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THE
LITURGICAL YEAR.
PASCHAL TIME.
, V cry^'*^^^
THE
iEtturattal ®^ar.
BY THE
V. R. DOM PROSPER GUERANGER,
ABBOT OF SOLESMES.
CransIateD from tf)e jFrencft,
BY THE
EEV. DOM LAURENCE SHEPHERD,
MONK OF THE KXOLISH-BENEDICTIKE COKOBEOATION.
PASCHAL TIME.
VOL. I. [second edition.]
DUBLIN : JAMES DUEFY, 15, WELLINGTON-QUAY;
AND
22 paternoster-row, London, 1888,
PRINTED AT
SAINT MARY'S ABBEY, STANBROOK,
WORCESTER.
PASCHAL TIME.
PEEFACE.
With this Volume we begin the Season of Easter, wherein are accomplished the Mysteries prepared for, and looked forward to, since Advent. Such are the Liturgical riches of this portion of the Christian Year, that we have found it necessary to devote three Volumes to it.
The present Volume is whoUy taken up with Easter Week. A Week is indeed a short period ; but such a Week as this, with the importance of the events it brings before us, and the grandeur of the mysteries it celebrates, is, at least, equivalent to any other section of our " Liturgical Year." We have abridged our explanations as much as possible ; and yet, having concluded Low Sunday, we find that we have exceeded two thirds of one of our ordinary Volumes. Hence, it was out of the question to add the remaining Weeks ; the
jy PREFACE.
more so, as the Saints' Feasts recommence on the Monday following the Easter Octave, and their insertion would have obliged us to have made our Volume considerably more bulky than even that of Passiontide. We have, therefore, been satisfied with giving the Mass and Office of the Annunciation, already given in our Volume for Lent, but which are needed for the Monday after Low Sunday, when Easter falls between the 22nd of March and the 2nd of April, which is frequently the case.
CONTENTS.
PAGE.
Preface, iii
PASCHAL TIME.
Chap. I. — The History of Paschal Time, . . 1 Chap. II. — The Mystery of Paschal Time, . .15
Chap. m. — Practice during Paschal Time, . . 22 Chap. TV". — Morning and Night Prayers for Paschal
Time, 29
Chap. V. — On heaiing Mass, dui-ing Paschal Time, 46 Chap. VI. — On Holy Communion, duiing Paschal
Time, 83
Chap. Vn. — Of the Office of Vespers for Sundays
and Feasts during Paschal Time, . 91
Chap. VIII. — Of the Office of CompHne, during
Paschal Time, 102
EASTEE SUNDAY .
113
|
Morning, |
. 113 |
|
The Office of Matins, |
. 125 |
|
Lauds, |
. 143 |
|
Mass, |
. 156 |
|
Afternoon, |
. 174 |
|
The Easter Vespers, |
. 178 |
|
Evening, |
. 192 |
yi CONTENTS.
PAGE.
201
Easter Monday,
^ss, ^^^
Vespers,
Easter Tuesday, ^^^
nT .... 227 Mass, 235
Vespers,
Wednesday in Easter Week, . . • .243
Mass, ^^^
Blessing of the -4^wws 2)ei, 256
Thursday in Easter Week, 266
Mass,
Friday in Easter Week, 289
■Kir .... 29o Mass,
Saturday in Easter Week, 308
Mass,
The taking off the White Garments, . . .324
Quasimodo or Low Sunday, 333
Mass, ...••*•
TT .... 346
Vespers,
The Annunciation of the Ever Blessed Virgin, 350
First Vespers, 350
■MT .... 357
Mass,
Second Vespers,
PASCHAL TIME.
CHAPTEE THE FIEST.
THE HISTORY OF PASCHAL TIME.
We give the name of Paschal Time to the period between Easter Sunday and the Saturday follow- ing Whit Sunday, It is the most sacred portion of the Liturcjical Year, and the one towards which the whole Cycle converges. We shall easily understand how this is, if we reflect upon the greatness of the Easter Feast, which is called the Fca.'nt of FcastSy and the Solemnity of Solemnities, in the same manner, says St. Gregory, ^ as the most sacred part of the Temple was called the Holy of holie>i ; and the Book of Sacred Scripture, wherein are described the espousals between Christ and the Church, is called the Canticle of canticles. It is on this day, that the mission of the Word Incarnate attains the object, towards which it has hitherto been unceasingly tend- ing : mankind is raised up from his fall, and regains what he had lost by Adam's sin.
Christmas gave us a Man- God ; three days have scarcely passed, since we witnessed his infinitely precious Blood shed for our ransom : but now, on the Day of Easter, our Jesus is no longer the Victim of death ; he is a Conqueror, that destroys Death, the
1 Homilia, xxii.
B
Z PASCHAL TIME.
child of sin, and proclaims Life, that undying life, which he has purchased for us. The humiliation of his Swathing-bands, the sufferings of his Agony and Cross, — these are past ; all is now glory, — glory for himself, and glory also for us. On the Day of Easter, Grod regains, by the Eesurrection of the Man-God, his creation such as he made it at the beginning : the only vestige now left of Death is that likeness to sin, which the Lamb of God deigned to take upon himself. Neither is it Jesus alone that returns to eternal Life ; the whole human race also has risen to Immortality together with our Jesus. Bi/ a man came Death, says the Apostle ; and hy a Man the Resurrection of the dead : and, as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive}
The anniversary of this Eesurrection is, therefore, the Great Day, the Day of Joy, the Day by excellence : the Day to which the whole year looks forward in ex- pectation, and on which its whole economy is formed. But as it is the holiest of days, since it opens to us the gate of Heaven, into which we shall enter because we have Risen together with Christ, — the Church would have us come to it well prepared by bodily mortification and by compunction of heart. It was for this, that she instituted the Fast of Lent, and that she bade us, during Septuagesima, look forward to the joy of her Easter, and be filled with sentiments suitable to the approach of so grand a solemnity. We obeyed; we have gone through the period of our preparation ; and now the Easter sun has risen upon us !
But it was not enough to solemnise the great Day when Jesus, our Light, rose from the darkness of the Tomb : there was another anniversary which claimed our grateful celebration. The Incarnate Word rose on the first day of the week, — that same day, where- on, four thousand years before, he, the Uncreated
1 1 Cor. XV. 21, 22.
HISTORY OF PASCHAL TIME. O
Word of the Father, had begun the work of the Cre- ation, by calling forth Light, and separating it from Darkness. The first day was thus ennobled by the cre- ation of Light. It received a second consecration by the Resurrection of Jesus ; and from that time forward Sunday, and not Saturday, was to be the LorcVs Day. Yes, our Resurrection in Jesus which took place on the Sunday, gave this first day a pre-eminence above the others of the week : the divine precept of the Sabbath was abrogated, together with the other ordinances of the Mosaic Law, and the Apostles in- structed the Faithful to keep holy the first Day of the week, which Grod had dignified with that twofold glory,— the Creation and the Regeneration of the world. Sunday, then, being the Day of Jesus' Resurrection, the Church chose that, in preference to every other, for 'its yearly commemoration. The Pasch of the Jews, which, in consequence of its being fixed on the fourteenth of the moon of March, (the anniversary of the going out of Egypt,) fell, by turns, on each of the days of the week. The Jewish Pasch was but a figure ; ours is the reality, and puts an end to the figure. The Church, therefore, broke this her last tie with the Synagogue ; and proclaimed her emancipa- tion, by fixing the most solemn of her Feasts on a day, which should never agree with that on which Jews keep their now unmeaning Pasch. The Apostles decreed, that the Christian Pasch should never be celebrated on the fourteenth of the Moon of March, even were that day to be a Sunday ; but that it should be everywhere kept on the Sunday following the day on which the obsolete calendar of the Synagogue still marks it.
Nevertheless, out of consideration for the many Jews, who had received Baptism, and who formed the nucleus of the early Christian Church, it was resolved, that the law, regarding the Day for keeping the new
4 PASCHAL TIME.
Pasch, should be applied prudently and gradually. Jerusalem was soon to be destroyed by the Romans, according to our Saviour's prediction ; and tbe new City, which was to rise up from its ruins, and receive the Christian colony, would also have its Church, but a Church totally free from the Jewish element, which God had so visibly rejected. In preaching the Grospel and founding Churches, even far beyond the limits of the Eoman Empire, the majority of the Apostles had not to contend with Jewish customs ; most of their converts were from among the Grentiles. Saint Peter, who, in the Council of Jerusalem, had pro- claimed the cessation of the Jewish Law, set up the standard of emancipation in the City of Eome : so that the Church, which through him, was made the Mother and Mistress of all Churches, never had any other discipline regarding the observance of Easter, than that laid down by the Apostles, — namely, the keeping it on a Sunday.
There was, however, one province of the Church, which for a long time stood out against the uni- versal practice : it was Asia Minor. The Apostle St. John, who lived for many years at Ephesus, where, indeed, he died, — had thought it prudent to tolerate, in those parts, the Jewish custom of cele- brating the Pasch, for many of the converts had been members of the Synagogue. But the Gren- tiles themselves, who, later on, formed the mass of the Faithful, were strenuous upholders of this custom, which dated from the very foundation of the Church of Asia Minor. In the course of time, however, this anomaly became a source of scandal : it savoured of Judaism, and it prevented unity of religious observance, which is always desii'able, but particularly so in what regards Lent and Easter.
Pope St. Victor wlio governed the Church from the year 193, endeavoured to put a stop to this abuse ; he thought the time had come for estab-
HISTORY OF PASCHAL TIME. O
lishing unity in so essential a point of 'Christian worship. Already, that is, in the year 160, under Pope St. Anicetus, the Apostolic See had sought, by friendly negociations, to induce the Churches of Asia Minor to conform to the universal practice ; but it was difficult to triumph over a prejudice, which rested on a tradition held sacred in that country. St Victor, however, resolved to make another attempt. He would put before them the unanimous agreement which reigned throughout the rest of the Church. Accordingly, he gave orders, that Councils should be convened in the several countries where the Gospel had been preached, and that the question of Easter should be examined. Everywhere there was perfect uni- formity of practice ; and the historian Eusebius, who lived a hundred and fifty years later, assures us, that the people of his day used to quote the decisions of the Councils of Eome, of Graul, of Achaia, of Pontus, of Palestine, and of Osrhoena in Mesopo- tamia. The Council of Ephesus, at which Polycra- tes, the Bishop of that City, presided, was the only one that opposed the Pontiff, and disregarded the practice of the universal Church.
Deeming it unwise to give further toleration to the opposition, Victor separated from communion with the Holy See the refractory Churches of Asia Minor. This severe penalty, which was not inflicted until Pome had exhausted every other means of removing the evil, excited the commiseration of several Bishops. St. Ireneus, who was then govern- ing the See of Lyons, pleaded for these Churches, which, so it seemed to him, had sinned only through a want of light ; and he obtained from the Pope, the revocation of a measure, which seemed too severe. This indulgence produced the desired effect. In the following century, St. Anatolius, Bishop of Laodicea, in his Book on the Pasch, written in 276, tells us
6 PASCHAL TIME.
that the Churches of Asia Minor had then, for some time past, conformed to the Roman practice.
About the same time, and by a strange co-inci- dence, the Churches of Syria, Cilicia, and Mesopo- tamia, gave scandal by again leaving the Christian and Apostolic observance of Easter, and returning to the Jewish rite of the fourteenth of the March Moon. This schism in the Liturgy grieved the Church ; and one of the points to which the Council of Nicsea directed its first attention, was the promulgating the universal obligation of celebrating Easter on the Sunday. The Decree was unanimously passed, and the Fathers of the Council ordained, that "all con- troversy being laid aside, the Brethren in the East should solemnise the Pasch on the same day as the Romans, the Alexandrians, and the rest of the Faith- ful."^ So important seemed this question, inasmuch as it affected the very essence of the Christian Liturgy, that St. Athanasius, assigning the reasons which had led to the calling of the Council of Nicsea, mentions these two, — the condemnation of the Arian heresy, and the establishing uniformity in the obser- vance of Easter.^
The Bishop of Alexandria was commissioned by the Council to see to the drawing up of astronomical Tables, whereby the precise day of Easter might be fixed for each future year. The reason of this choice was, because the Astronomers of Alexandria were looked upon as the most exact in their calculations. These Tables were to be sent to the Pope, and he would address letters to the several Churches, in- structing them as to the uniform celebration of the great Festival of Christendom. Thus was the unity of the Church made manifest * by the unity of the holy Liturgy ; and the Apostolic See, which is the
^ Spicilegium Soleamense. t. iv. p. 541. "^ Epist. ad Afros episcopos.
HISTORY OF PASCHAL TIME. /
foundation of the first, was likewise the source of the second. But, even previous to the Council of Nicaea, the Roman Pontiff had addressed to all the Churches, every year, a Paschal Encyclical, instructing them as to the Day on which the solemnity of the Resur- rection was to be kept. This we learn from the synodical Letter of the Fathers of the great Council held at Aries, in 314. The Letter is addressed to Pope St. Sylvester, and contains the following pas- sage : "In the first place, we beg that the observance of the Pasch of the Lord may be uniform, both as to time and day, in the whole worlds and that You would, according to the custom y address Letters to all concerning this matter." ^
This custom, however, was not kept up for any length of time, after the Council of Nicaea. The want of precision in astronomical calculations occasioned confusion in the method of fixing the Day of Easter. It is true, this great Festival was always kept on a Sunday, nor did any Church think of celebrating it on the same day as the Jews ; but, owing to there being no uniform understanding as to the exact time of the Yernal Equinox, it happened, some years, that the Feast of Easter was not kept, in all places, on the same Day. By degrees, there crept in a deviation from the rule laid down by the Council, of taking the 21st of March as the day of the Equinox. There was needed a reform in the Calendar, and no one seemed competent to bring it about. Cycles were drawn up contradictory to one another ; Rome and Alexandria had each their own system of calculation. So that, some years, Easter was not kept with that perfect uniformity which the Nicene Fathers had so strenuously laboured for : and yet, this variation was not the result of anything like party-spirit.
The West followed Rome. The Churches of
1 Concil. Gallxa:. t. i.
8
PASCHAL TIME.
Ireland and Scotland, which had been misled by faulty C(/clc8, were, at length, brought into unifor- mity. Finally, science was sufficiently advanced in the 16th century, for Pope Gregory the Thirteenth to undertake a reform of the Calendar. The Equinox had to be restored to the 21st of March as the Council of Nicaea had prescribed. The Pope effected this by publishing a Bull, dated February 24, 1581, and in which he ordered that ten days of the following year, namely from the 4th to the 15th of October, should be suppressed. He thus restored the work of Julius Caesar, who had, in his day, turned his attention to the rectification of the Year. Easter was the great object of the reform, or, as it is called, the New Style, achieved by Grregory the Thirteenth. The principles and regulations of the Nicene Council were again brought to bear on this the capital question of the Liturgical Year ; and the Roman Pontiff thus gave, to the whole world, the intimation of Easter, not for one year only, but for centuries. Heretical nations were forced to acknowledge the divine power of the Church in this solemn act, which interested both religion and society. They protested against the Calendar, as they had protested against the Rule of Faith. England and the Lutheran States of Germany preferred following, for many years, a Calendar, which was evidently at fault, rather than accept the Neiv Style, which they acknowledged to be indispensable ; but it was the work of a Pope ! ^ The only nation in Europe that keeps up the Old Style is Russia, whose antipathy to Rome obliges her to be thus ten or twelve days behind the rest of the civilised world.
All this shows us how important it was to fix the precise Day of Easter; and God has several times
1 [ Great Britain adopted the New Style, by Act of Parliament, in the year 1762, — Tii.]
HISTORY OF PASCHAL TIME. »
shown, by miracles, that the date of so sacred a Feast was not a matter of indifference, During the ages, when the confusion of the Cycles and the want of correct astronomical computations occasioned great uncertainty as to the Vernal Equinox, miraculous events more than once supplied the deficiencies of science and authority. In a Letter to St. Leo the Great, in the year 444, Paschasinus, Bishop of Lilybea^ in Sicily, relates that under the Pontificate of St. Zozimus, — Honorius being Consul for the eleventh, and Constantius for the second time, — the real day of Easter was miraculously revealed to the people of one of the Churches there. In the midst of a mountainous and thickly wooded district of the Island was a village called Meltinas. Its Church was of the poorest, but it was dear to Grod. Every year, on the Night preceding Easter Sunday, as the Priest went to the Baptistery to bless the Font, it was found to be miraculously filled with Water, for there were no human means wherewith it could be supplied. As soon as Baptism was administered, the Water disappeared of itself, and left the Font perfectly dry. In the year just mentioned, the people, misled by a wrong calculation, assembled for the ceremonies of Easter Eve. The Prophecies having been read, the Priest and his flock repaired to the Baptistery, — but the Font was empty. They waited, expecting the miraculous flowing of the Water, where- with the Catechumens were to receive the grace of regeneration : but they waited in vain, and no Baptism was administered. On the following 22nd of April, (the tenth of tlie Kalemh of May ^) the Font was found to be filled to the brim, and thereby the people understood that that was the true Easter for that Year.-
Cassiodorus writing, in the name of king Athalaric,
^ The modem Marsala. 2 g^i Leonis Opera^ Ej)ist. iii.
10 PASCHAL TIME.
to a certain Severus, relates a similar miracle, which happened every year on Easter Eve, in Lucania, near the small Island of Leucothea, at a place called Marcilianum. There was a large fountain there, whose water was so clear, that the air itself was not more transparent. It was used as the Font for the administration of Baptism on Easter Night. As soon as the Priest, standing under the rock where- with nature had canopied the fountain, began the prayers of the Blessing, the Water, as though taking part in the transports of the Easter joy, arose in the Font ; so that, if previously it was to the level of the fifth step, it was seen to rise up to the seventh, impatient, as it were, to effect those wonders of grace whereof- it was the chosen instrument. Grod would show by this, that even inanimate creatures can share, when he so wills it, in the holy gladness of the greatest of all Days.^
St. Gregory of Tours tells us of a Font, which existed even then, in a Church of Andalusia, in a place called Osen, and whereby G-od miraculously certified to his people the true Day of Easter. On the Maundy Thursday of each year, the Bishop, accompanied by the Faithful, repaired to this Church. The bed of the Font was built in the form of a cross, and was paved with mosaics. It was carefully ex- amined, to see that it was perfectly dry ; and after several prayers had been recited, every one left the Church, and the Bishop sealed the door with his seal. On Holy Saturday, the Pontiff returned, accompanied by his flock ; the seal was examined, and the door was opened. The Font was found to be filled, even above the level of the floor, and yet the water did not overflow. The Bishop pronounced the exorcisms over the miraculous Water, and poured the Chrism into it. The Catechumens were then baptised ; and
^ Cassiodorus, Voriarmn, lib. vii.epist. xxxiii.
HISTORY OF PASCHAL TTME. 11
as soon as the sacrament had been administered, the Water immediately disappeared, and no one could tell what became of it.^ Similar miracles were witnessed in several Churches in the East. John Moschus, a writer in the 7th century, speaks of a Baptismal Font in Lycia, which was thus filled every Easter Eve; but the Water remained in the Font during the whole fifty days, and suddenly disappeared after the Festival of Pentecost.^
We alluded, in our History of Passiontide^ to the decrees passed by the Christian Emperors, which forbade all Law proceedings during the fortnight of Easter, that is, from Palm Sunday to the Octave Day of the Kesurrection. St. Augustine, in a Sermon he preached on this Octave, exhorts the Faithful to ex- tend to the whole year this suspension of law-suits, disputes, and enmities, which the Civil Law inter- dicted during these fifteen days.
The Church puts upon all her children the obliga- tion of receiving Holy Communion at Easter. This precept is based upon the words of our Redeemer, who left it to his Church to determine the time of the Year, when Christians should receive the Blessed Sacrament. In the early Ages, Communion was fre- quent, and. in some places, even daily. By degrees, the fervour of the Faithful grew cold towards this august Mystery, as we gather from a decree of tlie Council of Agatha (Agde), held in 506, where it is defined, that those of the laity who shall not approach Communion at Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost, are to be considered as having ceased to be Catholics.^ This Decree of the Council of Agatha was accepted as the law of almost the entire Western Church. We find it quoted among the regulations drawn up by
^ De Gloria Martip-um^ lib. i. cap. xxiv. "^ Pratum spirituale, cap. ccxv. ■^ Concii. Agath. Canon xviii.
12 PASCHAL TIME.
Egbert, Archbishop of York, as also in the third Council of Tours. In many places, however, Com- munion was obligatory for the Sundays of Lent, and for the last three Days of Holy Week, independently of that which was to be made on the Easter Festival. It was in the year 1215, in the 4th General Council of Lateran, that the Church, seeing the ever growing indifference of her children, decreed with regret that Christians should be strictly bound to Communion only once in the Year, and that that Communion of obligation should be made at Easter. In order to show the Faithful that this is the uttermost limit of her condescension to lukewarmness, she declares, in the same Council, that he that shall presume to break this Law, may be forbidden to enter a church during life, and be deprived of christian burial after death, as he would be if he had, of his own accord, separated .himself from the exterior link of Catholic unity. ^ These regulations of a Greneral Council show how important is the duty of the Easter Communion ; but, at the same time, they make us shudder at the thought of the millions, throughout the Catholic world, who brave each year the threats of the Church, by refusing to comply with a duty, which would both bring life to their souls, and serve as a profession of their faith. And when we again reflect upon how many even of those who make their Easter Com- munion, have paid no more attention to the Lenten Penance than if there were no such obligation in existence, — we cannot help feeling sad, and we won- der within ourselves, how long God will bear with such infringments of the Christian Law?
1 Two centuries after tliis, Pope Eugenius the Fourth, in the Constitution 7)i////rt Fide, given in the year 1440, allowed this annual Communion to be made on any day between Palm Sunday and Low Sunday in(dusively. [In England, by pei'mission of the Holy See, the time for making the Easter Communion extends from Ash Wednesday to Low Sunday. — Tk.]
HISTORY OF PASCHAL TIME. 13
The fifty days between Easter and Pentecost have ever been considered by the Church as most holy. The first week, which is more expressly devoted to celebrating our Lord's Eesurrection, is kept up as one continued Feast ; but the remainder of the fifty days is also marked with special honours. To say nothing of the joy, which is the characteristic of this period of the year, and of which the Alleluia is the expression, — christian tradition has assigned to Eastertide two practices, which distinguish it from every other Season. The first is, that Fasting is not permitted duiing the entire interval : it is an exten- sion of the ancient precept of never fasting on a Sunday, and the whole of Eastertide is considered as one long Sunday. This practice, which would seem to have come down from the time of the Apostles, was accepted by the Eeligious Rules of both East and "West, even by the severest. The second consists in not kneeling at the Divine Ofiice, from Easter to Pentecost. The Eastern Churches have faithfully kept up the practice, even to this day. It was ob- served for many ages by the Western Churches also ; but now, it is little more than a remnant. The Latin Church has long since admitted genuflexions in the Mass during Easter time. The few vestiges of the ancient discipline in this regard, which still exist, are not noticed by the Faithful, inasmuch as they seldom assist at the Canonical Hours.
Eastertide, then, is like one continued Feast. It is the remark made by TertuUian, in the 3rd Century. He is reproaching those Christians who regretted having renounced, by their Baptism, the festivities of the Pagan Year ; and he thus addresses them : " If you love Feasts, you will find plenty among us *' Christians ; not merely Feasts, that last only for a *' day, but such as continue for several days together. " The Pagans keep each of their Feasts once in the " year ; but you have to keep each of yours many
14 PASCHAL TIME,
*' times over, for you have the eight days of its celebra- " tion. Put all the Feasts of the Grentiles together, " and they do not amount to our fifty days of Pente- *' cost." ^ St. Ambrose speaking on the same subject, says : " If the Jews are not satisfied with the Sabbath " of each week, but keep also one which lasts a whole " month, and another which lasts a whole year ; — how " much more ought not we to honour our Lord's " ResuiTcction ? Hence, our ancestors have taught '* us to celebrate the fifty days of Pentecost as a con- " tinuation of Easter. They are seven weeks, and the " Feast of Pentecost commences the eighth. * * * * " During these fifty days, the Church observes no " fast, as neither does she on any Sunday, for it is " the Day, on which our Lord rose : and all these '* fifty Days are like so many Sundays. "-
1 De Idololatria, cap. xiv. - In Lucaiii, lib. viii. cap. xxv.
THE MYSTERY OF PASCHAL TIME. 15
CHAPTER THE SECOND.
THE MYSTERY OF PASCHAL TIME.
Of all the Seasons of the Liturgical Year, Easter- tide is, by far, the richest in mystery. We might even say, that Easter is the summit of the Mystery of the sacred Liturgy. The Christian who is happy enough to enter, with his whole mind and heart, into the knowledge and the love of the Paschal Mystery, has reached the very centre of the supernatural life. Hence it is, that the Church uses every effort in order to effect this : what she has hitherto done, was all intended as a preparation for Easter. The holy longings of Advent, the sweet joys of Christmas, the severe truths of Septuagesima, the contrition and penance of Lent, the heart-rending sight of the Passion, — all were given us as preliminaries, as paths, to the sublime and glorious Pasch, which is now ours.
And that we might be convinced of the supreme importance of this Solemnity, God willed that the Christian Easter and Pentecost should be prepared by those of the Jewish Law : — a thousand five hundred years of typical beauty prefigured the reality : and that reality is ours !
During these days, then, we have brought before us the two great manifestations of Grod's goodness towai'ds mankind : — the Pasch of Israel, and the Christian Pasch ; the Pentecost of Sinai, and .the Pentecost of the Church. We shall have occasion to show how the ancient figures were fulfilled in the realities of the new Easter and Pentecost, and how the twilight of the Mosaic Law made way for the full day of the Gospel : but we cannot resist the feeling
16 PASCHAL TIME.
of holy reverence, at the bare thought that the Solemnities we have now to celebrate are more than three thousand years old, and that they are to be renewed every year from this till the voice of the Angel shall be heard proclaiming : Time shall he no more ! ^ The gates of Eternity will then be thrown open.
Eternity in Heaven is the true Pasch : hence, our Pasch, here on earth, is the Feast of feasts, the Solemnity of solemnities. The human race was dead ; it was the victim of that sentence, whereby it was condemned to lie mere dust in the tomb ; the gates of Life were shut against it. But see ! the Son of God rises from his grave, and takes possession of eternal Life. Nor is he the only one that is to die no more, for, as the Apostle teaches us, he is the first- born from the dead? The Church would, therefore, have us consider ourselves as having already risen with our Jesus, and as having already got possession of eternal Life. The holy Fathers bid us look on these fifty days of Easter, as the image of our eternal happiness. They are days that are devoted exclu- sively to joy ; every sort of sadness is forbidden ; and the Church cannot speak to her Divine Spouse without joining to her words that glorious cry of heaven, the AllehUa, wherewith, as the holy Liturgy says,^ the streets and squares of the heavenly Jerusa- lem resound without ceasing. We have been forbid- den the use of this joyous word dui'ing the past nine weeks ; it behoved us to die with Christ : — but now that we have risen, together with him, from the Tomb, and that we are resolved to die no more that death, which kills the soul, and caused our Redeemer to die on the Cross, we have a right to our Alleluia.
1 Apoc. X. 6. 2 Coloss. i. 18.
^ Fontificalc Itom. In JDcdicat. Ecoles.
MYSTERY OF PASCHAL TIME. 17
The Providence of Grod, who has established har- mony between the visible world and the supernatural work of grace, willed that the Eesurrection of our Lord should take place at that particular season of the Year, when even nature herself seems to rise from the grave. The meadows give forth their ver- dure, the trees resume their foliage, the birds fill the air with their songs, and the sun, the type of our Triumphant Jesus, pours out his floods of light on our earth made new by lovely Spring. At Christmas, the sun had little power, and his stay with us was short ; it harmonised with the humble birth of our Emmanuel, who came among us in the midst of night, and shrouded in swaddling clothes : but now, he is as a giant that noid his way, a)id there is no one that can hide himself from his heat} Speaking, in the Canticle, to the faithful soul, and inviting her to take her part in this new life, which he is now im- parting to every creature, our Lord himself says : Arise, my dove, and come ! Winter is now past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers have ap' peared in our land. The voice of the turtle is heard. The fig-tree hath put forth her green figs. The vines, in fiower, yield their sweet smell. Arise thou, and
come
fi
In the preceding chapter, we explained why our Saviour chose the Sunday for his Resurrection, whereby he conquered death and proclaimed Life to the world. It was on this favoured Day of the week, that he had, four thousand years previously, created the Light ; by selecting it now for the commence- ment of the New Life he graciously imparts to man, he would show tis that Easter is the renewal of the entire creation. Not only is the a)iniversary of his glorious Resurrection to be, henceforward, the greatest of days, but every Sunday throughout the year is to
» P8. xviii. 6, 7. 2 Cant. ii. 10, 13.
G
18
PASCHAL TIME.
be a sort of Easter, a holy and sacred day. The Syna- gogue, by God's command, kept holy the Saturday, or the Sabbath, and this in honour of G-od's resting after the six days of the creation ; but the Church, the Spouse, is commanded to honour the Work of her Lord. She allows the Saturday to pass, — it is the day her Jesus rested in the Sepulchre : but, now that she is illumined with the brightness of the Resurrection, she devotes to the contemplation of his "Work the first day of the week ; it is the day of Light, for on it he called forth material Light, (which was the first manifestation of life upon chaos,) and on the same, He that is the Brightness of the Father,^ and the Light of the World,^ rose from the darkness of the Tomb.
Let, then, the Week, with its Sabbath, pass by ; what we Christians want, is the Eighth Day, the Day that is beyond the measure of time, the Day of eter- nity, the Day whose Light is not intermittent or partial, but endless and unlimited. Thus speak the holy Fathers, when explaining the substitution of the Sunday for the Saturday. It was, indeed, right that man should keep, as the Day of his weekly and spiritual repose, that on which the Creator of the visible world had taken his divine Rest ; but it was a commemoration of the material Creation only. The Eternal Word comes down in the world that he had created ; he comes with the rays of his divinity clouded beneath the humble veil of our flesh ; he comes to fulfil the figures of the first Covenant. Before abrogating the Sabbath, he would observe it, as he did every tittle of the Law ; he would spend it as the Day of Rest, after the work of his Passion, in the silence of the Sepulchre : but, early on the Eighth Day, he rises to life, and the life is one of Glory. " Let us," says the learned and pious Abbot
1 Heb. i. 3. » St. John, viii. 12.
MYSTERY OF PASCHAL TIME. 19
Bupert, " leave the Jews to enjoy the ancient Sab- " bath, which is a memorial of the visible Creation. " They know not how to love or desire or merit aught ** but earthly things. * * * They would not recog- " nise this world's Creator as their King, because he " said Blessed are the Poor ! and, Wo to the Rich ! "But our Sabbath has been transferred from the " Seventh to the Eighth Day, and the Eighth is the " First. And rightly was the Seventh changed into "the Eighth, because we Christians put our joy in a " better work than the Creation of the world. * * * " Let the lovers of the world keep a Sabbath for its " Creation : but our joy is in the Salvation of the "world, for our life, yea and our Rest, is hidden " with Christ in God. "^
The mystery of the Seventh followed by an Eighth Day, as the holy one, is again brought before us by the number of weeks, which form Eastertide. These Weeks are seven ; they form a week of weeks, and their morrow is again a Sunday, the Feast of the glorious Pentecost. These mysterious numbers, — which G-od himself fixed, when he instituted the first Pentecost after the first Pasch, — were followed by the Apostles, when they regulated the Christian Easter, as we learn from St. Hilary of Poitiers, St. Isidore, Amalarius, Rabanus Maurus, and from aU the ancient interpreters of the mysteries of the holy Liturgy. " If we multiply seven by seven," says St. Hilary, " we shall find that this holy Season is truly the " Sabbath of Sabbaths ; but what completes it, and " raises it to the plenitude of the Grospel, is the Eighth " day which follows. Eighth and First both together " in itself. The Apostles have given so sacred an in- " stitution to these seven weeks, that, during them, " no one should kneel, or mar by fasting the spiritual "joy of this long Feast. The same institution has
^ De Divinis 0£iciis^ lib. vii. cap. xix.
20 PASCHAL TIME.
" been extended to each Sunday ; for this day which " follows the Saturday has become, by the application " of the progress of the Gospel, the completion of the " Saturday, and the day of feast and joy." ^
Thus, then, the whole Season of Easter is marked with the mystery expressed by each Sunday of the Year. Sunday is to us the great Day of our week, because beautified with the splendour of our Lord's Resurrection, of which the creation of material light was but a type. We have already said, that this institution was prefigured in the Old Law, although the Jewish people were not in any way aware of it. Their Pentecost fell on the fiftieth day after the Pasch ; it was the morrow of the seven weeks. Another figure of our Eastertide was the year of Jubilee, which Grod bade Moses prescribe to his people. Each fiftieth year, the houses and lands that had been alienated during the preceding forty-nine, returned to their original owners ; and those Israelites, who had been compelled, by poverty, to sell themselves as slaves, recovered their liberty. This year, which was properly called the Sabbatical year was the sequel of the preceding seven weeks of years, and was thus the image of our Eighth Day, whereon the Son of Mary, by his Resurrection, redeemed us from the slavery of the tomb, and restored us to the inheritance of our immortality.
The Rites peculiar to Eastertide, in the present discipline of the Church, are two : the unceasing repetition of the AUelida, of which we have already spoken, and the colour of the Vestments used for its two great solemnities, — ichite for the first, and red for the second. White is appropriate to the Resurrection ; it is the mystery of eternal Light, which knows neither spot nor shadow ; it is the mystery that produces in a faithful soul the sentiment of purity and joy. Pen-
' Prolog U9 in Fsalmos.
MYSTERY OF PASCHAL TIME. 21
tecost, — which gives us the Holy Spirit, the con- stoning Fire^ — is symbolised by the red vestments, which express the mystery of the Divine Paraclete coming down in the form of fiery tongues upon them that were assembled in the Cenacle. With regard to the ancient usage of not kneeling during Paschal Time, we have already said, that there is a mere vestige of it now left in the Latin Liturgy.
The Saints' Feasts, which were interrupted during Holy Week, are likewise excluded from the first eight days of Eastertide ; but these ended, we shall have them in rich abundance, as a bright constella- tion of stars round the divine Sun of Justice, our Jesus. They will accompany us in our celebration of his admirable Ascension ; but such is the grandeur of the mystery of Pentecost, that, from the Eve of that Day, they will be again interrupted until the expiration of Paschal Time.
The Eites of the primitive Church with reference to the Neophytes, who were regenerated by Baptism on the Night of Easter, are extremely interesting and instructive. But as they are peculiar to the two Octaves of Easter and Pentecost, we will explain them as they are brought before us by the Liturgy of those days.
1 Heb. xii. 29.
22 PASCHAL TIME.
CHAPTER THE THIRD.
PRACTICE DURING PASCHAL TIME.
The practice for this holy Season mainly consists in the spiritual Joy, which it should produce in every soul that is risen with Jesus. This Joy is a foretaste of eternal happiness, and the Christian ought to con- sider it a duty to keep it up within him, by ardently seeking after that Life which is in our Divine Head, and by carefully shunning sin which causes Death. During the last nine weeks, we have mourned for our sins and done penance for them ; we have followed Jesus to Calvary ; but now, our holy Mother the Church is urgent in bidding us rejoice. She herself has laid aside all sorrow ; the voice of her weeping is changed into the song of a delighted Spouse.
In order that she might impart this Joy to all her children, she has taken their weakness into account. After reminding them of the necessity of expiation, she gave them forty days wherein to do penance ; and then, taking off all the restraint of Lenten mortifica- tion, she brings us to Easter as to a land where there is nothing but gladness, light, life, joy, calm, and the sweet hope of Immortality. Thus does she produce in those of her children, who have no elevation of soul, sentiments in harmony with the great Feast, such as the most perfect feel ; and by this means, all, both fervent and tepid, unite their voices in one same hymn of praise to our Risen Jesus.
The great Liturgist of the 12th century, Rupert, Abbot of Deutz, thus speaks of the pious artifice used by the Church to infuse the spirit of Easter into all : " There are certain carnal minds, that seem unable to
PRACTICE DURING PASCHAL TIME. 23
* open their eyes to spiritual things, unless roused ' by some unusual excitement ; and for this reason, ' the Church makes use of such means. Thus, the
* Lenten Fast, which we offer up to Grod as our yearly ^ tithe, goes on till the most sacred Night of Easter ; ' then follow fifty days without so much as one single ' Fast. Hence it happens, that whilst the body is ' being mortified, and is to continue to be so till Easter
* Night, — that holy Night is eagerly looked forward ' to even by the carnal-minded ; they long for it to ^ come ; and, meanwhile, they carefully count each of ' the Forty Days, as a wearied traveller does the miles.
* Thus, the sacred Solemnity is sweet to all, and dear ' to all, and desired by all, as light is to them that ' walk in darkness, as a fount of living water is to ' them that thirst, and as a Tent which the Lord hath ^pitched for wearied wayfarers."^
What a happy time was that, when, as St. Bernard expresses it, there was not one in the whole Christian Army, that neglected his Easter duty, and when all, both just and sinners, walked together in the path of the Lenten Observances ! Alas ! those days are gone, and Easter has not the same effect on the people of our generation ! The reason is, that a love of ease and a false conscience lead so many Christians to treat the law of Lent, with as much indifference as though there were no such law existing. Hence, Easter comes upon them as a Feast, — it may be, as a great Feast ; but that is all : they experience little of that thrilling Joy which fills the heart of the Church dui'ing this Season, and which she evinces in every thing she does. And if this be their case even on the glorious Day itself, how can it be expected that they should keep up, for the whole Fifty, the spirit of Gladness, which is the very essence of Easter ? They have not observed the Fast, or the Abstinence, of
* De Divinia Officiis^ lib. vi. cap. xxyii.
24
PASCHAL TIME.
Lent : the mitigated form in which the Church now presents them to her Cliildren, in consideration of their weakness, was too severe for them ! They sought, or they took, a total dispensation from this law of Lenten mortification, and without regret or remorse. The Alleluia returns, and it finds no re- sponse in their souls : how could it ? Penance has not done its work of purification ; it has not spiritualised them ; how, then, could they follow their Bisen Jesus, whose Life is henceforth more of heaven than of earth ? But these reflections are too sad for such a Season as this : let us beseech our Risen Jesus to enlighten these souls with the rays of his victory over the world and the flesh, and to raise them up to himself. No, nothing must now distract us from Joy. Can the children of the Bridegroom mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them P Jesus is to be with us for forty days ; he is to suffer no more, and die no more ; let our feelings be in keeping with his now endless glory and bliss. True, he is to leave us, he is to ascend to the right hand of his Father ; but he wiU not leave us orphans ; he will send us the Divine Comforter, who will abide with us for ever.- These sweet and consoling words must be our Easter text : The children of the Bridegroom cannot mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with us. They are the key to the whole Liturgy of this holy Season. We must have them ever before us, and we shall find by experience, that the Joy of Easter is as salutary as the contrition and penance of Lent. Jesus on the Cross, and Jesus in the Resurrection, — it is ever the same Jesus ; but what he wants from us now, is that we should keep near him, in company with his Blessed Mother, his Disciples, and Magdalene, who are in ecstasies of delight at his Triumph, and have forgotten the sad days of his Passion.
1 St. Matth. ix. 15. 2 gt John, xiv. 16-18,
PRACTICE DURINfi PASCHAL TIME. 25
But this Easter of ours will have an end ; the bright vision of our Risen Jesus will pass away ; and all that will be left to us, will be the recollection of his ineffable glory, and of the wonderful familiarity wherewith he treated us. What shall we do, when He who was our very Life and Light, leaves us, and ascends to heaven ? Be of good heart, Christians ! you must look forward to another Easter. Each year will give you a repetition of what you now enjoy. Easter will follow Easter, and bring you, at last, to that Easter in Heaven, which is never to have an end, and of which these happy ones of earth are a mere foretaste. Nor is this all. Listen to the Church. In one of her Prayers she reveals to us the great secret, how we may perpetuate our Easters, even here in our banishment : — " Grant to thy ser- " vants, 0 Grod, that they may keep up, by their " manner of living, the Mystery they have received " by their believing I " ^ So, then, the mystery of Easter is to be ever visible on this earth : our Risen Jesus ascends to heaven ; but he leaves upon us the impress of his Resurrection, and we must retain it within us until he again visits us.
And how could it be that we should not retain this divine impress within us? Are not all the mysteries of our Divine Master ours also ? From his very first coming in the Flesh, he has made us sharers in everything he has done. He was born in Bethlehem : we were boiTi together with him. He was crucified : our old man teas crucified with hhnr He was buried : tee were buried with him} And, therefore, when he rose from the grave, we, also, re- ceived the grace that we shoidd walh in the newness of life}
Such is the teaching of the Apostle, who thus
1 Collect for Tuesday in Easter "Week. ^ Rom. vi. 6.
■'Rom. vi. 4, ^Ibid,
26 PASCHAL TIME.
continues : "We know that Christ rising again from the dead, dieth now no more; death shall no more have dominion over him : for in that he died to sin, (that is, for sin,) he died once ; hut in that he liveth, he liveth unto God} He is our Head, and we are his Members : ice share in what is his. To die again by sin, would be to renounce him, to separate our- selves from him, to forfeit that Death and Eesur- rection of his, which he mercifully willed should be ours. Let us, therefore, preserve within us that Life, which is the Life of our Jesus, and, yet, which belongs to us as our own treasure ; for he won it by conquering death, and then gave it to us, with all his other merits. You, then, who, before Easter, were Sinners, but have now returned to the Life of Grrace, — see that you die no more : let your actions bespeak your Resurrection. And you, to whom the Paschal Solemnity has brought growth in grace, show this increase of more abundant Life by your principles and your conduct. 'Tis thus all will walk in the newness of life.
With this for the present, we take leave of the lessons taught us by the Resurrection of Jesus : the rest we reserve for the humble commentary we shall have to make on the Liturgy of this holy season. We shall then see, more and more clearly, not only our duty of imitating our Divine Master's Resurrection, but the magnificence of this grandest Mystery of the Man-Grod. Easter, — with its three admirable mani- festations of divine love and power, the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the Descent of the Holy Grhost, — yes, Easter is the perfection of the work of our Re- demption. Everything, both in the order of time, and in the workings of the Liturgy, has been a pre- paration for Easter. The four thousand years that followed the promise made by God to our First
1 Rom. vi. 9, 10,
PRACTICE DURING PASCHAL TIME. 27
Parents were crowned by the event that we are now to celebrate. All that the Church has been doing for us from the very commencement of Advent had this same glorious event in view ; and now that we have come to it, our expectations are more than realised, and the power and wisdom of Grod are brought before us so vividly, that our former knowledge of them seems nothing in comparison with our present appreciation and love of them. The Angels them- selves are dazzled by the grand Mystery, as the Church tells us in one of her Easter Hymns, where she says : " The Angels gaze with wonder on the change wrought " in mankind : — it was flesh that sinned, and now " Flesh taketh all sin away, and the God that reigns " is the God made Flesh.''^
Eastertide, too, belongs to what is called the Ilhiminative Life ; nay, it is the most important part of that Lifc^ for it not only manifests, as the last four seasons of the Liturgical year have done, the humili- ations and the suiferings of the man-God ; it shows him to us in all his grand glory ; it gives us to see him expressing, in his own sacred Humanity, the highest degree of the creatiu'e's transformation into his God. The coming of the Holy Ghost will bring additional brightness to this Illumination ; it shows us the rela- tions that exist between the soul and the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity. And here we see the way and the progress of a faithful soul. She was made an adopted Child of the Heavenly Father ; she was initiated into all the duties and mysteries of her high vocation, by the lessons and examples of the Incarnate Word ; she was perfected, by the visit and indwelling of the Holy Ghost. From this there result those several Christian exercises, which produce within her an imitation of her divine Model, and prepare her for that Union, to which
^ Hymn for the Matins of Ascension Day.
2g PASCHAL TIME.
she is invited by Him who ga.e ^o fem that re- ceived him, power to be made ^"^^f ^"f' Z nf S that is not of blood, nor of the .flesh, but of
God.^
1 St. John, i. 12, 13.
MORNING AM) NIGHT PRAYERS. 29
CHAPTER THE FOURTH.
MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR PASCHAL TIME.
During Paschal Time, the Christian, on waking in the morning, will unite himself with the Church, who, in her Office of Matins, says to us these solemn words, which choirs of religious men and women, throughout the universe, have been chanting during the deep silence of the night : —
The Lord hath truly lisen. Surrexit Dominus vere. Alleluia. Alleluia.
He will profoundly adore the Son of God rising from the Tomb, and surrounded with the dazzling rays of his grand triumph. He will hail him with delighted joy, as being the divine Son of Justice, who rises on the world that he may rescue it from the darkness of sin, and illumine it with the light of grace. It is with these ideas deeply impressed upon his mind, that he must perform his first acts of re- ligion, both interior and exterior, wherewith he begins the day. The time for Morning Prayer being come, he may use the following method, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church : —
morning PRAYERS.
First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy Trinity :
1( . Tjet us bless the Father, ^ . Benedicamus Patrem and the Son, and the Holy et Filium, cum Sancto Spi- G-hofet. ritu.
30 PASCHAL TIME.
^. Wemus et supev- J-^ ^^ Z.':t i^r^t exaltemus eum in ssBcula extol ti™ ^"°^ ^^^ p^tt^er,
et^SpiStJr-^'""' Jlto&,andtot.eHoI.
et nunc et semper, etrns^,- --g;^Sd wUiouren" Amen, cula sseculorum. Amen. oe, wui^vi
TheB, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ :
* In resurrectione tua, ^ In thy Eesurrection, 0
Christe, alleluia. ^^r*'Lt heaven and earth
S. Cceliet terra tetentur, &:^^Let W
alleluia. •"
Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost :
Veni, Sanote Spirrtn^^e- ^.^ome 0 Hdy^Jjnrit, fiU
^^rrr^if eif tTm gj^f '^"'^"^ ^^ ^^^ accende. ^
After these fundamental acts of religion recite the
M\''"^cLst St^heta iiM^^^^^^^^ L?e\'preXth^ii- of his divine Son, who ias won for himself all power, i^ heaven and on
^4- \ ^'^ ^^0?' a^tthatT: ?othsafe't?S bv Ms Eesurrection ; ana tnai ue """I., i^^^no-ht
liver us from evil, that is, irom m , f
?r:''.i-"' r-s:i^s,:* ;f.»""
tr".iS viotorj both for him..ll md te »■
THE lord's prayer.
Hnv TTn+Viftr who art in hea- Pater noster, qui es m Our lather w ^^^^ ^
?:-':-:Srre^nTm £^5t'eS,-ah[is'S
MORNING PRAYERS. 31
daily bread; and forgive us nem nostrum quotidianum
our trespasses, as we forgive da nobis bodie : et dimitte
them that trespass against us ; nobis debita nostra, sicut et
and lead us not into tempta- nos dimittimus debitoribus
tion ; but deliver us from evil, nostris : et ne nos inducas
Amen. in tentationem : sed libera
nos a malo. Amen.
Then, address our Blessed Lady, using the words of the Angelical Salutation. Congratulate her on the happiness, which her maternal heart must have felt, when she saw her Jesus after his Resurrection. How must she not have exulted at the sight of her Son, all radiant with the splendour of his triumph ! Her joy was the greater, because the Agony and cruel Death of this dear Fruit of her icomh had pierced her soul with a sword of sorrow.
THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION.
Hail Mary, full of grace : Ave Maria, gratia plena :
the Lord is with thee ; blessed Dominus tecum : benedicta
art ^thou among women, and tu in mulieribus, et bene-
blessed is the fruit of thy dictus fructus ventris tui,
womb, Jesus. Jesus.
Holy Marj^ Mother of God, San eta Maria, Mater Dei,
pray for us sinners, now and ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
at the hour of our death, nunc et in hora mortis nos-
Amen. trae. Amen.
After this, you should recite the Creeds that is, the Symbol of faith. It contains the dogmas we are to believe ; and amongst these are the Resurrection of Christ, — which is the foundation of the Christian religion, — and the Ascension, which raises up our thoughts and hopes to heaven. You should dwell, with devout attention, on those words : / hcUeve in the Holy Ghod, for it was during this season that the Spirit of love came down upon the earth in order to sanctify us. Repeat, with enthusiasm, the words, / be lie re the Iloh/ CathoUe Chureh^ because this our Mother was installed in her glorious ministry by our
32
PASCHAL TIME.
Saviour, before his Ascension, and was made fruitful by the Holy Grhost's descending upon her. Finally, put on all the ardour of your Faith when you pro- nounce the words, I believe the resurrection of the body ; it will be a homage most pleasing to our Redeemer, who vouchsafed to communicate to our poor flesh the reality and glory of his own Resur- rection.
THE apostles' CREED.
Credo in Deum Patrem omnipotentem, Creatorem coeli et terrae. Et in Jesum Christum Filium ejus uni- cum, Dominum nostrum : qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Vir- gine, passus sub Pontio Pi- lato, crucifixus, mortuus, et sepultus : descendit ad in- feros, tertia die resurrexit a mortuis : ascendit ad coelos, sedet ad dexteram Dei Pa- tris omnipotentis : inde ven- turus est judicare vivos et mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanc- tum, sanctam Ecclesiam Ca- tholicam. Sanctorum com- munionem, remissionem peccatorum, camis resur- rectionem, vitam seternam. Amen.
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary ; suffered under Pon- tius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried ; he descended into hell, the third day he arose again from the dead; Jie as- cended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty ; from thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy GJiost ; tlte Holy Catholic Church ; the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resur- rection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
After having thus made the profession of your Faith, give praise to your divine Lord, who, early on the Sunday morning, rose from the Tomb by his own power. He, hereby, invited all men to share in the Easter joy, and, from the very midst of Death, enriched them with life. With this before you, recite the following Hymn, given you by the Church in her Office of Lauds during Paschal Time.
MORNING PRAYERS.
33
HYMN.
Day-dawn gilds the hea- vens ; — the air re-echoes with our hymns, the world is tri- umphant and glad, and hell howls with fear and rage.
This is the hour when our most mighty King freed from the deep prison of death the venerable host of the fathers, and led them to the light of life.
A numerous body of soldiers keep watch at the Tomb ; a stone is rolled against it, and all is sealed. But Jesus tri- umphs over death, and buries it in his own Grave.
A bright Angel cries out ; " Away with mourning, tears, and grief I The conqueror of death is risen I"
That thou, 0 Jesus, mayest be an endless Paschal joy to our hearts, free us, who have been regenerated unto life, from the dread death of sin.
OrloTj be to God the Father, and to the Son who rose from the dead, and to the Paraclete, for everlasting ages. Amen.
Aurora caelum purpurat, jEther resultat laudibus, Mundus triumphans j ubilat, Horrens avernus infremit.
Eex nie dum fortissimus De mortis inferno specu Patrum senatum liberum Educit ad vitae jubar.
Cu j us sepulchrum plurimo Custode signabat lapis, Victor triumphat, et suo Mortem sepulchre funerat.
Sat funeri, sat lachrymis, Sat est datum doloribus : Surrexit exstinctor necis, Clamat coruscans Angelus.
Ut sis perenne mentibus Paschale, Jesu, gaudium, A morte dira criminum Vitae renatos libera.
Deo^Patri sit gloria, Et Filio, qui a mortuis Sui'rexit, ac ParacHto, In sempiterna saecula.
Amen.
Here make an bumble confession of your sins, reciting tbe general formula made use of by the Church.
THE CONFESSION OF SINS.
I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mar}' ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Arch- angel, to blessed John Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and
Confiteor Deo Omnipo- tenti, beatoe Mariae semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptist®, Sanctis Apostolis
34
PASCHAL TIME.
Petro et Paulo, et omnibus Sanctis, quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, et opere : mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Vii'- ginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joan- nem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Pau- lum, et omnes sanctos, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
Misereatur nostri omni- potens Deus, et dimissis peccatis nostris, perducat nos ad vitam seternam. Amen.
Indulgentiam, absolutio- nem, et remissionem pecca- torum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et miseri- cors Dominus. Amen.
Paul, and to all the saints, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed ; through my fault, through my fault, through my most griev- ous fault. Therefore I beseech the blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, to pray to our Lord God for me.
May Almighty God have mercy on us, and, our sins being forgiven, bring us to Life everlasting. Amen.
May the Almighty and mer- ciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins. Amen.
This is the proper place for making your Medi- tation, as no doubt you practise this holy exercise. During Paschal Time, the following should form the leading subjects of our Meditations : — The power and glory of the Man-God in his Eesurrection ; the love he has shown us by giving us to share in his victory over death ; the apparitions wherewith he consoled his Blessed Mother, Magdalene and the other holy women, the Apostles and Disciples ; the forty days he passed on earth, previous to his Ascension ; the glorious qualities of his Body after his Resurrec- tion ; our own Resurrection ; the magnificence of the Ascension ; the Descent of the Holy Ghost, and the preparation we should make for it ; and lastly, the obligation we are under of walking in that new life which Easter brings with it, and which is the abso- lutely necessary means of our benefiting by the sublime Mysteries now brought before us,
MORNING PRATERS.
35
The next part of your Morning Exercise must be the asking of God, by the following prayers, grace to avoid every kind of sin. Say, then, with the Church, whose Prayers must ever be preferred to all others :
y. 0 Lord, hear my prayer. f. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam. Bt. And let my cry come 5^. Et clamor meus ad te unto thee. veniat.
LET us PRAY.
Almighty Lord and God, who hast brought us to the be- ginning of this day, let thy powerful grace so conduct us through it, that we may not fall into any sin, but that all our thoughts, words, and ac- tions may be regulated accord- ing to the rules of thy heavenly justice, and tend to the ob- servance of thy holy law. Through Jesus Chiist our Lord. Amen.
OREMUS.
Domine, Deus omnipo- tens, qui ad principium hu- jus diei nos pervenire fe- cisti, tua nos hodie salva virtute, ut in hac die ad nullum declinemus pecca- tum, sed semper ad tuam justitiam faciendam nostra procedant eloquia, dirigan- tur cogitationes et opera. Per Dominum nostrum Je- sum Christum filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia saecula sseculorum. Amen.
Then beg the divine assistance for the actions of the day, that you may do them well, and say thrice :
?^. Inchne unto my aid, O God.
Bt. 0 Lord, make haste to help me.
f. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
Bt. 0 Lord, make haste to help me.
^. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
Bt. O Lord, make haste to help me.
f. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende.
Bt. Domino, ad adjuvan- dum me festina.
f. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende.
Bi. Domine, ad adjuvan- dum me festina.
>". Deus, in adjutorium meum intende.
Bt. Domine, ad adjuvaa-r dum me festina.
36
PASCHAL TIME.
OREMUS.
Dirigere et sanctificare, regere et gubernare dignare, Domine Deus, Eex coeli et terrae, hodie corda et corpora nostra, sensus sermones, et actus nostros in lege tua, et in operibus mandatorum tuorum, ut hie et in aeter- nnm, te auxiliante, salvi et liberi esse mereamur, Salva- tor mundi. Qui vivis et re- gnas in ssecula sseculorum. Amen.
LET us PRAY.
Lord God, and King of heaven and earth, vouchsafe this day to rule and sanctify, to direct and govern our souls and bodies, our senses, words, and actions in conformity to thy law, and strict obedience to thy commands ; that by the help of thy grace, 0 Savi- our of the world I we may be fenced and freed from all evils. Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.
During the day, you will do well to use the in- structions and prayers which you will find in this volume, for each day of the Season, both for the Proper of the Time, and the Proper of the Saints. In the Evening, you may use the following Prayers.
NIGHT PEAYEES.
After having made the sign of the Cross, adore that Sovereign Lord, who has so mercifully preserved you during this day, and blessed you, every hour, with his grace and protection. For this end, recite the following Hymn, which the Church sings in her Vespers for Paschal Time.
HYMN.
Ad regias Agni dapes, Stolis amicti candidis, Post transitum maiis Rubri, Christo canamus principi.
Divina cujus charitas Sacrum propinat sangui -
nem, Almique membra corporis Amor sftcerdos immolat,
Having passed the red sea, and now seated at the royal banquet of the Lamb, clad in our white robes, — let us sing a hymn to Christ our King.
He, in his divine love for us, gives us to drink of his precious Blood. Love is the Priest that immolates his sacred Body,
NIGHT PRAYERS.
37
The destroying Angel looks with awe upon the Blood that is sprinkled on the thresholds. The sea divides its waters, and buries our enemies in its waves.
Christ is now our Pasch ; he is our Paschal Lamb ; he is the unleavened Bread of sin- cerity, pure food for pure souls.
0 truly heavenly Victim ! by whom hell was vanquished, the fetters of death were broken, and life was awarded to mankind.
Christ, our Conqueror, un- folds his banner, for he has subdued the powers of hell. He opens heaven to man, and leads captive the prince of darkness.
That thou, 0 Jesus, mayest be an endless Paschal joy to our hearts, free us, who have been regenerated unto life, from the dread death of sin.
Glory be to God the Father, and to the Son who rose from the dead, and to the Paraclete, for everlasting ages.
Amen.
Sparsum cruorem posti- bus Vastator horret Angelus ; Fugitque divisum mare, Merguntur hostes fluctibus.
Jam Pascha nostrum Christus est, Paschalis idem victima, Et pura puris mentibus Sinceritatis azyma.
0 vera coeli victima, Subjecta cui sunt tartara, Soluta mortis vincula, Eecepta vitae prsemia.
Victor subactis in fens Trophaea Christus explicat, Cceloque aperto, subditum Regem tenebrarum trahit.
Ut sis perenne mentibus Paschale, Jesu, gaudium, A morte dira criminum Vitae renatos libera.
Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio, qui a mortuis Surrexit, ac Paraclito, In sempiterna ssecula. Amen.
After this Hymn, say the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Apostles^ Creed, as in the Morning.
Then make the Examination of Conscience, going over in your mind all the faults committed during the day. Think, how opposed sin is to that new life, which we ought now to be leading with our Risen Lord : make a firm resolution to avoid sin for the time to come, to do penance for it, and to shun the occasions which might again lead you into it.
38 PASCHAL^TIME.
The Examination of Conscience concluded, recite the Confiteor (or I confess) with heartfelt contrition, and give expression to your sorrow by the follow- ing Act, which we have taken from, the Venerable Cardinal Bellarmine's Catechism :
ACT OF CONTRITION.
0 my God, I am exceedingly grieved for having offended thee, and with my whole heart I repent for the sins I have committed : I hate and abhor them above every other evil, not only because, by so sinning, I have lost Heaven and deserve Hell, but still more because I have offended thee, O infinite Goodness, who art worthy to be loved above all things. I most firmly resolve, by the assistance of thy grace, never more to offend thee for the time to come, and to avoid those occasions which might lead me into sin.
You may then add the Acts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, to the recitation of which Pope Benedict the Fourteenth has granted an indulgence of seven years and seven quarantines for each time.
ACT OF FAITH.
0 my God, I firmly believe whatsoever the Holy Catholic Apostolic Eoman Church requires me to believe : I believe it, because thou hast revealed it to her, thou who art the very Truth.
ACT OF HOPE.
0 my God, knowing thy Almighty power, and thy infinite goodness and mercy, I hope in thee that, by the merits of the Passion and Death of our Saviour Jesus Christ, thou wilt grant me eternal life, which thou hast promised to all such as shall do the works of a good Christian ; and these I resolve to do, with the help of thy grace.
ACT OF CHARITY.
0 my God, I love thee with my whole heart and above all things, because thou art the sovereign Good : I would rather
NIGHT PRAYERS.
39
lose all tilings than offend thee. For thy love also, I love and desire to love my neighbour as myself.
Then say to our Blessed Lady the following An- them, which the Church uses during Paschal Time :
ANTHEM TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.
Eejoice, 0 Queen of heaven, alleluia,
Por he whom thou deservedst to bear, alleluia,
Hath risen, as he said, alle- luia.
Pray to God for us, alleluia.
f. Rejoice and be glad, 0 Virgin Mary, alleluia.
Bt. For the Lord hath truly risen, alleluia.
Regina coeli, Isetare, alle- luia.
Quia quem meruisti por- tare, alleluia,
Eesurrexit sicut dixit, alle- luia.
Ora pro nobis Deum, alle- luia. }lf. Gaudo et laetare, Virgo
Maria, alleluia, gt. Quia surrexit Dominus
vere, alleluia.
LET TJS PRAY.
0 God, who, by the Resur- rection of Jesus Christ thy Son, didst vouchsafe to make the world rejoice, grant, we beseech thee, that, by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may receive the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
OREMUS.
Deus, qui per Resurrec- tionem Filii tui Domini nos- tri Jesu Christi, mundum Isetificare dignatus es : prae- sta quaesumus, ut per ejus Genitricem Virginem Ma- riam, perpetuae capiamus gaudia vitae. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nos- trum. Amen.
You would do well to add the Litany of our Lady. An indulgence of three hundred days, for each time it is recited, has been granted by the Church.
THE LITANY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Kyrie, eleison. Christe, eleison. Xyrie, eleison.
40
PASCHAL TIME.
Cliriste, audi nos.
Christe, exaudi nos.
Pater de coelis, Deus, mise- rere nobis.
Fili, Eedemptor mundi, Deus, miserere nobis.
Spiritus Sancte, Deus, mise- rere nobis.
Sancta Trinitas, unus Deus, miserere nobis.
Sancta Maria, ora pro nobis.
Sancta Dei Genitrix, ora, etc.
Sancta Virgo Virginum,
Mater Cbristi,
Mater divinae gratise.
Mater purissima,
Mater castissima,
Mater inviolata,
Mater intemerata,
Mater amabilis,
Mater admirabilis,
Mater Creatoris,
Mater Salvatoris,
Virgo prudentissima,
Virgo veneranda,
Virgo praedicanda,
Virgo potens,
Virgo Clemens,
Virgo fidelis,
Speculum justitise,
Sedes sapientise,
Causa nostrse Isetitise,
Vas spirituale,
Vas honorabile,
Vas insigne devotionis,
Rosa mystica,
Turris Davidica,
Turris eburnea,
Domus aurea,
Foederis area,
Janua coeli,
Stella matutina,
Salus infirmorum,
Refugium peccatorum,
Consolatrix afflictorum.
Christ hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of
the world, haye mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, have
mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have
mercy on us. Holy Mary, pray for us. Holy Mother of God, pray,
etc. Holy Virgin of virgins, Mother of Christ, Mother of divine grace, Mother most pure. Mother most chaste. Mother inviolate, Mother undefiled, Mother most amiable. Mother most admirable. Mother of our Creator, Mother of our Redeemer, Virgin most prudent. Virgin most venerable. Virgin most renowned. Virgin most powerful, Vii'gin most merciful, Vii'gin most faithful, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom. Cause of our joy, Spiiitual vessel. Vessel of honour. Vessel of singular devotion. Mystical Rose, Tower of David, Tower of ivory, House of gold, Ark of the covenant, Gate of heaven. Morning Star, Health of the weak. Refuge of sinners, Comforter of the afflicted.
ASSUMPTION COI.LFGE SCHOLAR I ICS' LIBRARY
NIGHT PRAYERS.
41
Help of Christians,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Virgins,
Queen of all Saints,
Queen conceived without ori- ginal sin.
Queen of the most holy Rosary.
0 Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare us, 0 Lord.
0 Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
0 Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciouslj' hear us. T. Pray for us, 0 Holy
Mother of God.
gt. That we may be made
worthy of the promises of
Christ.
LET US PRAY.
Grant, 0 Lord, we beseech thee, that we thy sei'vants may enjoy constant health of body and mind, and by the glorious intercession of Blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, be de- livered from all present afflic- tion, and come to that joy which is eternal. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Auxilium Christianorum, Eegina Angelorum, Regina Patriarcharum, Eegina Prophetarum, Eegina Apostolorum, Eegina Marty rum, Eegina Confessorum, Eegina Vii'ginum, Eegina Sanctorum omnium, Eegina sine labe original!
concepta, Eegina sacratissimi Eosarii. Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec-
cata mundi, parce nobis,
Domine. Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec-
cata mundi, exaudi nos,
Domine, Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec-
cata mundi, miserere no- bis. Christe, audi nos. Christe, exaudi nos.
^. Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genitrix.
Bt. Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.
OREMTJS.
Concede nos famulos tuos, qusesumus Domine Deus, perpetua mentis et corporis sanitate gaudere : et gloriosa beatae Marise, semper Vir- ginis, intercessione, a prae- senti liberari tristitia, et aeterna perfrui Isetitia. Per Christum Dominum nos- trum. Amen.
Here invoke the Holy Angels, whose protection is, indeed, always so much needed by us, but never so much as during the hours of night. Say with the Church :
42 PASCHAL TIME.
Sancti Angeli, custodes Holy Angels, our loving
nostri, defeudite nos in prse- Guardians, defend us in the
lio, ut non pereamus in tre- hour of battle, that we may
mendo judicio. not be lost at the dreadful
judgment.
y. Angelis suis Deus f. God hath given his
mandavit de te. Angels charge of thee.
gt. Ut custodiant te in §:. That they may guard
omnibus viis tuis. thee in all thy ways.
OEEMTJS. LET TJS PRAY.
DevLS, qui ineffabili provi- 0 God, who in thy wonder-
dentia sanctos Angelos tuos ful providence hast been
ad nostram custodiam mit- pleased to appoint thy holy
tere dignaris : largire suppli- Angels for our guardians :
cibus tuis, ut eorum semper mercifully hear our prayers,
protectione defendi, et aeter- and grant we may rest secure
na societate gaudere. Per under their protection, and en-
Christum Dominum nos- joy their fellowship in heaven
trum. Amen. for ever. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Then beg the assistance of the Saints by the following antiphon and prayer of the Church :
Ant. Sancti Dei omnes, Axt. All ye Saints of God, intercedere dignemini pro vouchsafe to intercede for us nostra omniumque salute. and for all men, that we may
be saved.
And here you may add a special mention of the Saints to whom you bear a particular devotion, either as your Patrons or otherwise ; as also of those whose feast is kept in the Church that day, or at least who have been commemorated in the Divine Office.
This done, remember the necessities of the Church Suffering, and beg of God that he will give to the souls in Purgatory a place of refreshment, light, and peace. For this intention recite the usual prayers.
PSALM 129.
De profundis clamavi ad From the depths I have te, Domino: Domine,exaudi cried to thee, O Lord ; Lord, vocem meam. hear my voice.
NIGHT PRAYERS.
43
Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplica- tion.
If thou wilt observe iniqui- ties, O Lord, Lord, who shall endure it ?
For with thee there is mer- ciful forgiveness ; and by rea- son of thy law I have waited for thee, O Lord.
My soul hath reHed on his word ; my soul hath hoped in the Lord.
From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
13ecause Tvdth the Lord there is mercy, and with him plenti- ful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Eternal rest give to them, O Lord.
And let perpetual Ught shine upon them.
y. From the gate of hell.
Bi. Deliver their souls, 0 Lord.
'^. May they rest in peace.
gt. Amen.
f. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
gt. And let my cry come unto thee.
Fiant aures tu3e intenden- tes : in vocem deprecationis meae.
Si iniquitates observave- ris, Domine : Domine, quis sustinebit ?
Quia apud te propitiatio est : et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine.
Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus : speravit anima mea in Domino.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem : speret Israel in Domino.
Quia apud Dominum mi- sericordia : et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
Et ipse redimet Israel ; ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
Eequiem seternam dona eis, Domine.
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
y. A porta inferi.
Bt. Erue, Domine, animas eorum.
f. Requiescant in pace.
gt. Amen.
F' Domine, exaudi ora- tionem meam.
Bt. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
LET us PRAY.
0 God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful, give to the souls of thy ser- vants departed the remission of their sins : that through the help of pious supplications, they may obtain the pardon they have always desired. Who livest and rcignest for ever and ever. Amen.
OREMUS.
Fideliiun Deus omnium Conditor et Redemptor, ani- mabus famulorum famula- rumque tuarum, remissio- nem cunctorum tribue pec- catoi-um : ut indulgentiam, quam semper optaverunt, piis supplicationibus conse- quantur. Qui vivis et regnas iusaeculasaeculorum. Amen.
44
PASCHAL TIME.
Here make a special memento of such of the Faithful departed as have a particular claim upon your charity ; after which, ask of Grod to give you his assistance, whereby you may pass the night free from danger. Say then, still keeping to the words of the Church ;
Ant. Salva nos, Domine, vigilantes, custodi nos dor- mientes : ut vigilemus cum Christo, et requiescamus in pace.
^ . Dignare Domine, noc- te ista.
gt. Sine peccato nos cus- todire.
f. Miserere nostri, Do- mine.
Bt. Miserere nostri.
y. Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos.
gt. Quemadmodum spe- ravimus in te.
1^. Domine, exaudi ora- tionem meam.
^. Et clamor meus ad te veniat.
Ant. Save us, 0 Lord, whilst awake, and watch us as we sleep ; that we may watch with Christ, and rest in peace.
f. Vouchsafe, 0 Lord, this night.
gt. To keep us without sin.
N'. Have mercy on us, O Lord.
Bt. Have mercy on us.
y . Let thy mercy , 0 Lord, be upon us.
gt. As we have hoped in thee.
f. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
gt. And let my cry come unto thee.
OREMUS.
LET us PRAY.
Visita, qusesumus, Domi- ne, habitationem istam, et omnes insidias inimici ab ea longe repelle : Angeli tui sancti habitent in ea, qui nos in pace custodiant, et bene- dictio tua sit super nos sem- per. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat, in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia sae- cula saeculorum. Amen.
Visit, we beseech thee, 0 Lord, this house and family, and drive far from it all snares of the enemy ; let thy holy Angels dwell herein, who may keep us in peace, and may thy blessing be always upon us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, thy Son, who liveth and rei^neth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Ameu.
NIGHT PRAYERS. 45
And that you may end the day with sentiments suitable to the joyous season, repeat, with the Church, these beautiful words of the two Disciples of Emmaus :
'^. Stay with us, 0 Lord, al- y. Mane nobiscum, Do-
leiuia. mine, alleluia.
^. For it is now evening, ^. Quoniam advespera-
alleluia. scit, alleluia.
46 PASCHAL TIME.
GHAPTEH THE FIFTH.
ON HEARING MASS DURING PASCHAL TIME.
When we assisted at the Holy Sacrifice during Passiontide, our attention was fixed on the real im- molation of the Lamb ; we looked upon the Altar as a new Calvary ; and our devotion was centred upon the divine Victim slain for our ransom. Dur- ing Eastertide, the Lamb presents himself to us in another aspect ; he is living, he is resplendent with glory, he is the Conqueror. He still deigns to be immolated ; but it is that he may invite us to a joyous banquet, — the banquet of the Pasch, — wherein he gives us to eat of his Flesh. In her chants during the Mass, the Church is untiring in her Alleluia; she affec- tionately kisses the Wounds of her Jesus, which now dart forth rays of dazzling brightness. Her Altar is the throne of the Risen Grod ; she approaches it without fear, for the divine Conqueror of death, though so resplen- dent in his glory, is more loving and affable than ever. Another source of joy to the Church, when at the holy Altar, is the sight of her children partaking of the banquet of the Paschal Lamb. Each Church is now a Cenacle, where Jesus celebrates the Pasch with his Disciples. The holy Table is no longer the feast of a chosen few ; the guests come in in crowds, and the House is filled. Now is the great figure of the Old Law changed into a reality. " At this Table of " the great King, the new Pasch of the New Law " puts an end to the ancient Passover. The new " excludes the old ; reality puts the shadow to flight ; *' light expels night." ^ We are the children of the
^ Sequence for the Feast of Corpus Chi'isti,
MASS. ^i
promise ; we have not denied Christ, as did the Jews ; but we acknowledged him to be our King, whilst his faithless people were dragging him to execution. He, in return, has invited us to his Pasch, and there he is our host and our food.
During Eastertide, then, the Holy Sacrifice puts these two spectacles before us in a most special way : — a Victim, who is risen from the dead, and yet is still immolated in a real though unbloody manner ; and a Table prepared for the eating of the Lamb, which is, indeed, offered, during the whole yea)\ to the Faith- ful for the life of their souls, but which is now fre- quented by all. At this Table is likewise fulfilled the prophetic symbol of the ancient Paschal Lamb. For fifteen hundred years, it was the figurative Lamb ; the true Lamb has now reigned eighteen hundred : and this is the Lamb, whom the Holy Mass repro- duces in all the efficacy of his Sacrifice and in all the magnificence of his glory.
We ought, therefore, during Paschal Time, to assist at Holy Mass with these great truths present before our minds ; and whilst thinking of the beauty of the ancient types, we should be most grateful to our Heavenly Father for his having given us to live under the reign of the new Pasch. Let us be present at this great act of the Christian Religion with extreme joy of soul, for it is here that we have, in all his reality, the same Jesus that rose again from the dead, to die no more. Let us unite with his holy Mother Mary, with Magdalene, and with his Disciples, in the sentiments tlictj had. They had the immense happiness of seeing and conversing with him for forty days after his ResuiTection : he shows himself to us, also, in this august Sacrifice. Let us give him our adoration and love, and with all possible fer- vour.
We will now endeavour to embody these senti*
48 PASCHAL TIME.
ments in our explanation of the Mysteries of the Holy- Mass, and initiate the Faithful into these divine secrets ; not, indeed, by indiscreetly presuming to translate the sacred formulae, but by suggesting such Acts, as will enable those who hear Mass, to enter into the ceremonies and spirit of the Church and the Priest.
During a considerable portion of Paschal Time, the Mass is celebrated in commemoration of the great Mysteries which were accomplished at this season of the Liturgical Year : the prayers used by the Church, on these several Feasts, are given in their proper places. On other days, the Holy Sacrifice is generally said in honour of the Saints, unless there occur a Sunday, not impeded by a Double Feast.
On the Sundays, if the Mass, at which the Faithful assist, be the Parochial, or, as it is often called, the Public Mass, two solemn rites precede it, and they are full of instruction and blessing : — the Asperges, or sprinkling of the Holy Water, and the Pro- cession.
During the Asperges, let us recal to our minds the Baptism received on Easter Eve by the Neophytes. Let us also think of our own, whereby we were made members of Christ. The water that thus regene- rated us was made fruitful by the Blood of the Lamb and by the power of the Holy Grhost.
ANTIPHON OF THE ASPERGES.
Vidi aquam egredientem, I saw water flowing from
de templo a latere dextro, the right side of the temple,
alleluia : et omnes, ad quos alleluia : and all to whom that
pervenit aqua ista, salvi water came were saved, and
facti sunt et dicent : Alle- they shall say : Alleluia, luia, alleluia.
Ps. Confitemini Domino, Ps. Praise the Lord, be-
quoniam bonus : quoniam in cause he is good ; because his
sseculum misericordia ejus. mercy endureth for ever.
OloriaPatri. Vidi aquam r Gllory, &c. I saw.
MASS.
49
^. Show us, 0 Lord, thy mercy, alleluia.
Bi. And grant us thy sal- vation, alleluia.
1^ . Ostende nobis, Do- mine, misericordiam tuam, alleluia.
gt. Et salutare tuum da nobis, alleluia.
LET TJS PRAY.
Graciously hear us, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eter- nal God : and vouchsafe to send thy holy Angel from hea- ven, who may keep, cherish, protect, visit and defend all who are assembled in this place. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
OREMTJS.
Exaudi nos, Domine sanc- te, Pater omnipotens, teter- ne Deus : et mittere digne- ris sanctum Angelum tuum de ccelis, qui custodiat, fo- veat, protegat, visitet, atque defendat omnes habitantes inhochabitaculo. PerChris- tum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
The Procession, whieli immediately precedes the Mass, represents the holj Women going to the Se- pulchre, \\ith the intention of re-embalming the Body of their divine Master. They found it not there ; but Jesus at once showed himself to them, and they returned filled with wonder and joy.
But see. Christians ; the Sacrifice begins ! The Priest is at the foot of the Altar ; God is attentive, the Angels are in adoration, the whole Church is united with the Priest, whose priesthood and action are those of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Let us make the sign of the Cross with him.
P
50
PASCHAL TIME.
THE ORDINAEY OF THE MASS.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
^. Introibo ad altare Dei. gt. Ad Deum qui Ifetificat juventutem meam.
Judica me, Deus, et dis- cerne causam meam de gente non sancta : ab homine ini- quo et doloso erue me.
Quia tu es, Deus, forti- tude mea : quare me repu- listi y et quare tristis incedo, dum affligit me inimicus P
Emitte lucem tuam et ve- ritatem tuam : ipsa me de- duxerunt et adduxerunt in montem sanctum tuum, et in tabernacula tua.
Et introibo ad altare Dei : ad Deum qui la'tificat ju- ventutem meam.
Confitebor tibi in cithara Deus, Deus mens : quare tristis es anima mea ? et quare conturbas me ?
Spera in Deo, quoniam adbuc confitebor illi : Salu- tare vultus mei, et Deus mens.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
I unite myself, O my God, with thy Church, whose heart is filled with the hope of soon seeing, and in all the splen- dour of his Resurrection, Jesus Christ thy Son, who is the true Altar.
Like her, I beseech thee to defend me against the malice of the enemies of my salva- tion.
It is in thee that I have put my hope ; yet do I feel sad and troubled at being in the midst of the snares which are set for me.
Send me, then, him who is light and truth : it is he who will open to us the way to thy holy mount, to thy heavenly tabernacle.
He is the Mediator, and the living Altar ; I will draw nigh to him, and be filled with joy.
When he shall have come, I will sing in my gladness. Be not sad, 0 my soul I A^Tiy wouldst thou be troubled ?
Hope in thy Jesus, who will soon show himself to thee as the conqueror of that Death which he will have suffered in thy stead ; and thou wilt rise again together with him.
Glorj' be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost,
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
51
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
I am to go to the altar of God, and feel the presence of him who desires to give me a new life I
This my hope comes not to me as thinking that I have any merits, but from the all- powerful help of my Creator.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
V. Introibo ad altare Dei.
ijt. Ad Deum qui Itetificat juventutem meam.
f. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini.
^. Qui fecit coelum et ter- ram.
The thought of his being about to appear before his God, excites, in the soul of the Priest, a lively sentiment of compunction. He cannot go further in the Holy Sacrifice without confessing, and publicly, that he is a sinner, and deserves not the grace he is about to receive. Listen, with respect, to this con- fession of God's Minister, and earnestly ask our Lord to show mercy to him ; for the Priest is your Father ; he is answerable for your salvation, for which he every day risks his own. When he has finished, unite with the Servers, or the Sacred Ministers, in this prayer :
May Almighty God have mercj' on thee, and, forgiving thy sins, bring thee to ever-
lasting life.
Misereatur tui omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam aeternam.
The Priest having answered Ameu^ make your confession, saying with a contrite spirit :
I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Arch- angel, to blessed John Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to thee. Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, thi-ough my fault,
^^0. f 0 I
Confiteor Deo omnipo- tenti, beatae Marise semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistie, Sanctis Apostolia Petro et Paulo, omnibus Sanctis, et tibi. Pater : quia peccavi nimis, cogitatione, verbo, et opere : jja^ ouk>a, jjj
v.
vsc:
52
PASCHAL TIME.
mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem Arch- angelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Aposto- los Petrum et Paulum, om- nes Sanctos, et te, Pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum.
through my fault, through my most grievous fault. There- fore I beseech the blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, and thee. Father, to pray to our Lord God for me.
Receive with gratitude the paternal wish of the Priest, who says to you :
Misereatur vestri omni- potens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam seternam.
gt. Amen.
Indulgentiam, absolutio- nem, et remissionem pecca- torum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et miseri- cors Dominus.
5^. Amen.
May Almighty God be mer- ciful to you, and, forgiving your sins, bring you to ever- lasting life.
^. Amen.
May the Almighty and mer- ciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins.
Bt. Amen.
Invoke the divine assistance, that you may approach to Jesus Christ.
t. Deus, tu conversus vivificabis nos.
1^ . J^]t plebs tua Isetabitur in te.
Si. Ostende nobis, Domi- ne, misei-icordiam tuam.
Bt. Et Salutare tuum da nobis.
^. Domine, exaudi ora- tionem meam.
gf. Et clamor meus ad te yeniat.
y. 0 God, it needs but one look of thine to give us life.
g(. And thy people shall rejoice in thee.
V. Show us, 0 Lord, thy mercy.
8t . And give us to know and love the Saviour whom thou hast sent unto us.
'^. 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
gt. And let my cry come unto thee.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 53
The Priest here leaves you to ascend to the altar ; but first he salutes you :
V. The Lord be with you. \ . Domiuus vobiscum.
Answer him with reverence :
I^. And with thy spiiit. gt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
He ascends the steps, and comes to the Holy of Holies. Ask, both for him and yourself, the deliver- ance from sin :
LET us PRAY. OREMIJS.
Take from our hearts, O Aufer a nobis qu?esumus, Lord, all those sins, which Domine, iniquitates nos- make us unworthy to appear tras ; ut ad Sancta sanctorum in thy presence, we ask this of puns mereamur mentibus thee by thy divine Son, our introire. Per Christum Do- Lord, minum nostrum. Amen.
When the Priest kisses the altar, out of reverence for the relics of the Martyrs which are there, say :
Generous soldiers of Jesus Oramus te, Domine, per Christ, who have mingled merita sanctorum tuorum, your own blood with his, in- quorum reliquiae hie sunt, et tercede for us that our sins omnium sanctorum : ut in- may be forgiven : that so we dulgere digneris omnia pec- may, like you, approach unto cata mea. Amen. God.
If it be a High Mass at which you are assisting, the Priest incenses the Altar in a most solemn man- ner ; and this white cloud, which you see ascending from every part of the Altar, signifies the prayer of the Church, who addresses herself to Jesus Christ ; and which this Divine Mediator then causQs to
54 PASCHAL TIME.
ascend, united with his own, to the throne of the majesty of his Father.
The Priest then says the Introit. It is a solemn opening-anthem, in which the Church, at the very commencement of the Holy Sacrifice, gives expression to the sentiments which fill her heart.
It is followed by nine exclamations which are even more earnest, — for they ask for mercy. In addressing them to Grod, the Church unites herself with the nine choirs of Angels, who are standing round the altar of Heaven, one and the same as this before which you are kneeling.
To the Father :
Kyrie eleison. Jjord, have mercy on us I
Kyrie eleisou. Lord, have mercy ou us !
Kyrie eleisoii. Lord, have mercy on us !
To the Son :
Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy on us
Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy on us
Christe eleison. Christ, have mercy o]i us
To the Holy Ghost :
Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us !
Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us I
Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy on us I
Then, mingling his voice with that of the heavenly host, the Priest intones the sublime Canticle of Beth- lehem, which announces ylonj to Gocly and peace to men. Instructed by the revelations of God, the Church continues, in her own words, the Hymn of the Angels. She celebrates, with rapture, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sln^ of the world ; and, as it were, in return for the humiliations he suffered, in his Passion, she proclaims that Jle alo)w is Holy,
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
55
He alonr in Lord, He alone Mod Hir/h. Enter Christians, into these sentiments of profound adora- tion, confidence, and tender love, towards the Paschal Lamb.
THE ANGELIC HYMN.
Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace to men of good will.
We praise thee : we bless thee : we adore thee : we glorify thee : we give thee thanks for thy great glory.
0 Kin mi{
Lord o, God htJ^ ' Lord
God, ITeavenlv the Father Al-
the
Jesus Christ, only begotten Son.
O Lord God, Lai ah of (for/, Son of the Father.
Who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Who takest away the sins of the world, receive our humble prayer.
Who sittest at the i-ight hand of the Father, have mercy on us.
For thou alone art holy, thou alone art Lord, thou alone, 0 Jesus Christ, together with the Holy Ghost, art most high, in the gloiy of God the Father. Amen.
Gloria in excelsis Beo, et in terra pax hominibus bonso voluntatis.
Laudamus te : benedici- mus te : adoramus te : glori- ficamus te : gratias agimus tibi propter maguam gloriam tuam.
Domine Dens, Eex coeles- tis, Deus Pater omnipotens.
Domine, Fili unigenite, Jesu Christe.
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius Patris.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi, suscipe deprecationem nos- tram.
Qui sedes ad dexterara Patris, miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus sanctus, tu solus Dominus, tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe, cum Sancto Spiritu, in glo- lia Dei Patiis. Amen.
The Priest then turns towards the people, and again salutes them, as it were to make sure of their pious attention to the sublime act, for which all this is but the preparation.
Then follows the Collect or Prayer, in which the Church formally expresses to the divine Majesty the special intentions she has in the Mass which is being
56 PASCHAL TIME.
celebrated. You may unite in this prayer, by recit- ing with the Priest the Collects which you will find in their proper places : but on no account omit to join with the server of the Mass in answering Amen.
After this, comes the Upistle, which is generally, a portion of one or other of the Epistles of the Apostles, or a passage from some Book of the Old Testament. Whilst it is being read, ask of Grod that you may profit of the instructions it conveys.
The Gradual is an intermediate formula of prayer between the Epistle and Gospel. It again brings to us the sentiments already expressed in the Introit. Eead it with devotion, that so you may enter more and more into the spirit of the mystery proposed to you by the Church.
During Paschal Time, the Gradual is not said, except for the first six days : we have elsewhere explained the reason of this exception. On all other days of the Season, the interval between the Epistle and Gospel is filled up by two Verses, to each of which is added Alleluia, the word that is now cease- lessly on the Church's lips. After the fifty days of Paschal joy, the Gradual will be resumed in the Liturgy.
Next follows the Gospel. It was the Holy Ghost who guided the four Evangelists ; their Gospel, which is our light and life, is one of the fruits of the glorious Pentecost. Let us prepare for hearing the words of our Risen Lamb : it is he himself that is about to speak to us, as he did to his Disciples, when he appeared to them during the days between his Resurrection and Ascension.
If it be a Hiyh Mass, the Deacon, meanwhile, prepares to fulfil his noble office, — that of announcing the Good Tidings of salvation. He prays God to cleanse his heart and lips. Then kneeling before the Priest, ho asks a blessing ; and, having received it, at
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 57
once goes to the place where he is to sing the Gospel. As a preparation for hearing it worthily, you may thus pray, together with both Priest and Deacon :
Alas! these ears of mine are Munda cor meum, ac la- but too often defiled with the bia mea, Omnipotens Deus, world's vain words : cleanse qui labia Isaise Prophetse them, 0 Lord, that so I may calculo mundasti ignito : ita hear the words of eternal life, me tua grata miseratione and treasure them in my dignare mundare, ut sanc- heart. Through our Lord turn Evangelium tuum dig- Jesus Christ. Amen. ne valeam nuntiare. Per
Christum Dominum nos- trum. Amen. Grant to thy ministers thy Dominus sit in corde meo, grace, that they may faith- et in labiis meis : ut digne fully explain thy law ; that so et competenter annuntiem all, both pastors and flock, P>angelium suum : In no- may be united to thee for ever mine Patris, et Filii, et Spi- Amen. ritus Sancti. Amen.
You will stand during the Grospel, as though you were waiting the orders of your Lord ; and at the commencement, make the sign of the Cross on your forehead, lips, and breast ; and then listen to every word of the Priest or Deacon. Let your heart be ready and obedient. Whild my beloved u'a>> ispeak- biii, says the Spouse in the Canticle, my soul melted within me} If you have not such love as this, have at least the humble submission of Samuel, and say : Speak, Lord ! thy servant hearethr
After the Gospel, if the Priest says the Symbol of Faith, the Credo, you will say it with him. Faith is that gift of God, without which we cannot please him. It is Faith that initiates us into the sublime Easter Mysteries, which divinise our whole life, and put us in possession of the good things of eternity. Like the holy women at the Sepulchre, let us believe with a lively and simple faith. Let us not wait for experience, as Thomas did ; for our Lord has said :
' Cant. V. 6. - 1 Kings, iii. 10.
58
PASCHAI. TIME.
Blessed are thef/ that hare not seen^ and have believed.^ Let us, then, say with the Catholic Church our Mother :
THE NICENE CREED.
Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem, fac- torem coeli et terrae, visibi- lium omnium et invisibi- lium.
Et in unum Dominum Jesum Christum, Filium Dei unigenitum. Et ex Patre natum ante omnia ssecula. Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero. Genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri, per quem omnia facta sunt. Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem, descendit de coeUs. Et in- carnatus est de Spiritu San- cto, ex Maria Virgine ; et
HOMO FACTUS EST. Cruci-
fixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato, passus, et sepultus est. Et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scrip- turas. Et ascendit in coe- lum ; sedet ad dexteram Patris. Et iterum venturus est cum gloria judicare vivos et mortuos ; cujus regni non erit finis.
Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem, qui ex Patre Filioque proce- dit. Qui cum Patre et Filio simul adoratur, et conglori- ficatur ; qui locutus est per Prophetas. Et unam sanc-
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. And born of the Father before all ages ; God of God, light of light ; true God of true God. Begotten, not made ; consubstantial to the Father, by whom all things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven. And be- came incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary ;
AISD WAS MADE MAN. He
was crucified also for us, under Pontius Pilate, suffered, and was buried. And the third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. And as- cended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of the Father. And he is to come again with glory, to judge the living and the dead ; of whose kingdom there shall be no end.
And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, -who jyroceedeth from the Father and the Son. Who together with the Father and the Son, is adored and glorified ? who spoke by the Prophets. And
' St. John, XX. 29.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 59
one holij Catholic and Apos- tarn Catholicam et Apostoli-
tolic Church. I confe^^s one cam Ecclesiam. Confiteor
Baptism for the remission of unum Baptisma in remissio-
sins. And I expect the lesur- iiempeccatorum. Etexspec-
rection of the dead, and the to resurrectionem mortuo-
life of the world to come, rum, et vitamyenturisseculi.
Amen. Amen.
The Priest and the people should, by this time, have their hearts ready : it is time to prepare the offering itself. And here we come to the second part of the Holy Mass, which is called the Ob/at ion, and which immediately follows that, which was called the J/r/.b-.s* of Catechumens^ on account of its being for- merly the only part at which the candidates for Baptism had a right to be present.
See, then, dear Christians ! bread and wine are about to be offered to God, as being the noblest of inanimate creatures, since they are made for the nourishment of man ; and even that is only a poor material image of what they are destined to become in our Christian Sacrifice. Their substance will soon give place to God himself, and of themselves nothing will remain but the appearances. Happy creatures, thus to yield up their own being, that God may take its place ! We, too, are to undergo a like transfor- mation, when, as the Apostle expresses it, tJiat which to us is mortal^ shall put on i)nmorialiti/} Until that happy change shall be realised, let us offer ourselves to God, as often as we see the bread and wine pre- sented to him in the Holy Sacrifice ; and let us glorify Him, who, by assuming our human nature, has made us jiartakers of the dirine nature}
The Priest again turns to the people with the usual salutation, as though he would warn them to redouble their attention. Let us read the Offertory with him, and when he offers the Host to God, let us unite with him in saying :
' 1 Cor. XV. 60. - 2 St. Pet. i. 4.
60
PASCHAL TIME.
Suscipe, sancte Pater, omnipotent 8eterne Deus, hanc immaculatam hor^tiain, quam ego iudignus famulus tuns oft'ero tibi Deo meo vivo et vero, pro innumera- bilibus peccatis et offensio- nibus et negligentiis meis, et pro omnibus circumstan- tibus, sed et pro omnibus fidelibus christianis vivis atque defunctis ; ut mihi et illis proficiat ad salutem in vitam seteruam. Amen.
All that we have, 0 Lord, comes from thee, and belongs to thee ; it is just, therefore, that we return it unto thee. But how wonderful art thou in the inventions of thy im- mense love ! This bread which we are offering to thee, is to give place, in a few moments, to the sacred Body of Jesus. We beseech thee, receive, together with this oblation, our hearts which long to live by thee, and to cease to live theii- own life of self.
When the Priest puts the wine into the chalice, and then mingles with it a drop of water, let your thoughts turn to the divine mystery of the Incar- nation, which is the source of oui' hope and our salvation ; and say :
Deus qui humanae sub- stantias dignitatem mirabi- liter condidisti, et mirabi- lius ref ormasti : da nobis per hujus aqase et vini myste- rium, ejus divinitatis esse consortes, qui humanitatis nostrse fieri dignatus est particeps, Jesus Christus Filius tuns DoQiinus noster : qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia ssecula sseculorum. Amen.
O Lord Jesus, who art the true Vine, and whose Blood, like a generous wine, has been poured forth under the pressure of the Cross I thou hast deigned to unite thy divine nature to our weak humanity, which is signified by this drop of water. O come and make us partakers of thy divinity, by showing thyself to us in thy sweet and wondrous visit.
The Priest then offers the mixture of wine and water, beseeching Grod graciously to accept this oblation, which is so soon to be changed into the reality, of which it is now but the figure. Meanwhile, say, in union with the Priest :
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
61
Graciouslj' accept these gifts, O sovereign Creator of all things. Let them be fitted for the divine transformation, which will make them, from being mere oif erings of created things, the instrument of the world's salvation.
Offerimus tibi, Domine, calicem salutaris, tuam de- precantes clementiam : ut in conspectu divinse Majestatis tu£e, pro nostra et totius mundi salute, cum odore suavitatis ascendat. Amen.
After having thus held up the sacred gifts towards heaven, the Priest bows down : let us also humble ourselves, and say :
Though daring, as we do, to approach thy altar, 0 liOrd, we cannot forget that we are sinners. Have mercy on us, and delay not to send us thy Son, who is our saving Host.
In spiritu humilitatis, et in animo contrito suscipia- mui* a te, Domine : et sic fiat sacrihcium nostrum in con- spectu tuo hodie, ut placeat tibi, Domine Deus.
Let us next invoke the Holy Grhost, whose opera- tion is about to produce on the altar the presence of the Son of God, as it did in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the divine mj^stery of the Incarna- tion :
Come, O Divine Spirit, Veni, Sanctificator omni-
make fruitful the offeiing potens oeterne Deus, et be-
which is upon the altar, and nedic hoe saoriticium tuo
produce in our hearts Him sancto nomini prneparatum. whom they desire.
If it be a High Mass, the Priest, before proceeding any further with the Sacrifice, takes the thurible a second time. He first incenses the bread and wine which have been just offered, and then the altar itself ; hereby inviting the faithful to make their prayer, which is signified by the incense, more and more fervent, the nearer the solemn moment ap- proaches.
But the thought of his own unworthiness becomes more intense than ever in the heart of the Priest.
62
PASCHAL TIME.
The public confession, which he made at the foot of the altar, is not enough ; he would now, at the altar itself, express to the })eople, in the language of a solemn rite, how far he knows himself to be from that spotless sanctity, wherewith he should approach to Grod. He washes his hands. Our hands signify our (vorkfi ; and the Priest, though by his priesthood he bear the office of Jesus Christ, is, by his works, but man. Seeing your father thus humble himself, do you also make an act of humility, and say with him these verses of the Psalm.
PSALM 25.
Lavabo inter innocentes manus meas : et circumdabo altare tuum, Domine.
TJt audiam vocem laudis : et enarrem universa inira- bilia tua.
Domine, dilexi decorein domus tuj?e, et locum habi- tationis glori^e tupe.
Ne perdas cum impiis, Deus, animam meam, et cum viris sanguinum vitam meam.
In quorum manibus ini- quitatessunt: dexteraeorum repleta est muneribus.
Ego autem in innocentia mea ingressus sum : redime me, et miserere mei.
Pes meus stetit in directo : in ecclesiis benedicam te, Domine.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in ssecula saeculorum. Amen.
I, too, would wash my hands, 0 Ijord, and become like unto those who are in- nocent, that so I may be wor- thy to come near thy altar, and hear thy sacred Canticles, and then go and proclaim to the world the wonders of thy goodness. I love the beauty of thy House, which thou art about to make the dwelling- place of thj' glorj\ Leave me not, O God, in the midst of them that are enemies both to thee and me. Thy mercy having sej^arated me from them, I entered on the path of innocence, and was restored to thy grace ; but have pity on my weakness still ; redeem me yet more, thou who hast so mercifully brought me back to the right path. In the midst of these thy faithful people, I give thee thanks. Glorj^ be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost ; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world with- out end. Ameu,
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
63
The Priest, taking encouragement from the act of humility he has just made, returns to tlie middle of th(^ altar, and bows down full of respectful awe, begging of Grod to receive graciously the Sacrifice which is about to be offered to him, and expresses the intentions for which it is offered. Let us do the same.
O Holy Trinity, graciously Suscipe, sancta Trinitas,
accept the Sacrifice we have haiic oblationem, quam tibi
begun. We offer it in remem- offorimus ob memoriam Pas-
brance of the Passion, Eesur- sionis, Resurrectionis, et
rection, and Ascension of our Ascensionis Jesu Christi
Lord Jesus Christ. Permit Domini nostri : et in honore
thy Church to join "wdth this beatte Mariae semper Virgi-
intention that of honouring nis, et beati Joannis Bap-
the ever glorious Virgin Mary, tisti^e, et sanctorum Aposto-
the Blessed Baptist John, the lorum Petri et Pauli, et
holy Apostles Peter and Paul, istorum, et omnium Sanc-
the Martyrs whose relics lie torum : ut illis proficiat ad
here under our altar awaiting honorem, nobis autem ad
their resurrection, and the salutem : et illi pro nobis
Saints whose memory we this intercedere dignentur in
day celebrate. Increase the coelis, quorum memoriam
glory they are enjoying, and agimus in terris. Per eum-
receive the prayers they ad- dem Christum Dominum
dress to thee for us. nostrum. Amen.
The Priest again turns to the people ; it is for the last time before the sacred Mysteries are accomplished. He feels anxious to excite the fervour of the people. Neither does the thought of his own unworthiness leave him ; and before entering the cloud with the Lord, he seeks support in the prayers of his brethren who are present. He says to them :
Brethren, praj- that my Sa- Orate, fratres : ut meum
critice. which is yours also, ac vestrum sacrificium ac-
may be acceptable to God, our ceptabile fiat apud Deum
Almighty Father. Patrom omnipotontem .
This request made, he turns again to the altar, and you will see his face no more, until our Lord himself
64 PASCHAL TIME.
shall have come down from heaven upon that same Altar. Assure the Priest that he has your prayers, and say to him :
Suscipiat Dominus sacri- May our Lord accept this
ficium de manibus tuis, ad Sacrifice at thy hands, to the
laudem et gloriam nominis praise and glory of his name,
sui, ad utilitatem quoque and for our benefit and that of
nostram totiusque Ecclesiae his holy Church throughout
suae sanctiB. the world.
Here the Priest recites the prayers called flie Sc- C7'ets, in which he presents the petition of the whole Church for Grod's acceptance of the Sacrifice, and then immediately begins to fulfil that great duty of religion, — Thanksgiving. So far he has adored God, and has sued for mercy ; he has still to give thanks for the blessings bestowed on us by the bounty of our heavenly Father, the chief of which, during this Season, is his graciously fulfilling the promise he made after the sin of our First Parents : he fulfilled it by the Resurrection of the Lamb, who thereby conquered Death. The Priest, in the name of the Church, is about to give expression to the gratitude of all mankind. In order to excite the Faithful to that intensity of gratitude which is due to Qod for all his gifts, he interrupts his own and their silent prayer by terminating it aloud, saying :
Per omnia ssecula sseculo- For ever and ever ! rum I
In the same feeling, answer your Amm ! Then he continues :
V. Dominus vobiscum. t. The Lord be with you.
1^. Et cum spiritu tuo. IJt. And with thy spirit.
^ . Sursum corda I t . Lift up your hearts I
Let your response be sincere.
gt. Habemus ad Domi- iJt. We have them fixed on num. God,
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
And when he adds :
65
f. Let us give thanks to f. Gratias agamus Do- the Lord our God. mino Deo nostro.
Answer him with all the earnestness of your soul. Bt. It is meet and just. B^. Dignum et justum est.
Then the Priest :
THE PREFACE.^
It is truly meet and just, right and available to salva- tion, to praise thee, 0 Lord, at all times, but chiefly at this time, when Christ our Pass- over was sacrificed for us. For he is the true Lamb, who hath taken away the sins of the world. Who, by dying, hath destroyed our death, and by rising again, has restored us to life. And therefore, with the Angels and Archangels, with the Thrones and Dominations, and with all the heavenly host, we sing a hymn to thy glorj', saying unceasingly :
Vere dignum et justum est, sequum et salutare, te quidem Domine omni tem- pore, sed in hoc potissimum gloriosius praedicare, cum Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus. Ipse enim ve- rus est Agnus, qui abstulit peccata mundi. Qui mor- tem nostram moriendo de- struxit, et vitam resurgendo reparavit. Et ideo cum An- gelis et Archangelis, cum Thronis et Dominationibus, cumque omni militia coeles- tis exercitus, hjTunum glo- ria) tuj© canimus, sine fine dicentes :
Here unite with the Priest, who, on his part, unites himself with the blessed Spirits, in giving thanks to God for the unspeakable Gift : bow down and say :
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts !
Heaven and earth are full of thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest !
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanc- tus, Dominus Deus sabaoth !
Pleni sunt coeli et terra gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis I
^ The Prefaces for the Ascension, Pentecost, and the Annuncia- tion, are given in the Masses for those Feasts.
66
PASCHAL TIME.
Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Blessed be the Saviour \vho is coming to us in the name ot the Lord who sends him.
Hosanna be to him in the
highest !
After these words commences the Canon, that mysterious prayer, in the midst of which heaven bows down to earth, and God descends unto us. The voice of the Priest is no longer heard ; yea, even at the altar, all is silence. Let a profound respect stay all distractions, and keep our senses m submission to the soul. Let us fix our eyes on what the Pnest does in the Holy Place.
THE CANON OF THE MASS.
In this mysterious colloquy with the great God of heaven and earth, the fii'st prayer of the sacri- ficing priest is for the CathoHc Church, his and our Mother.
Te igitur, clementissime Pater, per Jesum Christum Filium tuum Dominum nos- trum, supplices rogamus ac petimus, uti accepta habeas, et benedicas h?ec dona, hsec munera, heec sancta sacri- ficia illibata, in piimis quee tibi offerimus pro Ecclesia tua sancta Catholica : quam pacificare, custodire, adu- nare, et regere digneris toto orbe terrarum, una cum fa- mulo tuo Papa nostroN., et Antistite nostro N., et om- nibus orthodoxis, atque ca- thoUcse et apostolicse fidei cultoribus.
O God who manifestest thy- self unto us by means of the mysteries which thou hast en- trusted to thy holy Church, oui' Mother ; we beseech thee, by the merits of this sacrifice, that thou wouldst remove all those hindrances which oppose her during her pilgrimage in this world. Give her peace and unity. Do thou thyself guide our Holy Father the Pope, thy Yicar on earth. Di- rect thou our Bishop, who is oui' sacred link of unity ; and watch over all the orthodox children of the Catholic Apos- tolic Roman Church.
Here pray, together with the Priest, whose interests should be dearest to you.
for those
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67
Peimit me, 0 God, to inter- cede with thee in more earnest prayer for those, for whom thou knowest that I have a special obligation to pray : * * * Pour down thy bless- ings upon them. Let them partake of the fruits of this divine Sacrifice, which is offered unto thee in the name of all mankind. Visit them by thy grace, pardon them their sins, grant them the blessings of this present life and of that which is eternal.
Memento, Domine, famu- lorum famularumque tua- rum N. et N. et omnium circumstantium, quorum tibi fides cognita est, et nota devotio: pro quibus tibi oft'erimus, vel qui tibi offe- runt hoc sacriticium laudis, pro se, suisque omnibus, pro redemptione animarum sua- rum, pro spe salutis et in- columitatis suae ; tibique redd Lint vota sua seterno Deo, vivo et vero.
Here let us commemorate the Saints : they are that portion of tlie Body of Jesus Christ, which is called the CJiiirch Triumphant.
But the offering of this Sa- crifice, 0 my God, does not unite us "«nth those only of our brethren who are still in this transient life of tiial : it brings us closer to those also, who are already in possession of heaven. Thei-efore it is, that we wish to honour by it the memorj'^ of the glorious and ever Virgin Mary, of whom Jesus was bom to us : of the Apostles, Confessors, Virgins, and of all the Saints ; that so they may assist us, by their powerful intercession, to be- come worth}' to contemplate thee, as they now do, in the mansion of thy glory.
Communicantes, et me- moriam venerantes, in pri- mis glorios?e semper Virgi- nis Maviie, Genitricis Dei et Domini nostri Jesu Christi : sed et beatorum Apostolo- rum ac Marty rum tuoi-um, Petri etPauli, Andrea?, Jaco- bi, Joannis, Thoma?, Jacobi, Philippi, Bartholomsei, Mat- thaci, Simonis, et Thaddaei : Lini, Cleti, Clementis, Xysti, Cornelii, Cj^priani. Lauren- tii, Chrysogoni, Joannis et Pauli, Cosmae et Damiani, et omnium sanctorum tuo- rum, quorum mcritis preci- busquo concedas, ut in om- nibus protectionis tuoe mu- niamur auxilio. Per eum- dem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
The Priest, who, up to this time had been praying
68 PASCHAL TIME.
with his hands extended, now joins them, and holds them over the bread and wine, as the High Priest of the Old Law did over the figurative victim : he thus expresses his intention of bringing these gifts more closely under the notice of the Divine Majesty, and of marking them as the material offering whereby we profess our dependence, and which is, in a few instants, to yield its place to the living Host, upon whom are laid all our iniquities.
Hanc igitur oblationem Vouchsafe, 0 God, to accept
servitiitis nostrse, sed et this offering which this thy
cunctDe familia? tuJB quse- assembled family presents to
STimus Domine, ut placatus thee as the homage of its most
accipias : diesque nostros in happy servitude. In return,
tua pace disponas, atque ab give us peace, save us from
seterna damnatione nos thy wrath, and number us
eripi, et in electorum tuo- among the elect, thi-ough Him
rum jubeas grege numerari. who is coming to us, — thy Son
Per Christum Dominum our Saviour, nostrum. Amen.
Quam oblationem tu Deus Yea, Lord, this is the mo - in omnibus qusesumus, be- ment when this bread is to nedictam, adscriptam, ra- become his sacred Body, which tarn, rationabilem, accepta- is our food; and this wine is bilemque facere digneris ; to be changed into his Blood, ut nobis Corpus et Sanguis which is our drink. Ah I de- fiat dilectissimi Filii tui lay no longer, but send to us Domini nostri Jesu Christi. this divine Son our Saviour !
And here the Priest ceases to act as man ; he now becomes more than a mere minister of the Church. His word becomes that of Jesus Christ, with all its power and efficacy. Prostrate yourself in profound adoration ; for God himself is about to descend upon our Altar, coming down from heaven.
Qui pridie quam patore- What, O God of heaven and
tur, accepit panem in sane- earth, my Jesus, the long ex-
tas ac veuerabiles manus pected Messias, what else can
suas : et elevatis oculis in 1 do at this solemn moment
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
69
but adore thee, in silence, as my sovereign Master, and open my whole heart to thee, as to its dearest King ! Come, then, Lord Jesus, come I
coeltim, ad te Deum Patrem suum omnipotentem, tibi gratias agens, benedixit, f regit, deditque discipulis suis, dicens : Accipite, et manducate ex hoc omnes. Hoc EST EKiM Corpus
MEUM.
The Divine Lamb is now lying on our Altax ! Grlory and love be to him for ever ! But he is come, that he may be immolated. Hence, the Priest, who is the minister of the will of the Most High, immediately pronounces over the Chalice those sacred words, which will produce the great mystical immolation, by the separation of the Victim's Body and Blood. The substances of bread and wine have ceased to exist : the species alone are left, veiling as it were, the Body and Blood, lest fear should keep us from a mystery, which Grod gives us in order to give us confidence. Let us associate ourselves to the Angels, who trem- bhngly look upon this deepest wonder.
0 Precious Blood I thou price of my salvation I I adore thee I Wash away my sins, and give me a purity above the whiteness of snow. Lamb ever slain, yet ever living, thou comest to take away the sins of the world I Come also and reign in me by thy power and by th)" love.
Simili modo postquam coenatum est, accipiens et hunc prseclarum Calicem in sanctas ac venerabiles ma- nus suas : item tibi gratias agens, benedixit, deditque discijDulis suis, dicens : Ac- cipite et bibite ex eo omnes.
HiC EST EXIM CaLIX SaN- GUrMS MEI, NOVI ET ^TER- NI TESTAMEXTI : MYSTE- RIUM FEDEI : QUI PRO VO- BIS ET PRO MULTIS EFFUN- DETUR IN REMI8SI0NEM
PECCATORUM. Hoec quoti- escumque feceritis, in mei memoriam facietis.
The Priest is now face to face with God. He again raises his hands towards heaven, and tells our
70
PASCHAL TIME.
heavenly Father, that the oblation, now on the altar, is no longer an earthly offering, but the Body and Blood, the whole Person, of his divine Son.
Unde et memores, Do- mine, nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua sancta, ejusdera Christi Filii tui Domini nostri tam beatee Passionis, necnou et ab inferis Eesur- rectionis, sed et in coelos gloriosse Ascensionis : oiieri- mus praeclarfB majestati tuse de tuis donis ac datis Hos- tiam puram, Hostiam sanc- tam, Hostiam immacula- tam : Panem sanctum vitte seternse, et Calicem salutis perpeture.
Supra quae propitio ac sereno Yulto respicere di- gneris : et accepta habere, sicuti accepta habere digna- tus es munera pueri tui justi Abel, et sacrificium Patriarchse nostri Abrabae, et quod tibi obtulit summus Sacerdos tuns Molcbisedecb, sanctum sacrificium, imma- culatamj hostiam.
Father of infinite holiness, the Host so long expected is here before thee 1 Behold this thy eternal Son, who suf- fered a bitter passion, rose again with glory from the grave, and ascended trium- phantly into heaven. He is thy Son ; but he is also our Host, Host pure and spotless, —our Meat and Drink of everlasting life.
Heretofore thou didst accept the sacrifice of the innocent lambs offered to thee by Abel; and the sacrifice which Abra- ham made thee of his son Isaac, who, though immolated, yet lived ; and, lastly, the sacrifice, which Melchisedech presented thee, of bread and wane. Eeceive our Sacrifice, which is above all those others. It is the Lamb, of whom all others could be but figures : it is the undpng Victim : it is the Body of thy Son, who is the Bread of Life, and his Blood, which whilst a Drink of immortality for us, is a tri- bute adequate to thy glory.
The Briest bows down to the altar, and kisses it as the throne of love ou whicli is seated the Saviour of men.
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71
But, 0 God of infinite power, these sacred gifts are not only on this altar here be- low ; they are also on that sub- lime Altar of heaven, which is before the throne of thy di- vine Majesty. These two al- tars are but one and the same, on which is accomplished the great mysterj' of thy gloiy and our salvation. Vouchsafe to make us partakers of the Body and Blood of the august Vic- tim, from whom flow every grace and blessing.
Supplices te rogamus, om- nipotens Deus : jube hoec perferri per manus sancti Angeli tui in sublime Altare taum, in conspectu divinse Majestatis tuce ; ut quotquot ex hac altaris participatione, sacrosanctum Filii tui Cor- pus et Sanguinem sumpseri- mus, omni benedictione cce- lesti et gratia repleamur. Per eumdem Christum Do- minum nostrum. Amen.
Nor is the moment less favourable for making sup- plication for the Church Suffering. Let us, therefore, ask the divine Liberator, who has come down among us, that he mercifully visit, by a ray of his consoling light, the dark abode of Purgatory, and permit his Blood to flow, as a stream of mercy's dew, from this our altar, and refresh the panting captives there. Let us pray expressly for those among them, who have a claim on our suffrages.
Dear Jesus I let the happi- ness of this thy visit extend to every portion of thy Church. Thy face gladdens the elect in the holy City ; even our mor- tal eyes can see beneath the veil of our delighted faith ; ah I hide not thyself from those brethren of ours, who are imprisoned in the place of ex- piation. Be thou refreshment to them in their flames, light in their darkness, and peace in their agonies of torment.
Memento etiam, Domine, famulorum famularumque tuarum N. et N., qui nos pra?cesserunt cum signo lidei, et dormiunt in somno pacis. Ipsis Domine, et omnibus in Christo quies^ centibus, locum i-efrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut indulgeas, deprecamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nos- trum. Amen.
This duty of charity fulfilled, let us pray for our-, selves, sinners, alas ! and who profit so little by the
72
PASCHAL TIME.
visit, which our Saviour paj^s us. Let us, together Tvith the Priest, strike our breast, saying :
Nobis quoque peccatori- bus famuHs tuis, de multi- tudine miserationum tua- rum sperantibus, partem aliquam et societatem do- nare digneris cum tuis Sanc- tis Apostolis et Martj'ribus : cum. Joanne, Stepbano, Mattbia, Barnaba, Ignatio, Alexandre, Marcellino, Pe- tro. Felicitate, Perpetua, Agatba, Lucia, Agnete, Caecilia, Anastasia, et omni- bus Sanctis tuis ; intra quo- rum nos consortium, non sestimator meriti, sed venire, qusesumus, largitor admitte. Per CbristumDominum nos- trum. Per quern bsec omnia, Domine, semper bona creas, sanctificas, vivificas, bene- dicis, et praestas nobis : per ipsum, et cum ipso et in ipso, est tibi Deo Patri om- nipotenti, in unitate Spiri- tus Sancti, omnis honor et gloria.
Alas ! we are poor sinners, O God of all sanctity ! yet do we hope that thy infinite mercy will grant us to share in thy kingdom, not, indeed, by reason of our works, which deserve little else than pu- nishment, but because of the merits of this Sacrifice, which we are offering to thee. Re- member, too, the merits of thy holy Apostles, of thy holy Martyrs, of thy holy Virgins, and of all thy Saints. Grant us, by their intercession, grace in this world, and glory eternal in the next : which we ask of thee, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. It is by him thou bestowest upon us thy blessings of life and sanctification : and by him also, with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, may honour and glory be to thee!
Whilst saying these last few words, the Priest has taken up the sacred Host, which was on the altar ; he has held it over the chalice, thus re-uniting the Body and Blood of the divine Victim, in order to show that he is now immortal. Then raising up both Chalice and Host, he offers to Grod the most noble and perfect homage which the divine Majesty could receive.
This solemn and mysterious rite ends the Canon. The silence of the Mysteries is broken. The Priest concludes his long prayers, by saying aloud, and so
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 73
giving the faithful the opportunity of expressing their desii-e that his supplications be granted :
For ever and ever. Per omiiia ssecula sa3cu-
lorum.
Answer him with faith, and in a sentiment of union with your holy Mother the Church :
Amen ! I believe the mys- Amen, tery which has just been ac- complished. I unite myself to the offering which has been made, and to the petitions of the Church.
It is time to recite the Prayer, which our Saviour himself has taught us. Let it ascend up to heaven together with the sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. How could it be otherwise than heard, when he himself who made it for us, is in our very hands now whilst we say it ? As this prayer belongs in common to all the children of God, the Priest recites it aloud, and begins by inviting us all to join in it.
LET us PRAY. OEEMUS.
Having been taught by a Prseceptis salutaribus mo- saving precept, and following niti, et divina institutione the form given us by a divine formati, audemus dicere : instruction, we thus presume to speak :
THE lord's prayer.
Our Father, who art in hea- Pater noster, qui es in ven, hallowed be thy name ; coelis, sanctificetur nomen thy kingdom come ; thy will tuum : adveniat regnum be done on earth, as it is in tuum: fiat voluntas tua, sic- heaven. Give us this day our ut in coelo, et in terra. Pa- daily bread ; and forgive us nem nostrum quotidianum our trespasses, as we forgive da nobis hodie : et dimitte
74
PASCHAL TIME.
nobis debita nostra, sicut et them that trespass against us ;
nos dimittimus debitoribus and lead us not into tempta-
nostris : et ne nos inducas tion. in tentationem.
Let us answer with a deep feeling of our misery :
Sed libera nos a malo. But deliver us from evil.
The Priest falls once more into the silence of the holy Mysteries. His first word is an affectionate Amen to your last petition — deliver us from evil — on which he forms his own next prayer : and could he pray for anything more needed ? Evil surrounds us everywhere, and the Lamb on our altar has been sent to expiate it and deliver us from it.
Libera nos, quaesumus, Domine, ab omnibus malis, prseteritis, prsesentibus et futuris : et, intercedente beata et gloriosa semper Vir- gine Dei genitrice Maria, cum beatis Apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, atque An- drea, et omnibus Sanctis, da propitius pacem in diebus nostris : ut ope misericordiae tu8e adjuti, et a peccato simus semper liberi, et ab omni perturbatione securi. Per eumdem Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus.
How many, 0 Lord, are the evils which beset us ! Evils past, which are the wounds left on the soul by her sins, and strengthen her wicked propensities. Evils present, that is, the sins now at this very time upon our soul ; the weakness of this poor soul ; and the temptations which molest her. There are, also, future evils, that is, the chas- tisement which our sins de- serve from the hand of thy justice. In presence of this Host of our Salvation, we be- seech thee, 0 Lord, to deliver us from all these evils, and to accept in our favour the inter- cession of Mary the Mother of Jesus, of thy holy Apostles Peter and Paul and Andrew. Liberate us, break our chains, give us peace . Through Jesus Christ, thy Son, who with thee liveth and reigneth God,
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 75
The Priest is anxious to announce the Peace, which he has asked and obtained ; he therefore finishes his prayer aloud, saying :
World without end. Per omnia saecula siecu-
lorum. ^. Amen. B^. Amen.
Then he says :
May the Peace of our Lord Pax Domini sit semper be ever with you. vobiscum.
To this paternal wish reply :
^. And with thy spirit. Bt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
The Mystery is drawing to a close : Grod is about to be united with man, and man with God, by means of Communion. But first, an imposing and sublime rite takes place at the altar. So far the Priest has announced the Death of Jesus ; it is time to proclaim his Besurrection. To this end, he reverently breaks the sacred Host ; and having divided it into three parts, he puts one into the Ciialice, thus reuniting the Body and Blood of the immortal Victim. Do you adore, and say :
Glory be to thee, O Saviour Hrec commixtio et con- of the world, who didst, in thy secratio Corporis et San- Passion, permit thy precious guinis Domini nostri Jesu Blood to be separated from Christi, fiat accipientibus thy sacred Body, afterwards nobis in vitam seternam. uniting them again together Amen, by thy divine power.
Offer now your prayer to the ever-living Lamb, whom St. John saw on the Altar of Heaven xtdjidituj^ thoiujli alain : ^ say to this your Lord and King, who has taken upon himself all our iniquities, in order to wash them away by his Blood :
1 Apoc. V. 6.
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PASCHAL TIME.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- cata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- cata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis pec- cata mundi, dona nobis pa- cem.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, give us Peace.
Peace is the grand object of our Saviour's coming into the world : he is the Prince of Peace. The divine Sacrament of the Eucharist ought therefore to be the Mystery of Peace, and the bond of Catholic Unity ; for as the Apostle says, all we icho partake of one Bread, are all one Bread and one Body.^ It is on this account that the Priest, now that he is on the point of receiving, in Communion, the Sacred Host, prays that fraternal Peace may be preserved in the Church, and more especially in this portion of it, which is assembled round the altar. Pray with him, and for the same blessing :
Domine Jesu Christe, qui dixisti Apostolis tuis : Pa- cem relinquo vobis, pacem meam do vobis : ne respicias peccata mea, sed fidem Ec- clesise tuae : eamque secun- dum voluntatem tuam paci- ficare, et coadunare digne- ris. Qui vivis et regnas Deus, per omnia saecula sse- culorum. Amen.
If it be a High Mass, the Priest here gives the kiss of peace to the Deacon, who gives it to the Sub- Deacon, and he to the Choir. During this cere- mony, you should excite within yourself feelings of Christian charity, and pardon your enemies, if you have any. Then continue to pray with the Priest ;
1 1 Cor. X. 17.
Lord Jesus Christ, who saidst to thy Apostles, "my peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : " regard not my sins, but the faith of thy Church, and grant her that peace and unity which is ac- cording to thy will. Who livest and reign est God for ever and ever. Amen.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
77
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, who, according to the Trill of thy Father, through the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, hast by thy death given life to the world ; deliver me by this thy most sacred Body and Blood from all my iniquities, and from all evils ; and make me always adhere to thy commandments, and never suffer me to be separated from thee, who with the same God the Father and the Holy Ghost, livest and reignest God for ever and ever. Amen.
Domine Jesu Christe, Fill Dei vivi, qui ex voluntate Patris, cooperante Spiritu Sancto, per mortem tuam mundum vivificasti : libera me per hoc sacrosanctum Corpus, et Sanguinem tuum, ab omnibus iniquitatibus meis, et universis maUs, et fac me tuis semper inhoerere mandatis, et a te nunquam separari permittas. Qui cum eodem Deo Patre et Spiritu Sancto vivis et regnas Deus in saecola speculorum. Amen.
If you are going to Communion at this Mass, say the following Prayer ; otherwise prepare yourself to make a Spiritual Communion :
Let not the participation of thy Body, 0 Lord Jesus Christ, which I, though un- worthy, presume to receive, turn to my judgment and con- demnation ; but through thy mercy may it be a safeguard and remedy both to my soul and body. "VNTio with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, livest and reign- est God for ever and ever. Amen.
Perceptio Corporis tui, Domine Jesu Christe, quod ego indignus sumere prae- sumo, non mihi proveniat in judicium et condemna- tionem : sed pro tua pietate prosit mihi ad tutamentum mentis et corporis, et ad me- delam percipiendam. Qui vivis et regnas cum Deo Patre, in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia sae- cula sseculorum. Amen.
"When the Priest takes the Host into his hands, in order to his receiving it in Communion, say :
Come, my dear Jesus, come ! Panem coelestem acci-
piam, et nomen Domini in- vocabo.
When he strikes his breast, confessing his unwor-
78
PASCHAL TIME.
thiness, say thrice with him these words, and in the same disposition as the Centurion of the Gospel, who first used them :
Domine, non sum dignus, Tit intres sub tectum meum : sed tantum die verbo, et sanabitur anima mea.
Lord, I am not worthy thou shouldst enter under my roof ; say it only with one word of thine, and my soul will be healed.
Whilst the Priest receives the sacred Host, if you also are to communicate, adore profoundly your Grod, who is ready to take up his abode within you, and again say to him with the spouse : Come, Lord Jesun, come !
But should you not be going to receive sacram en- tally, make a Spiritual Communion. Adore Jesus Christ who thus visits your soul by his grace, and say to him :
Corpus Domini nostri I give thee, 0 Jesus, this Jesu Christi, custodiat ani- heart of mine, that thou may- mam meam in vitam teter- est dwell in it, and do with nam. Amen. me what thou wilt.
Then the Priest takes the Chalice, in thanksgiving, and says :
Quid retribuam Domino pro omnibus, quiu retribuit mihi ? Calicem salutaris accipiam, et nomen Domini invocabo. Laudans invoca- bo Dominum, et ab inimicis meis salvus ero.
What return shall I make to the Lord for all he hath given to me ? I will take the Chalice of salvation, and will call upon the name of the Lord. Praising I will call upon the Lord, and I shall be saved from mine enemies.
But if you are to make a Sacramental Communion, you should, at this moment of the Priest's receiving the Precious Blood, again adore the God who is com-
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
79
ing to you, and keep to your prayer ; Come, Lord Jesus, come !
If on the contrary, you are going to communicate only spiritually, again adore your divine Master, and say to him :
I unite myself to thee, my Sanguis Domini nostri
beloved Jesus I do thou unite Jesu Christi custodiat ani-
thyself to me I and never let mam meam in vitam aeter-
us be separated. nam. Amen.
It is here that you must approach to the altar, if you are going to Communion. The dispositions suitable for Holy Communion, during this season of Paschal Time, are given in the next Chapter.
The Communion being finished, and whilst the Priest is purifjdng the Chalice the first time, say :
Thou hast visited me, 0 God, in these days of my pil- grimage ; give me grace to treasure up the fruits of this visit for my future eternity.
Quod ore sumpsimus, Do- mine, pura mente capiamus : et de munere temporali fiat nobis remedium sempiter- num.
Whilst the Priest is purifying the Chalice the second time, say :
Be thou for ever blessed, 0 my Saviour, for having ad- mitted me to the sacred mys- tery of thy Body and Blood. May my heart and senses pre- serve, by thy grace, the purity which thou hast imparted to them ; and I thus be rendered less unworthy of thy divine visit.
Corpus tuum, Domine, quod sumpsi, et Sanguis quem potavi, adhsereat vis- ceribus meis : et prnesta ut in me non remaneat scele- rum macula, quem pura et sancta refecerunt Sacra - menta. Qui vivis et re- gnas in ssecula sseculorum. Amen.
The Priest having read the Antiphon called the Communion, which is the first part of his Thanks-
80 PASCHAL TIME.
giving for the favour just received from God, where- by he has renewed his divine presence among us, — turns to the people with the usual salutation ; after which he recites the Prayers, called the Fostcom- munion, which are the completion of the Thanks- giving. You will join him here also, thanking God for the unspeakable gift he has just lavished on you, and asking him, with most earnest entreaty, that he will bestow upon you perseverance in the Paschal joy, and vigilance over yourself, during the whole course of this day, that so you keep up within you the love of that new life which gives you a right to the company of our Risen Jesus.
These Prayers having been recited, the Priest again turns to the people, and full of joy for the im- mense favour he and they have been receiving, he says :
Dominus vobiscum. The Lord be witli you.
Answer him : Et cum spiritu tuo. And with thy spirit.
The Deacon, or, (if it be not a High Mass,) the Priest himself, then says :
Ite, Missa est. Go, the Mass is finished.
^. Deo gratias. Bt. Thanks be to God.
The Priest makes a last Prayer, before giving you his blessing ; pray with him :
Placeat tibi, sancta Trini- Eternal thanks be to thee,
tas, obsequium servitutis O adorable Trinity, for the
meae, quod oculis ture ma- mercy thou hast shown to me,
jestatis indignus obtuli, tibi in permitting me to assist at
sit acceptabile, mihiquc, ot this divine Sacrifice. Pardon
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 81
me the negligence and cold- omnibus, pro qnibus illud
ness wherewith I have re- obtuli, sit, te miserante,
ceived so great a favoui-, and propitiabile. Per Christum
dei^n to confirm the Blessing, Dominum nostrum. Amen, which thy Minister is about to give me in thy Name.
The Priest raises his hand, and thus blesses you :
May the Almighty God, Benedicat vos omnipotens
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Deus, Pater, et Filius, et
bless you I Spiritus Sanctus.
^t. Amen. gt. Amen.
He then concludes the Mass, by reading the first fourteen verses of the Gospel according to St. John, which tell us of the eternity of the Word, and of the mercy which led him to take upon himself out fleshy and to dwell among us. The Evangelist tells us, that this di\'ine Word, the Creator of Light, is himself the True Light. This Light suddenly shone forth from the darkness of the Tomb. The Jew refused to see it ; the Christian hails it with joy, for it is the Life of men.
^. The Lord be with you. ^. Dominus vobiscum.
gt. And with thy spirit. ^. Et cum spiritu tuo.
THE LAST GOSPEL.
The beginning of the H0I5' Initium sancti Evangelii Gospel according to John. secundum Joannem.
CJi. I. Cap. I.
In the beginning was the In principio erat Verbum,
Word, and the Word was with et Verbum erat apud Deum,
God, and the Word was God. et Deus erat Verbum. Hoc
The same was in the begin- erat in principio apud
ning with God. All things Deum. Omnia per ipsum
were made by him, and with- facta sunt ; et sine ipso fac-
out him was made nothing turn est nihil. Quod factum
that was made. In him was est, in ipso vita erat, et vita
0
82
PASCHAL TIME.
erat lux hominum : et lux in tenebris lucet, et tenebrae earn non comprebenderunt. Fuit bomo missus a Deo, cui nomen erat Joannes. Hie venit in testimonium, ut tes- timonium perbiberet de lu- mine, ut omnes crederont per ilium. Non erat ills lux, sed ut testimonium per- biberet de lumine. Erat lux vera, quoe illuminat omnem bominem venientem in bunc mundum. In mundo erat, et mundus per ipsum factus est, et mundus eum non co- gnovit. In propria venit, et sui eum non receperunt. Quotquot autem receperunt eum, dedit eis potestatem filios Dei fieri, bis, qui cre- dunt in nomine ejus : qui non ex sanguinibus, neque ex voluntate carnis, neque ex voluntate viri, sed ex Deo nati sunt. Et Verbum CARO FACTUM EST, et babi- tavit in nobis : et vidimus gloriam ejus, gloriam quasi Unigeniti a Patre, plenum gratiae et veritatis.
Bl. Deo gratias.
life, and tbe life was tbe ligbt of men ; and tbe ligbt sbinetb in tbe darkness, and tbe dark- ness did not comprebend it. Tbere was a man sent from God, wbose name was Jobn. Tbis man came for a witness, to give testimony of tbe ligbt, tbat all men migbt beheve tbrougb bim. He was not tbe ligbt, but was to give testi- mony of tbe ligbt. Tbat was tbe true ligbt wbicb enligbt- enetb every man tbat cometb into tbis world. He was in tbe world, and tbe world was made by bim, and tbe world knew bim not. He came unto bis own, and bis own received bim not. But as many as re- ceived bim, to tbem be gave power to be made tbe sons of God ; to tbem tbat believe in bis name, wbo are born, not of blood, nor of tbe will of tbe flesb, nor of tbe will of man, but of God. And the Word WAS MADE FLESH, and dwelt among us ; and we saw bis glory, as it were tbe glory of tbe Only-Begotten of tbe Fatber, full of grace and trutb. gi. Tbanks be to God.
BEFORE COMMUNION. 83
CHAPTEE THE SIXTH.
ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING PASCHAL TIME.
In Passiontide, the Christian went to Holy Commu- nion impressed with these words of the Apostle : As often as ye shall eat this Bread, and drink the Chalice, ye shall show the Death of the Lord} He united himself with the Divine Victim, immolated for the sins of the world, and he died with his Saviour. During Paschal Time, the heavenly Food produces its effects in another manner ; it fortifies the Life of the Soul, and gives to the Body the germ of Immortality. It is true, that in each Season of the Liturgical Year, this twofold effect is produced in those who worthily receive Communion, — namely, Immolation and Resurrection ; but as, during the days consecrated to the Passion, the application of the Mystery of Immolation and Sacrifice is more direct and more in accordance with the sentiments of the Communicant, — so, also, during Paschal Time, the divine contact of the Body of our Risen Jesus makes us feel, and in a way that Easter alone can do, that to the Holy Eucharist we owe the future Re- surrection of our Bodies.
Our Saviour himself teaches us this, where he says : Your fathers did eat f/ianna in the desert, and are dead. This i^ the Bread which comet h doicn from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not
die He that eateth my Flesh, and drinketh
my Blood, hath everlasting life ; and I will raise him up in the last day}
1 1 Cor. xi. 26. 2 St. John, vi. 49, 50, 65.
84 PASCHAL TIME.
We shall all resume these Bodies of ours on the Last Day, either for glory or punishment eternal ; but he that worthily unites himself, by Holy Com- munion, with the glorious and Risen Body of the Man-Grod, contracts an alliance and intimacy with him, which forbid this Divine Guest to leave in corruption these members made his own by the sublime Mystery.
We must, therefore, approach the Holy Table, during Eastertide, with an ardent ambition for our Resurrection, knowing, as we do, that we then receive into our Bodies an element, which is to preserve them, even when turned into dust ; and which, more- over, confers on them a right to the qualities of Griorified Bodies, whose beauty and happiness will be like those of our Jesus, after he had risen from the Grave.
Now, if our Redeemer does all this for our Bodies, by means of Holy Communion, — gi^^ng them, by it, the pledge of Immortality, — what must he not do for our Souls, in order to strengthen and increase within them that "New Life," that Resurrection-Life, which is the fruit of Easter, the object of all our past efforts, the reward of all the victories we have gained over ourselves during the campaign of Lent ? Nay, unless this new life be fostered by frequent Communion, it is in danger of growing weak, perhaps even of becoming extinct within us. The Apostle tells us, that Christy having risen from the dead, dieth now no more ; ^ we, then, must die no more, for we are Risen with him. To this end, we must hunger after the Bread of Heaven, of which our Jesus says : If any man eat of this Bread, he shall Live for ever?
We oif er to our readers the following Preparat ion for Holy Communion during Easter. There are souls that feel the want of some such assistance as this ; and, for the same reason, we will add a form of Thanksgiving for after Communion.
1 Horn. vi. 9, 2 St. John, vi. 52,
BEFORE COMMUNION. 85
BEFORE COMMUNION.
ACT OF FAITH.
O Saviour of mankind I the magnificence of thy works shines so brightly, that we are compelled to give glorj" to thy name, and proclaim thee to be the Son of God. We believed in thee, when thou didst show thyself a weak Babe in the Crib of Bethlehem ; there was a mysterious power that attracted us, and, with the Angels, we adored thee wrapped in thy humble swathing-bands. When we saw thee hanging on the Cross, outraged and blasphemed by a whole people, — we still acknowledged thee to be our Ejng, and said to thee, with the Good Thief : Remember us, 0 Lord, ivhen thou shalt come into thy Kingdom ! But now that thou hast triumphed over Death, and art Eisen glorious from the Tomb ; now that the whole earth resounds with thy praise, and the tidings of thy Resurrection fill all nations with a gladness as fresh as though thy triumph were but of this very j^ear ; — who can refuse to confess thy Divinitj', adore thj' Mysteries, and cry out with thy Dis- ciple : Mij Lord and my God ! Though my eyes see thee not, though my hands cannot touch thy sacred wounds, yet do I most firmly believe thee to be my Lord and my God. Thou hast said : Hiippy they that have not seen, and have believed : of these happy believers I would be one, 0 Jesus I I confess that thou hast verily Eisen, the Son of God and the Son of Man. I believe, also, that thou art the Living Bread come down from heaven to give Life to the world, and that I am about to receive thee into myself. Increase this my Faith, 0 my Lord and my God I that so I may render thee the worship thou claimest from me, thy poor but happy creature.
ACT OF HUMILITY.
0 divine Conqueror of Death I who could see thee in the splendour of thy Majesty, and not tremble ? Before thy Passion, thou grantedst a mere glimpse of thy glory to the three Disciples on Thabor, and they fell down as though they were dead : and now, when the brightness of thy Resurrection dazzles even the eyes of the Angels, thou wishest to do far more than show thyself to me ! Thou vouchsafest to come down to my nothingness, to unite me, a weak unworthy creature, with thyself, who art no longer in the Crib or on the Cross, and ait soon to ascend to
86 PASCHAL TIME.
the right hand of thy Eternal Father ! Thou, the Author of light, and thyself the infinite Light, art about to shine amidst such darkness as mine ! If I reflect upon my nothingness, this thy condescension fills me with delighted wonder ; but when I remember that I have been so great a sinner, this union with thee overpowers me. How can thy sovereign holiness and my sinfulness be brought thus together ? — Thine Evangelist tells me, that the Light shineth in darkness, and the darkness doth not comprehend it ; for the darkness of pride ever thinks itself to be the Light, and sees not the True Light : let it not be thus with me, my Jesus ! I humble myself before thee ; I acknowledge my misery, — it is immense ; deign, then,
0 Divine Light ! to pour out on me the riches of thine infinite mercy.
ACT OF CONTRITION.
0 Saviour of the world ! 0 Conqueror of Death ! thou art coming to me, and I am but a sinner. Thou wiliest to treat me, as thou didst thy Disciples on the Day of thy Eesurrection. They had basely abandoned thee in thy Passion, and thou didst return to them ; thou wast all affection to them ; thou badest them not fear ; not a word of reproach fell from thy lips. Thou wouldst have them learn from this thy loving forgiveness, how guilty they had been in leaving such a Master. 0 thou best of masters ! I, too, must learn the same lesson. But how much more grievous my sins have been, than were theirs ! They knew so little of thee, when they sinned ; whereas / sinned with all the fulness of Light upon me, knowing my Jesus so well. Thy Apostles were not initiated into all thy Mys- teries, when they lost their courage ; they had not, as yet, received the Holy Ghost, who has been so unreservedly given to me. I will, then, imitate them in the sorrow they felt, when they found, that he whom they had offended was so deserving of their love. Yes, I detest my sins, whereby
1 have so cruelly wounded thy Sacred Heart ; I acknow- ledge that Sin is Death, and the enemy of that Life which thou renewest within us by thy Eesurrection. I wish to die to Sin, and live to Grace. By the Mystery of Life which thou art about to apply to my repentant heart, deign, I beseech thee, to preserve me from the misery of ever again forfeiting thy Grace.
ACT OF LOVE. 0 Jesus I thy Eesurrection is not only the trophy of thy
AFTER COMMUNION. 87
Victory, — it is moreover, and more evidently, the grand triumph of thy Love. It was out of love for us, that thou didst assume our flesh, and suffer the cruel Passion ; and yet these proofs of thine adorable goodness towards us, are but a preparation of the last great act of a God's Love for sinful man, his creature. Thou risest from the Tomb, thou takest possession of Immortality ; it is a Triumph well merited by thy humiliations and sufferings : but it is all for our sakes. "What need hadst thou of the Crib or the Cross,
0 eternal and infinitely happy God? Why wouldst thou die, and then return to life ? Why descend into the grave, and then leave it by a glorious Resurrection ? Ah yes, I understand thee, my Jesus ! it was because thou lovest us, who had merited death by our sins. In thine incompre- hensible love, thou wouldst share in our death, that we might share in thy Resurrection. Whether nailed to the Cross, or rising from the Tomb, thou art ever our own dearest Jesus, ever working for us ; but the last act of thy almighty love is the greatest. TVTiat return can I make thee, 0 my Saviour, if not that of the warmest love ? And when should I give it more fervently than now, when thou art about to give me that Bread of Heaven which is ThyseK, and by which thou unitest me to thy Resurrection, in order to make me a sharer of thy glory and immortality ? Thou art mine, 0 Jesus I both in thy Death and thy Life !
1 wish to be thine, for time and for eternity. Amen.
In order to make your Prejxiration complete, follow, with a lively faith and attention, all the mysteries of the Mass at which you are to receive Communion ; using, for this purpose, the method we have given in the preceding Chapter. For your Thanhsgivinfj after Communion, you may sometimes recite the following Acts.
AFTER COMMUNION.
ACT OF ADORATION.
O infinite Majesty! thou art in me, and I am in thee. The earth shook when thou didst rise from the Tomb ; and now, at this blissful moment of my feeling thee within me, my whole being thrills with delight. Thou art here on my heart, thou the great God ; whose only will created the
88 PASCHAL TIME.
Light and whose almighty power re- united thy Soul and Body for a glorious Eesurrection. I most profoundly adore thy omnipotence, which is now united to my poor nature. No, my Almighty Father ! thou shalt find no resistance here ; thou art my Sovereign Lord, and I delightedly con- fess it. Thou hast come down from heaven to this lowly dwelling of my misery, my nothingness, in order to receive my adoration ; thou shalt have it, dear Lord I the humblest and best I can give, for my soul is overpowered by the wondrous honour thou art now conferring upon me ! Thou art the Infinite Being, the Creator and Preserver of all things I I adore thee as my King and Lord and Master : my happiness and glory is in my total dependence upon thee : the one ambition of my heart is to seiTe thee.
ACT OF THANKSGIVING.
0 my Jesus ! would that I had power to acknowledge, as it deserves, the favour of this thy visit. Thou art come to me, in order to give me a share in thine own Life. I am weak : the mere remembrance of thy Eesurrection would not suffice to give me pei"severance in the neiv life it has merited for me : I needed thee, and thou hast graciously come to me silently and humbly, and yet with all thy omni- potence and glory. When thou didst visit thine Apostles on the Day of thy Eesurrection, thou saidst to them : It is I ; fear not ! So, too, thou speakest to my soul : thou bid- dest me fear not at the sight of thy Majesty and mine own misery and unworthiness. The sweet greeting given to them is now given to me : Peace he ivith thee ! Most grate- fully do I receive it. Blessed be thou, my Jesus, for the provident and tender love wherewith thou hast visited me, broken the chains of my captivity, made me a partaker in thy triumph, fortified me against my enemies, — and all this by putting Tvdthin me thine own Immortal Life by the Com- munion I have just received I I will say, then, with the Eoyal Prophet : Bless the Lord, 0 my soul ! and let all that is ivithin me Mess his holy name ! Bless the Lord, 0 my soul ! and never forget all he hath done for thee ! He hath redeemed thy life from destruction : he hath renewed thy youth as that of the eagle.
ACT OF LOVE. O Jesus ! laden thus with thy choicest favours, I must repay
AFTER COMMUNION. 89
thy love by all the love this heart of mine can give. When Magdalene was at thy Tomb, and heard the sound of thy voice, her soul melted within her ; throwing herself at thy feet, she could say nothing, but call thee Master ! And I, dear Jesus, my Master ! I who not only hear thy words, but feel thee within me, what must I say to thee, that will tell thee my love for thee ? The Disciples of Emmaus had but a conversation with thee, and they said to each other : Was not our heart hurniny within us lahilst he spoke in the way ? What must / say, who have thee now resting on my heart ? Oh yes I I must take courage, and tell thee that I love thee, my Eisen Jesus ! Thou didst take Magdalene's love, thou didst encourage that of thy Disciples ; deign also to receive mine. If it be weak, thou canst add to its ardour. I am firmly resolved by the aid of thy grace, never to admit anything that could lessen my love of thee : I will do all in my power to give it increase ; and, for this end, I will fre- quently approach this adorable Sacrament, for it is indeed the Sacrament of Love.
ACT OF OBLATION.
O Jesus ! I belonged to thee, because I was redeemed by thee ; — I am thine, now, because thou hast restored life to me by thy Resurrection, and because, by this happy Com- munion, thou hast made me a partaker in all the glory of thy Victory over Death. Henceforth, thy lot and mine are one ; like thee, I am dead to sin, and ahve unto God. Take me, then, my dearest Jesus I I offer and give myself to thee, nor will I ever again leave thee. Do with me what thou wiliest ; I am thy Redeemed, and the Companion of thy glory ; my present, my future, my eternity, all are in thy hands. There- fore, do I renounce myself, that I may be guided by thee ; I renounce the world and its maxims, for they are enemies to the new life I am resolved to lead. But that I may be faithful, I have need of a powerful and neverfailiug aid. This aid, my Jesus I is thy Holy Spirit. Thou hast promised him to us. Our Easter joy will not be perfect until he come and dweU within us. Send him, then, I beseech thee, to me. Thou art to ascend into heaven : leave me not an orphan. I know that I have thee in this Adorable Sacrament ; but I cannot receive it as often as I wish, and my necessities are of every hour recurrence. Vouchsafe, then, to renew within me the presence of this Holy Spirit, who will preserve and
90 PASCHAL TIME.
give efficacy to the graces thou hast bestowed upon me by this Cominunion.
0 Mary ! by the joy that filled thy maternal heart at the Eesurrection of thy Jesus, I beseech thee to intercede for me with him, that I may never lose the grace of the visit he has this day granted me. Ye holy Angels of God I who adore him now dwelling within me, be solicitous for the holiness and purity of my soul and body. — All ye Saints of God ! pray for me, that I may ever be faithful to Him, whom ye loved on earth, and now possess as your infinite Good, and your eternal happiness ! Amen.
Sunday's vespers. 91
CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.
OF THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING PASCHAL TIME.
The Office of Vespers, or Even Song, consists firstly of the five following Psalms. According to our cus- tom, we preface each Psalm with a short explanation, in order to draw the attention to what is most in harmony with the spirit of the Easter mysteries.
After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication :
^ . Incline unto my aid, 0 f. Deus, in adjutorium
God. meum intende.
Bj. O Lord, make haste to gt. Domine, ad adjuvan-
help me. dum me festina.
Glory be to the Father, and Gloria Patri, et Filio, et
to the Son, and to the Holy Spiritui Sancto. Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is Sicut erat in principio, et now, and ever shall be, world nunc et semper, et in seecula without end. Amen. Alle- saeculorum. Amen. Alle- luia, luia.
Ant. Alleluia. Ant. Alleluia.
Under this single Antiphon, all the Psalms are sung, if the Vespers are of the Sunday : but on Feasts, the Antiphons are proper, and will be given on their respective days.
The first Psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. It celebrates his Eternal G-eneration, his being equal with the Father, his Kingship and Priesthood. He was humbled for a while, even so as
92
PASCHAL TIME.
to drink of the torrent : but now he has triumphed over his enemies, and will come in glory, at the end of the world, to judge them.
PSALM 109.
Dixit Dominus Domino meo : * Sede a dextris meis.
Donee ponam inimicos tuos : * scabellum pedum tuorum.
Yirgam virtutis tuse emit- tet Dominus ex Sion : * do- minare in medio inimicorum tuorum.
Tecum principium in die virtutis tuse in splendoribus sanctorum : * ex utero ante luciferum genui te.
Juravit Dominus, et non poenitebit eum : * Tu es Sa- cerdos in seternum secun- dum ordinem Melchisedecb.
Dominus a dextris tuis : * confregit in die irae suae reges.
Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas : * con- quassabit capita in terra multorum.
De torrente in via bibet : * propterea exaltabit caput.
The Lord said to my Lord, his Soil : Sit thou at my right hand, aiid reign luith me.
Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool.
0 Christ ! the Lord thy Father, will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion : from thence rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.
With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the saints : For the Father hath said to thee : From the womb before the day-star I begot thee.
The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent : he hath said, spealdng of thee, the God- Man : Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech.
Therefore, 0 Father, the Lord, thy So7i is at thy right hand : he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.
He shall also judge among nations : in that terrible com- ing, he shall fill the ruins of the tuorld : he shall crush the heads in the land of many.
He shall drink, in the way, of the torrent of sufferings ; therefore shall he lift up the head on the day of his triumph over death.
The following Psalm commemorates the mercies of
SITNDAY S VESPKRS.
93
God to his people^ — the promised Covennnt, the Re- dcinption, his Fidel it i/ to his word. The Resurrection of Christ (of which our own is a consequence,) was one of God's promises ; and we are now celebrating its accomplishment.
PSALM 110.
I -will praise thee, 0 Lord, with my whole heart : in the council of the just, and in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord : sought out according to all his wills.
His work is praise and mag- nificence : and his justice con- tinueth for ever and ever.
He hath made a remem- brance of his wonderful works, being a merciful and gracious Lord : he hath given food to them that fear him.
He will be mindful for ever of his covenant luith men : he will show forth to his people the power of his works.
That he may give them, liis Chnrc/t, the inheritance of the Gentiles : the works of his hand are truth and judgment.
All his commandments are faithful, confirmed for ever and ever : made in truth and equity.
He hath sent redemption to his people ; he hath thtrtby commanded his covenant for ever.
Holy and terrible is his name • the fear of the Ijord is the beginning of wisdom.
A good understanding to all
Confitebor tibi, Domine, in toto corde meo : * in con- silio justorum et congrega- tione.
Magna opera Domini : * exquisita in omnes volunta- tes ejus.
Confessio et magnificentia opus ejus : * et justitia ejus manet in sseculum saeculi.
Memoriam fecit mirabi- lium suorum, misericors et miserator Dominus : * es- cam dedit timentibus se.
Memor erit in sseculum testamenti sui : * virtu t em operum suorum annuntiabit populo suo,
Ut det illis hsereditatem Gentium : * opera manuum ejus, Veritas et judicium.
Fidelia omnia mandata ejus, confimiata in sseculum sseculi : * facta in veritate et sequitate.
Eedemptionem misit po- pulo suo : * mandavit in seternum testamentum suum.
Sanctum et terribile no- men ejus : * initium sapien- tiso timor Domini.
Intellectus bonus omnibus
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PASCHAL TIME.
facientibus eum : * laudatio that do it : his praise con- ejus manet in saeculum sae- tinueth for ever and ever, culi.
The next Psalm sings the happiness and hopes of the just man. The light that rises up in darkness, is our Risen Jesus, who appears to us in his mercij. The ivicked one, who is angry at the triumph of Him, who is, by excellence, the just, is the Jew, to whom the Resurrection was a source of the most bitter regret and confusion.
PSALM 111.
Beatus vir, qui timet Do- minum : * in mandatis ejus volet nimis.
Potens in terra erit semen ejus : * generatio rectorum benedicetur.
Gloria, et divitise in domo e j us : * et j ustitia e j us manet in sseculum sseculi.
Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis : * misericors, et miserator, et Justus.
Jucundus homo, qui mise- retur et commodat, disponet sermones suos in judicio : * quia in seternum non com- movebitur.
In memoria aeterna erit Justus : * ab auditione mala non timebit.
Paratum cor ejus sperare in Domino, confirmatum est cor ejus: * non commovebi- tur donee despiciat inimicos suos,
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord : he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth : the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.
Glory and wealth shall be in his house : and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.
To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness : he is merciful and compassionate, and just.
Acceptable is the man that showeth mercy and lendeth ; he shall order his words with judgment : because he shall not be moved for ever.
The just shall be in ever- lasting remembrance : he shall not fear the evil hearing.
His heart is ready to hope in the Lord ; his heart is strengthened : he shall not be moved until he look over his enemies,
SUNDAY S VESPERS.
95
He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor; his justice romaineth for ever and ever : his horn shall be ex- alted in glory.
The wicked shall see, and shall be angiy ; he shall gnash with his teeth and pine away ; the desire of the wicked shall perish.
Dispersit dedit pauperi- bus, justitia ejus manet in sseculum saeculi : * comu ejus exaltabitur in gloria.
Peccator videbit, et ira- scetur, dentibus suis fremet et tabescet : * desiderium peccatorum peribit.
The Psalm Laudate pueri, is a Canticle of praise to the Lord, who, from his high heaven, has taken pity on the fallen human race, and humhled himself by taking our nature, which he afterwards raised up by his Resurrection.
PSALM 112.
Praise the Lord, ye chil- dren ; praise ye the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord : from henceforth now and for ever.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.
The Lord is high above all nations : and his glory above the heavens.
Who is as the Lord our God who dwelleth on high ; and looketh down on the low things in heaven and in earth ?
Raising up the needy from the earth : and lifting up the poor out of the dunglull.
That he maj' place him with princes : with the princes of his people.
Who maketh a barren wo- man to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children.
Laudate, pueri, Domi- num : * laudate nomen Domini.
Sit nomen Domini bene- dictum : * ex hoc nunc et usque in sseculum.
A solis ortu usque ad oc- casum : * laudabile nomen Domini.
Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus : * et su- per ccelos gloria ejus.
Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster qui in altis habitat : * et humllia respicit in coelo et in terra.
Suscitans a terra inopem : * et de stercore erigens pauperem.
Ut collocet eum cum prin- cipibus : * cum principibus populi sui.
Qui habitare facit steri- lem in domo : * matrem fiUorum laetantem.
96
PASCHAL TIME.
The fifth Psalm, In critu, speaks of the ancient Pasch, (the exodus from Egypt,) and the prodigies that accompanied and followed it ; of the Bed Sea, the figure of Baptism ; of the Water which issued from the Rock in the Desert ; and of the abolition of idol- worship. Our christian Pasch and Pentecost are the fulfilment of all these figures ; they bring a blessing upon all, Jews or Grentiles, who love or fear Christ. In consequence of our sins, we were con- demned to go down into hell^ where we should never have heard the glad hymns of praise sung to our Grod in the heavenly Jerusalem : — but the Resurrection of Christ has restored us to life, and we sing, to his and his Father's ^m^se, the joyous Alleluia.
PSALM 113.
In exitu Israel de ^gyp- to : * domus Jacob de po- pulo barbaro.
Facta est Judaea sanclifi- catioejus: * Israel potestas ejus.
Mare vidit, et fugit : * Jor- danis conversus est retror- sum.
Montes exsultaverunt ut arietes : * et colles sicut agni ovium.
Quid est tibi, mare, quod fugisti : * et tu, Jordanis, quia conversus es retror- sum ?
Montes exsultastis sicut arietes : * et colles sicut agni ovium ?
A facie Domini mota est terra : * a facie Dei Jacob.
Qui convertit petram in stagna aquarum : * et ru- pem in fontes aquarum,
When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people.
Judea was made his sanc- tuary, Israel his dominion.
The sea saw and fled dan was turned back.
Jor-
The mountains skipped like rams : and the hills like the lambs of the flock.
What ailed thee, 0 thou sea, that thou didst flee : and thou 0 Jordan, that thou wast turned back ?
Ye mountains that ye skip- ped like rams : and ye hills like lambs of the flock !'
At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the God of Jacob.
Who turned the rock into pools of water, and the stormy hills into fountains of water,
SUNDAY S VESPERS.
97
Not to us, 0 Lord, not to us : but to thy name give glory.
For thy mercy and for thy truth's sake : lest the Gentiles should say : Where is their God?
But our God is in heaven : he hath done all things what- soever he would.
The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold : the works of the hands of men.
They have mouths, and speak not : they have eyes, and see not.
They have ears, and hear not : they have noses, and smell not.
They have hands, and feel not : they have feet, and walk not : neither shall they cry out through their throat.
Let them that make them become like unto them : and all such as trust in them.
The house of Israel hath hoped in the Lord : he is their helper and their protector.
The house of Aaron hath hoped in the Lord : he is their helper and their protector.
They that feared the Lord have hoped in the Lord : he is their helper and their pro- tector.
The Lord hath been mindful of us, and hath blessed us.
He hath blessed the house of Israel : he hath blessed the house of Aaron.
He hath blessed all that fear the Lord, both little and great.
May the Lord add blessings upon you : upon you, and upon your children.
Non nobis, Domine, non nobis : * sed nomini tuo da gloriam.
Super misericordia tua, et veritate tua : * nequando dicant Gentes : Ubi est Deus eorum ?
Deus autem noster in ccelo : * omnia quaecumque voluit, fecit.
Simulacra Gentium ar- gentum et aurum : * opera manuum hominum.
Os habent, et non loquen- tur : * oculos habent, et non videbunt.
Aures habent, et non au- dieut : * nares habent et non odorabunt.
Manus habent, et non pal- babunt, pedes habent et non ambulabunt : * non clama- bunt in gutture suo.
Similes illis fiant qui fa- ciunt ea : * et omnes qui confidunt in eis.
Domus Israel speravit in Domino : * adjutor eorum, et protector eorum est.
Domus Aaron speravit in Domino : * adjutor eorum, et protector eorum est.
Qui timent Dominum, speraverunt in Domino : * adjutor eonim, et protector eorum est.
Dominus memor fuit nos- tri : * et benedixit nobis.
Benedixit domui Israel : * benedixit domui Aaron.
Benedixit omnibus qui ti- ment Dominum : * pusillis cum majoribus.
Adjiciat Dominus super vos : * super vos, et super tilios vestros.
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PASCHAL TIME.
Benedicti vos a Domino : * qui fecit coelum et terrain.
Coelum cceli Domino : * terram autem dedit filiis hominum.
Non mortui laudabunt te, Domine : * neque omnes qui descendunt in infernum.
Sed nos qui vivimus, bene- dicimus Domino : * ex hoc nunc et usque in sseculum.
Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The heaven of heaven is the Lord's : but the earth he has given to the children of men.
The dead shall not praise thee, 0 Lord : nor any of them that go down to hell.
But we that live bless the Lord : from this time now and for ever.
Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
After these five Psalms, a short Lesson from the holy Scriptures is then read. It is called Capituhmif because it is always very short. The ones for the Sundays of Lent are given in the Proper of each.
After the Capitulum, follows the Hymn, Ad regias, which was written by St. Ambrose, though somewhat changed in the 17th century.
HYMN.
Ad regias Agni dapes, Stolis amicti candidis,
Having passed the Eed Sea, and now seated at the royal
* According to the Monastic Rite, it is as originally composed. It is preceded by the folloM-ing Responsory :
R^. breve. — Surrexit Dominus Q\ii immolatus Agnus est,
vere. rexit
luia.
* Alleluia, Alleluia. Sur-
Et apparuit Sinioni. Alle- GloriaPatri, (fee. Siurexit.
Ad coenam Agni providi, Et stohs albis candidi, Post transitum maris Rubri Christo canamus Principi.
Cujus corpus sanctissimum, In ara Crucis torridum, Cruore ejus roseo Gustando vivimus Deo.
Protecti Paschaj vespere A devastante Angelo, Erepti de durissimo Pharaonis imperio.
Jam Pascha nostrum Christus est,
Sinceritatis azyma Care ejus oblata est.
0 vere digna hostia. Per quam fracta sunt tartara, Redempta plebs captivata, Reddita vitae proemia.
Consurgit Christus tumulo Victor redit de barathi'o, Tyrannum trudens vinculo Et paradisum reserans.
Quaesumus Auctor omnium, In hoc PaschaH gaudio, Ab omni mortis impetu Tuum defende populum.
Gloria tibi Domine, Qui siuTexisti a mortuis, Cum I'atre et Sancto Spiritu, In sempitema saccula. Amen.
Sunday's
VESPERS.
99
banquet of the Lamb, clad in our white robes, — let us sing a hymn to Christ our King.
He, in his divine love for us, gives us to drink of his precious Blood. Love is the Priest that immolates his sacred Body.
The destroying Angel looks with awe upon the Blood that is sprinkled on the thresholds. The sea divides its waters, and buries our enemies in its waves.
Christ is now our Pasch ; he is our Paschal Lamb ; he is the unleavened Bread of sin- cerity, pure food for pure souls.
0 trulj' heavenly Victim I by whom hell was vanquished, the fetters of death were broken, and life was awarded to mankind.
Christ, our Conqueror, un- folds his banner, for he has subdued the powers of hell. He opens heaven to man, and leads captive the prince of darkness.
That thou, 0 Jesus, mayest be an endless Paschal joy to our hearts, free us, who have been regenerated unto life, from the dread death of sin.
Glory be to God the Father, and to the Son who rose from the dead, and to the Paraclete, for everlasting ages.
Amen.
t'. Stay with us, O Lord, alleluia.
Bt. For it is now evening, alleluia.
Post transitum maris Rubri, Christo canamus principi.
Divina cujus charitas Sacrum propinat sangui-
nem, Almique membra corporis Amor sacerdos immolat.
Sparsum cruorem posti- bus Vastator horret Angelus : Fugitque di visum mare, Merguntur hostes fluctibus.
Jam Pascha nostrum Christus est, PaschaUs idem victima, Et pura puris mentibus Sinceritatis azyma.
0 vera coeli victima, Subjecta cui sunt tartara, Soluta mortis vincula, Eecepta vitae prsemia.
Victor subactis inferis Troph?Da Christus explicat, Cooloque aperto, subditum Eegem tenebrarum trahit.
Ut sis perenne mentibus Paschale, Jesu, gaudium, A morte dira criminum Vitae renatos libera.
Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio, qui a mortuis Surrexit, ac Paraclito, In sempitema seecula. Amen.
V. Mane nobiscum, Do- mine, alleluia.
Bt. Quoniam advespera- scit, alleluia.
Then is said the Magnificat Antiphon, which is to be found in the Proper for the several Days. After
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PASCHAL TIME.
this, the Church sings the Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat. This exquisite Canticle is an essential part of the Vespers, throughout the year. It gives us the words of our Blessed Lady, wherein she ex- presses to St. Elizabeth the transports of her joy and gratitude at bearing Grod within her womb. Let us join her in celebrating the ineffable honour bestowed upon her, the merits of that profound humility which rendered her worthy of such an honour, the over- throw of the proud spirits who were driven from heaven, and the exaltation of human nature, of itself so poor and miserable, to that high place from which the Angels fell.
OUR LADY S CANTICLE.
{St. Luke, i.)
Magnificat : * anima mea Dominum.
Et exsultavit spiritus me- ns : * in Deo salutari meo.
Quia respexit humilita- tem ancillse suse : * ecce enim ex hoc Beatam me di- cent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est : * et sanc- tum nomen ejus.
Etmisericordia ejus a pro- genie in progenies : * timen- tibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio suo : * dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede : * et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bo- nis : * et divites dimisit inanes.
My soul doth magnify the Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid : for, behold from henceforth all generations shall call me Blessed.
Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me : and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from gene- ration unto generation, to them that fear him.
He hath showed might in his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of theii- heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.
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101
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy.
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
Suscepit Israel puenim suum : * recordatus mise- ricordioe suae.
Sicut locutus est ad pa- tres nostros : * Abraham et semini ejus in saecula.
The Magnificat Antiphon is then repeated. The Prayer, or Collect, will be found in the Proper of each Sunday.
The Vespers end with the following Yersicles :
f. Let us bless the Lord.
^. Thanks be to God.
f. May the souls of the Faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
&. Amen.
f. Benedicamus Domino.
Be. Deo gratias.
^. Fidelium animiB per misericordiam Dei requies- cant in pace.
Bi. Amen.
102 PASCHAL TTME.
CHAPTER THE EIGHTH.
OF THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE, DURING PASCHAL TIME.
This Office, whicli concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night : then imme- diately follows the public Confession of our sins, as a powerful means of propitiating the divine justice, and obtaining Grod's help, now that we are going to spend so many hours in the unconscious and there- fore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death.
The Lector, addressing the Priest, says to him :
f. Jube, Domne, benedi- f. Pray, Father, give thy cere. blessing.
The Priest answers :
Noctem quietam, et finem May the Almighty Lord
perfectum concedat nobis grant us a quiet night and a
Dominus omnipotens. perfect end.
gt. Amen. B^- Amen.
The Lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter :
Fratres : Sobrii estote, et Brethren, be sober and
vigil ate : quia adversarius watch : for your adversary
vester diabolas, tamquam the devil goes about like a
leo rugiens circuit quserens roaring lion, seeking whom he
quern devoret : cui resistite may devour: resist him, being
fortes in tide. Tu autem, strong in faith. But thou, 0
Pomiue, miserere nobis, Jjord, have jnercy on us,
COMPLINE. 103
The Choir answers :
Bt. Thanks be to God. ^. Deo gratias.
Then, the Priest :
^. Our help is in the name ^. Adjutorium nostrum of the Lord. in nomine Domini.
The Choir :
gt. Who hath made heaven B^. Qui fecit coelum et ter- and,earth. ram.
Then the Lord's Prayer is recited in secret ; after which the Priest says the Confiteor ; and, when he has finished, the Choir says :
May Almighty God have Misereatur tui omnipotens
mercy on thee, and, forgiving Deus, et dimissis peccatis
thy sins, bring thee to ever- tuis, perducat te ad vitam
lasting life. aeternam.
The Priest having answered Amen, the Choir re- peats the Confiteor, thus :
I confess to Almighty God, Confiteor Deo omnipo-
to blessed Mary ever Virgin, tenti, beatse Mariae semper
to blessed Michael the Arch- Virgini, beato Michaeli
angel, to blessed John Baptist, Archangelo, beato Joanni
to the holy Apostles Peter and Baptistse, Sanctis Apostolis
Paul, to all the Saints, and to Petro et Paulo, omnibus
thee, Father, that I have sinned Sanctis, et tibi. Pater : quia
exceedingly in thought, word, peccavi nimis, cogitatione,
and deed, through my fault, verbo, et opere : mea culpa,
through my fault, through my mea culpa, mea maxima
most grievous fault. There- culpa. Ideo precor beatam
fore I beseech the blessed Maiy Mariam semper Virginem,
ever Virgin, blessed Michael beatum Michaelem Arch-
the Archangel, blessed John angelum, beatum Joannem
Baptist, the holy Apostles Baptistam, sanctos Aposto-
Peter and Paul, and all the los Petnim et Paulum, om-
Saints, and thee, Father, to nes Sanctos, et te. Pater,
pray to our Lord God for me. orare pro me ad Dominum
Deum nostrum.
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PASCHAL TIME.
The Priest then says :
Misereatur vestri omni- potens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam (Bternam.
gt. Amen.
Indulgentiam, absolutio- nem, et remissionem pecca- torum nostrorum, tribuat nobis omnipotens et miseri- cors Dominus.
^. Amen.
y. Converte nos, Deus, Salutaris noster.
g^. Et averte iram tuam a nobis.
y. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende.
gt. Domine, ad adjuvan- dum me festina.
Gloria Patri, &c. Alle- luia.
Ant. Alleluia.
May Almighty God be mer- ciful to you, and, forgiving your sins, bring you to ever- lasting life.
Bt. Amen.
May the Almighty and mer- ciful Lord grant us pardon, absolution, and remission of our sins.
5t. Amen.
f. Convert us, 0 God, our Saviour.
gt. And turn away thy an- ger from us.
f. Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
gt. O Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory, &c. Alleluia.
Ant. Alleluia.
The first Psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace ; but the wicked know not what calm rest is. The beautiful counte- nance of our Risen Lord sheds light and gladness upon the Faithful, and renews the hope of their own Resurrection, which is to be after their sleep in the tomb.
PSALM 4.
Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitise mese : * in tribulatione dilatasti mihi.
Miserere mei: * etexaudi orationem meam.
Filii hominum, usquequo grayi corde : * ut quid dili-
When I called upon him the God of my justice heard me : when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me.
Have mercy on me : and hear my prayer.
0 ye sons of men, how long will you be dull of heart ? why
COMPLINE.
105
do you love vanity, and seek after Ijdng ?
Know ye also that the Lord hath made his Holy One won- derful : the Lord will hear me, when I shall cry unto him.
Be ye angry, and sin not : the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them upon your beds.
Offer up the sacrifice of jus- tice and trust in the Lord : many say, who showeth us good things ?
The Light of thy counte- nance, 0 Lord, is signed upon us : thou hast given gladness in my heart.
By the fruit of their com, their wine, and oil, they are multiplied.
In peace, in the self same, I will sleep, and I will rest.
For thou, 0 Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope.
gitis vanitatem, et quseritis mendacium ?
Et scitote quoniam miri- ficavit Dominus sanctum suum : * Dominus exaudiet me, cum clamavero ad eum.
Irascimini, et nolite pec- care : * quae dicitis in cordi- bus vestris, in cubilibus vestris compungimini.
Sacrificate sacrificium jus- titise, et sperate in Domino : * multi dicunt : Quis osten- dit nobis bona ?
Signatum est super nos lumen vultis tui Domine : * dedisti Isetitiam in corde meo.
A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui : * multiplicati sunt.
In pace in idipsum : * dormiam et requiescam.
Quoniam tu, Domine, sin- gulariter in spe : * constitu- isti me.
The Churcli has introduced here the first six Verses of the thirtieth Psalm, because they contain the prayer which our Saviour made when dying : Into thy hands, 0 Lord, I commend my spirit ! — words so beautifully appropriate in this Office of the close of the day. Jesus commends his soul, with confidence, into his Father's hands ; — on the third day, the Father restored it to him. Let us confide ours to this Sovereign Lord of our whole being, and our hope will not be confounded.
PSALM 30.
In thee, 0 Lord, have I hoped, let me never be con- founded : deliver me in thy justice,
In te, Domine, speravi, non conf undar in aeternum : • in justitia tua libera me,
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PASCHAL TIME.
Inclina ad me aurem tuam : * accelera ut eruas me.
Esto mihi in Deum pro- tectorem, et in domum re- fugii : * ut salvum me fa- cias.
Quoniam fortitude mea, et refugium meum es tu : * et propter nomen tuum de- duces me, et enutries me.
Educes me de laqueo hoc, quem absconderunt mihi : * quoniam tu es protector meus.
In manus tuas commendo spiritum meum : * rede- misti me, Domine, Deus veritatis.
Bow down thy ear to me : make haste to deliver me.
Be thou unto me a God, a protector, and a house of re- fuge, to save me.
For thou art my strength, and my refuge : and for thy name's sake thou wilt lead me, and nourish me.
Thou wilt bring me out of the snare, which they have hidden for me : for thou art my protector.
Into thy hands I commend my spirit : thou hast redeemed me, 0 Lord, the God of truth.
The third Psalm gives the motives of the Just man's confideiice, even during the dangers of the night. Then, we have Grod himself speaking, and promising to them that serve him, eternal happiness, and the sight of the Saviour whose Resurrection gave them life.
PSALM 90.
Qui habitat in adjutorio Altissimi : * in protectione Dei coeli commorabitur.
Dicet Domino : Suscep- tor meus es tu, et refugium meum : * Deus meus, spe- rabo in eum.
Quoniam ipse liberavit me de laqueo venantium : * et a verbo aspero.
Scapulis suis obumbrabit tibi : * et sub pennis ejus sperabis.
^cuto circumdabit te ye-
He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of heaven.
He shall say to the Lord : Thou art my protector, and my refuge : my God, in him will I trust.
For he hath delivered me from the snare of the hunters : and from the sharp word.
He will overshadow thee with his shoulders : and under his wings thou shalt trust.
His truth shall compass thee
COMPLINE.
lo;
with a shield : thou shalt not be afraid of the terror of the night.
Of the arrow that flieth in the dsij : of the business that walketh about in the dark : of invasion, or of the noonday devil.
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand : but it shall not come nigh thee.
But thou shalt consider with thy eyes : and shalt see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast said : Thou, 0 Lord, art my hope : thou hast made the Most High thy refuge.
There shall no evil come to thee, nor shall the scourge come near thy dwelling.
For he hath given his Angels charge over thee : to keep thee in all thy ways.
In their hands they shall bear thee up : lest thou dash thy foot against a stone,
Thou shalt walk upon the asp and basilisk : and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon.
Ood will say of thee : Be- cause he hoped in me, I will deliver him : I will protect him, because he hath known my Name.
He will cry to me, and I will hear him : I am with him in tribulation, I -^-ill deliver him, and I will glorify him,
I will fill him with length of days : and I will show him my Salvation.
ritas ejus : * non timebis a timore nocturno.
A sagitta volante in die, a negotio perambulante in te- nebris : * ab incursu, et dse- monio meridiano.
Cadent a latere tuo mille, et decem millia a dextris tuis : * ad te autem non ap- propinquabit.
Verumtamen oculis tuis considerabis : * et retribu- tionem peccatorum videbis.
Quoniam tu es, Domine, spes mea : * Altissimum po- suisti refugium tuum.
Non accedet ad te malum :
* et flagellum non appropin- quabit tabemaculo tuo.
Quoniam Angelis suis mandavit de te : * ut custo- diant te in omnibus viis tuis.
In manibus portabunt te :
* ne forte offendas ad lapi- dem pedem tuum.
Super aspidem et basilis- cum ambulabis : * et concul- cabis leonem et draconem.
Quoniam in me speravit, liberabo eum : * protegam eum, quoniam cognovit no- men meum
Clamabit ad me, et ego exaudiam eum : * cum ipso sum in tribulatione, eripiam eum, et glorificabo eum.
Lougitudine dierum re- plebo eum : * et ostendam illi Salutare meum.
The fourth Psalm invites the Servants of God to
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PASCHAL TIME.
persevere with fervour, in the prayers they offer during the Night. The Faithful should say this Psalm in a spirit of gratitude to God, for his raising up, in the Church, adorers of his holy name, whose grand vocation is to lift up their hands, day and night, for the safety of Israel. On such prayers depend the happiness and destinies of the world.
PSALM 133.
Ecce nunc benedicite Do- minum : * omnes servi Do- mini.
Qui statis in domo Domi- ni: * in atriis domus Dei nostri.
In noctibus extoUite ma- nus vestras in sancta : * et benedicite Dominum.
Benedicat te Dominus ex Sion : * qui fecit coelum et terram.
Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Behold now bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of tha Lord.
Who stand in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God.
In the nights lift up your hands to the holy places, and bless ye the Lord.
Say to Israel : May the Lord out of Sion bless thee, he that made heaven and earth.
Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
HYMN.
*
Te lucis ante terminum, Eerum Creator, poscimus, Ut pro tua dementia Sis prsesul et custodia.
Procul recedant somnia, Et noctium phantasmata ;
Before the closing of the Hght, we beseech thee, Crea- tor of all things ! that, in thy clemency, thou be our protec- tor and our guard.
May the dreams and phan- toms of night depart far from
* According to the Monastic Rite, as follo-ws : —
Te lucis ante terminum, Rerum Creator, poscimus, Ut solita dementia Sis praesul ad custodiam,
Procul recedant somnia Et noctium phantasmata ;
Hostemque nostrum comprime Ne pdluantui' corpora.
Gloiia tibi Domine Qui surrexisti a mortuis, Cum Patre et Sancto Spiritu In sempiterna saecula.
COMPLINE.
109
US ; and do thou repress our enemy, lest our bodies be pro- faned.
Glory be to God the Father, and to the Son, who rose from the dead, and to the Paraclete, for everlasting ages.
Amen.
Hostemque nostrum com-
prime. Ne polluantuT corpora.
Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio qui a mortuis Surrexit, ac ParacUto In sempitema saecula.
Amen.
CAPITULUM.
{Jeremias, xiv.)
But thou art in us, 0 Lord, and thy holy name has been invoked upon us : forsake us not, 0 Lord our God.
^. Into thy hands, 0 Lord : I commend my spirit. * Alle- luia, alleluia. Into thy hands.
f. Thou hast redeemed us, 0 Lord God of truth. * Alle- luia, alleluia.
Glory. Into thy hands.
Bt. Preserve us, 0 Lord, as the apple of thine eye, alleluia.
?f. Protect us under the shadow of thy wings, alleluia.
Ant. Save us.
Tu autem in nobis es, Domine, et nomen sanctum tuum invocatum est super nos ; ne derelinquas nos, Domine Deus noster.
^. In manus tuas, Domi- ne : Commendo spiritum meum. * Alleluia, alleluia. In manus tuas.
^. Eedemisti nos, Domi- ne Deus vcritatis. * Alle- luia, alleluia.
Gloria. In manus tuas.
t. Custodi nos, Domine, ut pupillam oculi, alleluia.
gt. Sub umbra alarum tuarum protege nos, alleluia.
Ant. Salva nos.
The Canticle of the venerable Simeon, — who, whilst holding the divine Infant in his arms, proclaimed him to be the Light of the Gentiles, and then slept the sleep of the just, — admirably expresses the repose of heart which the soul, that is in the Grace of God, will experience in her Jesus ; for, as the apostle says, ice may live together with Jesus, tchether we are awake or asleep}
1 1 Thess. V. 10.
110
PASCHAL TIME.
CANTICLE OF SIMEON.
{St. Luke, ii.)
Nunc dimittis servum tuum Domine : * secundum verbum tuum in pace.
Quia viderunt oculi mei : * salutare tuum.
Quod parasti : * ante fa- ciem omnium populorum.
Lumen ad revelationem Gentium : * et gloriam ple- bis tuae Israel.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, &c.
Ant. Salva nos, Domine, vigilantes, custodi nos dor- mientes : ut vigilemus cum Cbristo, et requiescamus in pace, Alleluia.
f. Dominus vobiscum.
gt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
OREMUS.
Visita, qu?esumus, Domi- ne, babitationem istam, et omnes insidias inimici ab ea longe repelle : Angeli tui sancti babitent in ea, qui nos in pace custodiant : et bene- dictio tua sit super nos sem- per. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Cbristum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat, in unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, per omnia sae- cula sseculorum. Amen.
^. Dominus vobiscum.
gt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
?f^. Benedicamus Domino.
gj. Deo gratias.
Benedicat et custodiat nos omnipotens et misericors Dominus, Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus.
gtt. Amen.
Now dost tbou dismiss thy servant, 0 Lord, according to thy word, in peace.
Because my eyes have seen thy salvation.
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples.
The light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory, &c. Ant. Save us, 0 Lord, whilst awake, and watch us as we sleep ; that we may watch with Christ, and rest in peace. Alleluia.
f. The Lord be with you.
Bt. And with thy spirit.
LET us PRAY.
Visit, we beseech thee, 0 Lord, this house and family, and drive far from it all snares of the enemy ; let thy holy Angels dwell herein, who may keep us in peace, and may thy blessing be always upon us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
y. The Lord be with you.
gt. And with thy spirit.
f. Let us bless the Lord.
gt. Thanks be to God.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, bless and preserve us.
gt. Amen.
COMPLINE. Ill
ANTHEM TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.
There is a venerable tradition connected with this joyous Anthem. It is related that a fearful pesti- lence raged in Eome, during one of the Easters of the pontificate of St. Grregory the Great. In order to propitiate the anger of God, the holy Pope prescribed a public procession of both people and clergy, in which was to be carried the portrait of our Blessed Lady painted by St. Luke. The procession was advancing in the direction of Saint Peter's; and as the holy Picture, followed by the Pontiff, was carried along, the atmosphere became pure and free from pestilence. Having reached the bridge which joins the City with the Vatican, a choir of Angels was heard singing above the Picture, and saying : " Eejoice, 0 Queen of " heaven, alleluia ! for He whom thou deservedst to " bear, alleluia ! hath risen, as he said, alleluia ! " As soon as the heavenly music ceased, the saintly Pontiff took courage, and added these words to those of the Angels : " Pray to God for us, alleluia ! " Thus was composed the Paschal Anthem to our Lady. Raising his eyes to heaven, Gregory saw the destroy- ing Angel standing on the top of the Mole of Hadrian, and sheathing his sword. In memory of this appa- rition, the Mole was called the Castle of Sanf AngelOf and on the dome was placed an immense statue representing an Angel holding his sword in the scabbard.
ANTHEM.
Rejoice, O Queen of heaven, Regina coeh, laetare, alle-
allelnia, luia,
For he whom thou deservedst Quia quern meruisti por-
to bear, alleluia, tare, alleluia,
Hath risen, as he said, alle- Resurrexit sicut dixit, alle- luia, luia.
Pray to God for us, alleluia. Ora pro nobis Deum, alle- luia.
112
PASCHAL TIME.
t. Gaude et laetare, Virgo Maria, alleluia.
gt. Quia surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia.
OREMUS.
Deus, qui per Eesurrec- tionem Filii tui Domini nos- tri Jesu Christi, mundum Isetificare dignatus es : prse- sta qusesumus, ut per ejus Genitricem Yirginem Ma- riam, perpetuse capiamus gaudia vitse. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nos- trum.
Bn. Amen.
^. Divinum auxilium ma- neat semper nobiscum.
gt. Amen. *
^. Rejoice and be glad, 0 Virgin Mary, alleluia.
gt. For the Lord hath truly risen, alleluia.
LET us PRAY.
0 God, who, by the Eesur- rection of Jesus Christ thy Son, didst vouchsafe to make the world rejoice, grant, we beseech thee, that, by the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may receive the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord.
gt. Amen.
^. May the divine assist- ance remain always with us.
gt. Amen. *
Then, in secret, Pater, Ave, and Credo ; page 30.
* In the Monastic Rite, this Response is as follows :
I^. Et cum fratribiis nostris R/. And \^-ith our absent
absentibus. Amen. brethren. Amen.
EASTEE SUNDAY.'
This is the day which H^c dies, qvau fecit the lord hath made; let domixus ; exsultemus
US BE GLAD AND REJOICE ET LtETEMUR IIS EA ! THEREIN !
MOENING.
The Night between Saturday and Sunday has well nigh run its course, and the day-dawn is appearing. The Mother of Sorrows is waiting, in courageous hope and patience, for the blissful moment of the return of her Jesus. Magdalene and the other holy women have spent the Night in watching, and are preparing to start for the Sepulchre. In Limbo, the Soul of our Crucified Lord is about to give the glad word of de- parture to the myriads of the long-imprisoned holy Souls, who cluster round him in adoring love. Death is still holding his silent sway over the Sepulchre, where rests the Body of Jesus. Since that day when he gained his first victim, Abel, he has swept off countless generations ; but never had he held in his grasp a Prey so noble as this that now lies in the Tomb near Calvary. Never had the terrible sen- tence of Grod, pronounced against our First Parents, received such a fulfilment as this ; but, never had
* Easter is the Anglo-Saxon word for April, and was derived, as Venerable Bede tells us, (in his Book iJe ratioue Temporis^ c. 13,) from Foster, a Goddess of our pagan ancestors. — Others derive Easter from Oest, Oost, the Saxon for rising, or the East : and hence, OstereH, the Resurrection. — [Zr. from Butler's Moveable leasts.^
I
114 PASCHAL TIME.
Death received such a defeat as the one that is now preparing. It is true, the power of Grod has, at times, brought back the dead to life ; — the son of the "Widow of Nairn, and Lazarus, were reclaimed from the bondage of this tyrant Death : but he re- gained his sway over them all. But his Victim of Calvary is to conquer him for ever, for this is He of whom it is written in the Prophecy : /, 0 Death ! will he thy death !^ Yet a few brief moments, and the battle will be begun, and Life shall vanquish Death.
As Divine Justice could not allow the Body that was united to the Word to see corruption, and there wait, like ours must, for the Archangel's word to rise and come to Judgment — so, neither, could it permit the dominion of Death to be long over such a Victim. This Jesus had said to the Jews : A wicked genera- tion seeketh a sign ; and a sign shall not be given it, hut that of Jonas the Frophet? Three days in the Tomb, — the afternoon and night of Friday, the whole of Saturday, and a few hours of the Sunday, — oh ! yes, these are enough : enough to satisfy Divine Justice ; enough to certify the Death of the Crucified, and make his triumph glorious ; enough to complete the Martyrdom of that most loving of Mothers, the Queen of Sorrows.
No man taketh away my life from me : I lay it doivn of myself : I have power to lay it down, and I have poiver to take it up again} Thus spoke our Redeemer to the Jews before his Passion : now is the hour for the fulfilment of his words, and Death shall feel their full force. The Day of Light, Sunday, has begun, and its early dawn is struggling with the gloom. The Soul of Jesus immediately darts from the prison of Limbo, followed by the whole multitude of the holy souls that are around him. In the twink- ling of an eye, it reaches and enters the Sepulchre,
1 Osee, xiii. 14. - St. Mattli. xii. 39. ^ gt. John, x. 18.
EASTER SUNDAY : MORNING. 115
and re-imites itself with that Body, which, three days before, it had quitted amidst an agony of suffer- ing. The sacred Body returns to life, raises itself up, and throws aside the winding-sheet, the spices, and the bands. The bruises have disappeared, the Blood has been brought back to the veins ; and from these Limbs that had been torn by the scourging, from this Head that had been mangled by the thorns, from these Hands and Feet that had been pierced with nails, there darts forth a dazzling light that fills the cave. The holy Angels had clustered round the Stable and adored the Babe of Bethlehem ; they are now around the Sepulchre, adoring the Conqueror of Death. They take the shrouds, and, reverently fold- ing them up, place them on the slab, whereon the Body had been laid by Joseph and Xicodemus.
But Jesus was not to tarry in the gloomy Sepulchre. Quicker than a ray of light through a crystal, he passes through the stone that closes the entrance of the cave. Pilate had ordered his seal to be put upon this stone, and a guard of soldiers is there to see that no one touches it. Untouched it is, and unmoved ; and yet Jesus is free ! Thus, as the Holy Fathers unanimously teach us, was it at his Birth ; — he appeared to the gaze of Mary, without having offered the slightest violence to her maternal womb. The Birth and the Resurrection, the commencement and the end of the mission of Jesus, are two Mysteries which bear on them the unity of resemblance : in the first, it is a Virgin Mother ; in the last, it is a sealed Tomb giving forth its Captive God.
And whilst this Jesus, this Man-God, thus breaks the sceptre of Death, the stillness of the night is un- disturbed. His and our Victory has cost him no effort. 0 Death ! where is now thy kingdom ':" Sin had made us thy slaves ; thy victory was complete : and now, lo ! thou thyself art defeated ! Jesus, whom thou didst exultingly hold under thy law, has set
116
PASCHAL TIME.
himself free; and we, after thou hast domineered over us for a time, we too shall be free from thy grasp. The Tomb thou makest for us, will become to us the source of a new life, for He that now conquers thee is the First-born among the dead ; ^ and to-day is the Pasch, the Passover, the deliverance, for Jesus and for us his Brethren. He has led the way ; we shall follow; and the day will come, when thou, the enemt/, that destroyest all things, shalt thyself be destroyed by Immortality.^ Thy defeat dates from this moment of the Pesurrection of Jesus, and, with the great Apostle, we say to thee : 0 Death ! where is thy victory ? 0 Death ! ichere is thy sting ? ^
But the Sepulchre is not to remain shut : it must be thrown open, and testify to men, that He, whose lifeless Body lay there, is indeed risen from the dead. As when our Jesus expired on the Cross, so now, immediately after his Pesurrection, an earthquake shook the foundations of the world ; but, this time, it was for joy. The Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled hack the Stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the Guards are struck with terror, and fall on the ground as dead men. Grod has mercy on them ; they return to themselves, and quitting the dread Sepulchre, they hasten to the City, and relate what they have seen.
Meanwhile, our Pisen Jesus has been seen by no mortal eye ; he has sped to his most Holy Mother. He is the Son of God ; he is the vanquisher of Death ; but he is, likewise, the Son of Mary. She stood near him to the last, uniting the sacrifice of her Mother's heart with that he made upon the Cross: it is just, therefore, that she should be the first to partake of the joy of his Pesurrection. The Gospel does not relate the apparition thus made by Jesus to his
» Apoc. i. 6. 2 1 Cor. xv. 26. ^ j^j^, 55,
EASTER SUNDAY I MORNING. 117
Mother, whereas all the others are fully described. It is not difficult to assign the reason. The other apparitions were intended as proofs of the Resurrec- tion ; this to Mary was dictated by the tender love borne to her by her Son. Both nature and grace required that his first visit should be to such a Mother, and Christian hearts dwell with delight on the meditation of the mystery. There was no need of its being mentioned in the Gospel ; the Tradition of the Holy Fathers, beginning with St. Ambrose, bears sufficient testimony to it : and even had they been silent, our hearts would have told it us. And why was it that our Saviour rose from the Tomb so early on the Day he had fixed for his Resurrection ? It was, because his filial love was impatient to satisfy the vehement longings of his dearest and most afflicted Mother. Such is the teaching of many pious and learned Writers ; and who that knows aught of Jesus and Mary could refuse to accept it ?
But who is there that would attempt to describe the joy of such a meeting ? Those eyes, that had grown dim from wakefulness and tears, now flash with delight at beholding the brightness which tells her Jesus is come. He calls her by her name, not with the tone of voice which pierced her soul when he addressed her from the Cross, but with an accent of joy and love, such as a Son would take when telling a Mother that he had triumphed. The Body, which, three days ago, she had seen covered with Blood and dead, is now radiant with life, beaming with the re- flection of Divinity. He speaks to her words of tenderest affection, he embraces her, he kisses her. Who, we ask, would dare to describe this scene, which the devout Abbot Rupert says so inundated the soul of Mary with joy, that it made her forget aU the sorrows she had endured.
Nor must we suppose that the Visit was a short one. In one of the revelations granted to the seraphic
118 PASCHAL TIME.
St. Teresa, our Lord told her, that when he appeared to his Blessed Mother immediately after his Resur- rection, he found her so overwhelmed with grief that she would soon have died ; that it was not until several moments had passed, that she was able to realise the immense joy of his presence ; and that he remained a long time with her, in order to console her.^
Let us who love this Blessed Mother, and have seen her offer up her Son on Calvary for our sakes, — let us affectionately rejoice in the happiness wherewith Jesus now repays her, and let us learn to compassion- ate her in her Dolours. This is the first manifesta- tion of our Risen Jesus : it is a just reward for the unwavering Faith which has dwelt in Mary's soul during these three days, when all hut she had lost it. But it is time for him to show himself to others, that so the glory of his Resurrection may be made known to the world. His first visit was to her that is the dearest to him of all creatures, and well deserves the favour ; now, in his goodness, he is about to console those devoted Women, whose grief is, perhaps, too human, — but their love is firm, and neither death nor the tomb have shaken it.
Yesterday, when sun-set proclaimed to the Jews the end of the great Sabbath and the commencement of the Sunday, — Magdalene and her companions went into the City and bought perfumes, wherewith, this morning, at break of day, they purpose embalming the Body of their dear Master. They have spent a sleepless night. Before the dawn of day, Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James), and Salome, are on the road that leads to Calvary, for the Sepulchre is there. So intent are they on the one object, that it never occurs to them, until it is too late, to provide for the removing of the heavy stone, which closes the
^ Life of St. Teresa, uriftm by herself : in the Additions. See p. 402 in the Traaslation by Da^-id Lewis, 1870.
EASTER SUNDAY I MORNING. 119
Sepulchre. There is the seal, too, of the Governor, which must be broken before they can enter : there are the soldiers who are keeping guard : these difficulties are quite overlooked. It is early daybreak when they reach the Tomb. The first thing that attracts their attention is, that the Stone has been removed, so that one can see into the Sepulchre. The Angel of the Lord, who had received the mission to roll back the Stone, is seated on it, as upon a throne ; he thus addresses the three holy women, who are speechless from astonishment and fear : Be not ajfrighied ! Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth^ who was crucified : he is risen, he is not here. Then encourag- ing them to enter the Sepulchre, he adds : Behold the place ivhere they laid him !'^
These words should fill them with joy : but, no, — their faith is weak, and, as the Evangelist says, a trejuhling and fear seize them.'- The dear Remains they are in search of are gone : the Angel tells them so : his saying that Jesus is Risen fails to awaken their faith in the liesurrection : they had hoped to find the Body ! Whilst in the Sepulchre, two other Angels appear to them, and the place is filled with light. St. Luke tells us that Magdalene and her companions halved douii their heads, for they were overpowered with fear and disappointment. Then the Angel said to them : Why seek ye the Living with the dead ? Remember how he spake unto you, when he was yet in Galilee, saying : ^^The Son of man tnust be delivered '* into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and '* the third day rise again /"^ These words make some impression upon the holy women, and they begin to remember something of what our Lord said of his Resurrection. Go I said one of the Angels, tell his Disciples and Peter, that he is going before you into Galilee. ^
* St. Mark, xvi. 6. ^ Ibid. 8. 3 gt. Luke, xxiv, 5, 6, 7. * St. Mark, xvi. 7.
120 PASCHAL TIME.
The three women leave the Sepulchre and return vnth haste to the City : they are full of fear, and yet there is an irresistible feeling of joy mingled with their fear. They relate what they have seen, — they have seen Angels, and the Sepulchre open, and the Body of Jesus was not there. All three agree in their account ; but the Apostles, as the Evangelist tells us, set it down to womanish excitement : t/ieir tcorcls seem idle talcs, and they believe them not} The Resur- rection, of which their Divine Master had so clearly and so often spoken never once crosses their mind. It is particularly to Peter and John that Magdalene relates the wonderful things she has seen and heard : but her own faith is still so weak ! She went with the intention of embalming the Body of Jesus, and she found it not ! She can speak of nothing but of her disappointment : They have taken away the Lord out of the Sepulchre, and ive hioiv not tchere they have laid him /^
Peter and John determine to go themselves to the Sepulchre. They enter. They see the linen cloths lyincf' upon the slab whereon the body of Jesus had been placed ; but the Angels who are now keeping guard in the holy Cave, appear not to them. St. John tells us, that this was the moment of his receiving the Faith in the Resurrection : — he believes} We are now merely giving the history of the events of this greatest of Days, in the order in which they occurred : we will afterwards meditate upon them more leisurely, when the holy Liturgy brings them before us.
So far, Jesus has appeared to no one save to his Blessed Mother ; the holy Women have only seen the Angels, who spoke to them. These heavenly Spirits bade them go and announce the Resurrection of their Master to the Disciples and Peter. They are not told
1 St. Luke, xxiv. 11. ^ gt. John, xx. 2.
3 Ibid. 6. ^ T^nd. 8.
EASTER SUNDAY: MORNING, 121
to bear the message to Mary : the reason is obvious : Jesus has already appeared to his Mother, and is with her whilst all these events are happening. The Sun is now shedding his beams upon the earth, and the hours of the grand Morning are speeding onwards : the Man-God is about to proclaim the triumph he has won for us over Death. Let us reverently follow him in each of these manifestations, and attentively study the lessons they teach us.
As soon as Peter and John returned, Magdalene hastens once more to the Tomb of her dear Master. A soul like hers, ever earnest, and now tormented with anxiety, cannot endure to rest : — where is the Body of Jesus? perhaps being insulted by his enemies? Having reached the door of the Sepulchre, she bursts into tears. Looking in, she sees two Angels, seated at either end of the slab on which her Jesus had been laid. They speak to her, for she knows not what to say : Woman I iclnj weepeat tliou ■ — Because they have taken aicaij my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. Without waiting for the Angels to reply, she turns as though she would leave the Sepulchre ; wlien lo ! she sees a man standing before her, and this Man is Jesus. ^ She does not recognise him ; she is in search of the dead Body of her Lord ; she is absorbed in the resolution of giving it a second Burial ! Her love distracts her, for it is a love that is not guided by faith : her desire to find him, as she thinks him to be, blinds her from seeing him as he really is, — liviny, and near her.
Jesus, with his wonted condescension, speaks to her : Woman ! why weepent tJiou '{ Whom >iveked thou f Magdalene recognises not this voice : her heart is dulled by an excessive and blind sentiment of grief : her spirit does not as yet know Jesus, Her eyes are fixed upon him ; but her imagination per-
• St. John, XX.
122 PASCHAL TIME.
suades her that this Man is the Q-ardener, who has care of the ground about the Sepulchre. She thinks within herself, — this, perhaps, is he that has taken my Jesus ! — and thereupon, she thus speaks to him : SiTf if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away} How is our loving Redeemer to withstand this ? If he praised her for the love she showed him in the Pharisee's house, — we may be sure he will now reward this affectionate simplicity. A single word, spoken to her with the tone of voice she so well understood, is enough: — Mary! — Master! exclaims the delighted and humble Magdalene.- All is now clear : she believes.
She rushes forward : she would kiss those sacred Feet, as on the happy day when she received her pardon : — but Jesus stays her : this is not the time for such a demonstration of her affection. Magda- lene, the first witness of the Resurrection, is to be raised, in reward for her love, to the high honour of publishing the great mystery. It is not fitting that the Blessed Mother should reveal the secret favour she has received from her Son : Magdalene is to pro- claim what she has seen and heard at the Sepulchre, and become, as the Holy Fathers express it, the Apostle of the very Apostles. Jesus says to her : Go to my Brethren, and say to them : I ascend to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God}
The second apparition of Jesus, then, is to Mary Magdalene : it is the first in testimony of his Resur- rection, for the one to his Blessed Mother was for another object. The Church will bring it before us on the Thursday of this week, and we will then make it the subject of our meditation : at present, let us adore the infinite goodness of our Redeemer, who, before
1 St. John, XX. 16. 2 jii4^ 16. 3 jud, 17.
EASTER SUNDAY : MORNING. 123
seeking to fix the faith of his Resurrection in them that are to preach it to all nations, deigns to recom- pense the love of this Woman, who followed him even to the Cross, was faithful to him after his Death, and loved him most, because most forgiven. By thus showing himself to Magdalene, Jesus teaches us, that he is more anxious to satisfy the love he bears his faithful creature, than to provide for his own glory.
Magdalene loses no time in doing her Master's bidding. She hastens back to the City, and having come to the Disciples, says to them : / have seen the Lord, and these things he said to me} But as yet, they have not Faith ; John alone has received that gift, although he has seen nothing more than the empty Sepulchre. Let us remember, that, after having fled like the rest of the Disciples, he followed Jesus to Calvary, was present at his Death, and was made the adopted Son of Mary.
Meanwhile, Magdalene's two companions, — Salome, and Mary the mother of James, — are following her, though slowly and at some distance, to Jerusalem. Jesus meets them, and greets them, saying : All hailr- Overcome with joy, they fall down and adore him, and kiss his sacred feet. It is the third Appari- tion : and they that are favoured with it, are per- mitted to do what was denied to the more favoured and fervent Magdalene. Before the day is over, Jesus will show himself to them whom he has chosen as the heralds of his glory ; but he first wishes to honour those generous Women, w^ho, braving every danger, and triumphing over the weakness of their sex, were more faithful to him, in his Passion, than the men he had so highly honoured as to make them his Apostles. When he was born in the stable at Bethlehem, the first he called to worship him in his Crib, were some poor Shepherds ; he sent his Angels
1 St. John, XX. 18. 2 St. Matth. xxviii. 9.
124 PASCHAL TIME.
to invite them to go to him, before he sent the star to call the Magi. So now, — when he has reached the summit of his glory, put the finish to all his works by his Resurrection, and confirmed our faith in his divinity by the most indisputable miracle, — he does not begin by instructing and enlightening his Apostles, but by instructing, consoling, and most affectionately honouring, these humble but courage- ous Women. How admirable are the dispensations of our G-od! How sweet, and yet, how strong!'^ Well does he say to us by his Prophet : My thoughts are not your thoughts !'^
Let us suppose, for a moment, that ive had been permitted to arrange the order of these two Mysteries. We should have summoned the whole world, kings and people, to go and pay homage at the Crib. We should have trumpeted to all nations the miracle of miracles, the Resurrection of the Crucified, the Victory over Death, the restoration of mankind to Immortality ! But He who is "the power and wis- dom of Grod,"^ — Christ Jesus our Lord, — has followed a very different plan. When born in Bethlehem, he would have for his first worshippers a few simple- minded shepherds, whose power to herald the great event was confined to their own village : and yet, the Birth-day of this Little Child is now the era of every civilised nation. For the first witnesses of his Resurrection, he chose three weak Women ; and yet, the whole earth is now, at this very moment, celebrating the anniversary of this Resurrection. There is in it a mysterious feeling of joy unlike that of any other day throughout the year : no one can resist it, not even the coldest heart. The infidel who scoffs at the believer, knows at least that this is Easter Sunday. Yea, in the very countries where paganism and idolatry are still rife, there are Chris-
1 Wisd. viii. 1, 2 jg^ j^^ 8, ■' 1 Cor. i. 24.
EASTER SUNDAY I MATINS. 125
tians whose voices unite with ours in singing the glorious AUchda to our Eisen Jesus. Let us, then, cry out as Moses did, when the Israelites had crossed the Bed Sea, and were keeping their first Pasch : TF/zo, 0 Lord^ is Iilic unto thee, among the strong P
We will resume our history of the Eesurrection, when we come to the hour of each Apparition. It is now time for us to unite with the Church in her Office of Matins. She has spent the greatest part of the night in administering that holy Sacrament of Regeneration, which gives her a New Peojyle ; and now she is about to offer to God the wonted tribute of her praise.
THE OFFICE OF MATINS.
The Night Office of every Sunday throughout the year consists of three portions, called Nodurns. Each Nocturn is composed of three Psalms with their Antiphons, followed by three Lessons and Besponsories. These Nocturns are preceded by a Psalm, which is called the Invitatory, and end with the Ambrosian Hymn, the Te Deum ; they begin after midnight, and are over by the aurora, when the still more solemn office of Lauds is chanted. But this Night has been almost wholly spent in the administration of Baptism, and when the Holy Sacrifice was finished, it was close upon the hour of sun-rise. It is necessary, therefore, to shorten the usual Night Office, in order that the Canticles, where- with the Church welcomes the return of Light, — the work and type of hor Divine Spouse, — may be sung at the very time when the Sun is shedding his first rays upon the earth. This is the reason of there
1 Exod. XV. 11.
126
PASCHAL TIME.
being only one Nooturn for the Night Office^ of
Easter Sunday.
After the secret recitation of the Pater, Ave, and Credo, the Church thus begins her Matins :
f. O Lord : thou wilt open my lips.
g:. And my mouth shall
mea
^. Domine, labia aperies.
gt. Et OS meum annun- tiabit laudem tuam.
yj . Deus, in adjutorium meum intend e.
g:. Domine, ad adjuvan- dum me festina.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto ;
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in scecu- la sseculorum. Amen. Al- leluia.
declare thy praise.
f . Incline unto my aid, 0 God.
gi. 0 Lord make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia.
Then follows, with the glad chorus announcing the Resurrection, the Invitatory Psalm, whereby the Church invites her children to come and adore the Lord their God. To-day, it is the Angels who tell the mystery to Magdalene and her companions : let us listen to the glorious tidings, for they are ad- dressed also to us.
INVITATORY.
Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia !
The Lord hath truly risen, Alleluia !
PSALM 94.
Venite, exsultemus Domi- no, jubilemus Deo Salutari nostro, prseoccupemus fa- ciem ejus in confessione, et in psalmis jubilemus ei.
Come, let us praise the Lord with joy, let us joyfully sing to God our Saviour ; let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise to him with psalms.
^ The modern appellation of Matins has been given to this portion of the Divine Office, because it is now celebrated in tlie Mornwy.
EASTER SUNDAY .* MATINS.
127
The Lord hath truly risen, * Alleluia 1
I'or the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods ; for in his hand are all the ends of the earth, and the heights of the mountains are his.
Alleluia I
For the sea is his, and he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us adore and fall down before God: let us weep before the Lord that made us, for he is the Lord our God : and we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
The Lord hath truly risen,* Alleluia !
To-day, if ye shall hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation accord- ing to the day of temptation in the wilderness : where your fathers tempted me, me the Lord ; they proved me, and saw my works.
Alleluia I
Forty years was I nigh unto this generation, and I said : These alwaj's err in heart : and these men have not known my ways ; so I swore in my wrath that they shall not enter into my rest.
The Lord hath truly risen,* Alleluia !
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost ;
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Ameu.
Surrexit Dominus vere,* Alleluia :
Quoniam Deus niagnus Dominus, et Rex magnus super omnes deos : quoniam non repellet Dominus ple- bem suam, quia in manu ejus sunt omnes fines terrse, et altitudines montium ipse conspicit.
Alleluia !
Quoniam ipsius est mare, et ipse fecit illud, et aridam fundaverunt manus ejus. Yenite, adoremus, et proci- damus ante Deum : plore- mus coram Domino qui fecit nos, quia ipse est Dominus Deus noster : nos autem po- pulus ejus, et oves pascuae ejus.
Surrexit Dominus vere, * Alleluia I
Hodie si vocem ejus au- dieritis, nolite obdurare cor- da vestra, sicut in exacer- batione, secundum diem tentationis in deserto : ubi tentaverunt me patres ves- tri, probaverunt, et viderunt opera mea.
Alleluia I
Quadraginta annis proxi- mus fui generationi huic, et dixi : Semper hi errant cor- de : ipsi vero non cognove- runt vias meas, quibus jura- vi in ira mea, si introibunt in requiem meam.
Surrexit Dominus vere,* Alleluia I
Gloria Patri, et FiHo, et Spiritui Sancto ;
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sae- cula saeculorum. Amen.
128 PASCHAL TIME.
Alleluia ! Alleluia.
Surrexit Dominus vere,* The Lord hath truly risen,* Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Invitatory is always followed by a Hymn ; but out of a motive of respect for this great Solem- nity, the Church would observe the ancient form of her Offices, in which there were no Hymns, for they were not introduced till a comparatively later period. She observes this same exclusion of Hymns during the whole week. After the Invitatory, then, imme- diately follow the three Psalms.
The first speaks of the virtues and happiness of the just man, and, as the Holy Fathers have inter- preted it, refers to Christ, who is the New Man that came down from heaven ; he was the faithful ob- server of the divine laic, which the first Adam transgressed ; the Eternal Father glorified him on this Day of his Resurrection.
An"T. Ego sum qui sum, An"T. I am who am, and my
et consilium meum non est counsel is not with the un-
cum impiis : sed in lege Do- godly : but my will is in the
mini voluntas mea est, alle- law of the Lord, alleluia, luia.
PSALM 1.
Beatus vir qui non abiit Blessed is the man who hath
in consilio impiorum, et in not walked in the counsel of
via peccatorum non stetit : * the ungodly, nor stood in the
et in cathedra pestilentiae way of sinners, nor sat in the
non sedit. chair of pestilence.
Sed in lege Domini vo- But his will is in the law of
luntasejus: * et in lege ej us the Lord, and on his law he
meditabitur die ac nocte. shall meditate day and night.
Et erit tanquam lignum. And he shall be like a tree,
quod plantatum est secus which is planted near the run-
decursus aquarum : * quod ning waters ; which shall bring
fructum suum dabit in tern- forth its fruit, in due season, pore suo.
Et folium ejus non de- And his leaf shall not fall
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129
off; and all whatsoever lie shall do shall prosper.
Not so the wicked, not so : but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.
Therefore the wicked shall not rise again in judgment : nor sinners in the council of the just.
For the Lord knoweth the way of the just : and the way of the wicked shall perish.
Ant. I am who am, and my counsel is not with the un- godly : but my will is in the law of the Lord, alleluia.
fluet : * et omnia quaecum- que faciet, prosperabuntur.
Non sic impii, non sic : * sed tanquam pulvis, quern projicit ventus a facie terrse.
Ideo non resurgent impii in judicio : * neque peccato- res in concilio justorum.
Quoniam novit Dominus viam justorum : * et iter im- piorum peribit.
Ant. Ego sum qui sum, et consilium meum non est cum impiis : sed in lege Do- mini voluntas mea est, al- leluia.
The second Psalm tells us how the Synagogue formed a plot against Christ. The Jews put to death the Messias who came to save them ; but they could not prevent his Resurrection. He is the Son of Man, but he is also the Son of God : he begins his reign over the whole human race this very day. Wo to Israel that knew not the day of his visitation !
Ant. I have asked of my Father, alleluia : he hath given me the gentiles, alleluia, for an inheritance, alleluia.
Ant. Postulavi Patrem meum, alleluia : dedit mihi gentes, alleluia, in haeredi- tatem, alleluia.
PSALM 2.
Why have the Gentiles ra^ed, and the people devised vain things ?
The kings of the earth stood up, and the princes met to- gether, against the Lord, and against his Christ.
They said : Let us break
Quare fremuerunt gen- tes: * et populi meditati sunt inania ?
Adstitorunt reges terrae, et principes convenerunt in unum : * adversus Domi- num, et adversus Christum ejus.
Dimmpamus vincula eo-
130
PASCHAL TIME.
rum : * et projiciamus a nobis jugum ii)sorum.
Qui habitat in coelis, irri- debit eos: * et Dominus subsannabit eos.
Tunc loqnetur ad eos in ira sua : * et in furore suo conturbabit eos.
Ego autem constitutus sum Eex ab eo super Sion montem sanctum ejus: * praedicans prseceptum ejus.
Dominus dixit ad me : * Filius mens es tu, ego ho- die genui te.
Postula a me, et dabo tibi gentes hoereditatem tu- am : * et possessionem tuam terminos terrse.
Reges eos in yirga fer- rea: * et tanquam vas figuli confringes eos.
Et nunc, reges, intelli- gite : * erudimini qui judi- catis terram.
Seryite Domino in timo- re : * et exsultate ei cum tremore.
Apprehendite disciplinam, nequando irascatur Domi- nus : * et pereatis de via justa.
Cum exarserit in brevi ira ejus : * beati omnes qui confidunt in eo.
Ant. Postulavi Patrem meum, alleluia : dedit mihi gentes, alleluia, in bferedi- tatem, alleluia.
their bonds asunder : and let us cast away their yoke from us.
He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh at them : and the Lord shall deride them.
Then shall he speak to them in his anger, and trouble them in his rage.
But I am appointed King by him over Sion, his holy mountain, j)reaching his com- mandment.
The Lord hath said to me : Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
Ask of me, and I will give thee the gentiles for thine in- heritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy posses- sion.
Thou shalt rule them ■^dth a rod of iron, and shalt break them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
And now, 0 ye kings, under- stand : receive instruction, ye that judge the earth.
Serve ye the Lord with fear : and rejoice unto him with trembling.
Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and ye perish from the just way.
When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.
Ant. I have asked of my Father, alleluia : he hath given me the gentiles, alleluia, for an inheritance, alleluia.
The t]iird Psalm is a prophecy of the Resurrection of Christ, His enemies would have it that he was
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131
abandoned by God. He slept in the Tomb ; but God protected him, and he arose, the Conqueror of his adversaries.
Ant. I have slept and taken Ant. Ego dormivi, et
my sleep : and I have risen up, somnum cepi : et exsurrexi,
because the Lord hath pro- quoniam Dominus suscepit
tected me. Alleluia, alleluia, me. Alleluia, alleluia.
PSALM 3.
Why, 0 Lord, are they mul- tiplied that afflict me ? Many are they who rise up against me.
Many say to my soul : There is no salvation for him in his God.
But thou, 0 Lord, art my protector, my glory, and the lifter up of my head.
I have cried to the Lord ■with my voice : and he hath heard me from his holj' hill.
I have slept, and have taken my rest : and I have risen up, because the Lord hath pro- tected me.
I will not fear thousands of the people surrounding me : arise, 0 Lord, save me, 0 my God.
For thou hast struck all them who are my adversaries without cause : thou hast broken the teeth of sinners.
Salvation is of the Lord : and thy blessing is upon thy people.
Ant. I have slept, and taken my sleep : and I have risen up, because the Lord hath pro- tected me. Alleluia, alleluia.
t . The Lord hath risen from the Tomb, alleluia.
Domine, quid multipUcati sunt qui tribulant me ? * multi insurgunt adversum me.
Multi dicunt animse meae : * Non est salus ipsi in Deo ejus.
Tu autem, Domine, sus- ceptor mens es : * gloria mea, et exaltans caput meum.
Voce mea ad Dominum clamavi : * et exaudivit me de monte sancto suo.
Ego dormivi, et soporatus sum ; * et exsurrexi, quia Dominus suscepit me.
Non timebo millia populi circumdantis me : * exsurge Domine, salvum me fac, Deus mens.
Quoniam tu percussisti omnes adversantes mihi sine causa : * dentes peccatorum contrivisti.
Domini est salus : * et super populum tuum bene- dictio tua.
Ant. Egodormivi,et som- num cepi : et exsurrexi, quo- niam Dominus suscepit me. Alleluia, alleluia.
y/ . Surrexit Dominus d^ sepulchro, alleluia.
132 PASCHAL TIME.
B^. Qui pro nobis pependit ^. Whojoroursakes, was
in ligno, alleluia. nailed to the Cross, alleluia.
The Priest begins the first two words of the Lord's prayer :
Pater noster. Our Father.
The rest is said in silence, as far as the last two petitions ; when the Priest says aloud :
^. Et ne nos inducas in ?J^. And lead us not into
tentationem. temptation.
The Choir answers : gt. Sed libera nos a malo. B^. But deUver us from evil.
Then the Priest :
Exaudi, Domine Jesu Grraciously |hear, 0 Lord
Christe, preces servorum Jesus Christ, the prayers of
tuorum, et miserere nobis, thy servants, and have mercy
qui cum Patre et Spiritu upon us: who, with the Father
Sancto, vivis et regnas in and the Holy Ghost, livest
ssecula sseculorum. and reignest for ever and ever.
The Choir answers : Amen. Amen.
Then one of the Choir turns towards the Priest, and, bowing down, says :
Jube, Domne, benedicere. Pray, Father, give thy bless- ing.
The Priest gives his blessing in these words :
Benedictio. Evangelica Blessing. May the read-
lectio sit nobis salus et pro- ingl'^of" the Gospel bring us
l^(.^iQ^ salvation and protection.
^. Amen. 5^. Amen,
EASTER SUNDAY : MATINS.
13;^
He who asked the hlessing, then reads the first few words of the Grospel for the Mass of Easter Sun- day : after this, he opens the Homilies of St. Grregory the Great, from which he takes a few passages as a commentary upon the sacred text.
Lesson from the holy Gospel according to Mark.
Ch. XVI.
At that time, Mary Magda- len, and Mary the Mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus. And the rest.
Homily of Saint Gregory, Pope.
You have heard, dearly be- loved Brethren, how the holy women, who had followed the Lord, came, with sweet spices, to the Sepulchre, and how, having loved him whilst he lived, they would honour him, now that he is dead, with proofs of their affection. But this that thej' did, teaches what we, the members of the Church, should do : for we should so hearken to what was done, as that we may learn what we must do in order to imitate them. Now, we who believe in Him who was dead, — if laden with the fragrance of virtue, and with the reputa- tion of good works, we seek the Lord, we may truly be said to come to the Sepulchre with sweet spices. Moreover, the women, who came ivith sweet spices, saw Angels ; for those souls do come to the vision of the heavenly citizens,
Lectio sancti Evangelii se- cundum Marcum. Cap. XVI.
In illo tempore : Maria Magdalene, et Maria Jacobi, et Salome, emerunt aro- mata : ut venientes ungerent Jesum. Et reliqua.
Homilia sancti Gregorii Papse.
Audistis, fratres charissi- mi, quod sanctae mulieres, quae Dominum f uerant secu- tse, cum aromatibus ad mo- numentum venerunt, et ei quern viventem dilexerant, etiam mortuo studio huma- nitatis obsequuntur. Sed res gesta, aliquid in sancta Ec- clesia signat gerendum. Sic quippe necesse est audiamus quae facta sunt, quatenus cogitemus etiam qute nobis sunt ex eorum imitatione facienda. Et nos ergo in eum, qui est mortuus, cre- dentes, si odore virtutum referti, cum opinione bo- norum operum Dominum qure'rimus, ad monumentum profecto illius cum aromati- bus venimus. lUse autem mulieres Angelos vident, quae cum aromatibus vene- runt : quia videlicet illce nientes supernos cives aspi- ciunt, quae cum virtutum
134
PASCHAL TIME.
odoribus ad Dominnin per sancta desideria proficiscun- tur.
gt. Angelus Domini de- scendit de coelo, et accedens re vol V it lapidem, et super eum sedit, et dixit mulieri- bus : * Nolite timere : scio enim quia crucifixum quae- ritis, jam surrexit : venite, et videte locum, ubi positus erat Dominus, alleluia.
^. Et introeuntes in mo- numentum, viderunt juve- nem sedentem in dextris, coopertum stola Candida, et obstupuerunt ; qui dixit il- Hs:
* Nolite timere, &c.
Gloria Patri, &c.
Eepeat : Angelus Domini.
Benedictio. Divinum auxilium maneat semper nobiscum. &• Amen.
who fragrant in virtue, tend to their Lord by boly desires.
Bi . The Angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it, and said to the women : * Fear not : for I know that ye seek the Cruci- fied : he is risen : come and see the place where the Lord was laid, alleluia.
^. And entering into the Sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe ; and they were astonished : who saith to them :
* Fear not, &c.
Glory be to the Father, «S:c.
Eepeat : The Angel of the Lord.
Blessing. May the divine assistance remain always with us. &• Amen.
2nd lesson.
Notandum vero nobis est, quidnam sit, quod in dex- tris sedere Angelus cernitur. Quidnamque per sinis- tram, nisi vita praesens : quid vero per dexteram, nisi perpetua vita designa- tur ? Unde in Canticis Can- ticorum scriptum est : Li©va ejus sub capite meo, et dex- tera illius amplexabitur me. Quia ergo Eedemptor noster jam praesentis vita3 corrup- tionem transierat, recte An- gelus qui nuntiare peren- nem ejus vitam venerat, in dextera sodebat. Qui stola Candida coopertus apparuit :
Let us also take notice, how the Angel is seen to be seated on the right hand. What means this ? This present life is signified by the left hand; eternal life by the right. Hence we have in the Canticle of Canticles : His left hand is under my head, and his right hand shall embrace me. Be- cause, therefore, our Eedeemer had passed from this present corruptible life, it was fitting that the Angel, who came to announce his immortal life, should sit on the right side. The Aiigol was clad in a white robe, because he came to herald
EASTER SUNDAY : MATINS.
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the joy of our feast. For the beauty of his robe tells us of the splendour of our solemnity. Ought I not to say his, rather than ours ?■ To speak correctly, the solemnity is both his and ours ; for our Redeemer's Resurrection was our feast, be- cause it restored us to immor- tality ; and it was the feast of the Angels, because, by its re- calling us to heaven, it tilled up their number.
gi. When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, * That coming, they might anoint Jesus, alleluia, alleluia.
^. And very early in the morning, the iirst day of the week, they come to the Sepul- chre, the sun being now risen.
* That coming. Glory be to the Father.
• That coming.
Blessing. May the King of Angels lead us to the society of heavenly citizens, gt. Amen.
quia festivitatis nostrse gau- dia nunciavit. Candor ete- nim vestis, splendorem nos- troe denuntiat solemnitatis. Nostrse dicamus, an suae ? Sed ut fateamur verius, et sua3 dicamus, et nostrse. Ilia quippe Redemptoris nostri rcsurrrectio et nostra f estivi- tas fuit, quia nos ad immor- talitatem reduxit : et Ange- lorum festivitas exstitit, quia nos revocando ad coe- lestia, eorum numerum im- plevit.
gt. Cum transisset Sabba- tum, Maria Magdalene, et Maria Jacobi, et Salome, emerunt aromata : * Ut ve- nientes ungerent Jesum, al- leluia, alleluia.
y. Et valde mane una sabbatorum veniunt ad mo- numentum, orto jam sole.
* Ut venientes. Gloria Patri.
* Ut venientes.
Benedictio. Ad societa- tem civium supernorum perdu cat nos Rex Angelo- rum. gi. Amen.
3rd lesson.
On this, then, both his and our feast, the Angel appeared clad in ivJiite robes, because, when we were restored to heaven by Jesus' Resurrection, the celestial country recovered its losses. But let us listen to the words he addresses to the women on their coming to the Sepulchre : Fear not I says he,
In sua ergo ac nostra fes- tivitate Angelus in albis ves- tibus apparuit : quia dum nos per resurrectionem Do- minicam ad superna redu- cimur, ccelestis patiiae dam- na reparantur. Sed quid advenientes feminas afta- tur, audiamus. Nolite oxpa- vescore. Ac si aperte dicat :
136
PASCHAL TIME.
Paveant illi, qui non am ant adventum supernorum ci- vium : pertimescant, qui carnalibus desideriis pressi, ad eorum se societatem per- tingere posse desperant. Yos autem cur pertimescitis quse vestros concives videtis ? Unde Matthseus Angelum apparuisse describens, ait : Erat aspectus ejus sicut fulgur, et vestimenta ejus sicut nix. In fulgure ete- nim terror timoris est, in nive autem blandimentum candoris.
"Let them fear tbat love not " the visit of heaven's citizens : "let them fear who, being " weighed down by carnal de- ' ' sires, despair of ever being "able to reach heaven. But "why should you fear, who " behold here your fellow-citi- " zens ? " Hence St. Ma tthew, describing the Angel's appari- tion, says : His countenance was as lightning, and his rai- ment as snow. The lightning expresses something that caus- es fear ; the snoiu denotes the affability of a sincere friend.
HYMN OF THANKSGIVING.
Te Deum laudamus Dominum confitemur.
te
Te seternum Patrem : * omnis terra veneratur.
Tibi omnes Angeli : * tibi coeli, et universse potestates.
Tibi Cherubim et Sera- phim : * incessabili voce proclamant.
Sanctus.
Sanctus.
Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth.
Pleni sunt coeli et terra * majestatis glorise tuae.
Te gloriosus * Apostolo- rum chorus.
Te Prophetarum * lauda- bilis numerus.
Te Martyrum candida- tus * laudat exercitus.
Te per orbem terrarum * sancta confitetur Ecclesia.
We praise thee, 0 God ! we acknowledge thee to be our Lord.
Thee, the Father everlast- ing, all the earth doth worship.
To thee the Angels, to thee the heavens, and all the Powers.
To thee the Cherubim and Seraphim, cry out without ceasing :
Holy!
Holy!
Holy ! Lord God of Sab- aoth !
Full are the heavens and the earth of the majesty of thy glory.
Thee the glorious choir of the Apostles.
Thee the laudable company of the Prophets.
Thee the white -robed army of Martyrs doth praise.
Thee the holy Church throughout the world doth acknowledge.
EASTER SUNDAY : MATINS.
137
The Father of incomprehen- sible majesty.
Thy adorable, true, and only Son,
And the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete.
Thou, 0 Christ, art the King of gloiy\
Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.
Thou being to take upon thee to deliver man, didst not disdain the Virgin's womb.
Thou having overcome the sting of death, hast opened to believers the kingdom of heaven.
Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father.
Thee we believe to be the Judge to come.
Patrem * immenssemajes- tatis,
Yenerandum tuum ve- rum, * et unicum Filium,
Sanctum quoque * Para- clitum Spiritum.
Tu Eex glorioe, * Christe.
Tu Patris * sempiternus es Filius.
Tu ad liberandum suscep- turus hominem, * non hor- ruisti Yirginis uterum.
Tu devicto mortis acu- leo, * aperuisti credentibus regna coelorum.
Tu ad dexteram Dei se- des : * in gloria Patris.
Judex crederis * esse ven- turus.
All kneel at the following Verse :
We beseech thee, therefore, to help thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious Blood.
Make them to be numbered with thy Saints in eternal glory.
O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine inheritance.
And govern them, and exalt them for ever.
Every day we magnify thee.
And we praise thy Name for ever and ever.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
Te ergo qu^esumus, tuis famulis subveni, * quos pre- tioso sanguine redemisti.
sterna fac cum Sanctis tuis * in gloria numerari.
Salvum fac populum tu- um, Domine : * et benedic hsereditati tuae.
Et rege eos, * et extolle illos usque in aeternum.
Per singulos dies * bene- dicimus ie.
Et laudamus Nomen tuum in saeculum : * et in sa?culum sseculi.
Dignare, Domine, die isto, • sine peccato noa cus- todire.
138 PASCHAL TIME.
Miserere nostri, Domine : Have mercy on us, 0 Lord,
* raiserere nostri. have mercy on us.
Fiat misericordia tua Do- Let thy mercy, 0 Lord, be
mine super nos, * quemad- upon us, as we have put our
modum speravimus in te. trust in thee.
In te, Domine, speravi : * In thee, 0 Lord, have I put
non confundar in seternum. my trust : let me not be con- founded for ever.
In most of the Churches in the West, during the Middle- Ages, as soon as the Third Lesson was read, and before the Te Deum, the Clergy went in proces- sion, singing a Responsory, to the Altar, where the Blessed Sacrament had been kept since Maundy Thursday, and which was called the Chapel of the Sepulchre. Three Clerics were vested in Albs, and represented Magdalene and her two companions. When the procession reached the Chapel, two Dea- cons, in white Dalmatics, who were standing at either end of the Tomb, thus addressed the three Clerics :
Quem quaeritis in sepul- Whom seek ye in the
chro, 0 christicolse ? Sepulchre, friends of Christ 't
The Clerics answered :
Jesum Nazarenum, 0 coe- Jesus of Nazareth, O ye
licolse ! citizens of heaven !
Then the Deacons :
Non est hie ; surrexit si- He is not here : he hath
cut prsedixerat : ite, nun- risen, as he foretold : go, say ciate quia surrexit. that he is risen.
The three Clerics here went to the Altar, and, raising up the cloths which covered it, they rever- ently kissed the Stone. Then turning towards the Bishop and the Clergy, they sang these words :
Alleluia I Eesurrexit Do- Alleluia I This day the Lord
minus hodio : resurroxit hath risen : the strong Lion,
EASTER SUNDAY : MATINS. 139
Christ the Son of God, hath Leo fortis, Christus Filius risen. Dei.
Two Chanters stepped forward towards the Altar steps, on which the Clerics were standing, and ad- dressed them in these words of the Sequence :
Tell us, 0 Mar^^ what sawest Die nobis, Maria, thou on the way ? Quid vidisti in via ?
The first Cleric, who represented Magdalene, answered :
I saw the Sepulchre of the Sepulchrum Christi vi- hving Christ : I saw the gloiy ventis,
of him that had risen. Et gloriam vidi resurgentis.
The second Cleric, who represented Mary, the mother of James, added :
I saw the Angels that were Angehcos testes, the witnesses : I saw the wind- Sudarium et vestes.
ing-sheet and the cloths.
The third Cleric, who represented Salome, com- pleted the reply, thus :
Christ, my hope, hath risen ! Surrexit Christus spes He shall go before you into mea. Galilee. Praecedet vos in Galila3am.
The two Chanters answered with this protest of Faith :
It behoves us to beheve the Credendum est magis soli
single testimony of the truth- Marise veraci,
ful Mary, rather than the Quam Judseorum
whole wicked host of Jews. Pravte cohorti.
Then the whole of the Clergy joined in this accla- mation :
We know that Christ hath Scimus Christum sur- truly risen from the dead. Do rcxisse
thou, O Conqueror and King I A mortuis vere : have mercy upon us. Tu nobis, victor Rex,
miserere.
140 PASCHAL TIME.
The two Deacons then opened the Tabernacle. Taking the pyx, in which was the Blessed Sacra- ment, they laid it upon a portable throne, or brancard, and the Procession returned to the High Altar. Clouds of Incense perfumed the way, and the following beautiful Responsory was enthusiastically sung. The first part is composed of words from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans ; the Yersicle is taken from the Grreek Liturgy. The music is worthy of the words.
gt. Christus resurgens ex gt. Christ rising again from
mortuis, jam non moritur ; the dead, dieth now no more ;
mors, illi ultra non domina- death shall no more have do-
bitur : quod enim mortuus minion over him ; for in that
est peccato, mortuus est se- he died, he died once : * But
mel : * Quod autem vivit, in that he liveth, he liveth
vivit Deo, alleluia, alleluia, unto God, alleluia, alleluia.
f. Dicant nunc Judsei, f. Let the Jews now tell
quomodo milites custodi- us, how the soldiers, who
entes sepulchrum perdide- guarded the Sepulchre, lost
runt Eegem, ad lapidis posi- the King, though they had
tionem ; quare non serva- placed a rock over him ? Why
bant Petram justitiae ? Aut kept they not the Eock of
sepultum reddant, aut re- justice? Either let them re-
surgentem adorent nobis- store the Buried One, or adore
cum dicentes : with us the Risen One, saying :
* Quod autem vivit, vivit * But in that he liveth, he
Deo, alleluia, alleluia. liveth unto God, alleluia, alle- luia.
The Procession having reached the Sanctuary, the Deacons placed the Blessed Sacrament upon the Altar. The Bishop, after offering the homage of Incense, entoned the Te Beum, in thanksgiving for the Resurrection of our Redeemer.
This touching ceremony, which probably originated what were called The Mysteries^ was not one of the traditions of the Roman Liturgy ; still, it was an expression of the lively and simple faith of the Middle- Ages. It gradually fell into disuse during the 16th and
EASTEK SUNDAY I MATINS. 141
17th Centuries, when men became absorbed in mate- rial things, and lost that appreciation of the super- natural, which their forefathers loved to encourage by every possible means. The one we have j ust described, varied in the manner of its being carried out ; but we have given its chief traits, such as we find them mentioned in the ancient Ordinaries of our Cathedrals.
The Churches of Bohemia, Hungary and Poland, keep up, even to this day, the custom, borrowed from the Orientals, of spending the Night preceding Easter Sunday in prayer. At break of day, the hour of the Resurrection, the Blessed Sacrament is taken from the Sepulchre, and a solemn Benediction is given. Up to quite a recent period, in certain towns of Spain, two Processions started from the principal Church : in one, was borne a Statue of the Blessed Virgin, which was covered with a veil ; in the other, the Blessed Sacrament was carried under a canopy. The two separated, and marched in silence through the streets, until the sun appeared on the horizon, when they met at an appointed place. The veil that covered the Statue of the Holy Mother of God was then removed, and the whole people sang the Anthem, Regina cceli, liptarc ! — thus commemorating the joy experienced by Mary when she was visited by Jesus after his Pesurrection, — by that same Jesus who was there really present in the adorable Sacrament. The two Processions then returned together to the Church.
Another demonstration of Paschal Joy consisted in the Kiss of Peace given by the Faithful in the Church at the announcement of the Resurrection hour. This custom, which was taken from the Oriental Churches, was kept up in the West until the 16th century. In some places, it was at the beginning of Matins that this Kiss of Peace was given, and with these words : Surrexit ChrisfiisI — Christ is risen/ In others again, it was given after the ceremony we have been describ-
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ing. In the Greek Liturgy, the following stanzas were sung during the time :
Pascha j ucundissimum , Pascha Domini, Pascha, Pascha sacratissimum, il- luxit nobis. Pascha I in gaudio nos invicem am- plexemur. 0 Pascha, tris- titise pretium ! etenim ex sepulchro, tanquam ex tha- lamo, Christus hodie re- splendens, ; mulieres Iseta dulcedine replevit, dicens : Prsedicate Apostolis.
Dies est Eesurrectionis : splendescamus, diem fes- tum agentes, et amplexe- mur nos invicem, fratres nuncupemus etiam odien- tes nos ; omnia dimittamus propter Eesurrectionem, et ita clamemus : Surrexit Christus a mortuis, mortem morte conterens, et jacen- tibus in monumentis vitam suppeditans.
The most joyous Pasch, the Pasch of the Lord, the Pasch, the most holy Pasch, has shone upon us I let us embrace each other with joy. 0 Pasch ! thou recompense of our sor- row I for from this Sepulchre, as from a bride -chamber, Christ hath this day risen re- splendent, and hath filled the women with glad consolation, saying to them : Tell it to my Apostles I
It is the Resurrection Daj'" : let us be radiant with joy as we keep the feast, and let us embrace one another, and call even them that hate us. Breth- ren. Let us forgive all offences for the Eesurrection's sake, and thus let us sing : Christ hath risen from the dead ; he hath conquered death by death, and hath given life to them that lay in their graves.
We are all Brethren : the Resurrection of Jesus has made us doubly so, for, the Apostle says, he is the First-born from the dead} We were Brethren by his assuming our Nature in his Incarnation ; the Fra- ternity was renewed and made closer by his rising from the Tomb, and opening to each of us the path to Immortality. He is our Elder Brother in that New Life which dieth now no more. Whilst cele- brating his Victory, let us all be united together in mutual charity : — it is his wish, it is the Pasch, it is the Banquet-Day of Fraternal love !
1 Coloss. i. 18.
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LAUDS.
Every day throughout the Year, the Church offers a special Service to God, which is intended as the Office of the Aurora. It is called Lauds, because it is mainly composed of Psalms of Praise. The mys- tery honoured by this Morning-Service is the Resur- rection : how fervently, how joyously, ought we not to sing our Lauds on the very Day of that grand Mystery ! Let us, therefore, unite with our dear Mother the Church : she is beaming with gladness ; for her Jesus, her Sun of Justice, whose light has been clouded for three long Days, is now risen in all his splendour.
v. IncHne unto my aid, "V". Deus, in adjutorium
0 God. meum intende.
gt. 0 Lord, make haste to B^. Domine, ad adjuvan-
help me. dum me festina.
Glory be to the Father, and Gloria Patri, et Filio, et
to the Son, and to the Holy Spiiitui Sancto. Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, Sicut erat in principio, et
is now, and ever shall be, nunc, et semper, et in sae-
world ■vN'ithout end. Amen, cula sseculorum. Amen.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Jirst Psalm of Lauds shows us our Jesus rising from his Tomb like a King clot/ted with beaut//, and like a Conqueror yirded with strength. By his Resurrection, he restores man to the Immortality he had forfeited. Wonderful are the surges of the sea; but far more so is the power of the Risen Jesus, our Lord. Let us, by the ho/ in ess of our lives, prove ourselves worthy of heaven, — that House which he has now thrown open to us.
Ant. And the Angel of the Ant. Angelus autem Do- Lord descended from heaven ; mini descendit de coelo, and going to the stone, rolled et accedens revolvit lapidem, it back, and sat on it. Alle- et sedebat super eum. Alle- luia, alleluia. luia, alleluia.
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PASCHAL TIME.
PSALM 92.
Dominus regnavit, deco- rem indutus est : * indutus est Dominus fortitudinem, et prsecinxit se.
Etenim firmavit orbem terrae : * qui non commove- bitur.
Parata sedes tua ex tunc : * a sseculo tu es.
Elevaverunt flumina Do- mine : * elevaverunt flumina vocem suam.
Elevaverunt flumina fluc- tus sues : * a vocibus aqua- rum multarum.
Mira biles elationes ma- ris : * mirabilis in altis Do- minus.
Testimonia tua credibilia facta sunt nimis : * domum tuam decet sanctitudo, Do- mine, in longitudinem die- rum.
Ant. Angelus autem Do- mini descendit de coelo, . et accedens revolvit lapidem, et sedebat super eum. Alle- luia, alleluia.
The Lord hath reigned, he is clothed with beauty : the Lord is clothed with strength, and hath girded himself.
For, to-day, hy his Resurrec- tion, he hath established the world, which shall not be moved.
Thy throne, 0 Conqueror of death, is prepared from old : thou art from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, 0 Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice.
The floods have lifted up their waves, with the noise of many waters.
Wonderful are the surges of the sea ; wonderful is the Lord on high.
Thy testimonies are become exceedingly credible : holiness becometh thy House, 0 Lord, luhich is thy Church, unto length of days.
Ant. And the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven ; and going to the stone, rolled it back, and sat on it. Alle- luia, alleluia.
The following Psalm invites to the Courts of the Lord all the inhabitants of the earth, there to cele- brate this great Solemnity, this Feast of feasts. Jesus is our divine Shepherd, and we are the Sheep of his pasture. Though the mighty Conqueror and God, yet is he sweet and compassionate. Let us celebrate his Triumph in exceeding great joy, and with grate- ful gladness.
Ant. Et ecce terrae motus Ant. And behold ! there
f actus est magaus : Angelus was a great earthquake : for
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an Angel of the Lord came enim Domini descendit de down from heaven, alleluia. coelo. Alleluia.
PSALM 99.
Sing joyfully to God all the earth ! serve ye the Lord with gladness.
Come in before his presence, with exceeding great joy.
Know ye, that the Lord is God ; he made us, and not we ourselves.
We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture ; go ye into his gates, with praise : into his courts, with hymns, and give glory to him.
Praise ye his Name, for the Lord is sweet ; his mercy en- dureth for ever : and his truth to generation and generation.
Ant. And behold! there was a great earthquake : for an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, alleluia.
Jubilate Deo omnis terra : * servite Domino in laetitia.
Introite in conspectu ejus : * in exsultatione.
Scitote quoniam Dominus ipse est Deus : * ipse fecit nos, et non ipsi nos.
Populus ejus, et oves pas- cua3 ejus, introite portas ej us in conf essione : * atria ejus in hymnis, confitemini illi.
Laudate Nomen ejus quo- niam suavis est Dominus, in aeternum misericordia ejus : * et usque in genera- tionem et generationem Ve- ritas ejus.
Ant. Et ecce terraemotus f actus est magnus : Ange- lus enim Domini descendit de ccelo. Alleluia.
The two following Psalms, which the Church here unites into one, are the prayer of the faithful soul to her God, at break of day. From the first waking, she thirsts after the great God, her Creator and Redeemer. But on this Day of Easter, she delightedly contem- plates him in all the magnificence of his glory, and the whole world is filled with it. All men are now one in unity of sentiment ; all are keeping the Pasch ; there is not a nation under heaven where the great mystery is not known. Let us pray, that all may understand it, love it, and share in its joy.
Ant. And his countenance was as lightning, and his rai-
Ant. Erat autem aspectus ejus sicut fulgur, vestimentt^ L
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autem ejus sicut nix. Alle- ment was as luia, alleluia. alleluia.
PSALM 62.
snow. Alleluia,
Deus, Deus mens : * ad te de luce vigilo.
Sitivit in te anima mea : * quam multipliciter tibi caro mea.
In terra deserta, et invia, et inaquosa : * sic in sancto apparui tibi, ut viderem virtu tern tuam, et gloriam tuam.
Quoniam melior est mise- ricordia tua super vitas : * labia mea laudabunt te.
Sic benedicam te in vita mea : * et in nomine tuo le- vabo manus meas.
Sicut adipe et pinguedine repleatur anima mea : * et labiis exsultationis laudabit OS meum.
Si memor fui tui super stratum meum, in matutinis meditabor in te : * quia fu- isti adjutor meus.
Et in velamento alarum tuarum exsultabo, adhsesit anima mea post te : * me suscepit dextera tua.
Ipsi vero in vanum quse- sierunt animam meam, in- troibunt in inf eriora terrse : * tradentur in manus gladii, partes vulpium erunt.
Eex vero Isetabitur in Deo, laudabuntur omnes qui jurant in eo : * quia ob- structum est os loquentium jniqua.
0 God, my God, to thee do I watch, at break of day.
For thee my soul hath thirsted, for thee my flesh, oh I how many ways !
In a desert land, and where there is no way, and no water : so, in the sanctuary have I come before thee, to see thy power and thy glory.
For th}'- mercy is better than lives : thee my lips shall praise.
Thus will I bless thee all my life long : and in thy name I will lift up my hands.
Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness, 0 Bread of Life ! and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips.
If I have remembered thee upon my bed, I will meditate on thee in the morning : be- cause thou hast been my helper.
And I will rejoice under the covert of thy wings ; my soul hath stuck close to thee : thy right hand hath received me.
But they have sought my soul in vain ; they shall go into the lower parts of the earth : they shall be delivered into the hands of the sword, they shall be portions of foxes.
But man being set free shall like a King rejoice in God ; all thej^ shall be praised that swear by him : because the mouth is stopped of them that speak wicked things,
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PSALM 66.
May God have mercy on us, and bless us ; may he, rising from the Tomby cause the light of his countenance to shine upon us, and may he have mercy on us.
That we may know thy way upon earth, 0 Jesus ! thy sal- vation in all nations.
Let people confess to thee, 0 God, let all people give praise to thee.
Let the nations be glad and rejoice: for thou judgest the people with justice, and direct- est the nations upon earth.
Let the people, 0 God, con- fess to thee : let all the people give praise to thee : the earth hath yielded her fruit.
May God, our God, bless us, may God bless us and all the ends of the earth fear him.
Ant. And his countenance was as lightning, and his rai- ment was as snow. Alleluia, alleluia.
Deus misereatur nostri, et benedicat nobis : * illu- minet vultum suum super nos, et misereatur nostri.
Ut cognoscamus in terra viam tuam : * in omnibus gentibus Salutare tuum.
Confiteantur tibi populi Deus : * confiteantur tibi populi omnes.
Leetentur et exsultent gentes : * quoniam judicas populos in sequitate, et gen- tes in terra dirigis.
Confiteantur tibi populi Deus, confiteantur tibi po- puli omnes : * terra dedit fructum suum.
Benedicat nos Deus, Deus noster, benedicat nos Deus : * et metuant eum omnes fines terrse.
Ant. Erat autem aspectus ejus sicut fulgur, vestimen- ta autem ejus sicut nix. Al- leluia, alleluia.
The Canticle, in which the Three Children, in the fiery Furnace of Babylon, bid all creatures of God bless his name, is sung by the Church in the Lauds of every Feast. It gives a voice to all creatures, and invites the whole universe to hless its divine Author. How just it is, that on this day, heaven and earth should unite in giving glory to the great God, who, by his Death and Eesurrection, repairs the injury done to them by sin !
Ant. The guards were ter- rified with fear of him, and
Ant. Prae timore autem ejus exterriti sunt custodes,
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et facti sunt velut mortui, became as men struck dead, alleluia. alleluia.
CANTICLE OF THE THREE CHILDREN.
[Dan. III.)
Benedicite omnia opera Domini Domino : * laudate et superexaltate eum in spe- cula.
Benedicite Angeli Domini Domino : * benedicite coeli Domino.
Benedicite aquce omnes quae super coelos sunt Do- mino : * benedicite omnes vii'tutes Domini Domino.
Benedicite sol et luna Do- mino : * benedicite stellse coeli Domino.
Benedicite omnis imber et ros Domino : * benedicite omnes spiritus Dei Domino.
Benedicite ignis et aestus Domino : * benedicite f rigus et sestus Domino.
Benedicite rores et pruina Domino : * benedicite gelu et frigus Domino.
Benedicite glacies et nives Domino : * benedicite noc- tes et dies Domino.
Benedicite lux et tene- brae Domino : * benedicite fulgura et nubes Domino.
Benedicat terra Domi- num : * laudet et superex- altet eum in saBcula.
Benedicite montes et col- les Domino : * benedicite universa germinantia in terra Domino.
Benedicite fontes Domi-
All ye works of tbe Lord, bless the Lord : praise and exalt him above all for ever.
0 ye Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord : 0 ye heavens, bless the Lord.
0 all ye waters, that are above the heavens, bless the Lord : 0 all ye powers of the Lord, bless the Lord.
0 ye sun and moon, bless the Lord: 0 ye stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
O every shower and dew, bless ye the Lord : 0 all ye spirits of God, bless the Lord.
0 ye fire and heat, bless the Lord : O ye cold and heat, bless the Lord.
0 ye dews and hoar frosts, bless the Lord : 0 ye frost and cold, bless the Lord.
0 ye ice and snow, bless the Lord : O ye nights and days, bless the Lord.
0 ye light and darkness, bless the Lord : 0 ye light- nings and clouds, bless the Lord.
Oh ! let the earth bless the Lord : let it praise and exalt him above all for ever.
O ye mountains and hills, bless the Lord: 0 all ye things that spring up in the earth, bles the Lord.
0 ye fountq,ins, bless the
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Lord : 0 ye seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
0 ye whales, and all that move in the waters, bless the Lord : 0 all ye fowls of the air, bless the Lord.
O all ye beasts and cattle, bless the Lord : 0 ye sons of men, bless the Lord.
Oh I let Israel bless the Lord : let them praise and ex- alt him above all for ever.
0 ye priests of the Lord, bless the Lord : 0 ye servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
0 ye spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord : 0 ye, holy and humble of heart, bless the Lord.
0 Ananias, Azarias, Misael, bless ye the Lord : praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, with the Holy Ghost ; let us praise and exalt him above all for ever.
Blessed art thou, 0 Lord, in the firmament of heaven ; and worthy of praise, and glorious, and exalted above all, for ever.
AxT. The guards were ter- rified with fear of him, and became as men struck dead, alleluia.
no : * benedicite maria et flumina Domino.
Benedicite cete et omnia quiie moventur in aquis Do- mino : * benedicite omnes volucres cceli Domino.
Benedicite omnes bestise et pecora Domino : * bene- dicite filii hominum Domino.
Benedicat Israel Domi- num : * laudet et super- exaltet eum in sajcula.
Benedicite Sacerdotes Do- mini Domino : * benedicite servi Domini Domino.
Benedicite spiritus et ani- mte justorum Domino : * benedicite sancti et humiles corde Domino.
Benedicite Anania, Aza- ria, Misael Domino : * lau- date et superexaltate eum in scecula.
Benedicamus Patrem et Filium cum Sancto Spiri- tu : * laudemus, et super- exaltemus eum in scecula.
Benedictus es, Domine, in firmamento cceli : * et lau- dabilis et gloriosus, et su- perexaltatus in siecula.
Ant. l*r?e timore autem ejus exterriti sunt custodes, et facti sunt velut mortui, alleluia.
The threelast Psalms of Lauds, which the Church unites under the same Antiphon, are also the last of the Psaltery. They sing the praise of the Lord, and urge all creatures to bless his holy name. The ^first of the three has a great resemblance with the Canticle of the Three Children ; the second invites the S(ii)(fs to sing to Uim who has glorified them, by making
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them sharers in his Eesurrection : the third calls on every thing that can breathe forth music to come and honour our Eisen Jesus with sweetest thrills of melody.
Ant. Eespondens autem Angelus, dixit nmlieribus : Nolite timere : scio enim quod Jesum quseritis, alle- luia.
AiN'T. And tlie Angel answer- ing, said to the women : Fear not : for I know that ye seek Jesus, alleluia.
PSALM 148.
Laudato Dominum de coelis : * laudate eum in ex- celsis.
Laudate eum omnes An- geli ejus : * laudate eum omnes virtutes ejus.
Laudate eum sol et luna : * laudate eum omnes stellas et lumen.
Laudate eum coeli ccelo- rum: * et aquse omnes quae super coelos sunt, laudent Nomen Domini.
Quia ipse dixit, et facta sunt : * ipse mandavit, et creata sunt.
Statuit ea in seternum, et in sseculum saeculi : * prse- ceptum posuit, et non prse- teribit.
Laudate Dominum de terra : * dracones et omnes abyssi.
Ignis, grando, nix, gla- cies, spiritus procellarum : * quae faciunt verbum ejus.
Montes et omnes colles : * ligna fructifera, et omnes cedri.
Bestise et universa peco- ra : * serpentes, et volucres pennatae.
Praise ye the Lord, from the heavens : praise ye him in the high places.
Praise ye him, all his Angels : praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, 0 sun and moon : praise ye him, all ye stars and light.
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens : and let all the waters, that are above the heavens, praise the Name of the Lord.
For he spoke, and they were made : he commanded, and they were created.
He hath established them for ever, and for ages of ages : he hath made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all ye deeps.
Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, which fulfil his word.
Mountains and all hills ; fruitful trees, and all cedars.
Beasts and all cattle ; ser- pents and feathered fowls.
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Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth.
Young men and maidens ; let the old with the younger praise the Name of the Lord : for his Name alone is exalted.
His praise is above heaven and earth: and he hath, this day, exalted the horn of his people.
A hjTnn to all his Saints : to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him.
Eeges terrse et omnes po- puli : * principes, et omnes judices terrse.
Juvenes, et virgines, se- nes cum j unioribus , laudent Nomen Domini : * quia exal- tatum est Nomen ejus so- lius.
Confessio ejus super coe- lum et terram : * et exal- tavit cornu populi sui.
Hymnus omnibus Sanctis ejus : * filiis Israel, populo appropinquanti sibi.
PSALM 149.
Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle : let his praise be in the Church of the Saints.
Let the new Israel rejoice in him that made him ; and let the children of Sion be joyful in their King.
Let them praise his Name in choir : let them simg to him with the timbrel and psaltery.
For the Lord is well pleased with his people : and the meek he will exalt unto salvation.
The Saints shall rejoice in glory : they shall be joyful in their beds.
The high praises of God shall be in their mouth : and two-edged swords in their hands.
To execute vengeance upon the nations : chastisements among the people ;
To bind their kings with fetters : and their nobles with manacles of iron ;
Cantate Domino canti- cum novum : * laus ejus in Ecclesia Sanctorum.
La?tetur Israel in eo, qui fecit eum : * et filii Sion exsultent in rege suo.
Laudent Nomen ejus in choro : * in tympano et psalterio psallant ei.
Quia beneplacitum est Domino in populo suo : * et exaltabit mansuetos in sa- lutem.
Exsultabunt Sancti in glo- ria : * laetabuntur in cubi- libus suis.
Exaltationes Dei in guttu- re eorum : * et gladii anci- pites in manibus eorum.
Ad faciendam vindictam in nationibus : * increpatio- nes in populis.
Ad alligandos reges eorum in compedibus : • et nobi- les eorum in manicis fer- reis
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Ut faciant in eis judicium conscriptum : * gloria lia3c est omnibus Sanctis ejus.
To execute upon tkem tlie judgment that is written: this glory is to all his Saints.
PSALM 150.
Laudate Dominum in Sanctis ejus: * laudate eum in firmamento virtutis ejus.
Laudate eum in virtuti- bus ejus : * laudate eum secundum multitudinem magnitudinis ejus.
Laudate eum in sono tu- bae : * laudate eum in psal- terio et cithara.
Laudate eum in tympano et chore : * laudate eum in chordis et organo.
Laudate eum in cymba- tis benesonantibus, laudate eum in cymbalis jubilatio- nis : * omnis spiritus lau- det Dominum.
Ant. Eespondens autem Angelus, dixit mulieribus : NoHte timere : scio enim quod Jesum quseritis, alle- luia.
Praise ye the Lord in his holy places : praise ye him in the firmament of his power.
Praise ye him for his mighty acts : praise ye him according to the multitude of his great- ness.
Praise him with sound of trumpet : praise him with psaltery and harp.
Praise him with tymbrel and choir : praise him with strings and organ.
Praise him on high-sound- ing cymbals, praise him on cymbals of joy : let every spirit praise the Lord.
Ant. And the Angel an- swering said to the women : Fear not : for I know that ye seek Jesus, alleluia.
Immediately after the Psalms, is sung the Paschal Anthem :
Hsec dies quam fecit Do- minus : exsultemus et Isete- mur in ea.
This is the day which the Lord hath made : let us be glad and rejoice therein.
Then follows the Canticle of Zachaiy : it is the Church's daily welcome of the rising Sun. It cele- brates the coming of Jesus to his creatures, the ful- filment of the promises made by God, and the apparition of the Divine Orient in the midst of our darkness.
Ant. Et valde mane Ant. And very early in the una sabbatorum, veniunt ad morning, the first day of the
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week, they come to the Sepul- moniimentum, oi-to jam sole,
chre, the sun being now risen, alleluia.
alleluia.
CANTICLE OF ZACHARY.
(^S^. Luke, I.)
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel ; because he hath, tJds day, visited and wrought the redemption of his people.
And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his sei-vant.
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy Prophets, who are from the beginning :
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us.
To perform mercy to our Fathers, and to remember his holy testament.
The oath which he swore to Abraham, our Father ; that he would grant to us.
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear.
In holiness and justice be- fore him, all our days.
And thou, child, tlie Pre- cursor of the Man- God, shalt be called the Prophet of the Most High : for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways.
To give to his people the knowledge of Salvation, unto the remission of their sins,
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high, hath visited us,
Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel : * quia visitavit, et fecit redemptionem plebis suae.
Et erexit cornu salutis nobis : * in domo David pueri sui.
Sicut locutus est per os Sanctorum : * qui a sseculo sunt Prophetarum ejus.
Salutem ex inimicis nos- tris : * et de manu omnium qui oderunt nos.
Ad faciendam misericor- diam cum patribus nostris : * et memorari testamenti sui sancti.
Jusjurandum quod jura- vit ad Abraham patrem nos- trum : * daturum se nobis.
Ut sine timore de manu inimicorum nostrorum libe- rati : * serviamus illi.
In sanctitate et justitia coram ipso : * omnibus die- bus nostris.
Et tu, puer, Propheta Al- tissimi vocaberis : * prseibis enim ante faciem Domini parare vias ejus.
Ad dandam scientiam sa- lutis plebi ejus : * in remis- sionem peccatorum eorum.
Per viscera misericoridiae Dei nostri : * in quibus visi- tavit nos Oriens ex alto.
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lUuminare his qui in te- nebris et in umbra mortis sedent : * ad dirigendos pe- des nostros in viam pacis.
AxT. Et valde mane una sabbatorum, yeniunt ad mo- numentura, orto jam sole, alleluia.
OREMTJS.
Deus, qui hodierna die per Unigenitum tuum seter- nitatis nobis aditum, devic- ta morte, reserasti : vota nostra quae praeveniendo aspiras, etiam adjuvando prosequere. Per eumdem.
To enlighten them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death : to direct our feet into the way of peace.
AxT. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they come to the Sepul- chre, the sun being now risen, alleluia.
LET VS PRAY.
0 God, who, on this day, by thy Only Begotten Son's vic- tory over death, didst open for us a passage to eternity ; grant that our prayers, which thy preventing grace inspireth, may, by thy help, become ef- fectual. Through the same, &c.
f. Let us bless the Lord. Alleluia, alleluia.
Bl. Thanks be to God. Al- leluia, alleluia.
^ . Benedicamus Domino. Alleluia, alleluia.
gr. Deo gratias. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Office of Lauds being over, the Faithful retire from the Church : but they will soon return, to assist at the solemn Sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb. In order the better to understand the holy Liturgy of our Easter, we will again imagine ourselves to be in one of the Cathedral Churches of the 4th or 5th Centuries, where the sacred rites were carried out in all their magnificence.
The City is filled with strangers. The Priests of the country Churches have come to assist at the Con- secration of the Oils, at the administration of Bap- tism, and at the grand function of Easter. The inhabitants are not allowed to undertake any journey that would prevent them from assisting at the Offices of the Church ; for we find several Councils forbid- ding even the Nobles to go beyond the City walls until the Paschal Solemnity is over.^ We shall not
1 Councils of Agatha, of Orleans I. and IV., of Epaon, &c.
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be surprised at these regulations, if we remember what we have already stated with regard to Palm Sunday, how the Monks of the East, — who had obtained permission from their Abbots to leave their Monasteries at the beginning of Lent, and retire into the Desert, there to live with Grod alone, — were obliged to return for the celebration of Easter. St. Pachomius, — who was the first to organise, in the Desert of the East, a Congregation or Confederation of all the Houses that had sprung from his cele- brated Monastery of Tabenna, — insisted upon all his disciples convening, every year, in this central Mon- astery, for the purpose of celebrating the Resurrec- tion. On some of these occasions, there were to be seen encamped around Tabenna as many as fifty thousand Monks.
Even now, notwithstanding all the deplorable in- juries done to the spirit of Christianity by heresy, our Churches are crowded on the great Paschal Solem- nity. Even they that never think of entering the House of God on any other day of the Year, make an exception for Easter Sunday, as though they could not resist the power of the great Mystery of Jesus' Triumph. It is the last remnant of Faith left in these men ; it keeps them from total forgetfulness of their Religion. When their last hour comes, their celebration of Easter, though so imperfect, may draw down upon them the mercy of their Saviour : but if their Easters have been but so many neglects of the Sacraments, what consolation, what hope, can they yield ? those slighted invitations to Mercy will then cry out for vengeance, and give to the Resurrection the awful triumph of Justice ! — But these are thoughts far too sad for our Festivity : let us turn them into a prayer to our Risen Jesus, that he break jwt the bruised reedy nor quench the smoking flax ;^ let us
1 Is. xlii. 3.
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PASCHAL TIME.
delight in the thought of those bright days of the past, when Faith made Easter so glorious a sight for heaven and earth ; let us exult in the reflection, that the same Faith is still that of millions, and will be so till the end of time !
And before going to Mass, let us aid our enthusiasm by a remembrance of the Martyrs of Easter. Yes, the grand Solemnity was once consecrated by the blood of Saints, and the Church chronicles the event in her Martyrology. In the year 459, Easter Sunday fell upon the 5th of April. The Church in Africa was then suffering persecution from the Vandals ; they were Arians, and had been brought into the country by their kings, G-enseric and Hunneric. The Catholics of the city of Regia were assembled in the Church for the celebration of the Resurrection, and in order to keep out the heretics, they had closed the doors. The Arians, marshalled by one of their priests, forced an entrance, and rushed in brandishing their swords. At that very moment a Lector was in the Ambo, singing the AUeluia ; an arrow, shot by one of the barbarians, pierced his throat ; he fell, and finished his song in heaven. The Yandals fell upon the Faithful, and the Church streamed with blood. They dragged others from the holy place, and executed them by order of their king. The little children were the only ones spared. Let us unite with the Church, who honours these noble victims of Easter on the 5th of April.
MASS.
It is the hour of Tierce (9 o'clock), and the Basilica is crowded with the Faithful. The sun is pouring in its brightest beams, and who has not felt the charm of an Easter sun ? The pavement is strewed with flowers. Above the glittering mosaics of the Apse, the wall is covered with rich tapestry. Fes- toons hang from the Sanctuary arch to the pillars of
EASTER SI'NDAY : MASS. 157
the nave and aisles. Lamps, fed with the purest oil, and suspended from the Ciborium (or Canopy), are burning around the Altar. The Paschal Candle, which has been ceaselessly burning since last Night, stands on its marble pillar ; its bright flame attracts every eye, and the perfumes, wherewith its wick is saturated, fill the sacred edifice with a delicious fragrance. It is the noble symbol of Jesus, our Light, and seems to say : " Alleluia ! Christ is Risen !"
But by far the most interesting object is the group of the Neophytes, clad in their white garments, like the Angels that appeared at the Sepulchre. They are the living expression of the Mystery of our Lord's Resurrection. Yesterday they were dead, by sin ; now they are living, by that New Life which is the fruit of Jesus' victory over Death. Oh ! happy thought of our Mother the Church, to choose for the day of their Regeneration that on which the Man- God won Immortality for us his creatures !
The Station, at Rome, was formerly in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, the principal Church of all those that are dedicated to the Mother of Grod in the holy City. Was it not just to associate with the Paschal Solemnity the memory of Her, who more than all other creatures, had merited its joys, not only because of the exceptional share she had had in all the Sufferings of Jesus, but also because of the un- shaken faith, wherewith, during those long and cruel hours of his lying in the Tomb, she had awaited his Resurrection ? But now the Papal Mass is celebrated in Saint Peter's, as being more convenient, by its size and situation, to the immense concourse of the Faithful, who flock to Rome, from every part of the Christian world, for the Feast of Easter. The Roman Missal, however, still gives Saint Mary Major as the Stational Church of to-day ; and the Indulgences are gained, as f(jrmerly, by those who assist at the Services celebrated there.
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PASCHAL TIME.
There is no Water blessed for the Asperges to-day, as is the custom on all other Sundays throughout the year. We assisted, a few hours ago, at the imposing ceremony of the Bishop's blessing the Water, which was to be used for the Baptism of the Catechumens. The Water, which is now going to be sprinkled upon the Faithful, was taken from the Font of Eegenera- tion. During this ceremony, the Choir sings the following Antiphon :
ANTIPHON.
Vidi aquam egredientem de templo, a latere dextro, alleluia : et omnes, ad quos pervenit aqua ista, salvi facti sunt, et dicent : Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. Confitemini Domino, quoniam bonus : quoniam in sseculum misericordia ejus.
Gloria Patri. Vidi aquam.
y. Ostende nobis. Do- mine, misericordiam tuam, alleluia.
E!t. Et Salutare tuum da nobis, alleluia.
I saw water flowing from the right side of the temple, alleluia ; and all to whom that water came were saved, and they shall say : Alleluia, alle- luia.
Ps. Praise the Lord, because he is good ; because his mercy endureth for ever.
Glory, &c. I saw.
^ . Show us, 0 Lord, thy mercy, alleluia.
Bt . And grant us thy salva- tion, alleluia.
OREMUS.
LET us PRAY.
Exaudi nos, Domine sanc- te, Pater omnipotens, seter- ne Deus : et mittere digneris sanctum Angelum tuum de ccclis, qui custodiat, foveat, protegat, visitet atque de- fendat omnes habitantes in hoc habitaculo. Per Chris- tum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Graciously hear us, 0 holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eter- nal God : and vouchsafe to send thy holy Angel from heaven, who may keep, cherish, protect, visit and defend all who are assembled in this place. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Jn many of the Western Churches^ th© following
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stanzas, written by St. Yenantius Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers, used formerly to be sung during the Pro- cession before to-day's Mass. We insert them here, feeling assured that they will interest our readers, and assist them to enter more fully into the spirit of the great solemnity, for which our forefathers made them serve as a preparation. We shall find them replete with the same enthusiasm that inspired the author when he composed the Vexilla Regis, and the Hymn of the Holy Chrism : there is the same bold and energetic, almost harsh diction ; the same piety, the same richness of poetry and sentiment. The beautiful chant, to which this Hymn was sung, is still extant.
EASTER SONG.
Hail, thou festive, ever ven- erable Daj"- I whereon hell is conquered and heaven is won by Christ.
Lo I our earth is in her Spring; bearing thus her wit- ness that, with her Lord, she has all her gifts restored.
JRepeat. Hail, thou festive, &c.
For now the woods with their leaves, and the meadows with their flowers, pay homage to the triumph of Jesus over the gloomy tomb.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
Light, firmament, fields and sea, give justly praise to the God that defeats the laws of Death, and rises above the stars.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
The crucified God now reigns oyer all things : anci
Salve, festa dies, toto ve- nerabilis aevo ; Qua Deus infernum vincit,
et astra tenet. Ecce renascentis testatur
gratia mundi. Omnia cum Domino dona
redisse suo. Repeat. Salve, festa dies.
Namque triumphanti post tristia tartara Christo, Undique fronde nemus, gra- mina flore favent.
Salve, festa dies.
Legibus inferni oppressis, super astra meantem, Laudant rite Deum lux, po- lus, arva, fretum.
Salve, festa dies.
Qui crucifixus erat Deus, ecce per omnia regnat ;
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PASCHAL TIME.
Dantque creator! cuncta creata precem. Salve, festa dies.
Christe salus remm, bo- ne conditor, atque re- demptor ; Unica progenies ex Deitate Patris.
Salve, festa dies.
Qui genus humanum cer- nens mersum esse pro- fundo, Ut liominem eriperes, es quoque factus homo.
Salve, festa dies.
Nee voluisti etenim tan- tum te corpore nasci, Sed caro qupe nasci pertuUt, atque mori.
Salve, festa dies.
Funeris exsequias pateris, vitse auctor et orbis, Intrans mortis iter, dando salutis opem.
Salve, festa dies.
Tristia cesserunt infernse
vincula legis, Expavitque chaos luminis
ore premi. Salve, festa dies.
Depereunt tenebrse Chris- ti fulgore fugatae, ^ternse noctis pallia crassa cadunt.
Salve, festa dies.
Pollicitam sed redde fidem precor, alma potestas, Tertia lux rediit, surge se- pulte mens.
Salve, festa dies,
every creature to its Creator tells a prayer.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
0 Jesus ! Saviour of the world ! Loving Creator and Redeemer I Only Begotten Son of God the Father!
Hail, thou festive, &c.
Seeing the human race was sunk in misery deep, thou wast made Man, that thou mightest rescue man.
Hail, thou festive, «S:c.
Nor wouldst thou be con- tent to be born; but being born in the flesh, in the same wouldst thon suifer death.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
Thou, the Author of life and all creation, wast buried in the Tomb; treading the path of Death, to give us salvation.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
The gloomful bonds of hell were broken ; the abyss shook with fear, as the light shone upon its brink.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
The brightness of Christ put darkness to flight, and made to fall the thick veils of ever- lasting night.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
But, redeem thy promise, I beseech thee, merciful King I This is the third day ; arise, my buried Jesus !
Hail, thou festive, &c.
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'Tis not meet, that thy Body lie in the lowly Tomb, or that a sepulchral stone should keep imprisoned the ransom of the world.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
Throw off thy shrouds, I pray thee I Leave thj- wind- ing-sheet in the Tomb. Thou art our all ; and all else, with- out thee, is nothing.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
Let free the spirits that are shackled in Limbo's prison. Kaise up all fallen things.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
Show us, once more, thy Face, that all ages may see the Light I Bring back the Day which fled when thou didst die.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
But thou hast done all this, O loving Conqueror, by return- ing to our world : Death lies defeated, and its rights are gone.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
The greedy monster, whose huge throat had swallowed all mankind, is now thj* prey, 0 God I
Hail, thou festive, &c.
The savage beast now trem- bling vomits forth the victims he had made, and the Lamb tears jthe sheep from the jaw of the wolf.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
Non decet, ut vili tumulo tua membra tegantur, Neu pretium mundi vilia saxa premant.
Salve, festa dies.
Lintea tolle, precor, suda- lia linque sepulchre ; Tu satis es nobis, et sine te nihil est.
Salve, festa dies.
Solve catenatas inferni carceris umbras, Et revoca sursum, quidquid ad ima ruit. Salve, festa dies.
Redde tuam faciem, vi- deant ut ssecula lumen, Redde diem, qui nos, te mo- riente, fugit.
Salve, festa dies.
Sed plane implesti re- means, pie victor, ad orbem ; Tartara pressa jacent, nee sua jura tenent. Salve, festa dies.
Inferus insaturabiliter ca- va guttura pandens, Qui rapuit semper, fit tua pra?da, Deus,
Salve, festa dies.
Evomit absorptam trepide fera bell u a plebem, Et de fauce lupi subtrahit Agnus oves.
Salve, festa dies. M
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PASCHAL TIMK.
Rex sacer, ecce tui radiat pars magna triumphi, Cum puras animas sacra la- vacra beant.
Salve, festa dies.
Candidas egreditur niti- dis exercitus undis, Atque yetus vitium purgat in amne novo.
Salve, festa dies.
Fulgentes animas vestis quoqae Candida signat, Et grege de niveo gaudia pastor habet.
Salve, festa dies, toto ve- nerabilis sevo ; Qua Deus infernum vincit, et astra tenet.
0 King divine I lo ! here a bright ray of thy triumph, — the souls made pure by the holy Font.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
The white-robed troop comes from the limpid Waters ; and the old iniquity is cleansed in the new Stream.
Hail, thou festive, &c.
The white garments symbo- lise unspotted souls ; and the Shepherd rejoices in his snow- like flock.
Hail, thou festive, ever ven- erable Day ! whereon hell is conquered and heaven is won by Christ.
The preparations completed, the chanters intone the majestic melody of the Introit. Meanwhile, the Pontiff, accompanied by the Priests, Deacons, and other Ministers, advances in procession to the Altar- steps. This opening chant is the cry of the Man- Grod as he rises from the Tomb : it is the hymn of Jesus' gratitude to his Eternal Father.
INTROIT.
Resurrexi, et adhuc tecum sum, alleluia : posuisti super me manum tuam, alleluia : mirabilis facta est scientia tua. Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. Domine, probasti me et cognovisti me : tu cogno- visti sessionem meam et re- surrectionem meam. 1^ . Glo- ria Patri. Resurrexi.
I have risen, and am as yet with you, alleluia : thou hast stretched forth thy hand to me, alleluia : thy knowledge is become wonderful. Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. Lord, thou hast tried me, and known me : thou hast known my sitting down and my up-rising. ^. Glory, &c. I have risen, &c.
In the Collect, the Church proclaims the grace of
KASTKk StNDAY : MASS.
1G3
Immortality, which our Redeemer's victory over Death restored to mankind. She prays that her children may ambition the glorious destiny thus won for them.
COLLECT.
0 God, who, on this day, by thj^ Only Begotten Son's vic- tory over death, didst open for us a passage to eternity ; grant that our prayers, which thy preventing grace inspireth, may, by thy help, become ef- fectual. Through the same, &c.
Deus, qui hodierna die per Unigenitum tuum aeter- nitatis nobis aditum, devic- ta morte, reserasti : vota nostra quae prseveniendo aspiras, etiam adjuvando prosequere. Per eumdem.
EPISTLE.
Lesson of the Epistle of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians.
/. Cor V.
Brethren : Purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new paste, as you are unleav- ened. For Christ, our pasch, is sacrificed. Therefore let us feast, not with the old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Lectio Epistolc« beati Pauli Apostoli ad Corinthios.
/. Cor. V.
Fratres, expurgate vetus fermentum, ut sitis nova conspersio, sicut estis azymi. Etenim Pascha nostrum immolatus est Christus. Itaque epulemur, non in fermento veteri, neque in fermento malitiae et noqui- tise : sed in az5nnis sinceri- tatis et veritatis.
God commanded the Israelites to use unleavened Bread when they ate the Paschal Lamb ; hereby teaching them, that, before partaking of this myste- rious food, they should abandon their sins, which are signified by Leaven. We Christians, who are called to the New Life which Jesus has created for us by his Resurrection, — must, henceforth, be intent on good works, as the Unleavened Bread, wherewith we must receive the Paschal Lamb, our Easter banquet.
164 PASCHAL TIME.
The Gradual is formed of those joyous words, which the Church untiringly repeats in all her OjSices of this Solemnity of the Pasch. They are taken from the 117th Psalm. Joy, on such a Day as this, is a duty incumbent on every Christian, both because of the triumph of our beloved Redeemer, and because of the blessings that triumph has won for us. Sadness would be a criminal protestation against the grand things, wherewith Grod has graced us through his Son, who not only died, but also rose from the grave for us.
GRADUAL.
Hsec dies quam fecit Do- This is the day which the
minus : exsultemus et loete- Lord hath made : let us be
mur in ea. glad and rejoice therein.
^. Confitemini Domino, f. Praise ye the Lord, for
quoniam bonus : quoniam he is good : and his mercy
in sseculum misericordia endureth for ever, ejus.
The Alleluia- Verse expresses one of the motives we have for rejoicing : — a banquet is prepared for us ! Jesus is our Lamb. He was slain ; now he is living : slain^ that we might be redeemed by his Blood ;
tr/, that we may share his immortality.
Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia.
t. Pascha nostrum im- Ji^. Christ, our Pasch, is molatus est Christus. sacrificed.
The better to encourage her children to be glad, the Church adds, to her ordinary chants, a hymn full of enthusiastic admiration for her Risen Jesus. It is called a Sequence, because it is a continuation of the Alleluia.
SEQUENCE.
VictimJB paschali laudes Let Christians offer to the Immolent christiani. Paschal Victim the Sacrifice
of praise.
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The Lamb hath redeemed the sheep : the innocent Jesus hath reconciled sinners to his Father.
Death and Life fought against each other, and won- drous was the duel : The King of Life was put to death ; yet now he lives and reigns.
Tell us, 0 Mary I what sawest thou on the way ?
I saw the Sepulchre of the living Christ ; I saw the glory of him that had risen.
I saw the Angels that were the witnesses ; I saw the winding-sheet and the cloths.
Christ, my hope, hath risen I He shall go before you into Galilee.
We know that Christ hath truly risen from the dead. Do thou, 0 Conqueror and Xing I have mercj' upon us. Amen.
Alleluia.
Agnus redemit oves : Christus innocens Patri Eeconciliavit peccatores.
Mors et vita duello Conllixere mirando : Dux vitse mortuQS Eegnat vivus.
Die nobis, Maria Quid vidisti in via ?
Sepulchrum Christi vi- ventis : Et gloriam vidi resurgentis.
Angelicos testes, Sudarium et vestes.
Surrexit Christus spes mea : Proecedet vos in Galilaeam. Scimus Christum surrex- isse A mortuis vere ; Tu nobis victor Kex, miserere. Amen. Alleluia.
The Church gives her preference to-day to the Evangelist St. Mark, who was a disciple of St. Peter, and wrote his Grospel at Rome, under the eye of this Prince of the Apostles. It was fitting, that on such a Festival as Easter, we should, in some manner, hear Itiin, speaking to us, whom our Divine Master appointed to he the Rock of his Church, and the supreme Pastor of all, both sheep and lambs.
GOSPEL.
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Mark.
Ch. XVI.
At that time, Mary Magda- len, and Maiy the Mother of
Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Marcum.
Cap. XVI.
In illo tempore : Maria Magdalene, et Maria Jacobi,
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PASCHAI, TIME.
et Salome, emerunt aromata, ut venientes ungerent Je- 8um. Et valde mane una sabbatorum, veniunt ad mo- numentum, orto jam sole. Et dicebant ad invicem : Quis revolvet nobis lapidem ab ostio monumenti ? Et re- spicientes viderunt revolu- tum lapidem. Erat quippe magnus valde. Etintroeun- tes in monumentum, vide- runt juvenem sedentem in dextris, coopertum stola Candida, et obstupuerunt. Qui dixit illis : Nolite expa- vescere : Jesum quaeritis Xa- zarenum, ciucifixum : sur- rexit, non est bic ; ecce locus ubi posuerunt eum. Sedite, dicite discipulis ejus, et Pe- tro, quia pr?ecedet vos in Galilaeam : ibi eum videbitis, sicut dixit vobis.
James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they come to the Sepulchre, the sun being now risen. And they said one to another : Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre ? And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. For it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side clothed with a white robe : and they were astonished. Who saith to them : Be not affrighted : 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.
He is risen : he is not here ! The Corpse, — laid, by the hands of them that loved their Lord, on the slab that lies in that Cave, — is riseti ; and, without removing the Stone that closed the entrance, has gone forth, quickened with a life, which can never die. No man has helped him. No Prophet has stood over the dead body, bidding it return to life. It is Jesus himself, and by his own power, that has risen. He suffered Death, not from necessity, but because he so willed ; and, again, because he willed, he has delivered himself from its bondage. 0 Jesus ! thou, that thus mockest Death, art the Lord our God ! We reverently bend our knee before this empty Tomb, which is now for ever sacred, because, for a few hours,
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it was the place of thy abode. Behold the place where they laid him ! Behold the winding-sheet and bands, which remain to tell the mystery of thy having once been dead ! The Angel says to the women : Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth^ who ivas cruci- fied ! The recollection makes us weep. Yes, it was but the day before yesterday, that his Body was carried hither, mangled, wounded, bleeding. Here, in this Cave, from which the Angel has now rolled back the Stone, — in this Cave, which his presence fills with a more than mid-day brightness, — stood the afflicted Mother. It echoed with the sobs of them that were at the Burial, — John and the two disciples, Magdalene and her companions. The sun sank beneath the horizon, and the first day of Jesus' Burial began. But the Prophet had said : In the evening, weeping shall have place ; and in the morning, gladness.^ This glorious, happy Morning has come, 0 Jesus ! and great indeed is our gladness^ at seeing that this same Sepulchre, whither we followed thee with aching hearts, is now but the trophy of thy victory ! Thy precious Wounds are healed ! It was we that caused them ; permit us to kiss them. Thou art now living, more glorious than ever, and immortal. And because we resolved to die to our sins, when thou wast dying in order to expiate them, — thou wiliest, that we, too, should live eternally with thee ; that thy victory over Death should be ours ; that Death should be for us, as it was for thee, a mere passing to immortality, and should, one day, give back, uninjured and glorified, these bodies which are to be lent, for a while, to the Tomb. Glory, then, and honour, and love, be to thee, 0 Jesus ! who didst deign not only to die, but to rise again, for us ! The Offertory is composed of the words, wherein David foretells that the earth would tremble, when
' Pr, xxix, 6.
168 PASCHAL TIME.
the Man-G-od arose. This earth of ours has not only witnessed the grandest manifestations of Grod's power and goodness, but, by the sovereign will of its Maker, has been frequently made to share in them, by preternatural movements.
OFFERTORY.
Terra tremuit et quievit, The earth trembled, and dum resurgeret in judicio was silent, whilst God arose Deus, alleluia. to judgment, alleluia.
The whole assembly of the Faithful is about to partake of the Paschal banquet ; the Divine Lamb invites them to it. The Altar is laden with the Offerings they have presented. The holy Church, in her Secret, invokes upon these favoured guests the graces, which will procure for them the blissful im- mortality, whereof they are about to receive a pledge.
SECRET.
Suscipe, quriesumusDomi- Eeceive, 0 Lord, we beseech
ne, preces populi tui cum thee, the prayers of thy people,
oblationibus hostiarum : ut together with the offerings of
paschalibus initiata mys- these hosts : that what is con-
teriis, ad ceternitatis nobis secrated by these paschal mys-
medelam, te operante, profi- teries, may, by the help of thy
ciant. Per Dominum. grace, avail us to eternal life.
Through, &c.
At the Papal Mass, during the Middle- Ages, whilst the Pontiff recited the Secret, the two youngest Car- dinal-Deacons came forward, vested in white Dal- matics, aad stood at each end of the Altar, with their faces turned towards the people. They represented the two Angels who kept guard over our Saviour's Tomb, and announced to the holy women that he had risen. The two Deacons remained in that posi- tion until the Pontiff left the Altar at the Aynm
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Dei, in order to receive the Holy Communion on the Throne.
Another impressive custom was observed at Saint Mary Major's. When the Pope, after breaking the Host, addressed to the Faithful the wish of Peace, with the usual greeting of Pa.r Domini sit semper vohiscum, the Choir did not answer the usual Et cum spiritii tuo. It was the tradition, that St. Gregory the Great was once officiatiug in this Church, on an Easter Sunday : having sung these words, which bring down the Spirit of Peace on the assembled people, a choir of Angels responded with such sweet melody, that the chanters of earth were silent, for they feared to join in the celestial music. The year following, the chanters awaited the Angelic response to the words of the Pontiff : the favour, however, was never renewed, but the custom of not answering the Ei cujH spiritii tuo was observed for several centuries.
The moment is, at length, come for the Faithful to partake of the Divine Banquet. It was the practice, in the ancient Church of Gaul, to chant the following solemn appeal to the people, who were about to re- ceive the Bread of Life.^ The music, which accom- panied the Antiphon, is most impressive and appro- priate. We give the words, as they will assist the devotion of the Faithful.
INVITATION OF THE PEOPLE TO COMMUNION.
Come, O ye people I to the Venite populi ad sacrum
sacred and immortal Mysterj' I et immortale mysterium, et
Come, and receive the sacred libamen agendum, libation I
Let us approach with fear, Cum timore, et fide acceda-
* It was sung in the Catheflral Churches, even after the intro- duction of the Honian Litur^'v into France, by Pepin and Charle- magne. It was not entirely discontinued, until the last century came with its unsanctioned and ever to be regretted innovations.
170 PASCHAL TIME.
mus manibus mundis, pceni- and faith and hands undefiled.
tentise munus communice- Let us unite ourselves with
mus, quoniam propter nos Him who is the reward of our
Agnus Dei Patris sacrifi- repentance, for it is for us that
cium propositum est. the Lamb of God the Father
offered himself in sacrifice.
Ipsum solum adoremus, Let us adore him alone, and
ipsum glorificemus : cum glorify him, singing with the
Angelis clamantes, alleluia. Angels, alleluia.
Whilst the sacred Ministers are distributing the Divine Food, the Church celebrates in her Commu- nion Anthem, the true Paschal Lamb, v^hich has been mystically immolate.d on the Altar, and requires, from them who receive it, that purity of soul, which is signified by the Unleavened Bread , under whose accidents the Reality lies hid.
COMMUNION.
Pascha nostrum immola- Christ, our Pasch, is immo-
tus est Christus, alleluia : lated, alleluia : therefore, let
itaque epulemur in azymis us feast on the unleavened
sinceritatis et veritatis. Al- bread of sincerity and truth,
leluia, alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
The last Prayer made by the Church for them that have received their Grod, is, that the spirit of fraternal charity, which is the spirit of our Pasch, may abide in them. The Son of Grod, by assuming our nature, in the mystery of the Incarnation, has made us to be his brothers ; by shedding his Blood for us upon the Cross, he has united us to one another by the bond of the Pedemption ; and, by his Resurrection, he has linked us together in one glorious immortality.
POSTCOMM UNION.
Spiritum nobis, Domine, Pour forth on us, 0 Lord, tuao charitatis infunde : ut the spirit of thy love ; that (JUGS sacramentin paschali- those whom thou hast filled
EASTKR STTNDAY ! MASS. 171
with the Paschal Sacrament, bus satiasti, tua facias pieta- may, by thy goodness, live in te Concordes. PerDominum. perfect concord. Through, &c.
The Pontiff then gives his blessing to the people. They leave the House of Grod, to return thither for the Vespers, which most solemn Office will conclude the magnificent functions of our Solemnity.
At Rome, the Pope descends from the Throne, wearing his Triple Crown. He ascends the sedia geatatoria, which is borne on the shoulders of the servants of the Palace, and is carried to the great Nave. Having reached the appointed place, he descends, and humbly kneels down. Then, from the tribime of the Cupola, are shown by Priests, vested in their Stoles, the Wood of the True Cross, and the Veil, called the Veronica^ on which is impressed the Face of our Redeemer. The thus commemorating the sufferings and humiliations of the Man-God, at the very moment when his triumph over Death has been celebrated with all the pomp of the Liturgy, eloquently proclaims the glory and power of our Risen Jesus, and shows us how faithfully and how lovingly he fulfilled the mission he had so graciously taken upon himself, of working our salvation. It was on this very day, that he himself said to the Disciples of Emmaus : T/iiis it beliovcd C/n-i.sf to suffer and to rise again from the dead the third day} The Christian world, in the person of its Supreme Pastor, hereby pays its homage to the Sufferings and Glory of its Redeemer. The Pontiff then resumes the Triple Crown, and is carried, on the Sedia, to the Balcony, where he gives the Papal Benediction to the people assembled in the Piazza of Saint Peter's. We have already described this solemn rite.^
^ St. Luke, xxiv. 46. - See Paasiontid«' : Maundy Thursday, par/e .3')9.
172 PASCHAL TIME.
Formerly, when the Lateran Palace was the Papal residence, and the Station of Easter Sunday was held at Saint Mary Major's, the Sovereign Pontiff, vested in a Cope, and wearing the Tiara, went to the Basilica on a horse caparisoned in white. After the Mass, he proceeded to the Feast Hall, called the Triclinium Leonianum, It was built bv St. Leo the Third, and was decorated with mosaics representing Christ, St. Peter, Constantine and Charlemagne. A repast was prepared, to which were invited, as guests of the Pontiff, five Cardinals, five Deacons, and the first in dignity (the Primiceritis,) of the clergy attached to the Church of St. John Lateran. Near to the Pope's own table, a seat was prepared for a twelfth guest, — the Prior, called Basilicarius. The Paschal Lamb was then served up : it was laid on a rich dish. The Pope blessed it, and thus signified that the severe law of abstinence was at an end. He himself cut it into portions, and sent one to each of his guests : but first of all, he cut off a small piece, and gave it to Basili- carius, saying to him what would have seemed a harsh allusion, but for the words that followed : " What " thou hast to do, do quickly ! But what was said as " a condemnation, I say to thee as a pardon." The repast began with joyous conversation ; but, after some time, the Archdeacon gave a signal, and a Deacon began to read. The papal Choristers were afterwards introduced and sang such of the favoui'ite Sequences as the Pope called for. This done, the Choristers kissed the feet of the Pontiff, who gave to each of them a cup full of wine from his own table ; and each received a piece of money, called a Bcsant, from the Treasurer.
Our object in mentioning such customs as this, is to show oar readers the simple manners of the Middle- Ages. The custom of blessing and eating Lamb, on Easter Sunday, still continues, though, in many instances, it conveys very little meaning. For those,
EASTER SUNDAY : MASS. 173
who, from idle pretexts, have scarcely observed a day's Abstinence during the whole of Lent, the Paschal Lamb is a reproach, rather than a consolation. We here give the Blessing, as a completion to our Easter Rites. The venerable prayer, used by the Church, will take us back, in thought, to other Ages, and prompt us to ask of God that he will grant us a return to that simple and practical Faith, which gave such soul and grandeur to the every-day life of our Catholic forefathers.
BLESSING OF THE PASCHAL LAMB.
0 God, who, on the deliver- Deus, qui per famulum
ance of thy people from Egj^t, tuum Moysen, in Hberatione
didst command, by thy ser- populi tui de Egypto, agnum
vant Moses, that a lamb occidi jussisti in similitu-
should be slain as a type of dinem Domini nostri Jesu
our Lord Jesus Christ, and Christi, et utrosque postes
didst ordain that both side- domorum de sanguine ejus-
posts of the houses should be dem agni perungi prsecepis-
sprinkled with its blood : ti : ita benedicere, et sanc-
vouchsafe also to bless and tificare digneris hanc crea-
sanctifj' this creature of flesh, turam carnis, quam nos fa-
which we thy servants desire muli tui ad laudem tuam
to eat for thy gloiy, and in sumere desideramus, per re-
honour of the Resurrection of surrectionem ejusdem Do-
the same Jesus Christ, our mini nostri Jesu Christi.
Lord. Who liveth and reign- Qui tecum vivit et regnat in
eth with thee, for ever and saecula saeculorum. Amen, ever. Amen.
The law of Lent forbids not only flesh-meat, but also eggs. It is only by dispensation that we are allowed to eat them during that holy Season of penance. The Churches in the East have strictly maintained the ancient discipline on this point, and no dispensation is admitted. Here again, the Faith- ful show their joy, by asking the Church to bless the eggs that are to appear at their Easter repast. The following is the Prayer used for this blessing.
174 PASCHAL IIME.
BLESSING OF THE PASCHAL EGGS.
Subveniat, qusesumusDo- We beseech thee, 0 Lord,
mine, tuse benedictionis gra- to give the favour of thy bless -
tia huic ovorum creatur;© : ing to these eggs ; that so they
ut cibus salubris fiat fideli- may be a wholesome food to
bus tuis in tuarum gratia- thy Faithful, who gratefully
rum actione sumentibus, ob take them in honour of the
resurrectionem Domini nos- Resurrection of our Lord
tri Jesu Christi. Qui tecum Jesus Christ. Who liveth and
vivit et regnat in ssecula sse- reigneth with thee, for ever
culorum. Amen. and ever. Amen.
Yes, let our Easter repast, blessed as it is by our Mother the Church, be one of joy, and add to the gladness of this great Day ! The Feasts of religion should always be kept as Feasts by Christian families : but there is not one, throughout the Year, that can be compared to this of Easter, which we have waited for so long and in such sorrow, and which has at length come, bringing with it the riches of God's pardon, and the hope of our Immortality.
AFTEENOON.
The day is fast advancing, and Jesus has not yet shown himself to his Disciples. The holy women are overpowered with joy and gratitude at the favour they have received. They have told it to the Apostles, assuring them that not only have they seen Angels, but Jesus himself ; that he has spoken to them ; that they have kissed his sacred feet. But all their assurances fail to convince these men, who are oppressed with what they have seen of their Master's Passion. They are cruelly disappointed, and their disappointment makes them deaf to every thing, that speaks of consolation. And yet, we shall soon find them laying down their very lives in testi- mony of the Resurrection of that Master, whose name and remembrance is now a humiliation to them.
EASTER SUNDAY : AFTERNOON. 175
We may form some idea of their feelings, from the conversation of two who have been spending a part of the day with them, and who themselves were Disciples of Jesus. This very evening, whilst re^ turning to Emmaus, they thus express their disap- pointment : We hoped that Jesus would have re- deemed Israel: and now besides all this^ to-day is the third day since these things were done. Yea^ and certain Women also of our company affrighted us ; who^ before it was lights were at the Sepulchre ; and not finding his body, came, saying that they had also seen a vision of Angels, who say that he is alive. And some of our people went to the Sepulchre, and found it so as the Women had said ; but him they found not. ^ How strange, that the Resurrection of which Jesus had so often spoken to them, even in the presence of the Jews, does not recur to their minds ! They were still carnal-minded men, and the awful fact of his Death stifles within them every idea of that new birth, which our bodies are to receive in the tomb.
But our Risen Jesus must now show himself to these men, who are to preach his Divinity to the furthest ends of the world. So far, his manifesta- tions have been made to satisfy his affection for his Blessed Mother, and his infinite love for those souls, that had done all in their power to testify their gra- titude towards him. It is now time for him to pro- vide for his own glory : at least, so it would seem to us. But no ; having rewarded those that love him, he would now show the generosity of his Heart ; and then, after this, proclaim his triumph. The Apostolic College, of which every member fled at the hour of danger, has seen its very head so forgetful of his duty as to deny his Divine Master. But, from the mo- ment when Jesus cast upon his Disciple a look of
» St. Luke, xxiv. 21—24.
17 fj PASCHAL TIME.
reproach and pardon, Peter has done nothing but shed bitter tears over his fall. Jesus would now console the humble penitent ; tell him with his own lips, that he has pardoned him ; and confirm by this mark of his divine predilection, the sublime prero- gatives that he so recently conferred upon him, in the presence of all the other Apostles. As yet, Peter doubts of the Eesurrection ; Magdalene's testimony has not convinced him : but now, that his offended Master is about to appear to him, his Faith will acknowledge the grand mystery.
We have already heard the Angel sending the message of Jesus by the three Women : Go, said he, tell his Disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee} Why this express mention of Peter, but that he may know, that although he has denied Jesus, Jesus has not denied him ? Why is he not, on this occasion, mentioned before the others, except to spare him the humiliation of the contrast between his high position and the unworthy conduct he has shown ? But this special mention of his name tells him that he is still dear to Jesus, and that he will soon have an opportunity of expiating his sin, by expressing his regret and repentance at the ^'ery feet of his ever-loving, and now glorified. Master. Yes, Peter is tardy in believing ; but his conversion is sincere, and Jesus would reward it.
Suddenly, then, in the course of this afternoon, the Apostle sees standing before him that Divine Master, whom, three days previously, he had beheld bound and led away by the servants of Caiphas. This Jesus is now resplendent with light ; he is the Conqueror, the glorious Messias : and yet, what most affects the Apostle, is the ineffable goodness of this his Lord, who comes to console him, rather than to show him the splendours of his Kesurrection. Who could
^ St. Mark, xvi. 7.
EASTER SUNDAY I AFTERNOON, 177
describe the interview between the Penitent and his offended Master ; the sorrow of Peter, now that he finds himself treated with such generosity ; the loving pardon which comes from the lips of Jesus, and fills the Apostle's heart with paschal joy ? Blessed be thy name, 0 Jesus ! who thus raisest up, from his fall, him whom thou art to leave us for our Chief Pastor and Father, when thou ascendest into heaven ! It is, indeed, just that we adore the infinite mercy which dwells in the Heart of our Risen Jesas, and which he shows with the same profusion and power, as during his mortal life : but let us, also, admire how, by this visit, he continues, in Saint Peter, the mystery of the Unity of the Church, — a mystery which is to be perpetuated in this Apostle and his successors. At the last Supper, Jesus spoke these words to him, in the presence of the other Apostles : / have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not : and thou, being once converted, confirm thy brethren.^ The time is now come for establishing Peter in this Faith, which is never to fait : — Jesus gives it to him. He himself instructs Peter ; he makes him the foun- dation of his Church. In a few hours hence, he will manifest himself to the other Apostles ; but Peter will be present with his Brethren. Thus, if Peter receive favours not granted to the rest, they never receive any but he has a share in them. It is their duty to believe on Peter's word ; they do so. On Peter's testimony, they believe in the Resurrection, and proclaim it to others, as we shall soon see. Jesus is to appear likewise to them, — for he loves them ; he calls them his Brethren ; he has chosen them to be the preachers of his name throughout the world : — but he will find them already iostructed in the faith of his Resurrection, because they have believed Peter's testimony ; and Peter's testimony has effected
» St. Luke, xxii. 32.
N
178
PASCHAL TIME.
in them the mystery of that Unity, which he will effect in the Church to the end of time.
The apparition of Jesus to the Prince of the Apostles rests on the authority of St. Luke's Grospel ^ and St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians.- It is the fourth of those that took place on the day of the Eesurrection.
THE EASTEE VESPEES.
The Evening Office, called, on that account. Vespers, has brought an immense concourse of the Faithful to the Church. We continue our description of to-day's Services as they were formerly celebrated, in order that our readers may the more fully enter into the spirit of the Feast. The solemn adminis- tration of Baptism having ceased to form an essential part of the Easter functions, the ancient rites which had reference to it, and especially those used during the Vespers, have fallen almost universally into disuse. We will endeavour to give an idea of them, by blend- ing the ancient ceremonies with those that are now in use, and which, in most places, are the same as those of other Solemnities throughout the Year. It was not so eight hundred years ago.
The Bishop, vested in his pontifical robes, and accompanied by all the clergy, went to what we should now call the Eood-Screen, which was richly decorated, and on which stood the Crucifix. Here the Chanters intoned the Kyrie eleison, which was repeated nine times. Immediately after this, began the Vespers. The Antiphons of the Psalms were not the same as those we now sing, and which are taken from the Lauds. Of course, we only give the latter.
Ant. Angelus autem Do- Ant. And the Angel of the
mini descendit de coelo, et Lord descended from heaven ;
» St. Luke, xxiv. 34. 2 1 Qq^^ ^^^ 5^
EASTER SUNDAY : VESPERS.
179
and going to the stone, rolled it back, and sat on it. Alle- luia, alleluia.
accedens revolvit lapidem, et sedebat super eum. Alle- luia, alleluia.
PSALM 109,
The Lord said to my Lord, his Soil : Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me.
Until, OR the day of thy hist coining, I make thy enemies thy footstool.
0 Christ! the Lord thy Father, will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion : fro/u thence rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.
With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the saints : For the Fdther hath said to thee : From the womb before the day-star I begot thee.
The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent : he hath said, speaking of thee, the God- Man : Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech,
Therefore, 0 Father, the Lord thy Son is at thy right hand : he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.
He shall also judge among nations: i)i that terrible com- ing, he shall fill the ruins of the world : he shall crush the heads in the land of many.
He shall drink, in the way, of the torrent of sufferings : therefore, shall he lift up the head, on the day of his triumph over death.
Ant. And the Angel of the Lord descended from heaven ; and going to the stone, rolled it back, and sat on it. Alle- luia, alleluia.
Dixit Dominus Domino meo : * Sede a dextris meis.
Donee ponam inimicos tuos : * scabellum pedum tuorum.
Virgam virtutis tuse emit- tet Dominus ex Sion : * do- minare in medio inimico- rum tuorum.
Tecum principium in die virtutis tua3 in splendoribus sanctorum : * ex utero ante luciferum genui te.
Juravit Dominus, et non pcenitebit eum : * Tu es Sa- cerdos in aeternum secun- dum ordinem Melchisedech.
Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die irse suae reges.
Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas : * con- quassabit capita in terra multorum.
De torrente in via bibet : * propterea exaltabit caput.
Ant. Angelus autem Do- mini descendit de ccelo, et accedens revolvit lapidem, et sedebat super eum. Alle- luia, alleluia.
180
PASCHAL TIME.
Ant. Etecce terrsemotus factus est magnus : Angelus enim Domini descendit de coelo. Alleluia.
Ant. And behold I there was a great earthquake : for an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, alleluia.
PSALM 110.
Confitebor tibi, Domine, in toto corde meo : * in con- cilio justorum et congrega- tione.
Magna opera Domini : * exquisita in omnes volunta- tes ejus.
Conf essio et magnificentia opus ejus: * et justitia ejus manet in sseculum sseculi.
Memoriam fecit mirabi- lium suorum, misericors et miserator Dominus : * escam dedit timentibus se.
Memor erit in sseculum testamenti sui : * virtutem operum suorum annuntia- bit populo suo.
Ut det illis hsereditatem Gentium : * opera manuum ejus Veritas et judicium.
Fidelia omnia mandata ejus, confirmata in sseculum sseculi : * facta in veritate et sequitate.
Kedemptionem misit po- pulo suo : * mandavit in setemum testamentum su- um.
Sanctum et terribile no- men ejus: * initium sapi- entise timer Domini.
Intellectus bonus omnibus facientibus eum : * laudatio ejus manet in sa3culum sse- cuH.
I will praise thee 0 Lord, with my whole heart : in the council of the just, and in the congregation.
Great are the works of the Lord : sought out according to all his wills.
His work is praise and mag- nificence : and his justice con- tinueth for ever and ever.
He hath made a remem- brance of his wonderful works, being a merciful and gracious Lord : he hath given food to them that fear him.
He will be mindful for ever of his covenant with men : he will show forth to his people the power of his works.
That he may give them his Church, the inheritance of the Gentiles : the works of his hand are truth and judgment.
All his commandments are faithful, confirmed for ever and ever : made in truth and equity.
He hath sent redemption to his people : he hath thereby commanded his covenant for ever.
Holy and terrible is his name : the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
A good understanding to all that do it : his praise continu- eth for ever and ever.
EASTER SUNDAY: VESPERS.
181
Ant. And behold I there was a great earthquake : for an Angel of the Lord came down from heaven, alleluia.
Ant. And his countenance was as lightning, and his rai- ment was as snow. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord : he shall delight exceedingly in his commandments.
His seed shall be mighty upon earth : the generation of the righteous shall be blessed.
Gloiy and wealth shall be in his house : and his justice remaineth for ever and ever.
To the righteous a light is risen up in darkness : he is merciful, and compassionate, and just.
Acceptable is the man that showeth mercy and lendeth ; he shall order his words with judgment : because he shall not be moved for ever.
The just shall be in ever- lasting remembrance : he shall not fear the evil hearing.
His heart is ready to hope in the Lord ; his heart is strengthened ; he shall not be moved until he look over his enemies.
He hath distributed, he hath given to the poor ; his justice remaineth for ever and ever : his horn shall be ex- alted in glorj'.
The wicked shall see, and B^all be angrj' ; he shall gnash
Ant. Et ecce terrsemotus factus est magnus : Ange- lus enim Domini descendit de coelo. Alleluia.
Ajst. Erat autem aspectus ejus sicut fulgur, vestimen- ta autem ejus sicut nix. Al- leluia, alleluia,
PSALM 111.
Beatus vir, qui timet Do- minum : * in mandatis ejus volet nimis.
Potens in terra erit semen ejus : * generatio rectorum benedicetur.
Gloria et divitiae in dome ejus : * et justitia ejus manet in sseculum saeculi.
Exortum est in tenebris lumen rectis : * misericors, et miserator, et Justus.
Jucundus homo, qui mise- retur et commodat, disponet sermones suos in judicio : * quia in aeternum non com- movebitur.
In memoria aeterna erit Justus : * ab auditione mala non timebit.
Paratum cor ejus sperare in Domino, confirmatum est cor ejus: * non commovebi- tur donee despiciat inimicos suos.
Dispersit, dedit pauperi- bus, justitia ejus manet in saeculum sceculi: * cornu ejus exaltabitur in gloria,
Peccator videbit, et irasce- tur, dentibus suis fremet et
182 PASCHAI. TIME.
tabescet : * desiderium pec- with his teeth, and pine away :
catorum peribit. the desire of the wicked shall
perish.
Ant. Erat autem aspectus Aj^t. And his countenance
ejus sicut fulgur, vestimenta was as lightning, and his rai-
autem ejus sicut nix. Alle- ment was as snow. Alleluia,
luia, alleluia. alleluia.
After having sung these three Psalms, the Office of Vespers was interrupted, and the Faithful exulted in the expectation of the sublime ceremony which was now to be performed. They remembered what holy emotions filled their souls when thej/ were Neophytes, and shared in the triumph that was now preparing for the newly baptised of this Easter. Meanwhile, the Chanters sang the Alleluia, which had so gladdened all hearts, this morning, at the Mass.
Alleluia. Pascha nostrum Alleluia. Christ, our Pasch, immolatus est Christus. is sacrificed. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Canticle Magnificat was then chanted ; after which, the Bishop sang the Collect of the Feast. Immediately after this, the Neophytes were taken in procession to the Font, from whose sacred Waters they had risen, last night, as Christ from his Tomb : they came forth, cleansed from their sins, yea, radiant with light and immortality. By this visit to the scene of their happy deliverance, the Church wished to impress them with a life-long appreciation of the graces they had received at their Baptism, and of the resemblance they then contracted with their Risen Lord, who dicfh how no more.
The Paschal Candle was taken from its marble column, and carried at the head of the Procession. Now, as well as during last night's procession to the Baptistery, it represented the pillar of fire that guided the Israelites amidst the Egyptian darkness.
EASTER SUNDAY : VESPERS. 183
Closely after it followed a Deacon, in a white dalmatic, carrying the silver phial of holy Chrism, by whose anointing the Neophytes had, but a few hours since, received the Holy Grhost with his seven wondrous Gifts. Next came the Cross, and seven Acolytes carrying seven torches, symbolical of the heavenly vision described in the Apocalypse.^ The sacred Ministers and Priests advanced under the guidance of the holy Standard : and after them, the Bishop, his face beaming with the heavenly joy wherewith these two great mysteries had filled his soul, — the triumphant Resurrection of Christ, and the fecundity of holy Church. Immediately after the Pontiff, came the Neophytes, walking two and two, and at- tracting all eyes by their recollected demeanour and the beauty of their white robes. The rest of the Faith- ful closed the Procession, during which was sung the following Antiphon :
Ant. In the day of my Ant. In die resurrectionis
Resurrection, saith the Lord, meae, dicit Dominus, alle-
alleluia : I will assemble the luia : congregabo gentes, et
Gentiles, and will gather the coUigam regna, et effiin-
kingdoms, and will pour out dam super vos aquam mun-
upon you a clean water. Al- dam. Alleluia, alleluia, leluia, alleluia.
The Antiphon was followed by the fourth Psalm of Vespers : it magnifies the Name of the Lord^ and celebrates the joys of that Mother, to whom our Lord has given so many Children.
Ant. The guards were ter- Ant. Prae timore autem
rified with fear of him, and ejus exterriti sunt custodes,
became as men struck dead, et facti sunt velut mortui,
alleluia. alleluia.
* Apoc. i. 12, &c.
184
PASCHAL TIME.
PSALM 112.
Laudate pueri Dominum :
* laudate nomen Domini.
Sit nomen Domini bene- dictum : * ex hoc nunc et usque in saeculum.
A solis ortu usque ad oc- casum : * laudabile nomen Domini.
Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus : * et super ccelos gloria ejus.
Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster qui in altis habitat : * et humilia respicit in coelo et in terra ?
Suscitans a terra inopem :
* et de stercore erigens pau- perem.
Ut collocet eum cum prin- cipibus : * cum principibus populi sui.
Qui habitare facit steri- lem in domo : * matrem filiorum Isetantem.
Akt. Prse timore autem ejus exterriti sunt custodes, et facti sunt velut mortui, alleluia.
Praise the Lord, ye children : praise ^-e the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord : from henceforth, now, and for ever.
Prom the rising of the sun, unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.
The Lord is high above all nations ; and his glory above the heavens.
Who is as the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high : and looketh down on the low things in heaven and in earth ?
Raising up the needy, and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill.
That he may place him with princes : with the princes of his people.
Who maketh a barren woman to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children.
AxT. The guards were ter- rified with fear of him, and became as men struck dead, alleluia.
Meanwhile, the Procession advanced down the Nave, descended the steps of the Portico, and tra- versed the space between the Cathedral, and the Baptistery. People, Clergy, and Pontiff, — all enter beneath the spacious dome. In the centre, sur- rounded by a balustrade, was the Font, reflecting in its crystal Waters the rays of the evening sun. The Neophytes were placed immediately round the balus- trade, and were permitted to fix their delighted gaze
EASTER SUNDAY : VESPERS. 185
on that sacred element, which had cleansed them from all their sins.
As soon as the Psalm Laiidate was finished, the Bishop left the platform, where he had been sitting ; and taking the thurible in his hand, he walked round the Font, covering with clouds of incense the Water he had so solemnly blessed on the previous night, and to which he was indebted for the happy increase of all these children, newly born to grace. Having returned to his throne, two Chanters sang this verse :
^. With thee is the foun- ??. Apud te, Domine, est tain of life, alleluia. fons vitse, alleluia.
To which all answered :
gt. And in thy light we R. Et in lumine tuo vi- shall see light, alleluia. debimus lumen, alleluia.
Then the Bishop :
LET us PRAY. OREMUS.
Grant, we beseech thee, 0 Praesta quaesumus, omni- Almighty God, that we, who potens Deus, ut qui resur- celebrate the solemnity of our rectionis Dominicae solem- Lord's Resurrection, may de- nia colimus, ereptionis nos- serve to receive the joy of our trae suscipere Isetitiam me- deliverance. Through the reamur. Per eumdem Chris- same Christ our Lord. Amen, tum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
After this Prayer, the following Antiphon was sung, in which is celebrated the salvation given to man by Water.
Ant. I saw water flowing Ant. Vidi aquam egre-
from the right side of tho dientem de templo, a latere
Temple, Alleluia ; and all to dextro, alleluia : et omnes,
whom that water came were ad quos pervenit aqua ista,
saved, and they shall sa}- : salvi fact sunt, et dicent :
Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Antiphon was followed by the fifth Psalm of Sunday's Vespers : it celebrates Israel's deliverance
186
PASCHAL TIME.
from Egj-pt bv passing through the Waters of the Red Sea, and his journey towards the Promised Land. The Procession then left the Baptistery to return to
the Cathedral.
Ant. Eespondens autem Angelus, dixit mulieribus : NoHte timere : scio enim quod Jesum qu?eritis, alle- luia.
Ant. And the Angel an- swering said to the women : Fear not : for I know that ye seek Jesus, alleluia.
PSALM 113.
In exitu Israel de ^gyp- to : * domus Jacob de po- pulo barbaro.
Facta est Judsea sanctifi- catioejus: * Israel potestas ejus.
Mare vidit, et fugit : * Jordanis conversus est re- trorsum.
Montes exsultaverunt ut arietes : * et colles sicut agni ovium.
Quid est tibi, mare, quod fugisti : * et tu, Jordanis, quia conversus es retror- sum ?
Montes exsultastis sicut arietes : * et colles sicut agni ovium ?
A facie Domini mota est terra : * a facie Dei Jacob.
Qui convertit petram in stagna aquarum : * et ru- pem in fontes aquarum.
Non nobis, Domine, non nobis : * sed nomini tuo da gloi-iam.
Super misericordia tua, et veritate tua : * nequando dicant Gentes : Ubi est Deus eorum ? Peus autem noster in
When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a barbarous people.
Judea was made his sanc- tuary, Israel his dominion.
The sea saw and fled dan was turned back.
Jor-
The mountains skipped like rams : and the hills like the lambs of the flock.
"\^Tiat ailed thee, 0 thou sea, that thou didst flee : and thou, 0 Jordan, that thou wast turned back ?
Ye mountains that ye skipped like rams : and ye hills like lambs of the flock ?
At the presence of the Lord the earth was moved, at the presence of the God of Jacob.
WTio turned the rock into pools of wat^r, and the stony hills into fountains of waters.
Not to us, 0 Lord, not to us : but to thy name give glory.
For thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake : lest the Gentiles should say : Where is their God? But our God is in heaven ;
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187
he hath done all things what- soever he would.
The idols of the Gentiles are silver and gold : the works of the hands of men.
They have mouths, and speak not : they have eyes, and see not.
They have ears, and hear not : they have noses, and smell not.
They have hands, and feel not : they have feet, and walk not : neither shall they cry out through their throat.
Let them that make them become like unto them : and all such as trust in them.
The house of Israel hath hoped in the Lord : he is their helper and their protector.
The house of Aaron hath hoped in the Lord : he is their helper and their protector.
They that feared the Lord have hoped in the Lord : he is their helper and their pro- tector.
The Lord hath been mind- ful of us, and hath blessed us.
He hath blessed the house of Israel : he hath blessed the house of Aaron.
He hath blessed all that fear the Lord, both little and great.
May the Lord add blessings upon you : upon you, and upon your children.
Blessed be you of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
The heaven of heaven is the Lord's : but the earth he has given to the children of men.
The dead shall not praise thee, 0 Lord : nor any of them that go down to hell.
coelo : * omnia qusecumque voluit, fecit.
Simulacra Gentium ar- gentum et aurum : * opera manuum hominum.
Os habent, et non loquen- tur : * oculos habent, ^et non videbunt.
Aures habent, et non au- dient : * uares habent, et non odorabunt.
Manus habent, et non palpabuut, pedes habent et non ambulabunt : * non clamabunt in gutture suo.
Similes illis fiant qui fa- ciunt ea : * et omnes qui confidunt in eis.
Domus Israel speravit in Domino : * adjutor eorum, et protector eorum est.
Domus Aaron speravit in Domino : * adjutor eorum, et protector eorum est.
Qui timent Dominum, speraverunt in Domino : * adjutor eorum, et protector eorum est.
Dominus memor fuit nos- tri : * et benedixit nobis.
Benedixit domui Israel :
• benedixit domui Aaron.
Benedixit omnibus qui ti- ment Dominum : * pusillis cum majoribus.
Adjiciat Dominus super vos : • super vos, et super filios vestros.
Benedicti vos a Domino :
• qui fecit coelum et ten-am. Coelum coeli Domino : *
terram autem dedit filiis hominum.
Non mortui laudabunt te, Domine : * ne<^ue omnes qui descendunt in infernuni,
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PASCHAL TIME.
Sed nos qui vivimus, be- nedicimus Domino : * ex hoc nunc et usque in saecu- lum.
Ant. Eespondens autem Angelus, dixit mulieribus : Nolite timere : scio enim quod Jesum quseritis, alle- luip.
But we that live bless the Lord : from this time now and for ever.
AxT. And the Angel answer- ing, said to the women : Fear not : for I know that ye seek Jesus, alleluia.
Whilst singing this Psalm, whicli offers so many allusions to the favours received by the Neophytes, the Procession had reached the Porch of the Cathe- dral. Entering the holy place, it passed up the Nave, as far as the Eood-Screen. There, the Neophytes arranged themselves, and the following Prayer was sung in honour of Him who had saved them by his Cross and Tomb.
f. Dicite in nationibus, alleluia.
^. Quia Dominus regna- vit a ligno, alleluia.
^ . Say ye amon g the Gen - tiles, alleluia.
&. That the Lord hath reigned from the Wood, alle- luia.
The Bishop then addressed this Prayer to God :
OREMUS.
Prsesta qusesumus, om- nipotens Deus, ut qui gra- tiam Dominicae resurrectio- nis agnovimus, ipsi per amo- rem Sancti Spiritus a morte animse resurgamus. Per eumdem Christum Domi- num nostrum. Amen.
LET ITS PRAY.
Grant we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that we, who acknowledge the grace of our Lord's Eesurrection, may rise from the death of the soul, by the love that cometh of the Holy Ghost. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
It was thus, in the first eight centuries of the Church, that the Easter Vespers concluded : and, with a few slight variations here and there, such was the ceremony observed. In some Churches, the Mag- nificat was sung twice ; in others thrice, and even four times. The essential rite of these Vespers was
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189
the Procession to the Baptistery, during which were sung the Antiphons we have given, and the Psalms Laudate puen\ and In exitu. — We will now resume the Office of Vespers, at which we are assisting.
The five usual Psalms being finished, there is sung the solemn Antiphon, which the Church repeats in all the Canonical Hours of this Feast.
This is the day which the Lord hath made : let us be glad and rejoice therein. mur in ea.
Haec dies quam fecit Do- minus : exsultemus et laete-
It is followed by the Canticle of our Blessed Lady, which forms an essential part of the Evening Office ; and during its being sung, the Celebrant solemnly censes the Altar.
Ant. And looking back, they saw the stone rolled away from the door of the Sepulchre ; for it was very large, alleluia.
Ant. Et respicientes, vide- runt revolutum lapidem ab ostio monumenti : erat quip- pe magnus valde, alleluia.
OUR J.ADY S CANTICLE.
{St. Luke, I.)
My soul doth magnify the Lord;
And my spirit hath rejoiced God my Saviour.
in
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid : for, behold from henceforth all generations shall call me Blessed.
Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me : and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from gene- ration unto generation, to them that fear him.
He hath showed might in
Magnificat : * anima mea Dominum :
Et exsultavit spiritus Deo salutari
mens
in
meo.
Quia respexit humilita- tem ancillse suae : * ecce enim ex hoc Beatam me di- cent omnes generationes.
Quia fecit mihi magna qui potens est : * et sanc- tum nomen ejus.
Et misericordia ejus a progenie in progenies * ti- mentibus eum.
Fecit potentiam in brachio
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PASCHAL TIME.
Buo : * dispersit superbos mente cordis sui.
Deposuit potentes de sede : * et exaltavit humiles.
Esurientes implevit bo- nis : * et divites dimisit inanes.
Suscepit Israel puerum suum : * recordatus miseri- cordiae suae.
Sicut locutus est ad pa- tres nostros : * Abraham et semini ejus in ssecula.
Ant. Et respicientes, vi- derunt revolutum lapidem ab ostium monumenti : erat quippe magnus valde, alle- luia.
OREMUS.
Deus, qui hodierna die per TJnigenitum tuum, seterni- tatis nobis aditum, devicta morte, reserasti : vota no- stra, quae praeveniendo aspi- ras, etiam adjuvando prose - quere. Per eumdem.
Benedicamus Domino. Alleluia, alleluia.
Deo gratias. Alleluia, al- leluia.
his arm : he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat : and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things : and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy.
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.
Ant. And looking back, they saw the stone rolled away from the door of the Sej)ul- chre ; for it was very large, alleluia.
LET US PRAY.
0 God, who, on this day, by thy Only Begotten Son's victory over death, didst open for us a passage to eternity : grant that our prayers, which thy preventing grace inspireth, may by thy help become eif ec- tual. Through the same, &c.
Let us bless the Lord. Al- leluia, alleluia.
Thanks be to God. AUe- luia, alleluia.
During the Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacra- ment, the following joyous Canticle is sung in some Churches.
THE JOYFUL CANTICLE.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
O filii et filiae. Rex ccelestis, Bex glorioe, Morte surrexit hodie.
Alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
0 ye young men and mai- dens I on this day, the King of heaven, the King of glorj', lose from the dead.
Alleluia.
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191
And Mary Magdalene, and Mary (Mother of James), and Salome, went that they might anoint the body.
Alleluia.
Having been told by Mag- dalene, two of the Disciples ran to the door of the Se- pulchre.
Alleluia.
But the Apostle John outran Peter, and was the first at the Sepulchre.
Alleluia.
An Angel clad in white, was sitting there, and said to the women that the Lord was risen.
Alleluia.
As the Disciples were stand- ing together, Christ stood in their midst, and said : Peace be to you all I
Alleluia.
Didymus having heard that Jesus had risen, was incredu- lous.
Alleluia.
See, Thomas, see my side, see my feet, see my hands ! Be not incredulous I
Alleluia.
As soon as Thomas saw the side and feet and hands of Jesus, he said : Thou art my God.
Alleluia.
Blessed are they that have not seen, and have firmly be- lieved I They shall have eter- nal life.
Alleluia.
Let us sing hymns of praise and joy on this most holy Feast I Let us bless the Lord !
Alleluia.
Et Maria Magdalene, Et Jacobi et Salome, Yenerunt corpus ungere.
Alleluia. A Magdalena moniti, Ad ostium monumenti Duo currunt discipuli.
Alleluia. Sed Joannes Apostolus Cucumt Petro citius. Ad sepulchrum venit prius. Alleluia. In albis sed ens Angelus, Respondit mulieribus. Quia surrexit Dominus.
Alleluia. Discipulis astantibus, In medio stetit Christus, Dicens : Pax vobis omnibus.
Alleluia. Postquam audivit Didy- mus, Quia surrexerat Jesus, Remansit fide dubius. Alleluia. Vide, Thoma, vide latus, Vide pedes, vide manus ; Noli esse incredulus. Alleluia. Quando Thomas Christi latus. Pedes vidit atque manus, Dixit : Tu es Deus mens. Alleluia. Beati qui non viderunt, Et firmiter crediderunt : Vitam aotemam habebiint.
Alleluia. In hoc festo sanctissimo Sit laus et jubilatio : Benedicamus Domino. Alleluia.
192 PASCHAL TIME.
De quibus nos humilli- Let us give to God our most
mas, humble, devout and due
Devotas atque debitas thanks, for all these his
Deo dicamus gratias. favours.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
EVENING.
The Day of the E-esurrection of Jesus is fast draw- ing to its close. It is the Day honoured by God with the greatest of all miracles : it is the most important Day that has ever dawned upon the world since Light was first created : but the Night will soon be upon us, shadowing the brightness of the great Day. Four times has our Redeemer appeared. He would now manifest himself to the whole of his Apostles, and thus enable them to know by their own expe- rience what they have, a few hours since, learned from Peter's testimony. But, leaving, for a few moments longer, these men, whom he honours with the name of Brethren^ and who now believe in his Resurrection, — he would first console two hearts that are grieving on his account, though their grief comes from their want of faith.
Two men are traversing the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus, slowly and sadly. They are evidently suffering from some cruel disappointment ; nay, they give one the idea that a motive of fear impels them to leave the City. They had been Disciples of Jesus ; but the ignominious and violent death of this Master, in whom they had had such confidence, has filled their hearts with bitter despondency. They were ashamed of having joined themselves with one who is not what they took him to be. They had hid themselves after his execution ; but the report having been spread of his Sepulchre having been broken into, and the Body taken away, they resolve to seek a safer refuge. The enemies of Jesus have great power, and are doubtless busy taking proceedings against those who have dared
EASTER SUNDAY I EVENING. 193
to break the seal of the Sepulchre. Perhaps all that have had any connection with this Jesus will be arraigned before the public tribunal.
Whilst thus conferring with each other on the sad events of the last few days, a stranger overtakes them and walks with them : — it is Jesus. So absorbed are they in their own sorrow, that they do not recoo-nise him. The same happens to us, when we give way to feelings of human grief : — we lose sight of that Grod who comes to cheer us by his presence along the path of our exile. Jesus asks these two men the cause of their sadness. They tell him with all sim- plicity, and this King of glory, who has, this very day, triumphed over Death, deigns to enter into a long conversation with them, and explain to them, as they walk along, the scriptural prophecies concerning the humiliations, the death, and the glory of the Messias. The two wayfarers are delighted with his words. As they afterwards said to each other, their hearts burned within them as this stranger went on telling them the grand truths he did. Jesus feigns to bid them farewell, but they will not hear of it : Sfajj ivith us, they say to him, for the creniug comcth on, and the day is far spent /^ They take him into their house at Emmaus, constrain him to sit down to table with them, and yet, strange to say, they have not an idea who this heavenly instructor is, who has solved all their doubts with such persuasive wisdom and eloquence ! — Do not we resemble these two Disciples, when we allow ourselves to be influenced by human thoughts and feelings ? Jesus is near us, he speaks to us, he instructs us, he consoles us ; and yet, oftentimes, we are long before we recognise him !
At length, Jesus makes himself known to our two incredulous Disciples. They have placed him at the
^ St. Luke, xxiv. 29.
194 TASCHAI, IIME.
head of the table ; it is for him to break the bread. He takes it into his divine hands, as he did at the Last Supper ; and no sooner has he divided the bread, and given them their portion, than their eyes are opened, and they recognise their guest as Jesus, the Bisen Jesus. They would throw themselves at his feet, — but he has disappeared, leaving them mute with surprise, and yet transported with exceeding joy. It is the fifth Apparition. It is described by St. Luke, and forms the G-ospel of to-morrow's Mass.
The two Disciples cannot wait : though so late in the evening, they must hurry back to Jerusalem, and tell the Apostles that their Master is living, that they have seen him, and talked with him. They, therefore, leave Emmaus, where they thought to pass the night, and are soon back in the City they had tremblingly fled from. They are soon with the Apostles, — but they find them already aware of the glad tidings, and fervent in their faith of the E-esur- rection. Before they have time to open their lips, the Apostles exclaim : The Lord hath truly risen ^ and hath appeared to Simon /^ The two Disciples then relate what has just happened to themselves.
Such was the conversation of the Apostles, — men now unknown, but whose names are, in a short time hence, to be published and loved throughout the whole universe. The doors of the house, where the little flock is assembled, are kept carefully closed, for they are afraid of being discovered. The soldiers, who had kept watch at the Sepulchre, went early this morning to the Chief Priests, and told them what had happened. They were, hereupon, bribed to perjure themselves, and say that, whilst they were asleep, the Disciples of Jesus came and took away the Body. The Jewish authorities hereby hoped to screen themselves from confusion ; but such a plot
) St. Luke, xxiv. 34,
EASTER SVNDAY I EVENING. 195
was likely to excite the people's indignation against the Apostles, and these thought it necessary to take precautions. Ten of them are now together in the house ; for Thomas, who was present when the two Disciples came in from Emmaus, had taken the opportunity, afforded by the darkness of the hour, to go forth into the City.
The Apostles, then, were speaking to one another of the great events of this Day, when lo ! Jesus stands before them, and yet the door has not been opened. That well-known voice and figure and face ! — oh yes, it is Jesus ! He speaks to them with an accent of tenderest love, and says : Peace he to you !^ What could theij say? This sudden and mysterious visit robs them of self-possession. They have no ideas yet of the qualities of a glorified body ; and, though firmly believing in the mystery of their Lord's E-esurrection, they are not quite sure but that what they now behold is a phantom. Jesus knows this. During the whole day he seems to have been more anxious to show his love than pro- claim his glory ; and therefore, he permits them to touch him ; yea, in order to con^iuce them of the reality of his divine Body, he asks them to give him to eat, and he eats in their presence. This loving familiarity of their Master makes them weep with joy, and when Thomas returns to them, they express their delight in these simple words : Wo have seen the Lord ! - It was the sixth Apparition of Jesus on the day of his llesurrection. It is related in the Gospel of St. John, and is read in the Mass of Low Sunday.
Be thou blessed and glorified, 0 Conqueror of Death ! for that, on this day, thou didst six times appear to thy creatures, so to content thy love, and confirm our faith in thy Resurrection ! Be thou
I St. John, XX. 19. 2 ^id. XX. 25,
196 PASCHAL TIME.
blessed and glorified for having consoled thy afflicted Mother by thy dear presence and caresses ! Be thou blessed and glorified for having, with a single word of thine, brought joy to Magdalene's heart ! Be thou blessed and glorified for having gladdened the holy Women, and permitted them to kiss thy sacred feet ! Be thou blessed and glorified for having, with thine own lips, given Peter the assurance of his pardon, and for having confirmed in him the gifts of Primacy, by revealing to him, before all others, the fundamental dogma of faith ! Be thou blessed and glorified for having encouraged the drooping confidence of the two Disciples of Emmaus, and for thy revealing thyself to them ! Be thou blessed and glorified for having visited thine Apostles, and removed all their doubts by thy loving condescension ! And lastly, 0 Jesus ! be thou blessed and glorified for that, on this day, thou hast so mercifully given us, by thy holy Church, to share in the joy of thy holy Mother, of Magdalene and her companions, of Peter, of the Disciples of Emmaus, and of thine Apostles ! This year's Easter is as full of reality and life and joy, yea, and of thy- self, as was that whereon thou didst rise from the grave. All times and seasons belong to thee : and as the material world, has ever been supported by thy power, so the spiritual lives by thy Mysteries. Praise, then, and honour, and benediction, be to thee, 0 Jesus ! for thy Resurrection, which makes this day the grandest and gladdest of the year !
Let us to-day celebrate the first of the six days of the Creation, — namely, the Sunday when Light was made, — made at the sovereign bidding of the Word of Grod. This Word is the uncreated Light of the Father, and he began his work of Creation by call- ing into existence this material image of his own
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brightness. He himself calls the just, Children of Light ; and sinners, ChUdren of Dar/iiiess. When he took Flesh, and showed himself to men, he said to them : I am the Light of (he world : he that follow eth m€y icalketh not in darkness, bat shall have the Light of life} And lastly, — to show us that there exists a sacred harmony between the two orders of Nature and Grace, he rose from the gloomy Sepulchre on that same day whereon he had created that visible Light which is to us the most precious of material blessings. The G-othic Church of Spain thus expresses, in the following beautiful Prayer of her Breviarv, the grati- tude felt by man for the twofold favour granted to us, by the Creator, on this ever blessed day.
CAPITULA.
0 God, to whom we owe this the first of days, whereon thou wouldst manifest to all created things both the visible light, and Him who is the witness of eternal Light, that on this one and the same day there might rise the light of the seasons and the Light of souls : and which day, — being the first of our Lord's creation, and (by a heavenly calculated revolution) the one chosen as fittest for his Resurrection, — both begins and ends the mystery of the Paschal Solem- nity : mercifully, O Lord, — for now is the acceptable time, the day of salvation, — merci- fully look upon thy servants, whom thou hast redeemed from the spiritual bondage of sin by the victoiy of our Lord's Passion. Look upon them
Deus, cujus unum hunc ex omnibus duximus diem, in quo creatis rebus omni- bus voluisti esse et prresen- tis lucis indicem, et ?eterni luminis testem, ut in eo exsurgeret illuminatio tem- porum, atque resurgeret il- luminatio animarum : qui- que Dominicae et operationis primus, et rosurrectionis idoneus revolutus in circulo, et redactus in calculo, Pas- chalis solemnitatis incipe- ret mysterium, et conclu- deret sacramentum ; respice in hoc tempore acceptabili, et in hac die salutis super servos tuos, Domine, quos redemisti de captivitate ne- quitiae spirituali trophseo Dominica? passionis : quos Agui tui sanguine tinctos, ne vastator laederet, liberas-
' St. John, viii. 12.
198
PASCHAL TIME.
ti ; esto nobis prsevius in solitudine vitse hujus, quo et in die calorem tentationis nostrse quasi nubes prote- gens obumbres, et in nocte a tenebris peccatorum nos quasi columna ignis inlu- mines : ut, dum ades ad salutem, perducas ad re- quiem.
whom thou hast freed from the destrojang Angel, by sprinkling them with the Blood of thy Lamb. Be unto us our guide in the wilder- ness of this life ; that, during the day, thou mayest be to us a cloud protecting and shadow- ing us from the heat of tempta- tion ; and, during the night, a pillar of fire, enlightening us amidst the darkness of sin. Here save us, that so thou mayest lead us to our rest.
We would fain close this glorious Solemnity by delighting our readers with selections from the various Liturgies in honour of our Risen Jesus ; but we have already exceeded our usual limits, though we have only said what was necessary to explain the Offices. We therefore reserve these liturgical riches for the days of our Octave, contenting ourselves, for to-day, with a few stanzas from the Hymn used by the Greek Church in her Morning Office for Easter Sunday.
HYMN.
[In Dominica Besurrectioms.)
Dies est Resurrectionis : splendescamus populi. Pas- cha Domini, Pascha : et- enim ex morte ad vitam, atque ox terra ad caelum Christus Deus deduxit nos, triumphale carmen canen- tes.
Sensus emendemus, et Christum inaccesso lumine resurrectionis fulgentem vi- debimus, et Salvete dicen- tem perspicue audiemus, triumphale carmen canen- tes.
It is the Resurrection Day ; let us be radiant with joy, 0 ye people ! It is the Pasch of the Lord, the Passover : for Christ our God has led us, singing our song of triumph, from death to life and from earth to heaven.
Let us purify our senses, and we shall see Christ reful- gent in the inaccessible light of his Resurrection. We, sing- ing our song of triumph, shall hear him saying to us : "All hail!"
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Let the heavens worthily rejoice, and let earth be in her glory. Let the whole world, visible and invisible, solemnise the Feast ; for Christ, the eternal Joy, hath risen.
Come, let us receive the new drink, which strengthens us ; it has not been miraculously drawn from a barren rock, but is a fount of immortalitj', flow- ing from the Sepulchre of Christ.
All things, — heaven, earth, and what is beneath the earth, — all are now filled with light ; let ever J' creature, therefore, solemnise Christ's Resurrec- tion, whereby all are strength- ened.
Yesterday, 0 Jesus I I was buried together with thee : to- day, I rise with thee. Yester- day, I was crucified with thee ; do thou, my Saviour, give me U) share with thee in the glorj' of thy kingdom.
David, the ancestor of Christ our God, danced before the figurative Ark : but we, the holy people of God, — we who witness the fulfilment of the figures, — must rejoice in the divine spirit that is within us, for Christ has risen, as the Omnipotent One.
Let us go at dawn of day, and offer to our Lord the myrrh of our hymns : we shall see Him rise who is the Sun of Justice, and gives life to all creatures.
They, whom the fetters of Limbo kept bound, saw thy infinite mercy, O Jesus ! and, with a joyful step, hastened to
Cceli digne Icetentur, ter- raque glorietur : festum so- lemniter agat mundus, visi- bilis totus et invisibilis ; sur- rexit enim Christus, Isetitia aeterna.
Venite, potum in quo cor- roboramur bibamus no- vum, non ex infoecunda ru- pe mirabiliter eductum ; et immortalitatis fontem ex Christi sepulchre manan- tem.
Omnia lumine nunc re- pleta sunt, caelum, terra et inferni ; solemniter igitur agat omnis creatura Christi resurrectionem in qua fir- matur.
Heri tecum, Christe, se- peliebar ; hodie tecum re- surgente surge : heri cru- cifigebar tecum ; tu me con- glorifica, Salvator, in regno tuo.
Deiparens David coram adumbrante area subsilie- bat saltans ; nos vero, po- pulus Dei sanctificatus, fi- gurarum exitum videntes in afflatu divino gaudea- mus, quia surrexit Christus tanquam omnipotens.
Yalde mane eamus, et pro myrrha hj-mnum ott'era- mus Domino ;• et Christum videbimus, justitif© solem, vitam cunctis reuascentom.
Infinitam misericordiam tuam aspicientes illi quos alligabant inferni vincula, ad lucem loeto pede prope-
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rarunt, Christe, Paschati plaudentes aeterno.
Adeamus lampadarii ad Christum, ex sepulcliro pro- gredientem tanquam spon- sum ; et in festivis agmini- bus Pasclia Dei salutare concelebremus.
meet the Light, thus celebrat- ing the eternal Pasch.
Let us, with lamps in our hands, go forth to meet Christ, coming forth, as a Bridegroom, from his Sepulchre. Let us, in festive groups, celebrate to- gether the saving Pasch of God.
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EASTER MONDAY.
This is the day which the Hsec dies quam fecit Do- Lord hath made : let us be minus : exsultemus et laete- glad and rejoice therein. mur in ea.
So ample and so profound, is the Mystery of the glorious Pasch, that an entire week may well be spent in its meditation. Yesterday, we limited our- selves to our Redeemer's rising from the Tomb, and showing himself, in six different Apparitions, to them that were dear to bim. We will continue to give him the adoration, gratitude and love, which are so justly due to him for the Triumph, which is both his and ours : but it also behoves us respectfully to study the lessons conveyed by the Resurrection of our Divine Master, that thus the light of the great Mystery may the more plentifully shine upon us, and our joy be greater.
And first of all, what is the Pasch ? The Scrip- tures tell us, that it is the immolation of the Lamb. To understand the Pasch, we must first understand the mystery of the Lamb. From the earliest ages of the Christian Church, we find the Lamb represented, in the mosaics and frescoes of the Basilicas, as the symbol of Christ's sacrifice and triumph. Its attitude of sweet meekness expressed the love, wherewith our Jesus shed his Blood for us ; but it was put standing on a green hill, with the four rivers of Paradise flow- ing from beneath its feet, signifying the four Gospels wHch have made known the glory of his Name throughout the earth. At a later period, the Lamb was represented holding a cross, to which was
202 PASCHAL TIME.
attached a banner : and this is the form in which we now have the symbol of the Lamb of God.
Ever since sin entered the world, man has need of the Lamb. Without the Lamb, he never could have inherited heaven, but would have been, for all eter- nity, an object of Grod's just anger. In the very beginning of the world, the just Abel drew down upon himself the mercy of Grod, by oifering on a sod-made altar, the fairest Lamb of his flock : he himself was sacrificed, as a Lamb, by the murderous hand of his brother, and thus became a type of our Divine Lamb, Jesus, who was slain by his own Israelite Brethren. When Abraham ascended the mountain to make the sacrifice commanded him by G-od, he immolated on the Altar, prepared for Isaac, the ram he found amidst the thorns. Later on, Grod spoke to Moses, and revealed to him the Pasch : it consisted of a Lamb that was to be slain and eaten. A few days back, we had read to us the passage from the Book of Exodus, where God gives this rite to his people. The Paschal Lamb was to be without blemish ; its blood was to be sprinkled as a protection against the destroying Angel, and its flesh was to be eaten. This was the first Pasch. It was most expressive as a figure, but void of reality. For fifteen hundred years was it celebrated by God's people, and the spiritual-minded among the Jews knew it to be the type of a future
Lamb.
In the age of the great Prophets, Isaias prayed God to fulfil the promise he made at the beginning of the world. We united in this his sublime and inspired prayer, when, during Advent, the Church read to us his magnificent prophecies. How fervently did we not repeat those words : Scud forth, 0 Lord, the Lauih, thr ruler of the earth /^ This Lamb was the long-expected Messias ; and we said to ourselves ;
' is. xvi. 1.
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Oh ! what a Pasch will that not be, wherein such a Lamb is to be victim I What a Feast, wherein He is to be the food of the feasters I
When the fulness of time came and God sent his Son^ upon our earth, this Word made Flesh, after thirty years of hidden life, manifested himself to men. He came to the river Jordan, where John was baptising. No sooner did the holy Baptist see him, than he said to his disciples : Behold the Lamb of God ! Behold him who taketh away the sin of the world ! ^ By these words, the saintly Precursor pro- claimed the Pasch ; for it was virtually telling men, that the earth then possessed the true Lamb, the Lamb of G-od, of whom it had been in expectation four thousand years. Yes, the Lamb — who was fairer than the one offered by Abel, richer in mystery than the one slain by Abraham on the Mount, and more spotless than the one the Israelites were commanded to sacrifice in Egypt, — had come. He was the Lamb so earnestly prayed for by Isaias : — the Lamb sent by God himself : — in a word, the Lamb of God. A few years would pass, and then the immolation. But three days ago, and we assisted at his sacrifice ; we witnessed the meek patience wherewith he suffered his executioners to slay him ; we have been laved with his precious Blood, and it has cleansed us from all our sins.
The shedding of this redeeming Blood was needed for our Pasch. Unless we had been marked with it, we could not have escaped the sword of the destroy- ing Angel. It has made us partake of the purity of the God who so generously shed it for us. Our Neophytes have risen wliiter than snow from the Font, wherein that Blood was mingled. Poor sinners, that had lost the innocence received in their Baptism, have regained their treasure, because the divine
' Gal. iv. 4. - St. John. i. 29.
204 PASCHAL TIME.
energy of that Blood has been applied to their souls. The whole assembly of the Faithful is clad in the nuptial garment, rich and fair beyond measure, for it has been ))iade white in the Blood of the Lainh}
But why this festive garment ? It is because we are invited to a great banquet : and here, again, we find our Lamb. He himself is the food of the happy guests, and the banquet is the Pasch. The great Apostle, St. Andrew, when confessing the name of Christ before the pagan Proconsul ^geas, spoke these sublime words : "I daily offer upon the altar the spotless Lamb, of whose Flesh the whole multi- tude of the Faithful eat : the Lamb, that is sacrificed, remains whole and living." Yesterday, this banquet was celebrated throughout the entire universe : it is kept up during all these days, and by it we contract a close union with the Lamb, who incorporates himself with us by the divine food he gives us.
Nor does the mystery of the Lamb end here. Isaias besought Grod to ^end the Lamb, who was to be the Ruler of the earth. He comes, therefore, not only that he may be sacrificed, not only that he may feed us with his sacred flesh, but likewise that he tnay command the earth and be King. Here, again, is our Pasch. The Pasch is the announcement of the reign of the Lamb. The citizens of heaven thus pro- claim it : Behold tlie Lion of the tribe of Jiida, the root of David hath conquered !^ But, if he be the Lion, how is he the Lamb h Let us be attentive to the mystery. Out of love for man, who needed redemp- tion, and a heavenly food that would invigorate, Jesus deigned to be as a Lamb : but he had, moreover, to triumph over his own and our enemies ; he had to reign, for all power was given to Jdm in heaven and in earth? In this his triumph and power, he is a Lion ; nothing can resist him ; his victory is cele-
^ Apoc. vii. 14. - Ibid, v, 5. ^ St. Matth. xxviii. 18.
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brated, this day, throughout the whole world. Listen to the great Deacon of Edessa, St. Ephrem : "At the " twelfth hour, he was taken down from the Cross as " a Lion that slept." ^ Yea, verily, our Lion slept ; for his rest in the Sepulchre "was more like sleep "than death," as St. Leo remarks.- Was not this the fulfilment of Jacob's dying prophecy ? This Patriarch, speaking of the Messias that was to be born of his race, said : Juda is a /ion's ichelp. To the prey, my son, thou art gone up ! Resting thou hast couched as a Lion. Who whall rouse him /^ He has roused himself, by his own power. He has risen ; a Lamb for us, a Lion for his enemies ; thus uniting, in his person, gentleness and power. This completes the mystery of our Pasch : — a Lamb, triumphant, obeyed, adored. Let us pay him the homage so justly due. Until we be permitted to join, in heaven, with the millions of Angels and the Four-and-twenty Elders, let us repeat, here on earth, the hymn they are for ever singing : The Lamb tliat was slain, is worthy to receive power, and divinity, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and benediction /"*
Formerly, the whole of this week was kept as a Feast, with the obligation of resting from servile work. The edict, published by Theodosiiis, in 389, forbidding all law proceedings during tlie same period, was supplementary to this liturgical law, which we find mentioned in the Sermons of Saint Augustine,^ and in the Homilies of St. John Chry- sostom. The second of these two holy Fathers thus speaks to the newly baptised : *' You are enjoying a
' In Sanctatn Parascertu, et in Crucem it Latronem. • First Scmion, On the Jienurrection. ' Gen. xlix. 9. ^ Apoc. v. 12.
^ On Our Lord^s Sermon on the Mount.
206 PASCHAL TIME.
" daily instruction during these seven days. We put " before you a spiritual banquet, that thus we may " teach you how to arm yourselves and fight against " the devil, who is now preparing to attack you " more violently than ever, for the greater is the gift " you have received, the greater will be the combat " you must go through to preserve it. * * * * " During these following seven days, you have the *' word of Grod preached to you, that you may go " forth well prepared to fight with your enemies. " Moreover, you know it is usual to keep up a nuptial " feast for seven days : you are now celebrating a " spiritual marriage, and therefore we have established " the custom of a seven days' solemnity."^
So fervently did the Faithful of those times ap- preciate and love the Liturgy, so lively was the interest they took in the newly made children of holy Mother Church, — that they joyfully went through the whole of the Services of this Week. Their hearts were filled with the joy of the Resurrec- tion, and they thought it but right to devote their whole time to its celebration. Councils laid down Canons, changing the pious custom into a formal law. The Council of Macon thus words its decree : " It behoves us all to fervently celebrate the feast of " the Pasch, in which our great High Priest was slain " for our sins, and honour it by carefully observing " all it prescribes. Let no one, therefore, do any servile " work during these six days," (which followed tlie Sunday,) "but let all come together to sing the " Easter Hymns, and assist at the daily Sacrifice, and " praise our Creator and Redeemer in the evening, " morning, and mid-day."- The Councils of Mayence (813) and Meaux (845) lay down similar rules. We find the same prescribed in Spain, in the 7th century, by the edicts of Kings lieceswind and Wamba. The
^ Homil. V. de Resurrectione, ^ Canon II, — Labbe, t. v.
EASIER MONDAY. 207
Greek Churcli renewed them in her Council hi Trullo: Charlemagne, Louis the Good, and Charles the Bald, sanctioned them in their Capitularia ; and the Can- onists of the 11th and 12th centuries, (Burchard, St. Ivo of Chartres, Gratian,) tell us they were in force in their time. Finally, Pope Gregory the Ninth inserted them in one of his Decretals, in the i'3th century. But their observance had then fallen into desuetude, at least in many places. The Council held at Con- stance, in 1094, reduced the solemnity of Easter to the Monday and Tuesday. The two great Liturgists, John Belethus in the 12th, and Durandus in the 13th century, inform us that, in their times, this was the practice in France. It gradually became the discipline of the whole of the Western Church, and continued to be so, until relaxation crept still further on, and a dispensation was obtained, by some countries, first for the Tuesday, and finally for the Monday.
In order to the full understanding of the Liturgy of the whole Easter Octave, (Low Sunday included,) we must remember that the Neophytes were formerly present, vested in their White Garments, at the Mass and iJivine Ofiice of each day. Allusions to their Baptism are continually being made in the Chants and Lessons of the entire Week.
At Home, the Station for to-day is in the Basilica of Saint Peter. On Saturday, the Catechumens received the Sacrament of Regeneration in the Lateran Basi- lica of our Saviour; yesterday, they celebrated the Eesurreetion in the magnificent Church of Saint Mary ; it is just, that they should come, on this third day, to pay their grateful devotions to Peter, on whom Christ has built his whole Church. Jesus, our Sa- viour,— Mary, Mother of God and men, — Peter, the visible Head of Christ's mystical Body, — these are the three divine manifestations whereby we first entered, and have maintained our place in the Chris* tian Church.
208 PASCHAL TIME.
MASS.
The Introit, which is taken from the Book of Exodus, is addressed to the Church's new-born chil- dren. It reminds them of the milk and honey which were given to them on the night of Saturday last, after they had received Holy Communion. They are true Israelites, brought into the Promised Land. Let them, therefore, praise the Lord, who has chosen them from the pagan world, that he might make them his favoured people.
INTROIT.
Introduxit vos Dominus The Lord hath brought you
in terrain fluentem lac et into a laud flowing with milk
mel, alleluia : et ut lex Do- and honej', alleluia : let then
mini semper sit in ore ves- the law of the Lord be ever in
tro. Alleluia, alleluia. your mouth. Alleluia, alle- luia.
Fs, Confitemini Domino Ps. Praise the Lord, and
et invocate Nomen ejus : call upon his Name : publish
annuntiate inter gentes his works among the Gentiles,
opera ejus. f. Gloria Pa- y. Glory, &c. The Lord, &c. tri. Introduxit.
At the sight of Jesus, her Spouse, now freed from the bonds of death, Holy Church prays God, that we, the members of this divine Head, may come to that perfect liberty of which the Resurrection is the type. Our long slavery to sin should have taught us the worth of that liberty of the children of God, which our Pasch has restored to us.
COLLECT.
Deus, qui solemnitate pas- 0 God, who by the mystery
chali, mundo remedia con- of the Paschal solemnity, hast
tulisti : populum tuum bestowed remedies on the
qusesumus, coulesti dono world ; continue, we beseech
prosequere ; ut et jDcrfectam thee, thy heavenly blessings
Ubertatem cousequi merea- on thy people, that they may
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209
deserve to obtain perfect liberty, and advance towards eternal life. Through, &c.
tur, et ad vitam proficiat sempiternam. Per Domi- num.
EPISTLE.
Lesson from the Acts of the Apostles.
Ch. X.
In those days : Peter stand- ing up in the midst of the people, said : You know the word that hath been published through all Judea : for it be- gan from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached, Jesus of Nazareth : how God anointed him with the Holy Ghost, and with power, who went about doing good, and heaHng all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are \\atnesses of all things that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jeru- salem, whom they killed hang- ing him upon a tree. Hira God raised up the third day, and gave him to be made manifest. Not to all the people, but to witnesses pre- ordained by God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose again from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is he who was appointed by God to be judge of the living and of the dead. To him all the prophets give testimony, that through his name all receive remission of sins, who believe in him.
Lectio Actuum Apostolo- rum.
Cap. X.
In diebus illis : Stans Petrus in medio plebis, dixit: Yiri fratres, vos sci- tis quod factum est verbum per universam Judaeam : incipiens enim a Galilsea post baptismum, quod pree- dicavit Joannes, Jesum a Nazareth : quomodo unxit eum Deus Spiritu Sancto, et virtute, qui pertransiit benefaciendo, et sanando omnes oppresses a diabolo, quoniam Deus erat cum illo. Et nos testes sumus om- nium, quae fecit in regione Judaeorum et Jerusalem, quem occiderunt suspenden- tes in ligno. Hunc Deus suscitavit tertia die, et dedit eum manifestum fieri, non omni populo, sed testibus praeordinatis a Deo : nobis, qui manducavimus et bibi- mus cum illo, postquam re- surrexit a raortuis. Et pne- cepit nobis praedicare po- pulo, et testificari, quia ipse est, qui constitutus est a Deo judex \4vorum et mortuo- rum. Huic omnes Prophet® testimonium perhibent, re- missionem peccatorum acci- pere per nomen ejus omnes, qui credunt in eum.
210 PASCHAL TIME.
St. Peter spoke these words to Cornelius, the Cen- turion, and to the household and friends of this Grentile, who had called them together to receive the Apostle whom God had sent to him. He had come to prepare them for Baptism, and thus make them the first-fruits of the Gentile- world, for, up to this time, the Gospel had been preached only to the Jews. Let us take notice how it is St. Peter, and not any other of the Apostles, who throws open to us Gentiles the door of the Church, which Christ had built upon him, as upon the ' impregnable Rock. This passage from the Acts of the Apostles is an appropriate Lesson for this day, whose station is in the Basilica of St. Peter : it is read near the Con- fession of the great Apostle, and in presence of the Neophytes, who have been converted from the wor- ship of false gods to the true Faith. Let us observe, too, the method used by the Apostle in the conver- sion of Cornelius and the other Gentiles. He begins by speaking to them concerning Jesus. He tells them of the miracles he wrought ; then, having re- lated how he died the ignominious death of the Cross, he insists on the fact of the Resurrection as the sure guarantee of his being truly God. He then instructs them on the mission of the Apostles, whose testimony must be received, — a testimony which carries persuasion with it, seeing it was most disin- terested, and availed them nothing save persecution. He, therefore, who believes in the Son of God made Flesh, who went about doing good, working all kinds of miracles ; who died upon the Cross, rose again from the dead, and intrusted to certain men, chosen by himself, the mission of continuing on earth the ministry he had begun ; — he who confesses all this, is worthy to receive, by holy Baptism, the ve- misfiion of hk sins. Such is the happy lot of Corne- lius and his companions ; such has been that of our Neophytes,
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Then is sung the Gradual, which repeats the ex- pression of Paschal joy. The Verse, however, is different from yesterday's, and will vary every day till Friday. The Alleluia Verse describes the Angel coming down from heaven, that he may open the empty Sepulchre, and manifest the self-gained victory of the Redeemer.
GRADUAL.
This is the day which the Lord hath made : Let us be glad and rejoice therein.
^ . Let Israel now say, that the Lord is good : that his mercy endureth for ever.
Alleluia, alleluia.
f. An Angel of the Lord descended from heaven ; and coming, he rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
Haec dies, quam fecit Do- minus : exsultemus, et Isete- mur in ea.
y. Dicat nunc Israel, quo - niam bonus : quoniam in sseculum misericordia ejus.
Alleluia, alleluia.
y. Angelus Domini des- cendit de coelo : et accedens revolvit lapidem, et sedebat super eum.
The Sequence, Victimce Paschali, page 164.
GOSPEL.
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Li:ie.
Ch. XXIV.
At that time : Two of the disciples of Jesus went the same day to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus himself also drawing near, went with them. But their eyes were hold that
Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum. Lucam.
Cap. XXIV.
In illo tempore : Duo ex discipulis Jesu ibant ipsa die in castellum, quod erat in spatio stadiorum sexaginta ab Jerusalem, nomine Em- maiis. Et ipse loquebantur ad invicem de his omnibus, quae acciderant. Et factum est, dum fabularentur, et se- cum qusererent : et ipse Je- sus appropinquans ibat cum ilUs : oculi autem illorum
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PASCHAI. TIME.
tenebantur ne eum agnosce- rent. Et ait ad illos : Qui sunt hi sermones, quos con- fertis ad invicein ambulan- tes, et estis tristes ? Et re- spondens unus, cui nomen Cleophas, dixit ei : Tu sobis peregrinus es in Jerusalem, et non cognovisti quee facta sunt in ilia bis diebus ? Qui- bus ille dixit : Quse? Etdix- erunt : De Jesu Nazareno, qui fuit vir propbeta, potens in opere, et sermone coram Deo et omni populo : et quo- modo eum tradiderunt sum- mi sacerdotes, et principes nostri in damnationem mor- tis, et crucifixerunt eum. Nos autem sperabamus quia ip- se esset redempturus Israel : et nunc super bsec omnia, tertia dies est bodie quod bsec facta sunt. Sed et muH- eres qu^edam ex nostris ter- ruerunt nos, quoe ante lucem fuerunt ad monumentum, et non invento corpore ejus, venerunt, dicentes se etiam visionem Angelorum vidis- se, qui dicunt eum vivere. Et abierunt quidam ex nos- tris ad monumentum, et ita invenerunt, sicut mulieres dixerunt ; ipsum vero non invenerunt. Et ipse dixit ad eos : O stulti, et tardi corde ad credendum in omnibus, qua3 locuti sunt Propbeta3 ! Nonne baec oportuit j^ati Christum, et ita intrare in gloriam suam ? Et incipiens aMoyse, et omnibus Prophe- tis, interpretabatur illis in omnibus Scripturis, quae de ipso erant. Et appropinqua-
they should not know him. And he said to them : What are these discourses that you hold one with another as you walk, and are sad ? And the one of them whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to him : Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days ? To whom he said : What things ? And they said : Con- cerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people. And how our chief priests and j^rinces delivered him to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we hoped that it was he that should have redeemed Israel : and now besides all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. Yea and certain women also of our company, affrighted us, who before it was light were at the sepulchre. And not finding his body, came, saying that they had also seen a vision of Angels, who say that he is alive. And some of our people went to the sepulchre : and found it so as the women had said, but him they found not. Then he said to them : O foolish, and slow of heart to believe in all things which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory ? And begin- ning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the Scriptures
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213
the things that were coucern- ing him. And they drew nigh to the town whither they were
foing : and he made as though e would go farther. But they constrained him, saying : Stay with us, because it is towards evening, and the day is now fai- spent. And he went in with them. And it came to pass, whilst he was at table with them, he took bread ; and bles- sed, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him : and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to the other : was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke in the way, and opened to us the scriptures ? And rising up the same hour they went back to Jerusalem : and they found the eleven gathered together, and those that were with them, Saying, the Lord is risen indeed, and hath ap- peared to Simon. And they told what things were done in the way : and how they knew him in the breaking of bread.
verunt castello, quo ibant : et ipse se finxit longius ire. Et coegerunt ilium, dicen- tes : Mane nobiscum, quo- niam advesperascit, et incli- nata est jam dies. Etintravit cum illis. Et factum est, dum recumberet cum eis, accepit panem, et benedixit, ac fregit, et porrigebat illis. Et aperti sunt oculi eorum, et cognoverunt eum : et ipse evanuit ex oculis eorum. Et dixerunt ad invicem : Non- ne cor nostrum ardens erat in nobis, dum loqueretur in via et aperiret nobis Scrip- turas ? Et surgentes eadem hora regressi sunt in Jeru- salem : et invenerunt con- gregates undecim, et eos, qui cum illos erant, dicentes : Quod surrexit Dominus ve- ra, et apparuit Simoni. Et ipsi narrabant quce gesta erant in via : et quomodo cognoverunt eum in frac- tiono panis.
Let us attentively consider these three travellers on the road to Emmaus, and go with them in spirit and affection. Two of them are frail men, like our- selves, who are afraid of suffering ; the Cross has disconcerted them ; they cannot persevere in the faith, unless they find it brings them glory and success. 0 fool ink and slow of heart ! says the third : ought not Christ to have suffered and so to enter into his (jlori/ ? Hitherto, we ourselves have been like these two disciples. Our sentiments ha\ e been more those of the Jew than of the Christian. Hence our love of
214 PASCHAL TIME.
earthly things, which has made us heedless of such as are heavenly, and thereby exposed us to sin. We cannot, for the time to come, be thus minded. The glorious E-esurrection of our Jesus eloquently teaches us how to look upon the crosses sent us by Gfod. However great may be our future trials, we are not likely to be nailed to a cross, between two thieves. It is what the Son of God had to undergo : but, did the sufferings of the Friday mar the kingly splendour of the Sunday's triumph ? Nay, is not his presnt glory redoubled by his past humiliations ?
Therefore, let us not be cowards when our time for sacrifice comes : let us think of the eternal reward that is to follow. These two disciples did not know that it was Jesus who was speaking to them ; and yet, he no sooner explains to them the plan of God's wisdom and goodness, than they understand the mystery of suffering. Their hearts burn icithin them at hearing him explain how the Cross leads to the Crown; and had he not held their eyes that they should not know him^ they would have discovered from his words, that their instructor was Jesus. So will it be with us, if we will allow him to speak to us. We shall understand how the disciple is not above the Master} Let us, this Easter, delight in gazing at the resplendent glory of our Risen Lord, and we shall exclaim with the Apostle : No ! the sufferings of this time are not ivorthy to be compared ivith the glory to come, that shall be revealed in us?
Now that the efforts made by the Christian for his conversion, are being recompensed with the honour of approaching the holy Banquet, clothed in the nuptial-garment, — there is another consideration that forces itself upon our attention, from the reading of to-day's Gospel. It was during the breaking of the bread that the eyes of the two disciples were opened
1 St. Matth. X. 24. '^ Rom. viii. 18.
I
EASTEK MONDAY : MASS?. 215
to recognise their Master. The sacred Food which we receive, and whose w^hole virtue comes from the word of Christ, gives light to our souls, and enables them to see what before was hidden. Yes, this is the effect produced in us by the divine mystery of our Pasch, provided we be of the number of those who are thus described by the pious author of the FoUotcing of Christ : ^*'They truly know their Lord in the breaking " of Bread, whose heart burneth so mightily within *' them, from Jesus' walking with them." ^ Let us, therefore, give ourselves unreservedly to our Risen Jesus. We belong to him now more than ever, not only because of his having died^ but also for his having rkcn^ for us. Let us imitate the disciples of Emmaus, and, like them, become faithful, joyful, and eager to show forth, by our conduct, that neicness of life of which the Apostle speaks,^ and which we owe to ourselves, seeing that Christ has so loved us, as to wish his own Resurrection to be ours also.
The reason of the Church's choosing this Gospel for to-day, is because the Station is held in the Basilica of St. Peter. St. Luke here tells us, that the two disciples found the Apostles already made cognizant of the Resurrection of their Master : He hath, said they, appeared to Simon ! We spoke yesterday of the favour thus shown to the Prince of the Apostles, and which the Roman Church so justly commemorates in to-day's Office.
The Offertory consists of a text from the holy Gospel, referring to the circumstances of our Lord's Resurrection.
OFFERTORY.
All Angol of tho Lord caino Angelas Domini doscon- down from heaven, and said dit do coelo, et dixit niu-
* Book iv. ch. xiv. ' Rom. vi. 4.
216 PASCHAL TIME.
lieribiis : Querri quaeritis, to the women : He -whom you surrexit sicut dixit, alleluia, seek, is risen, as he told you,
alleluia.
In the Secret, the Church prays that the Paschal Sacrament may be to her children a food nourishing them to immortality, and may unite them, as mem- bers, to their divine Head, not only for time, but even for eternity.
SECRET.
Suscipe, qusesumus Do- Eeceive, 0 Lord, we be-
mine, preces populi tui cum seech thee, the prayers of thy
oblationibus hostiarum : ut people, together with the of-
paschalibus initiata mys- ferings of these hosts : that
teriis, ad seternitatis nobis what is consecrated by these
medelam, te operante, pro- Paschal mysteries, may, by
ficiant. Per Dominum. the help of thy grace, avail us
to eternal life. Through, &c.
During the Communion, the Church reminds the Faithful of the visit paid by the Saviour, after his Resurrection, to St. Peter. The faith of the Resur- rection is the faith of Peter, and the faith of Peter is the foundation of the Church, and the bond of Catholic unity.
COMMUNION.
Surrexit Dominus, et ap- The Lord hath risen, and
paruit Petro, alleluia. appeared to Peter, alleluia.
In the Postcommunion, the Church again prays that her children, who have been fellow-guests at the feast of the Lamb, may have that spirit of concord which should reign amidst the members of one and the same family, whose union has been again cemented by this year's Pasch.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Spiritum nobis, Domine, Pour forth on us, O Lord, tua3 charitatis infundo : ut the spirit of thy love ; that quos sacramentis paschali- those whom thou hast filled
EASTER MONDAY .* VESPERS. 217
with the Paschal Sacrament, bus satiasti, tua facias pie- may, by thy goodness, live in tate Concordes. Per Domi- perfect concord. Through, «S:c. num.
YESPEES.
The Vespers are the same as yesterday, with the exception of the Magnificat- A ntiphon and the Col- lect.
ANTiPHON OF THE Mciguificat.
Ant. A\Tiat are these dis- Axt. Qui sunt hi sermo- courses that ye hold one with nes quos confertis ad invi- another, and are sad r Alleluia, cem ambulantes et estis tris-
tes ? Alleluia.
LET US PRAY. OREMUS.
O God, who by the mystery Deus, qui solemnitate pas- of the Paschal solemnit^^ hast ehali, mundo remedia con- bestowed remedies on the tulisti : populum tuum world ; continue, we beseech quaesumus, coelesti dono thee, thy heavenly blessings prosequere ; ut et perfectam on thy people, that they may libertatem consequi merea- deserve to obtain perfect li- tur : et ad yitam proficiat berty, and advance towards sempiternam. Per Domi- etemal life. Through, <fcc. num.
Let us glorify the Son of God for his having, on this the second day of the Creation, made the firma- ment, and divided the waters that were under from those that were above it. The Holy Fathers have, in commenting these mysterious words, preferred the spiritual to the material sense. Here we recognise the powerful hand of God, who strengthened his work, and established an equilibrium between those elements which lay confounded together in chaos. The Mozarabic Liturgy gives us the following beau- tiful Prayer, wherewith to praise our Creator in this portion of his work.
218
PASCHAL TIME.
CAPITULA.
Christe Deus noster, qui secundo die firmamentum formans, quasi solidamen- tum Scripturarum in Eccle- sia prseparas, quo coelestes populos Angelorum ab in- firmitate inferior um homi- num, quasi aquas ab aquis, discernere voluisti : quique duo testamenta constituens, figuram veteris sacrificii per testamentum novum immo- lation e tui corporis comple- visti ; da nobis, ut inteUec- tu prudentisD angelicis Po- testatibus, quasi aquis supe- rioribus sociemur, et sem- per ad superna tendamus i qualiter ita solidamentum utriusque legis in corde nos- tro prsepolleat, ut resurrec- tionis tuse potentia ad gau- dia nos pertrahat infinita.
0 Christ, our God, who, by- creating the firmament on the second day, didst prefigure the solidity of the Scriptures on which rests thy Church ; and who, by separation of the waters from the waters, didst designate the separation of the heavenly choirs of Angels from the weak and inferior creation, — man : 0 thou, the Author of the two Testaments, who didst fulfil the figure of the ancient sacrifice by the new covenant of the immolation of thy Body : grant, that by understanding and wisdom, we may be associated to the angelic Powers, as to the Waters that are above us, and may ever tend to heavenly things. May the solidity of the two Laws be so fixed in our hearts, that the power of thy Resurrection may lead us to infinite joy.
Let us close the day with two Prefaces on the mystery of the Resurrection. The first is the one used, by the Ambrosian Liturgy, on Easter Sunday.
PREFACE.
Vere quia dignum et jus- tum est, sequum et salutare, nos tibi, sancte Deus omni- potens, gratias agere, nos devotas laudes roferre. Pater inclyte, omnium Auctor et Conditor. Quia, cum Domi- nus esset majestatis Christus Jesus Filius tuus, ob libera- tionom humaui generis cru-
It is truly meet and just, right and available to salva- tion, that wo should give thanks and devout praise to thee, O holy and Almighty God, adorable Father, Author and Creator of all things I for that Christ Jesus, thy Son, through the Lord of majesty, did doiirn to suffer the Cross
EASTER MONDAY.
219
for the redemption of man- kind. It was this that Abra- ham, so manj^ ages past, pre- figured in his son ; it was this that the Mosaic people typified by the immolation of a spot- less lamb. This is he of whom sang the holy Prophets, who was to bear upon him the sins of all men, and wipe away their crimes. This is the Pasch, ennobled by the Blood of Christ, which makes the Faithful exult with special devotion. O mystery full of ice ! 0 ineffable mystery of
God's munificence I 0 ever to bo honoured Feast of feasts I whereon Christ gave himself to men that they might slay him, and this that he might ransom slaves. O truly bles- sed Death, which loosed the bonds of death I Now let the prince of hell feel that he is crushed ; now let us, who have been snatched from the abyss, rejoice that we have been ex- alted to the kingdom of heaven.
cem subire dignatus est. Quem dudum Abraham prEefigurabat in filio, turba mosaica immaculati agni immolatione signabat. Ipse est enim, quem sacra tuba cecinerat Prophetarum : qui omnium peccata portaret, aboleret et crimina. Hoc est illud Pascha, Christi nobili- tatum cruore, in quo fidelis populus praecipua devotione exsultat. 0 mysterium gra- tia plenum ! 0 ineffabile di- vini muneris sacramentum I O solemnitatum omnium honoranda solemnitas I In qua, ut servos redimeret, mortalibus se praebuit occi- dendum. Quam utique bea- ta mors, quae mortis nodos resolvit I Jam nunc sen- tiat se tartareus Princeps at- tritum : et nos de profundi labe educti ad cceleste Eeg- num conscendisse gratule- mur.
The following Preface is the one used by the ancient Church of Graul, in celebrating the mystery of our Paschal Lamb.
IMMOLATION.
It is right and just, that we give thanks to thee, O Al- mighty and Eternal God, through Jesus Christ thy Son, our Lord ; by whom thou gavest life to mankind, and wouldst have thy servants Moses and Aaron celebrate the Pasch by the sacrifice of a
Dignum et justum est, nos tibi gratias agere, om- nipotens sempiterne Deus, per Jesum Christum Filium tuum Dominum nostrum. Per quem humanum genus vivificans, Pascha etiam per Moyseu ot Aaron famulos tuos Agni immolatione jus-
220
PASCHAL TIME.
sisti celebrari : consequen- tibus temporibus nsque ad adventum Domini nostri Je- su Christi (qui sicut agnus ad victimam ductus est) eam- dem consuetudinem in me- moriam observare praecepis- ti. Ipse est Agnus immacu - latus, qui prioris populi pri- ma Pascha in ^gypto f uerat immolatus. Ipse est aries in verticem mentis excelsi de vepreprolatus, sacrificiodes- tinatus. Ipse est vitulus sa- ginatus, qui in tabernaculo patris nostri Abrabee propter bospites est victimatus. Gu- jus Passionem et Eesurrec- tionem celebramus, cujus et adventum speramus.
lamb. Tbis same rite tbou commandedst to be observed and remembered in after times, even to tbe coming of our Lord Jesus Cbrist, who was led like a lamb to the slaugh- ter. He is the spotless Lamb, that was slain by God's first people, when they kept their first Pasch in Egypt. He is the ram taken from the thorns on the top of a high moun- tain, destined for sacrifice. He is the fatted calf, slain under the tent of our father Abraham, that it might be served up to his guests. We celebrate his Passion and Re- surrection ; we look forward, with hope, to his last Coming.
And now let us warm our hearts to the Paschal mystery, by this admirable Sequence of Adam of Saint- Victor.
SEQUENCE.
Salve, dies dierum gloria, Dies felix Christi victoria. Dies digna jugi liBtitia, Dies prima I Lux divina caecis irradiat, In qua Christus infernum
spoliat, Mortem vincit et reconciliat Summis ima.
Sempiterni regis sententia Sub peccato conclusit omnia, Ut intirmis superna gratia Subveuiret.
Hail, thou Day of days ! happy day of Jesus' victor^'' ! Day worthy of ceaseless joy ! 0 first of days I
It was on this Day, that the divine Light gladdened the blind with its brightness ; that Christ robbed hell of its spoils, conquered death, and made peace between heaven and earth.
The sentence of the Eternal Kino" coiirliifled all under aiii, that the weak ujight be made strong by heavenly grace.
EASTER MONDAY.
221
And when the whole world was going headlong to the abyss, the Power and Wisdom of God softened his anger by his Mercy.
The old enem3% the author of sin, insulted us in our misery, for that there was no hope left us of the pardon of our sins.
The world despaired of a remedy : — when lo I whilst all things were in quiet silence, God the Father sent his Son to them that had no hope.
The greedy thief, the hellish monster, saw the Flesh, but not the snare : he grasped at the hook, and was caught.
"We were restored to our former dignity by Jesus, whose Resurrection now glad- dens us.
He, the restorer of man- kind, rose again free from the dead ; he carried his sheep, on his shoulders, back to heaven.
Peace is made between An- gels and men ; the heavenly ranks are filled up : praise, eternal praise is due to our triumphant Lord.
Let the voice of Mother Church blend in harmony with that of heaven ; let the Faithful sing now, without CJeftsing, their Alleluia.
Dei virtus et Sapientia Temperavit iram demen- tia. Cum jam mundus in prse- cipitia
Totus iret. Insultabat nostrae mise- riae Vetus hostis, auctor mali-
tice. Quia nulla spes erat venise De peccatis. Desperante mundo reme- dium, Dum tenerent cuncta silen-
tium, Deus Pater emisit Filium Desperatis. Praedo vorax, monstrum tartareum, Carnem videns, nee cavens
laqueum, In latentem ruens aculeum Aduncatur. Dignitatis primcp conditio Eeformatur nobis in Filio, Cujus nova nos resurrectio Consolatur. Resurrexit liber ab inferis Restaurator humani gene- ris, Ovem suam reportans hu- meris
Ad superna. Angelorum pax fit et ho- minum ; Plenitudo succrescit ordi-
num : Tiiumphantem laus decet, Dominum, Laus £)otema. Harmonise coelestis patriae Vox concordet matris Eccle-
siae ; Alleluia frequentet hodie Plebs fidelis.
222
PASCHAL TIME.
Triumphato mortis impe- rio, Triumpliali fruamur gau-
dio : In terra pax, et jubilatio
Sit in coelis ! Amen.
A triumph has been won over the power of death ; let us rejoice in the triumph. Peace on earth, and jubilee in heaven ! Amen.
EASTER TUESDAY. 223
EASTER TUESDAY.
Hsec dies quam fecit Do- This is the day which the minus : exsultemus et Icete- Lord hath made : let us be mur in ea. glad and rejoice therein.
Our Pasch is the Lamb, and we meditated upon the mystery yesterday : now let us attentively con- sider those words of Sacred Scripture, where, speaking of the Pasch, it says : It is the Phase, that is, the Passage of the Lord. Grod himself adds these words : I will Pass through the Land of JEgi/pt that night, and will kill every first-horn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast ; and against all the gods of Egy2)t I will execute judgments} So that the Pasch is a day of judgment, a day of terrible justice upon the enemies of Grod ; but, for that very reason, it is a day of deliverance for Israel. The Lamb is slain ; but his immolation is the signal of redemption to the holy people of the Lord.
The people of Israel are slaves to the cruel Pharaoh. Their bondage is the heaviest that can be. Their male-children are to be put to death. The race of Abraham, on which repose the promises of the world's salvation, is doomed. It is time for God to interpose : the Lion of the tribe of Juda, he whom none can resist, must show himself.
But in this, the Israelites are a type of another and a far more numerous people, — the whole human race ; and it is the slave of Satan, a tyrant worse than
» Exod. xii. 11,
224 PASCHAL TIME.
Pharaoh. Its bondage is at its height. It is debased by the vilest idolatry. It has made every base thing its god ; and the G-od that made all things is ignored or blasphemed. With a few rare exceptions out of each generation, men are the victims of hell. Has God's creation of Man, then, been a failure ? Not so. The time is come for him to show the might of his arm : he will ^^ass over the earth, and save mankind.
Jesus, the true Israelite, the true man come down from heaven. He too is made a captive. His enemies have prevailed against him, and his bleeding lifeless Body has been hid in the Tomb. The murderers of the Just One have even fixed a seal upon the Sepul- chre, and set a guard to watch it. Here again, the Lord must ^j^.ss, and confound his enemies by his triumphant passage.
In that Eygpt of old, each Israelite family was com- manded to slay and eat the Paschal Lamb. Then, at midnight, the Lord passed^ as he bad promised, over this land of bondage and crime. The Destroy ingAn gel followed, slaying with his sword the first-born of the Egyptians, from the first-horn of PJuiraoh, who sat on his throne, unto the first-horn of the captive woman that was in prison, and all the first-horn of the cattle} A cry of mourning resounded through Mesraim : but God is just, and his people was made free !
The same victory was gained in the Resurrection, which now gladdens us. The midnight was over, and the last shades of darkness were fleeing from before the rising light : it was then that our \joidi. passed through the sealed stone of his Tomb, unperceived by his guards. His resurrection was a stroke of death to his first-born people who had refused to receive him as their Messias, or knoiv the time of their visitation. ^-^ The Synagogue was hard of heart, like Pharaoh ; it would
1 Exod. xii. 29. » St. Luke, xix. 44,
EASTER TUESDAY. 225
fain have held captive Him of whom the Prophet had said, that he would be free among the dead} Hereupon, a cry of impotent rage is heard in Jeru- salem : but God is just, and Jesus has made himself free !
And oh 1 what a happiness was this Passage of our Lord for the human race ! He had adopted us as his Brethren, and loved us too tenderly to leave us slaves of Satan : therefore, he would have his own Resurrection be ours too, and give us Light and Liberty. The first-born of Satan were routed by such a victory ; the power of hell was broken. Yet a little while, and the altars of the false gods shall everywhere be destroyed; yet a little while, and man, regenerated by the preaching of the Apostles, shall acknowledge his Creator and abjure his idols: for this is the Day which the Lord hath made : it is the Phase, that is, the Passage of the Lord !
But observe how the two mysteries, — the Lamb and the Passover, — are united in our Pasch. The Lord passes, and bids the Destroying Angel slay the first-born in every house, the entrance of which is not marked with the blood of the Lamb. This is the shield of protection; where it is, there Divine Justice passes by and spares. Pharaoh and his people are not signed with the blood of the Lamb : yet have they witnessed the most extraordinary miracles, and suffered unheard-of chastisements: All this should have taught them, that the God of Israel is not like their own gods, which have no power : but their heart is hard as stone, and neither the works nor the words of Moses have been able to soften it. Therefore does God strike them, and deliver his people.
But this very people, this Israel, ungratefully turns against his deliverer ; he is content with the types of the good things promised ; he will have no other
' Ps. Lxxxvii. 6.
226 PASCHAL TIME.
Lamb but the material one. In vain do the Propliets tell him, that "a Lamb is to be sent forth, who shall " be King of the earth ; that he shall come from the ^' desert to the mount of the Daughter of Sion."^ Israel refuses to acknowledge this Lamb as his Mes- sias ; he persecutes him and puts him to death ; and persists in putting all his confidence in the blood of victims, that have no longer the power to propitiate the anger of Grod. How terrible will be the Passage of the Lord over Jerusalem, when the sword of the Roman Legions shall destroy a whole people !
Satan too, and his wicked angels, had scoffed at this Lamb ; they had despised him, as being too meek and humble to be dreaded ; and when they saw him shedding his Blood on the Cross, a shout of exultation rang through the regions of hell. But what was their dismay, when they saw this Lamb descending, like a Lion into Limbo, and setting free from their bondage the countless prisoners of the four thousand previous years ? and after this, return- ing to our earth, and inviting all mankind to receive the liberty of the glory of children of God?'^
0 Jesus ! how terrible is thy Passover to thine enemies I but how glorious for them that serve thee ! The people of Israel feared it not, because their houses were marked with the blood of the figurative Lamb. We are more favoured than they : our Lamb is the Lamb of God, and thy Blood is signed, not upon our dwellings, but upon our souls. Thy Prophet foretold the great mystery, when he said, that on the day of thy vengeance upon Jerusalem, they would be spared whose foreheads should be marked with the Tau.^ Israel despised the prophecy, which is our joy. The Tait is the sign of thy Cross, dear Jesus ! It is thy Cross that shields, and protects, and glad- dens us in this Pasch of thy Passover, wherein thy
^ Is. xvi. 1. ^ Rom. viii. 21. -^ Ezechiel, ix. G.
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anger is all for thine enemies, and thy blessings all for us !
At Rome, the Station for to-day is in the Basilica of Saint Paul. The Church is impatient to lead her white-robed troop of Neophytes to the Apostle of the Gentiles. Though he is not the foundation of the Church, yet is he companion of Peter's labours in Rome, his fellow-martyr, and the preacher of the Gospel to the Gentiles. As he says of himself^ he has laboured to form children in God : — who could tell the number he has given to Christ ? How must he not rejoice to see these newly made Christians ap- proach his sacred shrine, there to receive instruction from his epistles, wherein he still speaks to all generations.
MASS.
The Introit, taken from the Book of Ecclesiasticus, celebrates the sublime wisdom of St. Paul, who is the ever pure source, whereat the people of God drink instruction and strength, and so prepare their souls for eternal life.
INTROIT.
He hath given them the Aqua sapientire potavit
water of wisdom to driuk, eos, alleluia : firmabitur in
alleluia : this wisdom shall illis, et non flectetur, alle-
be strengthened in them, and luia : et exaltabit eos in
shall not be moved, alleluia : aeternura. Alleluia, alle-
and it shall raise them up for luia. ever. Alleluia, alleluia.
p8. Praise the Lord, and Ps. Confitemini Domino,
call upon his Name : declare et invocate Nomen ejus :
his deeds among the Gentiles, annuntiate inter gentes ope-
t. Glory, &c. He hath given, ra ejus. V. Gloria Patri.
&c. Aqua sapientise.
»Gal. iv. 19.
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PASCHAL TIME.
In the Collect, the Church gives thanks to God for his rendering her fruitful, and thus giving her, every Easter, a Mother's joy. She then prays for her new children, that they may have the grace to per- severe in the imitation of their Risen Lord.
COLLECT.
Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam novo semper foetu multipli- cas : concede famulis tuis, ut sacramentum vivendo teneant, quod fide percepe- runt. Per Dominum.
0 God, who by a new in- crease, dost continually en- large thy Church : grant that thy servants may keep up, by their manner of living, the Mystery they have received by their believing. ~ «S:c.
Through,
EPISTLE.
Lectio Actuum Apostolo- rum.
Cap. XIII.
In diebus illis : Surgens Paulus, et manu silentium indicens, ait : Viri fratres, filii generis Abraham, et qui in vobis timent Deum, vobis verbum salutis hujus missum est. Qui enim ha- bitabant Jerusalem, et prin- cipes ejus ignor antes Jesum, et voces Prophetarum, qu«3 per omne sabbatum legun- tur, judicantes impleverunt, et nullam causam mortis invenientes in eo, potierunt a Pilato, ut interficerent eum. Cumque consummas- sent omnia, qur© de eo scripta erant, deponentes eum de ligno, posuerunt eum in monumento. Deus vero suscitavit eum a mor- tuis tertia die ; qui visus est
Lesson from the Acts of the Apostles.
Ch. XIII.
In those days : Paul stand- ing up, and with his hand bespeaking silence, said : My brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fear God, to you the word of this salvation is sent. For they that inhabited Jerusalem, and the rulers thereof, not knowing him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, judging him have fulfilled them, and finding no cause of death in him, they desired of Pilate that they might kill him. And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, taking him down from the tree, they laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him up from the dead
EASTER TUESDAY : MASS. 229
the third day : who was seen per dies multos his, qui
for many days by them who simul ascenderant cum eo de
came up with him from Gali- Galiloca in Jerusalem : qui
lee to Jerusalem, who to this usque nunc sunt testes ejus
present are his witnesses to ad plebem. Et nos vobis
the people. And we declare annuntiamus earn, quae ad
unto you, that the promise patres nostros repromissio
which was made to our fathers, facta est: quoniam hanc
this same God hath fulfilled Deus adimplevit filiis nos-
to our children, raising up tris, resuscitans Jesum
Jesus Christ our Lord. Christum Dominum nos- trum.
This discourse which was made at Antioch in Pisidia, in the Synagogue, shows us that the Doctor of the Grentiles followed the same method, in his in- structions, as did the Prince of the Apostles. The great subject of their preaching was the Eesurrec- tion of Christ, — for it is the fundamental truth, it is the fact above all others, which proves the divine mission of the Son of God upon earth. It is not enough to believe in Christ Crucified ; we must also believe in Christ Eisen. The Eesurrection is not only the indisputable fact on which rests the whole certainty of our faith, but it is also the dogma which energises the whole Christian world. Nothing ever happened on this earth which produced a like impression. See how it is now being celebrated by millions of men of every race and nation ! Eighteen centuries have passed away since the Eelics of St. Paul were first laid in this Tomb on the Ostian Way : during that time, how many events have happened, which, in their time, were looked on as of momentous importance, and are now completely forgotten ? For more than two hundred years, the storm of Persecution was almost ceaseless over Christian Eome ; it even became ne- cessary, in the third century, to remove these sacred remains, and hide them, for a time, in the Cata- combs, After this, came Constantine, who built
230 PASCHAL TIME.
this Basilica, and erected the triumphal arch near the Altar, under which lies the body of the Apostle. Since then, how many changes have taken place in the world ! Dynasties, empires, forms of government, have succeeded each other, and only one institution has stood unchanged, — the Church. Every year, during these fifteen centuries, she has gone to the Basilica of St. Paul, and there, near his Tomb, has read this discourse, in which the Apostle proclaimed the Re- surrection of Christ to the Jews. Seeing such per- petuity, such unchangeableness, even in things like this, we cannot help exclaiming : Oh ! truly, Christ is risen ! He is the Son of &od ! for man could never have given duration to any work of man. Our Pasch alone tells us who Jesus is. Let us learn from the circumstance suggested to us by to-day's Epistle, how the dazzling beauty of our E;isen Jesus is re- flected even in the minutest details of our happy worship, — the Liturgy.
GRADUAL.
Hsec dies quam fecit Do- This is the day which the
minus: exsultemus, etlsete- Lord hath made: let us be
mur in ea. glad and rejoice therein.
^. Dicant nunc, qui re- ^. Let them now say so,
dempti sunt a Domino, quos thej' that have been redeemed
redemit de manu inimici, by the Lord from the hand of
et de regionibus congrega- the enemy : and he that gath-
vit eos. ered them out of the countries.
Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia.
f. Surrexit Dominus de '^. The Lord hath lisen
sepulchro, qui pro nobis pe- from the Tomb, who, for our
pendit in ligno. sakes, was nailed to the Cross.
The Sequence, Victimce Paschali^ page 164.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii Sequel of the holy Gospel
secundum Lucam. according to Luke.
Cap. XXIV. Ch. XXIV.
In illo temj)Qre ; Stetit At that time ; Jesus stoo4
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231
in the midst of his disciples, and said to them : Peace be to you ; it is I, fear not. But they being troubled and frighted, supposed they saw a spirit. And he said to them : Why are j'ou troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts '? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself ; handle me and see : for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have. And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his feet. But while they jet believed not, and wondered for joy, he said : Have you here any thing to eat ? And they offered him a piece of broiled fish, and a honey comb. And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains he gave to them. And he said to them : These are the words which I have spoken to you whilst I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then he opened their understandings that they might understand the Scriptures. And he said to them : thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead the third day : and that penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all nations.
Jesus in medio discipulo- rum suorum, et dixit eis : Pax vobis : ego sum, nolite timere. Conturbati vero, et conterriti, existimabant se spiritum \adere. Et dixit eis : Quid turbati estis, et cogita- tiones ascendunt in corda vestra ? Videte manus meas, et pedes, quia ego ipse sum : palpate et videte : quia spi- ritus carnem et ossa non habet, sicut me videtis ha- bere. Et cum hoc dixisset, ostendit eis manus et pedes. Adhuc autem illis non cre- dentibus, et mirantibus prae gaudio, dixit : Habetis hie aliquid, quod manducetur ? At illi obtulemnt ei partem piscis assi, et favum mellis. Et cum manducasset coram eis, sum ens reliquias, dedit eis. Et dixit ad eos : Haec sunt.verba, qua) locutus sum ad vos, cum adhuc essem vo- biscum, quoniam necesse est impleri omnia, qua? scripta sunt in lege Moysi, et Pro- phetis, et Psalmis de me. Tunc aperuit illis sensum ut intelligerent Scripturas. Et dixit eis : Quoniam sic scriptum est, et sic oporte- bat Christum pati, et resur- gere a mortuis tertia die : et pra)dicari in nomine ejus poenitentiam et remissio- nem peccatorum in omnes gentes.
Jesus shows himself to all his Apostles, on the evening of the day on which he rose from the Grave ; and he greets them with the wish of Peace. 3^
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PASCHAL TIME.
wishes the same to us, during this Feast of the Pasch. He desires to establish Peace among us : — Peace between Man and Grod, Peace in the conscience of the repentant sinner, Peace between man and man by the forgiveness of injuries. Let us welcome this wish of our Pisen Lord, and jealously preserve the Peace he thus deigns to bring us. At his Birth in Bethlehem, the Angels announced this Peace to men of good will ; but now, it is Jesus himself who brings it to us, for he has accomplished his work of pacifica- tion, by dying for us on the Cross. The first word he addresses to his Apostles, and, through them, to us, is Peace ! Let us lovingly accept the blessing, and show ourselves to be, in all things, Children of Peace.
The conduct of the Apostles, on this occasion, de- serves our attention. They believe in their Lord's Pesurrection ; they eagerly announced the great event to the two disciples of Emmaus : — but how weak is their faith ! They are troubled and frighted at the sudden apparitiorl of Jesus : and when he gracious- ly permits them to handle him, they are overpowered withyo//, and yet there is a certain inexplicable doubt still lingering in their minds. Our Lord has to con- descend even to eat in their presence, in order fully to convince them that it is really Himself, and not a phantom. What a strange inconsistency there is in all this ! Had they not already believed and con- fessed the Pesurrection of their Master, before re- ceiving this visit ? — We have a lesson to learn here : it is, that there are some people who believe, — but their faith is so weak, that the slightest shock would endanger it ; they say they have faith, but it is of the most superficial kind. And yet without a lively and vigorous faith, what can we do in the battle we have to be incessantly waging against the devil, the world, and our own selves:' He who wrestles with an enemy is desirous to have a sure footing ; if be
EASTER TITESDAY I MASS. 233
stand on slippery ground, he is sure to be thrown. Nothing is so common now-a-days, as unstable faith, which believes as long as there is nothing to try it : but let it be put to the test, and it gives way.
One principal cause of this weakness of faith is that subtle naturalism, which now fills the atmosphere in which we live, and which it is so difficult not to imbibe. Let us earnestly pray for an invincible and supernatural faith, which may be the ruling principle of our conduct, which may never flinch, and may triumph over both our internal and external enemies. Thus shall we be able to apply to ourselves those words of the Apostle St. John : This U the victory wJiich overcometh the world, — our Faith. ^
In the Offertory, the Church speaks to us, in the words of the Royal Prophet, of the fountains of water which sprang up at the thunder of God's bidding. This voice of the Jfost High was made known to the earth by the preaching of the Apostles, and, in a special manner, by that of St. Paul. The fountains are the Baptismal Fonts, from which our Neophytes came regenerated unto life everlasting.
OFFERTORY.
The Lord thundered from Intonuit de coelo Dominus,
heaven, and the Most Hij^h et Altissimus dedit vocem
sent forth his voice : and the suam : et apparuerunt fon-
fountains of waters appeared, tes aquarum, alleluia. alleluia.
The Church prays, in the Secret, that the Sacri- fice, she is about to offer, may aid us to pass safely to that infinite glory to which Baptism first opened to us the way.
^ I St. John, V. 4,
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PASCHAL TIME.
SECRET.
Suscipe, Domine, fide- lium preces cam oblationi- bus hostiarum : ut per lisec pise devotionis officia, ad coelestem gloriam transea- mus. Per Dominum.
Eeceive, 0 Lord, we beseech thee, the prayers of the faith- ful, together with these obla- tions : that by these duties of piety they may pass to eternal life. Through, &c.
In the Communion-Anthem, we have St. Paul himself speaking to the Neophytes, and telling them what manner of life they must henceforth lead, in order to resemble their divine model, their Eisen Jesus.
COMMUNION.
Si consurrexistis cum Christo, quae sursum sunt qusorite, ubi Christus est in dextera Dei sedens, alleluia : quae sursum sunt sapite, alleluia.
If you be risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, alleluia : mind the things that are above, alleluia.
The Church makes the above words of the Apostle the subject of her concluding Prayer : she begs, that her new children, who have just partaken of the Paschal Mystery, may persevere in the New Life, of which this Holy Sacrament is the chief sup- port.
POSTCOMM UNION.
Concede, qusesumus om- nipotens Deus : ut pascha- lis perceptio Sacramenti, continua in nostris men- tibus persevoret. Per Domi-
Grant, we beseech thee, 0 Almighty God, that the virtue of the Paschal Sacrament, which we have received, may always remain in our souls. Through, &c,
I
EASTER TUESDAY I VESPERS. 235
YESPEES.
The Vespers are the same as on Easter Sunday, excepting the Maguificai Antiphon, and the Collect, which are as follows :
ANTIPHON OF THE Magnificat.
Ant. See my hands and AxT. Videte manus meas my feet, for it is I myself, et pedes meos, quia ego ipse Alleluia, alleluia. sum. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Collect is given above, in the Mass ; j^f^Qf" 228.
On the third day of the Creation, the Waters, which covered the earth, were gathered together, at the word of the Son of God, and flowed into the hollows prepared for them. The seas thus formed, the surface of the Earth became habitable for those beings that were soon to be called forth from nothing- ness. On this day, then, the Angels first beheld the place where we are to have a temporary sojourn. The time \vill come, when this very Son of God, who now separates the Waters from the Earth, will him- self inhabit it, after liaving assumed our human nature. Let us offer him our Earth, as his rightful domain, over which, as also over Heaven, all power has been given to him.' The Mozarabic Breviary gives us the following beautiful Prayer, in which are explained the mysteries hid under the text that describes this third day's creation.
CAPITULA.
O Almighty God, the Omnipotens Deus Pater, Father I who, on the third daj', qui die tertio ab infidelium
^ St. Matth. xxviii. 18.
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PASCHAL TIME.
cordibus, quasi ab inferio- ribus salsis aquis aridam id est populum. fontein lidei sitientem, segregare digna- tus es ; da nobis, ut ab infi- delium laqueis segregati, resurrectionem Filii tui prse- dicemus indubii : ut qui ter- tio ab inferis suscitatus est die, trina nos virtutum copu- latione resuscitet : quo fide, spe et charitate robusti, de seterno resurrectionis mere- amur munere consolari.
didst vouchsafe to separate the dry land from the briny waters that were on the earth, hereby prefiguring how, at a future time, thou wouldst separate the people, that thirsted after the fount of faith, from them that had unbelieving hearts : grant, that we, who are freed from, the fetters of unbelief, may proclaim, without doubt- ing, the Eesurrection of thy Son. May He, that rose from the grave on the third day, give us to rise by the union of three virtues : and that thus made strong by faith, hope, and charity, we may merit the eternal happiness of the Re- surrection.
Let us again borrow from the ancient Liturgies the formulas used in the celebration of the Easter. We find, in the Missal of the Gothic Church of Spain, this magnificent Preface ; it is an eloquent and fervent summary of all the grand things said by the Fathers regarding the Pasch.
ILLATION.
Dignum et j ustum est nos tibi semper cum Patre et Spi- ritu Sancto individua divini- tate regnanti, gratias agere, Domine Jesu Christe. Qui nos tam admirabiliter condi- disti, tam clementer redemi- sti. Non laboribus in facien- do fatigatus, nonpassionibus in redimondo consumptus. Fecit virtus potentialiter ^uos redemit piotas tq-m clo-
It is meet and just, that we should ever give thanks to thee, O Lord Jesus Chi-ist, who reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost in one undi- vided Godhead. Thou didst wonderfully create, and merci- fully redeem us. In the crea- tion, thou wast not fatigued by labour ; in the redemption, thou wast not consumed by suffering. Thy power
EASTER TUESDAY.
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powerfully made, thy mercy mercifully redeemed us. Every thing is, indeed, possible to thee, for whatsoever is in the Father and the Holy Ghost, is equally in thee, who hast nought which they have not, save the privilege of thy Human Nature. Therefore canst thou do all whatsoever thou wishest. As omnipotent, thou doest what thou wiliest to do ; as just, thou judgest all things with equity ; as mercifiil, thou crownest, with clemency, them that deserve a crown.
Though thou couldst have crushed our enemy by a single look of thy dread majesty, yet wouldst thou the rather pros- trate him by the excess of thy humility : hereby teaching us, that the princes of this air have no further power against us save that which thy Majesty permits, seeing that by the weakness of our flesh thou didst reduce to nought the haughtiness of the enemy. Verily, the proud one felt his fall the more, in that he knew it was by humility he was crushed. Thus did divine wisdom plan the overthrow of the old and crafty serpent ; he would have it to be not a vio- lent but a legal defeat ; and that, as Satan boasted that man was legally his slave, be- cause he had persuaded him to consent to the fetters, — so he might be forced, by a just judgment, to give up his prey, when he killed Him over whom he had no claim. Hence, when he made bold to put to
menter. Totum tibi est in veritate possibile, quia hoc ipsum tibi, excepto huma- nitatis privilegio, cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto est essen- tialiter coaequale. Ita tamen posse te manet, quod velle te decet. Id est ut, omnipotens, cuncta facias facienda ; Jus- tus, sequitate censeas judi- canda ; misericors, clemen- ter perficias coronanda.
Qui, cum solo majestatis terribili nutu, nostrum po- tueris conterrere vexatorem, maluisti eum humilitatis abjectione prosternere. Ex hoc magis approbans nul- 1am majestati tuce contra- riam nobis subsistere aereo- rum principum tyranni- dera, cum sic nostrorum in- firmitate membrorum om- nem inimici ad nihilum re- degeris vanitatem. Etenim superbus se ingemuit gra- vius corruisso, quando se elisum sensit ab humiUtate fuisse. Atque ideo tali divina sapientia antiqui serpentis astutiam consilio vicit, no violenter addi- ceret, sed legaliter quatere- tur. Ut qui transgressorem eo se jure possidere jactabat, quem suis consentientem persuasionibus obligaverat : sic eum justo superatus ju- dicio redderet, cum istum in quo suum nihil repere- rat occidisset. Quapropter amisit merito reum, qui
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tollentem mundi peccata crucis supplicio Agnum non timuit mortificare divinum. Disruptis igitur cruce infer- ni catenis legibusque solu- tis, ad coelos migrant cum Christo credentes in Christo. Et cruciandi permanent in inferno qui delectati sunt inviscerati diabolo.
Eediit ecce post triduum victor, ex mortuis vivus, qui ad hoc pro nobis est crucifix - us. Innumeris captivorum ovantium stipatur agmini- bus, qui passionis tempore etiam discipulorum suorum fuerat societate nudatus. Agitatur eo resurgente tre- mefacta funditus terra, quo descendente concussa sunt et inferna. Cohors militum terrenorum coelestis regis terribili regressu perculsa diffugiit, et quern dudum incluserat velut reum, jam et ipsa terribilem victa ju- dicem verum confitetur et Deum. Sanctorum corpora vivificata consurgunt : habi- taculum qaod paulisper ja- cuerat resurgit gloriosum, eodem resuscitante a quo anima derelicta in inferno non fuerat. Angeli proprio famulantur auctori ; splen- dificus universe mundo ori- tur dies.
Tripudiant inspirato ro- surrectionis die, qui mcosti- ficati fuerant passionis ejus vulnere ropontino. Agnoscit
the death of the Cross the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world, he deservedly lost the guilty one. Therefore, the bonds of hell being broken, and its laws abrogated, by the Cross, — let them that believe in Christ, pass with Christ to heaven : and let them remain to be tor- mented in hell, who put their happiness in making them- selves the devil's prey.
Lo ! Christ, after three days, has returned Conqueror and living from the grave, for unto this was he crucified for us. He that during his Passion, was deprived of the company of his Disciples, is now sur- rounded by a countless num- ber of glad captives, whom he has set free. He that made hell itself tremble when he descended, now, by his Resur- rection, makes the earth shake to its foundations. The sol- diers of earth take to flight at the return of heaven's King ; and Him, whom they had just before guarded as a guilty cap- tive, they now confess to be the terrible Judge and true God, who has conquered them. The bodies of the Saints return to life, and rise ; their earthly tabernacle, which, for a time, had lain in dust, rises glorious with Him, who permitted not the soul to abide in limbo. The Angels pay court to their Creator. A glorious day rises upon the whole earth.
Let them that mourned be- cause of the swift and bloodj^ Passion, now exult with ex- ceeding gladness on this
EASTER TUESDAY.
239
blessed day of the Resurrec- tion. The Mother recognises the Son of her womb. Mary Magdalene is rebuked by the Angel, and ceases to seek among the dead Him that is Living. Peter, accompanied by John, runs to the Sepulchre, and in the winding-sheet and cloths sees the traces of his Master, who was dead, but now is risen. The Thief, that confessed Christ to be God, is made the first possessor of Paradise. All that was pro- phesied, long ages before, of the Son of Man, is now ful- filled ; to wit, that, for our sakes, he would be delivered into the hands of sinners ; that he would be crucified and put to death ; that he would de- scend into hell with awful majesty, cast down the proud, and mercifully exalt the humble ; that, with ineffable triumph, he would rise again from the dead, and would reign together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, govern- ing all creatures with great power.
Filled with admiration at the immensity of his power, the seven standard-bearers of the heavenly kingdom send upon the earth countless hosts of bright Spirits to give him praise. Each Angel hastes to his post, paying the debt of his homage, and, humbly adoring the Flesh of the eternally triumphant King, casts at his feet, with praise, the crown of his glittering gems. The Sera- phim, who, with their six wings, veil, in reverent wor-
Mater membra quee genuit. Maria Magdalene Angelo in- crepante resipuit, ne viven- tem cum mortuis quserere debuisset. Ad monumentum Petrus cum Johanne con- currit, recentiaque in lintea- minibus defuncti et resur- gentis vestigia cernit. Latro Christum confessus posses- sor paradisi factus est pri- mitivus. Impletum est quod dictum fuerat de Filio homi- nis, tot ante ssecula prophe- tatum, ut scilicet peccatorum pro nobis manibus trade - retur : crucifigeretur, more- retur : inferna terribiliter penetraret, superbos dej ice- ret, humiles misericorditer exaltaret : cum triumpho inenarrabili a mortuis re- surgeret, et cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto omnipoten- tialiter cunctis dominando regnaret.
Cujus virtutis immensi- tate permoti, etiam septem vexilla regia beatorum in- numeras lucifluarum mittit plebium catervas ad lau- dem, ac suum quisque pio pnuveniens officio locum, debitum exsolvit, caruem triumphantis Eegis per sevum submisseque ado- rat, et glorificatis vultibus Agnum, suasque rutilanti- bus gemmis eximias pra'fert cum laude coronas. Sera- phim quoque divina3 sedis
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PASCHAL TIME.
terribilem thro num., alainim triiio tegmine velant sui famulatus, unum te fatendo cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto Deum trinse confessionis prseconio declarandum, in sede siderea permanentem regnantemque in saecula sseculorum, incessabili ju- gitate dicuut : Sandus, Sane- tus, Sanctus !
ship, the awful throne of the Godhead ; who, by their triple hymn of praise, confess thee to be one God with the Father and the Holy Ghost, and ac- knowledge thee as the King that reigns for ever and ever, on the throne of heaven ; — they, also, say in ceaseless song : Holy, Holy, Holy !
We subjoin to this Mozarabic Preface a Hymn taken from the Roman-French Missal of the Middle Ages. It was a favourite Easter Hymn with the people of those days ; and though somewhat un- polished, is full of vigour. The chant that accom- panied it, and which would fatigue any singer of modern times, is, in spite of its occasional want of smoothness, very melodious and expressive.
SEQUENCE.
Fulgens prseclara Rutilat per orbem Hodie dies in qua Christi lucida Narrantur ovanter praslia.
De hoste superbo Quern Christus triumpha- vit pulchre, Castra Illius perimens teterrima.
Infelix culpa Ev?e, Qua caruimus omnes vita.
Felix proles Marise, Qua epulamur modo una.
Benedicta
Sit celsa
Regina ilia, Generans regem Spoliantem tartara,
Now shines through the world the bright fair Day, whereon are triumphantly told the splendid combats of Christ.
He gloriously conquered the haughty enemy, and routed his most wicked hosts.
Unhappy sin of Eve, where- by we were all deprived of Hfe!
Happy the fruit of Mary, whereon we all now feed together !
Blessed be that noble Queen,
The Mother of the King, who robbed hell of its prey,
EASTER TUESDAY.
24 i
And now reigns in heaven above I
0 Eternal King I graciously receive the hymns we devoutly sing to thee.
Thou sittest on the right hand of thy Father.
Universal Conqueror ! thou didst vanquish death, and en- ter into the joys of heaven.
O mercy of Christ I how great, how sublime, how beau- tiful, how sweet, how tender art thou I
Praise, honour and power be to thee, that didst lighten our heavy weight of old I
Purchased by the Blood of the infinitely merciful Lamb, the Church glittei*s with the ruby flowers of her redemp- tion.
He, who by his mighty power, washed away our sins, loads us with precious gifts.
Bewildered in my admira- tion of this Day's wonders, I am unworthy to proclaim its great mysteries.
Son of David I Child of the tribe of Juda ! Thou didst rise in glor}', a Lion in strength.
Thou wast seen on earth as a gentle Lamb.
It was thou that, in the beginning, didst create the world .
Thou hast ascended to the kingdom above :
And there thou mercifully
Pollentem Jam in frthera.
Rex in seteriium, Suscipe benignus Pr?econia nostra Sedule tibi canentia.
Patris sedens ad dexte-
ram. Victor ubique, Morte superata, Polorum possidens Gaudia. 0 magna, 0 celsa, O pulchra dementia Christi melliflua, 0 alma. Laus tibi honorque ac virtus. Qui nostram antiquam Leviasti sarcinam.
Eoseo cruore Agni benignissimi Empta, Florida Micat hoec aula.
Potenti virtute nostra Qui lavit facinora, Tribuit dona fulgida.
Stupens valde in mem^t, Jam miror hodierna,
Tanta Indignus paudere Modo sacramenta. Stirpe Davidica Ortus de tribu Juda, Leo potens surrexisti in gloria. Agnus visus es in terra.
Fundans olim arva :
Regna petens supera : Justis reddens priemia.
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PASCHAL TIME.
In ssecula Dignanter ovantia.
Die impie Zabule, Quid valet nunc fraus tua ?
Igneis nexus loris A Christi victoria.
Tribus, linguae, admi- ramini : Quis audivit talia Miracula ? Ut mors mortem sic su- peraret : Eei perciperent talem gra- tiam ? Judaea incredula, Cur manes adhuc invere- cunda ? Respice christicolas, Qualiter Iseti canunt inclyta Eedemptori carmina.
Ergo pie Eex Christe, Nobis laxans crimina, Solve nexorum vincula.
Electorum agmina Pac tecum resurgere Ad beatam gloriam, Digna rependens merita. Amen.
rewardest the just with the rewards of everlasting joy.
Say, Satan, thou wicked spirit, what now hath thy craft profited thee ?
The victory of Christ has bound thee fast in fetters of fire.
0 ye tribes and nations, be astounded I Who hath heard of miracles like these ?
That death should so con- quer death ? That criminals should receive favour like unto this ?
0 incredulous Jew ! hast thou no shame, that thou canst continue so ?
See how the Christians re- joice, singing to the Redeemer their holy hymns.
Therefore, 0 Jesus, our merciful King ! forgive us our sins, loosen our fetters.
Grant that thy elect may rise with thee to heavenly glory, and to their just merits give recompense. Amen.
[
WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 243
WEDNESDAY IN EASTEE WEEK.
This i3 the day which the Haec dies, quam fecit Do- Lord hath made : Let us be minus : exsultemus, et Isete- glad and rejoice therein. mur in ea.
The hebrow word Pasch signifies Passage^ and we explained, yesterday, how this great Day first became sacred by reason of the Lord's Passover. But there is another meaning which attaches to the word, as we learn from the early Fathers, and the Jewish Rabbins. The Pasch is, moreover, the Passage of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. These three great facts really happened on one and the same night : — the banquet of the Lamb, the death of the first-born of the Egyptians, and the departure from Egypt. Let us, to-day, consider how this third figure is a further development of our Easter Mystery.
The day of Israel's setting forth from Egypt for his predestined country of the Promised Land, is the most important in his whole history : but, both the departure itself, and the circumstances that at- tended it, were types of future realities to be fulfilled in the Christian Pasch. The people of God was delivered from an idolatrous and tyrannical country : in otir Pasch, they, who are now our Neophytes, have courageously emancipated themselves from the slavish sway of Satan, and have solemnly renounced the pomps and works of this haughty Pharaoh.
On their road to the Promised Land, the Israelites had to pass through a Sea of Water ; their doing so was a necessity, both for their protection against
244 PASCHAL TIME.
Pharaoh's army, which was pursuing them, and for their entering into the land of milk and honey. Our Neophytes, too, after renouncing the tyrant who had enslaved them, had to go thi'ough that same saving element of Water, in order to escape their fierce enemies ; it carried them safe into the Land of their hopes, and stood as a rampart to defend them against invasion.
By the goodness of God, that Water, which is an obstacle to man's pursuing his way, was turned into an ally for Israel's march ; the laws it had from nature were suspended, and it became the saviour of Grod's people. In like manner, the sacred Font, — which, as the Church told us on the Feast of the Epiphany, is made an instrument of divine grace, — has become the refuge and fortress of our happy Neophytes ; their passing through its Waters has put them out of reach of the tyrant's grasp.
Having reached the opposite shore, the Israelites see Pharaoh and his army, their shields and their chariots buried in the Sea. When our Neophytes looked at the holy Font, from which they had risen to the life of grace, they loved it as the tomb where their sins, enemies worse than Pharoah and his minions, lay buried for ever.
Then did the Israelites march cheerfully on towards the Land that Grod had promised to give them. During the journey, they will have God as their Teacher and Lawgiver ; they will have their thirst quenched by fountains springing up from a rock in the desert ; they will be fed on Manna sent each day from heaven. Our Neophytes, too, will run on, un- fettered, to the heavenly country, their Promised Land. They will go through the desert of this world, uninjured by its miseries and dangers, for the divine Lawgiver will teach them, not amidst thunder and lightning, as he did when he gave his Law to the Israelites, but with persuasive words of gentlest
WEDNESDAY IN EASTER AVEEK. 245
love, spoken with that sweet manner which set on fire the hearts of the two disciples of Emmaus. Springs of water shall refresh them at every turn, yea of that Living Water which Jesus, a few weeks back, told the Samaritan Woman should be given to them that adore him in spirit and in truth. And lastly, a heavenly Manna shall be their food, strengthening and delighting them, — a Manna far better than that of old, for it will give them im- mortahty.
So that our Pasch means all this : it is a Passing, through Water, to the Land of Promise, but with a reality and truth which the Israelites only had under the veil of types, sublime indeed and divine, but only types. Let then our Passover from the death of original sin to the life of grace, by holy Baptism, be a great feast-day with us. This may not be the anniversary of our Baptism ! it matters not ; let us fervently celebrate our ej-odus from the Egypt of the world into the Christian Church ; let us, with glad and grateful hearts, renew our Baptismal Engage- ments, which made our God so liberal in his gifts to us : let us renounce Satan, and all his works, and all his pomps.
The Apostle of the Grentiles tells us of another mystery of the Waters of Baptism ; it gives comple- tion to all we have been saying, and equally forms part of our Pasch. He teaches us, that we were hidden beneath this Water, as was Christ in his Tomb ; and that we then died, and were buried, together with Him.^ It was the death of our life of sin : that we might live to God, we had to die to sin. When we think of the holy Font where we were regenerated, let us call it the Tomb, wherein we buried the Old Ma)i, who was to have no resurrection. Baptism by immersion, — which was the ancient inodQ
* I(om.|yi. 4-
246 PASCHAL TIME.
of administering the Sacrament, and is still used in some countries, — was expressive of this spiritual burial : the Neophyte was made to disappear heneath the Water, — he was dead to his former life, as our buried Jesus was to his mortal life. But, as our Bedeemer did not remain in the Tomb, but rose again to a new life, so likewise, says the Apostle,^ they who are baptised rise again with him when they come from the Font ; they bear on them the pledges of immortality and glory, and are the true and living Members of that Head, who dieth now no more. Here, again, is our Pasch, — our Passage from death to life.
At Bome, the Station is in the Basilica of Saint Laurence outside the Walls. It is looked upon as the most important of the many Churches built by Rome in honour of her favourite Martyr, whose body lies under the High Altar. Hither were the Neophytes led to-day, that they might learn, from the example of so brave and generous a soldier of Christ, how courageous they should be in confessing their faith, and how faithful in living up to their Baptismal promises. For several centuries, the reception of Baptism was a preparation for Martyrdom ; but, at all times, it is an enlisting ourselves in the service of Christ, which we cannot leave without incurring the guilt and penalty of traitors.
MASS.
The Introit is composed of those words, which the Son of God will speak to his elect, at the Last Judgment, when calling them into his Kingdom. The Church applies them to the Neophytes, and thus raises up their thoughts to that eternal happiness,
» Coloss, ii. 12.
WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK ! MASS. 247
the remembrance of which supported the Martyrs in their sufferings.
INTROIT.
Come, ye blessed of my Venite, benedicti Patris Father, possess the kingdom, mei ; percipite regnum, alle- alleluia : which hath been pre- luia : quod vobis paratum pared for you from the begin- est ab origine mundi. Alie- ning of the world. Alleluia, luia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Fs. Sing to the Lord a new Ps. Cantate Domino can- song : sing to the Lord all the ticum novum : cantate Do- earth. If. Glory, &c. Come, mino omnis terra, f. Gloria &c. Patri. Yenite.
In the Collect, the Church reminds her Children, that the Feasts of the holy Liturgy are a means of our coming to the eternal Feasts of Heaven. It is with this truth and hope before us, that we have drawn up our Liturgical Year. We must, therefore, 80 celebrate our Easter of time, as to deserve to be admitted into the joys of the eternal Easter.
COLLECT.
0 God, who by the yeariy Deus qui nos resurrectio-
solemnity of the Resurrection nis Dominicae annua solem-
of our Lord, fiUest us ■v^'ith nitate Isetificas : concede
joy ; mercifully grant, that, propitius, ut per temporalia
by these temporal festivals festa quae agimus, pervenire
which we celebrate, we may ad gaudia aetema mereamur.
at last come to the possession Per eumdem. of those joys that are eternal. Through the same, &c.
To this the Church, during this week, adds one or other of the following Collects :
Against the persecutors of the Church.
Mercifully hear, we beseech Ecclesise tuae, quaesumus thee, O Lord, the prayers of Domine, preces placatus ad- thy Church : that, all opposi- mitte : ut, destructis adver^
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PASCHAL TIME.
sitatibus et erroribus uni- versis, secura tibi serviat libertate. Per Dominum.
tions and errors being re- moved, she may serve thee, with a secure liberty. Through &c.
For the Pope.
Deus, omnium fidelium Pastor et Eector, famulum tuum N. quem Pastorem Ecclesise tuse prseesse vo- luisti, propitius respice : da ei, qusesumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus prseest, proficere ; ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito per- veniat sempiternam. Per Dominum.
0 God, the Pastor and Euler of all the faithful, look down in thy mercy on thy servant N., whom thou hast appointed Pastor over thj' Church : and grant, we beseech thee, that both by word and example, he may edify all those that are under his charge ; and with the flock intrusted to him, ar- rive at length at eternal hap- piness. Through, tfcc.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Actuum Apostolo- rum.
Cap. III.
In diebus illis : Aperiens Petrus OS suum, dixit : Viri Israelitse, et qui timetis Deum, audite : Deus Abra- ham, et Deus Isaac, et Deus Jacob, Deus Patrum nostro- rum glorificavit Filium su- um Jesum, quem vos qui- dem tradidistis, et negastis ante faciem Pilati, judicante illo dimitti. Vos autem sanctum et justum negastis, et petistis virum homicidam donari vobis : auctorem ve- ro vita) interfecistis, quem Deus suscitavit a mortuis, cujus nos testes sumus. Et nunc fratres, scio quia per ignoranti^^m fecistis, sicut
Lesson from the Acts of the Apostles.
Ch. III.
In those days : Peter open- ing his mouth, said : Ye men of Israel, and ye who fear God, give ear. The God of Abiaham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus, whom you indeed delivered up and denied him before the face of Pilate, when he judged he should be released. But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a mur- derer to be granted unto j'ou. But the Author of Life you killed, whom God hath raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. And now,
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brethren, I know that you et principes vestri. Deus
did it through ignorance as autem, qu?e praenuntiavit
did also your rulers. But per os omnium Prophe-
those things which God before tarum, pati Christum suum,
had shewed by the mouth of sic implevit. Poenitemini
all the prophets, that his igitur, et conyertimini, ut
Christ should suffer, he hath deleantur peccata vestra. so fulfilled. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.
To-day, again, we have the Prince of the Apostles proclaiming, in Jerusalem, the Eesurrection of the Man-Grod. On this occasion, he was accompanied by St. John, and had just worked his first miracle, of curing the lame man, near one of the gates of the Temple. The people had crowded round the two Apostles, and St. Peter preached to them ; it was the second time he had spoken in public. His first sermon brought three thousand to receive Baptism ; the one of to-day, five thousand. Truly did the Apostle exer- cise, on these two occasions, his office of Fischer of Men, which our Lord gave him when he first called him to be his Disciple. Let us admire the charity, where- with St. Peter bids the Jews acknowledge Jesus as their Messias. These are the very men who have denied him ; and yet the Apostle, by partially excus- ing their crime, on the score of ignorance, encourages them to hope for pardon. They clamoured for the death of Jesus, in the days of his voluntary weakness and humiliation ; — let them, now that he is glorified, acknowledge him as their Messias and King, and, their sin shall be forgiven. In a word, let them humble themselves, and they shall be saved. Thus did God call unto himself those who were of a good will, and an upright heart ; thus does he, also, in these our days. There were some in Jerusalem who cor- responded to the call ; but the far greater number refused to follow it. It is the same now. Let us
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earnestly beseech our Lord that the nets of his Fish- ermen may be filled, and the Paschal Banquet be crowded with guests.
GRADUAL.
Hsec dies quam fecit Do- minus: exsultemus, etlsete- mur in ea.
^ . Dextera Domini fecit virtutem, dextera Domini exaltavit me. Alleluia, alle- luia.
y . Surrexit Dominus vere, et apparuit Petro.
This is tlie day wliicli the Lord hath made : let us be glad and rejoice therein.
^. The right hand of the Lord hath wrought strength : the right hand of the Lord hath exalted me. Alleluia, alleluia.
J^. The Lord hath truly risen, and hath appeared to Peter.
The Sequence, Vidimce Paschali^ page 164.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum J oannem.
Cap. XXI. In illo tempore : Manifes- tavit se iterum Jesus disci- pulis ad mare Tiberiadis. Manifestavit autem sic. Erant simul Simon Petrus, et Thomas, qui dicitur Didy- mus, et Nathanael, qui erat a Cana Galilsese, et filii Zebedsei, et alii ex discipu- lis ejus duo. Dicit eis Simon Petrus: Vadopiscari. Dicunt ei : Venimus et nos tecum. Et exierunt, et ascenderunt in navim : et ilia nocto nihil prendiderunt. Mane autem facto, stetit Jesus in lit- tore : non tamen cognove- runt discipuli quia Jesus est. Pixit ergo eis Jesus ; Pueri,
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to John.
C/i. XXI.
At that time : Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples, at the sea of Tiberias. And he shewed himself after this manner. There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas, who is called Didymus, and Na- thaniel, who was of Cana in Galilee, and the Sons of Zebe- dee, and two others of his dis- ciples. Simon Peter saith to them : I go a fishing. They say to him : We also come with thee. And they went forth, and entered into the ship ; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore : yet the disciples knew
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251
not that it was Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them : Chil- dren, have you any meat ? They answered him : No. He saith to them : Cast the net on the right side of the ship ; and you shall find. They cast there- fore : and now they are not able to draw it for the multi- tude of fishes. That disciple therefore whom Jesus loved, said to Peter : It is the Lord. Simon Peter, when he heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea. But the other disci- ples came in the ship, (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hun- dred cubits) dragging the net with fishes. As soon then as they came to land, they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid
thereon, and bread. Jesus
saith to them : Bring hither of
the fishes which you have now
caught. Simon Peter went up,
and drew the net to land, full
of great fishes, one hundred
and fifty three. And although
there were so many, the net
was not broken. Jesus saith
to them ; Come, and dine. And
none of them who were at
meat, durst ask him : Who art
thou \ knowing that it was the
Lord. And Jesus cometh and
taketh bread, and giveth them,
and fish in like manner. This
is now the third time that
Jesus was manifested to his
disciples, after he was risen
from the dead.
Jesus had shown himself to all his Apostles, on the Sunday evening : he repeated his visit to them,
numquid pulmentarium ha- betis ? Kesponderunt ei : Non. Dicit eis : Mittite in dexteram navigii rete, et in- venietis. Miserunt ergo : et jam non valebant illud trahere prse multitudine piscium. Dixit ergo disci - pulus ille, quem diligebat Jesus, Petro : Dominus est. Simon Petrus cum audisset quia Dominus est, tunica succinxit se (erat enim nu- dus) et misit se in m are. Alii autem discipuli navigio vene - runt (non enim longe erant a terra, sed quasi cubitis ducentis) : trahentes rete piscium. Ut ergo descende- runtinterram, videruntpru- nas positas, et piscem super- positum, et panem. Dicit eis Jesus : Afferte de piscibus quos prendidistis nunc. Ascendit Simon Petrus : et traxit rete in terram, ple- num magnis piscibus cen- tum quinquaginta tribus. Et cum tanti essent, non est scissumrete. Dicit eis Jesus: Yenito, prandete. Et nemo audebat discumbentium in- terrogare eum : Tu quis es ? scientes quia Dominus est. Et venit Jesus, et accipit pa- nem, et dat eis, et piscem similiter. Hoc jam tertio manifestatus est discipulis suis cum resurrexisset a mortuis.
252 PASCHAL TIME.
eight days after, as we shall see further on. The Gospel for to-day tells us of a third apparition, where- with seven of the eleven were favoured. It took place on the shore of Lake Grenesareth, which, on ac- count of its size, was called the Sea of Tiberias, The seven are delighted beyond measure at seeing their divine Master ; he treats them with affectionate fami- liarity, and provides them with a repast. John was the first to recognise Jesus ; nor can we be surprised : his purity gave keen perception to the eye of his soul, as it is written : Blessed are the clean of hearty for they shall see God} Peter threw himself from the ship, that he might the quicker reach his Lord. His natural impetuosity shows itself here as on so many other occasions ; but in this impetuosity, we see that he loved Jesus more than his fellow-disciples did. But let us attentively consider the other mys- teries of our Gospel.
The seven Disciples are fishing ; — it is the Church working out her apostolate. Peter is the master- fisherman ; it belongs to him to decide when and where the nets are to be thrown. The other six Apostles unite with him in the work, and Jesus is with them all, looking upon their labour, and direct- ing it, for whatever is got by it is all for Him. The Fish are the Faithful, for, as we have already had occasion to remark, the Christian was often called by this name in the early ages. It was the Font, it was Water, that gave him his christian life. Yester- day, we were considering how the Israelites owed their safety to the Waters of the Ped Sea ; and our Gospel for to-day speaks of a Passover, — a Passing from Genesareth's Waters to a Banquet prepared by Jesus. There is a mystery, too, in the number of the Fishes that were taken ; but what is it that is signified by these hundred and fifty-three, we shall
» St. Matth. V. 8,
WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 253
perhaps never know, until the day of Judgment reveals the secret. We doubt not but that they denote the number of tribes or nations of the human race, that are to be gradually led, by the apostolate of the Church, to the Grospel of Christ : but, once more, — till God's time is come, the book must remain sealed.
Having reached the shore, the Apostles surround their beloved Master, and lo ! he has prepared them a repast, — Bread, and a Fish lying on hot coals. This Fish is not one of those they themselves have caught : they are to partake of it, now that they have come from the water. The early Christians thus interpret the mystery : the Fish represents Christ, who was made to suffer the cruel torments of the Passion, and whose love of us was the fire that consumed him : and he became the divine Food of them that are regenerated by Water. We have elsewhere remarked, that, in the primitive Church, the Greek word for Fish {Ikthus) was venerated as a sacred symbol, inasmuch as the letters of this word formed the initials of the titles of our Redeemer.^
But Jesus would unite, in the one repast, both the divine Fish, which is Himself, and those other Fishes, which represent all mankind, and have been drawn out of the Water in Peter's net. The Paschal Feast has the power to effect, by Love, an intimate and substantial union between the Food and the Guests, between the Lamb of God and the other Lambs who are his Brethren, between the divine Fish and those others that he has associated to himself by the closest ties of fellowship. They, like him, have been offered in sacrifice ; they follow him in suffer- ing and in glory. Witness the great Deacon Laurence, around whose tomb the Faithful are now assembled. He was made like to his divine Master, when he was
^ See our volume of Lent, page 331.
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PASCHAL TIME.
burnt to death on his red-hot gridiron ; he is now sharing with him, in an eternal Pasch, the glories of his Jesus' victory, and the joys of his infinite happi- ness.
The Offertory is formed from the words of the Psalm, which commemorate the Manna that heaven gave to the Israelites, after they had passed through the Bed Sea. But the new Manna is as far superior to the old, which only nourished the body, as our Baptismal Font, which washes away our sins, is grander than the mighty waves, which swallowed up Pharoah and his army.
OFFERTORY.
Portas coeli aperuit Do- minus : et pluit illis man- na, ut ederent : panem coeli dedit eis : panem Angelo- rum manducavit homo, al- leluia.
The Lord opened the gates of heaven, and rained down manna for them to eat : he gave them the bread of heaven : man hath eaten the bread of Angels, alleluia.
In the Secret, the Church speaks, in glowing terms, of the heavenly Bread that feeds us, and is the Vic- tim of our Paschal Sacrifice.
SECRET.
Sacrificia, Domine, pas- chalibus gaudiis immola- mus : quibus Ecclesia tua mirabiliter et pascitur et nutritur. Per Dominum.
We offer thee, 0 Lord, with joy, these Paschal sacrifices, wherewith thy Church is won- derfully fed and nourished. Through, &c.
To this, the Church, during this week, adds one or other of the following Secrets :
Against the persecutors of the Church.
Protege nos^ Domine, Protect us, 0 Lord, while we tuis mysteriis servientos : assist at thy sacred mysteries :
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that being employed in acts of ut divinis rebus inbserentes,
religion, we may serve thee et corpore tibi famulemur
both in body and mind, et mente. Per Dominum. Through, &c.
For the Pope.
Be appeased, 0 Lord, with Oblatis, quaesumus, Do- the offering we have made : mine, placare muneribus : and cease not to protect thy et famiilum tuum N. quem servant N., whom thou hast Pastorem Ecclesise tuae prse- been pleased to appoint Pas- esse voluisti, assidua pro- tor over thy Church. Through, tectione guberna. Per Domi- &c. num.
Our Lord says : This is the Bread which cometh doicn from heaven ; that if any man eat of it, he may not die} In the Communion- Anthem we have the Apostle telling us, that Christ, rising from the dead, dieth note no more. These two texts tell us the effect produced, in our souls, by the Holy Eucharist : — we eat an immortal Food, and it communicates to us its own undying Life.
COMMUNION.
Christ rising from the dead, Christus resurgens ex
dieth now no more, alleluia : mortuis, jam nou moritur,
death shall no more have do- alleluia : mors illi ultra non
minion over him. Alleluia, dominabitur. Alleluia, al-
alleluia. leluia.
In the Postcommunion, the Church prays for us, that we may receive the effects of the divine Food, of which we have just partaken ; she prays that it may purify us, and substitute the new principle, (which is in our Risen Jesus,) for the old one that was in us.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Ab omni nos, quaesumus Lord, that being cleansed from Domine, vetustate purga-
^ St. John, \-i. 50.
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PASCHAL TIME.
tos, Sacramenti tui vene- randa perceptio in novam transferat creaturam. Qui vivis.
the old leaven, the receiving thy venerable Sacrament may transform us into a new crea- ture. Who livest, &c.
To this the Church, during this week, adds one or other of the following Postcommunions :
Against the persecutors of the Church.
Qusesumus, Domine Deus noster : ut quos divina tri- buis participatione gaude- re, humanis non sinas sub- jacere periculis. Per Do- minum.
We beseech thee, 0 Al- mighty God, not to leave ex- posed to the dangers of hu- man life, those whom thou hast permitted to partake of these divine mysteries. Through, &c.
For the Pope.
Hsec nos, qusesumus, Do- mine, divini Sacramenti perceptio protegat : et fa- mulum tuum N. quem Pas- torem Ecclesise tuse prseesse voluisti, una cum commisso sibi grege salvet semper et muuiat. Per Dominum.
May the participation of this divine Sacrament protect us, we beseech thee, 0 Lord : and always procure safety and defence to thy servant N., whom thou hast appointed Pastor over thy Church, to- gether with the flock commit- ted to his charge. Through, &c.
BLESSING OF THE AqHUS Dei.
The Wednesday of Easter "Week is the day set apart, at Kome, for the Blessing of the Agnus Dei. This ceremony is performed by the Pope, the first and every seventh year of his pontificate. The Agnus Dei are discs of wax, on which are stamped, on one side, the image of the Lamb of Grod, and on the other that of some Saint. The custom of blessing them at Eastertide, is very ancient. We find traces of it in the Liturgy, even so far back as the 7th century.
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WEDNESDAY IN EASTER 'WEEK. 257
When, in the year 1544, they opened at Rome, the tomb of the Empress Mary, — the wife of Honorius and daughter of Stilico, who died before the middle of the 5th century, — there was found in it an Agnus Dei, resembling those now blessed by the Pope.
It is, therefore, incorrect to state, as some authors have done, that the Agnus Dei originated at the time when the administration of Baptism at Easter fell into disuse, and that they were meant as symbols commemorative of the ancient rite. There is very little doubt, but that, at Rome, each Neophyte used to receive an Agnus Dei from the Pope, on Holy Saturday. We may, then, rightly conclude, — and the conclusion is confirmed by the fact just men- tioned, regarding the tomb of the Empress Mary, — that the solemn administration of Baptism and the blessing of the Agnus Dei were contemporaneous, at least for a certain period.
The Agnus Dei are made from the Paschal Candle of the previous year ; of course, a great quantity of other wax is added to it. Formerly, it was the custom to pour in some drops of the Holy Chrism. In the Middle-Ages, the wax was prepared and stamped by the subdeacons and acolytes of the Pope's Palace : the Cistercian Monks of the Monastery of St. Bernard, in Rome, have now that honour.
The ceremony takes place in one of the Rooms of the Pontifical Palace. A large vase of Holy Water is prepared ; and the Pope, standing near it, recites the following prayer :
0 Lord God, Alnughty Father, Creator of the elements, Preserver of mankind, Author of grace and eternal salvation ! who badest the rivers, that flowed from Paradise, to water the whole earth I O thou, whose Only- Begotten Son walked dry-shod on the waters, and in the same was baptised, who also gave forth from his most sacred Side Water mingled with Blood, and commanded his Disciples to baptise all nations ; be merciful unto us, and pour forth thy blessing
9
258 PASCHAL TIME.
upon us who celebrate all these wonders ; that thus, the creatures which we are about to plunge into this Water , may be blessed and sanctified by thee, and that the honour and veneration, which shall be shown to them, may draw down upon us, thy servants, the forgiveness of sins, pardon and grace, and finally life eternal together with thy saints and elect.
After this, the Pontiff pours Balm and Holy Chrism into the Water, beseeching Grod to sanctify it for the purpose to which it is now to be used. He then turns towards the baskets, which hold the waxen tablets, and recites this prayer :
0 God, the Author of all sanctification, and whose good- ness is ever with us ; thou who, when Abraham, the father of our faith, was preparing to slay his son Isaac, in obedience to thy commands, didst will him to consummate his sacrifice by offering up the ram that was entangled in the briers : thou who didst prescribe, through thy seiwant Moses, the yearly sacrifice of the spotless lambs ; deign, we pray thee, to bless and sanctify, by the invocation of thy holy Name, these forms of wax, which bear the impress of the most innocent Lamb ; that by their contact and presence, the Faithful may be incited to pray, storms and tempests be driven away, and the wicked spirits put to flight by the virtue of the holy Cross hereon marked, before which every knee bends, and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ, having conquered death on the gibbet of the Cross, now reigneth in the glory of God the Father. He it is who, when led to death, as a sheep to slaughter, offered unto thee his Father, the sacrifice of his own Body, that he might bring back the lost sheep that had been led astray by the devil's fraud, and carry it, on his shoulders, to the fold of heaven.
0 Almighty and Eternal God, the institutor of the ceremonies and sacrifices of the Law I who didst deign to turn away thine anger from sinful man, as often as he offered victims of propitiation unto thee : who didst graciously accept the sacrifices made by Abel, Melchisedech, Abraham, Moses, and Aaron, which sacrifices were indeed but figures, yet, by thy blessing, were made holy and pro- fitable to them that humbly offered them ; grant, we beseech thee, that as the innocent Lamb, Jesus Christ, thy Son, when immolated, at thy will, on the altar of the Cross,
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delivered our first parent from the power of the devil, so may these spotless lambs, which we present to thy divine Majesty for a blessing, be endued with power unto good. Deign to bless them, to sanctify them, to consecrate them, to give them the power to protect those who devoutly carry them against the malice of demons, against tempests, pesti- lence, sickness, fire, and enemies ; and make them efficacious in protecting the mother and her child, in the dangers of travail. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord.
After these prayers, the Pope girds himself with a cloth, and sits near the vessel of Holy Water. The ministers bring him the Agnus Dei, which he plunges into the Water, in imitation of the baptism of the Neophytes. The Prelates, who are present, take them from the Water, and place them upon tables, covered with white linen. Then the Pontiff rises, and says the following prayer :
0 Holy Spirit ! who makest the Waters fruitful, and usest them as the instrument of thy greatest mysteries ; who didst take away their bitterness, and give them sweetness ; and, sanctifying them by thy breathing, dost employ them for washing away all sins, by the invocation of the Holy Trinity ; vouchsafe to bless, sanctify, and consecrate these lambs that have been cast into the holy water, and have imbibed of the balm and holy Chrism. May they receive power from thee against the efforts of the devil's malice ; may they who wear them abide in safety ; may they have nought to fear from danger ; may the wickedness of men have no power to hurt them ; and do thou mercifully be their strength and conso- lation.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God I who art the innocent Lamb, the Priest and the Victim ; whom the Prophets called the Vine and the Corner Stone ; who didst redeem us by thy Blood, and, with that same, didst sign our hearts and foreheads, that the enemy, when passing our dwellings, might not reek his anger upon us ; who art the spotless Lamb, offered in ceaseless sacrifice ; who art the Paschal Lamb, become, under the sacramental species, the remedy and salvation of our souls : who guidest us across the sea of this present life to the resurrection and glory of eternity : deign, we beseech thee, to bless, sanctify, and consecrate these spotless lambs, which, in thy honour, we have formed out of virgin wax, and have impregnated with
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holy water, and sacred balm and Chrism, intending hereby to commemorate thy being divinely conceived by the opera- tion of the Holy Ghost. Protect those that wear them from fire and lightning, and tempests, and every adversity ; grant them to be a safeguard to mothers in the pains of childbirth, as thou didst assist thine own when she gave thee birth. And as thou, heretofore, didst save Susanna from her false accusers, and the blessed martyr and virgin Thecla from tor- ture, and Peter from his prison chains ; so, now, vouchsafe to deliver us from the dangers of this world, and give us to merit life eternal with thee.
The Agnus Dei are then respectfully taken, and kept for the solemn distribution to be made on the following Saturday. It is not difficult to see how this ceremony bears on the Pasch ; the Paschal Lamb is frequently mentioned, and the plunging these sacred images into the Water is an evident allusion to the administration of Baptism, which, for so many centuries, was a prominent feature of the Easter Octave. The Prayers, which we have somewhat abridged in our translation, are not of a very ancient date ; still, the rite which accompanies them, refers implicitly to Baptism. As we have already remarked, the custom of blessing the Agnus Dei was observed several centuries before the abolition of the solemn administration of Baptism at Easter ; and is an ad- ditional proof of the fervent devotion wherewith the Church has ever honoured the mystery of the Lamb at Eastertide.
On account of their sublime symbolism, their being blessed by the Sovereign Pontiff, and the solemnity of their rite, the Agnus Del are considered as one of the most venerated objects of Catholic piety. They are sent from the Holy City to every part of the world. The faith of those who respectfully keep them in their houses, or wear them, has frequently been rewarded by miracles. During the pontificate of St. Pius the Fifth, the Tiber overflowed its banks, and threatened destruction to several quarters of the
WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 261
City : an Agnus Dei was thrown into the river, and the water immediately receded. This miracle, which was witnessed by several thousands of the inhabi- tants, was brought forward in the process of the Beatification of this great Pontiff.
On this the fourth day, were created the sun, the glorious type of the Incarnate Word ; the moon, the symbol of Mary's loveliness,^ and of the Church, which reflects the light of the Sun of Justice ; and the stars, which, by their number and beauty, are an image of the bright countless host of God's elect. Let us glorify the Son of Grod, the author of all these wondrous works of nature and grace ; and with hearts full of gratitude towards Him, who has thus cheered us with all this magnificent light, let us unite in the Prayer offered to him, to-day, by the Gothic Church of Spain.
CAPITULA.
Behold, O Lord, we cole- Ecce, Domino, vesperum
brate, with lights brightly quarti diei hujus officiosis
burning, the evening Office of luminaribus frequentamus,
this fourth daj', whereon, by in quo luminari in finna-
thy setting lights in the firma- mento coeli constituens, qua-
ment of heaven, thou didst si in solidamento leo:is in-
deign to give us a figure of figens, quatuor videlicet
the four Gospels, which are Evangelistarum una te voce
established on the foundation canentium corda illustrare
of the Law, and whose concor- dignatus es : quo te in qua-
dant testimony of thee is a tuor mundi partes et mortem
light to our hearts. They all pro nobis gustasse, et a
unite in telling, through the mortuis resurrexisse, unitis
four parts of the world, that vocibus nuntiarent : te ergo
thou didst suffer death for our potimus, teque rogamus, ut
sakes, and didst rise again in hujus vitio prsofulgeat
from the dead. We, there- gratia, ut resurrecturi me-
» Cant. vi. 9.
262
PASCHAL TIME.
reamur pertingere ad coro- nam.
fore, pray and beseech thee, that we may so shine with grace in this life, as to deserve a crown when the day of our resurrection comes.
We take from the Missal of the same Church the following beautiful allocution in which are celebrated the mysteries of the miraculous draught of fish, men- tioned in to-day's Grospel.
MASS.
Procellosum mare fluc- tuantis ssecuh transeuntes, Hgnum crucis fiduciahter ascendamus, et secundis Sancti Spiritus flatibus vela fidei committamus. Super Uttus namque Christusassis- tens gloriosam sine macula Ecclesiam figuravit, quando magnis piscibus indisrup- tum rete complevit. Nee a parte dextera jussit deviare navigium, quod tunc solo- rum bonorum portendebat indicium. Subsequamur igi- tur, sacramenti admirabihs veritatem diligentes ac te- nentes principahter unita- tem. NuUus ad schismata nefanda prosihat, vel domi- nica retia nee dum Uttori prsesentantur abrumpat. Ut connumerati inter mysticos pisces, cibus esse Domini qui nos ex profundo est dig- natus eruere mereamur, et specialiter membra ejus ef- fecti, sacrificiis salutaribus expiemur.
Having to pass over the stormy sea of the world, let us confidently mount upon the wood of the Cross, and spread the sails of our faith to the favourable breathings of the Holy Ghost. Christ stood upon the shore, and gave us a vision of his glorious and unwrinkled Church, when he filled the net with great fishes, and yet was it not broken. He bade them not to leave the right side, because, under this figure, he would signify the good alone. Let us, therefore, follow and love the truth of this admirable mystery, and keep fast hold to unity. Let no man pass over to wicked schism, nor break the nets of the Lord as they are being drawn to the shore. That thus being num- bered among the mystic fish of Christ, we may deserve to become his food, for it was he that mercifully delivered us from the abyss : and, whereas we are, in so special a man- ner, his members, lot us purify ourselves by the Sacrifice of salvation.
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263
Of all the Sequences composed by Adam of Saint Victor, the following is the richest in its allusions to the types of the Old Testament, which refer to Christ's victory over death. The chant, to which it was sung, was taken afterwards as the basis of that of the magnificent Laiida Sion.
SEQUENCE.
Let the old leaven be purged out, that we may celebrate, with sincerity, the new Resur- rection.
This is the Day of our hope ; the Day of wondrous power, as the ancient Testament fore- tells.
It despoiled the Egj^tians, and delivered from the iron furnace the Israelites,
Who were treated with hardship, and made to work as slaves in clay, and brick, and picking straw.
Now let us praise the power of God : now let us give free scope to our song of triumph and salvation.
This is the day which the Lord hath made : the Day that puts an end to our mourn- ing : the Day of our salva- tion.
The Law was the shadow of things to come ; the end of all its promises is Christ, for he consummates all things.
His Blood turned the edge of the flaming sword, and re- moved the guard (that forbade our entrance into Paradise].
Isaac, whose name signifies laughter, and in whose stead the ram was slain, was a figure
Zima vetus expurgetur, Ut sincere celebretur Nova resurrectio :
Haec est dies nostrae spei, Hujus mira vis diei Legis testimonio.
Ha?c .^Egyptum spoliavit Et Hebr?eos liberavit De fornace ferrea :
His in arcto constitutis Opus erat servitutis, Lutum, later, palea.
Jam divinae laus virtutis, Jam triumphi, jam salutis Vox erumpat libera.
Haec est dies quam fecit Dominus, Dies nostri doloris terminus, Dies salutifera.
Lux
umbra futuro- finis promisso-
est rum, Christus, rum. Qui consummat omnia.
Christi sanguis igneam Hebetavit romphaoam, Amota custodia.
Puer nostri forma risus, Pro quo vervex est occisus, Vita) signat gaudium.
264
PASCHAL TIME.
Joseph exit de cistema : Christus redit ad superna, Post mortis supplicium.
Hie dracones Pharaonis Draco vorat, a draconis Immunis malitia.
Q,uos ignitus vulnerat, Hos serpentis liberat -ffinei praesentia.
Anguem forat in maxilla Christi hamus et armilla : In cavernam reguli Manum mittit ablactatus ; Et sic fugit exturbatus Vetus bostis sseculi.
Irrisores Elisaei, Dum conscendit domum
Dei, Zelum calvi sentiunt : David arreptitius, Hircus emissarius Et passer effugiunt.
In maxilla mille sternit, Et de tribu sua spernit Samson matrimonium ; Samson G-azse seras pandit Et asportans portas scandit Montis supercilium.
Sic de Juda Leo fortis Tractis portis dirse mortis, Die surgit tertia ;
Rugiente voce Patris, Ad supema3 sinum matris Tot revexit spolia.
Cetus Jonam fugitivum, Veri Jonse siguativum, Post tres dies reddit vivum De ventris augustia.
Botrus Cypri reflorescit, Dilatatur et excrescit ;
of the joyful mystery that
gives us life.
Joseph taken from the well is Christ rising from the giave, after being put to death.
He is the serpent that de- vours Pharaoh's serpents ; but he has none of the serpent's wickedness.
Under the type of the Brazen Serpent, he heals them that are bitten by the fiery serpent.
The hook he threw out to the serpent, was taken, and it tore the monster's jaw. Thus, the weaned child could safely thrust his hand into the den of the basilisk, and the old enemy of mankind was put to flight.
They that insulted Eliseus, when he ascended to the house of the Lord, were made to feel the anger of him they named the Bald : David escaped from his enemy : the scapegoat and the sparrow were set free.
Samson slays thousands with a dry bone, and scorns to take to himself a wife from his own tribe ; he throws open the gates of Gaza, and carries them to the mountain top.
So the mighty Lion of Juda breaks down the gates of cruel death, and rises on the third day ; his Father's voice awakens him, and he cames his many spoils to the bosom of the mother above.
Jonas, the fugitive Prophet, and the figure of the true Jonas, came forth alive from the whale's belly, after three days.
The vine of Cyprus is again in flower, and spreads, and
WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK.
265
ripens: the flower of the SjTiagogue is faded , the Church is in her bloom.
Death and life fought each other ; Christ rose again, and with him many witnesses of his glory.
The Morning, new and joy- ous, let it dry up the Even- ing tears : for Life has con- quered Death, and it is the season of joy.
0 Jesus, Conqueror ! Jesus, our Life I Jesus, our Way ! whose Death killed death I bid us come, with confidence, to the Paschal Banquet.
0 living Bread I 0 Water of life I 0 true and fruitful Vine I feed us, cleanse us, save us, by thy grace, from the second death. Amen.
Sjmagogse flos marcescit, Et floret Ecclesia.
Mors et vita conflixere, Resurrexit Christus vere, Et cum Christo surrexere Multi testes glorise.
Mane novum, mane Ise- tum Vespertinum tergat fletum ; Quia vita vicit lethum : Tempus est Isetitioe.
Jesu victor, Jesu vita, Jesu vitse via trita, Cujus morte mors sopita, Ad paschalem nos invita Mensam cum fiducia.
Vive panis, vivax unda. Vera vitis et foecunda, Tu nos pasce, tu nos munda, Ut a morte nos secunda Tua salvet gratia. Amen.
266 PASCHAL TIME.
THUESDAY IN EASTER WEEK.
Hsec dies quam fecit Do- This is the day which the minus: exsultemus, et laete- Lord hath made: let us be mur in ea. gl^-d and rejoice therein.
After having glorified the Lamb of Grod, and the Passover whereby our Lord destroyed our enemies ; after having celebrated our deliverance by Water, and our entrance into the Promised Land ; let us now fix our respectful gaze upon Him whose triumph is prefigured by all these prodigies. So dazzling is the glory that now beams from this Man-Grod, that, like the Prophet of Patmos, we shall fall pros- trate before him. But he is so wonderful, too, in his love, that he will encourage us to enjoy the grand vision : he will say to us, as he did to his Disciples : Fear not ! I am the First, and the Last ; and alive, and loas dead ; and behold ! I am living for ever and ever, and have the keys of death and of hell}
Yes, — he is now Master of Death, which had held him captive ; he holds in his hand the keys of Hell. These expressions of Scripture signify, that he has power over Death and the Tomb, — he has conquered them. Now, the first use he makes of his victory, is to make us partakers of it. Let us adore his infinite goodness ; and, in accordance with the wish of holy Church, let us meditate to-day upon the effects wrought in each one of ourselves by the mystery of the Pasch. Jesus says to his Beloved Disciples : / am alive, and was dead : the day will come, when
1 Apoc. i. 17, 18.
WEDNESDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 267
we, also, shall triumphantly say : We are living, and we were dead !
Death awaits us ; it is daily advancing towards us ; we cannot escape its vengeance. The icages of sin, is Death : ^ in these few words of Scripture, we are taught how Death is not only universal, but even necessary ; for we have all sinned. This, however, does not make the law less severe ; nor can we help seeing a frightful disorder in the violent separation of soul and body, which were united together by God himself. If we would truly understand Death, we must remember that God made man immortal : this will explain the instinctive dread we have of Death, — a dread which only one thing can conquer ; and that is, the spirit of sacrifice. In the Death, then, of each one of us there is the handiwork of sin, and, consequently, a victory won by Satan : nay, there would be a humiliation for our Creator himself, were it not that, by sentencing us to this punishment, he satisfied his Justice.
This is man's well-merited, but terrible, condem- nation. What can he hope for ? Never to die ? It would be foUy : the sentence is clear, and none may escape. — Can he hope, that this body, which is to become first a corpse, and then be turned into a mere handful of dust, will one day retm-n to life, and be re-imited to the soul, for which it was made ? But, who could bring about the re -union of an immortal substance with one that was formerly united with it, but has now seemingly been annihilated ? And yet, 0 man ! this is to be thy lot ! Thou shalt rise again : that poor body of thine, which is to die, be buried, forgotten, and humbled, shall be restored to life. Yea, it even now comes forth from the tomb, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ : our future resur- rection is accomplished in His : it is to-day that we are made as sure of our Hesurrection as we are of our
- Rom. vi. 23.
268 PASCHAL TIME.
Death. This, too, makes part of our glorious Feast, — our Pasch !
Grod did not, at the beginning, reveal this miracle of his power and goodness : all he said to Adam was : In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken ; for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return} Not a word, not an allusion, which gives the culprit the least hope with reference to that por- tion of himself, which is thus doomed to death and the grave. It was fitting, that the ungrateful pride, which had led man to rebel against his Maker, should be humbled. Later on, the great mystery was re- vealed, at least partially. Four thousand years back, a poor sufferer, whose body was covered with ulcers, speaks these words of hope : / know that my Re- deemer liveth, and in the last day I shall rise out of the earth. And I shall he clothed again with my skin, and in my flesh I shall see God: — this my hope is laid up in my bosom. ^
But, in order that Job's hope might be realised, this Redeemer, of whom he spoke, had to come down to this earth, give battle to death, feel its pang, and finally conquer it. He came at the time fixed by the divine decree : he came, not indeed to prevent us from dying, (for the sentence of Grod's justice was absolute,) but to die himself, and so take away from death its bitterness and humiliation. Like to those devoted Physicians, who have been known to inocu- late themselves with the virus of contagion, — our Jesus swallowed down death,^ as the Apostle forcibly expresses it. But the enemy's joy was soon at an end ; for the Man- Grod had risen, to die no more ; and by his Eesurrection, he won that same right for us.
Henceforth, then, we must see the Grave under a new aspect. The earth will receive these bodies of ours,
1 Gen. iii. 19. - Job, xix. 25—27. =* 1 St. Pet. iii. 22.
THrKSDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 269
but only to yield them back again, just as she yields back the hundredfold of the seed that was confided to her. Her great Creator will, at some future day, bid her restore the deposit he intrusted to her. The Arch- angel's Trumpet will give the signal of his command ; and, in the twinkling of an eye, the whole human race will rise up from the Grrave, and proclaim the final de- feat of Death. For the Just, it will be a Pasch, — a continuation of the Pasch we are now celebrating.
Who could describe the joy we shall experience at such a meeting ! — our Soul after, it may be, a separa- tion of hundreds of years, united once more to that essential part of her being, the Body ! She, perhaps, has been, all that time, enjoying the Beatific Vision ; but the whole man was not there ; our happiness was not complete, because that of the Body was wanting ; and in the midst of the Soul's rapturous felicity, there was a trace still left of the punishment to which Man was condemned when our First Parents sinned. Our merciful Grod would not, now that his Son has opened the gates of Heaven, defer till the general Resur- rection the rewarding the souls of his elect with the Vision ; and yet, these Elect have not their whole glory and happiness until that last Day comes and puts the last finish to the mystery of Man's Redemp- tion. Jesus, our King and our Head, ^vills that we his Members shall sing with him, the song that comes from his own divine lips, and that each of us shall say for all eternity : / am fin'ufj, and I icas dead ! Mary, who on the third day after her Death was united to her sinless Body, longs to see her devoted children united with her in heaven, — but wholly, and entirely. Soul and Body : and this will be, when the Tomb has done its work of purification.
The holy Angels, whose ranks are waiting to be filled up by the Elect among men, are affectionately looking forward to that happy Day, when the glori- fied Bodies of the Just will spring up, like the loveliest
270 PASCHAL TIME.
of earth's flowers, to beautify the land of Spirits. One of their joys consists in their gazing upon the resplen- dent Bodies of Jesus and Mary, — of Jesus, who, even as Man, is their King as well as ours, and of Mary, whom they reverence as their Queen. What a Feast- Day, then, will they not count that, whereon we, their Brothers and Sisters, whose Souls have been long their companions in bliss, shall revest the robe of Flesh, sanctified and fitted for union with our radiant Souls ! What a canticle of fresh j oy will ring through Heaven, as it then receives within itself all the grandeur and beauty of creation. ! The Angels who were present at the Resurrection of Jesus, were filled with admiration at the sight of this Body, which was, indeed, of a lower nature than themselves, but whose dazzling glory exceeded all the splendour of the An- gelic host together : — will they not gladly hail our arrival, after our Resurrection ? will they not welcome us with fraternal congratulations, when they see us, members as we are of this same Risen Jesus, clad in the same gorgeous robe of glory as His, who is their God ? The sensual man never gives a thought to the eternal glory and happiness of the Body : he acknow- ledges the Resurrection of the Flesh as an article of faith, but it is not an object of his hope. He cares but for the present ; material, carnal pleasures being all he aspires to, he considers his Body as an instru- ment of self-gratification, which, as it lasts so short a time, must be the quicker used. There is no respect in the love he bears to his Body ; hence he fears not to defile it, and after a few years of insult, which he calls enjoyment, it becomes the food of worms and corruption. And yet, this sensual man accuses the Church of being an enemy to the Body ! the Church that so eloquently proclaims its dignity, and the glo- rious destiny that awaits it ! He is the tyrant, and a tyrant is ever an impudent calumniator. The Church warns us of the dangers to which the Body
THURSDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 271
exposes the Soul ; she tells us of the infectious weak- ness that came to the Flesh by Original Sin ; she instructs us as to the means we should employ for making it serre Justice^ unto mudification ; ^ but, far from forbidding us to love the Body, she reveals to us the truth, which should incite us to true charity, — its being destined to an endless glory and happiness. When lain on the bed of death, the Church honours it with the Sacrament of Extreme Unction, fitting it for immortality by anointing it with Holy Oil ; she is present at the departure of the Soul from this the companion of her combats, and from which she is to be separated till the Day of the General Judgment ; she respectfully burns incense over the Body, when dead, for, from the hour of its Baptism, she has regarded it as something holy ; and to the surviving friends of her departed one, she addresses these inspired words of consolation : Be not sorrowful, even as others, icJio have no hope /- But what is this hope ? That same which comforted Job : In my Fksh, I shall see my God !
Thus does our holy Faith reveal to us the future glory of our Body ; thus does she encourage, by supernatural motives, the instinctive love borne by the Soul for this essential portion of our being. She unites together the two dogmas, — our Lord's Pasch, and the Hesurrection of our Body. The Apostle assures us of the close relation that exists between them, and says : If Christ he not risen again, your faith is vain; if the dead rise not again, neither is Christ risen again : ^ so that the Resurrec- tion of Jesus and our Resurrection seem to be parts of one and the same truth. Hence, the sort of for- getfulness which is now-a-days, so common, of this important dogma of the "Resurrection of the Body," is a sad proof of the decay of lively faith. Such people
> Rom. vi. 19. 2 I Thess. iv. 12. -^ 1 Cor. xv. 14, 17.
272 PASCHAL TIME.
believe in a future Resurrection, for the Creed is too explicit to leave room for doubt ; but the hope which Job had, is seldom the object of their thoughts or desires. They say, that what they are anxious about, both for themselves and for those that are dear to them, is what will become of the Soul, after this Kfe : they do well to look to this : but, they should not forget what Religion teaches them regarding the Resurrection of the Body ; by professing it, they not only have a fresh incentive to virtue, but they also render testimony to the Resurrection of Jesus, whereby he gained victory over Death, both for him- self and us. They should remember, that they are in this world only to confess, by their words and actions, the truths that Grod has revealed. It is there- fore not enough that they believe in the Immortality of the Soul ; the Resurrection of the Body must also be believed and professed.
We find this article of our holy Faith continually represented in the Catacombs : its several symbols formed, together with the Good Shepherd, quite the favourite subject of primitive Christian Art. In those early ages of the Church, when to receive Baptism was an open breaking with the sensuality of previous habits of life, this consoling dogma of the Resurrection of the Body was strongly urged upon the minds of the Neophytes. Any of them might be called upon to suifer Martyrdom : the thought of the future glory that awaited their Flesh, inspired them with courage, when the hour of trial came. Thus we read so very frequently in the Acts of the Martyrs, how, when in the midst of their most cruel torments, they declared, that what supported them was the certain hope of the Resurrection of the Body. How many Christians are there now-a-days, who are cowardly in the essential duties of their state of life, simply, because they never think of this important dogma of their Faith !
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The Soul is more than the Body ; but the Body is an essential portion of our being. It is our duty to treat it with great respect, because of its sublime destiny. If we, at present, chastise it and keep it in a state of subjection, it is because its present state requires such treatment. We chastise it, because we love it. The Martyrs, and all the Saints, loved their Body far more than does the most sensual voluptuary : they, by sacrificing it, saved it ; he, by pampering it, exposes it to eternal suffering. Let us be on our guard : — sensualism is akin to naturalism ; se)isualis?fi will have it, that there is no happiness for the Body but such as this present life can give, and, with this principle, its degradation causes no remorse : natural- ism is that propensity we have to judge of everything by mere natural light, whereas we cannot possibly know the glorious future for which God has created us except by Faith. If the Christian, therefore, can see what the Son of Grod has done for our Bodies, by the divine Resurrection we are now celebrating, and feel neither love nor hope, — he may be sure, that his faith is weak ; and, if he would not lose his soul, let him, henceforth, be guided by the word of God, which alone can teach him what he is now, and what he is called to be hereafter.
At Rome, the Station is in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles. The Neophytes were brought, to- day, into the Church dedicated to the Witnesses of the Resurrection, and where repose the bodies of two out of the Twelve, — St. Philip and St. James (the Less). In the Mass, frequent allusions are made to the apostolic labours of these heralds of our Risen Jesus ; they preached his Name tliroughout the world, and all ages shall hear their teachings.
274 PASCHAL TIME.
MASS.
The Introit is taken from the Book of Wisdom. It tells us of the heavenly eloquence of the Apostles, who, at first, were dumb and timid as little children. Divine Wisdom changed them into other men, so that they everywhere published the victory of the Man-God.
INTROIT.
Yictricem manum tuam, They praised with one ac-
Domine, laudaverunt pari- cord thy victorious hand, O
ter, alleluia : quia Sapientia Lord, alleluia : for wisdom,
aperuit os mutum, et lin- hath opened the mouth of the
guas infantium fecit diser- dumb, and made the tongues
tas. Alleluia, alleluia. of infants eloquent. Alleluia,
alleluia.
Ps. Cantate Domino can- Ps. Sing to the Lord a new
ticum novum : quia mira- song : for he hath done won-
bilia fecit, f. Gloria Patri. derful things. ^. Glory, &c.
Victricem. They praised, &c.
The Collect alludes to the effect produced by the preaching of the Apostles, — the bringing all nations into one family. The Neophytes, by their Baptism, have been admitted into this great unity : the Church prays that God would preserve them in it, by his grace.
COLLECT.
Deus, qui diversitatem 0 God, who hast united
gentium in confessione tui various nations in the confes-
Nominis adunasti : da ut, sion of thy name : grant that
renatis fonte baptismatis, they who have been born again
una sit fides mentium, et by the water of baptism, may
pietas actionum. Per Do- have the same faith in their
minum. hearts, and the same piety in
their actions. Through, &c.
Then is added one of the two Collects given in yesterday's Mass, 2^<^g6 247.
THURSDAY IN EASTER WEEK I MASS.
275
EPISTLE.
Lesson from the Acts of the Apostles.
Ch. VIIL
In those days : An Angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, say- ing : Arise, go towards the south, to the way that goeth down from Jerusalem to Gaza ; this is desert. And rising up he went. And behold a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge over all her trea- sures, had come to Jerusalem to adore. And he was return- ing, sitting in his chariot, and reading Isaias the prophet. And the Spirit said to Philip : Go near, and join thyself to his chariot. And Philip re- turning thither, heard him reading the Prophet Isaias, and he said : Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest ? Who said : And how can I, unless some man shew me ? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. And the place of the scripture which he was reading was this: "He was led as a sheep to the slaughter : and like a lamb without voice before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth. In humi- lity his judgment was taken away. His generation who shall declare, for his life shall be taken from the earth y" And the eunuch answering Philip, said : I beseech thee, of whom doth the prophet speak this 'f of himself, or of
Lectio Actuum Apostolo- rum.
Cap. VIIL
In diebus illis : Angelus Domini locutus est ad Phi- lippum, dicens : Surge et vade contra meridian um ad viam, quae descendit ab Je- rusalem in Gazam : haec est deserta. Et surgens abiit. Et ecce vir.ZEthiopus, eunuchus potens Candacis reginae .^thiopum, qui erat super omnes gazas ejus, venerat adorare in Jerusalem : et revertebatur sedens super currum suum, legensque Isaiam prophetam. Dixit autem Spiritus Philippo : Accede, et adjunge te ad currum istum. Accurrens autem Philippus, audivit eum legentem Isaiam pro- phetam, et dixit : Putasne intelligis quoe legis ? Qui ait : Et quomodo possum, si non aliquis ostenderit mihi? Rogavitque Philip- pum ut ascenderet, et sede- ret secum. Locus autem Scripturee quam legebat, erat hie : Tanquam ovis ad occisioiiem ductus est : et sicut agnus coram tondente se, sine voce, sic non aperuit OS suum. In humilitate ju- dicium ejus sublatum est. Generationem ejus quis en- arrabit, quoniam toUetur de teri*a vita ejus ? Respondens autem eunuchus Philippo, dixit : Obsecro te, de quo Propheta dicit hoc ? de se, an de alio aliquo 'f Aperiens
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PASCHAL TIME.
autem Philippus os suum, et incipiens a Scriptura ista, evangelizavit illi Jesum. Et dum irent per viam, vene- runt ad quamdam aquam : et ait eunuchus : Ecce aqua, quid prohibet me baptizari ? Dixit autem Philippus : Si credis ex toto corde, licet. Et respondens ait : Credo Fi- lium Dei esse Jesum Chris- tum. Et jussit stare cur- rum ; et descenderunt uter- que in aquam, Philippus et eunuchus, et baptizavit eum. Cum autem ascendissent de aqua, Spiritus Domini ra- puit Philippum, et amplius non vidit eum eunuchus. Ibat autem per viam suam gaudens. Philippus autem inventus est in Azoto, et pertransiens evangelizabat civitatibus cunctis, donee veniret Caesaream, nomen Domini Jesu Christi.
some other man ? Then Philip opening his mouth, and begin- ning at this scripture, preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came to a certain water : and the eunuch said : See here is water, what doth hinder me from being baptized ? And Philip said : If thou believest with all thy heart, thou may- est. And he answering, said : I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he com- manded the chariot to stand still : and they went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptised him. And when they were come up out of the water, the spirit of the Lord took away Philip, and the eunuch saw him no more. And he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found in Azotus, and passing through, he preached the gos- pel to all the cities till he came to Cesarea.
The Church, by this passage from the Acts of the A-postles, would remind her Neophytes of the sublime grace of their Baptism, and under what condition they have been regenerated. Grod put the opportunity of salvation in their path, as he sent Philip to the eunuch. He gave them a desire to know the truth, in the same manner as he inspired this servant of Queen Candace to read what was to occasion his being instructed in the faith of Christ. This Pagan, had he chosen, might have received the instructions of God's messenger with mistrust and indifference, and so have resisted the grace that was offered him ; but no, he opened his heart, and faith filled it. Our
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Neophytes did the same : they were docile, and God's word enlightened them ; they went on from light to light, until, at length, the Church recognised them as true disciples of the Faith. Then came the Feast of the Pasch, and this Mother of souls said to herself : " Lo here is Water ^ — the Water that purifies, the " Water that issued from Jesus' Side when opened by " the Spear : — iv/iat hinders them frmn being hap- " tisedV Having confessed that Jesus Christ is the Son of Gody they were baptised as was the Ethiopian of our Epistle, in the life-giving Waters : like him, they are about to continue the journey of life, rejoicing, for they are risen with Christ, who has graciously vouch- safed to associate the joy of their new birth with that of his own Triumph.
GRADUAL.
This is the day which the Haec dies, quam fecit Do- Lord hath made : Let us be minus : exsultemus, et laete- glad and rejoice therein. mur in ea.
y. The stone which the V. Lapidem quern repro-
builders rejected, the same is baverunt sedificantes, hie
become the head of the corner factus est in caput anguli :
stone: this is the Lord's doing, a Domino factum est istud,
and it is wonderful in our et est mirabile in oculis no-
eyes
stris.
Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia.
t. Christ is risen, who ere- V. Surrexit Christus, qui
ated all things, and hath creavit omnia : et misertus
shewn mercy to mankind. est humano generi.
The Sequence, Victimce Faschali, page 164.
GOSPEL.
Sequel of the holy Gospel Sequentia sancti Evangelii according to John. secundum Joannem.
Ch. XX. Cap. XX.
At that time: Mary stood In illo tempore ; Mari^sta-.
278
PASCHAL TIME.
bat ad monumentum foris, plorans. Dum ergo fleret, in- clinavit se, et prospexit in monumentum : et vidit duos Angelos in albis sedentes, unum ad caput, et unum ad pedes, ubi positum fuerat corpus Jesu. Dicunt ei illi : Mulier, quid ploras ? Dicit eis: Quia tulerunt Domi- num meum : et nescio ubi posuerunt eum. Haec cum dixisset, conversa est retror- sum, et vidit Jesum stan- tem : et non sciebat quia Je- sus est. Dicit ei Jesus : Mu- lier, quid ploras ? quem quaeris? Ilia existimans quia hortulanus esset, dicit ei : Domine, si tu sustulisti eum, dicito mihi ubi posuisti eum : et ego eum tollam. Dicit ei Jesus : Maria. Conversa ilia, dicit ei : Eabboni (quod dicitur magister). Dicit ei Jesus : Noli metangere, non- dum enim ascendi ad Patrem meum. Vade autem ad fra- tres meos, et die eis : Ascen- do ad Patrem meum et Pa- trem vestrum, Deum meum et Deum vestrum. Venit Maria Magdalene annun- tians discipulis : quia vidi Dominum, et haec dixit mibi.
at the sepulchre without, "weeping. Now as she was weeping, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre : and she saw two angels in white, sitting one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid. They say to her : Woman, why weepest thou ? She saith to them : Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing ; and she knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her : Woman, why weepest thou ? whom seekest thou ? She thinking that it was the gardener, saith to him : Sir, if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him : and I will take him away. Jesus saith to her : Mary. She, turning, saith to him : Eabboni, (which is to say. Master.) Jesus saith to her : Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father : but go to my brethren, and say to them : I ascend to my Father, and to your Fa- ther, to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples : I have seen the Lord, and these things he said to me.
To-day's Station is in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles ; and, instead of putting before us any of the apparitions related by the Q-ospel as having been made to his Apostles by our Saviour, after his Resur- rection,— the Church reads to us the one, wherewith
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Magdalene was honoured. Why this apparent for- getting the very heralds and ambassadors of the New Law ? The reason is obvious. By thus honouring her, whom our Lord selected as the Apostle of his Apostles, the Church would put before us, in their full truth, the circumstances of the Day of the Re- surrection. It was through Magdalene and her com- panions that began the Apostolate of the grandest mystery of the life of our Jesus upon earth : they have every right, therefore, to be honoured to-day, in the Basilica which is sacred to the holy Apostles.
Grod is all-powerful, and delights in showing him- self in that which is weakest ; he is infinitely good, and glorious in rewarding such as love him. This explains how it was, that our Jesus gave to Magda- lene and her companions the first proofs of his Resur- rection, and so promptly consoled them. They were even weaker than the Bethlehem Shepherds ; they were, therefore, the objects of a higher preference. The Apostles, themselves, were weaker than the weakest of the earthly powers they were to bring into submission ; hence, they too were initiated into the mystery of the triumph of Jesus. But Magdalene and her companions had loved their Master even to the Cross and in his Tomb, whereas the Apostles had abandoned him ; they therefore, had a better claim, than the Apostles, to the generosity of Jesus, and richly did he satisfy the claim.
Let us attentively consider the sublime spectacle of the Church at this moment of her receiving the knowledge of that Mystery, which is the basis of her Faith, — the Resurrection. Who, after Mary, — in whom the light of Faith never waned, and to whom, as the sinless Mother, was due the first manifesta- tion,— who, we ask, were the first to be illumined with that Faith, whereby the Church lives ? They were Magdalene and her companions. For several hours, this was the Little Flock ou which Jesus
280 PASCHAL TIME.
looked with complacency : little^ indeed, and weak in the world's estimation, but grand, as being the noblest work of grace. Yet a short time, and the Apostles will be added to the number ; yea, the whole world will form a part of this elect group. The Church now sings these words, in every country of the earth : Tell us, 0 Mary I what thou sawest on the ivay? And Mary Magdalene tells the Church the Mystery : I saiv the Se/pulchre of Christ, and the glory of Him that rose.
Nor must we be surprised, that Women were the first to form, around the Son of God, the Church of Believers, — the Church resplendent with the bright- ness of the Resurrection : it is the continuation of that Divine Plan, the commencement of which we have already respectfully studied. It was by Woman that the work of Grod was marred in the beginning ; he willed that it should be repaired by Woman. On the Day of the Annunciation, we found the Second Eve making good by her own obedience, the dis- obedience of the Fii^st ; and now, at Easter, Grod honours Magdalene and her companions, in prefer- ence even to the Apostles. We repeat it : — these facts show us, not so much a personal favour con- ferred upon individuals, as the restoration of Woman to her lost dignity. "The AVoman," says St. Ambrose, " was the first to taste the food of Death ; she is " destined to be the first witness of the Resurrection. " By proclaiming this Mystery, she will atone for her ^' fault ; ^ therefore is it, that she who, heretofore, had " announced sin to man, was sent by the Lord to " announce the tidings of salvation to men, and "make known to them his grace. "^ Others of the Holy Fathers speak in the same strain. They tell us that Glod, in the distribution of the gifts of his grace, gives Woman the first place. And in what
^ Jn Lucam, cap. xxiv, * De Spirittt Sancto, cap, xij,
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happened at the Resurrection, they recognise, not merely an act of the supreme will of the Master, but moreover a well-deserved reward for the love Jesus met with from these humble Women ; a love, which he did not receive from his Apostles, though he had treated them, for the last three years of his Life, with every mark of intimacy and affection, and had every right to expect them to be courageous in their devotedness towards him.
Magdalene stands as a queen amidst her holy companions. She is most dear to Jesus ; she has loved him more than all the rest of his friends did ; she has been more heart-broken at seeing him suffer; she has been more earnest in paying honour to the sacred Body of her buried Master. She is well-nigh beside herself, until she has found him ; and when she, at length, meets him and finds that Jesus him- self, still living, and still full of love for Magdalene, — she could die for very joy ! she would show him her delight ! — but Jesus checks her, saying : Touch me not ! for I am not yet ascended to my Father !
Jesus is no longer subject to the conditions of mortality. True, his Human Nature will be eternally united with his Divine ; but his Eesurrection tells the faithful soul, that his relations with her are no longer the same as before. During his mortal life, he suffered himself to be approached as Man ; there was little, in his exterior, to indicate his Divinity ; but now, his eternal splendour gleams through his very Body, and bespeaks the Son of God. Hence- forth, then, we must see him with the heart rather than with the eye, and offer him a respectful love, rather than one of sentiment, however tender it might be. He allowed Magdalene to touch him so long as she was weak in her conversion, and he himself was mortal ; but now, she must aspire to that highest spiritual good, which is the life of the soul, — Jesus, in the bosom of the Father, In her first estate,
282 PASCHAL TIME.
Magdalene is the type of the soul when commencing its search after Jesus. But her love needs a trans- formation : it is ardent, but not wise ; so that the Angel has to chide her : Why^ says he, seekest thou the Living among the Dead ? ^ The time is come for her to ascend to something more perfect, and to seek in spirit Him who is Spirit.
Jesus says to Magdalene : / am not yet ascended to my Father ! as though he would say : " The mark " of love thou wouldst show me, is not what I now " wish to receive from thee. When I have ascended " into heaven, and thou art there with me, the sight " of my Human Nature shall be no obstacle to thy *' soul's vision of my Divinity : then thou shalt em- " brace me!" Magdalene takes in the lesson of her dear Master : she loves him more, because her love is spiritualised. After his Ascension, she retires into the Holy Cave? There she lives, pondering upon all the mysteries of her Jesus' life. Her love feeds on the memory of all he had done for her, from his first word which converted her, to the favour he showed her on the morning of his Resurrection. Each day, she advances in the path of perfect love. The Angels visit and console her. Her probation completed, she follows her Jesus to heaven, where she lavishes on him the ardour of her love in an unrestrained and eternal embrace.
The Offertory alludes to the Land flowing with milk and honey, into which the preaching of the Apostles has led our Neophytes. But the Altar, whereon the holy Sacrifice is now being offered, will give them a still more delicious nourishment.
OFFERTORY.
In die solemnitatis ves- In the days of your solem- trse, dicit Dominus, indu- nity, saith the Lord, I will
^ St, Jjuke^ xxiv, 5, - Called Z« Sainte Jiaume^ near Marseilles,
THURSDAY IN EASTER WEEK : MASS. 283
bring you into a land flowing cam vos in terram fluentem with niilk and honey, alleluia, lac et mel, alleluia.
In the Secret, the Church beseeches Grod to accept the gifts presented him by his new lyeople. The Bread will be changed, by the words of Consecration, into a food that will fortify them in their journey towards their heavenly country.
SECRET.
Graciously accept, we be- Suscipe, qusesumus Do- seech thee, 0 Lord, the offer- mine, munera populorum ings of thy people : that being tuorum propitius : ut con- renewed by the confession of fessione tui Nominis, et thy name and by baptism, they Baptismate renovati, sem- may obtain everlasting bliss, piternam beatitudinem con- Through, &c. sequantur. Per Dominum.
To this is added one of the two Collects given in yesterday's Mass, page 254.
In the Communion-Anthem, it is the Apostolic College that speaks by the mouth of St. Peter, to the newly made Children of God. With paternal affec- tion, the Apostles congratulate our Neophytes on the favours they have received from Grod, the author of Light.
COMMUNION.
Ye, who are a purchased Populus acquisitionis, an-
people, publish his might, nuntiate virtutes ejus, alle-
alleluia : it is he who hath luia : qui vos de tenebris vo-
called you from darkness to cavit in admirabile lumen
his wonderful light, alleluia. suum, alleluia.
The Postcommunion tells us of the grand effects
.produced in us by this adorable Sacrament. It
enriches us with every blessing : it is our support
during this life's pilgrimage, and gives us a foretaste
of heaven, even in our exile.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Graciously hear our prayers Exaudi, Domine, preces 0 liord, thftt by frequenting ^ost^as ; ut redomptiouia
284 PASCHAL TIME.
nostrae sacrosancta commer- these sacred mysteries of our
cia, et vitae nobis conferant redemption, we may obtain
prsesentis auxilium, et gau- the necessary helps of this life,
dia sempiterna concilient. and endless joys of the next.
Per Dominum. Through, «S:c.
To this is added one of the Postcommunions given in yesterday's Mass, page 256.
The work of the Son of God, the Creation, ad- vances towards completion. To-day, there appear living beings in the Waters and the Air. Countless varieties of Fishes sport in the sea ; and the thril- ling melody of Birds breaks that solemn silence, which hitherto had nothing to disturb it save the wind rustling amidst the trees. Here again, the visible is a type of the invisible. The Waters of Baptism are to give birth to other Fishes ; and from this our earth, souls, like Birds of heaven, are to soar aloft on the wings of contemplation. This shall be, when the Creator shall come, in human form, into the World he is now forming. As our prayer of thanks- giving for this Fifth Day of the Creation, let us use the following beautiful one, taken from the Mozarabic Breviary.
CAPITULA.
Deus qui, in operatione 0 God, who, on the fifth quiiiti diei reptilia anima- day, didst create the fishes of rum vivarum, homines sci- the sea, — the figure of them licet renovates per sacra- that are regenerated by the mentum Baptismatis, con- sacrament of Baptism ; — and didisti : et volatilia coeli, the birds of the air, — the figure animas videlicet sanctorum of the souls of holy men soar- ad superna volantes, ma- ing to heavenly things, by nifesta virtutum luce for- their dazzling virtues : grant masti ; prcebe animabus no- that we may receive from thy stris invictum de tua resur- Resurrection a consolation rectione solatium ; ut per which may make us invinci-
THURSDAY IN EASTER WEEK.
285
ble; that thus we, who have te renovati resurgamus ad
been regenerated by thee to gloriam, per quern regene-
lit'e, may, being renewed by rati sumus ad vitam. thee, rise again to glory.
As the Liturgy of to-day speaks to us of Mary Magdalene, we will insert here two of the many Sequences composed in her honour during the Middle Ages, and sung by our Forefathers during the Easter Octave. They are exquisite in their simplicity, and express a tender devotion towards this favoured Penitent, whose name is inseparable from the mystery of the Besurrection, and who was so dear to our Blessed Lord that he chose her to be the first to announce to the Apostles and mankind the tidings of his victory over Death.
1st SEQUENCE.
Christ, now changed from a Lamb to a Lion, rises with his trophy, the glorious Con- queror.
By his Death, ho conquered death : by his Death, he opened heaven's gate.
This is the Lamb, that hung upon the Cross, and redeemed the whole flock.
There was none found to condole with him, save Mag- dalene, who pined with burn- ing grief.
Tell us, O Maiy ! what sawest thou, when looking at the Cross of Christ 'f
1 saw my Jesus stripped, and raised on the Cross, by the hands of sinners.
Tell us, Mary, what sawest
Surgit Christus cum tro- phseo. Jam ex A^no factus Leo Solemni victoria.
Mortem vicit sua morto, Reseravit seram portso Sua3 mortis gratia.
Hie est Agnus qui pen- debat, Et in cmce redimebat Totum grcgem ovium.
Cui cum nullus condole - bat, Magdalenam consumebat Doloris incendium.
Die Maria quid vidisti Contemplando crucem Chri- sti?
Vidi Jesum spoliari, Et in cruce sublevari Peccatorum manibus.
Die Maria quid vidisti
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PASCHAL TIME.
Contemplando crucem Chri- sti?
Spinis caput coronatum, Vultum sputis maculatum, Et plenum livoribus.
Die Maria quid vidisti Contemplando crucem Chri- sti ?
Clavos manus perforare, Hastam latus vulnerare, Vivi fontis exitum.
Die Maria quid vidisti Contemplando crucem Chri- sti?
Quod se Patri commen- davit, Et quod caput inclinavit, Et emisit spiritum,
Die Maria quid fecisti, Postquam Jesum amisisti ?
Matrem flentem sociavi, Cum qua domum remeavi, Et in terram me prostravi, Et utrumque deploravi.
Die Maria quid fecisti, Postquam Jesum amisisti ?
Post unguenta comparavi, Et sepulehrum visitavi, Planctus meos duplicavi.
Die Maria quid fecisti, Postquam Jesum amisisti ?
Angelus hsec dixit clare : 0 Maria noli flere ; Jam surrexit Christus vere.
Die Maria quid fecisti, Postquam Jesum amisisti ?
Certe multis argumentis, Vidi signa rcsurgentis Filii omnipotentis.
Die nobis Maria Quid vidisti in via r*
Sepulehrum Christi vi- ventis Et gloriam vidi resurgentis.
thou, when looking at the Cross of Christ?
His head crowned with thorns, his face disfigured with spittle and blows.
Tell us Mary, what sawest thou, when looking at the Cross ?
His hands pierced, his side wounded by a spear, and a fount of living water gushing from the wound.
Tell us Mary, what sawest thou, when looking at the Cross ?
He commended himself to his Father ; he bowed down his head ; he gave up the ghost.
Tell us, Mary, what didst thou, after losing Jesus ?
I kept close to his weeping Mother, and returned with her to the house : I prostrated myself on the ground, and compassionated both Son and Mother.
Tell us, Mary, what didst thou after losing Jesus ?
After preparing my oint- ments and visiting the Tomb, I redoubled my tears.
Tell us, Mary, what didst thou after losing Jesus ?
An Angel thus spoke to me : '*Weep not, Mary! For Christ hath truly risen."
Tell us, Mary, what didst thou after losing Jesus ?
I saw many proofs and signs of the Eesurrection of the Son of God.
Tell us, Mary, what sawest thou on the way ?
I saw the Sepulchre of the living Christ ; I saw the glory of him that hath risen.
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287
I saw the Angels that were the witnesses ; I saw the wind- ing-sheet and the cloths.
Christ, my hope, hath risen I He shall go before you into Galilee.
It behoves us to believe the single testimony of the truth- ful Mary, rather than the whole wicked host of the Jews.
We know that Christ hath truly risen from the dead. Do thou, 0 Conqueror and King ! have mercy upon us.
Amen.
Angelicos testes, Sudarium et vestes.
Surrexit Christus spee mea, Prsecedet sues in Galilseam. Credendum est magis soli Mariae veraci, Quam Judseorum turbae fal- laci.
Scimus Christum surrex- isse
A mortuis vere ; Tu nobis, victor rex, mise- rere.
Amen.
2nd SEQUENCE.
Early on the Sunday morn- ing the Son of God, our hope and glory, rose from the dead.
He conquered the prince of wickedness, and returned from Limbo with all the glory of his victory upon him.
The first herald of his Ee- surrection was Mary Magda- lene.
She bore the glad tidings to the Disciples, who were sad for the death of Jesus.
Blessed the eyes that first beheld the King of Ages, after he had laid death aside I
This is she, who threw her- self at Jesus' feet, and had all her sins washed away by his grace.
She weeps and prays ; her life proclaims what her heart most loves, — Jesus above all else.
She knows him, before whom she kneels. What she
Mane prima Sabbati Surgens Dei Filius, Nostra spes et gloria.
Victo rege sceleris, Rediit ab inferis. Cum summa victoria.
Eesurgentis itaque Maria Magdalena Facta est praenuntia.
Ferens Christi fratribus Ejus morte tristibus, Exspectata gaudia.
0 beati oculi, Quibus regem saeculi, Morte jam deposita, Primum est intuita I
Hdgc est ilia femina, Cujus cuncta crimina Ad Christi vestigia Ejus lavit gratia.
Quae dum plorat et mens orat, Facto clamat quod cor amat, Jesum super omnia.
Non ignorat quem ado- rat,
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PASCHAL TIME.
Quod precatur jam deletur, Quod mens timet conscia.
0 Maria, mater pia, Stella maris appellaris, Operum per merita.
Matri Christi coa3quata, Dum. fuisti sic vocata, Sed honore subdita.
Ilia mundi imperatrix, Ista beata peccatrix : Lsetitise primordia Fuderunt in Ecclesia.
Ilia enim fuit porta, Per quem salus est exorta : Hsec resurgentis nuntia Mundum replet Isetitia.
0 Maria Magdalena, Audi vota laude plena, Apud Christum chorum
istum Clementer concilia.
Ut fons summa3 pietatis Qui te lavit a peccatis, Servos suos atque tuos Mundet data venia.
Amen dicant omnia!
prays for, is at once granted, — the forgiveness of the sins that weighed her down with fear.
0 Mary ! thou loving mo- ther ! Thou hast deserved thy name of Star of the Sea, because of thy holy deeds.
Thou sharest the name with the ^Ntother of Christ, though thy honours are not as hers.
She is the Queen of the world ; Magdalene is the fa- voured Sinner : they gave to the Church her earliest joy.
The Blessed Mother was the Gate, through which Salvation came into the world ; Magda- lene was the messenger of the Eesurrection, and filled the world with joy at its tidings.
Hear, 0 Magdalene, our prayer and praise ; pray to Jesus for the choir that thus sings to thee, and draw down his mercy upon us,
That the Fount of infinite goodness, who cleansed thee from thy sins, may purify us by his pardon, for we are his and thy servants.
Let all creatures say. Amen !
FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 289
FEIDAY IN EASTER WEEK.
This is the day which the Hsec dies, quam fecit Do- Lord hath made : Let us be minus : exsultemus, et laete- glad and rejoice therein. mur in ea.
Eight days ago, we were standing near the Cross, on which died the Man of Sorrows,^ abandoned by his Father, and rejected, by a solemn judgment of the Synagogue, as a false Messias : — and lo ! this is the sixth time the sun has risen upon our earth since the voice of the Angel was heard proclaiming the E-esurrection of this adorable Victim. The Church, his widowed spouse, then lay prostrate before that Justice of the Eternal God and Father, who spared not even his own Son,'^ because he had taken upon himself the likeness of sin : but now she is feasting in the sight of the triumph of her Jesus, for he bids her be exceeding glad. But if within this glad Octave, there be one day, rather than another, on which she should proclaim this triumph, it assuredly is the Friday ; for it was on that Day she saw him Jilled icith reproaches^ and crucified.
To-day, therefore, let us meditate upon our Saviour's Resurrection as being the zenith of his own dear glory, and as the chief argument whereon rests our faith in his Divinity. // Christ be not risen again, says the Apostle, t/our faith is vain : * but, because he is risen again, our faith rests on the surest of
» Is. liii. 3. 2 x^om. \m. 32.
3 Lament, ill. 30. ♦ Cor. xv. 17.
y
290
PASCHAL TIME.
foundations. Our Eedeemer owed it to us, therefore, that our certainty with regard to his Eesurrection should be perfect. In order to give this master- truth such evidence as would preclude all possibility of doubt, two things were needed : his Death was to be certified, and the proofs of his Resurrection were to be incontestable. Jesus fulfilled both these con- ditions, and with the most scrupulous completeness. Hence, his triumph over Death is a fact so deeply impressed on our minds, that even now, eighteen hundred years since it happened, we cannot celebrate our Easter without feeling a thrill of enthusiastic admiration akin to that which the guards of his Tomb experienced when they found their Captive gone.
Yes, Jesus was truly dead. The afternoon of Fri- day was at its close, and Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took down the Body from the Cross ; they gave it, stiff and covered with blood as it was, to his afflicted Mother. Who could doubt of his Death ? The terrible Agony of the previous night, when his Human Nature shrank at the foresight of the Cup he had to drink ; the treachery of one, and the infi- delity of the rest of his Apostles, which broke his sacred Heart ; the long hours of insult and cruelty ; the barbarous scourging, which Pilate devised as a means for softening brutal Jews to pity ; the Cross, to which he was fastened with Nails that opened four founts of Blood ; the anguish of his agonising Heart, when he beheld his Mother at the Foot of the Cross ; the burning Thirst, which choked the throbs of life still left ; the Spear that pierced his Side through to the very Heart, and drew from it a stream of Blood and Water ; — these are proofs enough that Death had made Grod his victim. Dear Jesus ! they are now but so many motives for us to love thy beautiful glory. How could we, for whom thou didst suffer Death, be unmindful of the sufferings that caused it?
FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK.
291
How could we forget them nmc, for they enhance the splendour of thy Resurrection ?
He, therefore, gained a true victory over Death : he appeared on the earth as a Conqueror of a very different kind from what had hitherto been known. Here was a fact, which it was impossible to deny : a Man, whose whole life had been spent in obscurity, was put to death by the most cruel tortures, and amidst the insulting shouts of his unworthy fellow- citizens. Pilate sent to the Emperor Tiberius an official account of the judgment and death of one, whom he represented as calling himself the King of the Jews. What would men think, after all this, of them that professed themselves followers of this Jesus ? The philosophers, the wits, the slaves of the world and pleasure, would point the finger of scorn at them, and say : "Lo ! these are they that adore a Q-od who died on a Cross ! " But, if this God rose again from the grave, is not his Death an evidence of his Divinity ? He died, and he rose again ; he foretold his Death and his Resurrection ; who but a God could thus hold in his power the keys of Death and Hell? ^
Yet so it was : Jesus was put to Death, and rose again from the Grave. — How do we know it ? By the testimony of his Apostles ; they saw him after he had risen, they touched him, they conversed with him for forty days. But are these Apostles to be credited ? Surely they are, for never was there a testimony that bore such internal evidence of truth. What interest could these men have in publishing the glory of their Master, who had been put to a death that brought ignominy both upon himself and them, if they knew that he never rose again, as he promised he would ? We can understand the Chief Priests bribing the soldiers to say, that whilst they
> Apoc. i. 18.
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were asleep, his Disciples, poor timid men as they
were, came during the night and stole away the Body.
They thought, by this, to throw discredit upon the
testimony of the Apostles ; but what folly ! We may
justly address to them the sarcastic words of St.
Augustine: "What! do you adduce, sleeping wit-
" nesses ? Surely, you yourselves must have been
*' asleep, to have had recourse to such a scheme as
" this ! "^ But, as for the Apostles, what motive could
they have for preaching the Resurrection, if it never
took place ? "In such a supposition," says St. John
Chrysostom, "they would have looked upon their
* Master as a false prophet and an impostor : and is
' it likely they would go and defend him against the
' accusations of a whole nation ? Would they expose
' themselves to all manner of suffering for one who
' had so cruelly deceived them ? What was there to
^ encourage them in such an undertaking ? The re-
' wards he had promised them ? But if he had not
' fulfilled his promise of rising again, how could they
' trust to the rest of his promises ?"^ No : we must
either deny every principle of nature and common
sense, or we must acknowledge the testimony of the
Apostles to be a true one.
Moreover, this testimony was the most disinterested that could be, for it brought nothing but persecution and death upon them that gave it. It was a proof that Grod was with such men as these, who, but a few hours before, were timid cowards, and now are fearless of every danger, asserting their conviction with an intrepidity which human courage could never inspire, and this, too, in cities which were very centres of civilisation and learning. The world is made to listen to their testimony, which they confirm by miracles ; and thousands of every tongue and nation are converted into believers of Jesus' Resurrection.
1 Enarrat. in Psalm. Ixiii. - In Matth. Homil. Ixxxix.
FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 293
When, at length, these Apostles laid down their lives for the doctrines thej preached, they left the world in possession of the truth of the Eesurrection ; and the seed they had sown in lands, where even the Roman Empire had not extended its conquests, produced a quick and world- wide-harvest. All this gave to the astounding fact, which they proclaimed, a guarantee and certainty beyond suspicion. It was impossible to refuse such evidence, without going against every principle of reason. Yes, 0 Jesus ! thy Resurrection is as certain as thy Death. Thy Apostles could never have preached, they could never have converted the world, as they did, unless they had had truth on their side.
But the Apostles are no longer here to give their testimony : the equally solemn testimony of the Church has succeeded to theirs, and proclaims, with a like authority, that Jesus is no longer among the ^ dead. By the Church, we here mean those hundreds of millions of Christians, who have proclaimed the Resurrection of Jesus by keeping, for now eighteen hundred years, the Feast of the Pasch. And can there be room for doubt here ? Who is there, that . would not assent to what has been thus attested every year since the Apostles first announced it ? Among these countless proclaimers of our Lord's , Resurrection, there have been thousands of learned men, the bent of whose mind led them to sift every truth, and who, before embracing the Faith, had examined its tenets in the light of reason ; there have been millions of others, whose acceptance of a Dogma like this, which puts a restraint on the pas- sions was the result of the conviction, that the only way to eternal happiness was in the due performance of the duties this Dogma imposes ; and finally, there have been millions of others, who, by their \irtue8, were the support and ornament of the world, but who owed all their virtues to their faith in the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
294 PASCHAL TIME.
Thus, the testimony of the Church, that is, of the wisest and best portion of mankind, is admirably united with that of the Apostles, whom our Lord himself appointed as his first witnesses. The two testimonies are one. The Apostles proclaimed what they had seen ; we proclaim, and shall proclaim to the end, what the Apostles preached. The Apostles made themselves sure of the Eesurrection, which they had to preach to the world ; tee make ourselves sure of the veracity of their word. They believed after experience ; so also do ice. They had the happiness of seeing, hearing, and touching the Word of Life ; ^ ice see and hear the Church, which they established throughout the world, although it was but in its infancy, when they were taken from the earth. The Church is that tree of which Jesus spoke in the parable, saying, that though exceeding small in its first commencement, it would afterwards spread out its branches far and wide.- St. Augustine in one of his Easter Sermons has these fine words: **As yet, we " see not Christ ; but we see the Church : therefore, *' let us believe in Christ. The Apostles, on the con- " trary, saw Christ ; but they saw not the Church " except by faith. They saw one thing, and they " believed an other : so, likewise, let us do. Let us " believe in the Christ, whom, as yet we see not ; " and, by keeping ourselves with the Church, which *' we see, we shall come at length to see Him, whom, " as yet, we cannot see."^
Having thus, 0 Jesus ! the certainty of thy glo- rious Resurrection, as well as that of thy Death on the Cross, — we confess thee to be the great Grod, the Creator and sovereign Lord of all things. Thy Death humbled, thy Resurrection exalted thee : but thou thyself wast the author both of humiliation and
1 1 St. John, i. 1. - St. Matth. xiii. 31, 32.— St. Mark, iv. 31, 32. •* Sermo ccxxxviii. In diebus I^aachalibus, x.
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exaltation. Thou saidst to thine enemies : No man taketh my life away from me ; but I lay it down of myself ; and I have power to lay it dmon^ and I have power to take it up again} None but a Grod could have such power, none else but a Grod could have exercised it as thou hast done : we, therefore, are confessing thy Divinity when we confess thy Resurrection. We beseech thee, make worthy of thine acceptance this humble and delighted homage of our Faith !
In Rome, the Station is at the Church of Saint Mary ad Martyres. It was the ancient Pantheon of Agrippa, and had been dedicated to all the false gods ; it was given by the Emperor Phocas to Pope Saint Boniface the Fourth, who consecrated it to the Mother of God and all the Martyrs. It is not known where to-day's Station was held previously to the 7th century, when this Church was chosen. The Neophytes were thus assembled, for the second time within the Octave, in a Temple dedicated to Mary : it would show them how much the Church desired to inspire them with confidence in Her, who had become their Mother, and whose office it is to lead to her Son all those whom he calls, by his grace, to become his Brethren.
MASS.
The Introit, which is taken from the Psalms, re- minds the Neophytes of the passage through the Red Sea, and how its waters were gifted with the power of delivering the Israelites. The Church continually alludes to this great event, during the whole Paschal Octave.
' St. John, X. 18.
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PASCHAL TIME.
INTROIT.
Eduxit eos Dominus in epe, alleluia : et inimicos eonim operuit mare. Alle- luia, alleluia, alleluia.
Fs. Attendite, popule meus, legem meam : incli- nate aurem vestram in verba oris mei. ^ . Gloria Patri. Eduxit.
The Lord hath brought them forth in hope, alleluia : and the sea hath covered their enemies. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. Attend, 0 my people, to my law : incline your ears to the words of my mouth. ^. Glory, &c. The Lord, &c.
The Pasch is the reconciliation of man with God, for the Father can refuse nothing to such a Con- queror as our Risen Jesus, his Son. In her Collect, the Church prays that we may ever show ourselves worthy of such a covenant^ by faithfully living up to the mystery of the Paschal Regeneration.
COLLECT.
Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, qui Paschale Sacra- mentum in reconciliationis humanae f oedere contulisti : da mentibus nostris, ut quod professione celebramus, imi- temur effectu. Per Domi- num.
0 Almighty and eternal God, who hast instituted this Paschal mystery in the cove- nant of the reconciliation of mankind; assist us with thy holy grace, that what we pro- fess in this solemnity, we may practise in our lives. Through, &c.
To this is added one of the Collects "Wednesday's Mass, page 247.
given
m
EPISTLE.
Lectio EpistolsG beati Petri Lesson of the Epistle of St.
ApostoU. Peter the Apostle.
/. Cap. HI. I. Ch. III.
Charissimi, Christus se- Dearly beloved : Christ died
mel pro peccatis nostris mor- once for our sins, the just for
tuus est, Justus pro injustis, the unjust; that he might
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297
offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit. In which also coming, he preached to those spirits that were in prison ; which had been some- time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: where- in a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water. "Where- unto baptism being of the like form, now saveth you also : not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the examination of a good con- science towards God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is on the right hand of God.
ut nos offerret Deo, mortifi-
catus quidem carne, viviti- catus autem Spiritu. In quo et his, qui in carcere erant, spiritibus veniens prsedica- vit : qui increduU f uerant aliquando, quando exspec- tabant Dei patientiam in diebus Noe, cum fabricare- tur area : in qua pauci, id est octo animse salvae factse sunt per aquam. Quod et vos nunc similis formse sal- vos f acit baptisma : non car- nis depositio sordium, sed conscientise bonae interroga- tio in Deum, per resurrec- tionem Jesu Christi Domini nostri, qui est in dextera Dei.
Again it is the Apostle St. Peter who speaks to us, and his instructions are of peculiar interest to our Neophytes. He begins by telling them how the Soul of our Redeemer descended into Limbo ; and how, among the prisoners detained there, were some of those who had perished in the Deluge, yet had found salvation in its Waters. They were, at first, incredulous^ and despised the threats made known to them by Noe ; but, when the Flood came and swept them away, they repented them of their sin, and asked and obtained pardon. The Apostle then goes on to speak of the favoured inhabitants of the Ark ; they are a type of our Neophytes, whom we have seen pass through the Waters of the Font, and thereby become, as did the sons of Noe, fathers of a new generation of children of God. Baptism^ says the Apostle, is not like other washings of the body ; it is the cleansing of the soid, provided she be sin- cere in the solemn promise she makes at the Font, to be faithful to the Christ who saves her, and to re-
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PASCHAL TIME.
nounce Satan and all that is his. The Apostle con- cludes by telling us, that the mystery of our Saviour's Resurrection is the source of the grace of Baptism : hence, the Church has chosen the Feast of Easter for the solemn administration of this Sacrament.
GRADUAL.
Haec dies quam fecit Do- minus : exsultemus, et laete- mur in ea.
y. Benedictus qui venit in nomine Domini : Deus Dominus, et illuxit nobis.
Alleluia, alleluia.
f. Dicite in gentibus : quia Dominus regnavit a ligno.
This is the day which the Lord hath made : let us be glad and rejoice therein.
f. Blessed is he that com- eth in the name of the Lord : the Lord is God, and he hath shone upon us.
Alleluia, alleluia.
?^. Say ye among the Gen- tiles, that the Lord hath reigned from the Wood.
The Sequence Victimce Paschali, page 164.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Matthseum.
Cap. XXVIII.
In illo tempore : Undecim discipuli abierunt in Gali- laeam, in montem, ubi con- stituerat ilHs Jesus. Et vi- dentes eum, adoraverunt : quidam autem dubitaverunt. Et accedens Jesus locutus est eis, dicens : Data est mihi omnis potestas in coelo, et in terra. Euntes ergo docete omnes gentes, baptizantes eo8 in nomine Patris, et Fi- lii, et Spiritus Sancti : do- centes eos servare omnia qusecumque mandavi vobis : et ecce ego vobiscum sum
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Ch. XXVIII.
At that time : the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And, seeing him they adored : but some doubted. And Je- sus coming, spoke to them, saying : All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations : baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to ob- serve all things whatsoever I have commanded you ; and
FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK I MASS. 299
behold I am with you all days, omnibus diebus, usque ad even to the consummation of consummationem sseculi. the world.
St. Matthew's description of the Resurrection is shorter than those given by the other Evangelists ; his few brief words on the appearing of Jesus to the Apostles in Gralilee, are the subject of to-day's Gospel. It was in Galilee that our Lord vouchsafed to show himself, not only to the Apostles, but, moreover, to several other persons. The Evangelist tells us, how some of those that were thus favoured, readily believed ; and how others douhtedy before yielding the assent of their faith. He then relates the words, wherewith Jesus gave his Apostles the mission to preach the Gospel to all nations ; and since he is to die no more, he promises to be with them for ever, even to the end of the world. But the Apostles are not to live to the end of the world : how, then, will he fulfil his promise ? The Apostles, as we said before, are perpetuated by the Church ; the two testimonies, — of the Apostles and of the Church, — are inseparably linked together ; and our Lord Jesus Christ preserves this united testimony from error or interruption. The liturgy of to-day brings before us a proof of its irreristible power. Peter, Paul and John, preached the Resurrection of Jesus, and established the Chris- tian faith, in Rome : five centuries after, the Church, which continued their work, received from an Em- peror the gift of the temple, which had once been consecrated to all the false gods, but which St. Peter's successor dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God, and to that legion of witnesses of the Resurrection, whom we call Martf/ra. At the sight of this magnificent edifice, which for three hundred years, had been deserted by the pagans, but now is reconciled by the Church, and holds within its walls the christian people, — our Neophytes could not refrain from ex- claiming : *' Oh ! truly is Christ risen, who, after
300 PASCHAL TIME.
"being put to death on the Cross, thus triumphs " over the Csesars, and over the gods of Olympus ! " The Offertory is composed of those words of Exo- dus, wherein Ood commands his people to celebrate, each year, the anniversary of the Passover. If this were so for an event, which was but figurative, and whose effects did not extend beyond this life, — how fervently and joyously ought not Christians to keep the anniversary of that other Passover, whose results are to be eternal, and whose divine reality has put an end to all the ancient figures !
OFFERTORY.
Erit vobis hsec dies memo- And this Day shall be for a rialis, alleluia : et diem fes- memorial tQ you, alleluia ; and turn celebrabitis solemnem you shall keep it a Feast to Domino in progenies ves- the Lord in yoiu' generations, tras : legitimum sempiter- with an everlasting observ- num diem. Alleluia, alle- ance. Alleluia, alleluia, alle- luia, alleluia. luia.
In the Secret, the Church beseeches God to accept this present Sacrifice for the forgiveness of the sins of her Neophytes. But how is this ? — their sins have been already effaced. It is true ; their sins have been washed away in the Waters of Baptism ; but God's fore-knowledge of the Sacrifice that would now be offered to him, led him to grant his pardon even before the petition for mercy had really been made.
SECRET.
Hostias, quaesumus Do- Mercifully accept this sacri-
mine, placatus assume : fice, we beseech thee, O Lord,
quas et pro renatorum ex- which we offer for the remis-
piatione peccati deferimus, sion of their sins, who have
et pro acceleratione coelestis been regenerated ; and to ob-
auxilii. Per Dominum. tain speedily the help of thy
grace. Thi-ough, &c.
FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK : MASS. 301
To this is added one of the Secrets given in Wed- nesday's Mass, page 254.
The Communion- Anthem joyously proclaims the command, given by our Saviour to his Apostles and the Church, to teach all nations, and to baptise all people. This order is the warrant of their Mission. The use made of it by the Apostles, and continued by the Church, during these eighteen hundred years, plainly proves that He, who spoke these words, is still living, and will for ever live.
COMMUNION.
All power is given to me Data est mihi omnis po-
in heaven and in earth, alle- testas in coelo et in terra,
luia : go, teach all nations, alleluia : euntes docete om-
baptising them in the name of nes gentes, baptizantes eos
the Father, and of the Son, in nomine Patris, et Filii,
and of the Holy Ghost. Alle- et Spiritus Saucti. Alleluia,
luia, alleluia. alleluia.
After nourishing her children with the Bread of Eternal Life, the Church, in the Postcommunion, again prays that they may receive forgiveness of the sins they commit in this present life, and which would be to their everlasting perdition, were not the merits of our Saviour's Death and Resurrection ever present before the justice of God.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Look down, we beseech thee, Respice, qusesumus Do-
O Jjord, upon thy people : mine, populum tuum : et
and since thou hast vouchsafed quern aeternis dignatus es
to give them a new life by renovare mysteriis, a tem-
these eternal mysteries, grant poralibus culpis dignanter
them also pardon of their torn- absolve. Per Domiiium. poral offences. Through, «&c.
To this is added one of the Postcommunions given in Wednesday's Mass, page 256.
302 PASCHAL TIME.
This is the sixth Day of the Creation. Upon it, the hand of the Son of Grod formed the body of Man out of the slime of the earth, into which he breathed a living soul. This was the Creature that was to be the king of the visible Creation. A simple command of the Divine Word had sufficed to call from the earth all the animals that live upon it ; but when, towards the close of this great day, the Creator said : Let us make Man to our image and likeness^ he did more than merely command, — he seems to have deliberated : he deigned to become the artificer of his work. Let us adore this his sovereign goodness towards our race, and ever gratefully honour the Friday of each week, as the day whereon the Son of Grod completed the work he began on the Sunday, by the creation of him who was to be master and lord of the world. Nor is this the only mystery that should make Friday dear to us. It was on this same day, that the Divine Word, having taken upon him- self the Flesh he himself had made, died upon the Cross, that he might save his rebellious and lost creature Man. 0 sacred Day ! Day that didst witness both our Creation and our Redemption ! — thou speakest to us of the Son of Grod, and of his love for us, even more sweetly than of his potcer ! Let us express all this by reciting the following devout prayer, which the Mozarabic Liturgy uses on the Friday of Easter week.
CAPITULA.
0 God, Son of God, who, in Deus, Dei Filius, qui ho- the sixth age of the world, minem, quern sexto die for- didst, by thy Blood, redeem masti ex nihilo, sexta setate Man whom thou hast formed, sseculi redemisti sanguine out of nothing, on the sixth tuo : et qui tunc bene con- day, and who, though created ditus male cecidit ; nunc in in goodness, fell into evil, but melius reformatus surrexit : has now risen regenerated unto da nobis, ut ita veraciter •^hat is more perfect : grant, redemptionig iiostrt© jnyste'^
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303
that we may so truly prize the mystery of our redemption, as that we may for ever glory in thy Death and Kesurrec- tion ; and that thou, who, in the time of our salvation, didst succour the world and conquer our death by thine own, may est deliver us from the eternal damnation of the Judgment.
rium perpendamus, qualiter in morte et resurrectione tua perenniter gloriemur : ut qui tempore salutis, mun- do occurrens, mortem nos- tram moriendo devicisti, ab retema nos liberes damna- tione judicii.
To-day let us hearken to the Church of Armeuia celebrating the Resurrection. For thirteen centuries, she has sung the following stanzas, which a Confrere has translated, for our Work, frora the Hymn Book, or Charagan. The sentiment is the same as we find expressed in other Liturgies ; but there is, moreover, the style peculiar to the Armenian character. The reader will be pleased with the fragrance of antiquity which he will find in these verses, whose vigorous and solemn lyric beauty surpasses that of the general liturgical compositions of the Grreek Church.
IN RESURRECTIONE DOMINI.
To-day the immortal and heavenly Bridegroom rose again from the dead ! To thee the glad tidings, O Church, his spouse on earth I Bless thy God, 0 Sion, with a joyous voice.
To-day, the ineffable Light of Light enlightened thy chil- dren. Be thou enlightened, O Jerusalem ! for Christ, thy Light, has risen.
To-day, the darkness of ignorance is dispelled by the triple light : an4 th© light of
Hodie resurrexit a mor- tuis sponsus immortalis et coelestis : tibi nuntium gau- dii, o sponsa e terra Eccle- sia ; benedic voce exsulta- tionis Deum tuum, Sion.
Hodie inenarrabile Lu- men de lumine illuminavit pueros tuos ; illuminare Jerusalem, quia resurrexit lumen tuum Christus.
Hodie tenebrae inscitiae depulsae sunt trina luce, et tibi orta est lux scientiae,
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PASCHAL TIME.
resurgens a mortuis Chris- tus.
Hodie Pasclia nostrum per immolationem Christi ; peragamus festum in exsul- tatione, renovati nos a ve- tustate peccati, dicentes : Christus resurrexit a mor- tuis.
Hodie Angelus refulgens, e coelis descendens, deter- ruit custodes, et Sanctis mu- lieribus prsedicabat dicens : Christus resurrexit a mor- tuis.
Hodie magnum nuntium Adse protoplastse fuit da- tum : Surge, qui dermis ; illuminavit te Christus, Deus patrum nostrorum.
Hodie vocem nuntii ad Evse aures sonant filise un- guentiferae : Vidimus re- surrectum, resurrectionem tuam, Christum, Deum pa- trum nostrorum.
Hodie Angeli de coelis de- scendentes annuntiant ho- minibus : Eesurrexit cruci- fixus, et suscitavit vos se- cum.
Hodie Phase serumnarum exitus Israel commutasti in salutis animarum Pascha, sancta Resurrectione tua, Christe.
Hodie pro sanguinibus irrationabilium agnorum mactatorum, donasti nobis, Agnus Dei, sanguinem tu- um salutare.
Hodie pro primogenito- rum redemptione redemisti c^ptivos, primitive vitae dor-
knowledge has risen upon thee, — it is Christ rising again from the dead.
To-day is our Pasch, by the sacrifice of Christ ; let us keep the Feast with gladness, being renewed from the old- ness of sin ; and let us say : Christ hath risen again from the dead !
To-day a bright Angel came down from heaven, struck the guards with fear, and said to the holy women : Christ hath risen again from the dead !
To-day, the great tidings were given to our First Parent, Adam : Arise, thou that sleep - est I Christ, the God of our fathers, hath enlightened thee.
To-day the tidings told by her daughters, who brought their perfumes to the Tomb, sounded in the ears of Eve : We have seen Him risen, who is thy resurrection, — Christ, the God of our fathers.
To-day, the Angels came down from heaven, saying to men : The Crucified hath risen, and hath raised you up with himself.
To-day, 0 Christ, by thy holy Resurrection, thou didst change the mournful Pasch of Israel into the Pasch that saves souls.
To-day, thou, 0 Lamb of God, didst give us thine own saving Blood for the blood of irrational lambs that were slain.
To-day, in place of the ransom of the first-born, thou, — the fif^t-fruit? q| life among
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305
tliein that sleep, the first-born among the dead, — didst re- deem the captives.
To-day, the Angels of heaven rejoice together with men ; and coming down from heaven, they say to the world : Be glad I to-day, Christ hath risen again from the dead !
To-day, the Angel that sat upon the rock and kept guard , spoke with a loud voice to the holy women, that had come with their spices, and bade them be messengers to the Disciples : Be glad I to-day, Christ hath risen again from the dead I
To-day, he that is the Rock of faith, ran with John, the Beloved, to the Sepulchre of Jesus, and said, when they saw it : Christ hath risen again from the dead I
To-day, let us, also, be bright in the joy of this Feast. God is reconciled with us ; let us embrace each other with love, and say with one voice : Christ hath risen again from the dead !
mientium, et primogenitus mortuorum.
Hodie Angeli in coelis Ise- tantur cum hominibus, et descendentes de coelis an- nuntiant mundo : Exsultate; hodie Christus resurrexit a mortuis.
Hodie vigil secus petram, thuriferis Sanctis mulieri- bus, buccinabat voce exsul- tationis, ut referrent disci- pulis : Exsultate ; hodie Christus resurrexit a mor- tuis.
Hodie Petra fidei et Johan- nes dilectus vice versa cur- rebant in monumentum re- surrecti, quod videntes nar- rabant : Christus resurrexit a mortuis.
Hodie nos quoque delec- tantes clareamus festo hoc ; placate Deo, invicem am- plectamur in amore, ac uni- tim exclamemus : Christus resurrexit a mortuis.
We are far from having exhausted the treasury of Adam of Saint -Victor : let us take another of his Sequences. The one we select, seems the most appropriate to the Friday of the Easter Octave.
seque;nce.
Christ suffered death on the sixth day ; ho rose again on the third. By his victorious
Sexta passus feria. Die Christus tertia Resurrexit ;
X
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PASCHAL TIME.
Surgens cum victoria, Collocat in gloria
Quos dilexit. Pro fideli populo, Cnicis in patibulo
Immolatur ; Clauditur in tumulo, Tandem in diluculo
Suscitatur. Christi crux et passio Nobis est praesidio,
Si credamus : Christi resurrectio Pacit ut a vitio
Eesurgamus.
Hostia sufficiens
Christus fuit moriens
Pro peccato ; Sanguinis effusio Abluit nos, impio
Triumph ato. Morte sua simplici, Nostrse morti duplici
Pert medelam : Yitse pandit aditum, Nostrum sanat gemitum
Et querelam. Leo fortis hodie Dat signum potentise,
Pesurgendo, Principem nequitiae, Per arma justitise,
Devincendo. Diem istam Dominus Fecit, in qua f acinus
Mundi lavit. In qua mors occiditur, In qua vita redditur,
Hostis ruit. Geminatum igitur Alleluia canitur,
Corde puro ; Quia culpa tollitur Et vita promittitur
In future. In hoc mundi vespere,
Eesurrection, he shares his own glory with them he loves.
He is sacrificed on the gib- bet of the Cross, for his faith- ful people : he is placed in the Tomb : he rises at dawn of day.
To them that have faith, the Cross and Passion of Christ are a safeguard : his Pesurrection gives us to rise from our sins.
Christ dying for sin, was our all-sufficient victim : the shedding of his Blood was our purification, and the defeat of our wicked enemy.
Jesus' single Death is the remedy for ours that was two- fold : it opens to us the way of life, and takes away our mourning and grief.
Now does the mighty Lion give proof of power by rising, and conquering the prince of wickedness by the armour of justice.
This is the day which the Lord hath made, for on it the world was cleansed of its crimes, Death was slain. Life was restored, and the enemy defeated.
A double Alleluia, and with a pure heart, should be sung to-day ; for sin is taken away, and life is promised for the future to come.
0 Jesus ! give us thy sor-
FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK.
vants, to rise again when the Fac tuos resurgere evening of this world sets in ! Jesu Christe • '
May this present Day be one Salutaris omnibus
of grace to all thy faithful. Sit tuis fidelibus ^^®°- Diesiste. Amen.
307
308 PASCHAL TIME.
SATURDAY IN EASTER WEEK.
Hsec dies quam fecit Do- This is the day which the minus : exsultemus et lae- Lord hath made : let us be temur in ea. glad and rejoice therein.
The seventh day of the gladdest of weeks has risen upon us, bringing with it the memory of the Crea- tor's Rest, after the six days of Creation. It also reminds us of that other Rest, which this same Grod took in the Tomb ; like a warrior, who, when sure of the victory, calmly reposes before the final combat with the enemy. Our Jesus slept his rest in the Sepulchre, after permitting Death to vanquish him : but, when he awoke by his Resurrection, what a vic- tory over the tyrant ! Let us, to-day, visit this holy Sepulchre, and venerate it : it will speak to us of Him we love, and make our love the warmer. Here, we shall say to ourselves, here rested our dear Master, after he had died for us ! Here was the scene of the glorious victory, when he arose again, and this, too, for us !
The Prophet Isaias had said : In that day, the root of Jesse, who standeth for an ensign of people, Him shall the Gentiles beseech ; and his Sepulchre shall be glorious} The prophecy has been fulfilled. There is not a Nation under the sun where Jesus has not his adorers. The Tombs of other men are either destroyed, or they are monuments of Death ; the Tomb of Jesus is everlasting, and speaks but of Life.
^ Is. xi. 10.
SATURDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 309
"What a Sepulchre this, the sight of which fills us with thoughts of glory, and whose praises had been celebrated so many ages beforehand ! When the fulness of time came, Grod raised up in Jerusalem a holy man, named Joseph of Arimathea, who secretly, but sincerely, became one of the disciples of Jesus. He was a rich Counsellor, or Senator. He had pre- pared his own tomb, and the place he chose was on the side of the hill of Calvary. It was hewn out of the live rock, and consisted of two cells, one serving as a sort of entry into the other. Joseph thought he was labouring for himself, whereas he was preparing the Sepulchre of a Grod. He only thought of the debt which every man has to pay, in consequence of Adam's sin ; but heaven had decreed, that Joseph should never lie in that tomb, and that here should originate man's immortality.
Jesus had expired on the Cross, amidst the insults of his people ; the entire City had risen up against the Son of David, whom, but a few days before, it had hailed as its King. Then did Joseph brave the fury of the deicides, and ask permission from the Roman Grovernor to be allowed the honour of burying the Body of the Crucified. He at once repaired to Cal- vary accompanied by Nicodemiis, and, having taken down the sacred Corpse from the Cross, he devoutly laid it upon the stone which he had intended as his own resting-place. He felt that it was a happiness and honour to give up his own to the dear Master, for whom he had not been ashamed to profess, and that in the very court of Pilate, his devoted attach- ment. Right worthy art thou, 0 Joseph ! of the thanks of mankind ! Thou wast our representative at the Burial of our Jesus ! And Mary, too, the afflicted Mother, who was present, recompensed thee, in her own way, for the sacrifice thou didst so will- ingly make for her Son !
The Evangelists draw our attention to one special
310 PASCHAL TIME.
circumstance of the Sepulchre. St. Matthew, St. Luke, and St. John, tell us that it was neic^ and that no man had ever been laid in it. The Holy Fathers teach us, that we must see here a mysterious dispen- sation, and one of the grand glories of the holy Tomb. It marks, as they observe, the resemblance that exists between the Sepulchre, which restored the Man-Grod to the life of Immortality, and the virginal Womb which gave him birth that he might be a Victim for the world's redemption : and they bid us learn from this, how God, when he deigns to dwell in any of his creatures, would have the dwelling to be pure and worthy of his infinite holiness. Here, then, is one of the glories of the Holy Sepulchre, — that it was an image of the incomparable Purity of the Mother of Jesus.
During the few hours that it possessed the precious trust, where was there glory on earth like unto what it enjoyed? Within that silent cave, there lay, — wrapt in shrouds that were bedewed with Mary's tears, — the Body which had ransomed the world. Hosts of holy Angels stood in that little rocky cell, keeping watch over the Corpse of Him who was their Creator ; they adored it, in its sleep of Death ; they longed for the hour to come, when this Lamb, that was slain, would arise a Lion in power and majesty. And when the moment, fixed by the eternal decree, came, that humble spot was made the scene of the grand prodigy ; — Jesus rose to life, and, swifter than lightning, passed through the rock to the outer world. An Angel then rolled back the stone from the en- trance to the Sepulchre, thus proclaiming the depar- ture of the divine Captive. Other Angels showed themselves to Magdalene and her companions, when they came to visit it. Peter, too, and John were soon there. Oh ! truly, most holy is this place ! The Son of God deigned to dwell within it ; his Mother honoured it with her presence and her tears ; Angels
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adored in it ; the holiest souls on earth visited, venerated, and loved it. 0 Sepulchre of the Son of Jesse, thou art indeed glorious !
Hell witnesses this glory, and would fain destroy it. The sight of this Sepulchre is insufferable to Satan's pride, for it is the trophy of the defeat of Death, the offspring of Sin. He flatters himself on having succeeded, when Jerusalem is destroyed by the Roman legions, and, on her ruins, there rises up a new and pagan City, called JElia. But no ! neither the name of Jerusalem^ nor the glory of the Holy Sepulchre, shall perish. The pagans cover it with a mound of earth, on which they build a temple to Jupiter ; it was the same spirit that dictated their raising an altar to Venus on Calvary, and another to Adonis over the cave of Bethlehem. But all these sacrilegious efforts only serve to tell the Christians the exact site of these several sacred Places. The pagans think by this artifice to turn the respect and homage of the Christians from Jesus to their false gods : here again, they fail. The Christians abstain from visiting the Holy Places, as long as they are desecrated by the presence of these idols ; but they keep their eye fixed on what their Redeemer has endeared to them, and wait, in patience, for the time when it shall please the Eternal Father to again glorify his Son.
The time comes. Grod sends to Jerusalem a Chris- tian Empress, mother of a Christian Emperor : she is to restore the Holy Places, the scenes of our Re- deemer's love. Like Magdalene and her companions, Helen hastens to the Sepulchre. God would have it so, — woman's privilege in all that happened on the great morning of the Resun-ection, is to be continued now. Magdalene and her companions sought Jesus ; Helen, who adores him as her Risen Lord, only seeks his Sepulchre : but their love is one and the same. The pious Empress orders the temple of Jupiter to
312 PASCHAL TIME.
be pulled down, and the mound of earth to be re- moved ; which done, the trophy of Jesus' victory once more gleams in the light of day. The defeat of Death is again proclaimed by this resurrection of the glorious Sepulchre. A magnificent Temple is built at the expense of the Imperial treasury, and is called the Basilica of the E-esurrection. The whole world is excited by the news of such a triumph ; the already tottering structure of Paganism receives a shock, which hastens its destruction ; and pilgrimages to the Holy Sepulchre are begun by Christian people throughout the world, forming a procession of universal homage which is to continue to the end of time.
During the three centuries following, Jerusalem was the Holy and free City, and the Sepulchre of Jesus reflected its glory upon her ; but the East be- came a very hot- bed of heresies, and God, in his justice, sent her the chastisement of slavery. The Saracen hordes inundated the Land of prodigy. If the torrent of invasion was checked, it was for a brief period, and the waters returned with redoubled power. Meanwhile, what becomes of the Holy Se- pulchre ? Let us not fear : it is safe. The Saracens themselves look upon it with awe, for it is, they say, the tomb of a great Prophet. True a tax is imposed on the Christians who visit it ; but the Sepulchre is safe. One of the Caliphs presented the keys of the venerable Sanctuary to the Emperor Charlemagne, hereby evincing, not only the respect he had for this greatest of Christian monarchs, but, moreover, the veneration wherein he held the sacred grotto. Thus did our Lord's Sepulchre continue to be glorified, even in the midst of dangers which humanly, would have wrought its utter destruction.
Its glory shone out still more brightly, when, at the call of the Father of Christendom, the Western Nations rose up in arms, and marched, under the
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banner of the Cross, to the deliverance of Jerusalem. The love of the Holy Sepulchre was in every heart, its name on every tongue ; the first engagement drove back the Saracen, and left the City in the possession of the Crusaders. A sublime spectacle was then mtnessed in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre : the pious Godfrey of Bouillon was consecrated King of Jerusalem, and the holy mysteries were celebrated, for the first time in the language and ritual of Kome, under the oriental dome of St. Helen's Basilica. But the reign of Japheth in the tents of Sem was of short duration, owing, partly, to the short-sighted policy of the Western Sovereigns, which kept them from appreciating the importance of such a conquest; and, partly, to the treachery of the Greek Empire, which betrayed the defenceless Jerusalem once more into the hands of the Saracens. Still, the period of The Latin Kingdom in the Holy City was one of the gloricH of Jesus' Sepulchre, foretold by Isaias.
What are to be its future glories ? At present, it is profaned by the sacrifices which are offered, in its Basilica, by schismatical and heretical priests ; it is intrusted, for a few hours each year, to the Catholics of Jerusalem, and during that brief interval, it re- ceives the fervent homage of the true Spouse of Jesus. When will the Holy Sepulchre be reinstated in its honour ? will the nations of the West return to the fervour of faith, and emulate the holy chivalry of the Crusaders of old ? Or will the East renounce the schism, which has cost her her liberty ; stretch out her hand to the Mother and Mistress of all Churches ; and on the rock of the Resurrection, sign the covenant of a union, which would be the death- warrant of Islamism Y Only God knows : but this much he has revealed to us in Sacred Scripture, that, before the end of the world, Israel will return to the Messias he despised and crucified, and that the glory
314 PASCHAL TIME.
of Jerusalem is to be restored by the Jews who shall be converted.^ Then will the Sepulchre of the Son of Jesse be at the height of its glory ^ and soon will this Son of Jesse himself appear, these bodies of ours will then be on the eve of the general resurrec- tion ; and thus the final result of the Pasch will be simultaneous with the last and greatest glonj of the Holy Sepulchre. As we rise from our graves, we shall fix our eyes upon our Jesus' Tomb, and love it as the origin and source of the Immortality we shall then have. Until the time of our death comes, when our bodies must be laid in the temporary prison of the grave, let us love the Sepulchre of our dear Saviour : let us be zealous for its honour ; and, imi- tating our forefathers in that earnest faith which made them its defenders and soldiers, let us get well into us that portion of the Easter spirit, which con- sists in understanding and loving the glories of Jesus' Sepulchre.
The name given in the Liturgy, to this day is Saturday in albis, or more correctly, in albis dejjo- n end is ; because it was to-day that the Neophytes were to lay aside the white robes they had been wearing during the whole Octave. This Octave had, indeed, begun earlier for them than for the rest of the Faithful, inasmuch as it was on the night of Holy Saturday that they were regenerated, and vested with these white garments, the emblem of the purity of their souls. It was, therefore, on the evening of the following Saturday, and after the Office of Ves- pers, that they put off their baptismal robes, as we will describe farther on.
In Home, the Station is in the Lateran Basilica, the Mother and Mistress of all Churches. It is close to the Baptistery of Constantine, where, eight days back, the Neophytes received the grace of regenera-
^ Rom. xi. 12, and several other verses.
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tion. The Basilica, wherein they are now assembled, is that from which they set out, during the still and dark night, to the Font of salvation, led on by the mysterious light of the Paschal Torch. It was to this same Church that they returned after their Baptism, clad in theii' white robes, and assisted, for the first time, at the entire celebration of the Chris- tian Sacrifice, and received the Body and Blood of Christ Jesus. No other place could have been more appropriate for the Station of this day, whereon they were to return to the ordinary duties of life. Holy Church sees assembled around her these her new- born children. It is the last time that she will see them in their white garments, and she looks at them with all the affection of a joyful Mother. They are most dear to her, as the fruit of heaven's own giving ; and during the week, she has frequently given ex- pression to her maternal pride, in canticles such as she alone can sing.
Sometimes, she thought how they had feasted at the Divine Banquet, and how they were strengthened and beautified by the Flesh of Him who is all TTis- dom and Sweetness ; and she sang these words :
Bt. From the mouth of the I>t. De ore prudentis pro- Wise Cometh honey, alleluia ; cedit mel, alleluia ; dulcedo the sweetness of honey is under mellis est sub lingua ejus, his tongue ; * his lips are as a alleluia ; * Favus distillans dropping honeycomb, alleluia, labia ejus, alleluia.
V. Wisdom resteth in his S. Sapientia requiescit
heart, and pnidence is in the in corde ejus, et prudentia
word of his mouth. * His lips in sermone oris iUius. *
are as a dropping honeycomb, Favus distillans labia ejus,
alleluia. alleluia.
Sometimes, she was elated with joy, as she saw transformed into innocent lanihs those who, hereto- fore, had led worldly lives ; they had now begun a
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PASCHAL TIME.
new life, and with all the innocence of little children ; to describe them, she sings this pastoral strain :
Bt. Isti sunt agni novelli qui annuntiaverunt Alle- luia : modo venerunt ad fontes ; * Repleti sunt cla- ritate. Alleluia, alleluia.
^. In conspectu Agni amicti sunt stolis albis, et palmse in manibus eorum. * Eepleti sunt claritate. Al- leluia, alleluia.
5j. These are the new lambs, and they have announced to us the Alleluia : they have come but now to the Font ; * They are tilled with light. Alleluia, alleluia.
t . They are standing in the sight of the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands. * They are filled with light. Alleluia, alleluia.
Again, at other times, she looked, with holy pride, on the splendid virtues which Baptism had infused into their souls, and on the spotless purity which made them beam with light : she thus enthusiastically speaks of their beauty :
gt. Candidi facti sunt Na- zarsei ejus, alleluia ; splen- dorem Deo dederunt, alle- luia ; * Et sicut lac coagulati sunt. Alleluia, alleluia.
'^ . Candidiores nive, niti- diores lacte, rubicundiores ebore antiquo, sapphiro pul- chriores. * Et sicut lac coa- gulati sunt. Alleluia, alle- luia.
gt. His Nazarites were white, alleluia ; they gave bright glory to God, alleluia ; * And they were pure as milk. Al- leluia, alleluia.
^\ They were whiter than snow, purer than milk, more ruddy than the old ivory, fairer than the sapphire. * And they were pure as milk. Al- leluia, alleluia.
These three Responsories are taken from the Offices of the Holy Church, during Paschal Time.
MASS.
The Introit is composed of words from the 104th Psalm, wherein Israel gives praise to the Lord, for
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317
that he brought his people out of their exile. By this people^ we must understand our Neophytes, who were exiled from heaven because of original sin and of those sins they themselves had committed : Baptism has restored them to all the rights they had forfeited, for it has made them members of the Church.
INTROIT
The Lord hath led forth his people in gladness, alleluia ; and his chosen ones in joy. Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. Praise the Lord, and call upon his Name : publish his works amon» the Gentiles. ??-. Glory, &c. The Lord, &c.
Eduxit Dominus populum suum in exsultatione, alle- luia : et electos sues in Ise- titia. Alleluia, alleluia.
Ps. Confitemini Domino, et invocate Nomen ejus : an- nuntiate inter gentes opera ejus. y. Gloria. Eduxit.
Paschal Week is about to close; the Church, there- fore, now asks our Lord to grant to us, her Children, that the joy we have experienced during this happy Octave may lead us to the still greater joy of the eternal Pasch.
COLLECT.
Grant, we beseech thee, 0 Almightj' God, that we, who with reverence have celebrated this Paschal solemnity, may happily arrive at everlasting joys. Through, &c.
Concede, quresumus, om- nipotens Deus : ut qui festa paschalia vencrando egimus, per heec contingere ad gau- dia reterna mereamur. Per Dominum.
To this is added one of the Collects given in "Wed- nesday's Mass, page 247.
EPISTLE.
Lesson of the Epistle of Saint Peter the Apostle.
1. Ch. IF.
Dearly beloved : Laying away all malice, and all guilo and dissimulations, and en- vies, and all detractions, as new-bom babes, desire the
Lectio Epistolse beati Petri Apostoli.
1. Cap. II.
Charissimi, deponentes igitur omnem malitiam, et omnem dolum, et simula- tiones, et invidias, et omnes detractiones, sicut mode
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PASCHAL TIME.
geniti infantes, rationabile, sine dolo lac concupiscite, ut in eo crescatis in salutem : si tamen gustastis quoniam dulcis est Dominus. Ad quern accedentes lapidem vivum, ab hominibus qui- dem reprobatum, a Deo autem electum et honorifi- catum : et ipsi tanquam la- pides yivi supersedificamini, domus spiritualis, sacerdo- tium sanctum, offerre spiri- tuales hostias, acceptabiles Deo per Jesum Christum. Propter quod continet Scrip - tura : Ecce pono in Sion lapidem summum angula- rem, electum, pretiosum : et qui crediderit in eum non confundetur. Vobis igitur honor credentibus : non cre- dentibus autem, lapis quem reprobaverunt aedificantes, hie factus est in caput an- guli : et lapis offensionis, et petra scandali his, qui offen- dunt verbo, nee credunt in quo et positi sunt. Yos autem genus electum, regale sacerdotium, gens sancta, populus acquisitionis : ut virtutes annuntietis ejus, qui de tenebris vos vocavit in admirabile lumen suum. Qui aliquando non populus, nunc autem populus Dei : qui non consecuti miseri- cordiam, nunc autem mise- ricordiam, consecuti.
rational milk mthout guile ; that thereby you may grow into salvation : if so be you have tasted that the Lord is sweet, unto whom coming, as to a living stone, rejected in- deed by men, but chosen and made honourable by God : be you also as living stones built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. "Wherefore it is said in the scripture : " Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious : and he that shall believe in him shall not be confounded." To you therefore that believe, honour : but to them that be- lieve not, "the stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head of the cor- ner ;" and a stone of stum- bling and a rock of scandal, to them who stumble at the word, neither do believe, whereunto also they are set. But you are a chosen genera- tion, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased peo- ple : that you may declare his virtues, who hath called you out of darkness into his mar- vellous light. Who in time past were not a people : but are now the people of God. Who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
The Neophytes could not have received any more appropriate instruction than this, which the Prince of the Apostles addresses to us all. St. Peter wrote this first Epistle to the newly-baptised of those days.
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He affectionately calls them imr-honi Bales. He urges them to that virtue, which so becomes the age of infancy, — the vii'tue of simplicity. He tells them, that the doctrine they have been taught will be to them a milk, which will feed and strengthen them. He invites them to taste how sweet is the Lord they have now vowed to serve.
After this, he speaks of one of the leading charac- teristics of Christ, namely, his being the foundation and corner Stone of God's house. It is upon him that must rest the Faithful, who are the living stones of the spiritual edifice. He alone can give them solidity ; and hence, when about to return to his Father, he chose and established upon earth another Hock, — a Eock that should be ever visible, united with and based upon his own divine self, and par- taking of his solidity. The Apostle's humility for- bids his developing the whole truth as related in the Gospel,^ and which tells us of his glorious preroga- tive ; but, if we remember the words spoken by our Lord to St. Peter, we understand the whole doctrine implied in our Epistle.
The Apostle is silent about his own dignity as the Mocky on which Jesus has built his Church ; but observe the glorious titles he gives to us, who have been made members of that Church by Baptism. Yon are, says he, a chosen generation, a kingtf/ priesthood, a hohj nation, a purchased people ! Oh, yes, what a difference there is between one that is baptised and one that is not ! Heaven is opened to the one, and shut against the other ; the one is a slave of the devil, and the other is a King in Christ Jesus, the eternal King, whose brother he has now become ; the one cut off from God, the other offering liim a sacrifice of infinite worth by the hands of the great High Priest, Jesus. And all these gifts have been bestowed upon us by a purely gratuitous mercy ;
» St, Matth. xvi. 18.
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we had done nothing to merit them. Let us, then, offer to the Father, who has thus adopted us, our humble acts of thanksgiving ; let us go back, in thought, to the time when we ourselves were Neo- phytes, and renew the promises which were made, in our name, as the essential condition of our being admitted to all these graces.
From this day forward, the Church ceases to use, during Paschal Time, the Responsory called the Gradual. She substitutes, in its stead, two versicles, with the Alleluia repeated four times : the formula is less solemn, but more joyous. During the first six days of the Octave, which bear an analogy with the six days of Creation, she would maintain the customary majestic gravity of her chants ; now that she has reached the day, whereon the Creator rested after his work was finished, she gives free scope to the holy joy, wherewith she is filled.
Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia.
t". Hsec dies, quam fecit ^''. This is the day which
Dominus : exsultemus et the Lord hath made : let us
laetemur in ea. be glad, and rejoice therein.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
v. Laudate pueri Domi- V. Praise the Lord, ye his
num, laudate Nomen Do- servants ; praise the Name of
mini. the Lord.
The Sequence, Vidimce Paschali, page 164.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii Sequel of the holy Gospel secundum Joannem. according to John.
Cap. XX. Ch. XX.
Inillo tempore : Una sab- At that time : The first day
bati Maria Magdalene venit of the week, Mary Magdalene
mane, cum adhuc tenebri© cometh early, while it was yd
essent, ad monumentum : et dark, to the Sepulchre : and
vidit lapidem sublatum a she saw the stone taken away
pionumento. Cucurrit ergo, from the sepulchre. She ran,
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321
therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disci- ple whom Jesus loved, and saith to them : They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went out, and that other disciple, and they came to the sepulchre. And they both ran together, and that other disciple did overrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And when he stooped down, he saw the linen cloths lying : but yet he went not in. Then cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre, and saw the linen cloths lying. And a napkin, that had been about his head, not Ipng with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapt up into one place. Then that other disciple also went in, who came first to the sepulchre : and he saw, and believed ; for as yet they knew not the Scrip- ture, that he must rise again from the dead.
et venit ad Simonem Pe- trum, et ad alium discipu- lum, quern amabat Jesus, et dicit iUis : Tulerunt Domi- num de monumento, et ne- scimus ubi posuerunt eum. Exiit ergo Petrus, et ille alius discipulus, et vene- runt ad monumentum. Cur- rebant autem duo simul, et ille alius discipulus prsecu- currit citius Petro, et venit primus ad monumentum. Et cum se inclinasset, vidit posita linteamina, non ta- men introivit. Venit ergo Simon Petrus sequens eum, et introivit in monumen- tum, et vidit linteamina posita, et sudarium, quod fuerat super caput ejus, non cum linteaminibus positum, sed separatim involutum in unum locum. Tunc ergo introivit et ille discipulus, qui venerat primus ad mo- numentum : et vidit, et cre- didit : nondum enim sciebant Scripturam, quia oportebat eum a mortuis resurgere.
This incident, which happened on the morning of our Lord's Resurrection, has been reserved by the Church for to-day's liturgy, because it again brings St. Peter before our notice. This is the last day of the Neophytes assisting at the holy Sacrifice in their white garments ; after this, there will be nothing to distinguish them, exteriorly, from the rest of the Faithful. It is important, therefore, to give them a clear idea of the foundation of the Church, — a foundation, without which the Church could not exist, and upon which tltey must rest, if they would persevere in the faith wherein they have been baptised. They cannot obtain salvation, unless they
322 PASCHAL TIME.
keep their faith inviolate. Now they alone have this firm and pure faith, who are docile to the teachings of Peter, and recognise him as the E-ock on which our Lord has built his Church. In the episode re- lated in our Gospel, we are taught by an Apostle what respect and deference are due to him, whom Christ appointed to feed both Icunb^ and sheep, ^ that is, the whole flock. Peter and John run together to the Sepulchre ; John, the younger of the two, arrives there before Peter ; he looks in, but does not enter. What means this humble reserve of the Disciple who was so specially beloved of Jesus ? For whom does he wait ? — He waits for him, whom the Master has placed over all, and who is to act as their Head. Peter, at length, comes to the Sepulchre ; he goes in ; he examines the holy place ; and then, John also enters. It is John himself who writes this, and gives us the admirable instruction embodied in what he relates. Yes, it is for Peter to lead the way, and judge and decide as Master ; it is the Christian's duty to follow him, to listen to his teachings, to honour and obey him. How can we have any diffi- culty in doing this, when we see an Apostle, and such an Apostle, behaving thus to Peter, and this, too, at a time when Peter had received the 2)romise only of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, which were not really given to him until some days after ?
The words of the Oifertory are taken from the 1 17th Psalm, which is, by excellence, the Psalm of the Resurrection. They hail the divine conqueror, who rises like a bright star, and gladdens us with his benediction.
OFFERTORY.
Benedictus qui venit in Blessed be he that cometh nomine Domini : benedixi- in the name of the Lord : we mus vobis do domo Domini : have blessed you out of the
^ St. John, xxi. 15, 17.
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house of the Lord : the Lord Deus Dominus et illuxit is God, and he hath shone nobis. Alleluia, alleluia, upon us. Alleluia, alleluia.
In the Secret, the Church teaches us, that the mysteries we celebrate during the year exercise a last- ing influence upon us. Each Feast, as it comes round to us, brings with it fresh life and joy ; and it is by its annual celebration, that the Church applies to her children the graces, which each mystery brought with it at the actual time of its accompKshment.
SECRET.
Grant, we beseech thee. Concede, qusesumus Do-
O Lord, that we may always mine, semper nos per haec
gratefully solemnise the Pas- mysteria Paschalia gratu-
chal mysteries, and that the lari : ut continua nostrae
continual celebration of the reparationis operatio, per-
sacrament of our redemption petuse nobis fiat causa Iseti-
may be to us a subject of per- tiae. Per Dominum. petual joy. Through, &c.
To this is added one of the Secrets given in Wed- nesday's Mass, page 254.
Our Neophytes are to lay aside, to-day, their white robes ; but there is a garment which they are never to put away : — it is Christ himself, who became united with them by Baptism, as the Apostle of the Grentiles here reminds them :
COMMUNION.
All you that have been bap- Omnes qui in Christo bap- tised in Christ, have put on tizati estis, Christum in- Christ, alleluia. duistis, alleluia.
The Church returns once more, in her Postcom- munion, to the subject of Faith. Without Faith there is no Christianity : now, it is the Eucharist which has the power of fostering it in the soul, for the Eucharist is the Mystery of Faith.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Being strengthened, O Lord, Redemptionis nostrae mu- by the sacrameut of our re- nere vegetati, quaesumua
324 PASCHAL TIME.
Domine : ut hoc perpetuse demption, grant that through
salutis auxilio fides semper this help to eternal salvation,
vera proficiat. Per Domi- a true faith may always be
num. increased in us. Through, &c.
To this is added one of the Postcommunions given in Wednesday's Mass, j9«^e 256.
THE TAKINGl OFF THE WHITE QAEMENTS.
The Vespers, on each of the days of this week, were celebrated in the manner we described on the Sunday. There was a numerous attendance, each day, in the Basilica ; and the Faithful thus testified their affectionate interest in the white-robed Neo- phytes, who visited, during the Vespers of each day, the sacred Font where they had been born to the new life of grace. This afternoon, the concourse of people is greater than on the preceding days, for an interesting ceremony is to take place. The Neophytes are about to lay aside the outward symbol of in- nocence, which they have been wearing ; but they are, also, to give a solemn promise to maintain the inward purity of soul. By this public ceremony the Church restored the newly baptised to the duties of their ordinary station of life : they must now return to the world, and comport themselves as Christians, — disciples of Christ, — for such they are.
The visit to the Baptistery has been made, and the Office of Vespers has terminated with the Station before the Crucifix of the Chancel : the Neophytes are then led to a room adjoining the Cathedral, in which is prepared a large vessel of water. The Bishop goes to his throne. Seeing the newly baptised standing around him, he addresses them in a dis- course, wherein he expresses the joy he feels, as Pastor, at the increase wherewith it has pleased G-o(j
SATURDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 325
to bless his much-loved flock. He congratulates them upon the grace they have received ; and then, alluding to the main object of their coming together this afternoon, — that is the laying aside the white garments they received after Baptism, — he warns them, with paternal affection, to keep a guard over themselves, and see that they never sully the purity of soul, of which their white robes have been but an emblem.
These were lent to the Neophytes by the Church, as we said on Holy Saturday ; they come now to re- store them. The water, in which the garments are to be washed, is blessed by the Pontiff. As soon as he has finished the address, to which we have just been alluding, he says a Prayer, wherein he speaks of the power, given to this element, of cleansing the stains of the soul herself. Then turning to the Neophytes, he recites the 116th Psalm, in thanks- giving ; to which he adds this beautiful Prayer :
Visit, 0 Lord, thy people with thy salvation I Behold it now illumined with the Paschal joy I But do thou vouchsafe to preserve in our Neophytes what thou thyself hast wrought in them unto salvation. Grant, that whilst laying aside these whito robes, the change may be but exterior ; that the spotless purity of Christ, which the eye cannot see, may ever be in their souls, so that they may never lose it ; and that thy grace may assist them to gain, by good works, that immortal life, whereuuto the Paschal mystery obliges us to aspire.
After this, aided by their Sponsors, — the men by their godfathers, the women by their godmothers, — the Neophytes took off their white garments, which were then consigned to those whose duty it was to wash and keep them. The Sponsors having assisted their spiritual children to put on their ordinary dress, they led them to the Pontiff, who distributed to each an image of the Divine Lamb, stamped on wax : it was the Paschal symbol.
326 PASCHAL TIME.
A last vestige of this interesting ceremony is the distribution of the Agnus Dei. This distribution is made by the Pope, on this day, in Eome, the first and every seventh year of his Pontificate. We have already described the rite observed in their blessing, and we then drew the attention of our readers to the allusion to the ancient form of Baptism by Immer- sion. The Agnus Dei are blessed on the Wednesday of Easter Week : on the following Saturday, there is what is called Papal Chapel in the Palace. After High Mass, the Agnus Bei are brought before the Pontiff, who is seated on a throne. The Prelate, who presents them, sings the following words, which are taken from one of the beautiful Responsories given above : " Holy Father ! These are the new lambs, " and they have announced to us the Alleluia : they " have come but now to the Font : they are filled " with light." The Pope answers : Deo gratias ! They who are happy enough to witness this function, are forcibly reminded of the ancient ceremony we have been describing, and in which the newly baptised were led before the Bishop, as the innocent lambs whom he so gladly welcomed. The Pope then dis- tributes the Agnus Dei to the Cardinals, Prelates, and others presented by the Master of ceremonies : and thus is concluded this function, which is interest- ing, not only because of its signification, but also because of the sacred object wherewith it consoles us.
We cannot conclude this last day of our Neophytes' Octave, without saying a few words upon the An- notine Pasch. It was the anniversary day of the previous Easter Sunday, and was looked upon as the especial Feast of those who were a year old in the grace of their Baptism. The Mass was solemnly celebrated for them. The remembrance of the happy day when they were made children of God, was thus brought before them ; and, of course, their families kept the glorious anniversary as a glad holiday. If it
SATURDAY IN EASTER WEEK. 327
came during Lent the Annotinc was not kept, or it was deferred till Easter Monday. It would seem, that, in some places, in order to avoid these continual changes, the Anniversary of Baptism was regularly fixed for this the Saturday of Easter Week. When the custom of administering Baptism at Easter fell into disuse, the An not in e Pcusch also ceased to be ob- served : however, we find traces of it as late as the 13th century. The custom of looking on the anni- versary of our Baptism as a feast-day, is one of those which may be called a christian instinct. The pagans made much of the day which had given them tem- poral birth ; surely we ought to show quite as much respect to the anniversary of our Baptism, when we were born to the supernatural life. St. Louis used to sign himself Louiis of Poi-ss//, because it was in the little church of Poissy that he had received Baptism. Let us learn from this holy King to love the day and the place of our Baptism, that is, of our being made children of God and his Church.
We have been considering, during the preceding days of this week, the divine work of the Creation. We began with the Sunday, whereon light was called forth from nothingness ; and in this we recog- nised a type of the mystery of the EesuiTection ; for our Jesus, the uncreated Light, was to rise from his grave on that same day of tlie week. This is Satur- day,— the seventh day, — the day whereon the Lord rested, after the Creation. But it is also the day, whereon this same Lord rested in his glorious Sepul- chre. Let us, then, honour this second mystery, which, even more than the first, reveals to us the love of the Son of God for man. Let us give him our Saturday's homage, by addressing him in these words of the Mozarabic Breviary.
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PASCHAL TIME.
CAPITULA.
Christe, Dei Fili, nostra- rum requies animarum, qui otium Sabbati requiescens in tumulo complevisti : ut in quo olim requieveras ab omni opere faciendo, in eo etiam requiesceres in sepul- claro, hunc nobis veraciter sanctificans diem, cujus ves- perum in prima nobis Sab- bati, quae et octava dies est, lucescit : ut, qui dixe- ras de tenebris lumen splen- descere, manifesto a mor- tuis resurgens appareres in carne : dirige cursum vitae nostrse in viam sanctifica- tionis omnimodae, qualiter ita in his septem diebus, quibus mundus iste peragi- tur, et in quibus quotidie nobis Agnus occiditur, et Pascba quotidie celebratur, salubriori vitse curriculo conversemur : ut absque fermento malitise verum Pascha mereamur quotidie celebrare : et ita ab omni- bus oporibus nostris in hoe die sanctificatione tibi pla- cita quiescamus, ut octavi illius aeterni diei resurrec- tionis gloria consolemur.
0 Christ, the Son of God, thou rest of our souls, who didst observe the repose of the Sabbath by resting in the Tomb, that thou, who on this day, didst heretofore rest from all the work of thy creation, mightest also, on the same, rest in the Sepulchre ; hereby truly keeping holy that day, whose evening is the begin- ning of our first day of the Sabbath, which is likewise the eighth day ; that thou, who commandedst light to shine forth out of darkness, mightest by thy Eesurrection, appear in the flesh : so direct the course of our lives in the path of all holiness, that in these seven days of the world's duration, on each of which the Lamb is slain and the Pasch is celebrated for us, we may live in such wise as to secure our salvation, and may daily be found worthy to celebrate the true Pasch, pure from the leaven of malice : that thus, by a holiness pleasing to thee, we may so rest, on this day, from all our works, that we may deserve to receive the glory of the Resurrection, on the eighth, that is, the eternal day.
The Greek Church shall provide us to-day, with a Hymn in honour of the E-esurrection. We take the following stanzas from its Liturgy for Easter Sunday.
SATURDAY IN EASTER WEEK.
329
IN DOMINICA RESURRECTI0NI8.
Thou didst descend, 0 Christ, into the bo^rels of the earth, and break the eternal bolts which held thy holy ones cap- tives ; and, on the third day, like Jonas, thou didst rise from the Tomb.
Thou, 0 Jesus, didst leave unbroken the seal when rising from the Tomb, as thou didst leave Mary's virginity perfect when born of her. Thou openest to us the gates of heaven.
My Saviour I thou freely offeredst thyself to the Father a living host, for, as God, thou couldst not be slain ; and, hj thy rising from the Tomb, thou didst raise up all the children of Adam.
Thou didst truly descend into the Tomb, O Immortal God I But thou didst break the power of hell, and rise as a Conqueror. Thou saidst to the women, that brought their perfumes : Jlail ! Thou gavest Peace to thine Apostles, O thou that givest resurrection to the fallen !
We celebrate the destruction of Death, the overthrow of hell, the first-fruits of a new and eternal life. With joy, we sing hymns to the Creator, the one only God of our Fathers, the infinitely glorious One.
0 truly sacred and festive, saving and bright night, the harbinger of the sunny day of the Resurrection, where the Light Eternal rose from the
In imam terram descen- disti, ac aeternas contrivisti, Christe, seras, quae in com- pedibus vinctos captivabant ; et triduanus, sicut e cete Jonas, ex sepulchre ortus es.
Sigilla intacta servans, e sepulchre erectus es, Christe, qui in partu tuo uon Iseseras claves Yirginis ; et Paradisi portas nobis aperuisti.
Salvator meus, viventem et non immolatam hostiam, quatenus Deus es, teipsum Patri sponte libera obtulisti ; exsurgensque e sepulchre una suscitasti universum Adam.
In sepulchrum quidem descendisti, immortalis ; in • ferni vero confregisti virtu - tem : et tanquam victor sur- rexisti, Christe Deus ; mu- lieribus aromatof eris dixisti : Salvete I ApostoUsque tuis pacem dedisti, qui lapsis prsebes resurrectionem.
Mortis concelebramus in- teritum, infemi eversionem, alterius vitae, et quidem aeternaj, primitias ; et sal- tantes in hjTnnis cantamus auctorem, unicum a Patribus celebratum Deum, et super- gloriosum.
Vere sacra et plane festiva est, ipsa salutaris nox et splendescens, diei rutilantis ac resurrectionis prsenuntia, in qua lux aeterna ex sepul-
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PASCHAL TIME.
chro corporaliter cunctis il- luxit.
Yenite, ut novo genimini vitis, divinDe Isetitiae commu- nicemus, die resurrectionis regnique Christi prseclara, laudantes emn in hymnis tanquam Deum in saecula.
Leva in circuitu oculos tuos, Sion, et vide ; ecce enim splendore divino ra- diantes sicut lampades, ve- nerunt tibi filii ab Occidente et ab Aquilone, a mare Me- ridiano et ab Oriente ; in te benedicunt Christum in sae- cula.
0 divina! O amica ! 0 dul- cissima vox tua ! etenim non f allaciter promisisti, Christe, te futurum esse nobiscum usque ad consummationem sseculi : quam spei ancho- ram fideles nos servantes, Isetamur.
O Pascha magnum et sanc- tissimum, Christe ! 0 Sa- pientia, et Yerbum, Deique virtus ! Da ut juxta ex- emplar formati, tecum si- mus participes in die nun- quam decedente regni tui.
Tomb, and shed his beams upon all men.
Come, let us participate in the new fruit of the Yine, and in the divine joy, for it is the glorious Day of Christ's Ee- surrection and Kingdom. Let us praise him, in our hymns, as the God who liveth for ever.
0 Sion ! lift up thine eyes round about, and see ; for children, shining as lights with the brightness of God upon them, have come to thee from the West and North, from the South Sea and the East. In thee, they give praise to Christ for ever.
0 divine ! 0 welcome ! O thy most sweet word, 0 Jesus ! Thou hast promised, and the promise cannot fail, that thou wilt abide with us even to the end of the world : it is the anchor of hope to us thy faith- ful servants, and makes us glad.
0 Jesus ! our great and most holy Pasch ! 0 Wisdom, Word, and Power of God ! grant that we may live accord- ing to the model thou hast given us, and enjoy with thee the never-ending day of thy Kingdom.
In the Proper Offices of the Order of Holy Sepul- chre, there is given the following beautiful Hymn, which we offer to our readers as being most appro- priate to the day.
HYMN.
Die sepulchri gloriosi, Laota mens, miracula ; Quo vult matris pudicse
Be glad, my soul, and sing the wonders of the glorious Sepulchre, whence came thy
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331
Christ, as, heretofore, from the womb of his Virgin Mother. Thus was it foretold by the truthful Prophets.
He was conceived in the pure womb of a Virgin -Mother ; so, too, he was buried in a Tomb, wherein no other man had been placed ; from both he comes the glorious Jesus, as Infant tirst, and then as Man.
The Mother, after long ages of hope, brings him forth created in mortal flesh ; the Tomb, though none had hoped it, restores him clad in im- mortality : Mary wrapped him in swathing-bands ; the Se- pulchre held him in the wind- ing-sheet.
He is bom for the world's salvation, from the womb of his Mother ; he lises from the Tomb, after our salvation had been wrought : the Mother nursed him for the Cross ; the Tomb, for glory.
0 thrice holy Sanctuary I beautified with the Blood of the Lamb of God I let earth, and sea, and heaven, venerate thee. How strange to call that a Sepulchre, whence Life was born I
Glory and honour be, for ever, to the Most High God ! To the Father, Son, and Holy Paraclete, one praise and power, for everlasting ages.
Amen.
Christus alvo prodiit : Ut prophetarum fideles Paginae spoponderant.
In novo conceptus alvo Virginis puerperse, In novo compostus antro Conquievit pumicis : Gloriosus hoc et ilia, Vir, puerque prodiit.
Hsec parit corpus cadu- cum. Omnium spe serius ; ^viternum reddit illud, Omnium spe citius ; Ilia pannis involutum, Linteis hoc conditum.
Ex sinu matris futuram Ad salutem nascitur ; At salute jam parata, Eupis alvus reddidit ; Ad crucem parens produxit. At silex ad gloriam.
Ergo te coelestis Agni Purpurata sanguine. Aula ter felix, adorent Terra, pontus, aethera ; Nee sepulchrum quis voca-
rit. Vita de quo nascitur.
Gloria et honor Deo Usquequaque altissimo, Una Patri, Filioque, Inclyto Paraclito, Cui laus est, et potestas Per immensa scecula. Amen.
And lastly, let us turn to the Blessed Mother, for this is her day. Let us congratulate her upon the Resurrection of her Divine Son, in the words of this
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PASCHAL TIME.
devout Sequence, taken from the ancient Missals of the Churches of Germany.
SEQUENCE.
Eesurgenti tuo nato, Mater, plaude, qui prostrate
Eegnat mortis principe ; Tuum virgo pone luctum Jesum ventris tui fructum
Redivivum suscipe.
Morte prolis cruciata, Corde dure sauciata
Passionis gladio : Voce jubilationis, Jam de resurrectionis Jocundare gaudio. Crucifixum, qui surrexit De sepulchre teque vexit
Sua in palatia, Nobis placa, supplicamus A peccatis ut surgamus Ad seterna gaudia. Amen.
Give praise, O Mother, to thy Eisen Jesus, who reigns triumphant over the prince of death. Cease thy mourning ; for Jesus, the Fruit of thy womb, is restored to life, and visits thee.
His Death was thy cross ; his Passion, the sword that cruelly pierced thy Heart : but now, sing a hymn of joy, and be glad, because of his Eesurrection.
He was crucified ; but now he is risen from the Tomb, and has taken thee to his hea- venly court : pray to him, for us, we beseech thee, that we may rise, from our sins, to everlasting joy. Amen.
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QUASIMODO OE LOW SUNDAY.
THE OCTAVE OF THE PASCH.
Our Neophytes closed the Octave of the Resurrec- tion yesterday. They were before us in receiving the admirable mystery ; their solemnity would finish earlier than ours. This, then, is the eighth day for us who kept the Pasch on the Sunday, and did not anti- cipate it on the vigil. It reminds us of all the glory and joy of that Feast of Feasts, which united the whole of Christendom in one common feeling of triumph. It is the day of light, which takes the place of the Jewish Sabbath. Henceforth, the fimt day of the week is to be kept holy. Twice has the Son of Ood honoured it with the manifestations of his almighty power. The Pasch, therefore, is always to be celebrated on the Sunday ; and thus, every Sun- day becomes a sort of Paschal Feast as we have al- ready explained in the Mystery of Eader.
Our Risen Jesus gave an additional proof of his wishing the Sunday to be, henceforth, the pri\dleged Day. He reserved the second visit he intended to pay to all his Disciples for this the eighth day since his Resurrection. During the previous days, lie has left Thomas a prey to doubt ; but, to-day he shows him- self to his Apostle, as well as to the others, and obliges him, by irresistible evidence, to lay aside his incredulity. Thus does our Saviour again honour the Sunday. The Holy Ghost will come down from he^veu upon this same day of the week, making it
334 PASCHAL TIME.
the commencement of the Christian Church : Pente- cost will complete the glory of this favoured Bay.
Jesus' apparition to the Eleven, and the victory he gains over the incredulous Thomas, — these are the special subjects the Church brings before us to-day. By this apparition, which is the seventh since his Resurrection, our Saviour wins the perfect faith of his Disciples. It was impossible not to recognise G-od, in the patience, the majesty, and the charity of Him who showed himself to them. Here again, our human thoughts are disconcerted ; we should have thought this delay excessive ; it would have seemed to us, that our Lord ought to have, at once, either removed the sinful doubt from Thomas' mind, or punished him for his disbelief. But no : Jesus is infinite wisdom, and infinite goodness. In his wis- dom, he makes this tardy acknowledgement of Thomas become a new argument of the truth of the Resur- rection ; in his goodness, he brings the heart of the incredulous Disciple to repentance, humility, and love, yea, to a fervent and solemn retractation of all his disbelief. We will not here attempt to describe this admirable scene, which holy Church is about to bring before us. We will select, for our to-day's instruc- tion, the important lesson given by Jesus to his Disciple, and through him, to us all. It is the lead- ing instruction of the Sunday, the Octave of the Pasch, and it behoves us not to pass it by, for, more than any other, it tells us the leading characteristic of a Christian, shows us the cause of our being so listless in Grod's service, and points out to us the remedy for our spiritual ailments.
Jesus says to Thomas : Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed ! Such is the great truth, spoken by the lips of the God-Man : it is a most im- portant counsel, given, not only to Thomas, but to all who would serve God and secure their salvatiou.
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What is it that Jesus asks of his disciple ? Has he not heard him make profession that now, at last, he firmly believes ? After all, was there any great fault in Thomas' insisting on having experimental evidence before belie\dng in so extraordinary a miracle as the Resurrection ? Was he obliged to trust to the testi- mony of Peter and the others, under penalty of offending his divine Master ? Did he not evince his prudence, by withholding his assent until he had additional proofs of the truth of what his Brethren told him ? Yes, Thomas was a circumspect and prudent man, and one that was slow to believe what he had heard : he was worthy to be taken as a model by those Christians, who reason and sit in judgment upon matters of faith. And yet, listen to the re- proach made him by Jesus. It is merciful, and, withal, so severe ! This Jesus has so far condescended to the weakness of his Disciple, as to accept the condition, on which alone he declares that he will believe : now that the Disciple stands trembling before his Risen Lord, and exclaims, in the earnest- ness of faith : 2Iy Lord ! and my God ! oh ! see how Jesus chides him ! This stubbornness, this incredulity, deserves a punishment : — the punish- ment is, to have these words said to him : Thomas ! thou hast believed^ because thou hast seen I
Then, was Thomas obhged to believe before having seen? — Yes, undoubtedly. Not only Thomas, but all the Apostles were in duty bound to believe the Kesurrection of Jesus, even before he showed him- self to them. Had they not lived three years with him ? Had they not seen him prove himself to be the Messias and Son of God by the most undeniable miracles ? Had he not foretold them, that he would rise again on the third day ? As to the humiliations and cruelties of his Passion, had he not told them, a short time previous to it, that he was to be seized by the Jews, in Jerusalem^ and be delivered to th©
336 PASCHAL TIME.
G-entiles? that he was to be scourged, spit upon, and put to death ? ^
After all this, they ought to have believed in his triumphant Resurrection, the very first moment they heard of his Body having disappeared. As soon as John had entered the Sepulchre, and seen the Winding Sheet, he at once ceased to doubt, — he believed. But, it is seldom that man is so honest as this ; he hesitates, and Grod must make still further advances, if he would have us give our faith ! Jesus condescended even to this : he made further advances. He showed himself to Magdalene and her compa- nions, who were not incredulous, but only carried away by natural feeling, though the feeling was one of love for their Master. When the Apostles heard their account of what had happened, they were treated as women, whose imagination had got the better of their judgment. Jesus had to come in person : he showed himself to these obstinate men, whose pride made them forget all that he had said and done, and which ought to have been sufficient to make them believe in his Resurrection. Yes, it was pride, for Faith has no other obstacle than this. If man were humble, he would have Faith enough to move mountains.
To return to our Apostles : — Thomas had heard Magdalene, and he despised her testimony ; he had heard Peter, and he objected to his authority ; he had heard the rest of his fellow-Apostles and the two Disciples of Emmaus, and no, — he would not give up his own opinion. How many there are among us, who are like him in this ! We never think of doubting what is told us by a truthful and disinte- rested witness, unless the subject touch upon the supernatural ; and then, we have a hundred diffi- culties. It is one of the sad consequences left in us
1 3t, Luke, xviii. 32, 35-
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by original sin. Like Thomas, we would see the thing ourselves : that alone is enough to keep us from the fulness of the truth. We comfort ourselves with the reflection that, after all, we are disciples of Christ ; as did Thomas, who kept in union with his brother- Apostles, only he shared not their happiness. He saw their happiness, but he considered it to be a weakness of mind, and was glad that he was free from it !
How like this is to our modem Rationalistic Catholic ! He believes, but it is because his reason almost forces him to believe ; he believes with his mind rather than from his heart. His faith is a scientific deduction, and not a generous longing after Grod and supernatural truth. Hence, how cold and powerless is this faith ! how cramped and ashamed ! how afraid of believing too much ! Unlike the generous unstinted faith of the Saints, it is satisfied with fragments of truth, with what the Scripture terms dimini.shed truths} It seems ashamed of itself. It speaks in a whisper, lest it should be criti- cised ; and when it does venture to make itself heard, it adopts a phraseology, which may take off the sound of the divine. As to those miracles which it wishes had never taken place, and which it would have advised Grod not to work, — they are a forbid- den subject. The very mention of a miracle, parti- cularly if it had happened in our own times, puts it into a state of nervousness. The lives of the Saints, their heroic virtues, their sublime sacrifices, — it has a repugnance to the whole thing ! It talks gravely about those who are not of the true Iteligion being unjustly dealt with by the Church in Catholic Countries : it asserts that the same liberty ought to be granted to error as to truth : it has very serious doubts whether the world
' Ps. xi. 2.
338 PASCHAL TTME.
has been a great loser by tbe secularisation of society.
Now, it was for the instruction of persons of this class, that our Lord spoke those words to Thomas : Blessed are they who have not seen, and have believed. Thomas sinned in not having the readi- ness of mind to believe. Like him, we also are in danger of sinning, unless our Faith have a certain expansiveness, which makes us see everything with the eye of Faith, and gives our Faith that progress which Grod recompenses with a superabundance of light and joy. Yes, having once become members of the Church, it is our duty to look upon all things from a supernatural point of view. There is no danger of our going too far, for we have the teachings of an infallible authority to guide us. The Just man liveth by Faith} Faith is his daily bread. His mere natural life becomes transformed for good and all, if only he be faithful to his Baptism. Could we suppose, that the Church, after all her instructions to her Neophytes, and after all those sacred rites of their Baptism which are so expressive of the super- natural life, would be satisfied to see them straight- way adopt that dangerous system, which drives Faith into a nook of the heart and understanding and conduct, leaving all the rest to natural principles or instinct ? No, it could not be so. Let us, there- fore, imitate St. Thomas in his confession, and acknowledge that, hitherto, our faith has not been perfect. Let us go to our Jesus, and say to him : "Thou art my Lord and my God ! But, alas ! I have many times thought and acted as though thou wert my Lord and my God in some things, and not in others. Henceforth, I will believe without seeing ; for I would be of the number of them, whom thou callest blessed f^^
1 Horn. i. 17.
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This Sunday, commonly called with us, Loic Sunday^ has two names assigned to it in the Liturgy: Quasimodo, from the first word of the Introit ; and Sunday in albis (or, more explicitly, in albis deposi- tis,) because it was on this day, that the Neophytes assisted at the Church services attired in their ordinary dress. In the Middle- Ages, it was called CIme-Pasch, no doubt in allusion to its being the last day of the Easter Octave. Such is the solemnity of this Sunday, that not only is it of a Double rite, but no Feast, however great, can ever be kept upon it.
At Rome, the Station is in the Basilica of Saint Pancratius, on the Aurelian Way. Ancient writers have not mentioned the reason of this Church being chosen for to-day's assembly of the Faithful. It may, perhaps, have been on account of the Saint's being only fourteen years old when put to death, — a circumstance which gave the young Martyr a sort of right to have the Neophytes round him, now that they were returning to their every day Hfe.
MASS.
The Introit repeats those beautiful words of St. Peter, which were addressed, in yesterday's Epistle, to the newly baptised. They are like new-born Babes, lovely in their sweet simplicity, and eager to drink from the breasts of their dear Mother, the Church, the spiritual milk of Faith, — that Faith which will make them strong and loyal.
INTROIT.
As new born Babes, al- Quasi modo geniti infan-
leluia : desire the rational milk tes, alleluia : rationabiles,
•without guile. Alleluia, al- sine dolo lac concupiscite.
leluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
340
PASCHAL TIME.
Ps. Exsultate Deo adju- tori nostro : jubilate Deo Jacob.
^. Gloria Patri. Quasi modo.
Ps. Rejoice to God our helper : sing aloud to the God of Jacob.
f. Glory, &c. As new-born, &c.
On this the last day of the great Octave, the Church, in her Collect, bids farewell to the glorious solemnities that have so gladdened us, and asks our Lord to grant, that our lives and actions may ever reflect the holy influence of our Pasch.
COLLECT.
Praesta, qusesumus, om- nipotens Deus : ut qui pas- chalia festa peregimus : hsec, te largiente, moribus et vita teneamus. Per Domi-
num.
Grant, we beseech thee, 0 Almighty God, that we, who have celebrated the Paschal solemnity, may, by the as- sistance of thy divine grace, ever make the effects thereof manifest in our lives and actions. Through, &c.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Epistolse beati Joan- nis Apostoli.
1. Cap. V.
Charissimi, omne, quod natum est ex Deo, vincit mundum : et haec est vic- toria, quae vincit mundum, fides nostra. Quis est, qui vincit mundum, nisi qui credit, quoniam Jesus est Filius Dei ? Hie est, qui ve- nit per aquam et sangui- nem, Jesus Christus : non in aqua solum, sed in aqua et sanguine. Et spiritus est, qui testificatur, quoniam Christus est Veritas. Quo- niam tres sunt, qui testi- monium dant in coelo : Pa-
Lesson of the Epistle of Saint John the Apostle.
I. Ch. V.
Dearly beloved : Whatso- ever is born of God, over- cometh the world : and this is the victory which overcometh the world, our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God ? This is he that came by water and blood, Jesus Christ : not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the spirit which tostifieth, that Christ is the truth. And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the
LOW SUNDAY : MASS. 341
Holy Ghost. And these three ter, Verbum et Spiritus are one. And there are three Sanctus : et hi tres unum that give testimony on earth : sunt. Et tres sunt, qui tes- the spirit, the water, and the timonium dant in terra : blood, and these three are one. Spiritus, et aqua et sanguis: If we receive the testimony of et hi tres unum sunt. Si men the testimony of God is testimonium hominum ac- greater. For this is the testi- cipimus, testimonium Dei mony of God which is greater, majus est : quoniam hoc est because he hath testified of his testimonium Dei quod ma- Son. He that believeth in the jus est, quoniam testificatus Son of God, hath the testimony est de filio suo. Qui credit of God in himself. in Filium Dei, habet testi- monium Dei in se.
The Apostle St. John here tells us the merit and power of Faith : it is, says he, a victonj, which conquers the ircr/d, both the world outside, and the world within us. It is not difficult to understand why this passage from St. John's Epistles should have been selected for to-day's Liturgy : — it is on account of its being so much in keeping with the Grospel appointed for this Sunday, and in which our Lord passes such eulogy upon Faith. If, as the Apostle here assures us, they overcome the world who believe in Christ, — t/ipf/ have not sterling Faith, who allow the world to intimidate their Faith. Let us be proud of our Faith, esteeming ourselves happy that we are but Little Chil- dren when there is question of our receiving a divine Truth ; and let us not be ashamed of our eager readi- ness to admit the testimony of Grod. This testimony will make itself heard to our hearts, in proportion to our willingness to hear it. The moment John saw the winding-bands which had shrouded the body of his Master, he made an act of faith ; Thomas, who had stronger testimony than John, (for he had the word of the Apostles, assuring him that they had seen their Risen Lord,) refused to believe : /le had not overcome the world and its reasonings, because he had not Faith.
The two Alleluia- Yersicles are formed of two texts
342
PASCHAL TIME.
alluding to the Resurrection. The second speaks of the scene which took place on this day in the Cenacle.
Alleluia, alleluia.
y. In die resurrectionis mese, dicit Dominus, prse- cedam vos in Galilseam. Al- leluia, alleluia.
y. Post dies octo, januis clausis, stetit Jesus in me- dio discipulorum suorum, et dixit : Pax vobis. Alleluia.
Alleluia, alleluia.
y . On the day of my Eesur- rection, saith the Lord, I will go before you into Galilee. Alleluia, alleluia.
f. After eight days, the doors being shut, Jesus stood in the midst of his Disciples, and said : Peace be with you. Alleluia.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Joannem. Cap. XX.
In illo tempore : Quum se- ro esset die illo, una sabbato- rum, et fores essent clausre, ubi erant discipuli congre- gati propter metum Judseo- rum : yenit Jesus, et stetit in medio, et dixit eis : Pax vobis. Et cum hoc dixisset, ostendit eis manus et latus. Gavisi sunt ergo discipuli, viso Domino. Dixit ergo eis iterum : Pax vobis. Sicut misit me Pater, et ego mitto vos. Hsec cum dixisset, in- sufi9.avit, et dixit eis : Acci- pite Spiritum Sanctum ; quorum remiseritis peccata, remittuntur eis : et quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt. Thomas autem unus ex duodocim, qui dicitur Di- dymus non orat cum eis quando venit Jesus. Pixo-
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to John.
Ch. XX.
At that time : When it was late that same day, the first of the week, and the doors were shut, where the disciples were gathered to- gether for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them : Peace be to you. And when he had said this he shewed them his hands and his side. The disciples therefore were glad when they saw the Lord. He said therefore to them again : Peace be to you. As the Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he breathed on them ; and he said to them : Receive ye the Holj'' Ghost : whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them : and whose sins you shall retain, they are
LOW SUNDAY : MASS.
343
retained. Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him : We have seen the Lord. But he said to them : Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days, again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Jesus cometh, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said : Peace be to you. Then he said to Thomas : Put in thy fingers hither, and see my hands, and bring hither thy hand, and put it into my side ; and be not faithless, but believing. Thomas an- swered, and said to him : My Lord and my God I Jesus saith to him : Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed : blessed are they that have not seen, and have be- lieved. Many other signs also did Jesus in the sight of his disciples, which are not writ- ten in this book. But these are written, that you may be- lieve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God : and that be- lieving you may have life in his name.
runt ergo ei alii discipuli : Vidimus Dominum. Ille au- tem dixit eis : Nisi videro in manibus ejus fixuram cla- vorum, et mittam digitum meum in locum clavorum, et mittam manum meam in latus ejus, non credam. Et post dies octo, iterum erant discipuli ejus intus : et Tho- mas cum eis. Venit Jesus januis clausis, et stetit in medio, et dixit : Pax vobis. Deinde dicit Thomco : Infer digitum tuum hue, et vide manus meas, et affer ma- num tuam, et mitte in latus meum : et noli esse incre- dulus, sedfidelis. Respondit Thomas, et dixit ei : Do- minus mens, et Deus mens. Dixit ei Jesus : Quia vidisti me, Thoma, credidisti : beati qui non viderunt et credi- derunt. Multa quidem et alia signa fecit Jesus in con- spectu discipulorum suo- rum, quoe non sunt scripta in libro hoc. Haec autem scripta sunt, ut credatis, quia Jesus est Christus Fi- lius Dei : et ut credentes, vitam habeatis in nomine ejus.
We
have said enough about
St. Thomas' incre- dulity ; let us now admire his faith. His fault has taught us to examine and condemn our own want of faith ; let us learn from his repentance how to become true believers. Our Lord, who had chosen him as one of the pillars of his Church, has been obliged to
344 PASCHAL TIME.
treat him with an exceptional familiarity : Thomas avails himself of Jesus' permission, puts his finger into the sacred Wound, and immediately he sees the sinfulness of his past incredulity. He would make atonement by a solemn act of faith, for the sin he has committed in priding himself on being wise and discreet : he cries out, and with all the fervour of faith : Mij Lord and my God ! Observe, he not only says that Jesus is his Lord, his Master, the same who chose him as one of his Disciples ; — this would not have been faith, for there is no faith where we can see and touch. Had Thomas believed what his Brother- Apostles had told him, he would have \idudi faith in the Resurrection ; but now he sees, he has experimental knowledge of the great fact ; and yet as our Lord says of him, he Jias faith. In what ? In this, that his Master is God. He sees but the Humanity of Jesus, and he at once confesses him to be God, From what is visible, his soul, now generous and repentant, rises to the invisible : "Thou art my God P^ Now, 0 Thomas ! thou art full of faith ! The Church proposes thee to us, on thy Feast, as an example of faith. The confession thou didst make on this day is worthy to be compared with that which Peter made, when he said : Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God ! ^ By this profession, which neither flesh nor blood had revealed to him, Peter merited to be made the Rock whereon Christ built his Church : thine did more than com- pensate thy former belief ; it gave thee, for the time, a superiority over the rest of the Apostles, who, so far at least, were more taken up with the visible glory, than with the invisible Divinity, of their Risen Lord.
The Offertory gives us another text of the Gospel, relative to the Resurrection.
i St. Matth. xvi. 16,
LOW SUNDAY I MASS. 345
OFFERTORY.
An Angel of the Lord came Angelus Domini descen -
down from heaven, and said dit de coelo, et dixit mulie-
to the women : He whom ye ribus : Quern quseritis, sur-
seek is risen, as he said, alle- rexit sicut dixit. Alleluia. luia.
In the Secret, the Church expresses the holy en- thusiasm wherewith the Paschal mystery fills her ; she prays, that this joy may lead her to the never- ending one of the eternal Easter.
SECRET.
Receive, we beseech thee, Suscipe munera, Domine,
O Lord, the offerings of thy quaesumus, exaltantis Ec-
joyful Church : and as thou desire : et cui causam tanti
hast given occasion to this great gaudii proestitisti, perpetuse
joy, grant she may receive the fructum concede laetitise.
fruits of that joy, which will Per Dominum. never end. Through, «S:c.
Whilst giving the Bread of Heaven to her Neo- phytes and other Children, the Church sings in her Communion- Antiphon, the words spoken by Jesus to Thomas. This Apostle was permitted to touch our Lord's sacred Wounds ; we, by the Holy Eucharist, are brought into still closer intimacy with this same Jesus : but, that we may derive the profit intended by such condescension, we must have a faith lively and generous, like that which he exacted from his Apostle.
COMMUNION.
Put forth thy hand, and Mitte manum tuam et mark the place of the nails, cognosce loca clavorum, al- alleluia : and be not incredu- leluia : et noli esse incredu- lous, but believe. Alleluia, lus, sed fidelis. Alleluia, alleluia. alleluia.
The Church concludes the prayers of her Sacrifice, by asking, that the divine mystery, instituted to be
346
PASCHAL TIME.
a support to our weakness, may give us untiring perseverance.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Qusesumus, Domine Deus noster : ut sacrosancta mys- teria, quae pro reparationis nostroe munimine contulisti, et praesens nobis remedium esse facias et futurum. Per Dominum.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, that the sacred mysteries thou hast given us to preserve the grace of our re- demption, may be our present and future remedy. Through, &c.
YESPEES.
When the Feast of the Annunciation is deferred till after Easter, it is kept on the Monday following Low Sunday : its First Vespers are now sung, and a commemoration only is made of the Sunday, at the end of the Office. We have given these below, j^^ig^ 350. Other years, the Vespers are those of Paschal Time, which will be found in page 91.
ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT.
Ant. Post dies octo, ja- nuis clausis, ingressus Do- minus, dixit eis : Pax vobis. Alleluia, alleluia.
OREMUS.
Prsesta, quaesumus, omni- potens Deus : ut qui pascha- lia festa peregimus : haec te largiente, moribus et vita teneamus. Per Dominum.
Ant. After eight days, the doors being shut, the Lord entering, said : Peace be to you. Alleluia, alleluia.
LET TJS PRAY.
Grant, we beseech thee, 0 Almighty God, that we who have celebrated the Paschal solemnity, may, by the assist- ance of thy divine grace, ever make the effects thereof mani- fest in our lives and actions. Through, &c.
As an appropriate prayer, wherewith to close the day, we offer to our readers the following beautiful one, wherein the Grothic Church of Spain celebrates the mystery of the eighth day, — the Octave of Easter,
LOW SUNDAY I VESPERS.
347
0 Son Begotten of the Un- begotten Father I thou again invitest us to honor this eighth day, on which thou didst per- mit thy Disciples to see and touch thee. The Sunday, though made before the other days, becomes the Eighth by following the seven preceding it. It was on this day that thou didst rise from the Tomb and Death ; it was on this same thou enteredst where thy Disciples were assembled, and, the doors being shut, didst honor them by thine inestima- ble visit. Thus didst thou adorn with a mystery well suit- ed to each, both the beginning and the close of the Pasch : for thy Eesurrection struck terror into the soldiers that guarded the Tomb, and thy apparition confirmed the doubting hearts of thy Disciples. We, therefore, who possess the knowledge of all these mysteries, beseech thee to grant that the faith whereby we believe, may pre- sent us before thee after this life, free from sin. May neither sloth engender, nor indiscreet prying foster, any misgiving of doubt or error concerning thee. Preserve in thy holy name them thou hast redeemed by thy precious blood. Let our souls contemplate thee : and vouchsafe to enter into our hearts. 0 thou, that, on this day, didst appear in the midst of thy disciples and greet them with Peace, abide ever with us. Thou didst breathe upon them the Spirit of Life; grant us the consolation of the same Holy Spirit.
Ingeniti Genitoris genite
Fili, qui in eo nobis diei
hujus octavi renovas cul-
tum, in quo te discipulorum
aspectibus hodie proebuisti
palpandum. Nam licet hie
dies sit prior prse ceteris
conditus, octavus post sep-
tem efficitur revolutus, quo
ipse sicut admirabiliter e
sepulchro surrexisti a mor-
tuis, ita ad discipulos inae-
stimabiliter intrasti januis
obseratis. Initium videlicet
Paschre ac finem exornans
congruis sacramentis, cum
et resurrectio tua custodi-
bus terrorem incuteret, et
manifestatio discipulorum
corda dubia confortaret.
Quiesumus ergo, ut nos his
sacramentis imbutos fides
qua te credimus post istud
sceculum tibi reprppsentet
illsesos. Nullum nobis de to
scrupulum dubitationis er-
rorisque, aut otium pariat,
aut qusesitio incauta enu-
triat. Serva in nomine tuo
quos redemisti sanguine
pretioso. Coutemplanduia
te nostris sensibus prsebe :
nostrumque cor dignatus
ingredere. Esto semper in
medio nostri qui hodie pa-
cem nuntians discipulorum
in medio astitisti. Quique
in eis insufflasti Spirit um
vit?o, nobis largire ejusdem
Spiritus consolationem.
348
PASCHAL TIME.
Once more let us listen to the devout Adam of Saint- Victor. His Sequences were great favourites with our Catholic Forefathers of the Middle Ages. The triumph of our Redeemer over Death was a subject which this great liturgical Poet has often treated in a most masterly way.
SEQUENCE.
Mundi renovatio Nova parit gaudia ; Eesurgenti Domino Conresurgunt omnia. Elementa serviunt, Et auctoris sentiunt Quanta sit potentia.
Ignis volat mobilis, Et aer volubilis : Fluit aqua labilis, Terra manet stabilis : Alta petunt levia, Centrum tenent gravia, Eenovantur omnia.
Coelum fit serenius, Et mare tranquillius ; Spirat aura levius, Vallis nostra floruit. Eevirescunt arida, Eecalescunt frigida, Postquam ver intepuit.
Gelu mortis solvitur, Princeps mundi tollitur, Et ejus destruitur In nobis imperium ; Dum tenere voluit In quo nihil habuit, Jus amisit proprium.
Vita mortem superat ; Homo jam recuperat Quod prius amiserat, Paradisi gaudium : Viam proBbet facilem, Cherubim versatilom Amovendo gladium.
The world's renovation cre- ates new joy. All creatures rise together with their Lord. The elements obey him, and feel their Creator's mighty power.
Fire is impetuous in its flight ; air is swift ; water is flowing ; earth is firm ; light things tend aloft, and those that are heavy seek their centre : but all are now re- newed.
Heaven is more serene, the sea more tranquil, the winds breathe softer. Our valley is filled with flowers ; and now that gentle Spring is come, the dry things have put on green again, and the cold a genial warmth.
The frost of death is thawed. The prince of this world is made captive, and has no longer power over us : by striving to take Him, over whom he had no claim, he lost his own.
Life conquers Death ; man now regains what he had lost, — the joys of heaven ; the Angel sheathes his two- edged sword, and leaves the passage free,
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349
Jesus opens heaven, and liberates them, whom sin had made captives of death. For this great victory, be glory to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Amen.
Christus coelos reserat, Et captives liberat, Quos culpa ligaverat Sub mortis interitu. Pro tanta victoria Patri, Proli gloria Sit cum Sancto Spiritu ! Amen.
350 PASCHAL TIME.
THE ANNUNCIATION
OF THE EVER BLESSED VIRGIN.
It very frequently happens, that the twenty-fifth of March falls between Palm Sunday and Low Sunday : on these occasions, the feast of our Lady's Annuncia- tion, being out of keeping both with the dolorous mysteries of Holy Week and with the splendour of the Resurrection, is deferred to the Monday follow- ing Low Sunday. For the convenience of the Faith- ful, we have here repeated the Vespers and Mass of this great Feast. As to the instructions we gave upon the mystery of the Annunciation, our readers must refer to our volume of "Lent."
FIRST VESPERS.
The Office of First Vespers is always the com- mencement of a Feast. The Antiphons of the Ves- pers, at which we are going to assist, are taken from the Grospel of St. Luke, where the Evangelist reveals to us the sublime interview between the Angel and the Virgin. The Psalms are those which tradition has consecrated to the celebration of Mary's glories. We have elsewhere^ shown how each of the five refers to the Mother of Grod.
Ant. Missus est Gabriel Ant. The Angel Gabriel Angelus ad Mariam Virgi- was sent to Mary, a Virgin,
1 See our volume for "Advent," in the Vespers for the 8th of December.
THE ANNUNCIATION.
361
espoused to Joseph, alleluia. nem desponsatam Joseph,
alleluia.
PSALM 109.
The Lord said to my Lord, his Soji : Sit thou at my right hand, and reign luith me.
Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool.
0 ! Christ the Lord thy Father, -v^ill send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion : from thence rule thou in the midst of thy enemies.
With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the saints : For the Father hath said to thee : From the womb before the day- star I begot thee.
The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent : he hath said, speaking of thee the God- Man : thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech.
Therefore, 0 Father, the Lord thy Son is at thy right hand : he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath.
He shall also judge among nations, he shall fill the ruins of the v:orld : he shall crush the heads in the laud of many.
He Cometh now in humility : He shall drink, in the way, of the torrent of sufferings : there- fore, shall he lift up the head.
Ant. The Angel Gabriel was sent to Marj% a Virgin espoused to Joseph, alleluia.
Dixit Dominus Domino meo : * Sede a dextris meis.
Donee ponam inimicos tuos : * scabellum pedum tuorum.
Virgam virtutis tuae emit- tet Dominus ex Sion : * do- minare in medio inimico- rum tuorum.
Tecum principium in die virtutis tuDD, in splendoribus sanctorum : * ex utero ante luciferum genui te.
Juravit Dominus, et nou poenitebit eura : * Tu es Sa- cerdos in asternum secun- dum ordinem Melchisedech.
Dominus a dextris tuis : * confregit in die ira3 suae re- ges.
Judicabit in nationibus implebit ruinas : * conquas- sabit capita in ten-a multo- rum.
De torrente in via bibet : * propterea exaltabit caput.
Ant. Missus est Gabriel Angelus, ad Mariam Virgi- nem desponsatam Joseph, alleluia.
352
PASCHAL TIME.
Ant. Ave, Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum : be- nedicta tu in mulieribus, al- leluia.
Ant. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee : Blessed art thou among wo- men, alleluia.
PSALM. 112.
Laudate pueri Dominum :
* laudate nomen Domini.
Sit nomen Domini bene- dictum : * ex hoc nunc et usque in sseculum.
A solis ortu usque ad oc- casum : * laudabD.e Nomen Domini.
Excelsus super omnes gentes Dominus : * et super coelos gloria ejus.
Quis sicut Dominus Deus noster qui in altis habitat :
* et humilia respicit in coelo et in terra ?
Suscitans a terra inopem : * et de stercore erigens pau- perem.
Ut collocet eum cum prin- cipibus : * cum principibus populi sui.
Qui habitare facit steri- lem in domo : * matrem fi- liorum Isetantem.
Ant. Ave, Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum : be- nedicta tu in mulieribus, alleluia.
Ant. Ne timeas, Maria : invenisti gratiam apud Do- minum ; occe concipies, et paries filium, alleluia.
Praise the Lord, ye chil- dren : praise ye the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the Name of the Lord : from henceforth, now and for ever.
From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is worthy of praise.
The Lord is high above all nations : and his glory above the heavens.
Who is as the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high : and looketh down on the low things in heaven and in earth, nay, who cometh down amidst us?
Raising up the needy from the earth : and lifting up the poor out of the dunghill.
That he may place him with princes : with the princes of his people.
Who maketh a barren wo- man to dwell in a house, the joyful mother of children.
Ant. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee : Blessed art thou among wo- men, alleluia.
Ant. Fear not, Mary ; thou hast found grace with God : behold thou shalt conceive, and shalt bring forth a son, alleluia.
iy-
THE ANNUNCIATION.
353
PSALM 121.
I rejoiced at the things that were said to me : We shall go into the house of the Lord.
Our feet were standing in thy courts, O Jerusalem I Our heart loves and confides in tJiet, 0 Mary.
Mary is like to Jerusalem that is built as a city ; which is compact together.
For thither did the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord : the testimony of Israel, to praise the Name of the Lord.
Because seats sat there in
i'udgment ; seats upon the LOUse of David ; and Mary is of a Jcinyly race.
Pray ye, through Mary, for the things that are for the peace of Jerusalem : and may abundance be on them that love thee, 0 Church of our God !
The voice of Mary : Let peace be in thy strength, 0 thou new Sion ! and abundance in thy towers.
I, a daughter of Israel, for the sake of my brethren and of my neighbours, spoke peace of thee.
Because of the house of the Lord our God, I have sought good things for thee.
Ant. Fear not Mary, for thou hast found grace with God : behold thou shalt con- ceive, and shalt bring forth a son, alleluia.
Ant. And the Tjord shall
g've unto him the throne of avid his father, and he shall reign for ever, alleluia.
Lsetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi : * in do- mum Domini ibimus.
Stantes erant pedes nos- tri : * in atriis tuis, Jeru- salem.
Jerusalem quae sedificatur ut ci vitas : * cujus partici- patio ejus in idipsum.
lUuc enim ascenderunt tribus, tribus Domini : * tes- timonium Israel ad confiten- dum Nomini Domini.
Quia illic sederunt sedes in judicio : * sedes super domum David.
Rogate quae ad pacem sunt Jerusalem : * et abundantia diligentibus te.
Fiat pax in virtute tua : * et abundantia in turribus tuis.
Propter fratres meos et proximos meos : * loquebar pacem de te.
Propter domum Domini Dei nostri : * quaesivi bona tibi.
Ant. Ne timeas, Maria : invenisti gratiam apud Do- ininum ; ecce concipies et paries filium, alleluia.
Ant. Dabit ei Dominus sedem David patris ejus, et re^nabit in aeternum, alle- luia.
2a
354
PASCHAL TIME.
PSALM 126.
Nisi Dominus aedificaverit domum . * in vanum labora- verunt qui sedificant earn.
Nisi Dominus custodierit civitatem : * frustra vigilat qui custodit earn.
Vanum est vobis ante lu- cem surgere : * surgite post- quam sederitis, qui mandu- catis panem doloris.
Cum dederit dilectis suis somnum : * ecce hsereditas Domini, filii, merces, fruc- tus ventris.
Sicut sagittse in manu potentis : * ita filii excus- sorum.
Beatus vir, qui implevit desiderium suum ex ipsis : * non confundetur cum lo- quetur inimicis suis in porta.
Ant. Dabit ei Dominus sedem David patris ejus, et regnabit in aeternum, alle- luia.
Ant. Ecce ancilla Do- mini : fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, alleluia.
Unless the Lord build the House, they labour in vain that build it.
Unless the Lord keep the City, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it.
It is vain for you to rise be- fore light ; rise ye after you have sitten, you that eat of the bread of sorrow.
When he shall give sleep to his beloved: behold the inheri- tance of the Lord are chil- dren ; the reward, the fruit of the womb.
As arrows in the hand of the mighty, so the children of them that have been shaken.
Blessed is the man that hath filled his desire with them ; he shall not be confounded when he shall speak to his enemies in the gate.
Ant. And the Lord shall give unto him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign for ever, alleluia.
Ant. Behold the handmaid of the Lord : be it done to me according to thy word, alle- luia.
PSALM 147.
Lauda, Jerusalem, Domi- num: * Lauda Deum tuum. Si on.
Quoniam confortavit soras portarum tuarum : * bene- dixit filiis tuis in te.
Praise the Lord, 0 Mary, thou true Jerusalem : 0 Mary, O Sion ever holy, praise thy God.
Because he hath strengthen- ed against sin the bolts of thy gates : ho hath blessed thy children within thee.
THE ANNUNCIATION.
355
Who hath placed peace in thy borders : and fiUeth thee with the fat of com, with Jesus loho is the Bread of life.
Who sendeth forth hy thee his Word to the earth : his Word runneth swiftly.
Who giveth snow like wool : scatteretii mists Uke ashes.
He sendeth his crystal like morsels : who shall stand be- fore the face of his cold ?
He shall send forth his Word, hy Mary, and shall melt them : Ms Spirit shall breathe, and the waters shall run.
Who declareth his Word to Jacob : his justices and his judgments to Israel.
He hath not done in like manner to every nation : and his judgments he hath not made manifest to them.
Ant. Behold the handmaid of the Lord : be it done to mo according to thy word, alleluia.
Qui posuit fines tuos pa- cem : * et adipe frumenti satiat te.
Qui emittit eloquium su- um terrse : * velociter currit sermo ejus.
Qui dat nivem sicut la- nam : * nebulam sicut ci- nerem spargit.
Mittit crystallum suum. sicut buccellas : * ante fa- ciem frigoris ejus quis sus- tinebit ?
Emittet Verbum suum, et Uquefaciet ea : * flabit Spiritus ejus, et fluent aquae.
Qui annuntiat Verbum suum Jacob : * justitias, et judicia sua Israel.
Non fecit taliter omni na- tioni : * et judicia sua non manifestavit eis.
Ant. Ecce ancilla Domini : fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum, alleluia.
CAPITULUM.
{Is. mi.)
Ecce virgo concipiet et pariet filium, et vocabitur nomen ejus Emmanuel. Bu- tyrum et mel comedet, ut sciat reprobaro malum, et eligere bonum.
Behold a Virgin shall con- ceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Em- manuel. He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good.
HYMN.*
Hail, Star of the Sea ! Bless- Ave, maris stella, ed Mother of God, yet ever Dei Mater alma,
• In Monastic Churches it is preceded by this Responsory : — R7. Breve. Angelas Domini nuntiavit Mariae. * Alleluia, alle-
luia. Angelus.
y. Et concepit de Spiiitu Sancto. Angelus.
Alleluia. Gloria Patri.
356
PASCHAL TIME.
Atque semper Virgo, Felix coeli porta.
Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore, Punda nos in pace, Mutans Evse nomen.
Solve vincla reis, Prefer lumen csecis. Mala nostra pelle. Bona cuncta posce.
Monstra te esse Matrem, Sumat per te preces, Qui, pro nobis natus, Tulit esse tuus.
Virgo singularis, Inter omnes mitis; Nos culpis solutes, Mites fac et castes.
Vitam praesta puram, Inter para tutum, Ut videntes Jesum, Semper collsetemur.
Sit laus Deo Patri, Summo Christo Decus, Spiritui Sancto, Tribus honor unus.
Amen.
^. Ave, Maria, gratia plena, alleluia.
5t. Pominus tecum, alle- luia.
a Virgin ! 0 happy gate of heaven !
Thou that didst receive the Ave from Gabriel's lips, con- firm us in peace, and so let Eva be changed into an Ave of blessing for us.
Loose the sinner's chains, bring light to the blind, drive from us our evils, and ask all good things for us.
Show thyself a Mother, and offer our prayers to Him, who would be born of thee, when born for us.
0 incomparable Virgin, and meekest of the meek, obtain us the forgiveness of our sins, and make us meek and chaste.
Obtain us purity of life, and a safe pilgrimage ; that we may be united with thee in the bliss- ful vision of Jesus.
Praise be to God the Father, and to the Lord Jesus, and to the Holy Ghost : to the Three one self- same praise.
Amen.
t. Hail, Mary, full of grace, alleluia.
gt. The Lord is with thee, alleluia.
ANTiPHON OF THE Magnificat.
Spiritus Sanctus in te descendet, Maria, et virtus Altissimi obumbrabit tibi, alleluia.
The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, 0 Maiy, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, alleluia.
OREMUS.
Deus, qui de beatse Ma- ria) Virginis utero Verbum tuum, Angelo nuntiante, carnem suscipere voluisti : praesta supplicibus tuis, ut
LET US PRAY.
O God, who wast pleased that thy Word, when the Angel delivered his message, should take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, give ear
THE ANNUNCIATION. 357
to our humble petitions, and qui vere earn Genitricem
grant that we who believe her Dei credimus, ejus apud te
to be truly the Mother of God, intercessionibus adjuvemur.
may bo helped by her prayers. Per eumdem. Through the same, &c.
Then is made a Commemoration of Low Sunday,
as in 2^(ty^ 346.
MASS.
The Church has taken most of the chants of to- day's Mass from the Forty-fourth Psalm, wherein the Royal Prophet celebrates the mystery of the Incar- nation, Iq the Introit, she greets Mary as the Queen of the human race, to whom every creature should pay respectful homage. It was her Virginity that fitted Mary to become the Mother of God. This virtue will be imitated in the Church, and each gene- ration wiU produce thousands of holy Virgins, who will walk in the footsteps of her that is their Mother and their model.
INTROIT.
All the rich among the Vultum tuum depreca-
people shall entreat thy coun- buntur omnes divites ple-
tenance : after her shall vir- bis : adducentur Regi virgi-
gins be brought to the King : uesposteam: proximsoejus
her neighbours shall be adducentur tibi in Isetitia et
brought to thee in joy and exsultatione. Alleluia, alle-
gladness. Alleluia, alleluia. luia.
Ps. My heart hath uttered Ps. Eructavit cor meum
a good word : I speak my verbum bonum : dico ego
works to the King. ^. Glory, opera mea Regi. y. Gloria
&c. All the rich. Patri. Vultum tuum.
In the Collect, the Church glories in her faith in the divine Maternity ; she puts it forward as a claim to Mary's interceding for her with this God, who is her Son. This dogma of Mary's being the Mother of God is founded on the mystery of the Incarnation, which is the basis of our Faith.
358
PASCHAL TIME.
COLLECT.
Deus, qui de beatse Marise Virginis utero, Yerbum tuum, Angelo nuntiante, carnem suscipere voluisti : praesta supplicibus tuis : ut qui vere earn Genitricem Dei credimus, ejus apud te intercessionibus adjuvemur. Per eumdem.
O God, who wast pleased that thy Word, when the Angel delivered his message, should take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, give ear to our humble peti- tions, and grant that we who believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her prayers. Through the same, &c.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Isaise Prophetae.
Cap. VIL In diebus illis : Locutus est Dominus ad Achaz, di- cens : Pete tibi signum a Domino Deo tuo, in prof nu- dum inferni sive in excel - sum supra. Et dixit Achaz : Non petam, et non tentabo Dominum. Et dixit: Audite ergo domus David : Num- puid parum vobis est, moles- tos esse hominibus, quia molesti estis et Deo meo ? Propter hoc dabit Dominus ipse vobis signum. Ecce Virgo concipiet, et pariet Filium : et vocabitur nomen ejus Emmanuel. Butyrum et mel comedot, ut sciat re- probare malum et eligere bonum.
Lesson from Isaias the Prophet. Ch. VIL
In those days : the Lord spoke unto Achaz, saying : Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above. And Achaz said : I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord. And he ( Isaias) said : Hear ye there- fore, 0 house of David : Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to men, that you are grievous to my God also ? Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel. He shall eat butter and honey, that he may know to refuse the evil, and to choose the good.
The Prophet is speaking to a wicked king, who refused to accept a miraculous proof of God's merci- ful protection over Jerusalem ; and he makes this an opportunity for announcing to Juda the great poi'
THE ANNUNCIATION. 359
tent wliich we are celebrating to-day : A Virgin shall coHceirc, and bear a Son. And when was it, that God fulfilled the prophecy ? It was in an age, when mankind seemed to have reached the highest pitch of wickedness, and when idolatry and immora- lity reigned throughout the whole world. The ful- ness of time came^ and the tradition, which had found its way into every country, that a Virgin should bring forth a son, was exciting much interest. To- day, we are celebrating the sublime Mystery ; let us adore the power of Grod, and the fidelity wherewith he fulfils his promises. The author of the laws of natui'e suspends them ; he acts independently of them : Virginity and Maternity are united in one and the same creature, for the Child that is to be bom, is God. A Virgin could not bring forth other than God himself : the Son of Mary is, therefore, called Emmanuel, that is, God with us.
Let us adore this God, this Creator of all things visible and invisible, who thus humbles himself. Henceforth, he will have every tongue confess, not only his divinity, but also his Human Nature, which he has assumed in order that he might redeem us. From this day forward, he is truly the Son of Man. He will remain nine months in his mother's womb, as other children. Like them he will, after his birth, be fed on milk and honey. He will sanctify all stages of human life, from infancy to perfect manhood, for he is the New Man, who has come down from heaven that he might restore the Old. Without losing aught of his Divinity, he shares in our weak finite being, that he may make us partakers of the dib'ine nature.^
The first Alleluia-Versicle repeats the AngeFs Salutation to Mary. Let us, with Gabriel, bow down before this Holy Virgin, the master-piece of nature
1 2 St. Pet. i. 4.
360
PASCHAL TIME.
and grace, predestined from all eternity to be the Mother of Grod.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Ave, Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum : benedicta tu in mulieribus.
Alleluia, alleluia.
Hail, Marj^ full of grace, the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among women.
The second Yersicle celebrates in sublime and enthusiastic words, the effects of the divine mystery of the Incarnation : — peace between G-od and man re-established in the virginal womb of Mary, wherein the Divine and Human Nature are united in the Person of the Child, whom she conceives the very instant she consents to the will of the Most High.
Alleluia.
Yirga Jesse floruit : Virgo Deum et hominem genuit : pacem Deus reddidit, in se reconcilians ima summis, alleluia.
Alleluia.
The rod of Jesse hath brought forth its flower ; a Virgin hath conceived Him who is God and Man ; God hath restored peace, by uniting in himself the lowest with the highest, alleluia.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam.
Cap. I. In illo tempore : Missus est Angelus Gabriel a Deo in civitatem Galilseao, cui no- men Nazareth, ad virginem desponsatam viro cui no- men erat Joseph, de domo David : et nomen virginis, Maria- Etingressus Angelus ad eam, dixit : Ave, gratia plena ; Dominus tecum : benedicta tu in mulieribus. Quas cum audisset, turbata est in sermone ejus : et cogi- tabat qualis esset ista salu-
Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Luke.
Clu I.
At that time : The Angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David ; and the Virgin's name was Mary. And the Angel being come in, said unto her : Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at this saying, and thought with herself
THE ANNUNCIATION.
361
what manner of salutation this shonld be. And the Angel said to her : Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father : and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the Angel : How shall this be done, be- cause I know not man ? And the Angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And there- fore also the Holy which shall be bom of thee, shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth she also hath conceived a son in her old age ; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren : because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the hand- maid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.
By these last words of thine, 0 Mary ! our happi- ness is secured. Thou consentest to the desire of Heaven, and thy consent brings us our Saviour. 0 Virgin-Mother I BIch-^ccI (unonfj H'0)non ! we unite our thanks with the homage that is paid thee by the Angels. By thee is our ruin repaired ; in thee is our nature restored ; for thou hast wrought the victory of man over fcJatan ! — Saint Bernard, in one of his
tatio. Et ait Angelus ei : Ne timeas, Maria : invenisti enim gratiam apud Deum. Ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium : et vocabis nomen ej us Jesum. Hie erit magnus : et Filius Altissimi vocabitur. Et dabit illi Do- minus Deus sedem David patris ejus : et regnabit in domo Jacob in seternum ; et regni ejus non erit finis. Dixit autem Maria ad Ange- lum : Quomodo fiet istud ? quoniam virum non cog- nosce. Et respondens An- gelus, dixit ei : Spiritus Sanctus superveniet in te ; et virtus Altissimi obumbra- bit tibi. Ideoqiie et quod nascetur ex te sanctum, vo- cabitur Filius Dei. Et ecce Elizabeth cognata tua : et ipsa concepit filium in se- nectute sua. Et hie mensis sextus est illi, quae vocatur sterilis ; quia non erit im- possibile apud Deum omne verbum. Dixit autem Ma- ria : Ecce ancilla Domini : fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.
362 PASCHAL TIME.
Homilies on this Grospel, thus speaks : " Rejoice, 0 " thou our father Adam ! but thou, 0 mother Eve, " still more rejoice ! You were our Parents, but you '' were also our destroyers ; and what is worse, you " had wrought our destruction before you gave us " birth. Both of you must be consoled in such a '' Daughter as this ; but thou, 0 Eve, who wast the " first cause of our misfortune, and whose humilia- " tion has descended upon all women, thou hast a " special reason to rejoice in Mary. For the time is ^' now come, when the humiliation is taken away, " neither can man any longer complain against the " woman, as of old, when he foolishly sought to " excuse himself, and cruelly put all the blame on " her, saying : The wotnan, whom thou gavest me, " gave me of the Tree, and I did eat. Gro, Eve, to " Mary ; go, Mother, to thy Daughter ; let thy " Daughter take thy part, and free thee from thy " disgrace, and reconcile thee to her father : for if " man fell by a woman, he is raised up by a woman.
" What is this thou sayest, Adam ? The icoman, " lohom thou gavest me, gave me of the Tree, and 1 " did eat ? These are wicked words ; far from effac- " ing thy fault, they aggravate it. But divine " Wisdom conquered thy wickedness, by finding in " the treasury of his own inexhaustible mercy a *' motive for pardon, which he had in vain sought to " elicit by questioning thee. In place of the woman, " of whom thou complainest, he gives thee another : " Eve was foolish, Mary is wise ; Eve was proud, " Mary is humble ; Eve gave thee of the tree of death, *' Mary will give thee of the Tree of life ; Eve offered " thee a bitter and poisoned fruit, Mary will give thee "the sweet Fruit she herself is to bring forth, the " Fruit of everlasting life. Change then thy wicked " excuse into an act of thanksgiving, and say : The " Woman, whom thou hast given me, 0 Lord, hath ^* given me of the Tree of Life, and I have eaten
THE ANNUNCIATION. 363
" thereof ; and it is siveeter than honey to my mouth, ^^ for hy it thou hast given me lifey^
In the Offertory, the Church addresses Mary, in the words spoken to her by the Archangel, to which she also adds those used by Elizabeth, when she saluted the Mother of her God.
OFFERTORY.
Hail, Mary, full of grace, Ave, Maria, gratia plena,
the Lord is with thee : blessed Dominus tecum : benedicta
art thou among women, and tu in mulieribus, et bene-
blessed is the fruit of thy dictus fructus ventris tui,
womb, alleluia. alleluia.
In the Secret, the Church renews her profession of faith in the mystery of the Incarnation ; she con- fesses the reality of the two Natures, Divine and Human, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Mary.
SECRET.
Strengthen, we beseech thee, In mentibus nostiis, quao-
0 Lord, in our soul, the mys- sumus, Domine, vera? fidei
teries of the true faith : that sacramenta confirma : ut,
we who confess him, that was qui conceptum de Virgine
conceived of a Virgin, to be Deum verum et hominem
true God and true Man, may, confitemui-, per ejus saluti-
by the power of his saving ferae resurrectionis poten-
resurrection, deserve to come tiam, ad aeternam mereamur
to eternal joys. Through the pervenire lastitiam. Per
same, &c. eumdem.
The greatness of the Solemnity obliges the Church to substitute for the Paschal Preface, the one she uses on our Lady's Feasts,
PREFACE.
Itis truly meet and just, right Vere diguum et justum and available to salvation, that est, acquum et salutaro, nos we should always, and in all tibi semper et ubique gratiag
^ St- Bernard. Homil. IL super Misaua est.
364
PASCHAL TIME.
agere, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, seterne Deus : Et te in AnDuntiationebeatoe Mariae semper virginis col- laudare, benedicere, et proe- dicare. Quae et Unigenitum tuum Sancti Spiritus obum- bratione concepit, et virgini- tatis gloria permanente, lu- men seternum muudo eff udit Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Per quem majes- tatem tuam laudant Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tre- muut Potestates. Coeli, Coe- lorumque Yirtutes, ac beata Serapbim, socia exsultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces ut admitti jubeas deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes : Sanc- tus, Sanctus, Sanctus.
places, give thanks to thee, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God : And that we should praise, bless, and glorify thee, ontheAnnuntiationof the Blessed Maryever a Virgin, who by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost conceived thine On- ly-Begotten Son, and, the glory of her virginity still remaining, brought forth to the world, the eternal Light, Jesus Christ our Lord. By whom the Angels praise thy Majesty, the Domi- nations adore it, the Powers tremble before it ; the Heav- ens, the heavenly Virtues, and blessed Seraphim, with com- mon jubilee glorify it. To- gether with whom we beseech thee that we may be admitted to join our humble voices say- ing : Holy! Holy! Holy!
The Communion-Anthem repeats the prophetic words of the Epistle. It is a Virgin that has con- ceived and brought forth Him, who being Glod and Man, is also the living Bread that came down from heaven, whereby Grod is ivith us, and in us.
COMMUNION.
Ecce Virgo concipiet, et pariet filium : et vocabitur nomen ejus Emmanuel, al- leluia.
Behold a virgin shall con- ceive and bring forth a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel, alleluia.
In the Postcommunion, the Church gratefully recals to mind all the Mysteries which Grod has achieved for our salvation, and which were the con- sequences of the one of to-day. After the Incarna- tion, which unites the Son of Grod to our Human Nature, we have had the Passion of this our Divine
THE ANNUNCIATION.
365
E-edeemer ; and his Passion was followed by his E-esurrection, whereby he triumphed over our enemy, Death.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Pour forth we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts ; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the mes- sage of an Angel, may, by his Passion and Cross, be brought to the glory of his Eesurrec- tion. Through the same, d'c.
Gratiamtuam, quresumus, Domine mentibus nostris infunde : ut, qui Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus ; per Passionem ejus et Cni- cem, ad Eesurrectionis glo- riam perducamur. Per eum- dem.
SECOND VESPEES.
The Antiphons, Psalms, Hymn, and Yersicle, are the same as in the First Vespers, pages 350-357.
The JIagniJi cat- Ajiti^hon is alone changed, and is as follows:
ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT.
The Angel Gabriel spoke unto Marj^ saj-ing : Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among women, alleluia.
Gabriel Angelus
locutus est MarisD dicens: Ave, gra- tia plena, Dominus tecum ; benedicta tu in mulieribus, Alleluia.
The Prayer is the Collect of the Mass, page. 358.
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME OF PASCHAL TIME.
662-20
BX 1970 .G8313 1868 v. 7 IMS Gueranger. Prosper. Liturgical year 2nd ed. ~
PONTIs=^tCAL INSHTUr* OF MEDIAEVAL STUDfES
53 QUEEN'S PARK
io^ouro ^ C*^NAOA