
The Only-begotten Son of God. The Council
refers to the eternal generation of Christ from His
Father. Christ is God, says the Athanasian Creed,
begotten before time from the substance of the Father,
born of the Father before all ages, and He is Man
born in time from the substance of His Mother. God
of God, that is, God begotten of God ; Light of Light,
uncreated Light proceeding everlastingly from un-
created Lio^ht ; true God of true God, true God
THE CREED. 89
begotten of the only true God ; begotten, not made^
begotten eternal as He who begets, not made from
substance existing before: consubstantial with the
Father, the same substance numerically with the Father
— Christ has one and the same nature, essence, substance
as the Father. By whom all things were made. The
Father is said to create through the Son in the sense
that He communicated to the Son the essence and
power wherewith He creates along with the Father.
Who for us men, and for our salvation, by these
words the end of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ is
clearly stated. He came for us men on earth not to
condemn as but to save us. Came down from
Heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost.
Christ remaining God took flesh not by the power of
man, for no man was His father, but by the power of
the Holy Ghost miraculously, of the Virgin Mary.
Mary was a Virgin in her miraculous Conception, a
Virgin in the miraculous birth of her Child, and a
Virgin after birth ; always a Virgin, as the Church says
— semper Virgo, And was made Man. In one
sentence here is the whole doctrine of the Incarnation ;
the Divine nature in Christ was not made, the human
was. Christ became, what He was not before, Man with
a body and soul like ours. Two natures, consequently
divine and human, in one Person.
He was crucified also for us. By these words was
fulfilled the prophecy of our Lord in St. Matthew xx,
19, ''they shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to be mocked
and scourged and crucified" for us. These words for
us must not be forgotten ; *^ He loved me and delivered
Himself up for me ; " suffered under Pontius Pilate
and was buried ; suffered refers obviously to the pams
of body and of mind which our Lord bore for us the
90 THE CREED.
Qame of the governor is added to impress the great
truth on the memory of the faithful. And was buried.
The Apostles' Creed says dead and buried, the Nicene
omits dead. The death of the Lord is plainly
stated in the fact of His burial. By the death of
Jesus Christ we mean that the blessed Soul of our
Lord, to which the Divinity clung, was separated from
His Body, with which also the Divinity remained
inseparably united. He took a body capable of suffer-
ing. He died from violence, but when He chose and
as He chose. He allowed violence to take its natural
effect. (See Hisown words in Si^.y^^/m^;. 17.) The Council
adds buried, because burial is the strongest proof o!
death, and from the fact of Christ's burial the miracle
of His Resurrection is more glorious and clear. Christ's
Body in the tomb could not suffer corruption.
And the third day He rose again according to
the Scriptures. Christ foretold that He would rise again,
not vaguely some day, but the third day. This means He
was in the tomb a part of Friday, all Saturday, and a
part of Sunday ; He rose again by His own power and
Divinity ; not by the power of another, as Lazarus and
many others rose, only to die again; Christ rose to die
no more; '^ Knowing that Christ rising again from the
dead, dieth now no more, death shall no more have
dominion over Him." (Romans vi, g.) On the Resur-
rection rests the whole truth of Christianity. By that
fact Christ and His Church stand or fall ; the Council
adds according to the Scriptures, the inspired word
has taught this great article of Faith. And ascended
into Heaven and sitteth at the right hand of the
Father. The work of redemption over, Christ as Man,
Body and Soul, ascended into Heaven not merely by the
power of the Divinity, but by the power granted to His
THE CREED. 91
glorious Soul to raise His Body to Heaven forty days
after His Resurrection ; Christ is said to sit as a
monarch on His Throne — on the right, holding as Man
the place of honour next His Father — who set Him
on His right hand in the heavenly places. {Ephes, i. 20.)
And He shall come again with glory to judge
both the living and the dead. So far the Creed has
spoken of our Lord's redemption of the human race,
and of His ascent to Heaven that He may intercede ; it
now defines His judgment of the world on the last day.
The first coming of our Saviour was in humiliation as a
Babe in Bethlehem, the second will be in glory. He is
to judge, Christ judges the world as God and Man (see
St, John V, 26), **and He (the Father) hath given Him
authority to execute judgment because He is the Son
of Man,'' These words of St. John mean that the judicial
power like the priestly power is a portion of and in-
separable from our Lord's human nature. Quia
(because) in the Vulgate might more correctly be qua-
teniis (inasmuch as He is the Son of Man). The living
and the dead — by the living is meant those w^ho are
alive at the second coming. They will die and rise
again. The dead at the second coming will also rise
again. All born of Adam will die and rise again. Ol
whose kingdom there shall be no end. These
words proclaim that Christ's reign as Man is to con-
tinue after the last day. Our Lord's Kingdom shall
last for ever and ever.
And (I believe) in the Holy Ghost the Lord and
Life-giver. The Council after defining the Divinity of
the Father and of the Son — the same in nature, distinct
in person — proceeds to define the Divinity of the Holy
Ghost. The Macedonian heretics denied that the Holy
Ghost was God, equal to and of the same substance as
92 THE CREED.
the Father and the Son. They held that the Holy Ghost
was a creature like the angels, and a servant of the
Father and the Son. The very fact that belief in the
Holy Ghost is placed on the same level as belief in
the Father and the Son implies the Divinity of all three
Persons. The Holy Ghost is called Lord as having the
same nature and therefore the same authority as the
Father and the Son: life-giver means Sanctifier. Grace
is the true life of the soul, and all gifts of grace are
attributed to the Holy Ghost. We speak of the Holy
Ghost as the Sanctifier^ because that work of love is
attributed with special fitness to Him who proceeds
from the mutual love of the Father and Son, who pro-
ceedeth from the Father and the Son. The Cathohc
Doctrine teaches that the Second Person proceeds from
the First, and the Third from the First and the Second
by way of Communication of one and the same nature.
The introduction of the Filioque into the Creed seems
to have been first adopted in Spain. It is known to
have been in use as early as 589 and possibly a century
earlier. Rome, as we have seen, adopted the test-word
Filioque about 1015, and it has ever since been in
regular use in the Western Church. By the Council of
Florence it was defined that this addition, Filioque, was
** lawfully and reasonably" made to the Creed. Who
together with the Father and the Son is adored and
glorified : the Council in these words again teaches the
Divinity of the Holy Ghost. If one and the same act
of adoration be paid to the Holy Ghost as to the Father
and the Son, the Holy Ghost is God as much as the
Father and the Son. " Who spake by the Prophets;
the duty of the Prophets was to foretell the coming of
Christ and to teach Divme truth — they were inspired
by God, and the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of truth
THE CREED. 93
spoke through them — the Prophets were the mouth-
piece of the Holy Ghost.
And (I believe) in one holy Catholic and Apostolic
Church : one having one head, the Pope, and one in its
Doctrine the wide world over — the doctrine never
changes, never increases or decreases, our knowledge
of that doctrine grows wider and fuller with time and
does actually increase. The Church is one also in unity
of worship — for all recognize that the supreme act of
worship is the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered by a
Priest, who holds authorit}^ to celebrate from a Bishop
m communion with the Holy See, and the names of the
reigning Pope and of the Bishop of the Diocese are
mentioned in the Canon of each Mass. The rite of the
Mass differs, the oneness of the Sacrifice is ever the
same. The difference in rite is permitted by the Pope.
The Church is one in government in this sense that all
Bishops receive power to rule their Diocese from the
Pope, to whom at stated times they render an account
of the flock entrusted to their care. The Church is holy
in its Founder Jesus Christ, in its doctrine, and children,
many of whom in every age are Saints, that is, lead lives
conspicuous in virtue over the lives of such as merely
keep the Ten Commandments. Saints are heroes. They
are the V.C's. and much more in the army of the Lord.
Catholic means universal, and universal implies that
the Church must subsist in all ages, teach all nations,
and maintain all truths. The mission of the Church is to
all men without exception: ** Going therefore," says our
Lord in St. Matthew, ** teach all nations," in St. Mark,
** Preach the Gospel to every creature " — the Church is
never limited to country or race. She must be ever con-
spicuous among Christian communities by numbers and
influence. She is for every place and for every man.
94 THE CREED.
She must teach all her Master's doctrine, inculcate
all His precepts, and use all His Sacraments. She
must be ready to explain and defend her doctrine
against attack, and she must at any time and at any
place furnish all that is requisite for the Salvation of
men. *' Were she to withhold anything necessary for
Salvation, she would be false to her mission." {See
Father Gerard's Religious Instniction, p. 80.)
The Church is Apostolic because, in the words of
the Catechism, ** She holds the doctrines and traditions
of the Apostles, and because, through the unbroken
succession of her Pastors, she derives her Orders and
her Mission from them." Orders confer supernatural
powers — as of Ordaining, Consecrating, and Absolving,
&c., and Mission gives the right to exercise these
powers. True Orders do not of themselves prove the
true Church. Apostolic Mission is also required. In
the Catholic Church we find both Orders and Mission.
She is therefore the one true Church.
I confess one Baptism for the remission of
sins. Baptism can be validly administered by any one,
be he Catholic, Anglican, Methodist, or Jew ; but by
whomsoever administered there is only one Baptism,
which our Lord instituted of water and the Holy Ghost.
For the remission of sins : Baptism remits the guilt
and punishment of any sin great and small repented of
and admits the soul, who dies immediately after that
Sacrament has been conferred, straight to Heaven.
No man sees God face to face in Heaven without
Baptism or the desire of it ; the latter is contained in
an act of perfect sorrow or perfect love of God.^
And I look for the resurrection of the dead — we
1 Baptism by blood or martyrdom also opens Heaven to souls :
only Baptism by water makes us members of the Body of the Church.
THE CREED. 95
are said to look for what we are anxious to have, the
resurrection of the body is human nature's greatest
triumph through the power of God. By the resurrection
is meant we shall all rise again with the same bodies we
had before death — though in what the sameness con-
sists has not been defined by the Church. Men shall
be men and women shall be women. ** The body shall
be the same but changed." (See St. Paul's magnificent
description in i Cor. xv.) And the life of the world
to come ; the future life which we are said in the
Creed to look for is summed up in one word,
Beatitude, a state, according to theologians, perfect in
the possession of everything that is good.
Questions on Chapter XII.
1. What is meant by the word Gospel ? Explain the
allusion to the burning coal in the Munda cor meum.
2. Describe the rubrics observed in the reading of the
Gospel.
3. When should the congregation kneel at Low Mass
according to the Rubric in the Roman Missal ?
4. When is the Credo said ? What additions have been
made to it since the Council of Nice — and why?
5. Explain the following words in the Nicene Creed —
Maker, only begotten Son, God of God, Light of light, God of God,
consiibstantial, by whom all things were made, was made man, the
third day He rose again. He shall come to judge the living and the
dead, the Holy Ghost Lord and Life-giver, who proceeds from
the Father and the So7i : one, holy. Catholic, Apostolic Church;
resurrection of the dead.
6. Explain the introduction of the Filioque clause into the
Creed.
.<o'
CHAPTER the THIRTEENTH.
Part the Second.
The Offertory to the Canon.
THE OFFERTORY.
The Offertory is an Antiphon. It originally consisted
of an antiphon and psalm, which used to be sung while
the faithful made their offerings of bread and wine for
the Mass, or of gifts for the use of the clergy. The
offerings of bread and wine for the Mass by the faithful
began to fall into disuse about the year looo, the psalm
was dropped, but the Antiphon and its name are still
retained.
At the Offertory we see the oblation of bread and
wine by the priest, made after the recitation of the
antiphon just mentioned. The Church does not really
offer bread and wine absolutely and in themselves, the
Church offers them that Christ may convert them into
His own Body and Blood.
The antiphon at the Offertory, or as the Missal
terms it, **the Offertory," has no necessary con-
nection with the oblation which it precedes. Thus,
on the Fourth Sunday in Advent, the Offertory is
the first part of the Hail Mary. The Offertory varies
THE OFFERTORY.
97
with the season and feast, and is closely connected with
the Introit, Gradual, and Communion.
The things offered are bread and wine. Both are by
the institution of Jesus Christ. The bread used in the
Latin Church is made of flour and water without yeast,
that is, unleavened bread. In the Greek Church the old
custom of using leavened bread is still preserved. Wine,
according to the Council of Florence, from the grape
alone can be used ; thus gooseberry wine is invalid.
By the precept of the Church at least a drop of
water, aqua inodicissima, says the Council of Florence, is
mixed with the wine. The Council of Trent teaches
{Sess, xxii. c. 7) that the Church orders a drop or two of
water to be mingled with the wine before Consecration,
because our Lord is believed to have mingled water
with wine at the Last Supper, as also because the
mixture of wine and water represents the Blood and
Water which flowed from His Side after Death.
The five prayers used at the oblation of bread and
wine are of comparatively recent date, about the
thirteenth century. The great oblation of Christ's Body
and Blood must be carefully distinguished from the
Offertory or anticipatory oblation of bread and wine.
The oblation is neither an essential nor an integral
portion of the Sacrifice ; it is not necessary for its
completeness. The oblation is a religious ceremony
instituted by the Church to excite the reverence and
devotion of the faithful towards the great mystery to
be accomplished, while it is the appropriation of the
bread and wine to the special service of God.
I proceed to explain these five prayers. The priest
raising his eyes to the crucifix and afterwards fixing
them on the bread lying on the paten which he holds
in his hands, says :
H
98 THE OFFERTORY.
Suscipe, sancte Pater, omni- Accept, O holy Father, al-
potens aeterne Deus, hanc mighty, eternal God, this im-
immaculatam Hostiam, quam maculate Host, which I, Thy
ego indignus famulus tuus unworthy servant, offer unto
offero tibi Deo meo vivo et Thee, my living and true God^
vero, pro innumerabihbus for mine innumerable sins
peccatis et offensionibus, et and offences, and negli-
negligentiis meis, et pro gences, and for all here
omnibus circumstantibus, sed present ; as also for all faith-
etpro omnibus fidelibus Chris- ful Christians, both living and
tianis vivis atque defunctis ; dead, that it may be profitable
ut mihi, et illis proficiat ad for mine own and for their
salutem in vitam aeternam. salvation unto life eternal.
Amen. Amen.
Explanation of the Prayer.
Accept, O holy Father, to God the Father, the
Sacrifice of His Son is offered, not to the Blessed Virgin,
nor to Saint, or Angel — to the Father from whom all
paternity descends : Almighty, the epithet is very
suitable, since the Sacrifice of the Mass is to show-
God's supreme dominion and power over all creatures,
eternal, is the attribute of the true God only, who always
was, is, and always will be; this immaculate Host, the
bread by anticipation is called the Spotless Host —
*' receive," says Benedict XIV. [Bk, ii. c, x, n. 2) on the
Mass, *'this Spotless Host into Whom this bread is soon
to be converted," which I, Thy unworthy servant,
offer unto Thee, my living and true God, God is the
source of all life, without Him only death ; for mine
innumerable sins, mortal and venial, which the priest
may have committed by thought, word, deed, and
omission ; offences are involuntary faults which,
through human weakness one commits, which with
greater care might be avoided. You hurt your foot by
knocking against the table; take greater care not to
knock against the table and you will not hurt your foot.
THE OFFERING OF THE CHALICE. 99
And negligences, such as want of purity of inten-
tion, want of correspondence with the special grace God
gives His priest, which mars the beauty of an action.
And for all here present; the Mass is offered for
all present in a special way, because the congregation
assisting at Mass gain more abundant fruit from the
Sacrifice. For all faithful Christians, the Mass is
offered too, for the members of the true Church in the
first place, and for all the baptized who serve God
outside the body of the Church according to their con-
science ; living and dead, on earth and in Purgatory,
that it may be profitable for mine own and for their
salvation unto life eternal. Amen.
Then making the sign of the Cross with the paten, the
Priest places the Host upon the corporal.
THE OFFERING OF THE CHALICE.
The Chalice is offered to God the Father in the same
way as the Host, because to Him the Sacrifice is offered.
The priest pours wine into the chalice, and by the
command of the Church adds a drop or two of water,
having previously blessed it with the sign of the Cross.
The wine is said to represent Jesus Christ and the
water the people. The wine is not blessed, since it will
soon be changed into the Blood of Christ at the Con-
secration ; the sign of the Cross is made over the water,
as representing the people who need to be blessed before
they are united with Jesus Christ. The mingling of
water with wine is also said to represent the union of the
people with Jesus Christ [Council of Trent, Sess. xxii. c. 7.)
Deus, qui humanae sub- O God, who, in creating
Btantiae dignitatem mirabi- human nature, didst wonder-
liter condidisti, et mirabilius fully dignify it, and hast still
100 THE OFFERING OF THE CHALICE.
reformasti: da nobis per hujus more wonderfully renewed it ;
aquae et vini mysterium, grant that, by the mystery of
ejus divinitatis esse consortes, this Water and Wine, we
qui humanitatis nostrae fieri may be made partakers of His
dignatus est particeps, Jesus Divinity, who vouchsafed to
Christus Filius tuus Dominus become partaker of our huma-
noster : qui tecum vivit et nity, Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
regnat in unitate Spiritus our Lord ; who liveth and
sanctiDeus: per omnia saecula reigneth with Thee in the
saeculorum. Amen. unity of, &c.
Explanation of the Prayer in Mingling the
Water with the Wine.
The drift of the prayer is that we may be sharers
in the divine nature, according to these words of
St. Peter (2 i. 4) : ** by whom He hath given us
most great and precious promises : that by these you
may be made partakers of the divine nature." By
sanctifying grace we become the adopted children of
God, and are most closely united to Him. We ask
the grace by the mystery of this water and wine,
that is, by the Passion and Death of our Saviour, when
blood and water flowed from His side, and He as Man
satisfied for us, began and perfected the work of our
redemption.
Then the priest, having moved to the middle of the
altar, takes the Chalice by the knob in one hand and
with the other supporting the foot, holds it about the
height of his eyes, and fixing them on the crucifix, says :
Offerimus tibi Domine call- We offer unto Thee,0 Lord,
cem salutaris tuam depre- the Chalice of salvation, be-
cantes clementiam ; ut in con- seeching Thy Clemency, that,
spectudivinaeMajestatistuae, in the sight of Thy divine
pro nostra, et totius mundi Majesty, it may ascend with
salute cum odore suavitatis the odour of sweetness, for
ascendat. Amen. our salvation, and for that of
the whole world. Amen.
THE OFFERING OF THE CHALICE
Explanation of the Prayer in Offering the Chalice.
We offer unto Thee, O Lord, the Chalice of
salvation — the words *' chalice of salvation " are taken
from the 115th Psalm — they refer, by anticipation,
to the Blood in the Chalice, after the Consecration,
shed for our salvation, just as in the Offering of the
Host, ^* Spotless Host," refers, by anticipation, to
the Consecrated Host, beseeching Thy clemency,
that in the sight of Thy Divine Majesty it may
ascend with the odour of sweetness for our sal-
vation and for that of the whole world, for not
merely upon Catholics but upon the whole world,
graces descend through the power of the Mass.
Why, it may be asked, does the priest say **we"
offer and not ** I " offer ? Because at Solemn Mass or
High Mass the assisting deacon joins with the priest in
offering the chalice. The Church has only one liturgy,
and its form supposes that more solemn celebration of
High Mass, which is dearer to her heart. Low Mass
differs from High Mass chiefly in omissions.
The priest then makes the sign of the Cross with
the chalice, places it upon the corporal, and covers it
with the pall. Then with his hands joined upon the
altar, and slightly bowing down, he says :
In spiritu humilitatis, et in In the spirit of humility,
animo contrito suscipiamur a and with a contrite heart, let
te, Domine : et sic fiat sacri- us be received by Thee, O
ficium nostrum in conspectu Lord ; and grant that the
tuo hodie, ut placeat tibi, Sacrifice we offer in Thy sight
Domine Deus. this day may be pleasing to
Thee, O Lord God.
This prayer is more or less modelled on the prayer
of the three children in the fiery furnace as given in
Daniel, third chapter, vv, 39, 40. They walked in the
midst of the flames praising God, refusing to adore the
THE VENI SANCTIFICATOR.
golden statue set up by Nabuchodonosor. They offered
their bodies as victims to obtain mercy for themselves
and others. The priest with contrite heart offers the
Sacrifice for the sins of the world. Next, the priest
raising his eyes and stretching out his hands, which he
afterwards joins, makes the sign of the Cross over the
Host and Chalice while he says :
Veni Sanctificator omni- Come, O Sanctifier, almighty
potens aeterne Deus : et be- eternal God, and blessi^this
nei^dic hoc sacrificium tuo Sacrifice, prepared to Thy
sancto nomini praeparatum. holy Name.
Explanation of the Prayer Veni Sanctificator.
This invocation is addressed to the Holy Ghost. In
the language of the Church, the Holy Ghost is called
the Sanctifier, and to Him the work of sanctification is
specially attributed. Thus we speak of the seven gifts
not of the Father and Son, but of the Holy Ghost : all
meant for our sanctification. The word *' bless" has
various meanings. It may mean a prayer as of a
father over his child — God bless you, which may not
take effect. God's blessing carries infallibly virtue with
it. The priest in blessing and in sanctifying by the sign
of the Cross the bread and wine on the altar begs the
presence under their species of the Lamb of God, and
implores of the Holy Ghost transubstantiation, which
is God's greatest work.
The priest with his hands joined goes to the Epistle
side of the altar, where he washes his fingers, and
recites a portion of the 25th Psalm.
The washing of the fingers is the sign of the perfect
cleansing of the heart required for the worthy celebra-
tion of the Holy Mass.
The tips of the fingers, the thumb and forefinger,
EXPLANATION OF THE LAV ABO. 103
which at his ordination were consecrated for ,the offering
of the adorable Sacrifice, and not the hands, are washed
to express that the priest should be clean wholly even
from small faults {see St, John xiii, 10). The Lavabo,
that is, the verses from the 25th Psalm, run thus :
1. I will wash my hands among the innocent: and
will encompass Thy altar, O Lord.
2. That I may hear the voice of praise, and tell of
all Thy marvellous works.
3. I have loved, O Lord, the beauty of Thy house
and the place where Thy glory dwelleth.
4. Take not away my soul, O God, with the wicked,
nor my life with bloody men.
5. In whose hands are iniquities : their right hand
is filled with gifts.
6. As for me, I have walked in my innocence :
redeem me and have mercy on me.
7. My foot hath stood in the right path: in the
churches I will bless Thee, O Lord.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
Explanation of the Lavabo,
David's prayer to be delivered from exile and to
worship God in His tabernacle is placed by the Church
in the mouth of the priest. In the first verse David
alludes to a custom among the Jews, who before
entering into the Tabernacle purified themselves
and the victims they offered, and this external washing
is the dgn of internal purity. David says, I will
wash my hands among the innocent, as a sign
of real inward purity, as an innocent person would
wash them ; and not with the hypocrites, who do so
with clean hands and unclean hearts.
104 SUSCIPE SANCTA TRIM IT AS.
Such verses as I will wash my hands among
the innocent, and as for me, I have walked in my
innocence {v, 6), in no sense deny that the priest is
a sinner. These words have no boastful tone — for the
priest adds, redeem me and have mercy on me.
There is a true sense in which every priest striving to
serve God may use the words, ** I have walked in my
innocence." The priesthood is a state of innocence
secured by its obHgations against many forms of evil.
The priest speaks more or less in the name of his order.
The priesthood has a multitude of graces to secure
it from sin, and the language of David, a penitent
sinner, in the mouth of the priest from the knowledge
it implies of the priestly state and of what a priest
ought to be, fills any priest with a humbling sense
of his unworthiness for such an exalted position.
Returning to the middle of the altar and bowing
slightly with hands joined, to imitate, as St. Thomas
says, the humility and obedience of Jesus Christ, the
priest says :
Suscipe, sancta Trinitas, Receive, O holy Trinity, this
banc oblationem, quam tibi oblation, which we make to
offerimus ob memoriam pas- Thee, in memory of the Pas-
sionis, resurrectionis, et as- sion, Resurrection, and Ascen-
censionis Jesu Christi Domini sion of our Lord Jesus Christ,
nostri : et in honorem beatae and in honour of the blessed
Mariae. semper Virginis, et Mary ever a Virgin, of blessed
beati Joannis Baptistae, et John v Baptist, the holy Apos-
sanctorum Apostolorum Petri ties Peter and Paul, of these
et Pauli, et istorum, et om- and of all the Saints : that it
nium Sanctorum : ut illis may be available to their
proficiat ad honorem, nobis honour and our salvation : and
autem ad salutem : et illi pro that they may vouchsafe to
nobis intercedere dignentur intercede for us in heaven,
in coelis, quorum memoriam whose memory we celebrate
agimus in terris. Per eumdem on earth. Through the same
Christum Dominum nostrum. Christ our Lord. Amen.
Amen.
THE ORATE FRATRES. ^^5
Explanation of the Prayer Siiscipe sancta Trinitas.
This prayer clearly brings out certain points of
doctrine. The preceding prayers of the Offertory are
addressed to the Father and Holy Ghost — this prayer
to the three persons of the Godhead, to whom alone
and not to the Blessed Virgin or the Saints the Sacrifice
of the Mass is offered. Sacrifice is (i) the supreme act
of worship to God alone. The offering is in memory of
the Passion, for the Eucharist, especially in the double
Consecration of bread and wine, is a memorial of Plis
Death ; (2) in memory of the Resurrection, for the
immortal body of Jesus Christ is consecrated ; (3) in
memory of the Ascension, for Christ who died for us
and rose again in the same Body which lies in the
Eucharist, has ascended into Heaven to intercede for
us. The Sacrifice is offered in honour of our Lady and
the Saints ; not to them, and the motive is that our
Lady and the Saints may intercede for us; in Heaven.
In honouring His Mother and the Saints we honour
our Lord in His best triends.
Next the priest kisses the altar as a sign of affection
for the relics of the Saints buried there and much more
for our Lord, and turning towards the people, extending
and joining his hands, he raises his voice a little and
says :
Brethren, pray that my Sacrifice and yours
may be acceptable to God the Father Almighty.
"• Brethren " is used without distinction of sex. The
human race after Baptism is one family, we are baptized
children of God, we are strengthened by the same
Sacraments, fed by the same food, call God our Father,
io6 THE SECRET.
and are destined for the same reward. The answer of
the server is as follows :
May our Lord receive the Sacrifice from thy
hands, to the praise and glory of His name, to
our benefit, and to that of all His holy Church.
The priest answers in a low voice Amen, and with
outstretched hands recites the Secret prayers.
THE SECRET.
The Secret is so-called because the prayers are
said in a low voice inaudible to the people.
The number of the Secrets is the same as that of
the Collects.
The difference between the Collect and Secret is
that the Collect is a special prayer to God or relates
to the feast of the day without reference to the Sacrifice
at all. The Secrets are in keeping with the name
originally given to them, prayers over the offerings
{prationes super oblata). In the Offertory we ask God to
accept, bless, sanctify, and consecrate the gifts offered,
in the Secret we implore of Him the graces we require,
as in a certain sense the fruit or effect of the offerings
made. Thus, in the Secret for Pentecost, we read :
Sanctify, we beg of Thee, O Lord, the gifts we
have offered, and cleanse our hearts by the
light of the Holy Spirit, and the Secret for
Corpus Christi says : We beseech Thee, O Lord,
mercifully to grant to Thy Church the gifts of
unity and peace which are mystically figured
under the gifts we offer, through Thy Son, Jesus
Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth, world
without end.
THE PREFACE. 107
THE PREFACE.
The Preface, as its name indicates, is the introduction
to the Canon, the most solemn portion of the Mass,
which includes the Consecration. If we consider the
Introit (introitus, entrance) with the preceding prayers
as a general introduction to Mass, then the Preface
may be considered as the special introduction to the
Canon.
The general purport of the Preface is to thank
God for all His mercies, to call on the angels to assist
at the great Sacrifice, and to place ourselves in com-
munion with them in the songs of adoration and love
which they present at the throne of God.
There are in all eleven Prefaces — the Common or
ordinary Preface, for days to which no other is ap-
propriated, and the special Prefaces for the Nativity,
used during the octave of Christmas (except on
St. John's octave), for the feasts of the Holy Name, of
the Purification, of Corpus Christi, and of the Trans-
figuration • for the Epiphany ; for Lent ; for Passion-
tide, used on the feasts of the Invention and Exaltation
of the Cross, of the Passion of our Lord, on the Fridays
of Lent and for the Sacred Heart ; for Easter ; the
Ascension ; Whit Sunday ; the Preface for Trinity,
used on all Sundays in the year which have no Preface
of their own ; the Preface for the Apostles, said also on
the feasts of St. Peter's Chair at Rome and at Antioch.
The Preface for our Lady was fixed by Urban II., at
the close of the eleventh century, 1088 — 1099.
io8
THE PREFACE.
The Preface is divided
duction and conclusion are
changes with the feast and
P. Dominus vobiscum.
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
Here the Priest
P. Sursum corda.
R. Habemus ad Dominum.
into three parts. The intro-
always the same : the middle
the ecclesiastical season.
P. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit,
uplifts his hands :
P. Lift up your hearts.
R. We have them lifted up
unto the Lord.
He joins his hands, and hows his head while he says :
P Gratias agamus Domino
Deo nostro.
R. Dignum et justum est,
Vere digQutn et justum est
aequum et salutare, nos tibi
semper, et ubique gratias
agere; Domine sancte. Pater
omnipotens, aeterne Deus;
per Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Per quem Majestatem
tuam laudant Angeli, adorant
Dominationes, tremunt Potes-
tates. Coeli, coelorumque vir-
tutes,ac beata Seraphim, socia
exsultatione concelebrant.
Cum quibus et nostras voces,
ut admitti jubeas deprecamur,
supplici confessione dicentes,
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria
tua. Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini. Hosanna in
excelsis.
P. Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God.
R. It is meet and just.
It is truly meet and just,
right and salutary, that we
should always, and in all
places, give thanks to Thee,
O Holy Lord, Father almighty,
eternal God, through Christ
our Lord. By whom the
Angels praise Thy Majesty,
the Dominations adore, the
Powers tremble before It.
The Heavens and the
Heavenly Virtues and the
blessed Seraphim do cele-
brate with united joy. In
union with whom we beseech
Thee to ordain that our
voices be admitted, saying in
suppliant accord. Holy, Holy,
Holy, the Lord God of hosts.
Full are the heavens and the
earth of Thy glory. Hosanna
in the highest. Blessed is
He who Cometh in the name
of the Lord. Hosanna in
the highest.
THE PREFACE. log
EXPLANATION OF THE INTRODUCTION
TO THE PREFACE.
The words Per omnia saecula saeculorum belong
to the Secret. The Introduction consists of three ver-
sicles with their responses. The priest opens with the
customary greeting Dominus vobiscum, without
turning as usual towards the people, thereby showing
that he is wholly wrapt in the thought of the great
action soon to be accomplished. He is conversing with
God face to face. The server answers, or at High Mass
the choir chants, et cum spiritu tuo — may God be with
thy spirit, O Priest. The Priest raising his hands, suit-
ing the action to the word, says the words Sursum
corda — lift up your hearts as an invitation to raise
our thoughts to heavenly things. To this invitation the
people respond, we have them lifted up unto the
Lord, that is, our hearts are already lifted up and with
our Lord. The priest joins his hands and bows his head
while he adds Let us give thanks to the Lord our
God, a tribute which is due to God for all His benefits
and especially for the gift of the Blessed Sacrament
which comes to us through the Holy Mass. The word
Eucharist, as we have seen, means thanksgiving. The
faithful answer through the server, it is meet and
just : meet in respect of His manifold benefits, and
just on our part who so largely enjoy them.
These words close the introduction which is thought
to have been composed by the Apostles.
'^o THE PREFACE
Explanation of the Preface,
We now come to the Preface itself and shall select
the Common Preface for explanation. The priest
begins the Preface by echoing the spirit of the response
and repeating it with increased force. It is truly
meet and just, right and salutary; meet with
respect to God whose benefits we acknowledge by
thanking Him for them, while this very act proclaims
our own feeling of gratitude ; just, for thanksgiving is
an obligation of justice ; right both on these and all
other accounts ; salutary, for it conduces to our salva-
tion ; that we should always, and in all places, give
thanks to Thee, that is on every conceivable occasion,
laughing and weeping, living and dying we should
thank God. Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal
God, through Christ our Lord. These words are
addressed to God the Father. Each epithet, Holy,
Almighty, Eternal, is used in the strict sense here and
belongs to God alone. By whom the angels praise
Thy Majesty, the Dominations adore, the Powers
tremble before It, the Heavens and the Heavenly
Virtues and the Blessed Seraphim do celebrate
with united joy.
The introduction of the Angels into the Preface
adds much solemnity to its words. There are nine
Choirs of Angels — Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers,
Principalities, Dominations, Thrones, Cherubim and •
Seraphim. It is distinctly said that the angels praise
God the Father through our Lord, their Chief and
Mediator. The word '' angels " is not taken in a general
sense, but specifically the first choir. The Dominations
THE PREFACE.
seem to annihilate themselves in adoring the Majesty of
their Creator — the Dominations adore. The Powers, so
called says Gregory the Great, because by their strength
they overcome the demons, tremble before It, that is,
are filled with a reverential fear {tremunt Potestates).
The Heavens, that is, the entire Heavenly Host ; the
Virtues, perhaps the Choir of Angels through whose
agency miraculous signs are made, and the Blessed
Seraphim, the highest choir of all, called Blessed
because of their incomparable love for God, in common
jubilee glorify God's Majesty.
Here four different emotions or actions are ascribed
to the angels in which we are to imitate them : namely,
praise, adoration, awe, and joy.
The priest next prays in the name of the faithful
and in his own. In union with whom we beseech
Thee to ordain that our voices be admitted in
suppliant accord (our humble voice of praise) saying:
now comes the conclusion of the Preface.
1. Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God of hosts.
Full are the heavens and the earth of Thy glory.
2. Blessed is He who cometh in the name of
the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
The first verse is taken from the sixth chapter of
Isaias, v. 3, where the Prophet describes the glorious
vision of the Lord's throne and the Seraphim ** cried
one to another, saying Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of
hosts, all the earth is full of His glory." The three-fold
repetition of holy is perhaps in honour of the Trinity^
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, distinct in person, the
same in nature.
The second verse is the repetition of the cries of
joy by the crowd in St. Matthew {xxi. 9) as our Lord
entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. ** Blessed is He
THE PREFACE.
that Cometh in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the
highest."
Hosanna means ** Save we pray" — much like our
expression, God save the King, or the French Vive
rEmpcrettf. Blessed is He who cometh in the name
of the Lord refers to Jesus Christ, who is in the full
sense of the word blessed, for He is the source of every
blessing.
The words Blessed is He who cometh refer
directly to our Lord's coming in the Eucharist. The
Church seems to give this interpretation in her rubric
which prescribes these words to be sung by the choir
after the Consecration.
Questions on Chapter XIII.
1. What is the Offertory ? Why so called ? Why is the
oblation of bread and wine made? What is the object of
the five prayers said by the priest ?
2. Why are wine and water mingled ? Why is the latter
alone blessed ?
3. Distinguish in the first prayer Suscipe, sancte Pater
(Accept, O holy Father), between "sins," "offences," and
" negligences."
4. What is meant by " Chalice of Salvation " ? Why does
the priest say *' we offer," and not " I offer " ?
5. What connection is there between the prayer of the
Three Children in the furnace and the prayer " in spiritu
humilitatis " ?
6. What is meant by invoking the Holy Ghost in the
Veni Sanctificaior ?
7. Mention and explain the points of doctrine in the
prayer Suscipe, sancta Trinitas.
8. What is the difference between the Collect and Secret ?
9. What was the Preface originally ? What is its object
now ? How many Prefaces are there now ?
10. Mention the Choirs of Angels.
CHAPTER the FOURTEENTH.
Part the Third.
THE CANON OF THE MASS.
The word Canon (/cai/civ) signifies a straight rod, then a
rule used by masons or carpenters, or a measuring
rule. Canon by an obvious metaphor was used and
is still used as a rule in art ; thus we speak of
something being against all the canons of literary
taste. The underlying sense of something fixed is
found in the various uses to which the word Canon
is applied by the Church. Thus, the Canon of Scripture
is the fixed list of books which the Church recognizes
as inspired ; ecclesiastical laws and definitions ot
councils are called Canons, they are fixed rules in
faith or conduct ; Canon-ization is the fixed list of
saints whom the Church places on her altars ; Canon,
now an ecclesiastical title, meant originally a fixed
list of clerics attached to a church. The Canon in
Mass means the fixed rule according to which the Holy
Sacrifice is offered. Briefly, we may say the Canon
of the Mass means the fixed portion of the Mass.
Other portions vary with the feast and the season,
while the Canon (if you except slight additions
I
114 THE CANON OF THE MASS.
in the prayers Communicantes and Hanc igitur) always
remains the same. As the Sacrifice in itself never
varies, there is a special fitness that the prayer which
accompanies it, and as it were enshrines it, should be
unchangeable.
Other names are given to the Canon by early
writers : thus, St. Gregory calls it the '* prayer " by
excellence, others the *' action," the latter word is still
kept in the Missal and forms the title of the prayer
Communicantes in the Canon. The Canon is called '' the
action," because the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in
the Mass is wrought or made [conficitur) by the greatest
*' action " or act in this world. The power to perform
that ** action " is given to the priest at his ordination.
Of what does the Canon consist ? The Council of
Trent {Sess, xxii. ch, 4) commits itself to these asser-
tions— the Canon consists first of our Lord's very
words ; secondly, of prayers received from the tradi-
tions of the Apostles ; thirdly, of prayers piously
ordered by holy Pontiffs. The Council defines that
the Canon of the Mass is free from errors, and that
the entire Canon is redolent of holiness.
The words : a holy sacrifice and spotless Victim
were added by St. Leo the Great. Pope St. Gregory the
Great (590 — 604) added the words : and dispose our
days in Thy peace, command us to be delivered
from eternal damnation, and to be numbered in
the flock of Thy elect. He is also said to have
added the names of the holy virgins and martyrs
SS. Agatha, Lucia, Agnes, Ceciha, and Anastasia.
As to the antiquity of the Canon — we are certainly
safe in saying that it is some 1,300 or 1,400 years old,
there has been no addition to the Canon since the time
of Gregory the Great.
THE CANON OF THE MASS. IC15
But portions of it may be earlier. The narrative
introductory to the Consecration and the words of con-
secration of the Chahce certainly contain Apostolical
traditions of the actions and words of our Blessed
Saviour, Who (as we know from St, John xxi, 25)
said and did many things which are not in the holy
Gospels. The order in which the Apostles' names are
given is not precisely the same as in any of the
Gospels ; the names of the Apostles may have been
written earlier than the Gospels. Further, the list of
saints given in the Canon consists of Apostles and
martyrs only ; a sign that at least a portion of the
Canon is earlier than the fourth century, when the
names of Confessors were added to the Church's list
of saints.
The Canon begins after the Sanctus and ends
before the Pater noster, according to some ; according to
others, the Canon ends with the priest's Communion.
By the strict law of the Church in the Council
of Trent, the Canon is said by the priest in a low voice
(siihmissa voce) and the priest never raises his voice
from the prayer which begins the Canon — Teigitiir^'W^
therefore humbly pray and beseech Thee, until the
Pater noster^ except at the Nobis quoque peccatorihis.
The rubric is that the Canon be said so as to be
inaudible to the congregation, because the great act of
sacrifice in the Canon belongs to the priest alone, and
secondly, because silence in the most important portion
of the Mass is most impressive for all who assist
at the Sacrifice, and it promotes recollection.
The priest begins the Canon by extending and
raising his hands and fixing his eyes on the crucifix.
He then lowers his hands and joining them, he lays
them on the altar, and at the same time makes a
ii6 THE CANON OF THE MASS.
profound inclination of the body. All these acts
indicate the homage and reverence of the priest before
entering on the most august portion of the Mass.
Te igitur, clementissime We therefore humbly pray
Pater, per Jesum Christum and beseech Thee, most
Filium tuum Dominum nos- merciful Father, through
trum, supplices rogamus, ac Jesus Christ Thy Son, our
petimus, uti accepta habeas, Lord {he kisses the Altar),
et benedicas haec «^ dona, that thou wouldst accept and
haec ^ munera, haec >i* bless these <^ gifts, these .^
sancta sacrificia illibata ; in presents, these »^ holy un-
primis, quae tibi offerimus spotted Sacrifices, which, in
pro Ecclesia tua sancta the first place, we offer
catholica : quam pacificare. Thee for Thy holy Catholic
custodire, adunare, et regere Church, to which vouchsafe
digneris toto orbe terrarum, to grant peace, as also to
una cum famulo tuo Papa protect, unite, and govern it
nostro A^., et Antistite nostro throughout the world, together
N., et omnibus orthodoxis, with Thy servant N, our Pope,
atque catholicae, et apos- A^. our Bishop, as also all
tolicae fidei cultoribus. orthodox believers and pro-
fessors of the Catholic and
Apostolic Faith.
Explanation of the First Prayer in the Canon
before the consecration.
The first prayer in the Canon is divided into three
parts. The first part begins We, therefore, humbly
pray and beseech Thee, and ends with the words of
the Catholic and Apostolic Faith. The second part
is the commemoration of the Living from, Be mindful,
O Lord, of Thy servants, to living and true God,
The third part is during the Action from the words
Communicating with down to through the same
Christ our Lord. These are not three separate
prayers, but one prayer with the one and the same
ending, through the same Christ our Lord.
THE CANON OF THE MASS. 117
The priest says — We therefore humbly pray and
beseech Thee. Therefore connects the Canon with
the Preface. It is as if the priest had said, *' After
having offered you our thanks, O Father, we come
to you with our petitions." We humbly pray and
beseech Thee, the repetition of the same thought in
different words indicates the earnestness of the petition :
most merciful Father, the Latin word clementissime
refers to the Father as always lessening the punishment
due to sin and therefore merciful. To the Father in
imitation of our Lord Himself in the supper-room the
priest prays, as to Him alone sacrifice is offered ;
through Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord, through
whom alone our prayers can be acceptable in Thy
sight and because of the Sacrifice instituted by Him
which we are about to offer in His name and in His
behalf. That Thou wouldst accept and bless (here
having first kissed the altar in reverence and love to
our Lord he makes three crosses) these"i*gifts, these
►{^presents, these »^ holy unspotted sacrifices. The
priest prays that God may accept and bless for the good
of the Universal Churchy and consecrate the bread and
wine, that they may as far as possible be fit to be
changed into the Body and Blood of our Lord. The
bread and wine are called by three names — gifts,
things which we receive from God, presents, which
we offer to Him, holy unspotted sacrifices, in anti-
cipation of the words of consecration so soon to be
pronounced, when these gifts will be changed into the
Body and Blood of our Lord. Hence they are called
holy and especially spotless by anticipation, the
sense beings which we offer Thee not merely as
bread and wine, but as bread and wine so soon to be
converted into the Body and Blood of our Lord.
ii8 THE CANON OF THE MASS.
The priest continues, In the first place for Thy
Holy Catholic Church. Christ on the Cross was the
Saviour of all and especially of those united to Him by
the true Faith — for them chiefly was the sacrifice of
Calvary offered; they make the Church, which is called
holy, because of its Founder, its doctrine and the
eminent holiness of so many of its children ; and
Catholic, because spread throughout the world, to
which vouchsafe to grant peace ; as also to protect,
unite, and govern it throughout the world. Four
graces are here asked for the Church : peace ; internal
amongst its own members in freedom from dissensions,
external in a truce from the violent attacks of its
enemies, protection against its many enemies visible
and invisible — union in faith and in heart — the grace
our Saviour asked in His prayer to the Father for His
Disciples : *' My Father, keep them in Thy name whom
Thou hast given Me that they may be one, as we also
are . . . and not for them only do I pray, but for all
those also who through their word shall believe in Me,
that they all may be one." Lastly, God is asked to
govern the Church through holy and wise Prelates
whom He sends. Together with thy Servant N. our
Pope, N. our Bishop. Special mention is made by
name of the Pope as Head and ruler of the whole Church
in urgent need of help from the Mass, the greatest of
all acts of worship, and of the Bisfiop of the Diocese
who rules and governs in obedience to the Pope that
portion of the Flock assigned to him. As also all
orthodox believers and professors of the Catholic
and Apostolic Faith. By the orthodox is meant all
members of the Catholic Church, while by the term
professors {cultoribus) is meant such as practise the
Faith they believe; those who live up to the Faith,
THE MEMENTO FOR THE LIVING. 119
as we say, and the word covers in a special way
missionaries who preach the Faith and help towards
the conversion of souls. Although under the term
*' Orthodox" the Church prays only for her own
children who belong to her by Baptism ; still the Holy
Sacrifice is applicable to infidels, heretics, or schismatics,
in so far as it may obtain for them the grace of
conversion, or avert from them the chastisements of
God.
THE MEMENTO FOR THE LIVING.
Memento, Domine, famulo- Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy
rum famularumque tuarum N, servants, men and women, N,
et N, and iV.
The Priest joins his hands, and prays silently for those he
intends to pray for.
Then extending his hands, he proceeds :
Et omnium circumstantium, And of all here present,
quorum tibi fides cognita est, whose faith and devotion are
et nota devotio, pro quibus known unto Thee ; for whom
tibi offerimus vel qui tibi we offer, or who offer up to
offerunthoc sacrificiumlaudis. Thee, this Sacrifice of praise
pro se suisque omnibus, pro for themselves, and for all
redemptione animarum sua- near or dear to them; for the
rum, pro spe salutis,et incolu- redemption of their souls, for
mitatis suae : tibique reddunt the hope of their salvation
vota sua aeterno Deo, vivo et and safety, and who offer their
vero. vows to Thee, the eternal,
living, and true God.
The Memento for the Living is a prayer named from
its first word ** Remember " and is introduced in this
part of the Mass for all those living persons to whom
the priest may desire to apply in an especial manner
;the fruit of this Holy Sacrifice.
THE MEMENTO FOR THE LIVING.
Explanation of the Memento for the Living.
Remember, not that God forgets, but as a kind
and indulgent father remembers his children (^' Lord,
remember me, when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom "),
so does God minister to their wants. The letters N.N.
are placed to remind the priest to mention certain
persons by name or to dwell on them in thought. The
mention of the names of Pope and Bishop, the Memento
for the Living before, and the Memento for the Dead
after the Consecration, when the priest prays silentl}^ for
the living and the dead, remind us also of diptychs once
used during the Holy Sacrifice. Diptychs were tablets
on which were inscribed the names of the living and of
the dead. They were in use amongst the Latins down
to the twelfth and amongst the Greeks to the fifteenth
centur3^ Diptychs of the living contained the names
of the Pope, Patriarchs, the Bishop of the diocese,
of benefactors, &c. ; the diptychs of the dead contained
as a rule the names of those once inscribed on the
diptychs of the living. The way in which these
diptychs were used at Mass varied in different times
and places. Originally the deacon read out the names
from the Ambo ; later the deacon or subdeacon read
them in a loud voice to the celebrant ; later still they
were simply laid on the altar and the priest in his
prayer remembered the names. ^ We may add that in
some Missals both Mementoes retain the name — Oratio
super diptycha — prayer over the diptychs. The priest
joins his hands and prays silently for those he intends
to pray for, then extendmg his hands, he proceeds : and
of all here present, who merit special mention for
assisting at Mass, whose faith and devotion are
^ Catholic Dictionary (Sixth Edition), p. 286.
THE MEMENTO FOR THE LIVING. 121
known unto Thee. By faith is meant the ready
acceptance of the truths of faith. Devotion does not
consist in sensible feeling, but in a willingness, as
St. Thomas teaches (2-2. q, 82. ad i) to perform faith-
fully all that relates to the service of God. For
whom we offer ; the priest speaks in the name of the
Church ; or who offer up to Thee ; here again, as in
the Orate Fratres, the people are represented as offering
Sacrifice, though not in the same way as the priest
offers. This Sacrifice of praise — the Mass is essentially
a Sacrifice of praise, but it is much more. To say that
the Mass is only a Sacrifice of praise is heresy con-
demned by the Council of Trent. For themselves, and
for all near or dear to them. For all their belongings,
as we say — in these words may be included their friends
and even their temporal possessions. For the hope of
their salvation and safety. The faithful unite with
the priest in offering the Mass as a Sacrifice of expia-
tion for the redemption of the souls of all they know
and love; the word salutis, salvation, includes all super-
natural gifts of grace in this world and glory in the
next ; incolumitatis covers health of body. The prayer is
for every blessing for soul and body in this world and
the next. And who offer their vows to Thee.
Vows are not taken in the strict sense of a promise
made with full deliberation to God binding under sin —
the word here means, as frequently in the language
of the Church, acts of interior and exterior worship.
The eternal, living, and true God. Each epithet
it its strict sense belongs to God alone — eternal, Who
always was, is, and ever will be ; living", the source of
all life {'' I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life"),
true God, in opposition to all false deities and objects
of man's worship.
WITHIN THE ACTION.
WITHIN THE ACTION.
Communicantes, et memo-
riam venerantes, in primis
gloriosae semper Virginis
Mariae, Genitricis Dei et
Domini nostri Jesu Christi :
sed et beatorum Apostolorum
ac Martyrum tuorum, Petri
et Pauli, Andreae, Jacobi,
Joannis, TJiomae, Jacobi,
Philippi, Bartholomaei, Mat-
thaei, Simonis et Thaddaei :
Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Xysti,
Cornelii, Cypriani, Laurentii,
Chrysogoni, Joannis et Pauli,
Cosmae et Damiani, et om-
nium Sanctorum tuorum :
quorum meritis precibusque
concedas, ut in omnibus pro-
tectionis tuae muniamur
auxilio. Per eumdem Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
Communicating with, and
honouring in the first place
the memory of the glorious
and ever Virgin Mary, Mother
of God and of our Lord Jesiis
Christ ; as also of the blessed
Apostles and Martyrs, Peter
and Paul, Andrew, James,
John, Thomas, James, Philip,
Bartholomew, Matthew, Simon
and Thaddeus, Linus, Cletus,
Clement, Xystus, Cornelius,
Cyprian, Lawrence, Chryso-
gonus, John and Paul,
Cosmas and Damian, and of
all Thy Saints : by whose
merits and prayers, grant
that we may be always de-
fended by the help of Thy
protection. Through the same
Christ our Lord. Amen.
Explanation of the Prayer Comnmnicantes.
We now come to the third portion of the first prayer
of the Canon. This portion is called the Comimmicantes
or '' Commemoration of the saints in glory." What is
meant by ** Within the Action," and why are the words
selected as a heading for this prayer ? As already said,
the Canon was sometimes called by ancient writers the
Action, as including the great Act or Deed of the
priest at the Mass in consecrating bread and wine,
and converting both into the Body and Blood of our
Lord. The reason why '* Within the Action " is placed
WITHIN THE ACTION. 123
over the Communicantes alone, seems to be that on six
great feasts of the year, Christmas, Epiphany, Maundy
Thursday, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost, an addition
is made to the Communicantes bearing on the feast of the
day. Thus changed, the prayer is found in the Missal
after the Preface, and bears the title, "Within the Action,'*
to show that it ought to be inserted in the Canon.
Originally the title was found only in the Communicantes
for the six feasts referred to, and then it passed to the
Communicantes said in the Canon. That prayer runs thus :
Communicating with and honouring in the first
place the memory of the glorious and ever Virgin
Mary. These words. Communicating and honouring
are not to be considered as distinct from the foregoing,
but as a continuation of the preceding prayer. The
sense is, according to Suarez, ** pay their vows to Thee
the living and true God, communicating with Thy
saints to whom they are so closely united, whose
intercession they invoke while venerating their
memory." (Suarez in Hi. Disp, 83, Sect, 2. 2. 7.)
In the Canon, mentioned by name, are the Blessed
Virgin, twelve Apostles, twelve Martyrs, then all the
Saints in general.
Mary, called glorious, an epithet which the
Church is fond of applying to our Lady as she gives
more glory to God than Angels and Saints together;
ever Virgin, the Catholic doctrine is that Mary was
a Virgin in Conception, in Birth, and after the Birth of
her Son. Her name is fittingly introduced in the Mass
as she gave us the Body that suffered and died on the
Cross — and of His Death, Mass is the re-presentation
and commemoration. Nobis datus, nobis natus^ sings
the Church, ex intacta Virgine, — ** given to us, born to
us from a spotless Virgin."
124 WITHIN THE ACTION.
The name of St. Matthias is omitted from the list
of the Apostles, because St. Matthias was not an
Apostle at the time of our Lord's Passion. The
number twelve is made up by the addition of St. Paul
who, though an Apostle, was not one of the twelve.
He is always united to St. Peter in the Liturgy of the
Church. Martyrs only are mentioned in this list, not
Confessors — which shows the antiquity of this portion of
the Canon — for only in the fourth century did the Church
include Confessors in her Canonized Saints. St. Peter
is the first mentioned, and St. Thaddeus the last.
Next come twelve Martyrs.
The first five are Popes SS. Linus, Cletus, Clement,
Xystus, and Cornelius. Of these SS. Linus, Cletus,
and Clement were fellow-labourers with St. Peter in
preaching the Gospel at Rome. St. Cyprian was
the celebrated Martyr and Bishop of Carthage.
St. Lawrence was Deacon to Pope Sixtus IL
St. Chrysogonus was an illustrious Roman, martyred
at Aquileia under Diocletian. John and Paul were
brothers who, rather than worship idols, were martyred
by Julian the Apostate. Cosmas and Damian were
also brothers, and physicians too, who exercised their
profession gratis for the love of God and of their
neighbour.
The concluding words of the prayer, by whose
merits and prayers grant that we may be always
defended by the help of Thy protection. Through
the same Christ our Lord, Amen; bring out the
Cathohc doctrine that the good works of Christians,
and far more the holy lives and glorious deaths of the
Apostles and other Saints, and pre-eminently of the
Mother of God, derive their saving efficacy through
their union with Christ our Lord,
THE SECOND PRAYER IN THE CANON. 125
THE SECOND PRAYER IN THE CANON
BEFORE THE CONSECRATION.
Spreading his hands over the oblation, the priest says :
Hanc igitur oblationem ser- We, therefore, beseech
^itutis nostrae, sed et cunctae Thee, O Lord, to be appeased
famihae tuae, quaesumus and to accept this oblation of
Domine, ut placatus accipias ; our service, as also of Thy
diesque nostros in tua pace whole family; dispose our
disponas, atque ab aeterna days in Thy peace, command
damnatione nos eripi, et in us to be delivered from
electorum tuorum jubeas eternal damnation, and to
grege numerari. Per Christum be numbered in the flock of
Dominum nostrum. Amen. Thy elect. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
While saying these words the priest holds his hands
over the bread and wine and the thumbs are stretched
one over the other in the form of a cross. This gesture
signifies the transfer of something to another. In
Exodus {xxix. 10), before the calf is killed we read that
** Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands upon his
head," and again in Leviticus {i. 4) : *' And he shall put
Jbis hand upon the head of the victim." This laying of
hands implied the consciousness of guilt in the person
who performed the act, and the wish to transfer to the
A^ictim those sins for which the victim was to die instead
•of the sinner. Here at the Mass, by the imposition of
hands, the priest signifies that the sins of the world are
carried by our Lord who died for them on the Cross
— ** who bore all our iniquities on the Tree." The
Mass is the re-presentation of that Sacrifice on Calvary.
This imposition of hands at Mass did not always exist
in the Church : it was introduced at the end of the
fifteenth century ; and it was prescribed by St. Pius V.
as a general law.
126 THE SECOND PRAYER IN THE CANON.
Explanation of the Prayer Hmic igitur
ohlationem.
The word therefore connects the prayer with the
Communicant es which precedes. Encouraged by the
prayers of the Saints, in the hope that God is appeased
and that He will show us mercy, the Church through
the mouth of her priest beseeches God the Father to
accept this oblation of our service, as also of Thy
whole family. The Mass is a Sacrifice which we make
to God with all the family of the Church, to acknowledge
His supreme dominion over all creatures, and our abso-
lute dependence on Him. Such is the sense of the phrase
oblation of our service. Next, besides the acceptance
of the Sacrifice three petitions are m.ade : (i) dispose
our days in Thy peace; (2) command us to be
delivered from eternal damnation (compare the line
in the Dies Irae — Sed tit bonus fac henigne^ ne perenni crerner
igne — *' In Thy goodness grant that I be not consumed
in everlasting fire") ; (3) and to be numbered in the
flock of Thy elect to make our election sure (2 Pet, i.
10). In the Te Deum we say Aeterna fac cum Sanctis tuis
in gloria numevan — ** Grant that we may be numbered
with Thy Saints in glory everlasting."
The foregoing petitions were added by St. Gregory
the Great. We need not be surprised that the great
Saint, to whom the Liturgy owes so much, should
have selected the moment before Consecration to ask
deliverance from eternal fire. The Sacrifice of Calvary
saves the Christian family from Hell : and the Conse-
cration about to follow under two kinds is the memorial
of that Sacrifice. No time could have been more
opportune for this request, grounded on the holy fear
of God.
THE THIRD PRAYER IN THE CANON. 127
THE THIRD PRAYER IN THE CANON
BEFORE THE CONSECRATION.
Which oblation do Thou, O God, vouchsafe in
all things to make ►J^ blessed, ^ approved, ►J^ rati-
fied, reasonable, and acceptable, that it may become
to us the Body ^ and ^^ Blood of Thy most
beloved Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Explanation of the Prayer.
This prayer is in close connection with the preceding
and serves as an immediate introduction to the act
of Consecration.
We ask God first to make blessed the bread
and wine in the most perfect of all ways by trans-
forming them into the Body and Blood of our Lord, the
source of all blessings to the world.
The Latin word adscriptam — legitimate — is variously
explained. Perhaps the best rendering is approved,
that is according to the directions prescribed, laid down
by our Lord at the Last Supper. Adscriptam, says Father
Suarez, may be taken to mean that the oblation should
be made as prescribed by our Lord in the words ** Do
this in commemoration of Me " and consequently
legitimate.
The oblation will be ratified that is real, valid it
offered in the way ordained by our Lord in the
institution of the Blessed Eucharist ; thus a Sacrament
128 THE THIRD PRAYER IN THE CANON.
properly administered we speak of as real, vahd — as
Baptism, Marriage, &c.
The offering or sacrifice is said to be reasonable
(compare St. Paul's expression, the reasonable homage of
our faith), because on the altar the Victim offered is
the Lamb of God, Uncreated Reason and Wisdom, quite
different from the Sacrifices of the Old Law where the
victims were animals without reason. Adorned by
these four qualities the Sacrifice of the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ is infallibly acceptable to the
Eternal Father.
That it may become to us the Body >^ and
•I- Blood of Thy m.ost beloved Son, Jesus Christ
our Lord.
These words express the essence of the Sacri-
fice offered by the consecration, and the essential
change in the matter of the Sacrifice. Bread and wine
become for us the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. For
us, that is, for our Salvation. The Angel said to the
shepherds in Ltike {ii, ii) : '* For this day is born to you
a Saviour who is Christ the Lord in the city of David."
This prayer is accompanied by five signs of the
Cross. They are made over the bread and wine at the
words, blessed, approved, and ratified ; one is made
over the host alone at the word Body, and another over
the chalice at the word Blood. The connection
between the sign of the Cross and the Crucifixion is
evident. The first three signs of the Cross remind us
of the Blessed Trinity, by whose power the consecra-
tion of the bread and wine is effected. Some pious
souls see in the five signs of the Cross a reminder of the
five wounds of our Lord.
CONSECRATION OF THE BREAD. 129
I. CONSECRATION OF THE BREAD.
Introduction to the Consecration.
Qui pridie quam pateretur, Who the day before He
accepit panem in sanctas ac suffered, (h^ takes the Host)
venerabiles manus suas : et took bread into His holy and
elevatis oculis in coelum ad te venerable hands (he raises his
Deum Patrem suum omnipo- eyes to heaven), and with His
tentem,tibigratiasagens,bene- eyes lifted up towards heaven,
4^ dixit, fregit, deditque disci- to Thee, God, His Almighty
pulis suis, dicens : Accipite, Father, giving thanks to Thee,
-et manducate ex hoc omnes. did bless, >J^ break, and give
Hoc EST ENiM CORPUS to His disciplcs, saying : Take
iiEUM. and eat ye all of this ;
For this is My Body.
Explanation of the Introduction to the
Consecration of Bread.
Who the day before He suffered (the Priest
takes the Host) took bread into His holy and
venerable hands (he raises his eyes to heaven)
and with His eyes lifted up towards heaven, to
Thee, God, His Almighty Father, giving thanks
to Thee, did bless, ^ break, and give to His
disciples, saying.
The words : into His holy and venerable hands,
and with His eyes lifted up towards heaven, to
Thee, God, His Almighty Father, are not found
in the Scriptural Narrative: Matthew xxvi, 26 — 28:
Mark xiv. 22 — 24 : Luke xxii. 19, 20 and i Cor. xi.
23 — 26, but come to us through the tradition of the
Church.
J
I30 CONSECRATION OF THE BREAD.
We must distinguish between two actions of our
Lord, giving thanks and blessing. Thanksgiving was
offered to His Father, the author of all good ; blessing
was intended only for the bread and wine about to be
changed into the Body and Blood of Christ. Break,
our Lord is thought to have broken the portion of
unleavened bread into twelve or thirteen different
pieces, saying : Take and eat ye all of this :
FOR THIS IS MY BODY.
Explanation of the words of Consecration.
For gives the reason why Christ asked His Apostles
to eat. The words that follow must be taken in
their plain meaning. The word this means, what
I show you at this moment in My hands and w^hat
I give you — is My Body. But the Body of Christ is
not bread, and to verify our Lord's words the meaning
must be, this is bread no longer but the Body of
Christ. To say that the expression this is My Body
means the figure of My Body, is the same as saying
this is My Body, means this is not My Body, For
the figure of the Body is not the Body itself. There is
made by virtue of the words, this is My Body, the
conversion of the whole substance of the bread into the
substance of the Body of our Lord, the species or
outward appearances alone remaining, and this con-
version, the Council of Trent teaches, is suitably
called Transubstantiation. But as the Body of our
Lord cannot exist without His Blood (for a bloodless
body is dead, and Christ can die no more), the Body
necessarily brings with It the Blood, and the Body
CONSECRATION OF THE WINE.
131
and Blood are necessarily connected with the Soul and
Divinity of our Lord, therefore after the words of
Consecration are pronounced at Mass, Christ is whole
and entire under the appearance of bread. Here is
the whole doctrine of Transubstantiation. Man's reason
can never explain it nor disprove it. It remains
the mystery of Faith,
II. CONSECRATION OF THE WINE.
Simili mode postquam
coenatum est, accipiens at
hunc praeclarum Calicem in
sanctas, ac venerabiles manus
suas : item tibi gratias agens,
benci^dixit, deditque disci-
pulis suis, dicens : Accipite et
bibite ex eo omnes.
HiC EST ENIM CaLIX SAN-
guinis mei, novi et aeterni
Testamenti : mysterium
fidei : qui pro vobis et pro
multis effundetur in re-
missionem peccatorum.
Haec quotiescumque fece-
ritis, in mei memoriam fa-
cietis.
In like manner, after He
had supped {he takes the chalice
in both his hands), taking also
this excellent Chalice into His
holy and venerable hands,
and giving Thee thanks. He
bless«^ed, and gave to His
disciples, saying : Take and
drink ye all of This :
For This is the Chalice
OF My Blood of the new and
eternal testament : the
mystery of faith : which
shall be shed for YOU, and
for many, to the remission
OF sins.
As often as ye do these
things, ye shall do them in
remembrance of Me.
Explanation of the Introduction to the
Consecration of Wine.
In like manner, after He had supped (the priest
takes the Chalice in both his hands), taking also this
excellent Chalice (so-called from the surpassing
treasure of the Precious Blood it is meant to contain)
132 CONSECRATION OF THE WINE.
into His holy (as the hands of Jesus Christ essentially
are, as the hands of His priest are by anointing at ordi-
nation) and venerable hands, giving Thee thanks (as
before the Consecration of the bread, as Man to His
Father, for the incomprehensible gift of the Eucharist),
He bless+ed it, that the wine might be worthy to be
converted into His Blood, and gave to His disciples,
saying. Take and drink ye all of this : For this is
the Chalice of My Blood of the New and Eternal
Testament, the Mystery of Faith ; which shall be
shed for you, and for many, to the remission of sins.
Explanation of the Words of the Consecration
OF THE Chalice.
Father Suarez says that, according to the common
opinion of theologians, not merely the words of the form,
this is the Chalice of My Blood, but all the words
from Take to remission of sins, were pronounced by
Jesus Christ.
The words which consecrate the wine — this is the
Chalice of My Blood— correspond to this is My
Body in the consecration of the bread. The Chalice
of My Blood means the Cup or Chalice (used for
drinking) which contains My Blood. Chalice refers
to our Lord's words, drink ye all of this. The
explanation given in the consecration of the bread
holds good for the consecration of the wine. After
our Lord had pronounced the words, this is the Chalice
of My Blood, according to their plain meaning, wine
was converted by virtue of the words into the Blood
of Christ. But as the Blood of Christ cannot exist
without His Body, nor the Body and Blood without
His Soul and Divinity, we have consequently the Body
and Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord whole and
CONSECRATION OF THE WINE. i33
entire under the appearance of wine as under the
appearance of bread.
The Sacrament of the Eucharist is complete under
one kind, since under either kind there is present the
whole Christ.
But the Consecration, according to our Lord's
command, must ever be under both kinds, since it is
only from the double Consecration that the Blessed
Eucharist has the character of a Sacrifice. The
separate Consecration of bread and wine represents in
a mystical way the death of Christ, the parting of the
Body and Blood on the Cross. That Blood was shed
really on the Cross : mystically in the institution of the
Eucharist and daily at Mass on our altars.
The Blood in the Chalice is the Blood shed on
the Cross and that Blood is received by us in the
Sacrament. ^'The Blood," says St. Thomas {in, q.
78. a, 3. ad, 7.), ''consecrated apart from the Body,
more closely represents the Passion of Christ and there-
fore more suitably in the Consecration of the Blood
than of the Body mention is made of the Passion of
Christ and of the fruit it produced." Chalice in
Scripture sometimes signifies passion as in St, Matt,
{xx, 22) : ** Can you drink the Chalice which I shall
drink ? " {Ezec, xxiii, 33 ; St, Luke xxii, 22 ; St, John xviii,
11), and it signifies a drink in Psalm {xxii, 5) : ** And
my Chalice which inebriateth me, how goodly it is,"
and in Psalm [Ixxiv, 9), &c.
The words of the New and Eternal Testament
contain an allusion to Exodus xxiv. 8. Testament or
Covenant, the original {StaOyKr}) means either. As the
Old Covenant of the Law was dedicated with the blood
of the Sacrifice, so now the New Covenant of the
Gospel is to be dedicated with the Blood of Jesus
Christ.
134 THE ELEVATION OF THE HOST AND CHALICE.
The Mystery of Faith. These words according to
some writers (who disagree with Suarez), we owe to
St. Peter. Transubstantiation is a truth above reason
which we take on the authority of God's word, hence a
mystery of Faith. The words which shall be shed
for you (the clearest assertion of the Real Presence)
were addressed to the Apostles then before out
Saviour's eyes. And for many. The Blood is shed foi
all : and for many efficaciously — that is, many, the saved,
reap the full benefit of our Lord's death — while the lost,
through their own fault, use it to their destruction.
To the remission of sins. These words express
the great end of the Sacrifice of the Cross, the washing
away of the sins of the world.
After pronouncing the words of Consecration the
priest, laying the Chalice on the Corporal says, As
often as ye shall do these things, ye shall do them
in remembrance of Me. The Council of Trent defines
in Sess. xxii. Can. 2. that by these words our Lord
made His Apostles priests, and prescribed that they and
other priests, their successors in the priesthood, should
offer the Sacrifice of His Body and Blood.
THE ELEVATION OF THE HOST AND
OF THE CHALICE.
The Church has ever adored the Blessed Sacrament
from the time of Its institution. But the outward
signs by which the Church has expressed this adoration
have not always been the same. In the Greek liturgies
the Elevation of the Eucharist takes place shortly
before the Communion. Formerly in the Latin Mass
the Blessed Sacrament was elevated only at the words
THE FIRST PART OF THE PRAYER ^35
omnis honor et gloria just before the Pater noster.
This is now usually known as *'the little Elevation."
The Elevation of Host and Chalice immediately after
Consecration was introduced to protest against the
denial of Transubstantiation by Berengarius.
The Elevation of Host and Chalice seems to
have begun as an act of reparation about iioo in
France, of which country Berengarius was a native ;
from France it was introduced into Germany, and
from Germany it found its way into other countries
of Europe. At first only the Host was elevated and
afterwards the Chalice. The further custom of ringing
a small bell at the Elevation began in France during
the twelfth century, and about the same time the
ringing of the large bell at the conventual Mass was
ordered in the statutes of some Monastic Orders. The
bell is obviously to notify the solemn moment of the
Consecration.
THE FIRST PART OF THE PRAYER
AFTER THE CONSECRATION.
Unde et memores, Domine, Wherefore, O Lord, we Thy
nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua servants, as also Thy holji
sancta, ejusdem Christi Filii people, calling to mind the
tui Domini nostri tarn beatae blessed Passion of the same
Passionis, necnon et ab inferis Christ Thy Son, our Lord, His
ResurrectioniSjSed etincoelos Resurrection from the dead,
gloriosae Ascensionis : offeri- and glorious Ascension into
mus praeclarae Majestati tuae Heaven, offer unto Thy most
de tuis donis, ac datis, Hos- excellent Majesty, of Thy gifts
tiam »J- puram, Hostiam «^ and grants, a pure "i^ Victim,
sanctam, Hostiam -^ immacu- a holy Hh Victim, an immacu-
latam,Panem«^ sanctum vitae late ^ Victim, the holy *i*
aeternae, et Calicem ►f salutis Bread of sternal life, and the
perpetuae. Chalice ^ of everlasting
salvation.
136 THE FIRST PART OF THE PRAYER.
This prayer is divided into three parts. The
prayer begins with the words, Unde et memores
(*' Wherefore, O Lord, we thy servants"), and ends with
per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum, '' through
the same Christ our Lord," just before the Memento for
the Dead,
Explanation of the first part of the Prayer
after the consecration.
Father Suarez {Hi. Disp, 75, sect, 5, n, 15), says that
the end of these prayers after the Consecration is to
implore of the Father to accept from our unworthy
hands the Body and Blood of His Divine Son, lest
through our sms the fruit of the Sacrifice be hindered,
lessened, or lost.
We Thy servants. Priests are in a very special
way the servants of God, and attached to His Sanctuary.
The use of the plural is thought by some writers to
refer to the time when various priests were said to
celebrate, that is, to perform one joint action with a
Bishop^ or the Pope, celebrant at the Mass. This
custom is referred to by Pope Innocent HI. in his fourth
book on the Mass. The custom seems to have passed
out of use in the thirteenth century. The only vestige
of it that now remains is to be found in the Mass at the
Ordination of a priest and the Consecration of a Bishop.
But the use of the plural in we Thy servants need not
refer to the custom at all. In the prayer Te igiUiVy
which begins the Canon and corresponds closely in
form to the present prayer the plural is also used as in
the Ovate fratns and various portions of the Mass.
Priest and people pray together.
THE FIRST PART OF THE PRAYER, 137
The words Thy holy people refer to the grace of
Baptism. Those assisting at Mass, though not all
perhaps in grace, are presumably all baptized and in
that sense have faith, the beginning, foundation, and
root of all holiness. St. Peter speaks of Christians
(i Peter ii, 10) as " the holy people of God."
Calling to mind the blessed Passion of the same
Christ Thy Son our Lord, His Resurrection from
the dead, and glorious Ascension into Heaven. The
three great works of God Incarnate are His blessed
Passion, His Resurrection and Ascension. The first
kindles our love, the second is the great proof of our
faith, the third strengthens our hope. Offer unto Thy
most excellent Majesty, of Thy gifts and grants.
By the expression gifts and grants we may consider
the bread and wine whose substance has been
converted into the Body and Blood of our Lord.
The words may also be referred with Bellarmine in
the Mass {Bk, ii. ch. 34) to Christ Himself as existing
in the Eucharist, the noblest Gift and Grant of God
to the world. Compare the words in the Church's
hymn. Nobis datus, nobis nahts ex intacta Virgine —
** Given to us, horn for us from a spotless Virgin." We
offer to God a Pure>^Victim, a Holy^Victim, an
Immaculate*^ Victim, the Holy^-Bread of Eternal
life, and the Chalice>^of everlasting salvation.
Bread is used in our Lord's sense. {John vi. 48.) '' I
am the living bread." The Chalice of everlasting
salvation means the Blood in the Chalice which is shed
for our everlasting salvation.
These words are accompanied by five signs of the
Cross. The meaning of these five crosses is variously
explained. They cannot mean a blessing conferred
by the priest, who is a sinner, on Jesus Christ infinitely
138 THE SECOND PART OF THE PRAYER.
Holy. The signs of the Cross before the Consecration
really bless the bread and wine and prepare them for
transubstantiation ; after the Consecration they are to
be considered as Commemorations — they are in memory
of Christ's Passion. The five crosses may be piously
referred to the Five Wounds of our Lord. {See
Benedict XIV. De Miss, sect. i. c, 277.)
THE SECOND PART OF THE PRAYER.
Extending his hands the Priest proceeds :
Supra quae propitio ac Upon which vouchsafe to
sereno vultu respicere dig- look with a propitious and
neris : et accepta habere, serene countenance, and to
sicuti accepta habere dignatus accept them, as Thou wert
es munera puerituijusti Abel, graciously pleased to accept
et sacrificium patriarchae the gifts of Thy just servant
nostri Abrahae, et quod tibi Abel, and the sacrifice of our
obtulit summus sacerdos tuus Patriarch Abraham, and that
Melchisedech, sanctum sacri- which Thy high priest Melchi-
ficium, immaculatam hostiam. sedech offered to Thee, a holy
Sacrifice and a spotless
Victim.
Explanation of the Prayer.
As already stated, though in Itself the Adorable
Victim on the altar is of infinite value, nevertheless
the Church prays that the Victim be accepted from a
sinner's hands with a propitious and serene counten-
ance.
The gifts of Thy just servant Abel— the allusion
is to Genesis (iv, 4), where it is said that the Lord
accepted Abel and his offerings. The offerer and
offering were both acceptable.
THE THIRD PART OF THE PRAYER. 139
The sacrifice of our Patriarch Abraham — the
allusion is to Genesis {xxii,), when Abraham was ready
sword in hand to sacrifice his son Isaac. God spared
the boy and blessed Abraham. The offerings of Abel
and Abraham are figures of the bloody Sacrifice of
the Cross. Abel offered a lamb, the figure of the Lamb
of God, and was put to death by Cain as Christ was put
to death by the Jews. [Heh, xii, 24.) Abraham is the
father of all believers and called our Patriarch because
to him was given paternity over the nations : '' and in
thy seed shall the nations of the earth be blessed."
That which Thy high priest Melchisedech
offered to Thee, a holy Sacrifice, a spotless
Victim.
Melchisedech is the figure of the Eternal High
Priest Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Melchisedech
was of bread and wine {Genesis xiv, 18), and therefore
a figure of the unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass, where
our Lord is offered under the appearances of bread and
wine.
The words a holy Sacrifice, a spotless Victim
were added by St. Leo the Great and refer to the
sacrifice of Melchisedech : not that the sacrifice or host
in his case was holy or spotless, but in so far as it pre-
figured the spotless Sacrifice of the Mass.
THE THIRD PART OF THE PRAYER.
Bowing down profoundly^ with his hands joined and placed
upon the A Itar, the Priest says :
Supplices te rogamus, omni- We most humbly beseech
potens Deus: jube haec per- Thee, Almighty God, let these
ferri per manus sancti Angeli offerings be carried by the
tui in sublime altare tuum, in hands of Thy holy Angel to
r40 THE THIRD PART OF THE PRAYER.
conspectu divinae Majestatis Thy Altar on high, in the sight
tuae : ut quotquot {Osculatur of Thy divine Majesty, that
Altare) ex hac altaris partial- as many of us (he kisses the
patione, sacrosanctum Fihi tui Altar) as by participating in
Cor'^pus et Sani^guinem this Altar, shall receive the
sumpserimus, omni benedicti- most sacred *i* Body and-i^
one coelesti et gratia replea- Blood of Thy Son, may be
mur. Per eumdem Christum filled with all heavenly bless-
Dominum nostrum. Amen. ing and grace. Through the
same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Explanation of the Prayer.
The Church begs by the words, these offering's,
that the mystical body of the faithful with their
needs, labours, pains and prayers and the adorable
Body and Blood, so far as It is offered by us,
may be carried to Thy altar on high, that is, to
Heaven, by Thy holy Angel, either the angel guardian
of the priest, or of the altar, or of the Church, or
some special angel deputed to assist at the Sacrifice,
or in general by the hands of Thy angels, the
singular being put for the plural. Their office is to
present to God the prayers of men, and our offering
united to theirs will merit the Divine favour.
We desire our prayers to be carried to the Father
with the intention that as many of US (the priest
kisses the altar) as by participating in this Altar,
shall receive the most sacred>^Body and+Blood of
Thy Son, may be filled with all heavenly blessing
and grace.
On the altar lies the Body and Blood of Christ soon
to be our Food and Drink. The Church begs the Eternal
Father that the action of sinful men in offering the
Adorable Sacrifice may be mercifully accepted by Him,
then all heavenly blessing and grace is to be
THE MEMENTO FOR THE DEAD. 141
expected from this Heavenly Banquet and Sacrifice
through the same Christ our Lord.
The profound inclination of the priest in reciting
this prayer signifies the humility and earnestness of the
petition.
THE MEMENTO FOR THE DEAD.
Memento etiam, Domine, Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy
famulorum, famularumque, servants, men and women, A^.
tuarum N. et N. qui nos prae- and AT., who are gone before
cesserunt cum signo fidei, et us with the sign of Faith, and
dormiunt in somno pacis. sleep in the sleep of peace.
He prays for such of the Dead as he intends to pray for :
Ipsis, Domine, et omnibus in To these, O Lord, and to all
Christo quiescentibus, locum that rest in Christ, grant, we
refrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut beseech Thee, a place of re-
indulgeas, deprecamur. Per freshment, light, and peace,
eumdem Christum Dominum Through the same Christ our
nostrum. Amen. Lord. Amen.
The practice of praying for the dead at Mass dates
almost from Apostolic times. The Memento for the
Dead in the Roman Rite of the ninth century was
omitted on Sundays, and only said on week-days.
Ordo /. says nothing of the reading of the diptychs in
Rome. The celebrant commemorated the dead in the
Canon silently as now. We know that the diptychs
were read in Naples in the ninth century. (5^^ Ordo /.,
Introduction and notes by Mr. Atchley, p. loi.)
The Memento for the Living is placed before the Con-
secration. The living can join in offering the Sacrifice
with the priest ; the dead cannot offer the Sacrifice, they
can only benefit by its fruits, especiall}^ by the satis-
factory power of the Mass. The Memento for the Dead
comes after the Consecration, when the Lamb is mysti-
cally slain, reduced to the state of a victim.
142 THE MEMENTO FOR THE DEAD.
Explanation of the Memento for the Dead.
Be mindful, O Lord, of Thy servants, men and
women, N. and N., who are gone before us with the
sign of Faith, that is with the character of Baptism
on their soul, and sleep in the sleep of peace. Our
Lord's own name for death is sleep — **the girl is not
dead, she sleeps." We too speak of cemetery, which
means the sleeping-place.
The priest in his private capacity may here pray for
any soul who has left this earth, even for such as
died in the very act of sin. At the last they may have
found mercy.
To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in
Christ, that is, who died in the grace of God free from
serious sin, grant, we beseech Thee (the Church
returns to her earnest and humble entreaty, we beseech
Thee) a place of refreshment — nfrigevium, a cooling
from the heat of the fire and from the fever of
the agony of loss. The word indicates relief from
the double pain of sense and loss. Place of light,
that is Heaven, as Hell is the place of darkness. Place
of peace — that is perfect peace. For there is peace in
Purgatory from the certainty of salvation, through
freedom from sin and from the love and sympathy of
the suffering souls, but the peace is imperfect. In
Heaven only is perfect rest and peace.
THE THIRD PRAYER AFTER THE CONSECRATION. H3
THE THIRD PRAYER OF THE CANON
AFTER THE CONSECRATION.
Nobis quoque peccatoribus And to us also sinners, Thy
famulis tuis, de multitudine servants, hoping in the multi-
miserationum tuarum speran- tude of Thy mercies, vouchsafe
tibus, partem aliquam etsocie- to grant some part and fellow-
tatem donare digneris, cum ship with Thy holy Apostles
tuis Sanctis Apostolis et Mar- and Martyrs : with John,
tyribus : cum Joanne, Ste- Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas,
phano, Mathia, Barnaba, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcel-
Ignatio,Alexandro,Marcellino, linus, Peter, Felicitas, Per-
Petro, Felicitate, Perpetua, petua, Agatha, Lucy, Agnes,
Agatha, Lucia, Agnete, Cse- Cecily, Anastasia, and with all
cilia, Anastasia et omnibus Thy Saints : into whose com -
Sanctis tuis; intra quorum pany we beseech Thee to
nos consortium, non aesti- admit us, not by weighing our
mator meriti, sed veniae, merits, but by a free gift of
quaesumus, largitor admitte. pardon. Through Christ our
Per Christum Dominum no- Lord.
strum.
Explanation of the Prayer.
After praying for the dead who are resting in Christy
the Church prays for the living v^hose future is un-
certain and exposed to danger.
And to us also sinners (the priest slightly raises his
voice) hoping in the multitude of Thy mercies,vouch-
safe to grant some part and fellowship with Thy
holy Apostles and Martyrs, with John (St. John the
Baptist), Stephen (the first martyr), Matthias (elected
to fill the place of Judas), Barnabas (companion and
fellow-labourer with St. Paul), Ignatius (the martyr,
successor to Peter in the see of Antioch), Alexander
(fifth Pope after St. Peter), Marcellinus (priest), Peter
144 THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON,
(exorcist of the Roman Church), Felicitas and Per-
petua (two youthful heroines, first scourged and finally
beheaded a.d. 202), Agatha (virgin and martyr), Lucy
(martyred 304), Agnes (virgin and martyr, at thirteen),
Cecily (virgin and martyr; through her love of singing
the Divine praises, represented with a lyre), Anastasia
(martyr, burnt 304), and with all Thy Saints, into
whose company, we beseech Thee, to admit us, not
by weighing our merits, but by a free gift of pardon,
that is, we have no claim of our own, we trust to Thy
mercy to freely pardon our offences, and thus to obtain
for us fellowship with Thy Saints. Through Christ
our Lord.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON.
The preceding prayer closes with the words through
Christ our Lord. Amen is omitted to show the close
connection between Jesus Christ our Lord and the
following prayer :
Per quem haec omnia, Do- By whom, O Lord, Thou
mine, semper bona creas, dost always create, sanctify, 4^
sancti«^ficas, vivi.^ficas, bene- vivify, .^ bless, «^ and grant us
►J^dicis, et praestas nobis. all these good things.
He uncovers the Chalice, and makes a gemtflexion ; then
taking the Host in his right hand, and holding the Chalice
with his left, he makes with the Host Jive crosses, saying :
Per ip«^sum, et cum ip«^so. Through Him,.^and with
et in ip«^so, est tibi Deo Patri Him, 4^ and in Him,.^ is to
4^ omnipotent! in unitate Thee, God the Father ►J- Al-
Spiritusi^SanctijOmnis honor mighty, in the unity of the
et gloria. Holy *^ Ghost, all honour and
glory.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON. 145
By whom, O Lord, Thou dost always create,
sanctify, ^ quicken, ►J^ bless, 4* and grant us all
these good things. At the crosses the priest signs
the Sacred Host and Chalice together : and then with
the Host makes five crosses, three over the Chalice,
and two between it and himself, at the same time
saying : through Him, ^ and with Him, ^ and in
Him, + is to Thee, God the Father+Almighty, in
the unity of the Holy Hh Ghost, all honour and
glory (here the priest holds the Sacred Host over the
Chalice and slightly elevates both together).
Explanation of the Prayer which ends the Canon.
The prayer by which the Canon concludes is
divided into two parts, the first, from by whom,
O Lord, to good things.
Let us explain the first part. The words all these
good things include the bread and wine existing on
the altar before the Consecration. They are still
through the species, before the eyes of the priest, the
veil, as it were, of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
The elements of bread and wine are created ; on the altar
from being merely natural gifts they are transformed
into heavenly gifts, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ,
and as such become our inheritance and food. The
words praestas nobis — grant us — refer to the consecrated
elements, to the bread and wine after their conversion
into the Body and Blood of our Lord.
The words of the prayer then may thus be explained
— by whom, that is, by Jesus Christ {Coloss. i. i6),
Thou dost always create. Create may refer to the
bread and wine before Consecration, or it may refer in
K
146 THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON.
a wide sense to Transubstantiation. God who once
created the Body of His Son from a Virgin, daily from
bread creates the Flesh of Christ and from wine the
Blood of Christ.
God changes by the same Jesus Christ the created
gifts of bread and wine into, as we have seen, the
Heavenly gift of the Eucharist. This essential trans-
formation is presented to us from three different points
of view — by whom, O Lord, Thou dost always
sanctify ; bread and wine reach the highest degree of
sanctification when converted into the Body and Blood
of the all Holy God ; quicken, by consecration they
become the living Body and Blood of Jesus Christ,
the foundation of all true life ; lastly bless, the bread
and wine are ^* blessed " in the full force of the words
when converted into the Body and Blood of Christ, in
Itself infinitely blessed, and the fountain whence flows-
every blessing to us. God grants us by Jesus Christ
these gifts sanctified, quickened, and blessed as a
Sacrifice and a Sacrament, as the ransom and the
nourishment of our souls.
A much more profound sense attaches to these word&
if we consider the bread and wine as representative (by
their outward appearance at least) of all natural pro-
ductions. In this way Jesus Christ in Holy Mass
comes before us as the Author and Dispenser of
the gifts of nature and of grace. In early times, and
on certain feasts, immediately before the prayer, by
whom, O Lord, Thou dost always create, a blessing
was read by the priest over the fruits of the earth, which
the faithful brought with them and laid within the
sanctuary much in the same way as we now place
palms on Palm Sunday. These offerings included
amongst other things, articles of food, bread, wine,
milk, honey, oil, grapes, and fruit. Such gifts
THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON. H7
blessed and placed near the altar, could certainly
in another and wider sense be comprised amongst the
good things created, sanctified, quickened, blessed
and granted through Jesus Christ. A vestige of the
custom of earlier ages is seen in the blessing of the
Holy Oil for the sick by the Bishop on Maundy
Thursday. Before saying at Mass the words by whom,
O Lord, Thou dost always create, &c., the Bishop
exorcises and then blesses in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ the Oil used in Extreme Unction. The
moment selected by the Church for blessing the Holy
Oil^is the Canon of the Mass, where the death of Jesus
Christ is placed before our eyes in the double conse-
cration of bread and wine. The Oil is blessed after the
NoUs quoque peccatoribus, in which the Church prays that
her children may have some share, in spite of their
sins, with the saints in glory. As if in keeping with
her request, she commands her Bishop to bless then the
Oil of Extreme Unction, which has as its special sacra-
mental grace, the power to wash away the remnants
of sin, which hinder our entrance into Heaven. This
close union between these blessings and the Eucharistic
Sacrifice is an eloquent testimony to the belief that
the Mass is the centre of all grace and benediction.
We now come to the second part of the prayer^
through Him, >I^ and with Him, ►J^ and in Him, ^
is to Thee, God the Father+Almighty, in the unity
of the Holy + Ghost, all honour and glory.
We must bear in mind the two natures, Divine and
Human, in Jesus Christ. Through Him ►f*, that is,
through Jesus Christ, the Father and Holy Ghost are
infinitely glorified, first by the sacrifice of the Man-
God, secondly, because the homage of creatures is only
acceptable when presented through Christ the one
148 THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON.
mediator. With Him.^J^ The Father and Holy
Ghost receive all honour and glory with the Son, for
Christ is true God. In Him.^-' The Father and Holy
Ghost are glorified in Jesus Christ because the three
Persons of the Blessed Trinity, by their one essence
and nature, must necessarily receive the same honour
and glory.
THE SIGNS OF THE CROSS MADE
DURING THIS PRAYER.
The three signs of the Cross made over the Chalice
at the words sanctify, quicken, bless, signify the
sanctification, quickening, and benediction caused in the
bread and wine by conversion into Christ's Body and
Blood at the Consecration ; while they remind us of
the fulness of every grace which the Eucharist bestows
upon the Church. After the prayer a sudden change
is seen in the Rubric. For the priest in saying the
words through Him, with Him, in Him, makes the
sign of the Cross three times over the Chalice^ not
with his hand but with the Host, and at the mention
of the Father and Holy Ghost makes the sign of the
Cross twice between the Chalice and his breast. It is
extremely difficult to give a satisfactory explanation of
these signs of the Cross. Perhaps, as Gihr suggests
(vol. ii. p. 367, French translation), the reason is that as
the Son is mentioned three times the Cross is made thrice
over the Chalice which contains His Body and Blood.
The Cross and Crucifixion are distinctive of the Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity. The Crucifixion of
Christ, whom we believe to be present in the Chalice.
THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON. 149
is represented to us in a very marked way in the sign
of the Cross made by His own Body. That Body lay
extended on the tree in the form of a Cross. *^ Who
His ownself bore our sins in His Body on the tree"
(i Peter ii, 24). But why, at the mention of the Father
and the Holy Ghost, is the sign of the Cross made
outside the Chalice ? Possibly to show (this is all
we can say) that the greatest honour rendered to the
Father and the Holy Ghost, is through the Passion
of Christ, which we commemorate in the Eucharist.
At the words omnis honor et gloria— all honour
and glory, the priest holds the Host and Chalice
together and slightly raises both. In this action we
have the Little Elevation, which is much more ancient
than the Elevation after the Consecration. In some
countries, e.g,, Belgium, the bell is here rung three
times.
The Canon ends with the words per omnia
saecula saeculorum— for ever and ever, to which the
people answer Amen through the server or choir. The
Canon ends in a burst of praise.
150 THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON.
Questions on Chapter XIV.
(p. 113 to p. 134.)
J. Give the various uses of the word Canon. Why was
it once called the ^* prayer'' and " action " ?
2. Of what, according to the Council of Trent, does the
Canon consist ? When did it reach its present form ?
3. How do you divide the first prayer Te igitur, clemen-
tissime Pater (We, therefore, humbly pray and beseech Thee,
most merciful Father) ?
Explain in the first portion of the prayer, the words, gifts,
presents, unspotted sacrifices, orthodox believers, and professors of
the Catholic Apostolic faith,
4. What is the object of the Memento for the Living ?
For whom can the priest pray ?
5. What do you know of diptychs ?
6. What is meant by " within the action " ? What is the
drift of the prayer Communicant es (communicating with) ?
7. Why does the priest spread his hands over the Oblation
at the Hanc igitur (We, therefore, beseech Thee, O Lord) ?
8. Explain the expression, oblation of our service. Who
introduced the last three petitions in the prayer ?
9. Explain the words in the third prayer before the Con-
secration, blessed, approved, ratified, reasonable,
10. Explain the Consecration of the bread by the words.
For this is My Body.
11. Why is there the double Consecration of bread and
wine ? Explain the words of the Consecration of the wine.
12. What is meant by the words, New and Eternal Testa-
ment ; by mystery of faith ; and for many ; to the remission of
sins P
THE CONCLUSION OF THE CANON. 151
Questions from p. 135 to p. 149.
13. When and why was the Elevation of Host and Chalice
introduced ?
14. How do you divide the Prayer after the Consecration ?
15. Explain the words, We Thy servants : Thy holy people :
^ffer of Thy gifts and grants : the Chalice of everlasting salvation.
Why are five signs of the Cross made at the words pure
Victim, &c. ?
16. Explain the allusion in the gifts of Thy servant AbeL
the sacrifice of Abraham and of Melchisedech.
17. What is meant by the Memento for the Dead ? Can
those who die outside the Church benefit by it ?
18. Explain the words, place of refreshment : place of light :
place oi peace,
19. Explain the apparent gap in the clause which begins,
per qiiem haec omnia Domine (By whom, O Lord, Thou dost
always create). •
20. Give some explanation of the signs of the Cross made
during this prayer.
CHAPTER the FIFTEENTH.
Part the Fourth.
From the " Pater noster " to the end of Mass.
THE OUR FATHER AND ITS SEQUEL
THE *' LIBERA."
The priest after the Amen of the server, who answers
for the congregation, says Oremus, the solemn invita-
tion to prayer, and begins the introduction to the
Pater noster. The Pater noster is contained in nearly
all the old Liturgies and it is generally thought to
have been introduced into the Mass by the Apostles,
at the command, so says St. Jerome, of our Lord
Himself. **But we say the Lord's Prayer directly
after the Canon for the following reason : because it
was the custom of the Apostles to consecrate the sacri-
ficial oblation solely with this prayer." (St. Gregory
the Great's letter to John Bishop of Syracuse, about
578.)
Its present place immediately after the Canon is
due to St. Gregory the Great. In the Ambrosian and
Mozarabic rite the Pater is said after the Breaking of
the Host.
The introduction runs thus: Instructed by Thy
saving precepts, and following Thy divine institu-
tion, we presume to say.
St, Luke (xi, 1) tells us that the disciples said to
our Lord one day: *' Teach us to pray as John also
taught his disciples." Hence the Church says that,
THE OUR FATHER, I53
instructed by Christ, and following His Divine insti-
tution, we presume, we dare to call Him by a most
tender and affectionate title which otherwise we could
not venture to use, namely, Father.
Praeceptis salutaribus men- Instructed by Thy saving
iti, et divina institutione form- precepts, and following Thy
ati, audemus dicere. divine institution, we presume
to say :
Pater noster, qui es in Our Father, who art in
coelis : sanctificetur nomen heaven, hallowed be Thy
tuum : adveniat regnum tuum : Name : Thy kingdom come ;
fiat voluntas tua, sicut in Thy will be done on earth as
coelo, et in terra. Panem nos- it is in heaven. Give us this
trum quotidianum da nobis day our daily bread : and for-
hodie : et dimitte nobis debita give us our trespasses, as we
nostra, sicut et nos dimitti- forgive them that trespass
mus debitoribus nostris. Et against us. And lead us not
ne nos inducas in tentationem. into temptation.
R. Sed libera nos a malo. R. But deliver us from evil.
The Priest says in a low voice :
Amen. Amen.
Explanation of the Our Father.
The Ottr Father is given by St. Matthew, in chapter
vi., as a portion of the Sermon on the Mount. St. Luke
gives it in chapter xi., as if it had been given for a
second time^ and to a different audience. There is
a slight variation between the form in St. Matthew and
in St. Luke.
In the first portion of the prayer we regard God as
our end ; in the last three petitions we beg the removal
of all obstacles to gaining that end.
The invocation Father is to give us hope in God
as first and foremost an affectionate Father — who art
154 THE OUR FATHER.
in Heaven. His abode brings before us the greatness
and majesty of God. Hallowed be Thy name. These
words with the invocation belong to perfect charity, by
which we love God for His own sake and desire the
glory and praise of God from all creation.
In Thy Kingdom come, we pray that God may
reign in our hearts and bring us to Heaven. We con-
sider Him as the source of all good to us.
In Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven,
we ask that God may give us the grace to keep from
all sin by the perfect fulfilment of His will, as the
blessed fulfil it in Heaven.
In give us this day our daily bread, we ask our
daily nourishment for soul and body. In our English
Catholic version of St. Matthew's Gospel, we have
supersubstantial/ which is taken from St. Jerome's
Latin version ; in St. Luke we have daily. In St.
Matthew and St. Luke the Greek word is the same.
It means for the day now coming upon us, as we say
*' for the next twenty-four hours." Daily bread
may also refer to the living Bread in the Eucharist
— ^' and the bread that I will give is My flesh for the
life of the world," our Lord's words in St, John {vi. 52).
The next three petitions, as already stated, are to
remove all that hinders us from gaining our end.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them
that trespass against us.
St. Matthew has debts, but sins are debts for which
we owe restitution to God. St. Luke's version explains
St. Matthew.
Lead us not into temptation, that is, give
us grace not to yield to any temptation which you
permit, and to avoid any temptation to which our
corrupt nature attracts us.
^ Supersubstantial means excellent, above all substances.
SEQUEL TO THE LORD'S PRAYER. 155
But deliver us from evil, that is, from all evils of
sou] and body, or from the evil one, which seems the
more correct translation of the Greek. To this last
petition the priest answers secretly, Amen,
SEQUEL TO THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Libera nos, quaesumus Deliver us, we beseech Thee,
Domine, ab omnibus mails, O Lord, from all evils, past,
praeteritis, praesentibus, et present, and to come : and by
futuris : et intercedente beata the intercession of the blessed
et gloriosa semper Virgine and glorious Mary ever a
Dei Genitrice Maria, cum Virgin, Mother of God, toge-
beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et ther with Thy blessed Apos-
Paulo, atque Andrea, et ties Peter and Paul, and
omnibus Sanctis, da propitius Andrew, and all the Saints,
pacem in diebus nostris ; ut mercifully grant peace in our
ope misericordiae tuae adjuti, days : that by the assistance
et a peccato simus semper of Thy mercy we may be
liberi, et ab omni perturba- always free from sin, and
tione securi. secure from all disturbance.
Explanation of the Sequel.
Deliver us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all
evils, past, present, and to come.
This prayer is the Church's addition to the Our
Father. It is constantly called Embolismus, or
** addition," by ecclesiastical writers. We ask to be
delivered from all evils past, that is, from the punish-
ments due even to forgiven sin, and from the weakness
and tendency to sin which remain after the guilt has
been removed, from present evils and from those which
the future may have in store.
And by the intercession of the blessed and
glorious Mary ever a Virgin, Mother of God,
156 THE BREAKING OF THE HOST.
together with Thy blessed Apostles Peter and
Paul (they are always connected in the services of the
Church. Andrew is added, because to him as St. Peter's
brother, the Church pays special reverence), and all
the Saints, mercifully grant peace in our days: that
by the assistance of Thy mercy we may be always
free from sin, and secure from all disturbance (of
mind and body). The priest places the paten under the
Host, uncovers the Chalice, and makes a genuflexion ;
then, rising, he takes the Host, breaks It in the middle
over the ChaHce, saying: through the same Jesus
Christ Thy Son our Lord.
THE BREAKING OF THE HOST.
The breaking of the Host is a ceremony of great
importance in the Mass. At Ordination the Bishop
reminds the priest to learn carefully before celebrating
Mass all that concerns the Consecration, the breaking of
the Host, and the Communion. The practice of breaking
the Host comes from the institution of Christ and the
example of the Apostles. SS. Matthew, Mark, and
Luke all refer to the breaking of bread. In the early
ages of the Church the celebration of the Mass and the
Holy Communion were called the breaking of bread.
{Acts ii, 42 ; atat. 7, 11 ; i Coy, x. 16.)
Perhaps too the breaking of the Host brings before
our minds the violent Death of Jesus Christ — though it
is needless to add that no bones were broken in His
Sacred Body.
By the Roman rite the consecrated Host was always
divided into three parts, and the priest consumes all
three according to the present practice. According to
ancient usage the Hosts were much larger than at
THE BREAKING OF THE HOST, 157
present ; one portion was dropped into the chalice, the
second was consumed by the celebrant, deacon, and
subdeacon, the third was reserved for the sick.
After the words through the same Jesus Christ
Thy Son our Lord, Who with Thee in the unity
of the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth God, the
priest places half the Host which is in his left hand
on the paten, and holding the particle which he broke
off in his right hand, and the Chalice with his left, he
says per omnia saecula saeculorum — for ever and
for ever.
After the recital of the Sequel to the Patev noster
in an Episcopal Mass the Archdeacon who assisted
at Mass was wont, at least in some places, to turn round
to the congregation and intone Humiliate vos ad
benedictionem — Bow down for the Benediction — to
which the rest of the clergy answered Deo gratias.
The Bishop turned to the people, blessed them and
perhaps some gifts they might have brought to be
blessed.
This particular or special blessing did not interfere
with the general blessing of the congregation at the
end of Mass. (Smith and Cheetham, Dictionary of
Christian Antiquities, vol. i. p. 196.)
After Amen the priest thrice makes the sign of the
Cross over the Chalice saying, May the peace of 1^ the
Lord be ►J^ always with ►J^ you, the server answers,
and with thy spirit ; and the priest drops the conse-
crated particle into the Chalice saying. May this
mingling and consecration of the Body and Blood
of our Lord Jesus Christ, be to us that receive It,
effectual to eternal life.
158 THE BREAKING OF THE HOST.
EXPLANATION OF THE BREAKING OF
THE HOST AND OF THE PRAYER.
In the separate Consecration under two kinds, the
Body and Blood of our Saviour appear to us distinct,
the separate Consecration represents the death of the
Victim caused by the separation of the Body and Blood.
The mingling of the two consecrated Elements expresses
figuratively that in reality the Body is not separated
from the Blood, nor the Blood from the Body; under
each species Christ is whole and entire, one Victim and
one food. The m^^'stical reunion of the Body and
Blood, through the consecrated particle falling into the
Chalice, is thought also to represent the glorious Resur-
rection of Jesus Christ, when the Soul and Body were
united once again.
The priest as he drops the particle into the Chalice
says, May this mingling and consecration of the
Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ; be
to us that receive It, effectual to eternal life.
These words have been variously explained. The best
explanation is to refer consecration to the thing con-
secrated. The sense then is — may this mingling of the
consecrated Body and Blood of Jesus Christ be to us
effectual in gaining life. In the Ambrosian rite, the
priest says. May this mingling of the consecrated
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, be to us who
eat It and drink It, unto life and joy everlasting.
THE ^'AGNUS DEL" 15^
THE "AGNUS DEI" AND THE PRAYERS
BEFORE THE PRIESTS COMMUNION.
The priest covers the chalice, genuflects, and rises to
say three times the Agmcs Dei.
Since the Canon no prayer has been addressed to
our Lord, because in this portion of the Mass He is a
Victim. We offer a victim — we do not pray to it. The
words Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of
the world are taken from the Baptist's description of
our Lord in St. John i. 29. Compare the Preface for
Easter ; "■ He is the true Lamb who has taken away the
sins of the world." The Paschal Lamb was the type —
Christ is the reality. Lamb of God means either Divine
Lamb or Lamb destined by God for the Sacrifice.
The priest asks for mercy twice, striking his breast
in sign of sorrow, and the third time he asks for
peace : an appropriate request as he is on the point of
receiving the Author of peace.
In Mass for the Dead the Church, instead of mercy,
implores rest, and everlasting" rest instead of peace for
the faithful departed, who are restless in their yearning
for God.
i6o
THE PRAYER FOR PEACE,
THE PRAYER FOR PEACE AND THE
PRAYERS BEFORE THE COMMUNION.
The following prayers up to the Communion are
addressed to Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament
on the altar. The first is the prayer for Peace.
Domine Jesu Christe, qui
dixisti Apostolis tuis: pacem
relinquo vobis, pacem meam
do vobis : ne respicias peccata
mea, sed fidem Ecclesiae tuae :
eamque secundum voluntatem
tuam pacificare et coadunare
digneris. Qui vivis et regnas
Deus, per omnia saecula
saeculorum. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, who
saidst to Thy Apostles, Peace I
leave to you. My peace I give
unto you; look not on my
sins, but on the faith of Thy
Church ; and vouchsafe to it
that peace and unity which is
agreeable to Thy will. Who
livest and reignest God for
ever and ever. Amen.
Domine Jesu Christe, Fili
Dei vivi, qui ex voluntate
Patris, cooperante Spiritu
Sancto, per mortem tuam
mundum vivificasti : libera me
per hoc sacrosanctum Corpus
et Sanguinem tuum, ab omni-
bus iniquitatibus meis, et
universis malis : et fac me
tuis semper inhaerere mand-
atis, et a te nunquam separari
permittas. Qui cum eodem
Deo Patre, et Spiritu Sancto
vivis et regnas Deus in sae-
cula saeculorum. Amen.
Perceptio Corporis tui, Do-
mine Jesu Christe, quod ego
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of
the living God, who accord-
ing to the will of the Father,
through the co-operation of
the Holy Ghost, hast by Thy
death given life to the world ;
deliver me by this Thy most
sacred Body and Blood from
all mine iniquities and from
all evils, and make me always
adhere to Thy command-
ments, and never suffer me to
be separated from Thee. Who
with the same God the Father
and Holy Ghost livest and
reignest God for ever and
ever. Amen.
Let not the receiving of
Thy Body, O Lord Jesus
THE PRAYER FOR PEACE. i6i
indignus sumere praesumo, Christ, which I, unworthy, pre-
non mihi proveniat in judi- sume to receive, be to me unto
cium et condemnationem : sed judgment and condemnation ;
pro tua pietate prosit mihi ad but through Thy goodness,
tutamentum mentis et cor- may It be to me a safeguard
poris, et ad medelam percipi- and remedy, both of soul and
endam. Qui vivis et regnas body. Who with God the
cum Deo Patre in unitate Father, in the unity of the
Spiritus Sancti Deus, per Holy Ghost, livest and reign-
omnia saecula saeculorum. est God for ever and ever.
Amen. Amen.
Explanation of the Prayer for Peace.
Lord Jesus Christ. The full title ; Lord, me'ans
Supreme Master, Jesus Saviour, Christ the Anointed,
Who saidst to Thy Apostles, Peace I leave to
you, My peace I give unto you. St. Augustine
defines peace as tranquillitas ordinis — the calm where
order reigns. There is perfect peace and perfect order
in Heaven, imperfect on earth : none in Hell, millus
ordo, no order there. Look not on my sins, but on
the faith of Thy Church. The faith referred to here
is in its fullest meaning, faith perfected by charity.
And vouchsafe to it that peace and unity (amongst
its members) which is agreeable to Thy will, who
livest and reignest, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Explanation of the Two Prayers before
the Communion.
These two prayers are addressed to our Lord on the
altar by the priest for whom they are specially meant,
and form his preparation for Communion. Their beauty
and tenderness cannot be surpassed. Lord Jesus
i62 THE TWO PRAYERS BEFORE THE COMMUNION
Christ, Son of the living God. Again our Lord's full
title is given, Living God, compare St. Peter's Con-
fession and our Lord's blessing for that Confession,
•'Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God..
Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona " (St. Matt, xvi. i6).
Living God means true God, the Source of all life and
truth, who, according to the will of the Father,
through the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, hast
by Thy death given life to the world.
The work of our redemption has been accomplished
by our Lord Jesus Christ, with the co-operation of the
Father and of the Holy Ghost. The Father gave His
only-begotten Son to redeem the world ; Jesus Christ,
out of love to His Father, was obedient unto death ;
the Holy Ghost formed the Sacred Body of our Lord
from a Virgin's flesh, and inspired the human will of
Christ to offer His life for us, and by His death Christ
gave life to the world.
Deliver me — the priest prays for himself — by this
Thy most Sacred Body and Blood, which are
present to the eye of faith, from all mine iniquities
— past and present sins, in themselves and in their
consequences — and from all evils, now and in the
future.
The first request. Deliver me, is made in view of
the Eucharist as a Sacrifice. Make me always
adhere to Thy commandments, and never suffer
me to be separated from Thee. The second request
is in virtue of the Eucharist as a Sacrament. Who,
with the same God the Father and Holy Ghost^
livest and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen.
THE TWO PRAYERS BEFORE THE COMMUNION. 163
Let not the receiving of Thy Body, O Lord Jesus
Christ, which I, unworthy, presume to receive,
be to me unto judgment and condemnation.
Judgment here means unfavourable iudgment {Compan
St, Paul I Cor.xi, 29), ^*For he that eateth and drinketh
unworthily, eat eth and drinketh judgment to himself;"
and our English expression, ** That man will rise in
judgment against you." But through Thy goodness
may It be to me a safeguard and remedy, both of
soul and body — the Eucharist consecrates the whole
man, not merely the soul but the body also. Six
Sacraments sanctify the body indirectly through the
soul ; the Eucharist directly and immediately sanctifies
the flesh of man, hence the Eucharist is the best remedy
against impurity^ and the best guardian of chastity.
Who with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, livest and reignest God for ever and ever.
Amen.
In the above prayer the priest first confesses his
own unworthiness and then he earnestly begs our Lord
to save him from the misfortune of a sacrilegious Com-
munion and to grant him in abundance the graces of
a fervent Communion.
i64 THE PRIEST'S COMMUNION.
THE PRIESTS COMMUNION.
Before communicating the priest says : I will
take the Bread of Heaven and call upon the name
of the Lord (the Eucharist is called the Bread of
Heaven — compare our Lord's words : ** I am the Living
Bread which came down from Heaven ''). Next the priest
takes the Host and paten in his left hand, and striking
thrice his breast with his right, he says three times the
words of the Centurion, in St, Matt, viii, 8 : Lord, I am
not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my
roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be
healed.
He then takes the Host in his right hand, and
making the sign of the Cross with the Host, says :
May the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve
my soul unto life everlasting. Amen. The priest
communicates himself. He collects on the paten any
particles of the Sacred Host that may have fallen on
the corporal, and with his fingers transfers them into
the chalice. Next with his right hand he takes the
chalice, saying the words from the 115th and 17th
Psalms: What shall I render to the Lord for all
He has rendered to me ? I will take the
Chalice of Salvation and call upon the name
of the Lord; I will call upon the Lord and I
shall praise Him and shall be saved from my
enemies (that is, from all three, the world, the flesh,
and the devil).
THE ABLUTIONS. 165
He makes the sign of the Cross with the chaHce,
saying: The Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ
preserve my soul to everlasting life. Amen.
He receives the Precious Blood with the particle,
and next communicates the faithful who may present
themselves at the sacred table.
The Communion of the priest under both kinds
belongs to the completeness, not to the essence of the
Sacrifice. The Communion of the priest is a grave
obligation and can never be omitted. Should the priest
die or faint at the altar after the Consecration, the
Mass, as we have seen, must be continued if possible
by a priest who has not broken his fast ; where this is
impossible, a priest even after food should finish the
Mass and receive under both kinds.
THE ABLUTIONS.
The ablutions are the wine and water poured into
the chalice by command of the Church out of reve-
rence to the Eucharist, so as to secure the priest
receiving any portion of the Sacred Host or any
drop of the Precious Blood which may have clung
to the chalice.
While the wine is being poured into the chalice the
priest says the following prayer :
1 66
THE ABLUTIONS.
Quod ore sumpsimus, Do-
mine, pura mente capiamus :
et de munere temporali fiat
nobis remedium sempiternum.
Grant, Lord, that what we
have taken with our mouth,
we may receive with a pure
mind ; and of a temporal gift
may it become unto us an
eternal remedy.
Strictly speaking, the wine poured into the chalice
after the priest has drunk the Precious Blood is called
the purification ; the wine and water, which cleanse
the fingers and rinse the chalice a second time, are
called the ahhition, Celebrans tunc sumpta purificatione^
lavat digitos et sumit ablutionem. {Caerem, Episcop. 1. 2,
<:. 29, n. 8.)
At Holy Communion we eat and drink the Body
and Blood of Jesus Christ. The Eucharist is called **a
temporal gift" both as a Sacrifice and as a Sacrament.
The Sacrifice is offered on earth : the Eucharist as a
Sacrament, that is, our Lord under the appearance
of bread and wine, does not exist in Heaven, only on
earth — hence temporal. Nevertheless it is an eternal
remedy, because it preserves us from evil and gains
for us eternal life.
Wine and water are next poured into the chalice
and the priest says :
Corpus tuum, Domine, quod
sumpsi, et Sanguis, quem
potavi, adhaereat visceribus
meis: et praesta,ut in me non
remaneat scelerum macula,
quem pura et sancta refece-
runt sacramenta. Quivivis et
regnas in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
May Thy Body, O Lord,
which I have received, and
Thy Blood which I have drunk,
cleave to my heart, and grant
that no stain of sin may
remain in me, who have been
refreshed with pure and holy
sacraments. Who livest, etc.
Amen.
THE PRIESTS THANKSGIVING. 167
Explanation of the Prayer.
The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ remain in us
so long as the sacramental species are not destroyed.
The Church asks that the sacramental grace may not
pass rapidly as earthly food, but cling to us, filling us
with Jesus Christ, and she prays that no stain or shadow
of sin may remain in the heart, that has been refreshed
by the holy sacraments. The plural form ** sacraments *'
is supposed by some to indicate the two species of
bread and wine. Sacraments, however, in the language
of the Church often mean sacred mysteries. We
do not find '* sacrament" in its technical sense of an
outward sign of an inward grace before the twelfth
century. In various Postcommunions we find the
Eucharist called mysteries, divine sacraments, gifts of
a sacred mystery, heavenly gifts, heavenly nourish-
ment, &c.
THE PRIESTS THANKSGIVING.
THE COMMUNION AND THE POST-
COMMUNION.
The antiphon or verse which the priest reads from
the Missal at the Epistle side of the altar after com-
municating is called the Communion. Like the
Offertory before the Oblation of bread and wine, the
Communion is the remnant of a much longer psalm
i68 THE COMMUNION.
which was formerly chanted, probably from the fourth
century to the twelfth, while Communion was given to
the clergy and faithful. After the twelfth century the
psalm was discontinued during the administration of
Communion and became a part of the priest's thanks-
giving. In time the psalm was cut down to the antiphon,
which still keeps its name of Communion, thus indicating
its origin and use. (Gihr, English translation, p. 751.)
The verse in the Communion is usually taken from
the Bible, not always from the Psalms. The Com-
munion is sometimes composed by the Church, as in
the feast of the Seven Dolours. Happy the feeling's of
the Blessed Virgin Mary, who without dying hath
merited the palm of martyrdom beneath the Cross
of the Lord. The Communion (in spite of its name)
does not at all necessarily refer to the distribution or
receiving of the Eucharist. The Communion, like other
variable portions of the Mass, bears on the feast of the
day or the ecclesiastical season. The allusion to the
Eucharist is rare and seems almost accidental.
We may cite here a few examples of the Com-
munions from the Missal to illustrate the truth of what
has been said regarding the peculiar character of the
prayer.
The Communions for the four Sundays in Advent
indicate the Church's spirit during that season.
First Sunday. The Lord will give goodness and
our earth shall yield her fruit.
Second Sunday. Jerusalem, arise and stand on
high and see the gladness which shall come to thee
from thy God.
Third Sunday. Say to the faint-hearted : Take
courage and fear not : behold our Lord shall come
and save us.
THE POSTCOMMUNION. 169
Fourth Sunday. Behold a Virgin shall conceive
and bring forth a Son and His name shall be called
Emmanuel.
For Easter. Christ our Pasch is sacrificed,
therefore let us feast with the unleavened bread
of sincerity and truth.
For the feast of St. Aloysius there is an allusion to
the Blessed Sacrament. He gave them the bread
of Heaven : Man has eaten the bread of angels.
The Requiem Mass preserves its primitive form.
Eternal light shine upon them, O Lord. With
Thy saints for ever, because Thou art merciful.
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and may
perpetual light shine upon them. With Thy saints
for ever, because Thou art merciful.
The Postcommunion is a prayer which immediately
follows the Communion and ends the Mass. In earlier
times up to the eleventh century it was called Ovatio
ad Complendtim — prayer at the finish — because this
prayer with the Ite Missa est ended the Mass. The
Post communions correspond in number, form, and
ceremonies with the Collects and Secrets for the day.
There is, however, a characteristic difference ; the
Collect relates exclusively to the feast of the day or
to the ecclesiastical season, and the Secret mainly to
the Sacrifice {ovatio stipev oblata), while the Blessed
Eucharist, as a Sacrament, forms not unfrequently the
subject of the Postcommunion.
In the Postcommunion the plural form is always
used, for this prayer is said for those or in the
name of those who have assisted at Mass. This
170 THE POSTCOMMUNION.
assumes that at least a great proportion of the congre-
gation at Mass have, as in the primitive Church,
communicated.^
Here are examples of Postcommunions taken from
different feasts :
The Second Sunday in Advent. Filled with the
food of spiritual nourishment, we humbly implore
of Thee, O Lord, to teach us by sharing in this
Mystery to despise earthly and to love heavenly
things.
The Vigil of Christmas. Grant us, we beseech
Thee, O Lord, to draw the breath of life in the
meditation of the Nativity of Thy only-begotten
Son, by Whose heavenly mystery we are fed and
given to drink.
The feast of the Precious Blood. Admitted to the
holy table, O Lord, we have drawn waters in joy
from the fountains of the Saviour. May His Blood
be for us, we implore, a fountain of water springing
up unto everlasting life.
The feast of St. Catharine of Siena. May the
heavenly banquet, wherein we have been fed, obtain
for us eternal life, as it also nourished the life of
the body for the holy virgin Catharine,
The feast of St. Aloysius. Grant, O Lord, that
we who have been nourished by the bread of
angels may live with angelic purity, and that we
may ever be constant in thanksgiving, after the
example of him whom we honour to-day.
1 The reader may consult with profit an article on the Postcom-
munion in the American Ecclesiastical Revieiv for March, 1904, by the
Rev. P. F. Donnelly, SJ.
THE END OF MASS. lyi
THE END OF MASS.
After the Postcommunion the priest says, The Lord
be with you, and the server answers, and with thy
spirit. Next follow three different conclusions for the
Mass : Ite Missa est, — go, it is the dismissal ; or Bene-
dicamus Domino, — let us bless the Lord ; or Requies-
cant in pace, — May they rest in peace. Ite Missa est is
said facing the people, because it is the dismissal;
Benedicamus Domino facing the altar, because our Lord
dwells there ; Requiescant in pace also facing the altar,
because the words refer to the absent remembered by our
Lord. The Ite Missa est is said at Mass whenever the
Gloria in excelsis is said. The Benedicamus Domino is
reserved for penitential seasons. The words were
perhaps originally an invitation to the faithful to remain
in church for the Canonical Hours which followed Mass
during times of penance. The rubric prescribes a
joyful chant for the Ite Missa est, while that of the
Benedicamus Domino is more grave and solemn.
In the Requiem Mass all signs of joy are inap-
propriate ; therefore the Ite Missa est is omitted ; and
from the twelfth century the custom arose of saying
the last fervent prayer for the dead in the form of May
they rest in peace, to which the server, representing the
congregation, says Amen. Requiescant in pace is the
shortened form of Fidelium anim^B per misericordiam Dei
requiescant in pace. Up to the tenth or eleventh century
the Mass ended with one of the formulas already quoted.
The prayer Placeat, the priest's blessing, and the Gospel
of St. John, are additions which found their way into the
172 THE END OF MASS.
Roman Missal from different churches. Pius V., in
1570, in revising the new Missal, prescribed the Placeaty
blessing, and St. John's Gospel for the end of Mass.
The prayer runs thus :
Placeat tibi, sancta Tri- O Holy Trinity, may the
nitas, obsequium servitutis obedience of my service be
meae, et praesta : ut sacri- pleasing to Thee : and grant
ficium, quod oculis tuae Ma- that the Sacrifice which I,
jestatis indignus obtuli, tibi unworthy, have offered in the
sit acceptabile, mihique et sight of Thy Majesty, may
omnibus, pro quibus illud be acceptable to Thee, and
obtuli, sit, te miserante, pro- through Thy mercy be a pro-
pitiabile. Per Christurd Domi- pitiation for me, and all those
num nostrum. Amen. for whom I have oftered it»
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Explanation of the Prayer.
O Holy Trinity, may the obedience of my
service be pleasing to Thee. The obedience
of my service means the absolute dependence of the
creature on the Creator, and is expressed by the very
nature of the Sacrifice which is offered to God alone.
And grant that the Sacrifice which I, unworthy,
have offered in the sight of Thy Majesty, may be
acceptable to Thee, and through Thy mercy be a
propitiation. Propitiation is mentioned as most neces-
sary; we first appease God's offended Majesty, and then
implore the graces we need through His mercy.
For me and all those for whom I have offered it.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The prayer Placeat is a compendium of the previous
petitions of the Mass. The priest for the last time
humbly asks of God for himself and the people the graces
he needs.
THE END OF MASS. 173
This prayer naturally leads to the blessing that
follows, for every blessing comes from the Sacrifice of
the Mass, and the priest is in every case the channel.
After the prayer Placeat the priest kisses the altar
and pronounces the blessing : Benedicat vos omnipo-
tens Deus, Pater, et Filius, ^ et Spiritus Sanctus.
This custom of the priest's blessing at Mass is not
very ancient. There is no proof up to the eleventh
century of a blessing at the end of Mass. From the tenth
century many Bishops in various places began to give
the blessing at the end of Mass instead of before the
Communion. By degrees priests also began to bless
at the end of Mass. At one time priests gave the
blessing with the triple sign of the Cross, as Bishops
do now. Pius V. restricted priests to a blessing with
one sign of the Cross, except at High Mass, when he
allowed them the triple sign. At the revision of the
Roman Missal the rule was at length firmly estab-
lished that Bishops at the end of Mass bless with
a triple sign of the Cross and priests with a single.
Clement VIII. made the rule absolute which forbids
a priest to bless with the triple sign of the Cross. ^
The Requiem Mass without a blessing at the end
reminds us of the centuries when no blessing was given
by priest or Bishop.
The custom of reading the beginning of St. John's
Gospel at the end of Mass dates from the thirteenth
century, and that only in certain places. Pius V., in
revising the Missal, imposed on all priests the obliga-
tion of saying St. John's Gospel at the end of Mass
except on certain days when the rubrics prescribe
another Gospel.
1 An allusion to the withdrawal of the permission for the triple
sign of the Cross is seen in the Rubric of the Roman Missal, "et
versus ad populum, s^m^/ tantum henedicens etiant in Missis Solemnibus.*'
174
THE END OF MASS.
In principio erat Verbum,
et Verbum erat apud Deum,
et Deus erat Verbum. Hoc
erat in principio apud Deum.
Omnia per ipsum facta sunt,
et sine ipso factum est nihil,
quod factum est. In ipso vita
erat, et vita erat lux hominum ;
et lux in tenebris lucet, et
tenebrae eam non compre-
henderunt.
In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the begin-
ning with God. All things
were made by Him, and with-
out Him was made nothing
that was made. In Him was
life, and the life was the light
of men ; and the light shineth
in darkness, and the darkness
did not comprehend it.
Fuit homo missus a Deo,
cui nomen erat Joannes. Hie
venit in testimonium, ut testi-
monium, perhiberet de lum-
ine, ut omnes crederent per
ilium. Non erat ille lux ; sed
ut testimonium perhiberet de
lumine. Erat lux vera, quae
illuminat omnem hominem
venientem in hunc mundum.
There was a man sent from
God, whose name was John.
This man came for a witness,
to give testimony of the light,
that all men might believe
through him. He was not
the light, but was to give testi-
mony of the light. That was
the true light, which enlight-
eneth every man that cometh
into this world.
In mundo erat, et mundus
per ipsum factus est, et mun-
dus eum non cognovit. In
propria venit, et sui eum non
receperunt. Quotquot autem
receperunt eum, dedit eis
potestatem filios Dei fieri, his
qui credunt in nomine ejus;
qui non ex sanguinibus, neque
ex voluntate carnis, neque ex
voluntate viri, sed ex Deo nati
sunt. Et VERBUM CARO FAC-
TUM EST, et habitavit in
He was in the world, and
the world was made by Him,
and the world knew Him not.
He came unto His own, and
His own received Him not.
But as many as received Him,,
to them He gave power to be
made the sons of God, to
them that believe in His name :
who are born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of
God. And the word was
THE END OF MASS.
^75
nobis ; et vidimus gloriam
ejus, gloriam quasi unigeniti
a Patre, plenum'' gratiae et
veritatis.
R, Deo gratias.
MADE FLESH, and dwelt among
us ; and we saw His glory,
the glory as of the only-
begotten of the Father, full
of grace and truth,
R. Thanks be to God.
176 EXPLANATION OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL.
I. In the beginning was the Word and the
Word was with God and the Word was God.
2. The same was in the beginning with God.
3. All things were made by Him and without
Him was made nothing that was made.
4. In Him was life : and the life was the light of
men.
EXPLANATION OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL. ^11
EXPLANATION OF ST. JOHN^S GOSPEL
AS READ AT MASS.
1. In the beginning, that is, in the beginning of
time as in Genesis, '' in the beginning God created
Heaven and earth : ' ' when God first created — the Word,
or the Second Person of the Trinity, already existed.
With God does not mean separate existence from
God — as there is only one God ; it means only such
distinction as exists between Producer and Produced,
a distinction of Person necessary because of the unity
of the same nature.
2. St. John repeats and inculcates the same truth —
the Son — the Word was in the beginning with God
—one in nature, different in person.
3. All things were made by Him, that is, by the
Son. The Father creates through the Son in this sense,
that He communicates to the Son the essence and
power wherewith He creates along with the Father.
All creation capable of life was by the Son made
living, and apart from the Son no single thing was
made.
4. In Him was life, that is, the true life of grace
and glory in its source and origin which by His Incar-
nation He gives to us. '^¥ox ihe life was manifested
and we declare unto you the life eternal which was with
the Father and appeared to us." (i John i, 2.)
The life was the light of men : the life was the
true light of faith and grace, which proceeds from that
life.
M
178 EXPLANATION OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL.
5. And the light shineth in darkness : and the
darkness did not comprehend it.
6. There was a man sent from God whose name
was John.
7; This man came for a witness, to give testi-
mony of the light, that all men might believe
through him.
EXPLANATION OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL. lyg
5. Darkness means not so much the ignorance
or absence of light from the hearts of men as the
antagonism of the world to the truths of faith.
{Compare St. John Hi. 19.) ** Men loved darkness rather
than the light, for their works were evil." They
pulled down the curtains over the soul — they hated
the light.
The darkness did not comprehend it. The dark-
ness did not overtake the light. The meaning is — the
darkness did not subdue the light. The sins of men
could not quench the light of Christ, the darkness could
not subdue it, or overcome it. [Compare Wisdom vii.
10, 30 : ** I loved her (wisdom) above health and beauty,
and chose to have her instead of light : for her light
cannot be put otit. . . . For after this cometh night, but
no evil can overcome wisdom.")
The more common interpretation followed by Father
Knabenbauer in his Commentary on St. John's Gospel,
p. 71, is that wicked men (the darkness) ignoring God
and the way of salvation, refused to accept the light, or
to acknowledge it ; as stated in v. 10, the world (men
whose lives are in opposition to the teaching of our
Lord) knew Him not. But the first explanation is
preferable.
6. The reference is to John the Baptist, appointed
to prepare the way for the coming of Christ. The word
Baptist is never given to John by the author of the
Fourth Gospel.
7. John was the witness appointed by God to testify
to all the Jews that Jesus Christ was the true light, that
the Jews might believe in their Saviour through the
word of John. Remember St. John's description of Jesus
Christ : ** Behold the Lamb of God ; behold Him who
taketh away the sin of the world." (i. 29.)
i8o EXPLANATION OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL.
8. He was not the light, but was to give testi-
mony of the light.
9. That was the true light which enlighteneth
every man that cometh into this world.
10. He was in the world, and the world was
made by Him, and the world knew Him not.
11. He came unto His own, and His own
received Him not.
12. But as many as received Him to them He
gave power to be made the sons of God, to them
that believe in His name.
13. Who are born not of blood, nor of the will
of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of
the only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth.
EXPLANATION OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL. i8i
8. John the Baptist confessecj in v. 20, ^* I am not
the Christ," and therefore he was not the light. Our
Lord said of John the Baptist, ** He was a burning and
shining lamp." (v. 35.) John was the lamp, the artificial
light kindled by another : he was not the light, for the
light is Christ. John was to point out the light.
9. Christ is called the true light — because He is
substantial, unveiled light that shines of itself — others
shine with a light borrowed from Him — another kind of
light altogether. Christ was the true light coming into
this world, which enlighteneth every man to whom
the Gospel of His coming is preached. No one, says
St. Augustine, is enlightened except by Christ.
10. He was in the world as God and Creator from
the beginning of time, and the world was made by
Him (that is, earth and sky and all creatures) and the
world, that is, the multitude of men whose lives are in
opposition to God's law, knew Him not.
11. He came unto His own, into His own land,
the Holy Land and His own Jewish people; and His
own Jewish people received Him not,
12. But as many as received Him, Christ gave
power to be made the sons of God by adoption in
Baptism ; He gave them power — He did not force them
— He gave them the means on condition of believing in
Christ, of becoming sons of God by adoption through
grace.
See I 'j^ohn v. i. ** Every man who believes that
Jesus is Christ, is born of God."
To them that believe in His name— literally
believe unto His name. {Compare Acts viii, 16) — ** bap-
tized unto the name of the Lord Jesus."
Both expressions mean the making over of oneself
as to a Being who is the Son of God, the Messiah who
came to save His people from their sins.
182 EXPLANATION OF ST, JOHN'S GOSPEL,
13. St. John draws a comparison between natural
birth and sonship by grace. Who are born not
of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, the prompting
of appetite, nor of the will of man, but are born of
God by Faith and Baptism and therefore coheirs
with Christ to the vision of God in Heaven.
14. The Word was made Flesh — that is, He
became Man. Without ceasing to be what He was
from all eternity, the Word who in the beginning was
with God has become flesh ; God is Man : and that
Man is God. Here in a nutshell we have the whole
doctrine of the Incarnation.
And dwelt among us, or as in the original,
pitched His tent amongst us. These words mean that
Christ came to be for ever one of our kith and kin, to
form an alliance with mankind and to stay amongst us
as the Head of our race. He became Man in time —
He will remain Man for all eternity.
We saw His glory — that is, we the Apostles saw
His glory, all the mighty deeds by which He showed
forth His Divinity amongst men.
The glory as of the only-begotten means such
glory as becomes the only-begotten. Full of grace, as
author of the grace that works perfect redemption, and
full of truth as Author of perfect revelation. {See
Father Rickabys Gospel of St, John and Cornelius a Lapide).
EXPLANATION OF ST. JOHN'S GOSPEL. 183
Questions on Chapter XV.
1. Who gave the Pater noster its present position in the
Mass ?
2. Give Its this day our daily bread is found in St. Luke.
What is meant by daily bread ? and why does St. Matthew
use super substantial ?
3. Explain in one version, forgive us our trespasses^
and in another, /or^iy^ us our debts,
4. What is meant by the breaking of the Host and the
mingUng of the Consecrated elements ?
5. Why is the first prayer before the priest's Communion
omitted in a Requiem Mass ?
6. What is meant by Ablution and what by Purifi-
cation ?
7. Why is the Holy Eucharist called a temporal gift ?
By what other names is It described in different Post-
■communions ?
8. What is the origin of the verse in the Communion ?
Why is the plural form used in the Postcommunion ?
9. What are the three different conclusions for the Mass ?
When is each used ?
10. When was the priest's blessing at the end of Ma
introduced ?
CHAPTER the SIXTEENTH.
THE CEREMONIES OF HIGH MASS.
High Mass, with the full number of ministers and all
the solemnity prescribed by the Church, is called in
her language Solemn Mass. Music is of obligation at
High Mass. Mass with music without ministers is
called Missa Cantata,
The ministers who assist the celebrant at High
Mass are the deacon and subdeacon. They are the
proper ministers at the great Sacrifice.
The deacon at ordination receives the special power
of assisting the celebrant at High Mass, of solemnly
singing the Gospel, of preaching, and of administering
solemn Baptism.
The subdeacon at ordination receives the power of
assisting the celebrant at High Mass, and of solemnly
singing the Epistle.
The deacon's office is to assist the priest, the sub-
deacon's to assist the deacon and the priest.
Acolytes are prescribed by the Church as servers at
High Mass. The office of the acolyte is one of the four
minor orders. The acolyte receives from the Bishop
the special power of serving the subdeacon at High
Mass, of lighting and carrying the candle, of preparing
THE CEREMONIES OF HIGH MASS, T85
and presenting the cruets of wine and water. But at
High Mass we usually have no acolytes in the strict
sense ; laymen not in orders perform their duties.
This mention of an acolyte's distinctive ofSce in
lighting candles, enables us to say a few words on the
use of lights in a liturgical service. That light has a
symbolical use is almost self-evident. It represents to us
our home in Heaven, ** where perpetual light shines ; "
and it is the symbol of our Divine Saviour, who
describes Himself in 5^. John xii, 46 as the ** light of
the world." Christ is the '' light of light," *'the bright-
ness of His Father's glory '■ (Heh, i, 3), ** a light for the
revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people
Israel " (5^. Luke ii. 31), He is **the bright and morning
star" of the Apocalypse {xxii. 16), and the ** light
shining in darkness." {St. John i. 5.)
Amongst the early Jewish Christians unquestionably
the Paschal Candle typified Him who is **the True
Light which cometh into the world." At the blessing
of the fire on Holy Saturday the Church prays to God,
"the Eternal Light and Creator of all light," that He
would bless the light so that we ^* may be thereby
inflamed with love and be enlightened by the fire of
the Divine brightness." The feast of the Purification
is called in English Candlemas, in reference to the
candles which are blessed and carried in procession
before Mass. They remind us of Holy Simeon's words
when, with the Divine Child in his arms, he declared
Him to be the light of the Gentiles and the glory of
Israel. The Church in blessing the candles teaches us
that she regards and employs earthly light as a symbol
of that heavenly light in which spiritual truth is read.
She prays in words, which necessarily lose in translation,
to "Jesus Christ, the true light," to grant that '* as the
i86 THE CEREMONIES OF HIGH MASS.
candles lighted with visible fire scatter the darkness of
night, so our hearts (enlightened by invisible fire, that is,
by the splendour of the Holy Spirit) may be freed from
all blindness of sin, and with the purified eye of the
mind may be enabled to perceive what is pleasing to
Thee and conducive to our salvation, and that after
the uncertain dangers of this life we may reach unfailing
light."
The blessed candle is raised by the Church to the
dignity of a sacramental. It strengthens our efforts in
virtue of the Church's prayers, to overcome the spirits
of darkness and to see those truths which **the sensual
man perceiveth not." (i Cor. ii, 14.) To the newly
baptized the lighted candle is given, as the emblem of
the torch of faith with which souls hasten forth to
meet the Bridegroom. One lighted candle is required
in the administration of Extreme Unction, perhaps to
signify the light of hope shed by that great sacrament
around the dying bed. The figurative use of light in
the ceremonies of the Church with its high significa-
tion and purpose cannot be questioned.
Mass is the Church's greatest service ; and we need
not be surprised that lighted candles are a strict obliga-
tion. Two, and not more than two, are lighted at a
priest's Low Mass, and four may be used at the Low
Mass of a Bishop. The candles must be of white wax
(cera alba), except in Masses for the Dead, when candles
de communi cera, that is, of yellow wax, are prescribed.
The latter are used at Tenebrae in Holy Week on the
altar, and for the fifteen candles on the hearse or
triangular candlestick; at the Mass of the Presanctified;
as also at Office of the Dead. Electric light is permitted
for illumination and ornament, but it may not be used as
FHE CEREMONIES OF HIGH MASS. 187
a substitute for those lights which are prescribed by the
Church's ritual.^ Six candles are lighted at High Mass,
and seven at a High Mass celebrated by a Bishop. The
origin of this custom takes us back to the ninth century
after Christ. We cannot do better than quote a passage
from a most interesting and instructive book on the
Ceremonies of Holy Week published in 1902. In
speaking of the service of the Three Lessons on Good
PYiday, the author refers (p. 4) to a time in the early
Church when the Chief Pontiff and his attendants made
their solemn entry into the sanctuary for High Mass.
** In the sacristy," writes Father Thurston, **near the
entrance of the Lateran Basilica, the Pontiff assumed
the sacred vestments. There he took his place in the
procession to the altar, being supported on his right by
his archdeacon and on his left by the second deacon,
and preceded by the subdeacons, one of whom, who was
inferior in grade to the seven regionary^ subdeacons,
swung a smoking censer. At the head of the procession
walked the seven regionary acolytes bearing lighted
candles. . . . The seven candles of the acolytes, which
were eventually ranged in a row on or before the altar,
explain in the clearest way the origin of the seven
candles in a Pontifical High Mass, and through an
obvious differentiation, the origin of the six candles on
the altar in a High Mass which is not pontifical."
1 To the question " Utrum lux electrica adhiberi possit in
Ecclesiis," it was answered by the Congregation of Rites, "Ad
cultum, negative: ad depellendas autem tenebras ecclesiasque
splendidius illuminandas, affirmative; cauto tamen, ne modus
speciem prae se ferat theatralem." (June 4, 1895.)
2 Pope St. Fabian in the third century divided Rome into seven
ecclesiastical "regions." Each region had a deacon and sub-
deacon of its own, with acolytes under them. These clerics were
called " regionaries ; " others of the same grade were called
sequentes, "supernumeraries."
i88 THE CEREMONIES OF HIGH MASS.
One word as to the candlesticks on the altar. We are
told that the present custom of placing candlesticks on the
altar dates from the ninth or tenth century ; previously
to this period they were placed probably at the sides or
before the altar. ^* In the private Masses of the ninth or
tenth century, and in some places down to the end of
the eighteenth century, the altar remained bare until the
priest who was to say Mass actually arrived at the
spot. The priest brought a little crucifix or cross along
with the chalice, and the server carried a candlestick
and candle. In all probability the six candlesticks we
now see there, or seven when a Bishop pontificates, have
sprung from the seven candles originally borne before
the Roman Pontiff by the seven regionary acolytes.'*
{^Ceremonies of Holy Week, Good Friday, p. 6.)
After this brief reference to the Church's use of
candles at Mass we return to the consideration of
the Ceremonies at High Mass. Instead of being crossed
in front like the priest's, the deacon's stole stretches
from the left shoulder across the breast and is fastened at
his right side. Also, instead of the chasuble, the deacon
and subdeacon wear special vestments called dalmatics.
A dalmatic is a vestment open on each side, with wide
sleeves, and marked with two stripes. It is worn by
deacons at High Mass, at Processions and Benediction.
Bishops wear a dalmatic and tunic under the chasuble
when they celebrate Mass pontifically. The colour is
the same as that of the celebrant's chasuble. The word
is derived from Dalmatia, The dalmatic was a long
undergarment of white Dalmatian wool corresponding
to the Roman tunic. Originally it was a garment of
everyday life.
The use of the dalmatic as a vestment was first
peculiar to the Popes, and then permitted by them
THE CEREMONIES OF HIGH MASS. 189
to Bishops, and as early as the fourth century to
deacons. From the year 800 onwards ecclesiastical
writers speak of the dalmatic as one of the episcopal
and the chief of the deacon's vestments. (Catk, Diet.
Sixth Edition, p. 268.)
High Mass differs from Low (so called by way of
contrast to the High, the Great, the Solemn Mass)
merely in the way of addition. It is substantially the
same rite. But such is the dignity of this great Sacrifice,
that the Church prefers its being solemnized with all
outward sign of grandeur and beauty. It is certain that
Masses are much more frequent in later than in earlier
ages. Thus St. Augustine, speaking of his day, informs
us that in some places there was Mass daily, in others
only on Sundays, in others on Saturdays and Sundays.
The multiplication of Masses has necessarily tended to
divest them of all ceremonial except what is necessary
to their essence. But High Mass is more in accordance
with the mind of the Church than Low. And she has it
on ever}^ great feast.
The first ceremony after the priest reaches the altar
is the incensing.
Incensing is very ancient in the Church and was
prescribed by God Himself in Exodus xxx. 7: *' And
Aaron shall burn sweet-smelling incense upon it in the
morning." The Council of Trent mentions incense
{Thymiama) amongst those visible signs which lift the
mind to heavenly things. {Sess. xxii. ch. 5.) The burning
away of the incense, in other words its destruction, is
suitable to the idea of Sacrifice where the Victim is
destroyed, and the perfume, which is of strict obligation,
is emblematic of the good odour of Christ of which the
Sacrifice speaks.
The first incensing of the altar by the priest may be
igo THE CEREMONIES OF HIGH MASS.
regarded as the conclusion of the prayers said at the
foot of the altar. It is unaccompanied by any prayer.
The celebrant places the incense three times in the
thurible, saying : Mayest thou be blessed by Him in
whose honour thou shalt be consumed, and makes
the sign of the Cross over it. He then incenses three
times with a double swing the crucifix — next he incenses
the relics of the saints on the altar out of respect to
their memory, and then the altar itself— the place of
sacrifice. The altar is the holiest of inanimate things
in the church and has been solemnly consecrated, or at
least the altar-stone, by the Bishop. It therefore merits
incensing. The incensing of the altar over, the
celebrant hands the thurible to the deacon, who
incenses the celebrant three times (as he incensed the
crucifix), as the representative at Mass of the great
High Priest Jesus Christ.
The first incensing is meant chiefly for the altar.
THE KYRIE, GLORIA IN EXCELSIS,
AND THE EPISTLE.
The priest recites in a low voice the Kyrie at the
Epistle side of the altar, where it was originally said
at Low Mass — the deacon and subdeacon recite
alternately with him. The celebrant intones the
Gloria. The choir take it up. The deacon and sub>
deacon repeat with the celebrant the words of the Gloria.
Then all go to their seats — where they remain with
covered heads (except at the words at which inclination
i
THE SINGING OF THE GOSPEL. T91
of the head is made at Low Mass) while the Gloria is
being sung. The Gloria over — the celebrant, after genu-
flecting with the deacon and subdeacon at the foot
of the altar, mounts the steps, the deacon retires behind
him, and the subdeacon behind the deacon.
The priest sings Dominus vobiscum, and is
answered by the choir ; he then sings the Collect or
Collects of the day. The deacon and subdeacon
remain behind him. The Collects over, the deacon
moves near the Celebrant and assists him while he reads
the Epistle, Gradual, and, if so be. Tract or Sequence.
Meanwhile the Epistle of the day is sung by the sub-
deacon, in the exercise of the power given him at
ordination. At its close he takes the book to the centre
of the altar, genuflects, and carries it to the Epistle
corner, where he receives the blessing of the priest. He
then restores the book to the master of ceremonies and
takes the Missal to the other side for the priest to read
the Gospel.
The priest says the Munda cor meimi and in a low
voice reads the Gospel.
THE SINGING OF THE GOSPEL BY
THE DEACON.
When the priest has read the Gospel, the deacon
receives the book of the Gospels, genuflects, and goes
up to the altar, setting the book upon it — the open part
turned towards the tabernacle. This rubric is the
survival of the old custom of taking the book of the
192 THE SINGING OF THE GOSPEL.
Gospels to the altar at the beginning of the Mass and
leaving it until the deacon needed it. He next assists
the priest in putting the incense into the thurible with
the same ceremonies as before. The deacon then recites
the Miinda cor meum. This prayer has been already
explained. He kneels before the celebrant with the
book of the Gospels, and asks his blessing thus,
Jube, Domne. benedicere — pray, sir, bless me. The
celebrant then pronounces the blessing — Our Lord be
on thy heart and on thy lips, that worthily and
suitably thou mayest announce His Gospel in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Ghost. Amen, at the same time making the
sign of the Cross over him with his right hand, which
the deacon kisses.
The deacon, subdeacon, acolytes with lighted
candles, thurifer and master of ceremonies proceed to
the fixed place where the Gospel is sung. The Church
surrounds the singing of the Gospel with extraordinary
solemnity. It is difficult to think of anything in her
Liturgy to which she pays more honour than to the
Gospels.
The congregation stand as a mark of respect. The
acolytes' lighted candles are a symbol of our Lord, v/ho
by teaching was the Light of the world. ** Thy
word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my paths."
[Ps. cxviii. 105.) The incense with its sweet smell
represents the good odour of Christ. " For we are the
good odour of Christ with God, in them that are saved,
and in them that perish. To the one indeed the odour
of death unto death : but to the others the odour of life
unto life." (2 Cor, ii, 15, 16.)
The subdeacon holds the book and the deacon smgs
in a loud voice Dominus vobiscum. The choir
THE SINGING OF THE GOSPEL. 193
answers Et cum spiritu tuo. On chanting the title
of the Gospel, the deacon signs the book and his
forehead, lips, and breast, as the priest does at Low
Mass. The title having been chanted, the deacon
receives the thurible from the thurifer, and while the
choir sings Gloria tihi Domine, he incenses the sacred
text three times, and proceeds to chant the Gospel. At
the end the subdeacon carries the book to the celebrant
to kiss the place indicated by the deacon. The latter
then thrice incenses the celebrant who (if there be no
sermon) at once intones the Credo,
The sacred ministers recite the Credo with the priest,
and then sit until the choir has finished the Credo. After
the Incarnatus the deacon goes to the altar with the
burse containing the corporal, which he spreads for the
Sacrifice, and then draws the Missal from the Gospel
side to the middle of the altar for the celebrant's con-
venience. During this ceremony the subdeacon rises
and stands uncovered : the acolytes also rise and stand.
The deacon returns to his seat per breviorem, and before
sitting, bows to the celebrant.
^94 THE SOLEMN OFFERTORY.
THE SOLEMN OFFERTORY.
The Creed having been sung by the choir — the priest
attended by the deacon and subdeacon goes to the
altar in the same manner as after the Gloria and sermon.
The deacon and subdeacon fall into their places behind
the priest, and the celebrant after kissing the altar
5ings the Dominus vobiscum and is answered by the
choir. He then sings the Oremus before the Offerforium,
which he says in a low voice.
The deacon now leaves his place and goes to the
Epistle side of the altar, while the subdeacon proceeds
to the credence-table, where he finds the chalice and
paten with bread prepared for the Sacrifice, covered
with a long veil of the colour of the day as well as with
the small veil by which they are always covered when
not in use. Wearing the long veil the subdeacon pro-
ceeds to the altar, where the deacon puts the small veil
aside, receives the chalice and paten and sets them on
the altar. The deacon then presents the priest with the
paten bearing the bread of the Sacrifice, kissing the paten
and his hand. While the priest offers the host — the
deacon pours wine into the chalice ; and the sub-
deacon, holding the cruet of water, invokes the blessing
of the celebrant in the words Benedicite^ Pater veverende,
using the plural (benedicite) as a mark of respect. The
-celebrant as at Low Mass blesses the water and the
subdeacon pours a drop or two into the chalice. The
deacon and subdeacon have each their proper functions
in High Mass — the subdeacon sings the Epistle — the
deacon the Gospel, to the deacon belongs the wine —
the matter of the Precious Blood — to the subdeacon
THE INCENSING AT THE OFFERTORY. 195
the water. The deacon now presents the priest with the
chahce as before with the paten — kisses the base of the
chalice and the celebrant's hand — holds the celebrant's
arm and repeats with him the words of oblation on
that account in the plural. The plural is retained in
Low Mass as if to show that the presence of the
deacon is more after the Church's heart; she retains
the plural form as if he was present.
The oblation over, the deacon, after wiping the
paten with the purificator, next gives it to the sub-
deacon, covering it with the end of the long veil still
worn by the latter, who bearing the paten so covered,
proceeds with it to his proper place at the foot of the
altar, where he holds it until almost the end of the Pater
nostev. This custom is said to date from the time when
the faithful offered bread and wine on the paten. As
the offerings were large, the size of the paten was in
proportion, and for convenience sake it was removed and
held by the subdeacon until wanted again by the priest.
The Church loves to maintain practices in symbol after
she has dropped them in their official use.
THE INCENSING AT THE OFFERTORY.
The incensing at the Offertory differs from the
incensing before the Introit, because at the Offertory it
is more solemn, more comprehensive, as not merely the
celebrant, deacon, and subdeacon are incensed, but the
people also ; the incensing also at the Offertory is in an
especial way meant for the bread and wine, and thus is
much more clearly connected with the Sacrifice than
the first incensing, which is chiefly concerned with the
altar or the place of sacrifice.
196 THE INCENSING AT THE OFFERTORY.
The priest in blessing the incense says, By the
intercession of blessed Michael the Archangel,
standing on the right hand of the altar of incense
{St, Luke i. ii) and of all His elect, may the Lord
vouchsafe to bless ►J^ this incense, and to receive it
in the odour of sweetness, through Christ our
Lord, making over the incense the sign of the Cross.
The Church begs of God by the sign of the Cross
to bless the incense and to accept it as a thing con-
secrated to His service. To obtain her request
more surely she has recourse to the intercession of
St. Michael and all the saints.
Explanation of the Prayer in Blessing the
Incense.
By the intercession of blessed Michael the
Archangel — his name is mentioned in the Confiteov and
now again as the leader of the heavenly host whose
duty in fact is to offer to God the prayers of the faithful
which rise like incense. Standing at the right hand
of the altar of incense — this is said of St. Gabriel in
Luke {i, ii), and because of this verse in St. Luke
various Missals introduced St. Gabriel's name here.
And of all His elect, that is, all the saved, may the
Lord vouchsafe to bless this incense by consecrating
it to His service and to receive it in the odour of
sweetness, through Christ our Lord. The priest
asks not merely that God will accept this incense, but
accept it as a gift sweet smelling in His sight.
The priest then receiving the thurible from the
deacon proceeds to incense the oblation or the bread
and wine of the Sacrifice. Making over them with the
thurible three crosses, saying at the first, Incensum
THE INCENSING AT THE OFFERTORY. 197
istud ; at the second, a te benedictum ; at the third,
ascendat ad te Domine; he next describes three
circles round the chahce and host, the first two with
the thurible from right to left, and the third from left
to right; saying at the first, et descendat super nos;
at the second, misericordia ; and at the third, tua
(May this incense blessed by Thee ascend to Thee,
O Lord, and may Thy mercy descend upon us).
He next incenses the crucifix thrice with the words
of the 140th Psalm : Let my prayer be directed as
incense in Thy sight, that is, let my prayer reach
Thee in the Heavens as incense ordered by Thee
of old and entirely consumed in Thy presence. The
lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice,
A lifting up of my hands means prayer, as the
Jews were wont to lift up their hands in prayer.
{See Psalm cxxxiii,) The prayer I offer up with uplifted
hands, may it be like the sacrifice of incense offered up
in the evening, prefiguring the Sacrifice of Calvary.
Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth ; and a door
round about my lips. My mouth being the gate
through which pass the words that do harm ; set,
O Lord, a watchman on it, and as that is not enough I
beg of Thee to put a strong door round my lips ; That
my heart incline not to evil words to make excuses
in sin. Do not allow us when we have fallen into sin
to * Met our heart incHne " to lies and excuses. ** To
make excuses in sin." Do not allow us to excuse our
sin, teach us to acknowledge it. {Sec Bellarmine's Com-
mentary on this Psalm,)
The celebrant then restores the thurible to the
deacon at the Epistle side, saying. May our Lord
enkindle within us the fire of His love, and the
flame of eternal charity. The deacon receives it,
igS THE CANON AND CONSECRATION.
kisses the thurible and the celebrant's hand and incenses
him thrice. Then the deacon incenses the clergy in
choir. Next he incenses the subdeacon twice, and is
himself incensed by the thurifer twice. The celebrant,
remaining at the Epistle side of the altar, washes his
hands, and says the Pssilm Lavabo as in Low Mass. He
next says the Prayer of Oblation, the Orate Fratns, and
the Secret prayers as at Low Mass.
THE PREFACE IN SOLEMN HIGH MASS.
The Preface is invested by the Church with great
dignity, its words of unspeakable majesty are wedded to
a chant which, aS' some writers have thought, was taken
by the Apostles from the music in the Temple. There
seems no difficulty whatever in adopting the opinion, or
at least in saying that there may be a strong family
resemblance between the chant of the Preface and
certain music in vogue in the Temple during the
• Apostles' lifetime.
THE CANON AND CONSECRATION IN
HIGH MASS.
The Preface over, the deacon takes his place at the
left of the celebrant, in discharge of his official work of
assisting the celebrant at High Mass.
The acolytes come in from the sacristy, kneel with
lighted torches before the altar, and when the priest
places his hands over the chalice at the words Hanc
igitur oblationem, the deacon genuflects, moves round
to the right of the priest, and goes down on both knees.
THE CONSECRATION TO THE ''PATER NOSTERr 199
At the same time the subdeacon lowers the paten, which
he still carries, and kneels in his place. Incense is
placed in the thurible to honour the Blessed Sacrament
at the Consecration. When the Consecration and
adoration of the Sacred Host are over, the deacon rises
and removes the pall from the chalice ; and after the
Consecration and adoration of the Precious Blood he
replaces it.
After the Consecration the choir sings usually the
Benedicttis, which may be considered as an act of faith
in our Lord incarnate on the altar.
FROM THE CONSECRATION TO THE
PATER NOSTER.
After the Consecration the deacon and subdeacon
rise ; and the deacon, having genuflected, goes again to
the left side of the celebrant to assist at the Missal.
All proceeds as at Low Mass, until after the Memento
for the Dead at the Per quern haec omnia, Domine,
semper bona creas, when the deacon genuflects, and
goes to the right of the priest to remove the pall from
the chalice for the ** little Elevation ; " also, when the
priest makes the sign of the Cross over the Sacred Host
and chalice, the deacon steadies the latter at the foot,
using his privilege of touching vessels which contain
the Body and Blood of our Lord. At the Pater noster
the deacon having genuflected, leaves the altar, ana
goes to his place behind the priest.
EXPLANATION OF THE "PAX:'
FROM THE ^- PATER NOSTER" TO THE
COMMUNION.
The celebrant sings the Pater noster to a tone pre-
scribed in the Missal. At the Ne nos inducas in tenta-
tionem the deacon and subdeacon, having genuflected
at their places, go up to the altar. The subdeacon
gives the paten to the deacon, who wipes it with the
purificator, and gives it to the priest after the Patev
noster, kissing the edge and the priest's hand. An
attendant removes the long veil from the shoulders of
the subdeacon, who genuflects and returns to his
place. The deacon remains near the celebrant at his
right to remove the pall from the chalice and steady it
when necessary. The priest sings to the tone pre-
scribed in the Missal the Pax Domini. Then the
subdeacon joins the priest at the altar, and with the
deacon, accompanies him in saying the Agnus Dei.
This over the subdeacon goes to his place, and the
deacon remains on both knees while the celebrant says
the first of the three prayers before the Communion.
The Pax is given after that prayer.
EXPLANATION OF THE **PAX" OR KISS
OF PEACE.
The Pax or kiss of peace is the memorial of the holy
<*kiss of peace'* mentioned by St. Peter in his first
Epistle V, 14; by St. Paul, Rom. xvi, 16, and in
I Cor, xvi. 20. The kiss of peace is the symbol of charity
and of Christian peace. It was given at Mass from
EXPLANATION OF THE ^'PAX:
the Apostles' days. To avoid all abuse, and for other
reasons, the sexes were rigidly separated. Thesepara-
ion then of men and women found sometimes in the
present day in Catholic churches, at home and abroad,
is partly because of the kiss of peace formerly given by
the celebrant to the deacon, by him to the subdeacon,
then passed down to the clergy in the sanctuary, and
from them to the men in the congregation.
In all the Eastern as well as in the Mozarabic and
Ambrosian liturgies the kiss is given before the Offertory
and Consecration. In the Roman Mass the kiss of
peace follows the Consecration, and is clearly connected
Avith the Communion.
The kiss, strictly so called, was given as late as the
thirteenth century during High Mass by the celebrant
to the deacon, and by him to the subdeacon. At the
end of the thirteenth century, the kiss of peace gave
way to the use of the Osculatormm, called also InstrumenUtm
or tahula pads. This Osculatormm was a plate with a
figure of Christ Crucified stamped upon it. This plate
was kissed first by the priest, and then by the clerics
and congregation. The Osculatorium was introduced
into England by Archbishop Walter of York in 1250.
The embrace now substituted for the kiss of peace
dates from the Reformation. The Pax, as it is called,
is not given at Low Mass. At High Mass after the
first of the three prayers before Communion, the deacon
rises from his knees and kisses the altar with the
celebrant. Next the celebrant, placing his hands on
the shoulders of the deacon, inclines towards his cheek,
saying Pax tecum, and is answered by the deacon Et
cum spiritu tuo. The deacon then goes to the sub-
deacon and gives him the Pax in the same way.
The Pax is not given on the three last days of Holy
THE END OF HIGH MASS.
Week. On Maundy Thursday it is omitted from horror
of the treacherous kiss of Judas— on Good Friday and
Holy Saturday it is Hkewise omitted because, says
Durandus the ritualist, Christ, our true peace, has not
risen from the dead. After His Resurrection pax vohis
was His familiar greeting.
At Masses for the Dead the Pax is also omitted, as
we shall see later under Mass for the Dead.
FROM THE COMMUNION TO THE END
OF HIGH MASS.
When the subdeacon has concluded giving the Pax
he rejoins the priest at his right hand, and removes
the pall from the chalice before the priest drinks the
Precious Blood. When the Communion of the priest
and faithful is over, the subdeacon ministers wine for
the purification ; and wine and water for the ablution*
The deacon and subdeacon change places, the deacon
removing the Missal to the Epistle side. The priest
having received the ablution leaves the chalice and
purificator, and goes to the Missal at the Epistle
side to read the Communion. The subdeacon arranges
the chalice and purificator, puts the corporal into the
burse, and having covered the chalice and paten with
the veil, bears them with the burse resting on them
to the credence-table. After placing the chalice on
the credence-table, he goes to his place behind
the priest and deacon. The celebrant after reading the
Communion goes to the middle of the altar, sings the
Dominus vobiscum, and is answered by the choir;
THE END OF HIGH MASS. 203
then returning to the Missal, he sings the Postcom-
munion prayer or prayers. Returning to the middle he
again sings Dominus vobiscum, and is answered by
the choir. Then the deacon, turning to the people, sings
the Ite Missa est or the Benedicamus Domino
towards the altar. The celebrant, after blessing
the congregation, reads the Gospel. That over, all
bow to the middle of the altar, descend the steps,
genuflect^ if the Blessed Sacrament be reserved, and
preceded by the acolytes with lights return to the
sacristy. [Taken in part from Canon Oakeley's Ceremonial of
the Mass.)
1 " Genuflexion (the bending of the knee) is a natural sign of
adoration or reverence. The faithful genuflect in passing before
the tabernacle where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved, and on
both knees when It is exposed. The early Christians prayed
standing on Sundays, and from Easter till Pentecost, and only
bent the knee in sign of penance." {Cath. Diet. p. 401.) Prostration
is much earlier than genuflexion. Prostration is still prescribed for
the Sacred Ministers before the Mass of the Presanctified on Good
Friday and during a portion of the Litany sung on Holy Saturday
morning. At an Ordination Mass the candidates to be ordained
fall upon their faces during the chanting of the Litany ; and at
the Coronation Service also, while the Litany is sung, the Sovereign
elect lies prostrate on the ground. "But the Good Friday prostra-
tion probably recalls an act of humiliation which was as habitually
practised in the early Church as genuflexion is with us, every time
that the Chief Pontiff and his attendants made their solemn entry
into the sanctuary for High Mass. ... It would seem that the
Good Friday Service alone has retained unchanged a feature which
eleven hundred years ago was witnessed at the beginning of every
Mass." (Father Thurston's Ceremonies of Holy Week, pp. 4, 6.) To
this day a Coptic priest in communion with Rome, says Mass
without a single genuflexion. At his Mass a profound inclination
takes the place of genuflexion. So late as the fourteenth century
the celebrant made a bow (inclinatio) in token of adoration. He
did not genuflect at or after the Consecration.
204 THE END OF HIGH MASS.
Questions on Chapter XVI.
1. Why are lights used at Liturgical Services ?
2. What may be the origin of the Seven Candles at a
Pontifical High Mass ?
3. May electric light be used at the Altar instead of
candles ?
4. What is symbolized by the kiss of peace- ? What was
the Osculatorium ?
5. What is the origin of Prostration at the Ordination
Service ? Is it seen elsewhere in the Liturgy ?
CHAPTER the SEVENTEENTH.
MASS FOR THE DEAD.
Mass for the Dead ranks amongst Votive Masses.
A Votive Mass does not correspond with the Office
of the day ; it is said by the choice of the priest, hence
its name (votum), A Votive Mass may be said on all
days except Sundays, feasts of double and more
than double rank, and certain other days specially
excepted.
Mass for the Dead may be said on a double pro-
vided the body be present. High Mass for the Dead
is forbidden even in the presence of the body during
the last three days of Holy Week and on all the great
feasts of the Church.
Mass for the Dead is said (with the exception
noted) first, when the person dies, or as the Latin phrase
has it, In die obitiis sen depositionis, which means any day
that intervenes from the day of death to burial
{Depositio — the putting away) ; secondly, on the third day
after death, in memory, as has been suggested, of our
Lord's Resurrection after three days; thirdly, on
' the seventh day, in memory of the mourning of
the Israelites seven days for Joseph ; fourthly, on the
thirtieth day (Month's Mind), in memory of Aaron, for
2o6 THE BEGINNING TO THE OFFERTORY.
whom the Israehtes mourned thirty days (Numbers
XX, 30) ; and finally, at the end of a year, or on the
anniversary.
Special Masses for the Dead (said in black vest-
ments) are provided by the Church in her Missal.
The rubrics of Mass for the Dead differ from the
rubrics for the Mass of the living chiefly by way of
omission — which we proceed to show.
I. THE BEGINNING TO THE
OFFERTORY.
The Psalm Judica is omitted. Writers on the Mass
often assign the reason of the omission of the Psalm to
its joyful character, out of place in a Mass where the
Church mourns for the Dead. It may perhaps be more
correctly stated that here as in other portions of the
Mass we see a vestige of ancient usage — for during the
first thousand years, if not more, the Judica was not
said at Mass. And the Church saw no reason for its
insertion in a Mass for the Faithful Departed. She left
things as they were.
At the Introit the celebrant makes the sign of the
Cross over the Missal, which is thought by some to
extend to the Holy Souls, expressive of the Church's
desire that the fulness of the Sacrifice of the Cross
should., as far as possible, be applied to them.
The Introit for the Holy Souls is Eternal rest give
unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine
upon them. A Hymn, O God, becometh Thee in
THE BEGINNING TO THE OFFERTORY. 207
Sion ; and a vow shall be paid to Thee in
Jerusalem ; O hear my prayer; all flesh shall come
to Thee.
This Psalm in the mouth of the Holy Souls expresses
their ardent desire to chant the canticle of praise in the
Heavenly Jerusalem. God will grant their prayer
more willingly, because it is His wish that **all flesh,"
all mankind, should be with Him in His Kingdom.
Next follow the Kyrie Eleison, Collects, Epistle,
Tract, Sequence, and Gospel, all specially selected
by the Church for a Requiem Mass. In that Mass
the Jube, Domne, henedicere — pray. Sir, bless me — is
omitted, as also the following prayer before the
Gospel said by the priest at Low, and also by the
deacon at High Mass — ** The Lord be in my heart and
on my lips that I may worthily and in a becoming
manner announce His holy Gospel. Amen." The
book is not kissed at the end nor is the prayer said,
*' By the words of the Gospel may our sins be blotted
out." The thoughts of the Church turn solely to her
dead. She omits all signs of joy and gladness. Since
the Christian's holy death is a motive for joy and
thanksgiving. Alleluia was formerly sung in the Roman
Mass for the dead ; and, as St. Jerome tells us, even at
funerals. But now the Church banishes not merely all
songs of joy, she even robs her High Mass of a portion
of its solemnity by forbidding the deacon before singing
the Gospel to ask the celebrant's blessing. She will
not even allow a short prayer like the per evangelica dicta
deleantuv nostra delicta, — because it refers more to the
living than to the dead.
20S
THE OFFERTORY.
II. THE OFFERTORY.
The Offertory in the Requiem Mass deserves special
mention, for there is much difference of opinion amongst
learned writers as to its meaning. This Offertory is
the only one which still retains its primitive form. Il-
ls composed of an antiphon, a versicle, and of the
concluding words of the antiphon repeated.
Domine, Jesu Christe, Rex
gloriae, libera animas omnium
fidelium defunctorum de
poenis inf^rni, et de profundo
lacu : libera eas de ore leonis,
ne absorbeat eas tartarus,
ne cadant in obscurum ; sed
signifer sanctus Michael re-
praesentet eas in lucem sanc-
tam:* Quam olim Abrahae
promisisti et semini ejus.
V. Hostias et preces tibi,
Domine, laudis offerimus : tu
suscipe pro animabus illis
quarum hodie memoriam faci-
mus : fac eas, Domine, de
morte transire ad vitam :
Quam olim Abrahae prom-
isisti et semini ejus.
Lord Jesus Christ, King of
glory, deliver the souls of all
the faithful departed from the
pains of Hell and the deep
lake ; deliver them from the
mouth of the liou : let not
Hell swallow them up, nor let
them fall into darkness ; but
let the Standard-bearer St.
Michael guide them into the
holy light which of old Thou
didst promise to Abraham
and his seed.
We offer Thee victims, O
Lord, and prayers of praise :
mercifully receive them for
the souls whose memory we
are keeping to-day : grant
them to pass, O Lord, from
death to life : which of old
Thou didst promise to
Abraham and his seed.
It might seem at first sight from certain expressions
in this Offertory that the Church means to pray for
the salvation even of lost souls. Deliver the souls of
all the faithful departed from the pains of Hell
and the deep lake ; and the mouth of the lion. Let
THE OFFERTORY. 209
not Hell swallow them up. But the Church's doctrine
is clear and distinct in inferno nulla est redemptio, in Hell
there is no redemption. Nor is it the present usage of
the Church to pray even for a mitigation of the pains
of the lost. The damned have no share whatever in
the prayers or penances of the faithful, nor do they
derive the least benefit from the Mass. Theologians
of note consider the above words as a prayer to save
souls from perdition. This interpretation suits the plain
meaning of the words. The Church is most cautious in
her use of terms. She has a language of her own
with a fixed and definite meaning. From her prayers
we learn her creed. The Church in speaking of
Purgatory does not use the word Infermis, which means
the Hell of the damned. We find Hell used of three
different places: (i) of the abode of the lost in ever-
lasting torments, (2) of the Limbo of the Fathers, called
Paradise by our Lord in the pardon granted to the
penitent thief: *' This day thou shalt be with Me in
Paradise " (Luke xxiii. 43) ; (3) of Limbo, where the
souls of babes dying without Baptism find a happy and
eternal home. The Limbo of the Fathers was
emptied of its prisoners by our Lord on Ascension
Day, and therefore exists no longer. The place of merci-
ful expiation by fire is not called Hell — the recognized
name is Purgatory. Nor does the Church usually
speak of Purgatory as death, in contrast to Heaven
which is life. Grant them to pass from death to life
does not, except by a forced interpretation, mean let
them pass from Purgatory to Heaven. The state of the
souls in Purgatory confirmed in grace, dearer to God
than many of the blessed in Heaven, cannot be fittingly
described as death. In the language of Scripture and of
the Church, death and life are opposed, as are^Hell and
o
THE OFFERTORY.
Heaven. Nor is it likely that the Church would apply
to Purgatory the very word Tavtanis^ which St. Peter
applies to Hell in the well-known passage of the Second
Epistle, where he speaks of the fallen angels: '' For if
God spared not the angels which sinned : but delivered
them drawn down by infernal ropes to the lower Hell,
unto torments, to be reserved unto judgment" — nidenti-
his infevni detractos in tartar um tradidit cntciandos.
Without violence to language we can easily interpret
the Church's words in the Offertory of the Requiem
Mass in strict accordance with her doctrine.
Cardinal Wiseman, following distinguished modern
writers, reminds us that the Services of the Church are
eminently dramatic. In her hands the past becomes the
present. In her Office for Advent and Christmas she
places the manger at Bethlehem before our eyes as if
the Divine Babe had just been born, and in Holy
Week she speaks of each incident in the Passion as if
it were enacted that moment before us. The Church
kneels in spirit, so thinks this great man, beside the
dying beds of her children, and mindful of the
tremendous risk, pours forth her earnest supplications
for the souls whose fate for eternity is soon to be fixed ;
or to follow Father Suarez, more dramatic still, the
Church represents souls at the moment of their
departure from the body on their road to Judgment
and begs for them the mercy of God. Deliver the
souls of all the faithful departed from the pains
of Hell and the deep lake ; deliver them from the
mouth of the lion : let not Hell swallow them up.
The concluding words of the versicle — fac eas, Domine^
de morte transire ad vitam, can be explained, without
strain, to mean, — let them pass from temporal death,
O Lord, to the glory of that existence which alone
FROM THE OFFERTORY TO THE ''AGNUS DEL'' 211
deserves the name of life. {S?ianz in III, D, 83. s. 1,
n, 29, quoted by Gihr on the Mass,)
Instances might easily be quoted to show that this
interpretation is in keeping with the Church's prayers
for the departed in her Office, and in her funeral service
at the grave. This method of prayer, as it has been
well remarked, helps the dead and benefits the living
by reminding them to prepare for death.
III. FROM THE OFFERTORY TO THE
AGNUS DEI.
From the Offertory to the Agnus Dei the Requiem
Mass, save in the Collects, does not differ from an
ordinary Mass. Since the eleventh or twelfth century
the Agnus Dei in a Requiem Mass is slightly different.
Instead of Miserere nobis after the first and second
Agnns Dei, Dona eis requiem is said, and for Dona
nobis pacem the Church ordains Dona eis requiem
sempiternam. In the Ambrosian rite, which still holds
in the Cathedral at Milan, after sempiternam the celebrant
adds et locum indulgentiae cum Sanctis tuis in
gloria (and an abode of mercy with Thy saints in glory).
Why this alteration in the Roman rite? St. Thomas
teaches that the Church in her prayers for the dead
begs for rest and not peace. Peace is the effect of rest,
and before we ask peace for the Holy Souls we must first
secure their everlasting rest. '' The Sacrifice is offered
not for the present peace of the dead but for their rest."
(S. Th, III, q, 83. ad, i.) For the same reason the
212 FROM THE ''AGNUS DEI'' TO THE END.
prayer for peace is omitted. The kiss of peace, or the
Pax as it is called, is forbidden at the Requiem Mass,
because, as some think, the kiss of peace is a sign of joy,
and as such is out of place in a Mass where the thoughts
•of the Church are full of sorrow and pain for the
souls yearning for God. A better reason is that the
Pax was closely connected with the receiving of Holy
Communion by the faithful. The Pax was, in a certain
sense, a preparation for Communion. For centuries
Communion was not given at Masses for the Dead.
During that long period the kiss of peace was con-
sidered out of place. Permission for Holy Communion
in Masses for the Dead is of comparatively recent
introduction ; and the Church, clinging as usual to
ancient practice, omits the kiss of peace.
IV. FROM THE ^^ AGNUS DEI" TO THE
END.
From the Agnus Dei to the last Gospel the rubrics
are the same in Masses for the Dead as for the living;
with these two exceptions — instead of Ite Missa est,
Requiescant in pace is prescribed, and the priest's
blessing is not given. Ite Missa est is not said because,
says Benedict XIV. on the Mass (Bk. ii.), the intention
in Masses for the Dead is to obtain their everlasting
rest, or because it was not usual at this point to dismiss
the congregation. Many remained to pray beside the
body or to join in the Church's Office for the Dead.
Formerly it was customary for the priest to give his
blessing in Masses for the Dead. This custom has now
FROM THE ''AGNUS DEI" TO THE END, ' 213.
disappeared. Benedict XIV. quotes approvingly Le
Brun on the Mass (Vol. i. p. 588), who maintains that
the reason of the omission of the priest's blessing is
the Church's desire to deprive the Requiem Mass of all
unnecessary solemnity.
Our knowledge of Purgatory is extremely limited.
No Pope or Council has by authoritative utterance told
us where it is, or how long the soul may suffer there,,
or has described to us the nature of its agony. The
Council of Florence teaches that the souls in Purgatory
are cleansed by pains ; and the Council of Trent adds
{Sess, XXV,) '*that the souls detained there are helped
by the suffrages of the faithful, and especially by the
acceptable Sacrifice of the Altar." Mass, and espe-
cially Requiem Mass, is that " acceptable Sacrifice."
It is the most precious gift we can offer on behalf of the
holy souls. So far as the essence of the Sacrifice is
concerned, all Masses are equal, but we should never
forget that the prayers of the Requiem Mass are said in
the Church's name and by the Church's order, and
consequently secure special graces for the departed.
The piety and devotion of the priest in any Mass may
compensate, says St. Thomas, for the loss of this special
grace.
PIE JESU DOMINE,
DONA EIS REQUIEM. AMEN.
MERCIFUL LORD JESUS,
GRANT THEM REST. AMEN.
214 FROM THE ''AGNUS DEI'' TO THE END.
Questions on Chapter XVII.
1. What is a Votive Mass ? When can Requiem Mass
be said ?
2. What is there peculiar about the Offertory in the
Requiem Mass ? Show how the Church's teaching con-
cerning Purgatory is contained in it.
3. Why is the word Requiem substituted for pacem in the
Agnus Dei P Why is the Pax omitted ?
4. Why is the priest's blessing omitted ?
5. State the special advantages of a Requiem Mass for
the Souls in Purgatory. Can these advantages be otherwise
supplied ?
INDEX.
Abel p. 138.
Ablutions p. 165.
Abraham p. 139.
Absolution in Mass p. 58.
Acolyte p. 184.
"Action" p. 114; "Within
the Action " p. 122.
Addition or Emholismus p. 155.
Additions to Canon pp. 114,
126, 139; to Nicene Creed
pp. 84, 85.
Adoration of Blessed Sacra-
ment expressed by various
signs pp. 134, 203, note.
Agnics Dei p. 159; in High
Mass p. 200 ; in Masses for
Dead p. 211.
Alb p. 17.
Alleluia p. 76; in Masses for
Dead p. 207 ; major and
minor p. 77.
Alphonsus, St., on the Mass
p. xiii.
Altar, Consecration p. 14;
definition p. 12 ; incensing
pp. 189, 195; kinds p. 13;
kissing pp. 60, 70, 117, 140,
173, 201.
Altar-cloths p. 15.
Amen, meaning of pp. 51, 74.
Ambo p. 44.
Ambrosian rite p. 37.
Amice pp. xvi. 16.
Angel in prayer of Asperges
p. 23.
Angels pp. no, 196.
Antiphon, meaning of p. 52.
Apostles pp. 56, 124.
Apostolic, the Church p. 94.
Archangels pp. 57, no, 196.
Archdeacon p. 157.
Arius pp. 55, 84.
Arms extended in prayer p. 72.
Ashes p. 14.
Asperges p. 22.
Authorities, short list of
p. xxiii.
B.
Baptism p. 94.
Bell, rung at Elevation p. 135 ;
little Elevation p. 149.
Bellarmine on the altar p. 12 ;
on words " gifts and grants "
P- 137-
Benedicamiis Domino p. 171.
Benedicite Pater reverende
p. 194.
Benedict XIV. quoted pp. xv,
xvii, 213.
Benedictiones invocativae, con-
stitutivae p. 13.
Berengarius p. 135.
Berretta pp. xvi, 16, 50.
Bishop, blessing of, at end of
Mass p. 173 ; blessing of
oils by p. 157; consecrates
2l6
INDEX.
altar, altar-stone and church
pp. 14, igo ; dalmatic once
restricted to p. 188; Gloria
once restricted to p. 65 ;
stole as worn by p. 18;
number of candles in Mass
of p. 187.
Bishops, Diocesan p. 48.
Bishops, Cardinal p. 48.
Black vestments, when used
pp. 21, 206.
Blessed Virgin, see Mary.
Blessing of altar p. 14 ; of
altar-linen and chalices
p. 20; of ashes p. 14; of
deacon p. 192 ; of fruits of
earth p. 146 ; of gifts p. 157 ;
of incense pp. igo, ig6 ;
nuptial p. xix ; of oil
p. 147 ; of salt p. 14 ; of
subdeacon p. igi ; of vest-
ments p. 16 ; of water pp. 14,
22, ig4 ; of wine p. 1 1 ; at end
of Mass p. 173 ; omitted in
Requiem Mass pp. 200, 213 ;
two kinds p. 13.
Body, inclined pp. 57, 80, loi,
104, 116, i3g, 141 ; prostrate
p. 203 note.
Bread, leavened and un-
leavened p. g7.
Burchard p. xiii.
Burse p. ig.
Candles, offering of p. xviii ;
at Gospel p. 82 ; use and
meaning in liturgical ser-
vice pp. 185 et seq.
Candlesticks on altar p. 188.
Candlemas p. 185.
Canon p. xxi; added to pp.
114, 126, i3g; antiquity of
p. 114; defined p. 114.
Canonization p. 113.
Catholic, meaning of p. g3.
Carmehte rite p. 37.
Carthusian rite p. 37.
Chalice, blessing of p. 20 ;
consecration of pp. 20, 131 ;
elevation of p. 134 ; material
of p. 20; meaning of in
Scripture p. 133 ; veil of
p. ig.
Chasuble p. ig ; Gothic p. ig;
Roman p. ig.
Cherubim p. no.
Chinese in the Liturgy p. 31.
Choir sing Benedictus p. igg ;
Credo p. ig4; Kyrie and
Gloria p. igo.
Choirs of angels p. no.
Chrism p. 14.
Christ, meaning of p. 87.
Church p. g3.
Clement VIII. legislates
about form of blessing
P- 173-
Collect pp. XV, 72.
Colours of vestments p. 20.
Conimunicantes, explained p.
122.
Communion in both kinds of
strict obligation for priest
pp. 4, 165 ; rite p. 47 ; belongs
to integrity of Mass pp. 4,
165 ; prayers before p. 160 ;.
antiphon p. 167.
Concelebration of Bishop
and Priests p. 136.
Confessors first admitted to
Canonization pp. 115, 124.
Confiieor p. 56.
Consecration, introduction to
p. i2g; words of p. 35 ^
explained p. 130; in High
Mass p. ig8.
Constance, Council of p. xx.
Coptic in the Liturgy pp. 26,.
^^ ; rite p. 203, note.
Corporal p. ig.
Council p. 4 ; see under names-
Florence, Trent, &c.
Credo pp. 83 et seq.^ ig3.
INDEX.
217
Creed pp. 83 et seq., 193.
Cross, sign of explained pp. 50,
51 ; made with hand on the
body pp. 50, 61, 81, 193;
over deacon p. 192 ; over
consecrated elements pp.
137,148; over Gospel pp.81,
193 ; over incense pp. 190,
192, 196 ; over missal p. 191 ;
over oblata pp. 102, 117, 128 ;
over people p. 173 ; over
subdeacon p. 191 ; over
water pp. 99, 194; made
with chalice pp. loi, 165;
with consecrated Host pp.
148, 157, 164; with paten
p. 99 ; single and triple sign
of cross p. 173 ; omission of
p. 213; cross worked on
altar p. 14 ; on altar-cloths
p. 15; on vestments pp. 16
et seq.
Crucifix over altar p. 188.
D.
Daily bread p. 154.
Dalmatic p. 188.
Deacon, manner of wearing
stole p. 18 ; at High Mass
pp. xviii, 184 et seq.
Dead, Memento for p. 141 ;
change in Agnus Dei p. 159 ;
Reqiiiescant in pace p. 171 ;
pax omitted in Masses
for pp. 202, 212; Mass for
pp. 205 et seq.
Deo gratia s p. 75.
Devotion p. 121.
Diptychs pp. 120, 141.
Disciplina arcani pp. xvii, ^^.
Disciphne of the Secret pp.
XV, 83.
Dominations p. iii.
Dominus vobiscum pp. xvii, 70 ;
sung pp. 191 et seq.
Dove, figure of, to hold the
Blessed Sacrament p. 15.
Doxology pp. 55, 65.
Dramatic presentation in
Church services p. 210.
Dominican rite p. 37.
Davidic Psalter p. 44.
E.
Easter, charge in Gradual
P-77-
Electric light p. 187.
Elevation at different epochs
p. 134 ; little Elevation
p. 149.
Embolismus p. 155.
Ends of Sacrifice p. 5.
Epistle p. 74 ; sung p. 191.
Essence in general defined
p. 3 ; Essence of Mass p. 3.
Eucharist as Sacrament and
Sacrifice p. i ; meaning of
word pp. 6, 166 ; a gift p.
109; synonyms of p. 167.
Eucharistic prayer p. 46.
Evangeliary p. 38.
Ex opere operate p. 10.
Extant liturgies p. 37.
Eyes, raising of pp. 97, 115,
129.
Fasting before Communion
p. 165; relaxed pp. 5, 165.
Father, God the p. 86.
Father, the prayer Our p. 153.
Filioque added to Creed pp.
85, 92.
Florence, Council of, on
Filioque p. 92 ; on Purga-
tory p. 213; mixing of water
p. 97 ; use of wine p. 97.
Fruits of earth blessed p. 146.
Gaiidete Sunday p. 63.
Gelasian Sacramentary p. 39.
Genuflexion p. 203, note.
Girdle p. 17.
2l8
INDEX,
Gloria in Excelsis pp. 44, 55 ;
sung p. igi.
Gloria Patri p. 55.
Glory be to the Father, &c.
P-55.
God p. 86.
Good Friday pp. 202, 203,
note.
Gospel p. 80 ; singing of p.
191 ; St. John's pp. 173 et seq.
Gradual pp. 38, 76.
Greek used in Mass pp. 27,
51^ 64, 65.
Greek rite, Elevation in, p.
134; bread used p. 97.
Green vestments, when used
p. 21.
Gregorian Sacramentary p.
40.
Gregory the Great adds to
Canon p. 126 ; inserts Pater
noster immediately after
Canon p. 152 ; on the Kyrie
eleison p. 43.
H.
Hanc igitur explained p. 126.
Hands, extending, raising,
joining of pp. 68, 108, 115,
1385 139 ; held over obla-
tion p. 125 ; meaning of
imposition of p. 125 ; wash-
ing of p. 103.
Hebrew used in Mass pp. 51,
64.
Hell p. 209.
Holy, the Church p. 93.
Holy Ghost, p. 91 ; the Sanc-
tifier p. 102.
Holy Saturday pp. 185, 186,
202.
Holy Week, ceremonies pecu-
liar to pp. 185, 186, 202,
203, note.
Hosanna p. 112.
Host, in altar-stone p. 14;
adoration of pp. 134, 203,
note ; blessing of pp. 102,
117, 128, 137, 148; breaking
of p. 156; consecration of
pp. 131, 198; elevation of
pp. 134, 149; material of
p. 97 ; offering of pp. 97,
188 ; sign of cross made
with pp. 148, 157, 164.
I.
Impetratory, meaning of
p. 10.
Imposition of hands p. 125.
Incarnation p. 89.
Incense pp. 80, 82, 189, 192,
195. 199-
Indulgentiam p. 58.
Inquisition, Decree of the
Holy, on use of Chinese in
Mass p. 32.
Instricmentum pads p. 201.
Introit p. 62.
Isaac p. 139.
Ite Missa est pp. 171, 212.
J-
Jesus pp. 67, 87.
Jube domne henedicere p. 192 ;
omitted p. 207.
Judica, explanation of psalm
pp. 52 et seq. ; omitted
pp. xvi, 206.
Justin Martyr p. 42.
K.
Kinds, Communion under
both pp. xxii, 133 ; consecra-
tion in both pp. 3, 4, 133.
King, Christ as p. 87.
Kiss of peace pp. xix, 200 ;
omitted in Holy Week and
Masses for Dead pp. 202,
212.
Kissing of altar pp. 60, 105 ; of
Gospel pp. 82, 193 ; of
hands pp. 192, 195, 197, 200 ;
INDEX.
219
of paten pp. 194, 200 ; of
chalice p. 195 ; of instrumen-
tum pads p. 201.
Knabenbauer on St. John's
Gospel p. 178.
Kyrie pp. 43, 51, 64, 190.
L.
Laetare Sunday p. 63.
Lamb of God p. 67.
Languages used in Mass pp.
25 et seq., 51.
Latin used in Mass pp. 25
et seq., 51.
Last Supper, p. 36.
Lauda Sion p. 78.
Lavaho pp. 102, 198.
Left of altar p. 82.
Lights at Mass pp. 185 et seq. ;
at Gospel pp. 80, 82, 192 ;
at Consecration p. 198.
Limbo p. 209.
Liturgical services defined p.
213.
Lord p. 87.
Leonine Sacramentary p. 39.
Lectionary p. 38.
M.
Macedonius p. 84; heresy of
p. 90.
Maniple pp. xvii, 17.
Marcellus of Ancyra p. 84.
Martyrs in Mass pp. 14, 60,
124, 143 ; relics of, in altar-
stone p. 60.
Mary in Mass pp. 57, 123 ;
always Virgin p. 89.
Mass, definition p. 2; essence
p. 3; effects pp. X et seq.,
2 et seq., 213; black, or
Requiem, or for dead pp.
10, 205 et seq.; votive p. 205 ;
Papal pp. XV, XX, 70 ; of
Ordination p. 203, note ; of
Presanctified pp. 45, 203,
note; High pp. xvii, loi,
184 et seq.; Low p. loi ;
in honour of saints p. 2,
note ; offered for living
p. 119; for dead pp. 205,
213; prayers at p. xx ;
meaning of word p. xiv.
Maundy Thursday pp. 147,
202.
Melchisedech p. 139.
Memento for living p. 119;
for dead p. 141.
Migne pp. 38 et seq.
Miser eat ur p. 58.
MissaCatechumenoruin,fidelium
p. 8^ ; cantata p. 184.
Missal p. xvii.
Month's Mind p. 205.
Mozarabic rite pp. 37, 152.
Munda pp. xvii, 80, 192.
Mystical destruction of victim
in Mass p. 4.
N.
Newman, on discipline of the
secret p. 83.
Nice, Council of p. 55.
Nicene Creed pp. 8^ et seq;
additions to pp. 84, 85.
Nobis quoque peccatorihus ex-
plained p. 143.
Nuptial blessing p. 40.
O.
Offering of chalice pp. 99,
195; of Host pp. 97, 194.
Offerings of the faithful p. 46.
Offertory, meaning of pp. xviii,
96 ; in Mass for Dead
p. 208.
Oil, Blessing of Holy p. 147.
One, The Church p. 93.
Ovariitm p. 18.
O ratio ad complendum p. 40.
Oratio imp er at a p. 74.
INDEX.
Ordinary of Mass p. 50 ;
prayers of, explained pp.
XX et seq.
Or dines Roinani p. 41.
Ovdo Roinanus Primus pp. 41
et seq.
Or emus pp. xviii, 45, 71.
Oriental rite p. 26.
Oscitlatorium p. 201.
Our Lady pp. 39, 8g, 123.
Pall p. 19.
Papal Mass pp. xv, xx, 49, 70.
Paschal Candle p. 185.
Paten pp. xviii, 20, 195.
Pater noster p. 152; in High
Mass p. 199; why said
aloud p. XV.
Pax pp. xix, 200; omitted
pp. 202, 212.
Pax vobis pp. xvii, 71.
Peace, prayer for p. 160;
kiss of p. 200 ; omitted pp.
202, 212.
Pius V. introduces uniformity
P- 37 y prescribes Gloria
p. 65 ; imposition of hands
p. 125 ; form of blessing
P- 173-
Placeat p. 171.
Pope, dalmatic exclusively
used by p. 188.
Postcommunion p. 169.
Powers p. III.
Prayers said while vestments
are put on pp. 17 et seq.; at
Asperges p. 23 ; for peace
and before Communion
p. 160; at Mass xx.
Preface of Mass pp. 6, 107,
198.
Presanctiiied, Mass of p. 203,
note.
Priest p. 12 ; Christ as pp. x,
87 ; manner of wearing
stole p. 18.
Principalities p. no.
Prophet p. 88 ; inspired by
Holy Ghost p. 92 ; Christ
as p. 87.
Propitiatory, meaning of p. 7.
Prose p. 78.
Pugillaris (" tube ") p. 48.
Purgatory, Mass efficacious
for souls in pp. xiv, 10, 202,
213.
Purification p. 185.
Purificator p. 20.
R.
Red vestments, when used
p. 20.
" Regions " of Rome p. 187.
" Regionaries " p. 187.
Relics in altar-stone pp. 14,
60.
Requiem Mass pp. 10, 205 et
seq.
Requiescant in pace pp. 171,
212.
Resurrection of Christ p. 90 ;
of dead p. 94.
Right of altar p. 82.
Rites pp. xiii, 26 ; Ambrosian
p. 152; Coptic pp. 26, 33,
203, note ; Greek pp. 27,
134; Mozarabic p. 152;
Oriental p. 26 ; Roman
pp. 25 et seq., 156; Slavonic
pp. 26, 33 ; Syriac p. 26.
Rochet p. 17.
Rubrics p. xiii.
Roman Mass in the eighth
century pp. 35 et seq.
S.
SaBAOTH p. III.
Saints in Confiteor p. 56 ;
in Canon pp. 124, 143 ; Mass
said in honour of p. 2, note.
Sacrament p. i ; House p. 15.
INDEX.
Sacrifice p. i ; ends of p. 5.
Salt p. 14.
Satisfactory power of Mass
pp. X, 9.
Secret prayers p. 106; disci-
pline of the p. 83.
Sepulchre in altar-stone p. 14.
Seraphim p. iii.
Sequence p. 78.
Sexes, separation of, in church
pp. xix, 201.
Sins remitted by Mass pp. x,
7 ; by Baptism p. 94.
Slavonic in the Liturgy pp.
26, 33.
St. Gabriel p. 196.
St. John, Gospel of p. 173.
St. John Baptist pp. 57, 143.
St. Joseph not admitted to
Canon p. xxi.
St. Leo adds to Canon p. 139.
St. Mary Magdalene, her
Credo p. 84.
St. Matthias, why omitted
p. 124 ; inserted p. 143.
St. Michael pp. 57, 196.
St. Augustine p. 42.
Sancta p. 47.
Stational Mass p. 41.
St. Thomas, on efficacy of
Mass in procuring forgive-
ness of sins p. 9 ; on essen-
tial and accidental value
of Mass p. II ; on separate
consecration of the Blood
p. 133 ; on consecration of
person, vessels, &c. p. 12.
Stabat Mater p. 78.
Standing at Gospel pp. 82,
192 ; as attitude of prayer
p. 203, note.
Stole p. 18.
Suarez explains " communi-
cating and honouring "
p. 123 ; explains adscriptam
p. 127 ; on words of con-
secration p. 132 ; explains
tinde et memores p. 136 ; on
Offertory in Masses for
Dead p. 210.
Subdeacon at High Mass pp.
xviii, 184 et seq.
Super diptycha p. 40.
" Supernumeraries" p. 187.
Super Oblata p. 39.
Supplices te rogamus explained
P- 139.
Supra quae explained p. 138.
Surplice p. 17.
Symbolism of lights, incense,
&c.,see z^;^(i^r lights, incense,
&c.
Symbolum p. 84.
Syriac Liturgy p. 26.
Tabernacle p. 15.
Tartarus p. 210.
Te Deum pp. xi, 65.
Tenebrae p. 186.
Thanksgiving pp. x, 7, 167.
Tract p. 78.
Transubstantiation p. 130.
Trent, Council of, defines
Mass p. 2 ; prescribes tone
of voice pp. 59, 115; defines
Canon p. 114; adopts term
Transubstantiation p. 130;
on incense p. 189 ; on mix-
ing of wine and water pp.
97, 99 ; on Mass in honour
of saints p. 2, note ; on
language of the Mass p.
26 ; on Mass for the Dead
p. 213.
Trinity p. 86.
U.
Unde et memores explained
p. 136.
Uniformity p. 37.
INDEX.
V.
Veil of chalice p. 19 ; worn
by subdeacon pp. xviii, 195.
Veni Sande Spirit us p. 78.
Vestments blessed p. 16 ;
description of pp. 16 et seq. ;
colours of p. 20.
Victimac Paschali p. 78.
Vidi aquam, when sung p. 23.
Violet vestments, when used
p. 21.
Virtues p. iii.
Voice, tone of pp. 59, 115.
Votive Mass p. 205.
Vows in Mass p. 121.
W.
Water mixed with wine pp.
97' 99.
Wax, white and yellow p. 186..
White vestments, when used
p. 20.
Wine pp. 97, 99 ; mixed with
water pp. 97, 99 ; consecra-
tion of p. 131.
Wiseman, on services of
Church p. 210; on Kyrie
eleison p. 65.
Words of institution p. 35.
Western liturgies p. 38.
THE SACRIFICE
OF THE MASS
DATE DUE
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4V?;J^
OCT t^ 1
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1996
^M
392
QgCOSIBS
DEMCO 38-297
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3 1197
000
7 9215
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