{ "entries": [ { "vol": 1, "section": "GENERAL_PREFACE", "title": "GENERAL PREFACE", "anchor": "general_preface", "text": "PRAYER is man's richest boon. It is his light, his nourishment, and his very life, for it brings him into communication with God, who is light,¹ nourishment,² and life.³ But of ourselves we know not what we should pray for as we ought;⁴ we must needs, therefore, address ourselves to Jesus Christ, and say to Him as the apostles did: 'Lord, teach us how to pray.'⁵ He alone can make the dumb speak, and give eloquence to the mouths of children; and this prodigy He effects by sending His Spirit of grace and of prayers,⁶ who delights in helping our infirmity, asking for us with unspeakable groanings.⁷ Now it is in the holy Church that this divine Spirit dwells. He came down to her as an impetuous wind, and manifested Himself to her under the expressive symbol of tongues of fire. Ever since that day of Pentecost, He has dwelt in this His favoured bride. He is the principle of everything that is in her. He it is that prompts her prayers, her desires, her canticles of praise, her enthusiasm, and even her mourning. Hence her prayer is as uninterrupted as her existence. Day and night is her voice sounding sweetly in the ear of her divine Spouse, and her words are ever finding a welcome in His Heart. At one time, under the impulse of that Spirit, who animated the admirable psalmist and the prophets, she takes the subject of her canticles from the Books of the old Testament; at another, showing herself to be the daughter and sister of the holy apostles, she intones the canticles written in the Books of the new Covenant; and finally, remembering that she, too, has had given to her the trumpet and harp, she at times gives way to the Spirit who animates her, and sings her own new canticle. From these three sources comes the divine element which we call the liturgy. The prayer of the Church is, therefore, the most pleasing to the ear and heart of God, and therefore the most efficacious of all prayers. Happy, then, is he who prays with the Church, and unites his own prayers with those of this bride, who is so dear to ¹ St. John viii. 12. ² Ibid. vi. 35. ³ Ibid. xiv. 6. ⁴ Rom. viii. 26. ⁵ St. Luke xi. 1. ⁶ Zach. xii. 10. ⁷ Rom. viii. 26. her Lord that He gives her all she asks. It is for this reason that our blessed Saviour taught us to say our Father, and not my Father; give us, forgive us, deliver us, and not give me, forgive me, deliver me. Hence we find that, for upwards of a thousand years, the Church, who prays in her temples seven times in the day and once again during the night, did not pray alone. The people kept her company, and fed themselves with delight on the manna which is hidden under the words and mysteries of the divine liturgy. Thus", "keywords": [ "church", "prayer", "year", "divine", "liturgy", "holy", "spirit", "liturgical", "faithful", "heart", "soul", "life", "ever", "mysteries", "christ", "prayers", "love", "saints", "jesus", "cycle" ], "saints": [ "St. Ephrem", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians iii. 6", "Acts v. 14", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 12", "Colossians iii. 15", "Esther xiii. 17", "Isaias x. 20", "Isaias xii. 3", "John iii. 8", "John iv. 14", "John viii. 12", "John xvii. 11", "Lamentations iii. 22", "Luke xi. 1", "Matthew xviii. 20", "Psalms cvii. 2", "Psalms cxliii. 9", "Psalms cxxxvii. 1", "Psalms lxxiii. 8", "Psalms xli. 2", "Psalms xliv. 2", "Romans viii. 26", "Zacharias xii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "THE HISTORY OF ADVENT The name Advent is applied, in the Latin Church, to that period of the year, during which the Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the feast of Christmas, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ. The mystery of that great day had every right to the honour of being prepared for by prayer and works of penance; and, in fact, it is impossible to state, with any certainty, when this season of preparation (which had long been observed before receiving its present name of Advent) was first instituted. It would seem, however, that its observance first began in the west, since it is evident that Advent could not have been looked on as a preparation for the feast of Christmas, until that feast was definitively fixed to the twenty-fifth of December; which was done in the east only towards the close of the fourth century; whereas it is certain that the Church of Rome kept the feast on that day at a much earlier period. We must look upon Advent in two different lights: first, as a time of preparation, properly so called, for the birth of our Saviour, by works of penance; and secondly, as a series of ecclesiastical Offices drawn up for the same purpose. We find, as far back as the fifth century, the custom of giving exhortations ¹ Gal. iv. 19. ¹ From the Latin word *adventus* which signifies a coming. to the people in order to prepare them for the feast of Christmas. We have two sermons of Saint Maximus of Turin on this subject, not to speak of several others which were formerly attributed to St. Ambrose and St. Augustine, but which were probably written by St. Cæsarius of Arles. If these documents do not tell us what was the duration and what the exercises of this holy season, they at least show us how ancient was the practice of distinguishing the time of Advent by special sermons. Saint Ivo of Chartres, St. Bernard, and several other doctors of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, have left us set sermons de Adventu Domini, quite distinct from their Sunday homilies on the Gospels of that season. In the capitularia of Charles the Bald, in 846, the bishops admonish that prince not to call them away from their Churches during Lent or Advent, under pretext of affairs of the State or the necessities of war, seeing that they have special duties to fulfil, and particularly that of preaching during those sacred times. The oldest document in which we find the length and exercises of Advent mentioned with anything like clearness, is a passage in the second book of the History of the Franks by St. Gregory of Tours, where he says that St. Perpetuus, one of his predecessors, who held that see about the year 480, had decreed a fast three times a week, from the feast of St. Martin until Christmas. It would be impossible to decide", "keywords": [ "advent", "christmas", "church", "lent", "fast", "feast", "during", "season", "century", "holy", "days", "observed", "forty", "period", "penance", "find", "fasting", "whole", "abstinence", "sundays" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Charles", "St. Cæsarius of Arles", "St. Gelasius", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory of Tours", "St. Ivo of Chartres", "St. Louis", "St. Martin", "St. Maximus of Turin", "St. Nicholas", "St. Perpetuus", "St. Peter", "St. Philip" ], "scripture": [ "Galatians iv. 19" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF ADVENT If, now that we have described the characteristic features of Advent which distinguish it from the rest of the year, we would penetrate into the profound mystery which occupies the mind of the Church during this season, we find that this mystery of the coming, or Advent, of Jesus is at once simple and threefold. It is simple, for it is the one same Son of God that is coming; it is threefold, because He comes at three different times and in three different ways. \"In the first coming,\" says St. Bernard, \"He comes in the flesh and in weakness; in the second, He comes in spirit and in power; in the third, He comes in glory and in majesty; and the second coming is the means whereby we pass from the first to the third.\"¹ This, then, is the mystery of Advent. Let us now listen to the explanation of this threefold visit of Christ, given to us by Peter of Blois, in his third Sermon de Adventu: \"There are three comings of our Lord; the first in the flesh, the second in the soul, the third at the judgement. The first was at midnight, according to those words of the Gospel: At midnight there was a cry made, Lo the Bridegroom cometh! But this first coming is long since past, for Christ has been seen on the earth and has conversed among men. We are now in the second coming, provided only we are such as that He may thus come to us; for He has said that if we love Him, He will come unto us and will take up His abode with us. So that this second coming is full of uncertainty to us; for who, save the Spirit of God, knows them that are of God? They that are raised out of themselves by the desire of heavenly things, know indeed when He comes; but whence He cometh, or whither He goeth, they know not. As for the third coming, it is most certain that it will be, most uncertain when it will be; for nothing is more sure than death, and nothing less sure than the hour of death. When they shall say, peace and security, says the apostle, then shall sudden destruction come upon them, as the pains upon her that is with child, and they shall not escape. So that the first coming was humble and hidden, the second is mysterious and full of love, the third will be majestic and terrible. In His first coming, Christ was judged by men unjustly; in His second, He renders us just by His grace; in His third, He will judge all things with justice. In His first, a lamb; in His last, a lion; in the one between the two, the tenderest of friends.\"² ¹ Fifth sermon for Advent. ² De Adventu, Sermon III. The holy Church, therefore, during Advent, awaits in tears and with ardour the arrival of her", "keywords": [ "coming", "church", "advent", "during", "second", "third", "days", "mystery", "words", "holy", "jesus", "comes", "christ", "people", "prayers", "liturgy", "threefold", "visit", "earth", "bride" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Isaias xix. 7" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING ADVENT If our holy mother the Church spends the time of Advent in this solemn preparation for the threefold coming of Jesus Christ; if, after the example of the prudent virgins, she keeps her lamp lit ready for the coming of the Bridegroom; we, being her members and her children, ought to enter into her spirit, and apply to ourselves this warning of our Saviour: 'Let your loins be girt, and lamps burning in your hands, and ye yourselves be like unto men who wait for their Lord.'¹ The Church and we have, in reality, the same hopes. Each one of us is, on the part of God, an object of mercy and care, as is the Church herself. If she is the temple of God, it is because she is built of living stones; if she is the bride, it is because she consists of all the souls which are invited to eternal union with God. If it is written that the Saviour hath purchased the Church with His own Blood,² may not each one of us say of himself those words of St. Paul, 'Christ hath loved me, and hath delivered Himself up for me'?³ Our destiny being the same, then, as that of the Church, we should endeavour during Advent, to enter into the spirit of preparation, which is, as we have seen, that of the Church herself. And firstly, it is our duty to join with the saints of the old Law in asking for the Messias, and thus pay the debt which the whole human race owes to the divine mercy. In order to fulfil this duty with fervour, let us go back in thought to those four thousand years, represented by the four weeks of Advent, and reflect on the darkness and crime which filled the world before our Saviour's coming. Let our hearts be filled with lively gratitude towards Him who saved His creature man from death, and who came down from heaven that He might know our miseries by Himself experiencing them, yes, all of them excepting sin. Let us cry to Him with confidence from the depths of our misery; for, notwithstanding His having saved the work of His hands, He still wishes us to beseech Him to save us. Let therefore our desires and our confidence have their free utterance in the ardent words of the ancient prophets, which the Church puts on our lips during these days of expectation; let us give our closest attention to the sentiments which they express. ¹ St. Luke xii. 35, 36. ² Acts xv. 28. ³ Gal. ii. 20. This first duty complied with, we must next turn our minds to the coming which our Saviour wishes to accomplish in our own hearts. It is, as we have seen, a coming full of sweetness and mystery, and a consequence of the first; for the good Shepherd comes not only to visit the flock in general, but He extends His solicitude to", "keywords": [ "life", "church", "coming", "advent", "jesus", "within", "fear", "divine", "during", "christ", "saviour", "words", "hearts", "love", "holy", "enter", "mercy", "souls", "good", "comes" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "1 John iv. 18", "Acts xv. 28", "Apocalypse ii. 4", "Apocalypse vi. 14", "Apocalypse xxi. 5", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 8", "Deuteronomy xxxii. 22", "Ezechiel xviii. 31", "Galatians ii. 20", "Galatians iv. 19", "Genesis xlix. 10", "Isaias ix. 6", "John iii. 29", "John xiv. 6", "Luke xii. 35", "Luke xxiii. 30", "Mark ix. 43", "Philippians iii. 13", "Proverbs viii. 31", "Romans v. 20" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR ADVENT During Advent, the Christian, on awaking in the morning, will unite himself with the Church, who, in her Office of Matins, says to us these solemn words, which choirs of religious, men and women, throughout the universe, have been chanting during the deep silence of the night: Regem venturum Dominum, venite, adoremus. Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come! He will profoundly adore this great King, whose coming is so near at hand: and with this idea deeply impressed upon his mind, he will perform the first acts of religion, both interior and exterior, wherewith he begins the day. The time for morning prayer being come, he may use the following method, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church:— MORNING PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the most holy Trinity:— V. Benedicamus Patrem, et Filium, cum sancto Spiritu. R. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. V. Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui sancto. R. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. V. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. R. Let us praise him and extol him above all for ever. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ:— V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per crucem tuam redemisti mundum. V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. R. Because by thy cross thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost:— Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, you will recite the Lord's Prayer, asking of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant that His holy name may be glorified on earth by sending His Son, who will found the kingdom of God; and that He will vouchsafe to give us this Saviour who is our Bread and who will obtain for us, by the mediation so long looked for, the forgiveness of our sins; finally, that He will deliver us from sin, which is the sovereign evil. THE LORD'S PRAYER Pater noster, qui es in cœlis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cœlo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: et ne nos inducas in tentationem: sed libera nos a malo. Amen. 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "holy", "domine", "christ", "deus", "mother", "mercy", "jesus", "church", "ever", "world", "sins", "nobis", "grace", "virgin", "pray", "prayers", "blessed", "mary" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse iii. 20" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING THE TIME OF ADVENT There is no exercise which is more pleasing to God, or more meritorious, or which has greater influence in infusing solid piety into the soul, than the assisting at the holy sacrifice of the Mass. If this be true at all the various seasons of the Christian year, it is so, in a very special manner, during the holy time of Advent. The faithful, therefore, should make every effort in order to enjoy this precious blessing, even on those days when they are not obliged to it by the precept of the Church. With what gratitude ought they to assist at that divine sacrifice, for which the world had been longing for four thousand years! God has granted them to be born after the fulfilment of that stupendous and merciful oblation, and would not put them in the generations of men who died before they could partake of its reality and its riches! This notwithstanding, they must earnestly unite with the Church in praying for the coming of the Redeemer, so to pay their share of that great debt which God has put upon all, whether living before or after the fulfilment of the mystery of the Incarnation. Let them think of this in assisting at the holy sacrifice. Let them also remember that this great sacrifice, which perpetuates on this earth even to the end of time, though in an unbloody manner, the real oblation of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, has this for its express aim: to prepare the souls of the faithful for the mysterious coming of God, who redeemed our souls only that He might take possession of them. It not only prepares, it even effects this glorious advent. Let them, in the third place, lovingly profit by the presence of, and intimacy with, Jesus, to which this hidden yet saving mystery admits them; that so, when He comes in that other way, whereby He will judge the world in terrible majesty, He may recognize them as His friends, and even then, when mercy shall give place to justice, again save them. We shall 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 formulæ, but by suggesting such acts, as will enable those who hear Mass to enter into the ceremonies and sentiments of the Church and of the priest. The faithful, in assisting at Mass during Advent, should first know whether it is going to be said according to the Advent rite, or in honour of the blessed Virgin, or of a saint, or, finally, for the dead. The colour of the vestments worn by the priest will tell them all this. Purple is used, if the Mass be of Advent; white or red, if of our Lady or the saints; and black, if for the dead. If the priest be", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "holy", "amen", "jesus", "altar", "domine", "father", "deus", "mercy", "church", "mass", "divine", "christ", "sacrifice", "world", "ever", "nobis", "glory", "prayer" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Joseph", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Corinthians xv. 53", "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Peter i. 4", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "John c.", "Luke xii. 35", "Matthew i. 23", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING ADVENT It is true that everything in Advent is so arranged as to be a preparation for the coming of the Saviour at the feast of Christmas, and that the spirit of the faithful should be one of earnest expectation of this same Saviour; and yet, such is the happy lot of the children of the new Law, that they can, if they wish it, really, and at once, receive this God whom the Church is expecting; and thus, this familiar visit of Jesus will become itself one of the preparations for His great and solemn visit. Let those, then, who are living the life of grace, and to whom the glorious day of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ will bring an increase of spiritual life, not omit to prepare, by Communion, for the reception they intend to give to the heavenly Spouse on the sacred night of His coming. These Communions will be interviews with their divine Lord, giving them confidence, and love, and all those interior dispositions wherewith they would welcome Him who comes to load them with fresh grace, for this Jesus is full of grace and truth. They will understand this better by reflecting on the sentiments which the august Mother of Jesus had in her blessed soul during the time which preceded the divine birth. This birth is to be an event of more importance, both to the salvation of mankind and to Mary's own glory, than even that of the first accomplishment of the Incarnation; for the Word was made Flesh in order that He might be born. The immense happiness of holding in her arms her Son and her God, would make the sacred hour of Jesus' birth dearer and happier to Mary, than even that in which she was overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, and received from Him the divine fruit of her womb. During those nine months, when she knew that her Jesus was so undividedly hers, what must have been the happiness which filled her heart! It was a bliss which was a worthy preparation for that more blissful night of Bethlehem. Christians! your Communions during Advent are to prepare you for your Christmas joy, by giving you something of the delight which Mary felt before the birth of Jesus. When you are in the house of God, preparing by recollection and prayer for receiving your Saviour in holy Communion, you may perhaps be assisted in your preparation by the sentiments and affections which we have ventured to offer you in the following acts. BEFORE COMMUNION ACT OF FAITH Knowing that thou art about to enter under my roof, O eternal God, Jesus Son of the Father, I have need of all my faith. Yes, it is thou who art coming to me, thou who didst enter into Mary's virginal womb, making it the sanctuary of thy Majesty. Thou didst send thine angel to her, and she believed his word, when he said: 'Nothing", "keywords": [ "love", "jesus", "mary", "heart", "didst", "thine", "visit", "mother", "holy", "communion", "saviour", "coming", "life", "blessed", "during", "grace", "divine", "womb", "within", "faithful" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS DURING ADVENT The limits which necessity requires us to put to this volume will not admit of our inserting any of the day Office beyond Vespers and Compline; moreover, the faithful rarely assist at any other of the Canonical Hours, during this part of the liturgical year. The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of five psalms with their antiphons. The antiphons of each Sunday are given farther on, in the Proper of the Time. The Church commences with the supplication, which she makes to God at the beginning of all her Hours: V. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. V. Incline unto my aid, O God. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. The first psalm is a prophecy of the glory of the Messias. Let us, during this season, the more earnestly proclaim the greatness of the Incarnate Word the more we see Him humbled, out of love for us, during these days which precede His divine birth. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. O Christ! the Lord thy Father will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: from thence rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 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. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. 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. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Therefore, O Father, the Lord thy Son, is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. De torrente in via bibet: * propterea exaltabit caput. He cometh now in humility; he shall drink, in the way,", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "israel", "psalm", "blessed", "dominus", "domino", "praise", "sæculum", "glory", "heaven", "gloria", "name", "earth", "house", "mercy", "eorum", "sicut", "amen" ], "saints": [ "St. Elizabeth", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE DURING ADVENT This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous, state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: V. Jube, domne, benedicere. V. Pray, father, give thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. R. Amen. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. R. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens, circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: R. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God. Then the priest: V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The choir: R. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. R. Who hath made heaven 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 repeats it. The priest, having pronounced the general form of absolution, says: V. Converte nos, Deus, salutaris noster. R. Et averte iram tuam a nobis. V. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, &c. ANT. Miserere. V. Convert us, O God, our Saviour. R. And turn away thine anger from us. V. Incline unto my aid, O God. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory, &c. ANT. Have mercy. The first psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace; but the wicked know not what calm rest is. It also speaks of the eternal Word, the Light of the Father, who is coming to dispel our darkness. PSALM 4 Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: * in tribulatione dilatasti mihi. Miserere mei: * et exaudi orationem meam. Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde? * ut quid diligitis vanitatem, et quæritis mendacium? Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: * Dominus exaudiet me, cum clamavero ad eum. 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 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 wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry", "keywords": [ "lord", "domine", "amen", "mercy", "holy", "night", "dominus", "deus", "tuum", "miserere", "psalm", "quoniam", "bless", "priest", "father", "shalt", "hands", "spiritu", "sleep", "says" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians v. 10", "Jeremias xiv.", "Luke ii." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "BLESSED_VIRGIN", "title": "BLESSED VIRGIN", "anchor": "blessed_virgin", "text": "Sweet Mother of our Redeemer, gate whereby we enter heaven, and star of the sea! help us, we fall; yet do we long to rise. Nature looked upon thee with admiration, when thou didst give birth to thy divine Creator, thyself remaining, before and after it, a pure Virgin. Gabriel spoke his Hail to thee; we sinners crave thy pity. V. The angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R. And she conceived of the Holy Ghost. LET US PRAY Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that we to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the message of an angel, may by his Passion and cross be brought to the glory of his Resurrection. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen. V. May the divine assistance remain always with us. R. Amen. Then, in secret, Pater, Ave, and Credo. ¹ In the monastic rite, this response is as follows:— R. Et cum fratribus nostris absentibus. Amen. R. And with our absent brethren. Amen. PROPER OF THE TIME Under this heading of Proper of the Time, we here comprise the movable Office of the Sundays and Ferias of Advent. Though anxious to give to the faithful the flowers of the Advent liturgy, yet were we to bring forward even those which might be considered as the choicest, four volumes would have barely sufficed. The fear of making our work too expensive to the faithful, persuaded us to limit it within much narrower bounds, and out of the abundant treasures before us, to give what we thought could be least dispensed with. The plan we have adopted is this: We give the whole of the Mass and Vespers for the four Sundays of Advent. On the ferial days, we give one, at least, of the lessons from Isaias, which are read in the Office of Matins; adding to this a hymn or sequence, or some other poetic liturgical composition. All these have been taken from the gravest sources, for example, from the Roman and Mozarabic breviaries, from the Greek anthology and menæa, from the missals of the middle ages, &c. After this hymn or sequence, we have given a prayer from the Ambrosian, Gallican, or Mozarabic rite. So that the faithful will find in our collection an unprecedented abundance of liturgical formulæ, each of which carries authority with it, as being taken from ancient and approved sources. We have not thought it desirable to give a commentary to each of the liturgical formulæ inserted in our work. It seemed to us that they would be rendered sufficiently intelligible by the general explanation which runs through our work, in which explanation we have endeavoured to excite the devotion of the reader, give unity to the several parts, and afford solid instruction. We shall thus avoid all those repetitions and commonplace remarks, which do little more than fatigue the reader. We have inserted the Great Antiphons and the Office of Christmas Eve", "keywords": [ "amen", "proper", "lord", "office", "advent", "faithful", "work", "liturgical", "divine", "angel", "christ", "rite", "sundays", "four", "thought", "least", "days", "hymn", "sequence", "taken" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THE_FIRST_SUNDAY_OF_ADVENT", "title": "THE FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT", "anchor": "the_first_sunday_of_advent", "text": "This Sunday, the first of the ecclesiastical year, is called, in the chronicles and charters of the middle ages, Ad te levavi Sunday, from the first words of the Introit; or, Aspiciens a longe, from the first words of one of the responsories of Matins. The Station¹ is at St. Mary Major's. It is under the auspices of Mary—in the splendid basilica which possesses the crib of Bethlehem, and is therefore called, in ancient documents, St. Mary's ad Præsepe—that the Roman Church recommences, each year, the sacred cycle. It would have been impossible to select a place more suitable than this for saluting the approach of the divine birth, which is to gladden heaven and earth, and manifest the sublime portent of a Virgin Mother. Let us go in spirit to this august temple, and unite in the prayers which are there being offered up: they are the very ones we also use, and which we will now explain. In the night Office, the Church commences the reading of the Book of Isaias, who, of all the Prophets, has the most distinctly and explicitly foretold the Messias; and she continues this same Book until Christmas day inclusively. Let us strive to enter into the teaching of the holy prophet, and let the eye of our faith affectionately recognize the promised Saviour in the descriptions, sometimes consoling and sometimes terrifying, under which Isaias depicts Him. ¹ The Stations marked in the Roman missal for certain days in the year, were formerly processions, in which the whole clergy and people went to some given church, and there celebrated the Office and Mass. This usage, which dates from the earliest period of the Roman Church, of which St. Gregory the Great was but the restorer, still exists, at least in a measure; for the Stations are still observed, though with less solemnity and concourse of people, on all the days specified in the missal. The first words of the Church, in the still midnight, are these: Regem venturum Dominum, venite, adoremus. Come, let us adore the King our Lord, who is to come. This first duty of adoration complied with, let us listen to the oracle of the prophet Isaias, delivered to us by the holy Church. Incipit liber Isaiæ Prophetæ. Cap. i. Visio Isaiæ filii Amos, quam vidit super Judam et Jerusalem, in diebus Oziæ, Joathan, Achaz, et Ezechiæ, regum Juda. Audite, cæli, et auribus percipe, terra; quoniam Dominus locutus est: Filios enutrivi et exaltavi: ipsi autem spreverunt me. Cognovit bos possessorem suum, et asinus præsepe Domini sui: Israel autem me non cognovit, et populus meus non intellexit. Væ genti peccatrici, populo gravi iniquitate, semini nequam, filiis sceleratis. Dereliquerunt Dominum, blasphemaverunt Sanctum Israel, abalienati sunt retrorsum. Super quo percutiam vos ultra, addentes prævaricationem? Omne caput languidum, et omne cor mœrens. A planta pedis usque ad verticem non est in eo sanitas: vulnus, et livor, et plaga tumens, non est circumligata, nec curata medicamine, neque fota oleo. Beginning of the Book of the", "keywords": [ "lord", "coming", "virgin", "earth", "dominum", "world", "holy", "jesus", "amen", "church", "jerusalem", "advent", "domine", "ejus", "alleluia", "didst", "isaias", "prophet", "deus", "forth" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias c.", "John c.", "Matthew xxi. 33", "Proverbs viii. 31", "Psalms vi.", "Romans c." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THE_SECOND_SUNDAY_OF_ADVENT", "title": "THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT", "anchor": "the_second_sunday_of_advent", "text": "The Office of this Sunday is filled, from beginning to end, with the sentiments of hope and joy, with which the soul should be animated at the glad tidings of the speedy coming of Him who is her Saviour and Spouse. The interior coming, that which is effected in the soul, is the almost exclusive object of the Church's prayers for this day: let us therefore open our hearts, let us prepare our lamps, and await in gladness that cry, which will be heard in the midnight: 'Glory be to God! Peace unto men!' The Roman Church makes the Station to-day in the basilica of Holy-Cross-in-Jerusalem. It was in this venerable church that Constantine deposited a large piece of the true cross, together with the title which was fastened to it by Pilate's order, and which proclaimed the kingly character of the Saviour of the world. These precious relics are still kept there; and, thus enriched with such a treasure, the basilica of Holy-Cross-in-Jerusalem is looked upon, in the Roman liturgy, as Jerusalem itself, as is evident from the allusions made in the several Masses of the Stations held in that basilica. In the language of the sacred Scriptures and of the Church, Jerusalem is the image of the faithful soul; and the Office and Mass of this Sunday have been drawn up on this idea, as the one of the day. We regret not to be able here to develop the sublime beauty of this figure; and must proceed at once to the passage, which the Church has selected from the prophet Isaias. There she tells her children how well founded are her hopes in the merciful and peaceful reign of the Messias. But first let us adore this divine Messias: Regem venturum Dominum, venite, adoremus. Come, let us adore the King, our Lord, who is to come. De Isaia Propheta. Cap. xi. From the Prophet Isaias. Ch. xi. Et egredietur virga de radice Jesse, et flos de radice ejus ascendet. Et requiescet super eum Spiritus Domini, Spiritus sapientiæ et intellectus, Spiritus consilii et fortitudinis, Spiritus scientiæ et pietatis: et replebit eum Spiritus timoris Domini. Non secundum visionem oculorum judicabit, neque secundum auditum aurium arguet: sed judicabit in justitia pauperes, et arguet in æquitate pro mansuetis terræ. Et percutiet terram virga oris sui, et spiritu labiorum suorum interficiet impium. Et erit justitia cingulum lumborum ejus, et fides cinctorium renum ejus. Habitabit lupus cum agno, et pardus cum hædo accubabit: vitulus et leo et ovis simul morabuntur, et puer parvulus minabit eos. Vitulus et ursus pascentur: simul requiescent catuli eorum: et leo quasi bos comedet paleas. Et delectabitur infans ab ubere super foramine aspidis: et in caverna reguli, qui ablactatus fuerit, manum suam mittet. Non nocebunt, et non occident in universo monte sancto meo: quia repleta est terra scientia Domini, sicut aquæ maris operientes. In die illa radix Jesse, qui stat in signum populorum, ipsum Gentes deprecabuntur, et erit sepulchrum ejus gloriosum. And there shall come forth a branch out", "keywords": [ "lord", "earth", "world", "virgin", "jesus", "ejus", "heaven", "coming", "dominus", "advent", "deus", "alleluia", "divine", "king", "super", "people", "second", "ever", "church", "flower" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. Jerome", "St. Luke", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians iv. 16", "3 Kings xviii. 42", "Isaias c.", "Luke xii. 20", "Matthew c.", "Psalms lxiv. 14", "Romans c." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THE_THIRD_SUNDAY_OF_ADVENT", "title": "THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT", "anchor": "the_third_sunday_of_advent", "text": "To-day, again, the Church is full of joy, and the joy is greater than it was. It is true that her Lord has not come; but she feels that He is nearer than before, and therefore she thinks it just to lessen somewhat the austerity of this penitential season by the innocent cheerfulness of her sacred rites. And first, this Sunday has had the name of Gaudete given to it, from the first word of the Introit; it also is honoured with those impressive exceptions which belong to the fourth Sunday of Lent, called Lætare. The organ is played at the Mass; the vestments are rose-colour; the deacon resumes the dalmatic, and the subdeacon the tunic; and in cathedral churches the bishop assists with the precious mitre. How touching are all these usages, and how admirable this condescension of the Church, wherewith she so beautifully blends together the unalterable strictness of the dogmas of faith and the graceful poetry of the formulæ of her liturgy! Let us enter into her spirit, and be glad on this third Sunday of her Advent, because our Lord is now so near unto us. To-morrow we will resume our attitude of servants mourning for the absence of their Lord and waiting for Him; for every delay, however short, is painful and makes love sad. The Station is kept in the basilica of St. Peter, at the Vatican. This august temple, which contains the tomb of the prince of the apostles, is the home and refuge of all the faithful of the world; it is but natural that it should be chosen to witness both the joy and the sadness of the Church. The night Office commences with a new Invitatory. The voice of the Church no longer invites the faithful to come and adore in fear and trembling the King, our Lord, who is to come. Her language assumes another character; her tone is one of gladness; and now, every day, until the vigil of Christmas, she begins her nocturns with these grand words: Prope est jam Dominus: venite adoremus. The Lord is now nigh; come, let us adore. Now let us take the book of the Prophet, and read with the Church: De Isaia Propheta. Cap. xxvi. In die illa cantabitur canticum istud in terra Juda: Urbs fortitudinis nostræ Sion; Salvator ponetur in ea murus et antemurale. Aperite portas, et ingrediatur gens justa, custodiens veritatem. Vetus error abiit, servabis pacem; pacem, quia in te speravimus. Sperastis in Domino in sæculis æternis: in Domino Deo forti in perpetuum. Quia incurvabit habitantes in excelso, civitatem sublimem humiliabit. Humiliabit eam usque ad terram, detrahet eam usque ad pulverem. Conculcabit eam pes; pedes pauperis, gressus egenorum. Semita justi recta est, rectus callis justi ad ambulandum. Et in semita judiciorum tuorum, Domine, sustinuimus te: nomen tuum, et memoriale tuum in desiderio animæ. Anima mea desideravit te in nocte: sed et spiritu meo in præcordiis meis, de mane vigilabo ad te. From the Prophet Isaias. Ch. xxvi. In that", "keywords": [ "lord", "church", "alleluia", "advent", "dominus", "divine", "stone", "nigh", "ever", "virgin", "prophet", "coming", "sion", "domine", "saviour", "holy", "rejoice", "world", "jesus", "mother" ], "saints": [ "St. Isidore of Seville", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Leo", "St. Matt", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Corinthians x. 4", "Isaias c.", "John c.", "John i.", "Matthew xxi. 44", "Philippians c.", "Zacharias viii. 19" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_EMBER_WEEK_219", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN EMBER WEEK 219", "anchor": "wednesday_in_ember_week_219", "text": "in the Roman Church, at the same time of the year as at present. As to the expression, which is not unfrequently used in the early writers, of the three times and not the four, we must remember that in the spring, these days always come in the first week of Lent, a period already consecrated to the most rigorous fasting and abstinence, and that conse- quently they could add nothing to the penitential exercises of that portion of the year. The intentions, which the Church has in the fast of the Ember days, are the same as those of the Synagogue ; namely, to consecrate to God by penance the four seasons of the year. The Ember days of Advent are known, in ecclesiastical antiquity, as the fast of the tenth month; and St. Leo, in one of his sermons on this fast, of which the Church has inserted a passage in the second nocturn of the third Sunday of Advent, tells us that a special fast was fixed for this time of the year, because the fruits of the earth had then all been gathered in, and that it behoved Christians to testify their gratitude to God by a sacrifice of abstinence, thus rendering themselves more worthy to approach to God, the more they were detached from tho love of created things. *For fasting, adds the holy doctor, ‘has ever been the nourishment of virtue. Abstinence is the source of chaste thoughts, of wise resolutions, and of salutary counsel. Dy voluntary mortifications, the flesh dies to its concupiscences, and the spirit is renewed in virtue. But since fasting alone is not sufficient whereby to secure the pr salvation, let us add to it works of mercy towards the poor. Let us make that which we retrench from indulgence, serve unto the exercise of virtue. Let the abstinence of him that fasts, become the meal of the poor man.’ Let us, the children of the Church, practise what is in our power of these admonitions ; and since the actual discipline of Advent is so very mild, let us be so much the more fervent in fulfilling the precept of the fast of the Ember days. By these few exercises which are now required of us, let us keep up within ourselves the zeal of our forefathers for this holy season of Advent. We must never forget that although the interior preparation is what is absolutely essential for our profiting by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, yet this joy could scarcely be real unless it manifested itself by the exterior practices of religion and penance. The fast of the Ember days has another object besides that of consecrating the four seasons of the year to God by an act of penance: it has also in view the ordination of the ministers of the Church, which takes place on the Saturday, and of which notice was formerly given to the people during the Mass of the Wednesday. In", "keywords": [ "holy", "lord", "virgin", "church", "advent", "mass", "sunday", "salvation", "gospel", "angel", "coming", "ember", "jesus", "mother", "ipse", "days", "second", "christ", "blessed", "hail" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Bernard", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Mary", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THE_FOURTH_SUNDAY_OF_ADVENT¹", "title": "THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT¹", "anchor": "the_fourth_sunday_of_advent¹", "text": "(If this Sunday fall on December 24, it is omitted, and in its place is said the Office of Christmas Eve, which is given in the proper of the saints, December 24, page 506.) WE have now entered into the week which immediately precedes the birth of the Messias. That longdesired coming might be even to-morrow; and at furthest, that is, when Advent is as long as it can be, the beautiful feast is only seven days from us. So that the Church now counts the hours; she watches day and night, and since December 17 her Offices have assumed an unusual solemnity. At Lauds, she varies the antiphons each day; and at Vespers, in order to express the impatience of her desires for her Jesus, she makes use of the most vehement exclamations to the Messias, in which she each day gives Him a magnificent title, borrowed from the language of the prophets. To-day, she makes a last effort to stir up the devotion of her children. She leads them to the desert; she shows them John the Baptist, upon whose mission she instructed them on the third Sunday. The voice of the austere Precursor resounds through the wilderness, and penetrates even into the cities. It preaches penance, and the obligation men are under of preparing by self-purification for the coming of Christ. Let us retire from the world during these next few days; or if that may not be by reason of our external duties, let us retire into the quiet of our own hearts and confess our iniquities, as did those true Israelites, who came, full of compunction and of faith in the Messias, to the Baptist, there to make perfect their preparation for worthily receiving the Redeemer on the day of His appearing to the world. See, then, with what redoubled earnestness the Church, before opening the book of her great prophet, repeats her invitatory: ¹ The fourth Sunday of Advent is called Rorate, from the Introit; but more frequently, Canite tuba, which are the first words of the first responsory of Matins, and of the first antiphon of Lauds and Vespers. Prope est jam Dominus; venite, adoremus. The Lord is now nigh; come, let us adore. De Isaia Propheta. Cap. xxxv. Lætabitur deserta et invia, et exsultabit solitudo, et florebit quasi lilium. Germinans germinabit, et exsultabit lætabunda et laudans; gloria Libani data est ei, decor Carmeli et Saron. Ipsi videbunt gloriam Domini, et decorem Dei nostri. Confortate manus dissolutas, et genua debilia roborate. Dicite pusillanimis: Confortamini, et nolite timere. Ecce Deus vester ultionem adducet retributionis: Deus ipse veniet et salvabit vos. Tunc aperientur oculi cæcorum, et aures surdorum patebunt. Tunc saliet sicut cervus claudus, et aperta erit lingua mutorum: quia scissæ sunt in deserto aquæ, et torrentes in solitudine. Et quæ erat arida, erit in stagnum, et sitiens in fontes aquarum. In cubilibus, in quibus prius dracones habitabant, orietur viror calami et junci. Et erit ibi semita et via, et via sancta vocabitur, non transibit", "keywords": [ "coming", "lord", "church", "hearts", "erit", "alleluia", "sunday", "messias", "jesus", "dominus", "land", "forth", "praise", "glory", "holy", "december", "might", "advent", "makes", "leads" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Corinthians i.", "Isaias c.", "Luke c.", "Psalms c." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "FOURTH_SUNDAY_OF_ADVENT", "title": "FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT", "anchor": "fourth_sunday_of_advent", "text": "Philippo autem fratre cjus tetrarcha turc, et \"Tra- chonitidis regionis, et Lysania Abilinze tetrarcha, sub prin- cipibus sacerdotum Anna et Caipha: factum est verbum Domini super Joonnem Za- charizm filium in deserto. Et venit in omnem regionem Jordanis, predicans baptis- mum peenitentie in remis- sionem peccatorum ; sicut Scriptum est in libro ser- monum Isais propheta : Vox clamantis in deserto: Parate viam Domini: rectas facite semitas ejus: omnis vallis implebitur, et omnis mons et collis humiliabitur: et erunt prava in directa, et aspera in vias plenas: et Herod tetrorch of Galilee, and Philip his brother te- trarch of Iturca and the country of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tctrarch of Abilina, under the high priests Annas and Caiphas, the word of the Lord came to John, the son of Zachary, in the desert. And he came into all the country about the Jordan, preaching the baptism of penance for the remission of sins: as it was written in the book of the words of Isaias the prophet: A voice of one crying in the wilder- ness : Prepare ye the way of the Lord: make straight his paths: every valley shall be filled, and every mountain videbit omnis caro salutare and hill shall be brought Dei. low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways plain: and all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Thou art nigh, O Lord, for the inheritance of Thy people has passed into the hands of the Gentiles, and the land which Thou didst promise to Abraham is now but a province of that vast empire, to which Thine own is to succeed. The oracles of the prophets are being rapidly fulfilled, each in its turn ; the predic- tion of Jacob himself has been accomplished : the sceptre is taken from Juda. Everything is ready for Thy coming, O Jesus! Thus it is that Thou re- newest the face of the earth ; deign also, I beseech Thee, to renew my heart, and give me courage during these last few hours of my preparation for receiving Thee. I feel the need I have of withdrawing into solitude, of receiving the baptism of penance, of making straight all my ways : O divine Saviour, let all this be done in me, that so my joy may be full on the day of Thy coming. During the Offertory, the Church salutes the ever glorious Virgin, in whose chaste womb is still con-. cealed the Saviour of the world. Give us, O Mary, this God, who fills thee with Himself and His grace. The Lord is with thee, O incomparable Mother ! but the happy hour is rapidly advancing when He will also be with us; for His name is Emmanuel. OFFERTORY Avo, Maria, gratia plena: ^ Hail, Mary, full of graco: Dominus tecum: bencdicta tho Lord is with theo: tu in mulieribus, et benedi- Blessed art thou among ctus fructus ventris tui. women, and blessed is the : fruit of thy womb. SECRET", "keywords": [ "lord", "omnis", "words", "straight", "during", "church", "virgin", "mary", "emmanuel", "tetrarcha", "domini", "filium", "deserto", "ejus", "country", "came", "baptism", "penance", "isaias", "filled" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "FOURTH_SUNDAY_OF_ADVENT", "title": "FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT", "anchor": "fourth_sunday_of_advent", "text": "POSTCOMMUNION Sumptis muneribus, que- sumus, Domine : ut cum fre- quentatione mysterii crescat nostre salutis effcctus. Per Dominum. Having roccived what has been offered to thee, O Lord, grant, we beseech thee, that the more frequently we par- take of theso sacred mysteries, the more our devotion may increase. Through, &c. The other Postcommunions as on the first Sunday, page 134. VESPERS (If this Sunday be Christmas Eve, the following antiphons are not sung, as the Vespers are of Christmas, which are given $n the next volume.) l. AwT. Canite tuba in Sion, quia prope est dies Domini: ecce veniet ad salvandum nos, alleluia, alle- luia. 2. ANT. Ecce veniet desi- deratus cunctis Gentibus : et replebitur gloria domus Do- mini, alleluia. 3. AwT. Erunt prava in directa, et aspera in vias pla- nas: veni, Domine, et noli tardare, alleluia. 4. ANT. Dominus veniet, occurrite illi, dicentes: Ma- gnum principium, ot regni ejus non erit finis; Dous, Fortis, Dominator, Princcps pacis, alleluia, alleluia. 5. ANT. Omnipotens sermo tuus, Domine, a regalibus sedibus veniet, allcluia. 1. ANT. Sound the trum- pet in Sion, for the day of the Lord is nigh : Behold he wil come to save us, alle- luia, alleluia. 2. AwT. Lo! the Desired of all nations will come : and tho house of the Lord shall be filled with glory, alleluia. 3. Ant. The crooked ways shall be made straight, and the rough smooth: come, O Lord, and delay not, alleluia. 4. ANT. The dod will come, go, meet him and say : Great is his empire, and his reign shall have no end ; he is God, the Mighty, the Ruler, and Prince of peace, alleluio, alleluia. 5. Aur. Thy almighty word, O Lord, shall come from thy royal throne, alleluia. CAPITULUM Fratres, sic nos existimet homo ut ministros Christi, et dispensatores mysteriorum Dei. Hic jam queritur in- ter dispensatores ut fidelis quis inveniatur. The hymn Brethren, let a man so ac- count of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God; here now it is required amongst the dispensers, that a man be found faithful. Creator alme siderum, the verse Rorate and the canticle Magnificat, are given on pages 107 and 109. The Great Antiphon which is marked for the day of December on which this Sunday falls, is sung at the Magnificat. The Great Antiphons are given in the proper of the saints (pages 483-504). OREMUS Excita, qusesumus, Do- mine, potentiam tuam, et veni, et magna nobis virtute succurre : ut per auxilium gratie tus quod nostra pec- cata prapediunt, indulgentia tue propitiationis acceleret. Qui vivis et regnas. LET US PRAY Exert, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power and come, and succour us by thy great might : that by the assistance of thy grace, thy indulgent mercy may hasten what is delayed by our sins; who livest and reignest, &c. FOURTH MONDAY OF ADVENT MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT Prope est jam Dominus:", "keywords": [ "lord", "alleluia", "advent", "virgin", "tibi", "earth", "shalt", "glory", "fear", "holy", "father", "heaven", "amen", "sunday", "dominus", "ejus", "meet", "word", "fourth", "jacob" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Bernard", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias c.", "Job vii. 17", "Romans x. 8" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_OF_ADVENT", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT", "anchor": "wednesday_of_the_fourth_week_of_advent", "text": "Prope est jam Dominus: venite, adoremus. The Lord is now nigh: come, let us adore. De Isaia Propheta. Cap. li. From the Prophet Isaias. Ch. li. Audite me, qui sequimini quod justum est, et quæritis Dominum: attendite ad petram unde excisi estis, et ad cavernam laci, de qua præcisi estis. Attendite ad Abraham patrem vestrum, et ad Saram, quæ peperit vos: quia unum vocavi eum, et benedixi ei, et multiplicavi eum. Consolabitur ergo Dominus Sion, et consolabitur omnes ruinas ejus, et ponet desertum ejus quasi delicias, et solitudinem ejus quasi hortum Domini. Gaudium et lætitia invenietur in ea, gratiarum actio, et vox laudis. Attendite ad me, popule meus, et tribus mea, me audite: quia lex a me exiet, et judicium meum in lucem populorum requiescet. Prope est Justus meus, egressus est Salvator meus, et brachia mea populos judicabunt: me insulæ expectabunt, et brachium meum sustinebunt. Levate in cœlum oculos vestros, et videte sub terra deorsum: quia cœli sicut fumus liquescent, et terra sicut vestimentum atteretur, et habitatores ejus sicut hæc interibunt: salus autem mea in sempiternum erit, et justitia mea non deficiet. Give ear to me, you that follow that which is just, and you that seek the Lord: look unto the rock whence you are hewn, and to the hole of the pit from which you are dug out. Look unto Abraham your father and to Sara that bore you; for I called him alone, and blessed him, and multiplied him. The Lord therefore will comfort Sion, and will comfort all the ruins thereof, and he will make her desert as a place of pleasure, and her wilderness as the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving and the voice of praise. Hearken unto me, O my people, and give ear to me, O my tribes: for a law shall go forth from me, and my judgement shall rest to be a light of the nations. My just One is near at hand, my Saviour is gone forth, and my arms shall judge the people: the islands shall look for me, and shall patiently wait for my arm. Lift up your eyes to heaven, and look down to the earth beneath: for the heavens shall vanish like smoke, and the earth shall be worn away like a garment, and the inhabitants thereof shall perish in like manner: but my salvation shall be for ever, and my justice shall not fail. O Jesus, Thou Flower of the field, Thou Lily of the valley, Thy visit is to change our barren parched earth into a garden of delights! We had lost Eden and all its lovely magnificence, by our sins; and lo! Eden is restored to us; Thou art coming, that Thou mayst set it in our hearts. O heavenly plant, tree of life, transplanted from heaven to earth, Thou first takest root in Mary, that fruitful soil; and thence Thou wilt come to us, and we must be to Thee a grateful land, cherishing the", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "father", "forth", "virgin", "look", "heaven", "earth", "flower", "attendite", "quia", "meus", "sicut", "garden", "light", "jesus", "hearts", "divine", "virginis", "ages" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias c." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THURSDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_OF_ADVENT", "title": "THURSDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF ADVENT", "anchor": "thursday_of_the_fourth_week_of_advent", "text": "Prope est jam Dominus: venite, adoremus. The Lord is now nigh; come, let us adore. De Isaia Propheta. Cap. lxiv. From the Prophet Isaias. Ch. lxiv. Utinam dirumperes cœlos, et descenderes; a facie tua montes defluerent; sicut exustio ignis tabescerent: aquæ arderent igni, ut notum fieret nomen tuum inimicis tuis; a facie tua Gentes turbarentur. Quum feceris mirabilia, non sustinebimus: descendisti, et a facie tua montes defluxerunt. A sæculo non audierunt, neque auribus perceperunt: oculus non vidit, Deus, absque te, quæ præparasti exspectantibus te. Occurristi lætanti, et facienti justitiam: in viis tuis recordabuntur tui: ecce tu iratus es, et peccavimus; in ipsis fuimus semper, et salvabimur. Et facti sumus ut immundus omnes nos, et quasi pannus menstruatæ universæ justitiæ nostræ: et cecidimus quasi folium universi, et iniquitates nostræ quasi ventus abstulerunt nos. Non est qui invocet nomen tuum; qui consurgat, et teneat te: abscondisti faciem tuam a nobis, et allisisti nos in manu iniquitatis nostræ. Et nunc, Domine, Pater noster es tu, nos vero lutum: et fictor noster tu, et opera manuum tuarum omnes nos. Ne irascaris, Domine, satis, et ne ultra memineris iniquitatis nostræ: ecce, respice, populus tuus omnes nos. Civitas sancti tui facta est deserta, Sion deserta facta est, Jerusalem desolata est. Domus sanctificationis nostræ, et gloriæ nostræ, ubi laudaverunt te patres nostri, facta est in exustionem ignis: et omnia desiderabilia nostra versa sunt in ruinas. O that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down; the mountains would melt away at thy presence; they would melt as at the burning of fire; the waters would burn with fire; that thy name might be made known to thy enemies: that the nations might tremble at thy presence. When thou shalt do wonderful things, we shall not bear them: thou didst come down, and at thy presence the mountains melted away. From the beginning of the world they have not heard, nor perceived with the ears: the eye hath not seen, O God, besides thee, what things thou hast prepared for them that wait for thee. Thou hast met him that rejoiceth, and doth justice: in thy ways they shall remember thee: behold thou art angry, and we have sinned; in them we have been always, and we shall be saved. And we are all become as one unclean, and all our justices as the rag of a menstruous woman: and we have all fallen as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. There is none that calleth upon thy name, that riseth up and taketh hold of thee: thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast crushed us in the hand of our iniquity. And now, O Lord, thou art our Father, and we are clay: and thou art our maker, and we all are the works of thy hands. Be not very angry, O Lord, and remember no longer our iniquity: behold, see, we are all thy people. The city of thy sanctuary is become a desert, Sion is made", "keywords": [ "saints", "church", "lord", "mother", "glory", "children", "ever", "world", "forth", "proper", "dominus", "jerusalem", "fire", "name", "remember", "father", "people", "love", "word", "jesus" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Aggeus ii. 7", "Isaias c.", "Malachias i. 11", "Psalms xliv." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "NOVEMBER_30", "title": "NOVEMBER 30", "anchor": "november_30", "text": "SAINT ANDREW, APOSTLE We open our Proper of Saints for Advent with St. Andrew, because, although his feast frequently occurs before this holy season has begun, it sometimes happens that we have entered Advent when the memory of this great apostle has to be celebrated by the Church. This feast is therefore destined to terminate with solemnity the cycle which is at its close, or to add lustre to the new one which has just begun. It seems, indeed, fitting that the Christian year should begin and end with the cross, which has merited for us each of the years that it has pleased the divine goodness to grant us, and which is to appear, on the last day, in the clouds of heaven, as the seal put on time. We should remember that Saint Andrew is the apostle of the cross. To Peter, Jesus has given firmness of faith; to John, warmth of love; the mission of Andrew is to represent the cross of his divine Master. Now it is by these three, faith, love, and the cross, that the Church renders herself worthy of her Spouse. Everything she has or is, bears this threefold character. Hence it is that after the two apostles just named, there is none who holds such a prominent place in the universal liturgy as Saint Andrew. But let us read the life of this glorious fisherman of the lake of Genesareth, who was afterwards to be the successor of Christ Himself, and the companion of Peter, on the tree of the cross. The Church has compiled it from the ancient Acts of the martyrdom of the holy apostle, drawn up by the priests of the Church of Patras, which was founded by the saint. The authenticity of this venerable piece has been contested by Protestants, inasmuch as it makes mention of several things which would militate against them. Their sentiment has been adopted by several critics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. On the other hand, these Acts have been received by a far greater number of Catholic writers of eminence; amongst whom may be mentioned the great Baronius, Labbé, Natalis Alexander, Gallandus, Lumper, Morcelli, &c. The Churches, too, of both east and west, which have inserted these Acts in their respective Offices of St. Andrew, are of some authority, as is also St. Bernard, who has made them the groundwork of his three admirable sermons on St. Andrew.", "keywords": [ "andrew", "cross", "saint", "apostle", "church", "acts", "advent", "feast", "holy", "begun", "divine", "peter", "faith", "love", "three", "several", "liturgy" ], "saints": [ "St. ANDREW", "St. Andrew", "St. Bernard" ], "scripture": [ "Acts i." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "ST_ANDREW_APOSTLE", "title": "ST. ANDREW, APOSTLE", "anchor": "st_andrew_apostle", "text": "Andreas apostolus Bethsaidæ natus, qui est Galilææ vicus, frater Petri, discipulus Joannis Baptistæ, quum eum de Christo dicentem audisset, Ecce Agnus Dei, secutus Jesum, fratrem quoque suum ad eumdem perduxit. Quum postea una cum fratre piscaretur in mari Galilææ, ambo a prætereunte Christo Domino ante alios apostolos vocati illis verbis: Venite post me, faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum: nullam interponentes moram, et relictis retibus secuti sunt eum. Post cujus Passionem et Resurrectionem Andreas cum in Scythiam Europæ, quæ ei provincia ad Christi fidem disseminandam obtigerat, venisset, deinde Epirum ac Thraciam peragrasset, doctrina et miraculis innumerabiles homines ad Christum convertit. Post Patras Achaiæ profectus, et in ea urbe plurimis ad veritatem Evangelicam perductis, Ægæam proconsulem prædicationi Evangelicæ resistentem, liberrime increpavit quod qui judex hominum haberi vellet, Christum Deum omnium Judicem a dæmonibus elusus non agnosceret. Andrew, the apostle, born at Bethsaida, a town of Galilee, was brother of Peter, and disciple of John the Baptist. Having heard his master say, speaking of Christ: Behold the Lamb of God! he followed Jesus, and brought to him his brother also. When, afterwards, he was fishing with his brother in the sea of Galilee, they were both called, before any of the other apostles, by our Lord, who, passing by, said to them: Come after me; I will make you to be fishers of men. Without delay, they left their nets and followed him. After the Passion and Resurrection, Andrew went to seed the faith of Christ in Scythia in Europe, which was the province assigned to him; then he travelled through Epirus and Thrace, and by his teaching and miracles converted innumerable souls to Christ. Afterwards, having reached Patras in Achaia, he persuaded many in that city to embrace the truth of the Gospel. Finding that the proconsul Ægeas resisted the preaching of the Gospel, he most freely upbraided him for that he, who desired to be considered as a judge of men, should be so far deceived by devils as not to acknowledge Christ to be God, the Judge of all. Tunc Ægeas iratus: Desine, inquit, Christum jactare, cui similia verba nihil profuerunt, quominus a Judæis crucifigeretur. — Andream vero de Christo nihilominus libere prædicantem, quod pro salute humani generis se crucifigendum obtulisset, impia oratione interpellat; ac demum hortatur, ut sibi consulens, diis velit immolare. Cui Andreas: Ego omnipotenti Deo, qui unus et verus est, immolo quotidie, non taurorum carnes, nec hircorum sanguinem, sed immaculatum Agnum in altari, cujus carnem posteaquam omnis populus credentium manducaverit, Agnus, qui sacrificatus est, integer perseverat et vivus. Quamobrem ira accensus Ægeas jubet eum in carcerem detrudi: unde populus Andream facile liberasset, nisi ipse sedasset multitudinem; vehementius rogans, ne se ad optatissimam martyrii coronam properantem impedirent. Then Ægeas being angry, said: Cease to boast of this Christ, whom such words as these kept not from being crucified by the Jews. But finding that Andrew continued boldly preaching that Christ had offered himself to be crucified for the salvation of mankind, he interrupts him by an impious speech,", "keywords": [ "cross", "andrew", "christ", "holy", "apostle", "lord", "blessed", "didst", "life", "jesus", "faith", "andreas", "brother", "glory", "christi", "peter", "love", "church", "people", "crucis" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew", "St. Damasus", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 Peter iv. 1", "Ecclesiasticus xliv. 1", "Genesis xlix. 32", "Hebrews xi. 39", "Job l.", "Peter l.", "Ruth c." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_2", "title": "DECEMBER 2", "anchor": "december_2", "text": "SAINT BIBIANA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR Of the saints whose feasts are kept during Advent, five are virgins. The first, St. Bibiana, whom we honour to-day, is a daughter of Rome; the second, St. Barbara, is the glory of the eastern Churches; the third, St. Eulalia of Merida, is one of Spain's richest treasures; the fourth, St. Lucy, belongs to beautiful Sicily; the fifth, St. Odilia, is claimed by France. These five wise virgins lighted their lamps and watched, waiting for the coming of the Spouse. Such was their constancy and fidelity, that four of them shed their blood for the love of Him, after whom they longed. Let us take courage by this noble example; and since we have not, as the apostle expresses it, as yet resisted unto blood, let us not think it hard if we suffer fatigue and trouble in the holy exercises of this penitential season of Advent: He, for whom we do them all, will soon be with us and repay us. To-day, it is the chaste and courageous Bibiana, who instructs us by her glorious example. Bibiana, virgo Romana, nobili genere nata, Christiana fide nobilior fuit. Ejus enim pater Flavianus sub Juliano apostata impiissimo tyranno expraefectus, servilibusque notis compunctus, Aquas Taurinas deportatus, martyr occubuit. Mater Dafrosa, et filiae primum conclusae domi, ut inedia conficerentur; mox relegata mater extra urbem capite plexa est. Mortuis autem piis parentibus, Bibiana cum sorore sua Demetria bonis omnibus spoliatur. Apronianus, urbis praetor, pecuniis inhians, sorores persequitur, quas humana prorsus ope destitutas, Deo mirabiliter, qui dat escam esurientibus, enutriente, quum vivaciores vegetioresque conspexisset, vehementer est admiratus. Bibiana was a Roman virgin, noble by birth, but more noble by her profession of the Christian faith. For under the most wicked tyrant Julian the apostate, Flavian, her father, was deprived of his dignity of prefect, and being branded with the mark of slavery, he was banished to Aquas Taurinas, and there died a martyr. Her mother, Dafrosa, was first shut up in her own house with her daughters, that she might die by starvation; but shortly afterwards was banished from Rome and beheaded. The virtuous parents thus put to death, Bibiana was deprived of all her possessions, as also was her sister, Demetria. Apronianus, the city praetor, thirsting after their wealth, persecutes the two sisters. They are bereaved of every human help. But God, who gives food to them that are in hunger, wonderfully nourishes them; and the praetor is exceedingly astonished on finding them in better health and strength than before. Suadet nihilominus Apronianus, ut venerentur deos Gentium; amissas ideo opes, imperatoris gratiam, praeclarissimas nuptias consecuturae. Si secus fecerint, minatur carceres, virgas, secures. At illae neque blanditiis neque minis a recta fide declinantes, paratae potius mori, quam foedari moribus ethnicorum, praetoris impietatem constantissime detestantur. Quare Demetria ob oculos Bibianae repente corruens, obdormivit in Domino: et Bibiana Rufinae mulieri vaferrimae seducenda traditur: quae ab incunabulis edocta Christianas leges, et illibatum servare virginitatis florem, seipsa fortior, feminae superavit insidias, et praetoris astus delusit.", "keywords": [ "bibiana", "light", "virgin", "praetor", "advent", "spouse", "demetria", "world", "darkness", "wise", "coming", "apronianus", "faith", "rufina", "church", "divine", "saviour", "without", "martyr", "noble" ], "saints": [ "St. BIBIANA", "St. Barbara", "St. Bernard", "St. Bibiana", "St. Eulalia of Merida", "St. Lucy", "St. Odilia" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_3", "title": "DECEMBER 3", "anchor": "december_3", "text": "SAINT FRANCIS XAVIER, CONFESSOR APOSTLE OF THE INDIES THE apostles being the heralds of the coming of the Messias, it was fitting that Advent should have in its calendar the name of some one among them. Divine Providence has provided for this; for, to say nothing of St. Andrew, whose feast is oftentimes past before the season of Advent has commenced, St. Thomas's day is unfailingly kept immediately before Christmas. We will explain, later on, why St. Thomas holds that position rather than any other apostle; at present, we simply assert the fitness of there being at least one of the apostolic college, who should announce to us, in this period of the Catholic cycle, the coming of the Redeemer. But God has not wished that the first apostolate should be the only one to appear on the first page of the liturgical calendar; great also, though in a lower degree, is the glory of that second apostolate, whereby the bride of Jesus Christ multiplies her children, even in her fruitful old age, as the psalmist expresses it.¹ There are Gentiles who have still to be evangelized; the coming of the Messias is far from having been announced to all nations. Now of all the valiant messengers of the divine Word who have, during the last few hundred years, proclaimed the good tidings among infidel nations, there is not one whose glory is greater, who has worked greater wonders, or who has shown himself a closer imitator of the first apostles, than the modern apostle of the Indies; St. Francis Xavier. ¹ Ps. xci. 15. The life and apostolate of this wonderful man were a great triumph for our mother the holy Catholic Church; for St. Francis came just at a period when heresy, encouraged by false learning, by political intrigues, by covetousness, and by all the wicked passions of the human heart, seemed on the eve of victory. Emboldened by all these, this enemy of God spoke, with the deepest contempt, of that ancient Church which rested on the promises of Jesus Christ; it declared that she was unworthy of the confidence of men, and dared even to call her the harlot of Babylon, as though the vices of her children could taint the purity of the mother. God's time came at last, and He showed Himself in His power: the garden of the Church suddenly appeared rich in the most admirable fruits of sanctity. Heroes and heroines issued from that apparent barrenness; and whilst the pretended reformers showed themselves to be the most wicked of men, two countries, Italy and Spain, gave to the world the most magnificent saints. One of these is brought before us to-day, claiming our love and our praise. The calendar of the liturgical year will present to us, from time to time, his contemporaries and his companions in divine grace and heroic sanctity. The sixteenth century is, therefore, worthy of comparison with any other age of the Church. The so-called reformers of those", "keywords": [ "world", "apostle", "nations", "church", "francis", "jesus", "holy", "faith", "apostles", "divine", "christ", "society", "people", "several", "having", "infidel", "life", "countries", "ever", "didst" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew", "St. FRANCIS", "St. Francis", "St. Ignatius", "St. Peter", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [ "1 Peter ii. 9", "John iii.", "Psalms xci. 15", "Psalms xi. 2" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_4", "title": "DECEMBER 4", "anchor": "december_4", "text": "SAINT PETER CHRYSOLOGUS BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH THE same divine Providence, which would not that the Church should be deprived of the consolation of keeping, during Advent, the feast of some of the apostles, who announced to the Gentiles the coming of the Messias, has also willed that the holy doctors, who defended the true faith against heretics, should be represented in this important season of the Catholic year. Two of them, Saint Ambrose and Saint Peter Chrysologus, shine as two brilliant stars in the firmament of the Church during Advent. It is worthy of note, that both of them were the zealous avengers of that Son of God whom we are preparing to receive. The first was the valiant opponent of the Arians, whose impious doctrine taught that Jesus, the object of our hopes, is merely a creature and not God; the second was the adversary of Eutyches, whose sacrilegious system robs the Incarnation of the Son of God of all its glory, by asserting that, in this mystery, the human nature was absorbed by the Divinity. It is this second doctor, the holy bishop of Ravenna, that we are to honour to-day. His pastoral eloquence gained for him a great reputation, and a great number of his sermons have been handed down to us. In almost every page we find passages of the most exquisite beauty, though we also occasionally meet with indications of the decay of literature, which began in the fifth century. The mystery of the Incarnation is a frequent subject of the saint's sermons, and he always speaks upon it with a precision and enthusiasm, which show his learning and piety. His veneration and love towards Mary, the Mother of God, who, in that very age, had triumphed over her enemies by the decree of the Council of Ephesus, inspire him with thoughts and language which are extremely fine. Let us take a passage from the sermon on the Annunciation. 'God sends to the Virgin an angelic messenger, who, whilst he brings graces, gives her the entrusted pledge, and receives hers. Then does Gabriel return with Mary's plighted troth. But, before ascending to heaven, there to tell the consent promised him by the Virgin, he delivers to her the gifts due to her virtues. Swiftly does this ambassador fly to the bride, that he may assert God's claim to her as His own. Gabriel takes her not from Joseph, but he restores her to Christ, to whom she was espoused when she was first formed in the womb.¹ Christ, therefore, did but take His own, when He thus made Mary His bride. It is not a separation that He thus produces, but a union with Himself of His own creature by becoming Incarnate in her womb. 'But let us hearken to the angel's words. Being come in, he said unto her: Hail, full of grace! the Lord is with thee! These words are not a mere salutation; they convey the heavenly gift. Hail,", "keywords": [ "barbara", "church", "holy", "virgin", "didst", "martyr", "saint", "jesus", "father", "peter", "lord", "divine", "ravenna", "christ", "blessed", "honour", "love", "mary", "therefore", "grace" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Andrew", "St. BARBARA", "St. Barbara", "St. Cassian", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Leo", "St. Mark", "St. Matthew", "St. PETER", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis xlix. 10", "Mark l.", "Peter c." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_5", "title": "DECEMBER 5", "anchor": "december_5", "text": "COMMEMORATION OF ST. SABAS, ABBOT The Roman Church confines herself to-day to the Office of the feria: but to that she joins a commemoration of St. Sabas, abbot of the celebrated laura of Palestine which still exists under his name. This saint, who died in 533, is the only one of the monastic Order of whom the Church makes any mention in her liturgy during the whole period of Advent; we might even say that he is the only simple confessor whose name occurs in the calendar of this part of the year: for, as regards St. Francis Xavier, the glorious title of apostle of the Indies puts him in a distinct class of saints. Here, again, we should recognize divine Providence, which has selected for these days of preparation for Christmas, those saints whose characteristic virtues would make them our fittest models in this work of preparation. We have the feasts of apostles, pontiffs, doctors, virgins: Jesus, the Man-God, the King and Spouse of men, is preceded by this magnificent procession of the noblest of His servants: simple confession has but a single representative, the anchoret and cenobite Sabas, who, by his profession of the monastic life, is of that family of holy solitaries, which began with the prophet Elias under the old Testament, and continued up to the time of St. John the Precursor, who was one of its members, and will continue on, during the new Covenant, until the last coming of Jesus. Let us, then, honour this holy abbot, towards whom the Greek Church professes a filial veneration, and under whose invocation Rome has consecrated one of her churches. Let us beg his prayers by this Collect of the holy liturgy: COLLECT Intercessio nos, quæsumus, Domine, beati Sabbæ abbatis commendet, ut quod nostris meritis non valemus, ejus patrocinio assequamur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. May the intercession, we beseech thee, O Lord, of the blessed abbot Sabas recommend us to thee; that what we cannot hope for through our own merits, we may obtain by his prayers. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. O Sabas, thou man of desires! in thy expectation of that Lord, who has bidden His servants watch until He come, thou didst withdraw into the desert, fearing lest the turmoil of this world might distract thy mind from its God. Have pity on us who are living in the world, and are so occupied in the affairs of that world, and yet who have received the commandment, which thou didst so take to heart, of keeping ourselves in readiness for the coming of our Saviour and our Judge. Pray for us, that when He comes we may be worthy to go out to meet Him. Remember also the monastic state, of which thou art one of the brightest ornaments; raise it up again from its ruins; let its children be men of prayer and faith, as of old; let thy spirit be among them, and the Church thus regain, by thy intercession, all", "keywords": [ "king", "holy", "reign", "sabas", "world", "abbot", "church", "name", "jesus", "amen", "lord", "sceptre", "people", "power", "roman", "monastic", "might", "whose", "again", "until" ], "saints": [ "St. Francis", "St. John", "St. John the Precursor", "St. SABAS", "St. Sabas" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis xlix. 10", "John xviii. 37", "Psalms cix. 5", "Psalms xliv." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_6", "title": "DECEMBER 6", "anchor": "december_6", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "ST_NICHOLAS_BISHOP_OF_MYRA_AND_CONFESSOR", "title": "ST. NICHOLAS, BISHOP OF MYRA AND CONFESSOR", "anchor": "st_nicholas_bishop_of_myra_and_confessor", "text": "Divine Wisdom has willed that on the way which leads to the Messias, our great High Priest, there should be many pontiffs to pay Him the honour due to Him. Two Popes, St. Melchiades and St. Damasus; two holy doctors, St. Peter Chrysologus and St. Ambrose; two bishops, St. Nicholas and St. Eusebius; these are the glorious pontiffs who have been entrusted with the charge of preparing, by their prayers, the way of the Christian people towards Him, who is the sovereign Priest according to the order of Melchisedech. As each of their feasts comes we will show their right to have been thus admitted into the court of Jesus. To-day the Church celebrates with joy the feast of the great thaumaturgus Nicholas, who is to the Greek Church what St. Martin is to us. The Church of Rome has honoured the name of Nicholas for nearly a thousand years. Let us admire the wonderful power which God gave him over creation; but let us offer him our most fervent congratulations for that he was permitted to be one of the three hundred and eighteen bishops, who proclaimed, at Nicæa, that the Word is consubstantial with the Father. The humiliations of the Son of God did not scandalize him. Neither the lowliness of the flesh, which the sovereign Lord of all things assumed to Himself in the womb of the Virgin, nor the poverty of the crib, hindered him from confessing the Son of Mary to be Son of God, equal to God; it is for this reason, God has glorified this His servant, and given him the power to obtain, each year, for the children of the Church, the grace of receiving this same Jesus, the Word, with simple faith and fervent love. Let us now listen to the eulogy of St. Nicholas, which the Roman Church has inserted in her liturgy. Nicolaum, illustri loco Pataræ in Lycia natum, parentes a Deo precibus impetrarunt. Cujus viri sanctitas, quanta futura esset, jam ab incunabulis apparuit. Nam infans, quum reliquos dies lac nutricis frequens sugeret, quarta et sexta feria semel dumtaxat, idque vesperi, sugebat: quam jejunii consuetudinem in reliqua vita semper tenuit. Adolescens parentibus orbatus, facultates suas pauperibus distribuit. Cujus præclaræ est Christianæ benignitatis exemplum, quod quum ejus civis egens tres filias jam nubiles in matrimonio collocare non posset, earumque pudicitiam prostituere cogitaret: re cognita, Nicolaus noctu per fenestram tantum pecuniæ in ejus domum injecit, quantum unius virginis doti satis esset: quod quum iterum et tertio fecisset, tres illæ virgines honestis viris in matrimonium datæ sunt. Quum vero se totum Deo dedisset, in Palæstinam profectus est, ut loca sancta viseret, et præsens veneraretur. Qua in peregrinatione navem conscendens sereno cælo et tranquillo mari, horribilem nautis tempestatem prædixit: moxque ortam, quum essent omnes in summo periculo, orans mirabiliter sedavit. Unde quum domum reversus singularis sanctitatis omnibus documenta præberet, Dei admonitu Myram, quæ Lyciæ metropolis erat, venit: quo tempore ejus urbis episcopo mortuo, provinciales episcopi de successore deligendo consultabant. Itaque in ea deliberatione", "keywords": [ "nicholas", "church", "holy", "life", "didst", "prayers", "power", "lord", "faith", "having", "world", "amen", "people", "quum", "ejus", "myra", "high", "jesus", "father", "heaven" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Damasus", "St. Eusebius", "St. Martin", "St. Melchiades", "St. NICHOLAS", "St. Nicholas", "St. Peter", "St. Sophia" ], "scripture": [ "Aggeus ii. 7", "Peter c.", "Romans i." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_7", "title": "DECEMBER 7", "anchor": "december_7", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "ST_AMBROSE", "title": "ST. AMBROSE", "anchor": "st_ambrose", "text": "BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH This illustrious pontiff was deservedly placed in the calendar of the Church side by side with the glorious bishop of Myra. Nicholas confessed, at Nicæa, the divinity of the Redeemer; Ambrose, in his city of Milan, was the object of the hatred of the Arians, and, by his invincible courage, triumphed over the enemies of Christ. Let Ambrose, then, unite his voice, as doctor of the Church, with that of St. Peter Chrysologus, and preach to the world the glories and the humiliations of the Messias. But, as doctor of the Church, he has a special claim to our veneration: it is, that among the bright luminaries of the Latin Church, four great masters head the list of sacred interpreters of the faith: Gregory, Augustine, Jerome; and then our glorious Ambrose, bishop of Milan, makes up the mystic number. Ambrose owes his noble position in the calendar to the ancient custom of the Church, whereby, in the early ages, no saint's feast was allowed to be kept in Lent. The day of his departure from this world and of his entrance into heaven was the fourth of April, which, more frequently than not, comes during Lent; so that it was requisite that the memory of his sacred death should be solemnized on some other day, and the seventh of December naturally presented itself for such a feast, inasmuch as it was the anniversary-day of Ambrose's consecration as bishop. But, independently of these considerations, the road which leads us to Bethlehem could be perfumed by nothing so fragrant as this feast of St. Ambrose. Does not the thought of this saintly and amiable bishop impress us with the image of dignity and sweetness combined? of the strength of the lion united with the gentleness of the dove? Time removes the deepest human impressions; but the memory of Ambrose is as vivid and dear in men's minds as though he were still among us. Who can ever forget the young, yet staid and learned governor of Liguria and Emilia, who comes to Milan as a simple catechumen, and finds himself forced, by the acclamations of the people, to ascend the episcopal throne of this great city? And how indelibly impressed upon us are certain touching incidents of his early life! For instance, that beautiful presage of his irresistible eloquence—the swarm of bees coming round him as he was sleeping one day in his father's garden, and entering into his mouth, as though they would tell us how sweet that babe's words would be! And the prophetic gravity with which Ambrose, when quite a boy, would hold out his hand to his mother and sister, bidding them kiss it, for that one day it would be the hand of a bishop? But what hard work awaited the neophyte of Milan, who was no sooner regenerated in the waters of Baptism, than he was consecrated priest and bishop! He had to apply himself, there and then, to close", "keywords": [ "ambrose", "church", "holy", "bishop", "didst", "world", "jesus", "milan", "people", "emperor", "christ", "saint", "father", "soul", "love", "lord", "peace", "divine", "ecclesiæ", "doctor" ], "saints": [ "St. AMBROSE", "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Ephrem", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Peter c." ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_8", "title": "DECEMBER 8", "anchor": "december_8", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THE_IMMACULATE_CONCEPTION_OF_THE_MOST_BLESSED_VIRGIN", "title": "THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN", "anchor": "the_immaculate_conception_of_the_most_blessed_virgin", "text": "At length, on the distant horizon, rises, with a soft and radiant light, the aurora of the Sun which has been so long desired. The happy Mother of the Messias was to be born before the Messias Himself; and this is the day of the Conception of Mary. The earth already possesses a first pledge of the divine mercy; the Son of Man is near at hand. Two true Israelites, Joachim and Anne, noble branches of the family of David, find their union, after a long barrenness, made fruitful by the divine omnipotence. Glory be to God, who has been mindful of His promises, and who deigns to announce, from the high heavens, the end of the deluge of iniquity, by sending upon the earth the sweet white dove that bears the tidings of peace! The feast of the blessed Virgin's Immaculate Conception is the most solemn of all those which the Church celebrates during the holy time of Advent; and if the first part of the cycle had to offer us the commemoration of some one of the mysteries of Mary, there was none whose object could better harmonize with the spirit of the Church in this mystic season of expectation. Let us, then, celebrate this solemnity with joy; for the Conception of Mary tells us that the Birth of Jesus is not far off. The intention of the Church, in this feast, is not only to celebrate the anniversary of the happy moment in which began, in the womb of the pious Anne, the life of the ever-glorious Virgin Mary; but also to honour the sublime privilege, by which Mary was preserved from the original stain, which, by a sovereign and universal decree, is contracted by all the children of Adam the very moment they are conceived in their mother's womb. The faith of the Catholic Church on the subject of the Conception of Mary is this: that at the very instant when God united the soul of Mary, which He had created, to the body which it was to animate, this ever-blessed soul did not only not contract the stain, which at that same instant defiles every human soul, but was filled with an immeasurable grace which rendered her, from that moment, the mirror of the sanctity of God Himself, as far as this is possible to a creature. The Church with her infallible authority, declared, by the lips of Pius IX., that this article of her faith had been revealed by God Himself. The Definition was received with enthusiasm by the whole of Christendom, and the eighth of December of the year 1854 was thus made one of the most memorable days of the Church's history. It was due to His own infinite sanctity that God should suspend, in this instance, the law which His divine justice had passed upon all the children of Adam. The relations which Mary was to bear to the Divinity, could not be reconciled with her undergoing the humiliation of this", "keywords": [ "mary", "mother", "lord", "conception", "immaculate", "virgin", "holy", "church", "divine", "blessed", "grace", "ever", "earth", "feast", "children", "jesus", "father", "full", "therefore", "world" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Andrew of Crete", "St. Anselm", "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Francis", "St. Francis of Assisi", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Peter", "St. Pius", "St. Sabas", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles iv. 7", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 9", "Colossians i. 15", "Ephesians iv. 24", "Ezechiel iii. 9", "Genesis iii. 15", "John i. 14", "John ii.", "John xiv. 26", "Judith i.", "Luke c.", "Luke i. 28", "Luke xxii. 32", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Proverbs c.", "Proverbs viii.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms lxxxvi. 3", "Psalms xi. 9", "Psalms xlv. 10" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_9", "title": "DECEMBER 9", "anchor": "december_9", "text": "THE SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Let us consider how the immaculate Mary came into this world nine months after her conception, and how each day of her life gave man fresh reason to hope for the great promises made him by God. Let us admire the fulness of grace which God has given to her, and contemplate the respect and the love wherewith the holy angels look upon her as the future Mother of Him who is to be their Head and King, as well as ours. Let us follow this august Queen to the temple of Jerusalem, where she is presented by her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne. When but three years of age, she was initiated into all the secrets of divine love. 'I always rose at midnight (thus she spoke of herself, in a revelation to St. Elizabeth of Hungary), and went before the altar of the temple, where I besought of God that I might observe all the commandments of His Law, and be enriched with those graces which would render me pleasing to His Majesty. I most earnestly prayed Him, that I might live to see that most holy virgin who was to bring forth into this world His own divine Son. I asked Him to grant me to enjoy the use of my eyes that I might see her, of my tongue that I might praise her, of my hands that I might serve her, of my feet that I might go her errands, and of my knees that I might adore the Son of God resting in her arms.' Thou, O Mary, thou thyself wast this Virgin, who was worthy of the praises of men and angels! But God had not yet revealed it to thee, and thy heavenly humility forbade thy thinking that the immense dignity, which thou didst so deeply venerate, could ever be thine. Nay, thou wast the first and the only one of the daughters of Israel that had renounced all hope of ever being the Mother of the Messias. To be Mother of the Messias was, indeed, an ineffable honour; but it seemed as though it could only be received on the condition of having another spouse besides God, and this thou wouldst not suffer; thou wouldst be united to God alone, and thy vow of virginity which made thee so, was dearer to thee than the possibility of any privilege, which would rob thee of even a tittle of that. Thy marriage with St. Joseph, therefore, was a fresh lustre added to thy incomparable purity, whilst, in the designs of God, it provided thee with the protection which thy coming honours would soon require. We follow thee, O bride of Joseph, into thy house at Nazareth, where is to be spent thy humble life. There we behold thee diligent in all thy duties, the valiant woman of the Scriptures,¹ the object of the admiration of God and of His angels. Suffer", "keywords": [ "mother", "might", "virgin", "didst", "holy", "amen", "immaculate", "mary", "world", "life", "grace", "love", "wherewith", "angels", "king", "queen", "divine", "ever", "messias", "lord" ], "saints": [ "St. Anne", "St. Elizabeth of Hungary", "St. Joachim", "St. Joseph" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias vii. 14", "Proverbs xxxi. 10" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_10", "title": "DECEMBER 10", "anchor": "december_10", "text": "THE THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Let us contemplate our blessed Lady as visited by the angel Gabriel, and conceiving in her chaste womb the Creator of the universe and the Redeemer of mankind. But that we may the better relish the sweetness of this great mystery, let us listen to the seraphic St. Bonaventure, who, in his Meditations on the Life of Christ, has brought these sublime scenes of the Gospel so vividly before us, that one would almost suppose an eye-witness was speaking to us. No human language has ever surpassed the unction and pathos of these Meditations. 'Now, when the fulness of that time had come, wherein the most high Trinity, in exceeding love, had decreed to save mankind by the Incarnation of the Word; the divine mercy, and the instant prayers of the blessed spirits, pressed for the accomplishment of this redemption. The blessed Virgin Mary having returned to Nazareth, the Almighty called unto Him the Archangel Gabriel, and thus spake unto him: \"Go thou unto our well-beloved daughter Mary, that is espoused unto Joseph, and that is dear unto us above all our creatures; and say unto her, that the Son of God hath been taken with her beauty, and chosen her that she be His Mother. Pray her that she accept Him joyously, for that through her have I decreed to save all mankind, and no longer remember the injuries done unto Me.\" 'Whereupon, Gabriel arose joyous and glad, and flew from on high, and suddenly stood in a human form before the Virgin Mary, who was in the inner chamber of her cot. But not so quick had been his flight, but that he found already there the holy Trinity, that had gone before Their ambassador. As soon, therefore, as the faithful spirit Gabriel perceived the Virgin Mary, he said: \"Hail full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.\" But she was troubled, and answered him not a word. Her trouble came not from a guilty fear, nor from the sight of Gabriel, for oft-times did she receive the visits of the angels; but, according to what the Gospel saith, she was troubled at his saying, thinking within herself upon it, for that it was strange unto her to hear Gabriel speak such manner of salutation. The humble Virgin was perforce troubled at it, finding therein three praises of herself. She was praised for that she was full of grace; and that the Lord was with her; and that she was blessed above all women. He that is humble cannot hear his own praise without blushes and trouble. Therefore Mary was troubled with fitting and virtuous shame. She began wondering how this that she heard could be true; not forasmuch as she suspected the angels having said aught that was false, but by reason that the humble ever ponder their defects and not their virtues, whereby they may always advance; counting their great virtue", "keywords": [ "virgin", "mary", "angel", "gabriel", "blessed", "grace", "lady", "therefore", "words", "womb", "love", "word", "mother", "holy", "full", "troubled", "speak", "little", "within", "chaste" ], "saints": [ "St. Bonaventure" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "ST_MELCHIADES_POPE_AND_MARTYR", "title": "ST. MELCHIADES, POPE AND MARTYR", "anchor": "st_melchiades_pope_and_martyr", "text": "The Church makes a commemoration, on this same day within the octave, of the holy Pope Melchiades. This illustrious Pontiff, whom St. Augustine calls 'the true child of the peace of Jesus Christ, the worthy father of the Christian people,' ascended the papal throne in the year 311, that is, during the very fiercest storm of persecution. It is on this account that he is honoured with the title of martyr. Though he did not shed his blood for the name of Jesus, yet he shared in the glory of the martyrs, by reason of the great trials he had to suffer during the persecution, which afflicted the entire Church. It was the same with many of his predecessors. But the pontificate of Melchiades marks a very important period of the Church—the transition from persecution to peace. As early as the year 312, liberty was granted to the Christian religion by Constantine. So that Melchiades had the glory of governing the Church at the commencement of her period of temporal prosperity. His name now graces the calendar of the liturgical year, and reminds us of that peace which will soon descend upon us from heaven. Deign then, O father of the Christian people, to pray for us to the Prince of peace, that, in His speedy visit, He may quell our troubles, remove the obstacles to His grace, and reign as absolute Master over our heart, our mind, and our senses. Pray also that peace may reign in the holy city and Church of Rome, of which thou wast the Bishop, and which will honour thy venerable memory to the end of time: help her by thy intercession now that thou art face to face with God, and hear the prayers which she addresses to thee. PRAYER Infirmitatem nostram respice, omnipotens Deus, et quia pondus propriæ actionis gravat, beati Melchiadis Martyris tui atque Pontificis intercessio gloriosa nos protegat. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Have regard, O almighty God, to our weakness; and as we sink under the weight of our own doings, let the glorious intercession of blessed Melchiades, thy Martyr and Bishop, be a protection to us. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. THE SAME DAY", "keywords": [ "church", "peace", "melchiades", "jesus", "christian", "year", "persecution", "holy", "christ", "father", "people", "during", "martyr", "name", "glory", "period", "pray", "reign", "bishop", "intercession" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THE_TRANSLATION_OF_THE_HOLY_HOUSE_OF_LORETTO", "title": "THE TRANSLATION OF THE HOLY HOUSE OF LORETTO", "anchor": "the_translation_of_the_holy_house_of_loretto", "text": "This feast is not one of those inserted in the universal calendar of the Church; but it is kept throughout Italy, and in many dioceses in various parts of the Christian world, and by a number of religious Orders. It was instituted in thanksgiving for the great favour bestowed on the western Church, whereby God, to console Christians for the loss of the holy sepulchre, miraculously translated into a Catholic land the humble yet ever venerable house, in which Mary received the message of the angel, and where, by the consent of this holy Virgin, the Word was made flesh and began to dwell among us. It is no unusual thing to meet with Catholics, who are sincerely devoted to their holy faith, yet who have never heard of the house of Loretto. It is for their sake that we have resolved to take the opportunity of this feast to give an exact and concise account of this wonderful event. We take it from the learned and judicious author of the Life of M. Olier. 'It was during the pontificate of Celestine V., in 1291, when the Christians had irrevocably lost the holy places of Palestine, that the house, wherein was achieved the mystery of the Incarnation in the womb of Mary, was translated by the angels from Nazareth into Dalmatia or Sclavonia, and placed by them on a hill near a little town called Tersatto. The miracles which were being continually wrought in this holy house, the official enquiry made by chosen deputies who visited Nazareth in order to attest the translation, and, lastly, the universal belief of all countries, and the pilgrims who went from all parts to venerate a sanctuary which had ever been dear to Christians—all this seemed proof enough of the miracle. But God gave another testimony, of which the whole people of Italy and Dalmatia were the vouchers. 'Three years and seven months had elapsed since this first translation, when, in the year 1294, the holy house was carried across the Adriatic Sea to the territory of Recanati, and placed in a forest the property of a lady called Loretta. The inhabitants of Dalmatia were in the deepest affliction: nothing could have been a greater trial to them. As a slight consolation to themselves, they erected a church on the spot where the house had stood; it was dedicated to our Lady, and was served later on by the Franciscan fathers. Over the porch was placed this inscription: *This is the place where stood the holy House of Nazareth, which now is honoured in the territory of Recanati.*¹ Many of the people of Dalmatia went to live in Italy near the holy house, where they instituted the Society of Corpus Domini (known under the name of Sclavonians), which lasted even to the pontificate of Paul III. ¹ Hic est locus in quo fuit sacra Domus Nazarena, quæ nunc in Recineti partibus colitur. 'This second translation was soon rumoured throughout Christendom. There came from almost", "keywords": [ "holy", "eulalia", "house", "martyr", "virgin", "church", "feast", "loretto", "illa", "love", "flesh", "virgo", "quam", "blood", "mary", "faith", "nothing", "spirit", "jesus", "spain" ], "saints": [ "St. EULALIA" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_11", "title": "DECEMBER 11", "anchor": "december_11", "text": "SAINT DAMASUS, POPE AND CONFESSOR This great Pontiff comes before us in the liturgical year, not to bring us tidings of peace as St. Melchiades did, but as one of the most illustrious defenders of the great mystery of the Incarnation. He defends the faith of the universal Church in the divinity of the Word, by condemning, as his predecessor Liberius had done, the acts and the authors of the celebrated Council of Rimini. With his sovereign authority, he bore witness to the teaching of the Church regarding the Humanity of Jesus Christ, and condemned the heretic Apollinaris, who taught that Jesus Christ had assumed only the flesh and not the soul of man. He commissioned St. Jerome to make a new translation of the new Testament from the Greek, for the use of the Church of Rome; here, again, giving a further proof of the faith and love which he bore to the Incarnate Word. Let us honour this great Pontiff, whom the Council of Chalcedon calls 'the ornament and support of Rome by his piety.' St. Jerome, too, who looked upon St. Damasus as his friend and patron, calls him 'a man of the greatest worth; a man whose equal could not be found, well versed in the holy Scriptures, and a virgin doctor of the virgin Church.' The lesson of the breviary gives us a brief account of his life. Damasus Hispanus, vir egregius et eruditus in Scripturis, indicto primo Constantinopolitano Concilio, nefariam Eunomii et Macedonii hæresim exstinxit. Idem Ariminensem conventum a Liberio jam ante rejectum, iterum condemnavit: in quo, ut scribit Sanctus Hieronymus, Valentis potissimum et Ursacii fraudibus damnatio Nicænæ fidei conclamata fuit, et ingemiscens orbis terrarum, se Arianum esse miratus est. Basilicas duas ædificavit; alteram Sancti Laurentii nomine ad theatrum Pompeii, quam maximis muneribus auxit, eique domos, et prædia attribuit: alteram via Ardeatina ad Catacumbas. Platoniam etiam, ubi corpora sanctorum Petri et Pauli aliquandiu jacuerunt, dedicavit, et exornavit elegantibus versibus. Idemque prosa, et versu scripsit de virginitate, multaque alia metro edidit. Pœnam talionis constituit iis, qui alterum falsi criminis accusassent. Statuit, ut quod pluribus jam locis erat in usu, psalmi per omnes ecclesias die noctuque ab alternis canerentur; et in fine cujusque psalmi diceretur: Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. Ejus jussu sanctus Hieronymus novum Testamentum Græcæ fidei reddidit. Quum rexisset annos decem et septem, menses duos, dies viginti sex, et habuisset ordinationes quinque mense Decembri, quibus creavit presbyteros triginta unum, diaconos undecim, episcopos per diversa loca sexaginta duos; virtute, doctrina, ac prudentia clarus, prope octogenarius, Theodosio seniore imperante, obdormivit in Domino, et via Ardeatina una cum matre et sorore sepultus est in basilica, quam ipse ædificaverat. Illius reliquiæ postea translatæ sunt in ecclesiam sancti Laurentii, ab ejus nomine in Damaso vocatam. Damasus was a Spaniard, a man of highest worth, and learned in the Scriptures. He called the first Council of Constantinople, in which he condemned the impious heresy of Eunomius and Macedonius. He also condemned the Council of Rimini, which had already", "keywords": [ "hail", "mary", "church", "mother", "jesus", "virgin", "faith", "love", "damasus", "council", "christ", "jerome", "holy", "world", "glory", "heaven", "mater", "peter", "father", "light" ], "saints": [ "St. DAMASUS", "St. Damasus", "St. Jerome", "St. Laurence", "St. Luke", "St. Melchiades", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Luke v. 4" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_12", "title": "DECEMBER 12", "anchor": "december_12", "text": "THE FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Let us contemplate the sentiments of profound respect and maternal tenderness, which fill the soul of our blessed Lady, now that she has conceived Jesus in her chaste womb: He is her God, and yet He is her Son. Let us think upon this wonderful dignity bestowed upon a creature; and let us honour the Mother of our God. It is by this mystery that the prophecy of Isaias was fulfilled: 'Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son;'¹ and that of Jeremias: 'The Lord hath created a new thing upon the earth; a woman shall compass a Man.'² The Gentiles themselves had received the tradition of these prophecies. Thus in the old pagan Carnutum (Chartres), there was an altar dedicated 'To the Virgin that was to bring forth a Son (Virgini Parituræ)'; and whilst modern rationalism, with its ignorant scepticism, was affecting to throw a doubt on this fact of history, the researches of science were discovering that Carnutum was far from being the only city of the west which had such an altar. But what human language could express the dignity of our Lady, who carries within her chaste womb Him that is the world's salvation! If Moses, after a mere colloquy with God, returned to the Israelites with the rays of the majesty of Jehovah encircling his head, what an aureola of glory is due to Mary, who has within her, as in a living heaven, ¹ Isa. vii. 14. ² Jer. xxxi. 22. that very God Himself! The divine Wisdom tempers the effulgence of her glory that it be not visible to men; and this in order that the state of humility, which the Son of God has chosen as the one in which He would manifest Himself to the world, should not be removed at the very outset by the dazzling glory which would, otherwise, have been seen gleaming from His Mother. The sentiments which filled the heart of Mary during these months of her ineffable union with the divine Word, may be thus expressed in the words of the bride in the sacred Canticle: 'I sat under the shadow of Him whom I desired; and His fruit was sweet to my palate. I sleep, but my heart watches. My soul melted when He spoke. I to my Beloved and my Beloved to me, who feedeth among the lilies, till the day break, and the shadows retire.'¹ And if there ever were a human heart, that was forced, by the overpowering vehemence of its love of God, to use these other words of the same Canticle, it was Mary's: 'O daughters of Jerusalem! stay me up with flowers, compass me about with fragrant fruits; for I languish with love.'² 'These sweet words,' says the venerable Peter of Celles, 'are those of the bride that dwelleth in the gardens, and is now near the time of her delivery. What so lovely in creation as this", "keywords": [ "mother", "virgin", "divine", "flowers", "lady", "world", "hail", "jesus", "lord", "glory", "heart", "words", "beloved", "father", "within", "soul", "chaste", "womb", "mary", "bride" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles ii. 3", "Isaias vii. 14", "Jeremias xxxi. 22" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_13", "title": "DECEMBER 13", "anchor": "december_13", "text": "SAINT LUCY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR There comes to us, to-day, the fourth of our wise virgins, the valiant martyr, Lucy. Her glorious name shines on the sacred diptych of the Canon of the Mass, together with those of Agatha, Agnes, and Cecily; and as often as we hear it pronounced during these days of Advent, it reminds us (for Lucy signifies light) that He who consoles the Church, by enlightening her children, is soon to be with us. Lucy is one of the three glories of the Church of Sicily; as Catania is immortalized by Agatha, and Palermo by Rosalie, so is Syracuse by Lucy. Therefore, let us devoutly keep her feast: she will aid us by her prayers during this holy season, and will repay our love by obtaining for us a warmer love of that Jesus, whose grace enabled her to conquer the world. Once more let us consider, why our Lord has not only given us apostles, martyrs, and bishops as guides to us on our road to Bethlehem, but has willed also that we should be accompanied thither by such virgins as Lucy. The children of the Church are forcibly reminded by this, that, in approaching the crib of their sovereign Lord and God, they must bring with them, besides their faith, that purity of mind and body without which no one can come near to God. Let us now read the glorious acts of the virgin Lucy. Lucia, virgo Syracusana, genere et Christiana fide ab infantia nobilis, una cum matre Eutychia, quæ sanguinis fluxu laborabat, Catanam ad venerandum corpus beatæ Agathæ venit. Quæ ad ejus sepulchrum quum suppliciter orasset, Agathæ intercessione matris sanitatem impetravit. Statim vero matrem exoravit, ut quam dotem sibi datura esset, Christi pauperibus tribui pateretur. Ut igitur Syracusas rediit, omnem pecuniam, quam ex facultatibus venditis redegerat, pauperibus distribuit. Lucy, a virgin of Syracuse, illustrious by birth and by the Christian faith, which she had professed from her infancy, went to Catania, with her mother Eutychia, who was suffering from a flux of blood, there to venerate the body of the blessed Agatha. Having prayed fervently at the tomb, she obtained her mother's cure, by the intercession of St. Agatha. Lucy then asked her mother that she would permit her to bestow upon the poor of Christ the fortune which she intended to leave her. No sooner, therefore, had she returned to Syracuse, than she sold all that was given to her and distributed the money amongst the poor. Quod ubi rescivisset is, cui eam parentes contra virginis voluntatem desponderant, apud Paschasium præfectum, Luciam, quod Christiana esset, accusavit. Quam ille cum nec precibus nec minis ad cultum idolorum posset perducere; immo tanto magis incensam videret ad celebrandas christianæ fidei laudes, quanto magis ipse eam a sententia avertere conabatur: Cessabunt, inquit, verba, quum ventum erit ad verbera. Cui virgo: Dei servis verba deesse non possunt, quibus a Christo Domino dictum est: Quum steteritis ante reges et præsides, nolite cogitare quomodo aut quid loquamini; dabitur", "keywords": [ "lucy", "paschasius", "virgin", "holy", "quum", "agatha", "virgo", "quam", "spiritus", "spirit", "church", "syracuse", "therefore", "lord", "faith", "mother", "sanctus", "speak", "martyr", "virgins" ], "saints": [ "St. Agatha", "St. LUCY" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "ST_LUCY", "title": "ST. LUCY", "anchor": "st_lucy", "text": "Thus wounded, Lucy foretold the peace of the Church, which would come after the death of Diocletian and Maximian, and then died. It was the Ides of December (Dec. 13). Her body was buried at Syracuse, but was translated thence first to Constantinople, and afterwards to Venice. deinde Constantinopolim, postremo Venetias translatum est. We here give some of the antiphons which occur in the Office of the saint: they form a lyric poem of great beauty. Orante Sancta Lucia, apparuit ei beata Agatha, et consolabatur ancillam Christi. As Lucy was praying, there appeared unto her the blessed Agatha, and she comforted the handmaid of Christ. Lucia virgo, quid a me petis, quod ipsa poteris præstare continuo matri tuæ? O virgin Lucy! why askest thou of me, what thyself canst straightway grant unto thy mother? Per te, Lucia virgo, civitas Syracusana decorabitur a Domino Jesu Christo. Because of thee, O virgin Lucy! the city of Syracuse shall be honoured by the Lord Jesus Christ. Benedico te, Pater Domini mei Jesu Christi, quia per Filium tuum ignis extinctus est a latere meo. Words of Lucy: I bless thee, the Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, because by thy Son the fire around me was quenched. In tua patientia possedisti animam tuam, Lucia, sponsa Christi: odisti quæ in mundo sunt, et coruscas cum angelis: sanguine proprio inimicum vicisti. In thy patience thou didst possess thy soul, O Lucy, bride of Christ! thou didst hate the things that are in the world, and thou shinest among the angels. Thou didst conquer the enemy by thine own blood. We present ourselves before thee, O virgin martyr, beseeching thee to obtain for us that we may recognize in His lowliness that same Jesus whom thou now seest in His glory. Take us under thy powerful patronage. Thy name signifies light; guide us through the dark night of this life. O fair light of virginity! enlighten us; evil concupiscence has wounded our eyes: pray for us, O thou bright light of virginity! that our blindness be healed, and that rising above created things, we may be able to see that true light, which shineth in darkness, but which darkness cannot comprehend. Pray for us, that our eye may be purified, and may see, in the Child who is to be born at Bethlehem, the new Man, the second Adam, the model on which the life of our regeneration must be formed. Pray too, O holy virgin, for the Church of Rome and for all those which adopt her form of the holy Sacrifice; for they daily pronounce at the altar of God thy sweet name; and the Lamb, who is present, loves to hear it. Heap thy choicest blessings on the fair Isle, which was thy native land, and where grew the palm of thy martyrdom. May thy intercession secure to her inhabitants firmness of faith, purity of morals, and temporal prosperity, and deliver them from the disorders which threaten her with destruction. THE SAME DAY SAINT", "keywords": [ "mother", "holy", "father", "virgin", "didst", "odilia", "lucy", "jesus", "elizabeth", "mary", "lord", "life", "soul", "light", "heaven", "pray", "divine", "monastery", "coming", "church" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Elizabeth", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Matt", "St. ODILIA", "St. Odilia" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians ii. 14", "Matthew ix. 12" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_14", "title": "DECEMBER 14", "anchor": "december_14", "text": "SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Let us consider how our blessed Lady, having arrived at the house of her holy cousin Elizabeth, rendered her every possible service with the greatest love, favoured her with her sweet and holy conversations, assisted at the glorious birth of St. John the Baptist, and at length returned home to her humble dwelling in Nazareth. But, that we may the better enter into these divine mysteries, let us again listen to the seraphic St. Bonaventure. \"When, therefore, her time was expired, Elizabeth gave birth to a son, whom our Lady took up, and with all diligence did what was required. The babe looked into Mary's face like one that knew her; and as she gave him unto his mother, he turned his head towards Mary, for he fain would be in her arms again. Mary, on her part, delighted in nursing this holy babe, and fondled him, and kissed him with great joy. Consider the honour that is here given unto John. Never had child such arms as these to carry him. Many other privileges are related as being granted unto him; but for this present, I must needs pass them by. \"Now, on the eighth day, the child was circumcised, and was called John. Then was the mouth of Zachary opened, and he prophesied, saying: 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel!' There were made, in that house, the two most beautiful canticles, namely, the Magnificat and the Benedictus. Meanwhile our Lady, going aside lest she should be seen by those that had come together for the ceremony, listened attentively to the canticle of Zachary, which prophesied of her Son, and most prudently pondered in her heart upon all these things. At length, when the time came for her to return home, she bade Elizabeth and Zachary farewell, and, giving John her blessing, she returned unto Nazareth. Recall to thy mind, in this her second journey, all that was told thee of her poverty. She returned to her house, where she would find neither bread, nor wine, nor those things which were needed. She had no property, nor money. She had been, now these three months, living with persons who were very rich; but now she returns unto her poor cottage, and has to procure her livelihood by the labour of her hands. Do thou sympathize with her, and learn to love poverty.\" SEQUENCE IN HONOUR OF OUR BLESSED LADY (Taken from the ancient Roman-French missals) Ave, Virgo gloriosa, Cœli jubar, mundi rosa, Cœlibatus lilium. Hail, O glorious Virgin! brightness of the heavens, rose of the world, lily of purity. Ave, gemma pretiosa, Super solem speciosa, Virginale gaudium. Hail, precious gem! more beauteous than the sun, and joy of pure souls. Spes reorum, O Maria, Redemptoris Mater pia, Redemptorum gloria. Thou art the sinner's hope, O Mary! thou art the holy Mother of our Redeemer, and the consolation of us whom he redeemed. Finis lethi, vitæ via; Tibi triplex hierarchia", "keywords": [ "mary", "lady", "holy", "john", "mother", "amen", "blessed", "house", "elizabeth", "love", "sweet", "returned", "divine", "zachary", "poverty", "hail", "souls", "jesus", "grace", "consider" ], "saints": [ "St. Bonaventure", "St. John the Baptist" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_15", "title": "DECEMBER 15", "anchor": "december_15", "text": "THE OCTAVE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN This, the eighth day from that on which we kept the feast of the Immaculate Conception, is the octave properly so called; whereas the other days were simply called days within the octave. The custom of keeping up the principal feasts for a whole week is one of those which the Christian Church adopted from the Synagogue. God had thus spoken in the Book of Leviticus: \"The first day shall be called most solemn and most holy, you shall do no servile work therein. . . . The eighth day also shall be most solemn and most holy, and you shall offer holocausts to the Lord, for it is the day of assembly and congregation: you shall do no servile work therein.\"¹ We also read in the Book of Kings, that Solomon, having called all Israel to Jerusalem for the dedication of the temple, suffered not the people to return home until the eighth day. We learn from the Books of the new Testament that this custom was observed in our Saviour's time, and we find Him authorizing, by His own example, this solemnity of the octave. Thus, we read in Saint John, that Jesus once took part in one of the Jewish festivals, about the midst of the feast;² and the same Evangelist relating how our Lord cried out to the people: \"If any man thirst, let him come to Me, and drink\": observes, that it was on the last and great day of the festivity.³ In the Christian Church there are three kinds of octaves. Some feasts are celebrated with a privileged octave—that is, one of which the Office is said daily, or at least a commemoration is always made. Other feasts have a common octave, or one whose commemoration may, on greater feasts, be sometimes omitted. And, lastly, some have a simple octave, of which only the Octave Day itself is kept or commemorated. Privileged octaves, whose office is said or commemorated every day, are divided into three Orders. The octaves of the First Order are those of Easter and Pentecost. Those of the Second Order, of which days within the octave exclude all feasts except doubles of the First Class, are the octaves of the Epiphany and of Corpus Christi. The octaves of the Third Order, which must always be commemorated, although days within the octave exclude only the same feasts as do common octaves, are those of Christmas and of the Ascension of Our Lord. The octave of the Immaculate Conception, the first that occurs in the ecclesiastical year, is a common octave. Let us once more devoutly reverence the mystery of Mary's Immaculate Conception: our Emmanuel loves to see His Mother honoured. After all, is it not for Him and for His sake that this bright star was prepared from all eternity, and created when the happy time fixed by the divine decree came? When we honour the Immaculate Conception of Mary, it", "keywords": [ "conception", "octave", "immaculate", "world", "mother", "church", "jesus", "mary", "divine", "earth", "blessed", "feasts", "octaves", "love", "days", "called", "within", "holy", "lord", "didst" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xii. 1", "Isaias xi. 1", "John vii. 14", "Leviticus xxiii. 35", "Matthew v. 8" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_16", "title": "DECEMBER 16", "anchor": "december_16", "text": "SAINT EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF VERCELLI AND MARTYR When asked to tell the names of the saints who were foremost in defending the dogma of the Incarnation, we think at once of the intrepid Eusebius of Vercelli, as one of the glorious number. The Catholic faith, which was so violently attacked in the fourth century by the Arian heresy, was maintained at that time by the labours and zeal of four sovereign Pontiffs: Sylvester, who confirmed the decrees of the Council of Nicæa: Julius, the supporter of St. Athanasius; Liberius, whose faith failed not, and who, when restored to his liberty, confounded the Arians; and lastly, Damasus, who destroyed the last hopes of the heretics. One of these four Pontiffs appears on our Advent calendar—Damasus, whose feast we kept but a few days since. The four Popes have for their fellow-combatants, in this battle for the Divinity of the Incarnate Word, four great bishops, of whom it may be said that the defence of the dogma of the Consubstantiality of the Son of God was what they lived for, and that to say anathema to them was to say anathema to Christ Himself; all four most powerful in word and work, lights of the Churches of the world, objects of the people's love, and the dauntless witnesses of Jesus. The first and greatest of the four is the bishop of the second See of Christendom, St. Athanasius, the Patriarch of Alexandria: the second is St. Ambrose of Milan, whose feast we kept on the seventh of this month; the third is the glory of Gaul, St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers; the fourth is the ornament of Italy, St. Eusebius, bishop of Vercelli, whom we have to honour to-day. Hilary will come to us during Christmastide, and will stand at the crib of the Word, whose Divinity he so bravely confesses; Athanasius will meet us at Easter, and help us to celebrate, in the triumphant Resurrection, Him whom he proclaimed as God in those dark times, when human wisdom hoped to destroy, by fifty years of peace, that Church which had survived the storm of three centuries of persecution. St. Eusebius' place is Advent; and divine Providence has thus chosen him as one of the patrons of the faithful during this mystic season. His powerful prayers will help us to come devoutly to Bethlehem, and see in the Child, that is lying there, the eternal Word of God. So great were the sufferings which St. Eusebius had to undergo for the Divinity of Jesus, that the Church awards him the honours of a martyr, although he did not actually shed his blood. Let us now listen to the admirable account which the Church gives us of his life. Eusebius, natione Sardus, Romanæ urbis lector, post Vercellensis episcopus, ad hanc regendam Ecclesiam merito est creditus divino electus judicio: nam quem nunquam ante constituti electores cognoverant, posthabitis civibus, simul ut viderunt, et probaverunt, tantumque interfuit ut probaretur, quantum ut videretur. Primus in Occidentis partibus", "keywords": [ "eusebius", "joseph", "church", "vercelli", "faith", "four", "whose", "arians", "mother", "bishop", "athanasius", "word", "jesus", "holy", "having", "lady", "martyr", "council", "advent", "bishops" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose of Milan", "St. Athanasius", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Denis", "St. EUSEBIUS", "St. Eusebius", "St. Hilary" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_17", "title": "DECEMBER 17", "anchor": "december_17", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THE_COMMENCEMENT_OF_THE_GREAT_ANTIPHONS", "title": "THE COMMENCEMENT OF THE GREAT ANTIPHONS", "anchor": "the_commencement_of_the_great_antiphons", "text": "The Church enters to-day on the seven days which precede the Vigil of Christmas, and which are known in the liturgy under the name of the Greater Ferias. The ordinary of the Advent Office becomes more solemn; the antiphons of the psalms, both for Lauds and the Hours of the day, are proper, and allude expressly to the great coming. Every day, at Vespers, is sung a solemn antiphon, consisting of a fervent prayer to the Messias, whom it addresses by one of the titles given Him in the sacred Scriptures. In the Roman Church, there are seven of these antiphons, one for each of the greater ferias. They are commonly called the O's of Advent, because they all begin with that interjection. In other Churches, during the middle ages, two more were added to these seven; one to our blessed Lady, O Virgo virginum; and the other to the angel Gabriel, O Gabriel; or to St. Thomas the apostle, whose feast comes during the greater ferias; it began O Thoma Didyme.¹ There were even Churches where twelve great antiphons were sung; that is, besides the nine we have just mentioned, O Rex Pacifice to our Lord, O mundi Domina to our Lady, and O Hierusalem to the city of the people of God. The canonical Hour of Vespers has been selected as the most appropriate time for this solemn supplication to our Saviour, because, as the Church sings in one of her hymns, it was in the evening of the world (vergente mundi vespere) that the Messias came amongst us. These antiphons are sung at the Magnificat, to show us that the Saviour whom we expect is to come to us by Mary. They are sung twice, once before and once after the canticle, as on double feasts, and this to show their great solemnity. In some Churches it was formerly the practice to sing them thrice; that is, before the canticle, before the Gloria Patri, and after the Sicut erat. Lastly, these admirable antiphons, which contain the whole pith of the Advent liturgy, are accompanied by a chant replete with melodious gravity, and by ceremonies of great expressiveness, though, in these latter, there is no uniform practice followed. Let us enter into the spirit of the Church; let us reflect on the great day which is coming; that thus we may take our share in these the last and most earnest solicitations of the Church imploring her Spouse to come, to which He at length yields. FIRST ANTIPHON O Sapientia, quæ ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem fortiter, suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiæ. O Wisdom, that proceedest from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end mightily, and disposing all things sweetly! come and teach us the way of prudence. ¹ It is more modern than the O Gabriel; but dating from the thirteenth century, it was almost universally substituted for it. O uncreated Wisdom, who art", "keywords": [ "world", "church", "advent", "antiphons", "wisdom", "bethlehem", "sung", "seven", "greater", "ferias", "solemn", "churches", "gabriel", "show", "birth", "bread", "days", "liturgy", "name", "coming" ], "saints": [ "St. Matt", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew ii. 6", "Micheas v. 2", "Psalms xxxiii. 6" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_18", "title": "DECEMBER 18", "anchor": "december_18", "text": "SECOND ANTIPHON O Adonai, et dux domus Israël, qui Moysi in igne flammæ rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento. O Adonai, and leader of the house of Israel, who appearedst to Moses in the fire of the flaming bush, and gavest him the law on Sinai; come and redeem us by thy outstretched arm. O Sovereign Lord! O Adonai! come and redeem us, not by Thy power, but by Thy humility. Heretofore, Thou didst show Thyself to Moses Thy servant in the midst of a mysterious flame; Thou didst give Thy law to Thy people amidst thunder and lightning; now, on the contrary, Thou comest not to terrify, but to save us. Thy chaste Mother having heard the emperor's edict, which obliges her and Joseph her spouse to repair to Bethlehem, prepares everything needed for Thy divine Birth. She prepares for Thee, O Sun of justice! the humble swathing-bands, wherewith to cover Thy nakedness, and protect Thee, the Creator of the world, from the cold of that midnight hour of Thy Nativity! Thus it is that Thou willest to deliver us from the slavery of our pride, and show man that Thy divine arm is never stronger than when he thinks it powerless and still. All is prepared, then, dear Jesus! Thy swathing-bands are ready for Thy infant limbs! Come to Bethlehem, and redeem us from the hands of our enemies. THE SAME DAY", "keywords": [ "adonai", "redeem", "moses", "didst", "show", "bethlehem", "prepares", "divine", "swathing", "bands", "antiphon" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "THE_EXPECTATION_OF_THE_BLESSED_VIRGIN_MARY", "title": "THE EXPECTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY", "anchor": "the_expectation_of_the_blessed_virgin_mary", "text": "This feast, which is now kept not only throughout the whole of Spain but in many other parts of the Catholic world, owes its origin to the bishops of the tenth Council of Toledo, in 656. These prelates thought that there was an incongruity in the ancient practice of celebrating the feast of the Annunciation on the twenty-fifth of March, inasmuch as this joyful solemnity frequently occurs at the time when the Church is intent upon the Passion of our Lord, so that it is sometimes obliged to be transferred into Easter time, with which it is out of harmony for another reason; they therefore decreed that, henceforth, in the Church of Spain there should be kept, eight days before Christmas, a solemn feast with an octave, in honour of the Annunciation, and as a preparation for the great solemnity of our Lord's Nativity. In course of time, however, the Church of Spain saw the necessity of returning to the practice of the Church of Rome, and of those of the whole world, which solemnize the twenty-fifth of March as the day of our Lady's Annunciation and the Incarnation of the Son of God. But such had been, for ages, the devotion of the people for the feast of the eighteenth of December, that it was considered requisite to maintain some vestige of it. They discontinued, therefore, to celebrate the Annunciation on this day; but the faithful were requested to consider, with devotion, what must have been the sentiments of the holy Mother of God during the days immediately preceding her giving Him birth. A new feast was instituted, under the name of 'the Expectation of the blessed Virgin's delivery.' This feast, which sometimes goes under the name of Our Lady of O, or the feast of O, on account of the great antiphons which are sung during these days, and, in a special manner, of that which begins O Virgo virginum (which is still used in the Vespers of the Expectation, together with the O Adonai, the antiphon of the Advent Office), is kept with great devotion in Spain. A High Mass is sung at a very early hour each morning during the octave, at which all who are with child, whether rich or poor, consider it a duty to assist, that they may thus honour our Lady's Maternity, and beg her blessing upon themselves. It is not to be wondered at that the holy See has approved of this pious practice being introduced into almost every other country. We find that the Church of Milan, long before Rome conceded this feast to the various dioceses of Christendom, celebrated the Office of our Lady's Annunciation on the sixth and last Sunday of Advent, and called the whole week following the Hebdomada de Exceptato (for thus the popular expression had corrupted the word Expectato). But these details belong strictly to the archæology of liturgy, and enter not into the plan of our present work; let us, then, return to the", "keywords": [ "feast", "church", "lady", "annunciation", "spain", "days", "during", "kept", "whole", "practice", "devotion", "holy", "mother", "expectation", "advent", "hour", "world", "twenty", "fifth", "march" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_19", "title": "DECEMBER 19", "anchor": "december_19", "text": "THIRD ANTIPHON O radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare. O Root of Jesse, who standest as the ensign of the people; before whom kings shall not open their lips; to whom the nations shall pray: come and deliver us; tarry now no more. At length, O Son of Jesse! Thou art approaching the city of Thy ancestors. The Ark of the Lord has risen, and journeys, with the God that is in her, to the place of her rest. 'How beautiful are thy steps, O thou daughter of the Prince,' now that thou art bringing to the cities of Juda their salvation! The angels escort thee, thy faithful Joseph lavishes his love upon thee, heaven delights in thee, and our earth thrills with joy to bear thus upon itself its Creator and its Queen. Go forward, O Mother of God and Mother of men! Speed thee, thou propitiatory that holdest within thee the divine Manna which gives us life! Our hearts are with thee, and count thy steps. Like thy royal ancestor David, 'we will not enter into the dwelling of our house, nor go up into the bed whereon we lie, nor give sleep to our eyes, nor rest to our temples, until we have found a place in our hearts for the Lord whom thou bearest, a tabernacle for this God of Jacob.' Come, then, O Root of Jesse! thou purest Ark of purity; Thou wilt soon appear before us as the standard round which all that would conquer ¹ Cant. vii. 1. ² Ps. cxxxi. 3-5. rally. Then their enemies, the kings of the world, will be silenced, and the nations offer Thee their prayers. Hasten Thy coming, dear Jesus! come and conquer all our enemies, and deliver us. A RESPONSORY OF ADVENT (Ambrosian breviary, sixth Sunday of Advent) R. Beatus uterus Mariæ Virginis qui portavit invisibilem: quem septem throni capere non possunt, in eo habitare dignatus est: * Et portabat levem in sinu suo. V. Dedit illi Dominus sedem David patris sui, et regnabit in domo Jacob in æternum, et regni ejus non erit finis: * Et portabat levem in sinu suo. R. Blessed is the womb of the Virgin Mary, which bore the invisible God: there did he deign to dwell, whom seven thrones cannot hold: * And she bore him as a light weight in her womb. V. The Lord hath given him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end: * And she bore him as a light weight in her womb.", "keywords": [ "jesse", "quem", "lord", "david", "jacob", "womb", "bore", "root", "kings", "nations", "deliver", "place", "rest", "steps", "mother", "hearts", "house", "conquer", "enemies", "advent" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles vii. 1", "Psalms cxxxi. 3" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_20", "title": "DECEMBER 20", "anchor": "december_20", "text": "FOURTH ANTIPHON O Clavis David et sceptrum domus Israel, qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit; veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis. O Key of David, and sceptre of the house of Israel! who openest, and no man shutteth: who shuttest, and no man openeth; come, and lead the captive from prison, sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death. O Jesus, Son of David! heir to his throne and his power! Thou art now passing over, in Thy way to Bethlehem, the land that once was the kingdom of Thy ancestor, but now is tributary to the Gentiles. Scarce an inch of this ground which has not witnessed the miracles of the justice and mercy of Jehovah, Thy Father, to the people of the old Covenant, which is so soon to end. Before long, when Thou hast come from beneath the virginal cloud which now hides Thee, Thou wilt pass along this same road doing good,¹ healing all manner of sickness and every infirmity,² and yet having not where to lay Thy head.³ Now, at least, Thy Mother's womb affords Thee the sweetest rest, and Thou receivest from her the profoundest adoration and the tenderest love. But, dear Jesus, it is Thine own blessed will that Thou leave this loved abode. Thou hast, O eternal Light, to shine in the midst of this world's darkness, this prison where the captive, whom Thou hast come to deliver, sits in the shadow of death. Open his prison-gates by Thy all-powerful key. And who is this captive, but the human race, the slave of error and vice? Who is this captive, but the heart of man, which is thrall to the very passions it blushes to obey? Oh! come and set at liberty the world Thou hast enriched by Thy grace, and the creatures whom Thou hast made to be Thine own brethren. ¹ Acts x. 38. ² St. Matt. iv. 23. ³ St. Luke ix. 58. ANTIPHON TO THE ANGEL GABRIEL O Gabriel! nuntius cælorum, qui januis clausis ad me intrasti, et Verbum nunciasti: Concipies et paries: Emmanuel vocabitur. O Gabriel! the messenger of heaven, who camest unto me through the closed doors, and didst announce the Word unto me: Thou shalt conceive and bear a Son, and he shall be called Emmanuel.", "keywords": [ "captive", "david", "prison", "gabriel", "antiphon", "israel", "nemo", "darkness", "shadow", "death", "jesus", "thine", "world", "emmanuel", "grace" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Acts x. 38", "Luke ix. 58", "Matthew iv. 23" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_21", "title": "DECEMBER 21", "anchor": "december_21", "text": "The Church announces to us, to-day, in her Office of Lauds, these solemn words: Nolite timere: quinta enim die veniet ad vos Dominus noster. Fear not: for on the fifth day, our Lord will come unto you. SAINT THOMAS, APOSTLE This is the last feast the Church keeps before the great one of the Nativity of her Lord and Spouse. She interrupts the greater ferias in order to pay her tribute of honour to Thomas, the apostle of Christ, whose glorious martyrdom has consecrated this twenty-first day of December, and has procured for the Christian people a powerful patron, who will introduce them to the divine Babe of Bethlehem. To none of the apostles could this day have been so fittingly assigned as to St. Thomas. It was St. Thomas whom we needed; St. Thomas, whose festal patronage would aid us to believe and hope in that God whom we see not, and who comes to us in silence and humility in order to try our faith. St. Thomas was once guilty of doubting, when he ought to have believed, and learnt the necessity of faith only by the sad experience of incredulity: he comes then most fittingly to defend us, by the power of his example and prayers, against the temptations which proud human reason might excite within us. Let us pray to him with confidence. In that heaven of light and vision, where his repentance and love have placed him, he will intercede for us, and gain for us that docility of mind and heart, which will enable us to see and recognize Him, who is the Expected of nations, and who, though the King of the world, will give no other signs of His majesty, than the swaddling-clothes and tears of a Babe. But let us first read the acts of our holy apostle. The Church has deemed it prudent to give us them in an exceedingly abridged form, which contains only the most reliable facts, gathered from authentic sources; and thus she excludes all those details, which have no historic authority. Thomas apostolus, qui et Didymus, Galilæus, post acceptum Spiritum sanctum, in multas provincias profectus est prædicandum Christi Evangelium. Parthis, Medis, Persis, Hircanis, et Bactris christianæ fidei et vitæ præcepta tradidit. Postremo ad Indos se conferens, eos in christiana religione erudivit. Qui ad extremum, vitæ doctrinæque sanctitate, et miraculorum magnitudine, quum ceteris omnibus sui admirationem, et Jesu Christi amorem commovisset, illius gentis regem, idolorum cultorem, magis ad iram accendit: cujus sententia condemnatus, telisque confossus, Calaminæ apostolatus honorem martyrii corona decoravit. Thomas the apostle, who was also named Didymus, was a Galilean. After he had received the Holy Ghost, he travelled through many provinces, preaching the Gospel of Christ. He taught the principles of Christian faith and practice to the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Hircanians, and Bactrians. He finally went to the Indies, and instructed the inhabitants of those countries in the Christian religion. Up to the last, he gained for himself the esteem of all men by", "keywords": [ "thomas", "didst", "faith", "apostle", "lord", "christ", "divine", "pray", "jesus", "light", "church", "amen", "prayers", "holy", "life", "nobis", "beseech", "love", "heart", "world" ], "saints": [ "St. THOMAS", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_22", "title": "DECEMBER 22", "anchor": "december_22", "text": "SIXTH ANTIPHON O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum; veni, et salva hominem quem de limo formasti. O King of nations, and their desired One, and the corner-stone that makest both one; come and save man whom thou formedst out of slime. O King of nations! Thou art approaching still nigher to Bethlehem, where Thou art to be born. The journey is almost over, and Thy august Mother, consoled and strengthened by the dear weight she bears, holds an unceasing converse with Thee on the way. She adores Thy divine Majesty; she gives thanks to Thy mercy; she rejoices that she has been chosen for the sublime ministry of being Mother to God. She longs for that happy moment when her eyes shall look upon Thee, and yet she fears it. For, how will she be able to render Thee those services which are due to Thy infinite greatness, she that thinks herself the last of creatures? How will she dare to raise Thee up in her arms, and press Thee to her heart, and feed Thee at her breasts? When she reflects that the hour is now near at hand, in which, being born of her, Thou wilt require all her care and tenderness, her heart sinks within her; for, what human heart could bear the intense vehemence of these two affections—the love of such a Mother for her Babe, and the love of such a creature for her God? But Thou supportest her, O Thou the Desired of nations! for Thou, too, longest for that happy birth, which is to give to the earth its Saviour, and to men that corner-stone, which will unite them all into one family. Dearest King! be Thou blessed for all these wonders of Thy power and goodness! Come speedily, we beseech Thee, come and save us, for we are dear to Thee, as creatures that have been formed by Thy divine hands. Yea, come, for Thy creation has grown degenerate; it is lost; death has taken possession of it: take Thou it again into Thy almighty hands, and give it a new creation; save it; for Thou hast not ceased to take pleasure in and love Thine own work. THE GREAT ANTIPHON IN HONOUR OF CHRIST O Rex pacifice, tu ante sæcula nate, per auream egredere portam, redemptos tuos visita, et eos illuc revoca, unde ruerunt per culpam. O King of peace! that wast born before all ages, come by the golden gate; visit them whom thou hast redeemed, and lead them back to the place whence they fell by sin.", "keywords": [ "king", "nations", "save", "born", "mother", "heart", "love", "antiphon", "desired", "corner", "stone", "dear", "divine", "happy", "creatures", "hands", "creation" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_23", "title": "DECEMBER 23", "anchor": "december_23", "text": "The Church sings this antiphon in to-day's Lauds: ANT. Ecce completa sunt omnia quæ dicta sunt per angelum, de Virgine Maria. ANT. Lo! all things are accomplished that were said by the angel, of the Virgin Mary. SEVENTH ANTIPHON O Emmanuel, Rex et Legifer noster, exspectatio gentium, et salvator earum; veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster. O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, the Expectation and Saviour of the nations! come and save us, O Lord our God! O Emmanuel! King of peace! Thou enterest to-day the city of Thy predilection, the city in which Thou hast placed Thy temple—Jerusalem. A few years hence the same city will give Thee Thy cross and Thy sepulchre: nay, the day will come on which Thou wilt set up Thy judgement-seat within sight of her walls. But to-day Thou enterest the city of David and Solomon unnoticed and unknown. It lies on Thy road to Bethlehem. Thy blessed Mother and Joseph her spouse would not lose the opportunity of visiting the temple, there to offer to the Lord their prayers and adoration. They enter; and then, for the first time, is accomplished the prophecy of Aggeus, that great shall be the glory of this last house more than of the first;¹ for this second temple has now standing within it an ark of the Covenant more precious than was that which Moses built; and within this ark, which is Mary, is contained the God whose presence makes her the holiest of sanctuaries. The Lawgiver Himself is in this blessed ark, and not merely, as in that of old, the tablet of stone on which the Law was graven. The visit paid, our living ark descends the steps of the temple, and sets out once more for Bethlehem, where other prophecies are to be fulfilled. We adore Thee, O Emmanuel! in this Thy journey, and we reverence the fidelity wherewith Thou fulfillest all that the prophets have written of Thee; for Thou wouldst give to Thy people the certainty of Thy being the Messias, by showing them that all the marks, whereby He was to be known, are to be found in Thee. And now, the hour is near; all is ready for Thy birth; come then, and save us; come, that Thou mayst not only be called our Emmanuel, but our Jesus, that is, He that saves us. ¹ Agg. ii. 10. THE GREAT ANTIPHON TO JERUSALEM O Hierusalem! civitas Dei summi, leva in circuitu oculos tuos; et vide Dominum tuum, quia jam veniet solvere te a vinculis. O Jerusalem! city of the great God: lift up thine eyes round about, and see thy Lord, for he is coming to loose thee from thy chains.", "keywords": [ "emmanuel", "city", "temple", "antiphon", "lord", "jerusalem", "within", "sunt", "accomplished", "mary", "noster", "king", "lawgiver", "save", "enterest", "bethlehem", "blessed", "virgin", "church", "lauds" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Aggeus ii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "DECEMBER_24", "title": "DECEMBER 24", "anchor": "december_24", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 1, "section": "CHRISTMAS_EVE", "title": "CHRISTMAS EVE", "anchor": "christmas_eve", "text": "\"At length,\" says St. Peter Damian, in his sermon for this holy eve, \"at length we have come from the stormy sea into the tranquil port; hitherto it was the promise, now it is the prize; hitherto labour, now rest; hitherto despair, now hope; hitherto the way, now our home. The heralds of the divine promise came to us; but they gave us nothing but rich promises. Hence our psalmist himself grew wearied and slept, and, with a seemingly reproachful tone, thus sings his lamentation to God: 'But Thou hast rejected and despised us; Thou hast deferred the coming of Thy Christ.'¹ At another time he assumes a tone of command and thus prays: 'O Thou that sittest upon the Cherubim, show Thyself!'² Seated on Thy high throne, with myriads of adoring angels around Thee, look down upon the children of men, who are victims of that sin, which was committed indeed by Adam, but permitted by Thy justice. Remember what my substance is;³ Thou didst make it to the likeness of Thine own; for though every living man is vanity, yet inasmuch as he is made to Thy image, he is not a passing vanity.⁴ Bend Thy heavens and come down, and turn the eyes of Thy mercy upon us Thy miserable suppliants, and forget us not unto the end! \"Isaias, also, in the vehemence of his desire, thus spoke: 'For Sion's sake I will not hold my peace, and for the sake of Jerusalem I will not rest, till her Just One come forth as brightness. Oh! that thou wouldst rend the heavens, and wouldst come down!' So, too, all the prophets, tired of the long delay of the coming, have prayed to Thee, now with supplication, now with lamentation, and now with cries of impatience. We have listened to these their prayers; we have made use of them as our own, and now, nothing can give us joy or gladness, till our Saviour come to us, and, kissing us with the kiss of His lips, say to us: 'I have heard and granted your prayers.' \"But, what is this that has been said to us: 'Sanctify yourselves, O ye children of Israel, and be ready; for on the morrow the Lord will come down'? We are, then, but one half day and night from the grand visit, the admirable birth of the Infant God! Hurry on your course, ye fleeting hours, that we may the sooner see the Son of God in His crib, and pay our homage to this world-saving birth. You, brethren, are the children of Israel, that are sanctified, and cleansed from every defilement of soul and body, ready, by your earnest devotion, for to-morrow's mysteries. Such, indeed, you are, if I may judge from the manner in which you have spent these sacred days of preparation for the coming of your Saviour. \"But if, notwithstanding all your care, some drops of the stream of this life's frailties are still on your hearts, wipe", "keywords": [ "jesus", "lord", "bethlehem", "joseph", "birth", "world", "church", "christ", "born", "coming", "morrow", "ejus", "earth", "saviour", "night", "according", "dominus", "word", "david", "holy" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. Joseph", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Isaias i. 3", "Matthew c.", "Psalms lxxxviii.", "Romans c.", "Romans ix. 28" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS We apply the name of Christmas to the forty days which begin with the Nativity of our Lord, December 25, and end with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, February 2. It is a period which forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other, as are Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. One same Mystery is celebrated and kept in view during the whole forty days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, which so abound during this Season; nor the time of Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often begins before Christmastide is over, seem able to distract our Holy Mother the Church from the immense joy of which she received the good tidings from the Angels¹ on that glorious Night for which the world had been longing four thousand years. The Faithful will remember that the Liturgy commemorates this long expectation by the four penitential weeks of Advent. The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of our Saviour's Nativity by a feast or commemoration of forty days' duration is founded on the holy Gospel itself; for it tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, after spending forty days in the contemplation of the Divine Fruit of her glorious Maternity, went to the Temple, there to fulfil, in most perfect humility, the ceremonies which the Law demanded of the daughters of Israel, when they became mothers. ¹ St. Luke ii. 10. The Feast of Mary's Purification is, therefore, part of that of Jesus' Birth; and the custom of keeping this holy and glorious period of forty days as one continued Festival has every appearance of being a very ancient one, at least in the Roman Church. And firstly, with regard to our Saviour's Birth on December 25, we have St. John Chrysostom telling us, in his Homily for this Feast, that the Western Churches had, from the very commencement of Christianity, kept it on this day. He is not satisfied with merely mentioning the tradition; he undertakes to show that it is well founded, inasmuch as the Church of Rome had every means of knowing the true day of our Saviour's Birth, since the acts of the Enrolment, taken in Judea by command of Augustus, were kept in the public archives of Rome. The holy Doctor adduces a second argument, which he founds upon the Gospel of St. Luke, and he reasons thus: we know from the sacred Scriptures that it must have been in the fast of the seventh month¹ that the Priest Zachary had the vision in the Temple; after which Elizabeth, his wife, conceived St. John the Baptist: hence it follows that the Blessed Virgin Mary having, as the Evangelist St. Luke relates, received the Angel Gabriel's visit, and conceived the Saviour of the world in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, that is to say, in March, the Birth of Jesus must have taken place in the month of December. ¹ Lev. xxiii. 24", "keywords": [ "church", "days", "christmas", "holy", "season", "mother", "forty", "liturgy", "saviour", "feast", "mary", "birth", "purification", "kept", "during", "month", "nativity", "december", "virgin", "period" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "John c.", "Leviticus xxiii. 24", "Luke ii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS We treat of this Mystery in this holy season. The Word of God, whose generation is before the day-star, is born in time—a Child is God—a Virgin becomes a Mother, and remains a Virgin—things divine are commingled with those that are human—and the sublime, the ineffable antithesis, expressed by the Beloved Disciple in those words of his Gospel, THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, is repeated in a thousand different ways in all the prayers of the Church;—and rightly, for it admirably embodies the whole of the great portent which unites in one Person the nature of Man and the nature of God. The splendour of this Mystery dazzles the understanding, but it inundates the heart with joy. It is the consummation of the designs of God in time. It is the endless subject of admiration and wonder to the Angels and Saints; nay, is the source and cause of their beatitude. Let us see how the Church offers this Mystery to her children, veiled under the symbolism of her Liturgy. The four weeks of our preparation are over—they were the image of the four thousand years which preceded the great coming—and we have reached the twenty-fifth day of the month of December, as a long-desired place of sweetest rest. But why is it that the celebration of our Saviour's Birth should be the perpetual privilege of this one fixed day; whilst the whole liturgical Cycle has, every year, to be changed and remodelled, in order to yield that ever-varying day which is to be the feast of his Resurrection—Easter Sunday? ¹ Ps. cix 3. The question is a very natural one, and we find it proposed and answered, even so far back as the fourth century; and that, too, by St Augustine, in his celebrated Epistle to Januarius. The holy Doctor offers this explanation: We solemnize the day of our Saviour's Birth, in order that we may honour that Birth, which was for our salvation; but the precise day of the week, on which he was born, is void of any mystical signification. Sunday, on the contrary, the day of our Lord's Resurrection, is the day marked, in the Creator's designs, to express a mystery which was to be commemorated for all ages. St Isidore of Seville, and the ancient Interpreter of Sacred Rites who, for a long time, was supposed to be the learned Alcuin, have also adopted this explanation of the Bishop of Hippo; and our readers may see their words interpreted by Durandus, in his Rationale. These writers, then, observe that as, according to a sacred tradition, the creation of man took place on a Friday, and our Saviour suffered death also on a Friday for the redemption of man; that as, moreover, the Resurrection of our Lord was on the third day after his death, that is, on a Sunday, which is the day on which the Light was created, as we learn from the Book of Genesis—'the two Solemnities of Jesus'", "keywords": [ "mystery", "holy", "birth", "world", "jesus", "church", "light", "christmas", "season", "divine", "feast", "saviour", "winter", "john", "born", "twenty", "place", "mother", "four", "days" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. Isidore of Seville", "St. John", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Maximus of Turin", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Stephen", "St. Thomas of Canterbury" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles ii. 1", "John c.", "John iii. 1", "John iii. 30", "John vi. 41", "John viii. 12", "Luke ii. 40", "Matthew ii. 5", "Micheas v. 2", "Psalms cix. 3" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS The time has now come for the faithful soul to reap the fruit of the efforts she made during the penitential weeks of Advent to prepare a dwelling-place for the Son of God, who desires to be born within her. The Nuptials of the Lamb are come, and his Spouse hath prepared herself.² Now the Spouse is the Church; the Spouse is also every faithful soul. Our Lord gives his whole self to the whole flock, and to each sheep of the flock with as much love as though he loved but that one. What garments shall we put on, to go and meet the Bridegroom? Where shall we find the pearls and jewels wherewith to deck our soul for this happy meeting? Our holy Mother the Church will tell us all this in her Liturgy. Our best plan for spending Christmas is, undoubtedly, to keep close to her, and do what she does; for she is most dear to God, and being our Mother, we ought to obey all her injunctions. But, before we speak of the mystic Coming of the Incarnate Word into our souls; before we tell the secrets of that sublime familiarity between the Creator and the Creature; let us, first, learn from the Church the duties which human nature and each of our souls owes to the Divine Infant, whom the Heavens have at length given to us as the refreshing Dew we asked them to rain down upon our earth. During Advent, we united with the Saints of the Old Law, in praying for the coming of the Messias, our Redeemer; now that he is come, let us consider what is the homage we must pay him. The Church offers to the Infant-God, during this holy season, the tribute of her profound adoration, the enthusiasm of her exceeding joy, the return of her unbounded gratitude, and the fondness of her intense love. These four offerings, adoration, joy, gratitude, and love, must be also those of every Christian to his Jesus, his Emmanuel, the Babe of Bethlehem. The prayers of the Liturgy will express all four sentiments in a way that no other Devotions could do. But, the better to appropriate to ourselves these admirable formulas of the Church, let us understand thoroughly the nature of each of these four sentiments. ² Apoc. xix 7. The first of our duties at our Saviour's Crib is Adoration. Adoration is Religion's first act; but there is something in the Mystery of our Lord's Birth which seems to make this duty doubly necessary. In heaven the Angels veil their faces, and prostrate themselves before the throne of Jehovah; the Four-and-Twenty Elders are for ever casting their crowns before the throne of the Lamb;³ what, then, shall we do—we who are sinners, and unworthy members of the Tribe of the Redeemer—now that this same great God shows himself to us, humbled for our sakes, and stript of all his glory? now that the duties of the", "keywords": [ "soul", "church", "jesus", "love", "birth", "divine", "born", "holy", "father", "christmas", "mother", "life", "lord", "bethlehem", "mystery", "advent", "word", "world", "during", "coming" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Bonaventure", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse iv. 10", "Apocalypse xiii. 8", "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Canticle of Canticles i. 15", "Isaias i. 3", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias liii. 3", "Isaias liii. 7", "Isaias xl. 3", "Isaias xxv. 9", "John i. 12", "John i. 14", "John iii. 16", "John xiv. 2", "Luke ii. 15", "Luke ii. 16", "Luke x. 23", "Luke xi. 28", "Matthew ii. 10", "Matthew iii. 17", "Matthew iii. 3", "Matthew xii. 50", "Proverbs iv. 18", "Proverbs xv. 15", "Psalms cix. 3", "Psalms lxxv. 12", "Psalms xxxiii. 6", "Romans viii. 29", "Romans viii. 32", "Titus iii. 4" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR CHRISTMAS During Christmas, the Christian, on waking in the morning, should unite himself with the Church, who in her Office of Matins for Christmas Day thus invites the faithful to come and adore the Messias: Christus natus est nobis; venite, adoremus! Christ is born unto us; come, let us adore him! He should profoundly adore this dear King, who has rendered himself so accessible to his creatures; and in this disposition of loving reverence, he should perform the first acts of religion, both interior and exterior, wherewith he begins the day. The time for Morning Prayer being come, he may use the following method, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church: MORNING PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy Trinity: ℣. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu: ℣. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ℟. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. ℟. Let us praise him and extol him above all for ever. ℣. Gloria Patri et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto; ℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. ℟. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: ℣. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. ℣. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. ℟. Quia per Crucem tuam redemisti mundum. ℟. Because by thy Cross thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, you will recite the Lord's Prayer, asking of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant that his holy Name may be glorified on earth, now that he has blessed it by sending it his Son, over whose Crib the Angels sang: Glory be to God in the highest! This divine Messias is come to establish the Kingdom of God on earth: he is come to do the will of his Father, and to teach us to do it here on earth as it is done in heaven. Let us reverently share in these divine intentions. Let us also ask with all instance that we may be granted to partake of that heavenly Bread which is now born to us in Bethlehem. THE LORD'S PRAYER Pater noster, qui es in cælis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: et ne nos inducas in tentationem: sed libera nos a malo. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: thy", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "holy", "domine", "christ", "virgin", "deus", "nobis", "blessed", "mother", "church", "jesus", "pray", "mercy", "father", "ever", "heaven", "mater", "sins", "prayers" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke ii. 19" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING THE SEASON OF CHRISTMAS SUCH is the number and importance of the feasts kept during this holy season, that even those of the faithful who have not the habit of hearing Mass daily at other times look upon it as a sort of duty to do so now: and rightly; for the Lamb, who is offered up in this Divine Sacrifice, is he whom they have been asking of the Eternal Father with so much earnestness during Advent, in those words of the Prophet Isaias: *Send forth, O Lord, the Lamb, the Ruler of the Earth.*³ This tender Lamb is come; *the child is born unto us;*⁴ and even now is on the Altar of his Sacrifice. St Paul tells us that this Jesus, on his first entrance into the world, said to his Father: *Sacrifice and oblation thou willest not; but a Body thou hast fitted unto me. Then said I; behold I come: to do thy will, O God.*⁵ It is true that the Sacrifice of the Cross, of which that of the Mass is the continuation, was the Sacrifice of Christ at the end of his three-and-thirty years; still, during these days of Christmas, when we have so much to learn from the mind of the Sacred Infancy, we shall be in strict accordance with the spirit of the Church if, whilst assisting at Mass, we keep before our minds not only the bleeding Victim of Calvary, but likewise the sweet Lamb of Bethlehem. Moreover, does not our Jesus offer himself for us to his Father from his Crib as well as from his Cross? Thus, we read in the Acts of the Saints, that as often as this our Redeemer wished to requite the faith and love of his servants by manifesting to them his real Presence in the sacred Host, he appeared to them in the form of a lovely Babe. ³ Isa. xvi. 1. ⁴ Ibid. ix. 6. ⁵ Heb. x. 5. The liturgical iconography of the Greeks represents the mystery of the Eucharist under the symbol of a Babe reposing on a Paten. So, too, in many of our Latin Missals, up to the end of the sixteenth century, we find an illumination or engraving, as the case may be, representing a Priest vested in a Chasuble, standing at the Altar, and holding in his hands the Body of our Saviour under the form of a Child. Let the faithful, therefore, enter the House of God in the dispositions wherewith the Shepherds and the Magi were animated, when they went to Bethlehem, the House of Bread. They too must *come with haste;*⁶ from the midnight of this world to that Light which *shineth in darkness.*⁷ They must come to the Altar as to the Crib of Jesus, and in the joy of this Mystery, they must offer their whole heart to the New-Born Babe. Then, uniting themselves with Mary and the Church, they must offer the Lamb of God", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "holy", "amen", "jesus", "altar", "father", "domine", "divine", "deus", "church", "world", "mercy", "sacrifice", "christ", "ever", "mass", "glory", "nobis", "prayer" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Pet", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Corinthians xv. 53", "1 Kings iii. 10", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Hebrews i. 1", "Hebrews x. 5", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias xvi. 1", "John c.", "John i. 5", "Luke ii. 10", "Luke ii. 16", "Matthew i. 23", "Peter i. 4", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING CHRISTMAS During Advent, Holy Communion prepared the soul for the visible Coming of her heavenly Spouse. He graciously granted her that sublime favour, as a foretaste of that happy Night in which he would show himself to her as the Divine Babe, whose ineffable loveliness would ravish Angels, Shepherds, and Kings. She enjoyed something of that exquisite delight which Mary felt, when she had within her chaste womb the God who was her Child, though as yet concealed from her sight. But now that Christmas is come; now that a little Child is born unto us, cradled in the House of Bread, which is Bethlehem; now that the Angels have invited the Shepherds, and the Star the Magi, to come and see Him and adore Him; the Holy Communion must take us on further in the knowledge of our Incarnate Word, illumine us with brighter Light, and produce within us a more ardent longing to possess this Jesus, whose love and loveliness gleam so magnificently through the humility of these swathing-bands and manger. It is no longer the invisible Jesus, preparing, by silence and stillness, for the laborious mission of his conquest of souls: it is the Deliverer of mankind who has begun to run the way;¹ it is the Sun of Justice darting his first rays on our earth; it is our God, asking us to give him, a weak Babe, room in our hearts; it is our Creator, who loveth souls,² striving to win our love. ¹ Ps. xviii 6. ² Wisd. xi 27. Then let us go to him, that we may know him; let us know him, that we may love him; let us love him, that we may grow like him. What he demands of us by this Christmas mystery is that we become, like him, little children, for there is now no other means of our possessing him, no other way of going to the Father. Therefore come to him, ye faithful ones, and be enlightened.¹ We have ventured to draw up these Acts, thinking that they might assist you in your preparation for the visit you are going to make to the Babe of Bethlehem. May you derive profit from them, and pray for him who gives you them. ¹ Ps. xxxiii 6. BEFORE COMMUNION ACT OF FAITH Thou art about to descend into my breast, O eternal God! and yet there is nothing to betoken the approach of thy sovereign Majesty! As on the sacred night of thy birth, thy entrance into Bethlehem was in humility and in silence; so also now, there is nothing to tell men that thou art about to visit me. A Little Child, veiled under the appearance of an humble host, is coming to me, and in a few moments I shall hold within me him who created all things, the Judge of the living and the dead! Oh! how I love to bow down my reason before this wonderful Mystery! How I", "keywords": [ "love", "bethlehem", "heart", "crib", "jesus", "holy", "divine", "angels", "shepherds", "mary", "infant", "within", "lord", "thine", "life", "babe", "adore", "humility", "earth", "become" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis xlix. 26", "Hebrews i. 6", "John vi. 57", "Luke ii. 11", "Luke ii. 16", "Matthew v. 8", "Numbers xxiv. 17", "Philippians ii. 7", "Psalms lxv. 16", "Psalms lxxi.", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Psalms xxxiii. 6", "Wisdom xi. 27" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING CHRISTMAS THE Office of Vespers, or Evensong, during the year, consists firstly of five Psalms and Antiphons, which vary more or less every day. As the main object of our book is the convenience of the Faithful, we only give the Vespers of the Sundays and the principal Feasts. With regard to the Sundays, therefore, during Christmas, which are neither Feasts, nor within the Octave of a Feast, we give them here in full, reserving only that which is peculiar to each for the Proper. If it be a Feast, the Office must be sought for on its own day. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: ℣. Deus in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ANT. The Lord said. The first Psalm is a prophecy of the glory of the Messias. This Child, who is now born to us in humility and poverty, is to be seated on the right hand of the eternal Father. Now that we are celebrating his temporal Birth, it is most just that we should often sing the Psalm which speaks of his eternal Generation as God, and of the future glory which awaits him as Man. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: * propterea exaltabit caput. ANT. Dixit Dominus Domino meo, sede a dextris meis. ANT. Magna opera Domini. The following God to his The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. O 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "blessed", "dominus", "psalm", "domini", "israel", "domino", "sæculum", "deus", "father", "praise", "name", "sicut", "amen", "glory", "opera", "works", "nomen" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians i.", "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Luke i.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING CHRISTMAS This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The Lector, addressing the Priest, says to him: ℣. Jube, domne, benedicere. ℣. Pray, Father, give thy blessing. The Priest answers: Noctem quietam et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. ℟. Amen. May the Almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. The Lector then reads these words from the first Epistle of St Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch: for your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour: resist him, being strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The Choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. ℟. Thanks be to God. Then the Priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The Choir: ℟. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam æternam. May Almighty God be merciful to thee, and forgiving thy sins, bring thee to everlasting life. The Priest having answered Amen, the Choir repeats the Confiteor, thus: Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistæ, sanctis 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 Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes sanctos, et te, Pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. I confess to Almighty God, to Blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to thee, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, 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 Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, and thee, Father, to pray to our Lord God for me. The Priest then says: Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam æternam. ℟. Amen. May Almighty God be merciful to you, and, forgiving your sins, bring you to everlasting life. ℟. Amen. Indulgentiam,", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "domine", "holy", "deus", "tuum", "night", "nobis", "dominus", "blessed", "gloria", "spiritu", "nostrum", "tibi", "psalm", "quoniam", "priest", "father", "almighty", "pater" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Jeremias xiv.", "Luke i. 35", "Luke ii.", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHRISTMAS_DAY", "title": "CHRISTMAS DAY", "anchor": "christmas_day", "text": "AFTERNOON OF THE EVE CHRISTMAS Eve, with its own happy spirit, is drawing to its close. Already has the Church terminated all her Advent Offices, by the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice. In her maternal considerateness, she has permitted her children to break their Fast of preparation for the great Feast, by taking their meal at mid-day. Whilst refreshing their bodies with this repast, to which Abstinence gives merit, the Faithful feel an instinct of gladness which comes as a harbinger, to tell them of that immense joy which this beautiful Night will bring them, by giving them their Emmanuel. But so great a Solemnity as that of to-morrow could not possibly be an exception to that usage of the Church whereby she anticipates all her Feasts on their Eves. In a few moments the Office of First Vespers, in which is offered to God the evening incense, will call us to the Church, and the splendour of the function, and the magnificence of the chants, will open our hearts to those feelings of love and gratitude which will prepare them to receive the graces of to-night. Let us spend the interval in endeavouring to gain a clear knowledge of the Mystery of our Feast; and let us absorb well the sentiments and spirit of the Church. We shall be assisted to do both by considering some of the principal traditions which attach to this joyful Solemnity. Let us begin by listening to the Holy Fathers speaking of Christmas Day with an eloquence worthy of the Feast. And first we have St Gregory the Theologian, Bishop of Nazianzum, who thus opens his thirty-eighth discourse, which is on the Theophania, or Nativity of our Lord. 'Christ is born—glorify him! Christ comes down from heaven—go ye forth to meet him! Christ is on the earth—be ye lifted up above it! O sing to the Lord, all thou earth! and to say all in one word, Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad,² because he that is now born is both of heaven and of earth! Christ has assumed our Flesh—exult in fear and in joy; in fear, because of sin; in joy, because of hope! Christ is born of a Virgin: women! honour holy virginity, that you may become Mothers of Christ! 'Who would not adore him that is from the beginning? Who would not praise and extol him that is born in time? Darkness is at an end; Light is created; Egypt remains in darkness, and Israel is enlightened by the pillar of fire. The people that sat in the darkness of ignorance, now possess the bright light of knowledge and wisdom. The old things are passed away, and lo! all things are made new. The letter has given way, the spirit has triumphed; shadows have faded, the reality is come. . . . The laws of nature are set aside; the world of Heaven is to be peopled; Christ commands it—let us obey. 'O clap your hands,", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "earth", "church", "born", "holy", "alleluia", "jesus", "father", "christ", "light", "deus", "world", "night", "ever", "divine", "dominus", "people", "glory", "nobis" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Anastasia", "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Ephrem", "St. Eugenia", "St. Francis", "St. Gelasius", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Gregory the Theologian", "St. Helen", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Leo", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Nicholas", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Remigius", "St. Sophronius of Jerusalem", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians v. 5", "Apocalypse xxi. 23", "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Ephesians iv. 13", "Hebrews c.", "Hebrews i. 3", "Hebrews i. 6", "Hebrews x. 5", "Hebrews xiii. 8", "Isaias ix.", "Isaias ix. 2", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias lii.", "Isaias xl.", "Isaias xlv. 1", "John c.", "John i. 1", "Kings c.", "Luke c.", "Luke i. 32", "Matthew xii. 50", "Peter i. 19", "Peter i. 4", "Psalms c.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms xcv. 1", "Psalms xcvi. 7", "Psalms xliv. 4", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Romans viii. 12", "Romans xiii. 3", "Titus c.", "Titus iii. 4" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHRISTMAS_DAY_THIRD_MASS", "title": "CHRISTMAS DAY: THIRD MASS", "anchor": "christmas_day_third_mass", "text": "in thy Divinity, and so divine in thy self-sought humiliations ! At the Offertory, the Church sings praise to her Emmanuel for the work of his hands, the universe; for it was he who made all things. The sacred gifts are offered up in the midst of a cloud of incense. The Church cannot lose sight of the Infant Jesus and the Crib; but she is unceasingly praising the power and majesty of the Incarnate God. OFFERTORY Tui sunt cceli, et tua est terra; orbem terrarum et plenitudinem ejus tu fun- dasti: justitia et judicium praeparatio sedis tue. Thine are the heavens, and thine is the earth; the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded: justice and judgement are the preparation of thy throne. SECRET Oblata, Domine, munera nova Unigeniti tui nativi- tate sanctifica: nosque a peccatorum nostrorum ma- culis emunda. Per eumdem. Sanctify, O Lord, our offer- ings, by the new Birth of thine Only-Begotten Son: and cleanse us from the stains of oursins. Through the same, etc. During the Communion, the choir sings the happiness of this earth of ours, which has to-day seen its Saviour by the mercy of the Divine Word, made visible in the flesh, yet so as that he loses nothing of his own infinite glory. Then, in the Postcommunion, she prays by the mouth of the Priest, that her children who have eaten of the spotless Lamb may partake of the immor- tality of this same Jesus: for, by vouchsafing to be born by a human Birth in Bethlehem, he has this Day given them the pledge of their receiving a divine life. COMMUNION Viderunt omnes fines ter- The whole earth hath seen re Salutare Dei nostri. the salvation of our God. POSTCOMMUNION Prasta, quasumus, omni- potens Deus: ut natus hodie Salvator mundi, sicut di- vinz nobis generationis est auctor; ita et immortalitatis sit ipse largitor. Qui tecum. Grant, we beseech thee, O Almighty God, that as the Saviour of the world, who was born this day, procured for us a divine birth, he may also be- stow on us immortality. Who liveth, etc. After the Blessing, the following Last Gospel is read. Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Mattheum. Cap. II. Cum natus esset Jesus in Bethlehem Juda, in diebus Herodis regis, ecce Magi ab Oriente venerunt Jerosoly- mam, dicentes: Ubi est, qui natus est Rex Judzorum ? vidimus enim stellam ejus in Oriente, et venimus ado- rare eum. Audiens autem Herodes rex, turbatus est, et omnis Jerosolyma cum illo. Et congregans omnes principes — sacerdotum, et Scribas populi, sciscitabatur ab eis ubi Christus nascere- tur. At illi dixerunt ei: In Bethlehem Jud: sic enim scriptum est per Prophetam: Et tu, Bethlehem, terra Ju- da, nequaquam minima es in principibus Juda: ex te enim exiet dux qui regat ieu meum Israel. Tunc erodes, clam vocatis Magis, diligenter didicit ab eis tem- pus stelle, qua apparuit eis: et mittens illos in Bethle- hem, dixit: Ite, et interro- gate diligenter de puero: et cum inveneritis,", "keywords": [ "bethlehem", "juda", "born", "divine", "jesus", "thine", "earth", "birth", "seen", "natus", "enim", "herod", "offertory", "church", "sings", "terra", "ejus", "world", "communion", "saviour" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Matthew c." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHRISTMAS_DAY", "title": "CHRISTMAS DAY:", "anchor": "christmas_day", "text": "dissent regem, abierunt. Et ecce stella quam viderant in Oriente antecedebat eos, usque dum veniens staret supra ubi erat puer. Vi- dentes autem stellam, gavisi sunt gaudio magno valde. Et intrantes domum, inve- nerunt puerum cum Maria matre ejus, (here all kneel) et procidentes adoraverunt eum. Et apertis thesauris suis, obtulerunt ei munera; aurum, thus et myrrham. Et responso accepto in som- nis ne redirent ad Herodem, er aliam viam reversi sunt in regionem suam. EH. Deo gratias. SECOND VESPERS word again, that I also may come and adore. Who having heard the king, went their way. And behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. And seeing the star, they rejoiced with ex- ceeding great joy. And enter- ing into the house, they found the Child with Mary his Mother, (here all kneel) and falling down they adored him. And opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having received an answer in sleep that they should not re- turn to Herod, they went back another way into their own country. KR. Thanks be to God. SECOND VESPERS The Evensong of God's praise is about to close this beautiful Day: let us go and unite in it. The material sun is fast sinking in the west: but our Sun of Justice shall never set for us, who have received him into our hearts. Yes, let us go join our Mother the Church, and chant, in the songs of the Royal Prophet, the happiness of our earth, that has yielded its divine Fruit; the glories of this new-born Saviour; and the mercies which he has brought us. God forbid that our hearts should have lost, since morning, aught of their earnest fervour ! has not Christ been born within us? Therefore, let our psalmody proclaim his praises, and ascend to him with all that beauty and loveliness and merit which the divine Liturgy always adds to our own individual fervour. Y Deus, in adjutorium Y. Incline unto my aid, O meum intende. Hi. Domine, ad adjuvan- dum me festina. God. Hy. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in secula szculorum. Amen. Alleluia. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the begin- ning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. The first Psalm of Second Vespers for Christmas Day is that which always begins the Evening Office on Sundays and Feasts. It celebrates the Eternal Genera- tion of the Word, and prophesies his Sufferings and his Triumph. ANT. Tecum principium in die virtutis tue, in splendoribus Sanctorum : ex utero ante luciferum ge- nui te. ANT. With thee is the prin- cipality in the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the Saints; for the Father has said to", "keywords": [ "lord", "star", "father", "second", "vespers", "went", "virtutis", "dominus", "erat", "sunt", "kneel", "word", "having", "until", "child", "mother", "received", "hearts", "divine", "born" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "CHRISTMAS_DAY", "title": "CHRISTMAS DAY:", "anchor": "christmas_day", "text": "Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die ire sue reges. judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquas- sabit capita in terra multo- rum. De torrente in via bibet; * propterea exaltabit caput. ANT. Tecum principium in die virtutis tu, in splen- doribus Sanctorum: ex ute- ro ante luciferum genui te. SECOND VESPERS 211 Therefore, O Father! the Lord thy Son is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. He shall also judge among nations; he shall fill the ruins of the world : 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. With thee is the prin- cipality in' the day of thy strength, in the brightness of the Saints; for the Father has said to thee : From the womb, pte the day-star, I begot thee. The second Psalm praises our Lord for the Covenant he has made with his people, and for the Redemption he has this day sent us. The human race was sunk into the depth of misery: the God of mercy, faithful to his promises, gives us, in Bethlehem, him who is the Bread of life—the heavenly food that preserves from death. ANT. He hath sent Re- demption to his people; he ANT. Redemptionem mi- sit Dominus populo suo, mandavit in eternum testa- mentum suum. hath commanded his covenant for ever. PSALM IIO Confitebor tibi, Domine, in toto corde meo: * in con- cilio justorum et congrega- tione. Magna opera Domini: * exquisita in omnes volun- ‘ates ejus. Confessio et magnificen- tia opus ejus: * et justitia ejus manet in seculum sa- culi. Memoriam fecit mirabi- lium suorum, misericors et I will praise thee, O 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, miserator Dominus: * es- cam dedit timentibus se. Memor erit in seculum testamenti sui: * virtutem operum suorum annuntiabit populo suo. Ut det illis hereditatem gentium: * opera manuum ejus veritas et judicium. Fidelia omnia mandata ejus, confirmata in seculum seculi: * facta in veritate et equitate. Redemptionem misit po- pulo suo: * mandavit in eternum testamentum suum. Sanctum et terribile no- men ejus: * initium sapien- tie timor Domini. Intellectus bonus omnibus facientibus eum : * laudatio ejus manet in seculum seculi. ANT. Redemptionem mi- sit Dominus populo suo, mandavit in seternum tes- tamentum suum. being a merciful and gracious Lord: and being the Bread of life, he hath given food to them that fear him. He will be mindful for ever of his covenant with men: he will come and will show forth to his people the", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "born", "church", "domine", "david", "dominus", "people", "merciful", "mary", "virgin", "psalm", "heart", "alleluia", "father", "sent", "apud", "among", "womb" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias c.", "Psalms c." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "DECEMBER_26", "title": "DECEMBER 26", "anchor": "december_26", "text": "SAINT STEPHEN THE FIRST MARTYR St Peter Damian thus begins his Sermon for this Feast: 'We are holding in our arms the Son of the Virgin, and are honouring with our caresses this our Infant God. The holy Virgin has led us to the dear Crib. The most beautiful of the Daughters of men has brought us to the most beautiful among the Sons of men,¹ and the Blessed among women to him that is Blessed above all. She tells us . . . that now the veils of prophecy are drawn aside, and the counsel of God is accomplished. . . . Is there anything capable of distracting us from this sweet Birth? On what else shall we fix our eyes? . . . Lo! whilst Jesus is permitting us thus to caress him; whilst he is overwhelming us with the greatness of these mysteries, and our hearts are riveted in admiration; there comes before us Stephen, full of grace and fortitude, doing great wonders and signs among the people.² Is it right that we turn from our King to look on Stephen, his soldier? No; unless the King himself bid us do so. This our King, who is Son of the King, rises . . . to assist at the glorious combat of his servant. . . . Let us go with him, and contemplate this standard-bearer of the Martyrs.' The Church gives us, in to-day's Office, this opening of a Sermon of St Fulgentius for the Feast of St Stephen: 'Yesterday we celebrated the temporal Birth of our eternal King: to-day we celebrate the triumphant passion of his Soldier. Yesterday our King, having put on the garb of our flesh, came from the sanctuary of his Mother's virginal womb, and mercifully visited the earth: to-day his Soldier, quitting his earthly tabernacle, entered triumphantly into heaven. Jesus, whilst still continuing to be the eternal God, assumed to himself the lowly raiment of flesh, and entered the battle-field of this world: Stephen, laying aside the perishable garment of the body, ascended to the palace of heaven, there to reign for ever. Jesus descended veiled in our flesh: Stephen ascended wreathed with a martyr's laurels. Stephen ascended to heaven amidst the shower of stones, because Jesus had descended on earth midst the singing of Angels. Yesterday the holy Angels exultingly sang, Glory be to God in the highest; to-day they joyously received Stephen into their company. . . . Yesterday Jesus was wrapped, for our sakes, in swaddling-clothes: to-day Stephen was clothed with the robe of immortal glory. Yesterday a narrow crib contained the Infant Jesus: to-day the immensity of the heavenly court received the triumphant Stephen.' Thus does the sacred Liturgy blend the joy of our Lord's Nativity with the gladness she feels at the triumph of the first of her Martyrs. Nor will Stephen be the only one admitted to share the honours of this glorious Octave. After him we shall have John, the Beloved Disciple; the Innocents", "keywords": [ "stephen", "jesus", "lord", "martyrs", "church", "christ", "martyr", "holy", "didst", "blood", "glory", "world", "love", "right", "death", "domine", "tibi", "blessed", "birth", "testimony" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Fulgentius", "St. Gall", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Peter", "St. STEPHEN", "St. Stephen", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 24", "Acts vi.", "Acts vi. 8", "Ephesians iv. 13", "Luke x. 3", "Matthew c.", "Psalms xliv. 3" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "DECEMBER_27", "title": "DECEMBER 27", "anchor": "december_27", "text": "SAINT JOHN APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST Dearest to Jesus' Crib, after Stephen, stands John, the Apostle and Evangelist. It was only right that the first place should be assigned to him, who so loved his God that he shed his blood in his service; for, as this God himself declares, greater love than this hath no man, that he lay down his life for his friends,¹ and Martyrdom has ever been counted by the Church as the greatest act of love, and as having, consequently, the power of remitting sins, like a second Baptism. But next to the sacrifice of Blood, the noblest, the bravest sacrifice, and that which most wins the heart of him who is the Spouse of souls, is the sacrifice of Virginity. Now just as St Stephen is looked upon as the type of Martyrs, St John is honoured as the Prince of Virgins. Martyrdom won for Stephen the Crown and palm; Virginity merited for John most singular prerogatives, which, while they show how dear to God is holy Chastity, put this Disciple among those who by their dignity and influence are above the rest of men. St John was of the family of David, as was our Blessed Lady. He was consequently a relation of Jesus. This same honour belonged to St James the Greater, his brother; as also to St James the Less and St Jude, both sons of Alphæus. When our Saint was in the prime of his youth, he left not only his boat and nets, not only his Father Zebedee, but even his betrothed, when everything was prepared for the marriage. He followed Jesus, and never once looked back. Hence the special love which our Lord bore him. Others were Disciples or ¹ St John xv 13. Apostles, John was the Friend of Jesus. The cause of this our Lord's partiality was, as the Church tells us in the Liturgy, that John had offered his Virginity to the Man-God. Let us, on this his Feast, enumerate the graces and privileges that came to St John from his being the Disciple whom Jesus loved. This very expression of the Gospel, which the Evangelist repeats several times—The Disciple whom Jesus loved¹—says more than any commentary could do. St Peter, it is true, was chosen by our Divine Lord to be the Head of the Apostolic College, and the Rock whereon the Church was to be built: he, then, was honoured most; but St John was loved most. Peter was bid to love more than the rest loved, and he was able to say, in answer to Jesus' thrice repeated question, that he did love him in this highest way: and yet, notwithstanding, John was more loved by Jesus than was Peter himself, because his Virginity deserved this special mark of honour. Chastity of soul and body brings him who possesses it into a sacred nearness and intimacy with God. Hence it was that at the Last Supper—that Supper which was to be renewed on", "keywords": [ "jesus", "john", "love", "disciple", "divine", "church", "lord", "mother", "holy", "word", "heart", "world", "father", "virgin", "didst", "beloved", "apostle", "earth", "eternal", "rest" ], "saints": [ "St. Alphonsus", "St. Ambrose", "St. Gall", "St. JOHN", "St. James the Greater", "St. James the Less", "St. John", "St. Jude", "St. Matt", "St. Peter", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse iv. 7", "Colossians ii. 3", "Ecclesiasticus c.", "Ecclesiasticus xv.", "Ezechiel i. 10", "John c.", "John i.", "John xiii. 1", "John xiii. 23", "John xiv. 11", "John xv. 13", "Matthew viii. 20", "Matthew xx. 22", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "DECEMBER_28", "title": "DECEMBER 28", "anchor": "december_28", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "THE_HOLY_INNOCENTS¹", "title": "THE HOLY INNOCENTS¹", "anchor": "the_holy_innocents¹", "text": "The feast of the beloved Disciple is followed by that of the Holy Innocents. The Crib of Jesus, where we have already met and venerated the Prince of Martyrs and the Eagle of Patmos, has to-day standing round it a lovely choir of little Children, clad in snow-white robes, and holding green branches in their hands. The Divine Babe smiles upon them: he is their King; and these Innocents are smiling upon the Church of God. Courage and Fidelity first led us to the Crib; Innocence now comes, and bids us tarry there. Herod intended to include the Son of God amongst the murdered Babes of Bethlehem. The Daughters of Rachel wept over their little ones, and the land streamed with blood; but the Tyrant's policy can do no more: it cannot reach Jesus, and its whole plot ends in recruiting an immense army of Martyrs for heaven. These Children were not capable of knowing what an honour it was for them to be made victims for the sake of the Saviour of the world; but the very first instant after their immolation, all was revealed to them: they had gone through this world without knowing it, and now that they know it, they possess an infinitely better. God showed here the riches of his mercy: he asks of them but a momentary suffering, and that over, they wake up in Abraham's Bosom: no further trial awaits them, they are in spotless innocence, and the glory due to a soldier who died to save the life of his Prince belongs eternally to them. They died for Jesus' sake; therefore their death was a real Martyrdom, and the Church calls them by the beautiful name of the Flowers of the Martyrs, because of their tender age and their innocence. Justly then does the ecclesiastical Cycle bring them before us to-day, immediately after the two valiant Champions of Christ, Stephen and John. The connection of these three Feasts is thus admirably explained by St Bernard: 'In St Stephen, we have both the act and the desire of Martyrdom; in St John, we have but the desire; in the Holy Innocents, we have but the act. . . . Will anyone doubt whether a crown was given to these Innocents? . . . If you ask me what merit could they have that God should crown them? let me ask you what was the fault for which Herod slew them? What! is the mercy of Jesus less than the cruelty of Herod? and whilst Herod could put these Babes to death, who had done him no injury, Jesus may not crown them for dying for him? 'Stephen, therefore, is a Martyr by a Martyrdom of which men can judge, for he gave this evident proof of his sufferings being felt and accepted, that, at the very moment of his death, his solicitude both for his own soul and for those of his persecutors increased; the pangs of his bodily passion were less intense", "keywords": [ "holy", "innocents", "children", "jesus", "herod", "lord", "heaven", "rachel", "little", "church", "blood", "praise", "martyrs", "king", "christ", "earth", "infant", "bethlehem", "death", "alleluia" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. John", "St. John the Apostle", "St. Luke", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Stephen", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 25", "Apocalypse xiv.", "Canticle of Canticles v. 3", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias xl. 5", "John i.", "Luke ii. 14", "Luke xvi. 15", "Matthew c.", "Matthew xi. 25", "Matthew xix. 14", "Psalms viii. 3", "Zacharias i." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "DECEMBER_29", "title": "DECEMBER 29", "anchor": "december_29", "text": "SAINT THOMAS ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY AND MARTYR Another Martyr comes to-day to take his place round the Crib of our Jesus. He does not belong to the first ages of the Church: his name is not written in the Books of the New Testament, like those of Stephen, John and the Innocents of Bethlehem. Yet does he stand most prominent in the ranks of that Martyr Host which has been receiving fresh recruits in every age, and is one of those visible abiding proofs of the vitality of the Church, and of the undecaying energy infused into her by her divine Founder. This glorious Martyr did not shed his blood for the faith; he was not dragged before the tribunals of pagans or heretics, there to confess the truths revealed by Christ and taught by the Church. He was slain by Christian hands; it was a Catholic King that condemned him to death; it was by the majority of his own brethren, and they his countrymen, that he was abandoned and blamed. How, then, could he be a Martyr? How did he gain a Palm like Stephen's? He was the Martyr for the liberty of the Church. Every Christian is obliged to lay down his life rather than deny any of the articles of our holy Faith: it was the debt we contracted with Jesus Christ when he adopted us in Baptism as his Brethren. All are not called to the honour of Martyrdom, that is, all are not required to bear that testimony to the Truth which consists in shedding one's blood for it: but all must so love their Faith as to be ready to die rather than deny it, under pain of incurring the eternal death from which the grace of our Redeemer has already delivered us. The same obligation lies still more heavily on the Pastors of the Church. It is the pledge of the truth of their teachings. Hence we find in almost every page of the History of the Church the glorious names of saintly Bishops, who laid down their lives for the Faith they had delivered to their people. It was the last and dearest pledge they could give of their devotedness to the Vineyard entrusted to them, in which they had spent years of care and toil. The blood of their Martyrdom was more than a fertilizing element—it was a guarantee, the highest that man can give, that the seed they had sown in the hearts of men was in very truth the revealed Word of God. But beyond the debt which every Christian has, of shedding his blood rather than denying his Faith, that is, of allowing no threats or dangers to make him disown the sacred ties which unite him to the Church, and through her to Jesus Christ; beyond this, Pastors have another debt to pay, which is that of defending the liberty of the Church. To Kings and Rulers, and, in general to all diplomatists and politicians, there", "keywords": [ "church", "thomas", "blood", "martyr", "holy", "king", "jesus", "world", "life", "pastor", "shepherd", "canterbury", "alleluia", "liberty", "sheep", "divine", "lord", "christ", "bishop", "ever" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Anselm", "St. Denis", "St. Gregory", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Stephen", "St. THOMAS", "St. Thomas", "St. Thomas of Canterbury", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians xii. 10", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 15", "Colossians i. 20", "Exodus xxv. 22", "Hebrews c.", "Hebrews x. 9", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias lvi. 10", "Isaias xxxvii. 16", "James i.", "John c.", "Peter c.", "Peter v. 4", "Psalms lxxix. 14", "Psalms xcviii. 5", "Psalms xliv. 5" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "DECEMBER_30", "title": "DECEMBER 30", "anchor": "december_30", "text": "SUNDAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS OR THE SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE (If December 30 falls on a Saturday, it is called the Sixth Day within the Octave, and the third Mass of Christmas Day, page 202, is repeated, except for the Epistle and Gospel, which are taken from the second Mass, pages 191, 192, the extra prayers are given on page 415, and in this case the Office of the Sunday in the Octave is said on December 31, with a commemoration of St Silvester. But if December 30 falls on any other day of the week, the Office is of the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas.) This is the only day within the Christmas Octave which is not a Saint's Feast. During the Octaves of the Epiphany, Easter and Pentecost, the Church is so absorbed in the respective mysteries that she puts off everything that could share her attention; whereas during this of Christmas, there is only one day which does not celebrate the memory of some glorious Saint, and our Infant Jesus is surrounded by a choir of heroes who loved and served him. Thus the Church, or, more correctly, God—for God is the first author of the cycle of the year—shows us how the Incarnate Word, who came to save mankind, desires to give mankind confidence by this his adorable familiarity. We have already shown that the Birth of our Lord took place on a Sunday, the Day on which, in the beginning of the world, God created Light. We shall find, later on, that his Resurrection also was on a Sunday. This the first day of creation, and the first of the week, was consecrated by the old Pagans to the Sun: with us Christians, it is most sacred and holy, on account of the two risings of our divine Sun of Justice—his Birth and his Resurrection. Whilst the solemnity of Easter is always kept on a Sunday, that of Christmas falls by turns on each of the days of the week—we have already had this difference explained to us by the Holy Fathers: but the mystery of Jesus' Birth is more aptly and strongly expressed, when its anniversary falls on a Sunday. Other years, when the coincidence does not happen, the Faithful will at least be led by their Christian instincts, to give especial honour to the day within the Octave which falls on the Sunday. The Church has honoured it with a proper Mass and Office, and we of course insert them. MASS It was at midnight that the Lord delivered his people from bondage, by the Passage of his destroying Angel over the land of the Egyptians: so also was it in the still hour of midnight that Jesus, the Angel of Great Counsel, came down from his royal throne, bringing mercy to our earth. It is just, that whilst commemorating this second Passage, the Church should sing the praises of her Emmanuel, who comes, clad in his strength and", "keywords": [ "jesus", "lord", "divine", "octave", "christmas", "child", "father", "mother", "birth", "sunday", "world", "mary", "church", "virgin", "deus", "alleluia", "israel", "within", "holy", "dominus" ], "saints": [ "St. Ephrem the Deacon", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Silvester", "St. Sylvester", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Galatians c.", "Galatians iv.", "Luke c." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "DECEMBER_31", "title": "DECEMBER 31", "anchor": "december_31", "text": "SAINT SYLVESTER POPE AND CONFESSOR So far, the only ones we have seen standing round the Crib of our Jesus have been Martyrs: Stephen, overwhelmed with the shower of stones; John, the Martyr in heart, who survived his fiery torture; the Holy Innocents, massacred by the sword; Thomas, murdered in his cathedral; these are the champions of Christ, who keep guard in the palace of Bethlehem. Yet all Christians are not called to be Martyrs. Besides this countless battalion of the King's favourite soldiers, there are other troops of sainted heroes which form the heavenly army; and amongst these there are the Confessors, who conquered the world without shedding their blood in the combat. Though the place of honour in the service of the King belongs to the Martyrs, yet did the Confessors fight manfully for the glory of his name and the spreading of his Kingdom. The palm is not in their hands, but they are crowned with the crown of justice, and Jesus, who gave it to them, has made it be part of his own glory that they should be near his throne. The Church would therefore grace this glorious Christmas Octave with the name of one of her children, who should represent at Bethlehem the whole class of her unmartyred Saints. She chose a Confessor—St Sylvester: a Confessor who governed the Church of Rome, and therefore the universal Church; a Pontiff whose reign was long and peaceful; a Servant of Jesus Christ adorned with every virtue, who was sent to edify and guide the world immediately after those fearful combats that had lasted for three hundred years, in which millions of Christians had gained victory by martyrdom, under the leadership of thirty Popes—predecessors of St Sylvester—and they, too, all Martyrs. So that Sylvester is messenger of the Peace which Christ came to give to the world, of which the Angels sang on Christmas Night. He is the friend of Constantine; he confirms the Council of Nicæa; he organizes the discipline of the Church for the new era on which she is now entering: the era of Peace. His predecessors in the See of Peter imaged Jesus in his sufferings; Sylvester represented Jesus in his triumph. His appearance during this Octave reminds us that the Divine Child who lies wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and is the object of Herod's persecution, is, notwithstanding all these humiliations, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the world to come.¹ Let us read the history of Sylvester's peaceful Pontificate, as related by the Church in her Breviary. The character of our work excludes purely critical discussions, and we, therefore, say nothing of the objections that have been raised against the Emperor Constantine's having received Baptism in Rome at the hands of St Sylvester. It is sufficient for us to tell our readers that the Roman tradition regarding that event has been adopted by the most learned men, such as Baronius, Schelstrate, Bianchini, Marangoni, Vignoli, etc. Silvester Romanus, patre Ruffino, a prima ætate", "keywords": [ "church", "sylvester", "holy", "jesus", "didst", "pontiff", "christ", "father", "year", "faith", "peace", "constantine", "rome", "earth", "world", "glory", "therefore", "peter", "emperor", "mother" ], "saints": [ "St. Barbara", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. SYLVESTER", "St. Sylvester" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias ix. 6", "Peter i.", "Peter iv. 7", "Peter v. 9", "Wisdom l." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "THE_CIRCUMCISION_OF_OUR_LORD_AND_OCTAVE_OF_CHRISTMAS_DAY", "title": "THE CIRCUMCISION OF OUR LORD AND OCTAVE OF CHRISTMAS DAY", "anchor": "the_circumcision_of_our_lord_and_octave_of_christmas_day", "text": "Our new-born King and Saviour is eight days old to-day; the Star that guides the Magi is advancing towards Bethlehem, and five days hence will be standing over the Stable where our Jesus is being nursed by his Mother. To-day the Son of Man is to be circumcised; this first sacrifice of his innocent Flesh must honour the eighth day of his mortal life. To-day also a Name is to be given him: the Name will be Jesus, and it means Saviour. So that mysteries abound on this day: let us not pass one of them over, but honour them with all possible devotion and love. But this day is not exclusively devoted to the Circumcision of Jesus. The mystery of this Circumcision forms part of that other great mystery, the Incarnation and Infancy of our Saviour—a mystery on which the Church fixes her heart not only during this Octave, but during the whole forty days of Christmastide. Then, as regards our Lord's receiving the Name of Jesus, a special Feast, which we shall soon be keeping, is set apart in honour of it. There is another object that shares the love and devotion of the Faithful on this great Solemnity. This object is Mary, the Mother of God. The Church celebrates to-day the august prerogative of this divine Maternity which was conferred on a mere creature, and made her the co-operatrix with Jesus in the great work of man's salvation. The holy Church of Rome used formerly to say two Masses on the first of January; one was for the Octave of Christmas Day, the other was in honour of Mary. She now unites the two intentions in one Sacrifice, in the same manner as, in the rest of this Day's Office, she unites together the acts of her adoration of the Son, and the expressions of her admiration for and confidence in the Mother. The Greek Church does not wait for this eighth day, in order to pay her tribute of homage to her who has given us our Emmanuel. She consecrates to Mary the first day after Christmas, that is December 26, and calls it the Synaxis of the Mother of God, making the two days one continued Feast. She is thus obliged to defer the Feast of St Stephen to December 27. But it is to-day that we, the children of the Roman Church, must pour forth all the love of our hearts for the Virgin-Mother, and rejoice with her in the exceeding happiness she feels at having given birth to her and our Lord. During Advent we contemplated her as pregnant with the world's salvation; we proclaimed the glory of that Ark of the New Covenant, whose chaste womb was the earthly paradise chosen by the King of Ages for his dwelling-place. Now she has brought him forth, the Infant-God; she adores him, him who is her Son. She has the right to call him her Child; and he, God as he is, calls her", "keywords": [ "jesus", "name", "lord", "mother", "nomen", "mary", "alleluia", "holy", "jesu", "saviour", "earth", "love", "heart", "church", "salvation", "praise", "deus", "domini", "ejus", "honour" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Bernardine of Siena", "St. Bonaventura", "St. Callixtus", "St. John of Capestrano", "St. Luke", "St. Mary", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Stephen", "St. Telesphorus", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Luke c.", "Luke i. 38", "Philippians ii.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms xlix. 15", "Titus c.", "Titus ii." ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "JANUARY_2", "title": "JANUARY 2", "anchor": "january_2", "text": "THE OCTAVE OF ST STEPHEN THE FIRST MARTYR Yesterday we finished the Octave of the Birth of Jesus; to-day we shall finish the Octave of St Stephen; but this without losing sight one moment of the Divine Babe, whose Court is formed by Stephen, John the Beloved Disciple, the Holy Innocents, and St Thomas of Canterbury. In five days we shall see the Magi prostrate before the Crib of the new-born King; they are already on the way, and the Star is advancing towards Bethlehem. Let us spend the interval in reconsidering how great is the glory of our Emmanuel in his having lavished such extraordinary favours on these Saints whom he has chosen to be near him at his first coming into the world. Let us begin with Stephen, for this is the last day of the Octave dedicated to him by the Church. We must take leave of him now till the month of August, when we shall again meet him on the Feast of the Finding of his Relics. In a sermon which was for a long time thought to have been written by St Augustine, we find it mentioned that St Stephen was in the flower of his youth when he was called by the Apostles to receive the sacred character of deaconship. Six others were ordained deacons with him; and these seven, whose office was to minister at the Altar here below, represented the seven Angels, whom St John saw standing near the Altar in heaven. Stephen was appointed as the head of the Seven, and St Irenæus, who lived in the second century, calls him the Arch-Deacon. The characteristic virtue of a Deacon is fidelity. Hence, he is intrusted with the care of the treasures of the Church, treasures which consist not merely in the alms destined for the poor, but in that which is the most precious thing in heaven and earth—the Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, of which the Deacon is the minister, in virtue of his Order. For this reason, the Apostle St Paul, in his first Epistle to Timothy, bids the Deacons hold the Mystery of Faith in a pure conscience.¹ It was, therefore, more than an appropriate coincidence, that the first of all the Martyrs was a Deacon, for Martyrdom is the great proof of fidelity, and fidelity is the official virtue of the Diaconate. This same truth is still more strongly impressed upon us by the fact that the three who stand pre-eminent amongst the Martyrs of Christ are vested in the holy Dalmatic—the three glorious Deacons: Stephen, the glory of Jerusalem; Laurence, the pride of Rome; and Vincent, of whom Spain so justly boasts. The present holy season gives us Stephen, who has been gladdening us with his festal presence ever since Christmas Day, and Vincent, whose Feast falls on January 22. Laurence will come to us, with his rich waving Palm, in the sunny month of August; and Stephen, in the same month, will visit", "keywords": [ "stephen", "jesus", "church", "lord", "christ", "feast", "didst", "blessed", "heaven", "holy", "death", "tibi", "primus", "deacon", "blood", "martyr", "beseech", "martyrs", "martyrdom", "quæsumus" ], "saints": [ "St. Asterius of Amasea", "St. Augustine", "St. Gall", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. Irenæus", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Paul", "St. STEPHEN", "St. Stephen", "St. Thomas of Canterbury", "St. Who" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy iii. 9", "Acts vii. 58" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "JANUARY_3", "title": "JANUARY 3", "anchor": "january_3", "text": "THE OCTAVE OF ST JOHN APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST The Octave of the Beloved Disciple closes to-day: let us devoutly offer him our parting homage. We shall meet him again, during the year; for, on May 6, when the Resurrection of his Divine Master is gladdening the Church with the Easter joys, we shall have the Feast of our Apostle's Confession made before the Latin Gate: but his grand Feast ends to-day, and he has done too much on our behalf this Christmas for us to allow this Octave Day to pass without returning him our warmest thanks. Let us begin by exciting ourselves to a great reverence for our Saint; and to this end, let us continue the considerations we were making one day week on the favours conferred upon him by Jesus. The Apostolate of St John produced a plentiful harvest among the people to whom he was sent. The Parthians received the Gospel from him, and most of the Churches of Asia Minor were founded by him. Of these latter, seven, together with their Angels, were chosen by Christ himself¹ to typify the several kinds of Pastors; and probably, as some have interpreted this passage of the Apocalypse, these Seven may be taken as representing the seven Ages of the Church herself. Neither must we forget that these Churches of Asia Minor, shortly after St John had founded them, sent Apostles into western Europe. Thus, for example, the illustrious Church of Lyons was one of the conquests made by these early Missioners; and St Pothinus, the first Bishop of Lyons, was a disciple of the disciple of St John—St Polycarp—the Angel of the Church of Smyrna, whose Feast we shall keep a few days hence. But St John's apostolic labours in no wise interfered with the care which his own filial affection and the injunctions of our Saviour imposed upon him—the care of the Blessed Mother and Virgin Mary. So long as Jesus judged her visible presence on the earth to be necessary for the consolidation of his Church, so long did John enjoy the immense happiness of her society, and of being permitted to treat her as his most beloved Mother. After a certain number of years, during which he had dwelt with her in the city of Ephesus, he returned with her to Jerusalem, whence she ascended to heaven from the desert of this world, as the Church sings of her, as a pillar of smoke of aromatic spices of myrrh and frankincense.² The holy Apostle had to bear this second separation, and continue preaching the Gospel until that happy day should come when he also should ascend to that blissful region where Jesus his Divine Friend, and Mary his incomparable Mother, were awaiting his arrival. The Apostles, those Lights placed by the hand of Jesus himself upon the candlestick³ of the Church, died out by martyrdom one after the other, leaving St John the sole survivor of the Twelve. His white hair, as the early", "keywords": [ "john", "church", "jesus", "apostle", "disciple", "holy", "lord", "feast", "poison", "christ", "virgin", "faith", "beloved", "churches", "breast", "divine", "gospel", "world", "tell", "seen" ], "saints": [ "St. JOHN", "St. John", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Matt", "St. Polycarp", "St. Pothinus", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse ii. 8", "Canticle of Canticles iii. 6", "John i.", "John i. 10", "John iv. 35", "Matthew v. 15", "Proverbs viii. 31" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "JANUARY_4", "title": "JANUARY 4", "anchor": "january_4", "text": "THE OCTAVE OF HOLY INNOCENTS We finish to-day the Octave consecrated to the memory of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem. Thanks be to God, who has given them to us to be our intercessors and our models! Their name will not reappear on the Church's Calendar until the return of the Christmas Solemnity; let us therefore devoutly approach these sweet Infant Saints—venerate them, love them, and address to them our farewell prayers. The Holy Church, which on the Feast vested in the colour of mourning, and this out of condolence with Rachel's grief, now on the Octave Day clothes herself in the red of her Martyrs, in order to honour these Babes who shed their Blood for Jesus. Notwithstanding, she is full of tender compassion for those poor Mothers, who suffered such agonies of grief at the sight of the murder of their little ones; she continually alludes to them in to-day's Liturgy, and reads in the Office of Matins a passage from an ancient Sermon which vividly describes their feelings. We cannot withhold it from our readers. The Sermon from which it is taken was for a long time attributed to St Augustine. 'When our Lord was born, there began lamentation, not indeed in heaven, but on earth! Lamentation for the Mothers, joy for the Angels, heaven for the Babes. He that is born is God: a victim must be offered him, and Innocents must be that offering, for he came to condemn the malice of this world. Tender lambs must be slain, for the Lamb who is come to take away the sins of the world is to be crucified. But the Mothers wail because they lose their lambs, that scarce have voice to make their bleatings heard. O wonderful martyrdom! O sight most cruel! The sword is unsheathed, and there is no enemy; jealousy alone spurs on the band, for he that is born would injure no man. 'There, then, sit the Mothers, weeping over their lambs. A voice in Rama is heard, lamentation and great mourning. These sweet pledges are not mere things intrusted to their care, they are the children of their own wombs; they are pledges, but they are not given, they are cruelly stolen from them. Nature herself is witness, it betrays the children of whom the tyrant is in search. The Mother tears her hair, for she has lost her beauty in losing her babe. Oh! how she sought to hide him, and the innocent one betrayed himself! He knew not how to be silent, for he had not yet learnt to fear. The Mother struggled with the executioner; he seized her child, resolved to murder him; she clung to him, resolved to hold him to her bosom. \"Why,\" she exclaimed, \"why separate me from my child? I gave him birth, and I fed him at my breast untiringly. I bore him in my arms with fondest care, and thy cruel hand has dashed him on the ground! This fresh and lovely", "keywords": [ "innocents", "jesus", "children", "church", "child", "sunt", "world", "holy", "bethlehem", "sweet", "babes", "mothers", "heaven", "life", "grace", "martyrs", "little", "lord", "souls", "sword" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Gall", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John xix. 22", "Luke ii. 52", "Matthew ii. 2" ] }, { "vol": 2, "section": "JANUARY_5", "title": "JANUARY 5", "anchor": "january_5", "text": "THE VIGIL OF THE EPIPHANY, WITH A COMMEMORATION OF SAINT TELESPHORUS POPE AND MARTYR The Feast of Christmas is over; the four Octaves are closed; and we are on the Eve of the Solemnity of our Lord's Epiphany. We must spend this January 5 in preparing ourselves for the Manifestation which Jesus, the Angel of Great Counsel, is about to make to us of his glory. A few more hours, and the Star will stand still in the heavens, and the Magi will be seeking for admission into the stable of Bethlehem. This Vigil is not like that of Christmas, a day of penance. The Child whose coming we were then awaiting, in the fervour of our humble desires, is now among us, preparing to bestow fresh favours upon us. This eve of to-morrow's Solemnity is a day of joy, like those that have preceded it; and therefore we do not fast, nor does the Church put on the vestments of mourning. If the Office of the Vigil be the one of to-day, the colour used is White. This is the Twelfth day since the Birth of our Emmanuel. If the Vigil of the Epiphany fall on a Sunday, it shares with Christmas Eve the privilege of not being anticipated, as all other Vigils are, on the Saturday: it is kept on the Sunday, has all the privileges of a Sunday, and the Mass is that of the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas Day. Let us, therefore, celebrate this Vigil in great joy of heart, and prepare our souls for to-morrow's graces. The Greek Church keeps this a fasting-day, in memory of the preparation for Baptism, which used formerly to be administered, especially in the East, on the night preceding the feast of the Epiphany. She still solemnly blesses the Water on this Feast. We will in our next volume speak of this ceremony, of which some vestiges still remain in the Western Church. The Church of Rome commemorates to-day the holy Pope and Martyr, St Telesphorus. This Pontiff began his reign in the year 127; and among his decrees, we find that he prescribed the holy sacrifice of the Mass to be offered up on Christmas Night, in order to honour the hour when our Saviour was born: he also ordered that the Angelic Hymn *Gloria in excelsis* should be said on most days at the beginning of Mass. This devotion of the holy Pope towards the great Mystery which we are now celebrating renders his commemoration at this season of the year doubly dear to us. Telesphorus suffered a glorious martyrdom, as St Irenæus expresses it, and was crowned with eternal glory in the year 138. MASS The Mass of the Vigil of the Epiphany is that of the Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, except the Com- memoration of St Telesphorus and the Gospel. INTROIT Dum medium silentium, p. 341. COLLECT Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, p. 342. Commemoration of St Telesphorus OREMUS LET US PRAY Deus qui", "keywords": [ "venite", "lord", "adoremus", "vigil", "commemoration", "adore", "epiphany", "telesphorus", "christmas", "blessed", "martyr", "glory", "child", "church", "born", "sunday", "mass", "deus", "virgin", "feast" ], "saints": [ "St. Irenæus", "St. TELESPHORUS", "St. Telesphorus" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Isaias ix. 6", "Matthew c." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "THE_PURIFICATION_OF_THE_BLESSED_VIRGIN_CONTD", "title": "THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN, cont'd", "anchor": "the_purification_of_the_blessed_virgin_contd", "text": "Mass .......................................................................................... 482 Second Vespers ......................................................................... 487 SEPTUAGESIMA SUNDAY ........................................................... 506 Mass .......................................................................................... 506 Vespers ..................................................................................... 510 SEXAGESIMA SUNDAY ............................................................... 511 Mass .......................................................................................... 511 Vespers ..................................................................................... 516 QUINQUAGESIMA SUNDAY ........................................................ 517 Mass .......................................................................................... 517 Vespers ..................................................................................... 521 CONCLUDING PRAYER ............................................................... 522", "keywords": [ "mass", "vespers", "sunday", "prayer" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "THE HISTORY OF CHRISTMAS We apply the name of Christmas to the forty days which begin with the Nativity of our Lord, December 25, and end with the Purification of the Blessed Virgin, February 2. It is a period which forms a distinct portion of the Liturgical Year, as distinct, by its own special spirit, from every other, as are Advent, Lent, Easter, or Pentecost. One same Mystery is celebrated and kept in view during the whole forty days. Neither the Feasts of the Saints, which so abound during this Season; nor the time of Septuagesima, with its mournful Purple, which often begins before Christmastide is over, seem able to distract our Holy Mother the Church from the immense joy of which she received the good tidings from the Angels¹ on that glorious Night for which the world had been longing four thousand years. The Faithful will remember that the Liturgy commemorates this long expectation by the four penitential weeks of Advent. The custom of celebrating the Solemnity of our Saviour's Nativity by a feast or commemoration of forty days' duration is founded on the holy Gospel itself; for it tells us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, after spending forty days in the contemplation of the Divine Fruit of her glorious Maternity, went to the Temple, there to fulfil, in most perfect humility, the ceremonies which the Law demanded of the daughters of Israel, when they became mothers. The Feast of Mary's Purification is, therefore, part of that of Jesus' Birth; and the custom of keeping this holy and glorious period of forty days as one continued Festival has every appearance of being a very ancient one, at least in the Roman Church. And firstly, with regard to our Saviour's Birth on December 25, we have St John Chrysostom telling us, in his Homily for this Feast, that the Western Churches had, from the very commencement of Christianity, kept it on this day. He is not satisfied with merely mentioning the tradition; he undertakes to show that it is well founded, inasmuch as the Church of Rome had every means of knowing the true day of our Saviour's Birth, since the acts of the Enrolment, taken in Judea by command of Augustus, were kept in the public archives of Rome. The holy Doctor adduces a second argument, which he founds upon the Gospel of St Luke, and he reasons thus: we know from the sacred Scriptures that it must have been in the fast of the seventh month² that the Priest Zachary had the vision in the Temple; after which Elizabeth, his wife, conceived St John the Baptist: hence it follows that the Blessed Virgin Mary having, as the Evangelist St Luke relates, received the Angel Gabriel's visit, and conceived the Saviour of the world in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, that is to say, in March, the Birth of Jesus must have taken place in the month of December. But it was not till the fourth century that", "keywords": [ "church", "days", "christmas", "holy", "season", "mother", "forty", "liturgy", "saviour", "feast", "mary", "birth", "purification", "kept", "during", "month", "nativity", "december", "virgin", "period" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "John c.", "Leviticus xxiii. 24", "Luke ii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF CHRISTMAS Everything is Mystery in this holy season. The Word of God, whose generation is before the day-star,¹ is born in time—a Child is God—a Virgin becomes a Mother, and remains a Virgin—things divine are commingled with those that are human—and the sublime, the ineffable antithesis, expressed by the Beloved Disciple in those words of his Gospel, THE WORD WAS MADE FLESH, is repeated in a thousand different ways in all the prayers of the Church;—and rightly, for it admirably embodies the whole of the great portent which unites in one Person the nature of Man and the nature of God. The splendour of this Mystery dazzles the understanding, but it inundates the heart with joy. It is the consummation of the designs of God in time. It is the endless subject of admiration and wonder to the Angels and Saints; nay, is the source and cause of their beatitude. Let us see how the Church offers this Mystery to her children, veiled in her Liturgy. The four weeks of our preparation are over; they were the image of the four thousand years which preceded the great coming—and we have reached the twenty-fifth day of the month of December, the desired place of sweetest rest. But why is it that the celebration of our Saviour's Birth should be the privilege of this one fixed day; whilst the Easter Cycle has, every year, to be changed in order to yield that ever-varying day for the feast of his Resurrection—Easter? The question is a very natural one, and we find it proposed and answered, even so far back as the fourth century; and that, too, by St Augustine, in his celebrated Epistle to Januarius. The holy Doctor offers this explanation: We solemnize the day of our Saviour's Birth, in order that we may honour that Birth, which was for our salvation; but the precise day of the week, on which he was born, is void of any mystical signification. Sunday, on the contrary, the day of our Lord's Resurrection, is the day marked, in the Creator's designs, to express a mystery which was to be commemorated for all ages. St Isidore of Seville, and the ancient Interpreter of Sacred Rites who, for a long time, was supposed to be the learned Alcuin, have also adopted this explanation of the Bishop of Hippo; and our readers may see their words interpreted by Durandus, in his Rationale. These writers, then, observe that as, according to a sacred tradition, the creation of man took place on a Friday, and our Saviour suffered death also on a Friday for the redemption of man; that as, moreover, the Resurrection of our Lord was on the third day after his death, that is, on a Sunday, which is the day on which the Light was created, as we learn from the Book of Genesis—'the two Solemnities of Jesus' Passion and Resurrection,' says St Augustine, 'do not only remind us of those divine facts; but they", "keywords": [ "mystery", "holy", "birth", "world", "jesus", "church", "light", "divine", "christmas", "season", "feast", "john", "saviour", "born", "twenty", "place", "winter", "mother", "four", "days" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. Isidore of Seville", "St. John", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Maximus of Turin", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Stephen", "St. Thomas of Canterbury" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles ii. 1", "John c.", "John iii. 1", "John iii. 30", "John vi. 41", "John viii. 12", "Luke ii. 40", "Matthew ii. 5", "Micheas v. 2", "Psalms cix. 3" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING CHRISTMAS The time has now come for the faithful soul to reap the fruit of the efforts she made during the penitential weeks of Advent to prepare a dwelling-place for the Son of God, who desires to be born within her. The Nuptials of the Lamb are come, and his Spouse hath prepared herself.³ Now the Spouse is the Church; the Spouse is also every faithful soul. Our Lord gives his whole self to the whole flock, and to each sheep of the flock with as much love as though he loved but that one. What garments shall we put on, to go and meet the Bridegroom? Where shall we find the pearls and jewels wherewith to deck our soul for this happy meeting? Our holy Mother the Church will tell us all this in her Liturgy. Our best plan for spending Christmas is, undoubtedly, to keep close to her, and do what she does; for she is most dear to God, and being our Mother, we ought to obey all her injunctions. But, before we speak of the mystic Coming of the Incarnate Word into our souls; before we tell the secrets of that sublime familiarity between the Creator and the Creature; let us, first, learn from the Church the duties which human nature and each of our souls owes to the Divine Infant, whom the Heavens have at length given to us as the refreshing Dew we asked them to rain down upon our earth. During Advent, we united with the Saints of the Old Law, in praying for the coming of the Messias, our Redeemer; now that he is come, let us consider what is the homage we must pay him. The Church offers to the Infant-God, during this holy season, the tribute of her profound adoration, the enthusiasm of her exceeding joy, the return of her unbounded gratitude, and the fondness of her intense love. These four offerings, adoration, joy, gratitude, and love, must be also those of every Christian to his Jesus, his Emmanuel, the Babe of Bethlehem. The prayers of the Liturgy will express all four sentiments in a way that no other Devotions could do. But, the better to apply to ourselves these admirable formulas of the Church, let us understand thoroughly the nature of each of these four sentiments. The first of our duties at our Saviour's Crib is Adoration. Adoration is Religion's first act; but there is something in the Mystery of our Lord's Birth which seems to make this duty doubly necessary. In heaven the Angels veil their faces, and prostrate themselves before the throne of Jehovah; the Four-and-Twenty Elders are for ever casting their crowns before the throne of the Lamb;⁴ what, then, shall we do—we who are sinners, and unworthy members of the Tribe of the Redeemer—now that this same great God shows himself to us, humbled for our sakes, and stript of all his glory? now that the duties of the creature to his Creator", "keywords": [ "soul", "church", "jesus", "love", "birth", "divine", "born", "holy", "father", "christmas", "mother", "bethlehem", "life", "lord", "mystery", "advent", "word", "world", "during", "coming" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Bonaventure", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse iv. 10", "Apocalypse xiii. 8", "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Canticle of Canticles i. 15", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 1", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias liii. 3", "Isaias liii. 7", "Isaias xl. 3", "Isaias xxv. 9", "John i. 12", "John i. 14", "John iii. 1", "John iii. 16", "John xiv. 2", "Luke ii. 15", "Luke ii. 16", "Luke x. 23", "Luke xi. 28", "Matthew ii. 9", "Matthew iii. 17", "Matthew iii. 3", "Matthew xii. 50", "Proverbs iv. 18", "Proverbs xv. 15", "Psalms cix. 3", "Psalms lxxv. 12", "Psalms xxxiii. 6", "Romans viii. 29", "Romans viii. 32", "Titus iii. 4" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR CHRISTMAS During Christmas, the Christian, on waking in the morning, should unite himself with the Church, who in her Office of Matins for Christmas Day thus invites the faithful to come and adore the Messias: Christus natus est nobis; venite, adoremus! Christ is born unto us; come, let us adore him! He should profoundly adore this dear King, who has rendered himself so accessible to his creatures; and in this disposition of loving reverence, he should perform the first acts of religion, both interior and exterior, wherewith he begins the day. The time for Morning Prayer being come, he may use the following method, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church: MORNING PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy Trinity: ℣. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu: ℟. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. ℣. Gloria Patri et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto; ℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. ℣. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ℟. Let us praise him and extol him above all for ever. ℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ℟. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: ℣. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. ℟. Quia per Crucem tuam redemisti mundum. ℣. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. ℟. Because by thy Cross thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, you will recite the Lord's Prayer, asking of God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant that his holy Name may be glorified on earth, now that he has blessed it by sending it his Son, over whose Crib the Angels sang: Glory be to God in the highest! This divine Messias is come to establish the Kingdom of God on earth: he is come to do the will of his Father, and to teach us to do it here on earth as it is done in heaven. Let us reverently share in these divine intentions. Let us also ask with all instance that we may be granted to partake of that heavenly Bread which is now born to us in Bethlehem. THE LORD'S PRAYER Pater noster, qui es in cælis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: et ne nos inducas in tentationem: sed libera nos a malo. Amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name: thy", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "holy", "domine", "christ", "virgin", "deus", "nobis", "blessed", "mother", "church", "jesus", "pray", "mercy", "father", "heaven", "mater", "sins", "ever", "prayers" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke ii. 19" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING THE SEASON OF CHRISTMAS Such is the number and importance of the feasts kept during this holy season, that even those of the faithful who have not the habit of hearing Mass daily at other times look upon it as a sort of duty to do so now: and rightly; for the Lamb, who is offered up in this Divine Sacrifice, is he whom they have been asking of the Eternal Father with so much earnestness during Advent, in those words of the Prophet Isaias: Send forth, O Lord, the Lamb, the Ruler of the Earth!¹ This tender Lamb is come; the child is born unto us;² and even now is on the Altar of his Sacrifice. St Paul tells us that this Jesus, on his first entrance into the world, said to his Father: Sacrifice and oblation thou willest not; but a Body thou hast fitted unto me. Then said I; behold I come: to do thy will, O God.³ It is true that the Sacrifice of the Cross, of which that of the Mass is the continuation, was the Sacrifice of Christ at the end of his three-and-thirty years; still, during these days of Christmas, when we have so much to learn from the mystery of the Sacred Infancy, we shall be in strict accordance with the spirit of the Church if, whilst assisting at Mass, we keep before our minds not only the bleeding Victim of Calvary, but likewise the sweet Lamb of Bethlehem. Moreover, does not our Jesus offer himself for us to his Father from his Crib as well as from his Cross? Thus, we read in the Acts of the Saints, that as often as this our Redeemer wished to requite the faith and love of his servants by manifesting to them his real Presence in the sacred Host, he appeared to them in the form of a lovely Babe. ¹ Isa. xvi. 1. ² Ibid. ix. 6. ³ Heb. x. 5. The liturgical iconography of the Greeks represents the mystery of the Eucharist under the symbol of a Babe reposing on a Paten. So, too, in many of our Latin Missals, up to the end of the sixteenth century, we find an illumination or engraving, as the case may be, representing a Priest vested in a Chasuble, standing at the Altar, and holding in his hands the Body of our Saviour under the form of a Child. Let the faithful, therefore, enter the House of God in the dispositions wherewith the Shepherds and the Magi were animated, when they went to Bethlehem, the House of Bread. They too must come with haste;¹ from the midnight of this world to that Light which shineth in darkness.² They must come to the Altar as to the Crib of Jesus, and in the joy of this Mystery, they must offer their whole heart to the New-Born Babe. Then, uniting themselves with Mary and the Church, they must offer the Lamb of God", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "holy", "amen", "jesus", "altar", "father", "domine", "divine", "deus", "church", "world", "mercy", "sacrifice", "christ", "glory", "mass", "nobis", "ever", "prayer" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Pet", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Corinthians xv. 53", "1 Kings iii. 10", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Hebrews i. 1", "Hebrews x. 5", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias xvi. 1", "John c.", "John i. 5", "Luke ii. 10", "Luke ii. 16", "Matthew i. 23", "Peter i. 4", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING CHRISTMAS During Advent, Holy Communion prepared the soul for the visible Coming of her heavenly Spouse. He graciously granted her that sublime favour, as a foretaste of that happy Night in which he would show himself to her as the Divine Babe, whose ineffable loveliness would ravish Angels, Shepherds, and Kings. She enjoyed something of that exquisite delight which Mary felt, when she had within her chaste womb the God who was her Child, though as yet concealed from her sight. But now that Christmas is come; now that a little Child is born unto us, cradled in the House of Bread, which is Bethlehem; now that the Angels have invited the Shepherds, and the Star the Magi, to come and see Him and adore Him; the Holy Communion must take us on further in the knowledge of our Incarnate Word, illumine us with brighter Light, and produce within us a more ardent longing to possess this Jesus, whose love and loveliness gleam so magnificently through the humility of these swathing-bands and manger. It is no longer the invisible Jesus, preparing, by silence and stillness, for the laborious mission of his conquest of souls: it is the Deliverer of mankind who has begun *to run the way*,¹ it is the Sun of Justice darting his first rays on our earth; it is our God, asking us to give him, a weak Babe, room in our hearts; it is our Creator, who *loveth souls*,² striving to win our love. Then let us go to him, that we may know him; let us know him, that we may love him; let us love him, that we may grow like him. What he demands of us by this Christmas mystery is that we become, like him, little children, for there is now no other means of our possessing him, no other way of going to the Father. Therefore come to him, ye faithful ones, and *be enlightened*.³ We have ventured to draw up these Acts, thinking that they might assist you in your preparation for the visit you are going to make to the Babe of Bethlehem. May you derive profit from them, and pray for him who gives you them. BEFORE COMMUNION ACT OF FAITH Thou art about to descend into my breast, O eternal God! and yet there is nothing to betoken the approach of thy sovereign Majesty! As on the sacred night of thy birth, thy entrance into Bethlehem was in humility and in silence; so also now, there is nothing to tell men that thou art about to visit me. A Little Child, veiled under the appearance of an humble host, is coming to me, and in a few moments I shall hold within me him who created all things, the Judge of the living and the dead! Oh! how I love to bow down my reason before this wonderful Mystery! How I love, too, to contemplate these incomprehensible abasements of my God, to which", "keywords": [ "love", "bethlehem", "heart", "crib", "jesus", "holy", "divine", "angels", "shepherds", "mary", "infant", "within", "lord", "thine", "life", "babe", "adore", "humility", "earth", "become" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis xlix. 26", "Hebrews i. 6", "John vi. 57", "Luke ii. 11", "Luke ii. 16", "Matthew v. 8", "Numbers xxiv. 17", "Philippians ii. 7", "Psalms lxv. 16", "Psalms lxxi.", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Psalms xxxiii. 6", "Wisdom xi. 27" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING CHRISTMAS The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, during the whole year, consists firstly of five Psalms and Antiphons, which vary more or less every day. As the main object of our book is the convenience of the Faithful, we only give the Vespers of the Sundays and the principal Feasts. With regard to the Sundays, therefore, during Christmas, which are neither Feasts, nor within the Octave of a Feast, we give them here in full, reserving only that which is peculiar to each for the Proper. If it be a Feast, the Office must be sought for on its own day. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: ℣. Deus in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ANT. The Lord said. The first Psalm is a prophecy of the glory of the Messias. This Child, who is now born to us in humility and poverty, is to be seated on the right hand of the eternal Father. Now that we are celebrating his temporal Birth, it is most just that we should often sing the Psalm which speaks of his eternal Generation as God, and of the future glory which awaits him as Man. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: * propterea exaltabit caput. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. ANT. Dixit Dominus Domino meo, sede a dextris meis. ANT. Magna opera Domini. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. O 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "blessed", "dominus", "psalm", "israel", "domino", "vespers", "domini", "father", "praise", "name", "deus", "sicut", "amen", "glory", "works", "seculum", "sunday" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians i.", "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Luke i.", "Luke i. 35", "Psalms c.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING CHRISTMAS This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The Lector, addressing the Priest, says to him: ℣. Jube, domne, benedicere. ℣. Pray, Father, give thy blessing. The Priest answers: Noctem quietam et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. ℟. Amen. May the Almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. The Lector then reads these words from the first Epistle of St Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch: for your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour: resist him, being strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The Choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. ℟. Thanks be to God. Then the Priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The Choir: ℟. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam æternam. May Almighty God be merciful to thee, and forgiving thy sins, bring thee to everlasting life. The Priest having answered Amen, the Choir repeats the Confiteor, thus: Confiteor Deo Omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistæ, sanctis 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 Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes sanctos, et te, Pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. I confess to Almighty God, to Blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to thee, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, 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 Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, and thee, Father, to pray to our Lord God for me. The Priest then says: Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam æternam. ℟. Amen. May Almighty God be merciful to you, and, forgiving your sins, bring you to everlasting life. ℟. Amen. Indulgentiam,", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "domine", "holy", "deus", "tuum", "spiritu", "night", "nobis", "dominus", "blessed", "gloria", "tibi", "psalm", "quoniam", "priest", "father", "omnipotens", "almighty", "nostrum" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Jeremias xiv.", "Luke ii.", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "THE_EPIPHANY_OF_OUR_LORD", "title": "THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD", "anchor": "the_epiphany_of_our_lord", "text": "The Feast of the Epiphany is the continuation of the mystery of Christmas; but it appears on the Calendar of the Church with its own special character. Its very name, which signifies Manifestation, implies that it celebrates the apparition of God to his creatures. For several centuries the Nativity of our Lord was kept on this day; and when, in the year 376, the decree of the Holy See obliged all Churches to keep the Nativity on the 25th December, as Rome did, the Sixth of January was not robbed of all its ancient glory. It was still to be called the Epiphany, and the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ was also commemorated on this same Feast, which Tradition had marked as the day on which that Baptism took place. The Greek Church gives this Feast the venerable and mysterious name of Theophania, which is of such frequent recurrence in the early Fathers, as signifying a divine Apparition. We find this name applied to this Feast by Eusebius, St Gregory Nazianzen, and St Isidore of Pelusium. In the liturgical books of the Melchite Church the Feast goes under no other name. The Orientals call this solemnity also the Holy Lights, on account of its being the day on which Baptism was administered; for, as we have just mentioned, our Lord was baptized on this same day. Baptism is called by the holy Fathers Illumination, and they who received it Illuminated. Lastly, this Feast is called, in many countries, King's Feast: it is of course an allusion to the Magi, whose journey to Bethlehem is so continually mentioned in to-day's Office. The Epiphany shares with the Feasts of Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost the honour of being called, in the Canon of the Mass, a Day most holy. It is also one of the cardinal Feasts, that is, one of those on which the arrangement of the Christian Year is based; for, as we have Sundays after Easter, and Sundays after Pentecost, so also we count six Sundays after the Epiphany. The Epiphany is indeed a great Feast, and the joy caused us by the Birth of our Jesus must be renewed on it, for as though it were a second Christmas Day, it shows us our Incarnate God in a new light. It leaves us all the sweetness of the dear Babe of Bethlehem, who hath appeared to us already in love; but to this it adds its own grand manifestation of the divinity of our Jesus. At Christmas it was a few Shepherds that were invited by the Angels to go and recognize THE WORD MADE FLESH; but now, at the Epiphany, the voice of God himself calls the whole world to adore this Jesus, and hear him. The mystery of the Epiphany brings upon us three magnificent rays of the Sun of Justice, our Saviour. In the calendar of pagan Rome, this Sixth day of January was devoted to the celebration of a triple triumph of Augustus,", "keywords": [ "feast", "church", "epiphany", "king", "magi", "three", "lord", "holy", "jesus", "mystery", "kings", "alleluia", "baptism", "divine", "bethlehem", "light", "christmas", "sixth", "january", "christian" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Basil", "St. Gregory", "St. Hilary of Arles", "St. Isidore of Pelusium", "St. Isidore of Seville", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Maximus of Turin", "St. Paulinus of Nola", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias lx.", "John vi. 4", "Kings i.", "Peter c.", "Psalms lxxi. 9", "Psalms xviii. 6" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_6", "title": "JANUARY 6", "anchor": "january_6", "text": "The day of the Magi, the day of the Baptism, the day of the Marriage Feast, has come: our divine Sun of Justice reflects upon the world these three bright rays of his glory. Material darkness is less than it was; Night is losing her power; Light is progressing day by day. Our sweet Infant Jesus, who is still lying in his humble crib, is each day gaining strength. Mary showed him to the shepherds, and now she is going to present him to the Magi. The gifts we intend to offer him should be prepared; let us, like the three Wise Men, follow the star, and go to Bethlehem, the House of the Bread of Life. MASS At Rome, the Station is at St Peter's on the Vatican, near the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, to whom, in Christ, all nations have been given as an inheritance. The Church proclaims, in the opening chant of the Mass, the arrival of the great King, for whom the whole earth was in expectation, and at whose Birth the Magi are come to Jerusalem, there to consult the prophecies. INTROIT Ecce advenit Dominator Dominus: et regnum in manu ejus, et potestas et imperium. Behold the Lord the Ruler is come: and dominion, and power and empire, are in his hand. Ps. Deus, judicium tuum Regi da: et justitiam tuam Filio Regis. Gloria Patri. Ps. Give to the King thy judgement, O God, and to the King's Son thy justice. Glory. Ecce advenit. Behold. After the Angelic Hymn, Gloria in excelsis, the holy Church, all in gladness at the bright Star which led the Gentiles to the crib of the Divine King, prays, in the Collect, that she may be permitted to see that living Light for which faith prepares us, and which will enlighten us for all eternity. COLLECT Deus, qui hodierna die Unigenitum tuum Gentibus, stella duce, revelasti: concede propitius, ut qui jam te ex fide cognovimus, usque ad contemplandam speciem tuæ celsitudinis perducamur. Per eumdem. O God, who by the direction of a star didst this day manifest thy only Son to the Gentiles: mercifully grant that we, who now know thee by faith, may come at length to see the glory of thy Majesty. Through the same, etc. EPISTLE Lectio Isaiæ Prophetæ. Cap. LX. Lesson from the Prophet Isaias. Ch. LX. Surge, illuminare, Jerusalem: quia venit lumen tuum, et gloria Domini super te orta est. Quia ecce tenebræ operient terram, et caligo populos; super te autem orietur Dominus, et gloria ejus in te videbitur. Et ambulabunt Gentes in lumine tuo, et Reges in splendore ortus tui. Leva in circuitu oculos tuos, et vide: omnes isti congregati sunt, venerunt tibi: filii tui de longe venient, et filiæ tuæ de latere surgent. Tunc videbis et afflues, et mirabitur et dilatabitur cor tuum, quando conversa fuerit ad te multitudo maris, fortitudo Gentium venerit tibi. Inundatio camelorum operiet te, dromedarii Madian et Epha: omnes de Saba venient, aurum et thus deferentes,", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "holy", "alleluia", "christ", "king", "star", "feast", "magi", "church", "glory", "father", "light", "mother", "bethlehem", "jerusalem", "earth", "didst", "life", "deus" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Gall", "St. Gelasius", "St. Matt", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians ix. 15", "Aggeus ii. 8", "Colossians c.", "Colossians i. 12", "Colossians iii. 11", "Genesis xxii. 17", "Isaias c.", "John i.", "Kings i.", "Luke c.", "Luke ii.", "Matthew c.", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Psalms i.", "Psalms ii. 6", "Psalms xviii. 5", "Psalms xxiii.", "Romans c." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_7", "title": "JANUARY 7", "anchor": "january_7", "text": "THE SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY A SOLEMNITY of such importance as the Epiphany could not be without an Octave. The only Octaves during the year that are superior to this of the Epiphany, are those of Easter and Pentecost. It has a privilege which the Octave of Christmas has not; for no Feast can be kept during the Octave of the Epiphany, unless it be that of a principal Patron; whereas Feasts of double and semi-double rite are admitted during the Christmas Octave. It would even seem, judging from the ancient Sacramentaries, that anciently the two days immediately following the Epiphany were Days of Obligation, as were the Monday and Tuesday of Easter and Whitsuntide. The names of the Stational Churches are given, where the Clergy and Faithful of Rome assembled on these two days. In order that we may the more fully enter into the spirit of the Church during this glorious Octave, we will contemplate, each day, the Mystery of the Vocation of the Magi, and we will enter, together with them, into the holy Cave of Bethlehem, there to offer our gifts to the Divine Infant, to whom the star has led the Wise Men. These Magi are the harbingers of the conversion of all nations to the Lord their God; they are the Fathers of the Gentiles in the faith of the Redeemer that is come; they are the Patriarchs of the human race regenerated. They arrive at Bethlehem, according to the tradition of the Church, three in number; and this tradition is handed down by St Leo, by St Maximus of Turin, by St Cæsarius of Arles, and by the Christian paintings in the Catacombs of Rome, which paintings belong to the period of the Persecutions. Thus is continued in the Magi the Mystery prefigured by the three just men at the very commencement of the world: Abel, who, by his death, was the figure of Christ; Seth, who was the father of the children of God, as distinct from the family of Cain; and Enos, who had the honour of regulating the ceremonies and solemnity to be observed in man's worship of his Creator. The Magi also continued, in their own person, that other Mystery of the three new parents of the human family, after the Deluge, and from whom all races have sprung: Sem, Cham, and Japheth, the Sons of Noe. And, thirdly, we behold in the Magi that third Mystery of the three fathers of God's chosen people: Abraham, the Father of believers; Isaac, another figure of Christ immolated; and Jacob, who was strong against God, and was the father of the twelve Patriarchs of Israel. All these were but the receivers of the Promise, although the hope of mankind, both according to nature and grace, rested on them; they, as the Apostle says of them, saluted the accomplishment of that Promise afar off.¹ The nations did not follow them, by serving the true God; nay, the greater", "keywords": [ "magi", "light", "star", "lord", "three", "lamb", "epiphany", "didst", "virgin", "octave", "divine", "human", "world", "ever", "deus", "during", "following", "mystery", "holy", "bethlehem" ], "saints": [ "St. Cæsarius of Arles", "St. Ephrem", "St. Joseph the Hymnographer", "St. Leo", "St. Maximus of Turin" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis xxxii. 28", "Hebrews xi. 13" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_8", "title": "JANUARY 8", "anchor": "january_8", "text": "THE THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY The great Mystery of the Alliance of the Son of God with the universal Church, which is represented in the Epiphany by the Magi, was looked forward to by the world in every age previous to the coming of our Emmanuel. The Patriarchs and Prophets had propagated the tradition; and the Gentile world gave frequent proofs that the tradition prevailed even with them. When Adam in Eden first beheld her whom God had formed from one of his ribs, and whom he called Eve, because she was the Mother of all the living,¹ he exclaimed: 'This is the bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. Man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall be two in one flesh.'² In uttering these words, the soul of our first Parent was enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and, as we are told by the most profound interpreters of the Sacred Scriptures (such as Tertullian, St Augustine, St Jerome, etc.), he foretold the alliance of the Son of God with his Church, which issued from his Side, when opened by the spear, on the Cross; for the love of which Spouse he left the right hand of his Father, and the heavenly Jerusalem, his mother, that he might dwell with us in this our earthly abode. The second father of the human race, Noe, after he had seen the Rainbow in the heavens, announcing that now God's anger was appeased, prophesied to his three Sons their own respective future, and in theirs, that of the world. Cham had drawn upon himself his father's curse; Sem seemed to be the favoured son, for from his race there should come the Saviour of the world; but, the Patriarch immediately adds: 'May God enlarge Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Sem.' In the course of time, the ancient alliance that had been made between God and the people of Israel was broken; the Semitic race fluctuated in its religion, and finally fell into infidelity; and at length God adopts the family of Japheth, that is, the Gentiles of the West, as his own people; for ages, they had been without God, and now the very Seat of religion is established in their midst, and they are put at the head of the whole human race. Later on it is the great God himself that speaks to Abraham, promising him that he shall be the father of a countless family. 'I will bless thee,' says the Lord, 'and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven.' As the Apostle tells us, more numerous was to be the family of Abraham according to the faith than that which should be born to him of Sara. All they that have received the faith of a Mediator to come, and all they that, being warned by the Star, have come to Jesus as their God—all are the children", "keywords": [ "gentiles", "king", "mother", "kingdom", "world", "people", "earth", "heaven", "star", "ever", "magi", "father", "spouse", "race", "hail", "church", "jesus", "alliance", "israel", "child" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Ephrem", "St. Jerome", "St. Leo" ], "scripture": [ "Aggeus ii. 7", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 8", "Daniel vii. 27", "Ezechiel xxxvii. 22", "Genesis iii. 20", "Genesis ix. 27", "Genesis xlix. 10", "Isaias i.", "Numbers xxiv. 17", "Osee ii. 16", "Psalms lxxi.", "Sophonias iii. 8", "Tobias xiii." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_9", "title": "JANUARY 9", "anchor": "january_9", "text": "THE FOURTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY The star foretold by Balaam having risen in the East, the three Magi, whose hearts were full of the expectation of the promised Redeemer, are immediately inflamed with the desire of going in search of him. The announcement of the glad coming of the King of the Jews is made to these holy Kings in a mysterious and silent manner; and hereby it differs from that made to the Shepherds of Bethlehem, who were invited to Jesus's Crib by the voice of an Angel. But the mute language of the star was explained to them by God himself, for he revealed his Son to them; and this made their Vocation superior in dignity to that of the Jewish Shepherds, who, according to the dispensation of the Old Law, could know nothing save by the ministry of Angels. The divine grace which spoke, directly and by itself, to the souls of the Magi, met with a faithful and unhesitating correspondence. St Luke says of the Shepherds, that they came with haste to Bethlehem;¹ and the Magi show their simple and fervent eagerness by the words they addressed to Herod: We have seen his star in the East, they say, and we are come to adore him.² When Abraham received the command from God to go out of the land of Chaldea, which was the land of his fathers and kindred, and go into a strange country, he obeyed with such faithful promptitude as to merit being made the Father of all them that believe;³ so, likewise, the Magi, by reason of their equally docile and admirable faith, have been judged worthy to be called the Fathers of the Gentile Church. ¹ St Luke ii 16. ² St Matt. ii 2. ³ Rom. iv 11. They too, or at least one or more of them, went out from Chaldea, if we are to believe St Justin and Tertullian. Several of the Fathers, among whom are the two just mentioned, assert that one, if not two, of these holy Kings was from Arabia. A popular tradition, now for centuries admitted into Christian Art, tells us that one of the three was from Ethiopia; and certainly, as regards this last opinion, we have David and other Prophets telling us that the coloured inhabitants of the banks of the Nile were to be objects of God's special mercy. The term Magi implies that they gave themselves to the study of the heavenly bodies, and that, too, for the special intention of finding that glorious star whose rising had been prophesied. They were of the number of those Gentiles who, like the centurion Cornelius, feared God, had not been defiled by the worship of idols, and maintained, in spite of all the ignorance which surrounded them, the sacred traditions of the religion that was practised by Abraham and the Patriarchs. The Gospel does not say that they were Kings, but the Church applies to them those verses", "keywords": [ "star", "king", "magi", "jesus", "love", "kings", "light", "quod", "divine", "church", "didst", "earth", "lord", "virgin", "having", "father", "birth", "darkness", "praise", "quam" ], "saints": [ "St. Ephrem", "St. Hilary of Poitiers", "St. Jerome", "St. Joseph the Hymnographer", "St. Justin", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xxii. 16", "Kings i.", "Luke ii. 16", "Matthew ii. 2", "Romans iv. 11" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_10", "title": "JANUARY 10", "anchor": "january_10", "text": "THE FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY The Magi have reached Bethlehem; the humble dwelling of the King of the Jews has been thrown open to them; there, says St Matthew, they found the Child with Mary his Mother.¹ Falling down, they adore the divine King they have so fervently sought after, and for whom the whole earth has been longing. Here we have the commencement of the Christian Church. In this humble stable we have the Son of God made Man, presiding as Head over his mystical body; Mary is present, as the co-operatrix in the world's salvation, and as the Mother of divine Grace; Juda is represented by this holy Queen and her Spouse St Joseph; the Gentiles are adoring, in the person of the Magi, whose faith is perfect now that they have seen the Child. It is not a Prophet that they are honouring, nor is it to an earthly King that they open their treasures; he before whom they prostrate in adoration is their God. 'See, I pray you,' says St Bernard, 'and attentively consider how keen is the eye of faith. It is the Son of God whether feeding at his Mother's breasts, or hanging on the Cross, or dying in the midst of suffering; for the Good Thief recognizes him on the Cross, and the Magi recognize him in the stable; he in spite of the nails which fasten him, and they in spite of the clouts which swathe him.'² So that all is consummated, Bethlehem is not merely the birthplace of our Redeemer; it is the cradle of the Church. Well did the Prophet say of it: And thou, Bethlehem, art not the least among the princes of Juda!¹ We can understand St Jerome leaving all the ambitions and comforts of Rome to go and bury himself in the seclusion of this cave, where all these mysteries were accomplished. Who would not gladly live and die in this privileged place, sanctified as it is by the presence of our Jesus, embalmed with the fragrance of the Queen of Heaven, filled with the lingering echoes of the songs of Angels, and fresh, even yet, with the memory of those ancestors of our faith, the holy Magi! These happy kings are not scandalized at the sight they behold on entering the humble dwelling. They are not disappointed at finding at the end of their long journey a weak Babe, a poor Mother, and a wretched stable. On the contrary, they rightly understand the mystery. Once believing in the promise that the Infinite God would visit his creature Man, and show him how he loved him, they are not surprised at seeing him humble himself, and take upon himself all our miseries that he might be like us in all save sin. Their own hearts told them that the wound inflicted on man by pride was too deep to be healed by anything short of an extreme remedy; so that to them these", "keywords": [ "king", "mother", "church", "magi", "child", "light", "bethlehem", "virgin", "world", "poor", "birth", "regem", "mary", "adore", "sweet", "whole", "holy", "treasures", "heaven", "kings" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Bernard", "St. Ephrem", "St. Jerome", "St. Joseph", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xxii. 16", "Matthew ii. 11", "Matthew ii. 6", "Micheas v. 2" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_11", "title": "JANUARY 11", "anchor": "january_11", "text": "THE SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY The Magi were not satisfied with paying their adorations to the great King whom Mary presented to them. After the example of the Queen of Saba, who paid her homage to the Prince of Peace in the person of King Solomon, these three Eastern Kings opened their treasures and presented their offerings to Jesus. Our Emmanuel graciously accepted these mystic gifts, and suffered them not to leave him until he had loaded them with gifts infinitely more precious than those he had vouchsafed to receive. The Magi had given him of the riches which this earth produces; Jesus repays them with heavenly gifts. He strengthened in their hearts the virtues of faith, hope, and charity; he enriched, in their persons, the Church of which they were the representatives; and the words of the Canticle of Mary were fulfilled in them: *He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away,*¹ for the Synagogue refused to follow them in their search after the King of the Jews. But let us consider the gifts made by the Magi, and let us, together with the Church and the Holy Fathers, acknowledge the Mysteries expressed by them. The gifts were three in number, in order to honour the sacred number of the Persons in the divine Essence, as likewise to express the triple character of Emmanuel. He had come that he might be King over the whole world; it was fitting that men should offer gold to him, for it is the emblem of sovereign power. He had come to be High Priest, and, by his mediation, reconcile earth to heaven; incense, then, was an appropriate gift, for the Priest uses it when he offers sacrifice. But thirdly, it was only by his own death that he was to obtain possession of the throne which was prepared for his glorified Human Nature, and the perpetual Sacrifice of the Divine Lamb was to be inaugurated by this same his Death; the gift of Myrrh was expressive of the Death and Burial of an immortal Victim. The Holy Ghost, who inspired the Prophets, had guided the Magi in their selection of these three gifts. Let us listen to St Leo, who, speaking of this Mystery, says with his usual eloquence: 'O admirable Faith, which leads to Knowledge and perfect Knowledge, and which was not taught in the School of earthly wisdom, but was enlightened by the Holy Ghost himself! For whence had they learnt the supernatural beauty of their three Gifts? they that had come straight from their own country, and had not as yet seen Jesus, nor beheld in his infant Face the Light which directed them in the choice of their offerings? Whilst the star met the gaze of the bodily eye, their hearts were instructed by a stronger light—the ray of Truth. Before setting out on the fatiguing journey they knew him, to whom were due, by Gold,", "keywords": [ "virgin", "magi", "king", "jesus", "gifts", "mary", "mother", "born", "three", "hearts", "holy", "star", "prayer", "amen", "birth", "kings", "church", "power", "death", "nature" ], "saints": [ "St. Ephrem", "St. Joseph the Hymnographer", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Luke i. 53" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_12", "title": "JANUARY 12", "anchor": "january_12", "text": "THE SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY Having laid their offerings at the feet of Jesus, as the sign of the alliance they had, in the name of all mankind, contracted with him, and laden with his graces and blessings, the Magi take their leave of the Divine Babe; for such was his will. They take their departure from Bethlehem, and the rest of the world seems a wilderness to them. Oh, if they might be permitted to fix their abode near the new-born King and his incomparable Mother! But no; God's plan for the salvation of the world requires that everything savouring of human pomp and glory should be far from him who had come to take upon himself all our miseries. Besides, they are to be the first messengers of the Gospel; they must go and tell to the Gentiles that the Mystery of Salvation has begun, that the earth is in possession of its Saviour, and that their salvation is nigh at hand. The star does not return to them; they needed it to find Jesus; but now they have him in their hearts, and will never lose him. These three men are sent back into the midst of the Gentile world, as the leaven of the Gospel which, notwithstanding its being so little, is to leaven the whole paste.¹ For their sakes, God will bless the nations of the earth; from this day forward infidelity will lose ground, and faith will progress; and when, the Blood of the Lamb having been shed, Baptism shall be promulgated, the Magi shall be, not merely men of desire, but perfect Christians, initiated into all the Mysteries of the Church. The ancient tradition, which is quoted by the author of The Imperfect Work on St Matthew, which is put in all the editions of St John Chrysostom, and was probably written about the close of the 6th century, tells us that the three Magi were baptized by St Thomas the Apostle, and devoted themselves to the preaching of the Gospel. But we scarcely need a tradition on such a point as this. The vocation of these three Princes could never be limited to the mere privilege of being the first among the Gentiles to visit the eternal King who had come down from heaven to be born on this earth and show himself to his creatures; a second vocation was the consequence of the first, the vocation of preaching Jesus to men. There are many details relating to the life and actions of the Magi, after they had become Christians, which have been handed down to us; but we refrain from mentioning them, as not being sufficiently ancient or important traditions to have induced the Church to give them place in her Liturgy. We would make the same observation with regard to the names assigned to them of Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthassar; the custom of thus naming them is too modern to deserve credit; and though it might", "keywords": [ "jesus", "world", "earth", "mother", "church", "divine", "three", "blessed", "light", "amen", "didst", "nobis", "magi", "bethlehem", "born", "star", "life", "holy", "virgin", "king" ], "saints": [ "St. Ephrem", "St. John", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Sophia", "St. Thomas the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Jeremias i.", "John c.", "Kings c.", "Matthew xiii. 33" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "ST_BENET_BISCOP", "title": "ST BENET BISCOP", "anchor": "st_benet_biscop", "text": "ABBOT St Benet Biscop is one of the great Benedictine saints to whom England owes so much. His devotion and loyalty to the Holy See, his love of learning, his zeal for the beauty of the house of God, for the monastic observance and for the Church's chant, show him to be a true monk, though his influence extended far wider than the narrow limits of his monastery, and affected the social condition of the people and the whole life of the Church in England. His feast is kept in several dioceses in England, but as there is no uniformity with regard to the date, we have inserted it in our calendar on the day of his death. St Benet stands out among the great travellers in the cause of religion. He visited Rome no fewer than seven times, not only to satisfy his own devotion, but to obtain from the mother of all the churches the purest traditions, the most correct books for use in the divine liturgy, and objects of piety wherewith to inspire the devotion of the faithful. These treasures were all destined to be used for the benefit of his own countrymen, who were unable to seek them for themselves at the fountain-head. He inspired all those with whom he came in contact with a more exalted idea of the dignity of the worship of God. With regard to the Divine Service, his ruling principle was that nothing but the best was worthy of use, whether it were in the carrying out of liturgical functions or the actual fabric of the church. In his day Britain was far behind the continental nations in industry and art, and stone buildings were hardly known. St Benet, therefore, journeyed into Gaul to procure stonemasons, who came to the monastery at Wearmouth in Northumbria, and, with the help of the monks whom they instructed, built a stone church for the Community. The making and use of glass was also unknown in these islands at the time, and again St Benet sent messengers to Gaul who brought back workers in glass to glaze the windows of his church. The record of St Benet's life has come down to us as written by the Venerable Bede, who was a monk of the abbey founded by the saint at Jarrow. Bede was admitted into this monastery when a child, during the lifetime of St Benet Biscop, and thus in his Life speaks from personal experience. He records several charming incidents which are not included in the Breviary lessons, one of which is given here as being illustrative of the saint's zeal for the Divine Office. The Venerable Bede records that once during a visitation of the pestilence the monks at Jarrow were all stricken with the sickness with such severity that there remained but two persons in the house who were able to go to the church to sing the Divine Office, the Abbot Benet and Bede, who was still a child. These", "keywords": [ "church", "monastery", "life", "rome", "benet", "post", "benedict", "romam", "monasterium", "abbot", "divine", "gaul", "years", "holy", "britain", "back", "bede", "benedictus", "quem", "petri" ], "saints": [ "St. Benet", "St. Martin", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_13", "title": "JANUARY 13", "anchor": "january_13", "text": "THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY The thoughts of the Church today are fixed on the Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan, which is the second of the three Mysteries of the Epiphany. The Emmanuel manifested himself to the Magi, after having shown himself to the Shepherds; but this manifestation was made within the narrow space of a stable at Bethlehem, and the world knew nothing of it. In the Mystery of the Jordan, Christ manifested himself with greater publicity. His coming is proclaimed by the Precursor; the crowd that is flocking to the river for Baptism is witness of what happens; Jesus makes this the beginning of his public life. But who could worthily explain the glorious circumstances of this second Epiphany? It resembles the first in this, that it is for the benefit and salvation of the human race. The star has led the Magi to Christ; they had long waited for his coming, they had hoped for it; now they believe. Faith in the Messias having come into the world is beginning to take root among the Gentiles. But faith is not sufficient for salvation; the stain of sin must be washed away by water. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved.¹ The time is come, then, for a new manifestation of the Son of God, whereby there shall be inaugurated the great remedy, which is to give to Faith the power of producing life eternal. Now the decrees of divine Wisdom had chosen Water as the instrument of this sublime regeneration of the human race. Hence, in the beginning of the world, we find the Spirit of God moving over the Waters,² in order that they might 'even then conceive a principle of sanctifying power,'³ as the Church expresses it in her Office for Holy Saturday. But before being called to fulfil the designs of God's mercy, this element of Water had to be used by the Divine Justice for the chastisement of a sinful world. With the exception of one family, the whole human race perished, by the terrible judgement of God, in the Waters of the Deluge. A fresh indication of the future supernatural power of this chosen element was given by the Dove, which Noe sent forth from the Ark; it returned to him, bearing in its beak an Olive-branch, the symbol that peace was given to the earth by its having been buried in Water. But this was only the announcement of the mystery; its accomplishment was not to be for long ages to come. Meanwhile, God spoke to his people by many events, which were figurative of the future Mystery of Baptism. Thus, for example, it was by passing through the waters of the Red Sea that they entered into the Promised Land, and during the miraculous passage, a pillar of a cloud was seen covering both the Israelites and the Waters to which they owed their deliverance. But in order that Water should have the power to purify", "keywords": [ "lord", "water", "jesus", "maria", "waters", "baptism", "didst", "mary", "holy", "jordan", "world", "church", "christ", "light", "life", "power", "voice", "earth", "father", "spirit" ], "saints": [ "St. Hilary of Poitiers", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Petersburg" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles iv. 2", "Genesis i. 2", "Isaias lxvi. 12", "John c.", "Kings i.", "Mark xvi. 16", "Matthew iii. 15", "Matthew iii. 17", "Psalms xxviii. 3" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "THE_SECOND_SUNDAY_AFTER", "title": "THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER", "anchor": "the_second_sunday_after", "text": "THE EPIPHANY The third Mystery of the Epiphany shows us the completion of the merciful designs of God upon the world, at the same time that it manifests to us, for the third time, the glory of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The star has led the soul to faith; the sanctified Waters of the Jordan have conferred purity upon her; the Marriage-Feast unites her to her God. We have been considering, during this Octave, the Bridegroom revealing himself to the Spouse; we have heard him calling her to come to him from the heights of Libanus; and now, after having enlightened and purified her, he invites her to the heavenly feast, where she is to receive the Wine of his divine love. A Feast is prepared; it is a Marriage-Feast; and the Mother of Jesus is present at it, for it is just that, having co-operated in the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, she should take part in all that her Son does, and in all the favours he bestows on his elect. But, in the midst of the Feast, the Wine fails. Wine is the symbol of Charity or Love, and Charity had failed on the earth; for the Gentiles had never tasted its sweetness; and as to the Synagogue, what had it produced but wild grapes?² The True Vine is our Jesus, and he calls himself by that name. He alone could give that Wine which gladdeneth the heart of man;³ he alone could give us that Chalice which inebriateth,⁴ and of which the Royal Psalmist prophesied. Mary said to Jesus: They have no Wine. It is the office of the Mother of God to tell him of the wants of men, for she is also their Mother. But Jesus answers her in words which are apparently harsh: Woman! what is it to me and to thee? My hour is not yet come. The meaning of these words is, that, in this great Mystery, he was about to act, not as the Son of Mary, but as the Son of God. Later on, the hour will come when, dying upon the Cross, he will do a work, in the presence of his Mother, and he will do it as Man, that is, according to that human nature which he has received from her. Mary at once understands the words of her Son, and she says to the waiters of the Feast, what she is now ever saying to her children: Do whatsoever he shall say to you. Now, there were six large waterpots of stone there, and they were empty. The world was then in its Sixth Age, as St Augustine and other Holy Doctors tell us. During these six ages, the earth had been awaiting its Saviour, who was to instruct and redeem it. Jesus commands these waterpots to be filled with water; and yet water does not suit the Feast of the Spouse. The figures and the prophecies of the ancient world", "keywords": [ "jesus", "wine", "lord", "water", "feast", "earth", "ejus", "peace", "alleluia", "mary", "mystery", "love", "mother", "waterpots", "blessed", "virgin", "dicit", "glory", "divine", "vinum" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matthew", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Pet" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians xi. 2", "Isaias v. 2", "John c.", "John ii.", "John ii. 11", "John xv. 1", "Peter i. 4", "Psalms ciii. 15", "Romans c.", "Romans ix. 23" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "THE_THIRD_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_third_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "The variation of Easter Sunday necessitates almost every year a different arrangement of the Sundays after the Epiphany from that in which they stand in the Missal. Septuagesima often comes in January and the Feast of the Purification is occasionally later than Quinquagesima Sunday; hence the office of these four last Sundays may have to be transferred to another season of the liturgical cycle. We were obliged then to provide for these changes and simplify them for the Faithful by adopting our present plan. We have inserted here the third and fourth Sundays as usually falling in Christmastide, while the office of the fifth and sixth Sundays will be found in the volumes of Septuagesima and the second after Pentecost, this latter season being the one in which they are most frequently kept. MASS The Introit represents the Angels of God adoring him on his entrance into this world, as St Paul¹ explains this passage of the Psalms. The Church celebrates with David the gladness of Sion, and the joy of the daughters of Juda. INTROIT Adorate Deum omnes Angeli ejus: audivit et lætata est Sion, et exsultaverunt filiæ Judæ. Ps. Dominus regnavit, exsultet terra, lætentur insulæ multæ. ℣. Gloria Patri. Adorate. Adore God, all ye his Angels: Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. Ps. The Lord hath reigned, let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad. ℣. Glory, etc. Adore. ¹ Heb. i 6. COLLECT Omnipotens sempiterne Deus, infirmitatem nostram propitius respice: atque ad protegendum nos, dexteram tuæ majestatis extende. Per Dominum. O Almighty and Eternal God, mercifully behold our weakness, and stretch forth the right hand of thy majesty to protect us. Through, etc. Commemoration of the Blessed Virgin Mary Deus qui salutis æternæ, beatæ Mariæ virginitate fœcunda, humano generi præmia præstitisti; tribue, quæsumus, ut ipsam pro nobis intercedere sentiamus, per quam meruimus auctorem vitæ suscipere, Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum Filium tuum. O God, who by the fruitful Virginity of Blessed Mary hast given to mankind the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech thee, that we may experience her intercession, by whom we received the Author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son. The third Prayer is one of the following: Against the persecutors of the Church Ecclesiæ tuæ, quæsumus, Domine, preces placatus admitte; ut, destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis, secura tibi serviat libertate. Mercifully hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy Church, that all oppositions and errors being removed, she may serve thee with a secure and undisturbed devotion. For the Pope Deus omnium fidelium Pastor et Rector, famulum tuum N. quem Pastorem Ecclesiæ tuæ præesse voluisti, propitius respice; da ei, quæsumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus præest, proficere; ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Dominum. O God, the Pastor and Governor of all the Faithful, look down in thy mercy on thy servant N. whom thou hast appointed Pastor over thy Church; and grant, we beseech thee, that both by word", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "domine", "church", "dominum", "quæsumus", "deus", "beseech", "servant", "holy", "dominus", "earth", "eternal", "blessed", "mary", "evil", "alleluia", "sion", "almighty", "right" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Hebrews i. 6", "Matthew c.", "Romans c." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "THE_FOURTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_fourth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "MASS INTROIT Adorate Deum omnes Angeli ejus: audivit et lætata est Sion: et exsultaverunt filiæ Juda. Ps. Dominus regnavit; exsultet terra, lætentur insulæ multæ. ℣. Gloria Patri. Adorate. Adore God, all ye his Angels: Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. Ps. The Lord hath reigned; let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad. ℣. Glory, etc. Adore. COLLECT Deus, qui nos in tantis periculis constitutos, pro humana scis fragilitate non posse subsistere: da nobis salutem mentis et corporis; ut ea quæ pro peccatis nostris patimur, te adjuvante, vincamus. Per Dominum. O God, who knowest that through human frailty we are not able to subsist amidst such great dangers, grant us health of soul and body, that whatsoever things we suffer because of our sins, we may overcome by thine assistance. Through, etc. Then are added the Collects special to the season of Christmas, in honour of our Lady, against the persecutors of the Church, or for the Pope; which are given above, page 251. EPISTLE Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Romanos. Cap. XIII. Fratres, nemini quidquam debeatis, nisi ut invicem diligatis: qui enim diligit proximum, legem implevit. Nam: Non adulterabis; Non occides; Non furaberis; Non falsum testimonium dices; Non concupisces, et si quod est aliud mandatum, in hoc verbo instauratur: Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum. Dilectio proximi malum non operatur. Plenitudo ergo legis est dilectio. Lesson of the Epistle of Saint Paul to the Romans. Ch. XIII. Brethren, owe no man any thing, but to love one another; for he that loveth his neighbour hath fulfilled the law. For, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shalt not bear false witness: Thou shalt not covet': and if there be any other commandment, it is comprised in this word: 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.' The love of our neighbour worketh no evil. Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the law. During this holy season, when the very Son of God is giving so great a proof of his love for man, whose nature he has assumed, the Church is continually exhorting the Faithful, in the words of the Apostle, to practise charity towards each other. Emmanuel comes to us as our Lawgiver: now he has resumed his whole Law in the precept of Love; he is come in order to unite what sin had divided. Let us comply with his divine intentions, and accomplish with earnestness the Law he has imposed upon us. GRADUAL Timebunt gentes Nomen tuum, Domine, et omnes reges terræ gloriam tuam. ℣. Quoniam ædificavit Dominus Sion, et videbitur in majestate sua. Alleluia, alleluia. ℣. Dominus regnavit: exsultet terra, lætentur insulæ multæ. Alleluia. The Gentiles shall fear thy Name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth thy glory. ℣. For the Lord hath built up Sion, and he shall be seen in his glory. Alleluia, alleluia. ℣. The Lord hath reigned; let the earth rejoice: let many islands be glad.", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "love", "shalt", "alleluia", "deus", "sion", "dominum", "page", "power", "omnes", "ejus", "dominus", "adore", "glad", "earth", "glory", "human", "frailty", "grant" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew c.", "Romans c." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_14", "title": "JANUARY 14", "anchor": "january_14", "text": "SAINT HILARY BISHOP, CONFESSOR, AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH After having consecrated the joyous Octave of the Epiphany to the glory of the Emmanuel who was manifested to the earth, the Church—incessantly occupied with the Divine Child and his august Mother, during the whole time from Christmas Day to that whereon Mary will bring Jesus to the Temple, there to be offered to God, as the law prescribes—the Church, we say, has on her Calendar of this portion of the year the names of many glorious Saints, who shine like so many stars on the path which leads us, from the joys of the Nativity of our Lord, to the sacred mystery of our Lady's Purification. And firstly there comes before us, on the very morrow of the day consecrated to the Baptism of Jesus, the faithful and courageous Hilary—the pride of the Churches of Gaul, and the worthy associate of Athanasius and Eusebius of Vercelli in the battle fought for the Divinity of our Emmanuel. Scarcely were the cruel persecutions of paganism over, when there commenced the fierce contest with Arianism, which had sworn to deprive of the glory and honours of his divinity that Jesus who had conquered, by his Martyrs, the violence and craft of the Roman Emperors. The Church had won her liberty by shedding her blood, and it was not likely that she would be less courageous on the new battle-field into which she was driven. Many were the Martyrs that were put to death by her new enemies—Christian, though heretical, Princes: it was for the Divinity of that Lord, who had mercifully appeared on the earth in the weakness of human flesh, that they shed their blood. Side by side with these stood those holy and illustrious Doctors, who, with the martyr-spirit within them, defended by their learning and eloquence the Nicene Faith, which was the Faith of the Apostles. In the foremost rank of these latter we behold the Saint of to-day, covered with the rich laurels of his brave confessorship, Hilary: who, as St Jerome says of him, was brought up in the pompous school of Gaul, yet had culled the flowers of Grecian science, and became the Rhone of Latin eloquence. St Augustine calls him the illustrious Doctor of the Churches. Though gifted with the most extraordinary talents, and one of the most learned men of the age, yet St Hilary's greatest glory is his intense love for the Incarnate Word, and his zeal for the liberty of the Church. His great soul thirsted after martyrdom, and, by the unflinching love of truth which such a spirit gave him, he was the brave champion of the Church in that trying period when Faith, that had stood the brunt of persecution, seemed to be on the point of being betrayed by the craft of Princes, and the cowardice of temporizing and unorthodox Pastors. Let us listen to the short Life of our Saint, contained in the Lessons of his Office. Hilarius, in", "keywords": [ "church", "hilary", "christ", "faith", "holy", "life", "bishop", "poitiers", "father", "lord", "liberty", "hilarius", "against", "bishops", "pontiff", "saint", "doctor", "glory", "constantius", "praise" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. HILARY", "St. Hilary", "St. Jerome", "St. Martin", "St. Thomas of Canterbury", "St. Venantius", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Acts v. 29" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "ST_FELIX", "title": "ST FELIX", "anchor": "st_felix", "text": "PRIEST AND MARTYR ENCIRCLED by the radiant splendours of the Epiphany, there comes before us to-day, in company with Hilary of Poitiers, a humble lover of the virtues of the Crib of our Emmanuel. Though withdrawn by God himself from the fury of his persecutors, and thus from a martyr's death which would have crowned his cruel torments and imprisonment, Felix nevertheless has won the right to his palm by the invincible courage he showed amidst all his sufferings. In heaven he was already accounted worthy of his reward, but he was yet for a long time to gladden and strengthen the Church on earth by those examples of wonderful poverty, humility, and ardent charity, which now claim for him a place in the sacred cycle near to the lowly manger of the King of Peace. The Infant God, in all his hidden lowliness, was to Felix his one love and exemplar, hence to-day this King of angels and men who is now manifested to the world and adored by kings, hastens to share with him the honours of his triumphant Epiphany. To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me in my throne, saith the Lord (Apoc. iii 21), and in whom, other than Felix, has the realization of this blessed promise of the Divine Head to his members been more apparent? A poor tomb received the mortal remains of the humble priest of Campania, and in its silence and obscurity, emblems of his earthly desires, he seemed destined to await the blast of the angel's trumpet at the final Resurrection. But miracles, many and great, suddenly rendered this tomb illustrious; the name of Felix was carried far and wide, and everywhere wrought the like prodigies of grace. Hardly had peace been given to the Church and world by the accession of Constantine to the throne, when on all sides the people were aroused, and in countless flocks thronged to the martyr's tomb; on certain days Rome herself seemed deserted, and the ancient Appian Road, the very soil of which was worn away by the tramp of the pilgrims, appeared to have no other purpose than to carry to the feet of Felix the homage, gratitude, and love of the entire world. Five basilicas did not suffice for the immense concourse; a sixth was erected, and the lowly field where once the remains of the martyr lay hid was encircled by a new town. The fourth century, so rich in Christian developments, saw the beginning of pilgrimages, and the city of Nola in Campania was, after Rome, the principal centre of this devotion. 'O happy city of Nola,' cries a contemporary, eyewitness of these wonders, 'O happy city which through the merits of the blessed Felix has become second only to Rome herself, Rome ever the mistress, yesterday by her empire and victorious armies, to-day by the tombs of the Apostles!' We have cited Paulinus, the illustrious consul whose name is inseparably linked with that of", "keywords": [ "felix", "nola", "world", "tomb", "rome", "martyr", "emmanuel", "church", "city", "glory", "priest", "humble", "persecutors", "already", "place", "near", "peace", "love", "honours", "blessed" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse iii. 21" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "ST_KENTIGERN", "title": "ST KENTIGERN", "anchor": "st_kentigern", "text": "BISHOP AND CONFESSOR ST KENTIGERN, whose feast is kept to-day in several dioceses of the North of England and in Scotland, stands out as one of the zealous monks of the sixth century who laboured incessantly for the conversion of the inhabitants of these islands. He was brought up in the monastery at Culross from early childhood, and was thus trained from his youth in all the practices of monastic observance. However, when he reached man's estate, feeling called to a more rigorous manner of life, he left Culross and took up his abode in a solitude in the neighbourhood of Glasgow, where he led a most mortified life, eating but once in three or four days, spending the night in prayer, and wearing a garment of haircloth. This manner of life gave the greatest edification to all who came in contact with him, and his virtue was such that at the age of twenty-five he was elected to the bishopric of Glasgow. He had grave misgivings as to the validity of his ordination on account of his age, but was forced to bow before the importunities of those who had chosen him for their pastor. He ruled his vast diocese, which was bordered by the North Sea on the east and by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, with wisdom and prudence, though his manner of living remained unchanged, and, moreover, each Lent it was his custom to retire into solitude, giving himself entirely to prayer and living upon roots and herbs. He was assiduous in visiting his flock, travelling always on foot, and the force of his preaching together with the mildness and sweetness of his character and the asceticism of his life was the means whereby innumerable pagans were brought into the Church and many Pelagian heretics converted to the true Faith. This devoted prelate was the father of many monks, a great number of whom he sent to evangelize the north of Scotland, the Orkney Isles, and even Norway and Iceland. The enemy of mankind, however, would not suffer so many souls to be snatched from his grasp without molestation, and he caused the royal family to raise such a bitter persecution against the saint that he was forced to leave the country. He took refuge in Wales, first at Caerleon, now Usk, where he built a church, then with St David, and finally he settled at the junction of the Rivers Elwy and Cluid, where he built a monastery, now known as St Asaph's. One of the princes of the country opposed this undertaking, whereupon he was struck with blindness, but was cured by the intercession of St Kentigern and thereafter became his great benefactor. The great crime committed against St Kentigern in Scotland was not permitted to remain unpunished. All those who had persecuted the saint were visited by the just vengeance of Almighty God, and a prince, virtuous and loyal to the Church, ascended the throne, and his first act was to recall", "keywords": [ "kentigern", "church", "scotland", "life", "glasgow", "bishop", "monastery", "culross", "north", "monks", "called", "manner", "solitude", "prayer", "account", "sent", "saint", "david", "asaph", "feast" ], "saints": [ "St. Asaph", "St. David", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. KENTIGERN", "St. Kentigern", "St. Servanus" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_15", "title": "JANUARY 15", "anchor": "january_15", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "ST_PAUL", "title": "ST PAUL", "anchor": "st_paul", "text": "THE FIRST HERMIT To-day the Church honours the memory of one of those men who were expressly chosen by God to represent the sublime detachment from all things which was taught to the world by the example of the Son of God, born in a Cave, at Bethlehem. Paul the Hermit so prized the poverty of his Divine Master that he fled to the desert, where he could find nothing to possess and nothing to covet. He had a mere cavern for his dwelling; a palm-tree provided him with food and clothing; a fountain gave him wherewith to quench his thirst; and heaven sent him his only luxury, a loaf of bread brought to him daily by a crow. For sixty years did Paul thus serve, in poverty and in solitude, that God who was denied a dwelling on the earth he came to redeem, and could have but a poor Stable wherein to be born. But God dwelt with Paul in his cavern; and in him began the Anchorites, that sublime race of men who, the better to enjoy the company of their God, denied themselves not only the society, but the very sight of men. They were the Angels of earth, in whom God showed forth, for the instruction of the rest of men, that he is powerful enough and rich enough to supply the wants of his creatures, who, indeed, have nothing but what they have from him. The Hermit, or Anchoret, is a prodigy in the Church, and it behoves us to glorify the God who has produced it. We ought to be filled with astonishment and gratitude, at seeing how the Mystery of a God made Flesh has so elevated our human nature as to inspire a contempt and abandonment of those earthly goods which heretofore had been so eagerly sought after. The two names, Paul and Antony, are not to be separated; they are the two Apostles of the Desert; both are Fathers—Paul of Anchorites, and Antony of Cenobites; the two families are sisters, and both have the same source, the Mystery of Bethlehem. The sacred Cycle of the Church's year unites, with only a day between their two Feasts, these two faithful disciples of Jesus in his Crib. The Church reads in her Office the following abridgement of St Paul's wonderful Life. Paulus, Eremitarum auctor et magister, apud inferiorem Thebaidem natus, cum quindecim esset annorum, orbatus parentibus est. Qui postea declinandæ causa persecutionis Decii et Valeriani, et Deo liberius inserviendi, in eremi speluncam se contulit: ubi, palma ei victum et vestitum præbente, vixit ad centesimum et decimum tertium annum: quo tempore ab Antonio nonagenario Dei admonitu invisitur. Quibus inter se, cum antea non nossent, proprio nomine consalutantibus, et multa de regno Dei colloquentibus, corvus, qui antea semper dimidiatum panem attulerat, integrum detulit. Paul, the institutor and master of Hermits, was born in the Lower Thebaid. He lost his parents when he was fifteen years of age. Not long after that, in order to", "keywords": [ "maurus", "holy", "life", "saint", "paul", "father", "benedict", "france", "lord", "didst", "years", "death", "monastic", "love", "rule", "alleluia", "church", "heaven", "antony", "world" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Denis of Paris", "St. Germain", "St. Gregory the Seventh", "St. MAURUS", "St. Martin", "St. Maurus", "St. Paul", "St. Vannes", "St. Victor", "St. Waast", "St. Wandrille" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_16", "title": "JANUARY 16", "anchor": "january_16", "text": "SAINT MARCELLUS POPE AND MARTYR The name of Marcellus is brought before us by the Calendar to-day: he was a successor of the glorious Hyginus in the papacy and in martyrdom, and their Feasts fall in the same season of the year. Each Christmastide shows us these two Pontiffs offering their Keys in homage to Jesus, the invisible Head of the Church they governed. In a few days hence, we shall find our Christmas list of Saints giving us the name of a third Pope and Martyr, Fabian. These three valiant Vicars of Christ are like the three generous Magi; they offered their richest presents to the Emmanuel, their blood and their lives. Marcellus governed the Church at the close of the last general Persecution. A few months after his death, the tyrant Maxentius was vanquished by Constantine, and the Cross of Christ glittered in triumph on the Labarum of the Roman Legions. The time for martyrdom was, therefore, very short; but Marcellus was in time; he shed his blood for Christ, and won the honour of standing in Stephen's company over the Crib of the Divine Infant, with his palm-branch in his venerable hand. He withstood the tyrant Emperor, who bade him abdicate the majesty of the supreme Pontificate, and this in the very City of Rome; for Rome was to be the capital of another King—of Christ—who, in the person of his Vicar, would take possession of it, and her old masters, the Cæsars, would make Byzantium their Rome. It is three hundred years since the decree of Cæsar Augustus ordered the census of the world to be taken, which brought Mary to Bethlehem, where she gave birth to an humble Babe; and now the Empire of that Babe has outgrown the Empire of the Cæsars, and its victory is upon the point of being proclaimed. After Marcellus, we shall have Eusebius; after Eusebius, Melchiades; and Melchiades will see the triumph of the Church. The Acts of Marcellus are thus given in the Lessons of his Feast. Marcellus, Romanus, a Constantio et Galerio usque ad Maxentium Pontificatum gessit. Cujus hortatu, Lucina, Matrona Romana, bonorum suorum Dei Ecclesiam fecit hæredem. Viginti quinque titulos in urbe instituit, quasi diœceses quasdam, et ad baptismum pœnitentiamque eorum qui ex infidelibus Christianam religionem susciperent, et ad Martyrum sepulturam. Quibus rebus ira incensus Maxentius, Marcello gravia supplicia minatur, nisi, deposito Pontificatu, idolis immolaret. Qui cum insanas hominis voces negligeret, misit eum in catabulum, ut bestiarum, quæ publice alebantur, curam sustineret. Ubi Marcellus assiduis jejuniis et precibus novem menses vitam duxit, parochias, quas præsens non poterat, visitans per epistolas. Inde ereptus a clericis, hospitio recipitur a beata Lucina: in cujus ædibus Ecclesiam dedicavit, quæ hodie titulo sancti Marcelli nominatur: in qua et Christiani orabant, et ipse beatus Marcellus prædicabat. Marcellus was a Roman, and governed the Church from the reign of Constantius and Galerius to that of Maxentius. It was by his counsel that a Roman Matron, named Lucina, made the Church of God the", "keywords": [ "marcellus", "church", "rome", "maxentius", "lucina", "christ", "roman", "bethlehem", "viginti", "quinque", "five", "twenty", "stable", "didst", "glorious", "martyrdom", "jesus", "governed", "three", "cross" ], "saints": [ "St. MARCELLUS", "St. Marcellus", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew x. 24" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_17", "title": "JANUARY 17", "anchor": "january_17", "text": "SAINT ANTONY ABBOT The East and West unite, to-day, in honouring St Antony, the Father of Cenobites. The Monastic Life existed before his time, as we know from indisputable testimony; but he was the first Abbot, because he was the first to bring Monks under the permanent government of one Superior or Father. Antony began with seeking solely his own sanctification; he was known only as the wonderful Solitary against whom the wicked spirits waged an almost continuous battle: but in course of time, men were attracted to him by his miracles and by the desire of their own perfection; this gave him disciples; he permitted them to cluster round his cell; and monasteries thus began to be built in the desert. The age of the Martyrs was near its close; the persecution under Diocletian, which was to be the last, was over as Antony entered on the second half of his course: and God chose this time for organizing a new force in the Church. The Monastic Life was brought to bear upon the Christian world; the Ascetics, as they were called, not even such of them as were consecrated, were not a sufficient element of power. Monasteries were built in every direction, in solitudes and in the very cities; and the Faithful had but to look at these communities living in the fervent and literal fulfilment of the Counsels of Christ, and they felt themselves encouraged to obey the Precepts. The apostolic traditions of continual prayer and penance were perpetuated by the monastic system; it secured the study of the Sacred Scriptures and Theology; and the Church herself would soon receive from these arsenals of intellect and piety her bravest defenders, her holiest Prelates, and her most zealous Apostles. Yes, the Monastic Life was to be and give all this to the Christian world, for the example of St Antony had given her a bias to usefulness. If there ever were a monk to whom the charms of solitude and the sweetness of contemplation were dear, it was our Saint; and yet they could not keep him in his desert when he could save souls by a few days spent in a noisy city. Thus, we find him in the streets of Alexandria when the pagan persecution was at its height; he came to encourage the Christians in their martyrdom. Later on, when that still fiercer foe of Arianism was seducing the Faith of the people, we again meet the great Abbot in the same capital, this time preaching to its inhabitants that the Word is consubstantial with the Father, proclaiming the Nicene faith, and keeping up the Catholics in orthodoxy and resolution. There is another incident in the life of St Antony which tells in the same direction, inasmuch as it shows how an intense interest in the Church must ever be where the Monastic Spirit is. We are alluding to our Saint's affection for the great St Athanasius, who on his part reverenced the Patriarch of", "keywords": [ "peter", "church", "rome", "christ", "world", "faith", "didst", "heaven", "antony", "life", "jesus", "therefore", "city", "father", "power", "apostles", "lord", "holy", "chair", "rock" ], "saints": [ "St. ANTONY", "St. Antony", "St. Athanasius", "St. John", "St. Lawrence", "St. Leo", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. PETER", "St. PRISCA", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Prisca" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians iii. 11", "1 Corinthians x. 4", "Ephesians ii. 20", "John xxi. 15", "Luke xxii. 31", "Luke xxii. 32", "Matthew vii. 25", "Matthew xvi. 16", "Matthew xvi. 18", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Psalms i. 1" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_19", "title": "JANUARY 19", "anchor": "january_19", "text": "SAINTS MARIUS, MARTHA, AUDIFAX, AND ABACHUM MARTYRS CHRISTIANS from all parts of the world have ever flocked to Rome as to the rock of faith and the foundation of the Church, and honoured with the greatest reverence and piety the spot hallowed by the sepulchre of the Prince of the Apostles.¹ These words of Holy Church are exemplified in the Martyrs of to-day. Fired with ambition to have some part and fellowship in the glorious Society of the holy Apostles and Martyrs, they left all things and hastened to the Eternal City, there to receive in fullest measure what they sought. Like the Magi of old they came from the far East. The star of faith had shone for them, and in obedience to its call they set forth in all eagerness to offer their gifts of homage and loyalty to the divine King in the person of his Vicar and his suffering members. Such generosity was not left unrewarded; our Emmanuel crowned it with the laurels of martyrdom, admitting them into that cloud of witnesses that ever stand about him. Let us keep before our minds with our Lord, the author and finisher of their faith, this great and glorious band of martyrs, so that we too may ever run unwearied and with courage and patience in the fight proposed to us. The following lesson is given in the office: Marius Persa, nobili loco natus, cum Martha conjuge pari nobilitate, et duobus filiis Audiface et Abachum, Romam venit Claudio imperatore, ut Martyrum sepulchra veneraretur. Ibi Christianos in vincula conjectos fovebant, et opera ac facultatibus suis sustentabant, et Sanctorum corpora sepeliebant. Quam ob rem comprehensi omnes, cum nec impiorum minis nec terrore commoverentur, ut diis sacrificarent; primum fustibus debilitati, deinde funibus attracti, tum admotis candentibus laminis combusti, et ungulis ferreis excarnificati sunt. Postremo præcisis manibus, et ad collum alligatis, ducti per mediam urbem, via Cornelia ad tertium decimum ab Urbe milliarium, in eum locum, qui Nymphæ dicebatur, necantur: ac primum Marthæ, quæ virum ac filios ad supplicia pro Jesu Christi fide constanter perferenda, vehementer fuerat cohortata; mox ceteris in eadem arenaria cervices abscinduntur, eorumque corpora conjiciuntur in ignem. Quæ semiusta, Felicitas matrona Romana nobilis colligenda et in suo prædio sepelienda curavit. Marius, a Persian of noble birth, came to Rome, under the emperor Claudius, to venerate the sepulchres of the martyrs in the company of his wife Martha, a noble lady, and their two sons Audifax and Abachum. There they ministered to the Christians in prison, maintaining them both by their wealth and their own personal service, and buried the bodies of the saints. They were all accordingly arrested, and since they could not be induced by fear or threats to sacrifice to the gods, they were first beaten with clubs, then dragged about with ropes, burnt with hot iron plates and torn with hooks. Lastly their hands were cut off and tied about their necks, and they were led through the city and by the Via Cornelia to the", "keywords": [ "king", "church", "people", "faith", "wulstan", "martyrs", "holy", "glorious", "life", "martyr", "kings", "having", "martha", "parts", "ever", "came", "offer", "martyrdom", "lord", "death" ], "saints": [ "St. Alban the Martyr", "St. CANUTE", "St. WULSTAN", "St. Wulstan" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_20", "title": "JANUARY 20", "anchor": "january_20", "text": "SAINT FABIAN POPE AND MARTYR AND SAINT SEBASTIAN MARTYR TWO great Martyrs divide between them the honours of this twentieth day of January:—one, a Pontiff of the Church of Rome; the other, a member of that Mother-Church. Fabian received the crown of martyrdom, in the year 250, under the persecution of Decius; the persecution of Diocletian crowned Sebastian in the year 288. We will consider the merits of these two champions of Christ separately. SAINT FABIAN St Fabian, like St Clement and St Antherus, two of his predecessors, was extremely zealous in seeing that the Acts of the Martyrs were carefully drawn up. This zeal was no doubt exercised by the clergy in the case of our holy Pontiff himself, and his sufferings and martyrdom were carefully registered; but all these interesting particulars have been lost, in common with an immense number of other precious Acts, which were condemned to the flames, by the Imperial Edicts, during the persecution under Diocletian. Nothing is now known of the life of St Fabian, save a few of his actions as Pope; but we may have some idea of his virtues by the praise given him by St Cyprian, who, in a letter written to St Cornelius, the immediate successor of St Fabian, calls him an incomparable man. The Bishop of Carthage extols the purity and holiness of life of the holy Pontiff, who so peaceably governed the Church amidst all the storms which then assailed her. There is an interesting circumstance related of him by Eusebius. After the death of St Antherus, the people and clergy of Rome assembled together for the election of the new Pontiff. Heaven marked out the successor of St Peter: a dove was seen to rest on the venerable head of Fabian, and he was unanimously chosen. This reminds us of the event in our Lord's Life, which we celebrated a few days back, when, standing in the river Jordan, the Dove came down from heaven, and showed him to the people as the Son of God. Fabian was the depository of the power of regeneration, which Jesus by his baptism gave to the element of water; he zealously propagated the Faith of his Divine Master, and among the Bishops he consecrated for divers places, one or more were sent by him into these western parts of Europe. We give the short account of the Acts of St Fabian, as recorded in the Liturgy. Fabianus Romanus a Maximino usque ad Decium regens Ecclesiam, septem Diaconis regiones divisit, qui pauperum curam haberent. Totidem Subdiaconos creavit, qui res gestas Martyrum a septem Notariis scriptas colligerent. Idem statuit, ut quotannis Feria quinta in Cena Domini, vetere combusto, Chrisma renovaretur. Denique decimotertio kalendas Februarii in persecutione Decii martyrio coronatus, in cœmeterio Callisti via Appia sepelitur, cum sedisset annos quindecim, dies quatuor. Hic fecit Ordinationes quinque mense Decembri, quibus creavit Presbyteros viginti duos, Diaconos septem, Episcopos per diversa loca undecim. Fabian, a Roman by birth, governed the Church from the reign of", "keywords": [ "sebastian", "fabian", "church", "rome", "holy", "martyrs", "martyrdom", "heaven", "love", "martyr", "soldier", "diocletian", "christ", "life", "didst", "jesus", "christian", "saint", "year", "persecution" ], "saints": [ "St. Agatho", "St. Antherus", "St. Clement", "St. Cornelius", "St. Cyprian", "St. FABIAN", "St. Fabian", "St. John", "St. Peter", "St. SEBASTIAN", "St. Sebastian" ], "scripture": [ "Ephesians vi. 13" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_21", "title": "JANUARY 21", "anchor": "january_21", "text": "SAINT AGNES VIRGIN AND MARTYR How rich is the constellation of Martyrs, which shines in this portion of the sacred cycle! Yesterday we had St Sebastian; to-morrow we shall be singing the name which means Victory, for it is the Feast of Vincent; and now to-day, between these two stalwart palm-branches, we find the gentle Agnes decked with the roses and lilies of her virginity. It is to a girl of thirteen that our Emmanuel gave this stern courage of martyrdom which made her meet the enemy with as bold a front as either the valiant captain of the prætorian band or the dauntless deacon of Saragossa. If they are the soldiers of Jesus, she is his tender and devoted Spouse. These are the triumphs of the Son of Mary! Scarcely has he shown himself to the world, and lo! every noble heart flies towards him, according to that word of his: Wheresoever the body shall be, there shall the eagles also be gathered together! It is the admirable result of the Virginity of his Blessed Mother, who has brought honour to the fecundity of the soul, and set it far above that of the body. It was Mary that first opened the way whereby certain chosen souls mount up even to the Divine Son, and fix their gaze in a cloudless vision on his beauty; for he himself said: Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.² ¹ St Matt. xxiv. 28. ² Ibid. v. 8. What a glory it is for the Catholic Church, that she alone has the gift of this holy state of virginity, which is the source of every other sacrifice, because nothing but the love of God could inspire a human heart to vow virginity! And what a grand honour for Christian Rome that she should have produced a Saint Agnes, that angel of earth, in comparison with whom the Vestals of paganism are mere pretences of devotedness, for their Virginity was never punished by fire and sword, nay, rather, was flattered by the recompense of earthly honours and riches! Not that our Saint is without her recompense; only her recompense is not marred with the flaw of all human rewards. The name of this child, who lived but thirteen short years, will be echoed, to the end of time, in the sacred Canon of the universal Sacrifice. The path trod by the innocent maiden, on the way to her trial, is still marked out in the Holy City. In the Circus Agonalis³ there rises the beautiful Church of Saint Agnes, with its rich cupola; and beneath are the vaults which were once the haunts of infamy, but now are a holy sanctuary, where everything reminds us of her who here won her glorious victory. Further on, on the Nomentan Road, outside the ramparts, is the beautiful Basilica, built by Constantine; and here, under an altar covered with precious stones, lies the body of the young Saint. Round this Basilica there", "keywords": [ "agnes", "virgin", "jesus", "love", "martyr", "saint", "feast", "heart", "world", "holy", "purity", "spouse", "christ", "virginity", "sword", "young", "cujus", "heaven", "name", "blood" ], "saints": [ "St. AGNES", "St. Agnes", "St. Ambrose", "St. Matt", "St. Peter", "St. Sebastian" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew xxiv. 28", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_22", "title": "JANUARY 22", "anchor": "january_22", "text": "SAINTS VINCENT AND ANASTASIUS MARTYRS SAINT VINCENT, DEACON AND MARTYR VINCENT, the Victorious, vested in the sacred dalmatic, and holding his palm in his hand, comes, today, to the Crib, and right welcome is he to Stephen, the Crowned, his leader and his brother. Spain is his country. He is a deacon of the glorious Church of Saragossa, and, by the strength and warmth of his faith, he is a type of that land, which is surnamed the Catholic Kingdom. But he does not belong to Spain only: like Stephen, and like Laurence, Vincent is the favourite and hero of the whole Church. Stephen, the deacon, preached the divinity of Jesus amidst the shower of stones which were hurled upon him as a blasphemer; Vincent, the deacon, confessed his faith in Jesus upon his red-hot gridiron, as did that other deacon, Laurence. This triumvirate of Martyr-deacons cluster together in the sacred Litany, and when we hear their three grand names, the Crown, the Laurel, and the Conqueror, we hail them as the three bravest Knights of our most dear Lord. Vincent triumphed over the torture of fire, because the flame of divine love which burned within his soul was keener than that which scorched his body. He was comforted in the most miraculous manner during his great sufferings; but God worked these prodigies not to deprive Vincent of his crown, but to show his own power. The holy deacon had but one thought in the midst of all his pains; he was ambitious to make a return, by the gift of his own life, for that sacrifice whereby his divine Master had died for him and for all men. And now, is it not right and just that so generous a lover of God should be found beside the Crib? How he urges us, every Christmas, to love this Divine Infant! He that hesitated not, when called on to give himself to his Lord, even though it was to cost him such cruel pains—what cowards would he not call us, who can come so many Christmases to Bethlehem, and have nothing to give but cold and divided hearts! His sacrifice was to be burnt alive and torn and cut, and he smiled as he offered it: what are we to say of ourselves, who take years to think before we will give up those childish things which prevent us from ever seriously beginning a new life with our new-born Jesus! Would that the sight of all these Martyrs, in whose company the Church has made us live during these few last days, would touch our hearts, and make them resolute and simple! There is an ancient Christian tradition, which makes St Vincent the patron of vineyards and labourers in vineyards. This was, no doubt, suggested by the Saint's having held the office of deacon; for the deacon has to pour wine into the chalice during the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and that wine is to be changed into the", "keywords": [ "vincent", "deacon", "martyr", "christ", "holy", "church", "amen", "didst", "faith", "jesus", "body", "blood", "anastasius", "fire", "martyrs", "life", "feast", "world", "saint", "saragossa" ], "saints": [ "St. ANASTASIUS", "St. Anastasius", "St. James the Apostle", "St. Paul", "St. VINCENT", "St. Vincent" ], "scripture": [ "Colossians i. 24" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_23", "title": "JANUARY 23", "anchor": "january_23", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "ST_RAYMUND_OF_PENNAFORT", "title": "ST RAYMUND OF PENNAFORT", "anchor": "st_raymund_of_pennafort", "text": "CONFESSOR The glorious choir of martyrs, that stands round our Emmanuel till the day of his Presentation in the Temple, opens its ranks from time to time to give admission to the confessors, whom divine Providence has willed should grace the cycle during this sacred season. The martyrs surpass all the other saints in number; but still, the confessors are well represented. After Hilary, Paul, Maurus, and Antony, comes Raymund of Pennafort, one of the glories of the Order of St Dominic and of the Church, in the thirteenth century. According to the saying of the Prophets, the Messias is come to be our Lawgiver; nay, he is himself our law. His words are to be the rule of mankind; he will leave with his Church the power of legislation, to the end that she may guide men in holiness and justice, in all ages. As it is his Truth that presides over the teaching of the Faith, so is it his Wisdom that regulates canonical discipline. But the Church, in the compilation and arrangement of her laws, engages the services of men, whom she judges to be the most competent for the work, by their knowledge of Canon Law and the holiness of their lives. St Raymund has the honour of having been intrusted to draw up the Church's Code of Canon Law. It was he who, in the year 1234, compiled, by order of Pope Gregory the Ninth, the five Books of the Decretals; and his name will ever be associated with this great work which forms the basis of the actual discipline of the Church. Raymund was a faithful disciple of that God who came down from heaven to save sinners by calling them to receive pardon. He has merited the beautiful title, conferred on him by the Church, of excellent Minister of the Sacrament of Penance. He was the first who collected together into one body of doctrine the maxims of Christian morality, which regulate the duties of the confessor with regard to the faithful who confess their sins to him. The Sum of Penitential Cases opened the series of those important treatises in which learned and holy men have carefully considered the claims of law and the obligations of man, in order to instruct the Priest how to pass judgement, as the Scripture says, between leprosy and leprosy.¹ In fine, when the glorious Mother of God, who is also the Mother of men, raised up for the redemption of captives the generous Peter Nolasco—whom we shall meet, a few days hence, at the Crib of our Redeemer— Raymund was an important instrument in this great work of mercy; and it is with good reason that the Order of Mercy looks upon him as one of its Founders, and that so many thousand captives, who were ransomed by the Religious of that Order from the captivity of the Moors, have honoured him as one of the principal authors of their liberty. Let us now read the", "keywords": [ "holy", "mother", "church", "order", "lord", "ildephonsus", "life", "pray", "jesus", "raymund", "honour", "virgin", "mary", "saint", "didst", "love", "virginity", "having", "captives", "blessed" ], "saints": [ "St. Agnes", "St. Benedict", "St. Dominic", "St. EMERENTIANA", "St. ILDEPHONSUS", "St. Ildephonsus", "St. Leocadia", "St. Matt", "St. Peter", "St. Raymund" ], "scripture": [ "Deuteronomy xvii. 8", "Matthew xxvi. 29" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_24", "title": "JANUARY 24", "anchor": "january_24", "text": "SAINT TIMOTHY BISHOP AND MARTYR Before giving thanks to God for the miraculous Conversion of the Apostle of the Gentiles, the Church assembles us together for the feast of his favourite disciple. Timothy — the indefatigable companion of St Paul — the friend to whom the great Apostle, a few days before shedding his blood for Christ, wrote his last Epistle — comes now to await his master's arrival at the Crib of the Emmanuel. He there meets John the Beloved Disciple, together with whom he bore the anxieties attendant on the government of the Church of Ephesus; Stephen too, and the other martyrs, welcome him, for he also bears a martyr's palm in his hand. He presents to the august Mother of the Divine Babe the respectful homage of the Church of Ephesus, which Mary had sanctified by her presence, and which shares with the Church of Jerusalem the honour of having had her as one of its number, who was not only, like the Apostles, the witness, but moreover, in her quality of Mother of God, the ineffable instrument of the salvation of mankind. Let us now read, in the Office of the Church, the abridged account of the actions of this zealous disciple of the Apostles. Timotheus, Lystris in Lycaonia natus ex patre Gentili et matre Judæa, christianam colebat religionem, cum in ea loca venit Paulus Apostolus. Qui fama commotus quæ de Timothei sanctitate percrebuerat, ipsum adhibuit socium suæ peregrinationis: sed propter Judæos, qui se ad Christum converterant, scientes Timothei patrem esse Gentilem, eum circumcidit. Cum igitur ambo Ephesum venissent, ibi ordinatus est Episcopus ab Apostolo, ut eam Ecclesiam gubernaret. Timothy was born at Lystra in Lycaonia. His father was a Gentile, and his mother a Jewess. When the Apostle Paul came into those parts, Timothy was a follower of the Christian religion. The Apostle had heard much of his holy life, and was thereby induced to take him as the companion of his travels: but on account of the Jews, who had become converts to the faith of Christ, and were aware that the father of Timothy was a Gentile, he administered to him the rite of circumcision. As soon as they arrived at Ephesus, the Apostle ordained him Bishop of that Church. Ad quem Apostolus duas Epistolas scripsit, alteram Laodicea, alteram Roma: quibus in pastoralis officii cura confirmatus, cum sacrificium, quod uni Deo debetur, fieri dæmonum simulacris ferre non posset, populum Ephesinum Dianæ in ejus celebritate immolantem, ab illa impietate removere conatus, lapidibus obrutus est; ac pene mortuus a christianis ereptus, et in montem oppido vicinum delatus, nono kalendas Februarii obdormivit in Domino. The Apostle addressed two of his Epistles to him — one from Laodicea, the other from Rome — to instruct him how to discharge his pastoral office. He could not endure to see sacrifice, which is due to God alone, offered to the idols of devils; and finding that the people of Ephesus were offering victims to Diana on her festival, he", "keywords": [ "timothy", "church", "didst", "apostle", "christ", "paul", "timothee", "divine", "blessed", "ephesus", "christi", "glory", "together", "disciple", "master", "mother", "apostles", "holy", "gave", "saint" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul", "St. TIMOTHY", "St. Timothy" ], "scripture": [ "Timothy i.", "Wisdom ix. 15" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_25", "title": "JANUARY 25", "anchor": "january_25", "text": "THE CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL We have already seen how the Gentiles, in the person of the Three Magi, offered their mystic gifts to the Divine Child of Bethlehem, and received from him in return the precious gifts of faith, hope and charity. The harvest is ripe; it is time for the reaper to come. But who is to be God's labourer? The Apostles of Christ are still living under the very shadow of Mount Sion. All of them have received the mission to preach the gospel of salvation to the uttermost parts of the world; but not one among them has as yet received the special character of Apostle of the Gentiles. Peter, who had received the Apostleship of Circumcision, is sent specially, as was Christ himself, to the sheep that are lost of the house of Israel. And yet, as he is the Head and the Foundation, it belongs to him to open the door of Faith to the Gentiles; which he solemnly does by conferring Baptism on Cornelius, the Roman Centurion. But the Church is to have one more Apostle, an Apostle for the Gentiles; and he is to be the fruit of the martyrdom and prayer of St Stephen. Saul, a citizen of Tarsus, has not seen Christ in the flesh, and yet Christ alone can make an Apostle. It is then from heaven, where he reigns impassible and glorified, that Jesus will call Saul to be his disciple, just as, during the period of his active life, he called the fishermen of Genesareth to follow him and hearken to his teachings. The Son of God will raise Saul up to the third heaven, and there will reveal to him all his mysteries: and when Saul, having come down again to this earth, shall have ¹ Gal. ii 8. ² St Matt. xv 24. ³ Acts xiv 26. seen Peter, and compared his Gospel with that recognized by Peter,⁴ he can say, in all truth, that he is an Apostle of Christ Jesus,⁵ and that he has done nothing less than the great Apostles.⁶ It is on this glorious day of the Conversion of Saul, who is soon to change his name into Paul, that this great work is commenced. It is on this day that there is heard the Almighty voice which breaketh the cedars of Libanus,⁷ and can make a persecuting Jew become first a Christian and then an Apostle. This admirable transformation had been prophesied by Jacob, when upon his deathbed he unfolded to each of his sons the future of the tribe of which he was to be the father. Juda was to have the precedence of honour; from his royal race was to be born the Redeemer, the Expected of nations. Benjamin's turn came; his glory is not to be compared with that of his brother Juda, and yet it was to be very great—for from his tribe is to be born Paul, the Apostle of the Gentile nations. These are", "keywords": [ "paul", "apostle", "christ", "church", "jesus", "didst", "gentiles", "saul", "lord", "faith", "heart", "grace", "conversion", "world", "peter", "heaven", "vessel", "divine", "received", "life" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Matt", "St. PAUL", "St. Paul", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xvi. 22", "2 Corinthians xi. 5", "Acts xiv. 26", "Galatians i. 18", "Galatians ii. 20", "Galatians ii. 8", "Galatians iv.", "Genesis xlix. 27", "Matthew xv. 24", "Peter i.", "Psalms xxviii." ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_26", "title": "JANUARY 26", "anchor": "january_26", "text": "SAINT POLYCARP BISHOP AND MARTYR MIDST the sweetness he is enjoying from the contemplation of the Word made Flesh, John, the Beloved Disciple, beholds coming towards him his dear Polycarp, the Angel of the Church of Smyrna,¹ all resplendent with the glory of martyrdom. This venerable Saint has in his soul the fervent love that made him say in the amphitheatre, when asked by the Proconsul to curse his Divine Master: \"Six-and-eighty years have I served Him, and he has never done me any wrong; nay, he has laden me with kindness. How could I blaspheme my King, who has saved me?\" After having suffered fire and the sword, he was admitted into the presence of this King his Saviour, in reward for the eighty-six years of his faithful service, for the labours he had gone through in order to maintain faith and charity among his flock, and for the cruel death he endured. He was a disciple of St John the Evangelist, whom he imitated by zealously opposing the heretics, who were then striving to corrupt the faith. In obedience to the command of his holy Master,² he refused to hold intercourse with Marcion, the heresiarch, whom he called the first-born of Satan. This energetic adversary of the proud sect that denied the mystery of the Incarnation, wrote an admirable Epistle to the Philippians, in which we find these words: Whosoever confesses not that Jesus Christ came in the flesh, is an Antichrist. Polycarp, then, had a right to the honour of standing near the Crib, in which the Son of God shows himself to us in all his loveliness, and clothed in flesh like unto our own. Let us honour this disciple of John, this friend of Ignatius, this Bishop of the Apostolic Age, whose praise was pronounced by Jesus Christ himself in the Revelations of Patmos. Our Saviour said to him by the mouth of Saint John: Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.³ Polycarp was faithful even unto death, and has received his crown; and whilst we are celebrating the coming of his King among us, he is one of the Saints who assist us to profit by the holy season. The Church gives us a passage from St Jerome's book, On Ecclesiastical Writers, in which there is contained the following short notice of our holy Martyr. Polycarpus, Joannis Apostoli discipulus, et ab eo Smyrnæ Episcopus ordinatus, totius Asiæ princeps fuit; quippe qui nonnullos Apostolorum, et eorum qui viderant Dominum, magistros habuerit et viderit. Hic propter quasdam super die Paschæ quæstiones, sub Imperatore Antonino Pio, Ecclesiam in Urbe regente Aniceto, Romam venit: ubi plurimos credentium, Marcionis et Valentini persuasione deceptos, reduxit ad fidem. Cumque ei fortuito obviam fuisset Marcion, et diceret: Cognoscis nos? respondit: Cognosco primogenitum diaboli. Postea vero regnante Marco Antonino et Lucio Aurelio Commodo, quarta post Neronem persecutione, Smyrnæ sedente proconsule, et universo populo in amphitheatro adversus eum personante, igni traditus est. Scripsit ad Philippenses valde utilem", "keywords": [ "church", "didst", "christ", "holy", "chrysostom", "faith", "faithful", "lord", "earth", "polycarp", "john", "world", "saint", "jesus", "heaven", "word", "life", "against", "divine", "people" ], "saints": [ "St. JOHN", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Matt", "St. POLYCARP", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Pet", "St. Polycarp" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ix. 16", "1 Corinthians x. 22", "1 Peter ii. 25", "1 Timothy vi. 7", "2 Timothy ii. 9", "Acts ix. 5", "Apocalypse ii. 10", "Apocalypse ii. 8", "Genesis ii. 24", "John c.", "John i. 10", "Matthew xix. 6", "Matthew xviii. 20", "Matthew xxiv. 35", "Matthew xxviii. 20", "Peter i.", "Philippians i. 21", "Psalms ciii. 32", "Psalms xxiii. 1" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_28", "title": "JANUARY 28", "anchor": "january_28", "text": "SAINT AGNES HER SECOND FEAST Five days after the martyrdom of the Virgin Emerentiana, the parents of the glorious Saint Agnes visited the tomb of their child, during the night, there to weep and pray. It was the eighth day since her martyrdom. Whilst they were thinking upon the cruel death, which, though it had enriched their child with a Martyr's palm, had deprived them of her society, Agnes suddenly appeared to them: she was encircled with a bright light, and wore a crown on her head, and was surrounded by a choir of virgins of dazzling beauty. On her right hand there stood a beautiful white lamb, the emblem of the Divine Spouse of Agnes. Turning towards her parents, she said to them: 'Weep not over my death: for I am now in heaven, together with these virgins, living with him whom I loved on earth with my whole soul.' It is to commemorate this glorious apparition that the holy Church has instituted this Feast, which is called Saint Agnes' Second Feast (Sanctæ Agnetis secundo). Let us pray to this fervent spouse of the Divine Lamb, that she intercede for us with him, and present us to him in this life, until it be given to us to possess him face to face in heaven. Let us unite with the Church in the following Prayer, which she uses in today's Office: ANT. Stans a dextris ejus Agnus nive candidior, Christus sibi Sponsam et Martyrem consecravit. ANT. Standing at her right hand as a Lamb whiter than snow, Christ consecrated her to himself as his Spouse and Martyr. ℣. Specie tua, et pulchritudine tua. ℟. Intende, prospere procede et regna. ℣. With thy comeliness and thy beauty. ℟. Set out, proceed prosperously, and reign. OREMUS Deus qui nos annua beatæ Agnetis Virginis et Martyris tuæ solemnitate lætificas: da quæsumus, ut quam veneramur officio, etiam piæ conversationis sequamur exemplo. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. LET US PRAY O God, who rejoicest us by the yearly solemnity of blessed Agnes, the Virgin and Martyr: grant, we beseech thee, that we may imitate her life to whose memory we pay this honour. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. THE SAME DAY", "keywords": [ "agnes", "saint", "feast", "pray", "martyr", "lamb", "spouse", "second", "martyrdom", "virgin", "parents", "glorious", "child", "weep", "death", "virgins", "beauty", "right", "hand", "divine" ], "saints": [ "St. AGNES", "St. Agnes" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "THE_BLESSED_CHARLEMAGNE", "title": "THE BLESSED CHARLEMAGNE", "anchor": "the_blessed_charlemagne", "text": "EMPEROR In many Churches, especially in Germany, there is kept, on the second Feast of the Martyr Agnes, the Feast of the pious Emperor Charlemagne. The Emmanuel, who is come into this world, is to receive the title of King of kings and Lord of lords; he is to gird himself with the sword, and bring all nations into subjection; what could be more fitting than that he should lead to his Crib the greatest of Christian Princes, who ever made it his glory to use his sword in the service of Christ and his Church? Charlemagne was held as a Saint by the people, and the decree of his canonization was given by the Antipope Paschal the Third, in the year 1165, at the request of Frederic Barbarossa; on which account, the Holy See has permitted this public veneration to be continued in all those places where it prevailed, though it has never given its approval to the informal procedure of Paschal, nor made it valid by its own sentence, which it would, in all probability, have done had the request been made. At the same time, the many Churches, which, now for seven centuries, have honoured the memory of Charlemagne, keep his Feast under the simple title of Blessed, out of respect to the Roman Martyrology, where his name is not inserted. Before the Reformation, the name of Blessed Charlemagne was inscribed in the Calendar of a great many of the Churches in France; the Breviaries of Rheims and Rouen are the only ones that have retained it. The Church of Paris ceased to keep his Feast, in order to satisfy the prejudices of several Doctors of the University, in the early part of the 16th century. Protestantism had, naturally enough, an antipathy for a man, who was the noblest type of a Catholic Prince: and they who were tainted with the spirit of Protestantism, defended their blotting out the name of Charlemagne from the Calendar, not so much by the informality of his Canonization, as by the scandal which they affected to find in his life. Public opinion was formed on this, as on so many other matters, with extreme levity; and among those who will be surprised at finding the name of Charlemagne in this volume, we quite expect that they will be the most astonished who have never taken the trouble to inquire into the holiness of his life. More than thirty Churches in Germany still keep the Feast of the great Emperor. His dear Church of Aix-la-Chapelle possesses his Relics and exposes them to the veneration of the people. The University of Paris, strange to say, chose him for its Patron in 1661; but his Feast, which had been given up for more than a century, was only restored as a national holiday, without the slightest allusion being made to it in the Liturgy. It does not enter into the plan of this work to discuss the reasons, for which public veneration has been", "keywords": [ "church", "charlemagne", "emperor", "king", "kings", "life", "christian", "didst", "feast", "christ", "holy", "people", "prince", "father", "power", "charles", "nations", "blessed", "honour", "faith" ], "saints": [ "St. Adrian the First", "St. James", "St. Leo the Third", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_29", "title": "JANUARY 29", "anchor": "january_29", "text": "SAINT FRANCIS OF SALES BISHOP The angelical Bishop Francis of Sales has a right to a distinguished position near the Crib of Jesus, on account of the sweetness of his virtues, the childlike simplicity of his heart, and the humility and tenderness of his love. He comes with the lustre of his glorious conquests upon him—seventy-two thousand heretics converted to the Church by the ardour of his charity; an Order of holy servants of God, which he founded; and countless thousands of souls trained to piety by his prudent and persuasive words and writings. God gave him to the Church at the very time that heresy was holding her out to the world as a worn-out system, that had no influence over men's minds. He raised up this true minister of the Gospel in the very country where the harsh doctrines of Calvin were most in vogue, that the ardent charity of Francis might counteract the sad influence of that heresy. If you want heretics to be convinced of their errors, said the learned Cardinal du Perron, you may send them to me; but if you want them to be converted, send them to the Bishop of Geneva. Francis of Sales was sent, then, as a living image of Jesus, opening his arms and calling sinners to repentance, the victims of heresy to truth, the just to perfection, and all men to confidence and love. The Holy Spirit had rested on him with all his divine power and sweetness. A few days back we were meditating on the Baptism of Jesus, and how the Holy Ghost descended upon him in the shape of a dove. There is an incident in the life of Francis which reminds us of this great Mystery. He was singing Mass on Whit Sunday at Annecy. A dove, which had been let into the Cathedral, after flying for a long time round the building, at length came into the sanctuary, and rested on the Saint's head. The people could not but be impressed with this circumstance, which they looked on as an appropriate symbol of Francis' loving spirit; just as the globe of fire which appeared above the head of St Martin, when he was offering up the Holy Sacrifice, was interpreted as a sign of his apostolic zeal. The same thing happened to our Saint on another occasion. It was the Feast of our Lady's Nativity, and Francis was officiating at Vespers in the Collegiate Church at Annecy. He was seated on a Throne, the carving of which represented the Tree of Jesse, which the prophet Isaias tells us produced the virginal Branch, whence sprang the divine Flower, on which there rested the Spirit of love. They were singing the psalms of the feast, when a dove flew into the Church, through an aperture in one of the windows of the choir, on the epistle side of the Altar. It flew about for some moments, and then lighted first on the Bishop's shoulder, then on", "keywords": [ "jesus", "holy", "francis", "love", "church", "divine", "sweetness", "dear", "saint", "bishop", "feast", "heart", "spirit", "john", "sweet", "souls", "world", "geneva", "mary", "lord" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. FRANCIS", "St. Francis", "St. Jane", "St. John", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Joseph", "St. Martin", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "John iii. 18", "Matthew v. 4" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_30", "title": "JANUARY 30", "anchor": "january_30", "text": "SAINT MARTINA VIRGIN AND MARTYR FOURTH Roman Virgin, wearing on her brow a martyr's crown, comes today to share the honours given to Agnes, Emerentiana, and Prisca, and offer her palm to the Lamb. Her name is Martina, which the pagans were wont to give to their daughters in honour of their god of war. Her sacred relics repose at the foot of the Capitoline hill, in the ancient temple of Mars, which has now become the beautiful Church of Saint Martina. The holy ambition to render herself worthy of him whom she had chosen as her divine Spouse, gave her courage to suffer torments and death for his sake; so that of her, as of the rest of the martyrs, we may say those words of the Liturgy, she washed her robes in the Blood of the Lamb. Our Emmanuel is the Mighty God, the Lord that is mighty in war;¹ not, like the Mars of the pagans, needing the sword to win his battles. He vanquishes his enemies by meekness, patience, and innocence, as in the martyrdom of today's Saint, whose victory was grander than was ever won by Rome's boasted warriors. This illustrious Virgin, who is one of the Patrons of the City of Rome, is honoured by having her praises sung by one of the Popes. It was Urban the Eighth who wrote the Hymns which are recited on her feast, and which we subjoin to the Lessons which recount the glorious combats of our Saint. Martina Virgo Romana patre consulari, illustri genere nata, teneris adhuc annis orbata parentibus, christianæ pietatis ardore succensa, divitias quibus affluebat, mira in pauperes liberalitate distribuit. Sub Alexandro principe cum deos inanes colere juberetur, immane facinus summa libertate detestatur. Quapropter iterum atque iterum affecta verberibus, uncis, ungulis ferreis, testarum fragmentis lacerata, acutissimis gladiis membratim concisa, adipe ferventi peruncta, demum in amphitheatro damnatur ad bestias: a quibus illæsa divinitus evadens, in ardentem rogum injecta, incolumis pari beneficio servatur. Martina, a noble virgin of Rome, was the daughter of a Consul. Having lost her parents when a child, and being exceedingly fervent in the practice of the Christian religion, she was singularly charitable to the poor, and distributed among them her immense riches. During the reign of Alexander Severus, she was ordered to worship the false gods, but most courageously refused to commit so detestable a crime. Whereupon she was several times scourged; her flesh was torn with iron hooks and nails, and with potsherds, and her whole body was cut with most sharp swords; she was scalded with boiling oil, and was at length condemned to be devoured by wild beasts in the amphitheatre; but being miraculously left untouched by them, she was thrown on a burning pile, from which she also escaped unhurt, by the same divine power. Ex ejus tortoribus nonnulli miraculi novitate correpti, Dei aspirante gratia, Christi fidem amplexi, post cruciatus gloriosam martyrii palmam, capitis abscissione promeruere. Ad ejusdem preces nunc terræ motibus exortis, nunc ignibus e cœlo tonante", "keywords": [ "martina", "saint", "rome", "city", "virgin", "holy", "heaven", "martyr", "name", "church", "divine", "enemies", "praises", "urban", "christian", "riches", "christi", "prayers", "mars", "death" ], "saints": [ "St. MARTINA", "St. Martina" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias ix. 6", "Psalms xxiii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "JANUARY_31", "title": "JANUARY 31", "anchor": "january_31", "text": "SAINT PETER NOLASCO CONFESSOR THE Ransomer of Captives, Peter Nolasco, is thus brought before us by the Calendar, a few days after the Feast of his master, Raymund of Pennafort. Both of them offer to the Divine Redeemer the thousands of Christians they ransomed from slavery. It is an appropriate homage, for it was the result of the Charity which first began in Bethlehem, in the heart of the Infant Jesus, and was afterwards so fervently practised by these two Saints. Peter was born in France, but made Spain his adopted country, because it offered him such grand opportunities for zeal and self-sacrifice. In imitation of our Redeemer, he devoted himself to the ransom of his brethren; he made himself a prisoner to procure them their liberty; and remained in exile, that they might once more enjoy the blessings of home. His devotedness was blessed by God. He founded a new Religious Order in the Church, composed of generous-hearted men, who for six hundred years prayed, toiled, and spent their lives in obtaining the blessing of liberty for countless captives, who would else have led their whole lives in chains, exposed to the imminent danger of losing their faith. Glory to the Blessed Mother of God, who raised up these ransomers of Captives! Glory to the Catholic Church, whose children they were! But above all glory be to our Emmanuel, who, on his entrance into this world, thus spoke to his Eternal Father: Sacrifice and oblation thou wouldst not, neither are they pleasing to thee; but a Body thou hast fitted unto me. Then said I, Behold I come:¹ that is, Behold, I come to offer myself as a Sacrifice. The Divine Infant has deigned to call us his brethren, and has given himself for our salvation; it is this same spirit of charity which made St Peter Nolasco devote his life to his suffering fellow-men. Our Lord rewarded him by calling him to heaven at that very hour wherein twelve hundred years before he himself had been born at Bethlehem. It was during the joyful celebrations of Christmas night that the liberator of so many from bodily captivity was united for ever to the Divine Liberator of souls. Peter's last hymn on earth was the 110th Psalm: and as his faltering voice uttered the words: He hath sent redemption to his people; he hath commanded his covenant for ever, his soul took its flight to heaven. The Church, in fixing a day for the feast of our Saint, could not of course take the anniversary of his death, which belongs so exclusively to Jesus: but it was just that he, who had been honoured with being born to heaven at the very hour which God had chosen for the Birth of his Son upon the earth, should receive the tribute of our festive commemoration on one of the forty days of Christmas; this last day of January was selected. Let us now learn from the Liturgy the claims of", "keywords": [ "love", "jesus", "peter", "didst", "ignatius", "christ", "beasts", "captives", "holy", "wild", "divine", "order", "church", "whole", "world", "wast", "sacrifice", "heaven", "pray", "antioch" ], "saints": [ "St. IGNATIUS", "St. Ignatius", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. PETER", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Peter the Apostle", "St. Raymond of Pennafort" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles vi. 3", "Galatians i. 18", "Hebrews x. 5", "John iv. 16", "Peter i.", "Psalms xxxix. 7", "Romans viii. 21" ] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "FEBRUARY_2", "title": "FEBRUARY 2", "anchor": "february_2", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 3, "section": "THE_PURIFICATION_OF_THE_BLESSED_VIRGIN", "title": "THE PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN", "anchor": "the_purification_of_the_blessed_virgin", "text": "The Forty Days of Mary's Purification are now completed, and she must go up to the Temple, there to offer to God her Child Jesus. Before following the Son and his Mother in this their mysterious journey, let us spend our last few moments at Bethlehem, in lovingly pondering over the mysteries at which we are going to assist. The Law commanded that a woman who had given birth to a son should not approach the Tabernacle for the term of forty days; after which time she was to offer a sacrifice for her purification. She was to offer up a lamb as a holocaust, and a turtle or dove as a sin-offering. But if she were poor, and could not provide a lamb, she was to offer in its stead a second turtle or dove. By another ordinance of the Law, every first-born son was to be considered as belonging to God, and was to be redeemed by five sicles, each sicle weighing, according to the standard of the Temple, twenty obols.¹ Mary was a Daughter of Israel—she had given birth to Jesus—he was her First-born Son. Could such a Mother and such a Son be included in the laws we have just cited? Was it becoming that Mary should observe them? If she considered the spirit of these legal enactments, and why God required the ceremony of Purification, it was evident that she was not bound to them. They for whom these laws had been made were espoused to men; Mary was the chaste Spouse of the Holy Ghost, a Virgin in conceiving and a Virgin in giving birth to her Son; her purity had ever been spotless as that of the Angels; but it received an incalculable increase by her carrying the God of all sanctity in her womb, and bringing him into this world. Moreover, when she reflected upon her Child being the Creator and Sovereign Lord of all things, how could she suppose that he was to be submitted to the humiliation of being ransomed as a slave, whose life and person are not his own? ¹ Lev. xii; Num. iii 47. The Obol was about three halfpence of English money. And yet the Holy Spirit revealed to Mary that she must comply with both these laws. She, the holy Mother of God, must go to the Temple like other Hebrew mothers, as though she had lost something which needed restoring by a legal sacrifice. He that is the Son of God and Son of Man must be treated in all things as though he were a servant, and be ransomed in common with the poorest Jewish boy. Mary adores the will of God, and embraces it with her whole heart. The Son of God was only to be made known to the world by gradual revelations. For thirty years he led a hidden life in the insignificant village of Nazareth; and during all that time men took him to be the son of Joseph!¹", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "jesus", "simeon", "temple", "mary", "glory", "mother", "israel", "autem", "domine", "deus", "arms", "light", "child", "blessed", "tuum", "life", "church", "people" ], "saints": [ "St. Anselm", "St. Bernard", "St. Gall", "St. Gelasius", "St. Ivo of Chartres", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Paulinus" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ix.", "1 Corinthians xiii.", "2 Corinthians xi.", "Aggeus ii. 5", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 1", "Canticle of Canticles vii. 1", "Corinthians i.", "Corinthians ii.", "Daniel x. 11", "Isaias c.", "John iv. 35", "Leviticus xii.", "Luke c.", "Luke ii.", "Luke ii. 29", "Luke ii. 34", "Luke ii. 38", "Luke ii. 52", "Luke iii. 23", "Luke x. 2", "Luke xii. 35", "Luke xxi. 6", "Malachias iii.", "Matthew c.", "Matthew ii. 23", "Numbers iii. 47", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF SEPTUAGESIMA The season upon which we are now entering is expressive of several profound mysteries. But these mysteries belong not only to the three weeks which are preparatory to Lent: they continue throughout the whole period of time which separates us from the great feast of Easter. ¹ Cap. Hi duo. De consec. Dist. 1 The number seven is the basis of all these mysteries. We have already seen how the holy Church came to introduce the season of Septuagesima into her calendar. Let us now meditate on the doctrine hidden under the symbols of her liturgy. And first, let us listen to St. Augustine, who thus gives us the clue to the whole of our season's mysteries. \"There are two times,\" says the holy Doctor: \"one which is now, and is spent in the temptations and tribulations of this life; the other which shall be then, and shall be spent in eternal security and joy. In figure of these, we celebrate two periods: the time before Easter, and the time after Easter. That which is before Easter signifies the sorrow of this present life; that which is after Easter, the blessedness of our future state. . . . Hence it is that we spend the first in fasting and prayer; and in the second we give up our fasting, and give ourselves to praise.\"¹ The Church, the interpreter of the sacred Scriptures, often speaks to us of two places, which correspond with these two times of St. Augustine. These two places are Babylon and Jerusalem. Babylon is the image of this world of sin, in the midst whereof the Christian has to spend his years of probation; Jerusalem is the heavenly country, where he is to repose after all his trials. The people of Israel, whose whole history is but one great type of the human race, was banished from Jerusalem and kept in bondage in Babylon. Now, this captivity, which kept the Israelites exiles from Sion, lasted seventy years; and it is to express this mystery, as Alcuin, Amalarius, Ivo of Chartres, and all the great liturgists tell us, that the Church fixed the number of seventy for the days of expiation. It is true, there are but sixty-three days between Septuagesima and Easter; but the ¹ Enarrations; Ps. cxlviii. Church, according to the style so continually used in the sacred Scriptures, uses the round number instead of the literal and precise one. The duration of the world itself, according to the ancient Christian tradition, is divided into seven ages. The human race must pass through seven ages before the dawning of the day of eternal life. The first age included the time from the creation of Adam to Noah; the second begins with Noah and the renovation of the earth by the deluge, and ends with the vocation of Abraham; the third opens with this first formation of God's chosen people, and continues as far as Moses, through whom God gave the Law; the", "keywords": [ "easter", "seven", "church", "holy", "babylon", "septuagesima", "season", "mysteries", "jerusalem", "weeks", "life", "future", "return", "having", "during", "continue", "whole", "number", "world", "years" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians v. 6", "Colossians ii. 12", "Ecclesiasticus xv. 9", "Psalms cxlviii.", "Psalms cxxxvi." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING SEPTUAGESIMA The joys of Christmastide seem to have fled far from us. The forty days of gladness brought us by the birth of our Emmanuel are gone. The atmosphere of holy Church has grown overcast, and we are warned that the gloom is still to thicken. Have we, then, for ever lost Him whom we so anxiously and longingly sighed after during the four slow weeks of our Advent? Has our divine Sun of justice, that rose so brightly in Bethlehem, now stopped His course, and left our guilty earth? Not so. The Son of God, the Child of Mary, has not left us. The Word was made Flesh in order that He might dwell among us. A glory far greater than that of His birth, when angels sang their hymns, awaits Him, and we are to share it with Him. Only, He must win this new and greater glory by strange, countless sufferings; He must purchase it by a most cruel and ignominious death: and we, if we would have our share in the triumph of His Resurrection, must follow Him in the way of the cross, all wet with the tears and the Blood He shed for us. The grave, maternal voice of the Church will soon be heard, inviting us to the lenten penance; but she wishes us to prepare for this \"laborious baptism,\" by employing these three weeks in considering the deep wounds caused in our souls by sin. True, the beauty and loveliness of the little Child born to us in Bethlehem, are great beyond measure; but our souls are so needy that they require other lessons than those He gave us of humility and simplicity. Our Jesus is the Victim of the divine justice, and He has now attained the fullness of His age; the altar, on which He has to be slain, is ready: and since it is for us that He is to be sacrificed, we should at once set ourselves to consider what are the debts we have contracted towards that infinite justice, which is about to punish the innocent One instead of us the guilty. The mystery of a God becoming Incarnate for the love of His creature, has opened to us the path of the illuminative way; but we have not yet seen the brightest of its light. Let not our hearts be troubled; the divine wonders we witnessed at Bethlehem are to be surpassed by those that are to grace the day of our Jesus' triumph: but, that our eye may contemplate these future mysteries, it must be purified by courageously looking into the deep abyss of our own personal miseries. God will grant us His divine light for the discovery; and if we come to know ourselves, to understand the grievousness of original sin, to see the malice of our own sins, and to comprehend, at least in some degree, the infinite mercy of God towards us, we shall be prepared for the holy expiations", "keywords": [ "septuagesima", "church", "divine", "during", "order", "pain", "spirit", "country", "days", "holy", "justice", "bethlehem", "glory", "souls", "creature", "mercy", "joys", "birth", "weeks", "left" ], "saints": [ "St. Mark", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus v. 5", "Mark xiii. 37", "Matthew xi. 12", "Philippians i. 28", "Psalms cii. 3", "Psalms cxix.", "Psalms vi. 3", "Romans viii. 22" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR SEPTUAGESIMA During the season of Septuagesima, the Christian, on awaking in the morning, should unite himself with the Church, who, at the first dawn of day, begins her Psalms of Lauds with these words of the royal prophet: Miserere mei Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. He should, after this, profoundly adore that great God, before whom the sinner should tremble, but whom he fears not to offend, as though deserving neither reverence nor love. It is with this deep sentiment of holy fear, 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 PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the most holy Trinity: V. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu: R. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. V. Let us bless the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. R. Let us praise him and extol him above all, for ever. V. Gloria Patri et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto; R. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. R. Because by thy holy cross thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire 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; 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 cælis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua sicut in cælo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: et ne nos inducas in tentationem: sed libera nos a malo. Amen. 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "amen", "domine", "mercy", "christ", "deus", "blessed", "church", "mother", "virgin", "ever", "pray", "sins", "nobis", "queen", "mater", "regina", "heaven", "prayers" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING THE SEASON OF SEPTUAGESIMA The Christian who enters into the spirit of the Church during the season of Septuagesima, will find an increase in his soul of that holy fear of God, which the psalmist tells us is the beginning of wisdom.¹ The consideration of what original sin has brought upon him, the recollection of his own sins, and the dread of God's judgments, all combine to arouse him from the indifference which so easily fastens on the soul. He has need, therefore, of some refuge, some powerful and saving help, which may re-enkindle within his heart that Christian hope, without which he cannot be in the grace of God. Nay more: he has need of a victim of propitiation, which may appease the divine anger; he has need of a sacrifice, whereby to stay the arm of God, which he knows is raised to punish his sins. This Victim is ready; this infinitely efficacious Sacrifice is prepared for us. The Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world, is still on our earth. His birth has filled us with consolation; the joy we experienced as we stood near His crib, but which has suddenly given place to thoughts the very opposite of joy, will return to us, and be greater than when we had it at Christmas, on the Easter day of His Resurrection: but in the interval, while awaiting the dawn of that bright day which is to lead us to our Jesus purified from our sins and vigorous with our new life, we may and must trust that His merits will effect the regeneration of our souls. When, therefore, we would offer to our God the sacrifice of 'a contrite and humble heart,' let us ensure its acceptance by going to the altar, and supplicating the Victim, who there offers Himself for our sake, that He join His infinite merits with our feeble works. When we leave the house of God, the weight of our sins will be lessened, our confidence in divine mercy will be increased, and our love, renewed by compunction, will be firmer and truer. 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 formulæ, but by suggesting such acts as will enable those who hear Mass to enter into the ceremonies and the spirit of the Church and of the priest. On the three Sundays, of Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima, the Mass is always celebrated according to the rite of the penitential season we are now keeping. These Sundays take precedence of all feasts, except Doubles of the First Class. Ash Wednesday does not admit of even that exception; the Mass of that feria is never omitted. But when a saint's feast (and there are many such during the time of Septuagesima) falls on any other day than the four", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "amen", "holy", "altar", "jesus", "domine", "father", "deus", "church", "divine", "mercy", "sins", "christ", "sacrifice", "world", "prayer", "nobis", "ever", "heaven" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Pet" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Corinthians xv. 53", "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Peter i. 4", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "John c.", "Lamentations iii. 25", "Psalms cx. 10" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING SEPTUAGESIMA We have already said that the Christian who, by the meditations suitable to the spirit of Septuagesima, has come to a clearer knowledge, not only of the sad consequences of original sin, but also of the malice of his own personal faults, should be all the more eager to assist at the holy Sacrifice, wherein is offered the Victim of man's salvation. But now that his own unworthiness is more than ever evident to him, ought he to abstain from partaking, by holy Communion, of this life-giving and purifying Host? Such is not our Saviour's will. He came down from heaven, not to judge, but to save us.¹ He knows how long and rugged is the road we have to traverse, before we reach that happy day, on which we shall rest with Him, in the joy of His Resurrection. He has compassion on us; He fears lest we faint in the way;² and He, therefore, offers us the divine food, which gives life and strength to our souls, and refreshes them in their toil. We feel that our hearts are not yet pure enough; let us, then, with a humble and contrite heart, go to Him who has come that He may restore to our souls their original beauty. Let us, at all times, remember the solemn injunction, which this Saviour so graciously deigned to give us: 'Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, ye shall not have life in you.'³ If, therefore, sin has no longer dominion over us; if we have destroyed it by true sorrow and sincere confession, made efficacious by the absolution of God's priest: let us not deprive ourselves of the Bread of life,⁴ no matter how great soever our infirmities may seem; for it is for us that our Jesus has prepared the feast. If we feel that the chains of sin are still upon us; if by self-examination, made with the light of the truth that is now granted to us, we discover in our souls certain stains, which the false principles of the world and too easy a conscience have hitherto made us overlook; let us lose no time, let us make a good confession: and when we have made our peace with the God of mercy, let us approach the holy Table, and receive the pledge of our reconciliation. Yes, let us go to holy Communion, during this season of Septuagesima, with a most heart-felt conviction of our unworthiness. It may be that hitherto we have sometimes gone with too much familiarity, on account of our not sufficiently understanding our nothingness, our misery, and the infinite holiness of the God who thus unites Himself with His sinful creatures. Henceforth, our heart shall be more truthful; blending together the two sentiments of humility and confidence, we will say, with an honest conviction, those words of the centurion of the Gospel, which the Church puts upon our lips, when she is distributing to us", "keywords": [ "love", "heart", "holy", "communion", "life", "jesus", "infinite", "soul", "feel", "nothingness", "know", "poor", "believe", "myself", "loving", "during", "septuagesima", "heaven", "divine", "souls" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John iii. 17", "John vi. 54", "John vi. 58", "Matthew viii. 8", "Matthew xv. 32" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING SEPTUAGESIMA The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, 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 attention to what is most in harmony with the spirit of Septuagesima. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: ℣. Deus in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto: Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Laus tibi, Domine, Rex æternæ gloriæ. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Praise be to thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ANT. The Lord said. The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. It shows us His triumph; after His humiliations and His cross, the Man-God shall sit on the right hand of His Father. Moreover, He is to come again into this world, to judge it, and to crush the proud heads of sinners. Whilst thus celebrating His glory, let us not forget His justice. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: * propterea exaltabit caput. ANT. Dixit Dominus Domino meo, sede a dextris meis. ANT. Magna opera Domini. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. O 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, O 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 coming, he", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "dominus", "blessed", "psalm", "domino", "domini", "sæculum", "praise", "name", "glory", "domine", "sicut", "amen", "opera", "works", "fear", "nomen", "dominum" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great" ], "scripture": [ "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE DURING SEPTUAGESIMA Turis Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: V. Jube, domne, benedi- cere. The priest answers : Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. R. Amen. Pray, father, give me thy blessing. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. R. Amen, The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter : Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate : quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens circuit quserens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis, Brethren, be sober and watch : because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour : whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us, COMPLINE The choir answers: R. Deo gratias. Then, the priest: V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. The choir : R. Qui fecit ccelum et terram. R. Thanks be to God. V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. R. Who hath made heaven and earth. Then the Lord's Prayer i8 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 everlast- vitam eternam. ing life. The priest having answered Amen, the choir repeats the Confiteor, thus: Confiteor Deo omnipo- lenti, beat: Marie semper Virgini; beato Michaeli archangelo, beato Joanni Baptiste, sanctis apostolis Petro et Pavlo, omnibus sanctis, et tibi, pater: quia peccavi nimis cogitatione, verbo, et opere : mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa. Ideo precor beatam Mariam semper Virginem, beatum Michaelem arch- angelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos aposto- los Petrum et Paulum, omnes sanctos, et te, pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to thee, father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed; through my fault, through my fauli, through my most grievous fault. \"Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the archangel, blessed John the Daptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, and thee, father, to pray to the Lord our God for me, The priest then says: Misereatur vestri omni- potens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam stcrnam. R. Amen. Indulgentiam, absolutio- nem, et", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "domine", "holy", "mercy", "deus", "blessed", "dominus", "night", "priest", "nobis", "father", "almighty", "psalm", "quoniam", "tuum", "bless", "says", "pater", "ever" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians v. 10", "Jeremias xiv.", "Luke ii." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "THE_FIFTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_fifth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "MASS INTROIT Adorate Deum omnes angeli ejus: audivit et lætata est Sion: et exsultaverunt filiæ Judæ. Ps. Dominus regnavit: exsultet terra, lætentur insulæ multæ. ℣. Gloria Patri. Adorate. Adore God, all ye his angels: Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. Ps. The Lord hath reigned: let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad. ℣. Glory, etc. Adore. COLLECT Familiam tuam, quæsumus Domine, continua pietate custodi: ut quæ in sola spe gratiæ cœlestis innititur, tua semper protectione muniatur. Per Dominum. Preserve, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy family by thy constant mercy; that, as it leans solely on the hope of heavenly grace, it may always be defended by thy protection. Through, etc. SECOND COLLECT A cunctis nos, quæsumus Domine, mentis et corporis defende periculis: et intercedente beata et gloriosa semper Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beato Joseph, beatis apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo atque beato N. et omnibus sanctis, salutem nobis tribue benignus et pacem; ut destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis, Ecclesia tua secura tibi serviat libertate. Preserve us, O Lord, we beseech thee, from all dangers of soul and body: and by the intercession of the glorious and blessed Mary, the ever Virgin Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of thy blessed apostles, Peter and Paul, of blessed N. (here is mentioned the titular saint of the church), and of all the saints, grant us in thy mercy, health and peace; that all adversities and errors being removed, thy Church may serve thee with undisturbed liberty. A third Collect is added, at the choice of the priest. EPISTLE Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Colossenses. Cap. iii. Fratres, induite vos, sicut electi Dei, sancti, et dilecti, viscera misericordiæ, benignitatem, humilitatem, modestiam, patientiam, supportantes invicem, et donantes vobismetipsis, si quis adversus aliquem habet querelam: sicut et Dominus donavit vobis, ita et vos. Super omnia autem hæc, charitatem habete, quod est vinculum perfectionis: et pax Christi exsultet in cordibus vestris, in qua et vocati estis in uno corpore: et grati estote. Verbum Christi habitet in vobis abundanter, in omni sapientia, docentes, et commonentes vosmetipsos, psalmis, hymnis, et canticis spiritualibus, in gratia cantantes in cordibus vestris Deo. Omne quodcumque facitis, in verbo aut in opere, omnia in nomine Domini nostri Jesu Christi, gratias agentes Deo et Patri per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Colossians. Ch. iii. Brethren, put ye on therefore as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another; even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection; and let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in", "keywords": [ "lord", "cockle", "blessed", "wheat", "gather", "domine", "church", "autem", "mercy", "things", "christ", "jesus", "alleluia", "zizania", "good", "field", "dominus", "glory", "quæsumus", "dominum" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians i.", "Colossians c.", "Matthew c." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "THE_SIXTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_sixth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "MASS INTROIT Adorate Deum omnes angeli ejus: audivit et lætata est Sion: et exsultaverunt filiæ Judææ. Adore God, all ye his angels: Sion heard and was glad, and the daughters of Juda rejoiced. Ps. Dominus regnavit: exsultet terra, lætentur insulæ multæ. ℣. Gloria Patri. Adorate. Ps. The Lord hath reigned: let the earth rejoice, let many islands be glad. ℣. Glory, etc. Adore. COLLECT Præsta quæsumus omnipotens Deus: ut semper rationabilia meditantes, quæ tibi sunt placita et dictis exsequamur et factis. Per Dominum. Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that, ever meditating on such things as are reasonable, we may, both in word and deed, carry out the things which are pleasing unto thee. Through, etc. For the other Collects, see page 94. EPISTLE Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Thessalonicenses. 1 Cap. i. Fratres, gratias agimus Deo semper pro omnibus vobis, memoriam vestri facientes in orationibus nostris sine intermissione, memores operis fidei vestræ, et laboris, et charitatis, et sustinentiæ spei Domini nostri Jesu Christi, ante Deum et Patrem nostrum: scientes, fratres dilecti a Deo, electionem vestram: quia Evangelium nostrum non fuit ad vos in sermone tantum, sed et in virtute, et in Spiritu sancto, et in plenitudine multa, sicut scitis quales fuerimus in vobis propter vos. Et vos imitatores nostri facti estis et Domini, excipientes verbum in tribulatione multa, cum gaudio Spiritus sancti: ita ut facti sitis forma omnibus credentibus in Macedonia, et in Achaia. A vobis enim diffamatus est sermo Domini, non solum in Macedonia, et in Achaia, sed et in omni loco fides vestra, quæ est ad Deum, profecta est, ita ut non sit nobis necesse quidquam loqui. Ipsi enim de nobis annuntiant qualem introitum habuerimus ad vos: et quomodo conversi estis ad Deum a simulacris, servire Deo vivo, et vero, et exspectare Filium ejus de cœlis (quem suscitavit ex mortuis) Jesum, qui eripuit nos ab ira ventura. Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians. 1 Ch. i. Brethren, we give thanks to God always for you all: making a remembrance of you in our prayers without ceasing: being mindful of the work of your faith, and labour, and charity, and of the enduring of the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before God and our Father; knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election. For our Gospel hath not been to you in word only, but in power also, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much fullness, as you know what manner of men we have been among you for your sakes. And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, receiving the word in much tribulation, with joy of the Holy Ghost; so that you were made a pattern to all that believe, in Macedonia and in Achaia. For from you was spread abroad the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and in Achaia, but also in every place your faith, which is towards God, is gone forth, so that we need not to speak anything.", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "lord", "church", "earth", "heaven", "domine", "quod", "word", "eternal", "hour", "glory", "jesus", "holy", "deus", "things", "septuagesima", "shalt", "adam", "domini", "praise" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Cornelius of Compiègne", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Lawrence", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ix.", "2 Corinthians i.", "Genesis c.", "Matthew c.", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MONDAY_OF_SEPTUAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "MONDAY OF SEPTUAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "monday_of_septuagesima_week", "text": "The serpent said to the woman: 'Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?'¹ Thus opened the conversation, which our mother Eve so rashly consents to hold with God's enemy. She ought to refuse all intercourse with Satan; she does not; and thereby she imperils the salvation of the whole human race. Let us recall to mind the events that have happened up to this fatal hour. God, in His omnipotence and love, has created two beings, upon whom He has lavished all the riches of His goodness. He has destined them for immortality; and this undying life is to have everything that can make it perfectly happy. The whole of nature is made subject to them. A countless posterity is to come from them, and love them with all the tenderness of grateful children. Nay, this God of goodness who has created them, deigns to be on terms of intimacy with them; and such is their simple innocence, that this adorable condescension does not seem strange to them. But there is something far beyond all this. He, whom they have hitherto known by favours of an inferior order, prepares for them a happiness which surpasses all they could picture with every effort of thought. They must first go through a trial; and if faithful, they will receive the great gift as a recompense they have merited. And this is the gift: God will give them to know Him in Himself, make them partakers of His own glory, and make their happiness infinite and eternal. Yes, this is what God has done, and is preparing to do for these two beings, who but a while ago were nothing. ¹ Gen. iii. 1. In return for all these gratuitous and magnificent gifts, God asks of them but one thing: that they acknowledge His dominion over them. Nothing, surely, can be sweeter to them than to make such a return; nothing could be more just. All they are, and all they have, and all the lovely creation around them, has been produced out of nothing by the lavish munificence of this God; they must, then, live for Him, faithful, loving, and grateful. He asks them to give Him one only proof of this fidelity, love, and gratitude: He bids them not to eat of the fruit of one single tree. The only return He asks for all the favours He has bestowed upon them, is the observance of this easy commandment. His sovereign justice will be satisfied by this act of obedience. They ought to accept such terms with hearty readiness, and comply with them with a holy pride, as being not only the tie which will unite them with their God, but the sole means in their power of paying Him what He asks of them. But there comes another voice, the voice of a creature, and it speaks to the woman: 'Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every", "keywords": [ "eden", "tree", "love", "asks", "mihi", "paradise", "goodness", "nothing", "command", "soul", "serpent", "woman", "commanded", "mother", "return", "fruit", "words", "evil", "creator", "anima" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Genesis iii. 1", "Genesis iii. 2", "Genesis iii. 4" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "TUESDAY_OF_SEPTUAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "TUESDAY OF SEPTUAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "tuesday_of_septuagesima_week", "text": "The serpent's promises had stifled, in Eve's heart, every sentiment of love for the God that had created her and loaded her with blessings: she is ambitious to be God like Him! Her faith, too, is wavering; she is not sure that God may not have deceived her, by threatening her with death should she disobey His command. Flushed by pride, she looks up to the forbidden fruit; it seems good to eat, and it is fair to her eyes.¹ So that her senses too conspire against God, and against her own happiness. The sin is already committed in her heart; it needs but a formal act to make it complete. She cares for nothing but self; God is no more heeded than if He did not exist. She stretches forth her daring hand; she plucks the fruit; she puts it to her mouth, and eats! God had said that if she broke His commandment she should die; she has eaten, she has sinned, and yet she lives as before! Her pride exults at this triumph, and, convinced that she is too strong for God's anger to reach her, she resolves on making Adam a partner in her victory. Boldly she hands him the fruit, which she herself has eaten without any evil coming to her. Whether he was emboldened by the impunity of his wife's sin, or, from a feeling of blind affection, wished to share the lot of her who was the 'flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones,' our first father, also, forgets all he owes to his Creator, and, as though there had never been aught of love between him and his God, he basely does as Eve suggests: he eats of the fruit, and by that act ruins himself and all his posterity. No sooner have they broken the tie which united them with God, than they sink into themselves. ¹ Gen. iii. 6. As long as God dwells in the creature, whom He has raised to the supernatural state, his being is complete; but, let that creature drive his God away from himself by sin, and he finds himself in a state worse than nothing—the state of evil. That soul which, a moment before, was so beautiful and pure, is a hideous wreck. Thus is it with our first parents: they stand alone; creatures without God; and an intolerable shame seizes them. They thought to become gods, they aspired at infinite being; see them now:—sinners, the prey of concupiscence. Hitherto, their innocence was their allsufficient garb; the world was obedient to them; they knew not how to blush, and there was nothing to make them fear; but now, they tremble at their own selves, and must needs seek a place wherein to hide. The same self-love that had worked their ruin, had made them forget the greatness and goodness of God, and despise His commandment. Now that they have committed the great sin, the same blindness prevents them from even thinking of", "keywords": [ "eden", "paradisi", "fruit", "nothing", "mihi", "love", "eyes", "hand", "adam", "state", "glory", "serpent", "heart", "pride", "fair", "against", "committed", "needs", "complete", "self" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Genesis iii. 6" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_SEPTUAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF SEPTUAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_of_septuagesima_week", "text": "The guilty pair appear before the great God, whom they have offended; and instead of acknowledging their guilt, they seek to palliate and excuse it. But divine justice pronounces their condemnation, and the sentence will be felt by their posterity, even to the last generation. The two beings, that had committed the heinous crime, had been enriched with every gift of nature and grace. It was not with them, as it is with us. Concupiscence which gives us an inclination for what is wrong; ignorance and forgetfulness which cloud the intellect of fallen man, these miseries had nothing whatever to do with the fall of our first parents. They sinned through sheer ingratitude. They began by weighing the proposal of revolt, when they ought to have spurned it with indignation and conquered by flight. Then, by degrees, the proposed crime seemed no great harm, because, though God would lose their obedience, they would gain by the disobedience! And at length, the love of God was made to give place to the love of self, and they declared their independence! Yet God had mercy on them, because of their posterity. The angels were all created at one and the same instant, and each of them was subjected to the trial, which was to decide his eternal future. Each angel depended on his own act, on his own choice between fidelity to his Creator and rebellion against Him; so that they who rebelled drew on themselves the eternity of God's chastisement. The human race, on the contrary, existed not save as represented in its two first parents, and was plunged by and with them into the abyss of God's reprobation: therefore, God, who spared not the angels, mercifully spared the human race. But let us listen to the three sentences pronounced by God after the fall of man. The first is against the serpent, and is the severest. The curse, which is already upon him, is deepened, and the pardon, which is about to be promised to the human race, is to be given in the form of an anathema against that wicked spirit, that has dared to war with God in the work of His hands. 'I will put enmities between thee and the woman; she shall crush thy head.' Thus does God avenge Himself on His enemy. The victory won over the woman is made to turn against the proud conqueror, and become his humiliation and his defeat. In his fiendish craft, he had directed his first attack, not against the man, but against the woman. She, by nature, was weaker and more credulous; and if he conquered her, he hoped—too well, alas!—that Adam would be led to turn against his Creator, in order not to displease the creature. All happened as he willed it: but now, see how God uses the woman to foil and punish him. He enkindles in her heart an implacable hatred against His and our enemy. This cruel serpent may raise his proud head, and,", "keywords": [ "against", "woman", "fallen", "mercy", "serpent", "posterity", "parents", "creator", "human", "race", "head", "misericors", "miserere", "lapsi", "merciful", "sentence", "crime", "nature", "fall", "conquered" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 14", "Genesis iii. 15", "Luke i. 48" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "THURSDAY_OF_SEPTUAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "THURSDAY OF SEPTUAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "thursday_of_septuagesima_week", "text": "Forgiveness is promised; but atonement must be made. Divine justice must be satisfied, and future generations be taught that sin can never pass unpunished. Eve is the guiltier of the two, and her sentence follows that of the serpent. Destined by God to aid man in peopling the earth with happy and faithful children, formed by this God out of man's own substance 'flesh of his flesh, and bone of his bones,' woman was to be on an equality with man. But sin has subverted this order, and God's sentence is this: conjugal union, notwithstanding the humiliation of concupiscence now brought upon it, is to be, as before, holy and sacred; but it is to be inferior in dignity, before both God and man, to the state of virginity, which disdains the ambitions of the flesh. Secondly, woman shall be mother still, as she would have been in the state of innocence; but her honour shall be a burden. Moreover, she shall give birth to her children amidst cruel pains, and sometimes even death must be the consequence of her infant's coming into the world. The sin of Eve shall thus be memorialized at every birth, and nature shall violently resist the first claims of him, whom sin has made her unwelcome lord. Lastly, she who was at first created to enjoy equality of honour with man, is now to forfeit her independence. Man is to be her superior, and she must obey him. For long ages, this obedience will be no better than slavery; and this degradation shall continue till that Virgin comes, whom the world shall have expected for four thousand years, and whose humility shall crush the serpent's head. She shall restore her sex to its rightful position, and give to Christian woman that influence of gentle persuasiveness, which is compatible with the duty imposed upon her by divine justice, and which can never be remitted: the duty of submission. IN DOMINICA TYROPHAGI. Dominator seculorum omnium Domine, qui me voluntate tua procreasti, dolosi draconis invidia quondam afflictum, teque, Salvator, ad iracundiam concitantem, ne despicias, Deus, sed revoca me. O Lord! King of all ages! who didst create me by thy love; I have been injured by the envy of the crafty serpent, and have provoked thee, my Saviour, to anger: but despise me not, O God! Call me back to thee. Hei mihi! pro stola splendida, turpitudinis indumentis obvolutus, lugeo, Salvator, exitium meum, et fide ad te clamo; ne despicias me, bone Deus, sed revoca. Alas! my bright robe has been changed into this garb of shame. I bewail my ruin, O Saviour, and to thee do I cry with confidence: My good God! Despise me not, but call me back to thee. Serpentium ferarumque dominus effectus, quo pacto serpenti animabus exitiali familiariter congressus es, inimico veluti bono consiliario usus? O errorem tuum, miserrima anima mea! How, my soul, couldst thou, that wast made the lord of serpents and beasts, treat the soul-slaying serpent with familiarity, and", "keywords": [ "serpent", "divine", "flesh", "woman", "lord", "soul", "justice", "never", "sentence", "children", "bone", "equality", "state", "honour", "birth", "world", "ages", "duty", "salvator", "despicias" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FRIDAY_OF_SEPTUAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "FRIDAY OF SEPTUAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "friday_of_septuagesima_week", "text": "The curse, which is henceforth to lie so heavily on every human being, has been expressed in the sentence pronounced against Eve; the curse, to which the earth itself is to be subjected, is Adam's sentence. \"Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work (that is, on account of what thou hast done).\"¹ Adam had excused his sin. God does not admit his excuse; yet He mercifully makes allowance for him, seeing that he sinned, not so much to gratify himself, as to please the frail creature that had been formed out of his own substance. He is not the originator of the disobedient act. God, therefore, sentences him to the personal humiliation of labour and toil, and of eating his bread in the sweat of his brow.² Outside the garden of Eden, there lies the immense desert of the earth. It is to be the valley of tears; and there must Adam dwell in exile for upwards of nine hundred years, with the sad recollection in his heart of the few happy days spent in paradise! This desert is barren: Adam must give it fruitfulness by his toil, and draw from it, by the sweat of his brow, his own and his children's nourishment. If, in after ages, some men shall live without toil, they are the exception confirming the general law and chastisement. They rest, because others have laboured long and hard for them; neither will God ratify their exceptional dispensation from labour, except on the condition that they give encouragement, by their charity and other virtues, to their fellow-men, in whom Adam's sentence is literally carried out. Such is the necessity of toil, that if it be refused, the earth will yield but thorns and thistles;³ such, too, the importance of this law imposed on fallen man, that idleness shall not only corrupt his heart, it shall also enervate his bodily strength. ¹ Gen. iii. 17. ² Gen. iii. 17, 19. ³ Ibid., 18. Before his sin, the trees of paradise bent down their branches, and man fed on their delicious fruits; but now he must till the earth and draw from it, with anxiety and fatigue, the seed which is to give him bread. Nothing could better express the penal relation between him and the earth, from which he was originally formed, and which is henceforth to be his tomb, than this law to which God sentences him, of being indebted to the earth for the nourishment which is to keep him in life. And yet here also divine mercy shall show itself; for, when God shall have been appeased, it shall be granted to man to unite himself to his Creator by eating the Bread of life, which is to come down from heaven, and whose efficacy for the nourishing of our souls shall be greater than ever the fruit of", "keywords": [ "earth", "adam", "eden", "paradise", "mihi", "gate", "toil", "life", "paradisi", "sentence", "against", "tree", "bread", "curse", "henceforth", "formed", "sentences", "labour", "eating", "sweat" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Genesis iii. 17" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "SATURDAY_OF_SEPTUAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "SATURDAY OF SEPTUAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "saturday_of_septuagesima_week", "text": "The sentence pronounced by the Almighty upon our first parents was to fall upon their children to the end of time. We have been considering, during this week of Septuagesima, the penalties of the great sin; but the severest and most humiliating of them all remains to be told. It is the transmission to the whole human race of original sin. It is true that the merits of the promised Redeemer will be applied to each individual man, in the manner established by God at various periods of time: still, this spiritual regeneration, whilst cleansing us from the leprosy which covered us, and restoring us to the dignity of children of God, will not remove every scar of the old wound. It will save us from eternal death, and restore us to life; but, as long as our pilgrimage lasts, we shall be weak and sickly. Thus it is that ignorance makes us short-sighted in those great truths, which should engross all our thoughts; and this fills us with illusions, which, by an unhappy inclination of our will, we cling to and love. Concupiscence is ever striving to make our soul a slave to the body; and in order to escape this tyranny, our life has to be one continual struggle. An unruly love for independence is unceasingly making us desire to be our own masters, and forget that we were born to obey. We find pleasure in sin, whereas virtue rewards us with nothing, in this life, save the consciousness of our having done our duty. Knowing all this, we are filled with admiration and love when we think of thee, O Mary! thou purest of God's creatures. Thou art our sister in nature; thou art a daughter of Eve; but thou wast conceived without sin, and art therefore the honour of the human race. Thou art of the same flesh and blood as ourselves; and yet thou art immaculate. The divine decree, which condemned us to inherit the disgrace of original sin, could not include thy most pure conception; and the serpent felt, as thy foot crushed his haughty head, that thou hadst never been under his power. In thee, O Mary! we find our nature such as it was when our God first created it. Hail, then, spotless Mirror of justice! O Mary! beautiful in thine unsullied holiness, pray for us who are weighed down by the consequences of that sin of our first parents, which God would not suffer to approach thee. Thou art the implacable enemy of the serpent; watch over us, lest his sting inflict death on our souls. We were conceived in sin, and born in sorrow; pray for us, that we may so live as to merit blessing. We are condemned to toil, to suffering, and to death; intercede for us, that our atonement may find acceptance with our Lord. We are exposed to the treachery of our evil inclinations; we are in love with this present life; we forget eternity; we", "keywords": [ "lord", "earth", "quis", "glory", "sunday", "word", "life", "deus", "church", "autem", "seed", "divine", "mother", "sunt", "perils", "week", "race", "noah", "heart", "know" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. John", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "1 John i. 18", "2 Corinthians xi.", "Genesis c.", "Psalms xviii." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MONDAY_OF_SEXAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "MONDAY OF SEXAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "monday_of_sexagesima_week", "text": "ALL flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.¹ The terrible lesson, then, which men had received, by being driven out of paradise in the person of our first parents, had been without effect. Neither the certainty of death, when they would have to stand before the divine Judge, nor the humiliations which attend man's first coming into this world, nor the pains and fatigues and trials which beset the whole path of life, had subdued men's hearts, or brought them into submission to that sovereign Master whose hand lay thus heavy upon them. They had the divine promise that a Saviour should be given to them, and that this Redeemer (who was to be the Son of her that was to crush the serpent's head), would not only bring them salvation, but would moreover reinstate them in all the happiness and honours they had lost. But even this was not enough to make them rise above the base passions of corrupt nature. The example of Adam's nine hundred years' penance, and the admonitions he could so feelingly give who had received such proofs of God's love and anger, began to lose their influence upon his children; and when he at last descended into the grave, his posterity grew more and more heedless of what they owed to their Creator. The long life, which had been granted to man in this the first age of the world, was made but a fresh means of offending Him who gave it. When, finally, the sons of Seth took to themselves wives of the family of Cain, the human race reached the height of wickedness, rebelled against the Lord, and made their own passions their god. Yet, all this while, they had had granted to them the power of resisting the evil propensities of their hearts. God had offered them His grace, whereby they were enabled to conquer pride and concupiscence. The merits of the Redeemer to come were even then present to divine justice, and the Lamb, slain, as St. John tells us, from the beginning of the world, applied the merits of His Blood to this as to every generation which existed before the great Sacrifice was really immolated. Each individual of the human family might have been just, as Noah was, and, like him, have found favour with the Most High; but the thought of their heart was bent upon evil, and not upon good, and the earth became peopled with enemies of God. Then it was that it repented God that He had made man,² as the sacred Scripture forcibly expresses it. He decreed that man's life on earth should be shortened, in order that the thought of death might be ever before us. He, moreover, resolved to destroy, by a universal deluge, the whole of this perverse generation, saving only one family. The world would thus be renewed, and man would learn from this awful chastisement to serve and love this his sovereign Lord and God. We find", "keywords": [ "evil", "earth", "world", "divine", "life", "salvation", "moreover", "family", "days", "received", "death", "whole", "hearts", "sovereign", "whose", "hand", "redeemer", "rise", "above", "passions" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "TUESDAY_OF_SEXAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "TUESDAY OF SEXAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "tuesday_of_sexagesima_week", "text": "When we reflect upon the terrible events which happened in the first age of the world, we are lost in astonishment at the wickedness of man, and at the effrontery wherewith he sins against his God. How was it that the dread words of God, which were spoken against our first parents in Eden, could be so soon forgotten? How could the children of Adam see their father suffering and doing such endless penance, without humbling themselves and imitating this model of repentance? How was it that the promise of a Mediator, who was to reopen the gate of heaven for them, could be believed, and yet not awaken in their souls the desire of making themselves worthy to be His ancestors, and partakers of that grand regeneration, which He was to bring to mankind? And yet, the years which followed the death of Adam were years of crime and scandal; nay, he himself lived to see one of his own children become the murderer of a brother. But why be thus surprised at the wickedness of these our first brethren? The earth is now six thousand years old in the continued reception of divine blessings and chastisements; and are men less dull of heart, less ungrateful, less rebellious towards their Maker? For the generality of men—we mean, of those who deign to believe in the fall and chastisement of our first parents, and in the destruction of the world by the deluge—what are these great truths? Mere historical facts, which have never once inspired them with a fear of God's justice. More favoured than these early generations of the human race, they know that the Messias has been sent, that God has come down upon the earth, that He has been made Man, that He has broken Satan's rule, that the way to heaven has been made easy by the graces embodied by the Redeemer in the Sacraments: and yet, sin reigns and triumphs in the midst of Christianity. Undoubtedly, the just are more numerous than they were in the days of Noah; but then, what riches of grace has our Redeemer poured out on our degenerate race by the ministry of His bride the Church! Yes, there are faithful Christians to be found upon the earth, and the number of the elect is every day being added to; but the multitude are living at enmity with God, and their actions are in contradiction to their faith. When, therefore, the holy Church reminds us of those times, wherein all flesh had corrupted its way, she is urging us to think about our own conversion. Her motive in relating to us the history of the sins committed at the beginning of the world, is to induce us to examine our own consciences. Why, too, does she read to us those pages of sacred Writ, ¹ Gen. vi. 12. ² Gen. vi. 6.", "keywords": [ "world", "years", "earth", "less", "wickedness", "sins", "against", "parents", "children", "adam", "heaven", "race", "redeemer", "church", "grace", "penance" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Genesis vi. 12", "Genesis vi. 6" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_SEXAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF SEXAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_of_sexagesima_week", "text": "which so vividly describe the flood-gates of heaven opening and deluging the guilty earth, if not that she would warn us against mocking that great God, who thus chastised the sins of His rebellious creatures? Last week we were called upon to consider the sad consequences of Adam's sin, a sin which we ourselves did not commit, but the effects of which lie so heavy upon us. This week we must reflect upon the sins we ourselves have committed. Though God has loaded us with favours, guided us by His light, redeemed us with His Blood, and strengthened us against all our enemies by His grace, yet have we corrupted our way, and caused our God to repent of having created us. Let us confess our wickedness, and humbly acknowledge that we owe it to the mercies of the Lord, that we have not been consumed.¹ The Ambrosian missal contains the following exhortation for this season of the year. TRANSITORIUM (Dominica in Septuagesima.) Convertimini omnes simul ad Deum mundo corde et animo, in oratione, jejuniis, et vigiliis multis. Fundite preces vestras cum lacrymis; ut deleatis chirographa peccatorum vestrorum, priusquam vobis repentinus superveniat interitus; antequam vos profundum mortis absorbeat; et cum Creator noster advenerit, paratos nos inveniat. Be converted to God, all ye people, in purity of heart and soul, in prayer, fasting, and much watching. Pour out your prayers with tears; that the hand-writing of your sins may be blotted out, before sudden destruction come upon you, and before the deep flood of death engulf you. When our Creator comes, let him find us ready. ¹ Lam. iii, 22.", "keywords": [ "sins", "flood", "against", "week", "creator", "prayer", "grace" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Lamentations iii. 22" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_SEXAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF SEXAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_of_sexagesima_week", "text": "O God of infinite justice! we have sinned; we have abused the life Thou hast given us: and when we read, in Thy Scriptures, how Thine anger chastised the sinners of former days, we are forced to acknowledge, that we have deserved to be treated in like manner. We have the happiness to be Christians and children of Thy Church; the light of faith, and the power of Thy grace, have brought us once more into Thy friendship; but how can we forget that we were once Thy enemies? And are we so deeply rooted in virtue, that we can promise ourselves perseverance in it to the end? Pierce, O Lord! pierce my flesh with Thy fear!¹ Man's heart is hard, and unless it fear Thy sovereign Majesty, it may again offend Thee. We are penetrated with fear, when we remember that Thou didst bury the world and destroy mankind by the waters of the deluge; for we learn by this, how Thy patience and long-suffering may be changed into inexorable anger. Thou art just, O Lord! and who shall presume to take scandal, or to murmur, when Thy wrath is enkindled against sinners? We have defied Thy justice, we have braved Thine anger; for, though Thou hast told us that Thou wilt never more destroy sinners by a deluge of water, yet we know that Thou hast created, in Thy hatred for sin, a fire, which shall eternally prey on them that depart this life without being first reconciled with Thy offended Majesty. O wonderful dignity of our human nature! We cannot be indifferent towards that infinite Being that created us: we must be His friends or His enemies! It could not have been otherwise. He gave us understanding and free-will: we know what is good and what is evil, and we must choose the one or the other: we cannot remain neutral. If we choose good, God turns towards us and loves us; if evil, we separate from Him, who is our sovereign Good. But, whereas He bears most tender mercy towards this frail creature whom He created out of pure love, and because He wills that all men should be saved, He waits with patience for the sinner to return to Him, and, in countless ways, draws his heart to repentance. But woe to him that obeys not the divine call, when that call is the last! Then justice takes the place of mercy, and revelation tells us how fearful a thing it is to fall into the hands of the living God.² Let us, then, flee from the wrath to come,³ by making our peace with the God we have offended. If we be already restored to grace, let us walk in His fear, until love shall have grown strong enough in our hearts to make us run the way of the commandments.⁴ The following prayer is from the Mozarabic breviary of the Gothic Church of Spain. ORATIO (In capite jejunii.) Averte faciem tuam a peccatis", "keywords": [ "thine", "sinners", "fear", "justice", "anger", "lord", "heart", "created", "towards", "good", "mercy", "infinite", "life", "deserved", "manner", "church", "grace", "once", "enemies", "pierce" ], "saints": [ "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Hebrews x. 31", "Matthew iii. 7", "Psalms cxviii. 120", "Psalms cxviii. 32" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "THURSDAY_OF_SEXAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "THURSDAY OF SEXAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "thursday_of_sexagesima_week", "text": "God promised Noah that He would never more punish the earth with a deluge. But, in His justice, He has many times visited the sins of men with a scourge which, in more senses than one, bears a resemblance to a deluge: the invasion of enemies. We meet with these invasions in every age; and each time we see the hand of God. We can trace the crimes that each of them was sent to punish, and in each we find a manifest proof of the infinite justice wherewith God governs the world. It is not requisite that we should here mention the long list of these revolutions, which we might almost say make up the history of mankind, for in its every page we read of conquests, extinction of races, destruction of nations, and violent amalgamations, which effaced the traditions and character of the several peoples that were thus forced into union. We will confine our considerations to the two great invasions, which the just anger of God has permitted to come upon the world since the commencement of the Christian era. The Roman Empire had made itself as pre-eminent in crime as it was in power. It conquered the world, and then corrupted it. Idolatry and immorality were the civilization it gave to the nations which had come under its sway. Christianity could save individuals in the great empire, but the empire itself could not be made Christian. God let loose upon it the deluge of barbarians. The stream of the wild invasion rose to the very dome of the Capitol; the empire was engulfed. The ruthless ministers of divine justice were conscious of their being chosen for this mission of vengeance, and they gave themselves the name of 'God's scourge.' When, later on, the Christian nations of the east had lost the faith which they themselves had transmitted to the western world; when they had disfigured the sacred symbol of faith by their blasphemous heresies; the anger of God sent upon them, from Arabia, the deluge of Mahometanism. It swept away the Christian Churches, that had existed from the very times of the apostles. Jerusalem, the favoured Jerusalem, on which Jesus had lavished His tenderest love, even she became a victim to the infidel hordes. Antioch and Alexandria, with their patriarchates, were plunged into the vilest slavery; and at length Constantinople, that had so obstinately provoked the divine indignation, was made the very capital of the Turkish empire. And we, the western nations, if we return not to the Lord our God, shall we be spared? Shall the flood-gates of heaven's vengeance, the torrent of fresh Vandals, ever be menacing to burst upon us, yet never come? Where is the country of our own Europe, that has not corrupted its way, as in the days of Noah? that has not made conventions against the Lord and against His Christ?¹ that has not clamoured out that old cry of revolt: Let us break their bonds asunder, let us", "keywords": [ "world", "lord", "nations", "empire", "deluge", "christian", "justice", "anger", "away", "ibid", "noah", "never", "punish", "earth", "times", "sins", "scourge", "invasion", "invasions", "hand" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Psalms ii. 2" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FRIDAY_OF_SEXAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "FRIDAY OF SEXAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "friday_of_sexagesima_week", "text": "God chastises the world by the deluge; but He is faithful to the promise made to our first parents, that the head of the serpent should be crushed. The human race has to be preserved, therefore, until the time shall come for the fulfilment of this promise. The Ark gives shelter to the just Noah, and to his family. The angry waters reach even to the tops of the highest mountains; but the frail yet safe vessel rides peacefully on the waves. When the day fixed by God shall come, they that dwell in this Ark shall once more tread the earth, purified as it then will be; and God will say to them, as heretofore to our first parents: 'Increase, and multiply, and fill the earth.'¹ Mankind, then, owes its safety to the Ark. O saving Ark, that wast planned by God Himself, and didst sail unhurt amidst the universal wreck! But if we can thus bless this contemptible wood,² how fervently should we love that other Ark, of which Noah's was but the figure, and which, for now eighteen hundred years, has been saving and bringing men to their God! How fervently should we bless that Church, the bride of our Jesus, out of which there is no salvation, and in which we find that truth which delivers us from error and doubt;³ that grace which purifies the heart, and that food which nourishes the soul and fits her for immortality! O sacred Ark! thou art inhabited, not by one family alone, but by people of every nation under the sun. Ever since that glorious day, when our Lord launched thee in the sea of this world, thou hast been tossed by tempests, yet never wrecked. Thou wilt reach the eternal shore, witnessing, by thy unworn vigour and beauty, to the divine guidance of the Pilot, who loves thee, both for thine own sake, and for the work thou art doing for His glory. It is by thee that He peoples the world with His elect, and it is for them that He created the world. When He is angry, He remembers mercy,⁴ because of thee, for it is through thee that He has made His covenant with mankind. O venerable Ark! be thou our refuge in the deluge. When Rome's great empire, that was drunk with the blood of the martyrs,⁵ sank beneath the invasion of the barbarians, the Christians were safe, because sheltered by thee; the waters slowly subsided, and the race of men that had fled to thee for protection, though conquered according to the flesh, was victorious by the spirit. Kings, who till then had been haughty despots and barbarians, kissed reverently the hand of the slave, who was now their pastor and baptized them. New peoples sprang up, and, with the Gospel as their law, began their glorious career in those very countries which the Cæsars had degraded and forfeited. When the Saracen invasion came sweeping into ruin the eastern world, and menacing", "keywords": [ "world", "mercy", "divine", "earth", "deluge", "until", "family", "reach", "once", "bless", "church", "salvation", "find", "sacred", "glorious", "lord", "thine", "holy", "dear", "shalt" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xvii. 6", "Genesis ix. 1", "Job xxxviii. 11", "John viii. 32", "Matthew vi. 20", "Matthew xxiv. 22", "Psalms lvi. 2", "Wisdom x. 4" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "SATURDAY_OF_SEXAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "SATURDAY OF SEXAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "saturday_of_sexagesima_week", "text": "On the Saturday of the preceding week, which was devoted to the consideration of the fall of our first parents both in its own malice and in its sad consequences upon us, we turned our thoughts towards our blessed Lady, who, though a daughter of Eve, was, by the special mercy of God, preserved from the stain of original sin. Let us end this week with a like act of veneration and love towards this Immaculate Queen of heaven. We, even the most saintly among us, have not only been stained with original sin; we have our actual sins to grieve over and do penance for. This should give us a higher appreciation of her, the one single member of the human family who never committed the slightest sin. Let us turn towards her, and give expression to our feelings. We, O Mary! have corrupted our way; we have disobeyed our Lord; we have broken His law; we have preferred our own selfish gratifications to the service we owed Him: but thou wast ever filled with His holy love, and there passed not even a shadow of sin upon thy soul, O spotless mirror of justice and holiness! Virgin most faithful! the grace of thy Son ever triumphed in thy heart. Mystical rose! the fragrance of thy virtues unceasingly ascended to His throne, changing only in its daily increase of sweetness. Tower of ivory! fair beyond measure, without one spot to mar thy purity! House of gold! thou didst ever reflect the precious gifts of the Holy Ghost. Have pity, then, upon us, for we are sinners. We have obliged our God to repent that He made us: but in thee, dear Mother, He has ever been well pleased. Thou art the good land, wherein His divine seed yielded its thousandfold of fruit: pray for us, that He give fresh fertility to our hearts, and root up from them the thorns, which choke the heavenly plant. We are defiled by sin; may He, through the merits of the tears thou didst shed at the foot of the cross, mercifully cleanse us. If thy divine Son have already pardoned us, there are the consequences of our sins, which still weaken and humble us, like the sores of wounds that have been cured: take us, sweet Mother of our Jesus, under the mantle of thy tender care. We have too little dread of sin; we are so often on the verge of offending our God; oh! obtain for these poor children of thine courage and firmness of resolution, and ambition for holiness of life. Thy intercession must win for us that precious devotedness to God's honour, which kills self-love, the root of sin. Oh! accursed self-love, which may lead us to hell, who are now perhaps in the grace of thy divine Son! The deluge, brought on by our sins, is hurrying its vengeance against mankind; and we, O Mary! are resolved to seek our refuge in the Ark of the Church,", "keywords": [ "lord", "autem", "jesus", "church", "abraham", "charity", "love", "world", "holy", "blessed", "sins", "days", "divine", "souls", "lent", "children", "life", "faith", "during", "mercy" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Cecily", "St. Charles", "St. Francis of Sales", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 31", "1 Corinthians xiii.", "Corinthians xiii.", "Genesis c.", "Hebrews xi. 8", "Hebrews xiii. 14", "Luke c.", "Luke xvi. 22", "Matthew iii. 9", "Psalms i.", "Romans viii. 21" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MONDAY_OF_QUINQUAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "MONDAY OF QUINQUAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "monday_of_quinquagesima_week", "text": "The life of a faithful Christian, like that of the patriarch Abraham, is neither more nor less than a courageous journeying onwards to the place destined for him by his Creator. He must put aside everything that could impede his progress, nor must he look back. This is, undoubtedly, hard doctrine; but if we reflect, for a moment, on the dangers which surround fallen man during his earthly pilgrimage, and on what our own sad experience has taught us, we shall not think it hard or strange, that our Saviour has made the renouncing and denying of ourselves an essential condition of our salvation. But, independently of this, is it not far better to put our life under God's guidance, than to keep it in our own? Are we so wise or so strong, as to be able to guide ourselves? We may resist as we please, but God is our sovereign Lord and Master; and by giving us free-will, whereby we may either resist His will or follow it, He has not abdicated His own infinite rights to His creatures' obedience. Our refusal to obey would not make Him less our Master. Had Abraham, after receiving the divine call, chosen to remain in Chaldea, and refused to break up the home which God had bade him leave, God would then have selected some other man to be the patriarch of His chosen people, and father of that very family, which was to have the Messias as one of its children. This substitution of one for another in the order of grace is frequently forced upon divine justice; but what a terrible punishment it is for him that caused the substitution! When a soul refuses salvation, heaven does not therefore lose one of its elect: God, finding that He is despised by the one He called, offers the grace to another, until His call is followed. The Christian life consists in this untiring, unreserved obedience to God. The first effect of this spirit of submission is, that it takes the soul from the region of sin and death, wherein she was wasting away her existence; it takes her from the dark Chaldea, and places her in the promised land of light. Lest she should faint on her way along the narrow path, and fall a victim to the dangers which never leave her because they are within herself, God asks her for sacrifices, and these brace her. Here, again, we have Abraham for our model. God loves him, and promises him the richest of blessings; He gives him a son, as pledge of the promise; and then, shortly after, tests the holy patriarch's devotedness, by commanding him to slay with his own hand this dear child, on whom he has been told to build his hopes! Man's path on earth is sacrifice. We cannot go out from evil except by the way of self-resistance, nor keep our footing on good ground but by constant combating. Let us imitate Abraham: fix", "keywords": [ "abraham", "world", "life", "patriarch", "soul", "mercy", "christian", "less", "hard", "dangers", "surround", "during", "salvation", "keep", "resist", "please", "master", "infinite", "obedience", "divine" ], "saints": [ "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Ephesians ii. 13", "Matthew x. 34" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "TUESDAY_OF_QUINQUAGESIMA_WEEK", "title": "TUESDAY OF QUINQUAGESIMA WEEK", "anchor": "tuesday_of_quinquagesima_week", "text": "The fundamental rule of Christian life is, as almost every page of the Gospel tells us, that we should live out of the world, separate ourselves from the world, hate the world. The world is that ungodly land which Abraham, our sublime model, is commanded by God to quit. It is that Babylon of our exile and captivity, where we are beset with dangers. The beloved disciple cries out to us: 'Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him.'¹ Our most merciful Jesus, at the very time when He was about to offer Himself as a sacrifice for all men, spoke these awful words: 'I pray not for the world.'² When we were baptized, and were signed with the glorious and indelible character of Christians, the condition required of us, and accepted, was that we should renounce the works and pomps of the world (which we expressed under the name of Satan); and this solemn baptismal promise we have often renewed. But what is the meaning of our promise to renounce the world? Is it that we cannot be Christians, unless we flee into the desert and separate ourselves from our fellow-creatures? Such cannot be God's will for all, since, in that same Scripture, wherein He commands us to flee from the world, He also tells us what are our duties to each other, and sanctions and blesses those ties which He Himself has willed should exist among us. His apostle, also, tells us to use this world as though we did not use it.³ It is not, therefore, forbidden us to live in, and to use, the world. Then, what means this renouncing of the world? Can there be contradiction in God's commandments? Is it possible that we are condemned to wander blindly on the brink of a precipice, into which we must at last inevitably fall? ¹ St. John ii. 15. ² Ibid. xvii. 9. ³ 1 Cor. vii. 31. There is neither contradiction nor snare. If by the world, we mean these visible things around us which God created in His power and goodness; if we mean this outward world, which He made for His own glory and our benefit; it is worthy of its divine Author, and to us, if we but use it aright, is a ladder whereby our souls may ascend to their God. Let us gratefully use this world; go through it, without making it the object of our hope; not waste upon it that love, which God alone deserves; and ever be mindful, that we are not made for this, but for another and a happier, world. But the majority of men are not thus prudent in their use of the world. Their hearts are fixed upon it, and not upon heaven. Hence it was, that when the Creator deigned to come into this world, in order that He might save it, the", "keywords": [ "lord", "world", "church", "fast", "amen", "holy", "domine", "ashes", "deus", "jesus", "mercy", "penance", "dominum", "soul", "shalt", "days", "sins", "love", "father", "christ" ], "saints": [ "St. Anastasia", "St. Augustine", "St. George", "St. John", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Pet", "St. Sabina", "St. Trypho" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 31", "1 Peter iv. 1", "Ephesians vi. 14", "Genesis iii. 19", "Job xvi. 16", "Joel c.", "John i. 10", "John ii. 15", "John xvii. 14", "Mark c.", "Matthew c.", "Matthew iv. 17", "Psalms ci. 10", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_3", "title": "FEBRUARY 3", "anchor": "february_3", "text": "SAINT BLASE, BISHOP AND MARTYR Now that the Church has closed the joyous period of her forty days of Christmas, and is putting us through a course of meditations on subjects which are to excite a spirit of penance within us, each of the saints' feasts must produce an impression, which shall be in accordance with that spirit. From this day till Easter, we will study the saints, as they come to us, in this special light: how much they laboured and suffered during their pilgrimage of life, and what was the plan they took for conquering the world and the flesh. \"They went,\" says the psalmist, \"and wept, casting their seeds: but coming they shall come with joyfulness, carrying their sheaves.\"¹ It shall be the same with us; and at the end of our lenten labours, our risen Jesus will hail us as His living, regenerated children. The calendar of this portion of the year abounds with martyrs; and, at the very outset, we meet with one of the most celebrated of these glorious champions of Christ. The scene of his pastoral virtues and of his martyrdom was Sebaste, a city of Armenia, the same that will give us forty martyred soldiers on a single day. The devotion to St. Blase is, even to this day, most fervently kept up in the east, especially in Armenia. The western Churches soon began to love and honour his memory, and so universally, that we might call him one of the most popular of our saints. His feast, however, with us is only a simple, and the Church of Rome has given only one lesson on his life. ¹ Ps. cxxv. 6, 7. Blasius, Sebastæ in Armenia cum virtutum laude floreret, ejusdem civitatis episcopus eligitur. Qui quo tempore Diocletianus insatiabilem crudelitatem in Christianos exercebat, se in speluncam abdidit montis Argæi, ubi tamdiu latuit, dum ab Agricolai præsidis militibus venantibus deprehensus, et ad præsidem ductus, ejus jussu conjectus est in vincula. Quo in loco multos ægrotos sanavit, qui ad Blasium, ejus fama sanctitatis adducti, deferebantur. In illis puer fuit, qui, desperata a medicis salute, transversa spina faucibus inhærente, animam agebat. Productus autem ad præsidem Blasius semel et iterum, cum nec blanditiis, nec minis adduci posset ut diis sacrificaret, primum virgis cæsus, deinde in equuleo ferreis pectinibus dilaniatus est: postremo, dempto capite, illustre fidei testimonium Christo Domino dedit, tertio Nonas Februarii. Blase, whose signal virtues made him dear to the people of Sebaste in Armenia, was chosen bishop of that city. When the emperor Diocletian waged his cruel persecution against the Christians, the saint hid himself in a cave on Mount Argæus, and there he remained some time concealed, but was at length discovered by some soldiers of the governor Agricolaus, while they were hunting. They led him to the governor, who gave orders that he should be put into prison. During his imprisonment, many sick people, attracted by the reputation of his sanctity, came to him, and he healed them. Among these was", "keywords": [ "armenia", "church", "life", "saint", "blase", "penance", "saints", "people", "governor", "bishop", "martyr", "forty", "spirit", "during", "flesh", "children", "martyrs", "glorious", "christ", "virtues" ], "saints": [ "St. BLASE", "St. Blase" ], "scripture": [ "Psalms cxxv. 6" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_4", "title": "FEBRUARY 4", "anchor": "february_4", "text": "SAINT ANDREW CORSINI, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR The saintly bishop, whose feast we keep to-day, pressingly invites us, by his austere life and his burning zeal for the salvation of souls, to procure, at all costs, our own reconciliation with the divine justice. We are indebted for this feast to a member of the illustrious family of the Corsini, Pope Clement XII., who, however, was but the instrument used by divine Providence. The holy bishop of the little town of Fiesole ever sought to be unknown during his life, and God, who willed that he should be glorified by the whole Church, inspired the sovereign Pontiff to inscribe his name among the saints of the universal calendar. Andrew the saint was once a sinner; his example will encourage us in the work of our conversion. Let us read the account of his virtues as given us by the Church. Andream Florentiæ ex nobili Corsinorum familia natum parentes precibus a Deo impetrarunt, et beatæ Virgini spoponderunt. Qualis autem futurus esset, divino præsagio, antequam nasceretur, ostensum est: nam mater gravida sibi visa est per quietem lupum edidisse, qui, ad Carmelitarum ædem pergens, in ipso templi vestibulo statim in agnum conversus est. Adolescens pie et ingenue educatus, cum sensim ad vitia declinaret, sæpe a matre increpatus fuit. Ubi autem cognovit, se parentum voto Deiparæ Virgini dicatum fuisse, Dei amore succensus, deque visu matris admonitus, Carmelitarum institutum amplexus est, in quo variis tentationibus a dæmone vexatus, numquam tamen potuit a religionis proposito dimoveri. Mox Lutetiam missus, emenso studiorum curriculo, et laurea donatus in patriam revocatur, suique Ordinis regimini in Etruria præficitur. Andrew was born at Florence, of the noble Corsini family. He was the fruit of his parents' prayers, and was consecrated by them to the blessed Virgin. His future was thus shown by God to the mother. She dreamt that she had given birth to a wolf, which went to the church of the Carmelites, and, as it crossed the threshold, was suddenly changed into a lamb. Though his early education was calculated to form him to piety, and to everything that suited his high birth, he, by degrees, fell into a vicious manner of life, notwithstanding the frequent reproaches made him by his mother. But as soon as he was told that he had been consecrated by his parents to the Virgin Mother of God, and heard of his mother's vision, he entered the Order of Carmelites. The devil ceased not to molest him, even then, with manifold temptations; but nothing could make him change his resolution of entering the religious life. Shortly after his profession, he was sent to Paris for a course of study; having completed it, and taken his degrees, he returned to Italy, and was made superior of his Order in the province of Tuscany. Interea Fæsulana Ecclesia suo viduata pastore eum sibi episcopum elegit: quo munere se indignum æstimans, diu latuit ignotus, donec pueri voce mirabiliter loquentis proditus, et extra urbem inventus, ne divinæ contradiceret voluntati episcopatum suscepit.", "keywords": [ "life", "bishop", "church", "andrew", "mother", "saint", "corsini", "divine", "fiesole", "ever", "sibi", "fuit", "consecrated", "virgin", "order", "having", "feast", "zeal", "family", "pope" ], "saints": [ "St. ANDREW" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_5", "title": "FEBRUARY 5", "anchor": "february_5", "text": "SAINT AGATHA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR Since the commencement of the ecclesiastical year, we have kept the feasts of two out of the four illustrious virgins whose names are daily honoured in the holy Sacrifice of the Lamb: the third comes to-day, lighting up the heaven of the Church with her bright soft rays. Lucy first, then Agnes, and now the gracious visit of Agatha. The fourth, Cecily, the immortal Cecily, is to be one of that magnificent constellation which gives such splendour to the closing of the year. To-day, then, let us keep a feast in honour of Agatha, the virgin daughter of that same fair Sicily which can boast of her Lucy. We must not allow the holy sadness of our present season to take aught from the devotion we owe to our saint. The joy wherewith we celebrate her merits will lead us to study her virtues. She will repay us by her prayers; she will encourage us to persevere in the path which is to bring us to the God she so nobly loved and served, and with whom she is now for ever united. Let us begin by reading what the Church tells us of the virtues and combats of this glorious bride of Christ. Agatha virgo, in Sicilia nobilibus parentibus nata, quam Panormitani et Catanenses civem suam esse dicunt, in persecutione Decii imperatoris Catanæ gloriosi martyrii coronam consecuta est. Nam cum pari pulchritudinis et castitatis laude commendaretur, Quintianus, Siciliæ prætor, ejus amore captus est. Sed cum, tentata modis omnibus ejus pudicitia, Agatham in suam sententiam perducere non posset, Christianæ superstitionis nomine comprehensam, Aphrodisiæ cuidam mulieri depravandam tradit. Quæ Aphrodisiæ consuetudine cum de constantia colendæ Christianæ fidei, et servandæ virginitatis, removeri non posset, nuntiat illa Quintiano, se in Agatha operam perdere. Quare ille ad se virginem adduci jubet: et nonne, inquit, te pudet nobili genere natam humilem et servilem Christianorum vitam agere? Cui Agatha: Multo præstantior est Christiana humilitas et servitus, regum opibus, ac superbia. The holy virgin Agatha was born in Sicily, of noble parents. The cities of Palermo and Catania both claim the honour of having been the place of her birth. She received the crown of a glorious martyrdom at Catania, under the persecution of the Emperor Decius. Her beauty, which was as great as her chaste and innocent life was praiseworthy, attracted the notice of Quintianus, the governor of Sicily. He spared no means whereby to compass his lustful designs upon the innocent virgin; for seeing that she scorned his offers, he had her apprehended as being guilty of the Christian superstition, and gave her in charge of a woman, named Aphrodisia, who was noted for her power of alluring to evil. But finding that her words and company had no effect on the holy maiden, and that she was immovable in her resolution to maintain both her faith and her virginity, Aphrodisia told Quintianus that she was but losing her time with Agatha. Whereupon, he ordered the virgin to be brought", "keywords": [ "agatha", "virgin", "holy", "christ", "quintianus", "governor", "christian", "whole", "heaven", "prayers", "glorious", "faith", "prison", "breast", "soul", "thine", "saint", "martyr", "church", "keep" ], "saints": [ "St. AGATHA", "St. Agatha", "St. Damasus" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_6", "title": "FEBRUARY 6", "anchor": "february_6", "text": "SAINT DOROTHY, VIRGIN AND MARTYR To-day again, it is one of the most amiable of Christ's brides that comes to console us by her presence; it is Dorothy, the simple and intrepid virgin, who strews the path of her martyrdom with prodigies of sweetest charity. The religion of Christ alone can produce in timid women, like the saint of to-day, an energy which at times surpasses that of the most valiant martyrs among men. Thus does our Lord glorify His infinite power, by crushing Satan's head with what is by nature so weak. The enmity put by God between the woman and the serpent,¹ is for ever showing itself in those sublime Acts of the Martyrs, where the rebel angel is defeated by an enemy whom he knew to be weak, and therefore scorned to fear; but that very weakness, which made her victory the grander, made his humiliation the bitterer. Surely, such history must have taught him how powerful an enemy he has in a Christian woman; and we, who can boast of having so many heroines among the ancestors of our holy faith, should cherish their memory, and confide in their protection, for their intercession is powerful with Him for whom they died. One of the noblest of these comes to us to-day; let us celebrate her victory, and merit her patronage. The lessons given in the Dominican breviary are so much fuller than the legend of the Roman liturgy that we have not hesitated to insert them here. Dorothea virgo, in Cæsarea Cappadociæ, propter Christi confessionem, ab Apricio illius provinciæ præfecto comprehensa, Christæ et Callistæ sororibus, quæ a fide defecerant, tradita est, ut eam a proposito removerent. Sed ipsa reduxit eas ad fidem, propter quam in cupam missæ et incensæ sunt. Dorotheam vero jussit præses in catasta levari; quæ dixit ad illum: Numquam in tota vita mea sic lætata sum sicut hodie. Tum ad ejus latera lampades ardentes apponi, dein faciem diutissime cædi, tandem caput gladio percuti præses imperat. Ea porro dum duceretur ad supplicium dicente: Gratias tibi, amator animarum, qui me ad paradisum tuum vocasti, Theophilus quidam præsidis advocatus irridens: Eia tu, inquit, sponsa Christi, mitte mihi de paradiso sponsi tui mala, aut rosas. Et Dorothea respondit: Et plane ita faciam. Cum ante ictum breviter precari permissa esset, pulchra specie puer ante eam apparuit, ferens in orario tria mala, et tres rosas. Cui illa ait: Obsecro ut feras ea Theophilo. ¹ Gen. iii. 15. The holy virgin Dorothy, of Cesarea in Cappadocia, was apprehended by Apricius, the governor of that province, for professing the faith of Christ. She was put under the care of her two sisters, Chrysta and Callista, who had apostatized from the faith, and would be able to shake the resolute constancy of Dorothy. But she brought them back to the faith, for which they were burnt to death in a cauldron. The governor ordered Dorothy to be hoisted on the rack, and she said to him, as she lay upon it: 'Never", "keywords": [ "dorothy", "life", "christ", "holy", "theophilus", "faith", "romuald", "martyr", "christi", "penance", "saint", "virgin", "martyrs", "lord", "face", "souls", "spouse", "heaven", "whose", "love" ], "saints": [ "St. Apollinaris", "St. Benedict", "St. DOROTHY", "St. Dorothy", "St. ROMUALD", "St. Romuald" ], "scripture": [ "Galatians v. 24", "Genesis iii. 15" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_8", "title": "FEBRUARY 8", "anchor": "february_8", "text": "SAINT JOHN OF MATHA, CONFESSOR We were celebrating, not many days ago, the memory of Peter Nolasco, who was inspired, by the holy Mother of God, to found an Order for the ransoming of Christian captives from the infidels: to-day, we have to honour the generous saint, to whom this sublime work was first revealed. He established, under the name of the most holy Trinity, a body of religious men, who bound themselves by vow to devote their energies, their privations, their liberty, nay, their very life, to the service of the poor slaves who were groaning under the Saracen yoke. The Order of the Trinitarians, and the Order of Mercy, though distinct, have the same end in view, and the result of their labours, during the six hundred years of their existence, has been the restoration to liberty and preservation from apostasy of upwards of a million slaves. John of Matha, assisted by his faithful co-operator, Felix of Valois (whose feast we shall keep at the close of the year), established the centre of his grand work at Meaux, in France. We are preparing for Lent, when one of our great duties will have to be that of charity towards our suffering brethren: what finer model could we have than John of Matha, and his whole Order, which was called into existence for no other object than that of delivering from the horrors of slavery brethren who were utter strangers to their deliverers, but were in suffering and in bondage. Can we imagine any almsgiving, let it be ever so generous, which can bear comparison with this devotedness of men, who bind themselves by their rule, not only to traverse every Christian land begging alms for the ransom of slaves, but to change places with the poor captives, if their liberty cannot be otherwise obtained? Is it not, as far as human weakness permits, following to the very letter the example of the Son of God Himself, who came down from heaven that He might be our ransom and our Redeemer? We repeat it: with such models as these before us, we shall feel ourselves urged to follow the injunction we are shortly to receive from the Church, of exercising works of mercy towards our fellow-creatures, as being one of the essential elements of our lenten penance. But it is time we should listen to the account given us by the liturgy of the virtues of this apostolic man, who has endeared himself, both to the Church and to mankind, by his heroism of charity. Joannes de Matha, Ordinis sanctissimæ Trinitatis redemptionis captivorum institutor, Falcone in Provincia natus est, parentibus pietate et nobilitate conspicuis. Studiorum causa Aquas Sextias, mox Parisios profectus, confectoque theologiæ curriculo, magisterii lauream adeptus, doctrinæ, et virtutum splendore enituit: quibus motus Parisiensis Antistes, ad sacrum presbyteratus ordinem, præ humilitate reluctantem promovit, eo consilio, ut in ea civitate commorans, sapientia et moribus studiosæ juventuti præluceret. Cum autem in sacello ejusdem episcopi, ipso cum aliis adstante, primum Deo", "keywords": [ "captives", "order", "ransom", "john", "holy", "charity", "felix", "matha", "heaven", "church", "christian", "generous", "work", "slaves", "during", "brethren", "joannes", "redemptionis", "captivos", "cross" ], "saints": [ "St. Agnes", "St. JOHN", "St. James", "St. Thomas de Formis" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus iii. 33", "James v. 20" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_9", "title": "FEBRUARY 9", "anchor": "february_9", "text": "SAINT APOLLONIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR The holy virgin who this day claims the homage of our devotion and praise, is offered to us by the Church of Alexandria. Apollonia is a martyr of Christ; her name is celebrated and honoured throughout the whole world; and she comes to us on this ninth day of February, to add her own example to that which we have so recently had from her sister saints, Agatha and Dorothy; like them, she bids us fight courageously for heaven. To her this present life was a thing of little value, and no sooner did she receive God's inspiration to sacrifice it, than she did what her would-be executioners intended doing: she threw herself into the flames prepared for her. It is no unusual thing, nowadays, for men that are wearied of the trials, or afraid of the humiliations, of this world, to take away their own lives, and prefer suicide to the courageous performance of duty: but Apollonia's motive for hastening her death by a moment's anticipation, was to testify her horror of the apostasy that was proposed to her. This is not the only instance we meet with, during times of persecution, of the holy Spirit's inspiring this lavish sacrifice to saintly virgins, who trembled for their faith or their virtue. It is true, such examples are rare; but they teach us, among other things, that our lives belong to God alone, and that we should be in readiness of mind to give them to Him, when and as He pleases to demand them of us. There is one very striking circumstance in the martyrdom of St. Apollonia. Her executioners, to punish the boldness wherewith she confessed our Lord Jesus Christ, beat out her teeth. This has suggested to the faithful, when suffering the cruel pain of toothache, to have recourse to St. Apollonia; and their confidence is often rewarded, for God would have us seek the protection of His saints, not only in our spiritual, but even in our bodily sufferings and necessities. The liturgy thus speaks the praises of our saint. Apollonia, virgo Alexandrina, sub Decio imperato- Apollonia was a virgin of Alexandria. In the persecu- re, cum ingravescente jam ætate ad idola sisteretur, ut eis venerationem adhiberet, illis contemptis, Jesum Christum verum Deum colendum esse prædicabat. Quamobrem omnes ei contusi sunt et evulsi dentes: ac, nisi Christum detestata deos coleret, accenso rogo combusturos vivam minati sunt impii carnifices. Quibus illa, se quamvis mortem pro Jesu Christi fide subituram respondit. Itaque comprehensa ut combureretur, cum paulisper quasi deliberans quid agendum esset, stetisset, ex illorum manibus elapsa, alacris in ignem sibi paratum, majori Spiritus sancti flamma intus accensa, se injecit. Unde brevi consumpto corpore, purissimus spiritus in cœlum ad sempiternam martyrii coronam evolavit. tion under the Emperor Decius, when she was far advanced in years, she was brought up to trial and ordered to pay adoration to idols. She turned from them with contempt, and declared that worship ought to be given to", "keywords": [ "scholastica", "love", "holy", "heaven", "brother", "sister", "benedict", "dove", "apollonia", "soul", "virgin", "heart", "lord", "christ", "life", "eternal", "ejus", "venerable", "rain", "glory" ], "saints": [ "St. APOLLONIA", "St. Apollonia", "St. Benedict", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. John", "St. SCHOLASTICA", "St. Scholastica" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xiv. 11", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 10", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 16", "Psalms lxvii. 7" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_14", "title": "FEBRUARY 14", "anchor": "february_14", "text": "SAINT VALENTINE, PRIEST AND MARTYR The Church honours, on this fourteenth day of February, the memory of the holy priest Valentine, who suffered martyrdom towards the middle of the third century. The ravages of time have deprived us of the details of his life and sufferings; so that extremely little is known of our saint. This is the reason of there being no lessons of his life in the Roman liturgy. His name, however, has always been honoured throughout the whole Church, and it is our duty to revere him as one of our protectors during the season of Septuagesima. He is one of those many holy martyrs, who meet us at this period of our year, and encourage us to spare no sacrifice which can restore us to, or increase within us, the grace of God. Pray, then, O holy martyr, for the faithful, who are so persevering in celebrating thy memory. The day of judgment will reveal to us all thy glorious merits: oh, intercede for us, that we may then be made thy companions at the right hand of the great Judge, and be united with thee eternally in heaven. ANTIPHON Iste sanctus pro lege Dei sui certavit usque ad mortem, et a verbis impiorum non timuit; fundatus enim erat supra firmam petram. This saint fought even unto death, for the law of his God, and feared not the words of the wicked; for he was set upon a firm rock. OREMUS. LET US PRAY. Præsta, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut qui beati Valentini martyris tui natalitia colimus, a cunctis malis imminentibus ejus intercessione liberemur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that we who solemnize the festival of blessed Valentine, thy martyr, may, by his intercession, be delivered from all the evils that threaten us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.", "keywords": [ "saint", "valentine", "martyr", "holy", "priest", "church", "memory", "life", "pray", "amen", "liturgy", "grace", "antiphon" ], "saints": [ "St. VALENTINE" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_15", "title": "FEBRUARY 15", "anchor": "february_15", "text": "SAINTS FAUSTINUS AND JOVITA, MARTYRS The two brothers whom we are to honour to-day suffered martyrdom in the beginning of the second century, and their memory has ever been celebrated in the Church. The glory of the great ones of this world passes away, and men soon forget even their very names. Historians have oftentimes a difficulty in proving that such heroes ever existed, or, if they did exist, that they flourished at such a period, or achieved anything worth notice. Brescia, the capital of one of the Italian provinces, can scarcely mention the names of those who were its governors or leading men in the second century; and yet here are two of her citizens, whose names will be handed down, with veneration and love, to the end of the world, and the whole of Christendom is filled with the praise of their glorious martyrdom. Glory, then, to these sainted brothers, whose example so eloquently preaches to us the great lesson of our season, fidelity in God's service. The sufferings which merited for them the crown of immortality, are thus recorded in the liturgy: Faustinus et Jovita fratres nobiles Brixiani, in multis Italiæ urbibus quo vincti, sæviente Trajani persecu- tione, ducebantur, acerbis- sima supplicia perpessi, fortes in christianæ fidei con- fessione perstiterunt. Nam Brixiæ diu vinculis con- stricti, feris etiam objecti in ignemque conjecti, et a be- stiis et flamma integri et incolumes servati sunt; inde vero iisdem catenis colligati Mediolanum venerunt, ubi eorum fides tentata exquisi- tissimis tormentis, tanquam igne aurum, in cruciatibus magis enituit. Postea Ro- mam missi, ab Evaristo Pon- tifice confirmati, ibi quoque crudelissime torquentur. Denique perducti Neapolim, in ea etiam urbe varie cru- ciati, vinctis manibus pedi- busque in mare demergun- tur: unde per angelos mi- rabiliter erepti sunt. Quare multos et constantia in tor- mentis, et miraculorum virtute ad Christi fidem converterunt. Postremo re- ducti Brixiam, initio sus- cepti ab Adriano imperii, securi percussi, illustrem martyrii coronam accepe- runt. The two brothers, Faustinus and Jovita, were born of a noble family in Brescia. Dur- ing the persecution under Trajan, they were led captives through various cities of Italy, in each of which they were made to endure most cruel sufferings, by reason of their brave confession of the Chris- tian faith, which nothing could induce them to deny. At Brescia, they were for a long time confined in chains; then were exposed to wild beasts, and cast into fire, from neither of which tortures did they re- ceive hurt or harm. From Brescia they were sent to Milan, still fettered with the same chains: and there their faith was put to the test of every torment that cruelty could devise; but, like gold that is tried by fire, their faith shone the brighter by these sufferings. After this, they were sent to Rome, where they received encouragement from Pope Evaristus; but there, also, they were made to endure most cruel pains. At length they were taken to Naples, and there, again, put to", "keywords": [ "brescia", "faith", "faustinus", "jovita", "martyrs", "brothers", "martyrdom", "world", "names", "sufferings", "crown", "endure", "tortures", "second", "century", "ever", "glory", "whose", "glorious", "etiam" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_18", "title": "FEBRUARY 18", "anchor": "february_18", "text": "SAINT SIMEON, BISHOP AND MARTYR How venerable our saint of to-day, with his hundred and twenty years, and his episcopal dignity, and his martyr-crown! He succeeded the apostle St. James in the see of Jerusalem; he had known Jesus, and had been His disciple; he was related to Jesus, for he was of the house of David; his father was Cleophas, and his mother that Mary, whom the tie of kindred united so closely to the blessed Mother of God that she has been called her sister. What grand titles these of Simeon who comes with all our other martyrs of Septuagesima, to inspirit us to penance! Such a veteran, who had been a contemporary of the Saviour of the world, and was a pastor who could repeat to his flock the very lessons Jesus had given him, could never rejoin his divine Master save by the path of martyr- dom, and that martyrdom must be the cross. Like Jesus, then, he dies on a cross; and his death, which happened in the year 106, closes the first period of the Christian era, or, as it is called, the apostolic age. Let us honour this venerable pontiff, whose name awakens within us the recollection of all that is dear to our faith. Let us ask him to extend to us that fatherly love, which nursed the Church of Jerusalem for so many long years. He will bless us from that throne which he won by the cross, and will obtain for us the grace we so much need, the grace of conversion. The following is the lesson given on St. Simeon: Simeon, filius Cleophæ, post Jacobum proximus Hierosolymis ordinatus epi- scopus, Trajano imperatore, apud Atticum consularem est accusatus, quod christia- nus esset, et Christi propin- quus. Comprehendebantur enim omnes eo tempore, qui- cumque ex genere David orti essent. Quare multis cruciatus tormentis, eodem passionis genere, quod Sal- vator noster subierat, affici- tur, mirantibus omnibus, quod homo ætate confectus (erat enim centum et vi- ginti annorum) acerbissimos crucis dolores fortiter con- stanterque pateretur. Simeon, the son of Cleophas, was ordained bishop of Jeru- salem, and was Saint James's immediate successor in that see. In the reign of the Em- peror Trajan, he was accused to the Consul Atticus of being a Christian and a relation of Christ; for, at this time, all they that were of the house of David were seized. After having endured various tor- tures, Simeon was put to death by the same punishment which our Saviour suffered, and all the beholders were filled with astonishment to see how, at his age (for he was a hundred and twenty years old), he could go through the intense pains of crucifixion, without showing a sign of fear or irresolution. Receive, most venerable saint, the humble homage of our devotion. What is all human glory compared with thine? Thou wast of the family of Christ; thy teaching was that which His divine lips had given thee; thy charity for men", "keywords": [ "simeon", "jesus", "cross", "saint", "martyr", "venerable", "years", "david", "mother", "death", "quod", "bishop", "hundred", "twenty", "james", "jerusalem", "house", "father", "cleophas", "called" ], "saints": [ "St. James", "St. SIMEON", "St. Simeon" ], "scripture": [ "James i." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_22", "title": "FEBRUARY 22", "anchor": "february_22", "text": "SAINT PETER'S CHAIR AT ANTIOCH We are called upon, a second time, to honour St. Peter's chair: first, it was his pontificate in Rome; to-day, it is his episcopate at Antioch. The seven years spent by the prince of the apostles in the second of these cities, were the grandest glory she ever had; and they are too important a portion of the life of St. Peter to be passed by without being noticed in the Christian cycle. Three years had elapsed since our Lord's Ascen- sion. The Church had already been made fruitful by martyrdom, and from Jerusalem she had spread into distant countries. Antioch, the first of the cities of Asia, had received the Gospel; and it was there that those who professed the faith of Jesus were first called Christians. Jerusalem was doomed to destruction for having not only refused to acknowledge, but even crucified, the Messias: it was time for Peter, in whom resided the supreme power, to deprive the faithless city of the honour she had heretofore enjoyed, of possessing within her walls the chair of the apostolate. It was towards the Gentiles that the Holy Spirit drove those clouds, which were shown to Isaias as the symbol of the holy apostles.¹ Accordingly, it is in Antioch, the third capital of the Roman Empire, that Peter first places the august throne, on which, as vice- gerent of Christ, he presides over the universal Church. But the progress of the apostles was so rapid; the conquests they made, in spite of every opposition, were so extensive, that the vicar of Christ was in- spired to leave Antioch, after he had honoured it with the chair during the space of seven years. Alexandria, the second city of the empire, is also to be made a see of Peter; and Rome, the capital of the world, awaits the grand privilege for which God has long been preparing her. Onwards, then, does the prince advance, bearing with him the destinies of the Church; where he fixes his last abode, and where he dies, there will he have his successor in his sublime dignity of vicar of Christ. He leaves Antioch, making one of his disciples, Evodius, its bishop. Evodius succeeds Peter as bishop of Antioch; but that see is not to inherit the headship of the Church, which goes whithersoever Peter goes. He sends Mark, another of his disciples, to take possession, in his name, of Alexandria; and this Church he would have to be the second in the world, and though he has not ruled it in person, he raises it above that of Antioch. This done, he goes to Rome, where he permanently establishes that chair, on which he will live, and teach, and rule, in his successors, to the end of time. And here we have the origin of the three great patriarchal sees, which were the object of so much veneration in the early ages: the first is Rome, invested with all the prerogatives of", "keywords": [ "peter", "church", "rome", "antioch", "christ", "chair", "honour", "power", "keys", "holy", "alexandria", "authority", "episcopate", "years", "prince", "apostles", "three", "faith", "vicar", "bishop" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Cyprian", "St. Cæsarius of Arles", "St. Gelasius", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Inno", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Matt", "St. Optatus of Milevis", "St. PETER", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Sym", "St. Victricius" ], "scripture": [ "Acts xx. 28", "Isaias lx. 8", "John xxi. 15", "Matthew v. 14", "Matthew xvi. 19", "Peter i.", "Psalms i.", "Romans i. 8" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_23", "title": "FEBRUARY 23", "anchor": "february_23", "text": "SAINT PETER DAMIAN, CARDINAL AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH It is the feast of the austere reformer of the eleventh century, Peter Damian, the precursor of the holy pontiff Gregory VII, that we are called upon to celebrate to-day. To him is due in part that glorious regeneration, which was effected at that troubled period when judgment had to begin at the house of God.² The life he had led under the monastic rule had fitted him for the great contest. So zealously did he withstand the disorders and abuses of his times, that we may attribute to him, at least in great measure, the ardent faith of the two centuries which followed the scandals of the tenth. The Church ranks him among her doctors, on account of his admirable writings: and his penitential life ought to excite us to be fervent in the work we have in hand, the work of our conversion. ² 1 St. Peter iv. 17. The following lessons, read by the Church, on this feast, give us a sketch of our saint's life: Petrus, Ravennæ honestis parentibus natus, adhuc lactens a matre numerosæ prolis pertæsa abjicitur, sed piæ cujusdam mulieris opera semivivus exceptus ac recreatus, genitrici ad humanitatis sensum revocatæ redditur. Utroque orbatus parente, tamquam vile mancipium sub aspera fratris tutela duram servitutem exercuit. Religionis in Deum ac pietatis erga patrem egregium tunc specimen dedit; inventum siquidem forte nummum non propriæ inediæ sublevandæ, sed sacerdoti qui divinum sacrificium ad illius expiationem offerret, erogavit. A Damiano fratre, a quo, uti fertur, cognomentum accepit, benigne receptus, ejus cura litteris eruditur, in quibus brevi tantum profecit, ut magistris admirationi esset. Quum autem liberalibus scientiis floreret et nomine, eas cum laude docuit. Interim ut corpus rationi subderet, sub mollibus vestibus cilicium adhibuit, jejuniis, vigiliis, et orationibus solerter insistens. Calente juventa, dum carnis stimulis acriter urgeretur, insultantium libidinum faces rigentibus fluvii mersus aquis noctu extinguebat: tum venerabilia quæque loca obire, totumque psalterium recitare consueverat. Ope assidua pauperes levabat, quibus frequenter pastis convivio, propriis ipse manibus ministrabat. Peter was born at Ravenna, of respectable parents. His mother, wearied with the care of a large family, abandoned him when a babe; but one of her female servants found him in an almost dying state, and took care of him, until such time as the mother, repenting of her unnatural conduct, consented to treat him as her child. After the death of his parents, one of his brothers, a most harsh man, took him as a servant, or more truly as his slave. It was about this period of his life that he performed an action, which evinced his virtue and his filial piety. He happened to find a sum of money: but instead of using it for his own wants, he gave it to a priest, begging him to offer up the holy sacrifice for the repose of his father's soul. Another of his brothers, called Damian (after whom, it is said, he was named), had him educated; and so rapid and", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "peter", "life", "saint", "faithful", "zeal", "damian", "times", "work", "ejus", "order", "bishop", "cardinal", "glorious", "house", "among", "petrus", "ravenna", "care" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt", "St. PETER", "St. Peter", "St. Romuald", "St. Vincent of Pietra" ], "scripture": [ "1 Peter iv. 17", "John iii. 29", "Matthew v. 13", "Matthew xiii. 25", "Psalms lxxxii. 13" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_24", "title": "FEBRUARY 24", "anchor": "february_24", "text": "SAINT MATHIAS, APOSTLE In leap-year, the feast of St. Mathias is kept on February 25 An apostle of Jesus Christ, St. Mathias, is one of the blessed choir which the Church would have us honour during the season of Septuagesima. Mathias was one of the first to follow our Saviour; and he was an eye-witness of all His divine actions up to the very day of the Ascension. He was one of the seventy-two disciples; but our Lord had not conferred upon him the dignity of an apostle. And yet, he was to have this great glory, for it was of him that David spoke, when he prophesied that another should take the bishopric¹ left vacant by the apostasy of Judas the traitor. In the interval between Jesus' Ascension and the descent of the Holy Ghost, the apostolic college had to complete the mystic number fixed by our Lord Himself, so that there might be the twelve on that solemn day, when the Church, filled with the Holy Ghost, was to manifest herself to the Synagogue. The lot fell on Mathias;² he shared with his brother-apostles the persecution in Jerusalem, and, when the time came for the ambassadors of Christ to separate, he set out for the countries allotted to him. Tradition tells us that these were Cappadocia and the provinces bordering on the Caspian Sea. The virtues, labours, and sufferings of St. Mathias have not been handed down to us: this explains the lack of proper lessons on his life, such as we have for the feasts of the rest of the apostles. Clement of Alexandria records in his writings several sayings of our holy apostle. One of these is so very appropriate to the spirit of the present season, that we consider it a duty to quote it. 'It behoves us to combat the flesh, and make use of it, without pampering it by unlawful gratifications. As to the soul, we must develop her power by faith and knowledge.'³ How profound is the teaching contained in these few words! Sin has deranged the order which the Creator had established. It gave the outward man such a tendency to grovel in things which degrade him, that the only means left us for the restoration of the image and likeness of God unto which we were created, is the forcible subjection of the body to the spirit. But the spirit itself, that is, the soul, was also impaired by original sin, and her inclinations were made prone to evil; what is to be her protection? Faith and knowledge. Faith humbles her, and then exalts and rewards her; and the reward is knowledge. Here we have a summary of what the Church teaches us during the two seasons of Septuagesima and Lent. Let us thank the holy apostle, on this his feast, for leaving us such a lesson of spiritual wisdom and fortitude. The same traditions, which give us some slight information regarding the holy life of St. Mathias, tell us", "keywords": [ "didst", "mathias", "apostle", "holy", "lord", "ghost", "mathia", "blessed", "divine", "christ", "church", "judas", "apostolic", "college", "complete", "apostles", "life", "spirit", "power", "faith" ], "saints": [ "St. MATHIAS", "St. Mathias" ], "scripture": [ "Acts i. 20", "Acts i. 26", "Psalms cviii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_26", "title": "FEBRUARY 26", "anchor": "february_26", "text": "SAINT MARGARET OF CORTONA, PENITENT Close to the faithful virgins, who form the court of Jesus, there stand those holy women, whose repentance has merited for them a prominent place in the calendar of the Church. They are the bright trophies of God's mercy. They expiated their sins by a life of penance; the tears of their compunction wiped away their guilt; He that is purity itself has found them worthy of His love, and, when pharisees affect to be shocked at His allowing them to be near Him, He warmly defends them. Foremost among these is Mary Magdalene, to whom much was forgiven, because she loved much;¹ but there are two on the list of penitent saints whose names shine most brightly on the calendar of this portion of the year; and who were, like Mary Magdalene, ardent in their love of the divine Master, whom they had once offended: these are, Mary of Egypt, and Margaret of Cortona. It is the second of these who to-day tells us the consoling truth that if sin separate us from God, penance has the power not only of disarming His anger, but of forming between God and the sinner that ineffable bond of love, which the apostle alludes to when he says: 'Where sin hath abounded, grace hath more abounded.'² ¹ St. Luke vii. 47. ² Rom. v. 20. Let us study the virtues of the illustrious penitent of the thirteenth century. They are thus summed up by the Church in the lessons of to-day's feast. Margarita, a loco dormitionis Cortonensis appellata, Laviani in Tuscia ortum habuit. Primis adolescentiæ suæ annis mundi voluptatibus capta, in Montis Politiani civitate, vanam et lubricam vitam duxit: sed cum amasium ab hostibus fœde transfossum, indicio canis in fovea sub strue lignorum tumulatum fortuito reperisset, illico facta est manus Domini super eam, quæ magno culparum suarum mœrore tacta, exiit foras et flevit amare. Itaque Margaret of Cortona (so called from the town where she died), was born at Alviano in Tuscany. In her early youth she was a slave to the pleasures of this world, and led a vain and sinful life in the city of Montepulciano. Her attention was, one day, attracted by a dog, which seemed to wish her to follow it. She did so, and it led her to a pile of wood which covered a large hole. Looking in, she saw the body of her lover, whose enemies had murdered him, and thrown his mangled Lavianum reversa, crine detonso, neglecto capite, pullaque veste contecta, erroribus suis mundique illecebris nuntium misit; inque ædibus Deo sacris fune ad collum alligato, humi procumbens, ab omnibus quos antea moribus suis jam offenderat, veniam exoravit. Mox Cortonam profecta, in cinere et cilicio ab se læsam Dei majestatem placare studuit, donec post triennale virtutum experimentum a Fratribus Minoribus spiritualis vitæ ducibus, Tertii Ordinis habitum impetravit. Uberes exinde lacrymæ ei familiares fuerunt, atque ima suspiria tanta animi contritione ducta, ut diu elinguis consisteret. Lectulus nuda humus, cervical lapis aut", "keywords": [ "margaret", "life", "cortona", "world", "atque", "church", "sins", "penance", "tears", "mary", "divine", "soul", "saint", "penitent", "holy", "whose", "mercy", "year", "heavenly", "lord" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. MARGARET", "St. Margaret" ], "scripture": [ "Luke vii. 47", "Romans v. 20" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MARCH_4", "title": "MARCH 4", "anchor": "march_4", "text": "SAINT CASIMIR, CONFESSOR It is from a court that we are to be taught to-day the most heroic virtues. Casimir is a prince; he is surrounded by all the allurements of youth and luxury; and yet he passes through the snares of the world with as much safety and prudence, as though he were an angel in human form. His example shows us what we may do. The world has not smiled on us as it did on Casimir; but how much we have loved it! If we have gone so far as to make it our idol, we must now break what we have adored, and give our service to the sovereign Lord, who alone has a right to it. When we read the lives of the saints, and find that persons who were in the ordinary walks of life practised extraordinary virtues, we are inclined to think that they were not exposed to great temptations, or that the misfortunes they met with in the world made them give themselves up unreservedly to God's service. Such interpretations of the actions of the saints are shallow and false, for they ignore this great fact, that there is no condition or state, however humble, in which man has not to combat the evil inclinations of his heart, and that corrupt nature alone is strong enough to lead him to sin. But in such a saint as Casimir we have no difficulty in recognizing that all his Christian energy was from God, and not from any natural source; and we rightly conclude that we, who have the same good God, may well hope that this season of spiritual regeneration will change and better us. Casimir preferred death to sin. But is not every Christian bound to be thus minded every hour of the day? And yet, such is the infatuation produced by the pleasures or advantages of this present life, that we every day see men plunging themselves into sin, which is the death of the soul; and this, not for the sake of saving the life of the body, but for a vile and transient gratification, which is oftentimes contrary to their temporal interests. What stronger proof could there be than this, of the sad effects produced in us by original sin? The examples of the saints are given us as a light to lead us in the right path, let us follow it, and we shall be saved. Besides, we have a powerful aid in their merits and intercession: let us take courage at the thought that these friends of God have a most affectionate compassion for us", "keywords": [ "casimir", "world", "saints", "life", "saint", "virtues", "service", "alone", "right", "lead", "christian", "death", "produced", "confessor" ], "saints": [ "St. CASIMIR" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MARCH_4", "title": "MARCH 4.", "anchor": "march_4", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "ST_CASIMIR", "title": "ST. CASIMIR", "anchor": "st_casimir", "text": "their brethren, who are surrounded by so many and great dangers. The Church, in her liturgy, thus describes to us the virtues of our young prince: Casimirus, patre Casimiro, matre Elisabetha Austriaca, Poloniæ regibus ortus, a pueritia sub optimis magistris pietate, et bonis artibus instructus, juveniles artus aspero domabat cilicio, et assiduis extenuabat jejuniis. Regii spreta lecti mollitie, dura cubabat humo, et clam intempesta nocte, pro foribus templorum pronus in terra divinam exorabat clementiam. In Christi contemplanda Passione assiduus, Missarum solemniis adeo erecta in Deum mente solebat adesse, ut extra se rapi videretur. Casimir was the son of Casimir, king of Poland, and of Elizabeth of Austria. He was put, when quite a boy, under the care of the best masters, who trained him to piety and learning. He brought his body into subjection by wearing a hair-shirt, and by frequent fasting. He could not endure the soft bed which is given to kings, but lay on the hard floor, and during the night, he used privately to steal from his room, and go to the church, where, prostrate before the door, he besought God to have mercy on him. The Passion of Christ was his favourite subject of meditation; and when he assisted at Mass, his mind was so fixed on God, that he seemed to be in one long ecstasy. Catholicam promovere fidem summopere studuit, et Ruthenorum schisma abolere; quapropter Casimirum patrem induxit, ut legem ferret, ne schismatici nova templa construerent, nec vetera collabentia restaurarent. Erga pauperes et calamitatibus oppressos beneficus et misericors, patris et defensoris egenorum nomen obtinuit. Virginitatem, quam ab incunabulis servavit illæsam, sub extremo vitæ termino fortiter asseruit, dum gravi pressus infirmitate, mori potius, quam castitatis jacturam ex medicorum consilio subire, constanter decrevit. Great was his zeal for the propagation of the Catholic faith, and the suppression of the Russian schism. He persuaded the king, his father, to pass a law, forbidding the schismatics to build new churches, or to repair those which had fallen to ruin. Such was his charity for the poor and all sufferers, that he went under the name of the father and defender of the poor. During his last illness, he nobly evinced his love of purity, which virtue he had maintained unsullied during his whole life. He was suffering a cruel malady; but he courageously preferred to die, rather than suffer the loss of his chastity, whereby his physicians advised him to purchase his cure. Consummatus in brevi, virtutibus et meritis plenus, prænuntiato mortis die, inter sacerdotum, et religiosorum choros spiritum Deo reddidit, anno ætatis vigesimo quinto. Corpus Vilnam delatum multis claret miraculis. Etenim, præterquam quod puella defuncta vitam, cæci visum, claudi gressum, et varii infirmi sanitatem ad ejus sepulchrum recuperarunt. Lithuanis exiguo numero ad potentissimi hostis insperatam irruptionem trepidantibus in aëre apparens, insignem tribuit victoriam. Quibus permotus Leo decimus, eumdem sanctorum catalogo adscripsit. Being made perfect in a short space of time, and rich in virtue and merit, after having foretold the day of his death, he breathed", "keywords": [ "life", "during", "church", "casimir", "penance", "surrounded", "young", "king", "poland", "body", "quam", "schism", "father", "poor", "virtue", "short", "merit", "death", "miracles", "among" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MARCH_6", "title": "MARCH 6.", "anchor": "march_6", "text": "SAINTS PERPETUA AND FELICITAS, MARTYRS The real feast of these two illustrious heroines of the faith is to-morrow, which is the anniversary of their martyrdom and triumph; but the memory of the angel of the schools, St. Thomas of Aquin, shines so brightly on the seventh of March, that it almost eclipses the two glorious stars of Africa. In consequence of this, the Holy See orders the Church to anticipate their feast, and keep it to-day. We at once offer to the Christian reader the glorious spectacle of which Carthage was the scene in the year 208. Nothing could give us a clearer idea of that spirit of the Gospel, according to which we are now studying to conform our whole life. Here are two women, two mothers; God asks great sacrifices from them; He asks them to give Him their lives, nay, more than their lives; and they obey with that simplicity and devotedness which made Abraham merit to be the father of believers. Their two names, as St. Augustine observes, are a presage of what awaits them in heaven: a perpetual felicity. The example they set of Christian fortitude, is, of itself, a victory, which secures to the true faith a triumph in the land of Africa. St. Cyprian will soon follow them, with his bold and eloquent appeal to the African Christians, inspiring them to die for their faith: but his words, grand as they are, are less touching than the few pages written by the hand of the brave Perpetua, who, though only twenty-two years of age, relates, with all the self-possession of an angel, the trials she had to go through for God; and when she has to hurry off to the amphitheatre, she puts her pen into another's hand, bidding him go on where she leaves off, and write the rest of the battle. As we read these charming pages, we seem to be in the company of the martyrs; the power of divine grace, which could produce such heroism amidst a people demoralized by paganism, appears so great that even we grow courageous; and the very fact that the instruments employed by God for the destruction of the pagan world were frequently women, induces us to say with St. John Chrysostom: 'I feel an indescribable pleasure in reading the \"Acts of the Martyrs\"; but when the martyr is a woman, my enthusiasm is doubled. For the frailer the instrument, the greater is the grace, the brighter the trophy, the grander the victory; and this, not because of her weakness, but because the devil is conquered by her, by whom he once conquered us. He conquered by a woman, and now a woman conquers him. She that was once his weapon, is now his destroyer, brave and invincible. That first one sinned, and died; this one died that she might not sin. Eve was flushed by a lying promise, and broke the law of God; our heroine disdained to live, when her living was", "keywords": [ "perpetua", "felicitas", "martyrs", "father", "love", "faith", "heaven", "hand", "martyrdom", "holy", "left", "pater", "came", "sacrifice", "wast", "sword", "christian", "brave", "quum", "prison" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Cyprian", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Thomas of Aquin" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 27", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 6", "John c.", "Judges v. 7", "Luke ix. 62", "Proverbs xxxi. 10" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MARCH_7", "title": "MARCH 7", "anchor": "march_7", "text": "SAINT THOMAS OF AQUIN, DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH The saint we are to honour to-day is one of the sublimest and most lucid interpreters of divine truth. He rose up in the Church many centuries after the apostolic age, nay, long after the four great Latin doctors, Ambrose, Augustine; Jerome, and Gregory. The Church, the ever young and joyful mother, is justly proud of her Thomas, and has honoured him with the splendid title of the angelical doctor, on account of the extraordinary gift of understanding wherewith God had blessed him; just as his contemporary and friend, St. Bonaventure, has been called the seraphic doctor, on account of the wonderful unction which abounds in the writings of this worthy disciple of St. Francis. Thomas of Aquin is an honour to mankind, for perhaps there never existed a man whose intellect surpassed his. He is one of the brightest ornaments of the Church, for not one of her doctors has equalled him in the clearness and precision wherewith he has explained her doctrines. He received the thanks of Christ Himself, for having well written of Him and His mysteries. How welcome ought this feast of such a saint to be to us during this season of the year, when our main study is our return and conversion to God! What greater blessing could we have than to come to the knowledge of God? Has not our ignorance of God, of His claims, and of His perfections, been the greatest misery of our past lives? Here we have a saint whose prayers are most efficacious in procuring for us that knowledge, which is unspotted, and converteth souls, and giveth wisdom to little ones, and gladdeneth the heart, and enlighteneth the eyes.¹ Happy we if this spiritual wisdom be granted us! We shall then see the vanity of everything that is not eternal, the righteousness of the divine commandments, the malice of sin, and the infinite goodness wherewith God treats us when we repent. ¹ Ps. xviii. 8, 9. Let us learn from the Church the claims of the angelical doctor to our admiration and confidence. Præclarum Christiani orbis decus et Ecclesiæ lumen, beatissimus vir Thomas, Landulpho Comite Aquinate et Theodora Neapolitana, nobilibus parentibus natus, futuræ in Deiparam devotionis affectum adhuc infantulus ostendit. Nam chartulam ab eo inventam, in qua salutatio angelica scripta erat, frustra adnitente nutrice, compressa manu valide retinuit, et a matre per vim abreptam, ploratu et gestu repetiit, ac mox redditam deglutivit. Quintum annum agens, monachis sancti Benedicti Cassinatibus custodiendus traditur. Inde Neapolim studiorum causa missus, jam adolescens Fratrum Prædicatorum Ordinem suscepit. Sed matre ac fratribus id indigne ferentibus, Lutetiam Parisiorum mittitur. Quem fratres in itinere per vim raptum in arcem castri Sancti Joannis perducunt, ubi varie exagitatus, ut sanctum propositum mutaret, mulierem etiam, quæ ad labefactandam ejus constantiam introducta fuerat, titione fugavit. Mox beatus juvenis, flexis genibus ante signum crucis orans, ibique somno correptus, per quietem sentire visus est sibi ab angelis constringi lumbos: quo ex tempore omni postea", "keywords": [ "church", "thomas", "saint", "doctor", "truth", "blessed", "sancti", "holy", "praise", "divine", "mother", "having", "light", "life", "amen", "angelical", "received", "knowledge", "wisdom", "ejus" ], "saints": [ "St. Bonaventure", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. John", "St. Matt", "St. Peter", "St. Pius", "St. THOMAS", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [ "John xxii.", "Matthew v. 8", "Psalms xi. 2", "Psalms xviii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MARCH_8", "title": "MARCH 8", "anchor": "march_8", "text": "SAINT JOHN OF GOD, CONFESSOR This day month we were keeping the feast of St. John of Matha, whose characteristic virtue was charity; our saint of to-day was like him: love for his neighbour led him to devote himself to the service of them that most needed help. Both are examples to us of what is a principal duty of this present season: they are models of fraternal charity. They teach us this great lesson, that our love of God is false if our hearts are not disposed to show mercy to our neighbour, and help him in his necessities and troubles. It is the same lesson as that which the beloved disciple gives us, when he says: \"He that hath the substance of this world, and shall see his brother in need, and shall put up his mercy from him, how doth the charity of God abide in him?\"¹ But if there can be no love of God where there is none for our neighbour, the love of our neighbour itself is not genuine unless it be accompanied by a love of our Creator and Redeemer. The charity which the world has set up, which it calls philanthropy, and which it exercises not in the name of God, but solely for the sake of man, is a mere delusion; it is incapable of producing love between those who give and those who receive, and its results must necessarily be unsatisfactory. There is but one tie which can make men love one another: that tie is God, who created them all, and commands them all to be one in Him. To serve mankind for its own sake, is to make a god of it; and even viewing the workings of the two systems in this single point of view—the relief they afford to temporal suffering—what comparison is there between mere philanthropy, and that supernatural charity of the humble disciples of Christ, who make Him the very motive and end of all they do for their afflicted brethren? The saint we honour to-day, was called John of God, because the name of God was ever on his lips. His heroic acts of charity had no other motive than that of pleasing God; God alone was the inspirer of the tender love he had for his suffering fellow-creatures. Let us imitate his example, for our Lord assures us that He considers as done to Himself whatsoever we do even for the least of His disciples. The liturgy thus portrays the virtues of our saint: Joannes de Deo, ex Catholicis piisque parentibus in oppido Montis-Majoris, junioris regni Lusitaniæ natus, quam sublimiter in sortem Domini fuerit electus, insuetus splendor super ejus domo refulgens, sonitusque æris campani sua sponte emissus, ab ipso ejus nativitatis tempore non obscure prænuntiarunt. A laxioris vivendi ratione, divina operante virtute, revocatus, magnæ sanctitatis exhibere specimen cœpit, et ob auditam prædicationem verbi Dei sic ad meliora se excitatum sensit, ut jam ab ipso sanctioris vitæ rudimento consummatum aliquid, perfectumque visus sit", "keywords": [ "charity", "love", "john", "saint", "world", "neighbour", "sick", "name", "joannes", "church", "things", "hospitals", "city", "fire", "whose", "virtue", "help", "lesson", "mercy", "philanthropy" ], "saints": [ "St. JOHN", "St. John", "St. John of Matha" ], "scripture": [ "1 John iii. 17" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "ST_JOHN_OF_GOD", "title": "ST. JOHN OF GOD", "anchor": "st_john_of_god", "text": "who had witnessed what had happened, that the disciples of charity have a fire within their hearts more active than any which could burn the body. Among the virtues wherein he wonderfully excelled, may be mentioned his many practices of bodily mortification, profound obedience, extreme poverty, love of prayer, contemplation, and devotion to the blessed Virgin. He also possessed, in an extraordinary degree, the gift of tears. At length, falling seriously ill, he fervently received the last Sacraments. Though reduced to a state of utter weakness, he dressed himself, rose from his bed, fell on his knees, devoutly took the crucifix into his hands, pressed it to his heart, and kissing it, died on the eighth of the Ides of March (March 8) in the year 1550. He remained in this same attitude with the crucifix still in his hand, for about six hours after his death. The entire city came to see the holy corpse, which gave forth a heavenly fragrance. The body was then removed, in order that it might be buried. God honoured his servant by many miracles, both before and after his death, and he was canonized by Pope Alexander VIII. Leo XIII, at the desire of the bishops of the Catholic world, and having consulted the sacred congregation of rites, declared him the heavenly patron of all hospitals and of the sick in all places, and ordered his name to be inserted in the litany for the dying. What a glorious life was thine, O John of God! It was one of charity, and of miracles wrought by charity. Like Vincent of Paul thou wast poor, and, in thy early life, a shepherd-boy like him; but the charity which filled thy heart gave thee a power to do what worldly influence and riches never can. Thy name and memory are dear to the Church; they deserve to be held in benediction by all mankind, for thou didst spend thy life in serving thy fellow-creatures, for God's sake. That motive gave thee a devotedness to the poor, which is an impossibility for those who befriend them from mere natural sympathy. Philanthropy may be generous, and its workings may be admirable for ingenuity and order; but it never can look upon the poor man as a sacred object, because it refuses to see God in him. Pray for the men of this generation, that they may at length desist from perverting charity into a mere mechanism of relief. The poor are the representatives of Christ, for He Himself has willed that they be such; and if the world refuse to accept them in this their exalted character, if it deny their resemblance to our Redeemer, it may succeed in degrading the poor, but by this very degradation it will make them its enemies. Thy predilection, O John of God, was for the sick; have pity, therefore, on our times, which are ambitious to eliminate the supernatural, and exclude God from the world by what is called secularization", "keywords": [ "life", "charity", "world", "poor", "lord", "frances", "holy", "saint", "rome", "love", "state", "name", "didst", "pray", "during", "penance", "virtues", "prayer", "blessed", "though" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Elizabeth of Hungary", "St. FRANCES", "St. Frances", "St. Jane", "St. Mathias", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles iv. 12" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MARCH_10", "title": "MARCH 10", "anchor": "march_10", "text": "THE FORTY MARTYRS We know the mystery of the number forty. This tenth of March brings it before us. Forty new advocates! Forty encouraging us to enter bravely on our career of penance! On the frozen pool, which was their field of battle, these martyrs reminded one another that Jesus had fasted for forty days, and that they themselves were forty in number! Let us, in our turn, compare their sufferings with the lenten exercises which the Church imposes upon us; and humble ourselves on seeing our cowardice; or, if we begin with fervour, let us remember that the grand thing is to be faithful to the end, and bring to the Easter solemnity the crown of our perseverance. Our forty martyrs patiently endured the cruellest tortures; the fear of God, and their deep-rooted conviction that He had an infinite claim to their fidelity, gave them the victory. How many times we have sinned, and had not such severe temptations as theirs to palliate our fall! How can we sufficiently bless that divine mercy, which spared us, instead of abandoning us as it did that poor apostate, who turned coward and was lost! But, on what condition did God spare us? That we should not spare ourselves, but do penance. He put into our hands the rights of His own justice; justice, then, must be satisfied, and we must exercise it against ourselves. The lives of the saints will be of great help to us in this, for they will teach us how we are to look upon sin, how to avoid it, and how strictly we are bound to do penance for it after having committed it. The Church, in her liturgy, thus relates to us the martyrdom of the soldiers of Sebaste. Licinio imperatore, et Agricolao præside, ad Sebasten Armeniæ urbem, quadraginta militum fides in Jesum Christum, et fortitudo in cruciatibus perferendis enituit. Qui sæpius in horribilem carcerem detrusi, vinculisque constricti, cum ora ipsorum lapidibus contusa fuissent, hiemis tempore frigidissimo, nudi sub aperto aere supra stagnum rigens pernoctare jussi sunt, ut frigore congelati necarentur. Una autem erat omnium oratio: Quadraginta in stadium ingressi sumus, quadraginta item, Domine, corona donemur; ne una quidem huic numero desit. Est in honore hic numerus, quem tu quadraginta dierum jejunio decorasti; per quem divina lex ingressa est in orbem terrarum. Elias quadraginta dierum jejunio Deum quærens, ejus visionem consecutus est. Et hæc quidem illorum erat oratio. During the reign of the Emperor Licinius, and under the presidency of Agricolaus, the city of Sebaste in Armenia was honoured by being made the scene of the martyrdom of forty soldiers, whose faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and patience in bearing tortures, were so glorious. After having been frequently confined in a horrid dungeon, shackled with chains, and having had their faces beaten with stones, they were condemned to pass a most bitter winter night in the open air, and on a frozen pool, that they might be frozen to death. When there, they united", "keywords": [ "lord", "domine", "saint", "sancte", "holy", "deus", "mercy", "omnes", "nobis", "libera", "hear", "forty", "meam", "tuam", "sancti", "martyrs", "sunt", "quoniam", "rogamus", "christ" ], "saints": [ "St. Agatha", "St. Agnes", "St. Ambrose", "St. Anastasia", "St. Andrew", "St. Antony", "St. Augustine", "St. Barnaby", "St. Bartholomew", "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Catharine", "St. Cecily", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. Gabriel", "St. Gregory", "St. James", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Laurence", "St. Lucy", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Martin", "St. Mary", "St. Mathias", "St. Matthew", "St. Michael", "St. Nicholas", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Philip", "St. Raphael", "St. Simon", "St. Stephen", "St. Sylvester", "St. Thaddeus", "St. Thomas", "St. Vincent" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_6", "title": "FEBRUARY 6", "anchor": "february_6", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "ST_TITUS_BISHOP_AND_CONFESSOR", "title": "ST. TITUS, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR", "anchor": "st_titus_bishop_and_confessor", "text": "We are to celebrate, to-day, the Feast of a holy Bishop of the Apostolic Age—a Disciple of the Apostle St. Paul. Little is known of his life; but, by addressing to him one of his inspired Epistles, the Apostle of the Gentiles has immortalised his memory. Wheresoever the Faith of Christ has been or shall be preached, Titus' name has been venerated by the Faithful; and as long as the world lasts, the holy Church will read to her children this Epistle, which was written, indeed, to a simple Bishop of the Isle of Crete, but was dictated by the Holy Ghost, and therefore destined to be a part of those Sacred Scriptures, which contain the Word of God. The counsels and directions given in this admirable Letter, were the rule of the holy Bishop, for whom St. Paul entertained a very strong affection. St. Titus had the honour of establishing the Christian Religion in that famous Island, which was one of the strongholds of Paganism. He survived his master, who was put to death by Nero. Like St. John, he sweetly slept in Christ at a very advanced age, respected and loved by the Church he had founded. As we have already observed, his life left but few traces behind it; but these few are sufficient to prove him to have been one of those wonderful men whom God chose as the directors of His infant Church. Titum Cretensium Episcopum vix Pauli Apostoli verbo christianæ fidei sacramentis, mysteriisque excultum, ea sanctitatis luce Ecclesiæ tunc vagienti effulsisse compertum est, ut inter ejusdem Doctoris Gentium discipulos meruerit cooptari. Adscitus in partem oneris prædicationis adeo evangelizandi ardore et fidelitate Paulo exstitit carus, ut ipse cum venisset Troadem propter Evangelium Christi testatus sit, non habuisse requiem spiritui suo, eo quod Titum fratrem suum ibi non invenerit. Et paulo post Macedoniam petens, rursus suam in eum charitatem ita exprimit: Sed qui consolatur humiles, consolatus est nos Deus in adventu Titi. Titus, Bishop of Crete, was initiated into the mysteries of the Christian faith by Paul the Apostle; and being prepared by the sacraments, he shed so bright a light of sanctity on the infant Church, that he merited to be chosen as one of the Disciples of the Doctor of the Gentiles. Being called to bear the burden of preaching the Gospel, so ardent and persevering was he in the discharge of that duty, that he endeared himself to St. Paul so much, as to make the Apostle say in one of his Epistles, that being come to Troas, to preach the faith in that city, he found no rest for his heart, because he found not there his brother Titus. And having, a short time after this, gone to Macedonia, he thus expresses his affection for his disciple in these terms: But God who comforteth the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus. Quamobrem Corinthum ab Apostolo missus, ea sapientia et lenitate legationis hujus munere functus est, quæ præsertim de fidelium pietate", "keywords": [ "church", "apostle", "holy", "bishop", "paul", "faith", "titus", "inter", "faithful", "island", "paulo", "disciple", "christ", "name", "world", "crete", "word", "affection", "christian", "master" ], "saints": [ "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Paul", "St. Titus" ], "scripture": [ "Corinthians i.", "John c." ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_9", "title": "FEBRUARY 9", "anchor": "february_9", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "ST_CYRIL_OF_ALEXANDRIA_BISHOP_AND_DOCTOR_OF_THE_CHURCH", "title": "ST. CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA, BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH", "anchor": "st_cyril_of_alexandria_bishop_and_doctor_of_the_church", "text": "*\"I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.\"*¹ These words, addressed to the serpent in the days which the Church now seeks to bring before the minds of her children, have dominated the world's history. The woman, who was the first to fall victim to Satan's deceits, was, in Mary, the first to rise. In her Immaculate Conception, in her virginal motherhood, in her offering of the new Adam to God on the mount of expiation, the new Eve made the enemy of mankind feel the power of her victorious foot; and so the rebel angel, who by man's complicity has become the prince of this world, has never ceased to direct against the woman who has triumphed over him the united forces of his double empire, over the legions of hell and the children of darkness. Mary in heaven continues the conflict she began on earth. As queen of the blessed spirits and of the children of light she leads to battle as one army the heavenly hosts and the battalions of the Church Militant. The triumph of these faithful soldiers is that of their sovereign lady—it is a continual crushing of the head of the father of lies by the defeat of error and the exaltation of truth, the victory of the Divine Word, who is both Son of Mary and Son of God. But the connection between the victory of the Divine Word and the triumph of his glorious Mother has never been more manifest than in the combats sustained by the Pontiff whom we are to honour to-day. Cyril of Alexandria is the Doctor of the Divine Maternity as his predecessor Athanasius was that of the Consubstantiality of the Word. The dogma of the Incarnation is founded upon these two ineffable mysteries, which they confessed and defended in two succeeding centuries. As Son of God Christ must be consubstantial with the Father, for the infinite simplicity of the divine essence excludes all idea of division. To deny the unity of substance and principle in Jesus, the Divine Word, was to deny His divinity. As Son of Man, as well as true God of true God, Jesus was to be born on earth of a daughter of Adam, and yet in His humanity be still one Person with the Word which is consubstantial with the Father. To deny the personal union of the two natures in Christ was again equivalent to denying His divinity; it was also equivalent to declaring that the Blessed Virgin, who until then had been honoured as having given birth to God in the nature which He assumed for our salvation, was only the mother of a man. Three centuries of persecution had not been able to wring from the Church a denial of the divinity of her Spouse. But hardly had the world witnessed the triumph of the Incarnate Word, when", "keywords": [ "church", "faith", "nestorius", "mary", "mother", "cyril", "holy", "divine", "alexandria", "christ", "earth", "light", "against", "heaven", "triumph", "word", "divinity", "name", "patriarch", "woman" ], "saints": [ "St. Athanasius", "St. Celestine", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Mariam", "St. Paul", "St. Pulcheria" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus iv. 33", "Ephesians iv. 13", "Genesis iii. 15", "John c.", "Mark i.", "Psalms cxxxi. 4" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_11", "title": "FEBRUARY 11", "anchor": "february_11", "text": "OUR LADY OF LOURDES \"My bow shall appear in the clouds and I will remember My covenant with you.\"¹ The lessons at Matins on February 11, 1858 (Thursday in Sexagesima week) recalled these words, and the world soon learned that on this very day Mary had appeared, more fair than the sign of hope which typified her at the time of the deluge. Portents, the realization of which we see in these days, were being multiplied. Mankind had grown old, and seemed about to perish in a deluge more dreadful than the former one. 'I am the Immaculate Conception,' said the Mother of divine grace to the humble child whom she chose at such a time to bear her message to the captain of the Ark of salvation. She pierced the gathering darkness with the light of that sublime privilege which the supreme pilot, to his eternal glory, had declared three years before to be dogma. Indeed, if, as the beloved disciple says, it is our faith to which victory on earth is promised,² and if faith is nourished by light—what individual dogma is there which so presupposes and recalls all other dogmatic truths, and at the same time throws such light upon them? It is a royal crown on the brow of the victorious queen, resplendent like the rainbow which breaks through the clouds with all the glories of heaven. ¹ Gen. ix, 14-15. ² 1 John v. 4. But perchance it was still necessary to open the eyes of the blind to these splendours, to inspire courage into hearts saddened by hell's denials, and to infuse strength to make an act of faith into so many understandings weakened by the education of these days. The Immaculate Virgin summoned the multitudes to the scene of her blessed visit, and both sweetly and strongly succoured the weakness of souls by healing bodies. She smiled upon publicity, welcomed investigation, and confirmed by the authority of miracles her own words and the definition of the Vicar of Christ. The Psalmist said that the works of God tell His praises in all tongues,¹ and St. Paul taxes with folly and impiety those who will not accept this testimony.² So, too, we may say that the men of these times have no excuse if they do not recognize the blessed Virgin in her works. May she extend the field of her beneficence and take pity on that worst of diseases—that weakness of soul which refuses to see out of a secret fear of the conclusions to be drawn from the evidence, and struggles against the truth until the mind is filled with contradictions and the heart with darkness, so that it seems as though the reason itself were given over to that reprobate sense³ which St. Paul describes as striking the pagans in their flesh. ¹ Ps. xviii. 2-5. ² Rom. i. 18-22. ³ Ibid. i. 28. The things that take place at Lourdes are as famous as any events of contemporary history. Let", "keywords": [ "lourdes", "virgin", "immaculate", "blessed", "lady", "apparition", "faith", "anno", "virginis", "virgo", "bernadette", "favours", "world", "days", "conception", "child", "apparitionis", "vero", "grotto", "holy" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "1 John v. 4", "Genesis ix. 14", "Psalms xviii. 2", "Romans i. 18" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_11", "title": "FEBRUARY 11.", "anchor": "february_11", "text": "solemne festum sub titulo Apparitionis beatæ Mariæ Virginis Immaculatæ proprio Officio et propria Missa celebrandum benigne concessit. Tandem Pius decimus Pontifex Maximus pro sua erga Deiparam pietate, ac plurimorum votis annuens sacrorum Antistitum, idem festum ad Ecclesiam universam extendit. Mother of God, granted the petition of many prelates that this feast should be extended to the Universal Church. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee! Thou didst teach us this prayer in 1830 as a safeguard against the dangers of the future. In 1846 the two shepherds of La Salette reminded us of thy tears and exhortations: \"Pray for poor sinners, pray for the world which is so disturbed.\" To-day the little seer of the grotto of Massabielle brings us thy message: \"Penitence! Penitence! Penitence!\" We desire to obey thee, O blessed Virgin, to combat in ourselves and all around us that enemy of mankind who is our only real enemy, and sin, that supreme evil which is the source of all others. Praise be to the Almighty, who saved thee from all stain of sin, and thus inaugurated in thee the full restoration of our fallen race. Praise be to thee, who, having no debts of thy own, didst pay our debts with the Blood of thy Son and the tears of His Mother, thus reconciling heaven and earth and crushing the head of the serpent. Prayer, expiation—the Church from apostolic times has ever urged these thoughts upon us during the days which immediately precede Lent. Dear Mother in heaven, we bless thee for having thus united thy voice to that of our Mother on earth. The world no longer desired, no longer understood, the infallible but indispensable remedy offered by the justice and mercy of God to the misery of man. Men seemed to have forgotten the words: \"Except you do penance, you shall all perish.\"¹ Thy pity wakes us from this fatal stupor, O Mary. Thou knowest our weakness, and hast mingled sweetness in the bitter draught. Thou lavishest temporal favours upon man in order that he may ask of thee eternal blessings. We will not be like those children who welcome their mother's caresses, but neglect her admonitions and the corrections which her tenderness sought to make acceptable. We will pray and suffer in union with Jesus and thee. By thine assistance during this Lent we will be converted and do penance. ¹ Luke xiii. 5.", "keywords": [ "mother", "pray", "penitence", "festum", "church", "mary", "didst", "prayer", "tears", "world", "enemy", "praise", "having", "debts", "heaven", "earth", "during", "lent", "longer", "penance" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Luke xiii. 5" ] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "FEBRUARY_12", "title": "FEBRUARY 12", "anchor": "february_12", "text": "THE SEVEN HOLY FOUNDERS OF THE ORDER OF SERVITES, CONFESSORS Clouds are gathering over Holy Church. We are reminded on every side of the approach of those days when our Emmanuel will show Himself to us in the pitiable state to which our sins have brought Him. Bethlehem is so soon followed by Calvary. We shall find the Mother of divine grace at the foot of the Cross as we found her at Ephrata. She brought forth her firstborn in joy, but now in tears she is to bring forth those brothers of His whose birth cost her so much. We have shared her joy, and we shall not refuse to weep and suffer with her. Let us take for our models the saints whom the Church honours to-day. They passed their lives in the contemplation of our Lady's sorrows, and the Order which they founded has the special mission to spread this devotion. St. Francis of Assisi raised the standard of the Cross anew in a world grown cold. The work of redemption seemed to be taken up afresh, and, as on the great Friday Jesus would not manifest Himself without Mary, the Servites completed the work of the Founder of the Friars Minor. Men regained confidence as they meditated on the Passion of the Son and the Compassion of the Mother. The two feasts consecrated to the Dolours of our Lady will teach us in due course what place her compassion had in the economy of the Redemption. The Queen of heaven herself showed her predilection for the Order which made itself her apostle, in the striking outpouring of holiness which marked its origin. The simultaneous blooming of seven lilies, gathered on earth to-day by the angels, was a sight new even to heaven. Peter of Verona had a vision of them when they were implanting themselves on Monte Senario; and the future martyr saw the blessed Virgin smile as she gazed on that mountain where countless other flowers sprang up to perfume holy Church. Florence, the city of flowers, had never before given such blooms to God. Hell multiplied its attacks against the noble city, but could not prevail against Mary within its walls. We shall be reminded of these things by the feasts of St. Juliana Falconieri and St. Philip Benizi, which were established before the one we are keeping to-day. Let us unite our gratitude to that which the Church feels for the Religious family of the Servites. The world owes to them the grace of a new development in the knowledge and love of the Mother of God, who became our Mother at the price of unparalleled sufferings. The lessons read by the Church on this day speak of the merits of our Saints and the favours with which our Lady rewarded their fidelity. February 11, the day first chosen as their common feast, is not the anniversary of the death of any one of them, but the day on which, in the year", "keywords": [ "order", "church", "mother", "mary", "world", "love", "life", "holy", "blessed", "seven", "servites", "virgin", "vitæ", "quum", "brought", "cross", "whose", "saints", "lady", "sorrows" ], "saints": [ "St. Francis of Assisi", "St. Juliana", "St. Philip" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MARCH_4", "title": "MARCH 4", "anchor": "march_4", "text": "COMMEMORATION OF ST. LUCIUS, POPE AND MARTYR On this day a commemoration is made of St. Lucius, Pope and Martyr. He was a Roman by birth, and succeeded Pope Cornelius in 252. Shortly after his accession he was sent into exile by the Emperor Gallus, but was soon recalled, to the great joy of the Roman people. St. Cyprian quotes decrees issued by him against the Novatians. He died after a very short pontificate on March 4, 253. His relics were translated to the church of St. Cecilia, where they are exposed to the veneration of the Faithful. ANTIPHON Qui odit animam suam in hoc mundo, in vitam æternam custodit eam. He that hateth his life in this world keepeth it unto life eternal. OREMUS. Deus qui nos beati Lucii Martyris tui atque Pontificis annua solemnitate lætificas: concede propitius; ut, cujus natalitia colimus, de ejusdem etiam protectione gaudeamus. Per Dominum. LET US PRAY. O God, who dost year by year give us joy in the feast of blessed Lucius, Thy Martyr and Pontiff, mercifully grant that, as we celebrate his birthday unto life eternal, so we may also rejoice in his protection. Through our Lord.", "keywords": [ "lucius", "pope", "martyr", "life", "commemoration", "roman", "eternal", "year", "church", "antiphon" ], "saints": [ "St. Cecilia", "St. Cyprian", "St. LUCIUS", "St. Lucius" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 4, "section": "MARCH_6", "title": "MARCH 6", "anchor": "march_6", "text": "SS. PERPETUA AND FELICITAS, MARTYRS At the recent revision of the Breviary the office of this feast was changed, and the following lessons were appointed to be read at Matins: Perpetua et Felicitas, in persecutione Severi imperatoris, in Africa, una cum Revocato, Saturnino et Secundulo comprehensæ sunt, et in tenebricosum carcerem detrusæ, quibus ultra adjunctus est Satyrus. Erant adhuc catechumenæ, sed paulo post baptizatæ sunt. Paucis diebus interjectis, e carcere ad forum deductis cum sociis, post gloriosam confessionem, ab Hilarione procuratore damnantur ad bestias. Inde hilares descendunt ad carcerem, ubi variis Perpetua and Felicitas were arrested during the persecution of the Emperor Severus, in Africa, together with Revocatus, Saturninus, and Secundulus, and were cast into a darksome dungeon, where Satyrus was added to their company. They were as yet catechumens, but a short while after they were baptized. After a few days, they, with their companions, were led forth from their prison to the court, and, after a glorious confession, were condemned by the procurator visionibus recreantur, et ad martyrii palmam accenduntur. Perpetuam, nec patris senio pene confecti iteratæ preces et lacrymæ, nec erga filium infantem pendentem ad ubera maternus amor, nec supplicii atrocitas, a Christi fide dimovere unquam potuerunt. Felicitas vero, instante spectaculi die, cum octo jam menses prægnans esset in magno erat luctu, ne differretur; leges quippe vetabant prægnantes supplicio affici. At precibus commartyrum accelerato partu, enixa est filiam. Cumque in partu laborans doleret, ait illi quidam de custodibus: Quæ sic modo doles, quid facies, objecta bestiis? Cui illa: Modo ego patior, illic autem alius erit in me, qui patietur pro me, quia et ego pro illo passura sum. In amphitheatrum, toto inspectante populo, producuntur tandem generosæ mulieres, Nonis Martii, ac primum flagellis cæduntur. Tunc ferocissima vacca aliquamdiu jactatæ, plagis dilaceratæ et in terram elisæ Hilarion to be thrown to the beasts. Thereupon they went down to their prison rejoicing, and while there were refreshed with divers visions, and fired with a longing for the martyr's palm. Neither the repeated prayers and tears of Perpetua's father, a man almost decrepit with old age, nor her motherly love for her baby son, still at the breast, nor the horror of the penalty, could avail at all to shake her faith in Christ. But Felicitas, when the day of the spectacle drew nigh, was in great grief lest it should be put off, seeing that she was eight months with child: for the law ordained that no woman with child should be put to the torture. But at the prayer of her fellow-martyrs her delivery was hastened, and she gave birth to a daughter. While she was groaning amid the pains of childbirth, one of the gaolers said to her: 'What wilt thou do when thou art thrown to the beasts, if thou groanest thus now?' She replied: 'Now it is I who suffer, but then Another will be within me who will suffer on my behalf, seeing that it is for Him that I am to suffer.' At length", "keywords": [ "felicitas", "perpetua", "prayer", "magnificat", "martyrs", "sunt", "quia", "beasts", "suffer", "march", "holy", "amen", "lord", "vespers", "ejus", "feast", "following", "africa", "carcerem", "satyrus" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "THE HISTORY OF LENT THE forty days' fast, which we call Lent,¹ is the Church's preparation for Easter, and was instituted at the very commencement of Christianity. Our blessed Lord Himself sanctioned it by fasting forty days and forty nights in the desert; and though He would not impose it on the world by an express commandment (which, in that case, could not have been open to the power of dispensation), yet He showed plainly enough, by His own example, that fasting, which God had so frequently ordered in the old Law, was to be also practised by the children of the new. The disciples of St. John the Baptist came, one day, to Jesus, and said to Him: 'Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Thy disciples do not fast?' And Jesus said to them: 'Can the children of the Bridegroom mourn, as long as the Bridegroom is with them? But the days will come, when the Bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then they shall fast.'² Hence we find it mentioned, in the Acts of the Apostles, how the disciples of our Lord, after the foundation of the Church, applied themselves to fasting. In their Epistles, also, they recommended it to the faithful. Nor could it be otherwise. Though the divine mysteries whereby our Saviour wrought our redemption have been consummated, yet are we still sinners: and where there is sin, there must be expiation. ¹ In most languages, the name given to this fast expresses the number of the days, forty. But our word Lent signifies the Spring-fast; for Lenten-tide, in the ancient English-Saxon language, was the season of Spring. [Tr.] ² St. Matt. ix. 14, 15. The apostles, therefore, legislated for our weakness, by instituting, at the very commencement of the Christian Church, that the solemnity of Easter should be preceded by a universal fast; and it was only natural that they should have made this period of penance to consist of forty days, seeing that our divine Master had consecrated that number by His own fast. St. Jerome,¹ St. Leo the Great,² St. Cyril of Alexandria,³ St. Isidore of Seville,⁴ and others of the holy fathers, assure us that Lent was instituted by the apostles, although, at the commencement, there was not any uniform way of observing it. We have already seen, in our 'Septuagesima,' that the Orientals begin their Lent much earlier than the Latins, owing to their custom of never fasting on Saturdays (or, in some places, even on Thursdays). They are, consequently, obliged, in order to make up the forty days, to begin the lenten fast on the Monday preceding our Sexagesima Sunday. Exceptions of this kind do but prove the rule. We have also shown how the Latin Church—which, even so late as the sixth century, kept only thirty-six fasting days during the six weeks of Lent (for the Church has never allowed Sundays to be kept as days of fast)—thought proper to add, later on, the", "keywords": [ "lent", "days", "during", "fasting", "century", "church", "fast", "custom", "forty", "abstinence", "king", "taken", "penance", "dispensation", "allowed", "none", "pope", "holy", "discipline", "food" ], "saints": [ "St. Antoninus", "St. Basil", "St. Benedict", "St. Charles", "St. Cyril of Alexandria", "St. Cyril of Jerusalem", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Isidore of Seville", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Matthias", "St. Nicholas", "St. Raymund of Pennafort", "St. Thomas", "St. Thomas of Aquin" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiastes li.", "James iii.", "John c.", "Luke xiii. 3", "Matthew ix. 14", "Titus xlvi." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF LENT WE may be sure that a season so sacred as this of Lent is rich in mysteries. The Church has made it a time of recollection and penance, in preparation for the greatest of all her feasts; she would, therefore, bring into it everything that could excite the faith of her children, and encourage them to go through the arduous work of atonement for their sins. During Septuagesima, we had the number seventy, which reminds us of those seventy years of captivity in Babylon, after which God's chosen people, being purified from idolatry, was to return to Jerusalem and celebrate the Pasch. It is the number forty that the Church now brings before us: a number, as St. Jerome observes, which denotes punishment and affliction.¹ Let us remember the forty days and forty nights of the deluge² sent by God in His anger, when He repented that He had made man, and destroyed the whole human race with the exception of one family. Let us consider how the Hebrew people, in punishment for their ingratitude, wandered forty years in the desert, before they were permitted to enter the promised land.³ Let us listen to our God commanding the Prophet Ezechiel to lie forty days on his right side, as a figure of the siege which was to bring destruction on Jerusalem.⁴ ¹ In Ezechiel, cap. xxix. ² Gen. vii. 12. ³ Num. xiv. 33. ⁴ Ezechiel iv. 6. There are two persons in the old Testament who represent the two manifestations of God: Moses, who typifies the Law; and Elias, who is the figure of the Prophets. Both of these are permitted to approach God: the first on Sinai,¹ the second on Horeb;² but both of them have to prepare for the great favour by an expiatory fast of forty days. With these mysterious facts before us, we can understand why it is that the Son of God, having become Man for our salvation and wishing to subject Himself to the pain of fasting, chose the number of forty days. The institution of Lent is thus brought before us with everything that can impress the mind with its solemn character, and with its power of appeasing God and purifying our souls. Let us, therefore, look beyond the little world which surrounds us, and see how the whole Christian universe is, at this very time, offering this forty days' penance as a sacrifice of propitiation to the offended Majesty of God; and let us hope that, as in the case of the Ninivites, He will mercifully accept this year's offering of our atonement, and pardon us our sins. The number of our days of Lent is, then, a holy mystery: let us now learn, from the liturgy, in what light the Church views her children during these forty days. She considers them as an immense army, fighting day and night against their spiritual enemies. We remember how, on Ash Wednesday, she calls Lent a Christian warfare. In", "keywords": [ "lent", "church", "during", "days", "holy", "forty", "mass", "feast", "custom", "sacrifice", "office", "centuries", "mystery", "whole", "season", "penance", "number", "remember", "fast", "liturgy" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory", "St. Jerome", "St. Mathias" ], "scripture": [ "3 Kings xix. 8", "Exodus xxiv. 18", "Ezechiel iv. 6", "Genesis vii. 12", "Numbers xiv. 33", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING LENT Having spent the three weeks of Septuagesima in meditating upon our spiritual infirmities and upon the wounds caused in us by sin, we should be ready to enter upon the penitential season which the Church has now begun. We have now a clearer knowledge of the justice and holiness of God, and of the dangers that await an impenitent soul ; and, that our repentance might be earnest and lasting, we have bade farewell to the vain joys and baubles of the world. Our pride has been humbled by the prophecy, that these bodies would soon be like the ashes that wrote the memento of death upon our foreheads. During these forty days of penance, which seem so long to our poor nature, we shall not be deprived of the company of our Jesus. He seemed to have withdrawn from us during those weeks of Septuagesima, when everything spoke to us of His maledictions upon sinful man, but this absence has done us good. It has taught us how to tremble at the voice of God's anger. 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom';¹ we have found it to be so: the spirit of penance is now active within us, because we have feared. And now, let us look at the divine object that is before us. It is our Emmanuel; the same Jesus, but not under the form of the sweet Babe whom we adored in His crib. He has grown to the fulness of the age of man, and wears the semblance of a sinner, trembling and humbling Himself before the sovereign Majesty of His Father whom we have offended, and to whom He now offers Himself as the Victim of propitiation. He loves us with a brother's love; and seeing that the season for doing penance has begun, He comes to cheer us on by His presence and His own example. We are going to continue forty days in fasting and abstinence: Jesus, who is innocence itself, goes through the same penance. We have separated ourselves, for a time, from the pleasures and vanities of the world: Jesus withdraws from the company and sight of men. We intend to assist at the divine services more assiduously, and pray more fervently, than at other times: Jesus spends forty days and forty nights in praying, like the humblest suppliant; and all this for us. We are going to think over our past sins, and bewail them in bitter tears: Jesus suffers for them and weeps over them in the silence of the desert, as though He Himself had committed them. No sooner had He received baptism from the hands of St. John, than the Holy Ghost led Him to the desert. The time had come for showing Himself to the world; He would begin by teaching us a lesson of immense importance. He leaves the saintly Precursor and the admiring multitude, that had seen the divine Spirit descend upon Him, and heard the", "keywords": [ "penance", "lent", "church", "fasting", "during", "holy", "soul", "days", "jesus", "world", "sins", "christian", "life", "forty", "abstinence", "spirit", "divine", "season", "year", "desert" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus iii. 33", "Luke xiii. 3", "Luke xxiii. 31", "Matthew iv. 17", "Psalms cx. 10", "Romans vi. 6", "Tobias xii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS DURING LENT During the season of Lent, the Christian, on waking in the morning, should unite himself with the Church, who, at the first dawn of day, begins her psalms of Lauds with these words of the royal prophet: Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. He should, after this, profoundly adore that great God, before whom the sinner should tremble, yet whom he fears not to offend, as though deserving neither reverence nor love. It is with this deep sentiment of holy fear 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 having come, he may use the following method, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church:— MORNING PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the most holy Trinity: V. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum sancto Spiritu: R. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. R. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. V. Let us bless the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. R. Let us praise him and extol him above all for ever. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. V. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. R. Because by thy holy cross thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire 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, 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 cœlis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua sicut in cœlo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: et ne nos inducas in tentationem: sed libera nos a malo. Amen. 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "holy", "domine", "deus", "mercy", "christ", "sins", "blessed", "church", "mother", "virgin", "nobis", "pray", "queen", "mater", "regina", "prayers", "world", "hear" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS, DURING THE SEASON OF LENT The Christian who enters into the spirit of the Church during this season of Lent, will find an increase in his soul of that holy fear of God, which the psalmist tells us is the beginning of wisdom.¹ The remembrance of his sins, the practice of the holy penances of Lent, the example of a God expiating our sins by fasting in the desert, the Church's ceaseless prayer for her guilty children: all combine to arouse him from the indifference which so easily fastens on the soul. He has need, therefore, of some refuge, some powerful and saving help, which may re-enkindle within his heart that Christian hope, without which he cannot be in the grace of God. Nay, more: he has need of a victim of propitiation, which may appease the divine anger; he has need of a sacrifice, whereby to stay the arm of God, which he knows is raised to punish his sins. This Victim is ready; this infinitely efficacious sacrifice is prepared for us. We shall soon have to celebrate the sad anniversary of His being offered upon the Cross: meanwhile, He is daily offered to the divine Majesty, and it is by assisting at this holy sacrifice that we shall be taking the most efficacious means for obtaining the regeneration of our souls. When, therefore, we would offer to our God the sacrifice of a contrite and humble heart, let us ensure its acceptance by going to the altar, and supplicating the Victim, who there offers Himself for our sake, that He join His infinite merits with our feeble works. ¹ Ps. cx. 10. When we leave the house of God, the weight of our sins will be lessened, our confidence in divine mercy will be increased, and our love, renewed by compunction, will be firmer and truer. 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 formulæ, but by suggesting such acts as will enable those who hear Mass to enter into the ceremonies and the spirit of the Church and of the priest. The purple vestments, and the penitential rites already explained, give to the holy sacrifice during Lent an air of sadness, which harmonizes with the mysteries of this season. But if, on the week-days, there occur a saint's feast, the Church keeps it, and laying aside her purple vestments, she celebrates the holy sacrifice in memory of the saint. 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "amen", "holy", "altar", "jesus", "domine", "father", "church", "divine", "mercy", "deus", "sacrifice", "christ", "sins", "prayer", "nobis", "ever", "world", "heaven" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "2 Corinthians v. 4", "2 Peter i. 4", "3 Kings iii. 10", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Isaias ix. 6", "John c.", "Lamentations iii. 25", "Psalms cx. 10" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING LENT Of all the works whereby a Christian can sanctify the time of Lent, there is none so pleasing to God as to assist at the holy sacrifice of the Mass, in which is offered the Victim of man's salvation. But now that his own unworthiness is more than ever evident to him, ought he to abstain from partaking, by holy Communion, of this life-giving and purifying Host? Such is not our Saviour's will. He came down from heaven, not to judge, but to save us.¹ He knows how long and rugged is the road we have to traverse, before we reach that happy day, on which we shall rest with Him, in the joy of His Resurrection. He has compassion on us; He fears lest we faint in the way;² and He, therefore, offers us the divine food, which gives light and strength to our souls, and refreshes them in their toil. We feel that our hearts are not yet pure enough; let us then, with a humble and contrite heart, go to Him, who has come that He may restore to our souls their original beauty. Let us, at all times, remember the solemn injunction which this Saviour so graciously deigned to give us: 'Except ye eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, ye shall not have life in you.'³ If, therefore, sin has no longer dominion over us; if we have destroyed it by true sorrow and sincere confession, made efficacious by the absolution of God's priest; let us not deprive ourselves of the Bread of life,⁴ no matter how great soever our infirmities may seem; for it is for us that our Jesus has prepared the feast. If we feel that the chains of sin are still upon us; if by self-examination made with the light of the truth that is now granted to us, we discover in our souls certain stains, which the false principles of the world and too easy a conscience have hitherto made us overlook; let us lose no time, let us make a good confession: and when we have made our peace with the God of mercy, let us approach the holy Table, and receive the pledge of our reconciliation. ¹ St. John iii. 17. ² St. Matt. xv. 32. ³ St. John vi. 54. ⁴ St. John vi. 36. Yes, let us go to holy Communion, during this season of Lent, with a most heart-felt conviction of our unworthiness. It may be that hitherto we have sometimes gone with too much familiarity, on account of our not sufficiently understanding our nothingness, our misery, and the infinite holiness of the God who thus unites Himself with His sinful creatures. Henceforth, our heart shall be more truthful; blending together the two sentiments of humility and confidence, we will say, with an honest conviction, those words of the centurion of the Gospel, which the Church puts upon our lips, when she is distributing to us the Bread of", "keywords": [ "love", "heart", "holy", "communion", "life", "jesus", "infinite", "soul", "light", "feel", "nothingness", "know", "poor", "believe", "myself", "loving", "during", "lent", "heaven", "divine" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John iii. 17", "John vi. 36", "John vi. 54", "John vi. 58", "Matthew viii. 8", "Matthew xv. 32" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING LENT The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, 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 attention to what is most in harmony with the spirit of Lent. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: V. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. V. Incline unto my aid, O God. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum, Amen. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Laus tibi, Domine, Rex æternæ gloriæ. Praise be to thee, O Lord, King of eternal glory. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ANT. The Lord said. The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. It shows us His triumph; after His humiliations and His cross, the Man-God shall sit on the right hand of His Father. Moreover, He is to come again into this world, to judge it, and to crush the proud heads of sinners. While thus celebrating His glory, let us not forget His justice. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. O 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. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 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. Juravit Dominus et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. 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. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Therefore, O Father, the Lord, thy Son, is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. De torrente in via bibet:", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "blessed", "psalm", "dominus", "israel", "glory", "domino", "domini", "name", "praise", "sæculum", "deus", "amen", "works", "fear", "heart", "nomen", "dominum" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE DURING LENT This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: Jube, domine, benedicere. Pray, father, give thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. R. Amen. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. R. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch; for your adversary the devil as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: R. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God. Then the priest: V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The choir: R. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. R. Who hath made heaven 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 omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis perducat te ad vitam æternam. May almighty God have mercy on thee, and, forgiving thy sins, bring thee to everlasting life. The priest having answered Amen, the choir repeats the Confiteor, thus: Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistæ, sanctis 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 Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes sanctos, et te, pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to thee, father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, and thee, father, to pray to the Lord our God for me. The priest then says: Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam æternam. R. Amen. Indulgentiam, † absolutionem, et remissionem peccatorum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. R. Amen. May almighty God have mercy on you, and,", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "domine", "holy", "mercy", "deus", "blessed", "dominus", "night", "priest", "father", "nobis", "omnipotens", "almighty", "pater", "psalm", "quoniam", "tuum", "bless", "says" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians v. 10", "Jeremias xiv.", "Luke ii." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "THE_FIRST_SUNDAY_OF_LENT", "title": "THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT", "anchor": "the_first_sunday_of_lent", "text": "This Sunday, the first of the six which come during Lent, is one of the most solemn throughout the year. In common with the other Sundays of Lent, it has the privilege of taking precedence of all feasts, even that of the patron, titular saint, or dedication of the Church. In the ancient calendars, it is called Invocabit, from the first word of the Introit of the Mass. In the middle ages, it was called Brand Sunday, because the young people, who had misconducted themselves during the carnival, were obliged to show themselves to-day at the church with a torch in their hands, as a kind of public satisfaction for their riot and excess. Lent solemnly opens to-day. We have already noticed that the four preceding days were added since the time of St. Gregory the Great, in order to make up forty days of fasting. Neither can we look upon Ash Wednesday as the solemn opening of the season; for the faithful are not bound to hear Mass on that day. The holy Church, seeing her children now assembled together, speaks to them, in her Office of Matins, these eloquent and noble words of St. Leo the Great: 'Having to announce to you, dearly beloved, the most sacred and chief fast, how can I more appropriately begin, than with the words of the apostle, in whom Christ Himself spoke, and by saying to you what has just been read: Behold! now is the acceptable time; behold! now is the day of salvation. For although there be no time which is not replete with divine gifts, and we may always, by God's grace, have access to His mercy, yet ought we all to redouble our efforts to make spiritual progress and be animated with unusual confidence, now that the anniversary of the day of our redemption is approaching, inviting us to devote ourselves to every good work, that so we may celebrate, with purity of body and mind, the incomparable mystery of our Lord's Passion. 'It is true that our devotion and reverence towards so great a mystery should be kept up during the whole year, and we ourselves should be at all times, in the eyes of God, the same as we are bound to be at the Easter solemnity. But this is an effort which only few among us have the courage to sustain. The weakness of the flesh induces us to relax our austerities; the various occupations of every-day life take up our thoughts; and thus even the virtuous find their hearts clogged by this world's dust. Hence it is that our Lord has most providentially given us these forty days, whose holy exercises should be to us a remedy, whereby to regain our purity of soul. The good works and the holy fastings of this season were instituted as an atonement for, and an obliteration of, the sins we commit during the rest of the year. 'Now, therefore, that we are about to enter upon these", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "church", "days", "holy", "lent", "tibi", "forty", "mercy", "against", "deus", "dominum", "salvation", "good", "world", "soul", "sins", "quod", "quia", "amen" ], "saints": [ "St. Anastasia", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 John ii. 16", "2 Corinthians vi.", "Ephesians vi. 16", "Ezechiel c.", "Hebrews iv. 15", "Hebrews vi. 7", "Isaias vii. 14", "Job vii. 1", "John l.", "John xiv. 30", "Jonas iii. 4", "Luke xiii. 3", "Luke xv. 7", "Matthew c.", "Psalms l. 12", "Psalms xc.", "Romans v. 20" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_EMBER_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN EMBER WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_ember_week", "text": "The fast of to-day is prescribed by a double law: it is Lent, and it is Ember Wednesday. It is the same with the Friday and Saturday of this week. There are two principal objects for the Ember days of this period of the year: the first is to offer up to God the season of spring, and, by fasting and prayer, to draw down His blessing upon it; the second is, to ask Him to enrich with His choicest graces the priests and sacred ministers who are to receive their Ordination on Saturday. Let us, therefore, have a great respect for these three days; and let those who violate, upon them, the laws of fasting or abstinence, know that they commit a twofold sin. Up to the eleventh century the Ember days of spring were kept in the first week of March; and those of summer, in the second week of June. It was St. Gregory VII. who fixed them as we now have them; that is, the Ember days of spring in the first week of Lent, and those of summer in Whitsun-week. The Station for to-day is in the basilica of Saint Mary Major. Let us honour the Mother of God, the refuge of sinners; and let us ask her to present to our divine Judge the humble tribute of our penance. COLLECT Devotionem populi tui, quæsumus, Domine, benignus intende: ut qui per abstinentiam macerantur in corpore, per fructum boni operis reficiantur in mente. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Amen. We beseech thee, O Lord, mercifully to regard the devotion of thy people; that they who mortify their bodies by fasting, their minds may be refreshed by good works. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. On all the Ember Wednesdays are read, in place of the Epistle at Mass, two lessons from sacred Scripture. To-day the Church brings before us the two great types of Lent, Moses and Elias, in order to impress us with an idea of the importance of this forty days' fast, which Christ Himself solemnly consecrated when He observed it, thus fulfilling, in His own Person, what the Law and the Prophets had but prefigured.", "keywords": [ "ember", "week", "days", "lent", "spring", "fasting", "fast", "saturday", "second", "sacred", "summer", "amen", "lord", "christ", "collect", "epistle", "church", "prayer", "saint", "penance" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory", "St. Mary" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_EMBER_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN EMBER WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_ember_week", "text": "FIRST LESSON Lectio libri Exodi. Cap. xxiv. In diebus illis: dixit Dominus ad Moysen: Ascende ad me in montem et esto ibi, daboque tibi tabulas lapideas, et legem ac mandata, quæ scripsi, ut doceas filios Israël. Surrexerunt Moyses, et Josue minister ejus. Ascendensque Moyses in montem Dei, senioribus ait: Exspectate hic donec revertamur ad vos. Habetis Aaron et Hur vobiscum. Si quid natum fuerit quæstionis, referetis ad eos. Cumque ascendisset Moyses, operuit nubes montem, et habitavit gloria Domini super Sinai, tegens illum nube sex diebus: septimo autem die vocavit eum de medio caliginis. Erat autem species gloriæ Domini, quasi ignis ardens super verticem montis in conspectu filiorum Israël. Ingressusque Moyses medium nebulæ, ascendit in montem: et fuit ibi quadraginta diebus et quadraginta noctibus. Lesson from the Book of Exodus. Ch. xxiv. In those days: the Lord said to Moses: Come up to me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of stone, and the law, and the commandments which I have written, that thou mayst teach them. Moses rose up, and his minister Josue; and Moses going up into the mount of God, said to the ancients: Wait ye here till we return to you. You have Aaron and Hur with you: if any question shall arise, you shall refer it to them. And when Moses was gone up, a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord dwelt upon Sinai, covering it with a cloud six days; and the seventh day he called him out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like a burning fire upon the top of the mount, in the eyes of the children of Israel. And Moses entering into the midst of the cloud, went up into the mountain; and he was there forty days and forty nights. SECOND LESSON Lectio libri Regum. 3. Cap. xix. In diebus illis: venit Elias in Bersabee Juda, et dimisit ibi puerum suum, et perrexit in desertum, viam unius diei. Cumque venisset, et sederet subter unam juniperum, petivit animæ suæ ut moreretur, et ait: Sufficit mihi, Domine: tolle animam meam: neque enim melior sum quam patres mei. Projecitque se et obdormivit in umbra juniperi: et ecce angelus Domini tetigit eum, et dixit illi: Surge, et comede. Respexit, et ecce ad caput suum subcinericius panis, et vas aquæ: comedit ergo et bibit, et rursum obdormivit. Reversusque est angelus Domini secundo, et tetigit eum, dixitque illi: Surge, comede: grandis enim tibi restat via. Qui cum surrexisset, comedit et bibit, et ambulavit in fortitudine cibi illius quadraginta diebus et quadraginta noctibus usque ad montem Dei Horeb. Lesson from the Book of Kings. 3. Ch. xix. In those days: Elias came into Bersabee of Juda, and left his servant there. And he went forward one day's journey into the desert. And when he was there, and sat under a juniper tree; he requested for his soul that he might die, and said: It is enough for", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "church", "holy", "gospel", "days", "soul", "water", "autem", "domine", "israel", "forty", "enim", "away", "behold", "fast", "father", "whole", "sins", "tibi" ], "saints": [ "St. James", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Louis", "St. Matthew", "St. Philip" ], "scripture": [ "1 John i. 1", "Daniel ix. 26", "Ecclesiasticus xv. 14", "Exodus c.", "Ezechiel c.", "Galatians iv. 4", "John c.", "John xx. 23", "Jonas i.", "Matthew c." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "SATURDAY_IN_EMBER_WEEK", "title": "SATURDAY IN EMBER WEEK", "anchor": "saturday_in_ember_week", "text": "The Station is in the basilica of Saint Peter on the Vatican, where the people were wont to assemble towards evening, that they might be present at the Ordination of the priests and sacred ministers. This day was called Twelve-Lesson-Saturday, because, formerly, twelve passages from the holy Scriptures were read, as upon Holy Saturday. The Mass, during which the Ordinations were given, was celebrated during the night; so that by the time it was over, the Sunday had begun. Later on, the Ordination Mass was said early on the Saturday, as we now have it; but in memory of the ancient practice, the Gospel for Saturday is repeated on the Sunday. The same is observed on the Saturday in the Advent Ember week; because the Ordination Mass of that season was also anticipated. COLLECT Populum tuum, quæsumus, Domine, propitius respice: atque ab eo flagella tuæ iracundiæ clementer averte. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Mercifully, O Lord, look down on thy people, and in thy clemency turn away from them the scourges of thy wrath. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. LESSON Lectio libri Deuteronomii. Cap. xxvi. Lesson from the Book of Deuteronomy. Ch. xxvi. In diebus illis: Locutus est Moyses ad populum, dicens: Quando compleveris decimam cunctarum frugum tuarum, loqueris in conspectu Domini Dei tui: Abstuli quod sanctificatum est de domo mea, et dedi illud levitæ et advenæ, et pupillo ac viduæ, sicut jussisti mihi: non præterivi mandata tua, nec sum oblitus imperii tui. Obedivi voci Domini Dei mei, et feci omnia sicut præcepisti mihi. Respice de sanctuario tuo, et de excelso cælorum habitaculo, et benedic populo tuo Israël, et terræ quam dedisti nobis, sicut jurasti patribus nostris, terræ lacte et melle mananti. Hodie Dominus Deus tuus præcepit tibi ut facias mandata hæc atque judicia; et custodias et impleas ex toto corde tuo, et ex tota anima tua. Dominum elegisti hodie, ut sit tibi Deus, et ambules in viis ejus, et custodias cæremonias illius, et mandata atque judicia, et obedias ejus imperio. Et Dominus elegit te hodie, ut sis ei populus peculiaris, sicut locutus est tibi, et custodias omnia præcepta illius: et faciat te excelsiorem cunctis gentibus quas creavit, in laudem, et nomen, et gloriam suam: ut sis populus sanctus Domini Dei tui, sicut locutus est. In those days: Moses spoke to the people, saying: When thou hast made an end of tithing all thy fruits, thou shalt speak thus in the sight of the Lord thy God: I have taken that which was sanctified out of my house, and I have given it to the levite and to the stranger, and to the fatherless and to the widow, as thou hast commanded me; I have not transgressed thy commandments, nor forgotten thy precepts. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done all things as thou hast commanded me. Look from thy sanctuary, and thy high habitation of heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou didst swear", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "people", "holy", "sicut", "peter", "saturday", "amen", "heaven", "ejus", "mass", "gospel", "tibi", "voice", "high", "didst", "glory", "faithful", "country", "sinners" ], "saints": [ "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "2 Peter i. 17", "Deuteronomy c.", "Matthew c." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "THE_SECOND_SUNDAY_OF_LENT", "title": "THE SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT", "anchor": "the_second_sunday_of_lent", "text": "THE subject offered to our consideration, on this second Sunday, is one of the utmost importance for the holy season. The Church applies to us the lesson which our Saviour gave to three of His apostles. Let us endeavour to be more attentive to it than they were. Jesus was about to pass from Galilee into Judæa, that He might go up to Jerusalem and be present at the feast of the Pasch. It was that last Pasch, which was to begin with the immolation of the figurative lamb, and end with the sacrifice of the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. Jesus would have His disciples know Him. His works had borne testimony to Him, even before those who were, in a manner, strangers to Him; but as for His disciples, had they not every reason to be faithful to Him, even to death? Had they not listened to His words, which had such power with them that they forced conviction? Had they not experienced His love, which it was impossible to resist? And had they not seen how patiently He had borne with their strange and untoward ways? Yes, they must have known Him. They had heard one of their company, Peter, declare that He was the Christ, the Son of the living God.¹ Notwithstanding this, the trial to which their faith was soon to be put was of such a terrible kind, that Jesus would mercifully arm them against temptation by an extraordinary grace. The cross was to be a scandal and a stumbling-block² to the Synagogue, and alas! to more than it. Jesus said to His apostles at the last Supper: 'All of you shall be scandalized in Me this night.'³ Carnal-minded as they then were, what would they think when they should see Him seized by armed men, ¹ St. Matt. xvi. 16. ² 1 Cor. i. 23. ³ St. Matt. xxvi. 31. handcuffed, hurried from one tribunal to another, and doing nothing to defend Himself! And when they found that the high priests and pharisees, who had hitherto been so often foiled by the wisdom and miracles of Jesus, had now succeeded in their conspiracy against Him, what a shock to their confidence! But there was to be something more trying still: the people, who, but a few days before, greeted Him so enthusiastically with their Hosannas, would demand His execution; and He would have to die, between two thieves, on the cross, amidst the insults of His triumphant enemies. Is it not to be feared that these disciples, when they witness His humiliations and sufferings, will lose their courage? They have lived in His company for three years; but when they see that the things He foretold would happen to Him are really fulfilled, will the remembrance of all they have seen and heard keep them loyal to Him? Or will they turn cowards and flee from Him? Jesus selects three out of the number, who are especially", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "father", "church", "autem", "people", "ejus", "holy", "dixit", "israel", "amen", "gospel", "domine", "deus", "gentiles", "world", "soul", "mercy", "therefore", "called" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew of Crete", "St. Augustine", "St. Balbina", "St. Callixtus", "St. Cecily", "St. Clement", "St. Cæsarius of Arles", "St. Flavius", "St. Ignatius of Antioch", "St. Isidore of Seville", "St. James", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Luke", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter", "St. Vitalis" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 23", "1 Corinthians vii. 31", "1 Corinthians x. 13", "1 Peter ii. 9", "1 Thessalonians iv.", "Acts x. 38", "Apocalypse v. 12", "Daniel c.", "Ephesians iii. 14", "Esther c.", "Genesis c.", "Genesis xxii. 17", "Isaias liii. 3", "James ii. 13", "Jeremias c.", "John c.", "John i. 5", "John iii. 16", "John xv. 16", "Kings iii.", "Luke c.", "Luke iv. 25", "Luke xix. 14", "Luke xix. 44", "Matthew c.", "Matthew xvi. 16", "Matthew xxiv. 21", "Matthew xxvi. 31", "Matthew xxvi. 38", "Matthew xxvii. 25", "Psalms lxxxviii. 13", "Psalms xxi. 7", "Romans viii. 17" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "THE_THIRD_SUNDAY_OF_LENT", "title": "THE THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT", "anchor": "the_third_sunday_of_lent", "text": "The holy Church gave us as the subject of our meditation for the first Sunday of Lent, the temptation which our Lord Jesus Christ deigned to suffer in the desert. Her object was to enlighten us with regard to our own temptations, and teach us how to conquer them. To-day, she wishes to complete her instruction on the power and stratagems of our invisible enemies; and for this she reads to us a passage from the Gospel of St. Luke. During Lent the Christian ought to repair the past and provide for the future; but he can neither understand how it was he fell, nor defend himself against a relapse, unless he have correct ideas as to the nature of the dangers which have hitherto proved fatal and which are again threatening him. Hence, the ancient liturgists would have us consider it as a proof of the maternal watchfulness of the Church, that she should have again proposed such a subject to us. As we shall find, it is the basis of all to-day's instructions. Assuredly we should be the blindest and most unhappy of men if, surrounded as we are by enemies who unceasingly seek to destroy us, and are so superior to us both in power and knowledge, we were seldom or never to think of the existence of these wicked spirits. And yet, such is really the case with innumerable Christians nowadays; for, truths are decayed from among the children of men!¹ So common, indeed, is this heedlessness and forgetfulness of truth, which the holy Scriptures put before us in almost every page, that it is no rare thing to meet with persons who ridicule the idea of devils being permitted to be on this earth of ours! They ¹ Ps. xi. 2. call it a prejudice, a popular superstition of the middle ages! Of course they deny that it is a dogma of faith. When they read the history of the Church or the lives of the saints, they have their own way of explaining whatever is there related on this subject. To hear them talk, one would suppose that they look upon satan as a mere abstract idea to be taken as the personification of evil. When they would account for the origin of their own or others' sins, they explain all by the evil inclination of man's heart, and by the bad use we make of our free will. They never think of what we are taught by Christian doctrine: namely, that we are also instigated to sin by a wicked being, whose power is as great as is the hatred he bears us. And yet they know, they believe with a firm faith, that satan conversed with our first parents, and persuaded them to commit sin, and showed himself to them under the form of a serpent. They believe that this same satan dared to tempt the Incarnate Son of God, and that he carried Him through the air, and set Him first", "keywords": [ "jesus", "lord", "church", "autem", "mercy", "woman", "holy", "people", "water", "dixit", "christ", "against", "amen", "quia", "came", "therefore", "israel", "lent", "gospel", "deus" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew of Crete", "St. Gelasius", "St. Hippolytus", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter", "St. Peter the Apostle", "St. Praxedes", "St. Pudentiana", "St. Susanna", "St. Xystus", "St. Xystus the Old" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 4", "Ephesians c.", "Exodus c.", "Galatians iii. 28", "Isaias xxix. 13", "Jeremias c.", "John c.", "John iv. 24", "John viii. 44", "John xiii. 35", "Kings iv.", "Luke c.", "Luke ii. 52", "Luke vi. 38", "Luke x. 16", "Matthew c.", "Matthew v. 48", "Matthew v. 7", "Numbers c.", "Psalms cxxii.", "Psalms xi. 2", "Tobias viii. 3" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "THE_FOURTH_SUNDAY_OF_LENT", "title": "THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT", "anchor": "the_fourth_sunday_of_lent", "text": "This Sunday, called, from the first word of the Introit, Lætare Sunday, is one of the most solemn of the year. The Church interrupts her lenten mournfulness; the chants of the Mass speak of nothing but joy and consolation; the organ, which has been silent during the preceding three Sundays, now gives forth its melodious voice; the deacon resumes his dalmatic, and the subdeacon his tunic; and instead of purple, rose-coloured vestments are allowed to be used. These same rites were practised in Advent, on the third Sunday, called Gaudete. The Church's motive for introducing this expression of joy into to-day's liturgy is to encourage her children to persevere fervently to the end of this holy season. The real mid-Lent was last Thursday, as we have already observed; but the Church, fearing lest the joy might lead to some infringement on the spirit of penance, has deferred her own notice of it to this Sunday, when she not only permits, but even bids, her children to rejoice! The Station at Rome is in the basilica of Holy Cross in Jerusalem, one of the seven principal churches of the holy city. It was built in the fourth century, by the emperor Constantine, in one of his villas called Sessorius, on which account it goes also under the name of the Sessorian basilica. The emperor's mother, St. Helen, enriched it with most precious relics, and wished to make it the Jerusalem of Rome. With this intention she ordered a great quantity of earth taken from Mount Calvary to be put on the site. Among the other relics of the instruments of the Passion which she gave to this church was the inscription which was fastened to the cross; it is still there, and is called the Title of the Cross. The name of Jerusalem, which has been given to this basilica, and which recalls to our minds the heavenly Jerusalem towards which we are tending, suggested the choice of it as to-day's Station. Up to the fourteenth century, when Avignon became for a time the city of the Popes, the ceremony of the golden rose took place in this church; at present, it is blessed in the palace where the sovereign Pontiff happens to be residing at this season. The blessing of the golden rose is one of the ceremonies peculiar to the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is called on this account Rose Sunday. The thoughts suggested by this flower harmonize with the sentiments wherewith the Church would now inspire her children. The joyous time of Easter is soon to give them a spiritual spring, of which that of nature is but a feeble image. Hence, we cannot be surprised that the institution of this ceremony is of a very ancient date. We find it observed under the pontificate of St. Leo IX. (eleventh century); and we have a sermon on the golden rose preached by the glorious Pope Innocent III., on this Sunday, and in the basilica of Holy Cross", "keywords": [ "jesus", "lord", "church", "jerusalem", "holy", "autem", "child", "woman", "ejus", "therefore", "people", "sunday", "lent", "christ", "quia", "ergo", "rose", "beseech", "know", "children" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew of Crete", "St. Damasus", "St. Helen", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Sebastian" ], "scripture": [ "Exodus c.", "Galatians c.", "Galatians iv.", "Isaias xlii. 3", "John c.", "John vi. 33", "Luke xi. 15", "Luke xiv. 5", "Luke xxii. 15", "Matthew xi. 30", "Matthew xiv. 13", "Matthew xxvii. 25", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l.", "Psalms xxxiii. 9" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_OF_LENT", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK OF LENT", "anchor": "wednesday_of_the_fourth_week_of_lent", "text": "This day is called the 'Feria of the great scrutiny,' because in the Church of Rome, after the necessary inquiries and examinations, the list of the catechumens, who were to receive Baptism, was closed. The Station was held in the basilica of St. Paul outside the walls, both because of the size of the building, and also in order to honour the apostle of the Gentiles by offering him these new recruits, which the Church was about to make from paganism. The reader will be interested and edified by a description of this ceremony. The faithful and the aspirants to Baptism being assembled in the basilica, about the hour of noon, the names of these latter were written down, and an acolyte arranged them in order before the people, placing the men on the right, and the women on the left. A priest then recited over each of them the prayer which made them catechumens, for it is by anticipation that we have hitherto given them this name. He signed their foreheads with the sign of the cross and imposed his hand upon their heads. He then blessed the salt, which signifies wisdom, and each of them tasted it. After these preliminary ceremonies, they were made to go out of the church, and remained under the exterior portico, until such time as they were called back. As soon as they had left (the assembly of the faithful remaining in the church) the Introit was begun. It is taken from the words of the Prophet Ezechiel, wherein God tells us that He will gather His elect from all nations, and pour upon them a clean water, that shall cleanse them from their sins. The acolyte then read out the names of the catechumens, and they were brought into the church by the porter. They were arranged as before, and the sponsors stood near them. The pontiff then sang the Collect; after which, at the intimation given by the deacon, each sponsor made the sign of the cross on the forehead of the catechumen, for whom he or she was responsible. Acolytes followed, and pronounced the exorcisms over each of the elect, beginning with the men. A lector next read the lesson from the Prophet Ezechiel, which we give in its proper place. It was followed by a Gradual, composed of these words of David: 'Come, children, hearken to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Come ye to Him, and be enlightened; and your faces shall not be confounded.' In the Collect, which followed this lesson, the Church prayed that the faithful might receive the fruits of their lenten fast; and immediately a second lesson was read, from the Prophet Isaias, in which is foretold the remission of sins to be granted to those who shall be cleansed in the mysterious laver of Baptism. A second Gradual gave these words from the royal psalmist: 'Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; the people whom He hath", "keywords": [ "jesus", "lord", "church", "therefore", "christ", "holy", "quia", "ejus", "life", "ergo", "faith", "dixit", "autem", "gospel", "light", "world", "father", "child", "know", "amen" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew", "St. Anselm", "St. Augustine of Canterbury", "St. Benedict", "St. Charles", "St. Eusebius", "St. GREGORY", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Martin", "St. Martin of Tours", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Nicholas", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Sylvester" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias c.", "Isaias ix. 2", "Job li.", "John c.", "John iii. 17", "John v. 25", "Luke c.", "Mark vii. 32", "Matthew xii. 32", "Psalms lxxxvi. 2" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_17", "title": "MARCH 17", "anchor": "march_17", "text": "SAINT PATRICK, APOSTLE OF IRELAND BISHOP AND CONFESSOR THE saint we have to honour to-day is the apostle of that faithful people, whose martyrdom has lasted three hundred years: it is the great St. Patrick, he that gave Erin the faith. There shone most brightly in this saint that gift of the apostolate, which Christ has left to His Church, and which is to remain with her to the end of time. The ambassadors or missioners, sent by our Lord to preach His Gospel, are of two classes. There are some who have been entrusted with a small tract of the Gentile world; they had to sow the divine seed there, and it yielded fruit more or less according to the dispositions of the people that received it: there are others, again, whose mission is like a rapid conquest, that subdues a whole nation, and brings it into subjection to the Gospel. St. Patrick belongs to this second class; and in him we recognize one of the most successful instruments of God's mercy to mankind. And then, what solidity there is in this great saint's work! When is it that Ireland received the faith? In the fifth century, when Britain was almost wholly buried in paganism; when the race of the Franks had not as yet heard the name of the true God; when Germany had no knowledge of Christ's having come upon the earth; when the countries of northern Europe deeply slumbered in infidelity: yes, it was before these several nations had awakened to the Gospel, that Ireland was converted. The faith, brought to her by her glorious apostle, took deep root and flourished and fructified in this isle, more lovely even by grace than she is by nature. Her saints are scarcely to be numbered, and went about doing good in almost every country of Europe; her children gave, and are still giving, to other countries, the faith that she herself received from her beloved patron. And when the sixteenth century came with its protestantism; when the apostasy of Germany was imitated by England, Scotland, and the whole north of Europe, Ireland stood firm and staunch; no persecution, however cleverly or however cruelly carried on against her, has been able to detach her from the faith taught her by Saint Patrick. Let us honour the admirable apostle, chosen by God to sow the seed of His word in this privileged land; and let us listen to the simple account of his labours and virtues, thus given in the lessons of his feast: Patritius, Hiberniæ dictus apostolus, Calphurnio patre, matre Conchessa, sancti Martini Turonensis episcopi, ut perhibent, consanguinea, majori in Britannia natus, puer in barbarorum sæpius incidit captivitatem. Eo in statu pascendis gregibus præpositus, jam tum futuræ sanctitatis specimen præbuit. Fidei namque, divinique timoris, et amoris spiritu repletus, antelucano tempore per nives, gelu, ac pluvias ad preces Deo fundendas impiger consurgebat; solitus centies interdiu, centiesque noctu Deum orare. A servitute tertio exemptus, et inter clericos relatus, in divinis lectionibus", "keywords": [ "church", "faith", "holy", "children", "life", "cyril", "patrick", "times", "baptism", "saint", "christian", "right", "people", "christ", "world", "didst", "whose", "hundred", "gave", "knowledge" ], "saints": [ "St. Basil", "St. CYRIL", "St. Celestine", "St. Cyril", "St. Cyril of Jerusalem", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Helena", "St. Martin", "St. Maximus", "St. PATRICK", "St. Patrick", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [ "Habacuc ii. 4", "Hebrews xi. 6" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_19", "title": "MARCH 19", "anchor": "march_19", "text": "SAINT JOSEPH SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN To-day, Joseph, the spouse of Mary, the foster-father of the Son of God, comes to cheer us by his dear presence. In a few days hence, the august mystery of the Incarnation will demand our fervent adoration: who could better prepare us for the grand feast, than he that was both the confidant and the faithful guardian of the divine secret? The Son of God, when about to descend upon this earth to assume our human nature, would have a Mother; this Mother could not be other than the purest of Virgins, and her divine maternity was not to impair her incomparable virginity. Until such time as the Son of Mary were recognized as the Son of God, His Mother's honour had need of a protector: some man, therefore, was to be called to the high dignity of being Mary's spouse. This privileged mortal was Joseph, the most chaste of men. Heaven designated him as being the only one worthy of such a treasure: the rod he held in his hand in the temple suddenly produced a flower, as though it were a literal fulfilment of the prophecy of Isaias: 'There shall come forth a rod from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root.'¹ The rich pretenders to an alliance with Mary were set aside; and Joseph was espoused to the Virgin of the house of David, by a union which surpassed in ¹ Is. xi. 1. love and purity everything the angels themselves had ever witnessed. But he was not only chosen to the glory of having to protect the Mother of the Incarnate Word; he was also called to exercise an adopted paternity over the very Son of God. So long as the mysterious cloud was over the Saint of saints, men called Jesus the Son of Joseph and the carpenter's Son. When our blessed Lady found the Child Jesus in the temple, in the midst of the doctors, she thus addressed Him: 'Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing';¹ and the holy evangelist adds that Jesus was subject to them, that is, that He was subject to Joseph as He was to Mary. Who can imagine or worthily describe the sentiments which filled the heart of this man, whom the Gospel describes to us in one word, when it calls him the just man?² Let us try to picture him to ourselves amidst the principal events of his life: his being chosen as the spouse of Mary, the most holy and perfect of God's creatures; the angel's appearing to him, and making him the one single human confidant of the mystery of the Incarnation, by telling him that his Virgin bride bore within her the fruit of the world's salvation: the joys of Bethlehem, when he assisted at the birth of the divine Babe, honoured the Virgin Mother, and heard the angels singing; his seeing first the humble and simple shepherds, and", "keywords": [ "joseph", "heaven", "virgin", "life", "mary", "holy", "blessed", "father", "mother", "jesus", "didst", "spouse", "saint", "called", "world", "whose", "glory", "bride", "amen", "faithful" ], "saints": [ "St. BENEDICT", "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. JOSEPH", "St. Joseph", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Scholastica" ], "scripture": [ "Baruch iii. 38", "Isaias xi. 1", "Luke ii. 48", "Matthew i. 19", "Psalms xliv. 12" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_2L_8T_BENEDICT_433", "title": "MARCH 2l. 8T. BENEDICT 433", "anchor": "march_2l_8t_benedict_433", "text": "legions of religious, by whom the holy patriarch iere all these prodigies. During the ages which preceded the promulgation of this rule, so wonderful in its simple eloquence, the monastic life in the western Church had produced some few saintly men ; but there was nothing to justify the hope that this kind of life would become, even more than it had been in the east, the principal means of the Christian regeneration and civilization of so many nations. Once this rule was written, all others gradually give place to it, as the stars are eclipsed when the sun has risen. The west was overspread with monasteries ; and from these monasteries flowed upon Europe all those blessings, which have made it the privileged quarter of the globe. An incredible number of saints, both men and women, who look up to Benedict as their father, purify and sanctify the world, which had not yet emerged from the state of semi-barbarism. A long series of Popes who had once been novices in the Benedictine cloister, preside over the destinies of this new world, and form for it à new legislation, which, being based exclusively on the moral law, is to avert the threatening prevalence of brutal despo- tism. Bishops innumerable, trained in the same school of Benedict, consolidate this moral legisla- tion in the provinces and cities over which they are appointed. The apostles of twenty barbarous nations confront their fierce and savage tribes, and, with the Gospel in one hand and the rule of their holy father in the other, lead them into the fold of Christ. For many centuries, the learned men, the doctors of the Church, and the instructors of youth, belong, almost exclusively, to the Order of the great patriarch, who, by the labours of his children, pours forth on the people the purest beauty of light and truth. This choir of heroes in every virtue, of Popes, of bishops, of apostles, of holy doctors, proclaiming themselves as his disciples, and joining with the universal Church in glorifying that God, whose holiness and power shine forth so brightly in the life and actions of Benedict—what a corona, what an aureola of glory for one saint to have! Let us now read the sketch of his life, as given us in the Liturgy : Benedictus, Nursize nobili nere ortus, Rom: libera- ibus disciplinis eruditus, ut totum se Jesu Christo daret, ad eum locum qui Sublacus dicitur, in altissimam spelun- cam penetravit: in qua sic per triennium delituit, ut unus id sciret Romanus mo- nachus, quo ad vitz necessi- tatem ^ ministro utebatur. Dum igitur ei quadam die ardentes ad libidinem faces a diabolo subjicerentur, se in vepribus tamdiu volutavit, dum lacerato corpore, volup- tatis sensus dolore opprime- retur Sed jam erumpente ex illis latebris fama ejus sanctitatis, quidam monachi se illi instituendos tradide- runt : quorum vivendi licentia cum ejus objurgationes ferre non posset, venenum in po- tione ei dare constituunt. Verum poculum ei przeben- tibus, crucis signo", "keywords": [ "life", "benedict", "holy", "rule", "church", "place", "patriarch", "nations", "once", "monasteries", "father", "world", "popes", "exclusively", "moral", "bishops", "tion", "apostles", "christ", "doctors" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_21", "title": "MARCH 21.", "anchor": "march_21", "text": "Sed cum multi ad eum quotidie discipuli conveni- rent, duodecim monasteria zdificavit, eaque sanctis- simis legibus communivit. Postea inum migravit, ubi simulacrum — Apollinis, qui adhuc ibi colebatur, comminuit, aram evertit, et lucos succendit: ibique Sancti Martini sacellum et Sancti Joannis sdiculam exstruxit: o een autem et incolas istianis pre- ceptis imbuit. Quare auge- batur in dies is divina gratia Benedictus, ut etiam prophetico spiritu ventura prediceret. Quod ubi acce- pit Totila Gothorum rex, exploraturus an res ita es- set, spatharium suum regio ornatu et comitatu prz- mittit, qui se regem simu- laret. Quem ut ille vidit: Depone, inquit, fili, depone quod geris; nam tuum non est. Totile vero predixit adventum ejus in Urbem, maris transmissionem, et post novem annos mortem. Qui aliquot mensibus an- tequam e vita migraret, premonuit discipulos quo die esset moriturus: ac se- pulehrum, in quo suum corpus condi vellet, sex diebus antequam eo infer- retur, aperiri jussit: sexto-", "keywords": [ "sancti", "quod", "suum", "depone" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "ST_BENEDICT", "title": "ST. BENEDICT", "anchor": "st_benedict", "text": "But whereas many daily came to him, beseeching him to take them as his disciples, he built twelve monasteries, and drew up the most admir- able rules for their govern- ment. He afterwards went = meer Cassino, pen ed estroyed an image of Apollo, which was still adored thes parts; and havi pulled down the altar and burnt the groves, he built a chapel in that same place, in honour of St. Martin, and another in honour of St. John. He in- structed the inhabitants in the Christian religion. Day by day did Benedict advance in the grace of God, and he also foretold, in a spirit of pro- phecy, what was to take place. Totila, the king of the Goths, having heard of this, and being anxious to know if it »ere the truth, went to visit him; but first sent his sword-bearer, who was to pretend that he was the king, and who, for this end, was dressed in royal robes and ac- companied by attendants. As soon as Benedict saw him, he said: ‘Put off, my son, put off this dress, for it is not thine.” But he foretold to Totila, that he would reach Rome, cross the séa, and die at the end of nine years. Several months before he departed from this life, he foretold to his disciples the day on which he should die. Six days previous to his death, he ordered them to open the sepulchre wherein he wished to be buried. On the que die deferri voluit in eccle- siam: ubi sumpta Eucha- ristia, sublatis in ccelum ocu- lis orans, inter manus discipu- lorum efflavit animam : quam duo monachi euntem in ccelum viderunt, pallio orna- tam pretiosissimo, circum eam fulgentibus lampadibus, et clarissima et gravissima specie virum stantem supra caput ipsius dicentem audierunt : sc est via, qua dilectus Do- mini Benedictus in ccelum ascendit. sixth day, he desired to bo carried to the church, and there having received the Eucharist, with his eyes raised in prayer towards heaven, and held up by his disciples, he breathed forth his soul. Two monks saw it ascending to heaven, adorned with a most precious robe, and surrounded by shining lights. They also saw a most beautiful and venerable man, who stood above the saint's head, and they heard him thus speak : * This is the way whereby Benedict, the beloved of the Lord, ascended to heaven.' The Benedictine Order celebrates the praise of its illustrious patriarch in these three hymns: HYMN I Laudibus cives resonent canoris, Templa solemnes modulentur hymnos ; Hac die summi Benedictus arcem Scandit Olympi. Ille florentes peragebat an- nos, Cum puer dulcis patrie pe- nates Liquit, et solus latuit silenti Conditus antro. Inter urticas rigidosque sentes Vicit altricem scelerum ju- ventam : Inde conscripsit documenta vite Pulchra beate. JEream turpis Clarii figu- ram, Let the faithful give forth their songs of praise ; let our temples echo with solemn hymns: for on this day Benediet ascended to the", "keywords": [ "disciples", "benedict", "foretold", "ccelum", "heaven", "built", "went", "apollo", "place", "honour", "totila", "king", "having", "heard", "life", "inter", "benedictus", "forth", "ascended", "praise" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Martin" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_21", "title": "MARCH 21.", "anchor": "march_21", "text": "Et nemus stravit Veneri di- catum, Atque Baptiste posuit sacrato Monte sacellum. Jamque felici Olympo, Inter ardentes Seraphim catervas, Spectat, et clientum Corda liquore. Gloria Patri, Proli, Et tibi compar utriusque semper Spiritus alme, Deus unus, omni Tempore secli. Amen, residens dulci reficit geniteque", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "ST_BENEDICT_437", "title": "ST. BENEDICT 437", "anchor": "st_benedict_437", "text": "grove that was sacred to Ve- nus: and on the holy mount he built an oratory in honour of the Baptist. Now he dwells in the happy land above, amidst the burn- ing Seraphim : he looks down on those that invoke him, and refreshes their hearts with a nectar of sweetness. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son that is begotten of him! To thee, also, O Spirit of love, coequal with them, one God, be glory for endless ages. en. HYMN II Quidquid antiqui cecinere vates, Quidquid sterne monimenta legis, Continet nobis celebranda summi Vita monarch. Extulit Mosen pietas be- nignum, Inclytum proles Abraham decorat, Isaac sponsa decus, et severi Jussa parentis. Ipse virtutum cumulis onu- stus, Celsior nostri coetus Isaac, Mosen, Abraham sub uno Pectore clausit. Ipse, quos mundi rapuit procellis, Hic pius flatu statuat se- eundo, patriarcha All that the ancient pro- phets preached, and all that the books of the divine Law tell us of holiness, is con- tained in the life of the great patriarch which we are now extolling. Moses. was celebrated for his meekness; Abraham for his being father of all believ- ers; Isaac for the beauty of his bride, and his obedience to the trying commands of his father. The sublime patriarch of our family was richly laden with every virtue ; and in his single person represented Isaac, Moses, and Abraham. May he have a loving care of those whom he has de- livered from this stormy world, and lead them with LENT [Text garbled in source — the conclusion of Hymn II (Latin stanza ending \"prosperous gales to the port of safety\") and its Gloria Patri doxology, with English translations: \"where there is no fear, but calm and peaceful rest. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son that is begotten of him! To thee, also, O Spirit of love, coequal with them, one God, be glory for endless ages. Amen.\"] [The following hymn was composed by the celebrated abbot, Valerius of Cluny, and friend of St. Benedict.] HYMN III [Text garbled in source — Latin stanzas of Hymn III for St. Benedict (March 21), approximately 30 lines of Latin verse with corresponding English translations. The English translations, partially recoverable from the garbled text, read:] Amidst the saints that glitter with the crowns they have won at the blest contest, thou, O Benedict, shinest re- splendent with a holy sublimity of merit. Thy boyhood was graced with the holy gravity of old age; the pleasures of the world had no hold on thee, and its flowers seemed but its withered seeds; thy soul, like everything, was fixed on heavenly things. Therefore didst thou flee from the world, a mighty journey from thy parents, and becamest a fervent solitary. Thou didst tame the rebellion of the flesh, and by sharp mortification thou didst bring it into subjection to Christ. But thy fond hope of re- maining obscure was brought to nought: thy holy miracles betrayed thee, and", "keywords": [ "hymn", "holy", "glory", "father", "abraham", "isaac", "world", "text", "garbled", "latin", "english", "translations", "benedict", "didst", "amidst", "begotten", "spirit", "love", "coequal", "endless" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_21", "title": "MARCH 21.", "anchor": "march_21", "text": "Spargitur felix celeri per orbem Fama volatu. Gloria Patri, geniteque Proli, Et tibi, compar utriusque semper Spiritus alme, Deus unus, omni Tempore saecli. Amen.", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "ST_BENEDICT", "title": "ST. BENEDICT", "anchor": "st_benedict", "text": "thy sanctity swiftly spread through the world. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son that is begotten of him! To thee, also, O Spirit of love, coequal with them, one God, be glory for endless ages. Amen. The monastic missal contains the following sequence in honour of St. Benedict : SEQUENCE Lata quies magni ducis, We celebrate, this day, the Dona ferens nova lucis, happy death of our great Hodie recolitur. leader, which brings us the Charis datur pie menti, Corde sonet in ardenti Quidquid foris promitur. Hunc per callem orientis Admiremur ascendentis Patriarche speciem. Amplum semen magna prolis Illum fecit instar solis, Abraha persimilem. Corvum cernis ministran- tem ; ad Eliam latitantem pecu nosce parvulo. Eliseus dignoscatur, Cum securis revocatur De torrentis alveo. Illum Joseph candor morum, Illum Jacob futurorum Mens effecit conscia. blessings of new light. On this day grace is given to the souls of his loving children. Oh! may the fervent heart re-echo what the voice sings forth! Let us admire the beauty of our patriarch, as he ascends to heaven by the path of the east. He shines as a sun in the world, he is most like to Abraham, for he is the rich seed from which a countless race hath sprung. When thou seest him fed by the crows thou thinkest of Elias, that hid himself in the little cave. He reminds us of Eliseus, when he makes the head of the axe return from the bed of the stream. He is like Joseph by the purity of his life, and like Jacob by the spirit of prophecy. Ipse memor suæ gentis, Nos perducat in manentis Semper Christi gaudia. Amen. May he be mindful of his children, and lead us safe to the joys of our Lord Jesus Christ, who abideth for ever. Amen. The Greek Church has not forgotten, in her liturgy, the praise of the great patriarch of the monks of the west. We take from the Menæa some of the stanzas, in which she celebrates the name of Saint Benedict: HYMN (Die XXI Martii) Mihi laudabilem memoriam tuam, o sancte, hymnis celebrare aggresso gratiam ac peccatorum omnium remissionem tribui, Benedicte, Sancto deprecare. O holy Benedict! pray to the holy God for me, who now begin to sing a hymn to thy praiseworthy name. Obtain for me that I may receive grace and the forgiveness of all my sins. In eremo tuam a pueritia crucem tollens, Omnipotentem insecutus es, atque carne mortificata vitam, o beatissime, promeruisti. From thy childhood, O most blessed one! thou didst carry thy cross in the desert, walking in the footsteps of the Omnipotent. Thou didst merit life, by putting thy flesh to death. Angusta semita calcata pedem in Paradisi latitudine fixisti, o prorsus beate, ac dæmonum calliditates et insidias elusisti. Treading the narrow path, O truly blessed! thou didst take thy stand in the spaciousness of paradise, and didst elude the craft and snares of the devils. Lacrymarum tuarum profluviis fructiferi ligni instar irrigatus,", "keywords": [ "gabriel", "didst", "holy", "father", "blessed", "world", "heaven", "pray", "angel", "benedict", "glory", "spirit", "amen", "jesus", "church", "name", "earth", "honour", "light", "life" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. GABRIEL", "St. John", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 24", "Daniel viii. 17", "Isaias xi. 1", "Isaias xlv. 8", "John iii. 16", "Luke i. 13", "Luke i. 19", "Luke ii. 10", "Philippians ii. 7" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_25", "title": "MARCH 25", "anchor": "march_25", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "THE_ANNUNCIATION_OF_THE_EVER_BLESSED_VIRGIN", "title": "THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE EVER BLESSED VIRGIN", "anchor": "the_annunciation_of_the_ever_blessed_virgin", "text": "This is a great day, not only to man, but even to God Himself; for it is the anniversary of the most solemn event that time has ever witnessed. On this day, the divine Word, by whom the Father created the world, was made flesh in the womb of a virgin, and dwelt among us.¹ We must spend it in joy. Whilst we adore the Son of God who humbled Himself by thus becoming Man, let us give thanks to the Father, who so loved the world, as to give His only-begotten Son;² let us give thanks to the Holy Ghost, whose almighty power achieves the great mystery. We are in the very midst of Lent, and yet the ineffable joys of Christmas are upon us: our Emmanuel is conceived on this day, and, nine months hence, will be born in Bethlehem, and the angels will invite us to come and honour the sweet Babe. During Septuagesima week, we meditated upon the fall of our first parents, and the triple sentence pronounced by God against the serpent, the woman, and Adam. Our hearts were filled with fear as we reflected on the divine malediction, the effects of which are to be felt by all generations, even to the end of the world. But in the midst of the anathemas then pronounced against us, a promise was made us by our God; it was a promise of salvation, and it enkindled hope within us. In pronouncing sentence against the serpent, God said that his head should one day be crushed, and that, too, by a woman. The time has come for the fulfilment of this promise. The world has been in expectation for four thousand years; and the hope of its deliverance has been kept up, in spite of all its crimes. During this time, God has made use of miracles, prophecies, and types, as a renewal of the engagement He has entered into with mankind. The blood of the Messias has passed from Adam to Noe; from Sem to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; from David and Solomon to Joachim; and now it flows in the veins of Mary, Joachim's daughter. Mary is the woman by whom is to be taken from our race the curse that lies upon it. God has decreed that she should be Immaculate; and has thereby set an irreconcilable enmity between her and the serpent. She, a daughter of Eve, is to repair all the injury done by her mother's fall; she is to raise up her sex from the degradation into which it has been cast; she is to co-operate, directly and really, in the victory which the Son of God is about to gain over His and our enemy. ¹ St. John i. 14. ² Ibid. iii. 16. A tradition, which has come down from the apostolic ages, tells us that the great mystery of the Incarnation was achieved on the twenty-fifth day of March.¹ It was at the hour of midnight, when the", "keywords": [ "mary", "lord", "virgin", "mother", "word", "angel", "holy", "dominus", "ejus", "david", "blessed", "praise", "domini", "ever", "behold", "divine", "father", "name", "grace", "forth" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Irenæus", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "2 Peter i. 4", "Isaias c.", "Isaias vii.", "John i. 14", "Judges v. 7", "Judith xiii. 17" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_25_THE_ANNUNCIATION", "title": "MARCH 25. THE ANNUNCIATION", "anchor": "march_25_the_annunciation", "text": "V. Adducentur in letitia et exsultatione: adducentur in templum Regis. they s V. They shall be brought with gladness and rejoicing : ll be brought into the temple of the King. GOSPEL Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Lucam. Cap. i. In illo tempore: Missus est angelus Gabriel a Deo in civitatem Galile®, cui no- men Nazareth, ad virginem desponsatam viro, cui no- men erat Joseph, de domo David: et nomen virginis, Maria. Et ingressus angelus ad eam, dixit: Ave, gratia plena; Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus. Quse cum audisset, turbata est in sermone ejus: et cogi- tabat qualis esset ista salu- tatio. Et ait angelus ei: Ne timeas, Maria: invenisti enim gratiam aqud Deum. Ecce concipies in utero, et paries filium: et vocabis nomen ejus Jesum. Hic erit magnus: et Filius Altissimi vocabitur. Et dabit illi Do- minus Deus sedem David patris ejus: et regnabit in domo Jacob in seternum; et regni ejus non erit finis. Dixit autem Maria ad ange- lum: Quomodo fiet istud 1 quoniam virum non co- gnosco. Et respondens an- gelus, dixit ei: Spiritus sanctus superveniet in te; et virtus Altissimi obumbra- bit tibi. Ideoque et quod nascetur ex te sanctum, vo- cabitur Filius Dei. Et ecce Sequel of the holy Gospel according to Luke. Ch. i. At that time: the angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a Virgin es- poused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David ; and the Virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her : Hail, full of , the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with her- self what manner of saluta- tion this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father: and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel : How shall this be done, be- cause I know not man ? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the Elisabeth cognata tua: et ipea concepit filium in se- nectute sua. Et hic mensis sextus est ill, quse vocatur sterilis; quia non erit im- possibile apud Deum omne verbum. ixit autem Ma- ria: Ecce ancilla Domini: fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And there- fore also the Holy which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God. And behold thy cousin Elizabeth she also hath conceived a son in her old age;", "keywords": [ "mary", "angel", "david", "ejus", "called", "gospel", "angelus", "maria", "dixit", "ecce", "erit", "holy", "virgin", "name", "lord", "women", "behold", "shalt", "mother", "rejoice" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard" ], "scripture": [ "Luke c." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_25_THE_ANNUNCIATION_473", "title": "MARCH 25. THE ANNUNCIATION 473", "anchor": "march_25_the_annunciation_473", "text": "father : for, if man fell by à woman, he is raised up by à woman. * What is this thou sayest, Adam ? “ The woman, whom Thou gavest me, gave me of the tree, and I did eat?\" These are wicked words; far from effacing thy fault, they aggravate it. But divine Wisdom conquered thy wickedness, by finding in the treasury of His own inexhaustible mercy a motive for pardon, which He had in vain sought to elicit by questioning thee. In place of the woman, of whom thou com- Mene He gives thee another: Eve was foolish, ary is wise ; Eve was proud, Mary is humble ; Eve gave thee of the tree of death, Mary will give thee of the Tree of life ; Eve offered thee a bitter and poisoned fruit, Mary will give thee the sweet, Fruit she herself is to bring forth, the Fruit of everlasting life. Change, then, thy wicked excuse into an act of thanksgiving, and say : “ The Woman, whom Thou hast given me, O Lord, hath given me of the Tree of life, and I have eaten thereof ; and it is sweeter than honey to my mouth, for by it Thou hast given me life.” \": In the Offertory, the Church addresses Mary in the words spoken to her by the Archangel, to which she also adds those used by Elizabeth, when she saluted the Mother of her God. OFFERTORY Ave, Maria, gratia plena, Hail, Mary, full of grace, Dominus tecum: benedicta the Lord is with thee: blessed tu in mulieribus, et bene- art thouamongst women, and dictus fructus ventris tui. blessed is the fruit of thy womb. In the Secret, the Church renews her profession of faith in the mystery of the Incarnation ; she con- fesses the reality of the two Natures, divine and human, in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and Son of Mary. 1 St. Bernard. Homil. IL super Missus est. SECRET In mentibus nostris, que- sumus, Domine, vere fidei sacramenta confirma: ut, ui conceptum de Virgine um verum et hominem confitemur, per ejus saluti- fere resurrectionis poten- tiam, ad eternam mereamur pervenire letitiam. Per eumdem. Strengthen, we beseech thee, O Lord, in our soul, the mysteries of the true faith : that we who confess him, that was conceived of a Virgin, to be true God and true Man, may, by the power of his saving resurrection, deserve to come to eternal joys. Through the same, &c. To this is added the Secret for the feria of Lent. The greatness of the solemnity obliges the Church to substitute, for the lenten Preface, the one she uses on our Lady's feasts. PREFACE Vere dignum et justum est, equum et salutare, nos tibi semper et ubique gra- tias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, sterne Deus: Et te in Annuntia- tione beate Marie semper Virginis collaudare, bene- dicere, et predicare. Qu et Unigenitum tuum sancti Spiritus obumbratione con- cepit, et virginitatis gloria permanente,", "keywords": [ "mary", "woman", "lord", "holy", "tree", "life", "fruit", "blessed", "words", "forth", "church", "secret", "true", "virgin", "eternal", "father", "gave", "wicked", "divine", "humble" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard" ], "scripture": [ "Wisdom c." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_25_THE_ANNUNCIATION", "title": "MARCH 25. THE ANNUNCIATION", "anchor": "march_25_the_annunciation", "text": "COMMUNION Ecce Virgo concipiet, et Behold a Virgin shall con- pariet filium: et vocabitur ceive and bring forth a Son, nomen ejus Emmanuel. and his name shall be called Emmanuel. In the Postcommunion, the Church gratefully recalls to mind all the mysteries which God has achieved for our salvation, and which are the con- sequences of the one we honour to-day. After the Incarnation, which unites the Son of God to our human nature, we have had the Passion of this our divine Redeemer; and His Passion was followed by His Resurrection, whereby He triumphed over our enemy death. POSTCOMMUNION Gratiam — tuam, quasu- Pour forth, we beseech thee, mus, Domine, mentibus no- stris infunde: ut, qui angelo nuntiante, Christi Fili tui Incarnationem cognovimus ; per Passionem ejus et cru- cem, ad Resurrectionis glo- riam perducamur. Per eum- dem. O Lord, thy grace into our hearts ; that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ thy Son was made known by the mes- sage of an angel, may, by his Passion and cross, be brought to the glory of his Resurrec- tion. Through the same, &c. To this is added the Postcommunion of the feria of Lent. SECOND VESPERS The antiphons, , hymn, and versicle, are the same as in the first Vespers, pages 449-455. The Magnificat antiphon alone 1s changed, and is as follows : ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT Gabriel angelus locutus est Marie dicens: Ave, gra- tia plena, Dominus tecum ; benedicta tu in mulieribus. OREMUS Deus, qui de beate Marise Virginis utero Verbum tuum, angelo nuntiante, carnem suscipere voluisti: presta supplicibus tuis, ut qui vere eam Genitricem Dei credimus, ejus apud te intercessionibus adjuvemur. Per eumdem. The angel Gabriel spoke unto Mary, saying: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee : blessed art thou among women. LET US PRAY O God, who wast pleased that thy Word, when the angel delivered his message, should take flesh in the womb of the blessed Virgin Mary, give ear to our humble peti. tions, and grant, that we who, believe 5 to be truly the Mother cf God, may be hel by her prayers. Through the same, &c. Let us now bring together the different liturgies, and hear them celebrate the great mystery of this glad feast. First of all, let us listen to the Church of Rome, who, in her Office of Matins, thus proclaims the praises of Mary, the Mother of God : HYMN Quem terra, pontus, sidera Colunt, adorant, pradicant, Trinam regentem machinam, Claustrum Marie bajulat. Cui luna, sol et omnia Deserviunt per tempora, Perfusa coeli gratia, Gestant puelle viscera. Beata Mater munere, Cujus, supernus artifex Mundum pugillo continens, Ventris sub arca clausus est. He, whom earth, and sea, and the firmament, worship, adore, and praise; he, the King of the triple kingdom, is carried in Mary's womb. The womb of a Virgin, who has been filled with heavenly grace, bears him, whom the moon, and sun, and all crea- tures serve in the order", "keywords": [ "mary", "womb", "virgin", "ejus", "postcommunion", "passion", "grace", "angel", "blessed", "mother", "bring", "forth", "emmanuel", "church", "incarnation", "angelo", "nuntiante", "lord", "vespers", "hymn" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_25_THE_ANNUNCIATION_A71", "title": "MARCH 25. THE ANNUNCIATION A71", "anchor": "march_25_the_annunciation_a71", "text": "Beata coli nuntio, Feecunda sancto Spiritu, Desideratus gentibus Cujus per alvum fusus est. Jesu, tibi sit gloria, Qui natus es de Virgine ; Cum Patre et almo Spiritu, In sempiterna ssecula. Amen. The angelic m: r pro- claims EM hissed t boy Spirit makes her fruitful ; and the Desired of nations is born of her. Glory be to thee, O Jesus, that wast born of the Virgin ! and to the Father, and to the Spirit of love, for everlasting ages. Amen. Many of the Latin Churches, in the middle ages, used to recite, in the Mass of the Annunciation, the following sequence, which is thought to have been composed by Peter Abailard. SEQUENCE Mittit ad Virginem Non quemvis Angelum, Sed Fortitudinem Suum Archangelum, Amator hominis. Fortem expediat Pro nobis nuntium, Nature faciat Ut prejudicium In partu Virginis. aturam superot Natus Rex gloria : Regnet et imperet, Et zyma scorie Tollat de medio. God, the lover of man, sends to the Virgin no less an angel than him who is called God's Strength, the Archangel Gabriel. May this strong messenger be speedily at his work; may he stay the rights and laws of nature in the Virgin's delivery. May the King of glory, when born, triumph over nature; may he reign and command; may he take away from the midst of men all leaven and rust. Superbientium Terat fastigia: Colla sublimium Calcet vi propria, Potens in prælio. May he humble proud heads; may this God, mighty in war, trample in his power on the necks of the haughty. Foras ejiciat Mundanum principem: Secumque faciat Matrem participem Patris imperii. May he cast forth the prince of this world; and make his Mother share with him the empire which his Father has given him. Exi qui mitteris, Hæc dona dissere: Revela veteris Velamen litteræ Virtute nuntii. Go forth, messenger of God, announce these gifts: lift up, by the virtue of thy Annunciation, the veil of the ancient Scripture. Accede, nuntia: Dic: Ave, cominus, Dic: Plena gratia, Dic: Tecum Dominus, Et dic: Ne timeas. Approach, tell thy announcement: say, when thou art in her presence, 'Hail!' Say: 'O full of grace!' Say: 'The Lord is with thee!' And then: 'Fear not!' Virgo suscipias Dei depositum, In quo perficias Casta propositum, Et votum teneas. Receive, O Virgin! the divine deposit; by him fulfil thy chaste purpose, and keep thy vow. Audit et suscipit Puella nuntium: Credit et concipit, Et parit Filium, Sed admirabilem. The Maid hears and accepts the announcement; she believes and conceives, and brings forth a Son, but he is the Admirable. Consiliatorem Humani generis, Deum et hominem, Et Patrem posteris In pace stabilem. The Counsellor of mankind, God and Man, Father of the world to come, the Prince of peace. Cujus stabilitas Nos reddat stabiles, Ne nos labilitas Humana labiles Secum præcipitet. May his firmness render us firm, lest human frailty should make us stumble into the abyss. Sed dator veniæ Concessa venia, Per matrem gratiæ Obtenta gratia, In nobis", "keywords": [ "virgin", "divine", "mother", "womb", "love", "mary", "thyself", "nobis", "nature", "world", "receive", "word", "amen", "glory", "father", "forth", "grace", "human", "tibi", "spirit" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "John xii. 47", "Philippians ii. 7" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_27", "title": "MARCH 27", "anchor": "march_27", "text": "SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE CONFESSOR AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH The faithful have not forgotten that on the first Sunday of Lent the Greeks keep one of their greatest solemnities, that of Orthodoxy. History proves that the Church of Constantinople, the new Rome, did not share the indefectibility of that of the old Rome, for it passed through a cycle of heresies on the dogma of the Incarnation. It rejected successively the consubstantiality of the Word, the unity of Person in Jesus Christ, and the integrity of His two natures. It seemed as though there were nothing left for heretical emperors and patriarchs to deny. Yet there was one more error to proclaim before the measure of false teaching was filled up. Christ enthroned in heaven could not be belittled, but His images might be proscribed on earth. Heresy was powerless to touch the King even in these pictorial representations, but schism could at least shake off the yoke of His Vicar, and this last denial rolled the stone to the door of a tomb which the Crescent was one day to seal. The heresy of the Iconoclasts or Image-breakers represents the last phase of Oriental error with regard to the Incarnation of the Son of God. It was right that the feast which commemorates the restoration of the holy Images should receive the glorious name of the Feast of Orthodoxy. It celebrates the last blow struck at Byzantine dogma, and recalls all those delivered by the councils of the Church between the first and second of Nicæa. A peculiar solemnity was given to this feast by the fact that all the anathemas formulated in previous times against the adversaries of revealed truth were renewed in the Church of St. Sophia while the Cross and the holy Images were exalted in triumph and the emperor stood at his throne. Satan, the sworn foe of the Word, showed clearly that he looked upon the doctrine of the Iconoclasts as his last resource. There is no heresy which has caused more martyrdoms or more destruction. Nero and Diocletian seemed to be reincarnate in the baptized Cæsars who defended it: Leo the Isaurian, Constantine Copronymus, Leo the Armenian, Michael the Stammerer and his son Theophilus. The edicts of persecution, published in defence of the idols of former times, were renewed for the destruction of the idolatry which was said to defile the Church. In the early days of the heresy, St. Germanus of Constantinople reminded the crowned theologian of Isauria that Christians do not adore images but give them a relative honour, which is due to the persons of the saints whom they represent. The imperial pontiff replied by sending the patriarch into exile. The soldiers, whom the emperor charged to carry out his will, gave themselves up to the pillage of churches and private houses. On all sides venerated statues fell under the hammer of the destroyer. Mural paintings were covered with chalk, vestments and sacred vessels mutilated and destroyed on account of", "keywords": [ "john", "holy", "church", "images", "christ", "saints", "name", "against", "sacred", "power", "word", "heresy", "right", "feast", "glorious", "faith", "whose", "council", "joannes", "once" ], "saints": [ "St. Basil", "St. Bernardine of Siena", "St. Francis of Assisi", "St. Germanus of Constantinople", "St. Gregory", "St. JOHN", "St. John", "St. Louis", "St. Matt", "St. Paschal", "St. Peter", "St. Sabbas", "St. Sophia", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [ "Deuteronomy xxxii. 7", "John c.", "John i.", "Judges vii.", "Matthew xvii. 5", "Psalms lxxvii. 6", "Psalms xix. 8", "Psalms xliii. 4" ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "ST_JOHN_CAPISTRAN", "title": "ST. JOHN CAPISTRAN", "anchor": "st_john_capistran", "text": "like a sun, he brought the Armenians back to the Catholic Church. The same Pope, at the request of the Emperor Frederic III., sent him into Germany as nuncio of the Apostolic See, in order that he might bring back heretics to the Catholic faith, and the minds of princes to peace and union. He did a wonderful work for God's glory during the six years of his mission, and brought back to the Church by the light of his teaching and miracles almost countless numbers of Hussites, Adamites, Thaborites, and Jews. It was mainly at the entreaty of John that Callistus III. proclaimed a crusade, and John hastened through Pannonia and other provinces where by his words and letters he so roused the minds of princes that in a short time seventy thousand Christian soldiers were enrolled. It was mainly through his advice and courage that a victory was gained at Belgrade, where one hundred and twenty thousand Turks were either slain or put to flight. The news of this victory reached Rome on the sixth of August, and Pope Callistus consecrated this day for ever to the solemn commemoration of the Transfiguration of our Lord. When John was seized with his last illness and taken to Illak, many princes came to see him, and he exhorted them to protect religion. He piously yielded up his soul to God in the year of salvation 1456. God confirmed his glory by many miracles after his death, and when these had been duly proved, Pope Alexander VIII. enrolled his name among those of the saints. Two hundred years later Leo XIII. extended his office and mass to the Universal Church. post mortem Deus multis miraculis confirmavit: quibus rite probatis, Alexander Octavus anno millesimo sexcentesimo nonagesimo Joannem in sanctorum numerum retulit, ejusque officium ac missam Leo decimus tertius, altero ab ejus canonizatione sæculo, ad universam extendit Ecclesiam. 'The Lord is with thee, O most valiant of men. Go in this thy strength and thou shalt deliver Israel out of the hand of Madian. Know that I have sent thee.' Thus did the angel of the Lord salute Gedeon when he chose him from among the least of his people,¹ to fulfil a high destiny. Thus do we in our turn salute thee, O glorious son of St. Francis of Assisi, and we beseech thee to be our constant aid. The enemy whom thou didst defeat on the field of battle is no longer an imminent peril for the West, but there is a greater danger, as Moses said to his people after their deliverance from Egypt: 'Take heed and beware lest at any time thou forget the Lord thy God . . . lest after thou hast eaten and art filled, hast built goodly houses . . . and shalt have herds of oxen and flocks of sheep and plenty of gold and of silver, and of all things; thy heart be lifted up and thou remember not the Lord who brought", "keywords": [ "lord", "church", "brought", "back", "pope", "princes", "john", "catholic", "sent", "minds", "glory", "years", "miracles", "mainly", "callistus", "thousand", "enrolled", "victory", "hundred", "alexander" ], "saints": [ "St. Francis of Assisi" ], "scripture": [ "Deuteronomy viii. 11", "Judges vi." ] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "MARCH_28_ST_JOHN_CAPISTRAN", "title": "MARCH 28. ST. JOHN CAPISTRAN", "anchor": "march_28_st_john_capistran", "text": "We thank God for the feast of to-day; it is a perpetual memorial of His goodness and of the noble deeds of His saints. Help us to conquer in that warfare which is being incessantly carried on within our own souls against the world, the flesh, and the devil. May the name of Jesus put our enemies to flight, may His Cross be our standard and lead us through the death of self-love to the triumph of the Resurrection.", "keywords": [ "resurrection" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "APRIL_2", "title": "APRIL 2", "anchor": "april_2", "text": "SAINT FRANCIS OF PAULA CONFESSOR The founder of a religious Order, whose distinguishing characteristics were humility and penance, comes before us to-day; it is Francis of Paula. Let us study his virtues and beg his intercession. His whole life was one of great innocence; and yet we find him embracing, from his earliest youth, mortifications which, nowadays, would not be expected from the very worst sinners. How was it that he could do so much? and we, who have so often sinned, do so little? The claims of divine justice are as strong now as ever they were; for God never changes, nor can the offence we have committed against Him by our sins be pardoned, unless we make atonement. The saints punished themselves, with life-long and austere penances, for the slightest sins; and the Church can scarcely induce us to observe the law of Lent, though it is now reduced to the lowest degree of severity. What is the cause of this want of the spirit of expiation and penance? It is that our faith is weak, and our love of God is cold, because our thoughts and affections are so set upon this present life, that we seldom if ever consider things in the light of eternity. How many of us are like the king of France, who having obtained permission from the Pope that St. Francis of Paula should come and live near him, threw himself at the saint's feet, and besought him to obtain of God, that he, the king, might have a long life! Louis XI. had led a most wicked life; but his anxiety was, not to do penance for his sins, but to obtain, by the saint's prayers, a prolongation of a career which had been little better than a storing up of wrath for the day of wrath. We, too, love this present life; we love it to excess. The laws of fasting and abstinence are broken, not because the obeying them would endanger life, or even seriously injure health—for where either of these is to be feared, the Church does not enforce her lenten penances—but people dispense themselves from fasting and abstinence, because the spirit of immortification renders every privation intolerable, and every interruption of an easy comfortable life insupportable. They have strength enough for any fatigue that business or pleasure calls for; but the moment there is question of observing those laws which the Church has instituted for the interest of the body as well as of the soul, all seems impossible; the conscience gets accustomed to these annual transgressions, and ends by persuading the sinner that he may be saved without doing penance. St. Francis of Paula was of a very different way of thinking and acting. The Church gives us the following abridged account of his life: Franciscus Paulæ, quod est Calabriæ oppidum, loco humili natus est: quem parentes, cum diu prole caruissent, voto facto, divi Francisci precibus susceperunt. Is adolescens divino ardore succensus, in eremum secessit: ubi", "keywords": [ "life", "penance", "having", "saint", "francis", "paula", "church", "love", "order", "spirit", "sinners", "ever", "sins", "king", "obtain", "abstinence", "without", "religious", "humility", "virtues" ], "saints": [ "St. FRANCIS", "St. Francis", "St. Francis of Paula" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "APRIL_2", "title": "APRIL 2", "anchor": "april_2", "text": "(In some Dioceses) SAINT MARY OF EGYPT PENITENT One of the most striking examples of penance ever witnessed, is this day proposed for our consideration: Mary, the sinner and penitent of Egypt, comes to animate us to persevere in our lenten exercises. Like Magdalene and Margaret of Cortona, she had sinned grievously; like them she repented, atoned for her guilt, and is now the associate of angels. Let us adore the omnipotence of our God, who thus changed a vessel of dishonour into one of honour; let us lovingly contemplate the riches of His mercy, and hope for our own participation in them. At the same time, let us remember that pardon is not granted save where there is repentance; and that repentance is not genuine, unless it produce an abiding spirit and deeds of penance. Mary of Egypt had the misfortune to lead a life of sin for seventeen years; but her penance lasted forty: and what kind of penance must hers have been, living alone in a desert, under a scorching sun, without the slightest human consolation, and amidst every sort of privation! The pledge of pardon—the holy Communion—which we received so soon after our sins, was not granted to Mary, till she had done penance for nearly half a century. That pledge of Jesus' forgiveness, which He has given us in the Sacrament of His love, and which was communicated to us so promptly, was withheld from this admirable penitent, so that she received it for the second time only at the moment when death was on the point of separating her soul from her body which was worn out by austerities! Let us humble ourselves at such a comparison; let us think with fear on this great truth—that God's justice will require an exact account of all the graces He has heaped upon us; and with this thought, let us rouse ourselves to a determination to merit, by the sincerity of our repentance, a place near the humble penitent of the desert. We take the lessons of the Office of St. Mary of Egypt from the ancient Roman-French breviaries: Maria Ægyptia, duodecennis, tempore Justini imperatoris, relictis parentibus, Alexandriam venit, fuitque per annos septemdecim ea in civitate peccatrix. Cum autem Hierosolymam profecta, Calvariæ templum in festo Exaltationis sanctæ Crucis ingredi tentasset, ter divinitus repulsa, in atrio coram imagine Deiparæ Virginis vovit pœnitentiam, si liceret sibi vivificum crucis lignum videre et adorare: moxque templum ingressa, vidit et adoravit. Mary of Egypt left her parents, when she was twelve years of age. It was during the reign of the emperor Justin. She entered Alexandria, and was a sinner in that city, for seventeen years. Having visited Jerusalem, and, it being the feast of the Exaltation of the holy Cross, having endeavoured to enter the church of Calvary, she felt herself thrice repelled by divine power. Standing under the portico, she made a vow before an image of the Virgin Mother of God, that if our Lord would grant her", "keywords": [ "mary", "egypt", "penance", "penitent", "years", "body", "having", "life", "holy", "received", "sinner", "sins", "lord", "zozimus", "came", "pray", "changed", "repentance", "spirit", "forty" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. MARY", "St. Mary of Egypt" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "APRIL_4", "title": "APRIL 4", "anchor": "april_4", "text": "SAINT ISIDORE BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH THE Church presents to us to-day, for our devout admiration, the memory of one of the holiest of her bishops—Isidore, the bishop of Seville, the most learned man of his age, and, what is a still greater praise, the most zealous patriot and friend of his noble country. Let us study his virtues and confide in his patronage: both will help us to fervour during this holy season. Among Christian lands, there is one that has gained for herself the glorious name of the Catholic kingdom. Towards the close of the seventh century, divine Providence subjected her to a most severe trial, by permitting the Saracen hordes to invade her: so that her heroic children had to struggle for eight hundred years for the recovery of their country. Contemporaneously with Spain, Asia also and Africa fell under the Mussulman yoke, and have continued in their slavery up to the present day. Whence comes it that Spain has triumphed over her oppressors, and that tyranny has never been able to make her children degenerate? The answer is easily given: Spain, at the period of her invasion, was Catholic, and Catholicity was the very spirit of the land: whereas those other nations, that yielded themselves slaves to the Saracens, were already separated from the Christian Church by heresy or schism. God abandoned them, because they had rejected both the truth of faith, and unity with the Church; they fell an easy prey to the infidel conqueror. Nevertheless, Spain had incurred an immense risk. The race of the Goths, by their long invasion of her territory, had sowed the seeds of heresy: Arianism had set up its sacrilegious altars in Iberia. But God did not permit this privileged country to be long under the yoke of error. Before the Saracens came upon her, she had been reconciled to the Church; and God had chosen one family to be the glorious instrument in the completion of this great work. Even to this day, the traveller through Andalusia will find the squares of its cities adorned with four statues: they are those of three brothers and a sister: St. Leander, bishop of Seville; St. Isidore, whose feast we are keeping to-day; St. Fulgentius, bishop of Carthagena; and their sister, St. Florentina, a nun. It was by the zeal and eloquence of St. Leander that king Reccared and his Goths were converted from Arianism to the Catholic faith, in the year 589; the learning and piety of our glorious Isidore consolidated the great work; Fulgentius gave it stability by his virtues and erudition; and Florentina co-operated in it by her life of sacrifice and prayer. Let us unite with the Catholic kingdom in honouring this family of saints; and to-day in a special manner, let us pay the tribute of our devotion to St. Isidore. The holy liturgy thus speaks of him: Isidorus natione Hispanus, doctor egregius, ex nova Carthagine, Severiano patre provinciæ duce natus, a sanctis episcopis", "keywords": [ "spain", "church", "isidore", "bishop", "seville", "country", "christian", "catholic", "doctor", "among", "glorious", "heresy", "faith", "leander", "people", "braulio", "bishops", "virtues", "whose", "hispaniæ" ], "saints": [ "St. Braulio", "St. Braulio of Saragossa", "St. Florentina", "St. Fulgentius", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. ISIDORE", "St. Ildephonsus", "St. Ildephonsus of Toledo", "St. Isidore", "St. James", "St. Leander", "St. Leo" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 5, "section": "APRIL_5", "title": "APRIL 5", "anchor": "april_5", "text": "SAINT VINCENT FERRER CONFESSOR To-day, again, it is Catholic Spain that offers one of her sons to the Church, that she may present him to the Christian world as a model and a patron. Vincent Ferrer, or, as he was called, the angel of the judgment, comes to us proclaiming the near approach of the Judge of the living and the dead. During his lifetime, he traversed almost every country of Europe, preaching this terrible truth; and the people of those times went from his sermons striking their breasts, crying out to God to have mercy upon them—in a word, converted. In these our days, the thought of that awful day, when Jesus Christ will appear in the clouds of heaven to judge mankind, has not the same effect upon Christians. They believe in the last judgment, because it is an article of faith; but, we repeat, the thought produces little impression. After long years of a sinful life, a special grace touches the heart, and we witness a conversion; there are thousands thus converted, but the majority of them continue to lead an easy, comfortable life, seldom thinking on hell, and still less on the judgment wherewith God is to bring time to an end. It was not thus in the Christian ages; neither is it so now with those whose conversion is solid. Love is stronger in them than fear; and yet the fear of God's judgment is ever living within them, and gives stability to the new life they have begun. Those Christians who have heavy debts towards divine justice, because of the sins of their past lives, and who, notwithstanding, make the time of Lent a season for evincing their cowardice and tepidity, surely such Christians as these must very rarely ask themselves what will become of them on that day, when the sign of the Son of Man shall appear in the heavens, and when Jesus, not as Saviour, but as Judge, shall separate the goats from the sheep. One would suppose that they have received a revelation from God, that, on the day of judgment, all will be well with them. Let us be more prudent; let us stand on our guard against the illusions of a proud, self-satisfied indifference; let us secure to ourselves, by sincere repentance, the well-founded hope, that on the terrible day, which has made the very saints tremble, we shall hear these words of the divine Judge addressed to us: 'Come, ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!'¹ Vincent Ferrer leaves the peaceful cell of his monastery, that he may go and rouse men to the great truth they had forgotten—the day of God's inexorable justice; we have not heard his preachings, but, have we not the Gospel? Have we not the Church, who, at the commencement of this season of penance, preached to us the terrible truth, which St. Vincent took as the subject of his instructions? Let", "keywords": [ "church", "lent", "holy", "judgment", "during", "life", "vincent", "divine", "mass", "feast", "world", "office", "custom", "judge", "days", "season", "whole", "centuries", "observed", "gave" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Matthias", "St. VINCENT", "St. Vincent" ], "scripture": [ "3 Kings xix. 8", "Exodus xxiv. 18", "Luke xxiii. 28", "Matthew xxv. 34", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "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 that great day of the immolation of the Lamb, without having prepared for it by compassionating with Him in the sufferings He endured in their stead. The most ancient sacramentaries and antiphonaries 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 Sunday, 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 first of these two weeks; its ceremonies and rites have always been the same as those of the four preceding 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; 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 third century, as we learn from St. Denis, bishop of Alexandria, who lived at that time.² In the fourth century, we find St. John Chrysostom, calling it the great week:³ '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 penosa), 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 dispensation which allows the use of eggs ceases towards the middle of this week. The eastern Churches, faithful to", "keywords": [ "days", "week", "during", "holy", "christian", "easter", "world", "passion", "last", "church", "lord", "find", "human", "jesus", "weeks", "whole", "sunday", "mysteries", "divine", "slaves" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Cyril of Jerusalem", "St. Denis", "St. Eligius", "St. Epiphanius", "St. John", "St. Leo" ], "scripture": [ "John c." ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "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 ceremonies 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 mysteries 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 Redeemer, 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 Easter eve; the reconciliation of the public penitents, who are to be readmitted into the Church on the Thursday, the day of the Last Supper. Each of these three objects engages more and more the attention of the Church, the nearer she approaches the time of their celebration. The miracle performed by our Saviour almost at the very gates of Jerusalem, by which He restored Lazarus to life, has roused the fury of His enemies to the highest pitch of phrensy. The people's enthusiasm has been excited by 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 contain their feelings: Jesus enters Jerusalem, and they welcome Him as their King. The high priests and princes of the people are alarmed at this demonstration 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", "keywords": [ "jesus", "church", "holy", "during", "days", "passion", "last", "divine", "mystery", "week", "liturgy", "mysteries", "words", "weeks", "already", "lent", "faithful", "hand", "three", "life" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke xxii. 15" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK The past four weeks seem to have been but a preparation 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 sacrilegious 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 weep for yourselves and for your children'.¹ 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 importance of what they were witnessing, and learn from it how inexorable is God's justice against sin. During the four weeks that have preceded, the Church has been leading the sinner to his conversion; ¹ St. Luke xxiii. 28. CONTENTS PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK Chapter I.—The History of Passiontide and Holy Week, Chap. II.—The Mystery of Passiontide and Holy Week, Chap. III.—Practice during Passiontide and Holy Week, Chap. IV.—Morning and Night Prayers for Passiontide and Holy Week, Chap. V.—On hearing Mass, during Passiontide and Holy Week, Chap. VI.—On Holy Communion, during Passiontide and Holy Week, Chap. VII.—Of the Office of Vespers for Sundays and Feasts, during Passiontide and Holy Week, Chap. VIII.—On the Office of Compline, during Passiontide and Holy Week, PROPER OF THE TIME Passion Sunday, Vespers, Monday in Passion Week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday in Passion Week.—The Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin. Saturday, Palm Sunday,—Blessing of the Palms, The Procession, The Mass, Vespers, Monday in Holy Week, Tuesday in Holy Week, Wednesday in Holy Week, Office of Tenebræ, 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 Tenebræ, The Evening, Good Friday, The Night Office, The Morning, The Morning Service, The Lessons, The Prayers, The Veneration of the Cross, The 'Improperia' or 'Reproaches', Mass of the Presanctified, Vespers, The Afternoon, The Office of Tenebræ, The Evening, Holy Saturday, The Night Office, The Morning, The Morning Service, The Blessing of the new Fire and Incense, The Paschal Candle, The", "keywords": [ "holy", "jesus", "love", "week", "during", "death", "blood", "church", "passiontide", "cross", "against", "office", "life", "passion", "justice", "chap", "having", "weeks", "last", "children" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vi. 20", "1 John iv. 19", "1 Peter i. 18", "2 Corinthians v. 14", "Acts x. 38", "Colossians i. 20", "Deuteronomy xxi. 23", "Hebrews vi. 6", "Isaias xii. 3", "Luke xxiii. 28", "Matthew iii. 17", "Matthew xxvi. 38", "Philippians ii. 7", "Romans viii. 32", "Zacharias xii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK During these two weeks, the Christian, on awaking 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. Christus factus est pro nobis obediens usque ad mortem, mortem autem crucis. | Christ became, for our sake, obedient unto death, even to the death of the cross. He should, after this, profoundly adore that great God, 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 PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the most holy Trinity: ℣. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum sancto Spiritu: | ℣. Let us bless the Father and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ℟. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. | ℟. Let us praise him and extol him above all for ever. ℣. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. | ℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. | ℟. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: ℣. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi. | ℣. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee. ℟. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. | ℟. Because by thy holy cross thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. | Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire 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 cœlis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua sicut in cœlo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: et ne nos inducas in tentationem:", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "holy", "domine", "jesus", "blessed", "church", "deus", "christ", "sins", "prayers", "during", "death", "pray", "cross", "following", "ever", "grace", "world", "love" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING PASSIONTIDE 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 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 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 same Body, bearing on it its five precious Wounds; it is the same 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "amen", "holy", "jesus", "altar", "domine", "father", "divine", "church", "mercy", "sacrifice", "christ", "blood", "deus", "nobis", "prayer", "mass", "world", "sins" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Corinthians xv. 53", "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Peter i. 4", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Isaias ix. 6", "John c.", "Lamentations iii. 25" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING PASSIONTIDE 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 to partake of this divine Victim, to become himself this Victim, by incorporating it with himself by holy Communion, whereby is realized that wonderful promise of our Redeemer: He that eateth My Flesh and drinketh 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, and His Blood truly our drink.² 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 realized 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. ² Ibid. 56. St. Paul, writing to the Corinthians, speaks thus: 'As often as you shall eat this 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 figurative lamb; but now, in this the last Pasch, He is going to give them a pledge of pardon and immortality, 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 anticipation 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", "keywords": [ "love", "holy", "communion", "heart", "jesus", "blood", "infinite", "sacrifice", "lamb", "during", "soul", "believe", "life", "victim", "nothing", "divine", "sinner", "know", "poor", "myself" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xi. 26", "John vi. 57", "John vi. 58", "Luke xxii. 15" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "OF THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WEEK The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, 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 attention 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: ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Laus tibi, Domine, Rex æternæ gloriæ. Praise be to thee, O Lord, 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 humiliations. It tells of the triumphs of Christ; but, before His exaltation, He is to drink of the torrent of sufferings. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: scabellum pedum tuorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. O 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. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 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. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: he hath said, speaking to thee, the God-Man: Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Therefore, O Father, the Lord, thy Son is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum. He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput. He cometh now in humility: he shall drink in the way, of the torrent of sufferings: therefore, shall he lift up the head. ANT. Dixit Dominus", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "blessed", "dominus", "domino", "israel", "psalm", "praise", "sæculum", "domini", "name", "deus", "domine", "glory", "amen", "sæculi", "nomen", "house", "eorum" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Radegund", "St. Venantius" ], "scripture": [ "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "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 immediately 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 therefore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: Jube, domne, benedicere. Pray, father, give thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens, circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch; for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers : ℟. Deo gratias. ℟. Thanks be to God. Then the priest : ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The choir : ℟. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam æternam. May almighty God have mercy on thee, and, forgiving thy sins, bring thee to everlasting life. The priest having answered Amen, the choir repeats the Confiteor thus : Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistæ, sanctis 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 Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes sanctos, et te, pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. I confess to almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy apostles Peter and Paul, to all the saints, and to thee, father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed; through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy apostles Peter and Paul, and all the saints, and thee, father, to pray to the Lord our God for me. The priest then says: Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam æternam. ℟. Amen. Indulgentiam, absolutionem, et remissionem peccatorum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. ℟. Amen. ℣. Converte nos, Deus,", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "domine", "holy", "deus", "mercy", "blessed", "dominus", "quoniam", "night", "omnipotens", "almighty", "ever", "psalm", "hands", "tuum", "bless", "priest", "father", "nobis" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians v. 10", "Jeremias xiv.", "Psalms xxx." ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "PASSION_SUNDAY", "title": "PASSION SUNDAY", "anchor": "passion_sunday", "text": "Hodie, si vocem Domini audieritis, nolite obdurare corda vestra. To-day if you shall hear the voice of the Lord, harden not your hearts. 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 lose 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 apostatized from the faith, the clergy have ceased to celebrate 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 impressive than this solemn Invitatory 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? 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 God is about to give you 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 immolation 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 insensibility 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 upright; 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 nulls the law of God, that he may make it the instrument of his own base passions. Still, Jesus", "keywords": [ "jesus", "blood", "lord", "church", "holy", "death", "abraham", "father", "therefore", "against", "domine", "enemies", "dominum", "hear", "hearts", "passion", "jews", "hands", "people", "deus" ], "saints": [ "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter", "St. Venantius" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ii. 8", "Hebrews c.", "Hebrews ix.", "John c.", "Matthew xii. 32", "Matthew xxiv. 30", "Psalms i.", "Psalms xli.", "Psalms xlix. 7" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "MONDAY_IN_PASSION_WEEK", "title": "MONDAY IN PASSION WEEK", "anchor": "monday_in_passion_week", "text": "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 Sanctifica, quæsumus, Domine, nostra jejunia: et cunctarum nobis indulgentiam propitius largire culparum. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Sanctify, O Lord, we beseech thee, our fasts, and mercifully grant us the pardon of all our sins. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. EPISTLE Lectio Jonæ Prophetæ. Cap. iii. In diebus illis: Factum est verbum Domini ad Jonam prophetam secundo, dicens: Surge, et vade in Niniven civitatem magnam: et prædica in ea prædicationem quam ego loquor ad te. Et surrexit Jonas, et abiit in Niniven juxta verbum Domini. Et Ninive erat civitas magna itinere trium dierum. Et cœpit Jonas introïre in civitatem itinere diei unius: et clamavit, et dixit: adhuc quadraginta dies et Ninive subvertetur. Et crediderunt viri Ninivitæ in Deum: et prædicaverunt 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 jumenta, et boves, et pecora non gustent quidquam; nec 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, quæ est in manibus eorum. Quis scit si convertatur et ignoscat Deus: et revertatur a furore iræ suæ, et non peribimus? Et vidit Deus opera eorum, quia conversi sunt de via sua mala: et misertus est populo suo Dominus Deus noster. Lesson from Jonas the Prophet. Ch. 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' 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 believed in God: and they proclaimed 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 in sackcloth, and sat in ashes. And he caused it to be proclaimed and published in Ninive, from the mouth of the king and of his princes, saying: 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.", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "daniel", "holy", "cross", "ninive", "church", "prophet", "people", "christ", "world", "amen", "days", "jonas", "city", "autem", "habacuc", "lions", "ejus", "king" ], "saints": [ "St. Chrysogonus", "St. Cyriacus", "St. John", "St. Mary" ], "scripture": [ "Daniel c.", "Habacuc c.", "Isaias xii. 3", "John c.", "Jonas i.", "Jonas li.", "Matthew x. 28" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_PASSION_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN PASSION WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_passion_week", "text": "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 Sanctificato hoc jejunio, Deus, tuorum corda fidelium miserator illustra: et quibus devotionis præstas affectum, præbe supplicantibus pium benignus auditum. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. 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, mercifully hear the petitions we make. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. EPISTLE Lectio Libri Levitici. Cap. xix. Lesson from the book of Leviticus. Ch. xix. In diebus illis: Locutus est Dominus ad Moysen, dicens: Loquere ad omnem cœtum filiorum Israel, et dices ad eos: Ego Dominus Deus vester. Non facietis furtum. Non mentiemini, nec decipiet unusquisque proximum suum. Non perjurabis in nomine meo, nec pollues nomen Dei tui. Ego Dominus. Non facies calumniam proximo tuo, nec vi opprimes eum. Non morabitur opus mercenarii tui apud te usque mane. Non maledices surdo, nec coram cæco pones offendiculum: sed timebis Dominum Deum tuum, quia ego sum Dominus. Non facies quod iniquum est, nec injuste judicabis. Non consideres personam pauperis, nec honores vultum potentis. Juste judica proximo tuo. Non eris criminator, nec susurro in populo. Non stabis contra sanguinem proximi tui. Ego Dominus. Non oderis fratrem tuum in corde tuo, sed publice argue eum, ne habeas super illo peccatum. Non quæras ultionem, nec memor eris injuriæ civium tuorum. Diliges amicum tuum sicut teipsum. Ego Dominus. Leges meas custodite. Ego enim sum Dominus Deus vester. 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 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 honour 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", "keywords": [ "jesus", "father", "lord", "shalt", "hear", "believe", "love", "didst", "cross", "christ", "dominus", "quia", "works", "life", "holy", "neighbour", "divine", "church", "name", "stone" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Marcellus" ], "scripture": [ "1 John iii. 16", "John c.", "Leviticus c." ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "THURSDAY_IN_PASSION_WEEK", "title": "THURSDAY IN PASSION WEEK", "anchor": "thursday_in_passion_week", "text": "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 Præsta, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus, ut dignitas conditionis humanæ per immoderantiam sauciata, medicinalis parcimoniæ studio reformetur. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that the dignity of human nature, which hath been wounded by excess, may be cured by the practice of healing temperance. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. EPISTLE Lectio Danielis Prophetæ. Cap. iii. In diebus illis: Oravit Azarias Dominum dicens: Domine Deus noster, ne quæsumus, tradas nos in perpetuum propter nomen tuum, et ne dissipes testamentum tuum: neque auferas misericordiam tuam a nobis, propter Abraham dilectum tuum, et Isaac servum tuum, et Israel sanctum tuum; quibus locutus es, pollicens quod multiplicares semen eorum sicut stellas cæli, et sicut arenam quæ est in littore maris: quia, Domine, imminuti sumus plus quam omnes gentes, sumusque humiles in universa terra hodie propter peccata nostra. Et non est in tempore hoc princeps, et dux, et propheta, neque holocaustum, neque sacrificium, neque oblatio, neque incensum, neque locus primitiarum coram te, ut possimus invenire misericordiam tuam: sed in animo contrito, et spiritu humilitatis suscipiamur. Sicut in holocausto arietum, et taurorum, 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 quærimus faciem tuam. Ne confundas nos, sed fac nobiscum juxta mansuetudinem tuam, et secundum multitudinem misericordiæ tuæ. Et erue nos in mirabilibus tuis, et da gloriam nomini tuo, Domine: et confundantur omnes qui ostendunt servis tuis mala, confundantur in omnipotentia tua, et robur eorum conteratur; et sciant quia tu es Dominus Deus solus, et gloriosus super orbem terrarum, Domine Deus noster. Lesson from Daniel the Prophet. Ch. iii. In those days, Azarias prayed to the Lord saying: O 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 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, O 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 sacrifice, 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 sacrifice 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "sins", "cross", "feet", "pharisee", "love", "world", "woman", "within", "divine", "blood", "autem", "deus", "amen", "domine", "neque", "tibi", "holy", "pedes" ], "saints": [ "St. Apollinaris", "St. Mark", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Luke c.", "Mark xvi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "FRIDAY_IN_PASSION_WEEK", "title": "FRIDAY IN PASSION WEEK", "anchor": "friday_in_passion_week", "text": "THE SEVEN DOLOURS 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 first 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 Cordibus nostris, quæsumus, Domine, gratiam tuam benignus infunde; ut peccata nostra castigatione voluntaria cohibentes, temporaliter potius maceremur, quam suppliciis deputemur æternis. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Mercifully, O Lord, we beseech thee, pour forth thy grace into our hearts; that repressing our sins by voluntary mortifications, we may rather suffer for them in this life, than be condemned to eternal torments for them in the next. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. EPISTLE Lectio Jeremiæ Prophetæ. Cap. xvii. In diebus illis, dixit Jeremias: Domine, omnes qui te derelinquunt, confundentur: recedentes a te in terra scribentur: quoniam dereliquerunt venam aquarum viventium, Dominum. Sana me, Domine, et sanabor: salvum me fac, et salvus ero: quoniam laus mea tu es. Ecce ipsi dicunt ad me: Ubi est verbum Domini? veniat. Et ego non sum turbatus, te Pastorem sequens: et diem hominis non desideravi, tu scis. Quod egressum est de labiis meis, rectum in conspectu tuo fuit. Non sis tu mihi formidini; spes mea tu in die afflictionis. Confundantur qui me persequuntur, et non confundar ego: paveant illi, et non paveam ego: induc super eos diem afflictionis, et duplici contritione contere eos, Domine Deus noster. Lesson from Jeremias the Prophet. Ch. xvii. In those days, Jeremias said: O Lord, 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 be effaced,)* 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 I am not troubled, following thee for my pastor, and I have not desired the day of man, thou knowest. 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 affliction. Let them be confounded that persecute me, and let not me 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, O Lord our God. Jeremias is one of the most striking figures of the Messias persecuted by the Jews. It is on this account, 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 God by this just man against those that", "keywords": [ "jesus", "mother", "mary", "cross", "lord", "death", "heart", "holy", "life", "church", "world", "divine", "love", "soul", "amen", "quia", "feast", "christ", "jews", "against" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Bernard", "St. John", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "Daniel ix. 25", "Genesis iii. 20", "Isaias ii. 2", "Jeremias i.", "John c.", "John vii. 37", "John xix. 25", "Lamentations i. 4", "Malachias i. 11", "Matthew xxi. 43", "Matthew xxiv. 21", "Matthew xxvii. 26", "Proverbs xxxi. 10" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "PALM_SUNDAY", "title": "PALM SUNDAY", "anchor": "palm_sunday", "text": "Hodie si vocem Domini audieritis, nolite obdurare corda vestra. To-day, if ye shall hear the voice of the Lord, harden not 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 Rome'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 before His Passion, and which had been prepared for Him from all eternity. *Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion! Shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold thy King will come to thee; the Just and the Saviour. He is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass.*¹ Jesus, knowing that the hour has come for the fulfilment of this prophecy, singles out two from the rest of His disciples, and bids them lead to Him an ass and her colt, which they would find not far off. He has reached 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 long under the yoke of the Law; the colt, upon which, as the evangelist says, *no man yet hath sat,*² is a figure of the Gentile world, which no one had ever yet brought into subjection. The future of these two peoples is to be decided 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 God'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, sits upon him,³ and advances towards Jerusalem. As soon as it is known that Jesus is near the city, the holy Spirit works in the hearts of those Jews, who have come from all parts to celebrate 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 have accompanied Jesus from Bethania, join the", "keywords": [ "jesus", "lord", "autem", "holy", "people", "jerusalem", "hosanna", "deus", "church", "king", "saying", "israel", "palms", "death", "disciples", "christ", "saviour", "branches", "amen", "david" ], "saints": [ "St. Cyril", "St. Euthymius", "St. Gregory", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter", "St. Praxedes", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [ "Exodus c.", "John c.", "John l.", "John xi. 25", "John xi. 52", "Leviticus xxiii. 40", "Luke i. 32", "Luke xix. 35", "Luke xix. 38", "Luke xix. 42", "Mark xi. 2", "Matthew c.", "Matthew xxi. 12", "Matthew xxi. 17", "Matthew xxi. 18", "Matthew xxiv. 34", "Matthew xxvi. 12", "Matthew xxvi. 7", "Philippians c.", "Philippians ii.", "Psalms xxi.", "Psalms xxiii.", "Psalms xxxiv.", "Zacharias ix. 9" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "TUESDAY_IN_HOLY_WEEK", "title": "TUESDAY IN HOLY WEEK", "anchor": "tuesday_in_holy_week", "text": "To-day, 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, behold, the fig-tree, which Thou didst curse, is withered away.'² In order to teach us that the whole of material nature is subservient to the spiritual element when this last is united to God by faith, ¹ St. Matt. xxvi. 2. ² St. Mark xi. 21. 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.'¹ 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 Thee this authority, that Thou shouldst do these things?'² 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 Gospel 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 certain details peculiar to this evangelist were evidently furnished by an eye-witness. Our readers are aware that St. Mark was a disciple of St. Peter, and that his Gospel 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 third century, Pope St. Eutychian had translated thither, on account of the sameness of the name, the body of St. Prisca, a virgin and martyr of Rome. ¹ St. Mark xi. 22, 23. ² Ibid. 28. MASS Three days hence, the cross will be lifted up on Calvary bearing upon itself", "keywords": [ "jesus", "autem", "lord", "saith", "church", "illis", "again", "priests", "passion", "ejus", "against", "chief", "deus", "death", "erat", "disciples", "saying", "might", "pasch", "peter" ], "saints": [ "St. Eutychian", "St. Mark", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Prisca" ], "scripture": [ "Mark c.", "Mark xi. 21", "Mark xi. 22", "Matthew xxvi. 15", "Matthew xxvi. 2", "Psalms cviii.", "Psalms xxxiv.", "Romans i.", "Zacharias xi. 12" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_HOLY_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_holy_week", "text": "Leotio Isai Prophete. 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 infirmi- tatem. Et quasi abscon- ditus vultus ejus, et despe- ctus, unde nec reputavimus eum. Vere languores no- stros ipse tulit: et dolores nostros ipse portavit. Et nos putavimus eum quasi leprosum, et percussum a Deo, et humiliatum. Ipse autem vulneratus est pro- pter iniquitates nostras: at- tritus est propter scelera nostra; disciplina pacis no- sire super eum: et livore ejus sanati sumus. Omnes nos quasi oves erravimus: unusquisque in viam suam declinavit: et posuit Domi- nus in eo iniquitatem omni- um nostrum. Oblatus est, quia ipse voluit: et non aperuit os suum. Sicut ovis ad occisionem ducetur: et quasi agnus coram tonden- EPISTLE 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 comeliness. 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 sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity. And his look was as it were hid- den 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 wounded 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 iniquity 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 | 048) | i » see, onbrusteccet: eat pon i ypprrieia»s unur.^ Isg anvu- i aid, , e « dejliucesio utblauus 1 3%6.3t Gaaertnioesm qus qnis : sparrraliG? hu aisaiibscsteus est : libeerr veivintanln. 2tropeer i iokeuus >wplni nei »eercussi : wma. Edt atbi vimjo»s peo iienpàültese, 2c libvitaon peo : nrctte x 1a:€co jy aodi cniqiiri- : aetnm ofa »creit« nqdue o0- u sífuciit mr ceu esd. ZEt | draminso vli aitceontrie enm : ni onfimitd 2. 3i orsueiit pC: pecoat iiarmaan .1suann, 1 i edbbitieemroi Invgaeu «m eet ' 'colnnts ) Ioirmàhi ii rmauu 1 jsu : diigvetiT. Paro oc quod i achbrravtn aiam: seju, 1 viee-", "keywords": [ "ipse", "quasi", "isaias", "sicut", "liii", "coram", "ejus", "lord", "despised", "sorrows", "sins", "sheep", "epistle", "lesson" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_HOLY_WEEK_283", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK 283", "anchor": "wednesday_in_holy_week_283", "text": "through for our sins, how shall we sufficiently love this dear Redeemer, who bore our infirmities 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! O heavenly Physi- cian, who takes upon Himself the sufferings of those 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 will of His Father who kath 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 defend 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 chil- dren, the purchase of His Blood, His seed, as the prophet here calls us. O holy Church! thou /ong- lived seed of Jesus, who /ai./ 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: 77e Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. There is no sinner, how- ever great may be his crimes, there is no heretio, 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 Traot, which follows this Lesson, is taken from Psalm oi, in which the royal prophet sufferings of body and iud ured “He Tas Jesus in His human Nature. PASSIONTIDE AND HOLY WERK expresses the TRACT Domine, exaudi oratio- nem meam, et clamor meus ad te veniat. Y. Ne avertas faciem tu- am a me; in quacumque die tribulor, inclina ad me au- rem tuam. Y. In quacumque die in- vocavero te, velociter exau- di me. Y. Quia defecerunt sicut fumus dies mei: et ossa mea sicut in frixorio con- frixa sunt. Y. Percussus sum sicut foenum, et aruit cor meum, quia oblitus sum mandu- care panem meum. Y. Tu exsurgens, Domi- ne, misereberis Sion, quia venit tempus miserendi ejus. Hear, O Lord, my prayer, and let my cry come unto thee. Y. Turn not away thy face from me, in the day when I am in trouble, incline thine ear to me. Y.", "keywords": [ "love", "jesus", "lord", "sufferings", "prophet", "blood", "quia", "sicut", "passion", "sins", "dear", "lamb", "father", "laid", "iniquity", "sacrifice", "divine", "devotedness", "heart", "seed" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke c." ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_HOLY_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN HOLY WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_holy_week", "text": "morum, qui dicitur Pascha: et quaerebant principes sa- cerdotum et scribe, quomo- do Jesum interficerent: ti- mebant vero plebem. In- travit autem Satanas in Ju- dam, qui cognominabatur Iscariotes, unum de duode- cim; et abiit et locutus est cum principibus sacerdotum ei magistratibus, quemad- modum illum traderet eis. Et gavisi sunt: et pacti sunt pecuniam illi dare. Et spo- pondit. Et qusrebat op- portunitatem ut traderet illum sine turbis. Venit autem dies azymo- rum, in qua necesse erat occidi Pascha. Et misit Pe- irum et Joannem, dicens: Euntes parate nobis Pa- scha, ut manducemus. At illi dixerunt: Ubi vis pare- mus? Et dixit ad eos: Ecce introeuntibus vobis in civi- tatem, occurret vobis homo quidam amphoram aque portans; sequimini eum in domum, in quam intrat, et dicetis patrifamilias domus: Dicit tibi Magister: Ubi est diversorium, ubi Pascha cum discipulis meis man- ducem? Et ipse ostendet vobis coenaculum magnum Stratum, et ibi parate. Euntes autem invenerunt sicut dixit illis: et parave- runt Pascha, Et cum facta easet hora, discubuit, et duo- called the Pasch, was at hand. And the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might 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 co- venanted 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 killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying: Go and prepare for us the Pasch, that we may eat. But they said: Where wilt thou that we pre- pare? And he said to them: Behold, as you go into the city, there shall meet you a man car- rying a pitcher of water; fol- low him into the house where heentereth 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 show you a large dining-room fur- nished; and there prepare. And they going found as he had said to them, and made ready the Pasch; and when the hour was come, he sat down, decim apostoli cum eo. Et ait illis: Desiderio deside- ravi hoc Pascha manducare vobiscum, antequam patiar. Dico enim vobis: quia ex hoc non manducabo illud donec impleatur in regno Dei. Et accepto calice, gra- tias egit, et dixit: Accipite et dividite inter vos. Dico enim vobis: quod non bibam de generatione vitis, donec regnum Dei veniat. Et ac- cepto pane, gratias egit, et fregit, et dedit eis, dicens: Hoc est corpus meum, quod pro vobis datur. Hoc facite in meam commemorationem. Similiter et calicem, post- quam coenavit, dicens: Hic est calix novum testamen- tum in sanguine meo,", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "holy", "autem", "deus", "ejus", "domine", "church", "sunt", "world", "feet", "psalm", "super", "father", "hand", "christ", "earth", "disciples", "peter", "hands" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Eligius", "St. Elizabeth of Hungary", "St. Fortunatus", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Helen", "St. Isidore of Seville", "St. John", "St. Louis", "St. Luke", "St. Margaret of Scotland", "St. Mark", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Matthias", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter", "St. Venantius" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy v. 10", "2 Corinthians ii. 15", "Canticle of Canticles i. 3", "Corinthians c.", "Corinthians i.", "Exodus xv.", "Isaias liii. 3", "John c.", "John i.", "John l.", "John vi. 57", "John xiii. 12", "John xiii. 31", "John xiii. 33", "John xvi.", "John xvii.", "John xviii. 8", "Luke xxii. 19", "Luke xxii. 24", "Luke xxii. 42", "Luke xxii. 48", "Luke xxii. 52", "Luke xxii. 8", "Mark xiv. 27", "Mark xiv. 36", "Matthew xxvi. 28", "Matthew xxvi. 31", "Matthew xxvi. 38", "Matthew xxvi. 40", "Matthew xxvi. 53", "Peter i.", "Psalms ci.", "Psalms cix. 7", "Psalms liv.", "Psalms xxi. 7", "Psalms xxxiii." ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "GOOD_FRIDAY_TENEBRJE_413", "title": "GOOD FRIDAY: TENEBRJE 413", "anchor": "good_friday_tenebrje_413", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "GOOD_FRIDAY", "title": "GOOD FRIDAY", "anchor": "good_friday", "text": "THE NIGHT OFFICE Tur ceremonies used by the Church for the Office of Tenebre 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 on pages 301—303. Pater noster, Ave, and Credo, in secret. THE FIRST NOCTURN The first psalm, after having spoken of the eternal generation of the Son of God, prophesies His king- ship over the nations, and the vengeance He will take on His enemies, at the last day. As this magnificent 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 earth terre, et principes conve- stood up, and the princes met nerunt in unum, adversus together against the Lord, and Dominum, et adversus Chri- against his Christ. stum ejus. Psarx 2 Quare fremuerunt gen- Why have the Gentiles tes: et populi meditati sunt raged, and the people devised inania? vain things? . Adstiterunt reges terre, The kings of the earth stood et principes convenerunt in up, and the princes met to- unum: adversus Dominum gether, against the Lord, and et adversus Christum ejus. ^ against his Christ. Dirumpamus vincula eo- They said: Let us break their rum: et projiciamus a no- bonds asunder: and let us cast bis jugum ipsorum. away their yoke from us. Qui habitat in coelis irri- debit eos: et Dominus sub- sannabit eos. Tunc loquetur ad eos in ira sua: et in furore suo con- turbabit eps. Ego autem constitutus sum rex ab eo super Sion montem sanctum ejus: prae- dicans preceptum ejus. Dominus dixit ad me: Filius meus es tu, ego hodie genui te. Postula a me, et dabo tibi Gentes hereditatem tuam: et possessionem tuam ter- minos terra. Reges eos in virga ferrea: et tamquam vas figuli con- fringes eos. Et nunc reges intelligite: erudimini qui judicatis ter- ram. Servite Domino in timore: et exsultate ei cum tremore. Apprehendite ^ discipli- nam: nequando irascatur Dominus: et-pereatis de via justa. Cum exarserit in brevi ira ejus: beati omnes qui confi- dunt in eo. ANT. Adstiterunt reges terre, et principes conve- nerunt in unum, adversus Dominum, et adversus Chri- stum ejus. 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, O ye kings, under- stand: receive instruction, you that judge the earth. Serve", "keywords": [ "against", "lord", "adversus", "ejus", "reges", "earth", "princes", "christ", "kings", "adstiterunt", "terre", "principes", "stood", "unum", "dominum", "dominus", "office", "church", "having", "psalm" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "GOOD_FRIDAY_TENEBRE_415", "title": "GOOD FRIDAY: TENEBRE 415", "anchor": "good_friday_tenebre_415", "text": "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 violeutly 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. Diviserunt sibi ve- stimenta mea, et super ve- stem meam miserunt sortem. ANT. They parted my gar- ments among them, and upon my vesture they cast lots. Psarw 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 insipientiam mihi. Tu autem in sancto habi- tas: laus Israél. In te speraverunt patres nostri: speraverunt, et libe- rasti eos. Ad te clamaverunt, et salvi facti sunt: in te spera- verunt, et non sunt confusi. Ego autem sum vermis, et non homo: opprobrium hominum, et abjectio plebis. Omnes videntes me deri- serunt me: locuti sunt la- biis, et moverunt caput. Speravit in Domino, eri- piat eum: salvum faciat 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, tlie 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 confounded. 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 wagzed the head. He hoped in the Lord, let him deliver him: let him save 44b een1q [o2aiia rite mu. a | Yourain tii asec, ipie :tx-ra xxisi : nox lec » entrer :8 spe nma : a b 1lwebilray sr. anistr nme... Lr 1t e pojoobast : asunx e : uutr:o el er&nera rtaisrrs ane: IDa srenu ig: « 3ati zicr e adii ccescRisa 2€ 3. xxii:essat p «uuirma ioni e: qqu dajwre.t . Z'dárumededurtn ap ei- v - tiui r nlut; if wein | ipgnseuc oobdeónru it:en :. ! Lepneenntns' purer ems €i ssur:n ssctul cen [qaeüspé « rruines . : 3ivat ; aug. aei affus ist aam : © eetdsipres a1sitno ama a:s8s nma. i fcatmma | se bx corr emnur i : : aw. xl merting | 1rthe ia»dst «f ymb eows.l: . [ry stne gtls iid drieu ep lik » . pa torshe, dl anamg toragule hai 1 ; eclvaten. o myaws:", "keywords": [ "lots", "deus", "sunt", "hoped", "words", "spoken", "cross", "among", "lord", "cast", "vesture", "meus", "autem", "speraverunt", "yourain", "psalm", "salvation" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "GOOD_FRIDAY_TENEBRZE", "title": "GOOD FRIDAY: TENEBRZE", "anchor": "good_friday_tenebrze", "text": "ame: ad defensionem me- am conspice. Erue a framea, Deus, ani- mam meam: et de manu canis unicam meam. Salva me ex ore leonis: et a cornibus unicornium humilitatem meam. Narrabo nomen tuum fratribus meis: in medio ecclesie laudabo te. Quitimetis Dominum, lau- date eum: universum semen Jacob, glorificate eum. Timeat eum omne semen Israel: quoniam non spre- vit, neque despexit depreca- tionem pauperis. Nec avertit faciem suam a me: et cum clamarem ad eum, exaudivit me. Apud te laus mea in ec- clesia magna: vota mea red- dam in conspectu timentium eum. Edent pauperes, et sa- turabuntur, et laudabunt Dominum qui requirunt eum: vivent corda eorum in sseculum sseculi. Reminiscentur et con- vertentur ad Dominum: universi fines terre. Etadorabunt in conspectu ejus: universe familie gen- tium. Quoniam Domini est re- guum: et ipse dominabitur gentium. Manducaverunt, et ado- raverunt omnes pingues lerre: in conspectu ejus from me: look towards my defence. Deliver, O 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 P cadent omnes, qui descen- dunt in terram. Et anima mea illi vivet: et semen meum serviet ipsi. Annuntiabitur Domino generatio ventura: et annun- tiabunt cceli justitiam ejus, populo qui nascetur, quem fecit Dominus. ANT. Diviserunt sibi ve- stimenta mea, et super ve- stem meam miserunt sortem. 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 forth his justice to a people that shall be born, which the Lord hath made. AwT. They parted my gar- ments among them, and upon my vesture they cast lots. The third psalm was composed by David, when fleeing from Saul's persecution. It shows us how this holy prophet kept up his confidence in the Lord, in", "keywords": [ "lord", "fear", "meam", "praise", "dominum", "semen", "conspectu", "ejus", "seed", "earth", "dominus", "against", "jacob", "israel", "quoniam", "omnes", "soul", "church", "poor", "sight" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "GOOD_FRIDAY_TENEBRJE", "title": "GOOD FRIDAY: TENEBRJE", "anchor": "good_friday_tenebrje", "text": "proelium: in hoc ego spe- rabo. Unam petii a Domino, hanc requiram: ut inhabi- tem in domo Domini omni- bus diebus vite mez. Ut videam voluptatem Domini: et visitem tem- plum ejus. Quoniam abscondit me in tabernaculo suo: in die ma- lorum 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 vociferationis: cantabo, et psalmum dicam Domino. Exaudi, Domine, vocem meam, qua clamavi ad te: miserere mei, et exaudi me. Tibi dixit cor meum, exquisivit te facies mea: faciem tuam, Domine, requiram. Ne avertas faciem tuam a me: ne declines in ira a servo tuo. Adjutor meus esto: ne derelinquas me, neque despicias me, Deus salutaris meus. Quoniam pater meus et mater mea dereliquerunt me: Dominus autem assumpsit me. Legem pone mihi, Domine, in via tua: et dirige me in semitam rectam propter inimicos meos. Ne tradideris me in animas tribulantium me: quoniam insurrexerunt in me testes iniqui, et mentita est iniquitas sibi. Credo videre bona Domini: in terra viventium. Exspecta Dominum, viriliter age: et confortetur cor tuum, et sustine Dominum. Ant. Insurrexerunt in me testes iniqui, et mentita est iniquitas sibi. ℣. Diviserunt sibi vestimenta mea. ℟. Et super vestem meam miserunt sortem. 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 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 enemies. 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, 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, O 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 iniquity hath belied itself. I believe to see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. Expect the Lord, do manfully: and let thy heart take courage, and wait thou for the Lord. Ant. Unjust witnesses have risen up against", "keywords": [ "jesus", "lord", "cross", "domine", "deus", "death", "pilate", "holy", "autem", "jews", "people", "ejus", "against", "meus", "therefore", "ergo", "world", "quia", "mercy", "soul" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Basil", "St. Epiphanius", "St. Helen", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 23", "Corinthians i. 24", "Exodus c.", "Hebrews c.", "Hebrews v. 7", "Isaias liii. 12", "Isaias xi. 10", "John c.", "John iii. 14", "John iii. 16", "John xii. 32", "John xix.", "John xix. 22", "John xix. 24", "John xix. 5", "John xviii.", "John xviii. 29", "Luke xxii. 64", "Luke xxiii.", "Luke xxiii. 28", "Luke xxiii. 34", "Luke xxiii. 5", "Mark xiv. 62", "Matthew xxvi. 63", "Matthew xxvi. 65", "Matthew xxvii.", "Matthew xxvii. 13", "Matthew xxvii. 24", "Matthew xxvii. 40", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Psalms cxxxix.", "Psalms lxiii.", "Romans v. 11" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "HOLY_SATURDAY", "title": "HOLY SATURDAY", "anchor": "holy_saturday", "text": "THE NIGHT OFFICE THE ceremonies used by the Church for the Office of Tenebræ 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 on pages 301—303. Pater noster, Ave, and Credo, in secret. THE FIRST NOCTURN 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 Tenebræ, to remind us of the rest taken by Christ in the sepulchre, where He sleeps with the assurance of wakening to a glorious Resurrection. Ant. In pace, in idipsum, dormiam et requiescam. Ant. In peace, in the self-same, I will sleep, and I will take my rest. Psalm 4 Cum invocarem, exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: in tribulatione dilatasti mihi. When I called upon him, the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress thou hast enlarged me. Miserere mei: et exaudi orationem meam. Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer. Filii hominum usquequo gravi corde: ut quid diligitis vanitatem, et quæritis mendacium? O ye sons of men, how long will ye be dull of heart? why do you love vanity, and seek after lying? Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: Dominus exaudiet me, cum clamavero ad eum. Know ye also that the Lord hath made his Holy One wonderful: the Lord will hear me when I shall cry unto him. Irascimini, et nolite peccare: quæ dicitis in cordibus vestris in cubilibus vestris compungimini. Be ye angry and sin not: the things you say in your hearts, be sorry for them on your beds. Sacrificate sacrificium justitiæ, et sperate in Domino: multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona? Offer up the sacrifice of justice, and trust in the Lord: many say: Who showeth us good things? Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui, Domine: dedisti lætitiam in corde meo. The light of thy countenance, O Lord, is signed upon us: thou hast given gladness in my heart. A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: multiplicati sunt. By the fruit of their corn, their wine and oil, they are multiplied. In pace in idipsum: dormiam et requiescam. In peace, in the self-same, I will sleep, and I will take my rest. Quoniam tu, Domine, singulariter in spe: constituisti me. For thou, O Lord, singularly hast settled me in hope. Ant. In pace in idipsum, dormiam et requiescam. 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 tabernaculo tuo: requiescet in monte sancto tuo. Ant. He shall dwell in thy tabernacle: he shall rest in thy holy hill. Psalm 14", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "church", "light", "ejus", "jesus", "christ", "domine", "night", "death", "deus", "psalm", "dominus", "fire", "resurrection", "life", "jerusalem", "people", "praise", "candle" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Boniface", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Zachary", "St. Zozimus" ], "scripture": [ "1 Peter ii. 6", "2 Corinthians v. 21", "Colossians i. 20", "Ephesians ii. 20", "Hebrews i.", "Isaias xxviii. 16", "Isaias xxxviii.", "John l.", "John viii. 12", "Matthew xi. 27", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Peter i.", "Philippians ii. 7", "Proverbs xxxi. 18", "Psalms lxiii.", "Romans v. 12" ] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "HOLY_SATURDAY_MORNING_SERVICE_567", "title": "HOLY SATURDAY: MORNING SERVICE 567", "anchor": "holy_saturday_morning_service_567", "text": "paration for what is now to engage our attention, viz. 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 which were instituted by the apostles. First of all, the sign of the cross was made upon their foreheads; and then the priest, imposing his hand upon the head of each catechumen, adjures satan to depart from this soul and body, and give place to Christ. Imitating thus our Redeemer, 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 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, the priest says over them a prayer, in which he fervently begs of God to heal them, and confound the malice of satan. These ceremonies, which are called the Catechiza- 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 hop 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 catechumens, the rest of the faithful are listening to appropriate assages from the Scripture, which are being read mem the ambo, and which are the complement to 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 there are twenty-four, sinoe 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 catechization, are allowed to enter the church, where, in the place assigned to them, they listen to the lessons, and join in the prayers.", "keywords": [ "catechumens", "church", "baptism", "priest", "rites", "satan", "place", "attention", "works", "says", "children", "order", "prayer", "ceremonies", "portion", "number", "aspirants", "hour", "faithful", "appropriate" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "HOLY_SATURDAY_MORNING_SERVICE_569", "title": "HOLY SATURDAY: MORNING SERVICE 569", "anchor": "holy_saturday_morning_service_569", "text": "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 God. \"This work of the Creator had been deranged and spoiled by satan's malice. The time has come, when it is to recover all its beauty. The Holy Ghost is about to effect this regeneration by water; Christ, our light, is going to rise from the darkness of the tomb; the image of God is to reappear in man, for he is to be cleansed by the Blood of his Redeemer, who is the new Adam, come down from heaven, in order to reinstate in all his rights the old and earthly Adam. In principio creavit Deus ccelum et terram. Terra au- tem erat inanis, et vacua: et tenebne erant super fa- ciem abyssi: et Spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas. Di- xitque Deus: Fiatlux. Et facta est lux. Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona; et divisit lucem a tenebris. Appellavitque lucem, Di- em: et tenebras, Noctem. Factumque 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, que erant sub fir- mamento ab his que erant super firmamentum. Et fa- otum est ita. Vocavitque In the beginning God creat- ed heaven and earth. And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God moved over the waters. And God said: Be light made. And light was made. And God saw the light that it was good: and he divided the light from the darkness. And he called the light day, and the darkness night; and there was evening and morning one day. And God said: Let there be 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, Deus firmamentum, Coelum. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus. Dixit vero Deus: Congre- gentur dquz, qua 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 li- gnum 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 coli, et dividant diem ac noctem: et sint in signa et tempora, et, dies, et annos: et luceant in firmamento coeli, et", "keywords": [ "deus", "light", "waters", "earth", "heaven", "firmament", "darkness", "terram", "super", "dies", "firmamentum", "called", "factum", "seed", "terra", "erant", "aquas", "vidit", "lucem", "quod" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 6, "section": "HOLY_SATURDAY_MORNING_SERVICE", "title": "HOLY SATURDAY: MORNING SERVICE", "anchor": "holy_saturday_morning_service", "text": "coeli, ut lucerent super ter- ram: et preessent diei ac nocti, et dividerent lucem ac tenebras. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum. Et fa- ctum est vespere et mane, dies quartus. Dixit etiam Deus: Pro- ducant aque reptile anime viventis, et volatile super terram, sub firmamento coeli. Creavitque Deus cete gran- dia, et omnem animam vi- ventem atque motabilem, quam produxerant aque 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 terram. Et fa- ctum est vespere et mane, dies quintus. Dixit quoque Deus: Pro- ducat terra animam viven- tem in genere suo: jumenta, et reptilia, et bestias terre, secundum species suas. Fa- ctumque est ita. Et fecit Deus bestias terre juxta species suas: et jumenta, et omne reptile terre in genere suo. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum: et ait: Facia- mus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem nostram: et prwsit piscibus maris, et volatilibus cceli, et bestiis, universeque terre omni- in the firmament of heaven, to shine upon the earth. And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And theevening and morning were the fourth day. God also said: let the waters bring forth the creeping crea- ture having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth un- der the firmament of heaven. And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, accord- ing 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 waters of the sea; and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth. And the even- ing and morning were the fifth day. And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle, and creeping things, the beasts of the earth according to their kinds; and it was sodone. And God madethe beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and everything that creepeth on the 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 que reptili quod movetur in terra. Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam: ad ima- ginem Dei creavit illum: masculum et feminam crea- vit eos. Benedixitque illis Deus, et ait: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subjicite eam: et dominamini piscibus maris, et volatilibus cceli, et uni- versis animantibus, que moventur super terram. Di- xitque Deus: Ecce dedi vo- bis omnem herbam afferen- tem semen super terram: et universa ligna, qua habent in semetipsis sementem ge- neris sui: ut sint vobis in escam, et cunctis animanti- bus terre, omnique volucri", "keywords": [ "holy", "lord", "earth", "deus", "super", "water", "bishop", "christ", "font", "church", "nobis", "sunt", "amen", "people", "terram", "dominus", "autem", "waters", "ejus", "israel" ], "saints": [ "St. Agatha", "St. Agnes", "St. Ambrose", "St. Anastasia", "St. Andrew", "St. Anthony", "St. Antony", "St. Augustine", "St. Basil", "St. Benedict", "St. Catharine", "St. Cecily", "St. Cyprian", "St. Cyril of Jerusalem", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. Gabriel", "St. Gregory", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Lawrence", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Michael", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter", "St. Raphael", "St. Stephen", "St. Sylvester", "St. Vincent" ], "scripture": [ "1 Peter ii. 2", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 2", "Colossians c.", "Colossians ii. 14", "John i.", "John xiv. 2", "Jonas i.", "Matthew c.", "Matthew xii. 29", "Matthew xii. 40", "Philippians ii. 10", "Romans vi. 4", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 7, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF PASCHAL TIME Of all the seasons of the liturgical year Eastertide is by far the richest in mystery. We might even say that Easter is the summit of the Mystery of the sacred Liturgy. The Christian who is happy enough to enter, with his whole mind and heart, into the knowledge and love of the Paschal Mystery, has reached the very centre of the supernatural life. Hence it is that the Church uses every effort in order to effect this: what she has hitherto done was all intended as a preparation for Easter. The holy longings of Advent, the sweet joys of Christmas, the severe truths of Septuagesima, the contrition and penance of Lent, the heart-rending sight of the Passion—all were given us as preliminaries, as paths, to the sublime and glorious Pasch, which is now ours. And that we might be convinced of the supreme importance of this solemnity, God willed that the Christian Easter and Pentecost should be prepared by those of the Jewish Law—a thousand five hundred years of typical beauty prefigured the reality: and that reality is ours! During these days, then, we have brought before us the two great manifestations of God's goodness towards mankind—the Pasch of Israel, and the Christian Pasch; the Pentecost of Sinai, and the Pentecost of the Church. We shall have occasion to show how the ancient figures were fulfilled in the realities of the new Easter and Pentecost, and how the twilight of the Mosaic Law made way for the full daylight of the Gospel; but we cannot resist the feeling of holy reverence, at the bare thought that the solemnities we have now to celebrate are more than three thousand years old, and that they are to be renewed every year from this till the voice of the angel shall be heard proclaiming: 'Time shall be no more!'¹ The gates of eternity will then be thrown open. Eternity in heaven is the true Pasch: hence, our Pasch here on earth is the feast of feasts, the solemnity of solemnities. The human race was dead; it was the victim of that sentence, whereby it was condemned to lie mere dust in the tomb; the gates of life were shut against it. But see! the Son of God rises from his grave and takes possession of eternal life. Nor is he the only one that is to die no more, for, as the Apostle teaches us, 'He is the first-born from the dead.'² The Church would, therefore, have us consider ourselves as having already risen with our Jesus, and as having already taken possession of eternal life. The holy Fathers bid us look on these fifty days of Easter as the image of our eternal happiness. They are days devoted exclusively to joy; every sort of sadness is forbidden; and the Church cannot speak to her divine Spouse without joining to her words that glorious cry of heaven, the Alleluia, wherewith, as the holy Liturgy says,³ the streets", "keywords": [ "holy", "easter", "life", "mystery", "pentecost", "year", "world", "eighth", "light", "church", "pasch", "days", "weeks", "resurrection", "sunday", "creation", "sabbath", "during", "week", "seven" ], "saints": [ "St. Hilary", "St. Hilary of Poitiers", "St. Isidore" ], "scripture": [ "Hebrews xii. 29" ] }, { "vol": 7, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING PASCHAL TIME The practice for this holy season mainly consists in the spiritual joy which it should produce in every soul that is risen with Jesus. This joy is a foretaste of eternal happiness, and the Christian ought to consider it a duty to keep it up within him, by ardently seeking after that life which is in our divine Head, and by carefully shunning sin which causes death. During the last nine weeks we have mourned for our sins and done penance for them; we have followed Jesus to Calvary; but now, our holy Mother the Church is urgent in bidding us rejoice. She herself has laid aside all sorrow; the voice of her weeping is changed into the song of a delighted Spouse. In order that she might impart this joy to all her children, she has taken their weakness into account. After reminding them of the necessity of expiation, she gave them forty days wherein to do penance; and then, removing the restraint of Lenten mortification, she brings us to Easter as to a land where there is nothing but gladness, light, life, joy, calm, and the sweet hope of immortality. Thus does she produce, in those of her children who have no elevation of soul, sentiments in harmony with the great feast, such as the most perfect feel; and by this means all, both fervent and tepid, unite their voices in one same hymn of praise to our risen Jesus. The great liturgist of the twelfth century, Rupert, Abbot of Deutz, thus speaks of the pious artifice used by the Church to infuse the spirit of Easter into all: 'There are certain carnal minds that seem unable to open their eyes to spiritual things, unless roused by some unusual excitement; and for this reason the Church makes use of such means. Thus, the Lenten fast, which we offer up to God as our yearly tithe, goes on till the most sacred night of Easter; then follow fifty days without so much as one single fast. Hence it happens, that while the body is being mortified, and is to continue to be so till Easter Night, that holy night is eagerly looked forward to even by the carnal-minded; they long for it to come; and, meanwhile, they carefully count each of the forty days, as a wearied traveller does the miles. Thus, the sacred solemnity is sweet to all, and dear to all, and desired by all, as light is to them that walk in darkness, as a fount of living water is to them that thirst, and as \"a tent which the Lord hath pitched\" for wearied wayfarers.'¹ ¹ De Divinis Officiis, lib. vi, cap. xxvi. What a happy time was that when, as St Bernard expresses it, there was not one in the whole Christian army that neglected his Easter duty, and when all, both just and sinners, walked together in the path of the Lenten observances! Alas! those days are gone, and", "keywords": [ "easter", "jesus", "life", "holy", "church", "divine", "resurrection", "risen", "days", "flesh", "season", "within", "children", "soul", "keep", "death", "penance", "lenten", "heaven", "bridegroom" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. John", "St. Matth" ], "scripture": [ "John i. 12", "John xiv. 16", "Matthew ix. 15", "Romans vi. 4", "Romans vi. 6", "Romans vi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 7, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR PASCHAL TIME During Paschal time, the Christian, on waking in the morning, will unite himself with the Church, who in her Office of Matins says to us these solemn words, which choirs of religious men and women, throughout the universe, have been chanting during the deep silence of the night: Surrexit Dominus vere. Alleluia. The Lord hath truly risen. Alleluia. He will profoundly adore the Son of God rising from the tomb, and surrounded with the dazzling rays of his grand triumph. He will hail him with delighted joy, as being the divine Sun of Justice, who rises on the world that he may rescue it from the darkness of sin and illuminate it with the light of grace. It is with these ideas deeply impressed upon his mind that he must perform his first acts of religion, both interior and exterior, wherewith he begins the day. The time for Morning Prayer being come, he may use the following method, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church: MORNING PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy Trinity: ℣. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu. ℟. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. ℣. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ℟. Let us praise him and extol him above all, for ever. ℣. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. ℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. ℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ℟. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: ℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy Resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, recite the Lord's Prayer, begging of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would mercifully establish here upon earth the kingdom of his divine Son, who has won for himself all power, in heaven and on earth, by the triumph gained over death and hell by his Resurrection; and that he vouchsafe to deliver us from evil, that is, from sin, which brought death into this world, and made it necessary for Jesus himself to suffer that very death over which he gained victory both for himself and for us. THE LORD'S PRAYER Pater noster, qui es in cœlis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cœlo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem:", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "amen", "domine", "christ", "alleluia", "church", "mother", "deus", "blessed", "virgin", "jesus", "heaven", "death", "mercy", "nobis", "pray", "mater", "regina", "queen" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 7, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING PASCHAL TIME When we assisted at the holy Sacrifice during Passiontide, our attention was fixed on the real immolation of the Lamb; we looked upon the altar as a new Calvary; and our devotion was centred upon the divine Victim slain for our ransom. During Eastertide the Lamb presents himself to us in another aspect; he is living, he is resplendent with glory, he is the Conqueror. He still deigns to be immolated; but it is that he may invite us to a joyous banquet—the banquet of the Pasch—wherein he gives us to eat of his Flesh. In her chants during the Mass the Church is untiring in her Alleluia; she affectionately kisses the Wounds of her Jesus, which now dart forth rays of dazzling brightness. Her altar is the throne of the risen God; she approaches it without fear, for the divine Conqueror of death, though so resplendent in his glory, is more loving and affable than ever. Another source of joy to the Church, when at the holy altar, is the sight of her children partaking of the banquet of the Paschal Lamb. Each church is now a Cenacle, where Jesus celebrates the Pasch with his disciples. The holy Table is no longer the feast of a chosen few; the guests come in in crowds, and the House is filled. Now is the great figure of the Old Law changed into a reality.¹ At this Table of the great King, the new Pasch of the New Law puts an end to the ancient Passover. The new excludes the old; reality puts the shadow to flight; light expels night. We are the children of the promise; we have not denied Christ, as did the Jews; but we acknowledged him to be our King, while his faithless people were dragging him to execution. He, in return, has invited us to his Pasch, and there he is our host and our food. During Eastertide, then, the holy Sacrifice puts these two spectacles before us in a most special way: a Victim who is risen from the dead, and yet is still immolated in a real though unbloody manner; and a Table prepared for the eating of the Lamb, which is, indeed, offered during the whole year to the faithful for the life of their souls, but which is now frequented by all. At this Table is likewise fulfilled the prophetic symbol of the ancient Paschal Lamb. For fifteen hundred years it was the figurative Lamb; the true Lamb has now reigned nineteen hundred; and this is the Lamb whom the holy Mass reproduces in all the efficacy of his Sacrifice and in all the magnificence of his glory. We ought, therefore, during Paschal Time, to assist at holy Mass with these great truths present before our minds; and whilst thinking of the beauty of the ancient types we should be most grateful to our Heavenly Father for having given us to live under the reign of the", "keywords": [ "priest", "lord", "holy", "amen", "jesus", "altar", "father", "divine", "church", "domine", "deus", "christ", "mercy", "sacrifice", "glory", "ever", "mass", "world", "lamb", "nobis" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Pet" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Corinthians xv. 53", "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Peter i. 4", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "John c.", "John xx. 29", "Psalms c." ] }, { "vol": 7, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING PASCHAL TIME In Passiontide, the Christian went to holy Communion impressed with these words of the Apostle: 'As often as ye shall eat this Bread, and drink the Chalice, ye shall show the death of the Lord.'¹ He united himself with the divine Victim immolated for the sins of the world, and he died with his Saviour. During Paschal Time, the heavenly Food produces its effects in another manner; it fortifies the life of the soul, and gives to the body the germ of immortality. It is true that in each season of the liturgical year this twofold effect is produced in those who worthily receive Communion, namely, immolation and resurrection; but as, during the days consecrated to the Passion, the application of the mystery of immolation and sacrifice is more direct and more in accordance with the sentiments of the communicant, so also, during Paschal Time, the divine contact of the Body of our risen Jesus makes us feel, in a way that Easter alone can do, that to the holy Eucharist we owe the future resurrection of our bodies. Our Saviour himself teaches us this, where he says: 'Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead. This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not die. . . . He that eateth my Flesh, and drinketh my Blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day.'² We shall all resume these bodies of ours on the Last Day, either for glory or punishment eternal; but he that worthily unites himself by holy Communion with the glorious and risen Body of the Man-God contracts an alliance and intimacy with him which forbid this divine Guest to leave in corruption these members made his own by the sublime Mystery. We must, therefore, approach the holy Table during Eastertide with an ardent ambition for our resurrection, knowing as we do that we then receive into our bodies an element which is to preserve them even when turned into dust; and which, moreover, confers on them a right to the qualities of glorified bodies, whose beauty and happiness will be like those of our Jesus, after he had risen from the grave. Now, if our Redeemer does all this for our bodies by means of holy Communion—giving them, by it, the pledge of immortality—what must he not do for our souls, in order to strengthen and increase within them that 'new life,' that Resurrection-life, which is the fruit of Easter, the object of all our past efforts, the reward of all the victories we have gained over ourselves during the campaign of Lent? Nay, unless this new life be fostered by frequent Communion, it is in danger of growing weak, perhaps even of becoming extinct within us. The Apostle tells us that 'Christ, having risen from the dead, dieth now no more;'¹ we, then, must die no more, for we", "keywords": [ "jesus", "resurrection", "love", "life", "communion", "holy", "within", "thine", "lord", "death", "soul", "receive", "risen", "glory", "didst", "light", "heart", "during", "ever", "bread" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "John vi. 52", "Romans vi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 7, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "OF THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING PASCHAL TIME The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following Psalms. According to our custom, we preface each Psalm with a short explanation, in order to draw attention to what is most in harmony with the spirit of the Easter mysteries. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Incline unto my aid, O God. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Alleluia. ANT. Alleluia. Under this single Antiphon all the Psalms are sung, if the Vespers are of the Sunday; but on feasts the Antiphons are proper, and will be given on their respective days. The first Psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. It celebrates his Eternal Generation, his being equal with the Father, his Kingship and Priesthood. He was humbled for a while, even so as to drink of the torrent: but now he has triumphed over his enemies, and will come in glory at the end of the world to judge them. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. O 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. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 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. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. 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. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Therefore, O Father, the Lord, thy Son, is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "alleluia", "psalm", "dominus", "praise", "blessed", "israel", "domino", "glory", "sæculum", "heaven", "gloria", "father", "amen", "christ", "house", "eorum", "domine" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Elizabeth", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Luke i.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l." ] }, { "vol": 7, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "OF THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING PASCHAL TIME This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night; then immediately 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 therefore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: ℣. Jube, Domne, benedicere. ℣. Pray, Father, give thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. May the Almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. ℟. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch: for your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour: resist him, being strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. ℟. Thanks be to God. Then the priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The choir: ℟. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam æternam. May Almighty God have mercy on thee, and, forgiving thy sins, bring thee to everlasting life. The priest having answered Amen, the choir repeats the Confiteor, thus: Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistæ, sanctis 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 Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et te, pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to thee, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, 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 Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, and thee, Father, to pray to our Lord God for me. The priest then says: Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam æternam. ℟. Amen. Indulgentiam, ✠ absolutionem, et remissionem peccatorum nostrorum tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. ℟. Amen. May Almighty God", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "lord", "jesus", "holy", "ejus", "resurrection", "risen", "death", "ever", "church", "domino", "sepulchre", "christ", "dominus", "blessed", "bless", "amen", "heaven", "glory", "praise" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Pachomius", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter", "St. Teresa", "St. Venantius" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 24", "1 Corinthians xv. 26", "1 Corinthians xv. 5", "1 Thessalonians v. 10", "Apocalypse i. 12", "Apocalypse i. 5", "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Colossians i. 18", "Corinthians i.", "Corinthians v.", "Daniel iii.", "Exodus xv. 11", "Isaias lv. 8", "Isaias xlii. 3", "Jeremias xiv.", "John l.", "John viii. 12", "John x. 18", "John xx.", "John xx. 15", "John xx. 18", "John xx. 19", "John xx. 2", "Luke i.", "Luke ii.", "Luke xxii. 32", "Luke xxiv. 11", "Luke xxiv. 29", "Luke xxiv. 34", "Luke xxiv. 46", "Luke xxiv. 5", "Mark c.", "Mark xvi. 6", "Mark xvi. 7", "Matthew xii. 39", "Matthew xxviii. 9", "Osee xiii. 14", "Peter i.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l.", "Wisdom viii. 1" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_2SAINT_FRANCIS_OF_PAULA_CONFESSOR_277", "title": "April 2.—SAINT FRANCIS OF PAULA, Confessor . . 277", "anchor": "april_2saint_francis_of_paula_confessor_277", "text": "April 4.—SAINT ISIDORE, Bishop and Doctor of the Church . . . . 280 April 5.—SAINT VINCENT FERRER, Confessor . . 285 April 11.—SAINT LEO THE GREAT, Pope and Doctor of the Church . . . . 293 April 13.—SAINT HERMENEGILD, Martyr . . 302 April 14.—SAINT JUSTIN MARTYR . . . 308 Same Day.—SAINTS TIBURTIUS, VALERIAN, and MAXIMUS, Martyrs . . . 315 April 17.—SAINT ANICETUS, Pope and Martyr . . 318 April 21.—SAINT ANSELM, Bishop and Doctor of the Church . . 320 April 22.—SAINTS SOTER and CAIUS, Popes and Martyrs . . 330 April 23.—SAINT GEORGE, Martyr . . . 333 April 24.—SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN, Martyr . . 341 April 25.—SAINT MARK, Evangelist . . . . 347 April 26.—SAINTS CLETUS and MARCELLINUS, Popes and Martyrs . . 361 April 28.—SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS, Confessor . . 364 Same Day.—SAINT VITALIS, Martyr . . . . 372", "keywords": [ "april", "saint", "martyr", "doctor", "church", "saints", "martyrs", "bishop", "confessor", "pope", "popes" ], "saints": [ "St. ANICETUS", "St. ANSELM", "St. FIDELIS", "St. GEORGE", "St. HERMENEGILD", "St. ISIDORE", "St. JUSTIN", "St. LEO", "St. MARK", "St. PAUL", "St. VINCENT", "St. VITALIS" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_29SAINT_PETER_MARTYR_374", "title": "April 29.—SAINT PETER, Martyr . . 374", "anchor": "april_29saint_peter_martyr_374", "text": "April 30.—SAINT CATHARINE OF SIENA, Virgin . . 381 May 1.—SAINTS PHILIP and JAMES THE LESS, Apostles . . 392 May 2.—SAINT ATHANASIUS, Bishop and Doctor of the Church . . 403 May 3.—THE FINDING OF THE HOLY CROSS . . 414 Same Day.—SAINT ALEXANDER, Pope and Martyr, SAINTS EVENTIUS and THEODULUS, Martyrs, and SAINT JUVENAL, Bishop and Confessor . . 430 May 4.—SAINT MONICA, Widow . . 434 May 5.—SAINT PIUS THE FIFTH, Pope . . 443 May 6.—SAINT JOHN before the Latin Gate . . 454 May 7.—SAINT STANISLAUS, Bishop and Martyr . . 459 May 8.—THE APPARITION OF ST MICHAEL, the Archangel . . 463 May 9.—SAINT GREGORY NAZIANZEN, Bishop and Doctor of the Church . . 475 May 10.—SAINT ANTONINUS, Bishop and Confessor . . 484 Same Day.—SAINTS GORDIAN and EPIMACHUS, Martyrs . . 487 May 12.—SAINTS NEREUS and ACHILLEUS, Martyrs, and SAINT FLAVIA DOMITILLA, Virgin and Martyr . . 490 Same Day.—SAINT PANCRAS, Martyr . . 497 May 14.—SAINT BONIFACE, Martyr . . 499 May 15.—SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE, Confessor . . 502 May 16.—SAINT UBALDUS, Bishop and Confessor . . 506 Same Day.—SAINT JOHN NEPOMUCEN, Martyr . . 509 May 17.—SAINT PASCHAL BAYLON, Confessor . . 515 May 18.—SAINT VENANTIUS, Martyr . . 520 May 19.—SAINT PETER CELESTINE, Pope . . 524 Same Day.—SAINT PUDENTIANA, Virgin . . . 527 May 20.—SAINT BERNARDINE OF SIENA, Confessor . . 530 May 24.—Feast of Our Lady, HELP OF CHRISTIANS . . 537 May 25.—SAINT GREGORY THE SEVENTH, Pope and Confessor . . 552 Same Day.—SAINT URBAN, Pope and Martyr . . 588", "keywords": [ "saint", "martyr", "confessor", "bishop", "pope", "saints", "virgin", "martyrs", "john", "siena", "doctor", "church", "gregory" ], "saints": [ "St. ALEXANDER", "St. ANTONINUS", "St. ATHANASIUS", "St. BERNARDINE", "St. BONIFACE", "St. CATHARINE", "St. FLAVIA", "St. GREGORY", "St. JOHN", "St. JUVENAL", "St. MICHAEL", "St. MONICA", "St. PANCRAS", "St. PASCHAL", "St. PETER", "St. PIUS", "St. PUDENTIANA", "St. STANISLAUS", "St. UBALDUS", "St. URBAN", "St. VENANTIUS" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "MAY_26SAINT_PHILIP_NERI_CONFESSOR_591", "title": "May 26.—SAINT PHILIP NERI, Confessor . . 591", "anchor": "may_26saint_philip_neri_confessor_591", "text": "Same Day.—SAINT ELEUTHERIUS, Pope and Martyr . . 600 Same Day.—SAINT AUGUSTINE, Bishop, Apostle of England . . 604 May 27.—SAINT BEDE THE VENERABLE, Confessor and Doctor of the Church . . 613 Same Day.—SAINT JOHN THE FIRST, Pope and Martyr . . 619 May 29.—SAINT MARY MAGDALEN DE PAZZI, Virgin . . 623 May 30.—SAINT FELIX THE FIRST, Pope and Martyr . . 628 Same Day.—SAINT FERDINAND THE THIRD, King of Castile, and Confessor . . 629 Same Day.—SAINT JOAN OF ARC, Virgin . . 637 May 31.—SAINT ANGELA DE MERICI, Virgin . . 642 Same Day.—SAINT PETRONILLA, Virgin . . . 647 PASCHAL TIME", "keywords": [ "saint", "virgin", "pope", "martyr", "confessor", "apostle", "church", "bishop" ], "saints": [ "St. ANGELA", "St. AUGUSTINE", "St. BEDE", "St. ELEUTHERIUS", "St. FELIX", "St. FERDINAND", "St. JOAN", "St. JOHN", "St. MARY", "St. PETRONILLA" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "THE HISTORY OF PASCHAL TIME We give the name of Paschal Time to the period between Easter Sunday and the Saturday following Whit Sunday. It is the most sacred portion of the liturgical year, and the one towards which the whole cycle converges. We shall easily understand how this is, if we reflect upon the greatness of Easter, which is called the feast of feasts, and the solemnity of solemnities, in the same manner, says St. Gregory,¹ as the most sacred part of the Temple was called the Holy of holies; and the book of sacred scripture, wherein are described the espousals between Christ and the Church, is called the Canticle of Canticles. It is on this day that the mission of the Word Incarnate attains the object towards which it has hitherto been tending: man is raised up from his fall and regains what he had lost by Adam's sin. Christmas gave us a Man-God; three days have scarcely passed since we witnessed his infinitely precious Blood shed for our ransom; but now, on the day of Easter, our Jesus is no longer the victim of death: He is a conqueror, who destroys death, the child of sin, and proclaims life, that undying life which he has purchased for us. The humiliation of his swathing-bands, the sufferings of his agony and cross, these are passed; all is now glory—glory for himself, and glory also for us. On the day of Easter, God regains, by the Resurrection of the Man-God, his creation such as he made it at the beginning; the only vestige now left of death is that likeness to sin which the Lamb of God deigned to take upon himself. Neither is it Jesus alone that returns to eternal life; the whole human race also has risen to immortality together with our Jesus. 'By a man came death,' says the Apostle; 'and by a Man the Resurrection of the dead; and as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.'¹ ¹ Homilia, xxii. ¹ 1 Cor. xv. 21, 22. The anniversary of this Resurrection is, therefore, the great day, the day of joy, the day par excellence; the day to which the whole year looks forward in expectation, and on which its whole economy is formed. But as it is the holiest of days—since it opens to us the gate of Heaven, into which we shall enter because we have risen together with Christ—the Church would have us come to it well prepared by bodily mortification and by compunction of heart. It was for this that she instituted the fast of Lent, and that she bade us, during Septuagesima, look forward to the joy of her Easter, and be filled with sentiments suitable to the approach of so grand a solemnity. We obeyed; we have gone through the period of our preparation; and now the Easter sun has risen upon us! But it was not enough to solemnize the great day when Jesus,", "keywords": [ "easter", "church", "year", "council", "sunday", "churches", "font", "holy", "christian", "communion", "days", "resurrection", "pasch", "pope", "water", "whole", "kept", "following", "called", "jesus" ], "saints": [ "St. Anatolius", "St. Anicetus", "St. Athanasius", "St. Augustine", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory of Tours", "St. Irenæus", "St. John", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Peter", "St. Sylvester", "St. Victor", "St. Zosimus" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xv. 21", "Canticle of Canticles i." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "THE HISTORY OF PASCHAL TIME distinguish it from every other season. The first is, that fasting is not permitted during the entire interval: it is an extension of the ancient precept of never fasting on a Sunday, and the whole of Eastertide is considered as one long Sunday. This practice, which would seem to have come down from the time of the Apostles, was accepted by the Religious Rules of both East and West, even by the severest. The second consists in not kneeling at the Divine Office, from Easter to Pentecost. The Eastern Churches have faithfully kept up the practice, even to this day. It was observed for many ages by the Western Churches also; but now it is little more than a remnant. The Latin Church has long since admitted genuflexions in the Mass during Easter time. The few vestiges of the ancient discipline in this regard which still exist are not noticed by the faithful, inasmuch as they seldom assist at the Canonical Hours. Eastertide, then, is like one continued feast. This was remarked by Tertullian in the third century. He is reproaching those Christians who regretted having renounced, by their baptism, the festivities of the pagan year, and thus addresses them: 'If you love feasts, you will find plenty among us Christians; not merely feasts that last only for a day, but such as continue for several days together. The pagans keep each of their feasts once in the year; but you have to keep each of yours many times over, for you have the eight days of its celebration. Put all the feasts of the Gentiles together, and they do not amount to our fifty days of Pentecost.'¹ St Ambrose, speaking on the same subject, says: 'If the Jews are not satisfied with the Sabbath of each week, but keep also one which lasts a whole month, and another which lasts a whole year;— how much more ought not we to honour our Lord's Resurrection? Hence our ancestors have taught us to celebrate the fifty days of Pentecost as a continuation of Easter. They are seven weeks, and the feast of Pentecost commences the eighth. . . . During these fifty days the Church observes no fast, nor does she on any Sunday, for it is the day on which our Lord rose: and all these fifty days are like so many Sundays.'² ¹ De Idololatria, cap. xiv. ² In Lucam, lib. viii, cap. xxv.", "keywords": [ "days", "pentecost", "feasts", "fifty", "during", "sunday", "whole", "easter", "year", "keep", "fasting", "ancient", "eastertide", "practice", "churches", "church", "feast", "christians", "together", "lasts" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF PASCHAL TIME Of all the seasons of the liturgical year Eastertide is by far the richest in mystery. We might even say that Easter is the summit of the Mystery of the sacred Liturgy. The Christian who is happy enough to enter, with his whole mind and heart, into the knowledge and love of the Paschal Mystery, has reached the very centre of the supernatural life. Hence it is that the Church uses every effort in order to effect this: what she has hitherto done was all intended as a preparation for Easter. The holy longings of Advent, the sweet joys of Christmas, the severe truths of Septuagesima, the contrition and penance of Lent, the heart-rending sight of the Passion—all were given us as preliminaries, as paths, to the sublime and glorious Pasch, which is now ours. And that we might be convinced of the supreme importance of this solemnity, God willed that the Christian Easter and Pentecost should be prepared by those of the Jewish Law—a thousand five hundred years of typical beauty prefigured the reality: and that reality is ours! During these days, then, we have brought before us the two great manifestations of God's goodness towards mankind—the Pasch of Israel, and the Christian Pasch; the Pentecost of Sinai, and the Pentecost of the Church. We shall have occasion to show how the ancient figures were fulfilled in the realities of the new Easter and Pentecost, and how the twilight of the Mosaic Law made way for the full daylight of the Gospel; but we cannot resist the feeling of holy reverence, at the bare thought that the solemnities we have now to celebrate are more than three thousand years old, and that they are to be renewed every year from this till the voice of the angel shall be heard proclaiming: 'Time shall be no more!' The gates of eternity will then be thrown open. Eternity in heaven is the true Pasch: hence, our Pasch here on earth is the feast of feasts, the solemnity of solemnities. The human race was dead; it was the victim of that sentence, whereby it was condemned to lie mere dust in the tomb; the gates of life were shut against it. But see! the Son of God rises from his grave and takes possession of eternal life. Nor is he the only one that is to die no more, for, as the Apostle teaches us, 'He is the first-born from the dead.'² The Church would, therefore, have us consider ourselves as having already risen with our Jesus, and as having already taken possession of eternal life. The holy Fathers bid us look on these fifty days of Easter as the image of our eternal happiness. They are days devoted exclusively to joy; every sort of sadness is forbidden; and the Church cannot speak to her divine Spouse without joining to her words that glorious cry of heaven, the Alleluia, wherewith, as the holy Liturgy says,³ the streets", "keywords": [ "holy", "easter", "life", "mystery", "pentecost", "year", "world", "eighth", "light", "church", "pasch", "days", "weeks", "resurrection", "sunday", "creation", "sabbath", "during", "week", "seven" ], "saints": [ "St. Hilary", "St. Hilary of Poitiers", "St. Isidore", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse x. 6", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 10", "Colossians i. 18", "Ecclesiastes i.", "Hebrews i. 3", "Hebrews xii. 29", "John viii. 12", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Romans i." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING PASCHAL TIME The practice for this holy season mainly consists in the spiritual joy which it should produce in every soul that is risen with Jesus. This joy is a foretaste of eternal happiness, and the Christian ought to consider it a duty to keep it up within him, by ardently seeking after that life which is in our divine Head, and by carefully shunning sin which causes death. During the last nine weeks we have mourned for our sins and done penance for them; we have followed Jesus to Calvary; but now, our holy Mother the Church is urgent in bidding us rejoice. She herself has laid aside all sorrow; the voice of her weeping is changed into the song of a delighted Spouse. In order that she might impart this joy to all her children, she has taken their weakness into account. After reminding them of the necessity of expiation, she gave them forty days wherein to do penance; and then, removing the restraint of Lenten mortification, she brings us to Easter as to a land where there is nothing but gladness, light, life, joy, calm, and the sweet hope of immortality. Thus does she produce, in those of her children who have no elevation of soul, sentiments in harmony with the great feast, such as the most perfect feel; and by this means all, both fervent and tepid, unite their voices in one same hymn of praise to our risen Jesus. The great liturgist of the twelfth century, Rupert, Abbot of Deutz, thus speaks of the pious artifice used by the Church to infuse the spirit of Easter into all: 'There are certain carnal minds that seem unable to open their eyes to spiritual things, unless roused by some unusual excitement; and for this reason the Church makes use of such means. Thus, the Lenten fast, which we offer up to God as our yearly tithe, goes on till the most sacred night of Easter; then follow fifty days without so much as one single fast. Hence it happens, that while the body is being mortified, and is to continue to be so till Easter Night, that holy night is eagerly looked forward to even by the carnal-minded; they long for it to come; and, meanwhile, they carefully count each of the forty days, as a wearied traveller does the miles. Thus, the sacred solemnity is sweet to all, and dear to all, and desired by all, as light is to them that walk in darkness, as a fount of living water is to them that thirst, and as \"a tent which the Lord hath pitched\" for wearied wayfarers.'¹ What a happy time was that when, as St Bernard expresses it, there was not one in the whole Christian army that neglected his Easter duty, and when all, both just and sinners, walked together in the path of the Lenten observances! Alas! those days are gone, and Easter has not the same effect on the", "keywords": [ "easter", "jesus", "life", "holy", "church", "divine", "resurrection", "risen", "days", "flesh", "season", "within", "children", "soul", "keep", "death", "penance", "lenten", "heaven", "bridegroom" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. John", "St. Matth" ], "scripture": [ "John i. 12", "John xiv. 16", "Matthew ix. 15", "Romans vi.", "Romans vi. 4", "Romans vi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR PASCHAL TIME During Paschal time, the Christian, on waking in the morning, will unite himself with the Church, who in her Office of Matins says to us these solemn words, which choirs of religious men and women, throughout the universe, have been chanting during the deep silence of the night: Surrexit Dominus vere. Alleluia. — The Lord hath truly risen. Alleluia. He will profoundly adore the Son of God rising from the tomb, and surrounded with the dazzling rays of his grand triumph. He will hail him with delighted joy, as being the divine Sun of Justice, who rises on the world that he may rescue it from the darkness of sin and illuminate it with the light of grace. It is with these ideas deeply impressed upon his mind that he must perform his first acts of religion, both interior and exterior, wherewith he begins the day. The time for Morning Prayer being come, he may use the following method, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church: MORNING PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy Trinity: ℣. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu. — Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ℟. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. — Let us praise him and extol him above all, for ever. ℣. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. — Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. — As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: ℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. — In thy Resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. — Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, Sancte Spiritus, re- . ple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, recite the Lord's Prayer, begging of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that he would mercifully establish here upon earth the kingdom of his divine Son, who has won for himself all power, in heaven and on earth, by the triumph gained over death and hell by his Resur- rection; and that he vouchsafe to deliver ws from evil, that is, from sin, which brought death into this world, and made it necessary for Jesus himself to suffer that very death over which he gained victory both for himself and for us. THE LORD'S PRAYER Pater noster, qui es in coelis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua, sic- ut in ccelo, et in terra. Pa- nem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris;", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "holy", "domine", "christ", "alleluia", "church", "mother", "deus", "blessed", "virgin", "jesus", "heaven", "death", "mercy", "pray", "nobis", "mater", "regina", "queen" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING PASCHAL TIME When we assisted at the holy Sacrifice during Passiontide, our attention was fixed on the real immolation of the Lamb; we looked upon the altar as a new Calvary; and our devotion was centred upon the divine Victim slain for our ransom. During Eastertide the Lamb presents himself to us in another aspect; he is living, he is resplendent with glory, he is the Conqueror. He still deigns to be immolated; but it is that he may invite us to a joyous banquet—the banquet of the Pasch—wherein he gives us to eat of his Flesh. In her chants during the Mass the Church is untiring in her Alleluia; she affectionately kisses the Wounds of her Jesus, which now dart forth rays of dazzling brightness. Her altar is the throne of the risen God; she approaches it without fear, for the divine Conqueror of death, though so resplendent in his glory, is more loving and affable than ever. Another source of joy to the Church, when at the holy altar, is the sight of her children partaking of the banquet of the Paschal Lamb. Each church is now a Cenacle, where Jesus celebrates the Pasch with his disciples. The holy Table is no longer the feast of a chosen few; the guests come in in crowds, and the House is filled. Now is the great figure of the Old Law changed into a reality. \"At this Table of the great King, the new Pasch of the New Law puts an end to the ancient Passover. The new excludes the old; reality puts the shadow to flight; light expels night.\"¹ We are the children of the promise; we have not denied Christ, as did the Jews; but we acknowledged him to be our King, while his faithless people were dragging him to execution. He, in return, has invited us to his Pasch, and there he is our host and our food. During Eastertide, then, the holy Sacrifice puts these two spectacles before us in a most special way: a Victim who is risen from the dead, and yet is still immolated in a real though unbloody manner; and a Table prepared for the eating of the Lamb, which is, indeed, offered during the whole year to the faithful for the life of their souls, but which is now frequented by all. At this Table is likewise fulfilled the prophetic symbol of the ancient Paschal Lamb. For fifteen hundred years it was the figurative Lamb; the true Lamb has now reigned nineteen hundred; and this is the Lamb whom the holy Mass reproduces in all the efficacy of his Sacrifice and in all the magnificence of his glory. ¹ Sequence for the Feast of Corpus Christi. We ought, therefore, during Paschal Time, to assist at holy Mass with these great truths present before our minds; and whilst thinking of the beauty of the ancient types we should be most grateful to our Heavenly Father for having given", "keywords": [ "priest", "lord", "holy", "amen", "jesus", "altar", "father", "divine", "church", "domine", "deus", "christ", "mercy", "sacrifice", "glory", "ever", "world", "mass", "lamb", "nobis" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Pet" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Corinthians xv. 53", "1 Kings iii. 10", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "John c.", "John xx. 29", "Peter i. 4", "Psalms c." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING PASCHAL TIME In Passiontide, the Christian went to holy Communion impressed with these words of the Apostle: 'As often as ye shall eat this Bread, and drink the Chalice, ye shall show the death of the Lord.'¹ He united himself with the divine Victim immolated for the sins of the world, and he died with his Saviour. During Paschal Time, the heavenly Food produces its effects in another manner; it fortifies the life of the soul, and gives to the body the germ of immortality. It is true that in each season of the liturgical year this twofold effect is produced in those who worthily receive Communion, namely, immolation and resurrection; but as, during the days consecrated to the Passion, the application of the mystery of immolation and sacrifice is more direct and more in accordance with the sentiments of the communicant, so also, during Paschal Time, the divine contact of the Body of our risen Jesus makes us feel, in a way that Easter alone can do, that to the holy Eucharist we owe the future resurrection of our bodies. Our Saviour himself teaches us this, where he says: 'Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead. This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not die. . . . He that eateth my Flesh, and drinketh my Blood, hath everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day.'² We shall all resume these bodies of ours on the Last Day, either for glory or punishment eternal; but he that worthily unites himself by holy Communion with the glorious and risen Body of the Man-God contracts an alliance and intimacy with him which forbid this divine Guest to leave in corruption these members made his own by the sublime Mystery. We must, therefore, approach the holy Table during Eastertide with an ardent ambition for our resurrection, knowing as we do that we then receive into our bodies an element which is to preserve them even when turned into dust; and which, moreover, confers on them a right to the qualities of glorified bodies, whose beauty and happiness will be like those of our Jesus, after he had risen from the grave. Now, if our Redeemer does all this for our bodies by means of holy Communion—giving them, by it, the pledge of immortality—what must he not do for our souls, in order to strengthen and increase within them that 'new life,' that Resurrection-life, which is the fruit of Easter, the object of all our past efforts, the reward of all the victories we have gained over ourselves during the campaign of Lent? Nay, unless this new life be fostered by frequent Communion, it is in danger of growing weak, perhaps even of becoming extinct within us. The Apostle tells us that 'Christ, having risen from the dead, dieth now no more;'¹ we, then, must die no more, for we", "keywords": [ "jesus", "resurrection", "love", "life", "communion", "holy", "within", "lord", "thine", "death", "soul", "receive", "risen", "glory", "didst", "light", "heart", "during", "ever", "bread" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "John vi. 52", "Romans vi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "OF THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING PASCHAL TIME The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following Psalms. According to our custom, we preface each Psalm with a short explanation, in order to draw attention to what is most in harmony with the spirit of the Easter mysteries. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Alleluia. Under this single Antiphon all the Psalms are sung, if the Vespers are of the Sunday; but on feasts the Antiphons are proper, and will be given on their respective days. The first Psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. It celebrates his Eternal Generation, his being equal with the Father, his Kingship and Priesthood. He was humbled for a while, even so as to drink of the torrent: but now he has triumphed over his enemies, and will come in glory at the end of the world to judge them. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. O 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. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 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. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. 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. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Therefore, O Father, the Lord, thy Son, is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "alleluia", "psalm", "dominus", "praise", "blessed", "israel", "domino", "glory", "sæculum", "heaven", "gloria", "amen", "father", "christ", "house", "eorum", "domine" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Elizabeth", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Luke i.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "OF THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE DURING PASCHAL TIME This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night; then immediately 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 therefore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: ℣. Jube, Domne, benedicere. ℣. Pray, Father, give thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. May the Almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect minus omnipotens. ℟. Amen. ℟. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch: for your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour: resist him, being strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. ℟. Thanks be to God. Then the priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The choir: ℟. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam æternam. May Almighty God have mercy on thee, and, forgiving thy sins, bring thee to everlasting life. The priest having answered Amen, the choir repeats the Confiteor, thus: Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistæ, sanctis 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 Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et te, pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to thee, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, 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 Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, and thee, Father, to pray to our Lord God for me. The priest then says: Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam æternam. May Almighty God be merciful to you, and, forgiving your sins, bring you to everlasting life. ℟. Amen. ℟. Amen. Indulgentiam, absolutionem, et", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "lord", "amen", "domine", "holy", "deus", "dominus", "blessed", "night", "nobis", "psalm", "quoniam", "tuum", "priest", "pray", "omnipotens", "almighty", "nostrum", "heaven", "shalt" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians v. 10", "Jeremias xiv.", "Luke ii.", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "MONDAY_OF_THE_SECOND_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "MONDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "monday_of_the_second_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. The first week has been devoted to the joyous celebration of our Emmanuel's return to us. He has been visiting us each day, in order to make us sure of his Resurrection. He has said to us: See me! Touch me! Feel! it is indeed I!! But we know that his visible presence among us is not to last beyond forty days. This happy period is rapidly advancing; the time seems to go so quickly! In a few weeks, he, for whom the whole earth has been in such expectation, will have disappeared from our sight. O Expectation and Saviour of Israel! why wilt thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man turning in to lodge? Why wilt thou be as a wanderer?²—So much the more precious are the hours, then! Let us keep close by his side; when we cannot hear his words, let us fix our eyes upon him; but when he does speak, let us treasure up the beautiful words, for they are as the last will of our dearest Master. During these forty days he is continually with his disciples, not indeed to persuade them of his Resurrection (for of that they had no longer any doubt), but, as St Luke says, that he might speak to them of the Kingdom of God.³ He has redeemed man by his Blood, and his victory over death; he has wrought reconciliation between heaven and earth—all that now remains to be done is the organization of the Church. The Church is the Kingdom of God; for it is in and by her that God is to reign upon the earth. The Church is the Spouse of the risen Jesus; it is he that raised her up to so exalted an honour; and now he would give her the dowry which will prepare her for that glorious day when the Holy Ghost is to descend upon her, and proclaim her to all nations as Spouse of the Incarnate Word, and Mother of the elect. Three things are needed by the Church in order that she may carry on her mission: a constitution framed by the very hand of the Son of God, whereby she will become a visible and permanent society; the possession of all the truths which her divine Lord came upon this earth to reveal or confirm—and in this is included the right to teach, and teach infallibly; thirdly, the means whereby she may efficaciously apply to the faithful the fruit of Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross, that is to say, the graces of salvation and sanctification. Hierarchy, Doctrine, Sacraments—these are the all-important subjects upon which our Lord instructs his disciples during the forty days between his Resurrection and Ascension. But before following him in his divine work of organizing the Church, let us spend the rest", "keywords": [ "resurrection", "body", "jesus", "lord", "life", "earth", "glory", "death", "church", "alleluia", "heaven", "days", "beautiful", "risen", "whereby", "beauty", "lamb", "forty", "dearest", "during" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "TUESDAY_OF_THE_SECOND_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "TUESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "tuesday_of_the_second_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. What are these wounds in the midst of thy hands?¹ Such was the exclamation of the Prophet Zacharias, who lived five hundred years before the Birth of our Emmanuel: and we are almost forced to use it, now that we behold the Wounds that shine so brightly in the glorified Body of our Risen Lord. His hands and feet bear the mark of the nails, and his side that of the spear; the Wounds are as visible and as deep as when he was first taken down from the Cross. Put in thy finger hither, said Jesus, holding out his wounded hands to Thomas; put thy hand into my Side!² We assisted at this wonderful interview on Sunday last—the incredulity of the disciple was made an occasion for the most incontestable proof of the Resurrection: but it also taught us that, when our Lord rose from the tomb, he retained in his glorified Flesh the stigmata of his Passion. Consequently, he will retain them for ever, inasmuch as no change can have further place in his Person. What he was the moment after his Resurrection, that will he be for all eternity. But we are not to suppose that these sacred stigmata, which tell of his humiliation on Calvary, are in the slightest degree a lessening of his glory. He retains them because he wishes to do so; and he wishes it, because these Wounds, far from attesting defeat or weakness, proclaim his irresistible power and triumph. He has conquered ¹ Zach. xiii 6. ² St John xx 27. death; the Wounds received in the combat are the record of his victory. He will enter heaven on the day of his Ascension, and the rays of light which beam from his Wounds will dazzle the eyes of even the angels. In like manner, as the holy Fathers tell us,¹ his martyrs who have imitated him in vanquishing death will also shine with special brightness in those parts of their bodies where they were tortured. And is not our Risen Jesus to exercise, from his throne in heaven, that sublime mediatorship for which he assumed our human nature? Is he not to be ever disarming the anger of his Father justly irritated by our sins? Is he not to make perpetual intercession for us, and obtain for mankind the graces necessary for salvation? Divine Justice must be satisfied; and what would become of poor sinners, were it not that the Man-God, by showing the precious Wounds on his Body, stays the thunderbolts of heaven, and makes mercy preponderate over judgement?² O sacred Wounds! the handiwork of our sins, and now our protection! we shed bitter tears when we first beheld you on Calvary; but we now adore you as the five glories of our Emmanuel! Hail most precious Wounds! our hope and our defence! And", "keywords": [ "wounds", "lord", "mercy", "resurrection", "christ", "jesus", "sacred", "christe", "alleluia", "heaven", "hands", "body", "side", "risen", "wounded", "stigmata", "pierced", "love", "world", "heart" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. James", "St. John", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians v. 19", "Deuteronomy xxxii. 13", "Isaias liii. 5", "James ii. 13", "Jeremias xxix. 11", "John xx. 27", "Luke i. 78", "Luke xxiii. 30", "Psalms civ. 18", "Psalms lxxxv. 5", "Psalms xxi. 17", "Psalms xxxiii. 9", "Romans xi. 34", "Zacharias xii. 12", "Zacharias xiii. 6" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_THE_SECOND_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "wednesday_of_the_second_week_after_easter", "text": "V. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. R. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. V. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. R. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. We are not to suppose that because the sacred Humanity of our Risen Jesus is resplendent with glory and majesty, it is therefore less accessible to mortals. His kindness and condescension are the same as before; nay, he seems to have become more affectionate than ever, and more desirous to be with the children of men. Surely we have not forgotten what happened during the joyous octave of the Pasch! His affectionate greeting to the holy Women, when on their way to the sepulchre; his appearing to Magdalen under the form of a gardener; his conversation with the two disciples of Emmaus, and the means he took to make them recognize him; his showing himself, on the Sunday evening, to the Ten, greeting them with his Peace be to you, allowing them to touch him, and even condescending to eat with them; his amiably bidding Thomas, on the eighth day, convince himself of the reality of the Resurrection by feeling the Wounds; his meeting his disciples at the Lake of Genesareth, blessing their fishing, and providing them with a repast on the bank—all this is proof of the tender love and intimacy wherewith our Saviour treated his creatures during the forty days after his Resurrection. As to his visits to his blessed Mother, we shall have another occasion for speaking of them; to-day we will consider him in the midst of his disciples. So frequently is he with them, that St Luke calls it an appearing to them for forty days.¹ The apostolic college is reduced to eleven; for the place of the traitor Judas is not to be filled up till after our Lord's Ascension, immediately before the descent of the Holy Ghost. How beautiful in their simplicity are these future messengers of the Good Tidings to mankind!² A short while ago they were weak and hesitating in their faith; they forgot all they had seen and heard; they fled from their Master in the hour of trial. As he had foretold it to them, they were scandalized at his humiliations and death. The news of his Resurrection made little impression upon them; they even disbelieved it. And yet they found him so affectionate, so gentle in his reproaches, that they soon resumed the confidence and intimacy they had had with him during his mortal life. Peter, who had been the most unfaithful, as well as the most presumptuous, of all, has now regained his position of the most honoured of the Apostles, and, in a few days hence, is to receive a special proof of Jesus' having forgotten his past disloyalty. He and his fellow Apostles can think of nothing now but Jesus. When he is with them they feast on the beauty and glory of his appearance. His words are dearer to them than ever, for they understand them better, now", "keywords": [ "resurrection", "jesus", "holy", "samson", "christ", "glory", "days", "death", "soon", "alleluia", "women", "apostles", "affectionate", "during", "pasch", "disciples", "forty", "ghost", "words", "quod" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Acts i. 3", "Isaias lii. 7", "John xiv. 26", "Luke c.", "Matthew xxvii. 55" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "THURSDAY_OF_THE_SECOND_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "THURSDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "thursday_of_the_second_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. The Apostles and holy women are not the only ones to enjoy the presence of our Risen Jesus: a countless people of the just made perfect claim and have the happiness of seeing and reverencing the sacred humanity of their beloved King. The magnificence of the Resurrection has caused us somewhat to forget those venerable captives of Limbo, with whom the soul of our Redeemer spent the hours that elapsed between his Death and Resurrection. They were the friends of God, and were awaiting in Abraham's bosom (as the Scripture expresses it) the dawning of light eternal. From the hour of None (three o'clock) of the great Friday till the daybreak of Sunday, the soul of our Emmanuel abode with these holy prisoners, who were thus put in possession of infinite happiness. But when the hour of his triumph came, how was the Conqueror of Death to leave behind him these souls whom he had enfranchised by his Death and Resurrection? At the moment fixed by the eternal decree, Jesus' Soul passes from Limbo to the sepulchre, and is reunited to his Body; but he is accompanied by a jubilant choir of other souls—the souls of the long-imprisoned Saints. On the day of the Ascension, they will form his court, and rise together with him; but Heaven's gate is not yet open, and they must needs wait for these forty days to pass, during which our Redeemer will organize his Church. They are invisible to the eyes of men, but they dwell in the space above this lowly earth, where once they passed their days, and merited an eternal recompense. Adam again sees the land which he had tilled in the sweat of his brow; Abel is in admiration at the power of the divine Blood, which has sued for mercy, whereas his prayed but for vengeance;¹ Noe looks upon this globe, and finds it covered with an immense multitude of men, all of whom are descendants of his three sons; Abraham, the father of believers, Isaac also, and Jacob, hail the happy moment when is to be fulfilled the promise which was made to them, that all generations should be blessed in him who was to be born of their race; Moses recognizes his people, in whose midst the Messias (whom he had announced,² and who is greater than he)³ has found so few followers and so many enemies; Job, who represents the elect among the Gentiles, is filled with joy at seeing his Redeemer living,⁴ in whom he had hoped in all his trials; David, fired with holy enthusiasm, is preparing canticles for heaven, grander far than those he has left us, to be sung in praise of the Incarnate God, who has espoused our human nature; Isaias and the other Prophets behold the literal fulfilment of all they had foretold; in", "keywords": [ "heaven", "earth", "alleluia", "holy", "death", "eternal", "souls", "world", "resurrection", "jesus", "seeing", "days", "divine", "elect", "happiness", "limbo", "soul", "redeemer", "light", "choir" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "FRIDAY_OF_THE_SECOND_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "FRIDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "friday_of_the_second_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Let us to-day turn to another subject. Let us think of that unfortunate Jerusalem, which, a few days since, re-echoed with the blasphemous cry: Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him! Is the city impressed by the great events that have taken place in her midst? Is the report still afloat of the sepulchre's being found empty? Have Jesus' enemies succeeded in tranquillizing the public mind by their lying scheme? They have summoned the soldiers who were set to guard the tomb, and have bribed them to say that they neglected their duty, that they fell asleep, and that the disciples came in the meanwhile, and stole away their Master's corpse. As to the punishment due to this infraction of military discipline, the soldiers are told that they need be under no apprehension, inasmuch as they are assured that every excuse shall be made to the governor in case of need.¹ Such is the final effort made by the Synagogue to make the world forget the name of Jesus of Nazareth! She would convince men that he was a mere contemptible impostor, who deserved his ignominious death, and will now be execrated for the posthumous attempt at a Resurrection! And yet, in a few years hence, the name of Jesus will be known and loved far beyond the walls of Jerusalem or the territory of Judea—it will be held in blessing in the furthermost parts of the earth. Let a hundred years pass, and the adorers of this Jesus will be found in every country. After three centuries paganism will own itself beaten; the idols will roll in the dust; the majesty of the Cæsars will humble itself before the Cross. And thou, O blind and obstinate Jew! wilt have it that he whom thou didst blaspheme and crucify is not risen, although he be now the King of the earth—the loved Monarch of a boundless empire! Read thy heaven-given prophecies, which thou hast handed down to us. Do they not tell thee that the Messias is to be despised—reputed with the wicked, and treated as one of them? But do they not likewise tell thee that *his sepulchre shall be glorious*?² With all other men the grave puts an end to their name and their glory; whereas with Jesus his sepulchre is the trophy of his victory; we proclaim him to be the Messias, the King of ages, the Son of God, because by his own death he conquered death. But Jerusalem is carnal-minded; and the humble Nazarene has not flattered her pride. His miracles were undeniable; the wisdom and authority of his words surpassed everything that had ever been heard; his goodness and compassion even exceed the miseries he is come to allay—but Israel has seen nothing, heard nothing, understood nothing; and now he remembers nothing. Alas! his fate is sealed,", "keywords": [ "cross", "jesus", "messias", "world", "jerusalem", "away", "alleluia", "resurrection", "christ", "heaven", "earth", "sepulchre", "name", "death", "king", "nothing", "adam", "crucis", "days", "years" ], "saints": [ "St. Gall", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians iv. 16", "Daniel ix. 26", "Genesis xxv. 23", "Hebrews iii. 5", "Hebrews xii. 24", "Isaias liii. 12", "Job xix. 25", "John i. 45", "Luke i. 48", "Matthew xxiv. 28", "Matthew xxv. 34", "Matthew xxviii. 12" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "SATURDAY_OF_THE_SECOND_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "SATURDAY OF THE SECOND WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "saturday_of_the_second_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. This being Saturday, let us once more think of Mary, and of the joy she feels at the Resurrection of her Son. She had been his companion in his sufferings; there was not one that she had not endured, and suffered as far as a mere creature could suffer: so, too, there is not a single glory or gladness of the Resurrection in which she is not now made to participate. It was meet that she, to whom God had granted the grace and merit of sharing in the work of the Redemption, should take her part in the prerogatives which belong to her Jesus, now that he is risen. Her soul is raised to a higher state of perfection; grace loads her with new favours; her actions and sentiments become more than ever heavenly. She was the first to receive a visit from Jesus after his Resurrection—the first, consequently, to receive from him his own new life. Can we be astonished at her receiving it when we remember that every Christian, who, being purified by his having compassionated with Jesus in his Passion, unites himself afterwards with holy Church, in the sublime mystery of the Pasch, becomes a sharer in the life of his risen Lord? This transformation, which in us is weak, and often, alas! of short duration, was perfect in Mary, for her high vocation and her incomparable fidelity deserved that it should be so; of her, then, far more truly than of us, it may be said that she was indeed risen in her Jesus. The thought of these forty days, during which Mary still possesses her divine Son on this earth, reminds us of those other forty of Bethlehem, when we paid our affectionate homage to the young Virgin-Mother who fed her divine Babe at her breast; we heard the angels singing their Gloria, we saw the shepherds and the Magi; all was exquisite sweetness. What mainly impressed us then was the humility of our Emmanuel; we recognized him as the Lamb that had come to take away the sins of the world; there was nothing that betokened the Mighty God. What changes have happened since that dear time! What sorrows have pierced Mary's heart before her reaching this blissful season of Paschal joy! The sword foretold by Simeon is now, indeed, sheathed, yea, broken for ever, but oh! how sharp and cruel have been its thrusts! Well may Mary now say with the Psalmist: According to the multitude of my sorrows in my heart, thy comforts, O Lord, have given joy to my soul!¹ The Lamb, the gentle little Lamb, has become the Lion of the tribe of Juda; and Mary, the Mother of the Babe of Bethlehem, is equally the Mother of the glorious Conqueror. With what delight does he not show the glories of his victories", "keywords": [ "mother", "mary", "heaven", "jesus", "virgin", "sins", "pray", "joys", "virgo", "blessed", "gaudium", "resurrection", "earth", "grace", "receive", "love", "star", "alleluia", "heavenly", "holy" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians v. 6", "Psalms xciii. 19" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "SECOND_SUNDAY_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "second_sunday_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christe, alleluia. Christ, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, ℟. Let heaven and earth alleluia. rejoice, alleluia. THIS Sunday goes under the name of Good Shepherd Sunday, because in the Mass there is read the Gospel of St John, wherein our Lord calls himself by this name. How very appropriate is this passage of this Gospel to the present season, when our divine Master began his work of establishing and consolidating the Church, by giving it the pastor, or shepherd, who was to govern it to the end of time! In accordance with the eternal decree, the Man-God, on the fortieth day after his Resurrection, is to withdraw his visible presence from the world. He is not to be again seen upon the earth till the last day, when he will come again to judge the living and the dead. And yet he could never abandon mankind, for which he offered himself on the Cross, and delivered from death and hell by rising triumphantly from the grave. He will continue to be its Head after his Ascension into heaven: but what shall we have on earth to supply his place? We shall have the Church. It is to the Church that he will leave all his own authority to rule us; it is into the hands of the Church that he will entrust all the truths he has taught; it is the Church that he will make the dispenser of all those means of salvation which he has destined for the world. This Church is a society, unto which all mankind is invited. It is composed of two classes of members; the governing and the governed; the teaching and the taught; the sanctifying and the sanctified. This society is the Spouse of Christ; it is by her that he produces his elect. She is the one only Mother of the elect; out of her bosom there is no salvation. But how is this society to subsist? how is it to persevere through the long ages of time, even to the last day? who is to give it unity and adhesion of its parts? what is to be the visible link between its members—the palpable sign of its being the true Spouse of Christ, in the event of other societies rising up and disputing her titles? If Jesus himself could have remained with us we should have had nothing to fear, for where *he* is, there also are truth and life; but, as he says, *he is going*, and we may not as yet follow him. Give ear, then, and learn what is the primary quality of the true Spouse of Christ. Jesus was one day, previous to his Passion, in the country of Cæsarea Philippi; his Apostles were standing around him, and he began questioning them about what they thought of him. One of them, Simon the son of John or Jonas, and brother to Andrew, answered in the name of", "keywords": [ "shepherd", "church", "peter", "alleluia", "jesus", "sheep", "lord", "pastor", "christ", "good", "divine", "john", "life", "love", "ever", "simon", "know", "dominum", "world", "fold" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt", "St. Peter the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias xxviii. 16", "John c.", "John xi. 52", "John xxi. 15", "John xxi. 17", "John xxi. 18", "Matthew vii. 24", "Matthew xvi. 16", "Matthew xvi. 18", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "MONDAY_OF_THE_THIRD_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "MONDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "monday_of_the_third_week_after_easter", "text": "V. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. R. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. V. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. R. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. THE first stone of the Church is laid; and on this foundation Jesus now begins to build. The shepherd of the sheep and lambs has been proclaimed; it is time to form the fold. The keys of the kingdom have been given to Peter; it is time to inaugurate the kingdom. Now this Church, this fold, this kingdom, designate a society which is to be called Christian, after the name of its Founder. This society, composed of the disciples of Christ, is destined to receive within it every individual of the human race; and if all do not actually enter, it is not in consequence of any ban of exclusion. It will subsist to the end of time; for there can be no elect out of its pale. It will be One; for Christ says not: 'I will build my Churches;' he speaks but of One. It will be holy; for all the means of sanctification are in its keeping. It will be Catholic, that is, Universal, in order that, being known in all times and places, men may be able to hear its teachings and follow them. It will be Apostolic; that is to say, that how long soever this world may last, it will come down, by lawful succession, from these men with whom Jesus is, during these forty days, arranging everything that is connected with its establishment. Such is to be the Church, out of which there is no salvation for those who, having known her, have refused to become her members. A few days hence, and the world will hear of her existence. The spark that is now but in Judea will soon become a fire spread throughout the whole earth. Before the close of the century, not only will there be members of the Church in every province of the vast Roman Empire, but even in countries where Rome has never planted the standard of her proud eagles. Nay more, this miraculous propagation is to be perpetual—in every age new apostles will set forth, and win new victories for this immortal Church. Nothing human is lasting; but the Church's ceaseless duration will excite the spleen of incredulity and baffle all its calculations. Persecutions, heresies, schisms, apostasies, and scandals—all will strive to work her ruin; but she will survive them all. The descendants of her bitterest foes will call her mother. Thrones and dynasties, nations, and even whole races, will be carried away by the tide of time: she alone will subsist throughout the ages, stretching out her arms to receive all men, teaching ever the same truths, repeating, even to the last day, the same symbol of faith, and ever faithful to the instructions given her by our Risen Jesus during these forty days preceding his Ascension. How shall we worthily thank thee, O God our Saviour, for thy", "keywords": [ "light", "church", "jesus", "death", "alleluia", "christ", "days", "members", "fold", "kingdom", "world", "immortal", "ever", "life", "resurrection", "heaven", "earth", "build", "shepherd", "society" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "TUESDAY_OF_THE_THIRD_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "tuesday_of_the_third_week_after_easter", "text": "V. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. R. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. V. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. R. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. THE Church, which our Risen Jesus is organizing during these days, and which is to be spread throughout the whole world, is a true and complete society. It must, consequently, have within it the power to govern, and be able, by the obedience of its subjects, to maintain order and peace. As we have already seen, our Saviour supplied this want by establishing a shepherd of both sheep and lambs, a Vicar of his own divine authority: yet Peter, after all, is but a man; and however sublime his authority, he cannot exercise it directly and personally over each member of the flock. The new society has need, therefore, of magistrates of a lower rank, who, as Bossuet so well expresses it, 'are to be sheep with regard to Peter, and shepherds with regard to the people.'¹ Jesus has provided for everything; he has chosen twelve men, whom he calls his Apostles, and to them he is about to entrust the magistracy of his Church. By his having made Peter the head, and, as it were, his second self, he does not intend the rest of the Twelve to have no share in the great work he has come from heaven to achieve. Far from this, he destines them to be the pillars of the building, of which he has already made Peter the foundation. They are twelve in number, as heretofore were the children of Jacob; for the ancient people was, in everything, a figure of the new. Before ascending into heaven, Jesus gives them power to teach in every part of the world, and appoints them pastors ¹ Sermon on the Unity of the Church. of the faithful in every place wheresoever they may happen to be. They are all on an equality, save with regard to Peter; and the very fact of these wonderful depositaries of Christ's power being subject to Peter, is one of the clearest indications of the extraordinary authority committed to him by our Lord. This unlimited delegation of pastoral power given to all the Twelve, was intended as a means of the solemn promulgation of the Gospel; but it was to cease at their deaths, save in the case of Peter, for his successor was alone to enjoy the apostolic power in its fullest extent. With this one exception, no lawful pastor has ever been allowed to exercise an unlimited territorial authority. And yet, by creating the college of the Apostles, our Redeemer founded that sacred and venerable dignity which we call the episcopacy. Although bishops have not inherited either the universal jurisdiction, or the personal infallibility in teaching, of the Apostles, yet do they really hold, in the Church, the place of the Apostles. Jesus puts into their hands, through the ministry of Peter's successor, the keys of spiritual power; and these they use, that is,", "keywords": [ "power", "church", "authority", "peter", "heaven", "jesus", "twelve", "apostles", "pastors", "ever", "bishops", "alleluia", "earth", "world", "govern", "everything", "whole", "society", "exercise", "regard" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John xx. 21", "Matthew xxviii. 18" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "TUESDAY_OF_THE_THIRD_WEEK", "title": "TUESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK", "anchor": "tuesday_of_the_third_week", "text": "sively as the last and poorest of the faithful, the pastor who has to govern him in what regards his soul. There will be times when Cæsar will be jealous of this superhuman power; he will strive to intercept it: but it will elude his grasp, for it is a purely spiritual power. At other times, he will despise and persecute them that are invested with this power; nay, he will occasionally attempt to exercise it himself; but his efforts will be as vain as they will be wicked, for this power, which emanates from Christ, cannot be confiscated nor interrupted; it is the salvation of the world, and on the last day the Church will have to restore it intact to him who deigned to entrust it to her before ascending to his Father. Once more, to the praise of our dearest King! The great Fulbert of Chartres offers us the following hymn, which was adopted by the ancient Roman-French Liturgy. HYMN Chorus novæ Hierusalem Novam mellis dulcedinem Promat, colens cum sobriis Paschale festum gaudiis. Quo Christus, invictus leo, Dracone surgens obruto, Dum voce viva personat, A morte functos excitat. Quam devorarat improbus Prædam refudit tartarus: Captivitate libera Jesum sequuntur agmina. Triumphat ille splendide, Et dignus amplitudine, Soli polique patriam Unam facit rempublicam. Ipsum canendo supplices, Regem precemur milites, Ut in suo clarissimo Nos ordinet palatio. Per sæcla metæ nescia Patri supremo gloria, Honorque sit cum Filio Et Spiritu Paraclito. Amen. Let the choir of the new Jerusalem bring forth the new sweetness of its honey; and celebrate, with holy joy, the paschal feast. To-day, Christ, the invincible Lion, crushes the dragon, and rises from the tomb: with a loud voice he commands the dead to live. Cruel death gives back its prey; and throngs of ransomed captives follow Jesus. Gorgeous is his triumph: he is worthy of all power; he makes earth and heaven be one kingdom. We are his soldiers, and he is our King: let us humbly sing his praise, and beseech him to admit us into his palace of heaven above. Glory and honour, for endless ages, be to the Eternal Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Paraclete. Amen.", "keywords": [ "power", "last", "times", "christ", "father", "praise", "king", "hymn", "amen", "holy", "heaven", "liturgy", "church", "salvation" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_THE_THIRD_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER¹", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER¹", "anchor": "wednesday_of_the_third_week_after_easter¹", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. There is nothing on earth so grand, nothing so exalted, as the princes of the Church—the pastors, appointed by the Son of God—who are to follow on, in unbroken succession, to the end of time: but let us not suppose that the subjects of this vast empire, called the Church, are devoid of dignity and greatness. The Christian people, in which both prince and beggar are equally subjects, is superior to every other, in intellectual and moral worth. It carries civilization with it, wheresoever it goes, for it carries with it the true notion of God and of the supernatural end of man. Barbarism recedes; pagan institutions, how ancient soever they may be, are forced to give way. Even Greece and Rome laid down their own laws to adopt those of the Christian code—the code which was based on the Gospel. So, too, in our own times, the mere sight of a Christian army, though composed of but a few thousand men, struck terror into the heart of an immense empire of the East: its ruler who counts four hundred million subjects, and calls himself the 'Son of the Celestial Empire,' was so overcome by fear that without offering the slightest resistance he fled from his palaces and capital. Yes, this is the superiority given by baptism to Christian nations; for it would be absurd to attribute this superiority to our civilization, seeing that civilization itself is but a consequence of baptism. ¹ On this day the Church celebrates the solemnity of St Joseph, but as in most places this feast is usually kept on the following Sunday, we refer our readers to that day for the Mass of St Joseph and our commentary upon it. But if the outward bearing of the Christian people be such as to exercise an influence on even infidels, what must not be that dignity which faith teaches us is its inheritance? The Apostle St Peter—the universal shepherd, into whose hands the divine Shepherd placed the keys—thus describes the flock entrusted to his care: *You are a chosen generation, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people; that you may declare his virtues, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light*.¹ So, indeed, it is; divine truth is entrusted to this people, and its light can never be extinguished among them. When the teaching authority has, with its infallibility, to proclaim a solemn definition in doctrinal matters, it first appeals to the faith of the Christian people; and the sentence declares that to be the truth which has been believed 'everywhere, always, and by all.'² Amidst the Christian people there exists that strangest phenomenon under heaven, union of mind; whereby there is one common faith amidst nations the most opposite to each other in every other respect. Let them be as hostile to one", "keywords": [ "people", "christian", "church", "christ", "whose", "love", "peter", "sheep", "alleluia", "heaven", "earth", "pastors", "joseph", "faith", "light", "pastor", "master", "father", "subjects", "empire" ], "saints": [ "St. Gall", "St. Joseph", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Vincent of Lerins" ], "scripture": [ "Deuteronomy iv. 7", "Peter ii. 9", "Peter l." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "THURSDAY_OF_THE_THIRD_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "THURSDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "thursday_of_the_third_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. This Church founded and maintained by Christ —is it nothing more than a society of minds that know, and of hearts that love, the truths revealed to it by heaven? Have we adequately defined it, when we call it 'a spiritual society'? No, most assuredly; for we are told that it was to spread, and actually has been spread, throughout the whole world. Now how could such progress and conquest have taken place, if the spiritual society founded by our Redeemer had not also been exterior and visible? On earth, souls cannot hold intercommunication without bodies. *Faith cometh by hearing*, says the Apostle: *and how shall they hear without a preacher?*¹ When, therefore, our Risen Jesus says to his Apostles: *Go, teach all nations!*² he distinctly implies that the word of God will be heard, that it will resound throughout the world, and that its sound will be heard both by them that obey and by them that reject the teaching of his ministers. Has this word a right to circulate thus freely, independently of any permission from earthly powers? Yes; for the Son of God has said: *Go, teach all nations!* He must be obeyed; the word of God cannot be fettered.³ The word, then, the exterior word is free; and being free, it obtains numerous disciples. Will these disciples live isolatedly? Will they not rather group around their apostle, the better to profit by his teaching? Will they not look on one another as brethren, and members ¹ Rom. x 17, 14. ² St Matt. xxviii 19. ³ 2 Tim. ii 9. of the same family? And if so, they must hold their assemblies. Thus the new people is brought before the notice of the world. It was necessary that this should be; for if this people, which is to attract all others to itself, be not visible, how can it do its work? But the people thus assembled must have their buildings, their temples. Therefore do they erect houses of preaching and prayer. The stranger—that is, he who is not a Christian—seeing these new places of worship, asks: 'What means all this? Whence come these people who pray aloof from their fellow-citizens? Would not one be inclined to say that we have a nation within the nation?' The stranger is right; there is a nation within the nation, and it will continue to be so until the whole nation itself have passed into the ranks of this new people. Every society stands in need of laws; the Church, therefore, will not be long without giving outward proof of her internal government. There are her festivals, her solemnities, which denote a great people; her ritual rules, forming a visible bond of union between the members of her society, and this not merely during the hours of divine service; there are commandments and", "keywords": [ "church", "christ", "word", "society", "earth", "world", "visible", "people", "spiritual", "divine", "heaven", "therefore", "nation", "alleluia", "members", "christian", "within", "sacred", "power", "praise" ], "saints": [ "St. Gall", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "2 Timothy ii. 9", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Romans x. 17" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "FRIDAY_OF_THE_THIRD_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "FRIDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "friday_of_the_third_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Church of Jesus! that wast promised by him to the earth during the days of his mortal life; that camest forth from his sacred Side when wounded by the spear upon the Cross; that wast organized and perfected by him during the last days of his sojourn here below; we lovingly greet thee as our mother; thou art the Spouse of our Redeemer, and it is through thee that we were born to him. It is thou that gavest us life by baptism; it is thou that givest us the word, which enlightens us; it is thou that ministerest to us the helps, whereby we are led, through our earthly pilgrimage, to heaven; it is thou that governest us, in the spiritual order, by thy holy ordinances. Under thy maternal care we are safe; we have nothing to fear. What can error do against us? Thou art the *pillar and ground of the truth*!¹ What effect can the revolutions of our earthly habitation have upon us? We know, that if everything else should fail us, thou wilt ever be with us. It was during these very days which precede the Ascension, that our Lord Jesus said to his Apostles, and through them, to their successors: *Behold! I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.*² What a promise of duration was this! If we consult the history of these last eighteen hundred years, it will tell us that this promise has never once been broken. The gates of hell have risen up against thee innumerable times; but they have never prevailed against thee, no, not for one single moment! ¹ 1 Tim. iii 15. ² St Matt. xxviii 20. And thus it is, O Church! that being founded on Christ thy Spouse, thou givest us a share in thine own divine immutability! Established as we are in thee, there is not a truth which the eye of our faith cannot see; there is not a blessing which, despite our weakness, we may not make our own; there is no object shown us by hope, which we may not attain. Thou holdest us in thine arms; and from the height whereto thou raisest us, we see the mysteries of time and the secrets of eternity. Our eye admiringly follows thee, whether we consider thee as militant on earth, suffering in thy dear ones who are in the temporary state of expiation, or triumphant in heaven. Thou art with us in our exile, and already art thou, in millions of thy children, heiress of the eternal kingdom. Keep us near thee, nay, within thee, O thou our Mother, who art the beloved Spouse of our Lord. To whom shall we go but to thee? Is it not to thee, and to thee alone, that he has entrusted the words of eternal life?", "keywords": [ "world", "church", "thine", "alleluia", "life", "against", "heaven", "earth", "mother", "spouse", "jesus", "days", "know", "children", "eternal", "sing", "christ", "wast", "during", "last" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy iii. 15", "Acts iv. 17", "John i. 1", "Luke ii. 34", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Matthew xxviii. 20" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "SATURDAY_OF_THE_THIRD_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "SATURDAY OF THE THIRD WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "saturday_of_the_third_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. The Saturday brings us back to Mary. Let us again contemplate her prerogatives; and yet, whilst so doing, let us still keep our thoughts on holy Church, which has been the subject of our meditations during this week. Let us, to-day, consider the relations existing between Mary and the Church: they will make us the better understand these two mothers of mankind. Before taking possession of the Church, which was to be proclaimed before all nations on the day of Pentecost, the Man-God made a worthy prelude to this kingly possession by uniting himself with her, who is so deservedly styled the mother and representative of the human race. This was Mary. Of the family of David, Abraham and Sem; immaculate, from the first moment of her existence, as were our first parents when they came from their Creator's hands; and destined for the grandest honour which could be conferred on a mere creature; Mary was, during her sojourn here on earth, the inheritance and co-operatrix of the Incarnate Word: she was the Mother of all the living.¹ She, in her single person, was what the Church, collectively, has been from the day of its foundation. Her office of Mother of God surpasses all her other glories; still, we must not overlook, but on the contrary admire and love them. Mary was the first creature that fully corresponded with the intentions which induced the Son of God to come down from heaven. He found in her the most lively faith, the firmest hope, and the most fervent love. Never had human nature, perfected by grace, offered to God an object so worthy of his acceptance. Before celebrating his union with the human race, as its Shepherd, Jesus was the Shepherd of this single sheep, whose merits and dignity surpass those of the rest of mankind, even supposing it to have been always and in all things faithful to its God. Mary, therefore, represented the Christian Church before it existed in itself. The Son of God found in her not only a Mother, but the faithful worshipper of his Divinity from the first moment of his Incarnation. We saw on Holy Saturday how Mary's faith withstood the test of Calvary and the tomb, and how this faith, which never faltered, kept alive on the earth the light which was never to be quenched, and which was soon to be confided to the collective Church, whose mission was to win over all nations to the divine Shepherd. It was not Jesus' will that his Blessed Mother should exercise a visible and outward apostolate, save in a limited degree. Besides, he was not to leave her here till the end of time. But, just in the same way as, from the day of his Ascension, he made his Church co-operate with him in all that he does", "keywords": [ "mother", "mary", "church", "rejoice", "jesus", "gaude", "heaven", "never", "holy", "life", "alleluia", "earth", "during", "human", "whose", "divine", "salvation", "sins", "grant", "christ" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis iii. 20", "Luke ii. 7" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "THIRD_SUNDAY_AFTER_EASTER_THE_SOLEMNITY_OF_SAINT_JOSEPH_SPOU", "title": "THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EASTER: THE SOLEMNITY OF SAINT JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE B. V. MARY, PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH", "anchor": "third_sunday_after_easter_the_solemnity_of_saint_joseph_spou", "text": "The Easter mysteries are superseded to-day by a special subject, which is offered for our consideration. The holy Church invites us to spend this day in honouring the Spouse of Mary, the Foster-Father of the Son of God. And yet, as we offered him the yearly tribute of our devotion on March 19, it is not, properly speaking, his feast that we are to celebrate to-day. It is a solemn expression of gratitude offered to Joseph, the Protector of the Faithful, the refuge and support of all that invoke him with confidence. The innumerable favours he has bestowed upon the world entitle him to this additional homage. With a view to her children's interests, the Church would, on this day, excite their confidence in this powerful and ever-ready helper. Devotion to St Joseph was reserved for these latter times. Though based on the Gospel, it was not to be developed in the early ages of the Church. It is not that the faithful were in any way checked from showing honour to him who had been called to take so important a part in the mystery of the Incarnation; but divine Providence had its hidden reasons for retarding the liturgical homage to be paid, each year, to the Spouse of Mary. As on other occasions, so here also; the East preceded the West in the special cultus of St Joseph: but in the fifteenth century the whole Latin Church adopted it, and since that time it has gradually gained \\* This feast has been fitly assigned to the Wednesday of the third week after Easter, but is still commonly solemnized on the following Sunday, the day on which it was originally kept. We therefore give the Mass and its commentary on this day, for the convenience of the Faithful. the affections of the faithful. We have treated of the glories of St Joseph on March 19; the present feast has its own special object, which we will at once proceed to explain. The goodness of God and our Redeemer's fidelity to his promises have ever kept pace with the necessities of the world; so that in every age appropriate and special aid has been given to the world for its maintaining the supernatural life. An uninterrupted succession of seasonable grace has been the result of this merciful dispensation, and each generation has had given to it a special motive for confidence in its Redeemer. Dating from the thirteenth century, when, as the Church herself assures us, the world began to grow cold,¹ each epoch has had thrown open to it a new source of graces. First of all came the feast of the most Blessed Sacrament, with its successive developments of Processions, Expositions, Benedictions and the Forty Hours. After this followed the devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus (of which St Bernardine of Siena was the chief propagator) and that of Via Crucis or Stations of the Cross, with its wonderful fruit of compunction. The practice of frequent Communion", "keywords": [ "joseph", "alleluia", "jesus", "mary", "church", "holy", "world", "father", "protector", "lord", "feast", "faithful", "heaven", "mother", "spouse", "sunday", "blessings", "special", "devotion", "jacob" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. Bernardine of Siena", "St. Francis", "St. Ignatius", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis c.", "Genesis xli. 55", "Genesis xlix.", "Luke c.", "Matthew ii. 23" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "MONDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "MONDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "monday_of_the_fourth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Cæli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Our Risen Jesus is not satisfied with establishing his Church and constituting the hierarchy which is to govern it in his name to the end of time; he also confides in his disciples his divine word, that is, the truths he is come to reveal to mankind, into which truths he has given them an insight during the three years preceding his Passion. The word of God, which is also called revelation, is, together with grace, the most precious gift that heaven could bestow upon us. It is by the word of God that we know the mysteries of his divine essence, the plan according to which he framed the creation, the supernatural end he destined for such of his creatures as he endowed with understanding and free-will, the sublime work of redemption by the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity—in a word, the means whereby we are to honour and serve him, and attain the end for which we were made. ¹ The hymn is given as it was before the correction made by Urban VIII. ² Ps. xi 2. ³ 1 Thess. iv 5. From the very commencement of the world, God revealed his word to man; later on, he spoke by the prophets; but when the fulness of time came, he sent upon the earth his Only Begotten Son, that he might complete this first revelation. We have seen how, for three years, Jesus has been teaching men, and how, in order that he might make them the more easily understand his words, he has stooped to their littleness. Though his teaching was of the sublimest possible character, yet did he make it so intelligible that no instruction could be compared to his in clearness. It was for this reason that he made use of simple parables, whereby he conveyed his divine truths to the mind of his hearers. His Apostles and disciples, who were afterwards to preach his Gospel to the world, received from him frequent special instructions; although, until the accomplishment of the mysteries of his Death and Resurrection, they were slow in understanding his teaching. Since his Resurrection, they are better able to appreciate his instructions, for not only are his words more telling now that he is in the glory of his triumph over death, but the minds of his hearers have become more enlightened by the extraordinary events that have occurred. If he could say to them at the Last Supper: I will not now call you servants; but I have called you my friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard from my Father, I have made known unto you;¹ how must he not treat them now that he has repeated to them the whole of his teaching, given them the whole word of God, and is on the eve of sending", "keywords": [ "word", "reason", "death", "faith", "world", "divine", "called", "revelation", "revealed", "teaching", "alleluia", "christ", "heaven", "church", "mysteries", "virtue", "truth", "nature", "resurrection", "jesus" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians iv. 5", "Psalms xi. 2" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "TUESDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "TUESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "tuesday_of_the_fourth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. We are bound to believe the word of God: but this word is accompanied with every proof of its really coming from God. When Jesus told men that he was the Son of God, he gave ample proof of his being such: in the same manner, he insists on our believing what he reveals, but he gives us a guarantee of its being the truth. What is this guarantee? Miracles. Miracles are the testimony which God bears to himself. A miracle rouses man's attention, for he knows that it is by God's will alone that the laws of nature can be suspended. If God employ a miracle to make his will known, he has a right to find man obedient. The Israelites were convinced that it was God who was leading them, for the sea opened a passage to them, immediately that Moses stretched forth his hand over its waters. Now Jesus, the author and finisher of faith,¹ did not demand our belief in the truths he revealed to us until he had proved the divinity of his mission by miracles. The works which I do, said he, give testimony of me.² And again: If you will not believe me, believe my works.³ And what are these works? When St John the Baptist sent some of his disciples to Jesus, that they might ask him if he were the promised Messias, Jesus gave them this answer: Go and relate to John what you have heard and seen. The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the dead rise again, the poor have the Gospel preached unto them.⁴ Such is the motive of our faith. Jesus requires of us that we receive his word, as being that of the Son of God—for he has proved himself to be so by the works he has wrought. Truly may we exclaim with the Psalmist: Thy testimonies, O Lord, are become exceedingly credible.⁵ Whom shall we believe, if we refuse to believe him? And what must be the guilt of them who refuse to believe! Let us hearken to our Jesus speaking of those proud men who, though they had witnessed his miracles, rejected his teaching: If, says he, I had not done among them the works that no other man hath done, they would not have sin.⁶ It is their incredulity that led them astray; but their incredulity showed itself when, after witnessing such miracles as the raising Lazarus to life, they refused to acknowledge the divinity of him who bore testimony to himself by such works as these. But our Risen Jesus is soon to ascend into Heaven; the miracles he wrought will be things of long past; are we, henceforth, to have no testimony for his word, which is the object of our Faith? Let us not fear. Do", "keywords": [ "miracles", "jesus", "faith", "believe", "word", "works", "disciples", "gives", "testimony", "john", "miracle", "though", "alleluia", "resurrection", "heaven", "divinity", "might", "lord", "teaching", "life" ], "saints": [ "St. Gall", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Luke", "St. Mark" ], "scripture": [ "Hebrews xi. 6", "Hebrews xii. 2", "John v. 36", "John xiv. 12", "John xv. 15", "John xv. 24", "Luke vii. 22", "Mark xvi. 15", "Mark xvi. 16", "Psalms xcii. 5" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "wednesday_of_the_fourth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. The Son of God is soon to ascend to his Father. He has said to his Apostles: Going, teach all nations: preach the Gospel to every creature. Thus, then, the nations are not to receive the word from the lips of Jesus, but through his ministers. The glory and happiness of being instructed directly by the Man-God were for none but the Israelites, and even for them for only three short years. The impious may murmur at this, and say, in their pride: 'Why should there be men between God and us?' God might justly answer: 'And what right have you to expect me to speak to you myself, seeing that you can otherwise be as certain of my word as though you heard it from myself?' Was the Son of God to lose his claim to our faith unless he remained on this earth to the end of time? If we reflect on the infinite distance there is between the Creator and creature, we shall detest such a blasphemy. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater;¹ and how can we reject it? Can we call that testimony human, which was given by the Apostles, when, in proof of their being sent by God, they showed the power, conferred on them by their divine Master, of working miracles? Of course the pride of reason may rebel; it may protest, and refuse to believe men who speak in God's name. Did not the very Son of God meet with more unbelievers than believers? And why? Because he affirmed himself to be God, yet showed nothing exteriorly but his human nature. So that there was an act of faith to be made, even when Jesus himself spoke; and pride might rebel, and say: 'I will not believe;' just as it will do when the Apostles speak in his name. The two cases are alike. God demands of us, as long as we are in this world, that we give him our faith; and faith is not possible without humility. God confirms his word by miracles; but man has always the power to resist, and for that very reason faith is a virtue. If it be asked—why, when God took his Son from this earth, he did not commission his angels to teach us in his name, instead of giving such a sublime office to men, frail and mortal as we ourselves are who receive their teaching—the reason is, that man could not be raised up from the state of degradation into which he had fallen by pride, except by submission and humility; and consequently, it was fitting that the ministry of the divine word should not be entrusted to angels, inasmuch as our pride might have been flattered by our having for our teachers beings so noble and exalted. We", "keywords": [ "faith", "word", "thine", "pride", "alleluia", "might", "speak", "name", "life", "christ", "earth", "apostles", "creature", "receive", "jesus", "heard", "testimony", "power", "divine", "reason" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. Gall", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "John v. 9", "Psalms xliv. 11", "Psalms xlvii. 9", "Romans x. 17" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "THURSDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "THURSDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "thursday_of_the_fourth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. The Apostles have received their mission. The Sovereign Master has bade them divide among themselves the nations of the earth, and preach everywhere the Gospel—that is, the Good Tidings—the tidings of man's Redemption wrought by the Son of God, who was made flesh, was crucified, and arose again from the dead. But what is to be the grand support of these humble Jews, who have been suddenly transformed into conquerors, and have to win the whole world to Christ? Their support is the solemn promise made to them by Jesus, when, after saying: Go, teach all nations! he adds: Lo! I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world! Hereby he promises never to leave them, and ever to direct and guide them. They shall see him no more in this life; and yet he assures them that he will be ever in their midst. But these men, with whom Christ thus promises that he will abide for ever, and preserve them from every fall and from every error in the teaching of his doctrine—these Apostles are not immortal. We shall find them, one after the other, laying down their lives for the faith and so leaving this world. Are we, then, condemned to uncertainty and darkness, like men who have been abandoned by the light? Is it possible, that the appearance of our Emmanuel upon the earth has been but like that of a meteor, which we sometimes behold in the night, emitting a lurid light, and then suddenly disappearing, leaving us in greater darkness than before? No: the words of our Risen Jesus forbid us to fear such a calamity. He did not say to his Apostles: 'Lo! I am with you even to the end of your lives;' but Lo! I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world. So that those to whom he addressed himself were to live to the end of the world! What means this, but that the Apostles were to have successors, in whom their rights were to be perpetuated? successors whom Jesus would ever assist by his presence and uphold by his power. The work founded by a God, out of his love for man, and at the price of his own precious Blood, must surely be imperishable! Jesus, by his presence amidst his Apostles, preserved their teaching from all error; by his presence he will also, and for ever, guide the teaching of their successors. O precious and necessary gift of Infallibility in the Church! Gift, without which the mission of the Son of God would have been a failure! Gift whereby faith, that essential element of man's salvation, is preserved upon the earth! Yes, we have the promise; and the effects of this promise are evident even to them that are not of the Church.", "keywords": [ "faith", "world", "earth", "jesus", "ever", "christ", "apostles", "alleluia", "presence", "flesh", "promise", "days", "promises", "guide", "teaching", "live", "successors", "power", "gift", "church" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Luke xxii. 32" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "FRIDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "FRIDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "friday_of_the_fourth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Praise be to our Risen Jesus, for his having said to us: He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved.¹ Thanks to his infinite mercy, we believe and have been baptized; we are, therefore, in the path of salvation. It is true that faith will not save us without good works; but, on the other hand, good works without faith cannot merit eternal salvation. With what transport of joy ought we not to give thanks to God, for his having produced in us, by his grace, this unspeakable gift,² this first pledge of our everlasting happiness! How carefully ought we not to strive to keep it pure, yea and increase it by our fidelity! Faith, like other virtues, has its degrees: we should, therefore, frequently use the prayer addressed to Jesus by his Apostles: Lord! increase our faith!³ We are living in an age when faith is weak amongst the majority even of them that believe; and it is one of the greatest dangers that could befall us in this world. When faith is weak, charity must needs grow cold. Our Saviour one day asked his disciples if they thought that he would find faith upon the earth when he should come to judge mankind.⁴ Have we not reason to fear that we are fast approaching that awful time, when the want of faith will paralyze men's hearts? Faith proceeds from our will moved by the Holy Ghost. We believe because we wish to believe; and for this reason it is a happiness to believe. The blind man to whom Jesus restored his sight said to him, when he bade him believe in the Son of God: Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?⁵ These same dispositions ought to animate us, when there is question of our making an act of faith—we should believe, in order that we may know that which, without faith, we could not know: then will God manifest himself to both our mind and heart. You will meet with Christians who seem to make it their business to keep down the faith of their friends as much as possible. They seem to be jealous of faith getting too much; are ever talking about the rights of reason; and will have it that they who are so ready to believe are guilty of underrating the dignity, range, and divine origin of reason. Let them that are thus accused, answer: 'We are far from denying the existence of that natural light within us, which is called reason. The teaching of the Church is too express on this point to admit of any doubt; but she also teaches us that this light—even had it retained its primal power, and had not been obscured by original sin—is incapable of discovering, by itself alone, the end for which man was created,", "keywords": [ "faith", "church", "believe", "reason", "holy", "world", "salvation", "alleluia", "jesus", "without", "seem", "truth", "religion", "least", "life", "christ", "heaven", "earth", "therefore", "true" ], "saints": [ "St. Anselm", "St. Gall", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians ix. 15", "John ix. 36", "Luke xvii. 5", "Mark xvi. 16" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "SATURDAY_OF_THE_FOURTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "SATURDAY OF THE FOURTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "saturday_of_the_fourth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cæli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Saturday brings us once more to the dear Mother of our Jesus. Last Saturday, when closing our week's considerations upon the establishment of the Church, we reverently drew a parallel between these two Mothers—Mary and the Church. During the present week, we have been considering how our Saviour confided his doctrine—that is, the object of our faith— to his Apostles; let us devote this last day to a loving remembrance of the dogmas which Jesus revealed to them regarding the dignity and office of her whom he chose for his own and our Mother. Holy Church teaches us several truths concerning Mary; and these truths are the object of our faith, on the same ground as the other articles contained in the Catholic Creed. Now they could not be the object of our faith, except inasmuch as they were revealed by the lips of our divine Lord himself. The Church of our days has received them from the Church of past ages, just as this last named received them from the Apostles, to whom Jesus first confided them. There has been no new revelation since our Saviour's Ascension; consequently, the manifestation of all the dogmas transmitted to the Church, and promulgated by her to the world, dates from the teaching given by Jesus to his Apostles. It is on this account that we believe them with theological faith—a faith which can only be given to truths directly revealed by God to man. How beautiful is the affection here shown by the Son of God to his Mother! He revealed to his Apostles the impenetrable secrets of the divine Essence, the Trinity in Unity, the eternal generation of the Word in the Father's bosom, the eternal procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son, the union of the two Natures in one Person in the Incarnate Word, the Redemption of the world by the Blood of the Man-God, the restoration of fallen man and his elevation to a supernatural state by grace. But this same Jesus also reveals the prerogatives of his dearest Mother; and we are to believe them with the same faith as we do the dogmas which relate to God himself! Jesus, the Wisdom of the Father, the Conqueror of death, has revealed to us Mary's dignity with the same lips that taught us what he himself is: we believe the two revelations with equal faith because both come from him. Jesus said to his Apostles, and they, under the guidance of the Holy Ghost, communicated his teaching to the Church: 'Mary, my Mother, is a daughter of Adam and Eve; but the stain of original sin was not upon her. The decree that every human being should be conceived in sin was suspended in her regard. She was full of grace from the first moment of her Conception.", "keywords": [ "mother", "jesus", "apostles", "church", "mary", "faith", "revealed", "holy", "blessed", "divine", "believe", "known", "glories", "alleluia", "dogmas", "truths", "world", "word", "grace", "nature" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke i. 48", "Psalms lxxxvi. 3" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "FOURTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "fourth_sunday_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christe, alleluia. Christ, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, ℟. Let heaven and earth re- alleluia. joice, alleluia. Our Jesus has organized his Church, and confided to his Apostles the sacred deposit of the truths which are to form the object of our faith. We must now follow him in another work, of equal importance to the world, to which he gives his divine attention during these forty days: it is the institution of the sacraments. It is not enough that we believe; we must, moreover, be made just—that is, we must bear upon us the likeness of God's holiness; we must receive, we must have incorporated within us that great fruit of the redemption which is called grace; that thus being made living members of our divine Head, we may be made joint-heirs with him of the kingdom of heaven. Now it is by means of the sacraments that Jesus is to produce in us this wondrous work of our justification; he applies to us the merits of his Incarnation and Sacrifice, but he applies them by certain means, which he himself, in his power and wisdom, has instituted. Being the sovereign master of his own gifts, he can select what means he pleases whereby to convey grace to us; all we have to do is to conform to his wishes. Thus, each of the sacraments is a law; so that it is in vain that we hope for a sacrament to produce its effects, unless we fulfil the conditions specified by our Redeemer. And here, at once, we cannot but admire that infinite goodness which has so mercifully blended two such widely distinct operations in one and the same act—namely, on the one side the humble submission of man, and on the other the munificent generosity of God. We were showing, a few days back, how the Church, though a spiritual society, is also visible and exterior, because man, for whose sake the Church was formed, is a being composed of body and soul. When instituting the sacraments, our Lord assigned to each an essential rite; and this rite is outward and sensible. He made the Flesh, which he had united to his divine Person, become the instrument of our salvation by his Passion and Death on the Cross; he redeemed us by shedding his Blood for us: so is it in the sacraments; he follows the same mysterious plan, taking physical things as his auxiliaries in effecting the work of our justification. He raises them to a supernatural state, and makes them the faithful and all-powerful conductors of his grace, even to the most intimate depths of our soul. It is the continuation of the mystery of the Incarnation, the object of which is to raise us, by visible things, to the knowledge of things invisible. Thus is broken the pride of Satan; he despised man because he is not purely a spirit, but is spirit and matter", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "holy", "jesus", "seven", "sacraments", "church", "world", "divine", "lord", "baptism", "heaven", "father", "life", "grace", "word", "ghost", "water", "faith", "things", "receive" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. James the Apostle", "St. John", "St. Louis", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy ii. 4", "Apocalypse i. 12", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Apocalypse viii. 2", "Ecclesiastes iv. 12", "Exodus xxv. 37", "Isaias vii. 9", "John c.", "John iii. 5", "Mark xvi. 16", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Proverbs ix. 1", "Psalms cxiii. 18" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "MONDAY_OF_THE_FIFTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "MONDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "monday_of_the_fifth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Jesus bestows an inestimable gift upon his Apostles; and from this gift there proceed two sacraments. On the sixth day of the creation, the divine Word infused his breath into man, whose body he had formed out of the slime of the earth; and immediately this body was animated by a soul, bearing upon it the image of God. On the evening of the day of his Resurrection, the same divine Word, then made visible in the flesh he had assumed, suddenly appeared in the midst of his Apostles, and said to them: Peace be to you! As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.¹ Then breathing upon them, he added, in a tone of command: Receive ye the Holy Ghost.² What is this Breath, which is not given to all men but only to a few chosen ones? Jesus himself explains it, by the words he speaks: this Breath imparts the Holy Ghost to them that receive it. The Holy Ghost is given to the Apostles, because they are sent by Jesus, as Jesus is sent by the Father. The Apostles, then, receive this divine Spirit, in order that they may communicate him to men, just as they themselves have had him given to them by Jesus. The Church's tradition fills up the brief account of the Gospel. Two sacraments, as we have already stated, take their origin from this act of our Risen Jesus, who afterwards instructed his Apostles as to the rites wherewith each of the two was to be administered. The first of these two sacraments is Confirmation, ¹ St John xx 21. ² Ibid. 22. for whose institution we will return our humble thanks to-day; the other is Holy Orders, which we will explain further on in the week; both of them belong, in their administration, to the episcopal character, which is the source whence flow the gifts conferred upon the Apostles for man's sanctification. Such is the importance of the sacrament of confirmation, that until such time as we have received it, we cannot be considered as perfect Christians. It is true that, by virtue of our baptism, we are children of God, members of Christ and his Church; but, as Christians, we are soldiers: we have to confess our faith, sometimes before tyrants, and even to the shedding of our blood; sometimes before the world, whose false seductive maxims are the occasion of so many apostasies; sometimes against Satan and his wicked angels, whose power is so justly feared by the servants of Christ. The seal of the Holy Ghost confers on us a degree of strength which baptism does not give. Baptism made us citizens of the Church; confirmation makes us soldiers of God and of his Christ. Again, it is true that we can fight and conquer with the armour of baptism; such", "keywords": [ "holy", "jesus", "spirit", "ghost", "church", "apostles", "sacrament", "baptism", "christ", "divine", "confirmation", "whose", "father", "receive", "alleluia", "earth", "sent", "power", "bishop", "chrism" ], "saints": [ "St. Gall", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist" ], "scripture": [ "Ezechiel iii. 9", "Isaias xi.", "Job vii. 1", "John xx. 21" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "TUESDAY_OF_THE_FIFTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "TUESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "tuesday_of_the_fifth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. The third sacrament—the Holy Eucharist—is so intimately connected with our Redeemer's Passion that its institution could not be deferred till the Resurrection had taken place. On Maundy Thursday, we honoured the solemn act whereby our Jesus prepared for the morrow's sacrifice, by instituting the mystery of his Body and Blood, which are really immolated in the Eucharistic Supper. The Apostles were not only admitted, as all future generations were to be, to partake of the divine Food, which giveth life to the world;¹ but they moreover received power from Jesus, the Priest for ever,² to do what he himself had just done. The great Mystery was inaugurated; the new priesthood was instituted: and now that Jesus is risen from the dead, he makes known to his Apostles the whole importance of the gift bestowed upon mankind at the Last Supper; he bids them begin the exercise of the sublime power conferred on them, as soon as the Holy Ghost, by descending upon the earth, shall give to the Church the signal for her using the prerogatives wherewith she has been endowed; and, finally, he teaches how they are to perform this special function of their Priesthood. At the Last Supper, the Apostles were still carnal-minded men. They were taken up with the sad event that was about to happen, and overcome with grief at their divine Master telling them that that was the last Pasch he was to keep with them. They were not, ¹ St John vi 33. ² Ps. cix 4. therefore, in a fit state to appreciate what it was that Jesus had done for them, when he uttered those words: Take ye and eat; this is my Body. Drink ye all of this; for this is my Blood. Still less did they understand the greatness of the power they received, of doing what their Lord himself had just done in their presence. Now that Jesus is risen from the grave, he unfolds all these mysteries to them. The sacrament of the Eucharist was not instituted during these days, but it was made known, explained, and glorified by its divine institutor: and this circumstance gives a fresh lustre to the sacred season we are now going through. Of all the sacraments, there is not one that can be compared in dignity to that of the Eucharist. The others give grace; this gives us the very Author of grace. The others are only sacraments; this is both a sacrament and a sacrifice. We will endeavour to explain it in all its magnificence, when we come to the bright feast of Corpus Christi. Let us for the present pay the tribute of our loving adoration to our Jesus, the Living Bread, that giveth life to the world. Let us acknowledge his immense love for his sheep. He seems to be on the point", "keywords": [ "jesus", "blessed", "blood", "bread", "sacrament", "holy", "body", "divine", "life", "alleluia", "resurrection", "eucharist", "sacrifice", "mystery", "supper", "apostles", "last", "lamb", "earth", "whereby" ], "saints": [ "St. Gall", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "John vi. 33", "Proverbs viii. 31", "Psalms cix. 4" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "WEDNESDAY_OF_THE_FIFTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "wednesday_of_the_fifth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. We now come to the fourth sacrament, which may be justly called the sacrament of mercy. Jesus knew the weakness of man. He knew that the great majority of Christians would not persevere in the grace they received at baptism; and that sin would in most cases spoil the beautiful plant which had been watered by the dew of heaven, and which, after growing and flowering, was to be transplanted into the garden of eternal life. Like grass that lies withered on the field, so would be this once fair plant. How could it ever revive, unless he that made it gave it life again? Thanks to his infinite mercy, this is what he has the will to do. Consulting the sinner's salvation rather than his own glory, he prepared, as the holy Fathers express it, a second plank after shipwreck. The first was baptism; but mortal sin came, and the soul was again plunged into the wild abyss. She had fallen once more into the hands of her enemy; she was fettered by chains which it was out of her power to break. During his mortal life on earth, Jesus, who came not to judge the world, but to save it,¹ declared that these fetters, forged by the sinner's malice, should be broken by a power which he would one day establish in his Church. Speaking to his Apostles, he told them that whatsoever they should loosen upon earth, should be loosed also in heaven.² Since making that solemn promise, our Redeemer has offered his sacrifice on the Cross; ¹ St John xii 47. ² St Matt. xviii 18. his infinitely precious Blood has been shed for the superabundant expiation of the sins of the world. He that loved us to such a degree as this could never forget the promise he had made. On the contrary, he was most anxious to keep it, for he knew the fearful dangers to which our salvation is exposed. On the very day of his Resurrection, he appears to his Apostles, and his first words evince his eagerness to fulfil the promise he had previously made. It seems as though his mercy were impatient to break asunder the humiliating and terrible bonds of sin, which held us captives. No sooner has he breathed the Holy Ghost upon his Apostles, than he adds these words: Whose sins ye shall forgive, they are forgiven them. Observe here, as the holy Fathers have done, the strength of the words spoken by our Lord: They are forgiven. He says not, 'they shall be forgiven:' it is no longer the promise of a gift, but the gift itself. Before the Apostles have exercised the divine power conferred on them by Jesus, every absolution which they and their successors in this sacred ministry shall pronounce, even to the end of time, is", "keywords": [ "mercy", "sacrament", "sins", "jesus", "lord", "power", "life", "holy", "soul", "apostles", "promise", "words", "divine", "pardon", "alleluia", "heaven", "earth", "baptism", "once", "glory" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John xii. 47", "John xx. 23", "Luke v. 24", "Luke xvii. 14", "Matthew xviii. 18", "Psalms cii.", "Psalms lxxxviii. 2" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "THURSDAY_OF_THE_FIFTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "THURSDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "thursday_of_the_fifth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. BY the first four sacraments, our Saviour provided for the several spiritual necessities of man during this mortal life. Baptism gives him spiritual birth, Confirmation arms him for the battle, the Eucharist is his food, Penance is his cure. But the last moment of life—that most important and terrible of all, on which depends eternity—does it not seem to require a special sacramental aid? Could it be that our Redeemer, after so lovingly supplying us with a sacrament to meet our other wants, would leave us unprovided when we are dying, that is, when we are passing from this to another life, and are weighed down with bodily and mental sufferings? No: he has provided a sacrament for the dying; the grace of redemption puts on a new form, that it may visit and fortify us in our last struggle. Even before his Passion, he gave us some idea of the sacrament he intended to institute for the help of the dying. When he sent his disciples before him, that they might prepare the people for his preaching, he commanded them to anoint the sick with oil: they did so, and the result was the cure of them that were thus anointed.¹ But after his Resurrection, when our Redeemer was preparing the dowry of his Church, he gave her a sacrament wherewith this Mother was to administer special grace and consolation to her children when in danger of death. Oil is the symbol of strength; hence, the wrestlers of old used it as a means for acquiring activity and nerve. Our Saviour chose it as the matter of the sacrament of confirmation, whereby our souls, after being regenerated by baptism, are strengthened for their future combats. The hour of death is a combat, but one so terrible that it stands apart by itself. It is then that Satan, seeing how the long-coveted prey is soon to be beyond his reach, redoubles his efforts to make it his own for ever. The dying Christian, standing as he does on the brink of eternity, is exposed to two temptations: presumption and despair. In a few moments he will be before the Judge, whose sentence is irrevocable. The remnants of sin are still upon him, and clog his soul. How will he comport himself in that last combat, on which depends the final success of all the previous ones of his life? Is not this an occasion for a special sacrament, whereby our Jesus may provide his combatant with the help so urgently needed? Yes; and here again it is oil. The first anointing was that of confirmation, and it gave strength; and the last, or as it is called, extreme unction, is equally rich in power: it is the last application made to mankind of the Redeemer's blood, \"which flows in such abundance with this holy", "keywords": [ "sacrament", "life", "death", "last", "church", "soul", "dying", "gave", "extreme", "unction", "james", "alleluia", "christ", "special", "bodily", "sick", "strength", "jesus", "holy", "sins" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. James", "St. Mark" ], "scripture": [ "James v. 14", "James v. 15", "Mark vi. 13" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "FRIDAY_OF_THE_FIFTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "FRIDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "friday_of_the_fifth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. WE have reverently followed our Redeemer in his institution of the sacramental helps, whereby man is placed and kept in the state of sanctifying grace, from his first entrance into this life to his leaving it for the eternal enjoyment of the beatific vision. We must now speak of that sublime sacrament, which was instituted by Jesus as the source whence mankind is to receive the other sacraments. This sacrament is Holy Orders, and it is so called because of its being conferred in several distinct degrees upon those who receive it. As in heaven the angels are arranged in different ranks according as they have been endowed with a greater or less degree of light and power, in such wise that they who are higher act upon those that are lower; so it is in the sacrament of Holy Orders; there is order in the several ranks, and the higher act upon the lower by the communication of light and power. It is this that constitutes the hierarchy of the Church. Hierarchy means Sacred Government. It comprises three degrees: the episcopate, priesthood, and diaconate, in which last are included the Orders below it. This is called the hierarchy of Order, to distinguish it from the hierarchy of Jurisdiction. This second, which is entrusted with the government of the Church, is composed of the Pope, of the bishops, and of the inferior clergy to whom the Pope and bishops delegate a part of their power of government. We have already seen how this hierarchy takes its origin from that sovereign act whereby our Lord Jesus, the shepherd of men, gave to Peter the keys of the kingdom of God. The hierarchy of Order is intimately connected with the second, and its object is the sanctification of men by the administration of the treasures of grace confided to its keeping. As we have already said, Jesus appeared to his Apostles on the day of his Resurrection, and said to them: As the Father hath sent me, I also send you.¹ Now the Father sent his Son that he might be the Shepherd of men; and we have heard Jesus bidding Peter to feed his lambs and his sheep. The Father sent his Son that he might be the Teacher of men; and we have seen Jesus entrusting to his Apostles the truths which were to be proposed to us as the object of our faith. But the Father sent the Son that he might also be the High Priest of men; Jesus must, therefore, leave this same priesthood on earth, that it may be continued among us to the end of time. Now what is a priest? He is the mediator between heaven and earth; he reconciles man to his God, by offering a sacrifice that gives infinite honour to God and atones for man's", "keywords": [ "holy", "jesus", "priest", "father", "bishop", "sacrament", "power", "hierarchy", "heaven", "earth", "sent", "ghost", "whereby", "orders", "degrees", "order", "priesthood", "apostles", "word", "alleluia" ], "saints": [ "St. Denis", "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John xx. 21", "Matthew xviii. 18" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "FRIDAY_OF_THE_FIFTH_WEEK", "title": "FRIDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK", "anchor": "friday_of_the_fifth_week", "text": "Let us give thanks to our Jesus for this unspeakable blessing. Let us honour the priesthood of the New Law; it is Jesus who inaugurated it in his own person, and who afterwards entrusted it to men, chosen by him for continuing the mission given to him by his Father. The sacraments are the true life of the world; but who are the ministers of these sacraments? The priests of the Church. Let us pray for those who are in Holy Orders; for their responsibilities are great, their dignity is divine, and yet they themselves are but men. They are not a tribe or a caste, as were the priests in the Old Law; but they are taken from every race and family. Finally, a priest, though inferior to the angels by nature, is, by the office he holds, superior to these blessed spirits. Let us celebrate, to-day, the Resurrection of our eternal High Priest, by this joyous canticle of the ancient Missal of Liége: SEQUENCE Eia dic nobis Quibus e terris Nova cuncto mundo Nuncias gaudia, Nostram rursus Visitans patriam. Respondens placido vultu, Dulci voce dixit: Alleluia. Tell us, O Magdalen! from what land comest thou, announcing new joy to the whole world. And visiting once more our country? She answered with a placid look, and sweet voice, saying: Alleluia! Angelus mihi de Christo indicavit Pia miracula. Resurrexisse Dominum Cecinit voce laudanda. \"An angel hath told me of the dear prodigies wrought by Christ: He sang forth with a voice of praise, that the Lord hath risen from the tomb. Mox ergo pennas Volucris vacuas Dirigens læta per auras: Redii famulis, Ut dicam vacuatum legem veterem, Et novam regnare gratiam. \"Whereupon, I swiftly took wing, and joyfully sped my way through the thin air: I have returned to you, servants of God! that I may tell you that the Old Law is made void, and the New Law of grace hath begun its reign.\" Itaque plaudite, famuli, Voce clara: Christus hodie redemit nos A morte dira. Pater Filium tradidit servis, Ut interimerent pro salute nostra. Sing then, O servants of God! sweetly sing: This day hath Christ delivered us from cruel death. The Father hath delivered up his Son to his creatures, that they might slay him for the sake of our salvation. Sponte subiit Filius mortem, Ut nos redimeret morte ab æterna. Nunc requiem capere licet ovibus, Et frui vita perpetua. Hunc colite pariter mecum famuli Celebri laude sanctum Pascha. Christus est Pax nostra. Alleluia. The Son, of his own free will suffered death, that he might redeem us from eternal death. Now may the sheep take their rest, and enjoy never-ending life. O ye servants of God! unite with me in celebrating the praise of this holy Pasch. Christ is our Peace. Alleluia.", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "voce", "christ", "servants", "death", "jesus", "father", "sacraments", "life", "world", "priests", "holy", "priest", "eternal", "tell", "voice", "praise", "famuli", "christus", "morte" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "SATURDAY_OF_THE_FIFTH_WEEK_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "SATURDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "saturday_of_the_fifth_week_after_easter", "text": "℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cæli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. On this day, which is sacred to Mary, let us open the holy Gospel according to St John. There, in the second chapter, we find these words: *There was a marriage in Cana of Galilee, and the Mother of Jesus was there.*¹ The sacred text goes on to say that Jesus also and his disciples were among the guests; but the Holy Spirit, who guided the Evangelist's hand, would have him first make mention of Mary. It was to teach us that this our blessed Mother extends her protection to those who enter upon the married life with worthy dispositions, that is, with such dispositions as to draw down upon themselves the blessing of her divine Son. Marriage is a sacred state, for it was instituted by God. The first marriage was celebrated in the earthly Paradise between Adam and Eve, when yet they were innocent. It was God himself who dictated the conditions of marriage. Unity was to be its very basis; in other words, the wife was to have but one husband, the husband was to have but one wife. It was the type of a still more glorious unity, which was not to be revealed till a later period. The mystery of unity typified by marriage being part of the Christian revelation, we deem it a duty to put it before our readers by the following considerations. The angels were all created at one and the same time: but the members of the human race were to be born, each indeed from their respective parents, but yet so as that Adam and Eve were to be the common parents to whom all were to owe their origin. Such was our Creator's design, and marriage was the means he selected for its fulfilment. An immense multitude of the angels having fallen, the places destined for them in heaven were to be filled up by the elect of earth; again, it was marriage that was to provide these citizens for heaven. Hence, God blessed marriage at the very commencement of the world, and with a blessing which was to be permanent, for, as the Church teaches us in the Liturgy, \"it was not recalled, either by the punishment inflicted on original sin, or by the sentence which destroyed the world by the deluge.\" ¹ St John ii 1. Even before this second great chastisement came upon the earth, *all flesh had corrupted its way*² and marriage had fallen from the elevated dignity given to it by the Creator. The end for which he instituted it was forgotten; it was debased into a mere sensual gratification; it lost the sacred unity, which was its glory. Polygamy and divorce destroyed its primitive character, and two frightful evils ensued: family ties were at an end, and woman's position was degraded into that of a being which", "keywords": [ "marriage", "church", "christ", "jesus", "earth", "holy", "state", "christian", "sacrament", "love", "heaven", "sacred", "mother", "blessing", "wife", "husband", "world", "together", "mary", "divine" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 6", "Ephesians v. 32", "Genesis ii. 24", "Genesis vi. 12", "John ii. 1", "Matthew ix. 15", "Matthew xix. 5", "Matthew xix. 6" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_2", "title": "APRIL 2", "anchor": "april_2", "text": "SAINT FRANCIS OF PAULA CONFESSOR The heavenly life of the Saint whose name is brought before us to-day teaches us that, aided by divine grace, man may imitate his Risen Lord. Francis of Paula lived in this world as though he were above the ordinary laws of mortals. His mortifications were severe; but his soul enjoyed peace and liberty. He had the gift of miracles to an extent which has rarely been surpassed. Louis XI, King of France, obtained the sanction of the Holy See that Francis should come and live near him: he gave him a convent at Plessis-les-Tours, and died assisted by the Saint's presence and prayers. Francis of Paula died on the Good Friday of the year 1507. This resemblance to his crucified Saviour was a reward for his love of the Cross. But God would show the world how close was the union existing between his faithful servant and our Risen Jesus: Leo X celebrated the Saint's canonization during the Easter of 1518. Low Sunday was the day chosen by the Pontiff for the canonization, which took place in the Vatican Basilica. Thus the glory of the humble man, who would have his disciples be called Minims, was raised above that of the Cæsars of ancient Rome. Let us read the abridged account of his life given us in the Liturgy. Franciscus Paulæ, quod est Calabriæ oppidum, loco humili natus est: quem parentes, cum diu prole caruissent, voto facto, beati Francisci precibus susceperunt. Is adolescens divino ardore succensus, in eremum secessit: ubi annis sex victu asperam, sed meditationibus cœlestibus suavem vitam duxit: sed cum virtutum ejus fama longius manaret, multique ad eum pietatis studio concurrerent, fraternæ charitatis causa e solitudine egressus, ecclesiam prope Paulam ædificavit, ibique prima sui Ordinis fundamenta jecit. Francis was born at Paula, an unimportant town of Calabria. His parents, who were for a long time without children, obtained him from heaven, after having made a vow, and prayed to St Francis. When very young, being inflamed with the love of God, he withdrew into a desert, where for six years he led an austere life, but one that was sweetened by heavenly contemplations. The fame of his virtues having spread abroad, many persons went to him, out of a desire to be trained in virtue. Out of a motive of fraternal charity, he left his solitude, built a church near Paula, and there laid the foundation of his Order. Erat in eo mirifica loquendi gratia: perpetuam virginitatem servavit: pœnitentiam sic coluit, ut se omnium minimum diceret, suosque alumnos Minimos appellari voluerit. Rudi amictu, nudis pedibus incedens, humi cubabat. Cibi abstinentia fuit admirabili: semel in die post solis occasum reficiebatur, et ad panem et aquæ potum vix aliquid ejusmodi obsonii adhibebat, quo vesci in Quadragesima licet: quam consuetudinem ut fratres sui toto anni tempore retinerent, quarto eos voto adstrinxit. He had a wonderful gift of preaching. He observed virginity during his whole life. Such was his love for humility, that he called himself", "keywords": [ "francis", "life", "saint", "paula", "during", "heavenly", "world", "died", "year", "love", "jesus", "celebrated", "disciples", "having", "name", "risen", "lord", "above", "gift", "miracles" ], "saints": [ "St. FRANCIS", "St. Francis", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke xxiv. 26" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_4", "title": "APRIL 4", "anchor": "april_4", "text": "SAINT ISIDORE BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH THE Church presents to us to-day, for our devout admiration, the memory of one of the holiest of her Bishops—Isidore, the bishop of Seville, the most learned man of his age, and what is a still greater praise, the most zealous patriot and friend of his noble country. He comes to speak to us upon the glories of our Risen Jesus. The Gothic or Mozarabic Liturgy, which has given us such admirable prayers for this season, was drawn up mainly by St Isidore; and the explanation we have offered to our readers regarding the mystery of Paschal Time was partially taken from the celebrated treatise wherein the Saint has so learnedly summed up the ancient traditions in reference to the Liturgy. Among Christian lands there is one that has gained for herself the glorious name of The Catholic Kingdom. Towards the close of the seventh century divine Providence subjected her to a most severe trial, by permitting the Saracen hordes to invade her: so that her heroic children had to struggle, for eight hundred years, for the recovery of their country. Contemporaneously with Spain, Asia also and Africa fell under the Mussulman yoke, and have continued in their slavery up to the present day. Whence comes it that Spain has triumphed over her oppressors, and that tyranny has never been able to make her children degenerate? The answer is easily given: Spain, at the period of her invasion, was Catholic, and Catholicity was the very spirit of the land: whereas those other nations, that yielded themselves slaves to the Saracens, were already separated from the Christian Church by heresy or schism. God abandoned them, because they had rejected both the truth of faith, and unity with the Church; they fell an easy prey to the infidel conqueror. Nevertheless, Spain had incurred an immense risk. The race of the Goths, by their long invasion of her territory, had sowed the seeds of heresy: Arianism had set up its sacrilegious altars in Iberia. But God did not permit this privileged country to be long under the yoke of error. Before the Saracens came upon her, she had been reconciled to the Church; and God had chosen one family to be the glorious instrument in the completion of this great work. Even to this day, the traveller through Andalusia will find the squares of its cities adorned with four statues: they are those of three brothers and a sister: St Leander, bishop of Seville; St Isidore, whose feast we are keeping to-day; St Fulgentius, bishop of Cartagena; and their sister St Florentina, a nun. It was by the zeal and eloquence of St Leander that King Reccared and his Goths were converted from Arianism to the Catholic Faith, in the year 589; the learning and piety of our glorious Isidore consolidated the great work; Fulgentius gave it stability by his virtues and erudition; and Florentina co-operated in it by her life of sacrifice and prayer.", "keywords": [ "spain", "isidore", "bishop", "church", "seville", "christian", "country", "catholic", "doctor", "among", "glorious", "heresy", "faith", "leander", "people", "hispaniæ", "etiam", "braulio", "bishops", "liturgy" ], "saints": [ "St. Braulio", "St. Florentina", "St. Fulgentius", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. ISIDORE", "St. Ildephonsus", "St. Isidore", "St. James the Apostle", "St. Leander", "St. Leo the Fourth" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_5", "title": "APRIL 5", "anchor": "april_5", "text": "SAINT VINCENT FERRER CONFESSOR TO-DAY, again, it is Catholic Spain that offers one of her sons to the Church, that she may present him to the Christian world as a model and a patron. Vincent Ferrer, or, as he was called, the Angel of the Judgement, comes to us proclaiming the near approach of the Judge of the living and the dead. During his lifetime, he traversed almost every country of Europe, preaching this terrible truth; and the people of those times went from his sermons striking their breasts, crying out to God to have mercy upon them—in a word, converted. He now sees, from his throne in heaven, the faithful regenerated by penance, fortified by the Bread of Life, and risen again with Christ Jesus. True, all have not obeyed the call of grace; but if we recommend them that have so far remained obstinate in their sins to the great Apostle of to-day, he may perhaps speak to their hearts, in the name of the Master of the vineyard, and prepare the labourers of the eleventh hour to receive their hire. St Vincent has treated of the mystery of Easter in sixteen of his sermons still extant. He there develops, with the learning and simplicity of his time, the glories and wonders of Christ's Resurrection. We offer our readers a passage from the second of these sermons; it was preached on the very day of Easter. The Saint speaks of our Lord's first apparition, which, in common with the Saints and the most esteemed theologians, he too asserts to have been made to our Blessed That Jesus' first visit was to the Virgin Mary, his Mother, is expressly taught by St Ambrose, in his book De Virginibus, where he says: \"Mary saw the Resurrection of Christ, and she was the first to see it.\" If the Evangelists have not mentioned the fact, it was because they would only adduce disinterested witnesses, and a Mother is surely not to be counted as such. As to the reasons in support of such teaching, they are three. The first is the divine commandment given to children with regard to their parents. Mary had suffered more than anyone else in the Passion of her Son; he, therefore, was sure to give her consolation in preference to all others, who out of filial regard for her had spared her the pains of child-birth, and at a future period would not allow her to suffer those of death. The second reason is the merit of Mary's faith. During the Passion, the Apostles and disciples lost their faith; they doubted their Master's being the true God and Messias; they looked upon him as nothing more than a great prophet. Mary was the only one who firmly believed in him during the whole of the Saturday, which has led the faithful to consecrate that day of the week to her honour. Jesus, therefore, would fulfil in her favour that which is written: The Lord showeth himself", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "didst", "faith", "christ", "jesus", "pontiff", "life", "mary", "divine", "light", "lord", "peter", "attila", "vincent", "people", "name", "resurrection", "blessed", "mother" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Cornelius", "St. John", "St. LEO", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Stephen", "St. VINCENT", "St. Vincent" ], "scripture": [ "John l.", "John xiv. 21", "Judith xv. 10", "Luke xxii. 32", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Osee vi. 3", "Peter i.", "Peter ii. 10", "Peter liv.", "Psalms cvii. 3", "Psalms lviii. 6", "Wisdom i. 2" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_13", "title": "APRIL 13", "anchor": "april_13", "text": "SAINT HERMENEGILD MARTYR It is through a martyr's palm-branch that we must to-day see the Paschal Mystery. Hermenegild, a young Visigoth prince, is put to death by his heretical father, because he courageously refused to receive his Easter Communion from an Arian bishop. The martyr knew that the Eucharist is the sacred symbol of Catholic unity; and that we are not allowed to approach the Holy Table in company with those who are not in the true Church. A sacrilegious consecration gives heretics the real possession of the divine Mystery, if the priestly character be in him who dares to offer sacrifice to the God whom he blasphemes; but the Catholic, who knows that he may not so much as pray with heretics, shudders at the sight of the profanation, and would rather die than share by his presence in insulting our Redeemer in that very Sacrifice and Sacrament which were instituted that we might all be made one in God. The blood of the martyr produced its fruit: Spain threw off the chains of heresy that had enslaved her, and a Council, held at Toledo, completed the work of conversion begun by Hermenegild's sacrifice. There are very few instances recorded in history of a whole nation rising up as one man to abjure heresy; but Spain did it, for she seems to be a country on which heaven lavishes exceptional blessings. Shortly after this she was put through the ordeal of the Saracen invasion; she triumphed here again by the bravery of her children; and ever since then, her faith has been so staunch and so pure as to merit for her the proud title of The Catholic Kingdom. St Gregory the Great, a contemporary of St Hermenegild, has transmitted to us the following account of the martyrdom. The Church has inserted it in her Lessons of to-day's Matins. Ex libro Dialogorum sancti Gregorii Papæ. Hermenegildus rex, Leovigildi regis Visigothorum filius, ab ariana hæresi ad fidem catholicam, viro reverendissimo Leandro Hispalensi Episcopo, dudum mihi in amicitiis familiariter juncto, prædicante, conversus est. Quem pater arianus, ut ad eamdem hæresim rediret, et præmiis suadere, et minis terrere conatus est. Cumque ille constantissime responderet numquam se veram fidem posse relinquere, quam semel agnovisset: iratus pater eum privavit regno, rebusque exspoliavit omnibus. Cumque nec sic virtutem mentis illius emollire valuisset; in arcta illum custodia concludens, collum manusque illius ferro ligavit. Cœpit itaque Hermenegildus rex juvenis terrendum regnum despicere, et forti desiderio cœleste quærens, in ciliciis vinculatus jacens, omnipotenti Deo, ad confortandum se, preces effundere; tantoque sublimius gloriam transeuntis mundi despicere, quanto et religatus agnoverat nihil fuisse, quod potuerit auferri. Superveniente autem Paschalis festivitatis die, intempestæ noctis silentio, ad eum perfidus pater arianum episcopum misit, ut ex ejus manu sacrilegæ consecrationis communionem perciperet, atque per hoc ad patris gratiam redire mereretur. Sed vir Deo deditus, ariano episcopo venienti exprobravit ut debuit, ejusque a se perfidiam dignis increpationibus repulit: quia etsi exterius jacebat ligatus, apud se tamen in magno mentis culmine stabat securus. Ad se", "keywords": [ "hermenegild", "faith", "martyr", "father", "true", "arian", "heaven", "bishop", "catholic", "holy", "heresy", "throne", "pater", "quod", "king", "death", "church", "martyrdom", "episcopo", "quoque" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. HERMENEGILD", "St. Hermenegild" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_14", "title": "APRIL 14", "anchor": "april_14", "text": "SAINT JUSTIN MARTYR Yesterday Spain sent one of her princes to represent her at the court of the Conqueror of Death. To-day Christ receives with equal honour the representative of learning in the service of religion. The philosopher's mantle worn by Justin is as splendid as the royal purple of Hermenegild, for both prince and philosopher have washed their robes in their own blood, mingled with that of the Lamb, and these robes have become the insignia of their eternal glory. But the victory of Christ's champions is not felt in heaven only; the blood of the martyrs makes the very earth fruitful. In spite of heresy, Catholic Spain was born from the royal blood of Hermenegild, and paganism, by sacrificing Justin to its own hatred, inspired new vigour into the seed sown in Rome by SS Peter and Paul. On this very day the sacred cycle brings before us SS Valerian, Tiburtius, and Maximus, the glorious triumvirate won to Christ by the immortal Cecily, who embodies so nobly the Roman faith defended with such love and learning by Justin. When she was born, Justin's public disputations with the adversaries of Christianity were filling Rome with his victorious refutations of paganism. His writings, which he boldly caused to penetrate even to the imperial throne, carried the light to regions which he could not reach by his spoken word. The lictor's axe, in striking off the head of the apologist, gave more force to his demonstrations than had been given by his powerful logic, when for the first time he overcame the powers of hell and put an end to a fierce persecution. The world, courted on all sides by a thousand different schools, which by their contradictions seemed bent on making the discovery of truth impossible, was now in a position to recognize sincerity. Marcus Aurelius had succeeded Antoninus Pius, and he claimed to enthrone philosophy in his own person. His ideal of perfection was the satisfaction of self and the contempt of others, and he passed from dogmatic scepticism to the establishment of the Moral Law, delivering his 'Thoughts' to the admiration of his courtiers without caring for the reformation of their morals. Justin had been seeking truth from boyhood, in order to find justice. He was not discouraged by the ill-success of his early efforts, and did not make the delay of the dawn an excuse for denying the existence of the light. When, at God's chosen time, he found Wisdom, he longed to communicate her to all, little and great, and devoted his life to the work, making naught of the labours and sufferings by which he solemnly confessed his faith before the world. What man of good faith could hesitate to choose between the Christian hero and the crowned sophist who put him to death? Who would not, like Cecily, pour scorn upon the pretensions of those false philosophers who have made themselves masters of the world and who give no proof of their love for", "keywords": [ "christ", "church", "faith", "justin", "reason", "cecily", "love", "christian", "holy", "martyrs", "valerian", "light", "truth", "heaven", "tiburtius", "maximus", "wisdom", "lord", "prefect", "blood" ], "saints": [ "St. JUSTIN" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus iv. 15", "Ecclesiasticus iv. 18", "Ecclesiasticus vi. 23", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_17", "title": "APRIL 17", "anchor": "april_17", "text": "SAINT ANICETUS POPE AND MARTYR A Pope and martyr of the second century appears in the Calendar to-day. The martyrs stand in clusters near our Risen Lord; they are the Eagles of which he speaks in his Gospel, as gathering together around their longed-for object!¹ Anicetus is not the only Pope whose martyrdom has to be celebrated during Paschal Time; others will come, adding to our Easter joy. The Saint who claims our attention to-day is one of those whose holy actions are shrouded in the venerable gloom of the Church; and yet his memory will be held in veneration to the end of time, not only as being the eleventh successor of St Peter in the See of Rome, but as having imitated him also in holiness of life. St Polycarp, whose feast we kept on January 26, came from Smyrna to Rome, in order to visit him and receive his advice. There have also been transmitted to us one or two instances of the zeal wherewith he defended the Church against the heresiarchs, Valentine and Marcion. In a word, we know that he was a martyr; and that is enough to immortalize his name. The Church makes the following commemoration of the holy Pontiff: Anicetus Syrus, imperatore Marco Aurelio Antonino, præfuit Ecclesiæ. Decrevit ne clerici comam nutrirent. Quinquies mense decembri ordinavit presbyteros decem et septem, diaconos quatuor, episcopos per diversa loca novem. Vixit in Pontificatu annos octo, menses octo, dies viginti quatuor. Propter Christi fidem martyrio coronatus, sepultus est via Appia in cœmeterio, quod postea Callisti appellatum est, decimo quinto kalendas maii. Anicetus, a Syrian by birth, governed the Church during the reign of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. He passed a decree which forbade clerics to nourish their hair. The ordinations, which he held in five Decembers, gave seventeen priests, four deacons, and nine bishops for divers places. His pontificate lasted eight years, eight months, and twenty-four days. He was crowned with martyrdom for the Christian Faith, and was buried on the fifteenth of the Kalends of May (April 17), in the Cemetery (afterwards called the Cemetery of Callixtus) which is on the Appian Way. Holy Pontiff! who so many long ages ago wast made partaker of the glory of him whose Vicar and martyr thou hadst the privilege to be, we celebrate thy blessed memory to-day with filial affection. In thee we venerate one of the pillars of the early Church; and though thy name has been handed down to us without the history of those holy deeds which merited for thee a martyr's palm—we at least know that it was dear to the faithful of the age in which thou didst live. Now that thou art in heaven, thy zeal for the glory of God is greater than it was when thou wast on this earth; pray, then, for the Church of these sad times. Upwards of two hundred Pontiffs have followed thee upon the Chair of Peter; and Christ has not yet come to judge the", "keywords": [ "church", "martyr", "anicetus", "whose", "holy", "pope", "during", "peter", "wast", "saint", "martyrs", "risen", "martyrdom", "memory", "held", "successor", "rome", "zeal", "know", "name" ], "saints": [ "St. ANICETUS", "St. Peter", "St. Polycarp" ], "scripture": [ "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_21", "title": "APRIL 21", "anchor": "april_21", "text": "SAINT ANSELM BISHOP, AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH A monk, a Bishop, a Doctor of the Church—such was the Saint whose feast comes to gladden us on this twenty-first day of April. He was a martyr, also, at least in desire, and we may add, in merit too—for he did enough to earn the glorious palm. When we think of Anselm, we picture to ourselves a man in whom are combined the humility and meekness of the cloister with the zeal and courage of the episcopal dignity; a man who was both a sage and a saint; a man whom it was impossible not to love and respect. He left his native country of Piedmont for the Monastery of Bec in France, where he became a Benedictine monk. Being elected Superior, he realized in himself the type of an Abbot, as drawn by St Benedict in his Rule: 'He that is made Abbot,' says the holy Patriarch, 'should study to give help rather than to give commands.'² We read that the love entertained for Anselm by his brethren was beyond description. His whole time was devoted to them, either in giving them spiritual direction, or in communicating to them his own sublime knowledge of the sacred sciences. After governing them for several years, he was taken from them, and compelled to accept the dignity of Archbishop of Canterbury. He was a worthy successor of Augustine, Dunstan, Elphege, and Lanfranc; and by his own noble example of courage, he prepared the way for the glorious martyr Thomas, who succeeded him in less than a century. As bishop, his whole life was spent in fighting for the liberty of the Church. Though gentle as a lamb by nature, he was all energy for this great cause. He used to say: 'Christ would not have his Spouse be a slave; there is nothing in this world that God loves more than the liberty of his Church.' There was a time when the Son of God allowed himself to be fettered with bonds in order that he might loosen us from the chains of our sins; but now that he has risen in triumph from the dead, he wills that his Spouse should be, like himself, free. She cannot otherwise exercise the ministry of salvation confided to her by her divine Lord; and yet there is scarcely a single hundred years of her existence in which she has not had to fight for this holy liberty. The rulers of this earth, with very few exceptions, have ever been jealous of her influence, and have sought to lessen it by every possible means. In our own times there are numbers of her children who do not even know that she has any rights or privileges; they would be at a loss to understand you, if you told them that she is the Spouse of Christ, and therefore a queen; they think it quite enough for her, if she enjoy the same amount of freedom and", "keywords": [ "church", "anselm", "holy", "alleluia", "doctor", "liberty", "world", "learning", "life", "fight", "blessed", "faith", "anselmus", "ejus", "didst", "courage", "abbot", "study", "lanfranc", "nothing" ], "saints": [ "St. ANSELM", "St. Anselm", "St. Benedict", "St. John", "St. Jude", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John x. 14", "Matthew xxiv. 28" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_22", "title": "APRIL 22", "anchor": "april_22", "text": "SAINTS SOTER AND CAIUS POPES AND MARTYRS The palms of two martyred Popes are intertwined and grace this day of the Calendar. Soter suffered for Christ in the second, and Caius in the third century; a hundred years separate them; and yet we have the same energy of faith, the same jealous fidelity to keep intact the depositum left by Christ to his Church. What human society ever existed that produced heroes for century after century? The Society, however, which was founded by Christ—in other words, the Church—is based on that traditional devotedness which consists in laying down one's life for the faith. And if so, we may be sure that the spirit of martyrdom would show itself in them that were the Heads and Fathers of this Society. The first thirty successors of St Peter paid dearly for the honour of the Supreme Pontificate; they were martyrs. How grand the throne of our Risen Jesus, surrounded as it is by all these Kings clad in their triumphant scarlet robes! Soter was the immediate successor of Anicetus, whose feast we kept on the 17th of this month. Time has effaced the details of his life. Eusebius, however, gives us a fragment of a letter written by St Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, wherein thanks are expressed to the Pontiff for the alms he sent to the faithful of that Church, during a famine. An Apostolic Letter was sent with these alms; and St Dionysius tells us that it was read in the assemblies of the faithful, together with the one addressed to the same Church, in the preceding century, by St Clement. The Roman Pontiffs have ever united charity to their fidelity in preserving pure the deposit of our faith. With regard to Caius, he suffered death in the terrible persecution under Diocletian: and little more than a mere mention of his name is given in the annals of Christian Rome. We cannot, therefore, be surprised at the brevity wherewith the Liturgy speaks of these two martyred Popes. We subjoin the Lessons given in the Breviary. Soter, Fundis in Campania natus, sancivit ne sacræ virgines vasa sacra et pallas attingerent, neve thuris ministerio in Ecclesia uterentur. Idem statuit ut Christi corpus in Cena Domini sumeretur ab omnibus, iis exceptis, qui propter grave peccatum id facere prohiberentur. Sedit in Pontificatu annos tres, menses undecim, dies decem et octo: martyrio coronatur sub Marco Aurelio imperatore, et in cœmeterio, quod postea Callisti dictum est, sepelitur, more majorum, mense decembri, creatis presbyteris decem et octo, diaconis novem, episcopis per diversa loca undecim. Soter was born at Fondi, in Campania. He made a decree, forbidding virgins consecrated to God to touch the sacred vessels and palls, or to exercise the office of thurifer in the Church. He also decreed, that on Maundy Thursday the Body of Christ should be received by all, excepting those who were forbidden to do so by reason of some grievous sin. His pontificate lasted three years, eleven months, and eighteen days.", "keywords": [ "church", "soter", "caius", "christ", "century", "years", "faith", "octo", "popes", "society", "spirit", "martyrdom", "month", "diocletian", "cemetery", "quinque", "against", "five", "martyrs", "martyred" ], "saints": [ "St. Clement", "St. Dionysius", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse vii. 14", "Kings cl.", "Psalms lxv. 12" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_23", "title": "APRIL 23", "anchor": "april_23", "text": "SAINT GEORGE MARTYR Clad in his bright coat of mail, mounted on his war-steed, and spearing the dragon with his lance, George, the intrepid champion of our Risen Jesus, comes to gladden us to-day with his feast. From the East, where he is known as the great Martyr, devotion to St George soon spread in the Western Church, and our Christian armies have always loved and honoured him as one of their dearest patrons. His martyrdom took place in Paschal Time; and thus he stands before us as the guardian of the glorious sepulchre, just as Stephen, the Protomartyr, watches near the crib of the Infant God. The Roman Liturgy gives no lessons on the life of St George; but, in their stead, reads to us a passage from St Cyprian on the sufferings of the martyrs. This derogation from the general rule dates from the fifth century. At a celebrated Council held in Rome in the year 496, Pope St Gelasius drew up, for the guidance of the faithful, a list of books which might or might not be read without danger. Among the number of those that were to be avoided, he mentioned the 'Acts of St George,' as having been compiled by one who, besides being an ignorant man, was also a heretic. In the East, however, there were other 'Acts' of the holy martyr, totally different from those current in Rome; but they were not known in that city. The cultus of St George lost nothing, in the holy city, by this absence of a true legend. From a very early period, a church was built in his honour; it was one of those that were selected as Stations, and gave a Title to a Cardinal; it exists to this day, and it is called Saint George in Velabro (the Veil of Gold). The Bollandists were in possession of several copies of the forbidden 'Acts'; they found them replete with absurd stories, and, of course, they rejected them. Father Papebroch has given us other and genuine 'Acts' written in Greek, and quoted by St Andrew of Crete. They bring out the admirable character of our martyr, who held an important post in the Roman army during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian. He was one of the first victims of the great persecution and suffered death at Nicomedia. Alexandra, the Emperor's wife, was so impressed at witnessing the Saint's courage, that she professed herself a Christian, and shared the crown of martyrdom with the brave soldier of Christ. As we have already said, devotion to St George dates from a very early period. St Gregory of Tours gives us several proofs of its having taken root in Gaul. St Clotilde had a singular confidence in the holy martyr, and dedicated to him the Church of her dear Abbey of Chelles. But this devotion became more general and more fervent during the Crusades, when the Christian armies witnessed the veneration in which St George was held by", "keywords": [ "george", "martyr", "christ", "church", "glorious", "saint", "devotion", "christian", "soldier", "battle", "king", "christi", "celebrate", "dragon", "feast", "acts", "having", "holy", "england", "victory" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew of Crete", "St. Clotilde", "St. Cyprian", "St. GEORGE", "St. Gelasius", "St. George", "St. Gregory of Tours", "St. Mark", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "2 Timothy ii. 5", "Ephesians vi. 13" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_24", "title": "APRIL 24", "anchor": "april_24", "text": "SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN MARTYR OUR Risen Lord would have around him a bright phalanx of martyrs. Its privileged members belong to the different centuries of the Church's existence. Its ranks open to-day to give welcome to a brave combatant, who won his palm, not in a contest with paganism, as those did whose feasts we have thus far kept, but in defending his mother, the Church, against her own rebellious children. They were heretics that slew this day's martyr, and the century that was honoured with his triumph was the seventeenth. Fidelis was worthy of his beautiful name. Neither difficulty nor menace could make him fail in his duty. During his whole life, he had but the glory and service of his divine Lord in view: and when the time came for him to face the fatal danger, he did so, calmly but fearlessly, as behoved a disciple of that Jesus who went forth to meet his enemies. Honour, then, be to-day to the brave son of St Francis! truly he is worthy of his seraphic Patriarch, who confronted the Saracens, and was a martyr in desire! Protestantism was established and rooted by the shedding of torrents of blood; and yet Protestants count it as a great crime that, here and there, the children of the true Church made an armed resistance against them. The heresy of the sixteenth century was the cruel and untiring persecutor of men, whose only crime was their adhesion to the old faith—the faith that had civilized the world. The so-called Reformation proclaimed liberty in matters of religion, and massacred Catholics who exercised this liberty, and prayed and believed as their ancestors had done for long ages before Luther and Calvin were born. A Catholic who gives heretics credit for sincerity when they talk about religious toleration, proves that he knows nothing of either the past or the present. There is a fatal instinct in error, which leads it to hate the Truth; and the true Church, by its unchangeableness, is a perpetual reproach to them that refuse to be her children. Heresy starts with an attempt to annihilate them that remain faithful; when it has grown tired of open persecution it vents its spleen in insults and calumnies; and when these do not produce the desired effect, hypocrisy comes in with its assurances of friendly forbearance. The history of Protestant Europe, during the last three centuries, confirms these statements; it also justifies us in honouring those courageous servants of God who, during that same period, have died for the ancient faith. Let us now respectfully listen to the account given us, in the Liturgy, of the life and martyrdom of St Fidelis; we shall find that the Church has not grown degenerate in her Saints. Fidelis in oppido Sueviæ Sigmaringa ex honesta Reyorum familia natus, ab ineunte ætate singularibus naturæ et gratiæ donis ornatus præfulsit. Egregiam quippe sortitus indolem, morumque optima imbutus disciplina, dum Friburgi Philosophiæ et juris utriusque lauream emeruit, in schola", "keywords": [ "church", "faith", "fidelis", "heretics", "life", "martyr", "against", "children", "true", "holy", "death", "martyrs", "whose", "mother", "name", "jesus", "etiam", "during", "whole", "truly" ], "saints": [ "St. FIDELIS", "St. Fidelis", "St. Francis", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "2 Timothy iv. 7", "John xx. 29" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_25", "title": "APRIL 25", "anchor": "april_25", "text": "SAINT MARK EVANGELIST The cycle of holy Mother Church brings before us to-day the Lion, who, together with the Man, the Ox, and the Eagle, stands before the throne of God.¹ It was on this day that Mark ascended from earth to heaven, radiant with his triple aureole of Evangelist, Apostle and Martyr. As the preaching made to Israel had its four great representatives—Isaias, Jeremias, Ezechiel, and Daniel—so, likewise, would God have the New Covenant to be embodied in the four Gospels, which were to make known to the world the life and teachings of his divine Son. The holy Fathers tell us that the Gospels are like the four streams which watered the garden of pleasure,² and that this garden was a figure of the future Church. The first of the Evangelists—the first to register the actions and words of our Redeemer—is Matthew, whose star will rise in September; the second is Mark, whose brightness gladdens us to-day; the third is Luke, whose rays will shine upon us in October; the fourth is John, whom we have already seen in Bethlehem, at the crib of our Emmanuel. ¹ Ezech. i 10. ² Gen. ii 10. Mark was the beloved disciple of Peter; he was the brilliant satellite of the sun of the Church. He wrote his Gospel at Rome, under the eyes of the Prince of the Apostles. The Church was already in possession of the history given by Matthew; but the faithful of Rome wished their own Apostle to narrate what he had witnessed. Peter refused to write it himself, but he bade his disciple take up his pen, and the Holy Ghost guided the hand of the new Evangelist. Mark follows the account given by Matthew; he abridges it, and yet he occasionally adds a word, or an incident, which plainly prove to us that Peter, who had seen and heard all, was his living and venerated authority. One would have almost expected that the new Evangelist would pass over in silence the history of his master's fall, or at least have said as little as possible about it; but no—the Gospel written by Mark is more detailed on Peter's denial than is that of Matthew; and as we read it, we cannot help feeling that the tears elicited by Jesus' look when in the house of Caiphas, were flowing down the Apostle's cheeks as he described the sad event. Mark's work being finished, Peter examined it and gave it his sanction; the several Churches joyfully received this second account of the mysteries of the world's redemption, and the name of Mark was made known throughout the whole earth. Matthew begins his Gospel with the human genealogy of the Son of God, and has thus realized the prophetic type of the Man; Mark fulfils that of the Lion, for he commences with the preaching of John the Baptist, whose office as precursor of the Messias had been foretold by Isaias, where he spoke of the voice of", "keywords": [ "mark", "holy", "church", "peter", "rome", "didst", "evangelist", "earth", "apostle", "marce", "gospel", "procession", "light", "christ", "lion", "preaching", "alexandria", "lord", "april", "pray" ], "saints": [ "St. Charles", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Leo", "St. MARK", "St. Mark", "St. Paulinus", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse iv.", "Ezechiel i. 10", "Genesis ii. 10", "Mark i." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_26", "title": "APRIL 26", "anchor": "april_26", "text": "SAINTS CLETUS AND MARCELLINUS POPES AND MARTYRS Two bright stars appear this day on the ecclesiastical cycle, proclaiming the glory of our Jesus, the Conqueror of death. Again they are two pontiffs, and martyr pontiffs. Cletus leads us to the very commencement of the Church, for he was a disciple of Peter, and his second successor in the See of Rome. Marcellinus was a witness of the great persecution under Diocletian; he governed the Church on the eve of her triumph. Let us honour these two fathers of Christendom, who laid down their lives in its defence; and let us offer their merits to Jesus, who supported them by his grace, and cheered them with the hope that one day they would share in his Resurrection. The following is the account given of St Cletus by the Liturgy: Cletus Romanus, patre Emiliano, de regione quinta, e vico Patricio, imperatoribus Vespasiano et Tito, Ecclesiam gubernavit. Is ex præcepto Principis Apostolorum, in Urbe viginti quinque presbyteros ordinavit. Primus in litteris verbis illis usus est: Salutem et Apostolicam benedictionem. Qui Ecclesia optime constituta, cum ei præfuisset annos duodecim, menses septem, dies duos, Domitiano imperatore, secunda post Neronem persecutione, martyrio coronatus est, et in Vaticano juxta corpus beati Petri sepultus. Cletus, the son of Emilianus, was a Roman of the fifth region and of the Patrician street. He governed the Church during the reigns of the emperors Vespasian and Titus. Agreeably to the order given him by the Prince of the Apostles, he established five and twenty priests in the City. He was the first who in his letters used the words: 'Health and Apostolic benediction.' Having put the Church into admirable order, and having governed it twelve years, seven months, and two days, he was crowned with martyrdom under the emperor Domitian, in the second persecution following that of Nero, and was buried in the Vatican, near the body of St Peter. The Life of St Marcellinus is thus given in the Breviary: Marcellinus Romanus, ab anno ducentesimo nonagesimo sexto ad annum trecentesimum quartum in immani imperatoris Diocletiani persecutione Ecclesiæ præfuit. Multas pertulit angustias ob improbam eorum severitatem qui eum redarguebant de nimia indulgentia erga lapsos in idololatriam, quæque causa fuit ut per calumniam infamatus fuerit, quasi thus idolis adhibuisset. Verum hic beatus Pontifex in confessione fidei una cum tribus aliis Christianis, Claudio, Cyrino et Antonino, capite plexus est. Quorum projecta corpora cum triginta sex dies jussu imperatoris sepultura caruissent, beatus Marcellus a sancto Petro in somnis admonitus, Presbyteris et Diaconis, hymnis ac luminibus adhibitis, honorifice sepelienda curavit in cœmeterio Priscillæ, via Salaria. Rexit Ecclesiam annos septem, menses undecim, dies viginti tres: quo tempore fecit Ordinationes duas mense decembri, quibus creavit presbyteros quatuor, episcopos per diversa loca quinque. Marcellinus, a Roman by birth, ruled over the Church from the year two hundred and ninety-six to the year three hundred and four, during the terrible persecution of Diocletian. He had much to suffer from the impious severity of those who reproached him with showing", "keywords": [ "church", "marcellinus", "cletus", "order", "martyrs", "governed", "days", "jesus", "pontiffs", "peter", "persecution", "dies", "during", "priests", "having", "three", "holy", "adore", "save", "death" ], "saints": [ "St. Cletus", "St. Marcellinus", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_28", "title": "APRIL 28", "anchor": "april_28", "text": "SAINT PAUL OF THE CROSS CONFESSOR Splendidly adorned with the sacred sign of the Passion, Paul of the Cross comes to-day to pay homage to the Conqueror of Death. It behoved Christ to suffer and so enter into his glory. It behoves the Christian, the member of Christ, to follow his Head in suffering that he may share his triumph. Even as a child Paul penetrated deeply into the ineffable mystery of the suffering of a God. He was filled with an ardent love for the cross, and ran with giant strides along this royal road. He passed through the torrent, following his divine Head, he was buried with him in death, and has won a share in his Resurrection. The diminution of truths among the children of men seemed to have dried up the fount of sanctity, when Italy, ever fruitful in her vivid faith, gave birth to the Christian hero, who stands out in the arid waste of the eighteenth century, like a saint of olden times. God never deserts his Church. He confronts a century of revolt and sensualism veiled under the name of philosophy with the Cross of his Son. A new Paul, recalling both in his name and his works the great Apostle of the Gentiles, rises in the midst of a generation intoxicated with pride and falsehood, to whom the Cross has become once more a folly and a scandal. This apostle was weak, poor, isolated and long misunderstood, but his heart was full of love and self-abnegation, and he sought to put to confusion the wisdom of sages and the prudence of prudent men. Clad in a coarse habit, with bare feet, his head crowned with thorns and a heavy cross on his shoulder, he journeyed through cities, claiming the attention of both the humble and the mighty, and desiring to know nothing but Jesus Crucified. The Cross made his zeal fruitful and showed itself to be indeed the power and the wisdom of God. Those who prided themselves on having banished the miraculous from history and the supernatural from the life of the people, might exult in their triumph, but, unknown to them, wonderful prodigies, countless miracles, were making whole peoples submissive to the voice of this man who, by completely destroying sin in his own person, had regained the power which Adam once had over nature, and seemed to possess in his mortal flesh the qualities of a glorified body. But the apostolate of the Cross was not to end with Paul's death. The resources of ancient times were no longer sufficient for a decrepit age. We are far from the days when the exquisite delicacy of Christian sentiment was strongly moved by the sight of the cross amid flowers, as it is seen in the paintings of the catacombs. Man's senses have been dulled by unhealthy emotions, and there is need of a stimulant in the form of a constant representation of the tears, the Blood, and the gaping wounds", "keywords": [ "cross", "paul", "love", "vitalis", "death", "church", "spirit", "divine", "ever", "passion", "christ", "christian", "having", "life", "heaven", "triumph", "power", "received", "father", "lord" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt", "St. PAUL", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. VITALIS", "St. Vitalis" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians xii. 4", "Apocalypse i. 18", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 14", "John iii. 8", "Matthew xxiv. 30", "Psalms lxxv. 5" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_29", "title": "APRIL 29", "anchor": "april_29", "text": "SAINT PETER MARTYR The hero deputed this day by the Church to greet our Risen Lord was so valiant in the good fight that martyrdom is part of his name. He is known as Peter the Martyr; so that we cannot speak of him without raising the echo of victory. He was put to death by heretics, and is the grand tribute paid to our Redeemer by the thirteenth century. Never was there a triumph hailed with greater enthusiasm than this. The martyrdom of St Thomas of Canterbury excited the admiration of the faithful of the preceding century, for nothing was so dear to our forefathers as the liberty of the Church; the martyrdom of St Peter was celebrated with a like intensity of praise and joy. Let us hearken to the fervid eloquence of the great Pontiff, Innocent IV, who thus begins the Bull of the martyr's canonization: 'The truth of the Christian faith, manifested, as it has been, by great and frequent miracles, is now beautified by the new merit of a new Saint. Lo! a combatant of these our own times comes, bringing us new and great and triumphant signs. The voice of his blood shed (for Christ) is heard, and the fame of his martyrdom is trumpeted, through the world. The land is not silent that sweateth with his blood; the country that produced so noble a warrior resounds with his praise; yea, the very sword that did the deed of parricide proclaims his glory. . . . Mother Church has great reason to rejoice, and abundant matter for gladness; she has cause to sing a new canticle to the Lord, and a hymn of fervent praise to her God: . . . the Christian people has cause to give forth devout songs to its Creator. A sweet fruit, gathered in the garden of faith, has been set upon the table of the eternal King: a grape-bunch taken from the vineyard of the Church has filled the royal cup with new wine. . . . The flourishing Order of Preachers has produced a red rose, whose sweetness is most grateful to the King; and from the Church here on earth there has been taken a stone, which, after being cut and polished, has deserved a place of honour in the temple of heaven.'¹ Such was the language wherewith the supreme Pontiff spoke of the new martyr, and the people responded by celebrating his feast with extraordinary devotion. It was kept as were the ancient festivals, that is, all servile work was forbidden upon it. The churches served by the Fathers of the Dominican Order were crowded on his feast; and the faithful took little branches with them, that they might be blessed in memory of the triumph of Peter the Martyr. This custom is still observed; and the branches blessed by the Dominicans on this day are venerated as being a protection to the houses where they are kept. How are we to account for all", "keywords": [ "faith", "peter", "martyr", "truth", "church", "holy", "order", "death", "error", "martyrdom", "heretics", "christian", "whilst", "blood", "people", "against", "lord", "name", "triumph", "faithful" ], "saints": [ "St. Dominic", "St. PETER", "St. Peter", "St. Peter the Martyr", "St. Thomas of Canterbury" ], "scripture": [ "Hebrews xi. 6", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "APRIL_30", "title": "APRIL 30", "anchor": "april_30", "text": "SAINT CATHARINE OF SIENA VIRGIN The Dominican Order, which yesterday presented a rose to our Risen Jesus, now offers him a lily of surpassing beauty. Catharine of Siena follows Peter the Martyr: it is a coincidence willed by Providence, to give fresh beauty to this season of grandest mysteries. Our divine King deserves everything we can offer him; and our hearts are never so eager to give him every possible tribute of homage as during these last days of his sojourn among us. See how nature is all flower and fragrance at this loveliest of her seasons! The spiritual world harmonizes with the visible, and now yields her noblest and richest works in honour of our Lord, the author of grace. How grand is the Saint whose feast comes to gladden us to-day! She is one of the most favoured of the holy Spouses of the Incarnate Word. She was his, wholly and unreservedly, almost from her very childhood. Though thus consecrated to him by the vow of holy virginity, she had a mission given to her by divine Providence which required her living in the world. But God would have her to be one of the glories of the religious state; he therefore inspired her to join the Third Order of St Dominic. Accordingly, she wore the habit, and fervently practised during her whole life the holy exercises of a Tertiary. From the very commencement, there was something heavenly about this admirable servant of God, which we fancy existing in an angel who had been sent from heaven to live in a human body. Her longing after God gave one an idea of the vehemence wherewith the blessed embrace the Sovereign Good on their first entrance into heaven. In vain did the body threaten to impede the soaring of this earthly seraph; she subdued it by penance, and made it obedient to the spirit. Her body seemed to be transformed, so as to have no life of its own, but only that of the soul. The Blessed Sacrament was frequently the only food she took for weeks together. So complete was her union with Christ that she received the impress of the sacred stigmata, and with them the most excruciating pain. And yet in the midst of all these supernatural favours, Catharine felt the keenest interest in the necessities of others. Her zeal for their spiritual advantage was intense, whilst her compassion for them in their corporal sufferings was that of a most loving mother. God had given her the gift of miracles, and she was lavish in using it for the benefit of her fellow-creatures. Sickness and death itself were obedient to her command; and the prodigies witnessed at the beginning of the Church were again wrought by the humble Saint of Siena. Her communings with God began when she was quite a child, and her ecstasies were almost without interruption. She frequently saw our Risen Jesus, who never left her without having honoured her either with a", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "cross", "jesus", "life", "christ", "faith", "didst", "death", "divine", "world", "lord", "rome", "love", "heaven", "having", "alleluia", "mother", "saint", "honour" ], "saints": [ "St. ALEXANDER", "St. ANTONINUS", "St. ATHANASIUS", "St. Adrian", "St. Alexander", "St. Ambrose", "St. Andrew", "St. Antony", "St. Athanasius", "St. Augustine", "St. Aurea", "St. BONIFACE", "St. Basil", "St. CATHARINE", "St. Catharine", "St. Catharine of Siena", "St. Clement", "St. Cyril of Jerusalem", "St. Dominic", "St. Epiphanius", "St. FLAVIA", "St. Flavia", "St. GREGORY", "St. Gabriel", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Helen", "St. JOHN", "St. James", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Juvenal", "St. Luke", "St. MICHAEL", "St. MONICA", "St. Mary", "St. Mary of Scete", "St. Matt", "St. Michael", "St. Monica", "St. PANCRAS", "St. PIUS", "St. Paul", "St. Paulinus of Nola", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Philip", "St. Pius", "St. Radegonde", "St. Raphael", "St. STANISLAUS", "St. Sabina", "St. Theodore the Studite" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 24", "1 Corinthians xv. 7", "2 Thessalonians ii. 3", "Apocalypse i. 5", "Apocalypse vi. 11", "Apocalypse xii. 13", "Apocalypse xiv. 4", "Canticle of Canticles iii. 3", "Colossians i. 24", "Deuteronomy xxi. 23", "Ephesians iii. 18", "Galatians i. 19", "Habacuc i.", "Habacuc ii. 1", "Hebrews i. 6", "Isaias ix. 6", "James i.", "Jeremias i. 18", "John c.", "John i. 1", "John vi. 5", "John xi. 25", "John xii. 32", "Luke vii. 14", "Mark i.", "Matthew v. 8", "Matthew x. 16", "Matthew xi. 12", "Peter i.", "Peter i. 19", "Peter l.", "Philippians ii. 7", "Philippians iv. 22", "Psalms cxxxi. 7", "Psalms xcvi. 8", "Psalms xxxiii. 9", "Romans vi." ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "MAY_15", "title": "MAY 15", "anchor": "may_15", "text": "SAINT JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE CONFESSOR John Baptist de la Salle, the teacher of the humble, takes his place to-day beside Leo the Great, Athanasius, and Gregory of Nazianzum. He has no fear. The victor of Paschal Time is the same Jesus who said during his mortal life: 'Suffer the little children to come unto me,'¹ and 'unless you be converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven,'² that kingdom of heaven which, after entering into his glory, he manifests so fully upon earth. On the other hand, the Lion of Juda is never more terrible in his anger than when he beholds evil men conspiring to keep from him the little ones of whom he forms his court.³ The promise made in Holy Scripture that 'they that instruct many to justice shall shine as stars for all eternity'⁴ is addressed not only to the great doctors of the science of salvation, but also to the humblest Christian teacher, and the supreme Pontiff, when inscribing the name of the saint of to-day among those of the blessed, declared that the inspired words 'apply in an especial manner to those who, like him, have left all things and devoted themselves to the instruction of the baptized from earliest infancy in the teaching of the Gospel and the precepts which lead to life eternal.'⁵ John Baptist de la Salle was a true disciple of our blessed Lord, and entered so fully into the thought of his Master that no sacrifice was too great for him if only he might carry it out, and no suffering, humiliation, or persecution could hinder him from persevering in the accomplishment of his works of love. He suffered from misunderstanding and lack of support all through his life, but is he less great in heaven to-day on that account? The following account of him is given in the Breviary: Joannes Baptista de la Salle, Rhemis claro genere ortus, puer adhuc moribus et factis in sortem Domini se vocandum et sanctimoniæ laude honestandum portendit. Adolescens in Rhemensi Academia litteras ac philosophicas disciplinas didicit; quo tempore etsi ob animi virtutes et alacre ingenium ac suave omnibus carus esset, ab æqualium tamen societate abhorrebat, ut solitudini addictus facilius Deo vacaret. In clericalem militiam jampridem cooptatus, sextodecimo ætatis anno inter Rhemenses Canonicos adscriptus est. Lutetiam Parisiorum, theologiæ in Sorbonica universitate daturus operam, contendit atque in Sulpitianum seminarium adscitus est. At brevi parentibus orbatus, domum regredi coactus, fratres educandos suscepit: quod scientiarum interim sacrarum studia non intermittens, optimo cum fructu præstitit, uti exitus comprobavit. Sacerdotio demum auctus, qua præstanti fide animique ardore primum ad aram fecit, eisdem toto vitæ tempore sacris est operatus. Interea salutis animarum studio incensus, totum in earumdem utilitatem sese impendit. Sororum a Jesu Infante, puellis educandis institutarum regimen suscepit, easque non modo prudentissime est moderatus, sed ab excidio vindicavit. Hinc porro animum advertit ad pueros de plebe religione bonisque moribus informandos. Atque in hoc quidem illum suscitaverat Deus, ut scilicet", "keywords": [ "holy", "life", "church", "heaven", "jesus", "divine", "venantius", "years", "martyr", "paschal", "glory", "christian", "lord", "death", "atque", "pope", "saint", "king", "during", "etiam" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Benedict", "St. Francis", "St. JOHN", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. PASCHAL", "St. PETER", "St. PUDENTIANA", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Sulpice", "St. UBALDUS", "St. VENANTIUS", "St. Venantius" ], "scripture": [ "2 Timothy iv. 21", "Apocalypse iii. 11", "Apocalypse xvii. 6", "Daniel xii. 3", "Luke xxii. 28", "Luke xxiv. 35", "Mark x. 14", "Matthew xviii. 3", "Matthew xxiii. 12", "Matthew xxiv. 28", "Peter c.", "Psalms cix. 7", "Psalms xliv. 3", "Psalms xxx. 21" ] }, { "vol": 8, "section": "MAY_20", "title": "MAY 20", "anchor": "may_20", "text": "SAINT BERNARDINE OF SIENA CONFESSOR In that season of the liturgical year when we were kneeling in love and prayer around the crib of the Infant Jesus, one day was devoted to the celebration of the glory and sweetness of his Name. Holy Church was full of joy when she pronounced the dear Name chosen from all eternity by her heavenly Spouse; and mankind found consolation in the thought that the great God who might so justly have bid us call him the Just and the Avenger, willed us henceforth to call him the Saviour. The devout Bernardine of Siena, whose feast we keep to-day, stood then before us, holding in his hands this ever blessed Name, surrounded with rays. He urged the whole earth to venerate with love and confidence the sacred name which expresses the whole economy of our salvation. The Church, ever attentive to what is for the good of her children, adopted the beautiful device. She encouraged them to receive it from the Saint, as a shield that would protect them against the darts of the evil spirit, and as an additional means of reminding ourselves of the exceeding charity wherewith God has loved this world of ours. And finally, when the loveliness of the holy Name of Jesus had won all Christian hearts, she instituted in its honour one of the most beautiful solemnities of Christmastide. Bernardine, the worthy son of St Francis of Assisi, returns to us on this twentieth day of May, and the sweet flower of the holy Name is, of course, in his hand. But it is not now the prophetic appellation of the new-born Babe; it is not the endearing Name, respectfully and lovingly whispered by the Virgin-Mother over the crib; it is the Name whose sound has gone through the whole creation, it is the trophy of the grandest of victories, it is the fulfilment of all that was prophesied. The Name of Jesus was a promise to mankind of a Saviour; Jesus has saved mankind, by dying and rising again; he is now Jesus in the full sense of the word. Go where you will, and you hear this Name—the Name that has united men into the one great family of the Church. The chief priests of the Synagogue strove to stifle the Name of Jesus, for it was even then winning men's hearts. They forbade the Apostles to teach in this Name; and it was on this occasion that Peter uttered the words which embody the whole energy of the Church: We ought to obey God rather than men.¹ The Synagogue might as well have tried to stay the course of the sun. So too, when the mighty power of the Roman Empire set itself against the triumphant progress of this Name, and would annul the decree that every knee should bow at its sound,² its attempt was a complete failure, and at the end of three centuries the Name of Jesus was heard and loved in", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "gregory", "pontiff", "rome", "life", "world", "jesus", "name", "heaven", "king", "faith", "christ", "mother", "saint", "love", "against", "christian", "lord", "years" ], "saints": [ "St. ANGELA", "St. AUGUSTINE", "St. Afra", "St. Ambrose", "St. Andrew", "St. Angela", "St. Anselm", "St. Anselmus", "St. Augustine", "St. BEDE", "St. BERNARDINE", "St. Benedict", "St. Bennet", "St. Bernardine", "St. Cecily", "St. Charles", "St. Cuthbert", "St. Dié", "St. Dominic", "St. ELEUTHERIUS", "St. Eleutherius", "St. FELIX", "St. FERDINAND", "St. Ferdinand", "St. Francis", "St. Francis of Assisi", "St. GREGORY", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Helena", "St. Hugh of Cluny", "St. Ignatius of Loyola", "St. Irenæus", "St. Isidore", "St. JOAN", "St. JOHN", "St. James", "St. James the Great", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Louis of France", "St. Luke", "St. MARY", "St. Martin", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew the Apostle", "St. Matthew the Evangelist", "St. PETRONILLA", "St. PHILIP", "St. Paul", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Petronilla", "St. Philip", "St. Pius", "St. Sergius", "St. URBAN", "St. Ursula", "St. Vincent" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xiii. 5", "1 Timothy iii. 15", "1 Timothy vi. 15", "2 Corinthians i. 7", "2 Corinthians v. 6", "2 Thessalonians ii. 3", "3 Kings ii. 19", "Acts v. 28", "Apocalypse i. 5", "Apocalypse xiii. 7", "Apocalypse xx. 8", "Canticle of Canticles i. 4", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Daniel ii. 35", "Ecclesiasticus ii. 13", "Ephesians v. 27", "Galatians iv. 31", "Isaias liii. 10", "Isaias xlix. 8", "John c.", "John i.", "John iii. 16", "John iv. 14", "John l.", "John vi. 33", "John xii. 31", "John xiv. 6", "John xxi. 19", "Luke xii. 49", "Luke xiv. 23", "Luke xix. 14", "Luke xxii. 32", "Luke xxiii. 34", "Matthew x. 24", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Peter ii. 16", "Peter v. 4", "Philippians ii. 10", "Proverbs xv. 15", "Psalms cix. 7", "Psalms cxx. 1", "Psalms ii. 2", "Psalms ii. 8", "Psalms lxxix.", "Psalms lxxxiii. 2", "Psalms lxxxvii. 6", "Psalms xciii. 19", "Romans viii. 21" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND.", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF PASCHAL TIME. Of all the Seasons of the Liturgical Year, Eastertide is by far the richest in mystery. We might even say that Easter is the summit of the Mystery of the sacred Liturgy. The Christian who is happy enough to enter, with his whole mind and heart, into the knowledge and the love of the Paschal Mystery, has reached the very centre of the supernatural life. Hence it is, that the Church uses every effort in order to effect this: what she has hitherto done, was all intended as a preparation for Easter. The holy longings of Advent, the sweet joys of Christmas, the severe truths of Septuagesima, the contrition and penance of Lent, the heart-rending sight of the Passion,—all were given us as preliminaries, as paths, to the sublime and glorious Pasch, which is now ours. And that we might be convinced of the supreme importance of this Solemnity, God willed that the Christian Easter and Pentecost should be prepared by those of the Jewish Law:—a thousand five hundred years of typical beauty prefigured the reality: and that reality is ours! During these days, then, we have brought before us the two great manifestations of God's goodness towards mankind:—the Pasch of Israel, and the Christian Pasch; the Pentecost of Sinai, and the Pentecost of the Church. We shall have occasion to show how the ancient figures were fulfilled in the realities of the new Easter and Pentecost, and how the twilight of the Mosaic Law made way for the full day of the Gospel; but we cannot resist the feeling of holy reverence, at the bare thought that the Solemnities we have now to celebrate are more than three thousand years old, and that they are to be renewed every year from this till the voice of the Angel shall be heard proclaiming: \"Time shall be no more!\"¹ The gates of eternity will then be thrown open. Eternity in Heaven is the true Pasch: hence, our Pasch, here on earth, is the Feast of feasts, the Solemnity of solemnities. The human race was dead; it was the victim of that sentence, whereby it was condemned to lie mere dust in the tomb; the gates of life were shut against it. But see! the Son of God rises from His grave and takes possession of eternal life. Nor is He the only one that is to die no more, for, as the Apostle teaches us, \"He is the first-born from the dead.\"² The Church would, therefore, have us consider ourselves as having already risen with our Jesus, and as having already taken possession of eternal life. The holy Fathers bid us look on these fifty days of Easter, as the image of our eternal happiness. They are days devoted exclusively to joy; every sort of sadness is forbidden; and the Church cannot speak to her divine Spouse without joining to her words that glorious cry of heaven, the Alleluia, wherewith, as the holy Liturgy says, the", "keywords": [ "holy", "easter", "life", "mystery", "pentecost", "year", "world", "eighth", "light", "church", "pasch", "days", "weeks", "resurrection", "sunday", "creation", "sabbath", "during", "week", "seven" ], "saints": [ "St. Hilary", "St. Hilary of Poitiers", "St. Isidore", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse x. 6", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 10", "Colossians i. 18", "Hebrews i. 3", "Hebrews xii. 29", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Romans i." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD.", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE DURING PASCHAL TIME. The practice for this holy Season mainly consists in the spiritual joy, which it should produce in every soul that is risen with Jesus. This joy is a foretaste of eternal happiness, and the Christian ought to consider it a duty to keep it up within him, by ardently seeking after that life which is in our divine Head, and by carefully shunning sin which causes death. During the last nine weeks, we have mourned for our sins and done penance for them; we have followed Jesus to Calvary; but now, our holy Mother the Church is urgent in bidding us rejoice. She herself has laid aside all sorrow; the voice of her weeping is changed into the song of a delighted Spouse. In order that she might impart this joy to all her children, she has taken their weakness into account. After reminding them of the necessity of expiation, she gave them forty days wherein to do penance; and then, taking off all the restraint of Lenten mortification, she brings us to Easter as to a land where there is nothing but gladness, light, life, joy, calm, and the sweet hope of immortality. Thus does she produce, in those of her children who have no elevation of soul, sentiments in harmony with the great Feast, such as the most perfect feel; and by this means, all, both fervent and tepid, unite their voices in one same hymn of praise to our risen Jesus. The great Liturgist of the 12th century, Rupert, Abbot of Deutz, thus speaks of the pious artifice used by the Church to infuse the spirit of Easter into all: There are certain carnal minds, that seem unable to open their eyes to spiritual things, unless roused by some unusual excitement; and for this reason, the Church makes use of such means. \"Thus, the Lenten Fast, which we offer up to God as our yearly tithe, goes on till the most sacred night of Easter; then follow fifty days without so much as one single Fast. Hence it happens, that while the body is being mortified, and is to continue to be so till Easter Night, that holy night is eagerly looked forward to even by the carnal-minded; they long for it to come; and, meanwhile, they carefully count each of the forty days, as a wearied traveller does the miles. Thus, the sacred Solemnity is sweet to all, and dear to all, and desired by all, as light is to them that walk in darkness, as a fount of living water is to them that thirst, and as *a tent which the Lord hath pitched* for wearied wayfarers.\" What a happy time was that, when, as St. Bernard expresses it, there was not one in the whole Christian army, that neglected his Easter duty, and when all, both just and sinners, walked together in the path of the Lenten observances! Alas! those days are gone, and Easter has not the same effect", "keywords": [ "easter", "jesus", "life", "holy", "church", "divine", "resurrection", "risen", "days", "flesh", "season", "within", "children", "soul", "keep", "death", "penance", "lenten", "heaven", "bridegroom" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. John", "St. Matth" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew ix. 15", "Romans vi. 4", "Romans vi. 6", "Romans vi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH.", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR PASCHAL TIME. During Paschal Time, the Christian, on waking in the morning, will unite himself with the Church, who, in her Office of Matins, says to us these solemn words, which choirs of religious men and women, throughout the universe, have been chanting during the deep silence of the night:— Surrexit Dominus vere. Alleluia. — The Lord hath truly risen. Alleluia. He will profoundly adore the Son of God rising from the tomb, and surrounded with the dazzling rays of His grand triumph. He will hail Him with delighted joy, as being the divine Sun of Justice, who rises on the world that He may rescue it from the darkness of sin, and illuminate it with the light of grace. It is with these ideas deeply impressed upon his mind, that he must perform his first acts of religion, both interior and exterior, wherewith he begins the day. The time for Morning Prayer being come, he may use the following method, which is formed upon the very prayers of the Church:— MORNING PRAYERS. First, praise and adoration of the Most Holy Trinity: ℣. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu. ℟. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. ℣. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. ℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. ℣. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ℟. Let us praise him and extol him above all, for ever. ℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ℟. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then, praise to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ: ℣. In resurrectione tua, Christe, alleluia. ℟. Cœli et terra lætentur, alleluia. ℣. In thy Resurrection, O Christ, alleluia. ℟. Let heaven and earth rejoice, alleluia. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, recite the Lord's Prayer, begging of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that He would mercifully establish here upon earth the kingdom of His divine Son, who has won for Himself all power, in heaven and on earth, by the triumph gained over death and hell by His Resurrection; and that He vouchsafe to deliver us from evil, that is, from sin, which brought death into this world, and made it necessary for Jesus Himself to suffer that very death, over which He gained victory both for Himself and for us. THE LORD'S PRAYER. Pater noster, qui es in cœlis, sanctificetur nomen tuum: adveniat regnum tuum: fiat voluntas tua, sicut in cœlo, et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie: et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris: et ne nos inducas in", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "holy", "domine", "christ", "alleluia", "church", "mother", "deus", "blessed", "virgin", "jesus", "heaven", "death", "mercy", "nobis", "pray", "mater", "world", "ever" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH.", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING PASCHAL TIME. When we assisted at the holy Sacrifice during Passiontide, our attention was fixed on the real immolation of the Lamb; we looked upon the altar as a new Calvary; and our devotion was centred upon the divine Victim slain for our ransom. During Eastertide, the Lamb presents Himself to us in another aspect; He is living, He is resplendent with glory, He is the Conqueror. He still deigns to be immolated; but it is that He may invite us to a joyous banquet,—the banquet of the Pasch,—wherein He gives us to eat of His Flesh. In her chants during the Mass, the Church is untiring in her Alleluia; she affectionately kisses the Wounds of her Jesus, which now dart forth rays of dazzling brightness. Her altar is the throne of the risen God; she approaches it without fear, for the divine Conqueror of death, though so resplendent in His glory, is more loving and affable than ever. Another source of joy to the Church, when at the holy altar, is the sight of her children partaking of the banquet of the Paschal Lamb. Each church is now a Cenacle, where Jesus celebrates the Pasch with His disciples. The holy Table is no longer the feast of a chosen few; the guests come in in crowds, and the House is filled. Now is the great figure of the Old Law changed into a reality. 'At this Table of the great King, the new Pasch of the New Law puts an end to the ancient Passover. The new excludes the old; reality puts the shadow to flight; light expels night.'¹ We are the children of the promise; we have not denied Christ, as did the Jews: but we acknowledged Him to be our King, while His faithless people were dragging Him to execution. He, in return, has invited us to His Pasch, and there He is our host and our food. During Eastertide, then, the holy Sacrifice puts these two spectacles before us in a most special way: a Victim, who is risen from the dead, and yet is still immolated in a real though unbloody manner; and a Table prepared for the eating of the Lamb, which is, indeed, offered, during the whole year, to the faithful for the life of their souls, but which is now frequented by all. At this Table is likewise fulfilled the prophetic symbol of the ancient Paschal Lamb. For fifteen hundred years, it was the figurative Lamb; the true one has now reigned nineteen hundred: and this is the Lamb, whom the holy Mass reproduces in all the efficacy of His Sacrifice and in all the magnificence of His glory. We ought, therefore, during Paschal Time, to assist at holy Mass with these great truths present before our minds; and whilst thinking of the types of the ancient Law, we should be most grateful to our Heavenly Father for having permitted us to live under the reign of the", "keywords": [ "priest", "lord", "holy", "amen", "jesus", "altar", "father", "divine", "church", "domine", "deus", "christ", "mercy", "sacrifice", "glory", "ever", "mass", "world", "nobis", "lamb" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Pet" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xv. 53", "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Peter i. 4", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Corinthians x. 17", "John c.", "Psalms c." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH.", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING PASCHAL TIME. In Passiontide, the Christian went to holy Communion impressed with these words of the Apostle: 'As often as ye shall eat this Bread, and drink the Chalice, ye shall show the death of the Lord.'¹ He united himself with the divine Victim immolated for the sins of the world, and he died with his Saviour. During Paschal Time, the heavenly Food produces its effects in another manner; it fortifies the life of the soul, and gives to the body the germ of immortality. It is true that in each Season of the Liturgical Year, this twofold effect is produced in those who worthily receive Communion, namely, immolation and resurrection; but as, during the days consecrated to the Passion, the application of the mystery of immolation and sacrifice is more direct and more in accordance with the sentiments of the communicant, so also, during Paschal Time, the divine contact of the Body of our risen Jesus makes us feel, and in a way that Easter alone can do, that to the holy Eucharist we owe the future resurrection of our bodies. Our Saviour Himself teaches us this, where He says: 'Your fathers did eat manna in the desert, and are dead. This is the Bread which cometh down from heaven, that if any man eat of it, he may not die.... He that eateth my Flesh, and drinketh my Blood, hath everlasting life and I will raise him up in the last day.'² ¹ 1 Cor. xi. 26. ² St. John, vi. 49, 50, 55. We shall all resume these bodies of ours on the Last Day, either for glory or punishment eternal; but he that worthily unites himself, by holy Communion, with the glorious and risen Body of the Man-God, contracts an alliance and intimacy with Him, which forbid this divine Guest to leave in corruption these members made His own by the sublime Mystery. We must, therefore, approach the holy Table during Eastertide with an ardent ambition for our resurrection, knowing, as we do, that we then receive into our bodies an element, which is to preserve them, even when turned into dust; and which, moreover, confers on them a right to the qualities of glorified bodies, whose beauty and happiness will be like those of our Jesus, after He had risen from the grave. Now, if our Redeemer does all this for our bodies, by means of holy Communion,—giving them, by it, the pledge of immortality,—what must He not do for our souls, in order to strengthen and increase within them that 'new life,' that Resurrection-life, which is the fruit of Easter, the object of all our past efforts, the reward of all the victories we have gained over ourselves during the campaign of Lent? Nay, unless this new life be fostered by frequent Communion, it is in danger of growing weak, perhaps even of becoming extinct within us. The Apostle tells us, that 'Christ, having risen from the dead, dieth now", "keywords": [ "jesus", "resurrection", "love", "life", "communion", "holy", "within", "lord", "death", "thine", "soul", "receive", "risen", "glory", "didst", "light", "heart", "during", "ever", "bread" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xi. 26", "John vi. 52", "Romans vi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH.", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "OF THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING PASCHAL TIME. THE Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following Psalms. According to our custom, we preface each Psalm with a short explanation, in order to draw the attention to what is most in harmony with the spirit of the Easter mysteries. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: V. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. V. Incline unto my aid, O God. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Alleluia. Under this single Antiphon, all the Psalms are sung, if the Vespers are of the Sunday; but on Feasts the Antiphons are proper, and will be given on their respective days. The first Psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. It celebrates His Eternal Generation, His being equal with the Father, His Kingship and Priesthood. He was humbled for a while, even so as to drink of the torrent: but, now He has triumphed over His enemies, and will come in glory, at the end of the world, to judge them. PSALM 109. Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. O 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. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 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. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. 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. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Therefore, O Father, the Lord, thy Son, is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "alleluia", "psalm", "dominus", "praise", "blessed", "domino", "glory", "sæculum", "heaven", "gloria", "amen", "father", "christ", "house", "eorum", "domine", "sicut" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Elizabeth", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH.", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "OF THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE, DURING PASCHAL TIME. —— This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night; then immediately 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 therefore dangerous state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The Lector, addressing the Priest, says to him: ℣. Jube, Domne, benedicere. ℣. Pray, Father, give thy blessing. The Priest answers: Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. R. Amen. May the Almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. R. Amen. The Lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch: for your adversary the devil goes about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour: resist him, being strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The Choir answers: R. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God. Then, the Priest: V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The Choir: R. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. R. Who hath made heaven 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 omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis tuis, perducat te ad vitam æternam. May Almighty God have mercy on thee, and, forgiving thy sins, bring thee to everlasting life. The Priest having answered, Amen, the Choir repeats the Confiteor, thus: Confiteor Deo omnipotenti, beatæ Mariæ semper Virgini, beato Michaeli Archangelo, beato Joanni Baptistæ, sanctis 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 Virginem, beatum Michaelem Archangelum, beatum Joannem Baptistam, sanctos Apostolos Petrum et Paulum, omnes Sanctos, et te, Pater, orare pro me ad Dominum Deum nostrum. I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel, to blessed John Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to thee, Father, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word, and deed, 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 Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and all the Saints, and thee, Father, to pray to our Lord God for me. The Priest then says: Misereatur vestri omnipotens Deus, et dimissis peccatis vestris, perducat vos ad vitam æternam. Amen. Indulgentiam, absolutionem, et remissionem peccatorum nostrorum, tribuat nobis omnipotens et misericors Dominus. Amen. V. Converte nos, Deus, Salutaris noster. R. Et averte", "keywords": [ "lord", "alleluia", "jesus", "amen", "domine", "holy", "deus", "heaven", "during", "father", "dominus", "earth", "blessed", "glory", "psalm", "resurrection", "quoniam", "hands", "divine", "life" ], "saints": [ "St. Bonaventure", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matth", "St. Matthew", "St. Paul", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xv. 6", "Jeremias xiv.", "Matthew xxiii. 37", "Matthew xxviii. 16", "Psalms i.", "Thessalonians v. 10" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "FIFTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_EASTER", "title": "FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER EASTER", "anchor": "fifth_sunday_after_easter", "text": "In the Greek Church, the fifth Sunday after Easter is called the Sunday of the man born blind, because her Gospel for the day contains the history of that miracle of our divine Lord. She also calls it Episozomene, which is one of the names given by the Greeks to the mystery of the Ascension, the feast of which is kept with them, as with us, during the course of this week. MASS The Introit is taken from Isaias, the sublimest of the prophets. It sweetly invites all the earth to celebrate the victory won by Jesus,—a victory which has purchased our deliverance. INTROIT Vocem jucunditatis annuntiate, et audiatur, alleluia: annuntiate usque ad extremum terræ: liberavit Dominus populum suum. Alleluia, alleluia. Ps. Jubilate Deo omnis terra: psalmum dicite nomini ejus, date gloriam laudi ejus. ℣. Gloria Patri. Vocem jucunditatis. With the voice of joy make this to be heard, alleluia: publish to the utmost bounds of the earth, that the Lord hath redeemed his people. Alleluia, alleluia. Ps. Shout with joy to God, all the earth: sing a psalm to his name, give glory to his praise. ℣. Glory, &c. With the voice, &c. In the Collect, holy Church teaches us that our thoughts and actions, to be made deserving of eternal life, stand in need of grace; the former that we may have the inspiration, the latter that we may have the will to do them. COLLECT Deus, a quo bona cuncta procedunt, largire supplicibus tuis: ut cogitemus, te inspirante, quæ recta sunt, et, te gubernante, eadem faciamus. Per Dominum. O God, from whom all that is good proceeds: grant that thy people, by thy inspiration, may resolve on what is right, and by thy direction, put it in practice. Through, &c. OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN Concede nos famulos tuos, quæsumus Domine Deus, perpetua mentis et corporis sanitate gaudere: et gloriosa beatæ Mariæ semper Virginis intercessione, a præsenti liberari tristitia, et æterna perfrui lætitia. Grant, O Lord, we beseech thee, that we thy servants may enjoy constant health of body and mind; and by the glorious intercession of blessed Mary, ever a Virgin, be delivered from all present sorrows, and come to that joy which is eternal. AGAINST THE PERSECUTORS OF THE CHURCH Ecclesiæ tuæ, quæsumus, Domine, preces placatus admitte, ut, destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis, secura tibi serviat libertate. Per Dominum. Mercifully hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy Church: that, all oppositions and errors being removed, she may serve thee with a secure liberty. Through, &c. FOR THE POPE Deus omnium fidelium Pastor et rector, famulum tuum N., quem Pastorem Ecclesiæ tuæ præesse voluisti, propitius respice: da ei, quæsumus, verbo et exemplo, quibus præest, proficere; ut ad vitam, una cum grege sibi credito, perveniat sempiternam. Per Dominum. O 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 beseech thee, that both by word and", "keywords": [ "holy", "lord", "church", "days", "saint", "alleluia", "sancte", "domine", "mercy", "world", "nobis", "father", "rogation", "prayer", "jesus", "earth", "deus", "libera", "during", "life" ], "saints": [ "St. Agatha", "St. Agnes", "St. Alcimus", "St. Ambrose", "St. Anastasia", "St. Andrew", "St. Antony", "St. Augustine", "St. Barnaby", "St. Bartholomew", "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Catharine", "St. Cecily", "St. Charles", "St. Cæsarius of Arles", "St. Dominic", "St. Elizabeth of Hungary", "St. Francis", "St. Gabriel", "St. Gall", "St. Gregory", "St. James", "St. James the Apostle", "St. James the Less", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Laurence", "St. Leo", "St. Lucy", "St. Luke", "St. Mamertus", "St. Mark", "St. Martin", "St. Mary", "St. Mathias", "St. Matth", "St. Matthew", "St. Michael", "St. Nicholas", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Philip", "St. Raphael", "St. Simon", "St. Stephen", "St. Sylvester", "St. Thaddeus", "St. Thomas", "St. Vincent" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles viii. 14", "Corinthians vii. 31", "Deuteronomy xxxii. 22", "Genesis i. 31", "Genesis vi. 12", "Genesis xviii. 32", "John c.", "Luke c.", "Matthew vii. 29", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Proverbs xvi. 4", "Psalms cxliv. 15", "Psalms cxx. 4", "Psalms i.", "Psalms xi. 2", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Thessalonians ii. 12" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "THE_ASCENSION_OF_OUR_LORD", "title": "THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD", "anchor": "the_ascension_of_our_lord", "text": "The sun of the fortieth day has risen in all his splendour. The earth, which shook with gladness at the birth of our Emmanuel,¹ now thrills with a strange emotion. The divine series of the mysteries of the Man-God is about to close. Heaven has caught up the joy of earth. The angelic choirs are preparing to receive their promised King, and their princes stand at the gates, that they may open them when the signal is given of the mighty conqueror's approach.² The holy souls, that were liberated from limbo on the morning of the Resurrection, are hovering round Jerusalem, waiting for the happy moment when heaven's gate, closed by Adam's sin, shall be thrown open, and they shall enter in company with their Redeemer:—a few hours more, and then to heaven! Meanwhile, our risen Jesus has to visit His disciples and bid them farewell, for they are to be left for some years longer in this vale of tears. They are in the cenacle, impatiently awaiting His coming. Suddenly He appears in their midst. Of the Mother's joy, who would dare to speak? As to the disciples and the holy women, they fall down and affectionately adore the Master, who has come to take His leave of them. He deigns to sit down to table with them; He even condescends to eat with them, not, indeed, to give them proof of His Resurrection, for He knows that they have no further doubts of the mystery; but now that He is about to ¹ Ps. xcv. xcvi. xcvii. ² Ps. xxiii. 7. sit at the right hand of the Father, He would give them this endearing mark of familiarity. Oh admirable repast! in which Mary, for the last time in this world, is seated side by side with her Jesus, and in which the Church, (represented by the disciples and the holy women) is honoured by the visible presidency of her Head and Spouse. What tongue could describe the respect, the recollected mien, the attention of the guests? With what love must they have riveted their eyes on the dear Master! They long to hear Him speak; His parting words will be so treasured! He does not keep them long in suspense: He speaks, but His language is not what they perhaps expected it to be, all affection. He begins by reminding them of the incredulity wherewith they heard of His Resurrection.¹ He is going to entrust His apostles with the most sublime mission ever given to man; He would, therefore, prepare them for it by humbling them. A few days hence they are to be the lights of the world; the world must believe what they preach, believe it on their word, believe it without having seen, believe what the apostles alone have seen. It is by faith that man approaches his God: they themselves were once without it, and Jesus would have them now express their sorrow for their former incredulity, and thus base their apostolate on", "keywords": [ "jesus", "heaven", "alleluia", "holy", "lord", "world", "church", "disciples", "ascension", "earth", "father", "triumph", "life", "deus", "jerusalem", "days", "believe", "glory", "again", "taken" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Peter", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 31", "1 Thessalonians iv. 16", "John i.", "Luke c.", "Mark c.", "Psalms cix. 7", "Psalms cl.", "Psalms xcv.", "Psalms xxiii. 7" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "THE_ASCENSION_EVENING", "title": "THE ASCENSION: EVENING", "anchor": "the_ascension_evening", "text": "tibus discipulis, nubes te cum carne suscipiebant, portæ cœli sublatæ sunt; Angelorum chorus in exsultatione lætabatur; supernæ Virtutes clamabant dicentes: Attollite portas, principes vestras, et introibit Rex gloriæ. Discipuli autem obstupefacti dicebant: Ne separeris a nobis, Pastor bone, sed mitte nobis sanctissimum Spiritum tuum, dirigentem et firmantem animas nostras. Domine, postquam utpote bonus, mysterium a sæculis et generationibus absconditum implevisti, in montem Olivarum cum discipulis tuis venisti, habens eam quæ te creatorem et omnium opificem genuit. Eam enim quæ in passione tua materno more præ omnibus doluit, oportebat et ob gloriam carnis tuæ majori perfrui gaudio; cujus et nos participes effecti, in tua ad cœlos ascensione, Domine, magnam tuam in nos misericordiam glorificamus. the sight of thy disciples, a cloud received thee in thy human Nature, and the gates of heaven were uplifted; the angelic choirs exulted with great joy; the heavenly Powers cried out, saying: 'Lift up your gates, O ye princes! and the King of glory shall enter in!' The disciples were amazed, and said to thee: 'Leave us not, good Shepherd! but send unto us thy holy Spirit, that he may guide and strengthen our souls!' After having, O Lord, in thy goodness, accomplished the mystery that was hidden from ages and generations, thou didst go, together with thy disciples to Mount Olivet, having with thee her that had given birth to thee the Creator and Maker of all creatures. It was meet that she, who being thy Mother, had mourned more than all others over thy Passion, should also have greater joy in the glory thus conferred upon thy human Nature. We, therefore, who share in the joy she had in thine Ascension glorify thy great mercy. O Jesus, our Emmanuel! Thy work is done, and this is the day of Thy entering into Thy rest. In the beginning of the world, Thou didst spend six days in harmonizing the varied portions of the creation; after which, Thou enteredst again into Thy rest. When, later on, Thou wouldst repair Thy work, which satan's malice had deranged, Thy love induced Thee to live among us for three-and-thirty years, during which Thou didst work our redemption, and restoredst us to the holiness and honour whence we had fallen. Whatsoever had been assigned Thee in the eternal decrees of the blessed Trinity, whatsoever had been foretold of Thee by the prophets, all was done, dear Jesus! not an iota of it all was forgotten. Thy triumphant Ascension was the close of the mission Thou hadst so mercifully undertaken. It was Thy second entrance into Thy rest; but, this time, it was with our human nature which Thou hadst assumed, and which was now to receive divine honour. Thou wouldst have companions in Thine Ascension: the souls Thou hadst liberated from limbo; yea, and when about to leave us, Thou saidst this word of consolation to us: 'I go to prepare a place for you!'¹ Confiding, O Jesus! in this promise; resolved to follow Thee in all the mysteries achieved", "keywords": [ "jesus", "heaven", "holy", "ascension", "earth", "father", "lord", "glory", "love", "divine", "power", "spirit", "king", "faith", "church", "angels", "alleluia", "world", "christ", "eternal" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Bernadine of Siena", "St. Bernardine of Siena", "St. Francis of Sales", "St. Gall", "St. Helen", "St. John", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Matth", "St. Optatus", "St. Paul", "St. Paulinus of Nola", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Peter the Apostle", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xv. 25", "1 Peter i. 12", "1 Thessalonians iv. 15", "Apocalypse iv.", "Apocalypse v. 12", "Apocalypse x. 6", "Apocalypse xix. 16", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 1", "Colossians i. 15", "Colossians i. 24", "Colossians ii. 10", "Daniel vii. 13", "Daniel vii. 9", "Ephesians ii. 4", "Ephesians iv. 8", "Ezechiel xxxvi. 25", "Galatians iv. 4", "Hebrews i. 6", "Hebrews ii. 9", "Hebrews vi. 19", "Hebrews vi. 20", "Hebrews xii. 4", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias liii. 3", "Isaias xi. 1", "John c.", "John i.", "Matthew xii. 32", "Matthew xiii.", "Matthew xx. 23", "Matthew xxv. 40", "Matthew xxviii. 20", "Philippians ii. 10", "Philippians ii. 6", "Philippians ii. 8", "Proverbs viii. 31", "Psalms ciii. 30", "Psalms cix. 1", "Psalms cix. 4", "Psalms cix. 6", "Psalms ii. 1", "Psalms ixvii. 19", "Psalms lxvii. 33", "Psalms xcvi. 7", "Psalms xliv. 3", "Psalms xx. 14", "Psalms xx. 4", "Psalms xxiii. 7", "Romans v.", "Romans v. 5", "Romans viii. 17", "Romans viii. 24", "Romans xiv. 10", "Zacharias xii. 10", "Zacharias xiv. 4" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY", "anchor": "whit_sunday", "text": "THE DAY OF PENTECOST Veni, sancte Spiritus, re- Come, O holy Spirit, fill ple tuorum corda fidelium, the hearts of thy faithful, and et tui amoris in eis ignem enkindle within them the fire accende. of thy love. Tre great day, which consummates the work that God had undertaken for the human race, has at last shone upon the world. The days of Pentecost, as St. Luke says, are aecomplished.! We have had seven weeks since the Pasch; and now comes the day that opens the mysterious number of fifty. This day is the Sunday, already made holy by the creation of the light, and by the Resurrection of Jesus: it is about to receive its final consecration, and bring us the fullness of God.? In the old and figurative Law, God foreshadowed the glory that was to belong, at & future period, to the fiftieth day. Israel had passed the waters of the Red Sea, thanks to the protecting power of his Paschal Lamb! Seven weeks were spent in the desert, which was to lead to the promised land; and the very morrow of those seven weeks was the da whereon was made the alliance between God and His people. The Pentecost (the fiftieth day) was honoured by the promulgation of the ten commandments of 1 Acts, ii. 1. 2 Eph. iii. 19.—8ee the chapter on the * Mystery of Easter’, pages 19 and 20. the divine law ; and every following year, the Israelites celebrated the great event by a solemn festival. But their Pentecost was figurative, like their Pasch: there was to be a second Pentecost for all people, as there was to be a second Pasch, for the Redemption of the whole world. The Pasch, with all its triumphant joys, belongs to the Son of God, the Conqueror of death: Pentecost belongs to the Holy Ghost, for it is the day whereon He began His mission into this world, which, henceforward, was to be under His Law. But how different are the two Pentecosts! The one, on the rugged rocks of Arabia, amidst thunder and lightning, promulgates a Law that is written on tablets of stone; the second is in Jerusalem, on which God’s anger has not as yet been manifested, because it still contains within its walls the first fruits of that new people, over whom the Spirit of love is to reign. In this second Pentecost, the heavens are not overcast, nor is the roar of thunder heard; the hearts of men are not stricken with fear, as when God spake on Sinai ; repentance and gratitude are the sentiments now uppermost. A divine fire burns within their souls, and will spread throughout the whole world. Our Lord Jesus had said: *I am come to cast fire on the earth ; and what will I, but that it be kindled ?\"! The hour for the fulfilment of this word has come: the Spirit of love, the Holy Ghost, the eternal uncreated Flame, is about", "keywords": [ "holy", "ghost", "pentecost", "spirit", "church", "jesus", "fire", "divine", "love", "christ", "world", "earth", "father", "word", "within", "disciples", "speak", "faith", "mission", "language" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Deuteronomy iv. 24", "Ephesians iii. 19", "Genesis iii. 20", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Peter c.", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_TIERCE_295", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: TIERCE 295", "anchor": "whit_sunday_tierce_295", "text": "TIERCE To-day holy Church celebrates the Hour of Tierce with unusual solemnity, and this in order to honour more markedly the mystery of Pentecost. During the whole year, indeed, she chooses this Hour as the most propitious for the celebration of the holy Sacrifice, wherein the Third Person of the Trinity manifests His almighty power. The Hour of Tierce, which corresponds to our nine o'clock. in the morning, begins with a hymn to the Holy Ghost, composed by St. Ambrose; but to-day she uses in its stead the sublime and mystic Veni Creator, which was written in the ninth century, and, as tradition says, by Charlemagne. It was St. Hugh, Abbot of Cluny, in the eleventh century, who conceived the happy thought of introducing it into the Tierce of Whitsuntide; and the Roman Church showed her approbation of the practice, by adopting it in her liturgy. Thence has come the eustom of singing the Veni Creator before the Mass of Whit Sunday, in churches where Tierce is not sung. At this solemn Hour, then, and during the chant of this soul-stirring hymn, the faithful should fervently adore the holy Spirit, and invite Him to enter into their hearts. At this very hour, He is filling our churohes with His invisible presence, and, if there be no obstacle on our part, He will take possession of our souls. Let us acknowledge to Him the need we have of His visit; let us importune Him to take up His new abode within us, now and for ever. Showin Him how our souls are sealed with Himself, by the indelible characters of Baptism and Confirmation, let us beseech Him to defend His own work. We are His own possession; may He bestow upon us the graces we are now going to pray for! Let us be sincere in our petition: let us remember that, in order to receive the Holy Ghost and keep Him within us, we must renounce the spirit of the world, for our Saviour has said: ‘No man can serve two masters.’! After the Pater Noster and Ave have been said in secret, the celebrant intones the usual invocation as follows: Y. Deus in adjutorium meum intende. Ry. Domine, ad adjuvan- dum me festina. Gloria Patri, &c. Y. Incline unto my aid, O God Hi. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, &c. Then follows the Veni Creator. The first stanza is always sung kneeling ; after which the clergy and people rise, and continue the restof the hymn standing. HYMN Veni, Creator Spiritus, Mentes tuorum visita, Imple superna gratia Que tu creasti pectora. Qui diceris Paraclitus, Altissimi donum Dei, Fons vivus, ignis, caritas, Et spiritalis unctio. Tu septiformis munere, Digitus Paternz dexterz, Tu rite promissum Patris, Sermone ditans guttura. Accende lumen sensibus, Infunde amorem cordibus, Infirma nostri corporis Virtute firmans perpeti. Hostem repellas longius, Pacemque dones protinus: Ductore sic te previo O come, Creator Spirit, visit our souls; and with thy heavenly grace fill", "keywords": [ "tierce", "holy", "hour", "creator", "hymn", "veni", "spirit", "hearts", "souls", "father", "church", "order", "during", "power", "ghost", "century", "sung", "solemn", "possession", "visit" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Hugh" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew vi. 24" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_TIERCE", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: TIERCE", "anchor": "whit_sunday_tierce", "text": "Vitemus omne noxium. Per te sciamus da Patrem, Noscamus atque Filium, Teque utriusque Spiritum Credamus omni tempore. Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio, qui a mortuis Surrexit, ac Paraclito Inseculorumsscula. Amen. ANT. Spiritus Domini. we may shun all that could bring us harm. Grant that, through thee, we may know the Father and the Son; and that we may evermore confess thee the Spirit of them both. Glory be to God the Father, and to the Son who rose from the dead, and to the Paraclete, for everlasting ages! Amen. ANT. TheSpiritof the Lord. DIVISION OF PSALM 118. Legem pone mihi, Domine, viam justificationum tua- rum: et exquiram eam semper. Da mihi intellectum, et scrutabor legem tuam: et custodiam illam in toto corde meo. Deduc me in semitam mandatorum tuorum: quia ipsam volui. Inclina cor meum in testimonia tua: et non in avari- tiam. Averte oculos meos ne videant vanitatem: in via tua vivifica me. Statue servo tuo eloquium tuum: in timore tuo. Amputa opprobrium meum quod suspicatus sum: quia judicia tua jucunda. Ecce concupivi mandata tua: in &quitate tua vivifica me. Et veniat super me misericordja tua, Domine: salu- Set before me for a law the way of thy justifications, O Lord: and I will always seek after it. Give me understanding, and I will search thy law: and I will keep it with my whole heart. Lead me into the path of thy commandments : for this same I have desired. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away my eyes that they may not behold vanity: quicken me in thy way. Establish thy word to thy servant, in thy fear. Turn away my reproach, which I have apprehended : for thy judgments are delightful Behold I have longed after thy precepts : quicken me in thy justice. And let thy mercy also come upon me, O Lord: thy salva- tare tuum, secundum eloquium tuum. Et respondebo exprobrantibus mihi verbum: quia speravi in sermonibus tuis. Et ne auferas de ore meo verbum veritatis usquequaque: quia in judiciis tuis supersperavi. Et custodiam legem tuam semper: in seculum et in seculum seculi. Et ambulabam in latitudine: quia mandata tua ex- quisivi. Et loquebar de testimoniis tuis in conspectu re- gum: et non confundebar. Et meditabar in mandatis tuis: qus dilexi. Et levavi manus meas ad mandata tua, qus dilexi : et exercebar in justificationibus tuis. Gloria Patri, &c. MEMOR esto verbi tui servo tuo: in quo mihi spem dedisti. Hc me consolata est in humilitate mea: quia eloquium tuum vivificavit me. Superbi inique agebant usquequaque: a lege autem tua non declinavi. Memor fui judiciorum tuorum a szculo, Domine: et consolatus sum. Defectio tenuit me: pro peccatoribus derelinquentibus legem tuam. Cantabiles mihi erant ju- PASCHAL TIME lion, according to thy word. And I will answer the enemies of my soul who reproach me in any thing, that I have trusted in thy words. And take not thou the word of truth utterly out of my mouth: for", "keywords": [ "quia", "mihi", "word", "tuis", "lord", "legem", "tuum", "commandments", "father", "domine", "tuam", "eloquium", "mandata", "justifications", "patri", "gloria", "amen", "glory", "semper", "custodiam" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_TIERCE", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: TIERCE", "anchor": "whit_sunday_tierce", "text": "stificationes tus : peregrinationis mes. Memor fui nocte nominis tui, Domine: et custodivi legem tuam. Hzc facta est mihi: quia justificationes tuas exquisivi. Portio mea, Domine: dixi custodire legem tuam. Deprecatus sum faciem tuam in toto corde meo: miserere mei secundum eloquium tuum. Cogitavi vias meas: et converti pedes meos in testimonia tua. Paratus sum, et non sum turbatus: ut custodiam mandata tua. Funes peccatorum circumplexi sunt me: et legem tuam non sum oblitus. Media nocte surgebam ad confitendum tibi: super judicia justificationis tuse. Particeps ego sum omnium timentium te: et custo- dientium mandata tua. Misericordia tua, Domine, plena est terra: justifi- cationes tuas doce me. Gloria Patri, &c. BoNiTATEM fecisti cum servo tuo, Domine: secundum verbum tuum. Bonitatem et disciplinam et scientiam doce me: quia mandatis tuis credidi. Priusquam humiliarer ego deliqui: propterea eloquium in loco subject of my song, in the place of my pilgrimage. In the night I have remembered thy name, O Lord: and have kept thy law. This happened to me, because I sought after thy jus- tifications. O Lord, my portion, I have said I would keep thy law. l entreated thy face with all my heart: have mercy on me according to thy word. I have thought on my ways: and turned my feet unto thy testimonies. 1 am ready, and am not iroubled: that I may keep thy commandments. The cords of the wicked have encompassed me: but I have not forgotten thy law. I rose at midnight to give praise to thee, for the judgements of thy justifications. I am a partaker with all them that fear thee, and that keep thy commandments. The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy justifications. Glory be to the Father, &c. Tuou hast done well with thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word. Teach me goodness, and discipline, and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments. Before I was humbled, I offended: therefore, now that J tuum custodivi. Bonus es tu: et in bonitate tua doce me justifica- tiones tuas. Multiplicata est super me iniquitas superborum: ego autem in toto corde meo scrutabor mandata tua. Coagulatum est sicut lac cor eorum: ego vero legem tuam meditatus sum. Bonum mihi quia humiliasti me: ut discam justifica- tiones tuas. Bonum mihi lex oris tui: super millia auri et argenti. Manus tue fecerunt me, et plasmaverunt me: da mihi intellectum, et discam mandata tua. Qui timent te, videbunt me et letabuntur: quia in verba tua supersperavi. Cognovi Domine, quia sequitas judicia tua: et in veritate tua humiliasti me. Fiat misericordia tua ut consoletur me: secundum eloquium tuum servo tuo. Veniant mihi miserationes tuz, et vivam: quia lex tua meditatio mea est. Confundantur superbi, quia injuste iniquitatem fecerunt in me: ego autem exercebor in mandatis tuis. Convertantur mihi timentes te: et qui noverunt testi- monia tua, PASCHAL TIME am enlightened, have I kept thy word. Thou art good: and, in thy goodness, teach me thy justifications. The iniquity of the proud hath been", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "spiritus", "spirit", "lord", "quia", "mihi", "commandments", "whole", "holy", "domine", "tuam", "heart", "word", "justifications", "domini", "filled", "legem", "tuas", "tuum", "mandata" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Psalms l." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_MASS", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: MASS", "anchor": "whit_sunday_mass", "text": "de colo sonus, tamquam advenientis spiritus vehements, et replevit totam do- mum ubi erant sedentes. Et apparuerunt illis dispertite lingue tamquam ignis, seditque supra singulos eo- rum: et repleti sunt omnes Spiritu Sancto, et coeperunt loqui variis linguis, prout Spiritus Sanctus dabat eloqui illis; Erant autem in Jerusalem habitantes Judeei, viri religiosi ex omni natione, quse sub colo est. Facta autem. hac voce, convenit multitudo, et mente confusa est, quoniam audiebat unusquisque lingua sua illos loquentes. Stupebant autem omnes, et mirabantur dicentes: Nonne ecce omnes isti, qui loquuntur, Galilei sunt? et quomodo nos audivimus unusquisque linguam nostram, in qua nati sumus? Parthi et Medi, et Elamite, et qui habitant Mesopotamiam, Judeam et Cappado- ciam, Pontum et Asiam, Phrygiam et Pamphyliam, JEgyptum, et partes Libya quie est circa Cyrenen, et advens Romani, J udzi, quoque, et Proselyti, Cretes et Arabes: audivimus eos loquentes nostris linguis ma- gnalia Dei. from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them parted tongues as it were of fire, and it sat upon every one of them: and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with divers tongues, according as the Holy Ghost gave them to speak. Now there were dwelling at Jérusalem Jews, devout men out of every nation under heaven. And when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded in mind, because that every man heard them speak in his own tongue. And they were all amazed and wondered, saying: Behold, are not all these, that speak, Galileans? and how have we heard, every man our own tongue wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elam- ites, and inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea, and Cappa- docia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphilia, Egypt and the parts of Lybia about Cyrene, and strangers of Home, Jews also, and Proselytes, Cretes and Arabians: we have heard them speak in our own tongues the wonderful works of God. Four greats event mark the sojourn of man on earth; and each'of them is a proof of God's infinite goodness towards us. The first is the creation of man and his vocation to a supernatural state, which gives him, as his last end, the eternal vision and possession of God. The second is the Incarnation of the divine Word, who, by uniting the human to the divine Nature, raises a created being to a participation of the Divinity, and, at the same time, provides the Victim needed for redeeming Adam and his race from the state of perdition into which they fell by sin. The third event is that which we celebrate today, the descent of the Holy Ghost. The fourth is the second coming of the Son of God, when He will free His bride, the Church, from the shackles of mortality, and lead her to heaven, there to celebrate His eternal nuptials with her. In these four divine acts, the last of which", "keywords": [ "speak", "tongues", "holy", "ghost", "omnes", "autem", "heaven", "coming", "heard", "divine", "light", "darkness", "world", "colo", "tamquam", "spiritus", "erant", "illis", "sunt", "linguis" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Pet" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ii. 14", "1 Peter ii. 9" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_MASS_305", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: MASS 305", "anchor": "whit_sunday_mass_305", "text": "achieved to-day forces us to complete these words, and say:. ‘ The Father and the Son have so loved the world, as to give it their own divine Spirit!” Let us gratefully accept the Gift, and learn what man is. Rationalism and naturalism will have it that man's true happiness consists in following their principles, which are principles of pride and sensuality. Faith, on the contrary, teaches us humility and mortification, and these bring us to union with our infinite Good. The first Alleluia-versicle is formed from the words of one of the psalms, where David shows us the Holy Ghost as the Author of a new creation ; as the renewer of the earth. The second is the fervent rayer, whereby the Church invokes the Spirit of pe upon her children: it is always said kneeling. Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia. J. Emitte Spiritum tu- Y. Send forth thy Spirit, um, et creabuntur: et reno- and they shall be created: and vabis faciem terrse. thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Here all kneel. Alleluia. Alleluia. Y. Veni, sancte Spiritus, Y. Come, O holy Spirit, fill reple tuorum corda fidelium: the hearts of thy faithful, and et tui amoris in eis ignem kindle within them the fire of accende. thy love. Then is immediately added the sequence. It was composed about the end of the twelfth century; its authorship has been ascribed, and not without reasonable probability, to the great Pope Innocent III. It is a hymn of exquisite beauty, and is replete with tenderest love for Him who is ooequal God with the Father and the Son, and who is now about to establish His empire in our hearts. SEQUENCE Veni, sancte Spiritus, Come, O holy Spirit! and x PASOH TIME. III, Et emitte coelitus send from heaven a ray of thy Lucis tug radium. light. Veni pater pauperum, Come, Father of the poor! Veni dator munerum, Come, giver of gifts! Come, Veni lumen cordium. thou light of our hearts! Consolator optime, Thou best of comforters! Dulcis hospes animse, The soul's sweet guest and Dulce refrigerium. refreshment! In labore requies, Her rest in toil; her shelter In sstu temperies, in heat: her solace in her In fletu solatium. woe! O Lux beatissima, O most blessed Light! fill Reple cordis intima the inmost soul of thy faith- ‘Tuorum fidelium. Sine tuo numine, Nihil est in homine, Nihil est innoxium. Lava quod est sordidum, Riga quod est aridum, Sana quod est saucium. Flecte quod est rigidum, Fove quod est frigidum, Rege quod est devium. Da tuis fidelibus, In te confidentibus, Sacrum septenarium. Da virtutis meritum, Da salutis exitum, Da perenne gaudium. Amen. Alleluia. ful. Without the divine assistance, there is nought in man, there is nought but evil. Cleanse our defilements; water our dryness; heal our wounds. Bend our stubborn will; warm up our cold hearts: guide our straying steps. Give to thy faithful, who hope in thee, thy holy seven Give them the merit of virtue; give them the", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "quod", "spirit", "holy", "veni", "father", "hearts", "love", "words", "light", "divine", "principles", "faith", "earth", "emitte", "send", "sancte", "spiritus", "fill", "reple" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "John c." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_MASS", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: MASS", "anchor": "whit_sunday_mass", "text": "non servat. Et sermonem quem audistis, non est meus: sed ejus qui misit me, Patris. Hsc locutus sum vobis, apud vos manens. Paraclitus autem Spiritus Sanctus, quem mittet Pater in nomine meo, ille vos docebit omnia, et suggeret vobis omnia quecumque dixero vobis. Pacem relinquo vobis, pacem meam do vobis: non quomodo mundus dat ego do vobis. Non turbetur cor vestrum, neque formidet. Audistis quia ego dixi vobis: Vado et venio ad vos. Si diligeretis me, gauderetis utique, quia vado ad Pairem: quia Pater major me est. Et nunc dixi vobis priusquam fiat: ut quum factum fuerit,credatis. Jam non multa loquar vobiscum. Venit enim princeps mundi hujus, et in me non habet quidquam. Sed ut cognoscat mundus quia diligo Pa- trem, et sicut mandatum dedit mihi Pater, sic facio. the word which you have heard, is not mine: but the Father's who sent me. These things have I spoken to you, abiding with you. But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giv- eth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled nor let it be afraid. You have heard that I said to you: I go away, and I come unto you. If you loved me, you would indeed be glad, because I go to the Father: for the Father is greater than T. And now I have told you before it come to pass: that when it shall come to pass, you may believe. 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 Ilove the Father: and as the Father hath given me commandment, so do I. The coming of the Holy Ghost is not only an event, which concerns mankind at large: each individual of the human race is invited to receive this same visit, which to-day renews the face of the earth. The merciful design of the sovereign Lord of all things is to contract a close alliance with each one of us. Jesus asks but one thing of us: that we /ove Him and ! Ps, ciii, 30. keep His word. If we do this, He promises us that the Father will love us, and will take up His abode in our soul. He tells us that the Holy Ghost is to come; and He is coming that He may, by His presence, complete the habitation of God within us. The sacred Trinity wiil turn this poor dwelling into a new heaven, until such time as we shall be taken, after this life, to the abode where we shall see our infinitely dear Guest, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, whose love of us is so incomprehensibly great. In this same", "keywords": [ "father", "vobis", "holy", "ghost", "sent", "things", "quia", "jesus", "spirit", "pater", "world", "love", "sends", "quem", "audistis", "omnia", "pacem", "mundus", "dixi", "vado" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_MASS_309", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: MASS 309", "anchor": "whit_sunday_mass_309", "text": "Ghost followed His own, because men required to be initiated into truth by Him who is Wisdom ; for how could they love what they did not know? But no sooner had Jesus consummated His work, and exalted His human Nature to the throne of God His Father, than He, together with the Father, sends the Holy Ghost, in order that He may maintain within us that word which is spirit and life,! and which leads us on to love. The Offertory is taken from Psalm rxvir, where David foretells the coming of the divine Spirit, whose mission it is to confirm what Jesus has wrought. The cenacle is grander than the femple of Jerusalem. Henceforth, the Church is to take the place of the Synagogue, and kings and people will become her submissive children. OFFERTORY Confirma hoc Deus, quod Confirm, O God, what thou operatus es in nobis: a tem- hast wrought in us, from thy plo tuo, quod est in Jeru- temple which is in Jerusalem salem, tibi offerent reges kings shall offer presents to munera, 'alleluia. thee, alleluia. Having before her, on the altar, the sacred gifts which have been presented to the divine Majesty, the Church prays, in the Secret, that the coming of Holy Ghost may be to the faithful a fire which may consume all their dross, and a light which may give them a more perfect understanding of the teachings of the Son of God. SECRET Munera, quesumus Do- Sanctify, we beseech thee, mine, oblata sanctifica: et O Lord, these oblations, and corda nostra Sancti Spiritus purify our hearts by the light illustratione emunda. Per of the Holy Ghost. Through, Dominum. &c. 1 St. John, vi. 64. PASCHAL TIME PREFACE Vere dignum et justum est, equum et salutare, nos tibisemper, et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, sterne Deus: per Christum Dominum nostrum, qui ascendens super omnes colos, sedensque ad dexteram tuam, promissum Spiritum Sanctum hodierna die in filios adoptionis effudit. Quapropter profusis gaudiis, totus in orbe terrarum mundus exsultat. Sed et supern:z Virtutes, atque angelicee Potestates, hymnum glorie tug concinunt, sine fine dicentes: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus. 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, Father almighty, eternal God, through Christ our Lord: who ascending above all the heavens, and sitting at thy right hand, sent down the promised holy Spirit, this day, upon the children of adoption. Wherefore the whole world displays its exceeding great joy. The heav- enly Virtues, also, and the angelic Powers, sing in concert a hymn to thy glory, say- ing unceasingly: Holy, Holy, Holy! The woras of the Communion-anthem are from the Epistle; they celebrate the solemn moment of the descent of the Holy Ghost. Jesus has given Himself to the faithful in the blessed Sacrament: but it was the holy Spirit who prepared them for such a favour; who changed the bread and wine into the Body", "keywords": [ "holy", "alleluia", "ghost", "spirit", "jesus", "father", "divine", "faithful", "lord", "sanctus", "communion", "love", "life", "offertory", "coming", "confirm", "wrought", "jerusalem", "church", "kings" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_VESPERS_311", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: VESPERS 311", "anchor": "whit_sunday_vespers_311", "text": "Put, by the sacred mysteries, in possession of her Spouse, the Church prays, in the Postcommunion, that the Holy Ghost may abide for ever in our souls. She also speaks of that prerogative of the divine Spirit, whereby He turns our kearts from bein and barren of good, into very Edens of fruitfulness. How consoling the thought, that our hearts are to be sprinkled with the dew of the Paraclete ! POSTCOMMUNION Sancti Spiritus, Domine, May the pouring forth of corda nostra mundet infu- the Holy Ghost into our hearts gio: et sui roris intima asper- cleanse them, O Lord, and sione feecundet. Per Domi- render them fruitful by the num. inward sprinkling of the dew of his grace. Through &c. VESPERS The great day is far spent: but the holy Spirit, whom we received this morning at the hour of Tierce, gives us the irresistible desire to prolong our study of the sublime mystery. Let us, then, return to Jerusalem. The flame enkindled in the hearts of the apostles has spread among the admiring crowd. The Jewish pride of these men, who, but a few weeks back, had followed the divine Victim up the hill of Calvary, hooting Him with their blasphemies, is now changed into contrition; they are heart-broken at the thought of having crucified the Lord of glory.! They only require to know the truth, to believe it, and to be baptized, and they will be true Christians. Whilst the holy Spirit is working within them, Peter and his fellow-apostles continue their instructions: He that died upon the cross, and rose again from the grave, is the very Son of God, born of the Father 11 Cor. ii. 8. from all eternity; the Spirit, that is now sent among them, is the Third Person, one with the Father and Son in the unity of the divine Nature. The Trinity, the Incarnation, the Redemption, are revealed, in all their magnificence, to these disciples of Moses; the shadows of the ancient figures give place to the light and realities of the new Covenant. The time has come for the fulfilment of the prophecy uttered by St. John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan, a prophecy which many of the present audience heard him speak: ‘There hath stood One in the midst of you whom ye know not. The same is He that shall come after me, who is preferred before me; the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. I baptize with water, but He shall baptize with the Holy Ghost.'! And yet, this Baptism of fire is to be administered by water. The Spirit who is fire, works by water and and is called the * Fountain of living water.” The Prophet Ezechiel foresaw this great day, when he spoke these words: *I will pour upon you clean water, &nd you shall be cleansed from al] your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. And I will give you a", "keywords": [ "spirit", "water", "holy", "divine", "heart", "ghost", "hearts", "prophecy", "postcommunion", "thought", "cleanse", "lord", "mystery", "apostles", "among", "know", "within", "father", "john", "jordan" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. John the Baptist" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ii. 8", "1 John i. 26" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_VESPERS_313", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: VESPERS 313", "anchor": "whit_sunday_vespers_313", "text": "Dove uniting with the Word Incarnate in merit a sanctifying power to the favoured element of water. On Holy Saturday, at the blessing of the font, the pontiff plunged the Paschal Candle (the symbol of Christ) into the water, and prayed thus: * May the virtue of the Holy Ghost descend into all the water of this font! And now, on this day of Pentecost, the cleansing stream is poured out in Jerusalem : Peter and his brethren plunge these children of Israel beneath the life-giving element, and lo! three thousand children are regenerated in Christ! How admi- rable are these ancestors of our faith, in whom were first fulfilled the prophecies! We rejoiced at seeing the Magi dismount from their camels, enter the stable, and offer their mystic gifts at the feet of the King of the Jews; but oh! how much gladder and grander is our summer day of Pentecost! for now the mysteries are complete; we are redeemed, Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father, the Holy Ghost has been sent to us, and is to abide with us for ever. Those rich sources of grace, the Sacraments, which our Jesus instituted during His stay among us, must now be thrown open. \"Baptism is the first : the Spirit of the Father and the Son has opened it by His coming, nor will the sacred stream cease to flow, till time be swallowed up in eternity. But this same divine Spirit is the * Gift of the most high God’; the apostles have received it, but they have received it in order to impart it to mankind. A second source is therefore opened, and the Sacrament of Confirmation gives the Holy Ghost to the three thousand neophytes. It is administered by Peter and his fellow-apostles, the bishops of the new Law: by the ower that is in them, they communicate to the newly- Septinsd the heavenly strength they will henceforth need for confessing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Even this is not dignity enough for these favoured Christians: they have been regenerated to a life of grace, they are doubly crowned by a twofold character, and now they are to have union with Christ, the Institutor of the Sacraments, the Mediator and Redeemer of mankird. A third source must be opened: the new priesthood, exercised for the first time by the apostles, must produce the Bread of life, that is, Jesus Himself, and feed the neophytes with this manna, which giveth life to the world.\" The upper chamber, still fragrant with the sweet institution of the Eucharist, 1s the scene of its second celebration. Peter, surrounded by his brethren, consecrates the bread and wine; and, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, the Body and Blood of Jesus are on the altar. The new Sacrifice is iuaugurated, and henoeforth it shall be daily offered up to the end of time. The neophytes approach, and receive from the hands of the apostles the heavenly", "keywords": [ "jesus", "holy", "ghost", "life", "apostles", "neophytes", "water", "christ", "peter", "opened", "bread", "favoured", "element", "font", "pentecost", "stream", "brethren", "children", "three", "thousand" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "Hebrews v. 6", "Psalms cix. 4" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_VESPERS_315", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: VESPERS 315", "anchor": "whit_sunday_vespers_315", "text": "ivileged, above the rest, in being brought to the ueen of heaven, the Virgin-Mother of Him who was the hope of Israel! They saw this second Eve, they conversed with her, they felt for her that filial affection wherewith she inspired all the disciples of Jesus. The liturgy will speak to us, at another season, of these favoured ones; we only allude to the incident now, to show how full and complete was the at day, on which began our holy mother Church. he sacred hierarchy was seen in Peter, the vicar of Christ, in the other apostles, and in the disciples chosen by Jesus Himself. The seed of the word was sown in good soil, Baptism was administered to three thousand Israelites, the Holy Ghost was given to them to make them perfect Christians, the Son of God fed them with His own Flesh and Blood, and Mary adopted them as her spiritual children. Let us now unite our voices with that of the Church; let us sing, with her, the praises of that holy Spirit, who made this first day of His mission to be so rich in grace. The Office of Vespers begins with the proclamation of the number fifty, the same for both the Jewish and the Christian solemnity. The same antiphon describes the disciples as being in the cenacle, awaiting the arrival of the promised Girr. ANT. Quum compleren- ANT. When the days of Pentur dies Pentecostes, erant tecost were accomplished, they omnes pariterineodem loco, were all together in one place, alleluia. alleluia. The psalm which the Church sings under this antiphon represents the triumph of Christ in His Ascen- sion. He is seated at His Father's right hand ; it is from that high throne, that He, God and Man, consolidates His kingdom on earth by sending us, this day, His holy Spirit, who is to dwell with us, until He Himself comes a second time; then will He avenge His Church, set her free from her enemies, and lead her in triumph to eternal glory. Ps. Dixit Dominus, page 92. The expectation of the disciples has been fulfilled, the holy Spirit has come down upon them; but He did more than visit the souls of these His loving servants: He, on this very day, began His conquest of the whole earth. ANT. Spiritus Domini re- ANT. The Spiritof the Lord plevit orbem terrarum, alle- hath filled the whole earth, luia. alleluia. The second psalm commemorates the mercies of God to His people; the promised Covenant, which is fulfilled to-day; the Redemption; His fidelity to His word. The mission of the Holy Ghost had been foretold by the prophets, and by Jesus Himself: God executes His promise on this day. Ps. Confitebor tibi, page 93. The divine Spirit takes possession of the disciples; He gives them the power of the word, for it is by that they are to conquer the world. ANT. Repleti sunt omnes ANT. They were all filled Spiritu Sancto, et", "keywords": [ "holy", "alleluia", "disciples", "spirit", "jesus", "church", "ghost", "second", "word", "psalm", "earth", "page", "mother", "speak", "began", "christ", "mission", "antiphon", "promised", "omnes" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Psalms c." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_VESPERS_317", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: VESPERS 317", "anchor": "whit_sunday_vespers_317", "text": "Joyful at the thought of the three thousand converts made to-day, holy Church sings of the fountains of living water, wherein the divine Spirit gave them regeneration; she speaks of these happy neophytes as of the fishes of Christ, who move in the waters of Baptism. ANT. Fontes et omnia, ANT. O ye fountains, and que moventur in aquis, hy- all ye that move in the waters, mnum dicite Deo, alleluia. ^ sing a hymn to God, alleluia. The fourth psalm is & canticle of praise to our Creator, who, from His high heaven has looked with pity on our fallen nature; and who, that He might raise us from our misery, sent us first His own Son, and afterwards, that is, to-day, has given us His divine Spirit. P». Laudate pueri, page 95. On this glorious day, the Holy Ghost began His conquest of the world. It was by the word of the apostles that He made Himself its Master; but it was He that gave them to speak; He gave them & miraculous eloquence, and made it partake of His own omnipotence. ANT. Loquebantur variis ANT. The apostles spoke, linguis apostoli magnalia with divers tongues, the won- Dei. Alleluia, alleluia, al- drous works of God. Alleluia, leluia. alleluia, alleluia. The fifth psalm of our Vespers begins with commemorating the first Pasch, the Exodus from Egypt and the prodigies that accompanied and followed it. The psalmist then goes on to tell us how the Gentiles me the slaves of their idols; but to-day the Holy Ghost raises up men who are to destroy these false gods. The houses of Israel and Aaron are not to be the only ones to serve the true God. All nations are to be taught by the apostles, whose tongues of fire are to lead them to fear and Aope in the Lord. We are no longer of the number of tke dead who praise not their God ; we are made to live the supernatural life, which the Son of the eternal Father merited for us by His- Passion and Resurrection, and which the Holy Ghost infuses into us by the divine mystery of this day. Ps. In exitu Israel, page 96. CAPITULUM Acts, ii. Quum complerentur dies Pentecostes, erant omnes discipuli pariter in eodem loco: et factus est repente de ccelo sonus tamquam advenientis spiritus vehementis, et replevit totam domum ubi erant sedentes. When the days of Pentecost were accomplished, they were all together in one place: and suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a mighty wind coming, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. The hymn is the one we sang at Tierce, that is, at the very hour when the Holy Sublimity and unction are the charac- the cenacle. host descended upon teristics of this beautiful hymn, which is ever new and inexhaustible. HYMN * Veni, Creator Spiritus, Mentes tuorum visita, Imple superna gratia Que tu creasti pectora. Qui diceris Paraclitus, Altissimi donum Dei,", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "holy", "hymn", "spiritus", "divine", "spirit", "gave", "creator", "ghost", "apostles", "fountains", "living", "move", "waters", "omnia", "psalm", "praise", "high", "heaven", "page" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY_VESPERS", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY: VESPERS", "anchor": "whit_sunday_vespers", "text": "Sermone ditans guttura. Accende lumen sensibus, Infunde amorem cordibus, Infirma nostri corporis Virtute firmans perpeti. Hostem repellas longius, Pacemque dones protinus: Ductore sic te previo Vitemus omne noxium. Per te sciamus da Patrem, Noscamus atque Filium, Teque utriusque Spiritum Credamus omni tempore. Deo Patri sit gloria, Et Filio, qui a mortuis Surrexit, ac Paraclito Inssculorumszcula. Amen. Y. Loquebantur variis linguis apostoli, alleluia. Rr. Magnalia Dei, alleluia. Promise, that enrichest men with the gift of tongues. Enkindle thy light in our minds; infuse thy love into our hearts; and strengthen the weakness of our flesh by thine unfailing power. Repel the enemy far from us, and delay not to give us peace; be thou our guide, that we may shun all that could bring us harm. Grant that, through thee, we may know the Father and the Son; and that we may evermore confess thee the Spirit of them both. Glory be to God the Father, and to the Son who rose from the dead, and to the Paraclete, for everlasting ages! Amen. Y. The apostles spoke in divers tongues, alleluia. . The wondrous works of God, alleluia. Then follows the canticle of our blessed Lady, which is an essential part of the evening Office; and while it is being chanted the celebrant censes the altar. The mystery of this great day lends an additional meaning to this exquisite canticle. It is not only the Virgin thanking and magnifying the Lord for having made her the Mother of His own Son; it is the same blessed Mother of God now filled with the Holy Ghost, and prepared by His visit for the new ministry that awaits her. The following beautiful antiphon is sung before and after the canticle, and thus puts it into harmony with our glorious solemnity. ANT. Hodie completi sunt ANT. To-day were the days dies Pentecostes, alleluia: of Pentecost accomplished, hodie Spiritus Sanctus in igne discipulis apparuit, et tribuit eis charismitum dona: misit eos in universum mundum przdicare et testificari : qui crediderit et baptizatus fuerit, salvus erit, alleluia. PASCHAL TIME alleluia: to-day the Holy Ghost appeared, in the form of fire, to the disciples, and gave them the gifts of his graces: he sent them throughout the whole world to preach and testify, that he who shall believe and be baptized shall be saved, alleluia. Cant. Magnificat, page 100. COLLECT Deus, qui hodierna die corda fidelium sancti Spiritus illustratione docuisti; da nobis in eodem Spiritu recta sapere, et de ejus semper consolatione gaudere. Per Dominum. O God, who, by the light of the Holy Ghost, didst this day instruct the hearts of the faithful: grant that, by the same Spirit, we may relish what is right, and ever rejoice in his consolation. Through, &c. Agree ably to our usual practice, we will conclude the festival with a selection of liturgical pieces taken from the several Churches. We have been joining in the prayers of the holy Roman Church; now let us listen to the Greek Church. The", "keywords": [ "spirit", "holy", "spiritus", "alleluia", "father", "apostles", "hodie", "tongues", "light", "blessed", "fire", "didst", "coming", "enim", "ghost", "form", "church", "grace", "linguis", "hearts" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY", "anchor": "whit_sunday", "text": "The Ambrosian liturgy contains this fine Preface, which, though short, expresses the whole mystery of Pentecost. PREFACE ZEquum et salutare, nos in hac prgcipua festivitate gaudere, qua sacratissimum Pascha quinquaginta dierum mysteriis tegitur, et mysticus numerus adimpletur, et dispersio linguarum, que dudum per superbiam in con- fusione facta fuerat, nunc per Spiritum sanctum adunatur. Hodie enim de coelis repente sonum audientes apostoli unius fidei symbolum exceperunt, et linguis variis Evangelii tui gloriam cunctis gentibus tradiderunt. It is just and available to salvation, that we rejoice on this great solemnity, whereon the most holy Pasch is veiled with the mystery of the fifty days, and the mystic number is completed, and the division of tongues, caused in times long past by pride, is now remedied by the unity produced by the Holy Ghost. For, on this day, a sound was suddenly heard by the apostles, and, receiving the symbol of one faith, they, in divers tongues, taught all nations the glory of Per Christum Dominum no- thy Gospel. Through Christ strum. our Lord. ILLATION The Gothic Church of Spain celebrates the glorious mystery of Pentecost with its wonted eloquence and enthusiasm. The Mozarabio missal gives us this magnificent Illation or Preface. Dignum et justum est, omnipotens Deus, pro possibilitate carnali munerum tuorum beneficia confiteri, et indultum hodierno die donum salutis stern anniversaria semper commemo- ratione celebrare. Etenim pro adventu Spiritus tui sancti tacere quis audeat? cum omnis per apostolos It is meet and just, O almighty God, that we acknow- ledge, to the best of human power, the blessing of thy gifts, and celebrate, by a yearly commemoration, the eternal salva- tion that was this day granted to mankind. For which of us would dare to be silent concerning the coming of thy holy Spirit, when, through thine tuos etiam gentium barbararum lingua non taceat. Quis enim enarrare valet hujus hodierno die ignis illapsum, sic distributa disci- pulis genera universa linguarum; ut nec Latinus Hebrso, nec Grecus ZEgyptio, nec Scytha Indo, propria dum quisque et peregrina audiens loquitur lingua, detrimentum vel alienigeni fecerit, vel sui senserit intellectus? Quaque virtute sit actum, quod dicentis veritatis preconibus per spatia immensa terrarum unius atque indivisibilis donum doctrine ccelestis pro potestate voluntaria partiretur? Nihil agens unitati fideir dissonum, | quamvis multiplicis scientie distributione pulcherrimuin, et multimoda mirificum exstiterit varietate sermonum. Ostendens quod confessioni dominice non impedit diversitas linguse, nec interest quod vario quis sermone fateatur, dummodo unus sit ille qui creditur. Obsecramus, igitur, Domine, ut hsc nostra confessio de cordibus filiorum promissionis emissa, tibi Pater glorie, semper accepta sit, et ad speranda ac promerenda ea que tuis fidelibus PASCHAL TIME apostles, not a tongue of even barbarous nations was silent? But who can narrate the descent of the fire which this day fell, giving to the disciples the divers tongues of all nations, in such wise that, when the Latin spoke to the Hebrew, or Greek to the Egyptian, or the Scythian to the Indian, and used his own language or heard the foreigner's, neither", "keywords": [ "holy", "quod", "tongues", "mystery", "nations", "spiritus", "atque", "fire", "gift", "septem", "preface", "though", "whole", "pentecost", "linguarum", "ghost", "faith", "lord", "semper", "sancti" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY", "anchor": "whit_sunday", "text": "our readers during the octave. The one we select for to-day, was composed by the good king Robert of France. SEQUENCE Sancti Spiritus Adsit nobis gratia. Que corda nostra Sibi faciat Habitaculum. Expulsis inde Cunctis vitiis Spiritalibus. Spiritus alme, Illustrator hominum. Horridas Nostre mentis Purga tenebras. Amator sancte Sensatorum Semper cogitatuum. Infunde unctionem tuam Clemens nostris sensibus. Tu purificator Omnium flagitiorum, Spiritus. Purifica nostri oculum Interioris hominis. Ut videri Supremus Genitor Possit a nobis. Mundi cordis, Quem soli cernere Possunt oculi. Prophetas tu inspirasti, Ut preeconia Christi Pracinuissent inclyta. Apostolos confortasti, Uti tropeum Christi Per totum orbem veherent. May the grace of the holy Spirit descend upon us, And make our hearts a dwelling for himself, By driving away from them all their spiritual vices. O dear Spirit, thou enlightener of man! Dispel from our souls the horrid darkness that is in them. O divine lover of holy thoughts ! Mercifully infuse thine unction into our minds. O Spirit, purifier of all our sins! Purify the eye of our inward man, That we may be enabled to see the sovereign Father, Whom none can see, save them that are clean of heart. ‘Twas thou that inspiredst the prophets, and gavest them to foretell the grand glories of Christ. ¢ Twas thou that strengthenedst the apostles, that they might carry the trophy of Christ throughout the whole world. Quando machinam Per Verbum suum Fecit Deus Coeli, terre, marium. Numen tuum expandisti, Spiritus. Tu animabus Vivificandis Aquas foecundas. Tu aspirando, Das spiritales Esse homines. Ta divisum Per linguas mundum et ritus Adunasti, Domine. Idololatras Ad cultum Dei revocas, Magistrorum optime. Ergo nos Supplicantes tibi Exaudi propitius, Sancte Spiritus. Sine quo preces omnes Cass; creduntur, Et indigne Dei auribus. Tu qui Omnium szculorum sanctos Tui numinis docuisti instinctu Amplectendo, Spiritus. Ipse hodie pm Christi Donans munere insolito, Et cunctis inaudito Seculis, Hunc diem Gloriosum fecisti Amen. PASCHAL TIME When God, by his Word, created the heavens, earth, and seas, Thou, O holy Spirit, didst stretch thy divine and fostering influence upon the waters, Making them fruitful with living beings. By thine inspiration, thou makest men to be spiritual. Thou, O Lord, didst give unity to the world, which heretofore, was divided in language and religion. O best of masters! thou bringest idolaters to the worship of the true God. Therefore, mercifully hear us who offer thee our prayers, O holy Spirit. Without whom, all our prayers are vain, and unworthy to be presented to God. ‘Twas thou, O divine Spirit! that, by thy divine attractive instinct, didst teach the saints of every age. \"T was thou, that by enriching the apostles of Christ with the incomparable gift, the gift unheard of in previous ages, Didst make this day so glorious, Amen, THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY GHOST It is our intention to explain, during this week, the workings of the Holy Ghost, both in the Church, and in the faithful soul. These seven days are given to us, that we may know and", "keywords": [ "fear", "holy", "spirit", "seven", "gift", "ghost", "lord", "soul", "spiritus", "divine", "gifts", "wisdom", "grace", "didst", "therefore", "sins", "love", "work", "pride", "christi" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Corinthians ix. 27", "Isaias xi. 2", "Philippians ii. 12", "Psalms cx. 10", "Romans viii. 24" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "MONDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "MONDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "monday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, re- Come, O holy Spirit, fill ple tuorum corda fidelium, the hearts of thy faithful, and et tui amoris in eis ignem enkindle within them the fire accende. of thy love. Yesrerpay, the Holy Ghost took possession of the world: His commencement of the mission given Him by the Father and the Son was such as to indicate is power over the human heart, and prepare us for His future triumphs. The days of this solemn octave are a fitting occasion for our respectfully considering the pro of His workings in the Church and in the Souls uf. men. Jesus, our Emmanuel, is the King of the whole earth; His Father gave Him all nations for His inheritance. He Himself tells us that all power is given to Him in heaven and in earth? But He ascended into heaven before establishing His kingdom here below. The very Israelites—to whom He preached His Gospel, and under whose eyes He wrought such stupendous miracles in attestation of His being the Messias—have refused to acknowledge Him, and have ceased to be His people? A few have been faithful, and others will follow their example: but the mass of the people of Israel have impiously resolved not to have this: Man to reign over them.* As to the Gentiles, what likelihood is there of their accepting the Son of Mary for their Master? They know nothing whatsoever of Him, of His teaching, or 1 Ps. ii. 8. . 3 Dan. ix. 26. 3 St. Matth. xxviii. 18. * St. Luke, xix. 14. His mission. They have lost all their primitive religious traditions. Materialism reigns supreme in every country, whether civilized or barbarian; and every creature is made an object for adoration. The very first principles of morality have been corrupted. The insignificant minority, who proudly call themselves philosophers, have the strangest theories: they e vain in their thoughts, as St. Paul says of them, and their foolish heart was darkened.! Races, once distinct, have been gradually fused into each other by conquest. Revolution after revolution has habituated mankind to respect no power but that of might. The colossal Roman empire, with despotic Ceesars at its head, crushes the whole earth beneath its sway. And this is the time chosen by the heavenly Father for sending His Son into the world! Jesus 1s to reign over men, and His reign must be accepted: but there seems to be little chance of any welcome being given to a King who claims to rule the minds and hearts of His subjects. During these long sad ages, another master has presented himself to the nations, and they have enthusiastically hailed him as their king. It is satan. So firmly, indeed, has he established his rule, that our Lord calls him the prince of this world. He must be cast out;? that is, he must be driven from the temples men have built to him, from society, from the ema from literature, from art, from political", "keywords": [ "holy", "world", "jesus", "spirit", "power", "ghost", "love", "church", "people", "word", "heart", "king", "earth", "kingdom", "gentiles", "order", "apostles", "faith", "father", "miracles" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matth", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xii. 9", "Corinthians i. 27", "Daniel ix. 26", "Galatians ii. 7", "Matthew xv. 24", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Peter c.", "Psalms ii. 8", "Romans i. 21", "Romans ii. 2" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_MONDAY_MASS_845", "title": "WHIT MONDAY : MASS 845", "anchor": "whit_monday_mass_845", "text": "the apostles were endowed by the Holy Ghost, on the day of Pentecost. Peter was bound with chains, because he laboured in the service of his divine Master ; he felt it an honour to be thus fettered. He that once trembled at being questioned about Jesus by a woman, rejoices, now that he has received the gift of the Holy Ghost, at being loaded with chains for Jesus’ sake. The prince of this world thought he might enchain the word of God ; but no, hp word is free, even under the shackles forged by a Nero. The Introit is taken from the Psalms, and is an allusion to the newly baptized, who are present at the holy Sacrifice, vested in their white garments. After their Baptism, they were fed with the fat of wheat, the Bread of life. They received Aoney out of the rock: the rock is Christ, as St. Paul tells us,! and Christ permitted Simon, the son of Jonas, to share with Him the honour; He made him the rock, when He said to him: Zhou art PErkR! Would we havea roof of Simon's staunch fidelity to his Master? ok at these chains! Now, the same holy Spirit who manned Peter for the combat, is now resting on the neophytes of Pentecost. INTROIT Cibavit eos ex adipe fru- He fed them with the fat menti, alleluia; et de petra of wheat, alleluia ; and filled melle saturavit eos. Alle- them with honey out of the luia, alleluia. rock. Alleluia, alleluia. Ps. Exsultate Deo adju- Ps. Rejoice in God, our tori nostro: jubilate Deo helper; sing aloud to the God Jacob. Y. Gloria Patri. of Jacob. Y. Glory, &c. Cibavit. He fed them, &c. In the Collect, holy Church commemorates the 11 Cor. x. 4, $46 PASCHAL TIME descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles; and whilst thanking God for the gift of faith, which He has bestowed on the newly baptized, she beseeches Him to bless them with that peace which our risen Jesus gave His disciples. COLLECT Deus, qui apostolis tuis sanctum dedisti Spiritum: concede plebi tug piz petitionis effectum ; ut quibus dedisti fidem largiaris et pacem. Per Dominum. O God, who didst give the Holy Ghost to thine apostles, hear the prayers of thy people, that they may enjoy a happy peace, who, by thy grace, have received the gift of faith. Through, &c. EPISTLE Lectio Actuum Apostolo- Lesson from the Acts of the rum. Apostles. Cap. x. Ch. x. In diebus illis: Aperiens Petrus os suum dixit: Viri fratres, nobis precepit Dominus predicare populo, et testificari quia ipse est, qui constitutus est a Deo judex vivorum et mortuorum. Huic omnes prophete testimonium perhibent, remissionem pecca- torum accipere per nomen ejus omnes qui credunt in eum. Adhuc loquente Petro verba hac, cecidit Spiritus sanctus super omnes qui audiebant verbum. Et obstupuerunt ex circumcisione fideles qui venerant cum Petro: quia et in nationes gratia Spiritus sancti effusa est. Audiebant enim illos loquentes", "keywords": [ "holy", "ghost", "peter", "alleluia", "apostles", "rock", "chains", "jesus", "received", "gift", "word", "omnes", "pentecost", "master", "honour", "introit", "newly", "baptized", "wheat", "christ" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 4" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_MONDAY_MASS_347", "title": "WHIT MONDAY: MASS 347", "anchor": "whit_monday_mass_347", "text": "gnificantes Deum. Tunc Then Peter answered: Can respondit Petrus: Numquid any man forbid water, that aquam quis prohibere po- these should not be baptized, test, ut non baptizentur hi, who have received the Holy qui Spiritum sanctum acce- Ghost as well as we? And perunt sicut et nos? Et jus- he commanded them to be sit eos baptizari in nomine baptized in the name of the Domini Jesu Christi. Lord Jesus Christ. This passage from the Acts of the Apostles, read on such a day as this, and in such a place, is most appropriate. Peter, the vicar of Christ, is accompanied by some Jews, who have been converted to the Christian faith. In their presence, several Gentiles, who have been touched by grace, on hearing Peter reaching profess themselves believers in Jesus, the Bon of God: the moment has come for the apostle to throw the Church open to the Gentile world. Knowing that the Jewish converts would be tempted to jealousy, he appeals to the prophets. What say these prophets? That all without distinction, who shall believe in Jesus, shall receive forgiveness of their sins in His name. While Peter is thus arguing with his audience, the Holy Ghost removes every objection, by faliing, as He did at Pentecost, on these humble and believing Gentiles. As soon as the Jewish converts perceivo the miracle, they are astonished, and exclaim: * What! is the grace of the Holy Ghost poured out on the Gentiles also?' Peter replies: * Who dares to refuse Baptism to these men, who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we ?’ And without waiting for an answer, he gives the order, as head of the Church, that Baptism be immediately conferred upon these privileged catechumens. Nothing, then, could be more appropriate than this passage of sacred Scripture, read in Rome, the centre of the Gentile world, in a basilica dedicated to St. Peter, and in the presence of the newly bap- tized, who had so recently received the gifts of the Holy Ghost. We, also, have our lesson to learn from this Epistle: we must fervently thank our heavenly Father for having vouchsafed to call our ancestors to the true faith, and make us also partakers of the graces of the Holy Ghost. PASCHAL TIME Alleluia, alleluia. Y. Loquebantur variis Alleluia, alleluia. Y. The apostles spoke in linguis apostoli magnalia divers tongues, the wondrous Dei. works of God. Here all kneel. Alleluia. Alleluia. Y. Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium: Y. Come, O holy Spirit! fill the hearts of thy faithful, et tui amoris in eis ignem and kindle within them the accende. fire of thy love. Then follows the Sequence, Veni, sancte Spiritus ; page 305. GOSPEL Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Joannem. Cap. iii. In illo tempore: Dixit Jesus Nicodemo: Sic Deus dilexit mundum, ut Filium suum unigenitum daret: ut omnis qui credit in eum, non pereat, sed habeat vitam sternam. Non enim misit Deus Filium suum in mundum, ut judicet", "keywords": [ "holy", "peter", "ghost", "world", "alleluia", "jesus", "credit", "received", "name", "gentiles", "mundum", "believeth", "baptized", "nomine", "christ", "passage", "apostles", "read", "appropriate", "faith" ], "saints": [ "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "John c.", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_MONDAY_MASS", "title": "WHIT MONDAY: MASS", "anchor": "whit_monday_mass", "text": "Filii Dei. Hoc est autem judicium: quia lux venit in mundum, et dilexerunt homines magis tenebras quam lucem: erant enim eorum mala opera. Omnis enim qui male agit, odit lucem, et non venit ad lucem, ut non arguantur opera ejus: qui autem facit veritatem,' venit ad lucem, ut manifestentur opera ejus, quia in Deo sunt facta. Son of God. And this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil. For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. But he that doth truth, cometh to the ligbt, that his works may be made manifest, because they are done in God. The Holy Ghost creates faith within our souls, and by faith we obtain /ife everlasting ; for faith is not the intellect's assent to a proposition logically demonstrated, but a virtue which proceeds from the will vivified by . Nowadays, faith is rare. Pride of intellect is at its height, and docility to the Church’s teachings is far from being general. A man calls himself a Christian and a Catholic, and yet he has his own views upon certain subjects, which he would very reluctantly give up, were the to be condemned by the only authority on darth which has power to guide us in what we are to hold or reject in matters pertaining to faith. He reads dangerous, sometimes even bad, books, without thinking of inquiring if the laws of the Church forbid such books. His religious instruction has been of a very meagre kind, and he seems to wish it to remain 80, for he takes no pains to come to a solid and perfect knowledge of his religion ; the result is, that his mind is filled with the fashionable prejudices of the world he lives in, and, on more than one point, he may depend upon his having imbibed heretical notions. He is looked upon as a Catholic; he satisfies the exterior obligations of his religion, either because of his early training, or because the rest of his family do so, or because he feels more satisfied to do than to omit them: and yet—how sad it is to say it !—he is not a Catholic, for his faith is gone. Faith is the first link that unites us to God; for, as the apostle says, he that cometh to God, must believe. It brings us to God, and keeps us there. Our Saviour here tells us that ke who believeth is not Judged : and the reason is, that he, whose faith is what our Gospel implies it to be, does not only assent to a doctrine, but he embraces it with his whole heazt and mind; he believes it, because he wishes to love what he believes. Faith works, and is perfected, by charity ; but it is itself a foretaste of charity. Therefore", "keywords": [ "faith", "light", "lucem", "darkness", "works", "venit", "opera", "world", "cometh", "catholic", "wish", "autem", "quia", "enim", "ejus", "loved", "rather", "evil", "holy", "within" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Hebrews xi. 6" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_MONDAY_MASS_351", "title": "WHIT MONDAY: MASS 351", "anchor": "whit_monday_mass_351", "text": "OFFERTORY Intonuit de colo Domi- The Lord thundered from nus, et Altissimus dedit vo- heaven, and the Most High cem suam: et apparuerunt gave forth his voice: then the fontes aquarum, alleluia. fountains of waters appeared, alleluia. In the Secret the Church prays that, by the operation of the holy Spirit, our hearts, as well as the sacred elements on the altar, may be an offering well pleasing to God. SECRET Propitius, Domine quz- Mercifully sanctify, we besumus, hzc dona sanctifica: seech thee, O Lord, these offer- et hostim spiritalis obla- ings; and having accepted lione suscepta, nosmet- the oblation of our spiritual ipsos tibi perfice munus victim, make us also an offer- ®ternum. Per Dominum. ing pleasing to thee. Through &c. The Preface is given page 310. The Communion-anthem is formed of the words spoken by Jesus to His disciples, wherein He explains to them the ministry which the Holy Ghost has come to fulfil: He will provide for the feaching of the truths which Jesus has revealed. COMMUNION Spiritus sanctus docebit The Holy Ghost shall teach vos, alleluia: quscumque you, alleluia, whatever I shall vi vobis. Alleluia, alle- say to you. Alleluia, alleluia. ula. In thé Postcommunion, the Church prays for us all, but in a special manner for her dear neophytes. They have just been receiving the sacred mysteries ; but their virtue and constancy will soon be put to the test: Satan, the world, and persecution, await them. The holy mother asks of God that He would have pity on these tender plants, and shelter them under the cover of His fostering care. PASCHAL TIME POSTCOMMUNION Adesto, quesumus Domine, populo tuo: et quem mysteriis coelestibus imbuisti, ab hostium furore defende. Per Domiaum. Help, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy people, and defend from the fury of their enemies those whom thou hast fed with thy sacred mysteries. Through &c. VESPERS They are the same as yesterday's page 311, with the exception of the Magnificat antiphon and the Prayer. ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT Si quis diligit me, sermonem imneum servabit: et Pater meus diliget eum, et ad eum veniemus, et mansionem apud eum faciemus, alleluia. If anyone love me, he will keep my word: arid my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and will make our abode with him, alleluia. The Prayer is the Collect of the Mass, given above, page 346. The Armenian Church gives us, for the Monday within the octave, the following beautiful hymn, wherein is celebrated the mission of the Holy Ghost. HYMN ( Canon secunde diei ) Idem ac similis Patri et Filio, Spiritus tu non facte, et coexistens, procedens a Patre inscrutabiliter, accipiens a Filio inenarrabiliter, in coenaculum hodie descendisti, spiritu gratie tus potasti: pota nos quoque per misericordiam calice sapientis. O uncreated Spirit! one and the same and coexisting with the Father and the Son; who proceedest inscrutably from the Father, and receivest of the Son ineffably ; thou this day descendedst into the cenacle, and", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "holy", "lord", "church", "spirit", "sacred", "page", "ghost", "father", "secret", "prays", "pleasing", "domine", "offer", "communion", "jesus", "disciples", "wherein", "spiritus", "postcommunion" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_MONDAY", "title": "WHIT MONDAY", "anchor": "whit_monday", "text": "Exstantium Creator effectorum, qui ferebaris super aquas, pariter in aquis lavacri concessi nobis a tibi coexistente, blandiris amore columbe instar, homines generas Deiformes: pota nos quoque per misericordiam calice sapientis. Magister supernorum intellectualium, ac imorum horum sensibilium; qui prophetas das de pastoribus, et apostolos de piscatoribus, evangelistas publicanos, predicatores verbi tui persecu- tores: pota nos quoque per misericordiam calice sapientis. Formidabilis venti instar, horrisono vehementi sonitu, apparuisti in ccenaculo, Spiritus tu, choro duodecim, qui a te baptizati, velut aurum igne purgati sunt, ex- purga a nobis caliginem peccati, et indue nos lumine glorise. Amor ex amore te amorem misit, sibi membra sua junxit, Ecclesiam — suam quam s:edificavit, septem columnis tuis firmavit, ceconomos in ea posuit aposto- los septem charismatibus tuis exornatos: expurga a nobis caliginem peccati, et indue nos lumine gloriz. TASOH TIME, III. O Creator of all things, who movedst over the waters! thou, in the form of a Dove, lovingly broodest over the water of the font given to us by him who is God together with thee; and thus thou givest birth to a race of God-like men. Oh! give us also, in thy mercy, to drink of the chalice of wisdom. O Master of the heavenly spirits, and of us men who live on earth; who turnest shepherds into prophets, and fishermen into apostles, and publicans into evangeliste, and persecutors into preachers of thy word; oh! give us also, in thy mercy, to drink of the chalice of wisdom. O divine Spirit, who, as & mighty wind, whose rushing sound fills men with fear, appearedst in the cenacle to the choir of the twelve apostles, baptizing them with fire, as gold is cleansed of its dross; oh! drive from us the darkness of sin, and clothe us with th light of glory. : He that is love, out of love for man, sent thee that art love; by thee he united his members (that is, his Church), to himself ; he, by thee, built this Church, and set it upon seven pillars, and entrusted her to the stewardship of the apostles, who were adorned with thy seven gifts; oh! drive from us the darkness of sin, and clothe us with the light of glory. 31A The following sequence was composed PASCHAL TIME in the eleventh century, by the pious and learned Hildebert, bishop of Le Mans, and afterwards archbishop of Tours. It will show us what an enlightened appreciation of the mystery of the Holy Ghost was possessed by the Christians of the ages of faith, and how fervently they celebrated it. SEQUENCE Spiritus sancte, Pie Paraclite, Amor Patris et Filii, Nexus Gignentis et Geniti. Utriusque bonitas et charitas, Et amborum essentie puritas; Benignitas, suavitas, Jocunditas. Vinculum nectens Deum homini, Virtus adunans Hominem Numini. Tibi soli digno coli Cum Patre Filioque Jugis cultus, Honor multus Sit semper Procedenti ab utroque. Tu mitis et hilaris, Amabilis, laudabilis, Vanitatis mundator, Munditiz amator. Vox suavis exsulum Moerentium, Melodiz civium Gaudentium. Istis solamen, Ne desperent de te, Istis juvamen,", "keywords": [ "love", "nobis", "apostles", "creator", "tibi", "amore", "instar", "pota", "quoque", "misericordiam", "calice", "sapientis", "spiritus", "caliginem", "peccati", "indue", "lumine", "amor", "septem", "tuis" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_MONDAY", "title": "WHIT MONDAY", "anchor": "whit_monday", "text": "Ut suspirent ad te. Consolator piorum, Inspirator bonorum, Consiliator meestorum, Purificator errorum, Eruditor ignotorum, Declarator perplexorum. Debilem erigens, Devium colligens, Errantem corrigens, Sustines labantem. Promoves conantem, Perficis amantem. Perfectum educis De lacu fcis, Et miseris. Deducis per semitam Pacis et leetitiz: Inducis sub nube In aulam sapientis. Fundamentum sanctitatis, Alimentum castitatis, Ornamentum lenitatis, Lenimentum paupertatis, Supplementum largitatis, Munimentum probitatis. Miserorum refugium, Captivorum suffragium. Illis aptissimus, Istis promptissimus. Spiritus veritatis, Nodus fraternitatis, Ab eodem missus A quo et promissus. Tu crederis Omnium judex, Qui crederis Omnium opifex. latter, a helper, that they may long to behold thee. The consoler of the pious, the inspirer of the good, the counsellor of the afflicted! The remover of errors, the teacher of the ignorant, the solver of doubts! Thou supportest the weak, guidest the wanderer, bringest back him that is astray, holdest him that is falling, encouragest him that strives, perfectest him that loves. ‘T'was thou that broughtest from the pit of corruption and misery him that is now perfect. ‘Tis thou that leadest him through the path of peace and joy, and admittest him, under the cloud (of faith), into the sanctuary of wisdom. Thou art the foundation of sanctity, the nourishment of chastity, the beauty of meekness, the solace of poverty, the treasury of munificence, the bulwark of honesty. Thou art the refuge of the miserable, and the deliverer of captives; To the first, most seasonable; to the second, most prompt. Thou art the Spirit of truth, and the bond of brotherly love. He that sent thee, is the same that gave us the promise. We believe thee to be the Judge of all men, as we believe thee to be their Creator. $56 PASCHAL TIMÉ Honestans bene meritos Thou givest reward to them Premio, that merit it; thou inflictest Onustans immeritos chastisement on them that Supplicio. have no merit. Spiras ubi vis Et quando vis; Doces quos vis Et quantum vis. Imples et instruis Certos in dubiis, Firmas in subitis, Regis in licitis. Tu ordo decorans Omnia, Decor ordinans et ornans Omnia, Dicta, facta, cogitata, Dicta veritate, Facta honestate, Cogitata puritate. Donum bonum, Bonum perfectum, Dans intellectum, Dans et affectum. Dirigens rectum, Formans affectum, Firmans provectum, Et ad portas Paradisi Coronans dilectum. Amen. Thou breathest where and when thou wilt; thou teachest whom thou wilt, and as much as thou wilt. ; Thou givest light and knowledge to thy faithful servants when in doubt; thou strengthenest them when taken unawares; thou guidest them when doing what is right. Thou art order that beautifiest all things; thou art beauty, that ordainest all things, said, done, or thought; giving truth to what is said, honesty to what is done, purity to what is thought. Thou art the good and perfect Gift, giving both under- standing and love. Thou guidest man to truth, thou formest his love. Thou confirmest him in good, and, having made him deserving of thy love, thou crownest him at heaven's gate. Amen. THE GIFT OF GODLINESS The gift of", "keywords": [ "love", "gift", "godliness", "good", "makes", "creator", "holy", "filial", "guidest", "spirit", "truth", "wilt", "heaven", "souls", "self", "heart", "soul", "father", "devotedness", "perfectum" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Matthew v. 45", "Romans viii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "TUESDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "TUESDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "tuesday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, re- Come, O holy Spirit, fill ple tuorum corda fidelium, the hearts of thy faithful, and et tui amoris in eis ignem enkindlo within them the fire &ccende. of thy love. YzsrERDAY, we were admiring the work of the Holy Ghost, whereby He drew mankind to the faith and the name of Jesus, to whom *all power was given in heaven and in earth.''! The instruments used for this conquest, were the apostles and their immediate successors. The tongue of fire was victorious, and the prince of this world was defeated. Let us continue our reflections, and see the further workings of the holy Spirit for the glory of the Son of God, who had sent Him into this world. Our Emmanuel came down from heaven, that He might effect the union He had desired from alI eternity. He began it by uniting our human nature to His own divine Person; but this personal union did not satisfy Hislove. He mercifully deigned to invite the whole human race to a spiritual union with Himself, by giving her to become His Church, His own dearest one,? as He calls her; His ‘glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish.'? But how could mankind, deformed as it was by sin, be worthy of such an honour? His love would make it worthy. He tells us that this Church is His bride.* Having chosen her, He beautified her 1 St. Matth. xxviii. 18. 2 Cant. vi. 8. 3 Eph. v. 27. + St. Matth, ix. 15; xxv.6. — St. Mark,ii.19. St. Luke, v. 34, St. John, iii. 29. t in the laver of His own precious Blood, and gave her, in dowry, the infinite merits He had acquired. Thus prepared, her union with Him was to be of the closest. Jesus and His Church are one body; He is the Head, she is the aggregate of the members united together under this one Head. ‘Such is the teaching of the apostle: ‘Christ is the Head of the Church; we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones’.! This body is to be formed of all who shall, in each successive age, be faithful to the call of divine grace, and enroll themselves as children of the Church. The world we inhabit is to be preserved, till the last elect required to complete the mystic body of Jesus, be added to the Church triumphant: then all will be consummated; the divine mystery of the Incarnation will have achieved its whole work. But as in the Incarnate Word there was the invisible Soul and the visible Body, so also the Church was to have a soul and a body: a soul, whose hidden beauty no eye but God’s can fully see, at least during her earthly sojourn; and a body, which is to be visible to men: an ever-living proof of God's power, and of His love for the human race. Up to the", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "spirit", "jesus", "bride", "world", "apostles", "ghost", "divine", "body", "heaven", "earth", "members", "ever", "faithful", "work", "power", "human", "elect", "soul" ], "saints": [ "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. Francis of Assisi", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matth", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Apocalypse xx. 3", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 6", "Ephesians v. 23", "Ephesians v. 27", "Matthew x. 20", "Matthew xxviii. 18" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_TUESDAY_MASS_367", "title": "WHIT TUESDAY: MASS 367", "anchor": "whit_tuesday_mass_367", "text": "this ungrateful barren earth to heaven, where the eternal nuptials with the Lamb await her. MASS The station for to-day is in the church of Saint Anastasia, where we assisted at the Mass of the Aurora on the birthday of our Emmanuel. We revisit it now that we have celebrated all the grand mysteries of our Redemption. Let us bless our God for having so magnificently completed what He began so humbly and so sweetly. The neophytes, clothed in their white garments, are present, bearing testimony both to the love of the Son of God who has cleansed them by His Blood, and to the power of the Holy Ghost who has rescued them from the tyranny of satan, the prince of this world. The Introit is addressed to the neophytes, inviting them to appreciate the glory they have received, and to give thanks to the God who has called them to a heavenly kingdom. The words of this Introit, which has been used almost from the very commencement of the Church, are taken from the fourth Book of Esdras, which, although not received by the Church as part of the sacred Scriptures, was frequently read by the early Christians on account of the admirable instructions it contains. INTROIT Accipite jucunditatem Receive your glory with joy, glorie vestra, alleluia: gra- alleluia: giving thanks to tias agentes Deo, alleluia: God, alleluia: who hath called qui vos ad ccelestia regna you to a heavenly kingdom. vocavit. Alleluia, alleluia, Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. alleluia. Ps. Attendite, popule Ps. Attend, O my people, meus, legem meam: incli- to my law: incline your ears nate aurem vestram in verba oris mei. Y. Gloria Patri. Accipite. In the Collect, the Church teaches us that the action of the Holy Ghost in our souls is one of meroy and power combined. This divine action purifies our souls from all their stains, and defends them from the attacks of the crafty and jealous enemy, to the words of my mouth. ¥. Glory, &c. Receive, &c. who is ever lying in wait for us. COLLECT Adsit nobis, qusesumus Domine, virtus Spiritus sancti, qua et corda nostra clementer expurget, et ab omnibus tueatur adversis. Per Dominum. Assist us, O Lord, webeseech thee, with the power of thy holy Spirit, that our hearts may be purified, according to thy mercy, and we may be defended from all adversities. Through, &c. EPISTLE Lectio Actuum Apostolo- Lesson from the Acts of the rum. Apostles. Cap. viii. Ch. viii. In diebus illis: Quum audissent apostoli, qui erant Jerosolymis, quod recepisset Samaria verbum Dei, miserunt ad eos Petrum et Joannem, qui quum venissent, oraverunt pro ipsis ut acciperent Spiritum sanctum; nondum enim in quemquam illorum venerat, sed baptizati tantum erant in nomine Domini Jesu. Tunc imponebant manus super illos, et accipiebant Spiritum sanctum. In those days: When the apostles, who were in Jerusalem, had heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John. Who when they were come, prayed", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "holy", "received", "church", "ghost", "power", "introit", "glory", "receive", "samaria", "mass", "neophytes", "thanks", "called", "heavenly", "kingdom", "words", "accipite", "collect", "action" ], "saints": [ "St. Anastasia" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_TUESDAY_MASS_369", "title": "WHIT TUESDAY: MASS 369", "anchor": "whit_tuesday_mass_369", "text": "of God through the preaching of Philip the deacon. They had received, at his hands, the Sacrament of Baptism, which made them Christians. This reminds us of the dialogue betwen Jesus and the woman at Jacob’s well, and of the three days that He spent in the city. Their faith is rewarded: Baptism has made them children of God and members of Christ their Redeemer. But they must also receive the Holy Ghost, in the Sacrament that gives perfection to the Christian character. The deacon Philip has not power to confer it upon them: Peter and John, who are invested with episcopal authority, visit them, and complete their happiness. This event makes us think of the grace bestowed on us by the Holy Ghost, when He strengthened our souls by the Sarcrament of Confirmation. Let us thank Him for this favour, which brought us into closer union with Himself, and gave us the courage needed for confessing our faith before heretics or tyrants. Alleluia, álleluia. Alleluia, alleluia. Y. Spiritus sanctus doce- —— Y. The Holy Ghost will bit vos quecumque dixero teach you all things whatso- vobis. ever I have said to you. Here all kneel. Alleluia. Alleluia. Y. Veni, sancte Spiritus, Y. Come, O holy Spirit! reple tuorum corda fidelium: fill the hearts of thy faithful, et tui amoris in eis ignem and kindle within them the accende. fire of thy love. Then follows the Sequence, Veni, sancte Spiritus; page 305. GOSPEL Sequentia sancti Evangelii Sequel of the holy Gospel secundum Joannem. according to John. Cap. x. Ch. x. In illo tempore: Dixit ^ At that time: Jesus said to PASCH TIME, Ill, 2B Jesus Phariseis: Amen, amen dico vobis, qui non intrat per ostium in ovile ovium, sed ascendit aliunde, ille fur est, et latro. Qui autem intrat per ostium, pastor est ovium. Huic ostiarius aperit, et oves vocem ejus audiunt, et proprias oves vocat nominatim, et educit eas. Et quum proprias oves emiserit, ante eas vadit: et oves illum sequuntur, quia sciunt vocem ejus. Alienum autem non sequuntur, sed fugiunt ab eo: quia non noverunít vocem alienorum. Hoc proverbium dixit eis Jesus. llli autem non cognoverunt quid loqueretur eis. Dixit ergo eis ite- rum Jesus: Amen, amen dico vobis, quia ego sum osti- um ovium. Omnes quotquot venerunt, fures sunt et latrones, et non audierunt eos oves. Ego sum ostium. Per me si quis introierit, salvabitur: et ingredietur, et egredietur, et pascua inveniet. Fur non venit nisi ut furetur, et mactet et perdat. Ego veni ut vitam habeant, et abundantius habeant. PASCHAL TIME the Pharisees: Amen, amen, I say to you: he that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own .sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he hath let out", "keywords": [ "amen", "jesus", "sheep", "holy", "alleluia", "oves", "door", "ghost", "spiritus", "vobis", "veni", "gospel", "dixit", "ostium", "ovium", "autem", "vocem", "quia", "voice", "philip" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "John c." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_TUESDAY_MASS_371", "title": "WHIT TUESDAY : MASS 371", "anchor": "whit_tuesday_mass_371", "text": "they are the favoured sheep of the good Shepherd Jesus, represented by men to whom He Himself has p the charge to feed His lambs. These men ave received their mission from Peter; and he who is with Peter, is with Jesus. But it has not unfrequently happened that false shepherds have got into the fold ; our Saviour calls them /Aieves and robbers. He tells us that He Himself is the door, through which they must pass who can claim the right to feed His sheep. Every shepherd, if he would avoid the imputation of being a robber, must have received his mission from Jesus ; and this mission cannot be given save by him whom Jesus has appointed to be His vicar and representative until He Himself return. The Holy Ghost has poured forth His divine gifts upon these new Christians; but the virtues that are in them cannot be meritorious of eternal life, unless they continue to be members of the true Church. If, instead of following the lawful pastor, they were to be so unhappy as to go after false pastors, all these virtues would become barren. They should, therefore, flee, as they would from a stranger, from any ide who has not received his mission from the aster, who alone can lead them to the pastures of life. During the past centuries, schismatical pastors have risen up from time to time: the faithful were bound to shun them. We, who are living now, should take seriously to heart the admonition here given us by our Redeemer. The Church He has founded, and which He guides by His holy Spirit, is apostolic. The mission of those pastors alone is lawful who are sent by apostolic authority ; and whereas Peter lives in his successors, the successor of Peter is the source whence alone can come pastoral power. He who is with Peter, is with Christ. In the Offertory, the Church excites our devotion to the holy Sacrifice at which we are assisting, by speaking to us, in the words of the psalmist, the praises of the sacred nourishment which 1s to be given to us ; it is & manna from heaven, it is the very Bread of the angels. PASCHAL TIME OFFERTORY Portas cceli aperuit Dominus, et pluit illis manna, ut ederent: panem coeli dedit eis, panem angelorum manducavit homo, alleluia. The Lord opened for them the gates of heaven, and rained down manna for them to eat: he gave them the bread of heaven; men eat the bread of angels, alleluia. The Victim that is about to be offered, has the power to purify, by His immolation, those who are to feed upon His sacred Flesh. The Church prays in the Secret, that it. may be thus with them that are assisting at this holy sacrifice. SECRET Purificet nos, quasumus Domine, muneris prasentis oblatio: et dignos sacra participatione efficiat. Per Dominum. May the oblation of this sacrifice purify us, O Lord, we beseech thee,", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "holy", "jesus", "mission", "peter", "church", "feed", "received", "pastors", "alone", "spirit", "sacrifice", "manna", "heaven", "bread", "sheep", "shepherd", "false", "cannot", "ghost" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Peter i.", "Peter liv." ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_TUESDAY_VESPERS_378", "title": "WHIT TUESDAY: VESPERS 378", "anchor": "whit_tuesday_vespers_378", "text": "The faithful people have partaken of the sacred mysteries; and the Church comes immediately after, telling them that the Holy Ghost has actively co-operated in what has taken place. It is He that achieved the change of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Redeemer; it is He also that prepared our souls for their union with the Son of God, by purifying them from their sins. POSTCOMMUNION Mentes nostras, quaesumus Grant, we beseech thee, Domine, Spiritus sanctus O Lord, that the Holy Ghost divinis reparet sacramentis, may renew our souls by these quia ipse est remissio om- divine mysteries, since he is nium peccatorum. Per Do- the remission of sin. Through minum. &c. VESPERS They are the same as on Sunday page 311, with the exception of the Magnificat antiphon and the Prayer. ANTIPHON OF THE MAGNIFICAT Pacem relinquo vobis, pa- Peace I leave with you, my cem meam do vobis; non peace I give unto you; not as quomodo mundus dat, ego the world giveth do I give do vobis. Alleluia. unto you. Alleluia. The Prayer is the Colleot of the Mass, given above, page 368. Again let us give ear to the Armenian Church celebrating the coming of the Holy Ghost, and that with all the dignity of sentiment and diction which characterizes its Aymnarium. PASCHAL TIMER HYMN ( Canon tertia: diei ) Hodieccelestes lztati sunt de terrestrium renovatione : namque innovator existentium Spiritus descendit ad sacrum coenaculum, quo re- novati sunt chori apostolorum. Hodie humea natura nostra exsultat reconciliatione cum Patre; quia qui abstulit spiritum ab hominibus caro effectis, iterum donat. Hodie pueri Ecclesix celebrant in exsultatione ad- ventum sancti Spiritus, per quem exornati sunt vestibus pellucidis et clarissimis, cantantes cum Seraphim trisagium. Qui unitos turris, divisione linguarum sejunxit, hodie divisas linguas nationum univit rursum in sacro coenaculo: omnes spiritus, benedicite Spiritum Dei. Qui descendit, Spiritus Domini, et ductor fuit duodecim tribuum Israel in deserto, hodie duodecim apostolos perducit ad Evan- gelium ; omnes spiritus, benedicite Spiritum Dei. Qui implevit, Spiritus Domini, Beseleel architectorem tabernaculi, hodie efficit homines taberna- To-day, the heavenly hosts rejoiced at the earth's being renewed ; for the Spirit, the renewer of all things, descended into the sacred cenacle, and the apostolic choir was renewed. To-day, our lowly nature rejoices at her reconciliation with the Father; for he that took away his Spirit from men when they became carnal, now restores it to them. To-day, the children of the Church celebrate in gladness the coming of the Holy Ghost, by whom they were clothed in garments of exquisite beauty and richness: and uniting their voices with the Seraphim, they sing the Holy, Holy, Holy. To-day, he that scattered the people of the tower by the division of tongues, again united the divided tongues of nations, in the sacred cenacle. O all ye spirits, bless the Spirit of God ! To-day the Spirit of the Lord, who came down and led the twelve tribes of Israel through the desert,", "keywords": [ "holy", "spiritus", "spirit", "knowledge", "gift", "light", "darkness", "ghost", "world", "hodie", "lord", "love", "vult", "wills", "sacred", "souls", "spiritum", "father", "truth", "church" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Ephesians v. 8", "Matthew vi. 22", "Wisdom x. 10" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, re- Come, O holy Spirit, fill ple tuorum corda fidelium, the hearts of thy faithful, and et tui amoris in eis ignem enkindle within them the fire accende. of thy love. We have seen with what fidelity the Holy Ghost has fulfilled, during all these past ages, the mission He received from our Emmanuel, of forming, pro: tecting, and maintaining His bride the Church. This trust given by a God has been executed with all the power of a' God, and it is the sublimest and most wonderful spectacle the world has witnessed during the eighteen hundred years of the new Covenant. This continuance of a social body, the same in all times and places; promulgating a precise Symbol of faith which each of its menibers is bound to accept; producing by its decisions the strictest unity of eligi belief throughout the countless individuals who compose the society : this, and the wonderful propagation of Christianity, are the master facts of history. These two facts are not, as certain modern writers would have it, results of the ordinary laws of Providence; but miracles of the highest order, worked directly by the Holy Ghost, and intended to serve as the basis of our faith in the truth of the Christian religion. The Holy Ghost was not, in the exercise of His mission, to assume a visible form; but He has made His presence visible to the understanding of man, and thereby He has sufficiently proved His own personal action in the work of man's salvation. Let us now follow this divine action, not in ita $880 PASCHAL TIME carrying out the merciful designs of the Son of God, who deigned to take to Himself a bride here below, but in the relations of this bride with mankind. Our Emmanuel willed that she should be the mother of men; and that all, whom He calls to the honour of becoming His own members, should acknowledge that it 18 she who gives them this glorious birth. The Holy Ghost, therefore, was to secure to this bride of Jesus what would make her evident and known to the world, leaving it, however, in the power of each individual to disown and reject her. It was necessary that this Church should last for all ages, and that she should traverse the earth in such wise that her name and mission might be known to all nations; in a word, she was to be Catholio, that is, universal, taking in all times and all places. Accordingly, the Holy Ghost made her Catholic. He began by showing her, on the day of Pentecost, to the Jews who had flocked to Jerusalem from the various nations; and when these returned to their respective countries, they took the good tidings with them. He then sent the apostles and disciples into the whole world; and we learn from the writers of those early times, that a century had scarcely elapsed before there were Christians in every portion", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "ghost", "spirit", "fortitude", "world", "soul", "gift", "life", "bride", "jesus", "whole", "christ", "union", "never", "unity", "divine", "members", "hearts", "body" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Mary", "St. Matth", "St. Mauritius", "St. Paul", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Ephesians i. 14", "Ephesians vi. 11", "Matthew vi. 24", "Matthew xvi. 18" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "THURSDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "THURSDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "thursday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, re- Come, O holy Spirit, fill ple tuorum corda fidelium, the hearts of thy faithful, and et tui amoris in eis ignem enkindle within them the fire accende. of thy love. Tue divine Spirit has been sent to secure unity to the bride of Christ; and we have seen how faithfully He fulfils His mission, by giviug to the members of the Church to be one, as He Himself is one. But the bride of a God, who is, as He calls Himself, the truth,! must be in the truth, and can have no fellowship with error. Jesus entrusted His teachings to her care, and has instructed her in the person of the apostles. He said to them: * All things whatsoever I have heard of My Fat'er, I have made known to you.? And yet, if left unaided, how can the Church preserve free from all change, during the long ages of her existence, that word which Jesus has not written, that truth which He came from heaven to teach her? Experience proves that everything changes here below; that written documents are open to false interpretations; and that unwritten traditions are frequently so altered in the course of time, as to defy recognition. Here again we have a proof of our Lord's watchfullove. In order to realize the wish He had to see us one, as He and His Father are one? He sent us His Spirit; and in order to keep us in the truth, He 1 St. John, xiv. 6, ? Ibid. xv. 15, 3 Ibid. xvii. 11, sent us this same Spirit who is called the Spirit of truth. “When the Spirit of truth is come,” said He, ‘He will teach you all truth! And what is the truth which this Spirit will teach us? * He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.’? So that nothing of what the divine Word spoke to men is to be lost. The beauty of His bride is to be based on truth, for*beauty is the splendour of truth. Her fidelity to her Jesus shall be of the most perfect kind; for if He be the truth, how could she ever be out of the truth? Jesus had said : 'I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever; and He shall be in you.'? It is by the Holy Ghost, then, that the Church is ever to possess the truth, and that nothing can rob her of it; for this Spirit, who is sent by the Father and the Son, will abide unceasingly with and in her. The magnificent theory of St. Augustine comes most appropriately here. According to his teaching— which, after all, is but the explanation of the texts just cited—the Holy Ghost is the principle of the Chureh's life; and He, being the Spirit of truth, preserves and directs", "keywords": [ "holy", "spirit", "church", "truth", "ghost", "jesus", "holiness", "word", "love", "bride", "father", "divine", "ever", "life", "children", "written", "therefore", "faith", "might", "soul" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Luke", "St. Matth" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xii. 11", "1 Timothy iii. 15", "Apocalypse xxii. 17", "Peter i.", "Philippians iii. 20", "Zacharias xii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "THURSDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "THURSDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "thursday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "faithful in so holy a place, and for all these long , is an eloquent qm de the completeness of that victory, which made subject to Christ. me and her power The Armenian Church comes, for the fourth time, to aid us in our homage to the Holy Ghost. The richest fragrance of antiquity is in the stanzas we select for to-day. HYMN ( Canon quinte diei.) Hodie exsultant chori apostolorum adventu Spiritus Dei, quos consolatus est loco Verbi incarnati, degens apud illos: gloriam offeramus illi agiologa voce. Hodie exiit aqua viva in Jerusalem, unde repleta sunt flumina Dei, et currentes inebriarunt terrarum arbem quadrifluvio fonte Eden; gloriam offeramus illi agiologa voce. Hodie rore intelligibli de nubibus Spiritus letata sunt germina Ecclesie, pinguefacti sunt agri justitia, spe- ciosa effecta est deserta pura virginitate ; gloriam offeramus illi agiologa voce. To-day, the choir of apostles rejoice at the coming of the Spirit of God: he consoles them, he lives with them, taking the place of the Incarnate Word. Let us offer him our holy songs of praise ! To-day, a living water sprang up in Jerusalem: it filled the rivers of God, which ran through the whole earth, inebriating it with the fourfold fountain of Eden. Let us offer him our holy songs of praise ! To-day, the young plants of the Church were gladdened with spiritual dew from the clouds of the Spirit ; the fields were made rich in justice; the desert was made to bloom with purest virginity. Let us offer him our holy songs of praise ! ‘We subjoin a sequence from Germany ; in which her illustrious prophetess, the holy abbess Hildegarde, PASCHAL TIME gives expression to her love of the divine Spirit, whose inspiration she almost uninterruptedly enjoyed and obeyed. SEQUENCE O ignis Spiritus Paraclite, Vita vite omnis creature. Sanctus es, vivificando Formas. Sanctus es ungendo Periculose fractos. Sanctus es tergendo Foetida vulnera. O spiraculum sanctitatis, O ignis charitatis, O dulcis gustus In pectoribus, Et infusio cordium In bono odor: virtutum! O fons purissimus, In quo consideratur Quod Deus alienos Colligit, Et perditos requirit. O lorica vitz, Et spes compaginis Membrorum omnium! O cingulum honestatis, Salva beatos! Custodi eos Qui carcerati sunt Ab inimico, Et solve ligatos, Quos divina vis Salvare vult. O iter fortissimum, Quod penetravit omnia, In altissimis, O sacred Fire ! O Paraclete, Spirit! thou art the life of every creature's life. Thou art the Holy One, vivifying all beings ! Thou art the Holy One, healing with thine unction them that are dangerously bruised ! Thou art the Holy One, cleansing our festered wounds ! O breath of holiness! O fire of charity! O thou sweet Saviour of the soul, and the heart's infusion of the pleasing odour of virtues! O purest fount! wherein is reflected the mercy of God, who adopts aliens for his children, and goes in search of them that are lost. O breast-plate of life, that givest all the members hope of compact strength! O girdle of", "keywords": [ "holy", "gift", "counsel", "spirit", "ghost", "praise", "life", "sunt", "soul", "fortitude", "hodie", "spiritus", "gloriam", "offeramus", "illi", "agiologa", "voce", "offer", "songs", "whole" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Isaias iv. 8", "Psalms xxiv. 4" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "FRIDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "FRIDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "friday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, re- Come, O holy Spirit, fill ple tuorum corda fidelium, the hearts of thy faithful, and et tui amoris in eis ignem enkindle within them the fire accende. of thy love. So far, we have considered the action of the Holy Ghost in the Church ; we must now study His workings in the soul of the Christian. Here, also, we shall find fresh motives for admiration and gratitude towards this divine Paraclete, who so graciously condescends to minister to us in all our necessities, and lead us to the glorious end for which we were created. As the Holy Ghost, who was sent that He might abide with us for ever,! exercises His power in upholding and guiding the Church, that thus she may be the faithful bride of Jesus; so, likewise, does He work in each one of us, that He may make us worthy members of our divine Head. This is His mission: to unite us so closely with Jesus, that we may be made one body with Him. His office is, to create us in the supernatural order, to give and maintain within us the life of grace, by applying to us the merits acquired for us by Jesus, our Mediator and our Saviour. Let us begin by considering how sublime is this mission given by the Father and the Son to the Holy Ghost. In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is produced, 1 St. John, xiv. 16. and does not produce. The Father begets the Son ; the Father and the Son produce the Holy Ghost. This difference is founded on the divine Nature itself, which is not and cannot be but in three Persons. Hence, as the holy fathers teach, the Holy Ghost has received a fecundity outside, having none within, the Godhead. Thus, when the Humanity of the Son of God was to be produced in Mary's womb, it was the Holy Ghost that achieved the mystery. Again, when the Christian is to be formed in the creature corrupted by original sin, it is the same holy Spirit who produces the new being. St. Augustine thus forcibly expresses himself: ‘The same grace that produced Christ when He first became Man, produces the Christian when He first becomes a believer ; the same Spirit of whom Christ was conceived, is the principle of the new birth of the Christian.'! We have dwelt at some length on the action of the Holy Ghost in the formation and government of the Church, because the chief work of this divine Spirit is to produce, here upon the earth, the bride of the Son of God, and because it is through her that all blessings come to us. She is the depository of a portion of the Paraclete’s graces, inasmuch as He is ever ready to serve her for our salvation and sanctification’s sake. It is for us, also, that He made her Catholic, and visible to the world; and this, to the end that", "keywords": [ "holy", "jesus", "spirit", "ghost", "church", "earth", "lord", "divine", "father", "love", "heaven", "power", "world", "deus", "might", "ascension", "christ", "thine", "mother", "mystery" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Bernardine of Siena", "St. Francis of Sales", "St. Helen", "St. John", "St. Matth", "St. Optatus", "St. Paul", "St. Paulinus of Nola", "St. Peter", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse x. 6", "Ephesians iv. 8", "Ezechiel xxxvi. 25", "Isaias xi. 1", "John c.", "Matthew xii. 32", "Matthew xxviii. 20", "Psalms ciii. 30", "Psalms cix. 1", "Psalms cix. 6", "Psalms lxvii. 19", "Romans v. 5", "Zacharias xiv. 4" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY", "anchor": "whit_sunday", "text": "THE DAY OF PENTECOST Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. The great day, which consummates the work that God had undertaken for the human race, has at last shone upon the world. The days of Pentecost, as St. Luke says, are accomplished.¹ We have had seven weeks since the Pasch; and now comes the day that opens the mysterious number of fifty. This day is the Sunday, already made holy by the creation of the light, and by the Resurrection of Jesus: it is about to receive its final consecration, and bring us the fullness of God.² In the old and figurative Law, God foreshadowed the glory that was to belong, at a future period, to the fiftieth day. Israel had passed the waters of the Red Sea, thanks to the protecting power of his Paschal Lamb! Seven weeks were spent in the desert, which was to lead to the promised land; and the very morrow of those seven weeks was the day whereon was made the alliance between God and His people. The Pentecost (the fiftieth day) was honoured by the promulgation of the ten commandments of the divine law; and every following year, the Israelites celebrated the great event by a solemn festival. But their Pentecost was figurative, like their Pasch: there was to be a second Pentecost for all people, as there was to be a second Pasch, for the Redemption of the whole world. The Pasch, with all its triumphant joys, belongs to the Son of God, the Conqueror of death: Pentecost belongs to the Holy Ghost, for it is the day whereon He began His mission into this world, which, henceforward, was to be under His Law. But how different are the two Pentecosts! The one, on the rugged rocks of Arabia, amidst thunder and lightning, promulgates a Law that is written on tablets of stone; the second is in Jerusalem, on which God's anger has not as yet been manifested, because it still contains within its walls the first fruits of that new people, over whom the Spirit of love is to reign. In this second Pentecost, the heavens are not overcast, nor is the roar of thunder heard; the hearts of men are not stricken with fear, as when God spake on Sinai; repentance and gratitude are the sentiments now uppermost. A divine fire burns within their souls, and will spread throughout the whole world. Our Lord Jesus had said: 'I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?'¹ The hour for the fulfilment of this word has come: the Spirit of love, the Holy Ghost, the eternal uncreated Flame, is about to descend from heaven, and realize the merciful design of our Redeemer. Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims, who have flocked thither from every country of", "keywords": [ "holy", "spirit", "ghost", "father", "alleluia", "divine", "jesus", "spiritus", "church", "fire", "love", "word", "pentecost", "lord", "world", "gift", "whole", "apostles", "earth", "hearts" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Hugh", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matth", "St. Paul", "St. Pet", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ii. 14", "1 Corinthians ii. 8", "1 Peter ii. 9", "Deuteronomy iv. 24", "Ephesians iii. 19", "Genesis iii. 20", "Hebrews v. 6", "Isaias xi. 2", "John c.", "Matthew i.", "Matthew vi. 24", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms ciii. 30", "Psalms cix. 4", "Psalms cx. 10", "Psalms i.", "Psalms ii. 11", "Psalms l.", "Psalms lxvii.", "Psalms xlv. 6" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "MONDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "MONDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "monday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. Yesterday, the Holy Ghost took possession of the world: His commencement of the mission given Him by the Father and the Son was such as to indicate His power over the human heart, and prepare us for His future triumphs. The days of this solemn octave are a fitting occasion for our respectfully considering the proofs of His workings in the Church and in the souls of men. Jesus, our Emmanuel, is the King of the whole earth; His Father gave Him all nations for His inheritance.¹ He Himself tells us that all power is given to Him in heaven and in earth.² But He ascended into heaven before establishing His kingdom here below. The very Israelites—to whom He preached His Gospel, and under whose eyes He wrought such stupendous miracles in attestation of His being the Messias—have refused to acknowledge Him, and have ceased to be His people.³ A few have been faithful, and others will follow their example: but the mass of the people of Israel have impiously resolved not to have this Man to reign over them.⁴ As to the Gentiles, what likelihood is there of their accepting the Son of Mary for their Master? They know nothing whatsoever of Him, of His teaching, or His mission. They have lost all their primitive religious traditions. Materialism reigns supreme in every country, whether civilized or barbarian; and every creature is made an object for adoration. The very first principles of morality have been corrupted. The insignificant minority, who proudly call themselves philosophers, have the strangest theories: they are vain in their thoughts, as St. Paul says of them, and their foolish heart was darkened.⁵ Races, once distinct, have been gradually fused into each other by conquest. Revolution after revolution has habituated mankind to respect no power but that of might. The colossal Roman empire, with despotic Cæsars at its head, crushes the whole earth beneath its sway. And this is the time chosen by the heavenly Father for sending His Son into the world! Jesus is to reign over men, and His reign must be accepted: but there seems to be little chance of any welcome being given to a King who claims to rule the minds and hearts of His subjects. During these long sad ages, another master has presented himself to the nations, and they have enthusiastically hailed him as their king. It is satan. So firmly, indeed, has he established his rule, that our Lord calls him the prince of this world. He must be cast out;⁶ that is, he must be driven from the temples men have built to him, from society, from the family, from literature, from art, from political life, all of which are under his sway. There will be resistance from the world he has corrupted; nay, he", "keywords": [ "holy", "love", "world", "jesus", "ghost", "spirit", "faith", "alleluia", "church", "peter", "apostles", "father", "power", "gift", "word", "light", "lord", "spiritus", "heart", "earth" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Matth", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 4", "Apocalypse xii. 9", "Hebrews xi. 6", "John c.", "Matthew v. 45", "Matthew x. 19", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Romans viii. 14", "Romans viii. 15", "Wisdom i. 7" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "TUESDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "TUESDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "tuesday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. Yesterday, we were admiring the work of the Holy Ghost, whereby He drew mankind to the faith and the name of Jesus, to whom \"all power was given in heaven and in earth.\"¹ The instruments used for this conquest, were the apostles and their immediate successors. The tongue of fire was victorious, and the prince of this world was defeated. Let us continue our reflections, and see the further workings of the holy Spirit for the glory of the Son of God, who had sent Him into this world. Our Emmanuel came down from heaven, that He might effect the union He had desired from all eternity. He began it by uniting our human nature to His own divine Person; but this personal union did not satisfy His love. He mercifully deigned to invite the whole human race to a spiritual union with Himself, by giving her to become His Church, His own dearest one,² as He calls her; His \"glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish.\"³ But how could mankind, deformed as it was by sin, be worthy of such an honour? His love would make it worthy. He tells us that this Church is His bride.⁴ Having chosen her, He beautified her ¹ St. Matth. xxviii. 18. ² Cant. vi. 8. ³ Eph. v. 27. ⁴ St. Matth. ix. 15; xxv. 6. — St. Mark, ii. 19. St. Luke, v. 34. St. John, iii. 29. in the laver of His own precious Blood, and gave her, in dowry, the infinite merits He had acquired. Thus prepared, her union with Him was to be of the closest. Jesus and His Church are one body; He is the Head, she is the aggregate of the members united together under this one Head. Such is the teaching of the apostle: \"Christ is the Head of the Church; we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.\"¹ This body is to be formed of all who shall, in each successive age, be faithful to the call of divine grace, and enroll themselves as children of the Church. The world we inhabit is to be preserved, till the last elect required to complete the mystic body of Jesus, be added to the Church triumphant: then all will be consummated; the divine mystery of the Incarnation will have achieved its whole work. But as in the Incarnate Word there was the invisible Soul and the visible Body, so also the Church was to have a soul and a body: a soul, whose hidden beauty no eye but God's can fully see, at least during her earthly sojourn; and a body, which is to be visible to men: an ever-living proof of God's power, and of His love for the human race. Up", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "spirit", "jesus", "ghost", "alleluia", "world", "spiritus", "bride", "apostles", "divine", "heaven", "body", "love", "power", "earth", "ever", "peter", "lord", "amen" ], "saints": [ "St. Anastasia", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. Francis of Assisi", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matth", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Apocalypse xx. 3", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 5", "Ephesians v. 23", "Ephesians v. 27", "Ephesians v. 8", "John c.", "Matthew ix. 15", "Matthew vi. 22", "Matthew x. 20", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Matthew xxviii. 20", "Peter i.", "Peter liv.", "Psalms xviii. 5", "Wisdom x. 10" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. We have seen with what fidelity the Holy Ghost has fulfilled, during all these past ages, the mission He received from our Emmanuel, of forming, protecting, and maintaining His bride the Church. This trust given by a God has been executed with all the power of a God, and it is the sublimest and most wonderful spectacle the world has witnessed during the eighteen hundred years of the new Covenant. This continuance of a social body, the same in all times and places; promulgating a precise Symbol of faith which each of its members is bound to accept; producing by its decisions the strictest unity of religious belief throughout the countless individuals who compose the society: this, and the wonderful propagation of Christianity, are the master facts of history. These two facts are not, as certain modern writers would have it, results of the ordinary laws of Providence; but miracles of the highest order, worked directly by the Holy Ghost, and intended to serve as the basis of our faith in the truth of the Christian religion. The Holy Ghost was not, in the exercise of His mission, to assume a visible form; but He has made His presence visible to the understanding of man, and thereby He has sufficiently proved His own personal action in the work of man's salvation. Let us now follow this divine action, not in its carrying out the merciful designs of the Son of God, who deigned to take to Himself a bride here below, but in the relations of this bride with mankind. Our Emmanuel willed that she should be the mother of men; and that all, whom He calls to the honour of becoming His own members, should acknowledge that it is she who gives them this glorious birth. The Holy Ghost, therefore, was to secure to this bride of Jesus what would make her evident and known to the world, leaving it, however, in the power of each individual to disown and reject her. It was necessary that this Church should last for all ages, and that she should traverse the earth in such wise that her name and mission might be known to all nations; in a word, she was to be Catholic, that is, universal, taking in all times and all places. Accordingly, the Holy Ghost made her Catholic. He began by showing her, on the day of Pentecost, to the Jews who had flocked to Jerusalem from the various nations; and when these returned to their respective countries, they took the good tidings with them. He then sent the apostles and disciples into the whole world; and we learn from the writers of those early times, that a century had scarcely elapsed before there were Christians in every portion of the known earth. Since then,", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "ghost", "spirit", "fortitude", "world", "soul", "gift", "life", "christ", "bride", "members", "jesus", "whole", "union", "never", "unity", "divine", "hearts", "body" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Mary", "St. Matth", "St. Mauritius", "St. Paul", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Ephesians i. 14", "Ephesians vi. 11", "Galatians i. 10", "Matthew vi. 24", "Matthew xvi. 18", "Psalms xliv. 8" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "THURSDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "THURSDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "thursday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. The divine Spirit has been sent to secure unity to the bride of Christ; and we have seen how faithfully He fulfils His mission, by giving to the members of the Church to be one, as He Himself is one. But the bride of a God, who is, as He calls Himself, the truth,¹ must be in the truth, and can have no fellowship with error. Jesus entrusted His teachings to her care, and has instructed her in the person of the apostles. He said to them: 'All things whatsoever I have heard of My Father, I have made known to you.'² And yet, if left unaided, how can the Church preserve free from all change, during the long ages of her existence, that word which Jesus has not written, that truth which He came from heaven to teach her? Experience proves that everything changes here below; that written documents are open to false interpretations; and that unwritten traditions are frequently so altered in the course of time, as to defy recognition. Here again we have a proof of our Lord's watchful love. In order to realize the wish He had to see us one, as He and His Father are one,³ He sent us His Spirit; and in order to keep us in the truth, He ¹ St. John, xiv. 6. ² Ibid. xv. 15. ³ Ibid. xvii. 11. sent us this same Spirit who is called the Spirit of truth. 'When the Spirit of truth is come,' said He, 'He will teach you all truth.'¹ And what is the truth which this Spirit will teach us? 'He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.'² So that nothing of what the divine Word spoke to men is to be lost. The beauty of His bride is to be based on truth, for beauty is the splendour of truth. Her fidelity to her Jesus shall be of the most perfect kind; for if He be the truth, how could she ever be out of the truth? Jesus had said: 'I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever; and He shall be in you.'³ It is by the Holy Ghost, then, that the Church is ever to possess the truth, and that nothing can rob her of it; for this Spirit, who is sent by the Father and the Son, will abide unceasingly with and in her. The magnificent theory of St. Augustine comes most appropriately here. According to his teaching—which, after all, is but the explanation of the texts just cited—the Holy Ghost is the principle of the Church's life; and He, being the Spirit of truth, preserves and directs her in the", "keywords": [ "holy", "spirit", "church", "truth", "ghost", "jesus", "gift", "holiness", "love", "word", "life", "father", "bride", "divine", "ever", "soul", "counsel", "therefore", "children", "teach" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Luke", "St. Matth" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xii. 11", "1 Timothy iii. 15", "Apocalypse xxii. 17", "Isaias lv. 8", "Isaias xlii. 3", "Matthew v. 48", "Peter i.", "Philippians iii. 20", "Psalms xxiv. 4", "Zacharias xii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "FRIDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "FRIDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "friday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. So far, we have considered the action of the Holy Ghost in the Church; we must now study His workings in the soul of the Christian. Here, also, we shall find fresh motives for admiration and gratitude towards this divine Paraclete, who so graciously condescends to minister to us in all our necessities, and lead us to the glorious end for which we were created. As the Holy Ghost, who was sent that He might abide with us for ever,¹ exercises His power in upholding and guiding the Church, that thus she may be the faithful bride of Jesus; so, likewise, does He work in each one of us, that He may make us worthy members of our divine Head. This is His mission: to unite us so closely with Jesus, that we may be made one body with Him. His office is, to create us in the supernatural order, to give and maintain within us the life of grace, by applying to us the merits acquired for us by Jesus, our Mediator and our Saviour. Let us begin by considering how sublime is this mission given by the Father and the Son to the Holy Ghost. In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is produced, and does not produce. The Father begets the Son; the Father and the Son produce the Holy Ghost. This difference is founded on the divine Nature itself, which is not and cannot be but in three Persons. Hence, as the holy fathers teach, the Holy Ghost has received a fecundity outside, having none within, the Godhead. Thus, when the Humanity of the Son of God was to be produced in Mary's womb, it was the Holy Ghost that achieved the mystery. Again, when the Christian is to be formed in the creature corrupted by original sin, it is the same holy Spirit who produces the new being. St. Augustine thus forcibly expresses himself: 'The same grace that produced Christ when He first became Man, produces the Christian when He first becomes a believer; the same Spirit of whom Christ was conceived, is the principle of the new birth of the Christian.'¹ ¹ St. John, xiv. 16. We have dwelt at some length on the action of the Holy Ghost in the formation and government of the Church, because the chief work of this divine Spirit is to produce, here upon the earth, the bride of the Son of God, and because it is through her that all blessings come to us. She is the depository of a portion of the Paraclete's graces, inasmuch as He is ever ready to serve her for our salvation and sanctification's sake. It is for us, also, that He made her Catholic, and visible to the world; and this, to the end that we might the more", "keywords": [ "holy", "soul", "spirit", "ghost", "divine", "love", "life", "christian", "light", "grace", "within", "father", "gift", "dwelling", "world", "spiritus", "creature", "blessed", "virtues", "heaven" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. James the Less", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Philip" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 28", "1 Corinthians ii. 12", "1 Corinthians vi. 19", "1 Corinthians xv. 44", "Ephesians i. 17", "Ephesians iv. 30", "Galatians iv. 6", "Hebrews x. 29", "Isaias vii. 9", "Psalms cxviii. 18", "Romans v. 20", "Romans vi. 19", "Romans viii. 11", "Romans viii. 14", "Romans viii. 16", "Romans viii. 26" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "SATURDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "SATURDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "saturday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. We have been contemplating, with grateful hearts, the inexpressible devotedness, the divine untiredness, wherewith the Holy Ghost fulfils His mission in the souls of men; we have something still to add to our considerations, in order to have anything like a true idea of the wonders wrought by the divine Guest when the heart raises no obstacles. And first of all we deem it necessary to say a word to those Christians, who, after hearing what we have said regarding the prodigies of power and love of the divine Spirit, and the sublime mystery of His presence among us, might be tempted to fear lest all this may, in some degree, tend to make us forget our dearest Jesus, who being in the form of God, and equal to God, emptied Himself, being made in the likeness of man, and in habit found as man.¹ The superficial knowledge of their religion is the reason why so many Christians have very vague notions about the Holy Ghost and His special workings in the Church and the souls of men. You will find these same individuals well instructed upon the mysteries of the Incarnation and Redemption; you will find them really devout in honouring the Son of God: but, judging from their conduct, you would say that they have put off knowing and honouring the Holy Ghost until they get to heaven. We would, therefore, tell them, that the mission of this divine Spirit, far from being likely to make us forget what we owe to our Saviour, is the grandest gift bestowed upon us by this our Redeemer. Who is it that produces and keeps up within us the loving and meritorious remembrance of our Jesus' mysteries? It is the Holy Ghost, who dwells in our hearts for the sole purpose of forming Christ, the new Man, within us, to the end that we may be united with Him, for ever, as His members. Consequently, the love we bear to our Jesus is inseparable from that we bear to the Holy Ghost; and the love we have for this divine Spirit, closely unites us with the Son of God, from whom He (the Spirit) proceeds and is given to us. When we meditate on the sufferings of Jesus, we are excited to feelings of affectionate compassion, and it ought to be so; but how comes it that we never think of, or, if we think of, never grieve over, the resistances, the slights, the disloyalties, which the Holy Ghost is every day receiving from ourselves and others? It is, indeed, most true that we are children of our heavenly Father: but, why should we forget the immense debt we owe to the other two divine Persons, who have come down from heaven to serve us, and at the", "keywords": [ "holy", "spirit", "jesus", "ghost", "love", "divine", "church", "father", "soul", "lord", "earth", "heaven", "world", "mother", "wisdom", "power", "blessed", "within", "christ", "might" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Bernardine of Siena", "St. Francis of Sales", "St. Helen", "St. James", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matth", "St. Optatus", "St. Paul", "St. Paulinus of Nola", "St. Peter", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ii. 14", "2 Corinthians iii. 17", "Apocalypse x. 6", "Apocalypse xxii. 17", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 9", "Ephesians iv. 12", "Ephesians iv. 8", "Ezechiel xxxvi. 25", "Galatians ii. 20", "Hebrews i. 3", "John c.", "Matthew xii. 32", "Matthew xxviii. 20", "Philippians ii. 6", "Philippians ii. 8", "Psalms ciii. 30", "Psalms cix. 1", "Psalms cix. 6", "Psalms lxvii. 19", "Psalms xliv. 12", "Psalms xxxiii. 9", "Romans v. 5", "Romans viii. 17", "Wisdom vii. 7", "Zacharias xiv. 4" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WHIT_SUNDAY", "title": "WHIT SUNDAY", "anchor": "whit_sunday", "text": "THE DAY OF PENTECOST Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. The great day, which consummates the work that God had undertaken for the human race, has at last shone upon the world. The days of Pentecost, as St. Luke says, are accomplished.¹ We have had seven weeks since the Pasch; and now comes the day that opens the mysterious number of fifty. This day is the Sunday, already made holy by the creation of the light, and by the Resurrection of Jesus: it is about to receive its final consecration, and bring us the fullness of God.² In the old and figurative Law, God foreshadowed the glory that was to belong, at a future period, to the fiftieth day. Israel had passed the waters of the Red Sea, thanks to the protecting power of his Paschal Lamb! Seven weeks were spent in the desert, which was to lead to the promised land; and the very morrow of those seven weeks was the day whereon was made the alliance between God and His people. The Pentecost (the fiftieth day) was honoured by the promulgation of the ten commandments of the divine law; and every following year, the Israelites celebrated the great event by a solemn festival. But their Pentecost was figurative, like their Pasch: there was to be a second Pentecost for all people, as there was to be a second Pasch, for the Redemption of the whole world. The Pasch, with all its triumphant joys, belongs to the Son of God, the Conqueror of death: Pentecost belongs to the Holy Ghost, for it is the day whereon He began His mission into this world, which, henceforward, was to be under His Law. But how different are the two Pentecosts! The one, on the rugged rocks of Arabia, amidst thunder and lightning, promulgates a Law that is written on tablets of stone; the second is in Jerusalem, on which God's anger has not as yet been manifested, because it still contains within its walls the first fruits of that new people, over whom the Spirit of love is to reign. In this second Pentecost, the heavens are not overcast, nor is the roar of thunder heard; the hearts of men are not stricken with fear, as when God spake on Sinai; repentance and gratitude are the sentiments now uppermost. A divine fire burns within their souls, and will spread throughout the whole world. Our Lord Jesus had said: 'I am come to cast fire on the earth; and what will I, but that it be kindled?'¹ The hour for the fulfilment of this word has come: the Spirit of love, the Holy Ghost, the eternal uncreated Flame, is about to descend from heaven, and realize the merciful design of our Redeemer. ¹ St. Luke, xii. 49. Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims, who have flocked", "keywords": [ "holy", "spirit", "ghost", "father", "alleluia", "divine", "jesus", "spiritus", "church", "fire", "love", "word", "pentecost", "lord", "world", "gift", "whole", "apostles", "earth", "hearts" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Hugh", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matth", "St. Paul", "St. Pet", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ii. 14", "1 Corinthians ii. 8", "1 Peter ii. 9", "Corinthians ix. 27", "Corinthians vii. 1", "Deuteronomy iv. 24", "Ephesians iii. 19", "Genesis iii. 20", "Hebrews v. 6", "Isaias xi. 2", "John c.", "Matthew i.", "Matthew vi. 24", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Philippians ii. 12", "Psalms c.", "Psalms ciii. 30", "Psalms cix. 4", "Psalms cx. 10", "Psalms i.", "Psalms ii. 11", "Psalms l.", "Psalms lxvii.", "Psalms xlv. 6", "Romans viii. 24" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "MONDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "MONDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "monday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. Yesterday, the Holy Ghost took possession of the world: His commencement of the mission given Him by the Father and the Son was such as to indicate His power over the human heart, and prepare us for His future triumphs. The days of this solemn octave are a fitting occasion for our respectfully considering the progress of His workings in the Church and in the souls of men. Jesus, our Emmanuel, is the King of the whole earth; His Father gave Him all nations for His inheritance.¹ He Himself tells us that all power is given to Him in heaven and in earth.² But He ascended into heaven before establishing His kingdom here below. The very Israelites—to whom He preached His Gospel, and under whose eyes He wrought such stupendous miracles in attestation of His being the Messias—have refused to acknowledge Him, and have ceased to be His people.³ A few have been faithful, and others will follow their example: but the mass of the people of Israel have impiously resolved not to have this Man to reign over them.⁴ As to the Gentiles, what likelihood is there of their accepting the Son of Mary for their Master? They know nothing whatsoever of Him, of His teaching, or His mission. They have lost all their primitive religious traditions. Materialism reigns supreme in every country, whether civilized or barbarian; and every creature is made an object for adoration. The very first principles of morality have been corrupted. The insignificant minority, who proudly call themselves philosophers, have the strangest theories: they are vain in their thoughts, as St. Paul says of them, and their foolish heart was darkened.⁵ Races, once distinct, have been gradually fused into each other by conquest. Revolution after revolution has habituated mankind to respect no power but that of might. The colossal Roman empire, with despotic Cæsars at its head, crushes the whole earth beneath its sway. And this is the time chosen by the heavenly Father for sending His Son into the world! Jesus is to reign over men, and His reign must be accepted: but there seems to be little chance of any welcome being given to a King who claims to rule the minds and hearts of His subjects. During these long sad ages, another master has presented himself to the nations, and they have enthusiastically hailed him as their king. It is satan. So firmly, indeed, has he established his rule, that our Lord calls him the prince of this world. He must be cast out;⁶ that is, he must be driven from the temples men have built to him, from society, from the family, from literature, from art, from political life, all of which are under his sway. There will be resistance from the world he has corrupted; nay, he", "keywords": [ "holy", "love", "world", "jesus", "ghost", "spirit", "faith", "alleluia", "church", "peter", "apostles", "father", "power", "gift", "word", "light", "lord", "spiritus", "heart", "earth" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matth", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 4", "Apocalypse xii. 9", "Corinthians i. 27", "Daniel ix. 26", "Galatians ii. 7", "Hebrews xi. 6", "John c.", "Matthew v. 45", "Matthew x. 19", "Matthew xv. 24", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Psalms ii. 8", "Romans i. 21", "Romans iii. 2", "Romans viii. 14", "Romans viii. 15", "Wisdom i. 7" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "TUESDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "TUESDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "tuesday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. Yesterday, we were admiring the work of the Holy Ghost, whereby He drew mankind to the faith and the name of Jesus, to whom \"all power was given in heaven and in earth.\"¹ The instruments used for this conquest, were the apostles and their immediate successors. The tongue of fire was victorious, and the prince of this world was defeated. Let us continue our reflections, and see the further workings of the holy Spirit for the glory of the Son of God, who had sent Him into this world. Our Emmanuel came down from heaven, that He might effect the union He had desired from all eternity. He began it by uniting our human nature to His own divine Person; but this personal union did not satisfy His love. He mercifully deigned to invite the whole human race to a spiritual union with Himself, by giving her to become His Church, His own dearest one,² as He calls her; His \"glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, but holy and without blemish.\"³ But how could mankind, deformed as it was by sin, be worthy of such an honour? His love would make it worthy. He tells us that this Church is His bride.⁴ Having chosen her, He beautified her ¹ St. Matth. xxviii. 18. ² Cant. vi. 8. ³ Eph. v. 27. ⁴ St. Matth. ix. 15; xxv. 6. — St. Mark, ii. 19. St. Luke, v. 34. St. John, iii. 29. in the laver of His own precious Blood, and gave her, in dowry, the infinite merits He had acquired. Thus prepared, her union with Him was to be of the closest. Jesus and His Church are one body; He is the Head, she is the aggregate of the members united together under this one Head. Such is the teaching of the apostle: \"Christ is the Head of the Church; we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones.\"¹ This body is to be formed of all who shall, in each successive age, be faithful to the call of divine grace, and enroll themselves as children of the Church. The world we inhabit is to be preserved, till the last elect required to complete the mystic body of Jesus, be added to the Church triumphant: then all will be consummated; the divine mystery of the Incarnation will have achieved its whole work. But as in the Incarnate Word there was the invisible Soul and the visible Body, so also the Church was to have a soul and a body: a soul, whose hidden beauty no eye but God's can fully see, at least during her earthly sojourn; and a body, which is to be visible to men: an ever-living proof of God's power, and of His love for the human race. Up", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "spirit", "jesus", "ghost", "alleluia", "world", "spiritus", "bride", "apostles", "divine", "heaven", "body", "love", "power", "earth", "ever", "peter", "lord", "amen" ], "saints": [ "St. Anastasia", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. Francis of Assisi", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matth", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Apocalypse xx. 3", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 5", "Ephesians v. 23", "Ephesians v. 27", "Ephesians v. 8", "John c.", "Matthew ix. 15", "Matthew vi. 22", "Matthew x. 20", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Matthew xxviii. 20", "Peter i.", "Peter liv.", "Psalms xviii. 5", "Wisdom x. 10" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. We have seen with what fidelity the Holy Ghost has fulfilled, during all these past ages, the mission He received from our Emmanuel, of forming, protecting, and maintaining His bride the Church. This trust given by a God has been executed with all the power of a God, and it is the sublimest and most wonderful spectacle the world has witnessed during the eighteen hundred years of the new Covenant. This continuance of a social body, the same in all times and places; promulgating a precise Symbol of faith which each of its members is bound to accept; producing by its decisions the strictest unity of religious belief throughout the countless individuals who compose the society: this, and the wonderful propagation of Christianity, are the master facts of history. These two facts are not, as certain modern writers would have it, results of the ordinary laws of Providence; but miracles of the highest order, worked directly by the Holy Ghost, and intended to serve as the basis of our faith in the truth of the Christian religion. The Holy Ghost was not, in the exercise of His mission, to assume a visible form; but He has made His presence visible to the understanding of man, and thereby He has sufficiently proved His own personal action in the work of man's salvation. Let us now follow this divine action, not in its carrying out the merciful designs of the Son of God, who deigned to take to Himself a bride here below, but in the relations of this bride with mankind. Our Emmanuel willed that she should be the mother of men; and that all, whom He calls to the honour of becoming His own members, should acknowledge that it is she who gives them this glorious birth. The Holy Ghost, therefore, was to secure to this bride of Jesus what would make her evident and known to the world, leaving it, however, in the power of each individual to disown and reject her. It was necessary that this Church should last for all ages, and that she should traverse the earth in such wise that her name and mission might be known to all nations; in a word, she was to be Catholic, that is, universal, taking in all times and all places. Accordingly, the Holy Ghost made her Catholic. He began by showing her, on the day of Pentecost, to the Jews who had flocked to Jerusalem from the various nations; and when these returned to their respective countries, they took the good tidings with them. He then sent the apostles and disciples into the whole world; and we learn from the writers of those early times, that a century had scarcely elapsed before there were Christians in every portion of the known earth. Since then,", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "ghost", "spirit", "bride", "members", "union", "soul", "unity", "whole", "christ", "life", "body", "world", "jesus", "divine", "gives", "hearts", "faith", "catholic" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Mary", "St. Matth", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Ephesians i. 14", "Matthew xvi. 18", "Psalms xliv. 8" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "WEDNESDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "WEDNESDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "wednesday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Sine tua gratia. Tu lumen es et unguentum, Tu cœleste condimentum, Aqua ditans elementum Virtute mysterii. Nova facti creatura, Te laudamus mente pura, Gratiæ nunc, sed naturâ Prius iræ filii. Tu qui dator es et donum, Nostri cordis omne bonum, Cor ad laudem redde pronum, Nostræ linguæ formans sonum, In tua præconia. Tu nos purga a peccatis, Auctor ipse puritatis, Et in Christo renovatis Da perfectæ novitatis Plena nobis gaudia! Amen. thing full, save by thy grace. Thou art light and unction; thou the heavenly Savour that enrichest the element of water with mysterious power. We praise thee with hearts made pure; we that have been made a new creature; we that once, by nature, were children of wrath, but now children of grace. O thou, the Giver and the Gift. O thou, the only good of our hearts! make our hearts eager to praise thee, and teach our tongues to sound forth thy glory. Do thou, O Author of purity, purify us from sin! Renew us in Christ; and then, give us the full joy of perfect newness! Amen. THE GIFT OF FORTITUDE The gift of knowledge has taught us what we must do and what we must avoid, in order that we may be such as Jesus, our divine Master, wishes us to be. We now need another gift of the Holy Ghost, from which to draw the energy necessary for persevering in the way He has pointed out to us. Difficulties we are sure to have; and our need of support is proved enough by the miserable failures we are daily witnessing. This support the Holy Ghost grants us by the gift of fortitude, which, if we but faithfully use it, will enable us to master every difficulty, yea, will make it easy to us to overcome the obstacles which would impede our onward march. \"When the difficulties and trials of life come upon him, man is tempted, sometimes to cowardice and discouragement, sometimes to an impetuosity which arises either from his natural temperament or from pride. These are poor aids to the soul in her spiritual combat. The Holy Ghost, therefore, brings her a new element of strength: it is supernatural fortitude, which is so peculiarly His gift, that when our Saviour instituted the seven sacraments, He would have one of them be for the special object of giving us the Holy Ghost as a principle of energy. It is evident that, having to fight during our whole lives against the devil, the world, and ourselves, we need some better power of resistance than either pusillanimity or daring. We need some gift, which will control both our fear, and the confidence we are at times inclined to have in ourselves. Thus gifted by the Holy Ghost, man is sure of victory; for grace will supply the deficiencies, and correct the impetuosities of nature. There are two necessities, which are ever making themselves felt in the Christian life: the power of resistance, and the power of endurance.", "keywords": [ "fortitude", "gift", "holy", "ghost", "spirit", "world", "never", "need", "against", "christian", "power", "energy", "resistance", "duty", "full", "save", "grace", "heavenly", "hearts", "nature" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matth", "St. Mauritius", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Ephesians vi. 11", "Galatians i. 10", "Matthew vi. 24" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "THURSDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "THURSDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "thursday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. The divine Spirit has been sent to secure unity to the bride of Christ; and we have seen how faithfully He fulfils His mission, by giving to the members of the Church to be one, as He Himself is one. But the bride of a God, who is, as He calls Himself, the truth,¹ must be in the truth, and can have no fellowship with error. Jesus entrusted His teachings to her care, and has instructed her in the person of the apostles. He said to them: 'All things whatsoever I have heard of My Father, I have made known to you.'² And yet, if left unaided, how can the Church preserve free from all change, during the long ages of her existence, that word which Jesus has not written, that truth which He came from heaven to teach her? Experience proves that everything changes here below; that written documents are open to false interpretations; and that unwritten traditions are frequently so altered in the course of time, as to defy recognition. Here again we have a proof of our Lord's watchful love. In order to realize the wish He had to see us one, as He and His Father are one,³ He sent us His Spirit; and in order to keep us in the truth, He ¹ St. John, xiv. 6. ² Ibid. xv. 15. ³ Ibid. xvii. 11. sent us this same Spirit who is called the Spirit of truth. 'When the Spirit of truth is come,' said He, 'He will teach you all truth.'¹ And what is the truth which this Spirit will teach us? 'He will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.'² So that nothing of what the divine Word spoke to men is to be lost. The beauty of His bride is to be based on truth, for beauty is the splendour of truth. Her fidelity to her Jesus shall be of the most perfect kind; for if He be the truth, how could she ever be out of the truth? Jesus had said: 'I will ask the Father, and He shall give you another Paraclete, that He may abide with you for ever; and He shall be in you.'³ It is by the Holy Ghost, then, that the Church is ever to possess the truth, and that nothing can rob her of it; for this Spirit, who is sent by the Father and the Son, will abide unceasingly with and in her. The magnificent theory of St. Augustine comes most appropriately here. According to his teaching—which, after all, is but the explanation of the texts just cited—the Holy Ghost is the principle of the Church's life; and He, being the Spirit of truth, preserves and directs her in the", "keywords": [ "holy", "spirit", "church", "truth", "ghost", "jesus", "gift", "holiness", "love", "word", "life", "father", "bride", "divine", "ever", "soul", "counsel", "therefore", "children", "teach" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Luke", "St. Matth" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xii. 11", "1 Timothy iii. 15", "Apocalypse xxii. 17", "Isaias lv. 8", "Isaias xlii. 3", "Matthew v. 48", "Peter i.", "Philippians iii. 20", "Psalms xxiv. 4", "Zacharias xii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 9, "section": "FRIDAY_IN_WHITSUN_WEEK", "title": "FRIDAY IN WHITSUN WEEK", "anchor": "friday_in_whitsun_week", "text": "Veni, sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. So far, we have considered the action of the Holy Ghost in the Church; we must now study His workings in the soul of the Christian. Here, also, we shall find fresh motives for admiration and gratitude towards this divine Paraclete, who so graciously condescends to minister to us in all our necessities, and lead us to the glorious end for which we were created. As the Holy Ghost, who was sent that He might abide with us for ever,¹ exercises His power in upholding and guiding the Church, that thus she may be the faithful bride of Jesus; so, likewise, does He work in each one of us, that He may make us worthy members of our divine Head. This is His mission: to unite us so closely with Jesus, that we may be made one body with Him. His office is, to create us in the supernatural order, to give and maintain within us the life of grace, by applying to us the merits acquired for us by Jesus, our Mediator and our Saviour. Let us begin by considering how sublime is this mission given by the Father and the Son to the Holy Ghost. In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is produced, ¹ St. John, xiv. 16. and does not produce. The Father begets the Son; the Father and the Son produce the Holy Ghost. This difference is founded on the divine Nature itself, which is not and cannot be but in three Persons. Hence, as the holy fathers teach, the Holy Ghost has received a fecundity outside, having none within, the Godhead. Thus, when the Humanity of the Son of God was to be produced in Mary's womb, it was the Holy Ghost that achieved the mystery. Again, when the Christian is to be formed in the creature corrupted by original sin, it is the same holy Spirit who produces the new being. St. Augustine thus forcibly expresses himself: 'The same grace that produced Christ when He first became Man, produces the Christian when He first becomes a believer; the same Spirit of whom Christ was conceived, is the principle of the new birth of the Christian.'¹ We have dwelt at some length on the action of the Holy Ghost in the formation and government of the Church, because the chief work of this divine Spirit is to produce, here upon the earth, the bride of the Son of God, and because it is through her that all blessings come to us. She is the depository of a portion of the Paraclete's graces, inasmuch as He is ever ready to serve her for our salvation and sanctification's sake. It is for us, also, that He made her Catholic, and visible to the world; and this, to the end that we might the more", "keywords": [ "holy", "ghost", "spirit", "christian", "divine", "within", "church", "jesus", "father", "produced", "produce", "fill", "faithful", "action", "soul", "find", "paraclete", "might", "ever", "power" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "THE HISTORY OF THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST The solemnity of Pentecost and its octave are over, and the progress of the liturgical year introduces us into a new period, which is altogether different from those we have hitherto spent. From the very beginning of Advent, which is the prelude to the Christmas festival, right up to the anniversary of the descent of the Holy Ghost, we have witnessed the entire series of the mysteries of our redemption; all have been unfolded to us. The sequel of seasons and feasts made up a sublime drama, which absorbed our very existence; we have but just come from the final celebration, which was the consummation of the whole. And yet we have gone through but one half of the year. This does not imply that the period we have still to live is devoid of its own special mysteries; but, instead of keeping up our attention by the ceaseless interest of one plan hurrying on to its completion, the sacred liturgy is about to put before us an almost unbroken succession of varied episodes, of which some are brilliant with glory, and others exquisite in loveliness, but each one of them bringing its special tribute towards either the development of the dogmas of faith or the furtherance of the Christian life. This year's cycle will thus be filled up; it will disappear; a new one will take its place, bringing before us the same divine facts, and pouring forth the same graces on Christ's mystical body. This section of the liturgical year, which comprises a little more or a little less than six months according as Easter is early or late, has always had the character it holds at present. But, although it admits only detached solemnities and feasts, the influence of the movable portion of the cycle is still observable. It may have as many as twenty-eight or as few as twenty-three weeks. This variation depends not only upon the Easter feast, which may occur on any of the days between March 22 and April 25 inclusively, but also on the date of the first Sunday of Advent, which is the opening of a new ecclesiastical year, and is always the Sunday nearest the Kalends of December. In the Roman liturgy the Sundays of this series go under the name of 'Sundays after Pentecost.' As we shall show in the next chapter, that title is the most suitable that could have been given, and is found in the oldest sacramentaries and antiphonaries, but it was not universally adopted even by those Churches which followed the Roman rite; in progress of time, however, that title became the general one. To mention some of the previous early names: in the Comes of Alcuin, which takes us back to the eighth century, we find the first section of these Sundays called 'Sundays after Pentecost'; the second is named 'weeks after the feast of the Apostles' (post natale Apostolorum); the third goes under the title of", "keywords": [ "pentecost", "year", "weeks", "sundays", "post", "period", "advent", "feasts", "special", "roman", "title", "churches", "progress", "liturgical", "series", "mysteries", "liturgy", "varied", "bringing", "cycle" ], "saints": [ "St. Laurence", "St. Michael", "St. Pius" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST That we may thoroughly understand the meaning and influence of the season of the liturgical year upon which we have now entered, it is requisite for us to grasp the entire sequel of mysteries, which holy Church has celebrated in our presence and company; we have witnessed her services, and we have shared in them. The celebration of those mysteries was not an empty pageant, acted for the sake of being looked at. Each one of them brought with it a special grace, which produced in our souls the reality signified by the rites of the liturgy. At Christmas Christ was born within us; at Passiontide He passed on and into us His sufferings and atonements; at Easter He communicated to us His glorious, His untrammelled life; in His Ascension He drew us after Him, and this even to heaven's summit; in a word, as the apostle says of all this working, 'Christ was formed in us.'¹ But, in order to give solidity and permanence to the image of Christ formed within us, it was necessary that the Holy Ghost should come, that so He might increase our light, and enkindle a fire within us that should never be quenched. This divine Paraclete came down from heaven; He gave Himself to us; He wishes to take up His abode within us, and to take our life of regeneration entirely into His own hands. The liturgy of this Time after Pentecost signifies and expresses this regenerated life, which is to be spent on the model of Christ's, and under the direction of His Spirit. Two objects here offer themselves to our consideration: the Church and the Christian soul. As to holy Church, the bride of Christ, filled as she is with the Paraclete Spirit, who has poured Himself forth upon her, and from that time forward is her animating principle, she is advancing onwards in her militant career, and will do so till the second coming of her heavenly Spouse. She has within her the gifts of truth and life. Endowed with infallibility of faith and authority to govern, she feeds Christ's flock, sometimes enjoying liberty and peace, sometimes going through persecutions and trials. Her divine Spouse abides with her, by His grace and the efficacy of His promises, even to the end of time; she is in possession of all the favours He has bestowed upon her; and the Holy Ghost dwells with her, and in her, for ever. All this is expressed by this present portion of the liturgical year. It is one wherein we shall not meet with any of those great events which prepared and consummated the divine work; but, on the other hand, it is a season when holy Church reaps the fruits of the holiness and doctrine, which those ineffable mysteries have already produced, and will continue to produce during the course of ages. It is during this same season that we shall meet with the preparation for,", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "during", "christ", "within", "life", "divine", "soul", "books", "pentecost", "year", "mysteries", "ghost", "portion", "season", "liturgical", "spirit", "till", "truth", "world" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians iii. 18", "Apocalypse xiii. 7", "Galatians iv. 19", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE FOR THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST The object which the Church has in view by her liturgical year is the leading of the Christian soul to union with Christ, and this by the Holy Ghost. This object is the one which God Himself has in giving us His own Son to be our mediator, our teacher, and our Redeemer, and in sending us the Holy Ghost to abide among us. To this end is directed all that aggregate of rites and prayers which we have hitherto explained: they are not a mere commemoration of the mysteries achieved for our salvation by the divine goodness, but they bring with them the graces corresponding to each of those mysteries; that thus we may come, as the apostle expresses it, 'to the age of the fullness of Christ.'¹ As we have elsewhere explained, our sharing in the mysteries of Christ, which are celebrated in the liturgical year, produces in the Christian what is called in mystic theology the *illuminative life*, in which the soul gains continually more and more of the light of the Incarnate Word, who, by His examples and teachings, renovates each one of her faculties, and imparts to her the habit of seeing all things from God's point of view. This is a preparation which disposes her for union with God, not merely in an imperfect manner and one that is more or less inconstant, but in an intimate and permanent way, which is called the unitive life. The production of this life is the special work of the Holy Ghost, who has been sent into this world that He may maintain each one of our souls in the possession of Christ, and may ¹ Eph. iv. 13. bring to perfection the love whereby the creature is united with its God. In this state, in this unitive life, the soul is made to relish, and assimilate into herself, all that substantial and nourishing food which is presented to her so abundantly during the Time after Pentecost. The mysteries of the Trinity and of the blessed Sacrament, the mercy and the power of the Heart of Jesus, the glories of Mary and her influence upon the Church and souls—all these are manifested to the soul with more clearness than ever, and produce within her effects not previously experienced. In the feasts of the saints, which are so varied and so grand during this portion of the year, she feels more and more intimately the bond which unites her to them in Christ, through the holy Spirit. The eternal happiness of heaven, which is to follow the trials of this mortal life, is revealed to her by the feast of All Saints; she gains clearer notions of that mysterious bliss, which consists in light and love. Having become more closely united to holy Church, the bride of her dear Lord, she follows her in all the stages of her earthly existence; she takes a share in her sufferings; she exults in her", "keywords": [ "holy", "life", "world", "soul", "christ", "church", "year", "ghost", "mysteries", "heart", "object", "christian", "light", "possession", "love", "united", "influence", "lord", "liturgy", "cycle" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 31", "Ephesians iv. 13", "John iii. 16", "Matthew vi. 21" ] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST During this second part of the year, the Christian, on waking in the morning, will unite himself with holy Church, who, every day in her Office of Lauds, hails the return of light, making use of these words of the royal prophet: Deus, Deus meus, ad te de luce vigilo. O God, my God, unto thee do I watch at break of day. He will profoundly adore the divine Majesty; and, thanking his sovereign Lord, who has protected him while involved in the darkness of night, he will proffer Him his service for the whole day which is now commencing; he will wish to spend it in love and obedience, as behoves one whom Christ has united to Himself by His mysteries, and whom the Holy Ghost is willing to guide and govern. The time for morning prayer being come, he may give expression to the sentiments which should then animate his soul, by using these formulas of the Church: MORNING PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the most holy Trinity: ℣. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium cum Sancto Spiritu. ℟. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. ℣. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. ℟. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. ℣. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. ℟. Let us praise him and extol him above all, for ever. ℣. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. ℟. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: ℣. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi; ℟. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. ℣. We adore thee, O Christ, and we bless thee; ℟. Because, by thy holy cross, thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, recite the Lord's Prayer, uniting your intentions with those which your Saviour had when He gave it to you. First, then, raise up your thoughts and desires to the interests of His glory, while you say the first three petitions: and in the last four, humbly put before Him the favours you yourself stand in need of: THE LORD'S PRAYER Pater noster, qui es in cœlis, sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua sicut in cœlo et in terra. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Amen. Give us", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "amen", "christ", "domine", "mother", "church", "father", "mercy", "night", "deus", "nobis", "virgin", "blessed", "prayers", "prayer", "ever", "mater", "pray", "faith" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "1 John viii. 12" ] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST Of all the good acts wherewith a Christian can sanctify his day, there is not one which bears comparison with that of assisting at the holy sacrifice of the Mass. It is in that sacrifice, the supreme act of religion, that is centred all the homage due from man to his Creator; and it is also from the same sacrifice that God pours out profusely upon his creature man every sort of blessing. The very Son of God is really present there; there He is offered up to His Father, and the offering is always well-pleasing; and they who assist at this divine immolation with faith and love receive into their souls graces of a far richer kind than are given by ordinary means. The assistance at Mass, if completed by the real participation of the divine victim, unites man to God in an ineffable way by the renovation of his whole being, for it produces an intimate communion between him and the Word Incarnate. But if the Christian who is assisting at the holy sacrifice goes no further than the uniting of his intentions with those of the divine victim, even so, his mere presence at so great an act includes a true participation in the supreme worship offered by this earth of ours to the Majesty of God, in Christ, and by Christ. So, too, he solemnly consecrates to God, by that same holy act, the day he has just begun. We have devoted the days within the octave of Corpus Christi to giving our readers the fullest instruction regarding the holy sacrifice of the Mass. As to the dispositions wherewith they should assist at it, they are given in the present chapter, in which we explain briefly, and yet, as we believe, completely, the meaning of each ceremony and expression. Whilst thus endeavouring to initiate the faithful into these sublime mysteries, we have not given them a bare and indiscreet translation of the sacred formulæ, but have taken what seemed to us so much better a plan, of suggesting such acts as will enable those who hear Mass to enter into the ceremonies and the spirit of the Church and of the priest. The conclusion to be drawn from this is one of great importance: it is that, in order to derive solid profit from assisting at the holy sacrifice, the faithful must attentively follow all that is being done at the altar, and not stand aloof, as it were, by reading books which are filled with devotions of a private and unseasonable character. 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, you should unite with the intentions which the Church has in this ceremony, so venerable", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "holy", "amen", "altar", "domine", "father", "jesus", "divine", "deus", "mercy", "sacrifice", "christ", "church", "nobis", "ever", "mass", "glory", "prayer", "world" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Corinthians v. 4", "2 Peter i. 4", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Hebrews i. 2", "Isaias ix. 6", "John c.", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST If, in the early stages of the liturgical year, in Advent, at Christmas, and during the periods of Septuagesima and Lent, when there was question of nothing beyond a preparation for the divine mysteries which wrought our salvation—if, in the name of holy Church, we then invited the faithful to have recourse to the sacrament of our Lord's Body, as being the heavenly nourishment that would support them in the glorious career on which they had entered; now that the work is done, that they have risen again with their Redeemer, that they have followed Him, by their desires and their hopes, even to the very summit of heaven—now that the Holy Ghost has come down upon this earth, that He might complete within them the work of their union with God, surely, nothing could profit them more than that they nourish themselves, and even more frequently than before, with the Bread of life, which came from heaven, that He might give life to the world.¹ From our first entrance into the new season, which we are now passing through, holy Church has, by the great feast of Corpus Christi, brought us face to face with the august mystery, which is both the sacrifice whereby God receives the honour due to Him, and the sacrament containing within itself the nourishment of our souls. We have now a clearer understanding of the unspeakable gift which our Saviour vouchsafed to bestow upon us the night before His Passion. We now see more plainly the nature and usages of the homage which earth gives to its Creator, by the ceaseless offering of the holy sacrifice of the Mass. We now know, so much better than formerly, what that deifying relation is which is made to exist between God and the soul by means of the participation of the sacred Host. The Holy Ghost has shed His light upon all these truths; He has opened out to us the very depths of the mystery shown to us from the outset—the mystery, that is, of the Emmanuel, or God with us. Now that we are so fully initiated into the whole of God's work, we understand better that great text of the Gospel which says: 'The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us.'² We grasp the meaning more completely; we can give it a more literal, and equally faithful translation, and say: 'The Word was made Flesh, and took up His dwelling WITHIN us.' All this has increased in the Christian the desire of assisting at the holy sacrifice. He says to himself, as did the patriarch of old: \"Truly, the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not\";³ my faith was sound, but I did not perceive, as I do now, the immensity of what our Lord did at His last Supper. In the same way, having now a clearer knowledge of the union, which is brought about even in this present world,", "keywords": [ "love", "lord", "life", "holy", "within", "soul", "thine", "heaven", "bread", "myself", "divine", "flesh", "heart", "presence", "mysteries", "world", "word", "faith", "thyself", "communion" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis xxviii. 16", "John i. 14", "John vi. 41", "John x. 10" ] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following psalms. For certain feasts some of these psalms are changed for others, which are more appropriate to those occasions. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: V. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. V. Incline unto mine aid, O God. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto; Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ANT. The Lord said. The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glories of the Messias. The Son of David shall sit on the right hand of the heavenly Father. He is King; He is Priest; He is the Son of Man, and the Son of God. His enemies will attack Him, but He will crush them. He will be humbled, but this voluntary humiliation will lead Him to the highest glory. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: scabellum pedum tuorum. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis; confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. O 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, O 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 coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput. Ant. Dixit Dominus Domino meo, Sede a dextris meis. Ant. Magna opera Domini. He cometh now in humility; he shall drink in the way,", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "dominus", "domini", "blessed", "israel", "psalm", "domino", "sæculum", "name", "deus", "father", "praise", "sicut", "amen", "opera", "works", "fear", "nomen" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians i.", "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night; then immediately follows the public confession of our sins, as a powerful means of propitiating the divine justice, and of obtaining God's help, now that we are going to spend so many hours in the unconscious, and therefore dangerous, state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: ℣. Jube, domne, benedicere. The priest answers: Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. ℟. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus tamquam leo rugiens circuit, quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. The choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. Then the priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. The choir: ℟. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. ℣. Pray, father, give thy blessing. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night, and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. Brethren, be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. ℟. Thanks be to God. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 repeats it. The priest, having pronounced the general form of absolution, says: ℣. Converte nos, Deus, Salutaris noster. ℟. Et averte iram tuam a nobis. ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri. ANT. Miserere. ℣. Convert us, O God our Saviour. ℟. And turn away thine anger from us. ℣. Incline unto mine aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory, &c. ANT. Have mercy. The first psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace: but the wicked know not what calm rest is. PSALM 4 Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: in tribulatione dilatasti mihi. Miserere mei: et exaudi orationem meam. Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde? ut quid diligitis vanitatem, et quæritis mendacium? Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: Dominus exaudiet me, cum clamavero ad eum. Irascimini, et nolite peccare: quæ dicitis in cordibus vestris, in cubilibus vestris compungimini. Sacrificate sacrificium justitiæ, et sperate in Domino: multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona? Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui, Domine: dedisti lætitiam in corde meo. A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: multiplicati sunt. In pace in idipsum: dormiam et requiescam. Quoniam tu, Domine, singulariter in spe: constituisti me. 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.", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "church", "divine", "father", "christ", "love", "sacrifice", "jesus", "sacred", "life", "bread", "world", "heart", "wisdom", "body", "heaven", "glory", "ever", "blood" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambr", "St. Ambrose", "St. Andrew", "St. Athanasius", "St. Aug", "St. Augustine", "St. Basil", "St. Beatus", "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Boniface", "St. Callixtus", "St. Cher", "St. Cyprian", "St. Cyril", "St. Cyril of Alex", "St. Cyril of Alexandria", "St. Cæsarius of Arles", "St. Denis", "St. Denis the Areopagite", "St. Dominic", "St. Fulgentius", "St. Gall", "St. Gaudentius of Brescia", "St. George", "St. Gertrude", "St. Greg", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. Hilary", "St. Hilary of Poitiers", "St. Hildegard", "St. Ignatius of Antioch", "St. Irenæus", "St. James", "St. John", "St. John the Apostle", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Leo", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Martin", "St. Matt", "St. Mechtilde", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Paulin", "St. Perpetua", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Sabina", "St. Sophia", "St. Thomas", "St. Thomas of Aquin", "St. Thomas of Canterbury", "St. Victor", "St. Xystus" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 27", "1 Corinthians iii. 16", "1 Corinthians vi. 19", "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Corinthians x. 4", "1 Corinthians xi.", "1 Corinthians xi. 24", "1 Corinthians xi. 26", "1 Corinthians xi. 3", "1 Corinthians xv. 24", "1 John i. 1", "1 John i. 3", "1 John ii. 16", "1 John iii.", "1 John iii. 1", "1 John iii. 2", "1 John iv. 8", "1 John v. 7", "1 Kings xviii. 10", "1 Paralipomenon xv.", "1 Paralipomenon xvi.", "1 Peter ii. 9", "1 Timothy vi. 16", "2 Corinthians i. 3", "2 Corinthians iv. 13", "2 Corinthians iv. 6", "2 Corinthians x. 5", "2 Peter i. 17", "2 Peter i. 19", "2 Peter i. 21", "2 Peter i. 4", "3 Kings xix. 8", "Acts ii. 2", "Acts ii. 42", "Acts ii. 47", "Acts iv. 32", "Acts vii. 51", "Acts xiii. 46", "Aggeus ii. 8", "Apocalypse i. 14", "Apocalypse i. 15", "Apocalypse i. 16", "Apocalypse iv.", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Apocalypse xiii. 8", "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Apocalypse xxii. 1", "Apocalypse xxii. 17", "Apocalypse xxii. 2", "Baruch iii. 12", "Canticle of Canticles i. 1", "Canticle of Canticles i. 13", "Canticle of Canticles i. 15", "Canticle of Canticles i. 9", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 1", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 13", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 16", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 3", "Canticle of Canticles ii. 9", "Canticle of Canticles iii. 6", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 9", "Canticle of Canticles v. 13", "Canticle of Canticles v. 14", "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 11", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 2", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 5", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 6", "Colossians i. 15", "Colossians i. 24", "Colossians ii. 14", "Colossians ii. 3", "Colossians iii. 3", "Corinthians c.", "Corinthians xii. 13", "Daniel iii.", "Daniel ix. 24", "Daniel vii. 9", "Daniel xi. 31", "Deuteronomy xii. 7", "Deuteronomy xxxii. 15", "Ecclesiastes li.", "Ecclesiasticus i. 4", "Ecclesiasticus i. 6", "Ecclesiasticus iv. 18", "Ecclesiasticus l. 11", "Ecclesiasticus l. 13", "Ecclesiasticus l. 15", "Ecclesiasticus xlvii. 11", "Ecclesiasticus xv. 2", "Ecclesiasticus xv. 3", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 12", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 13", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 23", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 26", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 29", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 34", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 41", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 6", "Ephesians i. 10", "Ephesians i. 13", "Ephesians i. 17", "Ephesians i. 22", "Ephesians ii. 14", "Ephesians ii. 2", "Ephesians ii. 21", "Ephesians iii. 15", "Ephesians iii. 6", "Ephesians iv. 13", "Ephesians iv. 16", "Ephesians iv. 4", "Ephesians v. 30", "Ephesians v. 31", "Ephesians v. 32", "Esther v. 4", "Exodus iv. 24", "Exodus li.", "Exodus xix. 6", "Exodus xxviii.", "Exodus xxxiii. 22", "Ezechiel xlvii. 2", "Ezechiel xvi.", "Galatians iii. 5", "Galatians v. 25", "Genesis i. 22", "Genesis i. 26", "Genesis i. 27", "Genesis ii. 17", "Genesis ii. 23", "Genesis ii. 24", "Genesis ii. 8", "Genesis ii. 9", "Genesis iii. 19", "Genesis li.", "Genesis xiv. 18", "Genesis xlix. 10", "Genesis xxv. 23", "Genesis xxv. 27", "Genesis xxvii.", "Habacuc iii. 4", "Hebrews i. 3", "Hebrews iv. 14", "Hebrews ix. 12", "Hebrews ix. 16", "Hebrews ix. 8", "Hebrews v. 1", "Hebrews v. 7", "Hebrews vii. 3", "Hebrews viii. 6", "Hebrews x. 1", "Hebrews x. 14", "Hebrews x. 5", "Isaias c.", "Isaias i. 1", "Isaias i. 11", "Isaias ii. 10", "Isaias ii. 2", "Isaias ix. 6", "Isaias lii. 7", "Isaias lxv. 2", "Isaias vi. 3", "Isaias xi. 10", "Isaias xi. 2", "Isaias xi. 4", "Isaias xii. 3", "Isaias xlii. 1", "Isaias xlviii. 11", "Isaias xxix. 7", "Isaias xxv. 9", "Isaias xxvi. 8", "Isaias xxxv. 1", "Jeremias ii. 13", "Jeremias xiv.", "Jeremias xlviii. 28", "John c.", "John i.", "John i. 1", "John i. 12", "John i. 14", "John i. 18", "John i. 9", "John iii. 16", "John iii. 5", "John iii. 9", "John iv. 14", "John v. 26", "John v. 6", "John vi. 51", "John vi. 57", "John vi. 64", "John viii. 49", "John viii. 56", "John x. 10", "John x. 18", "John x. 30", "John xi. 35", "John xi. 52", "John xii. 24", "John xii. 32", "John xiii. 1", "John xiii. 15", "John xiii. 34", "John xiv. 16", "John xiv. 23", "John xiv. 26", "John xiv. 31", "John xix. 34", "John xix. 37", "John xv. 15", "John xv. 26", "John xv. 5", "John xvi. 13", "John xvi. 14", "John xvi. 7", "John xvii. 1", "John xvii. 21", "John xvii. 22", "John xx. 17", "John xxi. 8", "John xxi. 9", "John xxii.", "Lamentations iii. 30", "Leviticus ii. 2", "Leviticus xxi. 10", "Leviticus xxiii. 10", "Luke c.", "Luke i.", "Luke i. 34", "Luke i. 35", "Luke ii.", "Luke ii. 34", "Luke ii. 52", "Luke iii. 21", "Luke iv. 1", "Luke vi. 44", "Luke vii. 37", "Luke xi. 49", "Luke xii. 36", "Luke xii. 50", "Luke xiv. 1", "Luke xix. 44", "Luke xv. 10", "Luke xv. 13", "Luke xxii. 14", "Luke xxii. 15", "Luke xxii. 16", "Luke xxii. 19", "Luke xxii. 20", "Luke xxiv. 49", "Malachias i. 10", "Malachias iii. 1", "Mark x. 14", "Mark xiv. 8", "Mark xvi. 16", "Matthew c.", "Matthew i. 21", "Matthew iii. 17", "Matthew iv.", "Matthew v. 23", "Matthew vii. 6", "Matthew viii. 20", "Matthew x. 20", "Matthew xi. 27", "Matthew xii. 28", "Matthew xiii. 33", "Matthew xviii. 3", "Matthew xxii. 1", "Matthew xxii. 4", "Matthew xxii. 8", "Matthew xxiii. 34", "Matthew xxvi. 29", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Matthew xxviii. 20", "Micheas v. 2", "Numbers xxi. 6", "Osee ii.", "Osee ii. 19", "Osee ii. 21", "Osee xi. 4", "Peter c.", "Peter ii. 2", "Philippians ii. 6", "Proverbs i. 20", "Proverbs iii. 18", "Proverbs ix.", "Proverbs ix. 1", "Proverbs ix. 2", "Proverbs ix. 4", "Proverbs viii. 18", "Proverbs viii. 19", "Proverbs viii. 21", "Proverbs viii. 27", "Proverbs viii. 30", "Proverbs viii. 31", "Proverbs xvi. 4", "Proverbs xxiii. 1", "Proverbs xxv. 27", "Proverbs xxx. 3", "Proverbs xxxi. 10", "Psalms c.", "Psalms ci.", "Psalms ci. 1", "Psalms ci. 24", "Psalms cii.", "Psalms ciii. 14", "Psalms ciii. 15", "Psalms ciii. 24", "Psalms cix. 3", "Psalms cix. 4", "Psalms cvii. 1", "Psalms cx. 4", "Psalms cxix.", "Psalms cxl.", "Psalms cxvii.", "Psalms cxviii.", "Psalms cxviii. 164", "Psalms cxviii. 28", "Psalms cxxxi. 3", "Psalms cxxxii. 2", "Psalms cxxxiv.", "Psalms i.", "Psalms i. 3", "Psalms i. 9", "Psalms ii. 7", "Psalms ii. 8", "Psalms l.", "Psalms lxii.", "Psalms lxiv.", "Psalms lxiv. 10", "Psalms lxiv. 14", "Psalms lxiv. 3", "Psalms lxv.", "Psalms lxv. 13", "Psalms lxv. 8", "Psalms lxvii. 19", "Psalms lxxvii. 25", "Psalms lxxvii. 65", "Psalms lxxx.", "Psalms lxxxiii. 8", "Psalms lxxxvi.", "Psalms xc. 6", "Psalms xcviii. 9", "Psalms xli. 3", "Psalms xliv. 3", "Psalms xliv. 5", "Psalms xliv. 6", "Psalms xliv. 8", "Psalms xlix. 7", "Psalms xv.", "Psalms xv. 5", "Psalms xvii.", "Psalms xvii. 10", "Psalms xviii. 2", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Psalms xxi. 23", "Psalms xxi. 27", "Psalms xxi. 28", "Psalms xxix. 6", "Psalms xxviii. 1", "Psalms xxx.", "Psalms xxxiii.", "Psalms xxxv. 10", "Psalms xxxv. 8", "Romans c.", "Romans iii. 25", "Romans v. 2", "Romans v. 9", "Romans vi.", "Romans vi. 4", "Romans vi. 9", "Romans vii. 11", "Romans viii. 16", "Romans viii. 17", "Romans viii. 19", "Romans viii. 26", "Romans viii. 27", "Romans xi. 33", "Romans xv. 9", "Titus iii. 4", "Tobias vi.", "Wisdom c.", "Wisdom i.", "Wisdom ii. 23", "Wisdom l.", "Wisdom vii. 22", "Wisdom vii. 26", "Wisdom vii. 27", "Wisdom vii. 29", "Wisdom viii. 1", "Wisdom viii. 16", "Wisdom viii. 2", "Wisdom viii. 3", "Wisdom x. 15", "Wisdom xi. 21", "Wisdom xvi. 20", "Zacharias ix. 17", "Zacharias xii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 10, "section": "THE_THIRD_SUNDAY_AFTER_PENTECOST", "title": "THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST", "anchor": "the_third_sunday_after_pentecost", "text": "MASS Thy faithful soul has now witnessed in the holy liturgy the close of the mysteries of our redemption. The Holy Ghost has come down to support her during this second portion of her career, by forming and developing within her the fullness of the Christian life as taught by her divine Saviour when on earth. He begins by teaching her how to pray. Prayer, said our Lord, must be continual: we ought always to pray, and not to faint.¹ We know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the holy Spirit helpeth our infirmity, and Himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings.² In the Introit and the whole Mass for this Sunday, we are taught that prayer must have, amongst its other requisite qualities, that of humble repentance for our past sins, and of confidence in God's infinite mercy. This is the Third Sunday after Pentecost; it is the first that has no rubrical connexion with the great feasts we have been solemnizing; it is a Sunday with all the simplicity of the Office of the Time. INTROIT Respice in me, et miserere mei, Domine, quoniam unicus et pauper sum ego; vide humilitatem meam, et laborem meum: et dimitte omnia peccata mea, Deus meus. Look thou upon me, and have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am alone and poor; see my abjection and my labour; and forgive me all my sins, O my God. Ps. Ad te, Domine, levavi animam meam: Deus meus, in te confido, non erubescam. Gloria Patri. Respice. Ps. To thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: in thee, O my God, I place my trust, let me not be ashamed. Glory, etc. Look thou. COLLECT Protector in te sperantium, Deus, sine quo nihil est validum, nihil sanctum: multiplica super nos misericordiam tuam; ut, te rectore, te duce, sic transeamus per bona temporalia, ut non amittamus æterna. Per Dominum. O God, the protector of those who hope in thee, without whose aid, nothing is strong, nothing holy: increase thy mercy towards us; that under thy direction and conduct, we may so pass through the blessings of this life, as not to lose those which are eternal. Through, etc. SECOND COLLECT A cunctis nos quæsumus, Domine, mentis et corporis defende periculis; et intercedente beata et gloriosa semper Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beato Joseph, beatis apostolis tuis Petro et Paulo, atque beato N. et omnibus sanctis, salutem nobis tribue benignus et pacem; ut destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis, Ecclesia tua secura tibi serviat libertate. Preserve us, O Lord, we beseech thee, from all dangers of soul and body: and, by the intercession of the glorious and blessed Mary, the ever Virgin Mother of God, of blessed Joseph, of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, of blessed N. (here is mentioned the titular saint of the church), and of all the saints, grant us, in thy mercy, health and peace; that, all adversities and errors being removed, thy Church may serve", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "blessed", "amen", "father", "life", "prayer", "mercy", "deus", "church", "faith", "christ", "having", "light", "sins", "lost", "domine", "glory", "dominum", "eternal" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Greg", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Peter the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "John viii. 12", "Luke c.", "Luke xviii. 1", "Psalms xxi. 16", "Romans viii. 26" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_THIRD_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY_488", "title": "THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY . . 488", "anchor": "the_third_sunday_after_the_epiphany_488", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_FOURTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_fourth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_FIFTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_fifth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_SIXTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_sixth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST", "keywords": [ "pentecost" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "THE HISTORY OF THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST The solemnity of Pentecost and its octave are over, and the progress of the liturgical year introduces us into a new period, which is altogether different from those we have hitherto spent. From the very beginning of Advent, which is the prelude to the Christmas festival, right up to the anniversary of the descent of the Holy Ghost, we have witnessed the entire series of the mysteries of our redemption; all have been unfolded to us. The sequel of seasons and feasts made up a sublime drama, which absorbed our very existence; we have but just come from the final celebration, which was the consummation of the whole. And yet we have gone through but one half of the year. This does not imply that the period we have still to live is devoid of its own special mysteries; but, instead of keeping up our attention by the ceaseless interest of one plan hurrying on to its completion, the sacred liturgy is about to put before us an almost unbroken succession of varied episodes, of which some are brilliant with glory, and others exquisite in loveliness, but each one of them bringing its special tribute towards either the development of the dogmas of faith or the furtherance of the Christian life. This year's cycle will thus be filled up; it will disappear; a new one will take its place, bringing before us the same divine facts, and pouring forth the same graces on Christ's mystical body. This section of the liturgical year, which comprises a little more or a little less than six months according as Easter is early or late, has always had the character it holds at present. But, although it admits only detached solemnities and feasts, the influence of the movable portion of the cycle is still observable. It may have as many as twenty-eight or as few as twenty-three weeks. This variation depends not only upon the Easter feast, which may occur on any of the days between March 22 and April 25 inclusively, but also on the date of the first Sunday of Advent, which is the opening of a new ecclesiastical year, and is always the Sunday nearest the Kalends of December. In the Roman liturgy the Sundays of this series go under the name of 'Sundays after Pentecost.' As we shall show in the next chapter, that title is the most suitable that could have been given, and is found in the oldest sacramentaries and antiphonaries, but it was not universally adopted even by those Churches which followed the Roman rite; in progress of time, however, that title became the general one. To mention some of the previous terms named: in the Comes of Alcuin, which takes us back to the eighth century, we find the first section of these Sundays called 'Sundays after Pentecost'; the second is named 'weeks after the feast of the Apostles' (post natale Apostolorum); the third goes under the title of", "keywords": [ "pentecost", "year", "weeks", "sundays", "post", "period", "advent", "feasts", "special", "roman", "title", "churches", "saint", "progress", "liturgical", "series", "mysteries", "liturgy", "varied", "bringing" ], "saints": [ "St. Laurence", "St. Michael", "St. Pius" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "THE MYSTERY OF THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST That we may thoroughly understand the meaning and influence of the season of the liturgical year upon which we have now entered, it is requisite for us to grasp the entire sequel of mysteries which holy Church has celebrated in our presence and company; we have witnessed her services, and we have shared in them. The celebration of those mysteries was not an empty pageant, acted for the sake of being looked at. Each one of them brought with it a special grace, which produced in our souls the reality signified by the rites of the liturgy. At Christmas Christ was born within us; at Passiontide He passed on and into us His sufferings and atonements; at Easter He communicated to us His glorious, His untrammelled life; in His Ascension He drew us after Him, and this even to heaven's summit; in a word, as the apostle expresses all this working, Christ was formed in us.¹ But, in order to give solidity and permanence to the image of Christ formed within us, it was necessary that the Holy Ghost should come, that so He might increase our light, and enkindle a fire within us that should never be quenched. This divine Paraclete came down from heaven; He gave Himself to us; He wishes to take up His abode within us, and to take our life of regeneration entirely into His own hands. The liturgy of this Time after Pentecost signifies and expresses this regenerated life, which is to be spent on the model of Christ's, and under the direction of His Spirit. ¹ Gal. iv. 19. Two objects here offer themselves to our consideration: the Church and the Christian soul. As to holy Church, the bride of Christ, filled as she is with the Paraclete Spirit, who has poured Himself forth upon her, and from that time forward is her animating principle, she is advancing onwards in her militant career, and will do so till the second coming of her heavenly Spouse. She has within her the gifts of truth and holiness. Endowed with infallibility of faith and authority to govern, she feeds Christ's flock, sometimes enjoying liberty and peace, sometimes going through persecutions and trials. Her divine Spouse abides with her, by His grace and the efficacy of His promises, even to the end of time; she is in possession of all the favours He has bestowed upon her; and the Holy Ghost dwells with her, and in her, for ever. All this is expressed by this present portion of the liturgical year. It is one wherein we shall not meet with any of those great events which prepared and consummated the divine work; but, on the other hand, it is a season when holy Church reaps the fruits of the holiness and doctrine which those ineffable mysteries have already produced, and will continue to produce during the course of ages. It is during this same season that we shall meet with", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "during", "christ", "within", "year", "life", "divine", "soul", "portion", "books", "mysteries", "ghost", "pentecost", "season", "liturgical", "spirit", "till", "truth", "world" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians iii. 18", "Apocalypse xiii. 7", "Galatians iv. 19", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "PRACTICE FOR THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST The object which holy Church has in view by her liturgical year is the leading of the Christian soul to union with Christ, and this by the Holy Ghost. This object is the one which God Himself has in giving us His own Son to be our mediator, our teacher, and our Redeemer, and in sending us the Holy Ghost to abide among us. To this end is directed all that aggregate of rites and prayers which we have hitherto explained: they are not a mere commemoration of the mysteries achieved for our salvation by the divine goodness, but they bring with them the graces corresponding to each of those mysteries; that thus we may come, as the apostle expresses it, 'to the age of the fulness of Christ.'¹ ¹ Eph. iv. 13. As we have elsewhere explained, our sharing in the mysteries of Christ, which are celebrated in the liturgical year, produces in the Christian what is called in mystic theology the illuminative life, in which the soul gains continually more and more of the light of the Incarnate Word, who, by His examples and teachings, renovates each one of her faculties, and imparts to her the habit of seeing all things from God's point of view. This is a preparation which disposes her for union with God, not merely in an imperfect manner and one that is more or less inconstant, but in an intimate and permanent way, which is called the unitive life. The production of this life is the special work of the Holy Ghost, who has been sent into this world that He may maintain each one of our souls in the possession of Christ, and may bring to perfection the love whereby the creature is united with its God. In this state, in this unitive life, the soul is made to relish, and assimilate into herself, all that substantial and nourishing food which is presented to her so abundantly during the Time after Pentecost. The mysteries of the Trinity and of the blessed Sacrament, the mercy and power of the Heart of Jesus, the glories of Mary and her influence upon the Church and souls—all these are manifested to the soul with more clearness than ever, and produce within her effects not previously experienced. In the feasts of the saints, which are so varied and so grand during this portion of the year, she feels more and more intimately the bond which unites her to them in Christ, through the holy Spirit. The eternal happiness of heaven, which is to follow the trials of this mortal life, is revealed to her by the feast of All Saints; she gains clearer notions of that mysterious bliss, which consists in light and love. Having become more closely united to holy Church, the bride of her dear Lord, she follows her in all the stages of her earthly existence; she takes a share in her sufferings; she exults in her triumphs.", "keywords": [ "holy", "life", "world", "soul", "christ", "church", "year", "ghost", "mysteries", "heart", "object", "christian", "light", "possession", "love", "united", "influence", "lord", "liturgy", "cycle" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 31", "Ephesians iv. 13", "John iii. 16", "Matthew vi. 21" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FOURTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FOURTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fourth", "text": "MORNING AND NIGHT PRAYERS FOR THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST During this second part of the year, the Christian, on waking in the morning, will unite himself with holy Church, who, every day in her Office of Lauds, hails the return of light, making use of these words of the royal prophet: Deus, Deus meus, ad te de luce vigilo. — O God, my God, unto thee do I watch at break of day. He will profoundly adore the divine Majesty; and, thanking his sovereign Lord, who has protected him while involved in the darkness of night, he will proffer Him his service for the whole day which is now commencing; he will wish to spend it in love and obedience, as behoves one whom Christ has united to Himself by His mysteries, and whom the Holy Ghost is willing to guide and govern. The time for morning prayer being come, he may give expression to the sentiments which should then animate his soul, by using these formulas of the Church: MORNING PRAYERS First, praise and adoration of the most holy Trinity: V. Benedicamus Patrem et Filium, cum Sancto Spiritu. R. Laudemus et superexaltemus eum in sæcula. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. R. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. V. Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. R. Let us praise him and extol him above all, for ever. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Then praise to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: V. Adoramus te, Christe, et benedicimus tibi; R. Quia per sanctam crucem tuam redemisti mundum. V. We adore thee, O Christ, and bless thee; R. Because, by thy holy cross, thou hast redeemed the world. Thirdly, invocation of the Holy Ghost: Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful, and enkindle within them the fire of thy love. After these fundamental acts of religion, recite the Lord's Prayer, uniting your intentions with those which your Saviour had when He gave it to you. First, then, raise up your thoughts and desires to the interests of His glory, while you say the first three petitions; and in the last four, humbly put before Him the favours you yourself stand in need of: THE LORD'S PRAYER Pater noster, qui es in cœlis, sanctificetur nomen tuum; adveniat regnum tuum; fiat voluntas tua sicut in cœlo et in terra. Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie; et dimitte nobis debita nostra, sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris; et ne nos inducas in tentationem; sed libera nos a malo. Amen. 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "amen", "christ", "domine", "mother", "church", "deus", "father", "mercy", "nobis", "virgin", "blessed", "night", "prayer", "mater", "pray", "faith", "ever", "regina" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "John viii. 12" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIFTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIFTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_fifth", "text": "ON HEARING MASS DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST Of all the good acts wherewith a Christian can sanctify his day, there is not one which bears comparison with that of assisting at the holy sacrifice of the Mass. It is in that sacrifice, the supreme act of religion, that is centred all the homage due from man to his Creator; and it is also from the same sacrifice that God pours out profusely upon his creature man every sort of blessing. The very Son of God is really present there; there He is offered up to His Father, and the offering is always well-pleasing; and they who assist at this divine immolation with faith and love receive into their souls graces of a far richer kind than are given by any other means. The assistance at Mass, if completed by the real participation of the divine victim, unites man to God in an ineffable way by the renovation of his whole being, for it produces an intimate communion between him and the Word Incarnate. But if the Christian who is assisting at the holy sacrifice goes no further than the uniting of his intentions with those of the divine victim, even so, his mere presence at so great an act includes a true participation in the supreme worship offered by this earth of ours to the Majesty of God, in Christ, and by Christ. So, too, he solemnly consecrates to God, by that same holy act, the day he has just begun. We have devoted the days within the octave of Corpus Christi to giving our readers the fullest instruction regarding the holy sacrifice of the Mass. As to the dispositions wherewith they should assist at it, they are given in the present chapter, in which we explain briefly, and yet, as we believe, completely, the meaning of each ceremony and expression. Whilst thus endeavouring to initiate the faithful into these sublime mysteries, we have not given them a bare and indiscreet translation of the sacred formulæ, but have taken what seemed to us so much better a plan, of suggesting such acts as will enable those who hear Mass to enter into the ceremonies and the spirit of the Church and of the priest. The conclusion to be drawn from this is one of great importance: it is that, in order to derive solid profit from assisting at the holy sacrifice, the faithful must attentively follow all that is being done at the altar, and not stand aloof, as it were, by reading books which are filled with devotions of a private and unseasonable character. 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, you should unite with the intentions which the Church has in this ceremony, so", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "amen", "holy", "altar", "domine", "father", "jesus", "divine", "deus", "christ", "mercy", "sacrifice", "church", "nobis", "ever", "glory", "prayer", "world", "mass" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Pet" ], "scripture": [ "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Corinthians v. 4", "2 Peter i. 4", "Hebrews i. 2", "John c.", "John i. 5", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SIXTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SIXTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_sixth", "text": "ON HOLY COMMUNION DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST If, in the early stages of the liturgical year, in Advent, at Christmas, and during the periods of Septuagesima and Lent, when there was question of nothing beyond a preparation for the divine mysteries which wrought our salvation—if, in the name of holy Church, we then invited the faithful to have recourse to the sacrament of our Lord's Body, as being the heavenly nourishment that would support them in the glorious career on which they had entered, now that the work is done, that they have risen again with their Redeemer, that they have followed Him, by their desires and their hopes, even to the very summit of heaven—now that the Holy Ghost has come down upon this earth, that He might complete within them the work of their union with God, surely, nothing could profit them more than that they nourish themselves, and even more frequently than before, with the Bread of life, which came from heaven, that He might give life to the world.¹ From our first entrance into the new season, which we are now passing through, holy Church has, by the great feast of Corpus Christi, brought us face to face with the august mystery, which is both the sacrifice whereby God receives the honour due to Him, and the sacrament containing within itself the nourishment of our souls. We have now a clearer understanding of the unspeakable gift which our Saviour vouchsafed to bestow upon us the night before his Passion. We now see more plainly the nature and greatness of the homage which earth gives to its Creator, in the ceaseless offering of the holy sacrifice of the Mass. We now know, so much better than formerly, what that deifying relation is which is made to exist between God and the soul by means of the participation of the sacred Host. The Holy Ghost has shed His light upon all these truths; He has opened out to us the very depths of the mystery shown to us from the outset—the mystery, that is, of the Emmanuel, or God with us. Now that we are so fully initiated into the whole of God's work, we understand better that great text of the Gospel which says: 'The Word was made Flesh, and dwelt among us.'² We grasp the meaning more completely; we can give it a more literal, and equally faithful, translation, and say: 'The Word was made Flesh, and took up His dwelling WITHIN us.' ¹ Apoc. v. 6. ² Isa. ix. 6. ³ 1 Cor. x. 17. ¹ Apoc. xxii. 20. ¹ John vi. 33. ² John i. 14. All this has increased in the Christian the desire of assisting at the holy sacrifice. He says to himself, as did the patriarch of old: \"Truly, the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not\";³ my faith was ¹ St. John vi. 41, 62. ² Ibid., i. 14. ³ Gen. xxviii. 16. sound, but I", "keywords": [ "love", "lord", "life", "holy", "within", "soul", "thine", "heaven", "bread", "divine", "flesh", "myself", "heart", "presence", "mysteries", "world", "word", "faith", "thyself", "communion" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Genesis xxviii. 16", "Isaias ix. 6", "John i. 14", "John vi. 33", "John vi. 41", "John x. 10" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SEVENTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE SEVENTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_seventh", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following psalms. For certain feasts some of these psalms are changed for others, which are more appropriate to those occasions. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: V. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri et Filio, et Spiritui sancto; Sicut erat in principio, et nunc et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. V. Incline unto mine aid, O God. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ANT. The Lord said. The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glories of the Messias. The Son of David shall sit on the right hand of the heavenly Father. He is King; He is Priest; He is the Son of Man, and the Son of God. His enemies will attack Him, but He will crush them. He will be humbled, but this voluntary humiliation will lead Him to highest glory. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: *Sede a dextris meis. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: *scabellum pedum tuorum. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: *dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: *ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: *Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis; *confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: *conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: *propterea exaltabit caput. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. O 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, O 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 coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: 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 suffering: therefore, shall he lift up the head. ANT. Dixit", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "dominus", "domini", "blessed", "psalm", "domino", "sæculum", "name", "deus", "father", "praise", "sicut", "amen", "opera", "works", "fear", "nomen", "dominum" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians i.", "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_EIGHTH", "title": "CHAPTER THE EIGHTH", "anchor": "chapter_the_eighth", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night; then immediately 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 therefore dangerous, state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: Jube, domne, benedicere. Pray, father, give thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam, et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. R. Amen. R. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus tamquam leo rugiens circuit, quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch: because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: R. Deo gratias. R. Thanks be to God. Then the priest: V. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The choir: R. Qui fecit cœlum et terram. R. Who hath made heaven 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 repeats it. The priest, having pronounced the general form of absolution, says: V. Converte nos, Deus, Salutaris noster. V. Convert us, O God our Saviour. R. Et averte iram tuam a nobis. R. And turn away thine anger from us. V. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. V. Incline unto mine aid, O God. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri. Glory, etc. ANT. Miserere. ANT. Have mercy. The first psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace; but the wicked know not what calm rest is. PSALM 4 Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: * in tribulatione dilatasti mihi. Miserere mei: * et exaudi orationem meam. 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. Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde? * ut quid diligitis vanitatem, et quæritis mendacium? Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: * Dominus exaudiet me, cum clamavero ad eum. Irascimini, et nolite peccare: * quæ dicitis in cordibus vestris, in cubilibus vestris compungimini. Sacrificate sacrificium justitiæ, et sperate in Domino: * multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona? Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui, Domine: * dedisti lætitiam in corde meo. A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: * multiplicati sunt. In pace in idipsum: * dormiam et requiescam. Quoniam tu,", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "divine", "lord", "union", "love", "jesus", "spirit", "christ", "life", "word", "ghost", "soul", "ibid", "light", "john", "earth", "father", "truth", "amen" ], "saints": [ "St. Aug", "St. Augustine", "St. Benedict", "St. Cyril", "St. Cyril of Alexandria", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ii. 10", "1 Corinthians ii. 12", "1 Corinthians iii. 16", "1 Corinthians vi. 17", "1 Corinthians vi. 20", "1 Corinthians x. 31", "1 Corinthians xi. 11", "1 Corinthians xi. 7", "1 Corinthians xi. 8", "1 John iv. 12", "1 Kings ii. 5", "1 Peter i. 18", "1 Peter i. 8", "1 Peter ii. 2", "1 Peter ii. 5", "2 Corinthians iii. 18", "2 Corinthians xi. 13", "2 Corinthians xi. 2", "2 Corinthians xi. 3", "2 Corinthians xii. 4", "2 Peter i. 4", "Acts i. 8", "Acts i. 9", "Acts ii. 41", "Acts iii. 14", "Apocalypse iv. 6", "Baruch iii. 38", "Canticle of Canticles i. 3", "Canticle of Canticles i. 4", "Canticle of Canticles iii. 1", "Canticle of Canticles iii. 4", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 6", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 8", "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 8", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 14", "Colossians iii. 8", "Deuteronomy xxxii. 11", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 8", "Ephesians i. 17", "Ephesians i. 23", "Ephesians ii. 20", "Ephesians iii. 16", "Ephesians iv. 13", "Ephesians v. 25", "Exodus xxv. 40", "Galatians ii. 20", "Galatians iii. 27", "Galatians iv. 19", "Genesis ii. 18", "Genesis ii. 23", "Genesis ii. 24", "Genesis ii. 7", "Hebrews i. 1", "Hebrews ii. 10", "Hebrews iii. 14", "Hebrews x. 14", "Hebrews x. 5", "Hebrews xiii. 8", "Isaias xlv. 15", "Jeremias xiv.", "Jeremias xxxi. 3", "John i. 1", "John i. 18", "John i. 5", "John i. 9", "John ii. 21", "John viii. 12", "John xiii. 13", "John xiv. 17", "John xiv. 21", "John xiv. 23", "John xiv. 25", "John xiv. 9", "John xv. 15", "John xvi. 6", "John xvi. 7", "John xvii. 17", "John xvii. 19", "Leviticus xix. 2", "Luke i. 2", "Luke viii. 10", "Luke xvii. 21", "Luke xviii. 34", "Malachias iv. 2", "Mark i. 24", "Matthew iv. 25", "Matthew v. 48", "Matthew xvii. 5", "Matthew xxiii. 8", "Numbers xxi. 22", "Proverbs xxxi. 10", "Psalms ciii. 3", "Psalms ciii. 30", "Psalms iv. 7", "Psalms lxxv. 5", "Psalms lxxxiii.", "Psalms xliv. 12", "Psalms xliv. 3", "Psalms xlv. 5", "Psalms xv. 10", "Psalms xviii. 3", "Psalms xxiii. 1", "Romans i. 18", "Romans i. 7", "Romans vi. 5", "Romans viii. 29", "Romans xii. 1", "Sophonias iii. 10", "Wisdom vii. 26", "Wisdom xviii. 15" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_FOURTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_PENTECOST", "title": "THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST", "anchor": "the_fourth_sunday_after_pentecost", "text": "The fourth Sunday after Pentecost was called, for a long period, in the west, the Sunday of mercy, because, formerly, there was read upon it the passage from St. Luke beginning with the words: 'Be merciful, as your Father is merciful.' But, this Gospel having been since assigned to the Mass of the first Sunday after Pentecost, the Gospel of the fifth Sunday was made that of the fourth; the Gospel of the sixth became that of the fifth; and so on, up to the twenty-third. The change we speak of was, however, not introduced into many Churches till a very late period; and it was not universally received till the sixteenth century. Whilst the Gospels were thus brought forward a week, in almost the whole series of these Sundays, the Epistles, Prayers, and the other sung portions of the ancient Masses were, with a few exceptions, left as originally drawn up. The connexion which the liturgists of the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth centuries had fancied they found between the Gospel ¹ Cf. cum Missali hodierno Bern. Aug. De offic. Mis. cap. v; Microl. De eccl. obs. cap. lxi; Honor. Augustod. Gemma animæ, l. iv; Rupert. De div. off. l. xii; Durand. l. vi; etc. and the rest of the liturgy for these Sundays was broken. Thus the Church spared not those favourite views and explanations which were at times far-fetched; and yet she did not intend thereby to condemn those writers, nor to discourage her children from perusing their treatises, for, as the holy reflections they contained were frequently suggested by the authority of the ancient liturgies, such reading would edify and instruct. We are quite at liberty, then, to turn their labours to profit; let us only keep this continually before us—that the chief connexion existing between the several portions of the proper of each Mass for the Sundays after Pentecost consists in the unity of the sacrifice itself. In the Greek Church there is even less pretension to anything approaching methodical arrangement in the liturgy of these Sundays. On the morrow of Pentecost they begin the reading of the Gospel of St. Matthew, and continue it, chapter after chapter, up to the feast of the Exaltation of the holy Cross, in September. St. Luke follows St. Matthew, and is read in the same way. The weeks and Sundays of this season are simply named according to the Gospel of each day; or they take the name of the evangelist whose text is being read: thus, our first Sunday after Pentecost is called by them the first Sunday of St. Matthew; the one we are now keeping is their fourth of St. Matthew. So important is the Sunday's liturgy, destined each week to honour such profound mysteries, that, for a long time, the Roman Pontiffs kept down the number of feasts which were above the rank of semi-doubles; that thus the Sunday, which is itself a semi-double, might not be superseded. It was not till the second half", "keywords": [ "church", "lord", "sunday", "glory", "divine", "holy", "world", "gospel", "jesus", "domine", "simon", "feast", "blessed", "autem", "creation", "mass", "sundays", "saints", "christ", "spirit" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xvii. 15", "Hebrews vi. 19", "John c.", "John i.", "John xxi. 1", "Kings i.", "Kings xvii. 25", "Luke c.", "Luke xxiv. 49", "Matthew xiii. 47", "Psalms ciii. 6", "Psalms i.", "Psalms xxvi.", "Romans c.", "Romans viii. 16", "Wisdom i. 7" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_FIFTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_PENTECOST", "title": "THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST", "anchor": "the_fifth_sunday_after_pentecost", "text": "This Sunday, which, with the Greeks, is called the fifth of St. Matthew, was known by the Latins as the Sunday of the fishing; such was its name up to the time when the Church transferred to the previous Sunday the Gospel which suggested that title. The week which it commences is, in some ancient lectionaries, called the 'first after the feast of the apostles' or of St. Peter; in others it is the second or third after the same feast; these, and similar varieties of names, which it is no rare thing to find in the liturgical books of the Middle Ages, are due to the fact that Easter was kept earlier or later in the years when those books were written. The Church began last night the reading of the second Book of Kings, which opens with the description of Saul's sad end and David's accession to the throne of Israel. The exaltation of Jesse's son is the climax to the prophetic life of the ancient people. In David God had found His faithful servant,¹ and He resolved to exhibit him to the world as the most perfect figure of the future Messiah. A solemn promise of Jehovah assured the new monarch as to the future of his race; his throne was to be everlasting,² for at some future day it was to be the throne of Him who should be called the Son of the Most High, though, at the same time, He was to be Son of David.³ But whilst the tribe of Juda was hailing in Hebron the king elected by the Lord, there were dark clouds on the horizon. In her Vespers of yesterday the Church sang, as one of her finest antiphons, the funeral ode which inspiration dictated to David when he saw the regal crown that had been picked up from the dust and gore of the battlefield, whereon had fallen the princes of Israel: 'Ye mountains of Gelboe, let neither dew nor rain come upon you, for there was cast away the shield of the valiant, the shield of Saul, as though he had not been anointed with oil. How are the valiant fallen in battle! Jonathan slain on the high places! Saul and Jonathan exceedingly lovely and comely in their life; even in death they were not divided.'⁴ ¹ Ps. lxxxviii, 21. ² Ibid. 36-38. ³ St. Luke i, 32. ⁴ 2 Kings i. 21, 23, 25. The proximity of the great solemnity of the apostles, June 29, to the Saturday when this antiphon is sung, has suggested to the Church to apply its last words to Saints Peter and Paul, during the octave of their feast: 'Glorious princes of the earth! as they loved each other in their life, so even in their death they were not divided!'¹ Like the Hebrew people at this period of their history, our Christian armies have often had to hail the accession of a king on the field reddened with the blood of", "keywords": [ "love", "lord", "church", "divine", "union", "holy", "charity", "sunday", "gospel", "life", "people", "temple", "alleluia", "last", "ever", "hearts", "justice", "called", "david", "earth" ], "saints": [ "St. James", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Paul", "St. Pet", "St. Peter", "St. Peter the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "1 John iv. 21", "1 Peter ii. 25", "1 Peter ii. 4", "2 Kings i. 21", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 6", "James i. 17", "Jeremias xxxi. 34", "Job xxv. 2", "John c.", "Luke i. 32", "Luke xix. 44", "Matthew c.", "Matthew xvi. 18", "Matthew xxiii.", "Proverbs viii. 31", "Psalms ci. 26", "Psalms cxxi. 3", "Psalms lxxxviii. 21", "Psalms xlvii. 8", "Psalms xxvi.", "Romans ii. 24", "Romans viii. 15" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_SIXTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_PENTECOST", "title": "THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST", "anchor": "the_sixth_sunday_after_pentecost", "text": "The Office for the sixth Sunday after Pentecost, which began yesterday evening, reminded us, in its Magnificat antiphon, of a repentance which has never had an equal. David, the royal prophet, the conqueror of Goliath, himself conquered by sensuality, and from adulterer become a murderer, at last felt the crushing weight of his double crime, and exclaimed: 'I do beseech thee, O Lord, take away the iniquity of thy servant, for I have done foolishly!'¹ Sin is always a folly and a weakness, no matter of what kind it may be, or who he be that commits it. The rebel angel, and fallen man, may, in their pride, make efforts to persuade themselves that, when they sinned, they did not act as fools, and were not weak; but all their efforts are vain; sin must ever have this disgrace upon it, that it is folly and weakness, for it is a revolt against God, a contempt for His law, a mad act of the creature, who, being made by his Creator to attain infinite happiness and glory, prefers to debase himself by turning towards nothingness, and then falls even lower than the nothingness from which he was taken. It is, however, a folly that is voluntary, and a weakness that has no excuse; for, although the creature have nothing of his own but darkness and misery, yet his infinitely merciful Creator, by means of His grace, which is never wanting, puts within that creature's reach divine strength and light. It is so with even the sinner that has been the least liberally gifted; he has no reason that can justify his offences. But when he that sins is a creature who has been laden with God's gifts, and, by His divine generosity, been raised higher than others in the order of grace, oh! then the offence he commits against his benefactor is an injury that has no name. Let this be remembered by those who, like David, could say that their God has 'multiplied His magnificence' over them.² They may, perhaps, have been led by Him into high paths which are reserved for the favoured few, and may have reached the heights of divine union: yet must they be on their guard; no one who has still to carry with him the burden of a mortal body of flesh is safe, unless by exercising a ceaseless vigilance. On the mountains, as on the plains and in the valleys, at all times and in all places, a fall is possible; but when it is on those lofty peaks which, in this land of exile, seem bordering on heaven, and but one step from the 'entrance into the powers of the Lord,'³ what a terrific fall when the foot slips there! The yawning precipices which that soul had avoided on her ascent are now all open to engulf her; abyss after abyss of crime she rushes into, and with a violence of passion that terrifies even them that have long been nothing", "keywords": [ "lord", "church", "divine", "jesus", "holy", "life", "love", "christ", "world", "gospel", "ever", "sunday", "ibid", "spirit", "domine", "things", "faith", "glory", "people", "alleluia" ], "saints": [ "St. Amb", "St. Ambr", "St. Ambrose", "St. Aug", "St. Augustine", "St. Basil", "St. Benedict", "St. Chrys", "St. Denis", "St. Denis the Areopagite", "St. Francis of Sales", "St. Gregory", "St. James", "St. James the Less", "St. Jas", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Jude", "St. Laurence", "St. Leo", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Michael", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Pet", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 24", "1 Corinthians i. 31", "1 Corinthians ii. 14", "1 Corinthians ii. 2", "1 Corinthians ii. 6", "1 Corinthians ii. 8", "1 Corinthians iii. 16", "1 Corinthians iii. 3", "1 Corinthians iv. 14", "1 Corinthians iv. 16", "1 Corinthians iv. 20", "1 Corinthians iv. 5", "1 Corinthians iv. 6", "1 Corinthians iv. 7", "1 Corinthians ix. 25", "1 Corinthians ix. 27", "1 Corinthians vi. 3", "1 Corinthians vii. 31", "1 Corinthians vii. 32", "1 Corinthians vii. 34", "1 Corinthians x. 1", "1 Corinthians xi. 19", "1 Corinthians xi. 7", "1 Corinthians xi. 8", "1 Corinthians xii.", "1 Corinthians xii. 11", "1 Corinthians xii. 12", "1 Corinthians xii. 6", "1 Corinthians xiv. 22", "1 Corinthians xiv. 3", "1 Corinthians xv. 10", "1 Corinthians xv. 24", "1 Corinthians xv. 26", "1 Corinthians xv. 28", "1 Corinthians xv. 45", "1 Corinthians xv. 50", "1 Corinthians xv. 8", "1 Esdras vi. 7", "1 John i. 1", "1 John iii. 23", "1 John iii. 9", "1 John iv. 13", "1 John iv. 20", "1 John v. 4", "1 Paralipomenon xxi. 16", "1 Paralipomenon xxi. 8", "1 Peter i. 10", "1 Peter i. 13", "1 Peter i. 5", "1 Peter i. 8", "1 Peter ii. 15", "1 Peter ii. 9", "1 Peter iv. 4", "1 Peter v. 3", "1 Peter v. 4", "1 Thessalonians i. 5", "1 Thessalonians i. 6", "1 Thessalonians ii. 13", "1 Thessalonians iv. 14", "1 Thessalonians iv. 16", "1 Timothy i. 19", "1 Timothy i. 5", "1 Timothy iii. 16", "1 Timothy iv. 12", "1 Timothy vi. 10", "1 Timothy vi. 12", "1 Timothy vi. 20", "1 Timothy vi. 9", "2 Corinthians ii. 14", "2 Corinthians iii. 14", "2 Corinthians iii. 17", "2 Corinthians iii. 18", "2 Corinthians iv. 10", "2 Corinthians iv. 6", "2 Corinthians iv. 7", "2 Corinthians v. 14", "2 Corinthians v. 16", "2 Corinthians v. 21", "2 Corinthians vi. 11", "2 Corinthians vi. 16", "2 Corinthians vii. 1", "2 Corinthians x. 3", "2 Corinthians xi. 2", "2 Corinthians xii. 7", "2 Esdras v. 11", "2 Kings xii. 13", "2 Paralipomenon i.", "2 Peter i. 19", "2 Peter iii. 3", "2 Peter iii. 8", "2 Peter iii. 9", "2 Thessalonians ii. 8", "2 Timothy ii. 2", "2 Timothy ii. 9", "2 Timothy iv. 7", "2 Timothy iv. 8", "3 Kings iii.", "3 Kings ix. 3", "3 Kings ix. 6", "4 Kings xv. 29", "4 Kings xx.", "Acts i. 11", "Acts i. 18", "Acts ii. 5", "Acts ii. 6", "Acts iii. 11", "Acts ix. 20", "Acts v. 29", "Acts x.", "Acts xiii. 46", "Aggeus ii. 8", "Aggeus ii. 9", "Amos c.", "Amos iii. 2", "Amos v. 21", "Amos v. 23", "Apocalypse i. 8", "Apocalypse ii. 11", "Apocalypse ii. 16", "Apocalypse ii. 23", "Apocalypse iii. 20", "Apocalypse iii. 4", "Apocalypse vi. 16", "Apocalypse x. 1", "Apocalypse xi. 10", "Apocalypse xii. 7", "Apocalypse xii. 9", "Apocalypse xiii. 5", "Apocalypse xix. 14", "Apocalypse xix. 5", "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Apocalypse xvii. 1", "Apocalypse xvii. 7", "Apocalypse xx. 6", "Apocalypse xxi.", "Apocalypse xxi. 4", "Apocalypse xxi. 8", "Apocalypse xxi. 9", "Apocalypse xxii. 17", "Baruch iii. 38", "Canticle of Canticles c.", "Canticle of Canticles i. 1", "Canticle of Canticles iii. 11", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 4", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 6", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 8", "Canticle of Canticles v. 5", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 9", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 10", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 5", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 6", "Colossians c.", "Colossians i. 15", "Colossians i. 24", "Colossians i. 4", "Colossians i. 9", "Colossians i. 98", "Colossians ii. 1", "Colossians ii. 3", "Colossians iii. 1", "Colossians iii. 10", "Colossians iii. 3", "Colossians iii. 4", "Colossians iii. 5", "Corinthians i.", "Daniel iii.", "Daniel iii. 40", "Daniel ix. 26", "Daniel viii. 11", "Daniel xii. 1", "Deuteronomy iv. 37", "Deuteronomy iv. 6", "Deuteronomy xii. 13", "Deuteronomy xxiv. 5", "Deuteronomy xxviii. 1", "Deuteronomy xxviii. 15", "Deuteronomy xxviii. 49", "Deuteronomy xxviii. 53", "Deuteronomy xxviii. 56", "Deuteronomy xxxii. 4", "Deuteronomy xxxii. 9", "Ecclesiastes v. 9", "Ecclesiasticus i. 33", "Ecclesiasticus iii. 20", "Ecclesiasticus vi. 29", "Ecclesiasticus vi. 32", "Ecclesiasticus x. 10", "Ecclesiasticus x. 9", "Ecclesiasticus xv. 1", "Ecclesiasticus xv. 3", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 24", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 29", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv. 5", "Ecclesiasticus xxxv. 21", "Ecclesiasticus xxxvi. 18", "Ephesians c.", "Ephesians i.", "Ephesians i. 1", "Ephesians i. 10", "Ephesians i. 14", "Ephesians i. 18", "Ephesians i. 23", "Ephesians i. 3", "Ephesians i. 4", "Ephesians ii. 10", "Ephesians ii. 14", "Ephesians ii. 16", "Ephesians ii. 20", "Ephesians ii. 6", "Ephesians iii. 10", "Ephesians iii. 16", "Ephesians iii. 4", "Ephesians iii. 6", "Ephesians iii. 8", "Ephesians iv. 12", "Ephesians iv. 13", "Ephesians iv. 15", "Ephesians iv. 18", "Ephesians iv. 3", "Ephesians iv. 32", "Ephesians iv. 8", "Ephesians v. 1", "Ephesians v. 11", "Ephesians v. 13", "Ephesians v. 16", "Ephesians v. 22", "Ephesians v. 23", "Ephesians v. 30", "Ephesians v. 5", "Ephesians v. 6", "Ephesians v. 8", "Ephesians vi. 11", "Ephesians vi. 19", "Esther i.", "Esther xiii. 9", "Esther xiv. 1", "Exodus i. 10", "Exodus xxiii. 15", "Exodus xxxiii. 17", "Exodus xxxiv. 29", "Ezechiel ix. 4", "Ezechiel xiii. 1", "Ezechiel xviii. 22", "Ezechiel xxiv. 3", "Ezechiel xxxiii. 12", "Galatians c.", "Galatians i. 17", "Galatians ii. 9", "Galatians iii. 14", "Galatians iii. 24", "Galatians iii. 27", "Galatians iii. 28", "Galatians iii. 29", "Galatians iii. 9", "Galatians iv. 19", "Galatians iv. 22", "Galatians iv. 24", "Galatians iv. 30", "Galatians iv. 31", "Galatians v. 14", "Galatians v. 19", "Galatians v. 6", "Genesis i. 26", "Genesis i. 31", "Genesis ii. 1", "Genesis ii. 7", "Genesis l. 17", "Genesis vi. 12", "Genesis xii. 1", "Genesis xlix. 10", "Genesis xv. 1", "Genesis xv. 18", "Genesis xv. 5", "Genesis xv. 6", "Genesis xvii. 1", "Genesis xxi. 12", "Genesis xxii. 18", "Genesis xxix. 18", "Genesis xxvii. 36", "Genesis xxxii. 24", "Habacuc ii. 3", "Hebrews i. 2", "Hebrews i. 3", "Hebrews ii. 10", "Hebrews ii. 17", "Hebrews iii. 14", "Hebrews iv. 12", "Hebrews vii. 18", "Hebrews x. 14", "Hebrews x. 37", "Hebrews xi.", "Hebrews xi. 1", "Hebrews xi. 13", "Hebrews xi. 17", "Hebrews xi. 33", "Hebrews xii. 1", "Hebrews xii. 13", "Hebrews xii. 29", "Hebrews xiii. 7", "Isaias i. 1", "Isaias i. 9", "Isaias ii. 2", "Isaias ii. 3", "Isaias iii. 1", "Isaias iii. 14", "Isaias iii. 24", "Isaias iii. 6", "Isaias ix. 1", "Isaias ix. 17", "Isaias ix. 2", "Isaias l. 11", "Isaias liii. 3", "Isaias lx. 5", "Isaias lxvi. 1", "Isaias lxvi. 21", "Isaias lxvi. 8", "Isaias v. 26", "Isaias vi. 9", "Isaias x. 20", "Isaias xi. 5", "Isaias xii. 3", "Isaias xiv. 13", "Isaias xliii. 5", "Isaias xvii. 5", "Isaias xxix. 1", "Isaias xxix. 2", "Isaias xxix. 9", "Isaias xxx. 21", "James i. 1", "James i. 17", "James i. 5", "James iii. 11", "James iv. 6", "Jeremias v. 5", "Jeremias xiv. 18", "Jeremias xxiii. 5", "Jeremias xxix.", "Job i. 21", "Job iii. 18", "Job vii. 1", "Job xxxi. 14", "Joel iii. 2", "John c.", "John i. 1", "John i. 11", "John i. 12", "John i. 14", "John i. 16", "John i. 4", "John i. 42", "John i. 5", "John ii. 10", "John ii. 16", "John iii. 6", "John iii. 8", "John iv. 10", "John iv. 14", "John iv. 21", "John iv. 46", "John iv. 9", "John v. 17", "John v. 39", "John vi. 57", "John vi. 9", "John viii. 32", "John viii. 39", "John x. 23", "John xi. 42", "John xi. 47", "John xii. 31", "John xii. 35", "John xii. 36", "John xiv. 21", "John xiv. 23", "John xiv. 6", "John xix. 15", "John xix. 5", "John xv. 14", "John xv. 26", "John xvi. 11", "John xvi. 8", "John xvii. 2", "John xviii. 11", "John xviii. 37", "John xviii. 40", "John xx. 17", "Lamentations i. 11", "Lamentations v. 16", "Lamentations v. 9", "Leviticus xiii.", "Leviticus xiv. 1", "Leviticus xxvi. 12", "Luke c.", "Luke i. 48", "Luke i. 49", "Luke i. 52", "Luke i. 54", "Luke i. 78", "Luke ii. 14", "Luke ii. 40", "Luke ii. 46", "Luke ii. 52", "Luke ix. 5", "Luke v. 17", "Luke v. 26", "Luke viii. 11", "Luke viii. 46", "Luke x. 12", "Luke x. 16", "Luke x. 18", "Luke x. 21", "Luke xi. 1", "Luke xi. 20", "Luke xi. 21", "Luke xi. 34", "Luke xii. 16", "Luke xii. 20", "Luke xii. 42", "Luke xii. 48", "Luke xiii. 29", "Luke xiv. 10", "Luke xiv. 16", "Luke xv. 28", "Luke xv. 7", "Luke xvi. 10", "Luke xvii. 10", "Luke xvii. 21", "Luke xvii. 26", "Luke xviii. 15", "Luke xviii. 8", "Luke xxi. 10", "Luke xxi. 12", "Luke xxi. 22", "Luke xxi. 32", "Luke xxi. 34", "Luke xxi. 9", "Luke xxiii. 7", "Mark c.", "Mark iv. 39", "Mark xiii. 1", "Mark xiii. 10", "Mark xiii. 22", "Mark xiii. 4", "Matthew c.", "Matthew i.", "Matthew iii. 17", "Matthew iii. 5", "Matthew iii. 9", "Matthew iv. 1", "Matthew iv. 16", "Matthew ix. 15", "Matthew v. 14", "Matthew v. 3", "Matthew v. 48", "Matthew v. 9", "Matthew vi. 12", "Matthew vi. 19", "Matthew vi. 21", "Matthew vi. 33", "Matthew vi. 9", "Matthew vii. 22", "Matthew vii. 24", "Matthew viii. 8", "Matthew x. 15", "Matthew x. 16", "Matthew xi. 20", "Matthew xi. 3", "Matthew xii. 28", "Matthew xiii. 14", "Matthew xv. 24", "Matthew xvi. 24", "Matthew xvi. 27", "Matthew xviii. 19", "Matthew xviii. 23", "Matthew xx.", "Matthew xx. 19", "Matthew xxii.", "Matthew xxii. 13", "Matthew xxii. 15", "Matthew xxii. 2", "Matthew xxii. 28", "Matthew xxii. 36", "Matthew xxii. 4", "Matthew xxiii. 1", "Matthew xxiii. 29", "Matthew xxiii. 3", "Matthew xxiv. 12", "Matthew xxiv. 15", "Matthew xxiv. 16", "Matthew xxiv. 21", "Matthew xxiv. 24", "Matthew xxiv. 26", "Matthew xxiv. 29", "Matthew xxiv. 3", "Matthew xxiv. 6", "Matthew xxiv. 9", "Matthew xxv. 34", "Matthew xxv. 40", "Matthew xxv. 6", "Matthew xxv. 9", "Matthew xxvi. 64", "Matthew xxvii. 20", "Matthew xxviii. 20", "Numbers xii. 8", "Numbers xxiv. 24", "Numbers xxiv. 5", "Philippians c.", "Philippians i.", "Philippians i. 15", "Philippians i. 24", "Philippians i. 25", "Philippians i. 27", "Philippians i. 28", "Philippians ii. 10", "Philippians ii. 5", "Philippians iii. 17", "Philippians iii. 20", "Philippians iv. 4", "Proverbs i. 19", "Proverbs iii. 13", "Proverbs vii. 4", "Proverbs viii. 31", "Proverbs xi. 3", "Proverbs xv. 15", "Proverbs xvi. 4", "Proverbs xvii. 25", "Proverbs xviii. 17", "Proverbs xxiv. 16", "Psalms ci. 8", "Psalms cii. 5", "Psalms cix.", "Psalms cix. 3", "Psalms cx. 10", "Psalms cxliii. 9", "Psalms cxv. 17", "Psalms cxvii. 22", "Psalms cxvii. 24", "Psalms cxviii.", "Psalms cxxi. 7", "Psalms cxxiv. 2", "Psalms cxxix.", "Psalms cxxv. 5", "Psalms i.", "Psalms ii.", "Psalms iv. 5", "Psalms l.", "Psalms l. 16", "Psalms l. 3", "Psalms l. 5", "Psalms l. 6", "Psalms l. 8", "Psalms lvii. 5", "Psalms lviii. 7", "Psalms lxiv. 11", "Psalms lxix.", "Psalms lxvi. 7", "Psalms lxvii. 32", "Psalms lxviii. 23", "Psalms lxx. 16", "Psalms lxx. 21", "Psalms lxxi. 2", "Psalms lxxvii.", "Psalms lxxxiii. 11", "Psalms lxxxiii. 4", "Psalms lxxxiii. 6", "Psalms v. 13", "Psalms xciii. 19", "Psalms xciii. 5", "Psalms xciv. 8", "Psalms xi. 2", "Psalms xi. 9", "Psalms xii.", "Psalms xiii. 1", "Psalms xiii. 3", "Psalms xliii. 22", "Psalms xliv.", "Psalms xliv. 15", "Psalms xliv. 2", "Psalms xlvii.", "Psalms xlvii. 2", "Psalms xv. 5", "Psalms xvii. 12", "Psalms xvii. 42", "Psalms xvii. 44", "Psalms xviii. 2", "Psalms xviii. 5", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Psalms xxiii. 1", "Psalms xxiii. 8", "Psalms xxx. 21", "Psalms xxxiii. 15", "Psalms xxxiii. 3", "Psalms xxxiv. 10", "Romans c.", "Romans i.", "Romans i. 16", "Romans i. 4", "Romans ii. 4", "Romans iv. 11", "Romans iv. 12", "Romans iv. 17", "Romans iv. 19", "Romans iv. 20", "Romans iv. 24", "Romans iv. 5", "Romans ix. 2", "Romans ix. 27", "Romans ix. 30", "Romans ix. 6", "Romans vi. 11", "Romans vi. 12", "Romans vii. 12", "Romans viii. 14", "Romans viii. 15", "Romans viii. 16", "Romans viii. 19", "Romans viii. 2", "Romans viii. 21", "Romans viii. 23", "Romans viii. 29", "Romans viii. 35", "Romans x. 17", "Romans x. 4", "Romans xi. 13", "Romans xi. 15", "Romans xi. 17", "Romans xi. 20", "Romans xi. 25", "Romans xi. 28", "Romans xii. 10", "Romans xii. 2", "Romans xiii. 1", "Romans xiii. 14", "Romans xiii. 4", "Romans xiii. 8", "Romans xiv. 19", "Romans xvi. 20", "Sophonias i. 8", "Sophonias iii. 1", "Titus ii. 7", "Titus l.", "Wisdom i.", "Wisdom i. 7", "Wisdom ix. 10", "Wisdom ix. 15", "Wisdom v. 19", "Wisdom v. 21", "Wisdom vi. 22", "Wisdom vii. 25", "Wisdom vii. 27", "Wisdom vii. 30", "Wisdom viii. 1", "Wisdom viii. 16", "Wisdom x. 17", "Wisdom x. 21", "Zacharias ix. 9", "Zacharias xi. 1", "Zacharias xi. 10", "Zacharias xi. 12", "Zacharias xiv. 4" ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_THIRD_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE THIRD SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_third_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "INTROIT Dicit Dominus: Ego co- The Lord saith: I think gito cogitationes pacis, et thoughts of peace, and not of non afflictionis: invocabitis affliction; ye shall call upon me, et ego exaudiam vos: me, and I will hear you: and et reducam captivitatem I will bring back your captive vestram de cunctis locis. people from all places. Ps. Benedixisti, Domine, Ps. Thou, O Lord, hast terram tuam: avertisti capti- blessed thy land: thou hast vitatem Jacob. Gloria Patri. brought back the captive Dicit Dominus. children of Jacob. Glory, etc. The Lord. COLLECT Omnipotens, sempiterne O almighty and eternal God, Deus, infirmitatem nostram mercifully behold our weak- propitius respice: atque ad ness; and stretch forth the protegendum nos, dexteram right hand of thy majesty to tuæ majestatis extende. Per protect us. Through, etc. Dominum. The other Collects, as on page 120. EPISTLE Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Lesson of the Epistle of Apostoli ad Romanos. Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans. Caput XII. Chapter XII. Fratres: Nolite esse pru- Brethren: Be not wise in dentes apud vosmetipsos: your own conceits. To no nulli malum pro malo red- man rendering evil for evil: dentes: providentes bona providing good things, not only non tantum coram Deo, sed in the sight of God, but also etiam coram omnibus homi- in the sight of all men. If nibus; si fieri potest, quod it be possible, as much as is ex vobis est, cum omnibus in you, having peace with all hominibus pacem habentes: men. Not revenging your- non vosmetipsos defenden- selves, my dearly beloved, but tes, charissimi, sed date give place unto wrath. For, locum iræ; scriptum est it is written: Revenge to me: Capharnaum, accessit ad mony unto them. And when eum centurio, rogans eum he had entered into Caphar- et dicens: Domine puer naum, there came to him a meus jacet in domo paraly- centurion, beseeching him, ticus, et male torquetur. and saying: Lord, my servant Et ait illi Jesus: Ego veni- lieth at home sick of the palsy, am et curabo eum. Et re- and is grievously tormented. spondens centurio, ait: And Jesus saith to him: I Domine, non sum dignus will come and heal him. And ut intres sub tectum meum; the centurion making answer, sed tantum dic verbo, et said: Lord, I am not worthy sanabitur puer meus. Nam that thou shouldst enter under et ego homo sum sub po- my roof; but only say the testate constitutus, habens word, and my servant shall be sub me milites, et dico huic: healed. For I also am a man Vade, et vadit; et alii: under authority, having under Veni, et venit; et servo me soldiers; and I say to this: meo: Fac hoc, et facit. Go! and he goeth; and to an- Audiens autem Jesus, mira- other: Come! and he cometh; tus est, et sequentibus se and to my servant: Do this! dixit: Amen dico vobis, and he doeth it. And Jesus non inveni tantam fidem in hearing this, marvelled, and", "keywords": [ "lord", "jesus", "domine", "alleluia", "saith", "vobis", "jacob", "dominum", "evil", "servant", "dico", "autem", "amen", "mundare", "clean", "dicit", "dominus", "hear", "behold", "forth" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew c.", "Romans c." ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_FOURTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_fourth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "INTROIT Dicit Dominus: Ego cogito cogitationes pacis, et non afflictionis: invocabitis me, et ego exaudiam vos: et reducam captivitatem vestram de cunctis locis. The Lord saith: I think thoughts of peace, and not of affliction: ye shall call upon me, and I will hear you: and I will bring back your captive people from all places. Ps. Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam: avertisti captivitatem Jacob. Gloria Patri. Dicit Dominus. Ps. Thou, O Lord, hast blessed thy land: thou hast brought back the captive children of Jacob. Glory, etc. The Lord. COLLECT Deus, qui nos in tantis periculis constitutos, pro humana scis fragilitate non posse subsistere: da nobis salutem mentis et corporis; ut ea, quæ pro peccatis nostris patimur, te adjuvante, vincamus. Per Dominum. O God, who knowest that, through human frailty, we are not able to subsist amidst such great dangers; grant us health of soul and body; that, whatsoever things we suffer because of our sins, we may conquer them, by thine assistance. Through, etc. The other Collects, as on page 120. EPISTLE Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Romanos. Caput XIII. Fratres, Nemini quidquam debeatis, nisi ut invicem diligatis: qui enim diligit proximum, legem implevit. Nam: Non adulterabis; Non occides; Non furaberis; Non falsum testimonium dices; Non concupisces, et si quod est aliud mandatum, in hoc verbo instauratur: Diliges proximum tuum sicut teipsum. Dilectio proximi malum non operatur. Plenitudo ergo legis est dilectio. Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Romans. Chapter XIII. Brethren: Owe no man anything, but to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbour, hath fulfilled the law. For, thou shalt not commit adultery: Thou shalt not kill: Thou shalt not steal: Thou shalt not bear false witness: Thou shalt not covet: and, if there be any other commandment, it is comprised in this word: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The love of our neighbour worketh no evil. Love, therefore, is the fulfilling of the law. GRADUAL Liberasti nos, Domine, ex affligentibus nos: et eos, qui nos oderunt, confudisti. V. In Deo laudabimur tota die, et in nomine tuo confitebimur in sæcula. Alleluia, alleluia. V. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi orationem meam. Alleluia. Thou hast saved us, O Lord, from them that afflict us; and hast put them to shame that hate us. V. In God shall we glory all the day long; and in thy name we will give praise for ever. Alleluia, alleluia. V. Out of the depths I have cried unto thee, O Lord: Lord, hear my prayer. Alleluia. GOSPEL Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Matthæum. Caput VIII. In illo tempore: Ascendente Jesu in naviculam, secuti sunt eum discipuli ejus: et ecce motus magnus factus est in mari, ita ut navicula operiretur fluctibus, ipse vero dormiebat. Et accesserunt ad eum discipuli ejus, et suscitaverunt eum dicentes: Domine, salva nos, perimus. Et dicit eis Jesus: Quid timidi estis, modicæ fidei? Tunc surgens, imperavit ventis et mari; et facta est tranquillitas magna. Porro homines mirati", "keywords": [ "lord", "domine", "shalt", "alleluia", "deus", "dominum", "love", "dicit", "hear", "frailty", "grant", "whatsoever", "things", "page", "neighbour", "profundis", "clamavi", "depths", "cried", "jesus" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew c.", "Romans c." ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_FIFTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_fifth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "INTROIT Dicit Dominus: Ego cogito cogitationes pacis, et non afflictionis: invocabitis me, et ego exaudiam vos: et reducam captivitatem vestram de cunctis locis. The Lord saith: I think thoughts of peace, and not of affliction; ye shall call upon me, and I will hear you: and I will bring back your captive people from all places. Ps. Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam: avertisti captivitatem Jacob. Gloria Patri. Dicit Dominus. Ps. Thou, O Lord, hast blessed thy land: thou hast brought back the captive children of Jacob. Glory, etc. The Lord. COLLECT Familiam tuam, quæsumus Domine, continua pietate custodi: ut quæ in sola spe gratiæ cælestis innititur, tua semper protectione muniatur. Per Dominum. Preserve, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy family by thy constant mercy; that, as it leans solely on the hope of heavenly grace, it may always be defended by thy protection. Through, etc. The other Collects, as on page 120. EPISTLE Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Colossenses. Caput III. Fratres, Induite vos sicut electi Dei, sancti, et dilecti, viscera misericordiæ, benignitatem, humilitatem, modestiam, patientiam, supportantes invicem, et donantes vobismetipsis, si quis adversus aliquem habet querelam: sicut et Dominus donavit vobis, ita et vos. Super omnia autem hæc charitatem habete; quod est vinculum perfectionis: et pax Christi exsultet in cordibus vestris, in qua et vocati estis in uno corpore: et grati estote. Verbum Christi habitet in vobis abundanter, in omni sapientia, docentes, et commonentes vosmetipsos, psalmis, hymnis, et canticis spiritualibus, in gratia cantantes in cordibus vestris Deo. Omne quodcumque facitis in verbo aut in opere, omnia in nomine Domini Jesu Christi, gratias agentes Deo et Patri per Jesum Christum Dominum nostrum. Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Colossians. Chapter III. Brethren: Put ye on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy, and beloved, the bowels of mercy, benignity, humility, modesty, patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if any have a complaint against another; even as the Lord hath forgiven you, so do you also. But above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection: and let the peace of Christ rejoice in your hearts, wherein also you are called in one body: and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing in grace in your hearts to God. All whatsoever you do in word, or in work, all things do ye in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father, through Jesus Christ our Lord. GRADUAL Liberasti nos, Domine, ex affligentibus nos: et eos, qui nos oderunt, confudisti. V. In Deo laudabimur tota die, et in nomine tuo confitebimur in sæcula. Alleluia, alleluia. V. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi orationem meam. Alleluia. Thou hast saved us, O Lord, from them that afflict us: and hast put them to shame that hate us. V. In God shall we glory all the", "keywords": [ "lord", "domine", "autem", "alleluia", "zizania", "cockle", "dominum", "gather", "dominus", "vobis", "another", "christ", "jesus", "wheat", "dicit", "hear", "tuam", "quæsumus", "beseech", "mercy" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Colossians c.", "Matthew c." ] }, { "vol": 11, "section": "THE_SIXTH_SUNDAY_AFTER_THE_EPIPHANY", "title": "THE SIXTH SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY", "anchor": "the_sixth_sunday_after_the_epiphany", "text": "INTROIT Dicit Dominus: Ego cogito cogitationes pacis, et non afflictionis: invocabitis me, et ego exaudiam vos: et reducam captivitatem vestram de cunctis locis. The Lord saith: I think thoughts of peace, and not of affliction; ye shall call upon me, and I will hear you: and I will bring back your captives from all places. Ps. Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam: avertisti captivitatem Jacob. Gloria Patri. Dicit Dominus. Ps. Thou, O Lord, hast blessed thy land: thou hast brought back the captive children of Jacob. Glory, etc. The Lord. COLLECT Præsta, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus: ut semper rationabilia meditantes, quæ tibi sunt placita et dictis exsequamur, et factis. Per Dominum. Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that, ever meditating on such things as are reasonable, we may, both in word and deed, carry out the things which are pleasing unto thee. Through, etc. The other Collects, as on page 120. EPISTLE Lectio Epistolæ beati Pauli Apostoli ad Thessalonicenses. I Caput I. Fratres, Gratias agimus Deo semper pro omnibus vobis, memoriam vestri facientes in orationibus nostris sine intermissione, memores operis fidei vestræ, et laboris et charitatis, et sustinentiæ spei Domini nostri Jesu Christi, ante Deum et Patrem nostrum: scientes, fratres, dilecti a Deo, electionem vestram: quia Evangelium nostrum non fuit ad vos in sermone tantum, sed et in virtute, et in Spiritu sancto, et in plenitudine multa, sicut scitis quales fuerimus in vobis propter vos. Et vos imitatores nostri facti estis, et Domini, excipientes verbum in tribulatione multa, cum gaudio Spiritus sancti: ita ut facti sitis forma omnibus credentibus in Macedonia, et in Achaia. A vobis enim diffamatus est sermo Domini, non solum in Macedonia, et in Achaia, sed et in omni loco fides vestra, quæ est ad Deum, profecta est, ita ut non sit nobis necesse quidquam loqui. Ipsi enim de nobis annuntiant qualem introitum habuerimus ad vos: et quomodo conversi estis ad Deum a simulacris, servire Deo vivo, et vero, et exspectare Filium ejus de cœlis (quem suscitavit ex mortuis) Jesum, qui eripuit nos ab ira ventura. Lesson of the Epistle of St. Paul the Apostle to the Thessalonians. I Chapter I. Brethren: We give thanks to God always for you all: making a remembrance of you in our prayers without ceasing: being mindful of the work of your faith, and labour and charity, and of the enduring of the hope of our Lord Jesus Christ, before God and our Father; knowing, brethren beloved of God, your election. For, our Gospel hath not been to you in word only, but in power also, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much fullness, as you know what manner of men we have been among you for your sakes. And you became followers of us, and of the Lord, receiving the word in much tribulation, with joy of the Holy Ghost: so that you were made a pattern to all that believe in Macedonia and in Achaia. For from you was spread abroad the word of the Lord, not only in Macedonia", "keywords": [ "lord", "domine", "things", "jesus", "word", "vobis", "quod", "quæsumus", "semper", "dominum", "beseech", "omnibus", "macedonia", "achaia", "heaven", "alleluia", "hear", "deus", "ever", "page" ], "saints": [ "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew c.", "Thessalonians i." ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_2SAINTS_MARCELLINUS_PETER_AND_ERASMUS", "title": "June 2.—SAINTS MARCELLINUS, PETER AND ERASMUS,", "anchor": "june_2saints_marcellinus_peter_and_erasmus", "text": "Martyrs ......... 57 June 3.—SAINT CLOTILDE, Queen of the Franks ............... 65a June 4.—SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO, Confessor ............... 66 June 5.—SAINT BONIFACE, Apostle of Germany, Bishop and Martyr ......... 74 June 6.—SAINT NORBERT, Bishop and Confessor ............... 86 June 8.—SAINT WILLIAM, Bishop and Confessor ............... 92 June 9.—SAINTS PRIMUS AND FELICIAN, Martyrs ................ 99 June 10.—SAINT MARGARET, Queen of Scotland ............... 102 June 11.—SAINT BARNABAS, Apostle ........................ 109 June 12.—SAINT JOHN A SAN FACUNDO, OR OF SAHAGUN, Confessor ......... 115 Same Day.—Saint Leo III, Pope and Confessor ................. 121a Same Day.—SAINT BASILIDES AND COMPANIONS, Martyrs ....... 122 June 13.—SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA, Confessor ............... 124 June 14.—SAINT BASIL THE GREAT, Bishop and Doctor of the Church ......... 133 June 15.—SAINTS VITUS, MODESTUS AND CRESCENTIA, Martyrs ......... 151 June 16.—SAINTS CYR AND JULITTA, Martyrs .................... 154a June 18.—SAINT EPHRAEM, Deacon, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church ....................... 155 Same Day.—SAINTS MARK AND MARCELLIAN, Martyrs ........... 169 June 19.—SAINT JULIANA FALCONIERI, Virgin ..................... 172 Same Day.—SAINTS GERVASE AND PROTASE, Martyrs ............... 181 June 20.—SAINT SILVERIUS, Pope and Martyr ......... 188 June 21.—SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA, Confessor ......... 192 June 22.—SAINT ALBAN, Proto-Martyr of England ............ 201 Same Day.—SAINT PAULINUS, Bishop and Confessor ............ 208 June 23.—SAINT ETHELDREDA, Queen, Virgin and Abbess ......... 221 Same Day.—THE VIGIL OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST ......... 229 June 24.—THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST .......... 233 First Vespers Mass Second Vespers ................ June 25.—SAINT WILLIAM, Abbot ......... 250 June 26.—SAINTS JOHN AND PAUL, Martyrs ....................... 271 June 27.—FOURTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST ......... 277 June 28.—VIGIL OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, Apostles ........ 286 Same Day.—SAINT IRENÆUS, Bishop and Martyr ......... 292 June 29.—SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, Apostles ......... 295 First Vespers Mass ...... Second Vespers June 30.—COMMEMORATION OF SAINT PAUL, Apostle .......... 306 July 1.—THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ......... 311 Vespers ........ Same Day.—THE OCTAVE DAY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST ..... 324 July 2.—THE VISITATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY .... 335 First Vespers Commemoration of Saints Processus and Martinianus, Martyrs ................... Mass Second Vespers July 3.—Saint Leo II, Pope and Confessor ......... 351 Same Day.—FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL ......... 368 July 4.—SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL ......... 370 July 5.—SAINT ANTHONY MARY ZACCARIA, Confessor ..... 379 July 6.—THE OCTAVE DAY OF THE HOLY APOSTLES PETER AND PAUL ......... 386 July 7.—SAINTS CYRIL AND METHODIUS, Bishops and Confessors, Apostles of the Slavs ......... 394 PRELIMINARY NOTICE TO THIS TRANSLATION The name, so long familiar, of the Rev. Dom Laurence Shepherd, as translator, cannot but be painfully missed upon the title-page of this volume. He has, indeed, passed away to his reward, but his work of love still lives on. Up to the last, his heart was in this undertaking, whereby he hoped to reach souls as effectually from his seclusion here, as when thrown by obedience in their midst; and in his last", "keywords": [ "saint", "june", "saints", "confessor", "martyrs", "vespers", "paul", "july", "bishop", "john", "octave", "peter", "martyr", "baptist", "within", "apostles", "queen", "apostle", "pope", "church" ], "saints": [ "St. ALBAN", "St. ALOYSIUS", "St. ANTHONY", "St. BARNABAS", "St. BASIL", "St. BASILIDES", "St. BONIFACE", "St. CLOTILDE", "St. EPHRAEM", "St. ETHELDREDA", "St. FRANCIS", "St. IREN", "St. JOHN", "St. JULIANA", "St. Leo", "St. MARGARET", "St. NORBERT", "St. PAUL", "St. PAULINUS", "St. SILVERIUS", "St. WILLIAM" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "ST_MARYS_ABBEY", "title": "ST. MARY'S ABBEY,", "anchor": "st_marys_abbey", "text": "STANBROOK. Feast of SS. Perpetua and Felicitas, March 7, 1889. PREFACE Persecution, which has not yet relented in our regard, under the ever-varying depositaries of secular power, has retarded the publication of this volume far beyond our worst expectations. Our readers will, we trust, be good enough to believe that we regret these forced delays as much as they do. May we hope that they will please to remember us and our monastic brethren in their prayers to God, and thus aid us to bear the brunt of hell's violence, so particularly directed against the sons of Dom Guéranger. We implore our Lord to vouchsafe in return to pour upon our readers a share in the blessings promised by him to those who suffer for justice' sake. Fr. L. F., O.S.B. SOLESMES, May 8, 1888. TIME AFTER PENTECOST", "keywords": [ "readers", "preface", "pentecost" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "ON HEARING MASS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST 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, you should unite with the intentions which the Church has in this ceremony, so venerable by its antiquity: you should pray for that purity of heart, which is needed for worthily assisting at the mysteries wherein God Himself becomes present and unites heaven and earth so closely together. ANTIPHON OF THE ASPERGES Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor. Ps. Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. ℣. Gloria Patri, &c. ANT. Asperges me, &c. ℣. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam; ℟. Et salutare tuum da nobis. 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. ℣. Glory, &c. ANT. Thou shalt sprinkle, &c. ℣. Show us, O Lord, thy mercy. ℟. And grant us thy salvation. ℣. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. ℟. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. ℣. Dominus vobiscum. ℟. Et cum spiritu tuo. OREMUS Exaudi nos, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus: et mittere digneris sanctum angelum tuum de cælis, qui custodiat, foveat, protegat, visitet, atque defendat, omnes habitantes in hoc habitaculo. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. ℟. Amen. ℣. O Lord, hear my prayer. ℟. And let my cry come unto thee. ℣. The Lord be with you. ℟. And with thy spirit. LET US PRAY Graciously hear us, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: and vouchsafe to send thy holy angel from heaven, who may keep, cherish, protect, visit, and defend all who are assembled in this place. Through Christ our Lord. ℟. Amen. The procession, which in many churches immediately precedes a solemn Mass, is a prelude to the great act which is about to be accomplished. It originated from the monastic practice of going through the cloisters every Sunday chanting certain appointed responsories; while the hebdomadarian went through all the conventual places, blessing each of them. But see, Christians, the Sacrifice begins! The priest is at the foot of the altar; God is attentive, the angels are in adoration, the whole Church is united with the priest, whose priesthood and action are those of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Let us make the sign of the cross with him. THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. ℣. Introibo ad altare Dei. ℟. Ad Deum qui lætificat juventutem meam. Judica me, Deus, et discerne 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?", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "amen", "holy", "altar", "jesus", "domine", "father", "deus", "divine", "mercy", "christ", "ever", "church", "nobis", "sacrifice", "heaven", "world", "dominum", "prayer" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Corinthians v. 4", "2 Peter i. 4", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Isaias ix. 6", "John c.", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS, FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST THE Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following psalms. For certain feasts some of these psalms are changed for others appropriate to the day; we here give those for Sunday. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. The Lord said. The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. The Son of David shall sit on the right hand of the heavenly Father. He is King; He is priest; He is Son of Man, and Son of God. His enemies will attack Him, but He will crush them. He will be humbled; but this voluntary humiliation will lead Him to the highest glory. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: scabellum pedum tuorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. O 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. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te. 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. Juravit Dominus, et non pænitebit eum: Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: he hath said, speaking to thee, the God-Man: Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Therefore, O Father, the Lord, thy Son, is at thy right hand: he hath broken kings in the day of his wrath. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum. He shall also judge among nations: in that terrible coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput. He cometh now in humility: he shall drink in the way of the torrent of sufferings: therefore, shall he lift up the head.", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "dominus", "domini", "blessed", "israel", "psalm", "domino", "sæculum", "name", "deus", "father", "praise", "sicut", "amen", "glory", "opera", "works", "fear" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians i.", "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous, state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: Jube, domne, benedicere. Pray, father, give me thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. ℟. Amen. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate; quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens, circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch; for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. Then the priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. The choir: ℟. Qui fecit cælum et terram. ℟. Thanks be to God. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 repeats it. The priest, having pronounced the general form of absolution, says: ℣. Converte nos, Deus, salutaris noster. ℟. Et averte iram tuam a nobis. ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, etc. ANT. Miserere. ℣. Convert us, O God, our Saviour. ℟. And turn away thine anger from us. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory, etc. ANT. Have mercy. The first psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace. But the wicked know not what calm rest is. PSALM 4 Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: in tribulatione dilatasti mihi. Miserere mei: et exaudi orationem meam. Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde: ut quid diligitis vanitatem et quæritis mendacium? Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: Dominus exaudiet me cum clamavero ad eum. Irascimini et nolite peccare: quæ dicitis in cordibus vestris, in cubilibus vestris compungimini. Sacrificate sacrificium justitiæ, et sperate in Domino: multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona? Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui Domine: dedisti lætitiam in corde meo. A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: multiplicati sunt. In pace in idipsum: dormiam et requiescam. Quoniam tu, Domine, singulariter in spe: constituisti me. 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "amen", "domine", "holy", "night", "deus", "nobis", "psalm", "quoniam", "tuum", "dominus", "mercy", "shalt", "hands", "sleep", "priest", "nostrum", "meum", "peace", "dominum" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles v. 8", "Jeremias xiv.", "Luke ii." ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_2", "title": "JUNE 2", "anchor": "june_2", "text": "SAINTS MARCELLINUS, PETER AND ERASMUS MARTYRS THE glory of martyrdom illumines this day with a splendour rarely met with in the cycle; and already we seem to descry the rosy dawn of that brightest day of this month, on which Peter and Paul will consummate in their blood their own splendid confession. Italy and Gaul, Rome and Lyons concur in forming a legion of heroes in the service of heaven. For to-day Lyons, the illustrious daughter of Rome, is keeping the special festival of a whole phalanx of warriors, headed by the veteran chief, St Pothinus, disciple of St Polycarp, who, in the second century, levied the brave recruits of his battalion on the banks of the Rhone. But to the mother Church are due the first honours. Let us, then, hail Marcellinus, together with the numerous progeny begotten by his fruitful priesthood, and rendered worthy by the Holy Ghost to share in his triumph. Let us hail, likewise, the exorcist, Peter, leading to the sacred font a long line of pagans whom he won over to Christ by proving to them the weakness of the demons. When Christianity appeared on earth, Satan was visibly the prince of this world. To him was every altar reared; to his empire were all laws and customs subservient. From the depths of their famous temples, Note of the Translator. SS. Pothinus, Blandina, and companions, martyrs of Lyons, are marked on this day in the Roman Martyrology, but as the feast is kept only in France, we have omitted in our translation the pages devoted to their memory in this place. the demon chiefs directed the political affairs of the cities that came to consult their oracles; under divers names the lowest of the fallen angels found honour and influence at the domestic hearth; others had functions assigned to them, in forests, on mountains, at fountains, or on sea, occupying, in opposition to God, this world that had been created by him for his glory, but which Satan, through man's connivance, had conquered. Four thousand years of abandonment on the part of heaven permitted the usurper to consolidate his conquest; and a strong defence had been planned in preparation for the day on which the lawful King should offer to re-enter on his rights. The coming of the Word made Flesh was the signal for the assertion of the divine claim. The prince of this world, personally vanquished by the Son of God, understood well enough that he must needs return to the depths of hell. But the countless powers of darkness constituted by him would maintain the struggle through the length of ages, and dispute their position inch by inch. Driven from towns by the abjurations of holy Church and the triumph of martyrs, the infernal legions would fain marshal their ranks in the wilderness; there, under the leadership of an Anthony or a Pachomius, the soldiers of Christ must wage against them ceaseless and terrific battle. In the west, Benedict, the patriarch", "keywords": [ "church", "christ", "clotilde", "mother", "holy", "world", "heaven", "christian", "sons", "faith", "peter", "whole", "demons", "name", "power", "having", "earth", "last", "clovis", "king" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. CLOTILDE", "St. Clotilde", "St. Damasus", "St. Erasmus", "St. Gall", "St. Genevieve", "St. Helena", "St. Hilary", "St. John", "St. Justin", "St. Leander of Seville", "St. Louis", "St. Léger", "St. Mark", "St. Martin", "St. Peter", "St. Polycarp", "St. Pothinus", "St. Remigius" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 14", "2 Thessalonians ii. 8", "Apocalypse xii. 7", "Apocalypse xiii. 7", "Apocalypse xx. 2", "Hebrews ii. 11", "Hebrews xi. 11", "Hebrews xiii. 9", "Isaias xiv. 12", "John xii. 31", "John xix. 26", "Mark xvi. 17", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Proverbs xxxi.", "Psalms xxxii. 5", "Romans iv. 18", "Romans viii. 29" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_4", "title": "JUNE 4", "anchor": "june_4", "text": "SAINT FRANCIS CARACCIOLO CONFESSOR The good things brought into this world by the Holy Spirit continue to be revealed in the liturgy. Francis Caracciolo is given to us this day as another type of the sublime fecundity produced on earth by Christianity. Faith is the principle of this supernatural fecundity in the saints, just as it was in Abraham, the father of all believers; it brings forth unto the Church isolated members or entire nations alike; from it proceed the multitudinous families of religious Orders, who, in their fidelity in following the divers paths traced out for them by their founders, are the chief portion of the royal and varied adornment of the bride at the right hand of her divine Spouse. This is the thought expressed by the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius VII, on the day of the canonization of our saint, wishing, as he said, \"to right the judgement of such as may, perhaps, have appreciated the religious life at a low rate, according to the vain deceits of a worldly point of view, and not according to the just measure of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.\"¹ That century of universal ruin, in which the voice of Christ's Vicar was raised addressing the whole world on this solemn occasion, resembled, but in still darker hue, the calamitous age of the pretended Reform, in which Francis, like so many others, had proved by his works and by his life the indefectibility of the Church's holiness. Let us listen once more to the words of the same Pontiff: \"The bride of Christ, the Church, has now become accustomed to pursue her pilgrim career amidst persecutions from men and consolations from God. Through the saints raised up, in all ages, by his almighty hand, God fulfils his promise; making her a city seated on a mountain, a beacon, the clear light of which must needs reach the eyes of all who do not, through prejudice, voluntarily shut their eyes. While her enemies band together, vainly plotting her destruction, saying: 'When will she die, when will her name perish?' crowned with ever increasing splendour by the new warriors she sends as victors to heaven, the Church remains ever glorious, ever declaring to all coming generations the might of the Lord's strong arm.\"¹ The sixteenth century heard at its birth the most terrible blasphemy ever uttered against the bride of the Son of God; that whereby she was named the harlot of Babylon. But she, brought face to face with her enemy, unable itself to produce anything good, proved herself to be the Bride of Christ by means of the number of new Orders which came into existence in a few short years ready to meet the exigencies of the novel situation created by Luther's revolt. The return of ancient Orders to their primitive fervour, the establishment of the Society of Jesus, of the Theatines, of the Brothers of St John of God, of the Oratory of St Philip Neri, of the Clerks Regular", "keywords": [ "francis", "church", "caracciolo", "holy", "life", "divine", "christ", "ever", "order", "saint", "religious", "bride", "years", "clerks", "regular", "prayer", "ejus", "love", "year", "earth" ], "saints": [ "St. Camillus de Lellis", "St. FRANCIS", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. John of God", "St. Mary", "St. Philip" ], "scripture": [ "John ii. 17", "Psalms lxviii. 10", "Wisdom iv. 13" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_5", "title": "JUNE 5", "anchor": "june_5", "text": "SAINT BONIFACE, APOSTLE OF GERMANY BISHOP AND MARTYR The Son of Man, proclaimed King in the highest heavens on his triumphant Ascension day, leaves to his bride on earth the task of making his sovereign dominion recognized here below: this is her glory. Pentecost gives the signal for the Church's work of conquest; now does she awake, aroused by the breath of the Holy Ghost; replenished with this Spirit of love, she is all eagerness, as he is, to be possessed at once of the whole earth. We have already seen the Franks and the Anglo-Saxons pledging in her hands their oath of fealty to Christ, \"to whom is given all power on earth and in heaven.\"¹ To-day we see how Winfrid realizes the fair name of Boniface, or well-doer, given him by Pope Gregory II. He presents himself before us, surrounded by the multitudes he has snatched at one blow from paganism and barbarism. Thanks to the Apostle of Germany, the hour is nigh when the Church may constitute in this world, apart from the spiritual dominion of souls, an empire more powerful than any that has ever been or is to be. The eternal Father draws to his Son² not men only but nations; these are his inheritance on earth no less than heaven is in eternity. The good pleasure that God takes in the Word made Flesh could never be content with merely seeing nations come, one here, another there, offering an isolated homage of recognition to Christ, as their Lord and Master. It was the whole world that was promised as his possession, without distinction of nations, without limits, save those of the earth itself:³ ¹ St Matt. xxviii 18. ² St John vi 44. ³ Ps. ii 6, 8. recognized or not, his power is universal. In the case of many, no doubt, the contempt or the ignorance of this regal claim of the Man-God is to last on throughout ages; for revolt, alas! is always possible to all. But it was the duty of the Church to exercise her influence over baptized nations, so as to gather them together in one public acknowledgement of the royalty of Christ, which is the source of every kingly power. At the Pontiff's side there seemed to be a fitting place for a mailed chieftain of Christendom to be the lieutenant of Christ, who alone is Lord of lords and King of kings. Thus would be realized, in all its plenitude, the magnificent principality announced by the prophets for the Son of David.⁴ Such an institution was indeed worthy of the name it was to receive, that of the Holy Empire: in it we have the final result of our glorious Pentecost, the consummation of the testimony rendered by the Holy Ghost to Jesus, both as Pontiff and as King.² In a few days, Leo III, the illustrious Pope called by the Holy Spirit to crown this his divine work, will proclaim, to the joy of the whole", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "life", "boniface", "once", "world", "divine", "germany", "christ", "william", "king", "lord", "years", "rome", "work", "pope", "glorious", "saints", "order", "bishop" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. BONIFACE", "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Boniface", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. NORBERT", "St. Pet", "St. WILLIAM", "St. William", "St. Willibrord", "St. Zachary" ], "scripture": [ "Acts i. 8", "Acts xx. 28", "Apocalypse ii. 17", "Apocalypse xix. 8", "Ecclesiastes i. 10", "Ephesians v. 16", "Jeremias xvii. 10", "John vi. 44", "John xv. 26", "Luke ii. 34", "Luke xix. 12", "Matthew xi. 29", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Peter iv. 2", "Psalms ii. 6", "Psalms lxxi.", "Psalms xliv. 10", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Romans ix. 33" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_9", "title": "JUNE 9", "anchor": "june_9", "text": "SAINTS PRIMUS AND FELICIAN MARTYRS Roses and lilies are exquisitely alternated in the wreath woven by centuries for the bride of the Son of God. Though the world be heedless of the fact, it is none the less true that everything here below has but one object, namely to bedeck the Church with the attractive charms of heaven, to adjust her jewelled robes formed of the virtues of her saints, that she may be fitted to take her seat beside her divine Spouse, in the highest heavens, for all eternity.¹ The sacred cycle, in its yearly course, presents an image of those ceaseless labours whereby the Holy Ghost continues to form, up to the day of the eternal nuptials, that varied robe of holy Church, by diversifying the merits of God's servants, her members here below. To-day we have two martyrs becrimsoned with their own blood, setting off the dazzling whiteness of Norbert's works, or of William's innocence; and to-morrow we may contemplate with delighted gaze the softer light beamed upon our earth by Margaret, Scotland's pearl. Primus and Felician, wealthy Romans, had already attained maturity of age, when our Lord made his voice heard inviting them to forsake their vain idols. Brothers according to the flesh, they now became more really such by fidelity to the same call of grace. Together they proved themselves intrepid helpers of the confessors of Christ amidst the atrocious persecution which raged against the Church during the latter half of the third century. In the same combat were they to fall side by side, exchanging this frail life here below for that into which, at one birth, they were to enter for ever in heaven. ¹ Apoc. xix 7, 8; Ps. xliv 10. They furthermore were honoured by having their precious relics placed in the celebrated sanctuary consecrated to St Stephen, the Proto-Martyr, on Monte Cœlio; and they form its richest treasure. The holy liturgy relates their triumph in these few lines: Primus et Felicianus fratres, in persecutione Diocletiani et Maximiani accusati christianæ religionis, in vincula conjiciuntur: quibus soluti, inde eripiuntur ab angelo. Mox ad prætorem adducti, cum christianam fidem acerrime tuerentur, alter ab altero distracti sunt; ac primum varie tentata est constantia Feliciani. Sed cum suasores impietatis se posse quidquam verbis proficere desperarent, affixis stipiti manibus ejus et pedibus, ipsum sine cibo et potu inde triduum pendentem reliquerunt. Postridie ejus diei prætor vocatum ad se Primum sic affatur: Vides quanto sit prudentior quam tu frater tuus, qui, obsecutus imperatoribus, apud ipsos est honoratus. Quem si tu quoque imitari volueris, particeps eris ejus honoris et gratiæ. Cui Primus: Quid factum sit fratri meo cognovi ex angelo. Utinam quemadmodum sum cum eo voluntate conjunctissimus, sic ab eodem ne martyrio disjungar. Quo dicto, excanduit prætor, et ad cæteros cruciatus quibus Primum affecit, præsente jam Feliciano, liquatum igne plumbum in os ejus jussit infundi. Mox utrumque perduci imperat in theatrum, in eosque immitti duos leones: qui prostrati ad eorum genua, capite et cauda ipsis blandiebantur. Ad id", "keywords": [ "primus", "prætor", "felician", "holy", "ejus", "christian", "saints", "below", "church", "heaven", "together", "life", "quibus", "primum", "words", "martyrs", "less", "true", "sacred", "ghost" ], "saints": [ "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Psalms cii. 5", "Psalms xliv. 10" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_10", "title": "JUNE 10", "anchor": "june_10", "text": "SAINT MARGARET QUEEN OF SCOTLAND Scotland had long been Christian when Margaret was given to her to establish, amidst a population so diversified, and so often at mutual enmity as was hers, that unity which makes a nation. Ancient Caledonia, defended by her lakes, mountains, and rivers, had, up to the fall of the Roman empire, kept her independence. But, whilst herself inaccessible to invading troops, she had become the refuge of the vanquished of every race and the proscribed of every epoch. Many an advancing wave, that had paused at the feet of her granite frontiers, had swept pitilessly over the southern provinces of the great British island. Britons, Saxons, and Danes in turn, dispossessed and driven from their homes, fleeing northwards, had successively crept in, and settling down as best they might, had maintained their own customs in juxtaposition with those of the first inhabitants, adding consequently their own mutual jealousies to the inveterate divisions of the Picts and Scots. But from the very evil itself the remedy was to come. God, in order to show that he is master of revolutions just as he is of the surging waves, was about to confide the execution of his merciful designs upon Scotland to such casual instruments as a storm or a political overthrow may sometimes prove to be. At the opening of the eleventh century, Danish invasion had driven from the English shore the sons of the Saxon king, Edmund Ironside. The crowned apostle of Hungary, St Stephen I, generously received the fugitives at his court, welcoming in these helpless children the great-nephews of a saint, namely Edward the Martyr. To the eldest he gave his own daughter in marriage, and the second he affianced to the niece of St Henry, emperor of Germany. Of this last mentioned union were born three children, Edgar, surnamed Atheling, Christina, afterwards a nun, and Margaret, whose feast the Church is keeping to-day. By the turning tide of fortune, the exiles once more returned to their country, and Edgar was brought to the very steps of the English throne. For in the meantime, the sceptre had passed from the Danish princes back again to the Saxon line, in the person of their uncle, St Edward the Confessor, and by very birthright seemed destined to pass ultimately to Edgar Atheling. But almost immediately after their return from exile, the death of St Edward and the Norman conquest again banished the royal Saxon family. The ship bearing these noble fugitives, bound for the continent, was driven in an opposite direction by a hurricane, and stranded on the Scottish shore. Edgar Atheling, in spite of the efforts of the Saxon party, was never to raise up the fallen throne of his sires; but his sister, the saint of this day, made conquest of the land whither the storm, God's instrument, had carried her. Having become the wife of Malcolm III, her gentle influence softened the fierce instincts of the son of Duncan, and triumphed over", "keywords": [ "scotland", "margaret", "mother", "holy", "england", "queen", "land", "life", "saxon", "last", "church", "worthy", "ever", "christian", "driven", "king", "edward", "edgar", "once", "death" ], "saints": [ "St. Edward", "St. Edward the Confessor", "St. Henry", "St. John", "St. MARGARET", "St. Margaret", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "James i.", "John x. 16", "Proverbs xxxi. 10" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_11", "title": "JUNE 11", "anchor": "june_11", "text": "SAINT BARNABAS APOSTLE The promulgation of the new alliance invited all nations to sit down at the marriage-feast in the kingdom of God; since that day, the sanctifying Spirit is ever producing saints in every age, and at moments which correspond most mysteriously to the deep and hidden designs of eternal Wisdom over the particular history of a people. Nor must we be astonished at this: for Christian nations having their appointed part in the advancing of the kingly sway of the Man-God, this vocation imposes duties upon them, and gives them rights superior to nature's law; the supernatural order invests them with its inherent greatness; and the Holy Ghost, by means of his elect, fosters not only their birth but likewise their development. This wondrous working of divine Providence, as presented on history's page, is indeed admirable; where the hidden influence of sanctity, in even the frail and lowly, is ever being divinely used to overrule the powerful action of the mighty, who seem, in men's eyes, to be leading everything their own way. Among the saints strikingly appointed as channels of grace to nations, none are so particularly entitled to universal remembrance and gratitude as the apostles, for they are the foundation stones of the edifice of Christian society, whereof the Gospel is both the strength and the primary law.¹ The Church is ever watchful to prevent her sons falling into a dangerous forgetfulness of this; hence no liturgical season is without its memory of one or other of these glorious witnesses to Christ. But from the day that the world was delivered over to become the conquest of their zeal, the mysteries of man's salvation being all consummated, their names are more closely pressed together on the sacred records; each month of the cycle now borrows its characteristic colouring from the brilliant triumph of some one of these. The month of June, all aflame with the fires of Pentecost, sees the Holy Ghost setting upon its predestined foundations the first layer of stones in the Church's construction; for to this month belongs the honour of proclaiming the memorable names of Peter and Paul, wherein are summed up all the services and trophies of the whole apostolic college. Peter declared the Gentiles admitted to the grace of the Gospel; Paul was named their apostle. But still, before rendering the homage so justly due to these two leaders of the Christian people, it is fitting that nations should throng, in grateful veneration, around the guide given to Paul himself in the opening days of his apostolate—that is, around Barnabas, whose name is interpreted the Son of Consolation,² and by whom the convert of Damascus was presented to the terrified Church,³ lately so sorely tried by the violence of Saul the persecutor. June 29 will derive its chief radiance from the simultaneous confession of the two princes of the apostles, united in death, as they had been one in life. Be then honour due, first of all, to him who", "keywords": [ "barnabas", "paul", "gentiles", "church", "nations", "holy", "ghost", "christ", "apostles", "thine", "apostle", "gospel", "cyprus", "antioch", "faith", "didst", "ever", "together", "light", "acts" ], "saints": [ "St. BARNABAS", "St. Charles", "St. Matthew" ], "scripture": [ "Acts iv. 36", "Acts ix. 27", "Acts xi. 30", "Acts xiii. 47", "Ephesians ii. 20", "Leviticus viii. 35" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_12", "title": "JUNE 12", "anchor": "june_12", "text": "SAINT JOHN A S. FACUNDO OR OF SAHAGUN CONFESSOR The kingdom which the apostles are commissioned to establish upon earth is a reign of peace. Such was the promise pledged by heaven to earth, on that glorious night wherein Emmanuel was given to us. And on that other night which witnessed our Lord's last farewell at the Supper, did not the Man-God base the New Testament upon the double legacy which he bequeathed to his Church, of his sacred Body and Blood, and of this peace announced of yore by Bethlehem's angels?¹ A peace unknown till then here below; a peace all his own, because, as he said, it proceeds from him, but still is not himself; this gift substantial and divine is no other than the Holy Ghost in Person! Like to some sacred leaven, this peace has been spread amongst us during this time of Pentecost. Men and nations alike have felt the secret influence. Man, at strife with heaven and divided against himself, was indeed justly punished for his insubordination to God by the ascendancy of the senses in his revolted flesh; but he now sees harmony once again established in his own being, and his appeased God treating as a son the obstinate rebel of former days. The sons of the Most High are to form a new people, stretching their confines unto earth's furthest bounds. Seated in the beauty of peace, to use the Prophet's expression,² this blessed race shall see all nations flocking to its midst, and shall draw down, here below, the goodwill of heaven. ¹ St John xiv. 27. ² Is. xxxii. 18. Whereas formerly nations were constantly at strife and wreaking vengeance in many a bloody combat that knew no end but the extermination of the vanquished, once baptized, they recognize each other as sisters, according to the filiation of the Father who is in heaven. Faithful subjects of the one pacific King, they yield themselves up to the Holy Ghost that he may soften their manners; and if war, the result of sin, must needs sometimes come, wofully reminding man of the consequences of the fall, this inevitable scourge will henceforth have at least some law besides that of might. The right of all nations, that Christian right which pagan antiquity rejected, the faith of treaties, the arbitration of the Vicar of Christ, supreme controller of the consciences of kings, these, and only these, can eliminate occasions of bloody discord. Thus there were to be ages in which the peace of God, or the truce of God, or a thousand such loving artifices of the common mother, would prevail to restrict the number of years and of days wherein the sword might be allowed to remain unsheathed against human life; were these limits outstepped, the transgressor's blade would be snapped in twain by the power of the spiritual sword, more dreaded, in those days, than warrior's steel. Such is the power of the Gospel that, even in these present days", "keywords": [ "peace", "church", "christ", "holy", "earth", "lord", "power", "empire", "nations", "king", "kings", "divine", "life", "alone", "ever", "pontiff", "father", "glory", "year", "roman" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. BASILIDES", "St. Bartholomew", "St. Benedict", "St. Benedict of San", "St. JOHN", "St. John", "St. LEO", "St. Matt", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xix.", "Apocalypse xvii. 15", "Daniel ii. 40", "Genesis i. 2", "Isaias lii. 7", "Isaias xvi. 1", "Isaias xxxii. 18", "John viii. 32", "John xiv. 27", "Matthew v. 9", "Philippians iv. 7", "Psalms ii.", "Psalms ii. 8", "Psalms xliv. 4", "Psalms xviii. 2", "Wisdom viii. 1" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_13", "title": "JUNE 13", "anchor": "june_13", "text": "SAINT ANTHONY OF PADUA CONFESSOR Rejoice thee, happy Padua, rich in thy priceless treasure!¹ Anthony, in bequeathing thee his body, has done more for thy glory than the heroes who founded thee on so favoured a site, or the doctors who have illustrated thy famous university! The days of Charlemagne were past and gone: yet the work of Leo III still lived on, despite a thousand difficulties. The enemy, now at large, had sown cockle in the field of the divine householder; heresy was springing up here and there, whilst vice was growing apace in every direction. In many an heroic combat, the Popes, aided by the monastic Order, had succeeded in casting disorder out of the sanctuary itself: still the people, too long scandalized by venal pastors, were fast slipping away from the Church. Who could rally them once more? Who wrest from Satan a reconquest of the world? At this trying moment the Spirit of Pentecost, ever living, ever present in holy Church, raised up the sons of St Dominic and of St Francis. The brave soldiers of this new militia, organized to meet fresh necessities, threw themselves into the field, pursuing heresy into its most secret lurking-holes, and thundering against vice in every shape and wheresoever found. In town or in country, they were everywhere to be seen confounding false teachers by the strong argument of miracle as well as of doctrine; mixing with the people, whom the sight of their heroic detachment easily won over to repentance. Crowds flocked to be enrolled in the Third Orders instituted by these two holy founders, ¹ Ant. to Benedictus for the feast in the Franciscan Breviary. to afford a secure refuge for the Christian life in the midst of the world. The best known and most popular of all the sons of St Francis is Anthony, whom we are celebrating this day. His life was short; at the age of thirty-five he took his flight to heaven. But a span so limited allowed, nevertheless, of a considerable portion of time being directed by our Lord to preparing this chosen servant for his destined ministry. The all-important thing in God's esteem, where there is question of fitting apostolic men to become instruments of salvation to a greater number of souls, is not the length of time which they may devote to exterior works, but rather the degree of personal sanctification attained by them, and the thoroughness of their self-abandonment to the ways of divine Providence. As to Anthony, it may almost be said that, up to the last day of his life, eternal Wisdom seemed to take pleasure in disconcerting all his thoughts and plans. Out of his twenty years of religious life, he passed ten amongst the Canons Regular, whither the divine call had invited him at the age of fifteen, in the full bloom of his innocence; and there, wholly captivated by the splendour of the liturgy, occupied in the sweet study of the Holy Scriptures and of", "keywords": [ "anthony", "holy", "order", "ever", "life", "wisdom", "love", "came", "padua", "divine", "church", "once", "world", "spirit", "heaven", "soul", "things", "thine", "saint", "glory" ], "saints": [ "St. ANTHONY", "St. Anthony", "St. Antony of Padua", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. John", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John xii. 19", "Matthew xviii. 4", "Psalms lxxii. 18", "Wisdom vii.", "Wisdom viii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_14", "title": "JUNE 14", "anchor": "june_14", "text": "SAINT BASIL THE GREAT BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH The Doctors who form the fourfold glory of the Greek Church complete their sacred number in the cycle to-day. John Chrysostom was the first to greet us with his radiant light during Christmastide; the glorious Pasch saw the rise of two resplendent luminaries, Athanasius and Gregory Nazianzen; Basil the Great, having checked his effulgent blaze till now, illumines the reign of the Holy Ghost. He well deserves so distinguished a place, by reason of his eminent doctrine and brave combats, which prepared the way for the triumph of the divine Paraclete over the blasphemies of the impious sect of Macedonius, who used against the third Person of the consubstantial Trinity the very same arguments invented by Arius against the divinity of the Word. The Council of Constantinople, putting the finishing stroke to that of Nicæa, formulated the faith of the Churches, in him who proceedeth from the Father, no less than doth the Word himself, who is adored and glorified conjointly with the Father and the Son.¹ Basil was not there on the day of victory; prematurely exhausted by austerities and labours, he had been sleeping the sleep of peace for quite two years, when this great definition was promulgated. But it was his teaching that inspired the assembled council; his word remains as the luminous expression of tradition concerning the Holy Spirit, who is himself the divine loadstone attracting all in the vast universe that aspire after holiness, the potent breeze uplifting souls, the perfection of all things. Just as we hearkened to Gregory Nazianzen on his feast day, speaking magnificent truths concerning the great Paschal mystery, let us listen now to his illustrious friend, explaining that of the present season—sanctification effected in souls. 'The union of the Holy Ghost and the soul is effected by estrangement from the passions, which having crept in had separated her from God. Whoso, therefore, would disengage himself from the deformity that proceedeth from vice, and return to that beauteousness which he holds of his Creator; whoso would restore within himself the primitive features of that royal and divine original, such a one doth verily draw nigh unto the Paraclete. But then also, even as the sun coming in contact with an unsullied eye illumines it, so the Paraclete reveals to such a one the image of him that cannot be seen; and in the blissful contemplation of this image, he perceiveth the ineffable beauty of the Principle, the Model of all. In this ascension of hearts, whereof the first tottering steps as well as the growing consummation are equally his work, the Holy Spirit rendereth them spiritual who are quit of all stain, by reason of that participation of himself into which he initiates them. Bodies that are limpid and translucent, pierced by a brilliant ray, become resplendent and shed light all around them; thus also souls bearing the Holy Spirit within them are all luminous with him, and becoming themselves spiritualized,", "keywords": [ "holy", "basil", "valens", "ghost", "spirit", "church", "glory", "life", "word", "father", "truth", "whose", "bishop", "gregory", "nazianzen", "divine", "faith", "holiness", "souls", "things" ], "saints": [ "St. BASIL", "St. Basil", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "John c.", "Luke xvii. 21", "Mark i.", "Matthew v. 13" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_15", "title": "JUNE 15", "anchor": "june_15", "text": "SAINTS VITUS, MODESTUS AND CRESCENTIA MARTYRS One of the titles of the Divine Spirit, who is reigning so specially over this portion of the cycle, is the Witness of the Word. Thus was he announced to the world, by the Man-God himself, when about to quit it in order to return to his Father, after having, on his part, rendered his own great testimony to sovereign Truth.¹ Formed by the Holy Ghost on the type of Jesus Christ, the faithful too are witnesses, whose mission is to trample upon lying error, the enemy of God, by expressing the truth, not in words only, but in deeds. There is a testimony, however, that is not given unto all to render, this is the testimony of blood; the martyrs hold this privilege, this is the special stand granted to them in the ceaseless battle ever being waged betwixt truth and falsehood, and this battle is the sum total of all history. Hence martyrs come crowding on the brilliant heavens of holy Church at this season. In a few days the Church will be all thrilling with gladness at the birth of St John the Baptist, that man great beyond all men,² whose greatness especially consists in that he was sent by God to be a witness, to give testimony of the light.³ We shall then meditate at leisure upon these thoughts, for which we seem to be prepared by the ever swelling groups of joyous martyrs, who cross our path as it were to announce the near approach of the friend of the Bridegroom.⁴ To-day we have Vitus, accompanied by his faithful foster-parents, Modestus and Crescentia. He is but a child, yet he comes teaching us the price of Baptism ¹ St John xv 26. ² Ibid. xviii 37. ³ St Matt. xi 11. ⁴ St John i 6-8. ⁵ Ibid. iii 29. and the fidelity we owe to our Father in heaven, despite all else beside. Great is his glory, both on earth and in heaven; the demons, who used to tremble before him in life, still continue their dread of him. His name remains ineffaceably inscribed on the memory of the Christian people, like that of St Elmo or Erasmus, among their most potent 'helpers' in daily needs. St Vitus, or more commonly St Guy, is invoked to deliver those who are attacked by that lamentable sickness which is named from him, as also to neutralize the bad effects from the bite of a mad dog; and his beneficence is evinced even to the dumb brutes also. He is likewise implored in cases of lethargy or unduly prolonged sleep; for this reason the cock is his distinctive attribute in Christian art, as well as because recourse is usually had to this saint when one wants to awake at some particular hour. Let us now turn to what the liturgy relates of these saints: Vitus admodum puer inscio patre baptizatus est: quod cum ille rescivisset, nihil pretermisit quo filium a christiana", "keywords": [ "julitta", "mother", "child", "little", "father", "holy", "christian", "vitus", "church", "martyrs", "ever", "soul", "sacrifice", "crescentia", "likewise", "body", "emperor", "noble", "saints", "modestus" ], "saints": [ "St. Cyr", "St. Elmo", "St. Guy", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Julitta", "St. Matt", "St. Vitus" ], "scripture": [ "John i. 6", "John xv. 26", "Matthew xi. 11" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_18", "title": "JUNE 18", "anchor": "june_18", "text": "SAINT EPHRAEM THE SYRIAN DEACON, CONFESSOR AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH ST EPHRAEM, monk and deacon, the contemporary of St. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nazianzen and St. Gregory of Nyssa, was with them one of the glories of the Christian East so rich in testimonies to faith and sanctity during the first centuries. He takes his place in the liturgical cycle among the doctors of the Universal Church. It is only fitting that the ancient piety of Edessa and Nisibis should be represented in the Roman calendar by him who was always held to be the most illustrious of her sons. St. Ephraem was honoured by the whole Church for the depth and vastness of his doctrine, and the whole Catholic world rejoiced when Pope Benedict XV pronounced him worthy to be placed among the great doctors of the Church both Greek and Latin. No one was more worthy than the celebrated Deacon of Edessa of such an honour. Even during his lifetime men delighted to honour him with such titles as 'illustrious doctor of the universe,' 'prophet and sun of the Syrians,' 'pillar of the Church,' and 'harp of the Holy Spirit.' All the Orthodox fathers and doctors from St. Basil, St. John Chrysostom and St. Jerome down to St. Francis de Sales and St. Alphonsus Liguori are unanimous in his praise.² Seldom has reputation been more brilliant, authority more universally acknowledged than that of the humble Syrian monk: less than twenty years after his death his writings were read publicly in church after the Scriptures.³ ² Greg. Nyss. Vita S. Ephræm; Lamy, S. Ephræm Syri Hymni et Sermones, * Bened. XV, Litt. encycl. Principi Apostolorum. * S. Hier. De script. eccl., c. cxv. As theologian, poet and orator his literary work was immense. His writings comprise commentaries on the Scriptures, theological discourses and poems, moral and ascetic treatises, hymns in praise of Almighty God, our Lady and the saints. These form an inestimable treasure where successive generations have found not only weapons wherewith to combat error but also food to strengthen their souls. The works of St Ephraem, written in Syriac, were at an early date translated not only into Greek, but also into all the languages of the East—Coptic, Ethiopian, Arabic and Armenian—so that his hymns and canticles are to be found in all the liturgical books of the Syriac Church, both Orthodox and Uniate, which thus remains indebted to his fruitful genius. St Ephraem was born in Mesopotamia, very probably at Nisibis, on the frontier of the Roman Empire and Persia, at the beginning of the fourth century. Tradition says that his father fulfilled the duties of a priest to an idol in that town, but that his mother may have been a Christian.¹ In any case he does not appear ever to have taken part in idolatrous worship, for we know that in his youth he was a member of the household of James, the bishop of Nisibis, one of the three hundred", "keywords": [ "holy", "ephraem", "church", "edessa", "faith", "body", "life", "earth", "heaven", "ever", "nisibis", "lord", "doctor", "deacon", "among", "worthy", "death", "souls", "receive", "words" ], "saints": [ "St. Alphonsus", "St. Athanasius", "St. Basil", "St. EPHRAEM", "St. Ephraem", "St. Francis de Sales", "St. Gregory of Nazianzen", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Sebastian" ], "scripture": [ "2 Timothy iii. 1", "John c.", "Matthew viii. 20", "Matthew x. 37", "Peter i.", "Romans i. 31" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_19", "title": "JUNE 19", "anchor": "june_19", "text": "SAINT JULIANA FALCONIERI VIRGIN This day witnesses the close of the pilgrimage of one who was miraculously supplied with the divine Viaticum. Juliana presents herself at heaven's gate, showing upon her heart the impress of the sacred Host. The lily emblazoned on the city escutcheon of Florence glistens with fresh radiance to-day, for it was she who gave birth to our saint, as well as to so many others, some of whom have already beamed across our path, and some are about to follow; all of them brilliant in sublime virtues practised within the ancient walls of this 'city of flowers,' under the delighted glance and the urging influence of the Spirit of love. But what shall we say of the glory of the mountains which nobly crown this fair city, a diadem lovely in men's eyes, and still more so to angels' gaze? What of Vallombrosa, and, farther in the blue distance, of Camaldoli, of Alverno? all sacred fortresses, at whose feet hell trembling howls, all sacred reservoirs of choicest grace, guarded by seraphim, whence flow in gushing streams, more abundant and more pure than Arno's tide, living waters of salvation on all the smiling land around! In 1233, just thirty-seven years previous to Juliana's birth, Florence seemed destined to be, under the holy influence of such a neighbourhood, a very paradise of sanctity; so common did the higher Christian life become, of such everyday occurrence were supernatural prodigies. The Mother of divine grace was then multiplying her gifts. On a certain festival of the Assumption seven of the citizens, the most distinguished for nobility of blood, fortune and public offices of trust, were suddenly inflamed by a heavenly desire to consecrate themselves unreservedly to the service of our Lady. Presently, as these men passed along bidding adieu to the world, babes at the breast cried out all over the city: 'Behold the Servants of the Virgin Mary!' Among the innocents whose tongues were thus unloosed to announce the divine mysteries was the new-born son of the illustrious family of Benizi. He was named Philip, and had first seen the light on the very feast of the Assumption, whereon Mary had just founded, for her glory and that of her divine Son, the Order of the Servites. We shall have to return to this child, who was to be the chief propagator of the new Order; for holy Church celebrates his birthday into heaven on the morrow of the octave of the Assumption. He was destined to be Juliana's spiritual father. In the meantime the seven invited by Mary to the festival of penitence, who all, persevering faithful unto death, are inscribed on the catalogue of the saints, had retired three leagues from Florence to the desert of Monte Senario. There our Lady, during seven years, formed them to the great work of which they were the predestined though unwitting instruments. According to his wont, the Holy Ghost, during all this preparatory season, though of long duration, kept from", "keywords": [ "holy", "juliana", "order", "church", "martyrs", "divine", "life", "lord", "sacred", "years", "mary", "ambrose", "mother", "lady", "days", "servites", "city", "florence", "blood", "ever" ], "saints": [ "St. Alexius", "St. Ambrose", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. JULIANA", "St. Luke", "St. Marcellina", "St. Philip" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus xv. 3", "Luke i. 48", "Proverbs xviii. 4" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_20", "title": "JUNE 20", "anchor": "june_20", "text": "SAINT SILVERIUS POPE AND MARTYR Papal succession is one of the principal facts wherein is demonstrated the working of the Holy Ghost, from the very first day of his descent upon our earth. The legitimacy of the Popes, as successors of Peter, is indeed closely linked with the legitimacy of the Church herself, in her character of bride of the Man-God; and therefore, his mission being to lead the bride to the Spouse, the Holy Ghost cannot suffer her to wander in the footprints of intruders. The inevitable play of human passions, interfering in the election of the Vicar of Christ, may perchance for a while render uncertain the transmission of spiritual power. But when it is proved that the Church, still holding, or once more put in possession of, her liberty, acknowledges in the person of a certain Pope, until then doubtful, the true Sovereign Pontiff, this her very recognition is a proof that, from that moment at least, the occupant of the Apostolic See is as such invested by God himself. This doctrine the Holy Ghost confirms, by giving thereto, in the Pontiff we are celebrating to-day, the consecration of martyrdom. St Agapitus I died at Constantinople, whither Theodoric the Goth had persuaded him to go, in order to appease the anger of Justinian excited against this king by reason of his treasons. Scarcely had the news of this death reached the Arian prince, than he, in terror of perhaps seeing someone unfavourable to his pretensions raised to the pontificate, imperatively designated as successor to the deceased Pope, the deacon Silverius. Two months later the justice of God struck the tyrant, and the Church was set free. Doubtless, Rome would have but exercised her proper right had she rejected the Head thus imposed upon her by main force: for not to earthly princes has the Lord consigned the election of his Vicar upon earth. But Silverius, who had been an utter stranger to the violence used on his personal account, was in reality a man in every way fitted for the supreme pontificate. Therefore, when the Roman clergy became free to act, they had no wish to withdraw from him their adhesion, until then certainly disputable. From that moment undoubtedly Silverius could not but be Head of the Church, the true successor of Agapitus, the Lord's elect. In the midst of a period thronged with snares, he proved how well he understood the exigences of duty in his exalted office, and preferred an exile which would eventually cost him his life, to the abandonment of a post wherein the Holy Ghost had truly placed him. Holy Church gratefully bears witness to this, in her short eulogy of him; and the army of martyrs opened their ranks to receive him, when death at length struck the Pontiff in his land of exile. Silverius Campanus, post Agapitum proxime Pontifex creatus est: cujus doctrina et sanctitas illuxit in insectandis hæreticis, et constantis animi magnitudo perspecta est in tuendo judicio Agapiti. Nam", "keywords": [ "silverius", "church", "holy", "agapitus", "pope", "ghost", "until", "true", "pontiff", "death", "saint", "indeed", "vicar", "successor", "head", "lord", "personal", "exile", "thine", "vigilius" ], "saints": [ "St. Agapitus", "St. SILVERIUS", "St. Silverius" ], "scripture": [ "John i.", "Psalms lxviii. 2" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_21", "title": "JUNE 21", "anchor": "june_21", "text": "SAINT ALOYSIUS GONZAGA CONFESSOR 'Oh! how exceeding great is the glory of Aloysius, son of Ignatius! Never could I have believed it, had not my Jesus shown it to me. Never could I have believed that such glory was to be seen in heaven!' Thus cries out St Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, whose memory we were celebrating a month ago: she is speaking in ecstasy. From the heights of Carmel, whence her ken may reach beyond the heavens, she reveals to earth the splendour wherewith the youthful hero of this day shines amidst the celestial phalanxes. Yet short was the life of Aloysius, and it had offered nothing to the superficial gaze of a vast majority, save the preliminaries, so to say, of a career broken off in its flower before bearing fruit of any kind. Ah! God does not take account of things as men do; of very slight weight are their appreciations in his judgement! Even in the case of saints themselves, the mere fractional number of years, or brilliant deeds, goes far less to the filling up of a lifetime, in his view, than does love. The usefulness of a human existence ought surely to be measured by the amount produced in it of what is lasting. Now beyond this present time charity remains alone, fixed for ever at the precise degree of growth attained during this life of passage. Little matters it, therefore, if without any long duration or any apparent works, one of God's elect has developed in himself a love as great as, or greater than, some others have done, in the midst of many toils, be they never so holy, and throughout a long career admired of men. The illustrious Society that gave Aloysius Gonzaga to holy Church owes the sanctity of her members and the benedictions poured upon their works to the fidelity she has ever professed to this important truth, which throws so much light on the Christian life. From the very first age of her history, it would seem that our Lord Jesus, not content with allowing her to assume his own blessed name, has been lovingly determined so to arrange circumstances in her regard that she may never forget wherein her real strength lies, in the midst of the actively militant career which he has especially opened before her. The brilliant works of St Ignatius her founder; of St Francis Xavier, the apostle of the Indies; of St Francis Borgia, the noble conquest of Christ's humility; manifested truly wondrous holiness in them, and to the eyes of all; but these works had no other spring or basis than the hidden virtues of that other glorious triumvirate, in which, under the eye of God alone, by the sole strength of contemplative prayer, SS Stanislaus Kostka, Aloysius Gonzaga, and John Berchmans rose to such a degree of love, and consequently to the sanctity of their heroic fathers. Again, it is by Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, the depositary of the secrets of", "keywords": [ "aloysius", "love", "life", "ever", "heaven", "holy", "etiam", "years", "glory", "never", "earth", "prayer", "thine", "during", "without", "works", "didst", "saint", "things", "earthly" ], "saints": [ "St. ALOYSIUS", "St. Francis", "St. Ignatius", "St. Mary" ], "scripture": [ "Wisdom iv. 8" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_22", "title": "JUNE 22", "anchor": "june_22", "text": "SAINT ALBAN PROTO-MARTYR OF ENGLAND Let the heavens rejoice, let the Island of Saints exult, and let all the universe shout with her a song of victory; for now indeed has earth been everywhere empurpled with the blood of testimony. Alban, Proto-Martyr of fruitful Britain,¹ seals to-day the conquest of the far West. Already, doubtless, even from the earliest days, Albion had yielded abundant flowers beneath the footsteps of the Spouse, whose giant stride² had reached even unto her. Later on Eleutherius and Lucius had added the fresh charm of other plants to this new garden, wherein, far away from sterile Juda, the Man-God could forget the haughty disdain of the daughter of Sion. Jesus loves, indeed, flower-beds exhaling the fragrance of confession and of praise;³ but still flowers of peace may not alone form the diadem of this powerful Son of the God of armies.⁴ The beauty he received from his Mother was enhanced by the blood shed by him in the great battle, and to obtain favour in his eyes, the bride too is called upon to mingle her own brilliant purple with the glistening whiteness of his lilies. Glory, then, to our Proto-Martyr! Glory to him by whom Albion, fully arrayed for the nuptials of the Lamb,⁵ advances side by side with the most illustrious Churches, and takes her seat with them at the banquet of the strong! From the heights of heaven, the glorious choir of apostles and the white-robed army of martyrs are thrilling with joy, as in the brightest days of the three hundred years' struggle, prolonged, perchance, on purpose to give ancient Britain a chance of sharing in their triumph. Persecution was nearing its close; and even from British soil, the last to be touched by the tidal wave of martyrs' blood, would deliverance come. On June 22, 303, Alban, our new Stephen, died, breathing a prayer for his murderers, beside the banks of a tributary of the Thames: on July 25, 306, Constantine, having just escaped the snares of Galerius, was proclaimed at York, and he started thence to unfurl the standard of salvation to the whole world. ¹ Venant. Fortun. De Virginit. 155. ² Ps. xviii. 6. ³ Cant. vi. 1. ⁴ Ps. xliv. 4. ⁵ Apoc. xix. 7. Later on, to the victorious combats of the cross succeeded heresy's contesting struggle to wrest from God nations already won to his Christ in holy Baptism. Whilst the East was going astray in misconceptions of the Incarnate Word, the West was carping at doctrines concerning free will and grace, a fatal stumbling-block which would be thrown in again at a more distant epoch. Pelagius, the heretic here in question, was condemned by the Church, and the stone of error hurled against her gave but a passing shock. The tomb of Alban was the curbing point of hell's efforts at that time, and here ended the final troubles caused by the Pelagian attack. St Lupus of Troyes and St Germanus of Auxerre, sent", "keywords": [ "paulinus", "alban", "christ", "faith", "life", "world", "lord", "divine", "word", "church", "epist", "martyr", "last", "holy", "didst", "days", "noble", "once", "rome", "saint" ], "saints": [ "St. ALBAN", "St. Alban", "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Benedict", "St. ETHELDREDA", "St. Felix", "St. Germanus of Auxerre", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Luke", "St. Lupus of Troyes", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. PAULINUS", "St. Paulinus" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 23", "Apocalypse xix. 7", "Apocalypse xvii. 5", "Apocalypse xx. 3", "Apocalypse xx. 4", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 1", "John viii. 32", "John xv. 18", "Luke viii. 11", "Mark iv. 22", "Matthew viii. 22", "Matthew xi. 12", "Matthew xix. 21", "Matthew xxv. 35", "Psalms xliv. 4", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Romans iv. 16" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_23", "title": "JUNE 23", "anchor": "june_23", "text": "SAINT ETHELDREDA QUEEN, VIRGIN AND ABBESS Etheldreda, or Audrey, whom the Church offers to our veneration to-day, was one of the most popular saints among our English forefathers. She was born in the middle of the seventh century, about A.D. 630, at Exning, near Newmarket, in Suffolk, and was the third daughter of Anna, the Christian king of East Anglia. In a meadow outside the village is still shown the brook in which, as village tradition tells us, the future queen and saint was baptized by St Felix, first bishop of Dunwich. Much against her will, for she had vowed herself to the religious life, she was given in marriage to Tondbert, a prince of East Anglia, who bestowed upon her the Isle of Ely as a dowry. He respected her vow, and on his death a short time after, she was married to Ecgfrid, king of Northumbria, with whom she lived twelve years in such manner as to keep all the while the glory of her virginal integrity, as St Bede the Venerable, to whom we owe the facts of her life, attests. She afterwards retired to the monastery of Coldingham, near Berwick-on-Tweed, where she was veiled a nun by St Wilfrid, bishop of York. In 673 she built a monastery on her property at Ely and was made its first abbess. There she became, in the words of Bede, 'the virgin-mother of many virgins consecrated to God, instructing them by the example of her heavenly life and by her holy admonitions.' She died on June 23, A.D. 679, in the sixth year of her abbacy, 'being taken to the Lord in the midst of her own people,' and, as she had herself ordered, was buried among them in a wooden coffin. During her last illness she was afflicted with a violent pain in her jaw and neck, and was wont to say: 'I most certainly know that I deservedly bear the weight of this illness on my neck, on which, I remember, when I was very young, I carried the superfluous weight of pearls and jewels. I believe the divine goodness would for this reason have me endure this pain in my neck, that I may be absolved from the guilt of my former vanity, sending me now, instead of gold and precious stones for my neck, this swelling and burning.' Sixteen years after Etheldreda's death her sister Sexburga, who had succeeded her as abbess, removed her incorrupt body and placed it in a white marble coffin, a relic of ancient Roman art found near the walls of Grantchester (Cambridge). During the ages that followed Etheldreda's shrine became one of the most famous places of pilgrimage in England, and many were the miracles wrought through the intercession of the virgin-queen. After various translations the white marble tomb containing the saint's relics was placed in the new presbytery of Ely Cathedral built in A.D. 1257, and there it remained for two centuries until the overthrow of religion when it", "keywords": [ "lord", "king", "etheldreda", "years", "virgin", "church", "saint", "abbess", "life", "year", "neck", "prayer", "whose", "queen", "death", "holy", "world", "christ", "john", "name" ], "saints": [ "St. Bede the Venerable", "St. Bernard", "St. ETHELDREDA", "St. Etheldreda", "St. Felix", "St. JOHN", "St. Luke", "St. Wilfrid" ], "scripture": [ "3 Kings xviii. 42", "3 Kings xviii. 44", "4 Kings iv. 31", "Exodus iv. 10", "Genesis xlix. 26", "Isaias liii. 7", "Isaias lxiv. 1", "Isaias vi. 5", "Job xix. 25", "Luke i. 5", "Osee ii. 19", "Psalms ii. 7", "Psalms liv.", "Psalms xliv. 8" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_24", "title": "JUNE 24", "anchor": "june_24", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "THE_NATIVITY_OF_SAINT_JOHN_THE_BAPTIST", "title": "THE NATIVITY OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST", "anchor": "the_nativity_of_saint_john_the_baptist", "text": "THE Voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare ye the way of the Lord; behold thy God!'¹ In this world grown now so cold, who can understand earth's transports at hearing these glad tidings so long expected? The promised God was not yet manifested; but already had the heavens bowed down² to make way for his passage. No longer was he 'the One who is to come,' he for whom our fathers, the illustrious saints of the prophetic age, ceaselessly called in their indomitable hope. Still hidden, indeed, but already in our midst, he was resting beneath that virginal cloud, compared with which the heavenly purity of Thrones and Cherubim waxes dim; yea, the united fires of burning Seraphim grow faint in presence of the single love wherewith she alone encompasses him in her human heart, she that lowly daughter of Adam whom he had chosen for his Mother. Our accursed earth, become in a moment more blessed than heaven that had so long been closed against the prayers of men, only waited for the revelation of the august mystery. The hour had come for earth to join her canticles to that eternal and divine praise which henceforth was ever rising from her depths, and which, being itself no other than the Word himself, would praise God condignly. But beneath the veil of humility where his Divinity, even after as well as before his birth, must still continue to hide itself from men, who may discover the Emmanuel? Who, having recognized him in his merciful abasements, may succeed in making him accepted by a world lost in pride? Who may cry, ¹ Isa. xl 3, 9. ² Ps. xvii 10. pointing out the carpenter's Son¹ in the midst of the crowd: 'Behold him whom your fathers have so wistfully awaited'? For such is the order decreed from on high, in the manifestation of the Messias. Conformably to the ways of men, the God-Man would not intrude himself into public life; he would await, for the inauguration of his divine ministry, some man who, having preceded him in a similar career, would be hereby sufficiently accredited to introduce him to the people. Sublime part for a creature to play, to stand guarantee for his God, witness for the Word! The exalted dignity of him who was to fill such a position had been notified, as had that of the Messias, long before his birth. In the solemn liturgy of the age of types, the Levite choir, reminding the Most High of the meekness of David and of the promise made to him of a glorious heir, hailed from afar the mysterious lamp prepared by God for his Christ.² Not that, to give light to his steps, Christ should stand in need of external help: he, the Splendour of the Father, had only to appear in these dark regions to fill them with the effulgence of the very heavens; but so many false glimmerings had deceived mankind, during the night of", "keywords": [ "john", "lord", "precursor", "church", "holy", "christ", "light", "bridegroom", "world", "name", "ejus", "womb", "baptism", "born", "bride", "already", "called", "mother", "nativity", "voice" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Elizabeth", "St. Ephraem", "St. Francis", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. John the Evangelist", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Peter", "St. Victor", "St. Zachary" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles ii. 8", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 5", "Ephesians ii. 20", "Isaias c.", "Isaias i.", "Isaias xl.", "Isaias xl. 3", "Isaias xlix.", "Isaias xlix. 3", "John c.", "John i.", "John i. 12", "John i. 20", "John i. 4", "John i. 6", "John iii. 27", "John iii. 29", "John iii. 30", "John l.", "John v. 35", "Leviticus xxvi. 10", "Luke c.", "Luke i. 14", "Luke i. 15", "Luke i. 24", "Luke i. 36", "Luke i. 39", "Luke i. 55", "Luke iii. 15", "Luke iii. 7", "Luke xvi. 16", "Mark iv. 8", "Matthew v. 9", "Matthew xi. 11", "Matthew xiii. 55", "Matthew xxi. 31", "Psalms cxxxi. 17", "Psalms i.", "Psalms lxxxiv. 13", "Psalms xci.", "Psalms xvii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_25", "title": "JUNE 25", "anchor": "june_25", "text": "SAINT WILLIAM ABBOT Martyrs are numerous on the cycle during the octave of St John. But not only in martyrdom's peerless glory does our Lord reveal the power of his grace, or the victorious force of example left to the world by his Precursor. At the very outset we have presented to our homage one of those countless athletes of penance, who succeeded John in the desert; one of those who fleeing, like him, in early youth, a society wherein their souls' foreboding told of only peril and annoy, consecrated a lifetime to Christ's complete triumph within them over the triple concupiscence, thus bearing witness to the Lord, by deeds which the world ignores, but which make angels to rejoice and hell to tremble. William was one of the chiefs of this holy militia. The Order of Monte-Vergine, which owes its origin to him, has deserved well of the monastic institute and of the whole Church in the south of Italy, wherein God has been pleased, at different times, to raise up a dyke against the encroaching waves of sensual pleasures by the stern spectacle of austere virtue. Both personally and by his disciples, William's mission was to infuse into the kingdom of Sicily, then in process of formation, that element of sanctity upon which every Christian nation must necessarily be based. In southern, just as in northern Europe, the Norman race had been providentially called in to promote the reign of Jesus Christ. Just at this moment, Byzantium, powerless to protect against Saracen invasion the last vestiges of her possessions in the West, was anxious nevertheless to hold the Churches of these lands fast bound in that schism into which she had recently been drawn by the intrigues of Michael Cerularius. The Mohammedans had been forced to recoil before the sons of Tancred and Hauteville: and now, in its turn, Greek perfidy had been outwitted and unmasked by the rude simplicity of these men, who quickly learnt to oppose no other argument to Byzantine knavery than the sword. The Papacy, though for a moment doubtful, soon came to understand of what great avail these newcomers would be in feudal quarrels, the jar and turmoil whereof were to extend far and wide for yet two centuries more, leading at last to the long struggle betwixt sacerdotalism and Cæsarism. All through this period, as has ever been the case since the day of Pentecost, the Holy Ghost was directing every event for the ultimate good of the Church. He it was who inspired the Normans to give solidity to their conquests by declaring themselves vassals of the Holy See, and thus fixing themselves on the apostolic rock. But at the same time, both to recompense their fidelity at the very opening of their career, and to render them more worthy of the mission which would have ever been their honour and their strength had they but continued so to understand it, the Holy Spirit gave them saints. Roger I beheld St", "keywords": [ "william", "holy", "saint", "example", "wherein", "lord", "world", "monte", "life", "year", "didst", "thine", "john", "vergine", "church", "italy", "virtue", "sanctity", "last", "understand" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Bruno", "St. James", "St. John", "St. WILLIAM" ], "scripture": [ "John i." ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_26", "title": "JUNE 26", "anchor": "june_26", "text": "SAINTS JOHN AND PAUL MARTYRS Amidst the numerous sanctuaries which adorn the capital of the Christian universe, the church of Saints John and Paul has remained from the early date of its origin one of the chief centres of Roman piety. From the summit of the Cœlian Hill it towers over the Coliseum, the dependencies of which stretch subterraneously even as far as the cellarage of the house once inhabited by our saints. They, the last of the martyrs, completed the glorious crown offered to Christ by Rome, the chosen seat of his power. The conflict in which their blood was spilt consummated the triumph whose hour was sounded under Constantine, but which an offensive retaliation on the part of hell seemed about to compromise. No attack could be conceived more odious for the Church than that devised by the apostate Caesar. Nero and Diocletian had violently and with hatred declared against the Incarnate God a war of sword and torture; and without recrimination, Christians by thousands had died, knowing that the testimony thus demanded was merely the order of things, just as it had been in the case of their august Head¹ before Pontius Pilate and upon the cross. But with the clever astuteness of a traitor, and the affected disdain of a false philosopher, Julian proposed to stifle Christianity by a progressive oppression, respectfully abhorrent of human blood. Merely to preclude Christians from public offices, and to prohibit them from holding chairs for the teaching of youth, that was all the apostate aimed at! However, ¹ 1 Tim. vi. 13. the blood which he wanted to avoid shedding must flow, even though a hypocrite's hands be dyed therewith; for, according to the divine plan, bloodshed alone can bring extreme situations to an issue, and never was holy Church menaced with greater peril. They would now make a slave of her whom they had beheld still holding her royal liberty in face of executioners. They would now await the moment when, once enslaved, she would at last disappear of herself, in powerlessness and degradation. For this reason the bishops of that time found vent for their indignation in accents such as their predecessors had spared to princes whose brute violence was then inundating the empire with Christian blood. They now retorted upon the tyrant scorn for scorn; and the manifestations of contempt that consequently came showering in from every quarter upon the crowned fool completely unmasked at last his feigned moderation. Julian was now shown up as nothing but a common persecutor of the usual kind; blood flowed, the Church was rescued. Thus is explained the gratitude which this noble bride of the Son of God has never ceased to manifest to the glorious martyrs we are celebrating to-day: for amidst the many generous Christians whose outspoken indignation brought about the solution of this terrible crisis, none is more illustrious than theirs. Julian was most anxious to count them amongst his confidants: with this view, he made use of", "keywords": [ "paul", "church", "john", "lord", "christ", "holy", "heaven", "sunt", "blood", "julian", "terentianus", "martyrs", "whose", "apostate", "might", "dominum", "isti", "saints", "never", "jesus" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. Hilary the Great", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy vi. 13", "Matthew v. 45", "Matthew x. 34" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_27", "title": "JUNE 27", "anchor": "june_27", "text": "THE FOURTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST THE octave of the Precursor has a still further increase of light in store for us. Let us imitate the Church, who once again concentrates her thoughts on the friend of the Bridegroom; she knows that hereby the Spouse himself will be the better understood. For according to the word of the best authorized princes of Christian doctrine: 'the bonds which link together Jesus Christ and John the Baptist are so close, that the one cannot be known without the other; and if life eternal consists in knowing Jesus Christ, so also a part of our salvation consists in knowing St John.'¹ The Precursor's mission raised him, as we have seen, above all other prophets and apostles. But personally, who and what was this herald whose dignity was shown to us, on his feast-day, by the sublimity of the message that he bore to the world? Did his private qualities, his personal sanctity, correspond with the eminence of the part allotted to him? That sovereign harmony which inspires the eternal decrees and presides over their execution forbids us to doubt it. When the Most High resolved to unite his Word to human nature, he pledged himself to clothe this created nature with qualities all divine, which would thereby permit him to treat with this new Adam as equal with equal, and to call him his Son. When to his well-beloved Son, whom he wished to be at the same time Son of Man, he determined to give a Mother, the gift of a purity in every way worthy of her august title was, from that moment, assured to this future Mother of God. Predestined before all ages to the most eminent service of the Son and the Mother, charged by the eternal Father with the mission of first discovering the Word hidden within our Lady's womb, of accrediting the Man-God, of betrothing him to the bride; could it possibly be that the holiness of John should, either in the designs of God or by his own fault, be less incomparably exalted than was his mission? Eternal Wisdom can never thus belie itself; and the unparalleled eulogy which Jesus made of his Precursor, shortly before John's death,² sufficiently shows that the graces held in reserve for this soul had fructified in all plenitude. What must have been these graces which, at the very outset, show us John, three months previous to his birth, already established on summits of sanctity which the holiest persons scarcely attain in a whole lifetime! He soars far above the range of sense and reason, which in him have not yet been called into play. With that intellectual gaze which is unsurpassed, save by the face to face vision of the elect, he perceives God present before him in the flesh; in an ecstasy of adoration and love, his first act emulates that of the Seraphim. The plenitude of the Holy Ghost became from that moment", "keywords": [ "john", "precursor", "divine", "mother", "christ", "eternal", "soul", "light", "holy", "elizabeth", "quam", "within", "baptist", "word", "jesus", "lady", "mary", "church", "once", "without" ], "saints": [ "St. JOHN", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Luke", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Judges i. 15", "Luke i. 15", "Luke i. 28", "Matthew xi.", "Psalms xlv. 5", "Wisdom c." ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_28", "title": "JUNE 28", "anchor": "june_28", "text": "THE VIGIL OF THE HOLY APOSTLES SAINTS PETER AND PAUL John the Baptist, placed on the confines of the two Testaments, closes the prophetic age, the reign of hope, and opens the era of faith which possesses the long-expected God, though as yet without beholding him in his Divinity. Thus even before the octave is ended wherein we pay our homage to the son of Zachary, the confession of the apostles is added to the Precursor's testimony to the Word the Light. To-morrow all heaven will re-echo with the solemn protestation first heard at Cæsarea Philippi: 'Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God;' and Simon Bar-Jona, because of this oracle uttered by him, will be the chosen Rock, supporting the divine structure, the Church. To-morrow he will die, sealing this glorious declaration with his blood; but he will yet live on, in the person of each Roman Pontiff, that he may thus guard this precious testimony in all its integrity, even to the day when faith will give place to the eternal vision. Coupled with Peter in his labours, the Doctor of the Gentiles shares his triumph this day; and Rome, more indebted to these two princes than to all her stout warriors of old, who laid the world prostrate at her feet, beholds their double victory fix for ever upon her noble brow the diadem of spiritual royalty. Let us, then, recollect ourselves, preparing our hearts in union with holy Church, by faithfully observing this vigil. When the obligation of thus keeping up certain days of preparation previous to the festivals is strictly maintained by a people, it is a sign that faith is still living amongst them; it proves that they understand the greatness of that which the holy liturgy proposes to their homage. Christians in the West, we who make the glory of SS Peter and Paul our boast, let us remember the Lent in honour of the apostles begun by Greek schismatics on the close of the Paschal solemnities, and continued up to this day. The contrast between them and ourselves will be of a nature to stir up our fervour, and to control those tendencies wherein softness and ingratitude hold too large a share. If certain concessions have, for grave reasons, been reluctantly made by the Church, so that the fast of this vigil is no longer observed, let us see therein a double motive for holding fast to her precious tradition. Let us make up by fervour, thanksgiving and love, for the severity lacking in our observance, which is yet still maintained by so many Churches notwithstanding their schismatical separation from Rome. The recital of the following beautiful formulas will help to inspire us with the spirit of the feast. The first is taken from the Gothic-Gallic Missal: it is the benediction which, according to the ancient rite used in France, was given to the people before the Communion on the feast of the apostles. The prayers which follow it are from", "keywords": [ "church", "irenæus", "apostles", "word", "faith", "world", "holy", "peter", "churches", "paul", "ever", "truth", "bishop", "lyons", "polycarp", "cont", "hæres", "christ", "follow", "lord" ], "saints": [ "St. IREN", "St. Irenæus", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Pothinus" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians viii. 1", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_29", "title": "JUNE 29", "anchor": "june_29", "text": "SAINTS PETER AND PAUL APOSTLES 'Simon, son of John, lovest thou me?' Behold the hour when the answer which the Son of Man exacted of the fisher of Galilee re-echoes from the seven hills and fills the whole earth. Peter no longer dreads the triple interrogation of his Lord. Since that fatal night wherein, after the first cockcrow, the prince of the apostles had denied his Master, tears have not ceased to furrow the cheeks of the Vicar of Christ; at last the day has come when his tears shall be dried! From that gibbet to which, at his own request, the humble disciple has been nailed head downwards, his bounding heart repeats the protestation which, ever since the scene enacted on the brink of Lake Tiberias, has been silently wearing his life away: 'Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee!'¹ Sacred day, on which the oblation of the first of Pontiffs assures to the West the rights of supreme priesthood! Day of triumph, in which the effusion of a generous life-blood wins for God the conquest of the Roman soil; in which, upon the cross of his representative, the divine Spouse concludes his eternal alliance with the queen of nations. This tribute of death was unknown to Levi; this dower of blood was never exacted of Aaron by Jehovah: for who is it that would die for a slave? The Synagogue was no bride!² Love is the sign which distinguishes this age of the new dispensation from the law of servitude. Powerless, sunk in cringing fear, the Jewish priest could but sprinkle with the blood of victims substituted for himself the horns of the figurative altar. At once both Priest and Victim, Jesus expects more of those whom he calls to a participation in the sacred prerogative which makes him Pontiff for ever according to the order of Melchisedech.³ 'I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth,' thus saith he to these men whom he raised above angels at the Last Supper; 'but I have called you friends, because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. As the Father hath loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love.'⁴ In the case of a priest admitted into partnership with the eternal Pontiff, love is not complete, except when it extends itself to the whole of mankind ransomed by the great Sacrifice. This entails upon him more than the obligation common to all Christians of loving one another as fellow-members of one Head; for, by his priesthood, he forms part of that Head, and by this very title charity should assume in him something in depth and character of the love which the divine Head bears towards his members. But more than this: what if to the power he possesses of immolating Christ, to the duty incumbent on him of the joint offering of himself likewise in the secret of the", "keywords": [ "peter", "church", "lord", "apostles", "earth", "christ", "rome", "holy", "heaven", "paul", "divine", "cross", "world", "john", "love", "head", "blood", "whole", "sacrifice", "faith" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Asterius of Amasea", "St. Benedict", "St. Clement", "St. Denys", "St. Epiphanius", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Paulinus of Aquileia", "St. Peter", "St. Pius", "St. Placid" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 23", "1 Corinthians ix.", "1 Corinthians xi. 3", "1 Corinthians xi. 7", "1 Peter ii. 6", "2 Corinthians v.", "2 Corinthians xi. 2", "2 Corinthians xii. 15", "Acts x. 9", "Acts xii.", "Acts xii. 12", "Acts xii. 14", "Acts xii. 17", "Amos i.", "Canticle of Canticles v. 11", "Colossians i. 24", "Ephesians iv. 12", "Ephesians iv. 13", "Ephesians v. 25", "Ephesians v. 27", "Exodus xxv. 4", "Galatians iv. 22", "Genesis xxii. 14", "Isaias ii. 1", "Isaias xxviii. 16", "John xiii. 1", "John xiv. 6", "John xv. 11", "John xv. 13", "John xv. 14", "John xv. 15", "John xvii. 4", "John xxi.", "John xxi. 15", "Luke vii. 47", "Luke x. 11", "Mark iv. 40", "Matthew c.", "Matthew vii. 24", "Matthew xi. 27", "Matthew xvi. 18", "Matthew xxii. 8", "Matthew xxviii. 18", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Peter i. 14", "Peter l.", "Proverbs ix.", "Proverbs viii. 25", "Proverbs xxx. 1", "Proverbs xxx. 14", "Proverbs xxx. 5", "Psalms cix. 4", "Psalms cxxxviii.", "Psalms l.", "Psalms xcii. 2", "Psalms xliv.", "Psalms xliv. 2", "Psalms xviii. 2", "Psalms xviii. 4", "Romans iv. 18", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JUNE_30", "title": "JUNE 30", "anchor": "june_30", "text": "THE COMMEMORATION OF SAINT PAUL APOSTLE Whereas the Greeks on this day are uniting in one solemnity the memory, as they express it, \"of the illustrious saints, the twelve apostles, worthy of all praise,\"¹ let us follow in spirit the Roman populace, who are gathered around the successor of Peter, and are making the splendid basilica of the Ostian Way re-echo with songs of victory, while he is offering to the Doctor of the Gentiles the grateful homage of the city and of the world. On the twenty-fifth of January we beheld Stephen leading to Christ's crib the once ravenous wolf of Benjamin,² tamed at last, but who in the morning of his impetuous youth had filled the Church of God with tears and bloodshed. His evening did indeed come when, as Jacob had foreseen, Saul, the persecutor, would outstrip all his predecessors among Christ's disciples in giving increase to the fold, and in feeding the flock with the choicest food of his heavenly doctrine.³ By an unexampled privilege, our Lord, though already seated at the right hand of his Father, vouchsafed not only to call, but personally to instruct this new disciple, so that he might one day be numbered amongst his apostles. The ways of God can never be contradictory one to another; hence, this creation of a new apostle may not be accomplished in a manner derogatory to the divine constitution already delivered to the Christian Church by the Son of God. Therefore, as soon as the illustrious convert emerged from those sublime contemplations during which the Christian dogma had been poured into his soul, he went to Jerusalem to see Peter, as he himself relates to his disciples in Galatia. \"It behoved him,\" says Bossuet, \"to collate his own Gospel with that of the prince of the apostles.\" From that moment, aggregated as a co-operator in the preaching of the Gospel, the Acts of the Apostles describes him at Antioch accompanied by Barnabas, presenting himself to the work of opening the Church to the Gentiles, the conversion of Cornelius having been already effected by Peter himself. He passes a whole year in this city, reaping an abundant harvest. After Peter's imprisonment in Jerusalem, at his subsequent departure for Rome, a warning from on high makes known to those who preside over the Church at Antioch, that the moment has come for them to impose hands on the two missionaries, and confer on them the sacred character of Ordination. From that hour Paul attains the full power of an apostle, and it is clear that the mission for which he had been preparing is now opened. At the same time, in St. Luke's narrative, Barnabas almost disappears, retaining but a very secondary position. The new apostle has his own disciples, and he henceforth takes the lead in a long series of peregrinations marked by as many conquests. His first is to Cyprus, where he seals an alliance with ancient Rome, analogous to that which Peter contracted at", "keywords": [ "paul", "gentiles", "peter", "church", "apostle", "christ", "rome", "world", "having", "once", "year", "heaven", "apostles", "doctor", "jesus", "ever", "didst", "roman", "city", "last" ], "saints": [ "St. Asterius of Ameseus", "St. Athanasius", "St. Luke", "St. PAUL", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians xi. 1", "Canticle of Canticles i. 4", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 8", "Colossians ii. 2", "Colossians iii. 3", "Ephesians ii. 12", "Galatians ii. 7", "Genesis xlix. 27", "Isaias lii. 7", "Peter c.", "Psalms xliv. 11", "Romans viii.", "Romans x. 14" ] }, { "vol": 12, "section": "JULY_1", "title": "JULY 1", "anchor": "july_1", "text": "FEAST OF THE MOST PRECIOUS BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST John the Baptist has pointed out the Lamb, Peter has firmly established his throne, Paul has prepared the bride; their joint work, admirable in its unity, at once suggests the reason for their feasts occurring almost simultaneously in the cycle. The alliance being now secured, all three fall into shade; whilst the bride herself, raised up by them to such lofty heights, appears alone before us, holding in her hands the sacred cup of the nuptial-feast. This gives the key of to-day's solemnity, revealing how its appearance in the heavens of the holy liturgy at this particular season is replete with mystery. The Church, it is true, has already made known to the sons of the new covenant, in a much more solemn manner, the price of the Blood that redeemed them, its nutritive strength and the adoring homage which is its due. On Good Friday earth and heaven beheld all sin drowned in the saving stream, whose eternal flood-gates at last gave way beneath the combined effort of man's violence and of the love of the divine Heart. The festival of Corpus Christi witnessed our prostrate worship before the altars whereon is perpetuated the Sacrifice of Calvary, and where the outpouring of the precious Blood affords drink to the humblest little ones, as well as to the mightiest tentates of earth, lowly bowed in adoration before it. How is it, then, that holy Church is now inviting all Christians to hail, in a particular manner, the stream of life ever gushing from the sacred fount? What else can this mean, but that the preceding solemnities have by no means exhausted the mystery? The peace which this Blood has made to reign in the high places as well as in the low; the impetus of its wave bearing back the sons of Adam from the yawning gulf, purified, renewed and dazzling white in the radiance of their heavenly apparel; the sacred Table outspread before them on the waters' brink, and the chalice brimful of inebriation—all this preparation and display would be objectless, all these splendours would be incomprehensible, if man were not brought to see herein the wooings of a love that could never endure its advances to be outdone by the pretensions of any other. Therefore, the Blood of Jesus is set before our eyes at this moment as the Blood of the Testament; the pledge of the alliance proposed to us by God; the dower stipulated by eternal Wisdom for this divine union to which he is inviting all men, and its consummation in our soul which is being urged forward with such vehemence by the Holy Ghost. \"Having therefore, brethren, a confidence in entering into the Holies by the Blood of Christ,\" says the apostle, \"a new and living way which he hath dedicated for us through the veil—that is to say, his flesh—let us draw near with a pure heart in fullness of faith, having", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "lord", "peter", "mary", "blood", "christ", "world", "divine", "faith", "love", "ever", "jesus", "sacred", "life", "blessed", "earth", "apostles", "john", "heaven" ], "saints": [ "St. ANTHONY", "St. Agatho", "St. Ambrose", "St. Anthony", "St. Augustine", "St. Barnabas", "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Charles", "St. Clement", "St. Ephraem", "St. Francis", "St. Francis de Sales", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. Irenæus", "St. JOHN", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. John the Baptist", "St. LEO", "St. Leo", "St. Leo the Great", "St. Luke", "St. Martin", "St. Matt", "St. Nicholas", "St. Paschal", "St. Paul", "St. Paulinus of Aquileia", "St. Peter", "St. Pudentiana", "St. Sophronius", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians i. 18", "1 Corinthians i. 19", "1 Corinthians ii. 14", "1 Corinthians ii. 9", "1 Corinthians vi. 17", "1 Corinthians xii. 11", "1 Kings ii.", "1 Kings ii. 2", "1 Kings ii. 4", "1 Kings iii.", "1 Kings v.", "1 Thessalonians v. 5", "2 Corinthians ii. 17", "2 Corinthians iii. 17", "2 Corinthians v. 14", "2 Corinthians xi. 29", "2 Kings vi.", "2 Timothy ii. 21", "2 Timothy ii. 9", "Acts iv. 32", "Acts xii. 5", "Apocalypse ii. 24", "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Canticle of Canticles i. 6", "Canticle of Canticles ii.", "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 9", "Canticle of Canticles vii. 1", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 6", "Daniel iv. 236", "Daniel iv. 276", "Ecclesiasticus l. 5", "Ecclesiasticus xliii. 12", "Ecclesiasticus xliii. 21", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv.", "Ephesians iii. 19", "Ephesians v. 27", "Ephesians v. 32", "Esther ix. 28", "Esther x. 12", "Exodus xv. 2", "Exodus xv. 20", "Exodus xxiv. 8", "Galatians i. 18", "Genesis ix. 12", "Hebrews c.", "Hebrews iii.", "Hebrews iii. 7", "Hebrews iv. 12", "Hebrews ix.", "Hebrews ix. 20", "Hebrews v.", "Hebrews x. 19", "Isaias lvi. 10", "Isaias xiv. 13", "Isaias xlix. 12", "Jeremias i. 14", "Jeremias xiii. 20", "John c.", "John i.", "John i. 38", "John iv. 11", "John iv. 19", "John iv. 34", "John l.", "John viii.", "John xiv. 7", "John xxi.", "Judges v.", "Judith ix. 11", "Judith xiii. 18", "Luke c.", "Luke i. 39", "Luke v. 4", "Luke v. 5", "Luke xi. 1", "Luke xi. 21", "Luke xxii. 42", "Matthew vi. 22", "Matthew xi.", "Matthew xi. 19", "Matthew xi. 25", "Matthew xix. 6", "Matthew xvii. 23", "Matthew xxviii. 19", "Peter c.", "Peter i.", "Peter li.", "Proverbs xviii. 4", "Proverbs xxi. 28", "Psalms cxxi.", "Psalms cxxxi. 8", "Psalms xciv.", "Psalms xliv.", "Psalms xviii. 2", "Psalms xviii. 6", "Psalms xxx. 21", "Psalms xxxiii. 4", "Romans viii. 21", "Romans xi. 33", "Wisdom l." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "ON HEARING MASS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST 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, you should unite with the intentions which the Church has in this ceremony, so venerable by its antiquity: you should pray for that purity of heart, which is needed for worthily assisting at the mysteries wherein God Himself becomes present and unites heaven and earth so closely together. ANTIPHON OF THE ASPERGES Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor. 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. Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. Ps. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. V. Gloria Patri, &c. V. Glory, &c. Ant. Asperges me, &c. Ant. Thou shalt sprinkle, &c. V. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam; R. Et salutare tuum da nobis. V. Show us, O Lord, thy mercy. R. And grant us thy salvation. V. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. R. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. V. O Lord, hear my prayer. R. And let my cry come unto thee. V. Dominus vobiscum. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. V. The Lord be with you. R. And with thy spirit. OREMUS Exaudi nos, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, aeterne Deus: et mittere digneris sanctum angelum tuum de caelis, qui custodiat, foveat, protegat, visitet, atque defendat, omnes habitantes in hoc habitaculo. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. R. Amen. LET US PRAY Graciously hear us, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: and vouchsafe to send thy holy angel from heaven, who may keep, cherish, protect, visit, and defend all who are assembled in this place. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen. The procession, which in many churches immediately precedes a solemn Mass, is a prelude to the great act which is about to be accomplished. It originated from the monastic practice of going through the cloisters every Sunday chanting certain appointed responsories; while the hebdomadarian went through all the conventual places, blessing each of them. But see, Christians, the Sacrifice begins! The priest is at the foot of the altar; God is attentive, the angels are in adoration, the whole Church is united with the priest, whose priesthood and action are those of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Let us make the sign of the cross with him. THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. V. Introibo ad altare Dei. R. Ad Deum qui laetificat juventutem meam. I unite myself, O my God, with thy holy Church, who thrills with joy at the approach of Jesus", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "amen", "holy", "altar", "domine", "jesus", "father", "deus", "mercy", "divine", "church", "christ", "nobis", "ever", "prayer", "world", "heaven", "glory", "sacrifice" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Corinthians v. 4", "2 Peter i. 4", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Hebrews i. 2", "John c.", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS, FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST THE Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following psalms. For certain feasts some of these psalms are changed for others appropriate to the day; we here give those for Sunday. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ANT. The Lord said. The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. The Son of David shall sit on the right hand of the heavenly Father. He is King; He is priest; He is Son of Man, and Son of God. His enemies will attack Him, but He will crush them. He will be humbled; but this voluntary humiliation will lead Him to the highest glory. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: scabellum pedum tuorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. O 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. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput. ANT. Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. ANT. Magna opera Domini. 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 daystar I begot thee. The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: he hath said, speaking to thee, the God-Man: Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech. Therefore, O 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 coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. He cometh now in humility: he shall drink in the", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "dominus", "domini", "blessed", "israel", "psalm", "domino", "sæculum", "name", "deus", "father", "praise", "glory", "sicut", "amen", "works", "fear", "nomen" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians i.", "Luke i." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous, state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: Jube, domne, benedicere. Pray, father, give me thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. ℟. Amen. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate; quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens, circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch; for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. Then the priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. The choir: ℟. Qui fecit cælum et terram. ℟. Thanks be to God. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 repeats it. The priest, having pronounced the general form of absolution, says: ℣. Converte nos, Deus, salutaris noster. ℟. Et averte iram tuam a nobis. ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, etc. ANT. Miserere. ℣. Convert us, O God, our Saviour. ℟. And turn away thine anger from us. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory, etc. ANT. Have mercy. The first psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace, but the wicked know not what calm rest is. PSALM 4 Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: in tribulatione dilatasti mihi. Miserere mei: et exaudi orationem meam. Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde: ut quid diligitis vanitatem et quæritis mendacium? Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: Dominus exaudiet me cum clamavero ad eum. Irascimini et nolite peccare: quæ dicitis in cordibus vestris, in cubilibus vestris compungimini. Sacrificate sacrificium justitiæ, et sperate in Domino: multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona? Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui Domine: dedisti lætitiam in corde meo. A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: multiplicati sunt. In pace in idipsum: dormiam et requiescam. Quoniam tu, Domine, singulariter in spe: constituisti me. 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "church", "mother", "death", "john", "name", "world", "christ", "amen", "peace", "glory", "seven", "father", "domine", "faith", "sons", "life", "peter", "night" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Benedict", "St. Clare", "St. ELIZABETH", "St. Elizabeth", "St. Felicitas", "St. Ferdinand", "St. Gregory", "St. JOHN", "St. John", "St. Louis", "St. Luke", "St. PIUS", "St. Peter", "St. Pius", "St. Rufina", "St. Saviour", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Galatians iv. 19", "James i.", "Jeremias xiv.", "John l.", "Luke ii.", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "JULY_13", "title": "JULY 13", "anchor": "july_13", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "ST_ANACLETUS", "title": "ST. ANACLETUS", "anchor": "st_anacletus", "text": "POPE AND MARTYR THE name of Anacletus sounds like a lingering echo of the solemnity of June 29. Linus, Clement, and Cletus, the immediate successors of St. Peter, received from his hands the pontifical consecration; Anacletus had a less but still inestimable glory of being ordained priest by the Vicar of the Man-God. Whereas the feasts of most of the martyr Pontiffs who came after him are only of simple rite, that of Anacletus is a semidouble, because of his privilege of being the last Pope honoured by the imposition of hands of the Prince of the Apostles. It was also during his pontificate that the Eternal City had the glory of receiving within its walls the beloved disciple, who had come to fulfil his promise and drink of his Master's chalice. 'O happy Church,' exclaims Tertullian, 'into whose bosom the Apostles poured not only all their teaching, but their very blood; where Peter imitated his Lord's Passion by dying on the cross; where Paul, like John the Baptist, received his crown by means of the sword; whence the Apostle John, after coming forth safe and sound from the boiling oil, was sent to the isle of his banishment.'¹ By the almighty power of the Spirit of Pentecost, the progress of the faith in Rome was proportionate to the bountiful graces of our Lord. Little by little the great Babylon, drunk with the blood of the martyrs, was being transformed into the Holy City. This newborn race, so full of promise for the future, could already reckon among its members representatives of every class of society. Beside the boiling cauldron where the prophet of Patmos did homage to the new Jerusalem ¹ De præscript., xxxvi. by offering within her walls his glorious confession, two consuls, one representing the ancient patrician rank, the other the more modern nobility of the Cæsars, Acilius Glabrio and Flavius Clemens, together fell by the sword of martyrdom. Anacletus adorned the tomb of the Prince of the Apostles, and provided a burialplace for the other Pontiffs. Following his example, the distinguished families of Rome opened galleries for subterranean cemeteries, all along the roads leading to the Imperial City. There rest innumerable soldiers of Christ, victorious by their blood; and there, too, sleep in peace, with the anchor of salvation beside them, the most illustrious names of earth. Anacletus Atheniensis, Trajano imperatore, rexit Ecclesiam. Decrevit ut episcopus a tribus episcopis, neque a paucioribus consecraretur, et Clerici sacris Ordinibus publice a proprio episcopo initiarentur: et ut in Missa, peracta consecratione, omnes communicarent. Beati Petri sepulcrum ornavit, Pontificumque sepulturæ locum attribuit. Fecit ordinationes duas mense Decembri, quibus creavit presbyteros quinque, diaconos tres, episcopos sex. Sedit annos novem, menses tres, dies decem. Martyrio coronatus, sepultus est in Vaticano. Anacletus, an Athenian by birth, governed the Church in the days of the Emperor Trajan. He decreed that a bishop should be consecrated by no fewer than three bishops; that clerics should be publicly admitted to Holy Orders, by their own bishop;", "keywords": [ "anacletus", "peter", "pontiffs", "apostles", "three", "prince", "city", "church", "blood", "rome", "holy", "among", "pope", "martyr", "name", "cletus", "received", "hands", "consecration", "glory" ], "saints": [ "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "JULY_14", "title": "JULY 14", "anchor": "july_14", "text": "SAINT BONAVENTURE CARDINAL AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH FOUR months after the Angel of the Schools, the Seraphic Doctor appears in the heavens. Bound by the ties of love when on earth, the two are now united for ever before the throne of God. Bonaventure's own words will show us how great a right they both had to the heavenly titles bestowed upon them by the admiring gratitude of men. As there are three hierarchies of angels in heaven, so on earth there are three classes of the elect. The Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones, who form the first hierarchy, represent those who approach nearest to God by contemplation, and who differ among themselves according to the intensity of their love, the plenitude of their science, and the steadfastness of their justice; to the Dominations, Virtues, and Powers, correspond the prelates and princes; and lastly, the lowest choirs signify the various ranks of the faithful engaged in the active life. This is the triple division of men, which, according to St. Luke, will be made at the last day: Two shall be in the bed, two in the field, two at the mill; that is to say, in the repose of divine delights, in the field of government, at the mill of this life's toil. As regards the two mentioned in each place, we may remark that in Isaias the Seraphim, who are more closely united to God than the rest, perform two by two their ministry of sacrifice and praise; for it is with the angel as with man; the fulness of love, which belongs especially to the Seraphim, cannot be without the fulfilment of the double precept of charity towards God and one's neighbour. Again, our Lord sent His disciples two and two before His face; and in Genesis we find God sending two angels where one would have sufficed.¹ It is better, therefore, says Ecclesiastes, that two should be together than one; for they have the advantage of their society.² Such is the teaching of Bonaventure in his book on the Hierarchy,³ wherein he shows us the secret workings of Eternal Wisdom for the salvation of the world and the sanctification of the elect. It would be impossible to understand aright the history of the thirteenth century were we to forget the prophetic vision, wherein our Lady was seen presenting to her offended Son His two servants, Dominic and Francis, that they might by their powerful union, bring back to Him the wandering human race. What a spectacle for angels when, on the morrow of the apparition, the two saints met and embraced: 'Thou art my companion, we will run side by side,' said the descendant of the Guzmans to the poor man of Assisi; 'let us keep together, and no man will be able to prevail against us.' These words might well have been the motto of their noble sons, Thomas and Bonaventure. The star which shone over the head of St. Dominic shed its bright rays", "keywords": [ "love", "holy", "life", "world", "bonaventure", "church", "carmel", "wisdom", "order", "ever", "without", "divine", "blessed", "science", "earth", "mother", "name", "didst", "christ", "light" ], "saints": [ "St. Anselm", "St. Antoninus", "St. BONAVENTURE", "St. Benedict", "St. Berthold", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Boniface", "St. Clotilde", "St. Cunigund", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. HENRY", "St. Henry", "St. Luke", "St. Peter", "St. Simon", "St. Thomas", "St. Vannes" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xi. 3", "Canticle of Canticles iii. 9", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 3", "Canticle of Canticles vii. 5", "Ecclesiastes iv. 9", "Genesis xix. 1", "Hebrews xi. 38", "Jeremias ii. 2", "Jeremias xxxv. 19", "Job xxxvii. 16", "John xxii.", "Judges v. 21", "Judith xv. 10", "Osee i. 11", "Proverbs ix. 10", "Proverbs ix. 9", "Proverbs viii. 15", "Psalms xxi. 28", "Wisdom vii." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "JULY_17", "title": "JULY 17", "anchor": "july_17", "text": "SAINT ALEXIUS CONFESSOR Although we are not commanded to follow the saints to the extremities where their heroic virtue leads them, nevertheless, from their inaccessible heights, they still guide us along the easier paths of the plain. As the eagle upon the orb of day, they fixed their unflinching gaze upon the Sun of Justice; and, irresistibly attracted by His divine splendour, they poised their flight far above the cloudy region where we are glad to screen our feeble eyes. But however varied be the degrees of brightness for them and for us, the light itself is unchangeable, provided that, like them, we draw it from the authentic source. When the weakness of our sight would lead us to mistake false glimmerings for the truth, let us think of these friends of God; if we have not courage enough to imitate them, where the commandments leave us free to do so or not, let us at least conform our judgments and appreciations to theirs: their view is more trustworthy, because farther reaching; their sanctity is nothing but the rectitude wherewith they follow up unflinchingly, even to its central focus, the heavenly ray, whereof we can scarcely bear a tempered reflection. Above all, let us not be led so far astray by the will-o'-the-wisps of this world of darkness as to wish to direct, by their false light, the actions of the saints: can the owl judge better of the light than the eagle? Descending from the pure firmament of the holy liturgy even to the humblest conditions of Christian life, the light which led Alexius to the highest point of detachment is thus subdued by the apostle to the capacity of all: 'If any man take a wife, he hath not sinned, nor the virgin whom he marrieth; nevertheless, such shall have tribulation of the flesh, which I would fain spare you. This, therefore, I say, brethren: the time is short; it remaineth, therefore, that they also who have wives, be as if they had none; and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use this world, as if they used it not; for the fashion of this world passeth away.'³ Yet it passes not too quickly for our Lord to show that His words never pass away. Five centuries after the glorious death of Alexius, the eternal God, to whom distance and time are as nothing, gave him a hundredfold the posterity he had renounced for the love of Him. The monastery on the Aventine, which still bears his name together with that of the martyr Boniface, had become the common patrimony of East and West in the Eternal City; the two great monastic families of Basil and Benedict united under the roof of Alexius, and the seed taken from the tomb by the monk-bishop St. Adalbert brought forth the fruit of faith among the Northern nations.", "keywords": [ "alexius", "light", "world", "virgin", "therefore", "left", "follow", "saints", "nevertheless", "eagle", "above", "false", "nothing", "holy", "wife", "short", "though", "away", "eternal", "love" ], "saints": [ "St. ALEXIUS", "St. Adalbert" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 28" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "JULY_19", "title": "JULY 19", "anchor": "july_19", "text": "SAINT VINCENT DE PAUL CONFESSOR Vincent was a man of faith that worketh by charity.¹ At the time he came into the world—viz., at the close of the same century in which Calvin was born—the Church was mourning over many nations separated from the faith; the Turks were harassing all the coasts of the Mediterranean. France, worn out by forty years of religious strife, was shaking off the yoke of heresy from within, while by a foolish stroke of policy she gave it external liberty. The Eastern and Northern frontiers were suffering the most terrible devastations, and the West and centre were the scene of civil strife and anarchy. In this state of confusion, the condition of souls was still more lamentable. In the towns alone was there any sort of quiet, any possibility of prayer. The country people, forgotten, sacrificed, subject to the utmost miseries, had none to support and direct them but a clergy too often abandoned by their bishops, unworthy of the ministry, and wellnigh as ignorant as their flocks. Vincent was raised up by the Holy Spirit to obviate all these evils. The world admires the works of the humble shepherd of Buglose, but it knows not the secret of their vitality. Philanthropy would imitate them; but its establishments of to-day are destroyed to-morrow, like castles built by children in the sand, while the institution it would fain supersede remains strong and unchanged, the only one capable of meeting the necessities of suffering humanity. The reason of this is not far to seek: faith alone can understand the mystery of suffering, having penetrated its secret in the Passion of our Lord; and charity that would be stable must be founded on faith. Vincent loved the poor because he loved the God whom his faith beheld in them. 'O God!' he used to say, 'it does us good to see the poor, if we look at them in the light of God, and think of the high esteem in which Jesus Christ holds them. Often enough they have scarcely the appearance or the intelligence of reasonable beings, so rude and so earthly are they. But look at them by the light of faith, and you will see that they represent the Son of God, who chose to be poor; He in His Passion had scarcely the appearance of a man; He seemed to the Gentiles to be a fool, and to the Jews a stumbling-block, moreover He calls Himself the evangelist of the poor: evangelizare pauperibus misit me.'² This title of evangelist of the poor is the one that Vincent desired for himself, the starting-point and the explanation of all that he did in the Church. His one aim was to labour for the poor and the outcast; all the rest, he said, was but secondary. And he added, speaking to his sons of St. Lazare: 'We should never have laboured for the candidates for priesthood, nor in the ecclesiastical seminaries, had we not deemed it necessary,", "keywords": [ "charity", "love", "vincent", "holy", "divine", "heaven", "lord", "poor", "life", "faith", "didst", "christ", "father", "world", "children", "soul", "earth", "sick", "church", "spirit" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. CAMILLUS", "St. Camillus", "St. Francis de Sales", "St. Genevieve", "St. JEROME", "St. John", "St. Lazare", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Philip", "St. VINCENT", "St. Vincent de Paul" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy vi. 11", "Galatians v. 6", "Hebrews xi. 13", "John c.", "Luke iv. 18", "Matthew xxv. 36", "Peter c.", "Philippians ii. 5", "Proverbs xi. 3", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "ST_SYMPHOROSA_AND_HER_SEVEN_SONS", "title": "ST. SYMPHOROSA AND HER SEVEN SONS", "anchor": "st_symphorosa_and_her_seven_sons", "text": "MARTYRS For the second time in July a constellation of seven stars shines in the heavens. More fortunate than Felicitas, Symphorosa preceded in the arena the seven sons she was offering to God. From the throne where he was already reigning crowned with the martyr's diadem, Getulius the tribune, father of this illustrious family, applauded the combat whereby his race earned a far greater nobility than that of patrician blood, and gave to Rome a grander glory than was ever dreamed of by her heroes and poets. The Emperor Adrian, corrupt yet brilliant, sceptical yet superstitious, like the society around him, presided in person at the defeat of his gods. Threatening to burn the valiant woman in sacrifice to the idols, he received this courageous answer: 'Thy gods cannot receive me in sacrifice; but if thou burn me and my sons for the name of Christ, my God, I shall cause thy demons to burn with more cruel flames!' The execution of the mother and her sons was, indeed, the signal for a period of peace, during which the Kingdom of our Lord was considerably extended. Jerusalem, having under the leadership of a last false Messias revolted against Rome, was punished by being deprived of her very name; but the Church received the glory which the Synagogue once possessed when she produced the mother of the Machabees. Another glory was reserved for this eighteenth day of July, in the year 1870: the Œcumenical Council of the Vatican, presided over by the immortal Pius IX, defined in its constitution, Pastor Æternus, the full, supreme, and immediate power of the Roman Pontiff over all the Churches, and pronounced anathema against all who should refuse to recognize the personal infallibility of the same Roman Pontiff, speaking ex cathedra—i.e., defining, as universal pastor, any doctrine concerning faith or morals. We may also remark that during these same days—viz., on a Sunday in the middle of July—the Greeks make a commemoration of the first six general councils: Nicæa, Constantinople, Ephesus, Chalcedon, and the second and third of Constantinople. Thus, during these midsummer days, we are in the midst of feasts of heavenly light; and let us not forget that it is martyrdom, the supreme act of faith, that merits and produces light. Doubtless, Divine Wisdom, who plays in the world with number, weight, and measure, planned the beautiful coincidence which unites these two days, July 18, 136, and July 18, 1870. If in these latter days the word of God has been set free, it is owing to the bloodshed by our fathers in its defence. The liturgy gives but a very short account of the immortal combat which glorifies this day: Symphorosa Tiburtina, Getulii martyris uxor, ex eo septem filios peperit, Crescentium, Julianum, Nemesium, Primitivum, Justinum, Stacteum, et Eugenium: qui omnes propter Christianæ fidei professionem una cum matre, Adriano imperatore comprehensi sunt. Quorum pietas multis variisque tentata suppliciis, cum stabilis permaneret, mater, quæ filiis fidei magistra fuerat, dux eisdem ad martyrium exstitit. Nam saxo", "keywords": [ "lord", "church", "christ", "anne", "faith", "holy", "world", "blessed", "mother", "mary", "divine", "didst", "love", "glory", "earth", "feast", "heaven", "whose", "ever", "virgin" ], "saints": [ "St. ANNE", "St. APOLLINARIS", "St. Ambrose", "St. Anne", "St. Augustine", "St. Bernard", "St. Bridget of Sweden", "St. CHRISTINA", "St. Christopher", "St. Cyril of Alexandria", "St. Frances of Rome", "St. George", "St. Gertrude", "St. Gertrude the Great", "St. Gregory", "St. INNOCENT", "St. JAMES", "St. James", "St. James the Great", "St. Jerome", "St. Joachim", "St. John", "St. Jude", "St. Louis", "St. Luke", "St. MARGARET", "St. MARY", "St. Magdalen", "St. Margaret", "St. Martha", "St. Martin", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Maximin", "St. PANTALEON", "St. PRAXEDES", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Pius", "St. Sabbas" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xv. 10", "1 Peter v. 1", "2 Corinthians ii. 15", "2 Corinthians v. 21", "2 Corinthians xii. 11", "Colossians iii. 1", "Ephesians iii. 17", "Ezechiel xvi. 14", "Galatians v. 6", "Jeremias xxxi. 22", "John i.", "John xx. 17", "John xx. 18", "Judges xiv. 14", "Judges xiv. 18", "Luke vii. 37", "Luke x. 42", "Luke xxii. 24", "Matthew v. 13", "Matthew x. 36", "Matthew xxii. 2", "Numbers xxiv. 17", "Osee xi. 4", "Peter c.", "Proverbs xxxi. 10", "Psalms cxxxviii. 17", "Psalms lxxxvi. 1", "Psalms xxi. 23", "Wisdom c.", "Wisdom iii. 6", "Zacharias xii. 6" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "JULY_29", "title": "JULY 29", "anchor": "july_29", "text": "SAINT MARTHA VIRGIN Magdalen this time was the first to meet our Lord. Scarce a week had elapsed since her glorious passage, when she repaid her sister's former kind office, and came in her turn saying: 'The Beloved is here and calleth for thee.' And Jesus preventing her, appeared Himself and said: 'Come, my hostess; come from exile, thou shalt be crowned.' Hostess of the Lord, then, is to be Martha's title of nobility in heaven, as it was her privileged name on earth. Into whatever city or town you shall enter, said the Man-God to His disciples, inquire who in it is worthy, and there abide.¹ Now St. Luke relates that as they went, our Lord Himself entered into a certain town, and a certain woman named Martha received Him into her house.² How could we give greater praise to Magdalen's sister than by bringing together these two texts of the holy Gospel? This certain town, where she was found worthy to give Jesus a lodging, this village, says St. Bernard, 'is our lowly earth, hidden like an obscure borough in the immensity of our Lord's possessions. The Son of God had come down from heaven to seek the lost sheep; He had come into the world He had made, and the world knew Him not; Israel, His own people, had not given Him so much as a stone whereon to lay His head, and had left Him in His thirst to beg water from the Samaritan. We, the Gentiles, whom He was thus seeking amid contradictions and fatigues, ought we not, like Him, to show our gratitude to her who, braving present unpopularity and future persecution, paid our debt to Him? Glory, then, be to this daughter of Sion, of royal descent, who, faithful to the traditions of hospitality handed down from the patriarchs and early fathers, was blessed more than all of them in the exercise of this noble virtue! These ancestors of our faith, pilgrims themselves and without fixed habitation, knew more or less obscurely that the Desired of Israel and the Expectation of the nations was to appear as a wayfarer and a stranger on earth; and they honoured the future Saviour in the person of every stranger that presented himself at their tent door; just as we, their sons, in the faith of the same promises now accomplished, honour Christ in the guest whom His goodness sends us. This relation between Him that was to come and the pilgrim seeking shelter made hospitality the most honoured handmaid of divine charity. More than once did God show his approval by allowing angels to be entertained in human form. If such heavenly visitations were an honour of which our earth was not worthy, how much greater was Martha's privilege in rendering hospitality to the Lord of angels! If before the coming of Christ it was a great thing to honour Him in those who prefigured Him, and if now to shelter and serve Him in His", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "chains", "lord", "heaven", "martha", "peter", "christ", "life", "jesus", "world", "ever", "earth", "faith", "received", "ignatius", "glory", "once", "love", "rome" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. Francis", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. IGNATIUS", "St. Ignatius", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. MARTHA", "St. Matt", "St. Michael", "St. PETER", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Philip", "St. Pius" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy iii. 13", "Hebrews vi. 10", "Job v. 26", "John c.", "John i. 12", "John v. 4", "John xi. 5", "Luke x. 38", "Matthew x. 11", "Matthew xxiv. 46", "Numbers xiii. 34", "Romans xii. 3", "Romans xii. 4" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_2", "title": "AUGUST 2", "anchor": "august_2", "text": "SAINT ALPHONSUS MARY LIGUORI BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH Yesterday we admired, in Peter and the Machabees, the substructure of the palace built by Wisdom in time to endure for eternity. To-day, in conformity with the divine ways of that Wisdom, who in her playing reaches from end to end, we are suffered to contemplate the progress of the glorious building, to behold the summit of the work, the last row of stones actually laid. Now, summit and foundation, the work is all one; the materials are all priceless: witness the diamond of fine water which displays its lustre to-day. To this great saint, great both in works and in doctrine, are directly applied these words of the Holy Ghost: They that instruct many to justice shall shine as stars for all eternity.¹ At the time he appeared an odious sect was denying the mercy and the sweetness of our heavenly Father; it triumphed in the practical conduct of even those who were shocked by its Calvinistic theories. Under pretext of a reaction against an imaginary school of laxity, and denouncing with much ado some erroneous propositions made by obscure persons, the new Pharisees had set themselves up as zealous for the law. Stretching the commandments, and exaggerating the sanction, they loaded the conscience with the same unbearable burdens which the Man-God reproached the ancient Pharisees with laying on the shoulders of men; but the cry of alarm they had raised in the name of endangered morals had none the less deceived the simple, and ended by misleading even the best. Thanks to the show of austerity displayed by its adherents, Jansenism, so clever in veiling its teachings, had too well succeeded in its designs of forcing itself upon the Church in spite of the Church. Unsuspecting allies within the Holy City gave up to its mercy the sources of salvation. Soon in too many places the sacred keys were used but to open hell; the Holy Table, spread for the preservation and increase of life in all, became accessible only to the perfect; and these latter were esteemed such, according as, by a strange reversion of the apostle's words, they subjected the spirit of adoption of sons to the spirit of servitude and fear. As to the faithful, who did not rise to the height of this new asceticism, 'finding in the tribunal of penance, instead of fathers and physicians, only exactors and executioners,' they had but to choose between despair and indifference. Everywhere legislatures and parliaments lent a hand to the so-called reformers, without heeding the flood of odious unbelief that was rising around them, without seeing the gathering storm-clouds. Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men, for you yourselves do not enter in; and those that are going in, you suffer not to enter. . . . Wo to you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites: because you go round about the sea and the land to make one", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "life", "lord", "love", "once", "blessed", "alphonsus", "wisdom", "never", "against", "sacred", "fear", "didst", "saint", "doctor", "divine", "mercy", "father", "name" ], "saints": [ "St. ALPHONSUS", "St. Agatha", "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Austin", "St. Francis", "St. Gregory", "St. Jerome" ], "scripture": [ "Colossians i. 12", "Daniel xii. 3", "Genesis iv. 13", "Psalms xviii. 8", "Psalms xxxix. 11", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_3", "title": "AUGUST 3", "anchor": "august_3", "text": "FINDING OF SAINT STEPHEN PROTOMARTYR Urged by the approach of Laurence's triumph, Stephen rises to assist at his combat; it is a meeting full of beauty and strength, revealing the work of eternal Wisdom in the arrangement of the sacred cycle. But the present feast has other teachings also to offer us. The first resurrection, of which we spoke above, continues for the saints. After Nazarius and Celsus, and all the martyrs whom the victory of Christ has shown to be partakers of His glory according to the divine promise, the standard-bearer of the white-robed army himself rises glorious from his tomb to lead the way for new triumphs. The fierce auxiliaries of God's anger against idolatrous Rome, after reducing the false gods to powder, must in their turn be subjugated; and this second victory will be the work of the martyrs aiding the Church by their miracles, as the first was that of their faith despising death and tortures. The received method of writing history in our days ignores such considerations; that is no reason why we should follow the fashion; the exactitude of its data, on which the science of this age plumes itself, is but one more proof that falsehood is as easily nurtured by omissions as by positive misstatements. Now the more profound the present silence on the question, the more certain it is that the very years which beheld the barbarians invading and overturning the empire were signalized by an effusion of virtue from on high, comparable in more than one respect to that which marked the times of the apostolic preaching. Nothing less was required to reassure the faithful on the one hand, and on the other to inspire with respect for the Church these brutal invaders, who knew no right but might, and felt nothing but disdain for the race they had conquered. The divine intention in surrounding the fall of Rome in 410 with discoveries of saints' bodies was clearly manifested in the most important of these discoveries, the one we celebrate to-day. The year 415 had opened. Italy, Gaul, and Spain were being invaded; Africa was about to share their fate. Amidst the universal ruin the Christians, in whom alone resided the hope of the world, put up their petitions at every sanctuary to obtain at least, according to the expression of the Spanish priest Avitus, 'that the Lord would inspire with gentleness those whom He suffered to prevail.' It was then that took place that marvellous revelation which the severe critic Tillemont, convinced by the testimony of all the chronicles, histories, letters, and discourses of the time,² allows to be 'one of the most celebrated events of the fifth century.' Through the intermediary of the priest Lucian, John, Bishop of Jerusalem, received from St. Stephen the first martyr and his companions in the tomb a message couched in these terms: 'Make haste to open our sepulchre, that by our means God may open to the world the door of His", "keywords": [ "stephen", "christ", "gamaliel", "tomb", "death", "dead", "sacred", "rome", "bodies", "world", "priest", "lucian", "jerusalem", "stephani", "protomartyr", "laurence", "work", "church", "history", "opened" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Laurence the Martyr", "St. STEPHEN", "St. Stephen", "St. Stephen the Protomartyr" ], "scripture": [ "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_4", "title": "AUGUST 4", "anchor": "august_4", "text": "SAINT DOMINIC CONFESSOR In that clime Where springs the pleasant west wind to unfold The fresh leaves, with which Europe sees herself New-garmented; nor from those billows far, Beyond whose chiding, after weary course, The sun doth sometimes hide him; safe abides The happy Callaroga, under guard Of the great shield, wherein the lion lies Subjected and supreme. And there was born The loving minion of the Christian faith, The hallowed wrestler, gentle to his own, And to his enemies terrible. So replete His soul with lively virtue, that when first Created, even in the mother's womb, It prophesied. When, at the sacred font, The spousals were complete 'twixt faith and him, Where pledge of mutual safety was exchanged, The dame, who was his surety, in her sleep Beheld the wondrous fruit, that was from him And from his heirs to issue. And that such He might be construed, as indeed he was, She was inspired to name him of his owner, Whose he was wholly; and so called him Dominic. O happy father! Felix rightly named. O favoured mother! rightly named Joanna; If that do mean as men interpret it.¹ Then, with sage doctrine and goodwill to help, Forth on his great apostleship he fared, Like torrent bursting from a lofty vein; And dashing 'gainst the stocks of heresy, Smote fiercest, where resistance was most stout. Thence many rivulets have since been turned, Over the garden Catholic to lead Their living waters, and have fed its plants.² ¹ Dominic, belonging to the Lord; Felix, happy; Joanna, grace. ² Dante, Divina Commedia, Paradiso, xii. (Cary's translation). This eulogium, truly worthy of heaven, is placed by Dante, in his 'Paradiso,' on the lips of the most illustrious son of the poor man of Assisi. In the great poet's journey through the upper world, it was fitting that Bonaventure should extol the patriarch of the Preachers as in the preceding canto Thomas Aquinas, Dominic's son, had celebrated the father of the family humbly girt with the cord. The Providence that governeth the world, In depth of counsel by created ken Unfathomable, to the end that she, Who with loud cries was spoused in precious Blood, Might keep her footing towards her well-beloved, Safe in herself and constant unto him, Hath two ordained, who should on either hand In chief escort her: one, seraphic all In fervency; for wisdom upon earth, The other, splendour of cherubic light.³ O Wisdom of the Father, thou wast the one love of both; Francis' poverty, the true treasure of the soul, and Dominic's faith, the incomparable light of our exile, are but two aspects of Thee from below, expressing to us, in our time of trial and shadow, Thy adorable beauty. Speaking with no less profoundness and with greater authority, the immortal pontiff Gregory IX says: 'The Fountain of Wisdom, the Word of the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ, whose nature is goodness, whose work is mercy, does not abandon in the course of ages the vine", "keywords": [ "dominic", "world", "order", "preachers", "word", "faith", "wisdom", "church", "holy", "father", "family", "light", "whose", "name", "lord", "science", "years", "mother", "waters", "heaven" ], "saints": [ "St. Catherine of Siena", "St. DOMINIC", "St. Dominic", "St. James", "St. Nicholas", "St. Romanus", "St. Sabina", "St. Sixtus" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse li.", "Matthew v. 8", "Psalms xc. 6", "Wisdom i." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_5", "title": "AUGUST 5", "anchor": "august_5", "text": "OUR LADY OF THE SNOW Rome, delivered from slavery by Peter on the first of this month, offers to the world a wonderful spectacle. O Wisdom, who, since the glorious Pentecost, hast spread over the whole world, where could it be more true to sing of thee that thou hast trodden the proud heights under thy victorious feet? On seven hills had pagan Rome set up her pageantry and built temples to her false gods; seven churches now appear at the summits on which purified Rome rests her now truly eternal foundations. By their very site, the basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, of St. Laurence and St. Sebastian, placed at the four outer angles of the city of the Cæsars, recall the long siege continued for three centuries around the ancient Rome, while the new Rome was being founded. Helena and her son Constantine, recommencing the work of the foundations of the Holy City, carried the trenches further out; nevertheless, the churches which were their own peculiar work—viz., Holy Cross in Jerusalem, and St. Saviour's on the Lateran, are still at the very entrance of the pagan stronghold, close to the gates, and leaning against the ramparts; just as a soldier, setting foot within a tremendous fortress which has been long invested, advances cautiously, surveying both the breach through which he has just passed, and the labyrinth of unknown paths opening before him. Who will plant the standard of Sion in the centre of Babylon? Who will force the enemy into his last retreat, and casting out the vain idols, set up his palace in their temples? O thou to whom was said this word of the Most High: Thou art My Son, I will give thee the Gentiles for thy inheritance, thou mighty One with thy sharp arrows routing armies, listen to the cry re-echoing from the whole redeemed world: With thy comeliness and thy beauty set out, proceed prosperously, and reign! But the Son of the Most High has a Mother on earth; the song of the Psalmist inviting Him to the triumph extols also the Queen standing at His right hand in a vesture of gold; if it is from His Father that He holds His power, it is from His Mother that He receives His crown, and He leaves her in return the spoils of the mighty. Go forth, then, ye daughters of the new Sion, and behold King Solomon in the diadem wherewith his Mother crowned him on the joyful day, when, taking possession through her of the capital of the world, he espoused the Gentile race. Truly that was a day of joy, when Mary, in the name of Jesus, claimed her right as sovereign and heiress of the Roman soil! To the East, at the highest point of the Eternal City, she appeared on that blessed morning literally like the rising dawn; beautiful as the moon shining by night; more powerful than the August sun, surprised to see her tempering his", "keywords": [ "mary", "rome", "mother", "snow", "basilica", "world", "lady", "holy", "church", "churches", "august", "feast", "whole", "city", "within", "earth", "blessed", "whose", "esquiline", "place" ], "saints": [ "St. Dominic", "St. Laurence", "St. Luke", "St. Mary", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Pius", "St. Saviour", "St. Sebastian", "St. Sylvester" ], "scripture": [ "Job xxxviii. 22" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_6", "title": "AUGUST 6", "anchor": "august_6", "text": "TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD 'O God, who in the glorious Transfiguration of Thine only-begotten Son, didst confirm the mysteries of the faith by the testimony of the fathers: and who, in the voice which came from the bright cloud, didst in a wonderful manner fore-signify our adoption as sons: mercifully vouchsafe to make us fellow-heirs of that King of glory, and the sharers of His bliss.' Such is the formula which sums up the prayer of the Church and shows us her thoughts on this day of attestation and of hope. We must first notice that the glorious Transfiguration has already been twice brought before us on the sacred cycle—viz., on the second Sunday of Lent, and on the preceding Saturday. What does this mean, but that the object of the present solemnity is not so much the historical fact already known, as the permanent mystery attached to it; not so much the personal favour bestowed on Simon Peter and the sons of Zebedee, as the accomplishment of the great message then entrusted to them for the Church? *Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of Man be risen from the dead.*¹ The Church, born from the open side of the Man-God on the Cross, was not to behold Him face to face on earth; after His Resurrection, when He had sealed His alliance with her in the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, it is on faith alone that her love was to be fed. But by the testimony which takes the place of sight, her lawful desires to know Him were to be satisfied. Wherefore, for her sake, giving truce, one day of His mortal life, to the ordinary law of suffering and obscurity He had taken upon Him for the world's salvation, He allowed the glory which filled His blessed soul to transpire. ¹ St. Matt. xvii. 9. The King of Jews and Gentiles revealed Himself upon the mountain, where His calm splendour eclipsed for evermore the lightnings of Sinai; the covenant of the eternal alliance was declared, not by the promulgation of a law of servitude engraven upon stone, but by the manifestation of the Lawgiver Himself, coming as Bridegroom to reign in grace and beauty over hearts. Elias and Moses, representing the prophets and the Law whereby His coming was prepared, from their different starting-points, met beside Him like faithful messengers reaching their destination; they did homage to the Master of their now finished mission, and effaced themselves before Him at the voice of the Father: *This is My beloved Son!* Three witnesses the most trustworthy of all assisted at this solemn scene: the disciple of faith, the disciple of love, and that other son of thunder who was to be the first to seal with his blood both the faith and the love of an apostle. By His order they kept religiously, as beseemed them, the secret of the King, until the day when the Church could be the first to receive", "keywords": [ "christ", "glory", "lord", "holy", "father", "earth", "transfiguration", "church", "light", "feast", "sixtus", "mystery", "heaven", "divine", "king", "love", "life", "word", "voice", "world" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Andrew of Crete", "St. Cyprian", "St. Dominic", "St. John", "St. Laurence", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Nicholas", "St. Paul", "St. Pius", "St. SIXTUS", "St. Sixtus", "St. Thomas", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 John iii. 2", "2 Corinthians iii. 18", "2 Corinthians iv. 6", "Isaias lx. 1", "Matthew xvii. 2", "Matthew xvii. 9", "Matthew xxvi. 29", "Psalms xliv. 2", "Wisdom i.", "Wisdom vii. 26" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_7", "title": "AUGUST 7", "anchor": "august_7", "text": "SAINT CAJETAN OF TIENE CONFESSOR Cajetan appeared in all his zeal for the sanctuary at the time when the false reform was spreading rebellion throughout the world. The great cause of the danger had been the incapacity of the guardians of the Holy City, or their connivance by complicity of heart or of mind with pagan doctrines and manners introduced by an ill-advised revival. Wasted by the wild boar of the forest, could the vineyard of the Lord recover the fertility of its better days? Cajetan learned from eternal Wisdom the new method of culture required by an exhausted soil. The urgent need of those unfortunate times was that the clergy should be raised up again by worthy life, zeal, and knowledge. For this object men were required who, being clerks themselves in the full acceptation of the word, with all the obligations it involves, should be to the members of the holy hierarchy a permanent model of its primitive perfection, a supplement to their shortcomings, and a leaven, little by little raising the whole mass. But where, save in the life of the counsels with the stability of its three vows, could be found the impulse, the power, and the permanence necessary for such an enterprise? The inexhaustible fecundity of the religious life was no more wanting in the Church in those days of decadence than in the periods of her glory. After the monks, turning to God in their solitudes and drawing down light and love upon the earth seemingly so forgotten by them; after the mendicant Orders, keeping up in the midst of the world their claustral habits of life and the austerity of the desert: the Regular Clerks entered upon the battlefield, where by their position in the fight, their exterior manners of life, their very dress, they were to mingle with the ranks of the secular clergy; just as a few veterans are sent into the midst of a wavering troop, to act upon the rest by word and example and dash. Like the initiators of the great ancient forms of religious life, Cajetan was the patriarch of the Regular Clerks. Under this name, Clement VII, by a brief dated June 24, 1524, approved the institute he had founded that very year in concert with the Bishop of Chieti, from whom the new religious were also called Theatines. Soon the Barnabites, the Society of Jesus, the Somaschans of St. Jerome Emilian, the Regular Clerks Minor of St. Francis Caracciolo, the Regular Clerks Ministering to the Sick, the Regular Clerks of the Pious Schools, the Regular Clerks of the Mother of God, and others, hastened to follow in the track, and proved that the Church is ever beautiful, ever worthy of her Spouse; while the accusation of barrenness, hurled against her by heresy, rebounded upon the thrower. Cajetan began and carried forward his reform chiefly by means of detachment from riches, the love of which had caused many evils in the Church. The Theatines offered to", "keywords": [ "life", "holy", "clerks", "cajetan", "regular", "church", "rome", "lord", "zeal", "word", "founded", "world", "love", "bishop", "called", "ever", "prayer", "cyriacus", "saint", "days" ], "saints": [ "St. CAJETAN", "St. Francis", "St. Jerome", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Peter c." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_9", "title": "AUGUST 9", "anchor": "august_9", "text": "VIGIL OF SAINT LAURENCE SAINT ROMANUS, MARTYR *Fear not, My servant, for I am with thee, saith the Lord. If thou pass through fire, the flame shall not hurt thee, and the odour of fire shall not be in thee. I will deliver thee out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem thee out of the hand of the mighty.* It was the hour of combat; and Wisdom, more powerful than flame, was calling upon Laurence to win the laurels of victory presaged by his very name. The three days since the death of Sixtus had passed at length, and the deacon's exile was about to close: he was soon to stand beside his pontiff at the altar in heaven, and never more to be separated from him. But before going to perform his office as deacon in the eternal sacrifice, he must on this earth, where the seeds of eternity are sown, give proof of the brave faithfulness which becomes a Levite of the law of love. Laurence was ready. He had said to Sixtus: 'Try the fidelity of the minister to whom thou didst intrust the dispensation of the Blood of our Lord.' He had now, according to the pontiff's wish, distributed to the poor the treasures of the Church; as the chants of the liturgy tell us on this very morning. But he knew that *if a man should give all the substance of his house for love, he shall despise it as nothing,*² and he longed to give himself as well. Overflowing with joy in his generosity he hailed the holocaust, whose sweet perfume he seemed already to perceive rising up to heaven. And well might he have sung the offertory of this Vigil's Mass: 'My prayer is pure, and therefore I ask that a place be given to my voice in heaven: for my judge is there, and He that knoweth my conscience is on high: let my prayer ascend to the Lord.'³ Sublime prayer of the just man which pierces the clouds! Even now we can say with the Church: *His seed shall be mighty upon earth,* the seed of new Christians sprung from the blood of martyrdom; for to-day we greet the firstfruits thereof in the person of Romanus, the neophyte whom his first torments won to Christ, and who preceded him to heaven. Let us, with the Church, unite the soldier and the deacon in our prayers: PRAYER Adesto, Domine, supplicationibus nostris: et, intercessione beati Laurentii, martyris tui, cujus prævenimus festivitatem, perpetuam nobis misericordiam benignus impende. Per Dominum. Attend, O Lord, to our supplications, and by the intercession of blessed Laurence, Thy martyr, whose festival we anticipate, graciously extend to us perpetual mercy. Through our Lord, etc. PRAYER Præsta, quæsumus, omnipotens Deus: ut, intercedente beato Romano, martyre tuo, et a cunctis adversitatibus liberemur in corpore, et a pravis cogitationibus mundemur in mente. Per Dominum. Grant, we beseech Thee, O Almighty God, that by the intercession of blessed Romanus, Thy", "keywords": [ "lord", "prayer", "laurence", "heaven", "romanus", "martyr", "deacon", "church", "vigil", "saint", "fire", "flame", "hand", "mighty", "sixtus", "pontiff", "earth", "love", "blood", "whose" ], "saints": [ "St. LAURENCE", "St. Matt", "St. ROMANUS" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy v. 17", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 7", "Job xvi.", "Matthew vi. 31", "Matthew vi. 33", "Psalms cxi.", "Psalms xv. 5" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_10", "title": "AUGUST 10", "anchor": "august_10", "text": "SAINT LAURENCE DEACON AND MARTYR Once the mother of false gods, but now the bride of Christ, O Rome, it is through Laurence thou art victorious! Thou hast conquered haughty monarchs and subjected nations to thine empire; but though thou hadst overcome barbarism, thy glory was incomplete till thou hadst vanquished the unclean idols. This was Laurence's victory, a combat bloody yet not tumultuous like those of Camillus or of Cæsar; it was the contest of faith, wherein self is immolated, and death is overcome by death. What words, what praises suffice to celebrate such a death? How can I worthily sing so great a martyrdom?¹ Thus opens the sublime poem of Prudentius, composed little more than a century after the saint's martyrdom. In this work the poet has preserved to us the traditions existing in his own day, whereby the name of the Roman deacon was rendered so illustrious. About the same time St. Ambrose, with his irresistible eloquence, described the meeting of Sixtus and his deacon on the way to martyrdom.² But, before both Ambrose and Prudentius, Pope St. Damasus chronicled the victory of Laurence's faith, in his majestic monumental inscriptions, which have such a ring of the days of triumph.³ Rome was lavish in her demonstrations of honour towards the champion who had prayed for her deliverance upon his red-hot gridiron. She inserted his name in the Canon of the Mass, and moreover celebrated the anniversary of his birth to heaven with as much solemnity as those of the glorious apostles her founders, and with the same privileges of a Vigil and an Octave. She has been dyed with the blood of many other witnesses of Christ, yet as though Laurence had a special claim upon her gratitude, every spot connected with him has been honoured with a church. Amongst all these sanctuaries dedicated to him, the one which contains the martyr's body ranks next after the churches of St. John Lateran, St. Mary's on the Esquiline, St. Peter's on the Vatican, and St. Paul's on the Ostian Way. St. Laurence outside the Walls completes the number of the five great basilicas that form the appanage and exclusive possession of the Roman Pontiff. They represent the patriarchates of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch, Constantinople, and Jerusalem, which divide the world between them, and express the universal and immediate jurisdiction of the Bishops of Rome over all the churches. Thus through Laurence the Eternal City is completed, and is shown to be the centre of the world and the source of every grace. Just as Peter and Paul are the riches, not of Rome alone, but of the whole world, so Laurence is called the honour of the world, for he, as it were, personified the courage of martyrdom. At the beginning of this month we saw Stephen himself come to blend his dignity of Protomartyr with the glory of Sixtus II's deacon, by sharing his tomb. In Laurence, it seemed that both the struggle and the victory of martyrdom", "keywords": [ "laurence", "lord", "christ", "martyr", "church", "holy", "deacon", "world", "fire", "eternal", "rome", "faith", "love", "honour", "ever", "life", "night", "earth", "minister", "blessed" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. Cornelius", "St. Damasus", "St. John", "St. LAURENCE", "St. Laurence", "St. Mary", "St. Maximus of Turin", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle", "St. Peter", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians ix.", "Corinthians ii.", "John c.", "John l.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms cxi.", "Psalms l.", "Psalms xcv.", "Psalms xvi." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_11", "title": "AUGUST 11", "anchor": "august_11", "text": "SAINTS TIBURTIUS AND SUSANNA MARTYRS Passion is followed to-day by the son of Chromatius, prefect of Rome, Tiburtius, who also suffered upon burning coals for the confession of his faith. Though forty years intervened between the two martyrdoms, it was the same Holy Spirit that animated these witnesses of Christ and suggested to them the same answer to their executioners. Tiburtius, walking upon the fire, cried out: 'Learn that the God of the Christians is the only God, for these hot coals seem flowers to me.' Equally near to the great archdeacon stands an illustrious virgin, so bright herself as not to be eclipsed by him. A relative of both the Emperor Diocletian, and the holy Pope Caius, Susanna, it is said, one day beheld the imperial crown at her feet. But she obtained a far greater nobility; for, by preferring the wreath of virginity, she won at the same time the palm of martyrdom. Now, as St. Leo remarks, on the glorious solemnity whose octave we are keeping, if no one is good for himself alone, if the favours of Divine Wisdom profit not only the recipient, then no one is more wise than the martyr, no eloquence can instruct the people so well as his. It is by this excellent manner of teaching that, as the Church tells us to-day, 'Laurence enlightened the whole world with the light of his fire, and by the flames which he endured he warmed the hearts of all Christians. By the example of his martyrdom, faith is enkindled and devotion fostered in our souls. The persecutor lays no hot coals for me, but he sets me on fire with desire of my Saviour.' If, moreover, and it is not mere theory to repeat it in our days, if, as St. Augustine remarks, 'circumstances place a man in the alternative of transgressing a divine precept or losing his life, he too must know how to die for the love of God, rather than live at enmity with him.'² Morality does not change, neither does the justice of God, who in all ages rewards the faithful, as in all ages he chastises cowards. The Mozarabic Missal eloquently expresses the grandeur of St. Laurence's martyrdom in this beautiful formula which precedes the Consecration on the day of his feast. POST SANCTUS Hosanna in excelsis: vere dignum et justum est, omni quidem tempore, sed præcipue in honorem sanctorum tuorum, nos tibi gratias, consempiterna Trinitas, et consubstantialis et co-operatrix omnium bonorum Deus, et pro beatissimi martyris tui Laurentii celeberrimo die, laudum hostias immolare. Cujus gloriosum passionis triumphum, anni circulo revolutum, ecclesia tua læta concelebrat: apostolis quidem tuis in doctrina supparem: sed in Domini confessione non imparem. Qui niveam illam stolam leviticam, martyrii cruore purpureo decoravit: cujus cor in igne tuo, quem veneras mittere super terram, ita flammasti: ut ignem istum visibilem non sentiret: et appositas corpori flammas mentis intentione superaret: ardentemque globum fide validus non timeret. Hosanna in the highest. It is truly meet and just, at", "keywords": [ "fire", "lord", "martyr", "minister", "tiburtius", "body", "susanna", "martyrdom", "coals", "faith", "holy", "laurence", "life", "cujus", "super", "heart", "saints", "martyrs", "passion", "suffered" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Laurence", "St. Leo" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_12", "title": "AUGUST 12", "anchor": "august_12", "text": "SAINT CLARE VIRGIN The same year in which St. Dominic, before making any project with regard to his sons, founded the first establishment of the Sisters of his Order, the companion destined for him by heaven received his mission from the Crucifix in the church of St. Damian, in these words: 'Go, Francis, repair My house, which is falling to ruin.' The new patriarch inaugurated his work, as Dominic had done, by preparing a dwelling for his future daughters, whose sacrifice might obtain every grace for the great Order he was about to found. The house of the Poor Ladies occupied the thoughts of the seraph of Assisi, even before St. Mary of the Portiuncula, the cradle of the Friars Minor. Thus, for a second time this month, Eternal Wisdom shows us that the fruit of salvation, though it may seem to proceed from the word and from action, springs first from silent contemplation. Clare was to Francis the help like unto himself, who begot to the Lord that multitude of heroic virgins and illustrious penitents soon reckoned by the Order in all lands, coming from the humblest condition and from the steps of the throne. In the new chivalry of Christ, Poverty, the chosen Lady of St. Francis, was to be the queen also of her whom God had given him as a rival and a daughter. Following to the utmost limits the Man-God humbled and stripped of all things for us, she nevertheless felt that she and her sisters were already queens in the kingdom of heaven: 'In the little nest of poverty,' she used lovingly to say, 'what jewel could the bride esteem so much as conformity with a God possessing nothing, become a little One whom the poorest of mothers wrapt in humble swathing bands and laid in a narrow crib?'¹ This noble daughter of Assisi had justified the prophecy whereby, sixty years previously, her mother Hortulana had learnt that the child would enlighten the world; the choice of the name given her at her birth had been well inspired.² 'Oh! how powerful was the virgin's light,' said the Sovereign Pontiff in the bull of her canonization;³ 'how penetrating were her rays! She hid herself in the depth of the cloister, and her brightness transpiring filled the house of God.'⁴ From her poor solitude, which she never quitted, the very name of Clare seemed to carry grace and light everywhere, and made far-off cities yield fruit to God and to her father St. Francis. Embracing the whole world where her virginal family was being multiplied, her motherly heart overflowed with affection for the daughters she had never seen. Let those who think that austerity embraced for God's sake dries up the soul, read these lines from her correspondence with Blessed Agnes of Bohemia. Agnes, daughter of Ottocar I, had rejected the offer of an imperial marriage to take the religious habit, and was renewing at Prague the wonders of St. Damian's. 'O my mother and my", "keywords": [ "clare", "francis", "soul", "church", "holy", "virgin", "world", "sisters", "assisi", "lord", "christ", "years", "order", "heaven", "virgins", "daughter", "mother", "light", "never", "saint" ], "saints": [ "St. CLARE", "St. Clare", "St. Damian", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. Mary" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_13", "title": "AUGUST 13", "anchor": "august_13", "text": "SAINT RADEGONDE QUEEN OF FRANCE NEVER was such a booty won as that obtained by the sons of Clovis in their expedition against Thuringia towards the year 530. Receive this blessing from the spoils of the enemy!¹ might they well say, on presenting to the Franks the orphan brought from the court of the fratricide prince whom they had just chastised. God seemed in haste to ripen the soul of Radegonde. After the tragic death of her relatives followed the ruin of her country. So vivid was the impression made in the child's heart that long afterwards the recollection awakened in the queen and the saint a sorrow and a homesickness which nought but the love of Christ could overcome. 'I have seen the plain strewn with dead and palaces burnt to the ground; I have seen women, with eyes dry from very horror, mourning over fallen Thuringia; I alone have survived to weep over them all.'² The licentiousness of the Frankish kings was as unbridled as that of her own ancestors; yet in their land the little captive found Christianity, which she had not hitherto known. The faith was a healing balm to this wounded soul. Baptism, in giving her to God, sanctified, without crushing, her high-spirited nature. Thirsting for Christ, she wished to be martyred for Him; she sought Him on the cross of self-renunciation; she found Him in His poor suffering members; looking on the face of a leper, she would see in it the disfigured countenance of her Saviour, and thence rise to the ardent contemplation of the triumphant Spouse, whose glorious face illumines the abode of the saints. What a loathing, therefore, did she feel when, offering her royal honours, the destroyer of her own country sought to share with God the possession of a heart that heaven alone could comfort or gladden! First flight, then the refusal to comply with the manners of a court where everything was repulsive to her desires and recollections, her eagerness to break, on the very first opportunity, a bond which violence alone had contracted, prove that the trial had no other effect, as her Life says, but to bend her soul more and more to the sole object of her love.³ Meanwhile, near the tomb of St. Martin, another queen, Clotilde, the mother of the most Christian kingdom, was about to die. Unfortunate are those times when the men after God's own heart, at their departure from earth, leave no one to take their place; as the Psalmist cried out in a just consternation: Save me, O Lord, for there is now no saint.⁴ For though the elect pray for us in heaven, they can no longer fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in their flesh, for His body, which is the Church.⁵ The work begun at the Baptistery of Rheims was not yet completed; the Gospel, though reigning by faith over the Frankish nation, had not yet subdued its manners. Christ,", "keywords": [ "king", "christ", "queen", "love", "lord", "radegonde", "soul", "heaven", "holy", "saint", "land", "cross", "life", "france", "kings", "body", "monastery", "poitiers", "daughters", "baudonivia" ], "saints": [ "St. Germanus", "St. Hilary", "St. Hippolytus", "St. Laurence", "St. Martin", "St. Mary", "St. RADEGONDE" ], "scripture": [ "1 Kings xxx. 26", "Amos viii. 11", "Colossians i. 24", "Psalms xi. 2" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_14", "title": "AUGUST 14", "anchor": "august_14", "text": "VIGIL OF THE ASSUMPTION What is this dawn before which the brightest constellations pale? Laurence, who has been shining in the August heavens as an incomparable star, is wellnigh eclipsed, and becomes but the humble satellite of the Queen of Saints, whose triumph is preparing beyond the clouds. Mary stayed on earth after her Son's Ascension, in order to give birth to his Church; but she could not remain for ever in exile. Yet she was not to take her flight to heaven until this new fruit of her maternity had acquired the growth and strength which it belongs to a mother to give. How sweet to the Church was this dependence!—a privilege given to her members by our Lord in imitation of Himself! As we saw, at Christmas-time, the God-Man carried first in the arms of His Mother, gathering His strength and nourishing His life at her virginal breast; so the mystical body of the Man-God, the Holy Church, received, in its first years, the same care from Mary as the divine Child our Emmanuel. As Joseph heretofore at Nazareth, Peter was now ruling the house of God; but our Lady was none the less to the assembly of the faithful the source of life in the spiritual order, as she had been to Jesus in His Humanity. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost and every one of His gifts rested first upon her in all fulness; every grace bestowed on the privileged dwellers in the cenacle was given more eminently and more abundantly to her. The sacred stream of the river maketh the city of God joyful, because first of all the Most High has sanctified His own tabernacle, made her the well of living waters, which run with a strong stream from Libanus. Eternal Wisdom herself is compared in the Scripture to overflowing waters; to this day, the voice of her messengers traverses the world, magnificent, as the voice of the Lord over the great waters, as the thunder which reveals His power and majesty: like a new deluge overturning the ramparts of false science, levelling every height raised against God, and fertilizing the desert. O fountain of the gardens hiding thyself so calm and pure in Sion, the silence which keeps thee from the knowledge of the profane hides from their sullied eyes the source of thy wavelets which carry salvation to the furthest limits of the Gentile world. To thee, as to the Wisdom sprung from thee, is applied the prophetic word: I have poured out rivers.² Thou givest to drink to the new-born Church thirsting for the Word. Thou art, as the Holy Spirit said of Esther, thy type, 'the little fountain which grew into a river, and was turned into a light, and into the sun, and abounded into many waters.'³ The apostles, inundated with divine science, recognized in thee the richest source, which having once given to the world the Lord God, continued to be the channel of His grace", "keywords": [ "mary", "church", "heaven", "holy", "earth", "lord", "voice", "world", "word", "spouse", "beloved", "ever", "mother", "life", "waters", "vigil", "august", "whose", "virginal", "divine" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles c.", "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Canticle of Canticles v. 1", "Esther x. 6" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_15", "title": "AUGUST 15", "anchor": "august_15", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "ASSUMPTION_OF_THE_MOST_BLESSED_VIRGIN", "title": "ASSUMPTION OF THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN", "anchor": "assumption_of_the_most_blessed_virgin", "text": "\"TO-DAY the Virgin Mary ascended to heaven; rejoice, for she reigns with Christ for ever.\" The Church will close her chants on this glorious day with this sweet antiphon, which resumes the object of the feast and the spirit in which it should be celebrated. No other solemnity breathes, like this one, at once triumph and peace; none better answers to the enthusiasm of the many and the serenity of souls consummated in love. Assuredly that was as great a triumph when our Lord, rising by His own power from the tomb, cast hell into dismay; but to our souls, so abruptly drawn from the abyss of sorrows on Golgotha, the suddenness of the victory caused a sort of stupor to mingle with the joy of that greatest of days. In presence of the prostrate angels, the hesitating apostles, the women seized with fear and trembling, one felt that the divine isolation of the Conqueror of death was perceptible even to His most intimate friends, and kept them, like Magdalen, at a distance. Mary's death, however, leaves no impression but peace; that death had no other cause than love. Being a mere creature, she could not deliver herself from that claim of the old enemy; but leaving her tomb filled with flowers, she mounts up to heaven, flowing with delights, leaning upon her Beloved.² Amid the acclamations of the daughters of Sion, who will henceforth never cease to call her blessed, she ascends surrounded by choirs of heavenly spirits joyfully praising the Son of God. Never more will shadows veil, as they did on earth, the glory of the most beautiful daughter of Eve. Beyond the immovable Thrones, beyond the dazzling ¹ Magnificat Ant. for 2nd Vesp. ² Cant. viii. 5. Cherubim, beyond the flaming Seraphim, onward she passes, delighting the heavenly city with her sweet perfumes. She stays not till she reaches the very confines of the Divinity; close to the throne of honour where her Son, the King of ages, reigns in justice and in power; there she is proclaimed Queen, there she will reign for evermore in mercy and in goodness. Here on earth Libanus and Amana, Sanir and Hermon dispute the honour of having seen her rise to heaven from their summits; and truly the whole world is but the pedestal of her glory, as the moon is her footstool, the sun her vesture, the stars of heaven her glittering crown. \"Daughter of Sion, thou art all fair and sweet,\" cries the Church, as in her rapture she mingles her own tender accents with the songs of triumph: \"I saw the beautiful one as a dove rising up from the brooks of waters; in her garments was the most exquisite odour; and as in the days of spring, flowers of roses surrounded her and lilies of the valley.\"¹ The same freshness breathes from the facts of Bible history wherein the interpreters of the sacred Books see the figure of Mary's triumph. As long as this world", "keywords": [ "mary", "lord", "mother", "virgin", "holy", "blessed", "heaven", "ever", "king", "death", "glory", "angels", "feast", "lady", "church", "assumption", "alleluia", "heavenly", "earth", "world" ], "saints": [ "St. Adrian", "St. Andrew of Crete", "St. Bernard", "St. Bonaventure", "St. Bruno of Asti", "St. Ephrem", "St. Frances of Rome", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Leo", "St. Lucy", "St. Luke", "St. Martin", "St. Mary", "St. Nicholas", "St. Peter", "St. Pius", "St. Praxedes", "St. Pulcheria", "St. Sergius", "St. Stephen", "St. Thomas" ], "scripture": [ "3 Kings x. 10", "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Canticle of Canticles iii. 6", "Canticle of Canticles li.", "Canticle of Canticles v. 12", "Canticle of Canticles vi. 5", "Canticle of Canticles viii. 5", "Ecclesiasticus l. 8", "Genesis ii. 18", "Isaias lxiii. 1", "Judith c.", "Judith xiii. 13", "Luke c.", "Luke xi. 27", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l.", "Psalms xxiii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_16", "title": "AUGUST 16", "anchor": "august_16", "text": "SAINT JOACHIM CONFESSOR, FATHER OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY FROM time immemorial the Greeks have celebrated the feast of St. Joachim on the day following our Lady's birthday. The Maronites kept it on the day after the Presentation in November, and the Armenians on the Tuesday after the Octave of the Assumption of the Mother of God. The Latins at first did not keep his feast. Later on it was admitted and celebrated sometimes on the day after the Octave of the Nativity, September 16, sometimes on the day following the Conception of the Blessed Virgin, December 9. Thus both East and West agreed in associating St. Joachim with his illustrious daughter when they wished to do him honour. About the year 1510, Julius II placed the feast of the grandfather of the Messias upon the Roman Calendar with the rank of double major; and remembering that family, in which the ties of nature and of grace were in such perfect harmony, he fixed the solemnity on March 20, the day after that of his son-in-law, St. Joseph. The life of the glorious patriarch resembled those of the first fathers of the Hebrew people; and it seemed as though he were destined to imitate their wanderings also, by continually changing his place upon the sacred cycle. Hardly fifty years after the Pontificate of Julius II the critical spirit of the day cast doubts upon the history of St. Joachim, and his name was erased from the Roman breviary. Gregory XV, however, re-established his feast in 1622 as a double, and the Church has since continued to celebrate it. Devotion to our Lady's father continuing to increase very much, the Holy See was petitioned to make his feast a holiday of obligation, as it had already made that of his spouse, St. Anne. In order to satisfy the devotion of the people without increasing the number of days of obligation, Clement XII in 1738 transferred the feast of St. Joachim to the Sunday after the Assumption of his daughter, the Blessed Virgin, and restored to it the rank of double major. On August 1, 1879, the Sovereign Pontiff, Leo XIII, who received the name of Joachim in baptism, raised both the feast of his glorious patron and that of St. Anne to the rank of doubles of the second class. The following is an extract from the decree Urbi et Orbi, announcing this decision with regard to the said feasts: 'Ecclesiasticus teaches us that we ought to praise our fathers in their generation; what great honour and veneration ought we then to render to St. Joachim and St. Anne, who begot the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and are on that account more glorious than all others.' 'By your fruits are you known,' says St. John Damascene; 'you have given birth to a daughter who is greater than the angels and has become their Queen.'¹ Now since, through the divine mercy, in our unhappy times the honour and worship paid to", "keywords": [ "begot", "genuit", "autem", "joachim", "lord", "blessed", "ejus", "father", "mary", "life", "holy", "virgin", "jesus", "daughter", "feast", "anne", "glory", "david", "jacob", "mother" ], "saints": [ "St. Anne", "St. Epiphanius", "St. JOACHIM", "St. Joachim", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Luke", "St. Matthew", "St. ROCH", "St. Roch" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias ix. 6", "Matthew c.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms l.", "Tobias xii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_17", "title": "AUGUST 17", "anchor": "august_17", "text": "SAINT HYACINTH CONFESSOR One of the loveliest lilies from the Dominican field to-day unfurls its petals at the foot of Mary's throne. Hyacinth represents on the sacred cycle that intrepid band of missionaries who, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, faced the barbarism of the Tartars and Mussulmans which was threatening the West. From the Alps to the northern frontiers of the Chinese Empire, from the islands of the Archipelago to the Arctic regions, he propagated his Order and spread the kingdom of God. On the steppes, where the schism of Constantinople disputed its conquests with the idolatrous invaders from the North, he was seen for forty years working miracles, confounding heresy, dispelling the darkness of infidelity. The consecration of martyrdom was not wanting to this, any more than to the first apostolate. Many were the admirable episodes where the angels seemed to smile upon the hard combats of their earthly brethren. In the convent founded by Hyacinth at Sandomir on the Vistula, forty-eight Friars Preachers were gathered together under the rule of blessed Sadoc. One day the lector of the Martyrology, announcing the feast of the morrow, read these words which appeared before his eyes in letters of gold: AT SANDOMIR ON THE FOURTH OF THE NONES OF JUNE, THE PASSION OF FORTY-NINE MARTYRS. The astonished brethren soon understood this extraordinary announcement; in the joy of their souls they prepared to gather the palm which was procured for them by an irruption of the Tartars on the very day mentioned. They were assembled in choir at the happy moment, and whilst singing the Salve Regina they dyed with their blood the pavement of the church. No executioner's sword was to close Hyacinth's glorious career. John, the beloved disciple, had had to remain on earth till the Lord should come; our saint waited for the Mother of his Lord to fetch him. Neither labour nor the greatest sufferings, nor, above all, the most wonderful divine interventions were wanting to his beautiful life. Kieff, the holy city of the Russians, having for fifty years resisted his zeal, the Tartars, as avengers of God's justice, swept over it and sacked it. The universal devastation reached the very doors of the sanctuary where the man of God was just concluding the holy Sacrifice. Clothed as he was in the sacred vestments, he took in one hand the most holy Sacrament and in the other the statue of Mary, who asked him not to leave her to the barbarians; then, together with his brethren, he walked safe and sound through the very midst of the bloodthirsty pagans, along the streets all in flames, and lastly across the Dnieper, the ancient Borysthenes, whose waters, growing firm beneath his feet, retained the marks of his steps. Three centuries later, the witnesses examined for the process of canonization attested on oath that the prodigy still continued; the footprints always visible upon the water, from one bank to the other, were called by the surrounding inhabitants St. Hyacinth's", "keywords": [ "church", "hyacinth", "holy", "laurence", "life", "lord", "mary", "mother", "martyr", "love", "ever", "saint", "years", "brethren", "feast", "city", "name", "glory", "vitæ", "christian" ], "saints": [ "St. Dominic", "St. HYACINTH", "St. Hedwiges", "St. Hyacinth", "St. LAURENCE", "St. Laurence", "St. Stanislaus" ], "scripture": [ "Romans i." ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_18", "title": "AUGUST 18", "anchor": "august_18", "text": "FOURTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE ASSUMPTION In the eternal decrees Mary was never separated from Jesus; together with Him, she was the type of all created beauty. When the Almighty Father prepared the heavens and the earth, His Son who is His Wisdom, played before Him in His future humanity as first exemplar, as measure and number, as starting-point, centre, and summit of the work undertaken by the Spirit of Love; but at the same time the predestined Mother, the woman chosen to give to the Son of God from her own flesh His quality of Son of Man, appeared among mere creatures as the term of all excellence in the various orders of nature, of grace, and of glory. We need not, then, be astonished at the Church putting on Mary's lips the words first uttered by Eternal Wisdom: 'From the beginning and before the world was I created.' The divine ideal was realized in her whole being, even in her body. To form out of nothing a reflection of the divine perfections is the purpose of creation and the law even of matter. Now, next to the face of the most beautiful of the sons of men, nothing on earth so well expressed God as the Virgin's countenance. St. Denis is said to have exclaimed on seeing our Lady for the first time: 'Had not faith revealed to me thy Son, I should have taken thee for God.' Whether it be authentic or not to place it in the mouth of the Areopagite,¹ this cry of the heart expresses the feeling of the ancients. We shall be the less surprised at this, if we remember that no son ever resembled his mother as Jesus did; it was the law of nature doubled in Him, since He had no earthly father. It is now the delight of the angels to behold in the glorified bodies of Jesus and Mary new aspects of eternal beauty, which their own immaterial substances could not reflect. ¹ Ex pseudo-epistola Dionys. ad Paulum. Now the unspeakable perfection of Mary's body sprang from the union of that body with the most perfect soul that ever was, excepting, of course, the soul of our Lord her Son. With us, the original Fall has broken the harmony that ought to exist between the two very different elements of our human being, and has generally displaced, and sometimes even destroyed, the proportions of nature and grace. It is very different where the divine work has not thus been vitiated from the beginning; so that in each blessed spirit of the nine choirs, the degree of grace is in direct relation to his gifts of nature.² Exemption from sin allowed the soul of the Immaculate One to inform the body of its own image with absolute sway, while the soul itself, lending itself to grace to the full extent of its exquisite powers, suffered God to raise it supernaturally above all the Seraphim, even to the steps", "keywords": [ "mother", "mary", "grace", "love", "father", "holy", "nature", "virgin", "eternal", "glory", "life", "jesus", "divine", "body", "ever", "angels", "blessed", "above", "heaven", "church" ], "saints": [ "St. Anne", "St. Denis", "St. Edith", "St. Peter", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_20", "title": "AUGUST 20", "anchor": "august_20", "text": "SAINT BERNARD ABBOT AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH THE valley of wormwood has lost its bitterness; having become Clairvaux, or the bright valley, its light shines over the world; from every point of the horizon vigilant bees are attracted to it by the honey from the rock which abounds in its solitude. Mary turns her glance upon its wild hills, and with her smile sheds light and grace upon them. Listen to the harmonious voice arising from the desert; it is the voice of Bernard, her chosen one. 'Learn, O man, the counsel of God; admire the intentions of Wisdom, the design of love. Before bedewing the whole earth, he saturated the fleece; being to redeem the human race, he heaped up in Mary the entire ransom. O Adam, say no more: \"The woman whom Thou gavest me offered me the forbidden fruit;\" say rather: \"The woman whom Thou gavest me has fed me with a fruit of blessing.\" With what ardour ought we to honour Mary, in whom was set all the fulness of good! If we have any hope, any saving grace, know that it overflows from her who to-day rises replete with love: she is a garden of delights, over which the divine South Wind does not merely pass with a light breath, but sweeping down from the heights, He stirs it unceasingly with a heavenly breeze, so that it may shed abroad its perfumes, which are the gifts of various graces. Take away the material sun from the world: what would become of our day? Take away Mary, the star of the vast sea: what would remain but obscurity over all, a night of death and icy darkness? Therefore, with every fibre of our heart, with all the love of our soul, with all the eagerness of our aspirations, let us venerate Mary; it is the will of Him who wished us to have all things through her.' Thus spoke the monk who had acquired his eloquence, as he tells us himself, among the beeches and oaks of the forest,² and he poured into the wounds of mankind the wine and oil of the Scriptures. In 1113, at the age of twenty-two, Bernard arrived at Cîteaux, in the beauty of his youth, already ripe for great combats. Fifteen years before, on March 21, 1098, Robert of Molesmes had created this new desert between Dijon and Beaune. Issuing from the past, on the very feast of the patriarch of monks, the new foundation claimed to be nothing more than the literal observance of the precious Rule given by him to the world. The weakness of the age, however, refused to recognize the fearful austerity of these newcomers into the great family, as inspired by that holy code, wherein discretion reigns supreme;³ for this discretion is the characteristic of the school accessible to all, where Benedict 'hoped to ordain nothing rigorous or burthensome in the service of God.' Under the government of Stephen Harding, the next after Alberic,", "keywords": [ "bernard", "world", "love", "heart", "life", "manna", "having", "clairvaux", "mary", "soul", "heaven", "unde", "doctor", "years", "glory", "blessed", "abbot", "church", "honey", "grace" ], "saints": [ "St. BERNARD", "St. Bernard" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_21", "title": "AUGUST 21", "anchor": "august_21", "text": "SAINT JANE FRANCES FREMIOT DE CHANTAL WIDOW Although Mary's glory is within her, beauty appears also in the garment wherewith she is clad: a mysterious robe woven of the virtues of the saints, who owe to her both their justice and their reward. As every grace comes to us through our Mother, so all the glory of heaven converges towards that of the Queen. Now among the blessed souls there are some more immediately connected with the holy Virgin. Prevented by the peculiarly tender love of the Mother of grace, they left all things, when on earth, to run after the odour of the perfumes of the Spouse she gave to the world; in heaven they keep the greater intimacy with Mary which was theirs even in the time of exile. Hence it is, that at this time of her exaltation beside the Son of God, the Psalmist sings also of the virgins entering joyously with her into the temple of the King. The crowning of our Lady is truly the special feast of these daughters of Tyre, who have themselves become princesses and queens in order to form her noble escort and her court. If the saint proposed to our veneration to-day is not adorned with the diadem of virginity, she is nevertheless one of those who have deserved in their humility to hear the heavenly message: Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thy ear; and forget thy people and thy father's house!¹ In reply, such was her eagerness in the ways of love, that numberless virgins followed in her footsteps in order to be more sure of reaching the Spouse. She also, then, has a glorious place in the vesture of gold, with its play of colours, wherewith the Queen of Saints is clad in her triumph. For what is the variety noticed by the psalm in the embroideries and fringes of that robe of glory, if not the diversity of tints in the gold of divine charity among the elect? In order to bring forward the happy effect produced by this diversity in the light of the saints, Eternal Wisdom has multiplied the forms under which the life of the counsels may be presented to the world. Such is the teaching given in the holy liturgy, by bringing together the feasts of yesterday and to-day on its sacred cycle. Between Cistercian austerity and the more interior renouncement of the Visitation of holy Mary there seems to be a great distance: nevertheless the Church unites the memory of St. Jane de Chantal and of the Abbot of Clairvaux in homage to the Blessed Virgin during the happy octave which consummates her glory; it is because all rules of perfection are alike in being merely variations of the one rule, that of love, of which Mary's life was a perfect pattern. 'Let us not divide the robe of the Bride,' says St. Bernard. 'Unity, as well in heaven as on earth, consists in charity. Let him who glories", "keywords": [ "love", "mother", "holy", "life", "mary", "charity", "visitation", "heart", "spirit", "chantal", "order", "daughters", "divine", "church", "without", "saint", "jane", "heaven", "among", "father" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. Francis", "St. Francis de Sales", "St. JANE", "St. Jane", "St. Jane de Chantal", "St. John", "St. Margaret", "St. Vincent de Paul" ], "scripture": [ "1 Timothy iv. 8", "Psalms xliv. 11", "Romans xiv. 17" ] }, { "vol": 13, "section": "AUGUST_22", "title": "AUGUST 22", "anchor": "august_22", "text": "THE OCTAVE OF THE ASSUMPTION He alone who could understand Mary's holiness could appreciate her glory. But Wisdom, who presided over the formation of the abyss, has not revealed to us the depth of that ocean, beside which all the virtues of the just and all the graces lavished upon them are but streamlets. Nevertheless, the immensity of grace and merit, whereby the Blessed Virgin's supernatural perfection stands quite apart from all others, gives us a right to conclude that she has an equal supereminence in glory, which is always proportioned to the sanctity of the elect. Whereas all the other predestined of our race are placed among the various ranks of the celestial hierarchy, the holy Mother of God is exalted above all the choirs, forming by herself a distinct order, a new heaven, where the harmonies of angels and saints are far surpassed. In Mary God is more glorified, better known, more loved than in all the rest of the universe. On this ground alone, according to the order of creative Providence, which subordinates the less to the more perfect, Mary is entitled to be Queen of earth and heaven. In this sense, it is for her, next to the Man-God, that the world exists. The great theologian, Cardinal de Lugo, explaining the words of the saints on this subject, dares to say: 'Just as, creating all things in His complacency for His Christ, God made Him the end of creatures; so, with due proportion we may say He drew the rest of the world out of nothing, through the love of the Virgin Mother, so that she, too, might thus be justly called the end of all things.'¹ ¹ De Lugo, De Incarnat. disput. vii, sect. 11. As Mother of God, and at the same time His firstborn, she had a right and title over His goods; as Bride she ought to share His crown. 'The glorious Virgin,' says St. Bernardine of Siena, 'has as many subjects as the Blessed Trinity has. Every creature, whatever be its rank in creation, spiritual as the angels, rational as man, material as the heavenly bodies or the elements, heaven and earth, the reprobate and the blessed, all that springs from the power of God, is subject to the Virgin. For He who is the Son of God and of the Blessed Virgin, wishing, so to say, to make His Mother's principality in some sort equal to His Father's, became, God as He is, the servant of Mary. If, then, it be true to say that everyone, even the Virgin, obeys God, we may also convert the proposition, and affirm that everyone, even God, obeys the Virgin.'¹ ¹ Bernardin. Sen., Sermo v de festiv. B.M., cap. 6. The empire of Eternal Wisdom comprises, so the Holy Spirit tells us, the heavens, the earth, and the abyss: the same, then, is the appanage of Mary on this her coronation day. Like the divine Wisdom to whom she gave Flesh, she may glory", "keywords": [ "mother", "heaven", "mary", "virgin", "love", "glory", "blessed", "holy", "world", "christ", "lord", "earth", "power", "benedico", "bless", "eternal", "didst", "life", "prayer", "assumption" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernardine of Siena", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias c.", "Wisdom c." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "AUGUST_29THE_DECOLLATION_OF_SAINT_JOHN", "title": "August 29.—THE DECOLLATION OF SAINT JOHN", "anchor": "august_29the_decollation_of_saint_john", "text": "THE BAPTIST, . . . 108 Commemoration of Saint Sabina, Martyr, . . . 113 August 30.—SAINT ROSE OF LIMA, Virgin, . . . 116 Commemoration of Saints Felix and Adauctus, Martyrs, . . . 122 August 31.—SAINT RAYMUND NONNATUS, Confessor, . . . 128 September 1.—SAINT GILES, Abbot, . . . 128 Commemoration of the Twelve Brothers, Martyrs, . . . 132 September 2.—SAINT STEPHEN, King of Hungary, Confessor, . . . 133", "keywords": [ "saint", "commemoration", "august", "martyrs", "confessor", "september", "virgin", "martyr", "abbot" ], "saints": [ "St. GILES", "St. RAYMUND", "St. ROSE", "St. STEPHEN", "St. Sabina" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_5SAINT_LAURENCE_JUSTINIAN_BISHOP", "title": "September 5.—SAINT LAURENCE JUSTINIAN, Bishop", "anchor": "september_5saint_laurence_justinian_bishop", "text": "and Confessor, . . . 139 September 8.—THE NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, . . . 146 First Vespers, . . . 151 Mass, . . . 158 Second Vespers, . . . 166 Commemoration of Saint Gorgonius, Martyr, . . . 167 Sunday within the Octave of the Nativity.—FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY NAME OF MARY, . . . 171 Mass, . . . 174 Vespers, . . . 179", "keywords": [ "vespers", "nativity", "mary", "mass", "virgin", "confessor", "saint", "martyr" ], "saints": [ "St. Gorgonius" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_9SECOND_DAY_WITHIN_THE_OCTAVE_OF", "title": "September 9.—SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF", "anchor": "september_9second_day_within_the_octave_of", "text": "THE NATIVITY, . . . 181 September 10.—SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO, Confessor, . . . 184", "keywords": [ "confessor", "saint" ], "saints": [ "St. NICHOLAS" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_11FOURTH_DAY_WITHIN_THE_OCTAVE", "title": "September 11.—FOURTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE", "anchor": "september_11fourth_day_within_the_octave", "text": "OF THE NATIVITY, . . . 187 Commemoration of Saints Protus and Hyacinth, Martyrs, . . . 188", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_12FIFTH_DAY_WITHIN_THE_OCTAVE_OF", "title": "September 12.—FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF", "anchor": "september_12fifth_day_within_the_octave_of", "text": "THE NATIVITY, . . . 191", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_13SIXTH_DAY_WITHIN_THE_OCTAVE_OF", "title": "September 13.—SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF", "anchor": "september_13sixth_day_within_the_octave_of", "text": "THE NATIVITY, . . . 193 September 14.—THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS, . . . 196 September 15.—THE OCTAVE DAY OF THE NATIVITY, . . . 203 Commemoration of Saint Nicomedes, Martyr, . . . 205 Third Sunday of September.—FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, . . . 208 Mass, . . . 210 Vespers, . . . 218 September 16.—SAINT CORNELIUS, Pope and Martyr, and SAINT CYPRIAN, Bishop and Martyr, . . . 221 Commemoration of Saints Euphemia, Lucy, and Geminianus, . . . 228 September 17.—STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS, . . . 229 At Bingen, in the Diocese of Mayence,— Saint Hildegarde, Virgin, . . . 234 September 18.—SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO, Confessor, . . . 236 September 19.—SAINT JANUARIUS, Bishop and Martyr, AND HIS COMPANIONS, . . . 241", "keywords": [ "september", "saint", "martyr", "nativity", "commemoration", "virgin", "bishop", "confessor", "vespers", "pope", "mass" ], "saints": [ "St. CORNELIUS", "St. CYPRIAN", "St. FRANCIS", "St. Hildegarde", "St. JANUARIUS", "St. JOSEPH", "St. Nicomedes" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_20SAINT_EUSTACE_AND_HIS_COMPANIONS", "title": "September 20.—SAINT EUSTACE AND HIS COMPANIONS,", "anchor": "september_20saint_eustace_and_his_companions", "text": "Martyrs, . . . 244 September 21.—SAINT MATTHEW, Apostle and Evangelist, . . . 248", "keywords": [ "apostle", "saint" ], "saints": [ "St. MATTHEW" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_22SAINT_THOMAS_OF_VILLANOVA_BISHOP", "title": "September 22.—SAINT THOMAS OF VILLANOVA, Bishop", "anchor": "september_22saint_thomas_of_villanova_bishop", "text": "and Confessor, . . . 252 Commemoration of Saint Maurice and his Companions, Martyrs, . . . 256 September 23.—SAINT LINUS, Pope and Martyr, . . . 257 Commemoration of Saint Thecla, Virgin and Martyr, . . . 258 September 24.—OUR LADY OF RANSOM, . . . 261", "keywords": [ "saint", "commemoration", "september", "martyr", "virgin", "confessor", "pope" ], "saints": [ "St. LINUS", "St. Maurice", "St. Thecla" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_26SAINT_CYPRIAN_MARTYR_AND_SAINT", "title": "September 26.—SAINT CYPRIAN, Martyr, and SAINT", "anchor": "september_26saint_cyprian_martyr_and_saint", "text": "JUSTINA, Virgin and Martyr, . . . 266 September 27.—SAINTS COSMAS AND DAMIAN, Martyrs, . . . 268 September 28.—SAINT WENCESLAS, Duke and Martyr, . . . 273", "keywords": [ "martyr", "september", "virgin", "saint" ], "saints": [ "St. WENCESLAS" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_29DEDICATION_OF_SAINT_MICHAEL_THE", "title": "September 29.—DEDICATION OF SAINT MICHAEL THE", "anchor": "september_29dedication_of_saint_michael_the", "text": "ARCHANGEL, . . . 277 September 30.—SAINT JEROME, Priest, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church, . . . 284", "keywords": [ "confessor", "church", "saint" ], "saints": [ "St. JEROME" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "FIRST_SUNDAY_OF_OCTOBERFEAST_OF_THE_MOST_HOLY", "title": "First Sunday of October.—FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY", "anchor": "first_sunday_of_octoberfeast_of_the_most_holy", "text": "ROSARY, . . . 295 October 1.—SAINT REMIGIUS, Bishop and Confessor, Apostle of the Franks, . . . 298 October 2.—THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS, . . . 316 October 4.—SAINT FRANCIS, Confessor, . . . 324", "keywords": [ "october", "saint", "confessor", "apostle", "bishop" ], "saints": [ "St. FRANCIS", "St. REMIGIUS" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_5SAINT_PLACID_AND_HIS_COMPANIONS", "title": "October 5.—SAINT PLACID AND HIS COMPANIONS,", "anchor": "october_5saint_placid_and_his_companions", "text": "Martyrs, . . . 338 October 6.—SAINT BRUNO, Confessor, . . . 348 October 7.—SAINT MARK, Pope and Confessor, and SAINTS SERGIUS, BACCHUS, MARCELLUS AND APULEIUS, Martyrs, . . . 354 Commemoration of Saint Justina, Virgin and Martyr, . . . 356 Commemoration of Our Lady of Victory, . . . 357 October 8.—SAINT BRIDGET, Widow, . . . 360 October 9.—SAINT DIONYSIUS, Bishop and Martyr, and SAINTS RUSTICUS AND ELEUTHERIUS, Martyrs, . . . 368 October 10.—SAINT FRANCIS BORGIA, Confessor, . . . 371", "keywords": [ "saint", "october", "martyrs", "confessor", "saints", "commemoration", "martyr", "virgin", "bishop", "pope" ], "saints": [ "St. BRIDGET", "St. BRUNO", "St. DIONYSIUS", "St. FRANCIS", "St. Justina", "St. MARK" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_13SAINT_EDWARD_THE_CONFESSOR_KING", "title": "October 13.—SAINT EDWARD THE CONFESSOR, King", "anchor": "october_13saint_edward_the_confessor_king", "text": "of England, . . . 382 October 14.—SAINT CALLIXTUS I, Pope and Martyr, . . . 387 October 15.—SAINT TERESA, Virgin, . . . 394 October 17.—SAINT HEDWIG, Widow, . . . 409 October 18.—SAINT LUKE, Evangelist, . . . 414 October 19.—SAINT PETER OF ALCANTARA, Confessor, . . . 422 October 20.—SAINT JOHN CANTIUS, Confessor, . . . 428 October 21.—SAINT HILARION, Abbot, . . . 433 Commemoration of Saint Ursula and her Companions, Virgins and Martyrs, . . . 437 October 24.—SAINT RAPHAEL, Archangel, . . . 439", "keywords": [ "saint", "october", "confessor", "virgin", "martyr", "pope", "abbot" ], "saints": [ "St. CALLIXTUS", "St. HEDWIG", "St. HILARION", "St. JOHN", "St. LUKE", "St. PETER", "St. RAPHAEL", "St. TERESA", "St. Ursula" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_25SAINTS_CHRYSANTHUS_AND_DARIA", "title": "October 25.—SAINTS CHRYSANTHUS AND DARIA,", "anchor": "october_25saints_chrysanthus_and_daria", "text": "Martyrs, . . . 442 October 26.—SAINT EVARISTUS, Pope and Martyr, . . . 445 October 28.—SAINTS SIMON AND JUDE, Apostles, . . . 447 October 31.—VIGIL OF ALL SAINTS, . . . 451 SUPPLEMENT", "keywords": [ "october", "saints", "saint", "martyr", "pope" ], "saints": [ "St. EVARISTUS" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_3SAINT_TERESA_OF_THE_CHILD_JESUS", "title": "October 3.—SAINT TERESA OF THE CHILD JESUS,", "anchor": "october_3saint_teresa_of_the_child_jesus", "text": "Virgin, . . . 461", "keywords": [ "virgin" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_11THE_MOTHERHOOD_OF_THE_BLESSED", "title": "October 11.—THE MOTHERHOOD OF THE BLESSED", "anchor": "october_11the_motherhood_of_the_blessed", "text": "VIRGIN MARY, . . . 468", "keywords": [ "virgin" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_17SAINT_MARGARET_MARY_ALACOQUE", "title": "October 17.—SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE,", "anchor": "october_17saint_margaret_mary_alacoque", "text": "Virgin, . . . 473 October (Last Sunday of).—FEAST OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST THE KING", "keywords": [ "virgin" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "ON HEARING MASS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST ON the Sundays, if the Mass at which the faithful assist be 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, you should unite with the intentions which the Church has in this ceremony, so venerable by its antiquity: you should pray for that purity of heart which is needed for worthily assisting at the mysteries, wherein God Himself becomes present, and unites heaven and earth so closely together. ANTIPHON OF THE ASPERGES Asperges me, Domine, Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssopo, et mundabor; la- hyssop, O Lord, and I shall be vabis me, et super nivem cleansed; thou shalt wash me dealbabor. and I shall be made whiter than snow. Ps. Miserere mei, Deus, Ps. Have mercy on me, O secundum magnam miseri- God, according to thy great cordiam tuam. mercy. V. Gloria Patri, &c. V. Glory, &c. Ant. Asperges me, &c. Ant. Thou shalt sprinkle me, &c. V. Ostende nobis, Domi- V. Show us, O Lord, thy ne, misericordiam tuam. mercy. R. Et salutare tuum da R. And grant us thy sal- nobis. vation. V. Domine, exaudi ora- V. O Lord, hear my prayer. tionem meam. R. Et clamor meus ad te R. And let my cry come veniat. unto thee. V. Dominus vobiscum. V. The Lord be with you. R. Et cum spiritu tuo. R. And with thy spirit. OREMUS. LET US PRAY. Exaudi nos, Domine san- Graciously hear us, O holy cte, Pater omnipotens, æter- Lord, Father almighty, eter- ne Deus: et mittere digneris nal God: and vouchsafe to sanctum angelum tuum de send thy holy angel from cœlis, qui custodiat, foveat, heaven, who may keep, cher- protegat, visitet atque de- ish, protect, visit, and defend fendat omnes habitantes in all who are assembled in this hoc habitaculo. Per Chri- place. Through Christ our stum Dominum nostrum. Lord. R. Amen. R. Amen. The procession, which in many churches immediately precedes a solemn Mass, is a prelude to the great act which is about to be accomplished. It originated from the practice used in monasteries, of going through the cloisters, every Sunday, chanting certain appointed responsories; during which time the hebdomadarian went through all the conventual places, blessing each of them. The practice is still in use. But see, Christians! the sacrifice begins! The priest is at the foot of the altar; God is attentive, the angels are in adoration, the whole Church is united with the priest, whose priesthood and action are those of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Let us make the sign of the cross with him, THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS In nomine Patris, et Filii, In the name of the Father, et Spiritus sancti. Amen. and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. V. Introibo ad altare Dei. I unite myself, O my", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "amen", "holy", "altar", "domine", "jesus", "father", "deus", "mercy", "divine", "church", "christ", "ever", "nobis", "prayer", "glory", "world", "heaven", "sacrifice" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "2 Corinthians v. 4", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Hebrews i. 2", "Isaias ix. 6", "John c.", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST THE Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following psalms. For certain feasts some of these psalms are changed for others, which are more appropriate to those occasions. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: V. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. V. Incline unto my aid, O God. R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. Alleluia. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ANT. The Lord said. The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. The Son of David shall sit on the right hand of the heavenly Father. He is King; He is priest; He is Son of Man, and Son of God. His enemies will attack Him, but He will crush them. He will be humbled; but this voluntary humiliation will lead Him to highest glory. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: * Sede a dextris meis. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: * scabellum pedum tuorum. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: * dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: * ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: * Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: * confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: * conquassabit capita in terra multorum. De torrente in via bibet: * propterea exaltabit caput. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. O 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 to thee the God-Man: Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech. Therefore, O 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 coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: 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 suffering: therefore, shall he", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "dominus", "domini", "blessed", "israel", "psalm", "domino", "sæculum", "name", "deus", "father", "fear", "praise", "glory", "sicut", "amen", "opera", "works" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians i." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous, state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: Jube, domne, benedicere. Pray, father, give thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. ℟. Amen. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate: quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens, circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch; because your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, goeth about seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. ℟. Thanks be to God. Then the priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The choir: ℟. Qui fecit cælum et terram. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 repeats it. The priest, having pronounced the general form of absolution, says: ℣. Converte nos, Deus, salutaris noster. ℟. Et averte iram tuam a nobis. ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, &c. Ant. Miserere. ℣. Convert us, O God, our Saviour. ℟. And turn away thine anger from us. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory, &c. Ant. Have mercy. The first psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace; but the wicked know not what calm rest is. PSALM 4 Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: * in tribulatione dilatasti mihi. Miserere mei: * et exaudi orationem meam. Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde: * ut quid diligitis vanitatem, et quæritis mendacium? Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: * Dominus exaudiet me, cum clamavero ad eum. Irascimini et nolite peccare: * quæ dicitis in cordibus vestris, in cubilibus vestris compungimini. Sacrificate sacrificium justitiæ, et sperate in Domino: * multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona? Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui Domine: * dedisti lætitiam in corde meo. A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: * multiplicati sunt. In pace in idipsum: * dormiam et requiescam. Quoniam tu, Domine, singulariter in spe: * constituisti me. When I called upon him the God of my justice heard me: when I was in distress, thou hast enlarged me.", "keywords": [ "lord", "domine", "amen", "holy", "psalm", "night", "deus", "quoniam", "hands", "tuum", "nobis", "meum", "dominus", "mercy", "shalt", "justice", "sleep", "priest", "nostrum", "name" ], "saints": [ "St. Luke", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Psalms xxx." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "AUGUST_23", "title": "AUGUST 23", "anchor": "august_23", "text": "SAINT PHILIP BENIZI CONFESSOR Our Lady is now reigning in heaven. Her triumph over death cost her no labour; and yet it was through suffering that she like Jesus entered into her glory. We too cannot attain eternal happiness otherwise than did the Son and the Mother. Let us keep in mind the sweet joys we have been tasting during the past week; but let us not forget that our own journey to heaven is not yet completed. 'Why stand ye looking up into heaven?' said the angels to the disciples on Ascension day, in the name of the Lord who had gone up in a cloud; for the disciples, who had for an instant beheld the threshold of heaven, could not resign themselves to turn their eyes once more down to this valley of exile. Mary, in her turn, sends us a message to-day from the bright land whither we are to follow her, and where we shall surround her after having in the sorrows of exile merited to form her court: without distracting us from her, the apostle of her dolours, Philip Benizi, reminds us of our true condition of strangers and pilgrims upon earth. Combats without, fears within:¹ such for the most part was Philip's life, as it was also the history of his native city of Florence; of Italy too, and indeed of the whole Christian world, in the thirteenth century. At the time of his birth, the city of flowers seemed a new Eden for the blossoms of sanctity that flourished there; nevertheless it was a prey to bloody factions, to the assaults of heresy, and to the extremity of every misery. Never is hell so near us as when heaven manifests itself with greatest intensity; this was clearly seen in that age, when the serpent's head came in closest contact with the heel of the woman. The old enemy, by creating new sects, had shaken the faith in the very centre of the provinces surrounding the eternal city. While in the east, Islam was driving back the last crusaders, in the west the papacy was struggling with the empire, which Frederick II had made as a fief of satan. Throughout Christendom social union was undone, faith had grown weak, and love cold; but the old enemy was soon to discover the power of the reaction heaven was preparing for the relief of the aged world. Then it was that our Lady presented to her angered Son Dominic and Francis, that, by uniting science with self-abnegation, they might counterbalance the ignorance and luxury of the world; then, too, Philip Benizi, the Servite of the Mother of God, received from her the mission of preaching through Italy, France, and Germany, the unspeakable sufferings whereby she became the co-redemptress of the human race. Philippus ex nobili Benitiorum familia Florentiæ natus, futuræ sanctitatis jam inde ab incunabulis indicium præbuit. Vix enim quintum ætatis mensem ingressus, linguam in voces mirifice solvit, hortatusque fuit matrem, ut Deiparæ servis eleemosynam impertiret.", "keywords": [ "heaven", "apostle", "philip", "love", "didst", "bartholomew", "armenia", "mother", "lord", "life", "world", "whose", "city", "faith", "gospel", "christ", "holy", "church", "benizi", "jesus" ], "saints": [ "St. BARTHOLOMEW", "St. Bartholomew", "St. Benedict", "St. Denis", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Matth", "St. Matthew", "St. PHILIP", "St. Sylvester" ], "scripture": [ "2 Corinthians vii. 5", "Acts viii. 29", "John i. 45", "Matthew v. 4" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "ST_LOUIS_KING_OF_FRANCE", "title": "ST. LOUIS, KING OF FRANCE", "anchor": "st_louis_king_of_france", "text": "CONFESSOR August 25 It was his Christian faith that made Louis IX so great a prince. \"You that are the judges of the earth, think of the Lord in goodness, and seek Him in simplicity of heart.\"¹ Eternal Wisdom, in giving this precept to kings, rejoiced with divine foreknowledge among the lilies of France, where this great saint was to shine with so bright a lustre. Subject and prince are bound to God by a common law, for all men have one entrance into life, and the like going out. Far from being less responsible to the divine authority than his subjects, the prince is answerable for every one of them as well as for himself. The aim and object of creation is that God be glorified by the return of all creatures to their Author, in the manner and measure that He wills. Therefore, since God has called man to a participation in His own divine life, and has made the earth to be to him but a place of passage, mere natural justice and the present order of things are not sufficient for him. Kings must recognize that the object of their civil sovereignty, not being the last end of all things, is, like themselves, under the direction and absolute rule of that higher end, before which they are but as subjects. Hear therefore, ye kings, and understand: a greater punishment is ready for the more mighty. ¹ Wisd. iv. ² Ibid. vii. 6. — ³ Ibid. vi. 2, 9. Thus did the divine goodness give merciful warnings under the ancient Covenant. But not satisfied with giving repeated admonitions, Wisdom came down from her heavenly throne. Henceforth the world belongs to her by a twofold title. By the right of her divine origin, she held the principality in the brightness of the saints, before the rising of the day star; she now reigns by right of conquest over the redeemed world. Before her coming in the flesh, it was already from her that kings received their power, and that equity which directs its exercise. Jesus, the Son of Man, whose Blood paid the ransom of the world, is now, by the contract of the sacred nuptials which united Him to our nature, the only source of power and of all true justice. And now, once more, O ye kings, understand: says the psalmist; receive instruction, you that judge the earth.¹ 'It is Christ who speaks:' says St. Augustine. 'Now that I am king in the name of God My Father, be not sad, as though you were thereby deprived of some good you possessed; but rather acknowledging that it is good for you to be subject to Him who gives you security in the light, serve this Lord of all with fear, and rejoice unto Him.'² It is the Church that continues, in the name of our ascended Lord, to give to kings this security which comes from the light: the Church who, without trespassing upon the authority", "keywords": [ "lord", "louis", "king", "france", "kings", "prince", "church", "christian", "life", "power", "christ", "good", "name", "years", "earth", "father", "without", "mother", "holy", "eternal" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Denis", "St. Denis of France", "St. Genevieve", "St. James", "St. Louis" ], "scripture": [ "2 Paralipomenon xxxiv. 21", "John l.", "Matthew xviii. 3", "Psalms ii.", "Psalms ii. 10", "Wisdom c.", "Wisdom iv.", "Wisdom vi. 22" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "AUGUST_26", "title": "AUGUST 26", "anchor": "august_26", "text": "SAINT ZEPHYRINUS POPE AND MARTYR Zephyrinus was the first Pontiff to be buried in the celebrated crypt where the Popes of the third century came after their combat to sleep their last sleep. The catacomb which thus succeeded the Vatican cemetery in the honour of sheltering the vicars of Christ, had been opened thirty years before by the virgin martyr Cæcilia. As, when at the point of death, she had consecrated her palace into a church, so now from her tomb she caused her family burial-place to pass into the hands of the Church. This gift of the Cæcilii was the inauguration, in the very face of the pagan government, of common Church property officially recognized by the State. Zephyrinus entrusted the administration of the new cemetery to the person who ranked next to himself in the Roman Church, viz: the archdeacon Callixtus. The holy Pontiff witnessed the growth of heresy concerning the Unity of God and the Trinity of the divine Persons; without the help of the special vocabulary, which was later on to fix even the very terms of theological teaching, he knew how to silence both the Sabellians to whom the Trinity was but a name, and the precursors of Arius, who revenged themselves by reviling him.¹ Zephyrinus Romanus Severo imperatore ad regendam Ecclesiam assumptus, sancivit, ut qui ordinandi essent, opportuno tempore et multis præsentibus clericis et laicis, de more sacris initiarentur; doctique ac spectatæ vitæ homines ad id officii munus deligerentur. Decrevit præterea, ut rem divinam facienti episcopo sacerdotes omnes astarent. Idem instituit ut patriarcha, primas, metropolitanus adversus episcopum non ferant sententiam, nisi apostolica auctoritate fulti. Vixit in pontificatu annos decem et octo, dies decem et octo. Habuit ordinationes quatuor mense decembri, quibus creavit presbyteros tredecim, diaconos septem, episcopos per diversa loca tredecim. Antonino imperatore martyrio coronatus est, et sepultus via Appia prope cœmeterium Callisti, septimo calendas septembris. Zephyrinus, a Roman by birth, was chosen to govern the Church during the reign of the emperor Severus. He ordained that, according to custom, Holy Orders should be conferred on candidates at a fitting time and in presence of many both clergy and laity; and also that learned and worthy men should be chosen for that dignity. Moreover he decreed that when the bishop was offering the holy Sacrifice, he should be assisted by all the priests. He also ordained that neither patriarch, nor primate, nor metropolitan might condemn a bishop without the authority of the apostolic See. His pontificate lasted eighteen years and eighteen days. In four ordinations which he held in the month of December, he ordained thirteen priests, seven deacons, and thirteen bishops for divers places. He was crowned by martyrdom under the emperor Antoninus, and was buried on the Appian Way, near the cemetery of Callixtus, on the seventh of the Calends of September. ¹ *Philosophumena*, Lib. ix. Victor I was the Pontiff of the Pasch; and thou also, his successor, wast devoured by the zeal of God's house, to maintain and increase the", "keywords": [ "church", "zephyrinus", "pontiff", "cemetery", "callixtus", "holy", "ordained", "martyr", "buried", "sleep", "years", "death", "roman", "trinity", "divine", "without", "imperatore", "decem", "octo", "tredecim" ], "saints": [ "St. Peter", "St. ZEPHYRINUS" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "AUGUST_27", "title": "AUGUST 27", "anchor": "august_27", "text": "SAINT JOSEPH CALASANCTIUS CONFESSOR 'To thee is the poor man left: thou wilt be a helper to the orphan.'¹ Proud Venice has already seen these words realized in her noble son Jerome Æmilian: to-day they indicate the sanctity of another illustrious person descended from the first princes of Navarre, but of still higher rank in the kingdom of charity. God, who waters the trees of the field as well as the cedars of Libanus, because it is He that planted them all, takes care also of the little birds that do not gather into barns: will He then forget the child, who is of much more value than the birds of the air? Or will He give him corporal nourishment, and neglect the soul hungering for the bread of the knowledge of salvation, which strengthens the heart of man? In the sixteenth century one might have been tempted to think our heavenly Father's granaries were empty. True, the holy Spirit soon raised up new saints; but the reviving charity was insufficient for the number of the destitute; how many poor children, especially, were without schools, deprived of the most elementary education which is indispensable to the fulfilment of their obligations, and to their nobility as children of God: and there was no one to break to them the bread of knowledge! ¹ Ps. ix. 14. More fortunate than so many other countries overrun with heresy, Spain was at her apogee, enjoying the hundredfold promised to those who seek first the kingdom of God. She seemed to have become our Lord's inexhaustible resource. A little while ago she had given Ignatius Loyola to the world; she had just enriched heaven by the precious death of Teresa of Avila, when the Holy Ghost drew once more from her abundance to add to the riches of the capital of the Christian world, and to supply the wants of the little ones in God's Church. The descendant of the Calasanz of Petralta de la Sal was already the admired apostle of Aragon, Catalonia, and Castille, when he heard a mysterious voice speaking to his soul: 'Go to Rome; go forth from the land of thy birth; soon shall appear to thee, in her heavenly beauty, the companion destined for thee, holy poverty, who now calls thee to taste of her austere delights; go, without knowing whither I am leading thee; I will make thee the father of an immense family; I will show thee all that thou must suffer for My name's sake.' Forty years of blind fidelity, in unconscious sanctity, had prepared the elect of heaven for his sublime vocation. 'What can be greater,' asks St. John Chrysostom, 'than to direct the souls and form the characters of children? Indeed I consider him greater than any painter or sculptor, who knows how to fashion the souls of the young.'¹ Joseph understood the dignity of his mission: during the remaining fifty-two years of his life he, according to the recommendations of the holy Doctor,", "keywords": [ "children", "poor", "joseph", "little", "calasanctius", "schools", "order", "holy", "especially", "lord", "years", "life", "pious", "mother", "having", "blessed", "saint", "heavenly", "saints", "education" ], "saints": [ "St. Camillus", "St. JOSEPH", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Mark", "St. Pantaleon" ], "scripture": [ "John c.", "Mark x. 14", "Matthew lx.", "Psalms ix. 14", "Psalms ix. 17", "Wisdom x. 12" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "AUGUST_28", "title": "AUGUST 28", "anchor": "august_28", "text": "SAINT AUGUSTINE BISHOP AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH To-day Augustine, the greatest and the humblest of the Doctors, is hailed above, where his conversion caused greater joy than that of any other sinner; and celebrated by the Church, who is enlightened by his writings as to the power, the value, and the gratuitousness of divine grace. Since that wonderful, heavenly conversation at Ostia,¹ God had completed His triumph in the son of Monica's tears and of Ambrose's holiness. Far away from the great cities where pleasure had seduced him, the former rhetorician now cared only to nourish his soul with the simplicity of the Scriptures, in silence and solitude. But grace, after breaking the double chain that bound his mind and his heart, was to have a still greater dominion over him; the pontifical consecration was to consummate Augustine's union with that divine Wisdom, whom alone he declared he loved 'for her own sole sake, caring neither for rest nor life save on her account.'² From this height, to which the divine mercy had raised him, let us hear him pouring out his heart: 'Too late have I loved Thee, O Beauty so ancient and yet so new! Too late have I loved Thee! And behold Thou wast within me, and I, having wandered out of myself, sought Thee everywhere without. . . . I questioned the earth, and she answered me: \"I am ¹ See life of St. Monica, May 4, Paschal time Vol II. ² Soliloq. i. 22. not the one thou seekest\"; and all the creatures of earth made the same reply. I questioned the sea and its abysses and all the living things therein, and they answered: \"We are not thy God; seek above us.\" I questioned the restless winds; and all the air with its inhabitants replied: \"Anaximenes is mistaken, I am not God.\" I questioned the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, and they said: \"We are not the God whom thou seekest.\" And I said to all these things that stand without at the gates of my senses: \"Ye have all confessed concerning my God that ye are not He, tell me now something about Him.\" And they all cried with one great voice: \"It is He that made us.\" I questioned them with my desires, and they answered by their beauty.— Let the air and the waters and the earth be silent! Let man keep silence in his own soul! Let him pass beyond his own thought; for beyond all language of men or of angels, He, of whom creatures speak, makes Himself heard; where signs and images and figurative visions cease, there eternal Wisdom reveals Herself. . . . Thou didst call and cry so loud that my deaf ears could hear Thee; Thou didst shine so brightly that my blind eyes could see Thee; Thy fragrance exhilarated me, and it is after Thee that I aspire; having tasted Thee I hunger and thirst; Thou hast touched me and thrilled", "keywords": [ "augustine", "church", "world", "life", "africa", "bishop", "donatists", "love", "divine", "ancient", "roman", "hippo", "death", "lord", "grace", "rest", "know", "christ", "lost", "sheep" ], "saints": [ "St. AUGUSTINE", "St. Ambrose", "St. Jerome", "St. Monica", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "2 Timothy iv. 2", "Apocalypse xviii. 4", "Ezechiel xxxiv. 4" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "AUGUST_29", "title": "AUGUST 29", "anchor": "august_29", "text": "THE DECOLLATION OF SAINT JOHN THE BAPTIST AT that time, Herod sent and apprehended John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, the wife of Philip his brother, because he had married her. For John said to Herod: \"It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.\" Now Herodias laid snares for him, and was desirous to put him to death, and could not. For Herod feared John, knowing him to be a just and holy man, and kept him, and when he heard him did many things; and he heard him willingly. And when a convenient day was come, Herod made a supper for his birthday, for the princes, and tribunes, and chief men of Galilee. And when the daughter of the same Herodias had come in, and had danced, and pleased Herod, and them that were at table with him, the king said to the damsel: \"Ask of me what thou wilt, and I will give it thee.\" And he swore to her, \"Whatsoever thou shalt ask, I will give thee; though it be the half of my kingdom.\" Who, when she was gone out, said to her mother: \"What shall I ask?\" But she said, \"The head of John the Baptist.\" And when she was come in immediately with haste to the king, she asked, saying, \"I will that forthwith thou give me in a dish the head of John the Baptist.\" And the king was struck sad; yet because of his oath, and because of them that were with him at table, he would not displease her; but sending an executioner he commanded that his head should be brought in a dish. And he beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head in a dish, and gave it to the damsel, and the damsel gave it to her mother. \"Which his disciples hearing, came, and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.\"¹ Thus died the greatest of them that are born of women: without witnesses, the prisoner of a petty tyrant, the victim of the vilest of passions, the wages of a dancing girl! Rather than keep silence in the presence of crime, although there were no hope of converting the sinner, or give up his liberty, even when in chains: the herald of the Word made flesh was ready to die. How beautiful, as St. John Chrysostom remarks, is this liberty of speech, when it is truly the liberty of God's Word, when it is an echo of heaven's language! Then, indeed, it is a stumbling-block to tyranny, the safe-guard of the world and of God's rights, the bulwark of a nation's honour as well as of its temporal and eternal interests. Death has no power over it. To the weak murderer of John the Baptist, and to all who would imitate ¹ Gospel of the feast, St. Mark vi. 17-29. him to the end of time, a thousand tongues, instead of one, repeat in all languages", "keywords": [ "john", "word", "lord", "head", "christ", "baptist", "herod", "voices", "death", "holy", "precursor", "amen", "saint", "herodias", "voice", "dominum", "decollation", "prison", "wife", "brother" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Dominic", "St. JOHN", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Mark", "St. Paula", "St. Sabina", "St. Sixtus the Old" ], "scripture": [ "John c.", "John iii. 29", "Mark vi. 17" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "AUGUST_30", "title": "AUGUST 30", "anchor": "august_30", "text": "SAINT ROSE OF LIMA VIRGIN The fragrance of holiness is wafted to-day across the dark ocean, renewing the youth of the old world, and winning for the new the good will of heaven and earth. A century before the birth of St. Rose, Spain, having cast out the crescent from her own territory, received as a reward the mission of planting the cross on the distant shores of America. Neither heroes nor apostles were wanting in the Catholic kingdom for the great work; but there was also, unhappily, no lack of adventurers, who, in their thirst for gold, became the scourge of the poor Indians, instead of leading them to the true God. The speedy decadence of the illustrious nation that had triumphed over the Moors, was soon to prove how far a people, prevented with the greatest blessings, may yet be answerable for crimes committed by its individual representatives. It is well known how the empire of the Incas in Peru came to an end. In spite of the indignant protestations of the missionaries; in spite of orders received from the mother country; in a few years, Pizarro and his companions had exterminated one third of the inhabitants of these flourishing regions; another third perished miserably under a slavery worse than death; the rest fled to the mountains, carrying with them a hatred of the invaders, and too often of the Gospel as well, which in their eyes was responsible for atrocities committed by Christians. Avarice opened the door to all vices in the souls of the conquerors, without, however, destroying their lively faith. Lima, founded at the foot of the Cordilleras, as metropolis of the subjugated provinces, seemed as if built upon the triple concupiscence. Before the close of the century, a new Jonas, Saint Francis Solano, came to threaten this new Ninive with the anger of God. But mercy had already been beforehand with wrath; 'justice and peace had met',¹ in the soul of a child, who was ready, in her insatiable love, to suffer every expiation. Here we should like to pause and contemplate the virgin of Peru, in her self-forgetful heroism, in her pure and candid gracefulness: Rose, who was all sweetness to those who approached her, and who kept to herself the secret of the thorns without which no rose can grow on earth. This child of predilection was prevented from her infancy with miraculous gifts and favours. The flowers recognized her as their queen; and at her desire they would blossom out of season. At her invitation, the plants joyfully waved their leaves; the trees bent down their branches; all nature exulted; even the insects formed themselves into choirs; the birds vied with her in celebrating the praises of their common Maker. She herself, playing upon the names of her parents, Gaspard Flores and Maria Oliva, would sing: 'O my Jesus, how beautiful Thou art among the olives and the flowers, and Thou dost not disdain Thy Rose!' ¹ Ps. lxxxiv. 11. Eternal", "keywords": [ "rose", "lima", "virgin", "peru", "years", "love", "saint", "death", "beautiful", "life", "church", "spouse", "heavenly", "confidence", "lord", "world", "heaven", "earth", "america", "prevented" ], "saints": [ "St. Bartholomew", "St. Catharine of Siena", "St. Damasus", "St. Dominic", "St. Francis", "St. Mary", "St. ROSE", "St. Rose" ], "scripture": [ "Proverbs viii. 30", "Psalms lxxxiv. 11" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "AUGUST_31", "title": "AUGUST 31", "anchor": "august_31", "text": "SAINT RAYMUND NONNATUS CONFESSOR August closes as it began, with a feast of deliverance; as though that were the divine seal set by eternal Wisdom upon this month—the month when holy Church makes the works and ways of divine Wisdom the special object of her contemplation. Upon the fall of our first parents and their expulsion from paradise, the Word and Wisdom of God, that is, the second Person of the blessed Trinity, began the great work of our deliverance—that magnificent work of human redemption which, by an all-gracious, eternal decree of the three divine Persons, was to be wrought out by the Son of God in our flesh. And as that blessed Saviour, in His infinite wisdom, made spontaneous choice of sorrows, of sufferings, and of death on a cross, as the best means of our redemption, so has He always allotted to His best loved friends, the kind of life which He had deliberately chosen for Himself, that is, the way of the cross. And the nearest and dearest to Him were those who were predestined, like His blessed Mother, the Mater Dolorosa, to have the honour of being most like Himself, the Man of sorrows. Hence the toils and trials of the greatest saints; hence the great deliverances wrought by them, and their heroic victories over the world and over the spirits of wickedness in the high places. On the feasts of St. Raymund of Pegnafort and St. Peter Nolasco, we saw something of the origin of the illustrious Order, to which Raymund Nonnatus added such glory. Soon the august foundress herself, our Lady of Mercy, will come in person to receive the expression of the world's gratitude for so many benefits. The following legend recounts the peculiar merits of our saint of to-day. Raymundus, Nonnatus cognomento dictus quia præter communem naturæ legem e mortuæ matris dissecto latere in lucem eductus fuit, Portelli in Catalaunia piis et nobilibus parentibus ortus, ab ipsa infantia futuræ sanctitatis indicia dedit. Nam puerilia oblectamenta, mundique illecebras respuens, ita pietati operam dabat, ut omnes in puero adultam virtutem admirarentur. Crescente vero ætate, litterarum studiis incubuit: sed mox jubente patre vitam ruri agens, sacellum sancti Nicolai in Portelli finibus situm crebro adibat, ut sacram Deiparæ imaginem, quæ in eo summa fidelium veneratione etiam nunc colitur, visitaret. Ibi effusus in preces, ipsam Dei parentem, ut se in filium adoptare viamque salutis ac scientiam sanctorum edocere dignaretur, enixe deprecabatur. Nec defuit votis ejus benignissima Virgo. Ab ipsa Raymund, surnamed Nonnatus,¹ on account of his having been brought into the world in an unusual manner after the death of his mother, was of a pious and noble family of Portelli in Catalonia. From his very infancy he showed signs of his future holiness; for, despising childish amusements and the attractions of the world, he applied himself to the practice of piety so that all wondered at his virtue, which far surpassed his age. As he grew older he began his studies; but after a short time", "keywords": [ "wisdom", "order", "raymund", "holy", "blessed", "world", "nonnatus", "august", "mother", "fuit", "portelli", "love", "saint", "began", "divine", "eternal", "church", "redemption", "near", "gave" ], "saints": [ "St. Nicholas", "St. Peter", "St. RAYMUND", "St. Raymund of Pegnafort" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus vi. 31" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_1", "title": "SEPTEMBER 1", "anchor": "september_1", "text": "SAINT GILES ABBOT 'A simple and upright man, and fearing God, and avoiding evil':¹ such is the description of the just man in the lessons of the night Office for the time; and it is the portrait of the holy monk whom the Church offers us to-day for our admiration, our imitation, and our devotion. Fleeing from men in order to find God, he quitted his native land, where his rank, and still more his virtues, prevented him from being unknown. He wandered from the coasts of Greece to the borders of the Rhone, and stopped at length in the forests of Septimania, where he seemed to have found his desired solitude. There for three years he dwelt in a cave hidden among the brambles, spending his time in giving thanks to God and praying for the salvation of the people.² He lived on herbs and water, until our Lord sent him a hind to nourish him with her milk. But his little friend was soon to betray him. One day, hard pressed by the hounds, she fled in terror to the saint, followed by the royal huntsmen. Safe with her protector her fears were calmed; but an arrow, aimed at her, pierced Saint Giles's hand, which was never afterwards healed; for he refused to have it dressed, in order that he might bear the pain of it for the rest of his life. But a greater trial awaited him: his retreat having ¹ Job i. 8. ² Acta S. Ægidii. been thus discovered, a monastery soon rose upon the spot, and he was forced to be its abbot; moreover he worked so many miracles that crowds came to see him. Farewell to the silence and oblivion of his beloved forest! After the death of the servant of God, the place became more and more frequented. From north and east and south pilgrims poured in, to offer up their prayers and fulfil their vows at the tomb of one, who soon became known as one of the most helpful saints in heaven.¹ Among the crowds came Pontiffs² and kings.³ But the most numerous classes of visitors to the holy relics were soldiers and little children, the former equipped for the crusades, the latter borne in their mothers' arms; all confiding in the humble, gentle monk who, at the risk of his life, calmed the terror of the poor little hind; all imploring his assistance against the fear which even the brave may feel in the hour of battle, or the fright that disturbs the little one in his cradle. St. Giles's ranked as one of the three great pilgrimages of the west; the other two being Rome and Compostello. Over the relics of the saint was raised a colossal church, which has been described as 'the most perfect type of the Byzantine style when at the height of its splendour.'⁴ Around it a town of thirty ¹ St. Giles is the only confessor in the group of fourteen saints known", "keywords": [ "giles", "saint", "holy", "church", "order", "among", "little", "soon", "years", "hind", "life", "france", "abbot", "monk", "offers", "cave", "lord", "royal", "monastery", "came" ], "saints": [ "St. Cæsarius", "St. GILES", "St. Giles", "St. Louis of France" ], "scripture": [ "Job i. 8", "Job xlii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_2", "title": "SEPTEMBER 2", "anchor": "september_2", "text": "SAINT STEPHEN KING OF HUNGARY CONFESSOR \"Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness.\"¹ The people with teeth of steel, grinding the nations, gives itself up as food to him, to whom was said: \"Kill and eat;\"² the mouth of the Huns, formerly vomiting foam and rage, now distils the honey of charity. Such, O Christ, are thy miracles; such are Thy works, O our God!³ Thus does Baronius, on reaching in his history the year of Christ 1000, hail the arrival of the Hungarian deputies, who came to offer to the Roman Church the suzerainty of their land, and beseech the Vicar of Christ to confer the title of king upon their duke Stephen. We are carried back in thought a century earlier, when, led by Arpadus, the son of Almutz, under the banner of the hawk, the Magyars came down from the mountains of Transylvania into the plains watered by the Theiss and the Danube. Attila seemed to live again in those sons of his race, who poured like a torrent over Germany, Gaul, and Italy. But the empire of the Huns over reconquered Pannonia was to be lasting only on condition of its ceasing to be the scourge of God, and becoming the rampart of His Church. In this world, while it is not yet time for eternal justice, the instruments of God's anger are soon broken unless they are amenable to love. Five centuries earlier, Attila in person was rushing like an overflowing river upon the capital of the world, when he was met by the sovereign Pontiff. The Hungarian chronicles record the following message as having been then received from heaven by the universal devastator: \"Hearken to the command of the Lord God Jesus Christ. Thy pride shall not be suffered to enter into the holy city where lie the bodies of My apostles. Return. Later on a descendant of thine will come to Rome with humility; and I will cause him there to receive a crown that shall last for ever.\"¹ Attila thereupon recrossed the Alps, and had only just time to reach the Danube before he died. In the days of St. Stephen the heavenly promise was fulfilled. Let the reader not be astonished that we do not discuss its authenticity. Legendary or not, as to the forms with which national traditions have clothed it, there is nothing in this divine engagement which the historian need reject; it is in accordance with the rules of God's Providence, which governs history. God never forgets a service; nor does apostolic gratefulness wear out with years: the debt of gratitude which Leo the Great contracted, ¹ Judges xiv. 14. ² St. Peter, in the vision at Joppe, which signified the assimilation of the Gentiles by the Church. ³ Baron. Annal. eccles. Silvestri II. an. 2, Christi 1000. ¹ Chartuicius, Cronica Hungarorum, De victoria Aquilæ regis. Sylvester II. paid at the appointed time. From that tomb respected by the plunderer,", "keywords": [ "holy", "king", "hungary", "church", "came", "christ", "stephen", "forth", "charity", "roman", "attila", "pontiff", "having", "apostolic", "peter", "without", "ejus", "against", "people", "nations" ], "saints": [ "St. Henry", "St. Peter", "St. STEPHEN", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias xlix. 12", "Isaias xvi. 1", "Judges xiv. 14" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_5", "title": "SEPTEMBER 5", "anchor": "september_5", "text": "SAINT LAURENCE JUSTINIAN BISHOP AND CONFESSOR 'Come, all ye who are drawn by the desire of unchangeable good, and who seek it in vain in this passing world; I will tell you what heaven has done for me. Like you, I once sought with feverish eagerness; and this exterior world could not satisfy my burning desire. But, by the divine grace, which fed my anguish, at length she, whose name I then knew not, appeared to me, more beautiful than the sun, sweeter than balm. As she approached, how gentle was her countenance, how peace-inspiring her voice, saying to me: \"O thou, whose youth is all full of the love wherewith I inspire thee, why dost thou thus pour out thy heart? the peace thou seekest by so many different ways, is with me; thy desire shall be amply fulfilled, I promise thee, if only thou wilt take me for thy Bride.\" I acknowledge that at these words my heart failed, my soul was all pierced with the dart of her love. As I wished to know her name, her dignity, her origin, she told me she was called the Wisdom of God; and that, at first invisible in the bosom of the Father, she had taken of a mother a visible nature, in order to be more easily loved. Then, with great delight, I gave my consent; and she, kissing me, departed full of joy. Ever since then, the flame of her love has been growing with- in me, absorbing all my thoughts. Her delights endure for ever; she is my well-beloved bride, my inseparable companion. Through her, the cross once sought is now the cause of my joy. Hear me then, all of you: go to her in like manner; for she makes it her happiness to reject no one.'¹ Let us read the life of him, who in the foregoing lines has given us the key to his life. Laurentius, ex illustri Justinianorum familia Venetiis natus, eximiam vel puer morum gravitatem præ se tulit. Exacta inter pietatis officia adolescentia, ad castum Verbi et animæ connubium a divina Sapientia invitatus, de religiosæ vitæ instituto capessendo deliberare cœpit. Novæ itaque militiæ clam proludens, præter alias corporis afflictationes, super nudos cubabat asseres, sedensque velut arbiter hinc inter sæculi blandimenta, paratasque a matre nuptias, illinc claustrales inter austeritates, oculis in Christi patientis crucem conversis: Tu, inquit, es Domine spes Laurence was born at Venice of the illustrious family of the Justiniani, and while still a child was remarkable for the seriousness of his character. He spent his youth in exercises of piety, and then being attracted by divine Wisdom to the chaste espousals of the Word and the soul, he began to think of embracing a religious state. As a prelude to this new warfare, he secretly undertook many bodily austerities, such as sleeping upon bare boards. Sitting, as it were, as judge, he placed the pleasures of the world and the marriage prepared for him by his mother on the", "keywords": [ "love", "ever", "life", "lord", "desire", "heaven", "whose", "wisdom", "venice", "help", "laurence", "world", "once", "divine", "saying", "full", "heart", "soul", "dignity", "mother" ], "saints": [ "St. George", "St. LAURENCE" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_8", "title": "SEPTEMBER 8", "anchor": "september_8", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "THE_NATIVITY", "title": "THE NATIVITY", "anchor": "the_nativity", "text": "OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY 'Let us celebrate the Nativity of the Virgin Mary; let us adore her Son, Christ our Lord.'¹ Such is the invitation addressed to us to-day by the Church. Let us hearken to her call; let us enter into her overflowing joy. The Bridegroom is at hand, for His throne is now set up on earth; yet a little while, and He will appear in the diadem of our human nature, wherewith His Mother is to crown Him on the day of the joy of His heart, and of ours. To-day, as on the glorious Assumption, the sacred Canticle is heard;² but this time it belongs more to earth than to heaven. Truly a better paradise than the first is given us at this hour. Eden, fear no more that man will endeavour to enter thee; thy Cherubim may leave the gates and return to heaven. What are thy beautiful fruits to us, since we cannot touch them without dying? Death is now for those who will not eat of the fruit so soon to appear amid the flowers of the virgin earth to which our God has led us. Hail, new world, far surpassing in magnificence the first creation! Hail blessed haven, where we find a calm after so many storms! Aurora dawns; the rainbow glitters in the heavens; the dove comes forth; the ark rests upon the earth, offering new destinies to the world. The haven, the aurora, the rainbow, the dove, the ark of salvation, the paradise of the heavenly Adam, the creation whereof the former was but a shadow: all this art thou, sweet child, in whom already dwell all grace, all truth, all life. Thou art the little cloud, which the father of prophets in the suppliant anguish of his soul awaited; and thou bringest refreshment to the parched earth. Under the weakness of thy fragile form, appears the Mother of fair love and of holy hope. Thou art that other light cloud of exquisite fragrance, which our desert sends up to heaven. In the incomparable humility of thy soul, which knows not itself, the angels, standing like armed warriors around thy cradle, recognize their Queen. O Tower of the true David; citadel withstanding the first shock of satan's attack, and breaking all his power; true Sion, founded on the holy mountains, the highest summits of virtue; temple and palace, feebly foreshadowed by those of Solomon; house built by eternal Wisdom for herself: the faultless lines of thy fair architecture were planned from all eternity. Together with Emmanuel, who predestined thee for His home of delights, thou art thyself, O blessed child, the crowning point of creation, the divine ideal fully realized on earth. ¹ Invitatory of the feast. ² Lessons of the 1st Nocturn. Let us, then, understand the Church, when, even on this day, she proclaims thy divine maternity, and unites in her chants of praise the birth of Emmanuel and thine own. He who, being Son of God", "keywords": [ "mary", "lord", "holy", "name", "virgin", "blessed", "mother", "world", "earth", "feast", "ever", "church", "heaven", "eternal", "lady", "ejus", "jesus", "forth", "angels", "birth" ], "saints": [ "St. ADRIAN", "St. Anselm of Canterbury", "St. Bernard", "St. Bernardin of Siena", "St. GORGONIUS", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Paul", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles i.", "Ecclesiasticus xxiv.", "John v.", "Luke c.", "Peter c.", "Psalms l.", "Psalms lxxiii. 12" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_9", "title": "SEPTEMBER 9", "anchor": "september_9", "text": "SECOND DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE NATIVITY Let us make man to Our image and likeness.² 'And God made man; He modelled him,' says Tertullian, 'to the image of God, i.e. of Christ. Wonderful deed, to fashion this slime of the earth! God seems to be absorbed in it; He makes it the work of His hand and of His heart; counsel, wisdom, providence, and above all love, trace the lines. As He forms each lineament of this clay, He has in mind Christ who is to become man. This slime of the earth, stamped with the image of the Christ to come, is not only God's work, it is also His pledge.'³ These words were spoken concerning our first parent, Adam; but how much more truly do they apply to the Mother of the Man-God, during these days when He who is to be born of her watches over her growth! As God, He now places in her provisionally what He wills to take from her hereafter. For, as Man, He will receive from her, together with His sacred Body, everything that children naturally inherit from their parents: such dispositions and qualities as arise from the physical complexion; features, ways, habits acquired by imitation or by early education. Such is the ineffable condescension of Him who, knowing all things by infused science, condescends to pass like us through the apprenticeship of life. Jesus is to have no earthly father; He will therefore receive more from His Mother than could any other son. In return, no creature could be so like to Jesus in the order of grace, as she whom He thus deigns to resemble in the order of nature; and our heavenly Father loves every creature in proportion to the degree of that creature's conformity to the image of His divine Son. How exceedingly, then, O Mary, art thou loved! Already in thy sweet features we discern the nobility of the King's daughter, whose glory is from within, hidden beneath the golden fringes and variety of ornaments that deck her; for the manifold gifts of the holy Spirit enhance the grace and beauty that crown thee in thy very cradle. Together with Andrew of Crete, speaking on this day, we thus salute thee: 'Hail, mediatrix of the law of grace; seal of the ancient and of the new Alliance; luminous fulfilment of all prophecy; summary of revealed truth; living, immaculate book of God the Word, wherein, without writing or characters, the Word God its Author may be daily read! Hail, first-fruits of our regeneration; term of the divine promises and predictions; sanctuary promised by God to His own glory; liberatrix foretold to the nations!'¹ The Greeks make to-day a special commemoration of our Lady's holy parents. Already yesterday the Menæa repeated in a thousand ways the gratitude all creatures owe to them. We select the following passages from among many. MENSIS SEPTEMBRIS, DIE VIII Exsultet cœlum, lætetur terra; quippe Dei colum, sponsa Dei, partu in terra edita", "keywords": [ "mother", "image", "christ", "earth", "joachim", "david", "adam", "born", "creature", "grace", "king", "daughter", "holy", "among", "hodie", "within", "slime", "work", "receive", "together" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_10", "title": "SEPTEMBER 10", "anchor": "september_10", "text": "SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO CONFESSOR To-day the infant Mary smiles upon the lily offered her in her cradle by the representative of a great Order. The hermits of St. Augustine were being grouped and organized by the Vicar of Christ, when Nicholas was admitted into their family, of which he was soon to become the thaumaturgus. When he died, in 1305, the Roman Pontiffs were beginning their exile at Avignon; and his canonization, deferred for nearly a century and a half through the troubles of the period, marked the close of the lamentable dissensions which followed that exile. Peace so long lost; peace, of which even the wisest despaired—such was the ardent prayer, the solemn adjuration of Eugenius IV, when, towards the close of his laborious pontificate, he committed the cause of the Church to the humble servant of God placed by him upon her altars. According to the testimony of Sixtus V, the obtaining of this peace was the greatest of Nicholas's miracles; a miracle which moved the latter Pontiff to order the celebration of the saint's feast as a double, at a time when days of that rank were much rarer on the calendar than now. Let us read the legend, which is as simple as the saint's life itself. Nicolaus, Tolentinas, a diuturno illius civitatis domicilio appellatus, in oppido sancti Angeli in Piceno est natus piis parentibus: qui liberorum desiderio Barium voti causa profecti, ibique a sancto Nicolao de futura prole confirmati, quem susceperunt filium de illius nomine appellarunt. Is ab infantia multarum virtutum, sed abstinentiæ in primis specimen dedit. Nam anno vix septimo, beatum ipsum Nicolaum imitatus, complures hebdomadæ dies jejunare cœpit, eamque postea consuetudinem retinuit, solo pane contentus. Nicholas, called of Tolentino as he lived a long time in that city, was born at the town of St. Angelo in the Marches of Ancona. His pious parents, desirous of having children, went to Bari in fulfilment of a vow. There they were assured by St. Nicholas that they should have a son; whom they therefore called by that saint's name. From his infancy he was admirable for his virtues, especially for his abstinence; for, when only seven years old he began, in imitation of St. Nicholas, to fast several days a week; which custom he afterwards kept up, contenting himself with bread and water. Adulta ætate jam clericali militiæ adscriptus, et canonicus factus, cum quodam die concionatorem Ordinis Eremitarum sancti Augustini de mundi contemptu dicentem audisset, eo sermone inflammatus, statim eumdem Ordinem est ingressus. In quo tam exactam religiosæ vitæ rationem coluit, ut aspero vestitu, verberibus et ferrea catena corpus domans, atque a carne et omni fere obsonio abstinens, caritate, humilitate, patientia, ceterisque virtutibus aliis præluceret. While still young he was enrolled in the ranks of the clergy and made a canon; but one day, hearing a sermon on contempt of the world preached by one of the hermits of Saint Augustine, he was so struck by it that he immediately joined that Order. As", "keywords": [ "nicholas", "saint", "peace", "life", "world", "order", "death", "tolentino", "mary", "hermits", "augustine", "christ", "exile", "close", "prayer", "eugenius", "towards", "humble", "servant", "miracles" ], "saints": [ "St. Angelo", "St. Augustine", "St. John", "St. NICHOLAS", "St. Nicholas", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_11", "title": "SEPTEMBER 11", "anchor": "september_11", "text": "FOURTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE NATIVITY 'Dimitte me, jam enim ascendit aurora; let me go, for it is break of day;'¹ such were the words which put an end to the struggle between the angel and the patriarch on the banks of the torrent. Blessed dawn which triumphed over God Himself! How long had been that night, during which the human race had been struggling by its supplications and tears!² Ever since the fall, the angel of justice had been guarding the entrance to the true land of promise; at every turn he was to be found, resisting in his inexorable vengeance poor, wandering, outcast man. How is it, then, that the inflexible has now yielded? That spiritual being, so superior to our weak, finite nature, why is he the first to speak of closing the struggle, and to own himself vanquished? It is because, as with God so with the angel, light is strength. Now our earth, hitherto buried in deepest night, has suddenly reflected back to heaven brighter splendours than ever Cherubim shed down upon the Dominations and Virtues and Powers and Principalities, beside whom, a while ago, man was so very little. It is because at length in the glimmering dawn, which already subdues him, the angel of justice foresees the Sun Himself, the Sun of justice, who, rising from the bosom of the human race, is to make Himself answerable for it. Man is no longer a pariah compared with the angel; he is Israel, 'the strong against God.' To come to terms with him is no longer derogatory to the angelic dignity; to yield to him is no humiliation: the day is breaking. Blessed be thou, whose radiant innocence thus raises up to the throne of God our proscribed race. With the angels for allies instead of adversaries, we are henceforth one great army, of which thou art the Queen. ¹ Gen. xxxii. 26. ² Cf. Osee, xii. 4. Our Lady shares her honours to-day with two brothers, whose martyrdom, under Valerian, raised them from servile condition to the highest rank of heaven's nobility. Their bodies were first laid in the cemetery of St. Hermes: but Protus had already been honoured within the walls of the eternal city for more than a thousand years, when, in 1845, the discovery of Hyacinth's bones in his primitive tomb, opened a new era in the history of the catacombs and of Christian archaeology. PRAYER Beatorum martyrum tuorum Proti et Hyacinthi nos, Domine, foveat pretiosa confessio, et pia jugiter intercessio tueatur. Per Dominum. May the precious confession of thy blessed martyrs Protus and Hyacinth animate us, O Lord, and may their pious intercession ever defend us. Through our Lord. The abbey of St. Gall in the tenth century furnishes us with the following ancient sequence in honour of Mary's birth. SEQUENCE Ecce solemnis diéi canamus festa, Qua sæculo processit gemma potens et nobilis Maria. Regalibus exorta parentelis theotochos inclita. Hoc egressura de germine Jesse tempore prisco prædicta", "keywords": [ "angel", "ever", "race", "heaven", "nobis", "blessed", "justice", "eternal", "mother", "within", "struggle", "dawn", "night", "human", "earth", "little", "already", "longer", "whose", "angels" ], "saints": [ "St. Gall", "St. Hermes" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis xxxii. 26" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_12", "title": "SEPTEMBER 12", "anchor": "september_12", "text": "FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE NATIVITY 'Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, terrible as an army set in array?'¹ Such is thy growth, O Mary! Not the holiest life, were it even of patriarchal duration, will ever attain the degree of progress made under the influence of divine power in the soul of the most pure Virgin, in these few days elapsed since her coming on earth. First, there is the progress of her intellect: not subject to the obscurity which envelopes the minds of all men at their entrance into the world, it is a faithful mirror, into which the Word of God pours floods of that light which is also life. Then the progress of love in that heart of the Virgin and the Mother, wherein the holy Spirit already delights to awake such ineffable harmonies, and to dig still deeper depths. Lastly, the progress of that victorious power, which made satan tremble at the moment of the Immaculate Conception, and which has constituted Mary the incomparable Queen of the hosts of the Lord. Two glorious triumphs, two victories won under the protection of our Lady, have rendered this present day illustrious in the annals of the Church and of history. Manicheism, revived under a variety of names, had established itself in the south of France, whence it hoped to spread its reign of shameless excess. But ¹ Cant. vi. 9. Dominic appeared with Mary's rosary for the defence of the people. On September 12, 1213, Simon de Montfort and the crusaders of the faith, one against forty, crushed the Albigensian army at Muret. This was in the pontificate of Innocent III. Nearly five centuries later, the Turks, who had more than once caused the west to tremble, again poured down upon Christendom. Vienna, worn out and dismantled, abandoned by its emperor, was surrounded by 300,000 infidels. But another great Pope, Innocent XI, again confided to Mary the defence of the baptized nations. Sobieski, mounting his charger on the feast of our Lady's Assumption, hastened from Poland by forced marches. On the Sunday within the octave of the Nativity, September 12, 1683, Vienna was delivered; and then began for the Osmanlis that series of defeats which ended in the treaties of Carlowitz and Passarowitz, and the dismemberment of the Ottoman empire. The feast of the most holy name of Mary inscribed on the calendar of the universal Church, was the homage of the world's gratitude to Mary, our Lady and Queen. As a supplement to the ancient sequence given yesterday, we choose for to-day a hymn of the same period, to celebrate the blessed birth which brought peace and honour to the world. SEQUENCE O sancta mundi domina, Regina cœli inclyta! O stella maris, Maria, Virgo mater deifica! Emerge, dulcis filia, Nitesce jam virguncula, Florem latura nobilem, Christum Deum et hominem. Natalis tui annua En colimus solemnia, Quo stirpe electissima Mundo fulsisti genita. Per", "keywords": [ "mary", "progress", "world", "lady", "virgin", "earth", "holy", "queen", "within", "octave", "nativity", "forth", "army", "life", "ever", "power", "heart", "mother", "tremble", "illustrious" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles vi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_13", "title": "SEPTEMBER 13", "anchor": "september_13", "text": "SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE NATIVITY How beautiful are thy first steps, O prince's daughter! Our eyes are never weary of contemplating in thee the marvel of harmonious sweetness united to the strength of an army.¹ Blessed child, continue to grow in grace; may thy course be prosperous; may thy royalty be strengthened and established. But the Church will not wait till thou be grown up, to sing to thee her beautiful antiphon: 'Rejoice O Virgin Mary; thou alone hast destroyed all heresies throughout the world.'² Heresy, satan's denial of what God affirms by His ¹ Cant. vii. 1, 2. ² First antiphon of the third nocturn of the feast. Christ, this is the great struggle, or rather the only one, which sums up history. God having created the world for the sole purpose of uniting it to Himself by His Word made Flesh; the enemy of God and of the world, in order to break the bond of this mysterious love, attacks by turns the Divinity and the Humanity of Christ the Mediator. But all his lies are in vain: Jesus is Man, for He is born of a Mother, like every one of us; He is God, for He alone is born of a Virgin. The Man-God, who, according to Simeon's prophecy, is a sign of contradiction to the sons of perdition, has Himself a sign, for unprejudiced eyes, viz: a Virgin-Mother: 'The Lord Himself,' said the prophet, 'shall give you a sign. Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and His name shall be called Emmanuel:¹ God with us.' In the second of the celebrated conferences held with Manes in 277 by the holy bishop Archelaus, the heresiarch having denied that Christ was born of Mary, Archelaus replied: 'If such be the case, if He was not born, then obviously He did not suffer, for to suffer is impossible to one not born. If He did not suffer, no mention can be made of the cross; do away with the cross, and Jesus cannot have risen from the dead. But if Jesus be not risen, no one else can rise again; and if there is no resurrection, there can be no judgment. In that case there is no use in keeping the commandments of God: Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we shall die.² Such is the corollary to thy argument. Confess, on the other hand, that our Lord was born of Mary, and thence will follow the passion, the resurrection, and the judgment; then the whole of Scripture is saved. No, this is no vain question; for, as the whole Law and the Prophets are contained in the two precepts ¹ Isaias vii. 14. ² 1 Cor. xv. 32. of charity, so all our hope depends on the motherhood of the blessed Virgin.'¹ The Church of Milan, which celebrates the most holy name of Mary on September 11, sings on that day the following beautiful Preface, so perfectly in harmony with", "keywords": [ "virgin", "mary", "born", "mother", "jesus", "world", "christ", "name", "preface", "beautiful", "blessed", "sign", "suffer", "deus", "quam", "octave", "nativity", "eyes", "church", "antiphon" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xv. 32", "Canticle of Canticles vii. 1", "Isaias vii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_14", "title": "SEPTEMBER 14", "anchor": "september_14", "text": "THE EXALTATION OF THE HOLY CROSS 'Through thee the precious cross is honoured and worshipped throughout the world!'¹ Thus did Saint Cyril of Alexandria apostrophize our Lady on the morrow of that great day, which saw her divine maternity vindicated at Ephesus. Eternal Wisdom has willed that the octave of Mary's birth should be honoured by the celebration of this feast of the triumph of the holy cross. The cross indeed is the standard of God's armies, whereof Mary is the Queen; it is by the cross that she crushes the serpent's head, and wins so many victories over error, and over the enemies of the Christian name. 'By this sign thou shalt conquer.' Satan had been suffered to try his strength against the Church by persecution and tortures; but his time was drawing ¹ Cyrill. Alex. Hom. iv. Ephesi habita. to an end. By the edict of Sardica, which emancipated the Christians, Galerius, when about to die, acknowledged the powerlessness of hell. Now was the time for Christ to take the offensive, and for His cross to prevail. Towards the close of the year 311, a Roman army lay at the foot of the Alps, preparing to pass from Gaul into Italy. Constantine, its commander, thought only of revenging himself for an injury received from Maxentius, his political rival; but his soldiers, as unsuspecting as their chief, already belonged henceforward to the Lord of hosts. The Son of the Most High, having become, as Son of Mary, king of this world, was about to reveal Himself to His first lieutenant, and, at the same time, to discover to His first army the standard that was to go before it. Above the legions, in a cloudless sky, the cross, proscribed for three long centuries, suddenly shone forth; all eyes beheld it, making the western sun, as it were, its footstool, and surrounded with these words in characters of fire: IN HOC VINCE: by this be thou conqueror! A few months later, October 27, 312, all the idols of Rome stood aghast to behold, approaching along the Flaminian Way, beyond the bridge Milvius, the Labarum with its sacred monogram, now become the standard of the imperial armies. On the morrow was fought the decisive battle, which opened the gates of the eternal city to Christ, the only God, the everlasting King. ¹ Acta disputationis Archelai, xlix. Hail, O cross, formidable to all enemies, bulwark of the Church, strength of princes; hail in thy triumph! The sacred Wood still lay hidden in the earth, yet it appeared in the heavens announcing victory; and an emperor, become Christian, raised it up from the bowels of the earth.\" Thus sang the Greek Church yesterday, in preparation for the joys ¹ Ap. Græc. Menæa, in profesto Exaltationis. of to-day; for the east, which has not our peculiar feast of May 3, celebrates on this one solemnity both the overthrow of idolatry by the sign of salvation revealed to Constantine and his army, and the discovery", "keywords": [ "cross", "heraclius", "holy", "feast", "standard", "sacred", "triumph", "church", "army", "calvary", "resurrection", "enemies", "christian", "christ", "king", "earth", "mount", "jerusalem", "quam", "chosroes" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Cyril of Alexandria", "St. Helena", "St. Leo", "St. Silvia", "St. Sophronius" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_16", "title": "SEPTEMBER 16", "anchor": "september_16", "text": "THE OCTAVE DAY OF THE NATIVITY 'Praise and glory be to thee, O holy Trinity, who hast brought us all to this day's solemnity. Praise be to thee also, O holy Mother of God, sceptre of the orthodox faith: through thee the cross triumphs, and man is called back to heaven; through thee the idols are overthrown, and the nations are brought to repentance.'² Such words as these, which the Church borrows from her doctors to close the bright octave, were doubtless sung in prophecy by the angels around the new-born babe Mary. And such, in the light of the ages since elapsed, must needs be our answer to the question so often repeated at the cradle side: What shall this child be? The doctrine lately laid down so magisterially by the infallible successor of St. Peter, is this: Since the days of her mortal life, when Mary was, even in this ¹ Homily of the 3rd nocturn ex Leon. Serm. viii. de Passione. ² Lessons of the 2nd nocturn, ex Cyrill. Alex. Hom. iv. Ephesi. world, truly the Mother of the Church, the Queen of the apostles and their mistress with regard to the divine oracles; but especially since she has received in heaven an almost infinite power for dispensing the fruits of redemption: the mighty helper of the Christian people, the restorer of the world, has not ceased to prove herself the impregnable rampart of the Church, the solid foundation of the faith, the fountain springing from God, whence the rivers of divine Wisdom pour out their pure waters, sweeping away heresy from all places.¹ May so glorious a past give us confidence for the future. 'It is by Mary,' says the blessed Grignon de Montfort, 'that the salvation of the world has begun, and it is by Mary that it must be consummated. Being the way by which Jesus Christ came to us the first time, she will also be the way by which He will come the second time, though not in the same manner. Mary must shine forth more than ever in mercy, in might and in grace, in these latter times: in mercy, to bring back and lovingly receive the poor strayed sinners who shall be converted and shall return to the Catholic Church; in might, against the enemies of God, idolaters, schismatics, Mahometans, Jews, and souls hardened in impiety, who shall rise in terrible revolt against God, to seduce all those who shall be contrary to them, and make them fall by promises and threats; and finally, she must shine forth in grace, in order to animate and sustain the valiant soldiers and faithful servants of Jesus Christ, who shall do battle for His interests. Mary must be terrible as an army ranged in battle, principally in these latter times. It is principally of these last and cruel persecutions of the devil, which shall go ¹ Leo XIII. Encycl. Adjutricem populi Christiani, Sept. 5, 1895. on increasing daily till the reign of Antichrist,", "keywords": [ "mary", "virgin", "mother", "church", "blessed", "against", "heaven", "divine", "praise", "holy", "world", "power", "christ", "forth", "mercy", "might", "grace", "children", "true", "virgo" ], "saints": [ "St. Felicula", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "THIRD_SUNDAY_OF_SEPTEMBER", "title": "THIRD SUNDAY OF SEPTEMBER", "anchor": "third_sunday_of_september", "text": "FEAST OF THE SEVEN DOLOURS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY \"O all ye that pass by the way, attend, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow!\"¹ Is this, then, the first cry of that sweet babe, whose coming brought such pure joy to our earth? Is the standard of suffering to be so soon unfurled over the cradle of such lovely innocence? Yet the heart of mother Church has not deceived her; this feast, coming at such a time, is ever the answer to that question of the expectant human race: What shall this child be? The Saviour to come is not only the reason of Mary's existence, He is also her exemplar in all things. It is as His Mother that the blessed Virgin came, and therefore as the 'Mother of sorrows'; for the God, whose future birth was the very cause of her own birth, is to be in this world 'a Man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity.'² 'To whom shall I compare thee?' sings the prophet of lamentations: 'O Virgin...great as the sea is thy destruction.'³ On the mountain of the sacrifice, as Mother she gave her Son, as bride she offered herself together with Him; by her sufferings both as bride and as Mother, she was the co-redemptress of the human race. This teaching and these recollections were deeply engraved on our hearts on that other feast of our Lady's dolours which immediately preceded Holy Week. ¹ Lam. i. 12. ² Isaias, liii. 3. ³ Lam. ii. 13. Christ dieth now no more: and our Lady's sufferings are over. Nevertheless the Passion of Christ is continued in His elect, in His Church, against which hell vents the rage it cannot exercise against Himself. To this Passion of Christ's mystical body, of which she is also Mother, Mary still contributes her compassion; how often have her venerated images attested the fact, by miraculously shedding tears! This explains the Church's departure from liturgical custom, by celebrating two feasts, in different seasons, under one same title. On perusing the register of the apostolic decrees concerning sacred rites, the reader is astonished to find a long and unusual interruption lasting from March 20, 1809 to September 18, 1814, at which latter date is entered the decree instituting on this present Sunday a second Commemoration of our Lady's Dolours. 1809-1814, five sorrowful years, during which the government of Christendom was suspended; years of blood which beheld the Man-God agonizing once more in the person of His captive Vicar. But the Mother of sorrows was still standing beneath the cross, offering to God the Church's sufferings; and when the trial was over, Pius VII, knowing well whence the mercy had come, dedicated this day to Mary as a fresh memorial of the day of Calvary.¹ ¹ Gardellini, Decreta authentica Congr. Sacr. Rit. Even in the seventeenth century, the Servites had the privilege of possessing this second feast, which they celebrated as a double of the second class,", "keywords": [ "mother", "mary", "jesus", "cross", "virgin", "mater", "blessed", "lady", "lord", "world", "holy", "sorrow", "church", "sufferings", "sorrows", "christ", "passion", "mysteries", "juxta", "crucem" ], "saints": [ "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "John c.", "John v.", "Judith c.", "Judith l.", "Lamentations i. 12", "Lamentations ii. 13", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_16", "title": "SEPTEMBER 16", "anchor": "september_16", "text": "SAINT CORNELIUS POPE AND MARTYR AND SAINT CYPRIAN BISHOP AND MARTYR There is a peculiar beauty in the meeting of these two saints upon the sacred cycle. Cyprian, in a famous dispute, was once opposed to the apostolic See: eternal Wisdom now offers him to the homage of the world, in company with one of the most illustrious successors of St. Peter. Cornelius was, by birth, of the highest nobility; witness his tomb, lately discovered in the family crypt, surrounded by the most honorable names in the patrician ranks. The elevation of a descendant of the Scipios to the sovereign pontificate linked the past grandeurs of Rome to her future greatness. Decius, who 'would more easily have suffered a competitor in his empire than a bishop in Rome,'² had just issued the edict for the seventh general persecution. But the Cæsar bestowed upon the world's capital by a village of Pannonia, could not stay the destinies of the eternal city. Beside this bloodthirsty emperor, and others like him, whose fathers were known in the city only as slaves or conquered enemies, the true Roman, the descendant of the Cornelii, might be distinguished by his native simplicity, by the calmness of his strength of soul, by the intrepid firmness belonging to his race, wherewith he first triumphed over the usurper, who was soon to surrender to the Goths on the borders of the Danube.¹ And yet, O holy Pontiff, thou art even greater by the humility which Cyprian, thy illustrious friend, admired in thee, and by that 'purity of thy virginal soul,' through which, according to him, thou didst become the elect of God and of His Christ.² At thy side, how great is Cyprian himself! What a path of light is traced across the heavens of holy Church by this convert of the priest Cæcilius! In the generosity of his soul, when once conquered to Christ, he relinquished honours and riches, his family inheritance, and the glory acquired in the field of eloquence. All marvelled to see in him, as his historian says, the harvest gathered before the seed was sown.³ By a justifiable exception, he became a pontiff while yet a neophyte. During the ten years of his episcopate, all men, not only in Carthage and Africa, but in the whole world, had their eyes fixed upon him; the pagans crying: Cyprian to the lions! the Christians awaiting but his word of command in order to obey. Those ten years represent one of the most troubled periods of history. In the empire, anarchy was rife; the frontiers were the scene of repeated invasions; pestilence was raging everywhere: in the Church, a long peace, which had lulled men's souls to sleep, was followed by the persecutions of Decius, Gallus, and Valerian. The first of these, suddenly bursting like a thunderstorm, caused the fall of many; which evil, in its turn, led to schisms, on account of the too great indulgence of some, and the excessive rigour of others, towards the", "keywords": [ "cyprian", "church", "cornelius", "bishop", "holy", "rome", "world", "pontiff", "priest", "carthage", "epist", "lucina", "christ", "once", "peter", "family", "city", "viii", "life", "martyrdom" ], "saints": [ "St. CORNELIUS", "St. CYPRIAN", "St. Cyprian", "St. Euphemia", "St. Jerome", "St. Paul", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Peter c.", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_17", "title": "SEPTEMBER 17", "anchor": "september_17", "text": "THE STIGMATA OF SAINT FRANCIS The great patriarch of Assisi will soon appear a second time in the holy liturgy, and we shall praise God for the marvels wrought in him by divine grace. The subject of to-day's feast, while a personal glory to St. Francis, is of greater importance for its mystical signification. The Man-God still lives in the Church by the continual reproduction of His mysteries in this His bride, making her a faithful copy of Himself. In the thirteenth century, while the charity of the many had grown cold, the divine fire burned with redoubled ardour in the hearts of a chosen few. It was the hour of the Church's passion; the beginning of that series of social defections, with their train of denials, treasons, and derisions, which ended in the proscription we now witness. The cross had been exalted before the eyes of the world: the bride was now to be nailed thereto with her divine Spouse, after having stood with Him in the prætorium exposed to the insults and blows of the multitude. Like an artist selecting a precious marble, the Holy Spirit chose the flesh of the Assisian seraph as the medium for the expression of His divine thought. He thereby manifested to the world the special direction He intended to give to the sanctity of souls; He offered to heaven a first and complete model of the new work He was meditating, viz: the perfect union, upon the very cross, of the mystical body with its divine Head. Francis was the first to be chosen for this honour: but others were to follow; and henceforward, here and there through the world, the stigmata of our blessed Lord will ever be visible in the Church. Let us read in this light the admirable history of the event, composed by the seraphic doctor in honour of his holy father St. Francis. Fidelis revera famulus et minister Christi Franciscus, biennio antequam spiritum redderet cælo, cum in loco excelso seorsum, qui mons Alverniæ dicitur, quadragenarium ad honorem Archangeli Michaelis jejunium inchoasset, supernæ contemplationis dulcedine abundantius solito superfusus, ac cælestium desideriorum ardentiori flamma succensus, supernarum cœpit im- Two years before the faithful servant and minister of Christ, Francis, gave up his spirit to God, he retired alone into a high place, which is called Mount Alvernia, and began a forty days' fast in honour of the Archangel St. Michael. The sweetness of heavenly contemplation was poured out on him more abundantly than usual, till, burning with the flame of celestial desires, he began to feel an increasing overflow of these divine favours. While the seraphic ardour of his desires thus raised him up to God, and the tenderness of his love and compassion was transforming him into Christ the crucified Victim of excessive love; one morning about the feast of the Exaltation of holy cross, as he was praying on the mountain-side, he saw what appeared to be a Seraph, with six shining and fiery wings, coming down", "keywords": [ "francis", "christ", "holy", "church", "world", "crucified", "divine", "cross", "love", "whole", "stigmata", "flesh", "hildegarde", "feast", "ardour", "hearts", "lord", "light", "seraphic", "christi" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernard", "St. FRANCIS", "St. Francis", "St. Hildegarde", "St. John", "St. Michael", "St. Rupert" ], "scripture": [ "John iii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_18", "title": "SEPTEMBER 18", "anchor": "september_18", "text": "SAINT JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO CONFESSOR While, in France, the rising spirit of Jansenism was driving God from the hearts of the people, a humble son of St. Francis, in southern Italy, was showing how easily love may span the distance between earth and heaven. \"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to Myself,\"¹ said our Lord; and time has proved it to be the most universal of His prophecies. On the feast of the holy cross, we witnessed its truth, even in the domain of social and political claims. We shall experience it in our very bodies on the great day, when we shall be taken up in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air.² But Joseph of Cupertino had experience of it without waiting for the resurrection: innumerable witnesses have borne testimony to his life of continual ecstasies, wherein he was frequently seen raised high in the air. And these facts took place in what men are pleased to call the noonday of history. Let us read the account of him given by holy Church. Josephus a Cupertino, oppido in Salentinis diœcesis Neritonensis, anno reparatæ salutis millesimo sexcentesimo tertio, piis ibidem parentibus ortus, Deique amore præventus, pueritiam atque adolescentiam summa cum simplicitate morumque innocentia transegit. A diuturno molestoque morbo patientissime tolerato, Deiparæ Virginis ope liberatus, se totum pietatis operibus ac excolendis virtutibus dedit: utque Deo ad majora vocanti se intimius conjungeret, Ordini seraphico nomen dare constituit. Post varios eventus voti tandem compos factus, apud Minores Conventuales in cœnobio Cryptulæ, inter laicos primum ob litterarum imperitiam, deinde inter clericos divina dispositione connumeratus est. Sacerdotio post solemnia vota initiatus, perfectius sibi vitæ institutum proposuit. Quamobrem mundanis quibuscumque affectibus, terrenisque rebus pene ad vitam necessariis illico a se abdicatis, ciliciis, flagellis, catenis, omni demum asperitatum ac pœnarum genere corpus afflixit: spiritum vero sanctæ orationis altissimæque contemplationis assiduitate dulciter enutrivit. Hinc factum est, ut caritas Dei, quæ jam erat in ejus corde a prima ætate diffusa, miro planeque singulari modo in dies coruscaverit. Joseph was born of pious parents at Cupertino, a town of the Salentines in the diocese of Nardo, in the year of salvation one thousand six hundred and three. Prevented with the love of God, he spent his boyhood and youth in the greatest simplicity and innocence. The Virgin Mother of God delivered him from a long and painful malady, which he had borne with the greatest patience; whereupon he devoted himself entirely to works of piety and the practice of virtue. But God called him to something higher; and in order to attain to closer union with him, Joseph determined to enter the Seraphic Order. After several trials he obtained his desire, and was admitted among the Minor Conventuals in the convent called Grotella, first as a lay-brother, on account of his lack of learning; but afterwards, God so disposing, he was raised to the rank of a cleric. After making his solemn vows he was ordained priest, and began a", "keywords": [ "joseph", "ejus", "life", "love", "cupertino", "holy", "raised", "vero", "order", "body", "wonderful", "gifts", "humble", "earth", "ecstasies", "frequently", "place", "church", "post", "inter" ], "saints": [ "St. Francis", "St. JOSEPH", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians iv. 16", "Colossians iii. 3", "John xii. 32" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_19", "title": "SEPTEMBER 19", "anchor": "september_19", "text": "SAINT JANUARIUS BISHOP AND MARTYR AND HIS COMPANIONS MARTYRS Januarius is ever preaching the Gospel to every creature; for his miraculous blood perpetuates the testimony he bore to Christ. Let those who say they cannot believe unless they see, go to Naples; there they will behold the martyr's blood, when placed near his head which was cut off sixteen hundred years ago, to liquefy and boil as at the moment it escaped from his sacred veins. No; miracles are not lacking in the Church at the present day. True, God cannot subject Himself to the fanciful requirements of those proud men, who would dictate to Him the conditions of the prodigies they must needs witness ere they will bow before His infinite Majesty. Nevertheless, His intervention in interrupting the laws of nature framed by Him and by Him alone to be suspended, has never yet failed the man of good faith in any period of history. At present there is less dearth than ever of such manifestations. The following is the legend concerning St. Januarius and the sharers in his glorious martyrdom. Januarius, Beneventi episcopus, Diocletiano et Maximiano in christianos sævientibus, ad Timotheum Campaniæ præsidem ob christianæ fidei professionem Nolam perducitur. Ibi ejus constantia varie tentata, in ardentem fornacem conjectus, ita illæsus evasit, ut ne vestimentum aut capillum quidem flamma violaverit. Hinc præses accensus iracundia, martyris corpus imperat usque eo distrahi, quoad nervorum compages artuumque solvantur. Festus interea ejus diaconus, et Desiderius lector comprehensi, vinctique, una cum episcopo ante rhedam præsidis Puteolos pertrahuntur, et in eumdem carcerem, in quo Sosius Misenas, et Proculus Puteolanus diaconus, Eutyches et Acutius laici ad bestias damnati detinebantur, simul conjiciuntur. During the persecution of the Christians under Diocletian and Maximian, Januarius, bishop of Beneventum, was brought before Timothy, president of Campania, at Nola, for the profession of the Christian faith. There his constancy was tried in various ways. He was cast into a burning furnace, but escaped unhurt, not even his garments or a hair of his head being injured by the flames. This enraged the president, who commanded the martyr's body to be so stretched that all his joints and nerves were displaced. Meanwhile Festus his deacon, and Desiderius a lector, were seized, loaded with chains, and dragged, together with the bishop, before the president's chariot to Pozzuolo. There they were cast into a dungeon, where they found the deacons Sosius of Misenum and Proculus of Pozzuolo, with Eutyches and Acutius laymen all condemned to be thrown to wild beasts. Postero die omnes in amphitheatro feris objecti sunt: quæ naturalis oblitæ feritatis, ad Januarii pedes se prostravere. Id Timotheus magicis cantionibus tribuens, cum sententiam capitis in Christi martyres pronuntiasset, oculis repente captus, orante mox beato Januario, lumen recepit: quo miraculo hominum millia fere quinque Christi fidem susceperunt. Verum ingratus judex nihilo placatior factus beneficio, sed conversione tantæ multitudinis actus in rabiem; veritus maxime principum decreta, sanctum episcopum cum sociis gladio percuti jussit. The following day they were all exposed in the amphitheatre; but the", "keywords": [ "januarius", "faith", "bishop", "martyr", "martyrs", "present", "blood", "christ", "placed", "head", "miracles", "ejus", "beneventum", "president", "holy", "quod", "companions", "ever", "cannot", "naples" ], "saints": [ "St. JANUARIUS", "St. Januarius" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_20", "title": "SEPTEMBER 20", "anchor": "september_20", "text": "SAINT EUSTACE AND HIS COMPANIONS MARTYRS The twentieth of September marks one of the saddest events in history. At the height of her power, in the glorious days of Pepin and Charlemagne, the eldest daughter of the Church had crowned her mother; and the Church, in the person of her Head, reigned in reality, as well as by right, until, a thousand years later, satan took advantage of the fallen state of France to despoil Peter of the patrimony which ensured his independence. The holy cross is still shedding its rays upon us! To-day a group of martyrs, and this time a whole family, father, mother, and sons, take up their position around the standard of salvation. While the antiquity of their cultus in both east and west rests on the best authority, the details of their life are extremely vague. Could Placid the tribune, whose exploits are recorded by Josephus in his Wars of the Jews,¹ be the same as the Eustace we are celebrating to-day? Does the genealogy of our saint connect him with the Octavia family, from which Augustus sprang? Again are we to recognize as his direct descendant the noble Tertullus, who confided to St. Benedict his son Placid, the favourite child of the holy patriarch, and the proto-martyr of the Benedictine Order?² Subiaco long possessed the mountain designated by ancient tradition as the site of the apparition of the mysterious stag; Tertullus may have bequeathed it to the monastery, as his son's patrimony. But we have not space enough to do more than record the fact that these questions have been raised.³ There could hardly be a more touching legend than that of our martyrs. Eustachius, qui et Placidus, genere, opibus et militari gloria inter Romanos insignis, sub Trajano imperatore magistri militum titulum meruit. Cum vero sese aliquando in venatione exerceret, ac fugientem miræ magnitudinis cervum insequeretur, vidit repente inter consistentis feræ cornua excelsam atque fulgentem Christi Domini e cruce pendentis imaginem, cujus voce ad immortalis vitæ prædam invitatus, una cum uxore Theopista, ac duobus parvulis filiis Agapito et Theopisto, Christianæ militiæ nomen dedit. Eustace, otherwise called Placid, was a Roman, illustrious for his birth, wealth, and military renown, so that under the emperor Trajan he became general of the army. Once while hunting, he was chasing a stag of remarkable size, which suddenly halted, and showed him between its horns a large and bright image of Christ our Lord hanging upon the cross and inviting him to make everlasting life the object of his pursuit. Thereupon together with his wife Theopista and his two little sons Agapitus and Theopistus, he entered the ranks of the Christian warfare. ¹ Joseph. De bello Jud. iii. 3, 4, 13; iv. 2; v. 3. ² Greg. Dial. ii. 3. ³ Kircher Historia Eustachio-Mariana, P. ii, iii. Mox ad visionis pristinæ locum, sicut ei Dominus præceperat, regressus, illum prænuntiantem audivit, quanta sibi deinceps pro ejus gloria perferenda essent. Quocirca incredibiles calamitates mira patientia perpessus, brevi in summam egestatem redactus", "keywords": [ "martyrs", "sons", "church", "wife", "eustace", "holy", "cross", "standard", "placid", "again", "uxore", "lord", "triumph", "saint", "mother", "head", "until", "years", "took", "patrimony" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. EUSTACE" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_21", "title": "SEPTEMBER 21", "anchor": "september_21", "text": "SAINT MATTHEW APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST \"The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the son of Abraham.\"¹ The Eagle and the Lion have already risen in the heavens of the holy liturgy; to-day we salute the Man; and next month the Ox will appear, to complete the number of the four living creatures, who draw the chariot of God through the world,² and surround His throne in heaven. These mysterious beings, with their six seraph-wings, are ever gazing with their innumerable eyes upon the Lamb who stands upon the throne as it were slain; and they rest not day and night, saying: 'Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, who was, and who is, and who is to come.' St. John beheld them giving to the elect the signal to praise their Creator and Redeemer; and when all created beings in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, have adoringly proclaimed that the Lamb, who was slain, is worthy of power and divinity and glory and empire for ever, it is they that add to the world's homage the seal of their testimony, saying: Amen, so it is!³ Great and singular, then, is the glory of the evangelists. The name of Matthew signifies one who is given. He gave himself when, at the word of Jesus 'follow Me', he rose up and followed Him; but far ¹ St. Matt. i. 1. ² Ezech. i. ³ Apoc. iv, v. greater was the gift he received from God in return. The Most High, who looks down from heaven upon the low things of earth, loves to choose the humble for the princes of His people. Levi, occupied in a profession that was hated by the Jews and despised by the Gentiles, belonged to the lowest rank of society; but still more humble was he in heart, when, laying aside the delicate reserve shown in his regard by the other evangelists, he openly placed his former ignominious title beside the glorious one of apostle. By so doing, he published the magnificent mercy of Him, who had come to heal the sick not the healthy, and to call not the just but sinners. For thus exalting the abundance of God's grace, he merited its superabundance: Matthew was called to be the first evangelist. Under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost he wrote, with that inimitable simplicity which speaks straight to the heart, the Gospel of the Messias expected by Israel, and announced by the prophets; of the Messias the teacher and Saviour of His people, the descendant of its kings, and Himself the King of the daughter of Sion; of the Messias who had come not to destroy the Law, but to bring it to its full completion in an everlasting, universal covenant. In his simple-hearted gratitude, Levi made a feast for his divine Benefactor. It was at this banquet that Jesus, defending His disciple as well as Himself, said to those who pretended to be scandalized: 'Can the children of", "keywords": [ "holy", "matthew", "apostle", "heaven", "earth", "evangelist", "levi", "jesus", "christ", "king", "life", "church", "world", "ever", "lamb", "lord", "glory", "name", "people", "heart" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. MATTHEW", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse iv.", "Ezechiel i.", "Matthew i. 1", "Matthew ix. 15", "Zacharias ix. 17" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_22", "title": "SEPTEMBER 22", "anchor": "september_22", "text": "SAINT THOMAS OF VILLANOVA BISHOP AND CONFESSOR In 1517 a cruel blow fell upon the great Augustinian family; Luther, one of its members, raised the cry of revolt which was to be echoed for centuries by every passion. But the illustrious Order, which had unwittingly nurtured this child of evil, was none the less acceptable to God; and He deigned, before long, to demonstrate this, for the consolation of institutes whose very excellence exposes unworthy subjects to more dangerous falls. It was at the First Vespers of All Saints that Luther broached, at Wittenburg, his famous theses against indulgences and the authority of the Roman Pontiff; within a month, on November 25 of the same year, Thomas of Villanova pronounced his vows at Salamanca, and filled up the place left vacant by the heresiarch. Amid the storms of social disorder, and the noise of the world's disturbances, the glory rendered by one saint to the ever-tranquil Trinity, outweighs all the insults and blasphemies of hell. Let us bear all this in mind as we read the following lessons. Thomas in oppido Fontisplani Toletanæ diœceseos in Hispania natus anno Domini millesimo quadringentesimo octogesimo octavo, ab optimis parentibus ineunte vita pietatem et singularem in pauperes misericordiam accepit: cujus adhuc puer complura dedit exempla; sed illud in primis nobile, quod ut nudos operiret, propriis vestibus non semel seipsum exuit. Exacta pueritia, Compluti, quo missus fuerat, ut alumnus in collegio majori sancti Ildephonsi litteris operam daret, patris obitu revocatus, universam hereditatem egenis virginibus alendis dicavit; eodemque statim reversus est, et, sacræ theologiæ cursu confecto, adeo doctrina excelluit, ut in eadem Universitate cathedram ascendere jussus, philosophicas, theologicasque quæstiones mirabiliter explanaverit; interim assiduis precibus scientiam sanctorum, et rectam vitæ morumque normam a Domino vehementissime postulans. Quare divino instinctu eremitarum sancti Thomas was born at Fuellana, a town in the diocese of Toledo in Spain, in the year of our Lord one thousand four hundred and eighty eight. From his earliest youth, his excellent parents instilled into him piety and extraordinary charity to the poor. Of this virtue he gave, while still a child, many proofs, among the most remarkable of which was his more than once taking off his own garments to clothe the naked. As a youth, he was sent to Alcala to study humanities in the great college of St. Ildephonsus. He was recalled home by the death of his father; whereupon he devoted his whole fortune to the support of destitute virgins, and then returned to Alcala. Having completed his course of theology, he was promoted for his eminent learning to a chair in the University, and taught philosophy and theology with wonderful success. Meanwhile he besought God, with assiduous prayers, to teach him the science of the saints, and a virtuous rule of life and conduct. He was therefore divinely inspired to Augustini amplexus est institutum. Religionem professus, omnibus religiosi hominis virtutibus et ornamentis excelluit, humilitate, patientia, continentia, sed ardentissima caritate summe conspicuus: inter varios et assiduos labores orationi rerumque divinarum meditationi", "keywords": [ "thomas", "saints", "ever", "whose", "lord", "charity", "poor", "life", "church", "holy", "name", "order", "child", "filled", "world", "glory", "sanctorum", "among", "having", "distributed" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Ildephonsus", "St. THOMAS" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus xxxi. 11", "Psalms cxi. 9" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_23", "title": "SEPTEMBER 23", "anchor": "september_23", "text": "SAINT LINUS POPE AND MARTYR The lives of the first Vicars of Christ are buried in a mysterious obscurity; just as the foundations of a monument built to defy the ravages of time are concealed from view. To be the supports of the everlasting Church is a sufficient glory: sufficient to justify our confidence in them, and to awaken our gratitude. Let us leave the learned to discuss certain points in the following short legend; as for ourselves, we will rejoice with the Church on this feast, and pay our loving veneration to the humble and gentle Pontiff, who was the first laid to rest beside St. Peter in the Vatican crypts. Linus Pontifex, Volaterris in Etruria natus, primus post Petrum gubernavit Ecclesiam. Cujus tanta fides et sanctitas fuit, ut non solum dæmones ejiceret, sed etiam mortuos revocaret ad vitam. Scripsit res gestas beati Petri, et ea maxime quæ ab illo acta sunt contra Pope Linus was born at Volterra in Tuscany, and was the first to succeed St. Peter in the government of the Church. His faith and holiness were so great, that he not only cast out devils, but even raised the dead to life. He wrote the acts of blessed Peter, and in particular what he had done against Si- Simonem Magum. Sancivit ne qua mulier, nisi velato capite, in ecclesiam introiret. Huic Pontifici caput amputatum est ob constantiam christianæ fidei, jussu Saturnini impii et ingratissimi consularis, cujus filiam a dæmonum vexatione liberaverat. Sepultus est in Vaticano prope sepulchrum principis apostolorum, nono calendas Octobris. Sedit annos undecim, menses duos, dies viginti tres, creatis bis mense Decembri episcopis quindecim, presbyteris decem et octo. mon Magus. He decreed that no woman should enter a church with her head uncovered. On account of his constancy in confessing the Christian faith, this Pontiff was beheaded by command of Saturninus, a wicked and ungrateful ex-consul, whose daughter he had delivered from the tyranny of the devils. He was buried on the Vatican, near the sepulchre of the prince of the apostles, on the ninth of the Kalends of October. He governed the Church eleven years, two months, and twenty-three days. In two ordinations in the month of December he consecrated fifteen bishops and eighteen priests. Simon Barjona was invested with the sovereign pontificate by our Lord in person, and openly before all; thou, O blessed Pontiff, didst receive in secret, yet none the less directly from Jesus, the keys of the kingdom of heaven. In thy person began the reign of pure faith; henceforth the bride, though she hears not the Man-God repeat His injunction to Peter: 'feed my lambs,' nevertheless acknowledges the continuance of His authority in the lawfully appointed representative of her divine Spouse. Obtain by thy prayers, that the shadows of earth may never cause us to waver in our obedience; and that hereafter we may merit, with thee, to contemplate our divine Head in the light of eternal day. While honouring the first successor of St. Peter, Rome", "keywords": [ "church", "pure", "peter", "bridegroom", "keep", "myself", "burning", "lamp", "meet", "pontiff", "faith", "blessed", "thecla", "linus", "martyr", "life", "lord", "divine", "banquet", "virgins" ], "saints": [ "St. LINUS", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_24", "title": "SEPTEMBER 24", "anchor": "september_24", "text": "OUR LADY OF RANSOM The Office of the time gives us, at the close of September, the Books of Judith and Esther. These heroic women were figures of Mary, whose birthday is the honour of this month, and who comes at once to bring assistance to the world. \"Adonai, Lord God, great and admirable, who hast wrought salvation by the hand of a woman:\"¹ the Church thus introduces the history of the heroine, who delivered Bethulia by the sword, whereas Mardochai's niece rescued her people from death by her winsomeness and her intercession. The Queen of heaven, in her peerless perfection, outshines them both, in gentleness, in valour, and in beauty. To-day's feast is a memorial of the strength she puts forth for the deliverance of her people. Finding their power crushed in Spain, and in the east checked by the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, the Saracens, in the twelfth century, became wholesale pirates, and scoured the seas to obtain slaves for the African markets. We shudder to think of the numberless victims, of every age, sex, and condition, suddenly carried off from the coasts of Christian lands, or captured on the high seas, and condemned to the dis of the harem or the miseries of the bagnio. Here, nevertheless, in many an obscure prison, were enacted scenes of heroism worthy to compare with those witnessed in the early persecutions; here was a new field for Christian charity; new horizons opened out for heroic self-devotion. Is not the spiritual good thence arising a sufficient reason for the permission of temporal ills? Without this permission, heaven would have for ever lacked a portion of its beauty. When, in 1696, Innocent XII extended this feast to the whole Church, he afforded the world an opportunity of expressing its gratitude by a testimony as universal as the benefit received. Differing from the Order of holy Trinity, which had been already twenty years in existence, the Order of Mercy was founded as it were in the very face of the Moors; and hence it originally numbered more knights than clerks among its members. It was called the royal, military, and religious Order of our Lady of Mercy for the ransom of captives. The clerics were charged with the celebration of the Divine Office in the commanderies; the knights guarded the coasts, and undertook the perilous enterprise of ransoming Christian captives. St. Peter Nolasco was the first Commander or Grand Master of the Order; when his relics were discovered, he was found armed with sword and cuirass. ¹ Magnificat ant. 1st Vesp. 4th Sunday of September. In the following lines the Church gives us her thoughts upon facts which we have already learnt.¹ Quo tempore major feli- ciorque Hispaniarum pars diro Saracenorum opprime- batur jugo, innumerique fideles sub immani servitu- te, maximo cum periculo christianæ fidei abjurandæ amittendæque salutis æter- næ, infeliciter detinebantur, At the time when the Sara- cen yoke oppressed the larger and more fertile part of Spain, and great numbers of the", "keywords": [ "order", "charity", "holy", "captives", "virgin", "king", "ransom", "honour", "heaven", "christian", "whole", "nolasco", "blessed", "ipse", "lady", "office", "mary", "whose", "world", "church" ], "saints": [ "St. Peter", "St. Raymund of Pegna" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_26", "title": "SEPTEMBER 26", "anchor": "september_26", "text": "SAINT CYPRIAN MARTYR AND SAINT JUSTINA VIRGIN AND MARTYR 'Whosoever ye be, that are seduced by the mysteries of the demons, none of you can equal the zeal I once had for these false gods, nor my researches into their secrets, nor the vain power they had communicated to me, to me Cyprian, who from my infancy was given up to the service of the dragon in the citadel of Minerva. Learn from me the deceitfulness of their illusions. A virgin has proved to me that their power is but smoke. The king of the demons was arrested at the door of a mere child, and could not cross the threshold. He who promises so much is a liar. A woman makes sport of the boaster who vaunted he could shake heaven and earth. The roaring lion becomes a startled gnat, before the Christian virgin Justina.'² Cyprianus primum magus, postea martyr, cum Justi- nam, christianam virginem, quam juvenis quidam arden- ter amabat, cantionibus ac veneficiis ad ejus libidinis Cyprian, who was first a ma- gician and afterwards a mar- tyr, attempted, by charms and spells, to make Justina, a Chris- tian virgin, consent to the pas- sion of a certain young man. ¹ Esther xv. 3. ² Confessio Cypriani Antiocheni, l. 2. assensum allicere conaretur, dæmonem consuluit, quanam id re consequi posset. Cui dæmon respondit, nullam il- li artem processuram adver- sus eos qui vere Christum colerent. Quo responso com- motus Cyprianus, vehemen- ter dolere cœpit vitæ supe- rioris institutum. Itaque re- lictis magicis artibus, se to- tum ad Christi Domini fidem convertit. Quam ob causam una cum virgine Justina comprehensus est, et ambo colaphis flagellisque cæsi sunt: mox in carcerem con- jecti, si forte sententiam com- mutarent. Verum inde post- ea emissi, cum in christiana religione constantissimi re- perirentur, in sartaginem plenam ferventis picis, adi- pis et ceræ injecti sunt. De- mum Nicomediæ securi feri- untur. Quorum projecta corpora, cum sex dies inhu- mata jacuissent, noctu qui- dam nautæ clam ea in navem imposita Romam portave- runt: ac primum in prædio Rufinæ nobilis feminæ se- pulta sunt: postea translata in urbem, in basilica Con- stantiniana condita sunt pro- pe baptisterium. He consulted the devil as to the best way to succeed, and was told in reply that no art would be of any service to him against the true disciples of Christ. This answer made so great an impression on Cyprian, that, grieving bitterly over his for- mer manner of life, he aban- doned his magical arts, and was completely converted to the faith of Christ our Lord. Ac- cused of being a Christian, he was seized together with the virgin Justina, and they were both severely scourged. They were then thrown into prison to see if they would change their mind; but on being taken out, as they remained firm in the Christian religion, they were cast into a cauldron of boiling pitch, fat, and wax. Finally they were beheaded at Nicomedia. Their bodies were left six days", "keywords": [ "virgin", "cyprian", "justina", "sunt", "martyr", "christian", "sign", "saint", "demons", "power", "service", "cross", "cyprianus", "primum", "postea", "quam", "afterwards", "basilica", "against", "christ" ], "saints": [ "St. CYPRIAN", "St. JUSTINA" ], "scripture": [ "Esther xv. 3" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_27", "title": "SEPTEMBER 27", "anchor": "september_27", "text": "SAINTS COSMAS AND DAMIAN MARTYRS 'Honour the physician for the need thou hast of him: for the Most High hath created him. For all healing is from God, and he shall receive gifts of the king. The skill of the physician shall lift up his head, and in the sight of great men he shall be praised. The Most High hath created medicines out of the earth, and a wise man will not abhor them. Was not bitter water made sweet with wood? The virtue of these things is come to the knowledge of men, and the Most High hath given knowledge to men, that He may be honoured in His wonders. By these He shall cure and shall allay their pains, and of these the apothecary shall make sweet confections, and shall make up ointments of health, and of his works there shall be no end. For the peace of God is over the face of the earth. My son, in thy sickness neglect not thyself, but pray to the Lord, and He shall heal thee. Turn away from sin and ¹ Acta Cypriani et Justinæ. order thy hands aright, and cleanse thy heart from all offence. Give a sweet savour, and a memorial of fine flour, and make a fat offering, and then give place to the physician. For the Lord created him: and let him not depart from thee, for his works are necessary. For there is a time when thou must fall into their hands: and they shall beseech the Lord, that He would prosper what they give for ease and remedy, for their conversation.'² These words of the Wise Man are appropriate for this feast. The Church obeying the inspired injunction, honours the medical profession in the persons of Cosmas and Damian, who not only, like many others,³ sanctified themselves in that career; but, far beyond all others, demonstrated to the world how grand a part the physician may play in Christian society. Cosmas and Damian had been Christians from their childhood. The study of Hippocrates and Galen developed their love of God, whose invisible perfections they admired reflected in the magnificences of creation, and especially in the human body His palace and His temple. To them, science was a hymn of praise to their Creator, and the exercise of their art a sacred ministry; they served God in His suffering members, and watched over His human sanctuary, to preserve it from injury or to repair its ruins. Such a life of religious charity was fittingly crowned by the perfect sacrifice of martyrdom. East and west vied with each other in paying homage to the Anargyres as our saints were called on account of their receiving no fees for their services. Numerous churches were dedicated to them. The emperor Justinian embellished and fortified the obscure town of Cyrus out of reverence for their sacred ² Ecclus. xxxviii. 1-14. ³ Dom A. M. Fournier, Notices sur les saints médecins. ⁴ Without fees. relics there preserved; and", "keywords": [ "cosmas", "damian", "saints", "physician", "church", "lord", "whose", "life", "physicians", "high", "created", "sight", "wise", "sweet", "knowledge", "hands", "society", "sacred", "suffering", "charity" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Scholastica" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus xxxviii. 1", "Timothy iv. 8" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_28", "title": "SEPTEMBER 28", "anchor": "september_28", "text": "SAINT WENCESLAS DUKE AND MARTYR Wenceslas recalls to us the entrance into the Church of a warlike nation, the Czechs, the most indomitable of the Slavonic tribes, which had penetrated into the very midst of Germany. It is well known, with what bitterness and active energy this nation upholds its social claims, as though its struggle for existence in the early days of its history had made it proof against every trial. The faith of its apostles and martyrs, the Roman faith, will be the safeguard, as it is the bond of union, of the countries subject to the crown of St. Wenceslas. Heresy, whether it be the native Hussite, or the 'reform' imported from Germany, can but lead the people to eternal ruin; may they never yield to the advances and seductions of schism! Wenceslas the martyr, grandson of the holy martyr Ludmilla, and great-uncle of the monk-bishop and martyr Adalbert, invites his faithful subjects to follow him in the only path where they may find honour and security both for this world and for the next. Let us now read the legend of holy Church. The conversion of Bohemia dates from the latter part of the ninth century, when St. Methodius baptized St. Ludmilla and her husband Borziwoi the first Christian duke of the line of Premislas. The pagan reaction, during which St. Wenceslas gained the palm of martyrdom, was but short-lived. Wenceslaus Bohemiæ dux, Wratislao patre Christiano, Drahomira matre gentili natus, ab avia Ludmilla femina sanctissima, pie educatus, omni virtutum genere insignis, summo studio virginitatem per omnem vitam servavit illibatam. Mater per nefariam Ludmillæ necem regni administrationem assecuta, impie cum juniore filio Boleslao vivens, concitavit in se procerum indignationem: quare tyrannici et impii regiminis pertæsi, utriusque excusso jugo, Wenceslaum in urbe Pragensi regem salutarunt. Wenceslas, duke of Bohemia, was born of a Christian father, Wratislas, and a pagan mother, Drahomira. Brought up in piety by the holy woman Ludmilla his grandmother, he was adorned with every virtue and with the utmost care preserved his virginity unspotted throughout his life. His mother, having murdered Ludmilla, seized the reins of government; but her wicked life, and that of her younger son Boleslas, excited the indignation of the nobles. These, wearied of a tyrannical and impious rule, threw off the yoke of both mother and son, and proclaimed Wenceslas king at Prague. Ille regnum pietate magis quam imperio regens, orphanis, viduis, egenis tanta caritate subvenit, ut propriis humeris aliquando ligna indigentibus noctu comportarit, pauperibus humandis frequenter adfuerit, captivos liberarit, carceribus detentos nocte intempesta visitarit, pecuniis et consilio sæpissime consolatus. Miti animo princeps vehementer dolebat quempiam, etsi reum, morti adjudicari. Summa religione sacerdotes veneratus, suis manibus triticum serebat, et vinum exprimebat, quibus in Missæ sacrificio uterentur. Nocte nudis pedibus super nivem et glaciem circuebat ecclesias, sanguinea et terram calefacientia post se relinquens vestigia. He ruled his kingdom rather by kindness than authority. He succoured orphans, widows, and all the poor with the greatest charity, sometimes even carrying wood on his shoulders,", "keywords": [ "wenceslas", "church", "ludmilla", "saint", "martyr", "honour", "mother", "duke", "holy", "angels", "nation", "germany", "christian", "night", "didst", "faith", "crown", "lead", "eternal", "monk" ], "saints": [ "St. Ludmilla", "St. Methodius", "St. Vitus", "St. WENCESLAS", "St. Wenceslas" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_29", "title": "SEPTEMBER 29", "anchor": "september_29", "text": "DEDICATION OF SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL The glorious Archangel appears to-day at the head of the heavenly army: There was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels.¹ In the sixth century, the dedication of the churches of St. Michael on Monte Gargano and in the Roman Circus increased the celebrity of this day, which had however been long before consecrated by Rome to the memory of all the heavenly Virtues. The East commemorates on the sixth of September an apparition of the victorious Prince at Chonæ² in Phrygia; while the eighth of November is their solemnity of the angels, corresponding to our feast of to-day, and bearing the title: 'Synaxis of Saint Michael prince of the heavenly host, and of the other spiritual Powers.' Although the term synaxis is usually applied only to religious assemblies here on earth, we are informed that in this instance it also signifies the gathering of the faithful angels at the cry of their chief, and their union eternally sealed by their victory.³ Who, then, are these heavenly Powers, whose mysterious combat heads the first page of history? Their existence is attested by the traditions of all nations as well as by the authority of holy Scripture. If we consult the Church, she teaches us that in the beginning God created simultaneously two natures, the spiritual and the corporal, and afterwards man who is composed of both. The scale of nature descends by gradation from beings made to the likeness of God, to the very confines of nothingness; and by the same degrees the creature mounts upwards to his Creator. God is infinite being, infinite intelligence, infinite love. The creature is for ever finite: but man, endowed with a reasoning intellect, and the angel, with an intuitive grasp of truth, are ever, by a continual process of purification, widening the bounds of their imperfect nature, in order to reach, by increase of light, the perfection of greater love. God alone is simple with that unchangeable productive simplicity, which is absolute perfection excluding the possibility of progress; He is pure Act, in whom substance, power, and operation are one thing. The angel, though entirely independent of matter, is yet subject to the natural weakness necessary to a created being; he is not absolutely simple, for in him action is distinct from power, and power from essence. How much greater is the weakness of man's composite nature, unable to carry on the operations of the intellect without the aid of the senses! 'Compared with ours,' says one of the most enlightened brethren of the angelic doctor, 'how calm and how luminous is the knowledge of pure spirits! They are not doomed to the intricate discoursings of our reason, which runs after the truth, composes and analyzes, and laboriously draws conclusions from premisses. They instantaneously apprehend the whole compass of primary truths. Their intuition is so prompt, so lively, so penetrating, that it is ¹", "keywords": [ "angels", "heavenly", "love", "heaven", "michael", "earth", "nature", "holy", "pure", "high", "infinite", "ever", "perfection", "power", "spirits", "glory", "three", "laus", "praise", "battle" ], "saints": [ "St. Denis", "St. Luke", "St. MICHAEL", "St. Michael", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xii. 7", "Hebrews i. 5", "Hebrews ii. 6", "Luke xxii. 43", "Matthew ii. 13", "Psalms ii. 7" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "SEPTEMBER_30", "title": "SEPTEMBER 30", "anchor": "september_30", "text": "SAINT JEROME PRIEST CONFESSOR AND DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH 'I know not Vitalis, I reject Meletius, I pass by Paulinus;¹ he that cleaveth to the Chair of Peter, he is mine.'² Thus, about the year 376, when the whole east was disturbed by the competitions for the episcopal See of Antioch, wrote an unknown monk to Pope St. Damasus. It was St. Jerome, a native of Dalmatia, who implored 'light for his soul redeemed by the Blood of our Lord.'³ Far from Stridonium, his semi-barbarous native place, whose austerity and vigour he never lost; far from Rome, where the study of literature and philosophy had not had sufficient ascendency to withhold him from the seductions of pleasure; the fear of God's judgments had led him into the desert of Chalcis. Here, under a burning sky, in the company of wild beasts, he for four years tormented his body with fearful macerations; and then, as a yet more efficacious remedy, and certainly a more meritorious mortification for one passionately fond of classical beauties, he sacrificed his Ciceronian tastes to the study of the Hebrew language. Such an undertaking was far more laborious then than in our days of lexicons and grammars and scientific works of every description. Many a time was Jerome discouraged and almost in despair. But he had learnt the truth ¹ Hieron. Epist. xv. al. lvii. ad Damas. ² Epist. xvi. al. lviii. ³ Ibid. of the maxim he afterwards inculcated to others: 'Love the science of the Scriptures, and you will not love the vices of the flesh.'¹ So he took up his Hebrew alphabet again, and continued to spell those 'hissing and panting syllables'² until he had so mastered them as even to spoil his pronunciation of Latin. For the rest of his life, all the energy of his spirited nature was spent upon this labour. God amply repaid the homage thus rendered to His sacred word: Jerome hoped to obtain by his toil the cure of his moral sickness; he moreover attained the lofty holiness that we now admire in him. Other heroes of the desert remain unknown: Jerome was one of those to whom it is said: 'You are the salt of the earth; you are the light of the world';⁵ and God willed that in due time this light should be set upon a candlestick that it might shine to all that are in the house. The once brilliant student returned to Rome an altered man; for his holiness, learning, and humility, he was declared by all to be worthy of the episcopal dignity. Pope Damasus, the virgin doctor of the virgin Church,⁶ commissioned him to answer, in his name, the consultations sent from east and west;⁷ and caused him to begin, by the revision of the Latin New Testament upon the original Greek text, those great scriptural works, which have immortalized his name and entitled him to the undying gratitude of the Christian world. Meanwhile Helvidius dared to call in question the", "keywords": [ "holy", "church", "lord", "remigius", "jerome", "life", "world", "epist", "mysteries", "rosary", "mary", "name", "mother", "blessed", "rome", "christ", "virgin", "people", "franks", "sacred" ], "saints": [ "St. Antimund", "St. Augustine", "St. Celinia", "St. Christopher", "St. Clotilde", "St. Damasus", "St. Dominic", "St. Genebald", "St. Hilarion", "St. JEROME", "St. Jerome", "St. Leo", "St. Malchus", "St. Mary", "St. Matt", "St. Paul the Hermit", "St. Paula", "St. Pius", "St. REMIGIUS", "St. Remigius", "St. Rémi", "St. Vedast" ], "scripture": [ "Ezechiel i.", "Isaias xlix.", "Matthew v. 13", "Proverbs c.", "Psalms l.", "Psalms lxxxiii. 11", "Psalms lxxxviii. 31" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_2", "title": "OCTOBER 2", "anchor": "october_2", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "THE_HOLY_GUARDIAN_ANGELS", "title": "THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGELS", "anchor": "the_holy_guardian_angels", "text": "Although the solemnity of September 29 celebrates the praises of all the nine glorious choirs, yet the piety of the faithful, in the latter ages, desired to have a special day consecrated to the Guardian Angels. Several churches having taken the initiative, and kept the feast under various rites and on different days, Paul V (1608) authorized its celebration ad libitum. Clement X (1670) established it by precept as a feast of double rite¹ on October 2, the first free day after Michaelmas, on which it thus remains in some way dependent. It is of faith, on the testimony of the Scriptures and of unanimous tradition, that God commits to His angels the guardianship of men, who are called to contemplate Him together with these blessed spirits in their common fatherland. Catholic theology teaches that this protection is extended to every member of the human race, without any distinction of just and sinners, infidels and baptized. To ward off dangers; to uphold man in his struggle against the demons; to awaken in him holy thoughts; to prevent him from sinning, and even, at times, to chastise him; to pray for him, and present his prayers to God: such is the office of the Guardian Angel. So special is his mission, that one angel does not undertake the guardianship of several persons simultaneously; so diligent is his care, that he follows ¹ It has been a greater double since 1883. his ward from the first day to the last of his mortal existence, receiving the soul as it quits this life, and bearing it from the feet of the sovereign Judge to the place it has merited in heaven, or to its temporary sojourn in the place of expiation and purification. It is from the lowest of the nine choirs, the nearest to ourselves, that the Guardian Angels are for the most part selected. God reserves to the Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones the honour of forming His own immediate court. The Dominations, from the steps of His throne, preside over the government of the universe; the Virtues watch over the course of nature's laws, the preservation of species, and the movements of the heavens; the Powers hold the spirits of wickedness in subjection. The human race in its entirety, as also its great social bodies, the nations and the churches, are confided to the Principalities; while the Archangels, who preside over smaller communities, seem also to have the office of transmitting to the Angels the commands of God, together with the love and light which come down even to us from the first and highest hierarchy. O the depths of the wisdom of God! Thus, then, the admirable distribution of offices among the choirs of heavenly spirits terminates in the function committed to the lowest rank, the guardianship of man, for whom the universe subsists. Such is the teaching of the School;¹ and the apostle, in like manner, says: \"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to minister for them, who", "keywords": [ "angels", "angel", "earth", "guardian", "soul", "heaven", "spirits", "ever", "blessed", "heavenly", "father", "choirs", "special", "human", "without", "place", "nature", "love", "light", "says" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Bernard", "St. Jerome" ], "scripture": [ "Hebrews i. 14", "Jeremias xii. 4", "Job ix. 13", "Kings vi. 10", "Psalms cxviii.", "Psalms lxxvi. 17", "Psalms xc.", "Psalms xc. 11" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_4", "title": "OCTOBER 4", "anchor": "october_4", "text": "SAINT FRANCIS CONFESSOR And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the sign of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying: Hurt not the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees, till we sign the servants of our God in their foreheads.¹ The sixth seal of the Book of destinies had just been opened before the eyes of the prophet of Patmos. It was a time of anguish, the hour for the wicked to cry to the mountains: 'Fall upon us!' The sun was darkened: an image of the Sun of justice eclipsed by the night of iniquity; the moon, the figure of the Church, appeared red as blood, through the evils that defiled the sanctuary; the stars fell from heaven, as the fig-tree casteth its green figs when it is shaken by a great wind. Who would appease the Lamb, and retard the day of wrath? At the invitation of the saints and of the apostolic See, let us recognize the angel who won for the world a delay of the judgment; the angel with the impress of God upon a mortal body; the seraph with his sacred stigmata, the sight of which once more disarmed the justice of God. Dante thus sings of the elect of God, under whose leadership took place on earth as it were a repetition of the first and only Redemption: ¹ Apoc. vii. 2, 3. Between Tupino, and the wave that falls From blest Ubaldo's chosen hill, there hangs Rich slope of mountain high, whence heat and cold Are wafted thro' Perugia's eastern gate: And Nocera with Gualdo, in its rear, Mourn for their heavy yoke. Upon that side, Where it doth break its steepness most, arose A sun upon the world, as duly this From Ganges doth: therefore let none who speak Of that place say Ascesi; for its name Were lamely so delivered; but the east, To call things rightly, be it henceforth styled. He was not yet much distant from his rising, When his good influence 'gan to bless the earth. A dame to whom none openeth pleasure's gate More than to death, was, 'gainst his father's will, His stripling choice: and he did make her his, Before the spiritual court, by nuptial bonds, And in his father's sight: from day to day Then loved her more devoutly. She bereaved Of her first husband, slighted and obscure, Thousand and hundred years and more, remain'd Without a single suitor, till he came. . . . . . The lovers' titles—Poverty and Francis. Their concord and glad looks, wonder and love, And sweet regard gave birth to holy thoughts, So much that venerable Bernard¹ first Did bare his feet, and, in pursuit of peace So heavenly, ran, yet deemed his footing slow. O hidden riches! O prolific good! Egidius bares him next, and next Sylvester, And follow,", "keywords": [ "francis", "love", "christ", "world", "church", "father", "lord", "holy", "earth", "poverty", "order", "heaven", "took", "death", "cross", "francisci", "body", "whole", "life", "having" ], "saints": [ "St. Bonaventure", "St. FRANCIS", "St. Francis", "St. Mary", "St. Michael" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse vii. 2", "Proverbs vii. 4", "Wisdom viii. 2" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_5", "title": "OCTOBER 5", "anchor": "october_5", "text": "SAINT PLACID AND HIS COMPANIONS MARTYRS The protomartyr of the Benedictine Order stands before us to-day in his strength and in his beauty. The empire had fallen, and the yoke of the Arian Goths lay heavy upon Italy. Rome was no longer in the hands of the glorious races which had made her greatness; these, nevertheless, kept up their honourable traditions. They offered a great lesson, for future times of revolution, to other descendants of not less noble families: in lieu of the ensign of civic honour once committed to their fathers, the survivors of the old patrician ranks made it their duty to raise still higher the standard of true heroism, of those virtues which alone are everlasting. Thus Benedict of Nursia, fleeing into the desert, had rendered greater service than any mighty conqueror to Rome and her immortal destinies. The world soon discovered this fact; and then began, as St. Gregory tells us, the concourse of Roman nobles, bringing their children to the patriarch of monks, to be educated by him for almighty God.¹ Placid was the eldest son of the patrician Tertullus. The excellent qualities early discovered in the child led his worthy father to offer to God, without delay, this dear first-fruit of his paternity. In those days, parents loved their children not for this passing world, but for eternity; not for themselves, but for our Lord. The faith of Tertullus was well rewarded when, twenty years later, not only his first-born, but also his two other sons and their sister, were crowned with martyrdom. This was not the first holocaust of the kind in that heroic family, if it be true that they were relatives by blood, and heirs of the goods as well as of the virtues, of the holy martyr Eustace, who had been immolated four centuries earlier with his wife and sons.² Among the children of promise enlisted by the vanquished nobles of the ancient empire in the new militia of the holy valley, Equitius brought to Subiaco his son Maurus, a boy some years older than Placid. Henceforth the names of Maurus and Placid became inseparable from that of Benedict; and the patriarch acquired a new glory from his two sons, so united and yet so different. Equal in their love of their master and father, and themselves equally loved by him for their equal fidelity in good works, they experienced to the full that delight in virtue which makes its practice a second nature. However similar their zeal in using 'the most strong and bright armour of obedience,' in the service of Christ the King, it was wonderful to see the master accommodating himself to the age of his disciples; so adapting himself to their differences of character, that there was nothing precipitate, nothing forced, in his education. It disciplined nature without crushing it, and followed the Holy Ghost without endeavouring to take the lead. In Maurus was especially reproduced Benedict's austere gravity; in Placid his simplicity and sweetness. Benedict", "keywords": [ "placid", "benedict", "holy", "maurus", "father", "monastic", "life", "world", "children", "monks", "water", "without", "faith", "taken", "autem", "virgin", "martyrs", "order", "patriarch", "days" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Gregory", "St. John", "St. Matt", "St. PLACID" ], "scripture": [ "John xii. 24", "Matthew xviii. 3" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_6", "title": "OCTOBER 6", "anchor": "october_6", "text": "SAINT BRUNO CONFESSOR Among the divers religious families, none is held in higher esteem by the Church than the Carthusian; the prescriptions of the corpus juris determine that a person may pass from any other Order into this, without deterioration.¹ And yet it is of all the least given to active works. Is not this a new, and not the least convincing, proof that outward zeal, how praiseworthy soever, is not the only, or the principal thing in God's sight? The Church, in her fidelity, values all things according to the preferences of her divine Spouse. Now, our Lord esteems His elect not so much by the activity of their works, as by the hidden perfection of their lives; that perfection which is measured by the intensity of the divine life, and of which it is said: 'Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.'² Again it is said of this divine life: 'You are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.'³ The Church, then, considering the solitude and silence of the Carthusian, his abstinence even unto death, his freedom to attend to God through complete disengagement from the senses and from the world—sees therein the guarantee of a perfection which may indeed be met with elsewhere, but here appears to be far more secure.⁴ Hence, though the field of labour is ever widening, though the necessity of warfare and struggle grows ever more urgent, she does not hesitate to shield with the protection of her laws, and to encourage with the greatest favours, all who are called by grace to the life of the desert. The reason is not far to seek. In an age, when every effort to arrest the world in its headlong downward career seems vain, has not man greater need than ever to fall back upon God? The enemy is aware of it; and therefore the first law he imposes upon his votaries is, to forbid all access to the way of the counsels, and to stifle all life of adoration, expiation, and prayer. For he well knows that, though a nation may appear to be on the verge of its doom, there is yet hope for it as long as the best of its sons are prostrate before the Majesty of God. ¹ Cap. Viam ambitiosæ, i. tit. viii. Extrav. com. lib. iii. ² St. Matt. v. 48. ³ Col. iii. 3. ⁴ Suarez. De Religione. ix. lib. ii. cap. iv. 6. Look at the history of the west in the eleventh century. If there ever was a time when it seemed urgent that the cloister, far from increasing the number of its inmates, should send them forth to the last man, for the active service of the Church; it was surely the epoch when the flesh, victorious over the spirit, posted up its triumphs even in the sanctuary; when, for each other's sake, Cæsar and satan held the pastors of the people in bondage. Nevertheless, at that", "keywords": [ "bruno", "church", "life", "world", "divine", "count", "saint", "lord", "perfect", "father", "solitude", "ever", "desert", "years", "children", "among", "carthusian", "order", "works", "things" ], "saints": [ "St. BRUNO", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Stephen" ], "scripture": [ "Canticle of Canticles i. 6", "Canticle of Canticles iv. 9", "Colossians iii. 3", "Matthew v. 48", "Matthew v. 8" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_7", "title": "OCTOBER 7", "anchor": "october_7", "text": "SAINT MARK POPE AND CONFESSOR AND SAINTS SERGIUS, BACCHUS, MARCELLUS AND APULEIUS, MARTYRS Mark, successor to Sylvester the Pontiff of peace, has been honoured on this day from time immemorial. According to the testimony of St. Damasus, his virtues no less than his name recalled St. Mark the Evangelist.² He occupied the supreme See only eight months; but in that short time, he followed up the recent triumph of the Church by wise organizations. He built two new sanctuaries in Rome. He gave the pallium, of which this is the first mention in history, to the bishop of Ostia, to enhance his high privilege of being the appointed consecrator of the Roman Pontiffs. This pontificate witnessed the awful death of Arius. Constantine had been deceived into ordering the reinstatement of this wicked man, who taught that the Word Incarnate was a mere creature. The heresiarch, followed by his partisans, was proceeding in triumph through the streets of Constantinople, intending to force open the doors of the basilica, where the faithful, with their bishop St. Alexander, were beseeching God, with fasting and tears, to avert ¹ 1 Cor. xii. xiii. xiv. ² De Rossi. Inscript. Christ. ii. 108. the profanation. Suddenly, seized with an ignominious trembling, Arius was obliged to retire to a secret place, where his flatterers soon afterwards found him stretched upon the floor with his bowels cast out. He had merited the death of a Judas, for having delivered up the Son of God to the disputes of the people, to the mockeries of the proud, to the contradictions of the prætorium. Among the martyrs annually commemorated on this day, the names of Marcellus and Apuleius carry back the mind to apostolic times. They had been disciples of Simon Magus, but were convinced of his lying deceit by the miracles of St. Peter, and shed their blood in testimony of their faith in the true God. St. Sergius is regarded in the east as one of the most glorious witnesses to our Lord. He suffered in the tenth and last persecution, with his companion St. Bacchus, a soldier like himself of the Roman army in Syria. So illustrious became his sepulchre, that a city sprang up around it, which was called Sergiopolis, and became a metropolitan See. The west soon joined the east in honouring these holy martyrs, and a church was dedicated to them in Rome. Saint-Serge at Angers, founded by Clovis II, testifies to the veneration in which they were held by the Franks. PRAYER Exaudi, Domine, preces nostras, et interveniente beato Marco, confessore tuo atque pontifice, indulgentiam nobis tribue placatus et pacem. Per Dominum. Hear, O Lord, our prayers; and appeased by the intercession of blessed Mark, thy confessor and bishop, grant us pardon and peace. Through our Lord. PRAYER Sanctorum martyrum tuorum nos, Domine, Sergii, Bacchi, Marcelli et Apuleii beata merita prosequantur: et tuo semper faciant amore ferventes. Per Dominum. May the blessed merits of thy holy martyrs, Sergius, Bacchus, Marcellus, and Apuleius accompany", "keywords": [ "virgin", "holy", "lord", "justina", "glory", "amen", "mark", "mother", "father", "spirit", "martyrs", "triumph", "sæcula", "ages", "born", "sergius", "bacchus", "marcellus", "apuleius", "bishop" ], "saints": [ "St. Alexander", "St. Bacchus", "St. Benedict", "St. Damasus", "St. Justina", "St. MARK", "St. Mark", "St. Mark the Evangelist", "St. Peter", "St. Sergius" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xii." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_8", "title": "OCTOBER 8", "anchor": "october_8", "text": "SAINT BRIDGET WIDOW *Who, O Lord, has treated Thee thus?' 'They that despise Me and forget My love.' This was the first revelation of the Son of God to Bridget of Sweden. Francis of Assisi, raising before the world the standard of the cross, had announced that Christ was about to recommence the dolorous way; not now in His own Person, but in the Church, who is flesh of His flesh. The truth of this declaration Bridget experienced from the very opening of that fatal fourteenth century, during which such innumerable disasters, the results of crime, fell at once upon the west. Born in the year when Sciarra Colonna, a new Pilate's servant, dared to strike the Vicar of Christ, Bridget's childhood was contemporaneous with those sad falls, which caused the Church to be despised by her enemies. There were no saints in Christendom comparable to the great ones of old; in the preceding age the Latin races had exhausted their vitality in producing flowers; but where were the promised fruits? Ancient Europe had nought but affronts for the Word of God; this feast, this apparition of Jesus in cold Scandinavia, seems to point to His flight from the habitual centre of His predilection. Bridget was ten years old, when the Man of sorrows sought a resting-place in her heart: and at that very time, the death of Clement V and the election of John XXII in a foreign land, fixed the papacy in its seventy years' exile. Rome meanwhile, widowed of her Pontiff, appeared the most miserable of cities: 'The ways of Sion mourn, because there are none that come to the solemn feast!'¹ Sacked by her own sons, she was daily losing some remnant of her ancient glory; her public roads were scenes of bloodshed; solitude reigned amid the ruins of her crumbling basilicas; sheep grazed in St. Peter's and the Lateran. From the seven hills anarchy had spread throughout Italy, transforming the towns into haunts of brigands, and the country parts into deserts. France was doomed to expiate, in the horrors of a hundred years' war, the captivity of the sovereign Pontiff. Unfortunately, the captivity was loved; the court of Avignon did not mourn like the Hebrews by the rivers in Babylon; richer in gold than in virtues, it were well, had they not, for a long time, shaken the influence of the Holy See over the nations. The German empire and Louis of Bavaria could easily refuse obedience to the ward of the Valois; the Fratricelli accused the Pope of heresy; while, countenanced by the doctors of the law, Marsilius of Padua attacked the very principle of the papacy. Benedict XII discouraged by the troubles of Italy, abandoned his design of returning to Rome; and built upon the rock of Doms the famous castle, at once fortress and palace, which seemed to fix the residence of the Popes for ever on the banks of the Rhone. The misery of Rome, and the splendour of Avignon, reached", "keywords": [ "bridget", "lord", "years", "rome", "holy", "saint", "sweden", "church", "clement", "land", "life", "return", "world", "christ", "during", "year", "vicar", "heart", "italy", "avignon" ], "saints": [ "St. BRIDGET", "St. Bridget", "St. Catharine of Sweden", "St. Dionysius", "St. James", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "John xxii.", "Lamentations iii. 8" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_9", "title": "OCTOBER 9", "anchor": "october_9", "text": "SAINT DIONYSIUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR AND SAINTS RUSTICUS AND ELEUTHERIUS, MM. Ushered in by Bridget the northern prophetess, Dionysius appears as the brightest star in that constellation of mystics, which illumines the close of the cycle with the first glimmers of eternal union. Soon we shall salute Teresa of Jesus, and her guide Peter of Alcantara; while from the shades of his Obscure Night, John of the Cross will rise in glory next month near to the great St. Gertrude. The Man-God began to do and to teach, gave us first example then doctrine; so too the Church, in her liturgical year, first sets before us the examples of the saints, and afterwards teaches us the rules of sanctity as formulated by these holy ones themselves. Strong in the results she has obtained, she now seems to rest in the security gained by experience; and, as in the proper of the time, of which that of the saints is the faithful echo, she yields to her desire of seeing her children able to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth. To know also the charity of Christ, which surpasseth all knowledge, that they may be filled unto all the fulness of God.¹ Is not this the good work which the apostle prays may be perfected in us by that last day,² for which these weeks after Pentecost are preparing us, viz: perfect justice, the fruit of love in its full development? But this development of love cannot be without the progress of the soul in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;³ and that approving of better things, of which St. Paul speaks,⁴ can be acquired only by the imitation of the saints or the study of their works. To-day the incomparable teacher Dionysius presides over the assembly of the faithful. With east and west let us keep silence; for it behoveth the master to speak and teach, and it beseemeth the disciple to hold his peace and listen.⁵ Every best gift, and every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.⁶ Every emanation of splendour overflowing from the divine goodness upon man, reacts in him as a principle of spiritual simplification and of heavenly union; and by its own power leads him back towards the sovereign unity and good simplicity of the Father. For all things come from God, and return to God. By the very fact that they exist, inanimate objects partake of God, who, by the sublimity of His Essence, is the being of all that is. Living things partake of His vivifying energy, which is superior to all life. Rational and intellectual creatures partake of His wisdom, which surpasses all reason and intelligence. The various beings approach nearer to the Divinity, in proportion as they partake of It in more ways. ¹ Eph. iii. 18, 19. Epistle of the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. ² Phil. i. 6-11. Epistle of the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost. ³ Col.", "keywords": [ "dionysius", "hierarchy", "divine", "holy", "church", "things", "apostle", "didst", "saints", "christ", "pentecost", "perfect", "coming", "partake", "nature", "nothing", "order", "others", "light", "hier" ], "saints": [ "St. DIONYSIUS", "St. Denys", "St. Dionysius", "St. Gertrude", "St. James", "St. John the Baptist", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Colossians i. 9", "Ephesians iii. 18", "James i. 17", "Philippians i. 6", "Philippians iii. 17", "Psalms cxxxviii. 17" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_10", "title": "OCTOBER 10", "anchor": "october_10", "text": "SAINT FRANCIS BORGIA CONFESSOR Vanity of vanities and all is vanity.¹ No argument was needed to impress this truth upon the saint of to-day, when the coffin was opened which contained all that Spain had admired of youth and loveliness, and death suddenly revealed to him its awful reality. O ye beauties of all times, death alone never dies; it invites itself to your dances and pleasures, it assists at all your triumphs, it hears promises said to be eternal: and how quickly it can scatter your adorers! A few years, a few days, perhaps even less, and all your borrowed sweetness will be decaying in the tomb! 'Enough of vain phantoms; enough of serving mortal kings; awaken, O my soul!' Such was Francis Borgia's reply to the teachings of death. The friend of Charles V, the great lord unequalled for nobility, fortune, and brilliant qualities, quitted the court as soon as possible. Ignatius, the soldier of the siege of Pampeluna, beheld at his feet the viceroy of Catalonia, begging to be protected against the honours which pursued him even under the poor habit of a Jesuit, which was now his glory. The Church relates his life in the following lines. Franciscus Gandiæ dux quartus, Joanne Borgia et Joanna Aragonia Ferdinandi Catholici nepte genitus, post puerilem ætatem inter domesticos mira innocentia et pietate transactam, in aula primum Caroli quinti Cæsaris, mox in Catalauniæ administratione admirabilior fuit christianæ virtutis et vitæ austerioris exemplis. Ad Granatense sepulchrum Isabellam imperatricem cum detulisset, in ejus vultu fœde commutato, mortalium omnium caducitatem relegens, voto se adstrinxit, rebus omnibus, cum primum liceret, abjectis, regum Regi unice inserviendi. Inde tantum virtutis incrementum fecit, ut inter negotiorum turbas religiosæ perfectionis simillimam imaginem referens, miraculum principum appellaretur. Francis, fourth Duke of Gandia, was the son of John Borgia and of Joanna of Aragon, grand-daughter of Ferdinand the Catholic. He passed his childhood, in his father's house, in wonderful innocence and piety, but appeared still more admirable when he showed himself a pattern of Christian virtue and austerity, first at the court of the emperor, Charles V, and afterwards as viceroy of Catalonia. He was charged to convey the body of the empress Isabella to her sepulchre at Granada. Seeing the horrible change in her features, he understood how fleeting are all earthly things, and vowed to renounce everything as soon as possible, and devote himself to the service of the King of kings. From that day forward he made such progress in virtue, that, in the midst of overwhelming occupations, his life was a faithful copy of religious perfection, so that he was called the miracle of princes. Mortua Eleonora de Castro, conjuge, ingressus est Societatem Jesu, ut in ea lateret securius, et præcluderet dignitatibus aditum, interposita voti religione: dignus, quem et viri principes complures in amplectendo severiori instituto fuerint secuti, et Carolus quintus ipse in abdicando imperio hortatorem sibi, aut ducem exstitisse non diffiteretur. In eo arctioris vitæ studio Franciscus jejuniis, catenis ferreis, asperrimo cilicio, cruentis longisque verberationibus,", "keywords": [ "francis", "life", "saint", "borgia", "death", "virtue", "society", "humility", "vanity", "charles", "soon", "ignatius", "against", "glory", "church", "primum", "vitæ", "ejus", "body", "princes" ], "saints": [ "St. FRANCIS", "St. Ignatius", "St. Pius", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_13", "title": "OCTOBER 13", "anchor": "october_13", "text": "SAINT EDWARD THE CONFESSOR KING OF ENGLAND This glorious saint was like a beautiful lily, crowning the ancient branch of the kings of Wessex. The times had progressed since that sixth century, when the pagan Cerdic and other pirate chiefs from the North scattered with ruins the island of saints. Having accomplished their mission of wrath, the Anglo-Saxons became instruments of grace to the land they had conquered. Evangelized by Rome, even as the Britons they had just chastised, they remembered, better than the latter, whence their salvation had come; a spring-tide blossoming of sanctity showed the pleasure God took once more in Albion, for the constant fidelity of the princes and people of the heptarchy towards the See of Peter. In the year of our Lord 800, Egbert, a descendant of Cerdic, had gone on pilgrimage to Rome, when a deputation from the West Saxons offered him the crown, beside the tomb of the Prince of the apostles, at whose feet Charlemagne, at that very time, was restoring the empire. As Egbert united under one sceptre the power of the seven kingdoms, so Saint Edward, his last descendant, represents to-day in his own person the glorious holiness of them all. Nephew to St. Edward the martyr, our holy king is known to God and man by the beautiful title of the Confessor. The Church, in her account of his life, sets forth more particularly the virtues which won him so glorious an appellation; but we must remember moreover that his reign of twenty-four years was one of the happiest England has ever known. Alfred the Great had no more illustrious imitator. The Danes, so long masters, now entirely subjugated within the kingdom, and without, held at bay by the noble attitude of the prince; Macbeth, the usurper of the Scotch throne, vanquished in a campaign that Shakespeare has immortalized; St. Edward's Laws, which remain to this day the basis of the British constitution; the saint's munificence towards all noble enterprises, while at the same time he diminished the taxes: all this proves with sufficient clearness, that the sweetness of virtue, which made him the intimate friend of St. John the beloved disciple, is not incom- ¹ Eccles. i. 2. patible with the greatness of a monarch. Eduardus, cognomento Confessor, nepos sancti Eduardi regis et martyris, Anglo-Saxonum regum ultimus, quem futurum regem Brithualdo viro sanctissimo in mentis excessu Dominus demonstravit, decennis a Danis Angliam vastantibus quæsitus ad necem: exsulare cogitur apud avunculum, Normanniæ ducem: ubi in mediis vitiorum illecebris talem se exhibuit integritate vitæ, morumque innocentia, ut omnibus admirationi esset. Eluxit in eo vel tum mira pietas in Deum ac res divinas, fuitque ingenio mitissimo, atque ab omni dominandi cupiditate alieno. Cujus ea vox fertur, malle se regno carere, quod sine cæde et sanguine obtineri non possit. Edward, surnamed the Confessor, nephew to St. Edward king and martyr, was the last king of the Anglo-Saxon race. Our Lord had revealed that he would one day be king, to a holy", "keywords": [ "church", "holy", "life", "teresa", "death", "lord", "love", "saint", "callixtus", "divine", "name", "christian", "soul", "christ", "world", "jesus", "edward", "heaven", "king", "whose" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Augustine", "St. CALLIXTUS", "St. Callixtus", "St. EDWARD", "St. Edward", "St. Gregory", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Mary", "St. Mary of Mount", "St. Matt", "St. TERESA", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [ "Apocalypse xiii. 7", "Ecclesiastes i. 2", "Matthew x. 26", "Matthew xxvii. 46", "Peter i.", "Psalms xxvi. 12" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_17", "title": "OCTOBER 17", "anchor": "october_17", "text": "SAINT HEDWIGE WIDOW AT the beginning of the thirteenth century, the plateaux of upper Asia poured down a fresh torrent of barbarians, more terrible than all their predecessors. The one fragile barrier, which the Græco-Slavonian civilization could oppose to the Mongols, had been swept away by the first wave of the invasion; not one of the States formed under the protection of the Byzantine Church had any prospect for the future. But beyond this Ruthenia, which had fallen into dissolution before being conquered, the Roman Church had had time to form a brave and generous people: when the hour arrived, Poland was ready. The Mongols were already inundating Silesia, when, in the plains of Liegnitz, they found themselves confronted by an army of thirty thousand warriors, headed by the duke of Silesia, Henry the pious.¹ The encounter was terrible; the victory remained long undecided, until at length, by the odious treason of some Ruthenian princes, it turned in favour of the barbarians. Duke Henry and the flower of the Polish knighthood were left upon the battle-field. But their defeat was equal to a victory. The Mongols retired exhausted, for they had measured their strength with the soldiers of the Latin Christianity. ¹ April 8, 1241. It is Poland's happy lot, that at each decisive epoch in its history a saint appears to point out the road to the attainment of its glorious destiny. Over the battle-field of Liegnitz shines the gentle figure of St. Hedwige, mother of duke Henry the pious. She had retired, in her widowhood, into the Cistercian monastery of Trebnitz founded by herself. Three years before the coming of the barbarians, she had had a revelation touching the future fate of her son. She offered her sacrifice in silence; and far from discouraging the young duke, she was the first to animate him to resistance. The night following the battle, she awoke one of her companions, and said to her: 'Demundis, know that I have lost my son. My beloved son has fled from me, like a bird on the wing; I shall never see my son again in this life.' Demundis endeavoured to console her; no courier had arrived from the army, and her fears were vain. 'It is but too true,' replied the duchess, 'but mention it to no one.' Three days later the fatal news was confirmed. 'It is the will of God,' said Hedwige; 'what God wills, and what pleases Him, must please us also.' And rejoicing in the Lord: 'I thank Thee, O my God,' said she, raising her hands and eyes to heaven, 'for having given me such a son. He loved me all his life, always treated me with great respect, and never grieved me. I much desired to have him with me on earth, but I congratulate him with my whole soul, for that by the shedding of his blood he is united with Thee in heaven, with Thee his Creator. I recommend his soul to Thee, O Lord", "keywords": [ "gospel", "paul", "luke", "church", "mother", "life", "love", "poland", "jesus", "never", "soul", "gentiles", "apostle", "duke", "henry", "lord", "earth", "whole", "saint", "hedwige" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew", "St. Elizabeth", "St. HEDWIGE", "St. Hedwige", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. LUKE", "St. Luke", "St. Mark", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Thecla" ], "scripture": [ "Genesis xvii. 6", "Luke c.", "Luke i.", "Luke ii. 31", "Luke iii. 38", "Luke iv. 25", "Luke l.", "Luke xviii. 8", "Mark i. 1", "Matthew i. 1", "Titus ii. 11" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_19", "title": "OCTOBER 19", "anchor": "october_19", "text": "SAINT PETER OF ALCANTARA CONFESSOR 'O happy penance, which has won me such glory!' said the saint of to-day at the threshold of heaven. And on earth, Teresa of Jesus wrote of him: 'Oh! what a perfect imitator of Jesus Christ God has just taken from us, by calling to his glory that blessed religious, Brother Peter of Alcantara! The world, they say, is no longer capable of such high perfection; constitutions are weaker, and we are not now in the olden times. Here is a saint of the present day; yet his manly fervour equalled that of past ages; and he had a supreme disdain for everything earthly. But without going barefoot like him, or doing such sharp penance, there are very many ways in which we can practise contempt of the world, and which our Lord will teach us as soon as we have courage. What great courage must the holy man I speak of have received from God, to keep up for forty-seven years the rigorous penance that all now know! Of all his mortifications, that which cost him most at the beginning was the overcoming of sleep; to effect this he would remain continually on his knees, or else standing. The little repose he granted to nature he took sitting, with his head leaning against a piece of wood fixed to the wall; indeed, had he wished to lie down, he could not have done so, for his cell was only four feet and a half in length. During the course of all these years, he never put his hood up, however burning the sun might be, or however heavy the rain. He never used shoes or stockings. He wore no other clothing than a single garment of rough, coarse cloth; I found out, however, that for twenty years he wore a hair-shirt made on plates of tin, which he never took off. His habit was as narrow as it could possibly be; and over it he put a short cloak of the same material; this he took off when it was very cold, and left the door and small window of his cell open for a while; then he shut them and put his cape on again, which he said was his manner of warming himself and giving his body a little better temperature. He usually ate but once in three days; and when I showed some surprise at this, he said it was quite easy when one was accustomed to it. His poverty was extreme; and such was his mortification, that, as he acknowledged to me, he had, when young, spent three years in a house of his Order without knowing any one of the religious except by the sound of his voice; for he had never lifted up his eyes; so that, when called by the rule to any part of the house, he could find his way only by following the other brethren. He observed the same custody of the eyes when", "keywords": [ "teresa", "world", "never", "order", "life", "peter", "penance", "glory", "years", "manner", "saint", "earth", "without", "lord", "body", "house", "fuit", "wonderful", "having", "soul" ], "saints": [ "St. Francis", "St. PETER", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [ "Psalms cxxi. 1" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_20", "title": "OCTOBER 20", "anchor": "october_20", "text": "SAINT JOHN CANTIUS CONFESSOR Kenty, the humble village of Silesia which witnessed the birth of St. John, owes its celebrity entirely to him. The canonization of this holy priest, who in the fifteenth century had illustrated the university of Cracow by his virtues and science, was the last hope of expiring Poland. It took place in the year 1767. Two years earlier, it was at the request of this heroic nation that Clement XIII had issued the first decree sanctioning the celebration of the feast of the Sacred Heart. When enrolling John Cantius among the saints, the magnanimous Pontiff expressed in moving terms the gratitude of the Church towards that unfortunate people; and rendered to it, before shamefully forgetful Europe, a supreme homage. Five years later Poland was dismembered. Joannes in oppido Kenty Cracoviensis diœcesis, a quo Cantii cognomen duxit, Stanislao et Anna piis et honestis parentibus natus, morum suavitate, innocentia, gravitate, ab ipsa infantia spem fecit maximæ virtutis. In universitate Cracoviensi philosophiæ ac theologiæ primum auditor, tum per omnes academiæ gradus ascendendo professor ac doctor, sacram quam annis multis tradidit doctrinam, mentes audientium non illustrabat modo, sed et ad omnem pietatem inflammabat, simul docens scilicet et faciens. Sacerdos factus, nihil de litterarum studio remittens, studium auxit christianæ perfectionis. Utque passim offendi Deum maxime dolebat, sic eum sibi et populo placare oblato quotidie non sine multis lacrimis incruento sacrificio satagebat. Ilkusiensem parochiam annis aliquot egregie administravit; sed animarum periculo commotus postea dimisit, ac postulante John was born at Kenty, a town in the diocese of Cracow; and hence his surname Cantius. His parents were pious and honorable persons, by name Stanislaus and Anna. From his very infancy, his sweetness of disposition, innocence, and gravity, gave promise of very great virtue. He studied philosophy and theology at the university of Cracow, and taking all his degrees proceeded professor and doctor. He taught sacred science for many years, enlightening the minds of his pupils and enkindling in them the flame of piety, no less by his deeds than by his words. When he was ordained priest, he relaxed nothing of his zeal for study, but increased his ardour for Christian perfection. Grieving exceedingly over the offences everywhere committed against God, he strove to make satisfaction on his own behalf and that of the people, by daily offering the unbloody Sacrifice with many tears. For several years he had charge of the parish of Ilkusi, which he ad- ¹ Bulla canonizationis. academia ad pristinum docendi officium rediit. Quidquid temporis ab studio supererat, partim saluti proximorum, sacris præsertim concionibus curandæ, partim orationi dabat, in qua cœlestibus quandoque visionibus et colloquiis dignatus fertur. Christi vero passione sic afficiebatur, ut in ea contemplanda totas interdum noctes duceret insomnes, ejusque causa melius recolendæ Hierosolymam peregrinatus sit: ubi et martyrii desiderio flagrans, Turcis ipsis Christum crucifixum prædicare non dubitavit. Quater etiam ad apostolorum limina pedes, atque viaria onustus sarcina Romam venit, tum ut Sedem apostolicam, cui maxime addictus fuit, honoraret, tum ut sui (sic enim aiebat) purgatorii pœnas", "keywords": [ "hilarion", "death", "holy", "years", "church", "fear", "saint", "prayer", "lord", "john", "took", "among", "life", "anthony", "university", "last", "year", "people", "multis", "etiam" ], "saints": [ "St. Angela of Merici", "St. Anne", "St. Anthony", "St. Augustine", "St. HILARION", "St. Hilarion", "St. JOHN", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "John c." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_24", "title": "OCTOBER 24", "anchor": "october_24", "text": "SAINT RAPHAEL ARCHANGEL The approach of the great solemnity, which will soon be shedding upon us all the splendours of heaven, seems to inspire the Church with a profound recollection. Except for the homage she must needs pay, on their own date, to the glorious apostles Simon and Jude, only a few feasts of simple rite break the silence of these last days of October. Our souls must be in conformity with the dispositions of our common mother. It will not, however, be out of keeping to give a thought to the great Archangel, honoured to-day by many particular churches. The ministry fulfilled in our regard by the heavenly spirits is admirably set forth in the graceful scenes depicted in the history of Tobias. Rehearsing the good services of the guide and friend, whom he still called his brother Azarias, the younger Tobias said to his father: 'Father, what wages shall we give him? or what can be worthy of his benefits? He conducted me and brought me safe again, he received the money of Gabelus, he caused me to have my wife, and he chased from her the evil spirit, he gave joy to her parents, myself he delivered from being devoured by the fish, thee also he hath made to see the light of heaven, and we are filled with all good things through him.'¹ ¹ Tob. xii. 2, 3. And when father and son endeavoured, after the fashion of men, to return thanks to him who had rendered them such good service, the angel discovered himself to them, in order to refer their gratitude to their supreme Benefactor. 'Bless ye the God of heaven, give glory to Him in the sight of all that live, because He hath shewn His mercy to you. . . When thou didst pray with tears, and didst bury the dead . . . I offered thy prayer to the Lord. And because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee. And now the Lord hath sent me to heal thee, and to deliver Sara thy son's wife from the devil. For I am the angel Raphael, one of the seven, who stand before the Lord. . . Peace be to you, fear not; . . . bless ye Him and sing praises to Him.'¹ We too will celebrate the blessings of heaven. For as surely as Tobias beheld with his bodily eyes the Archangel Raphael, we know by faith that the angel of the Lord accompanies us from the cradle to the tomb. Let us have the same trustful confidence in him. Then, along the path of life, more beset with perils than the road to the country of the Medes, we shall be in perfect safety; all that happens to us will be for the best, because prepared by our Lord; and, as though we were already in heaven, our angel will cause us to shed blessings upon all around us. We will borrow from", "keywords": [ "heaven", "raphael", "father", "lord", "archangel", "angel", "souls", "tobias", "good", "hymn", "spirits", "guide", "wife", "spirit", "bless", "glory", "didst", "sent", "blessings", "path" ], "saints": [ "St. RAPHAEL" ], "scripture": [ "Tobias xii. 2", "Tobias xii. 6" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_25", "title": "OCTOBER 25", "anchor": "october_25", "text": "SAINTS CHRYSANTHUS AND DARIA MARTYRS Chrysanthus was united, in his confession of our Lord, with her whom he had won to Christianity and to the love of the angelic virtue. Our forefathers had a great veneration for these two martyrs, who having lived together in holy virginity, were together buried alive in a sand-pit at Rome for refusing to honour the false gods. Dying like the seed in the earth, they yielded the fruit of martyrdom. On the anniversary day of their triumph, numbers of the faithful had gathered in the catacomb on the Salarian Way for the liturgical Synaxis, when the pagans surprised them and walled up the entrance of the vault. Many years passed away. When the hour of victory had sounded for the Church, and the Christians discovered again the way to the sacred crypt, a wonderful spectacle was presented to their gaze: before the tomb where reposed Chrysanthus and Daria, was grouped the family they had begotten to martyrdom. Each person was still in the attitude in which he had been overtaken by death. Beside the ministers of the altar, which was surrounded by men, women, and children, assistants at that most solemn of Masses, were to be seen the silver vessels of the Sacrifice: that Sacrifice in which the conquering Lamb had so closely united to Himself so many noble victims. Pope Damasus adorned the venerable spot with monumental inscriptions. But no one dared to touch the holy bodies, or to alter any arrangement in that incomparable scene. The crypt was walled up again; but a narrow opening was left, so that the pilgrim could look into the august sanctuary, and animate his courage for the struggles of life by the contemplation of what had been required of his ancestors in the faith during the ages of martyrdom.¹ The following is the liturgical legend of the feast. Chrysanthus et Daria conjuges, nobili genere nati, fide etiam clariores quam Daria, mariti opera, cum baptismo susceperat; Romæ innumerabilem hominum multitudinem, hæc mulierum, ille virorum, ad Christum converterunt. Quare Celerinus præfectus comprehensos tradidit Claudio tribuno: qui jussit a militibus Chrysanthum vinctum cruciatibus torqueri; sed vincula omnia resoluta sunt: mox compedes, in quos conjectus fuerat, confracti. Chrysanthus and Daria were husband and wife, noble by birth, and still more by their faith, which Daria had received together with Baptism through her husband's persuasion. At Rome they converted an immense multitude to Christ, Daria instructing the women and Chrysanthus the men. On this account the prefect Celerinus arrested them, and handed them over to the tribune Claudius, who ordered his soldiers to bind Chrysanthus and put him to the torture. But all his bonds were loosed, and the fetters which were put upon him were broken. Deinde bovis corio inclusum, in ardentissimo sole constituunt; tum pedibus ac manibus catena constrictis, in obscurum carcerem detrudunt: ubi solutis catenis, clarissima lux locum illustravit. Daria vero in They then wrapped him in the skin of an ox and exposed him to a burning", "keywords": [ "daria", "chrysanthus", "martyrdom", "martyrs", "together", "rome", "honour", "saints", "holy", "faith", "place", "united", "confession", "lord", "virginity", "sand", "salarian", "liturgical", "walled", "church" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_26", "title": "OCTOBER 26", "anchor": "october_26", "text": "SAINT EVARISTUS POPE AND MARTYR The beloved disciple had just received the long-promised visit of our Lord inviting him to heaven, when the Church, under Evaristus, completed the drawing up of the itinerary for her long pilgrimage to the end of time. The blessed period of the apostolic times was definitively closed; but the eternal city continued to augment her treasure of glory. Under this pontificate the virgin Domitilla, by her martyrdom, cemented the foundations of the new Jerusalem with the blood of the Flavii, who had destroyed the old. Then Ignatius of Antioch brought to the 'Church that presides in charity,' the testimony of his death; he was the wheat of Christ, and the teeth of the wild beasts in the coliseum satisfied his desire of becoming a most pure bread.¹ Evaristus Græcus ex Judæo patre, Trajano imperatore, pontificatum gessit. Qui ecclesiarum titulos urbis Romæ presbyteris divisit, et ordinavit, ut septem Evaristus was born in Greece, of a Jewish father, and was sovereign Pontiff during the reign of Trajan. He divided the titles of the churches of Rome among the priests, and ¹ Ignat. Epist. ad Romanos, diaconi episcopum custodirent, dum evangelicæ prædicationis officio fungeretur. Idem constituit ex traditione apostolica, ut matrimonium publice celebretur, et sacerdotis benedictio adhibeatur. Præfuit Ecclesiæ annos novem, menses tres, presbyteris decem et septem, diaconis duobus, episcopis quindecim, quater mense Decembri ordinatis. Martyrio coronatus, prope sepulchrum principis apostolorum in Vaticano sepultus est, septimo calendas Novembris. ordained that seven deacons should attend the bishop when preaching. He also decreed that, according to the tradition of the apostles, matrimony should be celebrated publicly and blessed by a priest. He governed the Church nine years and three months. He held ordinations four times in the month of December, and ordained seventeen priests, two deacons, and fifteen bishops. He was crowned with martyrdom, and buried near the tomb of the prince of the apostles on the seventh of the Kalends of November. Thou art the first Pontiff to whom the Church was entrusted after the departure of all those who had seen the Lord. The world could then say in all strictness: 'If we have known Christ according to the flesh, now we know Him so no longer.' The Church was now more truly an exile; at that period, which was not without perils and anxieties, her Lord gave to thee the charge of teaching her to pursue alone her path of faith and hope and love. And thou didst not betray the confidence of our Lord. Earth owes thee, on this account, a special gratitude, O Evaristus; and a special reward is doubtless thine. Watch still over Rome and the Church. Teach us that we must be ready not only to fast here on earth, but to be resigned to the absence of the Bridegroom when He hides Himself; and not the less to serve Him and love Him with our whole heart and mind and soul and strength, as long as the world endures, and He is", "keywords": [ "church", "lord", "world", "jude", "christ", "apostles", "father", "simon", "holy", "gospel", "earth", "saints", "fruit", "vigil", "evaristus", "love", "jesus", "john", "heaven", "martyrdom" ], "saints": [ "St. EVARISTUS", "St. John", "St. Joseph", "St. Jude", "St. Matt", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Simon" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians iii. 10", "1 Corinthians iv. 9", "2 Corinthians v. 16", "Ephesians ii. 19", "Ephesians iv. 13", "John xiv. 21", "John xv. 1", "John xv. 16", "Matthew xiii. 55", "Peter i.", "Psalms xliv. 17", "Tobias ii. 18" ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_3", "title": "OCTOBER 3", "anchor": "october_3", "text": "SAINT TERESA OF THE CHILD JESUS VIRGIN WONDER-WORKER as is the saint of to-day, fulfilling her dying prophecy, \"After my death I will let fall a shower of roses,\" she is her own greatest miracle. Her world-wide popularity, to which is united in most cases a devotion which has reorientated many a life, and in all has been a stimulus and an encouragement, is recognized to be phenomenal. It has been said with respect to doctrinal definitions that the faithful have a passive \"infallibility,\" whereby their need answers exactly to the definition; the same would seem to be true in the case of devotions and saints; they are given to us when and as they are needed. In an age which worships visible efficiency which, even in the spiritual sphere, too often demands substantial material results before it will revere and believe, the saint who has won hearts—and souls—as few indeed have done, is no great religious and social reformer nor, in her lifetime, an apostle carrying the truth to the ends of the earth; nor even a pope upon whose words crowds have hung spellbound, nor a scholar gathering around his rostrum all that was best in the intellectual world of his day; but a girl who was unknown beyond a small circle of relatives and friends. She had received no special educational advantages; she lived her life in a quiet little Norman town to which few travellers found their way. Still a child in years, but mature already in the things of God, she entered the Carmel in the same town, an obscure convent of recent foundation, barren of the historical associations which cluster around many French Carmels. For ten years she lived a life made up for the most part of religious exercises and simple domestic duties; a life, to the average man or woman of the world, colourless and monotonous, in which of necessity talents were wasted and all chance of doing good service to the world forever forfeited. At twenty-four she died of consumption, but over the simple grave accorded to such as she were placed the mysterious words: \"I will spend my heaven doing good upon earth.\" Six before her death, she, Teresa of the Child Jesus, always so humble and simple, had declared, among other startling prophetic sayings, that: All the world would love her. During the last two years of her life, in obedience to her Superiors, she had written in her scanty free time, on poor scraps of paper, an account of her life, and for this, likewise, she foretold a strange success. To-day \"The Story of a Soul\" has been translated into every civilized tongue; the literature which has gathered round the book and its writer would form a library, and Lisieux is one of the great pilgrimage centres of the world. In her book the young Carmelite explained the theory and practice of her own spiritual life: her \"little Way\"; the \"Way of Spiritual Childhood\"; and, when dying, she", "keywords": [ "life", "world", "years", "little", "love", "teresa", "jesus", "death", "saint", "child", "spiritual", "quam", "souls", "religious", "pope", "words", "lisieux", "childhood", "pius", "anno" ], "saints": [ "St. Francis", "St. TERESA", "St. Teresa of Lisieux" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_11", "title": "OCTOBER 11", "anchor": "october_11", "text": "THE MOTHERHOOD OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY IN the sixteenth century, even amidst their many divergences, the so-called Reformers in utterly rejecting all the honours paid by the Catholic Church to the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the grounds that such veneration of the Mother detracted from the supreme worship due to her divine Son. Four centuries have more than sufficed to show the result of so doing: the Son has followed the Mother! The descendants of those who refused to Mary the title and rights of Theotokos—Mother of God—refuse to Jesus the title of Son of God in the traditional sense of the term. Many reject his Godhead altogether, placing him merely at the head of the line of great moral and social world-teachers; others still retain the word \"divinity\" with respect to him, but for them it is no longer synonymous with \"deity.\" Holy Scripture tells us that those who first came to adore him who is Son of God and Son of Mary found him \"with Mary his Mother.\" At the scene of the first miracle at Cana, which marked the opening of his public life, \"the Mother of Jesus was there.\" In the tremendous hour when all was consummated, when types and shadows gave place to the mighty reality, \"there stood by the cross of Jesus his Mother.\" And when the little flock who were to be the nucleus of the Church of God awaited in prayer the coming of the Paraclete, who would teach them all truth, again it was in company with \"Mary the Mother of Jesus.\" Far from taking from the honour and love due to the Word Incarnate, devotion to Mary is a strong bulwark protecting the central doctrine. He is ever found with his Mother; where Mary is denied her rights, sooner or later Jesus is denied his; they stand or fall together. This was realized in the year 431 when, at the General Council of Ephesus, the Church condemned the Nestorian heresy, whereby the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, had taught that, since in Christ there are two persons, a divine and a human, Mary was mother only of the Man Christ, and therefore could not be called \"Mother of God.\" He therefore denied \"that wondrous and substantial union of the two natures which we call hypostatic.\" On the occasion of the fifteenth centenary of the Council of Ephesus, the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius XI, issued the Encyclical Lux Veritatis, recalling the history of the heresy and commenting thus upon the dogma of the hypostatic union: \"When once the doctrine of the hypostatic union is abandoned, whereon the dogmas of the Incarnation and of man's Redemption rest and stand firm, the whole foundation of the Catholic religion falls and comes to ruin. . . . When once this dogma of the truth is securely established, it is easy to gather from it that, by the mystery of the Incarnation, the whole aggregate of men and of mundane things has been endowed with a", "keywords": [ "mother", "mary", "virgin", "blessed", "jesus", "ejus", "alleluia", "church", "life", "lord", "motherhood", "world", "word", "holy", "found", "father", "super", "jerusalem", "called", "divine" ], "saints": [ "St. HEDWIGE" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus xxiv.", "Luke c." ] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "OCTOBER_17", "title": "OCTOBER 17", "anchor": "october_17", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 14, "section": "ST_MARGARET_MARY_ALACOQUE", "title": "ST. MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE", "anchor": "st_margaret_mary_alacoque", "text": "VIRGIN Among the most striking proofs of the infinite love of our Redeemer is this, that, at a moment in which the love of the faithful was growing cold, the Divine Love proposed himself as the object of special veneration and worship, and the precious treasure of the Church was opened to enrich with indulgences the cult of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. . . . In that Sacred Heart we must place all our hope, from that Heart ask and expect our salvation.¹ The great devotion to the Sacred Heart, of which the Sovereign Pontiff Pius XI thus speaks, and which has been so marvellously extended in the Church since the seventeenth century, is no new devotion. Much research by Catholic scholars has established the fact that there was not one of the great older religious orders but had a tradition of such devotion and saintly souls in their ranks with whom it was associated. This is true of the children of St. Benedict (both of the \"Black monks\" of the parent stem, and the later Cistercians), of the Carthusians, Dominicans, and Franciscans. St. Bonaventure's beautiful and tender phrases have supplied some of the lessons for the new office of the feast, whilst during the octave not only St. Bernard, but one of the greatest of the early Fathers, St. John Chrysostom, exhort us in turn concerning what has been so often described, and even bitterly opposed, as a novelty unknown to primitive days. The truth is that, in post-Reformation days, a new element in the devotion has been stressed. In the ages of faith, although the devotion was always, as now, closely connected with the Passion, yet it was exultant, glorious, triumphant Love which dominated it. After the rending of the seamless garment of the Church universal, with all its dire consequences, it was the element of reparation, of loving the Heart which had so loved men, but was so little loved in return, which was emphasised; and it is this aspect of the devotion which is thus urged upon the faithful by Pius XI: the duty of reparation for the offences, the insults, the contempt meted out to infinite Love, in our modern world which knows him not. The saint of this day is neither the first nor the only soul to whom our Lord revealed the mystery of the Sacred Heart; but she was the one whom he chose as the special instrument of its propagation. He had taught it to others, but he did not command them to preach it to the world or to work for its public cultus. He did so command this simple Visitation nun of Paray-le-Monial, Margaret Mary Alacoque, in an age when Jansenism was chilling men's hearts, and substituting for love of God a terrible fear, which kept them from the Sacraments and made them \"see the Judge severe e'en in the crucifix.\" Not that the devotion, even as", "keywords": [ "king", "lord", "christ", "jesus", "kingdom", "things", "heart", "world", "love", "peace", "alleluia", "church", "ejus", "regnum", "divine", "ever", "devotion", "spirit", "father", "holy" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Bernard", "St. Bonaventure", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "Colossians c.", "Colossians i.", "John c.", "John xv. 22" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_1FEAST_OF_ALL_SAINTS", "title": "November 1.—FEAST OF ALL SAINTS . . .", "anchor": "november_1feast_of_all_saints", "text": "Second Vespers . . . Vespers of the Dead . . .", "keywords": [ "vespers" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_2ALL_SOULS_DAY", "title": "November 2.—ALL SOULS' DAY . . .", "anchor": "november_2all_souls_day", "text": "Matins of the Dead . . . First Nocturn . . . Second Nocturn . . . 107 Third Nocturn . . . 116 Lauds . . . 125 Mass of the Dead . . . 135 The Absolution . . . 145 November 3.—THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ALL SAINTS . . . 149 Mass of the Holy Relics . . . 152 Vespers of the Holy Relics . . . 157 Same Day.—Saint Hubert, Bishop and Confessor . . . 164 November 4.—SAINT CHARLES, Bishop and Confessor . . . 166 Commemoration of Saints Vitalis and Agricola . . . 175 November 5.—FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ALL SAINTS . . . 179 November 6.—SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ALL SAINTS . . . 184 November 7.—SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ALL SAINTS . . . 190 November 8.—OCTAVE DAY OF ALL SAINTS . . . 197 Commemoration of the Four Crowned Martyrs . . . 198 November 9.—DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINT SAVIOUR . . . 203 Commemoration of Saint Theodore, Martyr . . . 210 THE DEDICATION OF CHURCHES . . . 211 Mass . . . 214 Second Vespers . . . 222 November 10.—SAINT ANDREW AVELLINO, Confessor . . . 229 Commemoration of Saints Tryphon, Respicius, and Nympha, Martyrs . . . 237 November 11.—SAINT MARTIN, Bishop and Confessor . . . 242 Commemoration of Saint Mennas, Martyr . . . 243 November 12.—SAINT MARTIN I, Pope and Martyr . . . 256 November 13.—SAINT DIDACUS, Confessor . . . 257 November 14.—SAINT JOSAPHAT, Bishop and Martyr . . . 262 November 15.—SAINT GERTRUDE, Virgin . . . 266 November 17.—SAINT GREGORY THAUMATURGUS, Bishop and Confessor . . . 274 November 18.—DEDICATION OF THE BASILICAS OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, Apostles . . . 283 November 19.—SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY, Duchess of Thuringia . . . 288 Commemoration of Saint Pontian, Martyr . . . 295 November 20.—SAINT FELIX OF VALOIS, Confessor . . . 302 November 21.—PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY . . . 303 November 22.—SAINT CECILIA, Virgin and Martyr . . . 307 November 23.—SAINT CLEMENT I, Pope and Martyr . . . 331 Commemoration of Saint Felicitas, Martyr . . . 340 November 24.—SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS, Confessor . . . 341 Commemoration of Saint Chrysogonus, Martyr . . . 349 November 25.—SAINT CATHERINE, Virgin and Martyr . . . 350 November 26.—SAINT SYLVESTER, Abbot . . . 357 Commemoration of Saint Peter of Alexandria, Bishop and Martyr . . . 360 November 29.—Vigil of St. Andrew. SAINT SATURNINUS, Martyr . . . 362 November 30.—SAINT ANDREW, Apostle . . . 364 TIME AFTER PENTECOST", "keywords": [ "november", "saint", "martyr", "commemoration", "saints", "confessor", "bishop", "octave", "within", "virgin", "nocturn", "mass", "dedication", "andrew", "dead", "second", "third", "holy", "relics", "vespers" ], "saints": [ "St. ANDREW", "St. Andrew", "St. CATHERINE", "St. CECILIA", "St. CHARLES", "St. CLEMENT", "St. Chrysogonus", "St. DIDACUS", "St. ELIZABETH", "St. FELIX", "St. Felicitas", "St. GERTRUDE", "St. GREGORY", "St. Hubert", "St. JOHN", "St. JOSAPHAT", "St. MARTIN", "St. Mennas", "St. Peter of Alexandria", "St. Pontian", "St. SATURNINUS", "St. SAVIOUR", "St. SYLVESTER", "St. Theodore" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_FIRST", "title": "CHAPTER THE FIRST", "anchor": "chapter_the_first", "text": "ON HEARING MASS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST 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, you should unite with the intentions which the Church has in this ceremony, so venerable by its antiquity: you should pray for that purity of heart, which is needed for worthily assisting at the mysteries wherein God Himself becomes present and unites heaven and earth so closely together. ANTIPHON OF THE ASPERGES Asperges me, Domine, hyssopo, et mundabor; lavabis me, et super nivem dealbabor. 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. Miserere mei, Deus, secundum magnam misericordiam tuam. Ps. Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. ℣. Gloria Patri, &c. ℣. Glory, &c. Ant. Asperges me, &c. Ant. Thou shalt sprinkle, &c. ℣. Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordiam tuam; ℟. Et salutare tuum da nobis. ℣. Show us, O Lord, thy mercy. ℟. And grant us thy salvation. ℣. Domine, exaudi orationem meam. ℟. Et clamor meus ad te veniat. ℣. Dominus vobiscum. ℟. Et cum spiritu tuo. ℣. O Lord, hear my prayer. ℟. And let my cry come unto thee. ℣. The Lord be with you. ℟. And with thy spirit. OREMUS Exaudi nos, Domine sancte, Pater omnipotens, æterne Deus: et mittere digneris sanctum angelum tuum de cælis, qui custodiat, foveat, protegat, visitet, atque defendat, omnes habitantes in hoc habitaculo. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. ℟. Amen. LET US PRAY Graciously hear us, O holy Lord, Father almighty, eternal God: and vouchsafe to send thy holy angel from heaven, who may keep, cherish, protect, visit, and defend all who are assembled in this place. Through Christ our Lord. ℟. Amen. The procession, which in many churches immediately precedes a solemn Mass, is a prelude to the great act which is about to be accomplished. It originated from the monastic practice of going through the cloisters every Sunday chanting certain appointed responsories; while the hebdomadarian went through all the conventual places, blessing each of them. But see, Christians, the Sacrifice begins! The priest is at the foot of the altar; God is attentive, the angels are in adoration, the whole Church is united with the priest, whose priesthood and action are those of the great High Priest, Jesus Christ. Let us make the sign of the cross with him. THE ORDINARY OF THE MASS In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. ℣. Introibo ad altare Dei. ℟. Ad Deum qui lætificat juventutem meam. I unite myself, O my God, with thy holy Church, who thrills with joy at the approach of Jesus", "keywords": [ "lord", "priest", "amen", "holy", "altar", "domine", "jesus", "father", "deus", "mercy", "divine", "church", "christ", "nobis", "ever", "prayer", "world", "heaven", "glory", "sacrifice" ], "saints": [ "St. John", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians x. 17", "1 Kings iii. 10", "2 Corinthians v. 4", "2 Peter i. 4", "Apocalypse v. 6", "Apocalypse xxii. 20", "Canticle of Canticles v. 6", "Hebrews i. 2", "Isaias ix. 6", "John c.", "Wisdom xviii. 14" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_SECOND", "title": "CHAPTER THE SECOND", "anchor": "chapter_the_second", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF VESPERS, FOR SUNDAYS AND FEASTS, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST The Office of Vespers, or Evensong, consists firstly of the five following psalms. For certain feasts some of these psalms are changed for others appropriate to the day; we here give those for Sunday. After the Pater and Ave have been said in secret, the Church commences this Hour with her favourite supplication: ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in sæcula sæculorum. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. Dixit Dominus. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Alleluia. ANT. The Lord said. The first psalm is a prophecy of the future glory of the Messias. The Son of David shall sit on the right hand of the heavenly Father. He is King; He is priest; He is Son of Man, and Son of God. His enemies will attack Him, but He will crush them. He will be humbled; but this voluntary humiliation will lead Him to the highest glory. PSALM 109 Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. The Lord said to my Lord, his Son: Sit thou at my right hand, and reign with me. Donec ponam inimicos tuos: scabellum pedum tuorum. Virgam virtutis tuæ emittet Dominus ex Sion: dominare in medio inimicorum tuorum. Tecum principium in die virtutis tuæ in splendoribus sanctorum: ex utero ante luciferum genui te. Juravit Dominus, et non pœnitebit eum: Tu es Sacerdos in æternum secundum ordinem Melchisedech. Dominus a dextris tuis: confregit in die iræ suæ reges. Judicabit in nationibus, implebit ruinas: conquassabit capita in terra multorum. Until, on the day of thy last coming, I make thy enemies thy footstool. O 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 daystar I begot thee. The Lord hath sworn, and he will not repent: he hath said, speaking to thee, the God-Man: Thou art a Priest for ever, according to the order of Melchisedech. Therefore, O 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 coming, he shall fill the ruins of the world: he shall crush the heads in the land of many. De torrente in via bibet: propterea exaltabit caput. ANT. Dixit Dominus Domino meo: Sede a dextris meis. ANT. Magna opera Domini. He cometh now in humility: he shall drink in the", "keywords": [ "lord", "ejus", "ever", "dominus", "domini", "blessed", "israel", "psalm", "domino", "sæculum", "name", "deus", "father", "praise", "sicut", "amen", "glory", "opera", "works", "fear" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Luke" ], "scripture": [ "Luke ii." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "CHAPTER_THE_THIRD", "title": "CHAPTER THE THIRD", "anchor": "chapter_the_third", "text": "ON THE OFFICE OF COMPLINE, DURING THE TIME AFTER PENTECOST This Office, which concludes the day, commences by a warning of the dangers of the night: then immediately 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 therefore dangerous, state of sleep, which is also such an image of death. The lector, addressing the priest, says to him: Jube, domne, benedicere. Pray, father, give me thy blessing. The priest answers: Noctem quietam et finem perfectum concedat nobis Dominus omnipotens. May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end. ℟. Amen. ℟. Amen. The lector then reads these words, from the first Epistle of St. Peter: Fratres: Sobrii estote, et vigilate; quia adversarius vester diabolus, tamquam leo rugiens, circuit quærens quem devoret: cui resistite fortes in fide. Tu autem, Domine, miserere nobis. Brethren, be sober and watch; for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, goeth about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist ye, strong in faith. But thou, O Lord, have mercy on us. The choir answers: ℟. Deo gratias. ℟. Thanks be to God. Then the priest: ℣. Adjutorium nostrum in nomine Domini. ℣. Our help is in the name of the Lord. The choir: ℟. Qui fecit cælum et terram. ℟. Who hath made heaven 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 repeats it. The priest, having pronounced the general form of absolution, says: ℣. Converte nos, Deus, salutaris noster. ℟. Et averte iram tuam a nobis. ℣. Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. ℟. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina. Gloria Patri, etc. ANT. Miserere. ℣. Convert us, O God, our Saviour. ℟. And turn away thine anger from us. ℣. Incline unto my aid, O God. ℟. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory, etc. ANT. Have mercy. The first psalm expresses the confidence with which the just man sleeps in peace: but the wicked know not what calm rest is. PSALM 4 Cum invocarem exaudivit me Deus justitiæ meæ: in tribulatione dilatasti mihi. Miserere mei: et exaudi orationem meam. Filii hominum, usquequo gravi corde: ut quid diligitis vanitatem et quæritis mendacium? Et scitote quoniam mirificavit Dominus sanctum suum: Dominus exaudiet me cum clamavero ad eum. Irascimini et nolite peccare: quæ dicitis in cordibus vestris, in cubilibus vestris compungimini. Sacrificate sacrificium justitiæ, et sperate in Domino: multi dicunt: Quis ostendit nobis bona? Signatum est super nos lumen vultus tui Domine: dedisti lætitiam in corde meo. A fructu frumenti, vini et olei sui: multiplicati sunt. In pace in idipsum: dormiam et requiescam. Quoniam tu, Domine, singulariter in spe: constituisti me. 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", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "saints", "domine", "blessed", "heaven", "church", "glory", "amen", "earth", "quoniam", "world", "dominus", "angels", "love", "feast", "martyrs", "father", "mercy", "psalm" ], "saints": [ "St. Gregory", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Matt", "St. Matthew", "St. Mechtilde", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xv.", "Apocalypse c.", "Apocalypse vii.", "Apocalypse xiii. 16", "Apocalypse xix. 9", "Canticle of Canticles v. 2", "Exodus xxv. 40", "Isaias vi. 1", "Jeremias xiv.", "John c.", "John iv.", "John v.", "Luke ii.", "Matthew c.", "Matthew v. 5", "Psalms c.", "Psalms cxxi.", "Psalms l.", "Psalms lxviii. 29", "Tobias i." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_2", "title": "NOVEMBER 2", "anchor": "november_2", "text": "ALL SOULS' DAY 'We will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope.'¹ The Church to-day has the same desire as the apostle thus expressed to the first Christians. The truth concerning the dead not only proves admirably the union between God's justice and His goodness; it also inspires a charitable pity which the hardest heart cannot resist, and at the same time offers to the mourners the sweetest consolation. If faith teaches us the existence of a purgatory where our loved ones may be detained by unexpiated sin, it is also of faith that we are able to assist them;² and theology assures us that their more or less speedy deliverance lies in our power. Let us call to mind a few principles which throw light on this doctrine. Every sin causes a twofold injury to the sinner: it stains his soul, and renders him liable to punishment. Venial sin, which displeases God, requires a temporal expiation. Mortal sin deforms the soul, and makes the guilty man an abomination to God: its punishment cannot be anything less than eternal banishment, unless the sinner, in this life, prevent the final and irrevocable sentence. But even then the remission of the guilt, though it revokes the sentence of damnation, does not cancel the whole debt. Although an extraordinary overflow of grace upon the prodigal may sometimes, as is always the case with regard to Baptism and martyrdom, bury every remnant and vestige of sin in the abyss of divine oblivion; yet is it the ordinary rule that for every fault satisfaction must be made to God's justice, either in this world or in the next. On the other hand, every supernatural act of virtue brings a double profit to the just man: it merits for his soul a fresh degree of grace; and it makes satisfaction for past faults, in exact proportion to the value, in God's sight, of that labour, privation, or trial accepted, or that voluntary suffering endured, by one of the members of His beloved Son. Now, whereas merit is a personal acquisition and cannot be transferred to others, satisfaction may be vicarious; God is willing to accept it in payment of another's debt, whether the recipient of the boon be in this world or in the next, provided only that he be united by grace to the mystical Body of our Lord, which is one in charity. This is a consequence of the mystery of the communion of saints, as Suarez explains in his treatise on suffrages. Appealing to the authority of the greatest and most ancient princes of science, and discussing the objections and restrictions since proposed by others, the illustrious theologian does not hesitate to formulate this conclusion, with regard to the suffering souls in particular: 'I believe that this satisfaction of the living for the dead is a matter of simple justice,' and that it is infallibly accepted with its", "keywords": [ "lord", "domine", "deus", "dead", "soul", "meam", "rest", "eternal", "ejus", "souls", "church", "quoniam", "requiem", "light", "deliver", "life", "meus", "death", "prayer", "holy" ], "saints": [ "St. Antoninus", "St. Augustine", "St. Catharine of Genoa", "St. Ignatius of Antioch", "St. John", "St. Odilo", "St. Paul", "St. Paul the Apostle" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians xv. 50", "4 Esdras ii. 34", "Apocalypse xiv. 13", "Corinthians c.", "Corinthians i.", "Jeremias xviii. 14", "Job vii.", "Job xiv.", "Job xix.", "Job xix. 21", "John c.", "John v. 25", "John vi. 37", "Thessalonians iv. 13" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_3", "title": "NOVEMBER 3", "anchor": "november_3", "text": "THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ALL SAINTS HAD we angels' eyes, we should see the earth as a vast field sown with seed for the resurrection. The death of Abel opened the first furrow, and, ever since, the sowing has gone on unceasingly the wide world over. This land of labour and of suffering, what treasures it already holds laid up in its bosom! And what a harvest for heaven, when the Sun of justice, suddenly darting forth His rays, shall cause to spring up as suddenly from the soil the elect ears ripe for glory! No wonder that the Church herself blesses and superintends the laying of the precious grain in the earth. But the Church is not content to be always sowing. Sometimes, as though impatient of delay, she raises from the ground the chosen seed she had sown therein. Her infallible discernment preserves her from error; and, disengaging from the soil the immortal germ, she forestalls the glory of the future. She encloses the treasure in gold or precious stuffs, carries it in triumph, invites the multitudes to come and reverence it; or she raises new temples to the name of the blessed one, and assigns him the highest honour of reposing under the altar, whereon she offers to God the tremendous Sacrifice. 'Let your charity understand,' explains St. Augustine: 'it is not to Stephen we raise an altar in this place; but of Stephen's relics we make an altar to God. God loves these altars; and if you ask the reason: \"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.\"¹ In obedience to God the invisible soul has quitted its visible dwelling. But God preserves this dwelling; He is glorified by the honour we pay to this lifeless flesh; and, clothing it with the might of His divinity, He gives it the power of working miracles.'² Hence the origin of pilgrimages to the shrines of the saints. 'Christian people,' says St. Gregory of Nyssa, 'wherefore are you assembled here? A tomb has no attractions; nay, the sight of its contents inspires horror. Yet, see what eagerness to approach this sepulchre! So great an object of desire is it, that a little of the dust from around it is esteemed a gift of great price. As to beholding the remains it conceals, that is a rare favour and an enviable one, as those can testify who enjoy the privilege: they embrace the holy body as though it were yet alive, they press their lips and their eyes upon it, shedding tears of love and devotion. What emperor ever received such honour?'³ 'Emperors!' rejoins St. John Chrysostom; 'as the porters at their gates, such have they become with regard to poor fishermen. The son of the great Constantine deemed he could not pay a higher honour to his father, than to procure him a place of sepulture in the porch of the fisherman of Galilee.'⁴ And again, concluding his commentary on St. Paul's", "keywords": [ "saints", "lord", "relics", "holy", "sanctorum", "deus", "glory", "eorum", "blessed", "honour", "christ", "sunt", "amen", "church", "power", "ever", "world", "heaven", "domine", "sancti" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. HUBERT", "St. Hubert", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Lambert", "St. Luke", "St. Paul", "St. Paulinus of Nola", "St. Scholastica of Juvigny", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus xliv.", "John c.", "John v.", "John vi. 55", "Luke c.", "Psalms c.", "Psalms cxv. 15", "Psalms i.", "Psalms l.", "Wisdom iii." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_4", "title": "NOVEMBER 4", "anchor": "november_4", "text": "SAINT CHARLES BISHOP AND CONFESSOR HUMILITAS. This word already stood, crowned with gold, upon his family escutcheon,¹ when Charles was born at the castle of Arona. It had been said of the Borromeos that they knew nothing of humility, except to bear it on their coat of arms: but the time had now come when the mysterious device was to be justified by the most illustrious scion of that noble family, and when, at the zenith of his greatness, a Borromeo would learn to void his heart of self, in order that God might fill it. Far, however, from abjuring the high-mindedness of his race, the humble saint was the most intrepid of them all, while his enterprises were to eclipse the noble exploits of a long line of ancestors: one more proof that humility never debases. Charles was scarcely twenty-two years of age when Pius IV, his maternal uncle, called him to the difficult post of Secretary of State, shortly afterwards created him Cardinal and archbishop of Milan, and seemed to take pleasure in heaping honours and responsibilities on his young shoulders. The late Pontiff, Paul IV, had been ill-requited for placing a similar confidence in his nephews the Caraffas, who ended their days upon the scaffold. His successor, on the contrary, as the event testified, was actuated by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, not by the dictates of flesh and blood. Sixty years of that fatal century had already elapsed, while the evils consequent on Luther's revolt were ever increasing, and the Church was daily threatened with some new danger. The Protestants had just imposed upon the Catholics of Germany the treaty of Passau, which completed the triumph of the fanatics, and secured to them equality and liberty. The abdication of Charles V in despair left the empire to his brother Ferdinand; while Spain, with its immense dominions in both hemispheres, fell to his son Philip II. Ferdinand I inaugurated the custom of dispensing with Rome, by crowning himself with the diadem which St. Leo III had placed upon the brow of Charlemagne; and Philip, enclosing Italy by taking Naples in the south and Milan in the north, seemed to many to be threatening the independence of Rome herself. England, reconciled for a brief period under Mary Tudor, was replunged by Elizabeth into the schism which continues to the present day. Boy kings succeeded one another on the throne of St. Louis, and the regency of Catharine de Medici involved France in the wars of religion. Such was the political situation which the minister of Pius IV had to cope with, and to utilize to the best of his power for the interests of the Holy See and of the Church. Charles did not hesitate. With faith to supply for his want of experience, he understood that to the torrent of errors which threatened to deluge the world Rome must first of all oppose, as an embankment, that undivided truth of which she is the guardian. He", "keywords": [ "charles", "council", "church", "rome", "trent", "christ", "years", "pius", "milan", "saint", "holy", "ever", "completed", "name", "jesus", "already", "family", "called", "cardinal", "archbishop" ], "saints": [ "St. Andrew", "St. CHARLES", "St. Charles", "St. Leo", "St. Louis" ], "scripture": [ "Wisdom viii. 10" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_5", "title": "NOVEMBER 5", "anchor": "november_5", "text": "FIFTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ALL SAINTS \"And the Spirit and the bride say: Come! And he that heareth, let him say: Come!... Surely I come quickly: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.\"¹ While we honour the Church triumphant with our chants, and succour the Church suffering with our prayers, let us also turn our thoughts to the Church militant, during these days when the closing cycle presents her to us as about to complete her work on earth. Now the Church is our model; but especially at the close of our pilgrimage ought we to make her attitude our own. The above-cited dialogue, which will terminate the world's history, shows clearly the sentiments wherewith the Holy Spirit inspires her in preparation for the final hour. As the sufferings of the dying man break the last ties that bound him to the life of the senses; so the last social convulsions, however violently they may shake the Church, will eventually disengage her from the trammels of a world which she will no longer be able to save from ruin. Free, therefore, to give herself up to her desires which had been pent up for ages and kept under control by so many labours, she will have but one word to utter: 'Come!' And in the universal destruction, when the sun shall be darkened and the moon shall hide her light, and the powers of heaven shall be moved, she will rejoice, knowing that in the midst of that awful night the cry will be heard: 'Behold the Bridegroom cometh!' Let him that heareth, let every one of us say also: 'Come!' If we love our Lord, if we would be recognized as members of His dear Church, let us be worthy of that beautiful title; let us see all things with the Church's eyes; let us appreciate all things, and especially death, according to her heart; let us look upon the last passage, both for our dear ones and for ourselves, as the entrance into the eternal nuptial feast. We know well that if anyone sincerely desires our Lord, our Lord will not be wanting to him. Even if, after this life, we have yet some debts to pay, if some adornment be wanting to our wedding garment ere we can take our place at the heavenly banquet; the blessed passage, nevertheless, places all the just, at once and entirely, in a state of impeccability, and in the secure possession of eternal love. Such, as we shall have occasion to see, were the sentiments of our forefathers. Many churches in France, Switzerland, and England, used formerly to sing the following Sequence in honour of the saints. SEQUENCE Christo inclyto candida Nostra canunt melodiam agmina, Laudes omnibus dantia Sanctis per hæc sacrata festalia. Mariam primum vox sonet nostra, Per quam nobis vitæ sunt data præmia. Regina, quæ es mater et casta, Solve nostra per Filium tuum vita. Angelorum concio tota Et archangelorum turba inclyta Nostra diluant jam peccata, Nosque supera cæli gaudia", "keywords": [ "church", "nostra", "lord", "amen", "holy", "last", "saints", "spirit", "life", "therefore", "heaven", "death", "tibi", "honour", "prayers", "earth", "world", "things", "quam", "corpora" ], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_6", "title": "NOVEMBER 6", "anchor": "november_6", "text": "SIXTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ALL SAINTS \"Thou art my portion, O Lord, Alleluia, in the land of the living, Alleluia, Alleluia.—Bring forth my soul out of prison, to confess to Thy Name; in the land of the living, Alleluia, Alleluia.—Glory and honour be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, world without end, Amen: in the land of the living, Alleluia, Alleluia.\"¹ Such is the opening chant for the departed, in the Mozarabic missal. With the Greeks, in like manner, no word is of more frequent recurrence in the Office of the Dead than the Alleluia.² Moreover, both Greece and Spain are but observing what was once a general practice throughout the Church. St. Jerome tells us how, at the death of Fabiola, all the Roman people assembled, the chant of psalms echoed on all sides, and the sublime Alleluia filled the temples till it shook their gilded roofs.³ Two centuries later, the story of St. Radegonde's funeral, written by her daughter Baudonivia, proves that, if submissive tears were not forbidden to the survivors and might at times even flow abundantly, the custom in Gaul was, nevertheless, the same as that of Rome.⁴ And again, with regard to a later period, the Manuscript of Rheims quoted by Dom Hugh Ménard in his notes on the Gregorian Sacramentary⁵ prescribes as a prelude to the burial prayers the chanting of the Psalm In exitu Israel de Ægypto, with Alleluia as antiphon. When St. Anthony buried in the desert the body of St. Paul the first hermit, the biographer of the latter relates that, in accordance with Christian tradition, Anthony sang hymns as well as psalms.⁶ Such was actually the universal Christian tradition, identical in all lands. St. John Chrysostom remarks the same fact, and explains it thus: 'Tell me, are they not conquerors, the dead whom we carry in procession with shining torches and the singing of hymns? Yes; we praise God and give Him thanks; for He crowns the departed one; He has put an end to his labour; and He keeps him near Himself, free from all fear. Seek no other explanation for these hymns and psalms: they are an expression of joy.' St. Dionysius speaks in the same strain, in his book on the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy. After alluding to the joy of the dying Christian as he sees approaching the end of his struggle and an eternal security, he adds: 'The relatives of the deceased, his friends in God and in holiness, proclaim him blessed for having conquered at last; and they address their songs of thanksgiving to the heavenly Author of the victory. Praying that themselves may obtain a similar lot, they bear him to the hierarch, the distributor of the holy crowns, to whom it belongs to perform the sacred rites prescribed with regard to those who have slept in the Lord.' To-morrow we will give some examples of these last honours paid by the Church to her children. Certain", "keywords": [ "alleluia", "lord", "amen", "dead", "saints", "terra", "light", "living", "church", "viventium", "land", "glory", "holy", "once", "psalms", "body", "christian", "hymns", "eternal", "last" ], "saints": [ "St. Anthony", "St. Dionysius", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Paul", "St. Radegonde", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "John c.", "Psalms i." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_7", "title": "NOVEMBER 7", "anchor": "november_7", "text": "SEVENTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF ALL SAINTS 'A GREAT mystery,' says St. John Chrysostom, 'is accomplished in our dead. A mystery of praise and of joy, when, summoned by the King of kings, the soul goes to meet her Lord, accompanied by angels sent from heaven for the purpose! And thou—dost thou lament? When the bridegroom to whom thou hast given thy daughter carries her to a far country, thou dost not complain, provided he makes her happy; although her absence is a grief to thee, the sadness is tempered. And now, because it is not a man, a fellow-slave, but the Lord Himself that claims one of thy family, is thy grief to be without measure? I do not forbid thee to shed a tear; weep, but be not disconsolate even as others who have no hope.'¹ ² 'And be ready also to return thanks, as is meet; honouring thereby thy dead, as well as glorifying God, and thus giving them magnificent obsequies.'³ With such sentiments were our fathers inspired, in those farewells of the primitive liturgy, which contrasted so strangely with the sad pomp of pagans, and which made the funeral train resemble a bridal procession. First, loving hands respectfully washed the body, which had been sanctified by the waters of Baptism and the holy oil, and so often honoured by the visit of our Lord in His blessed Sacrament. It was then clothed in the robes of honour in which it had served its divine Spouse; and, like Him in the tomb, it was surrounded with fragrant spices. Often the sacred Host Itself was laid upon the breast after the holy Sacrifice of thanksgiving and propitiation. Thus, during an admirable succession of prayers and triumphant chants, amid clouds of incense and numberless torches, the body was carried to the place of rest, where Christian burial was to associate it to the last mystery of our Saviour's mortal career. There, as over the garden of Golgotha on the great Saturday, the naked cross, despoiled of its divine Burden, looked down upon the graves, where the Man-God in His mystic members still awaited the hour of resurrection. ¹ Chrys. in Acta ap. Homilia xxi. 3, 4. ² 1 Thess. iv. 13. ³ Chrys. Homilia de Dormientibus, V. de Lazaro, 2. At Rome, and indeed in all the Latin Churches, in the Middle Ages, there were sung, during the procession to the tomb and the burial, seven celebrated antiphons, whose touching inspiration, perpetuated in the In Paradisum and the Subvenite, is in complete harmony with the sentiments we have just alluded to. The first, Aperite mihi portas justitiæ, formed the refrain to Psalm 117, Confitemini Domino, and enhanced its accents of victory. It is from this psalm that the Church borrows the verse she so unceasingly repeats on the Solemnity of solemnities: Hæc dies quam fecit Dominus: exsultemus et lætemur in ea (This is the day which the Lord hath made: let us be glad and rejoice therein). But", "keywords": [ "lord", "domine", "children", "praise", "blessed", "soul", "angels", "earth", "heaven", "receive", "eternal", "little", "holy", "rest", "mihi", "life", "deus", "cælo", "light", "ones" ], "saints": [ "St. Ephrem", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "1 Thessalonians iv. 13", "John c." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_8", "title": "NOVEMBER 8", "anchor": "november_8", "text": "OCTAVE DAY OF ALL SAINTS HOW could we more appropriately conclude the teachings of this octave than by quoting the words used by the Church herself in to-day's liturgy? 'Strangers as we are and pilgrims on the earth, let us fix our hearts and our thoughts on the day which will give to each of us a home, and restore us to paradise. Who, that is on a voyage, would not hasten to return to his country! Who, that is on the way home, would not eagerly desire a favourable wind, that he might the sooner embrace his dear ones! Parents, brothers, children, friends in multitudes impatiently await us in our heavenly fatherland; blessed crowd! already secure of their own eternal happiness, they are solicitous about our salvation. What joy for them and for us, when at length we see them and they may embrace us! 'How great the delight of that heavenly kingdom: no more fear of death; but eternal and supreme happiness! Let all our earnest desires tend to this: that we may be united with the saints, that together with them we may possess Christ.'¹ These enthusiastic words, borrowed from St. Cyprian's beautiful book 'On the Mortality,' are used by the Church in her second Nocturn; and in the third she gives us the strong language of St. Augustine, consoling the faithful, who are obliged still to remain in exile, by reminding them of the great beatitude of this earth; the beatitude of those who are persecuted and cursed by the world. 'To suffer gladly for Christ is the Christian's glory, the invisible beauty which wins for his soul the good pleasure of God, and procures him a great reward in heaven.'² 'He that hurteth, let him hurt still,' says our Lord; 'and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is just, let him be justified still; and he that is holy, let him be sanctified still. Behold I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his works. I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.'³ Patience, then, Christians! Patience, all who are now despised, 'for time is short; the fashion of this world passeth away!'⁴ It is in the light of our Baptism that we must look upon those foolish men who think themselves strong because they are violent; who call themselves wise, because pleasure is their only law. When the Man-God, 'with the spirit of His mouth,' shall take vengeance on Satan their leader, their lot will be the indignant sentence heard by the prophet of Patmos: 'Without are dogs, murderers, everyone that loveth and maketh a lie.'⁵ Meanwhile the whole creation, which they made the unwilling slave of their corruption, will answer to their disgraceful fall by a triumphant song of deliverance. Itself will be transformed into new heavens and a new earth. It will partake of the glory of the children of God,", "keywords": [ "saints", "christ", "church", "heavenly", "death", "glory", "martyrs", "amen", "octave", "earth", "strong", "faithful", "world", "good", "holy", "flesh", "jesus", "honour", "offer", "prayers" ], "saints": [ "St. Augustine", "St. Cyprian" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii. 29", "Apocalypse xxii. 11", "Apocalypse xxii. 15" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_9", "title": "NOVEMBER 9", "anchor": "november_9", "text": "DEDICATION OF THE BASILICA OF SAINT SAVIOUR In the fourth century of our era, the cessation of persecution seemed to give the world a foretaste of its future entrance into eternal peace. 'Glory to the Almighty! Glory to the Redeemer of our souls!' wrote Eusebius at the opening of the tenth and last book of his History. Himself a witness of the triumph, he describes the admirable spectacle everywhere displayed by the dedication of the new sanctuaries. In city after city the bishops assembled, and crowds flocked together. From nation to nation the goodwill of mutual charity, of common faith, and of recollected joy, so harmonized all hearts that the unity of Christ's Body was clearly manifested in these multitudes animated by the same inspiration of the Holy Ghost. It was the fulfilment of the ancient prophecies: the living city of the living God, where all, whatever their age or sex, praise together the Author of all good things. How solemn were then the rites of the Church! The complete perfection therein displayed by the pontiffs, the enthusiasm of the psalmody, the inspired readings, the celebration of the ineffable mysteries, formed a divine pageantry.¹ Constantine had placed the imperial treasure at the disposal of the bishops; and he himself stimulated their zeal for what he called in his edicts the work of the churches.² Rome, the place of his victory by the cross, the capital of the now Christian world, was the first to benefit by the prince's munificence. In a series of dedications, to the glory of the holy apostles and martyrs, Sylvester, the pontiff of peace, took possession of the eternal city in the name of the true God. ¹ Euseb. Hist. eccl. x. 1-4. ² Ibid. De vita Constantini, ii. 45, 46. To-day is the birthday of the mother and mistress of churches, called 'of our Saviour, Aula Dei (God's palace), the golden basilica'; it is a new Sinai,¹ whence the apostolic oracles and so many Councils have made known to the world the law of salvation. No wonder this feast is celebrated by the whole world. Although the Popes for centuries have ceased to dwell in the Lateran palace, the basilica still holds the first rank. It is as true now, as it was in the time of St. Peter Damian, to say that 'as our Saviour is the Head of the elect, so the church which bears His name is the head of all churches; those of St. Peter and St. Paul, on its right and left, are the two arms with which this sovereign and universal church embraces the whole earth, saving all those who desire salvation, cherishing and protecting them in its maternal bosom.'² And St. Peter Damian applied conjointly to our Saviour and His basilica the words of the prophet Zacharias: 'Behold a Man, the Orient is his name: and under him shall he spring up, and shall build a temple to the Lord. Yea, he shall build a temple to the", "keywords": [ "lord", "holy", "church", "house", "temple", "christ", "jerusalem", "name", "dedication", "heaven", "bride", "glory", "churches", "alleluia", "ever", "things", "eternal", "blessed", "jesus", "city" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Gregory of Nyssa", "St. John", "St. Luke", "St. Mary", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. SAVIOUR", "St. Sylvester", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vi. 20", "1 Paralipomenon xxix. 14", "Apocalypse xxi.", "Apocalypse xxi. 2", "Colossians ii. 9", "Exodus xxvi. 30", "Isaias lxv. 17", "Isaias lxvi. 10", "Jeremias xxxi. 33", "Luke c.", "Luke xi. 10", "Psalms c.", "Psalms l.", "Psalms xvii.", "Psalms xxv. 8", "Tobias xiii.", "Zacharias vi. 12" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_10", "title": "NOVEMBER 10", "anchor": "november_10", "text": "SAINT ANDREW AVELLINO CONFESSOR In the sixteenth century, in reply to the reproach of exhaustion hurled against the Church, the Holy Ghost raised from her soil an abundant harvest of sanctity. Andrew was one of His most worthy co-operators in the work of holy reformation and supernatural renaissance which then took place. Eternal Wisdom had as usual suffered Satan to go before, for his own greater shame, cloaking his evil works under the grand names of renaissance and reform. It was nine years since St. Cajetan had departed this world, leaving it strengthened by his labours and all embalmed with the fragrance of his virtues; the former bishop of Theate, his companion and collaborator in founding the first Regular Clerks, was now governing the Church under the name of Paul IV; when in 1556 God bestowed upon the Theatines, in the person of our saint, an heir to the supernatural gifts, the heroic sanctity, and the zeal for the sanctuary, that had characterized their father. Andrew was the friend and support of the great bishop of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo, whose glory in heaven he went to share on this day. His pious writings are still used in the Church. He himself formed some admirable disciples, such as Laurence Scupoli, author of the well-known work so prized by the bishop of Geneva, the Spiritual Combat. Nothing need be added to the following history of his life.¹ ¹ \"It is clear and practical. Yes, my daughter, the Spiritual Combat is great. I have used it for eighteen years, and I never read it without profit.\"—S. Francis de Sales: Spiritual Letters. Andreas Avellinus, dictus antea Lancellottus, apud Castrum Novum Lucaniæ pagum natus, inter ipsa infantiæ primordia, futuræ sanctitatis non obscura præbuit indicia. Adolescens ad litteras addiscendas paterna e domo egressus, lubricam illius ætatis semitam inter bonarum artium studia ita peregit, ut sapientiæ initium, quod est timor Domini, ob oculos potissimum habere numquam præetermiserit. Cum egregia proinde forma eximium castitatis studium conjunxit, quo impudicas sæpe mulierum insidias elusit, interdum etiam apertam vim propulsavit. Clericali militiæ jampridem adscriptus, Neapolim se contulit, ut legalibus disciplinis vacaret, ibique jurisprudentiæ lauream adeptus, atque interea ad sacerdotalem dignitatem evectus, causarum patrocinia in foro dumtaxat ecclesiastico, proque privatis quibusdam personis, juxta sacrorum canonum sanctiones agere cœpit. Verum cum aliquando inter causam agendam leve ei mendacium excidisset, mox vero fortuita sacrarum Scripturarum lectione in illa verba incidisset: Os, quod mentitur, occidit animam; tanto ejus culpæ dolore ac pœnitentia correptus est, ut statim ab ejusmodi vitæ instituto sibi recedendum esse duxerit. Itaque, abdicatis forensibus curis, se totum divino cultui sacrisque ministeriis mancipavit. Cumque ecclesiasticæ virtutis exemplis emineret, sanctimonialium regimini a tunc exsistente archiepiscopo Neapolitano præfectus fuit. Quo in munere cum pravorum hominum odia subiisset, primo quidem intentatæ sibi necis periculum declinavit; mox vero per sicarium tribus in facie acceptis vulneribus, injuriæ atrocitatem æquo animo pertulit. Tum perfectioris vitæ desiderio flagrans, ut inter Clericos regulares adscriberetur, suppliciter postulavit, votique compos factus, ob ingentem, quo æstuabat, crucis amorem, ut sibi Andreæ nomen imponeretur,", "keywords": [ "life", "church", "holy", "inter", "andrew", "lord", "love", "regular", "etiam", "naples", "wisdom", "clerks", "ever", "divine", "altar", "sanctity", "eternal", "virtues", "bishop", "paul" ], "saints": [ "St. ANDREW", "St. Augustine", "St. Cajetan", "St. Charles", "St. Paul", "St. Tryphon" ], "scripture": [ "Psalms lxxxiii.", "Wisdom i.", "Wisdom i. 11" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_11", "title": "NOVEMBER 11", "anchor": "november_11", "text": "SAINT MARTIN BISHOP AND CONFESSOR Three thousand six hundred and sixty churches dedicated to St. Martin in France alone,¹ and well-nigh as many in the rest of the world, bear witness to the immense popularity of the great thaumaturgus. In the country, on the mountains, and in the depth of forests; trees, rocks, and fountains, objects of superstitious worship to our pagan ancestors, received, and in many places still retain, the name of him who snatched them from the dominion of the powers of darkness to restore them to the true God. For the vanquished idols, Roman, Celtic, or German, Christ substituted their conqueror, the humble soldier, in the grateful memory of the people. Martin's mission was to complete the destruction of paganism, which had been driven from the towns by the martyrs but remained up to his time master of the vast territories removed from the influence of the cities. While on the one hand he was honoured with God's favours, on the other he was pursued by hell with implacable hatred. At the very outset he had to encounter Satan, who said to him: 'I will beset thy path at every turn';² and he kept his word. He has kept it to this very day: century after century, he has been working ruin around the glorious tomb which once attracted the whole world to Tours: in the sixteenth, he delivered to the flames, by the hands of the Huguenots, the venerable remains of the protector of France; by the nineteenth, he had brought men to such a height of folly, as themselves to destroy, in time of peace, the splendid basilica which was the pride and the riches of their city. The gratitude of Christ and the rage of Satan, made known by such signs, reveal sufficiently the incomparable labours of the pontiff, apostle, and monk, St. Martin. ¹ A list arranged according to the dioceses may be seen in the Appendix to 'Saint Martin' by Lecoy de la Marche. ² Sulpit. Sever. Vita, vi. A monk indeed he was, both in desire and in reality, to the last day of his life. 'From earliest infancy he sighed after the service of God. He became a catechumen at the age of ten, and at twelve he wished to retire to the desert; all his thoughts were engaged on monasteries and churches. A soldier at fifteen years of age, he so lived as even then to be taken for a monk.¹ After a first trial of religious life in Italy, he was brought by St. Hilary to this solitude of Ligugé, which, thanks to him, became the cradle of monastic life in Gaul. To say the truth, Martin, during the whole course of his life, felt like a stranger everywhere else except at Ligugé. A monk by attraction, he had been forced to be a soldier, and it needed violence to make him a bishop: and even then he never relinquished his monastic habits. He responded to the dignity", "keywords": [ "martin", "martinus", "life", "christ", "church", "holy", "heaven", "bishop", "world", "name", "people", "tours", "hilary", "never", "miracles", "lord", "glory", "faith", "angels", "soldier" ], "saints": [ "St. Denis", "St. Gregory of Tours", "St. Hilary", "St. John", "St. MARTIN", "St. Martin", "St. Odo of Cluny", "St. Severinus", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians ii. 4" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_12", "title": "NOVEMBER 12", "anchor": "november_12", "text": "SAINT MARTIN I POPE AND MARTYR While the concourse of pilgrims to the sepulchre of the bishop of Tours induced his third successor, Perpetuus, to raise over his precious remains the basilica in which so many prodigies were to be wrought all through the Middle Ages, Rome herself was dedicating to St. Martin one of her noblest churches, uniting with him as joint titular her own illustrious pontiff and confessor Sylvester. Adorned with this twofold glory, St. Martin-on-the-Hill worthily inaugurated in the eternal city the cultus of confessors side by side with that of the martyrs. But another honour awaited the venerable sanctuary. Beside the wonder-working apostle and the pontiff of peace, both vanquishers of idolatry who had escaped the sword only through the conversion of the persecutors, the last of the martyr-popes, also Martin by name, came to seek a resting-place, long after the pagan persecutions had ceased. 'Martin I,' says Baronius, 'fared better than any of his predecessors since the time of Constantine. Found worthy to suffer more than all of them for the name of Jesus Christ, he had the good fortune to find a Decius and a Diocletian in a baptized prince.'¹ The emperor thus stigmatized by the great annalist was Constans II. From his grandfather Heraclius, who at least had given the world a few years of glory, he inherited nothing but the Byzantine pretension of imposing his dogmatic edicts upon the Church. Like the Ecthesis of Heraclius, the Type of Constans aimed at silencing the Catholics in their struggle with the Monothelites. St. Leo II, on June 28, has already ¹ BARON, Ad ann. 651. initiated us into these contests concerning the integrity of the two natures, divine and human, in the Man-God. Could the Church, without protesting, allow it to be said that her Spouse had taken from Adam a mere appearance of humanity, a half-formed nature without a will, such as the new sectaries imagined? More clear-sighted than Honorius, Martin I understood the danger, and knew how to repair the past while securing the future. Scarcely had he ascended the apostolic throne, when he gathered, in the Church of our Saviour, one of the most beautiful assemblies ever held there. 'Sound the trumpet, cry out upon the mountain; soldiers of God, awake!' Thus from its very opening did the Lateran Council of 649 repair the fatal silence and avenge the Church's honour. On reading its splendid and ample definitions, which present to the world the Son of the Virgin Mother in all His adorable integrity, we are reminded of the solemn declaration in the prætorium on the great Friday: 'Behold the Man!' only that this time it was proclaimed in triumph and by those who loved Him. Truly, O God our Saviour, Thou art the most complete, the most perfect, the most beautiful of the sons of men. What a solace to the mind, to see the imperial lucubrations returned, with the qualification of 'wicked' and 'impious,' to the Byzantine Cæsar, who", "keywords": [ "martin", "church", "rome", "pontiff", "pope", "honour", "constans", "emperor", "paul", "glory", "world", "integrity", "divine", "human", "without", "ever", "held", "council", "olympius", "satan" ], "saints": [ "St. Leo", "St. MARTIN", "St. Martin", "St. Mary", "St. Paul" ], "scripture": [ "Psalms xlviii. 13", "Romans i. 18", "Romans i. 21", "Romans x. 10" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_13", "title": "NOVEMBER 13", "anchor": "november_13", "text": "SAINT DIDACUS CONFESSOR HUMBLE lay-brother, Didacus of St. Nicholas, is welcomed to-day by his father St. Francis into the company of Bernardine of Siena and John Capistran, who preceded him by a few years to heaven. The two latter left Italy and the whole of Europe still echoing with their voices, the one making peace between cities in the name of the Lord Jesus, the other urging on the Christian hosts to battle with the victorious Crescent. The age which they contributed so powerfully to save from the results of the great schism and to restore to its Christian destinies knew little of Didacus but his unbounded charity. It was the year of the great Jubilee, 1450. Rome having become once more, practically as well as theoretically, the holy city in the eyes of the nations, not even the most terrible scourges could keep her children at a distance. From every quarter of the globe, crowds, urged by the evils of the time, flocked to the source of salvation; and Satan's work of ruin was retarded by seventy years. Men doubtless attributed but a very small share of such results to the humble brother, who was spending himself in the Ara Cœli, in the service of the plague-stricken: especially if they compared him with his brethren, the great Franciscan apostles. And yet the Church pays to Didacus to-day the very same honours as we have seen her pay to Bernardine and John Capistran. What is this but asserting that before God heroic acts of hidden virtue are not inferior to the noble deeds that dazzle the world, if, proceeding from the same ardent love, they produce in the soul the same increase of divine charity? The pontificate of Nicholas V, which witnessed the imposing concourse of people to the tombs of the apostles in 1450, was too, and still is, justly admired for the new impetus given to the culture of letters and the arts in Rome; for it belongs to the Church to adorn herself, for the honour of her Spouse, with all that men rightly deem great and beautiful. Nevertheless, who is there now of all the humanists, as the learned men of that age were called, who would not prefer the glory of the poor unlettered Friar Minor to that which vainly held out to them the hope of immortality? In the fifteenth century, as at all other times, God chose the foolish and the weak to confound the wise and the strong. The Gospel is always in the right. Let us read the luminous life of this unlearned man, as given in the book of holy Church. Didacus Hispanus, ex oppido sancti Nicolai de Portu diœcesis Hispalensis, ab ineunte ætate pii sub sacerdotis disciplina, sanctioris vitæ solitariæ in ecclesia, tyrocinium exercuit. Deinde ut firmius Deo se conjungeret, in conventu de Arizzafa fratrum Minorum (quos Observantes vocant) sancti Francisci regulam in statu laicali professus est. Magna ibi alacritate humilis obedientiæ et regularis observantiæ jugum subiens, contemplationi in", "keywords": [ "didacus", "church", "nicholas", "order", "sweet", "humble", "heaven", "lord", "charity", "year", "rome", "world", "glory", "life", "pious", "sick", "confessor", "brother", "francis", "bernardine" ], "saints": [ "St. DIDACUS", "St. Francis", "St. Nicholas", "St. Nicholas de Porto" ], "scripture": [ "John c." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_14", "title": "NOVEMBER 14", "anchor": "november_14", "text": "SAINT JOSAPHAT BISHOP AND MARTYR JOSAPHAT KUNCEWICZ, contemporary with St. Francis de Sales and St. Vincent de Paul, might have been taken for a Greek monk of the eleventh century or an ascetic of the Thebaid. A stranger to the intellectual culture of the West, he knew only the liturgical books and sacred texts used in his own church; as a priest, an archimandrite, a reformer of his Order of St. Basil, and lastly as archbishop, he combated all his life the consequences of the schism of Photius, and closed the struggle by culling the palm of martyrdom. Yet all this took place in the heart of Europe, in the countries then subject to Catholic Poland, during the reign of the most pious of its kings. How is this mystery to be explained? Immediately after the Mongolian invasions Poland received into her arms, rather than conquered, the Ruthenian nation—that is to say, the Slavs of the Greek rite from the Dnieper and the Dwina, who had formed around their capital and religious metropolis, Kiev, the nucleus of the power now known as Russia. Had she granted a participation in her own national life to these brethren separated from, but not enemies to, the Roman unity, who came to her full of confidence in her strength and her justice, Poland would have secured the triumph of the Catholic cause, and her own dominion throughout Slavonia. The union of the newcomers with the Roman pontiff, which a little more political insight and religious zeal might have brought about in the fourteenth century, was not concluded until 1595. This was the union of Brzesc. By the compact signed in this little town of Lithuania, the metropolitan of Kiev and the other Greek bishops declared that they returned to the communion of the holy Apostolic See. Being the spiritual superiors of half the nation, they thus completed the union of the three peoples, Ruthenian, Lithuanian, and Polish, then subject to Sigismund III. Now, a religious reform, even if decreed by a council, does not become a reality until men of God, true apostles and if need be martyrs, come forward to consummate it. This was the vocation of St. Josaphat, the apostle and martyr of the Union of Brzesc. What he did not himself carry out was completed by his disciples. A century of glory was secured to the nation, and its political ruin was delayed for two hundred years. But Poland left in a state of humiliating inferiority the clergy and people of the Græco-Slavonic rite, who had taken shelter in her bosom; her politicians never admitted practically that Christians of the Greek rite could be true Catholics on an equality with their Latin brethren. Soon, however, the Latin Poles were engaged in deadly combat with the Muscovites, and we know how the former were vanquished. Historians lay down the causes of Poland's defeat; but they usually forget the principal one, which rendered it irremediable—viz., the almost total destruction of the Union of", "keywords": [ "josaphat", "catholic", "church", "russia", "union", "unity", "century", "poland", "power", "greek", "life", "schism", "rite", "pontiff", "against", "back", "mother", "martyr", "religious", "kiev" ], "saints": [ "St. Basil", "St. Francis de Sales", "St. JOSAPHAT", "St. Josaphat", "St. Peter", "St. Petersburg", "St. Vincent de Paul" ], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_15", "title": "NOVEMBER 15", "anchor": "november_15", "text": "SAINT GERTRUDE VIRGIN The school which is founded upon the rule of the great patriarch of the monks of the West began with St. Gregory the Great. Such was the independent action of the Holy Spirit who guided it that in it women have prophesied as well as men. It is enough to mention St. Hildegarde and St. Gertrude, with whom we may fitly associate St. Mechtilde and St. Frances of Rome. Anyone who has tried modern methods will find, on making acquaintance with these ancient writers, that he is breathing another atmosphere, and is urged onward by a gentle authority which is never felt, but which allows no rest. He will not find that subtlety, that keen and learned analysis, he has met with elsewhere, and which rather weary than aid the soul. The pious and learned Father Faber has brought out, with his characteristic sagacity, the advantages of that form of spirituality which gives the soul breadth and liberty, and so produces in many persons effects which some modern methods fail of producing: 'No one,' says he, 'can be at all acquainted with the old-fashioned Benedictine school of spiritual writers, without perceiving and admiring the beautiful liberty of spirit which pervades and possesses their whole mind. It is just what we should expect from an Order of such matured traditions. St. Gertrude is a fair specimen of them. She is thoroughly Benedictine. . . . A spirit of breadth, a spirit of liberty, that is the Catholic spirit; and it was eminently the badge of the old Benedictine ascetics. Modern writers for the most part have tightened things, and have lost by it instead of gaining. By frightening people they have lessened devotion in extent; and by overstraining it they have lowered it in degree.'¹ In any case there are many ways, and every way is good which brings men back to God by a thorough conversion of heart. But we are sure that those who may be led to commit themselves to the guidance of a saint of the old school will not lose their time; and that if they meet with less philosophy and less psychology on their way, they will be subdued by the simplicity and authority of her language, and be moved and melted as they contrast their own souls with that of their saintly guide. And this blessed revolution will take place in almost every soul that follows St. Gertrude in the week of Exercises she proposes to them, if only they really desire to draw yet more closely the ties which unite them to God, if their intention be fixed aright and their souls truly recollected in God. We may almost venture to assure such persons that they will come forth from these Exercises transformed in their whole being. They will return to them again and again with ever-increasing pleasure; for they will have no discouraging memory of fatigue, nor of the slightest constraint laid upon their liberty of spirit. They will", "keywords": [ "gertrude", "love", "soul", "divine", "heart", "saint", "spirit", "holy", "fair", "language", "spouse", "light", "life", "forth", "jesus", "virgin", "blessed", "heaven", "church", "writings" ], "saints": [ "St. Frances of Rome", "St. GERTRUDE", "St. Gertrude", "St. Gregory the Great", "St. Hildegarde", "St. Mechtilde", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [ "Psalms xxx. 21" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_17", "title": "NOVEMBER 17", "anchor": "november_17", "text": "SAINT GREGORY THAUMATURGUS BISHOP AND CONFESSOR Moses, 'instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, mighty in his words and in his deeds,'² retired into the desert: Gregory, adorned with the best gifts of birth and nature, brilliant in rhetoric, rich in every science, hid himself from men in the flower of his youth, and hastened to offer to God in solitude the holocaust best pleasing to the Lord. Each was the hope of his race; yet each turned away to lose himself in the contemplation of heavenly mysteries. Meanwhile the yoke of Pharaoh lay heavy upon Israel; meanwhile souls were perishing, whom one of Gregory's burning words might have snatched from the empire of idolatry: was not such flight, then, desertion? Is it for man to proclaim himself a saviour, when Jesus did not arrogate that title to Himself? And when evil was rife all around, did the Carpenter of Nazareth do wrong to remain in the shade for thirty years previous to His short period of ministry? O ye teachers of our excited, fevered times, who dream of a new hierarchy among the virtues, and understand divine charity far otherwise than did our fathers: not those are of the race of Israel's saviours whose ideas concerning social good differ from those of the world's Redeemer. Gregory, like Moses, was of that blessed race. His friends and enemies agreed in saying that he resembled the Hebrew legislator in the excellence of his virtue, and in the splendour of the prodigies wrought by his word.³ Both were actuated by the desire of knowing God, and manifesting Him to the men they were called to lead: the fullness of doctrine is the gift most necessary to the guides of the people, and their want of it the greatest penury. I AM WHO AM was the answer to Moses' enquiry; and this sublime formula, confided to him from the midst of the burning bush, authenticated the mission which called him forth from the desert. When Gregory was commanded by God to go out into the world, the blessed Virgin, of whom the burning bush was a figure, appeared before his dazzled eyes in the dark night when he was praying for light. And St. John, following the Mother of God, let fall from his lips this other formula completing the former for the disciples of the Law of love: 'One only God, Father of the living Word, of that substantial and mighty Wisdom who is the eternal expression of Himself; the perfect principle of the only and perfect Son begotten by Him. One only Lord, sole-begotten of the Only One; God of God, efficacious Word, Wisdom embracing and containing the world, creative power of all creation, true Son of a true Father. One only Holy Spirit, holding of God His divine existence, revealed to men by the Son of whom He is the perfect likeness, life and life-giving, holy and imparting holiness. The perfect Trinity, immutable, inseparable in glory, in eternity, in", "keywords": [ "gregory", "word", "church", "holy", "thaumaturgus", "bishop", "divine", "moses", "lord", "souls", "world", "father", "perfect", "faith", "neocæsarea", "basil", "didst", "gratitude", "saint", "wisdom" ], "saints": [ "St. Basil", "St. Benedict", "St. GREGORY", "St. Gertrude", "St. Gertrude the Great", "St. Gregory", "St. John" ], "scripture": [ "Acts vii. 22" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_18", "title": "NOVEMBER 18", "anchor": "november_18", "text": "DEDICATION OF THE BASILICAS OF SAINTS PETER AND PAUL, APOSTLES QUOD DUCE TE MUNDUS SURREXIT IN ASTRA TRIUMPHANS, HANC CONSTANTINUS VICTOR TIBI CONDIDIT AULAM (Because the world under thy conduct has risen triumphant to the very heavens, Constantine the conqueror has built this temple in thy honour). This inscription stood in letters of gold over the triumphal arch in the ancient Vatican basilica.¹ Never did the Roman genius frame a more magnificent utterance in so few words; never did the greatness of Simon Bar-Jona appear to such advantage on the seven hills. In 1506 the great arch, that had looked down upon twelve centuries of prostrate pilgrims, fell from old age, and the beautiful inscription perished. But Michael Angelo's lofty dome points out to the city and the world the spot where sleeps the Galilean fisherman, the successor of the Caesars, the Vicar of Christ, the ruler of the destinies of Rome. The second glory of the eternal city is the tomb of St. Paul on the Ostian Way. Unlike that of St. Peter, which lies deep down in the Vatican crypt, this tomb is raised to the level of the floor by massive masonry, on which rests the great sarcophagus. This circumstance was ascertained in 1841, when the papal altar was reconstructed. It was evidently to obviate the consequences of inundations from the Tiber that the sarcophagus had thus been raised above the place where Lucina had first laid it.² The pilgrim certainly finds nothing to blame in this arrangement when, on looking through the small opening in the centre of the altar, his respectful glance falls upon the marble of the tomb, and he reads these imposing words traced in large characters of Constantine's period: PAULO APOSTOLO ET MARTYRI (To Paul apostle and martyr). ¹ De Rossi, Inscript. Christ., t. ii, 345. ² See the Legend of St. Cornelius, September 16. Thus Christian Rome is protected on the north and south by these two citadels. Let us enter into the sentiments of our fathers, when they said of this privileged city: 'Peter the doorkeeper sets his holy dwelling at the entrance: who can deny that this city is like heaven? At the other extremity, Paul from his temple guards the walls; Rome lies between the two: here then God dwelleth.'¹ The present feast therefore deserves to be more than a local solemnity; its extension to the universal Church is a subject for the world's gratitude. Thanks to this feast we can all make together in spirit to-day the pilgrimage ad limina apostolorum,² which our ancestors performed with such fatigue and danger, yet never thought they purchased too dearly its holy joys and blessings. 'Heavenly mountains, glittering heights of the new Sion! There are the gates of our true country, the two lights of the immense world. There Paul's voice is heard like thunder; there Peter withholds or hurls the bolt. The former opens the hearts of men, the latter opens heaven. Peter is the foundation-stone, Paul the architect", "keywords": [ "peter", "paul", "world", "apostles", "church", "quam", "built", "basilica", "rome", "together", "basilicas", "temple", "city", "holy", "feast", "apostolorum", "constantine", "honour", "vatican", "altar" ], "saints": [ "St. Cornelius", "St. Cécile", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Sylvester", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Peter c.", "Peter i." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_19", "title": "NOVEMBER 19", "anchor": "november_19", "text": "SAINT ELIZABETH OF HUNGARY DUCHESS OF THURINGIA Although the blessed in heaven shine each with his own peculiar glory, God is pleased to group them in families, as He groups the stars in the material firmament. It is grace that presides over the arrangement of these constellations in the heaven of the saints; but sometimes it seems as if God wished to remind us that He is the sole Author of both grace and nature; and inviting them, in spite of the fall, to honour Him unitedly in His elect, He causes sanctity to become a glorious heirloom, handed down from generation to generation in the same family on earth. Among these races none can compare with that royal line which, beginning in ancient Pannonia, spread its branches over the world in the most flourishing days of Christendom: 'Rich in virtue and studying beautifulness,' as Scripture says, it brought peace into all the royal houses of Europe with which it was allied; and the many names it has inscribed in the golden book of the blessed perpetuate its glory.¹ Among these illustrious names, and surrounded by them as a diamond set in a circle of pearls, the greatest, in the esteem of the Church and of the people, is that of the amiable saint, who was ripe for heaven at the age of twenty-four years, and who ascended on this day into the company of Stephen, Emeric, and Ladislas. Elizabeth was not inferior to them in manly virtues; but the simplicity of her loving soul added to the heroism of her race a sweetness, whose fragrance drew after her along the path of sanctity her daughter Gertrude of Thuringia, and her relatives Hedwige of Silesia, Agnes of Bohemia, ¹ Ecclus. xliv. 6. Margaret of Hungary, Cunigund of Poland, and Elizabeth of Portugal. All the poetry of those chivalrous times appears in the beautiful pages of contemporaneous writers, as they describe to us the innocent child, transplanted like a tender flower from the court of Hungary to that of Thuringia; and her life of devotedness there, with a bridegroom worthy to witness the ecstasies of her lofty but ingenuous piety and to defend her heroic virtue against her slanderers. To the stewards who complained that during the absence of Duke Lewis she had, in spite of their remonstrances, exhausted the revenues upon the poor, he replied: 'I desire that my Elizabeth be at liberty to act as she wishes, provided she leaves me Warteburg and Naumburg.' Our Lord opened the landgrave's eyes to see transformed into beautiful roses the provisions Elizabeth was carrying to the poor. Jesus crucified appeared in the leper she had taken into her own apartments that she might the better tend him. If it happened that illustrious visitors arrived unexpectedly, and the duchess having bestowed all her jewels in alms was unable to adorn herself becomingly to do them honour, the angels so well supplied the deficiency that, according to the German chroniclers of the time, it", "keywords": [ "elizabeth", "poor", "heaven", "church", "honour", "among", "lord", "husband", "good", "holy", "saint", "blessed", "glorious", "world", "life", "order", "hungary", "thuringia", "glory", "saints" ], "saints": [ "St. ELIZABETH", "St. Elizabeth", "St. Fabian", "St. Francis", "St. Matt" ], "scripture": [ "Ecclesiasticus xliv. 6", "Matthew xiii.", "Proverbs xxxi." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_20", "title": "NOVEMBER 20", "anchor": "november_20", "text": "SAINT FELIX OF VALOIS CONFESSOR Felix was called in his youth to dwell in the desert; and he thought to die there, forgotten by the world he had despised. But our Lord had decreed that his old age should yield fruit before men. It was one of those epochs which may be called turning-points in history. The first of the great active Orders was about to be raised up in the Church by St. John of Matha; others were soon to follow, called forth by the new requirements of the times. Eternal Wisdom, who \"remaining in herself the same reneweth all things,\"¹ would prove that sanctity also never changes, and that charity, though assuming different forms, is ever the same, having but one principle and one aim—God, loved for His own sake. Hence John of Matha was led by the holy Spirit to Felix of Valois, as a disciple to the master; and then, upon pure contemplation, personified by the anchorite living out his declining years in the depths of the forest, was grafted the intensely active life of the redeemer of captives. The desert of Cerfroid became the cradle, and remained the chief centre, of the Trinitarian Order. Let us read the Church's history of the servant of God, remembering that it requires to be completed by that of his son and disciple (February 8). Felix, Hugo antea dictus, ex regali Valesiorum familia ortus in Gallia, ab ineunte ætate non levia dedit futuræ sanctitatis indicia, præsertim misericordiæ erga pauperes: nam adhuc infantulus, manu propriâ, ac si grandior esset, et judicii maturitate polleret, nummos egenis distribuit. Jam grandiusculus, solebat ex appositis in mensa dapibus ipsos mittere, et ferme eo, quod sapidius erat, obsonio, pauperculos pueros recreabat. Adolescens non semel vestibus se exspoliavit, ut inopes cooperiret. Ab avunculo Theobaldo, Campaniæ et Blesii comite, vitam reo mortis impetravit, prædicens hunc infamem hactenus sicarium, mox sanctissimis præditum moribus evasurum: veridicum testimonium monstravit eventus. Felix, formerly called Hugh, was born in France, of the royal family of the Valois, and from his cradle gave promise of future sanctity and especially of charity towards the poor. While still an infant he would distribute money to the needy with his own hand, as if he were grown up and had full use of reason. When somewhat older he used to send them meat from the table, and would choose what was daintiest for poor little children. When a youth he more than once stripped himself of his own garments to clothe the poor. He obtained the life of a condemned criminal from his uncle Theobald, Count of Champagne and Blois; foretelling that the man, hitherto an infamous murderer, would shortly become a saint; the truth of which prophecy was proved by the event. Post exactam laudabiliter adolescentiam, cœpit cælestis contemplationis studio solitudinem cogitare; prius tamen voluit sacris initiari, ut omnem regni, a cujus successione jure legis Salicæ non longe distabat, spem sibi præcideret. Sacerdos factus, et prima Missa devotissime celebrata, non multo post in eremum secessit,", "keywords": [ "felix", "order", "holy", "love", "called", "john", "matha", "poor", "valois", "youth", "desert", "church", "charity", "having", "life", "captives", "post", "pontifice", "angel", "innocent" ], "saints": [ "St. FELIX", "St. John of Matha" ], "scripture": [ "John i.", "Wisdom vii. 27" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_21", "title": "NOVEMBER 21", "anchor": "november_21", "text": "", "keywords": [], "saints": [], "scripture": [] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "THE_PRESENTATION_OF_THE_BLESSED_VIRGIN_MARY", "title": "THE PRESENTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY", "anchor": "the_presentation_of_the_blessed_virgin_mary", "text": "The Presentation is one of the minor solemnities of our Lady, and was inscribed at a comparatively late date on the sacred Cycle; it seems to court the homage of our silent contemplation. The world, unknown to itself, is ruled by the secret prayers of the just; and the Queen of saints, in her hidden mysteries, wrought far more powerfully than the so-called great men whose noisy achievements fill the annals of the human race. The East had been celebrating for seven centuries at least¹ the entrance of the Mother of God into the temple of Jerusalem,² when in 1372 Gregory XI permitted it to be kept for the first time³ by the Roman court at Avignon. Mary in return broke the chains of captivity that had bound the Papacy for seventy years; and soon the successor of St. Peter returned to Rome. The feast of the Visitation, as we saw on July 2, was in like manner inserted in the Western calendar to commemorate the re-establishment of unity after the schism which followed the exile. In 1373, following the example of the Sovereign Pontiff, Charles V of France introduced the feast of the Presentation into the chapel of his palace. By letters dated November 10, 1374, to the masters and students of the college of Navarre, he expressed his desire that it should be celebrated throughout the kingdom: \"Charles, by the grace of God king of the Franks, to our dearly beloved: health in Him who ceases not to honour His Mother on earth. Among other objects of our solicitude, of our daily care and diligent meditation, that which rightly occupies our first thoughts is, that the blessed Virgin and most holy Empress be honoured by us with very great love, and praised as becomes the veneration due to her. For it is our duty to glorify her; and we, who raise the eyes of our soul to her on high, know what an incomparable protectress she is to all, how powerful a mediatrix with her blessed Son, for those who honour her with a pure heart. . . . Wherefore, wishing to excite our faithful people to solemnize the said feast, as we ourselves propose to do by God's assistance every year of our life, we send this Office to your devotion, in order to increase your joy.\"⁴ Such was the language of princes in those days. Now, just at that very time the wise and pious king, following up the work begun at Brétigny by our Lady of Chartres, rescued France from its fallen and dismembered condition. In the State, then, as well as in the Church, at this moment so critical for both, our Lady in her Presentation commanded the storm, and the smile of the infant Mary dispersed the clouds. The new feast, enriched with Indulgences by Paul II, had gradually become general, when St. Pius V, wishing to diminish the number of Offices on the universal calendar, included this one among his suppressions. But", "keywords": [ "temple", "virgin", "mary", "feast", "holy", "virgo", "lord", "presentation", "king", "church", "tabernacle", "grace", "love", "high", "divine", "parents", "ipsa", "lady", "mother", "years" ], "saints": [ "St. Bernardine", "St. John", "St. Peter", "St. Pius" ], "scripture": [ "3 Kings viii.", "Exodus xl.", "Isaias lv. 10", "Psalms xliv." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_22", "title": "NOVEMBER 22", "anchor": "november_22", "text": "SAINT CECILIA VIRGIN AND MARTYR CECILIA united in her veins the blood of kings with that of Rome's greatest heroes. At the time of the first preaching of the Gospel, more than one ancient patrician family had seen its direct line become extinct. But the adoptions and alliances, which under the Republic had knit more closely the great families by linking them all to the most illustrious among them, formed as it were a common fund of glory, which, even in the days of decline, was passed on intact to the survivors of the aristocracy. It has now been demonstrated by the undeniable witness of monuments that Christianity from the very beginning took possession of that glory, by adopting its heirs; and that by a wonderful disposition of divine Providence, the founders of the Rome of the Pontiffs were these last representatives of the Republic, thus preserved in order to give to the two phases of Roman history that powerful unity which is the distinguishing note of divine works. Heretofore bound together by the same patriotism, the Cornelii and the Æmilii, alike heirs of the Fabii, the Cæcilii, Valerii, Sergii, Furii, Claudii, Pomponii, Plautii, and Acilii, eldest sons of the Gentile Church, strengthened the connections formed during the Republic and firmly established, even in the first and second centuries of Christianity, the new Roman society. In the same centuries, and under the influence of the religion preached by St. Peter and St. Paul, there came to be grafted on the ever vigorous trunk of the old aristocracy the best members of the new imperial and consular families, worthy by their truly Roman virtues, practised amid the general depravity, to reinforce the thinned ranks of Rome's founders, and to fill up, without too sudden a transition, the voids made by time in the true patrician houses. Thus was Rome working out her destiny; thus was the building up of the eternal city being accomplished by the very men who had formerly, by their blood or by their genius, established her strong and mighty on the seven hills. Cecilia, the lawful representative of this unparalleled aristocracy, the fairest flower of the old stem, was also the last. The second century was passing away; the third, which was to see the empire fall from the hands of Septimius Severus first to the Orientals and then to the barbarians from the banks of the Danube, offered small chance of preservation for the remnants of the ancient nobility. The true Roman society was henceforth at an end; for, save a few individual exceptions, there remained nothing more of Roman but the name: the vain adornment of freedmen and upstarts, who, under princes worthy of them, indulged their passions at the expense of those around them. Cecilia therefore appeared at the right moment, personifying with the utmost dignity the society that was about to disappear because its work was accomplished. In her strength and her beauty, adorned with the royal purple of martyrdom, she represents ancient", "keywords": [ "cecilia", "virgin", "christ", "cæcilia", "church", "heart", "roman", "urban", "glory", "divine", "life", "fear", "valerian", "tiburtius", "days", "martyrdom", "angel", "lord", "body", "rome" ], "saints": [ "St. CECILIA", "St. Cecilia", "St. Gregory", "St. Paul", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias xi. 6", "Romans i. 28" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_23", "title": "NOVEMBER 23", "anchor": "november_23", "text": "SAINT CLEMENT I POPE AND MARTYR¹ The memory of St. Clement has been surrounded with a peculiar glory from the very beginning of the Roman Church. After the death of the apostles, he seems to eclipse Linus and Cletus, although these preceded him in the pontificate. We pass, as it were, naturally from Peter to Clement; and the East celebrates his memory with no less honour than the West. He was in truth the universal pontiff, and his acts as well as his writings are renowned throughout the entire Church. This widespread reputation caused numbers of apocryphal writings to be attributed to him, which, however, it is easy to distinguish from his own. But it is remarkable that all the falsifiers who have thought fit to put his name to their own works, or to invent stories concerning him, agree in declaring that he was of imperial descent. With only one exception, all the documents which attest Clement's intervention in the affairs of distant churches have perished with time; but the one that remains shows us in full action the monarchical power of the bishop of Rome at that primitive epoch. The church of Corinth was disturbed with intestine quarrels caused by jealousy against certain pastors. These divisions, the germ of which had appeared even in St. Paul's time, had destroyed all peace, and were causing scandal to the very pagans. The Corinthians at last felt the necessity of putting an end to a disorder which might be prejudicial to the extension of the Christian faith; and for this purpose it was requisite to seek assistance from outside. The apostles had all departed this life, except St. John, who was still the light of the Church. It was no great distance from Corinth to Ephesus where the apostle resided: yet it was not to Ephesus but to Rome that the church of Corinth turned. Clement examined the case referred to his judgment by that church, and sent to Corinth five commissaries to represent the Apostolic See. They were bearers of a letter, which St. Irenæus calls potentissimas litteras.² It was considered at the time so beautiful and so apostolic, that it was long read in many churches as a sort of continuation of the canonical Scriptures. Its tone is dignified but paternal, according to St. Peter's advice to pastors. There is nothing in it of a domineering spirit; but the grave and solemn language bespeaks the universal pastor, whom none can disobey without disobeying God Himself. These words so solemn and so firm wrought the desired effect: peace was re-established in the church of Corinth, and the messengers of the Roman Pontiff soon brought back the happy news. A century later, St. Dionysius, bishop of Corinth, expressed to Pope St. Soter the gratitude still felt by his flock towards St. Clement for the service he had rendered. Brought up in the school of the apostles, Clement had retained their style and manner. These are visible in his two 'Letters to", "keywords": [ "clement", "church", "lord", "rome", "christ", "apostles", "honour", "name", "christian", "life", "world", "martyr", "blessed", "didst", "roman", "peter", "corinth", "lamb", "pope", "pontiff" ], "saints": [ "St. Ambrose", "St. Athanasius", "St. Augustin", "St. CLEMENT", "St. Cecilia", "St. Clement", "St. Clément", "St. Cyril", "St. Dionysius", "St. Epiphanius", "St. Felicitas", "St. Irenæus", "St. Jerome", "St. John", "St. Justin", "St. Paul", "St. Peter", "St. Soter" ], "scripture": [ "1 Corinthians vii.", "Ephesians v. 14", "John c." ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_24", "title": "NOVEMBER 24", "anchor": "november_24", "text": "SAINT JOHN OF THE CROSS CONFESSOR Let us go with the Church to Mount Carmel, and offer our grateful homage to John of the Cross, who, following in the footsteps of Teresa of Jesus, opened a safe way to souls seeking God. The growing disinclination of the people for social prayer was threatening the irreparable destruction of piety, when in the sixteenth century the divine goodness raised up saints whose teaching and holiness responded to the needs of the new times. Doctrine does not change: the asceticism and mysticism of that age transmitted to the succeeding centuries the echo of those that had gone before. But their explanations were given in a more didactic way and analyzed more narrowly; their methods aimed at obviating the risk of illusion, to which souls were exposed by their isolated devotion. It is but just to recognize that under the ever-fruitful action of the Holy Ghost the psychology of supernatural states became more extended and more precise. The early Christians, praying with the Church, living daily and hourly the life of her liturgy, kept her stamp upon them in their personal relations with God. Thus it came about that, under the persevering and transforming influence of the Church, and participating in the graces of light and union, and in all the blessings of that one beloved so pleasing to the Spouse, they assimilated her sanctity to themselves, without any further trouble but to follow their mother with docility and suffer themselves to be carried securely in her arms. Thus they applied to themselves the words of our Lord: 'Unless you become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.' We need not be surprised that there was not then, as now, the frequent and assiduous assistance of a particular director for each soul. Special guides are not so necessary to the members of a caravan or of an army; it is isolated travellers that stand in need of them; and even with these special guides, they can never have the same security as those who follow the caravan or the army. This was understood, in the course of the last few centuries, by the men of God who, taking their inspiration from the many different aptitudes of souls, became the leaders of schools, one, it is true, in aim, but differing in the methods they adopted for counteracting the dangers of individualism. In this campaign of restoration and salvation, where the worst enemy of all was illusion under a thousand forms, with its subtle roots and its endless wiles, John of the Cross was the living image of the Word of God, 'more piercing than any two-edged sword, reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow'; for he read, with unfailing glance, the very thoughts and intentions of hearts. Let us listen to his words. Though he belongs to modern times, he is evidently a son of the ancients. 'The soul,'", "keywords": [ "soul", "divine", "night", "life", "church", "holy", "john", "lord", "faith", "souls", "cross", "things", "carmel", "saints", "love", "teresa", "light", "union", "never", "certain" ], "saints": [ "St. JOHN", "St. John", "St. Teresa" ], "scripture": [ "Baruch iii. 22", "Kings xix. 11", "Tobias vi. 18" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_25", "title": "NOVEMBER 25", "anchor": "november_25", "text": "SAINT CATHARINE VIRGIN AND MARTYR Gertrude the Great, from her very infancy, felt a special attraction towards the glorious virgin Catharine. As she was desirous of knowing how great were her merits, our Lord showed her St. Catharine seated on a throne so lofty and so magnificent, that it seemed her glory was sufficient to have filled the courts of heaven had she been its sole queen; while from her crown a marvellous brightness was reflected on her devout clients.¹ It is well known how the Maid of Orleans, entrusted by St. Michael to the guidance of St. Catharine and St. Margaret, received aid and counsel from them during seven years; and how it was at Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois that she received her sword. In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries the Crusaders of the West experienced the powerful assistance of the Alexandrian martyr; and on their return from the East they introduced her cultus, which soon became extremely popular. An Order of knighthood was founded to protect the pilgrims visiting her holy body on Mount Sinai. Her feast was raised to the rank of first class, and as observed was a holiday of obligation by many churches. She was honoured as patroness by Christian philosophers, scholars, orators, and attorneys. The ior advocate was called bastonier, because it was his privilege to carry her banner; while confraternities of young girls were formed under the invocation of St. Catharine, whose members vied with one another in their zeal for adorning her venerated image. She was classed among the helping saints, as being a wise counsellor; and was claimed as patroness by various ¹ Legatus divinæ pietatis, iv. 57. associations merely on account of their experience of her powerful intercession with our Lord. Her betrothal with the divine Child, and other scenes from her legend, furnished Christian art with many beautiful inspirations. The holy and learned Baronius regretted that even in his day the Acts of the great Oriental martyr were open to discussion on certain points, which were eagerly seized upon by the extreme critics of the succeeding centuries in order to lessen popular devotion towards her. There remains, however, this glory to Christian virginity, that in the person of St. Catharine it was honoured by pupils and masters and became the guiding spirit in the development of human thought during the centuries illustrated by such brilliant suns of learning as Albert the Great, Thomas of Aquin, and Bonaventure. 'Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God.' Methodius, a bishop and martyr of the third century, thus speaks in his 'Banquet of Virgins': 'The virgin must have a very great love of sound doctrine; and she ought to hold an honourable place among the wise.' Let us now read the abridged legend of St. Catharine in the book of holy Church. Catharina, nobilis virgo Alexandrina, a prima ætate studia liberalium artium cum fidei ardore conjungens, brevi ad eam sanctitatis et doctrinæ perfectionem pervenit, ut decem et octo annos nata eruditissimum quemque", "keywords": [ "catharine", "virgin", "holy", "christ", "science", "truth", "body", "maximin", "martyr", "glory", "prison", "sinai", "christian", "wise", "learned", "blessed", "catharina", "faith", "christi", "heaven" ], "saints": [ "St. CATHARINE", "St. Catharine", "St. Margaret", "St. Michael", "St. Victor" ], "scripture": [ "Matthew v. 8" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_26", "title": "NOVEMBER 26", "anchor": "november_26", "text": "SAINT SYLVESTER ABBOT God often brings the world to those who flee from it, as Sylvester Gozzolini among others experienced. In the thirteenth century the world, all in admiration at the sanctity and the eloquence of the new Orders, seemed to have forgotten the monks and the desert. God, who never forgets, led His elect silently into solitude, and the wilderness began again to 'rejoice and flourish like the lily'; strength was restored to the 'weak hands and feeble knees' of the sons of the cloister.¹ The austerities of olden days and the fervour of prolonged prayer were revived at Monte Fano, and extended into sixty other monasteries; the new religious family of the Sylvestrines was approved by Innocent IV in 1247. Though originated seven centuries after St. Benedict, and distinguished from the elder families by its blue habit, it claims the patriarch of Cassino for its legislator and father. Let us read the life of St. Sylvester, which was inserted in the breviary by Pope Leo XIII. Silvester, Auximi in Piceno nobili genere ortus, statim puerilem ætatem litteris ac bonis moribus mirifice exornavit. Adolescens Bononiam ad studia jurisprudentiæ missus a patre, cum sacris litteris a Deo monitus dedisset operam, parentis incurrit indignationem, quam quo animo toto decennio pertulit. Ob egre- Sylvester was born of a noble family at Osimo in the Marches of Ancona, and in his boyhood was remarkable for his love of study and his good conduct. As a youth he was sent by his father to Bologna to study jurisprudence, but was admonished by God to devote himself to sacred learning. This incited his father ¹ Isa. xxxv. 1, 3. giam ejus virtutem a canonicis cathedralis Auximanæ ecclesiæ socius honoris electus est; in quo munere populo orationibus, exemplo et concionibus opem tulit. Inter funus nobilis cujusdam defuncti, in aperto tumulo formosi viri suique propinqui deforme cadaver conspiciens: Ego, inquit, sum, quod hic fuit; quod hic est, ego ero. Et mox, peracto funere, illa sibi Domini sibi occurrente sententia: Qui vult venire post me, abneget semetipsum, et tollat crucem suam, et sequatur me, in solitudinem majoris perfectionis studio secessit, ibique vigiliis, orationibus jejuniisque deditus, crudas tantum herbas in cibum sæpius adhibuit. Ut autem magis lateret homines, varias mutavit sedes; ac demum pervenit ad montem Fanum, locum, quamvis prope Fabrianum, eo tamen tempore desertum, ibique in honorem sanctissimi Patris Benedicti templum erexit, congregationisque Silvestrinorum fundamenta jecit, sub regula et habitu in visione sibi ab eodem Sancto ostensis. At invidens Satanas variis terroribus illius monachos turbare nitebatur, noctu monasterii januas hostiliter invadens. Sed vir Dei hostis impetum ita repressit, ut monachi in sancto instituto magis confirmarentur, ac patris sanctitatem agnoscerent. Spiritu to anger, which Sylvester patiently endured for ten years. On account of his remarkable virtue, the canons of Osimo elected him an honorary member of their chapter, in which position he benefited the people by his prayers, his example, and his sermons. While assisting at the funeral of a nobleman, his relative, who had been remarkably handsome, he", "keywords": [ "sylvester", "peter", "church", "father", "world", "life", "alexandria", "arius", "saint", "sanctity", "monks", "prayer", "extended", "family", "benedict", "remarkable", "quod", "sibi", "lord", "holy" ], "saints": [ "St. Benedict", "St. Peter of Alexandria", "St. SYLVESTER", "St. Sylvester", "St. Theonas" ], "scripture": [ "Isaias xxxv. 1" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_29", "title": "NOVEMBER 29", "anchor": "november_29", "text": "VIGIL OF SAINT ANDREW SAINT SATURNINUS, MARTYR Christmas begins to glimmer on the horizon. The last Sunday after Pentecost has given us the closing instructions of the movable Cycle. Beginning with the twenty-seventh of this month, the present days belong in some years to the new Cycle, in others to the one which is ending. The last lesson from the Scripture of the Time¹ ends with the solemn declaration of the last of the prophets, announcing the approach of a new era: 'From the rising of the sun even to the going down, My name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to My name a clean oblation; for My name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts.'² And in to-day's Gospel we have St. John the Baptist echoing the words of Malachias, and joining the old and the new times together: 'Behold the Lamb of God!' He points out to us the Messias close at hand. Andrew, brother of Peter, and another of John's disciples, asked this Messias: 'Rabbi, where dwellest Thou?' Jesus answered: 'Come and see.' And they went, continues the evangelist, and saw where He abode, and they stayed with Him that day. Whereupon St. Augustine, speaking in the name of the Church on this vigil, says: 'Let us build Him a dwelling in our hearts, that He may come to us, and teach us, and live with us.'⁴ Here is our Advent planned out for us. Let us put that blessed season under the protection of the apostle of the cross, and also of the holy martyr Saturninus, whom the Church has honoured on this day from time immemorial. ¹ Saturday before the first Sunday in Advent. ² Malach. i. 11. ³ Gospel of the vigil. ⁴ Homily on the vigil. Aug. Tract. vii. in Joann. PRAYER Quæsumus, omnipotens Deus: ut beatus Andreas apostolus, cujus prævenimus festivitatem, tuum pro nobis imploret auxilium; ut a nostris reatibus absoluti, a cunctis etiam periculis eruamur. Per Dominum. We beseech thee, O almighty God, that the blessed apostle Andrew, whose festival we anticipate, may implore thy help for us; that absolved from our sins, we may also be delivered from all dangers. Through our Lord. PRAYER Deus, qui nos beati Saturnini martyris tui concedis natalitio perfrui: ejus nos tribue meritis adjuvari. Per Dominum. O God, who grantest us to rejoice in the festival of blessed Saturninus thy martyr, grant us to be assisted by his merits. Through our Lord.", "keywords": [ "vigil", "name", "andrew", "saturninus", "martyr", "last", "lord", "blessed", "saint", "sunday", "cycle", "among", "gentiles", "gospel", "john", "messias", "church", "advent", "apostle", "prayer" ], "saints": [ "St. ANDREW", "St. Augustine", "St. John the Baptist", "St. SATURNINUS" ], "scripture": [ "Malachias i. 11" ] }, { "vol": 15, "section": "NOVEMBER_30", "title": "NOVEMBER 30", "anchor": "november_30", "text": "SAINT ANDREW APOSTLE This feast is destined each year to terminate with solemnity the Cycle which is at its close, or to add lustre to the new one which has just begun. It seems, indeed, fitting that the Christian year should begin and end with the cross, which has merited for us each of those years which it has pleased the divine goodness to grant us, and which is to appear on the last day in the clouds of heaven as the seal put on time. We should remember that St. Andrew is the apostle of the cross. To Peter Jesus has given firmness of faith; to John, warmth of love; the mission of Andrew is to represent the cross of his divine Master. Now it is by these three, faith, love, and the cross, that the Church renders herself worthy of her Spouse. Everything she has or is bears this threefold character. Hence it is that after the two apostles just named, there is none who holds such a prominent place in the universal liturgy as St. Andrew. But let us read the life of this glorious fisherman of the lake of Genesareth, who was afterwards to be the successor of Christ Himself, and the companion of Peter, on the tree of the cross. The Church compiled it from the ancient Acts of the martyrdom of the holy apostle drawn up by the priests of the Church of Patræ, which was founded by the saint. The authenticity of this venerable piece has been contested by Protestants, inasmuch as it makes mention of several things which would militate against them. Their sentiment has been adopted by several critics of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. On the other hand, these Acts have been received by a far greater number of Catholic writers of eminence; amongst whom may be mentioned the great Baronius, Labbe, Natalis Alexander, Gallandus, Lumper, Morcelli, etc. The churches, too, of both East and West, which have inserted these Acts in their respective Offices of St. Andrew, are of some authority, as is also St. Bernard, who has made them the groundwork of his three admirable sermons on St. Andrew. Andreas apostolus Bethsaida natus, qui est Galilææ vicus, frater Petri, discipulus Joannis Baptistæ, quum eum de Christo dicentem audisset: Ecce Agnus Dei, secutus Jesum, fratrem quoque suum ad eumdem perduxit. Quum postea una cum fratre piscaretur in mari Galilææ, ambo a prætereunte Christo Domino ante alios apostolos vocati illis verbis: Venite post me, faciam vos fieri piscatores hominum: nullam interponentes moram, et relictis retibus secuti sunt eum. Post cujus passionem et resurrectionem Andreas cum in Scythiam Europæ, quæ ei provincia ad Christi fidem disseminandam obtigerat, venisset, deinde Epirum ac Thraciam peragrasset, doctrina et miraculis innumerabiles homines ad Christum convertit. Post Patras Achaiæ profectus, et in ea urbe plurimis ad veritatem evangelicam perductis, Ægeam proconsulem, prædicationi evangelicæ resistentem, liberrime increpavit quod qui judex hominum haberi vellet, Christum Deum omnium Judicem a dæmonibus elusus non agnosceret. Andrew the apostle, born at", "keywords": [ "cross", "christ", "andrew", "andreas", "receive", "apostle", "master", "christi", "lord", "crux", "peter", "jesus", "love", "holy", "disciple", "ejus", "post", "blessed", "suscipe", "life" ], "saints": [ "St. ANDREW", "St. Andrew", "St. Bernard", "St. Peter" ], "scripture": [ "Acts i." ] } ] }