|
|
|
Traditional Holy Mass Propers
† ASH WEDNESDAY †
† Statio ad S. Sabina † Missa Convertimini ad me in toto corde vestro, in Jejúno, et in fletu, et in planctu
( "....Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in mourning...." )
~ 25 February 2009 Anno Dómini ~
"....'When you fast, be not as the hypocrites...."
Color: Violaceus ~ Violet Vestments ~ II Classis ~ Second Class Observance
"All whatsoever you do in word or work, do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
giving thanks to God the Father through Jesus Christ our Lord"--- Blessed Apostle Saint Paul
"Let it not be as a murderer or a thief, a malefactor or a coveter of other men's goods that any of you suffer; but if it is for the name of Christian, let him be not ashamed, but glorify God in that name." --- Blessed Apostle Saint Peter ( First Epistle 4:15-16 )
† ASH WEDNESDAY †
Ash Wednesday is from a liturgical point of view one of the most important days of the year. In the first place this day opens the liturgical season of Lent, which formerly began with the First Sunday and comprised only thirty-six days. The addition of Wednesday and the three following days brought the number to forty, which is that of Our Lord's fast in the desert.
In the Old Law ashes were generally a symbolic expression of grief, mourning, or repentance. In the Early Church the use of ashes had a like signification and with sackcloth formed part of the public penance. The blessing of the ashes is one of the great liturgical rites of the year. It was originally instituted for public penitents, but is now intended for all Christians, as Lent should be a time of penance for all. The ashes used this day are obtained by burning the palms of the previous year. Four ancient prayers are used in blessing them, and, having been sprinkled with holy water and incensed, the priest puts them on the foreheads of the faithful with the words: "Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shall return." The ancient prayers of the blessing suggest suitable thoughts for the opening of Lent. They are summarized here:
-
"Almighty and everlasting God, spare the penitent…bless these ashes, that they may be a remedy to all who invoke Thy Name…O God, Who desirest not the death but the conversion of sinners, look kindly upon our human frailty… and bless these ashes, so that we, who know ourselves to be but ashes… and that we must return to dust, may deserve to obtain pardon and the rewards offered to the penitent."
Before Mass ashes are blessed made from palms blessed in the previous year. The forms used in this blessing date from about the eighth century. After None has been said, the priest vested in alb and violet stole, with or without a violet cope, with deacon and subdeacon in vestments of the same color, goes up to the altar and the choir begin by singing the Blessing of the Ashes.
Yesterday, the world was busy in its pleasures, and the very children of God were taking a joyous farewell to mirth: but this morning, all is changed. The solemn announcement, spoken of by the prophet, has been proclaimed in Sion:( 1 )-[ See the Epistle of today's Mass ] the solemn fast of Lent, the season of expiation, the approach of the great anniversaries of our Redemption. Let us, then, rouse ourselves, and prepare for the spiritual combat.
But in this battling of the spirit against the flesh we need good armor. Our holy mother the Church knows how much we need it; and therefore does she summon us to enter into the house of God, that she may arm us for the holy contest. What this armor is we know from Blessed Apostle Saint Paul, who thus describes it; 'Have your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of justice. And your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. In all things, taking the shield and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God ( 2 ) - [ Ephesians VI: 14-17 ]. The very prince of the apostles, too, addresses these solemn words to us: 'Christ having suffered in the flesh, be ye also armed with the same thought'( 3 ) - [ 1 St. Peter iv: 1 ]. We are entering, today, upon a long campaign of the warfare spoken of by the apostles: forty days of battle, forty days of penance. We shall not turn cowards, if our souls can but be impressed with the conviction, that the battle and the penance must be gone through. Let us listen to the eloquence of the solemn rite which opens our Lent. Let us go whither our mother leads us, that is, to the scene of the fall.
The enemies we have to fight with, are of two kinds: internal, and external. The first are our passions; the second are the devils. Both were brought on us by pride, and man's pride began when he refused to obey his God. God forgave him his sin, but He punished him. The punishment was death, and this was the form of the divine sentence: 'Thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return' ( 1 ) - [ Genesis iii: 19 ]. Oh that we had remembered this! The recollection of what we are and what we are to be, would have checked that haughty rebellion, which has so often led us to break the law of God. And if, for the time to come, we would preserve in loyalty to Him, we must humble ourselves, accept the sentence, and look on this present life as a path to the grave. The path may be long or short; but to the tomb it must lead us. Remembering this, we shall see all things in their true light. We shall love that God, who has deigned to set His heart on us notwithstanding our being creatures of death: we shall hate, with deepest contrition, the insolence and ingratitude, wherewith we have spent so many of our few days of life, that is, in sinning against our heavenly Father: and we shall be not only willing, but eager, to go through these days of penance, which He so mercifully gives us for making reparation to His offended justice.
This was the motive the Church had in enriching her liturgy with the solemn rite, at which we are to assist this morning. When, upwards a thousand years ago, she decreed the anticipation of the Lenten fast by the last four days of Quinquagesima week, she instituted this impressive ceremony of signing the forehead of her children with ashes, while saying to them those awful words, wherewith God sentenced us to death: 'Remember, O man, that thou art dust, and into dust thou shalt return!' But the making use of ashes as a symbol of humiliation and penance, is of a much earlier date than the institution to which we allude. We find frequent mention of it in the Old Testament. Job, though a Gentile, sprinkled his flesh with ashes, that, thus humbled, he might propitiate the divine mercy ( 1 ) - [ Job xvi. 16 ] and this was two thousand years before the coming of our Savior. The royal prophet tells us of himself, that he mingled ashes with his bread, because of the divine anger and indignation ( 2 ) - [ Psalm ci: 10, 11 ]. Many such examples are to be met with in the sacred Scriptures; but so obvious is the analogy between the sinner who thus signifies his grief, and the object whereby he signifies it, that we read such instances without surprise. When fallen man would humble himself before the divine justice, which has sentenced his body to return to dust, how could he more aptly express his contrite acceptance of the sentence, than by sprinkling himself, or his food, with ashes, which is the dust of wood consumed by fire? This earnest acknowledgment of his being himself but dust and ashes, is an act of humility, and humility ever gives him confidence in that God, who resists the proud and pardons the humble.
It is probable that, when this ceremony of the Wednesday of Quinquagesima week was first instituted, it was not intended for all the faithful, but only for such as had committed any of those crimes for which the Church inflicted a public penance. Before the Mass of the day began, they presented themselves at the church, where the people were all assembled. The priests received the confession of their sins, and then clothed them in sackcloth, and sprinkled ashes on their heads. After this ceremony, the clergy and the faithful prostrated, and recited aloud the seven Penitential Psalms. A procession, in which the penitents walked barefooted, then followed; and on its return, the bishop addressed these words to the penitents: 'Behold, we drive you from the doors of the church by reason of your sins and crimes, as Adam, the first man, was driven out of paradise because of his transgression.' The clergy then sang several responsories, taken from the Book of Genesis, in which mention was made of the sentence pronounced by God when He condemned man to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow, for that the earth was cursed on account of sin. The doors were then shut, and the penitents were not to pass the threshold until Maundy Thursday, when they were to come and receive absolution.
Dating from the eleventh century, the discipline of public penance began to fall into disuse, and the holy rite of putting ashes on the heads of all the faithful indiscriminately became so general that, at length, it was considered as forming an essential part of the Roman liturgy. Formerly, it was the practice to approach bare-footed to receive this solemn memento of our nothingness; and in the twelfth century, even the Pope himself, when passing from the church of Saint Anastasia to that of Saint Sabina, at which the station was held, went the whole distance bare-footed, as also did the Cardinals who accompanied him. The conciliar church no longer acknowledges this exterior penance; but He is as desirous as ever that the holy ceremony, at which we are about to assist, should produce in us the sentiments He intended to convey by it, when by His grace it was first instituted in His Church.
As previously mentioned, the station in Rome is at Saint Sabina, on the Aventine Hill. It is under the patronage of this holy martyr that we open the penitential season of Lent.
A very special 'Thank you' to AmericanCatholic.org; ASU.edu; fisheaters.com; Friends of Fatima; catholic.org; and saints.sqpn.com, for edited commentaries and resources related to the presentation of today's Proper. Additional sources: Saint Andrew Daily Missal and the 1945 Marian Missal
BLESSING OF THE ASHES:
Antiphon - Psalm 68:17
|
|
Exaudi nos, Domine, quoniam benigna est misericórdia tua : secundum multitúdinem miserationum tuarum respice nos, Domine. Psalm 68:2 Salvum me fac, Deus : quoniam intraverunt aquae usque ad animam meam. Gloria Patri. Repeat : Exaudi nos, Domine...
|
|
H ear us, O Lord, for Thy mercy is kind : look upon us, O Lord, according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies. Psalm 68:2 Save me, O God : for the waters are come in even unto my soul. Glory be to the Father. Repeat : Hear us, O Lord....
|
FIRST PRAYER:
|
|
Omnipotens sempiterna Deus, parce pceniténtibus, propitiáre supplicantibus : et mittere digneris sanctum Angelum tuum de caelis, qui benedícat, et sanctificet hos cineras, ut sint remedium salubre omnibus nomen sanctum tuum humíliter implorantibus, ac semetipsos pro consciéntia delictorum suorum accusantibus, ante conspéctum divinae clementiae tuae facínora sua deplorantibus, vel serenissimam pietatem tuam supplíciter obnixeque flagitantibus : et praesta per invocationem sanctissimi nóminis tui : ut quicumque per eos asperse fuerint, pro redemptione peccatorum suorum corporis sanitatem, et animae tutelam percipiant, per Christum Dominium nostrum. Amen. |
|
O Almighty and Eternal God, spare those who are penitent, be merciful to those who supplicate Thee; and vouchsafe to send Thy Holy Angel from heaven, to bless and sanctify these ashes, that they may be a wholesome remedy to all who humbly implore Thy holy name, and accuse themselves as a result of the consciousness of their sins, deploring their crimes before Thy divine clemency, or humbly and earnestly beseeching Thy Sovereign mercy : and grant through the invocation of Thy most holy name that all who may be sprinkled with them for the remission of their sins may receive health of body and safety of soul, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
SECOND PRAYER:
|
|
Deus, qui non mortem, sed poenitentiam desidéria peccatorum : fragilitatem conditionis humanae benignissime respece; et hos cineres, quos causa proferendae humilitatis, atque promerendae veniae, capitibus nostris imponi decernimus, benedicere pro tua pietáte dignare : ut, qui nos cinerem esse, et ob pravitatis nostrae demeritum, in pulverem reversuros cognoscimus; peccatorum omnium veniam, et praemia poentientibus repromissa, misericorditer cónsequi mereámur, per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. |
|
O God, who desirest not the death of sinners, but rather their repentance, look down most graciously upon the frailty of human nature, and in Thy goodness vouchsafe to bless these ashes which we intend to put upon our heads in token of humility and that we may obtain pardon; that we who know that we are dust, and for the penalty of our guilt must return unto dust, may deserve to obtain of Thy mercy the pardon of all sins, and the rewards promised to penitents, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
THIRD PRAYER:
|
|
Deus, qui humiliatione flecteris, et satisfactione placaris: aurem tuae pietatis inclína précibus nostris ; et capitibus servórum tuorum, horum cinerum aspersione contactis, effúnde propitius gratiam tuae benedictionis : ut eos et spiritu compunctinis repleas, et quae juste postulaverint, efficáciter tríbuas; et concessa perpétuo stabilita, et intacta manére decernas, per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. |
|
O God, who are moved by humiliation, and appeased by satisfaction : incline the ear of Thy goodness to our prayers, and favorably pour forth upon the heads of Thy servants sprinkled with these ashes the grace of Thy blessing, that Thou mayest both fill them with the spirit of compunction, and effectually grant what they have justly prayed for : and ordain that what Thou hast granted may be permanently established and remain inviolate, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
|
FOURTH PRAYER:
|
|
Omnipotens sempiterna Deus, qui Ninivitis in cinere et cilicio poentientibus, indulgentiae tuae remedia, praestitisti ; concede propitius ; ut sic eos imitemur habitu, quatenus veniae prospequajur obtentu, per Christum Dominium nostrum.
ADMINISTERING OF THE ASHES:
Genesis 3:19
|
|
|
Memento, homo, quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris. |
|
Remember, man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return.
|
ANTIPHON : Joel 2:13
|
|
Immutemur habitu, in cinere et cilicio : jejunemus, et ploremus ante Dominum : quia multum misericors est dimittere peccáti nostra Deus noster. |
|
Let us change our garments for ashes and sackcloth : let us fast and lament before the Lord : for plenteous in mercy is our God to forgive our sins.
|
ANTIPHON II: Joel 2:17
|
|
Inter vestibulum et altáre plorabunt Sacerdotes ministri Domini, et decent : Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo : et ne cladas ora canentium te, Domine. |
|
Between the porch and the altar, the priests, the Lord's ministers, shall weep and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare Thy people : and close not the mouths of them that sing to Thee, O Lord.
|
RESPONSE: Esther 13; Joel 2:13
|
|
V. Emendemus in mélius, quae ignoranter peccávimus : ne subito praeoccupati die mortis, quaeramus spatium poenitentiae et invenire non possímus. R. Attende, Domine, et Miserere : quia peccavimus tibi. V. ( Psalm 78: 9 ) Adjuva nos, Deus salutaris noster; et propter honorem nóminis tui, Dómine, líbera nos. R. Attende, Domine. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui sancto. (Repeat) Attende, Domine. |
|
V. Let us amend for the better in those things in which we have sinned through ignorance : lest suddenly overtaken by the day of death, we seek space for repentance and are not able to find it. R. Attend, O Lord, and have mercy : for we have sinned against Thee. V.Help us, O God, our Savior : and for the glory of Thy Name, O Lord, deliver us. R. Attend, O Lord. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. (Repeat:) Attend, O Lord.
|
PRAYER
|
|
Concede nobis, Domine, praesidia militiae christiannae sanctis inchoare jejúniis : ut contra spiritales nequítia pugnaturi, contientiae muniamur auxillis. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. |
|
Grant us, O Lord, to begin our Christian warfare with holy fasts; that as we are about to do battle with the spirits of evil we may be defended by the aid of self-denial. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Introitus ~ Introit
Wisdom 11:24-25; 27:10-11
|
|
|
Misereris omnium, Domine, et Nihil odísti eorum quae fecisti, dissimulans peccáta hóminum propter poenitentiam et parcens illis : quia tu es Dominus Deus noster. Psalm 56:2 Miserere mei, Deus, Miserere mei : quoniam in te confidit anima mea. V. Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto. Sicut erat in principio et nunc et semper et in saecula saeculorum. Amen. Repeat : Misereris omnium, Domine.... |
|
Thou hast mercy upon all, O Lord, and hatest none of the things which Thou hast made, overlooking the sins of men for the sake of repentance, and sparing them : because Thou art the Lord our God. Psalm 56:2 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me : for my soul trusteth in Thee. V. 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. Repeat : Thou has mercy....
|
ORATIO ~ COLLECT
|
|
Praesta, Domine, fidélibus tuis : ut jejuniorum veneranda solémnia, et congruapietate, etr secura devotione percurrant, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Collect For The Intercession Of The Saints
A cunctis nos, quaesumus, Domine, mentis et corporis defende periculis: et intercedente beáta et gloriosa semper Virgine Dei Genitrice Maria, cum beato Joseph, beatis Apostolis Tuis Petro et Paulo, atque beato N. ( Here mention the titular saint of the church ), et omnibus Sanctis, salutem nobis tribue benignus et pacem, ut destrúctis advérsitátibus et erróribus univérsis, Ecclesia Tua secura Tibi sérviat liberare, per Dominum nostrum Jesum. Christum. Collect For The Living and the Dead
Omnipotens sempiterna Deus, qui vivorum dominaris simuesse praenoscis: te supplices exoramus; ut, pro quibus effundere preces decrevimus, quosque vel praesens saeculum adhuc in carne retinet, vel futurum jam exutos corpore suscepit, intercedentibus omnibus Sanctis tuis, pietatis tuae clementia omnium delictorum suorum veniam consequantur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. Collect for God's Holy Church
Ecclésiæ tuæ, quæsumus, Dómine, preces placátus admítte: ut, destrúctis adversitát-ibus et erróribus univérsis, secura tibi sérviat libertáte. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
|
|
D o Thou, we beseech Thee, O Lord mercifully hear our prayers, that we being loosed from the bonds of our sins, may by Thee be defended against all adversity, through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, forever and ever.
Collect For The Intercession Of The Saints
D efend us, we beseech Thee, O Lord, from all dangers of mind and body: and through the intercession of the blessed and glorious Mary, ever Virgin, mother of God, of Saint Joseph, of Thy holy apostles, Saints Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy loving-kindness grant us safety and peace; that, all adversities and errors being overcome, Thy Church may serve Thee in security and freedom.
Collect For The Living and the Dead
O Almighty and Eternal God, Who hast dominion over both the living and the dead, and hast mercy on all Whom Thou knowest shall be Thine by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee that all for whom we have resolved to make supplication whether the present world still holds them in the flesh, or the world to come has already received them out of the body, may, through the intercession of all Thy saints, obtain of Thy goodness and clemency pardon for all their sins, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost; One God; forever and ever, Amen.
Collect For God's Holy Church
Graciously hear, O Lord, the prayers of Thy Church that, having overcome all adversity and every error, she may serve Thee in security and freedom. |
EPISTOLA ~ EPISTLE ¤ Prophet Joel 2:12-19
|
|
|
Léctio Joelis Prophetae.
Haec dicit Dominus : Convertimini ad me in toto corde vestro, in jejunio, et in fletu, et in planctu. Et scindite corda vestra, et non vestimenta vestra, et convertimini ad Dominum Deum vestrum : quia benignus, et misericors est, patiens, et multae misericordiae, et praestablilis super malitia. Quis scit si convertatur, et ignoscat et relinquat post et Benedictionem, sacrificium, et libamen Domino Deo vestro? Canite tuba in Sion, sanctificate jejunium, vocate coetum, congregate populum sanctificate ecclesiam, codunate sense, congregate parvulus, et sugentes ubera : egrediatur sponsus de cubili suo, et sponsa de thalamo suo. Inter vestibulum et altáre Domini, et dicent : Parce, Domine, parce populo tuo : et ne des hereditátem tuam in opprobrium, ut dominentur eis nations. Quare dicunt in populis. Ubi est Deus eoru. Zelatus est Dominus terram suam, et pepercit populo suo. Et respóndit Dominus et dixit populo suo : Ecce ego mitt am vobis Frumentum, et vinum et oleum, et replebimini eis : et non dabo vos ultra opprobrium in gentibus : dicit Dominus Omnipotens.
|
|
Lesson from the Prophet Joel.
TThus saith the Lord: Be converted to Me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in mourning. And rend your hearts and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God : for He is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil. Who knoweth but He will return and forgive and leave a blessing behind Him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Sion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather together the people, sanctify the Church, assemble the ancients, gather together the little ones and them that suck at the breasts : let the bridegroom go forth from his bed and the bride out of her bride chamber. Between the porch and the altar the priests, the Lord's ministers, shall weep and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare Thy people : and give not Thy inheritance to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them. Why should they say among the nations : Where is their God? The Lord hath been zealous for His land, and hath spared His people. And the Lord answered and said to His people: Behold I will send you corn and wine and oil, and you shall be filled with them : and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations; saith the Lord Almighty.
|
GRADUALE ~ GRADUAL ¤ Psalm 76:15-16 / TRACT ¤ Psalm 99:1-2 )
|
|
|
T u es Deus qui facis mirabilia solus : notam fecisti in gentibus virutem tuam. V. Liberasti in brachio tuo populum tuum, filios Israel et Joseph.
Jubilate Deo, omnis terra: servite Domino in laetitia. V. Intrate in conspectus ejus, in exsultatione : scitóte quod Dominus ipse est Deus. V.Ipse fecit nos, et non ipsi nos : nos autem pópulus ejus, et oves pascuae ejus. |
|
Thou art God that alone doest wonders: Thou has made Thy power known among the nations. V. With Thy arm Thou hast delivered Thy people, the children of Israel and of Joseph.
Sing joyfully to God, all the earth : serve ye the Lord with gladness. V. Come in before His presence with exceeding great joy : know ye that the Lord He is God. V. He made us, and not we ourselves : but we are His people and the sheep of His pa |
GRADUAL ¤ Psalm 56:2, 4 TRACT Psalm 102:10
|
|
|
M iserere mei, Deus, Miserere mei : quoniam in te confidit anima mea. V. Misit de caelo, et liberavit me : dedit in opprobrium conculcantes me.
D omine, non secundum peccáta nostra, quae fecimus nos : neque secundum iniquitátes nostras retribuas nobis. V. ( Psalm 78:8-9 ). Domine, ne memineris iniquitatem nostrórum antiquarum, cito anticipant nos misericordiae tuae : quia paupers facti sumus nimis ( Here kneel. ) V. Adjuva nos, Deus salutaris noster : et propter gloriam nóminis tui, Domine, libera nos : et propititus esto peccatis nostris, propter nomen tuum. |
|
O Lord, repay us not according to the sins we have committed, nor according to our iniquities. V. Psalm 78:8-9 He hath sent from heaven and delivered me : He hath made them a reproach that trod upon me. O Lord, repay us not according to the sins we have committed, nor according to our iniquities V. Psalm 78:8-9 O Lord, remember not our former iniquities, let Thy mercies speedily prevent us; for we are become exceeding poor. ( Here kneel. ). V. That they may flee from before the bow : that Thine elect may be delivered.He made us, and not we ourselves : but we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Help us, O God, our Savior, and for the glory of Thy name, O Lord, deliver us : and forgive us our sins for Thy name's sake.
|
|
From A Series of 153 Woodcuts by Jerome Nadal, SJ,
published in Evangelicae Historiae Imagines c.1593
|
| EVANGELIUM ~ GOSPEL - Blessed Apostle Saint Matthaeum/Matthew 6:16-21
|
|
|
† Sequentia sancti Evangelii secundum Matthaeum †
I n illo tempore : Dixit Jesus discipulis suis: "Cum jejunatis nolite fieri sicut hypocritae, tristes. Exterminant enim facies suas, ut appareant hominibus jejuantes. Amen dico vobis, quia receperunt mercedem suam. Tu autem, cum jejunas, unge caput tuum et faciem tuam lava, ne videaris hominibus jejunas, sed Patri tuo, qui est in abscondito : et Pater tuus, qui videt in abscondito, reddet tibi. Nolite thesaurizare vobis thesauros in terra : ubi aerugo, et tinea demolitur ; et ubi fures effodiunt, et furantur. Thesaurizate autem vogis thesauros in caelo : ubi neque aerugo neque tinea demolitur : et ubi fures non effodiunt, nec furantur. Ubi enim est thesaurus tuus, ibi est et cor tuum.". |
|
|
† The Gospel recorded by Blessed Apostle Saint Matthew †
A t that time Jesus said to His disciples : "When you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint they head and wash thy face, that thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret will repay thee. Lay not up to yourselves treasures on earth: where the rust and moth consume, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven : where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where thy treasure is, there is thy heart also." |
Homily For Ash Wednesday
25 February 2009 Anno Domini
by Father Louis J. Campbell
"Qui legit, intelligat"
"He who readeth, let him understand"
Through a Glass Darkly
Through the Looking Glass of Vatican II John XXIII wanted to take the faithful. The journey has been going nowhere for 40 years and getting more dangerous each day as a surrealistic scene descends on reality. Like Alice in Wonderland they are lost and cannot trust the Cheshire cat, Tweedle-Dum, Tweedle-Dee, or any of the other characters that have popped up in the newchurch.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
"We see now through a mirror in an obscure manner," says Blessed Apostle Saint Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:12. How obscure it can get, we do not yet know. But it took extreme care and constant vigilance even in apostolic times to keep the Faith from being corrupted by heresy. Charged by Our Lord with the heavy responsibility of protecting and preserving the "deposit of faith" was Blessed Apostle Saint Peter, the first pope: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith may not fail; and do thou, when once thou hast turned again, strengthen thy brethren" ( Blessed Apostle Saint Luke 22:31,32).
Peter was soon busy encouraging the others and confirming the faith of the infant Church. The Apostles had to meet in Jerusalem as early as the year 49 A.D., to decide whether or not Gentile converts were obliged to keep the Mosaic Law, including circumcision. The Council of Jerusalem, over which Blessed Apostle Saint Peter presided, and which all the living Apostles attended, including Blessed Apostle Saint Paul, decreed that it was no longer necessary for Christians to keep the Jewish Law. This was only the first of twenty Church councils (or twenty-one if you want to count Vatican II) called together by the pope, or at least approved by him, to defend the Church and its traditional rites and teachings. A few years after the Council of Jerusalem Blessed Apostle Saint Paul still found it necessary to declare to the Galatians, who had come under the influence of the Judaizers, heretics who still required the observance of the Mosaic Law:
-
"I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you to the grace of Christ, changing to another gospel; which is not another gospel, except in this respect that there are some who trouble you, and wish to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from Heaven should preach a gospel to you other than that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema!" ( Galatians 1:6-8 ).
Heresy has raised its ugly head in every age, requiring the continuing vigilance of the successors of Blessed Apostle Saint Peter to protect the deposit of faith. The popes themselves, since early times, as is evidenced by the oath taken by Pope Saint Agatho in 681 AD, have sworn to uphold the received Tradition, that is, until the oath was refused by the last two conciliar popes. The oath, which reads like an expanded version of the words of Blessed Apostle Saint Paul quoted above, reads in part:
-
"I vow to change nothing of the received Tradition, and nothing thereof I have found before me guarded by my God-pleasing predecessors, to encroach upon, to alter, or to permit any innovation therein; To the contrary: with glowing affection as her truly faithful student and successor, to safeguard reverently the passed-on good, with my whole strength and utmost effort;… To guard the Holy Canons and Decrees of our Popes as if they were the Divine ordinances of Heaven, because I am conscious of Thee, whose place I take through the Grace of God, whose Vicarship I possess with Thy support, being subject to the severest accounting before Thy Divine Tribunal over all that I shall confess; I swear to God Almighty and the Savior Jesus Christ that I will keep whatever has been revealed through Christ and His Successors and whatever the first councils and my predecessors have defined and declared… Accordingly, without exclusion, We subject to severest excommunication anyone - be it ourselves or be it another - who would dare to undertake anything new in contradiction to this constituted evangelic Tradition and the purity of the Orthodox Faith and the Christian Religion, or would seek to change anything by his opposing efforts, or would agree with those who undertake such a blasphemous venture" ( Liber Diurnus Romanorum Pontificum, Patrologia Latina 1005, S. 54 ).
Surely there is a severe accounting to be made when one must search the ruins for anything that survives of the Church that was. Where are the good and holy bishops and priests, the prayerful and devoted nuns and brothers, the chant and the Catholic hymns, the processions, the devotions, the shrines, the pilgrims? Why the scandals, the fallen priests, the deserted convents, the decimated seminaries, the closed churches, the disheartened faithful?
And where is Blessed Apostle Saint Peter, to whom the faithful have looked for two thousand years to be encouraged and confirmed in the faith of the Apostles? The sheep know the voice of the Shepherd, but what is this we hear about all men having the Spirit of God ( though Jesus said the world could not receive Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him [ Blessed Apostle Saint John 14:17 ] ), everyone going to Heaven, freedom of religion, two valid covenants, praying with unbelievers and idolaters, a New Theology, a New Mass, a New Pentecost, a New Church? In these things we do not hear the voice of the Shepherd, and we have fled in all directions from the heresy. "I will smite the shepherd," says the Lord, "and the sheep will be scattered" ( Blessed Apostle Saint Mark 14:27 ). The miracle is that we, though a remnant Church, are still strong in the faith. "They've got the churches, but we've got the faith" ( Saint Athanasius ) - the "Faith of our fathers, living still."
We are seeing the darkness before the dawn, so the darkness itself should encourage us to believe that the Lord will soon come. These verses from G. K. Chesterton's poem, The Ballad of the White Horse, tell us to keep the faith, even in the darkest times:
From The Ballad of White Horse
Out of the mouth of the Mother of God
Like a little word come I;
For I go gathering Christian men
From sunken paving and ford and fen
To die in a battle, God knows when,
By God, but I know why.
And this is the word of Mary,
The word of the world's desire;
No more of comfort shall ye get,
Save that the sky grows darker yet
And the sea rises higher.
"We see now through a mirror in an obscure manner, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know even as I have been known" ( 1 Corinthians 13:12 ). Amen! †
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. |
|
OFFERTORIUM ~ OFFERTORY ¤ Psalm 29:2-3 |
|
|
|
Exaltabo te, Domine, quoniam suscepistis me, nec delectasti inimicos meos, super me : Domine, clamavi ad te, et sanasti me. |
|
I will extol Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast upheld me, and hast not made my enemies to rejoice over me : O Lord, I have cried to Thee, and Thou hast healed me. .
|
SECRETA ~ SECRET
|
|
Fac nos, quaesumus, Domine, his muneribus offerendis convenienter aptare : quibus ipsius venerabilis sacramenti celebramus exordium, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Secret For The Blessed Virgin Mary
In méntibus nóstris, quæsumus, Dómine, veræ fídei sacraménta confírma: ut, qui concéptum de Vírgine Deum verum et hóminem confitémur; per ejus salutíferæ resurrectiónis poténtiam, ad ætérnam mereámur perveníre lætítiam. Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. Secret For The Intercession Of The Saints
Exaudi nos Deus salutáris noster: ut per hujus sacraménti virtútem, a cunctis nos mentis et córporis hóstibus tueáris, grátiam tríbuens in præsénti, et glóriam in futuro. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. Secret For The Living and the Dead
Omnipotens sempiterna Deus, qui vivorum dominaris simul et mortuorum, omniumque misereris quos tuos fide et opera futuros esse praenoscis: te supplices exoramus; ut, pro quibus effundere preces decrevimus, quosque vel praesens saeculum adhuc in carne retinet, vel futurum jam exutos corpore suscepit, intercedentibus omnibus Sanctis tuis, pietatis tuae clementia omnium delictorum suorum veniam consequantur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. Secret for God's Holy Church
Prótege nos, Dómine, tuis mystériis serviéntes: ut divínis rebus inhæréntes, et córpore tibi famulémur et mente. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
|
|
D o Thou, we beseech Thee, O Lord duly prepare us for the offering to these gifts, by which we celebrate the institution of this venerable sacrament, through the Lord Jesus Christ. Secret For The Blessed Virgin Mary
Strengthen in our minds, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the mysteries of the true faith, that, confessing Him Who was conceived of the Virgin to be true God and true man, we may deserve, through the power of His saving resurrection, to attain everlasting joy, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, One God, forever and ever. Amen. Secret For The Intercession Of The Saints
Graciously hear us, O God our Savior, and, by virtue of this Sacrament, defend us from all enemies of soul and body, bestowing upon us Thy grace here and Thy glory hereafter. Secret For The Intercession Of The Saints
Graciously hear us, O God our Savior, and, by virtue of this Sacrament, defend us from all enemies of soul and body, bestowing upon us Thy grace here and Thy glory hereafter. Secret For The Living and the Dead
O Almighty and Eternal God, Who hast dominion over both the living and the dead, and hast mercy on all Whom Thou knowest shall be Thine by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee that all for whom we have resolved to make supplication whether the present world still holds them in the flesh or the world to come has already received them out of the body, may, through the intercession of all Thy saints, obtain of Thy goodness and clemency pardon for all their sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost; One God; forever and ever, Amen. Secret For God's Holy Church
Protect us, O Lord, who assist at Thy mysteries, that, cleaving to things divine, we may serve Thee both in body and in mind.
|
PREFACE FOR LENT
|
|
Vere dignum et justum est, aequum et salutare, nos tibi semper, et ubique gratias agere: Domine sancte, Pater Omnipotens, aeterne Deus. Qui corporali jejunio vitia comprimis, mentem elevas, virtutem largiris et praemia : per Christum Dominum nostrum. Per quem majestatem tuam laudant Angeli, adorant Dominationes, tremunt Potestates. Coeli, caelorumque Virtutes, ac beata Seraphim, socia exsultatione concelebrant. Cum quibus et nostras voces, ut admitti jubeas deprecamur, supplici confessione dicentes: SANCTUS, SANCTUS, SANCTUS.... |
|
It is truly meet and just, right and for our salvation that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty, everlasting God: Who by this bodily fast, dost curb our vices, dost lift up our minds and bestow on us strength and rewards; through Christ our Lord. Through whom the Angels praise Thy Majesty, the Dominations worship it, the Powers stand in awe. The Heavens and the heavenly hosts together with the blessed Seraphim in triumphant chorus unite to celebrate it. Together with these we entreat Thee that Thou mayest bid our voices also to be admitted while we say with lowly praise: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY...
|
COMMUNIO ~ COMMUNION ¤ Psalm 1:2-3
|
|
Qui meditabitur in lege Domini die ac nocte, dabit fructum suum in tempore suo.
|
|
He that shall meditate day and night on the law of the Lord, shall bring forth his fruit in due season.
|
POSTCOMMUNIO ~ POSTCOMMUNION
|
|
Percepta nobis, Domine, praebeant sacramenta subsidium, ut tibi grata sint nostra jejunia, et nobis proficiant ad medelam, per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Postcommunion For The Blessed Virgin Mary
Grátiam tuam quæsumus, Dómine, méntibus nostris infúnde: ut qui, Angelo nuntiánte, Christi Fílii tui incarnatiónem cognóvimus: per passiónem ejus et crucem, ad resurrectiónis glóriam perducámur. Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spíritus Sancti, Deus. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. Postcommunion For The Intercession Of The Saints
Mundet et múniat nos quáesumus Dómine dívini sacraménti munus oblátum: et intercedénte beáta Vírgine Dei Genitríce María, cum beáto Joseph, beátis Apóstolis tuis Petro et Paulo, et ómnibus Sanctis; a cunctis nos reddat et pervérsitátibus expiátos, et advérsitátibus expedítos. Per eúmdem Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fiiium tuum: Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spíritus Sancti, Deus. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. Postcommunion For The Living and the Dead
Omnipotens sempiterna Deus, qui vivorum dominaris simul et mortuorum, omniumque misereris quos tuos fide et opera futuros esse praenoscis: te supplices exoramus; ut, pro quibus effundere preces decrevimus, quosque vel praesens saeculum adhuc in carne retinet, vel futurum jam exutos corpore suscepit, intercedentibus omnibus Sanctis tuis, pietatis tuae clementia omnium delictorum suorum veniam consequantur. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Qui Tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen. Postcommunion for God's Holy Church
Quæsumus, Dómine Deus noster, ut quos divína tribuis participatióne gaudére, humánis non sinas subjacére perículis. Per Dóminum nostrum Jesum Christum Fiiium tuum: Qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spíritus Sancti, Deus, Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
|
|
May the sacraments which we have received afford us help, O Lord, that our fasts may be pleasing to Thee, and a profitable remedy, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Postcommunion For The Blessed Virgin Mary
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 Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God forever and ever. Amen. Postcommunion For The Intercession Of The Saints
Graciously hear us, O God our Savior, and, by virtue of this Sacrament, defend us from all enemies of soul and body, bestowing upon us Thy grace here and Thy glory hereafter. Postcommunion For The Living and the Dead
O Almighty and Eternal God, Who hast dominion over both the living and the dead, and hast mercy on all Whom Thou knowest shall be Thine by faith and good works: we humbly beseech Thee that all for whom we have resolved to make supplication whether the present world still holds them in the flesh or the world to come has already received them out of the body, may, through the intercession of all Thy saints, obtain of Thy goodness and clemency pardon for all their sins. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost; One God; forever and ever, Amen. Postcommunion for God's Holy Church
Protect us, O Lord, who assist at Thy mysteries, that, cleaving to things divine, we may serve Thee both in body and in mind.
|
PRAYER OVER THE MANY
|
|
Inclinantes se, Domine, majestati Tuaee, propitiatus intende; ut, Qui divino munere sunt refecti, caelestibus semper nutriantur auxiliis. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum. Qui vivis et regnas in cum Deo Patri in unitate Spiritus Sancti, Deus, unum Deum. Per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.
|
|
Look down, O Lord, in Thy mercy, upon those who bow before Thy majesty; that they who are refreshed by Thy divine gift may ever be sustained by heavenly aid, through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and reignest, with You Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, one God; for ever and ever. Amen.
|
THE BLESSING
|
|
V. Sit Nomen Domini benedictum.
R. Ex hoc nunc, et usque in saeculum.
V. U Adjutorium nostrum in Nomine Domini.
R. Qui fecit colum et terram.
V. Benedicat vos, Omnipotens Deus:
V. Pater, et Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus, descendat super vos, et maneat semper.
R. Amen.
|
|
V. Blessed be the Name of the Lord.
R. Now and for ever more.
V. U Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
R. Who made Heaven and earth.
V. May Almighty God bless thee:
V. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, descend upon thee, and always remain with thee.
R. Amen.
|
† - Holy Queen of Heaven and Earth, pray for us. - †
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
