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THE
LITUKGICAL YEAE.
PASSIONTIDE
AND
HOLY WEEK.
THE
IStturattal W>t&v>
BY THE
V. R. DOM PROSPER GUERANGER,
ABBOT OF SOLESMES.
Cranslateti from tfje jftentib,
BY THE
REV. DOM LAURENCE SHEPHERD,
MONK OF THE ENGLISH-BENEDICTINE CONGREGATION.
PASSIONTTDE
AND
HOLY WEEK.
[second edition.]
DUBLIN :
JAMES DUFFY, 15. WELLINGTON- QUAY ;
AND
22 PATERNOSTER-ROW, LONDON.
1886.
i
PRINTED AT
SAINT MARY'S ABBEY, STANBROOK,
WORCESTER.
36.</t>l
PASSIONTIDE
AND
HOLY WEEK
PREFACE.
This Volume completes our explanation of
the Lenten Liturgy ; but it has its own
special character, because of the subject it
treats of. The Church devotes the last two
weeks cf Lent to the Sufferings and Death
of Jesus : the Passion, therefore, is the
great subject of this portion of our Litur-
gical Tear,
Though the Volume be so bulky, yet we
are far from having exhausted our subjedt.
We have been obliged to limit ourselves
to a choice from the riches offered to us in
the magnificent Offices of these fourteen
days ; and such a choice was no easy mat-
ter, when it had to be made from such
abundant Mysteries, teeming with sublime
and pathetic teachings. We are far from
flattering ourselves that we have said all
that can be said of Holy Week. We have
IV PREFACE.
but given a short compendium of its won-
derful beauties ; and we shall have gained
the object we proposed to ourselves, if these
pages assist the Faithful to relish the
Divine Mystery of the Passion, and to fol-
low the Church in her celebration of it.
We have not inserted in this Volume the
Saints' Feasts, which may be kept during
Passion Week. The number of such Feasts
is very great, owing to the variation of
Easter-Tide ; and their insertion would
have made our Volume inconveniently
large. Our readers, therefore, must refer
to our "Lent" for the Feasts of that Week.
CONTENTS.
Preface, iii
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
Chapter I. — The History of Passiontide and Holy-
Week, . ... . . 1
Chap. II. — The Mystery of Passiontide and Holy
Week, 11
Chap. III. — Practice during Passiontide and Holy
Week, . . . . . . 15
Chap. IV. — Morning and Night Prayers for Passion-
tide and Holy Week, . . .25
Chap. V. — On hearing Mass, during Passiontide
and Holy Week, 38
Chap. VI.— On Holy Communion, during Passion-
tide and Holy Week, . . .73
Chap. VII. — Of the Office of Vespers for Sundays
and Feasts, during Passiontide and
Holy Week, 80
Chap. VIII. — On the Office of Compline, during Pas-
siontide and Holy Week, . . 91
PROPER OF THE TIME.
Passion Sunday, 103
Mass, 107
Vespers, 118
Monday in Passion Week, 121
Tuesday, 132
VI
CONTENTS.
*¥&szaj-c ^
, Wednesday, ^±. ,
■<cf Thursday, <2^<y/ f$ /$f-vx
Friday in Passion Week. — The Seven
the Blessed Virgin. — 161
Saturday, 182
Palm Sunday, ....
The Blessing of the Palms,
The Procession,
Mass, .
Vespers,
Monday in Holy Week,
Tuesday in Holy Week,
Wednesday in Holy Week,
Office of Tenebrae,
194
203
214
219
238
244
258
277
300
Maundy Thursday, ....
The Night Office,
The Morning,
The Reconciliation of Penitents,
The Blessing of the Holy Oils, •
The Mass, ....
Vespers, ....
The Stripping of the Altars,
The Washing of the Feet, .
The Office of Tenebrae,
The Evening,
. 306
. ibid.
. 352
. 354
. 360
. 368
. 386
. 392
. 396
. 402
. ibid.
Good Friday, .
The Night Office,
The Morning,
The Morning Service,
The Lessons,
The Prayers,
The Veneration of the Cross,
The " Improperia " or " Reproaches,'
414
ibid.
450
464
465
479
485
490
CONTENTS.
Vll
Mass of the Presanctified,
Vespers,
Afternoon, .
The Office of Tenebrae,
The Evening,
495
500
501
510
ibid.
Holy Saturday,
The Night Office, ....
The Morning, .....
The Morning Service, ....
The blessing of the new Fire and Incense,
The Paschal Candle, ....
The Prophecies, .....
The blessing of the Font, .
Baptism, ......
Confirmation, .....
The Litany,
Mass,
Vespers, ......
The Evening, .....
. 519
. ibid.
. 546
. 550
. 552
. 560
. 566
. 603
. 614
. 616
. 619
. 622
. 630
. 632
PASSIONTIDE
AND
HOLY WEEK.
CHAPTER THE FIRST.
THE HISTORY OF PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
After having proposed the forty-days' Fast of Jesus
in the Desert to the meditation of the Faithful during
the first four weeks of Lent, the Holy Church gives
the two weeks, which still remain before Easter, to
the commemoration of the Passion. She would not
have her children come to the great Day of the immo-
lation of the Lamb, without their having prepared for
it by compassionating with him in the sufferings he
endured in their stead.
The most ancient Sacramentaries and Antiphona-
ries of the several Churches attest, by the Prayers, the
Lessons, and the whole Liturgy of these two weeks,
that the Passion of our Lord is now the one sole
thought of the Christian world. During Passion
Week, a Saint's Feast, if it occur, will be kept ; but
Passion Sunday admits no Feast, however solemn it
may be ; and even on those which are kept during
the days intervening between Passion and Palm
Sundays, there is always made a commemoration of
the Passion, and the holy Images are not allowed to
be uncovered.
We cannot give any historical details upon the
2 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
first of these two Weeks ; its ceremonies and rites
have always been the same as those of the four pre-
ceding ones.1 We, therefore, refer the reader to the
following Chapter, in which we treat of the mysteries
peculiar to Passiontide. The second week, on the
contrary, furnishes us with abundant historical
details ; for there is no portion of the Liturgical
Year, which has interested the Christian world so
much as this, or which has given rise to such fervent
manifestations of piety.
This week was held in great veneration even as
early as the 3rd century, as we learn from St. Denis,
Bishop of Alexandria, who lived at that time.2 In
the following century, we find St. John Chrysostom
calling it the Great Week:1 "not," says the holy
Doctor, "that it has more days in it than other weeks,
" or that its days are made up of more hours than
" other days ; but we call it Great, because of the
" great Mysteries which are then celebrated." We
find it called also by other names : the Painful Week
(Hebdomada Poenosa) , on account of the Sufferings
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the fatigue required
from us in celebrating them; the Week of Indulgence,
because sinners are then received to penance ; and,
lastly, Holy Week, in allusion to the holiness of the
Mysteries which are commemorated during these
seven days. This last name is the one, under which
it most generally goes with us ; and the very days
themselves are, in many countries, called by the
same name, Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, Good
Friday, Holy Saturday.
The severity of the Lenten Fast is increased during
these its last days ; the whole energy of the spirit of
penance is now brought out. Even with us, the
1 It would be out of place to enter here on a discussion with reg ml
to the name Mediana, under which title we find Passion Sunday
mentioned both in ancient Liturgies and in Canon La
2 Epist. <td ihisUuimi. Canon I. :; Horn \x\. in (<•
HISTORY. 6
dispensation which allows the use of eggs ceases
towards the middle of this Week. The Eastern
Churches have kept up far more of the ancient
traditions; and their observance of abstinence, during
these days, is far more severe than ours. The Greeks
call this week Xeropliagia, that is, the week when
no other food is allowed but that which is dry, such
as bread, water, salt, dried fruits, raw vegetables :
every kind of seasoning is forbidden. In the early
ages, Fasting, during Holy Week, was carried to the
utmost limits that human nature could endure. We
learn from St. Epiphanius,1 that there were some of
the Christians who observed a strict fast from Mon-
day morning to cock-crow of Easter Sunday. Of
course, it must have been very few of the Faithful
who could go so far as this. Many passed two,
three, and even four consecutive days, without tast-
ing any food ; but the general practice was to fast
from Maundy Thursday evening to Easter morning.
Many Christians in the East, and in Russia, observe
this fast, even in these times : — would that such severe
penance were always accompanied by a firm faith
and union with the Church, out of which, the merit
of such penitential works is of no avail for salvation !
Another of the ancient practices of Holy Week
were the long hours spent, during the night, in the
Churches. On Maundy Thursday, after having cele-
brated the divine mysteries in remembrance of the
Last Supper, the faithful continued a long time in
prayer.2 The night between Friday and Saturday was
spent in one uninterrupted vigil, in honour of our Lord's
Burial.3 But the longest of all these vigils was that
of Saturday, which was kept up till Easter Sunday
morning : it was one in which the whole of the people
1 JExpositio fidei. ix. Hceres. xxii.
2 St. John Chrysostom, Horn. xxx. in Genes.
3 St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catech. xviii.
4 fASSlONTlDE AND HOLY WEEK.
joined : they assisted at the final preparation of
the Catechumens, as also at the administration of
Baptism, nor did they leave the Church until after
the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice, which was not
over till sunrise.1
Cessation from servile work was, for a long time,
an obligation during Holy Week. The civil law
united with that of the Church in order to bring
about this solemn rest from toil and business, which
so eloquently expresses the state of mourning of the
christian world. The thought of the sufferings and
death of Jesus was the one pervading thought : the
divine Offices and Prayer were the sole occupation of
the people : and, indeed, all the strength of the body
was needed for the support of the austerities of
fasting and abstinence. We can readily understand
what an impression was made upon men's minds,
during the whole of the rest of the year, by this uni-
versal suspension of the ordinary routine of life.
Moreover, when we call to mind how, for five full
weeks, the severity of Lent had waged war on the
sensual appetites, we can imagine the simple and
honest joy, wherewith was welcomed the feast of
Easter, which brought both the regeneration of the
soul, and respite to the body.
In the preceding volume, we mentioned the laws
of the Theodosian Code, which forbade all law busi-
ness during the forty days preceding Easter. This
law of Grratian and Theodosius, which was pub-
lished in 380, was extended by Theodosius, in 389 ;
this new decree forbade all pleadings during the
seven days before, and the seven days after, Easter.
We meet with several allusions to this then recent
laAV, in the Homilies of St. John Chrysostom, and in
the Sermons of St. Augustine. In virtue of this
decree, each of these fifteen days was considered, as
far as the courts of law were concerned, as a Sunday.
1 Const. Apost. lib. i. cap. xviii.
HISTORY. O
But christian Princes were not satisfied with the
mere suspension of human justice during these days,
which are so emphatically days of mercy ; they would,
moreover, pay homage, by an external act, to the
fatherly goodness of God, who has deigned to pardon
a guilty world, through the merits of the death of his
Son. The Church was on the point of giving Recon-
ciliation to repentant sinners, who had broken the
chains of sin, whereby they were held captives : chris-
tian Princes were ambitious to imitate this their
Mother, and they ordered that prisoners should be
loosened from their chains, that the prisons should be
thrown open, and that freedom should be restored to
those who had fallen under the sentence of human
tribunals. The only exception made was that of
criminals, whose freedom would have exposed their
families or society to great danger. The name of
Theodosius stands prominent in these acts of mercy.
We are told by St. John Chrysostom,1 that this
Emperor sent letters of pardon to the several cities,
ordering the release of prisoners, and granting life to
those that had been condemned to death, and all this
in order to sanctify the days preceding the Easter
Feast. The last Emperors made a law of this custom,
as we find in one of St. Leo's Sermons, where he thus
speaks of their clemency : " The Roman Emperors
" have long observed this holy practice. In honour of
<' our Lord's Passion and Resurrection, they humbly
«* withhold the exercise of their sovereign justice, and,
ll laying aside the severity of their laws, they grant
<' pardon to a great number of criminals. Their in-
<' tention in this is to imitate the divine goodness by
«' their own exercise of clemency during these days,
<' when the world owes its salvation to the divine
«' mercy. Let, then, the christian people imitate their
lHomil . in magn. Hebdom. Homil. xxx. in Genes. Homil. vi. ad
popul. Antioch.
6 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
" Princes, and let the example of kings induce subjects
" to forgive each other their private wrongs, for, surely
"it is absurd that private laws should be less un-
" relenting than those which are public. Let tres-
" passes be forgiven, let bonds be taken off, let
" offences be forgotten, let revenge be stiflled ; that
" thus the sacred Feast may, by both divine and human
" favours, find us all happy and innocent."1
This christian amnesty was not confined to the
Theodosian Code ; we find traces of it in the laws of
several of our western countries. We may mention
France as an example. Under the first race of its
kings, St. Eligius, Bishop of Noyon, in a sermon
for Maundy Thursday, thus expresses himself : " On
" this day, when the Church grants indulgence to
" Penitents and absolution to sinners, — Magistrates,
" also, relent in their severity, and grant pardon to
" the guilty. Throughout the whole world, prisons
" are thrown open ; Princes show clemency to crimi-
" nals ; Masters forgive their slaves."2 Under the
second Race, we learn, from the Capitularia of
Charlemagne, that Bishops had a right to exact from
the Judges, for the love of Jesus Christ, (as it is
expressed,) that prisoners should be set free on the
days preceding Easter,3 and, should the Magistrates
refuse to obey, the Bishops could refuse them ad-
mission into the Church.4 And lastly, under the
third Race, we find Charles the 6th, after quelling
the rebellion at Rouen, giving orders, later on, that
the prisoners should be set at liberty, because it was
Painful "Week, and very near to the Easter Feast.5
A last vestige of this merciful legislation was a
custom observed by the Parliament of Paris. The
ancient christian practice of suspending its sessions
1 Serm. xl. de Quadragesima, ii. a Serin, x.
3 We learn from the same Capitularia, that this privilege was also
extended to Christmas and Pentecost.
4 Capitular, lib. vi. 5 Jean Juvenal des Ursins, year 1382.
HISTORY. (
during the whole of Lent, had long been abolished :
it was not till the Wednesday of Holy "Week that
the House was closed, which it continued to be from
that day until after Low Sunday. On the Tuesday
of Holy Week, which was the last day granted for
audiences, the Parliament repaired to the Palace
prisons, and there, one of the Grand Presidents,
generally the last installed, held a session of the
House. The prisoners were questioned ; but, without
any formal judgment, all those whose case seemed
favourable, or who were not guilty of some capital
offence, were set at liberty.
The revolutions of the last eighty years have pro-
duced in every country in Europe the seculari-
sation of society, that is to say, the effacing from
onr national customs and legislation everything
which had been introduced by the supernatural
element of Christianity. The favourite theory of
the last half century or more, has been that all men
are equal. The people of the Ages of Faith had
something far more convincing than theory, of the
sacredness of their rights. At the approach of those
solemn anniversaries which so forcibly remind us of
the Justice and Mercy of God, they beheld Princes
abdicating, as it were, their sceptre, leaving in
God's hands the punishment of the guilty, and
assisting at the holy Table of Paschal Communion,
side by side with those very men, whom, a few days
before, they had been keeping chained in prison, for
the good of society. There was one thought, which,
during these days, was strongly brought before all
nations : it was the thought of God, in whose eyes all
men are sinners, — of God, from whom alone proceed
justice and pardon. It was in consequence of this
deep christian feeling, that we find so many diplomas
and charts of the Ages of Faith speaking of the days
of Holy Week as being the Reign of Christ : such
B
7
8 PASSIONTIDF AND HOLY WEEK.
an event, they say, happened on such a day, " Under
the Eeign of our Lord Jesus Christ : ': Regnante
Domino nostro Jem Christo.
When these days of holy and christian equality
were over, did subjects refuse submission to their
Sovereigns ? Did they abuse the humility of their
Princes, and take occasion for drawing up what
modern times call the Rig Jits of Man ? No : that
same thought which had inspired human justice to
humble itself before the Cross of Jesus, taught the
people their duty of obeying the powers established
by Grod. The exercise of power, and submission to
that power, both had Grod for their motive. They
who wielded the sceptre might be of varions dynas-
ties : the respect for authority was ever the same.
Now-a-days, the Liturgy has none of her ancient in-
fluence on society; Religion has been driven from the
world at large, and her only life and power is now
with the consciences of individuals ; and as to politi-
cal institutions, they are but the expression of human
pride, seeking to command, or refusing to obey.
And yet, the 4th century, which, in virtue of the
christian spirit, produced the laws we have been
alluding to, was still rife with the pagan element.
How comes it, that we, who live in the full light of
Christianity, can give the name of Progress to a
system, which tends to separate society from every-
thing that is supernatural ? Men may talk as they
please, — there is but one way to secure order, peace,
morality, and security to the world ; and that is
God's way, the way of Faith, the living in accordance
with the teachings and spirit of Faith. All other
systems can, at best, but flatter those human passions,
which are so strongly at variance with the mysteries
of our Lord Jesus Christ, which we are now celebrat-
ing.
We must mention another law made by the Chris-
tian Emperors in reference to Holy Week. If the
HISTORY. 9
spirit of charity, and a desire to imitate Divine Mercy,
led them to decree the liberation of prisoners ; it was
but acting consistently with these principles, that,
during these days, when our Saviour shed his blood
for the emancipation of the human race, they should
interest themselves in what regards Slaves. Slavery,
a consequence of sin, and the fundamental institu-
tion of the pagan world, had received its death-blow,
by the preaching of the Q-ospel ; but its gradual
abolition was left to individuals, and to their practical
exercise of the principle of Christian Fraternity. As
our Lord and his Apostles had not exacted the im-
mediate abolition of Slavery, so, in like manner, the
Christian Emperors limited themselves to passing
such laws as would give encouragement to its gradual
abolition. We have an example of this in the Jus-
tinian Code, where this Prince, after having forbidden
all law- proceedings during Holy Week and the week
following, lays down the following exception : "It
" shall, nevertheless, be permitted to give Slaves their
" liberty ; in such manner, that the legal acts neces-
" sary for their emancipation shall not be counted
" as contravening this present enactment."1 This
charitable law of Justinian was but the applying to
the fifteen days of Easter the decree passed by Con-
stantine, which forbade all legal proceedings on the
Sundays throughout the year, excepting only such
acts as had for their object the emancipation of
Slaves.
But long before the peace given her by Constantine,
the Church had made provision for Slaves, during
these days when the mysteries of the world's re-
demption were accomplished. Christian Masters were
obliged to grant them total rest from labour during
this holy fortnight. Such is the law laid down in
the Apostolic Constitutions, which were compiled
1 Cod. lib. iii. tit. xii. de feriis. Leg. 8.
10 PASSIONTIUE AND HOLY WEEK.
previously to the 4th century. " During the Great
" Week preceding the Day of Easter, and during the
" week that follows, Slaves rest from labour, inasmuch
" as the first is the Week of our Lord's Passion, and
" the second is that of his Resurrection, and the
" Slaves require to be instructed upon these mys-
" teries."1
Another characteristic of the two Weeks, upon
which we are now entering, is that of giving more
abundant alms, and of greater fervour in the exercise
of works of mercy. St. John Chrysostom assures us
that such was the practice of his times ; he passes an
encomium on the Faithful, many of whom redoubled,
at this period, their charities to the poor, which they
did out of this motive, — that they might, in some
slight measure, imitate the Divine generosity, which
is now so unreservedly pouring out its graces on
sinners.
1 Constit. Apost. Lib. viii. cap. xxxiii.
CHAPTER THE SECOND.
THE MYSTERY OF PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
The holy Liturgy is rich in mystery, during these
days of the Church's celebrating the anniversaries of
so many wonderful events ; but as the principal part
of these mysteries is embodied in the rites and cere-
monies of the respective days, we shall give our
explanations according as the occasion presents itself.
Our object, in the present Chapter, is to say a few
words respecting the general character of the Myste-
ries of these two Weeks.
We have nothing to add to the explanation,
already given in our "Lent," on the mystery of
Forty. The holy season of expiation continues its
course, until the fast of sinful man has imitated, in
its duration, that observed by the Man-God in the
desert. The army of Christ's faithful children is
still fighting against the invisible enemies of man's
salvation ; they are still vested in their spiritual
armour, and, aided by the Angels of light, they are
struggling hand to hand with the spirits of darkness,
by compunction of heart and by mortification of the
flesh.
As we have already observed, there are three
objects which principally engage the thoughts of the
Church during Lent. The Passion of our Re-
deemer, which we have felt to be coming nearer to
us each week ; the preparation of the Catechumens
for Baptism, which is to be administered to them
on the Easter eve ; the Reconciliation of the
public Penitents, who are to be re-admitted into the
Church, on the Thursday, the day of the Last Supper.
12 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
Each of these three objects engages more and more
the attention of the Church, the nearer she ap-
proaches the time of their celebration.
The miracle performed by our Saviour, almost at
the very gates of Jerusalem, and by which he restored
Lazarus to life, has roused the fury of his enemies to
the highest pitch of phrensy. The people's enthu-
siasm has been excited at seeing him, who had been
four days in the grave, walking in the streets of their
City. They ask each other, if the Messias, when he
comes, can work greater wonders than these done by
Jesus, and whether they ought not at once to receive
this Jesus as the Messias, and sing their Hosanna to
him for he is the Son of David ? They cannot con-
tain their feelings : — Jesus enters Jerusalem, and
they welcome him as their King. The High Priests
and Princes of the people are alarmed at this de-
monstration of feeling ; they have no time to lose ;
they are resolved to destroy Jesus. We are going to
assist at their impious conspiracy : the Blood of the
Just Man is to be sold, and the price put on it is
thirty silver pieces. The Divine Victim, betrayed
by one of his Disciples, is to be judged, condemned,
and crucified. Every circumstance of this awful
tragedy is to be put before us by the Liturgy, not
merely in words, but with all the expressiveness of a
sublime ceremonial.
The Catechumens have but a few more days to
wait for the Fount that is to give them Life. Each
day, their instruction becomes fuller ; the figures of
the Old Law are being explained to them ; and very
little now remains for them to learn with regard to
the mysteries of Salvation. The Symbol of Faith is
soon to be delivered to them. Initiated into the
glories and the humiliations of the Redeemer, they
will await with the Faithful, the moment of his
glorious Resurrection ; and we shall accompany
them with our prayers and hymns, at that solemn
MYSTERY. 13
hour, when leaving the defilements of sin in the life-
giving waters of the Font, they shall come forth
pure and radiant with innocence, be enriched with
the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and be fed with the
divine Flesh of the Lamb that liveth for ever.
The Eeconciliation of the Penitents, too, is close
at hand. Clothed in sackcloth and ashes, they are
continuing their work of expiation. The Church
has still several passages from the Sacred Scriptures
to read to them, which, like those we have already
heard during the last few weeks, will breathe conso-
lation and refreshment to their souls. The near
approach of the day, when the Lamb is to be slain,
increases their hope, for they know that the Blood
of this Lamb is of infinite worth, and can take away
the sins of the whole world. Before the day of
Jesus' Kesurrection, they will have recovered their
lost innocence ; their pardon will come in time to
enable them, like the penitent Prodigal, to join in
the great Banquet of that Thursday, when Jesus
will say to his guests : With desire I have desired to
eat this Pasch ivith you, before I suffer.1
Such are the sublime subjects which are about to
be brought before us : but, at the same time, we
shall see our holy Mother the Church mourning, like
a disconsolate widow, and sad beyond all human
grief. Hitherto she has been weeping over the sins
of her children ; now she bewails the death of her
Divine Spouse. The joyous Alleluia has long since
been hushed in her canticles ; she is now going to
suppress another expression, which seems too glad
for a time like the present. Partially, at first,2 but
entirely during the last three days, she is about to
deny herself the use of that formula, which is so
1 St. Luke, xxii. 15.
2 Unless it be the Feast of a Saint, as frequently happens during
the first of these two Weeks. The same exception is to be made
in what follows.
14 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
dear to her : Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Ghost. There is an accent of jubi-
lation in these words, which would ill suit her grief
and the mournfulness of the rest of her chants.
Her Lessons, for the Night Office, are taken from
Jereniias, the Prophet of lamentation above all
others. The colour of her Vestments is the one
she had on when she assembled us at the commence-
ment of Lent to sprinkle us with ashes ; but when
the dreaded day of Good Friday comes, purple would
not sufficiently express the depth of her grief ; she
will clothe herself in black, as men do when mourn-
ing the death of a fellow-mortal, for Jesus, her
Spouse, is to be put to death on that day : the
sins of mankind and the rigours of the Divine Jus-
tice are then to weigh him down, and, in all the
realities of a last agony, he is to yield up his soul to
his Father.
The presentiment of that awful hour leads the
afflicted Mother to veil the image of her Jesus :
the Cross is hid from the eyes of the Faithful. The
statues of the Saints, too, are covered ; for it is but
just, that if the glory of the Master be eclipsed, the
Servant should not appear. The interpreters of
the Liturgy tell us, that this ceremony of veiling
the Crucifix, during Passiontide, expresses the humi-
liation, to which our Saviour subjected himself, of
hiding himself when the Jews threatened to stone
him, as is related in the Gospel of Passion Sunday.
The Church begins this solemn rite with the Vespers
of the Saturday before Passion Sunday. Thus it is,
that in those years, when the Feast of our Lady's
Annunciation falls in Passion Week, the statue of
Mary, the Mother of God, remains veiled, even on
that very day when the Archangel greets her as
hemgfull of grace, and blessed among women.
CHAPTER THE THIED.
PRACTICE DURING PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
The past four weeks seem to have been but a pre-
paration for the intense grief of the Church during
these two. She knows that men are in search of her
Jesus, and that they are bent on his Death. Before
twelve days are over, she will see them lay their sacri-
legious hands upon him. She will have to follow him
up the hill of Calvary ; she will have to receive his
last breath ; she must witness the stone placed against
the Sepulchre where his lifeless body is laid. We
cannot, therefore, be surprised at her inviting all her
children to contemplate, during these weeks, Him
who is the object of all her love and all her sadness.
But our Mother asks something more of us than
compassion and tears ; she would have us profit by
the lessons we are to be taught by the Passion and
Death of our Redeemer. He himself, when going
up to Calvary, said to the holy women, who had the
courage to show their compassion even before his
very executioners : Weep not over me ; but tceep for
yourselves and for pour children} It was not that
he refused the tribute of their tears, for he was
pleased with this proof of their affection ; but it was
his love for them that made him speak thus. He
desired, above all, to see them appreciate the impor-
tance of what they were witnessing, and learn from
it how inexorable is Grod's justice against sin.
During the four weeks that have preceded, the
Church has been leading the Sinner to his conversion ;
so far, however, this conversion has been but begun ;
1 St. Luke, xxiii. 28.
16 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
now she would perfect it. It is no longer our Jesus
fasting and praying in the Desert, that she offers to
our consideration ; it is this same Jesus, as the great
Victim immolated for the world's salvation. The
fatal hour is at hand; the power of darkness is
preparing to make use of the time that is still left ;
the greatest of crimes is about to be perpetrated.
A few days hence, and the Son of Grod is to be in the
hands of sinners, and they will put him to death.
The Church no longer needs to urge her children to
repentance ; they know too well, now, what sin must
be, when it could require such expiation as this.
She is all absorbed in the thought of the terrible
event, which is to close the life of the Grod-Man on
earth ; and by expressing her thoughts through the
holy Liturgy, she teaches us what our own sentiments
should be.
The pervading character of the prayers and rites
of these two weeks, is a profound grief at seeing the
Just One persecuted by his enemies even to death,
and an energetic indignation against the deicides.
The formulas, expressive of these two feelings, are,
for the most part, taken from David and the
Prophets. Here, it is our Saviour himself, disclosing
to us the anguish of his soul ; there, it is the Church,
pronouncing the most terrible anathemas upon the
executioners of Jesus. The chastisement, that is to
befal the Jewish nation, is prophesied in all its
frightful details ; and on the last three days, we shall
hear the Prophet Jeremias uttering his Lamentations
over the faithless City. The Church does not aim
at exciting idle sentiment; what she principally
seeks, is to impress the hearts of her children with a
salutary fear. If Jerusalem's crime strike them with
horror, and if they feel that they have partaken of
her sin, their tears will flow in abundance.
Let us, therefore, do our utmost to receive these
strong impressions, too little known, alas ! by the
PRACTICE. 17
superficial piety of these times. Let us reflect upon
the love and affection of the Son of Grod, who has
treated his creatures with such unlimited confidence,
lived their own life, spent his three and thirty years
amidst them, not only humbly and peaceably, but in
going about, doing good} And now, this life of kind-
ness, condescension and humility, is to be cut short
by the disgraceful death, which none but slaves en-
dured— the death of the Cross. Let us consider, on
the one side, this sinful people, who having no crimes
to lay to Jesus' charge, accuse him of his benefits,
and carry their detestable ingratitude to such a pitch,
as to shed the Blood of this innocent and Divine
Lamb ; and then, let us turn to this Jesus, the Just
by excellence, and see him become a prey to every
bitterest suffering, — his Soul sorrowful even unto
death,2 — weighed down by the malediction of our
sins, — drinking, even to the very dregs, the Chalice
he so humbly asks his Father to take from him ; —
and, lastly, let us listen to his dying words : My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? 3 This it is
that fills the Church with her immense grief ; this it
is that she proposes to our consideration : for she
knows, that if we once rightly understood the Suffer-
ings of her Jesus, our attachments to sin must needs
be broken, for, by sin, we make ourselves guilty of
the crime we detest in these Jews.
But the Church knows, too, how hard is the heart
of man, and how, to make him resolve on a thorough
conversion, he must be made to fear. For this rea-
son, she puts before us those awful imprecations,
which the Prophets, speaking in Jesus' person, pro-
nounced against them that put our Lord to death.
These prophetic anathemas were literally fulfilled
against the obdurate Jews. They teach us what the
Christian, also, must expect, if, as the Apostle so
1 Acts, x. 38. 2 St. Matth. xxvi. 38. 3 Ibid, xxvii. 46.
18 PASS10NT1DE AND HOLY WEEK.
forcibly expresses it, we again crucify the Son of
God.1 In listening to what the Church now speaks
to us, we cannot but tremble as we recal to mind
those other words of the same Apostle : Sow much
more, think ye, cloth he deserve worse punishments,
who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and
hath esteemed the Blood of the testament unclean,
(as though it were some vile thing,) by which he toas
sanctified, and hath offered an affront to the Spirit
of grace ? For ice know Him that hath said : Ven-
geance belongeth to me, and I will repay. And
again : The Lord shall judge his people. It is a
fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living
lGod?
Fearful indeed it is ! Oh ! what a lesson God gives
us of his inexorable Justice, during these days of the
Passion ? He that spared not even his own Son,3 —
his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased? — will
he spare us, if, after all the graces he has bestowed
upon us, he should find us in sin, which he so un-
pitifully chastised even in Jesus, when he took it
upon himself, that he might atone for it ? Considera-
tions such as these, — the Justice of Grod towards the
most innocent and august of Victims, and the punish-
ments that befel the impenitent Jews, — must surely
destroy within us every affection to sin, for they will
create within us that salutary fear, which is the solid
foundation of firm hope and tender love.
For, if, by our sins, we have made ourselves guilty
of the death of the Son of Grod, it is equally true, that
the Blood, which flows from his sacred Wounds, has
the power to cleanse us from the guilt of our crime.
The Justice of our heavenly Father cannot be ap-
peased, save by the shedding of this precious Blood ;
and the Mercy of this same Father of ours wills that
1 Heb. vi. 6. * Rom. viii. 32.
2 Ibid. x. 29, 30, 31. * St. Matth. iii. 17.
PRACTICE. 19
it be spent for our ransom. The cruelty of Jesus'
executioners have made Five Wounds in his sacred
Body ; and from these, there flow Five sources of
salvation, which purify the world, and restore within
each one of us that image of Grod, which sin had
destroyed. Let us, then, approach with confidence
to this redeeming Blood, which throws open to the
sinner the gates of heaven, and whose worth is such
that it could redeem a million worlds, were they even
more guilty than this of ours. We are close upon the
anniversary of the day when it was shed ; long ages
have passed away since it flowed down the wounded
body of our Jesus, and fell in streams, from the cross,
upon this ungrateful earth ; and yet, its power is as
great as ever.
Let us go, then, and draw from the Saviour's
fountains ;} our souls will come forth full of life, all
pure, and dazzling with heavenly beauty ; not one
spot of their old defilements will be left ; and the
Father will love us with the love wherewith he loves
his own Son. Why did he deliver up unto death this
his tenderly beloved Son ? Was it not that he might
regain us, the children whom he had lost ? We had
become, by our sins, the possession of Satan ; hell
had undoubted claims upon us ; and lo ! we have
been suddenly snatched from both, and all our prim-
itive rights have been restored to us. Yet, Grod
used no violence in order to deliver us from our
enemy ; how comes it, then, that we are now free ?
Listen to the Apostle : Ye are bought at a great
price.2 And what is this price ? The Prince of the
Apostles explains it : Know ye, says he, that ye were
not redeemed with corruptible things, as gold or
silver, — but with the precious Blood of Christ as of
a Lamb unspotted and undefiled} This divine
• l Is. xii. 3. 3 gt. Pet. i. 18, 19.
2 I. Cor. \i. 20.
20 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
Blood was placed in the scales of God's Justice, and
so far did it outweigh the weight of our iniquities, as
to make the bias in our favour. The power of this
Blood has broken the very gates of hell, severed our
chains, and made peace both as to the things on earth,
and the things that are in heaven} Let us receive
upon us, therefore, this precious Blood, wash our
wounds in it, and sign our foreheads with it as with
an indelible mark, which may protect us, on the day
of wrath, from the sword of vengeance.
There is another object most dear to the Church,
and which she, during these two weeks, recommends
to our deepest veneration ; it is the Cross, which is,
as it were, the altar upon which our incomparable
Victim is immolated. Twice, during the course of
the year, that is, on the Feasts of its Invention and
Exaltation, this sacred Wood will be offered to us
that we may honour it as the trophy of our Jesus'
victory ; but now, it speaks to us but of his Sufferings,
it brings with it no other idea than that of his
humiliation. God had said in the ancient Covenant :
Accursed is he that hangeth on a tree.2 The Lamb,
that saved us, disdained not to suffer this curse ; but,
for that very cause, this tree, this wood of infamy,
has become dear to us beyond measure. It is the
instrument of our salvation, it is the sublime pledge
of Jesus' love for us. On this account, the Church
is about to lavish her veneration and love upon it;
and we intend to imitate her, and join her, in this as
in all else she does. An adoring gratitude towards
the Blood that has redeemed us, and a loving vene-
ration of the holy Cross, — these are the two senti-
ments which are to be uppermost in our hearts,
during these two weeks.
But for the Lamb himself, — for him that gave us
this Blood, and so generously embraced the Cross
1 Coloss. i. 20. 2 Deut. xxi. 23.
PRACTICE. 21
that saved us, — what shall we do ? Is it not just,
that we should keep close to him, and that, more
faithful than the Apostles who abandoned him during
his Passion, we should follow him day by day, nay,
hour by hour, in the way of the Cross, that he treads
for us ? Yes, — we will be his faithful companions,
during these last days of his mortal life, when he sub-
mits to the humiliation of having to hide himself from
his enemies. We will envy the lot of those devoted
few, who shelter him in their houses, and expose
themselves, by this courageous hospitality, to the
rage of his enemies. We will compassionate his
Mother, who suffered an anguish that no other heart
could feel, because no other creature could love him
as She did. We will go, in spirit, into that most
hated Sanhedrim, where they are laying the impious
plot against the life of the Just One. Suddenly, we
shall see a bright speck gleaming on the dark horizon ;
the streets and squares of Jerusalem will re-echo
with the cry of Hosanna to the Son of David. That
unexpected homage paid to our Jesus, those palm
branches, those shrill voices of admiring Hebrew
children, will give a momentary truce to our sad
forebodings. Our love shall make us take part in
the loyal tribute thus paid to the King of Israel, who
comes so meekly to visit the daughter of Sion, as the
Prophet had foretold he would : but, alas ! this joy
will be short-lived, and we must speedily relapse into
our deep sorrow of soul !
The traitorous disciple will soon strike his bargain
with the High Priests ; the last Pasch will be kept,
and we shall see the figurative lamb give place to the
true One, whose Flesh will become our food, and his
Blood our drink. It will be our Lord's Supper.
Clad in the nuptial robe, we will take our place
there, together with the Disciples ; for that day is the
day of Reconciliation, which brings together, to the
same Holy Table, both the penitent sinner, and the
22 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
just that has been ever faithful. Then, we shall
have to turn our steps towards the fatal Grarden,
where we shall learn what sin is, for we shall behold
our Jesus agonising beneath its weight, and asking
some respite from his Eternal Father. Then, in the
dark hour of mid-night, the servants of the High
Priests and the soldiers, led on by the vile Iscariot,
will lay their impious hands on the Son of (rod ; and
yet, the legions of Angels who adore him, will be
withheld from punishing the awful sacrilege ! After
this, we shall have to repair to the various tribunals,
whither Jesus is led, and witness the triumph of in-
justice. The time that elapses between his being
seized in the Grarden and his having to carry his
Cross up the hill of Calvary, will be filled up with
the incidents of his mock trial, — lies, calumnies, the
wretched cowardice of the Roman Grovernor, the
insults of the by-standers, and the cries of the un-
grateful populace thirsting for innocent Blood ! We
shall be present at all these things ; our love will
not permit us to separate ourselves from that dear
Redeemer, who is to suffer them for our sakes, for
our salvation.
Finally, after seeing him struck and spit upon, and
after the cruel scourging and the frightful insult of the
crown of thorns, we will follow our Jesus up Mount
Calvary ; we shall know where his sacred feet have
trod by the Blood that marks the road. We shall
have to make our way through the crowd, and, as we
pass, we shall hear terrible imprecations uttered
against our Divine Master. Having reached the
place of execution, we shall behold this august Victim
stripped of his garment, nailed to the cross, hoisted
into the air, as if the better to expose him to insult !
We will draw near to the Tree of Life, that we may
lose neither one drop of that Blood which flows for
the cleansing of the world, nor one single Word
spoken, for its instruction, by our dying Jesus. We
PRACTICE. 23
will compassionate his Mother, whose Heart is pierced
through with a sword of sorrow ; we will stand close
to her, when her Son, a few moments before his
Death, shall consign us to her fond care. After his
three hours' agony, we will reverently watch his
sacred Head bow down, and receive, with adoring
love, his last breath.
A bruised and mangled corpse, stiffened by the
cold of death, — this is all that remains to us of that
Son of Man, whose first coming into the world caused
us such joy ! This Son of the Eternal Father was
not satisfied with emptying himself and taking the
form of a servant};1 this his being born in the flesh
was but the beginning of his sacrifice ; his love
was to lead him even unto death, even to the death
of the Cross. He foresaw that he would not win our
love save at the price of such a generous immolation,
and his heart hesitated not to make it. Let us,
therefore, love God, says St. John, because God first
loved us.2 This is the end the Church proposes to
herself by the celebration of these solemn anniver-
saries. After humbling our pride and our resistance
to grace, by showing us how Divine Justice treats sin,
— she leads our hearts to love that Jesus, who de-
livered himself up, in our stead, to the rigours of that
Justice. Wo to us, if this great Week fail to pro-
duce in our souls a just return towards Him, who
loved us more than himself, though we were, and
had made ourselves, his enemies. Let us say with
the Apostle: The charity of Christ presseth us;
that they who live, may not now live to themselves,
but unto Kim who died for] them,3 We owe this
return to Him who made himself a Victim for our
sakes, and who, up to the very last moment, instead
of pronouncing against us the curse we so justly
» Philipp. ii. 7. 3 2 Cor. v. 14, 15.
2 1 St. John, iv. 19. C
24 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
deserved, prayed aud obtained for us mercy and
grace. He is, one day, to re-appear on the clouds of
heaven, and, as the Prophet says, men shall look
upon Sim, whom they have pierced.1 (rod grant that
we may be of the number of those who, having made
amends, by there love, for the crimes they have com-
mitted against the Divine Lamb, will then find con-
fidence at the sight of those Wounds !
Let us hope that, by God's mercy, the holy time we
are now entering upon will work such a happy change
in us, that, on the Day of Judgment, we may con-
fidently fix our eyes on Him we are now about to con-
template crucified by the hands of sinners. The
Death of Jesus puts the whole of nature in commotion ;
the mid-day sun is darkened, the earth is shaken to
its very foundations, the rocks are split ; — may it be
that our hearts, too, be moved, and pass from in-
difference to fear, from fear to hope, and, at length,
from hope to love ; so that, having gone down, with
our Crucified, to the very depths of sorrow, we may
deserve to rise again with him unto light and joy,
beaming with the brightness of his Resurrection upon
us, and having within ourselves the pledge of a new
life, which shall then die no more !
1 Zach. xii. 10.
CHAPTER THE FOUKTH.
MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS,
FOR PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
During these two weeks, the Christian, on waking
in the morning, should unite himself with the
Church, who repeats these words of St. Paul at every
Hour of the Divine Office during the last three days
of Holy Week.
Christ became, for our Christus factus est, pro
sakes, obedient unto death, nobis obediens usque ad
even to the death of the mortem, mortem autem cru-
Cross. cis.
He should, after this, profoundly adore that great
Gtad, who was not to be appeased but by the Blood of
Jesus ; he should, also, adore the infinite goodness of
this Jesus, who made himself a Victim, that he might
save us sinners. It is with these two sentiments,
that he must perform the first acts of religion, both
interior and exterior, wherewith he begins each day
of this present Season. The time for Morning Prayer
being come, he may use the following method, which
is formed upon the very prayers of the Church : —
MORNING PRAYER.
First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy
Trinity : —
y. Let us bless the Father f. Benedicamus Patrem
and the Son, and the Holy et Filium cum Sancto Spi-
Ghost. ritu :
#. Let us praise him and $. Laudemus et super-
extol him above all, for ever, exaltemus eum in saecula.
26 PASSIONTJDE AND HOLY WEEK.
p. Gloria Patri et Filio, et f. Glory be to the Father,
Spiritui Sancto ; and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost.
&. Sicut erat in principio, #. As it was in the begin -
et nunc et semper, et in sse- ning is now, and ever shall be,
cula sseculorum. Amen. world without end. Amen.
Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ :
f. Adoramus te, Christe, f. We adore thee, 0 Christ,
et benedicimus tibi. and we bless thee.
#. Quia per Crucem iuam gt. Because by thy Cross
redemisti mundum. thou hast redeemed the world.
Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost :
Veni, Sancte Spiritus, re- Come, 0 Holy Spirit, fill
pie tuorum, corda fidelium, the hearts of thy faithful, and
et tui amoris in eis ignem enkindle within them the fire
accende. of thy love.
After these fundamental acts of Religion, recite
the Lord's Prayer, begging your Heavenly Father to
be mindful of his infinite mercy and goodness, — to
forgive you your trespasses, through the merits of
the Blood of Jesus, — to come to your assistance in
the temptations and dangers which so thickly beset
the path of this life, — and finally, to deliver you
from evil, by removing from you every remnant of
sin, which is the great evil, the evil that offends
God, and entails the sovereign evil of man himself.
THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Pater noster, qui es in Our Father, who art in
coelis, sanctificetur nomen heaven, hallowed be thy
tuum : adveniat regnum tu- name : thy kingdom come :
um : fiat voluntas tua sicut thy will be done on earth as it
in ccelo, et in terra. Panem is in heaven. Give us this day
nostrum quotidianum da our daily bread ; and forgive
nobis hodie : et dimitte nobis us our trespasses, as we forgive
debita nostra, sicut et nos them that trespass against us :
dimittimus debitoribus nos- and lead us not into tempta-
tris : et ne nos inducas in tion : but deliver us from
tentationem : sed libera nos evil. Ameu.
a malo. Amen.
MORNING PRAYERS.
27
Then, address our Blessed Lady, using the words
of the Angelical Salutation. Pray to her with con-
fidence and love, for she is the Refuge of Sinners.
THE ANGELICAL SALUTATION.
Hail Mary, full of grace;
the Lord is with, thee ; blessed
art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy
womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners, now and
at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Ave Maria, gratia plena,
Dominus tecum ; benedicta
tu in mulieribus, et bene-
dictus fructus ventris tui,
Jesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nos-
trse. Amen.
After this, you should recite the Creed, that is, the
Symbol of Faith. It contains the dogmas we are to
believe ; and during this Season, you should dwell
with loving attention on that Article, of our having
been redeemed by the Sufferings and Death of Jesus.
Let us lovingly confess this mystery of a Grod suffer-
ing and dying for us. Let us, by our repentance and
amendment, merit that this Precious Blood may per-
fect the conversion, that has been begun in us.
THE APOSTLES CREED.
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 Vir-
gin Mary ; suffered under
Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried ; he descend-
ed into hell, the third day he
arose again from the dead ;
he ascended into heaven, sit-
teth at the right hand of God
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 ccelos,
sedet ad dexteram Dei Pa-
28
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
tris omnipotentis : inde ven-
turus est judicare vivos et
mortuos.
Credo in Spiritum Sanc-
tum, sanctam Ecclesiam Ca-
tholicam, Sanctorum com-
munionem, remissionem
peccatorum, carnis resurrec-
tionem, vitam seternam.
Amen.
the Father Almighty ; from
thence he shall come to judge
the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the 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, endeavour to excite yourself to sorrow for the
sins you have committed. Ask our Lord to give you
the graces appropriate to this holy Season ; and, for
this end, recite the following Hymn, which the
Church uses in her Lauds for Lent :
HYMN.
O sol salutis, intimis,
Jesu, refulge mentibus,
Dum nocte pulsa gratior
Orbi dies renascitur.
Dans tempus acceptabile,
Da lacrymarum rivulis
Lavare cordis victimam,
Quam lseta adurat charitas.
Quo fonte manavit nefas,
Fluent perennes lacrymse,
Si virga poenitentiae
Cordis rigorem conterat.
Dies venit, dies tua,
In qua reflorent omnia :
Lsetemur et nos, in viam
Tua reducti dextera.
O Jesus ! thou Sun of the
world's salvation ! shine in
the depth of our souls ; for
now is the hour of night's de-
parture, and sweeter day-
break dawns upon the earth.
O thou that givest us this
acceptable time ! give us to
wash, with our tears, the vic-
tim we offer thee, — which is
our heart ; and grant that it
may burn with joyous love.
If the rod of penaDce but
strike these hearts of stone, a
flood of ceaseless tears will
flow from that same fount,
whence came our many sins.
The day, thine own day, is
at hand, when all things bloom
afresh ; oh ! grant, that we,
too, may rejoice, being
brought once more to the
path, by thy right hand,
MORNING PRAYERS.
29
0 merciful Trinity ! may
the world prostrate itself be-
fore thee, and adore; and we,
made new by grace, sing a
new canticle of praise. Amen.
Te prona mundi machina,
Clemens, adoret, Trinitas,
Et nos novi per gratiam
Novum canamus canticum.
Amen.
Theo, make an humble confession of your sins,
reciting the general formula made use of by the
Church.
THE CONFESSION OF SINS.
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, and to all the saints,
that I have sinned exceeding-
ly in thought, word, and deed ;
through my fault, through
my fault, through my most
grievous fault. Therefore I
beseech the blessed Mary ever
Virgin, blessed Michael the
Archangel, blessed John Bap-
tist, 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
merciful Lord grant us par-
don, absolution, and remis-
sion of our sins. Amen.
Oonfiteor Deo Omnipotenti,
beatae Marise semper Virgini,
beato Michaeli Archangelo,
beato Joanni Baptistse, Sanctis
Apostolis Petro et Paulo, et
omnibus Sanctis, quia peccavi
nimis cogitatione, verbo, et
opere : mea culpa, mea culpa,
mea maxima culpa. Ideo
precor beatam Mariam sem-
per Virginem, beatum Micha-
elem Archangelum, beatum
Joannem Baptistam, sanctos
Apostolos Petrum et Pau-
lum, et omnes sanctos, orare
pro me ad Dominum Deum
nostrum.
Misereatur nostri omnipo-
tens Deus, et dimissis peccatis
nostris, perducat nos ad vi-
tam aeternam. Amen.
Indulgentiam, absolutio-
nem, et remissionem pecca-
torum nostrorum tribuat
nobis omnipotens et miseri-
cors Dominus. Amen.
This is the proper time for making your Medita-
tion, as no doubt you practice this holy exercise.
During these two weeks, the following should be the
leading subjects of our Meditations ; — The severity of
30 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
God's Justice towards his Divine Son, who had taken
upon himself our sins ; the ingratitude of the Jews,
who, though laden hy Jesus with favours, clamour for
his Death ; the share we have taken, by our sins, in
the Crucifixion ; the Sufferings, both of body and
soul, endured by our Redeemer ; his patience and
meekness under every injury ; and finally, the infinite
love he shows he has for us, by saving us at the cost
of his Blood, yea, of his very Life.
The next part of your Morning Prayer must be to
ask of Grod, by the following prayers, grace to avoid
every kind of sin during the day you are just begin-
ning. Say, then, with the Church, whose prayers
must always be preferred to all others :
f. Domine, exaudi orati- y. O Lord, hear my
onem meam. prayer.
5t. Et clamor meus ad te gt. And let my cry come
veniat. unto thee.
OREMTJS. LET US PRAY.
Domine, Deus omnipotens, Almighty Lord and God,
qui ad principium hujus diei who hast brought us to the
nos pervenire fecisti, tua nos beginning of this day, let thy
hodie salva virtute, ut in hac powerful grace so conduct us
die ad nullum declinemus through it, that we may not
peccatum, sed semper ad fall into any sin, but that all
tuam justitiam faciendam our thoughts, words, and
nostra procedant eloquia, actions may be regulated
dirigantur cogitationes et according to the rules of thy
opera. Per Dominum nos- heavenly justice, and tend to
trum Jesum Christum Fi- the observance of thy holy
Hum tuum, qui tecum vivit law. Through Jesus Christ
et regnat in unitate Spiritus our Lord. Amen.
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 :
y. Deus, in adjutorium f. Incline unto my aid, O
meum intencle. God.
gt. Domine, ad adjuvan- £. O Lord, make haste to
dum me festina. help me.
NIfiHT PRATERS.
31
^ . Incline unto my aid, O
God.
#. 0 Lord, make haste to
help me.
$. Incline unto my aid, 0
God.
gt. 0 Lord, make haste to
help me.
~f. Deus, in adjutorium
meum intende.
gt. Domine, ad adjuvan-
dum me festina.
f. Deus, in adjutorium
meum intende.
gr. Domine, ad adjuvan-
dum me festina.
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, O Sa-
viour of the world ! we may
be fenced and freed from all
evils. Who livest and reign-
est for ever and ever. Amen.
OREMUS.
Dirigere et sanctificare, re-
gere et gubernare dignare,
Domine Deus, Rex coeli et
terrae, hodie corda et corpora
nostra, sensus, sermones, et
actus nostros in lege tua, et in
operibus mandatorum tuo-
rum, ut hie et in oeternum, te
auxiliante, salvi et liberi esse
mereamur, Salvator mundi.
Qui vivis et regnas in ssecula
saeculorum. Amen.
During the day, you will do well to use the in-
structions and prayers which you will find in this
volume, for each clay of the Season. In the Even-
ing, you may use the following Prayers.
NIGHT PEAYEES.
After having made the sign of the Cross, let us
adore that Sovereign Lord, who has so mercifully pre-
served us during this day, and blessed us, every hour,
with his grace and protection. For this end, let us
recite the following Hymn, which the Church sings
in her Vespers of Passiontide :
HYMN.
The Standard of our King
comes forth ; the mystery of
Yexilla Regis prodeunt ;
Fulget Crucis mysterium,
32
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
Qua Vita mortem pertulit,
Et morte vitam protulit.
Quae vulnerata lanceae
Mucrone diro, criminum
Ut nos lavaret sordibus,
Manavit unda et sanguine.
Impleta sunt quae concinit
David fideli carmine,
Dicendo nation ibus :
Regnavit a ligno Deus.
Arbor decora et fulgida,
Ornata regis purpura,
Electa digno stipite
Tarn sancta membra tan-
gere.
Beata cujus brachiis
Pretium pependit sseculi,
Statera facta corporis,
Tulitque prredam tartari.
O Crux, ave, spes unica,
Hoc Passionis tempore,
Piis adauge gratiam,
Beisque dele crimina.
Te, fons salutis, Trinitas,
Collaudet omnis spiritus :
Quibus Crucis victoriam
Largiris, adde praemium.
Amen.
the Cross shines upon us, —
that Cross on which Life suf-
fered death, and by his Death
gave Life.
He was pierced with the
cruel Spear, that, by the
Water and the Blood, which
flowed from the wound, he
might cleanse us from sin.
Here, on the Cross was ful-
filled the prophecy foretold in
David's truthful words : "God
hath reigned from the Tree."
0 fair and shining Tree !
beautified by the scarlet of the
King, and chosen as the noble
trunk that was to touch such
sacred limbs !
O blessed Tree ! on whose
arms hung the ransom of the
world ! It was the balance,
wherein was placed the Body
of Jesus, and thereby hell lost
its prey.
Hail, 0 Cross ! our only
hope ! During these days of
the Passion, increase to the
good their grace, and cleanse
sinners from their guilt.
May every spirit praise
thee, 0 Holy Trinity, thou
Fount of Salvation ! and by
the Cross, whereby thou gav-
est us victory, give us, too,
our recompense. Amen.
After this Hymn, say the Our Father, Rail Mary,
and the Apostles' Creed, as in the Morning.
Then, make the Examination of Conscience, going
over in your mind all the faults you have committed
during the day. Think, how great is the obstacle put
by sin to the merciful designs your Grod would work
in you ; and make a firm resolution to avoid it for
the time to come, to do penance for it, and to shun
the occasions which might again lead you into it,
NIGHT PRAYERS. 33
The Examination of Conscience concluded, recite
the Confitcor (or I confess) with heartfelt contrition,
and then give expression to your sorrow by the fol-
lowing Act, which we have taken from the Venerable
Cardinal Bellarmine's Catechism :
ACT OF CONTRITION.
O 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,
0 infinite Goodness, who art worthy to be loved above all
things. ^1 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 Roman 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
lose all things than offend thee. For thy love also, I love
and desire to love my neighbour as myself,
34
PASSTONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
Then say to our Blessed Lady the following An-
them which the Church uses from the Feast of the
Purification to Easter :
ANTHEM TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.
Ave Eegina coelorum,
Ave Domina Angelorum :
Salve radix, salve porta,
Ex qua mundo lux est orta ;
Gaude, Virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa :
Vale, 0 valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.
y. Dignare me laudare te,
Virgo sacrata.
$. Da mihi virtutem con-
tra hostes tuos.
Hail Queen of Heaven !
Hail Queen of Angels ! Hail
blest Root and Gate, from
which came Light upon the
world ! Rejoice, 0 glorious
Virgin, that surpassest all in
beauty ! Hail, most lovely
Queen ! and pray to Christ
for us.
y. Vouchsafe, 0 Holy Vir-
gin, that I may praise thee.
$. Give me power against
thine enemies.
OREMUS.
Concede, misericors Deus,
fragilitati nostrse presidi-
um ; ut, qui sanctse Dei
Genitricis memoriam agimus,
intercessionis ejus auxilio,
a nostris iniquitatibus re-
surgamus. Per eumdem
Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
Grant, O merciful God, thy
protection to us in our weak-
ness ; that we who celebrate
the memory of the Holy
Mother of God, may, through
the aid of her intercession,
rise again from our sins.
Through the same Christ our
Lord. Amen.
You would do well to add the Stabat Mater, which
is given further on, for Friday in Passion Week.
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 :
Sancti Angeli, custodes
nostri, defendite nos in prse-
lio, ut non pereamus in tre-
mendo judicio.
Holy Angels, our loving
Guardians, defend us in the
hour of battle, that we may
not be lost at the dreadful
judgment.
NIGHT PRAYERS.
35
p. God hath given his
Angels charge of thee.
Bt. That they may guard
thee in all thy ways.
LET TJS PRAY.
0 God, who in thy wonder-
ful providence hast been
pleased to appoint thy holy
Angels for our guardians :
mercifully hear our prayers,
and grant we may rest secure
under their protection, and
enjoy their fellowship in hea-
ven for ever. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
y. Angelis suis Deus man-
davit de te.
gt. Ut custodiant te in om-
nibus viis tuis.
OREMUS.
Deus, qui ineffabili provi-
dentia sanctos Angelos tuos
ad nostram custodiam mit-
tere dignaris : largire suppli-
cibus tuis, et eorum semper
protectione defendi, et aeterna
societate gaudere. Per Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
Then beg the assistance of the Saints by the follow-
ing antiphon :
Ant. All ye Saints of God,
vouchsafe to intercede for us
and for all men, that we may
be saved.
Ant. Sancti Dei omnes,
intercedere dignemini pro
nostra omniumque salute.
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
From the depths I have
cried to thee, O Lord ; Lord,
hear my voice.
Let thine ears be attentive
to the voice of my supplica-
tion.
If thou wilt observe iniqui-
129.
De profundis clamavi ad
te, Domine : Domine, exaudi
vocem meam.
Fiant aures tuse intenden-
tes : in vocem deprecationis
mese.
Si iniquitates observave-
36
PASS10NTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
ris, Domine : Donrine, 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.
Requiem aeternam dona eis,
Domine.
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
ft. A porta inferi.
gt. Erue, Domine, animas
eorum.
ft. Eequiescant in pace.
gt. Amen.
y. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.
gt. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.
OREMTJS.
Eidelium Deus omnium
Conditor et Eedemptor, ani-
mabus famulorum famula-
rumque tuarum, remissio-
nem cunctorum tribue pec-
catorum ; ut indulgentiam,
quam semper optaverunt,
piis supplicationibus conse-
quantur. Qui vivis et regnas
in ssecula sseculorum. Amen.
ties, 0 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 relied on his
word ; my soul hath hoped in
the Lord.
From the morning watch
even until night, let Israel
hope in the Lord.
Because with the Lord there
is mercy, and with him plen-
tiful redemption.
And he shall redeem Israel
from all his iniquities.
Eternal rest give to them,
0 Lord.
And let perpetual light
shine upon them.
f. From the gate of hell,
gt. Deliver their souls, 0
Lord.
f. May they rest in peace,
gu Amen.
f. O Lord, hear my prayer.
Be. And let my cry come
unto thee.
LET US PRAY.
0 God, the Creator and
Eedeemer of all the faithful,
give to the souls of thy ser-
vants departed the remission
of all their sins : that through
the help of pious supplica-
tions, they may obtain the
pardon they have always de-
sired. Who livest and reign -
est for ever and ever. Amen.
Here make a special memento of such of the
Faithful departed as have a particular claim upon
your charity ; after which, ask of God to give you his
NIGHT PRAYERS.
37
assistance, whereby you may pass the night free from
danger. Say then, still keeping to the words of the
Church :
Ant. Save us, O 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.
&. To keep us without sin.
y. Have mercy on us, 0
Lord.
&. Have mercy on us.
y. Let thy mercy, 0
Lord be upon us.
gt. As we have hoped in
thee.
y. O Lord, hear my
prayer.
$. And let my cry come
unto thee.
LET US PRAY.
Visit, we beseech thee, O
Lord, this house and family,
and drive 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.
Ant. Salva nos, Domine,
vigilantes, custodi nos dor-
mientes ; ut vigilemus cum
Christo, et requiescamus in
pace.
y. Dignare, Domine,
nocte ista.
gt. Sine peccato nos cus-
todire.
y. Miserere nostri, Do-
mine.
gt. Miserere nostri.
$". Fiat misericordia tua,
Domine, super nos.
$ , Quemadmodum spe-
ravimus in te.
^. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.
gt. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.
0REMTJS.
Visita, qusesumus, Do-
mine, habitationem istam,
et omnes insidias inimici
ab ea longe repelle : Angeli
tui sancti habitent in ea,
qui nos in pace custodiant,
et benedictio tua sit super
nos semper. Per Dominum
nostrum Jesum Christum,
Pilium tuum, qui tecum vi-
vit et regnat in unitate Spi-
ritus Sancti Deus, per omnia
ssecula saeculorum. Amen.
And that you may end the day in the same senti-
ments wherewith you began it, say once more these
words of the Apostle :
Christ became, for our sake,
obedient unto death, even to
the death of the Cross.
Christus f actus est pro no-
bis obediens usque ad mor-
tem, mortem autem crucis.
CHAPTER THE FIFTH.
ON HEARING MASS, DURING PASSIONT1DE AND
HOLY WEEK.
If there be any time in the Year, when the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass should excite the heart of the
Christian to devotion, it is Passiontide. During
these days set apart for the celebration of the Death
of our Redeemer, the faithful soul can scarcely turn
her thoughts from her Jesus expiring on the Cross :
she envies those who were witnesses of the sublime
mystery on Calvary ; she wishes that she could have
stood at the foot of the Cross, have compassionated
the Sufferings of her Saviour, have heard his last
words, and reverently have taken up each drop of
the precious Blood and applied it to her own wounds.
These holy desires have not been given to the
Christian that they might be nothing but desires :
God has given him the means of carrying them into
effect, for the Sacrifice of the Mass is no other than
the Sacrifice of Calvary. Jesus offered himself but
once on the Cross for our sins ; but he renews the
offering, by an unbloody, yet by a real and complete,
immolation on our Altars. He comes down on the
Altar as soon as the sacred words of Consecration are
pronounced by the Priest, and he comes as the
Victim of the world's salvation. His Body is really
present there, under the appearance of bread ; the
chalice contains his Blood under the species of wine ;
and why this mystic separation of the Body and
Blood of the Man- God, who can die now no more,
if it be not to represent before the Divine Majesty
the real Death which was once suffered in a bloody
MASS. .",'1
manner on Calvary, and to renew, in man's favour,
the merits and fruits of that Death ?
This is the Sacrifice of the New Law, as far above
all the sacrifices of the Old, both in holiness and
efficacy, as the Creator is above all his creatures.
Our Jesus in the omnipotence of his love, has invented
a means for uniting his dignity, as Immortal King of
ages, with his office of our Victim. He can die now
no more ; but his Death is truly represented on the
Altar : it is the self- same Body, bearing on it its
five precious Wounds ; it is the self-same Blood, the
Blood which redeemed us. If it were possible for
him to die again, the power of the mysterious words,
which produce the presence of his Blood in the
chalice, would be the sword of his immolation.
Let, then, the Christian approach with confidence ;
on the holy Altar, he will find his Saviour dying for
him, and offering himself as the great High Priest.
Yes, he is there, with the same love he had for us on
Calvary ; he is there, making intercession for all men,
but, in a special manner, for those who are present
at the Mass, and unite themselves with him. Let
us see, in the action of the Holy Sacrifice, that same
Immolation of which we have read the history in the
(lospel. Let us hope for everything from that
adorable goodness, which thus makes use of omni-
potence in order to facilitate, by such stupendous
means, the salvation and sanctification of man.
We will now endeavour to embody these sentiments
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.
The purple vestments, and the other rites of which
we have already treated, give to the Holy Sacrifice
D
40
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
an appearance of mournfulness, so well suited to the
Season. Nevertheless, if there occur the Feast of a
Saint, between Passion and Palm Sunday, the Ghurch
lays aside her purple, and celebrates the Mass in
honour of the Saint. The Crucifix and the holy
Images, however, continue to be veiled, beginning
from the first Vespers of Passion Sunday.
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 Procession.
During the Asperges, let us ask with David, whose
words are used by the Church in this ceremony, that
our souls may be purified by the hyssop of humility
and become whiter than snow.
ANTTPHON OF THE ASPERGES.
Asperges me, Domine,
hyssopo, et mundabor ; lava-
bis me, et super nivem deal-
babor.
Ps. Miserere mei, Deus,
secundum magnam miseri-
cordiam tuam.
Ant. Asperges me, &c.
y. Ostende nobis, Domino,
misericordiam tuam.
gt. Et salutare tuum da
nobis.
<tf. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.
gt. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.
1?. Dominus vobiscum.
gc. Et cum spiritu tuo.
OREMUS.
Exaudi nos, Domine sanc-
te, Pater omnipotens, seterne
Deus : et mittere digneris
Thou shalt sprinkle me with
hyssop, O Lord, and I shall be
cleansed ; thou shalt wash
me, and I shall be made
whiter than snow.
Ps. Have mercy on me, O
God, according to thy great
mercy.
Ant. Sprinkle me, &c.
y. Show us, 0 Lord, thy
mercy.
gi. And grant us thy sal-
vation.
^ . 0 Lord, hear my prayer.
gt. And let my cry come
unto thee.
^. The Lord be with you.
gt. And with thy spirit.
LET US PRAY.
Graciously hear us, 0 holy
Lord, Father Almighty, Eter-
nal God : and vouchsafe to
ASSUMPTION COLLEGE
crHOLASMCS' LIBRARY
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
41
send thy holy Angel from
heaven, who may keep, cher-
ish, protect, visit, and defend
all who are assembled in this
place.
Lord.
&. Amen
Through Christ our
sanctum Angelum tuum de
ccelis, qui custodiat, foveat,
protegat, visitet atque de-
fendat omnes habitantes in
hoc habitaculo. Per Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum,
gt. Amen.
The Procession, which immediately precedes the
Mass, shows us the ardour wherewith the Church ad-
vances towards her Grod. Let us imitate her fervour,
for it is written : The Lord is good to them that hope
in him, to the soul that seeketh him. 1
But see, Christians ! the Sacrifice begins ! The
Priest is at the foot of the altar ; Grod 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.
THE OKDINARY OF THE MASS.
In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.
I unite myself, 0 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.
This my hope comes not to
me as thinking that I have
any merits, but from the all-
powerful help of my Creator.
In nomine Patris, et Filii,
et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
~ft. Introibo ad altare Dei.
£. Ad Deum qui laetificat
juventutem meam.
f. Adjutorium nostrum
in nomine Domini.
gt. Qui fecit coelum et
terram .
The thought of his being about to appear before
his Grod, excites, in the soul of the Priest, a lively
sentiment of compunction. He cannot go further in
the holy Sacrifice without confessing, and publicly,
1 Lament, hi. 25.
42
FASSIOJJTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
that he is a sinner, and deserves not the grace he is
about to receive. Listen, with respect, to this con-
fession of Grod'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
mercy on thee, and forgiving
thy sins, bring thee to ever-
lasting life.
The Priest having answered Amen, make your
confession, saying with a contrite spirit :
Misereatur tui omnipo-
tens Deus, et dimissis pec-
catis tuis, perducat te ad
vitam seternam.
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 sin-
ned exceedingly in thought,
word, and deed; through my
fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous
fault. Therefore I beseech the
blessed Mary ever Virgin,
blessed Michael the Arch-
angel, 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 :
Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti,
beatse Marise semper Virgini,
beato Michaeli Archangelo,
beato Joanni Baptistse, Sanc-
tis Apostolis Petro et Paulo,
omnibus Sanctis, et tibi,
Pater : quia peccavi nimis,
cogitatione, verbo, et opere :
mea culpa, mea culpa, mea
maxima culpa. Ideo precor
beatam Mariam semper Vir-
ginem, beatum Michaelem
Archangelum, beatum Joan-
nem Baptistam, sanctos
Apostolos Petrum et Pau-
lum, omnes sanctos, et te,
Pater, orare pro me ad Do-
minum Deum nostrum.
May Almighty God be
merciful to you, and, forgiv-
ing your sins, bring you to
everlasting life.
§l. Amen.
May the Almighty and
Misereatur vestri omnipo-
tens Deus, et dimissis peccatis
vestris, perducat vos ad vi-
tam seternam.
$. Amen.
Indulgentiam, absolutio-
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 43
neni, et remission em pecca- merciful Lord grant us par-
torum nostrorum tribuat don, absolution, and remis-
nobis omnipotens et miseri- sion of our sins.
cors Dominus.
gt. Amen. &• Amen.
Invoke the divine assistance, that you may ap-
proach to Jesus Christ.
y. Deus, tu conversus vi- f. 0 God, it needs but one
vificabis nos. look of thine to give us life.
#. Et plebs tua lsetabitur #. And thy people shall
in te. rejoice in thee.
p. Ostende nobis, Domi- V. Show us, 0 Lord, thy
ne, misericordiam tuam. mercy.
&. Et Salutare tuum da &. And give us to know
nobis. and love the Saviour whom
thou hast sent unto us.
f. Domine, exaudi ora- f. O Lord, hear my prayer,
tionem meam.
#. Et clamor meus ad te #. And let my cry come
veniat. . unto thee.
The Priest here leaves you to ascend to the altar ;
but first he salutes you :
Vr. Dominus vobiscum. JP. The Lord be with you.
Answer him with reverence :
I£. Et cum spiritu tuo. #. And with thy spirit.
OREMTJS. LET US PRAY.
He ascends the steps, and comes to the Holy of
Holies. Ask, both for him and yourself, the deliver-
ance from sin :
Aufer a nobis qusesumus, Take from our hearts, O
Domine, iniquitates nos- Lord, all those sins, which
tras ; ut ad Sancta sanctorum make us unworthy to appear
puris mereamur mentibus in thy presence, we ask this of
introire. Per Christum Do- thee by thy divine Son, our
minum nostrum. Amen. Lord.
When the Priest kisses the altar, out of reverence
for the relics of the Martyrs which are there, say :
Oramus te, Domine, per Generous soldiers of Jesus
44 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
Christ, who have mingled merita sanctorum tuorum,
your own blood with his, quorum reliquiae hie sunt, et
intercede for us that our sins omnium sanctorum : ut in-
inay 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 causes to
ascend, united with his own, to the throne of the
inaj esty 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 expres-
sion 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 :
Lord, have mercy on us ! Eyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy on us ! Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy on us ! Kyrie eleison.
To the Son :
Christ, have mercy on us ! Christe eleison.
Christ, have mercy on us ! Christe eleison.
Christ, have mercy on us ! Christe eleison.
To the Holy Ghost:
Lord, have mercy on us ! Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy on us ! Kyrie eleison.
Lord, have mercy on us ! Kyrie eleison.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
45
As we have already mentioned, the Church
abstains, during this Season, from the heavenly
Hymn which the Angels sang over the Crib of
the Divine Babe. But, if she be keeping the Feast
of a Saint she recites this beautiful Canticle on
that day. The beginning of the Angelic Hymn
seems more suitable for heavenly than for earthly
voices ; but the second part is in no ways out of
keeping with the sinner's wants and fears, for we
there remind the Son of the Eternal Father that he
is the Lamb who came down from heaven that he
might take away the sins of the world. We beseech
him to have mercy on us, and receive our humble
prayer. Let us foster these sentiments within us,
for they are so appropriate to the present Season.
THE ANGELIC HYMN.
Gloria in excelsis Deo, et
in terra pax hominibus bonae
voluntatis.
Laudamus te : benedicimus
te : adoramus te : glorificamus
te : gratias agimus tibi prop-
ter magnam gloriam tuam.
Domine Deus, Rex cceles-
tis, Deus Pater omnipotens.
Domine Fili unigenite,
Jesu Christe.
Domine Deus, A.gnus Dei,
Filius Patris.
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
miserere nobis.
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
suscipe deprecationem nos-
tram.
Qui sedes ad dexteram
Patris, miserere nobis.
Quoniam tu solus sanctus,
tu solus Dominus, tu solus
Altissimus, Jesu Christe,
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.
O Lord God, Heavenly
King, God the Father Al-
mighty.
O Lord Jesus Christ, the
only begotten Son.
O Lord God, Lamb of God,
Son of the Father.
Who takest away the sins of
the world have mercy on us.
Who takest away the sins
of the world, receive our
humble prayer.
Who sittest at the right
hand of the Father, have
mercy on us.
For thou alone art holy,
thou alone art Lord, thou
alone, 0 Jesus Christ, together
46 PASSIONTTDE AND HOLY WEEK.
cum Sancto Spiritu, in gloria with the Holy Ghost, art most
Dei Patris. Amen. high, in the glory of God the
Father. 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
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 Epistle, 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 Grospel. It again brings to
us the sentiments already expressed in the Introit.
Read it with devotion, that so you may enter more
and more into the spirit of the mystery proposed to
you by the Church.
During every other portion of her Year, the Church
here repeats her joyous Alleluia ; but now she denies
herself this demonstration of gladness, until such
time as her Divine Spouse has passed through that
sea of bitterness, into which our sins have plunged
him. Instead of the Alleluia, then, she sings in a
plaintive tone some verses from the Psalms, appro-
priate to the rest of that day's Office. This is the
Tract, of which we have already spoken.
If it be a High Mass, the Deacon, meanwhile,
prepares to fulfil his noble office, — that of announcing
the Good Tidings of salvation. He prays God to
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 47
cleanse his heart and lips. Then kneeling before
the Priest, he asks a blessing ; and, having received
it, at 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 :
Munda cor meum, ac la- Alas ! these ears of mine are
bia mea, Omnipotens Deus, but too often defiled with the
qui labia Isaise Prophetse world's vain words : cleanse
calculo mundasti ignito : ita them, 0 Lord, that so I may
me tua grata miseratione hear the words of eternal life,
dignare mundare, ut sane- and treasure them in rrry
turn Evangelium tuum dig- heart. Through our Lord
ne valeam nuntiare. Per Jesus Christ. Amen.
Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen.
Dominus sit in corde meo, Grant to thy ministers thy
et in labiis meis : ut digne grace, that they may faith -
et competenter annuntiem fully explain thy law ; that
Evangelium suum : In no- so all, both pastors and flock,
mine Patris, et Filii, et Spi- may be united to thee for
ritus Sancti. Amen. ever. Amen.
You will stand during the Gospel, 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 hearts be
ready and obedient. Whilst my beloved arts speak-
ing, says the Spouse in the Canticle, my soul melted
within me,1 If you have not such love as this, have
at least the humble submission of Samuel, and say :
Speak, Lord ! thy servant heareth.2
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 makes us see the Light which
shineth in darkness, and which the darkness of un-
belief did not comprehend. It is Faith alone that
1 Cant. v. 6. - 1 Kings, iii. 10.
48
PAS8I0NTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
teaches us what we are, whence we come, and the
end for which we are made. It alone can point out
to us the path whereby we may return to our God,
when once we have separated ourselves from him.
Let us love this admirable Faith, which, if we but
make it fruitful by good works, will save us. Let us,
then, say with the Catholic Church, our Mother :
THE NICENE CREED.
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 became incarnate by the
Holy Ghost of the Virgin
Mary ; and was made MAN.
He was crucified also for us,
under Pontius Pilate, suffer-
ed, and was buried. And the
third day he rose again, ac-
cording to the Scriptures.
And ascended 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 proceedeth from the
Father and the Son. Who
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
quern omnia facta sunt. Qui
propter nos homines, et prop-
ter nostram salutem, descen-
dit de ccelis. Et incarnatus
est de Spiritu Sancto, ex
Maria Yirgine ; ET HOMO
factus EST. Crucifixus etiam
pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato,
passus, et sepultus est. Et
resurrexit tertia die, secun-
dum Scripturas. Et ascendit
in ccelum ; 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
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 49
simul adoratur, et conglori- together with the Father and
ficatur ; qui locutus est per the Son, is adored and glori-
Prophetas. Et unam sane- fied ; who spoke by the Pro-
tam Catholicam et Apostoli- phets. And one holy Catho-
cam Ecclesiam. Confiteor lie and Apostolic Church. I
unum Baptisma in remissio- confess one Baptism for the
nem peccatorum. Et ex- remission of sins. And I
specto resurrectionem mor- expect the resurrection of the
tuorum, et vitam venturi dead, and the life of the world
saeculi. Amen. to come. 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 Oblation, and
Mass of Catechumens, on account of its being formerly
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 (rod, 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 Grod may take
its place ! We, too, are to undergo a like transfor-
mation, when, as the Apostle expresses it, that which to
us is mortal, shall put on immortality.1 Until that
happy change shall be realised, let us offer ourselves
to Grod, 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 partakers of the divine 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
1 Cor. xv. 53. 2 2 St. Pet. i. 4.
Jti^bf
50
PASSIONTIDK AND HOLY WEEK.
with him, and when he offers the Host to (rod, let us
unite with him in saying :
Suscipe, sancte Pater,
omnipotens aeterne Deus,
hanc immaculatam hostiam,
quam ego indignus famulus
tuus offero 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 aeternam. 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 their 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 Incarna-
tion, which is the source of our hope and our
salvation ; and say :
Deus qui humanae sub-
stantias dignitatem mirabi-
liter condidisti, et mirabi-
lius reformasti : da nobis per
hujus aquae et vini myste-
terium, ejus divinitatis esse
consortes, qui humanitatis
nostrae fieri dignatus est
particeps, Jesus Christus
Filius tuus Dominus noster :
qui tecum vivit et regnat
in unitate Spiritus Sancti
Deus, per omnia saecula
saeculorum. Amen.
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 :
O Lord Jesus, who art the
true Vine, and whose Blood,
like a generous wine, has
been 9poured forth under the
pressure of the Cross ! 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
th}Tself to us in thy sweet and
wondrous visit.
THE ORDINARY OF THK MASS.
Ol
Offerimus tibi, Domine,
calicem salutaris, tuam de-
precantes clementiam : ut in
couspectu divinse Majestatis
tuse, pro nostra et totius
mundi salute, cum odore
suavitatis ascendat. Amen.
Graciously accept these
gifts, O sovereign Creator of
all things. Let them be fitted
for the divine transformation,
which will make them, from
being mere offerings of created
things, the instrument of the
world's salvation.
After having thus held up the sacred gifts towards
heaven, the Priest bows down : let us, also, humble
ourselves, and say :
In spiritu humilitatis, et
in animo contrito suscipia-
mur a te, Domine : et sic fiat
sacrificium nostrum in con-
spectu tuo hodie, ut placeat
tibi, Domine Deus.
Though daring, as we do, to
approach thy altar, O Lord,
we cannot forget that we are
sinners. Have mercy on us,
and delay not to send us thy
Son, who is our saving Host.
Let us next invoke the Holy Grhost, whose opera-
tion is about to produce on the altar the presence of
the Son of Grod, as it did in the womb of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, in the divine mystery of the Incarna-
tion :
Veni, Sanctificator omni-
potens leterne Deus, et be-
nedic hoc sacrificium tuo
sancto nomini prreparatum.
Come, O Divine Spirit,
make fruitful the offering
which is upon the altar, and
produce in our hearts Him
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
more intense than ever in the heart of tke
52
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
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 people, in the language of a
solemn rite, how far he knows himself to be from
that spotless sanctity, wherewith he should approach
to God. He washes his hands. Our hands signify
our works ; 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.
I, too, would wash my
hands, 0 Lord, 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 thy glory. Leave me
not, 0 God, in the midst of
them that are enemies both
to thee and me. Thy mercy
having separated 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.
The Priest, taking encouragement from the act of
humility he has just made, returns to the middle of
the altar, and bows down full of respectful awe,
Lavabo inter innocentes
manus meas : et circumdabo
altare tuum, Domine.
Ut audiam vocem laudis ;
et enarrem universa mira-
bilia tua.
Domine, dilexi decorem
domus tuse, et locum habi-
tationis gloriae tuse.
Ne perdas cum impiis,
Deus, animam meam, et cum
viris sanguinum vitam meam.
In quorum manibus iniqui-
tates sunt : dextera eorum
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.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 58
begging of Gk>d 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.
Suscipe, Sancta Trinitas, O Holy Trinity, graciously
hanc oblationem, quam tibi accept the Sacrifice, we have
offerimus ob memoriam Pas- begun. We offer it in rem em -
sionis, Eesurrectionis, et brance of the Passion, Resur-
Ascensionis Jesu Christi rection, and Ascension of our
Domini nostri : et in honore Lord Jesus Christ. Permit
beatee Marise semper Virgi- thy Church to join with this
nis, et Beati Johannis Bap- intention that of honouring
tistae, et sanctorum Aposto- the ever glorious Virgin
lorum Petri et Pauli, et Mary, the Blessed Baptist
istorum, et omnium Sane- John, the holy Apostles Peter
torum : ut illis proficiat ad and Paul, the Martyrs whose
honorem, nobis autem ad relics lie here under our altar
salutem : et illi pro nobis awaiting their resurrection,
intercedere dignentur in and the Saints whose memory
coelis, quorum memoriam we this day celebrate. In-
agimus in terris. Per eum- crease the glory they are en-
dem Christum Dominum joying, and receive the pray-
nostrum. Amen. ers they address to thee for us.
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 :
Orate, fratres : ut meum Brethren, pray that my Sa-
ac vestrum sacrificium ac- crifi.ee, which is yours also,
ceptabile fiat apud Deum may be acceptable to God,
Patrem omnipotentem. our Almighty Father.
This request made, he turns again to the altar, and
you will see his face no more, until our Lord himself
shall have come down from heaven upon that same
altar. Assure the Priest that he has your prayers,
and say to him :
54 PASS10NTIDE VXD HOLY WEEK.
May our Lord accept this Suscipiat Dominus sacri-
Sacrifice at thy hands, to the ficium de manibus tuis, ad
praise and glory of his name, laudem et gloriam nominis
and for our benefit and that of sui, ad utilitatein quoque
his holy Church throughout nostram totiusque Ecclesise
the world. suae sanctse.
Here the Priest recites the prayers called the Se-
crets, 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 Grod,
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 giving us his Only Begotten Son, to
be our Mediator by his Blood. 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 Grod for all his gifts, he interrupts his
own and their silent prayer by terminating it aloud,
saying :
For ever and ever ! Per omnia ssecula saeculo-
rum !
In the same feeling, answer your Amen ! Then he
continues :
V. The Lord be with you. t . Dominus vobiscum.
R. And with thy spirit. R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
y. Lift up your hearts ! f. Sursum corda !
Let your response be sincere :
R. We have them fixed on R. Habemus ad Domi-
God. num.
And when he adds :
^. Let us give thanks to V . G rati as aganms Do-
the Lord our God. mino Deo nostro.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
55
Answer him with all the earnestness of your soul :
$. Dignum et justum est. #. It is meet and just.
Then the Priest :
THE PREFACE.
It is truly meet and just,
right and available to salva-
tion, that we should always
and in all places give thanks
to thee, 0 Holy Lord, Father
Almighty, Eternal God. Who
hast appointed, that the sal-
vation of mankind should be
wrought on the wood of the
Cross ; that from whence
death came, thence life might
arise ; and that he who over-
came by the tree, might also
by the Tree be overcome ;
through Christ our Lord ; by
whom the Angels praise thy
maj esty , the Dominations
adore it, the Powers tremble
before it ; the Heavens and the
heavenly Virtues, and the
blessed Seraphim, with com-
mon jubilee, glorify it. To-
gether with whom, we beseech
thee that we may be admitted to
j oin our humble voices saying :
Here unite with the Priest, who, on his part, unites
himself with the blessed Spirits, in giving thanks to
(rod for the unspeakable Grift : bow down and say :
Vere dignum et justum
est, sequum et salutare, nos
tibi semper, et ubique gra-
tias agere, Domine sancte,
Pater omnipotens, aeterne
Deus. Qui salutem humani
generis in ligno Crucis con-
stituisti, ut unde mors orie-
batur, inde vita resurgeret ;
et qui in ligno vincebat, in
Ligno quoque vinceretur ;
per Christum Dominum
nostrum ; per quern majes-
tatem tuam laudant Angeli,
adorant Dominationes, tre-
munt Potestates, Coeli, coe-
lorumque Virtutes, ac beata
Seraphim, socia exsultatione
concelebrant. Cum qui bus
et nostras voces, ut admitti
jubeas deprecamur, supplici
confessionedicentes.
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dominus Deus sabaoth !
Pleni sunt coeli et terra
gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis !
Benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini.
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord
God of hosts !
Heaven and earth are full
of thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest !
Blessed be the Saviour who
is coming to us in the name
of the Lord who sends him.
56 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
Hosanna be to him in the Hosanna in excelsis !
highest !
After these words commences the Canon, that
mysterious prayer, in the midst of which heaven bows
down to earth, and Grod descends nnto 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 in submission to
the soul. Let us fix our eyes on what the Priest
does in the Holy Place.
THE CANON OF THE MASS.
In this mysterious colloquy with the great Grod of
heaven and earth, the first prayer of the sacrificing
Priest is for the Catholic Church, his and our Mother.
0 God, who manifestest thy- Te igitur, clementissime
self unto us by means of the Pater, per Jesum Christum
mysteries which thou hast in- Filium tuum Dominum nos-
trusted to thy holy Church, trum, supplices rogamus ac
our Mother ; we beseech thee, petimus, uti accepta habeas,
by the merits of this sacrifice, et benedicas hsec dona, haec
that thou wouldst remove all munera, hsec sancta sacri-
those hindrances which op- ficia illibata, in primis quae
pose her during her pilgrim- tibi offerimus pro Ecclesia
age in this world. Give her tua sancta catholica : quam
peace and unity. Do thou pacificare, custodire, adu-
thyself guide our Holy Father nare, et regere digneris toto
the Pope, thy Vicar on earth, orbe terrarum, una cum fa-
Direct thou our Bishop, who mulo tuo Papa nostro N. , et
is our sacred link of unity; Antistite nostro N., et om-
and watch over all the ortho- nibus orthodoxis, atque ca-
dox members of the Catholic tholicse et apostolicoe fidei
Apostolic Roman Church. cultoribus.
Here pray, together with the Priest, for those
whose interests should be dearest to you.
Permit me, 0 God, to inter- Memento, Domine, famu-
cede with thee in more earnest lorum f amularumque tuarum
prayer for those, for whom N. et N., et ominum circum-
thou knowest that I have a stantium, quorum tibi fides
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
57
cognita est, et nota devotio :
pro quibus tibi offerimus, vel
qui tibi offerunt hoc sacrifi-
cium laudis, pro se, suisque
omnibus, pro redemptione
animarum suarum, pro spe
salutis et incolumitatis suae ;
tibique reddunt vota sua
seterno Deo, vivo et vero.
special obligation to pray :
* * * Pour down thy bless-
ings upon them. Let them
partake of the fruits of this
divine Sacrifice, which is offer-
ed 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.
Here let us commemorate the Saints : they are
that portion of the Body of Jesus Christ, which is
called the Church Triumphant.
Communicantes, et memo-
riam venerantes, in primis
gloriosae semper Virginis Ma-
rise, Genitricis Dei et Domini
nostri Jesu Christi : sed et bea -
torum Apostolorum ac Mar-
tyr umtuorum, Petri et Pauli,
Andreae, Jacobi, Joannis,
Thomae, Jacobi, Philippi,
Bartholomaei, Matthaei, Si-
monis, etThaddaei: Lini, Cle-
ti, Clementis, Xysti, Cornelii,
Cypriani, Laurentii, Chryso-
goni, Joannis et Pauli, Cosmae
et Damiani, et omnium sanc-
torum tuorum, quorum men-
tis precibusque concedas, ut in
omnibus protectionis tuae mu-
niamurauxilio. Pereumdem
Christum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
But the offering of this Sa-
crifice, O my God, does not
unite us with those only of our
brethren who are still in this
transient life of trial : it
brings us closer to those also,
who are already in possession
of heaven. Therefore it is,
that we wish to honour by it
the memory of the glorious
and ever Virgin Mary, of
whom Jesus was born to us ;
of the Apostles, Confessors,
Virgins, and of all the Saints ;
that so they may assist us, by
their powerful intercession,
to become worthy to con-
template thee, as they now
do, in the mansion of thy
glory.
The priest, who, up to this time, had been praying
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
58
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
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.
Vouchsafe, 0 God, to accept
this offering which this thy
assembled family presents to
thee as the homage of its most
happy servitude. In return,
give us j>eace, save us from
thy wrath, and number us
among thy elect, through Him.
who is coming to us — thy Son
our Saviour.
Yea, Lord, this is the mo-
ment when this bread is to
become his sacred Body, which
is our food ; and this wine is
to be changed into his Blood,
which is our drink. Ah ! de-
lay no longer, but send to us
this divine Son our Saviour !
Hanc igitur oblationem ser-
vitutis nostrae, sed et cunctao
familise tuse, qusesumus Do-
mine, ut placatus accipias :
diesque nostros in tua pace
disponas, atque ab eeterna
damnatione nos eripi, et in
electorum tuorum jubeas gre-
ge numerari. Per Christum
Dominum nostrum. Amen.
Quam oblationem tu Deus
in omnibus quaesumus, be-
nedictam, adscriptam, ratam,
rationabilem, acceptabilem-
que facere digneris ; ut nobis
Corpus et Sanguis fiat dilec-
tissitni Filii tui Domini nostri
Jesu Christi.
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.
What, 0 God of heaven and
earth, my Jesus, the long ex-
pected Messias, what else can
I do at this solemn moment
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 !
Qui pridie quam pateretur,
accepit panem in sanctas ac
venerabiles manus suas : et
elevatis oculis in coelum, ad te
Deum Patrem suum omnipo-
tentem, tibi gratias agens,
benedixit, fregit, deditque
discipulis suis, dicens: Acci-
pite, et manducate ex hoc
omnes. Hoc est exim
Corpus Meum.
The Divine Lamb is now lying on our Altar ! Glory
and love be to him for ever ! But he is come, that
he may be immolated. Hence, the Priest, who is the
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
59
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 God gives us in order to give us confidence.
Let us associate ourselves to the Angels, who trem-
blingly look upon this deepest wonder.
O Precious Blood ! thou
price of my salvation ! I adore
thee ! 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 ! Come also
and reign in me by thy power
and by thy love.
Simili modo postquam cce-
natum est, accipiens et hunc
prseclarum Calicem in sanctas
ac venerabiles manus suas :
item tibi gratias agens, bene-
dixit, deditque discipulis suis,
dicens : Accipite et bibite ex
eo omnes. Hie est enim
Calix Sanguinis mei, novi
et ^eterni testamenti i
mysterium fidei l qui pro
vobis et pro multis effun-
detur in remissionem pec-
catorum. Haecquotiescum-
que feceritis, in mei memo-
nam facietis.
The Priest is now face to face with Gtad. He
again raises his hands towards heaven, and tells our
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, Domine,
nos servi tui, sed et plebs tua
sancta, ejusdem Christi Filii
tui Domini nostri tarn beatee
Passionis, necnon et ab inferis
Resurrectionis, sed et in ccelos
gloriosse Ascensionis : offeri-
mus prseclarse majestati tute
de tuis donis ac datis Hostiam
puram, Hostiam sanctain,
Father of infinite holiness,
the Host so long expected is
here before thee ! Behold this
thy eternal Son, who suffered
a bitter Passion, rose again
with glory from the grave,
and ascended triumphantly
into heaven. He is thy Son :
but he is also our Host, Host
pure and spotless , — our Mea
60
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
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 sod
Isaac, who, though immolated
yet lived; and, lastly, the
sacrifice, which Melchisedech
presented thee, of bread and
wine. Receive our Sacrifice,
which is above all those others.
It is the Lamb, of whom all
others could be but figures ; it
is the undying 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.
Hostiam immaculatam : Pa-
nem sanctum vitse seternse, et
Calicem salutis perpetuse.
Supra quae propitio ac
sereno vultu respicere dig-
neris : et accepta habere,
sicuti accepta habere digna-
tus es munera pueri tui justi
Abel, et sacrificium Patri-
archs nostri Abrahae, et
quod tibi obtulit summus
Sacerdos tuus Melchisedech,
sanctum sacrificium, imma-
culatam hostiam.
The Priest bows down to the altar, and kisses it as the
throne of love on which is seated the Saviour of men.
But, 0 God of infinite pow-
er, these sacred gifts are not
only on this altar here below ;
they are also on that sublime
Altar in heaven, which is be-
fore the throne of thy divine
Majesty. These two altars are
one and the same, on which
is accomplished the great mys-
tery of thy glory and our sal-
vation. Vouchsafe to make us
partakers of the Body and
Blood of the august Victim,
from whom flow every grace
and blessing.
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
Supplices te rogamus, om-
nipotens Deus : jube hsec
perferri per manus sancti
Angeli tui in sublime Altare
tuum, in conspectu divinee
Majestatis tuae : 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
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
61
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 ! 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 mortal
eyes can see thee beneath the
veil of our delighted faith;
ah ! 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.
This duty of charity fulfilled, let us pray for our-
selves, sinners, alas ! and who profit so little by the
visit, which our Saviour pays us. Let us, together
with the Priest, strike our breast, saying :
Memento etiam, Domine,
famulorum famularumque
tuarum N. et N. , qui nos
prsecesserunt cum signo fidei,
et dormiunt in somno pacis.
Ipsis Domine, et omnibus in
Christo quiescentibus, locum
refrigerii, lucis et pacis, ut
indulgeas, deprecamur. Per
eumdem Christum Dominum
nostrum. Amen.
Nobis quoque peccatoribus
famulis tuis, de multitudine
miserationum tuarum spe-
rantibus, partem aliquam et
societatem donare digneris
cum tuis Sanctis Apostolis et
Martyribus : cum Johanne,
Stephano, Mathia, Barnaba,
Ignatio, Alexandra, Marcelli-
no, Petro, Felicitate, Perpe-
tua, Agatha, Lucia, Agnete,
Csecilia, Anastasia, et omnibus
Sanctis tuis ; intra quorum nos
consortium, non sestimator
meriti, sed venize, quaesumus,
largitor admitte, Per Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum. Per
quern hsec omnia, Domine,
semper bona creas, sanctificas,
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 pun-
ishment, 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 eter-
nal in the next : which we ask
of thee, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. It
62 PASSI0NT1DE AND HOLY WEEK.
is by him thou bestowest upon vivificas, benedicis, et prsestas
us thy blessings of life and nobis: per ipsum, et cum ipso
sanctification;andbyhimalso, et in ipso, est tibi Deo Patri
with him, and in him, in the omnipotenti, in unitate Spiri-
unity of the Holy Ghost, may tus Sancti, omnis honor et
honour and glory be to thee ! gloria.
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 God the most noble and perfect
homage which the divine Majesty could receive.
This sublime and mysterious rite ends the Canon.
The silence of the Mysteries is broken. The Priest
concludes his long prayers, by saying aloud, and so
giving the faithful the opportunity of expressing
their desire that his supplications be granted :
For ever and ever. Per omnia ssecula ssecu-
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 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 whilst we say it ? As this prayer belongs in
common to all (rod's children, the Priest recites it aloud
and begins by inviting us all to join in it :
THE ORDINARY OK THE MASS.
63
OREMUS.
Pneceptis salutaribus mo-
niti, et divina institutione
formati, audemus dicere :
LET US PRAY.
Having been taught
by
saving precept, and following
the form given us by divine
instruction, we thus presume
to speak :
THE LORDS PRAYER.
Our Father, who art in
heaven, hallowed be thy
name : thy kingdom come :
thy will be done on earth as it
is in heaven. Give us this day
our daily bread ; and forgive
us our trespasses, as we forgive
them that trespass against us :
and lead us not into tempta-
tion.
Pater noster, qui es in
ccelis, sanctificetur nomen
tuum : adveniat regnum tu-
um : fiat voluntas tua sicut
in ccelo, et in terra. Panem
nostrum quotidianum da
nobis hodie : et dimitte nobis
debita nostra, sicut et nos
dimittimus debitoribus nos-
tris : et ne nos inducas in
tentationem.
Let us answer, with 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, qusesumus,
Domine, ab omnibus malis,
prseteritis, praesentibus et
futuris : et, intercedentebeata
et gloriosa semper Virgine
Dei Genitrice Maria, cum
beatis Apostolis tuis Petro
et Paulo, atqne Andrea, et
omnibus Sanctis, da propitius
pacem in diebus nostris :
ut ope misericordise tuse
adjuti, et a peccato simus
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 propen -
sities. Evils preset, 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
chastisement which our sins
64
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
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.
deserve from the hand of thy
justice. In presence of this
Host of our Salvation, we be-
seech thee 0 Lord, todeliverus
from all these evils, and to ac-
cept in our favour the interces-
sion 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 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 ssecula ssecu-
Per omnia
lorum.
gt. Amen.
semper
&. Amen.
Then he says :
May the Peace of our Lord Pax Domini sit
be ever with you. vobiscum.
To this paternal wish, reply :
gt. And with thy spirit. $. 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 an-
nounced the Death of Jesus ; it is time to proclaim his
Resurrection. To this end, he reverently breaks the
sacred Host ; and dividing it into three parts, he puts
one into the Chalice thus reuniting the Body and Blood
of the immortal Victim. Do you adore and say :
Glory be to thee, 0 Saviour Hsec commixtio et conse-
of the world, who didst, in thy cratio Corporis et Sanguinis
Passion, permit thy precious Domini nostri Jesu Christi,
Blood to be separated from fiat accipientibus nobis in
thy sacred Body, afterwards vitam seternam. Amen.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS.
65
uniting them again together
by thy divine power.
Offer now your prayer to the ever-living Lamb,
whom St. John saw on the Altar of Heaven standing,
though slain : l say to this your Lord and King, who
has taken upon himself all our iniquities, in order to
wash them away by his Blood :
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.2 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 ive who 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 es-
pecially in this portion of it, which is assembled round
the altar. Pray with him, and for the same blessing :
Domme Jesu Christe, qui
dixisti Apostolis tuis : Pa-
cem relinquo vobis, pacem
meam do vobis : ne respicias
peccata mea, sed fidem Eccle-
sise tuae : eamque secundum
voluntatemtuam pacificare, et
coadunare digneris. Qui vivis
et regnas Deus, per omnia sse-
cula seeculorum. Amen.
Lord Jesus Christ, who
saidst to thy Apostles, "my
peace I leave with you, my
peace I give unto you :" re-
gard not my sins, but the faith
of thy Church, and grant her
that peace and unity which is
according to thy will. Who
livest and reignest God for
ever and ever. Amen.
Apoc.
6.
2 Is. ix. 6.
3 1 Cor. x. 17.
66
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
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 :
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of
the living God, who, accord-
ing to the will of the Father,
through the co-operation of
the Holy Ghost, hast by thy
death given life to the world ;
deliver me by this thy most
sacred Body and Blood from
all my iniquities, and from all
evils ; and make me always
adhere to thy commandments,
and never suffer me to be sep-
arated 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, Fili
Dei vivi, qui ex voluntate
Patris, cooperante Spiritu
Sancto, per mortem tuam
mundum vivificasti : libera
me per hoc sacrosanctum
Corpus, et Sanguinem tuum,
ab omnibus iniquitatibus
meis, et universis malis, et
fac me tuis semper inhaerere
mandatis, et a te nunquam
separari permittas. Qui cum
eodem Deo Patre et Spiritu
Sancto vivis et regnas, Deus,
in ssecula sseculorum. 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, O Lord Jesus Christ
which I, though unworthy,
presume to receive, turn to my
judgment and condemnation ;
but through thy mercy may it
be a safeguard and remedy
both to my soul and body.
Who with God the Father, in
the unity of the Holy Ghost,
livest and reignest God for
ever and ever. Amen.
Perceptio Corporis tui Do-
mine Jesu Christe, quod ego
indignus sumere prsesumo,
non mihi proveniat in judici-
um et condemnationem : sed
pro tua pietate prosit mihi ad
tutamentum mentis et corpo-
ris, et ad medelam percipien-
dam. Qui vfvis et regnas cum
Deo Patre, i n unitate Spiritus
Sancti Deus, per omnia sae-
cula sseculomm. Amen.
When the Priest takes the Host into his hands, in
order to his receiving it in Communion, say :
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 67
Panem coelestem accipiam, Come, my dear Jesus, come!
et nomen Domini invocabo.
When he strikes his breast, confessing his un worthi-
ness, 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, Lord, I am not worthy thou
ut intres sub tectum meum : shouldst enter under my roof;
sed tantum die verbo, et sana- say it only with one word of
bitur anima mea. thine, and my soul shall be
healed.
Whilst the Priest receives the sacred Host, if you also
are to communicate, adore profoundly your God, who
is ready to take up his abode within you, and again
say to him with the Bride : Come, Lord Jesus, come !
But if you are not going to receive sacramentally,
make a Spiritual Communion. Adore Jesus Christ
who thus visits your soul by his grace, and say to him :
Corpus Domini nostri Jesu I give thee, O Jesus, this
Christi, custodiat animam heart of mine, that thou may -
meam in vitam aeternam. est dwell in it, and do with
Amen. me what thou wilt.
Then the Priest takes the Chalice, in thanksgiving,
and says :
Quid retribuam Domino What return shall I make
pro omnibus, quse retribuit to the Lord for all he hath
mihi ? Calicem salutaris ac- given to me P I will take the
cipiam, et nomen Domini in- Chalice of salvation, and will
vocabo. Laudans invocabo call upon the name of the
Dominum, et ab inimicis meis Lord. Praising I will call
salvus ero. upon the Lord, and I shall be
saved from mine enemies.
But if you are to make a Sacramental Communion,
you should, whilst the Priest is receiving the Precious
Blood, again adore the God who is coming to you, and
keep to your prayer: Come, Lord Jesus, come !
If, on the contrary, you are to communicate only
68 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
spiritually, again adore your Grod, and say to him :
I unite myself to thee, my Sanguis Domini nostri
beloved Jesus ! do thou unite Jesu Christi custodiat ani-
thyself to me ! 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
Passiontide, are given in the next Chapter.
The Communion being finished, and whilst the
Priest is purifying the Chalice the first time, say :
Thou hast visited me, 0 Quod ore sumpsimus, Do-
God, in these days of my pil- mine, pura mente capiamus :
grimage ; give me grace to et de munere temporali fiat
treasure up the fruits of this nobis remedium sempiter-
visit for my future eternity. num.
Whilst the Priest is purifying the Chalice the
second time, say :
Be thou for ever blessed, 0 Corpus tuum, Domine,
my Saviour, for having admit- quod sumpsi, et Sanguis
ted me to the sacred mystery quern potavi, adhaereat vis-
of thy Body and Blood. May ceribus meis : et praesta ut
my heart and senses preserve, in me non remaneat scele-
by thy grace, the purity which rum macula, quern pura et
thou hast imparted to them ; sanctarefeceruntSacramenta.
and I thus be rendered less un- Qui vivis et regnas in saecu-
worthy of thy divine visit. la saeculorum. Amen.
The Priest having read the Antiphon called the
Communion, which is the first part of his Thanks-
giving for the favour just received from Cod, 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 Postcom-
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 a lasting spirit of compunction.
THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS. 69
These prayers having been recited, the Priest again
turns to the people, and full of joy for the immense
favour he and they have been receiving, he says :
Dominus vobiscum. The Lord be with you.
Answer him :
&. Et cum spiritu tuo. #. And with thy spirit.
Ite, Missa est. Go, the Mass is finished.
&. Deo gratias. gt. 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, 0
tas, obsequium servitutis adorable Trinity, for the mer-
mese, quod oculis tuse ma- cy thou hast showed to me, in
jestatis indignus obtuli, tibi permitting me to assist at this
sit acceptabile, mihique, et divine Sacrifice. Pardon me
omnibus, pro quibus illud the negligence and coldness
obtuli, sit, te miserante, wherewith I have received so
propitiabile. Per Christum great a favour, and deign to
Dominum nostrum. Amen. confirm the Blessing which
thy Minister is about to give
me in thy Name.
The Priest raises his hand, and thus blesses you :
Benedicat vos omnipotens May the Almighty God,
Deus, Pater, et Filius, et Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Spiritus Sanctus. bless you !
$. 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 eternitv of the Word, and of the
mercy which led him to take upon himself our flesh,
and to divell among us. Pray that you may be of the
number of those, who, now that he has come unto his
own, receive him, and are made the sons of God.
f. Dominus vobiscum. $. The Lord be with you.
&• Et cum spiritu tuo. &. And with thy spirit.
70
FASSICXNTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
THE LAST GOSPEL.
The beginning of the Holy-
Gospel according to John.
Ch. I.
In the beginning was the
Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning
with God. All things were
made by him, and without him
was made nothing that was
made. In him was life, and
the life was the light of men ;
and the light shineth in the
darkness, and the darkness did
not comprehend it. There was
a man sent from God, whose
name was John. This man
came for a witness, to give
testimony of the light, that all
men might believe through
him. He was not the light,
but was to give testimony of
the light. That was the true
light which enlighteneth every
man that cometh into this
world. He was in the world,
and the world was made by
him, and the world knew him
not. He came unto his own,
and his own received him not.
But as many as received him,
to them he gave power to be
made the sons of God ; to them
that believe in his name, who
are born, not of blood, nor of
the will of the flesh, nor of the
will of man, but of God. Atntd
the Word was made flesh,
and dwelt among us ; and we
saw his glory, as it were the
glory of the Only-Begotten of
the Father, full of grace and
truth.
£. Thanks be to God.
Initium sancti Evangelii
secundum Joannem.
Cap. I.
In principio erat Verbum,
et Verbum erat apud Deum,
et Deus erat Verbum. Hoc
erat in principio apud Deum.
Omnia per ipsum facta sunt ;
et sine ipso factum est nihil.
Quod factum est, in ipso vita
erat, et vita erat lux homi-
num : et lux in tenebris
lucet, et tenebrse earn non
comprehenderunt. Fuit homo
missus a Deo, cui nomen erat
Joannes. Hie venit in tes-
timonium, ut testimonium
perhiberet de lumine, ut
omnes crederent per ilium.
Non erat ille lux, sed ut
testimonium perhiberet de
lumine. Erat lux vera, quae
illuminat omnem hominem
venientem in hunc mundum.
In mundo erat, et mundus
per ipsum factus est, et
mundus eum non cog-
novit. In propria venit, et
sui eum non receperunt.
Quotquot autem receperunt
eum, dedit eis potestatem
filios Dei fieri, his, qui cre-
dunt in nomine ej us ; qui
non ex sanguinibus, neque
ex voluntate carnis, neque
ex voluntate viri, sed ex Deo
nati sunt. Et Verbum
caro factum est, et habi-
tavit in nobis : et vidimus
gloriam ejus, gloriam quasi
Unigeniti a Patre, plenum
gratis© et veritatis.
gi. Deo gratia >.
CHAPTER THE SIXTH.
ON HOLY COMMUNION
DURING PASSIONT1DE AND HOLY WEEK.
The Holy Mass is the true Sacrifice, of which the
sacrifices of the Old Law were but figures. This
Sacrifice was expected by mankind for four thousand
years. It was during the present season that it was
first offered up. It is now mysteriously renewed,
each day, upon our Christian Altars.
[ No greater glory can be given to God than the
celebration of > this Sacrifice, wherein God himself is
the Victim ; at the same time, nothing can be more
advantageous to man than the partaking of this
divine Victim, — the becoming himself this Victim,
the incorporating it with himself by Holy Com-
munion, whereby is realised that wonderful promise
of our Redeemer : He that eateth my Flesh and drink-
eth my Blood, abideth in me, and I in him.1
Now, it is by the immolation of our Redeemer on
the Cross, that the Flesh of this Lamb of God has
become truly our food,2 and his Blood truly our
drink.'6 By the mysteries of his Incarnation and
Birth, we had him as our Brother ; his Passion and
Death have made him, both our Saviour, and our
Food. Thus was realised that figurative sacrifice,
which God prescribed to his people through Moses,
and in which the victim, after being immolated, was
to be eaten by the priest who offered it, and by the
person in whose name it was offered.
1 St. John, vi. 57. 3 Ibid. 55. 3 Ibid.
F
72 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, speaks thus :
As often as you shall eat tin's bread, and drink the
chalice, you shall show the Death of the Lord, until
he come.1 Therefore, there is a close relation between
Holy Communion and our Saviour's Passion ; and it
is on this account that we are going to celebrate,
during this present Season, the institution of the
Holy Eucharist and the sacrifice of the Lamb, our
Redeemer. The two anniversaries come close to each
other. If Jesus has desired with so ardent a desire
to eat this last Pasch with his Disciples,2 it is because
he had something infinitely grander to give them
than he had given them the two preceding years :
then, he gave them to eat of the flesh of the figura-
tive lamb ; but now, in this, the last Pasch, he is
going to give them a pledge of pardon and immor-
tality, by making them partake of the very substance
of the true Lamb, whose Blood imparts remission of
sin and opens the gate of heaven. He immolates
himself on the Table of the Last Supper before men
immolate him on Calvary ; and this wondrous anti-
cipation of his Sacrifice, in which he gives such a
rich proof of his love and his power, is founded on
the real Sacrifice of the morrow, which is to cost him
every drop of his Blood.
In approaching, therefore, the Holy Table, during
this Season of the Passion, the Faithful must be
absorbed in the remembrance of the Lamb that was
sacrificed for us : they must keep this great truth
uppermost in their hearts, — that the divine Food
which nourishes their souls, was prepared on Calvary;
and that, although this Lamb is now living and
impassible, yet it was by his Death on the Cross
that he became -our Food. The Sinner, reconciled
to his offended (rod, must receive the Body of Jesus
with sentiments of hearty contrition, and reproach
1 Cor. ari. 26. 2 St. Luke, xxii. 15.
BEFORE COMMUNION. 73
himself in all the bitterness of his soul, for having
shed that precious Blood by his multiplied sins.
The Just man must make his Communion, and
humble himself with the thought, that he, too, has
had too great a share in causing suffering to the
innocent Lamb ; and that if he now have reason to
believe himself to be in the state of grace, he owes it
to the Blood of the Victim who is about to be given
to him for the increase of his spiritual life.
We will here give, as in our other Volumes, Acts
which may serve as a preparation for Holy Com-
munion during these two weeks. 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.
BEFORE COMMUNION.
ACT OF FAITH.
The signal grace which thou, O my God, hast granted to
me, that I should know the wounds of my soul, has revealed
to me the greatness of my misery. I have been taught how
deep was the darkness that covered me, and how much I
needed thy Divine Light. But, whilst the torch of Faith
has thus shown me the abyss of my own poor nature, it has
also taught me how wonderful are the works, which thy love
of thy ungrateful creature has made thee undertake, in order
that thou mightest raise him up and save him. It was for
me thou didst assume my human nature, and wast born at
Bethlehem ; it is for me that thou fastest forty days in the
Desert ; it is for me that thou art soon to shed thy Blood
on the Cross. Thou commandest me to believe these mira-
cles of thy love. I do believe them, O my God, humbly and
gratefully. I also believe, and with an equally lively Faith,
that in a few moments, thou art to give thyself to me in this
ineffable Mystery of Holy Communion. Thou sayest to me :
This is my Body — this is my Blood : — thy word is enough;
in spite of my unworthiness seeming to forbid the possibility
of such Communion, I believe, I consent, I bow me down
before thine infinite Truth. Oh ! can there be Communion
between the God of all holiness and a Sinner such as I ? —
And yet, thou assurest me, that thou art verily coming to
74 FASSTONTTDE AND HOLY WEEK.
me ! I tremble, 0 Eternal Truth — but I believe. I confess
that thy love of me is infinite, and that having resolved to
give thyself to thy poor and sinful creature, thou wilt suffer
no obstacle to stand in thy way !
ACT OF HUMILITY.
During the season just past, I have often contemplated,
0 my Jesus, thy coming from thy high throne into the
bosom of Mary, thy uniting thy divine person to our weak
mortal nature, and thy being born in the crib of a poor
stable : and when I thought on these humiliations of my
God, they taught me not only to love thee tenderly, but to
know also my own nothingness, for I saw more clearly what
an infinite distance there is between the creature and his
Creator ; and, seeing these prodigies of thy immense love,
1 gladly confessed my own vileness. But now, dearest Saviour,
I am led to consider something far more humiliating than
the lowliness of my nature. That nothingness should be but
nothingness, is not a sin. No, — it is my sins that appal
me. Sin has so long tyrannised over me ; its consequences
are still upon me ; it has given me such dangerous tendencies ;
and I am so weak in resisting its bidding. When my first
Parent sinned, he hid himself, lest he should meet thee ; and
thou biddest me come unto thee, not to sentence me to the
punishment I deserve, but to give me, oh ! such a mark of
love,— union with thyself ! Can this be ? Art thou not the
infinitely holy God ? — I must needs yield, and come, for thou
art my sovereign Master ; and who is there that dares resist
thy will ? I come, then, humbling myself, even to my very
nothingness, before thee, and beseeching thee to pardon my
coming, for I come because thou wilt have it so.
ACT OF CONTRITION.
And shall I, O my Jesus, confess thus the grievousness
and multitude of my sins, without promising thee to sin no
more ? Thou wishest this sinner to be reconciled with thee,
thou desirest to press him to thy Sacred Heart :— and could
he, whilst thanking thee for this thy wonderful condescen-
sion, still love the accursed cause which made him thine
enemy ? — No, mine infinitely merciful God, no ! I will not,
like my first Parent, seek to escape thy justice, but, like the
Prodigal Son, I will arise and go to my Father ; like Magda-
lene, I will take courage and enter the banquet-hall ; and,
though trembling at the sight of my sins, I will comply with
thy loving invitation. My heart has no further attachment
to sin, which I hate and detost as the enemy of thy honour
AFTER COMMUNION. 75
and my own happiness. I am resolved to shun it from this
time forward, and to spare no pains to free myself from its
tyranny. There shall be no more of that easy life which
chilled my love, nor of that studied indifference which dulled
my conscience, nor of those dangerous habits which led me
to stray from my loyalty to thee. Despise not, O God, this
my humble and contrite heart.
ACT OF LOVE.
Such is thjr love for us in this world, O my Jesus, that, as
thyself sayest, thou art come not to judge, hut to save. I
should not satisfy thee, in this happy Communion hour,
were I to offer thee but this salutary fear, which has led me
to thy sacred feet, and this shame -stricken conscience, which
makes me tremble in thy holy presence. The visit thou art
about to pay me, is a visit of Love. The Sacrament, which is
going to unite me to thee, is the Sacrament of thy Love.
Thou, my Good Shepherd, hast said, that he loves most, who
has been forgiven most. My heart then must dare to love
thee ; it must love thee with all its warmth ; the very recollec-
tion of its past disloyalty must make its loving thee doubly
needed and doubly fervent. Ah ! sweet Lord ! — see this
poor heart of mine ; strengthen it, console it, drive away its
fears, make it feel that thou art its Jesus ! It has come
back to thee, because it feared thee ; if it love thee, it will
never again leave thee.
And thou, 0 Mary, Refuge of Sinners, help me to love
Him, who is thy Son, and our Brother.— Holy Angels ! — ye
who live eternally on that love, which has never ceased to
glow in your mighty spirits,— remember, I reverently pray
you, that this God created me, as he did you, that I might
love him. — All ye holy Saints of God ! I beseech you, by the
love wherewith ye are inebriated in heaven, graciously give
me a thought, and prepare now my heart to be united with
him. Amen.
AFTEE COMMUNION.
ACT OF ADORATION.
Thou art here within me, great God of heaven ! Thou
art, at this moment, residing in a sinner's heart ! I, yea, I,
am thy temple, thy throne, thy resting-place !— How shall I
worthily adore thee, thee that hast deigned to come down
into this abyss of my lowliness and misery ? The angels
veil their faces in thy presence ; thy Saints lay their crowns
76 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
at thy feet ; and I, that am but a sinful mortal, how shall I
sufficiently honour thee, O Infinite Power, Infinite Wisdom,
Infinite Goodness ? — This soul wherein thou art now dwell-
ing, has presumed so many times to set thee at defiance, and
boldly disobey and break thy commands. And thou canst
come to me after all this, and bring all thy beauty and
greatness with thee ! — What else can I do, but give thee the
homage of a heart, that knows not how to bear the immen-
sity of the honour thou art now lavishing on me ? Yes, my
own wonderful and loving God, I adore thee ; I acknowledge
thee to be the Sovereign Being, the Creator and preserver of
all creatures, and the undisputed Master of everything that
belongs to me. I delightedly confess my dependence on
thee, and offer thee, with all my heart, my humble service.
ACT OF THANKSGIVING.
Thy greatness, 0 my God, is infinite ; but thy goodness
to me is incomprehensible. Thy being now, present within
this breast of mine is, I know, a proof of that immense
power, which shows itself where and when it wills ; but it
is also a mark of thy love for me. Thou art come to my
soul that thou mayest be closely united with her, comfort
her, give her a new life, and bring her all good things.
Oh ! who will teach me how to value this grace, and thank
thee for it in a becoming way ? But how shall I hope to
value it as I ought, when I am not able to understand either
the love, that brings thee thus within me, nor my own need
of having thee ? And when I think of my inability to
make thee a suitable return of thanks, I feel as though I
can give thee nothing but my speechless gratitude. Yet
thou wiliest that this my heart, poor as it is, should give thee
its thanks ; thou takest delight in receiving its worthless
homage. Take it, then, my loving Jesus ! I give it thee
with all possible joy, and beseech thee to reveal unto me
the immensity of thy gift, and to enrich me more that I
may give thee more.
ACT OF LOVE.
But nothing will satisfy thee, O my Infinite Treasure,
unless I give thee my love. Thou hast ever loved me, and
thou art still loving me ; I must love thee in return ! Thou
hast borne with me, thou hast forgiven me, thou art, at this
moment, overpowering me with honour and riches ; and all
this out of love for me ! The return thou askest of me, is
my love. Gratitude will not content thee — thou wilt have
my love ! — But, Jesus, my dear Jesus ! — my past life — the
AFTER COMMUNION. 77
long years I have spent in offending thee— rise up before
me, and tell me to hide myself from thee ! And yet,
whither could I go without carrying thee within me, for
thou hast taken up thine abode in my inmost soul ? No, —
I will not run from thee ! I will summon all the energies
of my heart, to tell thee, that I love thee ; that thy love for
me has emboldened me ; that I belong to thee ; that I love
thee above all else that I love ; and that henceforth, all my
joy and happiness shall be in pleasing thee, and doing
whatsoever thou askest of me.
ACT OF OBLATION.
I know, dear Jesus, that what thou askest of me is not
the passing sentiment of a heart excited by the thought of
thy goodness towards it. Thou hast loved me from eternity;
thou lovedst me, even when I was doing nothing for thee ;
thou hast given me light to know my miseries ; thou hast
shielded me against thine own angry justice ; thou hast
mercifully pardoned me a countless number of times ; thou
art even now embracing me with tenderest love ;— and all
these works of thy almighty hand have been but for one
end, — to make me give myself to thee, and live, at last, for
thee. It is this thou wouldst obtain of me, by granting me
this precious earnest of thy love, which I have just received.
Thou hast said, speaking of this ineffable gift : As I live
by the Father ; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live
by me.1 Henceforth, 0 Bread, which came doivn from
heaven2 thou art the source of my life. Now, more than
ever, my life belongs to thee. I give it unto thee. I dedi-
cate unto thee my soul, my body, my faculties, my whole
being. Do thou direct and govern me. I resign myself
entirely into thy hands. I am blind, but thy light will
guide me : I am weak, but thy power will uphold me ; I am
inconstant, but thy unchangeableness will give me stability.
I trust unreservedly in thy mercy, which never abandons
them that hope in thee.
0 Mary ! pray for me, that I lose not the fruit of this
"Visit. — Holy Angels ! watch over this dwelling-place of
your Lord, which he has so mercifully chosen : let nothing
defile it. — Oh ! all ye Saints of God ! pray for the sinner,
unto whom he has given this pledge of his Divine pardon.
1 St. John, vi. 58. 2 Ibid. 51.
CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.
OF THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND
FEASTS,
DURING FASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
The Office of Vespers, or Even- Song, consists
firstly of the Five following Psalms, and Antiphons.
According to our custom, we preface each Psalm
with a short explanation, in order to draw the atten-
tion to what is most in harmony with the Spirit of
this Season.
After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret,
the Church commences this Hour with her favourite
supplication :
f. Deus in adjutorium ^, Incline unto my aid, O
meum intende. God.
#. Domine, ad adjuvan- gt. 0 Lord, make haste to
dum me festina. help me.
Gloria Patri et Filio, et Glory be to the Father,
Spiritui Sancto: and to the Son, and to the
Holy Ghost.
Sicut erat in principio, As it was in the begin -
et nunc et semper, et in sae- ning is now, and ever shall be,
cula saeculorum. Amen. world without end. Amen.
Laus tibi, Domine, Eex Praise be to thee, 0 Lord,
seternse gloriae. King of eternal glory.
Ant. Dixit Dominus. Ant. The Lord said.
The first Psalm is a prophecy of the future glory
of the Messias ; but it also speaks of his humilia-
tions. It tells of the triumphs of Christ ; but, before
his exaltation, he is to drink of the torrent of suf-
ferings.
SUNDAY S VESPERS.
79
PSALM 109.
The Lord said to my Lord,
his Son : Sit thou at rny right
hand, and reign with me.
Until, on the day of thy hist
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, 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 : in that terrible com-
ing, he shall fill the ruins of
the ivorld : he shall crush the
heads in the land 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 Lord said to my
Lord, sit thou at my right
hand.
Ant. Faithful.
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 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 secundum
ordinem Melchisedech.
Dominus a dextris tuis : *
conf regit in die iree suse re-
ges.
Judicabit in nationibus,
implebit ruinas : * conquas-
sabit capita in terra multo-
rum.
De torrente in via bibet : *
propterea exaltabit caput.
Ant. Dixit Dominus Do-
mino meo, sede a dextris
meis.
Ant. Fidelia.
The following Psalm commemorates the mercies of
Grod to his people : but of these, the greatest is his
a
80
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
having given us a Redeemer. He has made an
eternal Covenant with us : but this Covenant was
signed with the Blood of his own Bon.
psalm 110.
Oonfitebor 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 seeculum saeculi.
Memoriam fecit mirabi-
lium suorum, misericors et
miserator Dominus : * escam
dedit timentibus se.
Memor erit in sseculum
testamenti sui : * virtutem
operum suorum annuntiabit
populo suo.
Ut det illis hsereditatem
Gentium : * opera manuum
ejus Veritas et judicium.
Fidelia omnia mandata
ejus, confirmata in speculum
sneculi : * facta in veritate et
sequitate.
Eedemptionem misit po-
pulo suo : * mandavit
in seternum testamentum
suum.
Sanctum et terribile 110-
men ejus : * initium sapien-
tise timor Domini.
Intellectus bonus omnibus
f'acientibus eum : * laudatio
ejus manet in saeculum sse-
culi.
Ant. Fidelia omnia man-
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 con-
tinueth for ever and ever.
Ant. Faithful are all his
SUNDAY S VKSPKKS.
81
commandments ;
for ever and ever.
Ant. In his
ments.
confirmed data ejus ; confirmata
saeculum saeculi.
command- Ant. In mandatis.
in
The next Psalm sings the happiness of the Just
man, and his hopes on the day of his Lord's coming.
It tells us, likewise, of the confusion and despair
which will torment the sinner, who, during life, was
insensible to his own interests, and deaf to the invita-
tions made him by the Church.
PSALM 111.
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.
He hath distributed, he
hath given to the poor ; his
Beatus vir, qui timet Do-
minum : * in mandatis ejus
volet nimis.
Potens in terra erit semen
ejus : * generatio rectorum
benedicetur.
Gloria, et divitiae in domo
ejus : * et justitia ejus manet
in saeculum ssuculi.
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.
Dispersit, dedit pauperi-
bus, justitia ejus manet in
82
PASS10NT1DE AND HOLY WEEK.
sseculum sseculi : * cornu
ejus exaltabitur in gloria.
Peccator videbit, et irasce-
tur, dentibus suis fremet et
tabescet : * desiderium pec-
catorum peribit.
Ant. In mandatis ejus
cupit nimis.
Ant. Sit nomen Domini.
justice remaineth for ever
and ever : his horn shall be
exalted in glory.
The wicked shall see, and
shall be angry ; he shall gnash
with his teeth, and pine away :
the desire of the wicked shall
perish.
Ant. In his commandments
he delighteth exceedingly.
Ant. May the name of the
Lord.
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 facilitated its
return to its Maker.
psalm 112.
Laudate pueri, Domi-
num : * laudate nomen Do-
mini.
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 super
ccelos gloria ejus.
Quis sicut Dominus Deus
noster qui in altis habitat : *
et humilia respicit in ccelo
et in terra ?
Suscitans a terra inopem : *
etde stercore erigens paupe-
rem.
TJt collocet eum cum prin-
cibus : * cum principibus
populi sui.
Qui habitare facit sterilem
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 ?
Eaising 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-
SUNDAY S VESPERS.
&s
man to dwell in a house, the
joyful mother of children.
Ant. May the name of the
Lord be for ever blessed.
Ant. We that live.
in domo : * matrem filiorum
lfetantem.
Ant. Sit uomen Domini
benedictum in ssecula.
Ant. Nos qui vivimus.
The fifth Psalm, In esdtu, recounts the prodigies
witnessed under the ancient Covenant : they were
figures, whose realities are to be accomplished in us,
if we will but return to the Lord our (rod. He will
deliver Israel from Egypt, emancipate the Gentiles
from their idolatry, and pour out a blessing on every
man who will consent to fear and love the Lord.
PSALM 113.
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 ; Jor-
dan was turned back.
The mountains skipped like
rams : and the hills like the
lambs of the flock.
What ailed thee, O thou
sea, that thou didst flee : and
thou, O 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 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
fugisti
In exitu Israel de iEgyp-
to : * domus Jacob de populo
barbaro.
Facta est Judiea sanctifi-
catio ejus : * 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
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 rupem
in fontes aquarum.
Non nobis, Domine, non
nobis : * sed nomini tuo da
gloriam.
Super misericordia tua, et
84
PASS10NTIDE AND HOLY MEEK.
veritate tua : * nequando
dicant Gentes : Ubi est Deus
eorum ?
Deus autem noster in
ccelo : * 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 : * nares habent et non
odorabunt.
Manus habent et non pal-
pabunt, 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 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 ter-
rain.
Coelum cceli Domino : *
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 up-
on your children.
Blessed be you of the Lord ,
who made heaven and earth.
The heaven of heaven is the
SUNDAYS VESPERS.
85
Lord's : but the earth he has
given to the children of men.
The dead shall not praise
thee, O 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. We
the Lord.
that live bless
terram autern dedit filiis
hominum.
Non mortui laudabunt te,
Domine : neque omnes qui
descendunt in infernum.
Sed nos qui vivimus, be-
nedicimus Domino : * ex
hoc nunc et usque in ssecu-
lum.
Ant. Nos qui vivimus,
benedicimus Domino.
After these five Psalms, a short Lesson from the
holy Scriptures is read. It is called Capitulum,
because it is always very short. Those for the
Sundays of Lent are given in the Proper of each.
After the Capitulum, follows the Hymn, Vexilla
Regis* It is the " Hymn of the Cross," and was
composed by St. Yenantius Fortunatus, at the re-
quest of St. Radegund.
According to the Monastic Rite, it is as follows
breve. De ore leonis, *
me, Domine. De ore.
Then is repeated : 1^7. De ore.
Libera
Yexilla Regis prodeunt ;
Fulget Crucis mysterium,
Quo carnc carnis Conditor
Suspensus est patibulo.
Quo vulneratus insuper
Mucrone diro lanceae,
Ut nos lavaret crimine,
Manavit unda et sanguine.
Impleta sunt quae concinit
David fideli carmine,
Dicens : In nationibus
Regnavit a ligno Deus.
. Arbor decora et fulgida,
Ornata Regis purpura,
^ . Et a cornibus unicornium
humilitatem meam. * Libera.
Electa digno stipite
Tarn sancta membra tangere.
Beata, cujus brachiis
Ssecli pependit pretium,
Statera facta corporis,
Praedamque tulit tartari.
0 Crux, ave, spes unica,
Hoc Passionis tempore,
Auge piis justitiam,
Reisque dona veniam.
Te summa, Deus, Trinitas,
Collaudet omnis spiritus :
Quos per Crucis mysterium
Salvas, rege per saecula. Amen.
86
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
HYMN.
Vexilla Eegis prodeunt ;
Fulget Crucis mysterium,
Qua Yita mortem pertulit,
Et morte vitam protulit.
Quae vulnerata lancese
Mucrone diro, criminum
Ut nos lavaret sordibus,
Manavit unda et sanguine.
Impleta sunt quae concinit
David fideli carmine,
Dicendo nation ibus :
Regnavit a ligno Deus.
Arbor decora et fulgida,
Ornata regis purpura,
Electa digno stipite
Tarn sancta membra tan-
gere.
Beata eujus brachiis
Pretium pependit saeculi,
Statera facta corporis,
Tulitque praedam tartari.
O Crux, ave, spes unica,
Hoc Passionis tempore,
Piis adauge gratiam,
Reisque dele crimina.
Te, fons salutis, Trinitas,
Collaudet omnis spiritus :
Quibus Crucis victoriam
Largiris, adde prsemium.
Amen.
ff. Eripe me, Domine, ab
homine malo.
R. A viro iniquo eripe
me.
The Standard of our King
comes forth ; the mystery of
the Cross shines upon us, —
that Cross on which Life suf-
fered death, and by his Death
gave Life.
He was pierced with the
cruel Spear, that, by the
Water and the Blood, which
flowed from the wound, he
might cleanse us from sin.
Here, on the Cross, was ful-
filled the prophecy foretold
to the nations in David's
truthful words : "God hath
reigned from the Tree.''
O fair and shining Tree !
beautified by the scarlet of the
King, and chosen as the noble
trunk that was to touch such
sacred limbs !
O blessed Tree ! on whose
arms hung the ransom of the
world ! It was the balance,
wherein was placed the Body
of Jesus, and thereby hell lost
its prey.
Hail, O Cross ! our only
hope ! During these days of
the Passion, increase to the
good their grace, and cleanse
sinners from their guilt.
May every spirit praise
thee, 0 Holy Trinity, thou
Fount of Salvation ! and by
the Cross, whereby thou gav-
est us victory, give us, too,
our recompense. Amen.
y. Deliver me, 0 Lord,
from the evil man.
R. Rescue me from the
unjust man.
Sunday's vespers. 87
Then is said the Magnificat Antiphon, which is to
be found in the Proper. After this, the Church
sings the Canticle of Mary, the Magnificat, in which
are celebrated the Divine Maternity and all its con-
sequent blessings. This exquisite Canticle is an
essential part of the Vespers throughout the year.
Let us unite with all generations, and call her
"Blessed;" but let us, also, enter into those senti-
ments of Humility, which she recommends to us
both by her words and her example. Her inspired
lips speak to us this promise : If the great God
whose triumph is to gladden us on the glorious Day
of Easter, find us humble and submissive, — he will
exalt us, yea, raise us up even to himself ; if we con-
fess our misery and poverty to him, he will enrich us,
even to the full, with every blessing.
our lady's canticle.
(St. Luke, i.)
My soul doth magnify the Magnificat : * anima mea
Lord ; Dominum :
And my spirit hath rejoiced Et exsultavit spiritus me-
in God my Saviour. us ; * in Deo salutari meo.
Because he hath regarded Quia respexit humilita-
the humility of his handmaid : tern ancillse suae : * ecce enim
for, behold from henceforth ex hoc Beatam me dicent
all generations shall call me omnes generationes.
Blessed.
Because he that is mighty Quia fecit mihi magna qui
hath done great things to me : potens est : * et sanctum
and holy is his name. nomen ejus.
And his mercy is from gen- Et misericordia ejus a pro-
eration unto generation, to genie in progenies : * timen-
them that fear him. tibus eum.
He hath showed might in Fecit potentiam in brachio
his arm : he hath scattered the suo : * dispersit superbos
proud in the conceit of their mente cordis sui.
heart. H
88
FASS10NTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
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.
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 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 Versicles :
t. Benedicamus Domino.
$. Deo gratias.
W. Fidelium animae per
misericordiam Dei requies-
cant in pace.
Bt. Amen.
f. Let us bless the Lord.
£. Thanks be to God.
y. May the souls of the
Faithful departed, through
the mercy of God, rest in
peace.
Br. Amen.
CHAPTER THE EIGHTH.
ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE,
DURING PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
This Office, which 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 God'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 :
Pray, Father, give thy ^. Jube, Domne, benedi-
blessing. cere.
The Priest answers :
May the Almighty Lord Noctem quietam, et finem
grant us a quiet night and a perfectum concedat nobis
perfect end. Dominus omnipotens.
?t. Amen. gt. Amen.
The Lector then reads these words, from the first
Epistle of St. Peter :
Brethren, be sober and Fratres : Sobrii estote, et
watch : for your adversary vigilate : quia adversarius
the devil goes about like a vester diabolus, tamquam
roaring lion, seeking whom he leo rugiens circuit quaerens
may devour: resist him, being quern devoret : cui resistite
strong in faith. But thou, O fortes in fide. Tu autem,
Lord, have mercy on us. Domine, miserere nobis.
90 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
The Choir answers :
&. Deo Gratias. gt. Thanks be to God.
Then, the Priest :
y. Adjutorium nostrum in f. Our help is in the name
nomine Domini. of the Lord.
The Choir :
gt. Qui fecit coelum et gt. Who hath made heaven
terrain. and earth.
Then the Lord's Prayer is recited in secret ; after
which the Priest says the Confiteor ; and, when he
has finished, the Choir says :
Misereatur tui omnipo- May Almighty God have
tens Deus, et dimissis pec- mercy on thee, and forgiving
catis tuis, perducat te ad thy sins, bring thee to ever-
vitam aeternam. lasting life.
The Priest having answered Amen, the Choir re-
peats the Confiteor, thus :
Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti, I confess to Almighty God,
beatse Marise semper Virgini, to blessed Mary ever Virgin,
beato Michaeli Archangelo, to blessed Michael the Arch-
beato Joanni Baptistse, sane- angel, to blessed John Baptist,
tis Apostolis Petro et Paulo, to the holy Apostles Peter and
omnibus Sanctis, et tibi, Paul, to all the saints, and to
Pater : quia peccavi nimis, thee, Father, that I have sin-
cogitatione, verbo, et opere : ned exceedingly in thought,
mea culpa, mea culpa, mea word, and deed, through my
maxima culpa. Ideo precor fault, through my fault,
beatam Mariam semper Vir- through my most grievous
ginem, beatum Michaelem fault. Therefore I beseech the
Archangelum, beatum Joan- blessed Mary ever Virgin,
nem Baptistam, sanctos blessed Michael the Arch-
Apostolos Petrum et Pau- angel, blessed John Baptist,
lum, omnes sanctos, et te, the holy Apostles Peter and
Pater, orare pro me ad Do- Paul, and all the saints, and
minum Deum nostrum. thee, Father, to pray to our
Lord God for me.
COMPLINE.
91
The Priest then says :
May Almighty God be
merciful to you, and, forgiv-
ing your sins, bring you to
everlasting life.
gt. Amen.
May the Almighty and
merciful Lord grant us par-
don, absolution, and remis-
sion^of our^sins.
&. Amen.
f. Convert us, 0 God, our
Saviour.
gt. And turn away^thy an-
ger from us.
y. Incline unto my aid, 0
God.
&. 0 Lord, make haste^to
help me.
Glory, &c.
Praise be to thee, 0 Lord,
King of eternal glory.
Ant. Have mercy.
Misereatur vestri omnipo-
tens Deus, et dimissis peccatis
vestris, perducat vos ad vi-
tam seternam.
$. Amen.
Indulgentiam, absolutio-
nem, et remissionem pecca-
torum nostrorum tribuat
nobis omnipotens et miseri-
cors Dominus.
gt. Amen.
f. Converte nos, Deus,
Salutaris noster.
#. Et averte iram tuam a
nobis.
^. Deus, in adjutorium
meum intende.
gt. Domine, ad adjuvan-
dum me festina.
Gloria Patri, &c.
Laus tibi, Domine, Rex
seternse glorise.
Ant. Miserere.
The first Psalm expresses the confidence with
which the just man sleeps in peace; but it, also,
rebukes those tepid Christians, whose dull hearts are
but too often enslaved to vanity and lies, and exhorts
them to examine, at the close of the day , the thoughts
of their hearts, and be sorry for them at that time of
stillness and repose.
psalm 4.
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.
O ye sons of men, how long
Cum invocarem exaudivit
me Deus justitise mese : *
in tribulatione dilatasti mihi.
Miserere mei : * et exaudi
orationem meam.
Filii hominum, usquequo
92
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
gravi corde ; * ut quid dili-
gitis vanitatein, 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 ves-
tris compungimini.
Sacrificate sacrificiumf jus-
titiae, et sperate in Domino :
* multi dicunt : Quis osten-
dit nobis bona ?
Signatum est super nos
lumen vultis tui Domine :
* dedisti lsetitiam 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.
will you be dull of heart ? why
do you love vanity, and seek
after lying ?
Know ye also that the Lord
hath made his Holy One won-
derful : the Lord will bear 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
justice, 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 corn,
their wine, and oil, they are
multiplied.
In peace, in the self same, I
will sleep, and I will rest.
For thou, O Lord, singu-
larly hast settled me in hope.
The Church 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.
psalm 30.
In te, Domine, speravi,
non confundar in seternum :
* in justitia tua libera me.
Inclina
tuam : *
me,
ad me aurem
accelera ut eruas
In thee, O Lord, have I
hoped, let me never be con-
founded : deliver me in thy
justice.
Bow down thy ear to me :
make haste to deliver me,
COMPLINE.
93
Be thou unto me u 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 Dourish me.
Thou wilt bring me out of
this snare, which they have
hidden for me : for thou art
my protector.
Into thy hands I commend
my spirit : thou hast redeem-
ed me, 0 Lord the God of
truth.
psto mihi in Deum pro-
tectorum, et in domum re-
fugii : * ut salvum me fa-
cias.
Quoniam fortitudo mea,
et refugium meum es tu : *
et propter nomen tuum de-
duces me, et enutries me.
Educes me de laqueo hoc,
quern absconderunt mihi : *
quoniam tu es protector
meus.
In manus tuas commendo
spiritum meum : * rede-
misti me, Domine, Deus
veritatis.
The third Psalm gives the motives of the Just
man's confidence, even during the dangers of the
night. The description here given of Peace of mind,
should make the sinner long for a reconciliation with
his Grod, that so he, too, may enjoy that divine pro-
tection, without which there can be no security or
happiness in this life of peril and misery.
psalm 90.
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.
Histruth shall compass thee
with a shield : thou shalt not
be afraid of the terror of the
night,
Qui habitat
Altissimi :
Dei coeli commorabitur
in adjutorio
in protectione
Dicet Domino : Suscep-
tor meus es tu, et refugium
meus : * 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.
Scuto circumdabit te Ve-
ritas ejus : * non timebis a
timore nocturno.
94
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
A sagitta volante in die, a
negotio perambulante in te-
nebris : * ab incursu, et dae-
monic) meridiano.
Cadent a latere tuo mille,
et decern 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 tabernaculo 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.
Longitudine dierum re-
plebo eum : * et ostendam
illi Salutare meum.
Of the arrow that flieth in
the day : 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, O 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 Angel s
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.
God 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 ciy to me, andlwill
hear him : I am with him in
tribulation, I will deliver him,
and I will glorify him.
I will fill him with length
of days : and I will show him
my Salvation.
The fourth Psalm invites the Servants of God to
persevere, with fervour, in the prayers they offer
during the Night. The Faithful should say this
Psalm in a spirit of gratitude to Gk>d, for his raising
COMPLINE.
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.
Behold now bless ye the
Lord, all ye servants of the
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. Have mercy on me,
O Lord, and hear my prayer.
Ecce nunc benedicite Do-
minum : * omnes servi Do-
mini.
Qui statis in domo Domi-
ni: * in atriis domus Dei
nostri.
In noctibus extollite ma-
nus vestras in sancta : * et
benedicite Dominum.
Benedicat te Dominus ex
Sion : * qui fecit ccelum et
terram.
Ant. Miserere mei, Do-
mine, et exaudi orationem
meam.
HYMN.
Before the closing of the
light, we beseech thee, Crea-
tor of all things ! that in thy
clemency, thou be our pro-
tector and our guard.
May the dreams and phan-
toms of night depart far from
us ; and do thou repress our
enemy, lest our bodies be
profaned.
Most merciful Father ! and
thou, his Only Begotten Son,
Te lucis ante terminum,
Eerum Creator, poscimus,
TJt pro tua dementia
Sis prsesul et custodia.
Procul recedant somnia,
Et noctium phantasmata ;
Hostemque nostrum com-
prime,
Ne polluantur corpora.
Praesta, Pater piisime,
Patrique compar Unice,
* According to the Monastic Kite, as follows : —
Hostemque nostrum comprime
Ne polluantur corpora.
Praesta Pater omnipotens,
Per Jesum Christum Dominum,
Qui tecum in perpetuum
Regnat cum Sancto Spirit u .
Te lucis ante terminum,
Rerum Creator, poscimus,
Ut solita dementia
Sis prsesul ad custodiam.
Procul recedant somnia
Et noctium phantasmata
96 PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
Cum Spiritu Paraclito co-equal with him ! reigning
Kegnans per omne soeculum. for ever with the Holy Para-
Amen. clete ! grant this our prayer.
Amen.
CAPITULUM.
fJeremias, xiy.J
Ta autem in nobis es, But thou art in us, O Lord,
Domine, et nomen sanctum and thy holy name has been
tuum invocatum est super invoked upon us : forsake us
nos ; ne derelinquas nos, not, 0 Lord our God.
Domine Deus noster.
gt. In manus tuas, Domi- $. Into thy hands, 0 Lord:
ne : * Commendo spiritum * I commend my spirit. Into
meum. In manus tuas. thy hands.
y. Eedemisti nos, Domi- ^. Thou hast redeemed us,
ne Deus veritatis. * Com- 0 Lord God of truth. * I
mendo. commend.
Gloria. In manus tuas. Glory. Into thy hands.
f. Custodi nos, Domine, TjT. Preserve us, O Lord, as
ut pupillam oculi. the apple of thine eye.
gt. Sub umbra alarum gt. Protect us under the
tuarum protege nos. shadow of thy wings.
Ant. Salva nos. Ant. Save us.
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 jnst, — admirably expresses the repose
of heart which the sonl, that is in the Grace of God,
will experience in her Jesus ; for as the Apostle says,
we may live together with Jesus, whether we are
awake or asleep.1
CANTICLE OF SIMEON.
(St. Luke, \\.J
Nunc dimittis servum Now dost thou dismiss thy
tuum Domine : * secundum servant, 0 Lord, according to
verbum tuum in pace. thy word in peace.
1 Thess. v. 10.
COMPLINE.
97
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.
Quia viderunt oculi mei :
* salutare tuum.
Quod parasti : * ante fa-
ciem omnium populorum.
Lumen ad revelationem
Gentium : * et gloriam ple-
bis tuse Israel.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, &c.
Ant. Salva nos, Domine,
vigilantes : custodi nos dor-
mientes, ut vigilemus cum
Christo, et requiescamus in
pace.
PRAYERS.
Lord have mercy on us.
Christ have mercy on us.
Lord have mercy on us.
Our Father.
$ . And lead us not into
temptation.
gt. But deliver us from evil.
I believe in God, &c.
f. The resurrection of the
body.
gt. And life everlasting.
Amen.
ft. Blessed art thou, 0 Lord
God of our fathers.
gt. And praiseworthy and
glorious for ever.
ft. Let us bless the Father
and the Son, with the Holy
Ghost.
gt . Let us praise and mag-
nify him for ever.
f. Thou art blessed, 0
Lord, in the firmament of
heaven.
gt. And praiseworthy, and
glorious, and magnified for
ever.
T . May the Almighty and
merciful Lord bless us and
keep us. gt. Amen.
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.
Pater noster.
ft. Et ne nos inducas in
tentationem.
gt. Sed libera nos a malo.
Credo in Deum, &c.
f. Carnis resurrectionem.
gt. Vitamseternam. Amen.
y. Benedictus es, Domine
Deus patrum nostrorum.
gt. Et laudabilis et glorio-
sus in specula.
y. Benedicamus Patrem
et Filium cum Sancto Spi-
ritu.
gt. Laudemus, et super-
exaltemus eum in ssecula.
$. Benedictus es, Domine ,
in firmamento coeli.
gt. Et laudabilis, et glori-
osus et superexaltatus in
specula.
y. Benedicat et custodiat
nos omnipotens et miseri-
cors Dominus. gt. Amen,
98
PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
y. Dignare, Domine, noc-
te ista.
gu Sine peccato nos cus-
todire.
^. Miserere nostri, Do-
mine.
gt. Miserere nostri.
f. Fiat misericordia tua,
Domine, super nos.
gt. Quemadmodum spera-
vimus in te.
^. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam.
gt. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.
f. Vouchsafe, 0 Lord, this
night.
gt. To keep us without sin.
$. Have mercy on us, O
Lord.
gt. Have mercy on us.
f. Let thy mercy be upon
us, 0 Lord.
gt. As we have hoped in
thee.
f. O Lord, hear my prayer.
gt. And let my cry come
unto thee.
After these Prayers, (which are omitted if the
Office be of a double rite,) the Priest says :
$\ Dominus vobiscum. $ . The Lord be with you.
gt. Et cum spiritu tuo. gt. And with thy spirit.
OREMT7S.
Visita, quaesumus, Do-
mine, habitationem istam,
et omnes insidias inimici
ab ea longe repelle : Angeli
tui sancti habitent in ea,
qui nos in pace custodian t,
et benedictio tua sit super
nos semper. Per Dominum
nostrum Jesum Christum,
Filium tuum, qui tecum vi-
vit et regnat in unitate Spi-
ritus Sancti Deus, per omnia
ssecula saeculorum. Amen.
f. Dominus vobiscum.
gt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
^. Benedicamus Domino.
gt. Deo gratias.
Benedicat et custodiat nos
omnipotens et misericors
Dominus, Pater, et Filius,
et Spiritus Sanctus.
gt. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
Visit, we beseech thee, O
Lord, this house and family,
and drive 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.
$". The Lord be with you.
gt. And with thy spirit.
y. 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.
#. Amen,
COMI'LINK.
99
ANTHEM TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.
Hail Queen of Heaven !
Hail Queen of Angels ! Hail
blest Root and Gate, from
which came Light upon the
world ! Rejoice, 0 glorious
Virgin, that surpassest all in
beauty ! Hail, most lovely
Queen ! and pray to Christ
for us.
f. Vouchsafe, O Holy Vir-
gin, that I may praise thee.
Bt. Give me power against
thine enemies.
Ave Regina coelorum,
Ave Domina Angelorum :
Salve radix, salve porta,
Ex qua mundo lux est orta ;
Gaude, Virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa :
Vale, O valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.
y. Dignare me laudare te,
Virgo sacrata.
&. Da mihi virtutem con-
tra hostes tuos.
LET US PRAY.
Grant, 0 merciful God, thy
protection to us in our weak-
ness ; that we who celebrate
the memory of the Holy
Mother of God, may, through
the aid of her intercession,
rise again from our sins.
Through the same Christ our
Lord.
Bt. Amen.
f. May the divine assis-
tance remain always with us.
gt. Amen.*
OREMUS.
Concede, misericors Deus,
fragilitati nostrae prsesidi-
um ; ut, qui sanctse Dei
Genitricis memoriam agimus,
intercessionis ejus auxilio,
a nostris iniquitatibus re-
surgamus. Per eumdem
Christum Dominum nos-
trum.
gt. Amen.
f. Divinum auxilium ma-
neat semper nobiscum.
Amen.*
Then, in secret, Pater, Ave, and Credo ; page 26.
* In the Monastic Rite, this Response is as follows :
P/. And with our absent Breth- Py'. Et cum fratribus nostris
ren. Amen. absentibus. Amen.
PROPER OF THE TIME.
PASSION SUNDAY.
To-day, if ye shall hear the Hodie, si vocem Domini
voice of the Lord, harden not audieritis, nolite obdurare
your hearts. corda vestra.
The Holy Church begins her Night Office of this
Sunday with these impressive words of the Royal
Prophet. Formerly, the faithful considered it their
duty to assist at the Night Office, at least on Sundays
and Feasts ; they would have grieved to have lost
the grand teachings given by the Liturgy. Such
fervour has long since died out ; the assiduity at the
Offices of the Church, which was the joy of our
Catholic forefathers, has now become a thing of the
past ; and even in countries which have not aposta-
tised from the faith, the clergy have ceased to cele-
brate publicly Offices at which no one assisted.
Excepting in Cathedral Churches and in Monasteries,
the grand harmonious system of the Divine Praise
has been abandoned, and the marvellous power of
the Liturgy has no longer its full influence upon the
Faithful.
This is our reason for drawing the attention of our
readers to certain beauties of the Divine Office,
which would otherwise be totally ignored. Thus,
what can be more expressive than this solemn In-
vitatory of to-day's Matins, which the Church takes
from one of the psalms, and which she repeats on
every Feria between this and Maundy Thursday ?
102 PASSION WEEK.
She says : To-day, if ye shall hear the voice of the
Lord, harden not your hearts ! The sweet voice
of your suffering Jesus now speaks to you, poor
sinners ! be not your own enemies by indifference
and hardness of heart. The Son of Grod is about to
give yew. the last and greatest proof of the love that
brought him down from heaven ; his Death is nigh
at hand : men are preparing the wood for the im-
molation of the new Isaac : enter into yourselves,
and let not your hearts, after being touched with
grace, return to their former obduracy, — for nothing
could be more dangerous. The great anniversaries
we are to celebrate have a renovating power for
those souls that faithfully correspond with the grace
which is offered them ; but they increase insensi-
bility in those who let them pass without working
their conversion. To-day, therefore, if you hear the
voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts !
During the preceding four weeks, we have noticed
how the malice of Jesus' enemies has been gradually
increasing. His very presence irritates them ; and
it is evident, that any little circumstance will suffice
to bring the deep and long nurtured hatred to a
head. The kind and gentle manners of Jesus are
drawing to him all hearts that are simple and up-
right ; at the same time, the humble life he leads,
and the stern purity of his doctrines, are perpetual
sources of vexation and anger, both to the proud
Jew that looks forward to the Messias being a mighty
conqueror, and to the Pharisee, who corrupts the
Law of (rod, that he may make it the instrument of
his own base passions. Still, Jesus goes on working
miracles ; his discourses are more than ever energetic ;
his prophecies foretell the fall of Jerusalem, and
such a destruction of its famous Temple, that not a
stone is to be left on a stone. The doctors of the Law
should, at least, reflect upon what they hear ; they
should examine these wonderful works, which render
PASSION WEEK. 103
suoh strong testimony in favour of the Son of David,
and they should consult those divine prophecies
which, up to the present time, have been so literally
fulfilled in his person. Alas ! they themselves are
about to carry them out to the very last iota. There
is not a single outrage or suffering foretold by David
and Isaias, as having to be put upon the Messias,
which these blind men are not scheming to verify.
In them, therefore, was fulfilled that terrible say-
ing : He that shall speak against the Holy Ghost, it
shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor
in the world to aome.1 The Synagogue is nigh to a
curse. Obstinate in her error, she refuses to see or
to hear ; she has deliberately perverted her judg-
ment : she has extinguished within herself the light
of the Holy Spirit ; she will go deeper and deeper
into evil, and at length fall into the abyss. This
same lamentable conduct is but too often witnessed
now-a-days, in those sinners, who, by habitual resis-
tance to the light, end by finding their happiness in
sin. Neither should it surprise us, that we find in
people of our own generation a resemblance to the
murderers of our Jesus : the history of his Passion
will reveal to us many sad secrets of the human
heart and its perverse inclinations ; for what hap-
pened in Jerusalem, happens also in every sinner's
heart. His heart, according to the saying of St.
Paul, is a Calvary, where Jesus is crucified. There
is the same ingratitude, the same blindness, the same
wild madness, with this difference, — that the sinner
who is enlightened by faith, knows Him whom he
crucifies ; whereas the Jews, as the same Apostle
tells us, knew not the Lord of Grlory.2 Whilst, there-
fore, we listen to the Grospel, which relates the
history of the Passion, let us turn the indignation
we feel for the Jews against ourselves and our
1 St. Matth. xii. 32. 2 1 Cor. ii. 8.
104 PASSION WEEK.
own sins : let us weep over the sufferings of our
Victim, for our sins caused him to suffer and die.
Everything around us urges us to mourn. The
images of the Saints, the very crucifix on our Altar,
are veiled from our sight. The Church is oppressed
with grief. During the first four weeks of Lent, she
compassionated her Jesus fasting in the desert ; his
coming Sufferings and Crucifixion and Death are
what now fill her with anguish. We read in to-day's
Gospel, that the Jews threaten to stone the Son of
Grod as a blasphemer : but his hour is not yet come.
He is obliged to flee and hide himself. It is to ex-
press this deep humiliation, that the Church veils the
Cross. A Grod hiding himself, that he may evade
the anger of men, — what a mystery ! Is it weak-
ness ? Is it, that he fears death ? No, — we shall
soon see him going out to meet his enemies : but, at
present, he hides himself from them, because all that
had been prophesied regarding him has not been
fulfilled. Besides, his death is not to be by stoning ;
he is to die upon a Cross, the tree of malediction, which,
from that time forward, is to be the Tree of Life.
Let us humble ourselves, as we see the Creator of
heaven and earth thus obliged to hide himself from
men, who are bent on his destruction ! Let us go
back, in thought, to the sad day of the first sin,
when Adam and Eve hid themselves because a guilty
conscience told them they were naked. Jesus is
come to assure us of our being pardoned ! and lo !
he hides himself, not because he is naked, — He that
is to the Saints the garb of holiness and immortality,
— but because he made himself weak, that he might
make us strong. Our first parents sought to hide
themselves from the sight of Grod ; Jesus hides him-
self from the eye of men ; but it will not be thus for
ever. The day will come, when sinners, from whose
auger he now flees, will pray to the mountains that they
fall on them to shield them from his gaze ; but their
PASSION SUNDAY. 105
prayer will not be granted, and they shall see the Son
of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with much
power and majesty}
This Sunday is called Passion Sunday, because
the Church begins, on this day, to make the suffer-
ings of our Redeemer her chief thought. It is called
also, Judica, from the first word of the Introit of the
Mass ; and again, Neomania, that is, the Sunday of
the new (or, the Easter) moon, because it always
falls after the new moon which regulates the Feast
of Easter Day.
In the Greek Church, this Sunday goes under the
simple name of the Fifth Sunday of the Holy
Fasts.
MASS.
At Rome, the Station is in the Basilica of St.
Peter. The importance of this Sunday, which never
gives way to any Feast, no matter what its solemnity
may be, required that the place for the assembly of
the Faithful should be in one of the chief Sanctuaries
of the Holy City.
The Introit is taken from the first verses of the 42nd
Psalm. The Messias appeals to Grod's tribunal, and
protests against the sentence about to be pronounced
against him by men. He likewise expresses his con-
fidence in his Father's help, who, after his Sufferings
and Death, will lead him in triumph into the Holy
Mount.
INTROIT.
Judge me, 0 God, and dis- Judica me, Deus, et dis-
tinguish my cause from the cerne causam meam de
nation that is not holy ; de- gente non sancta : ab ho-
1 St. Matth. xxiv. 30.
106
PASSION WEEK.
mine iniquo et doloso eripe
me : quia tu es Deus meus,
et fortitudo mea.
Ps. Emitte lucem tuam et
veritatem tuam : ipsa me de-
duxerunt et adduxerunt in
montem sanctum tuum, et
in tabernacula tua. Judica
me.
liver me from the unjust and
deceitful man ; for thou art
my God and my strength.
Ps. Send forth thy light
and thy truth ; for they have
conducted me, and brought
me to thy holy mount, and
into thy tabernacles. Judge
me, &c.
The Gloria Patri is not said during Passiontide
and Holy Week, (unless a Saint's Feast be kept,)
but the Introit is repeated immediately after the
Psalm.
In the Collect, the Church prays that there may
be produced, in her children, that total reformation,
which the holy Season of Lent is intended to pro-
duce. This reformation is such, that it will not only
subject the body to the spirit, but preserve also the
spirit itself from those delusions and passions, to
which it has been, hitherto, more or less a slave.
COLLECT.
Quaesumus, omnipotens
Deus, familiam tuam pro-
pitius respice : ut, te lar-
giente, regatur in corpore,
et, te servante, custodiatur
in mente. Per Dominum.
Mercifully look down on
thy people, we beseech thee,
O Almighty God, that by thy
bounty and protection, they
may be governed and guard-
ed both in body and soul.
Through, &c.
Then is added one of the following Prayers :
AGAINST THE PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH.
Ecclesise tuse, quaesu-
mus, Domine, preces, pla-
catus admitte : ut, destruc-
tis adversitatibus et er-
roribus universis, secura'
tibi serviat libertate. Per
Dominum.
Mercifully hear, we beseech
thee, 0 Lord, the prayers of
thy Church : that, all opposi-
tions and errors being re-
* moved, she may serve thee
with a secure liberty.
Through, &c.
PASSION SUNDAY.
107
FOR THE POPE.
0 God, the Pastor and
Ruler of all the Faithful, look
down, in thy mercy, on thy
servant N. , whom thou hast
appointed Pastor over thy
Church ; and grant we be-
seech thee, that both by word
and example, he may edify all
those that are under his
charge : and, with the flock
intrusted to him, arrive at
length at eternal happiness.
Through, &c.
Deus, omnium fidelium
Pastor et Rector, famulum
tuum N-, quern Pastorem
Ecclesise tuae praeesse vo-
luisti, propitius respice :
da ei, quaesumus, verbo
et exemplo, quibus prae-
est, proficere ; ut ad vitam,
una cum grege sibi credi-
to, perveniat sempiternam.
Per Dominum.
EPISTLE.
Lesson of the Epistle of St. Lectio Epistolae beati Pauli
Paul the Apostle to the Apostoli ad Hebraeos.
Hebrews.
Ch. IX.
Brethren : Christ being
come, an High Priest of the
good things to come, by a
greater and more perfect
tabernacle not made with
hands, that is, not of this
creation, neither by the blood
of goats or of calves, but
by his own Blood, entered
once into the Holies, having
obtained eternal redemption.
For, if the blood of goats
and of oxen, and the ashes
of an heifer being sprinkled,
sanctify such as are defiled,
to the cleansing of the flesh ;
how much more shall the
Blood of Christ (who by the
Holy Ghost offered himself
unspotted unto God), cleanse
our conscience from dead
works to serve the living
God ? And therefore, he is
Cap. IX.
Fratres : Christus assis-
tens Pontifex futurorum
bonorum, per amplius et
perfectius tabernaculum
non manufactum, id est,
non hujus creationis : ne-
que per sanguinem hirco-
rum aut vitulorum, sed
per proprium Sanguinem
introivit semel in Sancta,
aeterna redemptione inven-
ta. Si enim sanguis hir-
corum et taurorum, et cinis
vitulae aspersus inquinatos
sanctificat ad emundatio-
nem carnis : quanto magis
Sanguis Christi, qui per
Spiritum Sanctum semet-
ipsum obtulit immacula-
tum Deo, emundabit con-
scientiam nostram ab operi-
bus mortuis, ad servien-
dum Deo viventi P Et ideo
108 PASSION WEEK.
novi Testamenti mediator the mediator of the New
est : ut morte intercedente, Testament ; that by means
in redemptionem earum of his death, for the redemp-
prsevaricationum, quae erant tion of those transgressions
sub priori Testamento, re- which were under the former
promissionem accipiant, qui testament, they that are called
vocati sunt, seternse hsere- may receive the promise of
ditatis : in Christo Jesu eternal inheritance.
Domino nostro.
It is by Blood alone that man is to be redeemed.
He has offended God. This God cannot be appeased
by anything short of the extermination of his rebel-
lious creature, who, by shedding his blood, will give
an earnest of his repentance and his entire submis-
sion to the Creator, against whom he dared to rebel.
Otherwise, the justice of God must be satisfied by
the sinner's suffering eternal punishment. This
truth was understood by all the people of the ancient
world, and all confessed it by shedding the blood of
victims, as in the sacrifices of Abel, at the very com-
mencement of the world ; in the hecatombs of
Greece ; in the countless immolations whereby So-
lomon dedicated the Temple. And yet God thus
speaks to his people : Hear, 0 my people, and I
will speak : 0 Israel, and I will testify to thee : I
am God thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy
sacrifices, and thy burnt-offerings are always in my
sight. I will not take calves out of thy house, nor he-
goats out of thy flocks. I need them not : for all
the beasts of the ivoods are mine. If I should be
hungry, I would not tell thee ; for the world is mine,
and the fulness thereof. Shall I eat the flesh of bul-
locks? or shall I drink the blood of goats?1 Thus,
God commands the blood of victims to be offered to
him, and, at the same time, declares that neither it
nor they are precious in his sight. Is this a contra-
1 Ps. xlix. 7-13.
PASSION SUNDAY. 109
diction ? No : God would hereby have man under-
stand, that it is only by Blood that he can be
redeemed, but that the blood of brute animals cannot
effect this redemption. Can the blood of man him-
self bring him his own redemption, and appease God's
justice ? No, not even man's blood, for it is denied ;
and even were it undefiled, it is powerless to com-
pensate for the outrage done to God by sin. For
this, there was needed the Blood of a God ; that was
the Blood of Jesus, and he has come that he may
shed it for our redemption.
In him is fulfilled the most sacred of the figures of
the Old Law. Once each year, the High- Priest en-
tered into the Holy of Holies, there to make interces-
sion for the people. He went within the Yeil, even to
the Ark of the Covenant ; but he was not allowed to
enjoy this great privilege, unless he entered the holy
place carrying in his hands the blood of a newly-
offered victim. The Son of God, the true High-
Priest, is now about to enter heaven, and we are to
follow him thither ; but unto this, he must have an
offering of blood, and that Blood can be none other
than his own. We are going to assist at this his
compliance with the divine ordinance. Let us open
our hearts, that this precious Blood may, as the
Apostle says in to-day's Epistle, cleanse our conscience
from dead works to serve the living God.
The Gradual is taken from the Psalms. Our
Saviour here prays to be delivered from his enemies,
and protected from the rage of them that have risen
up against him ; yet, is he ready to do the will of his
Father, by whom he will be avenged.
In the Tract, which is also taken from the Psalms,
the Messias, under the name of Israel, complains of
the persecution he has met from the Jews, even from
his youth. They are now about to scourge him in a
most cruel manner. But he also foretells the punish-
ment their deicide is to bring upon them.
110
PASSION WEEK.
GRADUAL.
Eripe me, Domine, de ini-
micis meis : doce me facere
voluntatem tuam.
y. Liberator meus, Do-
mine, de gentibus iracundis :
ab insurgentibus in me exal-
tabis me : a viro iniquo eri-
pies me.
Deliver me, 0 Lord, from
my enemies ; teach me to do
thy will.
f. Thou, 0 Lord, art my
deliverer from the enraged
Gentiles : thou wilt put me
out of the reach of those that
assault me ; and thou wilt
rescue me from the unright-
eous man.
TRACT.
Ssepe expugnaverunt me a
juventute mea.
y. Dicat nunc Israel :
Ssepe expugnaverunt me a
juventute mea.
y. Etenim non potuerunt
mihi : supra dorsum meum
fabricaverunt peccatores.
y. Prolongaverunt iniqui-
tates suas : Dominus Justus
concidet cervices peccato-
rum.
Many a time have they
fought against me from my
youth.
y. Let Israel now say :
They have often attacked me
from my youth.
y . But they could not pre-
vail over me : the wicked have
wrought upon my back.
y . They have lengthened
their iniquity : the Lord who
is just, will cut the necks of
sinners.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Joannem.
Cap. VIII.
In illo tempore : Dicebat
Jesus turbis Judseorum :
Quis ex vobis arguet me de
peccato ? Si veritatem dico
vobis, quare non creditis
mihi ? Qui ex Deo est, verba
Dei audit. Propterea vos
non auditis, quia ex Deo
non estis. Eesponderunt
ergo Judsei, et dixerunt ei :
Sequel of the Holy Gospel,
according to John.
Ch. VIII.
At that time : Jesus said to
the multitude of the Jews :
Which of you shall convince
me of sin ? If I say the truth
to you, why do you not believe
me? He that is of God, hear-
eth the words of God, There-
fore, you hear them not, be-
cause you are not of God. The
Jews, therefore, answered and
PASSION SUNDAY.
Ill
said to him : Do not we say
well that thou art a Samari-
tan, and hast a devil ? Jesus
answered : I have not a devil ;
but I honour my Father, and
you have dishonoured me.
But I seek not my own glory :
there is one that seeketh and
judgeth. Amen, amen, I say
to you : If any man keep my
word, he shall not see death
for ever. The Jews therefore
said : Now we know that thou
hast a devil. Abraham is dead,
and the prophets : and thou
sayest : If any man keep my
word, he shall not taste death
for ever. Art thou greater
than our Father Abraham,
who. is dead ? And the pro-
phets are dead. Whom dost
thou make thyself ? Jesus
answered : If I glorify myself
my glory is nothing. It is my
Father that glorifieth me, of
whom you say that he is your
God; and you have not known
him, but I know him. And
if I should say that I know
him. not, I should be like to
you, a liar. But I do know
him, and do keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced
that he might see my day : he
saw it, and was glad. The
Jews then said to him : Thou
art not yet fifty years old,
and hast thou seen Abraham ?
Jesus said to them : Amen,
amen, I say unto you, before
Abraham was made, I am.
They took up stones therefore
to cast at him. But Jesus
hid himself, and went out of
the temple.
Nonne bene dicimus nos
quia Samaritanus es tu, et
daemonium habes ? Kespon-
dit Jesus : Ego daemonium
non habeo : sed honorifico
Patrem meum, et vos in-
honorastis me. Ego autem
non quaero gloriam meam :
est qui quserat et judicet.
Amen, amen dico vobis : Si
quis sermonem meum ser-
vaverit, mortem non vide-
bit in aeternum. Dixerunt
ergo Judaei : Nunc cogno-
vimus quia dsemonium ha-
bes. Abraham mortuus est,
et Prophetae : et tu dicis :
Si quis sermonem meum
servaverit, non gustabit
mortem in aeternum. Num-
quid tu major es patre nos-
tro Abraham, qui mortuus
est ? et Prophetae mortui
sunt. Quern teipsum facis ?
Eespondit Jesus : Si ego
glorifico meipsum, gloria
mea nihil est : est Pater
meus, qui glorificat me,
quern vos dicitis quia Deus
vester est, et non cogno-
vistis eum ; ego autem novi
eum : et si dixero quia non
scio eum, ero similis vobis
mendax. Sed scio eum, et
sermonem ejus servo. Abra-
ham pater vester exsultavit
ut videret diem meum : vidit,
et gavisus est. Dixerunt ergo
Judaei ad eum : Quinquaginta
annos nondum habes, et Abra-
ham vidisti ? Dixit eis Jesus :
Amen, amen, dico vobis,
antequam Abraham fieret,
ego sum. Tulerunt ergo
lapides ut jacerent in eum :
Jesus autem abscondit se,
et exivit de templo.
112 PASSION WEEK.
The fury of the Jews is evidently at its height, and
Jesus is obliged to hide himself from them. But he
is to fall into their hands before many days are
over ; then will they triumph and put him to death.
They triumph, and Jesus is their victim : but how
different is to be his lot from theirs ! In obedience
to the decrees of his heavenly Father, and out of
love for men, he will deliver himself into the hands
of his enemies, and they will put him to death ; but
he will rise victorious from the tomb, he will ascend
into heaven, he will be throned on the right hand of
his Father. His enemies on the contrary, after
having vented all their rage, will live on without
remorse, until the terrible day come for their chas-
tisement. That day is not far off, for observe the
severity wherewith our Lord speaks to them : You
hear not the words of God, because you are not of
God. Yet there was a time, when they were of God,
for the Lord gives his grace to all men ; but they
have rendered this grace useless ; they are now in
darkness, and the light they have rejected will not
return.
You say that my Father is your God, and you
have not known him; but I know him. Their
obstinacy in refusing to acknowledge Jesus as the
Messias, has led these men to ignore that very Grod,
whom they boast of honouring ; for if they knew the
Father, they would not reject his Son. Moses, and
the Psalms, and the Prophets, are all a dead letter to
them ; these sacred Books are soon to pass into the
hands of the Gentiles, who will both read and under-
stand them. If continues Jesus, / should say that
I know him not, I should be like to you, a liar.
This strong language is that of the angry Judge who
is to come down, at the last day, to destroy sinners.
Jerusalem has not known the time of her visitation :
the Son of Grod has visited her, he is with her, and
she dares to say to him : Thou hast a devil ! She
PASSION SUNDAY. 113
says to the Eternal Word, who proves himself to be
God by the most astounding miracles, that Abraham
and the Prophets are greater than He ! Strange
blindness, that comes from pride and hardness of
heart ! The Feast of the Pasch is at hand : these
men are going to eat, and with much parade of
religion, the flesh of the figurative lamb ; they know
full well, that this lamb is a symbol, or a figure,
which is to have its fulfilment. The true Lamb is to
be sacrificed by their hands, and they will not know
him. He will shed his Blood for them, and it will
not save them. How this reminds us of those sin-
ners, for whom this Easter promises to be as fruitless
as those of the past years ! Let us redouble our
prayers for them, and beseech our Lord to soften
their hearts, lest trampling the Blood of Jesus under
their feet, they should have it to cry vengeance
against them before the throne of the heavenly
Father.
At the Offertory, confiding in the merits of the
Blood that has redeemed us, let us, in the words of
the Psalm, give praise to God, and proclaim him to
be the author of that New Life, of which the sacrifice
of the Lamb is the never-failing source.
OFFERTORY.
I will praise thee, 0 Lord, Confitebor tibi, Domine,
with, my whole heart : reward in toto corde meo : retribue
thy servant : I shall live, and servo tuo ; vivam, et custo-
keep thy commandments: save diam sermones tuos : vivi-
me according to thy word, O fica me secundum verbum
Lord. tuum, Domine.
The Sacrifice of the spotless Lamb has produced
two effects upon the sinner : it has broken his fetters,
and has made him the object of God's love. The
Church prays, in the Secret, that the Sacrifice she is
about to offer, and which is one with that of the
Cross, may work these same results in us.
114
PASSION "WEEK.
SECRETS.
Haec munera, quaesumus,
Domine, et vinoula nostras
pravitatis absolvant, et tuse
nobis misericordiae dona
concilient. Per Dominum.
May these offerings, 0
Lord, both loosen the bonds
of our wickedness, and obtain
for us the gifts of thy mercy.
Through, &c.
AGAINST THE PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH.
Protege nos, Domine,
tuis mysteriis servientes :
ut divinis rebus inhaeren-
tes, et corpore tibi famule-
mur et mente. Per Domi-
num.
Protect us, O Lord, while
we assist at thy sacred mys-
teries : that being employed
in acts of religion, we may
serve thee both in body and
mind. Through, &c.
FOR THE POPE.
Oblatis, quaesumus, Do-
mine, placare muneribus :
et famulum tuum N. quern
Pastorem Ecclesiae tuae
praeesse voluisti, assidua
protectione guberna. Per
Dominum.
Be appeased, 0 Lord, with
the offering we have made :
and cease not to protect thy
servant N. , whom thou hast
been pleased to appoint
Pastor over thy Church.
Through, &c.
The Communion-Antiphon is formed out of the
very words spoken by Jesus, when instituting the
august Sacrifice that has just been celebrated, and
of which the Priest and people have partaken, in
memory of the Passion, for it renews both the
remembrance and the merits of the Passion.
COMMUNION.
Hoc corpus, quod pro
vobis tradetur : hie calix
novi testamenti est in meo
sanguine, dicit Dominus :
hoc facite, quotiescumque
sumitis in meam comme-
morationem.
This is the body which shall
be delivered up for you ; this
is the cup of the new covenant
in my blood, saith the Lord.
As often as you receive them,
do it in remembrance of me.
PASSION SUNDAY.
115
In the Postcommunion, the Church prays to Q-od,
that he would maintain in the Faithful the fruits of
the visit he has so graciously paid them, for, by their
participation in the Sacred Mysteries, he has entered
into them.
POSTCOMMUNIONS.
Help us, 0 Lord our God,
and for ever protect those
whom thou hast refreshed
with thy sacred mysteries.
Through, &c.
Adesto nobis, Domine
Deus noster : et, quos tuis
mysteriis recreasti, perpe-
tuis defende subsidiis. Per
Dominum.
AGAINST THE PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH.
We beseech thee, 0 Lord
our God, not to leave exposed
to the dangers of human life,
those whom thou hast per-
mitted to partake of these
divine mysteries. Through,
&c.
Qusesumus, Domine Deus
noster : ut quos divina tri-
buis participatione gaudere,
humanis non sinas subjacere
periculis. Per Dominum.
FOR THE POPE.
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 com-
mitted to his charge.
Through, &c.
Hsec nos quaesumus, Do-
mine, divini Sacramenti
perceptio protegat : et fa-
mulum tuum N. quern Pas-
torem Ecclesise tuse prse-
esse voluisti, una cum com-
misso sibi grege salvet sem-
per et muniat. Per Domi-
num.
116
PASSION WEEK.
VESPERS.
The Psalms and Antiphons are given in page 80.
CAPITULUM.
(Heb. IX.)
Fratres : Christus assis-
tens Pontifex futurorum
bonorum, per amplius et
perfectius tabernaculum
non manuf actum, id est,
non hujus creationis, neque
per sanguinem hircorum,
aut vitulorum, sed per pro-
prium sanguinem, introivit
semel in Sancta, seterna re-
demptione inventa.
Brethren : Christ being
come an High Priest of the
good things to come, by a
greater and more perfect tab-
ernacle not made with hands,
that is, not of this creation,
neither by the blood of goats
or of calves, but by his own
Blood, entered once into the
Holies, having obtained eter-
nal redemption.
For the Hymn and Versicle, see page 87.
antiphon of the Magnificat.
Abraham pater vester ex- Abraham your father re-
sultavit ut videret diem joiced that he might see my
meum : vidit et gavisus est. day : he saw it, and was glad .
OREMT7S.
Qusesumus, omnipotens
Deus, familiam tuam pro-
pitius respice : ut, te lar-
giente, regatur in corpore,
et, te servante, custodiatur
in mente. Per Dominum.
let us pray.
Mercifully look down on
thy people, we beseech thee,
0 Almighty God, that by thy
bounty and protection, they
may be governed and guarded
both in body and soul.
Through, &c.
The following appropriate Prayer is from the
Mozarabic Breviary.
PASSION SUNDAY.
117
CAPITULUM.
The course of the year has
brought us to the time for cel-
ebrating, with devout hearts
and offices, the Feast of thy
Passion, O Jesus, Son of God !
wherein, for our sakes, thou
didst suffer the calumnies of
thine enemies, and wast cru-
cified by the wounds of them
that betrayed thee. We pray
and beseech thee, that thou
depart not from us ; and
whereas tribulation is nigh at
hand, and there is none to
help us, do thou, by the help
of thy Passion, become our
sole protector. Deliver us
not, therefore, into the hands
of our enemies unto evil, but
receive us, as thy servants,
unto good ; that the haughty
ones who calumniate us,
namely the enemies of our
souls, may be repelled by the
might of thy power. Thou,
by the human nature thou
hast assumed, art the lamp
set on the stand of the Cross :
we beseech thee, therefore,
that thou enkindle us by thy
flame, lest we beome a prey
to punishment. Behold us
now entering, with devout
hearts, upon the feast of thy
Passion ; oh ! grant that we
partake of the merits of thy
Passion : that thus, being de-
livered from the error of our
darkness, we may be fortified
by the help of thy Light.
That we may the better honour the holy Cross,
we give, for each day of this week, an appropriate
Hymn from one or other of the various ancient
Passionis tuse festum,
Christe Dei Filius, devotis
cordium ofiiciis, recursu
temporis inchoantes, quo
pro nobis et linguas fuisti
persequentium passus, et
tradentium te vulneribus
crucifixus ; rogamus atque
exposcimus ne te elonges
a nobis : ut quia proxi-
mante tribulatione, non est
qui adjuvet ; tu solus Pas-
sionis tuse nos subleves
ope : ne tradas ergo nos
inimicis nostris in malum,
sed excipe servos tuos in
bonum : ut nos calumnian-
tes superbi, inimici scilicet
animarum nostrarum, vir-
tutis tuse potentia propel-
lantur ; tu es enim divina
lucerna per humanitatem
super candalabrum crucis
imposita ; ideo te rogamus,
ut nos accendas, ne venia-
mus in pcenam. Quos ergo
perspicis initiatum Passio-
nis tuse festum devotis cor-
dibus excepisse, facito eos
Passioni tuse communicare :
ut tenebrarum nostrarum
errore discusso, lucis tuse
muniamur prsesidio.
118
PASSION WEEK.
Liturgies. The one we have selected for to-day is
the composition of St. Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop
of Poitiers.
HYMN.
Crux benedicta nitet, Do-
minus qua carne pe-
pendit.
Atque cruore suo vulnera
nostra lavat.
Mitis amore pio pro nobis
victima f actus,
Traxit ab ore lupi qua sacer
Agnus oves.
Transfixis palmis ubi
mundum a clade rede-
mit,
Atque suo clausit funere
mortis iter.
Hie manus ilia fuit clavis
confixa cruentis,
Quae eripuit Paulum cri-
mine, morte Petrum.
Fertilitate potens, o dulce
et nobile lignum,
Quando tuis ramis tarn nova
poma geris.
Cujus odore novo defunc-
ta cadavera surgunt,
Et redeunt vitae qui caruere
die.
Nullum uret sestus sub
frondibus arboris hu-
jus:
Luna nee in noctem, sol ne-
que meridie.
Tu plantata micas secus
est ubi cursus aqua-
rum :
Spargis et t>rnatas flore re-
cente comas.
Appensa est vitis inter
tua brachia, de qua
Dulcia sanguineo vina ru-
bore fluunt.
Briglitly shineth the blessed
Cross, whereon hung the body
of our Lord, when, with his
Blood, he washed our wounds.
Become, out of tender love
for us, a meek Victim, this
divine Lamb did by the Cross
rescue us his sheep from the
jaws of the wolf.
'Twas there, with his hands
nailed to the wood, that he
redeemed the world from ruin,
and by his own death, closed
the way of death.
Here was fastened with
cruel nails that hand which
delivered Paul from sin, and
Peter from death.
O sweet and noble Tree !
how vigorous is thy growth,
when, on thy branches, hang
fruits so rare as these !
Thy fresh fragrance gives
resurrection to many that lay
in the tomb, and restores the
dead to life.
He that shelters beneath
thy shade, shall not be scorch-
ed either by the moon at night
or by the mid -day sun.
Planted near the running
waters, thou art lovely in thy
verdure, and blossoms ever
fresh blow on each fair branch.
Between thine arms hangs
the pendant jVine, whence
wine most sweet flows in a
ruddy stream.
MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
119
MONDAY
IN PASSION WEEK.
The Station, at Rome, is in the Church of Saint
Chrysogonus, one of the most celebrated Martyrs of
the Church of Rome. His name is inserted in the
Canon of the Mass.
COLLECT.
Sanctify, O Lord, we be-
seech thee, our fasts, andmer-
cifully grant us the pardon of
all our sins. Through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Sanctifica, quaesumus, Do-
mine, nostra jejunia : et
cunctarum nobis indulgen-
tiam propitius largire cul-
parum. Per Christum Do-
minum nostrum. Amen.
EPISTLE.
Lesson from Jonas the Prophet.
Gh. III.
In those days : The word of
the Lord came to Jonas the
second time, saying : Arise
and go to Ninive, the great
city : and preach in it the
preaching that I bid thee.
And Jonas arose, and went to
Ninive, according to the word
of the Lord. Now Ninive
was a great city of three days'
j ourney . And Jonas began to
enter into the city one day's
Lectio Jonae Prophetae.
Cap. III.
In diebus illis : Factum est
verbum Domini ad Jonam
Prophetam secundo, dicens :
Surge, et vade in Niniven
civitatem magnam : et prae-
dica in ea praedicationem
quani ego loquor ad te. Et
surrexit Jonas, et abiit in
Niniven juxta verbum
Domini. Et Ninive erat
civitas magna itinere trium
dierum. Et ccepit Jonas
120
PASSION WEEK.
introire in civitatem itinere
diei unius : et clamavit, et
dixit : Adhuc quadraginta
dies et Ninive subvertetur.
Et crediderunt viri Nini-
vitse in Deum : et prsedi-
caverunt jejunium, et vestiti
sunt saccis a majore usque
ad minorem. Et pervenit
verbum ad regem Ninive :
et surrexit de solio suo, et
abjecit vestimentum suum
a se, et indutus est sacco, et
sedit in cinere. Et clamavit,
et dixit in Ninive ex ore
regis, et principum ejus,
dicens : Homines, et jumen-
ta, et boves, et pecora non
gustent quidquam : nee pas-
cantur, et aquam non bi-
bant. Et operiantur saccis
homines, et jumenta, et
clament ad Dominum in
fortitudine, et convertatur
vir a via sua mala, et ab
iniquitate, quae est in mani-
bus eorum. Quis scit si
convertatur, et ignoscat
Deus : et revertatur a fu-
rore irae suse, et non peribi-
mus ? Et vidit Deus opera
eorum, quia conversi sunt
de via sua mala : et miser-
fcus est populo suo Dominus
Deus noster.
Ninive,
of the
princes.
journey : and he cried and
said : Yet forty days and
Ninive shall be destroyed.
And the men of Ninive be-
lieved in God : and they pro-
claimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth from the greatest to
the least. And the word came
to the king of Ninive : and
he rose up out of his throne,
and cast away his robe from
him, and was clothed with
sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
And he caused it to be pro-
claimed and published in
from the mouth
king and of his
saying : Let neither
men nor beasts, oxen nor
sheep, taste any thing : let
them not feed nor drink
water. And let men and
beasts be covered with sack-
cloth, and cry to the Lord
with all their strength, and let
them turn every one from his
evil way, and from the iniqui-
ty that is in their hands. Who
can tell if God will turn and
forgive : and will turn away
from his fierce anger, and we
shall not perish ? And God
saw their works, that they
were turned from their evil
way : and the Lord ,our God
had mercy on his people.
The Church's intention in this day's lesson, is to
encourage us to earnestness and perseverance in our
penance. Here we have an idolatrous city, a haughty
and debauched capital, whose crimes have merited
the anger of heaven. Grod threatens it with his ven-
geance : yet forty days, and Ninive and its in-
habitants shall be destroyed. How came it, that the
threat was not carried into effect ? What was it
MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 121
that caused Ninive to be spared ? Its people re-
turned to the Q-od they had left ; they sued for
mercy ; they humbled themselves, and fasted ; and
the Church concludes the Prophet's account by these
touching words of her own : " And the Lord our
Q-od had mercy on his people." They are Gentiles,
but they became his people, because they did pen-
ance at the Preaching of the Prophet. (rod had
made a covenant with one only nation, — the Jews ;
but he rejected not the Grentiles, as often as they
renounced their false gods, confessed his holy name,
and desired to serve him. We are here taught the
efficacy of corporal mortification ; when united with
spiritual penance, that is, with the repentance of the
heart, it has power to appease Grod's anger. How
highly, then, should we not prize the holy exercises
of penance, put upon us by the Church, during this
holy Season ! Let us also learn to dread that false
spirituality, which tells us that exterior mortification
is of little value : such doctrine is the result of ra-
tionalism and cowardice.
This passage from the Prophet Jonas is also in-
tended for the Catechumens, whose baptism is so
close at hand. It teaches them to have confidence
in this merciful Grod of the Christians, whose threats
are so terrible, but, who, notwithstanding, turns from
his threats to forgive the repentant sinner. These
Catechumens, who had hitherto lived in the Ninive
of paganism, were here taught that Grod, even before
sending his Son into the world, invited all men to
become his people. Seeing the immense obstacles
their Grentile ancestors had to surmount in order to
receive and persevere in the grace offered them, they
would bless Grod their Saviour, for having, by his In-
carnation, his Sacrifice, his Sacraments, and his
Church, facilitated salvation for us who live under
the New Testament. True, he was the source of
salvation to all preceding generations : but with
122
PASSION WEEK,
what incomparable richness is he the source of our% ?
The Public Penitents, too, had their instruction in
this Epistle. What an encouragement for them to
hope for pardon ! Gk>d has shown mercy to Ninive,
sinful as it was, and sentenced to destruction : he
would, therefore, accept their repentance and pen-
ance, he would stay his justice, and show them mercy
and pardon.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Joannem.
Cap. VIT.
In. illo tempore : Miserunt
principes et Pharisaei, mini-
stros, ut apprehenderent
Jesum. Dixit ergo eis
Jesus : Adhuc modicum
tempus vobiscum sum : et
vado ad eum qui me misit.
Quaeretis me, et non in-
venietis : et ubi ego sum
vos non potestis venire.
Dixerunt ergo Judaei ad
semetipsos : Quo hie iturus
est, quia non inveniemus
eum ? Numquid in disper-
sionem Gentium iturus est,
et docturus (rentes ? Quis
est hie sermo, quern dixit :
Quaeretis me, et non inveni-
etis : et ubi sum ego, vos
non potestis venire ? In
novissimo autem die magno
festivitatis stabat Jesus, et
clamabat dicens : Si quis
sitit, veniat ad me, et bibat.
Qui credit in me, sicut dicit
Scriptura, flumina de ventre
ejus fluent aquae vivae. Hoc
autem dixit de Spiritu,
quern accepturi erant cre-
dentes in eum.
Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to John.
Ch. VI I.
At that time : The rulers
and Pharisees sent ministers
to apprehend Jesus. Jesus
therefore said to them : Yet a
little while I am with you :
and then I go to him that sent
me. You shall seek me, and
shall not find me : and
where I am, thither you can-
not come. The Jews there-
fore, said among themselves :
Whither will he go, that we
shall not find him ? Will he
go to the dispersed among the
Gentiles, and teach the Gen-
tiles ? What is this saying
that he hath said : You shall
seek me, and shall not find
me ; and where I am, you
cannot come ? And on the last
and great day of the festival,
Jesus stood and cried, saying :
If any man thirst, let him
come to me, and drink. He
that belie veth in me, as the
Scripture saith, "Out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living
water." Now this he said of
the Spirit which they should
receive who believed in him.
MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 123
The enemies of Jesus sought to stone him to
death, as we were told in yesterday's Gospel ; to-day
they are bent on making him a prisoner, and send
soldiers to seize him. This time Jesus does not hide
himself ; but how awful are the words he speaks : I
go to Him that sent me : you shall seek me, and shall
not find me ! The sinner, then, who has long abused
the grace of God, may have his ingratitude and con-
tempt punished in this just, but terrific way, — that
he shall not be able to find the Jesus he has despised :
he shall seek, and shall not find. Antiochus, when
humbled under the hand of God, prayed, yet obtained
not mercy.1 After the Death and Resurrection
of Jesus, whilst the Church was casting her roots in
the world, the Jews, who had crucified the Just One,
were seeking the Messias in each of the many impostors,
who were then rising up in Judea, and fomenting
rebellions, which led to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Surrounded on all sides by the Roman legions, with
their temple and palaces a prey to flames, they sent
up their cries to heaven, and besought the God of
their fathers to send, as he had promised, the
Deliverer ! It never occurred to them, that this
Deliverer had shown himself to their fathers, to
many even of themselves ; that they had put him to
death, and that the Apostles had already carried his
name to the ends of the earth. They went on look-
ing for him, even to the very day when the deicide
city fell, burying beneath its ruins them that the
sword had spared. Had they been asked, what it
was they were awaiting, they would have replied,
that they were expecting their Messias ! He had
come, and gone. You shall seek me, and shall not
find me ! Let them, too, think of these terrible
words of Jesus, who intend to neglect the graces
offered them during this Easter. Let us pray, let us
make intercession for them, lest they fall into that
l2 Mach. ix. 13.
124 PASSION WEEK.
awful threat, of a repentance that seeks mercy when
it is too late to find aught save an inexorable
Justice.
But, what consoling thoughts are suggested by the
concluding words of our Grospel ! Faithful souls, and
you that have repented ! listen to what your Jesus
says, for it is to you that he speaks : If any man
thirst, let him come to me and drink. Remember
the prayer of the Samaritan woman : Give me 0
Lord, to drink of this icater ! This water is divine
grace: come and drink your fill at the fountains of
your Saviour, as the Prophet Isaias bids you.1 This
water gives purity to the soul that is defiled, strength
to them that are weak, and love to them that have no
fervour. Nay, our Saviour assures us, that he who
believes in Him, shall himself become as a fountain
of living water, for the, Holy Ghost will come upon
him, and this soul shall pour out upon others of the
fulness that she herself has received. With what
joy must not the Catechumen have listened to these
words, which promised him that his thirst should
soon be quenched at the holy Font ! Jesus has made
himself everything to the world he has come to save :
Light to guide us, Bread to nourish us, a Vine to
gladden our hearts with its fruit, and, lastly, a
Fountain of Living Water to quench our thirst.
Humiliate capita vestra Bow down your heads to
Deo. God.
Da, qusesumus, Domine, Grant, 0 Lord, we beseech
populo tuo salutem mentis thee, to thy people, health
et corporis : ut bonis operi- both of body and mind, that
bus inhserendo, tua semper being constant in the prac-
mereatur protectione de- tice of good works, they may
fendi. Per Christum Domi- always be safe under thy pro-
num nostrum. Amen. tection. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
1 Is. xii. 3.
MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
125
This being the day on which the Church offers to
our meditations the history of the Prophet Jonas
preaching to Ninive, we subjoin a new fragment
from the Hymn of Prudentius on Fasting. It is the
passage where he relates the life of this Prophet,
and the repentance of the wicked City.
HYMN.
I fain would now, in holy
Fasting's praise, tell, from the
book of truth, how God our
Father, with his wonted love,
repressed the fire and thunder
of his wrath, and spared the
city doomed to be destroyed.
In ancient days, a city
flourished, whose mighty
power drove her into haughti-
ness extreme. Criminal in-
dulgence and lewd corruption
had destroyed the morals of
her people, so brutalising
them, that they left the
worship of the God of heaven.
At length, the tired pa-
tience of God's long-suffering
gave way to justice, which
moves his hand to prepare
his arrowed lightnings, and
storm-voiced clouds, and jar-
ring whirlwinds, and thunder-
bolts that shake the vault of
heaven.
Yet does he grant them
time for penitence, wherein to
tame and break the wicked-
ness of their lust and wonted
follies. Mercy, that waits for
prayer, holds back the blow of
Eeferre prisci stemma
nunc jejuni!
Libet, fideli proditum volu-
mine,
TJt diruendae civitatis inco-
lis
Fulmen benigni mansuefac-
tum Patris,
Pie repressis ignibus, pe-
percerit.
Gens insolenti prsepotens
jactantia
Pollebat olim : quam fluen-
tem nequiter
Corrupta vulgo solverat la-
scivia ;
Et inde bruto contumax fa-
stidio
Cultum superni negligebat
Numinis.
Offensa tandem jugis in-
dulgentise
Censura, justis excitatur
motibus,
Dextram perarmat rhom-
phseali incendio,
Nimbos crepantes, et fra-
gosos turbines
Vibrans tonantum nube
flammarum quatit.
Sed pcenitendi dum da-
tur diecula,
Si forte vellent improbam
libidinem
Veteresque nugas condo-
mare, ac frangere.
126
PASSION WEEK.
Suspendit ictum terror exo-
rabilis,
Paulumque dicta substitit
sententia.
Jonam prophetam mitis
ultor excitat,
Poense imminentis iret ut
prsenuncius ;
Sed nosset ille quum mina-
cem judicem
Servare malle, quam ferire
ac plectere,
Tectam latenter vertit in
Tharsos fugam.
Celsam paratis pontibus
scandit ratem :
TJdo revincta fune puppis
solvitur.
Itur per altum : fit procel-
losum mare :
Turn causa tanti quseritur
perieuli :
Sors in fugacem missa va-
tem decidit.
Jussus perire solus e cunc-
tis reus,
Cujus voluta crimen urn a
expresserat,
Prseceps rotatur, et pro-
fundo immergitur :
Exceptus inde belluinis fau-
cibus,
Alvi capacis vivus hauritur
specu.
Intactus exin tertise noc-
tis vice
Monstri vomentis pellitur
singultibus,
Qua murmuranti fine fluc-
tus frangitur,
Salsosque candens spuma
tundit pumices,
Buctatus exit, seque ser-
vatum stupet.
In Ninivitas se coactus
percito
anger ; a brief delay puts off
the day of, doom.
The meek Avenger sends a
herald of the coming woe : it
is Jonas the Prophet. But he,
well knowing that the
threatening Judge is prone to
save, rather than to strike and
punish, stealthily to Tharsis
flees.
A noble vessel was prepared
for sail, whereon he takes his
place. The anchor weighed,
the vessel puts from shore.
She ploughs the deep, when,
lo ! a storm. Endangered
thus, the crew would know
the cause, and casting lots, it
falls upon the fugitive, the
Prophet.
Of all, the only one in fault
is he. His guilt is clear, the
lot has told the tale. Head-
long is he cast, and buried in
the deep ; and as he falls, a
whale's huge jaw receives the
Prophet, burying him alive in
the sepulchre of his capacious
womb.
There for three nights, does
Jonas lie unhurt ; which
passed, the sick monster
heaves him from his womb,
j ust where the murmuring bil-
lows break upon the shore,
and whiten the salty rocks
with foam. The Prophet
comes forth, — wondering, but
safe.
"J Compelled, 'to Ninive he
turns his hurried steps. He
MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
127
chides, hecensures, lie charges
her with all her shameless
crimes, saying : " The anger
" of the great Avenger shall
" fall upon you, and speedily
" your City shall be made a
"prey to fire. Believe the
11 prophecy I speak."
Then to the summit of a
lofty hill he goes, from whence
to see the thickened clouds of
smoke rising from the ruined
heap, and gaze upon the pile
of unpitied dead. Suddenly
there grows upon the spot
an ivy-tree, whose knotted
branches yield a shaded cover.
But scarce had the mourn-
ful City felt the wound of her
coming grief, than deathly
fear possesses her. Her
people and her senate, her
young and old, youths pale
with panic, and women wail-
ing loud, scamper in groups
along the spacious walls.
It is decreed, — the anger of
Christ shall by fasting be ap-
peased. Henceforth, they
spurn to eat. Matrons doff
their trinkets, and vest in
dingy garbs, and, for their
wreaths of pearls and silks,
sprinkle ashes on their hair.
Patricians put on robes of
sombre hue ; the people,
weeping, take hair-shirts for
their dress ; dishevelled maid-
ens clad in skins of beasts,
and hide their faces in veils
of black. Children, too, make
the dust of earth their bed.
Gressu reflectit ; quos ut
increpaverat,
Pudenda censor imputans
opprobria.
Impendet, inquit, ira sum-
mi vindicis,
Urbemque flamma mox
cremabit : credite.
Apicem deinceps ardui
montis petit,
Visurus inde conglobatum
turbidse
Fumum ruinse, cladis et
dirse struem,
Tectus flagellis multinodi
germinis,
Nato et repente perfruens
umbraculo.
Sed mcesta postquam ci-
vitas vulnus novi
Hausit doloris, heu ! supre-
mum palpitat.
Cursant per ampla congre-
gatim mcenia
Plebs, et senatus, omnis
setas civium,
Pallens juventus, ejulantes
feminEe.
Placet frementem publi-
cis jejuniis
Placare Christum : mos
edendi spernitur.
Glaucos amictus induit mo-
nilibus
Matrona demptis, proque
gemma, et serico
Crinem fluentem sordidus
spargit cinis.
Squalent recincta veste
pullati patres,
Setasque plangens turba
sumit textiles,
Impexa villis virgo bestialibus
Nigrante vultum contegit
velamine,
Jacens arenis et puer pro-
volvitur.
128
PASSION WEEK.
Rex ipse Coos sestuantem
murices
Laenam revulsa dissipabat
fibula,
Gemmas virentes, et lapil-
los sutiles,
Insigne frontis exuebat vin-
culum
Turpe capillos impeditus
pulvere.
Nullus bibendi, nemo ve-
scendi memor :
Jejuna mensas pubes omnis
liquerat :
Quin et negato lacte vagien-
tium
Fletu madescunt parvulo-
rum cunulse :
Succum papillae parca nu-
trix derogat.
Greges et ipsos claudit
armentalium
Solers virorum cura, ne
vagum pecus
Contingat ore rorulenta
gramina,
Potum strepentis neve fontis
hauriat ;
Vacuis querelas personant
praesepibus.
Mollitus his, et talibus,
brevem Deus
Iram refraenat, temperans
oraculum
Prosper sinistrum : prona
nam dementia
Haud difficulter supplicum
mortalium
Solvit reatum, fitque fau-
trix flentium.
The king himself from his
shoulders tears the Cossian
purple robe, and for the
diadem that decks his brow
with emeralds and gems,
strews grim ashes on his head .
None think of drink or
meat. Among the youths,
not one would touch the food
prepared. Nay, babes are
kept from their mothers'
breasts, and in their cradles,
wet with tears, these little
f asters lie.
The herdsman, too, pens up
his flock with care, lest, left
to roam, the dewy grass or
rippling fount should tempt
them to transgress the uni-
versal fast; but now, pent up,
their moans rebellow through
their prison-cave.
Thus is God appeased, his
anger brief restrained, and
threatened evil yields to prof-
fered love : for mercy leans to
pardon men their sins, if they
but humbly pray ; and when
they weep, she makes herself
their friend.
Let us close the day with these stanzas in honour
of the holy Cross. We have taken them from the
Triodion of the Greek Church.
MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
129
HYMN.
(Feria VI. medics Septimance.)
Purified by our fast, let us, Sanctissimum lignum, in
quo Christus manibus ex-
tensis adversarias potesta-
to the praise and glory of the
Omnipotent God, venerate
that most holy Cross, whereon
Christ, with his arms stretched
forth, overcame the power of
our enemy.
The saving Cross, thatsanc-
tifies us, is now exposed before
our eyes. Let us draw nigh,
having purified our body and
our soul.
Cleanse me, O merciful
Saviour, by the fire of thy
commandments, and grant
that I may contemplate thy
saving Passion, and lovingly
adore it, having the Cross for
my protection and defence.
Having our hearts purified
by the waters of our fast, let
us, with faith, embrace the
wood of the Cross, on which
Christ was crucified, and gave
us the water of immortality.
Having thy Cross as our
sail, we have already winged
our way half through the
saving voyage of our fast.
Lead us by the same, 0 Jesus
our Saviour, into the haven of
thy Passion.
Moses on the mount was a
figure of thee, 0 holy Cross,
(when lie grayed with his out-
stretched arms, J unto the de-
struction of the Amalekites.
Grant that we, who sign thee
on ourselves, and lovingly
gaze on and venerate thee,
may, by thy power, put our
spiritual enemies to flight.
tes devicit, adoremus jeju-
nio nitidi, ad laudem et
gloriam Omnipotentis.
Crux salutifera sanctifi-
cationem suppeditans pro-
posita cernitur. Acceda-
mus, cor et corpus emun-
dantes.
Igne mandatorum tuo-
rum munda me, benigne,
et da, ut salutiferam Pas-
sionem tuam intuear, et cum
desiderio adorem, Cruce val-
latus et conservatus.
Aquis jejunii pectora pur-
gati, lignum Crucis fideliter
amplectamur, in quo Chris-
tus crucifixus aquam im-
mortalitatis nobis emisit.
Crucis velut velo alati,
salutarem jejunii navigatio-
nem jam mediam emensi
sumus, Jesu Salvator, per
quam deduc nos ad Passio-
nis tuse portum.
Prsemonstrabat te Moy-
ses in monte, o Crux, in
gentium interitum. Nos ve-
ro efformantes te, et corde
intuentes et adorantes, hos-
tes carnis expertes virtute
tua profligamus.
130
PASSION WEEK.
TUESDAY
IN PASSION WEEK.
The Station, in Rome, was formerly the Church of
the Martyr Saint Cyriacus, and as such it is still
given in the Roman Missal ; but this holy sanctuary
having been destroyed, and the relics of the holy
Deacon translated to the Church of Saint Mary in
Via lata, it is here that the Station is now held.
COLLECT.
Nostra tibi, Domine, quse-
sumus, sint accepta jeju-
nia : quae nos expiando,
gratia tua dignos efficiant ;
et ad remedia perducant
seterna. Per Christum Do-
minum nostrum. Amen.
May our fast, 0 Lord, we
beseech thee, be acceptable to
thee, and, having purified us
from sin, make us worthy of
thy grace , and procure us ever-
lasting remedies. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Danielis Prophetse.
Cap. XIV
In diebus illis : Congre-
gati sunt Babylonii ad re-
gem, et dixerunt ei : Trade
nobis Danielem, qui Bel de-
struxit, et draconem interfe-
cit ; alioquin interficiemus
te et domum tuam. Vidit
ergo rex quod irruerent in
Lesson from Daniel the
Prophet.
Oh. XIV.
In those days : The people
of Babylon gathered together
against the king, and said to
him : Deliver up to us Daniel,
who hath destroyed Bel, and
killed the Dragon, otherwise
we will destroy thee and thy
house. And the king saw that
TUE8DAY IN PASSION WEEK.
131
they pressed upon him vio-
lently ; and being constrained
by necessity, he delivered
Daniel to them. And they
cast him into the den of lions,
and he was there six days.
And in the den there were
seven lions, and they had given
to them two carcasses every
day, and two sheep : but then
they were not given unto
them, to the intent that they
might devour Daniel. Now
there was in Judea a prophet
called Habacuc, and he had
boiled pottage, and had broken
bread in a bowl ; and was
going into the field to carry it
to the reapers. And the Angel
of the Lord said to Habacuc :
Carry the dinner which thou
hast, into Babylon, to Daniel,
who is in the lions' den. And
Habacuc said : Lord, I never
saw Babylon, nor do I know
the den. And the Angel of
the Lord took him by the top
of his head, and carried him
by the hair of his head, and
set him in Babylon, over the
den, in the force of his spirit.
And Habacuc cried, saying :
O Daniel, thou servant of
God, take the dinner that God
hath sent thee. And Daniel
said : Thou hast remembered
me, O God, and thou hast
not forsaken them that
love thee. And Daniel arose
and ate. And the Angel of
the Lord presently set Ha-
bacuc again in his own place.
And upon the seventh day the
king came to bewail Daniel :
and he came to the den, and
looked in, and behold Daniel
was sitting in the midst of the
oum vehementer : et neces-
sitate compulsus tradidit
eis Danielem. Qui miserunt
eum in lacum leonum, et
erat ibi diebus sex. Porro in
lacu erant leones septem, et
dabantur eis duo corpora
quotidie, et duae oves : et
tunc non data sunt eis, ut
devorarent Danielem. Erat
autem Habacuc propheta in
Judsea, et ipse coxerat pul-
mentum, et intriverat panes
in alveolo : et ibat in cam-
pum, ut ferret messoribus.
Dixitque Angelus Domini
ad Habacuc : Fer prandium
quod habes, in Babylonem
Danieli, qui est in lacu leo-
num. Et dixit Habacuc : Do-
mine, Babylonem non vidi,
et lacum nescio. Et appre-
hendit eum Angelus Domini
in vertice ejus, et portavit
eum capillo capitis sui, po-
suitque eum in Babylone
supra lacum in impetu spi-
ritus sui. Et clamavit Haba-
cuc, dicens : Daniel, serve
Dei, tolle prandium quod
misit tibi Deus. Et ait Da-
niel : Becordatus es mei
Deus, et non dereliquisti
diligentes te. Surgensque
Daniel comedit. Porro An-
gelus Domini restituit Ha-
bacuc confestim in loco
suo. Venit ergo rex die
septimo, ut lugeret Danie-
lem : et venit ad lacum, et
introspexit, et ecce Daniel
sedens in medio leonum.
Et exclamavit voce magna
rex, dicens : Magnus es,
Domine Deus Danielis. Et
extraxit eum de lacu leo-
num. Porro illos qui perdi-
132 PASSION WEEK.
tionis ejus causa fuerant, lions. And the king cried out
intromisit in lacum, et de- with a loud voice, saying :
vorati sunt in momento co- Great art thou, 0 Lord, the
ram eo. Tunc rex ait : Pa- God of DaDiel. And he drew
veant omnes habitantes in him out of the lions' den.
universa terra Deum Da- But those that had been the
nielis ; quia ipse est salva- cause of his destruction, he
tor, faciens signa et mira- cast into the den, and they
bilia in terra : qui liberavit were devoured in a moment
Danielem de lacu leonum. before him. Then the king
said : Let all the inhabitants
of the whole earth fear the
God of Daniel ; for he is the
Saviour, working signs and
wonders in the earth ; who
hath delivered Daniel out of
the lions' den.
This Lesson was intended, in an especial manner,
as an instruction to the Catechumens. They were
preparing to enrol themselves as Christians ; it was,
therefore, necessary that they should have examples
put before them, which they might study and imi-
tate. Daniel, cast into the Lion's Den for having
despised and destroyed the idol Bel, was the type of
a Martyr. This Prophet had confessed the true Grod
in Babylon ; he had put to death a Dragon, to which
the people, after Bel had been destroyed, had given
their idolatrous worship : nothing less than Daniel's
death could appease their indignation. The holy
man full of confidence in Grod, allowed himself to be
thrown into the Lions' Den, thus setting an example
of courageous faith to the future Christians : they
would imitate him, and for three centuries, would
nobly shed their blood for the establishment of the
Church of Christ. In the Roman catacombs, we
continually meet with the representation of Daniel
surrounded by lions, and many of these paintings
date from the ages of Persecution. Thus, the eye of
the Catechumens could see what their ear heard, —
both told them to be ready for trial and sacrifice,
TUESDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 133
It is true, the history of Daniel showed them the
power of Cod interfering and delivering him from
death ; but they were fully aware, that in order to
merit a like deliverance, they would have to show a
like constancy, and be ready to suffer death, rather
than deny their faith. From time to time, a Chris-
tian was led to the amphitheatre, and the wild beasts
would fawn at his feet : but such miracles only put
off the Martyr's sacrifice, and perhaps won others to
the faith.
It was the Prophet's courage, and not his victory
over the lions, that the Church proposed to her
Catechumens. The great thing for them to bear in
mind, was this maxim of our Lord : Fear not them
that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul ;
but rather fear him that can destroy both soul and
body into hell.1 We are the descendants of these
early Christians ; but our faith has not cost us what
it cost them. And yet we have a tyrant to try even
ours : we have to confess our faith, not indeed be-
fore Proconsuls or Emperors, but before the world.
Let the example of the brave Martyrs send us forth
from our Lent with a courageous determination to
withstand this tyrant, with his maxims, his pomps,
and his works. There has been a truce between him
and us, during these days of retirement and penance ;
but the battle will soon be renewed, and then we
must stand the brunt, and show that we are Chris-
tians.
GOSPEL.
Sequel of the hoty Gospel ac- Sequentia sancti Evange-
cording to John. lii secundum Joanne m.
Ch. VII. Cap. VII.
At that time : Jesus walked In illo tempore : Ambula-
in Galilee ; for he would not bat Jesus in Galilaeam, non
1 St. Matth. x. 28.
134
PASSION WEEK.
enim volebat in Judaeam
ambulare, quia quaerebant
eum Judaei interficere. Erat
autem in proximo dies fes-
tus Judaeorum, Scenope-
gia. Dixerunt autem ad
eum fratres ejus : Transi
hinc, et vade in Judaeam,
ut et discipuli tui videant
opera tua, quae facis. Nemo
quippe in occulto quid fa-
cit, et quaerit ipse in palam
esse : si haec facis, mani-
festa teipsum mundo. Ne-
que enim fratres ejus cre-
debant in eum. Dicit ergo
eis Jesus : Tempus meum
nondum advenit : tempus
autem vestrum semper est
paratum. Non potest mun-
dus odisse vos ; me autem
odit : quia ego testimonium
perhibeo de illo, quod opera
ejus mala sunt. Vos ascen-
dite ad diem festum hunc,
ego antem non ascendo ad
diem festum istum : quia
meum tempus nondum im-
pletum est. Haec cum dixis-
set, ipse mansit in Gali-
laea. Ut autem ascenderunt
fratres ejus, tunc et ipse
ascendit ad diem festum
non manifeste, sed quasi in
occulto. Judaei ergo quae-
rebant eum in die festo, et
dicebant : Ubi est ille ? et
murmur multum erat in
turba do eo. Quidam enim
dicebant : Quia bonus est.
Alii autem dicebant : Non,
sed seducit turbas. Nemo
tamen palam loquebatur de
illo, propter metum Judaeo-
rum.
walk in Judea, because the
Jews sought to kill him. Now
the Jews' feast of Tabernacles
was at hand. And his breth-
ren said to him : Depart
from hence, and go into Judea,
that thy disciples also may
see thy works which thou dost.
For there is no man that doth
anything in secret, and he
himself seeketh to be known
openly ; if thou do these
things, manifest thyself to the
world. For neither did his
brethren believe in him. Then
Jesus said to them : My time
is not yet come; but your
time is always ready. The
world cannot hate you ; but
me it hateth : because I give
testimony of it, that the works
thereof are evil. Go you up
to this festival day, but I go
not up to this festival day ;
because my time is not accom-
plished. When he had said
these things, he himself .staid
in Galilee. But after his
brethren were gone up, then
he also went up to the feast,
not openly, but as it were in
secret. The Jews therefore
sought him on the festival
day, and said : Where is he ?
And there was much murmur-
ing among the multitude con-
cerning him. For some said :
He is a good man. And
others said : No, but he
seduceth the people. Yet no
man spoke openly of him, for
fear of the Jews.
The facts here related refer to an earlier part of
TUESDAY IN 1'ASSION WEEK. l'Si)
our Lord's life ; but the Church proposes them to
our consideration to-day, on account of their con-
nection with those given us in the Gospels read to us
during the last few days. We learn from these
words of St. John, that the Jews were plotting the
death of Jesus, not only when this the last Pasch
for the Synagogue was approaching, but even so far
back as the Feast of Tabernacles, which was kept in
September. The Son of God was reduced to the
necessity of going from place to place as it ivere in
secret ; if he would go to Jerusalem, he must take
precautions ! Let us adore these humiliations of
the Man- Grod, who has deigned to sanctify every
position of life, even that of the just man persecuted
and obliged to hide himself from his enemies. It
would have been an easy matter for him to con-
found his adversaries by working miracles, such as
those which Herod's curiosity sought for ; he
could have compelled them to treat him with the
reverence that was due to him. But this is not
God's way ; he does not force man to duty ; he acts,
and then leaves man to recognise his Creator's
claims. In order to do this, man must be attentive
and humble, he must impose silence on his passions.
The divine light shows itself to the soul that thus
comports herself. First, she sees the actions, the
works, of God ; then, she believes, and ivishes to
believe : her happiness, as well as her merit, lies in
Faith, and faith will be recompensed in eternity
with Light, — with the Vision.
Flesh and blood cannot understand this ; they
love show and noise. The Son of God, having come
down upon this earth, could not subject himself to
such an abasement as that of making a parade of
his infinite power before men. He had to work
miracles, in order to give a guarantee of his mission ;
but, as Man, everything he did was not to be a
136 PASSION WEEK.
miracle. By far the longest period of his life was
devoted to the humble duties of a creature ; had it
not been so, how should we have learned from him
what we so much needed to know ? Sis Brethren,
(the Jews gave the name of Brothers to all who were
collaterally related,) his Brethren wished Jesus to
make a display of his miraculous power, for some of
the glory would have accrued to them. This their
ambition caused our Lord to address them in these
strong words, upon which we should meditate during
this holy season, for, later on, we shall stand in need
of the teaching : "The world cannot hate you ; but
me it hateth." Let us, therefore, for the time to come,
not please the world ; its friendship would separate
us from Jesus Christ.
Humiliate capita vestra Bow down your heads to
Deo. God.
Da nobis, qusesumus, Do- Grant us, O Lord, we be-
mine, perseverantem in tua seech thee, perseverance in
voluntate f amulatum : ut in thy service; that in our days,
diebus nostris, et merito et thy faithful may increase
numero, populus tibi ser- both in number and good-
viens augeatur. Per Chris- ness. Through Christ our
turn Dominum nostrum. Lord. Amen.
Amen.
The following devout Hymn, taken from the
ancient Roman-French Missals, may serve us as an
expression of the sentiments we entertain towards
our loving Redeemer.
HYMN.
Eex Christe factor omni- O Jesus ! thou King and
urn. Creator of all, Eedeemer, too,
Eedemptor et credentium : of believers, be appeased by
Placare votis supplicum the prayer and praise of thy
Te laudibus colentium. humble suppliants.
TUESDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
137
'Twas thy loving grace that,
by the dear wounds of the
Cross, broke so powerfully the
fetters forged by our first
Parents.
Thou, that art the Creator
of the stars, didst deign to as-
sume a body of flesh, and en-
dure the most humiliating
sufferings.
Thy hands were tied, that
thou mightest loosen sinners,
accomplices of a world con-
demned: thou didst suffer
shame, so to cleanse away the
manifold sins of the world.
Thou, our Redeemer, art
fastened to the Cross, but thou
movest the whole earth : thou
breathest forth thy mighty
Spirit, and the world is buried
in darkness.
But soon we see thee shin-
ing triumphantly on the high
throne of thy Father's glory :
do thou, 0 best of Kings, de-
fend us by the protection of
the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Cujus benigna gratia
Crucis per alma vulnera,
Virtute solvit ardua
Primi parentis vincula.
Qui es Creator siderum
Tegmen subisti carneum :
Dignatus es vilissimam
Pati doloris f ormulam.
Ligatus es ut solveres
Mundi mentis complices :
Per probra tergens crimina
Quae mundus auxit pluri-
ma.
Cruci Redemptor figeris,
Terram sed omnem concu-
tis :
Tradis potentem spiritum,
Nigrescit atque sseculum.
Mox in paternse glorise
Victor resplendens culmi-
ne :
Cum Spiritus munimine
Defende nos, Rex optime.
Amen.
Let us pay our homage to the holy Cross, in these
words of the Greek Liturgy.
HYMN.
(Fevia IV. medice SeptimmwB.)
Thou, 0 Lord, God, the
Creator of all things, wast
lifted up on the Cross, in the
middle of the earth ; thou
didst draw up to thyself that
human nature, which had fall-
en by the most'wicked persua-
sion of the enemy. Wherefore
we pay thee our loyal homage,
for thy Passion has strength-
ened us.
Dominus omnium et con-
ditor Deus, in medio terrae
in Crucem elevatus es, attra-
hens ad te earn, qu£e pessimo
inimici suasu corruerat, hu-
manam naturam. Quaprop-
ter sincere te concelebramus,
"Passione tuaroborati.
138
PASSION WEEK.
Mundatis sensibus jejunii
lumine, intellectualibus Cru-
cis radiis largissime illustre-
mur, eamque hodie proposi-
tam reverenter conspicien-
tes, castis labiis, ore et corde
adoremus.
Locum ubi steterunt pe-
des Domini adoremus, Cru-
cem videlicet divinam ; ob-
secrantes ut animse nostrse
pedes in petra divinorum
mandatorum firmentur, et
ut gressus ejus, divina gra-
tia in viam pacis dirigantur.
Plaudite omnes fines ter-
rse in hymnis, quando ado-
rari videtis lignum in quo
Christus suspensus, et dia-
bolus vulneratus est.
Vivifica Crux hodie pro-
ponitur : cum gaudio igi-
tur et timore adoremus Do-
mini Crucem, ut Spiritum
Sanctum accipiamus.
Accedens ut te tangam,
vivifica Crux, cohorresco et
lingua et mente, cernens in
te divinum Domini mei san-
guinem efrusum esse.
Confirma, Domine, Eccle-
siam tuam, quam acquisi-
visti virtute Crucis tuse ; in
ilia enim inimicum trium-
phasti, totumque mundum
illuminasti.
The light of fasting has puri-
fied our senses ; may we be
most brightly enlightened by
the spiritual rays of thy Cross.
On this day it is exposed to
our view ; grant that we may
devoutly kiss it, and venerate
it in our hymns and hearts.
Let as adore the place where
stood his feet, that is, the holy
Cross, and beseech him to
firmly fix the feet of our soul
on the rock of his divine com-
mandments, and, by his holy
grace, guide her steps into the
way of peace.
Loudly sing your hymns, 0
all ye ends of the earth, when
ye behold men venerating
that wood, whereon Christ
was fastened, and whereby
Satan received his wound.
The life-giving Crosses this
day exposed : let us, then,
with joy and fear, venerate
the Cross of our Lord, that we
may receive the Holy Ghost.
O life-giving Cross, my
tongue andheart tremble with
fear, as I draw nigh to touch
thee, for I see the divine Blood
of my Lord poured forth upon
thee.
Strengthen, 0 Lord, thy
Church, which thou didst pur-
chase to thyself by the power
of thy Cross ; for by the Cross
thou didst triumph over the
enemy and enlighten the
whole world.
WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
139
WEDNESDAY.
IN PASSION WEEK.
At Rome, the Station is in the Church of Saint
Marcellus, Pope and Martyr. This Church was once
the house of the holy lady Lucina, who gave it to
the Pontiff, that he might consecrate it to God.
COLLECT.
Enlighten, O God of mercy,
the hearts of thy people by
means of this holy fast ; and
since all our devotion is the
effect of thy bounty, merciful-
ly hear the petitions we make.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Sanctificato hoc jejunio,
Deus, tuorum corda fi.de-
lium miserator illustra : et
quibus devotion is prsestas
affectum, praebe supplican-
tibus pium benignus audi-
tum. Per Christum Domi-
num nostrum. Amen.
EPISTLE.
Lesson from the book of Levi-
ticus.
Cap. XIX.
In those days : The Lord
spake to Moses, saying: Speak
to all the assembly of the
children of Israel, and thou
shalt say to them : I am the
Lord your God. You shall
not steal. You shall not lie :
neither shall any man deceive
his neighbour. Thou shalt not
Lectio Libri Levitici.
Cli. XIX.
In diebus illis : Locutus
est Dominus ad Moysen, di-
cens : Loquere ad omnem
coy turn filiorum Israel, et
dices ad eos : Ego Dominus
Deus vester. Non facietis
furtum. Non mentiemini,
nee decipiet unusquisque
proximum suum. Non per-
140
PASSTON WEEK.
tuo.
nee
Non
swear falsely by my name, nor
profane the name of thy God.
I am the Lord. Thou shalt
not calumniate thy neighbour,
nor oppress him by violence.
The wages of him that has
been hired by thee, shall not
abide with thee until the
morning. Thou shalt not
speak evil of the deaf, nor put
a stumbling block before the
blind : but thou shalt fear the
Lord thy God, because I am
the Lord. Thou shalt not do
that which is unjust, nor
judge unjustly. Respect not
the person of the poor, nor
honor the countenance of the
mighty. Judge thy neighbour
according to justice. Thou
shalt not be a detractor nor a
whisperer among the people.
Thou shalt not stand against
the blood of thy neighbour.
I am the Lord. Thou shalt
not hate thy brother in thy
heart, but reprove him openly,
lest thou incur sin through
him. Seek not revenge, nor
be mindful of the injury of
thy citizens. Thou shalt love
thy friend as thyself. I am
the Lord. Keep ye my laws,
for I am the Lord your God.
This passage from Leviticus, wherein our duties to
our neighbour are so clearly and so fully denned, is
read to us to-day, in order that we may see how we
fulfil these important duties, and correct whatever
short-comings we may discover in ourselves. It is
God who here speaks ; it is God who commands.
Observe that phrase : i" am the Lord : he repeats it
several times, to show us that if we injure our neigh-
bour, He, God himself, will become the avenger.
jurabis in nomine meo, nee
pollues nomen Dei tui. Ego
Dominus. Non facies ca-
lumniam proximo tuo, nee
vi opprimes eum. Non mo-
rabitur opus mercenarii tui
apud te usque mane. Non
maledices surdo, nee coram
cseco pones offendiculum :
sed timebis Dominum Deum
tuum, quia ego sum Do-
minus. Non facies quod ini-
quum est, nee in juste ju-
dicabis. Non consideres
personam pauperis, nee ho-
nores vultum potentis. Jus-
te judica proximo
Non eris criminator,
susurro in populo.
stabis contra sanguinem
proximi tui. Ego Dominus.
Non oderis fratrem tuum in
corde tuo, sed publice argue
eum, ne habeas super illo
peccatum. Non quaeras ul-
tionem, nee memor eris in-
jurise civium tuorum. Dili-
ges amicum tuum sicut teip-
sum. Ego Dominus. Le-
ges meas custodite. Ego
enim sum Dominus Deus
vester.
WEDNESDAY TN PASSION WEEK. 141
How strange must not such doctrine have seemed
to the Catechumens, who had been brought up in
the selfish and heartless principles of Paganism !
Here they are told, that all men are Brethren, and
that (rod is the common Father of all, commanding
all to love one another with sincere charity, and
without distinction of nation or class. Let us Chris-
tians resolve to fulfil this precept to the letter : these
are days for good resolutions. Let us remember that
the commandments we have been reading were given
to the Israelite people, many ages before the preach-
ing of the Law of Love. If, then, Grod exacted from
the Jew a cordial love of his fellow-men, when the
divine law was written on mere tablets of stone ;
what will he not require from the Christian, who can
now read that Law in the Heart of the Man-Grod,
who has come down from heaven and made himself
our Brother, in order that we might find it easier
and sweeter to fulfil the precept of charity ? Human
nature united in his Person to the Divine, is hence-
forth sacred ; it has become an object of the heavenly
Father's love. It was out of fraternal love for this
our nature that Jesus suffered death, teaching us,
by his own example, to have such love for our breth-
ren, that, if necessary, we ought to lay down our
lives for them.1 It is the Beloved Disciple that
teaches us this, and he had it from his Divine Master.
GOSPEL.
Sequel of the holy Gospel Sequentia sancti Evangelii
according to John. secundum Joannem.
Oh. X. Gap. X.
At that time : It was the In illo tempore : Facta
feast of the Dedication at sunt encaenia in Jerosoly-
Jerusalem: and it was winter, mis : et hiems erat. Et am-
And Jesus walked in the bulabat Jesus in templo,
H. St. John, iii. 16.
142
PASSION WEEK.
in porticu Salmonis. Cir-
cumdederunt ergo eum
Judaei, et dicebant ei :
Quousque animam nostram
tollis ? Si tu es Christus,
die nobis palam. Respondit
eis Jesus : Loquor vobis, et
non creditis. Opera quae
ego facio in nomine Patris
mei, hoec testimonium per-
hibent de me. Sed vos non
creditis, quia non estis ex
ovibus meis. Oves mese
vocem meam audiunt : et
ego cognosco eas, et sequun-
tur me : et ego vitam seter-
nam do eis : et non peribunt
in seternum, et non rapiet
eas quisquam de manu mea.
Pater meus quod dedit mihi,
majus omnibus est : et nemo
potest rapere de manu
Patris mei. Ego, et Pater
unum sumus. Sustulerunt
ergo lapides Judsei, ut lapi-
darent eum. Respondit eis
Jesus : Multa bona opera
ostendi vobis ex Patre meo ;
propter quod eorum opus
me lapidatis ? Responde-
runt ei Judsei : De bono
opere non lapidamus te, sed
de blasphemia : et quia tu
homo cum sis, facis teipsum
Deum. Respondit eis
Jesus : Nonne scriptum est
in lege vestra : Quia ego
dixi, Dii estis ? Si illos
dixit deos, ad quos sermo
Dei factus est, et non potest
solvi Scriptura : quern Pater
sanctificavit, et misit in
mundum, vos dicitis : Quia
blasphernas ; quia dixi,
Films Dei sum ? Si non
facio opera Patris mei,
nolite credere mihi. Si
temple in Solomon's porch :
the Jews therefore came round
about him, and said to him :
How long dost thou hold our
souls in suspense ? If thou be
the Christ, tell us plainly.
Jesus answered them : I speak
to you and you believe not.
The works that I do in the
name of my Father, they give
testimony of me. But you do
not believe because you are
not of my sheep. My sheep
hear rny voice : and I know
them, and they follow me :
and I give them eternal life :
and they shall not perish for
ever, and no man shall pluck
them out of my hand. That
which my Father hath given
me, is greater than all : and
no man can snatch it out of
the hand of my Father. I
and the Father are one. The
Jews then took up stones to
stone him. Jesus answered
them : Many good works I
have shewed you from my
Father ; for which of those
works do you stone me ?
The Jews answered him : For
a good work we stone thee not,
but for blasphemy : and be-
cause that thou, being a man,
makest thyself God. Jesus
answered them : Is it not
written in your law : I said
you are gods ? If he called
them Gods, to whom the word
of God was spoken, and the
Scripture cannot be broken ;
do you say of him, whom the
Father hath sanctified and
sent into the world : Thou
blasphemest ; because I said I
am the Son of God ? If I do
not the works of my Father,
WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 143
believe me not. But if I do, autem facio, et si mini non
though you will not believe vultis credere, operibus cre-
me, believe the works, that dite, ut cognoscatis, et cre-
you may know, and believe datis quia Pater in me est,
that the Father is in me, and et ego in Pater.
I in the Father.
After the Feast of Tabernacles came that of the
Dedication, and Jesus remained in Jerusalem. The
hatred his enemies bore him is greater than ever.
They come round about him, that they may make
him say he is the Christ, and then accuse him of
claiming a mission which does not belong to him.
Jesus deigns not to reply to their question, but tells
them that they have seen his works, and that these
give ample testimony of his being Christ, the Son of
Grod. It is by faith, and by faith alone, that man
can here know his Grod. Grod manifests himself by
his divine works : man sees them, and is bound to
believe the truth to which they bear testimony. By
thus believing, he has both the certitude of what he
believes, and the merit of his believing. The proud
Jew rebels against this : he would fain dictate to Grod
how he should act, and sees not that such a preten-
sion is impious and absurd.
But, if Jesus openly declare the truth, he will
scandalise these evil-minded men ! Be it so ; the
truth must be preached. Our Lord has others to
consult besides them ; there are the well-intentioned,
and they will believe what he teaches. He, therefore,
utters these sublime words, whereby he declares, not
only that he is Christ, but that he is God : i" and the
Father are one. He knew that this would enrage
his enemies ; but he had to make himself known to
the world, and arm the Church against the false
doctrines of heretics, who were to rise up in future
ages. One of these is to be Arius, who will teach
that Jesus is not Grod, but only the most perfect of
creatures ; the Church will answer, that Jesus is one
144 PASSION WEEK.
with the Father, — consubstantial to the Father :
and, then, after causing much trouble and sin,
Arianism will die out, and be forgotten. The Jews,
mentioned in to-day's Gospel, are the fore-runners of
Arius ; they understand what our Lord says, — he
says he is God, and they seek to stone him. Jesus
gives them a fresh grace ; he shows them why they
should receive what he here teaches : he reminds
them, by the Scriptures they knew off by heart, that
the name god has sometimes been applied, in a
limited sense, to men who had certain high offices
put upon them by heaven ; and then, he bids them
think of all the miracles they have seen him work,
which so plainly testify to his being assisted by his
Father, and once more declares himself to be Grod,
saying : The Father is in me, and I in the Father.
But men, hardened in obstinacy as these are, cannot
be convinced ; and the sin they have committed
against the Holy Ghost is working its effects, How
different is it with the Sheep of this divine Shep-
herd! They hear his voice; they follow him; he
gives them eternal life ; no man shall pluck them
out of his hand. Happy Sheep indeed ! They be-
lieve, because they love ; and as it is through the
heart that Truth gains ascendency over them, so is
it by pride of intellect that darkness gets admission
into the soul of the unbeliever, and lasts as long as
pride lasts. Alas ! poor unbeliever ! he loves his
darkness ; he calls it light ; he blasphemes when he
thinks he reasons, just as these Jews crucified the
Son of God, that, as they said, they might give glory
to God.
Humiliate capita vestra Bow down your heads to
Deo. God.
Adesto supplicationibus Hear our prayers and en-
nostris, omnipotens Deus ; treaties, 0 Almighty God, and
et quibus fiduciam speran- grant that those to whom thou
dse pietatis indulges, con- givest hopes of thy mercy,
WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
145
may experience the effects of
thy usual clemency. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
suetre misericordise tribue
benignus effectum. Per
Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen.
The Mozarabic Breviary gives us the following
beautiful prayer, which consists of exclamations to
our suffering Jesus.
PRAYER.
(Sabbato Dominicce V. Quadragesimce.)
thou true Son f. Verus Dei Filius Chris-
t. 0 Jesus
of God.
&. Graciously hear us !
have mercy on thy suppliant
people.
i?".. Thou that alone didst
save the world by the triumph
of thy Cross, do thou, by the
Blood thou didst shed, deliver
us.
# • And graciously hear us.
# . By thy Death, thou didst
destroy death ; By thy Kesur-
rection, thou didst give us
life; for our sakes, thou didst
suffer undue punishment.
&. And graciously hear us.
y. May we celebrate, in
peace, these days of thy Pas-
sion, and thereby be consoled
by thy sweetness.
Ifc . And graciously hear us.
y . Let not them perish , for
whom thou didst suffer the
Cross ; but, by thy Cross,
lead them to life everlasting.
& • And graciously hear us .
te,
gt. Exaudi : populo sup-
plicanti miserere.
f. Qui triumpho Crucis
tuee salvasti solus orbem, tu
cruoris tui poena nos libera.
gt. Et exaudi.
^. Qui moriens mortem
damnas, resurgens vitam
praestas, sustinens pro nobis
pcenam indebitam.
Ri. Et exaudi.
f. Passionis tuse dies ce-
lebremus indemnes : ut per
hoc dulcedo tua nos foveat.
gt. Et exaudi.
f. Pro quibus passus es
crucem, non permittas per-
ire ; sed per crucem due ad
vitam perpetuam.
Ri. Et exaudi.
Let us now turn towards the Holy Cross. These
words of the Greek Church, in her Triodion, will
assist our devotion.
146
PASSION WEEK.
HYMN.
(Ferice V. medics Septimance.)
Crucis speciem insinuans,
manus, permutato ordine,
olim expandit decantatissi-
mus Jacob, benedictionem
nepotibus impertiens ; si-
mulque salutiferam bene-
dictionem quae ad nos om-
nes pertingit indicans.
Te salutiferam armatu-
ram, te invictum trophaeum,
laetitiae signum, quo mors
occisa est, amplectimur,
illustres effecti ejus gloria
qui in te, Crux honora-
tissima, affixus est.
Assistunt incorporearum
Virtutum ordines tremen-
tes coram ligno vitam prae-
bente. In te enim Christus
sanguinem effudit, pretium
redemptionis repraesentans,
daemonibus piaculare et
capitale, ob perniciem ho-
minibus illatam.
Percussum me hostis gla-
dio sana sanguine tuo, Ver-
bum, et lancea celeriter pec-
catorum meorum chirogra-
phum disrumpe, et in li-
brum vitae inscribe.
Inferni habitaculum con-
cussisti, ubi in terra defixa
es : fidelibus autem ful-
crum inconcussum et sta-
bilis protectio effecta es, 6
veneranda Crux.
Feraces virtutum effecti
decerpamus divini ligni vi-
yificos fructus, quos protulit
When the most praise-
worthy Patriarch Jacob, was,
of old, about to bless his chil-
dren, he crossed his arms ; in
this he represented the Cross,
and prefigured that saving
blessing which thence came
to each of us.
We embrace thee, most
venerable Cross, as our ar-
mour of salvation, the invin-
cible trophy, the standard of
joy, whereby Death was put to
death; for we have been made
to share in the glory of Him,
that was nailed upon thee.
The choirs of the angelic
Powers stand in holy awe
around thee, O life-giving
Tree ! For it was on thee that
Christ shed his Blood, which
was the price of our redemp-
tion, and which utterly des-
troyed all those rights that
sin had given the devil over
mankind.
O Word (made Flesh) ! the
sword of the enemy hath
struck me ; heal me by thy
Blood. Speedily tear, with
thy Spear, the hand-writing
of my sins, and write my
name in the book of life.
O venerable Cross ! when
thou wast fixed in the earth,
thou didst make to tremble
the region of hell ; but thou
wast made a firm support and
unshaken protection to the
Faithful.
Being made fruitful in vir-
tue, let us pluck from the
divine Tree those life-giving
WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
147
fruits, offered unto us by that
rich Vine, Jesus, who lay
stretched upon it.
O Jesus ! we praise thy im-
mense goodness, as we vene-
rate the Cross, and Spear, and
Eeed, whereby, 0 merciful
God, thou didst remove the
wall of enmity that stood
between us and thee.
nobis in hoc extensus Jesus
vitis ilia fructifera.
Laudemus, Jesu, immen-
sam bonitatem tuam ado-
rantes Crucem, lanceam et
arundinem per quam sus-
tulisti, misericors, inimici-
tiarum medium parietem.
148
PASSION WEEK.
THUESDAY
IN PASSION WEEK.
The Station at Rome, is in the Church of Saint
Apollinaris, who was a disciple of St. Peter, and,
afterwards, Bishop of Ravenna, and Martyr.
collect.
Prsesta, qusesumus, omni- Grant, we beseech thee, O
potens Deus, Tit dignitas Almighty God, that the
conditionis hunianse per dignity of human nature,
immoderantiam sauciata, which hath been wounded
medicinalis parcimoniae stu- by excess, may be cured by
dio reformetur. Per Chris- the practice of healing tern-
turn Dominum nostrum, perance. Through Christ our
Amen. Lord. Amen.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Danielis Prophetse. Lesson
Cap. III.
In diebus illis : Oravit
Azarias Dominum, dicens :
Domine Deus noster, ne
qusesumus, tradas nos in
perpetuum propter nomen
tuum, et ne dissipes testa-
mentum tuum : neque au-
feras misericordiam tuam a
nobis propter Abraham
dilectum tuum et Isaac
from Daniel
Prophet.
Ch. Ill
the
In those days, Azarias
prayed to the Lord, saying :
0 Lord our God, deliver us
not up for ever, we beseech
thee, for thy name's sake, and
abolish not thy covenant : and
take not away thy mercy
from us, for the sake of
Abraham thy beloved, and
Isaac thy servant, and Israel
THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
149
thy holy one : to whom thou
hast spoken, promising that
thou wouldst multiply their
seed as the stars of heaven,
and as the sand that is on the
sea shore. For we, 0 Lord,
are diminished more than any
nation, and are brought low
in all the earth this day for
our sins. Neither is there at
this time prince, or leader, or
prophet, or holocaust, or sac-
rifice, or oblation, or incense,
or place of first-fruits before
thee, that we may find thy
mercy : nevertheless, in a
contrite heart and humble
spirit, let us be accepted. As
in holocausts of rams, and
bullocks, and as in thousands
of fat lambs : so let our sacri-
fice be made in thy sight this
day, that it may please thee :
for there is no confusion to
them that trust in thee. And
now we follow thee with all
our heart, and we fear thee,
and seek thy face. Put us
not to confusion, but deal
with us according to thy
meekness, and according to
the multitude of thy mercies.
And deliver us according to
thy wonderful works, and
give glory to thy name, O
Lord ; and let all them be
confounded that shew evils to
thy servants, let them be
confounded in all thy might,
and let their strength be
broken ; and let them know
that thou art the Lord, the
only God, and glorious over
all the world, 0 Lord our
God.
servum tuum, et Israel
sanctum tuum : quibus lo-
cutus es, pollicens quod
multiplicares semen eorum
sicut stellas cceli, et sicut
arenam, quse est in littore
maris : quia, Domine, im-
minuti sumus plus quam
omnes gentes, sumusque
humiles in universa terra
hodie propter peccata nos-
tra. Et non est in tempore
hoc princeps, et dux, et
propheta, neque holocaus-
tum, neque sacrificium,
neque oblatio, neque in-
censum, neque locus primi-
tiarum coram te, ut pos-
simus invenire misericor-
diam tuam : sed in animo
contrito, et spiritu humili-
tatis suscipiamur. Sicut in
holocausto arietum, et tau-
rorum, et sicut in millibus
agnorum pinguium : sic
fiat sacrificium nostrum in
conspectu tuo hodie, ut
placeat tibi : quoniam non
est confusio confidentibus
in te. Et nunc sequimur te
in toto corde, et timemus
te, et quserimus faciem tuam.
Ne confundas nos, sed fac
nobiscum juxta mansuetu-
dinem tuam, et secundum
multitudinem misericordise
tuae. Et erue nos in mira-
bilibus tuis, et da gloriam
nomini tuo, Domine : et con-
fundantur omnes quia osten-
dunt servis tuis mala, con-
fund antur in omnipotentia
tua, et robur eorum conte-
ratur ; et sciant quia tu es Do-
minus Deus solus, et gloriosus
super orbem terrarum, Do-
mine Deus noster.
150 PASSION WEEK.
Thus did Juda, when captive in Babylon, pour
forth her prayers to God, by the mouth of Azarias.
Sion was desolate beyond measure ; her people were
in exile ; her solemnities were hushed. Her children
were to continue in a strange land for seventy years ;
after which God would be mindful of them, and lead
them, by the hand of Cyrus, back to Jerusalem,
when the building of the second Temple would be
begun, that Temple which was to receive the Messias
within its walls. What crime had Juda committed,
that she should be thus severely punished ? The
Daughter of Sion had fallen into idolatry ; she had
broken the sacred engagement which made her the
Spouse of her (rod. Her crime, however, was ex-
piated by these seventy years of captivity, and when
she returned to the land of her fathers, she never
relapsed into the worship of false gods. When the
Son of God came to dwell in her, he found her inno-
cent of idolatry. But scarcely had forty years elapsed
after the Ascension of this Divine Redeemer, than
Juda was again an exile ; not, indeed, led captive
into Babylon, but dispersed in every nation under
the sun, after having first seen the massacre of thou-
sands of her children. This time, it is not merely
for seventy years, but for eighteen centuries, that she
is without prince, or leader, or prophet, or holocaust,
or sacrifice, or Temple. Her new crime must be
greater than idolatry, for, after all these long ages of
suffering and humiliation, the justice of the Father
is not appeased ! It is, because the blood that was
shed, by the Jewish people, on Calvary, was not the
blood of a man, — it was the blood of a God. Yes, the
very sight of the chastisement inflicted on the mur-
derers proclaims to the world that they were deicides.
Their crime was an unparalleled one ; its punishment
is to be so too ; it is to last to the end of time, when
God, for the sake of Abraham his beloved, and Isaac his
servant, and Jacob his holy one, will visit Juda
THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 151
with an extraordinary grace, and her conversion will
console the Church, whose affliction is then to be
great by reason of the apostacy of many of her chil-
dren. This spectacle of a whole people bearing on
itself the curse of Grod for having crucified the Son
of God, should make a Christian tremble for himself.
It teaches him, that Divine justice is terrible, and
that the Father demands an account of the Blood of
his Son, even to the last drop, from those that shed
it. Let us lose no time, but go at once, and, in this
precious Blood, cleanse ourselves from the share we
have had in the sin of the Jews ; and, throwing off
the chains of iniquity, let us imitate those among
them, whom we see, from time to time, separating
themselves from their people and returning to the
Messias : — let us, also, be converts, and turn to that
Jesus, whose hands are stretched out on the Cross,
ever ready to receive the humble penitent.
GOSPEL.
Sequel of the holy Gospel Sequentia sancti Evangelii
according to Luke. secundum Lucam.
Ch. VII. Cap. VII.
At that time : One of the In illo tempore : Rogabat
Pharisees desired him to eat Jesum quidam de Pharisae-
with him. And he went into is, ut manducaret cum illo.
the house of the Pharisee, and Et ingressus domum Phari-
sat down to meat. And be- ssei, discubuit. Et ecce mu-
hold a woman that was in the lier, quae erat in civitate
city, a sinner, when she knew peccatrix, ut cognovit quod
that he sat at meat in the accubuisset in domo Phari-
Pharisee's house, brought an saei, attulit alabastrum un-
alabaster box of ointment ; guenti ; et stans retro secus
and standing behind at his pedes ejus, lacrymis coepit
feet, she began to wash his rigare pedes ejus, et capil-
feet with tears, and wiped lis capitis sui tergebat, et
them with the hairs of her osculabatur pedes ejus, et
head, and kissed his feet, and unguento ungebat. Videns
anointed them with the oint- autem Pharisseus, qui voca-
ment. And the Pharisee, who verat eum, ait intra se di-
had invited him, seeing it, cens : Hie si esset Propheta,
M
152
PASSION WEEK.
sciret utique, quae, et qua-
lis est mulier, quae tangit
eum : quia peccatrix est.
Et respondens Jesus, dixit
ad ilium : Simon, habeo tibi
aliquid dicere. At ille ait :
Magister, die. Duo debito-
res erant cuidam foenera-
tori : unus debebat denarios
quingentos, et alius quin-
quaginta. Non habentibus
illis unde redderent, do-
navit utrisque. Quis ergo
eum plus diligit ? Eespon-
dens Simon, dixit: -ZEstimo
quia is, cui plus donavit.
At ille dixit ei : Eecte judi-
casti. Et conversus ad mu-
lierem, dixit Simoni : Vi-
des hanc mulierem? Intra-
vi in domum tuam : aquam
pedibus meis non dedisti ;
hsec autem lacrymis rigavit
pedes meos, et capillis suis
tersit. Osculum mihi non
dedisti ; hsec autem, ex quo
intravit, non cessavit os-
culari pedes meos. Oleo
caput meum non unxisti ;
hsec autem unguento unxit
pedes meos. Propter quod
dico tibi : Eemittuntur ei
peccata multa, quoniam di-
lexit multum. Cui autem
minus dimittitur, minus
diligit. Dixit autem ad il-
lam : Eemittuntur tibi pec-
cata. Et coeperunt qui si-
mul accumbebant, dicere
intra se : Quis est hie, qui
etiam peccata dimittit ?
Dixit autem ad mulierem :
Fides tua te salvam fecit :
vade in pace.
spoke within himself, saying :
This man, if he were aprophet,
would know surely who and
what manner of woman this is
that touches him, that she is a
sinner. And Jesus answer-
ing, said to him : Simon, I
have somewhat to say to thee.
But he said : Master, say it.
A certain creditor had two
debtors : the one owed five
hundred pence, and the other
fifty. And whereas they had
not wherewith to pay, he for-
gave them both. "Which
therefore of the two loveth
him most ? Simon answering,
said : I suppose that he to
whom he forgave most. And
he said to him : Thou hast
j udged rightly . And turning
to the woman, he said unto
Simon : Dost thou see this
woman ? I entered into thy
house ; thou gavest me no
water for my feet, but she with
tears hath washed my feet and
with her hairs hath wiped
them. Thou gavest me no
kiss ; but she, since she came
in, hath not ceased to kiss my
feet. My head with oil thou
didst not anoint ; but she with
ointment hath anointed my
feet. "Wherefore I say to thee :
Many sins are forgiven her,
because she hath loved much.
But to whom less is forgiven,
he loveth less . And he said to
her: Thy sins are forgiven
thee. And they that sat at
meat with him began to say
within themselves : "Who is
this that f orgiveth sins also ?
And he said to the woman :
Thy faith hath made thee
safe : go in peace.
THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 153
What consolation there is for us in this Gospel,
and how different are the reflections it suggests,
from those we were just making upon the Epistle !
The event here related does not belong to the time
of our Saviour's Passion ; but, during these days of
mercy, does it not behove us to glorify the meekness
of that Divine Heart, which is preparing to grant
pardon to countless sinners throughout the world ?
Besides, is not Magdalene the inseparable Companion
of her dear Crucified Master, even to Calvary ? Let
us, then, study this admirable penitent, this type of
love faithful even to death.
Magdalene had led a wicked life : as the Grospel
tells us elsewhere,1 seven devils had taken up their
abode within her. But, no sooner has she seen and
heard Jesus, than immediately she is filled with a
horror for sin ; divine love is enkindled within her
heart ; she has but one desire, and that is to make
amends for her past life. Her sins have been pub-
lic : her conversion must be so too. She has lived in
vanity and luxury ; she is resolved to give all up.
Her perfumes are all to be for her Q-od, her Jesus ;
that hair of hers, of which she has been so proud,
shall serve to wipe his sacred feet ; her eyes shall
henceforth spend themselves in shedding tears of
contrite love. The grace of the Holy Grhost urges
her to go to Jesus. He is in the house of a Pharisee,
who is giving an entertainment. To go to him now,
would be exposing herself to observation. She cares
not. Taking with her an ointment of great worth,
she makes her way into the feast, throws herself at
Jesus' feet, washes them with her tears, wipes them
with the hair of her head, kisses them, anoints them
with the ointment. Jesus himself tells us with what
interior sentiments she accompanies these outward
acts of respect : but even had he not spoken, her
1 St. Mark, xvi. 9.
154 PASSION WEEK.
tears, her generosity, her position at his feet, tell us
enough ; she is heart-broken, she is grateful, she is
humble : who, but a Pharisee, could have mistaken
her?
The Pharisee, then, is shocked ! His heart had
within it much of that Jewish pride which is soon
to crucify the Messias. He looks disdainfully at
Magdalene ; he is disappointed with his Guest, and
murmurs out his conclusion : This man, if he were
a Prophet, would surely know who and what man-
ner of woman this is ! Poor Pharisee ! — if he had
the spirit of Grod within him, he would recognise
Jesus to be the promised Saviour, by this wonderful
condescension shown to a penitent. With all his
reputation as a Pharisee, how contemptible he is,
compared with this woman ! Jesus would give him
a useful lesson, and draws the parallel between the
two, — Magdalene and the Pharisee : — he passes his
own divine judgment on them, and the preference is
given to Magdalene. What is it, that has thus trans-
formed her, and made her deserve, not only the par-
don, but the praise, of Jesus ? Her love : She hath
loved her Redeemer, she hath loved him much ; and,
therefore, she was forgiven much. A few hours ago,
and this Magdalene loved but the world and its
pleasures ; now, she cares for nothing, sees nothing,
loves nothing, but Jesus : she is a Convert. Hence-
forward, she keeps close to< her Divine Master ; she
is ambitious to supply his wants ; but above all, she
longs to see and hear him. When the hour of trial
shall come, and his very Apostles dare not be with
him, she will follow him to Calvary, stand at the
foot of the Cross, and see Him die that has made
her live. — What an argument for hope is here, even
for the worst of sinners ! He to whom most is for-
given, is often the most fervent in love ! You, then,
whose souls are burdened with sins, think of your
sins and confess them ; but, most of all, think how
THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
155
you may most love. Let your love be in proportion
to your pardon, and doubt it not : Your sins shall
be forgiven.
Bow down your heads to
God.
Be propitious, 0 Lord, we
beseech thee, to thy people ;
that, forsaking what dis-
pleaseth thee, they may find
comfort in keeping thy law.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Humiliate capita vestra
Deo.
Esto qusesumus, Domine,
propitius plebi tuse : ut quae
tibi non placent respuentes,
tuorum potius repleantur
delectationibus mandatorum.
Per Christum Dominum nos-
trum. Amen.
Let us close this Thursday of Passion Week with
the following devout Hymn, taken from the Moza-
rabic Breviary.
HYMN.
O Word of the Father, that
earnest into this world, and
wast made Flesh ! O Lamb
of God, that takest away the
sins of the world ! to thee do
we come, and, in prostrate
adoration, beseech thee to
give us to drink of the Blood
shed for us in thy sacred Pas-
sion.
Show unto us the marks of
thy divine wounds ! Let the
invincible Standard of thy
glorious Cross be raised on
high, and, by its imperishable
power, bring salvation to
them that believe.
The Eeed, the Nails, the
Spittle, the Gall, the Crown
pro-
Yerbum Patris quod
diit factum caro ;
Agnus Dei peccata mundi
auferens :
Ad te venimus cernui, ut
inclytum
Bibamus almse Passionis
sanguinem.
Ostende vulnerum sacro-
rum stigmata :
Exsurgat insignis Crucis for-
tissimum
Signum, quod in vigore per-
petim
Manens, credentibus salva-
tionem conferat.
Arundo, clavi, sputa, po-
tus myrrheus,
156
PASSION WEEK.
Corona spinarum, flagella,
lancea,
Impressa sunt damnationis
verbera :
Jam nostra pro his cuncta
dele crimina.
Fons vulneris sacri riget
prsecordia,
Lavet cruor, malitiseque
contagia :
Sit vita prsesens absque
omni crimine ;
Futura detur in beata niu-
nere.
Ut cum resurgendi dies
efrulserit,
Orbique regni claritas illux-
erit,
Sequamur setheris viam
quae nos trahat
In se receptos jam peren-
nes incolas.
Honor sit seterno Deo, sit
gloria
Uni Patri, ej usque soli Filio
Cum Spiritu ; quse Trinitas
perenniter
Vivit potens in sseculorum
sseculis.
Amen.
Thorns, the Whips, the Spear,
— these were the instruments
of thy sufferings : oh ! cleanse
us by them from all our sins.
May the Blood that gushed
from thy sacred Wounds, flow
on our hearts and purify them
from their stains of guilt, en-
able us to pass through this
world without sin, and give
us, in the next, the reward
of bliss.
That when the resurrection
day shall break upon the
world, brightening it with
the splendours of the eternal
kingdom, we may ascend by
the path that leads above,
and dwell in heaven, citizens
eternal.
Honour be to the Eternal
God ! Glory be to the One
Father, and to his Only Son,
together with the Holy Ghost :
— the Almighty Trinity, that
liveth unceasingly for ever
and ever. Amen.
Let us again borrow from the Greek Church the
expression of our devotion to the Holy Cross.
HYMN.
(Feria V. medice Septimance.)
Securis quam Elisseus ex
Jordane retulit, Crucem sig-
nificabat, qua ex profundo
vanitatis retraxisti gentes
lsetis vocibus cantantes : Be-
nedictus es, Deus patruni
nostrorum.
The wood wherewith Eli-
seus drew the axe from the
Jordan, was a figure of thy
Cross, 0 Jesus ! wherewith
thou didst draw, from the
depths of their vanities, the
nations that thus sing to thee
THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
157
in joy : Blessed art thou the
God of our Fathers !
Let the heavens rejoice to-
gether with the earth, as we
venerate thy Cross ; for it was
by thee that Angels and men
are united, and sing : Blessed
is the Lord our God !
Venerating the Cross of our
Lord, and glorifying our Ee-
deemer, who was nailed upon
it, let us present him a three-
fold homage1 : our Compas-
sion, like the fragrant cy-
press; our Faith, like the
cedar ; ourLove, like the pine.
Thou didst stretch forth thy
hands upon the Cross, to show
that 'twas thou didst destroy
the sin done by the hand of
licentious man. Thou wast
wounded with the Spear, that
thou mighest wound our foe.
Thou didst taste Gall, that
thou mightest turn evil plea-
sures from us. Thy drink was
Vinegar, that thou mightest
be a joy to each of us.
I have eaten of the Tree of
sin, and it was my ruin ; I
have tasted a pleasure that
has caused me death. Bring
me to life, 0 Lord ! Eaise me
from my fall. Make me an
adorer of thy Sufferings, a
partner in thy Eesurrection,
a co-heir of them that love
thee.
O Cross ! thou standard of
j oy , thou armour invulnerable ,
thou glory of the Apostles,
Lsetantur cum terra coe-
lestia ob adorationem Crucis
tuse ; etenim per te Angeli
et homines conjuncti sunt,
clamantes : Benedictus Do-
minus Deus noster.
Compassionem tamquam
cupressum suaveolentem, fi-
dem tanquam cedrum, ve-
ram charitatem tanquam pi-
num afferentes.1 Domine
crucem adoremus, glorifl-
cantes eum qui in ilia affix-
us est, liberatorem.
Extendisti manus tuas in
ligno, incontinentis manus
peccatum dissolvens ; lan-
cea vulneratus es, eadem-
que inimicum sauciasti.
Fel gustasti, et male blan-
dam malitiam exemisti ;
aceto potatus es, qui om-
nium lcetitia es.
Ligno peccati interemptus
sum, gustuque voluptuoso
morti traditus. Vivifica me,
Domine. Excita jacentem :
fac me cruciatuum tuorum
adoratorem, et participem
divinae resurrectionis, et
cohseredem eorum qui te di-
ligunt.
Gaudii signum, armatura
invicta, Apostolorum de-
cus, Pontificum robur, yi-
1 This is an allusion to the tradition, that the Cross was formed of
the three kinds of wood here mentioned. (Translator. J
158
PASSION WEEK.
res suffice languenti animse
mese, et dignare me ut te
adorem, laudesque tibi de-
cantem, clamans : Omnia
opera Domini, laudate Do-
minum et superexaltate in
ssecula.
thou strength of Pontiffs, —
supply my languid soul with
power, and oh ! may I vener-
ate thee, and thus cry out thy
praises : ' 'All ye works of the
Lord, praise the Lord, and
extol him, above all, for
ever
FRIDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 109
FRIDAY
IN PASSION WEEK.
THE SEVEN DOLOUKS OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN.
The Station, at Rome, is in the Church of Saint
Stephen, on Monte Celio. By a sort of prophetic
presentiment, this Church of the great Proto-Martyr
was chosen as the place where the Faithful were to
assemble on the Friday of Passion Week, which was
to be, at a future time, the Feast consecrated to the
Queen of Martyrs.
COLLECT.
Mercifully, O Lord, we be- Cordibus nostris, qusesu-
seech thee, pour forth thy mus, Domine, gratiam tuam
grace into our hearts ; that benignus infunde ; ut pec-
repressing our sins by volun- cata nostra castigatione
tary mortifications, we may voluntaria cohibentes, tem-
rather suffer for them in this poraliter potius macere-
life, than be condemned to mur, quam suppliciis depu-
eternal torments for them in temur seternis. Per Ohris-
the next. Through Christ turn Dominum nostrum,
our Lord. Amen. Amen.
EPISTLE.
Lesson from Jeremias the Lectio Jeremiae Prophetae.
Prophet.
Ch. XVII. Cap. XVII.
In those days, Jeremias said; In diebus illis, dixit Je-
160
PASSION WEEK.
0 I^ord, all that forsake thee
shall be confounded : they
that depart from thee, shall
be written in the earth,"
(as on sand, from which their
names shall soon he effaced, J
because they have forsaken
the Lord, the vein of living
waters. Heal me, O Lord,
and I shall be healed, save me
and I shall be saved : for thou
art my praise. Behold they
say to me : where is the word
of the Lord ? let it come. And
1 am not troubled, following
thee for my pastor, and I have
not desired the day of man,
thou knowest it. That which
went out of my lips, hath been
right in thy sight. Be not thou
a terror unto me ; thou art
my hope in the day of afflic-
tion. Let them be confounded
that persecute me, and let me
not be confounded : let them
be afraid, and let not me be
afraid : bring upon them the
day of affliction, and with a
double destruction destroy
them, 0 Lord our God.
Jeremias is one of the most striking figures of the
Messias persecuted by the Jews. It is on this ac-
count, that the Church selects from this Prophet so
many of her lessons, during these two weeks that are
sacred to the Passion. In the passage chosen for to-
day's Epistle, we have the complaint addressed to
(rod, by this just man, against those that persecute
him ; and it is in the name of Christ that he speaks.
He says : They have forsaken the Lord, the vein of
living waters. How forcibly do these words describe
the malice, both of the Jews that crucified, and of
sinners that still crucify, Jesus our Lord ! As to
the Jews, they had forgotten the Kock, whence came
remias : Domine, omnes qui
te derelinquunt, confun-
dentur : recedentes a te, in
terra scribentur : quoniam
derelinquerunt venam aqua-
rum viventium, Dominum.
Sana me, Domine, et sana-
bor : salvum me fac, et
salvus ero : quoniam laus
mea tu es. Ecce ipsi dicunt
ad me : Ubi est verbum Do-
mini ? veniat. Et ego non
sum turbatus, te Pastorem
sequens : et diem hominis
non desideravi, tu scis.
Quod egressum est de la-
biis meis, rectum in con-
spectu tuo fuit. Non sis tu
mihi formidini ; spes mea
tu in die afflictionis. Con-
fundantur, qui me perse-
quuntur, et non confundar
ego : paveant illi, et non
paveam ego : indue super
eos diem afflictionis, et du-
plici contritione contere eos,
Domine Deus noster.
FRIDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 161
to them the living water, which quenched their thirst
in the desert : or, if .they have not forgotten the
history of this mysterious Rock, they refuse to take
it as the type of the Messias.
And yet, they hear this Jesus crying out to them
in the streets of Jerusalem, and saying : If any
man thirst, let him come to Me, and drink.1 His
virtues, his teachings, his miracles, the prophecies
that are fulfilled in his person, all claim their confi-
dence in him ; they should believe every word he
says. But, they are deaf to his invitation ; and how
many Christians imitate them in their obduracy ?
How many there are, who once drank at the
vein of living waters, and afterwards turned
away, to seek to quench their thirst in the muddy
waters of the world, which can only make them
thirst the more ! Let them tremble at the punishment
that came upon the Jews ; for, unless they return to
the Lord their God, they must fall into those devour-
ing and eternal flames, where even a drop of water
is refused. Jesus, by the mouth of his Prophet, tells
the Jews, that the day of affliction shall overtake
them ; and when, later on, he comes to them himself,
he forewarns them, that the tribulation which is to
fall on Jerusalem, in punishment for her deicide, shall
be so great, that such hath not been from the begin-
ning of the world until now, neither shall be.2
But, if Grod so rigorously avenged the Blood of his
Son against a City, that was, so long a time, the
place of the habitation of his glory, and against a
people that he had preferred to all others, — will
he spare the sinner, who, in spite of the Church's
entreaties, continues obstinate in his evil ways ?
Jerusalem had filled up the measure of her iniqui-
ties ; we, also, have a measure of sin, beyond which
the Justice of Grod will not permit us to go. Let us
1 St. John, vii. 37. 2 St. Matth. xxiv. 21,
162
PASSION WEEK.
sin no more ; let us fill up that other measure, the
measure of good works. Let us pray for those sin-
ners who are to pass these days of grace without be-
ing converted ; let us pray, that this Divine Blood,
which is to be so generously given to them, but which
they are about again to trample upon, let us pray
that it may again spare them.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Joannem.
Cap. XL
In illo tempore : College -
runt Pontifices et Pharissei
concilium adversus Jesum,
et dicebant : Quid facimus,
quia hie homo multa signa
f acit ? Si dimittimus eum
sic, omnes credent in eum;
et venient Romani, et tol-
lent nostrum locum et gen-
tem. Unus autem ex ipsis,
Caiphas nomine, cum esset
pontifex anni illius, dixit
eis : Vos nescitis quidquam,
nee cogitatis quia expedit
vobis ut unus moriatur ho-
mo pro populo, et non tota
gens pereat. Hoc autem a
semetipso non dixit; sed
cum esset pontifex anni il-
lius prophetavit, quod Je-
sus moriturus erat pro gen-
te, et non tantum pro gente,
sed ut filios Dei, qui erant
dispersi, congregaret in
unum. Ab illo ergo die co-
gitaverunt ut interficerent
eum. Jesus ergo jam non
in palam ambulabat apud
Judaeos, sed abiit in regio-
nem juxta desertum, in civi-
tatem quae dicitur Ephrein,
Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to John.
Ch. XL
At that time : the chief
priests and Pharisees assem-
bled in council against Jesus,
and said : What do we, for this
man doth many miracles ? If
we let him alone so, all men
will believe in hi-m ; and the
Romans will come, and take
away our place and nation.
But one of them, named
Caiphas, being the high-
priest that year, said to them :
You know nothing, neither
do you consider that it is
expedient for you that one
man should die for the people,
and that the whole nation
perish not. And this he
spoke not of himself ; but
being the high -priest that
year, he prophesied that Jesus
should die for the nation, and
not only for the nation, but
to gather in one the children
of God, that were^dispersed.
From that day therefore they
devised to put him to death.
Wherefore Jesus /walked no
more openly among the Jews,
but he went into a country
near the desert, unto a city
FRIDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 168
that is called Ephrem, and et ibi morabatur cum disci-
there he abode with his dis- pulis suis.
ciples.
Jesus is more than ever in danger of losing his
life ! The Council of the nation assembles to devise
a plan for his destruction. Listen to these men,
slaves of that vilest of passions, — jealousy. They
do not deny the miracles of Jesus ; therefore, they
are in a condition to pass judgment upon him, and
the judgment ought to be favourable. But they
have not assembled to examine if he be or be not
the Messias ; it is to discuss the best plan for putting
him to death. And what argument will they bring
forward to palliate the evident murder they con-
template ? Political interests, — their country's good.
They argue thus : "If Jesus be longer allowed to
appear in public and work miracles, Judea will rise
up in rebellion against the Romans, who now govern
us, and will proclaim Jesus to be their King ; Rome
will never allow us, the weakest of her tributaries,
to insult her with impunity, and, in order to avenge
the outrage offered to the Capitol, her armies will
come and exterminate us." — Senseless Counsellors !
If Jesus had come that he might be King after this
world's fashion, all the powers of the earth could not
have prevented it. Again, — how is it that these
Chief Priests and Pharisees, who know the Scrip-
tures by heart, never once think of that prophecy
of Daniel, which foretells, that in seventy weeks of
years, after the going forth of the decree for the re-
building of the Temple, the Christ shall be slain, and
the people that shall deny him, shall cease to be His i1
moreover, that, after this crime, a people, led on by
a commander, shall come and destroy Jerusalem ;
the abomination of desolation shall enter the Holy
Place, the temple shall be destroyed, and the deso-
1 Dan. ix. 25.
164 PASSION WEEK.
lation shall last even to the end r1 how comes it, that
this prophecy is lost sight of ? Surely, if they
thought of it, they would not put Christ to death,
for by putting him to death, they ruin their
country !
But to return to the Council. The High-Priest,
who governed the Synagogue during the last days of
the Mosaic Law, is a worthless man, by name
Caiphas ; he presides oves the Council. He puts on
the sacred Ephod, and he prophesies ; his prophecy
is from Grod, and is true. Let us not be astonished :
the veil of the temple is not yet rent asunder ; the
covenant between Grod and Juda is not yet broken.
Caiphas is a blood-thirsty man, a coward, a sacri-
legious wretch ; still, he is High-Priest , and Grod
speaks by his mouth. Let us hearken to this
Balaam : Jesus shall die for the nation, and not
only for the nation, but to gather in one the
children of God, that were dispersed. Thus, the
Synagogue is near her end, and is compelled to
prophesy the birth of the Church, and that this
birth is to be by the shedding of Jesus' Blood. Here
and there, throughout the world, there are Children
of God who serve him, among the Grentiles, as did
the Centurion, Cornelius ; but there was no visible
bond of union among them. The time is at hand,
when the great and only City of God is to appear on
the mountain, and all nations shall floiv unto it.2
As soon as the Blood of the New Testament shall
have been shed, and the Conqueror of death shall
have risen from the grave, the day of Pentecost will
convoke, not the Jews to the Temple of Jerusalem,
but all nations to the Church of Jesus Christ. By
that time, Caiphas will have forgotten the prophecy
he uttered ; he will have ordered his servants to piece
together the Veil of the Holy of Holies, which was
1 Dan. ix, 26, 27. 3 Is. i. 2.
FRIDAY IN FASSI0N WEEK. 165
torn in two at the moment of Jesus' death ; but this
Veil will serve no purpose, for the Holy of Holies
will be no longer there ; a clean oblation will be
offered up in every place, the Sacrifice of the New
Law ;l and scarcely shall the avengers of Jesus' death
have appeared on Mount Olivet, than a voice will be
heard in the Sanctuary of the repudiated Temple,
saying : " Let us go out from this place ! "
Bow down your heads to Humiliate capita vestra
God. Deo.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Concede, qusesumus, om-
Almighty God, that we who nipotens Deus, ut qui pro-
seek the honour of thy pro- tectionis tuse gratiam quse-
tection, may be delivered from rimus, liberati a malis om-
all evil, and serve thee with a nibus, secura tibi mente
secure mind. Through Christ serviamus. Per Christum
our Lord. Amen. Dominum nostrum. Amen.
THE SEVEN DOLOURS OF OUR LADY.
This Friday of Passion Week is consecrated, in a
special manner, to the sufferings which the Holy
Mother of Grod endured at the foot of the Cross.
The whole of next week is fully taken up with the
celebration of the mysteries of Jesus' Passion ; and
although the remembrance of Mary's share in those
sufferings is often brought before the Faithful during
Holy Week, yet, the thought of what her Son, our
Divine Redeemer, goes through for our salvation, so
absorbs our attention and love, that it is not then
possible to honour, as it deserves, the sublime mys-
tery of the Mother's Com-passion.
It was but fitting, therefore, that one day in the
1 Malaeh. i. 11.
166 PASSION WEEK.
year should be set apart for this sacred duty ; and
what day could be more appropriate, than the Friday
of this Week, which, though sacred to the Passion,
admits the celebration of Saints' Feasts, as we have
already noticed ? As far back as the 15th century,
(that is, in the year 1423,) we find the pious Arch-
bishop of Cologne, Theodoric, prescribing this Feast
to be kept by his people.1 It was gradually intro-
duced, and with the knowledge of the Holy See,
into several other countries ; and at length, in the
last century, Pope Benedict the Thirteenth, by a
decree dated August 22nd, 1727, ordered it to be
kept in the whole Church, under the name of the
Feast of the Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, for, up to this time, it had gone under various
names. We will explain the title thus given to it,
as also the first origin of the devotion of the Seven
Dolours, when our Liturgical Year brings us to the
Third Sunday of September, the second Feast of
Mary's Dolours. What the Church proposes to her
children's devotion for this Friday of Passion Week,
is that one special Dolour of Mary, — her standing at
the Foot of the Cross. Among the various titles
given to this Feast, — before it was extended, by the
Holy See to the whole Church, — we may mention,
Our Lady of Pity, The Compassion of our Lady, and
the one that was so popular throughout France,
Notre Dame de la Pamoison. These few historical
observations prove that this Feast was dear to the
devotion of the people, even before it received the
solemn sanction of the Chureh.
That we may clearly understand the object of this
Feast, and spend it, as the Church would have us do,
in paying due honour to the Mother of God and of
men, — we must recall to our minds this great truth :
that God, in thft designs of his infinite wisdom, has
1 Labb. Concil. t. xiii. p. 365.
FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS. 167
willed that Mary should have a share in the work of
the world's Redemption. The mystery of the present
Feast is one of the applications of this Divine law, a
law which reveals to us the whole magnificence of God's
Plan ; it is, also, one of the many realisations of the
prophecy, that Satan's pride was to be crushed by a
Woman. In the work of our Redemption, there are
three interventions of Mary, that is, she is thrice called
upon to take part in what God himself did. The first
of these was in the Incarnation of the Word, who takes
not flesh in her virginal womb until she has given her
consent to become his Mother ; and this she gave by
that solemn Fiat which blessed the world with a
Saviour. The second was in the sacrifice which Jesus
consummated on Calvary, where she was present, that
she might take part in the expiatory offering. The
third was on the day of Pentecost, when she received
the Holy G-host, as did the Apostles, in order that she
might effectively labour in the establishment of the
Church. We have already explained on the Feast of
the Annunciation, the share Mary had in that wonder-
ful mystery of the Incarnation, which God wrought
for his own glory and for man's redemption and sancti-
fication. On the Feast of Pentecost we shall speak of
the Church commencing and progressing under the
active influence of the Mother of God. To-day we
must show what part she took in the mystery of her
Son's Passion ; we must tell the sufferings, the Dolours,
she endured at the foot of the Cross, and the claims
she thereby won to our filial gratitude.
On the fortieth day after the Birth of our Em-
manuel, we followed, to the Temple, the happy
Mother carrying her Divine Babe in her arms. A
venerable old man was there, waiting to receive her
Child ; and, when he had him in his arms, he pro-
claimed him to be the Light of the Gentiles, and the
glory of Israel. But, turning to the Mother, he
N
168 PASSION WEEK.
spoke to her these heart-rending words : Behold !
this Child is set to be a sign that shall be contra-
dicted, and a sword shall pierce thine own soul.
This prophecy of sorrow for the Mother told us that
the holy joys of Christmas were over, and that the
season of trial, for both Jesus and Mary, had begun.
It had, indeed, begun ; for, from the night of the
Flight into Egypt, up to this present day, when the
malice of the Jews is plotting the great crime, —
what else has the life of our Jesus been, but the
bearing humiliation, insult, persecution, and ingra-
titude ? And if so, what has the Mother gone
through ? — what ceaseless anxiety ? what endless
anguish of heart ? But, let us pass by all her other
sufferings, and come to the morning of the great
Friday.
Mary knows, that on the previous night, her Son
has been betrayed by one of his Disciples, that is, by
one that Jesus had numbered among his intimate
friends ; she herself had often given him proofs of
her maternal affection. After a cruel Agony, her
Son has been manacled as a malefactor, and led
by armed men to Caiphas, his worst enemy.
Thence, they have dragged him before the Roman
Governor, whose sanction the Chief Priests and the
Scribes must have before they can put Jesus to
death. Mary is in Jerusalem ; Magdalene, and the
other holy women, the Friends of Jesus, are with her ;
but they cannot prevent her from hearing the loud
shouts of the people, and if they could, how is such
a heart as hers to be slow in its forebodings ? The
report spreads rapidly through the City that the
Roman Governor is being urged to sentence Jesus to
be crucified. Whilst the entire populace is on the
move towards Calvary, shouting out their blasphe-
mous insults at her Jesus, — will his Mother keep away,
she that bore him in her womb, and fed him at her
breast? Shall his enemies be eager to glut their
FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS. 169
eyes with the cruel sight, and his own Mother be
afraid to be near him ?
The air resounded with the yells of the mob. Jo-
seph of Arimathea, the noble counsellor, was not
there, neither was the learned Nicodemus ; they
kept at home, grieving over what was done. The
crowd that went before and after the Divine Victim
was made up of wretches without hearts, saving only
a few who were seen to weep as they went along ;
they were women ; Jesus saw them, and spoke to
them. And if these women from mere sentiments
of veneration, or, at most, of gratitude, thus testified
their compassion — would Mary do less ? could she
bear to be elsewhere than close to her Jesus ? Our
motive for insisting so much upon this point, is that
we may show our detestation of that school of modern
rationalism, which regardless of the instincts of a
mother's heart and of all tradition, has dared to call
in question the Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the
way to Calvary. These systematic contradictors are
too prudent to deny that Mary was present when
Jesus was crucified ; the Grospel is too explicit, —
Mary stood near the Cross :l but, they would per-
suade us, that whilst the Daughters of Jerusalem
courageously walked after Jesus, Mary went up to
Calvary by some secret path ! What a heartless in-
sult to the love of the incomparable Mother.
No, — Mary, who is, by excellence, the Valiant
Woman? was with Jesus as he carried his Cross.
And who could describe her anguish and her love,
as her eye met that of her Son tottering under his
heavy load ? Who could tell the affection, and the
resignation, of the look he gave her in return ? Who
could depict the eager and respectful tenderness
wherewith Magdalene and the other holy women
grouped around this Mother, as she followed her
Jesus up Calvary, there to see him crucified and die ?
1 St. John, xix. 25. 2 Prov. xxxi. 10.
170 PASSION WEEK.
The distance between the Fourth and Tenth Station
of the Dolorous Way is long : — it is marked with
Jesus' Blood, and the Mother's tears.
Jesus and Mary have reached the summit of the
hill, that is to be the Altar of the holiest and cruelest
Sacrifice : but the divine decree permits not the
Mother as yet to approach her Son. When the
Victim is ready, then She that is to offer him shall
come forward. Meanwhile, they nail her Jesus to the
Cross ; and each blow of the hammer was a wound to
Mary's heart. When, at last, she is permitted to
approach, accompanied by the Beloved Disciple, (who
has made amends for his cowardly flight,) and the
disconsolate Magdalene and the other holy women,
— what unutterable anguish must have filled the
soul of this Mother, when raising up her eyes, she
sees the mangled Body of her Son, stretched upon
the Cross, with his face all covered with blood, and
his head wreathed with a crown of thorns !
Here, then, is this King of Israel, of whom the
Angel had told her such glorious things in his pro-
phecy ! Here is that Son of hers, whom she has
loved both as her Grod and as the fruit of her own
womb ! And who are they that have reduced him to
this pitiable state ? Men, — for whose sakes, rather
than for her own, she conceived him, gave him birth,
and nourished him ! Oh ! if by one of those miracles,
which his Heavenly Father could so easily work, he
might be again restored to her ! If that Divine
Justice, which he has taken upon himself to appease,
would be satisfied with what he has already suffered !
— but no ; he must die ; he must breathe forth his
blessed Soul after a long and cruel agony.
Mary then is at the foot of the Cross, there to
witness the death of her Son. He is soon to be
separated from her. In three hours' time, all that
will be left her of this beloved Jesus will be a lifeless
Body, wounded from head to foot. Our words are
FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS. 171
too cold for such a scene as this : let us listen to
those of St. Bernard, which the Church has inserted
in her Matins of this Feast. " 0 Blessed Mother !
" a sword of sorrow pierced thy soul, and we may
" well call thee more than Martyr, for the intensity
" of thy compassion surpassed all that a bodily passion
" could produce. Could any sword have made thee
" smart so much as that word which pierced thy heart,
"reaching unto the division of the soul and the
" spirit : 'Woman ! behold thy son ! ' What an ex-
" change ! — John, for Jesus ! the servant, for the
" Lord J the disciple, for the Master ! the Son of Ze-
" bedee, for the Son of Grod ! a mere man, for the very
" Gk>d ! How must not thy most loving heart have
" been pierced with the sound of these words, when
" even ours, that are hard as stone and steel, break
" down as we think of them ! Ah ! my Brethren, be
" not surprised when you are told that Mary was a
" Martyr in her soul. Let him alone be surprised,
" who has forgotten that St. Paul counts it as one of
" the greatest sins of the Grentiles, that they were
11 without affection. Who could say that of Mary ?
" Grod forbid it be said of us, the servants of Mary ! "*
Amidst the shouts and insults vociferated by the
enemies of Jesus, Mary's quick ear has heard these
words, which tell her, that the only son she is hence-
forth to have on earth is one of adoption. Her ma-
ternal joys of Bethlehem and Nazareth are all gone ;
they make her present sorrow the bitterer ; she was
the Mother of a Grod, and men have taken him from
her ! Her last and fondest look at her Jesus, her
own dearest Jesus, tells her that he is suffering a
burning thirst, and she cannot give him to drink !
His eyes grow dim ; his head droops ; — all is con-
summated !
Mary cannot leave the Cross ; love brought her
1 Sermon On the Twelve Stars.
172 PASSION WEEK.
thither ; love keeps her there, whatever may happen !
A soldier advances near that hallowed spot ; she sees
him lift up his spear, and thrust it through the
breast of the sacred Corpse. "Ah," cries outSt. Bernard,
" that thrust is through thy soul, 0 Blessed Mother !
" It could but open his Side, but it pierced thy very
" soul. His Soul was not there ; thine was, and could
" not but be so."1 No, the undaunted Mother keeps
close to the Body of her Son. She watches them as
they take it down from the Cross ; and when, at last,
the friends of Jesus, with all the respect due to both
Mother and Son, enable her to embrace it, she raises
it upon her lap, and He that once lay upon her
knees receiving the homage of the Eastern Kings,
now lays there cold, mangled, bleeding, dead ! And
as she looks upon the wounds of the divine Victim,
she gives them the highest honour in the power of
creatures, — she kisses them, she bathes them with
her tears, she adores them, but oh ! with what in-
tensity of loving grief !
The hour is far advanced ; and before sunset, he,
— Jesus, — the author of life, — must be buried. The
Mother puts the whole vehemence of her love into
a last kiss, and oppressed with a bitterness great as
is the sea,2 she makes over this adorable Body to
them that have to embalm and then lay it on the
sepulchral slab. The sepulchre is closed ; and Mary,
— accompanied by John, her adopted son, and Mag-
dalene, and the holy women, and the two disciples
that have presided over the burial, — returns sorrow-
ing to the deicide City.
Now, in all this, there is another mystery besides
that of Mary's sufferings. Her Dolours at the Foot
of the Cross include and imply a truth, which we
must not pass by, or we shall not understand the
full beauty of to-day's Feast. Why would God
1 Sermon On the Twelve Stais. 2 Lament, i. 4, ii. 13.
FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS. 178
have her assist in person at such a scene as this of
Calvary ? Why was not she as well as Joseph,
taken out of this world before this terrible day of
Jesus' Death ? — Because God had assigned her a
great office for that day, and it was to be under the
Tree of the Cross that she, the second Eve, was to
discharge her office. As the heavenly Father had
waited for her consent before he sent his Son into
the world : so, likewise, he called for her obedience
and devotedness, when the hour came for that Son
to be offered up in sacrifice for the world's Redemp-
tion. Was not Jesus hers ? her Child ? her own and
dearest treasure ? And yet, Grod gave him not to
her, until she had assented to become his Mother ;
in like manner, he would not take him from her, un-
less she gave him back.
But, see what this involved, see what a struggle
it entailed upon this most loving Heart ! It is the
injustice, the cruelty, of men that rob her of her
Son ; how can she, his Mother, ratify, by her con-
sent, the Death of Him, whom she loved with a two-
fold love, — as her Son, and as her Grod ? But, on the
other hand, — if Jesus be not put to death, the
human race is left a prey to Satan, sin is not atoned
for, and all the honours and joys of her being
Mother of Grod are of no use or blessing to us. This
Virgin of Nazareth, this noblest heart, this purest
creature, whose affections were never blunted with
the selfishness which so easily makes its way into
souls that have been wounded by original sin, — what
shall she do ? Her devotedness to mankind, her
conformity with the will of her Son who so ve-
hemently desires the world's salvation, lead her, a
second time, to pronounce the solemn Fiat : — she
consents to the immolation of her Son. It is not
G-od's justice that takes him from her ; it is she her-
self that gives him up ; — but, in return, she is raised
to a degree of greatness, which her humility could
174 PASSION WEEK.
never have suspected was to be hers : — an ineffable
union is made to exist between the two offerings,
that of the Incarnate Word and that of Mary ; the
Blood of the Divine Victim, and the Tears of the
Mother, flow together for the redemption of mankind.
We can now understand the conduct and the
courage of this Mother of Sorrows. Unlike that
other mother, of whom the Scripture speaks, — the
unhappy Agar, who after having sought in vain how
she might quench the thirst of her Ismael in the
desert, withdrew from him that she might not see
him die ; — Mary no sooner hears that Jesus is con-
demned to death, than she rises, hastens to him, and
follows him to the place where he is to die. And
what is her attitude at the foot of his Cross ? Does
her matchless grief overpower her ? Does she
swoon? or fall? No: the Evangelist says : "There
" stood by the Cross of Jesus, his Mother."1 The
sacrificing Priest stands, when offering at the altar ;
Mary stood ior such a sacrifice as hers was to be. St.
Ambrose, — whose affectionate heart and profound
appreciation of the mysteries of religion have re-
vealed to us so many precious traits of Mary's
character, — thus speaks of her position at the foot of
the Cross : " She stood opposite the Cross, gazing,
" with maternal love, on the wounds of her Son ; and
" thus she stood, not waiting for her Jesus to die, but
" for the world to be saved."2
Thus, this Mother of Sorrows, when standing on
Calvary, blessed us who deserved but maledictions ;
she loved us ; she sacrificed her Son for our sal-
vation. In spite of all the feelings of her maternal
heart, she gave back to the Eternal Father the
divine treasure he had intrusted to her keeping. The
sword pierced through and through her soul, — but
we were saved ; and she, though a mere creature, co-
1 St, John, xix. 25. z I» Lucatn, cap. xxiii.
FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS.
175
operated with her Son in the work of our salvation.
Can we wonder, after this, that Jesus chose this
moment for the making her the Mother of men, in
the person of John the Evangelist, who represented
us ? Never had Mary's Heart loved us as she did
then ; from that time forward, therefore, let this
second Eve be the true Mother of the Living ! l The
Sword, by piercing her Immaculate Heart, has given
us admission there. For time and eternity, Mary
will extend to us the love she has borne for her Son,
for she has just heard him saying to her that we are
her children. He is our Lord, for he has redeemed
us ; She is our Lady, for she generously co-operated
in our redemption.
Animated by this confidence, 0 Mother of Sor-
rows ! we come before thee, on this Feast of thy
Dolours, to offer thee our filial love. Jesus, the
Blessed Fruit of thy Womb, filled thee with joy as
thou gavest him birth ; we, thy adopted children,
entered into thy Heart by the cruel piercing of the
Sword of Suffering. And yet, 0 Mary ! love us, for
thou didst co-operate with our Divine Redeemer in
saving us. How can we not trust in the love of thy
generous Heart, when we know, that, for our sal-
vation, thou didst unite thyself to the Sacrifice of
thy Jesus ? What proofs hast thou not unceasingly
given us of thy maternal tenderness, 0 Queen of
Mercy ! 0 Refuge of Sinners ! 0 untiring Advo-
cate for us in all our miseries ! Deign, sweet Mother,
to watch over us, during these days of grace. Give
us to feel and relish the Passion of thy Son. It
was consummated in thy presence ; thine own share
in it was magnificent ! Oh ! make us enter into all
its mysteries, that so our souls, redeemed by the
Blood of thy Son, and helped by thy Tears, may be
thoroughly converted to the Lord, and persevere,
henceforward, faithful in his service.
1 Gen. iii. 20.
176
PASSION WEEK.
Let us now recite the devout Complaint, whereby
the Church unites herself with Mary's Dolours.
SEQUENCE.
Stabat Mater dolorosa
Juxta crucem lacrymosa,
Dum pendebat Filius.
Cujus animam gementem,
Contristatam, et dolentem,
Pertransivit gladius.
0 quam tristis et afflicta
Fuit ilia benedicta
Mater Unigeniti !
Quae mcerebat, et dolebat,
Pia Mater dum videbat
Nati poenas inclyti.
Quis est homo qui non
fleret,
Matrem Christi si videret
In tanto supplicio ?
Quis non posset contristari,
Christi Matrem confcemplari
Dolentem cum Filio ?
Pro peccatis suae gentis
Vidit Jesum in tormentis,
Et flagellis subditum.
Vidit suum dulcem Natum
Moriendo desolatum,
Dum emisit spiritum.
Eia, Mater, fons amoris,
Me sentire vim doloris
Fac, ut tecum lugeam.
Fac ut ardeat cor meum
In amando Christum Deum,
Ut sibi complaceam.
Sancta Mater, istud agas,
Crucifixi fige plagas
Cordi meo valide.
Tui Nati vulnerati,
Tarn dignati pro me pati,
Poenas mecum divide.
Near the Cross, whilst on
it hung her Son, the sorrow-
ing Mother stood and wept.
A sword pierced her soul,
that sighed, and mourned,
and grieved.
Oh ! how sad, and how
afflicted, was that Blessed
Mother of an Only Son !
The loving Mother sor-
rowed and mourned at seeing
her divine Son suffer.
Who is there would not
weep to see Jesus' Mother in
such suffering ?
Who is there could con-
template the Mother and the
Son in sorrow, and not join
his own with theirs ?
Mary saw her Jesus tor-
mented and scourged for the
sins of his people.
She saw her sweet Child
abandoned by all, as he
breathed forth his soul & died.
Ah, Mother, Fount of love,
make me feel the force of sor-
row ; make me weep with thee!
Make this heart of mine
burn with the love of Jesus
my God, that so I may con-
tent his heart.
Do this, 0 holy Mother!
— deeply stamp the wounds of
the Crucified upon my heart.
Let me share with thee the
sufferings of thy Son, for it
was for me he graciously
deigned to be wounded and
to suffer.
FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS.
177
Make me lovingly weep
with thee : make me compas-
sionate with thee our Crucified
Jesus, as long as life shall last.
This is my desire, — to stand
nigh the Cross with thee, and
be a sharer in thy grief.
Peerless Virgin of virgins !
be not displeased at my
prayer : make me weep with
thee.
Make me to carry the death
of Jesus ; make me a partner
of his Passion, an adorer of
his Wounds.
Make me to be wounded
with his Wounds ; make me
to be inebriated with the Cross
and Blood of thy Son.
And that I may not suffer
the eternal flames, let me be
defended by thee, 0 Virgin,
on the Day of Judgment !
0 Jesus ! when my hour of
death comes, let me, by the
Mother's aid, come to my
crown of victory.
And when my body dies,
oh ! give to my soul the re-
ward of heaven's glory.
Amen.
Fac me tecum pie flere,
Crucifixo condolere,
Donee ego vixero.
Juxta Crucem tecum stare,
Et me tibi sociare
In planctu desidero.
Virgo virginum prseclara,
Mihi jam non sis amara :
Fac me tecum plangere.
Fac ut portem Christi
mortem,
Passionis fac consortem,
Et plagas recolere.
Fac me plagis vulnerari,
Fac me cruce inebriari,
Et cruore Filii.
Flammis ne urar succen-
sus,
Per te, Virgo, sim defensus,
In die judicii.
Christe, cum sit hinc exire,
Da per Matrem me venire
Ad palmam victorise.
Quando corpus morietur,
Fac ut animae donetur
Paradisi gloria.
Amen.
Let us recite the concludiug stanzas of the Greek
Hymn in honour of the Holy Cross.
HYMN.
(Feria IV. medics Septimance.)
Come, let us devoutly em-
brace the Cross of our Lord
that is exposed before us, for
our fasts have made us pure.
The Cross is a treasure of
Adeste, Crucem Domini
propositam, jejuniis ex-
piati, cum desiderio am-
plectamur. Est enim the-
saurus sanctificationis et
178
PASSION WEEK.
potentiae, per quam lauda-
mus Christum in saecula.
Hsec Crux tripartita et
magna, vilis initio appa-
rens, nunc coelum tangit
virtute sua, hominesque
ad Deum semper sursum
ducit; per quam laudamus
Christum in ssecula.
Honoretur hoc sacratis-
simum lignum, quod jam
olim Propheta in panem
Christi immissum esse ab
Israelitis, qui eum cruci-
fixerunt, vaticinatus est ;
quern superexaltamus in sse-
cula.
Montes dulcedinem, et
colles exsultationem stillate.
Ligna campi, cedri Libani,
choreas ducite ob hodiernam
vivificse Crucis adorationem.
Prophetse, Martyres, Apostoli
et spiritus justorum, exilite.
Eespice in populum et in
clerum tuum, Domine, qui
cum desiderio laudes tuas
canit, cujus gratia mortem
subiisti. Ne vincat miseri-
cord iam tuam infinita mul-
titude malorum nostro-
rum, sed salva omnes, o
benignissime, per Crucem
tuam.
Divina armatura vitae
meae es, o Crux ; in te Do-
minus ascendens, servavit
me. Latere vulnerato fudit
sanguinem et aquam, cu-
jus particeps f actus exsulto,
Christum glorificans.
Divinum Regis sceptrum
holiness and power, and by it
we give eternal praise, to
Christ.
This triple and glorious
Cross, contemptible as it
seemed at first, now reaches to
the very heavens with its
power, ever raising and lead-
ing men up to God. By
it we give eternal praise to
Christ.
Honour to this most sacred
Wood, which, as the Prophet
anciently foretold, was to be
put in the bread of Christ, by
them that crucified him ; to
whom be praise above all for
ever!
Rain down sweetness, O ye
mountains ! and ye, 0 hills,
your gladness ! Trees of the
field, Cedars of Libanus, exult
with joy, for on this day we
venerate the life-giving Cross.
Prophets, Martyrs, Apostles,
Spirits of the Just, rejoice !
Look down, O Lord, upon
thy people and clergy, who
now devoutly sing thy praise,
and for whose sakes thou didst
suffer death. Let not the
countless number of our sins
outdo thy mercy, but save us,
most loving Jesus, by thy
Cross !
O Cross ! thou art the
sacred armour of my life. My
Lord saved me by his ascend-
ing upon thee. From his
wounded Side there flowed
Blood and Water, of which
being made a partaker, I
exult, and give glory to
Christ.
O Cross ! thou art the di-
FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS.
179
vine sceptre of the King ; thou
art the strength of them that
wage war ; it is our confidence
in thee that makes us put our
enemies to flight. Oh ! ever
grant to us who honour thee,
victory over the Barbarians.
Crux es, exercitus forti-
tudo ; in tua fiducia profli-
gamus hostes ; nobis qui te
adoramus, semper concede
adversus Barbaros victorias.
180 PASSION WEEK.
SATURDAY
IN PASSION WEEK.
To-day, we begin, as does the holy Gospel, to num-
ber the days which precede the Death, the Sacrifice,
of the Lamb of God. St. John, in the 12th Chapter
of his Gospel, tells us that this is the Sixth day
before the Pasch.
Jesus is in Bethania, where a feast is being given
in his honour. Lazarus, he whom Jesus has restored
to life, was present at this repast, which was given in
the house of Simon the Leper. Martha is busy
looking after the various arrangements ; her sister,
Mary Magdalene, has a heavenly presentiment that
the death and burial of her beloved Master are soon
to be, and she has poured upon him a precious per-
fume. The Holy Gospel which ever observes such a
mysterious reserve with regard to the Mother of
Jesus, does not tell us that Marv was at Bethania on
this occasion, but there can be no doubt of her being
present. The Apostles were also there, and partook
of the repast. Whilst the friends of our Saviour
were thus grouped around him, in this village, which
was about two thousand paces from Jerusalem, the
aspect of the faithless City becomes more and more
threatening ; and yet, though his Disciples are not
aware of it, Jesus is to enter the City to-morrow, and
in a most public manner. The heart of Mary is a
SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 181
prey to sadness ; Magdalene is absorbed in grief ;
everything announces that the fatal day is near.
The Church has reserved for Monday next the
Gospel which relates the history of this Saturday.
The reason is, that formerly, and up to the 12th
century, there was no Station held on this day in
Rome : it was left free, in order that the Pope
might rest before the great fatigues of Holy Week,
whose long and solemn services were to begin on the
morrow. But, although he did not preside over the
assembly of the Faithful, he, on this day, had to ob-
serve two usages, which had been handed down by
tradition, and which had almost become of liturgical
importance in the Church at Rome.
During the whole year, the Pope used, every
Sunday, to send a portion of the sacred species,
consecrated by him, to each of the priests of the
presbyterial Titles, or parochial Churches, of the
City. But it was to-day that this distribution was
made for the whole of Holy Week, perhaps on ac-
count of to-morrow's long service. We know from
the ancient liturgical books of Rome, that it was
in the Lateran Consistory that to-day's sacred dis-
tribution was made, and it is probable (as the
Blessed Cardinal Tommasi and Benedict the Four-
teenth tell us,) that the Bishops of the suburbica-
rian Churches were of the number of those who
received it. We have several instances proving that,
formerly, Bishops occasionally sent to one another
the Blessed Sacrament, as a sign of the union that
existed between them. With regard to the priests
of the city Parochial Churches, to whom a Particle
was sent by the Pope, they put a portion of it in
the Chalice before receiving the Precious Blood.
The other custom, peculiar to this day, consisted
in giving alms to all the poor. The Pope presided
at this distribution, which was no doubt made ample
enough to last the whole of the coming Week, when,
182
PASSION WEEK.
on account of the long Ceremonies, it would scarcely
be possible to attend to individual cases of poverty.
The Liturgists of the Middle-Ages allude to the
beautiful appropriateness of the Roman Pontiff's dis-
tributing alms with his own hand, to the poor, on
this day, the same on which Mary Magdalene em-
balmed, with her perfumes, the feet of Jesus.
Since the 12th century, a Station has been as-
signed to this Saturday ; it takes place in the Church
of Saint John before the Latin Gate. This ancient
Basilica is built near the spot where the Beloved
Disciple was by Domitian's order, plunged into the
cauldron of boiling oil.
COLLECT.
Proficiat, quaesumus, Do-
mine, plebs tibi dicata
pise devotionis affectu : ut
sacris actionibus erudita,
quanto majestati tuae fit
gratior, tanto donis potio-
ribus augeatur. Per Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
May the people consecrated
to thy service, we beseech
thee, 0 Lord, improve in the
affections of piety ; that in-
structed by these holy mys-
teries, they may be so much
the more enriched with thy
heavenly gifts, as they be-
come more acceptable to
thy divine majesty. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Jeremiae Prophetae.
Cap. XVIII.
In diebus illis : Dixerunt
impii Judaei ad invicem :
Venite, et cogitemus con-
tra Justum cogitationes :
non enim peribit Lex a
sacerdote, neque consilium
a sapiente, nee sermo a
propheta : venite, et percu-
tiamus eum lingua, et non
Lesson from Jeremias the
Prophet.
Ch. XVTII.
In those days, the wicked
Jews said to one another :
Come, and let us invent de-
vices against the Just : for
the Law shall not perish from
the priest, nor counsel from
the wise, nor the word from
the prophet. Come, and let
us strike him with the tongue,
SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
183
and let us give no heed to all
his words. Give heed to me,
0 Lord, and hear the voice of
my adversaries. Shall evil be
rendered for good, because
they have digged a pit for my
soul ? Remember that I have
stood in thy sight, to speak
good for them, and to
turn away thy indignation
from them. Therefore de-
liver up their children to fa-
mine, and bring them into the
hands of the sword ; let their
wives be bereaved of children,
and widows ; and let the hus-
bands be slain by death ; let
their young men be stabbed
with the sword in battle. Let
a cry be heard out of their
houses ; for thou shalt bring
the robber upon them sud-
denly, because they have
digged a pit to take me, and
have hid snares for my feet.
But thou, O Lord, knowest
all their counsel against me
unto death ; forgive not their
iniquity, and let not their sin
be blotted out from thy sight;
let them be overthrown before
thy eyes, in the time of thy
wrath do thou destroy them,
0 Lord our God.
attendamus ad imiversos
sormones ejus. Attende,
Domine, ad me ; et audi
vocem adversariorum meo-
rum. Numquid redditur pro
bono malum, quia foderunt
foveam animae meae ? Ee-
cordare quod steterim in
conspectu tuo, ut loquerer
pro eis bonum, et averte-
rem indignationem tuam ab
eis. Propterea da nlios eo-
rum in famem, et deduc
eos in manus gladii ; fiant
uxores eorum absque liberis,
et viduse : et viri earum in-
terficiantur morte : juvenes
eorum confodiantur gladio
in prselio. Audiatur clamor
de domibus eorum : adduces
enim super eos latronem
repente : quia foderunt fove-
am ut caperent me, et laqueos
absconderunt pedibus meis.
Tu autem, Domine, scis omne
consilium eorum adversum
me in mortem : ne propitieris
iniquitati eorum, et peccatum
eorum a facie tua non de-
leatur : fiant corruentes in
conspectu tuo, in tempore
furoris tui abutere eis, Do-
mine Deus noster.
It makes us tremble to read these awful ana-
themas, which Jeremias, the figure of Christ, speaks
against his enemies, the Jews. This prophecy, which
was literally fulfilled at the first destruction of Jeru-
salem by the Assyrians, received a more terrible ful-
filment at the second visitation of (rod's anger upon
this city of malediction. This time, it was not be-
cause the Jews had persecuted a Prophet ; it was
because they had rejected and crucified the very Son
o
184 PASSION WEEK.
of Gk>d. It was to their long-expected Messias that
they had rendered evil for good. It was not a Saint,
like Jeremias, that had spoken good for them to the
Lord, and besought him to turn aicay his indigna-
tion from them ; the Man- God himself had, without
ceasing, made intercession for them, and treated
them with the tenderest mercy. But all was in
vain ; this ungrateful people seemed to hate their
divine Benefactor in proportion to his love of them ;
and at length, in the transport of their fury, they
cried out : His blood be upon us and upon our
children ! l What a frightful chastisement they
entailed on themselves by this imprecation ! Grod
heard and remembered it. Alas ! the sinner, who
knows Jesus and the worth of his Blood, yet who
again sheds this precious Blood, — does not he expose
himself to the severity of that same Justice, which
fell so heavily on the Jews ? Let us tremble and
pray : let us implore the divine mercy in favour of
those many obstinately blind and hardened sinners,
who are hastening to destruction. Oh ! that by the
fervour of our supplications addressed to the merci-
ful Heart of our common Redeemer, we could obtain
a reversion of their sentence, and secure them pardon !
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii Sequel of the holy Gospel
secundum Joannem. according to John.
Cap. XII. Oh. XII.
In illo tempore: Cogita- At that time: the chief
verunt principes sacerdo- priests thought to kill Lazarus
turn, ut et Lazarum inter- also, because many of the
ficerent : quia multi propter Jews by reason of him went
ilium abibant ex Judseis, away, and believed in Jesus,
et credebant in Jesum. In And on the next day a great
crastinum autem turba mul- multitude, that was come to
ta, quae venerat ad diem fes- the festival day, when they
St. Matth. xxvii. 25.
SATURDAY IN PASSION WKEK.
185
had heard that Jesus was
coining to Jerusalem, took
branches of palm trees, and
went forth to meet him, and
cried : Hosanna, blessed is he
that comoth in the name of
the Lord, the King of Israel !
And Jesus found a young ass,
and sat upon it, as it is writ-
ten : Fear not, daughter of
Sion ; behold thy king cometh
sitting on an ass's colt.
These things his disciples did
not know at first ; but when
Jesus was glorified, they then
remembered that these things
were written of him, and that
they had done these things to
him.
The multitude therefore
gave testimony, which was
with him, when he called
Lazarus out of the grave, and
raised him from the dead. For
which reason also the people
came to meet him, because
they heard he had done this
miracle. The Pharisees there-
fore said among themselves :
Do you see that we prevail
nothing ? behold, the whole
world is gone after him. Now
there were certain Gentiles
among them that came up to
adore on the festival day.
These therefore came to Phi-
lip, who was of Bethsaida of
Galilee, and desired him say-
ing : Sir, we would see Jesus.
Philip cometh, and telleth
Andrew. Again Andrew and
Philip told Jesus.
But Jesus answered them,
saying: The hour is come
that the Son of man shall be
glorified. Amen, amen, I say
turn, cum audissent quia
venit Jesus Jerosolymam :
acceperunt ramos palma-
rum, et processerunt obviam
ei, et clamabant : Hosanna :
benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini, Rex Israel.
Et invenit Jesus asellum, et
sedit super eum, sicut scrip -
turn est : Noli timere, filia
Sion : ecce Rex tuus venit
sedens super pullum asinse.
Hsec non cognoverunt dis-
cipuli ejus primum : sed
quando glorificatus est Jesus,
tunc recordati sunt quia haec
erant scripta de eo : et hsec
fecerunt ei.
Testimonium ergo per-
hibebat turba, quae erat
cum eo quando Lazarum
vocavit de monumento, et
suscitavit eum a mortuis.
Propterea et obviam venit
ei turba : quia audierunt
eum fecisse hoc signum.
Pharissei ergo dixerunt ad
semetipsos : Videtis quia
nihil proficimus ? Ecce mun-
dus totus post eum abiit.
Erant autem quidam Gen-
tiles ex his, qui ascende-
rant ut adorarent in die
festo. Hi ergo accesserunt
ad Philippum, qui erat a
Bethsaida Galilsese, et roga-
bant eum, dicentes : Do-
mine, volumus Jesum vi-
dere. Venit Philippus, et
dicit Andrese : Andreas
rursum et Philippus dixe-
runt Jesu.
Jesus autem, respondit
eis, dicens : Venit hora,
ut clarificetur Filius homi-
nis. Amen, amen, dico vo-
186
PASSION WEEK.
bis, nisi graniim frumenti
cadens in terram, mortuum
fuerit, ipsum solum manet.
Si autem mortuum fuerit,
multum fructum affert. Qui
amat animam suam, perdet
earn : et qui odit animam
suam in hoc mundo, in vi-
tam seternam custodit earn.
Si quis mihi ministrat, me
sequatur : et ubi sum ego,
illic et minister meus erit.
Si quis mihi ministrave-
rit honorificabit eum Pater
meus. Nunc anima mea tur-
bata est. Et quid dicam ?
Pater, salvifica me ex hac
hora. Sed propterea veni in
horam hanc. Pater, clari-
fica nomen tuum. Venit ergo
vox de ccelo : Et clarificavi,
et iterum clarificabo. Turba
ergo, quae stabat et audie-
rat, dicebat tonitruum esse
factum. Alii dicebant : An-
gelas ei locutus est.
Eespondit Jesus, et dixit :
Non propter me hsec vox
venit, sed propter vos.
Nunc judicium est mundi :
nunc princeps hujus mundi
ejicietur foras. Et ego si
exaltatus fuero a terra, om-
nia traham ad meipsum
(hoc autem dicebat, signi-
ficans qua morte esset mo-
riturus). Eespondit ei tur-
ba : Nos audivimus ex Le-
ge, quia Christus manet in
seternum : et quomodo tu
dicis : Oportet exaltari Mi-
lium hominis ? Quis est iste
Filius hominis ? Dixit ergo
eis Jesus : Adhuc modicum
lumen in vobis est. Ambu-
late dum lucem habetis, ut
non vos tenebrse compre-
to you, unless the grain of
wheat falling into the ground
die, itself remaineth alone.
But if it die, it bringeth forth
much fruit. He that loveth his
life, shall lose it ; and he that
hateth his life in this world,
keepeth it unto life eternal.
If any man minister to me,
let him follow me ; and where
I am, there also shall my
minister be. If any man minis-
ter to me, him will my Father
honour. Now is my soul
troubled. And what shall I
say ? Father, save me from
this hour. But for this cause I
came unto this hour. Father,
glorify thy name. A voice
therefore came from heaven :
I have both glorified it, and
will glorify it again. The
multitude therefore that stood
and heard, said that it thun-
dered. Others said : An Angel
spoke to him.
Jesus answered and said :
This voice came not because
of me, but for your sakes.
Now is the judgment of the
world ; now shall the prince
of this world be cast out. And
I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all things to
myself. ( Now this he said,
signifying what death he
should die.) The multitude
answered him : We have
heard out of the law, that
Christ abideth for ever ; and
now sayest thou : The Son
of Man must be lifted up ?
Who is this Son of Man ?
Jesus therefore said to them :
Yet a little while, the light is
among you. Walk whilst you
have the light, that the dark-
SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK. 187
ness overtake you not ; and hendant : et qui ambulat in
he that walketh in dark- tenebris, nescit quo vadat.
ness knoweth not whither he Dum lucem habetis, credite
goeth. Whilst you have the in lucem, ut filii lucis sitis.
light, believe in the light, Hsec locutus est Jesus : et
that you may be the children abiit, et abscondit se ab eis.
of light. These things Jesus
spoke, and he went away and
hid himself from them.
The enemies of Jesus have come to that pitch of
hatred, which robs a man of his senses. Lazarus,
who has been restored from death to life, is here
standing before them ; and instead of his resuscita-
tion convincing them of Jesus' being the Messias, it
sets them thinking how best to make away with this
irresistible witness. 0 senseless men ! that Jesus
who. raised him to life when dead, can again bring
him to life if you murder him. — Jesus' triumphant
entry into Jerusalem, which we are solemnly to com-
memorate to-morrow, adds to their jealousy and
hatred. Behold, say they, we prevail nothing : the
whole world goes after him. Alas ! this ovation is
to be soon followed by one of those reverses to
which a populace is so subject. Meanwhile, how-
ever, we have certain Gentiles who desire to see
Jesus. It is the beginning of the fulfilment of Jesus'
prophecy : The kingdom of God shall be taken from
you, and shall be given to a nation yielding the
fruits thereof1 Then shall the Son of man be glori-
fied; then shall all nations, by their humble homage
to the Crucified, protest against the sinful blindness
of the Jews. But, before this comes to pass, it is re-
quisite, that the Divine Wheat be cast into the
ground, and die. Then, the glorious harvest ; and
the beautiful seed shall yield a hundredfold.
And yet, Jesus feels, in his human nature, a mo-
mentary fear at the thought of this death he is to
1 St. Matth. xxi. 43.
188 PASSION WEEK.
undergo. It is not the agony in the Garden ; it is a
trouble of soul. Let us listen to his words : Father !
save me from this hour. It is our God who foresees
all that he is about to suffer for our sakes, and it
fills him with fear : he asks to he freed from it,
though his will has decreed and accepted it. He
immediately adds : But for this cause I came unto
this hour : Father ! glorify thy name. His soul is
now calm ; he once more accepts the hard conditions
of our salvation. After this, his words bespeak a
triumph ; by virtue of the sacrifice about to be
offered, Satan shall be dethroned : The Prince of this
world shall be cast out. But the defeat of Satan is
not the only fruit of our Saviour's immolation : —
man, earthly and depraved creature as he is, is to be
raised from this earth to heaven. The Son of God is
to be the heavenly loadstone, attracting man to him-
self : And /, if I be lifted up from the earth, trill
draw all things to myself He forgets his sufferings,
and the terrible death which just now troubled him ;
he thinks but of the defeat of our implacable enemy,
and of our being saved and glorified by his Cross.
These few words reveal the whole Heart of our
Redeemer : if we attentively weigh them, they will
suffice to inflame us with devotion as we celebrate
the ineffable Mysteries of Holy Week.
Humiliate capita vestra Bow down your heads to
Deo. God.
Tueatur qusesumus, Do- May thy right hand, O
mine, dextera tua populum Lord, we beseech thee, pro-
depiecantem, et purinca- tect thy people making sup-
tum dignanter erudiat : ut plication to thee, and purify -
consolatione prsesenti, ad ing them from their sins,
futura bona proficiat. Per make them wise, that they
Christum Dominum nos- may make such use of the
trum. Amen. comforts of this present life,
SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
189
as to arrive at that which is
eternal. Through Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Let us sue for mercy from the Saviour of our
souls, in these words of supplication used in the
G-othic Liturgy of Spain.
SUPPLICATION.
(Feria VI. Dominicce V.)
y. Have mercy upon, and
spare, thy people, 0 most
merciful Lord !
gt. For we have sinned
against thee.
y. Look down, from the
throne of thy Cross, upon us
miserable creatures, who are
fettered by the chains of our
passions. Deliver us, O thou
our Redeemer, from the pun-
ishments we deserve.
gt. For we have sinned
against thee.
y. O thou that wast
scourged, ignominiously cru-
cified, and insulted by them
that persecuted thee ! grant
us repentance for our sins.
gt. For we have sinned
against thee.
$ . 0 thou, the just Judge,
that wast judged unjustly,
and, though innocent, made
to suffer the tortures of the
Cross ! save us from our
merited punishments, for
thou art our Redeemer.
Bt. For we have sinned
against thee.
^. O thou, that heretofore
wast silent before the judge !
raise up thy voice in pleading
for us to thy Father, that we
may be happy with thee, our
King and Lord.
f. Miserere, et parce, cle-
mentissime Domine, populo
tuo.
§i. Quia peccavimus tibi.
y. De crucis throno aspice
nos miseros, et passionum
compeditos vinculis nostris
absolve, Redemptor, suppli-
ciis.
gt. Quia peccavimus tibi.
~ft. Passus flagella, et cru-
cis injuriam, persecutorum
sustinens convicia, dona
delictis nostris poeniten-
tiam.
gt. Quia peccavimus tibi.
1?. Qui Justus judex, male
judicatus es, et pcenas
crucis suscepisti innocens ;
tu nos a poenis nostris salva
redimens.
gt. Quia peccavimus tibi.
1?. Yox tua Patrem pro
nobis expostulet, quae si-
lens fuit olim ante judicem,
ut te regnante perfruamur
Pomino.
190
PASSION WEEK.
Be. Quia peccavimus tibi. &. For we have sinned
against thee.
The following Sequence, in praise of Mary, is most
appropriate for this Saturday of Passion Week. It
sweetly blends together the homages we owe to the
Cross of Jesus and to the Dolours of Mary. We
have taken it from the Horce of the 6th century.
SEQUENCE.
Lignum vitse quserimus,
Qui vitam amisimus
Fructu ligni vetiti.
Nee inventum noverit
Qui fructum non viderit
Adhserentem stipiti.
Fructus per quern vivitur
Pendet, sicut creditur,
Virginis ad ubera.
Et ad Crucem iterum,
Inter viros scelerum,
Passus quinque vulnera.
Hie Virgo puerpera,
Hie Crux salutifera :
Ambo ligna mystica.
Haec hyssopus humilis,
Ilia cedrus nobilis :
Utraque vivifica.
Positus in medio,
Quo me vertam nescio.
In hoc dulci dubio,
Dulcis est collatio.
Hie complexus brachiis,
Modis vagit variis.
Hie extendit brachia,
Complexurus omnia.
Charum Mater tenere
Novit hie tenere.
Charitas sub latere,
Nescit hie latere.
Hie adhserens pectori,
Pascitur ab ubere.
We, that by the fruit of the
forbidden tree, lost our life,
now seek the Tree of life.
He alone hath found this
Tree, who sees the Branch
whereon is fixed the Fruit.
Our faith tells us, that the
Fruit, that gives us life, hangs
on Mary's breast.
And on the Cross, between
two thieves, though, here, he
is pierced with five wounds.
The Virgin-Mother, and the
saving Cross, — yea, both are
mystic Trees ;
The Cross, humble as the
hyssop ; Mary, noble as the
cedar, — both are trees of life.
Placed between the two, I
know not to which to turn.
0 sweet perplexity ! 0
sweet comparison !
Here, my Jesus lies, fondled
in his Mother's arms, a weep-
ing little Babe ;
There, with his arm stretch-
ed out, calling all to his em-
brace.
Here, 'tis a burden sweet
to a Mother's love ;
There, 'tis Love itself, too
ardent to be hid.
Here, leaning on his Mo-
ther's heart, he is fed at her
breast ;
SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK.
191
There, fastened to the tree,
he feeds us from his wounds.
The Cross supplies us with
the food of its refreshing
Fruit ;
The Mother forestalls the
Cross, feeding the very Fruit,
feeding him for us.
This, then, is my decision ;
— we cannot have the one
without the other.
He that chooses the Cross,
must have the Mother; for
when he comes to the Cross,
he will find the Mother stand-
ing at the foot.
He that chooses the Mother,
meets the Cross as well, for
it was whilst standing at the
Cross, that the Mother's heart
was pierced.
0 Jesus ! crucified Son of a
crucified Mother ! look upon
us from thy Cross.
0 living Fruit! O Fruit
of the Tree of life ! refresh us
with thyself, give us the en-
joyment of thine own dear
self. Amen.
Hie affixus arbori,
Pascit nos ex vulnere.
Crux ministrat pabula,
Fructu nos reficiens.
Mater est praeambula,
Fructum nobis nutriens.
Tandem ad hoc trahitur
Finalis sententia :
Quod nemo consequitur
Unam sine alia.
Qui Crucem elegerit,
Nee sic Matrem deserit :
Cum ad Crucem venerit,
Matrem ibi poterit
Stantem invenire.
Nee qui Matrem elegit,
Crucem prorsus abigit,
Si modum intelligit
Quo per Matrem contigit
Gladium transire.
Fili Matris unice,
Matris crucifixae,
Nos de Cruce respice,
Fili crucifixe.
Fructus o vivifice,
Fructus ligni vitae,
Nos teipso refice,
Nobis da frui te.
Amen.
192 HOLY WEEK.
PALM SUNDAY.
Hodie, si vocem Domini To-day, if ye shall hear the
audieritis, nolite obdurare voice of the Lord, harden not
corda vestra. your hearts.
Early in the morning of this day, Jesus sets out for
Jerusalem, leaving Mary, his Mother, and the two
sisters Martha and Mary Magdalene, and Lazarus,
at Bethania. The Mother of Sorrows trembles at
seeing her Son thus expose himself to danger, for
his enemies are bent upon his destruction ; but it is
not Death, it is Triumph, that Jesus is to receive to-
day in Jerusalem. The Messias, before being nailed
to the Cross, is to be proclaimed King by the people
of the great City ; the little children are to make
her streets echo with their Hosannas to the Son of
David ; and this in presence of the soldiers of Home's
Emperor, and of the High Priests and Pharisees, —
the first, standing under the banner of their Eagles ;
the second, dumb with rage.
The Prophet Zachary had foretold this Triumph
which the Son of Man was to receive a few days be-
fore his Passion, and which had been prepared for
him from all eternity. Rejoice greatly, 0 Daughter
of Sion ! Shout for joy, 0 daughter of Jerusalem !
Behold thy King will come to thee; the Just and
the Saviour. He is poor, and riding upon an ass,
PALM SUNDAY '. ITS HISTORY. 193
and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.1 Jesus, know-
ing that the hour was come for the fulfilment of this
prophecy, singles out two from the rest of his Dis-
ciples, and bids them lead to him an ass and her
colt, which they would find not far off. He had got
to Bethphage, on Mount Olivet. The two Disciples
lose no time in executing the order given them by
their divine Master ; and the ass and the colt are
soon brought to the place where he stands.
The holy Fathers have explained to us the mystery
of these two animals. The ass represents the Jewish
people, which had been ]ong under the yoke of the
T-jaw ; the colt, upon which, as the Evangelist says, no
man yet hath sat,2 is a figure of the Grentile world,
which no one had ever yet brought into subjection.
The future of these two peoples is to be decided in a
few days hence : the Jews will be rejected, for having
refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messias ; the
Gentiles will take their place, to be adopted as (rod's
people, and become docile and faithful.
The Disciples spread their garments upon the colt ;
and our Saviour, that the prophetic figure might be
fulfilled, sat upon him? and advances towards Jeru-
salem. As soon as it was known that Jesus was
near the City, the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts
of those Jews, who had come, from all parts, to cele-
brate the Feast of the Passover. They go out to meet
our Lord, holding palm branches in their hands, and
loudly proclaiming him to be King.* They that had
accompanied Jesus from Bethania, join the enthusi-
astic crowd. Whilst some spread their garments on
the way, others cut down boughs from the Palm-
trees, and strewed them along the road. Hosanna is
the triumphant cry, proclaiming to the whole city,
that Jesus, the Son of David, has made his entrance
as her King.
1 Zac. ix. 9. 3 Ibid. xi. 7, and St. Luke, xix. 35.
2 St. Mark, xi. 2. i St. Luke, xix. 38.
194 HOLY WEEK.
Thus did Gk>d, in his power over men's hearts, pro-
cure a triumph for his Son, and in the very City,
which, a few days after, was to clamour for his Blood.
This day was one of glory to our Jesus, and the holy
Church would have us renew, each year, the memory
of this triumph of the Man-Grod. Shortly after the
Birth of our Emmanuel, we saw the Magi coming
from the extreme East, and looking in Jerusalem for
the King of the Jews, to whom they intended offer-
ing their gifts and their adorations : but it is Jerusa-
lem herself that now goes forth to meet this King.
Each of these events is an acknowledgment of the
Kingship of Jesus : the first, from the Grentiles ; the
second, from the Jews. Both were to pay him this
regal homage, before he suffered his Passion. The
Inscription to be put upon the Cross, by Pilate's
order, will express the kingly character of the Cruci-
fied : Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jeivs. Pilate, —
the Roman Governor, the pagan, the base coward, —
has been, unwittingly, the fulfiller of a prophecy ; and
when the enemies of Jesus insist on the Inscription
being altered, Pilate will deign them no answer but
this : What I have written, I have written. To-day,
it is the Jews themselves that proclaim Jesus to be
their King : they will soon be dispersed, in punish-
ment for their revolt against the Son of David ; but
Jesus is King, and will be so for ever. Thus were
literally verified the words spoken by the Archangel
to Mary, when he announced to her the glories of
the Child that was to be born of her : The Lord God
shall give unto him the throne of David, his father ;
and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever}
Jesus begins his reign upon the earth this very day ;
and though the first Israel is soon to disclaim his
rule, a new Israel, formed from the faithful few of the
old, shall rise up in every nation of the earth, and
1 St. Liike, i. 32.
PALM SUNDAY I ITS HISTORY. 195
become the Kingdom of Christ, a kingdom such as
no mere earthly monarch ever coveted in his wildest
fancies of ambition.
This is the glorious Mystery which ushers in the
Great Week, the Week of Dolours. Holy Church
would have us give this momentary consolation to
our heart, and hail our Jesus as our King. She has
so arranged the Service of to-day, that it should ex-
press both joy and sorrow ; joy, by uniting herself
with the loyal Hosannas of the City of David ; and
sorrow, by compassionating the Passion of her Divine
Spouse. The whole function is divided into three
parts, which we will now proceed to explain.
The first is the blessing of the Palms, and we may
have an idea of its importance by the solemnity used
by the Church in this sacred rite. One would sup-
pose that the Holy Sacrifice has begun, and is going
to be offered up in honour of Jesus' Entry into
Jerusalem. Introit, Collect, Epistle, Gradual, Gospel,
even a Preface, are said as though we were, as usual,
preparing for the immolation of the Spotless Lamb ;
but, after the triple Sanctus ! Sanctus ! Sanctus !
the Church suspends these sacrificial formulas, and
turns to the Blessing of the Palms. The Prayers
she uses for this Blessing are eloquent and full of
instruction ; and, together, with the sprinkling with
Holy Water and the Incensation, impart a virtue to
these Branches, which elevates them to the super-
natural order, and makes them means for the sancti-
fication of our souls and the protection of our persons
and dwellings. The Faithful should hold these
Palms in their hands during the procession, and
during the reading of the Passion at Mass, and
keep them in their homes as an outward expression
of their faith, and as a pledge of God's watchful love.
It is scarcely necessary to tell our reader, that the
Palms or Olive branches, thus blessed, are carried in
memory of those wherewith the people of Jerusalem
196 HOLY WEEK.
strewed the road, as our Saviour made his trium-
phant Entry ; but a word on the antiquity of our
ceremony will not be superfluous. It began very
early in the East. It is probable, that as far as
Jerusalem itself is concerned, the custom was estab-
lished immediately after the Ages of Persecution.
St. Cyril, who was Bishop of that City in the 4th
century, tells us, that the Palm-tree, from which the
people cut the branches when they went out to meet
our Saviour, was still to be seen in the Vale of
Cedron.1 Such a circumstance would naturally sug-
gest an annual commemoration of the great event.
In the following century, we find this ceremony
established, not only in the Churches of the East,
but also in the Monasteries of Egypt and Syria. At
the beginning of Lent, many of the holy monks ob-
tained permission from their Abbots to retire into
the desert, that they might spend the sacred season
in strict seclusion ; but they were obliged to return
to their monasteries for Palm Sunday, as we learn
from the Life of St. Euthymius, written by his disciple
Cyril.2 In the West, the introduction of this cere-
mony was more gradual : the first trace we find of it,
is in the Sacramentary of St. Gregory, that is, the
end of the 6th, or the beginning of the 7th, century.
When the Faith had penetrated into the North, it
was not possible to have Palms or Olive branches ;
they were supplied by branches from other trees.
The beautiful prayers used in the Blessing, and
which are based on the mysteries expressed by the
Palm and Olive trees, are still employed in the
blessing of our willow, box, or other branches ; and
rightly, for they represent the symbolical ones which
nature has denied us.
The second of to-day's ceremonies is the Proces-
sion, which comes immediately after the Blessing of
1 Cateches. x. versus fin. - Act. SS. — xx. Januarii.
PALM SUNDAY : ITS HISTORY. 197
the Palms. It represents our Saviour's journey to
Jerusalem, and his Entry into the City. To make
it the more expressive, the Branches that have
just been blessed, are held in the hand during
it. With the Jews, to hold a branch in one's
hand, was a sign of joy. The Divine Law had
sanctioned the practice, as we read in the follow-
ing passage from Leviticus, where (rod commands
his people to keep the Feast of Tabernacles : And
you shall take to you, on the first day, the fruits of
the fairest tree, and branches of Palm-trees, and
boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and
you shall rejoice before the Lord your God.1 It was,
therefore, to testify their delight at seeing Jesus
enter within their walls, that the inhabitants, even
the little children, of Jerusalem, went forth to meet
him with Palms in their hands. Let us, also, go
before our King, singing our Hosannas to him as the
Conqueror of death, and the Liberator of his people.
During the Middle Ages, it was the custom, in
many Churches, to carry the Book of the Holy
Gospels in this Procession. The Gospel contains the
words of Jesus Christ, and was considered to represent
him. The Procession halted at an appointed place,
or Station : the Deacon then opened the sacred
Volume, and sang from it the passage which describes
our Lord's Entry into Jerusalem. This done, the
Cross, which, up to this moment, was veiled, was
uncovered ; each of the clergy advanced towards it,
venerated it, and placed at its foot a small portion of
the palm he held in his hand. The Procession then
returned, preceded by the Cross, which was left
unveiled, until all had re-entered the Church. In
England and Normandy, as far back as the 11th
century, there was practised a holy ceremony, which
represented, even more vividly than the one we have
just been describing, the scene that was witnessed,
1 Levit. xxiii. 40.
198 HOLY WEEK.
on this day, at Jerusalem : — the Blessed Sacrament
was carried in Procession. The heresy of Beren-
garius, against the Real Presence of Jesus in the
Eucharist, had been broached about that time ; and,
the tribute of triumphant joy here shown to the Sacred
Host, was a distant preparation for the Feast and
Procession, which were to be instituted at a later
period.
A touching ceremony was also practised in Jeru-
salem, during to-day's Procession, and, like those just
mentioned, was intended to commemorate the event
related by the Grospel. The whole community of the
Franciscans, (to whose keeping the Holy Places are
intrusted,) went, in the morning to Bethphage.
There, the Father Guardian of the Holy Land, being
vested in pontifical robes, mounted upon an ass, on
which garments were laid. Accompanied by the
Friars and the Catholics of Jerusalem, all holding
Palms in their hands, he entered the City, and
alighted at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre where
Mass was celebrated with all possible solemnity.
This beautiful ceremony, which dated from the
period of the Latin Kingdom in Jerusalem, has been
forbidden, for now almost two hundred years, by the
Turkish authorities of the City.
We have mentioned these different usages, as we
have done others on similar occasions, in order to
aid the Faithful to the better understanding of the
several mysteries of the Liturgy. In the present
instance, they will learn, that, in to-day's Procession
the Church wishes us to honour Jesus Christ as
though he were really among us, and were receiving
the humble tribute of our loyalty. Let us lovingly
go forth to meet this our King, our Saviour, wlio
comes to visit the Daughter of Sion, as the Prophet
has just told us. He is in our midst ; it is to him
that we pay honour with our Palms ; — let us give
him our hearts too. He comes that he may be our
PALM SUNDAY : ITS HISTORY. 199
King ; let us welcome him as such, and fervently
cry out to him : Hosanna to the Son of David !
At the close of the Procession, a ceremony takes
place, which is full of the sublimest symbolism. On
returning to the church, the doors are found to be
shut. The triumphant Procession is stopped ; but
the songs of joy are continued. A hymn in honour
of Christ our King is sung with its joyous chorus ;
and at length, the Subdeacon strikes the door with
the staff of the cross ; the door opens, and the people,
preceded by the clergy, enter the church, proclaim-
ing the praise of Him, who is our Resurrection and
our Life.
This ceremony is intended to represent the entry
of Jesus into that Jerusalem, of which the earthly
one was but the figure, — the Jerusalem of heaven,
which has been opened for us by our Saviour. The
sin of our first parents had shut it against us ; but
Jesus, the King of glory, opened its gates by his
Cross, to which every resistance yields. Let us,
then, continue to follow in the footsteps of the Son
of David, for he is also the Son of Grod, and he
invites us to share his Kingdom with him. Thus, by
the Procession, which is commemorative of what
happened on this day, the Church raises up our
thoughts to the glorious mystery of the Ascension,
whereby heaven was made the close of Jesus'
mission on earth. Alas ! the interval between these
two triumphs of our Redeemer are not all days of
joy ; and no sooner is our Procession over, than the
Church, that had laid aside, for a moment, the
weight of her grief, falls back into sorrow and
mourning.
The third part of to-day's Service is the offering
of the Holy Sacrifice. The portions that are sung by
the Choir, are expressive of the deepest desolation ;
and the history of our Lord's Passion, which is to be
200 HOLY WEEK.
now read by anticipation, gives to the rest of the day
that character of sacred gloom, which we all know
so well. For the last five or six centuries, the
Church has adopted a special chant for this narrative
of the holy Grospel. The historian, or the Evangelist,
relates the events in a tone that is at once grave and
pathetic ; the words of our Saviour are sung to a
solemn yet sweet melody, which strikingly contrasts
with the high dominant of the several other inter-
locutors and the Jewish populace. During the
singing of the Passion, the Faithful should hold
their Palms in their hands, and, by this emblem of
triumph, protest against the insults offered to Jesus
by his enemies. As we listen to each humiliation
and suffering, all of which were endured out of love
for us, let us offer him our Palm as to our dearest
Lord and King. When should we be more adoring,
than when he is most suffering ?
These are the leading features of this great day.
According to our usual plan, we will add to the
Prayers and Lessons any instructions that seem to
be needed.
This Sunday, besides its liturgical and popular
appellation of Palm Sunday, has had several other
names. Thus it was called Hosanna Sunday, in
allusion to the acclamation wherewith the Jews
greeted Jesus on his Entry into Jerusalem. Our
forefathers used also to call it Pascha Floridum,
because the Feast of the Pasch (or Easter), which
is but eight days off, is to-day in bud, so to speak,
and the Faithful could begin from this Sunday to
fulfil the precept of Easter Communion. It was in
allusion to this name, that the Spaniards, having on
the Palm Sunday of 1513, discovered the peninsula
on the Ghilf of Mexico, called it Florida. We also
find the name of Capitilavium given to this Sunday,
PALM SUNDAY! BLESSING THE PALMS. 201
because during those times, when it was the custom
to defer till Holy Saturday the baptism of infants
born during the preceding months, (where such a
delay entailed no danger,) — the parents used, on this
day, to tvash the heads of these children, out of
respect to the Holy Chrism wherewith they were to
be anointed. Later on, this Sunday was, at least in
some Churches, called the Pasch of the Competents,
that is, of the Catechumens, who were admitted to
Baptism ; they assembled to-day in the Church, and
received a special instruction on the Symbol, which
had been given to them in the previous scrutiny.
In the Gothic Church of Spain, the Symbol was not
given till to-day. The Greeks call this Sunday
Ba'iphoros, that is, Palm-Bearing.
THE BLESSING OF THE PALMS.
It begins with the chanting the following Anti-
phon, which serves as an Introit.
ANTIPHON.
Hosaima to the Son of Hosanna filio David !
David ! Blessed is he that Benedictus qui venit in
cometh in the name of the nomine Domini. O Rex
Lord. O King of Israel ! Israel ! Hosanna in excel-
Hosanna in the highest ! sis !
The Priest then sums up, in the following Prayer,
the petitions of the Faithful. This is what he asks
for his people : that after this short life is over, they
may come to that eternal kingdom, which has been
prepared for them by the Death and Resurrection of
Jesus.
t . The Lord be with you. f. Dominus vobiscum.
Ifc. And with thy spirit. $. Et cum spiritu tuo,
202 HOLY WEEK.
OREMUS. LET US PRAY.
Deus quem diligere et O God, whom to love is
amare, justitia est, ineffa- true righteousness, multiply
bilis gratiso tuae in nobis in our hearts the gifts of thy
dona multiplica; et qui fe- holy grace; and since, by the
cisti nos in morte Filii tui death of thy only Son, thou
sperare quae credimus, fac hast made us to hope for those
nos eodem resurgente per- things which we believe,
venire quo tendimus. Qui grant that by his resurrection,
tecum vivit et regnat in we may arrive at the happy
unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus end of our journey. Who
per omnia ssecula ssecu- liveth and reigneth with thee,
lorum. in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, world without end.
gt. Amen. #. Amen.
After this Prayer, the Subdeacon chants a passage
from the Book of Exodus, which relates how the
people of (rod, after they have gone forth from
Egypt, pitch their tents at Elim, beneath the shade
of seventy Palm-trees, where also are twelve foun-
tains. Whilst here, they are told by Moses that
God is about to send them manna from heaven, and
that, on the very next morning, their hunger shall
be appeased. These were figures of what is now
given to the Christian people. The Faithful, by a
sincere conversion, have separated themselves from
the Egypt of a sinful world, They are offering the
Palms of their loyalty and love to Jesus, their King.
The Fountains typify the Baptism, which, in a few
days hence, is to be administered to our Catechu-
mens. These Fountains are twelve in number ; the
Twelve articles of the Symbol of our Faith were
preached to the world by the Twelve Apostles. And
finally, on the Morning of Easter Day, Jesus, the
Bread of life, the heavenly Manna, will arise from
the tomb, and manifest his glory to us.
PALM SUNDAY: BLESSING THE PALMS.
203
Lesson from the book
Exodus.
Ch. XV
In those days, the children
of Israel came into Elim,
where there were twelve foun-
tains of water, and seventy
palm-trees ; and they en-
camped by the waters. And
they set forward from Elim ;
and all the multitude of the
children of Israel came into
the desert of Sin, which is be-
tween Elim and Sinai, the fif-
teenth day of the second
month after they came out of
the land of Egypt. And all
the congregation of the chil-
dren of Israel murmured
against Moses and Aaron in
the wilderness. And the chil-
dren of Israel said to them :
Would to God we had died by
the hand of the Lord in the
land of Egypt, when we sat
over the flesh pots, and ate
bread to the full. Why have
you brought us into this desert,
that you might destroy all the
multitude with famine ? And
the Lord said to Moses : Be-
hold I will rain bread from
heaven for you ; let the people
go forth, and gather what is
sufficient for every day, that I
may prove them whether they
will walk in my law, or no.
But the sixth day let them
provide for to bring in, and
let it be double to that they
were wont to gather every
day. And Moses and Aaron
said to the children of Israel :
In the evening you shall know
LESSON.
of Lectio libri Exodi.
Cap. XV.
In diebus illis : Yenerunt
filii Israel in Elim, ubi
erant duodecim fontes
aquarum, et septuaginta
palmse : et crastrametati
sunt juxta aquas. Profecti-
que sunt de Elim : et venit
omnis multitudo filiorum
Israel in desertum Sin, quod
est inter Elim et Sinai :
quintodecimo die mensis
secundi, postquam egressi
sunt de terra iEgypti. Et
murmuravit omnis congre-
gatio filiorum Israel contra
Moysen et Aaron in soli-
tudine. Dixeruntque filii
Israel ad eos : Utinam rnor-
tui essemus per manum
Domini in terra .ZEgypti,
quando sedebamus super
ollas carnium : et comede-
bainus panem in saturitate.
Cur induxistis nos in de-
sertum istud, ut occideretis
omnem multitudinem fame ?
Dixit autem Dominus ad
Moysen : Ecce ego pluam
vobis panes de coelo. Egre-
diatur populus, et colligat
quae sufnciunt per singulos
dies : ut tentem eum, utrum
ambulet in lege mea, an non.
Die autem sexto parent
quod inf erant : et sit du-
plum, quam colligere sole-
bant per singulos dies.
Dixeruntque Moyses et
Aaron ad omnes filios Israel :
Vespere scietis, quod Domi-
nus eduxerit vos de terra
W)4.
HOLY WEEK.
iEgypti : et mane
gloriam Domini.
videbitis that the Lord hath brought
you forth out of the land of
Egypt : and in the morning
you shall see the glory of the
Lord.
After this Lesson, the choir sings one of the two
following Responsories, which commemorate the
Passion of our Lord.
RESPONSOEY.
gt. Oollegerunt Pontifices
et Pharissei concilium, et
dixerunt : Quid facimus,
quia hie homo multa signa
facit ? Si dimittimus eum
sic, omnes credent in eum :
* Et venient Eomani, et
tollent nostrum locum et
gentem.
"p. Unus autem ex illis,
Caiphas nomine, cum esset
Pontifex anni illius, pro-
phetavit dicens : Expedit
vobis, ut unus moriatur ho-
mo pro populo, et non tota
gens pereat. Ab illo ergo
die cogitaverunt interficere
eum dicentes :
* Et venient Eomani, et
tollent nostrum locum et
gentem.
gi. In Monte Oliveti ora-
vit ad Patrem : Pater, si
fieri potest, transeat a me
calix iste. * Spiritus quidem
prornptus est : caro autem
infirma ; fiat voluntas tua.
f. Vigilate et orate, ut
non intretis in tentationem.
* Spiritus quidem prornp-
tus est : caro autem infirma :
fiat voluntas tua.
gt. The chief priests there-
fore and thePharisees gathered
a council, and said : What
are we doing, for this man
performeth many wonders ?
If we let him go on thus, all
will believe in him. * And
the Eomans will come and
destroy both our country and
people.
^ . But one of them , named
Caiphas, being the high priest
of that year, said to them : It
is for your interest that one
man should die for the people,
and not the whole nation
perish. Therefore from that
day they devised to kill him,
saying :
* And the Eomans will
come and destroy both our
country and people.
gt. Jesus prayed unto his
Pather on Mount Olivet : 0
Father, if it be possible, let
this cup pass from me. * The
spirit indeed is ready, but the
fleshisweak. Thy will be done.
y . Watch and pray, that ye
enter not into temptation.
* The spirit indeed is ready,
but the flesh is weak. Thy
will be done.
PALM SUNDAY .' BLESSING THE PALMS.
205
The Deacon then chants, from the Gospel of St.
Matthew, the history of Jesus' triumphant Entry
into Jerusalem. The Palms of the New Testament
entwine with those of the Old, in honour of the Man-
God, who is the connecting link of both.
GOSPEL.
Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to Matthew.
Oh. XXI.
At that time : Jesus draw-
ing near to Jerusalem, and
being come to Bethphage, at
mount Olivet, he sent two of
his disciples, and said to them :
Go ye into the village that is
over against you, and imme-
diately you shall find an ass
tied and a colt with her; loose
them and bring them to me.
And if any man shall say any-
thing to you, say ye, that the
Lord hath need of them ; and
forthwith he will let them go.
Now all this was done that it
might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet, saying :
Tell ye the daughter of Sion :
Behold, thy King cometh to
thee, meek, and sitting upon
an ass, and a colt, the foal of
her that is used to the yoke.
And the disciples going, did
as Jesus commanded them :
and they brought the ass and
the colt, and laid their gar-
ments upon them, and made
him sit thereon. And a very
great multitude spread their
garments in the way, and
others cut down boughs from
the trees, and strewed them in
the way ; and the multitudes
Sequentia sahcti Evangelii
secundum Matthseum.
Cap. XXI.
In illo tempore : Cum ap-
propinquasset Jesus Jero-
solymis et venisset Beth-
phage, ad montem Oliveti ;
tunc misit duos discipulos
suos, dicens eis : Ite in cas-
tellum, quod contra vos
est: et statim invenietis
asinam alligatam, et pul-
lum cum ea : solvite, et ad-
ducite mihi. Et si quis vo-
bis aliquid dixerit : dicite,
quia Dominus his opus ha-
bet : et confestim dimittet
eos. Hoc autem totum fac-
tum est, ut adimpleretur
quod dictum est per Pro-
phetam dicentem : Dicite
filise Sion : Ecce Eex tuus
venit tibi mansuetus sedens
super asinam, et pullum fi-
lium sub j ugalis . Euntes au -
tern discipuli, fecerunt si-
cut prtecepit illis Jesus.
Et adduxerunt asinam, et
pullum : et imposuerunt su-
per eos vostimenta sua, et
eum desuper sedere fece-
runt. Plurima autem turba
straverunt vestimenta sua
in via. Alii autem caede-
bant ramos de arboribus, et
sternebant in via. Turbae
206
HOLY WEEK.
autem quse prsecedebant, et
quae sequebantur, clama-
bant, dicentes : Hosanna
filio David ! benedictus qui
venit in nomine Domini !
that went before and that
followed, cried, saying : Ho-
sanna to the Son of David !
Blessed is he that cometh in
the name of the Lord !
And now the mystery-speaking Palms are to re-
ceive the Church's blessing. The Priest begins by
two scriptural allusions : the first is to Noah, who
received an olive-branch, when the waters of the
deluge had subsided ; the second is to Moses, whose
people, after quitting Egypt, encamped under the
seventy palm-trees. Then in the solemn tone of
the Preface, he calls upon all creatures to give praise
to the adorable Name of Jesus, for whom we are
preparing the homage of our devoted love. Let us
respond to the invitation, and sing with all our
hearts : Holy ! Holy ! Holy ! — Hosanna in excelsis !
Tjr. Dominus vobiscum.
Bt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
y. The Lord be with you.
$. And with thy spirit.
OREMUS.
Auge fidem in te speran-
tium, Deus, et supplicum
preces clementer exaudi :
veniat super nos multiplex
misericordia tua ; benedi-
cantur et hi palmites pal-
marum, seu olivarum : et
sicut in figura Ecclesise
multiplicasti Noe egredien-
tem de area, et Moysen
exeuntem de JEgypto cum
filiis Israel : ita nos portan-
tes palmas, et ramos oliva-
rum bonis actibus occurra-
mus obviam Christo, et per
ipsum in gaudium introea-
mus seternum. Qui tecum
vivit et regnat in unitate
Spiritus Sancti Deus,
LET TJS PRAY.
Increase, O God, the faith
of them that hope in thee, and
mercifully hear the prayers of
thy suppliants ; let thy mani-
fold mercy come upon us, and
let these branches of palm-
trees, or olive-trees, be blessed;
and as in a figure of the Church
thou didst multiply Noah
going out of the ark, and
Moses going out of Egypt
with the children of Israel, so
let us, carrying palms and
branches of olive-trees, go and
meet Christ with good works,
and enter through him into
eternal joys. Who liveth and
reigneth with thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost, God,
PALM SUNDAY 1 BLESSING THE PALMS.
207
fl. For ever and ever.
#. Amen.
y. The Lord be with you.
f. And with thy spirit.
. Lift up your hearts.
&. We have fixed them on
God.
^. Let us give thanks to
the Lord our God.
gt. It is meet and just.
It is truly meet and just,
right and available to salva-
tion, always and in all places
to give thee thanks, O Holy
Lord, Almighty Father, Eter-
nal God, who art glorious in
the assembly of thy saints.
For thy creatures serve thee,
because they acknowledge
thee for their only Creator and
God. And the whole creation
praiseth thee, and thy saints
bless thee, because they con-
fess with freedom, before the
kings and powers of this
world, the great name of thy
Only Begotten Son. Before
whom the Angels and Arch-
angels, the Thrones and Do-
minations, stand, and with all
the troops of the heavenly
host, sing a hymn to thy
glory, saying without ceasing:
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord
God of hosts !
Heaven and earth are full
of thy glory.
Hosanna in the highest !
Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest !
"ft. Per omnia saecula sae-
culorum.
f. Amen.
. Dominus vobiscum.
&. Et cum spiritu tuo.
y. Sursum corda.
#. Habemus ad Domi-
num.
H? . Gratias agamus Do-
mino Deo nostro.
gt. Dignum et justum est.
Vere dignum et justum
est, sequum et salutare, nos
tibi semper et ubique gra-
tias agere, Domine sancte,
Pater omnipotens, seterne
Deus. Qui gloriaris in con-
silio sanctorum tuorum.
Tibi enim serviunt crea-
turse tuse : quia te solum
auctorem et Deum cognos-
eunt: et omnis factura tua
te collaudat, et benedicunt
te sancti tui. Quia illud mag-
num Unigeniti tui nomen,
coram regibus et potesta-
tibus hujus sseculi, libera
voce confitentur. Cui assis-
tunt Angeli et Archangeli,
Throni et Dominationes :
cumque omni militia cceles-
tis exercitus, hymnum glo-
rise tuse concinunt, sine
fine dicentes :
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanc-
tus, Dominus Deus Saba-
oth.
Pleni sunt cceli et terra
gloria tua.
Hosanna in excelsis.
Benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini.
Hosanna in excelsis.
The Prayers which now follow, explain the mys-
tery of the Palms, and draw down the blessing of
208
HOLY WEEK.
Grod upon both them and the Faithful who receive
and keep them with proper dispositions.
y. Doniinus vobiscum.
gt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
OREMTJS.
Petimus, Domine sancte,
Pater omnipotens, seterne
Deus : ut hanc creaturam
olivse, quam ex ligni mate-
ria prodire jussisti, quam-
que columba rediens ad ar-
cam, proprio pertulit ore :
benedicere, et sanctificare
digneris : ut quicumque ex
ea receperint, accipiant si-
bi protectionem animse et
corporis, fiatque, Domine,
nostrae salutis remedium,
tuse gratiee sacramentum.
Per Dominum nostrum.
gt. Amen.
y. The Lord be with you.
gt. And with thy spirit.
LET XJS PRAY.
We beseech thee, 0 Holy
Lord, Almighty Father, Eter-
nal God, that thou wouldst be
pleased to bless and sanctify
this creature of the olive tree,
which thou madest to shoot
out of the substance of the
wood, and which the dove,
returning to the ark, brought
in its bill ; that whoever re-
ceiveth it, may find protection
of soul and body, and that it
may prove, 0 Lord, a saving
remedy, and a sacred sign of
thy grace. Through, &c.
Bt. Amen.
OBEMUS.
Deus, qui dispersa con-
gregas, et congregata con-
servas : qui populis obviam
Jesu ramos portantibus be-
nedixisti : benedic etiam hos
ramos palmse et olivae, quos
tui famuli ad honorem nomi-
nis tui fideliter suscipiunt :
ut in quemcumque locum-
introducti fuerint, tuam
benedictionem habitatores loci
illius consequantur : et omni
adversitate effugata, dextera
tua protegat quos redemit
Jesus Christus Filius tuus
Dominus noster. Qui tecum.
&. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
O God, who gatherest what
is dispersed, and preservest
what is gathered : who didst
bless the people, that carried
boughs to meet Jesus ; bless
also these branches of the
palm-tree and olive-tree
which thy servants take with
faith in honour of thy name ;
that into whatever place they
may be carried, the inhabi-
tants of that place may obtain
thy blessing, and thy right
hand preserve from all adver-
sity, and protect those that
have been redeemed by our
Lord Jesus Christ thy Son.
Who liveth, &c.
gi. Amen.
PALM SUNDAY : BLESSING THE PALMS.
209
LET US PRAY.
O God, who by the wonder-
ful order of thy providence
wouldst, even in insensiblo
things, show us the manner of
our salvation ; grant, we be-
seech thee, that the devout
hearts of thy faithful may
understand to their benefit
the mystical meaning of that
ceremony, when the multi-
tude, by direction from hea-
ven, going this day to meet our
Redeemer, strewed under his
feet palms and olive-branches.
The palms represent his tri-
umph over the prince of
death; and the olive-branches
proclaim, in some manner, the
coming of a spiritual unction.
For that pious multitude then
knew, what was by them
signified, that our Redeemer,
compassionating the misery of
mankind, was to fight for the
life of the whole world with
the prince of death ; and to
triumph over him by
his own death. And there-
fore in that action they made
use of such things, as might
declare both the triumph of
his victory, and the riches of
his mercy. We also with a
firm faith, retaining both the
ceremony and its signification,
humbly beseech thee, 0 holy
Lord, Almighty Father, Eter-
nal God, through the same
Lord Jesus Christ, that we,
whom thou hast made his
members, gaining by him, and
in him, a victory over the em-
pire of death, may deserve to
be partakers of his glorious
resurrection. Who liveth and
OREMUS.
Deus, qui miro dispo-
sitionis ordine, ex rebus
etiam insensibilibus, dis-
pensationem nostrse salutis
ostendere voluisti: da quoo-
sumus, ut devota tuorum
corda fidelium salubriter
intelligant, quid mystice de-
signet in facto, quod hodie
coelesti lumine afnata, Re-
demptori obviam proce-
dens palmarum atque oli-
varurn ramos vestigiis ejus
turba substravit. Palmarum
igitur rami de mortis prin-
cipe triumphos exspectant :
surculi vero olivarum spiri-
tualem unctionem advenisse
quodammodo clamant. In-
tellexit enim jam tunc ilia
hominum beata multitudo
prsefigurari : quia Redemp-
tor noster humanis con-
dolens miseriis, pro totius
mundi vita cum mortis
principe esset pugnaturus,
ac moriendo triumphatu-
rus. Et ideo talia obsequens
administravit, quae in illo
et triumphos victorise, et
misericordise pinguedinem
declararent. Quod nos quo-
que plena fide, et factum et
significatum retinentes, te
Domine sancte, Pater om-
nipotens, aeterne Deus, per
eumdem Dominum nos-
trum Jesum Christum sup-
pliciter exoramus : ut in
ipso, atque per ipsurn, cujus
nos membra fieri voluisti,
de mortis imperio victoriarn
reportantes, ipsius gloriosae
resurrectionis participes esse
mereamur. Qui tecum vivit
210
HOLY WEEK.
et regnat in unitate Spiritus
Sancti Deus, per omnia sse-
cula sseculorum.
R. Amen.
reigneth with thee, in the
unity of the Holy Ghost,
world without end.
R. Amen.
OREMUS.
Deus, qui per olivse ra-
mum, pacem terris colum-
bam nuntiare jussisti : prses-
ta qusesumus : ut hos olivae
caeterarumque arborum ra-
mos, coelesti benedictione
sanctifices : ut cuncto populo
tuo pronciant ad salutem.
Per Christum Dominum nos-
trum.
R. Amen.
OREMUS.
Benedic qusesumus, Do-
mine, hos palmarum, seu
olivarum ramos : et praesta
ut quod populus tuus in tui
veneratioDem hodierna die
corporaliter agit, hoc spiri-
tualiter summa devotione
perficiat, de hoste victoriam
reportando, et opus mise-
ricordise summopere dili-
gendo. Per Dominum.
St. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
O God, who by an olive
branch didst command the
dove to proclaim peace to the
world ; sanctify, we beseech
thee, by thy heavenly bene-
diction, these branches of
olives and other trees ; that
they may be serviceable to
all thy people unto salvation.
Through, &c.
St. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
Bless, O Lord, we beseech
thee, these branches of the
palm-tree, or olive-tree ; and
grant that what thy people
this day act corporally for thy
honour, they may perform
the same spiritually with the
greatest devotion, by gaining
a victory over their enemy,
and ardently loving the work
of thy mercy. Through. &c.
R. Amen.
The Priest completes the Blessing of the Palms
by sprinkling them with Holy Water and thurifying
them with Incense. After which, he adds the fol-
lowing Prayer.
^. Dominus vobiscum,
R. Et cum spiritu tuo.
t. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
OREMUS.
LET US PRAY.
Deus, qui Filium tuum O God, who, for our sal-
Jesum Christum Dominum vation, didst send into this
PALM SUNDAY I BLESSING THE PALMS.
211
world thy Son Jesus Christ
our Lord that he might hum-
ble himself to our condition,
and call us back to thee : for
whom also, as he was coming
to Jerusalem, to fulfil the
scriptures, a multitude of
faithful people, with a zealous
devotion, spread their gar-
ments together with palm
branches in the way : grant,
we beseech thee, that we may
prepare him the way of faith,
out of which the stone of
offence and the rock of scandal
being removed, our actions
may flourish with branches of
righteousness, so that we may
be worthy to follow his steps.
Who liveth and reigneth with
thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, world without end.
Bt. Amen.
nostrum, pro salute nostra
in hunc mundum misisti,
ut so humiliaret ad nos, et
nos revocaret ad te : cui
etiam dum Jerusalem veni-
ret, ut adimpleret Scriptu-
ras, credentium populorum
turba, fidelissima devo-
tione, vestimenta sua cum
ramis palmarum in via ster-
nebant : prsesta, qusesu-
mus, ut illi fidei viam prse-
paremus : de qua remoto
lapide offensionis, et petra
scandali, frondeant apud
te opera nostra justitiae ra-
mis : ut ejus vestigia sequi
mereamur. Qui tecum vivit
et regnat in unitate Spiritus
Sancti Deus, per omnia sse-
cula sseculorum.
$. Amen.
After this prayer, the Priest distributes the Palms
to the Faithful.1 During the distribution, the Choir
reminds us, by the two following Antiphons, of the
enthusiasm of the little children of Jerusalem, who,
with their Palms in their hands, sang their loud
Hosanna to the Son of David /
ANTIPHON.
The Hebrew children carry-
ing olive-branches met the
Lord, crying out, and saying:
Hosanna in the highest !
Pueri Hebrseorum por-
tantes ramos olivarum ob-
viaverunt Domino, claman-
tes, et dicentes : Hosanna in
excel sis !
The Hebrew children spread
their garments in the way,
ANTIPHON.
Pueri Hebrseorum vesti-
menta prosternebant in via,
1 In receiving the Palm, the Faithful should kiss first the Palm
itself, and then the Priest's hand.
212
HOLY WEEK.
et clamabant dicentes : Ho- and cried out saying : Hosan-
sanna filio David ; benedic- na to the Son of David : bless-
tus qui venit in nomine ed is he that cometh in the
Domini ! name of the Lord !
As soon as the distribution is over, the Priest con-
cludes this first part of the Service by the following
Prayer.
y. Dominus vobiscum. 7?.
&. Et cum spiritu tuo. &.
The Lord be with you.
And with thy spirit.
OREMUS.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, qui Dominum nostrum
Jesum Christum super pullum
asinse sedere f ecisti : et turbas
populorum vestimenta, vel
ramos arborum in via sternere,
et Hosanna decantare in lau-
dem ipsius docuisti : da quse-
sumus, ut illorum innocen-
tiam imitari possimus, et
eorum meritum consequi
mereamur. Per eumdem
Christum Dominum nostrum.
$. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
0 Almighty and Eternal
God, who wouldst have our
Lord Jesus Christ ride on the
colt of an ass, and didst in-
spire the crowds of people to
spread their garments, and
branches of trees in the way,
and to sing Hosanna to his
praise: grant, we beseech thee,
that we may imitate their in-
nocence, and deserve to par-
take of their merits. Through
the same Christ our Lord.
$. Amen.
THE PEOCESSION.
The Priest having blessed the Incense — which,
according to the custom of the Church, always heads
a Procession and sheds its perfume along the path
that is to be taken, — the Deacon turns towards the
people, and gives the signal for departure, with
these words :
Procedamus in pace,
Let us proceed in peace,
PALM SUNDAY : THE PROCESSION. 213
The Choir answers :
In nomine Christ!. Amen.
In the name of Christ
Amen.
The Procession then advances, the Clergy and
people holding the Palms in their hands. The Choir
chants the following Antiphons, in honour of Jesus,
the King of Israel.
ANTIPHON.
When the Lord drew nigh
to Jerusalem, he sent two of
his disciples, saying : Go ye
into the village that is over
against you ; and you will
find the colt of an ass tied,
upon which no man hath sat ;
loose it, and bring it to me.
If any one ask you any ques-
tions, say : The Lord wanteth
it. They untied, and brought
it to Jesus, and laid their gar-
ments upon it ; and he seated
himself on it. Others spread
their garments in the way ;
others cut branches from the
trees ; and those who follow-
ed, cried out, Hosanna! Bless-
ed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord; and bless-
ed be the reign of our father
David ! Hosanna in the high-
est ! 0 Son of David, have
mercy on us !
Cum approqinquaret Do-
minus Jerosolymam, misit
duos ex discipulis suis, di-
cens : Ite in castellum, quod
contra vos est : et inve-
nietis pullum asinae alliga-
tum, super quern nullus ho-
minum sedit : solvite, et
adducite mihi. Si quis vos
interrogaverit, dicite : Opus
Domino est. Solventes ad-
duxerunt ad Jesum : et im-
posuerunt illi vestimenta
sua, et sedit super eum : alii
expandebant vestimenta sua
in via : alii ramos de arboribus
sternebant, et qui sequeban-
tur, clamabant : Hosanna !
benedictus qui venit in no-
mine Domini, et benedictum
regnum patris nostri David !
Hosanna in excelsis! Mise-
rere nobis, fili David !
ANTIPHON.
When the people heard that
Jesus was coming to Jerusa-
lem, they took palm-branches
and went out to meet him ;
and the children cried out,
saying : This is he, who is
Cum audisset populus,
quia Jesus venit Jeresoly-
mam, acceperunt ramos
palmarum, et exierunt ei
obviam, et clamabant pue-
ri (Jicentes : Hie est, qui
214
HOLY WEEK.
venturus est in salutem po-
puli : Hie est salus nostra,
et redemptio Israel. Quan-
tus est iste, cui Throni et
Dominationes occurrunt !
Noli timere, filia Sion ! ecce
Rex tuus venit tibi, sedens
super pullum asinse, sicut
scriptum est. Salve Rex fa-
bricator mundi, qui venisti
redimere nos !
come for the salvation of the
people. He is our salvation,
and the redemption of Israel.
How great is he, whom the
Thrones and Dominations go
out to meet ! Fear not, O
daughter of Sion : behold thy
King cometh to thee sitting on
an ass's colt, as it is written.
Hail, 0 King, the Creator of
the world, who art come to
redeem us !
ANTIPHON.
Ante sex dies solemnis
Paschse, quando venit Do-
minus in civitatem Jerusa-
lem, occurrerunt ei pueri :
et in manibus portabant ra-
mos palmarum : et clama-
bant voce magna, dicentes :
Hosanna in excelsis ! Bene-
dictus qui venisti in multi-
tudine misericordiae tuse ;
Hosanna in excelsis !
Six days before the solem-
nity of the Passover, when the
Lord was coming into the city
of Jerusalem, the children
met him, and carried palm-
branches in their hands ; and
they cried out with a loud
voice, saying : Hosanna in the
highest : blessed art thou who
art come in the multitude of
thy mercy : Hosanna in the
highest !
ANTIPHON.
Occurrunt turbae cum flo-
ribus et palmis Redemptori
obviam : et victori trium-
phanti digna dant obsequia.
Filium Dei ore gentes prae-
dicant : et in laudem Christi
voces tonant per nubila :
Hosanna in excelsis !
The multitude goeth out to
meet their Redeemer with
flowers and palms, and payeth
the homage due to a trium-
phant conqueror : the Gen-
tiles proclaim the Son of God :
and their voices rend the skies
in the praise of Christ : Ho-
sanna in the highest !
ANTIPHON.
Cum Angelis et pueris fi- Let us faithfully join with
deles inveniamur, tiium- the Angels and children, sing-
PALM SUNDAY: THE PROCESSION. 215
ing to the Conqueror of death : phatori mortis clamantes :
Hosanna in the highest ! Hosanna in excelsis !
ANTIPHON.
A great multitude that was Turba multa quae conve-
met together at the festival nerat ad diem festum, cla-
cried out to the Lord : Blessed mabat Domino : Benedictus
is he that cometh in the name qui venit in nomine Domini !
of the Lord ! Hosanna in the Hosanna in excelsis !
highest !
The Procession is now on its return to the Church :
but it cannot enter, for the doors are shut. We
have already explained the meaning of this part of
the ceremony. Immediately, there are heard voices
within the holy place ; they are singing the praises
of Christ, our King and Saviour. These chanters
represent the holy Angels in heaven, who are
greeting the Entry of Jesus into the eternal Jeru-
salem. Outside the Church, there stands the choir,
re-echoing the Hymn of triumph ; but it is man
celebrating the Entry of the Son of David into the
earthly Jerusalem. The two Choirs are thus kept
separated from each other, until, at length, the
victorious Cross throws open the door, which repre-
sents the gate of heaven, and unites the Church mili-
tant with the Church triumphant. The hymn which
is sung during this ceremony, was composed by
Theodulph, Bishop of Orleans, when prisoner at
Angers, by order of Louis the Good. The Church of
Rome, by her using the first six stanzas of this short
poem, has immortalised it throughout the world.
The Chanters within the Church begin the first
stanza, which is repeated by the Choir without, not
only after this, but also after each of the following
five stanzas.
216
HOLY WEEK.
HYMN.
Gloria, laus et honor tibi
sit, Rex Christe Re-
dernptor !
Cui puerile decus prompsit
Hosanna pium.
gt. Gloria, laus.
Israel es tu Rex, Davidis
et inclyta proles :
Nomine qui in Domini, rex
benedicte, venis.
gt. Gloria, laus.
Ccetus in excelsis, te lau-
dat ccelicus omnis,
Et mortalis homo, et cuncta
creata simul.
gt. Gloria, laus.
Plebs Hebraea tibi cum
palmis obvia venit :
Cum prece, voto, hymnis,
adsumus ecce tibi.
gt. Gloria, laus.
Hi tibi passuro solvebant
munia laudis ;
Nos tibi regnanti pangimus
ecce melos.
gt. Gloria, laus.
Hi placuere tibi, placeat
devotio nostra,
Rex bone, rex clemens, cui
bona cuncta placent.
gt. Gloria, laus.
Glory, praise, and honour
be to thee, 0 Christ, our
King, our Saviour ; to whom
the innocent children sang
their fervent Hosanna.
gt. Glory, praise, &c.
Thou art the King of Israel,
the glorious Son of David !
Blessed art thou our King !
that comest in the name of
the Lord.
gt. Glory, praise, &c.
The whole heavenly host, in
the highest heavens above,
and men on earth, and all
created things praise thee.
gt. Glory, praise, &c.
The Hebrew people, with
Palms, went forth to meet
thee : behold, we, too, pre-
sent ourselves before thee,
with our prayers, desires, and
hymns.
gt. Glory, praise, &c.
They offered the tribute of
their praise to thee, when
thou wast about to suffer; we
sing our hymn to thee seated
on thy throne.
gt. Glory, praise, &c.
They were pleasing to thee ;
grant that our devotion may
also please thee, 0 dear and
merciful King ! to whom all
is pleasing that is good.
gt. Glory, praise, &c.
As soon as the Choir has sung its Response to the
last stanza, the Subdeacon knocks with the Cross at
the door, which is immediately opened. In some
places, it is the Celebrant himself who performs this
ceremony, and whilst doing it, he recites the words
PALM SUNDAY : MASS. 217
of the 23rd Psalm, in which David celebrates the
entrance of our Redeemer into heaven, on the day
of his Ascension.
The Procession then enters the Church, singing
the following Responsory :
RESPONSORY.
IJu As our Lord entered the &• Ingrediente Domino in
holy city, the Hebrew child- sanctam civitatem, Hebrse-
ren declaring the resurrection orum pueri resurrectionem
of life, * With palm-branches, vitse pronuntiantes ; * Cum
cried out : Hosanna in the ramis palmarum, Hosanna
highest ! clamabant in excelsis.
y. When the people heard y. Cum audisset populus,
that Jesus was coming to quod Jesus veniret Jeroso-
Jerusalem, they went out to lymam, exierunt obviam ei.
meet him.
* With palm-branches, * Cum ramis palmarum,
cried out : Hosanna in the Hosanna clamabant in ex-
highest ! celsis.
MASS.
The Station at Rome, is in the Basilica of Saint
John Lateran, the Mother and Mistress of all
Churches. The Papal function, however, now takes
place at Saint Peter's ; but the usual Indulgences
are still granted to those who visit the Arch-
Basilica.
The Mass of this Sunday retains no vestige of the
joy, which characterised the ceremony of the Palms.
The Introit is taken from the 21st Psalm, in which
the Royal Prophet expresses the anguish of soul
suffered by Jesus on the Cross.
INTROIT.
O Lord, keep not thy help Domine, ne longe facias
far from me ; look to my de- auxilium tuum a me, ad de-
fence; save me from the lion's fensionem meam adspice :
218 HOLY WEEK.
libera me de ore leonis, et mouth, and rescue me in my
a cornibus unicornium hu- distress, from the horns of
militatem meam. unicorns.
Ps. Deus, Deus meus, Ps. O God, my God, look
respice in me, quare me de- upon me : why hast thou for-
reliquisti ? longe a salute saken me ? They are my sins
mea verba delictorum meo- that keep salvation far from
rum. me.
Domine, ne longe. Lord, keep not, &c.
In the Collect the Church prays that we may-
have grace to imitate the patience and humility of
our Saviour. Jesus suffers and humbles himself for
us ; it is but just that we should work out our sal-
vation by following his example, — that we should
surfer, and be humble.
COLLECT.
Omnipotens sempiterne De- O Almighty and Eternal
us, qui humano generi ad God, who wouldst have our
imitandum humilitatis exem- Saviour become man, and
plum, Salvatorem nostrum suffer on a Cross, to give man -
carnem sumere, et crucem kind an example of humility ;
subire fecisti : concede pro- mercifully grant, that we may
pitius : ut et patientiae ipsius improve by the example of his
habere documenta, et resur- patience, and partake of his
rectionis consortio mereamur. resurrection. Through the
Per eumdem. same, &c.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Epistolse B. Pauli Lesson of the Epistle of Saint
Apostoli ad Philippenses. Paul the Apostle to the
Philippians.
Cap. II. Ch. II.
Fratres, hoc enim sentite Brethren: For let this mind
in vobis, quod et in Christo be in you, which was also in
Jesu. Qui cum in forma Dei Christ Jesus ; who being in
esset, non rapinam arbitra- the form of God, thought it not
tus est, esse se eequalem robbery to be equal with God,
PALM SUNDAY : MASS. 219
but emptied himself, taking Deo : sed semetipsum exi-
the form of a servant, being nanivit, formam servi ac-
made in the likeness of men, cipiens, in similitudinem ho-
and in habit found as a man. minum f actus, et habitu
He humbled himself , becom- inventus ut homo. Humilia-
ing obedient unto death, even vit semetipsum, factus obe-
to the death of the cross. For diens usque ad mortem, mor-
which cause God also hath tern autem crucis. Propter
exalted him and hath given quod et Deus exaltavit il-
him a name which is above all lum : et donavit illi nomen,
names ; that in the Name of quod est super omne no-
Jesus (here, all kneel, J every men : ut in nomine Jesu
knee shall bow, of those that (here, all kneel, J omne genu
are in heaven, on earth, and flectatur, ccelestium, terres-
under the earth. A.nd that trium, et infernorum : et om-
every tongue should confess nis lingua confiteatur, quia
that the Lord Jesus Christ is Dominus Jesus Christus in
in the glory of the Father. gloria est Dei Patris.
In obedience to the wishes of the Church, we have
knelt down at those words of the Apostle, where he
says, that every knee should bow at the Holy Name
of Jesus. If there be one time of the Year rather
than an other, when the Son of God has a right to
our fervent adorations, it is this Week, when we see
him insulted in his Passion. Not only should his
Sufferings excite us to tender compassion ; we should
also, keenly resent the insults that are heaped upon
this Jesus of ours, this God of infimte Majesty. Let
us strive, by our humble homage, to make him amends
for the indignities he suffered in atonement for our
pride.
Let us unite with the holy Angels, who, witnessing
what he has gone through out of love for man, pros-
trate themselves, in profoundest adoration, at the
sight of his humiliations.
In the Gradual, the Church makes use of the words
of the Royal Prophet, who foretells the future glories
of the Victim that dies on Calvary ; but he also con-
fesses, that the success permitted to the enemies of
Jesus had well nigh shaken his confidence.
220
HOLY WEEK.
GRADUAL.
Tenuisti manum dexte-
ram meam : et in voluntate
tua deduxisti me : et cum
gloria assumpsisti me.
"ft. Quam bonus Israel
Deus rectis corde ! mei au-
tem pene moti sunt pedus,
pene efrusi sunt gressus
mei : quia zelavi in peccator-
ibus, pacem peccatorum vi-
dens.
Thou hast held me by my
right hand, and by thy will
thou hast conducted me ; and
with glory thou hast received
me.
t. How good is the God of
Israel, to them that are of a
right heart ! But my feet were
almost moved, my steps had
well nigh slipt, because I had
a zeal on sinners, seeing the
prosperity of sinners.
The Tract consists of several verses taken from the
21st Psalm, the last words of which were spoken by
our Redeemer on the Cross. So clear and explicit
are the words of this Psalm, that it might almost be
called a history, as well as a prophecy, of the Passion.
TRACT.
Deus, Deus meus, respice
in me : quare me dereli-
quisti ?
1?. Longe a salute mea
verba delictorum meorum.
^. Deus meus, clamabo
per diem, nee exaudies ; in
nocte, et non ad insipien-
tiam mihi.
^. Tu autem in sancto
habitas, laus Israel.
y. In te speraverunt pa-
tres nostri : speraverunt et
liberasti eos.
y. Ad te clamaverunt, et
salvi facti sunt : in te spe-
raverunt, et non sunt con-
usi.
O God, my God, look upon
me : why hast thou forsaken
me?
f. Far from my salvation
are the words of my sins.
f. 0 my God, I shall cry
by day, and thou wilt not
hear ; and by night, and it
shall not be imputed as folly
in me.
f. But thou dwellest in the
holy place, 0 thou the praise
of Israel !
f . In thee have our fathers
hoped : they hoped, and thou
hast delivered them.
^. They cried out to thee,
and they were saved : they
trusted in thee, and were not
confounded.
PALM SUNDAY I MASS.
221
y. But I am a worm, and
no man : the reproach of men,
and the outcast of the people.
y. All they that saw me,
have laughed me to scorn :
they have spoken with the
lips, and wagged the head.
y. He hoped in the Lord,
(say they, J let him deliver
nim : let him save him, seeing
he delighted in him.
y. They considered me,
and viewed me attentively :
they divided my garments
among them, and cast lots for
my vest.
^. Deliver me from the
lion's mouth: and my lowness
from the horns of the unicorns.
W. Ye that fear the Lord,
praise him : 0 all ye of the
seed of Jacob, magnify him.
y. A people that is to
come, shall be declared the
Lord's : and the heavens shall
publish his justice,
y. To a people to be born,
whom the Lord hath made.
p. Ego autem sum ver-
mis, et non homo : oppro-
brium hominum, et abjectio
plebis.
f. Omnes qui videbant
me, aspernabantur me : lo-
cuti sunt labiis, et moverunt
caput.
y. Speravit in Domino,
eripiat eum : salvum faciat
eum, quoniam vult eum.
~ft. Ipsi vero considerave-
runt, et conspexerunt me :
diviserunt sibi vestimenta
mea, et super vestem meam
miserunt sortem.
"ft. Libera me de ore leo-
nis : et a cornibus unicor-
nium humilitatem meam.
1?. Qui timetis Dominum
laudate eum : universum
semen Jacob magnificate
eum.
Jf . Annuntiabitur Domi-
no generatio ventura : et an-
nuntiabunt cceli justitiam
ejus,
y. Populo qui nascetur,
quern fecit Dominus.
It is now time that we should hear the history of
our Saviour's Passion : but, in order that we may
show both heaven and earth that we are not scan-
dalised, as were the Disciples, at the sight of his
apparent weakness and the triumph of his enenmies,
we hold in our hands the Palms, wherewith we have
been proclaiming him as our King.
The Church reads, on four different days of this
Week, the four Evangelists' narration of the Passion.
She begins with that of St. Matthew, who was the
first to write the Gospel. To express the sorrow
which fills the hearts of the Faithful, the Acolytes
222
HOLY WEEK.
do not carry the lights, nor is the Book incensed.
Omitting the customary salutation, the Deacon, who
is to take the part of the Evangelist, at once begins
the mournful history of our Lord's Sufferings and
Death.
THE PASSION AND GOSPEL.
Passio Domini nostri Jesu
Christi secundum Mat-
thseum.
The Passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ, according to Mat-
thew.
Cap. XXVI. et XXVII. Ch. XXVI. and XXVII.
In illo tempore : Dixit Je-
sus discipulis suis : Scitis,
quia post biduum Pascha
fiet : et Filius hominis tra-
detur, ut crucifigatur. Tunc
congregati sunt principes
sacerdotum et seniores po-
puli in atrium principis
sacerdotum, qui dicebatur
Caiphas : et concilium fece-
runt, ut Jesum dolo tene-
rent, et occiderent. Dice-
bant autem : Non in die
festo, ne forte tumultus fie-
ret in populo.
Cum autem Jesus esset
in Bethania, in domo Si-
monis Leprosi, accessit ad
eum mulier habens alabas-
trum unguenti pretiosi : et
effudit super caput ipsius
recumbentis. Videntes au-
tem discipuli, indignati
sunt, dicentes : Ut quid
perditio hsec ? Potuit enim
unguentum istud venundari
multo, et dari pauperibus.
Sciens autem Jesus, ait
illis : Quid molesti estis
huic mulieri? Opus enim
At that time : Jesus said to
his disciples : You know that
after two days shall be the
Pasch, and the Son of man
shall be delivered up to be
crucified. Then were gathered
together the chief priests and
ancients of the people into
the court of the High Priest,
who was called Caiphas ; and
they consulted together, that
by subtilty they might appre-
hend Jesus, and put him to
death. But they said : Not
on the Festival day, lest per-
haps there should be a tumult
amongst the people.
And when Jesus was in
Bethania, in the house of
Simon the Leper, there came
to him a woman having an
alabaster-box of precious
ointment, and poured it on
his head as he was at table.
And the disciples seeing it
had indignation, saying : To
what purpose is this waste ?
For this might have been sold
for much, and given to the
poor. And Jesus knowing it,
said to them : Why do you
trouble this woman ? For she
PALM SUNDAY I MASS.
223
has wrought a good work upon
me. For the poor you have
always with you, but me you
have not always. For she, in
pouring this ointment upon
my body, hath done it for my
burial. Amen, I say to you,
wheresoever this gospel shall
be preached in the whole
world, that also which she
hath done, shall be told for a
memory of her.
Then went one of the twelve,
who was called Judas Iscariot,
to the chief priests and said
to them : What will you give
me, and I will deliver him
unto you ? But they appoint-
ed him thirty pieces of silver.
And . from thenceforth he
sought an opportunity to be-
tray him. And on the first
day of the Azymes, the dis-
ciples came to Jesus, saying :
Where wilt thou that we
prepare for thee to eat
the Pasch ? But Jesus said :
Go ye into the city to a cer-
tain man, and say to him,
The Master saith my time is
near at hand. I will keep the
Pasch at thy house with my
disciples. And the disciples
did as Jesus appointed to
them, and they prepared the
Pasch.
Now when it was evening,
he sat down with his twelve
disciples ; and whilst they
were eating, he said : Amen,
I say to you, that one of you
is about to betray me. And
they being very much troub-
led, began every one to say : Is
it I, Lord ? But he answering
said : He that dippeth his
bonum operata est in me.
Nam semper pauperes ha-
betis vobiscum : me autem
non semper habetis. Mit-
tens enim hsec unguentum
hoc in corpus meum, ad se-
peliendum me fecit. Amen
dico vobis, ubicumque prse-
dicatum fuerit hoc Evan-
gelium in toto mundo, dice-
tur et quod hsec fecit in
memoriam ejus.
Tunc abiit unus de duo-
decim, qui dicebatur Judas
Iscariotes, ad principes sa-
cerdotum : et ait illis : Quid
vultis mihi dare, et ego vo-
bis eum tradam ? At illi
constituerunt ei triginta ar-
genteos. Et exinde quaere-
bat opportunitatem, ut eum
traderet. Prima autem die
Azymorum accesserunt dis-
cipuli ad Jesum dicentes :
Ubi vis paremus tibi come-
dere Pascha ? At Jesus
dixit : Ite in civitatem ad
quemdam, et dicite ei : Ma-
gister dicit : Tempus meum
prope est : apud te facio
Pascha cum discipulis meis.
Et fecerunt discipuli, sicut
constituit illis Jesus : et pa-
raverunt Pascha.
Vespere autem facto, dis-
cumbebat cum duodecim
discipulis suis. Et edenti-
bus illis, dixit : Amen dico
vobis : quia unus vestrum
me traditurus est. Et con-
tristati valde, coeperunt sin-
guli dicere : Numquid ego
sum, Domine ? At ipse re-
spondens, ait : Qui intingit
R
224
HOLY WEEK.
mecum manum in parop-
side, hie me tradet. Filius
quidem hominis vadit, sicut
scriptum est de illo. Vae au-
tem homini illi, per quern
Filius hominis tradetur. Bo-
num erat ei, si natus non
fuisset homo ille. Eespon-
dens autem Judas qui tra-
didit eum, dixit : Numquid
ego sum, Eabbi ? Ait illi :
Tu dixisti.
Coenantibus autem eis,
accepit Jesus panem : et
benedixit, ac fregit, dedit-
que discipulis suis, et ait :
Accipite, et comedite : Hoc
est corpus meum. Et acci-
piens calicem, gratias egit :
et dedit illis, dicens : Bibite
ex hoc omnes. Hie est enim
sanguis meus novi testa-
menti, qui pro multis effun-
detur in remissionem pec-
catorum. Dico autem vo-
bis : Non bibam amodo de
hoc genimine vitis usque
in diem ilium, cum illud bi-
bam vobiscum novum in
regno Patris mei.
Et hymno dicto, exierunt
in montem Oliveti. Tunc
dicit illis Jesus : Omnes vos
scandalum patiemini in me,
in ista nocte. Scriptum est
enim : Percutiam pastorem,
et dispergentur oves gre-
gis : postquam autem re-
surrexero, prsecedam vos
in Galileam. KespoDdens
autem Petrus, ait illi : Etsi
omnes scandalizati fuerint
in te, ego nunquam scan-
dalizabor. Ait illi Jesus :
Amen dico tibi quia in hac
nocte, antequam gallus can-
tet, ter me negabis, Ait illi
hand with me in the dish, he
shall betray me. The Son of
man indeed goeth, as it is
written of him ; but woe to
that man, by whom the Son of
man shall be betrayed. It
were better for him, if that
man had not been born. And
Judas, that betrayed him,
answering said : Is it I,
Eabbi ? He saith to him :
Thou hast said it.
And whilst they were at
supper, Jesus took bread, and
blessed, and broke, and gave
to his disciples, and said :
Take ye, and eat ; this is my
body. And taking the chalice
he gave thanks and gave to
them, saying : Drink ye all of
this ; for this is my blood of
the new testament, which
shall be shed for many for
the remission of sins. And
I say to you, I will not drink
from henceforth of this fruit
of the vine, until that day
when I shall drink it new
with you in the kingdom of
my Father.
And a hymn being said,
they went out into mount
Olivet. Then Jesus said to
them : All you shall be scan-
dalised in me this night. For
it is written : "I will strike
the shepherd, and the sheep
of the flock shall be dis-
persed." But after I shall be
risen again, I will go before
you into Galilee. And Peter
answering said to him : Al-
though all shall be scandalised
in thee, I will never be scan-
dalised. Jesus said to him :
Amen, I say to thee, that in
this night, before the cock
PALM SUNDAY .* MASS.
225
crow, thou wilt deny me
thrice. Peter saith to him :
Yea, though I should die with
thee, I will not deny thee.
And in like manner said all
the disciples.
Then Jesus came with them
into a country place which is
called Gethsemani ; and he
said to his disciples : Sit you
here, till I go yonder, and
pray. And taking with him
Peter and the two sons of
Zebedee, he began to grow
sorrowful, and to be sad.
Then he said to them : My
soul is sorrowful even unto
death ; stay you here and
watch with me. And going
a little further he fell upon
his face, praying, and saying :
My Father, if it be possible,
let this chalice pass from me.
Nevertheless, not as I will,
but as thou wilt. And he
cometh to his disciples, and
findeth them asleep, and he
saith to Peter : What ! could
you not watch one hour with
me ? watch ye, and pray that
ye enter not into temptation.
The spirit indeed is willing,
but the flesh is weak. Again
the second time he went and
prayed, saying : My Father,
if this chalice may not pass
away, but I must drink it, thy
will be done. And he cometh
again, and findeth them sleep-
ing ; for their eyes were heavy.
And leaving them, he went
again ; and he prayed the
third time, saying the self-
same words. Then he cometh
to his disciples, and saith to
them : Sleep ye now, and take
Petrus : Etiam si opportue-
rit me mori tecum, non te
negabo. Similiter et omnes
discipuli dixerunt.
Tunc venit Jesus cum il-
lis in villain, quae dicitur
Gethsemani : et dixit disci-
pulis suis : Sedete hie do-
nee vadam illuc, et orem.
Et assumpto Petro, et duo-
bus filiis Zebedsei, ccepit
contristari, et mcestus esse.
Tunc ait illis : Tristis est
anima mea usque ad mor-
tem. Sustinete hie et vigi-
late mecum. Et progressus
pusillum, procidit in faciem
suam, orans et dicens :
Pater mi, si possibile est,
transeat a me calix iste.
Verumtamen non sicut ego
volo, sed sicut tu. Et venit
ad discipulos suos, et in-
venit eos dormientes : et
dicit Petro : Sic, non po-
tuistis una hora vigilare
mecum ? Vigilate, et orate :
ut non intretis in tentatio-
nem. Spiritus quidem
promptus est, caro autem in-
firma. Iterum secundo abiit,
et oravit dicens : Pater mi,
si non potest hie calix trans-
ire, nisi bibam ilium : fiat
voluntas tua. Et venit
iterum, et invenit eos dor-
mientes. Erant enim oculi
eorum gravati. Et relictis
illis, iterum abiit : et oravit
tertio eumdem sermonem
dicens. Tunc venit ad dis-
cipulos suos, et dicit illis :
Dormite jam, et requiescite.
Ecce appropinquavit hora :
226
HOLY WEEK.
et Filius hominis tradetur
in manus peccatorum. Sur-
gite, eamus : ecce appro -
pinquavit qui me tradet.
Adhuc eo loquente, ecce
Judas unus de duodecim
venit, et cum eo turba mul-
ta cum gladiis et fustibus,
missi a principibus sacerdo-
tum, et senioribus populi.
Qui autem tradidit eum,
dedit illis signum dicens :
Quemcumque osculatus fu-
ero, ipse est, tenete eum.
Et confestim accedens ad
Jesum, dixit : Ave, Rabbi.
Et osculatus est eum. Dixit-
que illi Jesus : Amice, ad
quid venisti ? Tunc acces-
serunt, et manus injecerunt
in Jesum : et tenuerunt
eum. Et ecce unus ex his
qui erant cum Jesu, exten-
dens manum, exemit gla-
dium suum : et percutiens
servum principis Sacerdo-
tum, amputavit auriculam
ejus. Tunc ait illi Jesus :
Converte gladium tuum in
locum suum. Omnes enim,
qui acceperint gladium,
gladio peribunt. An putas,
quia non possum rogare
Patrem meum : et exhibebit
mihi modo plus quam duo-
decim legiones Angelorum ?
Quomodo ergo implebuntur
Scripturae, quia sic oportet
fieri ? In ilia hora dixit
Jesus turbis : Tamquam ad
latronem existis cum gladiis
et fustibus comprehendere
me : quotidie apud vos
sedebam docens in Ternplo :
et non me tenuistis. Hoc
your rest ; behold the hour is
at hand, and the Son of man
shall be betrayed into the
hands of sinners. Rise, let us
go : behold he is at hand that
will betray me.
As he yet spoke, behold Ju-
das, one of the twelve came,
and with him a great multitude
with swords and clubs, sent
from the Chief Priests and the
ancients of the people. And
he that betrayed him, gave
them a sign, saying : Whom-
soever I shall kiss, that is he,
hold him fast. And forthwith
coming to Jesus, he said :
Hail, Eabbi ! And he kissed
him. And Jesus said to him :
Eriend, whereto art thou
come ? Then they came up,
and laid hands on Jesus, and
held him. And behold one of
them that were with Jesus,
stretching forth his hand, drew
out his sword ; and striking
the servant of the High Priest,
cut off his ear. Then Jesus
said to him : Put up again
thy sword into its place ; for
all that take the sword shall
perish with the sword. Think-
est thou that I cannot ask my
Father, and he will give me
presently more than twelve
legions of Angels ? How then
shall the Scriptures be ful-
filled, that so it must be done?
In that same hour Jesus said
to the multitude : You are
come out as it were to a rob-
ber, with swords and clubs, to
apprehend me. I sat daily
with you teaching in the
temple, and you laid not
hands on me. Now all this
was done, that the Scriptures,
PALM SUNDAY I MASS.
227
of the prophets might be ful-
filled. Then the disciples all
leaving him, fled.
But they holding Jesus, led
him to Caiphas the High
Priest, where the scribes and
the ancients were assembled.
And Peter followed him afar
off, even to the court of the
High Priest ; and going in, he
sat with the servants, that he
might see the end. And the
chief priests and the whole
council sought false witness
against Jesus, that they might
put him to death ; and they
found not, whereas many false
witnesses had come in. And
last of all there came two false
witnesses ; and they said:
This man said, I am able to de-
stroy the temple of God, and
after three days to rebuild it.
And the High Priest rising
up said to him : Answerest
thou nothing to the things
which these witness against
thee ? But Jesus held his
peace. And the High Priest
said to him : I adjure thee, by
the living God, that thou tell
us if thou be the Christ the
Son of God. Jesus saith to
him: Thou hast said it. Never-
theless I say to you, hereafter
you shall see the Son of man
sitting on the right hand of
the power of God, and coming
in the clouds of heaven. Then
the High Priest rent his gar-
ments, saying : He hath blas-
phemed, what further need
have we of witnesses ? Be-
hold, now you have heard the
blasphemy : what think you ?
autem totum factum est,
ut adimplerentur Scripturse
Prophetarum. Tunc disci -
puli omnes, relicto eo, fuge-
runt.
At illi tenentes Jesum
duxerunt ad Caipham prin-
cipem sacerdotum, ubi scri-
bse et seniores convenerant.
Petrus autem sequebatur
eum a longe, usque in atri-
um principis sacerdotum.
Et ingressus intro, sedebat
cum ministris, ut videret
finem. Principes autem sa-
cerdotum, et omne conci-
lium, quserebant falsum
testimonium contra Jesum,
ut eum morti traderent : et
non invenerunt, cum multi
falsi testes accessissent. No-
vissime autem venerunt duo
falsi testes, et dixerunt :
Hie dixit : Possum destrue-
re Templum Dei, et post
triduum resedificare illud.
Et surgens princeps sacerdo-
tum, ait illi : Nihil respon-
des ad ea, quae isti adver-
sum te testificantur ? Jesus
autem tacebat. Ft princeps
sacerdotum ait illi: Adjuro
te per Deumvivum, ut di-
cas nobis, si tu es Christus
Eilius Dei. Dicit illi Jesus :
Tu dixisti. Verumtamen
dico vobis, amodo videbitis
Filiuin hominis sedentem
a dextris virtutis Dei, et
venientem in nubibus cceli.
Tunc princeps sacerdotum
scidit vestimenta sua, di-
cens : Blasphemavit. Quid
adhuc egemus testibus ?
Ecce : nunc audistis blas-
phemiam. Quid vobis vide-
tur ? At illi respondentes,
228
HOLY WEEK.
dixerunt : Beus est mortis.
Tunc expuerunt in faciem
ejus : et colaphis eum cseci-
derunt. Alii autem palmas
in faciem ejus dederunt di-
centes : Prophetiza nobis,
Christe, quis est, qui te
percussit ?
Petrus vero sedebat foris
in atrio. Et accessit ad eum
una ancilla dicens : Et tu
cum Jesu Galilseo eras. At
ille negavk coram omnibus,
dicens : Nescio quid dicis.
Exeunte autem illo januam,
vidit eum alia ancilla : et
ait his, qui erant ibi : Et hie
erat cum Jesu Nazareno. Et
iterum negavit cum jura-
mento : Quia non novi ho-
minem. Et post pusillum
accesserunt qui stabant, et
dixerunt Petro : Vere ettu
ex illis es ; nam et loque-
la tua manifestum te facit.
Tunc coepit detestari et ju-
rare quia non novisset ho-
minem. Et continuo gallus
cantavit. Et recordatus est
Petrus verbi Jesu quod
dixerat : Priusquam gallus
cantet, ter me negabis. Et
egressus foras, flevit amare.
Mane autem Sacto, consi-
lium inierunt omnes prin-
cipes sacerdotum, et senio-
res populi adversus Jesum,
ut eum morti traderent. Et
vinctum adduxerunt eum,
et tradiderunt Pontio Pilato,
preesidi. Tunc videns Ju-
das, qui eum tradidit, quod
damnatus esset, poenitentia
ductus, retulit triginta ar-
But they answering, said: He
is guilty of death. Then did
they spit in his face, and buffet
him, and others struck his
face with the palms of their
hands, saying : Prophesy unto
us, 0 Christ, who is he that
struck thee ?
But Peter sat without in the
court ; and there came to him
a servant-maid, saying: Thou
also wast with Jesus the
Galilean. But he denied be-
fore them all, saying : I know
not what thou sayest. And
as he went out of the gate,
another maid saw him, and
she saith to them that were
there : This man also was with
Jesus of Nazareth. And again
he denied with an oath : That
I know not the man. And
after a little while they came
that stood by, and said to
Peter : Surely thou also art
one of them; for even thy
speech doth discover thee.
Then he began to curse and
swear that he knew not the
man. And immediately the
cock crew. And Peter remem-
bered the words of Jesus
which he had said : Before the
cock crow, thou wilt deny me
thrice. And going forth, he
wept bitterly.
And when morning was
come, all the chief priests and
ancients of the people took
counsel against Jesus, that
they might put him to death.
And they brought him bound,
and delivered him to Pontius
Pilate the governor. Then
Judas, who betrayed him,
seeing that he was condemned,
repenting himself, brought
PALM SUNDAY '. MASS.
229
back the thirty pieces of silver
to the chief priests and an-
cients, saying : I have sinned
in betraying innocent blood.
But they said : What is that
to us P look thou to it. And
casting down the pieces of sil-
ver in the Temple, he depart-
ed, and went and hanged him-
self with an halter. But the
chief priests having taken the
pieces of silver, said : It is not
lawful to put them into the
corbona, because it is the price
of blood. And after they had
consulted together, they
bought with them the potter's
field, to be a burying-place for
strangers. For this cause that
field was called Haceldama,
that is, the field of blood, even
to this day. Then was fulfilled
that which was spoken by
Jeremias the prophet, saying :
"And they took the thirty
pieces of silver, the price of
him that was prized, whom
they prized of the children of
Israel. And they gave them
unto the potter's field, as the
Lord appointed to me."
And Jesus stood before the
governor, and the governor
asked him, saying : Art thou
the king of the Jews ? Jesus
saith to him : Thou sayest it.
And when he was accused by
the chief priests and ancients,
he answered nothing. Then
Pilate saith to him : Dost thou
not hear how great testimonies
they allege against thee ? And
he answered him to never a
word ; so that the governor
wondered exceedingly.
Now upon the solemn day
the governor was accustomed
genteos principibus sacer-
dotum et senioribus, dicens :
Peccavi tradens sanguinem
justum. At illi dixerunt :
Quid ad nos ? Tu videris.
Et projectis argenteis in
Templo, recessit : et abiens
laqueo se suspendit. Prin-
cipes autem sacerdotum,
acceptis argenteis, dixe-
runt : Non licet eos mittere
in corbonam, quia pretium
sanguinis est. Consilio au-
tem inito, emerunt ex illis
agrum figuli, in sepulturum
peregrinorum. Propter hoc
vocatus est ager ille Hacel-
dama, hoc est, ager sangui-
nis, usque in hodiernum
diem. Tunc impletum est
quod dictum est per Je-
remiam prophetam dicen-
tem : Et acceperunt trigin-
ta argenteos, pretium ap-
pretiati quern appretiave-
runt a filiis Israel ; et dede-
runt eos in agrum figuli,
sicut constituit mihi Domi-
nus.
Jesus autem stetit ante
prsesidem. Et interrogavit
eum praeses dicens : Tu es
Rex Judseorum ? Dicit illi
Jesus : Tu dicis. Et cum
accusaretur a principibus
sacerdotum et senioribus,
nihil respondit. Tunc dicit
illi Pilatus : Non audis,
quanta adversum te dicunt
testimonia ? Et non respon-
dit ei ad ullum verbum : ita
ut miraretur prseses vehe-
menter.
Per diem autem solem-
nem consueverat prseses
230
HOLY WEEK.
populo dimittere unum vinc-
tum, quern voluissent. Ha-
bebat autem tunc vinctum
insignem, qui dicebatur Ba-
rabbas. Congregatis ergo
illis, dixit Pilatus : Quern
vultis dimittam vobis, Ba-
rabbam, an Jesum qui
dicitur Christus ? Sciebat
enim, quod per invidiam
tradidissent eum. Sedente
autem illo pro tribunali,
misit ad eum uxor ejus, di-
cens : Nihil tibi et justo illi :
multa enim passa sum ho-
die per visum propter eum.
Principes autem sacerdo-
tum et seniores persuase-
runt populis, ut peterent
Barabbam : Jesum vero per-
derent. Respondens autem
prseses, ait illis : Quern vul-
tis vobis de duobus dimit-
ti ? At illi dixerunt : Barab-
bam. Dicit illis Pilatus : Quid
igitur faciam de Jesu, qui
dicitur Christus ? Dicunt
omnes : Crucifigatur. Ait
illis praeses : Quid enim
mali fecit ? At illi magis
clamabant dicentes : Cruci-
figatur.
Videns autem Pilatus,
quia nihil proficeret, sed
magis tumultus fieret : ac-
cepta aqua, lavit manus
coram populo, dicens : In-
nocens ego sum a sanguine
justi hujus : vos videritis.
Et respondens universus
populus, dixit : Sanguis
ejus super nos, et super
filios nostros. Tunc di-
misit illis Barabbam : Je-
to release to the people one
prisoner, whom they would.
And he had then a notorious
prisoner, that was called Ba-
rabbas . They therefore being
gathered together, Pilate said :
Whom will you that I release
to you, Barabbas, or Jesus
that is called Christ? For
he knew that for envy they
had delivered him. And as
he was sitting in the place of
judgment, his wife sent to
him, saying : Have thou
nothing to do with that just
man. For I have suffered
many things this day in a
dream because of him. But
the chief priests and ancients
persuaded the people, that
they should ask Barabbas,
and make Jesus away. And
the governor answering, said
to them : Whether will you of
the two to be released unto
you ? But they said, Barab-
bas. Pilate saith to them :
What shall I do then with
Jesus that is called Christ ?
They say all : Let him be
crucified. The governor said
to them : Why, what evil hath
he done ? But they cried out
the more, saying : Let him. be
crucified.
And Pilate seeing that he
prevailed nothing, but that
rather a tumult was made ;
taking water he washed his
hands before the people, say-
ing: I am innocent of the
blood of this just man : look
you to it. And the whole
people answering, said : His
blood be upon us and upon
our children. Then he re-
leased to them Barabbas :
PALM SUNDAY : MASS.
231
and having scourged Jesus
delivered him unto them to
be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the
governor taking Jesus into
the hall, gathered together
unto him the whole band ; and
stripping him, they put a
scarlet cloak about him. And
platting a crown of thorns,
they put it upon his head, and
a reed in his right hand. And
bowing the knee before him,
they mocked him, saying :
Hail, king of the Jews. And
spitting upon him, they took
the reed, and struck his head.
And after they had mocked
him, they took off the cloak
from him, and put on his own
garments, and led him away
to crucify him.
And going out they met a
man of Cyrene, named Simon :
him they forced to take up
the cross. And they came to
the place that is called Gol-
gotha, which is the place of
Calvary. And they gave him
wine to drink mingled with
gall. And when he had
tasted, he would not drink.
And after they had crucified
him, they divided his gar-
ments, casting lots : that it
might be fulfilled which was
spoken by the prophet, saying:
" They divided my garments
among them ; and upon my
vesture they cast lots : " and
they sat and watched him.
And they put over his head
his cause written : This is
Jesus the King of the
Jews. Then were crucified
sum autem flagellatum
tradidit eis, ut crucifigere-
tur.
Tunc milites praesidis
suscipientes Jesum in prae-
torium, congregaverunt ad
eum universam cohortem.
Et exuentes eum chlamy-
dem coccineam circumde-
derunt ei. Et plectentes
coronam de spinis, posue-
runt super caput ejus, et
arundinem in dextera ejus.
Et genu flexo ante eum, illu-
debant ei, dicentes : Ave
Eex Judseorum ! Et exspuentes
in eum, acceperunt arundi-
nem, et percutiebant caput
ejus. Et postquam illuserunt
ei, exuerunt eum chlamyde :
et induerunt eum vestimentis
ejus, et duxerunt eum ut
crucifigerent.
Exeuntes autem, invene-
runt hominem Cyrenaeum,
nomine Simonem. Hunc an-
gariaverunt, ut tolleret cru-
cem ejus. Et venerunt in
locum, qui dicitur Golgo-
tha : quod est, Calvariae
locus. Et dederunt ei vinum
bibere cum felle mixtum.
Et cum gustasset, noluit
bibere. Postquam autem
crucifixerunt eum, divise-
runt vestimenta ejus sortem
mittentes : ut impleretur
quod dictum est per Pro-
phetam dicentem : divise-
runt sibi vestimenta mea,
et super vestem meam mi-
serunt sortem. Et sedentes,
servabant eum. Et impo-
suerunt super caput ejus
causam ipsius scriptam :
Hie est Jesus Eex Jud&eo-
B
232
HOLY WEEK.
rum. Tunc crucifixi sunt
cum eo duo latrones, unus
a dextris, et unus a sinis-
tris.
Prsetereuntes autem blas-
phemabant eum, moven-
tes capita sua, et dicentes :
Vah ! qui destruis Templum
Dei, et in triduo illud reae-
dificas. Salva temetipsum.
Si Filius Dei es, descende
de cruce. Similiter et prin-
cipes sacerdotum illuden-
tes cum scribis et seniori-
bus, dicebant : Alios salvos
fecit : seipsum non potest
salvum facere. Si Rex Is-
rael est, descendat nunc
de cruce, et credimus ei.
Confidit in Deo : liberet
nunc si vult eum : dixit
enim, quia Filius Dei sum.
Idipsum autem et latrones,
qui crucifixi erant cum eo,
improperabant ei.
A sexta autem hora, tene-
brae factae sunt super uni-
versam terram, usque ad
horam nonam. Et circa
horam nonam clamavit Jesus
voce magna, dicens : Eli,
Eli, lamma sabacthani ?
Hoc est : Deus meus, Deus
meus, ut quid dereliquisti
me ? Quidam autem illic
stantes, et audientes, dice-
bant : Eliam vocat iste. Et
continuo currens unus ex
eis acceptam spongiam im-
plevit aceto, et imposuit
arundini, et dabat ei bibere.
Caeteri vero dicebant: Sine,
vidoamus, an veniat Elias
liberans eum. Jesus autem
iterum clamans voce magna,
emisit spiritum,
with him two thieves ; one on
the right hand, and one on
the left.
And they that passed by,
blasphemed him, wagging
their heads, and saying : Vah,
thou that destroyest the tem-
ple of God, and in three days
dost rebuild it, save thy own
self : if thou be the Son of God ,
come down from the cross.
In like manner also the chief
priests, with the scribes and
ancients, mocking, said : He
saved others; himself he can -
not save : if he be the king of
Israel, let him. now come down
from the cross, and we will be-
lieve him. He trusted in God :
let him now deliver him, if he
will have him : for he said : I
am the Son of God. And the
self same thing the thieves
also that were crucified with
him reproached him with.
Now from the sixth hour
there was darkness over the
whole earth, until the ninth
hour. And about the ninth
hour Jesus cried with a loud
voice, saying: Eli, Eli, lamma
sabacthani ? that is ' 'my God,
4 'my God, why hast thou for-
"saken me ?" And some that
stood there and heard, said :
This man calleth Elias. And
immediately one of them run-
ning, took a sponge, and filled
it with vinegar, and put it on
a reed, and gave him to drink.
And the others said : Let us
see whether Elias will come
and deliver him. And Jesus
again crying with a loud voice,
yielded up the ghost.
PALM SUNDAY : MASS.
233
Here the Deacon pauses, and honours the Death of
our Lord and Saviour by a solemn act of adoration.
All the Faithful kneel down, and remain for some
time in that position. In many places, it is the cus-
tom to prostrate, and kiss the ground. The Deacon
then resumes his narration.
And behold the veil of
the Temple was rent in
two from the top even to
the bottom, and the earth
quaked, and the rocks were
rent. And the graves were
opened ; and many bodies of
the saints that had slept arose ;
and coming out of the tombs
after his resurrection, came in-
to the holy city and appeared
to many. Now the centurion,
and they that were with him
watching Jesus, having seen
the earthquake and the things
that were done, were sore
afraid, saying: Indeed this
was the Son of God. And there
were there many women afar
off who had followed Jesus
from Galilee, ministering un-
to him : among whom was
Mary Magdalen, and Mary the
mother of James and Joseph,
and the mother of the sons of
Zebedee. And when it was
evening, there came a certain
rich man of Arimathea, named
Joseph, who also himself was
a disciple of Jesus. He went
to Pilate, and asked the body
of Jesus. Then Pilate com-
manded that the body should
be delivered. And Joseph
taking the body, wrapped it
up in a clean linen cloth, and
laid it in his own new monu-
ment, which he had hewn out
Et ecce velum Templi
scissum est in duas partes,
a summo usque deorsum.
Et terra mota est, et petrae
scissae sunt, et monumenta
aperta sunt : et multa cor-
pora sanctorum, qui dor-
mierant, surrexerunt. Et
exeuntes de monumentis
post resurrectionem ejus,
venerunt in sanctam civita-
tem et apparuerunt multis.
Centurio autem, et qui cum
eo erant, custodientes Je-
sum, viso terrae motu, et
his quae fiebant, timuerunt
valde, dicentes : Vere Filius
Dei erat iste. Erant autem
ibi mulieres multae a longe,
quae secutae erant Jesum a
Galilaea ministrantes ei : in-
ter quas erat Maria Mag-
dalene, et Maria Jacobi et
Joseph mater, et mater fi-
liorum Zebedaei. Cum sero
autem factum esset, venit
quidam homo dives ab
Arimathaea, nomine Joseph,
qui et ipse discipulus erat
Jesu. Hie accessit ad Pila-
tum, et petiit corpus Jesu.
Tunc Pilatus jussit reddi
corpus. Et accepto corpore,
Joseph involvit illud in sin-
done munda : et posuit illud
in monumento suo novo,
quod exciderat in petra. Et
advolvit saxum magnum ad
234
HOLY WEEK.
ostium monumenti, et abiit.
Erant autem ibi Maria Mag-
dalene, et altera Maria, se-
dentes contra sepulchrum.
in a rock. And he rolled a
great stone to the door of the
monument, and went his way.
And there was there Mary-
Magdalen, and the other Mary
sitting over against the se-
pulchre.
That the Mass of this Sunday may not be deprived
of that essential rite, which we call the Gospel, the
Deacon reserves a portion of his narrative ; and going
to the Altar, he asks the Priest to bless the Incense.
Which done, the Deacon himself also having received
the Priest's blessing, goes to the place appointed for
chanting the Grospel ; but the Acolytes do not carry
their Lights. After having thurified the book, he
thus closes the history of the Passion.
Altera autem die, quae
est post Parasceven, conve-
nerunt principes sacerdo-
tum, et pharisaei ad Pilatum,
dicentes : Domine, recorda-
ti sumus, quia seductor ille
dixit adhuc vivens : Post
tres dies resurgam. Jube
ergo custodiri sepulchrum
usque in diem tertium ; ne
forte veniant discipuli ejus
et furentur eum : et dicant
plebi : Surrexit a mortuis. Et
erit novissimus error pejor
priore. Ait illis Pilatus : Ha-
betis custodiam : ite, et cus-
todite sicut scitis. Illi au-
tem abeuntes, munierunt
sepulchrum, signantes la-
pidem, cum custodibus.
And the next day, which
followed the day of prepara-
tion, the chief priests and the
Pharisees came together to
Pilate, saying : Sir, we have
remembered, that that seducer
said, while he was yet alive :
After three days I will rise
again. Command therefore
the sepulchre to be guarded
until the third day : lest per-
haps his disciples come and
steal him away, and say to the
people he is risen from the
dead : and the last error shall
be worse than the first. Pilate
said to them : You have a
guard ; go, guard it as you
know. And they departing,
made the sepulchre sure,
sealing the stone, and setting
guards.
The Offertory is again a prophecy by David. It
foretells the state of abandonment, to which our
Saviour was to be reduced in the midst of all his
PALM SUNDAY : MASS. 235
Sufferings, and the cruelty of his enemies, who would
feed him with gall and vinegar. Thus is He treated
who is preparing to give us his Body for our food,
and his Blood for our drink.
OFFERTORY.
My heart hath expected re- Improperium exspectavit
proach and misery : and I cor meum, et miseriam : et
looked for one that would sustinui qui simul mecum
grieve together with me ; but contristaretur, et non f uit :
there was none : and for one consolantem me qusesivi, et
that would comfort me, and I non inveni : et dederunt in
found none : they gave me escam meam fel, et in siti
gall for my food, and in my mea potaverunt me aceto.
thirst they gave me vinegar
to drink.
The Secret asks of (rod, that he would impart to
his servants the twofold fruit of Jesus' Passion :
grace in this life, and glory in the next.
SECRET.
Grant, we beseech thee, O Concede, qusesumus, Do-
Lord, that what hath been mine, ut oculis tuse majes-
offered in the presence of thy tatis munus oblatum, et
Divine Majesty may procure gratiam nobis devotionis
us the grace of devotion, and obtineat, et effectum beatae
effectually obtain a blessed perennitatis acquirat. Per
eternity. Through, &c. Dominum.
In the Communion-Anthem, the Church, — after
receiving into herself the life of Christ by the chalice
of salvation, — calls to our minds that other Chalice,
which Jesus was to drink, in order that he might
gift us with immortality.
COMMUNION.
Father, if this cup cannot Pater, si non potest hie
pass away, but I must drink calix transire, nisi bibam
it, thy will be done. ilium : fiat voluntas tua.
236
HOLY WEEK.
The Church concludes the prayers of the Sacri-
fice she has just been offering, by asking the remis-
sion of sin for all her children, and that they may
see fulfilled that longing of their souls, — a share in
the glorious Resurrection of Jesus.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Per hujus, Domine, ope-
rationem mysterii, et vitia
nostra purgentur, et justa
desideria compleantur. Per
Dominum.
May our vices, O Lord, be
destroyed, and our righteous
desires fulfilled by the efficacy
of these mysteries. Through,
&c.
VESPERS.
The Psalms and Antiphon are given in page 78.
CAPITULUM.
{Phil.
Fratres, Hoc enim sentite
in vobis, quod et in Christo
Jesu : qui cum in forma Dei
esset, non rapinam arbitra-
tes est esse se sequalem
Deo : sed semetipsum exi-
nanivit, formam servi ac-
cipiens, in similitudinem
hominum f actus, et habitu
inventus ut homo.
ILJ
Brethren : For let this mind
be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus ; who being in
the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with
God, but emptied himself,
taking the form of a servant,
being made in the likeness of
men, and in habit found as a
man.
For the Hymn and Yersicle, see page* 85 — 86.
antiphon or the Magnificat.
For it is written : I will
strike the shepherd, and the
sheep of the flock shall be dis-
persed : but after I shall be
risen again, I will go before
you into Galilee : there ye
shall see me, saith the Lord.
Scriptum est enim : Per-
cutiam pastorem, et disper-
gentur oves gregis : post-
quam autem resurrexero,
prsecedam vos in Galiloeam :
ibi me videbitis, dicit Do-
minus.
PALM SUNDAY! AFTER VESPERS. 237
LET US PRAY. 0REMUS.
O Almighty and Eternal Omnipotens sempiterne
God, who wouldst have our Deus, qui humano generi
Saviour become man, and ad imitandum humilitatis
suffer on a cross, to give man- exemplum, Salvatorem nos-
kind an example of humility ; trum carnem sumere et
mercifully grant that we may crucem subire fecisti, con-
improve by the example of his cede propitius ; ut et pa-
patience, and partake of his tientise ipsius habere docu-
resurrection. Through the menta, et resurrectionis
same, &c. consortia mereamur. Per
eumdem.
Let us now go over in our minds the other events,
which happened to our Divine Lord on this day of his
solemn Entry into Jerusalem. St. Luke tells us, that
it was on his approach to the City, that Jesus wept
over it, and spoke these touching words : If thou
also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the
things that are to thy peace ! But now they are
hidden from thine eyes. For the days shall come
upon thee, and thine enemies shall cast a trench
about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten
thee on every side, and beat thee flat to the ground,
and thy children who are in thee ; and they shall
not leave in thee a stone upon a stone ; because
thou hast not known the time of thy visitation.1
A few days ago, we were reading in the holy
G-ospel, how Jesus wept over the tomb of Lazarus ;
to-day he sheds tears over Jerusalem. At Bethania,
his weeping was caused by the sight of bodily death,
the consequence and punishment of sin ; but this
death is not irremediable : Jesus is the resurrection
and the life, and he that believeth in Him shall
live.2 Whereas, the state of the unfaithful Jeru-
salem is a figure of the death of the soul, and from
this there is no resurrection, unless the soul, whilst
1 St. Luke, xix. 42-44. 2 St. John, xi. 25.
238
HOLY WEEK.
time is given to her, return to the Author of life.
Hence it is, that the tears shed by Jesus, over
Jerusalem, are so bitter. Amidst the acclamations
which greet his Entry into the City of David, his
heart is sad ; for he sees that many of her inhabitants
will not profit of the time of her visitation. Let us
console the Heart of our Jesus, and be to him a
faithful Jerusalem.
The sacred historian tells us, that Jesus, imme-
diately upon his entrance into the City, went to
the Temple, and cast out all them that sold and
bought there.1 This was the second time that he
had shown his authority in his Father's House, and
no one had dared to resist him. The Chief Priests
and Pharisees found fault with him, and accused
him to his face of causing confusion by his entry
into the City ; but our Lord confounded them by
the reply he made. It is thus, that in after ages,
when it has pleased God to glorify his Son and the
Church of his Son, the enemies of both have given
vent to their rage ; they protested against the tri-
umph, but they could not stop it. But, when Grod,
in the unsearchable ways of his wisdom, allowed
persecution and trial to follow these periods of tri-
umph, then did these bitter enemies redouble their
efforts to induce the very people, that had cried
Hosanna to the Son of David, to clamour for his
being delivered up and crucified. They succeeded
in fomenting persecution, but not in destroying
the kingdom of Christ and his Church. The king-
dom seemed, at times, to be interrupted in its
progress ; but the time for another triumph came.
Thus will it be to the end ; aud then, after all
these changes from glory to humiliation, and from
humiliation to glory, the kingdom of Jesus and his
Spouse will gain the last and eternal triumph over
1 St. Matth. xi. 25.
PALM SUNDAY : AFTER VESPERS. 239
this world, which would not know the time of its
visitation.
We learn from St. Matthew,1 that our Saviour
spent the remainder of this day at Bethania. His
Blessed Mother and the house of Lazarus were com-
forted by his return. There was not a single offer
of hospitality made to him in Jerusalem, at least,
there is no mention in the Grospel of any such being
offered. We cannot help making the reflection, as
we meditate upon this event of our Lord's life : —
an enthusiastic reception is given to him in the
morning, he is proclaimed by the people as their
King ; but when the evening of that day comes on,
there is not one of all those thousands to offer him
food or lodging. In the Carmelite Monasteries of
St. Teresa's Reform, there is a custom, which has
been suggested by this thought, and is intended as a
reparation for this ingratitude shown to our Re-
deemer. A table is placed in the middle of the
Refectory ; and after the Community have finished
their dinner, the food, which was placed upon that
table, is distributed among the poor, and Jesus is
honoured in them.
We give, as a conclusion to this day, a selection
from the hymn used by the Greek Church on Palm
Sunday. It was written by the celebrated hymno-
grapher, Cosmas of Jerusalem.
HYMN.
(In Dominica Palmarum.)
Lo ! the God that sitteth, Qui in altissimis sedet
in the highest heavens, upon super Cherubim Deus et
1 St. Matth. xxi. 17.
240
HOLY WEEK.
humilia respicit, ecce venit
in gloria cum potestate, et
replebuntur omnia divina
laude ipsius. Pax super Is-
rael, et salutare gentibus.
Clamaverunt in lsetitia jus-
torum animse : Nunc mun-
do testamentum novum dis-
ponitur, et aspersione in-
novatur populus divini san-
guinis.
Genu flexo populi et cum
discipulis gaudentes, cum
palmis Hosanna filio Da-
vid clamabant : Superlau-
dabilis Domine Deus pa-
trum, benedictus es.
Simplex multitudo, adhuc
infantilis aetas, ut Deum
decet, te rex Israel et Ange-
lorum laudavit : Superlau-
dabilis Domine Deus pa-
trum, benedictus es.
Juvenum pullum ascen-
dens rex tuus Sion adstitit
Christus. Irrationabilem e-
nim idolorum errorum sol-
vere, effrsenum impetum
compescere omnium gen-
tium advenit, ut cantent :
Benedicite, opera, Domi-
num, et superexaltate in
omnia ssecula.
Deus tuus regnavit in sse-
cula Christus. Iste, ut scrip -
turn est, mitis et salvator,
Justus redemptor noster ve-
nit super pullo equitans,
ut audaciam perderet ini-
micorum non clamantium :
Benedicite, opera, Dominum,
et superexaltate in omnia
ssecula.
the Cherubim, and looketh
down on lowly things, cometh
in glory and power ; all crea-
tures are full of his divine
praise. Peace upon Israel, and
Salvation to the Gentiles !
The souls of the just cried
out with joy : Now is pre-
pared a new Covenant for the
world, and mankind is re-
newed by the sprinkling of
the Divine Blood !
The people fell upon their
knees, and, rejoicing with the
Disciples, sang, with palms in
their hands : Hosanna to the
Son of David ! Praiseworthy
and blessed art thou, 0 Lord
God of our Fathers !
The simple-hearted people,
yea, and little children, (the
fittest to adore a God,) praised
thee as King of Israel and
Angels : Praiseworthy and
blessed art thou, O Lord God
of our Fathers !
0 Sion ! there came to thee
Christ, thy King, seated on a
young colt : for he came that
he might loosen mankind from
the senseless error of idolatry,
and tame the wild passions of
all nations ; that thus they
might praise thee, singing :
Bless the Lord, all ye his
works, and extol him above
all for ever !
Christ thy Lord hath reigned
for ever. He, as it is written,
the meek one, the Saviour, our
Just Eedeemer, came riding
on an ass's colt, that he might
destroy the pride of his ene-
mies, who would not sing
these words : Bless the Lord,
all ye his works, and extol him
above all for ever !
PALM SUNDAY I AFTER VESPERS.
241
The unjust and obstinate
Sanhedrim the usurpers of
the Holy Temple, are put to
flight ; for they had made
God's House of prayer a den
of thieves, and shut their
hearts against the Redeemer,
to whom we cry : bless the
Lord, all ye his works, and
extol him above all for ever !
God is our Lord, he hath
appeared unto us. Appoint
a solemn feast, and come, let
us rejoice and magnify the
Christ, praising him, with
palms and branches in our
hands : Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the
Lord, our Saviour !
Why, O ye Gentiles, have ye
raged against the Scriptures ?
Why, 0 ye Priests, have ye
devised vain things, saying ;
Who is this, unto whom chil-
dren, with palms and branches
in their hands, cry aloud this
praise : Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the
Lord our Saviour ?
Why, O ye perverse of heart,
have ye thrown stumbling-
blocks in the way ? Your feet
are swift to shed the Blood of
the Lord. But he will rise
again, that he may save all
that cry to him : Blessed is he
that cometh in the name of
the Lord, our Saviour !
Dissipatur sacri Templi
iniquum Synedrium contu-
macium ; orationis enim Dei
domum speluncam effece-
rant latronum, a corde Re-
demptorem excludentes,
cui clamamus : Benedicite,
opera, Dominum, et super-
exaltate in omnia saecula.
Deus Dominus, et appa-
ruit nobis ; constituite diem
solemnem, et exsultantes
venite, magnificemus Chri-
stum, cum palmis et ramis
laudibus clamantes : Bene-
dictus qui venit in nomine
Domini Salvatoris nostri.
Gentes, ut quid fremuistis
in Scripturas ? et sacerdo-
tes, ut quid inania meditati
estis, dicentes : Quis est iste
cui pueri cum palmis et
ramis laudibus clamant :
Benedictus qui venit in
nomine Domini Salvatoris
nostri ?
Scandala semitas occu-
pantia quid vos ponitis im-
morigeri ? Veloces pedes
vestri ad effundendum san-
guinem Domini. Sed resur-
get ut salvet omnes qui cla-
mant : Benedictus qui venit
in nomine Domini Salvato-
ris nostri.
242 HOLY WEEK.
MONDAY
IN HOLY WEEK.
This morning, also, Jesus goes with his Disciples to
Jerusalem. He is fasting, for the Gospel tells us,
that he was hungry} He approaches a fig-tree,
which is by the way-side ; but finds nothing on it,
save leaves only. Jesus, wishing to give us an in-
struction, curses the fig-tree, which immediately
withers away. He would hereby teach us what
they are to expect, who have nothing but good
desires, and never produce in themselves the fruit of
a real conversion. Nor is the allusion to Jerusalem
less evident. This City is zealous for the exterior
of Divine Worship ; but her heart is hard and ob-
stinate, and she is plotting, at this very hour, the
death of the Son of God.
The greater portion of the day is spent in the
Temple, where Jesus holds long conversations with
the Chief Priests and Ancients of the people. His
language to them is stronger than ever, and triumphs
over all t-heir captious questions. It is principally
in the Gospel of St. Matthew,2 that we shall find
these answers of our Redeemer, which so energeti-
cally accuse the Jews of their sin of rejecting the
Messias, and so plainly f oretel the punishment their
sin is to bring after it.
1 St. Matth. xxi. 18. 2 Chapters xxi. xxii. and xxiii.
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 243
At length, Jesus leaves the Temple, and takes the
road that leads to Bethania. Having come as far as
Mount Olivet, which commands a view of Jerusalem,
he sits down, and rests awhile. The Disciples make
this an opportunity for asking him, how soon the
chastisements he has been speaking of in the Temple
will come upon the City. His answer comprises two
events : the destruction of Jerusalem, and the final
destruction of the world. He thus teaches them that
the first is a figure of the second. The time when each
is to happen, is to be when the measure of iniquity
is filled up. But, with regard to the chastisement
that is to befal Jerusalem, he gives this more defi-
nites answer : Amen I say to you : this generation
shall not pass, till all these things be done} History
tells us how this prophecy of Jesus was fulfilled :
forty years had scarcely elapsed after his Ascension,
when the Roman army encamped on this very place
where he is now speaking to his Disciples, and laid
siege to the ungrateful and wicked City. After
giving a prophetic description of that Last Judgment,
which is to rectify all the unjust judgments of men,
he leaves Mount Olivet, returns to Bethania, and
consoles the anxious heart of his most holy Mother.
The Station, at Rome, is in the Church of Saint
Praxedes. It was in this Church, that Pope Paschal
the Second,sin the 9th century, placed two thousand
three hundred bodies of holy Martyrs, which he had
ordered to be taken out of the Catacombs. The
Pillar, to which our Saviour was tied during his
scourging,^ is also here.
1 St. Matth. xxiv. 34.
244
HOLY WEEK.
MASS.
The Introit is taken front the 34th Psalm. Jesus,
by these words of the Royal Prophet, prays to his
Eternal Father, that he would defend him against
his enemies.
INTROIT.
Judica, Domine, nocentes
me, expugna impugnantes
me : apprehende arma et
scutum, et exsurge in adju-
torium meum, Domine vir-
tus salutis meae.
Ps. Effunde frameam, et
conclude adversus eos qui
persequuntur me :
mse meae : Salus
sum.
Judica, Domine.
die ani-
tua ego
Judge thou, O Lord, them
that wrong me; overthrow
them that fight against me :
take hold of arms and shield,
and rise up to help me, O
Lord, my mighty deliverer.
Ps. Bring out the sword,
and shut up the way against
them that persecute me ; say
to my soul, I am thy salva-
tion.
Judge thou, &c.
In the Collect, the Church teaches us to have re-
course to the merits of our Saviour's Passion, in order
that we may obtain from Grod the help we stand in
need of amidst our many miseries.
COLLECT.
Da, quaesumus, omnipo-
tens Deus : ut, qui in tot ad-
versis ex nostra infirmitate
deficimus, intercedente Uni-
geniti Filii tui Passione re-
spiremus. Qui tecum.
Grant, we beseech thee, 0
Almighty God, that we, who
through our weakness, faint
under so many adversities,
may recover by the Passion
of thy Only Begotten Son.
"Who liveth, &c.
Then is added one of the following Collects.
AGAINST THE PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH.
Ecclesiae tuae, quaesu- Mercifully hear, we beseech
mus, Domine, preces, pla- thee, 0 Lord, the prayers of
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
245
thy Church : that, all opposi-
tions and errors being re-
moved, she may serve thee
with a secure liberty.
Through, &c.
catus admitte : ut, destruc-
tis adversitatibus et er-
roribus universis, secura
tibi serviat libertate. Per
Dominum.
FOR THE POPE.
O God, the Pastor and
Euler of all the Faithful, look
down, in thy mercy, on thy
servant N. , whom thou hast
appointed Pastor over thy
Church ; and grant we be-
seech thee, that both by word
and example, he may edify all
those that are under his
charge : and, with the flock
intrusted to him, arrive at
length at eternal happiness.
Through, &c.
Deus, omnium fidelium
Pastor et Eector, famulum
tuum N., quern Pastorem
Ecclesise tuse praeesse vo-
luisti, propitius respice :
da ei, qusesumus, verbo
et exemplo, quibus prae-
est, proficere ; ut ad vitam,
una cum grege sibi credi-
to, perveniat sempiternam.
Per Dominum.
EPISTLE.
Lesson from Isaias
Prophet.
Ch. L.
the Lectio Isaiae Prophetse.
In those days, Isaias said :
The Lord hath opened my
ear, making knoivn his ivill to
me, and I do not resist : I have
not gone back. I have given
my body to the strikers, and
my cheeks to them that pluck-
ed them : I have not turned
away my face from them that
rebuked me, and spit upon
me. The Lord God is my
helper, therefore am I not
confounded. He is near that
justifieth me, who will con-
tend with me ? let us stand
together. Who is my adver-
sary ? let him come near to
me. Behold the Lord God is
my helper : who is he that
Cap. L.
In diebus illis : Dixit
Isaias : Dominus Deus ape-
ruit mihi aurem : ego au-
tem non contradico : re-
trorsum non abii. Corpus
meum dedi percutientibus,
et genas meas vellentibus.
Faciem meam non averti
ab increpantibus et conspu-
entibus in me. Dominus
Deus auxiliator meus, ideo
non sum confusus. Ideo
posui faciem meam ut pe-
tram durissimam : et scio
quoniam non confundar.
Juxta est qui justificat me :
quis contradicet mihi ? Ste-
mus simul : quis est adver-
sarius meus ? Accedat ad
246 HOLY WEEK.
me. Ecce Dominus Deus, shall condemn me ? Lo, they
auxiliator meus : quis est shall all be destroyed as a
qui condemnet me ? Ecce, garment, the moth shall eat
omnes quasi vesthnentum them up. Who is there among
conterentur : tinea comedet you that feareth the Lord,
eos. Quis ex vobis timens that heareth the voice of his
Dominum, audiens vocem servant? He that hath walk -
servi sui ? Qui ambulavit ed in darkness, and hath no
in tenebris, et non est lu- light, let him hope in the
men ei, speret in nomine name of the Lord, and lean
Domini et innitatur super upon his God.
Deum suum.
The Sufferings of our Redeemer, and the patience
wherewith he is to bear them, are thus prophesied
by Isaias, who is always so explicit on the Passion.
Jesus has accepted the office of victim for the world's
salvation ; he shrinks from no pain or humiliation :
he turns not his Face from them that strike him
and spit upon him. What reparation can we make
to this Infinite Majesty, who, that he might save us,
submitted to such outrages as these ? Observe these
vile and cruel enemies of our Divine Lord : now that
they have him in their power, they fear him not.
When they came to seize him in the Grarden, he had
but to speak, and they fell back upon the ground ;
but he has now permitted them to bind his hands
and lead him to the High Priest. They accuse him ;
they cry out against him ; and he answers but a few
words. Jesus of Nazareth, the great Teacher, the
wonder-worker, has seemingly lost all his influence ;
they can do what they will with him. It is thus
with the sinner ; when the thunder-storm is over,
and the lightning has not struck him, he regains his
courage. The holy Angels look on with amazement
at the treatment shown by the Jews to Jesus, and
falling down, they adore the Holy Face, which they
see thus bruised and defiled : let us, also, prostrate
and ask pardon, for our sins have^outraged that same
Face.
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 247
But let us hearken to the last words of our Epistle :
He that hath walked in darkness, and hath no light,
let him hope in the name of the Lord and lean upon
his God. "Who is this hut the Gentile, abandoned to
sin and idolatry ? He knows not what is happening
at this very hour in Jerusalem ; he knows not that
the earth possesses its Saviour, and that this Saviour
is being trampled beneath the feet of his own chosen
people : but, in a very short time, the light of the
Gospel will shine upon this poor G-entile : he will
believe ; he will obey ; he will love his Redeemer,
even to the laying down his life for him. Then will
be fulfilled the prophecy of the unworthy Pontiff,
who prophesied against his will that the death of
Jesus would bring salvation to the Gentiles, by gather-
ing into one family the children of God, that hitherto
had been dispersed}
In the Gradual, the Royal Prophet again calls
down, on the executioners of our Lord, the chastise-
ments they have deserved by their ingratitude and
their obstinacy in sin.
The Tract is the one used by the Church on every
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, during Lent. It
is a prayer, begging God to bless the works of pen-
ance done during this holy Season.
GRADUAL.
Arise, O Lord, and be at- Exsurge, Domine, et in-
tentive to my trial ; my God tende judicio meo, Deus
and my Lord, undertake my meus et Dominus meus, in
cause. causam meam.
^. Draw thy sword, and f. Effunde frameam, et
stop those that are in pursuit conclude ad versus eos qui
of me. me persequuntur.
TRACT.
f. O Lord, deal not with us ^. Domine, non secundum
according to our sins, which peccata nostra, quae fecimus
1 St. John, xi. 52.
T
248
HOLY WEEK.
nos : neque secundum ini-
quitates nostras retribuas
nobis.
$. Domine, ne memine-
ris iniquitatum nostrarum
antiquarum : cito antici-
pent nos misericordise tuse,
quia pauperes facti sumus
nimis.
^. Adjuva nos, Deus salu-
taris noster : et propter glo-
riam Nominis tui, Domine,
libera nos : et propitius esto
peccatis nostris propter No-
men tuum.
we have done, nor reward us
according to our iniquities.
#.0 Lord, remember not
our former iniquities : let thy
mercies speedily prevent us,
for we are become exceeding
poor.
y. Help us, O God, our
Saviour : and for the glory of
thy Name, O Lord, deliver
us : and forgive us our sins,
for thy Name's sake.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Joannem.
Cap. XII.
Ante sex dies Paschse ve-
nit Jesus Bethaniam, ubi
Lazarus fuerat mortuus,
quern suscitavit Jesus. Fe-
cerunt autem ei ccenam
ibi : et Martha ministra-
bat ; Lazarus vero unus erat
ex discumbentibus cum eo.
Maria ergo accepit libram
unguenti nardi pistici pre-
tiosi : et unxit pedes Jesu,
et extersit pedes ejus ca-
pillis suis ; et domus imple-
ta est ex odore unguenti.
Dixit ergo unus ex disci -
pulis ejus, Judas Iscariotes,
qui erat eum traditurus :
Quare hoc unguentum non
vseniit trecentis denariis, et
datum est egenis ? Dixit
autem hoc non quia de
egenis pertinebat ad eum :
sed quia fur erat, et loculos
habens, ea quce mitteban-
Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to John.
Gh. XII.
Jesus, six days before the
Pasch, came to Bethania,
where Lazarus had been dead,
whom Jesus raised to life.
And they made him a supper
there; and Martha served, but
Lazarus was one of them that
were at table with him. Mary
therefore took a pound of
ointment of right spikenard,
of great price, and anointed
the feet of Jesus, and wiped
his feet with her hair : and
the house was filled with the
odour of the ointment. Then
one of his disciples, Judas
Iscariot, he that was about to
betray him, said : Why was
not this ointment sold for
three hundred pence, and
given to the poor ? Now he
said this, not because he cared
for the poor, but because he
was a thief, and, having the
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 249
purse, carried the things that tur, portavit. Dixit ergo
were put therein. Jesus there- Jesus : Sinite illam, ut m
fore said : Let her alone, that diem sepulturse mese ser-
she may keep it against the vet illud. Pauperes enim
day of my burial ; for the semper habetis vobiscum :
poor you have always with me autem non semper ha-
you, but me you have not betis. Cognovit ergo turba
always. A great multitude multa ex Judseis, quia illic
therefore of the Jews knew est : et venerunt, non prop-
that he was there ; and they ter Jesum tantum, sed ut
came not for Jesus' sake only, Lazarum viderent, quern
but that they might see Laza- suscitavit a mortuis.
rus, whom he had raised from
the dead.
As we have already said, the event related in this
passage of the Gospel took place on Saturday, the
eve of Palm Sunday ; but, as formerly there was no
Station for that day, the reading of this Gospel was
deferred till the following Monday. The Church
brings this episode of the last days of our Saviour
before us, because it enables us to have a clearer
understanding of the history of the Passion.
Mary Magdalene, whose conversion was the subject
of our meditation a few days back, is a prominent
figure in the Passion and Resurrection of her Divine
Master. She is the type of a soul that has been
purified by grace, and then admitted to the enjoy-
ment of God's choicest favours. It is of importance
that we study her in each of the several phases,
through which divine grace led her. We have
already seen how she keeps close to her Saviour
and supplies his sacred wants ; elsewhere, we shall
find Jesus giving the preference to her over her sister
Martha, and this because Mary chose a better part
than Martha ; but now, during these days of Passion-
tide, it is her tender love for Jesus that makes her
dear to us. She knows that the Jews are plotting
Jesus' death ; the Holy Ghost, who guides her through
the different degrees of perfection, inspires her, on
the occasion mentioned iu to-day's Gospel, to the per^
250
HOLY WEEK.
formance of an action which prophesied what she
most dreaded.
One of the three gifts offered by the Magi to the
Divine Infant, was Myrrh ; it is an emblem of death,
and the Gospel tells us that it was used at the Burial
of our Lord. Magdalene, on the day of her con-
version, testified the earnestness of her change of
heart by pouring on the feet of Jesus the most precious
of her perfumes. She gives him, to-day, the same
proof of her love. Her divine Master is invited by
Simon the Leper to a feast : his Blessed Mother and
his Disciples are among the guests : Martha is busy,
looking after the service. Outwardly, there is no
disturbance ; but inwardly, there are sad forebod-
ings. During the repast, Magdalene is seen enter-
ing the room, holding in her hand a vase of precious
spikenard. She advances towards Jesus, kneels at
his feet, anoints them with the perfume, and wipes
them with her hair, as on the previous occasion.
Jesus lay on one of those couches, which were used
by the Eastern people during their repasts. Magda-
lene, therefore, could easily take her favourite place
at His feet, and give him the same proof of her
love as she had already done in the Pharisee's
house. The Evangelist does not say that this time,
she shed tears. St. Matthew,1 and St. Mark2 add, that
she poured the ointment on his head also Whether
or no Magdalene herself understood the full import
of what the Holy Grhost inspired her to do, the
Grospel does not say ; but Jesus himself revealed the
mystery to his Disciples, and we gather from his
words that this action of Magdalene was, in a certain
manner, the commencement of his Passion : She, in
pouring this ointment upon my body, hath done it
for my burial.3
The fragrance of the Ointment fills the whole
1 St. Matth. xxvi. 7. 2 St. Mark, xiv. 3. 3 St. Matth. xxvi. 12.
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 251
house. One of the Disciples, Judas Iscariot, dares to
protest against this waste , as he calls it. His base
avarice deprives him of feeling and respect for his Di-
vine Master. His opinion was shared in by several of
the other Disciples, for they were still carnal-minded.
For several reasons Jesus permits Magdalene's
generosity to be thus blamed. And firstly, he wishes
to announce his approaching death which is mysti-
cally expressed by the pouring of this ointment upon
his body. Then, too, he would glorify Magdalene ;
and he therefore tells them that are present, that her
tender and ardent love shall be rewarded, and that
her name shall be celebrated in every country,
wheresoever the Gospel shall be preached.1 And
lastly, he would console those whose generous love
prompts them to be liberal in their gifts to his
Altars, for what he here says of Magdalene is, in
reality, a defence for them, when they are accused of
spending too much over the beauty of God's House.
Let us prize each of these divine teachings. Let
us love to honour Jesus, both in his own person, and
in his poor. Let us honour Magdalene, and imitate
her devotion to the Passion and Death of our Lord.
In fine, let us prepare our perfumes for our Divine
Master : there must be the Myrrh of the Magi, which
signifies penance, and the precious Spikenard of
Magdalene, which is the emblem of generous and
compassionating love.
In the Offertory, our Bedeemer implores his Eter-
nal Father to deliver him from his enemies, and to
fulfil the decrees regarding the salvation of mankind.
OFFERTORY.
Deliver me from my ene- Eripe me de inimicis
mies, O Lord ; to thee have I meis, Domine : ad te con-
1 St. Matth. xxvi. 13.
252
HOLY WEEK.
fugi, doce me facere volun- fled, teach me to do thy will,
tatem tuam : quia Deus because thou art my God.
meus es tu.
The Secret tells us the wonderful power of the
Sacred Mysteries. Not only does this Sacrifice
purify our souls ; it also raises them to perfect union
with Him who is their Creator.
SECRET.
Hsec sacrificia nos, om-
nipotens Deus, potenti vir-
tute mundatos, ad suum
faciant puriores venire prin-
cipium. Per Dominum.
Grant, 0 Almighty God,
that being purified by the
powerful virtue of this sacri-
fice, we may arrive with greater
purity to the author and in-
stitutor thereof. Through, &c.
Then is added one of the following Prayers :
AGAINST THE PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH.
Protege nos, Domine,
tuis mysteriis servientes :
ut divinis rebus inhseren-
tes, et corpore tibi famule-
mur et mente. Per Domi-
num.
Protect us, O Lord, while
we assist at thy sacred mys-
teries : that being employed
in acts of religion, we may
serve thee both in body and
mind. Through, &c.
FOR THE POPE.
Oblatis, qusesumus, Do-
mine, placare muneribus :
et famulum tuum N. quern
Pastorem Ecclesise tuse
praeesse voluisti, assidua
protectione guberna. Per
Dominum.
Be appeased, 0 Lord, with
the offering we have made :
and cease not to protect thy
servant N. , whom thou hast
been pleased to appoint
Pastor over thy Church.
Through, &c.
After the Faithful have partaken of the Divine
Mystery, there is read, in the Communion- Anthem,
a malediction against the enemies of our Saivour.
Thus does Grod act in his government of the world :
they who refuse his mercy, cannot escape his justice.
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
253
COMMUNION.
Let them blush and be
ashamed, who rejoice at my
misfortunes ; let them be
covered with shame and con-
fusion, who speak maliciously
against me.
Erubescant, et reverean-
tur simul, qui gratulantur
malis meis : induantur pu-
dore et reverentia, qui ma-
ligna loquuntur adversus
me.
The Church concludes her Prayers of this morn-
ning's Sacrifice, by begging that her children may
persevere in the holy fervour, which they have re-
ceived at its very source.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Let thy holy mysteries, O
Lord, inspire us with divine
fervour ; that we may delight
both in their effect and cele-
bration. Through, &c.
Prsebeant nobis, Domine,
divinum tua Sancta fervo-
rem ; quo eorum pariter et
actu delectemur et fructu.
Per Dominum.
To this is added one of the following :
AGAINST THE PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH.
We beseech thee, 0 Lord
our God, not to leave exposed
to the dangers of human life,
those whom thou hast per-
mitted to partake of these
divine mysteries. Through &c.
Qusesumus, Domine, De-
us noster : ut quos divina
tribuis participatione gau-
dere, humanis non sinas
subjacere periculis. Per
Dominum.
FOR THE POPE.
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 com-
mitted to his charge . Through ,
&c,
Hsec nos qusesumus, Do-
mine, divini Sacramenti
perceptio protegat : et fa-
mulum tuum N. quern Pas-
torem Ecclesise tuse prae-
esse voluisti, una cum com-
misso sibi grege salvet sem-
per, et muniat. Per Do-
minum.
254
HOLY WEEK.
OREMTJS. LET US PRAY.
Humiliate capita vestra Bow down your heads to
Deo. God.
Adjuva nos, Deus salu- Help us, 0 God, our sal-
tans noster ; et ad beneficia vation ; and grant that we may
recolenda, quibus nos in- celebrate with joy the memory
staurare dignatus es, tri- of these benefits, by which
bue venire gaudentes. Per thou hast been pleased to
Dominum. redeem us. Through, &c.
As an appropriate conclusion to this day, we may
use the following beautiful Prayer, taken from the
ancient Q-allican Liturgy :
PRAYER.
fOratio ad Bextam.J
Christe Deus, Adonai mag- O great and Sovereign
ne, nos tecum quasi huic Lord ! (Adonai ! ) Christ our
mundo crucifige ; ut vita tua God ! crucify us, with thy-
in nobis sit : nostraque self, to this world, that so thy
peccata super te pone, ut ea life may be in us. Take
crucifigas : nos quoque ad upon thee our sins, that
teipsum trahe, cum pro thou mayst crucify them,
nobis exaltatus es a terra, Draw us unto thyself, since
ut nos eripias ab adultero it was for our sakes that
tyranno : quia licet carne et thou wast raised up from
vitiis diabolo noxii sumus; the earth; and thus snatch
tibi tamen, non illi optamus us from the power of the
servire : et sub tuo jure unclean tyrant : for, though
vivere desideramus, et a te by flesh and our sins, we be
gubernari rogamus ; qui nos exposed to the insults of the
mortales et a morte inva- devil, yet do we desire to serve,
sos, per mortem crucis li- not him, but thee. We would
berare voluisti. Pro quo be thy subjects ; we ask to be
singulari beneficio hodier- governed by thee ; for, by thy
na tibi nostra famulatur de- death on the cross, thou didst
votio : teque nunc hodie deliver us, who are mortals
supplices adoramus, implo- and surrounded by death. It
ramus, invocamus ; ut ad is to bless thee for this won-
nos properes, virtus seterna derful favour, that we this day
Deus : quod nobis proficiat offer thee our devoted service ;
tua crux, triumphans scili- and humbly adoring thee,
MONDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
255
we now implore and beseech
thee, to hasten to our assist-
ance, O thou our God, the
Eternal and Almighty ! Let
thy Cross thus profit us unto
good, that thou, by its power,
mayst triumph over the world
in us, and thine own mercy
restore us, by thy might and
grace, to the ancient blessing.
0 thou, whose power hath
turned the future into the past
and whose presence maketh
the past to be present — grant,
that thy Passion may avail us
to salvation, as though it were
accomplished now on this very
day. May the drops of thy
holy Blood, which heretofore
fell upon the earth from the
Cross, be our present salva-
tion : may it wash away all
the sins of our earthly nature,
and be, so to say, commingled
with the earth of our body,
rendering itall thine, since we,
by our reconciliation withthee,
our Head, have been made
one body with thee. Thou
that ever reignest with the
Father and the Holy Ghost,
now begin to reign over us,
O God-Man, Christ Jesus,
King for ever and ever !
cet de mundo in nobis per
crucis virtutem : atque tua
pietas nobis illud antiquum
restituat beneficium, vir-
tute scilicet et gratia : qui
per potentiam futura prse-
terita ; per prsesentiam facis
similiter praeterita praesen-
tia : redde, ut nobis tua Pas-
sio salutaris sit, quasi prae-
sens et hodierna : et sic no-
bis hodie, ilia gutta sancti
sanguinis super terram olim
de cruce stillantis, sit salus :
ut omnia terrae nostrae de-
licta lavans, et corporis nos-
tri humo quodam modo im-
mixta, nos de terra tuos
efficiat ; nos quoque tibi
quasi corpus idem recon-
ciliati capitis. Qui regnas
cum Patre semper et Spi-
ritu Sancto ; nunc nobis
regnare incipe, Homo Deus,
Christe Jesu, Eex in saecula
sseculorum.
256 HOLY WEEK.
TUESDAY
IN HOLY WEEK.
To-dav, again, our Saviour sets out in the morning
for Jerusalem. His intention is to repair to the
temple, and continue his yesterday's teachings. It
is evident that his mission on earth is fast drawing
to its close. He says to his Disciples : You know
that after two days shall be the Pasch, and the Son
of Man shall be delivered up to be crucified.1
On the road from Bethania to Jerusalem, the
Disciples are surprised at seeing the fig-tree, which
their Divine Master had yesterday cursed, now dead.
Addressing himself to Jesus, Peter says : Rabbi, be-
hold, the fig-tree, which thou didst curse, is withered
away.2 In order to teach us that the whole of mate-
rial nature is subservient to the spiritual element,
when this last is united to Q-od by faith, — Jesus
replies : Have the faith of God. Amen I say to you,
that whosoever shall say to this mountain : Be thou
removed and cast into the sea ! and shall not stagger
in his heart, but believe, that whatsoever he saith
shall be done, it shall be done unto him.3
Having entered the City, Jesus directs his steps
towards the Temple. No sooner has he entered,
than the Chief Priests, the Scribes, and the Ancients
of the people, accost him with these words : By what
authority dost thou these things ? and who has given
1 St. Matth. xxvi. 2. 2 St. Mark, xi. 21.
3 Idem, ibid. 22, 23.
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 257
thee this authority, that thou shouldst do these
things ?l We shall find our Lord's answer given in
the Gospel. Our object is to mention the leading
events of the last days of our Redeemer on earth ;
the holy Volume will supply the details.
As on the two preceding days, Jesus leaves the
City towards evening : he passes over Mount Olivet,
and returns to Bethania, where he finds his Blessed
Mother and his devoted friends.
In to-day's Mass, the Church reads the history of
the Passion according to St. Mark, who wrote his
Grospel the next after St. Matthew ; hence it is, that
the second place is assigned to him. His account
of the Passion is shorter than St. Matthew's, of which
it would often seem to be a summary ; and yet cer-
tain details are peculiar to this Evangelist, and prove
him to have been an eye-witness. Our readers are
aware that St. Mark was the disciple of St. Peter,
and that his Grospel was written under the very eye
of the Prince of the Apostles.
In Rome, the Station for to-day is in the Church
of St. Prisca, which is said to have been the house
of Aquila and his wife Prisca, to whom St. Paul
sends his salutations, in his Epistle to the Romans.
In the 3rd century, Pope St. Eutychian had trans-
lated thither, on account of the sameness of the name,
the body of St. Prisca, a Virgin and Martyr of Rome.
MASS.
Three days hence, and the Cross will be lifted up
on Calvary, bearing upon itself the Author of our
Salvation. The Church, in the Introit of to-day's
Mass, bids us at once pay our homage to this trophy
of our victory, and glory in it.
1 St. Mark, xi. 28.
258
HOLY WEEK.
INTROIT.
Nos autem gloriari opor-
tet in cruce Domini nostri
Jesu Christi : in quo est sa-
lus, vita, et resurrectio nos-
tra, per quern salvati, et
liberati sumus.
Ps. Deus misereatur nos-
tri, et benedicat nobis ;
iiluminet vultum suum su-
per nos, et misereatur nos-
tri.
Nos autem.
We ought to glory in the
Cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ, in whom is our salva-
tion, life and resurrection ;
by whom we have been saved
and delivered.
Ps. May God have mercy on
us, and bless us ; may his
countenance shine upon us,
and may he have mercy on us
We ought, &c.
In the Collect, the Church prays that the sacred
anniversaries of our Saviour's Passion may be to us
a source of pardon ; and that they may work in us a
full reconciliation with the Divine Justice.
COLLECT.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, da nobis ita Domini -
cae Passionis sacramenta
peragere, ut indulgentiam
percipere mereamur. Per
eumdem.
O Almighty and everlasting
God, gant that we may so
celebrate the mysteries of our
Lord's Passion, as to obtain
thy pardon. Through the
same, &c.
For the other Collects, see page 244.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Jeremiae Prophetae. Lesson
Cap. XL
In diebus illis : Dixit Je-
remias : Domine, demon-
strasti mihi, et cognovi ; tunc
ostendisti mihi studia eo-
rum, Et ego quasi agnus
from Jeremias
Prophet.
Ch. XL
the
In those days : Jeremias
said : Thou, O Lord, hast
shewed me, and I have known :
then thou shewedst me their
doings. And I was as a meek
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 259
lamb, that is carried to be a mansuetus, qui portatur ad
victim ; and I knew not that victimam : et non cognovi
they had devised counsels quia cogitaverunt super me
against me, saying ; Let us consilia, dicentes : Venite,
put wood on his bread, and mittamus lignum in panem
cut him off from the land of ejus, et eradamus eum de
the living, and let his name be terra viventium, et nomen
remembered no more. But ejus non memoretur am-
thou, 0 Lord of Sabaoth, who plius. Tu autem, Domine
j udgest justly, and triest the Sabaoth, qui judicas juste,
reins of the heart, let me see et probas renes et corda,
thy revenge on them ; for to videam ultionem tuam ex
thee I have revealed my cause, eis : tibi enim revelavi cau-
0 Lord, my God ! sam meam, Domine Deus
meus.
Again, we have the plaintive words of Jeremias :
he gives us the very words used by his enemies,
when they conspired his death. It is evident,
however, that the Prophet is here a figure of one
greater than himself. Let us, say these enemies, put
tvood upon his bread : that is, let us put poisonous
wood into what he eats, that so we may cause his
death. This is the literal sense of these words, as
applied to the Prophet ; but how much more truly
were they fulfilled in our Eedeemer ! He tells us,
that his Divine Flesh is the True Bread that came
down from heaven. This Bread, this Body of the
Man- God, is bruised, torn, and wounded ; the Jews
nail it to the Wood ; so that, it is, in a manner, made
one with the Wood, and the Wood is all covered with
Jesus' Blood. This Lamb of Grod was immolated on
the Wood of the Cross : it is by his immolation, that
we have had given to us a Sacrifice, which is worthy
of Q-od ; and it is by this Sacrifice, that we partici-
pate in the Bread of Heaven, the Flesh of the Lamb,
our true Pasch.
The Gradual, which is taken from the 34th Psalm,
shows us the humility and meekness of our Jesus
under his sufferings. How they contrast with the
haughty pride of his enemies !
260
HOLY WEEK.
GRADUAL.
Ego autem, dum mihi mo-
lesti essent, induebam me
cilicio, et humiliabam in
jejunio animam meam; et
oratio mea in sinu meo con-
vertetur.
f. Judica, Domine, no-
centes me, expugna impug-
nantes me : apprehende
arma et scutum, et exsurge
in adjutorium mihi.
When they were troublesome
to me, I clothed myself with
hair -cloth, and I humbled
my soul with fasting ; and I
will yet continue to pour
forth my prayer in my bosom.
f. Judge thou, 0 Lord,
them that wrong me, over-
throw them that fight against
me ; take hold of arms and
shield, and rise to help me.
After the Gradual, is sung the Passion according
to Saint Mark. The same ceremonies are observed
as during the Passion, which was read to us on Sun-
day, excepting only what regarded the Palms.
THE PASSION AND GOSPEL.
Passio Domini nostri Jesu
Christi secundum Marcum.
Cap. XIV. et XV.
In illo tempore : Erat
Pascha, et Azyma post bidu-
um : et quserebant summi
sacerdotes et scribae quomo-
do Jesum dolo tenerent, et
occiderent. Dicebant au-
tem : Non in die festo ne
forte tumultus fieret in po-
pulo.
Et cum esset Jesus Be-
thanise in domo Simonis Le-
prosi, et recumberet : venit
mulier habens alabastrum
unguenti nardi spicati pre-
tiosi, et fracto alabastro,
effudit super caput ejus.
Erant autem quidam indig-
ne ferentes intra semetipsos,
The Passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ, according to Mark.
Cli. XIV. and XV.
At that time, The Feast of
the Pasch and of Azymes was
after two days ; and the chief
priests and the scribes sought
how they might by some wile
lay hold on Jesus, and kill him.
But they said : Not on the
festival day, lest there should
be a tumult among the people.
And when Jesus was in Be-
thania, in the house of Simon
the Leper, and was at meat,
there came a woman having
an alabaster box of ointment
of precious spikenard ; and
breaking the alabaster box,
she poured it out upon his
head. Now there were some
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
261
that had indignation within
themselves, and said : Why
was this waste of the ointment
made ? For this ointment
might have been sold for more
than three hundred pence, and
given to the poor. And they
murmured against her. But
Jesus said : Let her alone,
why do you molest her ? She
hath wrought a good work
upon me. For the poor you
have always with you, and
whensoever you will, you may
do them good ; but me you
have not always. What she
had, she hath done ; she is
come beforehand to anoint
my body for the burial. Amen
I say to you, wheresoever this
gospel shall be preached in the
whole world, that also which
she hath done shall be told for
a memorial of her.
And Judas Iscariot, one of
the twelve, went to the chief
priests, to betray him to them.
Who hearing it were glad ;
and promised to give him
money. And he sought how
he might conveniently betray
him.
Now on the first day of the
unleavened bread, when they
sacrificed the Pasch, the dis-
ciples say to him : Whither
wilt thou that we go and pre-
pare for thee to eat the Pasch ?
And he sendeth two of his
disciples and saith to them :
Go ye into the city, and there
shall meet you , a man carrying
a pitcher of water ; follow him ,
and whithersoever he shall go
in, say to the master of the
house : The Master saith :
Where is my refectory, that I
et dicentes : Ut quid per-
ditio ista unguenti facta est ?
Poterat enim unguentum
istud venundari plus quam
trecentis denariis, et dari
pauperibus. Et fremebant
in earn. Jesus autem dixit :
Sinite earn : quid illi mo-
lesti estis ? Bonum opus
operatus est in me. Semper
enim pauperes habetis vo-
biscum, et cum volueritis,
potestis illis benefacere : me
autem non semper habetis.
Quod habuit haec, fecit :
praevenit ungere corpus me-
um in sepulturam. Amen
dico vobis : Ubicumque-
prsedicatum fuerit evangeli-
um istud in universo mun-
do, et quod fecit hsec, narra-
bitur in memoriam ejus.
Et Judas Iscariotes unus
de duodecim abiit ad sum-
mos sacerdotes, ut proderet
eum illis. Qui audientes,
gavisi sunt : et promiserunt
ei pecuniam se daturus. Et
quserebat, quomodo ilium
opportune traderet.
Et primo die Azymorum,
quando Pascha immolabant,
dicunt ei discipuli : Quo vis
eamus, et paremus tibi, ut
manduces Pascha ? Et mit-
tit duos ex discipulis suis,
et dicit eis : Ite in civita-
tem : et occurret vobis homo
lagenam aquae bajulans ; se-
quimini eum : et quocum-
que introierit, dicite domino
domus, quia Magister dicit :
Ubi est refectio mea, ubi
Pascha cum discipulis meis
manducem ? Et ipse vobis
262
HOLY WEEK.
demonstrabit coenaculum
grande, stratum, et illic
parate nobis. Et abierunt
discipuli ejus, et venerunt
in civitatem; et invenerunt
sicut dixerat illis, et para-
verunt Pascha.
Vespere autem facto, ve-
nit cum duodecim. Et dis-
cumbentibus eis, et mandu-
cantibus ait Jesus : Amen
dico vobis, quia unus ex vo-
bis tradet me, qui mandu-
cat mecum. At illi ccepe-
runt contristari, et dicere ei
singulatim : numquid ego ?
Qui ait illis : unus ex duo-
decim, qui intingit mecum
manum in catino. Et Filius
quidem hominis vadit, si-
cut scriptum est de eo ; vse
autem homini illi, per quern
Filius hominis tradetur. Bo-
num erat ei, si non esset
natus homo ille. Et man-
ducantibus illis, accepit Je-
sus panem : et benedicens
fregit, et dedit eis, et ait :
Sumite : Hoc est corpus
meum. Et accepto calice,
gratias agens dedit eis : et
biberunt ex illo omnes. Et
ait illis : Hie est sanguis
meus novi testamenti, qui
pro multis effundetur.
Amen dico vobis : quia non
bibam de hoc genimine vi-
tis, usque in diem ilium,
cum illud bibam novum in
regno Dei.
Et hymno dicto, exierunt
in montem Olivarum. Et
ait eis Jesus : Omnes scan-
dalizabimini in me, in nocte
may eat the Pasch with my
disciples ? And he will shew
you a large dining-room fur-
nished ; and there prepare ye
for us. Ajid his disciples went
their way, and came into the
city ; and they found as he
had told them, and they pre-
pared the Pasch.
And when evening was
come, he cometh with the
twelve. And when they were
at table eating, Jesus saith :
Amen I say to you, one of you
that eateth with me shall be-
tray me. But they began to
be sorrowful, and to say to
him one by one : Is it I ?
Who saith to them : One of
the twelve, who dippeth his
hand in the dish with me.
And the Son of Man indeed
goeth, as it is written of him ;
but wo to that man by whom
the Son of Man shall be be-
trayed. It were better for
him, if that man had not been
born. And whilst they were
eating, Jesus took bread : and
blessing, broke, and gave to
them, and said : Take ye, this
is my body. And having
taken the chalice, giving
thanks, he gave it to them,
and they all drank of it ; and
he said to them : This is my
blood of the new testament,
which shall be shed for many.
Amen I say to you, that I will
drink no more of this fruit of
the vine, until that day when
I shall drink it new in the
kingdom of God.
And when they had sung
a hymn, they went forth to
the mount of Olives. And
Jesus saith to them : You will
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
263
all be scandalized in my regard
this night ; for it is written :
"I will strike the shepherd,
' ' and the shoop shall bo dis-
" persed." But after I shall
be risen again, I will go before
yon into Galilee. But Peter
saith to him : Although all
shall be scandalized in thee,
yet not I. And Jesus saith to
him : Amen I say to thee,
to-day, even in this night
before the cock crow twice,
thou shalt deny me thrice.
But he spoke the more vehe-
mently : Although I should
die together with thee, I will
not deny thee. And in like
manner also said they all.
And they came to a farm
called' Gethsemani. And he
saith to his disciples : Sit you
here, while I pray. And he
taketh Peter, and James, and
John with him ; and he began
to fear and to be heavy. And
he saith to them : My soul is
sorrowful even unto death;
stay you here, and watch.
And when he had gone for-
ward a little, he fell flat on
the ground; and he prayed
that, if it might be, the hour
might pass from him : and he
saith : Abba, Father, all things
are possible to thee, remove
this chalice from me ; but not
what I will, but what thou
wilt. And he cometh, and
findeth them sleeping. And
he saith to Peter : Simon,
sleepest thou ? couldst thou
not watch one hour ? Watch
ye, and pray, that ye enter
not into temptation. The
spirit indeed is willing, but
the flesh is weak. And going
ista : quia scriptum est.
Percutiam pastorem, et dis-
pergentur oves; sed post-
quam resurrexero, praece-
dam vos in Galilseam. Pe-
trus autem ait illi : Et si
omnes scandalizati fuerint
in te, sed non ego. Et ait
illi Jesus : Amen dico tibi,
quia tu hodie in nocte hac,
priusquam gallus vocem bis
dederit, ter me es negaturus.
At ill© amplius loquebatur :
Et si oportuerit me simul
commori tibi, non te negabo.
Similiter autem et omnes
dicebant.
Et veniunt in prsedium,
cui nomen Gethsemani, et
ait discipulis suis : Sedete
hie donee orem. Et assu-
mit Petrum, et Jacobum et
Joannem secum : et ccepit
pavere, et tsedere. Et ait
illis : Tristis est anima mea
usque ad mortem. Susti-
nete hie, et vigilate. Et
cum processisset paululum,
procidit super terrain : et
orabat, ut si fieri posset,
transiret ab eo hora : et dixit :
Abba Pater, omnia tibi pos-
sibilia sunt : transfer calicem
hunc a me. Sed non quod
ego volo : sed quod tu. Et
venit, et invenit eos dor-
mientes. Et ait Petro :
Simon dormis ? Non potu-
isti una hora vigilare ? Vigi-
late, et orate, ut non intretis
in tentationem. Spiritus
quidem promptus est, caro
vero infirma. Et iterum
abiens oravit, eumdem ser-
monem dicens. Et -reversus,
U
264
HOLY WEEK.
denuo invenit eos dor-
mientes ( erant enim oculi
eorum gravati), et ignora-
bant quid responderent ei.
Et venit tertio, et ait illis :
Dormite jam, et requiescite.
Sumcit : venit hora : ecce
Filius hominis tradetur in
manus peccatorum. Surgite,
eamus : ecce, qui me tradet,
prope est.
Et adhuc eo loquente ve-
nit Judas Iscariotes unus de
duodecim, et cum illo turba
multa cum gladiis et lignis,
missi a summis sacerdotibus,
et scribis, et senioribus.
Dederat autem traditor ejus
signum eis, dicens : Quem-
cumque osculatus fuero,
ipse est : tenete eum, et
ducite caute. Et cum ve-
nisset, statim accedens ad
eum, ait : Ave Eabbi ! Et
osculatus est eum. At illi
manus injecerunt in eum,
ettenuerunteum. Unus au-
tem quidam de circumstan-
tibus educens gladium, per-
cussit servum summi sacer-
dotis : et amputavit illi auri-
culam. Et respondens Je-
sus ait illis : Tamquam ad
latronem existis cum gladiis
et lignis comprehendere me :
quotidie eram apud vos in
templo docens, et non me
tenuistis. Sed ut impleantur
Scripturae. Tunc discipuli
ejus relinquentes eum, om-
nes fugerunt. Adolescens
autem quidam sequebatur
eum amictus sindone super
away again, he prayed, saying
the same words. And when
ho returned, he found them
again asleep, ( for their eyes
were heavy,) and they knew
not what to answer him. And
he cometh the third time, and
saith to them : Sleep ye now,
and take your rest. It is
enough, the hour is come ; be-
hold the Son of man shall be
betrayed into the hands of
sinners. Rise up, let us go.
Behold he that will betray me
is at hand.
And while he was yet speak-
ing, cometh Judas Iscariot,
one of the twelve, and with
him a great multitude with
swords and staves, from the
chief priests, and the scribes,
and the ancients. And he
that betrayed him had given
them a sign, saying : Whom-
soever I shall kiss, that is he,
lay hold on him, and lead him
away carefully. And when
he was come, immediately
going up to him, he saith :
Hail Eabbi ! And he kissed
him. But they laid hands on
him, and held him. And one
of them that stood by, draw-
ing a sword, struck a servant
of the chief priest, and cut off
his ear. And Jesus answer-
ing, said to them : Are you
come out as to a robber with
swords and staves to ap-
prehend me ? I was daily
with you in tho temple teach-
ing, and you did not lay hands
on me. But, that the scrip-
ture may be fulfilled. Then
his disciples leaving him, all
fled away. And a certain
young man followed him,
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
265
having a linen cloth cast
about his naked body ; and
they laid hold on him. But
ho casting off the linen cloth,
fled from them naked.
And they brought Jesus to
the High Priest ; and all the
priests and the scribes and
the ancients were assembled
together. And Peter followed
hirn afar off even into the
court of the High Priest; and
he sat with the servants at the
fire and warmed himself. And
the chief priests and all the
council sought for evidence
against Jesus that they might
put him to death, and they
found none. For many bore
false witness against him, and
their evidences were not
agreeing. And some rising
up, bore false witness against
him, saying : We heard him
say : I will destroy this temple
made with hands, and within
three days I will build another
not made with hands. And
their witness did not agree.
And the High Priest rising up
in the midst, asked Jesus, say-
ing : Answerest thou nothing
to the things that are laid to
thy charge by these men ?
But he held his peace, and
answered nothing. Again the
High Priest asked him, and
said to him : Art thou Christ
the Son of the Blessed God ?
and Jesus said to him: I am.
And you shall see the Son of
Man sitting on the right hand
of the power of God, and
nudo : et tenuerunt eum.
At ille rejecta sindone, nudus
profugit ab ois.
Et adduxernnt Jesum ad
summum sacerdotem : et
convenerunt omnes sacer-
dotes, et scribse et seniores.
Petrus autem a longe secu-
tus est eum usque intro in
atrium summi sacerdotis :
et sedebat cum ministris ad
ignem, et califaciebat se.
Summi vero sacerdotes et
omne concilium, quserebant
adversus Jesum testimonium,
ut eum morti traderent : nee
inveniebant. Multi enim tes-
timonium f alsum dicebant ad-
versus eum : et convenientia
testimonia non erant. Et
quidam surgentes, falsum
testimonium ferebant ad-
versus eum, dicentes : Quo-
mam nos audivimus eum
dicentem : Ego dissolvam
templum hoc manufactum :
et per triduum, aliud non
manufactum aedificabo. Et
non erat conveniens testimo-
nium illorum.
Et exsurgens summus sa-
cerdos in medium, inter-
rogavit Jesum, dicens : Non
respondes quidquam ad ea,
quse tibi objiciuntur ab his ?
Ille autem tacebat, et nihil
respondit. Rursum summus
sacerdos interrogabat eum,
et dixit ei : Tu es Christus
Filius Dei benedicti ? Je-
sus autem dixit illi : Ego
sum. Et videbitis Eilium ho-
minis sedentem a dextris
virtutis Dei, et venientem
266
HOLY WEEK.
cum nubibus coeli. Sum-
mus autem sacerdos scin-
dens vestimenta sua, ait :
Quid adhuc desideramus
testes ? Audistis blasphe-
miam. Quid vobis videtur ?
Qui omnes condemnave-
runt eum esse reum mortis.
Et coeperunt quidam con-
spuere eum, et velare faciem
ejus, et colaphis eum csedere,
et dicere ei : Prophetiza.
Et ministri alapis eum cse-
debant.
Et cum esset Petrus in
atrio deorsum, venit una
ex ancillis summi sacerdo-
tis : et cum vidisset Petruin
calefacientem se, aspiciens
ilium, ait : Et tu cum Jesu
Nazareno eras. At ille nega-
vit, dicens : Neque scio, ne-
que novi quid dicas. Et exiit
foras ante atrium : et gallus
cantavit. Rursus autem,
cum vidisset ilium ancilla,
coepit dicere circum stanti-
bus : Quia hie ex illis est.
At ille iterum negavit. Et
post pusillum, rursus qui
astabant, dicebant Petro :
Vere ex illis es : nam et Ga-
lilseus es. Ille autem coepit
anatbematizare et jurare :
quia nescio bominem istum
quern dicitis. Et statim gal-
lus iterum cantavit. Et re-
cordatus est Petrus verbi,
quod dixerat ei Jesus :
Priusquam gallus cantet
bis, ter me negabis. Et coe-
pit flere.
Et confestim mane conci-
lium facicntes summi sa-
perdotes cum senioribus, et
coming in tbe clouds of heaven.
Then the High Priest rending
his garments saith : What
need we any further wit-
nesses ? You have heard the
blasphemy. "What think you ?
Who all condemned him to be
guilty of death. And some be-
gan to spit on him, and to
cover his face, and to buffet
him, and to say to him : Pro-
phesy ! And the servants
struck him with the palms of
their hands.
Now when Peter was in the
court below, there cometh to
him one of the maid servants
of the High Priest ; and when
she had seen Peter warming
himself, looking on him, she
saith : Thou also wast with
Jesus of Nazareth. But he de-
nied, saying : I neither know
nor understand what thou
sayest. And he went forth
before the court, and the cock
crew. And again a maid- ser-
vant seeing him, began to say
to the standers-by : This is one
of them. But he denied again.
And after a while, they that
stood by said again to Peter :
Surely thou art one of them,
for thou also art a Galilean.
But he began to curse and
swear, saying : I know not this
man of whom you speak.
And immediately the cock
crew again. And Peter re-
membered the word that Jesus
had said to him : Before the
cock crow twice, thou shalt
deny me thrice. And he be-
gan to weep.
And st mi ghtway in the rnorn-
ing, the chief priests hold-
ing a consultation with the
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
267
ancients and the scribes, and
the whole council, binding
Jesus, led him away, and de-
livered him to Pilate. And
Pilate asked him : Art thou
the king of the Jews? But
he answering, saith to him :
Thou sayest it. And the chief
priests accused him in many
things. And Pilate again
asked him, saying: Answerest
thou nothing ? behold in how
many things they accuse thee.
But Jesus still answered no-
thing: so that Pilate wondered.
Now on the festival day he
was wont to release unto them
one of the prisoners, whomso-
ever they demanded. And
there was one called Barabbas,
who was put in prison with
some seditious men, who in
the sedition had committed
murder. And when the mul-
titude was come up, they
began to desire that he would
do as he had ever done unto
them. And Pilate answered
them, and said : Will you that
I release to you the King of
the Jews ? For he knew that
the chief priests had delivered
him up out of envy. But the
chief priests moved the people
that he should rather release
Barabbas to them . And Pilate
again answering, saith to
them : What will you then
that I do with the King of the
Jews ? But they again cried
out: Crucify him. And Pilate
saith to them : Why , what evil
hath he done ? But they cried
out the more : Crucify him.
And Pilate being willing to
satisfy the people, released to
them Barabbas, and delivered
scribis, et universo conci-
lio, vincientes Jesum, duxe-
runt et tradiderunt Pilato.
Et interrogavit eum Pila-
tus : Tu es Eex Judseorum ?
At ille respondens, ait illi:
Tu dicis. Et accusabant
eum summi sacerdotes in
multis. Pilatus autem rur-
sum interrogavit eum, di-
cens : Non respondes quid-
quam ? Vide, in quantis te
accusant. Jesus autem am-
plius nihil respondit : ita ut
miiaretur Pilatus.
Per diem autem festum
solebat dimittere illis unum
ex vinctis quemcumque pe-
tiissent. Erat autem qui
dicebatur Barabbas, qui
cum seditiosis erat vinctus,
qui in seditione fecerat
homicidium. Et cum ascen-
disset turba, ccepit rogare,
sicut semper faciebat illis.
Pilatus autem respondit eis,
et dixit : Vultis dimittam
vobis Begem Judseorum ?
Sciebat enim, quod per invi-
diam tradidissent eum summi
sacerdotes. Pontifices autem
concitaverunt turbam ut ma-
gis Barabbam dimitteret eis.
Pilatus autem iterum respon-
dens, ait illis : Quid ergo
vultis faciam Eegi Judse-
orum ? At illi iterum claraa-
verunt : Crucifige eum. Pi-
latus vero dicebat illis : Quid
enim mali fecit ? At illi ma-
gis clamabant : Crucifige
eum.
Pilatus autem volens po-
pulo satisfacere, dimisit il-
lis Barabbam, et tradidit
268
HOLY WEEK.
Jesum flagellis csesum, ut
crucifigeretur. Milites au-
tem duxerunt eum in atri-
um prsetorii, et convocant
totam cohortem : et in-
duunt eum purpura, et im-
ponunt ei plectentes spi-
neam coronam. Et coepe-
runt salutare eum : Ave,
Eex Judseorum. Et percu-
tiebant caput ejus arundi-
ne : et conspuebant eum, et
ponentes genua, adorabant
eum.
Et postquam illuserunt
ei, exuerunt ilium purpura,
et induerunt eum vestimen-
tis suis, et educunt ilium, ut
crucifigerent eum. Et an-
gariaverunt praetereuntem
quempiam Simonem Cyre-
nseum venientem de villa,
patrem Alexandri et Eufi,
ut tolleret crucem ejus. Et
perducunt ilium in Golgotha
locum : quod est interpre-
tation, Calvarise locus. Et
dabant ei bibere myrrhatum
vinum : et non accepit. Et
crucifigentes eum diviserunt
vestimenta ejus, mittentes
sortem super eis, quis quid
tolleret. Erat autem bora
tertia : et crucifixerunt eum.
Et erat titulus causa? ejus
inscriptus : Eex Judoeorum.
Et cum eo crucifigunt duos
latrones : unum a dextris,
et alium a sinistris ejus. Et
impleta est Scriptura, quce
dicit : Et cum iniquis repu-
tatus est.
Et prsetereuntes blasphe-
mabant eum, moventes ca-
up Jesus, when he had
scourged him, to be crucified.
And the soldiers led him away
into the court of the palace,
and they called together the
whole band ; and they clothed
him with purple, and platting
a crown of thorns, they put it
upon him. And they began
to salute him : Hail, king of
the Jews. And they struck
his head with a reed, and they
did spit on him ; and bowing
their knees, they adored him.
And after they had mocked
him, they took off the purple
from him, and put his own
garments on him, and they
led him out to crucify him.
And they forced one Simon,
a Cyrenean, who passed by,
coming out of the country, the
father of Alexander and of
Eufus, to take up his cross.
And they bring him into the
place called Golgotha, which
being interpreted is, The place
of Calvary. And they gave
him to drink wine mingled
with myrrh ; but he took it
not. And crucifying him, they
divided his garments casting
lots for them, what every man
should take. And it was the
third hour, and they cru-
cified him. And the inscrip-
tion of his cause was written
over, The King of the Jews.
And with him they crucified
two thieves, the one on his
right hand and the other on
his left. And the scripture
was fulfilled which saith :
"And with the wicked he
" was reputed."
And they that passed by
blasphemed him, wagging
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
269
their heads, and saying : Vah,
thou that destroyest the
Temple of God, and in three
days buildest it up again, save
thyself, coming down from
the cross. In like manner al-
so the chief priests with the
scribes mocking, said one to
another : He saved others,
himself he cannot save. Lot
Christ the King of Israel
come down from the cross,
that we may see and believe.
And they that were crucified
with him reviled him.
And when the sixth hour
was come, there was darkness
over the whole earth until the
ninth hour ; and at the ninth
hour Jesus cried out with a
loud voice, saying : Eloi, Eloi,
lamma Sabacthani ? which is,
being interpreted : My God,
my God, why hast thou for-
saken me ? And some of the
standers-by hearing, said :
Behold, he calleth Elias. And
one running and filling a
sponge with vinegar, and
putting it upon a reed, gave
him to drink, saying : Stay,
let us see if Elias will come
to take him down. And
Jesus having cried out with a
loud voice, gave up the ghost.
pita sua, et dicentes : Yah,
qui destruis Templum Dei
et in tribus diebus reaedi-
ficas : salvum fac temetip-
sum, descendens de cruce.
Similiter et summi sacer-
dotes illudentes, ad alteru-
truin cum scribis dicebant :
Alios salvos fecit, seipsum
non potest salvum facere.
Christus Eex Israel de-
scendat nunc de cruce, ut
videamus, et credamus. Et
qui cum eo crucifixi erant,
conviciabantur ei.
Et facta hora sexta, te-
nebrae factse sunt per to-
tam terram, usque in ho-
ram nonam. Et hora nona
exclamavit Jesus voce mag-
na, dicens : Eloi, Eloi,
lamma sabacthani ? Quod
est interpretatum : Deus
meus, Deus meus, ut quid
dereliquisti me ? Et quidam
de circumstantibus audien-
tes dicebant : Ecce, Eliam
vocat. Currens autem unus,
et implens spongiam aceto,
circumponensque calamo,
potum dabat ei, dicens :
Sinite videamus si veniat
Elias ad deponendum eum.
Jesus autem emissa voce
magna, exspiravit.
Here a pause is made, as on Palm Sunday. All
kneel down, and if such be the custom of the place,
prostrate and kiss the ground.
And the veil of the temple
was rent in two from the top
to the bottom ; and the cen-
turion who stood over against
him, seeing that crying out in
Et velum templi scissum
est in duo, a summo usque
deorsum. Videns autem
centurio, qui ex adverso
stabat, quia sic clamans
270
HOLY WEEK.
expirasset, ait : Vere hie
homo Filius Dei erat. Erant
autem et mulieres de longe
aspicientes : inter quas erat
Maria Magdalene, et Maria
Jacobi minoris, et Joseph
mater, et Salome : et cum
esset in Galiloea, sequeban-
tur eum, et ministrabant
ei : et alise multae, quae si-
mul cum eo ascenderant
Jerosolymam.
this manner he gave up the
ghost, .said : Indeed this man
was the Son of God. And
there were also women looking
on afar off, among whom was
Maiy Magdalene, and Mary
the mother of James the Less,
and of Josoph, and Salome ;
who also when he was in
Galilee followed him, and
ministered to him, and many
other women came up
with him to Jerusalem.
Here, the Deacon presents the Incense to the
Priest, that it may be blessed ; and, after having him-
self received a blessing, he terminates the Passion,
observing the ceremonies which are used at the
singing of the Grospel in a High Mass.
Et quum jam sero esset fac-
tum (quia erat Parasceve,
quod est ante Sabbatum) ve-
nit Joseph ab Arimathsea,
nobilis decurio, qui et ipse
erat exspectans regnum
Dei. Et audacter introivit
ad Pilatum, et petiit corpus
Jesu. Pilatus autem miraba-
tur si jam obiisset. Et ac-
cersito centurione, interro-
gavit eum, si jam mortuus
esset. Et cum cognovisset
a centurione, donavit cor-
pus Joseph. Joseph autem
mercatus sindonem, et de-
ponens eum, involvit sin-
done : et posuit eum in mo-
numento, quod erat exci-
sum de petra, et advolvit
lapidem ad ostium monu-
menti.
And when the evening was
now come, (because it was
the Parasceve, that is, the day
before the Sabbath, ) Joseph of
Arimathea, a noble counsellor,
who was also himself looking
for the kingdom of God, came
and went in boldly to Pilate,
and begged the body of Jesus.
But Pilate wondered that he
should be already dead ; and
sending for the centurion, he
asked him if he were already
dead. And when he had
understood it by the centu-
rion, he gave the body to
Joseph. And Joseph buying
fine linen, and taking him
clown, wrapped him up in the
fine linen, and laid him in a
sepulchre which was hewn out
of a rock, and he rolled a
stone to the door of the
sepulchre.
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 271
At the Offertory, the Messias asks his Eternal
Father to defend him from the enemies that are
preparing his destruction.
OFFERTORY.
Keep me, 0 Lord, from the Custodi me, Domine, de
hands of the sinful man ; and manu peccatoris : et ab ho-
from unjust men deliver me. minibus iniquis eripe me.
In the Secret, the Church offers to the Majesty of
Grod the tribute of our fasts, in union with the Holy
Host on our Altar, and from which they derive all
their merit and efficacy.
SECRET.
May these sacrifices, 0 Lord, Sacrificia nos, qusesumus,
we beseech thee, which are Domine, propensius ista res-
accompanied with healing taurent : quae medicinali-
fasts, mercifully repair us. bus sunt instituta jejuniis.
Through, &c. Per Dominum.
For the other Secrets, see page 252.
The words of the Psalmist, used by the Church in
her Communion-Anthem, show us the blasphemous
daring of our Saviour's enemies, as also the disposi-
tions in which this dear Jesus himself was during
his sacred Passion.
COMMUNION.
The judgesinthe gate spoke Adversum me exerceban-
against me, and they that tur, qui sedebant in porta :
drank wine made songs against et in me psallebant, qui bi-
me. But I poured forth my bebant vinum : ego vero
prayer to thee, 0 Lord : it is orationem meam ad te, Do-
272
HOLY WEEK.
mine : tempus beneplaciti time, 0 God, to shew thy good
Deus, in mnltitudine mi- will to me, according to the
sericordise tuae. multitude of thy mercies.
In the Postcommunion, the Church prays, that,
by the merits of the Sacrifice she has just offered,
we may obtain the perfect cure of our spiritual in-
firmities ; for the Blood of the Lamb takes away the
sins of the world.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Sanctincationibus tuis, om- May these thy holy mys-
nipotens Deus, et vitia nostra teries, O Almighty God, both
curentur : et remedia nobis cure our vices and become
sempiterna proveniant. Per an eternal remedy to us.
Dominum. Through, &c
See the other Postcommunions in page 253.
OREMUS.
Humiliate capita vestra
Deo.
Tua nos misericordia,
Deus, et ab omni subrep-
tione vetustatis expurget,
et capaces sanctse novitatis
efficiat. Per Dominum.
LET US PRAY.
Bow down your heads to
God.
May thy mercy, 0 God,
purify us from the corruption
of the old man, and enable us
to put on the new. Through,
&c.
We may close this day, by saying these few verses,
taken from a Hymn of the Greek Church on the
Passion of oar Lord.
TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
273
HYMN.
(In Parasceve.)
The life-giving Wound of
thy Side, 0 Jesus ! like the
fountain that sprang from
Eden, waters the spiritual gar-
den of thy Church. Thence,
dividing itself into the four
Gospels, as into so many mas-
ter-streams, it freshens the
world, gladdens creation, and
teaches all nations to bow
down in faith, and venerate
thy Kingdom.
Thou wast crucified for me,
that thou mightest be to me
as a fountain pouring out
forgiveness upon me. Thou
wast wounded in thy Side,
that thou mightest open to me
the sources of life. Thou wast
nailed to the Cross, that I,
confessing the greatness of
thy power in the depth of thy
Passion, might sing to thee,
0 Christ, thou Giver of life :
Glory be to thy Cross and
Passion, 0 Saviour !
Thou, 0 Christ, didst, on thy
Cross, tear the hand- writing
that was against us . Thou wast
numbered among the dead,
and there didst bind down the
tyrant, and, by thy Resurrec-
tion, didst set us all free from
the chains of death. It is thy
Resurrection that has given
us light, O God, thou lover of
mankind ! To thee do we
sing : Remember us, also, O
Saviour, in thy Kingdom !
To thee, most merciful Lord,
we bring thy Mother, that she
Yitale latus tuum, tan-
quam fons ex Eden sca-
turiens, Ecclesiam tuam,
Christe, tanquam rationa-
lem hortum adaquat : inde
tanquam in quaedam initia
se dividens in quatuor
Evangelia : mundum irri-
gans, creaturam lsetificans,
gentesque fideliter docens
venerari regnum tuum.
Crucifixus es propter
me ; ut velut ex fonte mi-
ni effunderes remissionem.
Punctus es in latere, ut
mihi vitae scaturigines ape-
rires; clavis confixus es, ut
ego in passionum tuarum
profundo altitudinem tuae
potentiae confessus, clamem
ad te, vitae largitor Christe :
Gloria Cruci tuae Salvator,
ac Passioni tuae.
Chirographum nostrum
in cruce dirupisti, Christe :
et inter mortuos reputatus,
tyrannum illic ligasti, libe-
ratis omnibus ex vinculis
mortis resurrectione tua.
Per quam illuminati sumus,
o amans hominum Domine !
tibique clamamus : Memen-
to et nostri Salvator in Reg-
no tuo.
Tuam, Christe, Matrem,
quae te in carne sine virili
274
HOLY WEEK.
semine peperit, et vere vir-
go etiam post partum in-
corrupta permansit ; hanc
tibi adducimus ad interces-
sionem, Domine multum
misericors : lit offensarum
condonationem jugiter lar-
giaris iis qui clamant : Me-
mento et nostri Domine in
Regno tuo.
may intercede for us, — she
that conceived thee and was a
Virgin, she that gave thee
birth, and was a spotless Vir-
gin. May her prayers obtain
from thee the unceasing par-
don of sin to all that cry out
to thee : Eemember us, also,
O Lord, in thy kingdom !
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK 275
WEDNESDAY
IN HOLY WEEK.
The Chief Priests and the Ancients of the people
are met to-day, in one of the rooms adjoining the
Temple, for the purpose of deliberating on the best
means of putting Jesus to death. Several plans are
discussed. Would it be prudent to lay hands upon
him at this season of the Feast of the Pasch, when
the City is filled with strangers, who have received a
favourable impression of Jesus from the solemn
ovation given to him three days back ? Then, too,
are there not a great number of the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, who took part in that triumph, and whose
enthusiastic admiration of Jesus might excite them
to rise up in his defence ? These considerations per-
suade them not to have recourse to any violent
measure, at least for the present, as a sedition among
the people might be the consequence, and its pro-
moters, even were they to escape being ill-treated by
the people, would be brought before the tribunal of
the Boman Governor, Pontius Pilate. They, there-
fore, come to the resolution of letting the Feast pass
quietly over, before apprehending Jesus.
But these blood-thirsty men are making all these
calculations as though they were the masters. They
are, if they will, shrewd assassins, who put off their
murder to a more convenient day : but the Divine
decrees, — which, from all eternity, have prepared a
Sacrifice for the world's salvation, — have fixed this
276 HOLY WEEK.
very year's Pasch as the day of the Sacrifioe, and,
to-morrow evening, the holy City will re-echo with the
trumpets, which proclaim the opening of the Feast.
The figurative Lamb is now to make way for the
true one ; the Pasch of this year will substitute the
reality for the type ; and Jesus' Blood, shed by the
hands of wicked priests, is soon to flow simulta-
neously with that of victims, which have only been
hitherto acceptable to God, because they prefigured
the Sacrifice of Calvary. The Jewish priesthood is
about to be its own executioner, by immolating Him,
whose Blood is to abrogate the Ancient Alliance,
and perpetuate the New one.
But how are Jesus' enemies to get possession of
their divine Victim, so as to avoid a disturbance in
the city ? There is only one plan that could succeed,
and they have not thought of it : it is treachery.
Just at the close of their deliberations, they are told
that one of Jesus' Disciples seeks admission. They
admit him, and he says to them : Wlxat will you give
me, and I will deliver him unto you P They are
delighted at this proposition : and yet, how is it,
that they, doctors of the law, forget that this infa-
mous bargain between themselves and Judas has all
been foretold by David, in the 108th Psalm ? They
know the Scriptures from beginning to end ; — how
comes it, that they forget the words of the Prophet,
who even mentions the sum of thirty pieces of silver.2
Judas asks them what they will give him ; and they
give him thirty pieces of silver ! All is arranged :
to-morrow, Jesus will be in Jerusalem, eating the
Pasch with his Disciples. In the evening, he will go,
as usual, to the Garden on Mount Olivet. But how
shall they, who are sent to seize him, be able to dis-
tinguish him from his disciples ? Judas will lead
the way ; he will show them which is Jesus, by
going up to him and kissing him !
» gt, Matth. xxyi, 15, 2'/<&w, xxvii. 9, Zach. xi. 12,
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK. 277
Such is the impious scheme devised on this day,
within the precincts of the Temple of Jerusalem.
To testify her detestation at it, and to make atone-
ment to the Son of Grod for the outrage thus offered
him., the Holy Church, from the earliest ages, conse-
crated the Wednesday of every week to penance. In
our own times, the Fast of Lent begins on a Wednes-
day ; and when the Church ordained that we should
commence each of the four Seasons of the year with
Fasting, Wednesday was chosen to be one of the
three days thus consecrated to bodily mortification.
On this day, in the Roman Church, was held the
sixth Scrutiny, for the admission of Catechumens to
Baptism. Those, upon whom there had been pre-
vious doubts, were now added to the number of the
chosen ones, if they were found worthy. There were
two Lessons read in the Mass, as on the day of the
great Scrutiny, the Wednesday of the fourth Week
of Lent. As usual, the Catechumens left the Church,
after the Gospel ; but, as soon as the Holy Sacrifice
was over, they were brought back by the Door-
Keeper, and one of the Priests addressed them in
these words : " On Saturday next, the Eve of Easter,
" at such an hour, you will assemble in the Lateran
" Basilica, for the seventh Scrutiny ; you will then
" recite the Symbol, which you must have learned ;
" and lastly, you will receive, by Grod's help, the
" sacred laver of regeneration. Prepare yourselves,
"zealously and humbly, by persevering fasts and
" prayers, in order that, having been buried, by this
" holy Baptism, together with Jesus Christ, you may
" rise again with him, unto life everlasting. Amen."
At Rome, the Station for to-day is in the Basilica
of Saint Mary Major. Let us compassionate with
our Holy Mother, whose Heart is filled with poignant
grief at the foresight of the Sacrifice, which is pre-
paring.
278
HOLY WEEK.
MASS.
The Church commences her chants with one to
the glory of the Holy Name of Jesus, outraged as it
is, on this day, by them that plot his death. This
Name, which was given him by heaven, and signifies
that he is our Saviour, is now being blasphemed by
his enemies : in a few hours, their crime will bring
its full meaning before us, for his Death will have
worked the Salvation of the world.
INTROIT.
In nomine Jesu omne
genu nectatur, coelestium,
terrestrium, et inferno-
rum : quia Dominus f actus
est , obediens usque ad mor-
tem, mortem autem crucis :
ideo Dominus Jesus Chris-
tus in gloria est Dei Patris.
Ps. Domine, exaudi ora-
tionem meam : et clamor
meus ad te veniat.
In nomine.
At the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of those
that are in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth ; because
the Lord became obedient
unto death, even the death of
the cross : therefore the Lord
Jesus Christ is in the glory of
God the Father.
Ps. O Lord, hear my
prayer, and let my cry come
unto thee.
At the name, &c.
In the first Collect, the Church acknowledges to
Grod, that her children have sinned against him : but
she reminds him of the Passion, endured for their
sakes, by his Only Begotten Son ; and this revives
her hope.
0REMU8.
y. Flectamus genua.
gt. Levate.
Praosta, quaesumus, omni-
potens Deus : ut qui nostris
excessibus incessanter affli-
gimur, per unigeniti Filii
LET US PRAY.
y. Let us kneel down.
j£. Stand up again.
Grant, we beseech thee, O
Almighty God, that we, who
continually are punished for
our excesses, may be de-
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
279
livered by the Passion of thy
Only Begotten Son. Who
liveth, &c.
tui Passionem
Qui tecum.
liberemur.
Lesson from Isaias the Lectio Isaise Prophetae.
Prophet.
Ch. LXIL and LXIII. Cap. LXII. et LXIIL
Thus saith the Lord God :
Tell the daughter of Sion :
Behold thy Saviour cometh :
behold his reward is with him.
Who is this that cometh from
Edom, with dyed garments
from Bosra, this beautiful one
in his robe, walking in the
greatness of his strength ? I,
that speak justice, and am a
defender to save. Why then
is thy apparel red, and thy
garments like them that tread
in the wine-press ? I have
trodden the wine -press alone,
and of the Gentiles there is
not a man with me ; I have
trampled on them in my in-
dignation, and have trodden
them down in my wrath, and
their blood is sprinkled upon
my garments, and I have
stained all my apparel. For
the day of vengeance is in my
heart, the year of my redemp-
tion is come. I looked about,
and there was none to help ;
I sought, and there was none
to give aid ; and my own arm
hath saved me, and my indig-
nation itself hath helped me.
And I have trodden down the
people in my wrath, and made
them drunk in my indigna-
tion and have brought down
their strength to the earth. I
will remember the tender
mercies of the Lord, the praise
Hsec dicit Dominus Deus :
Dicite filiae Sion : Ecce
Salvator tuus venit, ecce
merces ejus cum eo. Quis
est iste, qui venit de
Edom, tinctis vestibus de
Bosra ? Iste formosus in
stola sua, gradiens in mul-
titudine fortitudinis suae.
Ego, qui loquor justitiam :
et propugnator sum ad sal-
vandum. Quare ergo ru-
brum est indumentum tuum,
et vestimenta tua sicut
calcantium in torculari ?
Torcular calcavi solus : et
de gentibus non est vir
mecum. Calcavi eos in
furore meo : et conculcavi
eos in ira mea. Et asper-
sus est sanguis eorum su-
per vestimenta mea, et
omnia indumenta mea in-
quinavi. Dies enim ultionis
in corde meo : annus re-
demptionis mese venit. Cir-
cumspexi, et non erat auxi-
liator : et quaesivi, et non
fuit qui adjuvaret. Et
salvavit mihi brachium
meum : et indignatio mea
ipsa auxiliata est mihi. Et
conculcavi populos in furore
meo : et inebriavi eos in
indignatione mea, et de-
traxi in terram virtutem
eorum. Miserationem Do-
mini recordabor, laudem
280 HOLY WEEK.
Domini super omnibus, of the Lord, for all the things
quae reddidit nobis Dominus that the Lord hath bestowed
Deus noster. on us.
How terrible is this our Defender, who tramples
his enemies beneath his feet, as they that tread in
the ivine-press ; so that their blood is sprinkled upon his
garments ! But is not this the fittest time for us to
proclaim his power, now that he is being treated
with ignominy, and sold to his enemies by one of
his Disciples ? These humiliations will soon pass
away ; he will rise in glory, and his might will be
shown by the chastisements, wherewith he will crush
them that now persecute him. Jerusalem will stone
them that shall preach in his name ; she will be
a cruel step-mother to those true Israelites, who,
docile to the teaching of the Prophets, have recog-
nised Jesus as the promised Messias. The Synagogue
will seek to stifle the Church in her infancy ; but
no sooner shall the Church, shaking the dust from
her feet, turn from Jerusalem to the Grentiles, than
the vengeance of Christ will fall on the City, which
bought, betrayed, and crucified him. Her citizens
will have to pay dearly for these crimes. We learn
from the Jewish historian, Josephus, (who was an
eye-witness to the siege,) that the fire which was
raging in one of the streets, was quenched by the
torrents of their blood. Thus were fulfilled the
threats pronounced by our Lord against this faith-
less City, as he sat on Mount Olivet, the day after
his triumphant Entry.
And yet, the destruction of Jerusalem was but
a faint image of the terrible destruction which is to
befal the world at the last day. Jesus, who is now
despised and insulted by sinners, will then appear
on the clouds of heaven, and reparation will be made
for all these outrages. Now he suffers himself to
be betrayed, scoffed at, and spit upon ; but when the
WEDNESDAY TN HOLY WEEK. 281
day of vengeance is come, happy they that have served
him, and have compassionated with him in his
humiliations and sufferings ! Wo to them, that
have treated him with contempt ! Wo to them, who
not content with their own refusing to bear his
yoke, have led others to rebel against him ! For he
is King; he came into this world that he might
reign over it ; and they that despise his Mercy,
shall not escape his Justice.
The Gradual, which immediately follows upon this
sublime passage from Isaias, is a prayer addressed
by Jesus to his Eternal Father : the words are taken
from one of the Psalms.
GRADUAL.
Turn not away thy face Ne avertas faciem tuam
from thy servant, for I am in a puero tuo, quoniam tribu-
trouble : hear ine speedily. lor : velociter exaudi me.
y. Save me, O God, for the <f. Salvum me fac, Deus,
waters are come in even unto quoniam intraverunt aquae
my soul ; I stick fast in the usque ad animam meam :
mire of the deep, and there is infixus sum in limo pro-
no sure standing. fundi, et non est substantia.
In the second Collect, the Church again reminds
our Heavenly Father of the Death, which his Divine
Son deigned to suffer, in order to set us free from
the yoke of Satan ; she prays that we may have
a share in the glorious Resurrection of this our
Redeemer.
COLLECT.
O God, who wouldst have Deus, qui pro nobis Fi-
thy Son suffer on the Cross, Hum tuum Crucis patibu-
to deliver us from the power lum subire voluisti, ut
of the enemy ; grant that we inimici a nobis expelleres
thy servants, may obtain the potestatem : concede nobis
grace of his resurrection, famulis tuis, ut resurrec-
Through the same, &c. tionis gratiam consequamur.
Per eumdem.
For the other Collects, see page 244.
282
HOLY WEEK.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Isaiae Prophetae.
Cap. LIII.
In diebus illis : Dixit
Isaias : Domine, quis credidit
auditui nostro ; et brachium
Domini cui revelatum est ?
Et ascendet sicut virgultum
coram eo : et sicut radix de
terra sitienti. Non est spe-
cies ei, neque decor. Et
vidimus eum : et non erat
aspectus, et desideravimus
eum : despectum, et novis-
simum virorum, virum do-
lorum, et scientem infiruii-
tatem. Et quasi abscon-
ditus vultus ejus, et despec-
tus : unde nee reputavimus
eum: Vere languores nos-
tras ipse tulit : et dolores
nostros ipse portavit. Et
nos putavimus eum quasi
leprosum, et percussum a
Deo, et humiliatum. Ipse
autem vulneratus est prop-
ter iniquitates nostras : at-
tritus est propter scelera
nostra : disciplina pacis
nostrse super eum : et
livore ejus sanati sumus.
Omnes nos quasi oves erra-
vimus : unusquisque in viam
suam declinavit : et posuit
Dominus in eo iniquitatem
omnium nostrum. Oblatus
est, quia ipse voluit : et non
aperuit os suum. Sicut ovis
ad occisionem ducetur ; et
quasi agnus coram tondente
se, obmutescet : et non
aperiet os suum. De angus-
Lesson from Isaias the
Prophet.
Ch. LIII.
In those days : Isaias said :
Who hath believed our report ?
and to whom is the arm of the
Lord revealed ? And he shall
grow up as a tender plant be-
fore him, and as a root out of
a thirsty ground. There is no
beauty in him, nor comeli-
ness. And we have seen him,
and there was no sightliness
that we should be desirous of
him ; despised, and the most
abject of men, a man of sor-
rows, and acquainted with in-
firmity. And his look was as
it were hidden and despised ;
whereupon we esteemed him
not. Surely he hath borne
our infirmities, and carried
our sorrows. And we have
thought him as it were a leper,
and as one struck by God and
afflicted. But he was wound-
ed for our iniquities, he was
bruised for our sins ; the
chastisement of our peace was
upon him, and by his bruises
we are healed. All we like
sheep have gone astray, every
one hath turned aside into
his own way : and the Lord
hath laid upon him the iniqui-
ty of us all. He was offered
because it was his own will,
and he opened not his mouth.
He shall be led as a sheep to
the slaughter, and shall be
dumb as a lamb before his
shearer ; and he shall not open
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
283
his mouth. He was taken
away from distress, and from
judgment. Who shall declare
his generation ? because he is
cut off out of the land of the
living. For the wickedness
of my people have I struck
him. And he shall give the
ungodly for his burial, and
the rich for his death ; because
he hath done no iniquity, nei-
ther was there deceit in his
mouth. And the Lord was
pleased to bruise him in infir-
mity. If he shall lay down
his life for sin, he shall see
a longlived seed, and the will
of the Lord shall be prospe-
rous in his hand. Because his
soul hath ]aboured, he shall
see and be filled : by his know-
ledge shall this my j ust servant
justify many, and he shall bear
their iniquities. Therefore
will I distribute to him very
many, and he shall divide the
spoils of the strong, because
he hath delivered his soul unto
death, and was reputed with
the wicked ; and he hath borne
the sins of many, and hath
prayed for the transgressors.
tia, et de judicio sublatus
est. Grenerationern ejus quis
enarrabit ? Quia abscissus
est de terra viventium.
Propter scelus populi mei
percussi eum. Et dabit im-
pios pro sepultura, et divi-
tem pro morte sua : eo quod
iniquitatem non fecerit, ne-
que dolus inventus fuerit
in ore ejus. Et Dominus
voluit conterere eum in
infirmitate. Si posuerit pro
peccato animam suam, vide-
bit semen longaevum : et vo-
luntas Domini in manu
ejus dirigetur. Pro eo
quod laboravit anima ejus,
videbit et saturabitur. In
scientia sua justificabit ipse
Justus servus meus multos :
et iniquitates eorum ipse
portabit. Ideo dispertiam
ei plurimos, et fortium divi-
det spolia : pro eo quod
tradidit in mortem animam
suam, et cum sceleratis re-
putatus est. Et ipse pecca-
ta multorum tulit : et pro
transgressoribus rogavit.
Again it is Isaias that instructs us, not indeed upon
the triumph which our Emmanuel is to win over
his enemies, but upon the sufferings of the Man of
Sorrows. So explicit is his description of our Lord's
Passion, that the holy Fathers have called him the
fifth Evangelist. What could be more sublimely
plaintive than the language here used by the son of
Amos ? And we, after hearing both the Old and
New Testament upon the sufferings which Jesus
went through for our sins, — how shall we sufficiently
love this dear Redeemer, who bore our infirmities
284 HOLY WEEK.
and carried our Sorrows, so as to look as a leper,
and as one struck by God and afflicted ?
We are healed by his bruises ! 0 heavenly Phy-
sician, that takes upon himself the sufferings of them
he comes to cure ! But not only was he bruised for
our sins ; he was also slaughtered as a lamb : and this
not merely as a Victim submitting to the inflexible
justice of his Father who hath laid upon him the
iniquity of us all, but, (as the Prophet here assures
us,) because it was his own will. His love for us, as
well as his submission to his Father, led him to the
great Sacrifice. Observe, too, how he refuses to de-
fend himself before Pilate, who could so easily deliver
him from his enemies : He shall be dumb as a
lamb before his shearers, and he shall not open
his mouth. Let us love and adore this divine Silence,
which works our Salvation. Let us not pass over an
iota of the devotedness which Jesus shows us, —
a devotedness which never could have existed,
save in the Heart of a God. Oh ! how much
he has loved us, — his children, the purchase of his
Blood, his Seed, as the Prophet here calls us. 0 Holy
Church ! thou long-lived Seed of Jesus, that laid
down his life ! — thou art dear to him, for he bought
thee at a great price. Faithful souls ! give him
love for love. Sinners ! be converted to this your
Saviour; his Blood will restore you to life, for if we have
all gone astray like sheep, remember what is added :
The Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all.
There is no sinner however great may be his crimes ;
there is no heretic, or infidel, who has not his share
in this precious Blood, whose infinite merit is such,
that it could redeem a million worlds, more guilty
even than our own.
The Tract, which follows this Lesson, is taken from
the 101st Psalm, in which the Poyal Prophet
expresses the sufferings of body and mind endured
by Jesus in his human Nature.
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
28fi
TRACT.
Hear, 0 Lord, my prayer,
and let my cry come unto
thee.
f. Turn not away thy face
from me, in the day when I
am in trouble, incline thine
ear to me.
~ft. In what day soever I
shall call upon thee, hear me
speedily.
ft. For my days are van-
ished like smoke : and my
bones are as if they were fried
in a frying-pan.
~ft. I am smitten as grass,
and my heart is withered, be-
cause I forgot to eat my bread.
^. Thou, O Lord, arising,
wilt have mercy on Sion, for
the time to have mercy on her
is come.
Domino, exaudi orationem
meani, et clamor meus ad
te veniat.
f. Ne avortas facie m.
tuam a me, in quacumque
die tribulor, inclina ad me
aurem tuam.
f. In quacumque die in-
vocavero, velociter exaudi
me.
y. Quia defecerunt sicut
fumus dies mei : et ossa
mea sicut in frixorio con-
frixa sunt.
^. Percussus sum sicut
foenum, et aruit cor meum,
quia oblitus sum mandu-
care panem meum.
y. Tu exsurgens, Domine,
misereberis Sion, quia ve-
nit tempus miser endi ejus.
The Church then gives us the history of the Pas-
sion according to St. Luke. This Evangelist men-
tions several details not given by Saints Matthew
and Mark, which will assist us to a fuller under-
standing of the divine mystery of the Sufferings and
Sacrifice of the Man-Grod.
THE PASSION AND GOSPEL.
The Passion of our Lord
Jesus Christ according to
Luke.
Ch. XXII. and XXIII.
At that time : The feast of
Unleavened Bread, which is
called the Pasch, was at hand.
And the chief priests and the
scribes sought how they might
Passio Domini nostri Jesu
Christi secundum Lucam.
Carp. XXII. et XXIII.
In illo tempore : Appro-
pinquabat dies festus Azy-
morum, qui dicitur Pas-
cha : et quserebant princi-
pes sacerdotum et scribse,
286
HOLY WEEK.
quomodo Jesum interfice-
rent : timebant vero ple-
bem. Intravit autem Sata-
nas in Judam, qui cognomi-
nabatur Iscariotes, unum
de duodecim ; et abiit et
locutus est cum principi-
bus sacerdotum et magis-
tratibus, quemadmodum
ilium traderet eis. Et gavisi
sunt : et pacti sunt pecu-
niam illi dare. Et spopondit.
Et quserebat opportunita-
tem ut traderet ilium sine
turbis.
Venit autem dies azymo-
rum, in qua necesse erat
occidi Pascha. Et misit Pe-
trum et Johannem, dicens :
Euntes parate nobis Pas-
cha, ut manducemus. At
illi dixerunt : Ubi vis pare-
mus ? Et dixit ad eos : Ecce
introeuntibus vobis in civi-
tatem, occurret vobis homo
quidam amphoram aquae
portans; sequimini eum in
domum, in quam intrat, et
dicetis patrif amilias domus :
Dicit tibi Magister : Ubi est
diver sorium, ubi Pascha
cum discipulis meis man-
ducem ? Et ipse ostendet
vobis ccenaculum magnum
stratum, et ibi parate.
Euntes autem invene-
runt sicut dixit illis : et pa-
raverunt Pascha. Et cum
facta esset hora, discubuit,
et duodecim Apostoli cum
eo : et ait illis : Desiderio
desideravi hoc Pascha inan-
ducare vobiscum, ante-
quam patiar. Dico enim
vobis : quia ex hoc non
put Jesus to death ; but they
feared the people. And Satan
entered into Judas, who was
surnamed Iscariot, one of the
twelve ; and he went, and dis-
coursed with the chief priests
and the magistrates, how he
might betray him to them.
And they were glad, and cove-
nanted to give him money.
And he promised; and he
sought opportunity to betray
him in the absence of the
multitude.
And the day of the un-
leavened bread came, on which
it was necessary that the
Pasch should be lolled. And
he sent Peter and John, say-
ing : Go and prepare us the
Pasch, that we may eat. But
they said : Where wilt thou
that we prepare ? And he
said to them : Behold, as you
go into the city, there shall
meet you a man carrying a
pitcher of water ; follow him
into the house where he en-
tereth in, and you shall say to
the good man of the house :
The Master saith to thee :
Where is the guest-chamber,
where I may eat the Pasch
with my disciples ? and he will
shew you a large dining-room
furnished ; and there prepare.
And they going found as
he had said to them, and they
made ready the Pasch ; and
when the hour was come, he
sat down, and the twelve apos-
tles with him. And he said
to them : With desire I have
desired to eat this Pasch with
you before I suffer. For I say
to you, that from this time I
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
287
will not eat it, till it be ful-
filled in the kingdom of God.
And having taken the chalice
he gave thanks and said : Take
and divide it among you. For
I say to you, that I will not
drink of the fruit of the vine,
till the kingdom of God come.
And taking bread, he gave
thanks, and brake, and gave
to them, saying : This is my
Body, which is given to you :
do this for a commemoration
of me. In like manner the
chalice also, after he had
supped, saying : This is the
chalice, the new testament
of my Blood, which shall be
shed for you. But yet be-
hold, the hand of him that be-
trayeth me is with me on the
table. And the Son of Man
indeed goeth according to that
which is determined ; but yet
wo to that man by whom he
shall be betrayed. And they
began to enquire among them-
selves which of them it was
that should do this thing.
And there was also a strife
amongst them, which of them
should seem to be greater.
And he said to them : The
kings of the Gentiles lord it
over them; and they that have
power over them, are called
beneficent. But you not so ;
but he that is the greater
among you, let him be as the
younger ; and he that is the
leader, as he that serveth.
For which is greater, he that
sitteth at table, or he that
serveth ? Is not he that sit-
teth at table ? But I am in the
midst of you, as he that serv-
eth; and you are they who
manducabo illud, donee
impleatur in regno Dei. Et
accepto calice, gratias egit,
et dixit : Accipite, et di-
vidite inter vos. Dico enim
vobis : quod non bibam de
generatione vitis, donee reg-
num Dei veniat. Et accep-
to pane, gratias egit, et
fregit, et dedit eis, dicens :
Hoc est corpus meum, quod
pro vobis datur. Hoc facite
in meam commemoratio-
nem. Similiter et calicem,
postquam ccenavit, dicens :
Hie est calix novum testa-
mentum in sanguine meo,
qui pro vobis fundetur.
Verumtamen ecce manus
tradentis me, mecum est
in mensa. Et quidem Fi-
lius hominis, secundum
quod definitum est, vadit :
verumtamen vse homini illi,
per quern tradetur. Et ipsi
cceperunt quaerere inter se,
quis esset ex eis, qui hoc
facturus esset.
Facta est autem et con-
tentio inter eos, quis eorum
videretur esse major. Dixit
autem eis : Eeges gentium
dominantur eorum : et qui
potestatem habent super
eos, benefici vocantur. Vos
autem non sic : sed qui
major est in vobis fiat sicut
minor ; et qui processor est,
sicut ministrator. Nam quis
major est, qui recumbit, an
qui ministrat ? Nonne qui
recumbit ? Ego autem in
medio vestrum sum, sicut
qui ministrat : vos autem
estis, qui permansistis me-
cum in tentationibus meis.
288
HOLY WEEK.
Et ego dispono vobis, sicut
disposuit mihi Pater meus
regnum : ut edatis et biba-
tis super mensam meam in
regno meo, et sedeatis super
thronos, judicantes duode-
cim tribus Israel. Ait autem
Dominus : Simon, Simon,
ecce Satanas expetivit vos,
ut cribraret sicut triticum.
Ego autem rogavi pro te, ut
non deficiat fides tua : et tu
aliquando conversus, confir-
ma fratres tuos. Qui dixit
ei : Domine, tecum paratus
sum, et in carcerem et in
mortem ire. At ille dixit :
Dico tibi Petre, non canta-
bit hodie gallus, donee ter
abneges nosse me. Et dixit
eis : Quando misi vos sine
sacculo et pera et calcea-
mentis, numquid aliquid
defuit vobis ? At illi dixe-
runt : Nihil. Dixit ergo eis :
Sed nunc, qui habet, saccu-
lum tollat similiter et pe-
ram . Et qui non habet, ven-
dat tunicam suam et emat
gladium. Dico enim vobis,
quoniam adhuc hoc, quod
scriptum est, oportet im-
pleri in me : Et cum iniquis
deputatus est. Etenim ea
quae sunt de me, finem ha-
bent. At illi dixerunt : Do-
mine, ecce duo gladii hie.
At ille dixit eis : Satis est.
Et egressus ibat secun-
dum consuetudinem in mon-
tem Olivarum : secuti sunt
autem ilium et discipuli. Et
cum pervenisset ad locum,
dixit illis : Orate, ne intretis
have continued with me in my
temptations. And I dispose
to you, as my Father hath dis-
posed to me, a kingdom :
that you may eat and drink
at my table in my kingdom ;
and may sit upon thrones
judging the twelve tribes of
Israel. And the Lord said :
Simon, Simon, behold Satan
hath desired to have you, that
he may sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for thee
that thy faith fail not : and
thou, being once converted,
confirm thy brethren. Who
said to him : Lord, I am ready
to go with thee, both into
prison, and to death. And he
said : I say to thee, Peter, the
cock shall not crow this day,
till thou thrice deniest that
thou knowest me. And he
said to them : When I sent
you without purse, and scrip,
and shoes, did you want any
thing ? But they said : No-
thing. Then said he to them :
But now he that hath a purse,
let him take it, and likewise
a scrip : and he that hath no
sword, let him sell his coat,
and buy one. For I say to
you, that this that is written
must yet be fulfilled in me,
' 'And he was reckoned among
' ' the wicked : ' ' for the things
concerning me have an end.
But they said : Lord, here are
two swords. And he said to
them : It is enough.
And going out, he went ac-
cording to his custom to the
mount of Olives. And his
disciples also followed him.
And when he was come to the
place, he said to them : Pray,
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
289
lest you enter into temptation.
And he was withdrawn away
from them a stone's cast ; and
kneeling down he prayed, say-
ing : Father, if thou wilt, re-
move this chalice from me ;
but yet not my will, but thine
be done. And there appeared
to him an Angel from heaven,
strengthening him. And being
in an agony, he prayed the
longer. And his sweat became
as drops of blood trickling
down upon the ground. And
when he rose up from prayer,
and was come to his disciples,
he found them sleeping for sor-
row. And he said to them :
Why sleep you ? Arise , pray,
lest you enter into temptation.
As he was yet speaking, be-
hold a multitude ; and he that
was called Judas, one of the
twelve, went before them, and
drew near to Jesus to kiss him.
And Jesus said to him : Judas,
dost thou betray the Son of
Man with a kiss ? And they
that were about him, seeing
what would follow, said to
him : Lord shall we strike
with the sword ? And one of
them struck the servant of the
High Priest, and cut off his
right ear. But Jesus answer-
ing, said : Suffer ye thus far.
And when he had touched his
ear, he healed him. And Jesus
said to the chief priests and
magistrates of the temple, and
the ancients that were come
to him : Are you come out, as
it were against a thief, with
swords and clubs ? When I
was daily with you in the
temple, you did not stretch
forth your hands against me.
in tentationem. Et ipse
avulsus est ab eis, quantum
j actus est lapidis, et positis
genibus orabat, dicens :
Pater, si vis, transfer cali-
cem istum a me : verumta-
men non mea voluntas, sed
tua fiat. Apparuit autem
illi Angelus de coelo, con-
fortans eum. Et f actus in
agonia, prolixius orabat. Et
f actus est sudor ejus sicut
guttse sanguinis decurrentis
in terram. Et cum surrexis-
set ab oratione, et venisset
ad discipulos suos, invenit
eos 'dormientes prae tristitia,
et ait illis : Quid dormitis ?
Surgite, orate, ne intretis in
tentationem.
Adhuc eo loquente, ecce
turba : et qui vocabatur
Judas, unus de duodecim,
antecedebat eos : et appro -
pinquavit Jesus, ut osculare-
tur eum. Jesus autem dixit
illi : Juda, osculo Filium
hominis tradis ? Videntes
autem hi, qui circa ipsum
erant, quod futurum erat,
dixerunt ei : Domine, si
percutimus in gladio ? Et
percussit unus ex illis ser-
vum principis sacerdotum :
et amputavit auriculam ejus
dexteram. Respondens au-
tem Jesus, ait : Sinite usque
hue. Et cum tetigisset au-
riculam ejus, sanavit eum.
Dixit autem Jesus ad eos
qui venerant ad se, principes
sacerdotum et magistratus
Templi, et seniores : Quasi
ad latronem existis cum gla-
diis et fustibus. Cum quoti-
die vobiscum fuerim in Tem-
plo, non extendistis manus
290
HOLY WEEK.
in me. Sed hsec est hora ves-
tra, et potestas tenebrarum.
Comprehendentes autem
eum, duxerunt ad domum
principis sacerdotuni. Pe-
trus vero sequebatur a longe.
Accenso autem igne in medio
atrii, et circumsedentibus
illis, erat Petrus in medio
eorum. Quern cum vidisset
ancilla qusedam sedentem
ad lumen, et eum fuisset
intuita, dixit : Et hie cum
illo erat. At ille negavit
eum, dicens : Mulier, non
novi ilium. Et post pusil-
lum alius videns eum, dixit :
Et tu de illis es. Petrus vero
ait : O homo, non sum. Et
intervallo facto quasi horse
unius, alius quidam affir-
mabat, dicens : Vere et hie
cum illo erat : nam et Gali-
laeus est. Et ait Petrus :
Homo, nescio quid dicis. Et
continuo, adhuc illo loquen-
te, cantavit gallus. Et con-
versus Dominus respexit
Petrum. Et recordatus est
Petrus verbi Domini, sicut
dixerat : Quia priusquam
gallus cantet, ter me negabis.
Et egressus foras Petrus,
flevit amare.
Et \iri qui tenebant
eum, illudebant ei cseden-
tes. Et velaverunt eum : et
percutiebant faciem ejus, et
interrogabant eum, dicen-
tes : Prophetiza, quis est
qui te percussit ? Et alia
multa blasphemantes dice-
bant in eum. Et ut f actus
est dies, convenerunt se-
niores plebis, et principes
But this is your hour and the
power of darkness.
And apprehending him,
they led him to the High
Priest's house : but Peter
followed afar off. And when
they had kindled a fire in the
midst of the hall, and were
sitting about it, Peter was in
the midst of them. Whom
when a certain servant maid
had seen sitting at the light,
and had earnestly beheld him,
she said : This man also was
with him. But he denied,
saying : Woman, I know him
not. And after a little while,
another seeing him, said :
Thou also art one of them.
But Peter said : 0 man, I am
not. And after the space as
it were of one hour, another
certain man affirmed, saying :
Of a truth this man was also
with him : for he is also a
Galilean. And Peter said :
Man, I know not what thou
sayest. And immediately as
he was yet speaking, the
cock crew. And the Lord
turning looked on Peter. And
Peter remembered the word
of the Lord, as he had said :
Before the cock crow, thou
shalt deny me thrice. And
Peter going out wept bitterly.
And the men that held him,
mocked him, and struck him.
And they blindfolded him,
and smote him on the face.
And they asked him, saying :
Prophesy, who is it that struck
thee ? And blaspheming,
many other things they said
against him. And as soon as
it was day, the ancients of the
people, and the chief priests,
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
291
and scribes came together,
and they brought him into
their council, saying : If thou
be the Christ, tell us. And
he said to them : If I shall
tell you, you will not believe
me ; and if I shall also ask
you, you will not answer me,
nor let me go. But hereafter
the Son of man shall be
sitting on the right hand of
the power of God. Then said
they all : Art thou the Son of
God ? And he said : You say
that I am. And they said :
What need we any further
testimony ? For ourselves
have heard it from his own
mouth.
And the whole multitude of
them rose up, and led him
away to Pilate. And they
began to accuse him, saying :
We have found this m an per-
verting our nation, and for-
bidding to give tribute to
Csesar, and saying that he is
Christ the King. And Pilate
asked him, saying : Art thou
the "King of the Jews ? But he
answering, said: Thou say est
it. But Pilate said to the
chief priests and to the
multitude : I find no cause
in this man. But they
were more earnest, saying :
He stirreth up the people,
teaching throughout all Ju-
dea, beginning from Galilee
to this place . But Pilate hear-
ing Galilee, asked if the man
were of Galilee. And when he
understood that he was of
Herod's jurisdiction, he sent
him away to Herod, who him-
self was also at Jerusalem
in those days. And Herod
sacerdotum et scribe© , et dux-
erunt ilium in concilium
suum, dicentes : Si tu es
Christus, die nobis. Et ait
illis : Si vobis dixero, non
credetis mihi : si autem et
interrogavero, non respond-
ebitis mihi, neque dimittetis.
Ex hoc autem erit Filius
hominis sedens a dextris
virtutis Dei. Dixerunt au-
tem omnes : Tu ergo es Fi-
lius Dei ? Qui ait : Vos di-
citis, quia ego sum. At illi
dixerunt : Quid adhuc desi-
deramus testimonium ? Ipsi
enim audivimus de ore ejus.
Et surgens omnis multitu-
do eorum, duxerunt ilium
ad Pilatum. Coeperunt au-
tem ilium accusare, dicentes :
Hunc invenimus subverten-
tem gentem nostram, et pro-
hibentem tributa dare Cse-
sari, et dicentem se Chris-
tum regem esse. Pilatus
autem interrogavit eum, di-
cens : Tu es Eex Judseo-
rum ? At ille respondens,
ait : Tu dicis. Ait autem
Pilatus ad principes sacer-
dotum et turbas : Nihil in-
venio causae in hoc homine.
At illi invalescebant, di-
centes : Commovet pppu-
lum, docens per universam
Judseam, incipiens a Gali-
lsea, usque hue. Pilatus au-
tem audiens Galilseam, in-
terrogavit, si homo Gali-
laeus esset. Et ut cognovit,
quod de Herodis potestate
esset, remisit eum ad He-
rodem, qui et ipse Jeroso-
lymis erat illis diebus. He-
292
HOLY WEEK.
rodes autem viso Jesu, ga-
visus est valde. Erat enim
cupiens ex multo tempore
videre eum, eo quod au-
dierat multa de eo : et spe-
rabat signum aliquod vi-
dere ab eo fieri. Interroga-
bat autem eum multis ser-
monibus. At ipse nihil illi
respondebat. Stabant au-
tem principes sacerdotum
et scribse constanter accu-
santes eum : sprevit autem
ilium Herodes cum exerci-
tu suo : et illusit indutum
veste alba, et remisit ad
Pilatum. Et facti sunt amici
Herodes et Pilatus in ipsa
die : nam antea inimici
erant ad invicem. Pilatus
autem convocatis principi-
bus sacerdotum, et magis-
tratibus, et plebe, dixit ad
illos : Obtulistis mihi hunc
hominem quasi avertentem
populum : et ecce ego co-
ram vobis interrogans nul-
lam causam inveni in no-
mine isto ex his, in quibus
eum accusatis. Sed neque
Herodes : nam remisi vos ad
ilium : et ecce, nihil dignum
morte actum est ei. Emen-
datum ergo ilium dimittam.
Necesse autem habebat
dimittere eis, per diem fes-
tum, unum. Exclamavit
autem simul universa tur-
ba, dicens : Tolle hunc, et
dimitte nobis Barabbam.
Qui erat, propter seditio-
nem quamdam factum in
civitate et homicidum,
missus in carcerem. Ite-
rum autem Pilatus locutus
est ad eos, volens dimittere
seeing Jesus was very glad,
for he was desirous of a long
time to see him, because he
had heard many things of him ;
and he hoped to see some
sign wrought by him. And
he questioned him with many
words. But he answered him
nothing. And the chief priests
and the scribes stood by,
earnestly accusing him. And
Herod with his army set him
at naught, and mocked him,
putting on him a white gar-
ment, and sent him back to
Pilate . And Herod and Pilate
were made friends that same
day : for before they were
enemies to one another. Then
Pilate calling together the
chief priests, and the magis-
trates, and the people, said to
them : You have brought this
man to me as one that per-
verteth the people : and,
behold I, having examined
him before you, find no cause
in this man touching those
things wherein you accuse
him. No, nor Herod neither.
For I sent you to him, and
behold, nothing worthy of
death is done to him. I will
chastise him therefore and
release him.
Now of necessity he was to
release unto them one upon
the feast day. But the whole
multitude together cried out
at once saying : Away with
this man, and release unto us
Barabbas. Who, for a certain
sedition made in the city, and
for a murder, was cast into
prison. And Pilate again
spoke to them, desiring to re-
lease Jesus, But they cried
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
293
out again, saying : Crucify
him, crucify him. And he
said to them the third time :
Why, what evil hath this man
done ? I find no cause of
death in him. I will chastise
him therefore, and let him go.
But they were instant with
loud voices requiring that he
might be crucified ; and their
voices prevailed. And Pilate
gave sentence that it should
be as they required. And he
released unto them him who
for murder and sedition had
been cast into prison, whom
they had desired : but Jesus
he delivered up to their will.
Anc as they led him away,
they laid hold on one Simon
of Cyrene, coming from the
country : and they laid the
cross on him to carry after
Jesus. And there followed
him a great multitude of peo-
ple, and of women, who be-
wailed and lamented him.
But Jesus turning to them,
said : Daughters of Jerusa-
lem, weep not over me, but
weep for yourselves, and for
your children. For behold the
days shall come, wherein they
will say, Blessed are the bar-
ren, and the wombs that have
not borne, and the paps that
have not given suck. Then
shall they begin to say to the
mountains : Fall upon us ; and
to the hills : Cover us. For
if in the green wood they do
these things, what shall be
done in the dry ? And there
were also two other malefac-
tors led with him to be put
to death,
Jesum. At illi succlama-
bant, dieentes : Crucifigo,
crucifige eum. Ille autem
tertio dixit ad illos : Quid
enim mali fecit iste ? Nul-
lam causam mortis invenio
in eo. Corripiam ergo il-
ium, et dimittam. At illi
instabant vocibus magnis
postulantes, ut crucifigere-
tur : et invalescebant voces
eorum. Et Pilatus adjudi-
cavit fieri petitionem eorum.
Dimisit autem illis eum
qui propter homicidium et
seditionem missus fuerat in
carcerem, quern petebant :
Jesum vero tradidit volun-
tati eorum.
Et cum ducerent eum,
apprehenderunt Simonem
quemdam Cyrenensem ve-
nientem de villa, et impo-
suerunt illi crucem portare
post Jesum. Sequebatur
autem ilium multa turba
populi, et mulierum, quae
plangebant et lamentaban-
tur eum. Conversus autem
ad illas Jesus, dixit : Filise
Jerusalem, nolite flere su-
per me : sed super vos
ipsas flete, et super filios
vestros. Quoniam ecce ve-
nient dies, in quibus di-
cent : Beafcse steriles, et ven-
tres qui non genuerunt,
et ubera quee non lactave-
runt. Tunc incipient dicere
montibus : Cadite super
nos : et collibus : Operite
nos. Quia si in viridi ligno
hsec faciunt, in arido quid
fiet ? Ducebantur autem et
alii duo nequam cum eo, ut
interficerentur,
294
HOLY WEEK.
Et postquam venerunt in
locum, qui vocatur Calva-
rise, ibi crucifixerunt eum :
et latrones unum a dextris,
et alterum a sinistris. Je-
sus autem dicebat : Pater,
dimitte illis : non enim
sciunt quid faciunt. Di-
videntes vero vestimenta
ejus, miserunt sortes. Et
stabat populus spectans, et
diridebant eum principes
cum eis, dicentes : Alios sal-
vos fecit : se salvum faciat,
si hie est Christus, Dei elec-
tus. Illudebant autem ei et
milites, accedentes, et ace-
tum offerentes ei et dicen-
tes : Si tu es Eex Judaeo-
rum, salvum te fac. Erat
autem et superscriptio scrip -
ta super eum litteris grsecis,
et latinis, et hebraicis : Hie
est Eex Judseorum.
Unus autem de his, qui
pendebant, latronibus, blas-
phemabat eum, dicens : Si
tu es Christus, salvum fac
temetipsum, et nos. Ke-
spondens autem alter, incre-
pabat eum, dicens : Neque
tu times Deum, quod in
eadem damnatione es. Et
nos quidem juste, nam dig-
na factis recipimus : hie ve-
ro nihil mali gessit. Et di-
cebat ad Jesum : Domine,
memento mei, cum veneris
in regnum tuum. Et dixit
illi Jesus : Amen dico tibi :
Hodie mecum eris in Para-
diso.
Erat autem fere hora sex-
ta : et tenebrae factae sunt
in universam terram, usque
in horam nonam. Et obscu-
ratus est sol ; et velum Tem-
And when they were come
to the place which is called
Calvary, they crucified hirn
there ; and the robbers, one
on the right hand, and the
other on the left. And Jesus
said : Eather forgive them,
for they know not what they
do. But they dividing his
garments, cast lots. And the
people stood beholding, and
the rulers with them derided
him, saying : He saved others ;
let him save himself, if he be
Christ, the elect of God. And
the soldiers also mocked him,
coming to him and offering
him vinegar, and saying : If
thou be the King of the Jews,
save thyself. Arid there was
also a superscription written
over him in letters of Greek,
and Latin, and Hebrew : This
is the King of the Jews.
And one of the robbers who
were hanged, blasphemed him
saying : If thou be Christ, save
thyself and us. But the other
answering, rebuked him, say-
ing : Neither dost thou fear
God, seeing thou art under the
same condemnation. And we
indeed justly, for we receive
the due reward of our deeds ;
but this man hath done no
evil. And he said to Jesus :
Lord, remember me when thou
shalt come into thy kingdom.
And Jesus said to him : Amen
I say to thee, this day thou
shalt be with me in paradise.
And it was almost the sixth
hour; and there was darkness
over all the earth until the
ninth hour. And the sun was
darkened ; and the veil of the
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
295
Temple was rent in the midst.
And Jesus crying with a loud
voice, said : Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit.
And saying this, he gave up
the ghost.
pli scissum est medium. Et
clamans voce magna Jesus
ait : Pater, in manus tuas
commendo spiritum meum.
Et haec dicens, exspiravit.
Here a pause is made, as on Palm Sunday. All
kneel down, and if such be the custom of the place,
they prostrate and kiss the ground.
Now the centurion seeing
what was done, glorified God,
saying : Indeed this was a
just man. And all the multi-
tude of them that were come
together to that sight, and saw
the things that were done, re-
turned striking their breast.
And all his acquaintance, and
the women that had followed
him from Galilee, stood afar
off, beholding these things.
Videns autem centurio
quod factum fuerat, glorifi-
cavit Deum, dicens : Vere
hie homo Justus erat. Et
omnis turba eorum, qui
simul aderant ad spectacu-
lum istud, et videbant quae
fiebant, percutientes pec-
tora sua revertebantur.
Stabant autem omnes noti
ejus a longe et mulieres,
quae secutse eum erant a
Galilaea, haec videntes.
Here the Deacon offers the Incense to the Priest,
that he may bless it ; and, having himself received
a blessing, he concludes the history of the Passion,
observing the ceremonies used for singing the Gtospel
at High Mass.
And behold there was a
man named Joseph, who was
a counsellor, a good and just
man, (the same had not con-
sented to their counsel and
doing,) of Arimathea, a city
of Judea, who also himself
looked for the kingdom of
God. This man went to Pi-
late and begged the body of
Jesus. And taking him down
he wrapped him in fine linen,
Et ecce vir nomine Jo-
seph, qui erat decurio, vir
bonus et Justus ; hie non
consenserat consilio et ac-
tibus eorum : ab Arima-
thaea civitate Judaeae : qui
exspectabat et ipse regnum
Dei. Hie accessit ad Pila-
tum, et petiit corpus Jesu.
Et depositum involvit sin-
done : et posuit eum in
monumento exciso, in quo
296 HOLY WEEK.
nondum quisquam positus and laid him in a sepulchre
fuerat. that was hewed in stone,
wherein never yet any man
had been laid.
The words of the Offertory are those of Jesus,
suppliantly beseeching his Eternal Father not to
turn away his face from his own Son, who is a prey
to every suffering, both of body and mind.
OFFERTORY.
Domine, exaudi orationem Hear, O Lord, my prayer ;
meam : et clamor meus ad te and let my cry come to thee :
perveniat : ne avertas faciem turn not away thy face from
tuam a me. me.
In the Secret the Church prays that we may have
a tender devotion for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass,
in which the Passion of our Saviour is daily com-
memorated.
SECRET.
Suscipe, qusesumus, Do- Accept, 0 Lord, we beseech
mine, munus oblatum, et thee, the offerings we have
dignanter operare : ut quod made : and mercifully grant
Passionis Filii tui Domini that we may receive, with
nostri mysterio gerimus, pious sentiments, what we
piis affectibus consequa- celebrate in the mystery of
mur. Per eumdem. the Passion of our Lord.
Through the same, &c.
For the other Secrets, see page 252.
The Church takes her Communion- Anthem from
the same Psalm, which supplied her with the Tract
and Offertory, namely the 101st.
COMMUNION.
Potum meum cum fletu I mingled my drink with
WEDNESDAY £N HOLT WEEK.
297
weeping ; for having lifted me
up, thou hast thrown me
down, and I am withered like
grass ; but thou, O Lord,
endurest for ever : thou shalt
arise, and have mercy on Sion ;
because the time to have
mercy on her is come.
temperabam : quia elevans
allisisti me : et ego sicut fce-
num arui : tu autem, Do-
mine, in aeternum perma-
nes : tu exsurgens misere-
beris Sion, quia venit tem-
pus miserendi ejus.
The Death of Jesus should be to us an unceasing
motive for confidence in the divine mercy. This
confidence is one of the first conditions of our salva-
tion. The Church asks it for us in the Postcom-
munion.
POSTCOMMUNION.
Grant, O Almighty God,
that we may have a lively
hope that thou hast given us
eternal life by the temporal
death of thy Son, represented
in these adorable mysteries.
Through the same, &c.
Largire sensibus nostris
omnipotens Deus : ut, per
temporalem Filii tui mor-
tem, quam mysteria vene-
randa testantur, vitam te
nobis dedisse perpetuam
confidamus. Per eumdem.
See the other Postcommunions in the Mass for
Monday, page 253.
LET US PRAY.
Bow down your heads to
God.
Look down, O Lord, we
beseech thee, on this thy
family, for which our Lord
Jesus Christ hesitated not to
be delivered into the hands
of wicked men, and undergo
the punishment of the Cross,
Who liveth, &cT
OREMTJS.
Humiliate capita vestra
Deo.
Eespice, quaesumus, Do-
mine, super hanc familiam
tuam : pro qua Dominus
noster Jesus Christus non
dubitavit manibus tradi no-
centium, et crucis subire
tormentum. Qui tecum,
298 HOLY WEEK.
THE OFFICE OF TENEBRtE.
On this and the two following days, the Church
anticipates the Night-Office ; she celebrates it on
the previous evening of each day, and this in order
that the Faithful may be present at it. The Matins
and Lauds of Maundy Thursday are, therefore, said
this afternoon. The Faithful should make every
effort to assist at this solemn Office, seeing it is on
their account that the Church has changed her
usual hours. As to the merit there is in joining in
it, there can be no doubt, but that it is to be pre-
ferred to any private devotions. The surest means
for obtaining favours from Cod, and winning him to
our requests, is to approach him through the Church.
And as regards the feelings of devotion wherewith
we ought to celebrate the mysteries of these three
great Days, the Offices of the Church are, ordinarily
speaking, a surer and richer source than the Exer-
cises of Piety composed by men, The soul that
feeds on the words and ceremonies of the holy
Liturgy, will be all the more disposed to profit by
the private devotions she practises at home. The
prayer of the Church will thus become the basis,
whereon is built the edifice of christian piety during
these glorious Anniversaries of our Redemption : and
we shall be imitating our forefathers who lived in the
Ages of Faith, and who were such admirable Chris-
tians, because they lived the life of the Church, by
means of the sacred Liturgy.
The Office of Tenebrse for to-day is given below,
on Maundy Thursday ; the "Night Office" page 302.
As an appropriate exercise for the close of this
day, we offer our readers the following stanzas from
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
299
a Hymn of the Greek Liturgy ; they allude to the
mysteries we have been explaining.
HYMN.
(In Parasceve.)
On this day, Judas leaves
nis Master, and takes the devil
for his guide. The love of
money blinds him. He fell
from the light, he became
darkened ; for how could he
be said to see, who sold the
Light for thirty pieces of
silver ? But to us he has
risen, he that suffered for the
world : let us thus cry out
unto him : Glory be to thee,
that didst endure thy Passion,
and hadst compassion, for
mankind !
What was it, 0 Judas ! that
led thee to betray Jesus ? Had
he cut thee off from the num-
ber of his Apostles ? Had he
deprived thee of the gift of
healing the sick ? When he
supped with his Apostles, did
he drive thee from table ?
When he washed their feet,
did he pass thee by ? And
yet, thou wast unmindful of
these great favours ! Thy un-
grateful plot has branded thee
with infamy : but his incom-
parable patience and great
mercy are worthy of praise.
Say, 0 ye unj ust ones ! what
is it ye have heard from our
Saviour ? Did he not ex-
pound unto you the Law and
the Prophets ? Why, there-
fore, have ye plotted how to
Hodie Judas Magistrum
derelinquit, et diabolum
assumit : obcsecatur passione
amoris pecuniae ; decidit
a lumine, obscuratus est
ille. Quomodo namque vi-
dere poterat ille qui Lumi-
nare vendidit triginta argen-
teis ? Sed nobis exortus
est ille, qui passus est pro
mundo. Ad quern clame-
mus : Qui passus es, et com-
passus es hominibus, gloria
tibi.
Qusenam te ratio, Juda,
Salvatoris proditorem effe-
cit ? Numquid ille ab Apos7
tolorum te choro segregavit ?
Numquid sanitatum te
gratia privavit ? Numquid
cum ccenaret una cum illis,
a mense te expulit ? Num-
quid aliorum cum lavisset,
pedes tuos neglexit ? O
quantorum f actus es imme-
mor beneficiorum ! et tuum
sane consilium ingratum in-
famia notatur : illius autem
prsedicatur incomparabilis
patientia et misericordia
magna.
Dicite iniqui quidnam a
Salvatore nostro audistis ?
Nonne Legem ac documen-
ta Prophetarum exposuit ?
Quomodo ergo Verbum
quod ex Deo est, et nos-
300
HOLY WEEK.
tras animas redimit, Pilato
tradere cogitastis ?
Crucifigatur, clamabant ii
qui tuis semper muneribus
fuerant delectati; petebant-
que ait malefactorem acci-
perent pro benefactore
lnterfectores illi justorum.
Sed tacebas, Christe, eorum
proterviam sustinens : vo-
lens pati, nosque salvare,
ut hominum amans.
Loquendi libertatem non
habemus propter multa
peccata nostra ; tu ex te
genitum exora, Virgo Dei-
para : multum enim valet
deprecatio Matris apud cle-
mentiam Domini. Ne de-
spicias peccatorum suppli-
cationes, o castissima ; quia
misericors est et potens ad
salvandum, is qui pro nobis
etiam pati sustinuit.
deliver up to Pilate the Word
that is from God, and that
came to redeem our souls ?
They that had enjoyed thy
unceasing gifts cried out : Let
him be crucified ! These mur-
derers of such as were inno-
cent, sought thee, that they
might treat thee, their bene-
factor, as an evil-doer. But
thou, O Christ ! didst bear
their wickedness with silence,
for thou being the lover of
mankind, didst desire to suffer
for and save us.
We are prevented from
speaking by the multitude of
our sins : do thou, 0 Virgin-
Mother of God ! pray for us
to Him that was born of thee,
for the Mother's prayer avails
much with the mercy of our
Lord. Despise not, 0 most
pure Virgin ! the prayers of
sinners, for he that refused
not even to suffer for us, is
merciful, and is able to save
us.
"We subjoin the following beautiful Preface from
the Ambrosian Missal : it expresses, in a most touch-
ing manner, the sentiments which a Christian should
have within him on this vigil of our Lord's Supper.
PREFACE.
Dignum et justum est, It is meet and just, right
sequum et salutare, nos tibi and available to salvation,
semper hie et ubique gra- that we should ever, here and
tias agere, Domine sancte, in all places, give thanks to
Pater omnipotens, seterne thee, 0 Holy Lord, Almighty
Deus, per Christum Domi- Father, Eternal God, through
num nostrum, qui innocens Christ our Lord : who, being
pro impiis voluit pati, et innocent, willed to suffer for
pro sceloratis indebite con- sinners, and be unjustly con-
WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK.
301
demned for the guilty. His
Death wiped away our crimes,
and his Resurrection opened
for us the gates of heaven.
Through him we beseech thy
clemency, that, to-day, thou
cleanse us from our sins, and,
to-morrow, feed us on the
banquet of the venerable
Supper ; that, to-day, thou
receive the confession of our
faults, and, to-morrow, grant
us the increase of spiritual
gifts ; that, to-day, thou re-
ceive the offering of our fasts,
but, to-morrow, introduce us
to the feast of the most holy
Supper. Through the same
Christ our Lord. Amen.
demnari. Cujus mors de-
licta nostra detersit, et re-
surrectio Paradisi fores
nobis reseravit. Per quern
tuam pietatem suppliciter
exoramus ; ut nos hodie a
peccatis emacules ; eras vero
venerabilis Ccenae dapibus
saties ; hodie acceptes nos-
trorum confessionem de-
lictorum : eras vero tribuas
spiritualium incremento do-
norum ; hodie jejuniorum
nostrorum vota suscipias ;
eras vero nos ad sanctissimse
Ccenae convivium intro -
ducas. Per eumdem Chris-
tum Dominum nostrum.
Amen.
302 HOLY WEEK.
MAUNDY THTJESDAY.
THE NIGHT OFFICE.
The Office of Matins and Lauds, for the last three
days of Holy Week, differs, in many things, from
that of the rest of the year. All is sad and mourn-
ful, as though it were a funeral-service : nothing
could more emphatically express the grief that now
weighs down the heart of our holy mother the
Church. Throughout all the Office of Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday, she forbids herself the use of
those formulas of joy and hope, wherewith, on all
other days, she begins her praise of God. The
Domine, labia mea aperies (0 Lord, thou shalt open
my lips) : the Deus, in adjutorium meum intende
(Incline unto mine aid, 0 God) : the Gloria Patri,
at the end of the Psalms, Canticles, and Respon-
sories : — all are taked away. So likewise are those
soul-stirring additions, which have been gradually
made, in the different ages ; and nothing is left, but
what is essential to the form of the Divine Office : —
Psalms, Lessons, and Chants expressive of grief.
Each Canonical Hour ends with the Psalm Miserere,
and with a commemoration of the Death and Cross
of our Redeemer.
The name of Tenebrw has been given to the
Matins and Lauds of the last three days of Holy
Week, because this Office used formerly to be cele-
MAUNDY THURSDAY I TENEBR^. 803
brated during the night : and even when the hour
was anticipated, the name of Tenebrce was kept up
for another reason ; namely, that it began with day-
light, but ended after the sun had set. There is an
impressive ceremony, peculiar to this Office, whioh
tends to perpetuate its name. There is placed in
the Sanctuary, near the Altar, a large triangular
candlestick, holding fifteen candles. These candles,
and the six that are on the Altar, are of yellow wax,
as in the Office for the Dead. At the end of each
Psalm or Canticle, one of these fifteen candles is
extinguished ; but the one which is placed at the
top of the Triangle, is left lighted. During the sing-
ing of the Benedictus, at Lauds, the six candles on
the Altar are also put out. Then the Master of
Ceremonies takes the lighted candle from the Tri-
angle, and holds it upon the Altar, on the Epistle
side, whilst the Choir repeats the antiphon after the
Canticle : after which, he hides it behind the Altar
during the recitation of the Miserere and the Prayer,
which follows the Psalm. As soon as this Prayer is
finished, a noise is made with the seats of the stalls
in the choir, which continues until the candle is
brought from behind the Altar, and shows, by its
bight, that the Office of Tenebrce is over.
Let us now study the meaning of these cere-
monies. The glory of the Son of Grod was obscured,
and, so to say, eclipsed, by the ignominies he endured
during his Passion. He, the Light of the world,
powerful in word and work, who, but a few days ago,
was proclaimed King by the citizens of Jerusalem, is
now robbed of all his honours ; he is, says Isaias, the
Man of sorrows, — a leper ; l he is, says the Royal
Prophet, a worm of the earth, and no man ; 2 he is,
as he says of himself, an object of shame even to his
own Disciples, for they are all scandalised in him,3
1 Is. liii. 3, 4. 2 Ps. xxi. 7. 3 St. Mark, xiv. 27.
304 HOLY WEEK.
and abandon him, yea, even Peter protests that he
never knew him. This desertion on the part of his
Apostles and Disciples is expressed by the candles
being extinguished, one after the other, not only on
the Triangle, but on the Altar itself. But Jesus,
our Light, though despised and hidden, is not ex-
tinguished. This is signified by the Candle which is
momentarily placed on the Altar ; it figures our
Redeemer suffering and dying on Calvary. In order
to express his burial, the candle is hid behind the
Altar ; its light disappears. A confused noise is
heard in the House of (rod, where all is now dark-
ness. This noise and gloom express the convulsions
of nature, when Jesus expired on the Cross ; — the
earth shook, the rocks were split, the dead came forth
from their tombs. But the candle suddenly re-
appears ; its light is as fair as ever ; the noise is
hushed, and homage is paid to the Conqueror of
Death.
After having given these general explanations, we
now offer the Faithful the text of the Liturgy, to
which we subjoin a few words of commentary, where
we think it needed.
MATINS.
After the Pater, Ave, and Credo, have been said
secretly, the first Nocturn begins as follows.
THE FIRST NOCTURN.
The first Psalm was written by David, when
obliged to flee from the persecution of his son Absa-
lom, who sought his death. It refers to Christ, and
describes various incidents of his Passion. The gall
and vinegar, here mentioned, show us that this
MAUNDY THURSDAY I TENEBR^E.
305
Psalm is prophetic, for David never received any
such treatment from his enemies.
Ant. The zeal of thy house
hath eaten me up ; and the
reproaches of them that re-
proached thee, are fallen upon
me.
Ant. Zelus domus tuae
comedit me, et opprobria
exprobrantium tibi cecide-
runt super me.
PSALM 68.
Save me, O God : for the
waters are come in even unto
my soul.
I stick fast in the mire of
the deep : and there is no sure
standing.
I am come into the depth
of the sea : and a tempest
hath overwhelmed me.
I have laboured with cry-
ing : my jaws are become
hoarse : my eyes have failed,
whilst I hope in my God.
They are multiplied above
the hairs of my head, who
hate me without cause.
My enemies are grown
strong, who have wrongfully
persecuted me : then did I
pay that which I took not
away.
O God thou knowest my
foolishness, and my offences,
the offences ivhich I have taken
upon myself, are not hid from
thee.
Let them not be ashamed
for me, who look for thee, O
Lord, the Lord of hosts.
Let them not be confounded
on my account, who seek thee,
G God of Israel.
Because for thy sake I have
Salvum me fac, Deus : *
quoniam intraverunt aquae
usque ad animam meam.
Infixus sum in limo pro-
fundi : * et non est substan-
tia.
Veni in altitudinem ma-
ris: * et tempestas demer-
sit me.
Laboravi clamans, raucae
factae sunt fauces meae : *
defecerunt oculi mei, dum
spero in Deum meum.
Multiplicati sunt super
capillos capitis mei : * qui
oderunt me gratis.
Confortati sunt qui per-
secuti sunt me inimici mei
injuste : * quae non rapui,
tunc exsolvebam.
Deus, tu scis insipientiam
meam : * et delicta mea a
te non sunt abscondita.
Non erubescant in me, qui
exspectant te, Domine : *
Domine virtutum.
Non confundantur super
me : * qui quaerunt te, Deus
Israel.
Quoniam propter te sus-
306
HOLY WEEK.
tiimi opprobrium : * operuit
confusio faciem meam.
Extraneus factus sum fra-
tribus meis : * et peregrinus
filiis matris meae.
Quoniam zelus domus tuae
comedit me : * et opprobria
exprobrantium tibi ceci-
derunt super me.
Et operui in jejunio ani-
mam meam : * et factum
est in opprobrium mini.
Et posui vestimentum
meum cilicium : * et factus
sum illis in parabolam.
Adversum me loqueban-
tur qui sedebant in porta:
* et in me psallebant qui
bibebant vinum.
Ego vero orationem meam
ad te, Domine : * tempus
beneplaciti Deus.
In multitudine misericor-
dise tuae exaudi me : * in veri-
tate salutis tuae.
Eripe me de luto, ut non
infigar : * libera me ab iis
qui oderunt me, et de pro-
fundis aquarum.
Non me demergat tem-
pestas aquae, neque absor-
beat me profundum : * ne-
que urgeat super me puteus
os suum.
Exaudi me, Domine, quo-
niam benigna est misericor-
dia tua : * secundum mul-
titudinem miserationum tu-
arum respice in me.
Et ne avertas f acien>> tuam
a puero tuo : * quoniam
tribulor, velociter exaudi
me.
Intende animae meae et li-
borne reproach : shame hath
covered my face.
I am become a stranger to
my brethren, and an alien to
the sons of my mother.
For the zeal of thy house
hath eaten me up : and the
reproaches of them that re-
proached thee, are fallen upon
me.
And I covered my soul in
fasting : and it made a re-
proach to me.
And I made hair- cloth my
garment: and I became abye-
word to them.
They that sat in the gate
spoke against me : and they
that drank wine made me
their song.
But as for me, my prayer is
to thee, O Lord : for the time
of thy good pleasure, 0
God. "
In the multitude of thy
mercy hear me in the truth
of thy salvation.
Draw me out of the mire,
that I may not stick fast : de-
liver me from them that hate
me, and out of the deep waters.
Let not the tempest of
water drown me, nor the deep
swallow me up : and let not
the pit shut her mouth upon
me.
Hear me, 0 Lord, for thy
mercy is kind : look upon me
according to the multitude of
thy tender mercies.
And turn not away thy face
from thy servant : for I am
in trouble, hear me speedily.
Attend to my soul, and de-
MAUNDY THURSDAY I TENEBTMS.
307
liver it ; save me because of
my enemies.
Thou knowest my reproach,
and my confusion, and my
shame.
In thy sight are all they
that afflict me ; my heart hath
experienced reproach and
misery.
And I looked for one that
would grieve together with
me, but there was none : and
for one that would comfort
me, and I found none.
And they gave me gall for
my food, and in my thirst
they gave me vinegar to
drink.
Let their table become as
a snare before them, and a re-
compense, and a stumbling
block.
Let their eyes be darkened
that they see not : and their
back, bow thou down always.
Pour out thy indignation
upon them : and let thy
wrathful anger take hold of
them.
Let their habitation be
made desolate : and let there
be none to dwell in their
tabernacles.
Because they have perse-
cuted him whom thou hast
smitten : and they have added
to the grief of my wounds.
A.dd thou iniquity upon
their iniquity : and let them
not come into thy justice.
Let them be blotted out of
the book of the living : and
with the just let them not be
written.
But I am poor and sorrow-
ful: thy salvation, O God,
hath set me up.
bera earn : * propter ini-
micos meos eripe me.
Tu scis improperium me-
um, et confusionem meam : *
et reverentiam meam.
In conspectu tuo sunt om-
nes qui tribulant me : * im-
properium exspectavit cor
meum et miseriam.
Et sustinui qui simul
contristaretur, et non fuit : *
et qui consolaretur, et non
inveni.
Et dederunt in escam me-
am fel : * et in siti mea
potaverunt me aceto.
Fiat mensa eorum coram
ipsis in laqueum, * et
in retributiones, et in
scandalum.
Obscurentur oculi eorum
ne videant : * et dorsum
eorum semper incurva.
Effunde super eos iram
tuam : * et furor irse tuse
comprehendat eos.
Fiat habitatio eorum de-
serta : * et in tabernaculis
eorum non sit qui inhabitet.
Quoniam quern tu per-
cussisti, persecuti sunt ; *
et super dolorem vulnerum
meorum addiderunt.
Appone iniquitatem su-
per iniquitatem eorum ; *
et non intrent in justitiam
tuam.
Deleantur de libro viven-
tium : * et cum justis non
scribantur.
Ego sum pauper et dolens :
* salus tua Deus suscepit
me.
308
HOLY WEEK.
Laudabo nomen Dei cum
cantico : # et magnificabo
eum in laude.
Et placebit Deo super vi-
tulum novellum : * cornua
producentem et ungulas.
Videant pauperes et lae-
tentur : * quserite Deum,
et vivet anima vestra.
Quoniam exaudivit pau-
peres Dominus : * et vinc-
tos suos non despexit.
Laudent ilium coeli et
terra : * mare et omnia rep-
tilia in eis.
Quoniam Deus salvam
faciet Sion : * et sedifica-
buntur civitates Juda.
Et inhabitabunt ibi : * et
hsereditate acquirent earn.
Et semen servorum ejus
possidebit earn : * et qui
diligunt nomen ejus habi-
tabunt in ea.
Ant. Zelus domus tuse
comedit me, et opprobria
exprobrantium tibi cecide-
runt super me,
I will praise the name of
God with a canticle : and I
will magnify him with praise.
And it shall please God
better than a young calf, that
bringeth forth horns and
hoofs.
Let the poor see and re-
joice : Seek ye God, and your
soul shall live.
For the Lord hath heard
the poor, and hath not des-
pised his prisoners.
Let the heavens and the
earth praise him; the sea, and
every thing that creepeth
therein.
Eor God will save Sion: and
the cities of Juda shall be
built up.
And they shall dwell there,
and acquire it by inheritance.
And the seed of his servants
shall possess it : and they that
love his name shall dwell
therein.
Ant. The zeal of thy house
hath eaten me up ; and the
reproaches of them that re-
proached thee, are fallen upon
me.
The second Psalm was written by David, under
the same circumstances as the previous one. He
begs God to defend him against the enemies that are
seeking to destroy him. This Psalm is prophetic of
the lot reserved to the Messias.
Ant. Avertantur retror- Ant. Let them that devise
sum, et erubescant, qui co- evils against me be turned
gitant mihi mala. back, and let them blush for
shame.
MAUNDY THURSDAY '. TENEBR^.
309
PSALM 69.
O God, come to my assist-
ance : O Lord, make haste to
help me.
Let them be confounded
and ashamed that seek my
soul.
Let them be turned back-
ward, and blush for shame,
that desire evils to me.
Let them be presently turn-
ed away blushing for shame
that say to me : 'Tis well, 'tis
well.
Let all that seek thee re-
joice and be glad in thee :
and let such as love thy sal-
vation say always : The Lord
be magnified.
But I am needy and poor ;
O God, help me.
Thou art my helper and my
deliverer : O Lord, make no
delay.
Ant. Let them that devise
evils against me, be turned
back, and let them blush for
shame.
Deus, in adjutorium meum
intende : * Domine, ad ad-
juvandum me festina.
Confundantur et revere-
antur : * qui quserunt ani-
mam meam.
Avertantur retrorsum, et
erubescant : * qui volunt
mihi mala.
Avertantur statim erube-
scentes : * qui dicunt mihi :
Euge, euge.
Exsultent et laetentur in
te omnes qui quserunt te : *
et dicant semper : Magni-
ficetur Dominus, qui dili-
gunt salutare tuum.
Ego vero egenus et pau-
per sum : * Deus adjuva
me.
Adjutor meus et liberator
meus es tu : * Domine ne
moreris.
Ant. Avertantur retror-
sum, et erubescant, qui cogi-
tant mihi mala.
The third Psalm refers to the same period of
David's life ; but whilst it describes the dangers to
which this holy king was exposed, it also expresses
the wonderful confidence he had that (rod would
crown him with victory over all his enemies. In
its prophetic signification, this Psalm shows us how
the Man-God, even in the lowest depths of his an-
guish, confided in his Father's help.
Ant. Deliver me, O my
God, out of the hand of the
sinner.
Ant. Deus meus, eripe
me de manu peccatoris.
312
HOLY WEEK.
PSALM 70.
In te Domine speravi,
non confundar in aeternum :
* in justitia tua libera me, et
eripe me.
Inclina ad me aurem tu-
am : * et salva me.
Esto mihi in Deum pro-
tectorem et in locum mu-
nitum : * ut salvum me
facias.
Quoniam firmamentum
meum : * et refugium me-
um es tu.
Deus meus, eripe me de
manu peccatoris : * et de
manu contra legem agentis
et iniqui.
Quoniam tu es patientia
mea, Domine : * Domine,
spes mea a juventute mea.
In te confirmatus sum ex
utero : * de ventre matris
mese tu es protector meus.
In te cantatio mea sem-
per : * tamquam prodigium
factus sum multis ; et tu
adjutor fortis.
Eepleatur os meum laude,
ut cantem gloriam tuam :
* tota die magnitudinem
tuam.
Ne projicias me in tem-
pore senectutis : * cum de-
fecerit virtus mea, ne dere-
linquas me.
Quia dixerunt inimici
mei mihi : * et qui custo-
diebant animam meam con-
silium fecerunt in unum.
Dicentes : Deus dereliquit
eum, persequimini et com-
In thee, 0 Lord, I have
hoped, let me never be put
to confusion : deliver me in
thy justice, and rescue me.
Incline thine ear unto me,
and save me.
Be thou unto me a God,
a protector, and a place of
strength, that thou mayest
make me safe.
For thou art my firmament
and my refuge.
Deliver me, O my God, out
of the hand of the sinner, and
out of the hand of the trans-
gressor of the law, and of the
unjust.
For thou art my patience,
O Lord : my hope, 0 Lord,
from my youth.
By thee have I been con-
firmed from the womb : from
my mother's womb thou art
my protector.
Of thee shall I continually
sing : I am become unto many
as a wonder : but thou art a
strong helper.
Let my mouth be filled
with praise, that I may sing
thy glory : thy greatness all
the day long.
Cast me not off in the time
of old age, when my strength
shall fail, do not thou forsake
me.
For my enemies have spo-
ken against me ; and they
that watched my soul have
consulted together,
Saying : God hath forsaken
him; pursue and take him,
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENEBR^.
311
for there is none to deliver
him.
0 G-od, be not thou far from
me : 0 my God, make haste
to my help.
Let them be confounded
and come to nothing that de-
tract my soul : Let them be
covered with confusion and
shame that seek my hurt.
But I will always hope :
and will add to all thy praise.
My mouth shall show forth
thy justice : thy salvation all
the day long.
Because I have not known
learning, I will enter into the
powers of the Lord : O Lord,
I will be mindful of thy jus-
tice alone.
Thou hast taught me, 0
God, from my youth, and till
now I will declare thy won-
derful works.
And unto old age and grey
hairs, 0 God, forsake me not.
Until I show forth thy arm
to all the generation that is to
come.
Thy power, and thy justice,
0 God, even to the highest,
great things thou hast done ;
O God, who is like to thee ?
How great troubles hast
thou showed me, many and
grievous : and turning thou
hast brought me to life, and
hast brought me back again
from the depths of the earth.
Thou hast multiplied thy
magnificence ; and turning to
me, thou hast comforted me.
1 will also give praise to
thee : I will extol thy truth
prehendite eum : * quia non
est qui eripiat.
Deus ne elongeris a me : *
Deus meus in auxilium
meum respice.
Confundantur et deficiant
detrahentes animae mete : *
operiantur confusione et pu-
dore, qui quserunt mala
mihi.
Ego autem semper spe-
rabo : * et adjiciam super
omnem laud em tuam.
Os meum annuntiavit jus-
titiam tuam : * tota die
salutare tuum.
Quoniam non cognovi
literaturara, introibo in po-
tentias Domini : * Domine,
memorabor justitiae tuae so-
lius.
Deus docuisti me a juven-
tute mea : * et usque nunc
pronuntiabo mirabilia tua.
Et usque in senectam et
senium : * Deus ne derelin-
quas me.
Donee annuntiem bra-
chium tuum : * generationi
omni, quae ventura est.
Potentiam tuam, et justi-
tiam tuam Deus usque in
altissima, quae fecisti mag-
nalia : * Deus quis similis
tibi?
Quantas ostendisti mihi
tribulationes multas et ma-
las : et conversus vivificasti
me : * et de abyssis terrae
iterum reduxisti me.
Multiplicasti magnificen-
tiam tuam : * et conversus
consolatus es me.
Nam et ego coniitebor tibi
in vasis psalmi veritatem
312 HOLY WEEK.
tuam : * Deus, psallam tibi with the instruments of psal-
in cithara, Sanctus Israel. tery : 0 God, I will sing to
thee with the harp, thou holy
one of Israel.
Exsultabunt labia mea My lips shall greatly rejoice
cum cantavero tibi : * et when I shall sing to thee : and
anima mea, quam redemisti. my soul which thou hast re-
deemed.
Sed et lingua mea tota Yea and my tongue also
die meditabitur justitiam shall meditate on thy justice
tuam : * cum confusi et re- all the day : when they shall
veriti fuerint qui quserunt be confounded and put to
mala mihi. shame that seek evils to me.
Ant. Deus meus, eripe me Ant. Deliver me, 0 my
de manu peccatoris. God, out of the hand of the
sinner.
y. Avertantur retrorsum, f. Let them be turned
et erubescant. back, and let them blush for
shame.
#. Qui cogitant mihi mala. gt. That devise evil things
against me.
Here is said the Pater noster, but all in secret.
The Lessons of the first Nocturn, for each of these
three days, are taken from the Lamentations of
Jeremias, which describe the miserable state of
Jerusalem, when, in punishment for her idolatry, her
people were led captive into Babylon. How
visibly is the anger of Gk>d shown in these ruins of
the great City, over which Jeremias pours forth his
inspired words of mourning ! And yet, this first
disaster was but a figure of a more terrible one to
come. When the Assyrians took Jerusalem, and
well nigh reduced her to a wilderness, she lost not
her name ; and the very Prophet, who laments over
her destruction, had foretold that the desolation was
not to last beyond seventy years. But, in her
second destruction, the faithless City forfeited even
her name. Rebuilt by her conquerors, she went, for
two hundred years, under the name of JElia
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENEKRJ5. 313
Adriana ; and when, after peace was granted to the
Church, she was again called Jerusalem, it was not
a restitution of honour to Juda, but a homage that
was paid to the Grod of the Christians, whom Juda
had crucified in her Capital. Neither St. Helen's
and Constantino's devotedness, nor the heroism of
the Crusaders, could raise Jerusalem to the position
of even a second-rate City ; she is doomed to be a
slave, and a slave to infidels, to all but the very end
of time. She drew this frightful curse upon herself
by the crimes she committed against the Son of
Grod ; and nothing could give us a better idea of the
enormity of those crimes, than the plaintive words
of such a Prophet as Jeremias. This is the reason
that his Lamentations are chosen for the Lessons of
Tenebrse. The mournful chant, to which they are
sung, is probably the one used by the Jews them-
selves. The names of the letters of the Hebrew
alphabet, which divide the stanzas of this inspired
Elegy, show us that it was written by the Prophet as
an Acrostic. The Jewish custom of singing these
Lamentations has been retained in the Christian
Church.
FIRST LESSON.
Here beginneth the Lauienta- Incipit Lamentatio Jeremiae
tion of Jeremias the Prophet. Prophetae.
Gh. I. Cap. I.
Aleph. How doth the city Aleph. Quomodo sedet
sit solitary, that was full of sola ci vitas plena populo ?
people : how is the mistress facta est quasi vidua domina
of nations become as a widow : gentium, princeps provin-
the princes of provinces made ciarum facta est sub tributo.
tributary ?
Beth. Weeping she hath Beth. Plorans ploravit in
wept in the night, and her nocte, efc lacrymse ejus in
tears are on her cheeks : there maxillis ejus: non est qui
is none to comfort her among consoletur earn ex omnibus
all them that were dear to her : charis ejus. Omnes amici
814
HOLY WEEK,
ejus spreverunt earn, et facti
sunt ei mimici.
Ghimel. Migravit Judas
propter afflictionem, et
multitudinem servitutis :
habitavit inter gentes, nee
invenit requiem. Omnes
persecutores ejus appre-
henderunt earn inter an-
gustias.
Daleth. Vise Sion lugent,
eo quod non sint qui veniant
ad solemnitatem : omnes
portae ejus destructse, sa-
cerdotes ejus gementes,
virgines ejus squalidae, et
ipsa oppressa amaritudine.
He. Facti sunt hostes ejus
in capite, inimici ejus lo-
cupletati sunt : quia Domi-
nus locutus est super earn
propter multitudinem ini-
quitatum e j us . Parvuli e j us
ducti sunt in captivitatem,
ante faciem tribulantis.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, con -
vertere ad Dominum Deum
tuum.
Bt. In Monte Oliveti ora-
vit ad Patrem : Pater, si fi-
eri potest, transeat a me ca-
lix iste : Spiritus quidem
promptus est, caro autem
infirma.
y. Vigilate, et orate, ut
non intretis in tentationem.
* Spiritus quidem promp-
tus est : caro autem infir-
ma.
all her friends have despised
her, and are become her ene-
mies.
Ghimel. Juda hath remo-
ved her dwelling place be-
cause of her affliction, and
the greatness of her bondage :
she hath dwelt among the
nations, and she hath found
no rest : her persecutors have
taken her in the midst of
straits.
Daleth. The ways of Sion
mourn, because there are
none that come to the solemn
feast : all her gates are broken
down : her priests sigh, her
virgins are in affliction, and
she is oppressed with bitter-
ness.
He. Her adversaries are
become her lords, her enemies
are enriched : because the
Lord hath spoken against her
for the multitude of her
iniquities : her children are
led into captivity, before the
face of the oppressor.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy God.
&. He prayed to his Father
on Mount Olivet : Father, if
it be possible, let this chalice
pass from me : * The spirit,
indeed, is willing, but the
flesh is weak.
1? . Watch and pray, that ye
may not enter into temptation.
* The spirit, indeed, is wil-
ling, but the flesh is weak.
SECOND LESSON.
Vatj. Et egressus est a fi-
lia Sion omnis decor ejus :
Vatj. And from the daugh-
ter of Sion all her beauty is
MAUNDY THURSDAY ! TENEBRJE.
315
departed : her princes are
become like rams that find no
pasture ; and they are gone
away without strength before
the face of the pursuer.
Zain. Jerusalem hath re-
membered the days of her
affliction and transgression
of all her desirable things,
which she had from the days
of old, when her people fell in
the enemy's hand, and there
was no helper : the enemies
have seen her, and have mock-
ed at her Sabbaths.
Heth. Jerusalem hath
grievously sinned, therefore is
she become vagabond : all
that honoured her, have des-
pised her, because they have
seen her shame : but she
sighed and turned backward.
Teth. Her filthiness is on
her feet, and she hath not
remembered her end : she is
wonderfully cast down, not
having a comforter : behold,
0 Lord, my affliction, because
the enemy is lifted up.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy
God.
gt. My soul is sorrowful
even to death : stay here, and
watch with me : now ye shall
see a multitude, that will sur-
round me : * Ye shall take to
flight, and I will go to be
sacrificed for you.
y. Behold the hour is at
hand, when the Son of Man
shall be delivered into the
hands of sinners.
* Ye shall take to flight, and
facti sunt principes ejus ve-
lut arietes non invenientes
pascua, et abierunt absque
fortitudine, ante faciem
subsequentis.
Zain. Eecordata est Je-
rusalem dierum afflictionis
suae, et praevaricationis om-
nium desiderabilium suo-
rum, quae habuerat a diebus
antiquis, cum caderet popu-
lus ejus in manu hostili, et
non esset auxiliator. Vide-
runt earn hostes, et derise-
runt sabbata ejus.
Heth. Peccatum peccavit
Jerusalem ; propterea insta-
bilis facta est. Omnes qui
glorificabant earn, spreve-
runt illam : quia viderunt
ignominiam ejus. Ipsa au-
tem gemens conversa est
retrorsum.
Teth. Sordes ejus in pe-
dibus ejus, nee recordata
est finis sui. Deposita est
vehementer, non habens
consolatorem. Vide, Domi-
ne, afflictionem meam : quo-
niam erectus est inimicus.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
convertere ad Dominum
Deum tuum.
gt. Tristis est anima mea
usque ad mortem : susti-
nete hie, et vigilate mecum :
nunc videbitis turbam quae
circumdabit me : * Vos fu-
gam capietis, et ego vadam
immolari pro vobis.
JP. Ecce appropinquat ho-
ra, et Filius hominis trade-
tur in manus peccatorum.
* Vos fugam capietis, et
316
HOLY WEEK.
ego vadam iminolari pro I will go to be sacrificed for
vobis. you.
THIRD LESSON.
Jod. Manum suam misit
hostis ad omnia desidera-
bilia ejus : quia vidit gen-
tes ingressas sanctaarium
suum, de quibus prsecepe-
ras ne intrarent in eccle-
siam tuam.
Caph. Omnis populus
ejus gemens, et quaerens
panem, dederunt pretiosa
quseque pro cibo ad refocil-
landam animam. Vide, Do-
mine, et considera, quoniam
facta sum vilis.
Lamed. 0 vos omnes, qui
transitis per viam, atten-
dite, et videte si est dolor
sicut dolor meus : quoniam
vindemiavit me, ut locutus
est Dominus in die irse fu-
roris sui.
Mem. De excelso misit
ignem in ossibus meis, et
erudivit me : expandit rete
pedibus meis, convertit me
retrorsum : posuit me deso-
latam, tota die mcerore con-
i'ectam.
Nun. Yigilavit j ugum ini-
quitatum mearum : in manu
ejus convolutse sunt, et im-
positse collo meo : infirmata
est virtus mea : dedit me
Dominus in manu, de qua
non potero surgere.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
convertere ad Dominum
Deum tuurn,
Jod. The enemy hath put
out his hand to all her de-
sirable things : for she hath
seen the Gentiles enter into
her sanctuary, of whom thou
gavest commandment that
they should not enter into
thy church.
Caph. All her people sigh,
they seek bread : they have
given all their precious things
for food to relieve the soul.
See, O Lord, and consider,
for I am become vile.
Lamed. O all ye that pass
by the way, attend, and see if
there be any sorrow like to
my sorrow : for he hath made
a vintage of me, as the Lord
spoke in the day of his fierce
anger.
Mem. From above he
hath sent fire into my bones,
and hath chastised me : he
hath spread a net for my
feet, he hath turned me
back ; he hath made me
destitute, and spent with sor-
row all the day long.
Nun. The yoke of my ini-
quities hath watched for me :
they are folded together in
his hand, and put on my neck :
my strength is weakened : the
Lord hath delivered me into a
hand, out of which I am not
able to rise.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy
God,
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENEBK^. 317
$. Lo ! we have seen him £. Ecce vidimus eum non
as one not having beauty nor habentem speciem, neque
comeliness ; there is no sight- decorem ; aspectus ej us in
liness in him : he hath borne eo non est : hie peccata nos-
our sins, and grieves for us : tra portavit, et pro nobis
and he was wounded for our dolet : ipse autem vulnera-
iniquities : * By his wounds tus est propter iniquitates
we have been healed. nostras : * Cujus livore sa-
nati sumus.
T&. Surely he hath borne our ^. Vere languores nostros
infirmities, and carried our ipse tulit, et dolores nostros
sorrows. ipse portavit.
* By his wounds we have * Cujus livore sanati su-
been healed. mus.
Here is repeated : Lo ! we Here is repeated : Ecce
have seen. vidimus.
THE SECOND NOCTURN.
The fourth Psalm, which celebrates, in such glow-
ing terms, the glories of the Son of David, would
seem, at first sight, to be inappropriate for this office,
which commemorates only his humiliations. We
sang this fine Canticle on the night of our Emma-
nuel's birth at Bethlehem ; how comes it to be among
our present chants, which are all so sorrowful ? The
Church has chosen it, because one of the glories here
prophesied of Jesus is, that he shall deliver the poor
from the mighty ; and the needy that had no helper.
Mankind is this poor one ; Satan is the mighty one ;
Jesus is about to deliver us from his power, by suffer-
ing what we have deserved by our sins.
Ant. The Lord hath deli- Ant. Liberavit Dominus
vered the poor from the pauperem a potente, et ino-
mighty ; and the needy that pern, cui non erat adjutor.
had no helper.
PSALM 71.
Give to the king thy judg- Deus judicium tuum regi
ment, O God ; and to the da : * et justitiam tuam filio
king's son thy justice. regis.
To judge thy people with Judicare populum tuum in
justice, and thy poor with justitia : * et pauperes tuos
judgment. in judicio,
318
HOLY WEEK.
Suscipiant montes pacem
populo : * et colles justitiam.
Judicabit pauperes populi,
et salvos faciet filios paupe-
rum : * et humiliabit calum-
niator em.
Et permanebit cum sole,
et ante lunam : * in genera -
tione et generationem.
Descendet sicut pluvia in
vellus : * et sicut stillicidia
stillantia super terram.
Orietur in diebus ejus jus-
titia, et abundantia pacis : *
donee auferatur luna.
Et dominabitur a mari
usque ad mare : * et a flu-
mine usque ad terminos or-
bis terrarum.
Coram illo procident
JEthiopes : * et inimici ejus
terram lingent.
Kegis Tharsis et insulse
inunera offerent : * reges
Arabum et Saba dona ad-
ducent.
Et adorabunt eum omnes
reges terrse : * omnes gentes
servient ei.
Quia liberabit pauperem a
potente : * et pauperem cui
non erat adjutor.
Parcet pauperi et inopi : *
et animas pauperum salvas
faciet.
Ex usuris et iniquitate
redimet animas eorum : *
et honorabile nomen eorum
coram illo.
Et vivet, et dabitur ei de
Let the mountains receive
peace for the people, and the
hills justice.
He shall judge the poor of
the people, and he shall save
the children of the poor, and
he shall humble the oppres-
sor.
And his kingdom on earth
shall continue with the sun ;
and before the moon, through-
out all generations.
He shall come down like
rain upon the fleece : and as
showers falling gently upon
the earth.
In his days justice shall
spring up, and abundance of
peace : till the moon be taken
away.
And he shall rule from sea
to sea : and from the river
Jordan to the ends of the
earth.
Before him the Ethiopians
shall fall down : and his ene-
mies shall lick the ground.
The kings of Tharsis and
the islands shall offer pres-
ents : the kings of the Arabians
and of Saba shall bring gifts.
And all kings of the earth
shall adore him ; all nations
shall serve him.
For he shall deliver the poor
from the mighty : and the
needy that had no helper.
He shall spare the human
race, ivhich is poor and needy:
and he shall save the souls of
the poor.
He shall redeem their souls
from the usuries and iniquity
of Satan : and their name
shall be honourable in his
sight.
And he shall live, and to
MAUNDY THURSDAY ! TENEBR.E.
319
him shall be given of the
gold of Arabia : for him they
shall always adore ; they shall
bless him all the day.
He is the Bread of Life;
therefore, under his reign, there
shall he a firmament on the
earth, on the tops of moun-
tains : above Libanus shall the
fruit thereof be exalted : and
they of the city shall flourish
like the grass of the earth.
Let his name be blessed for
evermore : his name continu-
eth before the sun.
And in him shall all the
tribes of the earth be blessed :
all nations shall magnify him.
Blessed be the Lord the God
of Israel, who alone doth won-
derful things.
And blessed be the name
of his majesty for ever :
and the whole earth shall be
filled with his majesty. So be
it. So be it.
Ant. The Lord hath deli-
vered the poor from the
mighty ; and the needy that
had no helper.
auro Arabiae, et adorabunt
de ipso semper : * tota die
benedicent ei.
Et erit firmamentum in
terra in summis montium,
superextolletur super Liba-
num fructus ejus : * et flore-
bunt de civitate sicut
fcenum terrse.
Sit nomen ejus benedic-
tum in ssecula : * ante
solem permanet nomen ejus.
Et benedicentur in ipso
omnes tribus terrse : * omnes
gentes magnificabunt eum.
Benedictus Dominus De-
us Israel : * qui facit mira-
bilia solus.
Et benedictum nomen
majestatis ejus in seternum :
* et replebitur ma j estate
ejus omnis terra : fiat, fiat.
ANt. Liberavit Dominus
pauperem a potente, et
inopem, cui non erat ad-
jutor.
The fifth Psalm conveys a moral teaching, which,
if listened to, would correct many a false judgment
of the world. It often happens that men are shaken
at seeing the wicked prosperous, and the virtuous
afflicted. It was the temptation which overcame
the Apostles, when, seeing their Divine Master in
the hands of his enemies, they lost their faith in him
as the Messias. The Psalmist owns that he himself
was troubled by the same kind of thought ; but (rod
enlightened him to see the truth : it is, that if Divine
Providence permit iniquity to triumph for a time,
the day is sure to come, when he will punish the
320
HOLY WEEK.
wicked, and avenge the just that have suffered per-
secution.
Ant. Cogitaverunt impii,
et locuti sunt nequitiam :
iniquitatem in excelso locuti
sunt.
Ant. The ungodly have
thought and spoken wicked-
ness : they have spoken ini-
quity on high.
PSALM 72.
Quam bonus Israel Deus : *
his qui recto sunt corde.
Mei autem pene moti
sunt pedes : * pene effusi
sunt gressus mei :
Quia zelavi super iniquos,
* pacem peccatorum videns.
Quia non est respectus
morti eorum : * et firma-
mentum in plaga eorum.
In labore hominum non
sunt : * et cum hominibus
non flagellabuntur.
Ideo tenuit eos superbia :
* operti sunt iniquitate et
impietate sua.
Prodiit quasi ex adipe
iniquitas eorum : * tran-
sierunt in affectum cordis.
Cogitaverunt et locuti
sunt nequitiam : * iniquita-
tem in excelso locuti sunt.
Posuerunt in coelum os
suum : * et lingua eorum
transivit in terra.
Ideo convertetur populus
meus hie : * et dies pleni
invenientur in eis.
Et dixerunt. Quomodo
scit Deus : * et si est scien-
tia in excelso ?
How good is God to Israel,
to them that are of a right
heart !
But my feet were almost
moved; my steps had well
nigh slipt :
Because I had a zeal on
occasion of the wicked, seeing
the prosperity of sinners.
For there is no regard to
their death ; nor is their
strength in their stripes.
They are not in the labour
of men ; neither shall they be
scourged like other men.
Therefore pride hath held
them fast : they are covered
with their iniquity and their
wickedness.
Their iniquity hath come
forth, as it were from fatness :
they have passed into the
affection of the heart.
They have thought and
spoken wickedness : they have
spoken iniquity on high.
They have set their mouth
against heaven : and their
tongue hath passed through
the earth.
Therefore will my people
return here : and full days
shall be found in them.
And they said : How doth
God know, and is their know-
ledge in the Most High ?
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENEBRJR.
321
Behold these are sinners ;
and yet abounding in the
world, they have obtained
riches.
And I said : Then have I
in vain justified my heart,
and washed my hands among
the innocent.
And I have been scourged
all the day, and my chastise-
ment hath been in the morn-
ings.
If I said : I will speak thus :
behold I should condemn the
generation of thy children.
I studied that I might know
this thing : it is as labour in
my sight :
Until I go into the sanctu-
ary of God, and understand
concerning their last ends.
But indeed for deceits thou
hast put it to them : when
they were lifted up, thou hast
cast them down.
How are they brought to
desolation ! they have sud-
denly ceased to be : they have
perished by reason of their
iniquity.
As the dream of them that
awake, O Lord, so in thy city
thou shalt bring their image
to nothing.
For my heart hath been in-
flamed, and my reins have
been changed : and I am
brought to nothing, and I
knew not.
I am become as a beast be-
fore thee : and I am always
with thee.
Thou hast held me by my
right hand : and by thy will
thou hast conducted me : and
with glory thou hast received
me.
Ecce ipsi peccatores, et
abundantes in saeculo : * ob-
tinuerunt divitias.
Et dixi : Ergo sine causa
justificavi cor meum : * et
lavi inter innocentes maims
meas.
Et fui flagellatus tota die :
* et castigatio mea in matu-
tinis.
Si dicebam : Narrabo sic :
* ecce nationem filiorum
tuorum reprobavi.
Existimabam ut cogno-
scerem hoc : * labor est aDte
me :
Donee intrem in sanctua-
rium Dei : * et intelligam
in novissimis eorum.
Verumtamen propter do-
los posuisti eis : * dejecisti
eos dum allevarentur.
Quomodo facti sunt in
desolationem, subito defe-
cerunt : * perierunt propter
iniquitatem suam.
Velut somnium surgen-
tium, Domine : * in civitate
tua imaginem ipsorum ad
nihilum rediges.
Quia inflammatum est
cor meum, et renes mei
commutati sunt : * et ego
ad nihilum redactus sum,
et nescivi.
Ut jumentum f actus sum
apud te : * et ego semper te-
cum.
Tenuisti manum dexte-
ram rneam : et in voluntate
tua deduxisti me : * et cum
gloria suscepisti me.
322
HOLY WEEK.
Quid enim mini est in
coelo : * et a te quid volui
super terrain ?
Defecit caro mea, et cor
meum : * Deus cordis mei
et pars mea Deus in seter-
num.
Quia ecce, qui elongant se
a te, peribunt : * perdidisti
omnes, qui fornicantur abs
te.
Mihi autem adhaerere Deo
bonum est : * ponere in Do-
mino Deo spem meam.
Ut annuntiem omnes
prsedicationes tuas : * in
portis filiae Sion.
Ant. Cogitaverunt impii,
et locuti sunt nequitiam :
iniquitatem in excelso lo-
cuti sunt.
For what have I in heaven ?
and besides thee, what do I
desire upon earth ?
For thee my flesh and my
heart hath fainted away : thou
art the God of my heart, and
the God that is my portion
for ever.
For behold they that go far
from thee shall perish : thou
hast destroyed all them that
are disloyal to thee.
But it is good for me to
stick close to my God, to put
my hope in the Lord God.
That I may declare all thy
praises in the gates of the
daughter of Sion.
Ant. The ungodly have
thought and spoken wicked-
ness : they have spoken ini-
quity on high.
The sixth Psalm is a reproach made to the enemies
of the Divine Worship. The Jews used it, for many
ages, against the Gentiles ; the Christians now apply
it to the Synagogue, which, after having crucified
the Son of Gk>d, did its utmost to destroy his Church,
by putting many of her children to death, and for-
bidding the Apostles to preach the name of Christ.
Ant. Exsurge, Domine,
et judica causam meam.
PSLAM
Ut quid Deus repulisti in
finem: * iratus est furor tuus
super oves pascuae tuse ?
Memor esto congregatio-
ns tuse : * quam possedisti
ab initio.
Redemisti virgam hseredi-
Ant. Arise, 0 Lord, and
judge my cause.
73.
O God, why hast thou cast
us off unto the end ? why is
thy wrath enkindled against
the sheep of thy pasture ?
Eemember thy congrega-
tion, which thou hast pos-
sessed from the beginning.
The sceptre of thy inherit-
MAUNDY THURSDAY 5 TENEBR-B.
323
ance which thou hast redeem-
ed : Mount Sion, in which
thou hast dwelt.
Lift up thy hands against
their pride unto the end : see
what things the enemy hath
done wickedly in the sanc-
tuary.
And they that hate thee
have made their boasts, in
the midst of thy solemnity.
They have set up their en-
signs for signs; and they
knew not : both in the going
out and on the highest top.
As with axes in a wood of
trees, they have cut down at
once the gates thereof : with
axe and hatchet they have
brought it down.
^hey have set fire to thy
sanctuary : they have defiled
the dwelling-place of thy
name on the earth.
They said in their heart, the
whole kindred of them togeth-
er : Let us abolish all the festi-
val days of God from the land.
Our signs we have not seen,
there is now no prophet : and
he will know us no more.
How long, O God, shall the
enemy reproach ? Is the ad-
versary to provoke thy name
for ever ?
Why dost thou turn away
thy hand ; and thy right hand
out of the midst of thy bosom
for ever ?
But God is our king before
ages : he hath wrought salva-
tion in the midst of the earth.
Thou by thy strength didst
make the sea firm : thou didst
crush the heads of the dragons
in the waters.
tatis tuae : * mons Sion in
quo habitasti in eo.
Leva manus tuas in su-
perbias eorum in finem : *
quanta malignatus est inimi-
cus in sancto.
Et gloriati sunt qui oderunt
te : * in medio solemnitatis
tuse.
Posuerunt signa sua, sig-
na : * et non cognoverunt
sicut in exitu super sum-
mum.
Quasi in silva lignorum
securibus exciderunt januas
ejus in idipsum : * in securi
et ascia dejecerunt earn.
Incenderunt igni sanc-
tuarium tuum : * in terra
polluerunt tabernaculum no-
minis tui.
Dixerunt in corde suo
cognatio eorum simul : *
Quiescere faciamus omnes
dies festos Dei a terra.
Signa nostra non vidi-
mus, jam non est propheta :
* et nos non cognoscet am-
plius.
Usquequo Deus imprope-
rabit inimicus : * irritat ad-
versaries nomen tuum in
finem ?
Ut quid avertis manum
tuam, et dexteram tuam : *
de medio sinu tuo in finem ?
Deus autem rex noster
ante ssecula : * operatus est
salutem in medio terrse.
Tu confirmasti in virtute
tua mare : * contribulasti
capita draconum in aquis.
324
HOLY WEEK.
Tu confregisti capita dra-
conis : * dedisti eum escam
populis JEthiopum.
Tu dirupisti fontes, et
torrentes : * tu siccasti flu-
vios Ethan.
Tuus est dies, et tua est
nox : * tu fabricatus es au-
roram et solem.
Tu fecisti omnes terminos
terrse : * sestatem et ver tu
plasmasti ea.
Memor esto hujus, inimi-
cus improperavit Domino : *
et populus insipiens incita-
vit nomen tuum.
Ne tradas bestiis animas
confitentes tibi : * et ani-
mas pauperum tuorum ne
obliviscaris in finem.
Respice in testamentum
tuum : * quia repleti sunt,
qui obscurati sunt, terrse
domibus iniquitatum.
Ne avertatur humilis fac-
tus confusus : * pauper et
inops laudabunt nomen tu-
um.
Exsurge Deus judica cau-
sam tuam : * memor esto
improperiorum tuorum, eo-
rum quae ab insipiente sunt
tota die.
Ne obliviscaris voces ini-
micorum tuorum : * super-
bia eorum qui te oderunt,
ascendit semper.
Ant. Exsurge, Domine,
et judica causam meam.
f. Deus meus, eripe me
de manu peccatoris.
Thou hast broken the heads
of the dragon : thou hast given
him to be meat for the Ethio-
pian people.
Thou hast broken up the
fountains, and the torrents :
thou hast dried up the Ethan
rivers.
Thine is the day, and thine
is the night : thou hast made
the moon and the sun.
Thou hast made all the
borders of the earth : the
summer and the spring were
formed by thee.
Remember this, the enemy
hath reproached the Lord :
and a foolish people hath pro-
voked thy name.
Deliver not up to beasts the
souls that confess to thee : and
forget not to the end the souls
of thy poor.
Have regard to thy cove-
nant : for they that are ob-
scure of the earth have been
filled with the dwellings of
iniquity.
Let not the humble be turn-
ed away with confusion : the
poor and needy shall praise
thy name.
Arise, O God, judge thy
own cause : remember the re-
proaches with which the
foolish man hath reproached
thee all the day.
Eorget not the voices of thy
enemies : the pride of them
that hate thee ascendeth con-
tinually.
Ant. Arise, O Lord, and
judge my cause.
f. O my God, deliver me
out of the hand of the sin-
ner.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENKBR^S.
325
$i. And out of the hand of
the transgressor of the law,
and of the unjust.
Bt. Et de manu contra le-
gem agentis et iniqui.
Here is said, in secret, the Pater noster.
For the Lessons of the second Nocturn, the
Church reads, each of these three days, a passage
from St. Augustine's Enarrations on the Psalms,
which are prophetic of our Lord's Passion.
FOURTH LESSON.
From the treatise of Saint
Augustine, Bishop, upon
the Psalms.
Pa. LTV.
Hear my prayer, 0 God,
and despise not my petition :
attend to me and hear me.
These are the words of a man
in trouble, solicitude, and af-
fliction. He pray3 in his great
sufferings, desiring to be freed
from some evil. Let us now
see what evil he lies under :
and when he has told it to us,
let us acknowledge ourselves
in it : that by partaking of the
affliction, we may join in his
prayer. I am become sorrow-
ful in my exercise, says he,
and 1 am troubled. Where
is he become sorrowful ?
where is he troubled ? He says,
In my exercise. He speaks of
the wicked men whom he
suffers, and calls such suffer-
ing of wicked men his ex-
ercise. Think not that the
wicked are in the world for
nothing, and that God works
no good with them. Every
wicked man lives, either to
Ex tractatu Sancti Augustini
Episcopi super Psalmos.
Ps. L1V.
Exaudi, Deus, orationem
meam, et ne despexeris de-
precationem meam : inten-
de mihi, et exaudi me. Sa-
tagentis, solliciti, in tribula-
tione positi verba sunt ista.
Orat multa patiens, de ma-
lo liberari desiderans. Su-
perest ut videamus in quo
malo sit ; et cum dicere cce-
perit, agnoscamus ibi nos
esse : ut communicata tri-
bulatione, conjungamus ora-
tionem. Contristatus sum,
inquit, in exercitatione mea,
et conturbatus sum. Ubi
contristatus ? ubi conturba-
tus ? In exercitatione mea,
inquit. Homines malos,
quos patitur, commemora-
tus est : eamdemque passio-
nem malorum hominum,
exercitationem suam dixit.
Ne putetis gratis esse malos
in hoc mundo, et nihil boni
de illis agere Deum. Omnia
malus, aut ideo vivit, ut
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HOLY WEEK.
corrigatur : aut ideo vivit,
ut per ilium bonus exercea-
tur.
gt. Amicus meus osculi
me tradidit signo : quern
osculatus fuero, ipse est,
tenete eum : hoc malum
fecit signum, qui per oscu-
lum adimplevit homicidium,
* Infelix prsetermisit pre-
tium sanguinis, et in fine
laqueo se suspendit.
f. Bonum erat ei, si na-
tus non fuisset homo ille.
* Infelix prsetermisit pre-
tium sanguinis, et in fine
laqueo se suspendit.
amend his life, or to exercise
the good man.
Bt. My friend hath betray-
ed me by the sign of a kiss :
Whom I shall kiss, that is He ;
hold him fast : this was the
wicked sign given by him,
who committed murder by a
kiss. * The unhappy wretch
returned the price of Blood,
and, in the end, hanged him-
self.
y. It had been well for that
man, had he never been born.
* The unhappy wretch re-
turned the price of Blood, and,
in the end, hanged himself.
FIFTH LESSON.
Utinam ergo qui nos mo-
do exercent, convertantur,
et nobiscum exerceantur :
tamen quamdiu ita sunt, ut
exerceant nos, non eos ode-
rimus : quia in eo quod
malus est quis eorum,
utrum usque in finem per-
severaturus sit, ignoramus.
Et plerumque cum tibi vi-
deris odisse inimicum, fra-
trem odisti, et nescis. Dia-
bolus, et angeli ejus in Scrip-
turis Sanctis manifestati
sunt nobis, quod ad ignem
seternum sint destinati : ip-
sorum tantum desperanda
est correctio, contra quos
habemus occultam luctam :
ad quam luctam nos armat
Apostolus, dicens : Non est
nobis colluctatio adversus
carnem et sanguinem : id
est, non ad-versus homines
quos videtis, sed adversus
principes, et potestates, et
Would to God, then, they
that now exercise us were con-
verted and exercised with us :
but let us not hate them,
though they continue to exer-
cise us ; for we know not
whether they will persevere
to the end in their wickedness.
And many times, when you
imagine that you hate your
enemy, it is your brother you
hate, though you are ignorant
of it. The holy Scriptures
plainly show us that the devil
and his angels are doomed to
eternal fire. It is only their
amendment we may despair
of, with whom we wage an in-
visible war; for which the
apostle arms us, saying : Our
conflict is not ivith flesh and
blood, that is not with the men
you see before your eyes, but
ivith the princes, and powers,
and rulers of the world oftliis
darkness. And lest by his
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENEBR^.
327
saying, of the world, you
might think perhaps, that the
devils are rulers of heaven
and earth, he added, of this
darkness. By the world, then,
he meant the lovers of the
world : by the ivorld, he meant
the impious and the wicked :
by the ivorld, he meant that
which the Gospel speaks of :
And the ivorld knew him not.
gt. Judas, the impious tra-
der, betrayed his Lord with a
kiss ; He, as an innocent
Lamb, refused not the kiss to
Judas : * Who, for a few
pence, delivered Christ up to
the Jews.
y. It would have been better
for him, had he not been born.
* Who, for a few pence, de-
livered Christ up to the Jews.
rectores mundi, tenebrarum
harum. Ne forte cum dixis-
set, mundi, intelligeres dse-
mones esse rectores cceli et
terrse : mundi dixit, tene-
brarum harum : mundi dixit,
amatorum mundi : mundi
dixit, impiorum et iniquo-
rum : mundi dixit, de quo
dicit Evangelium : Et mun-
dns eum non cognovit.
gt. Judas mercator pessi-
mus osculo petiit Dominum :
ille ut agnus innocens -non
negavit Judse osculum : *
Denariorum numero Chris-
tum Judseis tradidit.
y . Melius illi erat, si na-
tus non fuisset.
* Denariorum numero
Christum Judseis tradidit.
SIXTH LESSON.
For I have seen injustice
and strife in the city. See
the glory of the Cross ! That
Cross, that was an object of
derision to his enemies, is now
placed on the foreheads of
kings. The effect is a proof
of his power : he conquered
the world not by the sword,
but by the wood. The wood of
the Cross was thought a sub-
ject of scorn by his enemies,
who, as they stood before it,
shook their heads and said :
If he be the Son of God, let
him come down from the Cross.
He stretched forth his hand
to an unbelieving and sedi-
tious people. For if he is just
that lives by faith, he is un-
just that has not faith. By
Quoniam vidi iniquita-
tem et contradictionem in
civitate. Attende gloriam
Crucis ipsius. Jam in fron-
te regum crux ilia fixa est,
cui inimici insultaverunt.
Effectus probavit virtutem :
domuit orbem non ferro,
sed ligno. Lignum crucis
contumeliis dignum visum
est inimicis, et ante ipsum
lignum stantes caput agita-
bant, et dicebant : Si Filius
Dei est, descendat de cruce.
Extendebat ille manus suas
ad populum non credentem,
et contradicentem. Si enim
Justus est qui ex fide vivit,
iniquus est qui non habet
fidem. Quod ergo hie ait,
iniquitatem, perfidiam in-
2a
328
HOLY WEEK.
tellige. Videbat ergo Do-
mimis in civitate iniquita-
tem et contradictionem, et
extendebat manus suas ad
populum non credentem : et
tamen ipsos exspectans dice-
bat : Pater, ignosce illis,
quia nesciunt quid faciunt.
§!. Unus ex discipulis
meis tradet me hodie ; vse
illi per quern tradar ego ! *
Melius illi erat, si natus non
fuisset.
y. Qui intingit mecum
manum in paropside, hie
me traditurus est in manus
peccatorum.
* Melius illi erat, si natus
non fuisset.
Here is repeated : Unus
ex discipulis meis.
injustice then here you must
understand infidelity. Our
Lord, therefore saw injustice
and strife in the city, and
stretched forth his hands to
an unbelieving and seditious
people : and yet he waited
for them, saying : Father,
forgive them,, for they know
not what they do.
Bt. One of my Disciples
will this day betray me : wo
to him, by whom I shall be
betrayed ! * It had been
better for him, if he had not
been born.
P. He that dips his hand
with me in the dish, he it is
that is about to betray me
into the hands of sinners.
* It had been better for
him, if he had not been born.
Here is repeated : One of
my Disciples.
THIRD NOCTURN.
The seventh Psalm declares the vengeance of God
on those that excite his anger. It shows us what
will happen to the Synagogue ; after having obliged
the Messias to drink the bitter chalice of his Passion,
its own turn shall come, and it shall drink the cup
of God's wrath, even to the very dregs thereof.
Ant. I said to the wicked :
Speak not iniquity against
God.
Ant. Dixi iniquis : No-
lite loqui adversus Deum
iniquitatem.
PSALM 74.
Confitebimur tibi Deus :
* confitebimur, et iDvocabi-
mus nomen tuum.
Narrabimus mirabilia
tua : * cum accepero tern -
■pus, ego justitias judicabo.
We will praise thee, 0 God:
we will praise, and we will
call upon thy name.
We will relate thy won-
drous works : when, says the
Lord, I shall taka a time, I
will judge justice.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENEHR^E.
329
The earth is melted and all
that dwell therein : I have es-
tablished the pillars thereof.
I said to the wicked : Do
not act wickedly : and to the
sinners : Lift not up the
horn.
Lift not up your horn on
high : speak not iniquity
against God.
For neither from the east,
nor from the west, nor from
the desert hills : for God is
the judge.
One he putteth down, and
another he lifteth up. For
in the hand of the Lord there
is a cup of strong wine full
of mixture.
And he hath poured it out
from this to that : but the
dregs thereof are not emptied :
all the sinners of the earth
shall drink.
But I will declare for ever :
I will sing to the God of
Jacob.
And I will break all the
horns of sinners : but the
horns of the just shall be
exalted.
Ant. I said to the wicked :
Speak not iniquity against
God.
Liquefacta est terra, et om-
nes qui habitant in ea : * ego
confirmavi columnas ejus.
Dixi iniquis : Nolite ini-
que agere : et delinquen-
tibus : Nolite exaltare cor-
nu.
Nolite extollere in altum
cornu vestrum : * Nolite
loqui adversus Deum ini-
quitatem.
Quia neque ab oriente,
neque ab occidente, neque
a desertis montibus : * quo-
niam Deus judex est.
Hunc humiliat, et hunc
exaltat : * quia calix in
manu Domini vini meri ple-
nus mixto.
Et inclinavit ex hoc in
hoc : verumtamen fsex ejus
non est exinanita : * bibent
omnes peccatores terrae.
Ego autem annuntiabo in
sseculum : * cantabo Deo
Jacob.
Et omnia cornua, peccato-
rum confringam : * et exal-
tabuntur cornua justi.
Ant. Dixi iniquis : Nolite
loqui adversus Deum ini-
quitatem.
The eighth Psalm was written after David had
conquered his enemies. He speaks of the peace that
was restored to Sion, and of the sudden vengeance
of God that overtook the wicked. The enemies of
our Saviour were sleeping their sleep ; when, suddenly,
the earth trembled, and God arose to judge them.
Ant. The earth trembled,
and was still, when God arose
in judgment,
Ant. Terra tremuit et
quievit, dum exsurgeret in
judicio Deus,
330
HOLY WEEK,
PSALM 75.
Notus in Judaea Dens : * in
Israel magnum nomen ejus.
Et factus est in pace locus
ejus : * et habitatio ejus in
Sion.
Ibi confregit potentias ar-
cuum : * scutum, gladium,
et bellum.
Illuminans tu mirabiliter
a montibus aeternis : * tur-
bati sunt omnes insipientes
corde.
Dormierunt somnum su-
um : * et nihil invenerunt
omnes viri divitiarum in
manibus suis.
Ab increpatione tua Deus
Jacob : * dormitaverunt qui
ascenderunt equos.
Tu terribilis es, et quis
resistet tibi : * ex tunc ira
tua.
De coelo auditum fecisti
judicium : * terra tremuit
et quievit.
Cum exsurgeret in judi-
cium Deus : * ut salvos face-
ret omnes mansuetos terrae.
Quoniam cogitatio homi-
nis confitebitur tibi : * et
reliquiae cogitationis diem
festum agent tibi.
Vovete et reddite Domino
Deo vestro : * omnes qui in
circuitu ejus affertis munera.
Terribili et ei qui aufert
spiritum principum : * ter-
ribili apud reges terrae.
Ant. Terra tremuit et
quievit, dum exsurgeret in
judicio Deus.
In Judea God is known,
bis name is great in Israel.
And his place is in peace,
and his abode in Sion.
There hath he broken the
power of bows, the shield,
the sword, and the battle.
Thou enlightenest wonder-
fully from the everlasting
hills : all the foolish of heart
were troubled.
They have slept their sleep :
and all the men of riches have
found nothing in their hands.
At thy rebuke, O God of
Jacob , they have all slumbered
that mounted on horseback.
Thou art terrible, and who
shall resist thee ? from that
time thy wrath.
Thou hast caused judgment
to be heard from heaven : the
earth trembled and was still.
When God arose in judg-
ment, to save all the meek of
the earth.
For the thought of man
shall give praise to thee : and
the remainders of the thought
shall keep holyday to thee.
Vow ye, and pray to the
Lord your God : all you that
round about him bring pres-
ents.
To him that is terrible, even
to him who taketh away the
spirit of princes ; to the terri-
ble with the kings of the
earth.
Ant. The earth trembled,
and was still, when God arose
in judgment.
MAUNDY THURSDAY '. TENEBR^E .
331
The ninth Psalm tells us of David's tribulation,
when his son Absalom, — the type of the Jewish
people, — raised the standard of revolt against him.
The Royal Prophet, who is the figure of Christ, loses
not his confidence in the midst of his trials. The
recollection of the wonderful works wrought by Grod
in favour of His people, animates his courage, and he
feels that this same merciful God will deliver him.
Ant. In the day of my tri-
bulation, I sought God with
my hands raised up in prayer.
PSALM
Ant. In die tribulationis
meae Deum exquisivi mani-
bus meis.
76.
I cried to the Lord with
my voice ; to God with my
voice, and he gave ear to me.
In the day of my trouble
I sought God : with my hands
lifted up to him in the night,
and I was not deceived.
My soul refused to be com-
forted ; I remembered God,
and was delighted, and was
exercised, and my spirit
swooned away.
My eyes prevented the
watches : I was troubled, and
I spoke not.
I thought upon the days of
old : and I had in my mind
the eternal years.
And I meditated in the
night with my own heart, and
I was exercised, and I swept
my spirit.
Will God then cast off for
ever ? or will he never be
more favourable again ?
Or will he cut off his mercy
for ever, from generation to
generation ?
Or will (x.ocl, forget to show
Voce mea ad Dominum
clamavi : * voce mea ad
Deum, et intendit mihi.
In die tribulationis meae
Deum exquisivi, manibus
meis nocte contra eum : * et
non sum deceptus.
Renuit consolari anima
mea : * memor fui Dei, et
delectatus sum, et exercita-
tus sum, et defecit spiritus
meus.
Anticipaverunt vigilias
oculi mei : * turbatus sum,
et non sum locutus.
Cogitavi dies antiquos : *
et annos aeternos in mente
habui.
Et meditatus sum nocte
cum corde meo : * et exerci-
tabar, et scopebam spiritum
meum.
Numquid in aeternum
projiciet Deus : * aut non
apponet ut complacitior sit
adhuc ?
Aut in finem misericor-
diam suam abscindet : * a
generatione in generatio-
nem?
Aut obliviscetur misereri
332
HOLY WEEK,
Deus : * aut continebit in
ira sua misericordias suas ?
Et dixi : nunc ccepi : *
hsec mutatio dexterae Excel -
si.
Memor fui operum Do-
mini : * quia memor ero ab
initio mirabilium tuorum.
Et meditabor in omnibus
operibus tuis : * et in adin-
ventionibus tuis exercebor.
Deus in sancto via tua :
quis Deus magnus sicut
Deus noster ? * Tu es Deus,
qui facis mirabilia.
Notum fecisti in populis
virtutem tuam : * redemisti
in brachio tuo populum
tuum, filios Jacob et Joseph.
Viderunt te aquae Deus,
viderunt te aquse : * et ti-
muerunt, et turbatse sunt
abyssi.
Multitudo sonitus aqua-
rum : * vocem dederunt
nubes.
Etenim sagittse tuae tran-
seunt : * vox tonitrui tui in
rota.
Illuxerunt coruscationes
tuse orbi terrse : * commota
est et contremuit terra.
In mari via tua, et semi-
tae tuse in aquis multis : * et
vestigia tua non cognoseen-
tur.
Deduxisti sicut oves po-
pulum tuum : * in manu
Moysi et Aaron.
Ant. In die tribulationis
mese Deum exquisivi ma-
nibus meis.
y. Exsurge, Domiiie.
mercy ? or will he in his anger
shut up his mercies ?
And I said : Now have I
begun : this is the change of
the right hand of the Most
High.
I remembered the works of
the Lord ; for I will be mind-
ful of thy wonders from the
beginning.
And I will meditate on all
thy works ; and will be em-
ployed in thy inventions.
Thy ^ay, O God, is in the
holy place : who is the great
God like our God ? Thou art
the God that dost wonders.
Thou hast made thy power
known among the nations :
with thy arm thou hast re-
deemed thy people, the chil-
dren of Jacob and Joseph.
The waters saw thee, O God,
the waters saw thee ; and
they were afraid, and the
depths were troubled.
Great was the noise of the
waters : the clouds sent out
a sound.
Eor thy arrows pass : the
voice of thy thunder in a
wheel.
Thy lightnings enlightened
the world, the earth shook
and trembled.
Thy way is in the sea, and
thy paths in many waters ;
and thy footsteps shall not
be known.
Thou hast conducted thy
people like sheep, by the hand
of Moses and Aaron.
Ant. In the day of my
tribulation, I sought God
with my hands raised up in
prayer.
f. Arise, O kord<
MAUNDY THURSDAY '. TENEBRJE.
33*
#. And judge my cause.
£. Et
meam.
j udica causam
Here is said the Pater nosier, in secret.
The Lessons of the third Nocturn are taken from
St. Paid. After having reproved the Faithful of
Corinth for the abuses which had crept into their
assemblies, he relates the institution of the Holy
Eucharist, which took place to-day (Thursday) ; and
after showing us the dispositions, wherewith we
should approach the Holy Table, he speaks of the
enormity of the crime of an unworthy Communion.
SEVENTH LESSON.
From the first Epistle of Saint
Paul, the Apostle, to the
Corinthians.
Ch. XL
Now this I ordain : not
praising you, that you come
together, not for the better,
but for the worse. For first
of all I hear that when you
come together in the Church,
there are divisions among
you, and in part I believe it.
For there must be, also, here-
sies ; that they also, who are
approved, may be made mani-
fest among you. When you
come together therefore into
one place, it is not now to eat
the Lord' s Supper. For every
one taketh before his own
supper to eat. And one in-
deed is hungry, and another
is drunk. What, have you not
houses to eat and drink in ?
Or despise ye the Church of
God, and put them to shame
that have not ? What shall
I say to you ? Do I praise
you ? In this I praise you not.
De Epistola prima Beati
Pauli Apostoli ad Corin-
thios.
Cap. XI.
Hoc autem praecipio :
non laudans quod non in
melius, sed in deterius con-
venitis. Primum quidem
convenientibus vobis in ec-
clesiam, audio scissuras esse
inter vos, et ex parte credo.
Nam oportet et haereses
esse, ut et qui probati sunt,
manifesti fiant in vobis.
Convenientibus ergo vobis
in unum, jam non est Do-
minicam Ccenam mandu-
care. Unusquisque enim
suam coenam prsesumit ad
manducandum. Et alius
quidem esurit, alius autem
ebrius est. Numquid do -
mos non habetis ad mandu-
candum et bibendum ? Aut
Ecclesiam Dei contemnitis,
et confunditis eos qui non
habent ? Quid dicam vobis ?
Laudo vos ? In hoc non
laudo.
334
HOLY WEEK.
gt. Eram quasi agnus in-
nocens : ductus sum ad im-
molandum, et nesciebam :
consilium fecerunt inimici
mei adversum me, dicentes :
* Venite mittamus lignum
in panem ejus, et eradamus
eum de terra viventium.
y. Omnes inimici mei
adversum me cogitabant
mala mihi : verbum ini-
quum mandaverunt adver-
sum me, dicentes :
* Venite, mittamus lig-
num in panem ejus, et era-
damus eum de terra viven-
tium.
#. I was like an innocent
Lamb ; I was led to be sacri-
ficed, and I knew it not : my
enemies conspired against me,
saying : * Come, let us put
wood into his bread, and root
him out of the land of the
living.
$. All my enemies devised
evil things against me : they
uttered a wicked speech
against me, saying :
* Come, let us put wood into
his bread, and root him out
of the land of the living.
EIGHTH LESSON.
Ego enim accepi a Domino,
quod et tradidi vobis, quo-
niam Dominus Jesus, in
qua nocte tradebatur, acce-
pit panem, et gratias agens
f regit et dixit : Accipite, et
manducate : hoc est Corpus
meum, quod pro vobis trade -
tar : hoc facite in meam
commemorationem. Simi-
liter et calicem post quam
coenavit dicens : Hie calix
novum testamentum est in
meo Sanguine. Hoc facite
quotiescumque bibetis, in
meam commemorationem.
Quotiescumque enim man-
ducabitis panem hunc, et
calicem bibetis, mortem
Domini annuntiabitis donee
veniat.
gt. Una hora non potuis-
tis vigilare mecum, qui
exhortabimini mori pro
me ? * Vel Judam non vide-
tis, quomodo non dormit, sed
festinat tradere me Judseis ?
For I have received of the
Lord that which also I deliv-
ered to you, that the Lord
Jesus, the same night in which
he was betrayed, took bread,
and giving thanks, broke it
and said : Take ye, and eat :
this is my body which shall
be delivered for you : this do
for the commemoration of me.
In like manner also the
chalice, after he had supped,
saying.: This chalice is the
new testament in my Blood :
this do ye, as often as you
shall drink it, for the com-
memoration of me. For as
often as you shall eat this
bread, and drink this chalice,
you shall show the death of
the Lord until he come.
&. Could ye not watch one
hour with me, ye that exhort-
ed each other to die for me ?
* Or see ye not how Judas
sleepethnot, but maketh speed
to deliver me up to the Jews ?
MAUNDY THURSDAY .* TENEBR^E.
335
f. Why sleep ye ? Arise,
and pray, lest ye enter into
temptation.
* Or see ye not how Judas
sleepeth not, but maketh
speed to deliver me up to the
Jews ?
^ . Quid dormitis ? Surgi-
te, et orate, ne intretis in
tentationem.
* Vel Judam non videtis,
quomodo non dormit, sed
festinat tradere me Judseis ?
NINTH LESSON.
Wherefore whosoever shall
eat this bread, or drink the
chalice of the Lord unwor-
thily, shall be guilty of the
body and of the blood of the
Lord. But let a man prove
himself : and so let him eat of
that bread, and drink of the
chalice. For he that eateth
and drinketh unworthily, eat-
eth and drinketh judgment to
himself, not discerning the
body of the Lord. Therefore
are there many infirm and
weak among you, and many
sleep. But if we would judge
ourselves, we should not be
judged. But whilst we are
judged, we are chastised by
the Lord, that we be not
condemned with this world.
Wherefore , my brethren , wh en
you come together to eat, wait
for one another. If any man
be hungry let him eat at home ;
that you come not together
unto j udgment. And the rest I
will set in order when I come.
gt. The ancients of the peo-
ple consulted together, * How
they might, by craft, appre-
hend Jesus, and kill him :
they went forth with swords
and clubs, as to a thief.
jp. The Priests and Phari-
sees held a council.
Itaque quicumque man-
ducaverit panem hunc, vel
biberit calicem Domini in-
digne, reus erit Corporis et
Sanguinis Domini. Probet
autem seipsum homo ; et sic
de pane illo edat, et de calice
bibat. Qui enim manducat
et bibit indigne, judicium
sibi manducat et bibit, non
dijudicans Corpus Domini.
Tdeo inter vos multi infirmi
et imbecilles, et dormiunt
multi. Quod si nosmetipsos
dijudicaremus, non utique
dijudicaremur. Dum judi-
camur autem, a Domino
corripimur, ut non cum hoc
mundo damnemur. Itaque
fratres mei, cum convenitis
ad manducandum, invicem
exspectate. Si quis esurit,
domi manducet : ut non in
judicium conveniatis. Ceete-
ra autem, cum venero, dis-
ponam.
§t. Seniores populi consi-
lium fecerunt, * Ut Jesum
dolo tenerent, et occide-
rent : cum gladiis et fusti-
bus exierunt tamquam ad
latronem.
t. Colligerunt Pontifices
et Pharissei concilium.
336
HOLY WEEK.
* Ut Jesum dolo tene-
rent, et occiderent : cum
gladiis et fustibus exierunt
tanquam ad latronem.
Here is repeated : Seniores
populi.
* How they might, by craft,
apprehend Jesus, and kill
him : they went forth with
swords and clubs, as to a thief.
Here is repeated : The an-
cients.
LAUDS.
The first Psalm is the one written by David after
his sin, in which he so feelingly and so humbly
breathes forth, his repentance. The Church invaria-
bly makes use of this Psalm, when she sues to Grod
for mercy ; and of all the canticles of the Eoyal
Prophet, there is not one which is so familiar to the
Faithful as this.
Ant. Justificeris, Domine,
in sermonibus tuis, et vin-
cas cum judicaris.
Atft. Be thou justified, O
Lord, in thy words, and over-
come, when thou art judged.
PSALM 50.
Miserere mei, Deus : * se-
cundum magnam misericor-
diam tuam.
Et secundum multitudi-
nem miserationum tuarum :
* dele iniquitatem meam.
Amplius lava me ab ini-
quitate mea : * et a peccato
meo munda me.
Quoniam iniquitatem me-
am ego cognosco : * et pec-
catum meum contra me est
semper.
Tibi soli peccavi, et malum
coram te feci: * ut j ustificeris
in sermonibus tuis, et vincas
cum judicaris.
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to thy great mercy.
And according to the mul-
titude of thy tender mercies,
blot out my iniquities.
Wash me yet more from my
iniquity : and cleanse me from
my sin.
For I know my iniquity :
and my sin is always before
me.
To thee only have I sinned,
and have done evil before
thee : / confess it : do thou
'pardon me, that thou may est
be justified in thy words, and
mayest overcome when thou
art judged.
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337
For behold I was conceived
in iniquities : and in sins did
my mother conceive me.
For behold thou hast loved
truth : the uncertain and hid-
den things of thy wisdom thou
hast made manifest to me.
Thou shalt sprinkle me with
hyssop, aa is a leper, and I
shall be cleansed : thou shalt
wash me, and I shall be made
whiter than snow.
To my hearing thou shalt
give joy and gladness : and
the bones that have been
humbled shall rejoice.
Turn away thy face from
my sins : and blot out all my
iniquities.
Create a clean heart in me,
O God : and renew a right
spirit within my bowels.
Cast me not away from thy
face : and take not thy holy
Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of
thy salvation : and strengthen
me with a perfect spirit.
I will teach the unjust thy
ways : and the wicked shall
be converted to thee.
Deliver me from blood, O
God, the God of my salva-
tion : and my tongue shall
extol thy justice.
O Lord, thou wilt open my
lips : and my mouth shall de-
clare thy praise.
For if thou hadst desired
sacrifice, I would indeed have
given it : with burnt-offerings
thou wilt not be delighted.
A sacrifice to God is an
afflicted spirit : a contrite and
humble heart, 0 God, thou
wilt not despise.
Ecce enim in iniquitati-
bus conceptus sum : * et in
peccatis concepit me mater
mea.
Ecce enim veritatem di-
lexisti : * incerta et occulta
sapientise tuse manifestasti
mihi.
Asperges me hyssopo, et
mundabor : * lavabis me, et
super nivem dealbabor.
Auditui meo dabis gau-
dium et lsetitiam : * et exsul-
tabunt ossa humiliata.
Averte faciem tuam a
peccatis meis : * et omnes
iniquitates meas dele.
Cor mundum crea in me,
Deus : * et spiritum rectum
innova in visceribus meis.
Ne projicias me a facie
tua : * et spiritum sanctum
tuum ne auferas a me.
Redde mihi lsetitiam salu-
taris tui : * et spiritu prin-
cipal! confirma me.
Docebo iniquos vias tuas :
* et impii ad te converten-
tur.
Libera me de sanguinibus
Deus, Deus salutis mese : *
et exsultabit lingua mea jus-
titiam tuam.
Domine, labia mea ape-
ries : * et os meum annun-
tiabit laudem tuam.
Quoniam si voluisses sa-
crificium dedissem utique : *
holocaustis non delectabe-
ris.
Sacrificium Deo spiritus
contribulatus : * cor contri-
tum et humiliatum, Deus,
£on despicies.
338
HOLY WEEK.
Benigne fac Domine in
bona voluntate tua Sion : *
ut aedificentur muri Jeru-
salem.
Tunc acceptabis sacrifi-
cium justitiae, oblationes, et
holocausta: * tunc impo-
nent super altare tuum
vitulos.
Ant. Justificeris, Domine,
in sermonibus tuis, et vin-
cas cum judicaris.
Deal favourably, 0 Lord,
in thy good -will with Sion :
that the walls of Jerusalem
may be built up.
Then shalt thou accept the
sacrifice of justice, oblations
and whole burnt-offerings :
then shall they lay calves upon
thy altar.
Ant. Be thou justified, O
Lord, in thy words, and over-
come, when thou art judged.
The second Psalm is one of those which is fixed
for the Thursday of each week : it is a prayer suit-
able for the morning. The Psalmist confesses the
nothingness of man, and the shortness of his life : he
asks Grod to bless the actions of the day. The Faith-
ful must not forget that the Office of Lauds is the
morning service, and its being said over night, during
these three days, is exceptional.
Ant. Dominus tamquam
ovis ad victimam ductus
est, et non aperuit os suum.
Ant. The Lord was led as
a sheep to the slaughter, and
he opened not his mouth.
PSALM 89.
Domine, refugium f actus
es nobis : * a generatione
in generationem.
Priusquam montes fie-
rent, aut formaretur terra
et orbis : * a saeculo et usque
in saeculum tu es Deus.
Ne avertas hominem in
humilitatem : * et dixisti :
Convertimini, filii homi-
num.
Quoniam mille anni ante
oculos tuos : * tanquam
dies hesterna quae praete-
riit.
Lord, thou hast been our
refuge : from generation to
generation.
Before the mountains were
made, or the earth and the
worldwas formed ; from eter-
nity and to eternity thou art
God.
Turn not man away to be
brought low ; and thou hast
said : Be converted, 0 ye
sons of men.
For a thousand years, in
thy sight, are but as yester-
day which is past and gone.
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339
And as a watch in the
night: as things that are
counted nothing, so shall thy
years be.
In the morning, man shall
grow up like grass, in the
morning he shall flourish and
pass away : in the evening
he shall fall, grow dry, and
wither.
For in thy wrath we are
quickly consumed : and are
troubled in thy indignation.
Thou hast set our iniquities
before thy eyes : our life in
the light of thy countenance.
For all our days are spent :
and in thy wrath we have
fainted away.
Our years shall be con-
sidered as a spider : the days
of our years in them are three-
score and ten years.
But if in the strong they be
fourscore years : and what is
more of them is labour and
sorrow.
For mildness is come upon
us; and we shall be corrected.
Who knoweth the power of
thy anger : and, for thy fear,
can number thy wrath ?
So make thy right hand
known : and make us learned
in heart in wisdom.
Return, O Lord, how long ?
and be entreated in favour of
thy servants.
We are filled in the morn-
ning with thy mercy; and
we are rejoiced, and are de-
lighted all our days.
We have rejoiced for the
day in which thou hast hum-
bled us : for the years in
which we have seen evils.
Et custodia in nocte : *
quse pro nihilo habentur,
eorum anni erunt.
Mane sicut herba trans -
eat, mane floreat, et trans-
eat : * vespere decidat, in-
duret, et arescat.
Quia defecimus in ira
tua : * et in furore tuo tur-
bati sumus.
Posuisti iniquitates nos-
tras in conspectu tuo : *
sseculum nostrum in illu-
minatione vultus tui.
Quoniam omnes dies nos-
tri defecerunt : * et in ira
tua defecimus.
Anni nostri sicut aranea
meditabuntur : * dies anno-
rum nostrorum in ipsis sep-
tuaginta anni.
Si autem in potentatibus,
octoginta anni : * et amplius
eorum labor et dolor.
Quoniam supervenit man-
suetudo : * et corripiemur.
Quis novit potestatem irse
tuse : * et prse timore tuo
iram tuam dinumerare ?
Dexteram tuam sic notam
fac : * et eruditos corde in
sapientia.
Convertere, Domine, us-
quequo : * et deprecabilis
esto super servos tuos.
Eepleti sumus mane mise:
ricordia tua : * et exsulta-
vimus, et delectati sumus
omnibus diebus nostris.
Lsetati sumus pro diebus,
quibus nos humiliasti : *
annis, quibus vidimus mala.
340
HOLY WEEK.
Respice in servos tuos, et
in opera tua : * et dirige
filios eorum.
Et sit splendor Domini
Dei nostri super nos, et
opera manuum nostrarum
dirige super nos : * et opus
manuum nostrarum dirige.
Ant. Dominus tanquam
ovis ad victimam ductus est,
et non aperuit os suum.
Look upon thy servants,
and upon their works : and
direct their children.
And let the brightness of
the Lord our God be upon us,
and direct thou the works of
our hands over us : yea, the
work of our hands do thou
direct.
Ant. The Lord was led as
a sheep to the slaughter, and
he opened not his mouth.
The third Psalm is one that is said every day
in Lauds, and the Church would not make these
three days an exception. It is the prayer of the soul,
turning towards her God at the dawn of day, and
assuring him of her confidence and love. It is always
joined to the 66th Psalm, in which the Royal Prophet
prays to Grod, at the rising of the sun, to bless the
world with the rays of his divine mercy.
Ant. Contritum est cor Ant. My heart is broken
meum in medio mei, contre- within me ; all my bones
muerunt omnia ossa mea. have trembled.
PSALM 62.
Deus, Deus meus : * 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
virtutem tuam, et gloriam
tuam.
Quoniam melior est miseri-
cordia tua super vitas : *
labia mea laudabunt te.
Sic benedicam te in vita
mea : * et in nomine tuo
levabo manus meas.
0 God, my God, to thee do
I watch at break of day.
For thee my soul hath
thirsted : for thee my flesh,
O 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 thy 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.
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341
Let my soul be filled as
with marrow and fatness :
and my mouth shall praise
thee with joyful lips.
If I have remembered thee
on my bed, I will meditate
on thee in the morning :
because 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 the portions of
foxes.
But the just man, being
delivered from danger, like a
king shall rejoice in God : all
they shall be praised that
swear by him : because the
mouth is stopped of them
that speak wicked things.
Sicut adipe et pinguedine
repleatur anima mea : »*P et
labiis exsultationis laudabit
os meum.
Si memor fui tui super
stratum meum, in matuti-
nis meditabor in te : * quia
fuisti adjutor meus.
Et in velamento alarum
tuarum exsultabo, adhsesit
anima mea post te : * me
suscepit dextera tua.
Ipsi vero in vanum quf©-
sierunt animam meam, in-
troibunt in inferiora terrse :
* tradentur in manus gladii,
partes vulpium erunt.
Rex vero lsetabitur in
Deo, laudabuntur omnes
qui jurant in eo : * quia
obstructum est os loquenti-
um iniqua.
PSALM 66.
May God have mercy on us,
and bless us : may he 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, thy salvation
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
directest the nations upon
earth.
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.
Lsetentur et exsultent
gentes : * quoniam judicas
populos in sequitate, et gen-
tes in terra dirigis.
342
HOLY WEEK.
Confiteantur tibi populi
Deus : confiteantur tibi
populi omnes : * terra dedit
fructum suum.
Benedicat nos Deus,
Deus noster, benedicat nos
Deus : * et metuant eum
omnes fines terrse.
Ant. Contritum est cor
meum in medio mei, con-
tremuerunt omnia ossa
mea.
Let the people, 0 God,
confess to thee, let all the
people give praise to thee.
The earth hath yielded her
fruit.
May God, our own God,
bless us, may God bless us :
and all the ends of the earth
fear him.
Ant. My heart is broken
within me ; all my bones have
trembled.
The sublime Canticle of Moses, which was sung
after the passage through the Red Sea, forms part
of Thursday's Lauds during the whole year. It is
peculiarly appropriate now, when our Catechumens
are about to receive holy Baptism. The Font will
be their Red Sea, wherein all their sins will be
drowned, as the Egyptians of old. The Israelites,
after having offered the sacrifice of the Paschal
Lamb, passed safely between the waves : our Cate-
chumens will come to the laver of regeneration full
of hope in the Sacrifice of the True Lamb, for his
Blood has imparted to the element of Water the
power of purifying the soul.
Ant. Exhortatus es in Ant. Thou hast encour-
virtute tua, et in refectione aged us by thy power, and by
sancta tua, Domine. thy holy refreshment, OLord!
CANTICLE OF MOSES.
(Exod. XV. J
Cantemus Domino : glo-
riose enim magnificatus est :
* equum et ascensorem de-
jecit in mare.
Fortitude mea et laus
mea Dominus : * et factus
est mihi in salutem.
Let us sing to the Lord :
for he is gloriously magnified :
the horse and the rider he hath
thrown into the sea.
The Lord is my strength
and my praise : and he is
become salvation to me.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENEBR.E.
343
He is my God, and I will
glorify him : the God of my
father, and I will exalt him.
The Lord is as a man of
war, Almighty is his name.
Pharaoh's chariots and his
army he hath cast into the
sea.
His chosen captains are
drowned in the Bed Sea.
The depths have covered
them, they are sunk to the
bottom like a stone.
Thy right hand, O Lord, is
magnified in strength ; thy
right hand, 0 Lord, hath
slain the enemy. And in the
multitude of thy power thou
hast put down thy adversaries.
Thou hast sent thy wrath,
which hath devoured them
like stubble. And with the
blast of thy anger the waters
were gathered together.
The flowing water stood,
the depths were gathered to-
gether in the midst of the sea.
The enemy said : I will
pursue and overtake, I will
divide the spoils, my soul
shall have its fill.
I will draw my sword, my
hand shall slay them.
Thy wind blew, and the
sea covered them : they sunk
as lead in the mighty waters.
Who is like to thee among
the strong, 0 Lord ? who is
like to thee, glorious in holi-
ness, terrible and praise-
worthy, doing wonders ?
Thou stretchedst forth thy
hand, and the earth swallow-
ed them. In thy mercy thou
Iste Deus meus, et glori-
ficabo eum : * Deus patris
mei, et exaltabo eum.
Dominus quasi vir pugna-
tor, Omnipotens nomen
ejus : * currus Pharaonis,
et exercitum ejus projecit in
mare.
Electi principes ejus sub-
mersi sunt in mari rubro : *
abyssi operuerunt eos, des-
cenderunt in profundum
quasi lapis.
Dextera tua, Domine,
magnificata est in fortitu-
dine : dextera tua, Domine,
percussit inimicum : * et in
multitudine gloriae tuse de-
posuisti adversarios tuos.
Misisti iram tuam, quae
devoravit eos sicut stipu-
lam : * et in spiritu f uroris
tui congregatse sunt aquae.
Stetit unda fluens : * con-
gregatse sunt abyssi in me-
dio mari.
Dixit inimicus : perse-
quar et comprehendam : *
dividam spolia, implebitur
anima mea.
Evaginabo gladium me-
um : * interficiat eos manus
mea.
Elavit spiritus tuus, et
operuit eos mare : * sub-
mersi sunt quasi plumbum
in aquis vehementibus.
Quis similis tui in forti-
bus, Domine : * quis similis
tui, magnificus in sanctitate,
terribilis atque laudabilis,
faciens mirabilia ?
Extendisti manum tuam,
et devoravit eos terra : *
dux fuisti in misericordia
2 b
344
HOLY WEEK.
tua populo quern rede-
misti.
Et portasti eum in forti-
tudine tua : * ad habitacu-
lum sanctum tuum.
Ascenderunt populi et
irati sunt : * dolores obti-
nuerunt habitatores Philis-
thiim.
Tunc conturbati sunt
principes Edom, robustos
Moab obtinuit tremor : *
obriguerunt omnes habita-
tores Chanaan.
Irruat super eos formido
et pavor : * in magnitudine
brachii tui.
Eiant immobiles quasi la-
pis, donee pertranseat po-
pulus tuus, Domine ^do-
nee pertranseat populus
tuus iste, quern possedisti.
Introduces eos, et planta-
bis in monte haereditatis
tuse : * firmissimo habita-
culo tuo, quod operatus es,
Domine :
Sanctuarium tuum, Do-
mine, quod firmaverunt ma-
nus tuse : * Dominus reg-
nabit in seternum, et ultra.
Ingressus est enim eques
Pharao cum curribus et
equitibus ejus in mare : * et
reduxit super eos Dominus
aquas maris.
Filii autem Israel ambu-
laverunt per siccum : * in
medio ejus.
Ant. Exhortatus es in
virtute tua, et in refectione
sancta tua Domine.
hast been a leader to the
people whom thou hast re-
deemed :
And in thy strength thou
hast carried them to thy
holy habitation.
Nations rose up, and were
angry : sorrows took hold of
the inhabitants of Philis-
thiim.
Then were the princes of
Edom troubled, trembling
seized on the stout men of
Moab : all the inhabitants of
Canaan became stiff.
Let fear and dread fall
upon them, in the greatness
of thy arm.
Let them become immove-
able as a stone, until thy
people, O Lord, pass by ; until
this thy people pass by,
which thou hast possessed.
Thou shalt bring them in
and plant them in the moun-
tain of thy inheritance, in thy
most firm habitation, which
thou hast made, 0 Lord :
Thy sanctuary, 0 Lord,
which thy hands have estab-
lished. The Lord shall reign
for ever and ever.
For Pharaoh went in on
horseback with his chariots
and horsemen into the sea :
and the Lord brought back
upon them the waters of the
sea.
But the children of Israel
walked on dry ground in the
midst thereof.
Ant. Thou hast encouraged
us by thy power, and by thy
holy refreshment, O Lord !
The last Psalm, which is always said at Lauds, is
MAUNDY THURSDAY ', TENEBR.E.
345
composed of the last three of the Psaltery. Their
theme is the ])raise of God, and this portion of the
canonical office is called, on that account, Lauds.
Ant. He was offered be-
cause it was his own will, and
he bore himself our sins.
Ant. Oblatus est quia
ipse voluit, et peccata nos-
tra ipse portavit.
PSALM 148.
Praise ye the Lord from
the heavens : praise ye him
in the high places.
Praise ye him, all his An-
gels : praise ye him all his
hosts.
Praise ye him, O sun and
moon : praise 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.
Laudate Dominum de cce-
lis : * laudate eum in ex-
celsis.
Laudate eum omnes An-
geli ejus : * laudate eum
omnes virtutes ejus.
Laudate eum sol et luna :
* laudate eum omnes stellse
et lumen.
Laudate eum cceli ccelo-
rum : * et aquae omnes,
quae super ccelos sunt, lau-
dent nomen Domini.
Quia ipse dixit, et facta
sunt : * ipse mandavit, et
creata sunt.
Statuit ea in aeternum, et
in saeculum saeculi : * prae-
ceptum posuit, et non prae-
teribit.
Laudate Dominum de
terra : * dracones et omnes
abyssi.
Ignis, grando, nix, glacies,
spiritus procellarum : * quae
faciunt verbum ejus.
Montes et omnes colles : *
ligna fructifera, et omnes
cedri.
Bestiae et universa peco-
ra : * serpentes et volucres
pennatae.
346
HOLY WEEK,
Keges terrse, et omnes po-
puli : * principes et omnes
judices terrse.
Juvenes et virgines : se-
ries cum junioribus laudent
nomon Domini : * quia ex-
altatum est nomen ejus so-
lius.
Confessio ejus super coe-
lum et terram : * et exalta-
vit cornu populi sui.
Hymnus omnibus Sanctis
ejus : * filiis Israel, populo
appropinquanti sibi.
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 exal-
ted.
The praise of him is above
heaven and earth : and he
hath exalted the horn of his
people.
A hymn to all his saints; to
the children of Israel, a peo-
ple approaching to him.
PSALM 149.
Cantate Domino canti-
cum novum : * laus ejus in
ecclesia sanctorum.
Lsetetur 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 salu-
tem.
Exsultabunt sancti in
floria : * lsetabuntur in cu-
ilibus suis,
Exsultationes Dei in gut-
ture eorum : * et gladii an-
cipites in manibus eorum.
Ad faciendam vindictam
in nationibus : * increpa-
tiones in populis.
Ad alligandos reges eo-
rum in compedibus : * et
nobiles eorum in manicis
feireis.
Sing ye to the Lord a new
canticle : let his praise be in
the church of the saints.
Let 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 sing to
him with the timbrel and the
psaltery.
For the Lord is well pleased
with his people : and he will
exalt the meek unto salva-
tion.
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.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TENKBR^.
347
To execute upon them the Ut faciant in eis judicium
judgment that is written : conscriptum : * gloria haec
this glory is to all his saints, est omnibus Sanctis ejus.
PSALM 150.
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 accord-
ing to the multitude of his
greatness.
Praise him with sound of
trumpet : praise him with
psaltery and harp.
Praise him with timbrel
and choir : praise him with
strings and organs.
Praise him on high-sound-
ing cymbals : praise him on
cymbals of j oy : let every spi-
rit praise the Lord.
Ant. He was offered be-
cause it was his own will, and
he bore himself our sins.
^. The man of my peace, in
whom I trusted ;
gt. Who eat my bread, hath
greatly supplanted me.
Laudate Dominum in
Sanctis ejus : * laudate eum
in firmamento virtutis ejus.
Laudate eum in virtu-
tibus ejus : * laudate eum
secundum multitudinem
magnitudinis ejus.
Laudate eum in sono
tuboe : * laudate eum in
psalterio et cithara.
Laudate eum in tympano
et choro : * laudate eum in
chordis et organo.
Laudate eum in cym-
balis benesonantibus : lau-
date eum in cymbalis jubila-
tionis : * omnis spiritus lau-
det Dominum.
Ant. Oblatus est quia
ipse voluit, et peccata nostra
ipse portavit.
y. Homo pacis mese, in
quo speravi.
$. Qui edebat panes me-
os, ampliavit adversum me
supplantationem.
The Church now intones the sweet Canticle of
Zachary, which she repeats every morning. Its
joyous accents strangely contrast with the sadness
caused in us by the Passion of our Jesus, the Sun of
Justice. It was during these very days, that the
remission of sins was wrought through the bowels of
the mercy of our God ; but the Divine Orient rises
not upon us from on high and in his splendour ; he
is about to set on Calvary by the most cruel of deaths.
Let us weep for ourselves, whilst we weep for Him ;
but let us look forward to his Resurrection, which is
to be ours also.
348
HOLY WEEK.
Ant. Traditor autem de-
dit eis signum, dicens :
Quern osculatus fuero, ipse
est, tenete eum.
Ant. But the traitor gave
them a sign, saying : He that
I shall kiss, that is He ; hold
him fast.
CANTICLE OF ZACHARY.
(St. Luke, I J
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
nostrum : * daturum se no-
bis.
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 : * praoibis
enim ante faciem Domini
parare vias ejus.
Ad dandam scientiam sa-
lutis plebi ejus : * in remis-
sionem peccatorum eorum.
Per viscera misericordiae
Dei nostri : * in quibus
visitavit nos Oriens ex alto.
Blessed be the Lord God of
Israel, because he hath visited
and wrought the redemption
of his people :
And hath raised up a horn
of salvation to us, in the house
of David his servant.
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 covenant.
The oath which he swore to
Abraham our father, that he
would grant to us.
That being delivered from
the hands of our enemies, we
may serve him without fear.
In holiness and justice be-
fore him, all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be
called the prophet of the High-
est : for thou shalt go before
the face of the Lord to pre-
pare his ways.
To give knowledge of salva-
tion to his people, unto the
remission of their sins.
Through the bowels of the
mercy of our God : in which
the Orient from on high hath
yisited us :
MAUNDY THURSDAY I TENEBRvE. 349
To enlighten them that sit Illuminare his, qui in te-
in darkness, and in the shadow nebris et in umbra mortis
of death : to direct our feet in sedent : * ad dirigendos pe-
the way of peace. des nostros in viam pacis.
Ant. But the traitor gave Ant. Traditor autem de-
them a sign, saying : He that dit eis signum, dicens :
I shall kiss, that is He ; hold Quern osculatus fuero, ipse
him fast. est, tenete eum.
As soon as the Antiphon is finished, the Choir
sings, to a most plaintive chant, the following words,
which are continually on the lips of the Church dur-
ing these three days :
y. Christ became, for our $\ Christus f actus est pro
sakes, obedient unto death. nobis obediens usque ad
mortem.
Immediately after this is said, in secret, the Pater
noster, which is followed hy the Psalm Miserere
(page 336J ; it is recited with a suppressed voice,
by alternate choirs. Finally, the first in dignity
says the following Prayer.
Look down, O Lord, we Eespice, quaesumus, Do-
beseech thee, upon this thy mine, super hanc familiam
family, for which our Lord tuam : pro qua Dominus
Jesus Christ hesitated not to noster Jesus Christus non
be delivered into the hands dubitavit manibus tradi no-
of wicked men, and undergo centium, et crucis subire
the punishment of the Cross : tormentum :
(then, the rest in secret :)
Who liveth and reigneth Qui tecum vivit et regnat,
with thee, in the unity of the in unitate Spiritus Sancti,
Holy Ghost, God, world with- Deus, per omnia saecula
out end. Amen. sseculorum. Amen.
The gradual putting out the candles, — the taking
the one that is left lighted, its being concealed and
then shown again, — the noise which is made at the
350 HOLY WEEK.
end, — all these ceremonies have been already ex-
plained : see page 303.
THE MORNING.
This is the first day of the Azymes, or Feast of the
Unleavened Bread. At sun-set, the Jews must eat
the Pasch in Jerusalem. Jesus is still in Bethania ;
but he will return to the City before the hour for
the Paschal supper. The Law commands this ; and,
until he has abrogated the Law by the shedding of
his Blood, he wishes to observe its ordinances. He
therefore sends two of his Disciples to get everything
ready for the Pasch, without, however, telling them
the great Mystery, wherewith it is to terminate.
We who know it, and that it was at this Last
Supper that was instituted the Sacrament of the
Eucharist, we can understand why he sends Peter
and John, in preference to any of the other Dis-
ciples, to prepare what is needed.1 Peter, who was
the first to confess the Divinity of Jesus, represents
Faith : and John, who leaned upon the breast of the
Man-God, represents Love. The mystery, which is
to be instituted at to-night's Supper, is revealed to
Love by Faith. It is this that Jesus would have us
learn from his choice of the two Apostles ; but they
themselves see not the intention of their Master.
Jesus, who knew all things, tells them by what
sign they are to know the house, which he intends to
honour with his presence : they have but to follow a
man, whom they will see carrying a pitcher of water.
The house to which this man is going, belongs to a
rich Jew, who recognises Jesus as the Messias. The
two Apostles apprise him of their Master's wishes ; and
immediately he puts at their disposal a large and
richly furnished room. It was fitting, that the place,
1 St. Luke, xxii. 8.
MAUNDY THURSDAY I HISTORY. 351
where the most august Mystery was to he instituted,
should he something above the common. This Room,
where the reality was to he substituted for all the
ancient figures, was far superior to the Temple of
Jerusalem. In it was to be erected the first Altar
for the offering up of the clean oblation, foretold by
the Prophet : l in it was to commence the Christian
Priesthood : in it, finally, fifty days later on, the Church
of Christ, collected together and visited by the Holy
Grhost, was to make herself known to the world, and
promulgate the new and universal Covenant of (rod
with men. This favoured sanctuary of our Faith, is
still venerated on Mount Sion. The Infidels have
profaned it by their false worship, for even they look
on it as a sacred place ; but as though Divine
Providence, which has mercifully preserved unto us
so many traces of our Redeemer, would give us an
earnest of better days to come, — this venerable
sanctuary has been recently thrown open to several
Priests of the Church, and they have even been
permitted to offer up the Holy Sacrifice in the very
place where the Eucharist was instituted.
During the course of the day, Jesus has entered
Jerusalem, with the rest of his Disciples : he has
found all things prepared.
The Paschal Lamb, after being first presented in
the Temple, has been brought to the house, where
Jesus is to celebrate the Supper : it is prepared,
together with the wild lettuce and the unleavened
bread. In a few hours, the Divine Master and his
Disciples will be standing round the table, their loins
girt, and staves in their hands ; and, for the last time,
they will observe the solemn rite prescribed by Grod
to his people, when they first went forth from
Egypt.
But let us wait for the hour of Mass, before going
further into the details of this Last Supper. Mean-
1 Malach. i. 11,
352 HOLY WEEK.
while, let us seek edification and instruction in two
holy functions, which belong to this great day. The
first is the Reconciliation of Penitents, which,
although not now in use, needs to be described, in
order that our readers may have a proper idea of the
Lenten Liturgy. The second is the Consecration of
the Holy Oils, which is a ceremony confined to
Cathedral Churches, but so interesting to the Faith-
ful, that we should have scrupled to have excluded
it from our volume. After having briefly described
these, we will return to the history of the Institution
of the Blessed Sacrament, and assist at Mass. Then
we shall have to speak of the preparation for the Mass
of the Presanctified for to-morrow's service, of the
Stripping the Altars, and of the Mandatum, or
Washing of the Feet. We proceed, therefore, to
explain these several ceremonies, which make
Maundy Thursday to be one of the most sacred days
of the Liturgical Year.
THE RECONCILIATION OF PENITENTS.
Three solemn Masses were anciently celebrated on
this day ; and the first was preceded by the absolu-
tion of the public penitents, and their re-admission
into the Church. The following was the order of
the service for the Reconciliation of Penitents. They
presented themselves at the Church-door, clad in
penitential garb, and bare-footed. The hair of both
head and beard had been allowed to grow from Ash
Wednesday, the day on which they had received
their penance. The Bishop recited, in the sanctuary,
the seven Psalms, in which David expresses his
sorrow for having offended Cod. These were
followed by the Litany of the Saints.
During these prayers, the Penitents were prostrate
in the porch, for entrance into the Churoh was
MAUNDY THURSDAY I PENITENTS. 353
forbidden them. Thrice during the Litany, the
Bishop deputed some of the Clergy to go and visit
them, in his name, and bear them words of hope and
consolation. The first time, two Sub-Deacons went
to them and said : As I live, saith the Lord, I will
not the death of the sinner, but rather that he be
converted and live. The second time, two other
Sub-Deacons were sent, with this message : Thus
saith the Lord : Do penance ; for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand. Finally, a Deacon was com-
missioned to go to them, and say : Lift up your
heads ; lo ! your redemption is nigh.
After these announcements of approaching pardon,
the Bishop left the Sanctuary and went towards
the Penitents, as far as half way down the centre
nave, where was prepared a seat, turned towards the
door which led into the porch, where the Penitents
were still lying prostrate. The Pontiff being seated,
the Archdeacon addressed him in these words :
Venerable Pontiff ! The acceptable time has come, the day
of God's mercy and of man's salvation, when death was des-
troyed, and eternal life began. This is the time, when, in
the vineyard of the Lord of Sabaoth, new plants are to be
set, and the detestableness of the old growth is to be pruned
away. For though there be no period of time, which is not
rich in the goodness and mercy of God, yet now indulgence
produces a more abundant remission of sins, and grace
yields a more plentiful number of the regenerated. Those
that are regenerated add to our ranks ; those that return,
increase our numbers. There is a laver of water ; there is a
laver of tears. From the one, there is joy because of the
admittance of them that are called ; from the other, there is
gladness because of them that repent. Therefore it is, that
these thy suppliant servants, — after having fallen into sundry
kinds of sins, by the neglect of the divine commandments,
and the transgression of the moral law, — humbled and pros-
trate, cry out to the Lord in these words of the Prophet :
We have sinned : we have done unjustly ; we have committed
iniquity : have mercy on us, 0 Lord ! It has not been in
vain, that they have heard the words of the Gospel : Blessed
are they that mourn ; for they shall be comforted. As it is
354 HOLY WEEK.
written, they have eaten the bread of sorrow ; they have
watered their couch with tears ; they have afflicted their
hearts with mourning, and their bodies with fasting, that
thus they might recover the health of soul, which they
had lost. The grace of penance, therefore, is one ; but it
profits each one that receives it, and gives help to all in
common.
The Bishop then rose, and advanced towards the
Penitents. He spoke to them concerning the mercy
of Grod, and how they should live for the time to
come. After this exhortation, he thus addressed
them : Come, come, come, my children ! I will
teach you the fear of the Lord. The Choir then
sang this Antiphon, taken from the 33rd Psalm :
Come ye to him, and be enlightened, and your faces
shall not be confounded. Hereupon, the Penitents
rose up, and, coming to the Bishop, threw themselves
at his feet. The Archpriest then pleaded for them
in these words :
Make good in them, O Apostolic Pontiff, all that has been
corrupted in them by the temptation of the devil ! By the
merit of thy prayers and intercession, and by the grace of
the divine reconciliation, bring these men nigh unto God.
Thus, they who, heretofore, suffered by the sins they com-
mitted, may now be happy in the hope, that, having over-
come the author of their death, they may please the Lord, in
the land of the living.
The Bishop answered : Knowest thou, if they be
worthy of reconciliation ? The Archpriest replied :
I know, and bear witness, that they are ivorthy.
A Deacon then ordered the Penitents to rise. This
done, the Bishop took one of them by the hand, who
did the same to his neighbour ; and thus all, hand
in hand, followed the Bishop to the place prepared
in the centre of the nave. Meanwhile, the Choir
sang the following Antiphons : I say unto you,
there is joy to the Angels of God over one sinner
doing penance. It behoveth thee, my son, to rejoice ;
for thy brother was dead, and has come to life
MAUNDY THURSDAY : PENITENTS. 355
again; he was lost, and is found. The Bishop
then offered up to Grod this prayer, which he sang
to the solemn tone of the Preface.
It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation,
that we should always and in all places give thanks to thee,
O Holy Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal God, through
Christ our Lord : Whom thou, 0 Almighty Father, didst
will should be born among us by an ineffable Birth, that so
he might pay to thee, his Eternal Father, the debt contracted
by Adam, and put our death to death by his own, and bear
our wounds in his own flesh, and cleanse away our stains by
his Blood ; hereby enabling us, who had fallen by the envy
of the old enemy, to rise again by his mercy. Through him,
O Lord, we suppliantly beseech and pray thee that thou
mayest graciously hear us making intercession for the sins
of others, who are not worthy to plead for our own. Do thou,
O most merciful Lord, recal to thyself, with thy wonted
goodness, these thy servants, who have separated themselves
from thee by their sins. For neither didst thou reject the
most wicked Achab when he humbled himself before thee,
but didst avert from him the punishment he had deserved.
So, likewise didst thou graciously hear Peter, when he
wept, and didst afterwards give to him the keys of the
kingdom of heaven ; and thou didst promise the reward of
that same kingdom to the Thief when he trusted in thee.
Therefore, 0 most merciful Lord ! mercifully welcome back
these for whom we offer to thee our prayers, and restore
them to the bosom of the Church, that the enemy may not
triumph over them, but that they may be reconciled unto
thee by thy co-equal Son, and by Him be cleansed from their
guilt, and graciously admitted by Him to the banquet of thy
most Holy Supper. May he in such wise refresh them by
his Flesh and Blood, as to lead them, after this life's course
is run, to the kingdom of heaven.
After this Prayer, all, both clergy and laity, pros-
trated themselves, together with the Penitents, before
the Divine Majesty, and recited the three Psalms
which begin with the word Miserere, (that is, the 50th,
the 55th, and the 56th). The Bishop then stood up,
and said over the Penitents, (who remained prostrate,
as did also all the assistants,) six Prayers, from
whioh we select the following sentences.
356 HOLY WEEK.
Give ear, 0 Lord, to our supplications, and mercifully
hear me, though I myself need mercy above all others. Thou
hast chosen me to be the minister of this work, not from any
merits thou didst see in me, but by the pure gift of thy grace.
Grant me courage to fulfil my office, and do thou work, by
my ministry, the effects of thine own mercy. It is thou that
didst bring back, on thy shoulders, the lost sheep to the fold,
and that didst mercifully hear the prayers of the Publican :
do thou, also, restore to life these thy servants, whom thou
wouldst not have die unto thee. 0 thou, who abandonest
not them that are gone astray, receive these who have
returned to thee. We beseech thee, 0 Lord, let the tearful
sighs of these thy servants move thee to clemency : heal their
wounds : stretch out thy saving hand to them, and raise
them up. Permit not thy Church to be injured in any of
her members : let not thy flock surfer loss ; let not the enemy
exult over the destruction of any of thy family, nor the
second death lay hold of them that have been regenerated in
the laver of salvation. Pardon, O Lord, these that confess
their sins to thee : let them not fall into the punishments of
the future j udgment to come ; let them never know the
horrors of darkness, or the torments of the flames of hell.
They have returned from the way of error to the path of
j Qstice ; let them not be again wounded, but maintain ever
within themselves both what thy grace hath conferred upon
them, and what thy mercy hath reformed within them.
Having said these Prayers, the Bishop stretched
forth his hands over the Penitents, and pronounced
the Reconciliation, in this solemn formula :
May our Lord Jesus Christ, who vouchsafed to take away
the sins of the whole world by delivering himself up for us,
and shedding his spotless Blood ; who, also, said unto his
Disciples : whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound
also in heaven ; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall
be loosed also in heaven : and who hath numbered me,
though unworthy, among these his ministers : may he deign,
by the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, of the
blessed Archangel Michael, of holy Peter the Apostle, (to
whom he gave the power of binding and loosing,) and of all
the Saints, to absolve you, by the merits of his Blood shed
for the remission of sins, from all whatsoever you have
negligently committed in thought, or word, or action ; and,
having loosed you from the bonds of sin, may he graciously
lead you to the kingdom of heaven. Who, with God the
MAUNDY THURSDAY : TEN1TENTS. 357
Father, and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth for ever
and ever. Amen.
The Bishop then advanced towards the Penitents,
who were still lying prostrate : he sprinkled them
with holy water, and thurified them. Finally, he
addressed them in these words of the Apostle :
Arise, ye that sleep ! arise from the dead, and Christ
shall enlighten you ! The Penitents stood up ; and,
in order to express the joy they felt at being recon-
ciled with their God, they immediately went and
changed their penitential garb for one more in
accordance with gladness, and with the Holy Com-
munion they were now to receive together with the
rest of the Faithful.
This Reconciliation of Penitents has given rise to
the magnificent ceremony, which takes place at Rome
on this day, — the Papal Benediction. After Mass,
the Sovereign Pontiff, vested in cope, and wearing
the tiara, goes to the balcony over the centre door of
the Vatican Basilica. In the Piazza of Saint Peter's
there stands an immense crowd of people, come from
every country of the world, awaiting the appearance
of the Vicar of Christ, who is about to grant them
the remission of the punishment due to their sins.
One of the Prelates, who surround the Pope's throne,
recites the usual form of the Confession of Sins ; he
recites it in the name of the assembly below, whom
one and the same holy Faith has thus brought before
the Father of the Christian World. After a few
seconds of silence, the Pontiff beseeches Grod to show
the riches of his Mercy upon the multitude, who have
already purified their conscience in the Tribunal of
reconciliation ; he invokes upon them the assistance
of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul ; and then rising,
he raises up his hands to heaven, as though to draw
thence the treasures of eternal indulgence ; and im-
mediately lowering them, he blesses the assembled
358 HOLY WEEK.
multitude. This Blessing,1 which grants a Plenary
Indulgence to all that have fulfilled the requisite
conditions, was, originally, given only on Maundy
Thursday ; afterwards, it was given also on Easter
Sunday ; and again, later on, was extended to two
other days in the year, namely, the Ascension (at
Saint John Lateran), and the Assumption (at Saint
Mary Major).
THE BLESSING
OF THE
HOLY OILS.
The second Mass which used, formerly, to be said on
Maundy Thursday, was that of the Blessing of the
Holy Oils. This holy function, which takes place
but once each year, requires a Bishop as the conse-
crator. For now many centuries, this great cere-
mony is celebrated at the single Mass, which is said,
on this day, in commemoration of our Lord's Supper.
As this Blessing only takes place in Cathedral
Churches, we will not enter into each detail ; and
yet we would not deprive our readers of what they
ought to know with regard to the Holy Oils. Faith
teaches us, that, as we are regenerated by water, so
are we confirmed and fortified by oil ; and that Oil
is one of the chief elements chosen by the Divine
Author of the Sacraments, whereby to signify and
produce grace in our souls.
The reason of the Church's selecting Maundy
Thursday for the Blessing of the Holy Oils, was that
1 It is incorrectly called a Blessing TJrbi et Orbi, inasmuch as it
is only given to the Faithful who are present at it.
MAUNDY THURSDAY l HOLY OILS. 359
they would be so muoh needed for the Baptism of
the neophytes on Easter Eve. It behoves the Faith-
ful to understand the mystery of those sacred ele-
ments. We will, therefore, briefly explain it to them,
in order that we may excite their hearts to gratitude
to our Blessed Lord, who has made material things
the instruments of grace, and, by his Blood, has given
them the sacramental power which resides within
them.
The first of the Holy Oils, that is, the first that is
blessed by the Bishop, is the one called the Oil of the
Sick. It is the matter of the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction. It takes away, from the dying Christian,
the remnants of sin ; it strengthens him in his last
combat ; and, by the supernatural power it possesses,
sometimes restores to him the health of the body.
Formerly, it used to be blessed on any day of the
year, as often as required : but, later on, its Blessing
was fixed for this day, that thus the three Oils might
be blessed all together. The Faithful should assist
with much devotion, at this ceremony ; for the ele-
ment that is thus sanctified, is one day to anoint and
purify their bodies, sinking under sickness. Let
them, as they see it being blessed, think upon their
last hour, and praise the infinite goodness of their
Saviour, "whose blood streams so plentifully through
" this precious fluid."1
The noblest of the three Oils is the Chrism, and
its consecration is more solemn, and fuller of mystery,
than those of the other two. It is by the chrism
that the Holy Ghost imprints his indelible seal on
the Christian, that has already been made a member
of Christ by Baptism. The Water gives us our
spiritual birth ; the Chrism gives us strength ; and,
until such time as we have received its holy anointing,
we have not as yet the perfect character of a Christian.
1 Hossuet, Oraison fun&bre d' Henriette d' Angleterre.
2q
360 HOLY WEEK.
Anointed with this holy Oil, the Faithful has a visible
sign given him of his being a member of the Man-
God, whose name of Christ signifies the unction he
has received both as King and Pontiff. This conse-
cration of a Christian by Chrism is so much in
accordance with the spirit of our holy Religion, that,
immediately after Baptism, the child receives upon
its head an anointing, (though it is not a sacramental
one,) of this Oil, to show that he is already a sharer
of the kingly character of Jesus Christ.
In order to express, by an outward sign, the sacred-
ness of Chrism, an Apostolic tradition requires the
Bishop to mix Balm with it. This Balm represents
what the Apostle calls the good odour of Christ,1
of whom it is written : We will run after thee,
to the odour of thy ointments.2 The scarcity and
high price of other perfumes has obliged the Latin
Church to be content with Balm alone in the
mixture of holy Chrism : but in the Eastern Church,
where the climate is more favourable than ours, three
and thirty species of precious perfumes are put into
the Oil, and it thus becomes an ointment of exquisite
fragrance.
The holy Chrism, besides its sacramental use in
Confirmation, and its being put upon the head of
the newly baptised, is also used by the Church in the
consecration of her Bishops, in the consecration of
Chalices and Altars, in the blessing of Bells, and in
the Dedication of a Church, in which last most im-
posing ceremony, the Bishop pours out the Chrism
on the twelve crosses, which are to attest to all suc-
ceeding ages, the glory of Grod's House.
The third of the holy Oils is that which is called
the Oil of Catechumens. Though it be not the mat-
ter of any Sacrament, it is, nevertheless, an Apostolic
institution. Its blessing is less solemn than that of
the Chrism, but more so than that of the Oil of the
1 1 Cor.ii. 15, * Cant. i. 3.
MAUNDY THURSDAY .' HOLY OILS. 361
Sick. The Oil of Catechumens is used in the cere-
monies of Baptism, for the anointing the breast and
shoulders. It is also used for the anointing a Priest's
hands in Ordination, and for the coronation of a
King or Queen.
These few words of explanation will give the Faith-
ful some idea of the importance of the Blessing of
the holy Oils. By this threefold Blessing, says St.
Fortunatus, (in the beautiful Hymn, which is used
during the ceremony,) the Bishop acquits the debt he
owes, and which none but he can pay.
The holy Church seldom employs such pomp as
she does on this occasion. Twelve Priests, seven
Deacons, and seven Subdeacons, are present. The
Roman Pontifical tells us, that the twelve Priests
assist as witnesses and co-operators of the holy
Chrism. The Mass commences, and goes on as far
as the Prayer of the Canon, which immediately pre-
cedes the Pater noster. The Bishop then leaves the
Altar, and goes to the place prepared for the Bless-
ing. The first phial of Oil that is brought to him, is
that which is intended for the sick. He prefaces the
blessing, by pronouncing the words of exorcism over
this oil, in order to drive from it the influence of the
wicked spirits, who, out of hatred for man, are ever
seeking to infest the creatures given to us for our
use. This done, he blesses it in these words :
We beseech thee, O Lord, send forth from heaven thy
Holy Spirit the Paraclete upon this rich juice of the olive,
which thou hast graciously produced from the green wood,
for the solace of both mind and body. By thy holy blessing,
may all they that are anointed with this ointment of hea-
venly virtue, receive help to mind and body ; may it remove
from them all pains, all infirmities, and all sickness of mind
and body, for it was with oil that thou didst anoint thy
Priests, Kings, Prophets, and Martyrs. May this, being
blessed by thee, O Lord, become unto us an ointment of
perfection, and abide within our whole being. In the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
362 HOLY WEEK.
One of the seven Subdeacons then carries the
phial back, and the Bishop returns to the Altar, and
continues the Mass. As soon as he has given Holy
Communion to the Clergy, he returns to the place
prepared for the blessing of the Oils. The twelve
Priests, the seven Deacons, and the seven Subdea-
cons, repair to the place where the other two phials
have been put. One contains the oil, which is to
become the Chrism of salvation ; the other, the oil
which is to be sanctified as the oil of Catechumens.
The procession is soon seen returning towards the
Pontiff. The two phials are carried by two Deacons ;
a Subdeacon carries the vase of Balm. The Bishop
begins by blessing the Balm : he calls it "the fragrant
" tear of dry bark, — the oozing of a favoured branch,
" that gives us the priestly unction." Before proceed-
ing to bless the oil of the Chrism, he thrice breathes
upon it, in the form of a cross. The twelve Priests
do the same. The Gospel tells us that our Blessed
Saviour used this same ceremony over his Apostles.
It signifies the power of the Holy Ghost, and ex-
presses his name, which is The Spirit. This Holy
Spirit is about to make this oil become an instrument
of his Divine power. The Bishop first prepares it
for the heavenly dignity, by exorcising it. He then
celebrates the praises of the Chrism, by this magni-
ficent Preface, which has been handed down to us
from the earliest ages of our faith.
It is truly meet and just, right and available to salvation, that
we should always, and in all places, give thanks to thee, O
Holy Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal God : who, in the
beginning, among the rest of thy bounteous gifts, didst com-
mand the earth to yield fruitbearing trees, among which
should be the olive, which produces this most rich liquor,
and whose fruit was to serve for the making holy Chrism.
Hence it was, that David, foreknowing, by a prophetic
spirit, the Sacraments of thy grace, sang that our faces were
to be made glad with oil : and when the sins of the world
were expiated of old, by the deluge, a dove announced that
MAUNDY THURSDAY I HOLY OILS. 368
peace was restored to the earth, by bearing an olive branch,
the type of the gift to come, which has been manifested in
these latter ages ; for after the waters of Baptism have
washed away the sins of men, this anointing of oil gave us
joy and calm. Hence, too, thou didst command thy servant
Moses to ordain his brother Aaron priest, by pouring oil
upon him, after he had been cleansed with water. A greater
honour still was, that when thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,
bade John baptise him in the waters of the Jordan, thou
didst send upon him the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove ;
that thus by a voice that bore testimony, thou mightest
designate thine Only Begotten Son, in whom thou wast well
pleased, and mightest prove, beyond all doubt, that this was
the fulfilment of what the Prophet David had foretold, when
he sang, that he was to be anointed with the oil of gladness
above his fellows. "We, therefore, beseech thee, 0 Holy
Lord, Almighty Father, Eternal God, through the same
Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord, that thou vouchsafe to
sanctify, by thy blessing, this thy creature oil, and infuse
into it the virtue of the Holy Ghost, through the co-operating
power of Christ, thy Son, from whose name it hath borrowed
its own of Chrism, and wherewith thou didst anoint the
Priests, Kings, Prophets, and Martyrs. Raise this Chrism
into a Sacrament of perfect salvation and life, to them that
are to be renewed by the spiritual laver of Baptism. That
thus, the corruption of their first birth being absorbed by
the infusion of this holy anointing, they may become a holy
temple, redolent with the fragrance of the innocence of holy
living. According to what thou hast appointed in this
mystery, bestow upon them the honour of kings, priests, and
prophets, by vesting them in the robe of incorruption. May
this oil be to them, that are born again from water and the
Holy Ghost, a Chrism of salvation, making them partakers
of life everlasting, and co-heirs of heavenly glory.
The Bishop then takes the Balm ; and having
mixed it, on a paten, with a little oil, he pours it into
the Phial. The consecration of the Chrism thus
completed, he salutes it with these words : Hail, 0
Holy Chrism ! This he does with the intention of
honouring the Holy Ghost, who is to work by this
sacramental oil. The same is done by each of the
twelve Priests.
The Bishop then proceeds to bless the Oil of
364 HOLY WEEK.
Catechumens. After having breathed upon it, and
pronounced the exorcism, (as before, in the blessing
of the holy Chrism,) he says this Prayer :
O God, the rewarder of every spiritual increase and
growth. ! who strengthenest the beginnings of weakly souls
by the power of the Holy Ghost : we beseech thee, O Lord,
that thou vouchsafe to pour out thy blessing upon this oil,
and grant to them, that come to the laver of holy regenera-
tion, the cleansing of soul and body, by the anointing they
receive from this thy creature ; that so, if there should be
any stains fixed upon them by their spiritual enemies, they
may be effaced by the touch of this holy oil. May the
wicked spirits find no room there ; may the powers, that
have been put to flight, have no further sway ; may there
be no lurking place left to insidious evil ones. May thy
servants that come to the faith, and are to be cleansed by
the operation of thy Holy Spirit, find in this anointing a
preparation for that salvation, which they are to receive in
the Sacrament of Baptism, by the Birth of a heavenly re-
generation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who
is to come to judge the living, and the dead, and the world
by fire. Amen.
The Bishop then salutes the Oil, on which he has
conferred these wonderful prerogatives, saying : Hail,
0 holy Oil ! The same act of reverence is repeated
by each of the Priests. One of the deacons takes
the Chrism, an other the Oil of Catechumens, and a
procession is again formed for taking them to the
place prepared for them. They are covered with
veils of silk ; — the holy Chrism, with white : the Oil
of Catechumens, with purple.
We will conclude our outline of this imposing
ceremony, by giving our readers the beautiful
Hymn, composed in the 6th century, by St. Yenantius
Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers. The Church has
adopted it for the two processions, which we have
already described.
MAUNDY THURSDAY I HOLY OILS.
365
HYMN.
O Redeemer of mankind !
receive the hymn of them
that sing thy praise.
Repeat : 0 Redeemer.
0 Judge of the dead ! thou
only hope of men ! hear the
prayers of them that carry the
emblem of the gift of peace.
O Redeemer.
A tree made fruitful by the
fostering sun, produced this
oil that is now to be blessed,
which we, the adorers of his
holy name, bring to the Sa-
viour of the world.
O Redeemer.
The mitred Pontiff, too,
standing humbly before the
altar, is about to pay his
debt, by consecrating the
Chrism.
O Redeemer.
O King of the everlasting
kingdom ! deign to consecrate
this oil, this instrument of
life, that breaks the demon's
power.
O Redeemer.
Men and women are reno-
vated by the unction of the
Chrism ; and their glorious
dignity, that had been wound-
ed, is healed by the same.
O Redeemer.
When the soul is washed
in the sacred font, her crimes
are put to flight : and holiest
f races come upon them, whose
row is anointed with this
oil.
O Redeemer.
0 thou the Son of the
Eternal Father, and Son of
0 Redemptor, sume carmen
temet concinentium.
Repeat : O Redemptor.
Audi, judex mortuorum,
Una spes mortalium,
Audi voces proferentum
Donum pacis praevium.
0 Redemptor.
Arbor foeta alma luce
Hoc sacrandum protulit:
Fert hoc prona praesens
turba.
Salvatori sseculi.
O Redemptor.
Stans ad aram immo sup-
plex
Infulatus Pontifex,
Debitum persolvit omne,
Consecrato Chrismate.
0 Redemptor.
Consecrare tu dignare,
Rex perenuis patriae,
Hoc olivum, signum vivum
Jura contra daemonum.
O Redemptor.
Ut novetur sexus omnis
Unctione Chrismatis,
Ut sanetur sauciata
Dignitatis gloria.
O Redemptor.
Lota mente sacro fonte
Aufugantur crimina :
Uncta fronte, sacrosancta
Influunt charismata.
0 Redemptor.
Corde natus ex Parentis,
Alvum implens Virginia,
366
HOLY WEEK.
Praesta lucem, claude mor- the Virgin -Mother ! grant
tern light and life to us whom
Chrismatis consortibus. thou hast made to share in
thine own anointing.
% O Eedemptor. O Eedeemer.
If Sit hsec dies festa nobis May this day be to us an
Sseculorum sseculis : everlasting feast. May it be
Sit sacrata, digna laude, sacred, praiseworthy, nor
Nee senescat tempore. grow old with time.
O Eedemptor. O Eedeemer.
THE MASS OF MAUNDY THUKSDAY.
The Church intends, on this day, to renew, in a most
solemn manner, the mystery of the Last Supper :
for our Lord himself, on this occasion of the institu-
tion of the Blessed Sacrament, said to his Apostles :
Do this for a Commemoration of me} Let us,
therefore, resume the (xospel narrative.
Jesus is in the Supper chamber, where the Paschal
Lamb is to be eaten. All the Apostles are with him ;
Judas is there, also, but his crime is not known to
the rest. Jesus approaches the table, on which the
Lamb is served. His Disciples stand around him.
The ceremonies prescribed by God to Moses are re-
ligiously observed. At the beginning of the repast,
Jesus speaks these words to his Apostles : With
desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you,
before I suffer? In saying this, he does not imply
that the Pasch of this year is intrinsically better than
those that have preceded it ; but, that it is dearer to
him, inasmuch as it is to give rise to the institution
of the new Pasch, which he has prepared for man-
kind, and which he is now going to give them as
his last gift ; for as St. John says, having loved his
1 St. Luke, xiii. 19. ■ Id. ibid. xxii. 15.
MAUNDY THURSDAY ! BEFORE MASS. 367
own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end.1
During the repast, Jesus, who reads the hearts of
all men, utters these words, which cause great con-
sternation among the Disciples : Amen I say to you,
that one of you is about to betray me : — he that
dippeth his hand with me in the dish, he shall betray
me.2 The sadness, with which he speaks, is enough
to soften any heart ; and Judas, who knows his
Master's goodness, feels that they imply a merciful
pardon, if he will but ask it. But no : the passion
of avarice has enslaved his soul, and he, like the rest
of the Apostles, says to Jesus : Is it I, Rabbi ? Jesus
answers him in a whisper, in order not to compro-
mise him before his brethren : Thou hast said it /
But Judas yields not. He intends to remain with
Jesus, until the hour comes for betraying him. Thus,
the august mystery, which is on the point of being
celebrated, is to be insulted by his presence !
The legal repast is over. It is followed by a feast,
which again brings the Disciples around their Divine
Master. It was the custom in the East, that guests
should repose two and two on couches round the
table ; these have been provided by the disciple,
who has placed his house at Jesus' service. John
is on the same couch as Jesus, so that it is easy for
him to lean his head upon his Master's breast. Peter
is on the next couch, on the other side of Jesus, who
is thus between the two Disciples, whom he had sent,
in the morning, to prepare the Pasch, and who, as we
have already observed, represent Faith and Love.
This second repast is a sorrowful one, in consequence
of Jesus having told the guests, that one of them is
a traitor. The innocent and affectionate John is
overwhelmed with grief, and seeks consolation on the
Heart of his dear Lord, whom some one is about to
deliver to his enemies.
1 St. John, xiii. 1. * St. Matth. xxvi. 21, 23.
368 HOLY WEEK.
But the Apostles little expect a third Supper,
Jesus has not told them of his intention ; but he had
made a promise, and he would fulfil it before his
Passion. Speaking, one day, to the people, he had
said : / am the Living Bread which came down from
heaven : if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live
for ever, and the Bread that I will give, is my Flesh
for the life of the world. * * * My Flesh is meat
indeed, and my Blood is drink indeed. He that
eateth my Flesh and drinketh my Blood, abideth in
me, and I in him.1 The time has come for the ful-
filment of this his loving promise. But as it was
both his Flesh and his Blood that he promised us,
he waited till the time of his sacrifice. His Passion
has begun ; he is sold to his enemies ; his life is
already in their hands ; — he may at once, therefore,
offer himself in sacrifice, and give to his Disciples
the very Flesh and Blood of the Victim.
As soon as the second repast was over, Jesus sud-
denly rises, and, to the astonishment of his Apostles,
takes off his upper garment, girds himself, as a ser-
vant, with a towel, pours water into a basin, and pre-
pares to wash the feet of the guests. It was the
custom, in the East, to wash one's feet, before taking
part in a feast ; it was considered as the very extreme
of hospitality, when the master of the house himself
did this service to his guest. Jesus is about to regale
his Apostles with a Divine Banquet ; he wishes to
treat them with every possible mark of welcome and
attention. But in this, as in every other action of
his, there is a fund of instruction : he would teach
us, by what he is now doing, how great is the purity,
wherewith we should approach the Holy Table. He
that is washed, says he, needeth not but to wash his
feet ; 2 as though he would say : " The holiness of
" this Table is such, that they who come to it, should
1 St. John, vi. 51, 52, 54, 56, 57. a Idem, xiii. 10.
MAUNDY THURSDAY ! BEFORE MASS. 869
" not only be free from grievous sins, but they should,
" moreover, strive to cleanse their souls from those
"lesser faults, which come from contact with the
" world, and are like the dust that covers the feet of
" one that walks on the high- way." We will explain
further on, the other teachings conveyed by this
action of our Lord.
It is with Peter, the future head of his Church,
that Jesus begins. The Apostle protests ; he declares
that he will never permit his Master to humble him-
self so low as this : but he is obliged to yield. The
other Apostles, (who, as Peter himself, are reclining
upon their couches,) receive the same mark of love :
Jesus comes to each of them in turn, and washes
their feet. Judas is not excepted : he has just re-
ceived a second warning from his merciful Master ;
for Jesus, addressing himself to all the Apostles, said
to them : You are clean ; but not all :l but the re-
proach produced no effect upon this hardened heart.
Having finished washing the feet of the Twelve,
Jesus resumes his place, side by side with John.
Then taking a piece of the unleavened bread, that
had remained over from the feast, he raises his eyes
to heaven, blesses the bread, breaks it, and distributes
it to his Disciples, saying to them : Take ye, and
eat ; this is my Body.2 The Apostles take the bread,
which is now changed into the Body of their Divine
Master : they eat ; — and Jesus is, now, not only with
them, but in them. But, as this sacred mystery is
not only the most holy of the Sacraments, but, more-
over, a true Sacrifice ; and as a Sacrifice requires the
shedding of blood ;— our Jesus takes the cup, and
changing the wine into his own Blood, he passes it
round to his Disciples, saying to them : Drink ye,
all, of this ; for this is my Blood of the new testa-
ment, which shall be shed for many, unto remission
1 St. John, xiii. 10. - St. Mattk. zxvi. 26.
370 HOLY WEEK.
of sins.1 The Apostles drink from the sacred chalice
thus proffered them ; when it comes to Judas, he
too, partakes of it, but he drinks his own damnation,
as he ate his own judgment, when he received the
Bread of Life.2 Jesus, however, mercifully offers the
traitor another grace, by saying, as he gives the Cup
to his Disciples : The hand of him that betrayeth me
is with me on the table?
Peter is struck by Jesus thus frequently alluding
to the crime, which is to be committed by one of the
Twelve. He is determined to find out who the
traitor is. Not daring himself to ask Jesus, at whose
right hand he is sitting, he makes a sign to John,
who is on the other side, and begs him to put the
question. John leans on Jesus' breast, and says to
him in a whisper : Lord, who is it ? Jesus answers
him in an equally suppressed tone : He to whom I
shall reach bread dipped. And having taken one
of the pieces of bread that remained over from the
repast, he dipped it, and gave it to Judas. It was
one more grace offered and refused, for the Evangelist
adds : And after the morsel, Satan entered into
him* Jesus again addresses him, saying : That
which thou dost, do quickly.5 The wretch then
leaves the room, and sets about the perpetration of
his crime.
Such is the history of the Last Supper, of which
we celebrate the anniversary on this day. But
there is one circumstance of the deepest interest
to us, and to which we have, so far, only made
an indirect allusion. The institution of the Holy
Eucharist, both as a Sacrament and Sacrifice, is
followed by another, — the institution of a new
Priesthood. How could our Saviour have said :
Except you eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and
1 St. Matth. xxvi. 27, 28. a 1 Cor. xi. 29.
3 St. Luke, xxiL 21. 4 St. John, xiii. 27. 5 Id. ibid.
MAUNDY THURSDAY '. BEFORE MASS. 371
drink his Blood, you shall not have life in you? —
unless he had resolved to establish a ministry upon
earth, whereby he would renew, even to the end of
time, the great Mystery he thus commands us to
receive ? He begins it to-day, in the Cenacle. The
twelve Apostles are the first to partake of it : but
observe what he says to them : Do this for a com-
memoration of me? By these words, he gives them
power to change bread into his Body, and wine into
his Blood ; and this sublime power shall be per-
petuated in the Church, by holy Ordination, even to
the end of the world. Jesus will continue to ope-
rate, by the ministry of mortal and sinful men, the
Mystery of the Last Supper. By thus enriching
his Church with the one and perpetual Sacrifice,
he also gives us the means of abiding in him, for
he gives us, as he promised, the Bread of heaven.
To-day, then, we keep the anniversary, not only of
the Institution of the Holy Eucharist, but, also, of
the equally wonderful Institution of the Christian
Priesthood.
To offer the Faithful an outward expression of the
greatness and the unity of this Supper, which our
Saviour gave to his Disciples, and, through them,
to us, — the Church forbids her Priests to say private
Masses on this day, except in cases of necessity.
She would have but one Sacrifice to be offered in
each church, at which the other Priests are to
assist, and receive Holy Communion from the hands
of the Celebrant. When approaching the Altar,
they put on the Stole, the emblem of their Priest-
hood.
The Mass of Maundy Thursday is one of the most
solemn of the Year ; and although the Feast of
Corpus Christi is the day for the solemn honouring
the mystery of the Holy Eucharist, — still, the Church
1 St. John, vi. 54. St. Luke, xxii. 19.
372 HOLY WEEK.
would have the anniversary of the Last Supper to
be celebrated with all possible splendour. The
colour of the vestments is white, as it is for Christ-
mas Day and Easter Sunday ; the decorations of the
Altar and Sanctuary all bespeak joy : and yet, there
are several ceremonies during this Mass, which show
that the holy Bride of Christ has not forgotten the
Passion of her Jesus, and that this joy is but tran-
sient. The Priest entones the Angelic Hymn,
Glory be to God in the highest ! and the Bells ring
forth a joyous peal, which continues during the
whole singing of the heavenly Canticle : but, from
that moment, they remain silent, and their long
silence produces, in every heart, a sentiment of holy
mournf ulness. But why does the Church deprive
us, for so many hours of the grand melody of these
sweet bells, whose voices cheer us during the rest
of the year ? It is to show us, that this world lost
all its melody and joy when its Saviour suffered and
was crucified. Moreover, she would hereby remind
us, how the Apostles, (who were the heralds of
Christ, and are figured by the Bells, whose ringing
summons the Faithful to the House of Grod,) fled
from their Divine Master and left him a prey to his
enemies.
The Holy Sacrifice continues as usual ; but at
the solemn moment of the Elevation of the Holy
Host and the Chalice of Salvation, the Bell is silent,
and, outside the Church, there is not given to the
neighbourhood the usual signal of the descent of
Jesus upon the Altar. When the time of the holy
Communion is near, the Priest does not give the
Kiss of Peace to the Deacon, who according to the
Apostolic tradition, should transmit it, by the Sub-
deacon, to those who are about to communicate.
Our thoughts turn to the traitor Judas, who, on
this very day, profaned the sign of friendship by
making it an instrument of death. It is out of
MAUNDY THURSDAY : BEFORE MASS. 373
detestation for this crime, that the Church omits,
to-day, the sign of fraternal charity, — it would too
painfully remind us of sacrilegious hypocrisy.
Another rite, peculiar to to-day, is the Priest's con-
secrating two Hosts during the Mass. One of these
he receives in Communion ; the other he reserves,
and reverently places it in a Chalice, which he
covers with a veil. The reason of this is, that, to-
morrow, the Church suspends the daily Sacrifice.
Such is the impression produced by the anniversary
of our Saviour's Death, that the Church dares not
to renew, upon her Altars, the immolation which
was then offered on Calvary : — or rather, her re-
newal of it will be by the fixing all her thoughts on
the terrible scene of that Friday Noon. The Host
reserved from to-day's Mass, will be her morrow's
participation. This rite is called the Mass of the
Presanctifled, because, in it, the Priest does not
consecrate, but only receives the Host consecrated on
the previous day. Formerly, as we shall explain
more fully further on, the holy Sacrifice was not
offered up on Holy Saturday, and yet the Mass of the
Presanctified was not celebrated as it was on the
Friday.
But, although the Church suspends, for a few short
hours, the oblation of the perpetual Sacrifice, — she
would not that her Divine Spouse should lose aught
of the homage, that is due to him in the Sacrament
of his Love. Catholic piety has found a means of
changing these trying hours into a tribute of devo-
tion to the Holy Eucharist. In every Church is pre-
pared a richly ornamented side- chapel or pavilion,
where, after to-day's Mass, the Church places the
Body of her Divine Lord. Though veiled from their
view, the Faithful will visit him in this his holy
resting-place, pay him their most humble adorations,
and present him their most fervent supplications.
Wheresoever the Body shall be, there shall the eagles
374 HOLY WEEK.
be gathered together.1 In every part of the Catholic
world, a concert of prayer, more loving and earnest
than at any other period of the Year, will be offered
to our Jesus, in reparation for the outrages he under-
went, during these very hours, from the Jews.
Around this anticipated Tomb will be united both
his long-tried and fervent servants, and those who
are newly converted, or are preparing for their recon-
ciliation.
At Rome, the Station is in the Lateran Basilica.
The metropolitan Church both of the Holy City and
the World was deservedly chosen for this great Day
of the Reconciliation of Sinners and the Consecration
of the Chrism. The Papal function, however, now
takes place at the Vatican ; and, as we have already
stated, the Apostolic Benediction is given by the
Sovereign Pontiif from the loggia of Saint Peter's.
MASS.
In the Introit, the Church makes use of the words
of St. Paul, in praise of the Cross of Christ. She is
filled with gratitude for this her Redeemer, who has
made himself our Salvation, by dying for us ; our
Life, by the Bread of Heaven he has given us ; and
our Resurrection, by his having risen from the grave.
INTROIT.
Nos autem gloriari opor- We ought to glory in the
tet in Grace Domini nostri Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Jesu Christi, in quo est sa- in whom is our salvation, life,
lus, vita, et resurrectio nos- and resurrection: by whom we
tra : per quern salvati, et have been saved and delivered,
liberati sumus.
Ps. Deus misereatur nos- Ps. May God have mercy
tri, et benedicat nobis, illu- on us, and bless us : may his
1 St. Matth. xxiv. 28.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : MA86.
375
countenance shine upon us,
and may he have mercy on us.
We ought.
minet vultum suum super
nos, et misereatur nostri.
Nos autem.
In the Collect, the Church reminds us of Judas
and the Good Thief : both are guilty : and yet, the
one is condemned, the other is pardoned. She
prays for us to God, that the Passion of his Son,
(during which were thus shown the Divine Justice
and Mercy,) may procure us the forgiveness of our
sins, and the fulness of grace.
COLLECT.
0 God, from whom both
Judas received the punish-
ment of his sin, and the Thief
the reward of his confession :
grant us the effects of thy
mercy ; that as our Lord Jesus
Christ, at the time of his Pas-
sion, bestowed on both diffe-
rent rewards according to
their merits ; so, having de-
stroyed the old man in us, he
may give us grace to rise again
with him. Who liveth, &c.
Deus, a quo et Judas rea-
tns sui pcenam, et confes-
sionis suae latro prseinium
sumpsit : concede nobis
tuae propitiationis effectum :
ut sicut in passione sua Je-
sus Christus Dominus nos-
ter diversa utrisque intulit
stipendia meritorum, ita no-
bis, ablato vetustatis errore,
resurrectionis suae gratiam
largiatur. Qui tecum.
EPISTLE.
Lesson of the Epistle of Saint Lectio Epistolae beati Pauli
Paul the Apostle to the Apostoli ad Corinthios.
Corinthians.
I. Ch. XI.
Brethren : When you come
therefore, together into one
place, it is not now to eat the
Lord's supper. For every one
taketh before his own supper
to eat. And one indeed is
hungry, and another is drunk.
What, have you not houses to
eat and drink in ? Or despise
/. Cap. XI.
Fratres : Convenientibus
vobis in unum, jam non est
dominicam ccenam man-
ducare. Unusquisque enim
suam ccenam praesumit ad
manducandum. Et alius
quidem esurit : alius autem
ebrius est. Numquid domos
non habetis ad lnaaducan-
2b
376
HOLY WEEK.
dam et bibendum ? Aut
Ecclesiam Dei contemnitis,
et confunditis cos, qui non
habent ? Quid dicam vobis ?
Laudo vos ? In hoc non
laudo. Ego enim accepi a
Domino, qnod et tradidi
vobis : quoniam Dominus
Jesus in qua nocte trade -
batur, accepit panem, et
gratias agens fregit, et dixit :
Accipite et manducate : hoc
est Corpus meuni, quod pro
vobis tradetur ; hoc facite in
meam commemorationem.
Similiter et calicem post-
quam ccenavit, diceus : Hie
calix novum testamentum
est in meo Sanguine. Hoc
facite quotiescumque bibe-
tis, in meam commemoratio-
nem. Quotiescumque enim
mauducabitis panem hunc,
et calicem bibetis, mortem
Domini annuntiabitis donee
veniat. Itaque quicumque
manducaverit panem hunc,
vel biberit calicem Domini
indigne, reus erit Corporis
et Sanguinis Domini. Pro-
bet autem seipsum homo, et
sic de pane illo edat, et de
calice bibat. Qui enim
manducat et bibit indigne,
judicium sibi manducat et
bibit, non dijudicans Cor-
pus Domini. Ideo inter vos
multi infirmi et imbecilles,
et dormiunt multi. Quod
si nosmetipsos dijudicare-
mus, non utique judicare-
mur. Dam judicamnr au-
tem, a Domino corripimur,
ut non cum hoc mundo
damnemur.
ye the Church of God, and put
them to shame that have not ?
What shall I say to you ? Do
I praise you ? In this I praise
you not. For I have received
of the Lord that •which also I
delivered to you, that the Lord
Jesus, the same night in which
he was betrayed, took bread,
and giving thanks, broke, and
said : Take ye and eat : this is
my Body which shall be deli-
vered for you : this do for the
commemoration of me. In like
manner also the chalice, after
he had supped, saying: This
Chalice is the New Testament
in my Blood : this do ye, as
often as ye shall drink it, for
the commemoration of me.
For as often as you shall eat
this bread, or drink the cha-
lice, you shall show the death
of the Lord, until he come.
Therefore whosoever shall eat
this bread or drink the chalice
of the Lord unworthily, shall
be guilty of the Body and
Blood of the Lord. But let a
man prove himself, and so let
him eat of that bread, and
drink of the chalice. For he
that eateth and drinketh un-
worthily, eateth and drinketh
judgment to himself, not dis-
cerning the Body of the Loid.
Therefore are there many in-
firm and weak among you,
and many sleep. But if we
would judge ourselves, we
should not be judged. But
whilst we are judged, we are
chastised by the Lord, that we
be not condemned with this
world.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : MASS. 377
After having rebuked the Christians of Corinth
for the abuses into which they had fallen at the
Feasts, (called Agape,) which had been introduced
by a spirit of fraternal charity, but were soon
abolished, — the holy Apostle relates the history of
the Last Supper. His account, which corresponds
throughout with that given by the Evangelists, rests
upon the testimony of our Blessed Saviour himself, who
deigned to appear to him, and instruct him, in person,
after his conversion. The Apostle does not omit to
give the words, whereby our Lord empowered his
Apostles to renew what he himself had done : he
tells us, that as often as the priest consecrates the
Body and Blood of Christ, he shows the death of the
Lord, thus expressing the oneness there is between
the Sacrifice of the Cross and that of the Altar. We
have explained this important doctrine in the 6th
Chapter of the introduction to this present Volume.
The consequence to be drawn from this teaching is
evident ; it is contained in these words of the Apostle :
Let a man prove himself, and so let him eat of that
bread and drink of the chalice. What could be
more just, than that having to be initiated in so inti-
mate a manner, to the Mystery of the Redemption,
and contract so close a union with the Divine
Victim, — we should banish from our hearts sin and
affection to sin ? He that eateth my Flesh and
drinketh my Blood, abideth in me, and I in him,
says our Lord.1 Could there be a closer union?
God and man abiding in each other ! Oh ! how
carefully ought we not to purify our soul, and render
our will conformable with the will of Jesus, before
approaching this Divine Banquet, to which he invites
us ! Let us beseech him to prepare us himself, as
he did his Apostles, by washing their feet. He will
grant us our request, not only to-day, but as often
St. John, vi. 67.
378
HOLY WEEK.
as we go to Holy Communion, provided we are docile
to his grace.
The Grradual is made ut> of those admirable words,
which the Church so often repeats during these three
days, and by which St. Paul warms us to gratitude
towards the Son of Grod, who delivered himself up
for us.
GRADUAL.
Christus factus est pro
nobis obediens usque ad
mortem, mortem autem
crucis.
#. Propter quod et Deus
exaltavit ilium, et dedit illi
nomen, quod est super om-
ne nomen.
Christ became, foroursakes,
obedient unto death, even to
the death of the Cross.
y . For which cause, God
also hath exalted him, and
hath given him a name, which
is above all names.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii
secundum Joannem.
Cap. XIII.
Ante diem festum Pas-
chse, sciens Jesus, quia ve-
nit hora ejus, ut transeat ex
hoc mundo ad Patrem :
cum dilexisset suos, qui
erant in mundo, in finem
dilexit eos. Et ccena facta,
cum diabolus jam misisset
in cor, ut traderet eum Ju-
das Simonis Iscariotse :
sciens quia omnia dedit ei
Pater in manus, et quia a
Deo exivit et ad Deuin va-
dit, surgit a ccena, et ponit
vestimenta sua. Et cam ac-
cepisset linteum, preecinxit
se. Deinde misit aquam in
pelvim, et coepit lavare pe-
des discipulornm, et exter-
Sequel of the holy Gospel
according to John.
Gh. XIII.
Before the festival day of
thePasch, Jesusknowing that
his hour was come that he
should pass out of this world,
to the Father : having loved
his own who were in the world
he loved them unto the end.
And when supper was done,
(the devil having now put
it into the heart of Judas
Iscariot, the son of Simon, to
betray him,) knowing that
the Father had given him all
things into his hands, and that
he came from God, and goeth
to God : he riseth from supper,
and layeth aside his garments,
and having taken a towel, gird-
ed himself. After that, he
MAUNDY THURSDAY I MASS.
379
putteth water into a basin,
and began to wash the feet of
the disciples, and to wipe
them with the towel where-
with he was girded. He
cometh therefore to Simon
Peter. And Peter saith to
him : Lord, dost thou wash
my feet ? Jesus answered, and
said to him : What I do, thou
knowest not now, but thou
shalt know hereafter. Peter
saith to him : Thou shalt
never wash my feet. Jesus
answered him : If I wash thee
not, thou shalt have no part
with me. Simon Peter saith
to him : Lord not only my
feet, but also my hands and
my head. Jesus saith to him :
He that is washed, needeth
not but to vvash his feet, but
is clean wholly. And you are
clean, but not all. For he
knew who he was that would
betray him : therefore he said :
You are not all clean. Then
after he had washed their feet,
and taken his garments, being
sat down again, he said to
them : Know you what I have
done to you ? You call me
Master and Lord : and you
say well, for so I am. If then
I, being your Lord and Master,
have washed your feet ; you
also ought to wash one an-
other's feet. For I have given
you an example, that as I have
done to you, so do you also.
Our Saviour's washing the feet of his Disciples
before permitting them to partake of his Divine
Mystery, conveys an instruction to us. The Apostle
has just been telling us, that we should prove our-
volves : and here, we have Jesus saying to his Dis-
gere linteo, quo erat prse-
cinctus. Venit ergo ad Si-
monem Petrum, et dicit ei
Petrus : Domine, tu mihi
lavas pedes ? Eespondit Je-
sus, et dixit ei : Quod ego
facio, tu nescis modo : scies
autein postea. Dicit ei Pe-
trus : Non lavabis mihi pe-
des in eeternuro. Eespondit
ei Jesus : Si non lavero te,
non habebis partem me-
cum. Dicit ei Simon Petrus :
Domine, non tantum pedes
meos, sed et manus et ca-
put. Dicit ei Jesus : Qui
lotus est, non indiget nisi ut
pedes lavet, sed est mun-
dus totus. Et vos mundi
estis, sed non omnes. Scie-
bat enim quisnam esset qui
traderet eum ; propterea
dixit : Non estis mundi om-
nes. Postquam ergo lavit
pedes eorum, accepit vesti-
menta sua : et cam recu-
buisset iterum, dixit eis :
Scitis quid fecerim vobis ?
Vos vocatis me Magister et
Domine : et bene dicitis :
sum etenim. Si ergo ego
lavi pedes vestros, Dominus
et Magister, et vos debetis
alter alterius lavare pedes.
Exemplum enim dedi vobis,
ut quemadmodum ego feci
vobis, ita et vos faciatis.
380 HOLY WEEK.
ciples : You are clean. It is true, he adds : but not
all : just as the Apostle assures us, that there are
some who render themselves guilty of the Body and
Blood of the Lord. God forbid we should ever be of
the number ! Let us prove ourselves ; let us sound
the depths of our conscience, before approaching the
Holy Table. Mortal sin, and the affection to mortal
sin, would change the Bread of Life into a deadly
poison for our souls. But, if respect of the holiness
of God, who is about to enter within us by Holy
Communion, should mnke us shudder at the thought
of our receiving him in the state of mortal sin, which
robs the soul of the image of God and gives her that
of Satan, — ought not that same respect urge us to
purify our souls from venial sins, which dim the
beauty of grace ? He, says our Saviour, that is washed,
needeth not but to wash his feet. The feet are those
earthly attachments, which so often lead us to the
brink of sin. Let us watch over our senses, and the
affections of our hearts. Let us wash away these
stains by a sincere confession, by penance, by sorrow,
and by humility ; that thus we may worthily receive
the Adorable Sacrament, and derive from it the
fulness of its power and grace.
In the Offertory- Antiphon, the soul, — confiding
in the promise made to her by Christ, that he will
feed her with the Bread of Life, — gives way to a trans-
port of joy. She praises her God for this Divine
nourishment, which keeps death from them that eat.
OFFERTORY.
Dextera Domini fecit The right hand of the Lord
virtutem, dextera Domini hath displayed its might : the
exaltavit me : non moriar, right hand of the Lord hath
sed vivam, et narrabo opera raised me up ; I shall not die,
Domini. but live, and publish the
works of the Lord.
MAUNDY THURSDAY I MASS. 381
In the Secret, the Church reminds our Heavenly
Father, that it was on this very day, that was
instituted the august Sacrifice which she is now
celebrating.
SECRET.
We beseech thee, O Holy Ipse tibi, quaesumus, Do-
Lord, Almighty Father, mine sancte, Pater omnipo-
Eternal God, that our Lord tens, seterne Deus, sacri-
Jesus Christ, thy Son, may ficium nostrum reddat ac-
make our sacrifice acceptable ceptum, qui Discipulis suis
to thee, who on this day com- in sui commemorationem
manded his disciples to cele- hoc fieri hodierna tradi-
brate it in memory of him. tione monstravit, Jesus
Who liveth, &c. Christus Filius tuus Do-
minus noster : Qui tecum.
After the Priest has received under both kinds, he
puts into a Chalice the Host reserved for to-morrow :
he then gives Communion to the Clergy, and, after-
wards, to the Laity. As soon as the Communion is
finished, the Choir sings the following Antiphon,
which tells us how Jesus prepared his Disciples for
the great Mystery by humbly washing their feet.
communion.
The Lord Jesus, after he Dominus Jesus postquam
had supped with his disciples, ccenavit cum Discipulis
washed their feet, and said to suis, lavit pedes eorum,
them : Do you understand et ait illis : Scitis quid
what I have done to you, I fecerim vobis, ego Dominus
your Lord and Master ? I et Magister ? Exemplum
have set you an example, that dedi vobis, ut et vos ita
you may do the same. faciatis.
Our holy Mother prays for us in the Postcommu-
nion, that we may preserve in ourselves, for all
eternity, the Divine Gift just bestowed upon us.
382
HOLY WEEK.
P0STC0MMTJNI0N.
Refecti vitalibus alimen-
tis, quaesumus, Domine Deus
noster : ut quod tempore
nostrse mortalitatis exsequi-
mur, immortalitatis tuae
munere consequamur. Per
Dominum.
We beseech thee, O Lord,
our God, that being nourished
with this life-giving food, we
may receive by thy grace, in
immortal glory, what we cele-
brate in this mortal life.
Through, &c.
As soon as the Mass is over, a Procession is formed
to the place prepared for the sacred Host, which is
to be reserved for the morrow. The Celebrant carries
it beneath a canopy, as on the Feast of Corpus
Christi ; it is not however exposed, as on that day of
its Triumph, but concealed in a chalice closely veiled.
Let us adore this Divine Sun of Justice, whose rising
at Bethlehem brought gladness to our hearts : he is
now near his setting : a few hours more, and his
Light will be eclipsed. Our earth will then be buried
in gloom, until, on the third day, he will rise again
with renewed splendour.
During the Procession, the Choir sings the well-
known Hymn of the Blessed Sacrament.
HYMN.
Pange, lingua, gloriosi
Corporis mysterium,
Sanguinisque pretiosi,
Quern in mundi pretium,
Fructus ventris generosi.
Rex efrudit gentium.
Nobis datus, nobis natus
Ex intacta Virgine,
Et in mundo conversatus,
Sparso verbi semine,
Sui moras incolatus
Miro clausit ordine,
Sing, my tongue, the Mys-
tery of the glorious Body and
precious Blood ! — that Blood
which the King of all nations,
the Fruit of Mary's womb,
shed for the world's redemp-
tion.
He gave himself to us ; for
us was he born from a pure
Virgin ; he lived among men,
sowing the seed of his word,
and closed his career on earth
by a gift of wondrous love.
MAUNDY THURSDAY I MASN.
MH
On the night of the Last
Supper, he assembled his
Brethren around him ; and
having observed the law, and
eaten the Pasch prescribed,
he, with his own hands, gave
himself to the Twelve, as their
Food.
The Word made Flesh
changes bread, by his word,
into his own Flesh, and the
wine becomes the Blood of
Christ. Our senses fail us
here : but Faith has power
to take all wavering from the
Christian heart.
Let us, therefore, venerate
this great Sacrament in pros-
trate adoration ! Let the an-
cient form give place to the
new rite ! Let Faith supply
what the senses cannot give.
Be praise and jubilee to the
Father and the Son ! Salva-
tion, honour, power, yea and
benediction, be to them ; and
to the Spirit that proceeds
from both, be one co-equal
praise '
In supremee nocte ccense
Recumbens cum fratribus,
Observata lege plene
Cibis in legalibus,
Cibum turbae duodenae
Se dat suis manibus.
Verbum
ve-
caro, panem
rum
Verbo carnem efficit :
Fitque sanguis Christi me-
rum :
Et si sensus deficit,
Ad firmandum cor since -
rum
Sola fides sufficit.
Tantum ergo Sacramen-
tum
Veneremur cernui :
Et antiquum documentum
Novo cedat ritui :
Prsestet fides supplemen-
tum
Sensuum defectui.
Genitori, Genitoque
Laus et jubilatio,
Salus, honor, virtus quoque
Sit et benedictio :
Procedenti ab utroque
Compar sit laudatio. Amen.
Having reached the place prepared, the Priest
places the Chalice upon the Altar, and censes the
Sacred Host. The Deacon takes the Chalice, and
puts it in the Tabernacle. After a short prayer in
silence, the Procession returns to the Choir, and Ves-
pers are immediately begun. This Office, which, on
Feast days, is celebrated with so much solemnity, is,
to-day and to-morrow, deprived of every thing that
betokens joy. The Psalms are recited, without the
slightest chant or even inflexion. The Church as a
disconsolate widow, mourns the loss of her Jesus.
384
HOLY WEEK.
VESPEKS.
Pater and Ave are said in secret.
The first Psalm alludes to the Chalice of salva-
tion, which Jesus prepared for his Church by shed-
ding his Blood for our redemption. It was on this
day, at his Last Supper, that he gave her the Chalice
of the New Testament.
Ant. Calicem salutaris
accipiam, et nomen Domini
invocabo.
Ant. I will take the chalice
of salvation, and I will call
upon the name of the Lord.
PSALM 115.
Credidi, propter quod lo-
cutus sum : * ego autem
humiliatus sum nimis.
Ego dixi in excessu meo :
* omnis homo mendax.
Quid retribuam Domino :
* pro omnibus quae retri-
buit mihi ?
Calicem salutaris acci-
piam : * et nomen Domini
invocabo.
Vota mea Domino red-
dam coram omni populo
ejus : * pretiosa in conspec-
tu Domini mors sanctorum
ejus.
O Domine, quia ego ser-
vus tuus : * ego servus tuus,
et filius ancillse tuse.
Dirupisti vincula mea : *
tibi sacrificabo hostiam lau-
dis, et nomen Domini invo-
cabo.
Vota mea Domino reddam
in conspectu omnis populi
ejus : * in atriis domus Do-
mini, in medio tui Jeru-
salem.
I have believed, therefore
have I spoken : but I have
been humbled exceedingly.
I said in my excess : every
raaD is a liar.
What shall I render to the
Lord for all the things that
he hath rendered to me ?
I will take the chalice of
salvation : and I will call
upon the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the
Lord before all his people :
precious in the sight of the
Lord is the death of his saints.
0 Lord, for I am thy ser-
vant : I am thy servant, and
the son of thy handmaid.
Thou hast broken my
bonds : I will sacrifice to thee
the sacrifice of praise, and I
will call upon the name of
the Lord.
1 will pay my vows to the
Lord in the sight of all his
people : in the courts of the
house of the Lord, in the
midst of thee, O Jerusalem.
MAUNDY THURSDAY I VESPERS.
385
Ant. I will take the chalice Ant. Calicem salutaris
of salvation, and I will call accipiam, et nomen Domini
upon the name of the Lord. invocabo.
The second Psalm shows us our Lord patiently
bearing the calumnies of his enemies, and the trials
of his earthly sojourn.
Ant. With them that hated
peace, I was peaceable : when
I spoke to them, they fought
against me without cause.
Ant. Cum his qui ode-
runt pacem. eram pacifi-
cus : dum loquebar illis,
impugnabant me gratis.
PSALM 119.
In my trouble, I cried to
the Lord, and he heard me.
0 Lord, deliver my soul
from wicked lips, and a de-
ceitful tongue.
What shall be given to thee,
or what shall be added to thee,
to a deceitful tongue ?
The sharp arrows of the
mighty, with coals that lay
waste.
Wo is me that my sojourn-
ing is prolonged : I have
dwelt with the inhabitants of
Cedar : my soul has been long
a sojourner.
With them that hated peace
I was peaceable : when I
spoke to them, they fought
against me without cause.
Ant. With them that hated
peace, I was peaceable : when
I spoke to them, they fought
against me without cause.
Ad Dominum cum tribu-
larer, clamavi : * et exaudi-
vit me.
Domine, libera animam
meam a labiis iniquis : * et
a lingua dolosa,
Quid detur tibi, aut quid
apponatur tidi : * ad lin-
guam dolosam ?
Sagittse potentis acutae : *
cum carbonibus desolato-
riis.
Heu mihi quia incolatus
meus prolongatus est ! ha-
bitavi cum habitantibus Ce-
dar : * multum incola fuit
anima mea.
Cum his qui oderunt pa-
cem, eram pacificus : * cum
loquebar illis, impugnabant
me gratis.
Ant. Cum his qui ode-
runt pacem, eram pacificus :
dum loquebar illis impugna-
bant me gratis.
In the third Psalm, the Messias complains of the
perfidy of Judas, and of the persecutions he met with
from the Synagogue.
Ant. From unjust men,
deliver me, O Lord !
Ant. Ab hominibus ini-
quis, libera me, Domine.
386
HOLY WEEK.
PSALM 139.
Eripe me, Domine, ab
horn hie malo : * a viro ini-
quo eripe me.
Qui cogitaverunt iniqui-
tates in corde : tota die
constituebant praelia.
Acuerunt linguas suas si-
cut serpentis : * venenum
aspidum sub labiis eorum.
Custodi me, Domine, de
manu peccatoris : * et ab
hominibus iniquis eripe me.
Qui cogitaverunt supplan-
tare gressus meos : * ab-
sconderunt superbi laqueum
mini.
Et funes extenderunt in
laqueum : * juxta iter scan-
dalum posuerunt mihi.
Dixi Domino : Deus meus
es tu : * exaudi, Domine,
vocem deprecationis meae.
Domine, Domine, virtus
salutis meae : * obumbrasti
super caput meum in die
belli.
Ne tradas me, Domine, a
desiderio meo peccatori : *
cogitaverunt contra me, ne
derelinquas me, ne forte
exaltentur.
Caput circuitus eorum : *
labor labiorum ipsorum ope-
riet eos.
Cadent super eos carbones,
in ignem dejicies eos : * in
miseriis non subsistent.
Vir linguosus non dirige-
tur in terra : * virum injus-
Deliver me, O Lord, from
the evil man : rescue me from
the unjust man.
Who have devised iniquities
in their hearts : all the day-
long they designed battles.
They have sharpened their
tongues like a serpent : the
venom of asps is under their
lips.
Keep me, O Lord, from the
hands of the wicked : and from
unjust men deliver me.
Who have proposed to sup-
plant my steps : the proud
have hid a net for me.
And they have stretched
out cords for a snare : they
have laid for me a stumbling-
block by the way side.
I said to the Lord : Thou
art my God : hear, 0 Lord,
the voice of my supplication.
0 Lord, O Lord, the
strength of my salvation:
thou hast overshadowed my
head in the day of battle.
Give me not up, 0 Lord,
from my desire to the wicked :
they have plotted against me ;
do not thou forsake me, lest
they should triumph.
The head of their compass-
ing me about : the labour of
their lips shall overwhelm
them.
Burning coals shall fall
upon them ; thou wilt cast
them down into the fire : in
miseries they shall not be
able to stand.
A man full of tongue shall
not beestablished iu tho earth :
MAUNDY THURSDAY '. VESPERS.
387
evils shall catch the unjust
man unto destruction.
I know that the Lord will
do justice to the needy, and
will revenge the poor.
But as for the just, they
shall give glory to thy name :
and the upright shall dwell
with thy countenance.
Ant. From unjust men,
deliver me, O Lord !
turn mala capient in inte-
ritu.
Cognovi quia faciet Do-
minus judicium inopis : *
et vindictam pauperum.
Verumtamen justi confi-
tebuntur nomini tuo : * et
habitabunt recti cum vultu
tuo.
Ant. Ab hominibus ini-
quis libera me, Domine.
The fourth Psalm represents our Saviour offering
his prayer to (rod as evening incense : his hands are
stretched out upon the Cross. His bones are dis-
jointed ; the tomb, (which the Psalmist here calls
hell,) is soon to receive him as its victim ; and yet, he
hopes in the promised aid.
Ant. Keep me from the
snare which they have laid
for me, and from the stum-
bling-blocks of them that
work iniquity.
Ant. Custodi me a la-
queo, quern statuerunt mi-
ni, et a scandalis operantium
iniquitatem.
PSALM 140.
I have cried out to thee, O
Lord, hear me : hearken to
my voice when I cry to thee.
Let my prayer be directed
as incense in thy sight : the
lifting up of my hands as an
evening sacrifice.
Set a watch, 0 Lord, before
my mouth : and a door round
my lips.
Incline not my heart to evil
words : to make excuses for
sins.
With men that work ini-
quity : and I will not commu-
nicate with the choicest of
them.
Domine, clamavi ad te,
exaudi me : * intende voci
meae cum clamavero ad te.
Dirigatur oratio mea sicut
incensum in conspectu tuo :
* elevatio manuum mea-
rum, sacrificium vesperti-
num.
Pone, Domine, custodiam
oii meo : * et ostium cir-
cumstantiae labiis meis.
Non declines cor meum
in verba malitiee, * ad ex-
cusandas excusationes in
peccatis.
Cum hominibus operan-
tibus iniquitatem : * et non
communicabo cum electis
eorum.
388
HOLY WEEK.
Corripiet me Justus in
misericordia, et increpabit
me : * oleum autem pecca-
toris non impinguet caput
meum.
Quoniam adhuc et oratio
mea in beneplacitis eorum :
* absorpti sunt juncti pe-
trse judices eorum.
Audient verba mea quo-
niam potuerunt : * sicut
crassitudo terrse erupta est
super terram.
Dissipata sunt ossa nos-
tra secus infernum : * quia
ad te Domine, Domine oculi
mei : in te speravi, non
auferas animam meam.
Custodi me a laqueo quern
statuerunt mihi : * et a
scandalis operantium ini-
quitatem.
Cadent in retiaculo ejus
peccatores : * singulariter
sum ego, donee transeam.
Ant. Custodi me a laqueo,
quern statuerunt mihi, et a
scandalis operantium ini-
quitatem.
The just man shall correct
me in mercy, and reprove me :
but let not the oil of the sin-
ner fatten my head.
For my prayer also shall
still be against the things with
which they are well pleased :
their judges falling upon the
rock have been swallowed up.
They shall hear my words,
for they have prevailed ; as
when the thickness of the
earth is broken up upon the
ground.
Our bones are scattered by
the side of hell ; but on thee,
0 Lord, Lord, are my eyes :
in thee have I put my trust,
take not away my soul.
Keep me from the snare,
which they have laid for me,
and from the stumbling-
blocks of them that work
iniquity.
The wicked shall fall in his
net : I am alone until I pass.
Ant. Keep me from the
snare which they have laid for
me, and from the stumbling-
blocks of them that work
iniquity.
In the fifth Psalm, the Messias complains of his
being abandoned by all. No one takes his part ; his
enemies have him in their power, and are determined
he shall not escape. He turns towards his Eternal
Father, and beseeches him to deliver him from the
prison of the tomb, into which he is soon to descend.
Ant. Considerabam ad
dexteram, et videbam ; et
non erat qui cognosceret me.
Ant. I looked on my right
hand, and beheld ; and there
was no one that would know
me,
MAUNDY THURSDAY '. VESPERS.
389
PSALM 141
I cried to the Lord with my
voice : with my voice I made
supplication to the Lord.
In his sight I pour out my
prayer : and before him I de-
clare my trouble.
When my spirit failed me,
then thou knowest my paths.
In this way wherein I walk-
ed they have had a snare for
me.
I looked on my right hand,
and beheld : and there was
no one that would know me.
Flight had perished from
me : and there is no one that
hath regard to my soul.
I cried to thee, O Lord ; I
said : Thou art my hope, my
portion in the land of the liv-
ing.
Attend to my supplication :
for I am brought very low.
Deliver me from my perse-
cutors, for they are stronger
than I.
Bring my soul out of prison,
that I may praise thy "name :
the just wait for me until
thou reward me.
Ant. I looked on my right
hand, and beheld : and there
was no one that would know
me.
Voce mea ad Dominum
clamavi : * voce mea ad Do-
minum deprecatus sum.
Effundo in conspectu ejus
orationem meam : * et tri-
bulationem meam ante ip-
sum pronuntio.
In deficiendo ex me spiri-
tum meum : * et tu cogno-
visti semitas meas.
In via hac qua ambula-
bam : * absconderunt laque-
um mihi.
Considerabam ad dexte-
ram, et videbam : * et non
erat qui cognosceret me.
Periit fuga a me : * et non
est qui requirat animam
meam.
Clamavi ad te, Domine : *
dixi : Tu es spes mea, portio
mea in terra viventium.
Intende ad deprecatio-
nem meam : * quia humi-
liatus sum nimis.
Libera me a persequen-
tibus me : * quia confortati
sunt super me.
Educ de custodia animam
meam ad confitendum no-
mini tuo : * me exspectant
justi, donee retribuas mihi.
Ant. Considerabam ad
dexteram, et videbam ; et
non erat qui cognosceret
me.
antiphon of the Magnificat.
Ant. As they were at sup-
per, Jesus took bread, and
blessed it, and broke it, and
gave it to his Disciples.
Ant. Ccenantibus autem
illis, accepit Jesus panem
et benedixit, ac fregit, de-
ditque discipulis suis.
390
HOLY WEEK.
Then is said the Canticle Magnificat, (see page 86.)
The Antiphon is repeated, and then is added the
f ollowi ng Versicle :
f. Christus f actus est pro
nobis obediens usque ad
mortem.
f. Christ became, for our
sakes, obedient unto death.
After the Pater noster has been said secretly, the
Psalm Miserere (page 336) is recited with a suppressed
The following prayer concludes the Vespers.
voice.
Respice, qusesumus, Do-
mine, super hanc familiam
tuam : pro qua Dominus
noster Jesus Christus non
dubitavit manibus tradi no-
centium, et crucis subire
tormentum :
Look down, O Lord, we
beseech thee, upon this thy
family, for which our Lord
Jesus Christ hesitated not to
be delivered into the hands
of wicked men, and undergo
the punishment of the Cross :
(then, the rest in secret :)
Qui tecum vivit et regnat,
in unitate Spiritus Sancti,
Deus, per omnia saecula
saeculorum. Amen.
Who liveth and reigneth
with thee, in the unity of the
Holy Ghost, God, world with-
out end. Amen.
THE STKIPPING THE ALTARS.
As soon as Vespers are over, the Celebrant re-
turns to the Sanctuary, assisted by the Deacon and
Subdeacon. He goes to the Altar, and takes off
the cloths and ornaments. This ceremony signifies
the suspension of the Holy Sacrifice. The Altar
should be left in this denuded state, until the daily
offering can be again presented to the Divine
Majesty ; that is, when the Spouse of the holy
Churoh shall arise from the Grave, the Conqueror of
MAUNDY THURSDAY : ALTARS STRIPPED.
391
Death. He is now in the hands of his enemies,
the Jews, who are about to strip him of his garments,
just as we strip the Altar. He is to be exposed
naked to the insults of the rabble : and for this
reason, the Psalm selected to be recited during this
mournful ceremony is the 21st, wherein the Messias
speaks of the Roman soldiers' dividing his garments
among them.
Ant. They parted my gar-
ments among them, and upon
my vesture they cast lots.
Ant. Diviserunt sibi ves-
timenta mea, et super ves-
tem meam miserunt sortem.
PSALM 21.
O God, my God, look upon
me : why hast thou forsaken
me : Far from my salvation
are the words of my sins.
O my God, I shall cry by
day, and thou wilt not hear :
and by night, and it shall not
be reputed as folly in me.
But thou dwellest in the
holy place, the praise of Israel.
In thee have our fathers
hoped : they have hoped and
thou hast delivered them.
They cried to thee, and they
were saved : they trusted in
thee, and were not confound-
ed.
But I am a worm, and no
man : the reproach of men,
and the outcast of the people.
All they that saw me have
laughed me to scorn : they
have spoken with the lips, and
wagged the head.
He hoped in the Lord, let
him deliver him : let him save
him, seeing he delighted in
him.
For thou art he that hast
Deus, Deus meus, respice
in me : quare me dereli-
quisti : * Longe a salute mea
verba delictorum meorum.
Deus meus, clamabo per
diem, et non exaudies : * et
nocte, et non ad insipien-
tiam mini.
Tu autem in sancto habi-
tas : * Laus Israel.
In te speraverunt patres
nostri : * speraverunt, et
liberasti eos.
Ad te clamaverunt, et
salvi facti sunt : * in te
speraverunt, et non sunt
confusi.
Ego autem sum vermis,
et non homo : * opprobrium
hominum, et abjectio plebis.
Omnes videntes me deris-
erunt me : * locuti sunt
labiis, et moverunt caput.
Speravit in Domino, eri-
piat eum : * salvum f aciat
eum, quoniam vult eum.
Quoniam tu es, qui ex-
2e
392
HOLY WEEK.
traxisti me de ventre : *
spes mea ab uberibus matris
mese. In te projectus sum
ex utero.
De ventre matris mese
Deus meus es tu : * ne
discesseris a me.
Quoniam tribulatio prox-
ima est : * quoniam non
est qui adjuvet.
Circumdederunt me vit-
uli multi : * tauri pingues
obsederunt me.
Aperuerunt super me os
suum : * sicut leo rapiens
et rugiens.
Sicut aqua eff usus sum :
* et dispersa sunt omnia
ossa mea.
Factum est cor meum
tamquam cera liquescens :
* in medio ventris mei.
Aruit tamquam testa vir-
tus mea, et lingua mea
adhsesit faucibus meis : * et
in pulverem mortis dedux-
isti me.
Quoniam circumdederunt
me canes multi : * concili-
um malignantium obsedit
me.
Foderunt manus meas et
pedes meos : * dinumerave-
runt omnia ossa mea.
Ipsi vero consideraverunt
et inspexerunt me : * divis-
erunt sibi vestimenta mea,
et super vestem meam mise-
runt sortem.
Tu autem, Domine, ne
elongaveris auxilium tuum
a me : * ad defensionem
meam conspice.
Erue a framea, Deus, ani-
mam meam : * et de manu
canis unicam meam.
drawn me out of the womb :
my hope from the breasts of
my mother. I was cast upon
thee from the womb.
From my mother's womb
thou art my God, depart not
from me.
For tribulation is very near :
for there is none to help me.
Many calves have sur-
rounded me : fat bulls have
besieged me.
They have opened their
mouths against me, as a lion
ravening and roaring.
I am poured out like water :
and all my bones are scattered.
My heart is become like
wax melting in the midst of
my bowels.
My strength is dried up
like a potsherd, and my
tongue hath cleaven to my
3 aws : and thou hast brought
me down into the dust of
death.
For many dogs have encom-
passed me : the council of the
malignant hath besieged me.
They have dug my hands
and feet : they have numbered
all my bones.
And they have looked and
stared upon me : they parted
my garments amongst them,
and upon my vesture they
cast lots.
But thou, O Lord, remove
not thy help to a distance from
me : look towards my defence.
Deliver, O God, my soul
from the sword : my only one
from the hand of the dog.
MAUNDY THURSDAY '. ALTARS STRIPPED. 393
Save me from the lion's
mouth : and my lowness from
the horns of the unicorns.
I will declare thy name to
my brethren : in the midst of
the church will I praise thee.
Ye that fear the Lord,
praise him : all ye the seed
of Jacob, glorify him.
Let all the seed of Israel
fear him : because he hath
not slighted nor despised the
supplication of the poor man.
Neither hath he turned away
his face from me : and when
I cried to him he heard me.
With thee is my praise in
the great church : I will pay
vows in the sight of them
that fear him.
The poor shall eat, and shall
be filled, and they shall praise
the Lord that seek him : their
hearts shall live for ever and
ever.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember, and shall be
converted to the Lord.
And all the kindreds of the
Gentiles shall adore in his
sight.
For the kingdom is the
Lord's : and he shall have
dominion over the nations.
All the fat ones of the
earth have eaten and have
adored : all they that go down
to the earth, shall fall before
him.
And to him my soul shall
live : and my seed shall serve
him.
There shall be declared to
the Lord a generation to come :
and the heavens shall show
Salva me ex ore leonis : *
et a cornibus unicornium
humilitatem meam.
Narrabo nomen tuum
fratribus meis : * in medio
ecclesiee laudabo te.
Qui timetis Dominum,
laudate eum : * universum
semen Jacob, glorificate
eum.
Timeat eum omne semen
Israel : * quoniam non
sprevit, neque despexit de-
precationem pauperis.
Nee avertit faciem suam
a me : et cum clamarem ad
eum, exaudivit me.
Apud te laus mea in ec-
clesia magna : * vota mea
redd am in conspectu timen-
tium eum.
Edent pauperes, et sa-
turabuntur, et laudabunt
Dominum qui requirunt
eum : * vivent corda eorum
in speculum sseculi.
Reminiscentur, et con-
vertentur ad Dominum : *
universi fines terrse.
Et adorabunt in conspectu
ejus : * universae familiae
gentium.
Quoniam Domini est reg-
num : * et ipse dominabitur
gentium.
Manducaverunt, et ado-
raverunt, omnes pingues
terrae : * in conspectu ejus
cadent omnes, qui descen-
dunt in terram.
Et anima mea illi vivet : *
et semen meum serviet ipsi.
Annuntiabitur Domino
generatio ventura : * et an-
nuntiabunt cceli justitiam
394 HOLY WEEK.
ejus, populo qui nascetur forth his justice to a people
quern fecit Dominus. that shall be born, which the
Lord hath made.
Ant. Diviserunt sibi ves- AxT. They parted my gar-
timenta mea, et super ves- ments among them, and upon
tern meam miserunt sortem. my vesture they cast lots.
After having stripped the High Altar, the Cele-
brant takes of? the Cloths from the other Altars that
are in the Chnrch. An air of desolation pervades
the Temple of Grod. The very Tabernacle has lost
its Divine Guest. The Ciborium (in which the
Blessed Sacrament is reserved for Viaticum,) has
been taken to the place, where reposes the Chalice
containing the Body of our Lord. The Majesty of
our Grod has withdrawn to that mysterious Sanctuary,
into which we enter not but with silence and com-
punction.
It was the custom, in some Churches, for the Priest
to wash, in the afternoon, the Altars with wine and
water, which he sprinkled upon them with a branch
of hyssop. This ceremony, (which has now ceased
to be observed in almost every Church, excepting at
St. Peter's in Pome,) was intended as a homage
offered to our Blessed Lord, in return for the humility,
wherewith he deigned to wash the feet of his Dis-
ciples. We find it so explained by St. Isidore of
Seville,1 and St. Eligius, Bishop of Noyon.2
THE WASHING OF THE FEET.
After having, on this day, washed the feet of his
Disciples, Jesus said to them : Know ye what I have
done to you ? You call me Master and Lord : and
you say well, for so I am. If then 7, being your
1 De Ecclesiasticis Officiis, lib. I. cap. xxviii.
2 Homil. viii. De Ccena Domini.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : WASHING OF FEET. 39f5
Lord and Master, have washed your feet ; you, also,
ought to wash one another }s feet. For I have given
you an example, that as I have done to you, so you
do also.1 Although the meaning of these words is,
that after the example of our Divine Master, we
should practise works of fraternal charity towards our
neighbour, — yet the literal imitation of this our
Saviour's act has always been observed in the
Church.
At the commencement, it was almost a daily prac-
tice. St. Paul, when mentioning the qualities which
should adurn the Christian Widow, includes that of
washing the feet of the Saints,2 that is, of the Faith-
ful. We find this act of humble charity practised in
the Ages of Persecution, and even later. The Acts
of the Saints of the first six centuries, and the Ho-
milies and Writings of the Holy Fathers, are filled
with allusions to it. Afterwards, charity grew cold,
and this particular way of exercising it was confined,
almost exclusively, to Monasteries. Still, from time
to time, it was practised elsewhere. We occasionally
find Kings and Queens setting this example of hu-
mility. The holy King Robert of France, and, later,
St. Louis, used frequently to wash the feet of the
poor. The holy Queens, St. Margaret of Scotland,
and St. Elizabeth of Hungary, did the same. The
Church, with that spirit which makes her treasure up
every recommendation of her Divine Lord, has intro-
duced this act of humility into her Liturgy, and it is
to-day that she puts the great lesson before her chil-
dren. In every Church of any importance, the Pre-
late, or Superior, honours our Saviour's condescension
by the ceremony, called the Washing of the Feet.
The Bishops throughout the world follow the exam-
ple set them by the Sovereign Pontiff, who performs
this ceremony in the Vatican. Yea, there are still
1 St. John, xiii. 12-15. 2 1 Tim. v. 10.
396 HOLY WEEK.
to be found Kings and Queens who, on this day,
wash the feet of the poor, and give them abundant
alms.
The Twelve Apostles are represented by the
twelve poor, who according to the most general prac-
tice, are chosen for this ceremony. The Pope, how-
ever, washes the feet of thirteen Priests of as many
different countries ; and this is the reason of the
Ceremonial requiring this number for Cathedral
Churches. But, why thirteen ? Some have inter-
preted it thus : that it represented the full number of
the Apostolic College, which is thirteen, for St.
Matthias was elected in Judas' place, and our Lord
himself, after his Ascension, called St. Paul to be an
Apostle. Other authors, however, among whom
the learned Pope Benedict the Fourteenth,1 assert,
that the reason of this number being chosen was the
miracle related in the life of St. Gregory the Great.
This holy Pope used, every day, to wash the feet of
twelve poor men, whom he afterwards invited to his
own table. One day, a thirteenth was present : — it
was an Angel, whom God had sent, that he might
thereby testify how dear to him was the charity of
his servant.
The Ceremony of the Washing of the Feet is, also,
called the Mandatum, from the first word of the first
Antiphon. After the Deacon has chanted the Gos-
pel of the Mass of Maundy Thursday (page 378,) the
Celebrant takes off the Cope, girds himself with a
towel, and, kneeling down, begins to wash the feet of
those who have been chosen. He kisses the right
foot of each one, after having washed it. Meanwhile,
the Choir sings the following Antiphon s :
Ant. Mandatum novum Ant. I give you a new
do vobis : ut diligatis invi- commandment : that ye love
> Be Festis D. N. J. C— Lib. I. Cap. vi. No. 57.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : WASHING OF FEET.
397
one another, as I have loved
you, say s our Lord. f. Bless-
ed are the immaculate in the
way : who walk in the law of
the Lord. I give, &c.
Ant. After our Lord was
risen from supper, he put
water into a basin, and began
to wash the feet of his dis-
ciples ; to whom he gave this
example, y. Great is the
Lord, and exceedingly to be
praised : in the city of our
God, in his holy mountain.
After, &c.
Ant. Our Lord Jesus, after
he had supped with his disci-
ples, washed their feet, and
said to them : Know you what
I your Lord and Master have
done to you ? I have given
you an example, that ye also
may do the same. f. Thou
hast blessed, O Lord, thy
land : thou hast delivered
Jacob from captivity. Our
Lord, &c.
Ant. Lord, dost thou wash
my feet ? Jesus answered, and
said to him : If I shall not
wash thy feet, thou shalt have
no part with me. $ . He came
to Simon Peter, and Peter said
to him: Lord, &c. f. What
I do thou knowest not now :
but thou shalt know it after-
wards. Lord, &c.
Ant. If I your Lord and
Master have washed your
feet : how much more ought
you to wash the feet of one
another ? ^. Hear these
things, all ye nations: hearken
to them, all ye that inhabit
the world. If I, &c.
Ant. In this all shall know
that ye are my disciples, if ye
cem sicut dilexi vos, dicit
Dominus. X*. Beati imma-
culati in via : * qui ambu-
lant in lege Domini. Man-
datum.
Ant. Postquam surrexit
Dominus a ccena, misit
aquam in pel vim, et ccepit
lavare pedes discipulorum
suorum : hoc exemplum re-
liquit eis. f. Magnus Do-
minus et laudabilis nimis : *
in civitate Dei nostri, in
monte sancto ejus. Post-
quam.
Ant. Dominus Jesus,
postquam ccenavit cum dis-
cipuHs suis, lavit pedes eo-
rum, et ait illis : Scitis quid
fecerim vobis ego Dominus
et Magister ? Exemplum
dedi vobis, ut et vos ita
faciatis. ^. Benedixisti,
Domine, terrain tuam ; *
avertisti captivitatem Jacob.
Dominus.
Ant. Domine, tu mihi
lavas pedes ! Eespondit
Jesus, et dixit ei : Si non
lavero tibi pedes, non habe-
bis partem mecum. Jf. Ve-
nit ergo ad Simonem Pe-
trum, * et dixit ei Petrus :
Domine. $. Quod ego facio
tu nescis modo : scies autem
postea. Domine.
Ant. Si ego Dominus et
Magister vester lavi vobis
pedes : quanto magis debe-
tis alter alterius lavare pe-
des ! f~. Audite hsec, omnes
gentes : * auribus percipite
qui habitatis orbem. Si ego.
Ant. In hoc cognoscent
omnes quia diecipuli mei
S98
HOLY WEEK.
estis, si dilectionem habue-
ritis ad invicem. ^. Dixit
Jesus discipulis suis. In
hoc.
Ant. Maneat in vobis
fides, spes, charitas, tria
hsec : major autem horum
est charitas. Ijr. Nunc au-
tem manent fides, spes,
charitas, tria hsec : * major
horum est charitas. Ma-
neant.
Ant. Benedicta sit sancta
Trinitas atque indrvisa uni-
tas : confitebimur ei, quia
fecit nobiscum misericor-
diam suam. $. Benedica-
mus Patrem et Filium, *
cum Sancto Spiritu. f.
Quam dilecta tabernacula
tua, Domine virtutum ! *
concupiscit et deficit anima
mea in atria Domini. Bene-
dicta.
have a love for one an other.
&. Said Jesus to his disciples.
In this, &c.
Ant. Let these three, Faith,
Hope, and Charity, remain in
you : but the greatest of them
is charity, f. But now re-
main Faith, Hope, and Cha-
rity, these three : but the
greatest of them is charity.
Let, &c.
Ant. Blessed be the holy
Trinity and undivided Unity :
we will praise him because he
has shown us his mercy, y.
Let us bless the Father and
the Son, with the Holy Ghost.
f. How lovely are thy ta-
bernacles, O Lord of Hosts :
my soul desires and longs after
thehouseoftheLord. Blessed,
&c.
After these Antiphons, the Choir sings the follow-
ing Canticle. It is a fervent exhortation to Frater-
nal Charity, of which the Washing of the Feet is a
symbol.
CANTICLE.
TJbi charitas, et amor,
Deus ibi est.
f. Congregavit nos in
unum Christi amor.
f. Exsultemus, et in ipso
jucundemur.
$. Timeamus, et amemus
Deum vivum.
y. Et ex corde diligamus
nos sincero.
Where charity and love are,
there is God.
y . The love of Christ hath
gathered us together.
^. Let us rejoice in him,
and be glad.
^ . Let us fear and love the
living God.
^. And let us love one the
other with a sincere heart.
Ubi charitas
Deus ibi est.
et amor, Where charity and love are,
there is God.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : WASHING OF FEET. 399
TV. When, therefore, we are
gathered together,
Jt. Let us take heed we be
not divided in mind.
y. Let wicked quarrels and
contentions be at an end,
y. And let Christ our God
dwell among us.
f. Simul ergo cum in
unum congregamur,
y. Ne nos mente divida-
mur caveamus.
$. Cessent jurgia malig-
na, cessent lites,
f. Et in medio nostri sit
Christus Deus.
Where chaiity and love are,
there is God.
$. Let us, also, with the
Blessed, see
f. Thy face in glory, 0
Christ our God !
f. There to possess an im-
mense and happy joy,
f. For endless ages. Amen.
Ubi charitas et amor,
Deus ibi est.
"ft. Simul quoque cum
beatis videamus,
y. Glorianter, vultum tu-
um, Christe Deus.
f. Gaudium, quod est
immensum, atque probum,
f. Saecula per infinita sse-
culorum. Amen.
The Celebrant having resumed his Cope, the cere-
mony concludes with the following prayers :
Our Father.
Pater Noster.
The rest of the Lord's Prayer is said in silence, as
far as the last two petitions.
^. And lead us not into
temptation.
gt. But deliver us from
evil.
Jf. Thou hast commanded,
O Lord,
gt. That thy precepts be
exactly observed.
f. Thou hast washed the
feet of thy disciples.
gt. Despise not the work
of thy hands.
f. Et ne nos inducas in
tentationem.
gt. Sed libera nos a malo.
^. Tu mandasti mandata
tua, Domine,
&. Custodiri nimis.
^. Tu lavasti pedes di-
scipulorum tuorum.
gt. Opera manuum tua-
rum ne despicias.
400
HOLY WEEK.
^. Domine, exaudi ora- p. 0 Lord, hear my prayer,
tionem meam.
$. Et clamor meus ad te
veniat.
f. Dominus vobiscum.
&. Et cum spiritu tuo.
gt. And let my cry come
unto thee.
^ . The Lord be with you.
gt. And with thy spirit.
OREMXJS.
Adesto, Domine, quaesu-
mus, officio servitutis nos-
trae et quia tu discipulis
tuis pedes lavare dignatus
es, ne despicias opera ma-
nuum tuarum, quae nobis
retinenda mandasti : ut si-
cut hie nobis, et a nobis ex-
teriora abluuntur inquina-
menta, sic a te omnium nos-
trum interiora laventur pec-
cata. Quod ipse praestare
digneris, qui vivis et regnas
Deus per omnia saecula sae-
culorum.
gt. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
Accept, O Lord, we beseech
thee, this duty of our service,
and since thou didst vouchsafe
to wash the feet of thy disci-
ples, despise not the work of
thy hands, which thou hast
commanded us to imitate :
that as here the outward stains
are washed away by us and
from us, so the inward sins of
us all may be blotted out by
thee. Which be thou pleased
to grant, who livest and reign -
est one God for ever and ever.
gt. Amen.
THE OFFICE OF TENEBR^E.
At a late hour in the afternoon, the Night Office
of Good Friday is anticipated, as was done yesterday.
The Faithful repair to the Church at the time
specified. Let them remember, that the Bells are
not rung from this till Saturday.
The Office of Tenebrse for Good Friday is given
below, page 412.
THE EVENING.
Judas has left the Cenacle, and, profiting of the
darkness, has reached the place where the enemies of
his Saviour are assembled. Jesus then turns to his
faithful Apostles, and says to them : Now is the Son
MAUNDY THURSDAY I HISTORY. 401
of Man glorified} Yes, his Passion is to be followed
by triumph and glory ; and the Passion has already
begun, for Judas has commenced his work of betray-
ing him. Meanwhile, the Apostles, — forgetting the
trouble, into which they had been thrown by Jesus'
telling them, that one of the Twelve was about to
betray him, — begin to dispute among themselves,
which of them should seem to be greater P They
have not forgotten the words spoken by Jesus to
Peter, when he made him the Rock, on which he
would build his Church ; and here, at the Supper,
they have seen their Divine Master wash the feet of
Peter first. On the other hand, John's affectionate
familiarity with Jesus, during this same Supper, has
made some of them argue, that he who was most
loved, would be most honoured.
Jesus puts an end to this dispute, by giving to
these future Pastors of his Church a lesson of
humility. There shall, it is true, be a Head among
them, but, says our Redeemer, let him that is the
greater among you, become as the younger ; and he
that is the leader, as he that serveth. He bids them
look at him : he is their Master, and yet, says he, I
am in the midst of you, as he that serveth? Then
turning towards Peter, he thus adresses him : Simon,
Simon ! behold Satan hath desired to have you, that
he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for
thee, that thy faith fail not : and thou, being once
converted, eonfirm thy Brethren} This last interview
is, as it were, our Saviour's Testament ; he provides
for his Church, before leaving her. The Apostles
are to be Peter's Brethren, but Peter is to be their
Head. This sublime dignity is to be enhanced by
the humility of him that enjoys it : he shall be
" The Servant of the Servants of Grod." The Apos-
tolic College is to be exposed to the fury of hell ; but
1 St. John, xiii. 31. 3 St. Luke, xxii. 26, 27.
2 St. Luke, xxii. 24. 4 Ibid. 31, 32.
402 HOLY WEEK.
Peter alone is to confirm his Brethren in the faith.
His teaching shall ever be conformable to Divine
Truth ; it shall be ever Infallible : Jesus has prayed
that it may be so. Such a prayer is all-powerful ;
and thereby, the Church, ever docile to the voice of
Peter, shall for ever maintain the doctrine of Christ.
Jesus, after having provided for the future of his
Church by the words he addressed to Peter, thus
speaks affectionately to all the eleven : Little chil-
dren ! yet a little ivhile I am ivith you. Love one
an other. By this shall all men know that ye are my
disciples , if ye have love one for an other. Peter
says to him : Lord ! whither goest thou ? — Whither
I go, answers Jesus, thou canst not now follow me ;
but thou shalt follow hereafter. — Why cannot I
follow thee now ? again asks Peter : 7" will lay down
my life for thee. — Wilt thou, replies Jesus, lay down
thy life for me ? Amen, amen, I say to thee : the
cock shall not croiv, till thou deny me thrice.1
Peter's love for Jesus had too much of the human
about it, for it was not based on humility. Pre-
sumption comes from pride : it almost always results
in a fall. In order to prepare Peter for his future
ministry of pardon, as also to give us a useful lesson,
God permits that he, who was soon to be made Prince
of the Apostles, should fall into a most grievous and
humiliating sin.
But let us return to the instructions contained in
the last words spoken by our Jesus before he leaves
his disciples. I am, says he, the Way, the Truth, and
the Life. If you love me, keep my commandments.
I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another
Paraclete, that he may abide ivith you for ever. I
ivill not leave you orphans ; I will come to you.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you : not
as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your
1 St. John, xiii. 33-38.
MAUNDY THURSDAY '. HISTORY. 403
heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. If you loved me,
you ivould indeed be glad, because I go to the Father.
I will not now speak many things with you, for the
prince of this world cometh, and in me he hath not
anything. But that the world may know that I love
the Father, and as the Father hath given me command-
ment, so do I, — arise, let us go hence.1 Deeply im-
pressed by these words, the Disciples arise, and, after
the hymn of thanksgiving has been said, they
accompany Jesus to Mount Olivet.
He continues his instructions as they go along.
He takes occasion from their passing by a Vine to
speak of the effect produced by divine grace in the
soul of man. / am the true vine, he says, and my
Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me, that
beareth not fruit, he will take away, and every one that
beareth fruit, he will purge it, that it may bring forth
more fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine ;
so neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the
Vine, you are the branches : he that abideth in me, and
I in him, the same beareth much fruit : for without me
you can do nothing. If any one abideth not in me, he
shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and
they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and
he burnetii. You have not chosen me : but I have
chosen you, and have appointed you, that you should
go, and should bring forth fruit, and your fruit should
remain.2
He next speaks to them of the persecutions that
await them, and of the hatred the world will have of
them. He renews the promise he had made them
of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, and tells them that
it is to their advantage that he himself should leave
them. He assures them, that they shall obtain
whatever they ask of the Father in his name. The
1 St. John, xiv. 2 Ibid. xv.
404 HOLY WEEK.
Father, he adds, lovcth you, because you hare loved me,
and have believed that I came out from God. I came
forth from the Father, and am come into the world :
again I leave the world, and I go to the Father. The
Disciples say to him : Now -we know that thou know-
est all things, and thou needest not that any man should
ask thee. By this we believe that thou comest forth
from God. — Do you now believe ? answered Jesus :
behold ! the hour cometh, and it is now come, that you
shall be scattered every man to his own, and shall leave
me alone.1 All you shall be scandalised in me this
night : for it is written : "i" will strike the shepherd,
"and the sheep of the flock shall be dispersed." But
after I shall be risen again, I will go before you into
Galilee?
Peter again protests that he will he faithful to his
Master ; the rest may abandon him, if they will, but
he will keep with him to the last ! It should, indeed,
be so, for he has received so much more from Jesus
than the others have : but he is again humbled by
being told of his coming speedy fall. Jesus then
calmly raising up his eyes to heaven, says : Father !
the hour is come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son may
glorify thee. I have finished the work which thou
gavest me to do ; I have manifested thy name to the
men whom thou hast given me. They have known that
I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou
didst send me. I pray for them ; I pray not for the
world. And now I am not in the world, and these are
in the ivorld, and I come to thee. Holy Father ! keep
them in thy name, whom thou hast given me ; that they
may be one, as we also are. While I was with them, I
kept them in thy name. Those ichom thou gavest me,
have 1 kept ; and none of them is lost, but the son of
perdition, that the Scripture may be fulfilled. I have
given them thy ivord ; and the world hath hated them,
1 St. John, xvi. 2 St. Matth. xxvi. 31, 32,
MAUNDY THURSDAY ! HISTORY. 405
because they are not of the world, as I also am not of
the world. I pray not that thou shouldst take them out
of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from
evil. Not for them only do I pray, but for them also
who, through their word, shall believe in me : that they
all may be one, as thou, Father ! in me, and I in thee :
that they also may be one in us : that the ivorld may
knoiv, that thou hast sent me. Father, I ivill that
where I am, they also, whom thou hast given me, may
be ivith me ; that they may see the glory ichich thou
hast given me, because thou hast loved me before the
creation of the world. Just Father ! the world hath
not known thee ; but I have known thee, and these have
knoivn that thou hast sent me. And I have made known
thy name to them, and will make it known, that the love,
wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in
them.1
Such are the out-pourings of the loving Heart of
our Jesus, as he crosses the Brook of Cedron, and
ascends, with his Disciples, the Mount of Olives.
Having come as far as Gethsemani, he goes into a
garden, whither he had often led his Apostles and
rested there with them. Suddenly, his Soul is over-
powered with grief ; his Human Nature experiences,
as it were, a suspension of that beatitude, which
results from its union with the Divinity. This his
Humanity will be interiorly supported, even to the
very last moment of his Passion ; but it must bear
everything that it is possible for it to bear. Jesus
feels such intense sadness, that the very presence of
his Disciples is insupportable ; he leaves them,
taking with him only Peter, James, and John, who,
a short time before, had been witnesses of his
glorious Transfiguration : — will they show greater
courage than the rest, when they see their Divine
Master in the hands of his enemies ? His words
1 St. John, xvii.
406 HOLY WEEK.
show them what a sudden change has come over
him. He whose language was, a few moments be-
fore, so calm, his look so serene, and his tone of voice
so sweet, — now says to them : My soul is sorrowful
even unto death : stay you here, and watch with
me.1
He leaves them, and goes to a grotto, which is
about a stone's throw distant. Even to this day it
exists, perpetuating the memory of the terrible
event. There does our Jesus prostrate himself, and
prays, saying : Father ! all things are possible to thee.
Remove this chalice from me : — but, not what I will,
but what thou ivilt.2 Whilst thus praying, a Sweat
of Blood flows from his body and bathes the
ground. It is not merely a swooning, — it is an
Agony, that he suffers. Gk>d sends help to his sink-
ing frame, and it is an Angel that is intrusted with
the office. Jesus is treated as man ; his Humanity,
exhausted as it is, is to receive no other sensible aid
than that which is now brought him by an Angel,
(whom tradition affirms to have been Gabriel.)
Hereupon he rises, and again accepts the Chalice pre-
pared for him. But what a Chalice ! — every pain
that body and soul can suffer ; the sins of the whole
world taken upon himself, and crying out vengeance
against him ; the ingratitude of men, many of whom
will make his Sacrifice useless. Jesus has to accept
all this, and at the very time, when he seems to be
left to his Human Nature. The power of the Di-
vinity, which is in him, supports him : but it does not
prevent him from feeling every suffering, just as
though he had been mere Man. He begins his
Prayer by asking, that the Chalice may be taken
from him ; he ends it by saying to his Father : Not
my will, but thine be done ! 3
1 St. Matth. xxvi. 38. 2 St. Mark, xiv. 36.
3 St. Luke, xxii. 42,
MAUNDY THURSDAY! HISTORY. 407
Jesus then rises, leaving the earth covered with
the Blood of his Agony : — it is the first Bloodshed-
ding of his Passion. He goes to his three Disciples,
and, finding them asleep, says to them : What ! could
you not watch one hour with me ? l This was the
beginning of that feature of his sufferings, which con-
sists in his being abandoned. He twice returns to
the grotto, and repeats his sorrowful, but submissive,
prayer ; twice he returns to his Disciples, whom he
had asked to watch near him, but, at each time, finds
them asleep. At length, he speaks to them, saying :
Sleep ye now, aad take your rest ! Behold, the hour
is at hand, and the Son of Man shall be betrayed
into the hands of sinners. Then resuming the energy
of his divine courage, he adds : Rise ! let us go !
Behold, he is at hand that will betray me !2
Whilst speaking these last few words, a numerous
body of armed men enter the Grarden with torches
in their hands. Judas is at their head. The be-
trayal is made by a profanation of the sign of friend-
ship. Judas ! dost thou betray the Son of Man
tvith a kiss P These piercing words should have
made the traitor throw himself at his Master's feet,
and ask pardon ; but it was too late : he feared the
soldiers. But the servants of the High Priest cannot
lay hands on Jesus, unless he, their Victim, permit
them to do so. With one single word, he casts them
prostrate on the ground. Then permitting them to
rise, he says to them, with all the majesty of a King :
If you seek Me, let these go their way. You are come
out, as it were against a thief with swords and clubs.
When I was daily tvith you in the Temple, you did
not stretch forth your hands against me : but this is
your hour, and the power of darkness. Then turning
to Peter, who had drawn and used his sword, he says
1 St. Matth. xxvi. 40. 2 Id. ibid. 46.
3 St. Luke, xxii, 48.
2f
408 HOLY WEEK.
to him : Thinkest thou that I cannot ask my Father,
and he will give me presently ticelve legions of Angels ?
How then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled ?l
And now, Jesus permits himself to be led. Where-
upon, his Apostles run away in fear. Peter and an-
other Disciple follow him, but as far off as they can.
The soldiers lead Jesus by the same road, along which
he had passed on the previous Sunday, when the
people met him, with palm and olive branches in
their hands. They cross the brook Cedron ; and there
is a tradition of the Church of Jerusalem, that the
soldiers as they passed the bridge, threw Jesus into
the water. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy of David :
He shall drink of the torrent in the way?
They reach the City walls. The gate is opened,
and the divine Prisoner enters. It is night, and
the inhabitants know not the crime that has been
committed. It is only on the morrow, that they will
learn, that Jesus of Nazareth, the great Prophet, has
fallen into the hands of the Chief Priests and Pha-
risees. The night is far advanced ; but many hours
must elapse before the dawn of day. The enemies
of Jesus have arranged to take him, in the morning,
to Pontius Pilate, and accuse him as being a dis-
turber of the peace : but in the meanwhile, they intend
to condemn him as guilty in matters of religion !
Their tribunal has authority to judge in cases of this
nature, only they cannot pass sentence of death upon
a culprit, how guilty soever they may prove him.
They, consequently, hurry Jesus to Annas, the father-
in-law of the High Priest Caiphas. Here is to take
place the first examination. These blood-thirsty
men have spent these hours in sleepless anxiety.
They have counted the very minutes since the
departure of their minions for Mount Olivet. They
are not without some doubt as to whether their plot
1 St. John, xviii. 8. St. Luke, xxii, 52, 53. St. Matth. xxvi. 53.
2 Ps. cix. 7.
MAUNDY THURSDAY : HISTORY. 409
will succeed. At last, their Victim is brought be-
fore them, and he shall not escape their vengeance !
Here let us interrupt our History of the Passion,
till the morrow shall bring us to the solemn hour,
when the great Mystery of our instruction and
salvation was accomplished. What a day is this
that we have been spending ! How full of Jesus'
love ! He has given us his Body and Blood to be
our Food ; he has instituted the Priesthood of the
New Testament ; he has poured out upon the world
the sublimest instructions of his loving Heart. We
have seen him struggling with the feelings of human
weakness, as he beheld the Chalice of the Passion
that was prepared for him ; but he triumphed over
all, in order to save us. We have seen him betrayed,
fettered, and led captive into the holy City, there to
consummate his Sacrifice. Let us adore and love
this Jesus, who might have saved us by one and the
least of all these humiliations ; but whose love for
us was not satisfied unless he drank, to the very
dregs, the Chalice he had accepted from his Father.
The following beautiful Preface of the Gothic
Missal of Spain will assist us in our devotion towards
the Mysteries we have been celebrating.
ILLATION.
It is meet and just, that Digimm et justum est :
we should give thanks to nos tibi, Domine sancte,
thee, 0 Holy Lord, Almighty Pater omnipotens, gratias
Father ! and to Jesus Christ agere : et Jesu Christo Filio
thy Son. We have been tuo. Cujus nos humanitas
fostered by his Humanity, colligit : humilitas erigit :
exalted by his humility, set traditio solvit : poena redi-
free by his betrayal, redeemed mit : crux salvificat : sanguis
by his punishment, saved by emaculat : caro saginat.
his Cross, cleansed by his Qui seipsum pro nobis hodie
Blood, fed by his Flesh. He, tradidit ; et culpse nostras
on this day, delivered himself vincula relaxavit. Qui ad
for us; and loosened the bonds commendandam fidelibus
of our sin. He showed to his bonitatis suae, humilitatis-
410
HOLY WEEK.
que magnificentiam, etiam
traditoris sui non dedigna-
tus est pedes abluere : cujus
jam manus prsevidebat in
scelere. Sed quid mirum :
si dum ministerium formse
servilis voluntarise morti
vicinus adimplet, posuit
vestimenta sua : qui cum
in forma Dei esset, semet-
ipsum exinanivit ? Quid
mirum si prsecinxit se lin-
teo : qui formam servi acci-
piens, habitu est inventus
ut homo ? Quid mirum si
misit aquam in pelvim :
unde lavaret pedes discipu-
lorum : qui in terra san-
guinem suum fudit: quo
immunditias dilueret pec-
catorum ? quid mirum, si
linteo quo erat prsecinctus,
pedes quos laverat tersit :
qui carne qua erat indutus
evangelistarum vestigia con-
firmavit? Et linteo quidem
ut se prsecingeret : posuit
vestimenta quae habebat :
ut autem formam servi
acciperet : quando semet-
ipsum exinanivit : non quod
habebat deposuit : sed quod
non habebat accepit. Cru-
cifigendus sane suis ex-
poliatus est vestimentis : et
mortuus involutus est lin-
teis : et tota ilia ejus passio
credentium est facta pur-
gatio. Passurus igitur exitia;
prsemisit obsequia. Non
solum eis pro quibus subi-
turus venerat mortem ; sed
etiam illi qui fuerat tradi-
turus ilium ad mortem.
Tanta quippe est humanae
humilitatis utilitas : ut earn
buo commendaret exemplo
Faithful people the riches of
his goodness and humility, by
deigning to wash the feet of
his very betrayer, whose hand
he already perceived to be
engaged in his wicked deed.
But, what wonder, that he, on
the eve of his voluntary Death,
when about to do the work of
a servant, should take off his
garments, — he who being in
the form of God, had emptied
himself? What wonder, that
he should gird himself with a
towel, who, taking the form of
a servant, was found in the
habit of man ? What wonder
that he should put water into
a basin, for the washing the
feet of his Disciples, who shed
his Blood upon the earth for
the cleansing away the defile-
ments of sinners ? What won-
der that with the towel, where-
with he was girt, he should
wipe the feet he had washed,
he that with the Flesh, where-
with he had clothed himself,
had strengthened the feet of
them that were to preach his
Grospel ? Before girding him-
self with the towel, he took
off the garments he wore ;
but, when he took the form of
a servant, and emptied himself,
he laid not aside what he had,
but assumed what he had not.
When he was crucified, he was
stripped of his garments, and
when dead, was wrapped in
linen : and his whole Passion
was a purification of them
that believe. When, there-
fore, he was on the eve of his
sufferings, he prepared for
them by benefits, given not
only to them for whom he
MAUNDY THURSDAY.
411
was about to suffer Death,
but even to him who was
about to betray him unto
Death. Such, indeed, is the
importance of humility to
man, that the very majesty of
God taught it him by his own
example. Proud man would
have been for ever lost, had
not the humble God found
him : and thus, he that had
been ruined by the pride of
the seducer, was saved by the
humility of the most loving
Redeemer, to whom deserved-
ly all the Angels and Arch-
angels cry out daily without
ceasing, saying with one
voice : Holy ! Holy ! Holy !
divina sublimitas. Quia
homo superbus in aeternum
periret : nisi ilium Deus
humilis inveniret. Ut qui
periret superbia deceptoris :
salvaretur hu militate piis-
simi redemptoris. Cui me-
rito omnes Angeli et Arch-
angeli non cessant clamare
quotidie : una voce dicentes :
Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus.
412 HOLY WEEK.
GOOD FKIDAY.
THE NIGHT OFFICE.
The Ceremonies used by the Church for the Office
of Tenebrce having been already explained, we deem
it unnecessary to repeat our instructions. The reader
may refer to them, should he require to refresh his
memory. They are given in pages 302 — 304.
Pater noster, Ave, and Credo, in secret.
THE FIRST NOCTURN.
The first Psalm, after having spoken of the Eter-
nal Q-eneration of the Son of Grod, prophesies his
Kingship over the Nations, and the vengeance he will
take on his enemies, at the last day. As this mag-
nificent Canticle also foretells the revolt of earthly
Princes against Christ, the Church uses it on this
day, when the Synagogue has plotted his Death.
Ant. Adstiterunt reges Ant. The kings of the
terrse, et principes conve- earth stood up, and the princes
nerunt in unum, adver- met together, against the
sus Dominum, et adversus Lord, and against his Christ.
Christum ejus.
PSALM 2.
Q,uare fremuerunt Gentes : Why have the Gentiles
* et populi meditati sunt raged, and the people devised
inania ? vain things ?
Astiterunt reges terrse, et The kings of the earth stood
principes convenerunt in up, and the princes met to-
unum : * adversus Domi- gether, against the Lord, and
num, et adversus Christum against his Christ,
ejus.
GOOD FRIDAY : TENEKRiE.
413
They said : Let us break
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, preaching 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 thy in-
heritance : and the utmost
parts of the earth for thy
possession.
Thou shalt rule them with
a rod of iron : and shalt break
them in pieces like a potter's
vessel.
And now, 0 ye kings, un-
derstand : receive instruction,
you 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 yon perish from the just
way.
When his wrath shall be kin-
dled in a short time, blessed
are all they that trust in him.
Ant. The kings of the earth
stood up, and the princes met
together, against the Lord
and against his Christ.
Dirumpamus vincula eo-
rum : * et projiciamus a no-
bis jugum ipsorum.
Qui habitat in ccelis irri-
debit eos : * et Dominus
subsannabit eos.
Tunc loquetur ad eos in ira
sua : * et in furore suo con-
turbabit eos.
Ego autem constitutus
sum rex ab eo super Sion
montem sanctum ejus : *
prcedicans praeceptum ejus.
Dominus dixit ad me : *
Eilius meus es tu, ego hodie
genui te.
Postula a me, et dabo tibi
Gentes haereditatem tuam :
* et possessionem tuam ter-
minos terrae.
Reges eos in virga ferrea :
* et tamquam vas figuli con-
fringes eos.
Et nunc reges intelligite :
* erudimini qui judicatis
terram.
Servite Domino in timore :
* et exsultate ei cum tremore.
Apprehendite disciplinam,
ne quando irascatur Domi-
nus : * et pereatis de via
justa.
Cum exarserit in brevi ira
ejus : * beati omnes qui con-
fidunt in eo.
Ant. Adstiterunt reges
terrae, et principes conve-
nerunt in unum, adversus
Dominum, et adversus Chris-
tum ejus.
The second Psalm is pre-eminently the Psalm of
414
HOLY WEEK.
the Passion. The first verse contains one of the
Seven Words spoken by our Saviour on the Cross.
The rest of the Psalm mentions so many circum-
stances of the Passion, and with such clearness, that
we almost seem to be reading the account of an eye-
witness. Thus it tells us among other particulars of
our Lord's sufferings, of his Hands and Feet being
pierced, of his body being violently stretched upon
the Cross, of his Garments being divided, of Lots
being cast for his Vesture, of his Agony, and of his
being insulted by them that crucified him.
Ant.
timenta
tern meam miserunt sortem.
Diviserunt sibi ves- Ant. They parted my gar-
mea, et super ves- me'nts among them, and upon
my vesture they cast lots.
PSALM 21.
Deus, Deus meus, respice
in me : quare me dereli-
quisti : * Longe a salute mea
verba delictorum meorum.
Deus meus, clamabo per
diem, et non exaudies : * et
nocte, et non ad insipien-
tiam mihi.
Tu autem in sancto habi-
tas : * Laus Israel.
In te speraverunt patres
nostri : * speraverunt, et
liberasti eos.
Ad te clamaverunt, et
salvi facti sunt : * in te
speraverunt, et non sunt
confusi.
Ego autem sum vermis,
et non homo: * opprobrium
hominum, et abjectio plebis.
Omnes videntes me deri-
serunt me : * locuti sunt
labiis, et moverunt caput.
0 God, my God, look upon
me : why hast thou forsaken
me : Far from my salvation
are the words of my sins.
0 my God, I shall cry by
day, and thou wilt not hear :
and by night, and it shall not
be reputed as folly in me.
But thou dwellest in the
holy place, the praise of Israel.
In thee have our fathers
hoped : they have hoped and
thou hast delivered them.
They cried to thee, and they
were saved : they trusted in
thee, and were not confound-
ed.
But I am a worm, and no
man : the reproach of men,
and the outcast of the people.
All they that saw me have
laughed me to scorn : they
have spoken with the lips, and
wagged the head.
GOOD FRIDAY : TENEBRJE.
415
He hoped in the Lord, let
him deliver him : let him save
him, seeing he delighted in
him.
For thou art he that hast
drawn me out of the womb :
my hope from the breasts of
my mother. I was cast upon
thee from the womb.
From my mother's womb
thou art my God, depart not
from me.
For tribulation is very near :
for there is none to help me.
Many calves have sur-
rounded me : fat bulls have
besieged me.
They have opened their
mouths against me, as a lion
ravening and roaring.
I am poured out like water :
and all my bones are scattered.
My heart is become like
wax melting in the midst of
my bowels.
My strength is dried up
like a potsherd, and my
tongue hath cleaven to my
jaws : and thou hast brought
me down into the dust of
death.
For many dogs have encom-
passed me : the council of the
malignant hath besieged me.
They have dug my hands
and feet : they have numbered
all my bones.
And they have looked and
stared upon me : they parted
my garments amongst them,
and upon my vesture they
cast lots.
But thou, 0 Lord, remove
Speravit in Domino, eri-
piat eum : * salvum faciat
eum, quoniam vult eum.
Quoniam tu es, qui ex-
traxisti me de ventre : *
spes mea ab uberibus matris
mese. In te projectus sum
ex utero.
De ventre matris mese
Deus meus es tu : * ne
discesseris a me.
Quoniam tribulatio prox-
ima est : * quoniam non
est qui adjuvet.
Circumdederunt me vit-
uli multi : * tauri pingues
obsederunt me.
Aperuerunt super me os
suum : * sicut leo rapiens
et rugiens.
Sicut aqua effusus sum :
* et dispersa sunt omnia
ossa mea.
Factum est cor meum
tamquam cera liquescens :
* in medio ventris mei.
Aruit tamquam testa vir-
tus mea, et lingua mea
adhsesit faucibus meis : * et
in pulverem mortis dedux-
isti me.
Quoniam circumdederunt
me canes multi : * concili-
um malignantium obsedit
me.
Foderunt manus meas et
pedes meos : * dinumerave-
runt omnia ossa mea.
Ipsi vero consideraverunt
et inspexerunt me : * divis-
erunt sibi vestimenta mea,
et super vestem meam mise-
runt sortem.
Tu autem, Domine, ne
416
HOLY WEEK.
elcmgaveris auxilium tuum
a me : * ad defensionem
meam conspice.
Erue a framea, Deus, ani-
mam meam : * et de maim
canis unicam meam.
Salva me ex ore leonis : *
et a cornibus unicornium
humilitatem meam.
Narrabo nomen tuum
fratribus meis : * in medio
ecclesise laudabo te.
Qui timetis Dominum,
laudate eum : * universum
semen Jacob, glorificate
eum.
Timeat eum omne semen
Israel : * quoniam non
sprevit, neque despexit de-
precationem pauperis.
Nee avertit faciem suam
a me : et cum clamarem ad
eum, exaudivit me.
Apud te laus mea in ec-
clesia magna : * vota mea
reddam in conspectu timen-
tium eum.
Edent pauperes, et sa-
turabuntur, et laudabunt
Dominum qui requirunt
eum : * vivent corda eorum
in sseculum sseculi.
Keminiscentur, et con-
vertentur ad Dominum : *
universi fines terrse.
Et adorabunt in conspectu
ejus : * universse familise
gentium.
Quoniam Domini est reg-
num : * et ipse dominabitur
gentium.
Manducaverunt, et ado-
raverunt, omnes pingues
terrse : * in conspectu ejus
cadent omnes, qui descen-
dunt in terram.
not thy help to a distance from
me : look towards my defence.
Deliver, 0 God, my soul
from the sword : my only one
from the hand of the dog.
Save me from the lion's
mouth : and my lowness from
the horns of the unicorns.
I will declare thy name to
my brethren : in the midst of
the church will I praise thee.
Ye that fear the Lord,
praise him : all ye the seed
of Jacob, glorify him.
Let all the seed of Israel
fear him : because he hath
not slighted nor despised the
supplication of the poor man.
Neither hath he turned away
his face from me : and when
I cried to him he heard me.
With thee is my praise in
the great church : I will pay
vows in the sight of them
that fear him.
The poor shall eat, and shall
be filled, and they shall praise
the Lord that seek him : their
hearts shall live for ever and
ever.
All the ends of the earth
shall remember, and shall be
converted to the Lord.
And all the kindreds of the
Gentiles shall adore in his
sight.
For the kingdom is the
Lord's : and he shall have
dominion over the nations.
All the fat ones of the
earth have eaten and have
adored : all they that go down
to the earth, shall fall before
him.
GOOD FRIDAY I TENEBRJE.
417
And to him my soul shall
live : and my seed shall serve
him.
There shall be declared to
the Lord a generation to come :
and the heavens shall show
forth his justice to a people
that shall be born, which the
Lord hath made.
Ant. They parted my gar-
ments among them, and upon
my vesture they cast lots.
Et anima mea illi vivet : *
et semen meum serviet ipsi.
Annuntiabitur Domino
generatio ventura : * et an-
nuntiabunt coeli justitiam
ejus, populo qui nascetur
quern fecit Dominus.
Diviserunt sibi ves-
raea, et super ves-
Ant.
timenta
tern meam miserunt sortem.
The third Psalm was composed by David, when
feeling the persecution of Saul. It shows us how
this holy Prophet kept up his confidence in the Lord,
spite of all the dangers that threatened him.
in
David is here a figure of Christ in his Passion.
Ant. Unjust witnesses
have risen up against me, and
iniquity hath belied itself.
Ant. Insurrexerunt in
me testes iniqui, et mentita
est iniquitas sibi.
PSALM 26.
The Lord is my light and
my salvation, whom shall I
fear?
The Lord is the protector
of my life, of whom shall I
be afraid?
Whilst the wicked draw
near against me, to eat my
flesh.
My enemies that troubled
me have been weakened, and
have fallen.
If armies in camp should
stand together against me,
my heart shall not fear.
If a battle should rise up
against me, in this will I be
confident.
One thing have I asked of
the Lord, this will I seek
Dominus illuminatio mea,
et salus mea : * quern ti-
mebo ?
Dominus protector vitse
mese : * a quo trepidabo ?
Dum appropiant super
me nocentes : * ut edant
carnes meas.
Qui tribulant me inimici
mei : * ipsi infirmati sunt
et ceciderunt.
Si consistant adversum
me castra : * non timebit
cor meum.
Si exsurgat adversum me
prselium : * in hoc ego spe-
rabo.
Unam petii a Domino,
hanc requiram : * ut inha-
418
HOLY WEEK.
after, that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days
of my life.
That I may see the delight
of the Lord, and may visit
his temple.
For he hath hid me in his
tabernacle ; in the day of evils
he hath protected me in the
secret place of his tabernacle.
He hath exalted me upon a
rock : and now he hath lifted
up my head above my ene-
mies.
I have gone round, and have
offered up in his tabernacle a
sacrifice of jubilation : I will
sing, and recite a psalm to
the Lord.
Hear, 0 Lord, my voice,
with which I have cried to
thee : have mercy on me, and
hear me.
My heart hath said to thee,
my face hath sought thee :
thy face, O Lord, will I still
seek.
Turn not away thy face
from me : decline not in thy
wrath from thy servant.
Be thou my helper : forsake
me not, do not thou despise
me, O God my Saviour.
For my father and my
mother have left me : but the
Lord hath taken me up.
Set me, 0 Lord, a law in
thy way : and guide me in
the right path, because of my
enemies.
Deliver me not over to the
will of them that trouble me :
for unjust witnesses have
risen up against me and ini-
quity hath belied itself.
bitem in domo Domini om-
nibus diebus vitae meae.
Ut videam voluptatem Do-
mini : * et visitem templum
ejus.
Quoniam abscondit me in
tabernaculo suo : * in die
malorum protexit me in ab-
scondito tabernaculi sui.
In petra exalt avit me : *
et nunc exaltavit caput me-
um super inimicos meos.
Circuivi, et immolavi in
tabernacula ejus hostiam vo-
ciferationis : * cantabo, et
psalmum dicam Domino.
Exaudi, Domine, vocem
meam, qua clamavi ad te : *
miserere mei, et exaudi me.
Tibi dixit cor meum ex-
quisivit te facies mea : * faci-
em tuam, Domine, requiram.
Nee avertas faciem tuam
a me : * ne declines in ira a
servo tuo.
Adjutor meus esto : * ne
derelinquas me, neque de-
spicias me, Deus salutaris
meus.
Quoniam pater meus et
mater mea dereliquerunt
me : * Dominus autem as-
sumpsit me.
Legem pone mihi, Domine,
in via tua : * et dirige me in
semitam rectam propter ini-
micos meos.
Ne tradideris me in animas
tribulantium me : * quoniam
insurrexerunt in me testes
iniqui, et mentita est iniqui-
tas sibi.
GOOD FRIDAY I TENERR^E.
419
I believe to see the good
things of the Lord in the land
of the living.
Expect the Lord, do man-
fully : and let thy heart take
courage, and wait thou for the
Lord.
Ant. Unjust witnesses
have risen up against me, and
iniquity hath belied itself.
y. They parted my gar-
ments among them.
gt. And upon my vesture
they cast lots.
Credo videre bona Do-
mini : * in terra viventium.
Exspecta Dominum, virili-
ter age : * et confortetur cor
tuum, et sustine Dominum.
Ant. Insurrexerunt in me
testes iniqui, et mentita est
iniquitas sibi.
<<\ Diviserunt sibi vesti-
menta mea.
gt. Et super vestem meam
miserunt sortem.
Here is said, in secret, the Pater noster.
The Lessons of the First Nocturn are to-day, also,
taken from the Lamentations of Jeremias. We have,
already, (page 312,) explained why the Church reads
them on these three days. The first two of the
following Lessons refer to the destruction of Jeru-
salem ; the third we will explain in its proper place.
FIRST LESSON.
From the Lamentation of
Jeremias the Prophet.
Oh. II.
Heth. The Lord hath pur-
posed to destroy the wall of
the daughter of Sion : he hath
stretched out his line, and
hath not withdrawn his hand
from destroying : and the bul-
wark hath mourned, and the
wall hath been destroyed to-
gether.
Teth. Her gates are sunk
into the ground : he hath de-
stroyed and broken her bars :
her king and her princes are
among the Gentiles. The law
is no more, and her prophets
have found no vision from the
Lord.
De Lamentatione Jeremise
Prophetae.
Gap. II.
Heth. Oogitavit Domi-
nus dissipare murum filiae
Sion : tetendit f uniculum
suum, et non avertit manum
suam a perditione : luxitque
anteniurale, et murus pari-
ter dissipatus est.
Teth. Defixse sunt in ter-
ra portse ejus, perdidit et
contrivit vectes ejus, regem
ejus, et principes ejus, in
gentibus. Non est lex : et
prophetse ejus non invene-
runt visionem a Domino.
420
HOLY WEEK.
Jod. Sederunt in terra,
conticuerunt senes filise
Sion : consperserunt cinere
capita sua, accincti sunt ci-
liciis, abjecerunt in terram
capita sua virgines Jerusa-
lem.
Caph. Defecerunt prse la-
crymis oculi mei, conturbata
sunt viscera mea. Effusum
est in terra jecur meum
super contritione filise po-
puli mei, cum deficeret par-
vulus et lactens in plateis
oppidi.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
convertere ad Dominum
Deum tuum.
gt. Omnes amici mei dereli-
querunt me, et praevaluerunt
insidiantes mini : tradidit
me quern diligebam. * Et
terribilibus oculis plaga cru-
deli percutientes, aceto pota-
bant me.
y. Inter iniquos projece-
runt me : et non pepercerunt
animse mese.
* Et terribilibus oculis
plaga crudeli percutientes,
aceto potabant me.
Jod. The ancients of the
daughter of Sion sit upon the
ground, they have held their
peace ; they have sprinkled
their beads with dust, they are
girded withhair-cloth, the vir-
gins of Jerusalem hang down
their heads to the ground.
Caph. My eyes have failed
witb weeping, my bowels are
troubled. My liver is poured
out upon the earth, for the
destruction of the daughter of
my people, wben the children
and the sucklings fainted
away in the streets of the city.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy
God.
gt . All my friends have for-
saken me, and they that lay
in ambush for me prevailed :
he whom I loved has betray-
ed me. * And they, with ter-
rible looks striking me with
a cruel wound, gave me vine-
gar to drink.
1?. They cast me out among
the wicked, and spared not
my life.
* And they, with terrible
looks striking me with a cruel
wound, gave me vinegar to
drink.
SECOND LESSON.
Lamed. Matribus suis
dixerunt: Ubi est triticum
et vinum? cum deficerent
quasi vulnerati in plateis
civitatis, cum exhalarent
animas suas in sinu matrum
suarum.
Mem. Cui comparabo te,
vel cui assimilabo te filia
Jerusalem ? cui exaequabo
Lamed. They said to their
mothers : Where is corn and
wine ? when they fainted away
as the wounded in the streets
of the city : when they breath-
ed out their souls in the
bosoms of their mothers.
Mem . To what shall I com -
pare thee ? or to what shall I
liken thee, 0 daughter of Jeru-
GOOD FRIDAY I TENEBRvE.
421
salem ? to what shall I equal
thee, that I may comfort thee,
O virgin daughter of Sion ?
For great as the sea is thy des-
truction: who shall heal thee?
Nun. Thy prophets have
seen false and foolish things
for thee, and they have not
laid open thy iniquity, to ex-
cite thee to penance : but they
have seen for thee false re-
velations and banishments.
Samech. All they that pass-
ed by the way have clapped
their hands at thee : they have
hissed and wagged their head
at the daughter of Jerusalem,
saying : Is this the city of per-
fect beauty, the joy of all the
earth ?
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy
God.
gt. The veil of the temple
was rent, * And all the earth
shook : the thief cried out
from the cross, saying : Ee-
member me, O Lord, when
thou shalt come into thy king-
dom.
fi. The rocks were split, and
the monuments opened, and
many bodies of the saints that
were dead rose out of them.
* And all the earth shook :
the thief cried out from the
cross, saying : Remember me,
O Lord, when thou shalt come
into thy kingdom.
te, et consolabor te, virgo
filia Sion ? Magna est enim
velut mare contritio tua :
quis medebitur tui ?
Nun. Prophetse tui vide-
runt tibi falsa et stulta : nee
aperiebant iniquitatem tu-
am, ut te ad pcenitentiam
provocarent. Yiderunt au-
tem tibi assumptiones falsas,
et ejectiones.
Samech. Plauserunt su-
per te manibus omnes tran-
seuntes per viam : sibilave-
runt, et moverunt caput
suum super filiam Jerusa-
lem : Hseccine est urbs,
dicentes, perfecti decoris,
gaudium universse terrse ?
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
convertere ad Dominum
Deum tuum.
gt. Velum templi scissum
est, * Et omnis terra tre-
muit : latro de cruce clama-
bat, dicens : Memento mei,
Domine, dum veneris in
regnum tuum.
y. Petrae scissse sunt, et
monumenta aperta sunt, et
multa corpora sanctorum,
qui dormierant, surrexerunt.
* Et omnis terra tremuit :
latro de cruce clamabat,
dicens : Memento mei, Do-
mine, dum veneris in reg-
num tuum.
In the third Lesson, which now follows, Jeremias
passes to another subject. According to the usage
of the Prophets, he leaves Jerusalem to speak of Him
who is the expectation of Israel, — the Messias. But
it is not of the glory of the Messias that he now
422
HOLY WEEK.
speaks : it is of the sufferings he endures : he has
made himself the object of God's severest justice, by
taking upon himself the sins of the whole world.
THIRD LESSON.
Aleph. Ego vir videns
paupertatem meam, in virga
indignationis ejus.
Aleph. Me minavit et
adduxit in tenebras, et non in
lucem.
Aleph. Tantum in me
vertit, et convertit manum
suam tota die.
Beth. Vetustam fecit pel-
lem meam et carnem meam :
contrivit ossa mea.
Beth. JEdificavit in gyro
meo, et circumdedit me felle
et labore.
Beth. In tenebrosis collo-
cavit me, quasi mortuos seni-
piternos.
Ghimel. Circumsedifica-
vit adversum me, ut non
egrediar : aggravavit com-
pedem meum.
Ghimel. Sed et cum cla-
mavero et rogavero, exclusit
orationem meam.
Ghimel. Conclusit vias
meas lapidibus quadris, se-
mitas meas subvertit.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, con-
vertere ad Dominum Deum
tuum.
gt. Vinea mea electa, ego
te plantavi : * Quomodo con-
versa es in amaritudinem ut
me crucifigeres, et Barabbam
dimitteres ?
f. Sepivi te, et lapides
elegi ex te, et aedificavi tur-
rim.
Aleph. I am the man that
see my poverty by the rod of
his indignation.
Aleph. He hath led me,
and brought me into darkness,
and not into light.
Aleph. Only against me
he hath turned, and turned
his hand all the day.
Beth. My skin and my
flesh he hath made old, he
hath broken my bones.
Beth . He hath built round
about me, and he hath com-
passed me with gall and labor.
Beth. He hath set me in
dark places as those that are
dead for ever.
Ghimel. He hath built
against me round about, that
I may not get out : he hath
made my fetters heavy.
Ghimel. Yea, and when
I cry and entreat, he hath
shut out my prayer.
Ghimel. He hath shut up
my ways with square stones,
he hath turned my paths up-
side down.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy
God.
&. 0 my chosen vineyard,
it is I that have planted thee :
* How art thou become so bit-
ter, that thou shouldst crucify
me, and release Barabbas ?
y . I have hedged thee in,
and picked the stones out of
thee, and have built a tower.
GOOD FRIDAY : TENEBRvE.
423
* How art thou become so
bitter, that thou shouldst cru-
cify me, and release Barrab-
bas ?
Here is repeated : 0 my
chosen.
* Quomodo conversa es
in amaritudinem, ut me cru-
cifigeres, et Barrabbam di-
mitteres ?
Here is repeated : Vinea
mea.
THE SECOND NOCTURN.
In the fourth Psalm, David humbly acknowledges
that the rebellion of his son Absalom was a just
punishment of the sins he himself had committed.
He is a figure of the Messias, who, in his Agony,
confesses that the iniquities, which he has taken
upon himself, are a heavy burthen upon him, that
his heart is troubled, and that his strength hath left
him.
Ant. They used violence
that sought my soul.
Ant. Vim faciebant, qui
quaerebant animam meam.
PSALM 37.
Rebuke me not, 0 Lord,
in thy indignation : nor chas-
tise me in thy wrath.
For thy arrows are fastened
in me : and thy hand hath
been strong upon me.
There is no health in my
flesh, because of thy wrath :
there is no peace for my bones,
because of my sins.
For my iniquities are gone
over my head : and as a heavy
burthen are become heavy
upon me.
My sores are putrefied and
corrupted, because of my
foolishness
I am become miserable, and
am bowed down even to the
super me manum
Domine, ne in furore tuo
arguas me : * neque in ira
tua corripias me.
Quoniam sagittae tuae in-
fixae sunt mihi : * et confir-
masti
tuam.
Non est sanitas in carne
mea a facie irae tuae : * non
est pax ossibus meis a facie
peccatorum meorum.
Quoniam iniquitates meae
supergressae sunt caput
meum : * et sicut onus
grave gravatae sunt super
me.
Putruerunt, et corruptae
sunt cicatrices meae : * a facie
insipientiae meae.
Miser factus sum, et cur-
vatus sum usque in finem :
2g
424
HOLY WEEK.
* tota die contristatus in-
grediebar.
Quoniam lumbi mei im-
pleti sunt illusionibus : * et
non est sanitas in carne
mea.
Afflictus sum, et humilia-
tus sum nimis : * rugiebam
a gemitu cordis mei.
Domine, ante te omne
desiderium meum : * et
gemitus meus a te non est
absconditus.
Cor meum conturbatum
est, dereliquit me virtus
mea: * et lumen oculorum
meorum, et ipsum non est
mecum.
Amici mei et proximi
mei : * adversum me ap-
propinquaverunt et stete-
runt.
Et qui juxta me erant, de
longe steterunt : * et vim
faciebant qui quserebant
animam meam.
Et qui inquirebant mala
mini, locuti sunt vanitates :
* et dolos tota die medita-
bantur.
Ego autem tamquam sur-
dus non audiebam : * et
sicut mutus non aperiens os
suum.
Et factus sum sicut homo
non audiens : * et non
habens in ore suo redargu-
tiones.
Quoniam in te Domine,
speravi : * tu exaudies me,
Domine Deus meus.
Quia dixi : Nequando
supergaudeant mibi inimici
mei : * et dum commoventur
pedes mei super me magna
locuti sunt.
Quoniam ego in flagella
end : I walked sorrowful all
the day long.
For my loins are filled with
illusions : and there is no
health in my flesh.
I am afflicted and humbled
exceedingly : I roared with
the groaning of my heart.
Lord, all my desire is before
thee : and my groaning is not
hid from thee.
My heart is troubled, my
strength hath left me : and
the light of my eyes itself is
not with me.
My friends and my neigh-
bours have drawn near, and
stood against me.
And they that were near
me stood afar off : and they
they that sought my soul
used violence.
And they that sought evils
to me spoke vain things : and
studied deceits all the day
long.
But I, as a deaf man, heard
not : and was as a dumb man
not opening his mouth.
And I became as a man
that heareth not : and that
hath no reproofs in his mouth.
For in thee, 0 Lord, have
I hoped : thou wilt hear me,
O Lord my God.
For I said : Lest at any
time my enemies rejoice over
me : and whilst my feet are
moved, they speak great
things against me.
For I am ready for scourges :
GOOD FRIDAY I TENEBRTFl.
425
and my sorrow is continually
before me.
For I will declare my ini-
quity : and I will think for
my sin.
But my enemies live, and
are stronger than I : and they
that hate me wrongfully are
multiplied.
They that render evil for
good, have detracted me, be-
cause I followed goodness.
Forsake me not, 0 Lord my
God : do not thou depart from
me.
Attend unto my help, O
Lord, the God of my salva-
tion.
Ant. They used violence
that sought my soul.
paratus sum : * et dolor
meus in conspectu meo sem-
per.
Quoniam iniquitatem me-
am annuntiabo : * et cogi-
tabo pro peccato meo.
Inimici autem mei vivunt,
et confirmati sunt super me :
* et multiplicati sunt qui
oderunt me inique.
Qui retribuunt mala pro
bonis detrahebant mihi : *
quoniam sequebar bonita-
tem.
Ne derelinquas me, Do-
mine Deus meus : * ne di-
scesseris a me.
Intende in adjutorium
meum : * Domine, Deus
salutis mese.
Ant. Vim faciebant qui
quserebant animam meam.
The fifth Psalm also represents David, under per-
secution, as the figure of the Messias. But there is
one verse in it, which refers only to Christ, and not
to David : it is the tenth, wherein it is said : Burnt-
offerings and sin-offerings thou didst not require :
then said I : "Behold I come ! "
Ant. Let them be con- Ant. Confundantur et
founded and ashamed that revereantur, qui quaerunt
seek after my soul, to take it animam meam, ut auferant
away. earn.
PSALM 39.
With expectation I have
waited for the Lord, and he
was attentive to me.
And he heard my prayers,
and he brought me out of the
pit of misery, and the mire
of dregs.
exspectavi
et intendit
Exspectans
Dominum :
mihi.
Et exaudivit preces meas :
* et eduxit me de lacu mi-
serise et de luto fsecis.
426
HOLY WEEK.
Et statuit super petram
pedes meos : * et direxit
gressus meos.
Et immisit in os meum
canticum novum : * carmen
Deo nostro.
Videbunt multi, et time-
bunt : * et sperabunt in
Domino.
Beatus vir, cujus est no-
men Domini spes ejus : *
et non respexit in vanitates
et insanias falsas.
Multa fecisti tu Domine
Deus meus, mirabilia tua : *
et cogitationibus tuis non
est qui similis sit tibi.
Annuntiavi, et locutus
sum : * multiplicati sunt
super numerum.
Sacrificium et oblationem
noluisti : * aures autem
perfecisti mihi.
Holocaustum et pro pec-
cato non postulasti : * tunc
dixi : Ecce venio.
In capite libri scriptum est
de me, ut facerem volunta-
tem tuam : * Deus meus,
volui, et legem tuam in
medio cordis mei.
Annuntiavi j ustitiam tu~
am in ecclesia magna : *
ecce labia mea non prohi-
bebo : Domine, tu scisti.
Justitiam tuam non ab-
scondi in corde meo : * ve-
ritatem tuam et salutare
tuum dixi.
Non abscondi misericor-
diam tuam, et veritatem
tuam : * a concilio multo.
Tu autem, Domine, ne
longe facias miserationes
And he set my feet upon a
rock, and directed my steps.
And he put a new canticle
into my mouth, a song to our
God.
Many shall see this, and
shall fear: and they shall hope
in the Lord.
Blessed is the man whose
trust is in the name of the
Lord : and who hath not had
regard to vanities and lying
follies.
Thou hast multiplied thy
wonderful works, 0 Lord my
God : and in my thoughts
there is no one like to thee.
I have declared, and I have
spoken : they are multiplied
above number.
Sacrifice and oblation thou
didst not desire : but thou
hast pierced ears for me.
Burnt-offerings and sin-
offerings thou didst not re-
quire : then said I : Behold
I come.
In the head of the book it
was written of me, that I
should do thy will : 0 my
God, I have desired it, and
thy law in the midst of my
heart.
I have declared thy justice
in the great church: lo ! I will
not restrain my lips : O Lord,
thou knowest it.
I have not hid thy justice
within my heart. I have de-
clared thy truth and thy sal-
vation.
I have not concealed thy
mercy and thy truth from the
great council.
Withhold not thou, 0 Lord,
thy tender mercies from me ;
COOD FRIDAY '. TENEBR/K.
427
thy mercy and thy truth have
always upheld me.
For evils without number
have surrounded me : my ini-
quities have overtaken me,
and I was not able to see.
They are multiplied above
the hairs of my head : and
my heart hath forsaken me.
Be pleased, 0 Lord, to de-
liver me : look down, 0 Lord,
to help me.
Let them be confounded
and ashamed together, that
seek after my soul, to take it
away.
Let them be turned back-
ward, and be ashamed, that
desire evils to me.
Let them immediately bear
their confusion that say to
me : ' Tis well, ' tis well.
Let all that seek thee re-
joice and be glad in thee : and
let such as love thy salvation,
say always, The Lord be mag-
nified.
But I am a beggar and
poor : the Lord is careful for
me.
Thou art my helper and my
protector : 0 my God, be not
slack.
Ant. Let them be con-
founded and ashamed that
seek after my soul, to take it
away.
tuas a me : * misericordia
tua et Veritas tua semper
susceperunt me.
Quoniam circumdederunt
me mala, quorum non est
numerus: * comprehenderunt
me iniquitates mese, et non
potui ut viderem.
Multiplicati sunt super
capillos capitis mei : * et cor
meum dereliquit me.
Complaceat tibi Domine,
ut eruas me : * Domine, ad
adjuvandum me respice.
Confundantur et reve-
reantur simul, qui quserunt
animam meam : * ut aufe-
rant earn.
Convertantur retrorsum et
revereantur : * qui volunt
mihi mala.
Ferant confestim confu-
sionem suam : * qui dicunt
mihi : Euge, euge.
Exsultent et laetentur su-
per te omnes quaerentes te :
* et dicant semper : Magni-
ficetur Dominus, qui diligunt
salutare tuum.
Ego autem. mendicus sum,
et pauper : * Dominus soli-
citus est mei.
Adjutor meus et protector
meus tu es : * Deus meus,
ne tardaveris.
Ant. Confundantur, et re-
vereantur, qui queerunt ani-
mam meam, ut auferant
earn.
In the sixth Psalm, David, persecuted by Saul, is
a figure of our Saviour, against whom the Synagogue
prepares its wicked plots.
Ant. Strangers have risen Ant. Alieni insurrexe-
428
HOLY WEEK.
runt in me, et fortes
sierunt animam meam.
quae- up against me, and the mighty
have sought after my soul.
PSALM 53.
Deus, in nomine tuo sal-
vum me f ac : * et in virtute
tua judica me.
Deus, exaudi orationem
meam : * auribus percipe
verba oris mei.
Q,uoniam alieni insurrex-
erunt adversum me, et for-
tes qusesierunt animam me-
am : * et non proposuerunt
Deum ante conspectum su-
um.
Ecce enim Deus adjuvat
me : * et Dominus suscep-
tor est animse mese.
Averte mala inimicis
meis : * et in veritate tua
disperde illos.
Yoluntarie sacrificabo ti-
bi : * et confitebor nomini
tuo, Domine, quoniam bo-
num est.
Quoniam ex omni tribu-
latione eripuisti me : * et
super inimicos meos des-
pexit oculus meus.
Ant. Alieni insurrexerunt
in me, et fortes qusesierunt
animam meam.
f. Insurrexerunt in me
testes iniqui.
£. Et mentita est iniqui-
tas sibi.
Save me, O God, by thy
name, and judge me in thy
strength.
0 God, hear my prayer :
give ear to the words of my
mouth.
For strangers have risen up
against me : and the mighty
have sought after my soul :
and they have not set God
before their eyes.
For behold God is my
helper : and the Lord is the
protector of my soul.
Turn back the evils upon
my enemies : and cut them
off in thy truth.
1 will freely sacrifice to
thee, and will give praise, O
God, to thy name : because
it is good.
For thou hast delivered me
out of all trouble : and my
eye hath looked down upon
my enemies.
Ant. Strangers have risen
up against me, and the mighty
have sought after my soul.
Jf. Unjust witnesses have
risen up against me.
&. And iniquity hath be-
lied itself.
Here is said, in secret, the Pater noster.
For the Second Nocturn Lessons the Church con-
tinues the Enarrations of St. Augustine, on the
Psalms prophetic of our Lord's Passion,
GOOD FRIDAY : TENEBKJE .
429
From the treatise of Saint
Augustine, Bishop, upon
the Psalms.
Ex tractatu Sancti Au-
gustini Episcopi, super
Psalmos.
Ps. LX1II.
Ps. LXIIL
FOURTH LESSON.
Thou hast protected me, 0
God, from the assembly of the
malignant, from the multitude
of the workers of iniquity . Now
let us behold our head him-
self. Many martyrs have
suffered such torments, but
nothing is so conspicuous as
the head of the martyrs ; there
we see better what they en-
dured. He was protected
from the multitude of the ma-
lignant: that is, God protected
himself ; the Son, and the
Man assumed by the Son, pro-
tected his own flesh. For he
is the Son of Man, "and the
Son of God : the Son of God
because of the form of God :
the Son of Man because of the
form of a servant, having it in
his power to lay down his life,
and take it up again. What
could his enemies do against
him? They killed his body, but
they did not kill his soul. Take
notice, then. It signified little
for our Lord to exhort the
martyrs by word, if he had
not fortified them by his
example.
Rt. Ye are come out to take
me, as a thief, with swords
and clubs. * I was daily
with you in the Temple teach-
ing, and ye did not apprehend
me : and lo ! ye scourge me,
and lead me to be crucified.
Protexisti me, Deus, a con-
ventu malignantium, a mul-
titudine operantium iniqui-
tatem. Jam ipsum caput
nostrum intueamur. Multi
martyres talia passi sunt,
sed nihil sic elucet, quo-
modo caput martyrum : ibi
melius intuemur, quod illi
experti sunt. Protectus est
a multitudine malignan-
tium : protegente se Deo,
protegente carnem suam
ipso Filio, et hominem
quern gerebat, quia Filius
hominis est, et Filius Dei
est : Filius Dei, propter
formam Dei : Filius homi-
nis, propter formam servi,
habens in potestate ponere
animam suam, et recipere
earn. Quid ei potuerunt fa-
cere inimici ? Occiderunt
corpus, animam non occi-
derunt. Intendite. Parum
ergo erat, Dominum hor-
tari martyres verbo, nisi
firmaret exemplo.
Rt. Tamquam ad latronem
existis cum gladiis et fus-
tibus comprehendere me.
* Quotidie apud vos eram
in Templo docens, et non
me tenuistis : et ecce fla-
gellatum ducitis ad crucifi-
gendum.
430
HOLY WEEK.
f. Cumque injecissent
manus in Jesum, et tenuis -
sent eum, dixit ad eos :
* Q,uotidie apud vos eram
in Templo docens, et non
me tenuistis ; et ecce flagel-
latum ducitis ad crucifigen-
dum.
f. And when they had laid
hands on Jesus, and taken
him, he said to them :
* I was daily with you in
the Temple teaching, and ye
did not apprehend me : and
lo ! ye scourge me, and lead
me to be crucified.
FIFTH LESSON.
Nostis qui conventus erat
malignantium Judaeorum,
et quae multitudo erat
operantium iniquitatem ?
Quam iniquitatem ? Quia
voluerunt occidere Domi-
num Jesum Christum. Tan-
ta opera bona, inquit, osten-
di vobis; propter quod ho-
rum me vultis occidere ?
Pertulit omnes infirmos eo-
rum, curavit omnes langui-
dos eorum, praedicavit reg-
num ccelorum, non tacuit
vitia eorum, ut ipsa potius
eis displicerent, non medi-
cus, a quo sanabantur. His
omnibus curationibus ejus
ingrati, tamquam multa
febre phrenetici, insanientes
in medicum qui venerat
curare eos, excogitaverunt
consilium perdendi eum,
tanquam ibi volentes pro-
bare, utrum vere homo sit
qui mori possit, an aliquid
super homines sit, et mori
se non permittat. Verbum
ipsorum agnoscimus in Sa-
pientia Salomonis. Morte
turpissima, inquiunt, con-
demnemus eum : interro-
gemus eum : erit enim
respectus in sermonibus il-
lius. Si enim vere Filius
Dei est, liberet eum.
You know what was the
assembly of the wicked Jews,
and what the multitude of
those that work iniquity. But
what was that iniquity? It
was that they intended to kill
our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 have
done, saith he, so many good
works among you : for which
of them will you kill me ? He
bore with all their weaknesses,
he cured all their sick, he
preached the kingdom of
heaven, he concealed not their
crimes, that they might rather
hate them, than the physician
that healed them. Yet such
was their ingratitude for all
these cures, that like men
raving in a high fever, they
raged against the physician
that came to cure them, and
formed a design of destroying
him : as if they had a mind
to try whether he was a real
man that could die, or some-
thing above men, and would
not die. We find their words
in the Wisdom of Solomon :
Let us condemn him, say they,
to a most shameful death. Let
us examine him : for regard
will be had to his words. If
he is truly the Son of God, let
It in/ deliver him.
GOOD FRIDAY '. TEN EMMS.
431
Bt. Darkness covered the
earth, whilst the Jews crucified
Jesus : and about the ninth
hour, Jesus cried out with a
loud voice : My God ! why-
hast thou forsaken me ? * And
bowing down his head, he
gave up the ghost.
^. Jesus crying out with
a loud voice said : Father !
into thy hands I commend
my spirit !
* A.nd bowing down his
head, he gave up the ghost.
&. Tenebrse factse sunt,
dum crucifixissent Jesum
Judsei : et circa horam no-
nam exclamavit Jesus voce
magna : Deus meus, ut
quid me dereliquisti ? * Et
inclinato capite, emisit spi-
ritum.
y. Exclamans Jesus voce
magna ait : Pater, in manus
tuas commendo spiritum
meum.
* Et inclinato capite, emi-
sit spiritum.
SIXTH LESSON.
They sharpened their tongues
like a sivord. Let not the
Jews say : ' 'We did not kill
Christ : " for they delivered
him up to Pilate, the judge,
that they might seem innocent
of his death. Thus when
Pilate had said to them : Put
him to death yourselves : they
answered : It is not lawful
for us to put any man to death.
Hereby, they pretended to
throw the injustice of their
crime upon a judge that was
a man : but could they deceive
a judge that is God ? What
Pilate did, made him partaker
of their crime : but in com-
parison with them, he was
much mere innocent. For he
laboured what he could to get
him out of their hands ; and
for that reason ordered him
to be scourged and shown to
them. This he did to our
Lord, not by way of persecu-
tion, but to satisfy their rage ;
that the sight of him in that
condition might move them
to pity, and make them desist
Exacuerunt tamquam gla-
dium linguas suas. Non
dicant Judsei : Non occidi-
mus Christum. Etenim
propterea eum dederunt
judici Pilato, ut quasi ipsi a
morte ejus viderentur im-
munes. Nam cum dixisset
eis Pilatus : Vos eum occidi-
te ; responderunt : Nobis non
licet occidere quemquam.
Iniquitatem facinoris sui in
judicem hominem refunde-
re volebant : sed numquid
Deum judicem fallebant?
Quod fecit Pilatus, in eo
ipso quod fecit, aliquantum
particeps fuit : sed in com-
paratione illorum, multo ip-
se innocentior. Institit enim
quantum potuit, ut ilium ex
eorum manibus liberaret :
nam propterea flagellatum
produxit ad eos. Non per-
sequendo Dominum flagel-
lavit, sed eorum furori satis-
facere volens : ut vel jam
mitescerent, et desinerent
velle occidere, cum flagella-
tum viderent. Fecit ethoc.
2n
432
HOLY WEEK.
At ubi perseverarunt, nos-
tis ilium lavisse manus, et
dixisse quod ipse non fecis-
set, mundum se esse a morte
illius. Fecit tarn en. Sed
si reus, quia fecit vel invi-
tus : illi innocentes, qui
coegerunt ut faceret ? Nul-
lo modo. Sed ille dixit in
eum sententiam, et jussit
eum crucifigi, et quasi ipse
occidit : et vos, o Judaei,
occidistis. Unde occidistis ?
Gladio linguae ; acuistis enim
linguas vestras. Et quando
percussistis, nisi quando
clamastis : Crucifige, cru-
cifige ?
#. Animam meam dilec-
tam tradidi in manus ini-
quorum, et facta est mihi
haereditas mea sicut leo in
silva : dedit contra me vo-
ces adversarius, dicens :
Congregamini, et properate
ad devorandum ilium. Po-
suerunt me in deserto soli-
tudinis, et luxit super me
omnis terra : * Quia non
est inventus qui me agnos-
ceret, et faceret bene.
HP. Insurrexerunt in me
viri absque misericordia,
et non pepercerunt animae
meae.
* Quia non est inventus
qui me agnosceret, et face-
ret bene.
Here is repeated : Ani-
mam meam dilectam.
from desiring his death. All
this he did. But when they
still persisted, you know that
he washed his hands, and said
that he had no hand in it,
that he was innocent of his
death. And yet he really put
him to death. But if he was
guilty for doing so against his
will : are they innocent that
forced him to it ? By no
means. He pronounced sen-
tence upon him, and com-
manded him to be crucified,
and so might be said to kill
him : but you, O Jews, you
also killed him. How ? With
the sword of your tongues :
for ye sharpened your tongues.
And when gave you the stroke,
but when you cried out :
Crucify him, crucify him ?
gt. I have delivered my be-
loved soul into the hands of
the wicked, and my inherit-
ance is become to me like a
lion in the forest : my adver-
sary gave out his words against
me saying : Come together,
and make haste to devour
him. They placed me in a
solitary desert, and all the
earth mourned for me : *
Because there was none found
that would know me, and do
good unto me.
ft . Men with out mercy rose
up against me, and they
spared not my life.
* Because there was none
found that would know me,
and do good unto me.
Here is repeated : I have
delivered.
GOOD FRIDAY : TENEBRiE.
433
THIRD NOCTURN.
The seventh Psalm was composed by David at the
time when he was being persecuted by Saul. The
Prophet, by describing the fury of his own persecu-
tors, shows us what kind of men were the enemies of
the Messias.
Ant. From them that rise
up against me, deliver me, O
Lord : for they are in posses-
sion of my soul.
Ant. Ab insurgentibus in
me, libera me, Domine, quia
occupaverunt animam meam.
PSALM 58.
Deliver me from my ene-
mies, O my God : and defend
me from them that rise up
against me.
Deliver me from them that
work iniquity : and save me
from bloody men.
For behold they have caught
my soul : the mighty have
rushed in upon me.
Neither is it for my iniquity,
nor for my sin, O Lord : with-
out iniquity have I run and
directed my steps.
Rise up thou to meet me,
and behold : even thou, 0
Lord, the God of hosts, the
God of Israel.
Attend to visit all the na-
tions : have no mercy on all
them that work iniquity.
They shall return at even-
ing, and shall surfer hunger
like dogs : and shall go round
about the city.
Behold they shall speak
with their mouth, and a sword
is in their lips : for who,
say they, hath heard us ?
Eripe me de inimicis meis
Deus meus : * et ab insur-
gentibus in me, libera me.
Eripe me de operantibus
iniquitatem : * et de viris
sanguinum salva me.
Quia ecce ceperunt ani-
mam meam : * irruerunt
in me fortes.
Neque iniquitas mea, ne-
que peccatum meum, Do-
mine : * sine iniquitate cu-
curri, et direxi.
Exsurge in occursum me-
um, et vide : * et tu, Do-
mine, Deus virtutum, Deus
Israel.
Intende ad visitandas om-
nes Gentes : * non misere-
aris omnibus qui operantur
iniquitatem.
Convertentur ad vespe-
ram, et famem patientur ut
canes : * et circuibunt civi-
tatem.
Ecce loquentur in ore suo,
et gladius in labiis eorum :
* quoniam quis audivit ?
434
HOLY WEEK.
Et tu, Domine, deridebis
eos : * ad nihilum deduces
omnes Gentes.
Fortitudinem meam ad te
custodiam, quia Deus, sus-
ceptor meus es : * Deus
meus, misericordia ejus prse-
veniet me.
Deus ostendit mini super
inimicos meos, ne occidas
eos : * nequando obliviscan-
tur populi mei.
Disperge illos in virtute
tua : * et depone eos pro-
tector meus, Domine.
Delictum oris eorum ser-
in onem labiorum ipsorum :
* et comprehendantur in su-
perbia sua.
Et de execratione et men-
dacio annuntiabuntur in
consummatione : * in ira
consummations, et non
erunt.
Et scient quia Deus domi-
nabitur Jacob : * et finium
terrse.
Convertentur ad ves-
peram, et famem patientur
ut canes : * et circuibunt ci-
vitatem.
Ipsi dispergentur ad
manducandum: * si vero
non fuerint saturati, et mur-
murabunt.
Ego autem cantabo forti-
tudinem tuam : * et exal-
tabo mane misericordiam
tuam.
Quia factus es susceptor
meus : * et refugium meum,
in die tribulationis mese.
Adjutor meus tibi psal-
lam, quia Deus susceptor
But thou, O Lord, shalt
laugh, at them : thou shalt
bring all the nations to no-
thing.
I will keep my strength to
thee, for thou art my pro-
tector : my God, his mercy
shall prevent me.
God shall let me see over
my enemies : slay them not,
lest at any time my people
forget.
Scatter them by thy power :
and bring them down, O
Lord, my protector.
For the sin of their mouth,
and the word of their lips :
and let them be taken in their
pride.
And for their cursing and
lying they shall be talked of,
when they are consumed :
when they are consumed by
thy wrath, and they shall be
no more.
And they shall know tha t
God will rule Jacob : and all
the ends of the earth.
They shall return at even-
ing, and shall suffer hunger
like dogs : and shall go round
about the city.
They shall be scattered
abroad to eat : and shall mur-
mur if they be not filled.
But I will sing thy strength :
and will extol thy mercy in
the morning.
For thou art become my
support and my refuge, in
the day of my trouble.
Unto thee, O my helper,
will I sing, for thou art God,
GOOD FRIDAY I TENEBR^E.
435
my defence : my God, my
mercy.
Ant. From them that rise
up against me, deliver me, O
Lord ; for they are in posses-
sion of my soul.
meus es : * Deus meus, mi-
sericordia mea.
Ant. Ab insurgentibus in
me libera me, Domine, quia
occupaverunt animam meam.
In the eighth Psalm, the Royal Prophet shows us
the Messias threatened with death, and complaining
of his Disciples having abandoned him.
Ant. Thou hast put away
my acquaintance far from
me : I was delivered up, and I
escaped not.
Ant. Longe fecisti
meos a me : traditus
et non egrediebar.
notos
sum,
PSALM 87.
0 Lord, the God of my sal-
vation, I have cried in the day,
and in the night before thee.
Let my prayer come in be-
fore thee : incline thy ear to
my petition.
For my soul is filled with
evils : and my life hath drawn
nigh to hell.
1 am counted among them
that go down to the pit : I am
become as a man without
help, free among the dead.
Like the slain sleeping in
the sepulchres, whom thou re-
memberest no more : and they
are cast off from thy hand.
They have laid me in the
lower pit : in the dark places
and in the shadow of death.
Thy wrath is strong over
me : and all thy waves thou
hast brought in upon me.
Thou hast put away my
Domine, Deus salutis
mese : * in die clamavi, et
nocte coram te.
Intret in conspectu tuo
oratio mea : * inclina aurem
tuam ad precem meam.
Quia repleta est malis
anima mea : * et vita mea
inferno appropinquavit.
.ZEstimatus sum cum des-
cendentibus in lacum : * f ac-
tus sum sicut homo sine ad-
jutorio, inter mortuos liber.
Sicut vulnerati dormien-
tes in sepulchris, quorum
non es memor amplius : * et
ipsi de manu tua repulsi
sunt.
Posuerunt me in lacu in-
feriori : * in tenebrosis, et
in umbra mortis.
Super me confirmatus est
furor tuus : * et omnes fluc-
tus tuos induxisti super
me
Longe fecisti notos meos
436
HOLY WEEK.
a me : * posuerunt me
abominationem sibi.
Traditus sum, et non egre-
diebar : * oculi mei langue-
runt prse inopia.
Clamavi ad te, Domine,
tota die : * expandi ad te
manus meas.
Numquid mortuis facies
mirabilia : * aut medici sus-
citabunt, et confitebuntur
tibi?
Numquid narrabit aliquis
in sepulchro misericordiam
tuam : * et veritatem tuam
in perditione ?
Numquid cognoscentur in
tenebris mirabilia tua : * et
justitia tua in terra obli-
vionis ?
Et ego ad te, Domine,
clamavi : * et mane oratio
mea prseveniet te.
Ut quid, Domine, repellis
orationern meam : * avertis
f aciem tuam a me ?
Pauper sum ego, et in
laboribus a juventute mea : *
exaltatus autem, humiliatus
sum et conturbatus.
In me transierunt irse
tuae : * et terrores tui contur-
baverunt me.
Circumdederunt me sicut
aqua tota die : * circumde-
derunt me simul.
Elongasti a me amicum et
proximum : * et notos meos
a miseria.
Ant. Longe fecisti notos
meos a me : traditus sum, et
non egrediebar.
acquaintance far from me :
they have set me an abomi-
nation to themselves.
I was delivered up, and
came not forth : my eyes
languished through poverty.
All the day I cried to thee,
0 Lord : I stretched out my
hands to thee.
Wilt thou show wonders to
the dead : or shall physicians
raise to life, and give praise
to thee ?
Shall any one in the sepul-
chre declare thy mercy, and
thy truth in destruction ?
Shall thy wonders be known
in the dark : and thy justice
in the land of forgetfulness ?
But I, 0 Lord, have cried
to thee : and in the morning
my prayer shall prevent thee.
Lord, why castest thou off
my prayer : why turnest thou
away thy face from me ?
I am poor and in labours
from my youth : and being
exalted, have been humbled
and troubled.
Thy wrath hath come upon
me : and thy terrors have
troubled me.
They have come round
about me like water all the
day : they have compassed
me about together.
Friend and neighbour thou
hast put far from me : and
my acquaintance because of
misery.
Ant. Thou hast put away
my acquaintance far from
me : I was delivered up, and
1 escaped not.
GOOD FRIDAY I TENEBR^K.
437
The ninth Psalm invokes the vengeance of God
upon the unjust judges, who shed the blood of the
innocent Jesus, and forget that there is One in
heaven who is witness of their injustice and of his
immolation. The High Priests, the Doctors of the
Law, the dastardly Pontius Pilate, are here described
as unjust judges, upon whose heads will fall the
wrath of heaven.
Ant. They will hunt after
the soul of the Just ; and will
condemn innocent Blood.
Ant. Captabunt in ani-
mam justi, et sanguinem in-
nocentem condemnabunt.
PSALM 93.
The Lord is the God to
whom revenge belongeth :
the God of revenge acted
freely.
Lift up thyself, thou that
judgeth the earth : render a
reward to the proud.
How long shall the wicked,
O Lord, how long shall the
wicked make their boast ?
How long shall they utter
and speak wrong things :
how long shall the workers
of iniquity talk ?
Thy people, O Lord, they
have brought low : and they
have afflicted thy inheritance.
They have slain the widow
and the stranger : and they
have murdered the fatherless.
And they have said : The
Lord shall not see : neither
shall the God of Jacob un-
derstand.
Understand, ye senseless
among the people : and you
fools be wise at last.
He that planted the ear,
shall he not hear : or he that
formed the eye, doth he not
consider ?
Deus ultionum Dominus :
Deus ultionum libere egit.
Exaltare qui judicas ter-
rain : * redde retributionem
superbis.
Usquequo peccatores Do-
mine : * usquequo pecca-
tores gloriabuntur ?
Effabuntur et loquentur
iniquitatem : * loquentur
omnes qui operantur injus-
titiam ?
Populum tuum, Domine,
humiliaverunt : * et hseredi-
tatem tuam vexaverunt.
Viduam et advenam inter -
fecerunt : * et pupillos occi-
derunt.
Et dixerunt : Non videbit
Dominus : * nee intelliget
Deus Jacob.
Intelligite insipientes in
populo : * et stulti aliquan-
do sapite.
Qui plantavit aurem, non
audiet : * aut qui finxit ocu-
lum, non considerat ?
438
HOLY WEEK.
Qui corripit gentes, non
arguet: * qui docet homi-
nem scientiam ?
Dominus scit cogitationes
hominum : * quoniam vanae
sunt.
Beatus homo, quern tu
erudieris, Domine : * et de
lege tua docueris eum.
Ut mitiges ei a diebus
nialis : * donee fodiatur pec-
catori fovea.
Quia non repellet Domi-
nus plebem suam : * et hse-
reditatem suam non dere-
linquet.
Quoadusque justitia con-
vertatur in judicium : * et
qui juxta ilium omnes qui
recto sunt corde.
Quis consurget mini ad-
versus malignantes : * aut
quis stabit mecum adversus
operantes iniquitatem ?
Nisi quia Dominus adju-
vit me : * paulo minus habi-
tasset in inferno anima mea.
Si dicebam : Motus est pes
meus : * misericordia tua,
Domine, adjuvabat me.
Secundum multitudinem
dolorum meorum in corde
meo : * consolationes tuse
laetificaverunt animam me-
am.
Numquid adhserettibi sedes
iniquitatis : * qui fingis la-
borem in prsecepto ?
Captabunt in animam
justi : * et sanguinem inno-
centem condemnabunt.
Et f actus est mihi Domi-
nus in refugium : * et Deus
meus in adjutorium spei
meae.
Et reddet illis iniquita-
He that chastiseth nations,
shall he not rebuke : he that
teacheth man knowledge ?
The Lord knoweth the
thoughts of men, that they are
vain.
Blessed is the man whom
thou shalt instruct, O Lord :
and shalt teach him out of
thy law.
That thou mayest give him
rest from the evil days : till
a pit be dug for the wicked.
For the Lord will not cast
off his people : neither will he
forsake his own inheritance.
Until justice be turned into
judgment : and they that are
near it are all the upright in
heart.
Who shall rise up for me
against the evil doers ? or who
shall stand with me against
the workers of iniquity ?
Unless the Lord had been
my helper : my soul had al-
most dwelt in hell.
If I said : My foot is moved :
thy mercy, 0 Lord, assisted
me.
According to the multitude
of my sorrows in my heart :
thy comforts have given joy
to my soul.
Doth the seat of iniquity
stick to thee : who framest
labour in commandment ?
They will hunt after the
soul of the just : and will con-
demn innocent blood.
But the Loid is my refuge :
and my God the help of my
hope.
And he will render to them
GOOD FRIDAY : TENEBRTE.
439
tern ipsorum : et in malitia
eorum disperdet eos : * dis-
perdet illos Dominus Deus
noster.
Ant. Captabunt in ani-
mam justi, et sanguinem
innocentein condemnabunt.
y. Locuti snnt adversum
me lingua dolosa.
gt. Et sermonibus odii
circumdederunt me, et ex-
pugnaverunt me gratis.
their iniquity : and in their
malice he will destroy them :
yea, the Lord our God will
destroy them.
Ant. They will hunt after
the soul of the Just ; and will
condemn innocent Blood.
y. They have spoken
against me with a deceitful
tongue.
Be. And they have com-
passed me about with words
of hatred, and have fought
against me without cause.
Here is said the Pater noster, in secret.
For the Lessons of this Nocturn, the Church has
selected a passage from the Epistle to the Hebrews,
where St. Paul speaks of the Son of God having
beoome our High Priest and Mediator with the
Father, by the shedding of his Blood. This precious
Blood blots out our sins, and opens heaven to us,
which Adam's sin had closed against us.
SEVENTH LESSON.
From the Epistle of St. Paul
the Apostle, to the He-
brews.
Ch. IV. and V.
Let us haste therefore to enter
into that rest : lest any man fall
into the same example of un-
belief. For the word of God
is living and effectual and
more piercing than any two-
edged sword, and reaching
unto the division of the soul
and the spirit, of the joints
also, and the marrow, and is
a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart.
Neither is there any creature
invisible in his sight : but all
De Epistola Beati Pauli
Apostoli ad Hebreeos.
Gap. IV. et V.
Festinemus ingredi in il-
lam requiem : ut ne in id-
ipsum quis incidat incredu-
litatis exemplum. Vivus
est enim sermo Dei, et
efficax, et penetrabilior omni
gladio ancipiti : et pertin-
gens usque ad divisionem
animse ac spiritus, compagum
quoque ac medullarum, et
discretor cogitationum et
intentionem cordis. Et non
est ulla creatura invisibilis
in conspectu ejus : omnia
2 I
440
HOLY WEEK.
autem nuda et aperta sunt
oculis ejus, ad quern nobis
sermo. Habentes ergo Pon-
tificem magnum, qui pene-
travit ccelis, Jesum Filium
Dei, teneamus confessionem.
Non enim habemus Pon-
tificem qui non possit com-
pati infirmitatibus nostris :
tentatum autem per omnia
pro similitudine absque
peccato.
gt. Tradiderunt me in
manus impiorum, et inter
iniquos projecerunt me, et
non pepercerunt animae
meae : congregati sunt ad-
versum me fortes ; * Et si-
cut gigantes steterunt con-
tra me.
ft. Alieni insurrexerunt
adversum me, et fortes
qusesierunt animam meam.
* Et sicut gigantes ste-
terunt contra me.
things are naked and open to
the eyes of him, to whom our
speech is. Seeing then that
we have a great High Priest
that hath passed into the
heavens, Jesus the Son of
God, let us hold fast our con-
fession. For we have not a
High Priest who cannot have
compassion on our infirmities :
but one tempted in all things
like as we are, without sin.
gt. They delivered me into
the hands of the impious and
cast me out among the wicked,
and spared not my life : the
powerful gathered together
against me : * And like giants
they stood against me.
1?. Strangers have risen up
against me, and the mighty
have sought my soul.
* And like giants they stood
against me.
EIGHTH LESSON.
Adeamus ergo cum fidu-
cia ad thronum gratise :
ut misericordiam consequa-
mur, et gratiam inveniamus
in auxilio opportuno. Om-
nis namque Pontifex ex
hominibus assumptus, pro
hominibus constituitur in
iis quse sunt ad Denm, ut
offerat dona et sacrificia pro
peccatis : qui condolere pos-
sit iis qui ignorant et errant :
quoniam et ipse circum-
datus est infirmitate. Et
propterea debet, quemad-
modum pro populo, ita etiam
et pro semetipso offerre pro
peccatis.
Let us go therefore with
confidence to the throne of
grace : that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace in
seasonable aid. For every
High Priest taken from
among men, is appointed for
men in the things that apper-
tain to God, that he may
offer up gifts and sacrifices
for sins : who can have com-
passion on them that are
ignorant, and that err : be-
cause he himself also is com-
passed with infirmity. And
therefore he ought, as for the
people, so also for himself, to
offer for sins.
GOOD FRIDAY '. TENEBRJE.
441
#. The wicked man be-
trayed Jesus to the chief
priests and elders of the peo-
ple : * But Peter followed
him afar off, that he might
see the end.
JC. And they led him to
Caiphas the high priest, where
the Scribes and Pharisees were
met together.
* But Peter followed him
afar off, that he might see the
end.
Br. Jesum tradidit impius
summis principibus sacer-
dotum, et senioribus populi :
* Petrus autem sequebatur
eum a longe, ut videret
finem.
$ . Adduxerunt autem
eum ad Caipham principem
sacerdotum, ubi Scribee et
Pharissei convenerant.
* Petrus autem sequeba-
tur eum a longe, ut videret
finem.
NINTH LESSON.
Neither doth any man take
the honour to himself, but he
that is called by God, as
Aaron was. So also Christ did
not glorify himself to be made
a high priest : but he that said
to him : thou art my Son, this
day have I begotten thee.
As he saith also in another
place : Thou art a priest for
ever according to the order of
Melchisedech. Who in the
days of his flesh, offering up
prayers and supplications,
with a strong cry and tears, to
him that was able to save him
from death, was heard for his
reverence: and whereas indeed
he was the Son of God, he
learned obedience by the
things which he suffered : and
being consummated, he be-
came the cause of eternal sal-
vation to all that obey him,
called by God a high-priest
according to the order of Mel-
chisedech.
#. My eyes are darkened by
my tears : for he is far from
me that comforted me. See
Nee quisquam sumit sibi
honorem sed qui vocatur a
Deo, tanquam Aaron. Sic
et Christus non semetipsum
clarificavit ut pontifex fie-
ret : sed qui locutus est ad
eum : Filius meus es tu, ego
hodie genui te. Quemad-
modum et in alio loco dicit :
Tu es sacerdos in seternum
secundum ordinem Melchi-
sedech. Qui in die bus car-
nis su8e, preces supplicatio-
nesque ad eum, qui possit
ilium salvum facere a morte,
cum clamore valido et lacry-
mis offerens, exauditus est
pro sua reverentia. Et qui-
dem cum esset Filius Dei,
didicit ex iis, quae passus
est, obedientiam : et con-
summatus, f actus est omni-
bus obtemperantibus sibi,
causa salutis seternse, appel-
latus a Deo pontifex juxta
ordinem Melchisedech.
gt. Caligaverunt oculi mei
a fletu meo : quia elongatus
est a me, qui consolabatur
442
HOLY WEEK.
me. Videte omnes populi, *
Si est dolor similis sicut
dolor meus.
y. 0 vos omnes qui trans-
itis per viam, attendite, et
videte.
* Si est dolor similis sicut
dolor meus.
Here is repeated : Caliga-
verunt oculi mei.
all ye people, * If there be
sorrow like unto my sorrow.
^. 0 all ye that pass by
the way, behold and see,
* If there be sorrow like
unto my sorrow.
Here is repeated : My eyes
are darkened.
LAUDS.
The first Psalm of Lauds is the Miserere, as yes-
terday, page 336. It is sung to the following
Antiphon :
suo
Ant. Proprio Filio
non pepercit Deus, sed pro
nobis omnibus tradidit ilium.
Ant. God spared not his
own Son, but delivered him
up for us all.
The second Psalm is one of those that was com-
posed by David during the time of Absalom's rebel-
lion. It is one of the Psalms of Friday's ferial Lauds
throughout the year ; and is appropriate to the mys-
tery of to-day, inasmuch as it expresses how the
Messias was abandoned by his Disciples, and how
confidently he hoped in Grod.
Ant. Anxiatus es super Ant. My spirit is in an-
me spiritus meus, in me tur- guish within me, my heart
batum est cor meum. within me is troubled.
PSALM 142.
Domine, exaudi orationem
meam : auribus percipe ob-
secrationem meam in veri-
tate tua : * exaudi me in tua
justitia.
Et non intres in judicium
cum servo tuo : * quia non
Hear, O Lord, my prayer,
give ear to my supplication
in thy truth : hear me in thy
justice.
And enter not into
ment with thy servant :
judg-
for in
GOOD FRIDAY I TENEBRJE.
443
thy sight no man living shall
be justified.
For the enemy hath perse-
cuted my soul : he hath
brought down my life to the
earth.
He hath made me to dwell
in darkness, as those that have
been dead of old ; and my
spirit is in anguish within me,
my heart within me is
troubled.
I remembered the days of
old, I meditated on all thy
works. I mused upon the
works of thy hands.
I stretched forth my hands
to thee : my soul is as earth
without water unto thee.
Hear me speedily, O Lord :
my spirit hath fainted away.
Turn not away thy face
from me : lest I be like unto
them that go down into the pit.
Cause me to hear thy mercy
in the morning : for in thee
have I hoped.
Make the way known to
me wherein I should walk :
for I have lifted up my soul
to thee.
Deliver me from my ene-
mies, 0 Lord, to thee have I
fled : teach me to do thy will,
for thou art my God.
Thy good spirit shall lead
me into the right land : for
thy name's sake, 0 Lord, thou
wilt quicken me in thy jus-
tice.
Thou wilt bring my soul
out of troubles : and in thy
mercy thou wilt destroy my
enemies.
justificabitur in conspectu
tuo omnis vivens.
Quia persecutus est ini-
micus animam meam : *
humiliavit in terra vitam
meam.
Collocavit me in obscuris
sicut mortuos saeculi : * et
anxiatus est super me spiri-
tus meus, in me turbatum
est cor meum.
Memor fui dierum anti-
quorum, meditatus sum in
omnibus operibus tuis : * in
factis manuum tuarum me-
ditabar.
Expandi manus meas ad
te : * anima mea sicut terra
sine aqua tibi.
Velociter exaudi me, Do-
mine : * defecit spiritus
meus.
Non avertas faciem tuam
a me : * et similis ero de-
scendentibus in lacum.
Auditam fac mihi mane
misericordiam tuam : * quia
in te speravi.
Notam fac mihi viam in
qua ambulem : * quia ad te
levavi animam meam.
Eripe me de inimicis meis,
Domine, ad te confugi : *
doce me facere voluntatem
tuam, quia Deus meus es
tu.
Spiritus tuus bonus de-
ducet me in terram rectam :
* propter nomen tuum, Do-
mine, vivificabis me in sequi-
tate tua.
Educes de tribulatione
animam meam : * et in mis-
ericordia tua disperdes ini-
micos meos.
444
HOLY WEEK.
Et perdes omnes qui tribu- And thou wilt cut off all
lant animam meam : * quo- them that afflict my soul :
niam ego servus tuus sum. for I am thy servant.
Ant. Anxiatus est super Ant. My spirit is in an-
me spiritus meus, in me tur- guish within me, my heart
batum est cor meum. within me is troubled.
The third Psalm is the Bens, Dens mens, which is
given in page 340. The following is its Antiphon :
Ant. Ait latro ad latro-
nem : Nos quidem digna
f actis recipimus : hie autem
quid fecit ? Memento mei,
Domine, dum veneris in
regnum tuum.
Ant. The thief said to the
thief : We, indeed, receive the
due reward of our deeds ; but
what has this Man done ? Re-
member me, O Lord, when
thou shalt come into thy
kingdom.
The following Canticle is that of the Prophet
Habacuc, and comes in the Lauds of every Friday
(when a Feria), throughout the year. It celebrates
the victory of Christ over his enemies, when he shall
come to judge the world. It forms a sublime con-
trast with the humiliations which the Man-God
suffers on this the day of his Death.
Ant. Cum conturbata
fuerit anima mea, Domine,
misericordiae memor eris.
Ant. "When my soul shall
be in trouble, 0 Lord ! thou
wilt be mindful of thy mercy.
CANTICLE OF HABACUC.
Domine, audivi auditio-
nem tuam : * et timui.
opus
annorum
tuum : *
vivifica
Domine
in medio
iUud.
In medio annorum notum
facies : * cum iratus fueris,
misericordiae recordaberis.
Deue ab austro veniet : *
et Sanctus de monte Pha-
ran.
O Lord, I heard what thou
madest me hear, and was
afraid.
0 Lord, thy work in the
midst of the years bring it
to life.
In the midst of the years
thou shalt make it known :
when thou art angry, thou
wilt remember mercy.
God will come from the
south, and the Holy One from
mount Pharan.
GOOD FRIDAY I TENEHR^K.
445
His glory covered the hea-
vens : and the earth is full of
his praise.
His brightness shall be as
the light: horns are in his
hands.
There is his strength hid :
death shall go before his face.
And the devil shall go forth
before his feet : he stood and
measured the earth.
He beheld, and melted the
nations : and the ancient
mountains were crushed to
pieces.
The hills of the world were
bowed down, by the journeys
of his eternity.
I saw the tents of ^Ethiopia
for their iniquity: the cur-
tains of the land of Madian
shall be troubled.
Wast thou angry, O Lord,
with the rivers ? or was thy
wrath upon the rivers ? or thy
indignation in the sea ?
Who will ride upon thy
horses : and thy chariots are
salvation.
Thou wilt surely take up
thy bow, according to the
oaths which thou hast spoken
to the tribes.
Thou volt divide the rivers
of the earth : the mountains
saw thee and were grieved :
the great body of waters
passed away.
The deep put forth its voice :
the deep lifted up its hands.
The sun and the moon
stood still in their habitation,
in the light of thy arrows,
they shall go in the bright-
ness of thy glittering spear.
Operuit coelos gloria ejus :
* et laudis ejus plena est
terra.
Splendor ejus ut lux erit :
* cornua in manibus ejus.
Ibi abscondita est fortitudo
ejus : * ante faciem ejus ibit
mors.
Et egredietur diabolus ante
pedes ejus : * stetit et men-
sus est terram.
Aspexit, et dissolvit Gen-
tes : * et contriti sunt mon-
tes saeculi.
Incurvati sunt colles mun-
di : * ab itineribus aeterni-
tatis ejus.
Pro iniquitate vide tentoria
JEthiopiae : * turbabuntur
pelles terrae Madian.
Numquid in fluminibus
iratus es, Domine : * aut in
fluminibus furor tuus, vel in
mari indignatio tua ?
Qui ascendes super equos
tuos : * et quadrigae tuae
salvatio.
Suscitans suscitabis arcum
tuum : * juramentatribubus,
quae locutus es.
Fluvios scindes terrae : vi-
derunt te et doluerunt mon-
tes : * gurges aquarum tran-
siit.
Dedit abyssus vocem su-
am : * altitudo manus suas
levavit.
Sol et luna steterunt in
habitaculo suo : * in luce
sagittarum tuarum, ibunt
in splendore fulgurantis
hastae tuae.
446
HOLY WEEK.
In frertiitu conculcabis
terram : * et in furore ob-
stupefacies Gentes.
Egressus es in salutem
populi tui : * in salutem cum
Christo tuo.
Percussisti caput de domo
impii: * denudasti funda-
mentum ejus usque ad col-
lum.
Maledixisti sceptris ejus,
capiti bellatorum ejus : * ve-
nientibus ut turbo ad disper -
gendum me.
Exsultatio eorum : * sicut
ejus qui devorat pauperem
in abscondito.
Viam fecisti in mari equis
tuis : * in luto aquarum
multarum.
Audivi, et conturbatus est
venter meus : * a voce con-
tremuerunt labia mea.
Ingrediatur putredo in
ossibus meis : * et subter me
scateat.
Ut requiescam in die
tribulationis : * ut ascendam
ad populum accinctum nos-
trum.
Ficus enim non florebit : *
et non erit germen in vineis.
Mentietur opus olivae : *
et arva non afferent cibum.
Abscindetur de ovili pe-
cus : * et non erit armentum
in praesepibus.
Ego autem in Domino
gaudebo : * et exsultabo in
Deo Jesu meo.
Deus Dominus fortitudo
mea : * et ponet pedes meos
quasi cervorum,
In thy anger thou wilt tread
the earth under foot : in thy
wrath thou wilt astonish the
nations.
Thou wentest forth for the
salvation of thy people, for
salvation with thy Christ.
Thou struckest the head of
the house of the wicked : thou
hast laid bare his foundation
even to the neck.
Thou hast cursed their scep-
tres, the head of his warriors,
them that came out as a
whirlwind to scatter me.
Their joy was like that of
him that devoureth the poor
man in secret.
Thou madest a way in the
sea for thy horses, in the mud
of many waters.
I have heard, and my bowels
were troubled : my lips trem-
bled at the voice.
Let rottenness enter into
my bones, and swarm under
me.
That I may rest in the day
of tribulation : that I may go
up to our people that are
girded.
Eor the fig-tree shall not
blossom : and there shall be
no spring in the vines.
The labour of the olive-tree
shall fail : and the fields shall
yield no food.
The flock shall be cut off
from the fold : and there shall
be no herd in the stalls.
But I will rejoice in the
Lord : and I will rejoice in
God my Jesus.
The Lord God is my
strength : and he will make
my feet like the feet of harts.
GOOD FRIDAY : TENKBH^F.. 447
And ho the conqueror will Et super excelsa mea de-
lead mo upon my high places, ducet me victor : * in psal-
singing psalms. mis canentem.
Ant. When my soul shall Ant. Cum conturbatur
be in trouble, O Lord ! thou fuerit anima mea, Domine,
wilt be mindful of thy mercy, misericordiae memor eris.
The last Psalm of Lauds is Laudato Dominum de
coelis, which is given above, page 345. The follow-
ing is its Antiphon :
Ant. Eemember me, 0 Ant. Memento mei Do-
Lord, when thou shalt come mine, dum veneris in reg-
into thy kingdom. num tuum.
JP. He hath made me to $. Collocavit me in ob-
dwell in darkness, scuris.
&. As them that have gt. Sicut mortuos sseculi.
been dead of old.
After this Yersicle, is sung the Canticle Bencdictus,
(see page 348,) with the following Antiphon :
Ant. They put over his Ant. Posuerunt super
head his cause written : Jesus caput ejus causam ipsius
of Nazareth King of the Jews, scriptam : Jesus Nazarenus
Eex Judseorum.
This Antiphon having been repeated after the
Canticle, the Choir sings, to a touching melody, the
following words. She repeats them at the end of
all the Canonical Hours of these three days, adding
to them each day. The addition for to-day is, that
the Death which our Saviour deigned to suffer for us
was the most disgraceful and painful of all deaths, —
the Death of the Cross.
f. Christ became, for our y. Christus f actus est pro
sakes, obedient unto death, nobis obediens usque ad mor-
even to the death of the Cross, tern, mortem autem Crucis.
Then is said, in secret, the Pater noster, which is
followed by the Miserere, (page 336j . This Psalm is
448 HOLY WEEK.
not sung, but only recited as explained in yesterday's
Tenebrse. As soon as the Miserere is finished, the
following Prayer is said by the first in dignity :
Look down, 0 Lord, we Kespice, qusesumus, Do-
beseech thee, upon this thy mine, super hanc familiam
family, for which our Lord tuam : pro qua Dominus
Jesus Christ hesitated not to noster Jesus Christus non
be delivered into the hands dubitavit manibus tradi no-
of wicked men, and undergo centium, et crucis subire
the punishment of the Cross : tormentum :
(then, the rest in secret :)
Who liveth and reigneth Qui tecum vivit et regnat,
with thee, in the unity of the in unitate Spiritus Sancti,
Holy G-host, God, world with- Deus, per omnia saecula
out end. Amen. seeculorum. Amen.
THE MOBNINGk
The sun has risen upon Jerusalem. But the
Priests and Scribes have not waited all this time
without venting their rage upon Jesus. Annas,
who was the first to receive the divine Captive, has
had him taken to his son-in-law Caiphas, the High
Priest. Here he is put through a series of insulting
questions, which disdaining to answer, he receives a
blow from one of the High Priest's servants. False
witnesses had been already prepared : they now come
forward, and depose their lies against Him who is the
very Truth : — but their testimony is contradictory.
Then, Caiphas, seeing that this plan for convicting
Jesus of blasphemy is only serving to expose his
accomplices, turns to an other. He asks him a
question, which will oblige our Lord to make an
answer ; and in this answer, he Caiphas, will dis-
cover blasphemy, and blasphemy would bring Jesus
under the power of the Synagogue. This is the
GOOD FRIDAY ! ITS HISTORY. 449
question : I adjure thee, by the living God, that thou
tell us, if thou be the Christ the Son of God ? l Our
Saviour, in order to teach us that we should show
respect to those who are in authority, breaks the
silence he has hitherto observed, and answers : Thou
hast said it : I am : and hereafter ye shall see the
Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power
of God, and coming in the clouds of heaven.2 Here-
upon, the impious Pontiff rises, rends his garments,
and exclaims : He hath blasphemed ! What further
need have we of 'witnesses ? Behold ! now ye have
heard the blasphemy : what think ye ? The whole
place resounds with the cry : He is guilty of death ! 3
The Son of God has come down upon the earth, in
order to restore man to Life ; and yet, here we have
this creature of death daring to summon his Divine
Benefactor before a human tribunal, and condemning
him to Death ! And Jesus is silent ! and bears with
these presumptuous, these ungrateful, blasphemers !
Well may we exclaim, in the words, wherewith the
Greek Church frequently interrupts to-day's reading
of the Passion : " Glory be to thy Patience, 0 Lord ! "
Scarcely have the terrible words, He is guilty of
death, been uttered, than the servants of the High
Priest rush upon Jesus. They spit upon him, and
blindfolding him, they strike him, saying : Prophesy !
who is it struck thee ? 4 Thus does the Synagogue
treat the Messias, who, they say, is to be their glory !
And yet, these outrages, frightful as they are, are but
the beginning of what our Redeemer has to go through.
But there is something far more trying than all
this to the heart of Jesus, and it is happening at this
very time. Peter has made his way as far as the
court of the High Priest's Palace ! He is recognised
by the bystanders as a Galilean, and one of Jesus'
1 St. Matth. xxvi. 63. 3 St. Matth. xxvi. 65, 66.
2 Idem, ibid, 64.— St. Mark, xiv. 62. i St. Luke, xxii, 64.
450 HOLY WEEK.
Disciples. The Apostle trembles for his life ; — he
denies his Master, and affirms, with an oath, that he
does not even know him. What a sad example is
here of the punishment of presumption ! But, Jesus
has mercy on his Apostle. The servants of the High
Priest lead him to the place, near where Peter is
standing ; he casts upon him a look of reproach and
pardon ; Peter immediately goes forth, and weeps
bitterly. From this hour forward he can do nothing
but lament his sin ; and it is only on Easter Morning,
when Jesus shall appear to him after his Resurrec-
tion, that he will admit any consolation to his afflicted
heart. Let us make him our model, now that we
are spending these hours, with our holy Mother the
Church, in contemplating the Passion of Jesus.
Peter withdraws, because he fears his own weakness ;
let us remain to the end, for what have we to fear ?
May our Jesus give us one of those looks, which can
change the hardest and worst of hearts !
Meanwhile, the day-dawn breaks upon the City,
and the Chief Priests make arrangements for taking
Jesus before the Roman Governor. They themselves
have found him guilty ; they have condemned him as
a Blasphemer, and according to the Law of Moses,
a Blasphemer must be stoned to death : but they can-
not apply the law : Jerusalem is no longer free, or
governed by her own laws. The power over life and
death may only be exercised by her conquerors, and
that in the name of Caesar. How is it, that these
Priests and Scribes can go through all this, and never
once remember the prophecy of Jacob, — that the
Messias would come, when the sceptre should be
taken away from Juda P1 They know off by heart,
they are the appointed guardians of those Prophecies,
which describe the death to which this Messias is to
be put, — and yet, they are the very ones who bring
1 Gen. xlix. 10.
GOOD FRIDAY .* ITS HISTORY. 451
it about ! How is all this ? — They are blind, and it
is jealousy that blinds them.
The rumour of Jesus' having been seized during
the night, and that he is on the point of being led
before the Roman Governor, rapidly spreads through
the City, and reaches Judas' ear. This wretched
man had a passion for money, but there was nothing
to make him desire the death of his Divine Master.
He knew Jesus' supernatural power. He perhaps
flattered himself that he who could command nature
and the elements, would easily escape from the hands
of his enemies. But now when he sees that he does
not escape, and that he is to be condemned to
death, — he runs to the Temple, and gives back the
thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priests. Is it
that he is converted, and is about to ask his Master
to pardon him ? Alas ! no : despair has possession of
him, and he puts an end to his existence. The
recollection of all the merciful solicitations made to
him, yesterday, by Jesus, both during the Last
Supper, and in the Garden, gives him no confidence ;
it only serves to increase his despair. Surely, he
well knew what a merciful Saviour he had to deal
with ! And yet, he despairs, and this at the very
time when the Blood, which washes away the sins of
the whole world, is about to be shed ! He is lost,
because he despaired.
The Chief Priests, taking Jesus with them, present
themselves at the Governor's Palace, demanding
audience for a case of importance. Pilate comes
forward, and peevishly asks them : What accusation
bring yc against this man ? — They answered : If he
were not a malefactor, toe ivould not have delivered
him up to thee. It is very evident from these first
words, that Pilate has a contempt for these Jewish
Priests ; it is not less evident that they are deter-
mined to gain their cause. Take him you, says
Pilate, and judge him according to your Law. —
452 HOLY WEEK.
The Chief Priests answered : It is not lawful for us
to put any man to death.1
Pilate leaves the Hall, in order to speak with
these men. He returns, and commands Jesus to be
brought in. The son of Gk)d and the representative
of the pagan world are face to face. Pilate begins
by asking him : Art thou the King of the Jews ? —
To this Jesus thus replies : My Kingdom is not of
this world. If my Kingdom ivere of this icorld, my
servants would certainly strive that I should not be
delivered to the Jews. But, now, my kingdom is
not from hence. — Art thou a King, then ? says
Pilate. — Thou say est, answers Jesus, that I am a
King. Having, by these last words, confessed his
august dignity, our Lord offers a grace to this
Roman ; he tells him, that there is something
worthier of man's ambition than earthly honours.
For this, says Jesus, was I bom, and for this came
I into the world; that I should give testimony to
the Truth. Every one that is of the Truth, heareth
my voice. — What is Truth ? asks Pilate ; but without
waiting for the answer, he leaves Jesus, for he is
anxious to have done with this case. He returns to
the Jews, and says to them : I find no cause in him.2 —
Pilate fancies that this Jesus must be a leader of
some Jewish sect, whose teachings give offence to
the Chief Priests, but which are not worth his
examining into them : yet at the same time, he is
convinced that he is a harmless man, and that it
would be foolish and unjust to accuse him of dis-
turbing the state.
Scarcely has Pilate expressed his opinion in favour
of Jesus, than a long list of accusations is brought up
against him by the Chief Priests. Pilate is astonished
at Jesus' making no reply, and says to him : Dost
thou not hear how great testimonies they allege
1 St. John, xviii, 29, 30, 31. 2 Id. ibid. 33, 36, 37, 38.
GOOD FRIDAY : ITS HISTORY. 453
against thee ? l — These words are kindly meant, but
Jesus still remains silent : they, however, excite his
enemies to fresh fury, and they cry out : He stirreth
Up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, begin-
ning from Galilee, even to this place? This word
Galilee suggests a new idea to Pilate. Herod, the
Tetrarch of Galilee, happens to be in Jerusalem at
this very time. Jesus is his subject ; he must be
sent to him. Thus Pilate will get rid of a trouble-
some case, and this act of courteous deference will
re-establish a good understanding between himself
and Herod.
The Saviour is therefore dragged through the
streets of Jerusalem, from Pilate's house to Herod's
palace. His enemies follow him with relentless
fury ; but Jesus still observes his noble silence.
Herod, the murderer of John the Baptist, insults him,
and ordering him to be clothed in a white garment,
as a Fool, he sends him back to Pilate. Another
plan for ridding himself of this troublesome case,
now strikes the Roman Governor. At the feast of
the Pasch, he had the power of granting pardon to
any one criminal the people may select. They are
assembled together at the court-gates. He feels
sure, that their choice will fall upon Jesus, for it is
but a few days ago that they led him in triumph
through the City : besides, he intends to make the
alternative one who is an object of execration to the
whole people ; he is a murderer, and his name
Barabbas. Whom ivill you that I release to you ?
says Pilate : Barabbas, or Jesus, that is called the
Christ ? — He has not long to wait for the answer :
the crowd exclaim : Not this man, but Barabbas ! —
What then, replies Pilate, shall I do with Jesus, that
is called the Christ? — Crucify him? — Why, what
evil hath he done ? I ivill chastise him, therefore,
1 St. Matth. xxvii. 13. 2 St. Luke, xxiii. 5.
454 HOLY WEEK.
and let him go. But they growing irritated at this,
cry out so much the louder : Crucify him ! Cru-
cify him ! l
Pilate's cowardly subterfuge has failed, and left
him in a more difficult position than he was before.
His putting the innocent on a level with a murderer
was in itself a gross injustice ; and yet, he has not
gone far enough for a people that is blind with
passion. Neither does his promise to chastise Jesus
satisfy them : they want more than his Blood : they
insist on his death !
Here let us pause, and offer our Saviour a repa-
ration for the insult he here receives. He is put in
competition with a murderer, and the murderer is
preferred ! Pilate makes an attempt to save Jesus :
but, on what terms ! — he must be put on a footing
with a vile wretch, and, even so, be worsted ! Those
very lips that, a few days back, sang " Hosannah to
the Son of David," now clamour for his Crucifixion !
The City Magistrate and Governor pronounces him
innocent ; and yet, he condemns him to be scourged,
because he fears a disturbance !
Jesus is made over to the soldiers, to be scourged.
They rudely strip him of his garments, and tie him
to the pillar, which is kept for this kind of torture.
Fiercely do they strike him ; the blood flows down
his sacred Body. Let us adore this the second
Bloodshedding of our Jesus, whereby he expiates for
the sins we and the whole world have committed by
the flesh. This Scourging is by the hands of Grentiles :
the Jews delivered him up to be punished, and the
Romans were the executioners : — thus have we all
had our share in the awful deicide !
At last, the soldiers are tired ; they loosen their
Victim ; — but it is not out of anything like pity.
Their cruelty is going to rest, and their rest is
1 St. Matth. xxvii. — St. Liike, xxiii — St. John, xviii.
GOOD FRIDAY I ITS HISTORY. 455
derision. Jesus has been called "King of the Jews : "
a King, say they, must have a Crown ! Accordingly
they make one for the Son of David ! It is of Thorns.
They press it violently upon his head, and this is the
third Bloodshedding of our Redeemer. Then, that
they may make their scoffing perfect, the soldiers
throw a scarlet cloak over his shoulders, and put a
reed, for a sceptre, into his hand ; and bending their
knee before him, they thus salute him : Hail, King
of the Jews ! — This insulting homage is accompanied
with blows upon his face ; they spit upon him ; and,
from time to time, take the reed from his hand,
wherewith to strike the Thorns deeper into his head.
Here, the Christian prostrates himself before his
Saviour, and says to him with a heart full of com-
passion and veneration : " Yes ! my Jesus ! Thou art
King of the Jews ! Thou art the Son of David, and
therefore our Messias and our Redeemer ! Israel,
that hath so lately proclaimed thee King, now unkings
thee ; the Grentiles scoff at thy Royalty, making it
a subject for keener insult : — but reign thou must
and over both Jews and Grentiles : over the Jews, by
thy justice, for they are soon to feel the sceptre of
thy revenge ; over the Gentiles, by thy mercy, for
thine Apostles are soon to lead them to thy feet.
Receive, dearest King ! our homage and submission !
Reign now and for ever over our hearts, yea, over
our whole being ! "
Thus mangled and bleeding, holding the reed in
his hand, and with the scarlet tatters on his shoulders,
Jesus is led back to Pilate. It is just the sight that
will soften the hearts of the people ; at least, Pilate
thinks so ; and taking him with him to a balcony of
the palace, he shows him to the crowd below, saying ;
Behold the Man Z1 Little did Pilate know all that
these few words conveyed ! He says not : "Behold
1 St. John, xix. 5.
2k
456 HOLY WEEK.
Jesus ! " — nor, "Behold the King of the Jews ! " he
says : Behold the Man ! — Man ! — the Christian under-
stands the full force of the word thus applied to our
Redeemer. Adam the first Man, rebelled against
Grod, and, by his sin, deranged the whole work of the
Creator : as a punishment for his pride and intem-
perance, the flesh tyrannised over the spirit ; the
very earth was cursed, and thorns were to be its
growth. Jesus, the New Man, comes into this world,
bearing upon him, not the reality, but the appearance,
the likeness, of sin : in him, the work of the Creator
regains its primeval order ; but the change was not
wrought without violence. To teach us, that the
flesh must be brought into subjection to the spirit,
Jesus' Flesh was torn by the scourges : to teach us,
that pride must give way to humility, the only Crown
that Jesus wears is made of Thorns. Yes, — Behold
Man ! — the triumph of the spirit over the flesh, the
triumph of humility over pride.
Like the tiger that grows fiercer as he sees blood,
so is Israel at the sight of Jesus after his scourging.
Crucify him ! Crucify him ! — the cry is still the
same. — Take him you, says Pilate, and crucify him ;
for I find no cause in him. And yet, he has ordered
him to be scourged enough to cause his death ! Here
is another device of the base coward ; but it, too, fails.
The Jews have their answer ready : they put forward
the right granted by the Romans to the nations that
are tributary to the Empire. We have, say they, a
laic, and according to the laic he ought to die ;
because he made himself the Son of God. Discon-
certed by the reply, Pilate takes Jesus aside into the
hall, and says to him : Whence art thou ? Jesus is
silent ; Pilate was not worthy to hear the answer to
his question. This silence irritates him. Speahest
thou not to me ? says he. Knoivett thou not, that I
have 'power to crucify thee, and I have power to
release thee ? Here Jesus deigns to speak ; and he
GOOD FRIDAY I ITS HISTORY. 457
speaks, in order to teach us that every power of
government, even where pagans are in question,
comes from God, and not from a pretended social
compact : Thou shouklst not have any power against
me, unless it were given thee from above. Therefore,
he that hath delivered me to thee, hath the greater sin.1
This dignified reply produces an impression upon
Pilate : he resolves to make another attempt to save
Jesus. But the people vociferate a threat which
alarms him : If thou release this man, thou art not
Cwsar's friend; for whosoever maketh himself a
King, speaketh against Caesar. Still, he is deter-
mined to try and pacify the crowd. He leaves the
hall, sits upon the judgment-seat, orders Jesus to be
placed near him, and thus pleads for him : Behold
your King ! as though he would say, "What have
you or Caesar to fear from such a pitiable object
as this ? ': The argument was unavailing, and only
provokes the cry : Away with him ! Aivay tvith
him ! Crucify him ! As though he did not believe
them to be in earnest, Pilate says to them : Shall I
crucify your King ? This time the Chief Priests
give the answer : We have no king but Caesar}
When the very Ministers of Grod can talk thus, re-
ligion is at an end. No king but Caesar ! — then,
the sceptre is taken from Juda, and Jerusalem is
cast off, and the Messias is come !
Pilate, seeing that nothing can quell the tumult,
and that his honour as Grovernor is at stake, decides
on making Jesus over to his enemies. Though
against his own inclination, he passes the Sentence,
which is to cause him such remorse of conscience
that he will afterwards seek relief in suicide. He
takes a tablet, and with a style, writes the Inscrip-
tion which is to be fastened to the Cross. The
people demand that two thieves should be crucified
1 St. John, xix. 2 Id. ibid,
458 HOLY WEEK.
at the same time, — it would be an additional insult
to Jesus : this, too, he grants, fulfilling the prophecy
of Isaias : And with the wicked was he reputed.1
Having thus defiled his soul with the most heinous
of crimes, Pilate washes his hands before the people,
and says to them : / am innocent of the blood of
this just man ; look ye to it ! They answer him
with, this terrible self-imprecation : His blood be
upon us and upon our children f2 The mark of
Parricide here fastens on this ungrateful and sacri-
legious people ; Cain-like, they shall wander fugitives
on the earth. Eighteen hundred years have passed
since then ; slavery, misery, and contempt, have
been their portion ; but the mark is still upon them.
Let us (xentiles, — upon whom this Blood of Jesus
has fallen as the dew of heaven's mercy, — let us
return fervent thanks to the goodness of our heavenly
Father, who hath so loved the world, as to give it
his Only Begotten Son.3 Let us give thanks to the
Son, who, seeing that our iniquities could not be
blotted out save by his Blood, shed it, on this day,
even to the very last drop.
Here commences " The Way of the Cross ;" the
House of Pilate, where our Jesus receives the sen-
tence of Death, is the First Station. Our Pedeemer
is consigned, by the Governor's order, into the hands
of the Jews. The Soldiers seize him, and drag him
from the Court. They strip him of the scarlet cloak
and bid him clothe himself with his own garments
as before the Scourging. The Cross is ready and
they put it on his wounded shoulders. The place
where the new Isaac loads himself with the wood of
his sacrifice, is the Second Station. To Calvary ! —
this is the word of command, and it is obeyed : sol-
diers, executioners, priests, scribes, people, — these
form the procession. Jesus moves slowly on ; but
after a few paces, exhausted by the loss of Blood and
1 Is. liii. 12. 2 St. Matth. xxvii. 24, 25. 3 St. John, iii. 16,
GOOD FRIDAY .* ITS HISTORY. 459
by his Sufferings, he falls under the weight of his
Cross. It is the first fall, and marks the Third Sta-
tion.
He falls, not so much by the weight of his Cross,
as by that of our sins ! The Soldiers roughly lay
their hands on him, and force him up again.
Scarcely has he resumed his steps, than he is met by
his afflicted Mother. The Valiant Woman, whose
love is stronger than death, was not to be abselit at
such an hour as this. She must see her Son, follow
him, keep close to him, even to his last breath. No
tongue could tell the poignancy of her grief. The
anxiety she has endured during the last few days
has exhausted her strength. All the sufferings of
Jesus have been made known to her by a divine re-
velation ; she has shared each one of them with him.
But, now, she cannot endure to be absent, and makes
her way through the crowd. The Sacrifice is nigh
its consummation ; no human power could keep such
a Mother from her Jesus. The faithful Magdalene is
by her side, bathed in tears ; John, Mary, (the
mother of James the Less) and Salome, (the mother
of John,) are also with her : they weep for their Divine
Master, she for her Son. Jesus sees her, but can-
not comfort her, for all this is but the beginning of
what he is to endure. Oh ! what an additional suf-
fering was this for his loving Heart, — to see his
Mother agonizing with sorrow ! The executioners
observe the Mother of their Victim, but it would be
too much mercy in them to allow her to speak to him ;
she may follow, if she please, with the crowd ; it is
more than she could have expected, to have been
allowed this Meeting, which we venerate as the
Fourth Station of the Way of the Cross.
But from this to the last there is a long distance,
for there is a law, that criminals are to be executed
outside the City Walls. The Jews are afraid of Jesus'
expiring before reaching the place of Sacrifice. Just
460 HOLY WEEK.
at this time, they behold a man coming from the
country ; his name is Simon of Gyrene ; they order
him to help Jesus to carry his Cross. It is out of a
motive of cruelty to our Lord, but it gives Simon the
honour of sharing with him the fatigue of bearing
the instrument of the world's salvation. The spot
where this happens is the Fifth Station.
A little farther on, an incident occurs which strikes
the executioners themselves with astonishment. A
woman makes her way through the crowd, and setting
the soldiers at defiance, comes close up to Jesus.
She holds her veil in her hands, and with it respect-
fully wipes the Face of our Lord, for it is covered
with blood, sweat, and spittle. She loves Jesus, and
cares not what may happen to her, so she can offer
him this slight comfort. Her love receives its re-
ward : — she finds her Veil miraculously impressed
with the likeness of Jesus' Face. This courageous
act of Veronica marks the Sixth Station of the Way
of the Cross.
Jesus grows weaker at each step : — he falls a
second time : it is the Seventh Station. Again do
the soldiers violently raise him up, and push him
along the road. It is easy to follow in his footsteps,
for a streak of Blood shows where he has passed. A
group of women is following close behind the soldiers;
they heed not the insults heaped upon them ; their
compassion makes them brave. But the last brutal
treatment shown to Jesus is more than they can bear
in silence ; they utter a cry of pitiful lamentation.
Our Saviour is pleased with these women, who, in
spite of the weakness of their sex, are showing more
courage than all the men of Jerusalem put together.
He affectionately turns towards them, and tells them
what a terrible chastisement is to follow the crime
they are now witnessing. The chief Priests and
Scribes recognise the dignity of the Prophet that had
so often spoken to them : they listen with indignation,
GOOD FRIDAY \ ITS HISTORY. 461
and, at this the Eighth Station of the Great "Way,
they hear these words : Daughters of Jerusalem !
weep not over me, but ivcep for yourselves and for
your children. For behold the days shall come,
wherein they will say : Blessed are the barren, and
the wonibs that have not borne, and the paps that
have not given suck. Then shall they~begin to say
to the mountains : Fall upon us! And to the hills:
Cover us ! l
"it last, they reach the foot of the hill. Calvary is
steep ; but is the place of Jesus' Sacrifice. He
begins the ascent, but falls a third time : the hallowed
spot is counted as the Ninth Station. A third time
the soldiers force Jesus to rise and continue his pain-
ful journey to the summit of the hill, which is to serve
as the Altar for the holocaust that is to surpass all
others in holiness and power. The executioners
seize the Cross and lay it upon the ground, prepara-
tory to their nailing the Divine Victim to it. Ac-
cording to a custom, practised both by the Romans
and the Jews, a cup containing wine and myrrh is
offered to Jesus. This drink, which had the bitterness
of gall, was given as a narcotic, in order to deaden, in
some degree, the feeling of the criminal, and lessen
his pain. Jesus raises to his lips the cup, which was
proffered him rather from custom than from any idea
of kindness ; but he drinks not its contents, for he
wishes to feel the full intensity of the sufferings he
accepts for our sakes. Then the executioners, having
violently stripped him of his garments, which had
fastened to his wounds, lead him to the Cross. The
place where he was thus stripped of his garments,
and where the cup of bitter drink was presented to
him, is venerated as the Tenth Station of the Way of
the Cross. The first nine, from Pilate's hall to the
foot of Calvary, are still to be seen in the streets of
1 St. Luke, xxiii, 27-31.
462 HOLY WEEK.
Jerusalem ; but the Tenth and the remaining four
are in the interior of the Church of Holy Sepulchre,
whose spacious walls inclose the spot where the last
mysteries of the Passion were accomplished.
But we must here interrupt our history : we have
already anticipated the hours of this great Friday,
and we shall have to return, later on, to the hill of
Calvary. It is time to assist at the service of our
holy Mother the Church, in which she celebrates the
Death of her Divine Spouse. We must not wait
for the usual summons of the Bells ; they are silent ;
we must listen to the call of our faith and devotion.
Let us, then, repair to the House of God.
THE MOBNING SEEVICE.
The Service of this morning consists of four parts,
which we now proceed to explain. Eirst of all, we
have the Lessons ; next, the Prayers ; thirdly, the
Veneration of the Cross ; and lastly, the Mass of the
Presanctified. These solemn and unusual rites
announce to the Faithful the sacredness of this Day,
as also the suspension of the daily Sacrifice, for which
they are substituted. The Altar is stripped ; the
Cross is covered with a black veil ; the Candles are of
yellow wax ; — everything in the Sanctuary bespeaks
mournfulness. As soon as the Choir have recited
None, the Celebrant and sacred Ministers approach
the Altar ; their black Vestments denote the grief
of holy Church. Being come to the foot of the Altar,
they prostrate, and pray in silence, whilst the Aco-
lytes cover the Altar with a single cloth, instead of
the three which are always required when Mass is
celebrated. The Celebrant and Ministers then rise,
and the Lessons are begun.
GOOD FRIDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
463
THE LESSONS.
The first portion of this morning's function con-
sists of two prophetic passages from the Old Testa-
ment, and of the Passion according to St. John. The
passage from the Prophet Osee tells us of the mer-
ciful designs of Grod in favour of his new people, the
Gentiles, who were dead, and who, nevertheless, were
to rise again, in three days, with Christ, whom they
do not so much as yet know. Ephraim and Juda
are to be treated otherwise : their material sacri-
fices have not been acceptable to a Grod, who loves
mercy above every other gift, and rejects the offer-
ings of those whose hearts are filled with bitterness.
LESSON.
(Osee, Chap. VI. J
Thus saith the Lord : In
their affliction they will rise
early to me. Come, and let
us return to the Lord : For he
hath taken us, and he will
heal us : he will strike, and he
will cure us. He will revive
us after two days ; on the third
day he will raise us up, and
we shall live in his sight. We
shall know, and we shall fol-
low on, that we may know the
Lord. His going forth is pre-
pared as the morning light,
and he will come to us as the
early and the latter rain to the
earth. What shall I do to
thee, 0 Ephraim ? what shall
I do to thee, O Juda ? Your
mercy is as a morning cloud,
and as the dew that goeth
away in the morning. For
this reason have I hewed them
by the prophets, I have slain
Hsec dicit Dominus : In
tribulatione sua mane con-
surget ad me. Venite, et
revertamur ad Dominum :
quia ipse cepit, et sanabit
nos : percutiet, et curabit
nos. Vivificabit nos post
duos dies : in die tertia
suscitabit nos, et vivemus
in conspectu ejus. Sciemus
sequemurque, ut cognosca-
mus Dominum. Quasi di-
luculum prseparatus est
egressus ejus ; et veniet
quasi imber nobis tempo -
raneus et serotinus terree.
Quid faciam tibi Ephraim ?
Quid faciam tibi Juda ? Mi-
sericordia vestra quasi nu-
bes matutina : et quasi ros
mane pertransiens. Prop-
ter hoc dolavi in prophetis,
et occidi eos in verbis oris
mei : et judicia tua, quasi
464
HOLY WEEK.
lux, egredientur. Quia mi-
sericordiam volui, et non
sacrificium : et scientiam
Dei, plus quani holocausta.
them by the words of my
mouth ; and thy judgments
shall go forth as the light. For
I desired mercy, and not sa-
crifice ; and the knowledge of
God more than holocausts.
The Tract is taken from the Canticle of the Pro-
phet Habacuc, and which we have already sung at
Lauds. It foretells the second coming of Christ,
when he shall come, in glory and majesty, to judge
them that have crucified him.
TRACT.
Domine, audivi auditum
tuum, et timui : consideravi
opera tua, et expavi.
f. In medio duorum ani-
malium innotesceris : dum
appropinquaverint anni,
cognosceris : dum advene-
rit tempus, ostenderis.
f. In eo, dum conturbata
fuerit anima mea : in ira
misericordiEe memor eris.
^. Deus a Libano veniet,
et sanctus de monte urn-
broso et condenso.
f. Operuit ccelos majes-
tas ejus : et laudis ejus
plena est terra.
Lord, I have heard thy
works, and was afraid : I con-
sidered thy works, and trem-
bled.
^ . Thou wilt appear between
two animals : when the years
draw near, thou wilt be
known ; when the time shall
come thou wilt be shown.
y. When my soul shall be in
trouble, even in thy wrath
thou wilt remember thy
mercy.
y. God will come from
Libanus, and the Holy One
from the dark mountain.
^. His majesty hath clouded
the heavens ; and the earth is
full of his praise.
The Church sums up, in the following Collect, the
prayers of her children. She reminds our heavenly
Father of his justice towards Judas and his mercy
towards the (rood Thief, and begs, that every rem-
nant of the old man may be removed from us, and
we rise again with our Lord Jesus Christ.
GOOD FRIDAY I MORNING SERVICE. 465
The Deacon says :
Let us kneel down. Flectamus genua.
The Subdeacon :
Stand up again. Levate.
COLLECT.
O God, from whom both Deus, a quo et Judas
Judas received the punish- reatus sui pcenam, et con-
ment of his sin, and the Thief fessionis suae latro prsemium
the reward of his confession : sumpsit : concede nobis tuse
grant us the effects of thy propitiationis effectum : ut
mercy ; that as our Lord Jesus sicut in passione sua Jesus
Christ, at the time of his Christus Dominus noster
Passion, bestowed on both diversa utrisque intulit sti-
different rewards according to pendia meritorum ; ita nobis,
their merits : so having de- ablato vetustatis errore, re-
stroyed the old man within surrectionis suse gratiam lar-
us, he may give us grace to giatur. Qui tecum,
rise again with him. Who
liveth, &c.
The second Lesson now follows. It is taken from
the book of Exodus, and describes to us the ancient
rite of the Paschal Lamb, which was the figure of the
reality that is given to us to-day. It is to be a
Lamb without spot or blemish. Its blood has the
power of preserving from death those whose dwell-
ings are sprinkled with it. It is not only to be
immolated ; it is to be eaten by them that have been
saved by it. It is to be the food of the wayfarer ;
and they who partake of it must stand whilst they
eat, like unto men who have no time to lose during
this passing life. Its immolation is the signal of the
Pasch ; — the immolation of our Emmanuel, the Lamb
of Grod, is the signal of our Pasch.
LESSON.
fExod. Chap. XII. J
In those days : The Lord In diebus illis : Dixit Do-
said to Moses and Aaron in minus ad Moysen et Aaron
466
HOLY WEEK.
in terra iEgypti : Mensis
iste vobis principium men-
sium : primus erit in men-
sibus anni. Loquimini ad
universum coetum filiorum
Israel, et dicite eis : De-
cima die mensis hujus tollat
unusquisque agnum per fa-
milias et domos suas. Sin
autem minor est numerus,
ut sufficere possit ad ve-
scendum agnum, assumet
vicinum suum, qui junctus
est domui suae : juxta nu-
merum animarum, quse
sufficere possunt ad esum
agni. Erit autem agnus
absque macula, masculus,
anniculus : juxta quern ri-
tum tolletis et hcedum. Et
servabitis eum usque ad
quartam decimam diem
mensis hujus. Immolabit-
que eum universa multitudo
filiorum Israel ad vesperam.
Et sument de sanguine ejus :
ac ponent super utrumque
postern, et in superliminari-
bus domorum, in quibus
comedent ilium. Et edent
carnes nocte ilia assas igni,
et azymos panes, cum lac-
tucis agrestibus. Non come-
detis ex eo crudum quid, nee
coetum aqua : sed tantum
assum igni. Caput cum
pedibus ejus et intestinis
vorabitis : nee remanebit
quidquam ex eo usque mane.
Si quid residuum fuerit,
igne comburetis. Sic autem
comedetis ilium. Eenes
vestros accingetis : et cal-
ceamenta habebitis in pedi-
bus, tenentes baculos in
manibus : et comedetis
festinanter. Est enim
the land of Egypt: Thismonth
shall be to you the beginning
of months : it shall be the first
in the months of the year.
Speak ye to the whole as-
sembly of the children of
Israel, and say to them : On
the tenth day of this month,
let every man take a lamb, by
their families and houses.
But if the number be less than
may suffice to eat the lamb,
he shall take unto him his
neighbour that joineth to his
house, according to the num-
ber of souls which may be
enough to eat the lamb. And
it shall be a lamb without
blemish, a male of one year ;
according to which rite also
he shall kill a kid. And you
shall keep it unto the four-
teenth day of this month : and
the whole multitude of the
children of Israel shall sacri-
fice it in the evening. And
they shall take of the blood
thereof, and put it upon both
the sideposts, and on the upper
door posts of the houses,
wherein they shall eat it.
And they shall eat the flesh
that night roasted at the fire,
and unleavened bread, with
wild lettuce. You shall not
eat thereof any thing raw, nor
boiled in water, but only
roasted at the fire : you shall
eat the head with the feet and
entrails thereof. Neither shall
there remain any thing of it
until morning. If there be
any thing left, you shall burn
it with fire. And thus you
shall eat it : you shall gird
your reins, and you shall have
shoes on your feet, holding
GOOD FRIDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
467
staves in your hands, and
you shall eat in haste : for it
is the Phase (that is, the
Passage) of the Lord.
Phase,
mini.
id est Transitus, Do-
This magnificent prophecy is followed by a Tract
taken from the 139th Psalm, in which the Church
represents our Redeemer, (who has been betrayed
into the hands of his enemies,) praying to his Eternal
Father.
TRACT.
Deliver me, 0 Lord, from
the evil man : rescue me from
the unjust man.
y. Who have devised ini-
quities in their hearts : all
the day long they designed
battles.
y. They have sharpened
their tongues like a serpent :
the venom of asps is under
their lips.
y. Keep me, 0 Lord, from
the hand of the wicked : and
from unjust men deliver me.
y. Who have proposed to
supplant my steps : the proud
have hid a net for me.
y . And they have stretched
out cords for a snare : they
have laid for me a stumbling-
block by the way side.
P . I said to the Lord : Thou
art my God : hear, O Lord,
the voice of my supplication.
y. 0 Lord, Lord, the might
of my salvation : cover thou
my head in the day of battle.
y. Give me not up, OLord,
from my desire to the wicked ;
Eripe me, Domine, ab
homine malo : a viro ini-
quo libera me.
f. Qui cogitaverunt ma-
litias in corde : tota die
constituebant prselia.
y. Acuerunt linguas suas
sicut serpentis : venenum
aspidum sub labiis eorum.
y. Custodi me, Domine,
de manu peccatoris : et ab
hominibus iniquis libera
me.
#. Qui cogitaverunt sup-
plantare gressus meos : ab-
sconderunt superbi laqueum
mihi.
y. Et funes extenderunt
in laqueum pedibus meis :
juxta iter scandalum posue-
runt mihi.
y. Dixi Domino : Deus
meus es tu : exaudi, Domine,
vocem orationis mese.
y. Domine, Domine, vir-
tus salutis mese : obumbra
caput meum in die belli.
y. Netradas me, Domine,
a desiderio meo peccatori :
468
HOLY WEEK.
cogitaverunt adversum me, ne
derelinquas me, ne unquam
exaltentur.
ft . Caput circuitus eorum :
labor labiorum ipsorum ope-
riet eos.
ft . Verumtamen j usti con-
fitebuntur nomini tuo : et
habitabunt recti cum vultu
tuo.
they have plotted against me ;
do not thou forsake me, lest
they should triumph.
ft. The head of their com-
passing me about : the labour
of their lips shall overwhelm
them.
ft . But as for the j ust, they
shall give glory to thy name :
and the upright shall dwell
with thy countenance.
The Prophets have prepared us for the fulfilment
of their types. Holy Church is now going to relate
to us the history of our Saviour's Passion. It is
St. John, the fourth of the Evangelists, and an eye-
witness of what took place on Calvary, who is about
to describe to us the last moments of Jesus' mortal
life. Let us be all attention, and beg our Lord to
give us something of that devotion, which filled the
soul of his Beloved Disciple as he stood at the foot
of the Cross.
THE PASSION.
Passio Domini nostri Jesu
Christi secundum Joan-
nem.
Cap. XVIII. XIX.
In illo tempore : Egres-
sus est Jesus cum discipulis
suis, trans torrentem Ce-
dron, ubi erat hortus, in
quern introivit ipse, et dis-
cipuli ejus. Sciebat autem
et Judas qui tradebat eum,
locum : quia frequenter Je-
sus convenerat illuc cum
discipulis suis. Judas ergo
cum accepisset cohortem, et
a pontificibus et pharisaeis
The Passion of our Lord Jesus
Christ according to John.
Ch. XVIII. XIX.
At that time : Jesus went
with his disciples over the
brook Cedron, where there
was a garden, into which he
entered with his disciples.
And Judas also, who betrayed
him, knew the place; because
Jesus had often resorted thith-
er together with his disciples.
Judas therefore having re-
ceived a band of soldiers, and
servants from the chief priests
GOOD FRIDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
469
and the Pharisees, oometh
thither with lanterns and
torches and weapons. Jesus
therefore knowing all things
that should come upon him,
went forth, and said to them :
Whom seek ye ? They an-
swered him : Jesus of Naza-
reth. Jesus saith to them : I
am he. And Judas also, who
b etrayed him , stood with them.
As soon therefore as he had
said to them : I am he : they
went backward and fell to the
ground. Again therefore he
asked them : Whom seek ye ?
And they said : Jesus of Naza-
reth. Jesus answered : I have
told you, that I am he. If
therefore you seek me, let
these go their way. That the
word might be fulfilled which
he said : Of them whom thou
hast given me, I have not lost
any one. Then Simon Peter,
having a sword, drew it : and
struck a servant of the High
Priest, and cut off his right
ear. And the name of the
servant was Malchus. Jesus
then said to Peter : Put up thy
sword into the scabbard. The
chalice which my Father hath
given me, shall I not drink it ?
Then the band, and the tri-
bune, and the servants of the
Jews took Jesus, and they
bound him, and they led him
away to Annas first, for he was
father-in law to Caiphas, who
was the High Priest of that
year. Now Caiphas was he wTho
had given the counsel to the
Jews : That it was expedient
that one man should die for the
people. And Simon Peter
followed Jesus, and so did
ministros : venit illuc cum
laternis, et facibus, et ar-
mis. Jesus itaque sciens om-
nia, quse ventura erant su-
per eum, processit, et dixit
eis ; Quern quaeritis ? Re-
sponderunt ei : Jesum Naza-
renum. Dicit eis Jesus : Ego
sum . Stabat au tern et Judas ,
qui tradebat eum, cum ip-
sis. Ut ergo dixit eis : Ego
sum, abierunt retrorsum
et ceciderunt in terram.
Iterum ergo interrogavit
eos : Quern quseritis ? Illi
autern dixerunt : Jesum
Nazarenum. Respondit Je-
sus : Dixi vobis, quia ego
sum. Si ergo me quseritis,
sinite hos abire. Ut imple-
retur sermo, quern dixit :
Quia quos dedisti mihi, non
perdidi ex eis quern quam.
Simon ergo Petrus habens
gladium, eduxit eum, et per-
cussit pontificis servum, et
abscidit auriculam ejus dex-
teram. Erat autem nomen
servo Malchus. Dixit ergo
Jesus Petro : Mitte gladium
tuum in vaginam. Calicem
quern dedit mihi Pater, non
bibam ilium ?
Cohors ergo et tribunus
et ministri Judseorum com-
prehenderunt Jesum, et li-
gaverunt eum, et adduxe-
runt eum ad Annam pri-
mum : erat enim socer Cai-
phse, qui erat Pontifex anni
illius. Erat autem Caiphas,
qui consilium dederat Ju-
daeis : Quia expedit unum
hominem mori pro populo.
Sequebatur autem Jesum
Simon Petrus, et alius dis-
470
HOLY WEEK.
cipulus. Discipulus autem
ille erat notus Pontifici : et
introivit cum Jesus in atrium
Pontificis. Petrus autem sta-
bat ad ostium foris. Exivit
ergo discipulus alius, qui
erat notus Pontifici : et dixit
ostiarise, et introduxit Pe-
trum. Dicit ergo Petro an-
cilla ostiaria : Numquid et
tu ex discipulis es hominis
istius ? Dicit ille : Non sum.
Stabant autem servi et min-
istri ad prunas, quia frigus
erat : et calefaciebant se.
Erat autem cum eis et Pe-
trus stans, et calefaciens se.
Pontifex ergo interroga-
vit Jesum de discipulis suis,
et de doctrina ejus. Kespon-
dit ei Jesus : Ego palam locu-
tus sum mundo. Ego sem-
per docui in synagoga, et in
templo, quo omnes Judsei
conveniunt : et in occulto
locutus sum nihil. Quid me
interrogas ? Interroga eos
qui audierunt quid locutus
sim ipsis : ecce hi sciunt
quae dixerim ego. Haec au-
tem cum dixisset, unus as-
sistens ministrorum dedit
alapam Jesu, dicens : Sic
respondes Pontifici ? Ee-
spondit ei Jesus : Si male
locutus sum, testimonium
perhibe de malo : si autem
bene, quid me csedis ? Et
misit eum Annas ligatum ad
Caipham . Pontificem. Erat
autem Simon Petrus stans,
et calefaciens se. Dixerunt
ergo ei : Numquid et tu ex
another disciple. And that
disciple was known to the
High Priest, and went in with
Jesus into the court of the
High Priest. But Peter stood
at the door without. The
other disciple therefore, who
was known to the High Priest,
went out, and spoke to the
portress, and brought in
Peter. And the maid that
was portress, saith to Peter .•
Art not thou also one of this
man's disciples? He saith : I
am not. Now the servants
and officers stood at a fire of
coals, because it was cold, and
warmed themselves. And
with them was Peter also
standing and warming him-
self.
The High Priest then asked
Jesus of his disciples and of
his doctrine. Jesus answered
him : I have spoken openly
to the world : I have always
taught in the synagogue, and
in the temple whither all the
Jews resort ; and in secret I
have spoken nothing. Why
askest thou me ? ask them
who have heard what I have
spoken unto them : behold
they know what things I have
said. And when he had said
these things, one of the offi-
cers standing by, gave Jesus
a blow, saying : Answerest
thou the High Priest so ? Jesus
answered him : H I have
spoken evil, give testimony of
the evil : but if well, why
strikest thou me ? And Annas
sent him bound to Caiphas
the High Priest. And Simon
Peter was standing and warm-
ing himself. They said there -
GOOD FRIDAY '. MORNING SERVICE.
471
tore to him : Art not thou also
one of his disciples ? He de-
nied it, and said : I am not.
One of the servants of the
High Priest (a kinsman to him
whose ear Peter cut off) saith
to him : Did not I see thee
in the garden with him ? Then
Peter again denied : and im-
mediately the cock crew.
Then they led Jesus from
Caiphasto the governor's hall.
And it was morning : and they
went not into the hall, that
they might not be denied, but
that they might eat the Pasch.
Pilate therefore went out to
them and said: What accusa-
tion bring you against this
man ? They answered and
said to him : If he were not
a malefactor we would not
have delivered him up to thee.
Pilate then said to them : Take
him you, and judge him ac-
cording to your law. The
Jews therefore said to him :
It is not lawful for us to put
any man to death. That the
word of Jesus might be ful-
filled which he said, signifying
what death he should die.
Pilate therefore went into the
hall again, and called Jesus,
and said to him : Art thou the
king of the Jews ? Jesus an-
swered : Sayest thou this
thing of thyself, or have others
told it thee of me ? Pilate
answered : Am I a Jew ? Thy
own nation, and the chief
priests have delivered thee up
to me : what hast thou done ?
Jesus answered : My kingdom
is not of this world. If my
kingdom were of this world,
my servants would certainly
discipulis ejus es ? Negavit
ille, et dixit : Non sum. Di-
cit ei unus ex servis Pontifi-
cis, cognatus ejus cujus ab-
sciditPetrusauriculam: Non-
ne ego te vidi in horto cum
illo ? Iterum ergo negavit
Petrus : et statim gallus
cantavit.
Adducunt ergo Jesum a
Caipha in prsetorium. Erat
autem mane. Et ipsi non
introierunt in prsetorium,
ut non contaminarentur :
sed ut manducarent Pascha.
Exivit ergo Pilatus ad eos
foras, et dixit : Quam ac-
cusationem affertis adver-
sus hominem hunc ? Res-
ponderunt, et dixerunt ei :
Si non esset hie malefactor,
non tibi tradidissemus eum.
Dixit ergo eis Pilatus : Ac-
cipite eum vos ; et secun-
dum legem vestram judicate
eum. Dixerunt ergo ei Ju-
dsei : Nobis non licet inter-
ficere quemquam. Ut sermo
Jesu impleretur, quern dix-
it, significans, qua morte
esset moriturus. Introivit
ergo iterum in prsetorium
Pilatus ; et vocavit Jesum,
et dixit ei : Tu es Rex Judse-
orum ? Respondit Jesus : A
temetipso hoc dicis, an alii
dixerunt tibi de me ? Res-
pondit Pilatus : Numquid
ego Judseus sum ? Gens tua,
et Pontifices tradiderunt te
mihi. Quid fecisti? Respon-
dit Jesus : Regnum meum
non est de hoc mundo. Si
ex hoc mundo esset regnum
meum, ministri mei utique
decertarent, ut non trade-
472
HOLY WEEK.
rer Judseis. Nunc auteni
regnum meum non est hinc.
Dixit itaque ei Pilatus : Er-
go Rex es tu ? Respondit
Jesus : Tu dicis, quia Rex
sum ego. Ego in hoc natus
sum, et ad hoc veni in mun-
dum : ut testimonium per-
hibeam veritati. Omnis qui
est ex veritate, audit vocem
meam. Dicit ei Pilatus :
Quid est Veritas ? Et cum
hoc dixisset, iterum exivit
ad Judseos, et dicit eis : Ego
nullam invenio in eo cau-
sam. Est autem consuetudo
vobis, ut unum diniittam
vobis in Pascha. Vultis ergo
dimittam vobis Regem Ju-
daeorum ? Clamaverunt ergo
rursum omnes dicentes : Non
hunc, sed Barabbam. Erat
autem Barabbas latro.
Tunc ergo apprehendit
Pilatus Jesum, et flagella-
vit. Et milites plectentes
coronam de spinis, impo-
suerunt capiti ejus, et veste
purpurea circumdederunt
eum. Et veniebant ad eum,
et dicebant : Ave, Rex Ju-
dseorum. Et dabant ei ala-
pas. Exivit ergo iterum
Pilatus foras, et dicit eis :
Ecce adduco vobis eum
foras, ut cognoscatis quia
nullam invenio in eo cau-
sam. Exivit ergo Jesus
portans coronam spineam
et purpureum vestimentum.
Et dicit eis : Ecce Homo.
Cum ergo vidissent eum
pontifices et ininistri, cla-
mabant, dicentes : Cruci-
fige, crucifige eum. Dicit
strive that I should not be de-
livered to the Jews : but now
my kingdom is not from
hence. Pilate therefore said
to him : Art thou a king then ?
Jesus answered : Thou sayest
that I am a king. For this
was I born, and for this I
came into the world ; that I
should give testimony to the
truth. Every one that is of
the truth, heareth my voice.
Pilate saith to him : What is
the truth ? And when he had
said this, he went out again to
the Jews and said to them : I
find no cause in him. But you
have a custom that I should
release one unto you at the
Pasch : will you therefore that
I release unto you the king of
the Jews ? Then cried they all
again, saying : Not this man,
but Barabbas. Now Barabbas
was a robber.
Then therefore Pilate took
Jesus and scourged him. And
the soldiers platting a crown
of thorns, put it upon his
head : and they put on him a
purple garment. And they
came to him and said : Hail,
King of the Jews. And they
gave him blows : Pilate there-
fore went forth again, and
saith to them : Behold I bring
him forth unto you, that you
may know that I find no cause
in him. Jesus therefore came
forth bearing the crown of
thorns, and the purple gar-
ment. And he saith to them :
Behold the man. When the
chief priests therefore and the
servants had seen him, they
cried out, sajdng : Crucify
him, crucify him. Pilate saith
GOOD FRIDAY I MORNING SERVICE*.
47^
to them : Take him yon, and
crucify him : for I find no
cause in him. The Jews an-
swered him : We have a law ;
and according to that law he
ought to die, because he made
himself the Son of God. When
Pilate therefore had heard this
saying, he feared the more.
And he entered into the hall
again ; and he said to Jesus :
Whence art thou ? But Jesus
gave him no answer. Pilate
therefore saith to him : Speak -
est thou not to me ? knowest
thou not that I have power
to crucify thee, and I have
power to release thee ? Jesus
answered : Thou shouldst not
have any power against me,
unless it were given thee from
above. Therefore he that hath
delivered me to thee, hath the
greater sin. And from thence-
forth Pilate sought to release
him. But the Jews cried out,
saying : If thou release this
man, thou art not Caesar's
friend. For whosoever maketh
himself a king, speaketh
against Caesar. Now when
Pilate had heard these words,
he brought Jesus forth : and
sat down in the judgment- seat
in the place that is called
Lithostrotos ; and in the
Hebrew, Gabbatha.
And it was the parasceve of
the Pasch, about the sixth hour
and he saith to the Jews : Be-
hold your king. But they cried
out, away with him , away with
him, crucify him. Pilate saith
to them : Shall I crucify your
king ? The chief priests an-
swered : We have no king but
Caesar. Then therefore he de-
eis Pilatus : Accipite eum
vos, et crucifigite. Ego
enim non invenio in eo cau-
sa m. Responderunt ei Ju-
daei : Nos legem habemus,
et secundum legem debet
mori : quia Filiuin Dei Be
fecit. Cum ergo audissot
Pilatus hunc sermonem
magis timuit. Et ingressus
est praetorium iterum : et
dixit ad Jesum : Unde es
tu ? Jesus autem respon-
sum non dedit ei. Dicit
ergo ei Pilatus : Mihi non
loqueris ? Nescis, quia po-
testatem habeo crucifigere
te, et potestatem habeo
dimittere te ? Respondit
Jesus : Non haberes potes-
tatem adversum me ullam,
nisi tibi datum esset desu-
per. Propterea qui me tra-
didit tibi, majus peccatum
habet. Et exinde quserebat
Pilatus dimittere eum. Ju-
daei autem clamabant, di-
centes : Si hunc dimittis,
non es amicus Caesaris.
Omnis enim qui se regem
facit, contradicit Caesari.
Pilatus autem cum audisset
hos sermones, adduxit foras
Jesum, et sedit pro tribunali
in loco qui dicitur Lithos-
trotos, hebrai'ce autem Gab-
batha.
Erat autem parasceve
Paschae, hora quasi sexta.
Et dicit Judaeis : Ecce rex
vester. Illi autem clama-
bant : Tolle, tolle, crucifige
eum. Dicit eis Pilatus : Re-
gem vestrum crucifigam ?
Responderunt pontifices :
Non habemus regem, nisi
Ceesarem. Tunc ergo tra-:
474
HOLY WKEK,
didit eis ilium, ut crucifi-
geretur. Susceperunt au-
tem Jesum : et eduxerunt.
Et bajulans sibi crucem,
exivit in eum qui dicitur
Calvarise locum, hebraice
autem Golgotha, ubi cruci-
fixerunt eum, et cum eo
alios duos bine et hinc,
medium autem Jesum.
Scripsit autem et titulum Pi-
latus : et posuit super cru-
cem. Erat autem scrip turn :
Jesus Nazarenus, Eex Ju-
daeorum. Hunc ergo titu-
lum multi Judaeorum lege-
runt : quia prope civitatem
erat locus, ubi crucifixus
est Jesus. Et erat scriptum
hebraice, graece, et latine.
Dicebant ergo Pilato ponti-
fices Judaeorum : Noli scri-
bere : Eex Judaeorum : sed
quia ipse dixit, Rex sum Ju-
daeorum. Respondit Pila-
tus : Quod scripsi, scripsi.
Milites ergo cum crucifixis-
sent eum, acceperunt vesti-
menta ejus (et fecerunt
quatuor partes, unicuique
militi partem) et tunicam.
Erat autem tunica incon-
sutilis, desuper contexta
per totum. Dixerunt ergo
ad invicem : Non scindamus
earn, sed sortiamur de ilia
cujus sit. Ut scrip tura im-
pleretur, dicens : Partiti
sunt vestimenta mea sibi,
et in vestem meam mise-
runt sortem. Et milites qui-
dem haec fecerunt.
Stabant autem juxta cru-
cem Jesu mater ejus, et so-
ror matris ejus, Maria Cleo-
livered him to them to be cru<*
cified. And they took Jesus,
and led him forth. And bear-
ing his own cross, he went
forth to that place which is
called Calvary, but in Hebrew,
Golgotha, where they cruci-
fied him, and with him two
others, one on each side, and
Jesus in the midst. And Pi-
late wrote a title also : and he
put it upon the cross. And
the writing was, Jesus of Na-
zareth the King of the Jews.
This title therefore many of
the Jews did read : because
the place where Jesus was
crucified was nigh to the city ;
and it was written in Hebrew,
in Greek, and in Latin. Then
the chief priests of the Jews
said to Pilate : Write not, The
King of the Jews ; but that
he said, I am the King of
the Jews. Pilate answered :
What I have written, I have
written. The soldiers there-
fore when they had crucified
him, took his garments (and
they made four parts, to every
soldier a part,) and also his
coat. Now the coat was with-
out seam, woven from the
top throughout. They said
then one to another : Let us
not cut it, but let us cast lots
for it whose it shall be ; that
the scripture might be ful-
filled which saith : • 'They have
parted my garments among
them, and upon my vesture
they have cast lots." And
the soldiers indeed did these
things.
Now there stood by the cross
of Jesus, his mother, and his
mothers sister, Mary of Geo-
GOOD FRIDAY .' MORNING SERVICE,
475
bhas, and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus therefore had
seen his mother, and the dis-
ciple standing whom he loved,
he saith to his mother : Wo-
man behold thy Son. After
that, he saith to the disciple :
Behold thy mother. And
from that hour the disciple
took her to his own. After-
wards Jesus knowing that all
things were now accomplish-
ed, that the scripture might be
fulfilled, said : I thirst. Now
there was a vessel set there
full of vinegar. And they put-
ting a sponge full of vinegar
about hyssop, put it to his
mouth. Jesus, therefore, when
he had taken the vinegar said :
It is consummated. And bow-
ing his head, he gave up the
ghost.
phae, et Maria Magdalene,
Cum vidisset ergo Jesus
matrem et discipulum stan-
tem, quern diligebat, dicit
matri suce : Mulier, ecce
filius tuus. Deinde dicit di-
scipulo : Ecce mater tua.
Et ex ilia hora accepit earn
discipulus in sua. Postea
sciens Jesus, quia omnia
consummata sunt : ut con-
summaretur Scriptura, di-
cit : Sitio. Vas ergo erat
positum aceto plenum. Illi
autem spongiam plenam
aceto, hyssopo circumpo-
nentes, obtulerunt ori ejus.
Cum ergo accepisset Jesus
acetum, dixit : Consumma-
tum est. Et inclinato capite,
tradidit spiritum.
Here, a pause is made as on Palm Sunday.
All kneel down, and, if such be the custom of the
place, they prostrate and kiss the ground.
Then the Jews, (because it
was the Parasceve,) that the
bodies might not remain upon
the cross on the sabbath-day,
(for that was a great sabbath-
day,) besought Pilate that
their legs might be broken,
and that they might be taken
away. The soldiers therefore
came ; and they broke the
legs of the first, and of the
other, that was crucified with
him. But after they came to
Jesus, when they saw that he
was already dead, they did
not break his legs. But one
of the soldiers with a spear
Judsei ergo (quoniam Pa-
rasceve erat), ut non rema-
nerent in cruce corpora
sabbato (erat enim magnus
dies ille sabbati), rogaverunt
Pilatum, ut frangerentur
eorum crura, et tollerentur.
Venerunt ergo milites : et
primi quidem fregerunt
crura, et alterius qui cruci-
fixus est cum eo. Ad Je-
sum autem cum venissent,
ut viderunt eum jam mor-
tuum, non fregerunt ejus
crura ; sed unus militum
lancea latus ejus aperuit, et
continuo exivit sanguis et
476
HOLY WEEK.
aqua. Et qui vidit, testi-
monium perhibuit : et ve-
rum est testimonium ejus.
Et ille scit, quia vera dicit,
ut et vos credatis. Facta
sunt enim hsec, ut scriptura
impleretur : Os non com-
minuetis ex eo. Et iterum
alia scriptura dicit : Vide-
bunt in quern transfixerunt.
opened his side, and immedi-
ately there came out blood
and water. And he that saw
it, hath given testimony ; and
his testimony is true. And
he knoweth that he saith true :
that you also may believe.
For these things were done
that the scripture might be
fulfilled: "You shaU not
break a bone of him." And
again another scripture saith :
' ' They shall look on him
whom they pierced."
Here, the Deacon kneels at the foot of the Altar,
and prays, in silence, that there may descend upon
him the blessing of Grod ; but he does not ask the
blessing, as usual, from the Celebrant, either upon
the incense or himself. Neither do the Acolytes
hold their torches whilst he sings the Grospel. The
Sub-Deacon does not offer the Missal to the Priest,
at the end of the Q-ospel. The omission of all these
ceremonies is expressive of the grief which fills the
soul of the Spouse of Christ, the Church.
Post hsec autem rogavit
Pilatum Joseph ab Arima-
thsea (eo quod esset disci-
pulus Jesu, occultus autem
propter metum Judseorum)
ut tolleret corpus Jesu. Et
permisit Pilatus. Venit er-
go, et tulit corpus Jesu.
Venit autem et Nicodemus,
qui venerat ad Jesum nocte
primum, ferens mixturam
myrrhse et aloes, quasi libras
centum. Acceperunt ergo
corpus Jesu, et ligaverunt
illud linteis cum aromatibus,
sicut mos est Judseis sepelire.
Erat autem in loco, ubi
crucifixus est, hortus ; ct in
After these things, Joseph
of Arimathea, (because he was
a disciple of Jesus, but secretly
for fear of the Jews, ) besought
Pilate that he might take the
body of Jesus. And Pilate
gave leave. He came there-
fore and took away the body
of Jesus. And Nicodemus
also came, he who at the first
came to Jesus by night, bring-
ing a mixture of myrrh and
aloes, about one hundred
pound weight. They took
therefore the body of Jesus,
and bound it in linen
cloths with the spices, as the
manner of the Jews is to
GOOD FRIDAY ', MOUSING SERVICE. 477
bury. Now there was in the horto monumentum novum,
place whore he was crucified, in quo nondum quisquam
a garden ; and in the garden positus erat. Ibi ergo prop-
a new sepulchre, wherein no ter Parasceven Judseorum,
man had yet been laid. There, quia juxta erat monumen-
therefore, because of the Para- turn, posuerunt Jesum.
sceve of the Jews, they laid
Jesus, because the sepulchre
was nigh at hand.
THE PRAYEBS.
Having thus described to us the Passion and
Death of her Divine Spouse, the Church would
follow the example set her by this the Mediator of
the world. St. Paul tells us, that our Jesus, when
dying on the Cross, offered up to his Eternal Father,
and this for all mankind, prayers and supplications,
with a strong cry and tears.1 Therefore it is, that,
from the earliest ages, the Church has presented to
the Divine Majesty, upon this day, a solemn formula
of "Prayers," in which she intercedes for the neces-
sities of the whole world. How truly is she the
Mother of men, and the affectionate Spouse of Jesus !
None, not even the Jews, are excluded from this her
intercession, which she makes, under the shadow of
the Cross, to the Father of all ages.
Each of these " Prayers" is prefaced by a few
words, which show its object. The Deacon then bids
the Faithful kneel down ; and the Subdeacon tells
them to rise, and unite in the Prayer made by the
Priest.
Let us pray, most dearly Oremus dilectissimi nobis,
beloved brethren, for the pro Ecclesia sancta Dei :
holy Church of God, that ut earn Deus et Dominus
the Lord God would be noster, pacificare, adunare,
pleased to grant it peace, et custodire dignetur toto
maintain it in union, and orbe terrarum : subjiciens
1 Heb. v. 7.
478
HOLY WEEK.
et principatus, et potestates :
detque nobis quietani et tran-
quillam vitam degentibus,
glorificare Deum Patrem
omnipotentem.
OREMUS.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, qui gloriam tuam
omnibus in Christo genti-
bus revelasti : custodi opera
miser icordiae tuse : ut Eccle-
sia tua toto orbe diffusa,
stabili fide in confessione
tui Nominis perseveret. Per
eumdem, &c.
#. Amen.
Oremus et pro beatissimo
Papa nostro N. ut Deus
Dominus noster, qui elegit
eum In ordine Episcopatus,
salvum atque incolumem
custodiat Ecclesiae suae sanc-
tae, ad regendum populum
sanctum Dei.
OREMUS.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, cujus judicio uni ver-
sa fundantur : respice pro-
pitius ad preces nostras, et
preserve it all over the
earth. That he would like-
wise bring into her bosom
the princes and potentates
of the whole world, and
grant us peace and tran-
quillity in this life, and to
glorify God the Father Al-
mighty.
LET US PRAY.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
0 Almighty and Eternal
God, who by Christ, hast
revealed thy glory to all
nations ; preserve the works
of thine own mercy, that thy
Church, which is spread over
the whole world, may per-
severe with a constant faith
in the confession of thy name.
Through the same, &c.
$. Amen.
Let us pray also for our
most holy Father, Pope N.,
that our Lord God, who
hath made choice of him in
the order of the Episcopacy,
may preserve him in health
and safety for the good of
his holy Church, and to go-
vern the holy people of God.
LET US PRAY.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
0 Almighty and Eternal
God, by whose appointment
all things are established and
maintained; mercifully regard
fJOOD FRIDAY
MORXTNG SRRYTCR.
479
our prayers, and by thy good-
ness preserve the Prelate
chosen to govern us ; that the
Christian people who are go-
verned by thy authority, may
increase the merits of their
faith under so great a Pontiff.
Through, &c.
#. Amen.
Let us also pray for all
Bishops, Priests, Deacons,
Subdeacons, Acolytes, Exor-
cists, Eeaders, Doorkeepers,
Confessors, Virgins, Widows,
and for all the holy people of
God.
electum nobis Antistitem
tua pietate conserva : ut
Christiana plebs, quae te
gubernatur auctore, sub
tanto Pontifice, credulita-
tis suae meritis augeatur.
Per Dominum.
gt. Amen.
Oremus et pro omnibus
Episcopis, Presbyteris, Dia-
conibus, Subdiaconibus,
Acolythis, Exorcistis, Lec-
toribus, Ostiariis, Confes-
soribus, Virginibus, Viduis :
et pro omni populo sancto
Dei.
OREMUS.
The Deacon
Flectamus
LET US PRAY.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O Almighty and Eternal
God, by whose spirit the
whole body of the Church is
sanctified and governed ; hear
our prayers for all Orders
thereof ; that, by the assist-
ance of thy grace, thou mayest
be served by every rank and
condition. Through, &c.
gt. Amen.
The Church of Rome, in the following " Prayer,"
had in view the Emperor of Germany, who was
formerly the head of the germanic confederation,
and, in the Middle Ages, was intrusted, by the
Church, with the charge of propagating the Faith
among the northern nations. This "Prayer" is now
omitted, excepting in those countries, which are
subject to Austria.
Let us pray also for the Oremus et pro christia-
most Christian Emperor N., nissimo Imperatore nostro
2m
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, cujus Spiritu totum
corpus Ecclesiae sanctifica-
tur et regitur : exaudi nos
pro universis Ordinibus
supplicantes : ut gratiae tuae
munere, ab omnibus tibi
gradibus fideliter serviatur.
Per Dominum.
Bt. Amen.
480
HOLT WEEK.
N. ut Deus et Domirms nos-
ter subditas illi faciat oinnes
barbaras nationes, ad nos-
tram perpetuam pacem.
OREMUS.
The Deacon : Electamus
genua.
The Suhdeacon
Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, in cujus manu sunt
omnium potestates, et om-
nium jura regnorum : respice
ad Eomanum benignus Im-
perium : ut gentes, quae in
sua feritate confidunt, poten-
tise tuse dexter a compri-
mantur. Per Dominum.
gt. Amen.
Oremus et pro catechu-
menis nostris : ut Deus et
Dominus noster adaperiat
aures prsecordiorum ipsorum,
januamque misericordiee : ut
per lavacrum regenerationis,
accepta remissione omnium
peccatorum, et ipsi inveni-
antur in Christo Jesu Domino
nostro.
OREMUS.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Suhdeacon : Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam
nova semper prole foecundas :
auge fidem et intellectum
catechumenis nostris : ut
renati fonte baptismatis,
adoptionis tuse filiis aggre-
gentur. Per Dominum.
that the Lord God may reduce
to his obedience all barbarous
nations for our perpetual
peace.
LET US PRAY.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
Tke Suhdeacon : Stand up
again.
O Almighty and Eternal
God, in whose hands are the
power and right of all king-
doms, graciously look down
on the Eoman Empire : that
those nations who confide in
their own haughtiness and
strength, may be reduced by
the power of thy right hand.
&. Amen.
Let us pray also for our
Catechumens, that our Lord
God may open for them the
ears of their hearts, and the
gates of mercy ; that having
received the remission of sin
by the laver of regeneration,
they may also belong to our
Lord Jesus Christ.
LET US PRAY.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Suhdeacon : Stand up
again.
0 Almighty and Eternal
God, who continually makest
the Church fruitful in new
children, increase the faith
and understanding of our
Catechumens, that, being
again born at the font of
baptism, they may be joined
to thy adopted children.
Through, &c.
GOOD FRIDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
481
Bt. Amen.
Let us pray, most dearly-
beloved brethren, to God the
Father Almighty, that he
would purge the world of all
errors, cure diseases, drive
away famine, open prisons,
break chains, grant a safe
return to travellers, health to
the sick, and a secure harbour
to such as are at sea.
LET US PRAY.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O Almighty and Eternal
God, the comfort of the
afflicted, and the strength of
those that labour ; let the
prayers of all such as call
upon thee in tribulation, come
to thee ; that all, with joy,
may find the effects of thy
mercy in their necessities.
Through, &c.
R;. Amen.
Let us pray also for all
heretics and schismatics, that
our Lord God would be
pleased to deliver them from
all their errors, and call them
back to our Holy Mother the
Catholic and Apostolic Church.
&. Amen.
Oremus, dilectissimi no-
bis, Deum Patrem omnipo-
tentem, ut cunctis mundum
purget erroribus : morbos
auferat : f amem depellat :
aperiat carceres : vincula
dissolvat : peregrinantibus
reditum, infirniantibus sa-
nitatem, navigantibus por-
tum salutis indulgeat.
•
OREMUS.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, mcestorum consolatio,
laborantium fortitudo, per-
veniant ad te preces de
quacumque tribulatione cla-
mantium : ut omnes sibi in
necessitatibus suis miseri-
cordiam tuam gaudeant
adfuisse. Per Dominum.
gt. Amen.
Oremus et pro hsereticis
et schismaticis : ut Deus et
Dominus noster eruat eos
ab erroribus universis : et
ad sanctam matrem Eccle-
siam Catholicam atque Apos-
tolicam revocare dignetur.
LET US PRAY.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O Almighty and eternal
God, who savest all and
wouldst have none to perish ;
look down on those souls that
OREMUS.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, qui salvas omnes, et
neminem vis perire : respice
ad animas diabolica fraude
482
HOLY WEEK.
deceptas : ut omni hseretica
pravitate deposita, errantium
corda resipiscant, et ad veri-
tatis tuse redeant unitatem.
Per Dominum.
&. Amen.
Oremus et pro perfidis
Judaeis : ut Deus et Domi-
nus noster auferat velamen
de cordibus eorum, ut et ipsi
agnoscant Jesum Christum
Dominum nostrum.
are seduced by the deceits of
the devil ; that the hearts of
all those who err, laying aside
all heretical malice, may re-
pent and return to the unity
of the truth. Through, &c.
gt. Amen.
Let us pray also for the
perfidious Jews ; that the
Lord God would withdraw
the veil from their hearts,
that they also may acknow-
ledge our Lord Jesus Christ
thy Son.
Here, the Deacon does not invite the Faithful to
kneel. The Church has no hesitation in offering up
a "Prayer" for the descendants of Jesus' executioners,
but in doing so, she refrains from genuflecting :
because this mark of adoration was turned by the
Jews into an insult against our Lord during the
Passion. She prays for his scoffers ; but she shrinks
from repeating the act wherewith they scoffed him.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, qui etiam Judaicam
perfidiam a tua misericor-
dia non repellis : exaudi
preces nostras, quas pro il-
lius populi obcsecatione de-
ferimus : ut agnita veritatis
tuse luce, qua? Christus est,
a suis tenebris eruantur.
Per eumdem Dominum.
gt. Amen.
Oremus et pro paganis :
ut Deus omnipotens auferat
iniquitatem a cordibus eo-
rum : ut relictis idolis suis,
convertantur ad Deum vi-
vum et verum, et unicum
Filium ejus Jesum Chris-
tum, Deum et Dominum
nostrum.
O Almighty and Eternal
God, who deniest not thy
mercy even to the perfidious
Jews ; hear our prayers which
we pour forth for the blind-
ness of that people ; that by
acknowledging the light of thy
truth, which is the Christ, they
may be brought out of their
darkness. Through the same,
<fcc.
gt. Amen.
Let us pray also for the
pagans, that Almighty God
would remove all iniquity
from their hearts ; that quit-
ting their idols, they may be
converted to the true and liv-
ing God, and his only Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
GOOD FRIDAY : MORNING SERVICE. 483
LET TJS PRAY. OREMUS.
The Deacon : Let us kneel The Beacon: Flectamus
down. genua.
The Subdeacon : Stand up The Subdeacon : Levate.
again.
O Almighty and Eternal Omnipotens sempiterne
God, who seekest not the Deus, qui non mortem pec-
death of sinners, but that they catorum, sed vitam semper
should live ; mercifully hear inquiris : suscipe propitius
our prayers, and deliver them orationem nostram : et li-
from their idolatry : and, to bera eos ab idolorum cul-
the praise and glory of thy tura : et aggrega Ecclesise
name, admit them into thy tuse sanctse, ad laudem et
holy Church. Through, &c. gloriam Nominis tui. Per
Dominum.
#. Amen. &. Amen.
THE VENERATION OF THE CROSS.
The " Prayers" are ended. The charity and zeal
of the Church have embraced the whole universe of
men, invoking upon them the merciful effusion of
that precious Blood, which is now flowing from the
Wounds of her Crucified Lord. She turns next to
her faithful Children. Filled with holy indignation
at the humiliations heaped upon her Jesus, she in-
vites us to an act of solemn reparation : it is to con-
sist in our venerating that Cross, which our Divine
Lord has borne to the summit of Calvary, and to
which he is to be fastened with nails. The Cross is
a stumbling-block to the Jews, and foolishness to the
Gentiles;1 but to us Christians, it is the trophy of
Jesus' victory, and the instrument of the world's
Redemption. It is worthy of our deepest veneration,
because of the honour conferred upon it by the Son of
Grod : — he consecrated it by his own Blood, he worked
our salvation by its means. No time could be more
appropriate than this for the honouring it with the
humble tribute of our veneration.
1 1 Cor. i. 23.
484 HOLY WEEK.
The holy ceremony of venerating the Cross on
Good Friday was first instituted at Jerusalem, in the
4th century. Owing to the pious zeal of the Empress
St. Helen, the True Cross had then recently been
discovered, to the immense joy of the whole Church.
The Faithful, as might be expected, were desirous
to see the precious Relic, and, accordingly, it was
exposed every Good Friday. This brought a very
great number of pilgrims to Jerusalem ; and yet how
few, comparatively, could hope to have the happiness
of such a visit, or witness the magnificent ceremony ?
An imitation of what was done, on this day, at
Jerusalem, was a natural result of these pious desires.
It was about the 7th century, that the practice of
publicly venerating the Cross on Grood Friday was
introduced into other Churches. True, it was but
an image of the True Cross that these other Churches
could show to the people ; but as the respect that is
paid to the True Cross refers to Christ himself, the
Faithful could offer him a like homage of adoration,
even though not having present before their eyes the
sacred Wood which had been consecrated by the
Blood of Jesus. Such was the origin of the imposing
ceremony, at which holy Church now invites us to
assist.
The Celebrant takes off the Chasuble, which is
the badge of the Priesthood ; it is in order that the
Reparation, which he is to be the first to offer to our
outraged Jesus, may be made with all possible
humility. He then stands on the step near the
Epistle side of the Altar, and turns his face towards
the people. The Deacon takes down the Cross from
the Altar, and gives it to the Celebrant, who then
unveils the upper part as far as the arms. He raises
it a little, and sings these words :
Ecce lignum Crucis ; Behold the wood of the
Cross :
GOOD FRIDAY I MORNTNG SERVICE. 485
Then he continues, joined by the Deacon and
Subdeacon :
on which hung the salvation in quo salus mundi pepen-
of the world. dit.
The people then kneel down, and venerate the
Cross, while the Choir sings these words :
Come, let us adore. Venite, adoremus.
This first exposition, which is made at the side of
the Altar, and in a low tone of voice, represents the
first preaching of the Cross, that, namely, which the
Apostles made, when, for fear of the Jews, they dared
not to speak of the great Mystery except to the few
faithful Disciples of Jesus. For the same reason,
the Priest but slightly elevates the Cross. The
homage here paid to it is intended as a reparation
for the insults and injuries offered to our Redeemer
in the house of Caiphas.
The Priest then comes to the front of the step, and
is thus nearer to the people. He unveils the right
arm of the Cross, and holds up the holy Sign of our
Redemption higher than the first time. He then
sings, and on a higher note :
Behold the wood of the Ecce lignum Crucis ;
Cross ;
Then he continues, joined by the Deacon and
Subdeacon :
on which hung the salvation in quo salus mundi pepen-
of the world. dit.
The people then fall upon their knees, and con-
tinue in that posture, whilst the Choir sings :
Come, let us adore. Venite adoremus.
486 HOLY WEEK.
This second elevation of the holy Cross signifies
the Apostles' extending their preaching the mystery
of our Redemption to the Jews, after the descent of
the Holy Grhost ; by which preaching they made many
thousand converts, and planted the Church in the
very midst of the Synagogue. It is intended as a re-
paration to our Saviour, for the treatment he received
in the Court of Pilate.
The Priest then advances to the middle of the
Altar, and, with his face still turned towards the
people, he removes the veil entirely from the Cross.
He elevates it more than he did the two preceding
times, and triumphantly sings on a still higher note :
Ecce lignum Crucis ; Behold the wood of the
Cross ;
The Deacon and Subdeacon here unite their
voices with his :
in quo salus mundi pepen- on which hung the salvation
dit. of the world.
The people fall down upon their knees, and the
Choir sings :
Venite adoremus. Come, let us adore.
This third and unreserved manifestation represents
the mystery of the Cross being preached to the whole
earth, when the Apostles, after being rejected by the
majority of the Jewish people, turned towards the
(xentiles, and preached Jesus Crucified, even far be-
yond the limits of the Roman Empire. It is intended
as a Reparation to our Lord for the outrages offered
to him on Calvary.
There is also another teaching embodied in this
ceremony of holy Church. By this gradual unveiling
GOOD FRIDAY ! MORNING SERVICE. 487
of the Cross, she would express to us the contrast of
the Jewish and the Christian view. The one finds
nothing in Christ Crucified but shame and ignominy :
the other discovers in him the power and the wisdom
of God.1 Honour, then, and veneration to his Cross I
The veil is removed by Faith. Unveiled let it be
upon our Altar, for He that died upon it is soon to
triumph by a glorious Resurrection ! Yea, let every
Cruoifix in our Church be unveiled, and every Altar
beam once more with the vision of the glorious
Standard !
But the Church is not satisfied with showing her
Children the Cross that has saved them ; she would
have them approach, and kiss it. The Priest leads
the way. He has already taken off his Chasuble ;
he now takes off his shoes also, and then advances
towards the place where he has put the Crucifix.
He makes three genuflexions at intervals, and
finally kisses the Cross. The Deacon and Sub-
deacon follow him, then the clergy, and lastly the
people.
The chants which are used during this ceremony
are exceedingly fine. First of all, there are the
Improperia, that is, the Reproaches made by our
Saviour to the Jews. Each of the first three stanzas
of this plaintive Hymn is followed by the Trisagion,
or Prayer to the Thrice Holy God, who, as Man,
suffers death for us. Oh ! let us fervently proclaim
him to be The Holy, The Immortal ! This form of
prayer was used at Constantinople, so far back as
the fifth Century. The Roman Church adopted it,
retaining even the original Greek words, to which,
however, she adds a Latin translation. The rest of
this beautiful chant contains the comparison made
by our Lord, between the favours he has bestowed
1 1 Cor. i. 24.
2n
488
HOLY WEEK.
upon the Jewish people, and the injuries he has
received from them in return.
THE "iMPROPERIA," OR "REPROACHES."
Popule meus, quid feci
tibi, aut in quo contristavi
te ? Responde mihi. Quia
eduxi te de terra JEgypti,
parasti crucem Salvatori tuo.
Agios o Theos.
Sanctus Deus.
Agios ischyros.
Sanctus fortis.
Agios athanatos, eleison
imas.
Sanctus immortalis, mise-
rere nobis.
My people, what have I
done to thee ? or in what have
I grieved thee ? Answer me.
Because I brought thee out of
the land of Egypt, thou hast
prepared a Cross for thy Sa-
viour.
0 Holy God !
O Holy God !
O Holy and Strong !
0 Holy and Strong !
O Holy and Immortal !
have mercy on us.
0 Holy and Immortal !
have mercy on us.
Quia eduxi te per deser-
tum quadraginta annis : et
manna cibavi te, et intro-
duxi te in terram satis bo-
nam, parasti crucem Salva-
tori tuo.
Agios o Theos, &c.
Because I was thy guide
through the desert for forty
years, and fed thee with
manna, and brought thee
into an excellent land, thou
hast prepared a cross for thy
Saviour.
0 Holy God, &c.
Quid ultra debui facere
tibi, et non feci ? Ego qui-
dem plantavi te vineam me-
speciosissimam : et tu
am
facta es mihi nimis amara :
aceto namque sitim meam
potasti : et lancea perforasti
latus Salvatori tuo.
Agios o Theos, &c.
What more should I have
done to thee, and have not
done ? I have planted thee
for my most beautiful vine-
yard : and thou hast proved
very bitter to me, for in my
thirst thou gavest me vinegar
to drink ; and piercedst the
side of thy Saviour with a
spear.
O Holy God, &c.
GOOD FRIDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
489
For thy sake I scourged
Egypt with her first-born ;
and thou hast delivered me
up to be scourged.
My people, what have I
done to thee ? or in what have
I grieved thee ? Answer me.
Ego propter te flagellavi
iEgyptum cum primogeni-
tis suis : et tu me flagella-
tum tradidisti.
Popule meus, quid feci
tibi, aut in quo contristavi
te ? Responde mihi.
I led thee out of Egypt,
having drowned Pharoah in
the Red Sea ; and thou hast
delivered me up to the chief
priests.
My people, &c.
Ego eduxi te de iEgypto,
demerso Pharaone in mare
Rubrum : et tu me tradidisti
principibus sacerdotum.
Popule meus, &c.
I opened the sea before Ego ante te aperui mare :
thee; and thou hast opened et tu aperuisti lancea latus
my side with a spear. meum.
My people, &c. Popule meus, &c.
I went before thee in a
pillar of cloud ; and thou hast
Drought me to the court of
Pilate.
My people, &c.
Ego ante te prseivi in co-
lumna nubis : et tu me dux-
isti ad prsetorium Pilati.
Popule meus, &c.
I fed thee with manna in
the desert ; and thou hast
beaten me with buffets and
stripes.
My people, &c.
Ego te pavi manna per
desertum : et tu me caecidisti
alapis et flagellis.
Popule meus, &c.
I gave thee wholesome
water to drink out of the
rock, and thou hast given me
for my drink gall and vinegar.
My people, &c.
Ego te potavi aqua salutis
de petra : et tu me potasti
felle et aceto.
Popule meus, &c.
For thy sake I smote the Ego propter te Chananse-
king of Canaan ; and thou orum reges percussi : et tu
490
HOLY WEEK.
percussisti arundine caput hast smote my head with a
meum. cane.
Popule meus, &c. My people, &c.
Ego dedi tibi sceptmm
regale : et tu dedisti capiti
meo spineam coronam.
Popule meus, &c.
I gave thee a royal sceptre,
and thou hast given to my
head a crown of thorns.
My people, &c.
Ego te exaltavi magna
virtute : et ta me suspen-
disti in patibulo crucis.
Popule meus, &c.
By great might I raised thee
on high; and thou hast hang-
ed me on the gibbet of the
Cross.
My people, &c.
The Improperia are followed by this solemn
Antiphon, in which the two great Mysteries are
blended together : the Crucifixion and the Eesur-
rection. This union eloquently expresses the Triumph
of our Redeemer.
Crucem tuam adoramus,
Domine : et sanctam Besur-
rectionem tuam laudamus,
et glorificamus : ecce enim
propter lignum venit gau-
dium in universo mundo.
Ps. Deus misereatur nos-
tri, et benedicat nobis :
illuminet vultum suum su-
per nos, et misereatur nos-
tri.
Then, is repeated : Cru-
cem tuam, &c.
We adore thy Cross, O
Lord, and we praise and
glorify thy holy Resurrection,
for by the wood of the Cross
the whole earth is filled with
Ps. May God have mercy
on us and bless us ; may his
countenance shine upon us,
and may he have mercy on us.
&c.
Then, is repeated : We adore ,
If the Adoration of the Cross is not yet finished,
the following Hymn is suug. It was composed by
Mamertus Claudianus, in the 6th century. One of
the stanzas is repeated after each six verses, as the
burden of the Hymn.
GOOD FRIDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
491
HYMN.
O Faithful Cross ! thou no-
blest of all trees. No forest
yields thy like, in leaf, or
flower, or fruit.
Sweet is the Wood, that
hath nails so sweet, and bears
so sweet a weight !
Crux fidelis, inter omnes,
Arbor una nobilis :
Nulla silva talem profert,
Fronde, flore, genuine.
Dulce lignum, dulces cla-
vos,
Dulce pondus sustinet.
0 sing, my tongue, the vic-
tory of the glorious combat !
Tell how was won the noble
triumph on the trophy of the
Cross, and how the world's
Redeemer, when immolated,
conquered.
Repeat : 0 faithful Cross.
Pange lingua gloriosi
Lauream certaminis,
Et super crucis trophaeo
Die triumphum nobilem ;
Qualiter Eedemptor orbis
Immolatus vicerit.
Repeat : Crux fidelis.
Our Creator compassionated
his creature, our First Parent,
when being deceived, he be-
came a victim of death by
eating the fatal fruit: and
even then he chose the Tree,
whereby to make good the
evils brought on us by that
other tree.
Repeat : Sweet is the Wood.
De parentis protoplasti
Fraude factor condolens,
Quando pomi noxialis
In necem morsu ruit,
Ipse lignum tunc notavit,
Damna ligni ut solveret.
Repeat : Dulce lignum.
This was the plan designed
for our salvation, — that arti-
fice divine should foil the
artifice of Satan, the arch-
seducer; and turn the very
instrument, wherewith the
enemy had wounded us, into
our remedy.
Repeat : 0 faithful Cross.
Hoc opus nostra salutis
Ordo depoposcerat,
Multiformis proditoris
Ars ut artem f alleret ;
Et medelam ferret inde,
Hostis unde laeserat.
Repeat : Crux fidelis.
When, therefore, the fulness Quando venit ergo sacri
492
HOLY WEEK.
Plenitudo temporis,
Missus est ab arce Patris
Natus orbis conditor :
Atque ventre virginali
Carne amictus prodiit.
Repeat : Dulce lignum.
of God's time bad come, the
Son, by whom the world was
made, was sent from heaven ;
and having clothed himself
with our flesh, in the Virgin's
womb, he came among us.
Repeat : Sweet is the Wood.
Vagit infans, inter arcta
Conditus praesepia :
Membra pannis involuta
Virgo mater alligat,
Et Dei manus, pedesque
Stricta cingit fascia.
Repeat : Crux fidelis.
He lies a weeping Babe in a
little crib. His Virgin Mother
swathes his limbs with clothes.
The hands and feet of God
are tied with bands !
Repeat : 0 faithful Cross.
Lustra sex qui jam per-
egi\
Tempus implens corporis :
Sponte libera Eedemptor
Passioni deditus :
Agnus in crucis levatur
Inmolandus stipite.
Repeat : Dulce lignum.
Thirty years he lived on
earth, and his mortal life was
nigh its end. He, our Re-
deemer, willingly gave him-
self up to his Passion; He,
the Lamb of Sacrifice, was
raised upon the Cross.
Repeat : Sweet is the Wood.
Felle potus, ecce languit ;
Spina, clavi, lancea,
Mite corpus perforarunt ;
Unda manat et cruor :
Terra, pontus, astra, mun-
dus
Quo lavantur flumine.
Repeat : Crux fidelis.
His drink is gall; — his
strength is gone ; his tender
flesh is pierced with thorns,
and nails, and spear ; and
from it flows a stream of water
and blood, wherewith the
earth and sea, the stars and
world, are washed.
Repeat : O faithful Cross.
Flecte ramos arbor alta,
Tensa laxa viscera :
Et rigor lentescat ille,
Quern dedit nativitas :
Et superni membra Eegis
Tende miti stipite.
Repeat : Dulce lignum.
Bow down thy branches,
lofty Tree ! unstring thy si-
news, soften thine inborn
hardness, and gently welcome
the body of our Almighty
King!
Repeat : Sweet is the Wood.
GOOD FRIDAY I MORNING SERVICE. 493
Thou alone wast found Sola digna tu fuisti
worthy to bear the Victim of Ferre mundi victimam,
the world ! Thou wast the Atque portum prseparare
Ark that led this ship- wrecked Area mundo naufrago :
world into the haven of salva- Quam sacer cruor perunxit,
tion ! The sacred Blood that Fusus Agni corpore.
flowed from the Lamb covered
and anointed thee.
Repeat : O faithful Cross. Repeat : Crux fidelis.
To the Blessed Trinity be Sempiterna sit beatae
glory everlasting ! To the Trinitati gloria :
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, iEqua Patri, Filioque,
be equal praise ! May heaven Par decus Paraclito ;
and earth praise the Name of Unius Trinique nomen
the Triune God ! Amen. Laudet universitas. Amen.
Repeat: Sweet is the Wood ! Repeat: Dulce lignum.
Towards the end of the Veneration of the Cross,
the Candles are lighted, and the Deacon spreads a
Corporal upon the Altar, for the Blessed Sacrament
is to be placed there. As soon as the Faithful have
finished their Adoration, the Priest takes the Cross
and replaces it over the Altar.
MASS OF THE PKESANCTIFIED.
So vividly is the Church impressed with the re-
membrance of the great Sacrifice offered, to-day, on
Calvary, that she refrains from renewing, on her
Altars, the immolation of the Divine Victim : she
contents herself with partaking of the sacred mystery
by Communion. Formerly, the Clergy and Laity
were also permitted to communicate ; but the present
discipline is that only the Priest shall receive. After
the Priest has resumed his Chasuble, the Clergy go in
procession to the Altar, where the consecrated Host
has been reserved since yesterday's Mass. The Deacon
takes the Chalice which contains it, and places it on
the Altar. The Priest, having offered the homage of
494
HOLY WEEK.
his adoration to our Redeemer, takes into his
hands the Chalice, wherein He is inclosed, whom
heaven and earth cannot contain. The Clergy, with
lighted tapers in their hands, return to the high
Altar, and sing, during the procession, the Hymn
of the Cross.
HYMN.
Vexilla Eegis prodeunt ;
Fulget Crucis mysterium,
Qua Vita mortem pertulit,
Et morte vitam protulit.
Quae vulnerata lanceae
Mucrone diro, criminum
Ut nos lavaret sordibus
Manavit unda et sanguine.
Impleta sunt quae concinit
David fideli carmine,
Dicendo nationibus :
Regnavit a ligno Deus.
Arbor decora et fulgida,
Ornata regis purpura,
Electa digno stipite
Tarn sancta membra tangere.
Beata cujus brachiis
Pretium pependit sseculi,
Statera facta corporis,
Tulitque praedam tartari.
O Crux, ave spes unica,
Hoc Passionis tempore,
Piis adauge gratiam,
Reisque dele crimina.
Te fons salutis, Trinitas,
Collaudet omnis spiritus :
Quibus Crucis victoriam
Largiris, adde prsemium.
Amen.
The Standard of our King
comes forth : the mystery of
the Cross shines upon us, —
that Cross on which Life suf-
fered death, and by his Death
gave life.
He was pierced with the
cruel Spear, that by the Water
and the Blood, which flowed
from the wound, he might
cleanse us from sin.
Here, on the Cross was ful-
filled the prophecy foretold in
David' s truthful words : ' ' God
hath reigned from the Tree."
O fair and shining Tree !
beautified by the scarlet of the
King, and chosen as the noble
trunk that was to touch such
sacred limbs !
O blessed Tree ! on whose
arms hung the ransom of the
world ! It was the balance,
wherein was placed the Body
of Jesus, and thereby hell lost
its prey.
Hail, 0 Cross ! our only
hope ! During these days of
the Passion, increase to the
good their grace, and cleanse
sinners from their guilt.
May every spirit praise thee,
0 Holy Trinity, thou Fount
of Salvation ! and by the Cross,
whereby thou gavest us vic-
tory, give us, too, our recom-
pense. Amen.
GOOD FRIDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
495
As soon as the Priest has reached the Altar, the
Deacon receives the Sacred Host upon a Paten, and
pours wine and water into the Chalice. Let us
reverently fix our eyes upon the Altar. The Priest
censes the offerings and the Altar, as usual ; but, to
express the grief which now fills the soul of the
Church, he himself is not thurified. He says, secretly,
the following prayers :
May this incense, which
hath been blessed by thee, 0
Lord, ascend unto thee ; and
may thy mercy descend upon
us.
Let my prayer, O Lord,
ascend like incense in thy
sight. May the lifting up of
my hands be like the evening
sacrifice. Place, 0 Lord, a
guard upon my mouth, and a
gate of prudence before my
lips ; that my heart may not
incline to evil words, to make
excuses in sins.
Incensum istud, a te bene-
dictum, ascendat ad te, Do-
mine : et descendat super
nos misericordia tua.
Dirigatur, Domine, oratio
mea, sicut incensum in con-
spectu tuo. Elevatio manu-
um mearum sacrificium ves-
pertinum. Pone, Domine,
custodiam ori meo, et ostium
circumstantise labiis meis ;
ut non declinet cor meum
in verba malitiae, ad ex-
cusandas excusationes in
peccatis.
Giving the thurible to the Deacon, he says :
May the Lord kindle with-
in us the fire of his love,
and the flame of everlasting
charity. Amen.
Accendat in nobis Do-
minus ignem sui amoris, et
flammam aeternae charitatis.
Amen.
Here, he washes his hands, and then returns to the
middle of the Altar, where he says the following
prayer in secret :
Receive us, O Lord, coming
to thee in the spirit of humil-
ity, and with a contrite heart :
and grant that the sacrifice of
this day may be so celebrated
by us, as to be well pleasing
unto thee, O Lord our God !
In spiritu humilitatis, et
in animo contrito suscipia-
mur a te, Domine : et sic
fiat sacrificium nostrum in
conspectu tuo hodie, ut pla-
ceat tibi, Domine Deus.
496
HOLY WEEK.
He then turns towards the people, and asks their
prayers, saying :
Orate fratres : ut meum Brethren pray : that this
ac vestrum sacrificium ac- my sacrifice and yours may be
ceptabile fiat apud Deum acceptable to God the Father
Patrem Omnipotentem. Almighty.
The usual answer, Suseipiat, is omitted : and the
Celebrant immediately sings, on the Ferial tone,
the Pater noster. Let us join, with earnest con-
fidence, in the seven petitions. Our Jesus, with his
arms extended on the Cross, is now offering them
for us, to his Eternal Father. This is the solemn
hour, when every prayer offered to heaven, through
his mediation, is sure to be granted.
Pater noster, qui es in
ccelis, sanctificetur nomen
tuum ; adveniat regnum
tuum ; fiat voluntas tua sicut
in ccelo, et in terra ; panem
nostrum quotidianum da no-
bis hodie ; et dimitte nobis
debita nostra, sicut et nos
dimittimus debitoribus nos-
tris ; et ne nos inducas in
tentationem.
gt. Sed libera nos a malo.
Our Father, who art in
heaven, hallowed be thy
name ; thy kingdom come ;
thy will be done on earth, as
it is in heaven ; give us this
day our daily bread ; and
forgive us our trespasses, as
we forgive them that trespass
against us ; and lead us not
into temptation.
gt. But deliver us from evil.
The Celebrant having answered Amen, in secret,
says aloud the following Prayer, which is always
secretly said in every Mass. He there prays that
we may be delivered from every evil, set free from
sin, and established in peace.
Libera nos, qusesumus,
Domine, ab omnibus malis,
prseteritis, prsesentibus, et
f uturis ; et intercedente
beata et gloriosa semper
Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria,
cum beatis apostolis tuis
Deliver us, we beseech thee,
O Lord, from all evils, past,
present, and to come : and by
the intercession of the blessed
and ever glorious Virgin Mary
Mother of God, and of the
holy apostles Peter and Paul,
GOOD FRIDAY '. MORNING SERVICE. 497
and of Andrew, and of all the Petro et Paulo, atque An-
Saints, mercifully grant peace drea, et omnibus Sanctis, da
in our days, that through the propitius pacem in diebus
assistance of thy mercy, we nostris, ut ope misericordiso
may be always free from sin, tuse adjuti, et a peccato si-
and secure from all disturb- mus semper liberi, et ab
ance. Through the same Jesus omni perturbatione securi.
Christ, thy Son our Lord, who Per eumdem Dominum nos-
with thee and the Holy Ghost trum Jesum Christum Fi-
liveth and reigneth God : Hum tuum, qui tecum vivit
world without end. et regnat in unitate Spiri-
tus Sancti, Deus : per omnia
ssecula saeculorum.
Bt. Amen. Br. Amen.
But before receiving the Sacred Host in holy
Communion, the Priest invites us to adore it. Taking,
then, in his right hand, the adorable Body of our
Redeemer, he raises it on high, as he, our Jesus, was
raised up on the Cross. The Faithful, who are kneel-
ing during this part of the Service, bow down in pro-
found adoration before their Crucified Lord.
The Priest then divides the Host into three parts,
one of which he puts into the Chalice, that thus he
may sanctify the wine and water, which he is to take
after having communicated. The wine is not changed
into the Blood of Jesus by contact with the con-
secrated particle ; but it thereby receives a very
special benediction, similar to that which attached to
the garments worn by our Saviour.
After this, the Celebrant recites, in secret, the last
of the three prayers, which precede Communion ;
and then, taking the two portions of the host into his
left hand, he says thrice :
Lord, I am not worthy that Domine, non sum dignus
thou shouldst enter under my ut intres sub tectum meum ;
roof : say but the word, and sed tantum die verbo, et sa-
my soul shall be healed. nabitur anima mea.
He then communicates. After which, he takes
also the wine and water, and the sacred particle
498 HOLY WEEK.
which he had put into the Chalice. He then washes
his fingers, returns to the middle of the Altar, and
says, in secret, the following prayer :
Quod ore sumpsimus, Do- Grant, O Lord, that what
mine, pura mente capiamus, we have taken with our
ut de munere temporali fiat mouth, we may receive with a
nobis remedium sempi- pure mind ; that of a temporal
ternum. gift it may become to us an
eternal remedy.
Thus terminates the Mass of the Presanctified.
The Priest, with the sacred Ministers, makes a genu-
flexion, at the foot of the Altar, to the Cross, and
retires to the Sacristy. The Choir immediately begin
Vespers, which are simply recited.
VESPERS.
After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret,
the five Antiphons and Psalms of yesterday are
recited : page 384. The Magnificat has the follow-
ing Antiphon :
antiphon of the Magnificat.
Ant. Cum accepisset Je- Ant. When Jesus had taken
sus acetum, dixit : Consum- the vinegar, he said : It is
matum est. Et inclinato consummated. And bowing
capite, emisit spiritum. his head, he gave up the ghost.
Then is said the Canticle Magnificat, (see page
86). The Antiphon is repeated, and the following
Versicle is added :
$. Christus f actus est pro f. Christ became, for our
nobis obediens usque ad mor- sakes, obedient unto death,
tern, mortem autem Crucis. even to the death of the Cross.
GOOD FRIDAY : AFTERNOON. 45i(J
This is followed by the Pater ?toster, in secret ;
after which, the Psalm Miserere (page 336) is recited
with a suppressed voice ; and then, the prayer
Respice.
Look down, 0 Lord, we Respice, qusesumus, Do-
beseech thee, upon this thy mine, super hanc familiam
family, for which our Lord tuam : pro qua Dominus
Jesus Christ hesitated not to noster Jesus Christus non
be delivered into the hands dubitavit manibus tradi no-
of wicked men, and undergo centium, et crucis subire
the punishment of the Cross : tormentum :
(then, the rest in secret :)
Who liveth and reigneth Qui tecum vivit et regnat,
with thee, in the unity of the in unitate Spiritus Sancti,
Holy Ghost, God, world with- Deus, per omnia ssecula
out end. Amen. saeculorum. Amen.
AFTEENOON.
Holy Church will soon be calling us once more to
join with her in the holy Offices : meanwhile, let us,
as it behoves us, keep our hearts and thoughts upon
our Redeemer, for these are the very Hours when he
wrought our Salvation. Our morning's meditation
brought us to Calvary, where we were considering
how the executioners stripped Jesus of his clothes,
preparatory to their nailing him to the Cross. Let
us reverently assist at the consummation of the
Sacrifice, which he offers, for us, to the Justice of his
Eternal Father.
The executioners led Jesus to the spot where the
Cross is lying on the ground : it is the Eleventh
Station. Like a lamb destined for a holocaust, he
lays himself on the wood that is to serve as the Altar.
They violently stretch his hands and feet to the
500 HOLY WEEK.
places marked for them, and fasten them with nails
to the wood. The Blood gushes forth from these
four life-giving founts, wherein our souls are to find
their purification. This is the fourth Bloodshedding.
Mary hears the strokes of the hammer, and every
blow wounds her heart. Magdalene's grief is inten-
sified by her incapability of helping her tortured
Master. Jesus is heard to speak : it is his first Word
on Calvary : Father, forgive them, for they know not
what they do ! 1 0 infinite goodness of our Creator !
He has come into this world, which is the work of
his hands, and men nail him to a Cross : and on that
Cross he prays for them, and in his prayer he seems
to excuse them !
The Victim is fastened to the wood, whereon he is
to die. But the Cross is not to be left, as it is, lying
on the ground. Isaias has foretold that the Root of
Jesse is to be raised up as a Standard of all nations.2
Yes, our Crucified God must be raised up, and, by
that elevation, purify the polluted atmosphere of this
world, infested as it is by the spirits of wickedness.
He is the Mediator between God and men ; he is
our High Priest ; our Intercessor ; — he is lifted up 3
between earth and heaven, making reconciliation
between them.4 Not far from the spot where the
Cross now lies on the ground, they have made a hole
in the rock, wherein to fix it, so that all may have a
sight of Him that hangs upon it. It is the Twelfth
Station. It needs a great effort to raise and plant
the Tree of the world's Redemption. The soldiers
lift it up, and then, with impatient vehemence, let it
fall into the hole. The shock tears the four wounds.
Oh ! see him now exposed naked before the multi-
tude, this good Jesus who is come to clothe the naked-
ness that sin has caused in us ! — The soldiers have
done their work, and now they claim his Garments.
1 St. Luke, xxiii. 34. 3 St. John, xii. 32.
2 Is. xi. 10. 4 Rom. v. 11.
GOOD FRIDAY I AFTERNOON. 501
They tear them into four lots, and each takes a share :
but a strange feeling induces them to respect his
Tunic, which was without a seam, and, as we are told
by a pious tradition, was woven by the hand of his
Blessed Mother. Let us not cut it, say they, but let
us cast lots for it, ichose it shall be.1 It is a symbol
of the unity of the Church, V which is never to be
broken under any pretext whatsoever.
Above our Redeemer's head there are written these
words, in Hebrew, Grreek, and Latin : Jesus of na-
zareth, king of the jews. The people read this
Inscription, and say it to each other ; without wishing
it, they are once more proclaiming the Royalty of the
Son of David. The enemies of Jesus are quick
enough to perceive this : they hasten to Pilate, and
beseech him to have the Title changed. The only
answer he deigns to make them is : What I have
written, I have written.2 The Holy Fathers have
noticed a circumstance of the Crucifixion, which
expresses, how this King of the Jews is, indeed, rejec-
ted by his chosen people, but tha.t he will reign all
the more gloriously over the Nations of the earth,
whom the Father has given to him for his inheritance.
The circumstance we allude to is this : the soldiers,
when fixing the Cross in the rock, have so placed it,
that Jesus has his back to Jerusalem, and is stretch-
ing out his arms towards the countries of the west.
The Sun of Truth is setting on the deicide City, and
rising upon the new Jerusalem, that proud Rome,
which feels that she is destined to be " The Eternal
City," yet knows not that she is to be so by the Cross.
The Tree of our Salvation, as it falls into the hole
prepared for it, strikes against a tomb : — and the
Tomb is that of our First Parent. The blood of the
Redeemer flows down the Cross, and falls upon a skull :
it is the skull of Adam, whose sin has called for this
1 St. John, xix. 24. 2 Ibid. 22.
602 HOLY WEEK.
great expiation. In his mercy, the Son of God wills
that the instrument, wherewith he has gained pardon
for the guilty world, should rest amidst the very bones
of him that first caused its guilt. Thus is Satan
confounded : the creation is not, as he has hitherto
thought, turned by his own artifice, to the shame of its
Creator. The hill, on which is raised the Standard of
our Salvation, is called Calvary, which signifies a skull.
Here, according to the tradition of the Jews, was
buried our First Parent, the first Sinner. Among the
Holy Fathers of the early Ages, who have handed
down this interesting tradition to us, we may cite
St. Basil, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom, St. Epi-
phanius, St. Jerome. Origen, too, who had such
opportunities of knowing the Jewish traditions,
mentions this among the number. At a very early
period, Christian Art introduced the custom of
placing a human skull at the feet of Jesus' image
on the Cross : it was done to commemorate the
great fact, to which we have been alluding.
But let us look up and see this Jesus of ours,
whose life is so soon to end upon this instrument of
torture. Here we behold him exposed to the view
of the Jewish people, as the Serpent was, of old,
lifted up, by Moses, in the desert.1 His enemies pass
before him, making insulting gestures, and saying :
Vah ! thou that destroy est the temple of God, and in
three days dost rebuild it, — save thine own self! If
thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross f2
The Chief Priests and the Ancients continue the
blasphemy, but adding their own emphasis to it : He
saved others ; himself he cannot save ! If he be King
of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and
we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let him
now deliver him, if he will have him ; for he said : I
1 St. John, iii. 14. - St. Matth. xxvii. 40.
GOOD FRIDAY : AFTERNOON. 503
am the Son of God.1 The two thieves, who were cru-
cified with him, insulted him in like manner.
Never had God conferred on his creatures a bles-
sing comparable to this : and yet, never did man so
boldly insult his God ! Let us Christians, who adore
Him whom the Jews blaspheme, offer him, at this
moment, the Reparation he so infinitely deserves.
These impious men cite his own words, and turn them
against him : — let its reverently remind our Jesus of
an expression he once deigned to use, which should
fill us with hope : And I, if I be lifted up from the
earth, will draw all things to myself? Sweet Jesus !
the time is come : thou art lifted up from the earth :
fulfil thy promise, — draw us to thyself ! Alas ! this
earth has such hold upon us, we are chained fast to
it by so many ties ; self-love fetters us ; and when we
attempt to fly towards thee, our flight is checked.
Oh ! break our chains, and draw us to thyself, that we
may at length reach thee, and thou be consoled by
the conquest of our souls !
It is the Sixth hour, or, as we call it, mid-day.
The sun immediately withdraws his light, and dark-
ness covers the face of the earth. The stars appear
in the heavens, and a gloomy silence pervades through-
out the world. It is said, that the celebrated Denys
the Areopagite of Athens, who was afterwards a dis-
ciple of St. Paul, exclaimed, on witnessing this awful
eclipse : " Either the God of nature is suffering, or the
world is coming to an end." Phlegon, a pagan author,
who wrote a century after, tells us, that this sudden
darkness spread consternation throughout the Roman
Empire, and that the Astronomers owned it baffled
all their calculations.
So terrible an indication of the wrath of heaven
produced, a panic of fear among the spectators on
Calvary. Blasphemers are struck dumb, and the
1 St. Matth. xxvii. 42, 43. 2 St. John, xii. 32.
2o
504 HOLY WEEK.
blasphemies of them, that were just now insulting
our Redeemer, cease. All is silent as death. The
Thief, whose cross was at the right of Jesus', feels
himself touched with repentance and hope. Turning
to his companion, he upbraids him for what he had
been saying : Dost thou not fear God, seeing thou
art under the same condemnation ? And we, in-
deed, justly, for we receive the due reward of our
deeds : but this Man hath done no evil.1 Jesus
defended by a Thief, at the very time that he is
being insulted by them who boast that they know
every iota of (rod's Law, and are sitting in the Chair
of Moses ! Nothing could give us a clearer idea of
the blindness, to which the Synagogue has volun-
tarily brought itself. This poor criminal, whose
name is Dimas, represents the Grentile world, which
now is steeped in ignorance and crime, yet is soon
to be cleansed from all its abominations by confessing
Jesus Crucified to be the Son of Grod. Turning his
head towards our Saviour's Cross, he thus prays to
him : Lord ! remember me, when thou shalt come
into thy kingdom I He believes Jesus to be King ;
and the Chief Priests and Ancients were, but a
moment ago, making jests with this King ! Dimas
sees the divine calmness and dignity of the innocent
Victim : it is evidence enough ; he gives him his
faith, and begs a remembrance from him when the
day of his glory comes. Grace has made him a true
Christian : and who can doubt, but that the grace
was asked and obtained for him by Mary, the Mother
of Mercy, who is now uniting herself in sacrifice to-
gether with her Jesus ? Jesus is pleased to find in
this poor criminal the faith he had vainly sought for
from Israel : he thus grants his humble prayer :
Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be tcith me
in Paradise? It is the second of Jesus' Words on
the Cross. The happy penitent is filled with joy,
1 St. Luke, xxiii. 40. 41. 2 Ibid, xxiii. 42. 43.
GOOD FRIDAY : AFTERNOON. 505
and awaits in patient silence the blissful moment
when death shall set him free.
Meanwhile, Mary draws near to the Cross, whereon
hangs her Son. She recognises him, in spite of all
the darkness ; her love was her light. The eclipse
has dispersed the crowd ; all is silent ; and the sol-
diers can find no reason for keeping the afflicted
Mother from approaching her Son. Jesus looks
with tenderest affection upon Mary ; the sight
of her sorrow is a new grief to his sacred Heart.
He is dying, and his Mother cannot console or em-
brace him. Magdalene, too, is there, distracted with
grief. Those feet, which, a few days before, she had
anointed with her most precious perfumes, are now
pierced through with nails, and the Blood is clotting
round the wounds. They are near enough to the
ground for her to reach and bathe them with her
tears ; but her tears cannot stay the pain. She is
come to see the Death of Him that forgave her all
her sins. John, the Beloved Disciple, the only
Apostle that has followed Jesus to Calvary, is over-
whelmed with sorrow. He thinks of the favour be-
stowed upon him last night, when he rested his head
on the Breast of this dear Master, — and the remem-
brance intensifies his grief. He grieves for the Son,
he grieves for the Mother. He little knows the re-
ward he is soon to receive for this his love ! Mary
of Cleophas has followed the Holy Mother up to the
foot of the Cross. At some distance off, there stands
a group of women, who loved Jesus, and had minis-
tered unto him during his life.1
The silence is again broken : Jesus speaks his
third Word, and it is to his Mother : but he does not
call her by that dear name, for it would redouble
her pain : Woman ! he says, behold thy son ! Then
looking upon John, he says to him Son ! behold
thy Mother ! 2 What an exchange was here for
1 St. Matth. xxvii. 55. 3 St. John, xix. 26, 27.
^06 HOLY WEEK.
Mary ! but, oh ! what a blessing it brought upon John,
and through him to all mankind ! — -the Mother of
God was made our Mother ! This was the subject
of our meditation on the Friday of Passion Week :
let us, to-day, gratefully receive this last Testament
of our Jesus, who, having by his Incarnation made
us the adopted Children of his Heavenly Father,
now, in his dying moments, makes us Children of
his own Blessed Mother.
It is close upon the Ninth hour, — the third hour
after mid-day, — and it is the one fixed by the eternal
decree of God for the Death of Jesus. The feeling
of abandonment, which had caused our Redeemer to
suffer an Agony in the garden, now returns. He has
taken upon himself the sins of mankind : the whole
weight of God's justice now presses on his soul.
The bitter Chalice of God's anger, which he is drink-
ing to the very dregs, extorts from his lips this
plaintive cry : My God ! My God ! Why hast thou
forsaken me ?l It is the fourth Word. He does
not say My Father ! He speaks as though he were
but a poor Sinner, trembling before the judgment-
seat of God. A burning thirst elicits from him the
fifth Word : / thirst} Whereupon, one of the sol-
diers presents to his dying lips a sponge full of
vinegar ; and this is all the refreshment he receives
from that earth, on which he daily pours a heavenly
dew, and to which he has given ever-flowing foun-
tains and rivers.
The moment is at length come, when Jesus is to
yield up his Soul to his Father. He has fulfilled
every single prophecy that had been foretold of him,
even that of his receiving vinegar when parched
with thirst. He therefore speaks this his sixth
Word : It is consummated /■ He has, then, but to
die ; his Death is to put the finishing stroke to our
1 St. Matth. xxvii. 46. 2 St. John, xix. 28.
:i St. John, xix. 30.
GOOD FRIDAY '. AFTERNOON. 507
Redemption, as the Prophet assures us. But he
must die as Grod. This man, worn out by suffering,
exhausted by his three hours' agony, whose few words
were scarce audible to them that stood round his
Cross, — now utters a loud cry, which is heard at a
great distance off, and fills the Centurion, who com-
mands the guard, with fear and astonishment : —
Father ! into thy hands I commend my spirit ! l
This is his seventh and last Word ; after which he
bows down his head, and dies.
At this awful moment, the sun re-appears in the
heavens, and darkness ceases : but the earth is shaken
by an earthquake, and the rocks are split. The space
between the Cross of Jesus and that of the bad
Thief is violently rent asunder, and the opening is
shown to this day. The Jewish Priests, who are in
the Temple, are terrified at seeing the Yeil, which
hides the Holy of Holies, torn from top to bottom :
the time for figures and types is over, the great
realities are come. Many holy personages arise
from their graves, and return to life. But it is in
hell itself that the Death of Jesus is most felt. Satan
now sees who He is, against whom he has excited
all this persecution. He sees, that the Blood which
he has caused to be shed, has saved mankind and
opened the gates of heaven. This Jesus, whom he
dared to tempt in the desert, he now recognises as
the Son of Grod, whose precious Blood has purchased
for men a Redemption that was refused to the rebel
Angels !
0 Jesus ! Son of the Eternal Father ! we adore
thee now lying dead on the wood of thy Sacrifice.
Thy bitter Death has given us Life. Like those
Jews who saw thee expire, and returned to Jerusalem
striking their breasts, — we, also, confess that it is
our sins have caused thy Death. Thou hast loved
* St. Luke, xxiii, 46.
508 HOLY WKEK.
us, as none but a God could love. Henceforth, we
must be thine, and serve thee, as creatures redeemed
at the infinite price of thy Blood. Thou art our
God ; we are thy people. Accept, we beseech thee,
our most loving thanks for this final proof of thy
goodness towards us. Thy holy Church now silently
invites us to celebrate thy praise. We leave Calvary
for a time ; but will soon return thither, to assist at
thy holy Burial. Mary, thy Mother, remains immove-
able at the foot of thy Cross. Magdalene clings to
thy feet. John and the holy women stand around
thee. Once more, dearest Jesus ! we adore thy sacred
Body, thy precious Blood, and thy holy Cross, that
have brought us Salvation.
THE OFFICE OF TENEBE^E.
At a late hour in the afternoon, the Night Office
of Holy Saturday is anticipated, as on the two pre-
vious days. The Faithful are not summoned to the
Church by the bells, for, as we have already explained,
they are not rung till the Gloria in excelsis of to-
morrow's Mass.
The Office of Tenebrse for Holy Saturday is given
below, page 517.
THE EVENING.
Let us return to Calvary, and there close this
mournful day. We left Mary there, with Magdalene
and other holy women, and the Beloved Disciple
John. An hour has scarcely elapsed since Jesus
died, when a troop of soldiers, led on by a Centurion,
come up the hill, breaking the silence with their
tramp and voices. They are sent by Pilate. The
Chief Priests lost no time in returning to the
Governor's house : and he, at their request, has sent
these men to break the legs of the three Crucified,
detach them from their crosses, and bury them before
GOOD FRIDAY : EVENING. 509
night. The Jews count the days of their week from
sunset ; so that the great Sabbath-Day is close upon
them. The soldiers come to the Crosses ; they
begin with the two thieves, and put an end to
their sufferings and life by breaking their legs.
Dimas dies in saintly dispositions, for the promise
made to him by Jesus is his consolation : his com-
panion dies blaspheming. The soldiers now advance
towards Jesus : — Mary's heart sinks within her : —
what fresh outrage are these men about to offer to
the lifeless and bleeding body of her Son ? On
inspection, they find that he is dead ; but, that no
doubt may be left, and no blame for neglect of orders
fall upon them, one of the company raises up his
spear and thrusts it into the right Side of the divine
Victim, even to the Heart ; and when he draws his
spear out, there gushes forth a stream of Water and
Blood. This is the fifth Bloodshedding, and the fifth
Wound inflicted on our Jesus upon the Cross. The
Church honours this mystery on the Feast of the
Sacred Heart ; let us reserve our reflections till then.
The soul of the Holy Mother is pierced by this
cruel spear ; and they that are with her redouble
their sobs and tears. How is this terrible day to
end ? Who shall take the Body of her Jesus from
his Cross ? Who will enable her to give it a last
embrace ? The soldiers return to the City, and with
them Longinus, — he that pierced Jesus' Side, but is
already feeling within himself the workings of that
faith, for which he is one day to lay down his life as
a Martyr. But lo ! two other men are seen coming
towards the Cross : they are not enemies, they are
faithful Disciples of Jesus : one is the wealthy coun-
sellor Joseph of Arimathea ; the other is Nicodemus,
a ruler among the Jews. Mary gratefully welcomes
their arrival : they are come to take the body of
Jesus from the Cross, and give it an honourable
burial. They have the requisite authorisation, for
510 HOLY WEEK.
Pilate has given permission to Joseph to take the
Body of Jesus. )
They lose no time in doing so, for the sun is near
to setting, and then begins the Sabbath. Within a
few yards from where stands the Cross, at the foot of
the hillock which forms the summit of Calvary, there
is a garden, and in this garden a sepulchre cut into
the rock. No one has yet been buried in this tomb.
It is to be Jesus' Sepulchre. Hither Joseph and
Nicodemus carry the sacred Body : they lay it upon
a slab of stone, near to the Sepulchre. It is here that
Mary receives into her arms the Body of her Jesus :
she kisses each wound, and bathes it with her tears.
John, Magdalene, and all that are present, compas-
sionate the holy Mother. She resigns it into the
hands of the two Disciples, for they have but a few
moments left. Upon this slab, which even to this
day, is called the Stone of the Anointing, and designates
the Thirteenth Station of the way of the Cross, Joseph
unfolds a piece oifinc linen,2 and Nicodemus, whose
servants have brought a hundred pound weight of
myrrh and aloes,3 makes every arrangement for
the embalming. They reverently wash the Body,
for it was covered with Blood ; they remove the Crown
of Thorns from the Head ; and, after embalming it
with their perfumes, they wrap it in the Winding-
Sheet. Mary gives a last embrace to the remains of
her Jesus, who is now hidden under these swathing-
bands of the Tomb.
Joseph and Nicodemus take the Body into their
arms, and enter the Sepulchre. It is the Fourteenth
Station of the Way of the Cross. It consists of two
open cells ; it is into the one on the right hand that
they enter, and there in a cavity cut into the side of
the rock, they lay the Body of Jesus. They then
1 St. John, xix. 38. 2 St. Mark, xv. 46.
13 St. John, xix. 39.
fiOOD FRIDAY I EVENING. 511
retire ; and, with the assistance of their servants,
they close up the entrance of the Sepulchre with a
large square stone, which Pilate, at the request of the
Jews, orders to he fastened with his own seal, and
guarded by a patrol of soldiers.
The sun is just setting ; the great Sabbath, with
its severe legal prescriptions, is just about to begin.
Magdalene and the other women carefully notice the
place where Jesus' Body has been laid, and return
with all speed to Jerusalem, that they may have time
to purchase and prepare a quantity of materials for
a more careful embalming of the Body early on the
Sunday morning, that is, immediately after the
Sabbath is over. The holy Mother takes a farewell-
look at the Tomb wherein lies her Jesus, and then
follows the rest into the City. John, her adopted son,
keeps close to her. He is the guardian of Her, who,
without ceasing to be Mother of God, has been made,
also, Mother of men. But oh ! how much this second
Maternity cost her ! She was standing at the Foot of
the Cross, seeing her Jesus die, when she received us
as her children. Let us imitate St. John, and keep
our Blessed Mother company during these trying
hours which she has to pass before her Son is risen
from the grave.
How, 0 most merciful Redeemer ! shall we leave
thy Holy Sepulchre, without offering thee the tribute
of our adoration and repentance ? Death, which is the
consequence of sin, has extended its dominion over
thee, for thou didst submit thyself to the sentence
pronounced against thee, and wouldst become like
to us even to the humiliation of the tomb. It was
thy love for us, that led to all this ! What return
can we make thee ? The holy Angels stand around
thy Body, thus lying in its rocky grave. They are
lost in amazement at thy having loved, to such an
excess as this, thy poor ungrateful creature, — man.
Thou hadst made them, as well as us, out of nothing,
512 HOLY WEEK.
and they loved thee with all the intensity of their
mighty spirits ; but the sight of thy Tomb reveals
to them a fresh abyss of thine infinite goodness : —
thou hast suffered death, not for their fallen fellow-
angels, but for us men, who are so inferior to the
Angels ! — Oh ! what a bond of love between us and
tbee must result from this Sacrifice of thy Life for
us ! Thou hast died, 0 Jesus, for us ! — we must,
henceforth, live for thee. We promise it upon this
Tomb, which, alas ! is the handiwork of our sins.
We, too, wish to die to sin, and live to grace. For
the time to come, we will follow thy precepts and
thine examples ; we will avoid sin which has made
us accomplices in thy Passion and Death. We will
courageously bear, in union with thine own, the
crosses of this life : they are indeed light compared
with thine, but our weakness makes them heavy.
And our death, too, — when the moment comes for
us to undergo that sentence which even thou didst
submit to, — we will accept it with resignation.
Terrible as that last hour is to nature, our faith
tells us, that thy Death has merited for it graces
rich enough to make it sweet. Thy Death, dearest
Jesus ! has made our death become but a passing
into life : and as, now, we leave thy holy Sepulchre
with the certain hope of speedily seeing thee glo-
rious in thy Resurrection ; so, when our body descends
into the tomb, our soul shall confidently mount up
to thee, and there blissfully await the day of the
Resurrection of the flesh made pure by the humili-
ation of the grave.
We will close our day by offering to our readers
the following stanzas from the Greek Liturgy of
Good Friday.
GOOD FRIDAY I EVENING.
513
HYMN.
(In Parasceve.)
To-day, is poised upon a
Cross, He that poised the earth
upon the waters. He that is
the King of Angels, is wreath-
ed with a crown of Thorns.
He that covereth the heaven
with clouds, is covered with a
mock scarlet robe. He that,
in the Jordan, set Adam free,
is buffeted. The Spouse of the
Church is pierced with Nails.
The Son of the Virgin is
wounded with a Spear. 0
Jesus ! we adore thy Suffer-
ings. Show unto us, also,
thy glorious Resurrection.
Mary, the Mother, saw her
Lamb dragged to the slaugh-
ter, and, in company with
other women, followed him,
saying : ' 'Whither goest thou,
' ' my Son ? Wherefore this
" hurried step ? Is it to a se-
" cond marriage -feast at Cana
"that thou thus hastenest,
' ' there to turn water into
' ' wine ? Must I come with
" thee, my Son ? or must I wait
" thy return ? O Word of the
1 ' Father ! speak one word to
'* me. Pass me not by in si-
" lence, O thou, my Child and
' ' my God ! who didst make
" me thy Virgin-Mother !"
For our sakes, 0 Jesus ! thou
didst permit thy whole sacred
Body to be ignominiously tor-
tured : thy head with thorns ;
thy face with spittle ; thy
cheeks, with blows; thy mouth,
with vinegar and gall ; thine
ears, with impious blasphe-
Hodie in cruce appendi-
tur, qui super aquas terram
appendit : corona spinea cir-
cumdatur rex Angelorum :
falsa purpura operitur, qui
operit ccelum nubibus : ala-
pam suscipit, qui in Jordane
libertati dedit Adamum :
clavis confixus est Sponsus
Ecclesise : lancea punctus
est filius Virginis. Adora-
mus passiones tuas, Christe.
Et ostende nobis etiam glo-
riosam resurrectionem tuam.
Intuens agna agnum su-
um trahi ad occisionem ; se-
quebatur Maria afflicta una
cum aliis mulieribus, hsec
clamans : Quo progrederis,
nate ? Cujus rei gratia velo-
cem cursum perficis ? Num.
alise nuptise rursus fiunt in
Cana ; et eo tu nunc festi-
nas, ut eis ex aqua vinum
facias ? Tecum veniam, na-
te ; an te potius exspectabo ?
Da mihi verbum, 0 Verbum :
ne silens me prsetereas, qui
me castam servasti filius et
Deus meus.
Singula sanctse carnis tuse
membra ignominiam prop-
ter nos sustinuerunt ; spi-
nas caput ; facies sputa ;
maxilla alapas ; os aceto
mistum fel in gustu ; impias
blasphemias aures ; dorsum
flagellationem ; et manus
514
HOLY WEEK.
arundinem ; totiusque cor-
poris extensiones in cruce ;
artus clavos ; et latus lan-
ceam. Qui passus es pro
nobis, et patiens liberos nos
fecisti ; quique amore erga
homines una nobiscum te
demisisti, nosque sublimas-
ti, omnipotens Salvator, mi-
serere nostri.
Hodie in cruce te suspen-
sum, 0 Verbum, inculpata
Virgo spectans, maternis
visceribus mcerens, corde
vulnerabatur amare, et ge-
mens dolenter ex animse
prof undo nebiliter exclama-
bat : Heu me, Divine Nate !
heu me, 0 lux mundi ! cur
ex oculis meis abscessisti,
Agne Dei ? Inde incorpore-
orum Spirituum exercitus
tremore corripiebantur, di-
centes : Incomprehensibilis
Domine, gloria tibi.
Domine, ascendente te in
crucem, timor et tremor ceci-
dit in creaturam : et terram
quidem prohibebas absorbe-
re eos, qui te crucifigebant :
inferno autem permittebas
remittere vinctos. Judex
vivorum, et mortuorum ve-
nisti, ut vitam prsestares et
non mortem : amans homi-
num, gloria tibi.
mies; thy back with scourges;
thy hand with a reed ; thy
whole body, with the cross ;
thy hands and feet with nails ;
thy side, with a spear, 0 Al-
mighty Saviour ! who didst
suffer for us, and, by thy suf-
ferings, didst make us free !
0 thou, that out of love for
man , didst humble thyself with
us, that thus thou mightest
exalt us ! — have mercy on us !
To-day, the sinless Virgin
saw thee, O Word ! hanging
on the Cross : she wept over
thee with a mother's love : her
heart was cruelly wounded :
and thus, with doleful sobs
and tears, she spake from her
inmost soul : ' ' Alas ! my Di-
' ' vine Son ! Alas ! thou Light
' ' of the world ! why hast thou
' ' departed from my sight, O
< ' Lamb of God ? ' '—The Angel
host was seized with tremb-
ling, and said : ' ' Glory be to
" thee, O incomprehensible
"Lord!"
Fear and trembling fell up-
on thy creatures, 0 Lord,
when thou didst ascend thy
Cross. Yet wouldst thou not
permit the earth to swallow
up them that crucified thee ;
nay, thou gavest leave to death
to set its captives free. Thou
earnest into the world, O Judge
of the living and the dead !
that thou mightest bring, not
death, but life. Glory be to
thee, 0 Lover of mankind !
The ancient G-allican Liturgy contains, in to-day's
Office, the following eloquent and devout prayer.
GOOD FRIDAY : EVENING.
515
PRAYER.
(Oratio ad Nonam.)
0 saving hour of the Pas-
sion ! O hour of None, fa-
voured with richest graces !
0 hour of hours ! 0 beloved
Spouse of souls, kiss us at this
hour from thy Cross, for the
Cross is the trophy of thy vic-
tory. Yea, we beseech, grant
us thy kiss, grant us thy sal-
vation, 0 admirable Con-
queror ! 0 heavenly Chario-
teer ! O good God ! 0 most
glorious Champion! Do thou,
O all-seeing Jesus, speak to
our hearts, and say : ' 'Hail, all
"hail! Be vigorous, act man-
' 'fully, be courageous!" Thou,
OLord, that didst these things
of old, canst thou not the
same now ? Thou canst, yea,
thou canst, for thou art all-
powerful. Thou canst, most
loving Jesus ! thou canst do
beyond what we can think.
And whereas nothing is im-
possible to thee, 0 Almighty
God, our Jesus ! kiss us, we
beseech thee, Beloved Lord,
who didst triumphantly return
to the Father, with whom
thou wast and art, for ever,
one ; for thy kiss is sweet, thy
breasts are better than wine,
and are fragrant with the best
ointments. Thy name is as
oil poured out, therefore have
our souls loved thee. The
righteous, whom thoudrawest
to thee, love thee. Thy couch
is strewed with flowers, the
Cross is thy trophy. Coming
in scarlet, at this Hour, from
O salutaris hora Passio-
nis, o magna maximarum
gratiarum Nona hodierna,
maxima horarum hora. Hac
nunc tu, noster dilecte
Sponse, osculare de cruce,
licet post crucis trophseum.
Osculare, precamur ; salu-
tare tuum impertire nobis,
triumphator mirabilis, au-
riga supreme, Deus pie,
gloriosissime propugnator.
Avete, valete, invalescite
et viriliter agite, conforta-
mini dicito, loquere cordi-
bus nostris inspector Chris-
te. An qui olim hsec fecisti,
nunc eadem non potes fa-
cere ? potes utique, potes ;
quia omnipotens es : potes,
amantissime, potes facere
quod non possumus cogi-
tare : quia nihil tibi impos-
sible est, Deus omnipotens,
Jesus, osculare, quseso, di-
lectissime, qui triumphans
regressus es ad Patrem, cum
quo semper eras et perma-
nes unus ; quia osculum
tuum dulce est, et ubera
tua vino dulciora, fragrantia
optimis unguentis : et no-
men tuum super oleum,
quern adolescentulse dilexe-
runt : quern recti diligunt,
quos trahis post te : cujus
lectus floridus, cujus tro-
phseum crux. Qui hac
hora rubens de Edom, de
cruce, tinctis vestibus de
Bosra, solus quasi calcator
magni illius torcularis ad
516
HOLY WEEK.
coelos ascendisti : cui occur -
runt Angeli, Archangeli di-
centes : Quis est iste, qui
ascendit, tinctis vestibus de
Bosra ? Quibus te interro-
gantibus : Quare ergo rubrum
est vestimentum tuum ? Ke-
spondisti : Torcular calcavi
solus, et vir de gentibus non
fuit mecum. Vere, Salvator,
vere rubrum est tuum prop-
ter nos corpus : rubrum est
sanguine uvse ; lavasti enim
in vino stolam tuam, et
pallium tuum in sanguine
uvse : qui es Deus solus,
crucifixus pro nobis, quos
antiqua prsevaricatio morti
tradidit : cujus vulnere
omnium innumera peccato-
rum vulnera sanata sunt.
Et nos, pie crucifixe Christe,
cum tuis redime ; salva, pia
bonitas Deus. Qui regnas
cum Patre et Spiritu Sancto,
unus in aeternum et in
ssecula sseculorum.
Edom, thy Cross, — coming
with dyed garments from Bos-
ra, treading alone that great
wine-press, — thou didst as-
cend to heaven. The Angels
and Archangels go out to
meet thee, and they say :
"Who is this that cometh up,
' ' with dyed garments, from
" Bosra ?" They ask thee :
"Why then, is thy apparel
' ' red ? ' ' Thou answerest : " I
' ' have trodden the wine-press
" alone : and of the Gentiles,
' • there is not a man with me. ' '
Truly, O Saviour ! truly is thy
body red for our sakes : it is
red with the blood of the
Grape, for thou hast washed
thy robe in Wine, and thy
garment in the blood of the
Grape. Thou alone art God,
crucified for us, whom the
ancient sin had delivered over
to death : and by thy Wounds,
the countless sins of all men
have been healed. 0 loving
crucified Jesus ! put us among
the number of thy redeemed.
Save us, 0 loving goodness !
our God ! who with the Fa-
ther and Holy Ghost, reignest
one God for ever, yea for ever
and ever.
HOLY SATURDAY : TENERR^S. 517
HOLY SATUEDAY.
THE NIGHT OFFICE.
The Ceremonies used by the Church for the Office
of Tenebrce having been already explained, we deem
it unnecessary to repeat our instructions. The reader
may refer to them, should he require to refresh his
memory. They are given in pages 302 — 304.
Pater noster, Ave, and Credo, in secret.
THE FIRST NOCTTJRN.
The first Psalm is one which the Church daily
recites in her Compline, because it expresses the
confidence wherewith the Christian takes his rest.
She uses it in to-day's Tenebrse, to remind us of the
Rest taken by Christ in his Sepulchre, where he
sleeps with the assurance of wakening to a glorious
Resurrection.
Ant. In peace, in the self- Ant. In pace, in idipsum,
same, I will sleep, and I will dormiam et requiescam.
take my rest.
PSALM 4.
When I called upon him, Cum invocarem, exaudivit
the God of my justice heard me Deus justitise mese : * in
me : when I was in distress tribulatione dilatasti mihi.
thou hast enlarged me.
518
HOLY WEEK.
Miserere mei : * et exaudi
orationem meam.
Filii hominum usquequo
gravi corde : * ut quid di-
ligitis vanitatem, et quseri-
tis mendacium ?
Et scitote quoniam miri-
ficavit Dominus sanctum
suum : * Dominus exaudiet
me, cum clamavero ad eum.
Irascimini, et nolite pec-
care : * quae dicitis in cor-
dibus 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 vultus tui, Domine :
* dedisti lsetitiam in corde
frumenti, vini
* multiplicati
meo.
A fructu
et olei sui:
sunt.
In pace in idipsum :
dormiam et requiescam.
Quoniam tu, Domine,
singulariter in spe : * con-
stituisti me.
Ant. In pace in idipsum,
dormiam et requiescam.
Have mercy upon me, and
hear my prayer.
0 ye sons of men, how long
will ye be dull of heart ? why
do you love vanity, and seek
after lying ?
Know ye also that the Lord
hath made his Holy One
wonderful : 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 on
your beds.
Offer up the sacrifice of
justice and. trust in the Lord :
many say : Who showeth us
good things ?
The light of thy counte-
nance, O Lord, is signed upon
us : thou hast given gladness
in my heart.
By the fruit of their corn,
their wine and oil, they are
multiplied.
In peace, in the self-same,
I will sleep, and I will take
my rest.
For thou, O Lord, singu-
larly hast settled me in hope.
Ant. In peace, in the self-
same, I will sleep, and I will
take my rest.
The second Psalm speaks of the happiness that is
in reserve for the just man, and of the rest which
is to be the reward of his labours. The Church
applies it to Christ, the Just One, by excellence, who
went about doing_good.
Ant. Habitabit in taber-
naculo tuo : requiescet in
inonte sancto tuo.
Ant. He shall dwell in
thy tabernacle : he shall rest
in thy holy hill.
HOLY SATURDAY : TENEBJUE.
519
PSALM 14.
Lord, who shall dwell in
thy tabernacle ? or who shall
rest in thy holy hill ?
He that walketh without
blemish, and worketh justice.
He that speaketh truth in
his heart, who hath not used
deceit in his tongue.
Nor hath done evil to his
neighbour, nor taken up a
reproach against his neigh-
bours.
In his sight the malignant
is brought to nothing : but he
glorifieth them that fear the
Lord.
He that sweareth to his
neighbour, and deceiveth not :
he that hath not put out his
money to usury, nor taken
bribes against the innocent :
He that doth these things,
shall not be moved for ever.
Ant. He shall dwell in
thy tabernacle : he shall rest
in thy holy hill.
Domine, quis habitabit in
tabernaculo tuo : * aut quis
requiescet in monte sancto
tuo ?
Qui ingreditur sine ma-
cula: * etoperatur justitiam.
Qui loquitur veritatem in
corde suo : * qui non egit
dolum in lingua sua.
Nee fecit proximo suo ma-
lum : * et opprobrium non
accepit adversus proximos
suos.
Ad nihilum deductus est
in conspectu ejus malignus :
* timentes autem Dominum
glorificat.
Qui jurat proximo suo, et
non decipit : * qui pecuniam
suam non dedit ad usuram,
et munera super innocentem
non accepit :
Qui facit hsec, * non mo-
vebitur in seternum.
Ant. Habitabit in taber-
naculo tuo : requiescet in
monte sancto tuo.
The third Psalm, composed by David, during his
exile under Saul, is a prophecy of our Saviour's
Resurrection, and was quoted as such by St. Peter,
in his address to the Jews, on the day of Pentecost.
He that speaks in this Psalm, says, that his flesh
shall rest in hope, and that the Lord will not give him
to see corruption. This was not verified in David,
but in Christ.
Ant. M.y flesh shall rest Ant.
in hope. in spe.
Caro mea requiescet
2p
520
HOLY WEEK.
PSALM 15.
Conservame, Domine, quo-
niani speravi in te : * dixi
Domino, Deus meus es tu,
quoniam bonorum meorum
non eges.
Sanctis qui sunt in terra
ejus : * mirificavit omnes
voluntates meas in eis.
Multiplicatse sunt infirmi-
tates eorum : * postea acce-
leraverunt.
Non congregabo conven-
ticula eorum de sanguini-
bus : * nee memor ero no-
minum eorum per labia mea.
Dominus pars hsereditatis
mese et calicis mei : * tu es
qui restitues haereditatem
meam mihi.
Funes ceciderunt mihi in
praeclaris : * etenim hsere-
ditas mea praeclara est mihi.
Benedicam Dominum, qui
tribuit mihi intellectum : *
insuper et usque ad noctem
increpuerunt me renes mei.
Providebam Dominum in
conspectu meo semper : *
quoniam a dextris est mihi
ne commovear.
Propter hoc lsetatum est
cor meum, et exsultavit lin-
gua mea : * insuper et caro
mea requiescet in spe.
Quoniam non derelinques
animam meam in inferno : *
nee dabis Sanctum tuum vi-
dere corruptionem.
Notas mihi fecisti vias vi-
tae, adimplebis me laetitia cum
vultu tuo : * delectationes
in dextera tua usque in
finem.
Preserve me, O Lord, for I
have put my trust in thee. I
have said to the Lord : thou
art my God, for thou hast no
need of my goods.
To the saints who are in his
land, he hath made wonderful
all my desires in them.
Their infirmities were mul-
tiplied : afterwards they made
haste.
I will not gather together
their meetings for blood offer-
ings : nor will I be mindful
of their names by my lips.
The Lord is the portion of
my inheritance and of my
cup : it is thou that wilt re-
store my inheritance to me.
The lines are fallen unto
me in goodly places : for my
inheritance is goodly to me.
I will bless the Lord, who
hath given me understanding :
moreover my reins also have
corrected me even till night.
I set the Lord always in my
sight : for he is at my right
hand that I be not moved.
Therefore my heart hath
been glad and my tongue hath
rejoiced : moreover my flesh
also shall rest in hope.
Because thou wilt not leave
my soul in hell : nor wilt thou
give thy Holy One to see cor-
ruption.
Thou hast made known to
me the ways of life, thou shalt
fill me with joy with thy coun-
tenance : at thy right hand
are delights even to the end.
HOLY SATURDAY .* TENEHR7E.
521
Ant. My flesh shall rest in Ant. Caro mea requiescet
hope. in spe.
y. In peace, in the self- ^. In pace in idipsum.
same.
&. I will sleep, and I will #. Dormiam et requies-
take my rest. cam.
The Pater noster is here recited in secret.
The Lessons of the First Nocturn are again taken
from the Lamentations of Jeremias. The first refers
to our Saviour. It speaks of his fidelity to his
Father, and of his resignation. It foretells the buf-
fets he received during his Passion.
FIRST LESSON.
From the Lamentations of De Lamentatione Jeremiae
Jeremias the Prophet. Prophetae.
Ch. III. Cap. III.
Hetii. The mercies of the
Lord that we are not con-
sumed : because his tender
mercies have not failed.
Heth. They are new every
morning, great is thy faith-
fulness.
Heth. The Lord is my por-
tion, said my soul : therefore
will I wait for him.
Teth. The Lord is good
to them that hope in him, to
the soul that seeketh him.
Teth. It is good to wait
with silence for the salvation
of God.
Teth. It is good for a man
when he hath borne the yoke
from his youth.
Jod. He shall sit solitary,
and hold his peace : because
he hath taken it up upon
himself.
Heth. Misericordiae Do-
mini, quia non sumus con-
sumpti : quia non defece-
runt miserationes ejus.
Heth. Novi diluculo, mul-
ta est fides tua.
Heth. Pars mea Domi-
nus, dixit anima mea : prop-
terea exspectabo eum.
Teth. Bonus est Domi-
nus sperantibus in eum,
animae quaerenti ilium.
Teth. Bonum est praes-
tolari cum silentio salutare
Dei.
Teth. Bonum est viro,
cum portaverit jugum ab
adolescentia sua.
Jod. Sedebit solitarius,
et tacebit: quia levavit su-
per se.
522
HOLY WEEK.
Jod. Ponet in pulvere os
strum, si forte sit spes.
Jod. Dabit percutienti se
maxillam, saturabitur op-
probriis.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
convertere ad Dominum
Deum tuum.
#. Sicut ovis ad occisio-
nem ductus est, et dum
male tractaretur, non ape-
ruit os suum : traditus est
ad mortem : * ut vivifica-
ret populum suum.
y. Tradidit in mortem
animam suam, et inter sce-
leratos reputatus est.
* Ut vivificaret populum
suum.
Jod. He shall put his
mouth in the dust, if so be
there may be hope.
Jod, He shall give his
cheek to him that striketh
him, he shall be filled with
reproaches.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy
God.
gt. He was led like a sheep
to the slaughter ; and whilst
he was ill-used, he opened
not his mouth : he was con-
demned to death, * That he
might give life to his people.
f. He delivered up him-
self to death, and was reck-
oned among the wicked.
* That he might give life to
his people.
The second Lesson is an elegy upon Jerusalem.
The grievousness of the sins of this ungrateful City
is expressed in forcible terms.
SECOND LESSON.
Aleph. Quomodo obscu-
ratum est aurum, mutatus
est color optimus, dispersi
sunt lapides sanctuarii in
capite omnium platearum ?
Beth. Filii Sion inclyti,
et amicti auro primo : quo-
modo reputati sunt in vasa
testea, opus manuum figuli ?
Ghimel. Sed et lamise
nudaverunt mammam, lacta-
verunt catulos suos, filia po-
puli mei crudelis, quasi stru-
thio in deserto.
Aleph. How is the gold
become dim, the finest colour
is changed, the stones of the
sanctuary are scattered in the
top of every street ?
Beth. The noble sons of
Sion, and they that were cloth-
ed with the best gold : how
are they esteemed as earthen
vessels, the work of the pot-
ter's hands ?
Ghimel. Even the sea
monsters have drawn out the
breast, they have given suck
to their young : the daughter
of my people is cruel, like
the ostrich in the desert.
HOLY SATURDAY : TENEhR^E.
523
Daletii. The tongue of the
sucking child hath stuck to
the roof of his mouth for
thirst : the little ones have
asked for bread, and there was
none to break it unto them.
He. They that were fed
delicately, have died in the
streets : they that were
brought up in scarlet, have
embraced the dung.
Vatj. And the iniquity of
the daughter of my people is
made greater than the sin of
Sodom, which was overthrown
in a moment, and hands took
nothing in her.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy
God.
gt. Arise, Jerusalem, and
put off thy garments of joy :
put on ashes and hair-cloth :
* For in thee was slain the
Saviour of Israel.
y. Let tears run down like
a torrent day and night, and
let not the apple of thine eye
cease.
* For in thee was slain the
Saviour of Israel.
Daleth. Adhaesit lingua
lactentis ad palatum ejus in
siti : parvuli petierunt pa-
nem, et non erat qui fran-
geret eis.
He. Qui vescebantur vo-
luptuose interierunt in viis ;
qui nutriebantur in croceis,
amplexati sunt stercora.
Vatj. Et major effecta est
iniquitas filiae populi mei
peccato Sodomorum : quae
subversa est in momento, et
non ceperunt in ea manus.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
convertere ad Dominum
Deum tuum.
R\. Jerusalem, surge, et
exue te vestibus jucundita-
tis : induere cinere et cilicio :
* Quia in te occisus est Sal-
vator Israel.
^. Deduc quasi torren-
tem lacrymas per diem et
noctem, et non taceat pu-
pilla oculi tui.
* Quia in te occisus est
Salvator Israel.
The third Lesson is a portion of the Prayer made
by the Prophet for the Jewish people, after they had
been led into captivity. It gives us a faithful, but
terrible, description of their miseries after they had
committed the crime of Deicide.
THIRD LESSON.
Here beginneth the Prayer
of Jeremias the Prophet.
Ch. V.
Eemember, 0 Lord, what is
come upon us : consider and
Incipit Oratio Jeremiae Pro-
phetae.
Cap. V.
Eecordare, Domine, quid
accident nobis : intuere,
524
HOLY WEEK.
et respice opprobrium nos-
trum. Hsereditas nostra
versa est ad alienos, domus
nostrse ad extraneos. Pu-
pilli facti sumus absque pa-
tre : matres nostrse quasi
viduse. Aquam nostram pe-
cunia bibimus ; ligna nos-
tra pretio comparavimus.
Cervicibus nostris minaba-
mur : lassis non dabatur
requies. .ZEgypto dedimus
manum, et Assyriis, ut sa-
turaremur pane. Patres nos-
tri peccaverunt, et non sunt :
et nos iniquitates eorum
portavimus. Servi dominati
sunt nostri : non fuit qui
redimeret de manu eorum.
In animabus nostris affere-
bamus panem nobis, a facie
gladii in deserto. Pellis
nostra quasi clibanus, exusta
est a facie tempestatum fa-
mis. Mulieres in Sion hu-
miliaverunt, et virgines in
civitatibus Juda.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
convertere ad Dominum
Deum tuum.
gt. Plange quasi virgo
plebs mea : ululate pastores
in cinere et cilicio : * Quia
venit dies Domini magna et
amara valde.
f. Accingite vos sacerdotes,
et plangite : ministri altaris,
aspergite vos cinere.
* Quia venit dies Domini
magna, et amara valde.
Here, is repeated : / Plange.
behold our reproach. Our in-
heritance is turned to aliens :
our houses to strangers. "We
are become orphans without a
father, our mothers are as
widows. We have drunk our
water for money : we have
bought our wood. "We were
dragged by the necks, we were
weary and no rest was given
us. "We have given our hand
to Egypt, and to the Assy-
rians, that we might be satis-
fied with bread. Our fathers
have sinned, and are not : and
we have borne their iniquities.
Servants have ruled over us :
and there was none to redeem
us out of their hand. "We
fetched our bread at the peril
of our lives, because of the
sword in the desert. Our skin
was burnt as an oven, by rea-
son of the violence of the fa-
mine. They oppressed the
women in Sion, and the vir-
gins in the cities of Juda.
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, be
converted to the Lord thy
God.
#. Mourn, O my people, as
a virgin : howl, ye shepherds,
in ashes and hair -cloth : * For
the great and exceeding bit-
ter day of the Lord is coming.
f. Gird yourselves, ye
priests and mourn ; sprinkle
yourselves with ashes, ye
ministers of the altar.
* For the great and exceed-
ing bitter day of the Lord is
coming.
Here, is repeated : Mourn,
O my people.
HOLY SATURDAY : TENEBR^E.
525
SECOND NOCTURN.
The fourfh Psalm speaks of the triumphant entry
which the Son of God, after having risen 'from his
Tomb, shall make into heaven.
Ant. Be ye lifted up, O ye
eternal gates, and the King of
glory shall enter in.
PSALM
The earth is the Lord's and
the fulness thereof ; the world
and all they that dwell there-
in.
For he hath founded it upon
the seas : and hath prepared
it upon the rivers.
Who shall ascend into the
mountain of the Lord ? or who
shall stand in his holy place ?
The innocent in hands, and
clean of heart, who hath not
taken his soul in vain, nor
sworn deceitfully to his
neighbour.
He shall receive a blessing
from the Lord : and mercy
from God his Saviour.
This is the generation of
them that seek him, of them
that seek the face of the God
of Jacob.
Lift up your gates, O ye
princes, and be ye lifted up,
0 eternal gates : and the King
of glory shall enter in.
Who is this King of glory ?
the Lord, who is strong and
mighty, the Lord mighty in
battle.
Lift up your gates, 0 ye
princes, and be ye lifted up, O
eternal gates, and the King of
glory shall enter in.
WTio is this King of glory ?
the Lord of hosts, he is the
King of glory.
Ant. Elevamini portse
soternales, et introibit Eex
glorise.
23.
Domini est terra, et ple-
nitudo ejus : * orbis terra-
rum, et universi qui habi-
tant in eo.
Quia ipse super maria
fundavit eum : * et super
flumina prseparavit eum.
Quis ascendet in montem
Domini : * aut quis stabit in
loco sancto ejus ?
Innocens manibus et mun-
do corde : * qui non accepit
in vano animam suam, nee
juravit in dolo proximo suo.
Hie accipiet benedictionem
a Domino : * et misericor-
diam a Deo salutari suo.
Hsec est generatio quse-
rentium eum : * quaerentium
faciem Dei Jacob.
Attollite portas principes
vestras, et elevamini portse
seternales : * et introibit Eex
gloriae.
Quis est iste Eex gloriee :
* Dominus fortis et potens,
Dominus potens in praelio.
portas principes
elevamini portse
* et introibit Eex
Attollite
vestras, et
seternales :
glorise.
Quis est iste Eex gloriee ?
* Dominus virtutum, ipse est
Eex gloriee.
526
HOLY WEEK.
Ant. Elevamini portse Ant. Be ye lifted up, O
seternales, et introibit Eex eternal gates, and the King
glorise. of glory shall enter in.
The fifth Psalm was sung in yesterday's Office,
and expressed the confidence in his Father's love
and assistance, which never left our Jesus during
his Passion : we repeat it to-day, because it speaks
of his speedy deliverance. The Church changes the
Antiphon, which gave us the words of our Saviour,
complaining of his false witnesses, into the following,
wherein we have our Divine Master telling us, that
he is soon to be in the land of the living.
Ant. Credo videre bona Ant. I believe to see the
Domini in terra viventium. good things of the Lord in the
land of the living.
PSALM 26.
The Lord is my light and
my salvation, whom shall I
fear?
The Lord is the protector
of my life, of whom shall I
be afraid ?
Whilst the wicked draw
near against me, to eat my
flesh.
My enemies that troubled
me have been weakened, and
have fallen.
If armies in camp should
stand together against me,
my heart shall not fear.
If a battle should rise up
against me, in this will I be
confident.
One thing have I asked of
the Lord, this will I seek
after, that I may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days
of my life.
That I may see the delight
of the Lord, and may visit
his temple.
For he hath hid me in his
tabernacle; in the day of evils,
Dominus illuminatio mea,
et salus mea: * quern ti-
mebo ?
Dominus protector vitse
meae : * a quo trepidabo ?
Dum appropiant super
me nocentes : * ut edant
carnes meas.
Qui tribulant me inimici
mei : * ipsi infirmati sunt
et ceciderunt.
Si consistant adversum
me castra : * non timebit
cor meum.
Si exsurgat adversum me
prselium : * in hoc ego spe-
rabo.
Unam petii a Domino,
hanc requiram : * ut inha-
bitem in domo Domini om-
nibus diebus vitse mese.
Ut videam voluptatem Do-
mini : * et visitem templum
ejus.
Quoniam abscondit me in
tabernaculo suo ; * in die
HOLY SATURDAY I TENEBR^E.
527
he hath protected me in the
secret place of his tabernacle.
He hath exalted me upon a
rock : and now he hath lifted
up my head above my ene-
mies.
I have gone round, and have
offered up in his tabernacle a
sacrifice of jubilation : I will
sing, and recite a psalm to
the Lord.
Hear, O Lord, my voice,
with which I have cried to
thee: have mercy on me, and
hear me.
My heart hath said to thee,
my face hath sought thee :
thy face, 0 Lord, will I still
seek.
Turn not away thy face
from me : decline not in thy
wrath from thy servant.
Be thou my helper : forsake
me not, do not thou despise
me, O God my Saviour.
For my father and my
mother have left me : but the
Lord hath taken me up.
Set me, 0 Lord, a law in
thy way : and guide me in
the right path, because of my
enemies.
Deliver me not over to the
will of them that trouble me :
for unjust witnesses have
risen up against me and ini-
quity hath belied itself.
I believe to see the good
things of the Lord in the land
of the living.
Expect the Lord, do man-
fully : and let thy heart take
courage, and wait thou for the
Lord.
Ant. I believe to see the
malorum protexit me in ab-
scondito tabernaculi sui.
In petra exaltavit me : *
et nunc exaltavit caput me-
um super inimicos meos.
Circuivi, et immolavi in
tabernaculo ejus hostiam vo-
ciferationis : * cantabo, et
psalmum dicam Domino.
Exaudi, Domine, vocem
meam, qua clamavi ad te : *
miserere mei, et exaudi me.
Tibi dixit cor meum ex-
quisivit te f acies mea : * faci-
em tuam, Domine, requiram.
Nee avertas faciem tuam
a me : * ne declines in ira a
servo tuo.
Adjutor meus esto : * ne
derelinquas me, neque de-
spicias me, Deus salutaris
meus.
Quoniam pater meus et
mater mea dereliquerunt
me : * Dominus autem as-
sumpsit me.
Legem pone mihi, Domine,
in via tua : * et dirige me in
semitam rectam propter ini-
micos meos.
Ne tradideris me in animas
tribulantium me : * quoniam
insurrexerunt in me testes
iniqui, et mentita est iniqui-
tas sibi.
Credo videre bona Do-
mini : * in terra viventium.
Exspecta Dominum, virili-
ter age : * et confortetur cor
tuum, et sustine Dominum.
Ant. Credo videre bona
2q
528
HOLY WEEK.
Domini in
tium.
terra viven- good things of the Lord in the
land of the living.
The sixth Psalm tells us, that Jesus, the divine
Captive of Death, will soon rise from the grave.
The Prophet speaks of the weeping, which shall last
till evening, and of the gladness, that shall follow in
the morning.
Ant. Domine ahstraxisti
ah inferis animam meam.
Ant. 0 Lord, thou hast
Drought forth my soul from
hell.
PSALM 29.
Exaltaho te Domine,
quoniam suscepisti me : *
nee delectasti inimicos meos
super me.
Domine Deus meus, cla-
mavi ad te : * et sanasti me.
Domine eduxisti ah in-
ferno animam meam : * sal-
vasti me a descendentibus in
lacum.
Psallite Domino sancti
ejus : * et confitemini me-
morise sanctitatis ejus.
Quoniam ira in indigna-
tione ejus : * et vita in vo-
luntate ejus.
Ad vesperum demorabi-
tur fletus : * et ad matuti-
num lsetitia.
Ego autem dixi in abun-
dantia mea : * Non move-
bor in seternum.
Domine in voluntate tua :
* prsestitisti decori meo
virtutem.
Avertisti faciem tuam a
me : * et factus sum contur-
batus.
I will extol thee, 0 Lord,
for thou hast upheld me : and
hast not made my enemies to
rejoice over me.
O Lord, my God, I have
cried to thee, and thou hast
healed me.
Thou hast brought forth, O
Lord, my soul from hell :
thou hast saved me from them
that go down into the pit.
Sing to the Lord, O you
his saints : and give praise to
the memory of his holiness.
For wrath is in his indig-
nation : and life in his good
will.
In the evening, weeping
shall have place : and in the
morning, gladness.
And in my abundance I
said : I shall never be moved.
0 Lord, in thy favour, thou
gavest strength to my beauty.
Thou turnedst away thy
face from me, and I became
troubled.
HOLY SATURDAY : TENEDR^.
529
To thee, O Lord, will I ciy :
and I will make supplication
to my God.
What profit is there in my
blood, whilst I go down to
corruption P
Shall dust confess to thee,
or declare thy truth ?
The Lord hath heard, and
hath had mercy on me : the
Lord became my helper.
Thou hast turned for me
my mourning into joy : thou
hast cut my sackcloth, and
hast compassed me with glad-
ness.
To the end that my glory
may sing to thee, and I may
not regret. O Lord my God,
I will give praise to thee for
ever.
Ant. O Lord, thou hast
brought forth my soul from
hell.
^. But thou, O Lord, have
mercy on me.
gt. And raise me up again,
and I will requite them.
Ad te, Domine, clamabo:
* et ad Deum meum depre-
cabor.
Quae utilitas in sanguine
meo : * dum descendo in
coruptionem ?
Numquid confitebitur tibi
pulvis : * aut annuntiabit
veritatem tuam ?
Audivit Dominus, et mi-
sertus est mei : * Dominus
f actus est adjutor meus.
Convertisti planctum me-
um in gaudium mihi : *
conscidisti saccum meum, et
circumdedisti me laetitia.
Ut cantet tibi gloria mea,
et non compungar : * Do-
mine Deus meus, in seternum
confitebor tibi.
Ant. Domine abstraxisti
ab inferis aiiimam meam.
f, Tu autem, Domine,
miserere mei.
gt. Et resuscita me, et re-
tribuam eis.
The Pater noster is here recited in secret.
For the second Nocturn Lessons, the Church con-
tinues the Enarrations of St. Augustine on the
Psalms prophetic of our Lord's Passion.
fourth lesson.
From the treatise of Saint
Augustine, Bishop, upon
the Psalms.
Man shall come to the deep
hearty and Qod shall be exalted.
They said. Who will see us ?
They failed in making dili-
gent search for wicked designs.
Ex tractatu Sancti Au-
gustini Episcopi, super
Psalmos.
Accedet homo ad cor al-
tum, et exaltabitur Deus.
Illi dixerunt : Quis nos vi-
debit? Defecerunt scrutan-
tes scrutationes, consilia
530
HOLY WEEK.
mala. Accessit homo ad
ipsa consilia : passus est se
teneri ut homo. Non enim
teneretur nisi homo, aut vi-
deretur nisi homo, aut csede-
retur nisi homo, aut crucifi-
geretur, aut moreretur nisi
homo. Accessit ergo homo
ad illas omnes passiones,
quae in illo nihil valerent,
nisi esset homo. Sed si ille
non esset homo, non libera-
retur homo. Accessit homo
ad cor altum, id est cor se-
cretum, objiciens aspectibus
humanis hominem, servans
intus Deum, celans formam
Dei, in qua sequalis est Pa-
tri, et offerens formam servi,
qua minor est Patre.
#. Recessit Pastor noster,
fons aquae vivse, ad cujus
transitum sol obscuratus
est : * Nam et ille captus
est, qui captivum tenebat
primum hominem : hodie
portas mortis et seras pa-
riter Salvator noster disrupit.
HF. Destruxit quidem clau-
stra inferni, et subvertit po-
tentias diaboli.
* Nam et ille captus est
qui captivum tenebat pri-
mum hominem : hodie portas
mortis et seras pariter Sal-
vator noster disrupit.
Christ, as Man, came to those
designs, and suffered himself
to be seized on as a Man. For
he could not be seized on if he
were not Man, nor seen, if he
were not Man, nor scourged,
if he were not Man, nor cru-
cified, nor die, if he were not
Man. As Man, therefore, he
came to all these sufferings,
which could have no effect on
him, if he were not Man. But
if he had not been Man, man
could not have been redeemed.
Man came to the deep heart,
that is, the secret heart, ex-
posing his humanity to human
view, but hiding his divinity :
concealing the form of God,
by which he is equal to the
Father ; and offering the form
of the servant, by which he is
inferior to the Father.
gt. Our Shepherd, the foun-
tain of living water, is gone ;
at whose departure, the sun
was darkened. * For he is
taken, who made the first man
a prisoner. To-day our Sa-
viour broke the gates and
bolts of death.
^. He, indeed, destroyed
the prisons of hell, and over-
threw the powers of the devil.
* For Ae is taken, who made
the first man a prisoner. To-
day our Saviour broke the
gates and bolts of death.
FIFTH LESSON.
Quo perduxerunt illas How far did they carry this
scrutationes suas, quas per- their diligent search, in which
scrutantes defecerunt, ut they failed so much, that
HOLY SATURDAY : TENERRJR.
531
when our Lord was dead and
buried, they placed guards at
the sepulchre ? For they said
to Pilate : This seducer, (by
which name our Lord Jesus
Christ was called, for the com-
fort of his servants, when they
are called seducers,) this se-
ducer, say they to Pilate,
whilst he was yet living, said :
After three days I will rise
again. Command therefore
the sepulchre to be guarded
until the third day, lest per-
haps his disciples come and
steal him away, and say to the
people, he is risen from the
dead : and the last error will
be worse than the first. Pilate
saith to them : Ye have a
guard, go, and guard him as
ye know. And they went
away and secured the sepul-
chre with guards, sealing up
the stone.
gt. O all ye, that pass by
the way, attend and see, * If
there be sorrow like unto my
sorrow.
$ . Attend all ye people, and
see my sorrow.
* If there be sorrow like
unto my sorrow.
etiam mortuo Domino et
sepulto, custodes ponerent
ad sepulchrum. Dixerunt
enim Pilato : Seductor ille.
Hoc appellabatur nomine
Dominus Jesus Christus,
ad solatium servorum suo-
rum, quando dicuntur se-
ductores. Ergo illi Pilato :
Seductor ille, inquiunt, dix-
it adhuc vivens : Post tres
dies resurgam. Jube itaque
custodiri sepulchrum usque
in diem tertium, ne forte
veniant discipuli ejus, et
furentur eum, et dicant
plebi : Surrexit a mortuis :
et erit novissimus error pe-
jor priore. Ait illis Pilatus :
Habetis custodiam ; ite, cus-
todite sicut scitis. Illi au-
tem abeuntes, munierunt
sepulchrum, signantes lapi-
dem cum custodjbus.
gt. O vos omnes, qui tran-
sitis per viam, attendite et
videte, * Si est dolor similis
sicut dolor meus.
y. Attendite universi po-
puli, et videte dolorem
meum.
* Si est dolor similis sicut
dolor meus.
SIXTH LESSON.
They placed soldiers to
guard the sepulchre. The
earth shook, and the Lord
rose again : such miracles
were done at the sepulchre,
that the very soldiers that
came as guards might be wit-
nesses of it, if they would
declare the truth. But that
Posuerunt custodes mili-
tes ad sepulchrum. Con-
cussa terra Dominus resur-
rexit : miracula facta sunt
talia circa sepulchrum, ut
et ipsi milites qui custodes
advenerant, testes fierent, si
vellent vera nuntiare. Sed
avaritia ilia, quae captivavit
532
HOLY WEEK.
discipulum comitem Christi,
captivavit et militem custo-
dem sepulchri. Damus, in-
quiunt, vobis pecuniam, et
dicite, quia, vobis dormienti-
bus, venerunt discipuli ejus,
et abstulerunt eum. Vere
defecerunt scrutantes scru-
tationes. Quid est quod
dixisti, o infelix astutia ?
Tantumne deseris lucem
consilii pietatis, et in pro-
funda versutia demergeris,
ut hoc dicas : Dicite, quia,
vobis dormientibus, vene-
runt discipuli ejus, et abstu-
lerunt eum ? Dormientes
testes adhibes : vere tu ipse
obdormisti, qui scrutando
talia defecisti.
y. Ecce quomodo moritur
Justus, et nemo percipit
corde : et viri justi tolluntur
et nemo considerat : a facie
iniquitatis sublatus est Jus-
tus : * Et erit in pace me-
moria ejus.
y. Tamquam agnus co-
ram tondente se obmutuit,
et non aperuit os suum : de
angustia, et de judicio sub-
latus est.
* Et erit in pace memo-
ria ejus.
Here, is repeated : Ecce
quomodo.
covetousness which possessed
the disciple that was the
companion of Christ, blinded
also the soldiers that were the
guards of his sepulchre. We
will give you money, said they :
and say, that whilst ye were
asleep, his disciples came and
took him away : They truly
failed, in making diligent
search. What is it thou hast
said, 0 wretched craft ? Dost
thou shut thy eyes against the
light of prudence and piety,
and plunge thyself so deep m
cunning, as to say this : Say
that whilst ye were asleep, his
disciples came and took him
away ? Dost thou produce
sleeping witnesses ? Certainly
thou thyself sleepest, that/eu7-
edst in making search after
such things.
y. Behold! how the Just
One dieth, and there is none
that taketh it to heart: and
just men are taken away and
no one considereth it : the Just
One is taken away because of
iniquity : * And his memory
shall be in peace.
1? . He was silent, as a lamb
under his shearer, and he
opened not his mouth : he
was taken away from distress
and judgment.
* And his memory shall
be in peace.
Here, is repeated : Behold !
THIRD NOCTURN.
The seventh JPsalm is one we sang yesterday,
when commemorating the persecution our Saviour
HOLY SATURDAY : TENEBR-E.
533
met with from the Jews. We repeat it, to-day,
because of his approaching triumph, for the Eternal
Father is his helper and protector.
Ant. God is my helper,
and the Lord is the protector
of my soul.
Ant. Deus adjuvat me,
et Dominus susceptor est
animse meae.
PSALM 53.
Save me, O God, by thy
name, and judge me in thy
strength.
0 God, hear my prayer :
give ear to the words of my
mouth.
For strangers have risen up
against me : and the mighty
have sought after my soul :
and they have not set God
before their eyes.
For behold God is my
helper : and the Lord is the
protector of my soul.
Turn back the evils upon
my enemies : and cut them
off in thy truth.
1 will freely sacrifice to
thee, and will give praise, O
God, to thy name : because
it is good.
For thou hast delivered me
out of all trouble : and my
eye hath looked down upon
my enemies.
Ant. God is my helper,
and the Lord is the protector
of my soul.
Deus, in nomine tuo sal-
vum me fac : * et in virtute
tua judica me.
Deus, exaudi orationem
meam : * auribus percipe
verba oris mei.
Quoniam alieni insurrex-
erunt adversum me, et for-
tes quaesierunt animam me-
am : * et non proposuerunt
Deum ante conspectum su-
um.
Ecce enim Deus adjuvat
me : * et Dominus suscep-
tor est animae meae.
Averte mala inimicis
meis : * et in veritate tua
disperde illos.
Voluntarie sacrificabo ti-
bi : * et confitebor nomini
tuo, Domine, quoniam bo-
num est.
Quoniam ex omni tribu-
latione eripuisti me : * et
super inimicos meos des-
pexit oculus meus.
Ant. Deus adjuvat me,
et Dominus susceptor est
animae meae.
The eighth Psalm is one that was sung in the
Tenebrce for Maundy Thursday : then, it was an
allusion to the divine vengeance that was to fall on
the enemies of Jesus ; to-day, we must rejoice in its
534
HOLY WEEK.
prophecy of the sleep of peace, which this Saviour of
ours is taking in Sion. A few more hours, and he
will rise from his Tomb. His enemies, who boast
of having him in their power, will find, on awaking,
that they have nothing in their hands. The earth
shall tremble, and our Lord shall arise, an object of
terror to his enemies, but a Saviour to the meek,
that is, to the humble and faithful ones, who will
then praise him as the Grod ever faithful to his
word.
Ant. In pace factus est
locus ejus, et in Sion habi-
tatio ejus.
Ant. His place is in peace,
and his abode in Sion.
PSALM 75.
m
Notus in Judea Deus : *
Israel magnum nomen
ejus.
Et factus est m pace lo-
cus ejus : * et habitatio ejus
in Sion.
Ibi conf regit potentias ar-
cuum : * scutum, gladium,
et bellum.
Illuminans tu mirabiliter
a montibus seternis : * tur-
bati sunt omnes insipientes
corde.
Dormierunt somnum su-
um : * et nihil invenerunt
omnes viri divitiarum in
manibus suis.
Ab increpatione tua, Deus,
Jacob : * dormitaverunt qui
ascenderunt equos.
Tu terribilis es, et quis
resistet tibi : * ex tunc ira
tua.
De ccelo auditum fecisti
judicium : * terra tremuit et
quievit.
In Judea God is known,
his name is great in Israel.
And his place is in peace,
and his abode in Sion.
There hath he broken the
power of bows, the shield,
the sword, and the battle.
Thou enlightenest wonder-
fully from the everlasting
hills : all the foolish of heart
were troubled.
They have slept their sleep :
and all the men of riches have
found nothing in their hands.
At thy rebuke, O God of
Jacob, they have all slumber-
ed that mounted on horse-
back.
Thou art terrible, and who
shall resist thee ? from that
time thy wrath.
Thou hast caused judg-
ment to be heard from heaven :
the earth trembled and was
still.
HOLY SATURDAY : TENEBR^E.
535
When God arose in judg-
ment, to save all the meek of
the earth.
For the thought of man
shall give praise to thee : and
the remainders of the thought
shall keep holiday to thee.
Vow ye, and pray to the
Lord your God : all you that
round about him bring pre-
sents.
To him that is terrible, even
to him who taketh away the
spirit of princes ; to the ter-
rible with the kings of the
earth.
Ant. His place is in peace,
and his abode in Sion.
Cum exsurgeret in judici-
um Deus : * ut salvos faceret
omnes mansuetos terrse.
Quoniam cogitatio homi-
nis confitebitur tibi : * et
reliquiflo cogitationis diem
festum agent tibi.
Vovete et reddite Domino
Deo vestro : * omnes qui in
circuitu ejus affertis mu-
nera.
Terribili et ei qui aufert
spiriturn principum : * ter-
ribili apud reges terrse.
Ant. In pace f actus est
locus ejus, et in Sion habi-
tatio ejus.
The ninth Psalm is repeated from yesterday's
Office. It shows us our Saviour praying to his
Father, that he will raise him, and free him from
among the dead. The time fixed for his lying in
the darkness of the sepulchre is over, the hour of his
Resurrection to Life is at hand.
Ant. I am become as a
man without help, ivhose life
is set free, and he is now
numbered among the dead.
Ant. Factus sum
homo sine adj utorio,
mortuos liber.
sicut
inter
PSALM 87.
O Lord, the God of my sal-
vation, I have cried in the day,
and in the night before thee.
Let my prayer come in be-
fore thee : incline thy ear to
my petition.
For my soul is filled with
evils : and my life hath drawn
nigh to hell.
Domine, Deus salutis
mese : * in die clamavi, et
nocte coram te.
Intret in conspectu tuo
oratio mea : * inclina aurem
tuam ad precem meam.
Quia repleta est malis
anima mea : * et vita mea
inferno appropinquavit.
2 R
536
HOLY WEEK.
iEstimatus sum cum des-
cendentibus in lacum : * f ac-
tus sum sicut homo sine ad-
jutorio, inter mortuos liber.
Sicut vulnerati dormien-
tes in sepulchris, quorum
non es memor amplius : * et
ipsi de manu tua repulsi
sunt.
Posuerunt me in lacu in-
feriori : * in tenebrosis, et
in umbra mortis.
Super me confirmatus est
furor tuus : * et omnes fluc-
tus tuos induxisti super
me,
Longe fecisti notos meos
a me : * posuerunt me
abominationem sibi.
Traditus sum, et non egre-
diebar : * oculi mei langue-
runt prse inopia.
Clamavi ad te, Domine,
tota die : * expandi ad te
manus meas.
Numquid mortuis facies
mirabilia : * aut medici sus-
citabunt, et confitebuntur
tibi?
Numquid narrabit aliquis
in sepulchro misericordiam
tuam : * et veritatem tuam
in perditione ?
Numquid cognoscentur in
tenebris mirabilia tua : * et
justitia tua in terra obli-
vionis ?
Et ego ad te, Domine,
clamavi : * et mane oratio
mea praeveniet te.
XJt quid, Domine, repellis
orationem meam : * avertis
faciem tuam a me ?
Pauper sum ego, et in
I am counted among them
that go down to the pit : I am
become as a man without
help, free among the dead.
Like the slain sleeping in
the sepulchres, whom thou re-
memberest no more : and they
are cast off from thy hand.
They have laid me in the
lower pit : in the dark places
and in the shadow of death.
Thy wrath is strong over
me : and all thy waves thou
hast brought in upon me.
Thou hast put away my
acquaintance far from me :
they have set me an abomi-
nation to themselves.
I was delivered up, and
came not forth : my eyes
languished through poverty.
All the day I cried to thee,
0 Lord : I stretched out my
hands to thee.
Wilt thou show wonders to
the dead : or shall physicians
raise to life, and give praise
to thee ?
Shall any one in the sepul-
chre declare thy mercy, and
thy truth in destruction ?
Shall thy wonders be known
in the dark : and thy justice
in the land of forgetfulness ?
But I, 0 Lord, have cried
to thee : and in the morning
my prayer shall prevent thee.
Lord, why castest thou off
my prayer : why turnest thou
away thy face from me ?
I am poor, and in labours
HOLY SATURDAY I TENEKR^.
537
laboribus a juventute mea : *
exaltatus autem, humiliatus
sum et conturbatus.
In me transierunt irse
tuse: * et terrores tui contur-
baverunt me.
Circumdederunt me sicut
aqua tota die : * circumde-
derunt me simul.
Elongasti a me amicum et
proximum : * et notos meos
a miseria.
Ant. Factus sum sicut
homo sine adjutorio, inter
mortuos liber.
JP. In pace factus est lo-
cus ejus.
$. Et in Sion habitatio
ejus.
The Pater noster is here recited in secret.
The third Nocturn Lessons are again from the
Epistle to the Hebrews. In the passage chosen for
to-day, the Apostle shows us the divine efficacy of
the Blood of Jesus, and how his Testament, or Last
Will, could not be applied to us, save by his Death.
from my youth : and being
exalted, have been humbled
and troubled.
Thy wrath hath come upon
me : and thy terrors have
troubled me.
They have come round
about me like water all the
day : they have compassed
me about together.
Friend and neighbour thou
hast put far from me : and
my acquaintance because of
misery.
Ant. I am become as a
man without help, whose life
is set/ree, and he now num-
bered among the dead.
^. His place is in peace.
#. And his abode in Sion.
SEVENTH LESSON.
From the Epistle of St. Paul
to the Hebrews.
Ch. XIX.
Christ being come a High
Priest of the good things to
come, by a greater and more
perfect tabernacle not made
with hands, that is, not of
this creation : neither by the
blood of goats, nor of calves,
but by his own Blood, entered
once into the holies having
De Epistola Beati Pauli
Apostoli ad Hebrseos.
Cap. XIX.
Christus assistens Ponti-
fex f uturorum bonorum ;
per amplius et perfectius
tabernaculum non manu-
f actum, id est non hujus
creationis ; neque per san-
guinem hircorum aut vitu-
lorum, sed per proprium
Sanguinem introivit semel
538
HOLY WEEK.
in Sancta, aoterna redemp-
tione inventa. Si enim
sanguis hircorum et tauro-
rum, et cinis vitulse asper-
sus inquinatos sanctificat
ad emundationem carnis :
quanto magis Sanguis Christi
qui per Spiritum Sanctum
semetipsum obtulit immacu-
latum Deo, emundabit con-
scientiam nostram ab operi-
bus mortuis ad serviendum
Deo viventi ?
gt. Adstiterunt reges ter-
rse, et principes convene-
runt in unum, * Ad versus
Dominum, et adversus
Christum ejus.
^. Quare fremuerunt gen-
tes, et populi meditati sunt
inania ?
* Adversus Dominum, et
adversus Christum ejus.
obtained eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and
of oxen, and the ashes of an
heifer being sprinkled, sanc-
tify such as are denied, to the
cleansing of the flesh : how
much more shall the Blood of
Christ, who through the Holy
Ghost offered himself without
spot to God, cleanse our con-
science from dead works, to
serve the living God ?
#. The kings of the earth
stood, and the princes met to-
gether, * Against the Lord,
and against his Christ.
. #\ Why have the Gentiles
raged, and the people devised
vain things ?
* Against the Lord, and
against his Christ.
EIGHTH LESSON.
Et ideo novi Testamenti
mediator est : ut morte in-
tercedente, in redemptio-
nem earum prsevaricatio-
num, quae erant sub priori
testamento, repromissio-
nem accipiant, qui vocati
sunt seternse haereditatis.
Ubi enim testamentum est,
mors necesse est interce-
dat testatoris. Testamen-
tum enim in mortuis con-
firmatum est ; alioquin non-
dum valet, dum vivit qui
testatus est. TJnde nee
primum quidem sine san-
guine dedicatum est.
gt. iEstimatus sum cum
descendentibus in lacum.
And therefore he is the me-
diator of the new testament :
that by means of his death,
for the redemption of those
transgressions which were
under the former testament,
they that are called may re-
ceive the promise of eternal
inheritance. For where there
is a testament, the death of a
testator must of necessity come
in. For a testament is of
force, after men are dead :
otherwise it is as yet of no
strength, whilst the testator
liveth. Whereupon neither
was the first indeed dedicated
without blood.
$. I am counted among
them that go down to the pit.
HOLY SATURDAY I TENEBR/R.
539
* I am become as a man
without help, free among the
dead.
^ . They have laid me in the
lower pit, in the dark places,
and in the shadow of death.
* I am become as a man
without help, free among the
dead.
* Pactus sum sicut homo
sine adjutorio, inter mortuos
liber.
y. Posuerunt me in lacu
inferiori, in tenebrosis, et in
umbra mortis.
* Factus sum sicut homo
sine adjutorio, inter mortuos
liber.
NINTH LESSON.
For when every command-
ment of the law had been read
by Moses to all the people, he
took the blood of calves and
goats, with water and scarlet
wool and hyssop , and sprinkled
both the book itself and all the
people, saying : This is the
blood of the testament, which
God hath enjoined to you.
The tabernacle also, and all
the vessels of the ministry, in
like manner, he sprinkled
with blood. And almost all
things, according to the law,
are cleansed with blood : and
without shedding of blood
there is no remission.
&. Having buried our Lord,
they sealed up the Sepulchre,
rolling a stone before the
entrance of the Sepulchre : *
Placing soldiers to guard him.
t. The chief priests went
to Pilate, and sought his per-
mission.
* Placing soldiers to guard
him.
Here, is repeated : Having
buried,
Lecto enim omni mandato
legis a Moyse universo
populo, accipiens sanguinem
vitulorum et hircorum, cum
aqua et lana coccinea et
hyssopo ; ipsum quoque
librum et omnem populum
aspersit, dicens : Hie san-
guis testamenti, quod man-
davit ad vos Deus. Etiam
tabernaculum, et omnia vasa
ministerii sanguine similiter
aspersit. Et omnia pene
in sanguine secundum legem
mundantur : et sine san-
guinis effusione non fit
remissio.
gt. Sepulto Domino, sig-
natum est monumentum,
volventes lapidem ad ostium
monumenti : * Ponentes mi-
lites, qui custodirent ilium.
t. Accedentes principes
sacerdotum ad Pilatum, pe-
tierunt ilium.
* Ponentes milites, qui
custodirent ilium.
Here, is repeated : Sepulto
Domino.
540
HOLY WEEK.
LAUDS.
The first Psalm of Lauds is the Miserere, (page
338.J Its Antiphon is the following :
Ant. 0 mors, ero mors
tua : morsus tuus ero, in-
ferne.
Ant. O Death ! I will be
thy death. O Hell ! I will
be thy ruin.
The second Psalm is one of those that were com-
posed by David, when he was in banishment. He
here expresses the desire and hope of again seeing
his country. He is a figure of our Saviour when
lying in the grave, and longing for the day of his
Eesurrection.
Ant. Plangent eum quasi
unigenitum ; quia innocens
Dominus occisus est.
Ant. They shall mourn
for him as for an only son :
because the innocent Lord is
slain.
PSALM 42.
Judica me, Deus, et dis-
cerne causam meam de gente
non sancta : * ab homine
iniquo et doloso erue me.
Quia tu es Deus fortitudo
mea : * quare me repulisti,
et quare tristis incedo, dum
affligit me inimicus ?
Emitte lucem tuam et
veritatem tuam : * ipsa me
deduxerunt, et adduxerunt
in montem sanctum tuum, et
in tabernacula tua.
Et introibo ad altare Dei :
* ad Deum qui lsetificat ju-
ventutem meam,
Judge me, 0 God, and dis-
tinguish my cause from the
nation that is not holy : de-
liver me from the unjust and
deceitful man.
Eor thou art God my
strength : why hast thou cast
me off ? and why do I go
sorrowful whilst the enemy
afflicteth me ?
Send forth thy light and
thy truth : they have con-
ducted me, and brought me
unto thy holy hill, and into
thy tabernacles.
And I will go into the altar
of God : to God who giveth
joy to my youth.
HOLY SATURDAY I TENEBRJE. 541
To thee, 0 God, my God, Confitebor tibi in cithara
I will give praise upon the Deus, Deus meus : * quare
harp: why art thou sad, O tristis es, animamea, et quare
rriy soul, and why dost thou conturbas me ?
disquiet me ?
Hope in God, for I will still Spera in Deo, quoniam
give praise to him : the sal- adhuc confitebor illi : * sa-
vation of my countenance and lutare vultus mei, et Deus
my God. meus.
Ant. They shall mourn Ant. Plangent eum quasi
him as for an only son : be- unigenitum : quia innocens
cause the innocent Lord is Dominus occisus est.
slain.
The third Psalm is the Deus, Deus meus, (page
340.J Its Antiphon is as follows :
Ant. Attend, all ye people, Ant. Attendite universi
and see my sorrow. populi, et videte dolorem
meum.
The Canticle of Ezechias, which is always sung in
Tuesday's Lauds, is here substituted for that of
Deuteronomy, which is the proper one for Saturdays,
but which is not in harmony with to-day's mystery.
Ezechias lying on his sick bed, and praying &od to
restore him to health, is a figure of Christ in his
Tomb, beseeching his Father to give him a speedy
Resurrection to life.
Ant. From the gate of Ant. A porta inferi erue,
the tomb, O Lord, deliver Domine, animam meam.
my soul.
CANTICLE OF EZECHIAS.
(Is. XXXVIII. J
I said in the midst of my Ego dixi : in dimidio die-
days : I shall go to the gates rum meorum : * vadam ad
of hell. portas inferi.
I sought for the residue of Quaesivi residuum anno-
my years : I said, I shall not rum meorum : * dixi : Non
see the Lord God in the land videbo Dominum Deum in
of the living. terra yiventium.
542
HOLY WEEK.
Non aspiciam hominem
altra : * et habitatorem
quietis.
Generatio mea ablata est,
et convoluta est a me : *
quasi tabernaculum pasto-
rum.
Precisa est velut a texen-
te, vita mea, dum adhuc
ordirer, succidit me : * de
mane usque ad vesperam
finies me.
Sperabam usque ad mane :
* quasi leo sic contrivit om-
nia ossa mea.
De mane usque ad vespe-
ram finies me : * sicut pullus
hirundinis sic clamabo, me-
ditabor ut columba.
Attenuati sunt oculi mei :
* suspicientes in excelsum.
Domine, vim patior, re-
sponde pro me : * Quid
dicam, aut quid respondebit
mihi, cum ipse fecerit ?
Recogitabo tibi omnes
annos meos : * in amaritu-
dine animee mese.
Domine, si sic vivitur, et
in talibus, vita spiritus mei,
corripies me, et vivificabis
me : * ecce in pace amari-
tudo mea amarissima.
Tu autem eruisti animam
meam ut non periret : * pro-
jecisti post tergum tuum
omnia peccata mea.
Quia non infernus con-
fitebitur tibi, neque mors
laudabit te : * non exspecta-
bunt qui descendunt in lacum
veritatem tuam.
Vivens, vivens, ipse con-
I shall behold man no more,
nor the inhabitant of rest.
My generation is at an end,
and it is rolled away from me
as a shepherd's tent.
My life is cut off as by a
weaver ; whilst I was but be-
ginning, he cut me off : from
morning even till night thou
wilt make an end of me.
I hoped till morning : as a
lion so hath he broken my
bones.
From morning even till
night thou wilt make an end
of me : I will cry like a young
swallow, I will meditate like
a dove.
My eyes are weakened with
looking upward.
Lord, I surfer violence,
answer thou for me. What '
shall I say, or what shall he
answer for me, whereas he
himself hath done it ?
I will recount to thee all
my years, in the bitterness of
my soul.
0 Lord, if man's life be
such, and the life of my spirit
be in such things as these,
thou shalt correct me, and
make me to live. Behold in
peace is my bitterness most
bitter.
But thou hast delivered my
soul that it should not perish :
thou hast cast all my sins be-
hind thy back.
For hell shall not confess to
thee, neither shall death praise
thee : nor shall they that go
down into the pit look for thy
truth.
The living, the living, he
HOLY SATURDAY I TENEHRJR.
543
shall give praise to thee, as I
do this day : the father shall
make thy truth known to the
children.
0 Lord, save me, and we
will sing our psalms all the
days of our life, in the house
of the Lord.
Ant. From the gate of
the tomb, 0 Lord, deliver
my soul.
ntebitur tibi, sicut et ego
hodie : * pater filiis notam
faciet veritatem tuam.
Domine, salvum me fac :
* et psalmos nostros canta-
bimus cunctis diebus vitse
nostra) in domo Domini.
Ant. A porta inferi, erue,
Domine, animam meam.
The last Psalm of Lauds is the Laudate Dommum
de coelis, (page 345. ) Its Antiphon is the following :
Ant. O all ye that pass
by the way, attend and see,
if there be sorrow like unto
my sorrow.
f. My flesh shall rest in
hope.
gt. And thou wilt not suf-
fer thy Holy One to see cor-
ruption.
0 vos omnes, qui
per viam, attendite
est dolor sicut
Ant.
transitis
et videte, si
dolor meus.
^ . Caro mea requiescet in
spe.
$. Et non dabis Sanctum
tuum videre corruptionem.
After this Yersicle, the Benedictus (page 348 J is
sung, to the following Antiphon :
Ant. The women, sitting
near the Tomb, mourned,
weeping for the Lord.
Ant. Mulieres sedentes
ad monumentum lamenta-
bantur, flentes Dominum.
The Antiphon having been repeated after the
Canticle, the Choir sings, to a touching melody, the
following words, which are repeated at the end of all
the Canonical Hours of these three days. But to-day
the Church is not satisfied with announcing the Death
of her Jesus : she adds the remaining words of the
Apostle, wherein he tells us of the glory of the Man-
God, the Conqueror of the Tomb.
544
HOLY WEEK.
f. Christus f actus est pro
nobis obediens usque ad
mortem, mortem autem
crucis :
Propter quod et Deus
exaltavit ilium, et dedit illi
nomen, quod est super om-
ne nomen.
$. Christ became, for our
sakes, obedient unto death,
even to the death of the Cross :
For which cause, God
also hath exalted him, and
hath given him a name, which
is above all names.
Then is said, in secret, the Pater noster, which is
followed by the Miserere (page 336J. As soon as
the Psalm is finished, the following Prayer is recited
by the first in dignity :
Respice, qusesumus, Do-
mine, super hanc familiam
tuam : pro qua Dominus
noster Jesus Christus non
dubitavit manibus tradi no-
centium, et crucis subire
tormentum.
Look down, 0 Lord, we
beseech thee, upon this thy
family, for which our Lord
Jesus Christ hesitated not to
be delivered into the hands
of wicked men, and undergo
the punishment of the Cross.
(Then, the rest in secret :)
Qui tecum vivit et regnat, Who liveth and reigneth
in unitate Spiritus Sancti, with thee, in the unity of the
Deus, per omnia ssecula Holy Ghost, God, world with-
saeculorum. Amen. out end. Amen.
THE MORNING.
A night has passed over the Tomb, wherein lies
\ buried the Body of the Man-God. Death is trium-
phant in that silent cave, and holds captive Him that
gives life to every creature : — but his triumph will
( soon be at an end. The Soldiers may watch, as best
Hhey will, over that Grave : they cannot hold Jesus
prisoner, as soon as the moment fixed for his Resur-
rection comes. The holy Angels are there, profoundly
adoring the lifeless Body of Him, whose Blood is to
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING. 545
reconcile all things, both on earth, and in heaven}
This Body, though for a brief interval, separated
from the Soul, is still united to the Person of the Son
of Grod ; so, likewise, the Soul, during its separation
from the Body, has not, for an instant, lost its union
with the Word. The Divinity remains also united
with the Blood that lies sprinkled on Calvary, and
which, at the moment of the Resurrection of the
Man- Grod, is to enter once more into his sacred veins.
Let us also return to the Sepulchre, and adore the
Body of our Buried Jesus. Now, at last, we under-
stand what sin has done : By sin, death entered into
the world ; and it passed upon all men.2 Though
Jesus knew no sin,z yet has he permitted Death to
have dominion over him, in order that he might make
it less bitter to us, and by his Resurrection, restore
unto us that eternal life, of which we had been de-
prived by sin. How gratefully we should appreciate
this Death of our Jesus ! By becoming Incarnate,
he became a Servant ;4 his Death was a still deeper
humiliation. The sight of this Tomb, wherein his
Body lies lifeless and cold, teaches us something far
more important than the power of death : — it reveals
to us the immense, the incomprehensible love of Grod
for man. He knew that we were to gain by his hu-
miliations : the greater his humiliations, the greater
our exaltation : this was his principle, and it led him
to what seems like an excess ! Let us, then, love
this sacred Sepulchre, which is to give us Life. We
have thanked him for having died for us upon the
Cross ; let us thank him, but most feelingly, for
having humbled himself, for our sakes, even to the
Tomb!
And now let us visit the Holy Mother, who has
passed the night in Jerusalem, going over, in saddest
1 Coloss. i. 20. 3 2 Cor. v. 21.
2 Rom. v. 12. * Philipp. ii. 7.
546 HOTAr WEEK.
memory the scenes she has witnessed. Her Jesus
has been a Victim to every possible insult and
cruelty : he has been crucified : his Precious Blood
has flowed in torrents from those Five Wounds : he
is dead, and now lies buried in yonder Tomb, as
though he were but a mere man, yea the most abject
of men. How many tears have fallen, during these
long hours, from the eyes of the Daughter of David !
and yet, her Son has not come back to her ! Near
her is Magdalene ; heart-broken by yesterday's
events, she has no words to tell her grief, for Jesus
is gone, and, as she thinks for ever. The other
Women, less loved by Jesus than Magdalene, yet,
most dear to him, stand around the disconsolate
Mother. They have braved every insult and danger
in order to remain on Calvary till all was over, and
they intend returning thither with Magdalene, as
soon as the Sabbath is over, to honour the Tomb and
the Body of Jesus.
John, the adopted son of Mary, and the Beloved
Disciple of Jesus, is oppressed with sorrow. Others,
also, of the Apostles and Disciples visit the house of
mourning. Peter, penitent and humble, fears not to
appear before the Mother of Mercy. Among the
Disciples, are Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
We may easily imagine the conversation, — it is on
the Sufferings and Death of Jesus, and on the in-
gratitude of the Jews. The Church, in the 7th E.es-
ponsory of to-day's Tenebrce, represents these men as
saying : " Behold ! how the Just One dieth, and there
" is none that taketh it to heart. Iniquity has had
" its way. He was silent as a Lamb under his shearer,
" and he opened not his mouth. He was taken away
" from distress and judgment : but his memory shall
"be in peace."
Thus speak the men ! — the women are thinking of
their morrow's visit to the Sepulchre ! The saintli-
ness of Jesus, his goodness, his power, his Sufferings,
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING. 547
his Death, — everything is remembered, except his
Resurrection, which they had often heard him say
should certainly and speedily take place. Mary
alone lives in expectation of his triumph. In her
was verified that expression of the Holy Grhost, where,
speaking of the Valiant Woman, he says : Her lamp
shall not be put out in the night.1 Her courage fails
not, because she knows that the Sepulchre must
yield up its Dead, and her Jesus will rise again to
Life. St. Paul tells us that our religion is vain, un-
less we have faith in the mystery of our Saviour's
Resurrection ; — where was this faith on the day after
our Lord's Death ? In one heart only, — and that
was Mary's. As it was her chaste womb, that had
held within it Him, whom heaven and earth cannot
contain, — so on this day, by her firm and unwavering
faith, she resumes within her single self the whole
Church. How sacred is this Saturday, which, not-
withstanding all its sadness, is such a day of glory to
the Mother of Jesus ! It is on this account that
the Church has consecrated to Mary the Saturday of
every week.
But it is time to repair to the House of God.
The Bells are still silent : our faith must speak to
us, and make us eager to assist at the grand Myste-
ries, which the Liturgy is about to celebrate. Surely,
the christian sentiment must be dead in them who
can be willingly absent from the Church on such a
morning as this. No, it cannot be, that we, who
have followed the celebration of the Mysteries of our
Religion thus far, can flag now, and lose the graces
of this morning's magnificent Service.
1 Prov. xxxi. 18.
r
548 HOLY WEEK.
THE MORNING SERVICE.
It was the practice of the Church, and one that
had been handed down from the earliest Ages, that
the Sacrifice of the Mass should not be offered up
either yesterday or to-day. Yesterday, the anniver-
sary of Jesus' Death, was exclusively devoted to the
remembrance of the Mystery of Calvary, and a holy
fear kept the Church from renewing that Sacrifice
upon her Altars. Eor the same reason, she abstained
to-day, also, from its celebration. The Burial of
Christ is a sequel of his Passion : and during these
hours when his Body lay lifeless in the Tomb, it was
fitting that the Sacrifice, wherein he is oifered as
the glorious and Risen Jesus, should be suspended.
Even the Greek Church, which never fasts on the
Saturdays of Lent, follows the practice of the Latin
Church for this Saturday : she not only fasts, but she
even omits the celebration of the Mass of the Pre-
samtified.
Such, we repeat, was the discipline of the Latin
Church for nearly a thousand years : but about the
11th century, an important change began to be intro-
duced with regard to the celebration of Mass on Holy
Saturday. The Mass which, hitherto, had been
celebrated during the Night preceding Easter Sun-
day,— then began to be anticipated, on the Saturday ;
but it was always considered as the Mass of the hour
of our Lord's Resurrection, and not as the Mass of
Holy Saturday. The relaxations, that had been
introduced with regard to Fasting, were the occasion
of this change in the Liturgy. In the first ages, the
Faithful watched the whole night in the Church,
awaiting the hour when our Lord rose triumphant
from the Tomb. They also assisted at the solemn
administration of Baptism to the Catechumens,
which so sublimely expressed the passing from spiri-
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE. 549
tual death to the life of grace. There was no other
Vigil in the whole Year, which was so solemnly
observed as this : but it lost a great portion of its
interest, when the necessity of baptising Adults was
removed by Christianity having triumphed whereso-
ever it had been preached. The Orientals have kept
up the ancient tradition to this day : but in the
West, dating from the 11th century, the Mass of the
Resurrection Hour has been gradually anticipated,
until it has been brought even to the morning of
Holy Saturday. Durandus of Menda, who wrote his
JRational of the Divine Offices, towards the close of
the 13th century, tells us, that in his time, there
were very few Churches which observed the primitive
custom: even these soon conformed to the general
practice of the Latin Church.
As a result of this change, there is an apparent
contradiction between the mystery of Holy Saturday
and the Divine Service which is celebrated upon it ;
Christ is still in the Tomb, and yet we are celebrating
his Resurrection : the hours preceding Mass are
mournful, — and before mid-day, the paschal joy will
have filled our hearts. We will conform to the
present order of the Holy Liturgy, thus entering in-
to the spirit of the Church, who has thought proper
to give her children a foretaste of the joys of Easter.
We will give a general view of the solemn Service,
at which we are going to assist ; afterwards, we will
explain each portion, as it comes.
The great object of the whole of to-day's Service,
and the centre to which every one of the ceremonies
converges, — is the Baptism of the Catechumens.
The Faithful must keep this incessantly before them,
or they will be at a loss how to understand or profit
by the Liturgy of to-day. First of all, there is the
Blessing of the new Fire, and the Incense. This is
followed by the Blessing of the Paschal Candle.
Immediately after this, are read the Twelve Pro-
550 HOLY WEEK.
phecies, which have reference to the mysteries of to-
day's Service. As soon as the Prophecies are finished,
a procession is formed to the Baptistery, and the
Water is blessed. The matter of Baptism thus
prepared, the Catechumens receive the Sacrament of
Regeneration. Confirmation is then administered
to them by the Bishop. Immediately after this, the
Holy Sacrifice is celebrated in honour of our Lord's
Resurrection, and the Neophytes partake of the
Divine Mysteries. Finally the joyous Vesper-Office
comes in, and brings to a termination the longest and
Lmost trying Service of the Latin Liturgy. In order
to assist our readers to enter fully into its spirit, we
will go back a thousand years, and imagine ourselves
to be celebrating this solemn Eve of Easter in one of
the ancient Cathedrals of Italy, or of our own dear
land.
At Rome, the Station is at St. John Lateran,
the Mother and Mistress of all Churches. The Sa-
crament of Regeneration is administered in the Baptis-
tery of Constantine. The sight of these venerable
Sanctuaries carries us back in thought to the 4th
century ; there, each year, holy Baptism is conferred
upon some adult ; and a numerous Ordination adds
its own to the sacred pomp of this day, whose liturgy,
as we have just said, is the richest of the whole year.
THE BLESSING OF THE NEW FIRE AND INCENSE.
Last Wednesday, the Catechumens were told to
present themselves at the Church, for the hour of
to-day's Tierce, (that is, nine o'clock in the morning.)
It is the final scrutiny. The Priests are there to re-
ceive them ; they who have not previously been
examined upon the Symbol, are now questioned.
The Lord's Prayer, and the biblical attributes of
the four Evangelists, having been explained, one of
the Priests dismisses the Candidates for Baptism,
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE. 551
bidding them spend the interval in recollection and
prayer.
At the hour of None, (our three o'clock in the af-
ternoon,) the Bishop and all the Clergy repair to the
Church, and Holy Saturday Yigil begins from this
moment. The first ceremony consists in the blessing^
the new fire, which is to furnish light for the whole
Service. It was the daily custom, in the first Ages
of the Church, to strike a light from a flint, before
Vespers : from this the lamps and candles were
lighted for the celebration of that Hour, and the
light thus procured was kept up in the Church till
the Vespers of the following day. The Church of ,
Rome observed this custom with great solemnity on
Maundy Thursday morning, aud the new fire re-
ceived a special blessing. We learn from a letter
written, in the 8th century, by Pope St. Zachary to
St. Boniface, Archbishop of Mayence, — that three
lamps were lighted from this fire, which were then
removed to some safe place, and care was taken that
their light was kept in. It was from these lamps
that the light for Holy Saturday Night was taken.
In the following century, under St. Leo the Fourth,
whose Pontificate lasted from 847 to 855, the custom
of every day procuring new fire from a flint was ex-
tended also to Holy Saturday.
It is not difficult to understand the meaning of
this ceremony, which is now not observed by the
Latin Church save on this day. Our Lord said of
himself : I am the Light of the world.1 Light, then,
is an image of the Son of Grod. Stone, also, is one of
the types under which the Scriptures speak to us of
the Messias. St. Peter,2 and St. Paul,3 quoting the
words of the Prophet Isaias,4 speak of Jesus as the
Comer- Stone. The spark which is struck from the
1 St. John, viii. 12. 3 Epli. ii. 20.
- 1 St. Peter, ii. G. * Is. xxviii. 1G.
2 s
552 HOLY WEEK.
flint represents our Lord rising from his rock-hewn
Sepulchre, through the Stone that had been rolled
against it.
It is fitting, therefore, that this fire which is to
provide light for the Paschal Candle, as well as for
those that are upon the Altar, should receive a special
blessing, and be triumphantly shown to the Faithful.
All the Lamps in the Church have been extinguished ;
formerly, the Faithful used to put out the fires in
their houses, before going to the Church : they lighted
them, on their return, with light taken from the
blessed Fire, which they received as a symbol of our
Lord's Resurrection. Let us not here omit to notice,
that the putting out of all the lights in the Church
is a symbol of the abrogation of the Old Law, which
ended with the rending of the Veil of the Temple ;
and that the new Fire represents the preaching of the
New Law, whereby our Lord Jesus Christ, the Light
of the World, fulfilled all the figures of the ancient
Covenant.
In order to help our readers to enter more fully
into the mystery of the ceremony we are describing,
we will here mention a miracle which was witnessed
for many centuries. The clergy and people of Jeru-
salem assembled for the Service of Easter Eve in the
Church of Holy Sepulchre. After waiting for some
time in silence, one of the lamps that were suspended
over our Lord's Tomb, was miraculously lighted.
The other lamps and torches throughout the Church
were lighted from this, and the Faithful took its holy
flame with them to their homes. It would seem, that
this annual miracle first began after the Saracens
had taken possession of Jerusalem ; Grod so ordaining,
that it might be a proof to these Infidels, of the
Divinity of the Christian Religion. The historians
of those times, who have written upon the Latin
Kingdom of Jerusalem, all speak of this miracle as
of an incontestable fact ; and when Pope Urban the
HOLY SATURDAY ! MORNING SERVICE. 553
Second went to France, there to preach the first
Crusade, he brought forward this miracle as one of
the motives, which should inspire the Faithful with
zeal for the defence of the Sepulchre of Christ. When
our Lord, in the unsearchable ways of his justice,
permitted Jerusalem to be re-conquered by the
Infidels, the Miracle ceased, nor has it ever been
witnessed from that time. Our readers have no doubt
heard of the scandalous scene, which is now repeated
every Holy Saturday in the Church of Holy Sepulchre
in Jerusalem : we allude to the deception practised
by the schismatic Greek Priests, whereby they per-
suade their deluded people that their ingenious trick
for lighting a lamp is the continuation of the Miracle.
The Church also blesses the five grains of Incense^ \
which are to be used in this Morning's Service.
They represent the perfumes prepared by Magda-
lene and her holy companions for the embalming
the Body of Jesus. The Prayer said by the Bishop,
when blessing the Incense, not only shows us the
connection there is between it and the Light, but it
also teaches us what is the power these several sacred
objects have against the wicked spirits.
The Bishop and his attendants go, in procession,
from the Church to the place where he is to bless
the Fire and Incense. The Fire, as we have already
said, is the symbol of our Lord Jesus Christ ; and
the Sepulchre, whence he is to rise to life, is outside
the walls of Jerusalem. The holy Women and the
Apostles, when they go to the Sepulchre, will have
to go forth from the City.
The Bishop, having come to the appointed place,
blesses the Fire by the following Prayers.
y. The Lord be with you. $'. Donrinus vobiscum.
Rr. And with thy spirit. gt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
LET US PRAY. OREMUS.
0 God, who by thy Son the Deus, qui per Filiuin tu-
554
HOLY WEEK.
um, angularem scilicet lapi-
dem, claritatis tuse ignem
fidelibus contulisti, produc-
tum e silice, nostris profu-
turum usibus, novum hunc
ignem sanctifica ; et concede
nobis, ita per hsec festa
Paschalia ccelestibus desi-
deriis inflammari ; ut ad
perpetuae claritatis, puris
mentibus, valeamus festa
pertingere. Per eumdem
Christum Dominum nos-
trum.
?t. Amen.
corner-stone, hast bestowed
on the faithful the fire of thy
brightness ; sanctify this new
fire produced from a flint for
our use : aud grant, that dur-
ing this Paschal festival, we
may be so inflamed with
heavenly desires, that with
pure minds we may come to
the solemnity of eternal
splendour. Through the
same Christ our Lord.
#. Amen.
OREMUS.
Domine Deus, Pater om-
nipotens, lumen indeficiens,
qui es conditor omnium lu-
minum : benedic hoc lumen,
quod a te sanctificatum at-
que benedictum est, qui illu -
minasti omnem mundum :
ut ab eo lumine accendamur,
atque illuminemur igne cla-
ritatis tuse ; et sicut illu-
minasti Moysen exeuntem de
^Egypto, ita illumines corda
et sensus nostros ; ut ad vi-
tam et lucem seternam
pervenire mereamur. Per
Christum Dominum nos-
trum.
gt. Amen.
LET US PRAY.
O Lord God, Almighty
Father, never failing light,
who art the author of all
light : bless this light, that is
blessed and sanctified by thee,
who hast enlightened the
whole world : that we may
be enlightened by that light,
and inflamed with the fire of
thy brightness : and as thou
didst give light to Moses,
when he went out of Egypt,
so illumine our hearts and
senses, that we may obtain
light and life everlasting.
Through Christ our Lord.
&. Amen.
OREMUS.
Domine sancte, Pater om-
nipotens, seterne Deus, be-
nedicentibus nobis hunc
ignem in nomine tuo, et
unigeniti Filii tui Dei ac
Domini nostri Jesu Christi,
et Spiritus Sancti, coopera-
re digneris, et adjuva nos
LET US PRAY.
O Holy Lord, Almighty
Father, Eternal God : vouch-
safe to co-operate with us, who
bless this fire in thy name,
and in that of thy only Son
Christ Jesus, our Lord and
God, and of the Holy Ghost :
assist us against the fiery darts
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
555
of the enemy, and illumine us
with thy heavenly grace.
Who livost and reignest with
the same only Son and Holy
Ghost, one God, for ever and
ever.
#. Amen.
contra ignita tela inimici,
et illustra gratia ccelesti.
Qui vivis et regnas cum
eodem Unigenito tuo et
Spiritu Sancto, Deus, per
omnia saecula SBeculorum.
5t. Amen.
The Bishop then blesses the Incense, thus address-
ing himself in prayer to Grod :
Pour forth, we beseech
thee, O Almighty God, thy
abundant blessing on this
incense : and kindle, O invi-
sible regenerator, the bright-
ness of this night : that not
only the sacrifice that is of-
fered this night may shine by
the secret mixture of thy
light; but also into whatever
place anything of this myste-
rious sanctification shall be
brought, there, by the power
of thy majesty, all the mali-
cious artifices of the devil
may be defeated. Through
Christ our Lord.
Ifc. Amen.
Veniat, qusesumus, om-
nipotens Deus, super hoc
incensum larga tuae bene-
dictionis infusio : et hunc
nocturnum splendorem invi-
sibilis regenerator accen-
de : ut non solum sacrifi-
cium, quod hac nocte lita-
tum est, arcana luminis tui
admixtione refulgeat : sed
in quocumque loco ex hu-
jus sanctificationis myste-
rio aliquid fuerit depor-
tatum, expulsa diabolicse
fraudis nequitia, virtus tuae
Majestatis assistat. Per
Christum Dominum nos-
trum.
gt. Amen.
After these prayers, an Acolyte puts some of the
blessed Fire into the thurible. The Bishop then
censes the Fire and the Incense, after having first
sprinkled them with holy water. An other of the
Acolytes lights a candle from the blessed Fire, that
the new light may be brought into the Church. The
Deacon then vests in a white Dalmatic. This festive
colour, which contrasts so strongly with the purple cope
worn by the Bishop, is used on account of the joyful
ministry which the Deacon is about to fulfil. He
takes into his right hand a Reed, on the top of which
is placed a triple-branched candle. The Reed is in
556 HOLY WEEK.
memory of our Lord's Passion : it also expresses the
weakness of the Human Nature, which he assumed to
himself by the Incarnation. The three-branch candle
signifies the blessed Trinity, of which the Incarnate
Word is the Second Person.
The Procession returns. Having entered the
Church, the Deacon, after advancing a few steps,
lowers the Reed, and the Acolyte, who carries the
new light, lights one of the three branches of the
candle. The Deacon then kneels, as do also all the
clergy and people. Raising the light on high, he
sings these words :
Lumen Christi. The Light of Christ !
All answer :
Deo gratias. Thanks be to God !
This first showing of the Light expresses the re-
velation made to us, by Jesus, of the Divinity of the
Father. JVo one, says he, knoweth the Father, but
the Son, and he to whom it shall please the Son to
reveal him.1
After this, all rise, and the Procession advances
as far as mid- way up the Church. Here, the Deacon
again lowers the Reed, and a second branch of the
Candle is lighted by the Acolyte. The same cere-
monies are observed as before, and the Deacon sings
on a high*, note :
^MUS.
Lumen Ci. Mi. The Light of Christ !
The whole assembly answers :
Deo gratias. Thanks be to God !
1 St. Matth. xi. 27.
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNTNC SERVICE. 557
This second showing of the Light signifies the
world's receiving the knowledge of the Divinity of
the Son ; he appeared and dwelt among us, and, with
his own sacred lips, taught us that he was (rod, equal
to the Father in all things.
The procession continues as far as the Altar-steps.
The third branch of the Candle on the Reed is lighted,
and the Deacon once more sings, but on a still higher
and gladder note.
The Light of Christ ! Lumen Christi.
Again, the response is made :
Thanks be to God ! Deo gratias.
This third showing of the Light signifies the reve-
lation of the Divinity of the Holy Grhost, which was
made to us by our Saviour when he commanded his
Apostles to do what the Church is to do this very
Night : Teach ye all nations baptising them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost} It is, then, by Jesus, who is the Light of the
world, that mankind has been taught to know the
Blessed Trinity. The Bishop, before administering
Baptism to the Catechumens, will ask them if they
believe in this great Mystery. During the whole of
this Night's Service, they will have before their eyes
the expressive symbol of the Trinity, the three-
branch Candle.
This, then, is the first use to which the new Fire
is put : — to proclaim the Holy Trinity. It is next
to publish the glory of the Incarnate Word, by
lighting up the glorious symbol which is now to be
brought before us. The Bishop is seated on his
throne. The Deacon kneels before him, and asks a
1 St. Matth. xxviii. 19,
558
HOLY WEEK.
blessing, before beginning the great work intrusted
to- him. The Pontiff thus blesses him :
Domine sit in corde tuo, The Lord be in thy heart
et in labiis tuis : ut digne and lips, that thou mayest
et coinpetenter annunties worthily and fitly proclaim
suum Paschale prseconium. his Paschal praise. In the
In nomine Patris, et Filii, name of the Father, and of
et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. Amen.
Thus prepared, the Deacon rises, and goes to the
Ambo. The Acolytes, holding the triple Candle and
the five grains of Incense, are standing at his side.
Near the Ambo is a marble pillar, on which is fixed
the Paschal Candle.
THE PASCHAL CANDLE.
The sun is setting, and our earth will soon be
mantled in darkness. The Church has provided a
torch, which is to spread its light upon us during the
whole of this long Yigil. It is of an unusual size.
It stands alone, and is of a pillar- like form. It is the
symbol of Christ. Before being lighted, its scriptural
type is the pillar of a cloud, which hid the Israelites
when they went out from Egypt ; under this form, it
is the figure of our Lord, when lying lifeless in the
tomb. When lighted, we must see in it both the
pillar of fire, which guided the people of Grod, and
the glory of our Jesus risen from his grave. Our
holy Mother the Church, would have us enthusi-
astically love this glorious symbol, and speaks its
praises to us in all the magnificence of her inspired
eloquence. As early as the beginning of the 5th
century, Pope St. Zozimus extended to all the
Churches of the City of Rome, the privilege of
blessing the Paschal Candle, although Baptism was
administered no where but in the Baptistery of St.
John Lateran. The object of this grant was, that all
HOLY SATURDAY l MORNING SERVICE. 55^
the Faithful might share in the holy impressions
which so solemn a rite is intended to produce. It
was for the same intention that, later, every Church,
even though it had no Baptismal Font, was permit-
ted to have the Blessing of the Paschal Candle.
The Deacon proclaims the Easter Solemnity to
the people, whilst chanting the praises of this sacred
object : and whilst celebrating the glory of Him,
whose emblem it is, he becomes the herald of the
Resurrection. The Altar, the Sanctuary, the Bishop,
all are in the sombre colour of the Lenten rite ; the
Deacon alone is vested in white. At other times, he
would not presume to raise his voice as he is now
going to do, in the solemn tone of a Preface : but
this is the Eve of the Resurrection, and the Deacon,
as the interpreters of the Liturgy tell us, represents
Magdalene and the holy women, on whom our Lord
conferred the honour of being the first to know his
Resurrection, and to whom he gave the mission
of preaching to the very Apostles, that he had risen
from the dead, and would meet them in Galilee.
But let us listen to the thrilling Exsultet of our
Deacon, and learn from him the joys that await us
on this wonderful Night.
Let now the heavenly troops Exsultet jam angelica tur-
of Angels rejoice : let the di- ba ccelorum ; exsultent divi-
vine mysteries be joyfully na mysteria : et pro tanta
celebrated : and let a sacred Regis victoria, tuba insonet
trumpet proclaim the victory salutaris. Gaudet et tellus
of so great a King. Let the tantis irradiata fulgoribus :
earth also be filled with joy, et seterni Regis splendore
being illuminated with such illustrata, totius orbis se
resplendent rays ; and let it sentiat amisisse caliginem.
be sensible that the darkness, Lsetetur et mater Ecclesia,
which overspread the whole tanti luminis adornata ful-'
world, is chased away by the goribus : et magnis populo-
splendourofour eternal King, rum vocibus hsec aula re-
Let our Mother, the Church, sultet. Quapropter adstan-
be also glad finding herself tes vos, fratres charissimi,
adorned with the rays of so ad tarn miram hujus sancti
560
HOLY WEEK.
luminis claritatem, una me-
cum, quaeso, Dei omnipo-
tentis misericordiam invo-
cate. Ut qui me non meis
mentis intra Levitarum nu-
merum dignatus est aggre-
gare : luminis sui claritatem
infundens, Cerei hujus lau-
dem implere perficiat. Per
Dominum nostrum Jesum
Christum Filium suum :
qui cum eo vivit et regnat
in unitate Spiritus Sancti
Deus, per omnia ssecula sse-
culorum.
gt. Amen.
f. Dominus vobiscum.
gi. Et cum spiritu tuo.
y. Sursum corda.
gt. Habemus ad Domi-
num.
f. Gratias agamus Do-
mino Deo nostro.
gt. Dignum et j ustum est.
Yere dignum et j ustum est
invisibilem Deum Patrem
omnipotentem, Filiumque
ejus unigenitum, Dominum
nostrum Jesum Christum,
toto cordis ac mentis affectu,
et vocis ministerio personare.
Qui pro nobis seterno Patri
Adse debitum solvit : et ve-
teris piaculi cautionem pio
cruore detersit. Hsec sunt
enim festa Paschalia, in
quibus verus ille Agnus
occiditur, cujus sanguine
postes fidelium consecrantur.
Hsec nox est, in qua pri-
mum patres nostros filios
Israel eductos de iEgypto,
great a light: and let this tem-
ple resound with the joyful
acclamations of the people.
"Wherefore, beloved brethren,
you who are now present at the
admirable brightness of this
holy light, I beseech you to
invoke with me the mercy of
Almighty God. That he, who
has b^en pleased, above my
desert, to admit me into the
number of his Levites, will, by
an infusion of his light upon
me, enable me to celebrate
the praises of this Candle.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ
his Son, who, with him and the
Holy Ghost, liveth and reign-
eth one God for ever and ever.
gt. Amen.
f. The Lord be with you.
gt. And with thy spirit.
f. Lift up your hearts.
gt. We have them fixed
on God.
$ . Let us give thanks to
the Lord our God.
gt. It is meet and just.
It is truly meet and just to
proclaim with all the affection
of our heart and soul, and with
the sound of our voice, the
invisible God the Father Al-
mighty, and his only Son our
Lord Jesus Christ. Who paid
for us to his Eternal Father,
the debt of Adam : and by his
sacred blood cancelled the
guilt contracted by original
sin. For this is the Paschal
solemnity, in which the true
Lamb was slain, by whose
Blood the doors of the faith-
ful are consecrated.
This is the Night in which
thou formerly broughtest forth
our forefathers the children of
HOLY SATURDAY '. MORNING SERYTCE.
561
Israel out of Egypt, leading
them dry- foot through, the Red
Sea. This, then, is the Night
which dissipated the darkness
of sin, by the light of the pil-
lar. This is the Night, which
now delivers all over the world
those that believe in Christ,
from the vices of the world,
and darkness of sin, restores
them to grace, and clothes
them with sanctity. This is
the Night in which Christ
broke the chains of death, and
ascended conqueror from hell.
For it availed us nothing to
be born, unless it had avail-
ed us to be redeemed.
O how admirable is thy
goodness towards us ! O
how inestimable is thy love !
Thou hast delivered up thy
Son to redeem a slave. O
truly necessary sin of Adam,
which the death of Christ has
blotted out ! 0 happy fault,
that merited such and so
great a Redeemer !
0 truly blessed Night,
which alone deserved to know
the time and hour when Christ
rose again from hell. This
is the Night of wbich it is
written : And the Nigh t sha 11
be as light as the day, and
the Night is my illumination
in my delights. Therefore the
sanctification of this Night
blots out crimes, washes away
sins, and restores innocence
to sinners, and joy to the
sorrowful. It banishes en-
mities, produces concord, and
humbles empires.
mare Rubrum sicco vestigio
transire fecisti. Haec igitur
nox est, quae peccatorum
tenebras columns illumina-
tione purgavit. Usee nox
est, quae hodie per univer-
sum mundum, in Christo
credentes, a vitiis saeculi, et
caligine peccatorum segre-
gates reddit gratiae, sociat
sanctitati. Haec nox est in
qua destructis vinculis mor-
tis, Christus ab inferis vic-
tor ascendit. Nihil enim
nobis nasci profuit, nisi re-
dimi profuisset.
O mira circa nos tuae pie-
tatis dignatio ! O inestima-
bilis dilectio charitatis ! ut
servum redimeres, filium
tradidisti. 0 certe necessa-
rium Adae peccatum, quod
Christi morte deletum est !
0 felix culpa, quae talem ac
tantum meruit habere re-
demptorem !
O vere beata nox, quae
sola meruit scire tempus et
horam, in qua Christus ab
inferis resurrexit. Haec nox
est, de qua scriptum est :
Et nox sicut dies illumina-
bitur ; et : Nox illuminatio
mea in deliciis meis. Hujus
igitur sanctificatio noctis,
fugat scelera, culpas lavat :
et reddit innocentiam lapsis,
et maestis laetitiam. Fugat
odia, concordiam parat, et
curvat imperia.
Here the Deacon pauses, and taking the five grains
562 HOLY WEEK.
of Incense, he fixes them in the Candle in the form
of a Cross. They represent the Five Wounds re-
ceived by our Lord upon the Cross ; as also, the per-
fumes which Magdalene and her companions had
prepared for embalming his Body in the Tomb.
Thus far, as we have already explained, the Paschal
Candle is the figure of the Man-Grod not yet glorified
by the Resurrection.
In hujus igitur noctis Therefore, on this sacred
gratia, suscipe, sancte Pa- Night, receive, O holy Father,
ter, incensi hujus sacrifi- the evening sacrifice of this
cium vespertinum quod tibi incense, which thy holy church
in hac Cerei oblatione solem- by the hands of her ministers,
ni, per ministrorum manus presents to thee in the solemn
de operibus apum. sacro- oblation of this wax Candle
sancta reddit Ecclesia. Sed made out of the labour of bees,
jam columnse hujus prceco- And now we know the ex-
nia novimus, quam in hono- cellence of this pillar, which
rem Dei rutilans ignis ac- the sparkling fire lights for
cendit. the honour of God.
After these words, the Deacon again pauses, and
taking the Reed which holds the triple candle, he
lights the Paschal Candle with one of its branches.
This signifies the instant of our Lord's Resurrection,
when the divine power restored his Body to life, by
uniting with it the Soul which death had separated.
The glorious Symbol of Christ, our Light, is now
perfect ; and holy Church exults in the thought of
soon beholding her heavenly Spouse triumph over
death.
Qui licet sit divisus in Which fire, though now
partes, mutuati tamen lu- divided, suffers no loss from
minis detrimenta non novit. the communication of its light.
Alitur enim liquantibus ce- Because it is fed by the inelt-
ris, quas in substantiam ed wax, which its mother,
pretiosae hujus lampadis, the bee, made for the compo-
apis mater eduxit. sition of the precious torch.
Here are lighted, from the new fire, the lamps of
the Church. They are lighted after the Paschal
HOLY SATURDAY .' MORNING SERVICE.
663
Candle, to signify, that Jesus' Resurrection was made
known gradually. It also tells us, that our Resur-
rection is to be a consequence and a likeness of that
of our Saviour, who opens to us the way, whereby,
after having, like him, passed through the tomb, we
shall enter into life everlasting.
O truly blessed Night !
which plundered the Egypti-
ans, and enriched the He-
brews. A Night, in which
things heavenly are united
with those of earth, and divine
with human We beseech thee
therefore, 0 Lord, that this
Candle, consecrated to the
honour of thy name, may con-
tinue burning to dissipate the
darkness of this night. And
being accepted as a sweet -
smelling savour, may be unit-
ed with the celestial lights.
Let the morning- star find it
burning. I mean that Star
which never sets . Who being
returned from hell, shone with
brightness on mankind.
We beseech thee therefore,
O Lord, to grant us peaceable
times during these Paschal so-
lemnities, and with thy con-
stant protection to rule, govern
and preserve us thy servants,
and all the clergy, and the
devout people, together with
our holy Father Pope A7".,
and our Bishop N. i ( Regard
also our most devout Emperor :
and since thou knowest,0 God,
the desires of his heart, grant
by the ineffable grace of thy
goodness and mercy, that he
O vere beata nox quae ex-
spoliavit iEgyptios, ditavit
Hebraeos. Nox, in qua ter-
renis ccelestia, humanis di-
vina junguntur. Oramus
ergo te Domine : ut Cereus
iste in honorem tui nominis
consecratus, ad noctis hujus
caliginem destruendam, in-
deficiens perseveret. Et in
odorem suavitatis acceptus,
supernis luminaribus misce-
atur. Flammas ejus Luci-
fer matutinis inveniat. Ille,
inquam, Lucifer, qui nescit
occasum. Ille, qui regressus
ab inferis, humano generi
serenus illuxit.
Precamur ergo te Domine :
ut nos famulos tuos omnem-
que clerum, et devotissimum
populum : una cum beatissi-
mo Papa nostro N. et An-
tistite nostro N. quiete tem-
porum concessa, in his
Paschalibus gaudiis, assidua
protectione regere, guber-
nare et conservare digneris.
(Respice etiam ad devotissi-
mum Imperatorem nostrum
N., cujus tu, Deus, desiderii
vota praenoscens, ineffabili
pietatis et misericordiae tuae
1 The words here put in parentheses are only said in those coun-
tries, which are subject to the Emperor of Austria. See above,
page 479.
564 HOLY WEEK.
munere, tranquillum perpe- may enjoy with all his people
tuse pacis accommoda : et the tranquillity of perpetual
ccelestem victoriam cum orn- peace and heavenly victory.)
ni populo suo.) Per eum- Through the same Lord Jesus
dem Dominum nostrum Je- Christ thy Son : who, with
sum Christum Filium tuum : thee and the Holy Ghost,
qui tecum vivit et regnat in liveth and reigneth one God
unitate Spiritus Sancti Deus, for ever and ever,
per omnia saecula saeculorum.
gt. Amen. gt. Amen.
Here, the Deacon takes off the white Dalmatic
vests in purple, and returns to the Bishop. Then
begin the Prophecies from the Old Testament.
THE PROPHECIES.
The Torch of the Resurrection now sheds its light
from the Ambo throughout the holy place, and
gladdens the hearts of the Faithful. How solemn a
preparation for what is now to engage our attention,
— the Baptism of the Catechumens, whose instruction
and progress in good works we have followed with
such interest during the past forty days ! They are
assembled together under the outward porch of the
Church. The Priests are performing over them the
preparatory rites, which embody such profound teach-
ing, and were instituted by the Apostles. First of
all, the sign of the cross is made upon their foreheads ;
and then, the Priest, imposing his hand upon the
head of each Catchumen, adjures Satan to depart
from this soul and body, and give place to Christ.
Imitating thus our Redeem er, the Priest then touches
the ears with his spittle, saying : " Be ye opened ! ':
He does the same to the nostrils, and says : " Breathe
ye in the sweetness of fragrance ! " The Neophyte
is next anointed, on the breast and between the
shoulders, with the Oil of Catechumens : but, as this
ceremony expresses his having to fight the spiritual
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE. 565
combat, the Priest first receives from him the promise
to renounce Satan, with his works and pomps.
These rites are performed first over the men, and
then over the women. The children of Christian
parents are also admitted to take their place among
the Catechumens. If any of these latter be labour-
ing under any sickness, and have notwithstanding
come to the Church in order to receive, to-night, the
grace of Regeneration, — a Priest says over them a
Prayer, in which he fervently begs of Grod to heal
them, and confound the malice of Satan.
These ceremonies, which are called the Catechisa-
tion, occupy a considerable portion of time, on account
of the great number of the aspirants to Baptism. It
is for this reason, that the Bishop came to the Church
at the hour of None (three o'clock in the afternoon),
and that the great Vigil began so early. Whilst
these rites are being administered to the Catechu-
mens, the rest of the Faithful are listening to appro-
priate passages from the Scripture, which are being
read from the Ambo, and which are the complement
of the Lenten Instructions.
These Lessons are twelve in number : but in the
venerable Basilica, where we are now supposing our-
selves to be, we may say they are twenty-four, since
each of the Twelve is read in Latin first, and then in
Greek. In order to fix the attention, and excite the
devotion of her children to what she reads to them,
the Church, after each Lesson, recites a Prayer, which
sums up the doctrine expressed in the preceding
Prophecy. To some of them is added an appropriate
Canticle from the Old Testament, and it is sung, by
the whole assembly, to the well known melody of the
Tract. The aspirants to Baptism, as soon as they
have received the ceremonies of Catechisation, are
allowed to enter the Church, where, in the place
assigned to them, they listen to the Lessons, and join
in the Prayers : — how could they better continue
566 HOLY WEEK.
their preparation for the great Sacrament ? And yet,
there is an aspect of mournfulness about this portion
of the Service, which tells us that the longed-for
hour is not yet come. Frequent genuflexions, and
the sombre coloured Vestments, strongly contrast
with the beautiful flame of the Paschal Torch, which
sheds its silent beams of light upon the Faithful.
Their hearts are still throbbing with the emotions
excited within them by the Exsaltet : they are
impatient to see their Jesus' Resurrection fulfilled in
the Baptism of the Catechumens.
FIRST PROPHECY.
{Genesis, Chap, i.)
This first Lesson speaks to us of the Creation, of
the Spirit of God moving over the waters, of the
separation of light from darkness, and of Man's being
made to the likeness of his Grod. This work of the
Creator had been deranged and spoiled by Satan's
malice. The time is come, when it is to recover all
its beauty. The Holy Grhost is about to effect this
regeneration by Water ; Christ, our Light, is going
to rise from the darkness of the tomb ; the image of
(rod is to re-appear in man, for he is to be cleansed
by the Blood of his Redeemer, who is the new Adam,
that came down from heaven, in order to re-instate,
in all his rights, the old and earthly Adam.
In principio creavit Deus In the beginning God
coelum et terrain. Terra au- created heaven and earth,
tern erat'inanis, et vacua: And the earth was void and
et tenebrse erant super fa- empty, and darkness was upon
ciem abyssi : et Spiritus Dei the face of the deep ; and the
ferebatur super aquas. Dix- Spirit of God moved over the
itque Deus : Fiat lux. Et waters. And God said : Be
facta est lux. Et vidit Deus light made. And light was
lucem, quod esset bona ; et made. And God saw the
divisit lucem a tenebris. light that it was good: and
Appellavitque lucem, Di- he divided the light from the
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
567
darkness. And he called the
light day, and the darkness
night ; and there was even-
ing and morning one day.
And God said : Let there bo
a firmament made amidst the
waters : and let it divide the
waters from the waters. And
God made a firmament, and
divided the waters that were
under the firmament from
those that were above the
firmament. And it was so.
And God called the firma-
ment, Heaven : and the even-
ing and morning were the
second day.
God also said: Let the
waters that are under the
heaven be gathered together
into one place : and let the
dry land appear. And it was
so done. And God called the
dry land Earth : and the
gathering together of the
waters he called Seas. And
God saw that it was good.
And he said : Let the earth
bring forth the green herb,
and such as may seed, and the
fruit tree yielding fruit after
its kind, which may have seed
in itself upon the earth. And
it was so done. And the earth
brought forth the green herb,
and such as yieldeth seed
accordiDg to its kind, and the
tree that beareth fruit, having
seed each one according to its
kind. And God saw that it
was good. And the evening
and the morning were the
third day.
And God said : Let there be
lights made in the firmament
of heaven, to divide the day
and the night, and let them
em : et tenebras, Noctem.
Factumqne est vespere et
mane, dies unus.
Dixit quoque Deus : Fi-
at firmamentum in medio
aquarum, et dividat aquas
ab aquis. Et fecit Deus
firmamentum : divisitque
aquas, quae erant sub fir-
mamento, ab his quae erant
super firmamentum. Et fac-
tum est ita. Vocavitque
Deus firmamentum, Ccelum.
Et factum est vespere et
mane, dies secundus.
Dixit vero Deus : Congre-
gentur aquae, quae sub ccelo
sunt, in locum unum et
appareat arida. Factumque
est ita. Et vocavit Deus ari-
dam, Terram : congregatio-
nesque aquarum appellavit,
Maria. Et vidit Deus quod
esset bonum, et ait : Germi-
net terra herbam virentem,
et facientem semen : et lig-
num pomiferum faciens
fructum juxta genus suum,
cujus semen in semetipso
sit super terram. Et factum
est ita. Et protulit terra her-
bam virentem, et facientem
semen juxta genus suum,
lignumque faciens fructum ;
et habens unumquodque se-
mentem secundum speciem
suam. Et vidit Deus quod
esset bonum : et factum est
vespere et mane, dies tertius.
Dixit autem Deus : Fiant
luminaria in firmamento
coeli, et dividant diem ac
noctem : et sint in signa et
2-T
568
HOLY WEEK.
tempora, et dies, et annos :
et luceant in firmamento
coeli, et illuminent terrain.
Et factum est ita. Eecitque
Deus duo luminaria magna,
luminare ma jus, ut prseesset
diei : et luminare minus, ut
prseesset nocti : et stellas.
Et posuit eas in firmamento
cceli, ut lucerent super ter-
rain : et prseessent diei ac
nocti, et dividerent lucem ac
tenebras. Et vidit Deus
quod esset bonum. Et fac-
tum est vespere et mane,
dies quartus.
Dixit etiam Deus : Pro-
ducant aquae reptile animee
viventis, et volatile super
terrain, sub firmamento coeli.
Creavitque Deus cete gran-
dia, et omnem animam vi-
ventem atque motabilem,
quam produxerunt aquae in
species suas : et omne vola-
tile, secundum genus suum.
Et vidit Deus quod esset
bonum : benedixitque eis,
dicens : Crescite, et multi-
plicamini, et replete aquas
maris : avesque multiplicen-
tur super terrain. Et factum
est vespere et mane, dies
quintus.
Dixit quoque Deus : Pro-
ducat terra animam viven-
tem in genere suo : jumenta,
et reptilia, et bestias terrse,
secundum species suas. Fac-
tumque est ita. Et fecit
Deus bestias terrse juxta
species suas : et jumenta, et
omne reptile terrae in genere
suo. Et vidit Deus quod
be for signs, and for seasons,
and for days and years ; to
shine in the firmament of
heaven, and to give light upon
the earth. And it was so
done. And God made two
great lights ; a greater light to
rule the day, and a lesser light
to rule the night ; and stars.
And he set them in the firma-
ment of heaven, to shine upon
the earth. And to rule the
day and the night, and to
divide the light and the dark-
ness. And God saw that it
was good. And the evening
and morning were the fourth
day.
God also said : Let the wa-
ters bring forth the creeping
creature having life, and the
fowl that may fly over the
earth under the firmament of
heaven. And God created the
great whales, and every living
and moving creature, which
the waters brought forth, ac-
cording to their kinds, and
every winged fowl according
to its kind. And God saw
that it was good. And he
blessed them, saying : Increase
and multiply, and fill the wa-
ters of the sea ; and let the
birds be multiplied upon the
earth. And the evening and
morning were the fifth day.
And God said : Let the
earth bring forth the living
creature in its kind, cattle, and
creeping things, and beasts of
the earth according to their
kinds ; and it was so done.
And God made the beasts of
the earth according to their
kinds, and cattle, and every-
thing that creepeth on the
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
569
earth after its kind. And God
saw that it was good. And
he said : Let us make man to
our image and likeness, and
let him have dominion over
the fishes of the sea, and the
fowls of the air, and the beasts,
and the whole earth, and every
creeping creature that moveth
upon the earth.
And God created man to his
own image : to the image of
God he created him : male and
female he created them. And
God blessed them, saying : In-
crease and multiply, and fill
the earth. And subdue it, and
rule over the fishes of the sea,
and the fowls of the air, and
all living creatures that move
upon the earth. And God
said : Behold I have given you
every herb bearing seed upon
the earth, and all trees that
have in themselves seed of
their own kind, to be your
meat : and to all beasts of the
earth, and to every fowl of the
air, and to all that move upon
the earth, and wherein there
is life, that you may have to
feed upon. And it was so
done. And God saw all the
things that he had made, and
they were very good. And
the evening and morning
were the sixth day.
So the heavens and earth
were finished, and all the fur-
niture of them. And on the
seventh day God ended his
work which he had made : and
he rested on the seventh day
from all his work which he
had done.
esset bonum : et ait : Facia-
mus hominem ad imaginem
et similitudinem nostram :
et prsesit piscibus maris, et
volatilibus coeli, et bestiis,
universaeque terrae, omni-
que reptili quod movetur in
terra.
Et creavit Deus hominem
ad imaginem suam : ad ima-
ginem Dei creavit ilium :
masculum et feminam crea-
vit eos. Benedixitque illis
Deus, et ait : Crescite, et
multiplicamini, et replete
terram, et subjicite earn : et
dominamini piscibus maris,
et volatilibus cceli, et uni-
versis animantibus, quae
moventur super terram. Di-
xitque Deus : Ecce dedi vo-
bis omnem herbam afferen-
tem semen super terram : et
universa ligna, quae habent
in semetipsis sementem ge-
neris sui : ut sint vobis in
escam, et cunctis animanti-
bus terrae, omnique volucri
coeli, et universis quae mo-
ventur in terra, et in quibus
est anima vivens, ut habeant
ad vescendum. Et factum
estita. Viditque Deus cunc-
ta quae fecerat : et erant
valde bona. Et factum est
vespere et mane, dies sextus.
Igitur perfecti sunt coeli
et terra, et omnis ornatus
eorum. Complevitque Deus
die septimo opus suum,
quod fecerat : et requievit
die septimo ab universo
opere quod patrarat.
570
HOLY WEEK.
After the Lesson, the Bishop says :
Oremus. Let us pray.
The Deacon, addressing the Faithful ;
Flectamus genua. Let us kneel down.
The Subdeacon :
Lev ate. Stand up again.
The Bishop then says this Prayer :
Deus, qui mirabiliter ere- O God, who didst wonder-
asti hominem, et mirabilius fully create man, and redeem
redemisti : da nobis, qure- him by a still greater wonder :
sumus, contra oblectamenta grant us, we beseech thee,
peccati, mentis ratione, per- such strength of mind and
sistere : ut mereamur ad reason against all the allure -
seterna gaudia pervenire. ments of sin, that we may de-
Per Dominuin. serve to obtain eternal joys.
Through, &c.
gt. Amen. gt. Amen.
SECOND PROPHECY.
(Genesis, Chap. v. J
The second Lesson gives us the history of the Deluge.
Gk>d makes the Waters serve as the minister of his
justice, those very Waters which were, afterwards,
by Jesus, to become the instrument of his mercy ;
the Ark, which is a type of the Church, is the shelter
for those who would be saved from the flood ; the
human race is preserved by one family, which repre-
sents the Disciples of Christ, who, at first, were few in
number, but afterwards peopled the whole earth.
Noe vero cum quingen- And Noe, when he was five
torum esset annorum, ge- hundred years old, begot Sem,
nuit Sem, Cham et Japhet, Cham, and Japheth. And
Cumque ccepissent homines after that men began to be
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
571
multiplied upon the earth,
and daughters were born unto
them, the sons of God seeing
the daughters of men, that
they were fair, took to them-
selves wives of all which they
chose. And God said : My
spirit shall not remain in man
for ever, because he is flesh :
and his days shall be one
hundred and twenty years.
Now giants were upon the
earth in those days. For
after the sons of God went
in to the daughters of men,
and they brought forth chil-
dren, these are the mighty
men of old, men of renown.
And God seeing that the
wickedness of men was great
on. the earth, and that all the
thought of their heart was
bent upon evil at all times, it
repented him that he had
made man on the earth. And
being touched inwardly with
sorrow of heart, he said : I
will destroy man, whom I
have created, from the face
of the earth, from man even
to beasts, from the creeping
thing even to the fowls of the
air, for it repenteth me that I
have made them.
But Noe found grace before
the Lord. These are the gene-
rations of Noe : Noe was a just
and perfect man in his gene-
ration, he walked with God.
And he begot three sons, Sem,
Cham, and Japheth. And
the earth was corrupted be-
fore God, and was filled with
iniquity. And when God
had seen that the earth was
corrupted, (for all flesh had
multiplicari super terram, et
fili as procreassent : viden-
tes filii Dei filias hominum
quod essent pulchrse, acce-
perunt sibi uxores ex omni-
bus, quas elegerant. Dixit-
que Deus : Non permanebit
spiritus meus in homine in
seternum, quia caro est :
eruntque dies illius centum
viginti annorum.
Gigantes autem erant super
terram in diebus illis. Post-
quam enim ingressi sunt
filii Dei ad filias hominum,
illoeque genuerunt : isti sunt
potentes a sseculo viri fa-
mosi. Videns autem Deus,
quod multa malitia hominum
esset in terra, et cuncta
cogitatio cordis intenta
esset ad malum omni tem-
pore, pcenituit eum, quod
hominum fecisset in terra.
Et tactus dolore cordis in-
trinsecus : Delebo (inquit)
hominem quern creavi, a fa-
cie teme, ab homine usque
ad animantia, a reptili
usque ad volucres cceli :
poenitet enim me fecisse
eos.
Noe vero invenit gratiam
coram Domino. Hae sunt
generationes Noe. Noe vir
Justus atque perfectus fu.it in
generationibus suis, cum
Deo ambulavit, et genuit
tres filios, Sem, Cham, et
Japhet. Corrupta est autem
terra coram Deo, et repleta
est iniquitate. Cumque vi-
disset Deus terram esse cor-
ruptam (omnis quippe caro
572
HOLY WEEK.
cormperat viam suam super
terrain) dixit ad Noe : Finis
universae carnis venit coram
me : repleta est terra iniqui-
tate a facie eorum : et ego
disperdam eos cum terra.
Fac tibi arcam de lignis
laevigatas. Mansiunculas in
area facies : et bitumine li-
nies intrinsecus et extrinse-
cus. Et sic facies earn. Tre-
centorum cubitorum erit
longitudo arcae : quinqua-
ginta cubitorum latitudo :
et triginta cubitorum alti-
tudo illius. Fenestram in
area facies : et in cubito
consummabis summitatem
ejus. Ostium autem arcae
pones ex latere deorsum.
Ccenacula et tristega facies
in ea. Ecce ego adducam
aquas diluvii super terram :
ut interficiam omnem car-
nem, in qua spiritus vitae est
subter coelum, et universa,
quae in terra sunt, consu-
mentur. Ponamque fcedus
meum tecum : et ingredieris
arcam tu, filii tui, uxor tua,
et uxores filiorum tuorum
tecum. Et ex cunctis ani-
mantibus universae carnis
bina induces in arcam, ut
vivant tecum, masculini
sexus et feminini. De volu-
cribus juxta genus suum, et
de jumentis in genere suo,
et ex omni reptili terrae se-
cundum genus suum : bina
de omnibus ingredientur te-
cum, ut possint vivere. Tol-
les igitur tecum ex omnibus
escis, quae mandi possunt,
et comportabis apud te : et
erunt tarn tibi, quam illis in
cibum. Fecit igitur Noe
corrupted its way upon the
earth,) he said to Noe : The
end of all flesh is come
before me, and the earth is
filled with iniquity through
them , and I will destroy them
with the earth. Make thee
an ark of timber planks :
thou shalt make little rooms
in the ark, and thou shalt
pitch it within and with-
out. And thus shalt thou
make it. The length of the
ark shall be three hundred
cubits : the breadth of it fifty
cubits, and the height of it
thirty cubits . Thou shalt make
a window in the ark, and in a
cubit shalt thou finish the top
of it : and the door of the ark
shalt thou set in the side : with
lower, middle chambers, and
third stories shalt thou make
it. Behold I will bring the
waters of a great flood upon
the earth, to destroy all flesh,
wherein is the breath of life,
under heaven. All things that
are in the earth shall be con-
sumed. And I will establish
my covenant with thee : and
thou shalt enter into the ark,
thou and thy sons, and thy
wife, and the wives of thy sons
with thee. And of every liv-
ing creature of all flesh, thou
shalt bring two of a sort into
the ark, that they may live
with thee ; of the male sex,
and the female. Of fowls ac-
cording to their kind, and of
beasts in their kind, and of
everything that creepeth upon
the earth according to its kind ;
two of every sort shall go in
with thee, that they may live.
Thou shalt take unto thee of
HOLY SATURDAY! MORNING SERVICE.
573
all food that may be eaten,
and thou shalt lay it up with
thee : and it shall be food for
thee and them. And Noe did
all things which God com-
manded him.
And he was six hundred
years old, when the waters of
the flood overflowed the earth.
All the fountains of the great
deep were broken up, and the
flood-gates of heaven were
opened. And the rain fell
upon the earth forty days and
forty nights. In the self-same
day Noe, and Sem, and Cham,
and Japheth, his sons : his
wife, and the three wives of
his sons with them, went into
the ark : they and every beast
according to its kind, and all
the cattle in their kind, and
every thing that moveth upon
the earth according to its kind,
and every fowl according to
its kind, all birds, and all that
fly. And the ark was carried
upon the waters. And the
waters prevailed beyond mea-
sure upon the earth : and all
the high mountains under the
whole heaven were covered.
The water was fifteen cubits
higher than the mountains,
which it covered. And all
flesh was (iestroyed that moved
upon the earth, both of fowl,
and of cattle, and of beasts,
and of all creeping things that
creep upon the earth : and
Noe only remained, and they
that were with him in the ark.
And the waters prevailed up-
on the earth a hundred and
fifty days.
And Grod remembered Noe,
and all the living creatures,
omnia quae prsoceperat illi
Deus.
Eratque sexcentorum an-
norum, quando diluvii aquae
inundaverunt super terram.
Eupti sunt omnes fontes
abyssi magnae, et cataraetao
cceli apertae sunt : et facta
est pluvia super terram qua-
draginta diebus et quadra -
ginta noctibus. In articulo
diei illius ingressus est Noe,
et Sem, et Cham, et Japhet,
filii ejus, uxor illius, et tres
uxores filiorum ejus, cum
eis in arcam : ipsi et omne
animal, secundum genus
suum, universaque jumenta
in genere suo, et omne quod
movetur super terram in
genere suo, cunctumque vo-
latile secundum genus suum.
Porro area ferebatur super
aquas. Et aquae praevalue-
runt nimis super terram :
opertique sunt omnes mon-
tes excelsi sub universo
coelo. Quindecim cubitis
altior fuit aqua super mon-
tes, quos operuerat. Con-
sumptaque est omnis caro,
quae movebatur super ter-
ram, volucrum, animantium,
bestiarum, omniumque rep-
tilium quae reptant super
terram. Eemansit autem
solus Noe, et qui cum eo
erant, in area. Obtinuerunt-
que aquae terram centum
quinquaginta diebus.
Eecordatus autem Deus
Noe, cunctorumque ani-
574
HOLY WEEK.
mantium, et omnium ju-
mentorum, quae erant cum
eo in area : adduxit spiri-
tum super terram, et immi-
nutae sunt aquae. Et clausi
sunt fontes abyssi, et cata-
ractae cceli : et prohibitae
sunt pluviae de ccelo. Ke-
versaeque sunt aquae de
terra euntes et redeuntes :
et cceperunt minui post
centum quinquaginta dies.
Cumque transissent qua-
draginta dies, aperiens Noe
fenestram arcae quam fece-
rat, dimisit corvum. Qui
egrediebatur, et non rever-
tebatur, donee siccarentur
aquae super terram. Emi-
sit quoque columbam post
eum, ut videret si jam
cessassent aquae super fa-
ciem terrae. Quae curn non
invenisset ubi requiesceret
pes ejus, reversa est ad
eum in arcam. Aquae enim
erant super universam ter-
ram. Extenditque manum,
et apprehensam intulit in
arcam. Exspectatis autem
ultra septem diebus aliis,
rursum dimisit columbam
ex area. At ilia venit ad
eum ad vesperam, portans
ramum olivae virentibus fo-
liis in ore suo. Intellexit
ergo Noe, quod cessassent
aquae super terram. Ex-
spectavitque • nihilominus
septem alios dies, et emi-
sit columbam quae non est
reversa ultra ad eum. Lo-
cutus est autem Dominus
ad Noe, dicens : Egredere
de area tu, et uxor tua :
filii tui, et uxores filiorum
tuorum tecum. Cuncta ani-
and all the cattle which were
with him in the ark, and
brought a wind upon the
earth, and the waters were
abated. The fountains also
of the deep, and the flood-
gates of heaven were shut up,
and the rain from heaven was
restrained. And the waters
returned from off the earth,
going and coming : and they
began to be abated after a hun-
dred and fifty days . And after
that forty days were passed,
Noe opening the window of
the ark which he had made,
sent forth a raven : which went
forth and did not return till
the waters were dried upon
the earth. He sent forth also
a dove after him, to see if the
waters had now ceased upon
the face of the earth. But
she not finding where her foot
might rest, returned to him
into the ark : for the waters
were upon the whole earth :
and he put forth his hand,
and caught her, and brought
her into the ark. And having
waited yet seven other days,
he again sent forth the dove
out of the ark. And she came
to him in the evening, carry-
ing a bough of an olive-tree,
with green leaves in her
mouth. Noe therefore under-
stood that the waters were
ceased upon the earth. And
he stayed yet other seven days ;
and he sent forth the dove,
which returned not any more
unto him. And God spoke
to Noe, saying : Go out of the
ark, thou and thy wife, thy
sons, and the wives of thy
sons with thee. All living
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
575
things that are with thee of
all flesh, as well in fowls, as
in beasts, and all creeping
things, that creep upon the
earth, bring out with thee,
and go ye upon the earth :
increase and multiply upon it.
So Noe went out, he and
his sons, his wife, and the
wives of his sons with him :
and all living things, and cat-
tle, and creeping things that
creep upon the earth, accord-
ing to their kinds, went out of
the ark. And Noe built an
altar unto the Lord : and
taking of all cattle and fowls
that were clean, offered holo-
causts upon the altar. And
the Lord smelled a sweet
savour.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O God, whose power is un-
changeable, and whose light
never faileth, mercifully re-
gard the wonderful sacrament
of thy whole church, and by
an effect of thy perpetual pro-
vidence, accomplish in peace
the work of human salvation :
and let the whole world ex-
perience and see, that what
was fallen, is raised up again :
what was old, is become
new ; and that all things
are again settled by him who
gave them their first being,
our Lord Jesus Christ thy
Son. Who liveth, &c.
Be. Amen.
mantia, quae sunt apud te,
ex omni carne, tarn in vo-
latilibus quam in bestiis,
et universis reptilibus quse
reptant super terram, educ
tecum, et ingredimini super
terram. Crescite, et multi-
plicamini super earn.
Egressus est ergo Noe
et filii ejus, uxor illius, et
uxores filiorum ejus cum
eo. Sed et omnia animan-
tia, jumenta et reptilia
quae reptant super terram
secundum genus suum,
egressa sunt de area. -SUdi-
ficavit autem Noe altare
Domino : et tollens de cunc-
tis pecoribus et volucribus
mundis, obtulit holocausta
super altare. Odoratusque
est Dominus odorem sua-
vitatis.
The Bishop : Oremus.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Deus incommutabilis vir-
tus et lumen seternum, res-
pice propitius ad totius
Ecclesiae tuse mirabile sa-
cramentum, et opus salutis
humanse perpetuse disposi-
tions effectu tranquillius
operare : totusque mundus
experiatur et videat, de-
jecta erigi, inveterata re-
novari, et per ipsum redire
omnia in integrum, a quo
sumpsere principium : Do-
minum nostrum Jesum
Christum Filium tuum .
Qui tecum.
gt. Amen.
2u
576
HOLY WEEK.
THIRD PROPHECY.
(Qe?iesis, Chap, xxii.)
Abraham, the Father of Believers, is here offered
to our Catechumens as a model of Faith. They are
taught how man should ever depend upon his God,
and faithfully serve him. The obedience shown by
Isaac to his father's orders is a figure of that which
our Saviour has shown on Calvary. The wood for
the holocaust, carried up the mountain by Abraham's
son, brings to our minds the Son of God carrying his
Cross.
In diebus illis: Tentavit
Deus Abraham, et dixit ad
eum : Abraham, Abraham.
At ille respondit : Adsum.
Ait illi: Tolle filium tuum
unigenitum, quern diligis
Isaac, et vade in terram vi-
sionis : atque ibi offeres eum
in holocaustum super unum
montium, quern monstrave-
ro tibi. Igitur Abraham de
nocte consurgens, stravit asi-
num suum, ducens secum
duos juvenes, et Isaac filium
suum. Oumque concidisset
ligna in holocaustum, abiit
ad locum, quern prseceperat
ei Deus. Die autem tertio,
elevatis oculis, vidit locum
procul : dixitque ad pueros
suos : Exspectate hie cum
asino : ego et puer illuc us-
que properantes, postquam
adoraverimus, revertemur ad
vos. Tulit quoque ligna ho-
locaust!, et imposuit super
Isaac filium suum : ipse vero
portabat in manibus ignem
In those days : God tempted
Abraham, and said to him :
Abraham, Abraham. And he
answered : Here I am. He
said to him : Take thy only
begotten son Isaac, whom thou
lovest, and go into the land of
vision : and there thou shalt
offer him for an holocaust
upon one of the mountains
which I will shew thee. So
Abraham rising up in the
night, saddled his ass ; and
took with him two young men,
and Isaac his son ; and when
he had cut wood for the holo-
caust, he went his way to the
place which God had com-
manded him. And on the
third day, lifting up his eyes,
he saw the place afar off. And
he said to his young men :
Stay you here with the ass : I
and the boy will go with speed
as far as yonder, and after we
have worshipped, will return
to you. And he took the wood
for the holocaust, and laid it
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
577
upon Isaac his son : and he
himself carried in his hands
fire and a sword. And as they
two went on together, Isaac
said to his father : My Father.
And he answered : What wilt
thou, son ? Behold, saith he,
fire and wood : where is the
victim for the holocaust ? And
Abraham said : God will pro-
vide himself a victim for a ho-
locaust, my son.
So they went on together :
and they came to the place
which God had shewed him,
where he built an altar, and
laid the wood in order upon
it : and when he had bound
Isaac his son, he laid him on
the altar, upon the pile of
wood. And he put forth his
hand, and took the sword to
sacrifice his son. And behold
an Angel of the Lord from
heaven called to him, saying :
Abraham, Abraham. And he
answered : Here I am. And
he said to him : Lay not thy
hand upon the boy, neither do
thou anything to him : now I
know that thou fearest God,
and hast not spared thy only
begotten son for my sake.
Abraham lifted up his eyes,
and saw behind his back a ram
amongst the briers, sticking
fast by the horns, which he
took and offered for a holo-
caust instead of his son. And
he called the name of that
place, The Lord seeth. Where-
upon, even to this day, it is
said : In the mountain the
Lord will see.
And the Angel of the Lord
called to Abraham a second
time from heaven, saying : By
et gladium. Cumque duo
pergerent simul, dixit Isaac
patri suo : Pater mi. At ille
respondit : Quid vis, fili ?
Ecce, inquit, ignis et ligna,
ubi est victima holocausti ?
Dixit autem Abraham : Deus
providebit sibi victimam ho-
locausti, fili mi.
Pergebant ergo pariter : et
venerunt ad locum, quern
ostenderat ei Deus : in quo
sedificavit altare, et desuper
ligna composuit. Cumque
alligasset Isaac filium suum,
posuit eum in altare super
struem lignorum. Extendit-
que manum, et arripuit gla-
dium, ut immolaret filium
suum. Et ecce Angelus Do-
mini de ccelo clamavit, di-
cens : Abraham, Abraham.
Qui respondit : Adsum.
Dixitque ei : Non extendas
manum tuam super puerum :
neque facias illi quidquam.
Nunc cognovi, quod times
Deum : et non pepercisti
unigenito filio tuo propter
me. Levavit Abraham ocu-
los suos, viditque post ter-
gum arietem inter vepres,
heerentem cornibus : quern
adsumens, obtulit holocau-
stum pro filio. Appellavit-
que nomen loci illius : Do-
minus vidit. Unde usque
hodie dicitur : In monte Do-
minus videbit.
Vocavit autem Angelus
Domini Abraham secundo
de coelo, dicens ; Per memet-
578
HOLY WEEK.
ipsum juravi, dicit Domi-
nus : quia fecisti hanc rem,
et non pepercisti filio tuo
unigenito propter me : bene-
dicam tibi, et multiplicabo
semen tuum sicut stellas cce-
li, et velut arenam, quae est
in littore maris. Possidebit
semen tuum portas inimico-
rum suorum : et benedicen-
tur in semine tuo omnes
gentes terrse, quia obedisti
voci mese. Re versus est
Abraham ad pueros suos :
abieruntque Bersabee simul,
et habitavit ibi.
The Bishop : Oremus.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Deus, fidelium pater sum-
me, qui in toto orbe terrarum,
promissionis tuse filios diffusa
adoptionis gratia multiplicas :
et per Paschale sacramentum,
Abraham puerum tuum uni-
versarum, sicut jurasti, gen-
tium efficis patrem : da
populis tuis digne ad gra-
tiam tuse vocationis introire.
Per Dominum.
#. Amen.
my own self have I sworn,
saith the Lord ; because thou
hast done this thing, and hast
not spared thy only begotten
son for my sake : I will bless
thee, and I will multiply thy
seed as the stars of heaven,
and as the sand that is by the
sea shore : thy seed shall pos-
sess the gates of their enemies.
And in thy seed shall all the
nations of the earth be blessed,
because thou hast obeyed my
voice. Abraham returned to
his young men, and they went
to Bersabee together, and he
dwelt there.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Beacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
0 God, the sovereign Father
of the faithful, who through-
out the whole world multi-
pliest the children of the pro-
mise by the grace of thy adop-
tion, and makest thy servant
Abraham, according to thy
oath, the father of all nations
by this Paschal sacrament ;
grant that thy people may
worthily receive the grace of
thy vocation. Through, &c.
gt. Amen
FOURTH PROPHECY.
(Exodus, CHAP. XIV.)
Here we have the great type of Baptism. The
People of (rod, delivered from Pharao's tyranny, are
saved by the very water that destroys the Egyptian.
The Catechumens will come forth from the Baptise
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
579
mal Font freed from Satan's sway
perish for ever in its saving waters.
their sins will
In those days : it came to
pass in the morning watch,
and behold the Lord looking
upon the Egytian army
through the pillar of fire, and
of the cloud, slew their host :
and overthrew the wheels of
the chariots, and they were
carried into the deep. And
the Egyptians said : Let us
flee from Israel : for the Lord
fighteth for them against us.
And the Lord said to Moses :
Stretch forth thine hand over
the sea, that the waters may
come again upon the Egyp-
tians, upon their chariots and
horsemen. And when Moses
had stretched forth his hand
towards the sea, it returned at
the first break of day to the
former place : and as the
Egyptians were fleeing away,
the waters came upon them,
and the Lord shut them
up in the middle of the waves.
And the waves returned, and
covered the chariots and the
horsemen of all the army of
Pharao, who had come into
the sea after them, neither did
there so much as one of them
remain. But the children of
Israel marched through the
midst of the sea upon dry
land, and the waters were to
them as a wall on the right
hand and on the left : and the
Lord delivered Israel in that
day out of the hands of the
Egyptians. And they saw the
Egyptians dead upon the sea-
shore, and the mighty hand
In diebus illis : Factum
est in vigilia matutina, et
ecce respiciens Dominus su-
per castra .ZEgyptiorum per
columnam ignis et nubis,
interfecit exercitum eorum :
et subvertit rotas curruum,
ferebanturque in profun-
dum. Dixerunt ergo JE-
gyptii: Fugiamus Israelem:
Dominus enim pugnat pro
eis contra nos. Et ait Domi-
nus ad Moysen : Extende
manum tuam super mare :
ut revertantur aquse ad JE-
gyptios super currus et
equites eorum. Cumque
extendisset Moyses man-
um contra mare, reversum
est primo diluculo ad prio-
rem locum ; fugientibusque
.ZEgyptiis occurrerunt aquae :
et involvit eos Dominus in
mediis fluctibus. Reversse-
que sunt aquae, et operue-
runt currus et equites cunc-
ti exercitus Pharaonis, qui
sequentes ingressi fuerant
mare ; nee unus quidein
superfuit ex eis. Filii autem
Israel perrexerunt per me-
dium sicci maris : et aquae
eis erant quasi pro muro a
dextris et a sinistris. Li-
beravitque Dominus in die
ilia Israel de manu Egytio-
rum. Et viderunt JEgyptios
mortuos super littus maris :
et manum magnam, quam
exercuerat Dominus contra
eos. Timuitque populus
Dominum : et crediderunt
Domino, et Moysi servo
580
HOLY WEEK.
ejus. Tunc cecinit Moyses,
et filii Israel, carmen hoc
Domino, et dixerunt :
that theLordhad used against
them : and the people feared
the Lord, and they believed
the Lord, and Moses his ser-
vant. Then Moses and the
children of Israel sang this
canticle to the Lord, and said :
Here the Church sings the Canticle of Moses.
His sister Mary, and the daughters of Israel, sang it
on the shore of the Red Sea, as they looked upon
the dead bodies of the Egyptians.
TRACT.
Cantemus Domino : glo-
riose enim honorificatus est :
equum et ascensorem pro-
jecit in mare : adjutor et
protector factus est mihi in
salutem.
y. Hie Deus meus, et
honorificabo eum : Deus pa-
tris mei, et exaltabo eum.
IV. Dominus conterens
bella : Dominus nomen est
mi.
The Bishop : Oremus.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Deus, cujus antiqua mi-
racula etiam nostris ssecu-
lis coruscare sentimus : dum
quod uni populo a persecu-
tion JEgyptiaca liberando,
dexterae tuse potentia con-
tulisti, id in salutem gen-
tium per aquam regenera-
tions operaris : prsesta, ut
in Abrahae filios. et in Israe-
liticam dignitatem, totius
Let us sing to the Lord, for
he is gloriously magnified :
the horse and the rider he
hath thrown into the sea : he
is become my helper and pro-
tector unto salvation.
<^. He is my God, and I
will glorify him : the God of
my father, and I will exalt
him.
$. The Lord is he that
destroyeth war : Almighty is
his name.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Beacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O God, whose ancient mir-
acles we see renewed in our
days : whilst, by the water of
regeneration thou perf ormest,
for the salvation of the Gen-
tiles, that which by the power
of thy right hand thou didst
for the deliverance of one
people from the Egyptian per-
secution; grant that all the
nations of the world may be-
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
581
come the children of Abraham, mundi transeat plenitudo.
and partake of the dignity of Per Dominum.
the people of Israel. Through,
&c.
Bt. Amen. #. Amen.
FIFTH PROPHECY.
(Isaias, chap, lv.)
Isaias, the most sublime of the Prophets, here in-
vites our Catechumens to come to the waters, that their
thirst may be quenched : he bids them satiate their
hunger with the sweetest food : he tells them of the
inheritance which Grod has in store for them : they
need not fear their poverty, for the infinitely rich
Grod will overwhelm them with good things.
This is the inheritance of
the servants of the Lord, and
their justice with me, saith the
Lord. All you that thirst,
come to the waters : and you
that have no money, make
haste, buy, and eat : come ye,
buy wine and milk without
money, and without any price.
Why do you spend money for
that which is not bread, and
your labour for that which
doth not satisfy you ? Hearken
diligently to me, and eat that
which is good, and your soul
shall be delighted in fatness.
Incline your ear and come to
me : hear, and your soul shall
live, and I will make an ever-
lasting covenant with you, the
faithful mercies of David.
Behold I have given him for a
witness to the people, for a
leader and a master to the
Gentiles. Behold thou shalt
call a nation which thou
knewest not : and the nations
Hsec est haereditas ser-
vorum Domini, et justitia
eorum apud me, dicit Domi-
nus. Omnes sitientes venite
ad aquas : et qui non habetis
argentum, properate, emite
et comedite. Venite, emite
absque argento, et absque
ulla commutatione vinum et
lac. Quare appenditis ar-
gentum non in panibus, et
laborem vestrum non in
saturitate ? Audite audien-
tes me, et comedite bonum :
et delectabitur in crassitu-
dine anima vestra. Incli-
nate aurem vestram, et
venite ad me : audite : et
vivet anima vestra : et feri-
am vobiscum pactum sem-
piternum, misericordias Da-
vid fideles. Ecce testem
populis dedi eum, ducem
ac prseceptorem gentibus.
Ecce gentem quam nescie-
bas, vocabis ; et gentes, quae
te non cognoverunt, ad
582
HOLY WEEK.
te current, propter Doroi-
num Deum tuum, et Sanc-
tum Israel, quia glorificavit
te. Quserite Dominum, dum
inveniri potest, invocate eum,
dum prope est. Derelinquat
impius viam suam, et vir
iniquus cogitationes suas : et
revertatur ad Dominum, et
miserebitur ejus : et ad De-
um nostrum, quoniam mul-
tus est ad ignoscendum.
Non enim cogitationes mese,
cogitationes vestrse, neque
vise yestrse, vise mese, dicit
Dominus. Quia sicut exal-
tantur coeli a terra : sic ex-
altatse sunt vise mese a viis
vestris, et cogitationes mese
a cogitationibus vestris. Et
quomodo descendit imber, et
nix de ccelo, et illuc ultra
non revertitur, sed inebriat
terram, et infundit earn, et
germinare earn facit, et dat
semen serenti, et panem
comedenti : sic erit verbum
meum quod egredietur de
ore meo. Non revertetur ad
me vacuum, sed faciet quse-
cumque volui, et prosperabi-
tur in his, ad quae misi illud :
dicit Dominus omnipotens.
The Bishop :
The Deacon
Oremus.
Flectamus
genua.
The Snodeacon : Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, multiplica in hono-
rem nominis tui quod pa-
trum fidei spopondisti : et
promissionis filios sacra
adoptione dilata : ut quod
priores sancti non dubita-
that knew not thee shall run
to thee, because of the Lord
thy God, and for the Holy
One of Israel, for he hath
glorified thee. Seek ye the
Lord while he may be found :
call upon him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his
way, and the unjust man his
thoughts, and let him return
to the Lord, and he will have
mercy on him ; and to our
God, for he is bountiful to
forgive . For my tho ughts are
not your thoughts, nor your
ways my ways, saiththe Lord.
For as the heavens are exalted
above the earth, so are my
ways exalted above your ways,
and my thoughts above your
thoughts. And as the rain
and the snow come down from
heaven and return no more
thither, but soak the earth and
water it, and make it to spring
and give seed to the sower,
and bread to the eater : so
shall my word be, which shall
go forth from my mouth : it
shall not return to me void,
but it shall do whatever I
please, and shall prosper in
the things for which I sent it,
saith the Lord Almighty.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O Almighty and Eternal
God, multiply for the honour
of thy name, what thou didst
promise to the faith of our
forefathers : and increase, by
thy sacred adoption, the chil-
dren of that promise : and
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
583
what the ancient saints doubt-
ed not would come to pass, thy
church may now find in great
part accomplished. Through,
&c.
gt. Amen.
verunt futurum, Ecclosia
tua magna jam ex parte cog-
noscat impletum. Per Do-
minum.
Bt. Amen.
SIXTH PROPHECY.
(Baruch, Chap, hi.)
In this admirable passage from the Prophet Ba-
ruch, Gk>d reminds the Catechumens, who are about
to receive holy Baptism, of their past sins, which
made them unworthy of pardon : but, by his gratui-
tous mercy, he has vouchsafed to pour out his Wisdom
upon them, and they came unto him. He then
speaks to them of those men of the Grentile world,
who were wealthy, and powerful, and enterprising,
and have left a name behind them. But they
perished, and their earthly wisdom with them. The
New People, whom the Lord this day forms to him-
self, shall not go astray : Wisdom is to be their
portion. Heretofore, (rod spoke his mysteries to
Jacob ; but this his word did not reach all men :
now, he is come, in person, upon earth; he con-
versed with men, and dwelt among them ; therefore,
the people he now raises up for himself, shall be for
ever faithful.
Hear, O Israel, the com-
mandments of life : give ear,
that thou mayest learn wis-
dom. How happeneth it, O
Israel, that thou art in thy
enemies' land ? Thou art
grown old in a strange coun-
try, thou art denied with the
dead : thou art counted with
them that go down into hell.
Thou hast forsaken the fount-
ain of wisdom ; for if thou hadst
Audi Israel mandata vi-
tse : auribus percipe, ut
scias prudentiam. Quid est
Israel quod in terra inimi-
corum es ? Inveterasti in
terra aliena, coinquinatus
es cum mortuis : deputatus
es cum descendentibus in
infernum ? Dereliquisti fon-
tem sapientiae. Nam si in
via Dei ambulasses, habi-
tasses utique in pace sempi-
2x
584
HOLY WEEK.
terna. Disce ubi sit pru-
dentia, ubi sit virtus, ubi
sit intellectus : ut scias
simul ubi sit longiturnitas
vitae et victus, ubi sit lumen
oeulorum, et pax.
Quis inven.it locum ejus ?
Et quis introivit in thesau-
ros ejus ? Ubi sunt princi-
pes gentium, et qui domi-
nantur super bestias, quae
sunt super terram ? Qui in
avibus cceli ludunt, qui
argentum thesaurizant, et
aurum, in quo confidunt
homines : et non est finis
acquisitions eorum : qui
argentum fabricant, et sol-
liciti sunt : nee est inven-
tio operum illorum. Exter-
minati sunt, et ad inferos
descenderunt : et alii loco
eorum surrexerunt. Juvenes
viderunt lumen : et habita-
verunt super terram. Viam
autem disciplinse ignorave-
runt, neque intellexerunt
semitas ejus, neque filii
eorum susceperunt earn. A
facie eorum longe facta est.
Non est audita in terra
Chanaan : neque visa est in
Tbeman. Filii quoque Agar,
qui exquirunt prudentiam
quae de terra est, negotia-
tores Merrhse et Theman, et
fabulatores, et exquisitores
prudentiae et intelligentiae" ;
viam autem sapientiae nes-
cierunt, neque commemorati
sunt semitas ejus.
0 Israel, quam magna est
domus Dei, et ingens locus
walked in the way of God,
thou surely hadst dwelt in
peace for ever. Learn where
is wisdom, where is strength,
where is understanding : that
thou mayest know also where
is length of days and life,
where is the light of the eyes,
and peace.
Who hath found out her
place ? and who hath gone in
to her treasures ? Where are
the princes of the nations, and
they that rule over the beasts
that are upon the earth ? That
take their pastime with the
birds of the air, that hoard up
silver and gold, wherein men
trust, and there is no end of
their getting ? who work in
silver and are solicitous, and
their works are unsearchable ?
They are cut off, and are gone
down to hell, and others are
risen up in their place. Young
men have seen the light, and
dwelt upon the earth : but the
way of knowledge they have
not known, nor have they
understood the paths thereof,
neither have their children
received it : it is far from their
face. It hath not been heard
of in the land of Chanaan,
neither hath it been seen in
Theman. The children of
Agar also, that search after
wisdom that is of the earth,
the merchants of Merrha, and
of Theman, and the tellers of
fables, and searchers of pru-
dence and understanding : but
the way of wisdom they have
not known, neither have they
remembered her paths.
O Israel, how great is the
house of God, and how vast
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
585
is the place of his possession !
It is great and hath no end :
it is high and immense. There
were the giants, those re-
nowned men that were from
the beginning, of great sta-
ture, expert in war. The Lord
chose not them, neither did
they find the way of know-
ledge : therefore did they
perish. And because they had
not wisdom, they perished
through their folly. Who
hath gone up into heaven, and
taken her, and brought her
down from the clouds ? "Who
hath passed over the sea, and
found her, and brought her
preferably to chosen gold ?
There is none that is able to
know her ways, nor that can
search out her paths : But he
that knoweth all things,
knoweth her, and hath found
her out with his understand-
ing : he that prepared the
earth for evermore, and filled
it with cattle, and four-footed
beasts : he that sendeth forth
light, and it goeth ; and hath
called it, and it obeyed him
with trembling. And the
stars have given light in their
watches and rejoiced : they
were called, and they said :
Here we are. And with cheer-
fulness they have shined forth
to'him that made them. This
is our God, and there shall no
other be accounted of in com -
parison of him. He found out
all the ways of knowledge,
and gave it to Jacob his ser-
vant, and to Israel his beloved.
Afterwards he was seen upon
earth, and conversed with men .
possessionis ejus ! Magnus
est, et non habet finem,
excelsus et immensus. Ibi
fuerunt gigantes nominati
illi, qui ab initio fuerunt,
statura magna, scientes bel-
lum. Non hos elegit Do-
minus : neque viam dis-
cipline invenerunt : prop-
terea perierunt. Et quo-
niam non habuerunt sapien-
tiam, interierunt propter
suam insipientiam. Quis
ascendit in coslum, et accepit
earn, et eduxit earn de nubi-
bus ? Quis transfretavit
mare, et invenit illam, et
attulit illam super aurum
electum ? Non est qui pos-
sit scire vias ejus : neque
qui exquirat semitas ejus.
Sed qui scit universa, novit
earn : et adinvenit earn pru-
dentia sua. Qui prseparavit
terrain in seterno tempore :
et replevit earn pecudibus et
quadrupedibus. Qui emittit
lumen, et vadit : et vocavit
illud, et obedit illi in tre-
more. Stellee autem dede-
runt lumen in custodiis suis,
et laetatse sunt. Vocatse
sunt et dixerunt : Adsumus.
Et luxerunt ei cum jucundi-
tate, qui fecit illas. Hie est
Deus noster et non sesti-
mabitur alius adversus eum.
Hie adinvenit omnem viam
discipline, et tradidit illam
Jacob puero suo, et Israel
dilecto suo. Post hsec in
terris visus est, et cum
hominibus conversatus est.
586
HOLY WEEK.
The Bishop : Oremus.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam
semper gentium vocatione
multiplicas : concede propi-
tius : ut quos aqua bap-
tismalis abluis, continua pro-
tectione tuearis. Per Do-
minum.
#. Amen.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O God, who continually
multipliest thy church by the
vocation of the Gentiles : mer-
cifully grant thy perpetual
protection to those whom thou
washest with the water of
baptism. Through, &c.
gt. Amen.
SEVENTH PROPHECY.
{Ezechiel, chap, xxxvii.)
This Lesson brings before our Catechumens the
resurrection of the body, — a dogma which met with
great opposition from the proud and sensual Grentiles.
What a fitting occasion is this for remembering the
promised resurrection, which Grod has mercifully made
to us ! for lo ! Christ is about to rise from his grave,
showing us hereby what our resurrection is to be,
and giving us a pledge of its having to be. — Our
Catechumens, also, are signified by these dry bones,
which are to return to life, by the Spirit of God
coming upon them : they are to form a numerous
people to God.
In diebus illis : Facta est
super me manus Domini ; et
eduxit me in Spiritu Domi-
ni, et dimisit me in medio
campi, qui erat plenus ossi-
bus : et circumduxit me per
ea in gyro. Erant autem
multa valde super faciem
campi, siccaque vehementer.
Et dixit ad me : Fili homi-
nis, putasne vivent ossa ista ?
Et dixi : Domine Deus, tu
In those days : The hand of
the Lord was upon me, and
brought me forth in the spirit
of the Lord : and set me down
in the midst of a plain that
was full of bones . And he led
me about through them on
every side : now they were
very many upon the face of
the plain, and they were ex-
ceeding dry. And he said to
me : Son of man, dost thou
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
587
think these bones shall live ?
And I answered : OLord God,
thou knowest. And he said
to me : Prophesy concerning
these bones : and say to them :
Ye dry bones, hear the word
of the Lord. Thus saith the
Lord God to these bones : Be-
hold, I will send spirit into
you, and you shall live ; and I
will lay sinews upon you, and
will cause flesh to grow over
you, and will cover you with
skin : and I will give you
spirit, and you shall live, and
you shall know that I am the
Lord. And I prophesied as he
had commanded me : and as I
prophesied, there was a noise,
and behold a commotion : and
the bones came together, each
one to its joint. And I saw,
and behold the sinews and the
flesh came up upon them : and
the skin was stretched out
over them, but there was no
spirit in them. And he said
to me : Prophesy to the spirit,
prophesy, O son of man, and
say to the spirit : Thus saith
the Lord God : Come, spirit,
from the four winds, and blow
upon these slain, and let them
live again. And I prophesied
as he had commanded me :
and the spirit came into them,
and they lived : and they stood
upon their feet, an exceeding
great army. And he said to
me : Son of man, all these
bones are the house of Israel.
They say : Our bones are dried
up, and our hope is lost, and
we are cut off. Therefore pro-
phesy, and say to them : Thus
saith the Lord God : Behold,
I will open your graves, and
nosti. Et dixit ad me : Va-
ticinare de ossibus istis : et
dices eis : Ossa arida, audite
verbum Domini. Hsec dicit
Dominus Deus ossibus his :
Ecce ego intromittam in vos
spiritum, et vivetis : et dabo
super vos nervos, et succre-
scere faciam super vos car-
nes, et superextendam in vo-
bis cutem : et dabo vobis
spiritum, et vivetis : et scie-
tis, quia ego Dominus. Et
prophetavi sicut prseceperat
mihi. Factus est autem so-
nitus, prophetante me, et
ecce commotio. Et accesse-
runt ossa ad ossa : unum-
quodque ad juncturam su-
am. Et vidi : et ecce super
ea nervi et carnes ascende-
runt, at extenta est in eis
cutis desuper : et spiritum
non habebant. Et dixit ad
me : Vaticinare ad spiritum,
vaticinare, fili hominis, et
dicis ad spiritum : Haec di-
cit Dominus Deus : A qua-
tuor ventis veni, Spiritus ;
et insuffla super interfectos
istos, et reviviscant. Et
prophetavi sicut prseceperat
mihi. Et ingressus est in
ea Spiritus, et vixerunt ;
steteruntque super pedes
suos exercitus grandis nimis
valde. Et dixit ad me : Fili
hominis, ossa hsec univer-
sa domus Israel est. Ipsi
dicunt : Aruerunt ossa nos-
tra, et periit spes nostra, et
abscissi sumus. Propterea
vaticinare, et dices ad eos :
Hsec dicit Dominus Deus :
Ecce, ego aperiam tumulos
vestros, et educam vos de
sepulchris vestris, popule me-
588
HOLY WEEK.
us, et inducam vos in terrain
Israel. Et scietis quia ego
Dominus, cum aperuero se-
pulcra vestra, et eduxero
vos de tumulis vestris, po-
pule meus : et dedero Spiri-
tum meum in vobis, et vixe-
ritis : et requiescere vos fa-
ciam super humuni vestram :
dicit Dominus omnipotens.
The Bishop : Oremus.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Deus, qui nos ad cele-
brandum Paschale Sacra-
mentum, utriusque Testa-
menti paginis instruis : da
nobis intelligere misericor-
diam tuam : ut ex percep-
tione prsesentium munerum,
firma sit exspectatio futu-
rorum. Per Dominum.
$. Amen.
will bring you out of your
sepulchres, 0 my people : and
will bring you into the land of
Israel. And you shall know
that I am the Lord, when I
shall have opened your sepul-
chres, and shall have brought
you out of your graves, 0 my
people, and shall have put my
spirit in you, and you shall
live, and I shall make you rest
upon your own land, saith the
Lord Almighty.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O God, who by the scrip-
tures of both testaments teach -
est us to celebrate the Paschal
sacrament : give us such a
sense of thy mercy, that, by
receiving thy present favours,
we may have a firm hope
of thy future blessings.
Through, &c.
gt. Amen.
EIGHTH PROPHECY.
(Isaias, Chap, iv.)
The seven women here mentioned, as having been
set free from ignominy and cleansed from defilement,
represent the souls of our Catechumens, on whom
God is about to pour his mercy. They desire to be
called after the name of their Deliverer : their desire
shall be granted, for, as they come from the font,
they shall be called Christians, that is, children of
Christ. Henceforth, they shall abide on Mount
Sion, sheltered from whirlwind and rain. The
abode of light and rest here promised them, is the
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
589
Church ; there shall they dwell in company with her
divine Spouse.
In that day seven women
shall take hold of one man,
saying : We will eat our own
bread, and wear our own ap-
parel : only let us be called
by thy name, take away our
reproach. In that day the bud
of the Lord shall be in magni-
ficence and glory, and the
fruit of the earth shall be
high, and a great joy to them
that have escaped of Israel.
And it shall come to pass, that
every one that shall be left in
Sion, and that shall remain in
Jerusalem, shall be called
holy, eveiy one that is written
in . life in Jerusalem. If the
Lord shall wash away the filth
of the daughters of Sion, and
shall wash away the blood of
Jerusalem out of the midst
thereof, by the spirit of judg-
ment, and by the spirit of
burning. And the Lord will
create upon every place of
mount Sion, and where he is
called upon, a cloud by day,
and a smoke and the bright-
ness of the flaming fire in the
night : for over all the glory
shall be a protection. And
there shall be a tabernacle for
a shade in the day time from
the heat, and for a security
and covert from the whirl-
wind, and from rain.
This lesson is followed by a Tract, taken from the
same Prophet Isaias, wherein he foretells the favours
to be lavished by Christ on his Church, his Vine-
yard, the object of his loving and ceaseless care.
Apprehendent septem mu-
lieres virum unum in die
ilia, dicentes : Panem nos-
trum comedemus, et vesti-
mentis nostris operiemur :
tantummodo invocetur no-
men tuum super nos : aufer
opprobrium nostrum. In die
ilia erit germen Domini in
magnificentia, et gloria : et
fructus terrse sublimis : et
exsultatio his qui salvati
fuerint de Israel. Et erit :
omnis qui relictus fuerit in
Sion, et residuus in Jeru-
salem, sanctus vocabitur :
omnis qui scriptus est in
vita in Jerusalem. Si ablu-
erit Dominus sordes filiarum
Sion : et sanguinem Jeru~
salem laverit de medio ejus
in spiritu judicii, et spiritu
ardoris. Et creabit Domi-
nus super omnem locum
montis Sion, et ubi invocatus
est, nubem per diem, et fu-
mum et splendorem ignis
flammantis in nocte : super
omnem enim gloriam pro-
tectio. Et tabernaculum erit
in umbraculum diei ab sestu,
et in securitatem et abscon-
sionem a turbine et a pluvia.
590
HOLY WEEK.
TRACT.
Vinea facta est dilecto in
cornu, in loco uberi.
1&. Et maceriam circum-
dedit, et circumfodit : et
plantavit vineam Sorec, et
sedificavit turrim in medio
ejus.
1? . Et torcular f odit in ea :
vinea enim Domini Sabaoth,
domus Israel est.
The Bishop : Oremus.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Deus, qui in omnibus Ec-
clesise tuse filiis, sanctorum
Prophetarum voce manifes-
tasti, in omni loco domina-
tionis tuse satorem te bono-
rum seminum, et electorum
palmitum esse cultorem :
tribue populis tuis, qui et
vinearum apud te nomine
censentur et segetum : ut,
spinarum et tribulorum
squalore resecato, digna effi-
ciantur fruge foecundi. Per
Dominum.
gt. Amen.
My Beloved had a "Vine-
yard on a Hill, in a fruitful
place.
y. He fenced it in, and
digged it about : and planted
it with Sorec, the choicest of
vines, and built a Tower in
the midst thereof.
f'. And he set up a wine-
press therein : for the Vine-
yard of the Lord of Hosts is
the House of Israel.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O God, who by the mouth
of the holy prophets hast de-
clared, that through the whole
extent of thy empire it is
thou that so west the good seed ,
and improvest the choicest
branches that are found in all
the children of thy Church :
grant to thy people, who are
called by the names of vine-
yards and corn, that they may
root out all thorns and briers,
and bring forth good fruit in
plenty. Through, &c.
#. Amen.
NINTH PROPHECY.
{Exodus, Chap, xti.)
It was by the blood of the figurative Lamb, that
Israel was protected against the sword of the de-
stroying Angel, was delivered from Egypt, and began
his journey towards the promised Land : — it is by
the Blood of the true Lamb, wherewith they are to be
marked, that our Catechumens shall be delivered
HOLY SATURDAY
MORNING SERYICE.
591
from eternal death and from the slavery in which
Satan has heretofore held them. They shall be
guests at that Banquet, where the Flesh of this
Divine Lamb is eaten, for the Pasch is close upon
us, and they are to join us in its celebration.
In those days : The Lord
said to Moses and Aaron in
the land of Egypt : This month
shall be to you the beginning
of months : it shall be the first
in the months of the year.
Speak ye to the whole as-
sembly of the children of
Israel, and say to them : On
the tenth day of this month,
let every man take a lamb, by
their families and houses.
But if the number be less than
may suffice to eat the lamb,
he shall take unto him his
neighbour that joineth to his
house, according to the num-
ber of souls which may be
enough to eat the lamb. And
it shall be a lamb without
blemish, a male of one year ;
according to which rite also
he shall kill a kid. And you
shall keep it unto the four-
teenth day of this month : and
the whole multitude of the
children of Israel shall sacri-
fice it in the evening. And
they shall take of the blood
thereof, and put it upon both
the sideposts, and on the upper
door posts of the houses,
wherein they shall eat it.
And they shall eat the flesh
that night roasted at the fire,
and unleavened bread, with
wild lettuce. You shall not
eat thereof any thing raw, nor
boiled in water, but only
roasted at the fire : you shall
In diebus illis : Dixit Do-
minus ad Moysen et Aaron
in terra .ZEgypti : Mensis
iste vobis principium rnen-
sium : primus erit in men-
sibus anni. Loquimini ad
universum ccetum filiorum
Israel, et dicite eis : De-
cima die mensis hujus tollat
unusquisque agnum per fa-
milias et domos suas. Sin
autem minor est numerus,
ut sufficere possit ad ve-
scendum agnum, assumet
vicinum suum, qui junctus
est domui suae : juxta nu-
merum animarum, quae
sufficere possunt ad esum
agni. Erit autem agnus
absque macula, masculus,
anniculus : juxta quern ri-
tum tolletis et hcedum. Et
servabitis eum usque ad
quartam decimam diem
mensis hujus. Immolabit-
que eum uni versa multitudo
filiorum Israel ad vesperam.
Et sument de sanguine ejus :
ac ponent super utrumque
postern, et in superliminari-
bus domorum, in quibus
comedent ilium. Et edent
carnes nocte ilia assas igni,
et azymos panes, cum lac-
tucis agrestibus. Non come-
detis ex eo crudum quid, nee
coctum aqua : sed tantum
assum igni. Caput cum
pedibus ejus et intestinis
vorabitis ; nee remanebit
592
HOLY WEEK.
quidquam ex eo usque mane.
Si quid residuum fuerit,
igne comburetis. Sic autem
comedetis ilium. Renes
vestros accingetis : et cal-
ceamenta habebitis in pedi-
bus, tenentes baculos in
manibus : et comedetis
festinanter. Est enim
Phase, id est Transitus, Do-
mini.
The Bishop :
The Deacon
Oremus.
Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon
Levate.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, qui in omnium ope-
rum tuorum dispensatione
mirabilis es : intelligant
redempti tui non fuisse ex-
cellentius quod initio fac-
tus est mundus, quam quod
in fine sseculorum Pascha
nostrum immolatus est Chris-
tus. Qui tecum.
#. Amen. ■
eat the bead with the feet and
entrails thereof : neither shall
there remain any thing of it
until morning. If there shall
be anything left, you shall
burn it with fire. And thus you
shall eat it : you shall gird
your reins, and you shall have
shoes on your feet, holding
staves in your hands, and
you shall eat in haste : for it
is the Phase (that is, the
Passage) of the Lord.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Beacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
O Almighty and Eternal
God, who art wonderful in
the performance of all thy
works : let thy servants whom
thou hast redeemed under-
stand, that the creation of the
world, in the beginning, was
not a more excellent work,
than the sacrificing of Christ,
our Passover, at the end of
the world. Who liveth, &c.
gt. Amen.
TENTH PROPHECY.
(Jonas, Chap, hi.)
Ninive is the Grentile world, debased by every
crime, and a prey to false doctrines. Grod took com-
passion upon her and sent her his Apostles, in the
name of his own Son. She beard their preaching,
abjured her errors and vices, and did penance: and
Grod made her the City of his elect. Our Catechu-
mens were once children of Ninive : they are soon to
be numbered among the children of Jerusalem. The
grace of Grod, and their works of penance, have
brought about this wondrous adoption,
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
593
In those days : The word of
the Lord came to Jonas tho
second time, saying : Arise
and go to Ninive the great
city : and preach in it the
preaching that I bid thee.
And Jonas arose, and went to
Ninive according to the word
of the Lord : now Ninive was
a great city of three days'
journey. And Jonas began to
enter into the city one day's
journey : and he cried and
said : Yet forty days and
Ninive shall be destroyed.
And the men of Ninive be-
lieved in God : and they pro-
claimed a fast, and put on
sackcloth, from the greatest to
the least. And the word came
to the King of Ninive : and
he rose up out of his throne,
and cast away his robe from
him, and was clothed with
sackcloth, and sat in ashes.
And he caused it to be pro-
claimed and published in
Ninive from the mouth of the
king and of his princes, say-
ing : Let neither men nor
beasts, oxen nor sheep, taste
anything : let them not feed
nor drink water. And let
men and beasts be covered
with sackcloth, and cry to the
Lord, with all their strength
and let them turn every one
from his evil way, and from
the iniquity that is in their
hands. Who can tell if God
will turn, and forgive : and
will turn away from his fierce
anger, and we shall notperish ?
And God saw their works, that
they were turned from their
evil way : and the Lord our
God had mercy on his people.
In diebus illis : Factum
est verbum Domini ad Jo-
nas, prophetam secundo,
dicens : Surge et vade in
Niniven civitatem magnam,
et praedica in ea praedica-
tionem quam ego loquor ad
te. Et surrexit Jonas, et
abiit in Niniven, juxta ver-
bum Domini. Et Ninive
erat civitas magna, itinere
dierum trium. Et ccepit
Jonas introire in civitatem,
itinere diei unius : et clama-
vit, et dixit : Adhuc qua-
draginta dies, et Ninive
subvertetur. Et crediderunt
viri Ninivitae in Deum, et
praedicaverunt jejunium, et
vestiti sunt saccis a majore
usque ad minorem. Et per-
venit verbum ad regem
Ninive. Et surrexit de so-
lio suo, et abjecit vestimen-
tum suum a se : et indutus
est sacco, et sedit in cine-
re. Et clamavit, et dixit
Ninive ex ore regis, et prin-
cipum ejus, dicens : Ho-
mines, et jumenta, et boves,
et pecora non gustent quid-
quam : nee pascantur, et
aquam non bibant. Et
operiantur saccis homines,
et jumenta : et clament ad
Dominum in fortitudine.
Et convertatur vir a via sua
mala, et ab iniquitate, quae
est in manibus eorum. Quis
scit, si convertatur, et igno-
scat Deus : et revertatur a
furore irae suae, et non peri-
bimus ? Et vidit Deus ope-
ra eorum, quia conversi sunt
de via sua mala : et miser-
tus est populo suo Dominus
Deus noster.
594
HOLY WEEK.
The Bishop : Oremus.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Deus, qui diversitatem
gentium in confessione tui
nominis adunasti : da nobis
et velle et posse quae prse-
cipis : ut populo ad seterni-
tatem \ocato una sit fides
mentium, et pietas actio-
num. Per Dominum.
gt. Amen.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
0 God, who hast united the
several nations of the Gen-
tiles in the profession of thy
name,; give us both a will and
a power to obey thy com-
mands : that all thy people,
who are called to eternity,
may have the same faith in
their minds, and piety in their
actions. Through, &c.
Bt. Amen.
ELEVENTH PROPHECY.
%
(Deuteronomy, Chap, xxxi.)
The holy Church instructs the Catechumens, by
this Lesson, upon the obligation they are about to
contract with God. The grace of Regeneration is not
to be conferred upon them, until they have made a
solemn promise that they renounce Satan, the enemy
of their God. Let them be faithful to their promise,
and remember that God is the avenger of every in-
fringement of so solemn a vow.
In diebus illis : Scripsit
Moyses Canticum et docuit
filios Israel. Prsecepitque
Dominus Josue filio Nun, et
ait : Confortare, et esto ro-
bustus. Tu enim intro-
duces filios Israel in terram,
quam pollicitus sum eis :
et ego ero tecum. Post-
quam ergo scripsit Moyses
verba legis hujus in volu-
mine, atque complevit ;
prsecepit Levitis, qui por-
tabant arcum foederis Do-
In those days : Moses wrote
a canticle, and taught it to the
children of Israel. And the
Lord commanded Josue, the
son of Nun and said : Take
courage, and be valiant : for
thou shalt bring the children
of Israel into the land which I
have promised, and I will be
with thee. Therefore after
Moses had wrote the words of
this law in a volume, and fin-
ished it, he commanded the
Levites, who carried the ark
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
595
of the covenant of the Lord,
saying : Take this book and
put it in the side of the ark of
the covenant of the Lord
your God : that it may be
there for a testimony against
thee. For I know thy obsti-
nacy, and thy most stiff neck.
While I am yet living, and
going in with you, you have
always been rebellious against
the Lord : how much more
when I shall be dead ? Gather
unto me all the ancients of
your tribes, and your doctors,
and I will speak these words
in their hearing, and will call
heaven and earth to witness
against them. For I know
that, after my death, you will
do wickedly, and will quickly
turn aside from the way that
I have commanded you : and
evils shall come upon you in
the latter times, when you
shall do evil in the sight of the
Lord, to provoke him by the
works of your hands. Moses
therefore spoke, in the hear-
ing of the whole assembly of
Israel, the words of this can-
ticle, and finished it even to
the end.
mini, dicens : Tollite librum
istum, et ponite eum in
latere arcao foederis Domini
Dei vestri : ut sit tibi contra
te in testimonium. Ego
enim scio contentionem tuam,
et cervicem tuam duris-
simam. Adhuc vivente me,
et ingrediente vobiscum,
semper contentiose egistis
contra Dominum :
magis cum mortuus
Congregate ad me
majores natu per
vestras, atque doctores
loquor audientibus eis
quanto
fuero ?
omnes
tribus
: et
ser-
mones istos, et invocabo
contra eos coelum et terram.
Novi enim quod post mortem
meam inique agetis : et de-
clinabitis cito de via, quam
prsecepi vobis. Et occurrent
vobis mala in extremo tem-
pore, quando feceritis malum
in conspectu Domini : ut
irritatis eum per opera ma-
nuum vestrarum. Locutus
est ergo Moyses, audiente
universo ccetu Israel, verba
carminis hujus : et ad finem
usque complevit.
This Lesson is followed by a Tract, which is taken
from the sublime Canticle sung by Moses, before
quitting this earth. The whole assembly of Israel
was present, and he put before them, in words of
earnest zeal, the chastisements which Grod exercises
against them that break the Covenant he vouchsafes
to make with them.
TRACT.
Hear, O ye heavens, and I Attende coelum, et lo-
596
HOLY WEEK.
quar : et audiat
ore meo.
terra ex
f. Exspectetur sicut plu-
via eloquium meum : et
descendant sicut ros verba
mea.
y. Sicut imber super gra-
men, et sicut nix super fce-
num : quia Nomen Domini
invocabo.
y. Date magnitudinem
Deo nostro ; Deus, vera
opera ejus, et omnes vise
ejus judicia.
^. Deus fidelis, in quo
non est iniquitas : Justus et
sanctus Dominus.
The Bishop : Oremus.
The Deacon : Flectamus
genua.
The Subdeacon : Levate.
Deus celsitudo humilium
et fortitudo rectorum : qui
per sanctum Moysen pue-
rum tuum, ita erudire popu-
lum tuum sacri carminis
tui decantatione voluisti,
ut ilia legis iteratio fieret
etiam nostra directio : ex-
cita in omnem justificata-
rum gentium plenitudinem
potentiam tuam, et da lseti-
tiam, mitigando terrorem :
ut omnium peccatis tua
remissione deletis, quod de-
nuntiatum est in ultionem,
transeat in salutem. Per
Dominum.
R. Amen.
will speak : and let the earth
give ear to the words of my
mouth.
^ . Let what I say be looked
for like rain : and let my
words drop down like dew.
$". Like the shower upon
the grass, and the snow upon
the dry herb : for I will call
upon the Name of the Lord.
f. Publish the greatness
of our God ; he is God ; his
works are true and all his
ways are justice.
^ . God is faithful, in whom
there is no iniquity : the Lord
is just and holy.
The Bishop : Let us pray.
The Deacon : Let us kneel
down.
The Subdeacon : Stand up
again.
0 God, who raisest the
humble, and givest strength
to the righteous : and who by
thy holy servant Moses, wast
pleased so to instruct thy
people by the singing of the
sacred canticle, that the re-
petition of the law might be
also our direction : show thy
power to all the multitude of
Gentiles justified by thee, and
by mitigating thy terrors,
grant them joy: that all their
sins being pardoned by thee,
the threatened vengeance may
contribute to their salvation.
Through. &c.
R. Amen.
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE. 597
TWELFTH PROPHECY.
{Daniel, Chap, hi.)
Here is the last instruction given to our Cate-
chumens, before they descend into the Font of salva-
tion. It is requisite that they should have a clear
knowledge, of what the Christian warfare will demand
of them. Perhaps, they will one day have to confess
their God before the potentates of earth. Are they
resolved to suffer every torture, even death itself,
rather than deny his holy Name ? Have there not
been Apostates among those, whose Baptism was
once a source of joy to the Church ? It is of the
utmost importance, therefore, that they should know
the trials that await them. Our holy Mother the
Church tells them the history of the three young
Jews, who refused to adore the statue of the king of
Babylon, though their refusal was to be punished by
their being cast into a fiery furnace. Since the pro-
mulgation of the Christian law, millions of Martyrs
have followed their example. The representation of
these Three heroes of the true God is a favourite
subject among the paintings of the Catacombs. It
is true, — peace has been given to the Church ; but
the World is ever the enemy of Christ, and who
knows but that Julian the Apostate may succeed
Constantine ?
In those days : King Na- In diebus illis : Nabucho-
buchodonosor made a statue donosor rex fecit statuam
of gold, of sixty cubits high, auream, altitudine cubi-
and six cubits broad, and he torum sexaginta, latitudine
set it up in the plain of Dura, cubitoruni sex : et statuit
in the province of Babylon, eum in campo Dura provin-
Then Nabuchodonosor the cise Babylonis. Itaque Na-
king, sent to call together the buchodonosor rex misit ad
nobles, the magistrates, and congregandos satrapas, ma-
the judges, the captains, the gistratus et judices, duces
rulers, and governors, and all et tyrannos, et prsefectos
the chief men of the provinces, omnesque principes regio-
598
HOLY WEEK.
num. : ut convenient ad
dedicationem statuae, quam
erexerat Nabuchodonosor
rex. Tunc congregati sunt
satrapae, magistratus, et ju-
dices, duces et tyranni, et
optimates, qui erant in po-
testatibus constituti, et uni-
versi principes regionum :
ut convenirent ad dedica-
tionem statuae, quam erexe-
rat Nabuchodonosor rex.
Stabant autem in conspectu
statuae, quam posuerat Na-
buchodonosor rex, et prseco
clamabat valenter : Vobis
dicitur populis, tribubus et
Unguis : In hora qua au-
dieritis sonitum tubae et
fistulae, et citharae, sambucse,
et psalterii, et symphoniae,
et universi generis musico-
rum, cadentes adorate sta-
tuam auream, quam con-
stituit Nabuchodonosor rex.
Si quis autem non prostratus
adoraverit, eadem hora mit-
tetur in fornacem ignis
ardentis.
Post haec igitur statim ut
audierunt omnes populi so-
nitum tubae, fistulae, et ci-
tharae, sambucae, et psalte-
rii, et symphoniae, et omnis
generis musicorum, caden-
tes omnes populi, tribus,
et linguae adoraverunt sta-
tuam auream, quam con-
stituent Nabuchodonosor
rex. Statimque in ipso
tempore accedentes viri
Chaldaei accusaverunt Ju-
daeos, dixeruntque Nabu-
chodonosor regi : Eex in
to come to the dedication of
the statue which king Na-
buchodonosor had set up.
Then the nobles, the magis-
strates, and the judges, the
captains, and rulers, and the
great men that were placed in
authority, and all the princes
of the provinces were gathered
together to come to the dedi-
cation of the statue which king
Nabuchodonosor had set up.
And they stood before the
statue which king Nabucho-
donosor had set up. Then a
herald cried with a strong
voice : To you it is commanded,
O nations, tribes, and lan-
guages : that in the hour that
you shall hear the sound of
the trumpet, and of the flute,
and of the harp, of the sack-
but, and of the psaltery, and
of the symphony, and of all
kind of music ; ye fall down
and adore the golden statue
which king Nabuchodonosor
hath set up. But if any man
should not fall down and
adore, he shall the same hour
be cast into a furnace of
burning fire.
Upon this, therefore, at the
time when all the people
heard the sound of the trum-
pet, the flute, and the harp, of
the sackbut, and the psaltery,
of the symphony, and of all
kind of music ; all the nations,
tribes and languages, fell
down and adored the golden
statue which king Nabucho-
donosor had set up. And
presently, at that very time,
some Chaldeans came and ac-
cused the Jews : and said to
kingNabuchodonosor: Oking,
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
599
live for ever ! Thou, O king,
hast made a decree, that every
man that shall hear the sound
of the trumpet, the flute, and
the harp, of the sackbut, and
the psaltery, of the symphony,
and of all kind of music, shall
prostrate himself, and adore
the golden statue : and that
if any man shall not fall down
and adore, he should be cast
into a furnace of burning fire.
Now there are certain Jews,
whom thou hast set over the
works of the province of Ba-
bylon, Sidrach, Misach, and
Abdenago : these men, Oking,
have slighted thy decree : they
worship not thy gods, nor do
they adore the golden statue
which thou hast set up.
Then Nabuchodonosor, in
fury and in wrath, command-
ed that Sidrach, Misach, and
Abdenago should be brought :
who immediately were brought
before the king. And Nabu-
chodonosor the king spoke to
them and said : Is it true, O
Sidrach, Misach, and Abde-
nago, that you do not worship
my gods, nor adore the golden
statue that I have set up ?
Now therefore if you be ready,
at what hour soever you shall
hear the sound of the trum-
pet, flute, harp, sackbut, and
psaltery, and symphony, and
of all kind of music, prostrate
yourselves, and adore the
statue which I have made :
but if you do not adore, you
shall be cast in the same hour
into the furnace of burning
fire : and who is the Grod that
shall deliver you out of my
hand ?
aeternum vive. Tu rex po-
suisti decretum : ut omnia
homo, qui audierit sonitum
tubae, fistulae, et citharae,
sambucae, et psalterii, et
symphoniae, et universi ge-
neris musicorum, proster-
nat se, et adoret statuam
auream. Si quis autem non
procidens adoraverit, mit-
tatur in fornacem ignis
ardentis. Sunt ergo viri
Judaei, quos constituisti su-
per opera regionis Baby-
lonis, Sidrach, Misach, et
Abdenago : viri isti con-
tempserunt, rex, decretum
tuum : deos tuos non colunt,
et statuam auream quam
erexisti, non adorant.
Tunc Nabuchodonosor in
furore et in ira, praecepit ut
adducentur Sidrach, Mi-
sach, et Abdenago. Qui
confestim adducti sunt in
conspectu regis. Pronun-
tiansque Nabuchodonosor
rex, ait eis : Verene Si-
drach, Misach, et Abdena-
go, deos meos non colitis, et
statuam auream quam con-
stitui, non adoratis ? Nunc
ergo, si estis parati, qua-
cumque hora audieritis so-
nitum tubae, fistulae, citha-
rae, sambucae, et psalterii,
et symphoniae, omnisque
generis musicorum, pros-
ternite vos, et adorate sta-
tuam quam feci. Quod si
non adoraveritis, eadem hora
mittemini in fornacem ignis
ardentis : et quis est Deus,
qui eripiet vos de manu
mea ?
2v
600
HOLY WEEK.
Respondentes Sidrach,
Misach, et Abdenago, dixe-
runt regi Nabuchodonosor :
Non oportet nos de hac re
respondere tibi. Ecce enim
Deus noster quern colimus,
potest eripere nos de ca-
mino ignis ardentis, et de
manibus tuis, o rex, libe-
rare. Quod si noluerit, no-
tum sit tibi rex : quia deos
tuos non colimus, et sta-
tuam auream quam erex-
isti, non adoramus. Tunc
Nabuchodonosor repletus
est furore; et aspectus fa-
ciei illius immutatus est
super Sidrach, Misach, et
Abdenago. Et prsecepit, ut
succenderetur fornax sep-
tuplum, quani succendi
consueverat. Et viris for-
tissimis de exercitu suo
jussit, ut ligatis pedibus
Sidrach, Misach, et Abde-
nago, mitterent eos in for-
nacem ignis ardentis. Et
confestim viri illi vincti,
cum braccis suis, et tiaris,
et calceamentis, et vesti-
bus, missi sunt in medium
fornacis ignis ardentis ; nam
jussio regis urgebat. For-
nax autem succensa erat
nimis. Porro viros illos, qui
miserant Sidrach, Misach,
et Abdenago, interfecit
flamma ignis. Viri autem
hi tres, id est Sidrach, Mi-
sach, et Abdenago, cecide-
runt in medio camino ignis
ardentis, colligati. Et am-
bulabant in medio flammse
laudantes Deum, et bene-
dicentes Domino.
Sidrach, Misach, and Abde-
nago, answered and said to
king Nabuchodonosor : We
have no occasion to answer
thee concerning this matter.
For behold our Grod, whom
we worship, is able to save us
from the furnace of burning
fire, and to deliver us out of thy
hands, O king. But if he will
not, be it known to thee, O
king, that we will not worship
thy gods, nor adore the golden
statue which thou hast set up.
Then was Nabuchodonosor
filled with fury : and the
countenance of his face was
changed against Sidrach, Mi-
sach, and Abdenago, and he
commanded that the furnace
should be heated seven times
more than it had been accus-
tomed to be heated. And he
commanded the strongest men
that were in his army, to bind
the feet of Sidrach, Misach,
and Abdenago, and to cast
them into the furnace of burn-
ing tire. And immediately
these men were bound, and
were cast into the furnace of
burning fire, with their coats
and their caps, and their
shoes, and their garments.
For the king's commandment
was urgent, and the furnace
was heated exceedingly. And
the flame of the fire slew those
men that had cast in Sidrach,
Misach, and Abdenago. But
these three men, that is, Si-
drach, Misach, and Abdenago,
fell down bound in the midst
of the furnace of burning fire.
And they walked in the midst
of the flame, praising God,
and blessingjthe Lord.
HOLY SATURDAY .* MORNING SERVICE. 601
The Bishop says a Prayer after this, as well as
after the other Prophecies ; but the Deacon gives not
his invitation to kneel. The Church omits the
genuflexion, in order to inspire the Catechumens
with a horror for the idolatry of the Babylonians,
who bend their knee before the statue of Nabu-
chodonosor.
LET US PRAY. OREMTTS.
O Almighty and Eternal Omnipotens sempiterne
God, the only hope of the Deus, spes unica mundi,
world, who by the yoice of qui Prophetarum tuorum
the prophets, hast manifested prseconio, praesentium tem-
the mysteries of this present porum declarasti mysteria :
time : graciously increase the auge populi tui vota placa-
desires of thy people : since tus : quia in nullo fidelium,
none of the faithful can ad- nisi ex tua inspiratione, pro-
vance in any virtue, without veniunt quarumlibet incre-
thy inspiration. Through, &c. menta virtutem. Per Do-
minum .
$l. Amen. £. Amen.
THE BLESSING OF THE FONT.
These Lessons, and Prayers, and chants, have taken
up a considerable portion of time : the sun has long
since set, and the night is far advanced. All the pre-
paratory exercises are over, and it is time to repair to
the Baptistery. During the Prophecies, seven Sub-
deacons went thither, and there they have thrice re-
cited the Litany ; in the first recitation, they repeated
each invocation seven times ; in the second, five
times ; and in the third, three times. A Procession
is formed towards this building, which is detached
from the Church, and is either circular, or octagonal,
in form. In the centre is a large Font, with several
steps leading down to it. A stream of clear water
flows into it from the mouth of a metal stag. Over
the Font is suspended a canopy or cupola, in the
602 HOLY WEEK.
centre of which is a dove with extended wings, which
represents the Holy Ghost giving virtue to the Water
beneath. Round the Font is a railing, within which
none may enter but they who are to be baptised, the
Sponsors, the Bishop, and the Priests. Two Pa-
vilions,— one for the men, the other for the women, —
have been put up ; they are for the Baptised, wherein
after they come from the- Font, they may change
their garments.
The procession moves from the Church to the
Baptistery in the following order. The Paschal
Candle, (which represents the pillar of fire that
guided the Israelites, by night, to the Ped Sea, in
whose waters they found salvation,) goes first, leading
on the Catechumens. These follow, having their
Sponsors on their right hand, for each candidate for
Baptism is to be presented by a Christian. Then
come two Acolytes ; one carries the holy Chrism, the
other the Oil of Catechumens. Next, the Clergy ;
and lastly, the Bishop and his assistant Ministers.
The Procession is by torch-light. The stars are
brightly shining in the canopy of heaven, and the air
resounds with the melodious chanting. They are
singing those verses of the Psalm, in which David
compares his soul's pining after her Grod to the pant-
ing of a stag that thirsts for a fount of water. The
Stag, an image of which is in the Font, is a figure of
the Catechumen who longs for Baptism.
TRACT.
Sicut cervus desiderat ad As the stag panteth after
f ontes aquarum : ita desi- the fountains of water : so my
derat anima mea ad te soul panteth after thee, 0
Deus. God.
f. Sitivit anima mea ad #. My soul hath thirsted
Deum vivum : quando ve- after the living God : when
niam, et apparebo ante fa- shall I come, and appear be-
ciem Dei ? fore the face of God ?
HOLY SATURDAY ! MORNING SERVICE. 603
^. My tears have been my f. Fuerunt mihi lacrymae
bread day and night, while it mesd panes die ac nocte,
is said to me daily : Where is dum dicitur mihi per sin-
thy God ? gulos dies : Ubi est Deus
tuus?
They soon reach the Baptistery. The Bishop,
having come within sight of the Font, prefaces his
blessing by a Prayer, in which he again uses the
comparison of a panting Stag, to express to Q-od the
longing of this people after the new life, of which
Christ is the source.
$". The Lord be with you. y. Dominus vobiscum.
£. And with thy spirit. gc. Et cum spiritu tuo.
LET US PRAY. 0REMTJS.
Almighty and Everlasting Omnipotens sempiterne
God, look mercifully on the Deus, respice propitius ad
devotion of the people desiring devotionem populi rena-
a new birth, that as the hart scentis, qui, sicut cervus,
pants after the fountain of thy aquarum tuarum expetit
waters : so mercifully grant fontem : et concede propi-
that the thirst of their faith tius ut fidei ipsius sitis, Bap-
may, by the sacrament of Bap- tismatis niysterio animam
tism, sanctfy their souls and corpusque sanctificet. Per
bodies. Through, &c. Dominum.
gt. Amen. gi. Amen.
The blessing of water for Baptism is of Apostolic
institution, as we learn from many of the Holy Fa-
thers, among whom we may mention St. Cyprian, St.
Ambrose, St. Cyril of Jerusalem, and St. Basil. It is
just, that the instrument of so divine a work should
receive every mark of honour, that could secure to it
the respect of mankind : and, after all, does not this
honour and respect redound to that Q-od, who chose
this creature to be, as it were, the co-operator of his
mercies to us ? It was from water that we came
forth Christians. The early Fathers allude to this,
when they call Christians the Fish of Christ. We
604
HOLY WEEK.
cannot be surprised, after this, that the sight of the
element, that gave us our spiritual life, should excite
us to joy, or that we should pay to this element an
honour, which is referred to the Author of all the
graces about to be bestowed.
The prayer used by the Bishop for blessing the
Water, is so full of elevation of thought, energy of
diction, and authority of doctrine, that we may, with-
out hesitation, attribute it to the earliest ages of the
Church. The ceremonies which accompany it be-
speak its venerable antiquity. It is sung to the
solemn tone of the Preface, which imparts such a
lyric effect. The pontiff first recites a preliminary
prayer, and then begins his magnificent Blessing.
He is filled with the holy enthusiasm of the Church.
He turns to the Faithful, and they respond. He is
going to lead them to such grand mysteries : — Stir-
sum corda !
t '. Dominus vobiscum.
St. Et cum spiritu tuo.
OREMUS.
Omnipotens sempiterne
Deus, adesto magnse pietatis
tuse mysteriis, adesto sacra-
mentis ; et ad recreandos
novos populos, quos tibi fons
Baptismatis parturit, Spiri-
tum adoptionis emitte : ut
quod nostree humilitatis ge-
rendum est ministerio, vir-
tutis tuse impleatur effectu.
Per Dominum nostrum Je-
sum Christum Filium tuum,
qui tecum vivit et regnat
in unitate Spiritu Sancti,
Deus,
Per omnia saecula saecu-
lorum.
#. Amen.
f. The Lord be with you.
&. And with thy spirit.
LET US PRAY.
Almighty and Everlasting
God, be present at these mys-
teries, be present at these sa-
craments of thy great good-
ness : and send forth the spirit
of adoption to regenerate the
new people, whom the font of
Baptism brings forth : that
what is to be done by our
weak ministry, may be ac-
complished by the effect of
thy power. Through our
Lord Jesus Christ thy Son,
who liveth and reigneth with
thee, in the unity of the Holy
Ghost, God,
For ever and ever !
#. Amen.
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
605
f. The Lord be with you.
#. And with thy spirit.
^ . Lift up your hearts !
St. We have them fixed on
God.
^ . Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God.
St. It is meet and just.
It is truly meet and just,
right and available to salva-
tion, that we should always,
and in all places, give thanks
to thee, O Holy Lord, Al-
mighty Father, Eternal God,
who by thy invisible power
dost wonderfully produce the
effect of thy sacraments : and
though we are unworthy to
administer so great mysteries :
yet as thou dost not forsake
the gifts of thy grace, so thou
inclinest the ears of thy good-
ness, even to our prayers. O
God, whose Spirit, in the very
beginning of the world, moved
over the waters, that even then
the nature of water might re-
ceive the virtue of sanctfica-
tion. O God who by water
didst wash away the crimes of
the guilty world, and by the
overflowing of the deluge didst
give a figure of regeneration,
that one and the same element
might in a mystery, be the
end of vice and the origin of
virtue. Look, O Lord, on the
face of thy church, and multi-
ply in her thy regenerations,
who by the streams of thy
abundant grace fillest thy City
with joy: andopenest the font
of Baptism all over the world,
for the renovation of the Gen-
tiles : that by the command of
thy Majesty she may receive
the grace of thy only Son
from the Holy Ghost.
$. Dominus vobiscum.
St . Et cum spiritu tuo.
y. Sursum corda.
St. Habemus ad Dominum.
JP. Gratias agamus Domi-
no Deo nostro.
St. Dignum et justum est.
Vere dignum et justum
est, sequum et salutare ; nos
tibi semper, et ubique gra-
tias agere, Domine sancte,
Pater omnipotens, seterne
Deus, qui invisibili potentia,
sacramentorum tuorum mi-
rabiliter operaris effectum ;
et licet nos tantis mysteriis
exsequendis simus indigni :
tu tamen gratise tuse dona
non deserens, etiam ad nos-
tras preces, aures tuse pieta-
tis inclinas. Deus, cujus
Spiritus super aquas, inter
ipsa mundi primordia fere-
batur : ut jam tunc virtutem
sanctificationis, aquarum na-
tura conciperet. Deus, qui
nocentis mundi crimina per
aquas abluens, regeneratio -
nis speciem in ipsa diluvii
effusione signasti ; ut unius
ejusdemque elementi myste-
rio, et finis esset vitiis, et
origo virtutibus ; respice,
Domine, in faciem Ecclesise
tuse ; et multiplica in ea re-
generations tuas, qui gratise
tuse affluentis impetu lseti-
ficas Civitatem tuam, fon-
temque Baptismatis aperis
toto orbe terrarum gentibus
innovandis : ut tuse majesta-
tis imperio, sumat Unigeni-
ti tui gratiam de Spiritu
Sancto.
606
HOLY WEEK.
Here the Pontiff pauses a moment, and putting
his hand into the water divides it in the form of a
cross, to signify, that it is by the Cross that this
element receives the power of regenerating the souls
of men. This wonderful power had been promised
to Water ; but the promise was not fulfilled until
Christ had shed his Blood upon the Cross. It is
this Blood which operates by the Water, on the souls
of men ; and with the action of this precious Blood,
is joined that of the Holy Grhost, as the Pontiff tells
us in his Prayer, which he thus continues.
Qui hanc aquam regene-
randis hominibus praepa-
ratam, arcana sui numinis
admixtione fcecundet : lit
sanctificatione concepta, ab
immaculato divini fontes
utero, in novam renata crea-
turam, progenies ccelestis
emergat : et quos aut sexus
in corpore, aut aetas discer-
nit in tempore, omnes in
unam pariat gratia mater
infantiam. Procul ergo
hinc, jubente te Domine,
omnis spiritus immundus
abscedat : procul tota ne-
quitia diabolicae fraudis
absistat. Nihil hie loci ha-
beat contrariae virtutis ad-
mixtio : non insidiando cir-
cumvolet, non latendo sub-
repat, non inficiendo cor-
rumpat.
Who, by a secret mixture of
his divine virtue, may render
this water fruitful for the re-
generation of men, to the end
that those who have been
sanctified in the immaculate
womb of this divine font, be-
ing born again a new creature,
may come forth a heavenly
offspring : and that all that
are distingushed either by sex
in body, or by age in time,
may be brought forth to the
same infancy by grace, their
spiritual mother. Therefore
may all unclean spirits, by thy
command, O Lord, depart far
from hence : may the whole
malice of diabolical deceit be
entirely banished : may no
power of the enemy prevail
here : may he not fly about to
lay his snares : may he not
creep in by his secret artifice :
may he not corrupt with his
infection.
After having thus besought (rod to protect the
Water of the Font from the influence which Satan
seeks to exercise over every creature, the Bishop puts
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
607
his hand upon it. The august character of a Pontiff
or Priest is a source of sanctification : the mere con-
tact of their consecrated hand produces a salutary
effect, as often as they act in virtue of the Priesthood
of Christ, which dwells within them.
May this holy and innocent
creature be free from all the
assaults of the enemy, and
purified by the destruction of
all his malice. May it be a
living fountain, a regenerat-
ing water, a purifying stream :
that all those that are to be
washed in this saving bath,
may obtain, by the operation
of the Holy Ghost, the grace
of a perfect purification.
Sit hsec sancta et innocens
creatura libera ab omni im-
pugnatoris incursu, et totius
nequitise purgata dicessu.
Sit fons vivus, aqua regene-
rans, unda purificans : ut
omnes hoc lavacro salutifero
diluendi, operante in eis
Spiritu Sancto, perfectae pur-
gationis indulgentiam con-
sequantur.
Whilst pronouncing the following words, the
Bishop blesses the Water, thrice making over it the
sign of the cross.
Therefore I bless thee, O
creature of water, by the liv-
ing God, by the true God, by
the holy God : by that God
who in the beginning separ-
ated thee by his word from
the diy land, whose Spirit
moved over thee.
Unde benedico te, creatura
aquae, per Deum vivum, per
Deum verum, per Deum
sanctum : per Deum qui te,
in principio, verbo separavit
ab arida : cujus Spiritus
super te ferebatur.
The Bishop next makes an allusion to the four
rivers which watered the earthly Paradise. He again
divides the Water with his hand, and sprinkles it
towards the North, South, East and West, for the
four parts of the World received the preaching of
Baptism. Whilst performing this expressive cere-
mony, he continues his prayer as follows :
Who made thee flow from
the fountain of Paradise, and
Qui te de Paradisi fonte
manare fecit, et in quatuor
608
HOLY WEEK.
fluminibus totam terram ri-
gare prsecepit ; qui te in
deserto amaram, suavitate
indita fecit esse potabilem, et
sitienti populo de petra pro-
duxit. Benedico te, et per
Jesum Christum Filium ejus
unicum Dominum nostrum :
qui te in Cana Galilsese,
signo admirabili, sua poten-
tia convertit in vinum. Qui
pedibus super te ambulavit :
et a Joanne in Jordane in te
baptizatus est. Qui te una
cum sanguine de latere suo
produxit : et discipulis suis
jussit, ut credentes baptiza-
rentur in te, dicens : Ite,
docete omnes gentes, bapti-
zantes eos in nomine Patris,
et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti.
commanded thee to water the
whole earth with thy four
rivers. Who changing thy
bitterness in the desert into
sweetness, made thee fit to
drink, and produced thee out
of a rock to quench the thirst
of the people. I bless thee also
by our Lord Jesus Christ, his
only Son : who in Cana of Ga-
lilee changed thee into wine,
by a wonderful miracle of his
power. Who walked upon
thee dry foot, and was bap-
tised in thee by John in the
Jordan. Who made thee flow
out of his side together with
his blood, and commanded his
disciples, that such as believed
should be baptised in thee,
saying : Go, teach all nations,
baptising them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost.
Here the Bishop interrupts the solemn and trium-
phant tone of the Preface, and simply reads the fol-
lowing words. He has signed the Water with the
sign of the Cross ; he now invokes upon it the vivi-
fying action of the Holy Grhost.
Hsec nobis prsecepta ser- Do thou, Almighty God,
vantibus, tu Deus omnipo- mercifully assist us that ob-
tens, clemens adesto : tu serve this command : do thou
benignus adspira. graciously inspire us.
The Holy Ghost is called Spirit, which means a
Breath : he is the Divine Breathing, that mighty
Wind, which was heard in the Cenacle. The Pontiff,
to express this character of the Third Person of the
Blessed Trinity, thrice breathes, in the form of a
cross, over the Water of the Font, and then continues
in the same reading tone :
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE. 60(J
Do thou with thy mouth Tu has simplices aquas
bless these clear waters : that tuo ore benedicito : ut prse-
besides their natural virtue of ter naturalem emundatio-
cleansing the body, they may nem, quam lavandis possunt
also be effectual for the puri- adhibere corporibus, sint eti-
fying of the soul. am purificandis mentibus
efficaces.
Then taking the Paschal Candle, he dips the lower
end of it into the Font. This rite signifies the mys-
tery of Christ's Baptism in the Jordan, whereby the
element of Water received the pledge of its future
sanctifying power. The Son of God went down into
the stream, and the Holy Ghost came upon him in
the form of a Dove. But now, it is something more
than a promise : the Water receives the reality, the
virtue ; and it receives it by the action of these two
Divine Persons. The Bishop, therefore, resuming
the tone of the Preface, chants these words, whilst
plunging into the Font the Paschal Candle, the sym-
bol of Christ, over whom hovers the celestial Dove :
May the virtue of the Holy Descendat in hanc pleni-
Ghost descend into all the tudinem fontis virtus Spi-
water of this font. ritus Sancti.
After these words, the Pontiff takes the Candle
out of the Water, and then plunges it in again still
deeper, singing the same words, but on a higher
note :
May the virtue of the Holy Descndat in hanc pleni-
Ghost descend into all the tudinem fontis virtus Spi-
water of this font. ritus Sancti.
Having again withdrawn the Candle, he plunges
it a third time into the Water, even to the bottom
of the Font : he sings the same words to a still higher
note:
610 HOLY WEEK.
Descendat in hanc pleni- May the virtue of the Holy
tudinem fontis virtus Spi- Ghost descend into all the
ritus Sancti. water of this font.
Before taking the Candle from the water the third
time, the Bishop leans forward over the Font : and
that he may signify the union of the power of the
Holy Ghost with that of Christ, he breathes again
upon the Water, not, this time, in the form of a
cross, but in that of the Greek letter ^, which is
the initial of the Greek word for Spirit. This done,
he resumes his Prayer by the following words :
Totamquehujusaquse sub- And make the whole sub-
stantiam, regenerandi foe- stance of this water fruitful
cundet erfectu. and capable of regenerating.
The Paschal Candle is then raised out of the
Font, and the Bishop thus continues :
Hie omnium peccatorum Here may the stains of all
maculae deleantur : hie na- sins be washed out : here may
tura ad imaginem tuam human nature, created to thy
condita, et ad honorem sui image, and reformed to the
reformata principii, cunc- honour of ' its author, be
tis vetustatis squaloribus cleansed from all the filth of
emundetur : ut omnis ho- the old man : that all who
mo sacramentum hoc re- receive this sacrament of
generationis ingressus, in regeneration, may be born
verse innocentiae novam in- again new children of true
fantiam renascatur. innocence.
The Bishop recites the rest in the simple reading
tone :
Per Dominum nostrum Through our Lord Jesus
Jesum Christum Filium tu- Christ thy Son : who shall
urn : qui venturus est ju- come to judge the living and
dicare vivos et mortuos, et the dead, and the world by
saeculum per ignem. fire.
gt. Amen. #. Amen.
As soon as the people have answered Amen, one
of the Priests sprinkles them with the Water, that
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE. 611
has thus been blessed ; and an Acolyte fills a large
vessel with it, that it may be used in the service of
the Church, and in sprinkling the houses of the
Faithful.
But the Church is not satisfied with having given
her blessing to the Water. On Thursday, she was
put in possession of the graces of the Holy Ghost
by receiving the Holy Oils : with these she would
now honour the Font, mingling a portion of them
with the Water. The Faithful, — seeing how every
symbol expressive of divine adoption is made to bear
upon the Water, whence men receive salvation, —
will learn what should be the reverence they should
have for the Font. The Bishop, taking the Oil of
Catechumens, pours it into the Water, saying :
May this font be sanctified Sanctificetur, et fcecunde-
and made fruitful by the Oil tur fons iste Oleo salutis
of salvation, for such as are renascentibus ex eo, in vi-
regenerated therein unto life tarn seteruam.
everlasting.
gt. Amen. gt. Amen.
Then taking the Holy Chrism, he pours it into
the Font, saying :
May this infusion of the Infusio Chrismatis Domini
Chrism of our Lord Jesus nostri Jesu Christi, et Spiri-
Christ, and of the Holy Ghost tus Sancti Paracliti, fiat in
the Comforter, be made in the nomine sanctse Trinitatis.
name of the Holy Trinity.
#. Amen. gi. Amen.
Finally, taking the Chrism in his right hand, and
the Oil of Catechumens in his left, he pours from
the two phials, at one and the same time. This
sacred rite signifies the superabundant grace of
Baptism. Whilst pouring in the two Oils together,
the Bishop says :
May this mixture of the Commixtio Chrismatis
Chrism of sanctification, and sanctificationis, et Olei unc-
612 HOLY WEEK.
tionis, et aquae baptismatis, of the Oil of unction, and of
pariter fiat, in nomine Patris, the water of Baptism, be made
et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.
Bt. Amen. gt. Amen.
After these words, the Bishop puts his hand into
the Font, and mixes the holy Oils with the Water,
that thus every portion of it may come into contact
with this additional source of sanctification. Having
wiped his hand, he takes off such of his Vestments
as would inconvenience him in the administration of
Baptism.
BAPTISM.
The Pontiff returns to the Font, and the Cate-
chumens are called in turns. They come one by
one, led by their Sponsors. The Bishop stands
upon a platform, that reaches over the Font. The
Catechumen takes off all garments as far as the
waist, descends the steps, and goes into the Water,
within reach of the Bishop's hand. The Bishop
then asks the Catechumen : " Dost thou believe in
" God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and
" earth ?" The Catechumen answers : "I do believe." —
" Dost thou believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son,
" our Lord, who was born and suffered for us?" — "I
" do believe." — " Dost thou believe in the Holy
" Grhost, the holy Catholic Church, the communion
" of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection
" of the body, and life everlasting?" — "J do believe."
And having thus received the confession of the
Catechumen's Faith, the Bishop asks him, or her :
"Wilt thou be baptised?" — "I will," answers the
Catechumen. Then the Bishop places his hand upon
the Catechumem's head, and thrice immerges him, or
ker, under the Water, saying : "I baptise thee, in the
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE. 613
" name of the Father, — and of the Son, — and of the
"Holy Ghost."
Thrice, then, has the Catechumen entirely dis-
appeared under the Water : it has closed over
and shrouded him. We have the explanation of this
given us by the great Apostle : — the Water of Bap-
tism is the tomb, in which we are buried together
with Christ ; and, together with him, we rise again
to life : the death we had suffered, was the death of
sin ; the life we are henceforth to live, is the life of
grace.1 Thus is the mystery of Jesus' Resurrection
repeated, with all its fulness, in them that are bap-
tised. But before the Baptised comes from the font
a sacred rite is performed over him, which completes
his resemblance with Christ. Whilst Jesus was yet
standing in the waters of the Jordan, the Holy Grhost
descended upon him in the form of a Dove : and
before the Neophyte comes forth from the Font, a
Priest anoints his head with the Chrism, which is a
gift received from the Holy Spirit. This anointing
expresses the kingly and priestly character that
resides in the Christian, for, by his union with Jesus
Christ, his Head, he partakes, in some degree, of the
Royalty and the Priesthood of this Divine Mediator.
Thus loaded with honours by the Divine Word and
the Holy Grhost, and adopted by the Eternal Father,
who sees in him a member of his own Son, — the
Neophyte comes up from the Font by the steps of
the side opposite to that by which he descended,
beautiful in grace and spotless as the flocks of which
the Canticle speaks such praises.2 The Sponsor is
ready to receive him from the Font ; he stretches out
his hand to help him to mount the steps, and covers
his shoulders with a cloth.
Thus goes on the divine work of the holy Font :
each Baptism is a resurrection from sin to justifica-
1 Rom. vi. 4. 2 Cant. iv. 2.
614 HOLY WEEK.
tion. But the Pontiff has to administer to the
Neophytes another Sacrament, which is the con-
firming them by the gift of the Holy Grhost, and
which he alone can confer. Were he to wait till all
are Baptised, Easter- day would dawn upon them,
before the whole of to-night's service is over. He
therefore baptises a few himself, — men, women, and
children, — and leaves his Priests to administer bap-
tism to all the rest. In the Baptistery, there is a
part which is called the Chrismarium, because the
Sacrament of Chrism, or Confirmation, is given there.
Thither does the Pontiff now repair, and sits upon
the throne prepared for him. He resumes the Vest-
ments he had laid aside, when descending to the
Font; and immediately, they bring to him the
Neophytes he has baptised, and after them, those
baptised by the Priests He gives to each a white
robe, which they must wear till the following Satur-
day ; and as he gives it, he says : " Receive this
" white garment, which is holy and unspotted : and
" see thou carry it before the judgment-seat of our
" Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have eternal
" life !" As soon as the Neophytes have received it,
they retire to the Pavilions prepared in the Bap-
tistery. There they change their wet clothes for
others, and, aided by their Sponsors, they vest them-
selves with the White Robe. They then repair to
the Chrismarium, where they are to receive the Sa-
crament of Confirmation.
CONFIRMATION.
On Thursday last, when consecrating the Chrism,
the Pontiff told us how, when the Waters of the
deluge had fulfilled their office of purifying the
earth, the Dove appeared, bearing an olive-branch
in her beak ; it was the symbol of peace, and of
the reign of Him, whose sacred Name signifies
HOLY SATURDAY J MORNING SERVICE. 615
the Anointed : his name is Christ. Our Neophytes
have been purified from their sins by the Water
of Baptism : they are now kneeling before the
Pontiff, awaiting the gift of the Dove, and long-
ing for the pledge of peace whereof the Olive is the
symbol. The holy Chrism has been already marked
upon their heads ; but, then, it was only a sign
of the dignity to which they had been raised. Now,
it does more than signify grace, it works it in the
soul. Neither is it in the power of a Priest to give
this anointing, which confirms the Christian ; it
requires the hand of a Bishop, for he alone can con-
secrate the Chrism.
The Neophytes are arranged before him : — on one
side, the men ; on the other, the women ; the infants
are in their Sponsors' arms. The Adults place their
right foot on the right foot of their godfather or
godmother, showing, by this sign of union, their
spiritual filiation in the Church.
The sight of this innocent flock gladdens the heart
of the Pontiff. He rises from his throne, and thus
addresses them : "May the Holy Ghost come down
" upon you, and may the power of the Most High keep
" you from sin ! " Then stretching forth his hands, he
invokes upon them the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit,
whose action is to confirm, in our Neophytes, the
graces they have received in the Font of Baptism.
Led by their Sponsors, they come, one by one, before
the Bishop. Their faces express the eagerness, where-
with they long to receive what will make them
perfect Christians. The Pontiff signs the forehead
of each of them with the holy Chrism; and, by this
he imprints an indelible character on the soul. The
words he uses are these : "I sign thee with the sign
" of the Cross, and I confirm thee with the Chrism of
" salvation, in the name of the Father, and of the
" Son, and of the Holy Grhost." Then giving a slight
blow on the cheek, (which, with the ancients, was the
2 z
616
HOLY WEEK.
sign of a slave's being made a freedman,) he signifies
that the Neophyte is admitted into the liberty of the
Children of Crod ; and he says : " Peace be with thee!"
The assistant Ministers tie a bandlet round the fore-
head, so that nothing may touch the part which has
been anointed with holy Chrism. The Neophytes
have to wear this bandlet until the Saturday follow-
ing, when they will lay aside the white garments
received at their Baptism.
The night has passed away during the solemni-
sation of these sublime mysteries : the hour has come
for the glad celebration of the Holy Sacrifice in honor
of our Lord's Eesurrection from the Tomb. It is time
for the Pastor to lead back to the Temple his happy
flock, that has received such a glorious addition.
It is time for him to give to his dear Sheep the
Divine Nourishment, to which they have henceforth a
claim. The gates of the Baptistery are thrown open,
and all return in procession to the Church. The
Paschal Candle, the Pillar of Fire, goes before the
troop of Neophytes, whose white robes glitter in the
day-dawn of Easter. The faithful people follow after
the Bishop and Clergy, and all enter, with an air of
triumph, into the Church. During the Procession,
they again chant the Canticle that was sung by
Moses and the children of Israel after the passage
through the Red Sea. The Bishop repairs to the
Secretarium, where he is robed in the richest Vest-
ments of the Treasury. During this interval, the
Chanters recommence the Litany, repeating each in-
vocation thrice over. According to the present ar-
rangement of the Liturgy, it is sung but once during
the whole of to-day's Service, — that is, as soon as
the Clergy return to the Choir, after the Blessing of
the Font, — and each invocation is sung twice. In
Churches where there is no Font, the Litany is sung
after the Prayer which follows the Twelfth Pro-
phecy ; and as far as the words, Pecca tores, te rogamus
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE.
617
audi nos, the Celebrant and Ministers lie prostrate on
the Altar steps, praying for the Neophytes who are
this day added to the Church, throughout the world.
We here give the Litany as it is now sung, with the
additions that have been made to it at various
periods.
THE LITANY.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father, of heaven,
have mercy on us.
God, the Son, Eedeemer of the
world, have 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 for
us.
Holy Virgin of Virgins, pray
for us.
Saint Michael, pray for us.
Saint Gabriel,
Saint Eaphael,
All ye holy Angels and Arch-
angels,
All ye holy orders of blessed
Spirits,
Saint John Baptist,
Saint Joseph,
All ye holy Patriarchs and
Prophets,
Kyrie, eleison.
Christe, eleison.
Kyrie, eleison.
Christe, 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 pro
nobis.
Sancta Virgo Virginum, ora
pro nobis.
Sancte Michael, ora pro no-
bis.
Sancte Gabriel,
Sancte Eaphael,
Omnes sancti Angeli et
Archangeli, orate pro no-
bis.
Omnes sancti beatorum
Spirituum ordines, orate
pro nobis.
Sancte Joannes Baptista, ora
pro nobis.
Sancte Joseph,
Omnes sancti Patriarchae et
Prophetse, orate pro nobis.
618
HOLY WEEK.
Sancte Petre, ora pro nobis.
Sancte Paule,
Sancte Andrea,
Sancte Joannes,
Omnes sancti Apostoli et
Evangelistse, orate pro
nobis.
Omnes sancti Discipuli Do-
mini, orate pro nobis.
Sancte Stephane, ora pro
nobis.
Sancte Laurenti,
Sancte Vincenti,
Omnes sancti Martyres,
orate pro nobis.
Sancte Sylvester, ora pro
nobis.
Sancte Gregori,
Sancte Augustine,
Omnes sancti Pontifices et
Confessores, orate.
Omnes sancti Doctores,
orate pro nobis.
Sancte Antoni, ora pro nobis.
Sancte Benedicte,
Sancte Dominice,
Sancte Francisce,
Omnes sancti Sacerdotes et
Levitse, orate pro nobis.
Omnes sancti Monachi et
Erernitae, orate pro nobis.
Sancta Maria Magdalena,
ora pro nobis.
Sancta Agnes,
Sancta Csecilia,
Sancta Catharina,
Sancta Agatha,
Sancta Anastasia,
Omnes Sanctse Virgines et
Viduae, orate pro nobis.
Omnes Sancti et Sanctae Dei,
intercedite pro nobis.
Propitius esto, parce nobis
Domine.
Saint Peter,
Saint Paul,
Saint Andrew,
Saint John,
All ye holy Apostles and
Evangelists,
All ye holy Disciples of our
Lord,
Saint Stephen,
Saint Laurence,
Saint Yincent,
All ye holy Martyrs,
Saint Sylvester,
Saint Gregory,
Saint Augustine,
All ye holy Bishops and Con-
fessors,
All ye holy Doctors,
Saint Antony,
Saint Benedict,
Saint Dominic,
Saint Francis,
All ye holy Priests and Le-
vites,
All ye holy Monks and
Hermits,
Saint Mary Magdalene,
Saint Agnes,
Saint Cecily,
Saint Catharine,
Saint Agatha,
Saint Anastasia,
All ye holy Virgins and Wi-
dows,
All ye men and women,
Saints of God, make inter-
cession for us.
Be merciful to us, spare us,
O Lord.
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE.
619
Be merciful to us, graciously
hear us, 0 Lord.
From all evil, deliver us, O
Lord.
From all sin, deliver us, O
Lord.
From everlasting death,
Through the mystery of thy
holy Incarnation,
Through thy Coming,
Through thy Nativity,
Through thy Baptism and
holy Fasting,
Through thy Cross and Pas-
sion,
Through thy Death and
Burial,
Through thy holy Rusurrec-
tion,
Through thy admirable As-
cension,
Through the coming of the
Holy Ghost the Comforter,
In the day of Judgment,
We sinners, we beseech thee,
hear us.
That thou spare us, we be-
seech thee, hear us.
That thou vouchsafe to govern
and preserve thy holy
Church,
That thou vouchsafe to pre-
serve our Apostolic Prelate,
and all ecclesiastical Or-
ders, in holy religion,
Propitius esto, exaudi nos
Domine.
Ab omni malo, libera nos
Domine.
Ab omni peccato, libera
nos Domine.
A morte perpetua, libera nos
Domine.
Per mysterium sanctae In-
carnationis tuse, libera nos
Domine.
Per Adventum tuum, libera
nos Domine.
Per Nativitatem tuam, li-
bera nos Domine.
Per Baptismum et sanctum
Jejunium tuum, libera nos
Domine.
Per Crucem et Passionem
tuam, libera nos Domine.
Per Mortem et Sepultu-
ram tuam, libera nos Do-
mine.
Per sanctam Resurrectio-
nem tuam, libera nos Do-
mine.
Per admirabilem Ascen-
sionem tuam, libera nos
Domine.
Per adventum Spiritus
Sancti Paracliti, libera nos
Domine.
In die Judicii, libera nos
Domine.
Peccatores, te rogamus audi
nos.
Ut nobis parcas, te roga-
mus audi nos.
Ut Ecclesiam tuam sanc-
tam regere et conservare
digneris, te rogamus audi
nos.
Ut domnum Apostolicum, et
omnes Ecclesiasticos Or-
dines, in sancta religione
conservare digneris, te ro-f
gamus audi nos,
620
HOLY WEEK.
Ut inimicos sanctse Ecclesiae
humiliare digneris, te ro-
gamus audi nos.
Ut regibus et principibus
christianis pacem et veram
concordiam donare digne-
ris, te rogamus audi nos.
Ut nosmetipsos in tuo sancto
servitio confortare et con-
servare digneris, te roga-
mus audi nos.
Ut omnibus benefactoribus
nostris sempiterna bona
retribuas, te rogamus audi
nos.
Ut fructus terrse dare et con-
servare digneris, te roga-
mus audi nos.
Ut omnibus fidelibus defunc-
tis requiem seternam do-
nare digneris, te rogamus
audi nos.
Ut nos exaudire digneris,
te rogamus audi nos.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata
mundi, parce nobis Do-
mine.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata
mundi, exaudi nos Do-
mme.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata
mundi, miserere nobis.
Christe, audi nos.
Christe, exaudi nos.
That thou vouchsafe to hum-
ble the enemies of thy holy
Church,
That thou vouchsafe to give
peace and true concord to
Christian Kings and Prin-
ces,
That thou vouchsafe to
strengthen and preserve us
in thy holy service,
That thou render eternal good
things to all our bene-
factors,
That thou vouchsafe to give
and preserve the fruits of
the earth,
That thou vouchsafe to give
eternal rest to all the Faith-
ful departed,
That thou vouchsafe gra-
ciously to hear us,
O Lamb of God, who takest
away the sins of the world,
spare us, O Lord.
0 Lamb of God, who takest
away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, 0 Lord.
0 Lamb of God, who takest
away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
MASS.
The solemn Litany is drawing to its end, and the
Choir has already begun its closing invocation, the
Kyrie eleison ! The Pontiff comes forth from the
Secretarium, with all the pomp that marks the prin-
cipal Feasts of the Church, The chant becomes
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE. 621
more majestic, and lingers on the brief words of sup-
plication. Kyrle eleison ! — -thrice to the Father :
Christe eleison ! — thrice to the Son : Kyrie eleison /
— thrice to the Holy Grhost. During this time, the
Bishop is reciting, at the foot of the Altar, the usual
Psalm and Prayers ; and then, ascending to the
Altar, he offers the homage of Incense to the Most
High. Hence, an Introit, which on other occasions,
is sung by the Choir during the Procession from the
Secretarium to the Altar, is not needed.
The Morning-star has blended its rays with those
of our Paschal Candle, as the Deacon prayed might
be ; but now, the Morning-star itself begins to pale,
for the Star of Day, — the figure of our Jesus, the
Sun of Justice, — is soon to rise. The assembly of
the Faithful people, — the men on the right, the wo-
men on the left, — is now greater than it was at first.
The space near the doors, for Catechumens, is vacant.
In a prominent part of the aisles, we see the Neo-
phytes, with their White Robe, and Bandlet, and
lighted taper in their hands..
The censing of the Altar is finished : and then, —
0 glorious triumph of our Risen Jesus ! — the Pontiff
sings forth, in a transport of joy : Gloria in excelsis
Deo ! The hitherto silent Bells peal to the glad An-
gelic Hymn. The enthusiasm of our holy Faith has
mastered every heart, making it beat with emotion.
The people take up the heavenly Canticle, and con-
tinue it to the end ; and then the Bishop sings the
following Prayer for the newly Baptised :
COLLECT.
O God, who enlightenest Deus, qui hanc sacratissi-
this most sacred night, by the mam noctem gloria Domi-
glory of the Besurrection of nicse Resurrectionis illus-
the Lord ; preserve in the new tras : conserva in nova f ami-
offspring of thy family the lise tuse progenie adoptionis
spirit of adoption thou hast Spiritum quern dedisti : ut
622
HOLY WEEK.
corpore et mente renovati, given them : that being re-
puram tibi exhibeant servi- newed in body and soul, they
tutem. Per eumdem Domi- may serve thee with purity of
num. heart. Through the same, &c.
After the Collect, the Subdeacon ascends the
Epistle Ambo, and chants these impressive words,
that are addressed by the great Apostle to the Neo-
phytes, who have just risen, by Baptism, with Christ.
EPISTLE.
Lectio Epistolse beati Pauli
Apostoli ad Colossenses.
Cap. HI.
Fratres, si consurrexistis
cum Christo, quse sursum
sunt quserite, ubi Christus
est in dextera Dei sedens ;
quae sursum sunt sapite,
non quae super terram.
Mortui enim estis : et vita
vestra est abscondita cum
Christo in Deo. Cum autem
Christus apparuerit vita ves-
tra : tunc et vos apparebitis
cum ipso in gloria.
Lesson of the Epistle of Saint
Paul the Apostle to the
Colossians.
Ch. III.
Brethren : if you be risen
with Christ, seek the things
that are above, where Christ
is sitting at the right hand
of God : mind the things
that are above, not the things
that are upon the earth.
For you are dead ; and your
life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ shall appear,
who is your life ; then you also
shall appear with him in glory.
Having chanted these few, but telling, words, the
Subdeacon comes down from the Ambo, and goes to
the Bishop's throne. He bows before the Pontiff,
and thus addresses him ; and as he speaks, the souls
of the Faithful, yea, the very walls of the Church echo
with the joyful tidings : " Venerable Father ! I bring
" you tidings of great joy : it is the Alleluia /" The
Bishop rises, and, filled with holy ardour, intones
the Alleluia to the well known melody. The Choir
repeats it after him. Thrice (and, each time, with
an increase of joy,) is the heavenly word inter-
changed between the Pontiff and the Choir. At
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNINO SERVICE. 623
this mom en t all mournfulness is at an end. One
feels that God has accepted the expiatory works of
our Lent ; and that, by the merits of his Son now
Risen from the Grave, he pardons our earth, since he
permits us to hear once more the Song of Heaven.
The Choir subjoins this verse of the Psalm, which
celebrates the mercy of Jehovah.
Praise the Lord, for he is Confitemini Domino quo-
good : for his mercy endureth niam bonus : quoniam in
for ever. sseculum misericordia ejus.
But there is still wanting something to the joy of
our Easter. Jesus has risen from the Tomb ; but,
so far, he has not shown himself to all. His Blessed
Mother, Magdalene, and the other holy women, are
the only ones who have as yet seen him : it is not
till the evening, that he will appear to his Apostles.
We have but just begun the Day. Therefore it is,
that the Church once more offers her praise to her
God, under the Lenten formula of the Tract.
TRACT.
Praise the Lord all ye na- Laudate Dominum omnes
tions; join in his praise, all gentes : et collaudate eum
ye people. omnes populi.
y. For his mercy is con- f. Quoniam confirmata est
firmed upon us; and the truth super nos misericordia ejus :
of the Lord remaineth for ever, et Veritas Domini manet in
seternum.
Whilst the Choir is singing this Psalm to a melody,
which has something of mournfulness about it, the
Deacon goes to the Ambo, from which he is to chant
the Gospel. The Acolytes do not accompany him
with their torches, but the Thurifer goes with him,
as usual, with the Incense. Here again we have an
allusion to the events which took place on this great
morning : the Women went to the Sepulchre,
carrying sweet spices with them, but the light of
624
HOLY WEEK.
faith in the Resurrection was not as yet in their
hearts. The Incense signifies their spices, the
absence of light signifies their want of faith.
GOSPEL.
Sequentia sancti Evangelii Sequel of the holy Gospel
secundum Matthaeurn. according to Matthew.
XXVIII. Ch. XXVIIL
Cap.
Vespere autem Sabbati
quae lucescit in prima Sab-
bati : venit Maria Magda-
lene, et altera Maria videre
sepulchrum. Et ecce terrse
motus factus est magnus.
Angelus enim Domini de-
scendit de coelo, et accedens
revolvit lapidem, et sedebat
super eum. Erat autem
aspectus ejus, sicut fulgur :
et vestimentum ejus, sicut
nix . Prse timore autem e j us ,
exterriti sunt custodes : et
facti sunt velut mortui. Re-
spondens autem Angelus,
dixit mulieribus : Nolite
timere vos. Scio enim, quod
Jesum, qui crucifixus est,
quaeritis. Non est hie. Sur-
rexit enim, sicut dixit : ve-
nite, et yidete locum, ubi
positus erat Dominus. Et
cito euntes, dicite discipulis
ejus, quia surrexit. Et ecce
praecedit vos in Galilseam.
Ibi eum videbitis : ecce prse-
dixi vobis.
In the end of the Sabbath,
when it began to dawn towards
the first day of the week, came
Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary to the sepulchre. And
behold there was a great earth-
quake. For an Angel of the
Lord descended from heaven ;
and coming, rolled back the
stone, and sat upon it ; and
his countenance was as light-
ning, and his raiment as snow.
And for fear of him , the guards
were struck with terror, and
became as dead men. And
the Angel answering, said to
the women : Fear not you ;
for I know that you seek Jesus
who was crucified. He is not
here, for he is risen, ashe said.
Come, and see the place where
the Lord was laid. And going
quickly, tell ye his disciples
that he is risen : and behold
he will go before you into
Galilee : there you shall see
him. Lo, I have foretold it
to you.
The Bishop does not intone the glorious Symbol
of Faith : it is reserved for the second Mass, which
is to be sung at a later hour in the morning. By
this omission of the Creed, the Church would re-
HOLY SATURDAY I MORNING SERVICE. 625
mind us of the hours which elapsed, before the
Apostles, who were to preach to the world the Mys-
tery of the Resurrection, had themselves honoured
it by their faith.
After having saluted the people with the usual
Dominus vobiscum, the Pontiff at once proceeds to
offer to the Divine Majesty the bread and wine,
which are to be used in the Sacrifice ; and the Choir
omits the Antiphon, which is called the Offertory,
and is sung or recited in every other Mass. The
Offertory is intended as a chant to be sung whilst
the people go up to the Sanctuary when offering the
bread and wine for the Holy Sacrifice, and which
they are to receive, at the Communion, changed into
the Body and Blood of Christ. But the Service of
Holy Saturday is so long that this ceremony of the
offering is omitted. The spirit is as prompt and
fervent as ever, but the body begins to feel exhausted ;
and the little children, who are kept fasting, on
account of having to go to holy Communion, show
by their cries that they, too, are suffering from want
of food. To save time, therefore, the bread and wine,
the matter of the Sacrifice, are provided this morning
by the Church. The Neophytes will nevertheless,
approach to holy Communion, although they them-
selves have not brought bread and wine to the
Sanctuary.
After having made an offering, and censed, first
the Bread and Wine, then the Altar, the Pontiff
recites the Secret, which is followed by the Easter
Preface.
SECRET.
Eeceive,OLord, we beseech Suscipe qusesumus, Domi-
thee, the prayers of thy people, ne, preces populi tui cum
together with the offering of oblationibus hostiarum : ut
these hosts, that what is con- Paschalibus initiata niyste-
secrated by these Paschal riis, ad aeternitatis nobis
626
HOLY WEEK.
medelam, te operante, pro-
ficiant. Per Dominum.
Per omnia ssecula ssecu-
lorum.
gt. Amen.
y. Dominus vobiscum.
Bt. Et cum spiritu tuo.
y. Sursum corda.
gi. Habemus ad Domi-
num.
y. Gratias agamus Domi-
no Deo nostro.
gt. Dignum et justum est.
mysteries, may, by the help
of thy grace, avail us to eter-
nal life. Through, &c.
For ever and ever !
gt. Amen.
y. The Lord be with you.
&• And with thy spirit.
^ . Lift up your hearts !
Bt. We have them fixed on
God.
1?. Let us give thanks to
the Lord our God.
Bt. It is meet and just.
PREFACE.
Vere dignum et justum
est, sequum et salutare, te
quidem Domine, omni tem-
pore, sed in hoc potissimum
Nocte gloriosius prsedicare,
cum Pascha nostrum immo-
latus est Christus. Ipse enim
verus est Agnus, qui abstulit
peccata mundi : qui mor-
tem nostram moriendo de-
struxit, et vitam resurgendo
reparavit. Et ideo cum
Angelis et Archangelis, cum
Thronis et Dominationibus,
cumque omni militia coeles-
tis exercitus, hymnum glo-
rise tuse canimus, sine fine
dicentes : Sanctus ! Sanc-
tus ! Sanctus !
It is truly meet and just,
right and available to salva-
tion, to publish thy praise, O
Lord, at all times ; but chiefly
and more gloriously on this
Night, when Christ our Pas-
chal Lamb is sacrificed. For
he is the true Lamb, that has
taken away the sins of the
world. Who by dying de-
stroyed our death, and by ris-
ing again, 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 glory,
saying unceasingly : Holy !
Holy ! Holy !
The Canon commences, and the divine mystery is
effected. Nothing in the sacred rites is changed,
until close upon the Communion. It is a custom,
which has come down from the times of the Apostles,
that, before receiving the Body and Blood of our
Lord in Communion, the Faithful should give to
each other the Kiss of Peace, saying : " Peace be
with thee I " This ceremony is omitted in this first
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE. 627
Mass. It was not till the evening of the day of his
Resurrection, that Jesus spoke these words to his
Disciples. Holy Church, reverencing, as she does,
every detail of her Jesus' life, loves to imitate them
in her own practice. For the same reason, she omits
the Agnus Dei,1 which in its third repetition, has
these words : " Give us peace."
And now the moment has come, when our Neo-
phytes are to receive, for the first time, the Bread of
Life and the Heavenly Chalice, which were instituted
by Jesus at the last Supper. Baptised in Water
and the Holy Ghost, they have a right to approach
the holy Table ; and their White Robes are the
outward expression of their souls' possessing the
Wedding Garment, which all must have on, who
would partake of the Banquet of the Lamb. They
go up to the Altar with joy and reverenoe. The
Deacon gives them the Body of our Lord, and then
the Chalice of his precious Blood. The infants are
also admitted to Communion : the Deacon dips his
finger into the Chalice, and then puts it into their
innocent mouths. Lastly, to signify that all are now,
by their Baptism, those new-bom babes, of whom
St. Peter speaks,2 — they receive after holy Commu-
nion, a little milk and honey ; it is a symbol of
infancy, and at the same time, an allusion to the
Promised Land.
The Communion over, the Bishop ends the Holy
Sacrifice with a Prayer, in which he beseeches God
to unite us all to each other in a spirit of fraternal
charity, seeing that we all participate in the cele-
bration of the Pasch. We have all the same Mother —
the Church ; the same Font of Baptism has given to
us all the same life of grace ; we are all members of
Jesus, our Head ; the same Holy Spirit has signed
1 This formula does not date beyond the 7th century.
2 St. Pet. ii. 2.
628 HOLY WEEK.
us all with his seal, and the Father has made us all
one family by adopting us as his Children. The
signal for departure being given by the Deacon, in
the Bishop's name, the Faithful leave the Church,
and return to their homes, there to remain till they
re-assemble for the Holy Sacrifice, which is again to
be offered up in a still more solemn celebration of
this the Feast of Feasts, — the Pasch of the Eesur-
rection.
VESPEES.
During the centuries, when the Church celebrated
the Yigil of Easter in the manner we have been
describing, Holy Saturday had no Vespers. The
Vigil began towards the hour of None, and con-
tinued, as we have seen, till the early morning of
the Sunday. It was not till later, — when custom
had authorised the anticipating the Easter mid-
night Mass, and saying it on the morning of Holy
Saturday, — that this last day of Holy Week was
provided with the Office of Vespers. In consequence
of the service being so long, the Church made these
Vespers as short as possible, and gave them a joyous
character, in keeping with the return of the " Alle-
luia." They are drawn up so as to form part of the
Mass. They begin immediately after the Commu-
nion, and the Postcommunion serves as a conclusion
both to them and the Mass itself. This Postcom-
munion Prayer is the one of which we have just
been speaking, as terminating the ancient celebration
of the Easter Vigil.
After the Communion, then, the Choir sings the
following Antiphon and Psalm :
Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, al- Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, al-
leluia, leluia.
HOLY SATURDAY : MORNING SERVICE. 629
PSALM 116.
Praise the Lord, all ye na- Laudate Dominum omnes
tions : praise him all ye gentes : * laudate eum om-
people. nes populi.
For his mercy is confirmed Quoniam confirmata est
upon us; and the truth of the super nos misericordia ejus :
Lord remaineth for ever. * et Veritas Domini manet in
in seternum.
Glory, &c. Gloria Patri, &c.
Ant. Alleluia, alleluia, Ant. Alleluia, alleluia,
alleluia. alleluia.
No other Psalm is sung at these Vespers. There
is no Capitulum, Hymn, or Versicle ; but the Mag-
nificat follows at once, with this as its Antiphon :
antiphon of the Magnificat.
In the evening of the Sab- Vespere autem Sabbati,
bath which dawns on the first quae lucescit in prima Sab-
day of the week, came Mary bati, venit Maria Magdalene,
Magdalene, and another Mary, et altera Maria videre se-
to see the sepulchre, alleluia. pulchrum, alleluia.
During the Magnificat, (see page 86,) the Cele-
brant censes the Altar ; and as soon as the Antiphon
has been repeated, he sings, at the Altar, the follow-
ing prayer :
postcommunion.
Pour forth on us, 0 Lord, Spiritum nobis, Domine,
the spirit of thy love ; that tuse charitatis inf unde : ut
those whom thou hast filled quos sacramentis Paschali-
with the Paschal sacrament, bus satiasti, tua facias pie-
may, by thy goodness, live in tate Concordes. Per Domi-
perfect concord. Through, &c. num.
When the Deacon turns to the people, to give
them the signal for departure, he adds two Alle-
luias to the usual formula. The same is observed
in every Mass till the following Saturday inclusively.
630 HOLY WEEK.
f. Ite missa est, alleluia, $. Go, the Mass is finished,
alleluia. alleluia, alleluia.
Bt. Deo gratias, alleluia, gt. Thanks be to God, alle-
alleluia. luia, alleluia.
The Mass concludes, as usual, with the Blessing of
the Celebrant, and the Q-ospel of St. John.
Such is the Service of this great Saturday. The
Prayers and Ceremonies are precisely the same as in
former times : but its being celebrated so early in
the day, and the Baptism of Catechumens having
ceased to be a part of the function, rendered it
almost a necessity that we should have embodied in
our explanation the ancient ceremonial, otherwise
the Faithful would lose much of the meaning and
grandeur of to-day's Service.
During the day, the Priest visits the houses of
his parishioners, and sprinkles them with the Bap-
tismal Water, taken from the Font before the Holy
Oils were put into it. This pious practice is an
allusion to the Command given by Grod to his people,
on occasion of the first Passover, — that they should
mark their houses with the blood of the Lamb,
as a protection against the destroying Angel. In a
country like our own, it may be difficult to observe
this holy custom ; but where it can be done, the
Faithful should eagerly avail themselves of it, as it
brings a special blessing upon our houses.
THE EVENING.
The description we have been giving of the mag-
nificent ceremonies of Baptism, has made us forget
the Sepulchre wherein reposes the Body of our
Crucified Jesus. Let us return thither in thought,
for the hour of his Resurrection is not yet come. Let
us devote a few moments in meditating on the
mystery of the three days, during which the Soul of
our Redeemer was separated from his Body. We
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HOLY SATURDAY : EVENING. 63l
went, this morning, to visit the Tomb, where lies our
buried Jesus ; we adored that sacred Body, which
Magdalene and her companions are preparing to
honour, by anointing it early on the morrow. Now
let us offer the tribute of our profound adoration to
the Soul of our Divine Master. It is not in the
Tomb, where his Body is : — let us follow it to the
place where it lives during these hours of separation.
In the centre of the earth, there are four immense
regions, into which no one living can ever enter : it
is only by divine revelation that we know of their
existence. The farthest from us is the Hell of the
damned, the frightful abode where Satan and his
angels and the reprobate are suffering eternal tor-
ments. It is here that the Prince of darkness is ever
forming his plots against Grod and his creatures.
Nearer to us, is the Limbo wherein are detained the
souls of children, who departed this world before
being regenerated. The opinion which has met most
favour from the Church, is that these souls suffer no
torment ; and that although they can never enjoy
the beatific vision, yet are they enjoying a natural
happiness, and one that is proportionate to their
desires. Above the abode of these children, is the
place of expiation, where souls, that have departed
this life in the state of grace, cleanse themselves from
any stains of lesser sins, or satisfy for the debt of
temporal punishment still due to divine justice.
And lastly, still nearer to us, is the Limbo where are
kept from heaven the saints who died under the Old
Law. Here are our First Parents, Abel, Noe, Abra-
ham, Moses, David, and the Prophets ; the just Gren-
tiles, such as that great Saint of Arabia, Job ; and
those holy personages who were closely connected
with our Lord, such as Joachim and Anne, the parents
of his Blessed Mother, — Joseph, her Spouse and his
own foster-father, — and John, his Precursor, together
with his holy parents, Zachary and Elizabeth.
3 A
#32 HOLY WfcEK.
Until such time as the gate of heaven shall have
been opened by the Blood of the Redeemer, none of
the Just can ascend thither. How holy soever they
might have been during this life, they must descend
into Limbo after death. We meet with innumer-
able passages of the Old Testament, where mention
is made of hell, (that is, that portion of the regions
in the centre of the earth, which we call Limbo,)
as being the abode of even the holiest of (rod's
servants : it is only in the New Testament that
Heaven is spoken of as being the abode of men.
The Limbo of the Just is not one of torment, beyond
that of expectation and captivity. The souls that
dwell there are confirmed in grace, and are sure of
enjoying, at some future period, an infinite happi-
ness ; they resignedly bear this long banishment,
which is a consequence of Adam's Sin ; and, as they
see the time drawing nigh for their deliverance,
their joy is beyond all we can imagine.
The Son of Grod has subjected himself to every
thing, (save sin,) that our human nature has to suf-
fer or undergo : it is by his Resurrection that he is to
triumph, it is by his Ascension alone that he is to
open the gates of heaven : — hence, his Soul, having
been separated from his Body by Death, was to
descend into the depths of the earth, and beoome a
companion with the holy exiles there. He had said
of himself : The Son of Man shall be in the heart of
the earth three days and three nights} What must
have been the joy of these countless Saints ! and how
majestic must not have been the entrance of our
Emmanuel into their abode ! No sooner did our
Jesus breathe his last upon the Cross, than the Limbo
of the Saints was illumined with heavenly splendour.
The Soul of the Redeemer, united to the Divinity of
the Word, descended thither, and changed it, from a
1 St. Matth. xii. 40.
HOLY SATURDAY ! EVENING. 633
place of banishment, into a very Paradise. Thus
did he fulfil the promise he had made to the Good
Thief : This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.
The happy hour, so long expected by these Saints,
is come ! What tongue could tell their joy, their
admiration, and their love, as they beheld the Soul
of Jesus, who thus comes among them, to share and
close their exile ! He looks complacently on this
countless number of his Elect, — this fruit of four
thousand years of his grace, — this portion of his
Church purchased by his Blood, and to which the
merits of his Blood were applied by the mercy of his
Eternal Father, even before it was shed on Calvary !
Let us who hope, on our departure from this world,
to ascend to Him, who has gone to prepare a place
for us in Heaven,1 — let us joyfully congratulate these
our holy ancestors. Let us also adore the condescen-
sion of our Emmanuel, who deigns to spend these
three days in the heart of the earth, that so he might
sanctify every condition of our Nature, and take
upon himself even what was but a transient state of
our existence.
But, the Son of Grod would have this his visit to
the regions beneath our earth to be a manifestation
of his sovereign power. His Soul does not, it is true,
descend into the Hell of Satan, but he makes his
power be felt there. The Prince of this world is now
forced to bend his knee and humble himself.2 In
this Jesus, whom he has instigated the Jews to
crucify, he now recognises the Son of Grod. Man is
saved, Death is conquered, Sin is effaced. Hence-
forth, it is not to the Bosom of Abraham, but to
Heaven itself, that the souls of the Just made per-
fect shall ascend, there to reign, together with the
faithful Angels, with Christ their Divine Head. The
reign of Idolatry is to be at an end : the altars,
1 St. John, xiv. 2. 2 Philipp. ii 10.
634 HOLY WEEK.
whereon men have offered incense to Satan, are to be
destroyed. The house of the strong one is to be en-
tered by his Divine Adversary, and his goods are to
be rifled} The Hand-writing of four condemnation
is snatched from the Serpent.2 The Cross, which he
had so exultingly prepared for the Just One, has been
his overthrow, or, as St. Antony so forcibly expresses
it, the bait thrown out to the Leviathan, which he
took, and, taking it, was conquered.
The Soul of our Jesus makes its presence felt also
by the just who dwell in the abode of expiation. It
mercifully alleviates their sufferings, and shortens
their Purgatory. Many of them are delivered alto-
gether, and numbered with the Saints in Limbo,
where they spend the Forty Days, between this and
the Ascension, in the happy expectation of ascending
to Heaven with their Deliverer. It is not contrary
to the principles of Faith, to suppose, as several
learned Theologians have taught, that the visit of the
Man-Cod to Limbo was a source of blessing and con-
solation to the abode of unregenerated Children, and
that they then received a promise, that the time
would come when they should be re-united to their
bodies, and, after the Day of Judgment, be placed in
a happier land than that in which Divine Justice
now holds them captives.
We adore thee, 0 holy Soul of our Redeemer ! for
thy having deigned to pass these hours with thy Saints,
our fathers, in the heart of the earth. We extol thy
goodness and love shown towards these thy Elect,
whom thou hast made to be thine own Brethren.
We give thee thanks for that thou didst humble our
enemy : oh, give us grace to conquer him ! But now,
dearest Jesus ! it is time for thee to rise from thy
Tomb, and re-unite thy Soul to thy Body ! Heaven
and Earth await thy Resurrection ! The Church, thy
1 St. Matth. xii. 29. 2 Coloss. ii. 14.
HOLY SATURDAY '. EVENTNO.
635
Bride, has already sung the Alleluia of her glad
expectation ! Rise, then, from thy Grrave, 0 Jesus,
our Life ! Triumph over Death, and reign our King
for ever !
Let us close our day and our volume with the fol-
lowing Preface, taken from the Ambrosian Missal.
It is one of the finest pieces of this venerable Liturgy,
and is the blessing of the Paschal Candle. The
mystery of this great Night is here treated with an
eloquence and poetry truly worthy of the subject.
PREFACE.
Truly it is meet and just,
right and available to salva-
tion, that we should here and
in all places give thanks to
thee, O Holy Lord, Almighty
Father, Eternal God ! Thou
hast consecrated the Pasch,
unto which thou invitest all
mankind, not by the gore and
fat of sheep, but by the Blood
and Flesh of thine Only-Be-
gotten Son, Jesus Christ our
Lord : that thus the rite of an
ungrateful people being abo-
lished, grace should succeed
the law, and the sins of the
whole world be expiated by
one Victim, once, and by him-
self , offered up to thy Majesty.
This is the Lamb that was
prefigured on tablets of stone.
He was not taken from the
flock, but was brought from
heaven. He needed not a
shepherd, but was himself the
one Good Shepherd, who laid
down his life for his sheep,
and again assumed it, that his
divine condescension might
show us how to be humble,
Yere, quia dignum et jus-
tum est, sequum et salutare
nos tibi semper hie et ubi-
que gratias agere, Domine
sancte, Pater omnipotens,
seterne Deus. Qui populo-
rum Pascha cunctorum, non
pecudum cruore, nee adipe,
sed Unigeniti tui Domini
nostri Jesu Christi sanguine,
corporeque dedicasti ; ut
supploso ritu gentis ingratse
legi gratia succederet, et una
victima, per semetipsam tuae
Majestati semel oblata, mun-
di totius expiaret offensam.
Hie est Agnus lapideis
prsefiguratus in tabulis : non
abductus e gregibus, sed
evectus e ccelo : non pastore
indigens, sed Pastor bonus,
ipse tantummodo : qui ani-
mam suam pro suis posuit
ovibus, et rursus assumpsit ;
ut nobis et humilitatem di-
vina dignatio, et spem resur-
rectio corporalis ostenderet.
636
HOLY WEEK.
Qui coram tondente se non
vocem queruli balatus emi-
sit, sed evangelico procla-
mavit oraculo, dicens ; Amo-
do videbitis Filium hominis
sedentem ad dexteram Ma-
jestatis. Ipse nobis et te re-
conciliet, Pater omnipotens,
et pari tecum Maj estate ful-
tus indulgeat.
Nam quae patribus in figu-
ra contingebant, nobis in
veritate proveniunt. Ecce
jam ignis columna resplen-
det, quae plebem Domini
beatae noctis tempore ad sa-
lutaria fluenta praeibat : in
quibus persecutor mergitur,
et Christi populus liberatus
emergit. Nam Sancti Spiri-
tus unda conceptus, per
Adam natus ad mortem, per
Christum regignitur ad vi-
tam. Solvamus igitur vo-
luntarie celebrata j e j unia ,
quia Pascha nostrum immo-
latus est Christus : nee so-
lum corpore epulemur Agni,
sed etiam inebriemur et san-
guine. Hujus enim tantum-
modo cruor non creat piacu-
lum bibentibus, sed salutem.
Ipso quoque vescamur et
Azymo, quoniam non de
solo pane vivit homo, sed de
omni verbo Dei. Siquidem
hie est Panis, qui descendit
e ccelo, longe praestantior
illo quondam mannae imbre
frugifluo, quo tunc Israel
epulatus interiit. Hoc vero
qui vescitur corpore, vitae
perennis possessor existit.
and his body's Eesurrection
teach us to hope. No plain-
tive voice came from him
when under his shearer, but
thus spake he the prophecy of
his Gospel: Hereafter , ye shall
see the Son of man sitting on
the right hand of Majesty.
May he, O Almighty Father !
reconcile us with thee, and, by
the Majesty wherewith he is
co-equal with thee, may he
be merciful unto us.
For those things which hap-
pened in figure to our fathers,
have become realities to us.
Lo ! now shineth that pillar of
fire, which, on that blessed
night, went before the people
of God, leading to waters that
saved them : for in them was
the persecutor drowned, and
from the same came liberated
the people of Christ. Con-
ceived in the stream made
fruitful by the Holy Ghost,
man, that was born of Adam
unto death, is regenerated by
Christ unto life. Let us,
therefore, bid farewell to the
fast we have been voluntarily
keeping, for Christ, our Pasch,
is slain : Let us not only feast
on the Flesh of the Lamb, but
let us also be inebriated with
his Blood. Yes, let us also
eat the Unleavened, for not by
bread alone doth man live, but
by every word of God for
Christ is the Bread that came
down from heaven, more ex-
cellent far than that manna
of old which fell in abundant
showers, and of which the
Israelites, who then were, ate,
yetdied. Whereas he that eats
of this Body, is made a pos-
sessor of everlasting life.
HOLY SATURDAY : EVENING.
637
Lo ! tlie old things have
passed away : all things are
made new. The knife of the
Mosaic Circumcision has be-
come blunted, and the cruel
sharp stone of Josue has gone
out of use : but the people of
Christ is signed on the fore-
head, and not invisibly ; by a
baptism, not by a wound ; by
Chrism, not by blood.
Rightly, therefore, during
this Night, — when we are
awaiting the Eesurrection of
the Lord our Saviour, — do we
burn a rich waxen torch,
whose properties are fair
whiteness, sweet fragrance,
and bright light : which flows
not down as it melts, nor
sends forth an offensive smell
as it burns. For what could
be more appropriate, what
more festive, than that we
should keep watch for the
Flower of Jesse, with torches
that are the juice of flowers ?
The more so, as Wisdom thus
sang in her own praise : ' '/
"am the flower of the field,
" and the lily of the valley."
Wax is not the sweat that
oozes from a burnt pine, nor
the tear that trickles from the
cedar when wounded with
many blows of the axe : it is
a mysterious virginal produc-
tion ; and one that is trans-
figured into the whiteness of
snow. Its fount-like melted
stream feeds the ( wick of )
papyrus, which, as a guileless
soul, stands, with its unbent,
unjointed oneness, surround-
ed by the virginal substance,
andbecomes,by the flame, the
stream'smuchcherished guest.
Ecce vetera transierunt :
facta sunt omnia nova. Nam
Circumcisionis Mosaicae mu-
cro jam scabruit, et Jesu
Nave acuta lapidum obso-
levit asperitas : Christi vero
populus insignitur in fronte,
non inguine : lavacro, non
vulnere : Chrismate, non
cruore.
Decet ergo in hoc Domini
Salvatoris nostri vespertinae
Resurrectionis adventu ce-
ream nos adolere pingue-
dinem, cui suppetit candor
in specie, suavitas in odore,
splendor in lumine : quae
nee marcescenti liquore
defluit, nee offensum tetri
nidoris exhalat. Quid enim
magis accommodum magis
festivum, quam ut Jesseico
flori floreis excubemus et
taedis ? Praesertim cum et
Sapientia de semetipsa
cecinerit : Ego sum flos
agri, et lilium convallium.
Ceras igitur nee pinus
exusta desudat, nee crebris
sauciata bipennibus cedrus
illacrymat ; sed est illis ar-
cana de virginitate creatio ;
et ipsae transfiguratione nivei
candoris albescunt. Eam-
dem vero papyrum liquida
fontis unda producit : quae
instar insontis animae nullis
articulatur sinuata compa-
gibus ; sed virginali circum-
septa materie fit hospitalis
ignibus alumna rivorum.
662 13
688
HOLY WEEK.
Decet ergo adventum
Sponsi dulcatis Ecclesiam
luminaribus opperiri : et
largitatem sanctitatis accep-
tam quanta valet devotionis
dote, pensare : nee sanctas
interpolare tenebris excu-
bias ; sed tsedam sapienter
perpetuis prseparare lumini-
bus : ne, dum oleum can-
delis adjungitur, adventum
Domini tardo prosequamur
obsequio; qui certe in ictu
oculi, ut coruscus, adveniet.
Igitur in hujus diei ves-
pere cuncta venerabilis sa-
cramenti plenitudo colligi-
tur : et, quae diversis sunt
prsefigurata, vel gesta tem-
poribus, hujus noctis cur-
riculo devoluta supplentur.
Nam primum hoc vesper-
tinum lumen, sicut ilia dux
Magorum stella, prsecedit.
Deinde mysticse regenera-
tionis unda subsequitur,
velut, dignante Domino,
fluenta Jordanis. Tertio
resurrectionem Christi vox
apostolica Sacerdotis annun-
tiat. Turn ad totius mysterii
supplementum, Christo vesci-
tur turba fidelium. Quae
summi Sacerdotis, et Antis-
titis tui Ambrosii oratione
sanctificata et meritis, re-
surrectionis Dominicse di-
em, Christo in omnibus
prosperante, suscipiat.
Therefore doth it behove th<
Church to await, with sweei
lights, the coming of th€
Spouse, and with all possible
devotion, to weigh the holy
gift she has received. Holy
vigils, such as this, should
have no fellowship with dark-
ness. We should be wise, and
make the light of our lamp
be unceasing; lest, whilst pre-
paring to trim it with oil, our
Lord should come, and we be
too late to do him homage,
for we are assured that he will
come in the twinkling of the
eye, as a flash of light.
Therefore, this day's evening
is rich in the fulness of the
most august mysteries, which,
though prefigured or accom-
plished at various times, are
all brought before us during
the course of this night. For
firstly, we have this Evening
Torch, which leads the way,
as did the Star that guided
the Magi. Then follows the
Font of spiritual regeneration,
as it were the river of Jordan,
in which our Lord vouchsafed
to be baptised. Thirdly, we
have the Priest's apostolic
words announcing the Eesur-
rection of Christ. Then, to
complete the mysteries, the
faithful flock feeds on the flesh
of Christ. Being sanctified
by the prayer and merits of
thy high Priest and Pontifi
Ambrose, and being prospers
in all things by Christ, r
this flock enjoy the day
our Lord's Resurrection.
END OF PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK.
BX 1970 .G8313 1868 v. 6 IMS
Gueranger, Prosper,
Liturgical year 2nd ed. --
poNTirrcAtt iNsnrmjf*
OF MEDIAEVAL STUDIES
59 O'JrtN'S PARK
1 OCONTO "» r«N*o«f