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Green Semidouble THE OFFICE FOR THE SIXTH SUNDAY after Pentecost, which began yesterday evening, reminded us, in its Magnificat Antiphon, of a repentence 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! “I have acted as a fool!” Sin is always a folly, and a weakness, no matter what kind it may be, or...

Green Semidouble THIS SUNDAY, which, with the Greeks, is called the fifth of Saint Matthew, was known by the Latins as the Sunday of the Fishing; such was its name up to the time when the Church had 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 other similar varieties of names, which it is no rare thing to find...

Green Semidouble THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST was called, for a long period, in the West, the Sunday of Mercy, because, formerly, there was read upon 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...

White Semidouble THE FAITHFUL SOUL HAS WITNESSED, through the sacred Liturgy, the close of the mysteries of our Redemption, which were wrought, in succession, by our Jesus, and applied to us, one after the other, by his Church, in her divine worship of them. The Holy Ghost has been sent, by the Father and Son, and he has lovingly and graciously come, to continue amongst us the work of the Incarnate Word. He, the Spirit of the Father and Son, is come to support the Christian in this second portion of both time and season; it is, as far...

WE HAVE NOT, as yet, reached the Feast of the divine Memorial; not until the morrow shall we have it in all its splendor. But this evening at first Vespers, the Church will begin her acclamations to the Eternal Priest, and although the Sovereign Pontiffs have not ordained that a Vigil, properly so called, shall precede the Feast of Corpus Christi, yet have they granted indulgences to a voluntary fast practiced on this its eve. Let us now resume the history of the Church’s worship of the great mystery. We have already seen how the unity of the Church...

THE HISTORY OF THE BLESSED EUCHARIST is one with that of the Church herself: the liturgical usages, which have varied in the celebration of the most august of all the Sacraments, have followed the great social phases of the Christian world. This was a necessity; for the Eucharist is the vital center here below, whither everything in the Church converges; it is the inner bond which unites together that society of which Christ is the head, the society whereby he is to reign over the nations, which are to be his inheritance. Union with Peter, the Vicar of Christ,...

The History of 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...

O rex gloriæ, Domine virtutum, qui triumphator hodie super omnes cœlos ascendisti, ne derelinquas nos orphanos; sed mitte promissum Patris in nos Spiritum veritatis, alleluia. O King of glory, Lord of hosts, who didst this day ascend in triumph above all the heavens! leave us not orphans, but send upon us the Spirit of truth, promised by the Father, alleluia. THE OCTAVE IS OVER; the mystery of the glorious Ascension is completed; and our Jesus is never again to be seen upon this earth until he come to judge the living and the dead. We are to see him...

White Semidouble 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...

THE STATION for today is as noted in the missal, in the church of St. Trypho, martyr; but this church having been destroyed many centuries ago, the station is now in that of St. Augustine, which is built on the same site. COLLECT Adesto, Domine, supplicationibus nostris, et concede ut hoc solemne jejunium, quod animabus corporibusque curandis salubriter institutum est, devoto servitio celebremus. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Give ear, O Lord, to our prayers, and grant that we may, with true devotion, observe this solemn fast which was wholesomely instituted for giving health to both our souls and...

THE STATION today is in the church of the holy martyrs, St. John and St. Paul. COLLECT Inchoata jejunia, quæsumus Domine, benigno favore prosequere: ut observantiam, quam corporaliter exhibemus, mentibus etiam sinceris exercere valeamus. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen. Graciously favor us, O Lord, we beseech thee, in the fast we have undertaken: that what we observe outwardly, we may perform with sincere minds. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. EPISTLE LECTIO ISAIÆ PROPHETÆ. LESSON from ISAIAS the PROPHET. Cap. LVIII Ch. LVIII Hæc dicit Dominus Deus: Clama, ne cesses, quasi tuba exalta vocem tuam, et annuntia populo meo scelera...

ALTHOUGH THE LAW OF FASTING began yesterday, yet Lent, properly so called, does not begin till the Vespers of Saturday next. In order to distinguish the rest of Lent from these four days which have been added to it, the Church continues to chant Vespers at the usual hour, and allows her ministers to break their fast before having said that Office. But beginning with Saturday, the Vespers will be anticipated; every day (Sundays excepted, which always exclude fasting), they will be said at such an early hour that when the faithful take their full meal, the evening Office...

Green Semidouble 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 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 near Septuagesima and the second after Pentecost,...

Green Semidouble THE NUMBER of the Sundays after Pentecost may exceed twenty-four, and go up as far as twenty-eight, according as Easter is each Year, more or less near to the vernal equinox. But the Mass here given is always reserved for the last; and the intervening ones, be their number what it may, are taken from the Sundays after the Epiphany, which in that case were not used at the beginning of the year. This, however, does not apply to the Introit, Gradual, Offertory, and Communion, which, as we have already said, are repeated from the twenty-third Sunday....

Green Semidouble INTROIT Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quia sustinebit? quia apud te propitiato est, Deus Israel. If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities, Lord! who shall endure it? For with thee there is merciful forgiveness, O God of Israel! Ps. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine: Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Gloria Patri. Si iniquitates. Ps. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord: Lord! hear my voice. Glory, &c. If thou. We have just been rousing our confidence, by singing, that with God, there is merciful forgiveness. It is He himself who gives that loving...

Green Semidouble THE divine Leader of God’s people is their salvation and that in all their distress. Did we not last Sunday see him prove himself as such, and in a very telling way—by curing both body and soul of the poor Paralytic, who was a figure of the whole human race? Let us hear his voice, in the Introit, with love and gratitude; let us promise him the fidelity he asks of us; his Law, if we will but observe it, will preserve us from a relapse. The Anthem which follows is made up of several passages of...

White Double THE dominical series—which, formerly, counted from the feast of Saint Peter, or of the Apostles—never went beyond this Sunday. The feast of Saint Laurence gave its name to those which follow; through that name began with even the ninth Sunday, for the years when Easter was nearest the Spring equinox. When, on the contrary, that Solemnity was kept at its almost latest date, the weeks began from today be counted as the Weeks of the seventh month (September). The Ember-Days of the Autumn quarter sometimes occur even this week, while, other years, they may be as late...

A series of images posted to Imgur document hypocrisy, contradictions, and inconsistencies from left-wing and Democrat-aligned news media outlets.

Donald Trump Stands by Refusal to Commit to GOP Nominee: ‘It’s Great Leverage’Trump on Possible Third-Party Run: 'Great Leverage, Might as Well Use It' As seen on Hannity Donald Trump appeared on "Hannity" tonight to react to the Fox News Republican debate. Trump said that he refused to take the pledge to not run as a third-party candidate because he didn't want to give up his leverage with the Republican Party. "If they don't treat me well, Sean, why should I make that pledge?" Trump asked. "At this moment, it's great leverage, and I might as well use it." "I...

This morning, the alarms in my house went off. I immediately armed myself and went in search of the cause or person. After thinking about it I think one fire alarm went off and then each and every alarm started as well, I believe, the actuall alarm system to the house. Freaking loud as hell and brought me out of bed, with me grabbing a weapon and charging through the first floor, then running upstairs to ascertain if we had just been broken into, with a thought running through my mind that maybe there was a fire. I didn't know....