11-27-2023, 05:45 AM
COLLECT.
The Gloria being finished, the Priest kisses the Altar; and, turning towards the people, says Dominus vobiscum. He has once already addressed his ministers with this salutation; but he was then at the foot of the Altar; it was a sort of farewell; for, when he was just about entering into the cloud, he seemed loath to leave the Faithful people, until he had spoken one word, at least, of affection to them that had been praying together with him. But, now, the Church has a different motive for using these two words; and it is, that she may gain the people’s attention to the Collect which the Priest is going to address to God, - in other words, to the Prayer in which he sums up the desires of the Faithful, and presents them under the form of a petition. The word Collect comes from the Latin colligere, which means to bring together things previously existing apart. The importance of the Collect is great. Hence, holy mother Church urges us to listen to it with all respect and devotion. According to Monastic usage, the Choir bows down profoundly while the Priest recites it: in Cathedral Chapters, the Canons turn towards the Altar.
When the Collect is finished, the Choir answers Amen; that is to say, Yes, that is what we pray for, and we assent to everything that has been said. This first Prayer of the Mass is also recited at Vespers, Lauds, and (in the Monastic Rite,) at Matins; the Roman Breviary only says it at the Christmas Matins, before the Midnight Mass. It is not said at Prime, because that portion of the office was of a later institution; neither is it said at Compline, which is considered as Night Prayers, and received its liturgical form from St. Benedict. It is said at Tierce, Sext, and None. All this shows us what importance the Church attaches to the Collect, which, so to say, characterises the day; and this explains why it is preceded by the Dominus vobiscum, which is as though the Priest said to the people: Be all attention, for what is now going to be said, is of the greatest importance. Moreover, the Priest, when here saying the Dominus vobiscum, turns towards the people, which he did not do when he was at the foot of the Altar. But having now ascended to it, and having received the peace of the Lord by kissing the Altar, he announces the same to the assembly, to whom, opening his arms, he says: Dominus vobiscum. The people reply: Et cum spiritu tuo. Then the Priest, feeling that the people are one with him, says: Oremus; Let us pray.
The Pax vobis said here by Prelates, instead of Dominus vobiscum, is a very ancient usage. It was the customary salutation of the Jews. The words of the Gloria: PAX hominibus bonae voluntatis prompted its being used at this part of the Mass. There is every reason for believing, that, in the early Ages, every Priest used the formula of Pax vobis. It is the same with several of the pontifical ceremonies. Thus, for instance, every Priest, used, formerly, to put on the Maniple at the moment of his going up to the Altar, as a Prelate now does. Later on, it was found easier to put it on in the Sacristy; this took the place of the ancient practice, the which is now reserved to Prelates alone. As the Pax vobis is suggested by the Gloria, it is not said when the Mass, which is being said, excludes that hymn: in which case, the Dominus vobiscum is substituted.
The Priest should stretch out his arms, whilst saying the Collect. Herein, he imitates the ancient manner of praying, used by the first Christians. As our Lord had His arms extended on the Cross, and so prayed for us, - the early Christians had the practice of praying in that same attitude.
This ancient usage has been transmitted to us, in an especially emphatic way, by the paintings of the Catacombs, which always represent prayer as being made in that attitude: hence, the name of Orantes, given to those figures. It is by this means, as also by the writings of the Holy Fathers, that many details regarding the usages of the primitive times have been handed down to memory, which, otherwise, would have been lost.
In the East, the practice of praying with outstretched arms is universal; in our western countries, it has become very rare, and is only used on special occasions. We might say, that publicly, it is only the Priest who prays in that attitude, for he represents our Lord, who offered a prayer of infinite worth whilst hanging on the Cross; He offered it to His Eternal Father.
EPISTLE.
After the Collect, and the other Prayers, which are frequently added under the name of Commemorations, there follows the Epistle, which is, almost always, taken from the Epistles of one or other of the Apostles, although, occasionally, from some other Book of the holy Scriptures. The custom of reading only one Epistle in the Mass, is not of the number of those which were in use in the primitive Church; yet it dates back at least a thousand years.
In the Early Ages, there was read, first, a Lesson from the Old Testament; after which, followed some passage selected from the Apostolic Writings. At present, it is the Epistle alone that is read, excepting on Ember Days and certain Ferias. The practice of reading Lessons from the Old Testament during Mass, ceased when the Missal was drawn up in its present form, and which contains the whole of what is said at Mass, both by the Priest and by the Choir; and, on that account, is called a Full Missal. An Ancient Missal, called a Sacramentary, contained nothing, as we have already stated, beyond the Prayers, the Prefaces, and the Canon. All the rest was to be looked for in the Antiphonary, the Bible, and the Evangeliarium. We have been losers by the change; for each Mass had its proper Preface; whereas, now, the number of these liturgical compositions is reduced to a minimum. The same method was observed in the Divine Office, since, in those times, there were no Breviaries; and each Choir had to be supplied with a Psaltery, Hymnary, Bible, Passional, which related the Acts of the Saints, and a Homily-Book, which contained the Sermons of the Holy Fathers.
For a long period after that, the first Sunday of Advent retained its privilege of having two Epistles in the Mass. At last, it, also, was to have but one. The Office of this Sunday was, however, treated with a special consideration, and has retained, more faithfully than most others, the ancient usages. Thus, though a semidouble, the Suffrages are not to be said upon it; nor, indeed, during the whole period up to the Epiphany. The Suffrages do not date beyond the 11th century; previously there were none.
Thus everything in the holy Sacrifice proceeds with order: the Priest has, first of all, expressed the desires and petitions of the assembled Faithful, - holy Church has spoken through him. We shall soon be hearing the words of our divine Master, in the Gospel; but we are to be prepared for that, by the word of his servant; this was done in the Epistle. So that, we first have the Prophet, then the Apostle, and, at length, our Lord Himself.
GRADUAL.
Between the Epistle and the Gospel, we have the Gradual. It consists of a Responsory and its Versicle. Formerly, the whole Responsory was repeated both before and after the Versicle, in the way now used with the Brief Responsories; only, the Responsory was exceedingly rich in notes. The Gradual is really the most musical piece in the whole Liturgy; and, as the rendering of it requires great skill, there were never more than two chanters permitted to sing it. When about to sing it, they went to the Ambo, which was a sort of marble pulpit, placed in the church; and it was on account of the steps, which led to the Ambo, that this portion of the chant got the name of Gradual; just as the Gradual Psalms were those which the Jews used to sing whilst ascending the steps of the Temple.
ALLELUIA. TRACT.
The Gradual is followed by the Alleluia; - or, if the season require it, by the Tract. The Alleluia is repeated after the manner of a Responsory; it is then followed by a Verse; which having been said, the Alleluia is sung a third time. This, by excellence, the chant of the praise of God, deserved to have a Place in the Mass. There is something so joyous, and, at the same time, so mysterious about it, that during penitential seasons, - that is, from Septuagesima to Easter, - it is not to be said.
During those Seasons, it is replaced by the Tract. The Tract takes up the attention of the Faithful during the time required for the several ceremonies, when the Deacon, after having asked the Priest’s blessing, goes in procession to the Ambo of the Gospel, and prepares to herald the Word of God. The Tract is composed, sometimes of an entire Psalm, or nearly so, - as we have for the first Sunday of Lent; but, generally, it gives only a few Verses. These Verses, which are sung to a rich and characteristic melody, follow each other without any refrain or repetition: and it is because of their being thus sung without any break, that they are called by this name of Tract.
SEQUENCE.
On certain Solemnities, there is added to the Alleluia or Tract, what is called the Sequence, (Sequentia). It was added to the chant of the Mass long after the time of St. Gregory; the addition was made some time about the 9th century. It received the name of Sequence, that is to say, sequel, because it originally consisted of certain words adapted to the notes which form a sequel to the word Alleluia, and which were called Sequentia, even before the introduction of the Sequence.
It is called, also, the Prose (Prosa,) because originally, it bore no resemblance either to the metrical hymns composed by ancient writers, nor to cadenced rhythms, which appeared later on. It was a real piece of prose, which was sung in the manner we have described, as a way of putting words to the pneuma of the Alleluia. By degrees, however, it partook of the character of a Hymn. - The Sequence thus added to the solemnity of the Liturgy; and, whilst it was being sung, the Bells were rung, as now, and the Organ was played. There was a Sequence for every Feast, and, therefore, for the Sundays during Advent. In the Roman Missal drawn up by order of St. Pius the Fifth, only four of the Sequences were retained. These four are, the Victimae Paschali, which is the most ancient of all, and was followed as the model of the rest; the Veni Sancte Spiritus, the Lauda Sion, and the Dies irae. Later on, there was added the Stabat Mater. The Monastic Missal has also the Laeta dies, for the feast of St. Benedict; it is a composition of the 16th century.
To be continued...
The Gloria being finished, the Priest kisses the Altar; and, turning towards the people, says Dominus vobiscum. He has once already addressed his ministers with this salutation; but he was then at the foot of the Altar; it was a sort of farewell; for, when he was just about entering into the cloud, he seemed loath to leave the Faithful people, until he had spoken one word, at least, of affection to them that had been praying together with him. But, now, the Church has a different motive for using these two words; and it is, that she may gain the people’s attention to the Collect which the Priest is going to address to God, - in other words, to the Prayer in which he sums up the desires of the Faithful, and presents them under the form of a petition. The word Collect comes from the Latin colligere, which means to bring together things previously existing apart. The importance of the Collect is great. Hence, holy mother Church urges us to listen to it with all respect and devotion. According to Monastic usage, the Choir bows down profoundly while the Priest recites it: in Cathedral Chapters, the Canons turn towards the Altar.
When the Collect is finished, the Choir answers Amen; that is to say, Yes, that is what we pray for, and we assent to everything that has been said. This first Prayer of the Mass is also recited at Vespers, Lauds, and (in the Monastic Rite,) at Matins; the Roman Breviary only says it at the Christmas Matins, before the Midnight Mass. It is not said at Prime, because that portion of the office was of a later institution; neither is it said at Compline, which is considered as Night Prayers, and received its liturgical form from St. Benedict. It is said at Tierce, Sext, and None. All this shows us what importance the Church attaches to the Collect, which, so to say, characterises the day; and this explains why it is preceded by the Dominus vobiscum, which is as though the Priest said to the people: Be all attention, for what is now going to be said, is of the greatest importance. Moreover, the Priest, when here saying the Dominus vobiscum, turns towards the people, which he did not do when he was at the foot of the Altar. But having now ascended to it, and having received the peace of the Lord by kissing the Altar, he announces the same to the assembly, to whom, opening his arms, he says: Dominus vobiscum. The people reply: Et cum spiritu tuo. Then the Priest, feeling that the people are one with him, says: Oremus; Let us pray.
The Pax vobis said here by Prelates, instead of Dominus vobiscum, is a very ancient usage. It was the customary salutation of the Jews. The words of the Gloria: PAX hominibus bonae voluntatis prompted its being used at this part of the Mass. There is every reason for believing, that, in the early Ages, every Priest used the formula of Pax vobis. It is the same with several of the pontifical ceremonies. Thus, for instance, every Priest, used, formerly, to put on the Maniple at the moment of his going up to the Altar, as a Prelate now does. Later on, it was found easier to put it on in the Sacristy; this took the place of the ancient practice, the which is now reserved to Prelates alone. As the Pax vobis is suggested by the Gloria, it is not said when the Mass, which is being said, excludes that hymn: in which case, the Dominus vobiscum is substituted.
The Priest should stretch out his arms, whilst saying the Collect. Herein, he imitates the ancient manner of praying, used by the first Christians. As our Lord had His arms extended on the Cross, and so prayed for us, - the early Christians had the practice of praying in that same attitude.
This ancient usage has been transmitted to us, in an especially emphatic way, by the paintings of the Catacombs, which always represent prayer as being made in that attitude: hence, the name of Orantes, given to those figures. It is by this means, as also by the writings of the Holy Fathers, that many details regarding the usages of the primitive times have been handed down to memory, which, otherwise, would have been lost.
In the East, the practice of praying with outstretched arms is universal; in our western countries, it has become very rare, and is only used on special occasions. We might say, that publicly, it is only the Priest who prays in that attitude, for he represents our Lord, who offered a prayer of infinite worth whilst hanging on the Cross; He offered it to His Eternal Father.
EPISTLE.
After the Collect, and the other Prayers, which are frequently added under the name of Commemorations, there follows the Epistle, which is, almost always, taken from the Epistles of one or other of the Apostles, although, occasionally, from some other Book of the holy Scriptures. The custom of reading only one Epistle in the Mass, is not of the number of those which were in use in the primitive Church; yet it dates back at least a thousand years.
In the Early Ages, there was read, first, a Lesson from the Old Testament; after which, followed some passage selected from the Apostolic Writings. At present, it is the Epistle alone that is read, excepting on Ember Days and certain Ferias. The practice of reading Lessons from the Old Testament during Mass, ceased when the Missal was drawn up in its present form, and which contains the whole of what is said at Mass, both by the Priest and by the Choir; and, on that account, is called a Full Missal. An Ancient Missal, called a Sacramentary, contained nothing, as we have already stated, beyond the Prayers, the Prefaces, and the Canon. All the rest was to be looked for in the Antiphonary, the Bible, and the Evangeliarium. We have been losers by the change; for each Mass had its proper Preface; whereas, now, the number of these liturgical compositions is reduced to a minimum. The same method was observed in the Divine Office, since, in those times, there were no Breviaries; and each Choir had to be supplied with a Psaltery, Hymnary, Bible, Passional, which related the Acts of the Saints, and a Homily-Book, which contained the Sermons of the Holy Fathers.
For a long period after that, the first Sunday of Advent retained its privilege of having two Epistles in the Mass. At last, it, also, was to have but one. The Office of this Sunday was, however, treated with a special consideration, and has retained, more faithfully than most others, the ancient usages. Thus, though a semidouble, the Suffrages are not to be said upon it; nor, indeed, during the whole period up to the Epiphany. The Suffrages do not date beyond the 11th century; previously there were none.
Thus everything in the holy Sacrifice proceeds with order: the Priest has, first of all, expressed the desires and petitions of the assembled Faithful, - holy Church has spoken through him. We shall soon be hearing the words of our divine Master, in the Gospel; but we are to be prepared for that, by the word of his servant; this was done in the Epistle. So that, we first have the Prophet, then the Apostle, and, at length, our Lord Himself.
GRADUAL.
Between the Epistle and the Gospel, we have the Gradual. It consists of a Responsory and its Versicle. Formerly, the whole Responsory was repeated both before and after the Versicle, in the way now used with the Brief Responsories; only, the Responsory was exceedingly rich in notes. The Gradual is really the most musical piece in the whole Liturgy; and, as the rendering of it requires great skill, there were never more than two chanters permitted to sing it. When about to sing it, they went to the Ambo, which was a sort of marble pulpit, placed in the church; and it was on account of the steps, which led to the Ambo, that this portion of the chant got the name of Gradual; just as the Gradual Psalms were those which the Jews used to sing whilst ascending the steps of the Temple.
ALLELUIA. TRACT.
The Gradual is followed by the Alleluia; - or, if the season require it, by the Tract. The Alleluia is repeated after the manner of a Responsory; it is then followed by a Verse; which having been said, the Alleluia is sung a third time. This, by excellence, the chant of the praise of God, deserved to have a Place in the Mass. There is something so joyous, and, at the same time, so mysterious about it, that during penitential seasons, - that is, from Septuagesima to Easter, - it is not to be said.
During those Seasons, it is replaced by the Tract. The Tract takes up the attention of the Faithful during the time required for the several ceremonies, when the Deacon, after having asked the Priest’s blessing, goes in procession to the Ambo of the Gospel, and prepares to herald the Word of God. The Tract is composed, sometimes of an entire Psalm, or nearly so, - as we have for the first Sunday of Lent; but, generally, it gives only a few Verses. These Verses, which are sung to a rich and characteristic melody, follow each other without any refrain or repetition: and it is because of their being thus sung without any break, that they are called by this name of Tract.
SEQUENCE.
On certain Solemnities, there is added to the Alleluia or Tract, what is called the Sequence, (Sequentia). It was added to the chant of the Mass long after the time of St. Gregory; the addition was made some time about the 9th century. It received the name of Sequence, that is to say, sequel, because it originally consisted of certain words adapted to the notes which form a sequel to the word Alleluia, and which were called Sequentia, even before the introduction of the Sequence.
It is called, also, the Prose (Prosa,) because originally, it bore no resemblance either to the metrical hymns composed by ancient writers, nor to cadenced rhythms, which appeared later on. It was a real piece of prose, which was sung in the manner we have described, as a way of putting words to the pneuma of the Alleluia. By degrees, however, it partook of the character of a Hymn. - The Sequence thus added to the solemnity of the Liturgy; and, whilst it was being sung, the Bells were rung, as now, and the Organ was played. There was a Sequence for every Feast, and, therefore, for the Sundays during Advent. In the Roman Missal drawn up by order of St. Pius the Fifth, only four of the Sequences were retained. These four are, the Victimae Paschali, which is the most ancient of all, and was followed as the model of the rest; the Veni Sancte Spiritus, the Lauda Sion, and the Dies irae. Later on, there was added the Stabat Mater. The Monastic Missal has also the Laeta dies, for the feast of St. Benedict; it is a composition of the 16th century.
To be continued...
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre