PAX
THE LITURGY
OF THE ROMAN MISSAL
PAX
THE LITURGY
OF THE ROMAN MISSAL
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
FROM THE FRENCH OF DOM LEDLJC
AND DOM BAUDOT O.S.B.
(Le Catechisme Liturgique).
LONDON
BURNS GATES & WASHBOURNE LTD.
PUBLISHERS TO THE HOLY SEE
Nihil Obstat :
f Fr. BERNAKD i>u BOISROUVRAY,
ABUOT-COADJI/TOK OF FARNBOROUGH.
SEP 11 J953
Imprimatur :
Feast of St. Augustine Bp. and Duct.
7 WILLIAM T. COTTER,
BISHOP OF PORTSMOUTH.
Printed in France.
THE LITURGY
OF THE ROMAN MISSAL
THE PROPER OF THE SEASON
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I
General idea of the Liturgy.
The Liturgy of the Church consists in the whole oi
the public worship which she gives to God throughout
the ecclesiastical year. In this public worship are includ
ed all those acts which have been instituted with the
intention of commemorating annually the mysterious
workings of Jesus Christ in his Church and in the soul
of each one of the faithful. To these acts is joined
the administration of the Sacraments, and in general
all the religious ceremonies which have as their end
to give glory to God and to sanctify souls.
Divine worship is composed of two elements ; vocal
prayer and the sacred ceremonies or those attitudes,
actions and exterior movements which in conformity
with the rules established by the Church accompany
the recital of the prayers. These rules and formulas
1 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal.
are found in the liturgical books of which the princi
pal are : the Breviary, containing the Divine Office re
cited by priests and religious of both sexes ; the Missal,
which contains the prayers said at the holy Sacrifice
of the Mass ; the Ritual, containing the prayers and ce
remonies used in the administration of the Sacraments
and some other ecclesiastical functions such as proces
sions, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament ; the Pon
tifical or book of those functions performed by bishops
alone ; the Ceremonial of bishops, containing the order
of the ceremonies observed in cathedrals and churches
in which the Divine Office is recited daily. For greater
convenience parts of the Breviary, Terce, Vespers,
Compline, etc. and also extracts from the Missal for
Mass, the Ritual for Benediction and processions have
been collected into what is called a Prayer-book or Eu-
cology. These Prayer-books also contain a short sum
mary of the ceremonies or order to be observed at the
celebration of Mass and Vespers.
The principal act of the liturgy is the holy Sacrifice
of the Mass, in which Jesus Christ both Priest and
Victim offers to God the Father the most perfect act of
adoration, of thanksgiving, of atonement, of petition. The
Mass is in reality the centre around which are grouped
the canonical Hours or divisions of the Divine Office
and of the Psalter.
The Divine Office is the public service performed by
the Church at various hours of the day to render to God
a tribute of perpetual praise.
In the present work it is proposed to instruct the
faithful how they should unite in the vocal prayers and
sacred ceremonies of the Church, how they should be
imbued with the teachings which this succession of
prayers offers to them -during the course of the eccle-
- 3
siastical year. The Proper of the season with the Feasts
of our Lord, of the blessed Virgin and of the Saints
which are also inserted, show, as it were in a series of
clear living pictures, the truths and the mysteries of
the Faith ; in these the Church not only recalls accom
plished facts, but also in a practical manner associates
us with these facts and applies to us the graces and
merits which flow from them.
This association and this application are accom
plished above all by the elements of liturgical prayer,
such as the singing of the public lessons, and the
prayers or collects. These elements vary, according to
the mysteries and the festivals and it is therefore of im
portance to grasp their meaning thoroughly.
CHAPTER II
External elements in the celebration of public
worship.
Public worship is celebrated in sacred edifices called
churches from a Greek word signifying assembly. The
church which is the meeting place for the faithful liv
ing in one and the same locality must be blessed or
solemnly consecrated ; the latter ceremony being called
the dedication, the anniversary of which is celebrated
every year.
The different parts of the church are : 1st. The Sanc
tuary in which is placed the high altar and where take
A -
place the holiest functions of divine worship, such as the
celebration of Mass, Vespers and Benediction of the most
holy Sacrament. In the sanctuary the ministers of
the altar have their places. Here also, in cathedral
churches, the throne (Cathedra) or seat of the bishop
is placed at the Gospel side of the altar; 2nd The
choir comes next to the sanctuary ; here the priests,
clerics, cantors, choir boys who take a more active
part than the ordinary laity in the ceremonies and
chanting have their places ; 3rd Around the sanctuary
and the choir we often find grouped chapels or small
sanctuaries under the invocation of some saint. A spe
cial chapel is dedicated to the blessed Virgin, the Mother
of God and of men; 4th Beyond the choir is the
nave, that part of the church allotted to the faithful
and which extends from the choir to the principal
entrances. Large churches have, in addition, aisles or
lesser naves at each side of the principal nave. In these
the faithful now assemble indiscriminately. But in
ancient times, one side was reserved for men, the other
for women; 5th At the principal entrance is the porch
or portico, often roofed in. Here the ceremonies pre
ceding the administration of the Sacrament of Baptism
should take place ; here also on Holy Saturday the new
fire is blessed, and on the occasion of his official visits
the bishop is received in state ; 6th The belfry is placed
at the principal entrance, or at the side of the church,
or it may be placed between the choir and the nave. In
this belfry or tower are the bells, blessed by the bishop,
their use being to announce to the faithful the hours
for the celebration of divine worship. The sound of
the bells also serves to recall to each one of us the
various solemn events of our life, our joys and our sor
rows. They are rung at our baptism, on the occasion of
5
our first Communion, they are rung at weddings, and
again they announce to all the passing of a soul.
In the sanctuary the first thing which attracts our
attention is the altar or table on which is daily offered
the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This altar may be entirely
of stone or of wood ; it may be in the form of a table
resting on pillars, or of a tomb, but it must always contain
a stone or slab in which as in a sepulchre are enclosed
relics of the saints. There are two kinds of altars, one
called a fixed altar consisting of a large table of stone
fixed with or without masonry and consecrated on the
spot by a bishop, the other is a portable altar or conse
crated stone sufficiently large for the priest to lay upon
it the bread and wine required for the holy Sacrifice.
The stone is set into a table of wood or of any other
substance. This form of altar is called portable because
the consecrated stone may be removed without losing
the virtue of consecration.
When the altar consists simply of a table without a
tabernacle, it may be arranged so that whilst celebrat
ing Mass the priest should face the congregation, over
the altar but usually the altar is surmounted by the
tabernacle, which the priest faces whilst saying Mass with
his back turned to the people. The altar should be raised
at least three steps from the ground so that the faithful
may be able to see the priest and join in his prayers
and in all his movements. The furniture of the altar
consists of the tabernacle, the cross, and the candles
ticks.
According to the meaning of the word the taber
nacle is a little tent (or pavilion) placed in the middle of
the altar at the back, which serves for the reservation of
the Blessed Sacrament; it may be of marble, stone, wood
or bronze, and is hung inside with white silk, outside
6
it is covered with what is called the veil of white
silk or of the colour of the vestments used each day.
Before the tabernacle a lamp burns night and day
as a sign of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. The
consecrated Species are reserved within the tabernacle in a
gilt vessel called the ciborium. This ciborium itself is
covered with a veil of white silk, cloth of gold
or of silver. The lamp burning before the blessed
Sacrament represents our intense faith in Jesus Christ
and our ardent love for Him ; at the same time, it also
denotes our desire to keep watch day and night before
the tabernacle if that were possible. The cross placed
in the centre of the altar or over the tabernacle where
there is one, must bear the figure of Jesus Christ cru
cified. It reminds us that our divine Saviour has re
deemed us by the sacrifice of the Cross which is renewed
on the altar.
In sign of our love and veneration for Jesus Christ,
the true light of the world, six candlesticks are usually
placed on the altar, that is to say, three on each side of
the crucifix. When the Bishop of the diocese ponti
ficates, a seventh is placed behind the altar to denote
the fulness of the priestly office conferred by the
episcopal consecration. In these candlesticks are placed
wax candles ; these by their whiteness and the bril
liancy of their light represent the purity and the charity
which should adorn our souls.
The altar linen consists of the cloths which must be
put on the altar for the celebration of the holy Sacri
fice ; there are three of these and the top-most one must
be long enough to touch the ground at each side.
The Communion rail usually encloses the sanctuary ;
it is at this rail that the faithful present themselves
to receive holy Communion. The Communion cloth is
If .
the linen which is spread along the railing or which the
acolytes offer when the priest gives holy Communion.
According to the ordinances of the Church the altar
linen (the altar and Communion cloth) should be of
pure linen or flax.
Within the Sanctuary, on the right hand side, that is
the Epistle side of the altar, is placed a table called the
credence-table also covered with a long white cloth ; on
this table is placed everything necessary for High Mass,
the chalice fully prepared (purincator, paten, host, pall
and the burse containing the corporal), the book for the
Epistle and the Gospel, the cruets filled with water
and with wine, and the towel, and the candlesticks and
candles for, the acolytes. When the bishop pontifi
cates, the mitre, the vessels containing the holy oils,
in a word, everything necessary for the sacred functions
is also placed on the credence table. During Mass
the acolytes remain near this table ready to attend upon
the officiating clergy.
In the sanctuary are seats for the use of the cele
brant and his assistants at those * parts of Mass
and Vespers at which they are seated. These seats
are placed at the Epistle side on a carpet. In the choir,
at each side are the stalls in one or several rows where
the clergy according to their various degrees of rank are
seated. Formerly between the choir and the nave was
the ambo, a kind of elevated reading desk where the
deacon and sub-deacon stood whilst singing the Epistle
and Gospel. The singing now takes place in the choir
at the Epistle or Gospel side of the altar as required.
In the nave is the pulpit or small tribune from
which, the priest reads the notices, and preaches so as
to be heard more distinctly. The pulpit is usually at
the Gospel side of the altar. In the chapels and other
_ 8
parts of the church are the confessionals, in which the
priests hear confessions and administer the Sacrament
of Penance. In a special chapel at the entrance to
the church is the baptismal font containing the water
blessed for the administration of Baptism. At the side
is the piscina or basin hollowed in the ground to
receive the water used in baptising. The piscina also
receives the water in which some of the altar linen
is purified.
In celebrating Mass the priest uses a chalice and a
paten. The chalice is required for the wine which
at the Consecration is changed into the Precious Blood
of our divine Lord. The paten is a kind of small plate
on which is laid the Sacred Host. These two vessels
must be of silver, the inside of the cup and the paten
being always gilt ; they may be wholly of gold or
only silver gilt. For use in the holy Sacrifice of
the Mass they must be consecrated by a bishop.
The other sacred vessels in use for the Blessed Sacra
ment are the ciborium, and the monstrance. The cibo-
rium is a silver gilt vessel in which the Blessed Sacra
ment is reserved. The lunette is a little gold or silver
gilt box with double glass in which the Sacred Host is
enclosed before being placed in the monstrance.
The monstrance is a sacred vessel in which the Bless
ed Sacrament is exposed for the adoration of the
faithful. These vessels are not consecrated like the
chalice and the paten, but simply blessed by a bishop
or a priest whom he has deputed for the office.
The other vessels used in the service of the altar
are : ist. The cruets, glass vessels which hold the wine
and the water used in the Mass ; they are placed on the
credence table in a dish also of glass with a linen cloth
called the lavabo which is used by the priest to
dry his fingers. 2nd. The processional cross, larger
than that on the altar, which is carried before the
priest in all processions. 3rd. The censer, or thurible,
a small brazier hung on chains in which incense is burned
before the Blessed Sacrament and in various ceremonies
of the Church. 4th. The incense boat, a small metal
vessel in the form of a boat, (hence its name), which con
tains the incense for use in the censer. 5th. The holy
water fonts, or VESSELS which contain the holy water ;
they are of two kinds, that with a handle used
at ceremonies, and the stoups or shells placed at the
door of the church or of the sacristy. 6th. The holy
water sprinkler, a small brush with a handle in wood
or metal or a sponge enclosed in a metal globe with a
handle attached which the priest uses to sprinkle the
faithful, or objets which he blesses. 7th. The canopy,
a kind of tent in white silk held by several persons over
the priest in processions of the Blessed Sacrament. A
smaller canopy carried by one person and called the
ombrellino is also used for the Blessed Sacrament.
8th. The banners or silken standards, carried in proces
sions, on which are represented figures of our Lady and
the patron saints of the parish and the various confra
ternities taking part in the procession.
The altar-linen consists of the corporal, or small
cloth of very fine linen, perfectly plain without em
broidery of any kind, which is laid at the beginning of
Mass on the altar-cloth and on which the priest lays
the Sacred Host ; it must also be placed under the sa
cred vessels when they contain the Blessed Sacrament.
2nd The pall or corporal folded in a square and stif
fened by a piece of cardboard placed inside. The pall
is used to cover the chalice during Mass. 3rd The pu
rifier or linen which the priest uses to wipe the chalice,
10
his lips and his fingers after Communion and the ablu
tions. These three pieces of linen are held as sacred
because they come into direct contact with the Blessed
Sacrament and consequently must not be touched by
lay persons. When soiled, before being sent to the
laundry, a priest or a cleric in Holy Orders must wash
these linens three times in different water which must
be thrown into the piscina.
CHAPTER III
Vestments and ministers required for the
celebration of Mass.
Vestments. When saying Mass the priest must be
vested in : ist. The cassock, a long robe which reaches
to the feet ; this garment varies in colour according to
the dignity of the wearer, white being worn by the
Pope, red by cardinals, purple by bishops, whilst by
ordinary priests and those serving at the altar black is
worn ; this colour signifies renunciation of the world.
2nd. The Amice, a linen cloth which covers the neck
and shoulders ; it is symbolic of the helmet of salva
tion of which Saint Paul speaks. 3rd. The alb, a white
robe reaching to the feet, a symbol of the purity which
sheds a lustre over the priest s whole life. 4th. The cord
or girdle, which confines the folds of the alb, and re-
presents modesty. 5th. The maniple, a piece of silk
worn on the left arm by the priest, deacon and sub-
deacon, during Mass. Formerly, the maniple was a
piece of linen carried by clerics and used as a handker
chief ; it is figurative of the tears shed by Christians on
earth ; it reminds the priest that he should weep and
labour for the salvation of souls. 6th. The stole, a
band which the priest wears round his shoulders and
crossed over his breast to mark that he bears the full
weight of the priesthood ; (the deacon wears it as a scarf
across the left shoulder and fastened under the right
arm.) It is also symbolic of the garment of immortality
given to us in baptism. 7th. The chasuble, which
the priest puts on over all the other vestments when
celebrating Mass; it represents the yoke of the law of
Jesus Christ which the priest carries himself ; on the
back of the chasuble a large cross is embroidered. In
Italy, the cross is on the front of the chasuble.
Colour of the vestments. - For the vestments the
Church makes use of five different colours : white, red, green,
purple and black l . White, emblematic of joy and purity,
is used on all Feasts of our Lord, of the blessed
Virgin and of all saints not martyrs. Red signifies
the courageous love of God which should make us ready
to shed our blood for Him ; it is used on the feasts and
for the offices of the Holy Ghost ; on the Feasts of the
holy Cross and of the Passion ; also on the Feasts of the
martyrs. Green is emblematic of hope and eternal
rest ; it is used during that period of the ecclesiasti
cal year called the time of pilgrimage (the Sundays
after the Epiphany and after Pentecost and the ferias
^ * We do not here speak of the rose-colour which will be mentioned
later, for the use of this colour is not universal, nor of obligation.
T2
of that time). Violet is a penitential colour ; it is used
on all the Sundays of Advent, on Septuagesima, Sexa-
gesima and Quinquagesima Sunday and the Sundays
in Lent, as also at all penitential offices. Black denotes
mourning and sadness ; it is used at the morning office
on Good Friday, and at all the offices for the dead.
All the vestments worn in the celebration of Mass must
be blessed by the bishop or by a priest whom he has
authorised to do so.
Pontifical Vestments. In addition to these vestments,
a bishop when saying Mass wears : ist. Buskins and
sandals of the colour appointed for the day. 2nd. The
pectoral cross of gold which he wears on his breast.
In this cross is enclosed a relic of the true Cross or of
the saints. 3rd. The short tunics which represent the
tunic of the sub-deacon and the dalmatic of the dea
con as they were worn in ancient times. 4th. The
gloves, a mark of his dignity and symbolic of the res
pect due to sacred things. 5th. The ring, emblem of
the spiritual espousals which the bishop has con
tracted with his diocesan church. 6th. The mitre, a head
dress or crown of some rich material embroidered in
gold. yth. The crozier, or staff in gold or silver gilt
held by the bishop during the sacred ceremonies ; it is
symbolic of his spiritual power. All these vestments
are called by the generic term of pontificals (pontifica
lia) or vestments for the use of pontiffs.
Over the chasuble, archbishops wear the pallium
or band of white wool ornamented with several crosses
of black silk. This band is worn across the shoulders,
one end on the breast, the other on the back. Some
bishops also have the privilege of wearing the pallium,
but archbishops and bishops alike must receive ; t
from the hands of the Pope himself, by whom it is
13
blessed on the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul and laid
on the tomb of the apostles.
Ministers at high Mass. At Pontifical high Mass
the bishop remains on his throne from the Introit to
the Offertory, and he goes to the altar for the other
part of the Mass. At the throne he is assisted by a
priest, two deacons, a master of ceremonies and chaplains
whose duty it is to offer him the vestments and ponti
fical insignia. At the altar he is assisted by a deacon
and sub-deacon like a simple priest at an ordinary
High Mass.
The deacon is vested in alb, amice, girdle, maniple,
stole worn as a scarf, and dalmatic. The sub-
deacon wears the same vestments with the exception
of the stole, and in place of the dalmatic he wears the
tunic. The dalmatic and tunic are really similar, differ
ing now only in name.
The subdeacon sings the Epistle and accompanies
the deacon during the singing of the Gospel. He puts
the water into the chalice ; and remains standing at the
foot of the altar with the paten, from the offering of
the chalice until the end of the Pater noster. He receives
the kiss of peace from the deacon, and then gives it to
the members of the clergy ; after the ablutions, he
purifies the chalice. The deacon assists the celebrant
during the whole of Mass, standing sometimes at
his right hand, sometimes at his left ; he sings the Gos
pel ; puts the wine into the chalice which he covers and
uncovers during the Canon etc. At the end of Mass,
the deacon sings the lie Missa est, which is the signal for
the congregation to disperse.
Vespers and Lauds. The other sung offices are Ves
pers (sometimes Lauds) then Compline, and Benediction
of the most Holy Sacrament. For the rite of solemn
14
Vespers (and also for Lauds) the presence of a priest
is necessary who, vested in cope, remains at the
sedilia ; he is assisted by two clerics also vested in
copes ; often there are two additional priests in
copes who fill the office of cantors. The celebrant
intones the Deus in adjutorium, the Antiphon of the
first Psalm ; he sings the Little Chapter, intones the
Hymn, the Antiphon of the Magnificat, and sings the
Prayer or Collect. During the Magnificat he incenses
the altar, as at the Introit and Offertory at High Mass.
Compline is sung in choir without copes, the presid
ing priest occupying a stall appropriate to his dignity.
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is a ceremony
which usually takes place towards evening, after the
Office of Vespers or of Compline. This ceremony con
sists of the blessing given to the faithful with the Bless
ed Sacrament either in the ciborium or exposed in the
monstrance. During the ceremony, the Tantum ergo,
at least, is sung with the versicle and prayer of
the Blessed Sacrament. In many dioceses the custom
prevails of singing several other hymns before the Tan
tum ergo. At Benediction the officiating priest is vested
in cope and stole and he uses the humeral veil. The
cope is a large silk mantle worn by priests and even ordi
nary clerics in processions and at certain solemnities.
The humeral veil is a scarf of white silk placed on the
priests shoulders and with which he covers his hands when
giving Benediction or carrying the Blessed Sacrament.
The subdeacon also wears the humeral veil whilst holding
the paten at High Mass ; in the latter case the humeral
veil must be of the same colour as the vestments for
the day.
15
CHAPTER IV
Liturgical Prayer,
Liturgical prayer is the prayer which the Church
offers to God continually, to praise Him, to thank Him,
to implore His grace and to ask His forgiveness. In
liturgical prayer there are FOUR RECOGNISED FORMS :
ist. The prayer of ADORATION which consists in cele
brating God s greatness and in rendering Him supreme
homage. 2nd, THANKSGIVING which has for its end
the returning of thanks to the Lord for all His benefits.
3rd, EXPIATION which satisfies divine justice for
sins committed. 4th, The prayer of SUPPLICATION
which solicits from the divine goodness pardon for our
faults, and the grace and necessary assistance to
provide for all our wants both spiritual and temporal.
All liturgical prayers correspond with one or other of
those four forms.
Our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us to pray in this
manner. Man, in reality, of himself does not know how
to pray, and God alone can tell us how He wills to be
honoured. Hence our divine Saviour exhorts His
disciples, if they would be heard, always to ask in His
name. As the model and summing up of all our
prayers, He has given us the Lord s Prayer. Further,
He dwells in our tabernacles that He may continue
to pray with us, and to be the centre of the whole li
turgy. The Church, at once our mother and our teacher,
has received from her divine Master the mission to
instruct us on this point. By giving liturgical prayer
i6
to Christians which they should use in preference 12
any other, the Church fulfils this mission.
The principal sources of liturgical prayer are ihree
in number : ist. The books of the OLD TESTAMENT,
especially the Psalms of David and the writings of the
Prophets. 2nd. The books of the NEW TESTAMENT
such as the Gospels and the Epistles of the Apostles. 3rd.
The COLLECTION OF PRAYERS, antiphons, responsories,
hymns, Creeds, prefaces and other pious formulas used
in the Catholic Church.
The prayers of the Church are clue to the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost to whom God the Father and God
the Son, have given the mission to assist the Church,
to direct her in the choice of her prayers, and to ins
pire the sacred writers in the composition of their reli
gious songs. Thus having taught her children to pray,
the Church does not hesitate to gather from their lips
the praises which she offers to the Lord.
Excellence of liturgical prayer. - - Of all prayer
liturgical prayer is the most pleasing to God and the
most advantageous to man. The most pleasing to
God because it is the prayer of the Holy Ghost Himself
who makes use of the Church as a living, sensitive instru
ment, and because it is always addressed to God in the
name of Jesus Christ. Liturgical prayer enlightens
our minds in the sense that it teaches us religion in a
complete and life-like manner, for it represents to us
the principal mysteries of our Lord and of the blessed
Virgin, the characteristics of the lives of the saints, and
all the truths of religion, as if they were passing before
our eyes. The Christian who is the best instructed in
the knowledge of the liturgy is also the best informed
in the knowledge of Christianity. By associating our
prayer with the prayer of the Church herself, the liturgy
._,.,_, T *7
unites us to God, to His angels and saints. In this
way it increases our love ; purifies our sentiments ;
penetrates the whole soul with ardent charity and
transforms individual prayer into common and uni
versal prayer. Finally, this prayer strengthens faith,
for according to the beautiful maxims of Pope Saint
Celestine, the first rule of prayer must be also the rule
of faith. Thus the Creeds of the Church are the rule
of our faith and an homage rendered to God.
Liturgical prayer, in its entirety, is connected with
the continual work of God in religion, and during the
whole of the ecclesiastical year, day by clay, it distri
butes its teaching.
CHAPTER V
The various parts of the Mass and of the Divine
Office.
In the Mass we recognize two principal parts : the
Mass of the catechumens and the Mass of the faithful.
The first part is so called because the catechumens
were formerly admitted to it. At the beginning
of the second part they were dismissed, this portion of
the Mass being reserved exclusively for the faithful.
In the Mass of the catechumens we remark two
distinct elements : the preparation, which comprises the
prayers at the foot of the altar and what follows until
the Epistle ; and the instruction, which lasts from the
Epistle to the Offertory. The preparation contains
i8
the prayers said by the priest at the foot of the altar,
in which he expresses his humility and confusion at the
remembrance of his sins which he confesses. In
early times, the priest said these prayers whilst he was
going from the sacristy to the altar, and the choir was
singing the Introit or solemn entrance-anthem.
The Introit, which means entrance, in early times
consisted of a whole psalm followed by the Gloria Patri,
and an antiphon. The psalm was chosen according to the
circumstances, or according to the mysteries which were
being celebrated. The beginning of the rjsalm with the
Gloria and the antiphon is all that has been retained
of the early practice. The Introit, with the other parts
of the Mass which are sung, the prayers (Collect, Secret
and Postcommunion) and the Lessons, form what is
called the Proper of the Season, or the part which varies
according to the season, in contradistinction to the Ordi
nary of the Mass which never changes.
The Kyrie eleison is an invocation in Greek repeated
nine times, asking each of the three divine Persons
to have pity on us. The Gloria in excelsis is a hymn of
joy in honour of the Blessed Trinity ; it begins with the
canticle of the angels at the birth of our divine Redeemer.
The Gloria is said on all Sundays of the year, on all
feast days and during the Paschal season. But during
Advent, Septuagesima and Lent, and in Votive Masses
and Masses for the dead, the Gloria is omitted.
The Collect, preceded by the Dominus vobiscum, or
salutation of peace with which the priest greets the people,
is one of the principal prayers in which he unites all
the prayers of the assembled faithful and offers them to
God. The Collect varies according to the season and
the feast. Sometimes there are several Collects at the
same Mass.
19
The instruction includes the Epistle, the Gradual,
the Alleluia, and sometimes the Tract and the Prose
or Sequence, the Gospel and the Credo or Creed.
The Epistle is a passage from holy Scripture which
the priest reads after the Collect. The passage is usually
taken from the New Testament, particularly from the
Epistles (letters) of the Apostles, hence its name.
Sometimes, and more especially on ferias, the passage
is taken from the Old Testament. The response, Deo
gratias, is made at the end to thank God for having
deigned to speak to us through His apostles and prophets.
The Gradual, so named because formerly it was sung
on the steps of the ambo, consists of some verses of
a psalm sung after the Epistle. The Alleluia (God be
praised), a cry of joy taken from the Hebrew, intro
duces the singing of another verse taken usually from
the Scriptures.
In penitential seasons, that is from Septuagesima
Sunday until Easter, the Alleluia is replaced by the Tract,
some verses of Scripture which are sung without repe
tition. Sometimes an entire psalm is sung thus, as
for instance, on the first Sunday of Lent and on
Palm Sunday. During Paschal time the Gradual is
replaced by another Alleluia. These Chants varying
according to the time, express the sentiments stirred up
in our souls by the previous reading of the Epistle, or even
of the Gospel which follows. On certain days is sung
a Prose or Sequence, a rhythmical hymn which follows
the Alleluia. It has its origin in the words which at a
certain period were set under the neum { of the last
syllable of the " Alleluia ".
The Gospel is a passage taken from one of the four
1 In plainchant a prolonged phrase or group of notes sung to a
single syllable.
narratives in which we find the life and teaching of our
Lord Jesus Christ. The priest or deacon who is to read
or sing it, bowing low at the middle of the altar prays
that God may purify his heart and lips. The faithful
hear the Gospel standing, as a mark of respect for the
Word of God, and to show that they are ready to follow
Jesus Christ. At the beginning of the Gospel, the priest
and the faithful make the sign of the cross on their
foreheads, lips and breasts, to show that they are not
ashamed of the Gospel but will proclaim with their lips
the faith which they have in their hearts. At the end,
the priest out of respect for the divine Word kisses
the book of the Gospels.
The Credo or Creed is an abridged profession of faith
in the Christian doctrine. It is said only on Sunday
and on the more solemn feasts, such as those of our
Lord and of the blessed Virgin, the feasts of
the apostles and doctors of the Church who have
employed their lives and their knowledge in defence of
the truths of the Faith. At the words, Et incarnatus
est, all genuflect, in testimony of faith, love and gra
titude towards the Son of God made man.
The Mass of the faithful consists of three principal
acts : The Oblation, the Canon and the Communion.
The act of Oblation comprises the offering of the
bread, the preparation of the wine and water in the
chalice, the offering of the chalice, the washing of
hands, the Orate fratres and the Preface. Whilst the
priest performs these acts, at the same time reciting the
prayers of the Ordinary of the Mass, the choir sings
a verse of some psalm, called the Offertory. Formerly,
as at the Introit, a whole psalm was sung, in order to
give the priest time to receive the offerings of the faithful.
In these days the Antiphon alone has been retained,
21
and this, as well as the Secret, is varied according to
the feast and the sacred season.
The Canon is so named because the prayers of which
it consists are regulated in such a way that they never
change and afford an invariable "Canon " or rule accor
ding to which the Consecration takes place. The Canon
is introduced by the Preface which ends with the an
gelic canticle, Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus. It comprises
the prayers before, during, and after the Consecration
until the Pater noster. ist. Before the Consecration,
the prayers are : Te igitur, the prayer which the priest
in union with the Pope, the bishop, and all the faith
ful, addresses to God. The Memento for the living, in
which the priest prays for all the faithful living, espe
cially for those for whom the holy Sacrifice is offered.
The Communicant es or appeal for the intercession of the
blessed Virgin Mary, of the holy apostles and martyrs,
some of the more celebrated being here named. Hanc
igitur : The priest, imposing his hands on the gifts
offered, prays that the Host may be to us a pledge of
peace and salvation. 2nd. During the Consecration,
the priest, bending over the altar, and holding in his
hands first the bread, and then the chalice containing
the wine, pronounces the words which, by the divine
will and omnipotence of Jesus Christ, work the great
miracle of Transubstantiation. He then elevates for
the adoration of the faithful the Body and the Blood
of Jesus Christ. 3rd. After the Consecration, the priest
offers to God the remembrance of the Passion, of
the Resurrection and of the Ascension, praying Him to
accept the divine Victim as He accepted the offering of
Abel, of Abraham, and of Melchisedech. In the Memento
he intercedes for the dead, especially for those for
whom the Mass is offered ; at the Nobis quoque peccato-
ribus, he strikes his breast and begs that he may be
one day admitted into the company of the saints. He
concludes the Canon by a slight elevation of the Sacred
Host and the chalice together, declaring that through
Jesus Christ all honour and all glory is given to God.
The act of Communion consists of the preparation
for Communion and the Communion itself. The PRE
PARATION comprises the Pater noster, the prayer com
posed by our Lord ; the breaking of the Host in re
membrance of our Lord s act, when having changed
the bread into His Body, He broke and gave to His
disciples ; the mingling of a part of the consecrated
Host with the Precious Blood in the chalice, to signify
the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and also that His Body
and His Blood are both present under each separate
species. The Agnus Dei, a prayer composed of the
words used by Saint John the Baptist when he pointed
out Jesus Christ to the Jews as their Saviour ; the three
prayers before the Communion and the Domine non
sum dignus. The ACT OF COMMUNION : The priest ani
mated with sentiments of faith, humility, and gra
titude receives the Body of our Lord and then His
Precious Blood. He then takes the ablutions, reciting
the prayers which accompany them. During this time
and whilst the faithful receive holy Communion, the
choir sings an anthem called Communion, which like
the Introit, in former times was composed of an
entire psalm with an antiphon. Often, when there was
not time at the Introit to finish the psalm, it was
continued at the Communion.
All- that follows until the end of the Mass may be re
garded as thanksgiving. The priest recites or sings the
Postcommunion in his own name and in the name of
all those who have received holy Communion. He
23
waits while the deacon sings the Ite Missa est, then
gives the blessing and reads the last Gospel.
We shall dwell later on the parts of the Mass, which
vary according to the Proper of the season. The Church,
in truth, has chosen them for our instruction and to
inspire us with sentiments in harmony with the dis
tinctive characteristics of each season of the liturgical
year. It is in the Collect of the Mass and in the Epistle
and Gospel that this harmony is manifest. But it also
appears in the extracts from the Psalms used in the
choral parts.
The particular explanation given in each chapter
can always be referred to this three-fold division : ist.
The formula of prayer, Collect, Secret and Postcommu-
nion. 2nd. The Epistle and Gospel. 3rd. The parts
which are sung, Introit, Gradual, Alleluia or Tract,
Offertory and Communion.
The Divine Office, or Canonical Hours, consists of the
whole collection of prayers arranged in a certain order
by the Church, to be recited by priests in the name of
the faithful. The latter, on certain days, are invited to
assist at and take part in the singing of some of these
Hours. In general the Divine Office consists of psalms,
antiphons, lessons, hymns, responsories and prayers
drawn up by the Church.
The different hours of the Office begin with the verse
Deus in adjutoriiim, and end with : Benedicamus Do
mino. An exception is made on the last three days of
Holy Week, and in the Office for the Dead. The Divine
Office is divided into two principal parts called the
Night Office and the Day Office. The Night Office,
also called Matins, Nocturns or Vigils, consecrates
by prayer the night s repose. It consists of a psalm, al
ways the same, called Invitatory, because it invites us to
24
praise the Lord ; a hymn, and either one or three nocturns.
The one nocturn has nine psalms, three lessons and
three responsories. Each of the three nocturns has three
psalms, three lessons and the same number of responsories.
On feast days the night Office ends with the Te Deum.
Matins are followed by Lauds or morning praise, so
called because, in early times, they were sung at day
break. The day Office consists of several Hours of
prayer : Prime, the first of the little Hours, formerly
sung about six o clock in the morning in order to con
secrate to God all the actions of the day ; Terce, Sext and
None, so called because they were sung at the third, the
sixth, and the ninth hour of the day, that is, at nine
o clock in the morning, at midday, and at three o clock
in the afternoon. These Hours consist uniformly of a hymn,
three psalms with an antiphon, a chapter, a short res-
ponsory and the Collect of the day. Vespers, that part
of the Office which is sung towards evening, in early
times about six o clock, has five psalms with an anti
phon for each, a chapter, a hymn, the Magnificat with
antiphon and the Collect of the day. Lauds is com
posed in the same way, but with the Benedictus
instead of the Magnificat.
- Compline is the hour by which the day is completed
or finished, the evening prayer. It begins v/ith a short
lesson, and the Confiteor, and consists of three Psalms,
a hymn, a chapter, a short responsory, the canticle
Nunc dimittis, and the Collect Visita nos. An antiphon
to the blessed Virgin, varying with the season, is added.
We shall give particular attention to the Antiphons
of the Magnificat and the Benedictus which are more
closely connected with the Proper of the Season and often
contain a summary of the whole mystery or Feast
celebrated.
25
CHAPTER VI
Prayers of the ordinary of the Mass,
In the preceding chapter we explained the construc
tion, as it were, of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass. A
short explanation of the prayers of the Ordinary of the
Mass, which never vary, will serve to bring out still more
clearly the close union, the solidarity, so to speak,
which exists between the priest who celebrates the Mass,
and the faithful who assist at it. And this union be
comes still more apparent when we follow the prayers
said during the course of solemn High Mass. The dia
logue-form of the prayers said at the foot of the altar,
at the beginning of the Mass, contributes to give them
that characteristic of solidarity of which we speak.
The Mass is a sacrifice offered by the priest and by
the faithful in union with him. Thus it is absolutely
essential that the latter should be represented at it,
were it only by a server. The Mass has its true and
perfect meaning, when the entire assembly of the faithful
act, speak, and sing alternately with the priest. There
fore, whilst the choir is singing- the Introit, the priest
and his assistants, having first made the sign of the cross,
thereby declaring that they are about to act in the name
of the three divine Persons of the Holy Trinity, repeat
the words of Psalm XLII, Judica me, that they may be
sustained and encouraged by confidence mingled with
fear. God, they say, in effect, is our strength, our
light, our joy. But remembering the sins which they
2(5
have committed, they then confess them in turn to
God, the blessed Virgin, Saint Michael, Saint John
the Baptist, the holy Apostles, Peter and Paul. These
heavenly witnesses become their intercessors with God,
and through their intercession priest and assistants
trust to obtain forgiveness. Confiteor Misereatur.
The prayer ends with invocations to God who gives
life and salvation, Deus tu conversus, etc.
Fortified by this assurance, the priest ascends the
altar reciting two prayers in a low voice. But, let it
be noted that in these prayers he uses the plural, Aufer
a no bis ; mereamur ; Oramus te. And henceforth when
ever he addresses God in secret he uses this form 1 .
In the prayer, Aufer a nobis, he again asks forgive
ness. In the second prayer he implores God to grant
this through the merits of the saints, whose relics,
enclosed in the altar stone, he venerates at the
same time. This stone is symbolic of Jesus Christ
Himself. To render Him homage the priest for the
first time incenses the altar (without prayer), no doubt
in remembrance of the numerous incensings on the day
of its consecration. The use of incense is very ancient
in the Church ; there are proofs that it was used as early as
the fourth century. It symbolizes, at one and the same
time, the prayer which ascends to God like sweet-smel-
ing smoke, the homage of adoration rendered to the
Lord, and lastly, recognition of His supreme domi
nion. This rite ended, the priest recites the Introit
which has been already sung by the choir, and repeats
alternately with the server, the Greek invocations,
Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison, Kyrie eleison and then
usually intones the Gloria in excelsis, a canticle of joy,
1 With only one or two exceptions.
27
the first words of which were sung by the angels at the
birth of Jesus Christ, while the rest of the hymn glori
fies the Father, the Supreme Power, the Son of God,
the divine Lamb which taketh away the sins of the world,
and the Holy Ghost, to whom is rendered equal glory
with the Father and the Son. Before saying or singing
the Collect, the priest, turning towards the faithful,
invites them to recollection, saying Domimis vobiscum,
to which all answer Et cum spiritu tuo, that is to
say : " speak to Him in our name and mayest
thou be animated with the divine Spirit. " This invi
tation will be repeated many times during the holy
Sacrifice with the intention of maintaining union be
tween the congregation and their representative at the
altar. The response, Amen, at the end of the Collect
and the other prayers is also another mode of asserting
this union.
The Collect and the various forms of instruction
which complete the Mass of the catechumens belong
to that part of the prayers of the holy Sacrifice which
varies, and which will be explained later. We shall not
dwell upon them now, merely noting that the choir
responds to each instruction transmitted by the sacred
ministers. To the lesson from the Epistle sung
by the sub-deacon the choir answers by singing the
Gradual, the Alleluia or the Tract; to the singing of
the Gospel by the deacon (at High Mass), the choir
answers by singing, on solemn occasions, the Credo.
The solemn ceremonies which accompany the singing
of the Gospel show the profound respect with which the
Word of God should be received. Before opening the
book of the Gospel, the deacon lays it on the altar to
signify that he takes his teaching from Jesus Christ, the
divine Word. He then kneels on the altar steps and
28
begs of God that his lips may be purified, as were the
lips of Isaias with a burning coal : Munda cor meum.
He then asks the priest for a special blessing that
he may fulfil his office well, and taking the book from
the altar he goes to the reading desk at the right hand
side of the altar. The acolytes precede him with lighted
candles, symbolic of Christ the true Light. Incense is
here used as a mark of respect for the book which con
tains the divine Word and for the minister deputed
to preach it. During the singing of the Gospel, all stand
as already described. At the end of the Gospel the
book is presented to the priest who kisses it praying
that the sacred Word may blot out the sins of all :
Deleantur nostra delicta.
We now enter upon the principal part of the holy
Sacrifice, that which the Church calls the Act par
excellence, that might be called the unique Act, in
which infidels and catechumens could take no part.
Hence at this moment these were dismissed by the
deacon. Like the Last Supper which it renews, the
Mass, properly speaking, may be divided into three
parts, the Oblation, the Canon and the Communion.
It will be useful here to give the meaning of a cer
tain number of Greek terms which are employed espe
cially in these later times to designate the formulas
which the Church prescribes in the offering of the holy
Sacrifice. The Canon, taken from a word signifying
rule, is the whole of the liturgical text from the
Sanctus to the -Pater noster. - Anaphora, the Greek
word, equivalent to offering, presentation, is applied
to the same liturgical text beginning with the Sursum
corda of the Preface. The Diptychs were ivory tablets
which could be folded in two, on which were written
the names of the living and the dead to be prayed for.
29
Anamnesis, that is to say, memento or memorial,
applies to the prayer in which are recalled the different
mysteries of the Passion, the Resurrection, Ascension, etc.
Epiclesis is the invocation in which the eternal Fa
ther is implored to send the Holy Ghost upon the Obla
tion.
I. The Oblation is, by the receiving and the presen
tation to God of the offerings, the immediate prepa
ration for the holy Sacrifice.
Turning towards the congregation the priest reiterates
his invitation, Dominus vobiscum; then summoning
the faithful to prayer, he says Oremus. No prayer,
however, is said, the cantors immediately beginning the
antiphon of the Offertory which the priest himself
recites. Some liturgists think that formerly at this
moment there were recited, as on Good Friday, a series
of prayers in which all classes of the Christian com
munity were specified. Others say that this was the
time when the diptychs or tablets containing the names
of those persons to be specially remembered in the holy
Sacrifice were read aloud. However this may be, it is the
time for the faithful to specify privately their intentions
in union and conformity with Jesus Christ who is about
to descend upon the altar. In the early Church it was
at this time that the priest and his assistants received
the offerings made by the faithful, bread, wine and
other necessaries for the holy Sacrifice. From the
fourth century, a psalm was sung antiphonally to main
tain attention and good order during the offertory.
When the offerings had been received, the assistants
set apart and carried to the altar all that was to be
consecrated. In commemoration of this the sub-
deacon takes from the credence table the chalice and
host and carries them to the altar, where they are received
30
by the deacon. The priest offers to God the matter
of the Sacrifice, reciting in a low voice the prayer
Suscipe, sancte Pater, in which he briefly recalls the
intentions of which we have just spoken " for all
present, and, for all faithful Christians, living and dead. "
This is, as it were, a first Memento. During this time
the deacon and subdeacon prepare the wine and water
in the chalice. The priest blesses this symbolic mix
ture, whilst reciting_always in a low voice a very ancient
formula which is an admirable epitome of the mystery
of the Incarnation, Dens qui humancz substantive.
As early as the third century Saint Cyprian saw in this
mingling of water and wine a symbol of the faithful,
represented by the water, so closely united to and
mingled with the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ,
typified by the wine, that nothing could separate them.
Then the deacon together with the priest offers to
God the chalice, both reciting the prayer, Offerimus
tibi.
Two more invocations follow said in secret by the
priest, after he has placed the chalice on the altar. The
first of these invocations In spiritu humilitatis is taken
from the prayer of the three children in the fiery fur
nace (Daniel, in, 39) ; the second, Veni, sanctificator ,
is an appeal to God the sanctifier, that is to the Holy
Ghost. Some writers think that this prayer is an Epi-
clesis, an invocation to God the Father, asking Him
to send down the Holy Spirit and that it is repeated
in different terms after the Consecration.
The ceremony of incensing here assumes greater
solemnity than at the Introit. God s blessing on the
incense is invoked through the intercession of the Arch-
argel Saint Michael, Per inter cessionem. The Host
and the chalice are so to speak enveloped in the perfume
of the blessed incense, to draw down the divine mercy
upon men, Incensum istud. Whilst he incenses the
altar the priest repeats the words of the psalmist :
Dirigatur oratio mea. Returning the censer to the
deacon he prays that the fire of divine love may inflame
all hearts, Accendat jn nobis. Having incensed the
priest, the deacon then incenses the choir and the
faithful. By this ceremony the Church shows the
faithful that she unites them in the closest manner
to the gifts which are actually on the altar and at the
same time she invites them to send up their prayers
to God in union with the priest. Finally, she invites
them to purify their souls from all sin that they may be
still more closely assimilated fo the Sacred Host.
The Lavabo or washing of the hands at the corner of
the altar now follows. This very ancient practice ori
ginated in the necessity for the priest of purifying his
fingers after receiving and incensing the gifts offered,
and at the same time because of the need to purify
himself more and more, as he draws nearer to the dread
mysteries. All this is admirably expressed in the words
of Ps. xxv, which the priest recites in a low voice, Lavabo
inter innocentes.
Returning to the middle of the altar, and bowing
slightly, the celebrant recites another prayer of obla
tion : Suscipe sancta Trinitas. He offers the holy Sacri
fice to the three divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity
as a memorial of the mysteries of the Passion, the Re
surrection and the Ascension of our divine Saviour,
setting forth the part which the blessed Virgin, Saint
John the Baptist, Saints Peter and Paul and all the
saints have therein. Then he turns towards the people
to invite them with renewed entreaty to pray, for, "this
Sacrifice, " he says, "is yours as well as mine, "it is to
the interest of you all that it should be favourably ac
cepted. The Secret which follows the Orate, fratres,
sums up the prayers of the congregation with special
reference to the mystery of the day. For this reason
the Secret varies according to the Mass. Like the
Collect, in early times, it was improvised by the priest.
The prayers said in a low voice during the most im
portant part of the holy Sacrifice are an act of homage
to the silence of Jesus during His Passion. They invite
the congregation to greater recollection.
II. From the Preface to the Pater nosier we have
the principal Act of the Mass, the Eucharistic Prayer
properly so called, the elements of which are all strictly
regulated according to the narrative of the Last Supper.
The Preface followed by the Sanctus serves as introduc
tion. The words, per omnia, call for the people s con
currence in the prayer which the priest has just said
in a low voice. The Sursum cor da insists on the
more intimate union with God which the assistants
should maintain during the acts which are about to
follow. The Eucharistic Act, par excellence, must begin
by the priest returning thanks for the benefits of the
Lord : Gratias agamus. Dignum et justum est. The
solemn formula which the priest sings resembles strongly
the prayer of the head of the family under the Old
Covenant, when he was inaugurating the Paschal Feast.
But now it is no longer the glories of the Old Testament
which the priest celebrates. Beyond the favour of
Creation, of temporal deliverance, he sees the Incar
nation, the Redemption, the Eucharist. To commem
orate these ineffable marks of the divine goodness
he appeals to Christ through whom the angels praise
the majesty of the Father. He asks the heavenly Do
minations and Powers and the Seraphim to celebrate
33
it with gladness. Formerly, in order to adapt it to
the circumstances of the feast, the priest improvised this
canticle. But for a very long time past the Church
herself has fixed the formula, with variations suitable
to the great feasts or other special occasions.
To the final invitation of the Preface, the choir re
sponds by singing the Sanctus, the first words of the can
ticle which the Prophet Isaias heard the Seraphim sing
(Chap, vi, 3) to which has been added the joyful accla
mation, Benedictus qui venit, together with that of the
people who hailed the entry of Jesus Christ into Jeru
salem : Hosanna in excelsis.
The prayers with which the Roman Canon begins
and which the priest says in a low voice are of ancient
origin. But before they were definitely fixed some
variations and alterations were made. The first, Te igi-
tur, invokes the blessing of God the Father on the offer
ings presented in the name of the Church, of the Pope,
of the Bishop of the diocese in which the Mass is being
said, and finally in the name of all those who are in com
munion with these heads of the hierarchy.
At the Memento for the living, all who assist at Mass
can form interiorly their own special intentions, whilst
the priest pauses to remember those for which he is
offering the holy Sacrifice.
The Church wishes also that we should remember all
chose throughout the world who are our brethren in the
faith. And at this solemn moment we should unite
our prayers to those of the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of God, and of the apostles and holy pontiffs, the first
of whom are designated by name, among them Saint
Cornelius who filled the chair of Peter in the third
century, and finally of some martyrs who in the
third and fourth centuries were famous in Rome.
2 T ue Liturgy of tl,o JUman .Mi>al.
34
In this prayer as in the Preface there are variations on
the great festivals.
These two formulas, Memento and Communicantes,
form, as it were, a digression. It is probable that in
early times they were used at the beginning of the
offering, when the diptychs were being read. The
thoughts of the priest and of the faithful are at that
moment recalled to the offering itself over which the
priest extends his hands whilst reciting Hanc igitur.
He prays that the Lord may receive these gifts, that
He may cause them to be a source of peace and tran
quillity for all dwellers on this earth, and the means
of saving them from eternal damnation ; finally, that
by Him they may be changed into the Body and the
Blood of Jesus Christ and then indeed our Sacrifice
will be worthy of acceptance. This is what the prayer,
Quam oblationem, expresses.
The Consecration is the supremely solemn moment.
Now, the circumstances of the Last Supper as de
scribed by the Evangelists are recalled to us. The priest
more closely united than ever to Jesus Christ repeats
the acts of Jesus Christ ; he performs the same rites,
pronounces the same words Qui pridie Simili modo.
It is in fact no longer the priest, it is Jesus Christ Himself
who speaks by the mouth of His minister : Hoc est cor
pus meum Hie est calix sanguinis mei.
The elevation which follows the two Consecrations
has as its end, not only that we may adore the Body
and the Blood of Jesus Christ , but also, that we may
rejoice in the divine Presence. Though we bow down
as the priest genuflects, we are invited to look at the Host
and the chalice as he raises them above his head. T t is
to be noted here that the terms of the rubric imply an
exposition of the sacred species.
35
The great mystery being now accomplished on the
altar, the priest resumes his prayer : Unde et memores.
In the name of all the faithful, as in his own, he declares
that he performs this thrice holy act in commemora
tion of the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of our
divine Saviour ; that therefore this pure, holy, and
immaculate Host may be accepted of God, as in the
Old Law He accepted the sacrifice of Abel, of Abraham,
of Melchisedech, Supra quce pwpitio ac sereno vultu.
The divine messenger, spoken of in the prayer, Sup-
plices te, the angel of the sacrifice who is to bear our
victim to the throne of God, is regarded by many
liturgists, as being the Holy Ghost, the third Person of
the adorable Trinity, through whose operation the
mystery of the Eucharist is accomplished ; by Him,
they say, the heavenly Victim is offered to God.
Like the Memento of the living which precedes the
consecration, the Memento of the dead now again inter
rupts the priest s prayer. Here once more are renewed
the intentions formed at the moment of the offering.
The Church suffering, equally with the Church militant
and the Church triumphant, must have part in the
Sacrifice. The Church militant and the Church trium
phant are afterwards joined together in the invocation,
Nobis quoque peccatoribus. In this prayer some of the
saints are specially named, John the Baptist the Pre
cursor, Stephen the first Martyr, Mathias and Barna
bas who although, not among the twelve, are yet num
bered in the apostolic college; finally some other mar
tyrs who are the objects of special devotion in Rome.
The formula, Per Christum Dominum already heard
at the end of the Supplices te, is now used again as the
ending of the Canon. This ending is in perfect keeping.
It reminds God the Father that, through Jesus Christ
-36-
His Son and through the Holy Ghost, He has created
all things, Per quern hcec omnia. In ancient times, at
this moment, the first fruits of wheat and of the vine, -
the matter of the Sacrifice, were presented for the priest s
blessing together with other offerings which, after the
Mass, were intended for the use of the priest and the
faithful. It is to this that the words, hczc omnia, allude.
Finally, the Canon terminates by a doxology in honour
of the Blessed Trinity. The priest, whilst reciting it,
makes the sign of the cross with the Sacred Host rais
ing it as he does so slightly above the chalice. Here
the word elevat is used in the rubric. This is what
is now called the little elevation, which is more ancient
than the other.
The conclusion, per omnia, is sung (or said aloud) by
the priest, so that all may answer Amen. Here, this
word has the force and meaning of a solemn act of faith
in the presence of Jesus Christ on the altar ; it is an ac
quiescence in the mystery which has been accomplished,
a ratification of the priest s prayers said in secret.
III. The Communion. This last part of the holy
Sacrifice comprises the Preparation, the act of Commu
nion, and the Thanksgiving.
ist. Preparation. Before the breaking of the Sacred
Host, with which according to our Lord s prescription
to His apostles the third act of the Sacrifice began,
Accipite et dividite inter vos (Luke, xxn, 17), Pope Saint
Gregory the Great in the fourth century placed the Lord s
Prayer which, previously, was recited at another time.
The Pater noster with its short prologue is sung by
the priest. This prologue, Prceceptis salutaribus, reminds
us that the prayer has been composed by God Himself.
It sums up admirably all the things for which we should
ask : the glorification of the heavenly Father ; the ac-
~ 37
complishment of His divine will; the granting of all
good things, spiritual as well as temporal ; the conditions
under which our forgiveness is assured ; help in the hour
of temptation and deliverance from all evil. This last
request is formulated by all the faithful in token of as
sent to the priest s supplication, which is concluded in
a low voice by the final response Amen.
The Libera nos which the priest says in a low voice is
but the development of the last petition of the Pater
nosier. What we ask, for the priest continues to speak
with God in the name of all, is, that we may be deliv
ered from all evils, past, present and future. We
expect this through the intercession of the blessed Vir
gin Mary, of the holy Apostles, Peter, Paul and Andrew ,
mentioned as representatives of the apostolic college,
in a word, of all the saints, that through them we may
obtain peace, the fruit of freedom from sin. This word,
peace, will recur again with remarkable insistence in the
prayers which follow. The Church wishes to remind
us how often our Lord promised peace to His apostles.
Then the breaking of the Host is accomplished. The
priest, as the representative of Jesus Christ the invi
sible Head of the Christian family, thus prepares the
distribution of the Divine Food, the breaking being a
true symbol of union, as Saint Paul teaches us (I Cor.,
x, 17) For we, being many, are one bread, one body,
all that partake of one bread.
A portion of the Sacred Host is put into the chalice
to mark the real union of the Body and the Blood of
Jesus Christ in >.the Blessed Eucharist, the true living
bread come down from heaven, the source of life for
all those about to receive It.
This accumulation of mysteries in a material act which
seems very simple is truly fruitful in its teaching. It
-38-
teaches the faithful who are assisting at Mass that this
Sacrifice is only fully realized when all the members of
the Christian family receive Communion with the priest.
In the early Church, at this part of the Mass, the deacon
dismissed those who were not going to Communion, but
these were few in number.
In the name of those who remained, the priest said
the prayers preparatory to the act of Communion, some
of them aloud, such as the A gnus Dei, which at the same
time is sung by the choir. The invocation, " Lamb
of God, " three times repeated, implores the divine
mercy and begs for peace. Then a prayer, said in a
low voice, earnestly presses this petition for peace,
through the union of all hearts. As a symbol of
union, the priest gives the kiss of peace to the deacon
who transmits it to the sub-deacon, who in turn
transmits it to all the clergy present. In early times,
as a sign of mutual charity, the faithful embraced one
another, the men being separated from the women, in
different parts of the nave.
At the end of his Epistles, Saint Paul recommends this
kiss to be given : for instance, Rom. xvi, 16. And Saint
Augustine testifies that in his time this practice was ob
served after the Pater noster, when the priest said Pax
Domini. The other two prayers which the priest says
before the Communion are not so ancient as the first,
and are rather the expression of personal devotion :
the priest speaks In the first person singular, ego
me. In the last prayer there is only mention of Com
munion under one kind, that of bread, and the sup
position is that there was another for Communion under
the species of wine.
2nd. As it is now a question of the priest himself
receiving holy Communion, he continues to speak in
39
the first person singular. He says : Panem ccelestem ac-
cipiam Domine non sum dignus Corpus Domini nostri
Jesu Christi custodiat animam meam. After he has re
ceived the Sacred Host, he pauses for a moment in recol
lection, and makes a short act of thanksgiving, the
words of which are taken from Psalm cxv, 12, Quid
retribuam Calicem salutaris accipiam. Then he says :
Sanguis Domini nostri Jesu Christi custodiat animam
meam, and takes the Precious Blood. Now is the
time prescribed for the Communion of the faithful ; to
give holy Communion before or after Mass is exceptional,
and only permitted for some reasonable cause.
In the name of all, the deacon says or sings the Con-
fiteor, an act of humility and of self-abasement in which
all unite in spirit. The priest says MisereaturIndul-
gentiam, to purify the soul from slight stains of sin. He
raises the Sacred Host a little above the ciborium that
all may behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the
sins of the world, and repeats three times : Domine non
sum dignus, not now for himself, but for all those who
hear him, to suggest to them the sentiments of humi
lity, faith and confidence with which the centurion in
the Gospel was animated, when he asked that his servant
might be cured (St. Matth. vm, 8). Then, as he gives the
Sacred Host to each person, he repeat^ the words which
he said when receiving holy Communion himself : " May
the body of our Lord Jesus Christ preserve thy soul to
everlasting life.
During the giving of holy Communion the choir sings
an antiphon, taken from a psalm, the whole of which
was formerly sung. This antiphon varies according
to the Feast, and the Church adapts it to the act of
Communion itself.
3rd. Thanksgiving. The formulas which follow are
40
the best acts of thanksgiving which can be made after
holy Communion. The acts found in prayer-books
are often only a poor commentary on them, and have
not the characteristic of being the voice of the Church
who prays within us. The two prayers which the priest
recites in a low voice when, taking the ablutions, are
taken from the oldest liturgical books. In the first
which begins with these words : Quod ore sumpsimus,
the priest says to God : " What we have received with
our mouth, may our heart preserve in its purity, from a
transient temporal good, may it become to us an eternal
remedy. " In the second prayer, Corpus tuum, Domine,
he prays : " May Thy body and Thy blood which I have
received cleave to the very core of my being, and grant,
O Lord, that having been purified by these Sacrarnents,
there may be no longer any stain of sin in me. "
The Postcommunion, sung after the ablution, sums up,
in the name of all, the sentiments of thanksgiving. Like
the Collect and the Secret, the daily variations of
which it follows, it expresses very concisely the lasting
effects which the most holy Sacrament of the altar
should produce in our souls.
There now remain but the final prayers. The Do-
minus vobiscum is a last expression of the desire for
that union which the soul should maintain after the ce
lebration of the holy Mysteries. The dismissal is given
by the deacon who sings the lie, Missa est, to which
all answer: " Thanks be to God ". The priest, bending
over the altar, addresses a last invocation to the Holy
Trinity in whose honour the Sacrifice has been offered.
He then turns round, gives the blessing to the people,
and all ends with the reading of the first chapter of the
Gospel of Saint John in which are admirably described
the eternal generation of the Word in the bosom of the
Father and His unspeakable abasement in the mystery
of the Incarnation in which He was made flesh to bring
to us here on earth, a ray of His glory. For a soul full
of faith, the Mass is indeed a reflection of that glory.
And the assistants repeat once more : " Thanks be to
God ".
CHAPTER VII
The Liturgical Year.
By the Liturgical Year, we mean the succession of
days, weeks, and even the seasons, considered according
to the order of the liturgy, that is, having regard to
the Feasts of the Church, the mysteries of Religion, the
divine work of our Creation, our Redemption and our
sanctincation.
We may consider the liturgical year under three dif
ferent aspects : 1st. In its connection with the course
of time and with historical facts; 2nd. In its connection
with the solar year; 3rd. In its connection with the
seasons. Three parts of the liturgical year correspond
with three great epochs which mark the history of man
kind. The first epoch comprises the ages which pre
ceded the coming of the Messias ; the second com
prises His coming and His sojourn on earth ; the third
embraces all the centuries since the coming of our divine
Saviour and will only end with the world. The three
principal parts of the liturgical year which correspond
with these three epochs are : ist. Advent, or the four
42
thousand years which prepared the way for the coming
of the Messias; 2nd. Christmas and the Epiphany,
Lent and Easter, or the time of the Incarnation and
the Redemption which were accomplished during the
thirty three years of our divine Lord s life on earth ;
3rd. Pentecost, or the course of centuries which began
at the moment of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon
the apostles and which will end at the last day. The
connection with the solar year consists in the harmony
existing between the succession of the days, weeks, and
months of the solar year and the course of events by
which it has pleased God to ransom mankind, ruined
by sin. Equal in length, enclosed within the same circle,
illuminated, the one by the material sun, the other by
the divine Sun of Justice, these two years afford man the
means of attaining the end for which he was created,
the solar year by the development of his material life,
the liturgical year by that of his spiritual life. The
first governs the natural, the second the supernatural
world.
As we reckon four seasons in the solar year, so likewise
four mystical seasons are distinguished in the litur
gical year. The first mystical season or Advent cor
responds to winter. Winter is the season of cold weather,
of long nights, of suffering and of privation. It is also
a time of waiting and of preparation. The sun sheds
his light and heat sparingly and does not succeed in com
pletely dispersing the gloom and darkness. Similarly,
Advent is for souls the season of cold, of gloom, of
sighs and of waiting. It is, for man, the time of the
spiritual labour of prayer, of penance, and of trial. It is
for God the time of preparation for the coming of His
divine Son on earth. He responds to the sighs, the la
mentations of His creatures, by sowing in their souls the
43
germ of grace and of truth. In nature, spring marks the
return of life, after the apparent death of winter. The
trees, leafless and as it were dead, are again clothed with
leaves and flowers. The sun shows himself less sparing
of his rays ; once more the days grow longer and brighter ;
the earth seems to be reborn. This is the image of the
second mystical season which embraces Christmas and
the Epiphany, the true springtime of souls in which all
seems to be born again to the life of grace, in which all
hasten to grow with Christmas, and to blossom with
the Epiphany. Summer is the time of hard labour.
Under the action of an ardent sun the great heat acce
lerates the maturing of the crops and prepares an abun
dant harvest. Such is the third mystical season which
includes the Septuagesima weeks, the austerity of Lent,
the joys of Easter. It corresponds with the most labo
rious time of the life of our divine Saviour. It includes
His public life, with His fast in the desert and the Tempta
tion for prelude ; His preaching, His miracles, His
Passion and Death as a form of struggle ; the Resurrec
tion, Ascension and the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon
the apostles as the crowning of the work of Redemp
tion.
In the natural order autumn is the time of harvest.
So is the fourth mystical season which includes the whole
time after Pentecost. The seed which was sown in
Advent, germinated and blossomed at Christmas and
the Epiphany and ripened during Lent and Paschal
time, is now fit to be harvested by the care of the
Holy Ghost, and the Church, the great reaper of souls.
According to the words of our Lord in the Gospel, it
is the time when the father of the family sends his
servants to reap the harvest in his fields. The cockle
which the enemy had sowed is now uprooted and made
44
into bundles to be burnt. The corn is bound into
sheaves and the pure wheat of the elect is gathered
into the barn of the eternal home.
It is true that the seasons of the liturgical year are of
unequal length, but each of them has its well denned
characteristic, its quite distinct labours, fruits and pro
ductions. Christian souls feel their mystical influence,
as their bodies undergo the variation of temperature,
and experience the effects caused by the change of
seasons. Divine Wisdom manifestly willed to create
harmony between the solar year and the liturgical year ;
the former is but the outline of the latter. Both are
the work of the same divine hand, and their admirable
accord admonishes the Christian that he must reconcile
one with the other, that is to say that he must employ
the natural life to the advantage of the supernatural.
We shall follow the order of the liturgy itself. The
divisions of this work will correspond to the four seasons
just enumerated. Advent, the first mystical season,
or winter of souls, recalls the four thousand years which
preceded the coming of the Messias. Christmas and
the Epiphany, or spiritual spring-time, corresponds to
that part of our Lord s life which preceded His Bap
tism.
The third season begins on Septuagesima Sunday
and ends with the Octave of Pentecost. It includes the
public Life of our Lord from His Baptism until the des
cent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles. This is the
third mystical season, or spiritual summer.
The fourth mystical season, or spiritual autumn, ex
tends from the first Sunday after Pentecost to the twenty-
fourth or last Sunday of the year. By reason of the ir
regularity of the date of Easter, this season is sometimes
lengthened by the addition of several of the Sundays after
45
the Epiphany. It is equal in length to the three other
seasons combined, and corresponds to the action of the
Holy Ghost in the Church and in each of her members.
It tends to perfect the latter in the Christian life, so
that they may be one day united with the happy in
habitants of the heavenly City.
FIRST PART
ADVENT
CHAPTER I
General Considerations.
The word " Advent " signifies coming, arrival.
It is applied here to the period of waiting which -pre
cedes the coming of the Son of God. Having once
come amongst men by His Incarnation to effect our
salvation, Jesus Christ renews this mystery in favour
of each regenerated soul into which He enters by the
communication of His divine grace. At the end of time,
as He Himself has told us, He will appear clothed in
glory and majesty to judge all mankind. The Church
during Advent invites us to meditate on this threefold
manifestation of Jesus, and especially on the first as a
preparation for the other two. She reminds us of the
tears, the sighs of the patriarchs and the prophets who
expected the coming of the Redeemer promised by God.
She instructs us to implore, in fervent prayer, the coming
of Jesus Christ into every soul ; she teaches us finally
to long for the third coming which will crown the work
of Redemption.
47
Origin. The Greek Church, undecided as to the fixing
of the date for the feast of Christmas (December 25
or January 6) at first knew nothing of a time of
preparation for this festival. In the West, towards the
end of the fourth century, we find a liturgical period
designated by the name of Advent. Already, as early
as the year 380, Advent is mentioned in the Council of
Saragossa, and in documents of the fifth century,
both in Gaul and Italy, mention is also made of it.
Characteristics. In the liturgical lessons and for
mulas of primitive times, Advent is represented as a
time of preparation for the coming of the Redeemer.
In these we find briefly stated the Catholic doctrine of
the Incarnation, the Redemption, the Virgin Birth,
the Mission of the Precursor, the last Coming or Judgment.
In Gaul, particularly, Advent seems to have been
regarded as a kind of winter Lent. It began on the
feast of Saint Martin and lasted about forty days, in
cluding six Sundays. Monday, Wednesday and Friday
in each week were fast-days, and abstinence was ob
served every day. Other churches, Milan for instance,
counted but five Sundays in Advent. In others the
number was reduced to four, and from the beginning
of the eighth century the Roman Church adopted this
number.
At the present day the Church, to a certain extent,
regards ; Advent as a time of penance and supplication.
During f this i time purple vestments are worn, and at
High Mass the deacon and subdeacon wear folded cha
subles. The organ is silent. The Gloria in excelsis
is omitted from the Mass, but the Alleluia is still sung.
In all the prayers we are reminded of the tears and sighs
of the patriarchs and the prophets who were expecting
the coming of the Redeemer ; they are in harmony
- 4 8-
with our petition that Jesus Christ may come into every
individual soul, and thus they remotely prepare mankind
for the coming at the last day.
Place in the liturgical year. The liturgical year
may be regarded as forming two cycles, one of which
revolves round the festival of Christmas, the other
round the festival of Easter. The Christmas cycle is
introduced by Advent which represents the period an
terior to the coming of the Messias and thus Advent
carries us back to the origin of the world. Further, in a
mystical sense, Advent guides our first steps in what
is called the Purgative Way, by inviting us all to prac
tise mortification and penance, and thus to prepare
the way of the Lord.
Lessons of Advent. During Advent the Church
would make the Christian realize that his life on earth
is a perpetual act of renunciation, that in order to receive
into his soul the promised Redeemer, he must do pen
ance, that is, according to the Prophet Isaias, he must
cease to do evil and must purify himself from his sins,
and that on these conditions he will have a share in the
blessing of the first coming of Jesus Christ.
We find this teaching in all those parts of the Office
and the Mass that are special to each of the four Sun
days ; in the lessons of the Ember Mass ; on the special
Feasts which the Church has instituted during this sea
son in honour of the mystery of the Incarnation, and
in the Great Antiphons sung during the seven days
which immediately precede the festival of Christmas.
49 -
CHAPTER II
The first Sunday and first Week of Advent.
Station at Saint Mary Major. Sources of the liturgy : Introit,
Ps. xxiv, 1-3. Epistle, Saint Paul to the Romans, xm,
11-14. Gradual, Ps. xxiv, 10. Alleluia, Ps. LXXXIV, 8.
Gospel, Saint Luke, xxi, 25-33. Offertory, Ps. xxiv, 1-3.
Communion, Ps. LXXXIV, 13.
Characteristics. - - The Church, in the Divine Office
suggests to us sentiments of hope and expectation re
garding the coming of the Messias. Such is the idea
expressed in the words of the Invitatory at the
beginning of Matins : " Come, let us adore the King who
is to come. We find the same teaching in Isaias, the
prophet who has most clearly described the character
istics of our divine Redeemer ; this teaching is found
again in the responsories of the Office, and more especially
in the very first one which begins with the words :
Aspiciens a longe, and which constitutes as it were a
little drama, in itself. These formulas present to
us the Messias as the King of heaven and earth,
as the Son of God who for a time leaves His palace in
the heavens and comes to dwell amongst men. They
tell us that before the Incarnation, the world was plunged
in darkness, arid that Jesus Christ has come to spread
the light here below, that His coming has been wel
comed by some with joy and confidence, by others with
contempt, indifference, or ingratitude.
Following the procedure generally adopted since the
50
Middle Ages, the Church designates this Sunday by the
first words of the Introit : Ad te levavi. Again this
Sunday is called in the liturgy, Aspiciens a longe, from
the first words of the responsory to which we have just
alluded.
The word " Station " conveys the idea of a halt
in a procession. Here it applies to a Roman custom.
The clergy and people of all the different parishes assem
bled in a church of the city, named beforehand,
for the celebration in common of the Office and the Mass
on certain days.
The Station of the first Sunday of Advent is at the
church of Saint Mary Major, called also Saint Mary
of the Crib as this Roman Basilica possesses the Crib
brought from Bethlehem. It has been most suitably
chosen in order that we may begin Advent under the
protection of the Mother of God and in the presence of
our divine Saviour s Crib.
The parts of the Mass, which are sung, the Introit,
Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory, and Communion are usually
taken from the psalms and recall the primitive practice
of singing one entire psalm, at least at the Introit, Offer
tory and Communion. The refrain sung by the whole
congregation is all that now remains to us, and may
serve to determine the special characteristics of the
Mass.
On the First Sunday of Advent, the Introit, Gra
dual and Offertory are taken from PSALM xxiv
which begins thus : Ad te Domine, levavi. These sung
portions express first the soul s desire for God in whom
she has placed all her confidence, and next the assu
rance that she will not be deceived in her expectation.
They invite us to beg that we may be directed in the
way which leads to the meeting with our Deliverer.
The Alleluia and the Communion, taken from
Psalm LXXXIV : Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam,
recall the sad days of the Babylonian captivity. At
the same time, they mark the deplorable state of the
whole world before the coming of the Messias. In these
sung parts we beg of God with unalterable confidence
to send His divine Son for the salvation of the world.
Next, they express our firm assurance that God will
fulfil His promise.
The Collect or prayer said when the faithful begin
to assemble, implores the Lord to manifest His power
to save His children from the danger of evil and,
by delivering them from sin, to secure their salvation.
The Epistle which is usually taken from the writings
of Saint Paul contains special instructions which the
Church desires to give her children before the offering
of the holy Sacrifice. These instructions occur, also
in a separate form, in the Little Chapters of the
different Hours of the Office for the day, Terce,
Sext and None. In the Epistle for the first Sunday
of Advent, Saint Paul, writing to the Romans, gives
three salutary warnings intended for all the faithful.
" Now is the hour to rise from sleep. For now our
salvation is nearer than when we believed. Let us cast
off the works of darkness (which are the different kinds
of sin) and put on the armour of light. Put ye on
the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans, xiu, 11-14).
The PASSAGE FROM THE Gospel which is read or sung,
more immediately prepares the faithful for the offering
of the holy Sacrifice by making them hear the teaching
of the divine Master. On the first Sunday of Advent
the passage taken from Saint Luke brings before the
hearers the last days of the world and enumerates the
signs which will precede the final catastrophe in which
it is to be destroyed. The end and aim of the first
coming of Jesus Christ was to prepare us for the se
cond, and our Lord Himself in a single prophecy has
brought together the signs of the first and of the se
cond- coming of the Son of Man.
In the Secret and the PostcommunioD, one of which
precedes and the other follows immediately the Oblation
of the holy Sacrifice, we ask God to purify our consciences
and at the same time to accept our offering, and next to
prepare us, through the virtue of the Sacrifice, to receive
worthily our divine Saviour on the day of His Nativity.
CHAPTER III
Second Sunday of Advent.
Station at the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Isaias, xxx, 19-30, etc. and Ps. LXXIX,
1. Epistle, Saint Paul to the Romans, xv, 4-13. Gradual,
Ps. XLIX, 2-3. Alleluia, Ps. cxxi, 1. Gospel, Saint Matthew,
xi, 2-10. Offertory, Ps. LXXXIV, 7-8. Communion, Baruch,
iv, 36, et v, 5.
Characteristic. In the Office and Mass for the second
Sunday of Advent, the Church expresses the sentiment ^
of hope and joy which fill the soul at the announcement
of the approach of our divine Saviour. She dwells par
ticularly on the interior coming of Jesus into our
53
ouls. This week corresponds to the period of his
tory from the deluge to the vocation of Abraham.
We find an indication of these sentiments in the choice
of the basilica for the Station of this day. The church
of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem is a sanctuary which
was built in Rome to receive a portion of the true Cross
which had been discovered by Saint Helena. The
liturgy in a sense identifies this basilica with Jerusalem
the Holy City, type of the faithful soul. In almost
all the responsories of the Office, mention is made of
Jerusalem and, as to a symbol of the Christian soul,
they announce to her that her Saviour, her King, her
all-powerful Consoler is about to come.
The Introit taken from the prophet Isaias and from
Ps. LXXIX, Qui regis Israel, is a song of triumph ;
it invites Jerusalem to rejoice, because God is her Shep
herd , because every soul, even amongst heathen nations,
is a sheep for the salvation of which God will make every
sacrifice. He wishes to unite them all in order to lead
them into the house of the Lord (GRADUAL and ALLELUIA).
Let the city dear to His heart invoke the divine
mercy, (OFFERTORY). Let all its inhabitants gather on
the heights to behold, from afar, the delights which
shall soon be communicated to them (COMMUNION). The
whole of sacred Scripture, says Saint Paul in the Epistle,
has been composed with a view to our instruction
and to urge us to await with patience the fulfilment of
the promises made to the patriarchs. All alike, Jews
and heathen, shall have a share in the Messianic
blessings and shall hail, in one universal rejoicing, the
sovereign King, the powerful rod sprung from the root
of Jesse.
In the Gospel for this second Sunday of Advent our Lord,
in His answer to the messengers of John the Baptist,
54
enumerates the signs by which they might know witfe
certainty that theMessiashad come, and, in His instruction
to the people who had followed Him, we have the testi
mony rendered by God Himself to the Precursor. This
man from the desert is a prophet and more than a pro
phet ; he is the Angel, or the ambassador of God, charged
to prepare the way for the Saviour of the world. The
exterior signs or miracles worked by our divine Redeemer
typify the marvellous effects which He produces in
souls : sight restored by the light of faith to those spi
ritually blind ; strength of will given to weak souls by
courage from on high ; the leprosy of sin removed and
healed by the words of pardon ; the deaf rendered at
tentive and docile to the voice of the Lord ; souls that
were dead, raised again to supernatural life ; lastly,
the poor made rich by the preaching of the Gospel which
assures to them the possession of everlasting riches.
The Collect tells us of the awakening and the puri
fication of the soul which we must expect from God
Himself. The Secret adds that humility and the spi
rit of sacrifice tend to appease and to incline Him to
be favourable to us. In the Postcommunion we
beg that we may despise the things of earth and seek
for heavenly goods, a two-fold grace which participa
tion in the blessed Eucharist communicates to us.
55
CHAPTER IV
Third Sunday of Advent.
Station at Saint Peter s, Rome. Sources of the liturgy : In-
troit, Saint Paul to the Philippians, iv, 4-5. Epistle, Saint
Paul to the Philippians, iv, 4-7. Gradual, Ps. LXXIX, 1-3.
Alleluia, formula of Collect. Gospel, Saint John, i, 19-28.
Offertory, Ps. LXXXIV, 1-2. Communion, Isaias, xxxv, 4.
The dominant characteristic of this Sunday and of
this third week is the spiritual joy caused by the approach
of the moment in which the promised and expected Mes-
sias is to be born. Until Chrismas Eve, this thought
will be expressed in the Invitatory of Matins : " The
Lord is now nigh, come, let us adore Him. The
Introit of the Mass for this Sunday begins with the
words of Saint Paul : " Rejoice in the Lord " for which
reason this Sunday is called : Gaudete.
The Station takes place in Saint Peter s in Rome
which contains the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles.
The Church makes it the witness of her joy as of her
sorrows. On this day she wishes to strengthen our
confidence in the divine promises and to recall to us
the unshaken faith of Saint Peter in the divinity of Jesus
Christ. On this third Sunday of Advent the Church
permits the ministers of the altar to put off, for the time,
the colour of mourning and penance, and to wear vest
ments of rose colour. In place of the folded chasuble,
the deacon again puts on the dalmatic and the sub-
-56-
deacon the tunic. The organ accompanies the singing.
This third week corresponds with the third and fourth
epochs of the world during which took place the call
of Abraham, the sacrifice of Isaac, the dwelling of the
people of God in the land of Gessen, the going out of
Egypt, the promulgation of the Law on Mount Sinai,
the prolonged sojourn in the desert, the entrance into
the Promised Land and definite settlement in the land
of Canaan, the ruling of the people by judges, the esta
blishment of royalty, the election of Saul and his re
probation because of his disobedience, lastly the acces
sion of David with whom begins the royal family from
which the Messias will be born. These various events
in the history of the people of God were a preparation
for the coming of the Saviour and they announced His
approach.
Qualities of spiritual Joy. The joy of the Chris
tian is SPIRITUAL and SUPERNATURAL. It has as its
source the grace of the Holy Ghost who by enlightening
our understanding and touching our hearts inspires us
with it. It is caused by the thought that the coming
of our divine Redeemer will atone for the outrage done
to God by sin and, by bringing pardon to men, will assure
their salvation. But this joy must be HUMBLE and
MODEST, in accordance with the recommendation of
the Apostle, for we do not deserve the mercy which
-the Son of God shows us by descending from heaven
to earth, and the greatness of the favour must not make
us forget our unworthiness. Only those who have spent
the first two weeks of Advent in making reparation for
their faults by prayer and penance, can thus rejoice in
the coming of our divine Saviour. By purifying their
consciences and striving to practise virtue, they will
complete their preparation.
57
The Introit invites us to be joyful because the Lord
is nigh, and His coming will put an end to slavery,
and inaugurate an era of blessings. The Gradual and
the Alleluia repeat with some variations what forms
the basis of all the Church s petitions during this holy
season. " Stir up thy might, and come to save us ",
The Offertory sings the benefits of the coming of
the Messias which are summed up in these words :
Blessings, Deliverance, Forgiveness of sins. The Com
munion repeats to the timorous the consoling words of
the Prophet Isaias : " Take courage and fear not God
Himself will come and save you. "
Epistle. In agreement with the Prophet Isaias,
Saint Paul encourages our desires. But a few days
more and our divine Saviour will have come amongst
us. Let us anticipate His coming by our prayers, our
supplications, our acts of thanksgiving. He Himself
will grant us that peace which surpasseth all under
standing.
The lesson of the Gospel is given us by the Precursor
whose words the Church wishes we should hear at this
holy season. The answer of John the Baptist to those
priests and levites who, impatient for the appearance
of Christ, were questioning Him, may be summed up
in this phrase : " There hath stood One in the midst
of you whom you know not. In truth from the
moment of the Incarnation, the Messias was already
amongst His own, but they knew him not. Let us
beg of God that our eyes may be opened, and that
we may know Him.
In the Collect, the Church prays that the darkness
of our understanding may be dissipated. In the Secret,
she beseeches the Lord to accept the sacrifice which has
been offered in expiation for sin. Finally, in the Post-
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communion she invites us to prepare for the approach
ing festival of Christmas, by assisting at the divine
Mysteries.
CHAPTER V
The Advent Ember days.
WEDNESDAY. Station at Saint Mary Major. Sources of the
liturgy : Introit, Isaias, XLV, 8. 1st. Lesson, Isaias, n, 2-5.
Gradual, Ps. xxiu, 7 and 3. 2nd. Lesson, Isaias,vn, 1 1-15.
Gradual, Ps. CXLIV, 18 and 21. Gospel, Saint Luke, i, 26-
38. Offertory, Isaias, xxxv, 4. Communion, Isaias, vn, 14.
FRIDAY. Station at the Church of the Twelve Apostles.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. cxvin, 151. Epistle,
Isaias, xi, 1-5. Gradual, Ps. LXXXIV, 8 and 1. Gospel, Saint
Luke, i, 39-46. Offertory, Ps. LXXXIV, 7-8. Communion,
Zacharias, xiv, 5-6.
SATURDAY. Station at St. Peter s. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, Ps. LXXIX, 4 and 1. 1st. Lesson, Is. xix, 20-22. 1st.
Gradual, Ps. xvm, 7. 2nd. Lesson, Is. xxxv, 1-7. 2nd. Gra
dual, Ps. xvm, 6-7. 3rd. Lesson, Is. XL, 9-11. 3rd. Gra
dual, Ps. LXXIX, 8 and 3. 4th. Lesson, Ps. XLV, 1-8. 4th.
Gradual, Ps. LXXIX, 4 and 1 . 5th. Lesson, Daniel, in, 49-50.
Hymn of Daniel, Dan. n,-52. Epistle, Saint Paul to the
Thessalonians n, 1-8. Tract, Ps. LXXIX, 2-4. Gospel, Saint
Luke, in, 1-6. Offertory, Zacharias, ix, 9. Communion,
Ps. xvm, 6-7.
The name Ember days, in liturgical language desig
nates a collection of fasts and offices appointed by
the Church for the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
in the same week at the beginning of each season of
the Ecclesiastical year, in order that each season may be
59
sanctified in a special manner by prayer and penance.
Origin. We find traces of this practice, but only
in the Church in Rome, from the middle of the third
century. The biographical notice of Pope Saint Ca-
lixtus I, mentions three, not four, times of the year as
being sanctified by fasting, abstinence and prayer ;
these fasts occurred in the fourth, seventh and tenth
months of the year. In those days the year began in
March, consequently the fourth, seventh and tenth
months would be June, September and December.
The coincidence of the fast at the beginning of the first
month with the strict observance of Lent, prevented
it being specially marked. In the fifth century we find
in the sermons of Saint Leo the Great instructions on
this kind of fast. The practice, at first exclusively
Roman, was not adopted until the seventh century by the
Churches of Italy. Probably, it was introduced about
the same time into England by the missionaries sent by
Pope Gregory the Great to that country. In the eighth
century the Anglo-Saxon monks introduced it into Ger
many. We may say that at the Carlovingian period,
the observance was generally adopted, with the exception
of Spain where Ember days were not observed until
the close of the eleventh century, and of the Church of
Milan, in which it was only adopted under Saint Charles
Borromeo. The Churches also differed as to these dates of
the Ember weeks. But from the reign of Saint Gre
gory VII (1078) the week following the third Sunday
of Advent, the first Sunday of Lent, Whitsunday, and
the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (Sep
tember 14) have been definitely fixed for the obser
vance of Ember days.
Church s purpose. In consecrating the different
seasons of the year by acts of piety and penance, the
6o
Church would draw down the blessing of God on the
fruits of the earth. Further, she has appointed the
Saturdays in Ember week for the ordination of her
ministers, and she asks all her children to offer to God
their prayers and penance to obtain worthy pastors
for the people. On the Wednesdays in Ember week
two lessons are appointed for the Mass, one taken from
the Old Testament and called the prophetic lesson,
the other taken from the New Testament is called the
lesson of the Apostle, because it is nearly always taken
from the Epistles of Saint Paul. Each lesson is prece
ded by a Collect and followed by a Gradual.
On Friday no particular change is made in the Mass,
but on Saturday, there are six lessons before the Gospel,
each one having a Collect and Gradual. The faithful in
response to the deacon s invitation Flectamus genua, kneel,
for a moment, but rising again at the Levate they
stand during the Collects, with the exception of the
last one for which they remain kneeling. In the Ember
days which occur after Pentecost this is omitted.
In ancient documents, the Saturday in Ember week
is called the Saturday of twelve lessons ; the reason proba
bly being that there were twelve lectors for the six les
sons, either because each lesson was divided into two or
because each lesson- was read twice, once in Greek, and
once in Latin. The reading of two lessons in the Mass
of Wednesday is a remnant of the ancient custom of
having two lessons in every Mass, one taken from the
prophets of the Old Testament, the other from the
writings of the apostles. These various lessons give us
an idea of the INTENTION which the Church wishes us
to have in our prayers during the Ember days.
IN the lessons which are read on Ember Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday in Advent, the whole attention
of the faithful is directed to the coming, now so near,
of our divine Redeemer. ON Wednesday TWO DISTINCT
PASSAGES taken from the Prophet Isaias declare, on
the one hand, what will be the glory of Juda, enlight
ened and- governed by the Messias and on the other
hand, what will be the sign of the Emmanuel or God
with us. The passage from the Gospel in which is
recorded the message given to Mary by the Angel Gabriel
tells us how the prophecy has been realized. On Friday,
the LESSON, also taken from Isaias, sets forth the
peaceful character of the reign of the Messias, and the
GOSPEL is devoted to the mystery of the Visitation to
teach us how Jesus, whilst yet in His Mother s womb,
pours out His blessings and imparts His divine
grace.
The FIRST FOUR LESSONS OF Saturday once more
are taken from Isaias. They tell us how, after her chas
tisement, salvation is promised to Egypt ; they declare
the glory and deliverance of Israel and confirm the assur
ed promise of salvation ; they present to us one of
the figures of the Messias, Cyrus the anointed of the
Lord. The FIFTH LESSON, common to all the Ember
Saturdays, is the passage in which Daniel relates
the deliverance of the three children from the
fiery furnace. This ends with the hymn of the three
children sung with a refrain. The SIXTH LESSON is
the passage in which Saint Paul describes in a myste
rious way to the Thessalonians the last coming of our
divine Saviour. The Gospel, which will be repeated
in the Mass of the following day, sets forth the circum
stances in which John the Baptist began his preaching
and fulfilled his mission as precursor. Just as the les
sons which we have outlined convey the impression
that the coming of our divine Saviour is at hand, so
62
the portions of the Mass which are sung urge us to rejoice,
excite our confidence at the sight of the divine humi
liations, and place upon our lips words of gratitude for
so great a favour.
CHAPTER VI
Feast of the Expectation and The Great
Antiphons.
In addition to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception
which, since the definition of the dogma, is celebrated
with greater solemnity, (the Mass of which has some
points similar to that of the third Sunday of Advent, as
we shall see if we compare the two Introits, Gaudete and
Gaudens gaudebo,} the Church for a long time past has
ordained that a SPECIAL OFFICE AND MASS shall be said
IN HONOUR OF THE INCARNATION and of the part taken
by Mary in the accomplishment of this mystery. In
the records of the churches of Spain and Gaul dating
from the sixth or seventh century we find December 18
named as the FEAST OF THE Expectation. It is of
interest to note this, although it is not mentioned in the
Proper of the season in the Missal, but only in the sup
plement for certain places.
Many parts of the Office and the Mass for this Feast
are the same as in the Office and Mass for the Feast of
the Annunciation, on March 25. The lessons from
Isaias and the responsories in the Office are the same. In
-6 3 _
the Mass we find the same COLLECT, the same SECRET
and POST-COMMUNION, the same EPISTLE and GOS
PEL. The parts which are sung are either those of
the Mass for the Ember Wednesday in Advent (INTROIT
and GRADUAL), or of the fourth Sunday of Advent
(OFFERTORY and COMMUNION). As Christmas draws near,
the Church recalls to us the glorious part in the
mystery of the Incarnation given to Mary, and inspires
us with the sentiments which filled the heart of the
divine Mother when she was about to give birth to the
Saviour of the world.
During the seven days before Christmas we have the
seven antiphons, commonly called the Great Os because
each one begins with O. The use of these antiphons
dates at least from the sixth century. There are eight
in the antiphonary attributed to Pope Saint Gregory
the Great. In primitive times they were inserted,
(each antiphon on its own day,) between the last
verses of the BENEDICTUS at Lauds. There were as
many as twelve of these antiphons, the number having
reference to the twelve prophets who predicted the coming
of the Messias. From the eighth or ninth century the
custom began, in certain Churches, of singing them with
the Magnificat at Vespers ; this practice has prevailed.
At the present time, the number of these antiphons
has been reduced to seven, one for each of the seven
days preceding Christmas Eve. At the second Vespers
on the Feast of the Expectation an eighth, Virgo vir-
ginum, is sung. The whole of the antiphon is sung,
once before and once after the Magnificat at the ferial
Vespers. During these seven days, in certain countries
Vespers are sung towards evening, and are followed by
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. These antiphons,
all composed on the same plan, recall to us, first of all,
-6 4 -
one of the glorious titles given to the Messias by the
prophets or other inspired writers of the Old Testa
ment ; next they retrace the principal characteristics of
the divine mission of Jesus Christ. They end with a
fervent prayer, an urgent appeal, a cry of distress from
suffering humanity that the work of Redemption may
be hastened.
By reading the initial letters of the words immediately
following the exclamation O, as given here, we have,
as an acrostic, Jesus Christ s answer to the prayers of
His children : Ero eras, to-morrow I shall be (amongst
you).
Emmanuel! Rex Gloria! Oriens! Clavis David!
O Radix Jesse! Adonai! Sapiential
CHAPTER VII
Fourth Sunday of Advent and the Vigil
of Christmas.
Station at the Church of the Twelve Apostles. Sources of the
liturgy : Introit, Is. XLV, 8. Epistle, Saint Paul to the
Corinthians I, iv, 1-5. Gradual, Ps. CXLIV, 18-21. Alleluia,
invocation to our divine Saviour. Gospel, Saint Luke, in,
1-6. Offertory, Saint Luke, i, 28. Communion, Is., vn, 14.
Christmas Eve. Station at Saint Mary s. Sources of the li
turgy : Introit, Exodus, xvi, 6. Epistle, Saint Paul to the
Romans, i, 1-7. Gradual, Exodus, xvi, 6, and Ps. xix,
1-2. Gospel, Saint Matthew, i, 18-21. Offertory, Ps. xxm,
7. Communion, Is. XL, 5.
Characteristic of the fourth Sunday. - - The fourth
week of Advent corresponds to the fifth epoch of
the world, which extends from the building of the temple
by Solomon to the entry of the Messias into the temple
of Jerusalem. The events of this period of the Old
Testament are : the dedication of the temple built by
Solomon ; the covenant of God with His people, confirm
ed by a solemn sacrifice ; the rupture of this covenant
and the establishment of the two kingdoms of Judah and
of Samaria in which we see the continuation of the
struggle between right and wrong, between the good and
the wicked, between the children of God and the chil
dren of men.
For the accomplishment of His design God made use
of two means. In His mercy He caused at this epoch a
3 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal,
66
great number of prophets to appear. In His justice,
He delivered Israel to her enemies for her humiliation,
her punishment, and to bring her back to her duty.
The prophets had a two-fold mission. The first
was to recall the promises and the blessings of the Lord
in favour of faithful Israel, and on the other hand, the
terrible threats against idolatrous and prevaricating
Israel. The second part of their mission was to confirm
the announcement already made of the Messias and to
state precisely the circumstances in which His coming
would take place, the place and the time of His birth,
His name, His family, the details of His earthly life,
the signs by which He should be recognized.
There was no Station for the fourth Sunday, at least
after the liturgical establishment of the Ember days.
Hence the ancient Sacramentaries contain the rubric :
Vacat statio, there is no Station on this day. This measure
was taken on account of the great fatigue caused by the
conferring of Holy Orders the day before. For the
same reason there was no special Mass for this Sunday.
The practice was extended to all the Sundays following
the Saturdays of Ember week on which ordinations
were held. Owing to the long ceremonies on the Satur
day, the Mass which was the crowning act had to be
delayed until far into the night.
Similarly to the other Sundays of Advent and of Lent,
a STATION CHURCH WAS APPOINTED in later times for
this fourth Sunday of Advent. No doubt because the
apostles were the first to continue the mission of the
prophets, the Church of the twelve Apostles was chosen.
The greater part of the Mass was borrowed from other
Masses. Only the Collect, the Epistle, and the Post-
communion are special to this Sunday. The Gospel
is taken from the Mass of the day before. The sung
portions are drawn either from Ember Wednesday in
Advent or from the Feast of the Expectation. The
Introit expresses, in the words of the Prophet Isaias,
the prayers and the expectation of mankind : " Drop
down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds
rain the just : let the earth be opened, and bud forth
a Saviour. " To this invocation the words of Psalm
xvm, are appended, in which David declares that the
glory of God is manifested in heaven.
In the Collect, the Church conjures the Saviour to
display His power by descending on earth. Fearing
that our sins might retard His coming she beseeches
Him to hasten His steps, and in His mercy overcome
all obstacles. The Epistle aims at increasing our
respect for the ministers of divine mercy, and would
render us circumspect and vigilant in our watch for the
approach of our Sovereign Master whose coming we
are about to celebrate, for He knows how to pene
trate the deepest darkness, and to discover the secrets
of the heart, and to render to every one according to
his works. In the Gradual and the Alleluia the
Church reminds us that the Lord is approaching, and
then she invites all to praise Him who is coming without
delay, and by our fervent prayer to draw Him down
to this earth. The divine word of the Gospel, which was
also read yesterday, recalls to us the circumstances in
which John the Baptist began his preaching, and teaches
us what sincere conversion really means. The words of
the Offertory and the Communion repeat once more
the great miracle of the Incarnation foretold by Isaias
which was performed at the moment when the Angel
Gabriel, having saluted Mary, received as answer her
full and entire submission to the will of the Lord. The
Church, in the Secret and Postcommunion, prays that
68
the offering of the Sacrifice may profit our souls and
that by our participation in the divine mysteries our
salvation may be assured.
Vigil of Christmas. Formerly, the faithful passed
the night before great Feasts in prayer, this is what
was called the vigil. To-day, the great festivals are
still preceded by a vigil on which fasting is ob
served, penitential prayers are said, and purple vest
ments are worn, but these vigils have a distinctive
character which varies according to the Feast. The Vigil
of Christmas has a special solemnity. The Invita-
tory at Matins first announces the Feast ; from the begin
ning of Lauds the Office is of double rite ; the Mass
throughout dwells on the approaching solemnity.
The Station for the Vigil of Christmas, as on the first
Sunday of Advent, is held at Saint Mary Major. As
we know, this church possesses the Crib of Bethlehem.
Here also, Midnight Mass will be celebrated. In the
Introit and the Gradual of the Mass the coming of
the Saviour is proclaimed as to be realized this very day.
The Church adapts to this great mystery the words of
Moses when he announced the miracle of the manna to
the children of Israel. The Alleluia describes the Mes-
sias, under the figure of the Pastor who cares for His
people, as the shepherd cares for his flock : the Offer
tory describes him as a king making a triumphant entry
into his kingdom. Finally, in the Communion the words
of Isaias are repeated in which he announces the Saviour
whom God is sending on earth. In the Collect, the
Secret and the Postcommunion, we are urged to
implore the clemency of the Saviour who one day will
be our Judge, and that we may share abundantly in the
blessings which His birth will bring. In the Epistle
Saint Paul describes the greatness and the holiness of
-6 9 -
the good tidings which on this night the angels will
bring to earth. These good tidings relate to the Son
of God, born of the family of David according to the
flesh, the source of grace and apostleship. The Gospel
records Joseph s uneasiness and the vision of the Angel
who reassures him. The angelic messenger tells the
foster-father that the name of Jesus must be given to
the child in order to . express the distinctive character
of His mission, here on earth.
SECOND PART
CHRISTMAS AND THE EPIPHANY
CHAPTER I
General Considerations.
History of Christmastide,
Characteristics. Christmastide extends from Decem
ber 25 until February 2. The forty days of this
period are filled with joy and gladness. After the four
weeks of Advent spent in prayer and in longing
expectation, the Church resumes the joyful Gloria in
excelsis. In response to the angelic invitation she
contemplates the features of the divine Infant Jesus in
His crib. Like Mary she is never weary of admiring
this Child who is blessed by men and angels. Tender
ness, adoration, love and gratitude for the Word made
Flesh : these are the elements of the Church s wholly
supernatural joy.
The object of this second season is the commemora
tion of the birth of our divine Saviour, His childhood
and His hidden life at Nazareth. During this time,
the soul is born again to the life of grace which is the
71
fruit of the peace proclaimed by the angels. Close to
the crib of the divine Infant Jesus, it expands and grows
in virtue. In this season are included two distinct
periods, ist, the fifteen days which precede the Epi
phany ; 2nd, the weeks between this feast and February 2.
The chief object of the Christmas season is to celebrate
the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God made
Man. But the Church, whilst honouring the Son,
does not forget the Mother. Just as the lives of both
were inseparably bound together, so during these days
of Christmas and the Circumcision, the memory of
Mary is united to that of Jesus. On the feast of the
Presentation of Jesus in the temple, we shall again unite
Jesus and Mary in our thoughts and prayers. During the
second period, the Church honours the manifestations
of the Son of God on earth, particularly the mystery
of the Adoration of the Magi, the Baptism of Jesus in
the Jordan and His first miracle at the marriage feast
of Cana.
Christmastide proper ends with the feast of the Pre
sentation of the Child Jesus in the temple and of the
Purification of Mary. The season, however, may be
prolonged beyond the second of February by the Sun
days after the Epiphany, or end before that date by
the anticipation of Septuagesima Sunday.
CHAPTER II
General reflections.
Mysteries of the Christmas season.
The Christmas season is full of mysteries that is to
say, it is a time fruitful in lessons which, to our weak
understanding and faculties, are obscure but which are
plain to the mind illuminated by the brilliant light of
faith. Of these mysteries, some have reference to the
Infant Jesus, others to His blessed Mother. The mys
teries of the Child Jesus are connected with the very
fact of His birth, the time of His coming, the place
in which He chose to appear on earth, and the other
circumstances concerning His appearance. The mys
tery of the birth of Jesus is set forth in the words of
Saint John the Evangelist : " The Word was made Flesh, "
that is to say the Son of God became the Son of Man.
The only begotten Son of the Father from all eternity
is born in time. The Creator has become a little child.
The divine Nature and the human Nature are united in
one and the same Person. From that ever blessed hour
the second Person of the most Holy Trinity contains
within Himself a divine and a human Nature. Jesus
Christ is both God and Man : this is the mystery of
the Incarnation.
The Messias has come in the fullness of time, that
is, at the moment when all was prepared to receive
Him, as was foretold by the prophets. He is born in
the middle of the night and the darkness which enshrouds
the earth represents the state of souls and of the whole
73
world at His coming. The Saviour is born at Beth
lehem, the house of bread, to teach us that He is the true
Bread of life, and the food of our souls. He is born in
the city of David, to make known to all that He is really
descended from the family of David, and consequently
is the Messias described by the prophets. Thus Beth
lehem foreshadows the cenacle ; the crib is, as it were,
the first tabernacle ; the stable is a figure of the first
temple of the new Law, the Feast of Christmas presages
the Feast of the most holy Sacrament.
The singing of the angels on Christmas night teaches
us the greatness of the divine Infant and the twofold
end of His Incarnation : the glorification of God and
the Redemption of mankind. By the adoration of the
shepherds, the faith of the Israelites expecting their
deliverer is translated into action. The presence of
the ox and the ass represent that large portion of man
kind who live like animals, but who are called to acknow
ledge, in the humble Infant of the crib, their Master
and their King.
The Feast of Christmas proclaims Mary s divine ma
ternity and perpetual virginity. We see a creature
become the Mother of her Creator, a woman give
birth to the Son of God, a virgin become a mother,
without ceasing to be a virgin. Though we may partly
understand these truths, we cannot wholly penetrate
them. Hence we admit that the Son of God could be
come man ; that there is in Jesus Christ but one Person
only; that in spite of this unity of Person He has two
distinct Natures, the divine Nature and the human
Nature. But how these truths are accomplished is be
yond our intelligence and becomes the object of our faith.
In the same way we admit Mary s divine maternity,
since Mary is the Mother of Jesus who is God. We
74
admit the continued virginity of Mary since she neither
conceived nor gave birth to her child like other mothers.
But how the Holy Ghost has worked this marvellous
fact, we know not. We believe it without being able
to explain it.
Hidden under the guise of exterior events the circum
stances of the Nativity also contain profound significance.
The word mystery, does not merely indicate an in
comprehensible truth beyond our understanding. It
also signifies all teaching hidden and contained within
another truth more easily grasped. Mystery is then
equivalent to symbol, figure, emblem. Thus the mate
rial sun is the figure or image of the sun of justice ;
its annual course mysteriously predicts the hour and
the day of the coming of the Messias.
CHAPTER III
General reflections. The observance
and the graces of Christmastide.
The Christmas observances comprise those acts
suited to this season of the liturgical year. These acts
consist in practising the virtues of which our divine
Saviour, in His birth, has given us the example, and in
discharging our obligations towards the Infant Jesus.
The chief virtues are those of humility, obedience,
and poverty. According to St. Paul, Jesus Christ
humbled Himself even to the taking of the form of a
75
slave. In the crib He is weakness itself. He humbles
Himself not only before God, but before all creatures.
To teach us obedience, Jesus is born at the time and
in the place ordained by the divine Will. Thus, His
birth becomes an act of perfect submission to God and
to men. To teach us poverty, Jesus is born in a stable ;
He is laid in a manger on a little straw ; His little
limbs, benumbed with cold, are scarcely covered by a
few swaddling clothes.
Our four chief duties to the divine Infant are : to
adore Him ; to thank Him ; to love Him, and to imi
tate Him. We should adore Him, because He is not
only the Son of Mary but also the Son of the eternal
Father, in all things equal to His Father. This child
is both God and man. As God, we should acknowledge
Him as our Master and our Sovereign Lord. The
lower He has humbled Himself by His Incarnation,
the higher we should raise Him by our worship and
our adoration. In fulfilment of this duty, Mary and
Joseph, the angels and the shepherds of Bethlehem
are our models. We should offer Him our gratitude,
because He has brought us the most precious of bless
ings. He gives Himself to us. By taking pur human
nature He gives us His divinity, by assuming our
poverty, He makes us participators in the treasures
of heaven. These are favours of infinite value. We
must recognize that Jesus is our supreme benefactor
and unceasingly thank Him. We must love Him,
because there is nothing on earth more worthy of love
than the divine Infant of Bethlehem. As God He is
infinitely perfect ; as man He is wholly pleasing to the
Most High ; the most perfect of human beings, adorned,
from the first moment of His life with all natural and
supernatural qualities beyond anything we can conceive.
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He possesses all these qualities in their fulness. We
must imitate Him. For in all His virtues, in His way
of thinking, of willing, of speaking and of acting, we
can imitate this lovable Saviour. This is the quick
est and surest way of attaining perfection. Perfec
tion, or sanctity, consists in resemblance to Jesus.
The greater the likeness of a saint to Him, the more
perfect and pleasing is that saint to God. Therefore,
during this Christmas time, let us strive to be humble;
to love and to relieve the poor in whom Jesus dwells ;
to suffer willingly the discomforts and privations of
this life.
The special graces of this season are those of a new
spiritual birth.. The birth of our divine Saviour pro
duces in souls a kind of regeneration. The life of
grace is renewed in its source. The divine Sun
restores to us light, heat, and life. The interior birth
of Jesus in our souls is called the mystical or spiritual
coming of our Saviour. It is an abundant participation
in the life itself of our Lord. Souls are born again
with Him on Christmas day, that they may live with
Him during the whole year and share in all His myste
ries, in all His merits, in all His acts, from the Incar
nation to the Ascension. The spiritual coming of
Jesus into our souls is as necessary to each of us as His
bodily coming into the stable at Bethlehem was indis
pensable for the salvation of all mankind. By this
interior coming the general fruit of the Redemption is
applied to us. Thus this spiritual coming harmonizes with
the second mystical season of the liturgical year. This
annual renewal of the soul corresponds to the effects of
spring time on the whole of nature. The changes which
we see taking place in plants, are mystically effected
in our souls. There is universal vegetation ; the sap of
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grace, a supernatural growth, causes the soul to revive
and develops within it those virtues which blossom
and bear fruit throughout the whole year. These
results are produced, in the first place, according to
the measure in which our Lord, in His goodness, con
descends to make us participate in His own life, and
next, according to the measure of our secret dispositions,
of our desires and of the care with which we prepare
to receive the favours of our Lord.
CHAPTER IV
The Feast of Christmas.
IST. MASS. Station at Saint Mary Major. Sources of the li
turgy: Introit,Ps.n, 7. Epistle, St. Paul to Titus, 11, 11-15.
Gradual,Ps.cix,3and 1 . Alleluia,Ps.u,7. Gospel,St.Luke,n,
1-15. Offertory, Ps. xcv, 11. Communion, Ps. cix, 3.
2ND. MASS. Station at the Church of Saint Anastasia.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Is. ix, 6. Epistle, St. Paul
to Titus, in, 4-8. Gradual, Ps. cxvn, 26-27. Alleluia,
Ps. xcn, 1. Gospel, St. Luke, n, 15-21. Offertory, Ps. xcn,
1-2. Communion, Zacharias, ix, 9.
3RD. MASS. Station at Saint Mary Major. Sources of the //-
turgy : Introit, Is. ix, 6. Epistle, Hebrews, i, 1-12. Gra
dual, Ps. xcvn, 2-3. Alleluia, extra-scriptural. Gospel,
St. John, i, 1-14. Offertory, Ps. LXXXVIII, 12. Com
munion, Ps. xcvn, 3.
The name of this Feast in English is derived from the
words Christ s Mass ; in French it is derived from the
word natal, that is, day of birth ; this has been cor-
3*
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nip ted into Noel. The name in both languages is used
to designate the day on which Jesus Christ was born,
which for centuries has been fixed on the December 25.
During the first centuries, the Churches in the East
celebrated the Feast on January 6. By joining the
Feast of Christmas to that of the Epiphany, these
Churches proposed to honour on one and the same day
the manifestation of the divine Infant both to the shep
herds and to the wise men. In Rome, as early as the
fourth century, the Feast of Christmas was celebrated on
December 25.
Towards the end of the fourth century the Apostolic
See of Rome ordained that the Churches in the East
should CONFORM TO THE Roman observance. Soon
afterwards the Emperors Theodosius and Valentinian
declared by edict that the Feast of Christmas should
be celebrated on December, and that of the Epi
phany on January.
The Gospel affords the chief reason for fixing Decem
ber 25 as the date of the Feast of Christmas. Saint
Luke, in fact, gives us to understand that the apparition
of the Angel to Zachary, and the conception of John the
Baptist took place during the September fast, and as the
Annunciation took place six months afterwards, the
Church has fixed March 25 as the date of the Incar
nation of the Son of God, and December 25 as that
of His Birth. The constant tradition of the Church of
Rome affords a second reason, a third is to be found
in the season of the year. The winter solstice falls
about December 25. From that date the days begin to
grow longer. Jesus Christ, the true Sun of Justice,
appears at this season to dispel the darkness of error
and to reveal to mankind the glory of His power and
the treasures of His goodness.
79
The object of the Feast is the birth of our Lord, so
ardently longed for and foretold by the prophets.
Following the example of Mary and Joseph, of the
angels and the shepherds, the Church adores the
Child-God under the appearances of weakness, poverty
and lowliness. The special privilege of the Feast is
that each Priest may say three Masses on that day.
In Jerusalem the first Mass was said during the night,
at the church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, whither
the faithful repaired from Jerusalem. Mass over, they
returned to the Holy City, and assembled in the church
of the Resurrection (in Greek Anastasis], which they
reached before dawn. It does not seem that in primi
tive times a second Mass was said in this church, but
the monks sang Psalms until the break of day. A
little later all reassembled in the large church of Gol
gotha for the Mass of the catechumens, or first part of
the Mass, after which everyone went to the Anastasis
for the celebration of the Sacrifice or second part of
the Mass.
In Rome from the year 432, following the night
vigils, the first Mass was said at Saint Mary Major in
which is preserved the crib. Because of the memorials
which it possesses, this church was looked upon as
the Bethlehem of Rome. The second Mass was cele
brated in the church of Saint Anastasia, near the Pala
tine, after the devotion to this blessed Martyr of Sirmium
had become popular in the Holy City. The Station for
the third Mass was, at first, in the basilica of Saint
Peter, but since the Pontificate of Gregory VIII (1187)
it has been held in Saint Mary Major, on account of
the shortness of the day and the fatigue entailed by
the triple liturgy.
In the first Mass, the intention of the Church, before
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all, is to honour our divine Saviour s temporal birth
in the stable of Bethlehem. In the second Mass,
the Church honours the spiritual birth of Jesus in our
souls, figured by the manifestation to the shepherds.
Lastly, the principal end for which the third Mass is
offered, is to honour the eternal generation of the Word,
God of God, Light of Light, consubstantial with His
Father. Thus the Church teaches us that the Infant
of Bethlehem is not only the Son of Mary, but at the
same time, the Son of the eternal Father, both God and
Man.
The Office for Christmas, as for all great Feasts, begins
the evening before, at first Vespers, which are solemnly
sung in all cathedrals and in certain large churches. The
bishop or priest who presides at Vespers, intones the
hymn, and because of the invocation " Jesus, Redeemer
of all ", with which it begins, he extends his hands,
raises them, and then joins them. This Feast reminds
us of the ancient Vigils, since we spend a great part
of the night in church, engaged in singing the praises
of God, at the Office of Matins which precedes the
Midnight Mass, and at the Office of Lauds by which
it is followed. Formerly, it was customary for the
faithful to pass the night preceding great Feasts in
prayer, whence the name Vigil.
With the exception of the Offertory which is taken
from Psalm xcv, and which invites heaven and earth
to rejoice because of the coming of Jesus amongst
us, the other sung parts of the Midnight Mass, INTROIT,
GRADUAL, ALLELUIA, COMMUNION, are taken from Psalms n
and cix in which the Psalmist declares, in the clearest
manner, the divine filiation of the Messias.
It is God the Father who, addressing the Infant
proclaims His divine origin : " Thou art my Son, this
8i
day have I begotten thee. Sit thou at my right
hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool with
thee is the principality in the day of thy strength : in
the brightness of the saints. " Thus the lowly Infant,
in the manger, is a king. His spiritual sovereignty, of
wholly divine origin, rests on a divine oath ; it is
indestructible, everlasting, like Him who exercises it.
The teaching of the Epistle and the Gospel forms a
contrast with that of the sung parts of the Mass, for
it dwells on the effacement of the temporal genera
tion of Jesus. In the Epistle, Saint Paul tells us that
the humiliations of our divine Saviour are the pledge
of our sanctification and of our salvation, the guar
antee of our redemption, the realization of our hopes
(Titus, n). Saint Luke, the Evangelist, records for us
the touching circumstances attending the birth of
Jesus the appearance of the angel to the shepherds,
to announce to them the mystery, and the heavens
resounding with the joyous hymn : " Gloria in excelsis. "
In the Collect, the Secret, and the Postcommunion
the Church prays for all her children, that the bright
ness of heaven may succeed to the darkness and
thus permit them to contemplate Jesus, the true
light ; that we may see, effected in souls, the transforma
tion which is the fruit of the mysterious inter
course established between God and man by the In
carnation of the Word ; that every soul, by holy con
verse, may become familiar with Jesus who has truly
become one of us.
The sung portions of the Mass celebrated at day
break are in great part taken from Psalm xcn.
This Psalm is, as it were, the classic song of Jehovah s
sovereignty. God inscrutable in His existence during
the ages which preceded the Creation, issues forth from
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His solitude, and comes upon earth to reign over it by His
goodness and His bounty (GRADUAL, ALLELUIA, OFFER
TORY). Let us hail the Saviour whom God sends to
us ; let us rejoice, as the prophets urge us to do
(COMMUNION), for the God who has just been born, is,
as described by Isaias, the admirable One, the Prince
of Peace, the King of all ages (INTRO IT).
In the Epistle and Gospel of this Mass, our divine
Saviour is set before us as the personification of the ten
der goodness which opens to us all its treasures (EPISTLE),
as the wonder which the shepherds, obedient to the
Angel, went to behold in the manger, filled with
an irrepressible gratitude for the spectacle of which
they were the happy witnesses (GOSPEL). In the Col
lect, the Secret, and the Postcommunion of the
second Mass, the Church prays that, by our works, we
may cause the light of the Incarnate Word to radiate
around us ; that our souls by contact with the Author
of peace may become, in a certain sense, divine and that
the new life, brought to us by the mystery of Christ
mas, may be strengthened within us.
The sung portions of the third Mass on Christmas
morning impress upon us the universal characteristic of
the kingship of Jesus Christ. God, by sending His divine
Son on earth under the appearance of a little child,
effects the wonders of Redemption of which the human
race will be the witness, and by which it will benefit :
" Let all nations adore Him " (INTROIT, GRADUAL,
ALLELUIA) ; Let heaven and earth render homage to
His power " (OFFERTORY).
In the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews, ap
pointed for the third Mass, the Apostle invites us to
contemplate Jesus Christ as sent by His eternal Father.
An envoy infinitely superior to the angels, of whom
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the Lord hitherto had made use, would speak to men.
In the passage of the Gospel read at the third Mass
on Christmas morning, and which is usually read at the
end of Mass, Saint John sets before us Jesus Christ as
the Word, the eternal Son of God made flesh, dwelling
amongst men that the infinite glory of the Father may
shine resplendently before them. This sublime page is
an admirable epitome of the whole mystery of the In
carnation.
In the prayers of this Mass the Church asks, in our
name, that through this mystery we may be delivered
from the old slavery in which, because of original sin,
we were born ; that through purification from the stains
of sin we may be sanctified ; and that we may be par
ticipators in the happy immortality which the divine
Infant has come to restore to us.
The SPECIAL RITES observed in the Masses for Christmas
are that, at the words, Et Verbum caro factum est, all
genuflect, even the celebrant and again at these words
of the Credo : Et Incarnatus est et homo factus est, to
testify their faith in the mystery of the Incarnation ;
to adore the Son of God made Man ; to offer love and
gratitude to this lovable Saviour. In the Masses of the
Christmas season, again, some words in the Preface and
the Canon are modified, in order to reveal to us, in the
mystery of the Incarnation, the source of the true light ;
to show us the light of glory to which Jesus Christ would
have us attain ; to make us commemorate the happy
moment in which Mary gave birth to the Redeemer
of the world.
Amongst other special observances connected in early
times with Christmas, was the custom in certain churches,
of administering solemn Baptism on that Feast. Thus
in the year 496, Clovis with his chief officers and part
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of his army received Baptism on Christmas eve from
the hands of Saint Remigius. A century later, Saint Au
gustine, the apostle of England, on this same Feast of
Christmas, baptized King Ethelred with ten thousand
of his subjects. In the year 800, it was the day
chosen by Pope St. Leo III for the coronation of the Em
peror Charlemagne.
In remembrance of these glorious events in the his
tory of the Church, every year on Christmas Day, the
POPE BLESSES a HELMET and A SWORD which he then
sends to the Christian prince who most merits this fa
vour from the Church. Lastly when this feast falls on
Friday, because of the spiritual joy which reigns among
all Christian people on that happy day, the Church
dispenses the faithful from the law of abstinence. An
other ancient custom, still retained amongst some nations,
was to begin the civil year on Christmas day, on account
of our Lord s birth being the beginning of the new dis
pensation. On that day certain prisoners were released,
the courts of justice were closed, and the payment of
rent was deferred.
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CHAPTER V
The Christmas Octave and the
occurring Feasts.
SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE. Sources of the liturgy : Introit,
Wisdom, xvin, 14-15. Epistle, Gal. iv, 1-7. Gradual,
Ps. XLIV, 3 and I. Alleluia, Ps. xcii, 1. Gospel, St. Luke,
n,33-40. Offertory, Ps. xcii, 1-2. Communion, St. Mathew,
n, 26.
FEAST OF THE CIRCUMCISION. Sources of the Liturgy : Sung
parts same as in the third Mass on Christmas day, with the
exception of the Alleluia, which is taken from St. Paul s
Epistle to the Hebrews, i, 1 . Epistle same as at the Christmas
Midnight Mass. Gospel, St. Luke, n, 21.
By the Octave of a feast we understand the pro
longing of that Feast during the seven days following,
and its repetition on the eighth day. This practice
was known to the Jews, and from the earliest times the
Church adopted it for very great Feasts, for example,
Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost. By this practice,
the Church would teach men that the chief solemnities
of our holy religion are everlasting ; having begun in
time, they will continue throughout eternity. The
number seven, corresponding to that of the days of
the week, serves to count the months, the years, the
centuries. The number eight, is, so to speak, beyond time,
and serves to mark the perpetuity of the Feasts ;
it is, as it were, the starting point of a day that shall
know no close. The Octaves of Easter, Pentecost, and
86
also of the Epiphany are termed privileged Octaves,
that is, during these Octaves no other Office is allowed,
and this office is repeated during the seven follow
ing days. DURING THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS, on
the contrary, the FEASTS OF SAINTS MAY BE OBSERVED,
but a portion of the Office of Christmas is said every
day, namely, part of Vespers and a commemoration
is made at Lauds.
Around the cradle of the divine Infant the Church
has grouped the feasts of St. Stephen, the first deacon
who suffered martyrdom ; of the Apostle St. John, the
disciple whom Jesus loved ; of the Holy Innocents, the
children slaughtered by Herod in the hope that the child
Jesus would perish amongst them. Each of these Feasts
has an Octave. But since the reform of the Breviary
and Calendar by Pius X, these Octaves have been
simplified. No mention is made of the Feasts except
on the eighth day.
In primitive times there was a special Office appointed
for the Feast of the Circumcision in order to divert the
faithful from pagan observances, and to this protesta
tion against paganism a fast was attached. St. Augustine,
in his writing alludes to this practice. Afterwards, the
day was marked as the Octave of Christmas. Finally
it was named the Feast of the Circumcision and, since
the seventh century, has been known by this title.
In conformity with the Mosaic Law, Jesus willed to be
circumcised on the eighth day after His birth, and
thus, by this first shedding of His precious Blood, to
inaugurate His mission as Redeemer of the human race.
For this reason the Church has consecrated the first
day of January to the honouring of this mystery.
The rite of circumcision was imposed upon Abraham
by God as a sign of the covenant into which he wished
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to enter with His people. Every child circumcised,
by that very fact, belonged to the blessed race of true
believers, belonged wholly to the Lord, as the servant
belongs to the master whose livery he wears. The
visible imprint of circumcision was an anticipated figure
of the spiritual mark or ineffaceable sign, impressed on
souls by Baptism. Our Lord, by being circumcised,
showed that He belongs to His eternal Father as a
victim marked in advance for the sacrifice.
At circumcision the child received a name. At Bap
tism, to the Christian child also a name is given. The
Gospel tells us that at His Circumcision our divine Sa
viour was called Jesus, the name brought from heaven
by the Angel Gabriel. In honour of this divine Name
the Church has ordained a special Feast of which we shall
speak later.
Part of the Office on the Feast of the Circumcision is
consecrated to Mary s divine maternity, a dignity
beyond that of the angels. In early times two Masses
were celebrated on the first of January, one for the
Octave of Christmas, the other in honour of Mary s
divine maternity. In the Mass, at the present day,
there still remain traces of this two-fold remembrance.
The Greek Church has a special Office in honour
of Mary s mother hood on December, deferring
the Feast of St. Stephen until the following day, De
cember 27. In all ages, the liturgical homage rendered
to Mary s divine maternity has been held in honour
amongst Christians.
After the condemnation of the Nestorian heresy by
the Council of Ephesus in 431, this devotion increased.
As Nestorius denied that Mary was the Mother of God,
the Churches of the East and the West agreed to render
still more solemn homage to Mary, and she was pro-
88
claimed everywhere the Virgin Mother of God. In like
manner, in our own day, after the definition of the
dogma of the Immaculate Conception, we have seen
a great increase of devotion to the blessed Virgin.
There are three chief reasons why Mary s divine ma
ternity should be honoured in the liturgy : ist. Of all
Mary s prerogatives, this is the most exalted ; of all her
titles, this is the most sublime ; of all her privileges, it
is the greatest ; therefore, it is fitting that we should
praise it. 2nd. After God, it is to Mary that we owe
our salvation. Without Mary s consent, the Incarna
tion would not have taken place. Because therefore
of our gratitude, we honour her divine maternity.
3rd. Mary adores Jesus as her God, but she has also the
right to call Him her Son. Jesus, truly God as He is,
in all truth calls Mary His Mother. If on the one hand
there is no greater dignity than that of the Mother of
God, on the other hand there is no greater happiness.
Thus, because we desire to congratulate her, we render
liturgical honours to her divine maternity.
With the exception of the Alleluia which is taken
from the beginning of the Epistle to the Hebrews, and
devoted to characterising the mission of Jesus Christ
amongst men, all the other sung portions of the Mass
of the Feast of the Circumcision, the Introit , Gradual,
Offertory and Communion, are the same as in the third
Mass on Christmas day, and similarly the Epigtle is
taken from the Midnight Mass. The Gospel in a few
words recalls to us the mystery of our Lord s Circum
cision.
In the Collect and Postcommunion, we are told
of Mary s part in the mystery of the Incarnation, and
in our name her powerful aid is implored. In the
Secret, which is more general in character, we are
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urged to present our offerings to the Lord and to gather
the fruit of the divine mysteries.
The Responsories of the Office of this feast, notably
in the second and third Nocturns, recall the grandeur
of Mary s dignity as the Mother of God. The anti-
phons for Vespers and Lauds which occur again on the
Feast of the Purification, praise the admirable inter
course established between God and man through the
medium of Mary, and the prerogatives accorded by the
Lord to her fruitful virginity. Finally, the antiphon of
the Magnificat, at the second Vespers, summarizes the
honours accorded to Mary and the reasons for which
the human race should glorify the Lord.
CHAPTER VI
The Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Philip, n, 10, and Ps. vni,
1. Epistle, Acts of the Apostles, iv, 8-12. Gradual, Ps. cv,
47, and Is. LXIII, 16. Alleluia, Ps. CXLIV, 22. Gospel,
St. Luke, n, 21. Offertory, Ps. LXXXV, 12-3. Commu
nion, Ps. LXXXV, 9-10.
Very soon after the Feast of the Circumcision, the
Church celebrates that of the Holy Name of Jesus,
90
which has been instituted that we may honour the
Name given to the divine Infant of Bethlehem at His
Circumcision. The Gospel narrative tells us that the
Name of Jesus had been indicated to Mary by the Angel
Gabriel, even before the mystery of the Incarnation
was accomplished.
This Feast is not of very ancient origin in the Church.
At first, it was special to the Franciscan Order in which
St. Bernardine of Sienna and St. John Capistran, in the
fifteenth century, had spread the devotion to the holy
Name of Jesus. Clement VI granted to the whole
Franciscan Order the privilege of celebrating this Feast.
In 1721 Pope Innocent XIII decreed that it should be
celebrated throughout the Church, and fixed the second
Sunday after the Epiphany as the date of its celebration,
By a recent decision of the Pope Pius X, the Sunday
between the Feast of the Circumcision and the Epi
phany has been fixed as the date, or should no Sunday
occur between January i and 6, then the Feast is to
be observed on the second of the month.
Devotion to the holy Name of Jesus is not a novelty,
for Mary and Joseph were the first to honour this Name,
brought from heaven to earth. The apostles preached
it, and by its invocation wrought miracles. St. Paul
urges us to invoke the holy Name of Jesus before all
our actions, and prescribes that on hearing it pronounced
every knee should bend, in heaven, on earth and in
hell.
We must honour this holy Name because it is a name
of majesty. The Son of God made Man, in conformity
to the direction of the eternal Father, had willed to be
called Jesus. Further, this Name recalls to us the love,
the mercy, the tenderness, the infinite goodness of God
to men. It is in itself an Epiphany, that is, it
manifests to us the adorable perfections of an Incar
nate God.
Throughout the Mass proper to the Feast of the most
holy Name of Jesus, we are reminded of these truths.
In the Introit, St. Paul impresses on us that we should
bend the knee whenever this divine Name is invoked.
In the Collect, we are taught the mysterious meaning
of this adorable Name, and in it we ask that this mean
ing may be realized in ourselves.
From the Epistle we learn how, by invoking it, the
apostles wrought miracles. In the Gradual and Al
leluia, this sacred Name is pointed out to us as the
watchword for all Christians. In the Gospel, we are
reminded of its heavenly origin. The Offertory
and Communion form a fcymn of praise which ascends
from earth to heaven in honour of this Name. The
Secret and Postcommunion teach us how, by the
sacrifice of the Mass, this Name becomes a source of
benediction and eternal salvation, by which our names
shall be written in the Book of Life.
CHAPTER VII
The Feast of the Epiphany.
The Feast of the Epiphany which is a complement to
that of Christmas, is the Feast of the manifestations of
our Lord. The word Epiphany means manifestation,
the Greeks still call it Theophany, that is to say,
92
Apparition of God. These terms could also be well
applied to the Feast of Christmas, for in reality, the
first appearance of the Son of God in the flesh took place
on the day He was born, and His first manifestation
was to the shepherds of Bethlehem.
From the third century, we find that, in the East,
a Feast was observed on January 6 to, commemorate
the appearance of the Son of God on earth. Towards
the end of the fourth century, the Eastern Churches were
invited to unite with Rome in celebrating the Feast of
the Nativity on December 25, whilst the Western
Churches adopted January 6 for the date of the
Feast of the Epiphany.
No fast is observed on the vigil of this Feast nor are
there any penitential formulas. The Mass, with the
exception of the Gospel, is the same as that of the
Sunday within the Octave of Christmas and continually
alludes to the mystery of the birth of the Son of
God. In the Introit, a text from the book of Wisdom
is adapted to the mystery of Christmas. The Gradual,
taken from Psalm XLIV, celebrates the union of Jesus
Christ with His Church. In the Alleluia and the
Offertory, we are reminded that the kingship of the
divine Child Jesus was established before the ages on
an inmovable foundation. In the Communion, allu
sion is made to the return from Egypt, and we learn
the fate of those who sought to put to death the divine
Infant. It is also this same episode which the Church
gives us in the Gospel, whilst in the Epistle, St. Paul
draws a contrast between the condition of men under
the Old Law and under the New. To the coming of
our divine Saviour we owe the benefits of our deliver
ance from servitude, of our divine adoption and of our
heavenly inheritance.
93
The object of the Feast of the Epiphany is threefold :
The mystery of the Wise Men who, guided by a star,
came from the East to adore the divine kingship of the
Babe of Bethlehem ; the mystery of the Baptism of
Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan, when the
eternal Father proclaimed Him the true Son of God ;
lastly, the mystery of the divine power, manifested at
the marriage feast of Cana, by the changing of the
water into wine. These mysteries are closely connected
one with the other and, taken together, form a complete
Epiphany of our divine Saviour. These three manifes
tations are recalled to our memory, first of all in the
Office of the Epiphany in the antiphons of the Bene-
dictus and the Magnificat. But it is the adoration of
the Magi which is particularly celebrated in the greater
part of this same Office and of the Mass, on the Feast
of the Epiphany. On the Octave of the Epiphany, there
is a special mention of the Baptism of our Lord, whilst
on the second Sunday after this Feast, the miracle
of the marriage of Cana is commemorated.
At the time of our Lord s coming, mankind was
divided into two races : the Jews, heirs to the promises
made to Abraham and guardians of the deposit of the
prophets ; the nations or gentiles, that far more con
siderable portion of mankind which comprised the peoples
who knew not the true God, His laws, His worship, or
His promises.
The Messias who was to be the Saviour of all men,
manifested Himself to both one and the other. After
having manifested Himself to the shepherds of Beth
lehem who were the representatives of the Jewish people,
He wished to manifest Himself to the Magi, the first
fruits of the gentile nations. When they came into the
presence of the divine Infant, the Magi prostrated them-
94
selves before Him, then, opening their treasures, they
presented to the Infant King, gold, incense and myrrh.
According to the tradition of the Church the gold
was offered to Jesus in homage to His kingship ; the
incense in homage to His divinity ; the myrrh being a
tribute in honour of His humanity. These gifts thus
proclaimed the supreme sovereignty of our divine Sa
viour over all men, and His eternal Priesthood ; they
also were a prediction of His burial. Following the
example of the Magi, on this Feast we should offer to
the divine Child Jesus the gold of our love, that is,
all the affections of our heart ; the incense of our prayer,
that is, our adoration, and the myrrh of our penance,
by the practice of Christian virtues and mortification.
On the Feast of the Epiphany, our Lord desires each
year to renew in our souls those effects which were pro
duced IN THE SOULS OF THE WlSE MEN. He Wishes to
manifest Himself to us ; to enlighten us by the interior
light of faith; but He intends these effects to be pro
duced through the ministry of His Church. As the Magi
learned from the chief priests and the Doctors of the
Law the place where the king of the Jews was born, so
should we seek from the pastors of the Church the expla
nation of the Holy Scriptures ; the exposition of the
truths which we must believe, and of the precepts to be
observed. This is, as it were, the mystical Epiphany
of -our divine Saviour and His spiritual manifestation
to our souls.
For this manifestation our Lord requires of us cer
tain dispositions, the principal one being docility, which
leads us to believe and to obey as did the Magi. They
believed, and because of their belief, they were enlight
ened. They obeyed, and in their obedience they left
all to go to Bethlehem, guided by a star. Docility sup-
95
poses a desire of instruction, and obedience to the teach
ings of the Church.
The special grace attached to the Feast of the Epi
phany is the grace of growth in the supernatural life.
As our Lord, on Christmas day, is spiritually born in
the souls of those who receive Him, so on this Feast
He manifests Himself more clearly, and gives to the
soul an increase of wisdom, virtue and merit.
The adoration of the Magi is a figure, and also a pre
diction, of the conversion of the gentiles, the universal
propagation of the faith and the formation of the Ca
tholic church. Bethlehem was the birthplace, not of
Jesus only, but also of His Cfrurch ! she will manifest
herself later in the cenacle, at the Descent of the
Holy Ghost. First outlined on the Epiphany, at Pen
tecost, she will be definitely formed. In the stable of
Bethlehem we see combined all the elements of which
the Church of Jesus Christ will be composed : the divine
Infant, who is her Head, the blessed Virgin, her
Mother, St. Joseph, her chief protector and lastly the
shepherds and the Magi representing the great Chris
tian family. For this reason, on the Feast of the Epi
phany, the Church in Rome celebrates also the FEAST
OF PROPAGANDA which is charged with the missions
for the evangelization of the whole world.
In former days certain Churches, such as those of
Spain and Gaul, observed the practice of administering
solemn Baptism on this Feast, as on the Vigils of Easter
and Pentecost.
From the earliest ages, in Christian Africa, we find
the practice observed of blessing rivers and wells. The
fourth antiphon of the Office of Lauds, in which the
seas and the rivers are called upon to praise the Lord,
recalls this practice. These customs, however are no
longer observed, the Roman Pontiffs having suppressed
them.
In cathedral churches, after the Gospel on this day,
the DATES OF THE CHIEF FEASTS OF THE LITURGICAL
YEAR ARE ANNOUNCED. Formerly, in the Churches of the
East and West, it was customary to make this announce
ment several times during the year. The announce
ment made on the Feast of the Epiphany is still con
tinued, because this Feast, together with that of Christ
mas, forms the beginning of the liturgical year.
On this Feast, following the example of the Magi,
Christian kings and emperors were accustomed to offer
gifts to the Church. In Christian families the custom
of blessing the Twelfth day cake is still observed, in sign
of spiritual joy.
CHAPTER VIII
The Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany,
Station at Saint Peter. Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ma-
lachy, in, 1. Epistle, Is., LX, 1-7. Gradual, ibid. Alleluia,
St- Matth. n, 2. Gospel, St. Matth., n, 1-13. Offertory,
Ps. LXXI, 10. Communion, St. Matth., n, 2.
The Station for the Feast of the Epiphany is at
Saint Peter. This Basilica has been selected for the
ceremony because it enshrines the tomb of the Prince
of the Apostles, to whom was given the mission of in-
97 -
structing and ruling all the nations, whose call to
the Faith is celebrated on this day.
The Church, in the Mass proper to the Feast, inspires
the faithful with a two-fold sentiment : veneration for
the sovereignty of Jesus Christ and docility in receiv
ing the teachings of faith.
In the Introit the Church, in the words of the Pro
phet, shows us that the Messias who was promised and
who has come, is the supreme Master who holds all
power. With the Psalmist, she proclaims the justice
and prosperity of His reign. In the Gospel, she recalls
to us how the Magi attested, proclaimed and adored this
divine sovereignty. In the Offertory, she reminds
us how the three kings who had come from the most
distant regions, brought their offerings to the Infant
God. In, the Communion, she urges us to imitate the
docility and the earnestness of the Magi whose words
she once more repeats : " We have seen and we have
come. "
In the Collect, the Church, in our name, prays for
that supernatural light which will one day lead us to
eternal glory. The Epistle gives the magnificent des
cription of Isaias, in which he depicts the light suc
ceeding to the darkness of sin and idolatry. At first there
is but a faint light, typified by the mysterious star.
It rises in the East, comes out of the land of Jacob,
grows larger, becomes visible to the gentiles, illuminates
the whole world, and, at last, shines forth in all its
splendour. Thus revelation or the teaching of the
Faith, entrusted to the patriarchs, to the just of the
Old Law, has been transferred to the Magi, and
through them to all nations which, without exception,
are called to enter the Catholic Church.
The Secret tells us how Jesus, the object of our faith,
4 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal
has made Himself, at the same time, our divine Food.
In the Postcommunion, we learn what understanding
and what purity are necessary in order that this su
pernatural gift of faith may bear fruit.
Benefits of faith. Faith is a heavenly light which
illuminates the supernatural world, as the sun illumi
nates the world of nature. As during the absence of
the sun the earth remains plunged in darkness, so the
nations, deprived of the light of faith, also dwell in the
shadow of death. They have eyes and they see not ;
they are reduced to the condition of savages. The
earth which they inhabit is dominated by slavery, idol
atry, all kinds of corruption, the sad consequences of
the darkness in which they live. God, who in the be
ginning created the visible light, also from the beginning
gave to the world the light of faith. Before the Fall
a revelation was made to our first parents, and to enable
them to grasp its meaning, their minds were divinely
enlightened. Sin came to obscure this light and to
cover it with a veil of darkness, becoming more and more
dense as the generations succeeded one another on the
earth. When the Messias appeared, the light seemed
almost extinguished. But with the appearance of Jesus,
the light of faith became visible again and dissi
pated the darkness of error. By the preaching of the
Gospel, idolatry and barbarism were driven back to the
uttermost parts of the world. The nations were con
verted, transformed, civilized.
Divinely called by means of the star, the Magi suc
ceeded in reaching Bethlehem. For a brief while God
permitted the darkness again to enshroud them, that
they might thus learn to have recourse to those whose
mission it was to instruct in His name. Docile to the
teachings of the Scriptures which were explained to
99
them, they regained the divine light. Joyfully fol
lowing it, they found their God in the lowly guise of an
infant. They contemplated Him, adored Him, prayed
Him to accept their gifts, and then went forth from
Him, wholly transformed.
CHAPTER IX
The Sunday and Week-days within
the Octave of the Epiphany.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, extra-scriptural and Ps. xcix, 2.
Epistle, Romans, xn, 6-16. Gradual, Ps. LXXI, 18 and 3.
Alleluia, Ps. xcix, 2. Gospel, St. Luke, n, 42-52. Offertory
Ps. xcix, 2. Communion, St. Luke, ir, 48-49.
During this Octave the Church fixes our attention
wholly on the mystery which she set before us on the
Feast itself. Thus each day, the priest says the same
Mass, and in the Office, the same formulas invite medi
tation on the circumstances and the consequences of
this mystery.
On the Sunday within the Octave the Church tells
us how, when He was twelve years of age, Jesus appeared
in the midst of the doctors of the law in the Temple
at Jerusalem, where He manifested His superhuman
knowledge and wisdom. This manifestation followed
an act of obedience to the prescriptions of the Jewish
Law : Jesus had gone to Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph,
100
in order to celebrate the Passover in that city. His
care to explain the holy Scriptures to the doctors of
Israel by making use of what they already knew, led to
this manifestation. In the end, it showed forth magni
ficently the profound wisdom of this Child, who to ful
fil the mission confided to Him by His heavenly Father,
did not shrink from causing His Mother and Saint Joseph,
for a brief space, anxiety and grief. In the passage from
the Gospel, assigned for this Sunday, these particulars
are clearly given.
In the Introit, our divine Saviour is shown to us in
human form, but seated on an elevated throne and re
ceiving the adoration of the angels. The Psalm of the
Introit, the Alleluia, and the Offertory in presenting
this spectacle, afford us cause for rejoicing that we are
the servants of the supreme Master of the universe.
The Gradual calls on us to bless God whose power
alone can accomplish wonders. Lastly, the Communion
gives us Mary s complaint and the words, full of pro
found meaning, in which Jesus answers her. In the
Collect, we find the practical conclusion to be drawn
from the whole of this mystery. We find it also in
the Epistle, where Saint Paul urges us to a complete
reformation, in order to subject our will to that of God.
Finally, we find it in the Secret and the Postcom-
munion where the offering presented to the Lord is
shown to us, a source of life, of strength and of merit.
IOI
CHAPTER X
The Octave of the Epiphany.
Sources of the liturgy : Sung parts, the same as on the Feast.
Epistle, item. Gospel, St. John, i, 29-34.
Between the Epiphany and its Octave there are points
of resemblance as well as of difference. The resemblance
is in the Epistle and the parts which are sung, which
are the same on both days; further, the idea of mani
festation occurs in the prayers and in the Gospel. The
difference lies in the commemoration of a special
manifestation of Jesus in the passage from the Gospel,
that is, the MANIFESTATION OF His DIVINITY AT THE
MOMENT OF His BAPTISM in the Jordan by John
the Baptist, when He began His preaching. When
Saint John the Baptist, in his humility, would have re
fused to baptize our Lord, Jesus answered that He must
carry out all that was ordained by the will of the eter
nal Father who from heaven makes His voice heard,
proclaiming Jesus as His well-beloved Son in whom He
is well pleased, whilst the Holy Ghost, in the form of
a dove, descends upon the God-Man.
Our Lord sets before us His Baptism, ist., as a public
sign of the voluntary penance which He accepts in the
name of sinners ; 2nd., as an act of His power by which
He sanctifies the waters, communicating to them the
supernatural virtue of cleansing from sin and of pro
curing grace for our souls ; 3rd., as an official proclamation
of His divine mission. Thus the Baptism of Jesus is
IO2
a real manifestation^ Epiphany in the full meaning of
the word. Finally, our divine Saviour by His example
teaches us that need of Baptism which later He will
explain to Nicodemus. In order that all may under
stand the necessity of the Baptism of regeneration, He
receives the Baptism of penance. In the Old Testa
ment, we find different figures of the Baptism of our
Lord and its mysterious effects. Thus, in the beginning
of Creation, the world was buried beneath the waters.
The Spirit of God hovered over those waters and, by
His omnipotence, rendered them fruitful. The earth
emerged from the waters and, at the voice of the Crea
tor, brought forth plants and trees. Later, the waters
of the Deluge served to purify the earth from its crimes,
to renew it as by a universal baptism. To escape from
the bondage of Egypt the Israelites had to cross the
waters of the Red Sea, and before entering into the
Promised Land, they had also to pass through those
same waters of the Jordan which sixteen centuries later
would be sanctified by the Baptism of Jesus.
The Collect speaks to us of the interior transforma
tion of the soul, as a consequence of the manifestation
of Jesus. In the Secret, we beg that we may obtain
the grace of being adopted by our divine Saviour.
The Postcommunion exhorts us to pray that we may
be enlightened by the light of heaven, contemplate it
with pure eyes, and grow to love it.
In the Churches of the East, on this day, solemn Bap
tism is administered. In several Churches of the West, the
custom of blessing the water with great solemnity is
still retained. It is also a pious practice amongst Ca
tholics to renew on this Feast their baptismal promises.
CHAPTER XI
The Second Sunday after the Ephiphany,
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXV, 4. Epistle, Romans, xn,
6-16. Gradual, Ps. cvi, 20-21. Alleluia, Ps. CXLVIII 2.
Gospel, St. John, n, 1-12. Offertory, Ps. LXV, 12 and 16.
Communion, St. John, n, 7 and 10.
On this Sunday the Church devotes her whole atten
tion to the miracle wrought by Jesus at the marriage
feast of Cana. It was, the Gospel tells us, the first
miracle by which our Lord manifested His power. In
the preceding manifestations, our Lord was shown
to us as the true Messias through the intermediary of
external agents or by the voice of His eternal Father.
Here, our Lord Himself, by His own power, shows
that He is truly sent by God. In this miracle, our
divine Lord manifests His power by teaching the
world that He is the absolute Master of all the
elements, that at His pleasure and in an instant, He
changes all substances. The changing of the water into
wine, says Saint Augustine, is a prodigy equal to the
production of the harvests and crops by the intermediary
action of rain and sun. From this prodigy, the dis
ciples drew the conclusion that Jesus of Nazareth was
truly God, that all that He was teaching was the Truth
itself, and they believed in Him. This is the conclusion
which we should draw, whenever we hear or read the
104
account of this miracle. By working this miracle at
a feast, our divine Lord intended not only to prove
the anthenticity of His mission, but also to foreshadow
the plan of our Redemption.
Relations between the miracle of Cana and
other mysteries. The plan of the Redemption
is to re-establish between God and our souls the
intimate union which existed in the state of inno
cence. To realize this, our Lord gives us His Body
and His Blood as our food in the Eucharist. In order
that this Food may procure life for us, He wishes to
purify and transform our souls by the communication
of His grace. Lastly, He crowns these marvellous gifts
by contracting with each soul thus nourished and trans
formed, a union similar to that of marriage. In this
miracle of Cana and in the institution of the Blessed
Eucharist, we have God s action on substances. The
Blessed Eucharist is realized by the divine act which we
call transubstantiation, that is to say, the substitution
of the substance of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ
for the substance of bread and wine, the appearances
remaining unchanged. Our Lord presages this great
prodigy when He changes the water into wine at the
marriage of Cana. In both cases, He offers to His crea
tures nourishment and comfort which procure joy and
well-being.
There is also an analogy between this miracle of Cana
and the supernatural transformation of our souls.
Between the soul disfigured by sin and the soul which,
by the communication of divine grace, has been formed
anew, there is the same difference as between water and
wine. From being cold, dull, a being without vigour
as she was, whilst in the state of sin, the soul, under the
action of grace, grows animated, warm ; becomes ardent,
105
generous ; conforms to all that the God, who is her life,
expects from her, and which renders her fruitful.
Finally, there is a certain connection between this
same miracle and the union of God with the Christian
soul. The Incarnation, which unites in the Person of
the Son of God the divine and the human natures, is the
first step and the preparation for the mysterious union
of God with the soul. But the injury done to the soul
by sin, creates an obstacle to that union, and before all,
the obstacle must be removed. This our divine Lord
in His Baptism accomplished, for He then commu
nicated to the water the virtue by which it purifies
and sanctifies us. It remained for this union to be
consummated and completed by the Blessed Eucharist
which is given to us at a true marriage feast. Thus,
the alliance of our souls with God which began in the
Incarnation and was continued in our Lord s Baptism,
is consummated in the Sacrament of the Eucharist.
It is in holy Communion that our Lord unites Himself
to our soul and makes it one with His own ; unites His
flesh to our flesh, His Heart to our heart, His ado
rable divinity to our wretched humanity, and in His
design the union should be indissoluble, like that of
matrimony.
Between this miracle, the adoration of the Magi
and the Baptism of our Lord, there is also a connec
tion expressed by the Church in the antiphon of the
Magnificat, for the Epiphany. For our Lord enlightens
our souls by faith as, by the light of the star, He enlight
ened the Magi. By His Baptism, he purifies our souls,
and renders them capable of contracting with Him a
supernatural alliance ; lastly, at the marriage of Cana,
He consummates His spiritual marriage with the Chris
tian soul and prepares the Eucharistic banquet in
io6
which He will, one day, inebriate that soul with the
wine of charity and the chalice of salvation.
The Introit for this Sunday invites the whole
earth to adore the God who works these wonders.
The Gradual is a cry of gratitude to the Lord who,
with one word, can heal us and deliver us from death.
The Offertory expresses the enthusiasm of the soul
who wishes to relate all the benefits with which God
has overwhelmed her. The Collect is a prayer for
peace. The Epistle recommends the spirit and prac
tice of charity. In the Secret and the Postcom-
munion, reference is made to the effects of Baptism
and of the Blessed Eucharist. Finally, the Communion
recalls the way in which the miracle of Cana was
wrought; source of the precious lessons which we have
just enumerated.
107 ~
CHAPTER XII
The third and fourth Sundays
after the Epiphany.
Sources of the liturgy : Sung parts of the Mass for the 3rd.,
4th., 5th., and 6th. Sundays : Introit, Ps. xcvi, 7-8. Gra
dual, Ps. ci, 16. Alleluia, Ps. xcvi, 1 .Offertory, Ps. cxvn,
16. Communion, St.Luke, iv, 22.
SRD. SUNDAY. Epistle, Romans, xn, 16-21. Gospel, St.
Matth., vin, 1-13.
4TH. SUNDAY. Epistle, Romans, xin, 8-11. Gospel, St.
Matth., vin, 24-26.
The liturgy of these few weeks leads us to meditate
on the successive manifestations of our divine Saviour
during the years of His public life.
In the sung parts which are common to the Mass of
each of the four Sundays the general character of these
manifestations is indicated. All creatures, the angels
in heaven and the dwellers on earth, should unite in
adoring the divine sovereignty of Jesus Christ (INTROIT) ;
whilst we rejoice in the contemplation of His works we
must at the same time fear Him (GRADUAL, ALLELUIA,
OFFERTORY); all those who heard His teachings were
filled with admiration (COMMUNION). To these general
characteristics of the manifestations of our Lord, there
corresponds amongst the faithful a feeling of distress
and misery which cannot be relieved without the assis
tance of God; hence the repeated appeals to divine
protection (COLLECTS).
The distinction between the Sundays immediately
io8 -
following the Epiphany, results from the passage of
the Gospel which the Church appoints to be read. In
these we hear our Lord more and more clearly affirming
His divinity, both by the miracles which He works (for
example, those of the third and fourth Sundays), and by
the parables which He explains (as those of the fifth
and sixth Sundays).
The Gospel of the Third Sunday records a two
fold miracle, wrought by our Lord in the beginning of.
His ministry. Jesus, descending from the mount of the
Beatitudes, cured a leper who implored His aid and a
centurion s servant, at the prayer of his master. In
this two-fold miracle our Lord manifested His divine
power. As in the beginning He created all things by a
simple word, so it was by a simple word, spoken at a
distance, that He healed the leper and the paralytic.
" I will, " He said, " be thou made clean " and again
to the centurion who besought the cure of his servant :
" Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee. "
Further, He teaches us that these favours are the por
tion of men who have blind confidence in His power
and goodness. Lastly, He gives us to understand
that He came on earth to heal souls stricken with
sin, of which leprosy and paralysis are the symbols.
We ourselves shall obtain our cure on the following
conditions : ist. we must firmly believe that our Lord
can effect this transformation in us ; 2nd. we must comply
with the formalities which He requires, by appearing
before the ministers appointed by Him ; 3rd. we must
practise real charity towards our brethren, even towards
our enemies, as Saint Paul, in the passage from the Epistle
impresses on us.
In the Prayers of the Mass FOR THE Third Sunday,
we ask : ist., that God may have regard to our weak-
109
ness and support us with His all-powerful hand (COL
LECT); 2nd., that we may be purified in soul and body,
and thus participate in the adorable Sacrifice (SECRET) ;
3rd., that all the effects, which result from participation
in the divine Mysteries, may be produced in our souls
POSTCOMMUNION) .
In the Gospel of the Fourth Sunday, the miracle of
the stilling of the tempest at sea is recalled to us. Here
Jesus shows Himself as the absolute Master of all the ele
ments. He has but to give an order, to make a simple
sign of command, and the winds cease, the waves
subside, and the greatest calm reigns on the waters.
This miracle symbolizes the protection with which
Jesus shields His Church. Peter s ship, in reality,
represents the Church of which this great Apostle
has been constituted the visible Head, and with which,
in fulfilment of His divine promise, Jesus is always pre
sent. Our divine Saviour s sleep during the storm is
figurative of His seeming inaction in times of persecu
tion. Lastly, His intervention, at the first cry of dis
tress, teaches us that, after all, when He judges the
moment has come, He knows how to ensure the tri
umph of His own.
In the Prayers of the Mass FOR THE Fourth. Sunday,
the Church teaches us that, in the hour of trial, we should
have immediate recourse to God who knows our weakness
(COLLECT). From the offering of the holy Sacrifice and
participation in the Body and Blood of our Lord we
should draw the remedy for our misfortunes, the
revival of our strength, and support for our weak
ness (SECRET AND POSTCOMMUNION). In the Epistle,
Saint Paul teaches us that our prayers need to be sup
ported by the practice of charity towards our brethren.
4*
no
/
/
CHAPTER XIII
Fifth and Sixth Sundays after the Epiphany.
Sources of the liturgy : Sung portions, see preceding chapter.
5TH. SUNDAY. Epistfe, Coloss., in, 12-18. Gospel, St. Matth.,
xni, 24-31.
GTH. SUNDAY. Epistle, Thess., i, 1,2-10. Gospel, St. Matth.,
xm, 31-35.
The Gospels appointed for THESE two Sundays
remind us, that the better to impress His teachings on
simple and uncultivated minds, Jesus Christ was pleased
to have recourse to familiar comparisons. Thus in the
parables of the cockle, of the grain of mustard seed and
of the leaven, He describes for us the lot of His Church
in this world, her trials, her progress and her extension.
The Gospel for the Fifth Sunday gives the parable
of the cockle, sowed amongst the good grain in the
field, by an enemy of the householder. In this parable,
our Lord teaches us that the Church of God on earth
is like a field in which God, who is the householder,
wishes the souls of the just to grow that He may
gather them into His barn, a figure of heaven,
when they are ripe. But by permission of the divine
Providence that seems to sleep, the devil sows cockle
in the field, that is to say, he stirs up wicked souls who
torment the good. The servants, that is the apostles,
the pastors, the missionaries, in their zeal less tolerant
than the good Master, would uproot the cockle. God
tempers their ardour and commands them to wait
Ill
patiently for the hour of Judgment which will be the
hour of the great harvest.
In the Epistle for the Fifth Sunday, Saint Paul exhorts
us, if we have been affected by the scourge of the cockle,
to become good seed in the field of the householder,
because by the wondrous mercy of the good God
whom we serve, even though we may have offended
Him in the past, we can, by His divine grace, be trans
formed into good seed and this explains the extreme
patience and indulgence of our Lord. To become this
good seed, we have but to allow ourselves to be trans
formed by Jesus who invests us with His virtues and
inspires us to do all in His name and for His greater
glory.
In the Prayers of the Mass for the Fifth Sunday
we ask God to watch over His family which is the
Church, for He is its sole support (COLLECT). We beg
of Him to forgive us our sins, and to direct our incons
tant hearts (SECRET). We beseech Him to effect this
marvel through His divine Son who has given Himself
to us to be our food (POSTCOMMUNION).
In the Gospel for the Sixth Sunday after the Epi
phany are recorded the parables of the grain of mustard
seed and of the leaven. These two parables both re
present the marvellous development of the Church of
Jesus Christ, small and humble in its beginning, but
under the divine action, growing so rapidly as to
spread over the whole world. In the parables, we
should admire the striking manifestations of Jesus
Christ and of His Church and acknowledge them
by an act of faith in the divine mission of Jesus
Christ, and of the Church which He has founded.
The passages from the Gospel read on these two
Sundays are a continual Epiphany of our divine
Saviour. The other seasons of the liturgical yezr
develop and complete the season of Christmas and
the Epiphany.
In the Collect of the Mass for the Sixth Sunday
we beg the grace to meditate on what is right and rea
sonable and, in our words and actions, ever to strive to
please God. The Secret reminds us that the offering
of the holy Sacrifice is for us a source of purification and
of renewal, a guide and a safeguard. The Postcom-
niunion urges us to the desire of receiving the divine
Food which enables us to live the true life.
CHAPTER XIV
Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin
and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. XLVII, 10-11. Epistle,
Malachy, in, 1-4. Gradual, Ps. XLVII, 10 and 9. Alleluia,
extra scriptural, or Tract, St. Luke, n, 29-32. Gospel, St.
Luke, n, 22-32. Offertory, Ps. XLIV, 3. Communion,
St. Luke, n, 26.
The season of Christmas and the Epiphany ends with
a two-fold mystery : the PURIFICATION of the BLESSED
VIRGIN and the PRESENTATION of JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.
Although the forty days of rejoicing which follow the
birth of our divine Redeemer, end regularly on Feb
ruary 2, on account of Easter s being a moveable
H3
Feast, it sometimes happens that Septuagesima Sunday
occurs within this period.
The origin of this feast dates from the first ages of
the Church. Of all the Feasts of the blessed Virgin it
is one of the most ancient and the most venerable. It
is not exclusively a Feast in honour of Mary as the name
Purification, by which it is usually designated, would
indicate, for on this day is also celebrated the Pre
sentation of Jesus in the temple and His meeting with
the aged Simeon and Anna. The Greeks, more parti
cularly impressed by this latter event, called this Feast
Hypapante, a word signifying " meeting ". In our days,
the faithful usually call it Candlemas, because of the
wax-candles which, on this day, are blessed and carried
in procession.
The two-fold mystery which is celebrated on this Feast
is connected with a TWO-FOLD PRACTICE, prescribed to
the Jews by the MOSAIC LAW.
ist. The Law of Moses ordained that Jewish wo
men, forty days after the birth of a son, should pre
sent themselves in the temple to be purified from the
legal defilement, by an offering of a lamb and a pigeon
or a turtledove, 2nd. The same Mosaic Law pre
scribed that the firstborn of the children of the Jews
should be offered to the Lord, and redeemed with
five shekels of silver. This ransom recalled how,
at the exodus from Egypt, the destroying Angel,
when striking the first-born of the Egyptians, had
spared the first-born of the Israelites.
Assuredly, Mary had no need of purification, for her
virginity remained intact. But, as Mother of our
divine Saviour, she submitted to the law. As Jesus
her divine Son, by dying for men, delivered them from
eternal death, so Mary, by her peerless purity, cleanses
all other mothers who have been defiled by the sin of
Eve, the first woman. Jesus did not require to be
redeemed, but on this occasion, His ransom is a figure
of the offering which He made pf Himself to redeem
men from the slavery of the devil, and to deliver them
from eternal death.
In this Feast, THREE PRINCIPAL RITES are to be ob
served : the blessing of the candles, the procession, and
the celebration of the holy Sacrifice. The most ancient
of the practices observed on this Feast would seem to
be the PROCESSION before Mass. Etheria, the pilgrim of
Bordeaux, tells us that, in the fourth century in Jerusa
lem, the Feast was celebrated on February 15, forty
days after the Epiphany. On that day a procession
took place to the Church of the Resurrection; then an
instruction on the Gospel of the Feast was given, after
which the holy Sacrifice was celebrated. The Eastern
Churches having adopted December 25 as the date
of our Lord s birth, transferred the Feast of the Pre
sentation of Jesus in the temple to February 2.
About the seventh century, this Feast of February 2
was adopted in Rome. However, it seems that
until the following century, the procession on that day
was not distinct from other stational processions. In
the eighth century Alcuin speaks of candles being distri
buted on that day to the faithful. But it is only in
documents of the tenth and eleventh centuries that we
find the formula for the blessing of the candles.
The blessing of the candles consists of a certain num
ber of prayers (there are five in the Roman Missal in
use at present) asking God to deign to bless and sanc
tify the candles presented at the altar ; these are then
sprinkled with holy water and incensed. After this
ceremony the blessed candles are lighted and dis-
H5 ~
tributed to the faithful whilst the choir sings the verse,
Lumen ad revelationem and the canticle, Nunc dimittis.
The blessed candles lighted and carried in proces
sion represent our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the light
of the world, the light presented on this day in the
temple of Jerusalem by Mary and Joseph, the light glo
rified by the aged Simeon. The liturgical responsories
chanted during the procession commemorate this.
The celebration of the holy Sacrifice is the real of
fering of the true Lamb of God, of whose presentation
in the temple, the blessing of the candles and the pro
cession are the figure. The offering prescribed in the
Mosaic Law of the lamb and the pigeon or turtledove
(or of two pigeons by poor parents), for the mother s
purification, and of some pieces of money for the ransom
of the first-born, foretold the sacrifice of the spotless
Lamb without whom there is no expiation, and also
the perfidious bargain of the traitor Judas who, for
thirty pieces of silver, was to deliver Jesus into the
hands of the Jews.
The Introit and the Gradual (taken from Ps. XLVII.)
inculcate the sentiments of the Jews at the remembrance
of the repeated intervention of God on their behalf.
The Alleluia or the Tract, (the latter taken from the Gos
pel, the former from a commentary on the Gospel
text) and the Communion recall to us the promise made
to the aged Simeon, which was fulfilled on this day.
The Offertory (Ps. XLIV.) summarizes, in one verse,
the blessings poured out on Jesus incarnate and on His
blessed Mother. The Epistle tells us how the Prophet
Malachy, several centuries in advance, foretold the
coming of our divine Redeemer to the temple. In the
Gospel, we learn how this prediction was fulfilled. In
the Prayers of the Mass, we ask that we may be one
u6
day presented in the eternal tabernacles (COLLECT) ;
that our offering may receive the blessing which will
render it pleasing to our Lord (SECRET) ; and for the
grace of finding, in the holy Sacrifice, a remedy both
for this life and the life to come (POSTCOMMUNION) .
Between this Feast and that of Christmas there is a
fitting analogy. On this day, as on Christmas night,
the work of man s Redemption was visibly inaugurated.
The future, or rather the impending, sacrifice of the
Son is inseparable from the offering of the Mother. Jesus
Christ is born, and offers Himself to His eternal Fa
ther to die. The aged Simeon, when he speaks in his
heart-rending prophecy, of the sign of contradiction and
the sword of sorrow, indicates the union of Jesus and Mary
in this sacrifice.
THIRD PART
LENT AND THE PASCHAL SEASON
CHAPTER I
General considerations on the whole
of this third season of the liturgical year.
This third season which begins on the Saturday
before Septuagesima Sunday and ends on the Saturday
in Whitsun week COMPRISES SEVENTEEN WEEKS. The
beginning and the end are determined each year, by
the date of Easter which varies. January 18 and
February 22 are called the " Keys of Septuagesima ",
because the Sunday, thus designated, cannot be earlier
than January 18 nor later than February 22.
THE Object of THE LITURGY during this SEASON, is to
make Christians take part in the life of our Lord Jesus
Christ on earth ; to remind them of the mysteries of our
Lord s youth, public mission (penance and preaching),
sufferings, death, resurrection, ascension, and finally,
the mystery of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the
apostles.
The Church, by recalling to us these different mys-
n8
teries, invites us to free ourselves from the corruption
of sin, to despise the vanities of the world, to prepare
ourselves by penance for our intimate union with our
risen Lord, and thus to advance with confidence and
courage towards our heavenly home, the goal and
end of our existence in this world.
The analogy BETWEEN THIS SEASON and THE PRE
CEDING ONE is easily perceived. In the Christmas season,
with Jesus Christ born in the manger we also are born
again, and during the season of the Epiphany we grow
in grace with the divine Child. Henceforth, it is a
question of advancing each day of our lives, of walk
ing in the footsteps of Jesus who goes before us, laden
with His Cross, of suffering, of dying, and of rising
again with Him to enter, in His train, into eternal hap
piness.
Although Septuagesima Sunday occurs in the early
months of the year, it is not unusual to find the Paschal
season extending to May or June. We must not be sur
prised therefore, if this part of the liturgical year is brought
into relation WITH THE SUMMER SEASON, of which more
over, it has the characteristics, the occupations, and
the principal effects. For the germs of the supernatural
virtues, deposited in our souls during Advent and spring
ing up during the Christmas season, continue, during
Lent, to develop, and at Easter, come to full maturity.
This new season is, therefore, truly the summer of souls .
In this third season there are two principal sections,
very different in character. The first, shrouded in sad
ness, comprises the SEASON OF SEPTUAGESIMA AND LENT
(nine weeks) ; the second, full of joy and gladness, con
sists of the PASCHAL SEASON. In the first section, the
three weeks of Septuagesima may be regarded as a
prelude to the Lenten season.
FIRST SECTION
SEPTUAGESIMA AND LENT
CHAPTER II
General considerations on this first Section
and on the Season of Septuagesima.
The characteristics of this season which we call
Septuagesima, are penance and expiation. The season
consists of three liturgical weeks, and receives its
name from the first of the three Sundays. The second
Sunday is called Sexagesima, and the third Quinqua-
gesima. The adoption of these names which must not
be taken in a strict sense, is due to the use of the
word Quadragesima, which is applied to the first Sun
day of Lent to designate the series of forty days which
precede the festival of Easter. With greater acuracy,
the term is applied to the weeks intervening between
Easter and Pentecost which are called the Quinqua-
gesima of joy.
The meaning: OF THE NAMES given to these Sundays
T2O
is derived from the rubric of the Roman Missal in which
the Sundays in question are called : Dominica in Sep-
tuagesima, etc. Dominica in Septuagesima is the Sun
day in the seventh decade before Easter, in reality the
6ist day before the great solemnity. Dominica in
Sexagesima is the Sunday occurring in the sixth decade
of days before Easter (in reality the 54th day). Domi
nica in Quinquagesima is the Sunday in the fifth decade
before Easter (the 47th day). Dominica in Quadrage-
simais the first Sunday of the forty days preceding
Easter (the 4oth day). All these Sundays are therefore
connected with one another and point to the great
Easter solemnity, as yet in the distance.
The Institution of this Septuagesima season, at
least for the Western Churches, seems to date as far
back as the eighth century. At that time, we find,
almost everywhere, the omission of the Alleluia, and
lessons urging the practice of penance. Certain litur-
gists are of opinion that its origin, in the Eastern
Churches is more remote still. They trace it to the
observance of the forty days fast before Easter. As early
as the fourth century we find records of this fast, and
its final term is everywhere the Feast of Easter. The
initial term varies, thus the Church of Antioch began
the fast forty days before Holy Week, but during those
seven weeks, the Saturdays, with the exception of Holy
Saturday, and the Sundays, were exempt from the fast,
the number of fast days being thereby reduced to thirty-
six. The Church of Jerusalem, by beginning eight
weeks before Easter, and adding the fast of Holy Satur
day, attained the full term of forty days.
In the Western Churches, from the fifth century to
the time of Saint Gregory the Great (end of the sixth
century), the Lenten fast lasted six weeks, during which
121
time the faithful fasted every day except Sunday.
However, various churches excepted certain other days,
as for instance, Milan, where Saturday was excepted.
In some of the Churches of Gaul, Thursday, Saturday,
as well as Sunday were not fast days. In these
Churches, there were only four fast days in the week.
Hence, the Lenten fast began nine weeks before Easter,
that is on the Monday following Septuagesima Sunday.
When, in the ninth century, forty days was the period
definitely fixed as the duration of the Lenten fast for
the faithful (Lent beginning on Ash- Wednesday, and
only Sunday being excepted from the fast), there were
still special arrangements for the clergy of certain
Churches. These were to fast seven full weeks, conse
quently, beginning their fast on Quinquagesima Sunday,
for that reason called Dominica carnis privii, or carnis
privium sacerdotum, the Sunday on which the priests
begin to abstain from meat. In those remote times,
the fast always included abstinence. Therefore the
Sundays of which we speak, marked, according to the
different Churches, the beginning of the Lenten fast.
s The special liturgical observances of the Septuagesima
eason are : From the Vespers on Saturday, the eve
f Septuagesima when two Alleluia are added to the
Benedicamus Domino, until the Mass on Holy Saturday,
the Church omits her hymn of joy, Alleluia ; in the Hours
of the Office she replaces it by an equivalent formula
Laus tibi Domine, and in all the Masses by a Tract after
the Gradual. Further, in all the Masses proper to the
time, purple vestments are used, and the Gloria in excelsis
is no longer sung. In the Breviary, in the Office proper
to the time, the Te Deum is omitted at Matins. During
these three weeks, in the lessons from holy Scripture
and the responsories of the Office, penance is repeatedly
122
urged, for instance, on Septuagesima Sunday, in the
narration of the Creation and the Fall of man ; on Sexa-
gesima Sunday, the remembrance of the Deluge, as a
punishment for the crimes of the human race, is evoked,
with the promise, however, given to us as a pledge of
mercy, that this punishment should not be repeated;
on Quinquagesima Sunday, the narrative of the call
of Abraham, as a pledge of future blessings and of the
pardon resulting from the work of Redemption.
By the symbolism of the number seventy, the
Church reminds men of the time and place in which they
should do penance for their sins. There are seven days
in each week of our earthly life, and fifty- two of these
weeks form a year. These years, added together,
express the duration of our life. Now the sinner
must devote each one of this series of seven days to
penance and thus make his whole life expiation for
his sins,. Man, having sinned, was driven from the
terrestrial Paradise. Hence, we must regard this earth
as a valley of tears, a place of exile, a land in which
we are held captives. The number seventy recalls to
us the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity, and
urges us to regard this earth as a Babylon wherein
we sigh for our deliverance, of which the Resurrection
is a figure. The Church is wont to count seven dif
ferent ages between the beginning of the world and
the end of time. The first age extends from the crea
tion of the world until the Deluge ; the second from
the Deluge to the call of Abraham ; the third from the
call of Abraham, and the first forming of the people of
God, to the organisation of that people by the promul
gation of the Law on Sinai ; (The lessons of the Office
during these three Sundays refer to these first three
ages.) The fourth age lasts from the settlement of the
123
Hebrews in the Promised Land to the reign of David ;
the fifth embraces the whole line of ttie kings of Juda,
up to the Babylonian captivity ; the sixth extends from
the return of the Jews from captivity to the birth of
our Lord ; and finally, the seventh began with
the first coming of our divine Saviour and will end
with His second coming.
Thus the Church, in the season of Septuagesima,
represents to us the seven ages of the world, and
more especially the first three, as a prelude to the
labours, the combats, the trials of penance. This pen
ance will secure for us God s pardon and blessing,
and, after this life, the joys of heaven. The number se
venty also recalls the seventy weeks of years which
according to the Prophet Daniel, were to precede the
coming of the Messias. Further, it reminds us of the
time that the Church militant must pass, in this land of
captivity, before being transformed into the Church
triumphant.
During this season of Septuagesima, we should unite
ourselves with our Mother the Church. We should be
animated with her spirit, listen to her instructions and
put them into practice, as we shall explain in the fol
lowing chapters, in which we shall treat of the three Sun
days which immediately precede Lent.
124 ~
CHAPTER III
Septuagesima Sunday.
Station at the Church of Saint Lawrence outside the walls.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xvn, 6-7. Epistle, I, Cor.,
ix, 21-x, 5. Gradual, Ps. ix, 10, 1 1, 19. Tract, Ps. cxxix.
Gospel, St. Matth.,xx, 1-17. Offertory, Ps. xci, 2. Commu
nion, Ps. xxx, 17-18.
On this Sunday, the Church puts before us the sin of
our first parents and the punishment which followed.
In this way, she prepares us for the Lenten penance.
She makes this season of Septuagesima a time of labour
and a time of conflict. First, it is a TIME OF LABOUR
in which we become like to our divine Lord in His youth
and are united with Him, a time in which our strength
is tried, and we are reminded that we are condemned
to eat our bread in the sweat of our brow. It is a TIME
OF CONFLICT in which the Christian soul is urged to
repulse the attacks of the enemy who comes to tempt
her, in order that she may be drawn into revolt against
God, and so be led to destruction.
To teach us the necessity of labour, the Church has
appointed, as the Gospel text FCJR THIS SUNDAY the
parable of the householder who seeks, at different
hours of the day, labourers for his vineyard. These
different hours represent the various ages of human
life and show us that, everywhere and always, man must
work.
In the passage from the first Epistle to the Corin-
125
thians which is read on this day, the Church repre
sents US as ATHLETES who must STRIVE FOR THE
PRIZE. This life is an arena in which we must fight
our enemy hand to hand, and of necessity, conquer
or die. The work imposed on each one of us is the work
of our own personal sanctification, and this comprises
two parts : the service of God and the service of our
neighbour. Each one, in order to be saved, must dis
charge this twofold service according to his vocation
and his state. Our conflict is a spiritual one, and in it
we have to face three enemies : the devil, the world and
the flesh. Here, the devil means the whole host of
evil spirits who rebelled against God, and who seek to
bring men to perdition by drawing them into their revolt.
By the world is meant all the wicked and perverse men
who have abandoned the law of God and who are living
according to the maxims of the devil. Dupes and vic
tims of this evil spirit, they become his auxiliaries and
accomplices in making war against God and laying
snares for their fellow-men. By the flesh, we are to
understand all those evil passions which are perpetually
at work in the depths of our perverse nature. Original
sin has corrupted our souls and made them the seat of
the three concupiscences, sensuality, avarice, pride, the
seven deadly sins and the multitude of faults into
which we fall.
The Station FOR THIS SUNDAY in Rome, is the Basilica
of Saint Lawrence outside the walls. The selection of
this church reminds us of one of the great " athletes "
of the first ages of the Church. The deacon Lawrence
laboured assiduously to relieve the poor of whom he
had the care, and finally, in his holy ardour followed
to battle and to death his chief, Pope Saint Sixtus II.
The Introit, in a verse taken from Ps. xvn. repre-
126
sents the human race as encircled by the groans of
death and the sorrows of hell. Such is the sad con
dition to which we are reduced by sin. God alone can
deliver us from this state, provided that we call upon
Him with confidence. Courage and hope spring from
the thought that the measure of our need is the measure
of God s assistance (GRADUAL). Thus, from the depths of
our misery shall we cause our urgent appeals to ascend
to Him (TRACT). It will be good for us to give praise
to the Lord who is ever ready to help us (OFFERTORY) ;
it will bring down upon us a ray of His mercy and
we shall be enlightened with His light which gives life
to the soul (COMMUNION).
In the Collect, the Church, in our name, renders
homage to the clemency of God whose justice, chastises,
but whose mercy delivers His children. In the
Secret, she reminds us that it is God who purifies, and
finally, in the Postcommunion, she shows Him to us
as the support and the eternal reward of those who
are engaged in the conflict.
CHAPTER IV
Sexagesima Sunday.
Station in Rome at Saint Paul s outside the walls. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. XLIII, 23-26. Epistle, II, Cor.,
xi, 19-xn, 10. Gradual, Ps. LXXXII, 14 and 19. Tract,
Ps. LIX, 4 and 6. Gospel, St. Luke, vin, 4-16. Offertory,
Ps. xvi, 5-6. Communion, Ps. XLII, 4.
For the Station ON THIS SUNDAY, the Basilica of Saint
Paul has been appointed. In the Epistle for to-day,
we read of the tribulations and labours of this great
apostle and athlete, to whom this Church is dedicated.
In this Epistle, we are urged anew to fight, to suffer,
to make expiation.
In the Lessons OF THE OFFICE, the Church, having
recalled to us on the preceding Sunday the fall and the
punishment of our first parents, reminds us of the ever
increasing crimes of the human race and of their punish
ment, the Deluge. The story of the Deluge should
teach us the necessity of making atonement for our
personal faults. No sin remains unpunished. The sins
of the children of men were not less severely punished
than the sin of Adam and Eve. The extermination of
the human race, with the exception of one family is the
penalty inflicted on a guilty world, as death was imposed
on the first sinners and on all their descendants.
In the sung portions of the Mass for this Sunday, we
- 128 -
have a pledge of the Church s solicitude to bring us
help. In the Introit, we hear the accents of a people
discouraged, because God seems to sleep. Yet, this
people have confidence in His awakening. The Gradual
proclaims before all nations the omnipotence of the Most
High. The Tract extols the divine intervention which
is ever efficacious. For, to assure the deliverance of His
own, God can make the earth to move, to tremble. It
is this same God who sustains th,e steps and assures the
salvation of those who hope in Him (OFFERTORY) . Near
unto His altar we shall regain the joy of our youth
(COMMUNION).
In the Collect of the Mass, the Church, in our name,
implores, as a support for our weakness, the protection
of Saint Paul, the Apostle of the nations, and then in
the Epistle, she exposes, at length, the tribulations
which the great Apostle suffered in order to establish
the kingdom of God on earth and to rescue souls from
the bondage of the devil. In the Gospel appointed
for this Sunday, the Church sets before us the parable
of the seed which falls on different kinds of ground ; on
the bad ground where it cannot germinate or grow, on
the good ground where it bears fruit. These various
kinds of ground represent the different kinds of souls
which receive the Word of God. Only those souls that,
by assiduous and persevering labour, are sufficiently
prepared, profit by the preaching of the Gospel.
In the Prayers of the Secret and Postcommunion
we are taught that the holy Sacrifice which is offered
on our altars, strengthens us and protects us (SECRET),
and is the food which sustains us and enables us to serve
God faithfully (POSTCOMMUNION). .
As the preceding week recalled to us the origin of
the human race and its sad history, so this week of
I2Q
Sexagesima seems to correspond TO THE SECOND AGE OF
THE WORLD, when the waters of the Deluge having sub-
sided, the earth was re-peopled, and the conflict between
the just and God s implacable enemies was renewed.
The Ark, in which Noah and his family were saved,
floating safely on the waters, is a figure of the Church
outside of which no one is saved, but which is vast enough
to contain all nations, Jews or Gentiles, and to preserve
them from everlasting death.
CHAPTER V
Quinquagesima Sunday,
Station at Saint Peter s. Sources of the liturgy : Introit;
Ps. xxx, 3-4. Epistle, Cor., I, xm, 1-13. Gradual,
Ps. LXXVI, 15-16. Tract, Ps. xcix, 1-3. Gospel, St. Luke,
xvm, 31-34. Offertory, Ps. cxvm, 12. Communion,
Ps. LXXVII, 29-30.
The STATION FOR THIS SUNDAY in Rome, is at Saint
Peter s. The Church wishes to gather the faithful
around their Supreme Pastor, at the moment when
she calls them to the penance and mortifications of
Lent.
On this day, the Church reminds us of the CALL OF
ABRAHAM, that is the act by which it pleased God to
separate this great Patriarch from the idolatrous nations,
and, after putting his fidelity to the test, to make
him the father of all true believers.
5 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal.
130
In the Epistle read at the Mass of this Sunday, Saint
Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, extols charity.
He shows that, whilst the shadows of faith will vanish
in the clear unclouded vision of divine truth, and
hope will give way to the possession of eternal happiness,
the virtue of charity will still continue to exist even in
heaven. In the Gospel, we read the cure of the blind
man at Jericho, and our Lord s announcement to His
disciples of His approaching death at Jerusalem. The
Church, in choosing this passage, invites us to deplore
the blindness of those who do not see the evil of sin.
From the events recorded in holy Scripture, we should
draw three PRACTICAL CONCLUSIONS : ist. that in imita
tion of Abraham who goes forth from his own land,
we should renounce the world to follow the path marked
out for us by God ; 2nd. that we should give heed to
Saint Paul, and by works of charity prepare ourselves
for the practice of penance ; 3rd. that we should imitate
the blind man at Jericho, and eagerly desire the light
and be ready to follow Jesus Christ even to Calvary.
In the sung portions of the Mass the Church inspires
us with confidence and teaches us to have recourse to
God, as to our protector, our support, our guide
(INTROIT), to render homage to Jesus, our Light and
our Deliverer (GRADUAL and TRACT), to thank God
who Himself makes known to us His laws and teaches
us how to observe them (OFFERTORY), and finally, to
recognise God s exceeding generosity when it is a ques
tion of feeding the hungry (COMMUNION).
The Prayers of the Mass should inspire us with a
profound conviction that God in His mercy can free
us from the bonds of sin and preserve us from all
evil (COLLECT), that we owe our purification and our
sanctification to the oblation of His divine Son (SECRET) ,
and finally, that the worthy reception of His adorable
Body is a certain protection against all attacks (POST-
COMMUNION).
This week seems to correspond to the THIRD AGE OF
THE WORLD, that is, the establishment of God s people
as a nation, notwithstanding the oppression of the
Egyptians, and their definite settlement in the Promised
Land, after the forty years of trial in the desert.
CHAPTER VI
The Devotion of the Forty Hours,
Many people, utterly misconstruing the intention of
the Church, are accustomed to give themselves up to
excessive feasting on the last days before Lent. They
think they can prepare better for the trying time of
penance by such indulgence on these days. The
Church, to dissuade us from joining in such dissipa
tion, and to urge us to make reparation for it, has
encouraged and developed the DEVOTION OF THE Forty
Hours.
Under the name of The Forty Hours, are designated
two different forms of prayer : ist. PRAYERS OF ADO
RATION recited before the Blessed Sacrament exposed
in all the churches of a city, or even of a whole diocese,
in succession. These prayers are said at first during
forty hours, in some church definitely appointed, after
132
which they are said in each church in its turn during
forty hours consecutively. Care is taken to appoint
a sufficient number of churches or chapels for the observ
ance of this devotion, so that the turn of each one shall
come but once a year. In the greater number of dio
ceses this devotion has been established under the name
of Perpetual Adoration.
This devotion appears to have first originated in the
Church of Milan when, in the time of Saint Charles Bor-
romeo, prayers were recited during forty hours before
the Blessed Sacrament, exposed on the altar to obtain
a special favour, namely the defeat of the Turks (1527).
The idea developed and was encouraged by the Sove
reign Pontiffs and in 1731, Pope Clement XII, issued
a whole code of instructions for the regulation of this
devotion.
But there is ANOTHER FORM OF PRAYER, also known as
the Forty Hours (this name indicates the time during
which the Blessed Sacrament remains exposed). These
prayers are to make REPARATION for the insults offered
to God, and also to implore the divine assistance
in times of public calamity. It is with this latter form
of prayer that the devotion of which we are treating
is connected.
In all probability the number of hours has been
fixed at forty, as representing the space of time during
which our divine LORD S BODY remained IN THE SEPUL
CHRE. These forty hours, says Saint Charles Borromeo,
were regarded as a time of vigil and of ardent prayer
during which all work was suspended. Afterwards,
the symbolic vigil of forty hours was transferred to
other days and to other seasons. Naturally, the idea
occurred to practise this devotion DURING CARNIVAL
TIME for the scandal given and the outrages commit-
133
ted against our divine Lord. Sometimes the exposition
and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is continued,
day and night, for forty hours without any interruption ;
sometimes the night is excepted, and the forty hours
are spread over Quinquagesima Sunday, Monday, and
Tuesday.
The Church implores her children to spend at least a
few moments at the feet of our divine Lord, to make
reparation to Him and to implore His assistance, instead
of indulging in all kinds of excesses and extravagance,
and thus sacrificing to the devil their time, their money
and often their lives.
CHAPTER VII
General Considerations on the Season of Lent.
The season of Lent (in Latin Quadragesima, from
the number forty), consists of FORTY DAYS CONSE
CRATED TO PENANCE, in preparation for the festival of
Easter.
The Church imposes on us this duty of practising pen
ance in preparation for Easter, because that Feast
should mark, in the liturgical year, our INTIMATE UNION
WITH JESUS CHRIST. Now, this intimate union cannot
be realized unless we have freed ourselves from the cor
ruption of sin. We can effect this by penance. The
number forty was adopted, because of its connection in
the Bible, with all the great acts of atonement. The
134
number forty, says Saint Jerome, denotes suffering and
affliction. During the Deluge, it rained for forty days
and forty nights, until the whole human race, save one
family, perished in the flood. Later, the Hebrew people,
in punishment for their ingratitude and rebellion, were
condemned, before entering the Promised Land, to
wander, for forty years, in the desert. Moses and Elias,
the two great Prophets of the Old Law, were obliged
to fast for forty days, before they were permitted to
approach the Lord, on Mount Sinai and Mount Horeb.
Lastly, our Lord, having determined to submit His
sacred Body to the severe penance of fasting, fixed
forty days as the duration of that solemn exercise which
was to serve as our example.
The Lenten penance assumes three principal forms :
Fasting, Prayer and Almsgiving. The LENTEN FAST
consists : ist, in taking but one meal during the day :
but this rule is no longer observed in its primitive seve
nty : an evening collation has been permitted since
the twelfth or thirteenth century and, in the last cen
tury, permission was given for a light refection in the
morning; 2nd., in abstinence from flesh meat and even
from all foods connected with living creatures; here
also, the Church has greatly mitigated the rule; 3rd.,
in fixing a late hour for the one meal of the day. Such
is the penance to which the body is submitted, for the
part it has taken in sin.
The LENTEN PRAYER gives expression principally to
our sorrow and our repentance for the sins we have
committed. It also appeals to the divine mercy, with
out which we should vainly hope for pardon^ but
through which, we can rely on the favour of reconcilia
tion with our God. The special observances of the
liturgy in this holy season, the formulas which vary
135
each day with the Proper of the time, unceasingly
remind us of this twofold object. Our prayer, vivified
by these formulas, sustained by instructions taken from
the Old and the New Testaments, will bring down upon
our souls and the souls of all sinners the graces of puri
fication, of atonement and of sanctification.
LENTEN ALMS-GIVING consists in devoting to some
good work, specified by the Church, a part of our income,
in compensation for the debt due to divine Justice for
the sins we have committed. By this means, we prac
tise detachment from earthly goods, and make repara
tion for the excesses into which the inordinate desire
and love of these same goods have led us.
Under these different forms, the Lenten penance is
indeed a REAL PENANCE, a salutary exercise which
tends to uproot the evil within us, a meritorious satis*
faction, offered to divine Justice. And supported by
the merits and satisfaction of Jesus Christ, it procures
for us the healing of our souls, strengthens them in cha
rity, and causes them to advance appreciably in justice
and perfection.
In the instructions, the hymns, and the prayers of
this season, three thoughts chiefly predominate : the
remembrance of the growing hatred of the Jews for our
Lord, up to the time of His Passion and death ; that
of the PREPARATION which the CATECHUMENS underwent
in the early days of the Church, before receiving Baptism ;
lastly, the remembrance of the PENANCES imposed
on PUBLIC SINNERS, before their solemn reconciliation,
on Holy Thursday. It may be said that the whole
liturgy of this Lenten season tends to this threefold
end.
-136-
CHAPTER VII
Ash "Wednesday.
Station at Santa Sabina, Rome. Sources of the liturgy : Introit,
Wisdom, 11,24-25 and Ps. LVI, 1. Epistle, Joel, n, 12-20.
Gradual, Ps. Lvi,2 and 4. Tract, Ps.cn, lOandLxxvm, 8-9.
Gospel, St. Matth., vi, 16-23. Offertory, Ps. xxix, 2.
Communion, Ps. i, 2-3.
The liturgical Lent does not begin until the first Ves
pers of the first Sunday, and from that time forth, until
Passion Week the Church introduces into the Office,
OBSERVANCES SPECIAL TO THOSE FOUR WEEKS I hymns,
responses, the invitatory of Matins, etc. ; from that
time also, on fast days, Vespers are said before
the principal meal. For this reason, in ancient litur
gical books we find the first Sunday of Lent indica
ted as the beginning of this holy season : initium seu
caput Quadragesima. The preceding days, therefore,
from the liturgical point of view, belong to the season
of Septuagesima which must last for three full weeks.
Towards the end of the sixth century, during the Pon
tificate of Saint Gregory the Great, in Rome, the Len
ten fast was observed every day of the week, except
Sunday. The fast began on the Monday immediately
after the first Sunday, thus leaving only thirty six days
intervening until Easter. Therefore, in order that the
full number of forty days might be observed, it was
decided to begin the fast on the preceding Wednesday
henceforth called in the rubric caput jejunii. Nothing
137
was changed in the liturgy, with the exception of a spe
cial Mass and Station appointed for the Thursday, Fri
day, and Saturday preceding the first Sunday of Lent.
We find in the documents of the eleventh and twelfth
centuries, that in remembrance of the penance imposed
on public sinners at the beginning of Lent, it was the
GENERAL CUSTOM TO GO TO CONFESSION on Tuesday,
the eve of the opening day of Lent. Thus this Tuesday
was named Confession Tuesday, or as we call it Shrove
Tuesday, from the word Shrive , to absolve from sin.
In the early ages, PUBLIC SINNERS WERE GIVEN THE
PENANCE which they were obliged to perform during
Lent ; they were excluded from certain offices of the
Church, and before they were dismissed, ashes were
sprinkled on their heads.
The ceremony of BLESSING AND DISTRIBUTING ASHES
dates from the twelfth century. In the eleventh century
at a Council held at Benevento at which Pope Urban II
presided, it was decreed that, at the beginning of Lent,
all the faithful, clergy and laity, men and women, should
attend to receive the blessed ashes. In Spain, however,
this ceremony was not carried out as long as the Moz-
arabic liturgy was observed. The Church of Milan re
tained the custom of giving ashes on Rogation Monday.
With these two exceptions, the ceremony soon became
general throughout the Church.
The Church, BY THIS CEREMONY, teaches all Christians
the NECESSITY OF DOING PENANCE. She reminds them
that they are but dust and ashes, both in their origin and
in the final stage in which every human life ends. Death
is the consequence and punishment of sin. The PRAYERS
AT THE BLESSING of the ashes express these sentiments,
but at the same time, they are very consoling, as they
intimate the generous pardon accorded by divine mercy.
-138-
In the Epistle which is taken from the Prophet Joel,
we are strongly urged to do sincere penance which must,
above all, be heartfelt and interior ; at the same time, it
sets before us the assured promise of pardon. During
Lent, we shall frequently meet with Epistles taken from
the Old Testament, in which these same sentiments are
expressed. The Gospel teaches us that the practice of
penance must by no means occasion sad or mournful
faces ; the change effected by penance, must be an
interior one. We must labour and suffer, not for
men, but for God.
The sung portions of the Mass urge us, above all
things, to have confidence in God who loves His crea
tures and has regard to their penance (!NTROIT and GRA
DUAL). Next, they inspire us to confusion and humility
which draw down the divine favour (TRACT). This
Tract which is a true prayer of supplication on the part
of the sinner, is repeated on the Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays of Lent. Finally, we are urged to praise
and meditation, the fruits of which are assured to us by
God Himself (OFFERTORY and COMMUNION).
In the Prayers of the Mass, the Church prays that
her children may have courage to undertake, and bring
to a happy termination, the labour of penance (COLLECT) .
She asks for them the spirit of sacrifice, by which they
will become worthy followers of the Divine Victim
(SECRET), and firmness of mind and intention which
will make their fast an act of gratitude, and a work
fruitful for salvation (POSTCOMMUNION).
In all the Masses proper to this season of Lent, the
Church adds a special prayer which is called : Prayer
OVER THE PEOPLE, Oratio super populum. This Prayer
immediately follows the Postcommunion. The deacon
(or in the absence of the deacon, the celebrant himself)
~ 139
invites the assistants to bow down, and then the
priest invokes, for all, the divine assistance in the
practice of penance and expiation. This same prayer
is afterwards recited at the Vespers of the Office, pro
per to the time.
In Rome, a STATIONAL CHURCH is assigned FOR EVERY
DAY, the Station and the fast forming two combined
practices. In ancient times, on every fast day, the faithful
assembled in a church previously appointed, and thence
they went in procession to one of the Roman basilicas
where the Pope himself celebrated Mass. On the first
day, this procession took place after the blessing and
giving of the ashes and before Mass. The Station was
held at the Church of St. Sabina, a noble Roman lady
who was converted by her slave with whom she suffer
ed martyrdom.
Although the liturgical Lent only begins on the first
Sunday, the Church has appointed a Station for each
of the four preceding days on which the fast is already
observed, and she adds to the Masses the special obser
vances of which we have just treated. But the cele
bration of Vespers before the principal meal does not
begin until Saturday.
140
CHAPTER IX
The three days between Ash- Wednesday
and the liturgical Lent.
THURSDAY : Station at Saint George. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, Ps. LIV, 17, 19 and 23. Epistle, Ps. xxxvni, 1-4.
Gradual, Ps. LIV, 23 and 19. Gospel, St. Matth., vm, 5-13.
Offertory, Ps. xxiv, 1-3. Communion, Ps. L, 21.
FRIDAY : Station at the Church of Saints John and Paul.
Sources of the liturgy: Introit, Ps. xxix, 11. Epistle, IS.,LVIII,
1-9. Gradual, Ps. xxvi, 4. Tract, Ps.cn, 10,andLxxvm,8-9.
Gospel, St. Matth., v, 43; vi, 1-4. Offertory, Ps. cxvm,
107. Communion, Ps. n, 11-12.
SATURDAY : Station at Saint Trypho. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, etc., as on Friday, the Tract is omitted. Epistle, is.,
LVIII, 9-14. Gospel, St. Mark, vi, 47-56.
The STATIONS and the MASSES for THE THURSDAYS
IN LENT are not so ancient as those for the other days.
In studying the liturgy of the Church of Rome, it has
been noticed that the appointment of the Stations
and Masses for Lent was made gradually.
In the beginning, a Station and special Mass were
appointed for the Wednesdays and Fridays, then the
Mondays were added. We find traces of this custom
in the Roman Missal in which it is only in the Mass
Proper to these days that the Tract, Domine, non secun-
dum, occurs. Soon afterwards, a special Mass was
appointed for the last four Saturdays of Lent, and later,
for the Tuesdays. Such was the liturgical Lent at the
close of the sixth century in the pontificate of Saint
Gregory the Great. It was not until the seventh cen
tury, in the reign of Pope Saint Gregory II. that a special
Mass was appointed for the Thursdays in Lent. The
Masses are composed of elements drawn from different
sources, as can be easily seen from the sung parts
which are taken chiefly from the Sundays after Pen
tecost. The lessons of these Masses have been adapted
to the threefold object with which the Church is pre
occupied during this season.
In the Mass of the Thursday immediately following
Ash Wednesday, the Church inspires her suffering children
with the most absolute confidence in the divine mercy
which saves and which heals. This is to be remarked
from the very beginning, in the sung parts of the Mass.
The Introit and Gradual testify that God listens
favourably to those who invoke Him and rely upon His
goodness, that He delivers and sustains them. The
words of the Offertory echo these sentiments, and
those of the Communion assure us that God accepts
all the offerings laid upon His altar. Then, the Col
lect, the Secret and Postcommunion teach us that
penance, united with that of Jesus, our Victim and
our Food, appeases the divine anger, turns away from
us the punishment due to our faults, advances and
perfects the work of our salvation.
The Epistle and Gospel of the Mass for this Thursday
also tend to inspire us with confidence in the divine mercy.
More than once, especially during Lent, we shall find an
harmonious agreement between the Epistle, which is
usually taken, during this season, from the Old Testa
ment, and the Gospel. Thus, in the Mass for this
5*
142
Thursday, the EPISTLE, taken from the Prophet
Isaias, tells us how King Ezechias, by his tears and
prayers, obtained an unexpected cure and the prolon
gation of his life. Saint Matthew, in the GOSPEL, rela
tes how the centurion, by his wonderful faith, obtained
the cure of his servant. Thus, from these teachings
we should draw the conclusion that to bring down
heaven s blessings on ourselves and on all our sinful
brethren, we must pray with confidence.
The STATION ON THIS THURSDAY is at the church
erected in honour of Saint George the Martyr, one of
those valiant Christian athletes proposed to us as our
protectors and models in our penitential combats.
In the MASS FOR THE FRIDAY after Ash Wednesday,
we are reminded of the practice of alms-giving, one of
the acts of fraternal charity, which is set before us
as a means of effecting our reconciliation with God,
when we have had the misfortune to offend Him. In
the Epistle, the Prophet Isaias gives us this lesson by
showing that alms-giving is the complement of prayer
and fasting. Our Lord, in the Gospel of this Mass,
teaches us that alms-giving, discreetly practised, should
be joined to prayer and charity for our enemies.
In the Prayers of this Mass, the Church asks that the
spirit of charity may animate all our exterior practices
of penance (COLLECT). Thus shall we obtain that all
our sacrifices and our offerings shall be favourably
accepted (SECRET), and that by our participation in the
same Bread of life, the Body of our Lord Jesus Christ
in holy Communion, we may all be made members
of one and the same family (POSTCOMMUNION). But
that this desire may be realized, God Himself must
blot out all the iniquities of the earth (ORATIO SUPER
POPULUM).
143 ^
On this Friday, the faithful in Rome are led by their
pastors to the BASILICA OF THE MARTYRS, SAINTS JOHN
AND PAUL, two brothers who faithfully practised the
virtue of charity towards the poor, the sick and the
pilgrims.
The sung parts of the Mass for this Friday are REPEATED
in the Mass of THE FOLLOWING DAY, a sure sign that
in the early ages, this Saturday had neither Mass nor
Station, and that later the sung parts of the Mass for
the day before were given to it. These are a homage
to God who, in His divine pity, hearkens to His chil
dren and comes to their assistance. We are beggars
and God wishes to give us alms (INTROIT) ; God Himself
deigns to assure us of a place in His abode (GRADUAL).
His word vivifies and enlightens us (OFFERTORY).
Hence, we should serve Him with fear and with joy
(COMMUNION).
In the lessons of the Mass for this Saturday, Jesus
Christ is set before us as the true source of light, of
fruitfulness, of peace and of happiness for the truly
docile soul (EPISTLE), as the pilot who protects the
vessel against the violence of the tempest, as the sove
reign Master who calms the disturbed waters, as the
physician who heals all maladies (GOSPEL).
In the prayers of the Mass for this Saturday, we ask
of God assistance, that we may generously fulfil the obli
gation of fasting (COLLECT). We appeal to Him to
accept our sacrifice in union with that of Jesus Christ
(SECRET) ; to make the Body and Blood of His divine
Son the constant Food of our souls (POSTCOMMUNION).
May we always eagerly seek the gifts of God, and may
our desires be realized in the certain possession of these
same gifts (ORATIO SUPER POPULUM).
When, later, a STATION was appointed for this Saturday,
it was fixed at the Basilica which enshrines the body
of the Martyr, Saint Trypho, another servant of God
who during his life devoted himself to relieving and con
soling the persecuted Christians.
CHAPTER X
The First Sunday of Lent,
Station at Saint John Lateran. Sources of the liturgy : Introit,
Ps. xc, 15-16. Epistle, II Cor.,vi, 1-10. Gradual and Tract,
Ps. xc, 11-12. Gospel, St. Matth., iv, 1-11. Offertory and
Communion, Ps. xc, 4-5.
The FIRST SUNDAY of Lent is ONE OF THE MOST SO
LEMN in the liturgical year. Like the first Sunday of
Advent, Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday, it gives
place to no Feast, not even that of the Patron saint, of
the titular, or of the dedication of a church. In Rome,
the Station is at the patriarchal Basilica of Saint John
Lateran, the mother and mistress of all the churches
in the whole world.
Because of the FIRST WORD OF THE INTROIT, this Sun
day is called InvocaUt, in the Latin Church. In the
Middle Ages, it was called Brand-Sunday because on
this day the young people, who had taken part in the
dissipation of the carnival, were obliged to appear in the
churches, carrying lighted torches, and to make public
reparation for their excesses. In the Greek Church,
145
it is called the Feast of Orthodoxy, because it marks
the anniversary of the restoration, in the ninth cen
tury, of the sacred images.
This first Sunday of Lent has the SPECIAL CHARAC
TERISTIC of being the inauguration of a period of con
flict and of the days of salvation.
In the Epistle for this Sunday the Church repeats
the words of Saint Paul, addressed to the Corinthians :
" Behold, now is the acceptable time : behold, now is
the day of salvation. " " It is true, " says Saint Leo,
" that we can at all times have recourse to the divine
mercy, but as Lent brings in its train the anniversary
of the blessed day on which we were redeemed it prompts,
us to practise all pious duties and thus to prepare
.ourselves, by purifying body and soul, the better to cele
brate the mysteries of the Passion of our divine Saviour. "
In the Gospel for this Sunday, we read how our Lord
was tempted by the devil. We learn, that before
triumphing over Satan and rejecting his treacherous
suggestions, our Lord fasted for forty days and forty
nights. Thus the Son of God is shown to us as the great
athlete who teaches us how to fight and to conquer.
From these two lessons, we draw the PRACTICAL CON
CLUSIONS that Jesus our Leader was the first to enter
the arena to FIGHT AGAINST SATAN, our treacherous enemy,
and He calls upon us all to follow Him. No doubt we
cannot do without food or drink, as He did, for forty
days, but according to our strength, we must observe
the laws of the Church regarding fasting and abstinence.
This is the first step to be taken to ensure success.
Our divine Lord wished to be tempted, to teach us
how we too shall be able to vanquish the devil, and
weaken the power of the evil spirit by overthrowing
him. Three times Satan tempted our Lord, and these
146 -
are the THREE CHIEF TEMPTATIONS to which we are
exposed by the triple concupiscence of our fallen nature,
which is the source of all the sins of mankind.
The first concupiscence within us is that of the flesh,
and by this name, must be understood that inordinate
love of the senses which desires all that gratifies the
flesh, all those things which but too often draw the
soul into sensual and unworthy pleasures. The second
is the concupiscence of the eyes, or the inordinate love
of earthly goods. Riches, rank, the good things of this
world at first shine so resplendently in our eyes, that we
are dazzled and deluded by the false glitter. Pride,
or the inordinate love of ourselves, is the third
concupiscence which Saint John calls the pride of life.
This passion springs from a vain complacency in
ourselves. It inspires man with a false confidence in
his own strength and in his own personal merit ; renders
him presumptuous by making him forget the gifts of
God, and leads him at the same time to be harsh and
pitiless towards his neighbour ; in a word, makes him
sacrifice everything for his own interests and his own
elevation above all other men.
Our DIVINE LORD TRIUMPHED over this threefold
concupiscence by His instant rejection of Satan s sug
gestions, and by a holy use of the inspired Word. He
endures a long fast and refuses to change the stones into
bread to satisfy His hunger ; He resists the temptation
to pride and presumption refusing to tempt Providence
by throwing Himself from the pinnacle of the temple,
trusting to the protection of the angels. He overcomes
the concupiscence of the eyes and rejects the shameful
proposals of the devil who promises Him, in return
for an act of adoration, all the kingdoms of the
world.
The sung parts of the Mass on this Sunday inspire
us with the sentiments of childlike trust in the divine
Providence so well expressed in the PSALM Qui habitat.
The devil had tried to pervert the meaning of this sa
cred song. The Church causes the whole of it to be
sung in the Tract which precedes the Gospel. She
takes the most striking passages in it to proclaim,
in the Gradual, the services the angels at God s order
render to us, in the Introit, the formal promise of the
Lord to come to our aid whenever we call upon Him,
and finally, in the Offertory and the Communion,
the divine protection invested, for us, with all the cha
racteristics of maternal care.
In the Collect, the Lenten fast is set before us as an
element of purification, the first step in the performance
of good works aided by the grace of God. In the Secret,
we are urged to regard the offering of the holy Sacrifice
as an act which detaches us from deadly pleasures. In
the Postcommunion, this same Sacrifice is shown to us
as the act which purifies, restores, and saves the soul,
stifled by the old leaven of sin.
148
CHAPTER XI
First Week in Lent. Liturgy for Monday,
Tuesday and Thursday in this first week.
MONDAY. Station at Saint Peter ad vincula. Sources of the
liturgy : Introit, Ps. cxxn, 2. Epistle, Ezechiel, xxxiv,
11-16. Gradual, Ps. LXXXIII, 10 and 9. Tract, Ps. en, 10
and LXXVIII, 8-9. Gospel, St. Matth., xxv, 31-46. Offer
tory, PS.CXVIII, 18 and. 3 Communion, St. Matth., xxv,40 and
34.
TUESDAY. Station at Church of Saint Anastasia. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXXXIX, 1-2. Epistle, Is. LV,
6-11. Gradual, Ps. CXL, 2. Gospel, St. Matth., xxi, 10-17.
Offertory, Ps. xxx, 15-16. Communion, Ps. iv, 1-2.
THURSDAY. Station, Saint Lawrence in Paneperna. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xcv, 6 and 1. Epistle, Ezechiel,
xvin, 1-9. Gradual, Ps. xvi, 8 and 2. Gospel, St. Matth., xv,
21-28. Offertory, Ps. xxxin, 8-9. Communion, St. John,
vi, 52.
The distinguishing characteristic of the first week
in Lent is that, in it, occur the spring Ember days 1 .
The liturgy of this first week, therefore, may be divided
into two parts, and we can study first the liturgy for
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
At the four seasons of the year, the STATION for the
Ember days is in the same churches : On Wednesday,
in Saint Mary Major; on Friday, in the church of the
Holy Apostles, and on Saturday, in Saint Peter s. In
the Advent and September Ember days, there is no Sta
tion for the other days of the week, as in Lent and at
Pentecost. By some sort of attraction the Station du-
1 See Chapter on Embei days, p. 58.
149
ring these two weeks is at the same Churches : on
Monday, at Saint Peter ad vincula, on Tuesday at
Saint Anastasia, on Thursday at Saint Lawrence (in
Paneperna, in Lent; Without the walls, in Whitsun
week).
The MASS FOR MONDAY brings before us the first stage
of the conversion of sinners, which is DELIVERANCE
FROM THE BONDS OF SIN. Sinners are poor stray sheep,
oppressed by the exactions of bad shepherds eager to
gratify themselves at the expense of the flock. Jesus
is the true Shepherd who conies to visit His sheep and
to burst their bonds (EPISTLE, taken from the Prophet
Ezechiel). The Church of the Station evokes the re
membrance of Saint Peter, freed from his chains. The
Oratio super populum teaches us that the chains, which
fettered the Apostle s hands, are symbolic of the bonds
of sin, and bids us pray that all sinners may see their
chains broken.
The Church draws sinners to enter on the second
stage of their conversion by urging them to the PER
FORMANCE OF GOOD WORKS which, to assure the heavenly
rewards, must be joined to faith. It is to this end that
the representation of the Last Judgment, in the Gospel
for the Mass of Monday, tends. Our Lord appears at
the end of time, no longer as the Shepherd, but as the Judge
of consciences. Hence the Church prays that converted
sinners may be diligent in meritorious works (COLLECT),
that by the offering of the divine Victim, their souls
may be wholly purified (SECRET), and that they may
experience the effective renewal, which is obtained by
participation in the divine Mysteries (POSTCOMMU-
NION). She enjoins also that, as servants keeping
their eyes fixed on their Master, we should expect from
the divine mercy the grace of pardon (!NTROIT and
150
GRADUAL) ; that we should beg for full understanding
of what He requires from us (OFFERTORY), and that at
the last day, He may fulfil in our regard His consoling
promises (COMMUNION).
The ROMAN STATION FOR TUESDAY is in the Church
of Saint Anastasia, the same basilica in which the Mass
at daybreak, on Christmas day, is celebrated. To-day,
the name of the holy martyr is a happy augury for the
new spiritual birth of repentant sinners, if they make
good use of the graces offered to them during this holy
season of Lent.
In the Epistle of the Mass for THIS DAY, the Church
exhorts sinners to make good use of these graces, by
recalling to them the exhortation of the Prophet Isaias :
" Seek ye the Lord, while He may be found, call upon
Him while He is near. " Again, in the Gospel they are
taught that God s patience, in the end, is exhausted,
and that it is terrible to incur His anger. Like the money
changers in the temple who were cast out, because of
their inordinate attachment to earthly goods, their co-
vetousness blinds them. It annoys them to hear
innocent voices rendering homage to the Son of
David.
In the sung parts of the Mass, the Church reminds
her children that God, their refuge, is the source of im
perishable riches (INTROIT) ; that their prayer should
ascend to Him, like sweet smelling incense (GRADUAL) ;
that in HAHI is our hope, for our lives are in His hands
(OFFERTORY) ; rtiat even in the midst of tribulation, He
gladdens the hearts of those who invoke Him (COM
MUNION). Hence the Church desires that all penitents
should offer their good resolutions to Him (COLLECT),
and that in Him, they should seek refuge from all
dangers (SECRET and POSTCOM-.MUNION). In the Oratio
super populum, she teaches us that public prayer to God
banishes sin from the bosom of the Church.
In the sung parts of the Mass for Thursday in the first
week of Lent, we are urged to be zealous in all our acts
of piety, whether to obtain forgiveness of our sins, or
to perform works pleasing to God. The ROMAN STA
TION for this day is at the Church dedicated to the
Martyr, Saint Lawrence, who is so great an example
of zeal in works of mercy. Having won the martyr s
palm, he now enjoys an everlasting reward. In
the Introit of the Mass, which is the same as on the
Martyr s Feast, homage is rendered to the munificence
of God who crowns the martyrs. God preserves and
protects those who suffer for justice sake (GRADUAL).
His angels guard those who fear Him (OFFERTORY).
He gives to them, as their food, the Body of His well-
beloved Son, who was sacrificed for the redemption
of the world (COMMUNION).
In the prayers of this Mass, we implore God to have
regard to our zeal in practising abstinence and mor
tification (COLLECT) ; to be pleased to accept the offer
ing of our penitential works in union with the adorable
sacrifice of the altar, and thus render them effectual for
our salvation (SECRET). In the Postcommunion? we
pray, that by truly participating in this divine Sacrifice,
we, here on earth, may be animated with renewed cour
age, and be prepared, each one of us, for our regene
ration in the life to come. The Oratio super populum
begs of God that all Christian people may have a
better knowledge of the truths of faith, and may learn
to love more and more the divine gifts, in which they
so frequently participate. In the Epistle of this day s
Mass the Prophet Ezechiel, inspired by God, tells us that
expiation for sin is wholly a personal matter, that every
152
man must bear his own sins and answer for them himself.
That we have saints amongst our ancestors will avail
us nothing, if we ourselves are unbelieving and trans
gress the divine commandments. However (and here
we find a contrast, as it were between the Epistle and
the Gospel), the prayer of intercession is all-powerful
with God. A touching proof of this is given in the
story of the Canaanite woman, related in the Gospel for
this day. It is for all Christians a pressing exhortation
to pray, during this holy season of Lent, for the lost
sheep of the house of Israel ; it impresses on us that
we should never despair of anyone s salvation, not
even of those whom God seems to have abandoned.
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CHAPTER XII
The First week of Lent : Ember Days.
The Stations for these three days are the same as for the Ad
vent Ember days. Sources of the liturgy :
WEDNESDAY. Introit, Ps. xxiv, 6 and 22. 1st. Lesson*
Exodus, xxiv, 12-18. 1st. Gradual, Ps. xxiv, 17-18. 2nd-
Lesson, III Kings, xix, 3-8. Tract, Ps. xxiv, 17-18.
Gospel, St. Matth., xn, 38-52. Offertory, Ps. cxvm, 47-
48. Communion, Ps. v, 2-3.
FRIDAY. Introit, Ps. xxiv, 17-18. Epistle, Ezechiel, xvm
20-28. Gradual, Ps. LXXXV, 2-6. Tract, Ps. en, 10 and
LXXVIII, 8-9. Gospel, St. John., v, 2-15. Offertory, Ps.
en, 1 and 5. Communion, Ps. vi, 11.
SATURDAY. Introit, Ps. LXXXVII, 3 and 2. 1st. Lesson, Deut.,
xxvi, 12-19. 1st. Gradual, Ps. LXXVIII, 9-10. 2nd. Lesson,
Deut., xi, 22-25. 2nd. Gradual, Ps. LXXXIII, 10 and 9.
3rd. Lesson, II Machabees, i, 23-28. 3rd. Gradual,
Ps. LXXXIX, 13 and 1. 4th. Lesson, Eccles., xxxvi, 1-10.
4th. Gradual, Ps. CXL, 2. 5th. Lesson and Hymn., Daniel, in,
49-51. Epistle, Thess, I, v, 14-23. Tract, Ps. cxvi. Gos
pel, as on following Sunday. Offertory, Ps. LXXXVII, 2-
3. Communion, Ps. vn, 2.
At the other seasons of the year, in the liturgy for the
Ember days, reference is made to the fruits of the
earth. No such reference occurs in the liturgy for
the Lenten Ember days, which is concerned wholly
with the Lenten fast, and in which we are URGED to
PRACTICE PENANCE, from this twofold motive : to offer
to God the first fruits of the season, and in expiation
and satisfaction for our past sins. To this end, the Prayers,
154
the Lessons and the sung parts of the Mass, are direc
ted during these three days.
On Wednesday, the Church, to encourage her children
to practise the Lenten penance and that of the Ember
days, reminds them of the fast of forty days observed
by Moses on Mount Sinai (FIRST LESSON, from the Book
of Exodus), and next, of the fast of Elias, for the same
number of days, on Mount Horeb (SECOND LESSON, from
the third Book of Kings). In the Gospel, we are re
minded of the penance done by the inhabitants of
Ninive, and the necessity of unceasing resistance to
the devil, for, driven awacy the first time, he returns
to attack the soul with redoubled strength and fury.
In the Prayers of the Mass for this Wednesday, the
Church proposes to us, at first, an appeal to the divine
clemency that we may be protected, by the hand of
the Most High, from the power of all our enemies
(COLLECT). In our name, she implores God to pardon
our sins and strengthen our inconstant hearts (SE
CRET). She invokes the Lord in our name, that our
souls may be purified and delivered from sin (POST-
COMMUNION). Looking to the future, she invites us to
pray for light that we may know what we should do, and
for strength to accomplish it (Oratio super populum).
The Introit, which we shall find repeated on the se
cond vSunday of Lent , is a prayer in which we ask
God to be mindful of His mercy and goodness. The
two Graduals express the increasing anguish, pain
and humiliation of the sinful soul, as it becomes
conscious of its sins. The Offertory expresses our reso
lution to meditate on the divine precepts, and to make
them the object of our affections. Finally, in the Com
munion, is repeated the cry of distress which the soul
sends forth to God, as the expression of her earnest prayer.
155
The first of the Graduals, the Offertory, and the Com
munion are repeated on the second Sunday of Lent, for
which in the early ages there was no special liturgy
appointed.
In the Epistle for the Mass of Friday, taken from
the Prophet Ezechiel, the Church describes the mercy
of God who does not desire the death of a sinner, but
that he may be converted and live. The Gospel, by
recalling to us how our Lord healed the sick man at
the pool called Probatica, confirms this consoling doc
trine. The thirty-eight years, during which the sick man
waited, symbolize the long periods of penance in which,
at times, it pleases God to detain sinners.
In the Prayers and sung- parts of the Mass for this
Friday in Ember week, the Church, bids us pray for
the grace of propitiation which encourages sinners and
excites them to do penance (COLLECT). In the Secret
she asks that our Lord would look favourably on our
offerings, which will render them worthy of Him.
Finally, in the Postcommunion she prays for the
grace of purification from our sins, which will be the
fulfilment of all our desires. In the Oratio super populum,
she prays that God may show mercy to His people,
and pour out upon them, in abundance, the benefit of
His light. The sung parts of the Mass also give
expression to the cry of a soul oppressed with misery,
and who, in the name of God s interests, implores
deliverance (INTROIT and GRADUAL) ; of a grateful
soul who thanks her deliverer (OFFERTORY), and who, in
her distress, asks for the humiliation and the chastise
ment of her enemies (COMMUNION).
In the MASS APPOINTED FOR THE Saturday of the Lent
en Ember days, there are six LESSONS before the Gos
pel. In early times there were twelve, hence this Sa-
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turday was called " Saturday of the twelve lessons ".
The first five, taken from the Old Testament, are each
followed by a Gradual and a Collect.
In the FIRST LESSON, a passage from Deuteronomy
gives the prayer which accompanied the offering of the
tithes and of the first fruits. To this prayer, another
for pardon and deliverance from sin is added, in the
Gradual and Collect which follow. In the SECOND LESSON,
another passage from Deuteronomy recalls the exhor
tation to obedience, given by Moses to the people of
God, and the reward promised to those who are faithful,
after which the Church implores God s protection for
her children, and especially, that they may be humble
in prosperity and strong in adversity. The THIRD LESSON
recalls how, in the time of Machabees, after the trials
and humiliations to which the people of God were sub
jected, the offering of prayer and sacrifice was resumed.
The Church also asks the Lord to have pity on the suf
ferings of sinners, whose sole refuge He is, and who
alone can deliver them. In the FOURTH LESSON, taken
from Ecclesiasticus, we have the prayer for the deliver
ance of Israel, after the return from captivity : may
the thought of God animate all our works as it sustains
all our prayers. In the FIFTH LESSON (the same for
all the Ember Saturdays), Daniel relates the miracle
of the saving of the three children, who were cast
into the fiery furnace. The lesson ends with their can
ticle of praise.
In the Epistle, the exhortations of Saint Paul to the
Thessalonians are addressed to the faithful of all times.,
The Apostle lays down the rules to be observed by souls
that are weak, anxious, or sick. He would have us
effect our sanctification by means of charity, prayer,
union with God, docility to the inspirations of His
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grace and of His spirit. The Gospel for this Saturday
relates the miracle of the transfiguration of our divine
Lord, which is an image of the change effected by
repentance and penance in our souls. This same Gospel
will be repeated in to-morrow s Mass. In early ages,
on account of the ordination ceremonies on Ember
Saturday and the consequent delay in the celebra
tion of Mass, the service did not end until late on
Saturday night : in consequence, the congregation did
not re-assemble on Sunday morning, and the same
Gospel instruction served for the two days.
The conclusion to be drawn from the prayers and
sung parts of the Mass for this Saturday is, that the Church
insists on prayer as a means of moving God to pardon
sinful souls. We have just had proof of this in the sung
parts and the Collects which follow the Lessons. We
find further confirmation of it in the first Collect,
the Secret and the Postcommunion. In the Collect,
the Church prays that God may turn away His wrath ;
in the Secret, that He may have regard to the penance
offered by sinners in union with the sacrifice of His
divine Son, in expiation of their sins; in the Post-
communion, that He may heal and strengthen weak
and ailing souls. In the Oratio super populum, she
prays that God s blessing, which we so ardently desire,
may keep our will in perfect submission to His.
The Basilica of Saint Mary Major has been chosen
for the STATION ON WEDNESDAY, because Mary is the
refuge of sinners and, during these days of penance,
willingly intercedes for them. ON FRIDAY, the STATION
is at the Basilica of the holy Apostles, thus recalling to
us that these privileged followers of our Lord were the
first official ministers of God s forgiveness in the Sacra
ment of Penance. Finally, the ORDINATION CEREMONIES
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on this Saturday of the Lenten Ember week, take
place IN SAINT PETER S, thus still more strongly accen
tuating the union with, and the complete dependence
of all the ministers of the altar on the Prince of the apostles,
to whom Jesus Christ gave the charge of feeding the
lambs and the sheep of His fold.
CHAPTER XIII
Second Sunday of Lent.
Station at Saint Mary in Dominica. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, Ps. xxiv, 6 and 22. Epistle, I Thessaionians,
iv, 1-7. Gradual, Ps. xxiv, 17-18. Tract, Ps. cv, 1-4.
Gospel, St. Matth., xvii, 1-9. Offertory, Ps. cxvin, 47-48.
Communion, Ps. v, 2-4.
In the time of Saint Gregory the Great, there was no
Station appointed for this Sunday, nor for the other
Sundays following Ember week. There was a vacancy
in the liturgy for these Sundays (hence the rubric, Domi
nica vacat), on account of the long fatiguing ceremonies
of the previous evening. Later, that is AFTER THE NINTH
CENTURY, A STATION was designated. This Station,
like that of the following Thursday, is made in some
Church dedicated to our Lady, in order to urge us to
place the work of our sanctification, at which we are
labouring in penance, under the protection of Mary.
159
The end at which the Church aims in the liturgy of
this Sunday is to strengthen her children to CONTINUE
IN THE WAY OF PENANCE into which she led them in
the first week of Lent. For this reason she insists on
the necessity of sanctifying our souls and of confidence
in Jesus Christ. We find the necessity of sanctif3 ing
our souls pointed out to us in the Epistle for this Sunday.
Saint Paul s exhortation to the Thessalonians is ad
dressed equally to all of us. We must please God, walk
always in His presence, and in this way labour each
day to make ourselves perfect and, consequently, strive
to suppress our evil inclinations. The Gospel for this
Sunday teaches us to place all our trust in Jesus Christ,
because He is truly God, and that if He has humbled
Himself even unto suffering and death for us, it is because
He would vivify our penance and render it fruitful.
The mystery of the TRANSFIGURATION, which is put before
us in this day s Gospel, allows us, for one moment, to
catch a glimpse of the divinity and glory of Jesus Christ,
and thus fortifies us against discouragement and fail
ure. This mystery also sustains us in the practice of
penance, for as our divine Lord, before attaining to
the manifestation of His glory, humbled Himself and
endured suffering, so Christians who are His disciples,
must imitate His fasting and His mortifications, before
they can attain to the joys of Easter.
In the Prayers of the Mass for this Sunday, the Church
prays, in our name, that we may be strengthened and
protected against our own weakness (COLLECT) ; that
we may advance by immolation and sacrifice (SECRET),
and may obtain the grace to be more faithful in the ser
vice of God (POSTCOMMUNION). The sung parts of the
Mass suggest to us reflections, analogous to those already
pointed out in the MASS FOR THE WEDNESDAY of the
160
preceding week ; remembrance of the divine mercy,
frequent meditation on the effects of this mercy, as a
means of increasing our confidence. The Tract, spe
cial to this Sunday, consists in the beginning of a psalm
in which the inspired singer, having pointed out the pre
varications of Israel, glorifies the mercies of the Lord.
It strengthens the confidence of the faithful in God and
in prayer, and inculcates thanksgiving.
CHAPTER XIV
Second Week of Lent, Liturgy for Monday,
Tuesday and Thursday in this week.
MONDAY. Station at Saint Clement s. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, Ps. xxv, 11-12. Epistle, Daniel, ix, 15-19. Gra
dual, Ps. LXIX, 6 and 3. Tract, Ps. en, 10 and LXXVIII,
8-9. Gospel, St. John, vin, 21-29. Offertory, Ps. xv, 7-8.
Communion, Ps. vnr, 2.
TUESDAY. Station at Saint Balbina. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, Ps. xxvi, 13-14 and 1. Epistle, III Kings, xvn,
8-16. Gradual, Ps. LIV, 23 and 19. Gospel, St. Matth., xxm,
1-12. Offertory, Ps. L, 3. Communion, Ps. ix, 2-3.
THURSDAY. Station at Santa Maria in Trastevere. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXIX, 2-3. Epistle, Jeremias, XVH,
5-10. Gradual, Ps. LXXVIII, 9-10. Gospel, St. Luke, xvi,
19-31. Offertory, Exodus, xxxn, 11, 13-14. Communion,
St. John, vi, 37.
On Monday in this second week of Lent, the Station
is at the Church of Saint Clement, Pope and Martyr :
on Tuesday, at the Church of Saint Balbina, a Virgin who
161
was cured and converted by Pope Alexander I ; on
Thursday, as we have already remarked, at one of the
churches dedicated to the Mother of God. These differ
ent Basilicas, in all ages, recall to the penitents that
their expiation assimilates them to the martyrs ; that
it conduces to the deliverance of their souls from sin,
and renders them pleasing to the Queen of Martyrs
whose sufferings for the salvation of men have sur
passed those of all creatures.
In the Epistle, the pra}^er of Daniel to appease the
anger of God and to obtain deliverance from captivity
teaches us the manner of prayer by which we can turn
aside God s wrath. In the passage from the Gospel
which forms a contrast to the Epistle, our Lord points
out to the Jews whither their obstinate unbelief and
impenitence will lead them. It now begins to become
clear to us that our Lord is the object of the malice of
the pharisees, whilst He desires to convert them that so
they may share in the mystery of the Redemption.
In the Prayers we ask God for the grace to avoid sin.
This avoidance of sin is a kind of spiritual fast, really
fruitful for those who by the bodily fast are expiating
the faults of their past lives (COLLECT). In the Secret
we implore the divine protection which has been assured
to us by that holy Victim from whom all expiation
derives its value, and in the Postcommunion we pray
for the remission of sins through the application of the
heavenly remedy. In the Oratio super populum, sup
plication is made to God to hear the prayers of His
people and to deign to fulfil their expectations by the
effusion of His wonted goodness.
In the Introit an appeal is made to the divine pity
which redeems the sinner and permits him to walk,
blessing God, in the straight way. In the Gradual
6 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal.
l62
a cry of distress is sent forth to God the deliverer ; in
the Offertory homage is rendered to the omnipotent
God who sustains His servants and in the Communion
we pray that God may be glorified by all His creatures.
The passage from the Book of Kings in the Epistle
for THE MASS of Tuesday gives us in the saving of the
widow of Sarephta from famine by Elias, an image of
the soul meeting its divine Saviour, and finding in Him
a refuge from the dangers of death. In the Gospel of
this Mass our Lord points out the impotence of the
doctors who glorify themselves in preaching, and He
teaches us that by humility alone can we be exalted.
The Prayers and sung parts of the Mass re-assert this
doctrine. In the Collect we are urged to invoke God
as the sole Master who teaches us what we must do, and
gives us the means of carrying out what He teaches.
In the Secret we learn that the holy Sacrifice of our
altars has the twofold effect of purifying us from our
sins and of enriching us with heavenly gifts. The Post-
communion shows us that we shall obtain this two-fold
benefit by obedience to the divine commandments.
In the Oratio super populum we are taught that the
perpetual source of true joy is to be found in the remedy
given to us for all spiritual evils. Therefore, following
the example of the Psalmist, we must seek God, asking
Him to look upon us with favour (!NTROIT). From this
same God let us ask in all confidence the food for which
our soul hungers (GRADUAL). In the Offertory we beg
God to have pity on us and blot out all our sins ; this
favour will excite within us sentiments of gratitude,
and will fill us with holy joy (COMMUNION).
In the Epistle of the MASS of THURSDAY, the Prophet
Jeremias draws a contrast between two men, one of
whom trusts in the arm of flesh, that is in human and
163
earthly consolation, whilst the other trusts in the Lord,
and places all his hope in the expectation of eternal
joys. This is an image of the two opposite kinds of
life between which we must choose. To aid us in choosing
wisely, the Gospel sets before us the wholly different
fate of the rich man and of Lazarus the beggar. The
first of these two men, a favourite of fortune here on
earth, ends by being damned, the second, left utterly
forsaken in his misery, receives as his share eternal
happiness.
In the Introit of this Mass, the Church bids the faithful
call upon God for help, for He alone, by His prompt
assistance can confound their enemies. In the Collect,
she prays in their name that the Lord may grant them
the help necessary to render their assiduous prayer and
fasting efficacious against the enemies of body and soul.
In the Gradual, she points out to them how God s
generosity in forgiving sinners procures His greater
glory. In the Offertory we learn how efficacious
was the prayer of Moses when he recalled to the Lord
the promises which He had made to the Patriarchs,
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the Secret teaches us
also how efficacious is our penance when sanctified
by being offered in union with the holy Sacrifice of the
altar. In the Communion and Postcommunion we
are reminded that by participating in the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ we obtain the enduring benefit
of His divine grace. Finally in the Oratio super po-
pulum the Church teaches us to ask God to bring
back to Him by the continuous outpouring of His
divine grace those souls who have gone astray, to
reinstate them and strengthen them in the possession
of true life.
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CHAPTER XV
Second Week of Lent. Liturgy of Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday in this second -week.
WEDNESDAY. Station at the Basilica of Saint Cecilia. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxxvn, 22-23. Epistle, Esther,
xm, 8-11, 15-17. Gradual, Ps. xxvn, 9 and 1. Tract, Ps.
en, 10; LXXVIII, 8-9. Gospel, St. Matth., xx, 17-28. Offer
tory, Ps. xxiv, 1-3. Communion, Ps. x, 8.
FRIDAY. Station at the Church of Saint Vitalis. Sources of
the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xvi, 15. Epistle, Genesis, xxxvn,
6-22. Gradual, Ps. cxix, 1-2. Tract, Ps. en, 10 and
LXXVIII, 8-9. Gospel, St. Matth., xxi, 37-46. Offertory,
Ps. xxxix, 14-15. Communion, Ps. xi, 8.
SATURDAY. Station at the Church of Ss. Marcellinus and Peter.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xvm, 8. Epistle, Gene
sis, xxvii, 6-40. Gradual, Ps. xci, 2-3. Gospel, St. Luke,
xv, 11-32. Offertory, Ps. xn, 4-5. Communion, St. Luke,
xv, 32.
In the Lessons of the Mass for Wednesday in this
second week of Lent, we are taught the conditions of
salvation for sinners. In the Epistle we read the prayer
of Mardochias on behalf of the Jewish people who were
threatened with death, and this prayer reminds us of
the part taken by Esther in the deliverance of her
people. The Gospel reminds us how our divine Saviour
Himself made known to His apostles His Passion
and Death as the necessary conditions for our sal
vation. The indiscreet interference of the mother of
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the sons of Zebedee clearly proves that the apostles
did not in the least understand the words of our Lord
who availed Himself of this incident to inculcate a
lesson of humility to those who were to continue His
work.
In the Collect of this Mass the Church implores
God to look favorably on the people who do penance,
that thus henceforth they may lead a holy life. In the
Secret she prays that the communion between God
and His creatures which results from the holy Sacrifice
of the altar may break the fetters of sin. In the Post-
communion, she prays that the receiving of holy Com
munion may procure for souls an increase of grace. In
the Oratio super populum, she prays that sinners may,
by walking in the right way, become steadfast in the
faith, and earnest in the practice of good works. The
sentiments expressed in the sung parts of this Mass
are : in the Introit the need which sinners should feel
of the ever present assistance of God who is no longer
mindful of His wrath because of their sins; in the Gra
dual, the conviction that God can and will really save
His chosen people, that is, all sinners whom He consents
to make His inheritance, and consequently, the Offer
tory expresses the most perfect confidence in the
efficacy of prayer, but, at the same time the Commu
nion declares that God is ever just in all His judg
ments and wishes us to return to the way of righteous
ness and holiness.
The Station FOR WEDNESDAY reminds us of an
illustrious Virgin Martyr belonging to one of the noble
Roman families. It pleased God to make this great
soul an instrument for the conversion of her fellow-
citizens. Her life is for us an example of purity, of
heroic courage, and at the same time, of apostolic zeal.
The Lessons IN THE MASS FOR Friday afford a
touching account of our Lord s part in the work of our
Redemption, and of the miserable part played by the
Jews who in the mysterious designs of God the Father
were blind to this work. The Epistle, taken from the
Book of Genesis, relates the history of Joseph who,
being sold by his brothers, was carried away for a time
from his loving father for the salvation of his family
and of his people. The Patriarch here is an image of
Jesus Christ whom God the Father, in His mercy
sent on earth, to suffer an ignominious death for the
salvation of all mankind. In the Gospel for this day
the parable of the wicked husbandmen reminds us of
the shameful behaviour of the Jews to our Lord who
came to them as the Son of the eternal Father.
In the Prayers and the sung- parts of the Mass ,
our attention is drawn to Jesus Christ who is the
victim for the expiation of our sins. Our loving
Saviour offers Himself to divine justice in the ardent
desire of procuring the glory of His Father (!NTROIT).
By this offering we obtain the grace of being purified
from our sins on condition that we unite our fasts
and our expiation to the sufferings of Jesus (COLLECT).
In the Gradual and the Offertory this same divine
Saviour implores the compassion and the help of His
Father that He may be delivered from the hands of His
enemies, whilst the Secret, Communion and Post-
communion, assure us that through His mediation
we shall be strengthened, assisted and protected in our
efforts to reach heaven. But in the Oratio super popu-
lum we are reminded that we too by our good works
must correspond to the advances which God makes
to us. For, true life is maintained and developed by
the works, often laborious, which God requires of us ;
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of this we have an example in the Martyr, Saint Vitalis,
in whose church the Station for this day takes place.
In the Epistle for the Mass of Saturday which is
taken from Genesis, we have the history of Esau and
Jacob. The latter represents the just in every age
who are heirs to the divine promises. Esau, on the other
hand, is an image of sinners who sell their right to the
heavenly inheritance for wretched and transitory
pleasures. On the second Sunday of Lent the Church
reads in the Office the history of Jacob receiving the
blessing of Isaac in the place of Esau, his first born.
The Gospel relates the parable of the prodigal son and
in this touching story gives sinners the strongest motive
for consolation, for they too can always obtain for
giveness, provided they cease to lead disorderly lives
and return to the Church which is the true home
of all Christians.
In the prayers of the Mass for this Saturday, the Church
asks in our name that God may grant us the grace of
profiting spiritually by our bodily fasts (COLLECT).
In the Secret she prays that whilst we expiate our
personal transgressions, we may have the grace to
avoid causing sin in others and in the Postcomxnunion
that our hearts may be filled with the outpouring of
the divine liberality. Finally, in the Oratio super popu-
lum, she prays that all those who trust wholly in the
divine assistance may be protected in every moment of
their lives. In the Introit homage is rendered to the
law of God which is wise, sanctifying, and fruitful. The
Gradual glorifies the goodness and the faithfulness of
the Lord. The Offertory is an appeal for light from
above, and the Communion is the expression of a gene
rous soul who is filled with joy at the conversion of
sinners.
i68
The STATION FOR SATURDAY inspires us with a senti
ment of ardent zeal for the conversion of sinners. Peter
and Marcellinus, Roman Martyrs, were worthy ministers
of the divine mercy and were chosen by God as His
instruments to deal with souls suffering from the devil s
persecution.
CHAPTER XVI
Third Sunday of Lent.
Station at the Church of Saint Lawrence outside the Walls.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxiv, 15-16. Epistle,
Ephes.,v, 1-9. Gradual, Ps. ix, 20 and 4. Tract, Ps. cxxn,
1-3. Gospel, St. Luke, xi, 14-28. Offertory, Ps. xvm, 9 and
12. Communion, Ps. LXXXIII, 4-5.
The importance of this Sunday from a liturgical
point of view is due to the name given it in ancient
documents. At present it draws its name Oculi from
the first word of the Introit in the same manner as
the other Sundays of Lent ; but formerly it was called
the Sunday of the scrutiny, because on this day began
the examination (scrutinium) of the catechumens who
were to receive Baptism on Easter Eve, or rather we
should say that on this day the examination was an
nounced for the following Wednesday.
The Station for this Sunday is in the church of Saint
Lawrence outside the Walls. No doubt, the motive
i6g
in choosing this church was to recall to the catechumens
and penitents the remembrance of one of the most
illustrious deacons of the Church of Rome. The deacon
(or rather the archdeacon, that is, the principal deacon)
had an important role to fill in this ceremony of the exa
mination. It was also necessary to show by an example
beyond all comparison, how hard were the sacrifices
exacted by the practice of the Christian faith.
It is chiefly in the Gospel that the lesson which the
Church wishes to teach is contained. She addresses
herself, as we have said, to the catechumens and the peni
tents. Our Lord casts out a devil from a man possessed,
who at the same time was stricken dumb. The effect
of Baptism is to deliver the soul from the power of the
devil. Jesus afterwards warned the witnesses of the
miracle, that the devil when driven out the first time
does not consider himself defeated, but returns to renew
the attack. This was also, a WARNING to the CATE
CHUMENS and PENITENTS that after they had received
the Sacraments for which they were preparing, they
must be always on their guard and ready for the
attacks of the devil.
The empire of Satan has been restricted by the virtue
of the Cross. The devil no longer exercises the same
influence over man s body, and in Christian countries
cases of possession are very much rarer. Baptism not
only purifies the soul from the stain of original sin, but
also frees it from the bondage of the devil. Sanctifying
grace preserves us in this state of spiritual freedom.
But mortal sin causes us to fall again into the power
of the devil, and it is this fatal relapse which is to be
feared. The Church, by reminding the faithful of the
devil s power and wrath intends, first of all, to excite in
the catechumens a great desire of Baptism, and then to
170
prepare us all against relapsing into sin after we have
expiated our past transgressions.
In his Epistle to the Ephesians, Saint Paul reminds
all Christians of the difference which must ever exist
between the children of light and the children of dark
ness ; the former must never adopt the opinions of
the world, use its language or imitate its actions. This
separation will be for them the best means of avoiding
the snares of the devil and of guarding against relapses.
In the Prayers of the Mass for THIS SUNDAY we are urged
to seek refuge in humble appeal to God as our defender
(COLLECT) ; in the offering of the holy Sacrifice of the
altar as the means by which we are purified from sin
(SECRET), and in receiving the Blessed Sacrament which
sanctifies our soul and removes from us all dangers
(POSTCOMMUNION) .
The sung parts of the Mass for this Sunday remind
us that in order to safeguard ourselves against relap
sing into sin, we must imitate the Psalmist whose eyes
were for -ever fixed upon the Lord (INTROIT) ; whose
trust in the Lord, no matter how great the assault,
was never shaken (GRADUAL) ; whose disposition with
regard to God was always that of a servant who before
he acts, awaits the expression of his master s wishes
(TRACT). We must also have an exalted idea of the
divine precepts, the observance of which will procure
for us joy and happiness (OFFERTORY). Finally we
must seek shelter in the temple of the Lord in the
shadow of His altar like the sparrow which finds shelter
beneath the roof (COMMUNION).
CHAPTER XVII
General considerations on the scrutinies or exam
inations instituted in ancient tirnes with refer
ence to the solemn administration of Baptism.
The expression, scrutiny (from the word scrutinize,
to examine), signifies here the EXAMINATION OF THE
CATECHUMENS chosen to receive Baptism on Holy Sa
turday. The faithful were invited to attend and to
render testimony in favour of these candidates for
entrance into the Christian army. Hence, the scrutiny
was announced beforehand, as well as the church chosen
for that Station. The catechumens themselves w r ere
summoned to assemble in the church where the pre
liminary ceremonies were carried out. In our day,
these ceremonies, somewhat simplified, are observed
in the solemn baptism of infants, and more elaborately
in the baptism of adults.
In certain churches there were as many as SEVEN
SCRUTINIES, usually, however, there were but five, carried
out at intervals arranged beforehand. These scrutinies
generally took place on the Wednesdays and Saturdays
of the last weeks in Lent. The first scrutiny took place
on the Wednesday of the third week in Lent, the second
on the Saturday following, and similarly for the other
weeks. The third scrutiny, which took place on the
Wednesday of the fourth week, was of greater importance
and was carried out with special ceremonies. In Rome
the scrutiny on Saturday, the eve of Palm Sunday,
172
was replaced by a general ordination at Saint John
Lateran s. The sixth scrutiny, which should have taken
place on that Saturday, was deferred until Wednesday
in Holy Week. The final scrutiny took place on Holy
Saturday, immediately before the administration of
Baptism.
If we except the first and the third, the SAME CERE
MONIES performed before the celebration of Mass were
observed AT ALL THE SCRUTINIES. A consultation with
the faithful regarding the candidates took place, an in
struction was given to the catechumens themselves, they
were questioned as to their religious belief, after which
followed the exorcisms and the symbolic giving of
salt.
The announcement of the scrutiny having been
made beforehand, that is, either on the third Sunday of
Lent, or the following day, together with the place
appointed for the Station, the scrutiny began with
the SOLEMN ADMISSION of the candidates. An acolyte
took the names of those who presented themselves with
the names of their god-fathers or god-mothers. Then
followed the ROLL-CALL and the placing of the candi
dates, the men on the right, the women on the left,
with each one s god-father or god-mother behind. Next
came the ceremonies common to all the scrutinies :
the breathing upon the candidates, the signing of the
candidates with the sign of the Cross, the exorcism,
the giving of salt.
These ceremonies were performed by a priest, and
are still carried out in the administration of solemn
Baptism. First there was the instruction and the exam
ination in the faith. The instruction was a familiar
and catechetical explanation of the Sacraments and
the necessary conditions for their reception. We have
173
still, as a model of the style of this teaching, the cate
chetical instructions of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem in the
fourth century.
The EXAMINATION of the candidates IN THE FAITH
consisted in questioning each one as to what be or she
believed. The catechumens, being as yet unable to
answer, the god-fathers or god-mothers did so in their
name. Then followed the BREATHING ON THE FACE
of the person to be baptized, the tracing of the sign of
the Cross in each one s forehead, and the first exorcism
of the devil under whose dominion all men are born.
By the tracing of the SIGN OF THE CROSS, the priest in
the name of Jesus Christ takes possession of the soul
for the first time. The extending of the priest s hand
and the recital of a prayer called exorcism are a clear
explanation of the two preceding acts. In the ancient
documents the prayer is called " Prayer by which a can
didate for Baptism becomes a catechumen ". Afterwards
the priest exorcised and blessed the salt, laying a pinch
of it on the catechumen s lips. We learn from the
words used by the priest in doing this that the salt is
symbolic of the wisdom which is necessary for the un
derstanding and practice of the precepts of salvation.
Finally the priest gave his blessing to the catechumens
who were now designated as the ELECT (electi), and they
went to the places assigned to them at the entrance to
the basilica.
From these places at the end of the church, they
heard the prayers said by the priest at the foot of
the altar. After the Collect and before the Lessons, a
deacon pronounced these words " let the catechumens
approach ", at which they all rose and again advanced
to the altar, men and women taking their places to the
right and to the left, as before. Here they awaited the
6*
174
pronouncing of the EXORCISMS. At the bidding of the
deacon, they knelt whilst the Pater nosier was recited,
and then, at a word from the subdeacon, stood up.
The flectamus genua and the levate in certain Masses
in the liturgical year are traces of this ancient ceremony.
Again at the deacon s order, the god-father or god
mother came forward, and traced the sign of the Cross
on the candidate s forehead, after which the formulas
of exorcism were pronounced over the candidates by
three acolytes (originally by three exorcists). Each
exorcism ended with a prayer said in silence, the deacon
giving the sign for the beginning and the end. Finally
the sign of the Cross made by the priest over the
candidates gave the signal for the Lessons of the Mass,
called the Mass of the catechumens, who, at the deacon s
order, left the church when the Lessons were ended.
During the remainder of the Mass, they were repre
sented in the congregation by their god-parents who
offered the oblation in then: name, and they were spe
cially named in the Memento for the living. During
the hanc igitur the names of the catechumens were
also mentioned with a prayer for their intention.
SPECIAL CEREMONIES were carried out at the THIRD
SCRUTINY.
After the exorcism pronounced in the first scrutiny
and the giving of the salt, Mass was continued in the
presence of the catechumens. There were two lessons,
one taken from Isaias, the other from Saint Paul, both
being suited to the ceremony. Then four deacons, each
carrying a book of the Gospels and accompanied as for
the singing of the Gospel, advanced to the sanctuary,
laying their books at the corners of a side altar. The
priest then addressed an ADMONITION to the neophytes,
and the first deacon READ THE BEGINNING OF THE GOSPEL
175
according to Saint Matthew, after which the priest ex
plained the symbolic characteristics of the first Evangelist*
This same rite was observed with regard to the other
three Evangelists whose Gospels were read in succession
by the second, the third and the fourth deacon. The
priest then gave an instruction on the Creed, read the
FORMULA OF THE PROFESSION OF FAITH, and then, by his
directions an acolyte gave to each of the electi, a writ
ten copy of this formula, either in Greek or in Latin,
according to the language spoken by the candidate. In
making the presentation the acolyte extended his hand
over the candidate s head. In a final discourse the
priest repeated in different terms the contents of the
Creed and directed that all should learn it by heart.
Finally, the TRADITION OF THE LORD S PRAYER took
place, a shorter ceremony than the preceding ones, during
which the priest enunciated and explained, one by one,
the petitions of the Pater noster. This triple Tradition
or handing over of the Gospels, of the Creed, and of the
Lord s Prayer was called the ceremony of the OPENING
OF THE EARS (in aurium apertionem, as we read in the
ancient documents). And the whole of the ceremonies
including the exorcisms were called the " great scrutiny ".
In treating of Holy Saturday we shall describe the
final scrutiny.
In all the following scrutinies, the breathing on the
face, the tracing of the sign of the Cross on the forehead,
the exorcisms and the giving of the salt were repeated.
In his instructions the priest dwelt on the truths of sal
vation, and gave full explanations of the Sacraments of
the Blessed Eucharist and Confirmation which the elect
were to receive immediately after Baptism.
176
CHAPTER XVIII
Third Week of Lent. Liturgy for Monday
and Tuesday in this week.
MONDAY. Station at Saint Mark. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, Ps. LV, 5. Epistle, IV Kings, v, 1-15. Gradual,
Ps. LV, 9 and 2. Tract, Ps. en, 10, and LXXVIII, 8-9. Gospel,
St. Luke, iv, 23-30. Offertory, Ps. LIV, 2-3. Communion,
Ps. xin, 7.
TUESDAY. Station at Saint Pudentiana. Sources of the
liturgy : Introit, Ps. xvi, 6 and 8. Epistle, IV Kings, iv,
1-7. Gradual, Ps. xvm, 13-14. Gospel, St. Matth., xvm,
15-22. Offertory, Ps. cxvn, 16-17. Communion, Ps. xiv, 1-2.
The ROMAN STATION FOR MONDAY in this third week
of Lent reminds us of the Evangelist, Saint Mark, in
whose honour a Pope of the same name built a church
in the Eternal City. The body of the Pope Saint
Mark rests in the Basilica.
In the Mass for this day A TWO-FOLD LESSON is given.
In the Epistle, taken from the fourth Book of Kings,
we have the account of the wonderful cure of Naaman
the leper, a vivid picture of the salutary bath of Bap
tism in which the souls of the catechumens, stained
with the leprosy of sin, would shortly be purified ; from
them also the Church requires the dispositions of faith,
docility and humble confidence. In ^the Gospel, the
faithful friends of Jesus Christ are warned to be on their
guard against pride, selfishness and narrow-mindedness.
The pharisees wished for a Messias who would be wholly
occupied with the restoration of the Jewish nation.
177
Our divine Lord made them understand that His mercy
knows no bounds ; this sufficed to excite their hatred
which drove .them at last to deicide. Let us learn from
this that it is not fitting that we dictate to God how
He should act, and let us pity His persecutors for whom
such a dreadful fate is reserved.
In the Introit and Gradual the Psalmist describes
the dispositions with which our Lord regarded the fate
prepared for Him by His enemies ; our divine Saviour
blesses the will of His eternal Father which imposed on
Him the bitter sufferings of Calvary, and declares His
determination to accomplish it and His unshaken confi
dence in the divine assistance. The Offertory expresses
an earnest supplication, and the Communion asks for
captive Israel the grace of salvation and deliverance.
In the Prayers of the Mass the Church asks in our
name that God may pour out upon us the grace which
will give to our fasts a medicinal virtue for the healing
of our souls (COLLECT) ; which will render our offerings
efficacious for salvation (SECRET), and by our worthy
reception of the divine Mysteries will procure for us the
grace of being purified from our sins (POSTCOMMUNION).
In the Oratio super popuhtm the Church prays that God
in His divine goodness may look upon us with favour
that thus we may be preserved from sin and assured
of salvation and deliverance.
The ROMAN STATION FOR TUESDAY is at the Church
of Saint Pudentiana, a Virgin martyr. A member of a
Roman family of senatorial rank, she devoted herself
to the pious duty of procuring Christian burial for the
sacred remains of the Martyrs. She herself obtained
the grace of shedding her blood for Jesus Christ.
The Lessons of the Mass for this day inculcate that in
order to obtain God s forgiveness for our sins, and that
-I 7 8-
He may be pleased to remit the punishment due to
them, we must assist our neighbour by our works of
charity. This is the lesson of the Epistle. The story
of the poor widow who not being able to pay her creditor
had recourse to the Prophet Elias, is really ours also.
The devil, because of our sins, claims what is most
precious to us our freedom. Insolvent debtors as
we are, we have but one means of discharging our debt :
to make use of the oil of charity and compassion so
wisely distributed by the ministers of the Church. This
same lesson is repeated still more plainly in the Gospel
where our Lord exhorts us to forgive injuries, and to set
no limit or restriction of any kind to our forgiveness.
In the sung parts of to-day s Mass we proclaim with
the Psalmist that God is ever ready to hear us ; that He
has made Himself our ever w r atchful guardian ; our pro
tector in every moment of our lives (!NTROIT). In the
Gradual we beg of Him to extend His forgiveness to
those sins which we ourselves have forgotten. In the
Offertory we render homage to His life-giving power,
and in the Communion we acknowledge the conditions
exacted by His sovereign justice from those who would
enter into His kingdom.
In the Prayers of this Mass, the Church supplicates
in our name that we may obtain grace to practice salu
tary abstinence (COLLECT) ; that the holy Sacrifice of
the altar may have for us and in us its full efficacy for
our salvation by preventing us from committing sin and
by guiding us to heaven (SECRET). In the Postcom-
munion the Church prays that our participation in the
Body and Blood of the divine Victim may be rendered
beneficial to us. Finally in the Oratio super fiopulum,
she begs that we may be assured of the protection of
God against the danger of committing sin in the future.
179
CHAPTER XIX
Wednesday in the third week of Lent.
Station at the Church of Saint Sixtus II. Sources of the li
turgy : Introit, Ps. xxx, 7-8. Epistle, Exodus, xx, 12-24.
Gradual, Ps. vi, 3-4. Tract, Ps. en, 10, and LXXVIII, 8-9.
Gospel, St. Matth., xv, 1-20. Offertory, Ps. cvm, 21.
Communion, Ps. xv, 10.
The ROMAN STATION FOR THIS WEDNESDAY is at the
church of Saint Sixtus II. This church was erected
towards the end of the third century on the Appian way
to receive the mortal remains of one of the Popes who
was martyred in the time of the persecution ordered by
Valerian.
The Lessons of this day s Mass would seem to have
been chosen with a view to the instruction of the cate
chumens. According to many liturgists a second scrutiny
took place on this day ; according to others, this was
the day of the first scrutiny for admission to Baptism
was held. Hence the Church placed before the future
Christians some of the precepts of the divine law which
all who would avoid sin and sanctify themselves must
observe.
The Epistle which is taken from the Book of Exodus
explains the precepts relating to the love of our neighbour.
If we do not make reparation for the wrong done to our
brethren, the Lord Himself will be their avenger. Then,
it renews the prohibition relating to the worship of
idols. To God alone must homage and sacrifice be of-
i8o
fered. We know that the law of the Gospel makes the
love of one s neighbour the distinctive mark of the true
disciples of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel we hear the
words of our Lord reproving the pharisees who had so
strangely distorted the law. He restores their real
meaning to the external prescriptions. They must be
neither exaggerated nor contemned. The pharisees
had multiplied them beyond all measure. Nevertheless,
in a spirit of obedience, we must observe the fasts and
abstinence which the Church prescribes in the name of
God. In the Prayers of this Mass we beg of God that
our fasts may help us to avoid sin, and may render the
Lord more propitious to us (COLLECT) ; that the offering
on the altar may remove from us all dangers (SECRET).
In the Postcommunion we pray that in our participa
tion of the Sacrament of the Eucharist we may find the
remedy for all our errors. In the Oratio super popu-
lum the Church asks that being protected by the Lord,
we may be delivered from all our misfortunes and serve
Him in peace and tranquility.
The sung 1 parts of the Mass confirm the teachings of
the Lessons. In the Introit we see that our support
and our joy is in the compassion of the Lord for those
who are humble ; in the Gradual we learn that in all
our maladies and extreme affliction God is our physi
cian ; in the Offertory that in the excess of His goodness
God Himself will be our deliverer. In the Communion,
we learn that He indeed wills to make known to us His
law, and that if He but deign to cast upon us one glance
we shall be filled with joy.
CHAPTER XX
Thursday in the third week of Lent.
Station at Saints Cosmas and Damian. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, Ps. LXXVII, 7. Epistle, Jeremias, vn, 1-7. Gradual,
Ps. CXLIV, 15-16. Gospel, St. Luke, iv, 38-44. Offertory,
Ps. cxxxvn, 7. Communion, Ps. cxvin, 4-5.
This Thursday marks the middle of the Lenten season,
hence the name given to it of the Mid-Lent Thursday.
The Church, on this occasion, allows her children some
manifestation of innocent joy. In our liturgical for
mulas, however, the expression of this joy is put off
until the following Sunday, called Lcetare, from the first
word of the Introit of the Mass.
The two Martyrs, Cosmas and Damian, having both
followed the medical profession, certain liturgists think
that their Church has been chosen as the STATION FOR
MID-LENT THURSDAY with the view of cheering
the faithful. The Church urges them to ask through
the intercession of these two Saints for strength and
constancy in the completion of the fast, now half ac
complished.
The Church would have her children in their practice
of the Lenten fast animated by the spirit of fervour
that thus they may observe the divine precepts in all
humility and charity. In the Epistle for this day s
Mass, by the mouth of Jeremias, she warns them
against the danger of making religion a matter of
purely material works. The Jews, proud of possessing
the temple of Jerusalem in which dwelt the Majesty
of God, for the most part limited their religion to an
empty respect for this holy house. This is, indeed, too
little, declares the Prophet. We must honour God in
all sincerity of heart. The Gospel for today s Mass
teaches us that our Lord became the physician of the
body in order to heal souls. He cured Saint Peter s
mother-in-law who was ill in bed of a high fever, and
He cured and delivered those possessed by the devil.
How numerous are those who are ill with burning
fever in the spiritual order ! Distracted by their pas
sions, they do not even feel their illness and do not
dream of asking to be healed. And yet Jesus is wait
ing for them, and wishes to cure them.
The sung parts of the Mass give us to understand
that Jesus claims for Himself the character of physician.
Thus, in the Introit. the Lord wills that we should lend
an attentive ear to His voice, for He is our salvation and
heals all our infirmities. With a bountiful hand He
gives at the right time the food suited to each one of
His creatures (GRADUAL), He supports the unsteady
steps of the traveller (OFFERTORY), and His prescriptions
indicate the road which leads to life (COMMUNION).
In the prayers of the Mass the Church asks in our name
and in the supposition that we look upon ourselves as
poor creatures who are sick. In the Collect after
having rendered homage to the Lord for the glorification
of His saints, she wishes us to thank Him for His
providential assistance. In the Secret, she would
have us regard the holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the
source whence the martyrs have drawn their courage.
In the Postcommunion we are to look upon the divine
Victim on our altars as the Author of our salvation. In
-i8 3 -
the Oratio super populum, she begs that by the heal
ing of poor sinners and their return to the service of
God, the number of the faithful may be increased.
CHAPTER XXI
Friday in the third, week of Lent.
Station at the Church of Saint Lawrence in Lucina. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXXXV, 17. Epistle, Numbers,
xx, 6-13. Gradual, Ps. xxvii, 7 and 1. Tract, Ps. en,
10 and LXXVIII, 8-9. Gospel, St. John, iv, 5-42. Offertory,
Ps. v, 3-4. Communion, St. John, iv, 13.
The STATION for this Friday takes place in the church
of Saint Lawrence in Lucina, one of the ancient sanctuaries
built in honour of the illustrious Roman deacon and in
which is preserved the gridiron, the instrument of his
torture. During these days of penance the Church
likes to place before her children the example of those
courageous combatants who fought for the faith unto
death.
The Church, ever keeping in view the instruction and
preparation of the catechumens for Baptism, lays stress
on the symbolism of the water.
In the Epistle we have the words of Moses describ
ing the sufferings of the Hebrews in the desert without
water. At God s command, Moses struck the rock with
-i8 4 -
his rod, and water gushed forth in abundance. The cate
chumens also are in a desert and on the border of the
Promised Land. This land is the Church whose children
they will shortly become. They eagerly desire to re
ceive the divine grace in the waters of Baptism, but
first the rock must be struck with the rod that the water
may spring forth. The rock, according to holy Scrip
ture, is Jesus Christ Himself whose sufferings on the tree
of the Cross caused the waters of grace to flow for the
sanctification of mankind. Thus to this source all those
sinners who enter on the hard way of penance will come
to draw grace. And like the woman of Samaria, they
must be made to know the mystery of the water which
flows for eternal life. Hence in the Gospel of this day s
Mass we have the story of the Samaritan woman: In it
we see Jesus, weary in the pursuit of the lost sheep,
Himself instructing this poor sinner, gently leading her
to confess her disorderly life, and exciting in her an
ardent desire to be purified in the waters of grace. After
having drunk at this life-giving source the woman of
Samaria becomes an apostle to lead her fellow-citizens
to our divine Saviour.
The two lessons, that of the Epistle, taken from the
Old Testament, and that of the Gospel, furnished by the
New, tend to the same end - - to excite in souls an
ardent desire for the grace which purifies, refreshes
and prepares those who receive it for the joys of eter
nal life.
The sung parts of the Mass also express this same idea
of regeneration by the waters of grace. In the Introit
the Psalmist asks of God that He would show him a sign
of His goodness ; he is poor and like the Israelites thirsting
in the desert. But God has heard his voice and has
helped him. The Psalmist, therefore, gains fresh vigour
- i8s-
to praise his God (GRADUAL). Having been justified
he will never cease to send up his prayer to heaven and
to quench his thirst at the source of life (OFFERTORY).
This regenerating water, according to the divine promises
is effective for eternal life (COMMUNION).
By the means which the Church indicates to us in her
formulas of prayer, she leads us to the source of life.
Fasting and avoidance of sin hold the first place (COL
LECT). The presentation of a spotless offering to God
induces Him to pour out upon us the saving waters
of grace (SECRET). The receiving of the Body and
Blood of Jesus Christ leads the soul to eternal life (POST-
COMMUNION). The assured confidence that God pro
tects them enables souls to overcome all the trials and
difficulties which would hinder them from arriving at
this source (Oratio super populum}.
CHAPTER XXII
Saturday in the third week of Lent.
Station at the Church of Saint Susanna. Sources of the li
turgy : Introit, Ps. v, 2-4. Epistle, Daniel, xm, 1-62.
Gradual, Ps. xxn, 4. Gospel, St. John, vm, 1-1 1 . Offertory,
Ps. cxvin, 133. Communion. St. John, vin, 10-11.
No doubt the choice of the church of Saint Susanna for
the STATION IN ROME was determined by the Lesson of
the Epistle in which the Church sets before her children
the example of the chaste Susanna, the daughter of
Helcias, who was saved from death by the wisdom of
the Prophet Daniel.
The LESSONS of this Mass are addressed specially TO
PENITENTS as v those of the Mass of yesterday had
reference to the catechumens. Penitent sinners must
return to the practice of justice, for God Himself espouses
the cause of the just that it may triumph. No matter
how great are their sins they must hope for pardon, for
the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ can wash away the
greatest crimes if they are sincerely repented of. These
instructions were also suited to the catechumens. Some
liturgists hold that the second scrutiny took place on
this day.
In recalling the history of the chaste Susanna (EPISTLE)
the Church at the same time urges upon her children
the practice of this virtue of chastity. This woman of
the Old Testament, unjustly accused of adultery, com
mitted her cause to God. Through the instrumentality
of the Prophet Daniel, God delivered her and avenged
her. This holy woman represents all those who suffer
persecution for justice sake. At the same time she sym
bolises the Church, ever persecuted and ever faithful
to the precepts of her divine Founder.
By placing before us in this day s Gospel our Lord s
treatment of the woman taken in adultery, the Church
re-awakens courage and confidence in the souls of the
greatest sinners. According to the Mosaic law this
woman who was really guilty should be stoned. But
our Lord in His mercy and wishing to save her, casts
the responsibility on her accusers themselves. "He that
is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her. Are they indeed themselves quite above all
reproach ? As for the guilty one she was saved on con-
-187-
dition of sinning no more. Thus, humble confession of
sin, sincere repentance, a firm resolution to lead a good
life God asks no more from the greatest sinners ; His
goodness will do the rest in restoring them to His
friendship.
The sentiments expressed in the sung parts of the Mass
correspond to the Lessons. The Introit is the beginning
of the prayer of the just man formulated in the fifth
Psalm. The Gradual expresses the trust of the faithful
sheep in the care of the good Shepherd. The Offertory
marks the attitude of the soul which, in order to escape
its enemies, places itself under the direction of God.
Lastly the Communion recalls the generous pardon which
our Lord granted to the woman taken in adultery.
In the prayers of the Mass the Church asks in our name
for grace to avoid sin and to lead a good life, a petition
suited equally to the just as to sinners (COLLECT). In
the Secret she asks for us that in virtue of the Sacrifice
offered on the altar we may be strengthened against our
own weakness, and in the Postcommunion, that we
may be ever faithful to the Church whose Head has
become the food of our souls. In the Oratio super po-
pulum she prays that we may be supported by the
divine assistance and ever walk in the footsteps of
our Shepherd.
188
CHAPTER XXIII
Fourth Sunday of Lent,
Station at the Church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem. Sources
of the liturgy: Introit, Is. LXVI, 10-1 1 and Ps. cxxi, 1. Epistle,
Gal., iv, 22-31. Gradual, Ps. cxxi, 1 and 7. Tract,
Ps. cxxiv, 1 and 2. Gospel, St. John, vr, 1-15. Offertory,
Ps. cxxxiv, 3-6. Communion, Ps. cxxi, 3-4.
The STATION OF THE FOURTH SUNDAY of Lent is held
in the church of the Holy Cross of Jerusalem, one of
the seven principal basilicas in Ronie. Erected in the
fourth century by Constantine, this church is also called
the Sessorian Basilica, because it occupies the site of the
villa of Sessorius. But after Saint Helena had given
to it the priceless treasure of the inscription which
Pilate had placed at the head of the Cross, and also a
large quantity of earth from Mount Calvary which she
caused to be transported to Rome, the basilica became
known only by the name of the Holy Cross. In these
gifts the faithful of Rome had a visible memorial of the
city in which Jesus Christ willed to die for our salvation.
The choice of this basilica for the Station of the fourth
Sunday of Lent is apparently due to the allusions in the
Epistle and sung parts of the Mass for this day.
This fourth Sunday is called Lcetare from the first
word of the Introit. Like the Gaudete of the third Sunday
of Advent, this word is an invitation to joy, and as in
the middle of Advent , o on this Sunday the Church allows
-i8 9 -
some of the signs by which she manifests her joy to
appear the use of the organ, the deacon s dalmatics
the sub-deacon s tunic and the rose-colored vestments,
which replace the purple ones.
These rose-coloured vestments may remind us, of the
blessing of the GOLDEN ROSE. This rose is blessed by
the Pope himself who during the Mass holds it in his
hand. The Holy Father afterwards sends this rose to
one of the Christian rulers as a reward for his devotion to
the Church. This golden rose is figurative of Jesus
Christ Who is called in the sacred Scriptures " the flower
of the root of Jesse ". He attracts souls to Him
self by the odour of His perfumes and the splendour of
His virtues. On account of this ceremony the fourth
Sunday of Lent is sometimes called the Sunday of the
Golden Rose. It is also called the Sunday of the Five
Loaves from the miracle recorded in the Gospel of the
day.
The Church REJOICES ON THIS SUNDAY because, Lent
being now more than half over, her children have as
cended the slope which inclines towards the end of the
Lenten term of trial, and because the anticipation of
Easter, now drawing near, should fill the hearts of the
faithful with happiness. The Epistle recalls to us the
figures of Hagar and Sara, the one a bond-woman, the
other free. The first represents the Jewish synagogue
subject "to the yoke of the Mosaic law ; the second re
presents the Church set free by the Gospel and rendered
fruitful by the labours of Jesus Christ. This freedom
and fruitfulness of the Church are for all her chil
dren a cause of rejoicing in the Lord. Another cause for
rejoicing is the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves
recorded in the Gospel. For our divine Saviour, by
thus manifesting His power and goodness, won the sym-
190
pathies of the multitude who wanted to proclaim Him
King.
From this miracle we also draw the consoling conclu
sion that in all the trials of life Providence never fails
us. Finally it is a touching figure of the miracle of
the blessed Eucharist by which our Lord ensures for us
to the end of time the gifts of His Body and of His
Blood as food and drink.
The Introit invites Jerusalem and all who love her
to rejoice. Jerusalem is here a figure of heaven into
which we hope one day to enter, there to drink in long
draughts of the inexhaustible cup of divine consola
tion. The Gradual invites us to repeat the canticles
of joy sung by the Jews, when in their pilgrimages of
obligation they drew near the holy City. Jerusalem or
heaven is the term to which our penance devoutly per
formed should lead us. It is, says the Tract, a cita
del into which those shall enter who trust in the Lord ;
the Lord Himself watches over it. The Offertory
tells us that this God is power and goodness itself, there
fore it is right and just to praise Him unceasingly. All
parts of the heavenly Jerusalem are strongly united ; all
tribes shall ascend thither to praise for ever the name
of the Lord. Thus we praise Him in the Communion.
The object of our prayers on this day is the divine
consolation which allows us to breathe a little after our
penitential labours (COLLECT). We implore that through
our offerings, we may be able to appease an angry God
and to progress in fervent devotion (SECRET). Finally
we beg that we may receive with holy dispositions the
heavenly food which will never be wanting to us (POST-
COMMUNION).
igi
CHAPTER XXIV
Monday and Tuesday in the fourth -week
of Lent.
MONDAY. Station at the Church of the Four Crowned Mar
tyrs. Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LIII, 3-4. Epistle,
III Kings, in, 16-18. Gradual, Ps. xxx, 3 and Ps. LXX,
1. Tract, Ps. en, 10 and LXXVIII, 8-9. Gospel, St. John, u,
13-25. Offertory, Ps. xcix, 1-2. Communion, Ps. xvm, 14.
TUESDAY. Station at the Church of Saint Lawrence in Da-
maso. Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LIV, 2-3. Epistle,
Exodus, xxxu, 7-14. Gradual, Ps. XLIII, 26 and 2. Gospel,
St. John, vii, 14-30. Offertory, xxxix, 2-4. Communion,
Ps. xix, 6.
The STATION for this day is at the Basilica of the
Four Crowned Martyrs, built over the tomb of these
martyrs whose names were for a long time unknown,
and who were distinguished by a crown as symbolic of
their triumph. The Church asks in our name that
through their intercession God may be pleased to accept
our fasts and penance.
The Epistle by recalling the judgment of Solomon
which made his wisdom so renowned amongst all men,
urges us to adore in Jesus Christ wisdom incarnate far
beyond the wisdom of the Son of David. The Gosp&l
reminds us of the opposition which Jesus encountered
when He drove the sellers out of the temple. The
Jews demanded of Him by what right He exercised this
power and what proof He could give of His mission.
192
Our Lord answered by predicting His own Resurrection.
This answer, sufficient for those of good will, only in
creased the anger of His enemies. Thus the train of
events was set in motion which would soon culminate
in the Passion, the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross
and the triumph which crowned it.
In the choice of the sung parts of this Mass it would
seem that the Church desires to recall to us the hatred to
which our Lord was exposed during the last period of His
earthly life. In the Introit, our divine Saviour, by
the voice of the Psalmist implores the assistance of His
eternal Father against the enemies who seek His life.
In the Gradual He asks God to be His protector, His
refuge, that His safety may be assured and His confidence
justified. In the Communion, speaking in the name of
sinners He appeals for indulgence and mercy. Never
theless, in His expiation the world will have cause to
rejoice, for it is a God who is about to mediate between
the guilty world and its angry judge (OFFERTORY).
In the Collect for the Mass on Monday we pray
that God may accept the homage which in soul and
in body we render to Him by our yearly penitential
exercises. In the Secret we beg that we may draw
from the oblation of the holy Sacrifice the true life
which knows no death, and the strength which never
fails. In the Postcommunion we pray that our use
of the Sacraments may be of profit to our eternal
salvation, the end for which they were instituted.
In the final prayer offered for the people the priest asks
that the prayer of all may be favourably received ; that
those to whom God has given the attraction for prayer
may derive from it strength and protection (Oratio super
populum) .
The STATION for Tuesday is at Saint Lawrence in
193
Damaso, a church which at one and the same time re
calls the memory of a great Pope and the supreme sacrifice
of a martyr specially venerated in Rome, where several
shrines were erected in his honour.
The passage from the Book of Exodus which serves
for the Epistle in this day s Mass, affords fresh proof
of the facility with which the Hebrews fell into idolatry.
Whilst Moses held converse with God on Mount Sinai,
they forgot themselves so far as to adore the golden
calf. In this same passage we see also how willingly
God pardons when in humble intercession He is remind
ed of His former promises. A happy omen for the
multitude of penitents whose salvation Christ will effect,
by renewing the drama of His sorrowful Passion.
The Gospel teaches us how far error and hatred can
lead the wicked. The Jews forgot all the benefits
they had received from our Lord, and would only re
member the violation of the Sabbath for which they
reproached Him bitterly. We see also how our Lord
invests His sacrifice with the characteristics of a volun
tarily accepted oblation. His hour had not yet come,
and so the hatred of His enemies in that hour was power
less against Him.
In the Introit, the Psalmist describes our Lord s
fear and agony at the approach of His Passion., Never
theless, in the Gradual, He implores in the name of
sinners the aid of the Most High, the wealth of pardon
so lavishly bestowed in former times. In the Offertory
the Psalmist tells us how God hearkens to those who
patiently expect and wait for the result of their repeated
prayers. He Himself places on their lips the praises
which are worthy of Him. Hence we have reason to
rejoice in the name of the Lord (COMMUNION).
The Collect urges us to pray that, as the fruit of the
7 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal.
i 9 4
Lenten observances, we may receive an increase of fer
vour and of confidence in the divine compassion which
is untiring. The Secret asks in our name that our souls
defiled by sin may be purified, so that thus sanctified
in our whole being we may take part in the offering of
the holy Sacrifice. In the Postcommunion we earnest
ly persist hi our prayers that God may grant us
the grace to be so wholly purified from sin as to merit
admittance into the kingdom of heaven. The FINAL
PRAYER invokes on all the people the divine compassion
by which we are enabled to bear the continual trial of
penance.
CHAPTER XXV
Wednesday in the fourth week of Lent.
Station at the basilica of Saint Paul without the Walls.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ezechiel, xxxvi, 23-26.
1st lesson, Ezechiel, xxxvi, 23-28. 1st Gradual, Ps. xxxin,
12 and 6. 2nd lesson, Is. i, 16-20. 2nd Gradual, Ps. xxxn,
12 and 6. Tract, Ps. en, 10 and LXXVIII, 8-9. Gospel,
St. John, ix, 1-38. Offertory, Ps. LXV, 8-9 and 20. Commu
nion, St. John, ix, 11.
The STATION for this Wednesday is at the Basilica of
Saint Paul without the Walls. Formerly, it was in this
church that the catechumens were assembled for the
- 195 -
great scrutiny *. The Church thus brought them some
distance from the city to the tomb of the great Apostle
of the Gentiles close to the spot where he had shed his
blood for the faith of Jesus Christ; she there taught
them the source whence, following his example, they
should draw the sanctifying waters of Christian doc
trine. She wishes also penitent sinners to come
there that near his tomb, they may draw strength and
confidence from him, who, by his own confession, before
he became a vessel of election, had been a blasphemer
and a persecutor.
Like the FIRST LESSON, the Introit is taken from the
Prophet Ezechiel. The Lord through His envoy says
to the nations : " I will sanctify my great name that
the gentiles may know that I am the Lord when I
shall be sanctified in you before their eyes And I will
pour upon you clean water and you shall be cleansed
from all your filthiness ; and I will give you a new heart,
and put a new spirit within you and you shall be my
people, and I will be your God. " In a few days, this
consoling promise would be fulfilled for the catechumens.
Thus the Church encouraged them in the work of pre
paration which she imposed on them. The SECOND
LESSON taken from Isaias is also an encouragement for
both penitents and catechumens. To obtain remis
sion of their sins they must amend their lives, and in
all their thoughts and aspirations they must have a
wholly different end in view to that which they have
had hitherto.
The first Collect teaches us the benefit of fasting as
a means of expiation, and the necessity of humble con
fession of our sins as a condition of forgiveness. The
1 See Chap. xvii.
196
first Gradual gives us in another form the promise
of God delivered by His prophet. With God we find
light, confidence, and salutary fear. The second
Collect urges us to practise both prayer and fasting ;
by restraining our earthly desires we shall more easily
attain to eternal happiness. The second Gradual
extols the happiness of those nations whose God has
deigned to choose them as His inheritance. The Word
of the Lord is a sure guarantee of the happiness which
He is preparing for us in heaven. The Tract which
follows the second Gradual reminds us of the humble,
earnest prayers for forgiveness which sinners should pour
forth to God. This same Tract is appointed for Mon
day, Wednesday and Friday during Lent, no doubt
because, at first these were the only days on which
Stations were held.
The passage from the Gospel in which Saint John
relates with very characteristic details the cure of the
man born blind, affords us a manifest proof of the di
vinity of Jesus Christ to which His enemies tried vainly
to close their eyes. Further, the Church chose it for
to-day s Gospel, because of its intimate relation to the
ceremony of the great scrutiny. In the ancient litur
gical books, this scrutiny is designated by the name of
the opening of the ears, apertio aurium, for which we
have already given the reason. Now our Lord in this
cure of the eyes of the body teaches us that He has
the same power over the eyes of the soul, and that He
is ready to exercise this power in favour of the cate
chumens, not only for the opening of their eyes, but to
prepare their other senses, or rather their whole being
for the outpouring of divine grace. Hence the Church
as a profession of faith in this divine power, repeats
in the Communion the characteristic words of the man
197 ~
born blind : " That man that is called Jesus, made clay
and anointed my eyes, and said to me : Go to the pool
of Siloe and wash. And I went, I washed, and I see. "
This is one of the happy occasions on which the Church
substitutes the words of the Gospel for a verse of some
psalm, as the antiphon of the Communion. We have
another example of this in the Communion of the Mass
for the following Friday.
In the Offertory the Psalmist calls upon all nations
to bless the Lord, because He listens favourably to
prayer, exercises His goodness and compassion, gives
life, and strengthens the steps of those that are weak ;
happy effects which at the end of Lent will be experienced
both by catechumens and penitents.
The Church in the Secret of this day s Mass reminds
her children that Jesus Christ by His Sacrifice procures
for us health of the body, and purifies our souls from the
stains of sin, the former resulting from the latter. In
the Postcommunion she prays that - God may grant
this two-fold benefit to all communicants.
The PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE by the words " pateant
aures " recalls to mind the ceremony of the opening
of the ears performed over the catechumens. In this
prayer we ask of God that He would deign to lend an
attentive ear to the earnest supplications of His child
ren ; that He would Himself inspire our petitions, and
thus be graciously disposed to grant them.
CHAPTER XXVI
Thursday and Friday in the fourth "week of Lent.
THURSDAY. Station at the Church of Saints Silvester and
Martin. Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. civ, 3-4. Epistle,
IV Kings, iv, 25-28. Gradual, Ps. LXXIII, 20-22. Gospel,
St. Luke, vn, 11-16. Offertory, Ps. LXIX, 2-4. Com
munion, Ps. LXX, 16-18.
FRIDAY. Station at the Church of Saint Eusebius. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xvm, 15. Epistle, III Kings, xvn,
17-24. Gradual, Ps. cxvn, 8-9. Tract, the same as on the
other Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays of Lent. Gospel,
St. John, xi, 1-45. Offertory, Ps. xvn, 28 and 32. Com
munion, St. John, xi, 33-35 and 43-44.
The STATION for these days is in two ancient churches
situated in the centre of Rome. On THURSDAY, it is
in the Church of Saints Silvester and Martin, called also
Saint Martin dei Monti. In the early ages under Cons-
tantine, Pope Saint Sylvester erected a church dedicated
to the blessed Virgin on ground belonging to a priest
named Equitius. Later Saint Symmachus built another
beside it which he dedicated to Saint Sylvester and Saint
Martin. When a Station was assigned to the Thursdays
in Lent, this last named church was chosen for it. On
FRIDAY the STATION is in the church of Saint Eusebius.
From the fourth century the faithful. were accustomed to
meet in this church.
Although the Mass for Friday is more ancient, yet
there is a similarity between the Lessons of the Epistle
199
and the Gospel for that day and those of the Mass for
Thursday. In the two Epistles we have the miracles
worked by the Prophets Eliseus and Elias respectively
in raising the dead to life, and in the Gospels are record
ed the raising of the widow s son and of Lazarus. But
it was only after repeated efforts and by force of prayer
that the Prophets performed the miracle, whilst in both
cases recorded in the Gospel, our divine Lord had but
to give the command t
In the Epistle for Thursday we read how after the
failure of his servant Giezi, the Prophet Eliseus raised
to life the son of the Sunamitess. Eliseus shut himself
into the room with the dead child, and having prayed
to God lay upon the corpse, shortening himself as it
were to the child s measurement, that he might bring
it back to life. He had given his staff to his servant
Giezi, and ordered him to touch the dead child with it,
but that did not suffice ; and now he himself was obliged
a second time to cover it with his own body. All these
circumstances are symbolic of the labours of penance
which sinners must undergo before the life of grace is
restored to them.
In contrast to the miracle recorded in the Epistle,
the Gospel sets before us how Jesus, meeting the funeral
procession at the city gate, raised to life the son of the
widow of Nairn. These mourners had no longer any
hope, their sole thought was to put away from mortal
eyes the remains of one whom they had dearly loved.
But our divine Lord had pity on the sorrowing mother,
and exercising His supreme power to which all things
are subject, He restored her son to life. Thus will He
act at the close of Lent when, by the ministry of His
priests, He will restore to penitent sinners the life of
grace, and give joy to their mother the Church.
200
The Introit for the Mass of Thursday calls on all
those who seek the Lord to rejoj.ce. The Gradual
asks of God that He would be mindful of his covenant
with regard to those that are in affliction, that their
poverty may be replaced by riches and that thus their
confusion may be turned into praise. The Offertory
is an urgent appeal from the man who is in affliction,
but who is filled with confidence in the divine assistance.
The Communion gives praise to God who is faithful,
and who will never forsake His own in their distress.
The Collect of this day s Mass is identical with the
second Collect in the Mass of the previous day. It
reminds us of the efficacy of fasting when united with
prayer. The Secret implores for sinners the grace of
being purified from their sins. Thus the entire Church
prays that those who are dead in sin may be restored
to life. The Postcommunion affirms the efficacy of
holy Communion for the health of soul and body; the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ procure for the soul
immortal life.
In the PRAYER said OVER THE PEOPLE, the Church
has in view the multitude of sinners who, because of
their sins, are in a state of death. She sees that God
continues to watch over them, that He leads them into
the way of penance and expiation. She prays that
now He may deign to deliver them from sin and to pre
serve them from relapsing into it.
In the Epistle of the Mass of Friday we read how the
Prophet Elias raised another child to life. On this
occasion the Prophet did not anticipate the mother s
wish. He waited until she appealed to him, and allowed
her to make him, so to say, responsible for her son s
death. Why could not Elias have anticipated death,
and have arrived sooner to cure the sick child ?
201
Then the Prophet acted as did later his disciple
Eliseus under the same circumstances ; by repeated efforts
and prayers, he obtained from God the miracle which
was asked of him.
In the Gospel narrative we find some circumstances
analogous to those of the miracle wrought by Elias.
We hear the sister of the dead man and the Jews them
selves reproaching our Lord, very much in the same
way as the dead child s mother reproached Elias. Could
he not by hurrying a little have come in time to cure the
sick man ? But our Lord Himself gives the reason for
His intentional delay. He would by this tremendous
miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead give the people
an overwhelming proof of His divinity that thus they
might be led to believe in Him. The Church recalls
to mind this miracle on the eve of Passiontide, to impress
upon us that we must not be scandalised when we behold
the shame, the trials, the sufferings endured by our
Lord on Calvary.
The sung parts of the Mass on this Friday teach us
ever to keep ourselves in the presence of God and to
trust in Him for He is our helper and our Redeemer
(INTROIT). The Gradual exhorts us to rely upon God
alone, and not upon the great ones of the earth. In
the Offertory the Church urges us to practise humi
lity which is the great means of drawing down upon us
the graces of salvation. Finally, in the Communion,
the Church shows us the infinite tenderness of Jesus
who before He heals our miseries weeps over them.
In the Prayers of this Mass we render homage to the
Lord who deigns to renew the world by unspeakable
mysteries, and we pray Him to pour out upon His Church
the grace for her temporal and eternal welfare (COL
LECT). In the Secret we beseech of God by the vir-
202
tue of the holy Sacrifice that we may be purified from
sin, and that His wrath may be appeased. Finally,
in the Postcommunion we pray that by participation
in the Blessed Eucharist we may be delivered from
our faults and preserved from all that is hurtful to
our souls. The end and aim of the PRAYER said OVER
THE PEOPLE is to obtain for us the knowledge of our own
weakness, confidence in the divine power and that joy
which is the gift of God s loving-kindness.
CHAPTER XXVII
Saturday of the fourth week of Lent.
Station at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Carcere. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Is. LV, 1 and Ps. LXXVII, 1. Epistle,
Is. XLIX, 8-15. Gradual, Ps. ix, 19, 22 and 23. Gospel, St.
John, viii, 12-20. Offertory, Ps. xvn, 3. Communion, Ps.
xxri, 1-2.
The Roman STATION for this day is at the Church of
Saint Nicholas in Carcere. In the crypt of this church
are to be found some memorials of pagan Rome. The
crypt is divided into two caverns, in each of which are
two rows of dungeons, hence the designation, in carcere.
Perhaps this church was chosen for the Station, to
bring before the catechumens and the penitents the
sad spiritual state to which sin had reduced the pagans,
203
and to make them more ardently desire the deliverance
foretold in the Epistle for this day.
This Saturday is called Sitientes, from the first word
of the Introit, and also because the Church, knowing
how eagerly the catechumens- long for Baptism, allows
them to look forward to the happy day when the
divine Shepherd will give them to drink of the waters
of His grace. For the penitents, still held by the
bonds of sin, the hour of deliverance draws near, when
they too will be permitted to quench their thirst. In
former times a scrutiny was held on this day and the
Mass that followed it was full of allusions, which it
still retains, to the ceremony of solemn baptism.
In the Introit and the Epistle which are taken from
two different passages in the prophecy of Isaias, the
waters of baptism are represented as a spring at which
the soul may quench its thirst; at which it will find the
words of Jesus to the Samaritan woman fulfilled in
itself " he that shall drink of the water that I will give
him, shall not thirst for ever ". The meaning of this
promise is that the soul freed from the bondage of sin,
and filled with divine grace, experiences such joy that
it for ever loathes the vain pleasures of the world. This
grace God offers to all the erring whom He deigns to
treat as His children ; how inexhaustible are these
waters of which all may drink without stint.
In the Gradual of the Mass we praise the Lord for
being the refuge of those that are forsaken. If at times
He withdraws and seems to pay no attention to those
in distress, it is because their pride obliges Him, so to
speak, to remain at a distance. But He is ever mindful
of the humble.
In the Gospel of this day s Mass we read the solemn
affirmation of Jesus " I am, " he says " the light of the
204
world ". As God, He has created all the heavenly bodies,
and His truth enlightens the understanding. The errors
of the pharisees prevented them from seeing this light,
and they rejected our Lord s testimony as to His divine
mission. They wanted to gratify their hatred of Him,
but the moment ordained in the divine decrees when
Jesus Christ should be offered a bleeding victim, had not
yet come.
The Offertory and the Communion of the Mass
inspire the faithful with confidence in our divine Saviour.
As God made Man He governs the wills of all and
strengthens and delivers those who place themselves
under His guidance (OFFERTORY). With Him as our
ruler all our wants shall be supplied and every soul whom
God as a good shepherd takes under His care, shall be
nourished and refreshed (COMMUNION).
In the Collect the Church asks in our name that our
fasts may be rendered efficacious. In reality, it is
through His grace alone that they will be accepted by
the Lord, and thus be made profitable to us. In the
Secret we implore of God that His anger may be appeased
by our offerings, and that He would subject to
Himself our rebellious wills. In the POSTCOMMUNION
we beg Him to give to our works that purity of inten
tion which will render them perfect and pleasing in His
sight.
In the PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE we are told that God
is more willing to exercise His mercy than His justice
towards those souls that trust in Him ; consequently
if we would enjoy divine consolation, we must beg of
the Lord the grace to weep for our sins.
205
CHAPTER XXVIII
Passiontide.
Characteristics of the last fifteen days. During the
first fifteen days of the Lenten Season, the Church re
minded her children of the necessity of doing penance
for their sins. This is indeed, she told them with the
Apostle, an acceptable time, a time of salvation. During
the third and fourth weeks she exhorted them to prac
tise virtue in order to guard against relapsing into sin,
offering to them as a model of chastity the Patriarch
Joseph, and as a model of temperance, Moses the
lawgiver. During the last fifteen days she urges us to
meditate on the great mysteries of our Lord s Passion
and death, asking us to unite ourselves with the suf
ferings of Jesus that hereafter we may partake of the
glory of His Resurrection. Those who do this, says Saint
Leo, may await with assured confidence the unalloyed
bliss promised to those who take a real part in the sor
rows and the Passion of the Man-God. Moreover,
meditation on the Passion is the most efficacious means
of restraining us from sin.
In the liturgy the first Sunday of these last fifteen
days is called Passion Sunday, because it inaugurates
the time during which the Church more particularly com
memorates our Lord s Passion. It is also called Judica
Sunday from the first word of the Introit of the Mass,
whilst because of the first Responsory in the Office the
title : Isti sunt dies is applied to it. Sometimes it
7*
206
is called Repositus (abbreviated to repus) which is equi
valent to the word, absconditus (hidden).
The reason for this last name is to be found in the
practice of VEILING THE CRUCIFIXES and HOLY IMAGES
during these last fifteen days. This practice represents
our Lord hiding Himself from the fury of His enemies,
as is recorded at the end of the Gospel for this Sunday.
In ancient times it was whilst the deacon chanted these
words at the Mass that the crucifix was veiled ; in these
days the veiling takes place at the first Vespers of Pas
sion Sunday. For this practice of veiling the cross, the
liturgists of the middle ages gave another and more mys
tical reason. It was done, they said, because during
this time our Lord veiled His divinity, allowed Himself
to be seized, tortured, scourged, and his face to be cov
ered, as if He were but a mere man, and a criminal
as well. The pictures and statues of the saints are
veiled also, because the liturgists tell us that it is not
becoming that the servants should appear in glory and
splendour, whilst the Master is veiled, disfigured, and
treated ignominously for the sins of the world.
Other signs of sorrow. The Church omits the Gloria
Patri at the end of the Psalms recited in the Mass, and
also the Psalm Judica me in the prayers said by the priest
at the foot of the altar. In the Office, the doxology,
Gloria Patri, retained at the end of the Psalms up to
Wednesday, is now omitted at the end of the Res-
ponsories. In this manner the Church shows her pro
found sorrow at the thought of the treacherous plots
designed by the Jews against her adorable leader. Next,
she reads to us extracts from the Prophet Jeremias, one
of the great figures of Jesus Christ in His sufferings.
The Hymns at Vespers, Matins and Lauds, composed
towards the end of the sixth century by Venantius For-
207
tuiatus summon us to the foot of the Cross of Jesus to
adore the divine Victim, and to retrace in memory the
sufferings of our crucified God. The Responsories echo
the lamentations of Jesus formulated ages before in
the Psalms. The antiphons are a judicious mingling of
verses from the psalms and prophetic sayings of Jeremias.
The different Capitula are taken from this same Prophet
who inspired by the Holy Ghost described beforehand
in such mournful accents the history of the Passion.
The Eastern Church in the Offices for this time,
makes numerous allusions to the illustrious penitent,
Saint Mary of Egypt, and strongly urges reluctant
sinners, to follow her example and enter into the
way of repentance. With the same intention she
reads on Passion Sunday and during the following
week, the parable of the wicked rich man. We however
have this parable on the Thursday of the second week
in Lent. (See Chap, xvi, p. 169.)
208
CHAPTER XXIX
Passion Sunday.
Station at Saint Peter s. Sources of the liturgy ; Introit,
Ps. XLII, 12. Epistle, Heb., ix, 11-15. Gradual, Ps. CXLII,
9-10, and Ps. xvn, 48-49. Tract, Ps. cxxvin, 1-4. Gospel,
St. John, vin, 46-59. Offertory, Ps. cxvm, 17 and 107.
Communion, I Corinthians, xi, 24-25.
The STATIONAL CHURCH for PASSION SUNDAY is at
the Major Basilica of Saint Peter. By leading the
faithful to the tomb of the Prince of the apostles the
Church very clearly indicates the liturgical importance
of this Sunday ; it is thus privileged for the same reason
as in the case of the first Sundays of Lent and Advent,
the Stations of which are also at the Major Basilicas.
The Introit for the Mass of this Sunday is taken
from the beginning of Psalm XLII. Our Lord makes
use of the words of the Psalmist as if, anticipating the
judgment of men, He appeals from it to that of His
eternal Father. Thus, on the one hand the Church,
on this Sunday, orders this Psalm to be sung by the choir,
whilst on the other during the whole of Passiontide she
ordains its omission by the priest at the beginning of
Mass. The reason of this suppression is that the Church
considers the sentiments of joy which the priest expresses
as he is about to ascend the altar, are no longer suitable
on the eve of the mournful anniversary of Calvary. For
the same reason in Masses for the dead, this Psalm is
also omitted.
^_ 209
In the Epistle commonly ascribed to the great Apostle,
amongst other points of doctrine, the thesis of the re
demption of mankind by the shedding of blood is set
forth. Only at this price could man be redeemed.
It is by the death of his deliverer that he will be restored
to the life of grace. For this shedding of blood the chief
reasons are : 1st. the sinner by his sin willed to do away
with God, therefore, he deserves in his turn to be de
stroyed by divine justice which demands his blood; 2nd.
God has formally declared this in the Old Law, in which
He prescribed the shedding of the blood of the goat or
calf offered in sacrifice to Him, and He commanded that
once a year the High Priest should present himself in
the Holy of holies with his hands stained with the blood
of the victims. The blood shed for the salvation of
the world must be the blood of a God. Undoubtedly
every man, as the punishment due to his sins, must
suffer death, but this loss of life does not suffice to
satisfy divine justice nor to atone for an infinite offence.
The Man-God by His death could alone, pay our
debt.
In the Gospel for this day Jesus affirms His perfect
sinlessness. This assertion increased the fury and hatred
of the Jews. They accused Him of blasphemy and wanted
to stone Him. Before long Caiphas the high-priest
will repeat this accusation. Thus the storm gathers which
in a few days will culminate in the deicide.
Jesus hid from the wrath of His enemies not because
He feared death, but to await the day and the hour ap
pointed by His heavenly Father. By allowing them to
bind His hands, to lead Him before the different tribu
nals, and finally to nail Him to the Cross, He would
show us that His sacrifice was entirely voluntary.
The Collect implores the Lord to look favorably
2IO
upon His family, that is the Church, now when in the per
son of her Head she is about to be tried ; through the
protection of the Most High alone can she be preserved
and guided. In the offering of the holy Sacrifice, the
Secret shows us the great means of breaking the bonds
of sin, and of opening to sinners the treasures of the
divine mercy. The Postcommunion tells us that those
whom God sustains with the adorable Body of His
divine Son are assured of always receiving help.
The Gradual fixes our thoughts upon the divine
Victim who desired that the bitter chalice might be
removed from Him, but who would before all do the
will of His Father. The Tract causes the sound of
the blows which fell on our divine Lord s sacred shoul
ders in His scourging to resound, so to speak, in our
ears. The Offertory urges us to regard the Passion
of our blessed Saviour, as an homage rendered to divine
justice; as an abundant source of life for repentant sinners
to whom God has promised pardon. The Communion
recalls to us how our Lord instituted the Blessed
Eucharist on the night before His death in order that
the whole fruit of His bitter Passion might be applied
to us.
211
CHAPTER XXX
Monday and Tuesday in Passion Week.
MONDAY. Station at the Church of Saint Chrysogonus.
Sources of the liturgy: Introit, Ps. LV, 2-3. Epistle, Jonas, m
1-10. Gradual, Ps. LIII, 4 and 3. Tract, as on the other
Ferias in Lent. Gospel, St.John, vn, 33-39. Offertory, Ps.vi,
5. Communion, Ps. xxm, 10.
TUESDAY. Station at the Church of Saint Cyriacus. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxvi, 14 and 1. Epistle, Daniel,
xiv, 27-42. Gradual, Ps. XLII, 1 and 3. Gospel, St. John, vn,
1-13. Offertory, Ps. ix, 11-13. Communion, Ps. xxiv, 22.
The STATION is in the church of Saint Chrysogonus,
situated in the region beyond the Tiber. This church
was already in existence as titulus before the fifth century;
in it is venerated the head of the glorious martyr whose
name is inscribed in the Canon of the Mass.
The Lessons in the Mass of this day urgently solicit,
and as it were, make an urgent and final appeal to sinners.
They are specially addressed to those upon whom the
exhortations given in the first weeks of Lent have had
no effect. The Prophet Jonas, from whose writings
the Epistle is taken, himself relates how, at God s com
mand, he preached penance to the inhabitants of Ninive.
The Lord had pity on this people because they heard
the voice of His envoy and obeyed it with docility. Our
Lord Himself tells us that on the last day the Ninivites
will be a witness against the Jews who remained
deaf to the voice of the Messias.
212
The Gospel records the terrible predictions of our di
vine Lord concerning the Jews who later will seek Him
and shall not find Him. It is time for the true disciples,
if they really thirst after justice and truth, to approach
the divine Master. He is prepared to pour out upon
their souls the life-giving waters of grace.
In the Collect the Church prays that the Lord may
give to the fast of her children sanctifying efficacy, and
grant to all sinners full pardon. In the Secret she
begs that God, having regard to the divine Victim
offered to Him, may deign to effect the purification
of souls. In the Postcommunion she asks that through
the receiving of the adorable Sacrament of the altar
all may be restored to health of soul.
In the sung parts of the Mass, the passages from the
psalms echo for us the dispositions of our Lord as the
time of His bitter Passion drew near. Whilst His per
secutors are preparing to strike Him, He appeals to
His heavenly Father s compassion (INTROIT), He in
vokes the divine assistance which will deliver Him
from danger (GRADUAL). In the Offertory He prays
the Lord to turn and to deliver Him ; and in the
Communion He renders homage to the power of the Lord,
He is indeed the King of glory. Let us observe that
in these circumstances our Lord puts Himself in the place
of sinners, as if He alone were the debtor to the justice
of God. He takes upon Himself all our sins, our
miseries, our weaknesses, in order to blot them out, to
comfort and to strengthen us.
In the PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE the priest implores
of God the grace of salvation and strength, for all the
faithful that they may henceforth apply themselves
to good works, and thus procure the protection of
heaven.
213
In early times the Roman STATION for the TUESDAY
IN PASSION week was at the church of Saint Cyriacus,
but this sanctuary is no longer in existence. The Sta
tion is now at the church of Sancta Maria in via lata,
built, it seems, on the spot where was formerly the prison
of Saint Paul. In this prison for two years the great
Apostle was kept a prisoner, but strengthened by God,
amidst all his trials, he was able to advance the cause of
Jesus Christ, his divine Master.
The Epistle for the Mass on Tuesday, taken from the
Book of Daniel, shows us this Prophet at the demand
of his enemies cast into the lions den. God did not
forget His faithful servant and sent him the necessary
food. Daniel like Jonas is a figure of our Lord in
His Passion. The Prophet s miraculous deliverance,
after he had endured the trial, symbolizes the death
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Gospel we
learn that our Lord had the certain foreknowledge of his
ignominious death. To His disciples who urged Him
to prove His divine mission, He answered that His hour
had not yet come, and besides, that His heavenly Father
had other designs concerning Him when He permitted the
Jews to pursue Him with their hatred. Already His
enemies were secretly conspiring to seize His divine Person.
The sung parts of the Mass inspire us with sentiments
of confidence in the face of trials. " Expect the Lord, "
says the Introit, " and let thy heart take courage. "
The Gradual prays : " Judge me, O God, and distin
guish my cause from the nation that is not holy ; deliver
me from the unjust and deceitful man. <" " And let
them trust in Thee who know Thy name, says the
Offertory, " for Thou hast not forsaken them that
seek thee, O Lord. " The Communion prays : " Deliver
Israel, O God, from all his tribulation. "
214
In the Collect the Church prays that God may accept
the fasts of her children as an expiation and a remedy
for their sins. Through the divine Victim whom she
offers in our name we may rely on receiving consolation
in this life, and that in eternity the divine promises
will be fulfilled (SECRET). In the Postcommunion
she prays that nourished with the Bread from heaven,
we may ever obey the divine precepts, and thus ob
tain an eternal reward. Finally in the PRAYER OVER
THE PEOPLE the Church asks that all her children may
persevere in the service of God, and that here on earth
they may increase in merit and numbers.
CHAPTER XXXI
^~
Wednesday and Thursday in Passion "Week.
WEDNESDAY. Station at the Church of Saint Marcellus.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xvn, 48-49. Epistle,
Leviticus, xix, 10-19. Gradual, Ps. xxix, 2-4. Tract,
same as on the other Lenten Ferias. Gospel, St. John, x,
22-38. Offertory, Ps. LVIII, 2. Communion, Ps. xxv,
6-7.
THURSDAY. Station at the Church of Saint Apollinaris.
Sources of the liturgy: Introit, Daniel, HI, 31. Epistle,
Daniel, in, 34-45. Gradual, Ps. xcv, 8-9. Gospel, St. Luke,
xi, 47-54. Offertory, Ps. cxxxvi, 1 . Communion, Ps. cxvm,
49-50.
The STATION for Wednesday is at the church of Saint
Marcellus in the Corso. This church recalls the memory
of a Pope of the fourth century who built a church on
~ 215
the site. His death was caused by the ill treatment
which he received, added to the sorrow of having
seen the desecration of his church. In the following
century a new church was built on the same ground,
and was dedicated to Saint Marcellus whose body
rests under the high altar.
The passage from Leviticus chosen for the Epistle,
in which Moses speaking in the name of the Lord recalls
a certain number of moral precepts, does not seem
to have any connection with, the Passion of our Lord.
It has been chosen rather for the instruction of the cate
chumens. On this day a fresh scrutiny took place.
The Church wished to place before the aspirants for
Baptism the programme of the duties which they would
have to fulfil.
In the Gospel Saint John speaks of a feast of dedica
tion which was celebrated in Jerusalem during the winter
season. Our divine Lord was surrounded, and called
upon to speak plainly about His mission. In answer He
points to His works and to His intimate union with His
heavenly Father as testimony thereof. Such a reply
exasperated His enemies who threatened to stone Him
for blasphemy. Saint Augustine, in his commentary
on this passage, remarks that this resulted from the
coldness of the Jews which was more intense than that
of the season. It is always thus with hearts that are
hardened.
The Introit alludes to the fury of our Lord s
enemies, but suggests unshakeable confidence, for
God is His help, His refuge, His strength, His deliverer.
The same confidence is expressed in the Gradual,
where the Psalmist speaks of the deliverance as of an
already accomplished fact. The Offertory repeats
the prayer for complete deliverance. In the Communion
216
our divine Saviour protests His innocence. He would
dwell near the altars that He might praise the wondrous
works of the all-powerful God his deliverer.
In the Prayers of the Mass the Church seems to be
wholly preoccupied with the penitents and catechumens.
She implores the Lord to remember their fasts, which
by the inspiration of divine grace they undertook, to
avert His anger. May the Lord deign now to accept
this intention (COLLECT). She offers the holy Sacrifice
that the divine wrath may be appeased, and that by
their sincere submission His divine mercy may be glo
rified (SECRET) . Everything we have comes to us through
the infinite goodness of God. May His ineffable gifts be
for us the sign and the cause of our salvation (POST-
COMMUNION). It is God Himself who supports our sup
plications by the confidence which He wills us to have
in His divine mercy. May He Himself in His accustomed
goodness to His creatures ensure the efficacy of
our petition (Oratio super populum).
The STATION for Thursday is in the church of Saint
Apollinaris. This church is not very ancient; it is de
dicated to one of the early martyrs, a disciple of the
Apostle Saint Peter, and first Bishop of Ravenna.
The Epistle of the Mass for this day by recalling to
us the magnificent prayer of Daniel for the deliverance
of his people and for the end of the Babylonian capti
vity, teaches us that there is another captivity more
deplorable still than that of the Jews, the captivity
in which infidels and sinners are bound, slaves of the
devil. In union with the whole Church we must beseech
the omnipotent and merciful God to put an end to
their bondage.
The Gospel lesson for this Thursday in Passion week
is one of confidence that we shall obtain pardon for our
217
sins. No matter how great these sins may be, God will
forgive us provided that, like the sinful woman, we
show signs of true love and sincere repentance. " Many
sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much.
What sweet consolation for the catechumens and peni
tents in every age ! Soon the Church will open to such
the treasures of divine mercy.
The Introit invites us to adore the justice of God in
the punishment inflicted on sinners, but also, at the same
time to adore His inexhaustible mercy in their justi
fication. The Gradual foreshadows the hour in which
sinners, having made their peace with God, will be able
to approach the altar there to glorify his name. The
Offertory recalls sinners to a sense of reality by
representing to them the analogy of their condition to
that of the Jews in Babylon. The Communion begs
of the Lord to be mindful of His promise which is a
source of confidence and comfort to souls in their humi
liations.
In the Collect we pray for the healing of those
souls impaired by the freedom allowed to their
sensual passions. The Secret renders homage to
the compassion of a God who to procure for us the
life of grace and the pledge of immortality has been
pleased to make use of fragile elements. The Post-
communion begs of God purity of heart in order that
the divine food received in the present life may obtain
for us the everlasting cure of our souls in the life to
come.
In the PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE the Church prays
that God may be propitious to all those assembled for
the offering of the holy Sacrifice, and that all may reject
what is displeasing to Him and may find true joy in
the fulfilment of the divine precepts.
218
CHAPTER XXXII
Friday in Passion Week, Feast
of the Seven Dolours.
Station at the Church of Saint Stephen on the Coelian Hill.
Sources of the liturgy: Introit, Ps. xxx, 10, 16 and 18. Epistle,
Jeremias, xvn, 13-18. Gradual, Ps. xxxiv, 20-22. Tract,
as on the other Ferias in Lent. Gospel, St. John^xi, 47-54.
Offertory, Ps. cxvm, 12, 121 and 42. Communion, Ps. xxvi,
12.
On this Friday the STATION is at the Church of Saint
Stephen Rotunda, so named on account of its circular
form. On the walls of this church we may contemplate
the multitude of martyrs who, during three centuries
of persecution, suffered death for love of Jesus Christ.
As in the preceding days, the Epistle and Gospel tell us
of the events which preceded and caused the Passion of
Jesus Christ. In the Epistle, Jeremias, who is a figure
of our divine Lord, finding himself pursued by the hatred
of his enemies places in God his whole confidence. In
the Gospel, Saint John relates how, after the raising of
Lazarus from the dead, the pharisees, taking counsel
of Caiphas, considered that it was expedient for the people
that one man should die, and sought how they could
seize Jesus. There was but one course for them to take,
says Saint Augustine, that was, to say " Let us believe
in Him ". More concerned for their material interests
than for their eternal salvation, they resolved to put
Jesus to death, and by their deicide, they destroyed
219
everything; both the future of their nation and the
salvation of their own souls. The sung parts of the
Mass, taken from various Psalms, express the anguish
of our divine Lord on the eve of His Passion, and His
trust in His eternal Father. The Introit is a prayer
for deliverance from the plots of His persecutors. The
Gradual unmasks the treachery of those who have
words of peace on their lips and who, nevertheless,
are thinking how to satisfy their wrath. The Offer
tory taken from Psalm cxviu, expresses the attitude of
our Lord, obedient to the will of His Father and pre
pared to answer His own calumniators. The Communion
is a fresh prayer full of confidence for deliverance from
the fury of unjust adversaries. On the morrow, the
eve of Palm Sunday, we shall find these same formulas
repeated.
The Prayers of the Mass, suggest to us dispositions
wholly contrary to the sentiment of the pharisees. O God,
grant us thy grace that it may make perfect in us the
desire of accepting every temporal penance rather than
be condemned to eternal torments (COLLECT) . Grant to
us, O Lord, that we may be worthy ministers of thine
altars and thus find our salvation in participating of the
gifts which are offered on them (SECRET). May the pro
tection obtained by the reception of the adorable Victim
never be wanting to us, and may it ever remove from us
all that might do us harm (POSTCOMMUNION). O om
nipotent God, we beg the favour of thy protection. Deign
to deliver us from all that could injure us and to grant
that we may in all security serve Thee (Oratio super
populum). Under the name of the Compassion of Mary
or of Our Lady of the Seven Dolours the Church on
this day honours the sorrows of the blessed Virgin at the
foot of the Cross. At first the Feast was merely a
220
local one. In the thirteenth century the seven Founders
of the Order of Servites manifested a special attraction
for this devotion. In the fifteenth century a council
of the province of Cologne (1425) decided that a Feast
in honour of the seven Dolours should be celebrated in
Lent, as a protest against the conduct of the followers
of John Huss who defiled the statue of Jesus and Mary.
Benedict XIV. in his Treatise on the Feasts, speaks of
the devotion in the Latin Church to the Sorrows of
our Lady. At the beginning of the eighteenth century,
Pope Benedict XIII. decreed that this Feast should
be observed throughout the whole Church, and in the
beginning of the nineteenth century another Feast in
honour of the Seven Dolours was appointed for the
third Sunday in September, without prejudice to that
observed in Lent.
The universal Church has adopted the observance of
this Feast on the FRIDAY IN PASSION WEEK, to remind
us that in the designs of God, Mary, as co-redemptrix
of the human race, had to participate in the sufferings
of our Lord. She wishes us to honour this participa
tion by absolute confidence in the mediation of the
blessed Virgin.
The Introit, Gradual, and Tract are taken, con
trary to the usual course, from the Gospel text, or from
the Lamentations of Jeremias. They transport us in
thought to Calvary and invite us to contemplate Mary
standing at the foot of the Cross, even in the excess of
her sorrow manifesting her fortitude and fully accepting
the part of co-redemptnx appointed to her by her divine
Son. Assuredly there is no sorrow like unto her sorrow.
The beautiful sequence of the Stabat Mater forms a
commentary on the Gospel text, and fills all hearts with
filial compassion for our blessed Lady. The Offertory
221
in the form of a prayer, in our name asks Mary to in
tercede for us. The Communion is an act glorifying
the mission which at the cost of bitter sorrow she
accepted.
The Prayers of this Mass tend to remind us how
great was Mary s sorrow when her soul was pierced as
with a sword, conformably to the prediction of the aged
Simeon, as also to make us reap the fruits of this
sorrow (COLLECT). They invite us to contemplate during
the holy Sacrifice the sorrows of the Son and of the Mo
ther, in order that in time and in eternity the merits
of these sorrows may be applied to us (SECRET). They
urge us to implore of the eternal Father that, through
the sufferings of Jesus and Mary, we may be sanctified.
(POSTCOMMUNION) .
The Epistle for the Mass of this Feast tells us
that following the example of Judith, Mary did not
fear to face the .hardest trials for the salvation
of mankind. The Gospel reminds us how Jesus Christ
Himself from the height of His Cross, in the expression
of His last wishes, consecrated the sorrowful mission of
Mary. He gave Saint John to His blessed Mother to
be her son, and to Saint John He gave Mary to be his
Mother. Now, according to the interpretation of the
Fathers of the Church, Saint John, on this occasion,
represented the whole human race.
222
CHAPTER XXXIII
Saturday in Passion "Week,
In early times there was no Station for this day ; at length, the
Church of Saint John before the Latin Gate was appointed for
it. Sources of the liturgy : Sung parts, same as in the Mass of
Friday in Passion Week. Epistle, Jeremias, xvm, 18-23.
Gospel, St. John, xn, 10-36.
In early times, in order to supply for the DISTRIBUTION
OF ALMS which could not take place during Holy Week,
the Pope on this day presided at a general and more
abundant distribution. The practice of almsgiving,
one of the means of expiation recommended to us in, the
sacred writings, was here brought into relation with
Mary Madgalen s act in anointing the sacred head and
feet of our divine Lord. At that time the passage from
the Gospel which records this incident was read on this
day. It is now read at the Mass of Monday in Holy Week.
The ancient liturgical books call this distribution, datur
eleemosyna. This explains why there was no Station.
After the twelfth century, the STATION was fixed at
the church of Saint John before the Latin Gate. This
church recalls the sufferings of the disciple whom Jesus
loved, when he was plunged into a cauldron of boiling
oil. Thus we see how our Lord shares his bitter chalice
with the friends dearest to Him.
Another liturgical observance special *to Rome is
connected with this day. It was the custom for the
223
Pope to send by acolytes to the various churches in Rome
a PARTICLE OF CONSECRATED BREAD to be consumed by
the priests belonging to these churches at the same time
as the sacred Host consecrated at the Mass celebrated
by them. This custom, according to most liturgists,
explains the words datur fermentum which we find in
the old records. A similar distribution is said to have
taken place every Sunday to emphasize the close union
between the titularies of the various churches and their
hierarchical head, they really partook in Communion
of the same consecrated Host. The distribution on this
Saturday was exceptional ; no doubt the functions of
Palm Sunday would not allow of it being easily accom
plished on that day.
This distribution of the fermentum at the beginning
of Holy Week had its importance on account of the Pas
chal Communion, for which reason it is sometimes
called : fermentum paschale. This Saturday was also
called Lazarus, or Bethany Saturday, because in early
times the Gospel, now transferred to Monday in Holy
Week, in which is described the repast at Bethany on
the occasion of the raising of Lazarus, was read. In
Jerusalem, the clergy went to the spot on which the
miracle was wrought, and afterwards assembled in the
church of the Resurrection, according to custom for the
Lucernarium (evening Office or Vespers).
In the Epistle we read the terrifying anathemas pro
nounced by Jeremias, who is a figure of Jesus Christ,
against the Jews, his persecutors. The Man-God has
exhausted all the resources of His mercy in regard to
the Jews. Their hatred grows greater, and in secret
they treacherously plot to put to death our Lord whose
presence embarrasses and condemns them. The Gospel
relates the more recent events which exasperated the
224
enemies of our divine Lord. The sight of the risen Laza
rus was insupportable to them, and they thought of
doing away with him. Their malice and hatred were
still further increased by our Lord s triumphal entry
into Jerusalem, which will be represented in the first
part of the solemnities to-morrow. Thus they had
gained nothing by their malice. Our Lord s popu
larity was so great that the Gentiles wanted to see
Him. This precipitated matters. Blind as they were
the Jews did not see that the lifting up of their victim
on a cross would be for Him the beginning of triumph.
We have already remarked that the sung parts of
this Mass belong to the Mass of Friday in Passion Week.
On account of there being no Station, there was no
Mass on Saturday. Later when the Station for Satur
day was established nothing better could be done
than to repeat the sung parts of the Mass of Friday in
which we have our Lord s prayer, expressing his trust
in His eternal Father.
The Collect prays that souls consecrated to God
may advance in devotion, that the practice of good works
may render them more pleasing to the divine majesty,
and may draw down upon them an increase of grace.
The Secret implores for those who have the happiness
of participating in the divine Mysteries pardon for
their sins and protection from all dangers. The Post-
communion prays that the effects of receiving the bless
ed Eucharist may be rendered lasting.
In the final prayer the priest invokes on all sup
plicants, the just as well as sinners, the grace which puri
fies and enlightens, so that the consolation thus obtained
on earth may help them to win the good things which
are to come.
225
CHAPTER XXXIV
PALM SUNDAY
General Considerations and first part
of the Morning Office.
Sources of the liturgy for the blessing of the palms and the pro
cession : Antiphon., St. Matth., xxi, 9. Lesson or Epistle,
Exodus, xv, 27 and xvi, 1-7. Responsory or Gradual, St.
John, xi, 47-49 or St. Matth., xxvi, 39 and 41. Gospel, St.
Matth., xxi, 1-9. Antiphons for the procession, St. Matth.
xxi, 1-9; St. John, xn, 12, etc.
Names of the last week of Lent. This last week of
Lent is called HOLY WEEK because the Offices of the
Church are more solemn, the abstinence more rigorous,
and the mysteries which we commemorate during
it, are the most sublime, the most consoling, and the
most sanctifying of our holy religion. It is also called
the WEEK OF THE INDULGENCE because of the solemn
reconciliation of penitents on Holy Thursday. It is
the GREAT WEEK because, during it, we celebrate the
mysteries of the Passion and Death of God made Man,
mysteries accomplished in the fulness of time for the
salvation of the human race.
The first day of Holy Week is PALM SUNDAY thus named
because in the procession before Mass blessed palms
are carried. In the liturgical books of the Latin Church
different names are given to this Sunday. It is called
the DAY OF THE HOSANNA because of the joyous accla
mations with which Jesus was received on His triumphal
8 The Liturgy of the Hornan Missal,
226
entry into Jerusalem. It is also called INDULGENCE
SUNDAY, because it begins the week in which the recon
ciliation of sinners takes place. And again it is called
the PASCH OF THE COMPETENTS, because on this day the
aspirants to Baptism received the Symbol or Creed the
formula of which they were to recite by heart on Holy
Saturday. Another name given to this Sunday, is CAPI-
TILAVIUM, or the day of the washing of the head, because
according to Saint Isidore of Seville, on this day the
heads of the catechumens were washed, as a prepara
tory ceremony for Baptism. Yet another name given to
this day was PASCHA FLORIDUM, because Easter which
was regarded as the season of flowers, and but eight
days off, was to-day, as it were, in the bud.
Some liturgists maintain that the ceremony of bless
ing THE PALMS was not practised earlier than the
eighth century. Benedict XIV. declared that it could
be traced to earlier times. We should however
distinguish between the blessing of the palms, and
the procession in which the palms are carried. The
blessing, performed in view of the procession, dates
from a later period ; but the procession, the most
interesting part of the ceremony, is certainly of very
ancient origin. Thus, from the fourth century, it
took place in Jerusalem and in the fifth Saint Cyril
Patriarch of Jerusalem speaks of it in his Catechetical
instructions. In the west, in the sixth century.
Saint Isidore of Seville mentions this practice ; it is
also alluded to in the liturgical records of the seventh
century. This FUNCTION may be divided INTO TWO
PARTS : First, the blessing of the palms and the proces
sion in which they are carried. Secondly, the celebra
tion of the Mass in which is sung the Passion of our
Lord according to Saint Matthew.
227
In Rome the STATION for this Sunday takes place at
Saint John Lateran. When the Pope lived in the Lateran
palace, near the Basilica, there was no gathering or pre
vious assembly of the faithful in another church.
The first liturgical functions on this morning are the
blessing and the procession of the Palms, both quite
distinct one from the other, not only, as we have just
said, because they date from two different periods
but also in their elements and signification.
In form, the blessing of the palms resembles the
first part of the holy Sacrifice The Hosanna at the
beginning is like an INTROIT and announces the
characteristic of the function in which our Lord s trium
phant entry into Jerusalem is about to be commemorated.
The COLLECT or prayer which follows, shows the connec
tion between the external triumph of our Lord on the
one side, and His death and resurrection on the other.
All these great events are about to follow one another
very quickly. The Church then asks for all her children
the grace to attain the happy end which the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ has prepared for them.
The LESSON which serves as Epistle is taken from the
Book of Exodus, and recalls an episode of the going forth
from Egypt. The Hebrews had encamped in a place where
there were twelve fountains and seventy palm trees.
Advancing into the desert of Sin, they heard that God
would send them manna, or bread, from heaven. The
palms make us think of our Lord as King; the foun
tains bring to our mind the Sacrament of Baptism ; and
the manna the most holy Eucharist. For the catechumens
who are going to choose Jesus Christ as their Master and
their King, the coming week will bring the graces be
longing to these two Sacraments.
The RESPONSORY, equivalent to a Gradual, recalls
228
to the faithful the remembrance of the Passion of Jesus
Christ, whether it is the Respond, Collegenmt, which
relates the plotting of the Jews, or In monte Oliveti,
an allusion to the prayer of our Lord in the garden
of Gethsemane. The Gospel narrative reminds us of
what happened, not far from Bethphage. We see how
our Lord Himself prepared for His entry into Jerusalem,
provided for the fulfilment of the prophecy, and submit
ted to the ovation of the crowds, acting in these circum
stances indeed as a King.
The prayer Auge fidem is analogous to the SECRET
of the Mass; it is a petition over the offerings which
here are the palm or olive branches, symbols of the
going out of the ark after the deluge, or of the
going forth from Egypt after a painful slavery. The
PREFACE, an element in all solemn blessings, is here
an homage to our divine Saviour Jesus Christ, not
only as the Son of David, but as the Son of God,
sharing, without diminishing it, in the creative power
and receiving the praises of heaven and earth. The
congregation of the faithful respond to the words of the
priest by proclaiming the thrice holy God, Sanctus
After this solemn introduction which already indi
cates the importance of the ceremony, the priest recites
FIVE PRAYERS OR COLLECTS which explain the whole of its
mystery. In them we find : 1st. an allusion to the dove
returning to the ark with an olive-branch. The palm
or olive-branches are therefore a sign of the protection
which God affords to the dwellings of His children ;
2nd. and 3rd. speak of our Lord s triumphal entry into
Jerusalem. The olive, from which the oil is extracted,
which is used for anointings symbolizes the anointing
of Jesus, His struggle with the devil, His triumph over
death ; 4th. we have a fresh allusion to the dove of the
229
ark, asking for the graces symbolized in this mystery, and
the salvation of our souls; 5th. a prayer that we may
triumph over our enemies and for diligence in works
of mercy.
The prayer which is recited after the aspersion and the
incensing of the palms expresses the characteristics
of the procession now about to take place. The faithful
carrying the blessed palms to acclaim our divine Saviour,
thus testify that by smoothing away all obstacles, they
open to Him the entrance into their hearts, sacrificing
to Him all their natural and earthly attachments.
The palms are distributed whilst two invocations of
praise to the Son of David are being sung. These are
an echo of the songs of the Hebrew children, praise es
pecially dear to our Lord because offered by innocent
lips. Hence the Church prays that all her children may
share in this innocence. During the procession the
faithful should carry these palm-branches as did the
Jews in token of joy and of devotion. They should
also hold them during the singing of the Passion at the
Mass. Afterwards they will take them to their homes
where they will keep them with respect as a sign of faith,
a preservative against the snares of the devil, and a
pledge of the divine protection.
The procession on Palm Sunday has been instituted
by the Church to commemorate the triumphal entry of
our divine Lord into Jerusalem, and to animate us with
the same sentiments as animated the Jews at that
moment. Jesus of Nazareth was for them just then,
the Son of David, the King of Israel. During this pro
cession ANTIPHONS TAKEN FROM THE GOSPEL are Sung,
which commemorate the principal points in this triumph
of our divine Saviour.
The procession takes place OUTSIDE THE CHURCH, and
on returning to it the door is found closed. The clergy
and the people remain outside, whilst within the choir
sings the hymn Gloria laus the priests and the faithful
taking up the first stanza in the form of a refrain.
This manner of singing the HYMN represents the children
who greeted our Lord in the temple crying out : Ho-
sanna to the Son of David. This hymn in which are
retraced the details of the Gospel narrative was com
posed in the ninth century by Theodulph, Bishop of
Orleans, whilst a prisoner at Angers. At the end of
the hymn the cross bearer knocks three times with the
cross at the entrance door. The Responsory Ingre-
diente Domino in which the Church once more sums
up the narrative of the triumph of our Lord is then
sung. " The Lord entering into the Holy City the chil
dren cry Hosanna ! "
These different acts remind us that before the coming
of Jesus Christ the gates of heaven were closed to us ;
that in order to obtain for us admission into heaven it
was necessary that He should suffer and die upon the
Cross. We should therefore testify our gratitude to
our Lord ; praise Him from our hearts, and implore
of Him the grace that we may never be disloyal like
the Jews who crucified Him a few days after they had
enthusiastically hailed Him as the King of Israel.
CHAPTER XXXV
PALM SUNDAY
Second part of the morning Office; the Mass,
Station at Saint John Lateran. Sources of the liturgy : Introit,
Ps. xxi, 20. Epistle, Philipp., n, 5-11. Gradual, Ps. LXXII,
24. Tract, Ps. xxi .Gospel, the Passion according to Saint
Matthew, xxvi-xxvn. Offertory, Ps. LXVIII, 20-22. Com
munion, St. Matth., xxvi, 39.
The blessing of the palms and the procession express
the joy with which Jesus Christ was hailed as King of
Israel amidst the praises and acclamations of the people.
The sung parts of the Mass, on the contrary, breathe
forth profound grief, and the reading of the Passion
adds still more to the solemn sadness of this day. By this
contrast we are reminded of the fickleness of the people
of Jerusalem when, after four days interval, they
demanded the death of Him whom they had so shortly
before proclaimed as their King.
The Church, to express her sentiments, chooses those
psalms which foretell the humiliations, the sufferings,
and also the triumph of the Messias. They are : Psalm
XXI. the whole of which is sung in the Tract of the
Mass and which, in the words of the Introit furnished
a part of the prayer which our Lord addressed to His
eternal Father. We must note that our Lord applied
the words of this psalm to Himself, and during His
greatest sufferings on the Cross repeated the first verses.
232
The same thought is to be found in the Gradual
taken from Psalm LXXII. In the midst of the hardest
trials, the just man preserves his faith in divine Pro
vidence and is undisturbed by seeing the prosperity of
the wicked. The Offertory borrowed from Psalm CXLII.
is again the cry of the innocent, suffering for the cause
of God and in conformity to the will of His Father.
He accepts with docility all the bitterness of His aban
donment. The Communion, taken from the Gospel,
gives us the words of our Lord in the prayer of His
agony.
The Collect reminds all the faithful that the Master
whom they must follow is Jesus Christ, the incarnate
God who was crucified ; it asks in our name the grace
to imitate His patience that so we may one day share
in the glory of His resurrection. Through the merits
of the divine Victim offered to God on the Cross we ask
in the Secret the gift of piety that it may lead us to
eternal happiness. The Postcommunion asks that we
may experience the effects of the mystery of the Passion,
purification from sin, and the complete realization of our
desire for happiness.
Saint Paul, in his Epistle to the Philippians,describes
the profound humility of Jesus who humbled Himself
even unto the death of the Cross, and presents this to
us as the cause of His exaltation and His triumph. The
Christian who glorifies his Saviour should have the same
dispositions in times of suffering.
The Gospel relates all the details of the Passion,
thus making us, as it were, witnesses of it. During this
week the Church in her ardent desirS that the minds and
hearts of the faithful should be filled with the remem
brance of the Passion, causes the history of OUR LORD S
SUFFERINGS AND DEATH as related by each of the four
evangelists, to be read in the following order : on Palm
Sunday, as related by Saint Matthew, on Tuesday
according to Saint Mark, on Wednesday that of Saint
Luke and on Good Friday that of Saint John.
The history of the Passion comprises the CELEBRATION
OF THE PASCH and the INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED
EUCHARIST, as also of the priesthood of the New Law ;
the AGONY OF JESUS in the garden of olives and His
seizure by His enemies ; His appearance BEFORE THE
TRIBUNALS of Caiphas, of Pilate before whom He ap
peared twice, and of Herod; the TORMENTS inflicted on
our Lord during these proceedings; the SCOURGING,
the CROWNING WITH THORNS and His being condemned
to death, the PAINFUL JOURNEY through the streets
of Jerusalem to Calvary, the CRUCIFIXION, and the three
hours agony on the Cross, our Lord s death, the descent
from the Cross and His burial. These mournful events
really took place in the time between Thursday night
and Friday evening, but the liturgy of the Church anti
cipates, so to speak, the course of these events. In
the Mass on Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday she sets
them before us in full. On Holy Thursday she honours
particularly the institution of the Blessed Eucharist,
on Good Friday the death of our Lord, and on Holy
Saturday His burial. In the year in which our Lord was
crucified, the Jewish Pasch fell on a Friday. According
to the usual observance the Feast began on the evening
before, and should end on the evening of Friday, lest
the repose of what was called the great Sabbath should
be broken. In obedience to our Lord s command, all
preparations had been made for the celebration of the
Feast, and on Thursday evening He sat down to partake
with His apostles of the paschal lamb as prescribed by
the law of Moses. This figurative part of the celebra-
234
tion being over, there followed a more friendly repast
during which, by a conventional sign, our Lord made
known the traitor to Saint John. Then came the washing
of the feet of the disciples by which our divine Saviour
would give to all His followers a lesson of humility and
of charity ; at the same time He thus directly prepared
His apostles for the receiving of the Blessed Eucharist.
Then, it was that our Lord in the cenacle, offered FOR
THE FIRST TIME the SACRIFICE OF THE NEW LAW which
was to be followed so closely by His immolation on Cal
vary. Then also His apostles received from Him their
first holy Communion by which they participated in the
celebration of the divine Sacrifice. Having made an act
of thanksgiving, Jesus with the eleven apostles went
out, Judas having already withdrawn to consummate
his treacherous crime.
In the garden of Gethsemani whither our Lord was
wont to retire with His apostles to pray, on this evening
He suffered His BITTER AGONY, after which He was
taken prisoner. His Agony was the supreme struggle
which He willed to undergo before delivering Himself
into the hands of His enemies and consummating His
Sacrifice on the Cross. As though it were a chalice filled
with a bitter draught, all the sufferings, the humilia
tions, the cruel tortures of His Passion and death were
offered to Him. He was seized with so unspeakable a
fear, that His sweat became drops of blood, but consoled
by His prayer and the presence of an angel, He accepted
the chalice. Judas might now come with his band of
soldiers. After gently reproaching the traitor, and for
bidding the soldiers to molest His disciples, Jesus allowed
Himself to be bound, giving to the prince of darkness
full power over His divine Person.
He was led to the house of Annas where He submitted
235
to a FIRST INTERROGATION ; then He was taken before
the high priest, Caiphas. Being pressed to declare if
he were the Son of God, He answered by affirming that
he was, and His solemn affirmation was regarded as
blasphemous and deserving of death. Then the servants
of the high priest attacked our Lord ; struck Him, spit
upon his divine face ; insulted Him in the most outrageous
manner. Meanwhile, not far away, in the outer court
Peter had three times denied his divine Master to whom
he had but a short time ago sworn to be faithful even
unto death. His sin was very quickly expiated, for as
our divine Lord was being led through this same court,
He looked at the poor renegade, and Peter, who met his
glance, immediately went out and wept bitterly for
his sin.
The Jews under the Roman sway could not put their
victim to death until the sentence had been pronounced
by the Roman governor. For this reason they brought
JESUS TO PILATE. During this time, Judas seized with
remorse, had gone to give back their money to the high
priests. They refused to take it, and Judas, instead
of seeking pardon at his Master s feet, having flung the
thirty pieces of silver into the temple, in despair went
and hanged himself. At the tribunal of Pilate our Lord
listened in silence to the accusations of His enemies.
Astonished at this, Pilate questioned Him, and then de
clared that he could find no crime in Him, but alarmed
at the furious outcry, and learning that Jesus was a Ga
lilean, he thought to get out of the affair by sending
accusers and accused to Herod the king of Galilee.
Herod, disappointed in his curiosity, treated our Lord
as a fool, and sent Him back to Pilate. The Jews,
emboldened by the effect of their threats on the cowardly
governor, refused all compromise and demanded the
236
release of the seditious Barabbas. Not satisfied with
the scourging of the divine Victim, nor the crowning
with thorns with its cruel mockery, with loud cries
they demanded the death of Jesus. Then Pilate, whilst
still proclaiming the innocence of the accused, abandoned
Him to the fury of the Jews, and wrote himself on a
tablet the inscription which was to be placed at the head
of the Cross. As the climax of ignominy it was agreed
that Christ should be crucified between two thieves.
It was in vain that, after so many cowardly conces
sions, Pilate washed his hands before the people. His
name will be for ever connected with the condemning
of Jesus to death, and unto the end of time will it be
sung in the Credo that Jesus suffered under Pontius
Pilate. From the Prcetorium where the Cross had
been prepared, the cortege, without further delay, set
out for Calvary. Then began for our Lord, weakened,
exhausted by His previous sufferings, that SORROWFUL
JOURNEY the stages of which are marked by the four
teen stations of the Cross.
The instrument of His final agony was laid upon His
sacred shoulders. After three successive falls and those
sad meetings in which Jesus forgot His own sufferings
in compassionating those of mankind, He reached Cal
vary where He allowed Himself to be stripped of His
garments ; to be nailed to the Cross, upon which, lifted
up between heaven and earth for three long hours, He
endured the most terrible torture. Finally, after
having forgiven His murderers, and committed His soul
into the hands of His eternal Father, HE EXPIRED in
such circumstances as forced from more than one wit
ness a confession of belief in His divinity.
In all haste, for the day of the great Sabbath was
about to begin, some faithful disciples came to take
237
down our Lord s sacred Body, which they laid in the
arms of Mary who, during the long hours of the
Crucifixion, had remained standing at the foot of the
Cross. Finally, having anointed the sacred Body with
perfumes and aromatics they LAID IT IN THE TOMB.
Wherever it is possible to do so, the Passion is sung
by three cantors who are either priests or deacons but
never by any clerics of minor orders; one of them
fulfils the office of historian by singing the words of the
Gospel narrative, another repeats the words uttered by
our divine Lord and the third those of the Jews and
other people. We find this practice indicated in litur
gical books long before the eleventh century. For the
final portion, acolytes attend the sacred ministers, but
in token of mourning, do not carry candles. There is
no initial salutation : Dominus vobiscum, addressed to
the faithful but the book is incensed.
On Palm Sunday all those present HOLD THEIR PALMS
in their hands, as if to show that the seeming weakness
of Jesus during His Passion does not lessen belief in His
divinity. At the words, expiravit or tradidit spiritum,
there is a pause, and all prostrate in silence, to honour
by a solemn act of homage the death of our divine
Redeemer. In many places, especially in France, it is
usual to kiss the ground, although it is not mentioned
in the rubric. This practice it appears, originated with
Saint Louis, whose example was followed by the nobles
of his court and soon by all his subjects. A portion of
the mournful narrative is reserved at the end to serve
for the solemn reading of the Gospel which takes place
at all Masses.
The faithful kneel, or at least genuflect, whilst the
words of the Epistle : In nomine Jesu omne genu flecta-
tur, are being sung and again at Vespers during the
-238-
singing of the stanza Crux, ave, from the hymn
Vexilla Regis. It is an homage rendered to the name of
Jesus and to the Cross upon which this divine Saviour
deigned to effect the salvation of the world.
The ANTIPHON of the MAGNIFICAT, which is sung at
Vespers, is taken from the narrative of the Passion.
It conveys the prophetic announcement of the dis
persion of the apostles when our Lord was seized in
the garden of olives, and of the place appointed by our
Lord for meeting his disciples after His resurrection.
CHAPTER XXXVI
Monday and Tuesday in Holy Week.
MONPAY, Station at the church of Saint Praxedes. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxxiv, 1-2. Epistle, Is., L, 5-10.
Gradual, Ps. xxxiv, 23 and 3. Tract, same as on other
Ferias in Lent. Gospel, St. John, xn, 1-10. Offertory,
Ps. CXLII, 9-10. Communion, Ps. xxxiv, 26.
TUESDAY. Station at the church of Saint Prisca. Sources
of the liturgy : Introit, Galatians, vi, 14 (an adaptation)
and Ps. LXVI, 2. Epistle, Jeremias, xi, 18-20. Gradual,
Ps. xxxiv, 13 and 1. Gospel, the Passion according to Saint
Mark, xiv-xv. Offertory, Ps. cxxxix, 5. Communion,
Ps. LXVI 1 1, 13-14.
The ROMAN STATION for MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK
is at the church of Saint Praxedes, no doubt because this
basilica possesses a memorial of the Passion of our di-
239
vine Lord, the pillar to which He was bound during His
scourging. TKis church also possesses the holy bodies
of a great number of martyrs which were removed from
the Catacombs. The aim of the liturgy during this week
is to set before us in succession the circumstances of our
Lord s Passion. On Palm Sunday we assisted at His
triumphal entry into Jerusalem, but this ovation only
exasperated His enemies and they consulted together
as to how they could compass His death. On this Mon
day, our Lord who had retired to Bethany, returned to
Jerusalem and then in the evening went back to Bethany.
On Tuesday He spent the day in the temple and gave
directions to His disciples for the preparations for the
celebration of the Pasch. On Wednesday Judas went
to the high priest and offered to deliver his divine Master
into their hands for thirty pieces of silver. This offer
put an end to their hesitation and their fears. On Holy
Thursday, in the evening our Lord celebrated the Pasch,
instituted the Blessed Eucharist and the priesthood,
and then retired to the garden of Olives where
He was seized and brought before the tribunals. On
Good Friday, He was condemned to death and cruci
fied. In the evening of this same day His sacred body
was laid in the tomb where it remained during the whole
of Holy Saturday.
The liturgy of this week is in keeping with the last
incidents in our Lord s life. Thus the facts related in the
Gospel which refer to Monday are : our Lord s visit
to the temple in Jerusalem ; the cursing of the barren
fig tree ; His answer to the insidious questions of the
pharisees and ancients of the people ; His return to
Bethany ; and His prediction of the destruction of the
temple ; allusions to these different events occur in the
liturgy for Monday. The Gospel for the Mass however
240
relates THE SUPPER AT BETHANY which should have
found a place on the preceding Saturday, and which
in early times, owing to there being no Station could
not be read on that day as we pointed out earlier.
In the Introit Jesus Christ by the mouth of David
invokes the aid of His Father against the enemies by
whom he is surrounded. The Gradual calls for the
vengeance of heaven against his hardened and ungrate
ful persecutors. The Offertory continues to im
plore the divine assistance, whilst manifesting the
resigned submission of the divine Victim to His
eternal Father. The Communion antiphon renews the
appeal which calls down the vengeance of heaven on
the enemies of our divine Lord. In the Epistle, Isaias,
the great Prophet, sets before us the sufferings of our
Lord and also the patience with which He bore all
the insults and injuries which He received. Such
sorrows and such atonement, he adds, will profit the
gentiles who are plunged in vice and in idolatry ; the
light of the Gospel will before long shine upon them.
At the supper in Bethany prepared for our Lord by
the sisters of Lazarus in which the happy Lazarus, so
lately raised from the dead, took part, v ^ see Mary
Madgalen, the converted sinner pouring out t !ie PRECIOUS
OINTMENT on our Lord s sacred head, and how amongst
those present some in their avariciousness and vexation
lamenting over such waste, Jesus Himself points out
the significance of her act : it is a prediction of His
approaching death and of His burial ; it is a mani
festation of the great love which filled the soul of the
penitent and which future generations shall delight in
glorifying. The Collect urges us to ask through the
merits of the Passion for those graces necessary to our
weakness. The Secret reveals to us the great efficacy
241
of the holy Sacrifice of the altar for the purifying of
our souls and raising them to perfect union with God,
their author. The Postcommunion asks for all the
spirit of fervour, springing from charity. The PRAYER
OVER THE PEOPLE implores the assistance of God
that we may prepare to celebrate with joy the anni
versary of the days on which was wrought the sal
vation of the human race.
The ROMAN STATION FOR TUESDAY in Holy Week is at
the Church of Saint Prisca. This church by its situation
recalls the names of Aquila and Prisca, two Roman Chris
tians to whom Saint Paul sent greetings and whose
house on this spot was later turned into a church.
In the third century Pope Saint Eutychius translated
thither the relics of a Roman Virgin Martyr, likewise
named Prisca. The faithful in Rome assemble there
that in this sanctuary they may reap the blessed fruit
of the Passion of our divine Saviour. Already from
the first century of the Christian era the faith had
spread throughout the world, as Saint Paul writing
to the Romans, bears witness.
On this day our Lord accompanied by His apostles
went again to the temple. As He passed along the
road, the sight of the withered fig-tree which He
had cursed the day before, afforded Him an oppor
tunity of insisting on the necessity of faith. In the
temple the chief priests came to Him asking by whose
authority he taught. In reply our Lord proposed to
them the parable of the vineyard and the husbandmen ;
He also answered various other questions and gave di
rections for the preparing of the Pasch. In the evening
He returned to Bethany to His Mother and His faithful
friends.
In the Introit the Church, taking her inspiration
242
from Saint Paul, impresses on us that we should glory
in the Cross of Jesus Christ, the instrument of our salva
tion, the source of life and the pledge of our resurrection ;
that through the virtue of this Cross, God may enlighten
us, bless us, and have compassion on us. The Gradual,
in the words of the Psalmist, contrasts the humble life
of our Lord with the proud attitude of His enemies.
In the Offertory it is the Messias who, in the person
of the Psalmist begs the assistance of His heavenly
Father against his persecutors, and in the Communion!,
He is made the subject of their derision.
In the Epistle, Jeremias once more makes his mournful
voice heard : By putting poison in his food, his enemies
tried to put him to death, for those whom he rebuked,
would not bear his reproaches any longer. His complaint
is a prediction of how our Lord s enemies would treat
Him. Jesus Christ whose Body and Blood are the life-
giving food of our souls will soon be nailed to the tree
of the Cross, and his immolation will be an acceptable
sacrifice to the justice of God.
In the Mass the HISTORY OF THE PASSION, accord
ing to Saint Mark, is read with the same rites as on
Palm Sunday, but without the palms. Once more we
are urged to contemplate the mystery of a God
suffering and dying for the salvation of men. The
Collect prays that the holy anniversaries of the
Passion of our Lord may bring us God s pardon and re
concile us with His divine justice. The Secret enjoins
on us that with the sacred Host we should offer to the
divine Majesty the tribute of our fasts. The Postcom-
munion points out to us that in the blood of the Lamb
who was slain we have the remedy for all our miseries.
In the PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE all Christians are re
minded that the Lord in His mercy is ready to deliver
243 ~
them from what Saint Paul calls the old man within us,
and to effect in them the holy renewal which He alone
can accomplish.
CHAPTER XXXVII
Wednesday in Holy Week,
Station at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major. Sources of the
liturgy: Introit, Philipp., n, 10, and Ps. ci, 2. First Lesson,
Is., LXII, 1 1-12 and LXIII, 1-7. Gradual, Ps. LXVIII, 18and 1-2.
Second Lesson, Is., LIII, 1-12. Tract, Ps. ci, 2-5. Gospel,
the Passion according to Saint Luke, xxii-xxm. Offertory,
Ps. ci, 2-3. Communion, Ps. ci, 10, 11, 13, 14.
Whilst Jesus Christ was preparing to celebrate the last
Pasch and to institute the adorable Sacrament of the
Eucharist with the priesthood of the new Law, His
enemies were DISCUSSING in the Sanhedrin the best way
TO SEIZE His SACRED PERSON. The traitor Judas came
to their assistance and concluded with them his infamous
bargain. From the first days of Christianity the Church
has manifested the greatest horror at this perfidious
act. It is for this reason that Wednesday is chosen
as one of the Ember days. No doubt the Basilica
of Saint Mary Major has been appointed for the
Roman Station on this Wednesday, because the
Church desires to compassionate the sorrows of Mary
during these days when she was suffering the greatest
244
anguish and the worst fears in the expectation of
the Sacrifice now imminent. It is in this Basilica
that the Crib of Bethlehem is preserved and it is
fitting that in our thoughts we should associate the
birth of the Son of God in such humble surroundings
with His death upon the Cross : the BEGINNING and THE
CONSUMMATION of the WORK OF THE REDEMPTION.
IN THE MASS for this day, as on the Wednesday of the
fourth week of Lent, the day of the great scrutiny,
TWO LESSONS are read before the Gospel. The reason
for this is that the Church in Rome on this day, held
the sixth scrutiny for the admission of the catechumens
to Baptism, which could not be held on the preceding
Saturday on account of the ordinations on that day. The
catechumens, when the rites preparatory to the adminis
tration of Baptism had been gone through, were dis
missed after the reading of the Gospel, but towards the
end of the holy Sacrifice they were recalled for the an
nouncement of their approaching admission to Baptism.
The Introit taken from a passage in Saint Paul s
Epistle to the Philippians is, as it were, a protest in
anticipation against the insulting genuflections of the
soldiers before the Victim of their cruelty. In it the
Church declares that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and
under the earth. She joins to this protestation the be
ginning of Psalm ci. This psalm, some verses of which
we shall find in the Tract, the Offertory and the
Communion, is one of the penitential psalms ; under the
figure of Israel, a captive in Babylon, the sinner pours
out his distress to God and implores his deliverance.
Prompted by the writings of the doctors, the Church
does not hesitate to apply the words to Jesus in His
Passion. He also, like grass that is cut down, has been
245
cast into the furnace (TRACT), He has withered away
and has mingled his tears with his drink (COMMUNION).
In his greatest sorrows he supplicates His heavenly
Father. " Hear, O Lord, my prayer, and let my cry
come to thee. Turn not thy face away from me.
The Gradual, taken from Psalm LXVIII;, expresses
almost in the same terms this last supplication. In
the first Collect the Church speaks in the name of all
her children, but particularly in the name of the cate
chumens and public penitents. These unfortunately
have sinned, but may God be pleased to have regard to
the Passion of His only Son which He endured for their
salvation. It is indeed this suffering Jesus whom Isaias
depicts in the first Lesson. He appears as a victim with
His garments dyed red because He has trodden the grapes
in the wine-press. Abandoned in the midst of this
hard labour, He has taken upon Himself the guilt of
the whole human race to ensure for them the benefits
of the divine mercy. The second Collect again sets
before the Lord guilty humanity but with full confidence
in their restoration. It declares that Jesus Christ by
His sufferings has broken the yoke of the devil. What it
has cost the Son of God to effect this redemption Isaias
wonderfully describes, many ages in advance, by setting
forth all the sufferings the calmness and the submis
sion of the divine Victim. Thus his reward shall be in
the multitude of those who purified from sin, restored
to life, and made sharers in His glory and His triumph,
shall follow Him.
The Secret has for its aim to inspire us with a true love
for the holy Mysteries in which each day the Passion of
our divine Saviour is renewed upon our altars. The
Postcommunionjasks for all the faithful the grace that
they may have confidence in the divine mercy, a con-
-a 4 6-
fidence based on the temporal death which the Son of
God willed to suffer for the salvation of us all. In the
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE, the priest taking in at a glance
the whole congregation gathered round the altar, im
plores the Lord to look down upon them from heaven,
because His divine Son, for this family, has delivered
Himself into the hands of the wicked, and for their salva
tion has endured suffering and death upon the Cross.
This same prayer will be said after the Miserere and will
conclude all the Hours of the Office during the last three
days of Holy Week.
CHAPTER XXXVIII
The Office of Tenebrse
The Office of Tenebrae is the Office which is sung, not
like Matins during the course of the night, but at night
fall on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Holy Week.
This Office is commenced at an hour that will allow of
it ending a little after sunset when darkness is beginning
to spread over the earth. The diminishing of the light
which takes place as the Office proceeds, symbolizes the
eclipse which the glory of the Son of God suffered in the
ignominies of His Passion, the abandonment of His
apostles who fled when our Lord delivered Himself
into the hands of His enemies, and finally the great
sadness which overshadows the Church during the
247
anniversary of the days in which her divine Spouse
endured the humiliation and the torture of the Cross.
This is symbolized by the rites of Tenebrse.
On a large TRIANGULAR CANDLESTICK, which is placed
at the Epistle side of the altar, fifteen wax candles are
lighted at the beginning of the Office. At the end of
every psalm one of these candles is extinguished on each
side alternately, beginning with the lowest. The candle
which is at the apex is left lighted until the end
of the Office, when as the last prayers are being said,
an acolyte takes it down and hides it behind the
altar. When the Office is over he puts it back in
its place, and then extinguishes it. During the last
six verses of the canticle, Ben0dictHS } the six lighted
candles on the altar must be extinguished also. The
USE OF A TRIANGULAR CANDLESTICK dates from the
middle ages. In very early days, in Rome, the whole
Office was recited in darkness. But in Gaul, as in Eng
land, it was considered that only with great difficulty
could light be dispensed with, especially during Matins.
It is said that the candles thus extinguished in suc
cession, represent the apostles, who one after the
other deserted our Lord, and that the candle which
is left lighted, and then hidden behind the altar,
represents our Lord in His death and burial. He
Himself disappeared for a short time from the eyes
of men, but it was only to re-appear, surrounded with
light and glory, on the day of His resurrection.
Others have said also that the lighted candle repre
sented the blessed Virgin who stood at the foot of the
Cross to the end, and after the burial of her divine Son,
restored courage to the apostles by her unwavering
expectation of the resurrection.
The Office is begun ex abrupto with the Antiphons and
248 -
the Psalms. There is no Deus in adjutorium, no Domine
labia mea, no Invitatory, no Hymn. The Gloria Patri
is omitted at the end of the Psalms and of the last
Responsory of each nocturn. The Lessons are said
without absolution or blessing, or the final Tu autem.
These PECULIARITIES indicate the antiquity of this
Office in which nothing has been changed during the
course of centuries. In it are found only the most
ancient elements, antiphons, psalms, lessons and respon-
sories. To each nocturn there are but three psalms ;
the ancient arrangement adopted by the Church for
Feasts is followed : for each psalm, the antiphon
marks the principal thought which should occupy the
mind during its recital.
The NOISE at the conclusion was, no doubt, in early
times the signal given for leaving. Afterwards, a
greater noise was made, all present helping to pro
duce it. It was thought that this noise was a mys
tical representation of the blows given in the scourging
of our Lord. In the first nocturn of each day, the
Lessons are taken from the Lamentations of Jeremias ;
the MOURNFUL CHANT, like the words of the text,
expresses the grief and desolation of the Church
during these days. In the second nocturn we have a
treatise of Saint Augustine on the psalms relating to
the Passion of our Lord : the treason of Judas and
our Lord s arrest in the garden of Olives on the first
day ; the calumnies of the Jews to obtain the condem
nation of our Lord the second day ; the fruitless
efforts made to guard the sepulchre, and the presen
timent of triumph on the third day, In the third
nocturn, in conformity with the practice observed
before the time of Gregory the Great, we have in use
extracts from Saint Paul s Epistles, on the institution
249
of the Holy Eucharist for the first day; on the office
of the Pontiff victim for the second day; and on
the third day, on the necessity of the shedding of
blood for the redemption of the human race.
The RESPONSORIES OF THE OFFICE mark, as it were,
the various stages of the Passion : the Agony, the
treason of Judas and the seizing of our Lord in
Gethsemani, on the first day; an extract from Saint
Augustine treating of Christ as the divine Victim,
the flight of the apostles, the preference given to
Barabbas, the Crucifixion and our Lord s desolation
on the second day ; and on the third the descent from
the Cross, the burial of our Lord, and the precautions
taken to guard the tomb.
Each day, the climax of grief seems to be reached in
the ANTIPHON of the Benedictus which recalls : ist. the
sign given by the traitor Judas to the soldiers, 2nd. the
inscription on the Cross explaining the reason of the
condemnation of our Lord ; 3rd. the attitude of the
holy women at the sepulchre. Each day, the Christus
factus est is further developed ; it sets forth the
real cause of the immolation, the profound humilia
tion of death by crucifixion, finally, the certitude of
triumph. The Psalm Miserere urges us to weep for
our sins which are the real cause of our Lord s Passion
and death. Finally the last Collect, Respice, of which
mention was made in the preceding chapter, implores
the heavenly Father to have compassion on the great
family of the whole human race.
250
CHAPTER XXXIX
Holy Thursday. Morning Office.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, same a~ in the Mass of Tues
day. Epistle, I Corinthians, xi, 20-32. Gradual, Philip-
pians, n, 8-9. Gospel, St. John, xm, 1-15. Offertory,
Ps. cxvn, 16. Communion, St. John, xni, 12-14.
The name most usually given to this day in litur
gical books is that of Feria quinta in Ccena Domini.
This name reminds the faithful that during the last
Supper of our Lord with His apostles the adorable
Sacrament of the Eucharist was instituted. Other ex
pressions serve to characterize this great mystery, thus
Holy Thursday is called : Dies natalis Eucharistice, the
birthday of the Eucharist ; Dies natalis calicis, the
birthday of the chalice ; Dies secretorum seu mysteriorum,
the day of secrets or mysteries. The INSTITUTION OF
THE HOLY EUCHARIST is, in reality, the PREDOMINANT
EVENT of this great day. But other ceremonies are also
performed on this day as its various names bear witness.
Holy Thursday has been called the day of VERDURE, be
cause, as at this season the leaves of the trees begin to
grow again, in like manner on this day, the penitents
reconciled with God begin to live a new life. However,
it was also called the DAY OF REMISSION or indulgence,
because on the morning of Holy Thursday the ceremony
of reconciliation of penitents took place.
351
The CEREMONY OF THE WASHING OF THE FEET in
the afternoon gave this day the name of Mandatum
from the first antiphon sung during this ceremony
whence the English have taken the name, Maundy
Thursday. In France, in Italy, Spain, and even in
England, it is more usually known as HOLY THURSDAY,
because it is consecrated by the holiest mysteries. It
was also on this day that preparations were begun
for the administration of Baptism, the source and origin
of sanctity amongst men.
On the morning of Holy Thursday, in early times
three great functions took place at three different
Masses : ist. the RECONCILIATION OF PENITENTS ; 2nd.
the BLESSING OF THE HOLY OILS ; 3rd. the COMMEMORATION
OF THE INSTITUTION OF THE BLESSED EUCHARIST and
the preparation for the function next day.
The ceremony of the RECONCILIATION OF PENITENTS
began with the recital of the seven penitential psalms
and the litanies of the Saints. During this time the
penitents remained in the outer porch of the church,
where thrice the message of hope was conveyed
to them. Twice over, two subdeacons came to tell
them on the part of God : Nolo mortem peccatoris
Pcenitentiam agite, appropinquavit The third time the
deacon said to them : Levate capita vestra. The
litanies being ended, the bishop took his seat midway
in the central nave, and the archdeacon, from his place
near him, delivered an allocution to the penitents. Then
the bishop, advancing, spoke to them of the divine
mercy and of the new life which was about to be
restored to them after which the penitents approached
the bishop, and prostrated themselves at his feet whilst
the archdeacon interceded for them. The pontiff
then returned to his seat, followed by the penitents who
252
formed a chain, holding one another by the hand. An
antiphon and a preface were then read, and the Psalm
Miserere was sung, after which the bishop solemnly
recited six prayers, and thus ended the formula of re
conciliation. At his invitation, the penitents then arose
and withdrew to clothe themselves in festive garments
indicative of joy, returning to assist at the Mass
at which they communicated with the rest of the
faithful.
In Rome, after the Mass of Holy Thursday, the Pope
vested in cope, and wearing his tiara, appears on the loggia
directly over the principal entrance of Saint Peter s,
and gives the PAPAL BLESSING Urbi et Orbi. In the
beginning, this blessing was special to Holy Thursday,
but later the Pope gave it also on Easter Sunday at Saint
Mary Major, on Ascension Thursday at Saint John La-
teran, and on the Feast of the Assumption again at Saint
Mary Major. The privilege of giving this solemn blessing
(with plenary indulgence) in their cathedral churches
on the principal Feasts of the year, Easter and Christmas,
for example, has been granted to very many bishops.
The BLESSING OF THE HOLY OILS is performed by the
bishop of the diocese, officiating pontifically at the so
lemn Mass on Holy Thursday. He is attended by twelve
priests in white chasubles, seven deacons, and the
same number of subdeacons, all vested in white.
Formerly a second Mass was celebrated specially for
the performance of this rite after the Mass said for the
reconciliation of penitents. Nowadays the ceremony
takes place at the one Mass said on the morning of Holy
Thursday.
The HOLY OILS are of THREE KINDS : ist. the OIL OF
CATECHUMENS which is used in the administration of
Baptism, in the ordination of priests, and the blessing
253
of bells; 2nd, the HOLY CHRISM used in the adminis
tration of Baptism, Confirmation, the anointing of kings,
the consecration of bishops, also of churches, chalices,
and patens. The holy Chrism is a mixture of oil and
balm. In the preparation of the balm, the Orientals use
as many as thirty-three kinds of perfume ; 3rd, the OIL
OF THE SICK, used in administering Extreme Unction.
The least solemn of the three blessings is that of the
OIL OF THE SICK. It takes place after the prayer
Per quern omnia, before the Pater noster in the Mass.
It consists of an exorcism and a prayer pronounced by
the consecrating bishop, standing before a table in the
centre of the choir over the ampulla containing the oil.
The ampullas are prepared beforehand, and laid in a side-
chapel from which they are brought by two subdeacons,
who afterwards carry them back.
The OTHER TWO BLESSINGS take place AFTER THE
COMMUNION. That of the holy Chrism, called con-
secratio chrismatis, is the most solemn of the three.
Before and after the blessing, the ampullas are carried
in procession, accompanied by the chanting of the
hymn, Redemptor, composed in the sixth century by
Venantius Fortunatus. The bishop, and after him the
twelve priests, breathe on the oil, the bishop then
pronounces an exorcism, mixes the balm, and chants
a preface for the holy Chrism, after which in homage
to the Holy Ghost who will operate through this
sacramental Oil, he salutes it, saying : " Hail, holy
Chrism! Hail, holy Oil! " Ave sanctum chrisma! Ave
sanctum oleum! The twelve priests follow the example
of the bishop in this act of veneration. Afterwards
the Oil of catechumens having been blessed, the two
ampullas, their covers replaced (white silk for the
holy Chrism, purple for the Oil of catechumens) are
254
carried back to the side-chapel. There is but one Mass
said on Holy Thursday, and it is celebrated with
all the solemnity observed at Mass on great festivals.
In cathedral churches, the holy oils are blessed at
this Mass. In other churches all the signs of mourning
which accompany the Mass in Lent are omitted, except
that the Alleluia is not sung. The Gloria in excelsis is
heard once more, and whilst it is being sung, the bells
ring continuously after which they are silent until Holy
Saturday.
The Introit gives glory to the Cross of Jesus Christ
and to the divine Redeemer who has become heavenly
bread for the salvation, life, and resurrection of souls.
In the Offertory, the faithful soul is filled with joy and
gives thanks to God for the divine food which delivers
from death.
In former times the STATION at Rome for Holy Thursday
was at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, the mother
and mistress of all the other churches, the metropolitan
church of the Eternal City and of the whole world.
However, in order to be able to give the apostolic bless
ing from the Loggia, in these days the Pope celebrates
at Saint Peter s.
The Collect contains an allusion to the reconcilia
tion of penitents, and recalls the very different fate of
Judas to that of the penitent thief : both were guilty,
yet whilst one was condemned, the other was pardoned,
striking examples of the manner in which divine
justice and mercy are exercised. The Secret com
memorates the institution of the Sacrifice which is
unceasingly renewed on our altars in union with the
oblation of Calvary. The Postcommunion prays that
the divinQ food of our souls may secure to us a happy
eternity.
255
The Epistle contains the account of the last Supper
given by Saint Paul in his first letter to the Corin
thians. The great Apostle emphasises strongly the power
given by our Lord to His apostles, of renewing the Act
which He Himself had just performed. The Gospel
sets before us in detail our Lgrd s action in washing the
feet of His disciples before admitting them to participa
tion in the sacred mysteries, thus impressing on us the
necessity of purifying our souls from sin and earthly
affections before receiving holy Communion.
The Gradual consists of the beautiful words which
the Church during these three days constantly repeats as
the expression of her gratitude, to her Head and her
Spouse. The Offertory returns thanks to God for the
divine food which saves us from death. The Commu
nion recalls our Lord s great act of humility in washing
the feet of His disciples.
The SILENCING OF THE BELLS conveys an impression
of fear and desolation, and reminds us of the flight of the
apostles. To mark their detestation of the treachery
of Judas, the sacred ministers omit the kiss of peace
before the Communion. At the Mass on Holy Thursday
the priest consecrates two hosts, one of which is reserved
for the morrow, hence the name of Mass of the Pre-
sanctified given to the Mass on Good Friday. /Vfter the
Mass on Holy Thursday the sacred host is carried in
procession to the altar of repose which has been pre
pared for its reception. There our Lord will remain to
receive the adoration of the faithful until the morning
of Good Friday.
-256-
CHAPTER XL
Holy Thursday. Evening Office,
There are no solemnities observed at the Vespers
which immediately follow the morning Office. A simple
recitation in place of the chant is used for the Psalms.
In this way the Church shows her profound grief at the
loss of her Spouse.
After Vespers the ALTARS ARE STRIPPED and the
candles extinguished. After the antiphon Diviserunt
has been intoned, the choir recites Psalm xxi. :
Deus, Deus meus, respice in me, and the celebrant,
assisted by his ministers, removes the altar cloths,
and the coverings from the altar. The momen
tary interruption of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
and the state of nakedness to which our Lord was
reduced on the Cross when the executioners divided
His garments, are thereby typified.
In cathedral churches and large parishes the ceremony
of washing the feet is carried out ; which is also a mo
nastic custom. In order to revive a custom of the early
ages, the Bishop, Superior, or parish priest, washes the
feet of twelve or thirteen poor men in remembrance of
our Lord s act at the last Supper. The number, twelve,
reminds us of the apostles. Thirteen is the number
usually chosen, and various reasons are given. Some
say that it represents the actual number of the
apostles after our Lord s Ascension, their number,
which had been reduced by the fall of Judas to
257
eleven, being finally increased to thirteen by the
addition of Saint Mathias and Saint Paul. Others, it
seems with greater reason, according to Benedict XIV,
see in this practice a reminder of an event in the life
of Saint Gregory the Great. This illustrious Pontiff
daily washed the feet of twelve poor men whom he
afterwards admitted to his table. On one occasion it
was found that there was a thirteenth present, whose
admittance could not be accounted for. The stranger
was an angel in the guise of a poor man sent by God
to show how pleasing to Him were the humility and
charity of the great Pope.
During the CEREMONY, the Bishop or Superior vested
in cope, is assisted by a deacon and subdeacon. The
deacon sings the Gospel of the Mass with the usual rites ;
then the celebrant putting off the cope, girds himself
with a linen cloth, kneels before each of the thirteen
poor men in turn, and having washed his right foot,
kisses it. During this time the choir sings antiphons
taken from the words of the Gospel. These antiphons
are followed by a hymn or an exhortation to fraternal
charity of which the washing of the feet is a symbol.
Then the celebrant brings the ceremony to a conclusion,
by the versicles and prayer in which he asks, that, as
the outward stains are washed away, so all inward sins
may be blotted out.
9 The Liturgy of the Roman Mi 9 sal,
CHAPTER XLI
Good Friday.
To-day the Church of Rome calls the faithful to
assemble for the STATION in the church of the Holy
Cross of Jerusalem, the name of which and the sacred
relics enshrined in it recall the great Sacrifice consum
mated for the salvation of mankind. Being a day of
universal mourning the sacred ministers at the morning
Office wear black vestments.
In the liturgical books this day goes by the
name, Feria sexta in Parasceve. Parasceve is a Greek
word which means preparation. In conformity with
the Jewish customs this term was applied to all the
Fridays of the year, because on that day, in order
not to violate the law of the Sabbath rest, all that
was necessary for the morrow was prepared. Accord
ing to the law of Moses, this rest of the Sabbath
was far stricter than that of the Sunday under the
new law, work of every kind being forbidden, even
that of preparing food. The Latin Church makes
use of the term, Feria sexta in Parasceve, to desig
nate the day on which our Lord was crucified,
because on this day He finished the work for which
He had come on earth, and entered into the rest of
the tomb. Sometimes also this day is called the
Passover of the Crucifixion, or passage from life to
death by the tortures of the Cross, in contradistinction
to the Passover of the Resurrection which marks the
passage from death to life.
259
In France this day is known as Holy Friday because
of the grace of holiness of which it has been the
source for mankind. In English-speaking countries it
is called Good Friday, in allusion to the treasures of
grace acquired by our Lord for the human race.
It is indeed the Holy day beyond all others, the
day on which the faithful are urged to meditate on
the mysteries of the Passion of our divine Saviour.
There is no better way of making this meditation
than to read the HISTORY OF THE PASSION ACCORDING
TO SAINT JOHN, and in company with the beloved
disciple to follow our Lord step by step from the
praetorium and along the way of the Cross to the
hill of Calvary.
On Good Friday morning, the sanctuary presents a
scene of THE MOST UTTER DESOLATION. The altar is stripp
ed bare, the lamps and candles are extinguished, the door
of the tabernacle is open and the cross is veiled in black.
The celebrant and the sacred ministers clothed in black
vestments lie prostrate on the altar-steps and pray in
silence for about the space of a Miserere, whilst the
rest of the choir kneel with heads bowed.
The morning Office consists of four parts : the
LESSONS which taken as a whole bear a certain
analogy to the Mass of the catechumens ; the PRAYERS
FOR ALL CLASSES of the great Christian family, and even
for those outside it : heretics, Jews, pagans ; this
reminds us of the ancient custom of the reading of the
diptychs at the Offertory ; the ADORATION OF THE CROSS
and lastly the MASS OF THE PRESANCTIFIED.
For the Lessons at the beginning of the morning
Office, we have two passages from the Old Testament,
followed by Tracts. After the first of these, a Collect
is said and the history of the Passion follows the second.
26o
In the FIRST LESSON a passage from the Prophet Osee
shows to us the mercy of our divine Lord towards
all pagan nations. The Jews, because they have not
understood these dispositions, are rejected. God would
no longer accept their sacrifices. The passage from the
Prophet Hat>acuc which supplies the text of the Tract,
announces the second coming of Jesus Christ in glory
and majesty. The Collect sets forth the contrast be
tween the divine justice in the punishment of Judas
and the mercy shown to the penitent thief. It invokes
on all Christian people the graces attached to the mystery
of the Passion.
The SECOND LESSON recalls to us the prescriptions of
the Lord given to the Israelites, concerning the celebration
of the Pasch and the eating of the Paschal lamb. This
victim is but a symbol, an image of the God who is to
be immolated on the Cross, and who will thus become
the food of Christian souls until the end of time.
The Tract, borrowed from Psalm cxxxix., is a cry
of distress uttered by the Messias, to His eternal
Father when He finds Himself in the hands of His
persecutors. In the HISTORY OF THE PASSION, as
related by Saint John, the beloved disciple in his
account of the last hours of our Lord s mortal life,
inspires our souls with the emotion with which his
own was penetrated when he saw his divine Master,
the Victim for our salvation, expire upon the Cross. The
chanting of the Passion is carried out according to the
rites observed on Palm Sunday.
Each one of the Prayers said for all classes of
people is preceded by a short explanation in which the
celebrant announces the intention for which the prayer
is offered, hence they are also called Monitions. Then,
the priest sings Oremus, to which the deacon responds
261 ""-
Flectamus genua, when all present kneel and remain
thus until the sub deacon sings Levate. These prayers
are petitions offered in succession for the Church,
the sovereign Pontiff, bishops, priests, and clergy of
all orders, for confessors, virgins and widows, in a
word for all Christian people ; then a special prayer
is offered for catechumens, for deliverance from error,
sickness and other calamities, for pilgrims and those
at sea. Next the Church turns her thoughts to heretics,
schismatics, the perfidious Jews and pagans. This public
and detailed supplication is only offered on Good Fri
day, and is intended to remind us that Jesus Christ died
for all men.
In the Prayer for the Jews, the priest does not say
Oremus, and there is no Flectamus genua. In this way
we testify our horror at the awful mockery of the Jews,
when having placed upon our Lord s sacred head the
crown of thorns, they bent the knee before Him, saying :
Hail, King of the Jews.
The most impressive ceremony of the Office on Good
Friday is that called the adoration of the Cross. As
we know, from Saturday, eve of Passion Sunday, all
crucifixes in the churches have been veiled. On Good
Friday morning therefore, after the prayers of which
we have just spoken, the crucifix of the altar, veiled
in black, is offered by the deacon to the celebrant who
proceeds to UNCOVER IT GRADUALLY, first allowing
the top to become visible, then the right arm and head
of the sacred figure, and finally the whole cross.
Each time, he raises the cross a little higher advancing
in three gradations to the middle of the altar, chanting
the words : Ecce lignum crucis, " Behold the wood of
the cross, " raising his voice also each time a little.
The sacred ministers chant with him the words which
262
follow : In quo The choir responds in the same
tone, Venite, adoremus and all, except the celebrant,
kneel during the singing of this Response.
This ceremony, first observed in Jerusalem in the
fourth century, after the finding of the true Cross by
Saint Helena, REMINDS us of the GRADUAL GLORIFI
CATION OF THE CROSS of Jesus Christ. First it
was shown in obscurity then it was preached to the
Jews of the Synagogue, finally it was proclaimed
throughout the whole world. This was, as it were,
the reparation for the outrages inflicted on our Lord
in the house of Caiphas the high priest, in the prse-
torium, and lastly on the hill of Calvary.
At the third chanting of the Venite adoremus, all
remain kneeling, and the celebrant lays the cross on a
purple cushion ; then, in a sentiment of profound
respect for the cross, he takes off his shoes, and
together with his assistants having made the accus
tomed triple adoration at measured intervals, he kneels
before the cross and kisses the sacred feet, the assis
tants following each in turn ; then the choir approach
in succession to render this act of homage to the Cross.
Finally the celebrant having put on his shoes, takes
the crucifix and presents it for the adoration of each
of the faithful.
During the adoration of the Cross a SERIES OF ANTI-
PHONS is sung. These antiphons are called Improperia
REPROACHES because they consist of the reproaches
which, by the mouth of His prophets, God addressed to
the Jewish people for their ingratitude. The ceremony
concludes with the SINGING OF A HYMN in honour of
the Cross. The deacon, having received the cross from
the celebrant, replaces it on the altar, from which time
all genuflect when passing before it. Whilst taking part
in this ceremony the faithful should maintain an atti
tude of recollection and prayer contemplating with love
sincere repentance and veneration the sacred wood on
which our Lord deigned to be crucified, remembering
that their sins have been the cause of the sufferings
and ignominious death of their divine Saviour.
The adoration of the Cross is followed by the PROCES
SION TO THE ALTAR OF REPOSE for the purpose of TC-
moving the sacred Host consecrated on the previous day.
The procession takes place in silence, but on its re
turn, the Vexilla Regis is sung in place of the joyous
and triumphant Pange lingua which the Church omits
as unsuitable to this day of mourning; by this omis
sion she would testify her profound grief and would ren
der homage to the Cross on which our Lord suffered for
the salvation of the world.
The Church calls the last part of the morning Office on
Good Friday the Mass of the Presanctified, or of the gifts
previously consecrated. It is not a Mass, properly
speaking, since there is no consecration. When on the
return of the procession the sacred Host has been laid on
the altar, the priest having incensed it, prepares the
wine and water in the chalice, but does not consecrate
them. He incenses the oblations and the altar, elevates
the sacred Host, recites the Pater nosier and the prayer
Libera nos, and after one prayer of preparation says the
Domine non sum dignus. He then receives holy Commu
nion under the species of bread only, takes the ablu
tions, and then withdraws.
The Church ordains that NO MASS SHALL BE SAID ON
THIS DAY, because she is so absorbed by the thought
of the great and awful Sacrifice offered this day on
Calvary, that she refrains from renewing upon her al
tars ^ the immolation of the divine Victim, contenting
herself with partaking of the great mystery by Com
munion.
Formerly, the PRIVILEGE OF RECEIVING HOLY COM
MUNION on Good Friday was granted to the clergy and
even the faithful. In these days the strict rule of the
Church is, that no one, except the celebrant and the sick
in danger of death, shall be admitted to holy Com
munion.
VESPERS ARE RECITED on Good Friday as on Holy
Thursday, after the morning Office, and the faithful do
not assemble again until the hour for Tenebrae. They
are however exhorted to devote some time to prayer,
particularly the hour at which our divine Lord consum
mated His Sacrifice, about 3 o clock, in the afternoon.
Let them unite themselves with the sentiments which
filled the soul of Jesus Christ dying on the Cross, and
of His blessed Mother, standing at the foot of that
Cross. It is a pious custom on this day to make the
Stations of the Cross. In many churches in the evening
the Stabat Mater is sung and a sermon preached on the
Passion and death of our Lord.
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CHAPTER XLII
Holy Saturday.
The designation of " holy " and " great " which is
applied to the whole of the last week of Lent is even still
more fittingly applied to this Saturday. " What the
head is to the other members of the human body, " says
Saint Chrysostom, " that the Saturday of the great
week is to the other days; if these days are called great
and holy, how much more so is this Saturday. " Hence,
it is that the Churches of the East which on the other
Saturdays of Lent relax somewhat their rigorous obser
vances, their fasts and vigils, on this particular Satur
day, have always redoubled their austerities in memo
ry of the Redemption of mankind. On this day we
COMMEMORATE THE REST OF OUR LORD in the tomb af
ter having accomplished the work of our redemption ;
it is holy because on it the work of the sanctification
of mankind receives from God its full perfection; because
in the first ages of Christianity a fresh body of con
verts were regenerated on this day in the waters o.
Baptism ; finally it is great because on it great mysteries
are accomplished.
IN THE FIRST CENTURIES of the Church, on Holy Sa
turday, as on Good Friday, NO MASS WAS SAID. It was
not fitting that on the day orr which we honoured the
burial of Jesus Christ which followed His Passion and
death, the divine mysteries in which He is offered risen
and glorious should be renewed. In the evening of
266
this day, the SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM WAS ADMINIS
TERED TO ADULTS, at which ceremony the faithful assis
ted as witnesses. Towards the hour of the Resurrection,
that is very EARLY ON SUNDAY MORNING, MASS WAS
CELEBRATED in honour of the great mystery. This is
now our Mass of Holy Saturday, and thus we have the
explanation of the note of Paschal joy throughout the
Mass of this day. From the eleventh century, in the
West, it became the custom to anticipate the evening
hour on Holy Saturday, and in the following centuries the
nocturnal Mass of the Resurrection was transferred to the
morning of Holy Saturday. The solemn administration of
Baptism to the catechumens still remains the CENTRAL
POINT of the whole of our LITURGICAL OFFICE for this
day. We must keep this important detail before us if
we would fully understand the whole of the ceremonies
which take place on Holy Saturday morning.
These ceremonies are : The blessing of the new fire
and of the grains of incense, the blessing of the Pas-
ohal candle, the Lessons from the Prophets, the bless
ing of the baptismal font and the solemn administration
of Baptism, and the High Mass, at the end of which
Vespers are sung.
The STATION for Holy Saturday is at Saint John
Lateran, the metropolitan church in Rome. This Basi
lica is full of precious souvenirs of the fourth century.
Baptism is administered there to adults in the Baptis
tery of Constantine, and an ordination taking place
during the Mass adds still more to the splendour of this
day of such solemnity in the liturgy.
The Office of Holy Saturday begins with the blessing
of the new fire. In the primitive Church it was the
custom before the Vespers (or lucernarium) every day
to strike fire from a flint to light the lamps and the
267 -
candles necessary for this part of the Office . The light thus
obtained was preserved until Vespers of the following
day. In Rome, towards the eighth century, on Holy
Thursday morning the new fire was specially blessed.
With this fire three lamps were lighted and kept burn
ing in a secret place, from whence was taken the light
for Holy Saturday night. From the ninth century the
custom of striking fresh fire from a flint was extended
to Holy Saturday also, and this was the origin of the
present ceremony.
We find the SYMBOLIC MEANING indicated in the pray
ers said at the blessing of the fire. Jesus is the cor
ner-stone, and at the same time the light of the world.
He remains hidden in His burial place, but in rising
from the sepulchre hewn in the rock, He will shine in
resplendent brightness before the eyes of men, and will
dissipate all darkness, the result of sin. Not only was
this fire made use of to light the lamps in the church,
extinguished since Holy Thursday, but the faithful car
ried it to their homes as a pledge of the divine resur
rection. From this ceremony the Christians learned that
the EXTINGUISHING of all lights was a FIGURE OF THE
ABROGATION OF THE OLD LAW, and the lighting of the
new fire represented the proclamation of the new Law,
given to us by Jesus Christ, the light of the world.
The GRAINS OF INCENSE, which are blessed at the same
time as the fire, represent the perfumes which Mag
dalen and the other holy women had prepared for the
embalming of the sacred Body of our Lord. The incense
is an element of regeneration, destined like the light to
save us from the snares laid for us by the spirit of dark
ness. This two-fold blessing is followed by the INTRO
DUCTION OF THE LIGHT INTO THE CHURCH. The deacon
whose office this is, and who afterwards blesses the Pas-
268
chal candle, is vested in a white stole and dalmatic, the
celebrant retaining his purple cope. The Bishop and
his attendants go in procession to the entrance of the
church where the ceremony of blessing the new fire is per
formed. The thurifer having taken some lighted char
coal from the new fire, the incense is then blessed, whilst
one of the acolytes takes a light from this blessed fire.
Another acolyte offers the deacon a reed surmounted
by a wax candle, made with three branches. The reed
symbolizes the weakness of human nature with which
the Word has deigned to be clothed ; the three branches
of the candle represent the Blessed Trinity of whom
the Word Incarnate is the second Person. At three
successive stages according, as it draws near the sanc
tuary, it halts and the deacon lights one of the branches
singing Lumen Christi Behold the light of Christ to
which the choir answers, Deo gratias. At the same time
all kneel, adoring the divinity of the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Ghost. The blessing of the Paschal
candle is now proceeded with, the deacon performing
this function also. Having received the blessing of the
celebrant as at the singing of the Gospel, the deacon,
preceded by acolytes, the thurifer, and the subdeacon
carrying the cross, proceeds to the place where the Gospel
of the High Mass is sung and begins in a solemn tone
the sacred chant called, Prceconium paschale, Exsultet
or Benedictio cerei.
The PASCHAL CANDLE, a beautiful candle of white
wax which is lighted during the Paschal season, is a
FIGURE OF JESUS CHRIST appearing on earth after His
glorious Resurrection. In the words sung by the deacon,
He is compared to the pillar of fire which during the
night guided the Hebrews through the desert, and en
abled them to escape from the slavery of Egypt. The
269
deacon who blesses the Paschal candle here recalls to
mind Magdalen and the other holy women who were
the first initiated by our Lord Himself into the mys
tery of His Resurrection, and who, notwithstanding
the weakness of their sex, were commissioned by Him to
bear the glad tidings to His apostles.
The deacon, now interrupting the singing, fixes in
the Paschal candle the five grains of incense previously
blessed, arranging them in the form of a Cross. These
GRAINS OF INCENSE REPRESENT THE FIVE WOUNDS of
our divine Saviour and remind us, as has been said, of
the perfumes with which His sacred Body was embalmed
when laid in the tomb. Again the deacon breaks off his
chant, and with the aid of the reed which holds the triple
candle, LIGHTS THE PASCHAL CANDLE. This act signifies
the very MOMENT OF THE RESURRECTION when the divine
power instantly re-animated our Lord s sacred Body, re
uniting to that Body the human Soul separated from it by
death. During a third pause in the chant, the lamps in the
church are lighted with the new fire, to teach us that the
knowledge of the Resurrection of Jesus was not commu
nicated at the same moment to all men, but by degrees,
and thus our ressurrection will be the result and the fruit
of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The singing of the Exsultet is followed by the reading
of twelve Lessons taken from the Prophets. This practice
goes back to the time when solemn Baptism was ad
ministered on this day to a large number of adults. On
Holy Saturday morning the catechumens assembled, for
the great scrutiny in the exterior porch of the church.
For the last time, the priests performed the preparatory
rites for Baptism, of which we have already spoken.
These rites, on account of the great number of aspirants
to Baptism, occupied several hours, and to maintain
9*
270
the attention of the faithful assembled round the bishop
in the church, passages from holy Scripture, bearing
as closely as possible on the solemn occasion, were read
from the ambo ; these formed, as it were, the comple
ment of the instructions given during Lent.
On Holy Saturday TWELVE OF THESE LESSONS are
read. In the Church of Rome they were read succes
sively in Latin and Greek. To arouse attention and to
sum up the doctrine of the prophets, a PRAYER is said
AFTER EACH LESSON. To some of these, appropriate
CANTICLES taken from the Old Testament are added
which are sung by the choir. According as the rites over
each catechumen, individually, were concluded, these
could enter the church, and complete their prepa
ration by listening to the Lessons and joining in the
prayers.
The FIRST LESSON (Genesis, chap, i.) speaks to us OF
THE CREATION and reminds us of the wonderful manner
in which man has been redeemed. The SECOND LESSON
(Gen., chap, v.) gives the HISTORY OF THE DELUGE, the
punishment for the sins of men. In it we learn how
the waters which \y,ere on that occasion the instrument
of the justice of God, became also the instrument of
His mercy. The THIRD LESSON (Gen., chap, xxn.)
offers for our imitation the firm and courageous FAITH
of ABRAHAM. We must be faithful to God, even at
the cost of the hardest sacrifices. Isaac carrying the
wood for the holocaust is a figure of Jesus Christ bearing
His Cross. The FOURTH LESSON (Exodus, ch. xiv.) gives
us the story of the CROSSING OF THE RED SEA and the
canticle of Moses which the Hebrews sang to com
memorate their deliverance. This is the great type of Bap
tism, in the waters of which the catechumens are about
to be regenerated, and to enter on the way of salvation.
271
In the FIFTH LESSON (Is., ch. LIV.) the Prophet invites
all to APPROACH THE WATERS, and receive the food pre
pared by the Lord. This invitation is addressed spe
cially to the catechumens whom the Church is about to
receive into her bosom ; to purify, to nourish and to
quench their thirst. The SIXTH LESSON (Baruch, ch. m.)
is a beautiful passage recalling the PAST WANDERINGS
of the children of Israel and a picture of what God in
His mercy has prepared for the docile people, a teaching
of easy applicatio n to the catechumens, no matter to
what nation they belong. The SEVENTH LESSON (Eze-
chiel, ch. xxxvui.) is prophetic of the DOGMA OF THE
RESURRECTION of the body, based on the formal pro
mise of God, and shows that the graces bestowed on
us in this life give us reason to hope for future blessings.
In the EIGHTH LESSON (Is., ch. in.), God, through His
prophet, promises the catechumens that their desire of
bearing the name of their DELIVERER is to be REALIZED.
They are to be that favoured vine whose privilege we extol
in the language of the great prophet : every care shall be
lavished on them that they may produce fruits of holi
ness. The NINTH LESSON (Exodus, ch. xii.) gives the
ordinances of God concerning the celebration of the
Pasch. The catechumens, signed with the blood of the
true Lamb, shall be delivered from the bondage of Sa
tan ; henceforth through the immolation of Christ their
Redeemer they shall take their places at the Eucharistic
Banquet. In the TENTH LESSON (Jonas, ch. m.) the
Prophet predicts the HAPPY DESTINY of the pagan na
tions, who shall do penance at the voice of the apostles.
May they remain united by faith and the practice of
good works. In the ELEVENTH LESSON (Deuteronomy,
ch. xxxi.) it is Moses who teaches the catechumens
the greatness of the OBLIGATIONS which they contract
272
in receiving Baptism. The Canticle which follows this
Lesson forcibly points out the punishments reserved
for whomsoever shall venture to break the covenant
an instruction of great importance to all Christians on
whom God has bestowed so many favours. Finally, the
TWELFTH LESSON (Daniel, ch. in.) teaches the catechu
mens that like the three children cast into the fiery fur
nace, they may have to SUFFER TRIALS and torture for
the cause of Jesus Christ whose disciples they are about
to become, but should they suffer even unto martyrdom,
let them be consoled and encouraged by the prospect
of the crown which awaits them.
At the prayer which follows each Lesson, the faith
ful are bidden to kneel. The last Lesson is the only
exception, and by this exception we are taught to detest
the idolatry of the Babylonians in adoring the statue of
Nabuchodonosor.
During the reading of the prophecies the sub-deacons
retire to the baptistery to prepare for the blessing of the
font, having thrice recited the litany, in the first
recitation repeating the invocations seven times, then
five times, and lastly three times. When the reading
of the Lessons is finished, a PROCESSION OF THE CLERGY
is formed. In this procession the Paschal candle, the
figure of the pillar of fire, is carried, the catechumens
walking behind it, the men having on their right their
godfathers, and the women their godmothers ; then come
the clergy, and last, the bishop or the priest officiating,
surrounded by his sacred ministers. The RESPONSORY
chanted is taken from the Psalm of David in which he
sighs for his God, and compares his ardent longing to
that of the hart panting after the fountain of refreshing
water. The prayer which the celebrant recites at the
entrance to the baptistery, repeats the same compa-
273
rison, thus expressing the desire of the new nation for
Jesus who is the source of life.
The officiating priest begins by reciting A PRAYER in
which he invokes the Holy Ghost on behalf of these new
recruits, next, in a MAGNIFICENT PREFACE, he praises
the wonders which the Lord has wrought by means of
water, then he breaks off and divides the water in the
form of a cross, thus indicating that by virtue of the
Cross this element receives the power of regenerating
souls. He begs of God that He would deign to drive
away from this water all evil spirits; then touching it
with his hand, he sprinkles it towards the north,
south, east and west, by this act recalling that the
fruitfulness of the earthly paradise was owing to the four
streams that watered it. He invokes on the water the
action of the divine Spirit that it may be rendered
fruitful, he then plunges into it three times the end of
the Paschal candle, symbolizing by this action the bap
tism of Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan. Be
fore withdrawing the candle, he breathes again on the
water, in the form of the letter ^F of the Greek alphabet
(the first letter of the Greek word for Spirit). This act
signifies that the power of the Holy Spirit unites with
the virtue of our divine Redeemer Jesus Christ for the
sanctifying of the water. He then withdraws the Pas
chal candle, and ends the Preface in a simple reading tone.
One of the priests now ASPERGES the faithful with this
water which has been blessed with such solemnity, after
which an acolyte fills a vessel with it, to be used in the
service of the church and in sprinkling the houses of the
faithful. In some places a special blessing of houses takes
place on Holy Saturday, and the faithful are allowed
to take home some of this water before the blessing
of the baptismal water is concluded. That this water
274
may be used in the administration of Baptism the bishop
must mix with it a few drops of the holy Oils which
were consecrated on Holy Thursday. First he puts in,
separately, a little of the Oil of catechumens and of
the holy Chrism, then taking the two phials one in
his right hand, the other in his left he pours from them
simultaneously accompanying each act with a prayer,
which explains the signification of the action performed.
Finally, the bishop, putting his hands into the font,
mixes the holy Oils with the water.
Whilst assisting at the blessing of the baptismal font
the faithful, thus reminded of their own baptism, should
be filled with sentiments of gratitude. They would do
well to renew their baptismal promises, and to pray for
the souls who are to be regenerated in these sacred
waters.
In the first centuries of Christianity, this blessing
was always followed by the BAPTISM OF THE CATECHU
MENS, and as these were often very numerous, the bishop
only baptized some of them, leaving to his priests the
duty of baptizing the rest. For a long time the custom
was maintained, at least in cathedral churches, of bap
tizing one adult on Holy Saturday during these solemn
ceremonies, but as in our days in Catholic countries, it
is very rare to find adults who have not been baptized,
it fell into disuse. We can understand however that
such a practice is quite in conformity with the spirit of
the Church.
After the blessing of the font the PROCESSION is re
formed and returns TO THE SANCTUARY, chanting the
LITANY of the saints. Arrived at the foot of the altar
the celebrant prostrates himself, whilst the rest all
kneel, and continue the chanting. Mass begins with the
singing of the Kyrie eleison which ends the litany.
275
In the Mass of Holy Saturday the INTROIT is OMITTED,
because as it marks the coming of the priest to the altar ;
on this day it is not required, the celebrant being
already at the foot of the altar. He then changes the
purple cope and stole for white vestments.
On this day, the sung parts of the Mass, the prayers,
and the Lessons are all filled with the great miracle of
the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Collect speaks
of the happy night which witnessed it, and prays that
all those baptized may obtain the grace of perfect re
newal. The Epistle describes, in those terms of which Saint
Paul alone has the secret, the resurrection of souls after
death which is the penalty of sin. The Gospel accord
ing to Saint Mark, gives the episode of the visit paid by
the holy women to the sepulchre in the early morning
of Sunday. The Secret offers to God on this happy
night the Paschal Victim who has won for us the happi
ness of eternity. There is NEITHER OFFERTORY NOR
COMMUNION, and the Postcommunion is at the same time
the prayer for Vespers.
During the singing of the Gloria in excelsis, ALL THE
BELLS, silent since the Mass on Holy Thursday, ARE
RUNG. After the Epistle the Alleluia is sung three times
by the celebrant, and thrice repeated by the choir
each time on a higher note and with an increase of
exultant joy.
The Vesper chant is, as it were, the conclusion of
the Mass and consists of the short psalm : Laudate Do-
minum omnes gentes, and the Magnificat with their anti-
phons doubled. The whole is CONCLUDED BY THE POST-
COMMUNION in which the priest begs that the newly
baptized may receive the grace to live in perfect con
cord with one another. The great joy of the Church
finds its last expression in the twice repeated Alleluia,
276
added to the lie Missa est and which will be continued
during the whole octave of Easter.
In many churches on Holy Saturday the OFFICE OF
COMPLINE is solemnly sung, and Matins are sung at
dawn on the Sunday morning thus coinciding with the
hour of the Resurrection.
SECOND SECTION
THE PASCHAL SEASON
CHAPTER I
General considerations on Paschaltide.
Characteristics. By Paschaltide is understood the
period of eight weeks between Holy Saturday and the
Saturday before Pentecost. This season comprises a
little over fifty days ; it has been designated by the
name of Pentecostal, or Quinquagesima of joy, in contra
distinction to the weeks of penance by which it is pre
ceded.
This PERIOD derives its characteristics from the festi
val OF EASTER itself, of which it is AN EXTENSION
During it we commemorate the mysteries of the Resur.
277
rection, the Ascension of our Lord and the descent of
the Holy Ghost upon the apostles. The two last mysteries
are the consequence of the first, and thus the Resurrec
tion of our Lord, or Easter, forms the culminating point,
the centre towards which all the other Feasts of the year
converge. It is not surprising, therefore, that it has been
called the Feast of feasts, the Solemnity of solemnities.
The season of Advent prepared us for the birth of the
Messias, Christmas gave us the Man-God, that is Jesus
the Emmanuel, or God with us. The Epiphany mani
fested our divine Saviour growing before men in age, in
grace, and in wisdom. The season of Septuagesima
initiated us into the teachings and the virtues of the
divine Master. Lent associated us with His penance,
and Passiontide gave us to participate in the suffer
ings, the merits and the death of our divine Redeemer.
Thus all these mysteries were a preparation for the festi
val of Easter on which we celebrate the Resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
At the same time that it is for our Lord the passage
from death to life, and the crowning of His work on earth,
the Easter festival is for the whole world the BEGINNING
OF A NEW LIFE, and as it were a second creation. The
work of God the Father, thrown into disorder and defiled
by the sin of the first Adam, is restored and purified by
the precious Blood of Jesus Christ, the second Adam.
Thus light and life are restored to the world on the day
on which Jesus Christ rises again. He Himself chose the
Sunday as the day of His Resurrection, in order that the
first day of a new creation might harmonize with the
primaeval creation. The Ascension is, as it were, the
completion of the Resurrection, and through the ages
Pentecost continues the effects of this glorious mystery,
the descent of the Holy Ghost having no other end than
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to continue the work of Jesus Christ for the consolida
tion of His Church and the preaching of His Gospel.
There is a certain CONNECTION between the Christian
festival of EASTER and the JEWISH PASCH. The Jewish
Pasch was for the Hebrews the commemoration of the
anniversary of their going out of Egypt. This exodus was
a shadowy figure of the passage from death to life in
which our risen Lord invites us to follow Him. But the
Jewish Pasch was celebrated on any day of the week
which coincided with the fourteenth day of the March
moon. The Church has ordained that the Christian Pasch
should be celebrated on Sunday, because it was on that
day of the week our Lord rose from the dead. EASTER
therefore always falls on the Sunday after THE FOUR
TEENTH DAY OF THE MARCH MOON.
From the beginning the Roman Church has always
observed this rule. Some churches in Asia Minor however
were accustomed to celebrate Easter on the same day
on which the Jews celebrated their Pasch, but in the
fourth century this custom was discontinued. The
Sovereign Pontiffs desired that the Catholic world should
conform on this point to the Roman usage.
The following are the PRACTICES belonging to the Pas
chal season : The obligation of receiving holy Commu
nion during this time ; the frequent singing of the Alle
luia ; the substitution of the Regina cczli for the Ange-
lus; the practice of standing whilst praying. Formerly
fasting was prohibited during the whole of this season.
The Church however, in these days, has prescribed that
the eve of Pentecost shall be a fast-day, and that Em
ber days shall be observed during the octave. These
various practices all tend to the same end, that we may
participate more fully in the joy of the Resurrection of
our Lord.
CHAPTER II
Special mysteries and graces of the Paschal
Season.
PASCHALTIDE, as we said above like the Season of Lent,
CORRESPONDS TO THE SUMMER SEASON, for it is then
that the Sun of justice diffuses more abundantly on souls
supernatural light and heat. He communicates to them
the plenitude of life. On the day of His Ascension He
enters into full possession of His glory, and by sending
the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, He pours out on souls an
abundance of grace and the ardour of His charity.
We have said before that with this great festival is
connected the remembrance of the Jewish Pasch. The
Israelites who went forth from Egypt, the land of bond
age, to journey towards the land of Canaan, the country
promised to their fathers, represent the souls who by
going forth from sin and entering into the life of grace,
participate in the Resurrection of our divine Redeemer.
The Christian Pasch also recalls the PASSING OF THE
CONVERTED JEWS from the yoke of the Mosaic law TO
THAT OF THE NEW LAW, the law of the Gospel. For
each of us, it announces the passage from the present
life to that of a happy eternity.
The better to inculcate this consoling truth, the Church
prolongs the Paschal season for eight full weeks, instead
of terminating it at the end of the first week.
Our divine Lord after His death which took place on
the afternoon of Good Friday, in the evening of that same
da\ Wafl I. lid in tin- sepnlchie wheie Hi 1 , -.a ml I .orly
! ted during the whole of Saturday. Fl was not until
tin- third day, that is mi the mm inn; , of Sunday, tli.it
He KOSI-: A<;AIN I-KOM mi DI-:AI>. <iod willed this order
of events so that man should he ledeeined on the same
day as that on which he had been ic.ded namely, the
sixth day of the week. Saturday was teally the day of
red lr oni divine Lord, and Sunday by the resurrec
tion ol Him who i, in truth the liHit of the woild,
hee;ime the lust day of the new ( reation.
Not only the day of the week, hut also the season oi
(he yeai 1 1.1 1 1 1 loni/.es with the festival of Kastcr. At this
time l the \-ear all nature hi -ne.dh the influence of the
MIII \akens to renewed life. Soon WC shall see
the i i pern 1 1}.; nl the hai \ esl .ind >l I he li nit s of t he e.irl h.
In this \ve ha\ e a sensible imaj .e ol the effects of the n-
smre<ti(n of Jesus < hii,| in Hie souls of His faithful
disciples.
Dminj; the I as. hal season, in |.ai 1 1. ular. tin- sun! >l
the Christian should be filled with a wholly SUIMCRNA-
i I K.M |v at the triumph of Jesns Christ, f 01 t his 1 1 inmph
has |)io( uie<l hu it true life. I hen, lieem!; itself bom
all eaithly bondage, lenonm -in/; even natural alleelion.
the soul should endea\ onr to unite itself intimately to its
(od.The I aschal ( ommmiioi^ enjoined on all Christians,
is the chief means of attaining to t his ml miale union;
not only it is an act of religion and of obedieiuc, it
is moieovi i (he most efficacious way of receiving the
graces of the KYsmiect inn. The special glares at tached
to this mystery will brin^ to full maturity the vir
tnes which during; .\d\-ent were implanted in the soul
and which, developing dining the Christmas season.
attained to flourishing j;iowth dmiiif; the penitential
season of Lent.
28l
The Christian should with jealous care PKKSI-KVK AND
DBVSLOP within himself the SPIRITUAL I.IKK which In.
heen restored to him. After the example of Hie apostles,
(hiring our Lord s sojourn on earth, he will diligently
study the lessons given to him by Che divine Master, Hi.
eliief care should be to strive to advance in the love
ol his (iod; his thoughts and his desires should ever
tend heavenward, whither Jesus Christ will return, on
Ascension day, to prepare a place for him. Alter (In,
last mvsteiy ha-, been accomplished, he will by leading
a life ol pia\vr and recollection strive to lit him sell for
the coming of the Holy dhost.
( II \I 1I-U IN
The Festival of Easter.
Roman Station : In former times at the Basilica of Saint Mary
Major, now at Saint IVter s. Sinners of the liturgy : hit mil,
Ps. cxxxviu, IS, Mi. l-pisllo, 1 Cor., v, 7-8. (iiado.il,
I s.cxvii.lM. Alleluia, I Cor., v, 7. Gospel, St Mark, xvi, 2-7.
Offertory, I s. i.xxv, ( J-K. Communion, I Cor. v, 7-8,
In the liturgy, this I east is sometimes called
I dsc/Hi the holy passage, an allusion to the j;ieal
nniacle of the passing of our l.oid IKMII death to hie ; .it
other times it is called the Holy and C,rcut. ilav of the
l.oid, because He consecrated it by His vi< toi v over death.
282
For this reason we frequently repeat on this day an<i
throughout the octave the words of the Psalmist, " This
is the day which the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and
be glad therein. " The day of our Lord s Resurrection
is the day of our passage also ; following our leader,
we shall pass from death to life, of this we are firmly
assured. In the Roman Martyrology this Feast is called
the Solemnity of Solemnities.
The object of the Christian Pasch is to adore our risen
Lord, as we adored Him in the crib and on the Cross.
In these different states, the Man-God is ever worthy of
our adoration. More than ever is He so in the hour of
His triumph over death. The lifeless Body of our divine
Lord, having been reverently taken down from the Cross,
was embalmed and laid in the sepulchre where it re
mained from Friday evening until the early morning
of Sunday. His soul immediately on leaving His sacred
Body descended into hell, that is, into the place called
limbo where the souls of the patriarchs and of the just
of the Old Testament were waiting for the coming of
their divine deliverer. But the Body and Soul of our
Lord never ceased to be united to His divinity.
According to the prediction of the prophets and conform
ably to His own words, our Lord rose again to life on
the third day after His death. The Evangelists do not
tell us the exact moment at which His Resurrection took
place. Our Lord s Body thus remained in the tomb
about thirty hours, or a number corresponding to the
number of years He had lived on earth. According to the
tradition of the Church, the RESURRECTION, like the
Birth of Jesus Christ, took place ABOUT MIDNIGHT.
Finding the world in darkness, our Lord would inundate
it with His light. Just as He had laid down His life of
His own free will, so did our divine Redeemer of Himself
and by His own power take it up again. At the moment
decreed by His heavenly Father, the Soul of Jesus united
to His divinity quitted limbo, and was reunited to
His Body. Being no longer subject to the conditions
of mortality, He was endowed with the qualities of a
glorified body, and passed through the stone before the
sepulchre as a ray of light darts through crystal. He
could appear in different places, now in Jerusalem, now
in Galilee, and show Himself in the course of one same
day to His blessed Mother, to the holy women, to Saint
Peter, to the apostles assembled together in Jerusalem
and to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
In assisting at the Offices of this sacred day we should
be filled with sentiments of HEARTFELT GRATITUDE to
our divine Redeemer, and of HOLY JOY because of the
pledge we have of our own resurrection in that of our
divine Lord.
On account of the length of the ceremonies on Holy
Saturday in early times, lasting as they did during the
whole day and far into the night, the OFFICE OF MA
TINS has been very much SHORTENED. In the Roman
Breviary there is but one nocturn and only three
Psalms. This was necessary in order that Lauds might
be sung at the break of day. In the middle ages in
most of the Churches in the west on Easter Sunday a
procession took place before Lauds in the chapel where
since Holy Thursday the Blessed Sacrament had been
^kept and which was called the chapel of the Sepul
chre. A kind of dialogue ensued between two choirs
one answering the other, a vestige of which has come
down to us in the prose Victims paschali laudes.
In the ages of faith, the formula Surrexit Dominus vere,
alleluia The Lord is truly risen, alleluia, which is the
Invitatory of Matins, was the SALUTATION which Chris-
- 284 -
tians used when they met one another, giving at the
same time the kiss of peace in token of mutual and
fraternal charity.
Formerly the STATION at Rome for Easter Sunday
was in the basilica of Saint Mary Major, and it is still
so marked in our Missals. On the Paschal solemnity
homage was first rendered to Mary whose maternal
heart had suffered such torture during the Passion of
her divine Son. In these days, the solemnity of the
Papal Mass takes place in Saint Peter s, the vast dimen
sions of which are better suited to the immense con
course of the faithful from all parts of the world who
every year assemble in the Eternal City to take part
in the Easter solemnities.
During Paschal time a SLIGHT CHANGE is made in the
rite of the Asperges or BLESSING OF THE PEOPLE which
takes place BEFORE THE HIGH MASS. Instead of Asperges
me, the Vidi aquam is sung as a reminder of the work of
grace effected in the souls of the newly baptized. On
this Sunday, the water solemnly blessed the day before
is used, as is also the case on Pentecost Sunday. The
sung parts of the Mass on Easter Sunday echo as it
were the victory of Jesus Christ over death. The
Introit is the cry of the Man-God rising from the tomb
and rendering to His eternal Father the homage of His
gratitude. The Gradual is composed of the joyful words
which the Church borrows from the Psalmist and which
she repeats in all the Hours of the Office for the day,
as also in all the Masses during the Octave, to express
her gladness, and to praise the Lord for His infinite
mercy. The Alleluia and the Communion, taken from
the Epistle of the Mass, give the key-note to the joy
that should animate the Christian on this day;
for a Feast has been prepared for us as heretofore for
the Jews, at which Jesus Christ Himself is our food.
He is the Lamb which has been slain, who has redeemed
us with His blood, He is also the living Lamb who
imparts immortalitj^ to us. The Offertory is taken
from Psalm LXXV., in which king David predicts the
earthquake which occurred at the moment when Jesus
Christ rose from the tomb. The Sequence, Victimce
paschali laudes is a continuation of the joyous Alleluia,
and excites our ardent devotion to our risen Jesus, our
hope, our King, who has triumphed over death.
The Collect extols the gift of immortality restored to
man through the victory of Jesus Christ over death. The
Secret implores for those, who by receiving holy Com
munion take part in the holy Sacrifice, all those graces
which may secure to them the eternal happiness of
heaven. For those who have received this divine food,
the Postcomxnunion prays for the spirit of fraternal
charity which is indeed the true Paschal spirit. On this
great day is consummated the union of the soul with
Jesus Christ, a union begun in the Incarnation, sealed
by the act of Redemption and the Blood He shed upon
the Cross, a union perfected by the communication of
the gift of immortality.
In his Epistle to the Corinthians, Saint Paul speaks
of the unleavened bread which was eaten with the Pas
chal lamb, and from this he draws the lesson, that in
preparation for holy Communion we must renounce
the imperfections of our past life of which the leaven is
a figure, and henceforth lead a new life, holy in word
and act. In the Gospel, Saint Mark relates the events
which took place in the early morning of Easter Sun
day : the anxiety of the holy women, as they wended
their way to the tomb, carrying perfumes, their surprise
when the angels announced that the great mystery of
286
the Resurrection had already been realized in fulfilment
of the divine promises : " You seek Jesus of Nazareth,
who was crucified ; He is risen, He is not here, behold
the place where they laid Him. But go tell His disciples
and Peter that He goeth before you into Galilee ; there
you shall see Him, as He told you. " What happiness
and consolation for all faithful souls !
During the first ages of the Church or at least in the
middle ages the Office of VESPERS at EASTER differed in
some details from to-day. After the singing of the first
three Psalms with the Antiphons, the Office was inter
rupted very abruptly, and preparations were made for
the joyous procession of the newly baptized to the font
where their deliverance had been accomplished. The
Paschal candle, which was carried at the head of this
procession, recalled the pillar of fire which guided the
Israelites when they went out of Egypt. Close to the
mystical candle, a deacon in white dalmatic carried
the holy Chrism with which the neophytes had been
anointed, thereby receiving the Holy Spirit ; next came
the cross followed by seven acolytes, the clergy, the bishop
and lastly the neophytes, walking two and two. As the
procession started, the Magnificat was sung, then an
Antiphon in which were set forth the words of our Lord
declaring that He would draw all nations to Himself.
On drawing near the baptistery, the Laudate pueri, the
fourth psalm of Vespers was chanted. Then the neo
phytes having taken their places around the font, the
celebrant incensed the sacred water in which these souls
had been regenerated. After a prayer to implore deliv
erance at the last Judgment, the antiphon Vidi aquam
was sung, and the Psalm In exitu Israel intoned, in
which the going forth from Egypt and the passage through
the Red Sea are commemorated. The procession then
re-formed for the return, a fresh station being made under
the Rood-screen at the entrance to the sanctuary where
all rendered homage to their divine deliverer. The bishop
then addressed a final prayer to God, begging for
new life for the soul, through the Holy Spirit, the
source of love. Then burst forth the singing of the Anti-
phon, H&c dies, and the Magnificat ,* a double Alleluia
was added to the Benedicamus Domino, as at the Office
of Lauds in the morning. The two alleluias are still
sung throughout the Octave; but the rite of the pro
cession in the middle of Vespers is no longer observed,
only the five antiphons of Vespers with their Psalms
and the antiphon Hcec dies, are retained in commemo
ration of the events which took place on this great day.
Another custom peculiar to Easter is still observed in
some places, particularly in Rome : the BLESSING OF
A LAMB, as well as other articles of food. The blessing
of eggs, which during Lent have not been allowed, arose
from a sentiment of gratitude to God, and the desire
of thus hallowing that food of which they had been
deprived during the past weeks. The blessing of the
Paschal lamb reminds us that the lamb, by the blood
of which the Israelites were delivered, was a symbol
of Jesus Christ who was immolated for us, and that
the eating of the lamb on this day, is not only indica
tive of the Easter joy, but also commemorative of the
Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
288
CHAPTER IV
The Octave of Easter. Apparitions
of Jesus Christ, after the Resurrection.
The whole of this WEEK is but a PROLONGATION OF
THE SOLEMNITIES of Easter Day, it is, as it were, one
long continuous day, hence the words, in hac potissimum
die, used by the priest in the preface of the Mass from
Easter Sunday to the following Saturday. It is not
surprising therefore to find that up to the sixth cen
tury and even later, the faithful ABSTAINED FROM WORK
during the whole of this Octave. About the twelfth
century this universal cessation of work was limited to
the Monday and Tuesday of Easter Week. Nowadays
EASTER MONDAY is still universally observed as a HOLI
DAY. For the same reason abstinence was not obser
ved during the Octave; all was joy as the Hcec dies...
chanted in the Gradual of the Mass bears witness.
In the liturgy, this week has been called the week
of renewal, because by the Resurrection of our divine
Saviour all things are made new ; because of the white
garments worn by the newly-baptized throughout the
week as a symbol of the interior renewal of their Bap
tism ; and because in many places the beginning of the
new year was reckoned from Easter. It has also been
called the white week because of the garments worn by
the neophytes during the Octave.
In certain Churches, in that of Milan and of Gaul,
two Masses WERE CELEBRATED EVERY DAY during this
289
week, one being said at daybreak for the newly-baptised,
and the second at the usual hour for the rest of the
faithful. We find traces of this practice in the Masses
for this week at the present day, in which is a blend
ing of the two said in those early times. Numerous
allusions to the neophytes occur either in the Collect or
in the sung parts. In most of the Lessons, the great
miracle of the Resurrection is recalled.
The STATIONS AT ROME for this week have been cho
sen with the intention of completing the instruction of
the neophytes. On Monday they are taken to Saint Peter s
that they may render homage to him who is the founda
tion on whom the Church is built. As we hinted in the
preceding chapter, some changes have been made in
these Stations. At one period for example, the Station
for Easter Monday was at Saint Mary Major s, whilst
on Easter Sunday it was at the Church of Saint John
Lateran. The choice of Saint Peter s for the Station on
Monday harmonizes with the Gospel for that day in which
we read that the risen Lord appeared to Simon Peter.
On Tuesday the neophytes are invited to assemble in
the Basilica of Saint Paul there to venerate the great
Apostle of the gentiles. On Wednesday the Station is
at the Church of Saint Lawrence outside the walls.
There at the tomb of the Martyr, the newly baptised
would be inspired with invincible courage and fidelity,
Baptism, in those early times, being looked upon as a
pledge of martyrdom. On Thursday the neophytes went
to the basilica of the Twelve Apostles which is dedicated
to the witnesses of the Resurrection and where are pre
served the relics of two of the number Saint Philip
and Saint James. Dating from the seventh century the
Station for Friday is at the Church of Saint Mary of
the Martyrs. This church was the ancient Pantheon of
10 The Liturgy of the Human Missal.
290
Agrippa consecrated by Pope Boniface IV and dedi
cated to the Mother of God and to all the martyrs.
On the day of their baptism, Mary became the Mother
of the neophytes as her divine Son had become their
Brother. On Saturday the Station is at Saint John
Lateran close to which is the baptistery of Constantine
where the neophytes laid aside the white garments which
they had put on eight days previously.
In the SEQUENCE, which is sung each day of the
Octave, we render HOMAGE TO THE DIVINE LAMB as our
Redeemer, the Victim immolated at the Paschal season.
We are reminded by this hymn that since the promise
of a deliverer was given to our first parents, a lamb is
given in holy Scripture as the figure and the symbol
of this deliverer. Thus the just Abel offered a lamb in
sacrifice and God accepted the offering. The ram, whose
horns were caught in a bush and which Abraham offered
in sacrifice in place of his son Isaac, is taken as a type
of Jesus the divine Victim, crowned with thorns. Moses,
by the order of God Himself, commanded all the Israel
ites to sacrifice a lamb without blemish, and to sprinkle
the doors of their dwellings with the blood of this lamb,
and this was the sign of the preservation of their first
born from death, and the prediction of their coming
departure from Egypt, the land of bondage. Every year
the Hebrews were to renew this offering in com
memoration of the great event which was called the pas
sage of the Lord, and as the foreshadowing of the Victim
who would one day be the Paschal Lamb of the New
law. Isaias, the greatest of the Prophets, implores the
Lord to send the Lamb who should rule the earth. Saint
John the Baptist, pointing out to his disciples for the
first time the expected Redeemer, said to them : " Behold
the Lamb of God. " The Apostle, Saint John, the
291
great Seer of the Apocalypse, sees in one of his visions
the divine Lamb on the altar of heaven, and he declares
that in order to take part in the eternal banquet, the
elect must have washed their robes in the blood of the
Lamb. Lastly, before holy Communion the priest repeats
the words of the holy Precursor : " Behold the Lamb of
God. " JESUS CHRIST RISEN FROM THE DEAD is for us the
TRUE PASCHAL LAMB, for the shedding of His Precious
Blood has delivered mankind from the slavery of the
devil and the bondage of sin ; through His Resurrection
we have passed from the death of sin to the life of
grace, and it is for us the certain pledge of our future
resurrection.
During this week the Church reads frequently the
ACCOUNT OF THE APPARITIONS OF OUR RISEN LORD, for
this mystery of the Resurrection is the basis on which
rests our faith. In the beginning of the Acts of the
Apostles, Saint Luke declares that during forty days
our Lord appeared at different times in the presence oi
various witnesses ; some only of these are recorded in
the Gospel, or other books of the New Testament. We
must distinguish between those which are so recorded,
and those which have come down to us by tradition.
Amongst the latter we must place our Lord s apparition
to His blessed Mother. Those which have come down
to us in the Scriptures are ten in number.
ON THE DAY of the Resurrection, our Lord APPEARED
on FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. FIRST to Saint Mary
Madgalen ; SECONDLY to the holy women ; THIRD to the
Apostle Saint Peter ; the FOURTH time to the disciples at
Emmaus ; the fifth to the apostles in the cenacle, Saint
Thomas being absent on this occasion. The SIXTH APPA
RITION took place eight days later, again in the cenacle,
all the apostles, Saint Thomas included, being there
292
assembled. The SEVENTH TIME our Lord appeared in
Galilee, on the shores of Lake Tiberias ; it was then
that the miraculous draught of fishes, related by Saint
John, occurred ; it was on this occasion also that our
Lord constituted Saint Peter the Head of His Church,
entrusting him with the office of feeding His lambs and
His sheep. The EIGHTH APPARITION took place on a
mountain of Galilee, in the presence of the apostles
and of more than five hundred people. According to
Saint Paul, our Lord s, NINTH APPARITION was a special
favour granted to the Apostle Saint James the Less,
who was to be the first Bishop of Jerusalem. The
TENTH AND LAST APPARITION took place in the cenacle
when our divine Lord for the last time sat at table
with His apostles, gave them His final instructions,
and then going forth, led them to the Mount of Olives
whence in their presence He ascended into heaven.
In these last apparitions our Lord wished : 1st., to
give to His disciples the certitude OF His RESURREC
TION and thus leave to the end of time convincing proofs
of His divinity ; 2nd., to put the finishing touch to
His work of establishing and organizing His Church.
Three means were employed by our Lord for the
ESTABLISHMENT and government of His CHURCH : ist,
the APPOINTEMENT of a visible head in the person of Saint
Peter and his successors the Roman Pontiffs, with minis
ters and aids, that is to say the apostles and the bishops
their successors, and in a lower rank, the simple
priests ; 2nd, a TEACHING BODY, and, to secure the pre
servation of the faith in all its integrity, the privilege
of infallibility granted by our Lord to Saint Peter and
his successors ; 3rd, the INSTITUTION OF THE SACRAMENTS
which should communicate to the souls of the faithful
the life of our Lord, His graces, His virtues and His merits.
293
CHAPTER V
Monday and Tuesday in Easter Week.
Sources of the liturgy : MONDAY. Introit, Exodus, xin, 5-9.
Epistle, Acts, x, 37-43. Gradual and Alleluia, Ps. cxvii,
24; St. Matth., xxvin, 2. Gospel, St, Luke, xxiv, 13-25.
Offertory, St. Matth., xxvm, 2. Communion , St. Luke,
xxiv, 34.
TUESDAY. Introit, Eccles., xv, 3-4. Epistle, Actes, xm,
26-33. Gradual, and Alleluia, Ps. cxvii, 24 and cvi, 2.
Gospel, St. Luke, xxiv, 36-47. Offertory, Ps, xvn, Hand
16. Communion, Coloss., HI, 1-2.
v In the Introit of the Mass for Monday in Easter week
the Church likens the position of the newly baptized to
that of the Hebrews when they had gone out of Egypt.
" Now, you dwell, " she says to them, " in a land flowing
with milk and honey, " but faithfully observe the law of
God, that you may profit by these precious advantages.
The Gradual is the same throughout the week ; it is
an invitation to look upon the whole of the Octave
as one continued Paschal Feast. The verse of the Gra
dual however, varies each day until Friday. The Alleluia
and the Offertory tell us how the Angel of the Lord
announced the Resurrection to the holy women. The
Communion speaks of the apparition of our risen Lord
to Saint Peter. Thus in this Mass the great miracle of
the Resurrection is offered to the faithful as the subject
294
of their meditation together with the grace of regen
eration granted to the newly baptised.
In the Epistle, taken from the Acts of the Apostles,
we learn how Saint Peter preached the great mystery
of the Resurrection to the Jews, setting it before them as
the foundation of faith and the pledge of the remission
of sins. The discourse is addressed to Cornelius the
centurion and his family as a preparation for those who
were listening to him for the reception of Baptism.
In the incident of the apparition of our Lord to the
disciples on the road to Emmaus, the Church would
teach us how He came to the assistance of those dis
ciples who, notwithstanding the divine promises, were
still more or less wavering, and yet were full of memo
ries of the Master whose death they deplored, and whose
hearts were now burning within them as they listened
to His consoling words. The narrative ends with an
account of qur Lord s apparition to Saint Peter (GOSPEL) .
The PRAYERS OF THIS DAY S MASS tell us of jthe parti
cular graces belonging to the Paschal season : the heal
ing of a sinful world ; heavenly gifts of perfect liberty
the fruit of the Redemption (COLLECT); a foretaste of
eternal happiness derived from the Paschal solemnities
(SECRET) ; the grace of perfect harmony with our
brethren, infused into our souls by the spirit of charity
(POSTCOMMUNION). In truth the effect of the new Pasch
is to unite all Christians by the closest ties of brother
hood.
In the Introit for the Mass of Tuesday the neo
phytes learn that the baptismal water is a symbol of
divine wisdom, which will impart to them light, under
standing, and strength of will, and which will lead them
to eternal glory. The VERSE of the Gradual urges them
to praise and glorify God during the whole of the Octave
-495-
for the priceless blessing of their redemption. The
Offertory, in a verse from Psalm, xvn., describes
the great prodigy worked by the Most High when by
the miracle of His Resurrection He gave free course
to the lifegiving waters of divine grace. In the Com
munion the newly baptised are exhorted to seek and
desire only the heavenly treasures of the abode where
Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, awaits their coming.
In the Epistle we hear the voice of Saint Paul who
sums up for the Jews the whole mystery of the Redemp
tion, foretold by the prophets, brought about through
the instrumentality of those who condemned Jesus Christ
to death, and who thought they could bury his memory
in the silence of the tomb, and finally completed by
the power of God the Father at the moment in which
this almighty power restored to life Jesus Christ His
Son, the reality of whose Resurrection, by His repeated
apparitions has been unquestionably established.
In the Gospel we read how our Lord, in the evening of
Easter Sunday, appeared in the midst of His disciples
with greetings of peace, but^with the manifest inten
tion of giving evident and tangible proofs of the prodigy
of His Resurrection, and that it was truly the same
human body which He had assumed in His Incarnation.
All the predictions of the prophets concerning the Redemp
tion of the human race have been literally fulfilled in
the Resurrection, as well as in the Passion and Death
of Jesus Christ.
In the Collect we are told that the gathering of
strange sheep into the fold of His Church is the work
of God Himself, and that it is by faith that these new
recruits enter into possession of life. It is by prayer
joined to the oblation of the holy Sacrifice that they will
advance on the road to their heavenly country (SECRET),
- 296
In the participation of the holy Eucharist they will be
assured of the grace of final perseverance (PosxcoM-
MUNION).
CHAPTER VI
Wednesday and Thursday in Easter Week.
Sources of the liturgy : WEDNESDAY. Introit, St. Matth.,
xxv, 34. Epistle, Acts, HI, 13-20. Gradual, Ps. cxvn,
24. Alleluia, St. Luke, xxiv, 34. Gospel, St. John, xxi,
1-14. Offertory, Ps. LXXVII, 23-24. Communion, Romans,
vi, 9.
THURSDAY. Introit, Wisdom, x, 20-21. Epistle, Acts,
VHI, 26-40. Gradual, Ps. cxvn, 24. Alleluia (not from holy
Scripture). Gospel, St. John, xx, 11-18. Offertory, Exo
dus, xiii, 5. Communion, St. Peter, I, 11, 9.
In the Introit of the Mass on Wednesday, the Church
in the name of her Head, Jesus Christ, promises to those
who persevere in the faith and preserve the grace of
their baptism that they shall possess the kingdom of
heaven. The newly baptised have received the first
pledge of this promise. In the Gradual and Alleluia,
the Church then teaches them that the Resurrection
of Jesus Christ, attested by His manifestation to the chief
of the apostles, is the work of the omnipotence of God
the Father who thus exalts His only-begotten Son. This
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astounding miracle has opened heaven to the human
race, and has brought down to us the Bread of angels,
the Bread of immortality (OFFERTORY). The Resur
rection of Jesus has assured for ever His triumph over
death (COMMUNION).
In the Epistle, taken from the Acts of. the Apostles,
we see Saint Peter confronting the Jews with the
reality of the Resurrection. They had rejected the holy
and the just one; they had extorted from Pilate sen
tence of death against the author of life; but they
too, by sincere repentance may reap the benefit of the
great miracle of the Resurrection. God has taken their
blindness into account which did not allow them to
understand what the prophets had foretold. In a word,
let them humble themselves and they will be saved.
In the Gospel we read the account of our Lord s
apparition on the shores of Lake Tiberius. The apostles
had resumed their occupation as fishermen when their
divine Master appeared to them and granted them
the favour of a miraculous draught of fishes, a sym
bol of the success which before long would be theirs
in the preaching of the Gospel. He then gave a fresh
proof of the reality of His Resurrection in the repast
which He had prepared for them, and which was both
real and symbolic. The fish on the hot coals is an image
of Jesus Christ, tried by the bitter sorrows of His Pas
sion, and afterwards becoming the food (in the holy
Eucharist) of those who have been purified by passing
through the waters of Baptism. In the Collect we
are reminded that the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is
a cause of joy for the Church and that our joy in this
life is intended to prepare us for those of a blessed
eternity. The Secret teaches the faithful that the immo
lation of Jesus on the altar is also the source of this holy
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joy, and that the divine Victim is its food. In the
Postcommunion we learn that one of the effects of the
Blessed Eucharist is to despoil us of the old man, and to
form in us, as it were, a new supernatural being.
On this Wednesday in Easter week the Pope blesses
the " Agnus Dei ". This name is given to MEDALLIONS
MADE OF THE WAX of the Paschal candle of the pre
vious year ; on one side they bear the image of the Lamb
of God, and on the other that of some saint. The
custom of blessing these medallions which has been
observed since the seventh century, is in some way
a REMINISCENCE OF THE SOLEMN BAPTISM administered
on Holy Saturday. The Pope begins by blessing the
water into which afterwards he himself dips the medal
lions ; they are then withdrawn and laid on tables cov
ered with white cloths. These Agnus Dei are solemnly
distributed on Saturday, eve of Low Sunday. They
are greatly venerated by the faithful, and are sent, from
Rome throughout the world. The faith of those who
possess them has often been rewarded by striking mira
cles. Thus, in the Pontificate of Saint Pius V. an
Agnus Dei, cast into the rising waters of the Tiber which
threatened to inundate the city, caused them imme
diately to subside.
The sung parts of the Mass for Thursday taught the
neophytes the marvellous transformation effected by
Baptism. Divine Wisdom has worked in the spiritual
order this miracle of opening the mouths of the dumb,
and of making the tongues of infants eloquent (!NTROIT).
Our divine Lord risen from the dead is the corner stone
on which rests the edifice of the Church. Jesus Christ
has had pity on the human race and has worked on this
earth, as it were, a new creation (GRADUAL and ALLE
LUIA). In Him those whom He has regenerated find
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their sweetest sustenance (OFFERTORY). They are the
inheritance acquired by the shedding of His Blood ;
they walk in His light and proclaim the marvellous
greatness of His work (COMMUNION).
The Epistle for this day relates the conversion of the
eunuch of the Queen Candace, effected by the ministry
of Philip. The Church, in this narrative shows us one
of the great results of the preaching of the Gospel. The
humiliations of our divine Saviour, foretold by the Pro
phet Isaias, were the conditions for the redemption and
conversion of mankind. This incident at the same time
reminds the neophytes of the sublime grace which they
receive in Baptism, and of the necessity of faith for re
generation.
The Gospel of the Mass records our Lord s apparition
after His Resurrection to Saint Mary Magdalen whom He
chose to be the happy bearer of the glad tidings. The
Apostles, in whose basilica the Church assembles the
faithful in Rome on this day, hold, as it were, a second
place in this narrative. Our Lord would reward the holy
women who followed Him to Calvary, and even to the
grave, whilst the apostles fled, and hid themselves. In
this apparition our Lord has yet another lesson to give
us : we must no longer hope to find Him in a sensible
manner, but rilled with respectful and supernatural love,
we must raise up our hearts and souls to His glorified
divinity.
The Collect teaches us that in confessing the name
of Jesus, nations widely differing from one another
become one and the same family regenerated in the
same waters of Baptism, professing the same faith,
and practising the same works of piety. The Secret
tells us that there lie the conditions for our attainment
to eternal beatitude. In the Postcommunion we are
300
urged to pray, in union with all those thus redeemed, for
the assistance of grace in this life, and for the everlast
ing joys of heaven.
CHAPTER VII
Friday and Saturday in Easter "Week.
Sources of the liturgy: FRIDAY. Introit, Ps. Lxxvii,53. Epistle
St. Peter, I, in, 18-21. Gradual, Ps. cxvn, 24. Alleluia,
Ps. xcv, 10. Gospel, St. Matth., xxvm, 16-20. Offertory,
Exodus, xii, 14. Communion, St. Matth., xxvni, 18-19.
SATURDAY. Introit, Ps. civ, 43. Epistle, St. Peter, I, n,
1-10. Alleluia,Ps. cxvii, 24 and cxn, 1. Gospel, St. John,
xx, 1-9. Offertory, Ps. cxvn,26-27. Communion, Gal. ,iu,27.
Mass for Friday. We see by the Introit that the
Church never ceases to remind us of the crossing of
the Red Sea, and of the mighty power of the waters
for the deliverance of the children of Israel. We
must glorify our deliverer to whom we owe the light,
and whose Cross forms His throne of glory (GRADUAL
and ALLELUIA). Like the ancient Israelites, let us
celebrate the happy anniversary of the transit from
death to life (OFFERTORY). To the apostles, and after
them to the Church, has been given the mission of extend
ing this blessing to all the nations of the earth (COM
MUNION),
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In the Epistle, the Apostle Saint Peter recalls to the
neophytes and to all Christians our Lord s descent into
Limbo where in soul He visited those who had perished
in the deluge, and found their salvation in the aveng
ing waters, because, repenting of their sins, they im
plored pardon for them. Then Saint Peter raises our minds
to those happy dwellers in the ark, types of the neo
phytes who, in passing through the waters of Baptism,
have found therein a new life. For them the mystery
of the Resurrection has been the source of this incom
parable grace.
The Gospel of the Mass recalls the scene of our Lord s
meeting with His disciples in Galilee. At that time
there were around the apostles many persons, some of
whom were disposed to believe in the Resurrection,
whilst others were doubtful and hesitating. Jesus
Christ gives to His apostles and their successors a defi
nite mission to convert the whole world.
The Collect reminds us that the characteristic of
Easter is the reconciliation of man with God. May all
those who have been baptised retain for ever the mark
of their regeneration. In the holy Sacrifice of the altar
they have ever the certain means of obtaining pardon
and speedy relief in their distress (SECRET). The me
rits of the death and the resurrection of our Lord plead
unceasingly for all Christian people before divine Justice
(POSTCOMMUNION).
The Introit for the Mass of Saturday alludes to the
return of Israel after the captivity. It is God who
has delivered His people and filled them with joy. In
the same way does He manifest His goodness towards
all those who have been baptised, and to all the recon
ciled penitents, of these Paschal solemnities. Let them
therefore celebrate this great day with their songs of
10*
302
gladness, let them praise God like children speaking
to their Father (VERSE OF THE ALLELUIA). The Redeem
er sent by God the Father from heaven has shone as
a brilliant star and poured out upon them His blessings
(OFFERTORY). The neophytes are about to put off their
white garments, but they must ever remain clothed
with Christ as with a garment (COMMUNION).
Amongst all the virtues to which Saint Peter exhorts
the newly baptized, he insists on childlike simplicity.
For them the Lord is sustenance full of sweetness, like
unto milk and honey. But at the same time He would
be the bond of union to form one sole edifice of all His
children built upon an immovable foundation. At the
remembrance of all the graces which they have received,
let all Christians on this day renew their firm resolution
of serving God with their whole hearts.
In the Gospel we have the account once more of the
visit of Saint Peter and Saint John to the sepulchre.
Thus, all those baptized are reminded that their faith
and their attachment to the Church will remain unshaken
as long as they are docile to the teachings of Peter,
and reverence the dignity of this Apostle. Saint John,
the beloved disciple of the Master, forestalled Saint Peter
at the tomb, but, before verifying the fact of the Resur
rection, he waited for the coming of the latter who
henceforth must always and everywhere act as the
Head of the Church.
In the Collect the Church prays that the joy ex
perienced during the Paschal solemnities may be the
prelude to the infinite joy of the eternal Pasch. In the
Secret she expresses her desire that the mysteries of
these great Feasts may be an incentive to thanksgiving,
and may develop in souls a boundless joy. Lastly in the
Postcommunion she implores for all the redeemed an
303
increase of faith. On this day, in the early ages, the neo
phytes, after Vespers, put off their white garments, the
symbol of the purity of their souls. These garments
had been provided for them by the Church, and there
fore they were obliged to return them to the Pope, or
to the priest who was the head of the Christian commu
nity. Assisted by their godfathers and godmothers, the
newly baptized laid aside the baptismal robe and re
sumed their ordinary garments ; they were then led to
the feet of the Pontiff from whom they received the
Paschal symbol, the image in wax of the divine Lamb
or Agnus Dei, the blessing of which we have already
described. Whilst these were being distributed, the
choir sang the Responsory, Isti sunt agni novelli : Holy
Father, behold the new lambs who have announced to
us the Alleluia.
In remembrance of this ceremony, in those churches
which possess these Agnus Dei they are affixed to the
candles on the altar during the Mass on Easter Satur
day. In the liturgy this Saturday is called Sabbatum in
albis, that is, the SATURDAY OF THE LAYING ASIDE OF
THE WHITE GARMENTS.
On the first anniversary of their baptism the Church
caused the neophytes to commemorate by a special
feast the day which marked the passing of their first
year spent in the ranks of the baptised. She assembled
them at the solemn celebration of the holy Sacrifice
offered for them, and reminded them of the priceless
favour which had been bestowed upon them. This
commemoration was called Pascha annotina. On ac
count of the varying date of Easter, this anniversary
sometimes occurred in Lent, and formed too great a con
trast to the gloom and sadness of penance. Hence, in a
good many churches the celebration was deferred until
304
Easter Saturday, when the neophytes of the actual year
and those who had been baptised in the previous one,
were united in one joyous group. Until the twelfth cen
tury, and even a little later, traces of this special obser
vance may be found.
CHAPTER VIII
Quasimodo, or Low Sunday and the Octave
of Easter.
Station at the Basilica of Saint Pancratius. Sources of the
liturgy : Introit, St. Peter, I, n, 2. Epistle, St. John, iv,
4-10. Verses of the Alleluia, St. Matth., xxvin, 7, and St.
John, xx, 26. Gospel, St. John, xx, 19-31. Offertory, St.
Matth., xxvin, 2. Communion, St. John, xx, 27.
On this Sunday the STATION AT ROME is in the Basi
lica of Saint Pancratius. On account of the youth of
this martyr, the Church wishes no doubt to offer him
as a model to the neophytes in the way which now lies
before them. We see by the Mass for this Sunday that
she treats these young recruits with the tenderness of a
mother for her children.
This Sunday is called the OCTAVE OF EASTER, being
the eighth day after the great festival. It is also called
Close-Pasch, that is the day on which for the faithful at
large the Octave of Easter comes to an end. For the
305
neophytes, the Pascal solemnity, having begun with
their Baptism on Holy Saturday, ended on the Saturday
in albis with the ceremony mentioned in the preceding
chapter. This Sunday also goes by the name of Dominica
in albis (depositis) or post albas (depositas), that is, the
first day on which the neophytes appeared in the
church wearing their ordinary garments ; also QUASIMODO
SUNDAY, from the first two words of the Introit of the
Mass. Sometimes, it is called Dominica nova, that is the
Sunday immediately following the great solemnity.
Finally, it is sometimes called the SUNDAY OF SAINT
THOMAS, on account of the Gospel read at the Mass.
In the Gospel of the Mass is pointed out to us the spe
cial object for our attention on this day ; the apparition
of our Risen Lord to the eleven apostles in the cenacle,
eight days after His Resurrection, and the victory which
He gained over a disciple hitherto incredulous respecting
the great miracle. On this occasion our Lord deigned
to give a personal and tangible proof to His doubting
Apostle and thus drew him not only to admit the
humanity which he saw and touched, but also to
acknowledge the divinity of the Master who had num
bered him amongst His apostles. Then followed the
mild reproach which is the lesson for us all : " Blessed
are they that have not seen, and have believed. " Bles
sed indeed is he who, silencing the objections of his
own reason, accepts the serious and unbiased assertion
of others. Blessed above all, he who bows to the infallible
word of the Church whose object it is to ensure the eter
nal salvation of the faithful.
In the Epistle of this day Saint John extols the merit
and the advantages of faith. By faith we triumph over
the world. By faith we are enabled to overcome both
the world around us and the world within us. Thus,
306
adhesion to the testimony of God establishes the soul in
that solid peace which our Lord came to bring to His
own.
It is worthy of note that the Church, contrary to her
usual practice, takes the INTROIT, the two verses of the
ALLELUIA, the OFFERTORY and the COMMUNION from the
the NEW TESTAMENT. The Introit recalls the gentle
exhortation of Saint Peter in his Epistle of the pre
vious day to the neophytes. " Be as children in the
service of the Lord, " says the Prince of the apostles.
" Act with simplicity and holy freedom, if you would
grow and make progress in the sight of the Lord. " The
two verses of the Alleluia refer to the Resurrection.
The first recalls the promise made by Jesus before His
death to His apostles, the second notes the sweet and
touching fulfilment of this promise. The Offertory
reminds us of the fact that the first announcement of the
Resurrection was made to the holy women by an angel ;
as on Christmas day, heaven united with earth in glori
fying the work of the Incarnate God. The Communion
dwells upon the sweet intercourse which Jesus would
have with us, as with Saint Thomas ; willingly He re
sponds to our demands, but on our part He expects
lively, active, courageous faith.
In the prayers of the Mass for this Sunday, the Church
asks for her children that the remembrance of the Paschal
solemnities may leave their imprint on their life and con
duct (COLLECT) ; that the Easter gladness of this life
may be changed into the joy of the eternal Easter
(SECRET) ; that the mystery instituted to strengthen
their weakness here on earth may be the guarantee of
their future perseverance (POSTCOMM UNION.)
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CHAPTER IX
Second Sunday after Easter.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxxn, 5-6. Epistle, St.
Peter, I, 11, 21-25. Alleluia, St. Luke, xxiv, 35, and St.
John, x, 14. Gospel, St. John, x, 11-16. Offertory, Ps. LXII,
2 and 5. Communion, St. John, x, 14.
In the liturgy this Sunday is called the first after
the Octave of Easter or after the closing of the Paschal
solemnities. It thus indicates that on the day following
Low Sunday a new phase has begun in the life of
our Lord, the last in which He would be visible here
on earth. It was a time spent by the divine Master
in taking His last farewells of His disciples, it was also
a TIME OF PREPARATION for a NEW ORDER of things, or
as Pope Saint Leo describes it, it was the hour in which
the greatest mysteries of our religion were revealed
and its symbols instituted. In reality our Lord now
laid the foundations of His Church. This Sunday is also
called the Sunday of the Good Shepherd , on account of
the passage in the Gospel in which our Lord speaks
of Himself under that title.
The Church has chosen this Gospel for the Mass of
to-day to teach us that after His Resurrection and His
Ascension our Lord remains, though in an invisible
manner the Head of His Church and the Shepherd of
our souls ; that He governs His Church as a shepherd
308
guides his flock. She teaches also, at the same time,
that during His last sojourn on earth, Jesus Christ
instituted for His Church a form of government analo
gous to the system peculiar to a sheepfold. Saint Peter
and his successors, the Roman Pontiffs, will be its
visible pastors, whilst our Lord Himself will remain the
invisible Pastor. Those who are called to represent Him
here on earth, must rule according to His will and
example.
It was at the time of His appearance to His apostles
on the shore of Lake Genesareth that our Lord APPOINT
ED SAINT PETER THE VISIBLE HEAD OF His CHURCH.
Three times He asked from Saint Peter a declaration of
his love, after which He committed to him the charge
of feeding His lambs and His sheep, that is the faithful,
the priests and the bishops, who would form His Church
and His fold. To Saint Peter alone, for himself and
his successor, was given this power which we designate
the Primacy. As in the creation of the human race,
God in the beginning created one man from whom all the
rest should spring, so Jesus Christ chose Saint Peter as
the first of those men who had been regenerated in Bap
tism, from whom were to come all the members of His
Church. On another occasion our Lord made use of
the simile of a building when He promised Saint Peter
the privilege of infallibility. Saint Peter, by virtue of
this promise, was to have, like Jesus Christ Himself,
the firmness of a rock and the power of communicating
this solidity to the other apostles.
The Introit of the Mass for this Sunday extols the
mercy of God extended to the whole world by the foun
dation of the Church. The two verses of the Alleluia
remind us that Jesus from the depths of the tabernacle
triumphantly affirms that He is indeed the Good Shep-
309
herd. He knows His sheep, and it is there in His
Tabernacle that they too recognise Him as the Good
Shepherd. The verse of the Communion repeats this
affirmation, and gives us this consoling guarantee. The
Offertory is, as it were, the response of faithful souls
to this loving protestation : " O God, my God, to thee do
I watch at break of day, and in thy name I will lift up
my hands. "
In the Epistle Saint Peter, called to the honour
of visible Shepherd of the Church, directs our at
tention to the divine Master and invisible Shepherd of
whom he is the Vicar. With touching love he describes
to us the sufferings of Jesus, His patience, His devoted-
ness even unto death to the poor wandering sheep
whom He would one day bring into His fold. What
an incentive for us to show ourselves docile to suffering
in union with the divine Shepherd, to thank Him
for His labours and His sacrifices.
In the Collect we pray that we may be filled with
holy joy. Have we not been saved by the triumph of
Jesus from death ? May the Paschal joys of this pre
sent time prepare us for those of eternity. The Secret
urges us to beg of Jesus Christ, the divine Victim for us,
that He would give us strength to renounce sin and to
rise again to the life of grace. Let us be penetrated
every day more and more with love for the Blessed Sa
crament the source of glory and immortality (POST-
COMMUNION).
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CHAPTER X
The Feasts of Saint Joseph.
Sources of the liturgy :19th MARCH: The Mass is in great part
that of the Common for Confessors, for example, Introit, Ps.
xci, 13-14. Gradual, Ps. cxx, 4-5. Tract, Ps. cxi, 1-3,
and Offertory, Ps. LXXXVIII, 25. The Communion only is
proper to the Feast, being taken from the Gospel of Saint
Matthew, i, 20. Lessons, Epistle, Ecclesiast, XLVI, 1-6.
Gospel, St. Matth., i, 18-21.
PATRONAGE : Introit, Ps. xxxn, 20-21. Epistle, Genesis, XLIX,
22-26. Verses of the Alleluia, extra-scriptural. Gospel, St.
Luke, in, 21-23. Offertory, Ps. CXLVII, 12-13. Commu
nion, St. Matth., i, 16.
In the nineteenth century, at the time when he de
clared Saint Joseph PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH,
Pope Pius IX. also decreed that the FEAST OF THE
PATRONAGE SHOULD BE HENCEFORTH OBSERVED universally
throughout the Church. Already in the seventeenth cen
tury the Carmelites in Spain and Italy had received
permission for the celebration of a Feast of this nature .
Pius IX. ordained that the Feast should be assigned to
the third Sunday after Easter.
Recently, the Sacred Congregation of Rites has
decreed that the Feast should be solemnly celebrated
with an Octave. By another decree it has been decided
that in order not to interfere with the Office of the Sunday,
this Feast should no longer be celebrated on the third
Sunday after Easter, but on the WEDNESDAY FOLLOWING
3"
THE SECOND SUNDAY of the Paschal time. The Feast
is now called the Patronage of Saint Joseph.
Another and more ancient Feast of Saint Joseph is
observed on March igth under the title of " Nati
vity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of Mary ". Until the
tenth century there is scarcely any mention in the litur
gical documents of the foster-father of our divine
Lord. In the Eastern Church we find his name at
different dates, either at the end of December or on Au
gust ist. In the West, devotion to Saint Joseph was wholly
of a private character. The first traces of a public cultus
appear in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, but
there was no officially recognised Feast in his honour.
In the calendars of the fourteenth century we find the
name of Saint Joseph more frequently mentioned, and in
the fifteenth century devotion to the holy Patriarch was
already fully developed. The religious orders, notably
the Carmelites, the Franciscans and the Dominicans
helped to spread the devotion. It was not until the
beginning of the seventeenth century that the Feast
of Saint Joseph, on the iQth of March, was declared
obligatory. In these days in many countries, particu
larly in France, it is only a Feast of devotion, but pious
people make up for this by special practices in honour
of the Saint, such as consecrating to his honour Wed
nesday in every week, and the whole of the month of
March.
Owing to the Feast of March 19. occurring in
Lent, it passes almost unnoticed in the liturgical cycle,
and, often has to be transferred. But even when cele
brated on the original date, no Octave is kept, but the
Feast of the Patronage of Saint Joseph, occurring as it
does in the Paschal time, is invested with much greater
solemnity.
312
The Mass in honour of Saint Joseph on MARCH
19 is almost wholly taken from that of the Common
of Confessors not pontiffs. All that is proper to it is
the Gospel and the Communion in which we read that
Saint Joseph, enlightened by an angel, meekly accepts
his mission as Head of the Holy Family.
In the Mass of the Patronage the Church puts before
us her motives for SEEKING THE PROTECTION of SAINT
JOSEPH ; she draws a parallel between the power of
the Patriarch and the confidence with which Pharoah,
the king of Egypt, honoured the first Joseph, the son of
Jacob (EPISTLE). She reminds us that the Son of God
willed to be regarded here on earth as the son of Joseph
the carpenter (GOSPEL and COMMUNION).- She commends
herself to the protection of him who, on account of the
great trust placed in him on earth, has, of necessity,
great power with God. (COLLECT, SECRET, POSTCOM*
MUNION).
313
CHAPTER XI
Third Sunday after Easter.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXV, 1-3. Epistle, St. Peter,
1, n, 11-18. Verses of the Alleluia, Ps. ex, 9, and St. Luke,
xxiv, 26. Gospel, St. John, xvi, 16-22. Offertory, Ps.
CXLV, 2. Communion, St. John, xvi, 17.
In the sung parts of the Mass for this Sunday the
Church inspires us with sentiments of spiritual joy and
of gratitude to God. If we consider it from God s
point of view man s redemption is complete (!NTROIT).
Our blessed Lord has passed through the state of
suffering before entering into that of glory (Verses of
the ALLELUIA). Our whole life should be consecrated
to praising and thanking the Lord for this wondrous
benefit (OFFERTORY). As God did not spare His own
divine Son for our salvation, we too should be ready to
endure all sufferings ; joy on earth is never perfect, and
our Lord intimates to His own that the moment is nigh
when they will be deprived of His presence (COMMUNION).
In the Epistle the Prince of the apostles exhorts the
faithful to be subject to earthly powers, even those
who are impious or unbelievers, as servants of the
Lord ready to bow before His representatives whoever
they may be. This form of self-renunciation is a salu
tary preparation for the coming of God to us, and for
our spiritual resurrection. In the Gospel the Church
314
has chosen the passage from our Lord s discourse after
the Last Supper in which He pronounces these myster
ious words : " A little while, and now you shall not see
me : and again a little while, and you shall see me.
These words were not understood by His hearers. Ac
cording to commentators they may be understood in
two ways : 1st. they predict the approaching death of
Jesus and His Resurrection which was to follow after
three days ; 2nd. they also predict the Ascension of our
Lord and His departure from this earth, and then His
second coming at the end of time. The interval which
separates these two events being but a brief moment
when compared with eternity.
In the Collect we pray that all those who have gone
astray in the paths of error may obtain the grace to re
turn to the truth. The end and aim of the Church
which our Lord has established for the interval between
His first and second Coming is to facilitate this return
of the wanderers. Hence our Lord has endowed His
Church with FOUR SPECIAL MARKS by which she is
easily recognised. These are : Unity in her Founder, her
visible head, her doctrine, and her end. 2nd, The
holiness of the efficacious means which she uses to
sanctify men and to raise them to the highest perfection.
3rd, Catholicity because she has the power of extend
ing throughout all places and all ages. 4th, Aposto-
licity or the legitimate succession of her pastors which
descends uninterruptedly from the first apostles chosen
by our Lord. The Church of Rome alone unites in her
self these four marks : she is one in her creed and her
visible head who is invested with power to teach and to
govern without fear of error. She is holy in her
Sacraments and in their effects in souls ; she unceas
ingly peoples heaven with new saints- She is Catholic
315
by her extension throughout the world, and she has
never ceased for one moment to exist. Lastly, she is
Apostolic by the legitimate succession of her Pontiffs
dating from Saint Peter.
In the Secret and Postcommunion we pray for
grace to curb our desire for those things which are transi
tory, and that we may learn to set our affections only
on what will endure for ever. We implore that by the
receiving of the holy Eucharist, our souls may be
renewed and our bodies rendered incorruptible.
CHAPTER XII
Fourth Sunday after Easter.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xcvii, 1-2. Epistle, St.
James, i, 17-21. Verses of the Alleluia, Ps. cxvn, 16, and
Romans, vi, 9. Gospel, St. John, xvi, 5-15. Offertory, Ps.
LXV, 1-16. Communion, St. John, xvi, 8.
In the liturgy of this fourth Sunday after Easter, we
find mingled JOY and SADNESS. The joy appears in the
Introit, which is a canticle of triumph in honour of
the great prodigy of the Resurrection, the remembrance
of which fills the whole earth ; in the verses of the Alle
luia which speak of the Resurrection of Jesus as a de
finite victory gained over death ; again this joy appears
3*6
in the Offertory which extols the advantages which
this great miracle has obtained for Christian souls.
On the other hand, we seem to see the sadness cloud
ing the faces of the apostles when our Lord tells them
that the moment approaches in which He must leave
them. His words recorded in the Gospel for this Sun
day were spoken on Holy Thursday, the eve of His
Passion, but they find a suitable place here on the eve
of the Ascension.
Our Lord consoled His apostles in their sorrow by
showing them the benefits which would result from His
leaving them , namely, the sending of the Holy Ghost
upon this earth ; the judgment and condemnation of the
world by the Spirit of God ; and the teaching of all
truth by this same Spirit. In order that the mission of
the Holy Ghost might be fulfilled amongst us, it was
necessary that Jesus Christ should go away. We must
here remark that the external operations of the three
divine Persons succeed each other in time, conformably
to the order of the processions in the divine essence :
as the Son proceeds from the Father, and the work
of Redemption succeeds the work of the Creation, the
former being assigned to the Son, and the latter to the
Father; so the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father
and the Son, and the work of sanctification, assigned
to the Holy Ghost, succeeds the work of Redemption.
The mission of the Holy Ghost, whose coming amongst
us could not be effected until our divine Lord had left this
earth, was to condemn the world on account of the sin
of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ; of the injustice com
mitted by those who refuse to believe in the Gospel ; and
because of the judgment pronounced against the devil
and on all those who follow him in his revolt. The
VISIBLE PRESENCE OF THE HOLY GHOST will bring forth
317
in full light this triple condemnation, and thereby
render testimony to the divine mission of our Lord.
Our Lord tells us that when the Holy Spirit has come,
He will teach men all truth. No doubt our Lord had
revealed to man all that is necessary for salvation. But
before the coming of the Holy Ghost, this revelation was
not understood, even by the apostles. It was necessary
therefore, that He should come to give the explanation,
thus it is that His mission was but the continuation and
the development of the work of Jesus Christ. The
Church is so anxious that this doctrine should be
impressed on us that she gives utterance to it twice
in the Mass of the fourth Sunday after Easter in the
Gospel and in the Communion.
The Epistle still further enlightens us as to the mission
of the Holy Ghost. In telling us that every best gift,
and every perfect gift is from above and descends from
the Father of lights, the Apostle, Saint James, intimates
to us that the Holy Ghost is sent not only by God the
Son as indicated in the Gospel, but also by God the Fa
ther, for the Holy Spirit is pre-eminently and above all
the gift of God.
In the Collect the Church asks for her children that
in mind, in will and in heart they may be all united in
aspiring to the joys of heaven. In the Secret she
implores of God that through the admirable exchange
realized in the Sacrifice we may all participate in super
natural life. Finally^ in the Postcommunion, the
Church prays that we may receive the grace which
will purify our souls from all stain of sin, and that strength
which will protect us from all dangers.
CHAPTER XIII
Fifth Sunday after Easter. Rogation Days.
Sources of the liturgy : 5th. SUNDAY : Introit, Is. XLVIII, 20,
and Ps. LXV, 1. Epistle, St. James, i, 22-27. Verses of
the Alleluia, the first, extra-scriptural ; the second, St. John,
LVI, 28. Gospel, St. John, xvi, 29-30. Offertory , Ps. LXV,
8-9 and 20. Communion, Ps. xcv, 1-2.
MASS FOR ROGATION DAYS : Introit, Ps. xvn, 7. Epistle, St.
James, v, 16-20. Alleluia, Ps. cxvn, 1. Gospel, St. Luke,
xi, 5-13. Offertory, Ps. cvm, 30-31. Communion, St.
Luke, xi, 9-10.
We may call this FIFTH WEEK AFTER EASTER, the
week of Farewells. The Gospel of the fifth Sunday
expresses in very clear terms both the announcement
of our Lord s departure and His final recommendations.
In this last discourse He tells His apostles what His
divine mission was on earth. Having come " forth
from the Father ", and having accomplished His ado
rable will, He returns to Him who sent Him. His last
injunctions are concerned with the great duty of prayer
in His name. The apostles are assured that such prayer
will always be heard. If they love the Son, they may
always rely on the love of the heavenly Father. But
our Lord promises them that He will be their advocate
and will plead their cause.
As we have said, our Lord, in the Gospel, enjoins the
duty of prayer. Now to pray well, says Saint Augus-
319
tine, is to live well. In the Epistle Saint James teaches
us exactly in what a good life consists. It is, he says,
the doing of the word and not the hearing only. The
word of God is like a mirror ; it shows us what we ought
to be ; it would have us practise charity ; avoid sins of the
tongue and perform works of mercy. Following the
example of our risen Lord, we must advance, we must
strive to make ourselves perfect in a new life. We must
also take heed lest we forget what we owe to God.
Isaias and David in the Introit invite us to celebrate
the victory of Jesus over death. By this victory we
have been freed from the bondage of sin, may God be
for ever glorified. Jesus our Light and our Redeemer
is about to return to His place at the right hand of His
Father, there to reign for ever (Verses of the ALLELUIA) .
To Him we are indebted for a new life : may we ever
enjoy the effects of His mercy (OFFERTORY) and testify
our gratitude for the salvation which He brought to
earth (COMMUNION).
In the Collect the Church teaches us that if our
thoughts and actions are to become meritorious, we
need the grace which enlightens as to that which is
good and gives us strength to accomplish it. In the
Secret she tells us how we are to reach heaven.
That the secret of praying well lies in a true and sincere
desire to do good (POSTCOMMUNION).
Three days of this week are called Rogation days, or
days of the Minor Litanies. The word " Rogation "
implies the idea of prayers, hymns and supplications dur
ing a religious procession, with the intention of appeasing
the anger of God and of averting the calamities which
men deserve on account of their sins. In the ages
of faith, these prayers were accompanied by penitential
exercises such as fasting and abstinence. The INSTITU-
320
TION of these Rogation days dates from the episcopate
of Saint Mamertus Bishop of Vienne in Gaul in the
FIFTH CENTURY. Struck by the calamities with which
Southern Gaul was at that time afflicted, this prelate
ordered that in his Church three days of prayer and
penance should be observed before the Ascension. From
the SIXTH CENTURY the practice became universal
throughout the whole of Gaul. IN THE EIGHTH CEN
TURY, it was INTRODUCED INTO ROME by Pope Leo III
who ordained that it should be adopted by the uni
versal Church. Although certain of the liturgical books
in Gaul designate these prayers as Major Litanies,
they are more usually called the Minor Litanies.
From the FOURTH CENTURY 4 prayers analogous to these
and called MAJOR LITANIES were recited on APRIL 25,
the date appointed later for the Feast of Saint Mark
the Evangelist. This explains why there is no close
connection now between the Feast of Saint Mark and
the Major Litanies ; April 25 is the fixed date
for the recital of these Litanies, whilst the Feast of
Saint Mark may be transferred to another day.
The Litanies and the Mass on April 25 are the same
as on the Rogation days, abstinence was formerly ob
served, but on account of the Paschal season, there was
no fast. It is now recognized that these observances
are of different origin. The Litanies which are recited on
the Rogation days are not so ancient, and were intro
duced into a particular church to obtain deliverance
from the scourges which were afflicting that locality.
The observance of April 25 as a day of suppli
cation was originally intended to mark the anniversary
of the entrance of Saint Peter into Rome to make it
the capital of the Christian world. Saint Gregory the
Great (sixth-seventh century) gave to the observance of
321
this day greater solemnity, and decreed that supplica
tion should also be made for the deliverance of Rome
from all calamities.
In Rome the OBSERVANCES of the Rogation days in
clude that of the Stations. Thus during the procession,
a halt is made at a church called the Church of the Sta
tion, where Mass is said, the singing of the Litanies being
meanwhile interrupted. On the April 25, for the reason
just given, the Station is in the basilica of Saint Peter.
On the first Rogation day, it is in the church of Saint
Mary Major, on the second at Saint John Lateran, and
on the third day at Saint Peter.
The Epistle for the Mass on the Rogation days is taken
from Saint James, in which the Apostle strongly im
presses on us that penance should be joined with per
severing prayer. The Gospel, taken from Saint Luke,
gives us a touching comparison made use of by our Lord
to teach us that persistance in prayer may be carried to
the point of importunity, and that the divine good
ness can be more easily moved than men, however favor
ably disposed they may be. The Introit, taken from
the Psalms, tells us that mercy follows closely upon
prayer. The Alleluia and the Offertory praise the
divine Goodness which is ever ready to assist and pro
tect the unfortunate. The Communion reminds us of
the pledge given by our Lord in the Gospel, as to the
efficacy of prayer. The Prayers of the Mass for these
days are an expression of the confidence inspired by the
teaching of our Lord. O Lord, we say in the Collect, to
Thee we have recourse in the time of affliction that
through Thy goodness we may be protected from all
misfortunes. In the Secret we pray to the eternal Father
that the oblation of His divine Son may free us from the
bonds of our iniquities and may win for us the gifts of
il The Liturgy of the Roman Missal.
322
His mercy. In the Postcommunion, we implore that
our offerings which we present in the midst of affliction
may obtain for us the joy of advancing in divine love.
,
CHAPTER XIV
Feast of the Ascension. Vigil and Feast
VIGIL. Sources of the liturgy : Except the Lessons, all is the
same as on the fifth Sunday after Easter. Epistle, Ephes.,
iv, 7-13. Gospel, St. John, xvn, 7-14.
FEAST OF THE ASCENSION. Station at Saint Peter. Sources of
the liturgy: Introit, Acts, I, 11; Ps. XLVI, 1. Epistle, Acts, i,
1-11. Verses of the Alleluia, Ps. XLVI, 6 and LXVII, 18-
19. Gospel, St. Mark, xvi, 14-20. Offertory, Ps. XLVI,
6. Communion, Ps. LXVII, 33-34.
In cathedral churches, the Mass on the Vigil of the
Ascension is celebrated before the Rogation procession.
The sung parts and the prayers of this Mass are taken
from that of the fifth Sunday after Easter, the Lessons
of the Epistle and Gospel alone being proper to it. In
the Epistle Saint Paul shows us how our Lord, by His
humiliations, merited the glory which is He now enjoys
in heaven. In the Gospel the Church reminds us of the
prayer of Jesus Christ to His eternal Father that as
He had worked for the glory of His Father on earth, so
now He might also be glorified. Thus, the Mass of this
day prepares us to celebrate worthily the festival of the
morrow.
323
On this great Feast the Church in Rome assembles the
faithful for the STATION around the glorious tomb of
one of the principal witnesses of our Lord s triumphant
Ascension. This witness is Saint Peter who will be the
first to preach the glory of His divine Master, and to
convert the nations to the Gospel. For several cen
turies, it was still customary on this same day for the
Pope with the Cardinals to visit Saint John Lateran,
thus bringing to a close the annual celebration of the
series of mysteries by which Jesus Christ has wrought
our salvation. On this Feast we celebrate the memory
of the day on which our Lord ASCENDED GLORIOUSLY
into heaven, forty days after His Resurrection ; at the
same time we celebrate His TAKING POSSESSION OF THE
THRONE at the right hand of God His Father whence
He will come again to judge the living and the dead, a
two-fold object which is clearly indicated in the fifth
article of the creed and in the liturgy. The liturgy in
the sung- parts, in the Epistle, and in the Gospel of the
Mass for the Feast of the Ascension, refers to this two
fold object. Having recalled the last words of our
Lord to His apostles, the Evangelist Saint Mark con
cludes his Gospel with these words : " And the Lord
Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into
heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God. "
As soon as the Gospel has been sung, the Paschal
candle is extinguished, and removed, and is henceforth
no longer to be seen in the sanctuary. It is only used
once again at the blessing of the font on the Vigil of
Pentecost. On Holy Saturday we pointed out that the
Paschal candle is a figure of Jesus Christ risen from
the dead.
In the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles which
is the Epistle of this Mass, we are given some particulars
324
of the Ascension of our Lord. 1st. Our divine Redee
mer surrounded by His apostles took with them one
LAST REPAST in the cenacle. 2nd. He enjoined upon
them that they should remain, IN RETREAT after He
had left them, preparing for the coming of the Holy
Ghost. 3rd. For the last time our Lord PASSES THROUGH
THE STREETS of Jerusalem and ascends the Mount of
Olives, followed by His blessed Mother, His apostles,
and a great number of His disciples. In the middle
ages, the Church commemorated this last triumphal
journey through Jerusalem by a solemn procession
which preceded the Mass of the Feast of the Ascen
sion. 4th. Having reached the summit of the mount,
our Lord RAISES HIMSELF from the ground, and extend
ing His hands in blessing over His apostles, a cloud
receives Him, out of their sight. 5th. Two angels robed
in white appear and explain the mystery.
In the Introit and in the first Antiphon of Ves
pers and of Lauds, the Church to announce the great
solemnity of the Ascension, makes use of the words of
the angels to the multitude on the Mount of Olives.
Thus, all the nations of the earth are invited to cele
brate this mystery with canticles of joy. The two
verses of the Alleluia recall to us the words in which
ages before, David had celebrated the entrance of Jesus
Christ into His glory ; the acclamations of the angels ;
the trophies of the God of victory, bringing in His train
the blessed captives whom He had delivered from the
prison of limbo. The Offertory dwells on the joy of
heaven at the moment when our divine Lord takes pos
session of His throne. The Communion celebrates the
glory of Emmanuel " who mounteth above the heaven
of heavens to the east ".
The Collect of the Mass which is repeated in all the
Hours of the Office prays that the faithful may have
the grace to keep their hearts fixed on heaven where
our Lord has ascended as our forerunner. The Secret
points out what should be the object of all our desires :
to avoid the obstacles which are to be met with on
the road to heaven, and following Jesus Christ, to enter
into glory. The Postcommunion reminds us that our
divine Lord, invisible henceforth to mortal eyes, never
theless abides with His Church, especially in the most
Holy Sacrament of the altar where He unites Him
self to us and works within our souls what He expresses
exteriorly.
To those who were witnesses of the Ascension of our
Lord, the angels announced that He would return to
earth at the end of time, in the same glory, to judge
all men. Happy those who by a holy life shall have
merited then to share in His reward and in His triumph.
For them will be fulfilled that sweet promise of our
Lord to His apostles : I go to prepare a place for you.
-326-
CHAPTER XV
Sunday within the Octave of the Ascension.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxvi, 7-9. Epistle, I Peter, iv,
7-11. Verses of the Alleluia, Ps. XLVi,9, and St. John, xiv,
18. Gospel, St. John, xv, 26 ; xvi, 3. Offertory, Ps. XLVI,
6. Communion, St. John, xvii, 11, 13 and 15.
During the Octave of the Ascension the chief preoc
cupation of the Church is to MAINTAIN within us THOSE
SENTIMENTS to which we have been animated BY THE
LITURGY OF THE FEAST. Each day the formulas are
the same, but there is a special Mass for the Sunday.
Throughout the Octave the Antiphon of the Magnificat
implores of Jesus Christ not to leave us orphans, but
to fulfil His promise and send the Holy Ghost to us.
The Church in Rome gave to this Sunday the name of
the Sunday of the roses, because roses were scattered
on the pavement of the basilicas as an act of homage
to Christ who ascended into heaven during the season
of flowers.
The Holy Spirit, the Consoler who is also the Spirit
of Truth, will bear TESTIMONY TO THE MISSION OF
JESUS CHRIST and will give to all His ministers a like
power. Such is the teaching in the Gospel of this
Sunday. The Holy Ghost will teach men that Jesus
Christ is truly God, who has been sent by the eternal
Father, and that in His Person He has fulfilled all the
prophecies and has accomplished His mission of the
327
Redemption of the human race. In the Epistle for
this Sunday Saint Peter tells the faithful that they
must bear witness to Jesus Christ by their manner of
living ; by their whole behaviour, particularly by the
constant practice of mutual charity ; by the acceptance
of His doctrine and the observance of His law in all
their integrity.
The Introit is an aspiration of the faithful soul who
in union with the Church longs for the return of Jesus.
" The Lord is my light and my salvation My heart hath
said to thee : I have sought Thy face ; Thy face, O Lord,
will I seek. " The Verses of the Alleluia glorify Jesus
Christ, our sovereign King, and remind Him of His
promise. The Offertory exalts anew the glory of His
Ascension. The Communion expresses the prayer of
Jesus addressed to His Father on behalf of all those
souls whom He has redeemed. The Church, in the Col
lect, teaches us to ask of God good will and zeal that
we may serve Him faithfully, and next for the energy
without which there can be no true Christian life (SECRET) .
In the Postcommunion she expresses her desire that our
thanksgiving for the benefits we have received may be
continual.
In conformity to our Lord s injunctions, and in order
that we may follow the example of the apostles, the
Church invites us to serious recollection and fervent
prayer, to which she would have us add acts of penance ;
with this end in view she has ordained that the Vigil
of Pentecost should be observed as a fast-day, although
the Paschal season is not yet ended.
CHAPTER XVI
Vigil of Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Station at the Basilica of Saint John La-
teran. Introit (for private Masses), Ezech., xxxvi, 23-25.
Epistle, Acts, xix, 18. Alleluia, Ps. cvi, 1. Tract, Ps. cxvi,
12. Gospel, St. John, xiv, 15-21. Offertory, Ps. cm, 30.
Communion, St. John, vn, 37-39.
The solemnity of Pentecost begins with a Vigil which
is somewhat similar to that of Easter : the STATION
is at the same basilica of Saint John Lateran ; solemn
Baptism is also administered with the same preliminary
preparations of the reading of the prophecies and the
blessing of the font. On this day THE CATECHUMENS
whose instruction could not be finished for Easter,
WERE BAPTISED. Tertullian bears witness to the exis
tence of this practice in the third century, and speaks
of the Vigil of Pentecost as terminating the period of
fifty days.
To recall the ancient custom of the immediate prepa
ration of the catechumens for Baptism, six OF THE PRO
PHECIES OF HOLY SATURDAY are read on this day.
There being fewer candidates for Baptism than at Easter,
the number of prophecies has been reduced from twelve
to six. The six prophecies chosen have a more imme
diate connection with the New Law of which the Christian
Pentecost is the promulgation. The FIRST of these
rophecies (the third on Holy Saturday) recalls the trialp
to which the fidelity of Abraham was subjected in
the command to sacrifice his son. We must be faithful
to God even at the cost of the hardest sacrifices. The
SECOND and THIRD prophecies of this day (fourth and
eleventh of Holy Saturday) recall, first the passage of
the Red Sea a symbol of Baptism, and the second is
an exposition of the obligations contracted in Baptism.
In the FOURTH prophecy (eighth on Holy Saturday)
Isaias recounts the favours which God bestows on the
children of His predilection. The FIFTH prophecy is
from Baruch (the sixth on Holy Saturday) . Finally the
SIXTH (seventh on Holy Saturday) taken from the Pro
phet Ezechiel, sets forth the dogma of the resurrection
of the body which is founded on the explicit promise
of God. EACH PROPHECY is followed by a SPECIAL
PRAYER OR COLLECT, but owing to it being the Paschal
season, the genuflection before these prayers is omitted.
The ceremony of the blessing of the baptismal font in
all particulars resembles that on Holy Saturday, even
the Paschal candle is again brought forth to teach the
newly baptised that Jesus is the light of the world.
Returning from the font to the sanctuary, the same order
is observed and the Litanies are sung as on that day;
similarly also, the Mass has no Introit. With the ex
ception of this omission, the Mass of the Vigil of Pente
cost is the same as all other Masses, having Offertory,
Agnus Dei and Communion. It is not followed by
Vespers as on Holy Saturday.
The Lessons, sung parts and prayers of the Mass, all
relate to the mission of the Holy Ghost, but they also
have some reference to the newly-baptized . The Epistle
taken from the Acts of the Apostles relates an incident
of the preaching of Saint Paul who declares the neces
sity of Baptism for participation in the gifts of the
Holy Ghost. The Gospel reminds us of the promises of
330
our Lord to all those in whom God wills to dwell, and to
whom He manifests Himself. The Offertory sets before
us the ^renewal wrought by the coming of the Holy
Ghost on earth. The Communion declares that in order
to receive the graces of the Holy Ghost, we must believe
in Jesus Christ. The Collect invokes on the newly-
baptized the light of which the Holy Ghost is the source.
The Secret and the Postcommunion implore from the
same divine Spirit the grace of purification from sin,
and of fruitfulness in good works.
The Mass, which like that of Holy Saturday was ce
lebrated formerly at a very advanced hour on the night
of Saturday, being now and for a long time past said on
Saturday morning, the first Vespers of Pentecost
are SOLEMNLY SUNG in the afternoon.
CHAPTER XVII
Pentecost.
Station in Rome at Saint Peter. Sources of the liturgy :
Introit, Wisdom, i, 7;Ps. LXVII, 1. Epistle, Acts, n, 1-11.
Verses of the Alleluia, Ps. cm, 30 and extra-scriptural. Gos
pel, St. John, xiv, 23-31. Offertory, Ps. LXVII, 29-30.
Communion, Acts, n, 2.
The basilica of Saint Peter in Rome has been chosen
as the church of the Station for to-day in honour of
the Prince of the apostles, who filled with the Holy
Ghost on this day preached the Gospel for the first time
331
and converted to the faith of Jesus Christ the faithful
who formed the nucleus of the infant Church.
The object of this Feast is to commemorate the des
cent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles and the pro
mulgation of the law of grace. It is called PENTECOST
because it is celebrated fifty days after Easter. Our Lord
ascended into heaven forty days after His resurrection,
and ten days afterwards He sent the Holy Ghost to His
apostles who were assembled in the cenacle. Under
the old law the Hebrews also observed a Feast called
Pentecost in commemoration of the promulgation of the
Law on Mount Sinai fifty days after their exodus from
Egypt and the celebration of the Pasch. But under
the new law, instead of the thunders and the terrors of
Sinai, we have the joys, the sweetness and the conso
lations of the Holy Ghost who comes to spread over
the earth the fire of His divine love.
In the Epistle we read that at the third hour of the
day, the hour of Terce in the Divine Office, whilst the
apostles and Mary, the Mother of Jesus, were all assem
bled in one place (the cenacle), there was heard a great
sound like that of a mighty wind coming from heaven
which filled the whole house. Then there appeared part
ed tongues of fire which sat upon every one of them,
and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost. To com
memorate the precise moment at which the Holy Ghost
descended upon the apostles, the Church during the
whole of this week gives to the HOUR OF TERCE a special
solemnity; she begins this Hour with the Hymn, Veni
Creator, an invocation to the Holy Ghost which is also
the hymn for Vespers.
The Holy Ghost in the Scripture is TYPIFIED by the
BREATH OF THE WIND. It is thus that the divine Spi
rit appears in the creation : " The Spirit of God moved
333
over the waters " to vivify them and to render them
productive at the voice of the Most High. The Holy
Ghost is also represented as a wind drying up the earth
and rendering it habitable, after the deluge. The mighty
wind, the sound of which filled the cenacle on the morn
ing of Pentecost, represents the supernatural life
which was then communicated to the infant Church.
The TONGUES OF FIRE are another symbol of the action
of the Holy Ghost. He is a flame which enlightens,
enkindles and purifies. In descending upon the apostles
in this form, the Holy Ghost animated them with holy
zeal and ardent charity in the preaching of the Gospel
throughout the world. Our Lord Himself gives this
explanation when He promises His apostles that the
Holy Ghost would render them capable of carrying His
word everywhere and of being understood by all the
nations of the earth, and at the end of the Epistle for
this day, the author of the Acts bears witness to the ful
filment of this promise.
Finally, we read in Genesis that the DOVE SET FREE
BY NOE returned for the second time to the ark carry
ing in its beak an olive branch. Interpreters of holy
Scripture regard this as typifying remotely the Spirit
of peace, effecting a reconciliation between God and
man in the bosom of the Church, the only ark of salvation.
Again we read that at the moment of our Lord s baptism
in the waters of the Jordan, the Holy Ghost descended
from heaven in the form of a dove, to take up His
abode in the soul of the Man-God and to fill His sacred
humanity with the plenitude of grace.
In the Gospel for to-day s solemnity, we read how our
Lord gave to His apostles the assurance that His
presence with them should be the reward of their love
for Him. God the Father also would come to them, and
333
dwell within their souls, and would send to them the
Holy Ghost to strengthen, console, and fortify them against
all the assaults of the world.
The Introit, taken from the Book of Wisdom, declares
that the Spirit of the Lord fills the whole earth that all
creatures may have voice. The two verses of the Alle
luia suggest to the Christian soul the ardent prayer which
draws down the divine Spirit ; throughout the Octave,
all kneel during the singing of the second verse. The
Sequence, Veni, Sancte Spiritus, of which neither the au
thor nor the date can be determined with certainty,
expresses in accents of ardent longing the desire of
possessing within oneself the Ho .y Ghost, the Consoler,
who enlightens, purifies and enkindles the soul, and
brings to it true peace. The Offertory, taken from
Psalm LXVII., a song of triumph frequently repeated
during the solemnities of Pentecost, is a prayer in which
we implore of God that He would confirm the work
wrought within us by the Holy Ghost on the day of our
Baptism and of our Confirmation. Finally the Com
munion recalls the passage from the Epistle in which
the effects of the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the
apostles are described.
The Prayers of the Mass are an appeal that God would
grant us to know, to enjoy, and to relish the consolations
of the Holy Ghost (COLLECT) ; an earnest prayer to the God
who illumines souls with the rays of His light, purifies
them from every stain of sin, and by the beneficent dew of
His grace renders them fruitful (SECRET, POSTCOMMUNION).
In the Antiphon of the Magnificat at the second
Vespers, we praise and extol the descent of the Holy
Ghost upon the apostles, the communication to them
of His precious gifts, and the mission confided to them
to preach salvation to all the nations of the earth.
11*
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CHAPTER XVIII
Octave of Pentecost.
MONDAY. Station at Saint Peter ad Vincula. Sources of the
liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXXX, 17. Epistfe, Acts, x, 42-48.
Verse of the Alleluia, Acts, n, 4 and 11. Gospel, St. John,
III, 16-21. Offertory, Ps. xvn, 14 and 16. Communion,
St. John, xiv, 26.
TUESDAY. Station at Church of Saint Anastasia. Sources of
the liturgy : Introit, IV Esdras, n, 20. Epistle, Acts, vm,
14-17. Verse of the Alleluia, St. John, xiv, 25. Gospel,
St. John, x, 10. Offertory, Ps. LXVII, 23-25. Communion,
St. John, xv, 26 and xvi, 14.
THURSDAY. Station at Saint Lawrence outside the Walls.
Sources of the liturgy : Sung parts of this Mass all the same as
on the Feast itself .Epistle, Acts, vm, 5-9. Gospel, St. Luke,
ix, 1-6.
The controversy regarding the question of the Octave
FOR THE Feast of Pentecost, owing to the disagreement
between the liturgists was still unsettled as late as
the eleven th century. Bernon de Reichenau was in favour
of the Octave, giving as his reason that the analogy
between the festivals of Easter and Pentecost would be
incomplete if Pentecost had no Octave. Other litur
gists rejected the proposal, maintaining that as Pente
cost is the fiftieth day after Easter, it closes a cycle, and
therefore, is in itself the termination. Bernon s argu
ment however prevailed. The Church ordains FOR
EACH DAY of this privileged Octave A SPECIAL MASS,
as for the Easter Octave. As Ember days occur during
335
this week, there is a special liturgy for Wednesday,
Friday and Saturday.
Similarly to the Easter Octave, in all the Masses of
the Octave of Pentecost there is SPECIAL ALLUSION
made to the ADMINISTRATION OF BAPTISM on the Vigil
of the Feast. On these three Ember days the STATIONS
IN ROME are the same and the liturgy in its arrangement
is analogous to that of the Ember days at the other
seasons of the year. The Station in Rome for Monday
is at the church of Saint Peter ad Vincula, for Tues
day at Saint Anastasia, and on Thursday at Saint
Lawrence outside the Walls.
The Epistle for the MASS ON MONDAY, as for the Mass
on every day until Thursday, inclusively, is taken from
the Acts of the Apostles, a special feature which also
belongs to the Easter Octave. On this day, Saint Pe
ter declares that the grace of the Holy Ghost conferred
in Baptism is offered to the pagans as well as to the Jews ;
henceforth there is no longer any distinction made
between them. The Gospel teaches the newly baptised
and all Christians that the faith is implanted in our
souls by the Holy Ghost, and illumines the way which
leads to eternal life.
The Introit tells the neophytes that after their Bap
tism they were nourished with the bread of life whose
sweetness is from Jesus Christ the corner stone on which
rests the Church. The verse of the Alleluia, the
Offertory and the Communion proclaim the marvellous
effects of the coming of the Holy Ghost, typified by
the tongues of fire and the fountains of living water.
In the Col lect the Church prays that her children may
have that poace which results from the gift of faith.
In the Secret she expresses her desire that they them
selves may become worthy of being offered with Jesus
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Christ to the divine Majesty, and in the PostcommunioD
she asks that the divine food which is their sustenance
may give them the strength to overcome their enemies.
The passage from the Acts of the Apostles which forms
the Epistle of the Mass on Tuesday commemorates the
graces communicated to the neophytes by the Holy
Ghost at the moment when they received the sign of
the Sacrament of Confirmation. The Gospel, whilst
reminding them that they are now numbered among
the sheep of Jesus the good Shepherd, warns them against
the theories of false shepherds who would seek to lead
them astray ; it is from the lawful successors of Peter
that they must always seek the true teaching of Jesus
Christ.
The Introit invites the neophytes to enjoy their hap
piness, to the full for they are henceforth called to eter
nal felicity.
The verse of the Alleluia points out to them the Holy
Ghost as the teacher of all those who wish to know the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Offertory extols the
divine food which they are about to receive in the holy
Sacrifice ; this is the heavenly manna, the very bread
of the angels. Jesus Christ Himself receives all His
glory from the Holy Ghost who proceeds from the
Father (COMMUNION). The action of the Holy Ghost in
regard to souls is full of sweetness ; it purifies them and
protects them from the attacks of the evil spirit
(COLLECT). Through the merits of Jesus Christ the divine
Victim on our altars this purifying grace is to be ours
(SECRET). It is to the Holy Ghost that we owe both the
divine Victim who is the food of our souls and the dispo
sition of soul with which we are to receive Him (POST-
COMMUNION).
As we have already noticed, with the exception of
337
the Epistle and Gospel, the Mass for Thursday is the
same as that of the Feast. The Lesson of the Epistle
sets before the newly baptised the prodigies wrought
by the apostles, filled with the Holy Ghost, and the
great joy which the first Christians felt on beholding
these wonders. The Gospel recalls to them the first
mission which our Lord confided to His apostles ; the
powers with which He invested them ; the conditions
for all apostolic missions, and the blessings which result
from them.
~ 338
CHAPTER XIX
Octave of Pentecost (continued). -- Ember days,
Stations : Wednesday, at Saint Mary Major ; Friday, at the
Church of the Twelve Apostles; Saturday, at Saint Peter s.
Sources of Liturgy :
WEDNESDAY. Introit, Ps. LXVII, 8-9. 1st Lesson, Acts, n,
14-21. 2nd Lesson, ibid., v, 12-16. 1st Alleluia, Ps. xxxn,
6. Gospel, St. John., vi, 47-52. Offertory, Ps. cxvm, 47-
48. Communion, St. John., xiv, 27.
FRIDAY. Introit, Ps. LXX, 8 and 23. Epistle, Joel, n, 23-27.
Alleluia, Wisdom, xn, 1. Gospel, St. Luke, v, 17-26.
Offertory, Ps. CXLV, 2. Communion, St. John, xiv, 18.
SATURDAY. Introit, Romans, v, 5, andPs. cn, 1. 1st Lesson,
Joel, n, 28-32. 1st Alleluia, St. John, vi, 64. 2nd Lesson,
Levit., xxin, 10-21. 2nd Alleluia, Job, xxvi, 13. 3rd
Lesson, Deut., xxvi, 1-11. 3rd Alleluia, Acts, n, 1.
4th Lesson, Levit., xxvi, 3-12. 4th Alleluia, extra-scrip
tural. 5th Lesson, Daniel, HI, 49-51. 5th Alleluia, ibid.
Epistle, Romans, v, 1-5. Tract, Ps. cxvi, 1-2. Gospel, St.
Luke, iv, 38-44. Offertory, Ps. LXXXVII, 2-3. Communion,
St. John, in, 8.
In Rome the Stations are at the same churches as
on the other Ember days throughout the year. The
number of Lessons and the order for Wednesday and
Friday are also the same as at these other times. On
account of these days occurring during the Paschal sea
son, the FAITHFUL STAND DURING THE READING OF
THE COLLECTS, the flectamus genua is, therefore, omitted,
aswas done on the Vigil of Pentecost before the Collects
339
which follow the prophecies. Instead of Graduals as at
the other seasons, the Lessons are followed by ALLELUIA
verses, and the Canticle of the three children in the
fiery furnace which ordinarily follows the fifth Lesson
on Ember Saturday is also replaced by a simple ALLE
LUIA verse. On Saturday the Sequence, Veni, Sancte
Spiritus, which is sung daily throughout the Octave,
follows the Tract.
The FIRST TWO LESSONS of the Mass of Wednesday,
are taken from the Acts of the Apostles. In the FIRST
we have Saint Peter testifying to the fulfilment of the
prophecy of Joel in the mystery of the descent of the
Holy Ghost. The SECOND mentions the wonders
wrought by the apostles, as our divine Lord had pro
mised. The Gospel tells of the mystery revealed by
our Lord to His apostles of the joint action of the three
divine Persons on souls ; only those souls that faithfully
follow the inspiration of the eternal Father can come
to Jesus. This drawing of souls is the secret working
of the Holy Spirit. To them our Lord gives life in be
coming their food.
The Introit shows how God guided His people through
the desert; here we have an image of His invisible
action on souls. The one verse of the Alleluia glorifies
the work of the Word and of the Spirit of God establish
ing the heavens. The Offertory describes the atti
tude of the faithful soul, towards the divine Command
ments, acting under the influence of the Spirit of God.
The Communion teaches us that this Spirit is a Spirit
of peace the inheritance which Jesus Christ bequeathed
to His apostles. In the first Collect we invoke the
Holy Ghost as the source of the supernatural light
who, according to the promise of Jesus Christ, teaches
all truth; in the second we invoke Him as the divine
340
guest who comes to dwell within us to prepare us for
eternal glory. In the Secret we turn to the Holy Ghost
as the divine operator who helps us to prepare the
victim of our altars, and again in the Postcommunion
we pray that the action of this same divine Spirit
may prepare us for the enjoyment of eternal happiness.
In the Epistle of the Mass of Friday the neophytes
hear the predictions of the Prophet Joel which, as we
read in the first Lesson of the Mass on Wednesday,
Saint Peter declared had been verified. The wheat,
the wine and the oil of which the Prophet speaks are the
matter of the Sacraments. The Gospel relates the cure
of the paralytic, and thus demonstrates to the newly
baptised the marvellous power of forgiving sins which
Jesus Christ wished to exercise Himself, before giving
the power to His apostles. The Introit, the first verse
of the Alleluia, and the Offertory all glorify God for
the beneficent action of His divine Spirit. In the Com
munion the souls who have just received their God are
reminded of the sweetness of the consoling promise
of Jesus : I will not leave you orphans. In the Collect
the Church, returning thanks to the Holy Ghost for
all those children whom she has been able to gather
within her fold, prays that no hostile influence may
come to disturb her peace, and in the Secret she asks
that the divine fire may consume all the gifts laid upon
her altars. In the Postcommunion she prays that the
divine victim may come to the assistance of the flock
purchased by His Blood, in all their infirmities.
The great ceremonies with which the Paschal season
ends and in which one of the effects of the descent of the
Holy Ghost and of His continual presence in the Church
is manifested, are the ordination ceremonies which take
place on Ember Saturday. The interest felt in the
-- 34*
newly baptised who on this day put off their white gar
ments is now directed towards the newly ordained.
No doubt many of the texts in the liturgy of the
Mass may be applied to the neophytes, but they also
reveal the action of the Holy Ghost in the souls of those
new ministers of the altar with whom the Church ot
God has been enriched.
The FIRST LESSON of the Mass for Saturday taken from
the Prophet Joel predicts the effects of the descent of
the Holy Ghost. Old men and young men will prophesy,
will perform all kinds of prodigies, and everyone that
shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.
The SECOND LESSON, taken from Leviticus, sets forth the
offering which the people when they enter the promised
land, must make to the Lord. The first fruits of all
their possessions belong to God. The THIRD LESSON
from Deuteronomy insists anew on this offering of the
first fruits. The FOURTH LESSON, taken from another
chapter of Leviticus, records God s response to the fide
lity of His people. Those who keep His commandments
will be rewarded with all kinds of prosperity. The FIFTH
LESSON from the Prophet Daniel is common to all the
Ember Saturdays. In the Epistle, Saint Paul explains
the first fruit of justification peace with God and
the assurance of heaven, this he says, is the reward of
the charity which the Holy Ghost has poured forth into
our hearts. Finally, the Gospel relates how our Lord
cured Saint Peter s mother-in-law of fever. This fever,
says Saint Ambrose, is an image of the passions which
burn in the human soul and for the extinguishing of
which we must continually have recourse to the divine
and loving physician.
The Introit is an extract from the Epistle, and reminds
us that if we have charity in our hearts, it is due to the
342
outpouring of the Holy Ghost. It is this same divine
Spirit that gives life to the soul (FIRST ALLELUIA) ; that
adorns the heavens (SECOND ALLELUIA) ; that trans
formed the college of the apostles who were gathered toge
ther in the cenacle (THIRD ALLELUIA) ; that fills all hearts
with the fire of divine love (FOURTH ALLELUIA) ; that made
the three children sing in the fiery furnace (FIFTH ALLE
LUIA). All nations therefore should praise the Lord
and glorify His mercies (TRACT). Night and day we
cry to the Lord to obtain the continuance of His
favour (OFFERTORY) ; diligent in waiting for His influence
which at times is invisible (COMMUNION).
In the first Collect we pray for a fresh outpouring
of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all those whom divine
Wisdom has created, and who are ruled by the Provi
dence of God. In the second Collect we ask that the
Holy Ghost may kindle within us all that fire which our
Lord has come to spread over the earth.
The fast which we are observing is an excellent re
medy for the weaknesses of soul and body. May it
aid us in becoming more faithful to God (THIRD COL
LECT) ; in correcting our faults and in obtaining God s
mercy (FOURTH COLLECT); in avoiding sin (FIFTH COL
LECT) , and in delivering us from the fire of evil passions
(SIXTH COLLECT). The Sacrifice which we offer, by
purifying our souls will render our penance more accept
able to God (SECRET). He will sustain us in holy zeal
and will bring us heavenly consolations (POSTCOMMUNION) .
FOURTH PART
THE SEASON AFTER PENTECOST
CHAPTER I
General considerations. -- The Feast
of the Blessed Trinity.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Offertory and Communion :
adapted from Tobias, xn, 6. Epistle, Romans, xi, 33-36.
Gradual, Alleluia, Daniel, in, 35-52. Gospel, St. Matthew,
xxvin, 18-20. Offertory, Tob., xn, 6. Communion,
Tob., xn, 6,
The time after Pentecost comprises that part of the
liturgical year EXTENDING FROM THE FIRST SUNDAY
AFTER PENTECOST to THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT.
As we have already remarked, this time corresponds
to the AUTUMN SEASON. The Church, the great reaper
of souls, in her work of santification which she accom
plishes by the aid of the Holy Ghost during this time,
gathers the harvest which has ripened in the preceding
season, that is to say during Lent and Eastertide. This
last season of the liturgical year represents the matured
work of the Holy Ghost ; both IN THE WHOLE
344
CHURCH and in EACH INDIVIDUAL CHRISTIAN SOUL. The
Church, under the influence of the Holy Ghost expands,
develops and produces a rich harvest for the day of
her eternal triumph. Each soul of whom the Church
is composed is being sanctified as it, made perfect
under the influence of the divine Spirit, also gathers
fruit for the day in which it will take its place in the
home of the eternal Father. The series of Sundays
after Pentecost, more or less in number according to
the date on which this Feast falls in each year, brings
before us this TWO-FOLD DEVELOPMENT of the Church
at large and of each faithful soul individually, beneath
the continuous and vivifying action of the third person
of the Blessed Trinity.
The Church inaugurates this season with three Feasts
very dear to all the faithful : that of the Blessed
Trinity which is celebrated on the first Sunday after Pen
tecost, the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament on the fol
lowing Thursday, and that of the Sacred Heart on
the Friday immediately following the Octave of the
Feast of the Blessed Sacrament. Before going through
the series of Sundays after Pentecost, we shall give some
particulars about each of these Feasts.
Throughout the WHOLE OF THE LITURGY the Church
renders ADORATION TO THE BLESSED TRINITY, first by
frequent invocations of the three divine Persons, and
particularly by the three-fold repetition of the Sanctus,
either said or sung in all Masses; 2nd. by the Gloria
Patri at the end of the Psalms, and the Doxology at
the end of the hymns; 3rd. by the ancient usage of
consecrating every Sunday to the Blessed Trinity. It
was fitting that the first day of each week sanctified by
prayer should remind us of the great mystery which is
the foundation of all Christionity, but throughout
345
the course of ages, the Feasts of the Saints became
more numerous and Sunday was fixed for the cele
bration of a certain number of these Feasts, hence
the early custom to which we have just alluded of
consecrating Sunday to the Blessed Trinity was gradu
ally discontinued. For that reason a special Feast
was instituted in HONOUR OF THE BLESSED TRINITY.
In the eighth century Alcuin composed a Mass in
honour of the Holy Trinity, but solely with a view to
satisfy private devotion. In the beginning of the ele
venth century we find a Council in Germany approv
ing this devotion. A century before, Stephen, Bishop
of Liege, had instituted in his Church a Feast in honour
of the Holy Trinity, and a complete Office of the my
stery was drawn up. Owing to monastic influence, the
Feast was established in other Churches. In the ele
venth century, Pope Alexander II. was not favourable
to the adoption of the Feast in the Church in Rome ;
in the twelfth century, it was introduced into England
and France. Finally, in 1334, Pope John XXII. publish
ed a decree enacting that the Feasts hould be observed
in Rome and thoughout Christendom.
The Office of the Sundays throughout the year has
REFERENCE to ONE OR OTHER OF THE MYSTERIES OF
RELIGION. The Sundays of Advent recall the long pre
paration for the coming of the Messias, the work attri
buted to God the Father. From Christmas to Septua-
gesima we venerate in particular the mystery of the
Incarnation . From Septuagesima to Pentecost we follow
with love and gratitude the long and painful labours
of our divine Redeemer for the human race, and then
His glorious triumph, the reward of the work which He
had accomplished ; at the same time we assist at the pre
parations for the foundation of the Church. At Pen-
346 -
tecost we adore the Holy Giiost in His work for the sano
tiftcation of our souls. The long series of the Sundays
following Pentecost is connected with the mission and
the reign of God the Holy Ghost.
It was fitting that the remembrance of these great
mysteries should be commemorated in one and the same
solemnity and that the Sunday which ends the Paschal
season and begins the time after Pentecost should be
appointed for the celebration of this Feast.
The Introit, Offertory and Communion of the Mass
for Trinity Sunday are not taken literally from holy
Scripture, but the formula is an adaptation of the words
of the Archangel Raphael to Tobias. We make use of
them to glorify the Holy Trinity as the divine source
of all the mercies shown to men. The Gradual and
the Alleluia, two verses from prophet Daniel, express
joy and admiration in presence of the divine Majesty
who deigns to enlighten our darkness. In the Epistle,
Saint Paul shows us how we ought to humble our feeble
understanding before the most incomprehensible of
mysteries ; at the same time he impresses on us our duty
of love and gratitude to God. The Gospel reminds us
that on the day of our Baptism the adorable Trinity
took possession of our being, to raise it to unspeakable
heights. The Collect asks for us constancy in faith that
we may confess the Unity and the Trinity in God, by
which faith we shall triumph over our enemies. In
the Secret we express our desire that by our admis
sion into the happiness of heaven we may render eter
nal homage to the Trinity. The Postcommunion prays
that by the light of faith and the strength of the
divine food we may be led to the contemplation of the
three divine Persons in the indivisible Unity.
~ 347
CHAPTER II
The Feast of Corpus Christi.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. Lxxx-17. Epistle, I Cor.,
xi, 23-29. Gradual, Ps. CXLIV, 15-16. Alleluia, St. John,
vi, 56. Gospel, St. John, vi, 56-59. Offertory, Levit.,
xxi, 6. Communion, I Cor., xi, 27.
On the Thursday following the Feast of the Blessed
Trinity the Church celebrates that of Corpus Christi which
is called also the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament and
in France FSte-Dieu.
The name, Corpus Christi or Feast of the Body of our
Lord, tells us that on this Feast we adore the living Body,
Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ, substantially present
in the Blessed Eucharist under the Sacramental species,
and intimately united to His divinity. The name,
Feast of the Blessed Sacrament reminds us that we are
rendering homage to the real and permanent Presence
of Jesus Christ under the consecrated species. The
French term, Fete-Dieu indicates that the God-Man
really dwells on earth and on this day His Feast is spe
cially celebrated.
A Calendar of the fourth or fifth century, under the
date March 24, makes mention of a Feast called Natalis
Calicis and some have thought that these expressions
served to designate the institution of the Eucharist when
our Lord made use of the chalice. In reality, DURING
LONG AGES, the INSTITUTION OF THE ADORABLE SACRA
MENT of the altar was ONLY COMMEMORATED by the Mass
-348-
of HOLY THURSDAY which sometimes falls on the 24th
March, or very near that date. But in the thirteenth
century, God made use of a humble religious, Blessed
Julianna of Mont-Cornillon, to ESTABLISH in His Church
a special FEAST IN HONOUR OF THE MOST HOLY SACRA
MENT. The Feast was first observed at Liege and,
in 1264, shortly after the Eucharistic miracle at Bolsena,
Urban IV. ordained that throughout the universal Church,
on the Thursday after the Feast of the Blessed Trinity,
the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament should be celebrated.
The particular ceremony on this Feast is the proces
sion in which is borne the Sacred Host consecrated in the
preceding solemn High Mass. This procession was
introduced towards the beginning of the fourteenth
century, some years after the institution of the Feast
and was adopted successively in all dioceses. The
indulgences with which Pope John XXII. (1316-1324)
enriched this practice, already approved by the Council
of Vienna (1311), contributed to its adoption by all the
Churches of the Catholic world.
The Church, BY THIS FEAST, would first of all PROCLAIM
HER BELIEF in the real presence of our Lord Jesus Christ
in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar ; by it she made a
SOLEMN PROTESTATION against the error of Berengarius
and later against the heresies of Luther and the Protes
tants. In the next place, the Church wishes to MAKE
REPARATION to our Lord for all the outrages and insults
offered to Him in the Blessed Sacrament. Finally she
would make the faithful understand that our divine
Saviour comes forth from His tabernacle to bless the
cities, the fields, and the dwellings of men, that He
loves to appear amongst the multitudes as in the days
when He journeyed through the towns and villages of
Palestine.
349
The Office of the Blessed Sacrament was composed
by Saint THOMAS AQUINAS surnamed the angelic Doctor,
on account of the sublimity of his doctrine. The whole
Office is full of devotion, of theological science and of
sacred poetry. The HYMNS are of heavenly harmony
and sound in one s ear as words inspired by the Holy
Ghost. Here we can only mention the Antiphons OF
THE Magnificat and the HYMNS.
The Antiphon OF THE FIRST VESPERS praises the
sweetness of the Lord manifested in the Eucharistic
Bread, but, if we would enjoy this sweetness and gather
the fruits of salvation, we must approach it with the spi
ritual hunger of a humble and ardent desire. The Anti
phon of the SECOND VESPERS is a prolonged cry of grati
tude for the sacred banquet of the Eucharist, the living
memorial of the sufferings of our divine Saviour, the
copious source of grace for the soul, and even for the
body a pledge of future glory.
The Hymn, Sacris solemniis, of Matins is a song of
triumph which in poetic terms describes the last Sup
per, and enumerates the great blessings which on that
holy night were given to earth. The Hymn of Lauds >
Verbum stipernum also describes the institution of the
Blessed Eucharist with the graces which this adorable
Sacrament procures for us ; the fourth stanza, in
particular, sums up completely and with graceful brevity
the mystery of Jesus who is the companion, the food,
the ransom and the reward of man. The hymn of
Vespers, Pange lingua, in profound and concise doctrine
describes the mystery of faith; the last two stanzas,
Tantum ergo are always sung at Exposition and Bene
diction of the Blessed Sacrament-
The Introit, in the accents of the Psalmist, praises
the goodness of the God of Jacob ; " this fat of the wheat,
350
this honey out of the rock " with which He feeds His
people : these are the ineffable sweetnesses of the God
of the Eucharist, who is called in the Sacred Books
the wheat of the elect and the rock in the desert. The
Gradual and the Alleluia point to a parallel between
the Old and the New Testament. In the Gradual
the Psalmist exalts the goodness of the Lord to whom
every living creature looks for its food ; in the Alleluia
our divine Lord offers Himself to us as the substan
tial food of our souls which unites us to God. The
Offertory, taken from Leviticus, tells us how great
was the sanctity required of God from the priests of the
old covenant, from which we may conclude what, a for
tiori, should be the sanctity of the priests of the
new law. The Communion sets forth the dispositions
which, according to Saint Paul (I. Cor.), we must have
when we receive the Body of the Lord.
The Sequence, Lauda Sion, the work of Saint Thomas
Aquinas, explains substantially and dogmatically the
whole object of the Feast ; in it is developed the grand
yet simple majesty of the Eucharistic mystery, and the
Church figured by the city of Sion gives vent to her
enthusiasm pouring out her love for the living and
life-giving Bread which Jesus Christ gives us in His ado
rable Sacrament. In this Sequence the theological
accuracy of the terms rivals the beauty of the poetic
form.
Saint Paul in the Epistle unites with the Evangelists
in testifying to the institution of the Blessed Eucharist.
He insists particularly on the identity of the Sacrifice
of the altar with that of the Cross. Thus the flesh of a
God has been prepared on Calvary to serve as food for
our souls, and by His painful death, the Lamb, hence
forth living and immortal, becomes our nourishment.
But if we would assimilate the fruit of this divine food,
our souls must be wholly free from mortal sin before
receiving it. In the Gospel Saint John no longer speaks
of the institution of the Blessed Eucharist, but he tells us
of the solemn promise made by our Lord a year before
the last Supper. The divine Bread offered to us in
this Sacrament is the Bread of immortality.
The Collect which the Church repeats not only at all
the Hours of the Office on this day but also always at
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, teaches us the
intention which our Lord had when on the eve of His
Passion He instituted this Sacrament of love, and in
our name prays that we may obtain all its effects. The
Secret points out to us two special gifts of this, divine
Sacrament unity and peace. The Postcommunion
reminds us that our participation in the Blessed Eu
charist here on earth is but the figure of our union with
the divine Word when we shall behold Him in the
unclouded vision which is to be ours for all eternity.
The Church has decreed that, similarly to the great
festivals of Christmas, the Epiphany, Easter, the As
cension, Pentecost, this Feast should have a Full Oc
tave. During eight consecutive days, she repeats the
same Office in honour of the Blessed Eucharist and sup
plies the faithful with the means of studying this ineff
able pledge of the love of our God. Further, the Church
encourages every manifestation of love and honour towards
the most Holy Sacrament of the altar.
The various forms of Eucharistic worship are : the
offering of the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, visits to the
Blessed Sacrament, Exposition, Benediction, processions,
etc.. IN THE MASS God the Father is adored, praised,
thanked and invoked by His only Begotten Son who
has become our Victim and our Priest. There is no
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greater or more meritorious act which the faithful can
perform than to assist at this holy Sacrifice and to unite
their sentiments, and their intentions with those of Jesus
Christ Himself.
IN THE TABERNACLE the sacred Hosts are reserved for
the sick and dying, and also for the happiness and con
solation of those who visit our Lord in the Blessed Sa
crament. On certain days the Sacred Host is placed
in the monstrance which is then placed over the taber
nacle where as on a throne our Lord waits for the ado
ration, the homage, and the reparation of His faithful
disciples. This is SOLEMN EXPOSITION of the Blessed
Sacrament.
CHAPTER III
The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Lamentation of Jeremias, in,
t- 32-33 and 25; Ps. LXXXVIII, 1. Epistle, Isaias, xn, 1-6.
Gradual, Lamen., i, 12, and St. John., xm, 1-2. Alleluia,
j St. Matth., xi, 29. Gospel, St. John, xix, 33-35. Offer
tory, Ps. en, 2-5. Communion, Ps. LXVIII, 21.
The Friday which follows the OCTAVE of Corpus
Christi is the day appointed for the celebration of the
Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The object of this
Feast is to honour the Heart of the Man-God, that is ty
say of the Incarnate Son of God who has taken a body
and soul like unto ours.
353 ~
The word heart must be understood in a TWO-FOLD
SENSE : First the MATERIAL SENSE, expressing the heart
of flesh, which is the centre of the life of the body.
2nd. The SPIRITUAL SENSE : The heart is that part of
the soul which loves, desires ; the soul is made to love
and to desire good. In Jesus Christ we must honour
the heart of flesh which from His Incarnation to His
death never ceased to beat for us, which poured out
its blood to the last drop for our salvation, which
was pierced by a lance on the Cross. We should also
honour the loving soul of our divine Lord which willed
to share our sorrows and our joys, which has compas
sionated all our miseries and which, as He declared to
S&int Margaret Mary, has so loved men. The heart
of flesh of Jesus Christ is the image or emblem of His
loving soul : one is the organ of the material life, the other
is the organ of spiritual and supernatural life. As the
body cannot live without breathing, so the soul cannot
live without loving.
We must render to the Sacred Heart of Jesus the
worship of latria or of adoration. In adoring the Sa
cred Heart, we adore the Person of our Lord living for
men, loving them, and pouring out His favours upon
them. We may say that this cultus is AS ANCIENT AS
THE CHURCH itself, for she has ever honoured the love
of Jesus Christ for men, as did the blessed Virgin, the
first adorer of the Sacred Heart, so also the apostles,
particularly Saint John, he beloved disciple, Saint Paul,
the Apostle of the gentiles, the Fathers and the Doc
tors of the Church, Saint Bernard and Saint Bonaven-
ture in particular, when they treat of the Church as
coming forth from the side of our divine Saviour. In
the thirteenth century, it was given to Saint Gertrude
to reveal the part played by the Heart of Jesus in the
12 The Liturgy of the Neman Missal.
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economy of the divine glory and of the santification ot
souls. However, for a long time there was no special
Feast in honour of the Sacred Heart ; only in the seven
teenth century, was a religious of the Order of the
Visitation at Paray-le-Monial chosen by God as the
instrument for the establishing of this Feast. Yet nearly
a century elapsed before Clement XIII. approved of a
Mass and an Office for the Feast of the Sacred Heart
(1765). On August 23, 1856, Pius IX., by a decree,
INSERTED the Feast IN THE CALENDAR and ordained that
it should be celebrated throughout the universal Church.
Leo XIII. raised it to a double of the first class.
The Introit of the Mass for this Feast praises the in
effable mercies of Him whose Heart has never cast off
the children of men. The Gradual and the Alleluia
offer for our gratitude and our imitation the immense
love, meekness, and humility of the Heart of the Man-
God. The Offertory extols the countless mercies of
the Lord, and lastly the Communion depicts the utter
abandonment of Jesus in the midst of the sufferings
which He endured for love of us. In the Epistle Isaias
prophecies the tender compassion of a God forgotten
by His ungrateful sons, upon whom He causes the
fountains of grace to flow forth abundantly. In the
Gospel Saint John relates how the side of Jesus was open
ed with a lance, that the secrets of the love of that adorable
Heart might be revealed to us.
The Collect asks for the grace to understand the
divine benefits and to derive full fruit therefrom. The
Secret begs that the flames of divine charity may pre
pare our hearts for the offering of the holy Sacrifice.
The Postcommunion prays for that perfect humility
by which the true disciples of a God meek and humble
of heart, are recognized.
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Between these THREE FEASTS of the Blessed Trinity,
of Corpus Christi and of the Sacred Heart, there is an
intimate connection. The mission of the Holy Ghost
who on Pentecost Sunday descended on earth, is to
initiate us into the knowledge of God and thus to pre
pare us for the unclouded vision of Him in heaven.
For this, it was becoming to put before us the intimate
relations and the operations of the three divine Persons
in the unity of their essence, and then of all the ex
terior operations of the Son of God, to make us adore the
Blessed Eucharist which is the completion of those
operations here below. The aim of the devotion to
the Sacred Heart is to show us the ineffable love by
which God would unite Himself thus intimately with
man here on earth.
CHAPTER IV
First Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. XH, 6. Epistle, I St. John,
iv, 8-21. Gradual, Ps. XL, 5 and 2.- Alleluia, v, 2. Gos
pel, St. Luke, vi, 36-42. Offertory, Ps. v, 3. Communion,
Ps. ix, 2-3.
The instructions contained in the Mass for this Sunday
point out to us the way in which we should PRACTISE
CHARITY towards God. To love is the final end and
aim of all supernatural life, of which it is also the prin
ciple and the starting point. The first act of a soul in
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which the Holy Ghost dwells is an act of the love
of God, and this act is manifested by love for all those
who like ourselves are the work of God. This practice of
the twofold love of God and our neighbour was the cha
racteristic mark of the first Christians who practised it
to such an extent as to astonish those who were wit
nesses of it.
In the Epistle, Saint John, the disciple whom Jesus
loved, explains very clearly the divine theory of charity.
" God ", he says, " is charity. By this hath the charity
of God appeared towards us, because God hath sent
His only begotten Son into the world that we may live
by Him. In this is charity ; not as though we had loved
God, but because He hath first loved us, and sent His
Son to be a propitiation for our sins. "
We must therefore be charitable, not only by loving
God in return but by loving our brethren also. And
unless we love our brethren ; we cannot say that we
really love God. (
The Gospel for this Sunday recalls the fundamental
points of the law promulgated by Jesus Christ. Be
merciful, for that is the condition for obtaining mercy.
The heavenly Father will pardon you in the same mea
sure in which you pardon others.
The parts of the Mass which are sung pay homage
to the divine mercy in which we place all our confidence.
God could not forget us nor turn away from us (INTROIT).
The Gradual and Alleluia contain a heartfelt supplica
tion to the heavenly physician who heals and delivers
the soul that has compassion on the woes of others. In
the Offertory and Communion a re-iterated appeal
is made to Him whom we proclaim our King and our
God. Whose goodness we shall sing for ever in the joy
and exultation of our hearts. In the prayers of the Mass
357
we ask that God may grant us the help of His grace, for
He is Himself the strength of all who hope in Him.
He alone can turn all wills to the observance of His
precepts (COLLECT). The Sacrifice which we offer to
Him wholly suffices to appease His anger and to merit
for us His support (SECRET). Rich in His gifts we
venture to ask of Him that He would grant us the grace
to praise and to thank Him for ever (POSTCOMMUNION).
CHAPTER V
Second Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xvn, 19-20. Epistle, I St.
John, in, 12-18. Gradual, Ps. cxix, 1-2. Alleluia, Ps. vn,
2. Gospel, St. Luke, xiv, 1 6-24. Offertory, Ps. vi, 5.
Communion, Ps. xn, 6.
The Liturgy in the Mass of this second Sunday after
Pentecost shows us the PROGRESS AND THE STRUGGLE OF
the infant CHURCH, ever watched over and protected
by God and notwithstanding the hatred and enmity
which wages continual war against her, ever increasing
in the practice of charity.
In the Epistle the Apostle, Saint John, speaks to us
of fighting for the Church. " We know ", he says, " that
we have passed from death to life, because we love the
brethren. He that loveth not, abideth in death.
This it was that drew the attention of the world to the
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Church and roused its hatred against her. For us there
is nothing surprising in this strange phenomenon which
had been foretold to the apostles by their divine Master,
and from the very beginning they saw His prediction
verified. Against the Church, the kingdom of God on
earth, rose up the kingdom of Satan and for more than
two centuries there was an almost uninterrupted
course of bloody persecutions. In spite of these as
saults the Church developed by attracting to her fold
the multitudes of the gentiles who were chosen to take
the place of the unbelieving Jews, a miracle which in the
form of an allegory is described in the Gospel for this Sun
day, in the parable of the supper. The banquet hall is
a figure of the Church. The master of the house is God
who through the prophets gave the first invitation to
the Jews ; but under various pretexts and because of
their attachment to their material interests, the Jews
did not respond. Then angry at their refusal, God
again sent forth His servants, the apostles, to bring in
the heathen nations, represented in the parable by the
lame, the poor and the blind. Thus in vivid pictures
the first events in the infant Church are described to
us : the rejection of the Jews, and the vocation of the
gentiles.
In another way there is a relation between the Octave
of Corpus Christi, and THIS PARABLE of the supper which
is at once a prediction and a DESCRIPTION OF THE Eu-
CHARISTIC BANQUET to which all men even sinners are
invited, provided that they make fitting preparation.
But souls that are attached to earthly goods and the
false pleasures of the world hold themselves aloof. For
admittance to the banquet hall each guest must have
the wedding garment, a figure of the purity restored to
the soul in the sacrament of Penance.
359
The sung parts and the prayers of the Mass express
ihe protection which God vouchsafes to the Church and
to each of its members individually. Thus in the Col
lect we pray that we may fear and love His holy Name,
trusting firmly in the assurance that God never abandons
those whom He has firmly established in His love. In
the Secret we express the conviction that our oblation
gives purity to the soul and makes it advance on the
road which leads to heaven. In the Postcommunion
we aspire to that holiness which the divine food gives
us, in proportion to the frequency of our reception of
it. In the Introit, we proclaim in the words of David,
that the Lord is our shield, our refuge and our deliverer.
In the Gradual and Alleluia, we implore the help of the
Most High against those who persecute us, and we proclaim
that He is faithful to His promise in delivering us. In
the Offertory we ask of God in the name of His in
finite goodness to hearken to our prayer and to save us.
In the Communion, in return for so many benefits, we
will proclaim the glory which is due to His holy Name.
This is the most magnificent homage which the Church
can render to the God who sustains her, and all her
faithful children.
360
CHAPTER VI
Third Sunday after Pentecost*
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxiv, 16-18. Epistle, I St.
Peter, v, 6-11. Gradual, Ps. LIV, 23, \7-\9.-Alleluia, Ps.
vii, 12. Gospel, St. Luke, xv, 1-10. Offertory, Ps. ix,
11-12. Communion, St. Luke, xv, 7.
The Office and the Mass for this Sunday contain a
two-fold INSTRUCTION, one concerning THE CHURCH, the
other regarding each individual CHRISTIAN SOUL. In
that which concerns the Church the liturgy of this Sun
day reminds us of her DIVINE MISSION, then of the TRIALS
occasioned by dissensions amongst her children and last
ly the assurance of divine help upon which she may
always rely. Her divine mission is apparent in the
fact that her pastors are the truly appointed ministers
of God and that they have received as their inheritance
the zeal of Jesus Christ, the Founder and invisible Head
of this same Church. The OFFICE recalls the ELEC
TION OF SAUL to the kingship, and sets before us the
Prophet Samuel as the acknowledged representative of
God (Antiphon for the Magnificat on Saturday and the
Lessons of the Breviary for Sunday). In the Gospel we
have the shepherd seeking the lost sheep as a type of the
apostolic zeal which should animate the apostles and their
successors.
The trials of the Church are represented by the phe
nomenon to which Saint Peter alludes in the Epistle.
The devil lies constantly in wait for the children of the
361
Church, seeking to make them his prey. Too often he
succeeds in finding victims in the sheepfold of the Church,
sheep that let themselves be enticed away from the
fold. Again the trials of the Church are represented in
the parable of the lost groat. To bring back her sheep,
to recover the treasure that is lost, the Church has to
labour unceasingly. For this she finds her strength
and assistance in following the example of her divine
Master who is above all others the Good Shepherd ;
in humble trustful prayer, for God, her Head and
Guide multiplies the effects of His mercy in proportion
to her needs (COLLECT) ; in abandoning herself to His
divine Providence (GRADUAL) ; in her intimate and strong
conviction that God never forsakes those who seek Him
(OFFERTORY) ; in her faith in the efficacy of the Sacrifice
that she prepares (SECRET) ; in the joy of seeing souls
that had gone astray return to the fold (COMMUNION).
In that which concerns THE INSTRUCTION of THE
MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH, the liturgy of this Sunday
teaches each individual soul the necessity of being strong
ly grounded in humility, of energetically resisting
temptation, lastly of preserving unshaken confidence
in the midst of the greatest trials. The LESSONS OF THE
OFFICE put before us the history of Saul the king chosen
by God who knew not how to respond to the expecta
tion of the Lord, because he was disobedient. Thus,
though a soul may have been admitted into the Church
amongst the children of God, yet by being unfaithful
to grace that soul may be lost. The Epistle of Saint
Peter warns each one of us that we must be prepared
to fight against powerful enemies. The Gospel reminds
us that otner sheep have gone out of the fold and with
out the compassionate efforts of the divine Shepherd
would have been lost, consequently the Church suggests
362
to us in her prayers sentiments of sincere and profound
humility (INTROIT, COLLECT, etc.).
The Epistle in particular shows us the necessity of
making strong resistence against temptation, by putting
before us the devil ravenous for souls. This treacherous
enemy prowls unceasingly around us, devouring those
souls who allow themselves to be taken by surprise.
We must therefore watch and resist, but faithfully
trusting in God, the source of all strength, the author
of all holiness.
The conviction that God is the Good Shepherd not
only willing to go in search of the lost sheep, but ever
ready to give untiring help to the soul who trusts in
Him, will inspire us with unshaken confidence (COLLECT)
as will the intimate persuasion that this same God is
the support of His children (GRADUAL), that He as
sists those who call upon Him (OFFERTORY) and will
ingly pardons the repentant sinner, greatly rejoicing
at the return of a soul that had gone astray (COMMUNION).
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CHAPTER VII
Fourth Sunday after Pentecost,
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxvi, 1-2. Epistle, Romans,
vin. 18-23. Gradual, Ps. LXXVIII, 9-10. Alleluia, Ps. ix,
5 and 10. Gospel, St. Luke, v, 1-11. Offertory, Ps. xn,
4. Communion, Ps. xvn, 3.
The instructions in the Office and Mass of the fourth
Sunday after Pentecost are, as on the preceding Sunday,
addressed TO THE CHURCH and TO each of HER CHIL
DREN individually. From them we see that the Church
under the leadership of her Head has nothing to fear,
and that it is her entire submission to Jesus Christ which
renders her apostolate fruitful. We see also it is in the
Church alone, represented by the bark of Simon Peter,
that we shall find strength, peace and security.
The Church in order to declare her PERFECT TRUST
in the guidance of God, borrows the expressions of the
Psalmist. The Lord is her light, her guide and her pro
tector (INTROIT). She asks therefore for herself and
for the whole world that docility in the service of the
Lord, the fruit of which is peace , she implores an
increase of light that thus she may avoid that sleep of
death (OFFERTORY) and expresses her conviction that
God alone can strengthen the human will against its
natural weakness (SECRET). She implores of God that He
would give efficacy to her work on earth through His
all-powerful protection (COMMUNION and POSTCOMMU-
NION).
364
The ACTION OF JESUS UIRISI IN His CHURCH tends
to the re-establishment here on earth of the kingdom of
His eternal Father. By the rebellion of the fallen angels
and the disobedience of our first parents this kingdom
has been overthrown, and in consequence of this all
nature suffers. Jesus Christ in once more adopting us as
His brethren urges us by our sufferings in union with
the Church to prepare ourselves for the glory which is to
be ours. This is the lesson which we learn from Saint Paul
in his Epistle to the Romans appointed for this Sunday.
In the Gospel Saint Luke relates how Simon Peter,
at the command of his divine Master, launched his
vessel out upon the deep waters, and casting his net,
secured a miraculous draught of fishes. Our Lord
worked this miracle in the beginning of His public min
istry. Choosing Simon Peter s vessel, he went on
board and from thence taught the multitudes assembled
on the shore. Having rewarded Peter s docility by the
miraculous draught of fishes, our Lord gave to him and
to the other apostles under his direction the mission
of winning souls. Thus was the Church founded whose
mission, because of the prompt and entire obedience of
her first apostles, was to be divinely fruitful. Saint
Luke tells us that so great was the multitude of fishes
enclosed in the net that it broke. All kinds of fish were
in the net ; good and bad, and afterwards these had
to be sorted out. In the same way when the Apostles
began to preach the Gospel, all kinds of men, good and
bad, entered the Church. By their pride and disobedience,
the heretics and schismatics more than once threatened
to break up the unity of the Church. But sustained by
the omnipotent hand of God who is ever faithful to His
promises, the Church has overcome all enemies, sur
vived all storms. And still, with the calmness which
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results from her absolute confidence in God s protection,
she carries on her mission.
The lesson for individual souls contained in the liturgy
of this Sunday is that OF ATTACHMENT to the true
Church of Jesus Christ. If we would be united with
Jesus Christ, we must ever remain in the bark of Peter.
The Holy Ghost is the luminous cloud which dissipates
the darkness of ignorance. The will of Jesus Christ
made known to us by His lawful representatives, di
rects all the events of this world, brings them to a favor
able end and fills the humble soul with joy. Then there
is a lesson of submission and resignation. Before reaching
the harbour and entering into eternal happiness, the chil
dren of the Church have to overcome difficulties and as
saults. It is only by freeing themselves from the sla
very of the devil and unceasingly imploring the divine
mercy which pardons, delivers and sustains that they
can conquer (EPISTLE, GRADUAL and ALLELUIA).
The lessons drawn from the Divine Office confirm
those given in the Mass. The Antiphon of the Magnificat
of the first Vespers and the Lessons of the night Office
tell us of David s victory over the giant Goliath. Saint.
Augustine, commenting on this victory, writes : David
with his staff is a figure of our Lord with the wood of
his Cross. The victory of David foretells the triumph
of our Lord over the devil Henceforth Satan vanquish
ed by our Lord is like a chained dog. If he can still
hurt souls by his bite, it is because of their imprudent
compliance. Therefore, if we would overcome we must
keep far away from the tempter, never consent to his
treacherous suggestions and ever take refuge beneath
the Cross of our divine Saviour.
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CHAPTER VIII
Fifth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxvi, 7-9. Epistle, I St.
Peter, in, 8-15. Gradual, Ps. LXXXIII, 10. Alleluia, Ps. xx,
2. Gospel, St. Matth., v, 20-24. Offertory, Ps. xv, 7-8.
Communion, Ps. xxvi, 4.
The liturgy of this Sunday shows us the DEVELOP
MENT OF THE KINGDOM of the Church symbolized by
the kingdom of David ; it also teaches us the SUPERIO
RITY of THE CHURCH over the ancient Synagogue.
The LESSONS IN THE OFFICE tell of the sad end of
Saul and the accession of David to the thro ne as King
of Juda. David is the faithful servant, consequently
God guarantees that his throne shall last for ever. But
in the eyes of faith this kingdom represents the king
dom of Jesus Christ Himself, the kingdom of the Church
which He has established, and the uninterrupted suc
cession of Pontiffs who are to govern the Church to the
end of time
As David gave expression to his sorrow for the brave
warriors of Israel in the mournful CHANT which is sung
at the FIRST VESPERS OF THIS SUNDAY, so, the succes
sors of Saint Peter in the government of the Church
bear in mind the Blood shed by Jesus Christ on the
Cross and also that shed by those Apostles, who first
preached the Gospel in Rome. Thus the Church applies
to Saints Peter and Paul the words of David lamenting
over Saul and Jonathan : lovely and comely in their
367
life, even in death they were not divided (Antiphon of
the first Vespers for the fifth Sunday after Pentecost ;
Antiphon for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul and
throughout the Octave). In fact, holy Church has seen,
more than once, the blood of her Pontiffs shed in defence
of the faith.
In the sung parts and the prayers of THE MASS of this
day, the Church RE-ANIMATES us WITH COURAGE. In
the Introit she places on our lips the words of Psalm,
xxvi., composed by David on the occasion of his coro
nation : " The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom
shall I fear? " and she suggests to us that we should
repeat the humble and confident prayer of the devout
King : " Hear, O Lord, my voice. Be thou my helper,
forsake me not. " She reminds us of HER SUPERIORITY
over the ancient synagogue, a superiority which consists
IN THE GREATER PERFECTION of the NEW LAW as COn-
trasted with that of the old. Under the new Law God
wills that we should serve Him, preeminently, from a
motive of love, and promises us in reward the ineffable
joys of heaven. God Himself bestows this grace of His
love on all those who ask it of Him (COLLECT).
In the Gospel our Lord recalls the various prescrip
tions of the Mosaic Law under which the life of one s
neighbour was to be respected, homicide was forbidden
under penalty of death, and the guilty were handed over
to various tribunals, but under it they had become
accustomed neither to esteem nor blame any action
unless it were- seen by men. The CHIEF COMMANDMENT
in the new Law is CHARITY towards our brethren, not
only in acts, but in words and even in our most secret
thoughts ; we must forgive injuries, and before laying
our offering on the altar we must be truly reconciled
with all those who have offended us or whom we may
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have offended. As long as we cherish feelings of hatred
or resentment even secretly in our hearts, we are guilty
in the sight of God. In the Epistle, the Apostle Samt
Peter the head of the Church addresses himself to the
faithful of all ages and of all lands. He offers them as
the condition of their happiness be it temporal or eter
nal, union in sincere charity with their brethren, peace
and concord purchased at the cost of every sacrifice ;
the obligation of forgiving injuries, of being reconciled
with their enemies, of rendering good for evil on all
occasions. Thus it is that they will sanctify their own
souls.
The Church teaches her children that they can attain
to the perfection required in the Gospel by praying to the
eternal Father in union with Jesus Christ the divine
Victim (COLLECT) ; by the offering made by each one in
dividually, to the Lord for this offering is profitable to
all (SECRET) ; by partaking of the divine food which
p.uriiies the soul from the stains of sin and delivers it
from its enemies (POSTCOMMUNION) . The Gradual and the
Alleluia inspire the same sentiments of confidence as
the words of the Introit. The Lord, the God of hosts, is
our protector; in Him is our strength and our joy. The
Offertory repeats the words of the royal Psalmist in
which he expresses his gratitude for the heavenly favours
which he has received, especially for the constant care
which the Lord has exercised in his regard. The Com
munion also repeats the words in which the Psalmist
shows his sole desire to be, to dwell all the days of his
life in the house of the Lord which is the Church, the
outer Court of heaven.
CHAPTER IX
Sixth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. xxvn, 8-9. Epistle, Romans,
vi, 3-11. Gradual, Ps. LXXXIX, 13 and 1. Alleluia, Ps. xxx,
2-3. Gospel, St. Mark, vm, 1-10. Offertory, Ps. xvi, 5-6.
Communion, Ps. xxvi, 6.
Under existing conditions it is impossible to establish
any connection between the Lessons of the Office and
those of the Mass for this, the sixth Sunday after Pen
tecost. At some period not easy to determine, certain
portions of the liturgy have been misplaced : thus the
fifth Sunday, amongst the Latins, was called the Sunday
of the fishing, because the Gospel narrative of the mira
culous draught of fishes, now read on the fourth Sun
day, was in early times read on the fifth. Thus on
this sixth Sunday, the ANTIPHON OF THE FIRST VES
PERS AND THE LESSONS OF the Breviary in the night
Office recall THE FALL OF DAVID into the grievous sins
of murder and adultery and then his cry of anguish
" I pray thee, O Lord, to take away the iniquity of thy
servant, because I have done exceeding foolishly ;
while in the Mass we find nothing similar. The Introit
and the other sung parts refer rather to the beginning of
Solomon s reign. This results from the fact that in early
times the lessons of the Office were taken from the second
Book of Paralipomenon, which records the beginning
of the reign of David s son. In the liturgy of to-day
those books of holy Scripture which are, as it were, a
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repetition of the Books of the Kings, are set aside, and
the reading of the latter is continued until the begin
ning of August. There is therefore a two-fold lesson to
be drawn from the liturgy of the sixth Sunday after
Pentecost. First of all, David s lapse into grievous sin is
a warning, even to the most favoured souls, that they
must ever preserve a wholesome fear of sin. In this
life a fall is always possible and the higher the soul
has advanced in perfection the more terrible, the more
lamentable is such a fall. We also learn from David to
humble ourselves when we have thus fallen, to confess
our sin and to testify our repentance.
The Mass for this Sunday teaches us what are the
means the Church makes use of TO RESTORE AND TO
MAINTAIN SUPERNATURAL LIFE in souls. The multipli
cation of the loaves related in the Gospel is a symbol
of the Sacraments as the source of grace.
The gentiles, says Saint Ambrose, commenting on the
Gospel of this Sunday, were represented by the woman
suffering from an issue of blood whom our Lord had
cured but a short time before. She had followed the
divine Master, wearing herself out, so to say, during those
three days which recall the three years of His public
ministry that she might hear the truths of salvation.
The seven loaves multiplied in order to feed the hun
gry multitude represent the seven Sacraments, the source
of supernatural life for souls. Our Lord Himself works
the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, for He
alone, as the Son of God, equal in all things to His Father,
gives grace. The apostles distribute the loaves which
have been multiplied, to the assembled crowd, to teach
us that they and their successors have been appointed
to administer the Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ.
The fragments which remained after all were satisfied,
typify the inexhaustible fruitfulness of the Sacraments as
the channels of divine grace. According to the com
mentators, the two small fishes may also be regarded
as representing the Sacraments of Baptism and Penance,
the effect of these two Sacraments being, by virtue of
water and the tears of repentance, to restore life to souls.
Saint Paul who from now until the end of the eccle
siastical year will be our teacher, makes known to the
Romans and through them to all the faithful, the obli
gation of leading a new and supernatural life, as the
result of the reception of the Sacraments. During the
first few Sundays after Pentecost the Church gave us
portions of the Epistles of Saint John and of Saint Peter
to remind us of the predominant part taken, by these
Apostles in the preaching of the Gospel to the Jews, as
well as to the gentiles. Now she confines herself to
the Epistles of Saint Paul, in order to remind us that
it was he who is called the Apostle of the nations who,
on the refusal of the Jews to enter the Church, turned
to the gentiles to take their place. This great Apostle
tells us in the Epistle for this Sunday that man plunged
and as it were buried in the waters of Baptism (at that
time Baptism was administered by immersion) parti
cipates in the death and burial of Jesus Christ ; he adds
that the coming forth from the baptismal font repre
sents the coming forth from the tomb and the Resur
rection of Jesus Christ, and^ that from that moment
the baptized really enter into a new life. This new
and supernatural life of the Christian is a participation
of the life of our Lord communicated to the soul by
the Sacrament of Baptism, and which by the grace of
God and union with Jesus Christ is preserved in our souls.
In the language of the Church, this preservation of super
natural life within us is called the state of habitual
372
or sanctifying grace. This is the precious gift which the
Church in the Collect for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost
asks of God for her children. " O God from whom are all
virtues, " she prays, " implant in our hearts the love of
Thy holy name, and grant us an increase of religion
that Thou mayst nourish what is good in us, and by
Thy loving kindness, guard what Thou hast nourished. "
As in the natural order, Adam the first man was the
source of the material life communicated at our birth
to our bodies, so in the supernatural order all spiritual
life is derived from the most sacred humanity of Jesus
Christ. In this sense our Lord is called the new Adam
and the Father of our souls regenerated in Baptism.
In the Secret the Church prays in the name of Jesus
Christ the divine mediatior for an overflowing increase
of faith. Finally in the Postcommunion she desires
that her children, filled with God s gifts, may be puri
fied from every stain of sin and fortified by the assist
ance of the omnipotent God.
The sung- parts of the Mass express sentiments of con
fidence in the power of God who is ever ready to help
the people who are His inheritance (!NTROIT). In the
Gradual and Alleluia we have the humble outpour
ing of prayer of the Christian soul to its God. The
Offertory implores of God that He would Himself direct
our steps firmly in the way to heaven. The Commu
nion expresses our determination to offer to the Lord
a sacrifice in His temple the offering of which brings joy,
and ceaseless acts of thanksgiving.
373
CHAPTER X
Seventh Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. XLVI, 2-3. Epistle, Romans,
vi, 19-23. Gradual, Ps. xxxin, 12 and 6. Alleluia, Ps. XLVI,
2._ Gospel, St. Matth., vn, 15-21. Offertory, Daniel, in,
40. Communion, Ps. xxx, 3.
The ANTIPHON OF THE FIRST VESPERS of this Sunday
recalls the CORONATION OF KING SOLOMON, the wise
and peaceable prince, the beginning of whose reign was
marked by special blessings and consoling promises.
David also in the last days of a troubled life tasted the
delights which wisdom procures for souls enamoured of
peace. These memories are a symbol and a sign of the
treasures with which our Lord has been pleased to en
rich His Church.
We have now reached on this seventh Sunday a point
in the period of which we are treating, when there occurs
a break. Formerly the Gospel of this Sunday was that
of the multiplication of the loaves now read on the sixth
Sunday. This miracle may be regarded as the mystery
of the consummation of souls in the rest of God, and
the enjoyment of a fruitful and lasting peace. VERY
OFTEN this SUNDAY COINCIDES with the FIRST SUNDAY
OF AUGUST when the Lessons of the night Office are
taken from the Book of Wisdom.
The instruction given to us in the Mass of this Sunday
has reference chiefly to the striking CONTRAST which
from the very beginning of the preaching of the Gospel
appeared between the SYNAGOGUE, which owing to its
374
persistent obstinacy in error was declining to its fall,
AND THE CHURCH of Jesus Christ which, as the pillar of
truth, was more and more attracting the attention of the
nations. In the Gospel, taken from Saint Matthew,
this decline of the Jewish synagogue is emphasized ; in
it our Lord warns His disciples against false prophets,
who coming in the clothing of sheep inwardly are
ravening wolves. " By their fruits you shall know
them, " adds our Lord. The heads of the Jewish syna
gogues, the scribes and pharisees, contemporaries of our
Lord, are those whom He thus indicates. Instead of
keeping inviolate the deposit of divine revelation and the
promises of the Messias, these pretended prophets, from
pride and jealousy, interpreted the prophecy of the deli
verer in a gross and material sense. And because Jesus
Christ unmasked their error and their hypocrisy, they
derided His mission, stirred .up the people against Him
and finally put Him to death upon the Cross. A little
later, after our Lord s Ascension, there appeared in Juda
false prophets who rebelled against the Romans, and thus
caused the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion
of the Jewish people. But our Lord s warning against
false prophets was not addressed to the Jews alone.
He would warn the faithful in all ages against those
teachers of falsehood who reject the doctrine and the
authority of the Church, that is, all heretics and schis
matics to the end of time.
ALL NATIONS who faithfully respond to the call of
the apostles have eagerly sought admission into the
bosom of the Church, for they have recognized the
CHRIST AS THEIR KING AND THEIR DELIVERER (INTROIT,
GRADUAL and ALLELUIA). Instead of the multiplicity
of victims prescribed by the Mosaic Law, there is now
but one only sacrifice. The figurative worship of the
375
old Law has become adoration in spirit and in truth
(OFFERTORY and SECRET). God Himself has deigned
to hear the prayer of His children who begged for
wisdom (COMMUNION). Through the Sacraments of the
new covenant, as a wise and experienced physician, He
provides a salutary remedy for all the ills of the soul.
This work of universal restoration must be attributed to
divine Providence, who is ever true to His promises by
removing far from men all that is hurtful and securing
to them the means of salvation (COLLECT). On the
testimony of Jesus Christ Himself, the synagogue, having
become an evil tree, could only produce evil fruit. In
truth it produced only works of perdition and finally
condemned Jesus Christ to death. The Church, on the
contrary, is the good tree producing the works of salva
tion and redemption. She applies to us unceasingly
the merits of Jesus Christ, our Lord, preaches His
doctrine and through the Sacraments communicates to us
His grace. This comparison of the two trees applies
equally to souls. Just as the different kinds of trees are
known by their fruits, so are the different kinds of souls
recognized by their works.
In the Epistle for this day Saint Paul develops this
formula in which is summed up the manifestation of all
Christian life. " What fruit therefore had you in those
things of which you are now ashamed ? For the end of
them is death. But now being made free from sin, and
become servants to God, you have your fruit unto sancti-
fication, and the end life everlasting. " For evil works,
which are the fruits of death, we must substitute works
of justice and holiness, the true manifestation of life.
The wages of evil works, or of sin is death, but eternal
life is the reward of good works, wrought by man through
divine grace.
CHAPTER XI
Eighth Sunday after Pentecost,
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. XLVII, 10-11 and 2. Epistle,
Romans, vin, 12-17. Gradual, Ps. xxx, 3 and 2. Alleluia,
Ps. XLVII, 2. Gospel, St. Luke, xvi, 1-9. Offertory, Ps.
xvii, 28-32. Communion, Ps. xxxm, 9.
The ANTIPHON AND THE LESSONS of the Office on this
Sunday recall the BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE by the
wisest of kings in honour of Him who is uncreated wis
dom. It would seem from this that the Church wishes
us to pay one last tribute of reverence to this grand
monument of the old Covenant, the destruction of
which she will shortly bring before us by relating to
us the prophecy of our Lord concerning it. The whole
of the Mass of this eighth Sunday shows us the DOWN
FALL AND REJECTION of the ancient SYNAGOGUE and
on the other hand the strength and TRIUMPH OF THE
CHURCH which has replaced it ; finally we find in it
the rule of conduct which every Christian soul should
draw from this two-fold event. In the Gospel the
parable of the unjust steward ILLUSTRATES THE REJEC
TION OF THE ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE. Charged with the
administration of all his master s estates, this steward
by his bad management soon received a threat of
dismissal from his post. The Master spoken of in this
parable is God Himself, and the unjust steward repre
sents the Synagogue, that is, the assembly of priests
and doctors of the law at the time of our Lord s appear
ance on earth. To this Synagogue our Lord, had,
377 ~
from the beginning, confided His most precious interests,
the deposit of His law, the promise of the Messias and
the observance of the true worship. The day came
when God was pleased to call for an account of the
stewardship, and the Synagogue was found wanting.
As the climax of its disloyalty and dishonesty, it put to
death the Son of God ; yet it might have escaped ruin by
means which our Lord Himself indicates when He praises
the steward who was justly accused. The unhappy
man, feeling that all was lost, made use of what little
influence he still possessed, to procure intercessors on
his behalf, and by compassionating their distress to
make friends of his master s debtors.
It was precisely because the first apostles understood
the merciful designs of the divine Master, that the Church
grew in strength and won such great victories. The
Apostle, Saint Peter, invested with unlimited power by
our Lord never forgot that he had denied Him and
having been forgiven, he ever treated with indulgence
and compassion those who were debtors of his divine
Master. Saint Paul too did not spare himself when he
wrote that our Lord had made him a preacher of the
Gospel, he who before was a blasphemer and a persecu
tor ; but he found mercy that he might serve as an example
for those who will believe in God unto life everlasting.
Such is ever and always the spirit of the Catholic Church,
her ministers look upon themselves as nothing in them
selves. They are only the STEWARDS OF GOD to
distribute His graces and to make liberal use of the
power given them to forgive sins that thus they like
wise may obtain mercy. The lesson to be drawn from
this parable by us all is that we must BE MERCIFUL
towards those who have injured us in anyway, if we
would ourselves obtain mercy of God.
-378-
Saint Paul, in the Epistle, urges all Christians to
lead a supernatural life, that is, to mortify the depraved
inclinations of the flesh and the senses which lead to
sin ; to follow the Spirit of God through whom we pro
duce works in conformity to His holy will, in a word to
act as true children of our heavenly Father that we
may become co-heirs with His divine Son, Jesus Christ,
and may one day share in His merits and His rewards.
In conformity with the teaching of the great Apostle,
the Church asks for her children in the prayers of the Mass
that supernatural spirit which will lead them always
to think and act according to justice, so that since they
cannot even exist without God, they may be able with
His assistance to live according to His will (COLLECT).
Ever mindful of the teaching of Saint Paul, the Church
presents her offering to God on the altar to obtain for
the assembled faithful the grace of a holy life and after
death the possession of eternal joys (SECRET). Final
ly, she prays that the participation in the divine Myste
ries may be the means of effecting in all the renewal of
soul and body (POSTCOMMUNION).
The sung parts of the Mass for this Sunday recall the
glory of the ancient temple of Jerusalem, now sur
passed by many of our catholic churches in which such
precious graces are bestowed on us (INTROIT). They
teach us that we are infinitely more privileged than
the Jews, for the abodes in which God deigns to dwell
are spread all over the earth and there He manifests His
protection (GRADUAL). They declare our faith and
confidence in the God who blesses and protects the
humble, whilst He rejects the proud (OFFERTORY).
They express lastly the sweetness of the divine banquet
which is ever spread in our sacred temples (COMMU
NION).
379
By our creation we are the work of God, and in Bap
tism we become the children of God, brethren and co
heirs of Jesus Christ. In order that we may enter into
possession of our eternal inheritance, we must obtain
remission of our debts, that is of our sins, and by our
good works make reparation for them. Amongst those
good works which are most acceptable to God is that
of almsgiving. If we would lay up for ourselves trea
sures in heaven and secure powerful protectors before
the throne of God, we can do nothing better than to
employ our earthly riches in relieving the poor.
CHAPTER XII
Ninth Sunday after Pentecost.
Source of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LIII, 6-7. Epistle, I Cor., x,
6-14. Gradual, Ps. vm. Alleluia, Ps. LVIII, 2. Gospel,
St. Luke, xix, 41-47. Offertory, Ps. xvm, 9. Commu
nion, St. John, vi, 55.
For the reasons already given in Chapter vn, we shall
make NO MENTION further OF THE OFFICE, because it now
becomes impossible to establish any connection, however
remote, between the antiphon of the Magnificat at the
first Vespers or the Lessons of the night Office and the
Mass of these corning Sundays. For the present there
fore, we shall confine our study to the Mass for each
Sunday, reserving for the end some supplementary chap-
380
ters treating of the Lessons of the Office during the
last months of the year.
The liturgy for this ninth Sunday is characterized by
its general tendency to arouse in our souls PITY for
the misfortunes of the deicide JERUSALEM. This is
more particularly evidenced in the Gospel of the
Mass which is taken from Saint Luke, in which we
read that on the day of His triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, when He came into view of the royal palace
and of the temple consecrated to God, our Lord wept
over the city, whilst He foretold the chastisements
which were about to overtake the capital of Juda.
According to this prediction, the city was to be ruth
lessly besieged, its defenders reduced to the most fright
ful extremities, the inhabitants either massacred or led
away into captivity and the temple destroyed, till not
a stone should be left upon a stone. Scarcely had a
generation passed away, that is in less than fifty years
after the prediction of our Lord, the Romans were appoint
ed as the instruments of the divine vengance. Their
legions surrounded the city with a trench which com
pletely cut off all means of escape. The soldiers of
Titus, having afterwards invested the city still more
closely, seized the outer porches of the temple. The
inhabitants a prey to all the horrors of famine, were
either slaughtered or carried off as slaves. In a final
assault, the conquerors penetrated into the temple.
One of the Roman soldiers flung a burning brand on the
galleries of the interior which took fire ; the flames
spread to the sanctuary, which with the altar was wholly
destroyed, the priests also perishing in the conflagration ;
in a word, as our Lord had predicted, not one stone
was left upon a stone.
In the Epistle, we are reminded of the divine punish-
-38i-
ments; for, as Saint Paul tells us, all that is written in
the Scripture is written for our instruction, so everything
which happens either to the Hebrews in the desert, or
to the Jewish people after the death of our divine Sa
viour, is a figure of what befalls murmurers or bad Chris
tians who abuse divine grace. In His justice God punishes
individuals as He chastises nations ; the same sins bring
in their train like penalties.
If we would escape the divine punishments, we must
follow Saint Paul s instructions : we must resist the
disorderly inclinations of the flesh ; not give way to mur
muring or disobedience ; nor to the worship of idols ;
we must resist temptations, and with God s assistance
turn them into a source of merit and of progress in virtue.
It is with this merciful intention that our Lord permits
temptation, and comes Himself to the aid of the soul
that is tempted. But as well as inspiring us with a
salutary fear of the divine judgments, the Church would
also fill us with holy respect for the house of God and with
confidence that our prayer will be heard. The Son of
God entered into the temple of Jerusalem and He
reminds those who frequent the house of the Lord, the
house of prayer, that it must not be profaned by worldly
traffic.
The sung parts of the Mass teach us that God is our
helper and our protector against all enemies (!NTROIT).
They praise the magnificence of the Lord which is pro
claimed throughout the whole earth and in the highest
heavens (GRADUAL). They render homage to the jus
tice and sweetness of His commandments for those who
submit to them willingly (OFFERTORY). Lastly, they
tell us that God takes up His abode in the depths of
the human soul (COMMUNION).
In the prayers of the Mass of this Sunday the Church
suggests to us those petitions which are in conformity
with God s designs, for to such petitions He ever lends
an attentive ear (COLLECT). She suggests to us repeated
appeals to the Lord to draw down His protection
against our enemies (INTROIT and ALLELUIA). In our
name she asks for the grace to assist worthily at the
divine Mysteries in which the work of our redemption
is continued (SECRET). Lastly she prays that the two
fold fruit of Communion may be realized : the sancti-
fication of individuals and the unity of the social body
(POSTCOMMUNION).
CHAPTER XIII
Tenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LIV, passim, 17-23. Epistle,
I Cor., xii, 2-11. Gradual, Ps. xvi, 8 and 2. Alleluia,
Ps. LXIV, 2. Gospel, St. Luke, xvm, 9-14. Offertory, Ps.
xxiv, 1-2. Communion, Ps. L, 21.
The CHURCH, HENCEFORTH, is presented to us under
the aspect of a DIVINE SOCIETY, definitively established
to secure to religion a fruitful ministry, and a bene
ficent influence over the whole of humanity. Even
after the official promulgation of the Law of the Gospel,
on Pentecost Sunday as long as the temple of Jerusa
lem remained standing, the Jews could contest the right
of the apostles to found in the name of God a new reli
gion. But the temple of Jerusalem once destroyed,
33-
the sacrifices of the Jewish religion could no longer be
continued. The Church of Jesus Christ alone with the
Mass, the representation and continuation of the Sa
crifice of Calvary, became a CENTRE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE
and activity for the conversion and sanctification of men
until the end of time. There is no longer any parallel
to be drawn between the Synagogue and the Catholic
Church. Henceforth, everything in our liturgy will
reflect the STABILITY OF THE CHURCH, her union with
God, the carrying out of the supernatural means of
sanctification which she makes use of in the most
varied forms.
In the Epistle of the Mass for this Sunday, Saint Paul,
explaining to the Corinthians the diversity of the graces
bestowed on the first members of the Christian assem
blies, teaches them that these various gifts emanate
from the same divine Spirit who has given birth to
the Church , and who preserves her life, completes
her organization, and directs her activity. This action
of the Holy Ghost produces in the Church two effects :
unity of direction and diversity or multiplicity of ope
rations. The works may be different, but all are produced
by one and the same divine Spirit who directs all
and distributes to each one the form of activity which
He wills to give. These varied forms of activity, Saint
Paul divides into three categories : the graces, such as
the gifts of wisdom, of knowledge and of faith ; the
functions, such as preaching, and the administration of
the Sacraments ; actions, such as the working of miracles,
and the discernment of Spirits. But because these effects
are different, they are none the less, the work of the
selfsame Spirit.
FROM this we may deduce a proof of the UNITY
and HOLINESS OF THE CHURCH. She is one because all
her members are animated by one and the same Spirit,
just as one soul animates all the members and unites
them in one body. The Church is holy because all her
works are wrought by the Spirit of God and have as their
object a divine and supernatural end.
The EFFECTS PRODUCED IN THE CHURCH by the Holy
Spirit are PERMANENT and UNIVERSAL, ist. They are
PERMANENT. In the infant Church and during the first
ages, these effects, it is true, were more visible and more
frequent. To distinguish the Christians from the Jews
in the midst of the multitude of idolators, these external
manifestations were necessary; later they became less
so and therefore less frequent. The progress of the Gos
pel and the consolidation of the kingdom of Jesus Christ
sufficiently attested to the existence and the visibility
of the Church. But whenever His glory and the interests
of religion require these manifestations God still permits
them. 2nd. They are UNIVERSAL. The power of the
Holy Ghost which produces these marvellous effects
has been entrusted as a deposit to the Church, and its
action is felt wherever it is necessary. Although all
the faithful do not possess these different gifts, yet all
have a right to benefit by them. The life of the saints
proves with what fulness the gifts of the Holy Ghost
have been poured out on these privileged souls. The
effusion of the gifts enumerated by Saint Paul (EPISTLE)
teaches us to practise charity. All the gifts which the
Holy Ghost pours out in the Church are distributed,
not only in the interest of each of the faithful indi
vidually, but also for the profit and benefit of all.
In the Gospel for this Sunday we are reminded of the
universal law of humility. " Everyone that exalteth
himself shall be humbled ; and he that humbleth him
self shall be exalted. " Thus does God deal with man,
-385-
for the Lord resists the proud and gives His grace to
the humble. Pride and humility are like two weights
placed in the balance : if the scale of humility is under
weight, then pride will bring man down to the earth;
but in proportion as pride diminishes, humility gains
the ascendency in the soul and raises it to God.
Humility has also this advantage that it moves
the divine mercy and obtains for man forgiveness of
sins as in the case of the publican in the Gospel.
This parable has an allegorical meaning which sums up
the whole history of the Jewish people and of the
gentile world. The arrogant and presumptuous pha-
risee represents the Jewish people, confiding in the
promises made to the patriarchs, proud of their tra
ditions and their observances ; the contrite publican,
bowed down in self-abasement before God, represents
the gentile world, ashamed of its sins, repenting of
its errors, and trusting in God s mercy alone to obtain
forgiveness.
Their pride in themselves as a nation was the chief
cause of the fall of the Jews. For all other nations
whom they treated as gentiles they had nothing but
contempt. Hence God humbled them deeply, for it is
with nations as with individuals : " Everyone that exalt-
eth himself shall be humbled. " The gentiles plunged as
they were in every kind of licentiousness, but yet con
scious of their unworthiness, drew down the divine mercy.
And in the place of the Jews, they were called to share
in the inheritance of Abraham, the Father of all true
believers.
In the parts of the Mass which are sung we are urged
to join confidence to humility. If, on the one hand,
humility reveals to us our weakness, on the other,
confidence teaches us to rely on God who is ever ready
13 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal.
- 3 86 -
to hear and to grant our prayer, ever watchful to pro
vide for our wants (INTROIT). The Lord shelters
under His wings those who render homage to His power
(GRADUAL and ALLELUIA). Nothing can disturb those
who lift up their souls to God (OFFERTORY). Their
offerings and their sacrifices are always acceptable to
Him (COMMUNION).
The Collect reminds us that the Lord wills above all
to manifest His omnipotence by His readiness to pardon
and show mercy ; because He would, by bestowing hea
venly gifts on His children, thereby give them a proof
of His fidelity to His promises. The Secret shows us
the efficacy of the divine Sacrifice which is offered, not
only as an act of religion in honour of the majesty of
God, but also as a remedy for the maladies of our souls.
Lastly, the Postcommunion reminds us of the solicitude
of our Lord who by the abundance of His grace and the
means of the Sacraments is ever ready to uphold us.
CHAPTER XIV
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXVII, 6-7 and 36. Epistle,
I Cor., xv, 1-10. Gradual, Ps. xxvn, 7 and 1. Alleluia, Ps.
LXXX, 2. Gospel, St. Mark vn, 31-37. Offertory, Ps. xxix,
2-3. Communion, Prov. in, 9.
That which particularly strikes us in the liturgy of this
Sunday is the VOCATION OF THE GENTILES, the call of
God to all nations of the earth, urging them to avail
themselves of the benefits of the Redemption. No
doubt we find this appeal at other times, but here it
is more strongly accentuated and the motive for it
more formally expressed.
In the Gospel of to-day s Mass we find the vocation
of the gentiles to the faith strongly emphasized. In
it St. Mark relates the healing of the deaf and dumb man
by our Lord. Here this man represents the gentile
world. Whilst man in a state of innocence heard the
voice of His Creator and was able to converse with
Him, the man stained by original sin has no longer ears
to hear the divine word nor tongue to proclaim His
praises. Thus during long ages the whole of huma
nity was plunged in corruption and idolatry, and like
to the deaf and dumb man in the Gospel. Led to
our divine Saviour by the preaching of the apostles, man
has found in Him the cure for all his infirmities.
According to Saint Mark our Lord took the deaf
and dumb man who had been brought to Him, apart
3 88
from the crowd. He thus teaches us that if we would
speak with God and hear His voice, we must turn aside
from creatures and shun the vain turmoil of the world.
He puts his fingers into the deaf man s ears, and touches
his tongue with a little saliva. These two acts remind
us of the work of man s creation in which the Word, in
union with the Father and the Holy Ghost, fashioned,
so to speak, with His fingers the body of man into which
He breathed by His omnipotence a living, and reasonable
soul. Then, our Lord, raising His eyes to heaven, said :
Ephpheta (that is : " Be thou opened " ) , and at once the
ears of the deaf and dumb man were opened, and his
tongue was loosed. Such is ever the effect of the divine
Word ; as on the day of creation it works that which it
expresses.
Now a similar prodigy was wrought when the gentiles
were converted to Christianity. The whole of humanity,
as the result of sin, was struck deaf and dumb, and
could only be healed by the power of our Saviour. The
divine physician made use of His fingers and His
saliva, that is, as Saint Gregory remarks, of the gifts
of His Holy Spirit and the unction of His divine Word.
At His command, which none can resist, the soul of the
sinner heard God and could speak to Him. These
same means, simple as they are, the Church makes
use of in the Sacrament of Baptism, to produce effects
of a wholly supernatural order : purification from origi
nal sin and aptitude for receiving the teachings of
faith. To bring about the conversion and the healing
of sinners in the Sacrament of Penance, she employs
analogous means : a formula pronounced in the name
of the Lord, and the sinful soul is at once healed and
purified. At the sight of the manifold wonders still
perpetuated in the Church we should render homage to
-38g-
her divine Head and repeat with the multitudes who wit
nessed the miracles wrought by our Lord : "He
hath done all things well. He hath made both the deaf
to hear and the dumb to speak. "
Saint Paul, in his first Epistle to the Corinthians,
gives three principal CAUSES OF THE CONVERSION OF THE
gentiles and of sinners : ist. In conformity to the Scrip
tures, Jesus Christ suffered death to expiate the sins of
all men. 2nd. This same divine Saviour, that we might
share in the merits of His death, willed to be laid in
the tomb. 3rd. According to the Scriptures, Jesus Christ
rose from the dead that He might communicate to man
His supernatural life. This great miracle of the Resur
rection has drawn the whole world to the feet of Jesus
Christ and still in these days constitutes the sole foun
dation of our faith. In the Epistle, read in the Mass
for this day, Saint Paul gives six of the principal proofs
of our Lord s Resurrection. These are His successive
apparitions :ist to Peter or Cephas, 2nd to the eleven
apostles in the cenacle, 3rd to more than five hundred
disciples assembled at the same time in the one place,
4th to Saint James the Less, later, Bishop of Jerusalem,
5th again to the apostles when they were all present,
6th to Saint Paul, who calls himself the least of the
apostles. By this, Saint Paul would teach us to prac
tise sincere humility : to acknowledge our nothingness,
and to proclaim the greatness of God, and to acknow
ledge that whatever of good there is in us is from Him,
finally to employ the gifts of God for His glory, and to
labour for the salvation of souls.
The Introit, taken from Ps. LXVIL, extols the voca
tion of the gentiles as the triumph of Jesus Christ. Of
so many nations formerly divided, our Lord has made
one people united under the same Head the conqueror
of all His enemies. The Gradual proclaims the won
drous change wrought in the soul which trusts in
God, and the Alleluia glorifies the Lord to whom this
grace is due. The Offertory is a fresh homage to
the God who saves and heals. The Communion is an
allusion to the offering of the first fruits prescribed
by Moses, at the time of the harvest, and reminds us
that in order to make the blessings of God our own,
be they material or spiritual, the first fruits must be
offered to Him.
The Collect of the Mass tells us with what dispositions
we should pray. We must acknowledge that God is
the source of all grace ; beg of Him to pour out upon
us His loving kindness with the firm conviction that He
will hear our prayer in a measure far beyond our merits.
The Secret urges us to render to God the homage of
our submission, imploring of Him that He would deign
to accept it, and to come to the heljp of our weak
ness. The Postoiommunion would have us look upon
the participation in the divine mysteries as the remedy
for the evils of both soul and body.
The teachings of the Mass for this Sunday may be
APPLIED TO THE RELIGIOUS LIFE. The SOUls that Wish
to embrace the religious life, must, like the deaf and
dumb man in the Gospel, retire from the world ; fol
low Jesus Christ ; open their ears to His call, and conse
crate their lips to the divine praises. Fidelity to
their vocation and final perseverance depend in great
measure on prayer, the frequentation of the Sacra
ments, amendment of life and the constant practice of
virtue.
CHAPTER XV
Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXIX, 2-4. Epistle, II Cor.,
in, 4-9. Gradual, Ps. xxxni, 2-3. Alleluia, Ps. LXXXVII.
Gospel, St. Luke, x, 25-37. Offertory, Exodus, xxxn, 11, 13-
14. Communion, Ps. cm, 13-14.
The liturgy of last Sunday celebrated the vocation of
the gentiles, and reminded us of the proofs alleged by
Saint Paul as reasons for believing in the great miracle
of the Resurrection. On this [the TWELFTH SUNDAY
after Pentecost, the liturgy shows us the PERFECTION
OF THE NEW LAW and the superiority of the ministry
of the Gospel over the priesthood of the old Law. The
object of the liturgy is first of all explained in the pas
sage taken from Saint Paul s second Epistle to the Corin
thians. Here the Apostle shows us the superiority of
the Gospel ministry by pointing out that whereas Moses
instituted the Jewish priesthood, Jesus Christ Himself
instituted the priesthood of the new Law ; again he
shows us this superiority by comparing the methods of
working employed by the two priesthoods ; on the one
s,ide it is the letter which killeth, on the other the
Spirit which giveth life ; once more he shows us that
whilst the glory of the Mosaic priesthood was but tran
sitory, that of the priesthood instituted by Jesus
Christ will remain for ever. The perfection of the new
Law consists in the commandment of charity which
applies to everyone, and which includes at the same
392
time the love of one s neighbour without any distinc
tion of person, whether Jew or gentile. In the Gospel
our Lord reminds the doctor of the Law of this admi
rable precept, and proposes it to him as the perfec
tion of the Gospel teaching. The divine Master then
proceeds to illustrate the necessity and extent of this
precept of charity by the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
The wounded man in the Gospel stripped and grievously
wounded by the robbers and left half dead on
the wayside, represents man assailed by the devil, the
enemy of all good ; deprived of the gifts of his Creator
and left half dead on the way. The priest and the levite
who pass by without rendering him any assistance are
typical of the Jewish people, avaricious, selfish, and
refusing to share with other nations the heavenly trea
sures, entrusted to their keeping. The Samaritan, on
the contrary, represents the gentile people converted,
touched by grace, moved with compassion for those
who are suffering, and ready to help them with all the
ardour of their devoted charity.
The fulfilment of the prophecies concerning the preach
ing of the Gospel should excite in our hearts the same
sentiments of gratitude and admiration expressed by
the Incarnate Word, when moved with gratitude to the
heeavnly Father and with ineffable charity for men His
adopted brethren, He cried out : " Blessed are the eyes
which see the things which you see. " Nothing, indeed,
is so admirable as this transformation brought about
by the preaching of the Gospel and the vocation of the
gentiles.
The Collect of the Mass for this Sunday teaches us
that like the enlightened and converted gentiles, we
should look to God for the grace of fidelity in His ser
vice, as also the strength to walk without faltering in
393
the way of the divine precepts, that thus we may obtain
the eternal rewards which the Lord has promised. The
Secret urges us to look upon our offering as a means of
rendering God propitious to us, and of paying Him the
tribute of our homage, due to His sovereign Majesty.
The Postcommunion asks, through the divine Mysteries
in which we have participated for an increase of life, the
means of expiating our sins, and strength and consola
tion in our perpetual conflict.
The Introit teaches us that in our struggle with
ruthless enemies, determined to destroy us, all our assis
tance will come from God and that we must most ear
nestly implore this assistance. The Gradual teaches
us that we must, praise and bless God at all times. In
the Alleluia we have a formula which we should cons
tantly repeat day and night.
The Offertory, in recalling the earnest prayer of
Moses, suggests to us the expressions most suited to
appease the divine wrath, and gives us powerful reasons
for confidence based on God s promises, so often re
peated. Lastly the Communion reminds us that all
the good things of the earth are the work of God given
by Him for the use of His creatures. We must there
fore thank the Lord for the corn the food of the
body ; for the wine which strengthens and cheers the
heart ; for the oil which is another symbol of joy and
abundance. Let us remember also that these elements
wine and oil have been chosen by Jesus Christ
as the matter of the Sacraments, and that they thus
become for souls a source of supernatural life. It is
not without reason that the liturgy, as the harvest-time
draws near once more, makes allusion to the crops for
which we have to thank God.
394
CHAPTER XVI
Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources o\ the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXXIII, 19-20, 23. Epistle,
Galatians, in, 16-22. Gradual, Ps. LXXIII, 20-22. Alleluia,
Ps. LXXXIX, 1. Gospel, St. Luke, xvn, 11-19. Offertory,
Ps. xxx, 2, 15-16. Communion, Wisd., xvi, 20.
In the liturgy this thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost
is called the Sunday of the ten lepers, because the Gos
pel taken from Saint Luke records the healing of the ten
lepers by our Lord. Thus, the Gospel furnishes for many
Sundays their distinctive sign; for the same reason the
preceding Sunday is called the Sunday of the Good Sa
maritan. But there is yet another predominant thought
in the liturgy ; that is the THOUGHT OF THE TWO COVE
NANTS which in the course of time had succeeded each
other. From the new Covenant resulted the estab
lishment of the Church which alone inherits the divine
promises, and to which all men, if they would be united
with God, must belong. In the ancient Gallican sacra-
mentaries there was for this thirteenth Sunday a Preface
which commemorated the sacrifice of Abraham. God
entered into the first covenant with Abraham the father
of all true believers. The second covenant was renewed
and confirmed by Jesus Christ, the sole mediator be
tween God and man. The first prepared the way for the
second of which it was the figure. In the second cove
nant Jesus Christ, true God and true man, treated with
God the Father as His equal in all things and trans
mitted His rights to all men who are now His brethren.
395
A covenant implies an agreement contracted between
two parties. When the death of one of the contracting
parties follows the agreement, the latter is regarded as
the expression of the last wishes of the dying person,
and it takes the name of ( testamerjt, that is, testimony
in favour of their last wishes. The death of Jesus
Christ on the Cross rendered the contract with God
the Father in favour of all men irrevocable, and this
contract has become a true testament. Such is the
explanation given to us in the Epistle to the Hebrews
(ix, 15-17).
The Epistle of the Mass for this Sunday is taken from
Saint Paul s letter to the Galatians. It teaches us that
the first covenant was drawn up between God and
Abraham and sealed by the figurative sacrifice of Isaac.
Four hundred and thirty years later, the Covenant was
confirmed by the promulgation of the Law on Mount
Sinai and sealed by the offering of bloody sacrifices.
Then came the second covenant in which the Son of
God made Man has become our mediator, and by His
death has sealed the agreement between God and the
human race. Therefore this last covenant like the first
truly merits the name of Testament.
The Gospel records the miracle wrought by our
divine Lord in the healing of the ten lepers. These
lepers, under the circumstances, represent all men who
are born with the leprosy of original sin and all of
whom by their healing enter into the covenant with
God. The Samaritan represents the gentile world,
grateful and docile to the inspirations of grace. The
nine who failed to return thanks for their cure are the
Jewish people whose hearts remain closed to the thought
of gratitude. Our Lord willed that in conformity with
the law all should show themselves to the priests whose
office it was to ascertain the truth of the cure. Nine
deprived themselves of the benefit of the divine cove
nant. The Samaritan alone, faithfully returning to
thank his benefactor, found in Him the fruit of the
divine covenant salvation for his soul.
In the Introit and the Gradual, borrowing the words
of the Psalmist, we implore the Lord to have regard to
His covenant ; without the divine promise of assistance,
our distress would be extreme, but according to the
agreement into which the Lord deigned to enter with
us He has espoused our cause. The composition of
Psalm xxiu. from which the Introit and the Gradual
are taken, is connected with a period in which God
severely chastised his chosen people and seemed to have
forgotten His promise. Even under trial we steadfastly
believe that God will ever be our refuge (ALLELUIA).
We acknowledge that our lot is in His hands, and we
assert our absolute trust in His divine power (OFFERTORY) .
As the pledge of His covenant we know that God gives
Himself to us as the food of our souls, and this thought
is our joy and our consolation (COMMUNION).
In the Collect the Church asks in our name that God
would grant us an increase of faith, hope and charity.
If our prayer be heard, we shall find our delight in faith
fully fulfilling the conditions of our covenant with the
Lord, and thus we shall merit a more fuller realiza
tion of the divine promises. In the Secret the Church
makes an earnest appeal to the divine mercy, for if the
Lord will but look favourably on our offering, we shall
know that His anger is appeased, and that we may rely
on obtaining pardon. Lastly in the Postcommunion
she would have us pray for grace to advance in the way
of salvation, profiting by all the gifts which the divine
covenant procures for us.
397 ~
CHAPTER XVII
Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXXXIII, 10-11 and 2.
Epistle, Gal., v, 16-24. Gradual, Ps. cxvn, 8-9. Alleluia,
Ps. xciv, 1. Gospel, St. Matthew, vi, 24-33. Offertory,
Ps. xxxni, 8-9. Communion, St. Matthew, vi, 33.
In the liturgy this Sunday is called the Sunday
of the two Masters, because of the passage in the Gos
pel in which our divine Lord declares that no man can serve
two masters. The other Lessons, or formulas, of this
Sunday all have reference to this teaching. They remind
us that on earth two. adversaries are contending for
the possession of our soul ; and hence we must take
part in this contest and fight if we would remain faithful
to the covenant which we have entered into with God.
The two masters are Jesus Christ and Satan : Jesus Christ
the Master of all just men who yield obedience to God;
Satan, the master of all evil men who have rebelled against
God. These two masters are in perpetual opposition to
one another ; the commandments of each being direct
ly opposed, and their servants continually waging
war one against the other. Hence it is that our divine
Saviour declares : "No man can serve two masters; for
either he will hate the one, and love the other, or he
will sustain the one, and despise the other. "
These TWO MASTERS rule OVER TWO KINGDOMS : the
CHURCH and the WORLD. The Church is the society
of men who wish to serve the Lord ; it is the kingdom
13*
398
of God founded by Jesus Christ on earth : a society,
a kingdom destined to be immortal. The world is the
society of men who follow the standard of Satan ; it
is the kingdom which the devil has usurped and which
is upheld by men who have rebelled against God : a
society, a kingdom which at the end of time will be over
thrown, and whose subjects will be cast into the abyss of
hell.
Within each one of us there are TWO OPPOSING ELEMENTS
which wage constant war for the mastery. These two
elements are the SPIRIT and the FLESH. The spirit,
of which there is here question, is the human soul,
regenerated by Baptism, enlightened by faith, and
sanctified by grace. By the flesh is understood the
human body with its corrupt senses, its depraved in
stincts, its disorderly inclinations, and its evil habits.
These form within us two implacable adversaries ever
contending fiercely against each other ; between them
reigns perpetual enmity.
The conflict between the Spirit of God and the spirit
of Satan began with the world and will only end when
time shall be no longer. This conflict is manifested
in its results : the works of the spirit and the works of
the flesh.
In the Epistle for this fourteenth Sunday after Pen
tecost, Saint Paul describes the works of the flesh which
he classifies under three headings : ist, those base pas
sions, which we shrink to mention ; 2nd, idolatrous acts,
impious acts, witchcraft, blasphemy, or direct outrages
against the divine Majesty ; 3rd, all acts directed against
the life, honour or material property of our neighbour :
anger, hatred, jealousy, murder. Saint Paul next pro
ceeds to describe the works of the Spirit, these are, he
says, the works of the soul enlightened by faith and
399
fortified by divine grace. Their fruit is charity, joy,
oeace, patience, meekness, kindness, gentleness, chas
tity, confidence. Those who perform these works of
sdvation are set free from the law of sin and the slavery
oi the devil. To overcome the flesh and to do the works
of the Spirit, we must, says Saint Paul, follow Jesus
Christ crucified, that is, mortify ourselves, resist the al
lurements of our passions, and preserve ourselves from
the corruption of vice.
The Gospel shows first of all, the utter incompati
bility of serving the two masters, God and the devil.
And next we are reminded of the loving maternal
watchfulness of divine Providence over those docile
children of the God who feeds the birds of the air and
clothes the lilies of the field in such splendid raiment >
what then will He not do for us His reasonable crea
tures?
The Introit praises the happiness of a soul protected
by God and sheltered in of His sanctuary. The Gradual
and the Alleluia remind us of the advantages enjoyed
by those who, instead of trusting in poor creatures,
confide in the Lord and hope in Him ; with Him is
joy and salvation. The Offertory tells us how God
confides those who fear Him to the care of His angels.
Lastly, the Communion repeats the concluding words of
the Gospel for this Sunday : " Seek ye therefore first the
kingdom of God, and His justice, and all those things
shall be added unto you. "
In the Collect we pray that God would deign to
exercise continual watch over all the members of His
Church. Without Him, our poor weak nature must
succumb. The Secret implores through the merits of
the sacred Victim that we may be wholly purified from
sin, and that in pity for our weakness the divine om-
4
nipotence may come to our aid. The Postcommunion,
once more earnestly implores that we may be cleanse^
from sin and may obtain strength which will help us
in the work of our salvation.
CHAPTER XVIII
Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXXXV, 1-4. Epistle, Gal., v,
25, vi-8. Gradual, Ps. xci, 2-3. Alleluia, Ps. xciv, 3.
Gospel, St. Luke, vn, 11-16. Offertory, Ps. xxxix, 2-4.
Communion, St. John, vi, 52.
In the liturgy, the fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost
is called the Sunday of the Widow of Nairn, because the
Gospel for this Sunday records the raising of the widow s
son to life. This is the second occasion during the litur
gical year in which this miracle of our Lord is read in
the Gospel. The first time was during the season of
Lent when it symbolized the resurrection of the sinner,
restored by the tears of penance to supernatural life.
Now, in this season of Pentecost, the widow of Nairn
weeping for the death of her son is a figure of the Church,
the desolate Mother weeping for the death of her children,
the victims of sin and the snares of the devil.
In the Epistle for this Sunday, Saint Paul once more
describes the great conflict between the spirit and the
flesh of which we treated last Sunday. The opposition
4 O1
between them is described first in the opening sentence :
" If we live in the spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. "
And then in the words : " For what things a man shall
sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in
his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But
he, that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life
everlasting. " According to Saint Paul, one of the chief
causes of the corruption of the flesh is vain-glory, daugh
ter of pride, and self-conceit or inordinate love
of oneself. This love, in reality, is capable of any mean
ness and causes us to commit all kinds of faults. All
sin springs from pride as from its first cause. The fall of
the rebellious angels and that of Adam in the earthly
Paradise are proofs of this. Vain-glory engenders jea
lousy, gives rise to contentions, violence, all those
uncontrolled impulses which lead to fits of anger.
The effects and the fruits of the Christian spirit, on the
contrary, are humility, meekness, patience, and bearing
with the faults of our neighbour. Further we learn
from Saint Paul that Christian perfection consists in mu
tual assistance. For all Christians, he lays down this
rule of life; " Bear ye one another s burdens ; and so
you shall fulfil the law of Christ. " We are indeed all
bearing burdens which are our spiritual failings and
maladies ; like the sick who are gathered together in
one hospital, we must help one another to bear our
burdens, thus we shall fulfil the law of Jesus Christ, for
it is only by observing all the precepts of the Gospel,
most especially the principal one of all which prescribes
the love of God and of our neighbour, that we shall
succeed in mutual forbearance and in aiding one another
in all trials and troubles.
In the Collect of the Mass the Church implores for
her children God s continued mercy and compassion
402
which purifies and protects. She knows that unless
God assist and rule her she cannot exist. In the Secret,
conscious of the dangers which threaten her children,
she offers them to God in union with the divine Mys
teries of the altar. Lastly, the Church prays that they
may be penetrated body and soul, with the virtue of
the Sacrament that thus they may renounce their own
judgment, and allow themselves to be led by the Spirit
of the God of the Eucharist (POSTCOMM UNION).
The Introit of the Mass for this Sunday is a prayer
suited to all those who are in sorrow, or suffering from
persecution. Let them ever implore their heavenly
Father to have mercy on them and their hearts shall be
filled with joy. The Gradual and the Alleluia pro
claim that it is good to praise the Lord at all moments,
that is, in the morning, at every hour of the day, and
at night. God is the omnipotent King who rules the
whole universe. The Offertory tells us that those who
trust in God are inspired by Him in their expressions
of praise. The Communion teaches that the sacred
Body of Jesus Christ which He has deigned to give us
as our food is truly the source of life.
403
CHAPTER XIX
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. LXXXV, 5-7. Epistle,
Ephes.,ni, 12-21. Gradual, Ps. ci, 16-1 7. Alleluia, Ps. xcvn,
l._Gospel, St. Luke, xiv, 7-11. Offertory, Ps. xxxix, 14-
15. Communion, Ps. ,ucx, 16-18.
The liturgy for this sixteenth Sunday prays espe
cially for the union of the soul with Jesus Christ. On
the preceding Sundays the conflict between the spirit
and the flesh, was set before us and it was pointed out
that in doing the works of the spirit lay our means of
subduing the flesh. After this conflict and the assured
victory of the spirit, it is but fitting to offer to our con
sideration the union, so much to be desired, of our soul
with Jesus our deliverer.
This union is presented to us to-day in the form of a
NUPTIAL BANQUET. Jesus Christ is the Spouse of our
souls. The soul which is thus united to Him tastes all
heavenly sweetness, lives in an abundance of grace, and
enjoys all spiritual delights. In the Gospel of the Mass
for this Sunday Jesus Christ Himself teaches us the con
ditions for this union of which the first is humility.
The obtaining of God s favours and consolations does
not depend on us. The Lord grants these in His own
way, and when He pleases. Let us not imitate those
imprudent and presumptuous guests, hastening to
take the places of honour; like them, we should be
justly punished for our presumption by being put to
404
public shame. Let us rather imitate the modesty of
those guests who sought the lower places, and whom
the host, anxious to do them honour, invited to take
the higher seats.
The union of Jesus Christ with our souls results from
His great love for each one of us. Through love for man
Jesus became incarnate, that is to say the Son of God,
descending from heaven, became man like unto us in
all things save sin. What He has done for man in His
Incarnation He continues to do in each one of us by His
grace, He desires to come into our souls, to dwell in them ;
to become incarnate, so to speak within each one of us.
This divine union, therefore, really results from the im
mense love of our Lord Jesus so magnificently described
by Saint Paul in the passage from his Epistle to the
Ephesians read on this Sunday.
The means employed by Jesus Christ to produce and
preserve this union is divine grace or the assistance of
God which comes to the aid of our weakness. This
weakness is so great that man cannot even begin any
supernatural work, unless his will is predisposed by
God s grace and assistance, as the light feather cannot
rise into the air, unless it is lifted up by a breath of
wind. To this preventing grace which predisposes us
to do good must be added concomitant grace and
subsequent grace, the former sustaining and strengthen
ing us in the work which we have begun, the latter
following the will in the accomplishment of good and
disposing it to undertake new supernatural and meri
torious works. These are the graces for which the
Church prays in our name in the Collect of the Mass :
" O Lord, may Thy grace ever prevent and follow us, and
make us continually intent on good works. " In the
Secret we implore that we may be purified from sin, and
405
thus be permitted to participate worthily in the divine
Mysteries. The Postcommunion asks that we may
receive the grace of complete renewal for time and for
eternity.
The Introit is an appeal to the mercy of a God who
is full of sweetness and mildness, and ever ready to
help those who call upon Him in their trouble. The
Gradual proclaims the awful majesty of God who has
built up Sion, the stronghold of His chosen people.
The Alleluia invites all nations to praise the wonderful
things which the Lord hath done. The Offertory
is an appeal for God s help from a soul who feels that
she is surrounded by enemies. The Communion pays
homage to the divine justice, and extols the tender
care with which God teaches man from his youth. May
He not forsake His creature in his declining years.
CHAPTER XX
Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost,
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. cxvin, 137 and 124. Epistle,
Ephes., iv, 1-6, with the addition of the doxology. Gradual,
Ps. xxxn, 12 and 6. Alleluia,- Ps. ci, 2. Gospel, St.
Matth., xxn, 35-46. Offertory, Daniel, ix, 17-18. Com
munion, Ps. LXXV, 12-13.
The liturgy of this Sunday insists once more upon the
essential characteristic of the new Law, which renders
it so much superior to the Mosaic Law. Whilst in the
406
latter fear was the dominant sentiment, the new Law
is essentially a law of love, as Jesus Christ Himself teach
es us in the Gospel of the Mass for this Sunday.
In His answer to the captious arguments of the pha-
risees, the divine Master declares that the first and the
greatest of the commandments is that which pre
scribes the love of God. To this commandment is added
so that it forms but one and the same precept, the com
mand to love one s neighbour. We cannot, in fact, love
God unless we love, His work also, that is to say, all
rational beings. To fulfil the precept of charity, adds
our divine Lord, is to fulfil the whole Law. In. reality,
the whole Law is summed up in the Decalogue. The
first three precepts of the Decalogue have reference to
our duties towards God, the remaining seven formulate
our duties to our neighbour, founded on those duties
which we owe to ourselves. He who loves God with
his whole heart, will faithfully observe all those diffe
rent precepts, and thus in loving God, he will fulfil the
whole of the Law. The prophecies which our Lord
speaks of as being fulfilled in the love of God, chiefly
refer to the work of Redemption. Now the end of the
work of Redemption is to save men, and by this means
to glorify God ; this therefore is to fulfil the prophecies
and to practise pre-eminently the love of God.
In his Epistle to the Ephesians, read at the Mass for
this Sunday, Saint Paul explains in his own way, the
unity of the new Law in which he says : " We find as
the bond of peace but one Lord, one faith, one baptism".
One Lord, because in it God alone commands ; one faith,
because the one only belief, the same creed, or profes
sion of the same faith, unites all intellects in adhesion
to God, the eternal unchanging Truth; one baptism,
because all are saved in the same waters of regenera-
407
tion, and because the other Sacraments which were
instituted for our sanctification proceed from Baptism.
From this unity of faith, of authority, of Sacraments
result unity of body and of spirit, unity in the hope of
the same eternal happiness. The Church is truly
one, and her members are gathered together round one
Lord and one Head who is Jesus Christ ; she is holy
because one and the same faith uplifts the minds of
her members above earth and fixes them in union with
God ; she is visible because the Sacraments which she
dispenses are the outward signs of grace, exterior and
visible bonds which unite all Christians.
In the Collect the Church has in view the union of
all her children with Jesus Christ, therefore, she prays
that they may escape all the snares of the devil, and
that by their purity of heart may cleave to God alone.
In the Secret she solicits for them purification from
all the faults which they have committed, and preser
vation from relapse into sin. Thus will their union
with God be effected and maintained. In the Post-
communion, the Church prays that by participation in
the divine mysteries our souls may be healed of all
their vices and that we may obtain eternal happiness.
The Introit renders homage to the justice and wis
dom of the divine commandment and then it appeals
to the mercy of God that He may lead us in the path
of purity. The Gradual extols the happiness of the
Church whose Head is God and whose members are called
to receive the heavenly inheritance. The whole Church
is ruled by the word of the Most High. The Alleluia is a
cry of distress from the soul to her God. The Offertory,
taken from the prayer of the Prophet Daniel, repre
sents the Church as the chosen city of God ; her worship
is pleasing to the Lord ; the face of Christ enlightens her
- 408
sanctuary ; the angels with Saint Michael at their Head
are her guardians and her defenders. The Commu
nion in the words of the inspired psalmist urges the
children of the Church to make their vows and their of
ferings to the Lord ; they are reminded that God is the
Lord of all kings of earth and that He holds them all
in subjection.
CHAPTER XXI
Ember "Wednesday in September.
Station at Saint Mary Major. Sources of the liturgy : Introit,
Ps. LXXX, 2-6. 1st lesson, Amos, ix, 13-15. 1st Gradual,
Ps. cxn, 5-7. Epistle or 2nd Lesson, Esdras, vm, 1-11.
2nd Gradual, Ps. xxxn, 12 and 6. Gospel , St. Mark, ix, 16-28.
Offertory, Ps. cxvni, 47-48. Communion, 1 1 Esdras, vm,
10-11.
In the Missal the September Ember week is placed
between the seventeenth and the eighteenth Sunday
after Pentecost, but, owing to the varying date of the lat
ter, it is but seldom that it really occurs at that time.
These Ember days fall on the Wednesday, Friday
and Saturday which follow the Feast of the Exaltation
of the Cross (September 14), usually therefore about
the third week of September.
In the sermon of Saint Leo the Great in the second
nocturn on the third Sunday of September, the CHARAC
TERISTIC OF THE SEPTEMBER Ember days is clearly poin-
409
ted out. The object of this observance which occurs
four times in the year is to remind us that we need
to be constantly purified from sin, since the weakness of
the flesh and the strength of our passions are ever caus
ing us to commit fresh sin. The Ember days of this
season also recall the fast observed by the Jews in the
seventh month of the year, and these days of prayer and
fasting help us to sanctify our souls by securing for us
the fruits of grace produced by the practice of charity.
In the Mass for Wednesday the two Lessons taken
from the Old Testament contain an allusion to the abun
dant harvest. In the FIRST the Prophet Amos describes
the prosperity of Israel after the captivity as the result
of the divine blessing on the vines and the fields. In
the SECOND the sacred historian, who was the author
of the second Book of Esdras, describes the new promul
gation of the Law, the observance of which will bring,
as in the past, joy and plenty. In the Gospel of the Mass
in which Saint Mark relates our Lord s cure of the deaf
and dumb man who was possessed by an evil spirit, we
learn that we cannot conquer the devil, who is the first
cause of all our infirmities, without prayer and fasting,
and that to bring this about we must place our whole
trust in the divine physician at whose omnipotent
word and command we are healed of all our weaknesses.
The two Collects are an appeal to the divine mercy
to which alone we owe our continued existence ; through
this mercy also our bodily privations will obtain for us
grace to abstain from sin. The Secret offers the Host
of the Sacrifice as the source of all purification and sanc-
tification both of body and soul. The Postcommunion
prays that all those who zealously practise the necessary
penitential exercises may participate in the divine gifts.
The Introit teaches us to rejoice in doing penance.
410
God, says the Psalmist, would have the people rejoice
and sing, at the beginning of the new month, as did
the Hebrews when they went from Egypt. The first
Gradual praises the glory of the Most High who deigns
to stoop to His poor creatures ; the SECOND extols the
happiness of the people whose leader is God and who
glory in being chosen as His inheritance. The Offertory
inspires the penitent soul with the desire of meditating
on the divine precepts, and of lovingly observing them.
The Communion invites the faithful to make use of
the heavenly gifts in which the Lord wills to be the
support of His children.
CHAPTER XXII
Ember Friday in September.
Station at the Church of the twelve Apostles. Sources of the
liturgy ; Introit, Ps. civ, 3-4 and 1. Epistle, Osee, xiv,
2-10. Gradual, LXXXIX, 13 and 1. Gospel, St. Luke, vii,
36-50. Offertory, Ps. en, 2-5. Communion, Ps. cxvni, 22.
The Lessons of the Mass for this Ember Friday
teach us that to REPENTANT SINNERS the most abundant
BLESSINGS are promised. In the Epistle the Prophet,
Osee, invites the people of Israel to rise up after their fall
into sin, and to return to the Lord. The giving up of
their idols and their conversion to God will be for ajl
the starting point of a new life which is symbolized by
the fruitfulness of the vines and the fields spoken of by
the prophet. The Gospel relates how the sinful woman
anointed the sacred feet of our Lord in the house of
Simon the pharisee at Bethany, and how our Lord Him
self defended her, declaring that many sins were forgiven
her because she had loved much. The sinful woman
by her faith and trust in the divine mercy found peace
and salvation.
The Introit calls upon all those who seek God with
perseverance to rejoice, for they will be strengthened in
their resolutions. The Gradual reminds us that at
all times God is the sure refuge of His servants, from the
moment that He deigns to look down upon them. In
the Offertory the soul turns to the Lord in gratitude
for all His benefits ; it is He who will renew her
youth like the eagle. In the Communion the soul
implores of God that He would protect her from all
hurtful influence, for she would seek the divine precepts
and meditate upon them.
In the Collect the Church would have us pray that
God may grant us the grace to submit our souls and
bodies to the yearly penitential exercises. In the Secret
she asks for the blessing of God on our penance that it
may obtain for us the fulfilment of the divine promise
in the life to come. She invites us to pray that the
graces given to us in this life may be for us the pledge
of the infinitely more precious gifts of eternal life
(POSTCOMMUNION) .
412
CHAPTER XXIII
Ember Saturday in September.
Station at Saint Peter s. Sources of the liturgy .- Introit, Ps. xciv,
6-7 and 1. 1st Lesson, Levit., xxm, 27-32. 1st Gradual,
Ps. Lxxvm,9-10. 2nd Lesson, Levit., xxm, 34-43. 2nd Gra
dual, Ps. LXXXIII, 9-10. 3rd Lesson, Micheas, vn, 14-20.
3rd Gradual, Ps. LXXXIX, 13 and 1. 4th Lesson, Zacharias,
vni, 14-19. 4th Gradual, Ps. CXL, 2. 5th Lesson, Daniel, in,
49-51 . Hymn, Daniel, in, 54 and the next. Epistle, Hebr., ix,
1-12. Tract, Ps. cxvi, 1-2. Gospel, St. Luke, xin, 6-17.
Offertory, Ps. LXXXVII, 2-3. Communion, Levit., xxm, 42.
In the Lessons and Collects of the Mass for this
Saturday, the principal idea seems to be that
PENANCE and abstinence are AS SEED which we sow on
earth that we may reap in heaven a rich harvest of
merit. The first Collect teaches us that God draws
from our fasts and abstinence the remedy for our cor
poral and spiritual ills. May his infinite Majesty deign
to come to our aid, both for this life and for eternity.
The first Lesson recalls the ordinances of the Mosaic
Law concerning the seventh month of the year when
there was to be for the people a day of rest and expia
tion ; on this condition the Lord will permit Himself
to be moved. The first Gradual asks that this divine
promise may be fulfilled in favour of sinners. The se
cond Collect prays that the souls of those who fast
and chastise the body may be filled with grace and re
ceive an increase of strength which will enable them
to triumph over all their enemies. The second Lesson
413
gives the ordinances in Leviticus for thanksgiving after
the harvest, and for the celebration of the Feast of
Tabernacles. The second Gradual invokes God s pro
tection for those who serve Him. The third Collect
prays that corporal abstinence may lead to the cor
rection of vices. The third Lesson gives us the prayer
of the prophet Micheas, which teaches us how we
should profit by the chastisements of the Lord. These
chastisements are always inflicted for a salutary purpose,
and in the end lead to indulgence and forgiveness. The
third Gradual is an appeal to God that His anger may
be appeased, for He has ever shewn Himself the pro
tector of His people. The fourth Collect prays that
corporal abstinence may help us to free ourselves
from sin which is ever ready to make an assault on
the soul. The fourth Lesson taken from the prophet
Zacharias, explains the designs of God in afflicting His
people. The fasts of the fourth, fifth, seventh and tenth
months are intended by God to bring joy, peace and
gladness to the soul of all those who observe them.
The fourth Gradual urges us to join prayer to our
fasting ; thus all our works will become as a sacrifice,
the incense of which will ascend to God and be pleas
ing to Him. The fifth Collect asks that our acts of
penance performed in the right spirit may obtain for
us the divine pardon. In the fifth Lesson, as on all
Ember Saturdays, we have the miracle of the deli
verance of the three children from the fiery furnace.
This Lesson is followed by the canticle of the three
children which is sung in place of a Gradual. Like
them, may all repentant sinners be delivered from
the flames kindled for the punishment of sin ; this is
the favour which the Church asks for in the sixth
Collect.
4*4
Tn the Epistle St. Paul or at least the writer of the
Epistle to the Hebrews (for some doubt exists as to whether
Saint Paul wrote it) draws a significant comparison
between the tabernacle of the old Covenant and the
sanctuary of the new to show the superiority of the Priest
and Victim, Jesus Christ, over the priests and sacrifices
of the old Testament. In consequence of this the
Tract calls upon all nations to bless the Lord of whose
mercy in the new Law we are secure according to
His unalterable promise. The Gospel of the Mass in
sists on the necessity which every soul is under to
correspond with divine grace by producing salutary
fruit. In the miracle wrought by our Lord on the
Sabbath day, we are taught that the works of divine
mercy could not be regarded as a violation of the Sab
bath rest enjoined by God. Because of the varying date
of the Sunday following this Ember Saturday, the
Church departs from the rule which she observes in the
Ember weeks of winter and of spring, namely of reading the
same Gospel at the Mass both of Saturday and Sunday.
The Introit is a pressing invitation to adore God,
our Creator, our Lord, our Saviour. The Offertory
is a prayer which, following the example of the Psalmist,
we should often repeat both day and night. In har
mony with the first two Lessons the Communion recalls
the manner in which God willed to deliver the ancient
Jewish nation, and the way in which the anniver
sary of these signal benefits should be celebrated in the
seventh month of every year. In the Secret we beg
of God that He would be pleased to accept our offering,
and to grant us the grace of devotion. In the Post-
communion we pray that we may receive the full benefit
of the sacrament, and that the shadows of the symbol
may vanish in the clear manifestation of the reality.
415
CHAPTER XXIV
Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Eccl., xxxvi, 18. Epist., I
Cor., i, 4-8. Gradual, Ps. cxxi, 1 and 7. Alleluia, Ps. ci,
16. Gospel, St Matth., ix, 1-8. Offertory, Exod., xxiv, 45
and adaptation. Communion, Ps. xcv, 8.
In the liturgy the eighteenth Sunday after Pente
cost is called the Sunday of the Paralytic because of the
Gospel for this day which records the healing of the
paralysed man by our Lord after he had crossed to the
other side of Lake Genesareth. In choosing this Gospel,
the Church would show us the goodness and power of
Jesus Christ, the divine physician, who heals all the evils
both of soul and body. Our Lord, touched by the faith
of those who brought the sick man to Him, began by
remitting his sins thus healing the wounds of his soul.
Then, hearing the murmurs of the scribes and the pha-
risees, by His divine word He healed his body, giving
a tangible proof of His power to cure the maladies of
the soul. In the Epistle Saint Paul recommends the
faithful of Corinth to be always on their guard against
sin, and to prepare by the practice of good works for
the coming of Christ. For this they need divine grace,
the all-powerful aid of Jesus Christ who alone can deliver
us from evil and preserve us from death as He did for
the paralytic in the Gospel.
The Collect for this Sunday is an earnest prayer
that God would by the powerful and merciful efficacy
-4i6-
of His grace direct our hearts. Without his assistance
we should not be able to please Him. In reality our souls
are so blinded and so drawn to evil, that of themselves
they are unable to take the right course. Our works
are always mixed with imperfection and therefore not
perfectly pleasing to God. If we would please God, our
actions must be inspired and directed by His spirit.
In exchange for the earthly offering which we have laid
on the altar, the Church, in the Secret, asks for us hea
venly gifts that we may one day come to the enjoy
ment of the perfect vision of eternal Truth which faith
has revealed to us here on earth. In the Postcom-
munion the effects wrought in our souls by holy Com
munion are compared to a supernatural growth which
develops within us. Just as plants, nourished by the
moisture of the earth and warmed by the rays of the
sun, preserve vigour and a force of expansion whence
proceed flowers and fruit, so souls, nourished by the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in holy Communion,
receive a supernatural power of growth, and thus
produce in abundance the flowers of virtue and the
fruits of merit for heaven.
Sometimes, but not invariably, the eighteenth Sunday
after Pentecost coincides with the Sunday immediately
following Ember week. The Church therefore has
chosen several formulas for the Mass to preserve within
us the remembrance of the days of fasting and penance.
The Introit speaks of peace, the fruit of justification
granted to the penitent soul. Both the Introit and
the Gradual bring heaven before us, the city in which
reigns unalterable peace, the stronghold in which are
laid up the treasures which perish not. All the na
tions and all the kings of earth should render homage
to the God who rules the heavenly city (ALLELUIA).
417 -
The prayer and the fasting have also as their end
to obtain of God that He would be pleased to make
of those who are ordained at this time worthy ministers
of the Church. We shall not therefore be surprised to
find in the formulas of this Sunday a reference to the
priesthood of the new Law. This priesthood is shown
to us in the symbols of the Mosaic Law, in the great
prophet Moses who offered holocausts to God, well plea
sing in His sight. Infinitely more precious is the
sacrifice of the new Law in which a God as the eter
nal Priest also offers to His Father a divine Victim by
the hands of those privileged ones whom Jesus Christ
has deigned to associate to His priesthood (OFFERTORY).
To these chosen ones is addressed the invitation of the
Psalmist, formulated in the Communion. " Bring up
sacrifices and come into His Courts : adore ye the Lord
in his holy sanctuary. "
CHAPTER XXV
Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, extra script, and Ps. LXXVII.
Epistle, Ephes. iv, 23-28. Gradual, Ps. CXL, 3. -Alleluia,
Ps. civ, 1. Gospel, St. Matth., xxn, 1-14. Offertory,
Ps. cxxxvn, 7. Communion, Ps. cxvni, 45.
The principal object of the liturgy on this Sunday is
to celebrate the alliance of God with men, and the
union of Jesus Christ with the Church, His Bride.
14 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal.
- 418 -
This alliance is represented by a wedding feast given by
a powerful king on the occasion of the marriage of his
son. The banquet hall is a figure of the Church, the
kingdom of God, militant on earth and triumphant in
heaven. In the parable related in the Gospel of the
Mass for this Sunday, two classes of guests are to be
distinguished. The first, on various pretexts, refuse
the king s invitation, and some of them even go so far
as to ill-treat and put his servants to death. In place
of these unworthy ones, another class of guests is
called to the wedding banquet. The servants collected
these last guests from the high-ways and the market
places of the town, in order to fill the hall of the feast.
In those who were first invited, we easily recognize the
Jews who were called in the very beginning to enter
the Church. They refused and went so far as to ill-
treat and slay the prophets who were the ambassadors
of the great King. Those from the high- ways represent
the pagans or gentiles, gathered by the preachers of the
Gospel from all quarters of the globe and from every
shore : to-day they fill the Church which reaches to
the ends of the earth. The union of Jesus Christ with
souls is begun on earth, but is consummated in heaven
where the bond will be indissoluble. The just soul
whilst on earth can commit sin, and thus become un
faithful to her divine Spouse ; only in heaven will she
be safe from all danger of inconstancy and infidelity.
Heaven is, as it were, the banquet hall into which the
great King admits those numerous guests whom he has
invited to the wedding feast at which he fills them with
joy, and delight, and with never-ending happiness.
The Church is therefore the principal object of the
parable of the wedding feast. The guests at this feast
are all men who are called to form part of the Church
militant here on earth and of the Church triumphant
in heaven. All alas ! do not respond as they should
to the divine call; some, such as the Jews, refuse to
enter the Church militant and thus deprive themselves
of their share in the triumph ; others, such as bad
Christians, after having become members of the Church,
do not persevere in the service of God, thus running
great risk of losing their share of eternal happiness in
the Church triumphant.
If we would be admitted to the marriage feast we must
wear a wedding garment, under penalty of being ex
cluded from the banquet hall, and of being cast into
exterior darkness as happened to the unhappy man in
the parable. This wedding garment represents faith
without which no one can be admitted into the Church,
and next it typifies all those Christian virtues with
out which we cannot persevere in our union with
God. Saint Paul in his Epistle to the faithful of Ephe-
sus read at this Sunday s Mass, explains the meaning of
the nuptial garment necessary for admission to the mar
riage feast. We must, says the Apostle, put on Christ,
or the new man who is created in justice and holiness.
We must labour to cast off our evil inclinations and
our bad habits, and to put on the spirit of Christ which
is the true wedding garment and the indispensable ador
nment of souls who would enter the kingdom of
heaven.
In the Collect of the Mass the Church implores for
her children the divine assistance by means of which
all obstacles are overcome. The soul thus set free
from her difficulties, finds it easy carry out the divine
will. In the Secret she prays that through the sacred
Victim offered on the altar, her children may receive
all graces necessary for salvation. In the Postcom-
4 2
munion she asks that these heavenly Mysteries may
be a remedy for all our evils and that we may strive to
fulfil the divine precepts that thus the supernatural life
of our souls may flourish and fully develop.
The Introit teaches us that God is the author of our
salvation, but we must cooperate with Him by being
docile and attentive to His word. The Gradual tells
us how we should pray. Our prayer should ascend
from our soul as incense to God. The Alleluia teaches
us that whilst we invoke God, we should at the same
time praise Him in gratitude for all His benefits. The
Offertory renders homage to the Lord who comes to
our aid in all our afflictions, animates us, and protects 1
us against the wrath of our enemies. The Communion
reminds us how God wishes to be served, and how we
should direct all our actions to Him by following the
way which He has marked out for us.
CHAPTER XXVI
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Daniel, m, 31-39. Epistle,
Ephesians, v, 15-21. Gradual, Ps. CXLIV, 15-16. Alle
luia, Ps. cvn, 2. Gospel, St. John, iv, 46-53. Offertory,
Ps. cxxxvi, 1. Communion, Ps. cxvm, 49-50.
According as the end of the ecclesiastical year draws
near, the Church gives to her children a foreshadowing,
as it were, of what will happen when time shall be no
421
more. Thus in the formulas of the liturgy FOR THIS
twentieth Sunday we find ALLUSIONS to the GRACES OF
CONVERSION which God holds in reserve FOR THE JEWS
after long ages of wandering in the ways of error. The
ancient liturgists tell us that the Mass for this Sunday
consists, partly of formulas in which the people of
Israel express their repentance, and are rewarded by
being restored to divine favour, and partly of those in
which the nations breath forth their love for God
who has brought them into the hall of the marriage
feast.
The Introit and the Offertory, in particular, are
applicable to the Jews. The Introit is taken from the
Book of Daniel. The Prophet teaches the Jewish people,
captive- in Babylon, the great secret of once again
finding grace with God. This secret consists in the
humble avowal of sins committed, in a contrite heart
and firm trust in the divine mercy which is extended
even to the most grievous sins. At the Offertory we
hear the lament of the captive people, in accents which
no song of exiles has ever equalled, when they remem
bered Sion.
The Gradual, the Alleluia and the Communion
are applicable to all the nations of the earth. They
express the dispositions befitting every member of the
human race : absolute dependence i on God, and grati
tude for the benefits continually bestowed on man (GRA
DUAL and ALLELUIA) ; the firm conviction that the
Lord deigns to remember His promises whence springs
sweet consolation for the humble, and docile soul
(COMMUNION). The teaching of the Epistle which is
read on this Sunday is chiefly directed to the instruc
tion of Christians as to how they should act at the
approach of what Saint Paul calls the evil days. They
422
must, first of all, observe great circumspection in order
to avoid walking i the ways of evil and error; then
they must be filled with the holy Spirit, live in humility
and obedience, and encourage one another to sing toge
ther the divine praises in union with Jesus Christ. The
Gospel relates how our Lord cured the dying son of
a certain ruler at Capharnaum. Hence, this Sunday is
sometimes called the SUNDAY OF THE RULER OF CAPHAR
NAUM. The Church has chosen this Gospel because it
has a mysterious relation with the condition of the human
race such as it will be when the world is nearing its end.
In those days when men, consumed by the fever of
passion, and unable of themselves to seek the divine
physician, they will require the assistance of their pas
tors or spiritual Fathers. The healing of the sick youth
was wrought just at the time when Jesus had gone from
Judea into Galilee, to remind us that it was after the
defection of the Jews that the gentiles received the light
of faith and the life of grace. To recover health of soul
it is necessary to sojourn at Capharnaum, that is to
practise penance, and then, by supplications supported
by steadfast faith, as it were, to constrain God to hear us.
In the Collect we pray that God may grant us for
giveness and peace, in order that, purified from our sins,
we may serve Him in tranquillity of heart. In the Se
cret in union with the divine Victim, we implore the
heavenly remedy which purifies the soul from all stain
of sin. In the Postcommunion we ask of the God of
the Eucharist for the food of our souls and grace to observe
faithfully the divine Commandments.
423 ~
CHAPTER XXVII
Twenty-first Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Esther, xin, 9-10. Epistle,
Ephesians, vi, 10-17. Gradual, Ps. LXXXIX, \-2.-Alleluia,
Ps. cxin, 1. Gospel, St. Matth., xvin, 23-25. Offertory,
Job, i, passim. Communion, Ps. cxvm, 81, 84 and 86.
The object of the liturgy of this Sunday is to PRE
PARE SOULS FOR THE JUDGMENT OF GOD. With this
end in view it teaches us the necessity of combat and
the importance of the forgiveness of injuries. It is espe
cially in the sung parts of the Mass that this struggle
is emphasized. This predominant idea is expressed in
the Offertory, more striking still in its primitive form,
when it was accompanied by repeated poignant excla
mations ; Job a prey to poverty, suffering and aban
donment is indeed a figure of the soul in this earthly life ;
happy is this soul when, in the midst of difficulties, it
is able to preserve simplicity, uprightness and the fear
of God.
In the Introit we hear Mardochai committing himself
into the hands of God at the moment when he was about
to be involved in the destruction of his race. In the
Gradual the Psalmist declares that he seeks in God his
strongest support and his secure refuge; that which
God did for His people when they went forth from
Egypt, He continues to do from generation to genera
tion (ALLELUIA). Hence, in the Communion, the Psal
mist can formulate this inevitable conclusion : "My soul
424
hath fainted after thy salvation ; and in thy word
I have very much hoped. When wilt thou execute
judgment on them that persecute me? They have per
secuted me unjustly, do thou help me.
In the Epistle Saint Paul tells us that our invisible
enemies are the powers of darkness, whilst those that
are visible are the world and the flesh, the auxiliaries
and accomplices of Satan. The struggle against these
enemies is a daily one, and will continue until the end of
the world ; then the final victory will be with God. Saint
Paul tells us that we should put on the armour of God
that we may able to resist our enemies. The soldier of
Christ must have truth, as his girdle ; justice as breast
plate ; he must be shod with peace ; faith must be his
shield, salvation his helmet, and as sword the Word
of God. Thus armed he will be able to resist his
enemies and to overthrow them. The belt with which
the soldiers loins are girt, constitutes his strength ; thus,
truth is the strength of the Christian ; the breast-plate
is a protection against wounds ; thus, justice or the
perfect observance of the divine Law preserves the soul
against all the attacks of sin. To march to battle, the
soldier is shod ; the Christian must never march except
to bring peace with the glad tidings of the Gospel. The
helmet protects and covers the soldier s head, thus is sal
vation the Christian s safeguard. The shield serves to
ward off the enemies weapons ; thus does faith repel
all the blows of error and impiety. The soldier s hand is
armed with a sword to defend himself and to slay his
enemy ; thus the Word of God is a two-edged sword
which saves him who receives it, and kills him who
resists it.
FORGIVENESS OF INJURIES is the lesson taught in the
parable read in the Gospel of this day s Mass. It is
summed up in a few words. To prevent the terrors of the
divine Judgment we must exercise mercy and compas
sion towards our debtors for we ourselves shall stand
in great need of both. All, both Jews and gentiles
are debtors to divine justice. The Jews were the first
to be overwhelmed with favours from God, but ingra
titude and disobedience to Him was their sole response.
The gentiles are debtors to the Jews who transmitted
to them the deposit of revelation. The Jews showed
nothing but harshness and pride to the gentiles. For
this reason God rejected them, and showed His mercy
to other nations. In this parable our Lord makes us
understand that the words of the Our Father: "Forgive
us our trespasses as we forgive them who trespass
against us " must not be merely a vain formula, but
that in c ur intercourse with our fellow-men our acts
must correspond with these words, if we would have
our own debts remitted by our heavenly Father.
In the Collect, in view of the continual warfare to be
maintained against the enemies of God and of His faithful
people, we beg of Him to protect the Church, so that sus
tained by His omnipotence, she may be preserved from
all afflictions, and may be able to devote herself in freedom
to good works for the greater glory of her Head. In
the Secret the liturgy reminds us of two effects produced
by the offering of the holy Sacrifice : the satisfying of
divine justice, and the communicating of salvation to
men. The Postcommunion prays that the food of
immortality, that is, the Body of Jesus Christ received
in holy Communion, may impart to us purity of soul
and body.
Since the Feast of Pentecost we have seen the work
of the Holy Ghost developing on earth. The kingdom
of God has been established, maintained, and strength-
-426-
ened in all countries. But the propagation of the Gospel
and the action of the Church are not carried on without
difficulties and obstacles arising. Satan s rage and the
malice of men hinder the progress of truth and the
benefits of charity. Hence the bitter struggle between
good and evil, between truth and error, to which the
liturgy makes allusion during these last weeks of the
season of Pentecost. The Holy Ghost, in accordance
with the promise of Jesus Christ, sustains and encou
rages the Church in this struggle. He is the Spirit of
truth and of charity. For the moment, the light may
be obscured by error ; charity for a time may grow
cold, but in the end truth triumphs, just as the light
of the sun dissipates the darkness of night ; charity
enflames hearts as the heat of the sun renews life in
all beings. We must therefore return thanks to the
Holy Ghost who is truly the soul of the Church, and
who by enlightening her, fortifying her and assuring her
final triumph, continues the work of Jesus Christ.
CHAPTER XXVIII
Twenty-second Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Ps. cxxix, 3-4. Epistle, Phi-
lipp., i, 6-11. Gradual, Ps. cxxxn, 1-2. Alleluia, Ps. cxm,
11. Gospel, St. Matth., xxn, 15-21. Offertory, Esther, xiv,
12-13. Communion, Ps. xvi, 6.
The Church is now almost entirely occupied with PRE
PARING her children for the final Judgment which at
the end of the world God will pronounce upon each
and everyone of us.
The first indication we have of this her predominant
thought is in her choice of the Epistle for this Sunday
which is a passage from a latter, written by Saint Paul
to the Philippians at the time when he was a prisoner in
Rome. Thus, at the time of writing, he was in chains,
a victim to the jealousy and treason of false brethren.
And yet in his heart joy predominates over sorrow ;
he is exalted to that degree of love in which divine charity
feeds upon suffering. Twice he speaks of what he calls
the day of Christ, that is of the last coming of Jesus
Christ, when He will judge all men, and he desires that
souls may be prepared for this triumph of our Saviour
and of His elect. The Apostle impresses upon the faith
ful that they must increase in knowledge and in justice,
that is, in the knowledge of God and the observance of
His law, until the day of Christ s manifestation. There
fore, everyone of the faithful should take part in this
work by correcting their faults, and by persevering in
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good. The Church is like an army whose victory is
certain, provided that each one of the faithful fulfils his
duty.
The Gospel also indirectly points to our preparation for
the last Judgment. For in those words of our Lord :
Render therefore to Caesar the things that are
Caesar s and to God, the things that are God s, " is sum
med up the doctrine of the Gospel; these words formu
late the principle on which the Christian law is based.
Respect for this law, observance of this doctrine : in
this consists preparation for the day of Jesus Christ.
The moral law of the Gospel includes the whole of our
duties to God and our neighbour which were traced on
the tables of stone given by God to Moses. Therefore
when we have rendered to God the things that are God s,,
by the practice of all religious duties, and to Caesar the
things that are Caesar s, by obeying the representatives
of the divine authority, then we shall have perfectly
fulfilled all our duties, for the fulfilment of this pre
scription of our Lord implies the practice of justice and
of charity. These words of Jesus Christ determine
the duties of nations towards God, and their duties also
towards one another. Men are not only bound to serve
God as individuals, but also they must serve Him col
lectively as members of society, citizens of the State.
Nations also have mutual duties to fulfil with regard to
one another. The whole duty of man, individually
and collectively, to God and to his fellow man is laid down
in the Decalogue, and may be summed in those words of
our divine Lord : " Render to God the things that are
God s, and to Caesar the things that are Caesar s. "
Nations should render public worship to God ; erect
temples to Him ; celebrate feasts in His honour ; observe
the Sunday and holydays of obligation ; in a word, they
should respect religion. Nations should also keep the
Commandments of God, draw up laws according to the
Spirit of the Gospel and protect the Church and her
ministers. Finally, nations and their rulers are bound
to facilitate the preaching of the Gospel and divine
worship ; to reject all teaching contrary to faith ; to
suppress corrupt morals ; to punish the guilty. Nations
which are disloyal to God and His Church will be punish
ed, as were the Israelites whenever they abandoned
the Law of God and fell into idolatry. Nations must
not try to impede one another in the perform
ance of these different duties. As for infidel nations,
their rulers have no right to hinder the propagation
of the faith, to drive away missionaries, or persecute
the Christians. For God is the Sovereign Lord of
kings and of nations. Jesus Christ, as the Son of God,
commanded the apostles and their successors to preach
the Gospel to all nations.
In the Collect, the Church foreseeing the trials which
await her in the last days, invokes God as her protector
and her support. In the Secret, she begs of God through
the merits of the holy Sacrifice, that she may be deliver
ed from sin, and may find in Him a sure refuge from
every affliction. In the Postcommunion, enriched with
the divine gifts, she prays that she may use these gifts
to sustain and support all those who are weak.
The Introit prays that the Lord from whom flows all
mercy would not regard the sins nor the debts of His
children, for no creature is able to stand the divine
wrath. This Introit harmonizes with the Gospel of the
previous Sunday which was formerly read in to-day s
Mass ; it is also a forecast of the trials of the latter days,
when the sufferings of the faithful will seem as merited
punishment. The Gradual and the Alleluia extol the
14*
430
sweet and powerful unity which will be maintained in the
Church until the end. The Offertory echoes the prayer
of Esther when she was about to appear before Assue-
rus to plead for her people against the treacherous
designs of Aman. Esther is here an image of the
Church who pleads with God for the deliverance of her
children and the defeat of her enemies. The Communion
is the expression of persevering and earnest supplica
tion, based on a firm confidence.
CHAPTER XXIX
Twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Introit, Jeremias, xxix, 11-13. Epistle,
Philipp., HI, 17; iv, 3. Gradual, Ps. XLIII, 8-9. Alleluia,
Ps. cxxix, 1-2. Gospel, St. Matth., ix, 18-26. Offer
tory, Ps. cxxix, 1-2. Communion, St. Mark, xi, 24.
The chief object of the liturgy of this Sunday is to
foretell the CONVERSION OF THE JEWS, and the RE
STORATION OF ISRAEL which will take place in the last
days. These events which will give such glory to our
divine Saviour and such consolation to the Church,
have been foretold by the prophets, and are prefigured
in the Gospel. They are given as one of the signs of
the near approach/ of the end of the world, and find their
place here, before the last Sunday of the liturgical year
on which the Church will put before us the description
of the end of the world and of the last Judgment. In
the twenty-ninth chapter of the Prophecy of Jeremias
we find the conversion of the Jews predicted. For
merly, this passage was read in the Epistle of the Mass
and at the present time also, some verses of it form the
Introit. In it the Lord says by the mouth of His pro
phet : " For I know the thoughts that I think towards
you thoughts of peace and not of affliction." The Jews,
because of their ceaseless rebellion against God, but
above all, because of their infamous deicide, merited
punishment, but their rejection is not irrevocable.
God promises to admit the Jews, according to the flesh,
to the banquet of His favour and goodwill, thus realising
what has been prefigured in the history of the patriarch
Joseph. Our Lord, reigning over the whole world and
plentifully feeding the Egyptians, that is the gentiles
with the bread of life, will see the remaining sons of Is
rael return to Him, and after they have heard Him pro
nounce the words of pardon, He will give them a place
at His table. The Gradual is a cry of gratitude and of
thanksgiving after deliverance. The Alleluia and the
Offertory express the repentance which in their afflic
tion and their humiliation the Jews will pour out to
Jesus Christ whom their ancestors crucified. The Com
munion is our Lord s answer to the prayer for pardon.
" Therefore, I say unto you, all things whatsoever you
ask when ye pray, believe that you shall receive : and
they shall come unto you.
The Apostle Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Philip-
pians deplores the weakness and the falling away of
Christians who forget the teaching of faith and the
observance of the Gospel precepts. Now the Christians
of the latter days will, especially, merit these reproaches.
Then, for the consolation of His Church, God will bring
back to the fold the surviving sons of Israel.
432
The Gospel of this Sunday recalls the healing of the
woman who was suffering from an issue of blood and the
raising to life of the daughter of Jairus, one of the rulers
of the Synagogue. Saint Jerome tells us that this
woman is a figure of the gentiles, whilst the Jewish
nation is represented by the ruler s daughter. The lat
ter was not to be restored to life until after the healing of
the former. Hence when the nations shall have ac
knowledged the divine physician and have been cured,
then the Jews in their turn shall be cured of their blind
ness.
The woman, suffering for long years from hemor
rhage and ruined by the expense of medical atten
dance which gave her no relief, was cured by faith
and by touching the hem of our Lord s garment. This
is a striking figure of the gentiles, carried away by
the flood of human passions, seeking vainly a remedy
from the so-called sages of pagan antiquity, and
finally finding salvation in belief in the Gospel, and in
the all powerful efficacy of the divine physician.
The ruler s daughter was dead, but in her case death
seemed rather to be a sleep. Our Lord with one word
awakened her, and restored her to life. She was the
daughter of one of the leaders of the Synagogue, but
for her restoration to life it was necessary that, at the
entreaty of her grief stricken father the divine Master
should come to her aid. In these striking facts we can
easily recognize the Jewish nation. Instead of holding
fast to the Law of Moses and the predictions of the
prophets, the sons of Israel, led astray by the false
doctors of the Synagogue, refused to recognize Jesus
Christ as the true Messias. In punishment of their ob
stinate unbelief, they have been rejected by God and
stricken as it were with death. Unless in the future
433
the teachers of Israel themselves were converted, all
would be lost eternally. This return is represented by
the humble act of the ruler of the Synagogue. In the
last days Jesus Christ will hear their prayer, and in His
mercy and goodness will restore to them the light of
faith as He restored life to the daughter of Jairus.
The prayers of the Mass for this Sunday include va
rious petitions which the Church addresses to God for
her children. In the Collect she implores the God
of mercy to pardon the people the sins which through
human frailty they have committed. In the Secret
she begs of God to accept the offering which she pre
sents in the name of all the faithful as the tribute of their
worship due to the divine Majesty. Lastly, in the Post-
communion, the Church implores of God to allow none
of those whom He has deigned to admit to participation
in the divine Mysteries, to perish in the midst of the dan
gers which surround them.
434
CHAPTER XXX
The Sundays after the Epiphany which
were omitted at that Season.
Sources of the liturgy : Sung parts of the Mass, the same as on
the twenty-third Sunday after Pentecost. The Prayers,
Epistles and Gospels, the same as on the in, iv, v and vi
Sundays after the Epiphany.
On account of the varying date of Easter, the SEASON
AFTER PENTECOST is MORE OR LESS LONG, according to
the year. Sometimes, the number of Sundays is less
than twenty-four, and in this case, the Mass fixed for
the twenty-third Sunday is said on the Saturday
immediately preceding the last week of the season, and
on the last Sunday is said the Mass of the twenty-fourth
Sunday. Sometimes there are as many as twenty-
seven or twenty-eight Sundays after Pentecost. When
this happens, the number of Sundays after the Epiphany
is reduced to two, or at most three ; it is at such times
that the Masses of the Sundays, omitted after the Epi
phany, are placed between the twenty-third and the last
Sunday of the season after Pentecost.
These Masses are not wholly taken from those of the
Sundays after the Epiphany, but only the Prayers,
Epistles and Gospels 1 .
The Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory and Com
munion of the Mass for the TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY,
1 We refer the reader to the explanation in the Iwelfth and thir
teenth chapters of part II, pages 107-110.
435
as explained in the preceding chapter, are REPEATED ON
EACH SUNDAY, even on the last, of the liturgical year.
We have already pointed out that for the season after
the Epiphany, the same sung parts of the Mass for the
third Sunday are repeated on the fourth, fifth and sixth
Sundays. By the repetition of the sung parts of the
Mass for the twenty-third Sunday, the Church wishes
that our THOUGHTS, at the end of the liturgical cycle,
should be FIXED ON THE CONVERSION OF THE JEWISH
PEOPLE, as being the fulfilment of the divine intentions,
and as the last phase in the history of the world. At
the same time she has not allowed the lessons drawn
from the prayers, Epistles, and Gospels of the Sun
days after the Epiphany to be lost to her children,
and by the MIRACLES wrought by our Lord and by
His explanation of the parables, she gives us the CON
FIRMATION OF THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST.
The scarcity of the liturgical compositions in the ancient
collections is due also to this repetition of the sung parts
of the Mass. Only sufficient for twenty-four Sundays
are to be found ; no doubt because in ancient times
the Advent season was much longer than it is now.
On the other hand the Church could not at the close of
the year make use of those parts which were sung on
the Sundays after the Epiphany, because they relate
to the mystery of the divine Infancy.
We have already said that the season after Pentecost
represents the LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN ON EARTH; its
varying length suggests the difference in the duration of
life for each individual. Some live for a brief morning,
dying in the very flower of youth, represented by the
shortness of the season of the Epiphany ; others die in
the prime of life, whilst again others live to extreme
old age indicated by the length of the season after
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Pentecost. For all alike, time is short. Let each one
use it well that he may be prepared to appear before
his Judge when the hour appointed in the divine
decrees shall arrive.
CHAPTER XXXI
The Lessons of the Divine Office for the month
of August.
We have pointed out that the Church ho longer adapts
the Lessons of the Office to the Sundays as they suc
ceed each other after Pentecost, but to the last conse
cutive months of the liturgical year : August, September,
October, November. The antiphon of the Magnificat
at first Vespers on Sunday is taken from the Lessons
of holy Scripture in the night Office 1 . For this reason
thereis some instruction to be drawn from the liturgy
of each Sunday.
The LESSONS for the first Nocturn of the Office in the
month of AUGUST are taken from the BOOKS OF WISDOM :
on the first Sunday from the book of Proverbs ; on the
second from Ecclesiastes ; on the third from Wisdom ;
and on the fourth and fifth Sunday from Ecclesiasticus.
In certain years, there are but four Sundays in the month
of August, and then the Lessons of the fifth are omitted.
In the second Nocturn, a passage is read from some of
the Fathers of the Church, treating of these different
books of holy Scripture. On the first Sunday of August
1 See chapter IX of this fourth part, page 369.
437
the antiphon of the Magnificat at the first Vespers is
taken from the book of Proverbs, and describes the
work of Wisdom, which symbolizes Jesus Christ and
His Church. Saint Ambrose, in his commentary on the
sacred text, teaches us that to be truly wise we must be
governed in all our actions by filial fear of the Lord,
without which the fruit of the divine teaching is quickly
lost. On the second Sunday of tne same month, the anti
phon of the Magnificat at first Vespers reminds us that
our divine Lord, the Incarnate Wisdom, dwells in the
highest heavens, and that all our desires, our aspira
tions must be directed towards Him.
The LESSONS FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY are taken from
the Book of ECCLESIASTES, an exposition of high phi
losophy in which king Solomon tells us that all is vanity
here on earth. Fear God and keep His commandments :
this is the whole duty of man. Such, says Saint Chry-
sostom, is the excellence of our destiny that it raises
us above all transitory things. The antiphon for the
Magnificat of first Vespers on the third Sunday teaches
us that God alone is the source of all true wisdom.
The LESSONS FOR THIS THIRD SUNDAY are from the
BOOK OF WISDOM ; they urge us to seek the Lord in all
the simplicity of a soul that trusts in Him. Let the
edifice of your holiness, says Saint Ambrose, be founded
on Jesus Christ and His Church under which He pre
sents Himself to you ; remember that according to His
promises, in the Church He prays ; in the Church He
acts ; and in her He suffers. On the fourth Sunday, at
the first Vespers the antiphon of the Magnificat is a press
ing invitation from Jesus Christ who is Wisdom itself.
If you love true Wisdom, He says to us, come to Me and
when you have found Me, you will have found happi
ness. The antiphon on the fifth Sunday sums up the
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means by which we shall possess true wisdom : observ
ance of the commandments of God, our heavenly
Father, and of the precepts of the Church, our Mother.
The LESSONS OF THE LAST TWO SUNDAYS of AUGUST
taken from Ecclesiasticus, provide us with a series of
excellent counsels, as to how we may lead a life pleasing
to God. To follow the counsels, says Saint Gregory, is
to look upon all transitory things as nothing ; it is to be
satisfied with no enjoyment which is not from God.
We must not, says St. John Chrysostom, allow any
delay in our seeking God ; we must not defer the affair
of our salvation, if we would be secure. An excellent
commentary on the advice given by the writer of Eccle-
siasticus, and one which we should all engrave on our
memory : " Delay not your conversion and put it not off
from day to day. " We see how the Church, during the
whole of this month, insists on our putting in practice
the counsels of divine Wisdom that we may secure our
eternal salvation.
CHAPTER XXXII
The Lessons of the Divine Office for the month
of September.
The LESSONS FOR THE FIRST AND SECOND WEEK IN
SEPTEMBER are taken from the BOOK OF JOB ; for the
third week from the Book of Tobias ; for the fourth from
the Book of Judith, and the fifth from that of Esther.
From all these Lessons we derive THE SAME GENERAL
439
INSTRUCTION : that we must bless and adore God, even
when He sends us trials, and that if we bear with patience
and resignation the sufferings of this life, sooner or later
they will give place to joy and gladness.
The antiphon of the Magnificat at the first Vespers
on the first and second Sundays of this month, express
the resignation and submission of holy Job when he
heard of all his misfortunes. The Church wishes by
this repetition to impress upon us how Job in all his
sorrows refrained from displeasing God by foolish and
useless murmuring against His divine will.
The LESSONS OF THE FIRST SUNDAY in SEPTEMBER
in which the TRIALS are described to which God permit
ted JOB to be subjected, teach us what the result of
temptation should be : not dejection or despondency,
but rather an increase of strength and confidence, the
fruit of humility, resignation and of loving submission.
The fear with which we are oppressed, on these occa
sions says Saint Gregory, is a salutary antidote against
pride ; but the trust which sustains our courage is an
excellent remedy against despondency. The LESSONS OF
THE SECOND SUNDAY which describe JOB S CONDUCT
UNDER AFFLICTION, teach us not to question God s will,
but to praise Him and to bless the hand which strikes us.
In the antiphon of the Magnificat for the third Sunday
we have a formula which it should be the joy of all
penitents to repeat with Tobias, that God may deign to
forget their sins which they have expiated with tears
of repentance. In the Lessons for this third SUNDAY
from TOBIAS, the Church reminds us how necessary
and how efficacious fasting is for the expiation of sin.
In the coming week occur the September Ember days.
Saint Leo urges us to practise willingly in a spirit of ex
piation and of charity this form of penance.
440
The antiphon of the Magnificat for the fourth Sunday
is, as it were, an abridgment of the prayer of Judith
at the moment when this valiant woman was about to
perform the deed which was to deliver her nation from
a terrible enemy. The LESSONS FOR THIS SUNDAY from
the BOOK OF JUDITH remind us that to conquer the ter
rible enemy of our souls, we must, like her, pray and
practise mortification.
The Church ends the week of penance by once more,
with Saint Ambrose, impressing on us the benefit of
fasting. " Fasting " says the holy doctor of the Church,
" is a sacrifice of reconciliation, a means of strength
whereby, in the might of grace (as happened to
Judith) women wax manful... Fasting is also a good
sauce for meat ; the keener the appetite the more
toothsome the food, a symbol of the joy which penance
itself causes the soul.
The LESSONS OF THE FIFTH SUNDAY are, as it were,
the crown and completion of all the preceding ones. In
the antiphon of the Magnificat at the first Vespers we
have an echo of the prayer of ESTHER, another valiant
woman of the Old Testament. This brave Jewish wo
man used her power over the heart of a pagan king to
save the religion of her fathers, and her country s ho
nour, and to do this, she did not hesitate to expose her
self to the danger of death. Thus the glory of God should
be the sole end of all our actions, the incentive of all the
sacrifices with which life is filled. May we, like Esther,
have no other helper than the God in whom we place
all our trust.
441
CHAPTER XXXIII
The Lessons of the Divine Office for the month
of October.
During the MONTH OF OCTOBER the Lessons of the
night Office are taken from the TWO BOOKS OF MA-
CHABEES, the last of the historical books of the Old Tes
tament. These Lessons teach the faithful how they
should fight the good fight when their faith is attacked,
and attempts are made to destroy the worship
of the true God. In these Books there is a description
of the SAD LOT OF ISRAEL under the domination of
Egypt at one time, of Syria at another, up to the
period when they became subject to the Romans.
Their oppressors tried to destroy the religion of the
Jews, and to set up a new worship amongst them. A
fierce resistance was organized by the valiant Matha-
thias and his sons, which lasted for more than thirty
years, and ended in the victory of Judaism. The
Church relates the history of their prolonged struggle
to her children that they may learn from it to fight
even to martyrdom against the enemies of the faith.
The antiphon of the Magnificat for this first Sunday of
October is at once an invitation and a wish. May God
dispose the hearts of His children to love His law, and
thus secure peace for themselves. This prayer is brought
out in the first Responsory of the Office. May God
grant salvation to all and deliver them from evil.
The LESSONS of the Office for THIS SUNDAY teach us
NOT TO ENTER into ANY TREATY WITH THE ENEMIES OF
442
OUR FAITH, under pretext of gaining them over but to
fight resolutely, and by our unwavering trust in God,
compel Him, so to speak, to come to our assistance.
In the past God had performed such wonders as to jus
tify this unbounded trust in Him.
In the Magnificat antiphon of the first Vespers of
the SECOND SUNDAY we praise God for His divine
intervention in the struggle. The resplendence of His
Majesty alone sufficed to bring to naught the forces of
the enemy nations. The LESSONS OF THIS SUNDAY teach
the children of God the necessity of making REPARATION
FOR FAULTS committed during divine worship if they
would obtain the victory. Judas Machabeus understood
this, and it is to his action that Saint Augustine ascribes
the purification of the temple as the best preparation
for the combat.
The antiphon of the Magnificat for the THIRD SUNDAY
of October is AN ELEGY ; it expresses the grief of Israel
at the death of Judas Machabeus, the true saviour of
the people of God. Saint Ambrose teaches us what are
the conclusions we should draw from the death of
Judas Machabeus which is read in the Lessons of the
Office for this Sunday. There are, he says, times when
death is better than any earthly victory, as when death
releases us from slavery and disgrace. Such was death
for legions of martyrs who, since the foundation of the
Church, preferred to lose their lives rather than their
faith ; so it was with those heroes whose memory is
enshrined in the Books of Machabees ; that band of
seven children who, with their mother, all weak and
helpless as she was, triumphed over Antiochus, and
formed, as it were, the brilliant vanguard of the heroes
of Christianity.
The antiphon of the Magnificat for the FOURTH SUN-
443
DAY of this month expresses a desire that in the day of
trial and suffering, GOD WOULD ASSIST THE PEOPLE.
It echoes the words with which the Jews of Jerusalem
and those of Egypt mutually encouraged one another
in their common sorrows. From it we can learn how
we may profit by adversity to draw nearer to God.
Saint John Ghrysostom teaches us how we may profit
by the Lessons of this Sunday by recalling to our remem
brance the example of the Machabees. When called upon
to defend our faith and religion before engaging in
combat we must have recourse to prayer, and then,
when the hour of conflict has come, we must enter it
courageously, but unostentatiously, humbly praying
that God for whose glory we have engaged in the con
test may assist us. Distrust of self, humility, prayer,
purity of intention : these are the dispositions which
are necessary for victory in the conflict.
The antiphon of the Magnificat for the FIFTH SUNDAY
teaches us that the RIGHT AND THE POWER OF RULING
BELONG TO GOD ALONE ; on Him all nations depend. We
must ask of Him that peace may reign amongst them.
In the Lessons for this Sunday the Church together
with the example of the seven brethren, already spoken
of, sets before us that of the holy old man, Eleazar,
faithful even unto death in his observance of the Jewish
law. The noble old man, says Saint Gregory of Na-
zianzen, appears as the precursor of all our martyrs.
Bowed down beneath the weight of years, he did not
hesitate in offering himself as a victim to serve by his
ardent zeal and courage as an example to future gene
rations. The conflicts with which this earthly life is
filled could have no happier issue, for thus terminated
they would cast us in to the bosom of God, there to
receive the victor s crown.
444
CHAPTER XXXIV
The lessons of the Divine Office for the month
of November.
During the MONTH OF NOVEMBER, the Lessons of the
night Office are taken from the PROPHECY OF EZECHIEL
for the first and second Sunday 1 ; from the Book of
Daniel for the third ; for the fourth week from the minor
prophets, Osee, Joel, Amos, Abdias and Jonas ; lastly
for the fifth week from the rest of the minor prophets,
Micheas, Nahum, Habacuc, Sophonias, Aggeus, Zacha-
rias and Malachias. On the FIRST and SECOND SUNDAY
of this month, the Church prescribes the reading of the
PROPHECY OF EZECHIEL, to inspire us with THE FEAR OF
THE JUDGMENTS OF GOD who never allows any crime,
whether that, of a nation or of an individual, to go
unpunished. She would also REVIVE OUR HOPES by
showing us that the divine punishments which were inflict
ed on the people of Israel, were as a preparation for
the work of the promised Redeemer. Ezechiel was a
prophet of the time of the Babylonian captivity, but
his mission was to pourtray in advance the stages and
the elements of the coming restoration. He describes
the majesty of the God of Israel, but he represents
Him as the liberator and the pastor of His chosen peo
ple. He foretells that the people will be delivered, but
only on condition that they humble themselves, implore
1 When it happens that November has but four Sundays, the Lessons
of the second Sunday are omitted.
445
God s assistance, confess their sins and express their
willingness to atone for them. We find these thoughts
expressed especially in the antiphon of the Magnificat
at the first Vespers of the first and second Sundays of
November. On the first Sunday there is set before us
the vision of the divine Majesty whose splendour fills
the whole earth ; on the second, we are shown the de
solation of the City for which there is no consolation
save in God. Throughout the whole month in the dif
ferent Responsories of the night Office, these same thoughts
are to be found.
On the THIRD SUNDAY the antiphon of the Magnificat
is an earnest prayer to God that He would grant us His
all-powerful assistance in the conflict. Not for one
single moment does the Church allow us to forget that
we have to fight continually here on earth against power
ful enemies. The Lessons for this third Sunday FROM
THE BOOK OF DANIEL teach us that GOD DIRECTS,
according to His divine will, ALL THE EVENTS OF HIS
TORY in such a manner as to make them serve for the
good of mankind. This teaching is addressed to the
gentiles themselves, to prepare them for the blessings
of Redemption. To this lesson, the Church adds a
commentary in which we are more than once reminded
of the advantages of fasting, as for example in the
words of Saint Athanasius : " it healeth diseases, it
subdues carnal passions, it scareth away devils, pur-
geth forth unclean thoughts, it maketh the intellect
clearer, it purifieth the heart, it sanctifieth the body,
and in the end it leadeth a man unto the throne of
God. " By enumerating these benefits, the Church, no
doubt, wishes to remind us of the early ages when in
Advent which is now drawing near, the fast was almost
as rigorously observed as in Lent. Let this instruction
- 446
at least induce us to practise certain mortifications most
salutary for our souls.
In the antiphon of the Magnificat for the FOURTH SUN
DAY we acknowledge the supreme omnipotence of God
who holds the universe in the hollow of His hand, and
we implore Him to hearken to our cry. We should never
forget how immense is the distance which separates
our nothingness from the Infinite Being ; this thought is
well suited to keep us humble and faithful in the service
of God. The Lessons for this Sunday, taken from the
MINOR PROPHETS, teach US to ADORE THE SECRET
DESIGNS OF GOD who calls to Himself all nations, accord
ing as it seems good to Him for the sanctification of His
creatures.
On the fifth Sunday the antiphon of the Magnificat
reveals to us the designs of God for His Church, both
in time and in eternity. He protects her and disposes
things in such a way, that in her at every moment, day
and night, He may be adored until the time when He
shall assemble His elect in heaven to praise Him for all
eternity. The LESSONS OF THE FIFTH SUNDAY teach us
to FEAR THE AWFUL JUDGMENTS OF GOD, and to pre
pare ourselves for them by our constant observance of
the divine Commandments and by our efforts to profit
by the graces we received in Baptism. They impress
upon us the necessity of striving earnestly to secure our
salvation, of benefiting, whilst there is yet time, by all
the graces obtained for us by the holy and spotless Vic
tim who is offered in every place, according to the con
soling prediction of the prophet Malachias.
447
CHAPTER XXXV
The last Sunday after Pentecost.
Sources of the liturgy : Sung parts, the same as on the 23rd.
Sunday. Epist, Coloss., i,9-14. Gospel, St. Matth., xxiv,
15-35.
In the middle ages, the Mass of the twenty-third Sun
day was considered as really the last of the cycle. In
the Mass we have the conversion of the Jews, set before
us as being the fulfilment in time of the divine intent
ions. The two Testaments, both old and new, of
themselves, stand aside to give place to the splendours of
the eternal alliance.
But, several centuries ago, the Church ordained that
the liturgical cycle should have a MORE STRIKING CONCLU
SION and it now ends with the prophetic description of
the LAST COMING OF OUR DIVINE LORD, which brings
time to an end and inaugurates eternity. In this way
also the Church connects the year which is now end
ing with that which is about to begin. We know,
indeed, that at the commencement of Advent, the
Church would have us meditate on the final Judgment
as described in the Gospel of Saint Luke. On the last
Sunday after Pentecost it is Saint Matthew who speaks
to us at great length of the awful coming of Jesus Christ
at the end of time.
The sentiments expressed in the prayers of the Mass
for this last Sunday are on all points suited to the season
on which we are entering. In the Collect the Church
- 448 -
implores God to guide and inspire the faithful, that
they may with greater ardour accomplish the divine
work and may obtain more abundant help. In the
Secret she prays still more earnestly that God would
receive the prayers and offerings of His people ; that
He would detach their hearts from earthly possessions,
and fill thein with the desire of heaven. In the Post-
communion she asks that through the virtue of the
Blessed Sacrament, souls may be healed of their maladies,
and that they may receive the germ of eternal life.
In the Epistle for this Sunday Saint Paul invites us
to thanksgiving and prayer : to thanksgiving because
countless times throughout the course of the liturgical
year we have received the light which triumphs over the
spirit of darkness, and by means of which we have enter
ed into the Kingdom of the children of God, and ob
tained a share in the inheritance of the saints ; to
prayer because there is no standing still in the service
of God. We must walk in a manner worthy of God ;
we must ever advance in the way of perfection ; for this,
prayer is indispensable. By the grace of God alone,
can we overcome our passions, and practise the virtues
of faith, hope, and charity, by which we shall attain sal
vation. Hence, in obedience to the injunction of Saint
Paul, religious communities are in the habit of sancti
fying this last Sunday by acts of expiation for the past,
of thanksgiving for benefits received, and by redoubling
their prayers for the future.
The Gospel for this Sunday contains a two-fold pre
diction of our Lord. The first concerns the destruction
of Jerusalem ; the second has reference to the end of
the world. It was when our Lord was about to bring
His preaching to an end that He made these two pre
dictions to His apostles. They have a manifest con-
449
nection, the one being a figure of the other, and the last
days of Jerusalem represent the end of time. The signs
referred to in the Gospel which will precede the end of the
world are of two kinds : the one material, the other
spiritual. The first shall appear in the heavens and on
earth, the sun and moon shall be darkened, the stars
in the firmament phall be shaken, the earth shall open,
and tremble to its foundations. But the most striking
signs will appear when all men shall be assembled for
Judgment. God will then send forth His angels, and
they shall sound the trumpet, at which sound all shall
rise again. The Son of God will appear in the clouds of
heaven in glory and majesty, and as the instrument of
His victory, He will hold His Cross. Then will the
Sovereign Judge decide for ever the lot of the good,
and of the wicked. Time shall have come to an end,
and eternity will begin.
EVERYONE of us mindful of the account which we
shall have to render to the Sovereign Judge, should be
filled with sentiments of fear, and strive to be detached
from a world which with its vain toils, its counterfeit
glory, its false pleasure, passes away. But at the
thought of the reward which is promised to the faithful
servant, we should ANIMATE OURSELVES TO THANKS
GIVING and PRAYER, as Saint Paul in the Epistle for this
day has already urged us to do.
THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE LITURGICAL YEAR
the Church proposes to our meditations in succession the
THREE DIVINE WORKS of the CREATION, the REDEMPTION,
and the SANCTIFICATION of man. During Advent she re
minds us of the Creation and the preparation for the com
ing of the Messias ; this was the work of God the Father.
From Christmas to the Ascension, she represents to us
the first coming of our Saviour and the Redemption of
15 The Liturgy of the Roman Missal.
450
man ; this is the work of God the Son. From Pentecost
to the end of the year, she shows us the re-establishment
of the kingdom of God in the formation and the develop
ment of the Church, and in the sanctification of each
individual man ; this is the work of the Holy Ghost
At the same time the Church, in all her prayers, would
ASSOCIATE us WITH THE WORKS OF GOD, and would have
us share in their fruit. She would have us each year
participate in the different mysteries and in the graces
attached to them. During Advent, in union with the
patriarchs and the prophets, we long for the coming of
the Redeemer. From Christmas to Pentecost we medi
tate on the joyful mysteries of the divine Infancy; on
the sorrowful mysteries of the Passion and death of
Jesus Christ ; on the glorious mysteries of His Resur
rection and Ascension. During the whole season of
Pentecost, we labour, under the influence of the Holy
Ghost, to sanctify ourselves and to prepare for the last
coming of our divine Saviour. Thus, each year, the
Feasts and the ceremonies of the Church aid us to pro
gress in virtue, and to secure our eternal salvation.
A SHORT BIOGRAPHY
OF
DOM CAMILLE LEDUC O. S. B,
On the twenty- first of March, the feast of Saint Benedict, 1819,
Desire" Camille Leduc was born at Angers, and on the same day
was baptized. Twenty-three years later, this child of pre
dilection was to enter the Order founded by the great Saint
on whose feast he was born into this world and received amongst
the children of God. At the end of his theological studies in
the great Seminary of Angers, he sought, but at first without
success, permission to enter the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de
Solesmes. A great many difficulties had to be overcome before
the day, the 8th September 1846, on which he made his final
vows as a member of the Benedictine Order. Soon after his
profession his health requiring a warmer climate, he was sent
to Italy. On Holy Saturday 1853, in the Basilica of Saint John
Lateran in Rome, Dom Leduc had the happiness of being ad
mitted to the priesthood. After nine years spent in Monte Cas-
sino where he filled the office of Master of Novices, he was for
some months Secretary to Cardinal Pitra. Illness obliged him
to return to Solesmes where he arrived on the 6th September
1867, after an absence of more than fourteen years. At So
lesmes for seventeen or eighteen years he taught Canon Law.
In 1870, Dom Leduc suffered the loss of his father who died
a most edifying death. It v/as during his father s illness that
452
he conceived the idea of establishing a society, the members of
which would devote themselves to the procuring of spiritual
aid for the sick and dying. At that time, a number of war
orphans were sheltered in Saint Eutropia s, but the accomoda-
tion for them being insufficient, they were removed elsewhere.
Regarding this as designed by Providence, Dom Leduc establish
ed in the home a small band of Franciscan nuns whom he
brought from Cholet. On February 10th 1872, Mgr. Frep-
pel formally installed the Sisters in their new home under the
name of Servantes des Pauvres. Such was the first germ of the
future Institute which later on at les Plaines de Saint-Leonard
was raised to a regular Congregation, having as its title the
Religieuses Oblates^de Saint Benoit. The new Congregation
chose as Patroness, Saint Frances of Rome.
We shall not follow Dom Leduc in his anxious care and the
labours and fatigue which he endured in the forming and the
developing of his new religious family. We shall only say
that, in this task, he imposed upon himself a heavy burthen,
being at once, Founder, Catechist, Master of Novices, Chaplain
and Director general, and all this without interrupting his
weekly lectures in Canon Law at Solesmes, nor the various
books which he wrote during this time for the benefit of his
institute, amongst them being the present work on the Li
turgy.
In 1886, he again visited Rome for the purpose of submitting,
in person, the constitutions of the new Institute for the approval
of the Pope. He left Rome on July 16 1887, with a laudatory
Brief of His Holiness, Leo XIII and the provisional appro
bation of his Constitutions.
The last years of Dom Leduc s life were filled with much
suffering. In 1888 he became blind, and in 1895 he was stricken
with paralysis. In all his sufferings he was tenderly cared for
by the Servantes des Pauvres whom he greatly edified by his
resignation, his patience, his spirit of prayer, of humility,
obedience and charity. On November 27, 1895, he gently
fell asleep in the peace of the Lord.
CONTKNTS
PREFACE 4
INTRODUCTION 34
CHAPTER I. General idea of the Liturgy. . i
II. External elements in the celebra
tion of public worship 3
_ III. Vestments and ministers required
for the celebration of Mass . . 10
IV. Liturgical prayer 15
V. - The various parts of the Mass and
of the Divine Office 17
VI. -Prayers of the Ordinary of the
Mass 25
VII. - The Liturgical Year 41
FIRST PART
Advent.
CHAPTER I. General considerations 46
II. - The first Sunday and first week
of Advent 49
III. Second Sunday of Advent. ... 52
IV. -Third Sunday of Advent .... 55
V. The Advent Ember days. ... 58
454
CHAPTER VI. - Feast of the Expectation and
Great Antiphons 62
VII. Fourth Sunday of Advent and
the Vigil of Christmas 65
SECOND PART
Christmas and the Epiphany.
CHAPTER I. General considerations : History
of Christmastide 70
II. General reflections : Mysteries of
the Christmas season 72
III. The observance
and the graces of Christmas-
tide 74
IV. The Feast of Christmas 77
V. The Christmas Octave and the
occurring Feasts 85
VI. - The Feast of the Holy Name of
Jesus 89
VII. The Feast of the Epiphany. ... 91
VIII. The Mass for the Feast of the
Epiphany 96
IX. The Sunday and week-days
within the Octave of the Epi
phany 99
X. The Octave of the Epiphany. . . 101
XI. Second Sunday after the Epi
phany 103
XII. Third and fourth Sundays after
the Epiphany 107
XIII. - Fifth and sixth Sundays after the
Epiphany 110
XIV. - Feast of the Purification of the
Blessed Virgin and the Presen
tation of Jesus in the temple. . 112
455
THIRD PART
Lent and the Paschal Season.
CHAPTER I. General considerations on the
whole of this third season of
the liturgical year 117
FIRST SECTION
Septuagesima and Lent.
CHAPTER II. General considerations on this
first section, and on Sep
tuagesima 119
III. - Septuagesima Sunday 124
IV. Sexagesima Sunday 127
V. Quinquagesima Sunday 129
VI. - The devotion of the forty Hours. i3s
VII. General considerations on the
season of Lent i33
VIII. - Ash Wednesday i36
IX. The three days between Ash
Wednesday and the liturgical
Lent 140
X. The first Sunday of Lent . ... 144
XI. - First week in Lent. Liturgy for
Monday, Tuesday and Thurs
day in this first week 148
XII. -First week of Lent. Ember
days i53
XIII. -Second Sunday of Lent i58
XIV. - Second week of Lent. Liturgy
for Monday, Tuesday and
Thursday in this week 160
XV. -Second week of Lent. Liturgy
of Wednesday, Friday and
Saturday in this second week. . 164
_ XVI. Third Sunday of Lent 168
-456-
CHAPTER XVII. -General considerations on the
scrutinies or examinations in
stituted in ancient times with
reference to the solemn admi
nistration of Baptism. ... 171
XVIII. - Third week of Lent. Liturgy for
Monday and Tuesday in this
week 176
XIX. - Wednesday in the third week of
Lent 179
XX. - Thursday in the third week of
Lent 181
XXI. - Friday in the third week of Lent . i83
XXII. -Saturday . . i85
XXIII. - Fourth Sunday of Lent 188
XXIV. -Monday and Tuesday in the
fourth week of Lent 191
XXV. - Wednesday in the fourth week
of Lent 194
XXVI. -Thursday and Friday in the
fourth week of Lent 198
XXVII. -Saturday in the fourth week of
Lent. . . 202
XXVIII. -Passiontide 205
XXIX. - Passion Sunday 208
XXX. Monday and Tuesday in Passion
week 211
XXXI. - Wednesday and Thursday in Pas
sion week 214
XXXII. Friday in Passion week. Feast
of the Seven Dolours 218
XXXIII. -Saturday in Passion week. . . . 222
XXXIV. Palm Sunday. General considera
tions and first part of the
morning Office 225
XXXV. - Palm Sunday. Second part of
the morning Office ; the Mass . 23i
457
CHAPTER XXXV J. Monday and Tuesday in Holy
Week 238
XXXVII. -- Wednesday in Holy Week. . . . 248
XXXVIII. The Office of Tenebrae 246
XXXIX. - Holy Thursday. Morning Office . 25o
XL. - Holy Thursday. Evening Office . 256
XLI. Good Friday 258
XLII. Holy Saturday 265
SECOND SECTION
The Paschal Season.
CHAPTER I. General considerations on Pas-
chaltide 276
II. Special mysteries and graces of
the Paschal Season 279
III. - The festival of Easter 281
IV. Octave of Easter Apparitions of
Jesus Christ after the Resur
rection 288
V. Monday and Tuesday in Easter
week 293
VI. - Wednesday and Thursday in
Easter week 296
VII. - Friday and Saturday in Easter
week 3oo
VIII. - Quasimodo or Low Sunday. Oc
tave of Easter 304
IX. Second Sunday after Easter. . . 307
_ X. - Feasts of Saint Joseph 3io
XI. Third Sunday after Easter . . . 3l3
XII. -FourthSunday .... 3l5
XIII. - Fifth Sunday after Easter. Ro
gation days 3i8
XIV. Feast of the Ascension. Vigil . . 322
458
CHAPTER XV.
XVI.
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
Sunday within the Octave of the
Ascension
Vigil of Pentecost
Pentecost or Whit Sunday. . . .
Octave of Pentecost. Liturgy of
Monday, Tuesday and Thurs
day within the Octave ....
Octave of Pentecost. Ember
days
CHAPTER I.
FOURTH PART
The Season after Pentecost.
General considerations. Feast of
the Blessed Trinity 3]
II.
Feast of Corpus Christi
3
III.
- Feast of the Sacred Heart. . . .
3
IV.
- First Sunday after Pentecost. . .
3.
V.
Second ...
3:
VI.
-Third . . .
3
VII.
- Fourth . . .
3i
VIII.
-Fifth . . .
31
IX.
- Sixth . . .
3(
X.
Seventh ...
3:
XI.
-Eighth . . .
3-
XII.
Ninth . . .
3;
XIII.
Tenth . . .
3*
XIV.
-T- Eleventh ...
3*
XV.
Twelfth . . .
3t
XVI.
Thirteenth . . .
3<
XVII.
Fourteenth ...
3c
XVIII.
Fifteenth . . .
4<
XIX.
-Sixteenth . . .
4<
XX.
Seventeenth ...
4C
XXI.
Ember Wednesday in September.
4<
459
CHAPTER XXII.
XXIII.
XXIV.
XXV.
XXVI.
XXVII.
XXVIII.
XXIX.
XXX.
XXXI.
XXXII.
XXXIII.
XXXIV.
XXXV.
Ember Friday in September.
Ember Saturday in September.
Eighteenth Sunday after Pente
cost
Nineteenth Sunday after Pente
cost
Twentieth Sunday after Pente
cost
410
412
415
417
420
- Twenty-first Sunday after Pen
tecost 423
- Twenty-second Sunday after Pen
tecost 427
- Twenty-third Sunday after Pen
tecost 430
The Sundays after the Epiphany
which were omitted at that
Season 484
The Lessons of the Divine Office
for the month of August. . . 486
The Lessons of the Divine Office
for the month of September . . 438
The Lessons of the Divine Office
for the month of October . . 441
The Lessons of the Divine Office
for the month of November . 444
The last Sunday after Pentecost. 447
Printed in France.
39410. Tours, Alfred Mame and Sons, printers.
LEDUC & Baudot. BQT
Liturgy of the &oman Missal. 4291
.L4 .
